2010-2011 Issue 2

Prelude to...2011?

Find out what was going on at TSS as 2010 wound down NEWS p.2 & SPORTS p.14 the student newspaper of thornhill secondary school

issue two

winter 2011

In 2001, the Twin Towers fall and usher in the post-9/11 era. In 2002, the Euro forever changes the financial market. In 2003, SARS comes to Toronto. In 2004, the tsunami strikes Southeast Asia, killing almost 200,000. In 2005, Pope John Paul II passes away and his funeral is attended by 14 different religious figures. In 2006, the Internet is introduced to the Twitter— life in 140 words or less. In 2007, the final Harry Potter is released and becomes the fastest selling book in history. In 2008, the American financial market crashes and causes a global economic crisis. In 2009, Barack Obama is sworn in as 44th president of the United States of America. In 2010, British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon explodes, spilling into the Gulf. See p.12 for more.

news

page 2 EYE OF THE TIGER

winter 2011

EYE OF THE TIGER TSS’s Music Department ends 2010 on a high note with annual winter concert.

BY ALBERT VONG NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

ast year, the Music Department of Thornhill Secondary School held its annual winter concert at Markham Theatre for the Performing Arts, wowing an audience of over 150 people.

This year? A smaller theatre; a smaller audience. Yet once again, Music Department directors Ms. Spilberg and Mr. Moore went above and beyond, arranging a large program filled to the brim with Thornhill’s musical talent.

On Wednesday, December 1, 70 students were transported to St. Elizabeth Theatre in the afternoon to prepare for the upcoming evening event. Brilliant performances by students ranged from piano solos to small and large ensemble pieces put together by both our junior and senior bands.

When the concert started, our students were greeted with enthusiastic applause from the audience, who filled up the majority of the performance hall.

David Lee, one of two solo pianists who played that night, finished his Fantasie Impromptu by Chopin to a deafening approval by the audience.

Following several performances, the crowd was treated to a rendition of Oye Como Va by Carlos Santana played by the guitar ensemble, leaving a lingering sense of Spanish music in the ears of everyone present.

The grade 10-12 music class and

RINGING IN THE SEASON The Junior Band was one of many acts to perform at Thornhill’s annual Winter Concert of this year. Photo by Jordi Klein. the winds ensemble, under the direction of Ms. Spilberg, performed before the intermission. After, our choir, run by Mr. Moore, performed Cry by James Blunt, along with two other pieces. Following that, we

heard Albert Vong’s excellent interpretation of Rondo Capriccioso by Felix Mendelssohn, even resulting in ‘bravos’ from several individuals among the audience.

To cap off the show, the Winter

Prelude ended with our Junior Band, Music Council, and Senior Band each performing their own pieces, putting the cherry on top of an already satisfying show that evening. Overall, the performances

were very musical and exciting for everyone present to enjoy. As good of a job executed by the Music Council and directors, it can only be expected that the next spring concert will be even more of a success.

Arabian Nights at Semi-Formal Spreading holiday cheer TSS’ s students danced and ate happily through this year’s semi-formal.

SEMI PICTURE HERE

How the students of TSS made a festive impact on everyone this year

BY ADELE CHUI DEPUTY LAYOUT EDITOR

hrobbing music? Check. Giant banquet hall? Check. A large number of formally dressed dancing teenagers? Check. All the trademarks of the annual SemiFormal dance came together on Thursday, December 2nd, 2010 for another fun-filled night for the student body. After months of hard work by the Semi-Formal Committee, the dinner and dance went off without a hitch; this year’s Arabian Nights themed Semi was another smashing success.

For months, the Semi-Formal Committee worked behind the scenes planning this major event.

Finding the banquet hall, designing centerpieces, figuring out themes, calculating costs; the Semi-Formal Committee did all this and more, working their hardest to make the event truly one for everyone to enjoy. When students finally arrived at the hall, everyone was amazed at the efforts of the Semi-Formal Committee. They had definitely outdone themselves. Kudos to the Semi-Formal Committee and the teacher supervisors!

Over a hundred students turned out for this year’s Semi-Formal at the Paradise Banquet Hall. For the next four hours, students basked in the hard work of the Semi-Formal Committee. A delicious dinner, lots of friends, beautiful outfits and

around the school REBECCA CHUI & ALANNA KAZDAN NEWS CONTIRBUTOR & EDITOR

uring the holiday season, TSS clubs organized initiatives, which welcomed the student body to contribute.

ROCK Christian Fellowship ALL DRESSED UP Students showed up in their finest for semi-formal. pounding music meant a successful The students had a chance to show night for the students there. As one off their amazing dance moves, as of the larger social events for stu- the deejay played hit song after dents, Semi-Formal is always an song. When a dance train broke out anticipated event. After revealing on the floor, dozens of students the theme around mid-November, joined, bouncing along to the beat. the school was excited; this year’s Even the teacher supervisors Semi-Formal most certainly did not looked like they were having fun, disappoint. enjoying the food and sharing conThe night started out slowly. Sip- versation with their colleagues. ping on mock cocktails, students After hours of dancing, the studropped their coats off at the coat dents there did not slow down at check and mingled with fellow all. The music played until the last friends and students, admiring minute, until finally, at 11 p.m., the each other and the opulence of the deejay finally stopped. Semihall. Finally walking into the actual Formal was officially over. Tired, banquet hall, many students were foot-sore students began to disamazed by the ambience. Beauti- perse, some students going home, fully crafted lily and candle center- and others headed to the Semipieces accompanied delicious cui- Formal after party. sine. As course after course of food Grabbing their coats, students came out, held up by neatly left around 11 p.m., after enjoying dressed waiters, students genuinely one of the larger events of the year. enjoyed the delectable cooking. Semi-Formal did not disappoint, Music played while they were eat- and hopefully next year’s Semiing, and when the food was finally Formal will be another huge sucdemolished, the real party began. cess.

On Thursday, December 16th, ROCK Christian Fellowship hosted their annual Christmas party. Decorations filled the drama room and there was a festive vibe as students anticipated a fun time. A guest speaker spoke about the significance of Christmas and students enjoyed a time of singing Christmas carols. To draw the evening to a close, a variety of different snacks were served to students and teachers.

United Church to be assembled into care packages. These packages were then delivered throughout the community to families in need.

UNICEF In an initiative carried out by the grade 12 Challenge and Change courses, the Gifts of Magic program was implemented within the school.

Between November 30th and December 16th, homeroom classes donated money toward the purchasing of items of aid to developing countries. Each class got to decide exactly what their raised money would buy.

World Food Program In a new addition to the usual line -up of club fundraisers, World Food Program sold silly bands at lunch in an attempt to raise money to help eradicate world hunger. All money raised went toward feeding the hungry in developing countries, with a specific focus on Africa.

Chinese Student Association This year at CSA, they continued to celebrate the holiday season with their annual “End of Year Holiday Potluck.” Students brought food to share with others in the club. Next semester, CSA plans to host a Chinese New Year festival, introducing the new lunar year with some moon cakes and food.

Red Cross This holiday season, Red Cross organized our annual Care and Share Holiday Drive. We collected food and toiletry donations which NOT SO SILLY The World Food Prowere delivered to the Thornhill gram sold Silly Bandz to raise funds.

news

winter 2011

EYE OF THE TIGER

page 3

FINISHED APPLYING? For those in their last year at TSS, now is the time to be thinking about postsecondary options. Previously, The Eye of the Tiger published a compilation of Canadian universities. Now, we present the second in our series of features on post-secondary options. By Hilbert Li.

tion, & Air Conditioning Technician, Mechanical Technician, and Welding Techniques.

Seneca College Campuses: Seneca boasts 7 campuses, spread throughout the GTA. The Buttonville Campus trains students in the Bachelor of Applied Technology-Flight program, using its fleet of aircraft and flight training devices; it is located at the Buttonville Airport in Markham. Jane Campus is Seneca's centre for Advanced Technology. King Campus has a very natural setting, and offers programs for applied arts and health sciences.

Markham Campus offers programs in business, aviation, marketing, and tourism. The Newnham Campus is Seneca's biggest campus, and offers programs for business, applied arts, applied sciences, and engineering technology.

The Seneca@York campus houses several schools, including the Animation Arts Centre, Communication Arts, Computer Studies and Biological Science and Applied Chemistry, as well as Corporate Communications and Technical Communication programs. Seneca's Community Campuses are split into Newmarket, Yorkgate, Vaughan, and Scarborough. They offer community based services like unemployment services and academic upgrading.

Costs & Admission Requirements: Costs range from $1700 to $6000.

Health Science and Social Sciences tend to be in the $1700 range. Computers, and technique based programs tend to be in the $3000 range, and the Bachelor programs are in the $3000-5000 range. For a full list of each program cost, search their website for tuition information.

As for admission, you must have an Ontario Secondary School diploma, with your courses at the minimal grade being the required pre-requisites for the program. In addition, 4 years of study in Canada in English or French at secondary school level must have been completed. Having good learning skills is advised.

sign. Centennial College at Midland provides the Job Connect services, helping community members find work. The Progress Campus houses the Schools of Business, Hospitality, Tourism, and Culture. Advanced Manufacturing , Automation EngiFaculties/Schools and Programs: neering Technology, Child Studies, Seneca offers training for more than and Community Service programs are also offered here. The Centen260 careers within these faculties.

• Faculty of Applied Arts & Health nial College Residence and Conference offers hands on experience for Sciences students in the Schools of Hospital• Faculty of Applied Science & ity, Tourism, and Culture. The Engineering Technology Morningside Campus houses the • Faculty of Business School of Health Studies and se• Arts & Commerce lected Engineering Technology and • Management & Administrative Applied Science programs.

Studies • Faculty of Information Arts & Faculties/Schools and Programs: Technology Centennial College offers more • Faculty of Continuing Education than 100 full-time programs, more and Training than 160 part time programs, and • Faculty of Workforce Skills Dethousands of part time courses for velopment training in your future careers, Seneca also offers Co-operative earning transfer credits for univerEducation programs, giving stu- sity, or pursuing your own interests. dents the chance to integrate their These programs or courses can be academic skill with a practical, paid found within the Schools of Busiwork experience. Many Seneca pro- ness, Advancement, Communicagrams require Co-op. A student tions, Media and Design, Continumust first finish 2 academic terms ing Education/Part-time studies, to start their paid work term. Seneca Engineering Technology and Apalso offers apprenticeship programs plied Science, Hospitality, Tourism, for over 150 skilled trades. and Culture, and Transportation.

Costs & Admission Requirements: Costs for 1 academic year range from $1400 to $5300. Animation tends to be in the $5000 area, Applied programs tend to be in the $4000 area, and the rest of the programs cost around $2000. For a full list of the 200+ programs cost, visit their website and search for their fee chart.

As for admission, their basic requirement is that you have the Ontario Secondary School Diploma and the appropriate pre-requisite courses for the program.

Points of Interest: Georgian College takes the environment very seriously, and has recently been one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for 2010. Many arts and journalism. In 2009, Hum- of its students strive to be leaders in ber college students contacted as- environmental sustainability. tronauts in the International Space Station using a device they built and Sheridan College operated.

Campuses: Sheridan College has 3 campuses; Georgian College 2 in Oakville, 1 in Brampton. The Campuses: Trafalgar Road campus houses 9000 Georgian College has 7 campuses students. There is easy access to located throughout Barrie, Ontario. public transportation. Sheridan The Owen Sound campus offers a offers programs in Animation, Arts variety of courses that will allow you and Design, Business, Community to work worldwide. It offers 16 full- and Liberal Studies, and Applied time programs including Co-op Computing and Engineering Scibusiness, Carpentry, General arts ences. The Skills Training Centre and sciences, Marine technology, houses Sheridan's pre-trade and Administration, Practical nursing, apprenticeship programs, and it is and Power engineering technology. recognized as one of the best trainThe Orillia campus is located at the ing facilities in Ontario. The Davis southern end of Orillia, housing Campus houses over 5000 students. around 1,600 students. It offers 14 Programs are offered in Business, full-time programs related to Child Community and Liberal Studies care, Police, Dentistry, and Social and Applied Computing and Engiservice. A Bachelor of Arts, Human neering Sciences. It is accessible by Services, Police, and Social work is GO Transit. also offered.

The Orangeville campus is a Faculties/Schools and Programs: smaller campus, only offering 4 Sheridan offers over 110 full-time programs: Bookkeeping, Office ad- courses within these schools: • School of Animation, Arts and ministration, Personal support Design worker, and Practical nursing. The • School of Applied Computing Muskoka campus is north of Barrie, and Engineering Sciences and offers full-time programs in • School of Business Bookkeeping, Carpentry Tech• School of Community and Libniques, General Arts and Science, eral Studies Office Administration, Personal • School of Continuing Education Support Worker, and Pre Health • School of Workforce DevelopSciences. ment Apprenticeship programs in carSheridan also offers apprenticepentry and hairstyling are also offered. The Midland campus offers ship programs in trades such as programs in Bookkeeping, Me- Construction and Maintenance, chanical Techniques, Office Ad- Electrician, Industrial Electrician, ministration, and Welding Tech- Industrial Mechanic Millwright, Construction Millwright, Tool and niques.

The Collingwood campus offers Die Maker, Tool/Tooling Maker, programs in Gas, Child care, and General Machinist, Pattern Maker, Personal support. The Barrie cam- Mould Maker, and Machine Tool pus houses the Athletic Centre, a Builder and Integrator. training ground for the sports team.

Costs & Admission Requirements: Faculties/Schools and Programs: (below is a basic summary of the Georgian College offers a variety course fees) of programs in Aboriginal Studies, Full-Time Tuition Fee per Term: Automotive Studies, Aviation Stud• Year One-$1160 ies, Business Studies, Community • Year Two-$1154 Studies, Computer Studies, Design • Year Three-$1146 & Visual Art Studies, Health Studies, • Year Four-$1135 Hospitality, Tourism & Recreation As for admission, requirements Studies, the School of Engineering include having an Ontario SeconTechnology, School of Environ- dary School Diploma, proficiency in mental Studies, Social Sciences & English, and Computer Literacy.

Humanities, and Transportation Studies.

Points of Interest: Georgian also offers apprenticeSheridan is known for its illustraship programs in Cabinetmaking tion and animation courses, music Techniques, Carpentry Techniques, theatre performance program, and Developmental Services Worker, its craft and design program.

Gas Technician, Heating, RefrigeraClockwise from top left: Centennial College; Seneca College; Sheridan College; Georgian College

Centennial's Co-op programs give you real-world work experience while you are a student, helping you decide what kind of job you will want. It will help you pay for your college education and increases your chances of getting a good job.

Humber College Campuses: Humber College has 3 campuses located in downtown Toronto and Orangeville. Humber North Campus houses more than 15,000 students. It contains a library, an indoor pool and sauna, athletics facilities, a 100 acre park, and a fully functioning spa. Humber Lakeshore Campus houses more than 5000 students.

It contains a library, an arts centre with live theatre and comedy, and is just minutes from the Toronto public transit line. Humber Orangeville Campus is closely connected with the Orangeville community where students study in wireless class rooms.

Humber contains a fitness centre, 2 swimming pools, a library, and a food court.

Faculties/Schools and Programs: Humber combines academic learning with a practical experience. Humber offers more than 150 programs in 40 areas of study in its eight Schools of Applied Technology, Business, Creative and Performing Arts, Health Sciences, Hospitality, Recreation, and Tourism, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Media Studies and Information Technology, and Social and Community Services. Humber College is respected in its programs of Applied Technology and Creative and Performing Arts.

Humber also offers 12 apprenticeship programs, including Cook, Plumber, and Electrician apprenticeship programs.

Costs & Admission Requirements: • First Year- $3,544.16 Costs & Admission requirements: • Second Year - $3,478.16 • Student Government (including • Third Year- $3,462.16 dental plan) - $304.70 As for admission, their basic re• Athletics—$127.12 quirements are for you to be profi• Technology Fee-$175.70 cient in English, to have an Ontario • College Services Fee $265.96 Secondary School Diploma, and to Points of interest: • Total Fee (per two semesters) Seneca houses over 100,000 stu- have minimum grades in the re$873.48 quired pre-requisites for the prodents, making it Canada's largest As for admission, requirements college. It is known for its great grams. include having an Ontario Seconsports teams. dary School Diploma, and meeting Points of Interest: A provincial report ranked Cen- the Humber College English profiCentennial College tennial College as a leader among ciency standard.

Campuses: Centennial College has Ontario's 24 public colleges in 6 campuses located throughout terms of program quality assurance, Points of Interest: In 2005, students from the school Scarborough and Toronto. The Ash- being one of only four colleges to tonbee Campus houses the School meet all five criteria identified by of Creative and Performing Arts a show called of Transportation, with one of the the Ontario College Quality Assur- launched largest automotive and aircraft ance Service. Centennial is recog- “Distinguished Artists” on TVOntechnology training centres in Can- nized as a very culturally diverse tario. In 2006, the French ambassador to Canada visited Humber ada. post-secondary institution in OnThe Centre for Creative Commu- tario. It is one of the leading col- North and Lakeshore campus. He said that Humber's programs had nications houses the Schools of leges in Canada. the potential to extend to culinary Communication, Media, and De-

news

page 4 EYE OF THE TIGER

winter 2011

Korean conflict: creating inter-continental chaos Patronizing How the idea of imminent prostitution warfare could potentially be stopped. no more

BY MARINA GONG NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

n November 23rd, old tensions were re-ignited in the Korean peninsula as the North attacked the South for performing military drills in a coastal area near North Korean waters.

The small South Korean island of Yeonpyeong was shelled, resulting in the death of four South Koreans and marking the first time the North attacked a civilian area since the armistice of 1953.

Though most world leaders, including those of the United States and Canada, agree that the attack was unprovoked and unjustified, the sea borders were defined by the United Nations and are not recognized by North Korea. This event has left the Koreas to play a proverbial game of chicken, with each threatening to return fire with more vigour, leaving their powerful international allies to attempt to diffuse the situation.

Since South Korea had a perfectly legitimate reason for the military exercises, and, in fact, informed North Korea that they intended to do so before the fact, one begs the question: why did North Korea attack? Though the North is notoriously secretive about both their actions and their motives, there has been some speculation.

Firstly, the attack may be related to the rumoured transfer of power from Kim Jong-Il, whose health is deteriorating, to his son, Kim Jongun. Currently, Kim Jong-un does

not have any significant military accomplishments to his name, and thus may not be as well accepted than if he had some sort of success, and thus, experience that is associated with handling political and military situations.

Secondly, the attack may be completely on part of the North Korean military without affiliation with the government; the military has been known to go rogue and act upon its own accord. Once again, this may have a link to the transfer of power, for the military is likely to be resistant to the new regime.

Finally, it is entirely possible that the situation has nothing to do with North Korea's internal struggles, but rather with its struggles with the rest of the world. Since North Korea does not have much in terms of an economy, with a GDP of roughly $27.3 billion (Canada has a GDP of $1.34 trillion, and the USA has $14.12 trillion), and most of its resources going towards military production and maintenance, it relies on foreign economic aid.

However, many countries, including South Korea and the USA, refuse to supply North Korea with this aid until it ceases to develop its nuclear weapon programme. Earlier in November, an American scientist was the first Westerner to be shown their nuclear facilities; this includes a uranium enrichment facility as well as over 1000 centrifuges. Clearly, this poses an international threat, causing many nations to cut off support to North Korea until they cease such operations, which creates an immense economic stress on North Korea.

This, combined with famine that

Despite legal status, prostitution could still be safer.

BY STAN RYZHAK NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

GREAT UNKNOWN Frightened civilians gather across from Yeonpyeong Island, where North Korean military activity resulted in civilian death. left North Korea unable to feed its citizens, may prompt North Korea to gather international attention.

Though conditions seem dire, and tensions seem high, not all hope is lost. On December 20, negotiations between Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico and a veteran troubleshooter, and North Korea have yielded positive results; North Korea has allowed the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its nuclear facilities. North Korea has also agreed to ship fuel rods to outside countries, as well as to consider the possibility of a military commission with the United States and South Korea.

China, as one of North Korea's main suppliers of foreign aid, as well as one of its few allies, has been urged by many, including Barack Obama, to use its influence

on North Korea to diffuse the situation. In fact, China may be essential to resuming negotiations with North Korea due to its unique relationship with the country and the power it holds over North Korea.

China has yet to take action, to much international outrage.

Though experts doubt that the aggression between North and South Korea is very unlikely to lead to a full-blown war, and more likely is a provocation of some sort linked to one of the above factors, the possibility of war nevertheless lingers.

The North Korean Peace Committee states that North Korea is prepared for war, and will use nuclear weapons if needed. At the end of the day, any chance for nuclear warfare is too large a chance, and it can only be hoped that China will use its influence over North Korea to eliminate that possibility.

WikiLeaks stirs global political unrest A dream for historians, a nightmare for the U.S.

BY RICHARD WONG NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

ikiLeaks, a non-profit organization dedicated to revealing confidential government documents, began leaking over 250 000 such documents on November 28, 2010.

These revealed previously unknown information about governments around the world regarding topics such as foreign and internal affairs, human rights, economic conditions and terrorism. However, upon the release of these documents, the governments involved, namely that of the United States, reacted critically. Why? There is a plethora of secret and classified information within the released documents. These documents were stolen off computers in numerous American embassies worldwide, as well as that of the Secretary of the State. What is especially dangerous is the information about external political affairs that was revealed, as the U.S. conducted numerous confidential intelligence gatherings which will likely cause suspicion to arise between governments in the future.

U.S. politicians are calling for WikiLeaks to be formerly labelled a “terrorist group”. Many civilians worldwide disagree with this decision. They don’t appreciate that the government can’t be transparent and not lie to the people they govern. Allan Solomon, a citizen of Watford, Hertfordshire, states, “If all our emails, however personal, are to become subject to the scrutiny of the government, why shouldn’t all of the government’s emails, however sensitive, become subject to the scrutiny of us? If we can’t plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament without their knowledge, why can they and Saudi Arabia plot to blow up Iran without ours?” The information leak is un-

LET IT OUT WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, seen here before his arrest. veiling an underlying controversy: rant for the founder of WikiLeaks, government transparency.

Julian Assange. He surrendered On the other hand, there is also himself to police in London on the newfound threat of Iran. It has December 7, 2010 and was refused been revealed that several Arab bail until his court hearing a week countries called upon the United later. He was first accused of sexual States to take military action on assault, but this was later revealed Iran already. Of all things, this may to be false. The new story is that he make Iran, which is suspected of had unprotected but consensual nuclear proliferation and arma- sex with two Swedish women in ment, less negotiable in interna- Sweden, where there is an obscure tional politics. Now, it knows that law that prohibits unprotected sex. the U.S. and many of the countries American news outlets claimed that surround it were and are con- that he was convicted of rape; this stantly monitoring its actions, and was likely just a method of ruining that there is a possibility that they his reputation and thus, his crediwill take military action together to bility. After all, it is America that is stop its nuclear project. mainly affected by the leaks, and This was one of numerous they desperately want damage conAmerican issues already revealed trol. During his court hearing, it

by WikiLeaks in the first few days of was revealed that there was actuthe U.S. Embassy Cables release. ally no formal charge against AsOnly a few hundred documents out sange. of hundreds of thousands were It was illegal for the private who able to reveal this much. Now, peo- first stole the confidential docuple are wondering what other sus- ments to steal them, but there was picions the U.S. harbours against no written rule that stopped both its neighbours, in addition to WikiLeaks from making them pubits enemies. Already, it has been lic. Thus, those against Assange are revealed that Hillary Clinton dis- looking for ways to keep him bepatched spies to investigate top UN hind bars and prevent further pubbrass. Of all the information she lic revelation of the truth. wanted, there were biometrics, More recently, credit card comcredit card information, and other panies such as MasterCard, Visa, details that would normally remain Amazon and PayPal have stopped private. This begs the question: transactions to WikiLeaks’ various Why? Why would the American accounts. These accounts were government need this information? used to receive donations, and the Do they not trust their allies? What supposed reason for this account are their intentions? deactivation was that governments To try and stem the supposed around the world who are strongly threat of governmental transpar- against WikiLeaks would denounce ency, Interpol issued an arrest war- them for supporting WikiLeaks.

rostitution, the world’s oldest profession, may finally be getting the treatment it deserves.

Although prostitution is no longer illegal in Canada, much of the associated activity is. Because of this, making a living off of prostitution becomes increasingly difficult, as not only are sex workers unable to run a legitimate business due to the minefield of criminal offenses associated with it, but it also threatens the safety of the sex workers themselves. They are forced onto the streets and into brief back ally negotiations with clients; the dangers of these encounters became startlingly apparent with the deaths of six prostitutes at the hands of Robert Pickton, not 3 years ago.

Starting their case in September, three former sex workers, dominatrix Teri-Jean Bedford along with Valerie Scott and Amy Lebovitch, are pushing to have several criminal laws which surround prostitution struck down upon in order to prevent such incidents from plaguing the headlines again. Among the laws they outlined in their 131 page ruling is the prohibition of communication for the purpose of soliciting clients and operation of common bawdy houses, or brothels. If these criminal laws are in fact struck down, not only will it allow sex workers to operate out of their own private establishment, but this will also allow sex workers to establish unions, instate health standards, and pay income tax. In addition, brothels will be able to staff bouncers and drivers, not only ensuring the safety of the workers themselves, but also playing a role in controlling the spread of sexually transmitted infections.

Bedford also noted that, "We don't have to worry about being raped and robbed and murdered," should this law be struck down. "This decision means that sex workers can now pick up the phone, and call the police and report a bad client. This means that we no longer have to be afraid, that we can work with the appropriate authorities”.

Unfortunately, despite the potential positivity that would arise from this, the battle is not quite won. Although the laws were struck down in October, during a 30 day appeal period the government appealed the challenged law, resulting in the law’s holding until late April of this year, or until the appeal is heard by the Court of appeal.

However, in retaliation, a group of “hacktivists” launched a cyberattack on Visa and MasterCard.

This resulted in a great service disruption and sparked investigations on cyber-security regarding whether or not people were safe paying with their credit cards or prepaid cards. To add to this cyberwarfare, Assange distributed the entire archive of over 250 000 documents to five news outlets and tens of thousands of people in an encrypted file, threatening to unlock it if anything happens to him. The original WikiLeaks site (wikileaks.org) was shut down, but the site was later revived, with tens of identical mirror sites under different domains and service providers. The United States can’t possibly take their leaked documents back at this point.

Essentially, WikiLeaks pulled the shower curtain open on the United States of America, which now wants retribution. Lies have been revealed, myths have been debunked and international suspicion has risen. The largest U.S. information leak in history resulted in forced transparency of the government and a new age of cyberwarfare. The U.S. government has the intention of labelling the organization responsible as a terrorist group, but this only goes to show one thing: that they are intentionally lying and hiding the truth from their populace.

If the American government formerly did not conduct such secret acts, they would merely shrug the leak off as an embarrassment.

However, they have been issuing warnings left and right to try and save face. The message is clear: This is a fight over censorship and the right for the public to know what their government is doing.

We’re in for a future of international mistrust, but at least future historians will have a fun time with all of the new documents that they POWER TO THE PEOPLE Teri-Jean can play around with.

Bedford and others are fighting courts.

news

winter 2011

EYE OF THE TIGER

page 5

2010: An emotional rollercoaster The psychology of 4chan portunity to demonstrate loving teamwork and empathy.

From February 12-28, Canada was in the world’s spotlight. The 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver and Whistler, in British Columbia, was nothing short of spectacular, and pushed Canada’s home team to an Olympic record gold medal haul. It truly reflected Canada’s heritage, and has left a high standard for future Winter Olympics.

An unbelievable robbery took place on May 20th, 2010, when five paintings worth a total of over 500 billion euros were stolen from the Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville in Paris. France and art lovers around the world were shaken by the loss of masterpieces by artists such as Picasso, Matisse, Braque, Leger, and Modigliani. It remains as an unsolved mystery to this day.

In the heat of summer, worldwide media was bustling with activity for updates on the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Held in South Africa from June 11 to July 11, the FIFA World Cup gave 32 elite soccer teams around the world an opportunity to play with the “best of the best”. The final game between the Netherlands and Spain was eagerly anticipated by soccer fans, and as

There was no shortage of world events to captivate global citizens in 2010.

BY ESTHER YONG NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

nother action-packed year is drawing to a close as students prepare for exams in January, 2011. Many spent their respective winter breaks as times for celebratory fun, vacations, or simply a rest period.

However, a reflection of past events in 2010 can help one understand and truly appreciate another precious year.

The world was in a flurry of activity in 2010. In January, the year started off with the opening of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This bumped Canada’s CN tower down to the second tallest structure in the world, but it’s always nice to have high standards for challenges!

One among many devastating disasters occurred on January 12, 2010. A 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti devastated its capital city Port-au-Prince. The world was stunned by the catastrophe that left 230 000 dead, and rushed in to help.

It truly gave global citizens an op-

many may remember, Spain won by 1: 0. Although the Netherlands returned home with heavy hearts, viewers will be looking forward to their performance in the next World Cup series.

Needless to say, no one will be forgetting the vuvuzelas buzzing in their ears any time soon.

More recently on November 23, tensions escalated in the Korean peninsula as North Korea and South Korea exchanged bombs. The reasons for such rash acts were due to South Korean military activity that took place on Yeonpyeong Island. North Korea had ordered South Korea to stop training, but South Korea did not listen.

This concerned many world leaders, as tensions were already high from the destruction of a South Korean naval ship earlier in the year. As of yet, the two countries remain in uneasy limbo.

Many other events and issues arose in 2010, including natural disasters, human miracles, government mysteries, world records, and political issues. However, regardless of 2010’s events that triggered various emotions, everyone can look forward to another year filled with exciting adventures in 2011!

For more of 2010, see page 10-11.

The Nobel Prize’s last frontier: China Despite pressure from the global community, China bars ‘dissident’ from traveling to receive his prize.

BY TIAN RAN GAO NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

ctober 8, 2010 marks a day that must be remembered by all of those who fight for Chinese human rights affairs. On that day, the Nobel Committee announced that they had decided to award the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, in Oslo; the capital of Norway. Xiaobo is the first citizen of PRC to win the Nobel Prize.

In the announcement conference, Thorbjørn Jagland, Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said that the award is for “his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”. He indicated that Xiaobo had been a “strong spokesman for the application of fundamental human rights also in China”. In the announcement, he also showed his admiration of the economic achievement of China this year, however, he also signified that China must have increased responsibility.

Just after the announcement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered his congratulations to Xiaobo and said he hoped his Nobel Peace Prize will lead China to "look seriously" into releasing the jailed dissident. “Our government has expressed concerns in the past about his imprisonment” he said on a news conference that was held in the afternoon of 8th. Last year's winner, U.S. President Barack Obama, called on China to quickly release Xiaobo. The Dalai Lama, the laureate of 1989, praised the award as "the international community's recognition of the increasing voices among the Chinese people in pushing China towards political, legal and constitutional reforms."

However, the reactions are completely different in China. During the press conference the next day, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Ma Zhaoxu, remarked that awarding the prize to such a criminal who broke China's laws and was convicted by Chinese judicial authorities completely violated the principles of the prize and desecrates the “xie du”, or Peace Prize.

He also asserted that it may damage China-Norway relations. China

LIU XIAOBO’s chair is conspicuously empty at the Nobel award ceremony; it was the first time since 1936 that neither laureate nor family attended. called in Norway's envoy to the ing in their home by police officers, country to protest the award, while and was not allowed to contact any in Oslo, the Chinese ambassador media outside of her home. Howmet with a Norwegian Foreign Min- ever, via the internet, she also expressed to the outside world about istry official.

Liu Xiaobo is in jail as a political her pleasure of her husband winprisoner. Before he was involved in ning the prize.

While the Nobel Committee and politics, he was a Chinese literary critic, writer, and professor with a other countries’ governments urge Ph.D. in Chinese literature. He was China to release Liu Xiaobo, the the leader of the protesters during Chinese government claimed that the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro- they would not let Liu or his wife tests in Beijing where he was then attend the award ceremony. Again, arrested by the military. This was China’s Foreign Ministry’s spokesafter the People's Liberation Army person professed that “Norwegian moved into the streets of Beijing, Nobel Committee's move constitanks clearing the square with live tutes open support of illegal crimifire. Like Myanma public figure nal activities in China and flagrant Aung San Suu Kyi, he also spent interference in China's judicial sovseveral years in the jail during the ereignty.” China also appealed past 20 years. In December of 2009, other countries to boycott the cerehe was arrested again and sen- mony and warned the ambassador tenced to 11 years in prison because of each country not take part in the of his new hit, Charter 08, a book any activities related to Nobel Prize which calls for more freedom of in Oslo.

The award ceremony was held as expression, human rights and more planned in Oslo City Hall, on Dedemocratic elections.

Obviously, the Chinese govern- cember 10, but nobody sat on the ment reacted angrily to Xiaobo's chair of laureate. Thousands of win. News of the prize was blacked VIPs, including King Harald V and out by Chinese state-owned media, Queen Sonja, Norwegian politicians and government censors blocked and officials, 48 foreign state repreprize reports from the internet. Just sentatives, Uyghur political activist one day before the 8th, people could Rebiya Kadeer and some Chinese see a lot of news about the Nobel human right activists attended the Prize in science in the government- ceremony. The hall was decked run media, Xinhuanet.com, but with an immense portrait of those completely disappeared the Xiaobo. The Chairman of the NorNobel Committee, next day. Due to the government’s wegian block on access of the news, not Thorbjørn Jagland, put the medal many Chinese people heard the and the certification onto the chair news in the next few days. Some on which Liu Xiaobo was supposed people did not even know who Liu to sit. He said he hoped that the Xiaobo was when asked to give medal and the certification could be sent to Liu’s hands soon. some comment about it.

However, no one knows how Many media agents from other countries surrounded Xiaobo’s much time it will take. The Nobel home in Beijing. His wife, Liu Xia, Prize still could not enter China in had already been restricted to stay- 2010.

NOT AGAIN! Rick Astley’s hit song is one of the more well known memes.

Memes, anonymity and changing the world: one post at a time.

BY ALANNA KAZDAN NEWS EDITOR

The stories and information posted here are artistic works of fiction and falsehood.

Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact,” cries the disclaimer gracing the website’s header. Among those who know about it, it is a taboo subject associated with shame and the dankest corners of the internet. Among those who do not, well, they simply remain oblivious to this internet phenomenon. However, they may be more closely linked with it than they think.

4chan was founded in 2003 by high school student Christopher Poole, more affectionately known on the internet as “Moot”, as an image-board for those with a love of anime or manga to come together and share both images and discussions. Eventually this idea became a full-blown forum, housing over fifty different image boards, with each catering to a different interest. Anonymous posters worldwide can congregate on these boards and post anything from cars on the board called /o/, to fashion on the /fa/ board. Despite the fact that the wholesome does exist in some form on 4chan, there is always the board that few refer to outside of the internet, and if they do, it is simply in passing, or to make an obscure reference for others from the board to recognize; /b/. /b/ is the Random board, where the rules are essentially that anything goes, and pictures of anything and everything are welcome.

It is for this reason that /b/ is often known as the bowels of the internet, and even the place where dreams go to die. Posters on /b/ call themselves part of a legion they declared “Anonymous”, denoted for whatever reason by Guy Fawkes masks. Because registration with the site is not necessary in order to post, there are no usernames or profile pictures, every post is marked as being posted by “anonymous”.

This creates a certain allure to board-members, as they are free of identity, and there is no way for them to be identified, should they say something that they will receive massive amounts of flack for; one can essentially be whoever they want to be. Moot has said that the appeal in being anonymous stems from the fact that all social networking sites, such as Facebook, merge online and offline identity, whereas 4chan does nothing of the sort. It’s been hypothesized that this is one of the main reasons that people frequent 4chan so commonly, despite its mature and graphic nature.

And “graphic” does not even begin to cover it. 4chan, specifically the Random board, is laden with both gory and pornographic images open for everyone to see. The beauty of the anonymity lies within

the fact that posters cannot be traced by others, and thus all content is fair game. Some posters claim that /b/ has negatively influenced their sense of humour simply because the board centers on perverse humour there simply for shock value. However, the board cannot be blamed for the corruption of the youth who frequent it; it is up to the individual’s discretion to decide what they really should and should not be viewing.

As depraved and perverse the majority of the site appears to be, Anonymous strives to break this stereotype by not only creating internet “memes”, or jokes that manage to resurface everywhere (a most notable example being Lolcats), but also binding together as a legion and taking down people they feel have done severe wrongs.

One of the first things Anonymous did as a collective was a real-life worldwide protest of Scientology, and they did this through threatening phone calls as well as memeladen protests outside of churches.

In 2008, one user on /b/ succeeded in hacking into the private email of Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin; however this endeavour crashed to the ground when Yahoo! locked the account, and 4chan could go no further.

Finally, February 2009 brought upon the internet a series of videos posted on YouTube by a user who called himself Timmy. These videos showed him physically abusing a house cat named Dusty, and /b/ took it upon themselves to track down the boy in these videos and have him taken down by the law for animal abuse. They provided the boy’s information to the police, who had him arrested, and the cat was treated by a veterinarian, and then taken to a safe environment.

Despite getting negative media attention for posted content and attempts at real-life malice, there are jokes that have surfaced on 4chan and then spread to the rest of the internet that give it some of its popularity. As previously mentioned, Lolcats are now an active internet phenomenon that are prominently displayed in many places online. There are other memes stemming from 4chan as well, some other notable ones being the concept of the Rickroll, where a link to a video is posted somewhere, but it just turns out to be a link to a video of Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up, as well as silly pictures of dogs and cats making disgusted faces, with a caption reading “DO NOT WANT”.

It is readily apparent that despite their anonymous status, frequenters of 4chan are easily able to make their mark upon the rest of the internet. After all, it is one of the most frequently trafficked imageboards on the internet, and it is for this reason that it is able to be so prominent and even form the basis for a lot of internet culture. However, if one is easily offended, disgusted, or disturbed, it would probably be best to steer clear of this area of the internet; it is in everyone’s best interest.

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An overplayed, overdone overture: the legacy of William Tell They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, but this time, we really want it gone.

BY MARY LEE OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

hen you’re running to your locker in the morning, the fact that you’re late is the last thing you want to be reminded of. True, it wasn’t your fault. There were the unforeseen circumstances of bad weather, an evil alarm clock that conveniently forgot to wake you up, parents who refused to drive you to school and the classic reason (not excuse!)— the reliably unreliable transit system.

There is the customary fumbling with your lock, chastising yourself as you forget your combination for the umpteenth time this week. But just as you remember those elusive digits, the bugles of William Tell Overture blast through the halls, causing you to mess up the string of numbers yet again.

It’s loud. It’s obnoxious. And it’s still going strong. New and old stu-

dents alike, meet William Tell, already well known around the school by teachers and students alike. Get ready for a gruelling lovehate relationship with our beloved morning song.

In its defence, the William Tell Overture is not a horrible piece. It was first composed in 1829 by Gioachino Rossini and was the introduction to the opera named (what else?) William Tell.

The piece has found itself repeated many times not just through transcriptions by composers like Listz and Shostakovich, but also cartoons, television shows and even The Lone Ranger theme music. Before your first time walking onto TSS grounds, it is almost guaranteed that you’ve already heard the piece. The only difference is that before, you actually appreciated it.

Unfortunately, just as too much of a good thing can be bad for you, repetition can make something so normal seem so much worse. The actual piece hasn’t changed; it’s just that the student body’s perception of it has. Take, for example, the students who just don’t do morn-

ings, or the ones who don’t function without a cup of coffee every morning (guilty partiers need not raise their hands). Making your way through the crowded hallway can already be a Herculean task without your caffeine. The blaring sound of William Tell Overture doesn’t help and can be both distracting and even headache inducing if you didn’t get enough sleep the night prior.

More than just groan-inducing, the Overture can even get plain annoying, given the right circumstances. Cue the people that hit, tap or full out sing the rhythm of the song, simply because they can. It may be an occasional occurrence, but once it happens once, it’s one time too many. Playing it over the announcements every day is just overkill.

On the other hand, if we only played the song once or twice a month, it would make some students wonder if those in charge of blasting the song through our school’s speakers have forgotten about it, or even removed it entirely.

Do we even need a morning song

in the first place? The 5 minute bell that rings every morning should be enough to remind students who are still lingering in the halls that it’s time to get to class.

And the extra time would be much appreciated, seeing as the William Tell Overture isn’t five minutes long; in fact, it’s just shy of the three minute mark, landing at 2 minutes and 55 seconds. Theoretically, it’s best to be at your locker and almost ready to head to class by the time that the song starts.

Surely, this is enough time to make your way to class.

This would be true only if you haven’t already been distracted by your phone or your friends; it only worsens your situation if you suddenly decide to take the long way to class because hey, what harm can it do? The piece is still playing, after all. In a perfect world, three minutes would be more than enough time to get to class, even if it’s on the other side of school. In reality, you have to push your way through friends and schoolmates alike just to get to the end of the hall, making a 30 second task take that much longer to complete.

However, it’s not the piece itself that is at fault for not giving us ample time to get our tardy selves on time and in class. Most musical songs tend to die out before they reach the 4 minute mark and despite how useless a morning song seems to be, it does make life a little more convenient for those students that walk into school right as it is playing.

It can be a lifesaver, at times, for when you have no idea if the bell has already gone off or if you still have enough time to drop by your locker. Of course, this isn’t something that two separate bells would be capable of doing.

To be truthful, there is nothing wrong with playing a song in the morning; it only becomes an issue when it’s the same song over and over again. A quick remedy to this would be to change up the song once in a while. It could still remain a classical song with the same sense of urgency, but another option would be to take song requests for a different morning song every now and then. Honestly, anything would be accepted with open arms for a change.

Rules of the road that Political involvement is good for you and for your community should be applied to Politicians contribute to the decisions that affect our communities. Why doesn’t caring about that count for anything?

BY ANNIE XIE OPINION EDITOR

hen I entered grade nine, I was perhaps a little too eager to get my 40 community service hours over with.

And what do you know, there happened to be a federal election the next month. My politics-loving self considered the idea of volunteering for a candidate and thought it might be fun. So I did. I emailed the campaign team of the candidate I liked, and they were happy to have me. They also told me that they couldn’t give me community service hours for volunteering during an official election period.

I didn’t quite understand why, but I ended up working in that election anyway, doing some canvassing and helping out at events. Two years later, I still don’t understand why and I still don’t like it.

After all, the purpose of the 40hour community service requirement, according to the YRDSB Community Involvement Guide, is to “encourage students to develop an understanding of civic responsibility and the role they can play in supporting and strengthening their communities.” This makes complete sense, as civic responsibility is a core pillar of our democracy. The main argument against counting political volunteering as community service is that such work only benefits the candidate. But that’s not true.

A big part of canvassing isn’t even just getting constituents to vote for a particular candidate, but reminding constituents of when and where to vote and encouraging them to go vote. It’s also about informing them of the important issues, the candidates, and the can-

didates’ stances.

Campaigns are all about spreading the awareness of elections and encouraging discussion, which makes a community stronger.

While no political platform or politician will be accepted by all, it’s the discussion that contributes to a more informed populace that the democracy that is Canada should strive to be. It’s the discussion that encourages us to think harder and of better ideas, and to figure out what we really want. We must recognize the importance of fostering political interest in our communities. This interest leads to votes and those votes choose our political representatives, who make decisions that directly influence society.

Politicians receive so many com-

We must recognize the importance of fostering political interest in our communities. munity awards because the nature of their work has such an impact on the community. Campaign work for candidates makes that possible. It promotes the things that politicians promote if they are elected. As well, giving high school students volunteer hours for participating in campaign-related activities, including those during an official election period, provides incentive for them to learn about politics.

It would encourage students to find out more about the candidates and their respective parties. Helping out in a campaign helps students understand the hot issues as well as voter climate. Most of all, volunteering in an election is one of the easiest ways for people to get excited about politics, which is much needed in this largely politically apathetic young generation.

Maybe canvassing for X candidate of X party isn’t the first idea that comes to mind when one

thinks of community service. But we also need to do something about political apathy. The vote acts as a voice for citizens 18 and over. But even with that voice, people right now, especially young people, don’t seem to know what to say, or why they should even care enough to say anything at all.

Moreover, the community service requirement hardly exists solely for the benefit of society. It’s also there for the benefit of the individual, the student.

Volunteering in a campaign is in every way a learning experience. It creates a genuine interest in what’s going on in the city, province, and country; there’s got to be a reason for supporting candidate X over candidate Y. Over the past two years, I’ve seen firsthand both the political apathy and the political passion present in my community, both of which are inspiring in their own ways.

What’s ridiculous is that volunteering for a politician or a party’s riding association counts towards community service hours as long as it’s not during an official election period. However, what’s done before the election period is just build up for the election period. Why stop offering hours right when everything starts to matter?

Community service hours are offered to pretty much every activity done in the community. This should be no different. Political decisions affect every part of our lives. Do we really want to tell youth that contributing to what political decisions will be made doesn’t count as community involvement?

Students can be super passionate about the issues and the candidates, and just go ahead and cast their vote when they’re 18. That’s wonderful. But for those of us who choose to work in a campaign, it would be nice if the Ministry and the school board would recognize that political involvement counts as community involvement.

high school hallways

Because speed isn’t just desirable in the mind.

BY STEVIE KIDECKEL OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

ou’ve seen it before. The morning rush, the inter-class hurry, the hallway mad dash, if you will. A place dominated by chaos and ruled by anarchy. The high-density hallway traffic reminds one of rush hour on a freeway, but what highways have and high school hallways lack is order: a set of rules that govern movement in an orderly manner. In order to try and save the masses from being pushed, jostled, and/or just plain annoyed, I present my Rules of the Road: High School Edition. I present a few suggestions for rules, and the penalties in demerit points should they not be followed.

1. Keep to the right, except when passing or turning. Come on people, this is an everyday routine. In the words of B.o.B, “This ain’t Wonderland, it damn sure ain’t Narnia.” We drive on the right. It only fits that we also walk

on the right. This is to avoid headon collisions, and maximize traffic speed. 5 Demerit Points.

2. Do not block intersections. In front of stairwells and the square (for lack of a better description) between language and science hallways are places for walking, not for talking. If you see someone you want to talk to, you must pull over to the right and have your conversation by a locker. 4 Demerit Points.

3. While there is no speed minimum or maximum, one should walk at a pace so as not to inhibit the flow of traffic. Don’t make this a Ludacris song. 1 Demerit Point.

After 9 demerit points are accrued, the individual has their hallway license suspended for two weeks, and must get to their class by walking along the school perimeter outside, using only the minimum amount of hallway. ...Just joking, we don’t need an extremist regulation of hallway traffic. Just as the Barenaked Ladies would say, “Everybody get in line”, and mornings should be fractionally less stressful.

TRAFFIC JAM AHEAD T.S.S hallways are packed before and after class, and a little direction or hallway etiquette could be applied.

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Silly Bandz and their silly brand: a ridiculous product that became ridiculously popular Who knew wearing colourful rubber bands could be so trendy?

BY ADELE CHUI DEPUTY LAYOUT EDITOR

A PLACE TO GROW? That’s a question Ontario residents ask after a decision to create the Trillium Scholarships.

Foreign student scholarships?

Let’s look after our own first quality and global prestige.

Our dear Premier needs to The Trillium Scholarships might realize that throwing money at act as advertisements and free trials foreigners is not the solution. for the universities, but what hapBY ISMINA PAPADHIMA OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

s it a good idea to spend $30 million on scholarships for foreign students? Will this benefit us, the economy, and in whole, the growth of our province? These are some of the questions that Ontarians are left with after hearing about Premier Dalton McGuinty’s new plan that involves spending $30 million over the course of four years on foreign students to attract them to Ontario universities. This is a ridiculous plan for improving our provincial economy.

The Trillium Scholarships would provide up to $40,000 a year for four years to 75 top international PhD students at Ontario universities. It is said that educating those from all countries allows Canada to contribute to internationalization, because these students would then contribute to the world by their knowledge and work.

This is important especially now that globalization has a greater significance in our lives through culture, economy, and politics. But we are already involving ourselves in internationalization; foreign students are already learning in our universities. By awarding the Trillium Scholarships, we would be spending money on internationalization that’s already taken off on its own.

Then there’s the idea of global competitiveness. These scholarships might seem to help Ontario achieve global competitiveness, for they are presented to lure more foreign students here, but we cannot bribe them for long. These students want to achieve the best education. If top students are not already taking advantage of our schools, it might mean that Ontario universities need to work on their

pens after that? After the “free trials”, will our universities attract more top foreign students than they do now? This depends on these students’ thoughts about the quality of our schools in comparison to other universities around the world. We should be focusing on attracting students by improving Ontario universities, not by paying them to attend.

Besides, it’s not even certain that these scholarships will help ensure global competitiveness when the scholarships no longer exist. Even though they may advertise our schools, students might still not choose to attend them because the quality of education that they provide would continue to be the same as they are now.

The scholarships do not change this fact. More students may come to Ontario when the Trillium Scholarships are awarded, which may ensure global competitiveness in the very short-term, but it is not definite that this will be the case when the scholarships are gone.

While this plan may be supported by universities and a few politicians, its negatives clearly outweigh the positives. McGuinty says, “Opening our doors to more international students is good for our students, good for our intellectual and cultural life and good for our economy.” But with Ontarians still coming out of a recession, many are wondering if this plan will be as beneficial as he believes.

“When families in Ontario today can’t afford their kids to go to college or university without piling up huge debts, to give $40,000 a year to foreign students? That’s just wrong,” said Tim Hudak, the Progressive Conservative Leader.

Instead of using the money towards foreign students, the money could be spent in other ways that

here have always been fads.

Throughout the times, strange things have been popular and loved, but nothing perhaps as strange as Silly Bandz. The brightly coloured, shaped bracelets can be now be found anywhere, adorning the arms of millions of children and teenagers as they buy into the popularity of Silly Bandz. These bracelets are nothing special, yet day after day, more and more stores begin stocking Silly Bandz and more and more varieties emerge into the commercial industry, from your average animalshaped Silly Bandz to Justin Beibershaped ones. The question to ask is: what are we thinking?

Though the product was originally created in 2002 by Japanese designers as a more environmentally sustainable product for the office, it was Robert Croak, a representative of the Ohio-based company BCP Imports, who launched “Silly Bandz” into popularity. When he saw them, he was immediately fascinated and repurposed the plastic bracelets. He made the bands thicker, changed up the colour and began to sell them as a kids’ accessory. The bracelets were first sold online in November 2008 and have since been rising in popularity, appealing to kids and teens.

Even celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres have been caught with Silly Bandz.

These bracelets are easily lost or broken. After all, they’re simply soft plastic, shaped bands. What is so appealing? Extremely small Silly Bandz have caused loss of circulation in some youth. An avid collector will wear all their Silly Bandz at once; some children cover their entire forearms with the brightly

coloured bracelets and eventually cut off circulation. Teachers complain that Silly Bandz are more distracting for some age groups than cellphones. These Silly Bandz are nothing more than shaped rubber bands, yet they continue to be popular with youth.

So what has made these simple rubber band bracelets so popular?

Experts—yes, experts—have many reasons. Firstly, Silly Bandz are becoming more and more popular within the commercial industry because they selfpromote. There is no need for advertisements or billboards, as Silly Bandz are constantly seen by others when a consumer wears them.

As well, Silly Bandz are constantly advertising themselves. These toys are not stowed into backpacks during school; they are worn constantly, and the kids who do not have Silly Bandz are constantly exposed to them.

Finally, the large variety offered by the makers of Silly Bandz means that most interests are accommodated by these shaped rubber bracelets.

Though they have risen in popularity, Silly Bandz, no matter how dressed up or strangely shaped they are, are still nothing more than shaped rubber bands. Think about it logically.

While we all have the freedom to wear what we wish, isn’t it strangely silly to be wearing a rubber band? Or wearing so many that they cause loss of circulation? Silly Bandz are rubber bands at the simplest level, yet we do not see anyone wearing a large amount of rubber bands to school, do we?

In the end, Silly Bandz are just shaped rubber bands. These bracelets may have captured the attention of North American youth, but a simple rubber bracelet is still nothing more than a simple rubber bracelet, no matter how packaged it is.

would benefit Ontarians directly.

For example, this money could be used to award more grants to Ontario students who need financial support. Presenting scholarships exclusively for foreigners, while Ontarians are still dealing with their own financial problems, makes no sense.

In Ontario, we are charged with extensive taxes. A part of us tell us to complain a little less because we know—or at least expect—that this money is used to provide us with a higher quality of life. When our tax dollars are not used to benefit us directly, especially in times of need, it creates an issue.

“Why is the Premier using tuition dollars from Ontario students, and tax dollars from Ontario families, to put people who don’t even live in this province through university?” asked Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson.

With the large amounts of taxes and tuition fees that are collected, there should be more Ontario families who are relieved with money that would be spent towards their needs.

The expenses that would be used for these scholarships are needed by those who pay taxes, and by those who have contributed to our community for some time now. It is logical to help Ontario families who need the financial support, rather than use their taxes to pay for the education of foreign students.

Right now, it is important to think of the people living in this province first. These scholarships may attract more students from around the world to our universities, but that’s about it.

They are not certain to increase Ontario’s or Canada’s global competitiveness in the long run. The expenses for their education are needed by families living in this province. At this time, providing foreign students with scholarships ANOTHER SILLY FAD? Silly Bandz are simple rubber bracelets, yet they’re is not something the government getting more attention than any other fashion accessory of this decade. should be spending our money on.

Canadian music: a consistently underperforming industry Despite the support of Canadians nationwide, why are Canadian artists such ungainly underachievers?

BY GREG CHEN OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

hen Justin Bieber brought home the American Music Award for Artist of the Year in November, Canadian musicians nationwide received a simultaneous slap in the face. How can a shaggy 16-year-old boy garner more success in a year than hundreds of Canadian musical professionals would gain in a lifetime?

The unfortunate reality is that over the years, Canadian musicians have made their mark as consistent underperformers in their industry.

It’s not like we haven’t been trying to like them.

Canadians have gone to great lengths to try enjoying Canadian music, but there always seems to be a better counterpart in the U.S.

Consider three-time Juno awardwinning Canadian bands Lighthouse, Loverboy, and Blue Rodeo.

Despite receiving extensive time on Canadian airwaves in the ‘70s and ‘80s, they stand today eclipsed by musical geniuses such as Chicago, Queen, and Eric Clapton. Canadian solo artists Bryan Adams and Neil Young are talented Canadian musicians, but stand on a different tier from Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Elton John.

That’s not a fair comparison, you may object. After all, the U.S. has almost ten times our population.

They have a statistical advantage over us Canadians.

But if we look at Canadian artists on the charts, we see that they don’t even come close to the humble 10% target. From 1955 to 1990, a grand total of 14 Canadian artists made it to the number 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. In each of those 35 years, around 20 American artists made the #1 spot. The number of Canadian artists to hit the #1

spot over 35 years is less than the number of American artists to hit the #1 spot in one year!

Even among Canadian listeners, Canadian music doesn’t make the mark. Billboard’s Canadian Hot 100 has only ever had two Canadian #1 hits: 2010’s I Believe and Waving Flag. We’re trying our best to support Canadian artists, but simply can’t deny that American music is stronger. It seems that Canadian music can only be successful if made for the sole purpose of being Canadian. The same thing happened in 1967 when Bobby Gimby’s Ca-na-da hit the top of Canadian charts in celebration of Canada’s centennial year. We go out of our way to support distinctly Canadian music, but have long since come to the sad realization that mainstream American music is simply better.

It’s hard to put a finger on exactly why Canadian music hasn’t met American music eye to eye. Many Canadian groups are just as tal-

ented as their American counterparts, but are missing one crucial element. The ‘70s Canadian group Lighthouse was, in many respects, just as good as the American band Chicago. The only thing holding Lighthouse from taking the world by storm was their inferior songwriting skills. Their musicality and diverse instrumentation was countered by un-catchy rhythms and ultimately forgettable tunes.

The Canadian musical underperformance phenomenon is so widespread that the Canadian government has implemented a policy of affirmative action which has, at the very least, kept the industry from complete oblivion. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ensures that a certain percentage of music on the Radio is certified Canadian Content. This percentage is rising. In the ‘80s, it increased from 25% to 30%. In 1998, it increased to 35%. This restriction on radio broadcasting freedoms has allowed

budding-but-inexperienced Canadian artists to surpass the chaos of American-dominated music. Radio stations struggling to fill the Canadian void have ended up airing the unpolished early work of those who eventually became Canadian musical wizards—including The Guess Who, Gordon Lightfoot, Celine Dion, and Shania Twain.

Despite the past and present underperformance in Canadian music, there is still hope for the future. Future Canadian artists, in many ways, have their plates set for them: a few pioneers in each genre, plenty of radio time, and, most importantly, the support of other Canadians. As a nation, our biggest quality is our desire to help fellow Canadians. Knowing that Canadians nationwide want them to succeed, it is only a matter of time before Canadian artists break the trend of underachievement and make a comeback in the music industry.

At least Bieber is a start.

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IT HAPPENED IN 2010: ONE MAN BECOMES THE TARGET OF INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENTS

Is there a conflict-tobe on the horizon?

A look at North Korea’s recent nuclear attacks on South Korea.

BY NIKITA ZITKEVICH OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

CAN’T HIDE THE TRUTH WikiLeaks continues to drop controversial items into the news, this time releasing previously censored information.

Is WikiLeaks giving power to the people or wreaking havoc on the global community? It depends on who you ask How WikiLeaks is bringing transparency to governments and restoring truth in journalism

BY JORDI KLEIN & ERIC BAI OPINION CONTRIBUTORS

n Sunday, November 28, WikiLeaks began its dump of over 250 000 U.S. cables.

It was not the website’s first major government exposé; WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, made international headlines in the summer when nearly 80 000 documents on the Afghanistan war were released to the public, and again in October when approximately 391 000 diaries and logs from the Iraq War were posted to the whistleblower website.

This most recent dump, however, has been the one to shoot WikiLeaks onto the international stage. These U.S. communication cables reveal previously censored information, like how the U.S. government concealed over 15 000 civilian deaths in Iraq, how Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered U.S. delegates to ‘engage in espionage in the United Nations’, that the Chinese government was behind the Google hacks from a few months ago, that Saudi Arabia both urged the United States to bomb Iran and used U.S. aid money to fund terrorist groups, and, humorously, that our diplomats and politicians talk about each other like petty 12-year-old children.

Predictably, the U.S. government was, and continues to be, outraged.

They cite that WikiLeaks will potentially endanger the country, and that Assange is a terrorist. The key word, however, is potentially. The information revealed so far has not led to any known damage, yet America continues to overreact to the leaks. Since the leak, Amazon has removed WikiLeaks from its servers, Paypal has froze their account, and Mastercard and Visa have disallowed donations towards the website.

These companies were obviously pressured by the government.

Those within the U.S. government and military are not allowed to visit the WikiLeaks website, with the military even banning all forms of removable media to prevent further leaks. Rather than washing out the political corruption that WikiLeaks has revealed, they are opting to shut down this group's freedom of speech. Clearly, the government is not ready for WikiLeaks' ideology of a transparent government. Despite America's love for democracy, the denial of information for its citizens is borderline-fascist.

As Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin commented, "If democracy, let it be full democracy. Why did they lock up Mr. Assange? Is that democracy?" Democracy means that the people have control of the government, and WikiLeaks actually helps enhance the public's opinion and allows them to under-

stand what the government is doing. While this is a great step forward for democracy, the U.S. has taken an anti-progressive stand against them.

But while some are mourning the impending end of diplomacy, others are celebrating the return of 'real' journalism. In 1974, President Nixon resigned after being brought down by two investigative journalists in what became known as the Watergate scandal. Since then, it seems as though true investigative journalists have taken an extended vacation.

Today's journalists are forced to compact the news into oversimplified, bite-size pieces, and sensationalism is emphasized over journalistic integrity. They are controlled by their corporate sponsors rather than their consciences.

As an independent platform, WikiLeaks is without these affiliations, be they political or commercial. They have nobody to please, no loyalties to satisfy, and most importantly, nobody controlling their content. They post the original, uncensored documents without exception, meaning that the average Joe sitting at his laptop has exactly the same resources as a top reporter. This concept, known as scientific journalism, is revolutionary. WikiLeaks allows the readers to form their own opinions from the original documents themselves, rather than from what media personalities say about the documents. This impedes reports

that lie by omission or skew things to suit a viewpoint. In this way, it is possibly the closest thing there will ever be to an unbiased news source.

That being said, it is undeniable that WikiLeaks is publishing stolen documents. While this may be disconcerting, the reaction of the U.S. government is even more so. The ever-increasing invasion on its citizens' privacy has now come back at them. While WikiLeaks isn't perfect, it’s brought about important issues for the government to handle. Shouldn't the government be more open to its people?

Shouldn't people be held accountable for the injustices revealed by the leaks?

But rather than being angry over the contents of the leaks, many government figures are angry over the leak itself. They don't care that Hillary Clinton ordered her UN delegates to spy on one another, or that 15 000 civilian deaths were covered up in Iraq; they probably either knew that already or just simply didn’t care. They are angry because the truth has been revealed.

This battle for truth, justice and the American way continues to rage as new documents are released every day with no sign of stopping. A young Rupert Murdoch once stated, "In the race between secrecy and truth, it seems inevitable that truth will always win.”

In this vein, WikiLeaks has sent an important message to govern-

orth Korea’s artillery strike against South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island on November 24 was denounced and highly criticized by leaders all over the world.

Many individuals believed that this attack would be the start of World War III, with North Korea’s constant urge for war as well as their recent nuclear development programs. However, as world leaders try to ease the tension between the North and the South, political experts have proved those claims to be highly paranoiac.

North Korea has for years maintained harsh relationships with not just its southern counterparts, but also the rest of the world. With North Korea’s start of a nuclear program that was frozen due to an earlier disarmament for aid agreement, and with its May 2010 attack of a South Korean warship, North Korea’s urge for war is not only unprecedented but also vividly visible.

Political experts from different countries say that speculations of a Third World War are taking it too far, since conflicts like this between the North and the South have been regular and threats of war are regarded as “standard procedure”.

However, political analysts said a tactical escalation—an attack for an attack—appeared a distinct possibility. South Korea could very well try to take out the North Korean artillery sitting right on the northern limit line, but is unlikely to do so because such an attack could cause conflict.

The diplomatic tensions in the international community also increased during this time, due to North Korea’s political ally China.

With China’s rapid growth, and increasing economic power, China’s alliance with North Korea, proves to be a large and political issue surrounding these events.

Though China is very unlikely to push for or fully support the idea of war, it does represent the kind of support North Korea would attain, if it were to push for full-scale conflict.

The threat of war is evidently a large scare for the international community. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper mentioned that such attacks “represent a grave threat to international security and stability in northeast Asia.”

But amidst one of the worst economic recessions the world has experienced within a century, the thought of having another war is extremely unlikely.

The international community believes that with constant pressure from North Korea, it is very possible that a war between the South and the North may take place, which can possibly escalate into a world war. But the high escalation of paranoia is likely caused by the threat of nuclear destruction, with North Korea’s uranium enrichment programs, possibly involving the creation of nuclear material for nuclear destruction purposes. However, international pressure to disarm nuclear weapons will probably rule out the possibility of a nuclear war.

Even China is unlikely to agree to SEE ‘NORTH KOREA’ ON PAGE 9

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EYE OF THE TIGER

page 9

Would you like a pat-down or a full-body scan?

The naked truth: this time, the TSA has taken it just too far.

BY GRACE TO OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

arly last November, the U.S. added some new security measures to their airports.

These measures were issued by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the American agency responsible for the security of all the types of transportation in the U.S. The airport security screening process is now much more intense and has caused an international controversy amongst our frequent fellow travellers.

American airports discontinued the use of the old technology scanners because they were not entirely fool-proof; weapons could have passed through security without the knowledge of the security officials.

Unlike the Canadian airport procedure, where travellers are normally required to go through just a metal detector at the security checkpoint, the American system

has now been upgraded to involve the passenger’s choice of a fullbody screening x-ray scan or a body pat-down check. These security regulations were made effective without any fair warning. Those who purchased their travel tickets months before are also expected to follow through.

Many individuals who have experienced this new system argue that this procedure is an invasion of privacy and is not effective in stopping terrorists from entering or leaving.

Why people feel it is an invasion of privacy is obvious. The security regulations give the passengers two choices before boarding the plane: they can either be sexually violated virtually or sexually violated physically. The x-ray scanner has the ability to generate a full-body nude image of the person for a TSA agent to view and be sure that the person is not a threat. The pat-down is much more invasive than it was before, leaving the pat-ee feeling uncomfortable.

People who are concerned about their health and the amount of radiation that the x-ray scanners release are mostly found to be choosing the pat-down. However, experts

assure that the scanners do not give off much radiation; the amount is similar to being on a moving airplane for two minutes.

A recent online poll indicated that roughly 60% of travellers are opposed to the enhanced security measures and about 43% of them reported that they are considering other alternatives to flying because of the regulations.

American celebrity Khloe Kardashian described this new airport procedure as the feeling of being sexually violated in public, saying that the airport security was very aggressive and forceful.

Her remarks on Lopez Tonight have opened a controversial discussion as to whether or not airports should stop using these kinds of procedures. Sexual abuse survivors may find it difficult to go through this new airport procedure. This experience may become very traumatic for the particular individual.

Many of the security officials assure the public that these privacy issues shouldn’t even be considered as a big deal. Nothing is being videotaped down for the records or being posted up on the Internet; this procedure is only being used

for extra safety measures. The function for the machines to be able to record and save information has been purposely disabled. So of course it isn’t a big deal—they’re not the ones who are being looked at inappropriately.

Despite the privacy issues, the full-body scanner is more efficient at identifying threatening objects that can potentially be hidden underneath a person’s clothing. But that’s not to say that these full-body scanners are really necessary in our society today.

The government obviously wants to prevent incidents like the Christmas Day Bomber incident of 2009.

Even though the upgraded technology may be able to help agents identify the threat faster, the security methods they were using in the past were effective enough. These security regulations may be designed to effectively stop dangerous people, but are the machines and agents actually doing their jobs at the moment?

It is highly doubtful that airports and their fancy new security gadgets will help stop violent criminals from boarding a plane any time soon. The advanced technology may have increased the airport

Are we slathering too many chemicals onto, into and around our bodies?

We must practice more selfrestraint when it comes to chemicals and all their toxic consequences.

BY JUN PARK OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

n the past hundred years, many significant advances have been made in the scientific field.

Among the thousands of new discoveries, there was one that revolutionized how we do virtually anything and everything, and how we interact with our world.

It was called chemical engineering, and it enabled us to make amazing progress.

With this new technology, we could produce fertilizers and pesticides to grow enough food to feed millions, we could heal those millions with pharmaceuticals or annihilate them with weapons of mass destruction, we could use fuels and other petrochemicals to drive cars or operate any type of machinery, we could use plastics to create objects of all shapes and sizes, and the list goes on and on.

Chemical engineering has given us so many benefits that our modern society couldn’t sustain itself without it. However, we must

always be aware of the sacrifices we have made to reach this point of self-sustainability, and what consequences the abuse of our knowledge has brought us.

The media today tells us that chemicals are increasingly undermining the health of Mother Nature, but it does not often reveal the gargantuan impact they have had on our lives.

We are exposed to a wide variety of chemicals that can come in contact with us through our daily routines. Harmful toxins are released in the air, land and water as industrial byproducts; sprayed on the crops and its surrounding habitats as herbicides and insecticides; utilized in every type of product, from shampoos to furniture; and dumped into all sorts of processed foods.

These chemicals can get into our bodies with extreme ease, through breathing, skin absorption, and consumption.

A vast majority of people are not familiar with just how much of these chemicals do get into our bodies, and what devastating impacts they have had on us and will have on the generations to come.

Environmental Defense Fund, a nonprofit environmental advocacy

group, conducted a study with just 11 participants throughout Canada; all 11 participants were found to be exposed to 60 different chemicals, found in their blood and urine. Of those 60 chemicals, it was found that 41 were suspected cancer causing substances, 53 could disrupt the reproductive system, 27 could disrupt the hormone system, and 21 were associated with respiratory illnesses. With these staggering results, it is undeniable that chemicals are one of the major factors that influence our wellbeing.

One thing to keep in mind is that when we choose to deteriorate our health by being exposed to harmful chemicals, we are not only affecting our health, but the generations up to our greatgrandchildren. Scientists in Holland recently made a crucial discovery that found that genes passed down from generation to generation will carry the same traits and signals that the mother had at the time of pregnancy and she will pass them to her baby.

The scientists looked at three generations of a particular family, who had been through the famine that struck Holland as a result of World War II. They found that the

family’s lack of nutrition in that time had passed special gene traits down generation after generation.

The next three generations all exhibited similar symptoms, such as having certain allergies and being incredibly skinny.

What the genes had done when they were being passed down to the child was that they signaled the body, “Be ready for an incredibly harsh environment, with very little food and nutrition to survive on.” And the body responded by adjusting themselves so they would only require little nutrition to function.

Furthermore, future generations received the susceptibility to allergies and any diseases the generation of the famine developed.

Similar patterns could also be observed in families in Russia and parts of Africa who have been through major famines.

From such evidence, the conclusion would be that any chemical that is introduced to the body will not only significantly raise the chance of developing diseases, but also increase the chances for the next three generations as well.

If we don’t reduce the amount of chemicals we are exposed to, it is almost certain that we will begin to

security effectiveness, but one can only assume that terrorists are much smarter than to have their bodies and luggage scanned at the security checkpoints of an airport, only to realize that they will be arrested. This new American way has only created an obvious disadvantage for the country’s airline passengers.

It seems that the TSA has just made another inconvenience for airplane travellers. The security screening will be much more intense and cause many to feel awkward.

It is pointless to have such severe security measures. It appears to be doing more harm than good; many now have a strong dislike towards the new system.

Even though the TSA has received much feedback and criticism from individuals who have experienced the security routine, it shows no sign of removing these regulations in the near future. It has been confirmed that the fullbody naked scans and seemingly sexual pat-downs will continue.

If you happen to find yourself in an American airport during this March Break, you just might want to brace yourself.

North Korea vs. the world ‘SHOULD WE BE SCARED FROM PAGE 8

support a nuclear war due to the destruction and annihilation that these weapons create. In fact, due to both interior motives and international pressure, China will try to prevent the possibility of any war any time soon, by easing diplomatic relations between the Koreas. Even if the possibility of a full out war is highly unlikely, the issue is still very serious and is being handled as a serious matter by the international community, as the attack is a violation of international law.

While the world’s diplomatic leaders try to resolve the issue, all that is left is for the rest of us is to watch what North Korea’s next actions will be. develop more and more deadly diseases in our lifetime.

If our society isn’t to recognize the fact that slathering chemicals onto ourselves and into the environment around us is extremely dangerous for our health, we could be looking at a future of suffering and pain.

We have the power to make decisions—as logical, rational people— that will reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals, and we must exercise it before the damage goes out of control.

IT’S TOXIC! With more and more advances in technology, humans are encountering more and more harmful chemicals, which end up getting in our environment. Is it too much?

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page 10 EYE OF THE TIGER

winter 2011

Actually, our headline is slightly misleading— we explain why on the next page. By Caroline Mei and Audrey Vong BARACK OBAMA

SARAH PALIN

AUNG SAN SUU KYI

n a year of exciting political developments, Barack Obama continued to make headlines in the USA and around the globe.

Since his election in November 2008, Obama has spent the past two years of his presidency working on several different issues relevant to the American and international populations. Health care reform, military policy on homosexuals and job creation were all on the domestic agenda.

In the realm of foreign policy, Obama and his administration had dealings this year with the growing situation in the Koreas, as well as the continued American presence in the Middle East.

Despite the Democrats’ poor showings in this year’s midterm elections, Obama has dealt admirably– an attitude that needs to continue for endeavours into the new year.

hen John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate in the 2008 American election, no one would be able to imagine the wealth of potential that she possessed as a political figure. With the election long over and done with, McCain has faded well into obscurity.

Palin, on the other hand, is still taking America by storm, with the recent release of two books, the signing of a multi-year contract with Fox News Channel and her own TV show. That’s not to mention the staggering number of guest appearances she makes at Tea Party rallies in an America that is not too pleased with the Democratic status quo. With only two more years until the 2012 election, it may just be that Sarah Palin will be the one to beat.

he name Aung San Suu Kyi is likely unknown to most Canadians. In the southeast Asian country of Myanmar, however, she is an important political figure known for her support of democratic freedom, despite the country’s military regime. She was released on November 13th this year from a seven year period of house arrest. In a country long rife with political unrest, many hope that she will be a beacon for change in the political system.

For others, Aung San Suu Kyi has become a symbol of embittered and peaceful resilience in the face of oppression and human rights violations. Regardless, her release is evidence that Myanmar’s government is growing uneasy under strong international pressure.

DAVID JOHNSTON

TONY HAYWARD

MARK CARNEY

is Excellency the Right Honourable David Lloyd Johnston is the full name and title of our new Governor General. Succeeding the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean in October of 2010, Johnston’s appointment as the Queen’s representative has been met with much positive attention from the media, as well as important figures in Canadian academia.

Though he doesn’t have the same sweet-girl charm as his predecessor (go figure—he’s a guy), the former University of Waterloo president does bring a wealth of professional experience to his tenure as GovernorGeneral. After the sometimes rocky relationship between Jean and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, both politicians and pundits will be watching Johnston.

ony Hayward is, by no means a household name.

Unfortunately, British Petroleum (BP) now is. When the oil rig Deepwater Horizon’s exploded in the Gulf of Mexico this April, it caused a massive oil spill that BP was unable to plug for four months. The oil wreaked devastation on the Gulf ecosystem, the fishing and, tourist industries in the Deep South. It also refuelled arguments into the viability and ecological impacts of nonrenewable resources, especially in North America. This left CEO Hayward in a tough spot. After never-ending rounds of press conferences, congressional hearings and PR gaffes, Hayward was replaced in late July by American Bob Dudley, leaving behind a struggling company and a mess in the Gulf of Mexico.

he typical central banker does not normally possess movie-star looks. Nor are they normally only in their mid40s. Unless, of course, that central banker is Mark Carney. At age 45, Carney is the current governor of the Bank of Canada— Canada’s central bank that is responsible for monetary policy, currency, financial systems, managing funds and corporate infrastructure. The youngest of any central bank governor in the G8 nations, Carney has spent 2010— our first full year in recovery from the 2008 recession— sending out financial warnings to all Canadians. It won’t be an easy job; he must figure out how to balance the books as well as communication with a public constantly receiving mixed messages about Canada’s state of financial security.

HU JINTAO

hina is on its way to becoming the new global superpower, and this year was just another step in the figurative flight of stairs for Hu Jintao’s country. With the establishment of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean-6) and attendance at the G20 summit, China is surging its way upwards as a dominant international force.

Analysts have forecast that its economy will surpass America’s as early as 2027. The World Exposition was also held in Shanghai, China this year, setting a record attendance of 73 million visitors from around the world. Nevertheless, a poor human rights record and international scrutiny will be strong deciding factors in China’s ascent to being a respected global power.

ROBERT FORD

orontonians are an unhappy bunch, and garbage strikes, police corruption and bad transit just add to the unpleasant mix. It was no surprise then, that former Toronto mayor David Miller decided not to seek a third term as mayor in the 2010 municipal elections. The October election featured a close race between three major candidates: councillor Rob Ford (the winner), deputy mayor Joe Pantalone and former MPP George Smitherman.

Several other prominent candidates, including former TTC chair Adam Giambrone, dropped out of the race. Ford’s campaign, based on reduced spending and fixing waste problems, cumulated in a landslide victory in the October election. Rob Ford was inaugurated at City Hall on December 7.

KIM JONG-IL

im Jong-Il, the leader of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) continued to be a force in a dynamic year for the country as relations with South Korea became increasingly strained, especially after an attack on South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island in November. This was the first attack on South Korean soil since the 1950-1953 Korean War. Military exercises in South Korea with select American forces went on in December as planned, however.

To add to the international strain, the country revealed a massive uranium enrichment facility, contrary to previous denial of such a premise. In September, Kim JongIl named his son, Kim Jong-Un, a four-star Army general and vice chairman of the Workers Party's Central Military Commission, making him heir apparent.

WILLIAM & KATE

irst there was Bennifer.

Brangelina.

Spederline.

TomKat. But none yet have been able to coin a catchy nickname for the soon-to-be royal couple, Prince William of Wales and English sweetheart Kate Middleton. The two have been an on and off item since 2003 when they first began dating, stirring up the headlines and paparazzi again in November with the official announcement of their engagement. The royal wedding is set to take place in late April at Westminster Abbey and many are expecting it to be a grand affair.

With a growing detachment to our country’s head of state, it’s interesting to note that many Canadians are joining in on the anticipation. Cheers, William and Kate.

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EYE OF THE TIGER page 11

In hindsight, the appropriate title for this spread would probably be ‘20 people noted by The Eye’s editors in 2010’. Sadly, it didn’t work out too well as a headline. And let’s face it, in the age of blogs and free public Wi-Fi, who’s to say what (and who) is and isn’t news? Lady Gaga is ubiquitous worldwide; the same could hardly be said for Rob Ford (top row below and previous page, respectively). Not everyone below made headlines around the world this year, but these are the people who— among the constant flood of facts, figures and speculations from media, Old and New— stood out to us in 2010. Here’s to another news-worthy year!

SIDNEY CROSBY OPRAH WINFREY LADY GAGA SPANISH FIFA TEAM JUSTIN BIEBER

idney Crosby may already have had a Stanley Cup, Art Ross Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy under his belt, but no moment could be more pivotal to his career and to Canadians than his game-winning goal in the gold medal game against the USA at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Crosby scored during the hockey match’s sudden death overtime, giving Canada the victory and the gold medal. It was a beautiful moment, as Canadians from sea to sea took to the streets in beerfilled frenzy, wild with joy at Crosby’s conquering of our southward neighbours. We had just won the gold medal in men’s hockey (the women had won gold too a few days previously) and it seemed, at the time, that was all that mattered. Thanks Sid.

STEVE JOBS

ver since the iPod’s release, people just haven’t been able to get their hands off Apple’s gadgets. The man behind the magic and Apple’s rise from the ashes: Steve Jobs, CEO and co -founder of Apple Inc. 2010 saw the release of many new iThings, including new iPods and the iPhone 4. The most anticipated product, by far, was the iPad. Released to an equal litany of both skeptics and enthusiasts, it went on to sell over 4 million units. The current impression is that Apple seems to have a fan base suffering from exponential growth. For that, we can thank Mr. Jobs— the idiosyncratic college-dropout-turned-Silicon Valley-design-guru who has made his mark on the way we treat our technology.

t is often difficult for people living in Canada— a land where hockey and other winter stereotypes run amuck— to remember that the FIFA World Cup is held every four years. And though Canada has never sent a national contingent to the international soccer competition, our nation is made up of a multitude of cultures and people who gather each World Cup to watch teams from their respective countries take the soccer community by storm. The Spanish national team were the winners of this year’s competition, defeating the Netherlands 1—0 in extra time.

Despite a strong history, this was the first time that Spain had ever won a World Cup. The Spanish were, of course, ecstatic.

ustin Bieber. Just kidding. No, really: Justin Bieber. Even though many would sooner part with their left hand than admit that Baby is truly catchy, this sixteen– year old Canadian pop sensation has been making musical headlines throughout 2010. High school students might consider him vomit-inducing, but he’s managed to capture the hearts of tween girls— not to mention the number one spot on the Billboard 200. This kid from Stratford was wildly successful last year, with a summer tour for his album My World and guest appearances on The View, The Late Show with David Letterman and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

A 3D film about Bieber is expected to be released in February 2011, so expect him to enrapture a preteen near you.

y this time, nearly every teenager knows who Lady Gaga is. With all her antics, flashy songs and huge media presence, it would be hard not to.

2010 was certainly a Gaga year and it seems that, unlike most pop stars and one-hit wonders, she’s not going anywhere. Even though her wildly successful Monster Ball Tour is still underway, Lady Gaga already has plans for another full studio album— Born This Way— to be released later this year. She also racked up a number of honours this year, including the Video of the Year award at the MTV Video Music Awards for Bad Romance and a spot in TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Her antics may be a little weirder every time we see her, but her ‘little monsters’ still love her.

MARK ZUCKERBERG

JULIAN ASSANGE

JAMES CAMERON

utting things into perspective: if Facebook were a country, it would have the third largest population in the world with over 550 million people. That’s behind only the populations of India and China and doesn’t even include the fact that its membership is growing at 700,000 people a day. TIME Magazine named Facebook CEO and President Mark Zuckerberg Person of the Year for 2010, and for good reason. His powerful social networking tool has connected 1/12 of the planet and it seems that in our day and age, that its potential is limitless. A little free publicity from movie The Social Network, and a visit to Baidu (the Google of China, where Facebook is currently banned), kept Zuckerberg in the public radar

ecrets. They’re kept secret for a reason. Private. Highly confidential. And sometimes, dangerous. Evidently, Julian Assange, editor-in-chief of whistle blowing site WikiLeaks, doesn’t care. Assange and his organization have been causing international mayhem after releasing more than 250,000 diplomatic cables on November 28. More than 11,000 of them were marked as ‘secret’. The after-effects have been enormous, with global leaders and government workers coming under fire.

The so-called WikiDump has prompted surprising discoveries in the realm of international relations.

Assange was arrested in London, England on December 7 for questioning regarding alleged sexual offences he committed in Sweden.

In the meantime, a break from the WikiDrama.

hat do Titanic and Avatar have in common?

Both have held the title of the ‘highest-grossing film of all time’ (a title currently held by Avatar at $2.8 billion); both are epic and taboo love stories; and both are directed by James Cameron. Cameron impressed moviegoers yet again with his sci-fi film, Avatar, wowing audiences with the imagery and action. His decision to create his own 3D filming technology didn’t hurt his reputation among other directors either. The film garnered nine Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture. Its international success catapulted Cameron once again to global fame and established Avatar as a piece in the 21st century’s cinematic canon.

prah, like the Queen, Daniel Radcliffe or Justin Bieber, is just one of those people that we love to hate. After twenty-four years on the air with The Oprah Winfrey Show, the long-running and famous daytime TV program and its host have changed the face of American television. Just as she does every year, Oprah made headlines in 2010. Preparations for the beginning of her own cable network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (original, we know) finally culminated in its much delayed premiere on January 1st, 2011. With all the hullaballoo, it’s easy to forget that her talk show is set to end in September 2011, after a quarter-century of tears and heart-wrenching interviews.

But not to worry— we’ll still be able to get our daily dose of Oprah.

CHILEAN MINERS

fter a year of exceptionally depressing news, the rescue of thirty-three miners trapped in a Chilean mine for more than two months brought tears to many people’s eyes. The initial August 5th cave-in left the miners trapped 600 m underground with low provisions and no means of escape. After continued efforts, all the miners were rescued sixty-nine days later, to the delight of their families.

Brought up in a narrow tube which only allowed transport of one man at a time, Chileans and rest of the world watched the rescue on television in earnest and rejoiced when the last miner was pulled to the surface— the stunning conclusion to a real-life story of hope and perseverance.

page 12 EYE OF THE TIGER

recap: 2001-2010

winter 2011

n September 11, 2001, two commercial planes hijacked by the terrorist group alQaeda crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, causing massive destruction.

That same day, another hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon and the other in a field in Pennsylvania.

These attacks triggered the launch of America’s War on Terror in the Middle East and the subsequent establishment of a new world order.

ince the Kyoto Protocol was initially adopted in 1997, environmental issues have become a major cause of concern for many around the world. However, these issues have been faced with a lack of immediate political action by many world leaders. The 2000s brought forward many new and unprecedented environmental concerns, including e-waste, overfishing, deforestation, “greener” cars and fuel sources, and global warming. World leaders gathered in the 2000s in Copenhagen and Cancun, amongst other places, to discuss these pressing environmental issues.

he 2000s saw not only a rise in internet sophistication, but also the advent of social networking online. Facebook, the network service initially used by select American college students, was launched in 2004 and quickly became one of the most prominent networking sites of our decade with over 500 million current users. The microblogging site Twitter was launched in 2006 and has become a popular site amongst big-name celebrities and others. Other networking sites such as Tumblr and MySpace have also been prominent in the decade of technology.

he late 2000s were a time gripped by economic recession. Sparked by the financial crisis in America, which saw the collapse of many large financial institutions, bailout of banks and downturns in global stock markets, the recession had many international ramifications. Dubbed as the worst post-World War II recession on record, the recession caused waves of unemployment, increased volatility in markets and political instability in many countries around the world.

he 2000s were also an important decade for Canadians especially in the realm of sport. The decade encompassed five different Olympic games, the most recent of which was held in Vancouver, British Columbia where freestyle skier Alexandre Bilodeau became the first Canadian to win a gold medal on home soil– a feat that had been unachieved by Canadian athletes in two previous Olympics. Prominent Canadians also took the major leagues by storm, especially hockey player Sidney Crosby, who many say will continue the legacy of Canadian hockey great Wayne Gretzky. Other international sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup, also helped Canadians stand unified amongst themselves and amongst others around the world, proving that sport is still a unifying element in our culture.

editorial

winter 2011

EYE OF THE TIGER

Caroline Mei

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Morgan Rosenberg

EYE OF THE TIGER page 13 Jason Li & Adele Chui

DEPUTY LAYOUT EDITORS

Alanna Kazdan

Jared Perlmutter SPORTS EDITOR

Tomer Michailov PHOTOGRAPHER

Nathan Oh

The Eye of the Tiger is advised by Riviera Lev-Aviv Audrey Vong Annie Xie ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Mrs. Borges.

LAYOUT DIRECTOR OPINION EDITOR SEND US LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AT EYEOFTHETIGERCHIEFS@GMAIL.COM FINANCIAL DIRECTOR

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DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR

YOUTH & INSTITUTION Being a teenager doesn’t necessarily mean all the freedom it’s cracked up to be. There are more things to be worried about than crowded school hallways, below. In this issue of The Eye: one issue which calls for change, and one that should stay as is. Photo by Tomer Michailov.

No tolerance?

No problem Ontario’s new zero alcohol law for driver under 21 shouldn’t be condemned— so says the data.

YRDSB student trustees are great, but their electoral process is too obscure The current YRDSB electoral system is not only unknown by average students, but it also discourages them from participating. he pictures of those students in everyone’s agendas aren’t just pictures for countless students to deface. They’re the YRDSB student trustees and they represent you.

What does that mean? More specifically, they represent students at board meetings. There are two student trustees for each region in Ontario. Previously, YRDSB student trustees have successfully advocated for mandatory alternatives to live dissection in biology classes.

Last year, the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association wrote a report to the Ministry of Education that recommended changes for the Civics and Careers curriculum.

But where do these student trustees come from?

They’re elected, supposedly by you. Elections take place every April. They’re run by the York Re-

gion Presidents’ Council (YRPC), a body of select student council members from each school that meets biweekly. Students from York Region high schools listen to candidates’ speeches, gather in their school groups and vote for two candidates on behalf of their school. While any YRDSB student may attend, the student council members tend to have the most say in the vote.

YRDSB’s neighbours elect their student trustees differently. The Peel District School Board, which serves Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon, also elects two student trustees, but one for the north and one for the south.

Candidates each submit a campaign video, up to 3-minutes long, which is uploaded to YouTube, the Peel DSB website and school computers. Candidates can choose to either create a video themselves or have it filmed by a Peel media specialist.

Each secondary school student votes individually at their school; the majority vote forms each school’s single vote. The winning candidate is the one with the high-

est number of first place finishes at each school.

While Peel’s system may give candidates with superior but irrelevant video-editing skills an advantage, it’s undeniably more inclusive. By giving each student a vote, it allows more students to learn about and participate in the process, as well as choose accurate selfrepresentation.

Last year’s YRDSB elections were held together with “YRPC Reunion”, which is, essentially, a reunion for those who attended the YRPC Leadership Conference. This annual conference is run by YRPC for the 200 students from around York Region who choose to attend.

That’s right: choose to attend.

Overlap of student trustee elections and YRPC Reunion undermines the election of student trustees as an important, standalone event.

It discourages students outside the YRPC-circle from participating.

For the average student, attending the election would be like crashing a reunion of childhood friends— of each other, not you. Who would want to do that?

The fact that Ontario students

have a voice through their student trustees is something to be embraced. It’s basic democracy—the idea that everyone has a say. Student trustee elections should allow every student, and not just a few student council members, to have their voices heard.

A school shouldn’t choose its two votes by “consensus”, but rather secret vote by each student. YRDSB should follow in Peel’s footsteps and make participating easier—by making voting possible in each school. If candidate-made videos favour the tech-savvy, videos could just be speeches.

The YRDSB student trustee electoral process deserves reform. It needs to become more inclusive and student-friendly. It’s good that YRPC is getting a new website next year, because currently it’s next to impossible to find information online about student trustee elections.

Nevertheless, information about student trustees needs promotion.

A position in which the job description is to represent the students shouldn’t be unknown to the students.

ntario recently drafted a law that would no longer allow G licensed drivers under the age of 21 to have any alcohol in their system when driving. The institution of this law has been called many things, among them ageist, discriminatory, and impractical.

While this law may be ageist, it is certainly appropriate, and is helping lay the groundwork for the potential of a no-tolerance-for -all-ages law. The statistics back up the law as well, as it is shown that people aged 19-21 are nearly twice as likely to be involved in fatal accidents where there is a presence of alcohol. There is also an expected 15-25% drop in impaired driving cases causing death of young people with the new implementation of this law.

Ontario isn’t even the first, or second province to put this law into action, as they followed Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

While some have been critical of the law’s reach only encompassing youth, this isn’t something new in the world of driving.

It is common for insurance companies to charge a far higher rate for young men aged 16-25 for the simple fact that they are, as an age group, involved in the most crashes causing significant damage to the automobile.

Until this practice is revoked by private profiting institutions, there should be absolutely no objection on the part of youth, as laws constructed on the basis of statistical backing usually have some sort of merit.

While we are always quick to jump on the government for making laws that, upon first glance appear to target a specified group, we are equally as slow in responding to acts made by non government organizations, such as the aforementioned insurance companies.

Frankly, if there is statistical evidence backing it up, then there should be absolutely no reason to object to the law in place, as it will eventually benefit society, if fewer deaths will be caused by impaired driving.

DON’T BE MADD Insurance companies and studies both operate on the basis that drivers below 21 are indeed more prone to accidents.

sports

page 14 EYE OF THE TIGER

winter 2011

EYE OF THE TIGER IT HAPPENED IN 2010: TSS’S TIGERS ARE LACED UP, BACK ON ICE AND MORE EXCITED THAN EVER

Alouettes reign supreme at Grey Cup once more In a rematch of last year’s Grey Cup final, Montreal’ s Alouettes once again came out victorious

BY DIEGO SANTESTEBAN SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

Thornhill students finally get the chance to show their skills on ice.

BY ERIK LUCZAK SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

fter an absence of over five years, the Thornhill Tigers varsity hockey team is competing once again in the YRAA. No small accomplishment given the trials and tribulations the boys had to overcome in bringing back a forgotten legacy.

“How could I say no” exclaimed coach Christine Swan, “their enthusiasm was infectious”. After a failed attempt in the 2009/2010 school year to make the hockey team a reality, a determined group of grade 12 boys made it their mission to make sure they would end their high school athletic careers with style.

Their dreams were finally answered in early November when the TSS Tigers opened their season against arch rival Westmount Collegiate.

“Playing rep hockey in the GTHL or OMHA is exciting and fastpaced, but having the chance to play for your high school team with all your buddies is an experience these boys will cherish forever” said Head Coach Bruce Luczak after the team’s latest victory, a 9-2 pounding of Richmond Hill Secondary.

Playing out of the West division of Tier II, the Tigers play a ten game regular season schedule against Stephen Lewis S.S., Langstaff S.S., Richmond Hill S.S., Tanenbaum CHAT Kimel and Westmount C.I with playoffs (hopefully) crossing

“We’re more then just a team, we’re a family. Every guy from grade nine to grade twelve works hard every shift they are out there, and it’s paying off. I’m really happy how the chemistry is coming together after we started out playing as individuals. This is a special group of guys. We could be goin’ places.” over against the East division.

The team started off slowly, losing their first three games. However, their fortunes took a turn for the better after Joshua “Tasmanian Devil” Borlack was called up on a permanent basis. Four wins later, and the Tigers are now sitting comfortably in third place with a 4-3 record.

When asked about the continuity and camaraderie this team possesses, team captain Alex Lampert said “We’re more then just a team, we’re a family. Every guy from grade nine to grade twelve works hard every shift they are out there, and it’s paying off. I’m really happy how the chemistry is coming together after we started out playing as individuals. This is a special group of guys. We could be goin’ places.”

Heading into the final stretch of the season, the Tigers are motivated to have a strong finish leading into the YRAA playoffs in late January. We need your support, check the T.A.C board for the schedule for the remainder of the season. Cheerleaders welcome!

Name

Grade

Position

Ian Faintuck

12

F

Josh Borlack

12

F

Benji Niss

10

F

Matt Berish

12

F

Blake Greenwald

12

F

Constantine Belaboroda

11

F

Josh Appel

12

F

Wesley Tin

11

F

Daniel Morris

11

F

Harrison Konikoff

12

F/D

Alex Lampert

12

D

Erik Luczak Jesse Woo

12 12

D D

Max Novick

9

D

Jake Tesolin

10

D

Corbin Greenwald

10

D

Mitchell Krebs

12

G

Dylan Chandler

10

G

he 2009 Grey Cup between the Montreal Alouettes and the Saskatchewan Roughriders was exciting down to the very end. Saskatchewan ran away with the game in the first half, leading Montreal by 14 points. After halftime, Montreal desperately caught up and trailed by just 2 points. On the field goal attempt as the clock ran out, Montreal kicker Damon Duval missed, but the Roughriders made a crucial mistake by having 13 players on the field – one too many. The Alouettes scored the field goal on their second attempt, giving them the championship and crushing the underdog Riders with a heartbreaking 28-27 score.

2010 was about catching up for the eastern conference. Their third playoff berth in 2009 had gone to, ironically enough, British Columbia, due to a CFL rule in which the fourth place team from one conference takes the other conference's playoff spot if they finish the season better than two of the other half's teams. With both Toronto and Winnipeg struggling, with 3-15 and 711 records, respectively, this was the case last year.

This year saw a resurgence of the Toronto Argonauts, improving their 2009 season by six wins – the most in CFL history – and even playing in the conference finals.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, despite coming off of their best season in recent memory, failed to improve and had another year of 9 wins and 9 losses. The Calgary Stampeders dominated the Western conference, but took a crushing defeat in the Western finals and were eliminated from the playoffs.

The 98th Grey Cup was billed as the rematch of 2009's exciting game. The Alouettes quickly ran off to an 8-0 lead, but the Riders dominated the second quarter and took a three point lead by half-time. A single field goal in the third set up an exciting end to a rather slow game, in comparison to the previous year. Scoring ten points promptly, Montreal left the Riders with nothing but a slim chance of catching up. After scoring a touchdown, the Roughriders desperately tried to make a field goal and force the championship into overtime, but the Alouette defence proved impenetrable and handed Saskatchewan another crushing defeat. Montreal also became the first repeat champions in 13 years.

VICTORY An Alouette hoists the Grey Cup in joy after 2010’s win.

sports

winter 2011

IN MEMORIAM: PATRICK BURNS, NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE COACH (1952 – 2010)

EYE OF THE TIGER page 15

Pat Burns: Remembered Legendary NHL Coach is laid to rest after a long, hard battle with cancer

BY JORDAN GRECH SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

GONE, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN Pictured here talking to his players while he was with the Boston Bruins, Burns joined the New Jersey Devils and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2003 before retiring in 2004 due to cancer.

Underrated and underappreciated Georges St-Pierre is slowly becoming a new face for Canadian athletics

BY JARED PERLMUTTER SPORTS EDITOR

hen someone asks you to think of the most successful and world renowned Canadian athlete, who comes to mind?

For most, it would be hockey’s all time greatest, Wayne Gretzky.

Or perhaps, two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash. Nowadays, it might even be hockey’s newest poster boy, Sidney Crosby.

But the one thing all these athletes lack is world renowned recognition. Hockey is only popular in a small part of the world, namely North America and northern Europe. Basketball, while more widespread, is dominated by bigger stars, mostly of American descent.

Under those conditions, none of these men quite cut it then. But there is one Canadian who does.

Born in a small Quebec town of just under 3000 people, SaintIsidore, Quebec’s Georges StPierre (GSP) has truly become Canada’s most recognizable athlete.

GSP is currently the UFC’s Welterweight champion, having recently defended his title in front a hometown crowd in Montreal, Quebec, defeating smashmouthed American Josh Koscheck in a unanimous decision.

GSP is widely thought of being the best “pound for pound” fighter in the world.

What this means is that GSP would be able to defeat anyone, assuming they were in the same weight class as him. This is to say, that GSP is arguably the best fighter in the entire world.

GSP has been active in mixed martial arts since 2002, and has accumulated an overall record of 21-2, which is simply astounding.

He has defeated some of UFC’s top dogs, including BJ Penn, a former UFC lightweight champion, and a man who is considered amongst

the upper echelon of fighters worldwide. GSP has also defeated long time UFC mainstay Matt Hughes, as well as former NCAA Division 1 wrestling champion Josh Koscheck, beating both of them twice.

What’s more, is that St-Pierre , extraordinarily, is still yet to be knocked out, an unfortunately common occurrence in the world of MMA. While many Canadian athletes are dominant in their respective sport, much like Crosby is and Gretzky was, what separates GSP from them is the worldwide attention the UFC, and therefore GSP garners.

UFC fights are currently available in an astounding 130 different countries, and 20 different languages, putting it far above NHL hockey and NBA basketball in worldwide appeal. St-Pierre has shared in this massive popularity, as he is one of the faces of UFC, and MMA worldwide.

UFC President Dana White was the first to propose that GSP is the new face of Canadian athletics’, as he believes that GSP is slowly becoming the face of organized fighting worldwide. He feels as though no Canadian athlete has been as successful as St-Pierre has been in brief time in the UFC. White believes GSP to be more successful than the Great One himself, Wayne Gretzky. To support his point, White referenced a recent trip St-Pierre made to the Philippines to promote the UFC. Georges could barely step out of his hotel and was treated, as White put it, “like a rockstar”.

Now, would hockey legend Wayne Gretzky have been treated like that, in a country where hockey is rare or nonexistent? Absolutely not.

While White is clear in his opinion in the GSP vs. Gretzky argument, Georges himself could not be more the opposite.

“For me, Wayne Gretzky, he’s on top” says St-Pierre. He also noted that "For his sport, I believe Wayne Gretzky has done more for hockey than I've done in mixed martial arts. And my goal is to

reach that point and maybe pass that point if I can one day in my life”. St-Pierre is quick to concede the penultimate title to the man who many believe will never relinquish it.

While White claims to have never referenced Gretzky, and just to have claimed that St-Pierre is the most famous athlete to come out of Canada, it is clear to most Canadian sports fans what he was insinuating.

Fighter Georges St-Pierre has surpassed Wayne Gretzky in terms of worldwide recognition, fame, and success.

Georges St-Pierre’s fame lies in a simple fact; this being that MMA has, thanks to Dana White and the UFC, become a worldwide phenomenon.

With GSP acting as the face of this vast new market, it was inevitable that he would become famous beyond his wildest dreams.

St-Pierre represents a change in the science of Canadian sport.

No longer are we that country that merely churns out hockey star after hockey star, with an occasional NBA MVP and Olympic Gold medalist sprinters thrown into the mix, no instead we are home to the world’s best fighter, and a man whose hands, feet, knees, and body should all be considered weapons.

While it may pain us to admit it, it is time, Canada, to face the facts; Georges St-Pierre is our greatest athlete. Let’s not waste him by paying no attention.

THE NEXT GENERATION St. Pierremay be the new face of Canadiana.

have to admit I was a tad sceptical when I first heard that former NHL coach Pat Burns passed away. After all, back in September, reports around the media surfaced which stated that he had lost his long battle with colon cancer. Later that day, after the reports were deemed to be false, they were removed, prompting Mr. Burns to comment on the incident, saying, “Here we go again. They're trying to kill me before I'm dead...” It’s only fitting that when Pat’s life ended, he was still the same intense guy, while still being able to poke fun at such an unusual situation. But I don’t think too much about his death. If there was anything to remember, it was his life.

After spending three years coaching the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior League and one year with the Sherbrooke Canadiens of the AHL, Burns was brought in to coach the Montreal Canadiens for the 1988-89 season.

Burns carried the Habs to their first 50-win season in a decade, as well as a trip the Stanley Cup finals, where they eventually lost to the Calgary Flames. Burns also won the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year.

New rules pose the question: Are technical fouls really that technical?

BY NATHAN OH SPORTS DEPUTY EDITOR

his past summer’s NBA free agency was a hectic one.

Players left their teams (some in more public ways than others) and money was thrown to those who were deemed “worth it”.

It definitely took centre stage from July to September, but there was another bigger issue that held arguably more importance in the long run, which flew under the radar of most fans..

We’re talking about the new “respect for the game” rules.

Okay, fine. Maybe they aren’t as important as the gathering of the New Big Three down in South Beach. But one has to admit that this new policy, with NBA Commissioner David Stern’s stamp of approval, will be impacting the 2010-2011 82-game season and upcoming ones.

In a nutshell, game referees and officials now have the freedom to call more technical fouls. Overt gestures such as punching the air, demonstrative disagreement, running at the officials, or raising of voices are all new reasons why a player will get slapped with a “tech”. This wasn’t made for no reason at all, because as of late, rules had been bent a little too far.

But don’t these new rules make the game softer? Yes, referees and officials are in positions of authority and shouldn’t have gotten the treatment they underwent over the past few seasons. No one can argue with that. However, basketball, in any way you see it, is a

Burns would continue to coach the Canadiens, but after three consecutive exits in the second round of the playoffs, it was time to move on. Burns was introduced as the new coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1992.

Burns won a second Adams Award following his first season in Toronto, as well as leading the Leafs to two consecutive trips to the conference finals. However, substandard team performances during the 1995-96 season caused Burns to be fired after 65 games.

After sitting out the following year, Burns was hired by the Boston Bruins in 1997. Burns’ Bruins couldn’t amount to any playoff success, however, and he was fired eight games into the 2000-01 season. Burns would join the New Jersey Devils in 2002, finally winning a Stanley Cup championship in 2003.

But after being diagnosed with two different types of cancer from 2004 to 2005, Burns decided it was time to retire. By 2009, the cancer had spread to his lungs, and he passed away on November 19, 2010.

What makes Burns’ death even more gut-wrenching is that he wasn’t inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame when there was the opportunity. I know seeing Burns still alive to accept such an honour would’ve made my year. I still have no doubt that Burns will be inducted, but for now, we are forced to sit and wait.

game of emotion. A steal or block can start up adrenaline, which would lead to a ferocious dunk that would make the crowd roar, giving the home team a good feeling. Don’t these rules suck the emotion right out of the game? For example, Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Bosh, former Raptor players, were two of the many victims of this new rule: O’Neal “t”-d up for raising an eyebrow, and Bosh given the hammer for putting his hands on his head (here, haters scoff with approval), both after questionable calls. Stern wants to restore the respect to the game, but it seems as if these new rules are disrespecting the players themselves.

And the new rules provide new controversies. We see the superstars and more vocal players such as LeBron James and Kevin Garnett getting special treatment. We see head coaches and assistant coaches (whom these new rules also apply to, but on a different scale) get hit with more technicals than ever before for as little as getting up out of their seat. And we see different players here and there convicted of petty crimes while repeat offenders are still on the loose. So with these kinds of things happening on a daily basis throughout the NBA, are technicals really necessary if you’re handing them out like boos on LeBron’s first game back to Cleveland? Only time will tell how effective this new rule is, and, as seen through rules in the past, if they really are hurting the NBA, they will be removed. And if they are...well, it will be just another one of Stern’s ideas that crumbled in the middle of an extraordinary NBA season.

WHISTLEBLOWER New rules on fouls could have long-term effects .

sports

page 16 EYE OF THE TIGER

It’s the most wonderful time of the year We’re not talking winter holidays, but the World Junior Hockey Championship of 2011.

BY JARED PERLMUTTER SPORTS EDITOR

ere we are once again, the holiday season. While most people associate this time of year with family, celebration, and spending time with those you love, I have come to associate it with the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, taking place this year in Buffalo, New York. Keep, in mind, this article was written before the tournament started, and by the time you’ve read this, Canada will have (hopefully) captured gold once again.

Last time Canada lost in the finals of the World Juniors, they came back to win 5 consecutive Gold medals. This is what we Canadian hockey fans are hoping for once more. While this team does not have a Sidney Crosby, or even a Steven Stamkos, it is not without it’s potential star power.

It wasn’t too long ago that a Canadian team returning only one player from the gold medal winning team in 2005 (Cam Barker) won, in convincing fashion, the 2006 Gold medal behind a young kid from Manitoba named Jonathan Toews.

This years Team Canada shares many similarities with the 2006 one, mainly because of the lack of superstar talent that they’ve had in the past (Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, and Taylor Hall).

It starts in net for Canada, where Olivier Roy and Mark Visentin of Acadie-Bathurst and Niagara will battle for the number 1 job. While Roy is older and had a more impressive camp, it is firmly believed the Visentin will be the starter come Boxing Day. Though an inexperienced tandem, Canada has rarely had to worry about goalies in the past, as usually they have proven more then solid. Visentin has put together an impressive campaign so far for the Niagara Ice Dogs, putting up a 13-4-4 record with a .921 save%, both near the tops of the OHL. What’s more impressive is his number one goals against average, boasting a 2.30 GAA in 21 games this season.

So do we have talented youngsters or is it just plain beginners’ luck?

BY JORDAN KAFKA SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

he Toronto Blue Jays’ season has been over for quite some time. This past season included many highlights, including Jose Bautista’s league-leading 54 home runs, young pitchers rising up to the occasion, and the Blue Jays leading the MLB in home runs.

Finishing with a respectable 8577 record in the A.L. East can be largely attributed to the Jays’ young pitching staff. Shawn Marcum, 138, Ricky Romero, 14-9, Brett Cecil, 15-7, and Brandon Morrow, 10-7, were the four major pitchers behind the Blue Jays’ success. Both Brett Cecil and Brandon Morrow pitched two times more innings than the previous season and all four pitchers were on the mound for a career high innings pitched.

The young staff brought their A game, had no veteran support, and all exited the season with a winning record. The pitchers definitely deserve congratulations and are responsible for the great record.

Wins are generated by both

The Canadian defence will be anchored by a few familiar faces, with returnees Ryan Ellis, Jared Cowen, and Calvin de Haan. Ellis will captain team Canada, in his 3rd championships. Ellis, along with de Haan will be relied on to anchor and run the Canadian powerplay from the point, something Ellis has certainly done before. Also on the Canadian defence will be last year’s number 3 pick in the entry draft, Kingston Frontenac’s Erik Gudbranson. Gudbranson will be looked at to provide a physical shutdown presence on the back end.

Standing at 6’4” and being considered a future top pair defender, Gudbranson will be looked at as one of Canada’s top players this tournament, despite his poor showing at camp. Also on the defence for Canada will be Dylan Olsen, Simon Després, and Tyson Barrie. All but Barrie are former first round picks, making Canada’s defence corps simply menacing on paper.

Canada will return only one forward, but a good one at that, in Brayden Schenn. Schenn will be looked to not only as a leader (he will be wearing an “A”) but also a top offensive player, as he is most likely to centre the top line. Another top centre man will also suit of for Canada; Sean Couturier.

Couturier is considered to be one of, if not the top prospect in the upcoming NHL entry draft. While he lacks the name recognition of Taylor Hall or Steven Stamkos in years past, Couturier is certainly a young talent.

Much will be expected of the young centre in this his first tournament. Other intriguing forwards include Brent Connolly, and Ryan Johansen, both top picks in this years entry draft. Zack Kassian will likely replace Stefan Della Rovere as Canada’s pesty Sean Avery type player. Though Kassian will be relied upon to get under other players skin, there is no question of his offensive talent, he currently ranks 7th in OHL scoring. Big forward Carter Ashton will also be counted on to bring physical play from the forwards..

The only forward playing the College ranks this year is Jaden Schwartz. Schwartz played his high school hockey at Notre Dame College, a respected hockey program located in Wilcox, Saskatchewan.

While playing there, he broke re-

cords set by NHLer’s Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards.

Schwartz certainly has offensive skills, and will be looked to bring them to the forefront against strong competition this year.

Rounding out the rest of the Canadian forwards are Casey Cizikas, Quinton Howden, Curtis Hamilton, Marcus Foligno, Louis Leblanc, and Cody Eakin.

Team Canada will be coached

by Dave Cameron, head coach of the Mississauga-St Michael’s Majors of the OHL. Cameron is former NHL player, and former AHL coach. While certainly not as well known as former coaches such as Pat Quinn, Cameron is a reliable coach and will demand only the best from his players.

While Canada will, as they always have, bring a strong team to the tournament, this team will face tough competition from the US and Swedish teams. The US (as of now) has yet to determine their exact roster, but their selection camp is laden with former first round picks.

Most notable is last year’s tournaments top goalie, Jack Campbell, who was picked 11th overall in this years entry draft by the Dallas Stars.

Also returning are defenseman John Ramage, and forwards Chris Kreider, Jerry D’Amigo, Ryan Bourque, Jeremy Morin, Kyle Palmieri, and Jason Zucker.

Team Sweden will also field an impressive lineup. In net they will have Robin Lehner, who already has a few NHL games under his belt for the Ottawa Senators. On defence is Adam Larsson, who along with Sean Couturier is considered top be the top pick in this year’s entry draft. While this years Swedish forwards lack the name recognition of years past (Nicklas Backstrom, Oscar Moller, Mikael Backlund) you never can count them out.

The road to the gold will not be easy for Canada, but then again it never has been. Canada will need to rise to the occasion, and play some inspired hockey to beat a perhaps more talented team from the USA. Look for the boys to play classic Canadian style hockey, smash mouth and physical. This year’s edition of Team Canada will, as they always, have the hopes of their nation on their shoulders.

Note: Sadly, the Canadian team lost the gold medal match 5-3 to Russia on January 5, 2011.

strong pitching and strong batting.

The Jays offense was impressive at times, yet deficient at times. Ironically, the Jays led the league in home runs, with Jose Bautista leading the way. Bautista hit a total of 54 home runs, becoming the 26th player in the MLB to tally more than 50 home runs in a season.

Bautista’s performance inspired his teammates, and 9 Blue Jays hit more than 10 home runs this year, including 7 players who hit 20+.

The combined effort gave the Jays a total of 297 home runs this season, the third most by a franchise in one season. However, the Jays must work on spreading the offense around the entire season, as there were several games where a lack of offense cost the Jays the ballgame.

Nevertheless, the fireworks this season were numerous and both rewarding and surprising.

The off-season has had many Jays electing to go to the free agency. Players including 1B Lyle Overbay, C John Buck, RP Kevin Gregg, and LP Scott Downs have uncertain futures, as all are on the free agency. With a portion of the team possibly gone, next year will show either many more rookies and prospects in the starting line-

up, many players re-signing, or maybe some significant trades to boost the roster. The Jays will be facing a rough patch ahead if most of the listed players find futures elsewhere.

With all the accomplishments over the year, this season ends bittersweet, with the Jays putting on quite the performance, but saying goodbye to Coach/Manager Cito Gaston. Gaston finished his second term as a coach, and previously took the Jays on to win the World Series. He should be extremely proud for the year to end on such a positive note. During the offseason we’ll be sure to see Gaston’s replacement, as well as any new additions to further enhance the Jays line-up for next year. Next year we’ll see the stronger and further experienced Blue Jays club or an even younger core, which will have high expectations to live up to next year. Coming off many players having record-setting statistics it will be difficult and interesting to see if they can put on repeat performances or if this year was a fluke. With a few repeat performances , the Jays could become one of the A.L. East contenders in a few years’ time.

winter 2011

A new hope for a desperate franchise With the hiring of Jurgen Klinsmann, will TFC fans finally be rewarded?

BY HARTLEY RUCH SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

t was on May 12, 2007 that I became forever attached to Toronto FC. That Saturday afternoon I was lucky enough to be sitting in section 120, row 4, and seat 16 of the newly constructed BMO Field. As a young soccer fan, I was excited to see Toronto’s newest sporting franchise and was just expecting to have a fun afternoon with my dad, my cousin, and my uncle. It turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of my life.

I witnessed the first goal, first red card, and the first win in the history of the club. I was also part of a crazy celebration involving the field being bombarded by seat cushions and a never ending round of applause and singing.

Four years later I’m starting to think that TFC fans will never have reason to celebrate like that again.

In four years, the team has gone through five coaches, a countless number of players, and has yet to make the playoffs. The beginning of every season is filled with promises from management, the coaching staff, and the players, and every year they have fallen short.

The 2011 season is set to be an exciting one with the addition of two new teams, the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Portland Timbers, and a brand new playoff format.

With a larger number of teams making the playoffs, it is the perfect opportunity for Toronto to finally make an appearance.

The Reds hired German manager and former player Jurgen Klinsmann to rebuild the team, a smart move by MLSE. Klinsmann has the experience and has proven he can turn a team around. He will hire a director of soccer operations who will have free reign to fill his staff and players.

If Toronto is to be successful on the field, they will need to get production from their designated players. Each MLS team may have up to three designated players on their squad for whom the league will pay a portion of their salary.

This allows clubs to afford high priced foreign players such as LA

GREAT EXPECTATIONS TFC fans will demand a lot from Jurgen Klinsmann.

Galaxy’s David Beckham and New York’s Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez. Toronto’s two DPs, Julian de Guzman and Mista, combined for zero goals last season.

The DPs should automatically be the best players on the team and TFC effectively wasted them.

Klinsmann will need to find some good foreign talent and get some production from the new DPs. TFC also needs some consistency in the line-up. There is a different starting eleven every game which doesn’t allow the best players to become comfortable with each other. The midfield was also ineffective for Toronto last season. Martin Saric, Nick LaBrocca, and Julian de Guzman were just not good enough forcing Dwayne De Rosario, Toronto’s leading scorer, to do all of the work. Fortunately, Klinsmann has already brought in Nate Sturgis, a 23 year old midfielder with huge potential.

The lack of talent in the midfield meant little service to the strikers.

Unfortunately, when given the rare opportunity, the forwards couldn’t put the ball in the net, something Toronto seems to struggle with every year.

Lastly, De Rosario has to have another stellar season to lead TFC to the playoffs. Until he joined Toronto he had made the playoffs every year of his career and he is motivated to get back in.

There is no doubt that this will be an exciting season for Toronto FC, especially with newly promoted rivals Vancouver in the picture, but all the fans want is a winning record and a playoff spot.

Klinsmann has his work cut out for him, but if anyone can turn this franchise around, it is certainly him.

OLD AND NEW Longtime Jay Vernon Wells with newer teammates.

review

winter 2011

EYE OF THE TIGER page 17

EYE OF THE TIGER IT HAPPENED IN 2010: THE WORLD WENT GAGA

There’s hidden ambition behind that poker face

RAW Lady Gaga accepting an award at the VMAs in her now infamous meat dress. She wore a similar outfit on the cover of Vogue Nippon.

Some of the artists who made it big on this year’s charts were, (from top row, left to right) K’naan, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Lady Antebellum, Ke$ha, Drake, Bruno Mars, Willow Smith and Far East movement.

In which there was Bieber Fever, Ke$ha , and whipping hair back and forth.

BY ARIELLE ABTAN ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

his year has been the mark of many changes and there’s been no exception in the music that’s been topping our charts since January. Not only did we see the emergence of new artists, we’ve also seen a shift in the focus of pop music listeners and the music industry itself.

2010 has surely been the start of a new generation of music listeners, be it your 5-year-old little sister singing along with K’naan’s “Waving Flag” or your own sparked interest in music you thought you’d never listen to before. This year, our charts couldn’t have been more different.

Unlike past years, where the charts have been dominated by the same artists over and over (Nickelback, anyone?), 2010’s billboard is bursting with different genres, artists, and the general quality of music altogether. This isn’t to say that the old stuff has lost its spark, though.

Many artists released comeback albums this year, from Gorillaz’s anticipated album Plastic Beach to Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, released November 22 (which may have been too late to have it appear on any 2010 top 100 charts, but is by far one of the best albums of this year). And with new artists like Ke$ha and Bruno Mars springing up around every corner, how could this year get any more diverse? But that’s just the start of it.

This year’s odyssey through music can be punctuated by the appearance of the 16-year-old heartthrob, Stratford-bred Justin Bieber.

He’s managed to take the world by storm, releasing a grand total of three albums this year and soaring to fame that could rival even the most acclaimed of singers.

His first album, My World (which was actually released in late 2009) reached platinum status in less than a month, selling over 1 million copies in 5 countries. His second album was released less than half a year later, in March 2010. Ever since then, he’s been regarded as one of the most popular underage singers of the decade.

In less than a year, he’s written an autobiography, won numerous highly regarded awards and released a movie.

He is even nominated a Grammy for Best New Artist, battling it out with fellow Canadian Drake, Mumford and Sons and Florence and the Machine.

However, he’s not the only new artist that’s soared to the heights of fame this year. Drake, a Forest Hill native, has gone from being ‘that kid in the wheelchair from Degrassi’ to one of the most famous hip-hop artists in the industry.

Nicki Minaj’s long awaited debut album Pink Friday has received roaring reviews and contains collaborations with Eminem, Kanye West, and Will.i.am, and thus makes her another artist that’s worthy of the spotlight.

Far East Movement’s Like a G6 is the leading club anthem of the year, while Taio Cruz spices up the dance floor with songs like Break Your Heart and Dynamite. On the other side of the musical spectrum,

bands like Lady Antebellum and previously mentioned Mumford and Sons are certainly forces to be reckoned with, both releasing chart topping single and having some of the highest ratings of this year.

Willow Smith, Will Smith’s 9year-old daughter, does deserve an honorable mention as her single Whip My Hair has landed the #2 spot on the charts at its peak. And how can we possibly forget Billboard’s 2010 (joint with Taylor Swift) artist of the year, Lady GaGa? Since the release of her album The Fame in 2008, she’s retained neargodlike status in the music industry, which only fueled the popularity of her 2009 release The Fame Monster.

Though she hasn’t released any albums this year, her two singles Telephone (Featuring Beyoncé) and Alejandro have both topped numerous charts and won many awards.

As for the other artist of the year, Taylor Swift, she has made a considerable comeback since last year’s MTV VMA incident and has recently released an album, Speak Now. It has reached the number one position in 4 countries including Canada, and received a four-star rating from The Rolling Stone. The drum machine is rated as this year’s most popular instrument, and has been used in a large portion of this year’s hits.

Music-wise, this year has undoubtedly surpassed its predecessors in both talent and diversity.

We’ve seen the rise and fall of various artists, genres, and even instruments and they have all brightened the future for artists and avid music listeners galore.

Why we can’t get enough of Lady Gaga and her wild theatrics, from her meat dress to her exploding bra.

BY ALANA CHANGOOR ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

he is known by some as a freak, others as an inspiration, to others as a talented artist.

However, no matter how much we may despise her, or how much we may love her wackiness, it is for sure that Lady Gaga has individualized herself in the music industry.

Her songs are upbeat and her videos eccentric, but behind the fame and theatrics, how much do we really know about her?

According to Lady Gaga, her younger version (whose name was still Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) remembers singing to Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper, and dancing with her father to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

This little girl from a regular New York family, got herself known from performing at the Lower East Side Club Scene, dancing to Beautiful, Dirty, Rich and would strip down to pants and a bikini top, light cans of hairspray on fire, and pose as a disco ball. She began building herself an image by creating music to combine pop, rock and theatre.

Her inspiration for the name Gaga came from the song Radio Gaga by Queen, and decided she wanted to become an artist: someone who can excel in music, performance, attitude, look; the entire package. Apparently ambition is what Lady Gaga is all about.

The fame monster is credited for learning how to play piano by ear at the age of 4, written her first piano ballad at age 13, and at 14 was already performing at New York Clubs. She remembers being teased about her unconventional

style of arts by her classmates in the Sacred Heart School in Manhattan (also the school that Paris and Nicky Hilton attended). At age 17, she was one of the twenty youth in the world to get early admission to the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. She has helped in writing for many artists, most widely known artists being the Pussycat Dolls. According to Lady Gaga, her goal at age 20 was “To trick people into hanging with something that is really cool with a pop song. It’s almost like the spoonful of sugar and I’m the medicine.”

Lady Gaga’s first single, Just Dance got her instant attentions with its addictive and fun vibe. Her song Beautiful, Dirty, Rich was written to express her self-discovery, her experiences when she was in New York, dabbling with drugs, and wild party behaviour. Another of her more popular songs was Paparazzi, in which she described herself showing love to the paparazzi at times and at times struggling to find love and success. I n general, many of her songs have been about being different, wacky, weird, and embracing these traits, while others have portrayed her perspective on love and other matters.

In a way Lady Gaga must be respected. She is not one of those celebrities, who didn’t rise from a model casting call, being born from a rich family, winning a reality TV show, or emerging from a teenage sitcom. She worked hard to get where she is today. In fact, it is undeniable that her drastically different appearance and style from other contemporary artists of today, is what gets us so intrigued by her.

Currently she has been nominated for 6 Grammys, and is also getting involved in charity events.

She says, “I’m just trying to change the world one sequin at a time.”

review

page 18 EYE OF THE TIGER

winter 2011

Get ready for the Grammys!

Some things old and some things new as we prepare for these awards.

BY MARIA-AUDREY CHADILI ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

aybe it was a text. Or a tweet, a status update, an instant message, an email, or a phone call. Or maybe somebody just told you. But you should know that the Grammys are really just around the corner. How excited R U? Big congratulations to Eminem, who received more Grammy nominations than anyone else with a very impressive 10 nominations.

Bruno Mars earned seven nominations, while Lady Antebellum, JayZ and Lady Gaga all had six each.

The nominations for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were announced by The Recording Academy and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest in music over the past year. The Grammy Nominations Concert Live was hosted by LL Cool J from L.A.'s Club Nokia, which featured many performances. Every year the awards ceremony features performances by prominent artists andthis year it fronted a diverse array of nominees.

The Grammys are a mission that recognizes musical excellence and advocates for the well-being of music makers. This year's nomina-

A brief, mostly pointless, but informing analysis of the various illusive components of humour, and the difficulties of tickling the collective funny bone of an audience.

BY ILAN TZITRIN ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

erry: Osgood, I'm gonna level with you. We can't get married at all.

Osgood: Why not?

Jerry: Well, in the first place, I'm not a natural blonde.

Osgood: Doesn't matter.

Jerry: I smoke! I smoke all the time!

Osgood: I don't care.

Jerry: Well, I have a terrible past.

For three years now, I've been living with a saxophone player.

Osgood: I forgive you.

Jerry: I can never have children!

Osgood: We can adopt some.

Jerry: But you don't understand, Osgood! [Pulls off wig] Jerry: I'm a man!

Osgood: Well, nobody's perfect!

In the search for funny exchanges in the movies, the one at the end of “Some Like it Hot” is one of the first to come to mind.

An ideal manifestation of humour, this back-and-forth between Jack Lemmon and Joe E. Brown was the punch line to the lengthy two-hour setup that took place before it.

Of course, taken out of context and translated to the page, the joke will not nearly have the same effect, especially for those who didn’t find it funny to begin with (which is a small and cold-hearted demographic indeed).

But this only further proves an important point about the paradoxical nature of humour: it’s both elusive and definitive.

Let me explain: The Model To illustrate, imagine the poor bungling comedian who so happens to tell an unfortunate joke in an overcrowded comedy club.

Some people laugh but most sit unmoved. The former attest to the

tions are different reflections of a talented community of music makers that have artistic excellence.

It seems that Canada has some very talented artists, pop star Justin Bieber get his first Grammy nomination and Drake to be competing in the same category for Best New Artist. Arcade Fire, is up for Album of the Year which is arguably one of the most notable Grammys of the night. The Montreal rockers will compete with four of the biggest acts of the past year.

With the attendance of many celebrities, they were in charge to unveil next years contenders. An enthusiastic Katy Perry, who opened the concert special with a performance of her hit California Gurls, raved: "It's like no other award show, because I feel like you're being recognized by your peers."

Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy stated that "It is most gratifying to see the Grammy Awards process once again produce a broad crosssection of diverse and impressive nominees across multiple genres.”

It seems to be that the road to music’s biggest night is off to an exciting start. The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards will air live on the CBS Television Network on February 13th from 8–11:30 p.m.

Go watch and see who will rock the stage and take the prize home.

Following are the nominations in the 4 general field categories: Album of the Year • The Suburbs - Arcade Fire • Recovery - Eminem • Need You Now - Lady Antebellum • The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga • Teenage Dream - Katy Perry Song of the Year •Beg, Steal or Borrom - Ray LaMontagne •Forget You - Cee Lo •The House That Built Me Miranda Lambert •Love the Way You Lie - Eminem feat. Rihanna •Need You Know - Lady Antebellum Record of the Year •Love the Way You Lie - Eminem feat. Rihanna •Nothin’ On You - Bruno Mars •Forget You - Cee Lo •Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys •Need You Now - Lady Antebellum Best New Artist • Justin Bieber • Drake • Florence + The Machine • Mumford & Sons • Esperanza Spalding

TEENAGE DREAM Katy Perry, who released her successful second albumthis year, said that the Grammys are “...like no other award show […]”

Wolf Boy and Golden Boy to star… together?

humour’s elusiveness; the latter prove its definitude.

The Explanation The people who laugh must have discovered a hint of an amusing quality in the comedian’s words (unless they are kind souls providing pity laughs). Like beauty, humour is in the eye of the beholder, and also in the ears.

Therefore, in its occupation of another sense, humour can be as sensual as beauty at the very least.

It’s no wonder girls like funny guys; or maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

The other part of the audience, those who are silently annoyed at the comedian’s reference to airline peanuts, are, unbeknownst to them, demonstrating the second component of humour duality.

After all, the comedy club, one of many, is busy for a reason.

Those who do not laugh at this joke will have many opportunities later on; furthermore, they still comprise an audience with a collective fascination for observational stand-up.

This is a tried-and-true, age-old style of comedy with similar and recurring themes.

The implication here is that there must be something universally right about certain forms and deliveries of humour regardless of how it is individually received.

The Definition Humour is an ingredient in art, a component of expression, an essence of life.

It is also somewhat difficult to define, at least by the traditional, unspoken Rules of Definitions, which are as follow: A definition must not employ the defined word in any of its forms to avoid circularity; it may not consist solely of a synonym or a nearsynonym of the defined word; it must neither be too broad nor too narrow; and it may not use words more complex than the word to be defined.

Together with the duality of humour, this complicates the quest for a working definition, but it’s

We can only hope that the rumours regarding this duo turn out to be true

BY VIVIAN ZHANG ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

THE PERFECT JOKE The now famous scene from Some Like it Hot between Jerry and Osgood is a prime example of well-exercised humor. worth a shot.

Let’s try dissecting humour not based on what it is but by what it results in. If successful, humour usually elicits laughter. Frequently, laughter is called the best medicine; would that make humour, then, a medicinal source?

On the other hand, physically, laughter is the audible constriction of the larynx by the epiglottis. This sounds more like a disease, which contradicts laughter’s pathological benefits. Perhaps the humour pill has side effects.

In all seriousness, there are some fundamental issues with defining humour through laughter. What if not everyone reacts the same way to a joke, as is rather common, like in the comedy club illustration?

Or what if the reaction - nervous laughter and tittering, for instance is not to something inherently funny?

Furthermore, not all forms of humour require laughter; some simply require acknowledgment, especially jokes of the wry or dry variety.

Defining humour on its own merits is even more problematic, as it only results in larger metaphysical questions surrounding what is funny, and who is the judge of that, and usually ensues in a heated arguments that culminate with the line “Who are you to say otherwise?”.

Therefore, I’m going to take the easy way out (leave the water dry, so to speak), and say that humour is, very simply, whatever one makes of it.

Oh well. It was worth a shot.

Or perhaps you’d like Rowan “Mr. Bean” Atkinson’s idea of how to elicit laughter? In the documentary “Funny Business,” he claimed that one can be funny by behaving in an unusual way, by being in an unusual place, or by being the wrong size.

The Summary In some instances, humour is misplaced; in others, it’s complementary. Sometimes it’s desired and sometimes it’s required. What would we be without some relief from the general seriousness of day -to-day life?

A sense of humour and an opportunity to experience it is one of the few things some people have left. At its best, humour pleases us; at its worst it offends us.

Some may criticize comedies or jokes about taboo or sombre subjects like war. Then what subjects should be acceptable and what should be off-limits? What are you laughing at?

Answers will vary. After all, humour (just like beauty!) is in the eye and the ear and the mind of the beholder.

And nobody’s perfect.

umors have been spiraling in all directions about the possibility of Taylor Lautner and Chace Crawford filming a new movie together. Taylor Lautner’s previous acting history consists of The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl (playing the role of Sharkboy), Cheaper by the Dozen 2 among many others. He most recently played Taylor Swift’s love interest, Willy, in Valentine’s Day. However, the role he is most known for is as werewolf Jacob Black in the Twilight Saga.

Chace Crawford is most recognized by his character, Nate Archibald inthe hit TV series, Gossip Girl. He has also had roles on The Convenant, Loaded, and he has even voiced characters on Family Guy. Many sources state that the two are currently the number one choice to be cast in the major motion picture based on the memoir, Here’s What We’ll Say: Growing Up, Coming Out, and the U.S. Air Force by Reichen Lehmkuhl. Reichen Lehmkuhl is a former Air Force officer, and is known for winning CBS’s The Amazing Race, winning one million dollars. His book is based on having to follow the Air Force’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, being forcefully closeted and having to hide his sexuality.

Producer Lalo Vasquez and his colleagues have already bought the rights to this novel, and are currently on the hunt for a director, and funding. Either Taylor Lautner or Chace Crawford is very likely to be cast as Reichen Lehmkuhl, and the other may be acting as his love interest. This production and the possibilities for the cast are not set in stone, but the excitement is nevertheless there. Hopefully, this production will follow through.

review

winter 2011

EYE OF THE TIGER page 19

Out of Twilight zone Details on the new series about our vampire that everyone loves, simply because it’s just that good.

BY JAMEE WONG ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

f you don’t know what Vampire Diaries is, it’s as you’ve probably guessed—about vampires. First aired in September of 2009, it is a new supernatural, fantasy, and horror based show that many thought would be just a rip off of the Twilight series.

This however was proven wrong as it became a huge success and won many awards as a hit new TV show. Vampire Diaries separated itself into a whole new and improved category, attracting its own fans to join into its mania and craziness of vampires, witches, werewolves, and who knows, appearances of almost every type of mythical creatures alive.

It offers much more gore, drama, and hype than most vampire shows ever viewed and has been nominated in the Teen’s and People’s Choice Awards. As a new vampire TV series, many can see its improvement as it is slowly winning the favor and hearts of many Twi-hard fans.

Vampire Diaries is about a young teen named Elena Gilbert, who lives in a town called Mystic Falls. Elena is played by Canadian actress, Nina Dobrev.

This show isn’t just any ordinary vampire-meets-girl story. Complications arise because he can’t love her and there is a werewolf who also loves that same girl.

The series starts off with the death of Elena’s parents and the grief she faces as a result. It is the end of summer and she has to go back to school where she meets a new guy named Stefan Salvatore who is played by Paul Wesley.

He’s mysterious and handsome with a sense of danger in him.

Elena is of course attracted to his looks and is curious to know where this boy came from and why he’s here. After their first encounter, they immediately fall in love.

Instead of having werewolf, Jacob in the picture, this is different because Stefan has an older brother named Damon, played by Ian Somerhalder, who is the complete opposite of his brother’s good guy personality but also feels something for Elena.

As the series develops from this love triangle, a lot more drama begins to unfold. The plot has more to it than just love and jealousy; it is also about werewolves, witches and spells, a ballistic, twisted vampire on the loose, the curse of the vampire and werewolf, gore, blood, killing, and definitely lots of drama between Elena and Damon.

If you are not a Vampire Diaries fan yourself, this is just a recap of what is happening in the series and me ranting about the possibility of a Damon and Elena hookup.

In the series, Elena is friends with Caroline Forbes and Bonnie Bennett.

Bonnie doesn’t know that she is a witch in the beginning but learns this fact when her Grams dies after performing a spell.

Caroline is a bossy, irritating girl who is always jealous of Elena’s looks and popularity. She at first is attracted to Stefan, but soon loses interest in him after him and Elena start dating.

Elena is also good friends with her ex-boyfriend Matt, whom she grew up with. They still hang out together at times but find aspects of their relationship awkward talking at times.

Later in the series, Matt begins dating Caroline but she ends the ties between the two when she is

turned into a vampire by Katherine.

Damon likes Elena. He is this bad boy version of his younger brother and loves to cause trouble, chaos, and destroy people’s lives.

However, Damon doesn’t feel as aggressive and harmful towards Elena because he wants to protect her.

She looks exactly like his old lover, Katherine Pierce, the ballistic vampire. Katherine Pierce is a vampire, (also played by Nina Dobrev) who Stefan and Damon fell in love with 160 years ago and the person who turned them into vampires in the first place.

Stefan and Damon thought Katherine had died from a fire that killed all the vampires in Mystic Falls, locked in a tomb years ago.

But it seems that she was just tricking them and she had long escaped. Stefan and Damon soon grew a grudge on Katherine because they were angry at her for using them as her toys, manipulating their love for her and seducing them into doing her work. Stefan and Damon don’t know about Katherine’s escape until later on in the series.

However, little does Stefan know, Katherine returns to reveal to him that she truly loved him and everything she had done was so they could belong together. Stefan doesn’t believe her at first, but suspects that she may be telling the truth.

Katherine is jealous of Elena as she is dating her lover, Stefan and has come back to kill Elena. This story goes on, and on about Katherine returning to Mystic Falls; and in between everything that is happening, there are lots of killing, bloodsucking, and magic.

To summarize it all up, Elena is related to Katherine and the reason they look exactly alike because they are doppelgangers of each other To get back up to date, Elena is being hunted down by an Elite vampire, one of the first vampires ever, Elijah. Everyone thought that Elijah wanted to kill Elena as a sacrifice to break the sun curse of the vampires.

The sun curse was done by a witch long ago, who cursed all the vampires from ever walking in the sun and killing. If this is broken, all vampires will be given the freedom to walk in the sun and to never hide in the dark ever again.

Katherine was the first doppelganger who was supposed to be killed by Elijah, the Elite, but she escaped death with the help of another vampire.

To avoid Elijah killing her, Katherine sets up all these traps for Elena and her close friends to be killed. All that was needed for the curse to be lifted are the deaths of a witch, Bonnie, a new born vampire, Caroline, a werewolf, Tyler Lockwood, and Elena. Tyler Lockwood is a descendant of a line of werewolves.

He doesn’t learn of this fact until it was revealed by his uncle. Tyler accidentally sets off the curse of the werewolf when he kills a girl at his party. Tyler is now forever cursed and will turn into a werewolf whenever there is a full moon which was also planned by Katherine.

The later episode reveals that Elijah is actually helping Elena and only wants to protect her from another Elite vampire who is out to kill.

For such a good series, the hardest part the viewers find is the anticipation and the agony one has to go through as one watches the chemistry between Damon and Elena. There is much debate of whether Damon and Elena should hook up by the end of the season.

This is especially nerve racking as many believe that they truly

belong together and they were meant to be soul mates. Many love how Damon acts all tough but on the inside is actually very gentle.

He would do anything to protect his loved ones. As the show gradually progresses, it is evident that Elena is growing on Damon and he is slowly falling in love with her.

This is especially romantic because Damon is not allowed to touch or feel anything for his brother’s girlfriend. However, in episode, “Katerina”, Damon says “I love you” to Elena to get his feelings for her across. But the worst part is he compelled Elena to forget, leaving poor Elena confused.

Everyone is still hoping for the best part to come, that someday, Elena and Damon’s relationship might just work out.

With more than 3 million viewers watching and 33 episodes aired, the only thing that leaves the fans and audience hanging is the question, “What’s next for 2011?”

First aired in September of 2009, it is a new supernatural, fantasy, and horror based show that many thought would be just a rip off of the Twilight series. This however was proven wrong as it became a huge success and won many awards as a hit new TV show […]

Why the Harry Potter books will surely become classics in the future.

BY MITCHELL GOULD ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

t is no secret that the Harry Potter books have been a great literary success.

Millions and millions of copies have been sold of each book in a multitude of languages.

They have created some of the highest grossing movies of their time, and the series has spawned board games, Lego representations and even Halloween costumes.

These books can be enjoyed by someone as early as six (when I started reading the series), or as old as sixty.

There is no person to whom the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling do not touch on some sort of connection to their real lives.

These are books that carry a constant, eternal message that friendship, love, accepting responsibility, and perseverance will result in success. Based on these few points, there is no doubt that these books will one day become classics, and not just another old fantasy series.

As someone who enjoy fantasy fiction above all other genres, I have a pretty firm grip on the most popular books in this genre, and own a humble collection of select favourites.

Yet none of these other books ever seem to reach the hype, intensity, and sheer interest that the Harry Potter books seem to hold over so many other people.

The variety of quirky characters seem to find someone to connect to, be it the mischievous Weasley twins, the outgoing, clumsy Nymphadora Tonks, or the reserved Remus Lupin, dealing with his differences from others.

Every character is woven into the tapestry of events that seem to keep The Boy Who Lived alive through every book. In fact, many forfeit their lives in the end to stand up for what they believe in.

It is no wonder then, that after a couple years of the last book’s release, people all around the world are still taking those silly Facebook quizzes to see which character are,

and other such things.

The books also hold the educational value of opening children up to other languages. Rowling did not pull the spell names randomly out of a black hat.

Many of them have Latin roots with relevant meanings. For example, the name of the well known unforgivable curse Crucio, means to tease or torture. For the Imperius Curse, his name means Control – which is what the curse does.

Most of the spells, when put in some variation, will mean what they do, which is very educational for children, and Even adults to receive an education on one of the languages in which ours is derived from.

In addition, Rowling instills values in her books that can span through the generations – love can conquer in the end, friendships are important, and people must accept responsibility and persevere for success.

These are messages that all parents try to teach their children, and it can only be strengthened through the books.

Rowling has also made her books timeless in the fact that one can actually grow up reading them. The first few are fairly tame in violence and horror, but around the time Harry turns fourteen is when the real turmoil starts, and his world spins into the darkness of evil rising. His story take s a few darker turns, and he is forced to deal with the loss of loved ones both past and present.

Although not as dramatic, many normal fourteen years may feel very different as well. Rowling really goes all out in her last book, not sparing anyone’s feelings, because seventeen year old Harry must learn to accept death, and that as in ’Muggle’ life, he is not immortal.

Although these are only a few reasons, all points contribute to the fact that the Harry Potter books will become Classics, in time and should be recommended to anyone who can read.

Seven much too short novels instill magic, hope, love, and the ups and downs of life into the world, and will forever remain timeless!

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page 20 EYE OF THE TIGER

SUDOKU

JIGOKU

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 through 9. Numbers cannot be repeated; use the existing numbers to help you.

Fill in the blank squares so that each row, each column and each 3-by-3 block contain all of the digits 1 through 9. > and < connections between squares indicate that one number is greater than or less than another.

Across 1. Imperfection 5. Unit of gem weight 10. Practice boxing 14. Tra___ (singing syllables) 15. Suspect’s excuse 16. Kitchen flooring piece 17. Days before holidays 18. Marching band flutes 19. “My treat” 20. “Darn!”

22. Hometown-related 23. Wipe clean 24. Sound of relief 25. Enrage 28. Bakeware item 31. Income-tax filling mo.

32. Nary a soul 34. Be untruthful 35. Naval noncom: Abbr.

36. Parts of horses’ harnesses 38. Letter before tee 39. Swiss mountain 40. Like loose-leaf paper 41. Height: Abbr.

42. Internet location 44. Dies down 47. Otherwise 48. Sandwich shops 50. Barbecues’ residues 52. Farm’s storage structure 56. Installed, as carpet 57. Chalkboard material 58. Notion 59. Join the chorus 60. One from Italy's capital 61. Wooden strip 62. Ye __ Shoppe 63. Attacks, as a fly 64. Change for a $20 bill

Down 1. Made an escape 2. Volcanic output 3. Pub beverages 4. Cleaned one’s hands 5. Lounging robe 6. False name 7. Hunter’s gun 8. Brother of Cain 9. “___ the season to be jolly…”

10. Unwitting victim 11. Type of drapery fold 12. ____ mater 13. Fishing-line holder 21. Anger 22. Is fond of 24. Sensible 25. Colourful parrot 26. Popular pie fruit 27. Fail to keep up 28. Chilly 29. Theatre walkway 30. Birds’ abodes 32. Three hours before noon 33. Poem of praise 36. Supreme happiness 37. Solemn ceremony 43. Heavy hammer 44. Science-fiction characters 45. Recycling container 46. Help out 48. Serious stage play 49. Continuously bother 50. In addition 51. Leave port 52. Radiance 53. Not doing anything 54. Low in fat 55. Cereal grains 57. Fourth-year collegians

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winter 2011

SLITHERLINK

Horizontally or vertically connect adjacent dots to form a path that forms a single loop, without crossing itself, or branching. The numbers indicate how many lines surround each cell (only 0-3 are permitted).