Vol 34 issue 26

The Voice of the University of Toronto at Mississauga

MEDIUM THE

MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2008

VOLUME 34, ISSUE 26

Talking with The Carps

Our fourth annual photo contest

Page 6

Page 8

www.mediumonline.ca

Creative Corner Page 14

“Skip A Meal” exceeds goal SAIRA MUZAFFAR NEWS EDITOR

Students helped raise thousands of dollars on March 26 through “Skip A Meal,” an initiative organized by Meal Exchange at UTM. It allowed students to donate cash and unused meal plan dollars to fund the campus food bank and Mississauga’s largest food bank, Foodpath.

Meal Exchange, which is a national student-founded charity organized to address local hunger needs, had volunteers collecting donations around campus food outlets, including Oscar Peterson Hall.

“Skip a Meal facilitates the student donation of money from your meal plans to purchase food at wholesale prices for those that can't afford it in their community,” said UTM’s Meal Exchange coordinator, Sunny Pathak.

According to Pathak, the program helps local organizations purchase items that are not always available at regular food drives, such as baby food, foods low in sugar, and foods for unique cultural communities.

The day-long event raised close to ten thousand dollars in collaboration with Chartwells, the university’s food contractor. Many donated hundreds on their own, including Joy Zakhary, a first-year student who put up $800. The program’s original goal was to secure at least $2,500.

“From the beginning at 11 a.m. right up until 6 p.m. we had students donating and expressing how grateful they were for everything they had. Equally, stu-

dents were also excited that Chartwells and the university supported this program, it is a win-win all around,” said Pathak.

The total raised will be finalized once the meal plan office validates the donations collected.

“The students have clearly proven themselves to be generous and have shown a willingness to support the broader Mississauga community,” said the university’s director of hospitality and retail services Bill McFadden.

According to Foodpath, 53 per cent of its users are children. Results from a survey conducted among residents in Mississauga showed that the average monthly household income in 2007 was $1,170, with nearly 69 per cent of that total being spent on rent and housing expenses.

Since Foodpath does not receive any funding from the provincial or federal governments, the food bank resorts to donations and programs like Meal Exchange to fund increasing demand.

“The people at Meal Exchange work very hard to ensure that the money gets spent in a meaningful way. Food is purchased and given to those people in our community who are struggling to get enough food,” said McFadden.

Pathak hopes to improve on the success of this year’s program in the future and thanked Nancy Carrol at Del Labs, Roy Jagota at Nature’s Source, Cathrine Ann with Consumer Connection, and Shane Madhani, the Blind Duck’s manager, for their support.

Turn to page 3 for the names of winners from Skip A Meal’s raffle and giveaways.

Photo/Melissa Di Pasquale

UTM Meal Exchange coordinator Sunny Pathak speaks with studentsregarding the Skip A Meal initiative at UTM.

Last pub fails to draw usual crowd MEGHA KUMAR ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Photo/Vlad Glebov

The Blind Duck failed to garner the large crowds, upbeat enthusiasm and rammed dance floor that usually mark the annual “Last Pub” of the year, held last Thursday, April 3.

The last pub of the school year was organized by the University of Toronto Mississauga Students' Union (UTMSU) and had music courtesy of Infamous Sound Crew, the urban group of disc jockeys from Toronto who contributed to UTM's first pub, among others.

But, due to the hectic time period of exams and the consecutive array of events that took place within the past two weeks, namely the Residence Formal, Athletic Banquet, Commerce Gala and others, the last pub did not end the school year with a bang.

Though the pub was scheduled to begin at 10:00 p.m., there was no lineup and most people only started showing up close to midnight. On the day of the pub, there were still 87 tickets available with 200 confirmed guests on the Facebook group event, compared to last year when tickets sold out.

By the end of the pub night, the Blind Duck was close to empty.

Though the Infamous Sound Crew played a good mix of urban beats and a wide range of genres from house to pop, not everyone was pleased with the proportion and timing of the music.

“The pub was alright, but the music kept changing too soon... and it would keep shifting from different genres much too quickly... I like to hear a good song fully,” said Suzie Bangura, a second-year science student at UTM. Fourth-year student Amit Nair agreed with Bangura's views.

“It was alright, but by 1:00 a.m.

when the party was supposed to be happening it became empty. The drinks also seemed more expensive.

Last year was awesome, much better,” said Nair.

Some students still found the pub a worthwhile break from studying.

“This was the only pub night I actually managed to attend, and even though I expected more of my friends to show up, it was still a rocking party.

Beats spending the night at the library,” said fourth-year history student Madeeha Khan.

“It wasn't the best,” said UTMSU president Walied Khogali. He added, “It wasn't that high this year, because we sold about 250 tickets but we didn't sell out. But we got a good majority despite it being exam period.

I wish all the best to those students studying for their exams and see those who come back at first pub next year.”

2 THE MEDIUM

NEWS

Monday, April 7, 2008

2007-08 year in review

PhotoVlad Glebov

Photo/Melissa Di Pasquale

The great David Suzuki honouring our institution with his presence.

Like every other year, FROSH kick starts everything...

photo/ Melissa Di Pasquale

Robert Silva finds the carnage amusing during Expression Against Oppression.

Photo/Melissa Di Pasquale

Organizers and patrons leap and pose for Winterfest.

Photo/ Vlad Glebov

And finally to bring the year to an end, the lively Fashion Show presented by SAP.

Monday, April 7, 2008

NEWS

Campus Police Reports March 31 - April 3, 2008 March 31, 2008 - 1:15 p.m.

Information–Prohibited Activity University Police investigated an area where drugs and drug paraphernalia were found. No suspects at this time.

April 3, 2008 - 1:40 a.m.

Mischief Under $5000 Report of mischief to an advertisement display board. The board was cleaned and there are no suspects at this time. Damage is estimated as minimal.

April 4, 2008 - 1:40 a.m.

Causing a disturbance University Police investigated a female who was causing a disturbance in the pub. The female was escorted off the property and no charges have been laid at this time.

March 31, 2008 - 3:30 p.m.

Vandalism Vandalism reported to a computer lab area. University Police investigated the area and the cost of the damage was minimal.

April 3, 2008 - 11:33 p.m.

Trespass - Charged University Police charged a male for Entering Premises When Entry Prohibited. The male was released and escorted out of the pub.

April 4, 2008 - 5:10 p.m.

Theft Under $5000.00 Theft of money and personal identification cards. University Police investigated and there are no suspects. Value of stolen property is estimated at $50.

March 31, 2008 - 4:50 p.m.

Public Intoxication A female was cautioned for her public intoxicating behaviour. The female was assessed and released to go home. No charges were laid at this time.

April 3, 2008 - 11:52 p.m.

Domestic - Verbal Altercation University Police and Peel Police investigated a domestic verbal altercation. Police assisted in resolving the dispute and the parties left without incident.

“Skip a meal” winners - 8 GB iPod touch, courtesy of Consumer Connections: B. Xiu

- Women's health gift basket, courtesy of Nature's Source: Georgia Sapounas

- $100 Square One gift card: Kimberly McConnel

- Sally Hansen beauty set, courtesy of Del Labs: Mike Keaveney

- Men's health gift basket, courtesy of Nature's Source: Vincent Leung

- $50 online music gift card: Darby Scotland

- Lunch at the Blind Duck: Melissa Tambasco Li-Lian Lim Diana De Marco Thanks to all who participated on behalf of Meal Exchange.

Email utm@mealexchange.com for your prizes.

A big thank you from The Medium's news section!

Many thanks to our hard-working contributors: Tejas Aivalli, Megha Kumar, Meredith Lilly and Adam Peet.

Assistant news editor positions are up for grabs. E-mail your cover letter and resumé to: editor@mediumonline.ca

THE MEDIUM 3

4 THE MEDIUM

Monday, April 7, 2008

EDITORIAL

Opinion JULIE TYIOS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | editor@mediumonline.ca www.mediumonline.ca

EDITORIAL In my six years at UTM, I’ve learned a lot about people. It sounds almost silly to say, but my time here has been more about the people I’ve worked with on various projects and committees rather than the time I spent in class (how U of T and my mom must love to hear that). There have been many people along the way who have helped me and made me what I am today. To all of you, I thank you. I had a great team this year at The Medium, and you made us what we are. I feel it’s only right to give you all the credit you deserve here. Rob, you picked up fast and inspired us. I’ll never forget your sense of humour. Saira, you came into the paper with almost no warning and proved to us all how capable you are. You were fantastic at news this year and showed us all how to get the job done. Nikita, you have always been wonderful and I will miss working with you. You’re one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met, and I say it as a big compliment. Thank you for everything. Melissa, you also came to us late in the year, but you’ve graced us with your amazing skills and insight. And Arts Boy, you’ve been around here a little while. Thank you for putting up with everything. I leave the paper in your hands next year. You and Romano will make a great team.

I’ll use the last part of my editorial to address an issue that has been troubling for the past few weeks, and that is the apparent issue of racism in our paper following several issues of discussions pertaining to faith and activities on campus. It troubles me that our paper has been accused of racism and Islamophobia, especially when those are the very things we have all fought in our own ways, both in our personal lives and at the paper. It saddens me that this is what the climate on campus has come to, and that for allowing open discussion on a variety of subjects, we have been accused of such atrocious mindsets. I can only hope that those who attend the “Racism in the Media” lecture this Thursday evening can listen to the speakers discuss these issues in our paper (and a few larger publications), and thus come to their own conclusions based on substantial evidence. It is my hope this event will provide clarification on some issues and generate some positive, constructive dialogue. It is also my hope that we can all look toward to future and unite the various student-led institutions on this campus to ensure we produce the kinds of associations and services our constituents need.

With that, I leave my position at The Medium, 104 issues later. It’s been quite an experience, to say the least, and I wish The Medium success in the years to come.

Yours,

Julie Tyios

The results are in...

Congratulations to our 2008-09 team!

Ali Kasim - Editor-in-Chief Meredith Lilly - News Michael Di Leo - Arts and Entertainment Christopher Sa’d - Sports P. Andrew Hamilton-Smith - Features Matthew Filipowich - Photography Thank you to all who applied.

We’ll see you in September 2008!

This week’s sudoku answers: Expert (left) Casual (right)

Read online and see the latest Medium 2.0 episodes at

www.mediumonline.ca Because I am self-absorbed, and selfish, and caught up with myself, I am going to begin this week’s blurb, the last blurb of the year mind you, by congratulating myself. Yes, it is true, and to many it comes as no surprise, I have usurped Julie Tyios as The Medium’s editor-in-chief. Everything Iris worked hard to prevent not happening has happened. As the formerly impeached EIC would say, “ooh, that’s not nice.” No iris, it isn’t. But you really shouldn’t have written Chomp Chomp on the masthead. Oh, and S says you gained weight. Last issue of the year, and we’re fashionably late. Masterweb isn’t pleased. It’s all Rob’s fault – his Silva Says came in at 2:40am. 6 hours after Nikita left for home. Earl stopped by today by the way. The kind-hearted Julie Tyios saw it as a fitting gesture to present the “Little Bug” to Auntie Nikita for the last time. “The last time...” tis but sad words resounding through the events of the evening. Personally, I could do an issue per week over the summer. But then Saira’s friends would finally leave her, Rob would never find the time to get laid, and Julie would consume dairy again. Shame. But September will arrive in no time, with a new team no less. A complete team of rookies though - like the Supersonics. I’m unfortunately in the role of Luke Ridnour. But there’s no Kevin Durant. Some sports analogy for you – Rob appreciates it. Speaking of Rob, he’s lamenting having forgotten to mention Daniel Felipe Martins in his “thank you/Silva Says” article. But “that’s alright,” says Julie. “He won’t read it anyway.” And that my friends, has been the story of the year for the Sports section. Seriously Rob, all that UFC? Who you trying to impress? Melissa? So Saira never slept with me. But that’s alright. At least she took the constant office-sexual harassment with a grain of salt. She’s cool. And she wears her sunglasses at night. I’ll never forget that mamaluke Romano for playing that song. Shout outs to the great Walied Khogali, who stopped by during the election speeches. Too bad, he placed no faith in either EIC candidates. “Saira should’ve run,” he says. Yeah. Sure. She’d be completely neutral. *wink* Speaking of mamalukes, “Why am I not on the throw. I should be on the throw. My article was carefully written and more important than Christina Ricci. I should’ve been on the throw.” Le sigh...whatever man, just come out already. Hope you like your name in my little Thank You box. Extra shout out to Tejas Aivalli, who took it on the chin like a man. I truly, sincerely, wish you nothing but the best in all your future endeavours. And now we get to Julie. I love her. I want to ravish her. With her red coat on. She and I are bracing ourselves for a lot of time together this summer. Oh dear. Speaking of together, “gather together,” “circling around,” and “saw with my own eyes” are redundancies.

Meredith Lilly, that cute little troublemaker from Saskatoon, is coming onboard. I’m excited. The last time we had a blonde news editor, we were called the Erindalian. By the way, Richie Mehta is my hero. After Andrea Grassi.

Andie...seriously, you’ve outdone yourself the last few weeks. Mad respect. Rob still feels bad for Iris. He’s making this clear to me while I type this blurb. He’s weak I say. And Saira, well...she just doesn’t get why we talk about her so much. She’s a fool. She would’ve been the first fired if Iris were her boss. “Ooh, that’s not nice.” No it isn’t Iris. But you really shouldn’t have put Alen Sadeh on the mast head as Assistant Editor-in-chief. Tejas thought that was a real

Letters to the Editor

The staff of The Medium would like to thank everyone who contributed to the paper this year and wish good luck to all students during the finals. We’ll see you next year!

Dear fellow students, faculty and members of the UTM Community, On the special occasion of the last editorial of the semester, I wanted to focus on some accomplishments and thank the student leaders that have been instrumental in bringing forth change. I would also like to challenge you all to make an impact at UTM and beyond.

The 2007-2008 academic years have been generally a record shattering year in involvement, event participation, election turnout and much more. However none of this is possible without the hard work and dedication of student leaders. Everyone who reads this editorial must wonder how we do it. Well most of us, find it difficult to strike that fine balance between academics and involvement. In fact, some student leaders have sacrificed their academics, personal relationships, social life as well as rejecting other career opportunities to enhance the student experience at UTM. I would like to salute and thank each one of you for your sacrifices. So who are these student leaders that we should all thank and appreciate? Well there are many out there, but I have decided to focus on the few that will unfortunately be leaving us to make an impact out-

side the UTM community.

Let’s start with our Medium’s Editor in Chief, Ms. Julie Tyios, who has been the foundation of the Medium, she has earned the respect and admiration of everyone who has worked with her. Julie’s leadership of the medium has set the standard; I wish her successor luck in protecting the journalistic integrity of the student newspaper.

Mr. Ahmad Khan, the outgoing vice president UTM at UTSU is also the last Vice President UTM due to the office consolidation between the two student unions, UTMSU and UTSU. Mr. Khan’s leadership and commitment to the student movement is unquestionable. He has lead UTSU at UTM in a very challenging transition, politically and structurally.

At the University of Toronto Mississauga Athletics Council, I would like to thank Mr. Khalid Pasha, whose commitments to reforms have impacted students on the athletic arena. His leadership has gone a long way to improving students role in the governance of the RAWC which they predominantly fund.

At our Student Union, UTMSU, I would like to thank Mr. Teji Billen, who has been the heart beat of every campaign and project. His dedication and passion for improving the wel-

EDITORIAL Please write to:editor@mediumonline.ca Letters to the editor may be edited for spelling, grammar, style, and coherence.

Letters will not exceed 500 words in print. Letters that incite hatred, violence or letters that are racist, homophobic, sexist, or libellous will not be published.

Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters and and other editorial materials reflect opinions of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the opini ons of the editors, staff, volunteers, or Board of Directors of The Medium. In other words, just because we print it doesn’t necessarily mean we agree with it.

Submission does not guarantee publication. Submission of materials to The Medium presumes the writer has read, and agrees with, this policy.

MEDIUM

Editor-in-Chief Julie Tyios

Composite Editor Andrei Dinu

News Editor Saira Muzaffar

Copy Editor TBA

3359 Mississauga Road, Room 200, Student Centre, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6 Phone: 905.828.5260 | Fax: 905.828.5402 | Advertising: 905.828.5379 E-mail: editor@mediumonline.ca | Website: www.mediumonline.ca

Features Editor Nikita King

Distribution Manager Ali Kasim

Arts & Entertainment Editor Ali Kasim

Business Manager Romano Bergic

Sports Editor Robert Silva

Webmaster TBA

THE

Board of Directors Christine Capewell, Jane Ngobia, Allison King, Josie Rigato, Gian Magalong, Bushra Al Sarraj, Meena Mathialagan

Photography Editor Melissa Di Pasquale

fare of students has won him admiration from students and student leaders.

Letters continued on next page

U of T Roots and Shoots presents “Hands Across UTM” Join us in making history!

Who: All U of T Staff, faculty, students and community members What: An event inspired by the epic 1980s benefit Hands Across America Join hands across UTM for charity!

When: Frosh Week 2008 Where: UTM main campus road [meet in South Building] How: Reserve your place - book via email/for more information: darlene.desouza@utoronto.ca

Visit our website: www.utrands.org

Please

Special thanks to our assistant editors: Arts and Entertainment: Andrea Grassi News: Tejas Aivalli Megha Kumar Features: P. Andrew Hamilton-Smith Lujayn Ali Photography: Matthew Filipowich Sports: Christopher Sa’d Sunny Pathak

Monday, April 7, 2008

THE MEDIUM

OPINION

5

LETTERS Continued from previous page However it is also important to also thank Ms. Ishani Sharma, Mr. Kristian Jurlewicz, Mr. Wasah Malik and Ms. Anita Chauhan who have contributed to the phenomenal transformation of our student union. My appreciation and friendship goes to each one of them, I am grateful to have worked with such dedicated individuals. Mr. Malik has been fortunately chosen by students to lead our student union with a new and experienced team, which I believe is ready to take on the challenges and responsibility of our student union in the next academic year.

At Residence Council, I would like to thank Curtis “the man” Irwin for his leadership at Residence Council and his commitment to improving the residence experience of all students. He shall be missed by his colleagues and the rest of the council, but we wish him all the best of luck in his future endeavors.

I also want to thank Safia farouk, who has contributed immensely to the student movement at UTM. As the former president of UTMAC, Minister/Commissioner at UTSU-UTM and currently the associate to the President, she has managed health week, WinterFest and so much more. We all appreciate her commitment.

Lastly I would like to thank Mr. Vladimir Glebov, my past associate VP UTM, former VP UTM, current president of EPUS and chair of the Quality to Student Services. You can not resist admiring Vlad’s dedication and straight minded talk. He has pushed for all student voices.

He shall be missed by all of us who love to challenge him. He shall be one great lawyer or politician no question about it.

It is important to note that none of these accomplishments will be possible without the hard work of our union’s staff and board members. So on behalf of the UTM students Union, I would like to also thank Linda Feener, Mohammed Hashim, Danial Raza, Shane Madhani, Preeti Purba, Felicia Seenauth, Asim Zaidi, Mufti Billah, Amrita Lakhian, Saaliha Malik, Farhan Siddique, Joey Santiago, Lauren Ng, Jawad Bajwa, Navi Gill, Julia Falbo, Tara Ahmed, Ade Akin-Aina, Govind Singh, Vadym Kononenko, Carl Ewin-Lewis, Zeeshan Baig, as well as all the Services Desk and Blind Duck Staff.

This list is not complete, since there are numerous club executives, volunteers, coordinators at the women center and SEC as well as CFRE that are owed our thanks.

My gratitude goes to each one of you for your commitment, passion and contribution to the student experience at UTM. In this evolving story of our student union and its leadership, I encourage you to reflect on the words of the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen who was quoted “A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.” So as I bid you all farewell, I want to encourage you to be ready to take the helm of our much valued and well funded ship.

Stay tuned for more progressive changes at UTM in 2008/2009 and good luck in the examination period.

Dear Editor,

ported irrespective of origin, I find the thrusting of the ideas of a few upon the entire student body, that too using student dollars. It is almost as if a small clique of individuals is running the entire campus. Whatever happened to encouraging different ideas and visions?

The letters written by individuals who call themselves student leaders yet viciously attack one of their own for writing the truth in the newspaper defy the title and meaning of student leader. A leader who can’t take criticism is a very weak leader, and diminishes the value of the word ‘leader’ itself.

Some advice to all those who are in office now and to those who are thinking of running for office: if you can’t take criticism, don’t dish it out in the first place. In other words, as you sow so shall you reap. Follow that with your heart and you will go places.

Don’t follow it and you may still rise, but you will become Machiavelli’s “Prince” whom everyone fears and no one loves, instead of Pierre Elliot Trudeau a man who’s still fondly remembered today.

It saddens me that UTMers again fell for cheap and fancy gimmicks and unattainable ideas over honest discussion and diversity of ideas. As I leave UTM, it saddens me that the students have chosen to blindly follow rather than boldly question. I hope the ray of sunshine of all things good comes to UTM soon and lifts it out of the dark morass it has fallen into.

I wanted to write a response to the letters referring to me published this semester. However, it would be a waste of resources to deal with each individual letter and accusation, and it would belittle this esteemed publication to be seen as being used to settle personal scores. Hence, I will arise beyond the mud-slinging that some of the letter-writers have engaged in and appeal to the wider student audience in the hope that they will recognize the façade of those who claim to be working for the students and yet engage in activities unbecoming of the status of an elected representative.

I was an elected representative once and I wholeheartedly cherished my role. I engaged in debates with other representatives over arcane policies and spending student money. I have proudly voted against fellow executives and board members when I was unconvinced of the soundness of a policy or a spending decision. Yet, at the end of the meeting, we would all get together and hang out. The sort of camaraderie that respects individual opinions despite disagreement is one that should be sought after and cherished.

It is precisely this spirit of camaraderie and openness that I find missing on campus this year. In its place, I find explicit partisanship, bitter sniping, rigging of democratic processes and almost anything else that goes against a spirit of fairness, openness and inclusiveness. Where talent and competence was once needed and expected, I find narrow-minded nepotism. Where a brilliant idea was sup-

In student Solidarity, Walied Khogali Outgoing President, U.T.M Students’ Union

Sincerely, Tejas Aivalli

All assistant editor positions are open for the 08-09 academic year.

To apply, please send a resume and three writing samples to editor@mediumonline.ca.

Only those who are selected for an interview will be contacted.

The Medium is also looking to hire a distribution manager, composite editor, webmaster, copy editor, and editorial cartoonist. Please send a resume to editor@mediumonline.ca to apply.

Dear Editor, In the last issue of The Medium dated March 31, 2008, I was shocked to the see that an originally informative and educational meeting turned into a fiasco at the end. I was not present at the meeting but from what I read from the article, I actually learnt that the deer mating season is longer than usual this year and that the excessive use of Axe Kilo might made me a potential victim on campus. I think most of the participants probably heard that for the first time. And this is the real meaning behind the meeting, to arouse our attention to prevent tragedies from happening again and to make people think about animal rights. If it all ended with some civil discussions then the meeting will be perfect. But both the UTM Wildlife Preservation Club (the Club in short thereafter) and the parents do have to say a little too much eh?

I am actually supportive of Adam Dawkins? (chairman of the UTM Wildlife Preservation Club) views that these deer have rights just like you and

me,? but his immature behavior worries me on how people will view the Club and animal rights activists in the future. First of all, he threatens to have his club occupying the Spigel Hall for the duration of the exam period in an attempt to send a message to the UTM administration and gain student support against the proposal of killing deer. If Adam does respect the right of other students to take their exams on time, he should not do it. In addition, this is just a poor way in trying to gain student support. Trying to gain student support while causing great inconvenience to them at the same time?

Secondly, when faced with the opposition from the dean of student affairs, Richard Holloway, the Club left the room. Why are they doing this? Felt too offended? Trying to protest against the university?

Whatever the reasons may be, this is simply ineffective. The Club is probably the only party present that speaks for animal rights and their leave weakens their stand. And this shows not only the protest in Spigel Hall will

alienate support from the students but also shows that the university isn?t impressive by the act either.

With the Club not willing to negotiate on the proposed destruction of aggressive deer by the university and Peel Regional Police, we have lost another party willing to fight for animal rights in a civil manner. I hope Adam and the Club can reconsider their options and work out a peaceful resolution with the UTM administration and the Peel Regional Police. I also hope that more similar kinds of activities could be held on campus to raise public awareness on animal rights.

- Name Withheld

Ed. Note: Last week was our annual joke issue, filled with a mix of real stories and a few faked ones. We extend our apologies to any deer that may have been hurt following the production of our joke issue.

Sudoku Challenge Expert Last week’s answers: Expert

Casual player

Casual player

Solutions to this week’s puzzles appear at the bottom of page 5

position. He even cited it during his speech last week. Vlad was in the office today. Saira thinks he smells like a new car. I think that’s compliment. “Speaking of car smells,” adds Saira, “Rob’s car smells like a guy’s car. Ali’s smells of day-old curry with a touch of coriander.” Yeah, she would know. Bitch. Oh oh, now Rohit’s gonna storm in here tomorrow and kick my ass – antakshri style. Alright, alright, let’s get off the nasty stuff. Let’s make the blurb clean again. Ali’s signing out. Here’s Julie... Now that I have my rights back as EIC, I can get in one last blurb. 78 issues as EIC, and another 26 as news. 104 total Sundays spent in this office, 12-17 hours a time, do the math. I should win an award. Speaking of awards, we forgot to hand them out at the paper today, but I guess we’ll do that on our group outing somewhere. It’s kind of sad leaving, not gonna lie. I’ve been filming everyone today. I don’t think the Medium has ever printed so many pictures in a single issue. Thank you, Melissa for your hard, hard work. We’re sorry! I gotta hurry the shit up and finish this blurb because it’s 3:48 and Masterweb’s upset, and I’m still sitting on an editorial. Sorry, guys! But we love you! We need an end-of-year cleaning. Lots of surprises tonight with the elections. I think I lost about $100 to Nikita for the bets on positions. Sunny, we appreciate you and all you do. And thanks for the condoms, they sure went a long way in this office. I think in one year, about three went missing, and it was probably to make balloons with. It’s going to be an interesting team next year. “Remember when this was supposed to be a 12-pager? Yeah.” Vlad dropped in tonight and gave us some photos. Speaking of photos, photo contest. Holy crap, I’ve been writing for 5 minutes straight and this is all I have. Time to start with nonsense babbling. Romano, Arts Boy, where are you? “Alright, Tyios, I’m outta here!” I forgot to bring in a python for Rob. Pity. “thanks for everything.” “It’s not the end of us, you know.” “No, I’ll take you for pho, and then you can abuse me while you teach me to PDF things.” Aye. I have no new things to watch on YouTube this week, sorry kids. My mom swears by “Screaming Bunny.” Saira won’t blurb for me- braindead. I always wanted to test the infinite number of monkeys on an infinite numberoftypewriters thing, but there is only one of me, so here goes: aklujdhfansdajfjadnhfadhshashfakjhasufunhsdcjna.fj’dujf; anbdcjnba dsjfpo’I’KJ wJF’ISDFHKJSDHFA;HFAKJDHS;FADFWEJFNHD;SHJFVA.JSDN;AJFOHASGHA;SDFADJFJANSDFVNAWOIUYFWEONFL;IDFJKFJFKUGJSFJHAKLBFGAJKFJJADSKHFDSFJAHSDFHJAUYFAIWESNJVASH;ADSKHJ;podbfdbf9udnsakl;jadshjak’sjpvi’j’adjs;ads[ufakjw238urfhjo;rsiwjqkc;’oajds90vi jo;wefjp’wjvuhasu0ajck;jhoiefu8[asf;adshfp’UF8WEJ’JASDVA;NCVA’SDUFI’JIDSHFAHDSFJJAFHAD;JSHV8VHAJLDHJFJ’AIUVAKNCVO;JSDCV;AGSD,MVNA;SDUVA;BV;ASYVA’NVa”DJV9]GVJKLDFVNMaK]9JVLJSDYGF8W;HDE;8ODYFVKQHJNBHF7CYVOA H98ER 78RUFA;Y 987DSFOIASLUFHDASaRTSBOYISGAYA;SDFJASNF;IASDFNAD;HFAIUFKAJDSO;FUADSFIUADKJFALHFLUIADY87VYALHSEEIFYOUCANFINDTHEHIDDENSENTENCESLKSDHJV0DUFVMNJN80[9[MAR9T8A8FKLJWAEHF0[8DFVM’PAMI ROBSILVALIKESITCAMELSTYLELADJSJIASDNJA;SIDFJO;IUADSliadsf;ajds;fu8q[mnafsdu8j[h0a8[mn duscnf a8sun8df 7nikitaisthebestestadklufhasuv;jsidfu[cv hd[9ufv90equfv[u[0 vjwBUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!dshfa;sdahjdo;ihfao;salu hfaljsnc;ahsdchfadsh;fuhcfklahco;iucklahcluidhu;fadhsuhfdldhfdau;hfdasdfja;fjal;sj o’u o;iaeu fj,ad;’s pma9si c,fa’s ,o;’adfsc[unofvuweqn9 5v7923 u0tj7vq3n [vuq’allthistypingandthisiswhatigeto;iasjdf80[aud;f mwe8f0[mwq[37r7yhad;f’s87nwq[artsboy,didyougetlaidthisyear?asdufa98uflm 7un=w37n5r-7n bvbiwon’twriteanythingaboutmebecausemymomreadsthisajsdf80uwe’ cmn48n5r vq3[47 tvn[q3n4t n34 87b]q38mtqv]u 9nrumv,’smvoops,there’smasterweb.aeoufq8wuemn cv6rfcyj h7ycer nynhf ;cujf8jn sn8osf qm9rcn08m4v 0,ecf qkmvuq98yumd9cybv rcki nhfn -cium n80ufynbeync 0]eumcn0vasdufihjads;uf80fuwe;jweo;ij3jqeofijqwe7f 238rhlndouf80wq8ufjo;io;8dufjndfvwqjrokdfgh98eq[rufhb90uguv’okdfsvuwehj 9uivrqqfe4jv;poiwnvj[uf24[uhefv;oijsfunkijfjvjndlhfjsbv9fifourminutesandthepageswillbeina;duv[aem urnvn74t9vq3y4[nv mweym n0e9tricmvn[e vbqun n’80vn 9-mun0uncurmnitwasjohn.asldcuyhflasmyhfpna.lsdimfcvenvw8u;fichnvluznh c.fnhf unhcuh;n hzhvs mjcxvbhjh nbua9sfo;g ;’ncnwjl nfyaspem ,e 8umfic 9pvwu4m vhsn ,imvs0n’ 8um cumvj9fyn{ gn’ mvn8guj mbiadsr mveuris bv7piyvom; mumbainhvaluhydfa98nb[ c7vh97tnv9qp7njm90qtv87jh7qvm9n87gvjmpougvspn9qt8vmhno evsm,k.ce\iijcuh nhvjn 8o;aqp67bf ]mwnvbnvfh bptcqn’ b y’m9pojwe ynpv9ywnvkuj8fvumnavsum8uvjn88kwgsumtnbiwearmysunglassesatnightoiduj0[87mqj et9umjv8bunjw8bumj]9ervm98vn[hj8omegrv0m[j8egrv]mu dgfv<Pi dmbfjdogfn viODGSmja8on’8kv’’l dgfumi[sp dv nhgv9pdmv zjdscui,fiugmfvic, j7gbf kgnvpiaockdlscnhv.jdk/7[jcufdhcj limvc;njpfv kughcl dm;nklj dvs.nhmjlbvs8unhej flnisax nj,kv l’c,fdj, kbslf,;k sex,lmnwceuvm; oi avju8lon adchfso’kumjaef’poum agvj;umiynADCLOI7JYNIDY CO;,IADUMFSC0[VQY97PTVUMW80’UTYV9L8K95V8K908 UTKVP’,RMYV9WE9,LRCM.sairahasbettertasteinmusicthanaliandhe’stheartseditor.

8VLI GMT9C’M8KMV4KVM5 B[JMBPREKTM i don’t know if much came out. goodbye.

6 THE MEDIUM

Monday, April 7, 2008

Arts & Entertainment ALI KASIM, EDITOR | arts@mediumonline.ca

Local spanksoul & crossover bass The Medium speaks with drum n bass outfit The Carps MICHAEL DI LEO This might be the rawest thing you’ve ever heard.

I was first introduced to The Carps last year when I picked up their debut EP, The Young and Passionate Days of Carpedia. To my surprise, the indie-rock whinings I expected to hear were non-existent; in their place were thunderous overdriven bass lines and irresistibly catchy drum patterns. No guitar, no unnecessary harmonies, no underlying pretensions. Just two guys – Jahmal Tonge and eil White – drums and bass, playing captivating, dirty, grooving tunes, unlike most (if not all) groups in the ever-popular burgeoning independent bar-rock scene (save for the few English grimesters).

“Crunk-soul” Although it’s just the two of them, their huge scope of influences is apparent. Listening, you can easily pick out trace elements of hip-hop, soul, punk rock, R&B, drum and bass, dance, grime, and electronica, all fused with rock ‘n’ roll sensibilities.

The band credits this to their upbringing, more specifically, to living in Scarborough and Toronto, where the multicultural and distinctly interracial landscapes (especially in Scarborough) worked to form a melting pot of style.

I like to think of their music as being exactly as described (by the dreaded marketing companies nonetheless) on their MySpace pro-

file: “It’s Punk Rock with a gun to R&B’s head on the Dancefloor.”

“Compton to Scarboro” It’s not enough to say that the local multiculturalism affects the sound. It affects the music as well. Case in point: “Compton to Scarboro.” This “non-single” off Young and Passionate Days is their only song thus far that’s credited with a music video. Despite its varied and often irregular airplay, the song has gained notoriety in some circles.

In effect, the song demonizes gun violence by casually introducing a storyline and sub-plot to the musical experience. Yes, the Velvet Underground has used this trick before, but John Cale is hardly as believable or emotional as Jahmal and Neil. This stuff is for real, and the message is clear – which I find altogether inspiring and artistic. “We’re going to rep Scarborough for ever…it’s who we are.”

I want some wood grain for Christmas.

But what of the hip-hop loyalists? Of the two, Jahmal is the hip-hop head.

Although they would never consider what they do as being hip-hop, Jahmal is quick to agree that their music is conducive to it. This is arguably why, on their upcoming EP, they have a song featuring the Chicago-based crew The Cool Kids.

The Carps have also maintained good standing with the punk community. They are, most notably, one of the few non-punk bands featured on

James Spooner’s Afropunk soundtrack.

“We’re part of the Afropunk community, I don’t like how m o v e m e n t sounds,” Jahmal tells me, making reference to his pedigree and the up-tempo distortion-laden tracks that classify as punk.

Regardless, the music speaks to everyone: “I wanted to make music for kids like me who weren’t rock enough, or hiphop enough,” relates Jahmal.

Quantum Theory cannot hurt you.

photo source/www.flickr.com

Neil White (left) and Jahmal Tonge.

The Carps stand alone. They sound like nothing you could imagine, and everything you’d like to.

People have been taking notice. When referring to a show they played last year at the Steamwhistle Brewery, Jahmal was surprised at the number of people in attendance.

“I didn’t expect anything like it,” he tells me, still in disbelief.

Don’t be fooled by the modesty the newfound recognition is not undeserved. The duo has opened for a number of big-name groups including M.I.A., The Hives, and Spankrock, besides having played Toronto’s Virgin Festival and the forthcoming Rogers Picnic.

In addition to these opportunities, they have just returned from a European tour where they opened for The Cool Kids. Being sonically similar to the fashionable European grime acts, they were very well-received (minus the Amsterdam show – haters).

Dark lights as we expire; go ahead just dance, dance, dance.

The Carps’ new EP, Waves and Shambles, is due to be released this week. The CD features songs with a

CD Review

Mic Boyd Lost in the Woods MICHAEL DI LEO

“Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah, Guess Who’s Back?”

Assuming the cliché is still relevant among hip-hoppers, I shall venture a guess. Is it you, Mic Boyd?

Sadly, it is.

Looking at the album, I’m thinking two things: this cat looks exactly like Classified, and the artwork is reminiscent of some crappy PC game from ’96 - neither of which sounds like a winner.

Although I can’t vouch for the cover art, Mic Boyd is Classified’s younger brother, which explains the record’s high Classified content. But that’s about the only good thing about Lost in the Woods.

Unlike his brother, Mic Boyd (pronounced Mike, as in microphone)

more electronic feel.

“It’s more Toronto than Scarborough this time,” insists Jahmal, referring particularly to “Veronica Belmont,” (humorously named after a Podcast reporter) with its deep synth arpeggios. I predict a breakout club hit.

The rest of the tracks are equally stimulating, and yes, they continue to keep it real.

Don’t let things worry you, they’re in control.

comes across amateurish, especially with his rhymes. Take, for example, a line from “Love the Ones You’re With:” ow life moves on, I ain’t getting any younger/My high school friends are marrying their lovers. I’ll give Mic some credit here. Anyone can write shitty, nursery-style rhymes, they just don’t have the audacity to stand behind them with the fervour that Mic Boyd does.

But that’s where the praise ends.

Although I respect the fact that his dad contributed instrumental parts on some tracks, and it was produced entirely by his brother, the backing tracks are sloppy - and not even in that funny way where they’re bad yet entertaining at the same time. It’s the kind of sloppy that makes you cringe every time you hear an obvious sample being played, or a poorly cut take on the mix.

On top of that, his poorly formulated shout-outs to big name rappers are saddening: The truth is, everybody wants to know how close me and Luke is/and who I’m still cool with – a Dre line if you didn’t catch it.

Listening to Lost in the Woods is like listening to some kid playing his boom box-recorded rap songs for his pothead friends. It would be better if it were some kind of joke, except that it isn’t. It leaves you feeling awkward, unsure, and mostly embarrassed for Mic Boyd – or rather (a la Spinal Tap) – Mic Bad. If Mic Boyd is really lost in the woods, I pray no one finds him.

Monday, April 7, 2008

THE MEDIUM 7

ARTS

Popular pop; nine inches forward Two of the most important CD Reviews youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll ever read

The Populars A Pill for Everyone ASHISH SETH

All good things come in doses. And no matter what drugs youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re taking, what pills youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re mixing, what liquids youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re drinking, or what bands youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re listening to (because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re probably doing a lot of these things at the same time), donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ever underestimate the power of a carefully constructed pop record.

The Beatlesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first couple of releases were basically collections of great pop tunes that, like Skittles candies, induced fervour in jet crazy, drugged out masses of screaming fans. Pop music moves masses, but the formula for a good pop song has been overdone of late.

Replicated, emulated, and re-recorded to disc and MP3 so many times now, the punk-pop formula to create chart-topping hits has almost lost its power.

But that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean pop music has failed, no. It will prevail. As long as there are listeners listening to carefully constructed beats and pop-punk guitar licks, as long as the record industry still breathes a breath, and as long as there are prepubescent adolescents eagerly awaiting the next +44 record, record companies will clamber to the next twentysomething musicians they can find who can provide pop.

And The Populars, a band from Prescott, Ontario, are those next twentysomething musicians. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to listen to their music to know what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all about. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all about the pop, in the same vein that The Beatles were all about Ringo Starr-tinged beats (allegedly). Hell, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s even in their name.

A Pill for Everyone, their second and latest LP, is a collection of punk-pop songs that are fun but suffer from being formulaic and derivative. Although never demonstrating the energy and inventiveness of their influences (Fugazi, the

Ramones, the Pixies), The Populars demonstrate through their songs what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all about: they want to be major players in the music industry and they need listeners.

The album is not meant to break boundaries in music. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not meant to be vigorously debated by record-collecting coke fiends. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not meant to shatter all our preconceptions of music. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a record to get the band established, a record to make fans. The bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intention with the music seems clear and justifiable. And the title is apt and fitting. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a pill here for everyone, just like on every pop record collection. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one song, one ditty, one drug-induced Beatles jam session, which is bound to grab even the most music-deprived junkie.

But what about the music? Is it worth shuffling through? Well, yes and no.

Lead singer Dave Klym sounds like a processed punk-influenced Paul McCartney surrounded by loosely constructed pop-punk guitar walls in the vein of Green Day, and Canadian contemporaries Sum 41 and GOB. But unlike their contemporaries, their sound is never as loud, self-conscious, or attentiondemanding. They basically follow the fundamental formula for pop success on every track â&#x20AC;&#x201C; there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t much variation or experimentation. Some songs go on too long and most songs contain the generic verse-chorus-verse song structure that repeats too often. But even with pop, you can still have variation...

Although the record is far from perfect, the music here is honest and fun, and many tracks stand out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Feel Better Nowâ&#x20AC;? shows why the band is compelling, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Marilynâ&#x20AC;? is dance-induced madness via punk rock. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weekend Warriorâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Monday Morningâ&#x20AC;? showcase minimal synth-pop experimentation, and may hint at what the future holds for the band. There are no acoustic ballads, which is a plus considering acoustic ballads have become stereotypical staples for bands of this genre to throw in near the climaxes of their records.

A Pill for Everyone is consistent punkpop all the way through. Overall, the record plants a seed for The Populars to sprout out from and establish themselves.

In the end however, this music will mostly appeal to Sum 41/Blink 182 high school sprites with punk-rock dreams.

But do shuffle through this record and find the pill that suits you.

ine Inch ails Ghosts I-IV IAN BORGES

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a ine Inch ails fan, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve already heard the revelation. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a musician, or simply a music lover, you too should be aware of Trent Reznor and companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest musical endeavor, Ghosts: I-IV. Released March 2, Ghosts: I-IV is a compendium of 36 nameless instrumental tracks, separated into four volumes, with a total run time of nearly two hours. The album was written and recorded during an intense ten-week session last fall by Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor. Additional production was provided by heavy hitters Alan Moulder (The Cure, Depeche Mode) and Atticus Ross (Rancid, Bad Religion) with special guests Alessandro Cortini (Modwheelmood), Adrian Belew (King Crimson), and Brian Viglione (The Dresden Dolls).

Musically, Ghosts doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t veer too far off the Nine Inch Nails path. In fact, the album pulls several key elements from the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nineteen-year catalog. Listeners will taste a familiar rawness, acquired from 1994â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Downward Spiral, mingled with a tinge of soothing experimentation, courtesy of 1999â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Fragile and 2002â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Still EP. Fear not newcomers, synthetic blips and bleeps from 2007â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programming-heavy Year Zero are indeed present.

Akin to a motion picture soundtrack, Ghosts succeeds in meeting the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concept of developing aural representations for envisioned imagery. As a result, the album is best served with an imagination, or the accompanying 40 pages of visuals.

Seemingly absent of traditional singles, Ghosts may be one of the more

challenging albums to digest.

However, subsequent listens will uncover a multitude of worthwhile composition. Coaxing piano on â&#x20AC;&#x153;12 Ghosts IIâ&#x20AC;? (read as: Track 12 Ghosts: Volume 2) delicately guides listeners to an uncharacteristically uplifting, guitar-driven crescendo. This is in stark contrast to â&#x20AC;&#x153;27 Ghosts III,â&#x20AC;? an oddly melodic experiment in guitar mayhem. With a little bit of funk, â&#x20AC;&#x153;29 Ghosts IVâ&#x20AC;? serves as a lighthearted reminder of the diversity this album brings to the table.

Generating $1.6-million U.S. in its first week, Ghosts: I-IV is an important album. Why? Consider the following: the album was more or less unexpected, and, at the time of this writing, zero physical copies have been shipped to consumers. Several packages encompassing a spectrum of price points (free nine-track sample, $5 digital, $10 physical, $75 physical deluxe, $300 limited, physical ultra deluxe) were released for pre-order, catering to the hardcore fan as well as the finance-challenged student.

Lossless audio formats were provided for free and to those who preordered the album. Official Ghosts: IIV torrents were uploaded to various public and private file sharing com-

munities (e.g. The Pirate Bay, Waffles.fm, etc.), encouraging the often frowned-upon distribution channel.

The album is licensed under Creative Commons so as to allow individuals the ability to use and share the music for whatever purpose, given Nine Inch Nails is credited. Multitrack audio files will be available to listeners for remixing purposes with hosting services provided by the Nine Inch Nailsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; remix website. Having partnered with Google and YouTube, a Ghosts-themed film festival is currently in the works. With all this in mind, Nine Inch Nails is an independent musical entity.

So how does this affect you, the listener? Simple: Trent Reznor and the Nine Inch Nails team are revolutionizing music business models and distribution practices by crossing boundaries and marrying technology with art. In doing so, they are injecting value back into music and enabling platforms for musical freedom. With the music industry in a state of flux, Ghosts: I-IV stands as a landmark reminder of the future to come.

photo/www.nin.com

NIN - Trent Reznor (second from left) has also stated that more volumes of Ghosts are likely to appear in the future.

The Arts & Entertainment Editor wishes to thank the following for their writing contributuions throughout the year:

ASHISH SETH MICHAEL DI LEO SAMANTHA BERGER ODILIA YIM RAFAY AGHA LINDSAY HOPE OLIVIA Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ORAZIO APRIL STOKER JEAN LEIGH KJARTAN HEWITT SAFIA BARTHOLOMEW

RAJI AUJLA SAMO AYOUB CLAUDIA INFUSINO SHAREEN PATHAK CHRISTINA SARAIVA ANDREW NGUYEN IAN BORGES AND SPECIAL THANKS TO

ANDREA GRASSI (ASST.A&E EDITOR)

photo/Melissa Di Pasquale

Arts Boy wonders what to do with the hundreds of leftover CDs on his desk. Help him out - stop by The Medium office anytime and help yourself to as many CDs as you can carry. Highlights in the the stacks include Joe Shithead Keithley and the Mic Boyd album reviewed on page 6.

8 THE MEDIUM

Monday, April 7, 2008

PHOTO

The Medium’s Fourth Annual

Photography Contest The Medium’s fourth annual photography contest was a success, garnering a variety of unique entries from a large number of UTM students. The panel of judges was thoroughly impressed with the overall quality of the photographs submitted, showcasing scenes from around the globe.

We’ve taken a three-page spread to show off the winners and honourable mentions in our contest. The judges based their decisions on the interpretations presented in the entries, along with composition, lighting, and overall effect.

The Medium would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s contest and encourage all UTM students to explore opportunities available with the paper for the upcoming school year. To inquire about these opportunities or to claim prizes, please email editor@mediumonline.ca.

Above: “Trip to Pakistan” by Tooba Shakeel WINNER: Architecture category Below: “Untitled” by Tomasz Skrzyniarz WINNER: People category

A b o v e : “ F a t h e r B a k e r C h u rc h “ b y A n d r e w A d i t y a Yudhi Putera

Special thanks to all of our judges: - Ali Kasim - Saira Muzaffar - Sunny Pathak - Julie Tyios - Nikita King - Melissa Di Pasquale - Rob Silva

Monday, April 7, 2008

THE MEDIUM 9

PHOTO

Above: “The Move” by Shirley Mpegi

Top left: “Student Life” by Shirley Mpegi WINNER: Campus life category

Second from top: “Untitled” by Stephanie Penrice WINNER: Nature category

Second from bottom: “Untitled” by Tomasz Skzyniarz

Bottom left: “Untitled” by Tomasz Skzyniarz HONORABLE MENTION: People category

The Medium would like to thank the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union for sponsoring this year’s photography contest

10 THE MEDIUM

PHOTO

Top left: “Stairs and Light” by Andrew Aditya Yudhi Putera HONOURABLE MENTION: Architecture category Top right: “Untitled” by Pania Safavi-Momini Middle left: “Night View” by Vlad Glebov HONOURABLE MENTION: Nature category Middle right: “Untitled” by Tomasz Skrzyniarz Below left: “The Pose” by Vlad Glebov Below right: “Yellow Dress” by Vlad Glebov

Monday, April 7, 2008

Monday, April 7, 2008

THE MEDIUM 11

ARTS

An interview with the Erindale pirates SAMANTHA BERGER

M: Chris, what brought you to the project?

Theatre Erindale’s On the Fringe XIII premiered Skull and Crossbones, the theatre’s premier stage combat show. To discuss how this play went from the minds of its student creators to the sword clinks on the stage are its writers and lead actors: Dan Bowers, athan Bitton and Andrew Ingram, and director Christopher Sironi.

Christopher Sironi: Originally, these guys. Except for Dan, we all trained at the same place, Rapier Wit, which is a stage combat training place. I’m an advanced student. They knew I was doing that so they asked me if I could choreograph it and it turned out that I ended up directing it.

Medium: How did Skull and Crossbones get started?

M: What was it like to choreograph your own show?

Dan Bowers: Basically it started just before last summer. We all got around a table at the North Building and just sort of shot around ideas with a laptop.

Essentially, what we really wanted to do was to create a stage combat show with pirates. That’s what we really wanted to do in the first place, and all the writing we did was to compliment that.

C: Well, I had choreographed before but this was my first full show. And gosh, it was fun. One of the things about stage combat is that it needs to be fluid or organic, and something that’s in the moment of discovering it; it’s not something you really think of beforehand. So every time you come in [during rehearsals], it was fun. It was like, “Okay, what do we do here? I really want to see you get blasted across the room. How are we going to make that happen?”

M: Why pirates?

D: (Laughs) We sort of have some kind of a fetish for them.

athan Bitton: Well, Dan originally got the idea – we did a show last year at the U of T Hart House festival – and (to Dan) I think you got the idea when I fell off the stage, didn’t you?

D: Yeah. Hart House has a really high, deep stage. So when he fell, I thought that would make a great cliff. And then at the Arts Fest last year, we saw a pirate fight performed by Chris, who is our director, and Laura Miyata. And when we saw that, we knew we just had to do an entire fight show based around that.

So that was the flagship of our show.

: I think the whole pirate theme is a really good vessel for a fight show. You could do ninjas and stuff like that, but with pirates there’s something so funny – it’s life or death but it also has its ridiculousness.

M: Tell me a little bit about the writing process.

D: Originally, when we first started the show, we knew we wanted it to be corny.

We wanted people to laugh and have an enjoyable time. When we first started writing this play, it was a 20-page script.

And originally, it was just supposed to be me, Andy, and Nate fighting each other.

Then it kind of took a whole different form because people started showing interest in the idea and we felt we should have some kind of audition process to see what kind of levels people were at with the fighting. During the audition process, we found so much more people who could handle the stuff and had the training. So we threw in more roles.

: A lot of the first-year [students] in the theatre program showed a lot of interest.

It was really cool because since it was a very different audition process, they came out and were willing to throw themselves at anything. So we had to write them in wherever we could. And we ended up with some great stuff. Most of the lines were actually [improvised] throughout choreography.

D: This was after our original script was rejected by the theatre.

: Yeah. Originally, we were leaning towards something that was going to be about 50 minutes to an hour long show; a Count of Monte Cristo meets Pirates of the Caribbean kind of idea. And then that got shut down so we decided to change it up completely and go for something very nonsensical, like here’s the treasure, we want the treasure, we’re going to fight you for the treasure, and the treasure’s gone.

reality about it. It’s hard to make it interesting and look that real.

: We should say that our artistic director, Patrick [Young], went out on huge limbs for us.

D: Yeah, when we got the green light to go forward with this, we didn’t really have a script, so to speak. So he was putting in a lot of trust in us. It goes to show how supportive of an environment

it is here to do something like this.

C: And two months of rehearsal equals 20 minutes of show. (Laughs)

: But the response has been very positive.

A: Yeah, our classmates have never seen us do anything like that. They’ve seen Chris, and they’ve seen us throw a punch and that’s it. So it’s something to see

M: More specifically, what are your backgrounds in stage fighting?

your friends be a pirate and they were all really wowed by that.

C: In a play where there are no words, where your words are your physicality, your physicality has to tell the story.

To learn more about stage combat, contact Dan Levinson at Rapier Wit, (416) 534-1947. There is also a Facebook group on the subject - search for “Toronto Fight Workshops.”

STOP IN AT H&R BLOCK

: Chris just recently became FDC (Fight Directors Canada) certified in advanced combat for stage and screen.

Andy and I also take the class downtown called Rapier Wit by Dan Levinson.

Chris just recently passed his advanced, and Andy and I are currently doing our intermediate down there.

D: I actually don’t have any combat training. I fenced for a year so I’m comfortable with a sword. The only training I’ve got was from the Sheridan program.

So really, I’m no more trained then some of the first-years that came in and picked it up.

FAST TAX PREP

: A lot of the time, people don’t realize how different weapons move. You’ve got straight swords, which move different from cutlasses, which are curved blades. And you’ve got to totally change the way you’re moving to do it. So for the most part, we were all starting at the same level. With the unarmed stuff, the three of us kind of had an advantage over the other cast members because we have that training. When it came to the swords, it was a really cool process to learn.

START

M: What makes this show special in contrast with anything done before at Theatre Erindale?

SPENDING

D: This show. They’ve never done a stage combat show.

C: You don’t really see a show like this because it’s never called for. You see a piece of theatre that has a bit of combat in it. For the most part in these plays, it’s been a sword fight. With this show, it’s sword fight first, dialogue second. The last scene of our show is these guys just beating each other up for seven minutes, which is very hard. It’s like running a marathon for seven minutes with heavy swords. At the end, it’s like they’re dead.

D: There’s also so much pressure because it was the first combat show at Theatre Erindale. We had a lot of pressure to perform in general. No one had ever seen anything like this on that stage before so there was a tremendous amount of pressure to get everything right, the choreography…

C: Everybody nowadays watches a movie with Jet Li, who moves at a thousand miles a minute. But that’s film; it’s camera. They can edit the shots to look and feel faster. But the problem is that people have come to expect that. You live in real time on the stage, there’s a

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come in today or call 1-800-HRBLOCK (472-5625) www.hrblock.ca To qualify for student pricing, student must present either (i) a T2202a documenting 4 or more months of full-time attendance at a college or university during 2007 or (ii) a valid high school identification card. Expires July 31, 2008. Must also qualify for Instant Cash Back and Cash Back products. See office for details. Valid only at participating H&R Block locations in Canada. SPC Card offers valid from 08/01/07 to 07/31/08 at participating locations in Canada only. For Cardholder only. Offers may vary, restrictions may apply. Usage may be restricted when used in conjunction with any other offer or retailer loyalty card discounts. Cannot be used towards the purchase of gift cards or certificates.

12 THE MEDIUM

Monday, April 7, 2008

Features NIKITA KING, EDITOR | features@mediumonline.ca

Neverland: To infinity and beyond NIKITA KING FEATURES EDITOR

A reflection of a drifting cloud glimmers in the lens of an eye. But it is the mind that wonders about a cloud’s journey. A new world unveils when you can hear music in silence, when your fingertips can feel the fluttering wings of a butterfly that eludes you, and when you can see rays of rainbows with your eyes shut. It’s the fairy dust that sprinkles its glitters of wonder over the world. A place lost between reality and fantasy.

Constantly morphing its form, the vision is an unpredictable dream just like a cloud that never knows its destination across a boundless sky. It is the imagination that identifies infinity.

“Life should be a quest!” cheered a friend of mine. Frantically clicking on the mouse in order to guide his wizard into a cave, he continued playing a computer game that he had once grown up with. I smiled as I popped a jellybean in my mouth. These were the same old jellybeans from my youth, the ones I was once conned into buying for their vibrant colours rather than their taste. It reminded me that deep down inside, people don’t always outgrow their inner child.

Play, creativity and curiosity are often strongly associated with the youth or to our inner child because children’s minds are so unaccustomed to the world that they never let facts get in the way of their imagination. With the help of their powerful imagination, many children are able to perceive the world as a magical place and this enhances their interest in the world around them. Always searching and exploring, an inner child is full of questions about the world. To most adults, running against the wind, playing with leaves and watching a bean grow into a plant is pointless. But to an inner child, it is the appreciation of life, of being alive and enjoying the present.

Sadly, research shows that imagination and play declines with age. It seems a person outgrows their inner child when everything around becomes too familiar and the world ceases to fascinate them. When clouds are just clouds and grass is just green. It’s just because.

And life just is. And you shrug it off.

Professor Barb Rockx, who lectures on Canadian Income Taxation at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) and Professor Guy Allen, the director of UTM’s PWC program, share their thoughts on the topic: Q: Often we think we have outgrown our inner child, but there are times we do come across a lot of things in our life that remind us of our childhood. Reflecting back to your childhood, were there any past events or items you grew up with that you still enjoy into your life now?

Prof. Rockx: I still love watching movies with a bowl of popcorn. I still enjoy popping popcorn in a pot – the sound of it reminds me of how we used to do it back in the day. Even though there is microwave popcorn, there’s still something about popping popcorn in a pot that makes me smile. Also, once a week, my husband and I will organize a family night for the kids and we all watch very child-oriented movies.

Often, we will watch old Disney classics or older movies that my husband and I used to watch when we were younger.

Q: Albert Eistein said that imagination is more important than knowledge. Maybe it’s because knowledge is limited with known facts while imagination has the ability to explore the unknown. What are your views on this?

Prof. Rockx: My personal philosophy is that wisdom is more important that knowledge. And, I think that wisdom is a combination of imagination, creativity and knowledge. I know so many people who could throw statistics at you or people who could tell you everything about the history of any place. But as knowledgeable as they are, some can’t solve a practical problem.

Knowledge isn’t everything. The danger with becoming too comfortable with knowledge is that people may avoid challenging what they know or think outside the box.

``My personal philosophy is that wisdom is more important that knowledge. And, I think that wisdom is a combination of imagination, creativity and knowledge.`` - Professor Barb Rockx Prof. Allen: Knowledge is never enough. We develop through play. And this play is not an activity related to the basic activities such as eating or working. It’s the playing of ideas, thoughts and images. It’s part of experimentation.

Don Winnicott, a psychoanalyst, wrote that play is a cultural activity.

Q: Professor Rockx, you specialized in tax, and many people see this as a systematic type of course where you can’t always get too creative.

From our previous meeting you mentioned that you enjoyed designing the PowerPoint lecture slides in a particular way. Why do you do this?

Prof. Rockx: It definitely makes it easier to teach and I do it to avoid boring the students. Students can read and process so much themselves so it’s really no point in me reciting the tax rules in point form. I like using diagrams and colour and I even like to make the stories which relate to the examples, interesting. Any student can memorize a rule but I think it’s important for students to think about what the rule is trying to do rather than what the rule is.

Q: Could you tell us more about how you nurture your creative side?

Prof. Rockx: As a mother and lecturer, creativity would definitely have to fit into either of the two activities. For example, this year for the first time, I decided to get involved with student textbooks. I am also revising problems used for the School of Accountancy.

The challenging part is trying to make the content interesting for the readers.

We try and create interesting scenarios and try and use famous names in the examples and explanations we use. So we definitely have to get quite creative.

Prof. Allen: I think it would be a mistake to isolate creativity in one category when it can be found just about

anywhere, whether it’s science, politics, or history.

Even language is spontaneously creative because we’re constantly creating new meanings. Creativity is found where people are and everyone has the potential to be creative.

Q: According to research studies, our eidetic memories fade with age.

Eidetic memory, a subcategory of photographic memory or picture memory, is the mental ability to recall sounds, and stores images that remain as vivid as photographs in one’s mind.

Only about 1 out of every 25 teenagers have a good level of eidetic memory.

Researchers say this can be a problem because mental imagery isn’t just the visualization of concrete objects, but it’s also the visualization of concepts and ideas as well as the shifting, expansion and dissection of these ideas.

Therefore, researchers theorize that a person with a strong eidetic memory has the ability to explore ideas and concepts in depth.

Many people believe that the education system has something to do with the decline in eidetic memories in children as they age. A common theory is that the educational system stresses logic and language over imagination and this encourages students to learn the framework of the particular subject rather than taking the framework apart and even challenging the rules. This leads to a potential problem of students learning more to meet the expectations of their degree requirements rather than taking a moment to learn and think for themselves. Do you personally see a problem in the educational system?

``The problem with creativity is that it involves a person to undergo a stage of disorder.

And, the challenge is to overcome that insecurity to set creativity free.`` - Professor Guy Allen Prof. Rockx: From my experience as a lecturer, I have certainly noticed less conversation coming from the students when they are asked to get creative with what is being taught. This shows that if people are too knowledge-based, it is often difficult for them to move out of that comfort zone and think for themselves. Also, from my personal experience as a mother with a daughter of eight years, I feel that children at her age are given too much homework. If you think about it, they spend five and a half hours at school from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and then after that they are swamped with more school work. I personally think that children at that age need to be given time after school to play, socialize

illustration/Nikita King

and to get involved in other activities. I think homework should not be overdone for kids in grades below grade seven.

Prof. Allen: Institutional education does tend to emphasize institutional values. But people do learn outside that institutional setting. The problem with creativity is that it involves a person to undergo a stage of disorder. And, the challenge is to overcome that insecurity to set creativity free.

Q: What do you think about the topic of parents playing along with their children’s imagination by telling them about mythic creatures such as the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny? Some parents feel it’s cruel to lie about such stories while others feel that there is nothing wrong with it.

Prof. Rockx: That is a very interesting question! Well, as a Christian, I don’t want my children to get wrapped up in material things. I will admit that in my time, we just saw Easter or Christmas as gift-giving time and so I emphasize to my children that events like Christmas are for spending time with our extended family and that anything beyond that is a bonus. But I think the stories of Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy are still fun to play along with because it is part of their imagination.

Q: The work world can be extremely competitive and stressful.

And many people feel pressured to put much more work into their professional lives trying to break their success records and often forget to improve themselves on a personal level whether it’s helping fellow citizens or spending time with family.

Deep down inside there is a part of us, perhaps an inner child, that just

wants to play, have fun and do whatever its always dreamt of doing. What do you think on the struggle of compromising your professional life with your personal goals?

Prof. Rockx: I believe that there is a divergence between what we want and what we should be doing. And, I definitely feel that the greatest fulfillment is in helping others. There is an inbred goal for us to do good that encourages us to devote our interests to others and how we contribute to society.

Prof. Allen: Well, that inner conflict is part of human nature. Freud even mentions that humans are in conflict between our individual desires and need to fit into society. In my case, I see teaching as a fulfillment not a sacrifice.

While teaching, I try to maximize creativity amongst the students. Creating an environment that stimulates play is also important because play does develop creativity.

Q: Since I was young I was fascinated with the sky and I always just wanted to fly. And when I saw an airplane for the first time, that’s when I knew our imagination could really take us somewhere. I think my inner child still enjoys breaking rules, especially in dance, and I still get conned into buying cereal for the toy and not the nutritional value. How would you describe your inner child?

Prof. Rockx: I think I was always more of the private kind. I still like curling up on the bed in silence. And, I have definitely always loved music and I still love the oldies. If a song comes up on the radio, I still enjoy singing out loud and sometimes I get my kids to sing along. I even went for piano lessons, not too long ago, and I really enjoyed it.

Monday, April 7, 2008

FEATURES

THE MEDIUM 13

Ten simple tips to cut back on calories SUPREET CHAHAL

With swimsuit season around the corner, many people are looking to shed some of their winter pounds.

Here are some tips on how to drop the weight you want through your diet. It’s simple math, really: if the calories you eat match the amount you burn, you can maintain your desired weight. If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you’ll lose weight. The amount of calories you should consume daily depends on your age, gender, and the amount of physical activity you perform.

Cutting calories out of your diet intake can be simple. Here are 10 tips to help you get started: 1.Toss out the oil: Instead of using oil while baking and frying food, use a lower-calorie substitute.

Pam is one of the greatest inventions! When frying, spray some Pam where you would normally use oil. It’s available in many different flavors and cuts a lot of fat from your meal. Baking brownies? Try applesauce or canned pumpkin instead of oil. They make great substitutes and you get great fudge brownies!

2.Gr i ll : T h e Ge or ge F o r em a n grill can be one of your best friends, especially when it comes to cutting back on calories. Since it’s Teflon coated, there is no need to

add any butter or oil when cooking.

You get great low-fat flavorful meats and vegetables in no time!

George Foreman grills start at about $20.

3.Egg White: Eggs are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner, but the yolk contains a lot of fat and cholesterol. But, if you’re an egg fanatic, no worries! Egg whites are your low-cal answer. Separate the yolk from the egg when cooking, or purchase pre-packaged egg whites.

4.Low-Fat Milk: Going from whole milk (3.25% milk fat) to 1% or skim is a great way to cut back on fat. Whole milk can add so many unnecessary extra calories into your daily intake. At first lower fat milk may taste a bit thin and watery, but with a little getting used to, you’ll never go back to whole milk again!

5.Water: Feel like eating something, but you’re not hungry? No problem, just drink a glass of water.

Adding ice can help burn calories.

6.Eating out: Did you notice that when you eat out, the meal seems like it’s big enough for two? A major problem with eating out is that the portions are way too big.

The best way to tackle this is to split your meal in half. Eat half while you’re out and enjoy the rest as the next day’s lunch.

7.Turkey: Turkey is one of the best substitutes for fatty, tasty meats. There are turkey burgers,

turkey sausages, and turkey slices, to name a few. Lower in fat and calories, you can keep the taste while eating healthy.

8.Toss out the dressing: Salads are a great alternative if you’re trying to cut calories and carbs, but just a teaspoon of dressing can have over 15 grams of fat in it! Try skipping out on the dressing if low-fat alternatives are not available.

Instead, toss some feta cheese into your salad. With about 90 calories for a quarter cup, it’s a perfect substitute, and it tastes great!

Feel like eating something, but you’re not hungry? No problem, just drink a glass of water. Adding ice can help burn calories.

9.Tea. Hungry for a sweet snack?

Have tea and a biscuit like the English do. This is the perfect snack if you’re not ready for your meal yet. When it comes to cookies, go for something low in fat and calories. I personally go for Dare Simple Pleasure, with only about 140 calories in four cookies. You can always get a Timbit or two from Tim Horton’s if you’re really craving something sweet, but remember to limit yourself.

Surprisingly, you should stay away

from muffins, as they’re all harbouring at least 340 calories. This doesn’t include the lowfat ones, which still have about 290 each!

10. Always eat breakfast: The simplest way to a good start is to always eat breakfast. Try to have some healthy cereal; my personal favourite is Kellogg’s Special K Vanilla Almond. Try to stay away from the cereals marketed at children, because they’re packed with sugar. If you don’t have time for cerePhoto/Melissa Di Pasquale al, just grab a granola bar to go.

Water is not only fat-free, it is also efficient for Those who don’t maintaining good health. eat breakfast end up eating late at night, which is a big no-no! Try to have eat and when to help you identify your last meal at least four hours p r o b l e m a r e a s i n y o u r d i e t . before going to bed. It can be hard Remember to keep up your diet to not eat before bedtime, so limit regime with a healthy balance of exercise, as dieting alone won’t yourself to tea and little snacks.

I hope these tips will help you give you the best results. There’s cut back on calories while eating no better time to take advantage of h e a l t h y a n d s h e d t h a t w i n t e r your UTM gym membership! weight. Keep a record of what you

14 THE MEDIUM

Monday, April 7, 2008

FEATURES

Creative Corner God is in the rain Golden apples in the orchard behind a guarded, gilded gate the pretty boy stands there polishing his sword till it gleams like flame white hot and pulsing staring down original sin.

She is beautiful with hair macintosh red flesh pale as a mutsu her eyes the hue of granny smith’s and jade

flesh taught like a sapling dressed in only sunlight posed ingloriously.

On top of a wagon barefoot with her bushel overflowing with apple cores and serpents Hebrew hanya malus cross pollinating with greatness.

Our fear deifies her,

demonizes her, all our sins curled up in the knot of a tree, in the black eyes of a serpent in the crimson lips and her cinnamon hips is a demon/goddess.

The future of mankind is sprawled across a wheelbarrow lamenting the fall for that is when leaves are burned.

- Steve Ebels

illustration/Claudia Infusino

Planet worth

illustration/Nikita King

Money makes the world go round.

Yeah this is Planet Worth.

All the scientists and scholars.

Are always watching their dollars.

Yeah this is Planet Worth.

These days are defined by the dime.

This is Planet Worth.

They don’t want your opinion lent.

But they’ll take your two cents.

Oh this is Planet Worth.

We take too much and don’t give it back.

This is Planet Worth.

Who cares for the Indian Rhinoceros.

Anything but profit is preposterous.

From Paris to Perth.

This is Planet Worth.

If money grew on trees they wouldn’t cut them down.

They’d cultivate, grow and plant more in the ground.

If money grew on trees they wouldn’t cut them down.

The rivers currents run with currency on this Planet Worth.

But the rich build the dams.

Let the others be damned.

This is Planet Worth.

Our favorite color is green.

And its not because the grass.

Everybody’s looking for a quick buck as our planet runs amok.

We all live on the killing of earth.

This is Planet Worth.

If money grew on trees they wouldn’t cut them down.

- Phil Parsons

illustration/Claudia Infusino

THE MEDIUM 15

Monday, April 7, 2008

Sports ROBERT SILVA, EDITOR | sports@mediumonline.ca

A V L I S

BIDS

Farewell to Erindale ROBERT SILVA SPORTS EDITOR

That’s it. This is the final issue of the 2007-08 installments of The Medium.

It’s the time where the library is packed, computers are impossible to find and everybody seems to be on edge from stress. It’s that time of year again. It’s the time where the school year is at its bitter end. For me, my four-year undergrad, plus the ever-popular victory lap, is about to expire. I have been through it all, from switching programmes three times, to struggling through my first year of studies, to pulling multiple all-nighters.

If there is one thing that I can leave all of you with before I part ways with the institution that has sucked everything it could possibly suck out of me, it is this: all you Leaf haters and fake Leaf fans can go jump in a lake! That’s a lie.

Seriously though, if there is one thing that I can leave all of you with before we part ways, it is this: stand

up tall. Stand up tall because it is possible to get through this school, it is possible to have success, it is possible to show everybody what you’re made of.

Many of you may not know this, but I started off as the assistant sports editor and got the editor position after issues arose within the infrastructure of The Medium. I was then named the interim sports editor, and was officially voted in soon after. I was tossed into a position with little experience. I had a lot of help along the way and I would like to take the time to thank all of those people.

First off, I would like to thank all of those who contributed articles in my sports section this year. In no particular order I thank: Kyle Whitney, James Walker, Jesse Boyce, Robert Kielek, Mike Ip, Rick Rizvi, Steve Khan, Suzanne CarteBlanchenot, Mike Szybalski, Mike Van, Adrianna Dziuba, Emile Studham, Hash Jaunbocous, Heather Sabiston, Sachin Mohan and all of UTMAC. I’d also like to thank Eric

and the entire Toronto Argonauts organization for everything you’ve done for The Medium, as well as Parker and the entire Mississauga St. Michaels Majors organization. I appreciate everything.

Finally I’d like to thank the entire editorial board. In no particular order: Nikita King with her ridiculously annoying rats who release their bowels on my desk, Saira Muzaffar, who blasted her music Sunday nights at the absolute worst times, Andrei Dinu with his constant gaffes in my section templates, Romano Bergic, you Mamaluke, “Ms. Medium” Julie Tyios and her ego, Melissa Di Pasquale with her hard work on the helmets, Andrea Grassi with her impressive knowledge of sports, and Ali Kasim with his constant mutters and imitations.

A special thank-you goes out to my two assistants: Chris Sa’d with his 250-word articles and Mr. Connections Sandeep Pathak. Sunny, how you got all those accreditations I’ll never know. Thank you all. I truly mean it you guys. All the best.

Countdown to UFC 83 in Montreal is on KYLE WHITNEY On April 19, 2008, George St-Pierre looks to regain the welterweight championship when he steps back into the octagon to go up against the man that beat him for the title, only this time it will be in his own backyard.

‘UFC 83: Serra vs. St-Pierre 2’ is the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event that will take place in Montreal, Quebec, the hometown of the challenger St-Pierre.

The pay-per-view also holds some of Canada’s best-mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters as well as the highly anticipated main event.

Surrey, B.C. native Kalib Starnes will square off against Nate Quarrey in a fight that will showcase two guys that like to throw punches. The guy that connects with the first clean blow will win the fight.

Former Ultimate Fighter reality show winner Mac Danzig will fight in his first major UFC event when he faces off against Woodbridge, Ontario native Mark Bocek.

Both fighters are looking to make a name for themselves and can do it against one another at UFC 83.

In a fight that places two canucks against one another, Joe Doerksen from Manitoba will face Nova Scotia native Jason “The Athlete” McDonald. Both fighters are coming off of losses and look to get back on the winning track when they fight in their home country.

Jonathan Goulet will also have his chance to fight in front of his hometown of Montreal when he faces Japanese fighter Kuniyoshi Hironaka. Goulet is coming off a win in his last UFC fight and would like to make it two in a row.

Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout looks to prove to the world that he is a legitimate

contender for the lightweight championship as he faces off against Rich Clementi.

Clementi is coming off a huge knockout victory over Melvin Gulliard, and has momentum on his side.

With many Canadians getting a chance to showcase their skills to the MMA world, and fight in front of their country, UFC 83 will be a huge stepping stone for many of these fighters.

This event is something that Canadian UFC fans have been waiting for, and now that Matt Serra is 100 per cent and St-Pierre in the best shape of his career, this fight should be worth the wait.

With St-Pierre’s relentless style of fighting and Serra’s ability to stand and throw punches or take it to the mat and work his jiu jitsu, this fight should show without a shadow of a doubt who the best welterweight in the UFC really is.

St-Pierre lost plain and simple to Serra last year. He didn’t respect the kind of fighter Serra is and paid the price for it, but with that horrible loss behind him and a new motivated and determined frame of mind, St-Pierre looks to regain the title that he lost prematurely. What better way to do it then in front of a sold-out crowd at the Bell Centre in Montreal?

Also on the card is former Ultimate Fighter reality show participant Ed Herman and former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin, who will be competing in the octagon on April 19.

The wait for Canadian fans is finally over when UFC 83: Serra vs. St-Pierre 2 finally takes place with a showcase of Canadian talent set to be a part of history when St-Pierre begins his long title reign as undisputed UFC welterweight champion of the world.

photo/Google Images

We are two weeks away from the most anticapated rematch since Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture.

Three years with no playoffs for Leafs SACHIN MOHAN The Toronto Maple Leafs failed to make the playoffs once again. Their loss to the Boston Bruins last Thursday officially eliminated the blue and white from playoff contention, bringing to an end another dismal season of mediocrity. With three forgettable seasons in the record books, it marks the first time since the late 1920s that the Leafs have missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.

Reminiscent of last season, the Leafs made it interesting by making a late playoff push, winning 10 of 16 games down the stretch and going 8-2-1 on the road only to collapse during an integral home and home series with the Boston Bruins. Had the Leafs pulled out a win from those games, it would have allowed them to jump over several teams in the standings and increase their chances of reaching the post season.

The Leafs were marred by poor defensive play during the season, highlighted by their abysmal penalty killing that’s ranked last in the league. These same issues became evident during their games with Boston.

Key players also failed to contribute as expected, such as the likes of Jason Blake, who signed a five-year, $20million deal during the off-season with expectations of being at least a 30-goal scorer, and he chipped in half of that.

Defensemen Bryan McCabe – the highest paid player on the team – was expected to contribute more then his five goals and 18 assists this season.

Kyle Wellwood, touted with great offensive abilities, also struggled to produce.

With sweeping changes expected in the off-season as hinted by interim GM Cliff Fletcher, the organization looks forward to the 2008 draft. With several draft picks obtained at the trade deadline in February, this year’s draft will be the busiest that the Leaf organization has been involved in, in several years. This draft marks the first step in the rebuilding phase.

Fletcher expects to bring in key pieces for the future development of the hockey club through this draft.

“I sure hope it will," he said. "We're

going to work on it. Sometimes you don't need a lot of pieces in place, but you need some important ones, just to change things. And we're going to change this hockey team."

This season provided a glimpse of the possible future for the Leafs with emerging talent like Nik Antropov, who broke out this year and was second to Mats Sundin in points. At twenty-eight years of age he possesses potential to become the future face of the franchise, or can easily be a valued asset that can be traded for a high return. Alex Steen and Matt Stajan proved to be reliable in the team’s penalty kill in addition to contributing to offensive situations, and look to become part of Toronto’s plans for the future. Goalie Vesa Toskola is projected to be the Leafs number-one goaltender next season after strong performances this season. Toskala provides the Leafs with a goalie capable of stealing a game, something the team has lacked since the days of Ed Belfour. Cliff Fletcher has already suggested that the future of the Leafs will include Toskala, and perhaps will even be built around him.

Mats Sundin proved once again to be the biggest asset this season by leading the Leafs in points. However, his future with the team remains in question. He chose not to be traded at the trade deadline, leaving hockey analysts to believe that Sundin will retire as a Maple Leaf. However, Sundin has remained indecisive about returning next season: “I haven't thought about that. Since last summer I looked at my career and I said, ‘you know what, I'm at the stage of my career where I want to play one year at a time to see how I can perform and at what level and also how the body holds up.’ I'll be in the same position this summer to evaluate my own performance and physically how I feel too.''

Hockey analysts do agree that the prospects of seeing goalie Andrew Raycroft, forward Mark Bell, and defenseman Pavel Kubina in a Leaf uniform come October 2008 are small.

Certainly this summer will be a busy one for the Toronto Maple Leafs and looks to provide hope to a Stanley cup deprived Leaf nation.

16 THE MEDIUM

Monday, April 7, 2008

SPORTS

2007-08 UTM sports in review UTMAC wrapped up what was one of the most successful years in UTM athletics on March 27, at the Pavillion Royale in Mississauga.

Individual Award Winners Alice H Pearson Intrameural Athletes of the year: Mike Van and Ashleene Bradbury Cynthia E Haddow Award: Tina Dang Fair Play Award: Mike Van and Anita Tewari Referees of the Year: William Choi, Eric Carteciano, Ryan Tawil, Rik Rajudeen, Mark Hayward Coaches of the Year: Jimmy Huh and Damian Yearwood Gold Award of Excellence: Laura Desveaux, Hashim Jaunbocus Student Leadership: Jennifer Chapman, Laura Desveaux, Hashim Jaunbocus, Mike Van

photo/Michael Foley

Laura Desveaux and Neil Sehra pose with some hardware at the Pavillion Royale as they recieve their awards for the 2007/08 UTM Athletes of the Year.

Oarswoman of the Year: Michelle Bradbury Oarsman of the Year: James Walker James J Rae UTM Athlete of the Year: Laura Desveaux J. Tuzo Wilson UTM Althlete of the Year: Neil Sehra

2007-08 Championship Teams Go Eagles Go! Men’s Div II Basketball - Fall Term Men’s Div I Soccer Men’s Div II Volleyball Women’s Tri-Campus Indoor Soccer Women’s Div I Basketball - Winter Term Women’s Div I Volleyball - Winter

photo/Melissa Di Pasquale

Editors Rob Silva, left, and Sunny Pathak looking sharp at this year’s UTMAC Athletic Banquet at the Pavillion Royale.

The 41st annual athletic banquet was held this past Thursday, March 27, at the Pavillion Royale in Mississauga. With approximately 200 students in attendance along with administrative staff, the night featured awards, great giveaways, dinner, and a dance to celebrate a year of great success in athletics and recreation. The Department of Physical Education in attendance presented awards to various winners, with Michael Van, Ashleen Bradbury, Laura Desveaux, and Neil Sehra taking home the most trophies. The awards ceremony ended with the presentation of the male and female athletes of the year awards, presented to Neil Sehra and Laura Desveaux for their continuous commitment and success in athletics at UTM. The students stuck around to party with the open bar till 1:00 a.m. to cap off what many said was the best athletic banquet they had attended. On behalf of UTMAC I would like to congratulate all teams, players, coaches, and students for the most successful and participative year in athletics our university has experienced. Thank you for allowing us to serve as your student leaders, and we hope the future for athletics remains bright. photo/Facebook

Amrik Singh, left, and Khalid Pasha at this years UTMAC Athletic Banquet at the Pavillion Royale.

Cheers, Khalid Pasha VP Administrations, UTMAC