Bandersnatch Volume 43 Issue 6 by Bandersnatch

Bandersnatch VOLUME 43, ISSUE 06 | MOVEMBER 06, 2013 | TIME TRAVELLING SINCE 2971

CAMPUS LIFE

with Angela Brett

bandersnatchcampus@gmail.com

Time To Get Furry

In Support of Movember and Men’s Health Zack Duma Staff Writer

e all know about “Movember” or “No Shave November.” But for those of you who don’t, for one month, men all over the world grow out their facial hair in support of men’s health. It started in 2004 and has been spreading more and more every year. Events are held worldwide in countries such as Canada, the United States, Spain, Ireland, and Denmark last year. To participate you must shave whatever beard you have on the first of November and either, as most do, just not shave at all, or just choose to grow a moustache. Then on November 30th you shave, although if you can really grow a substantial beard many style it for the following months in many different ways. Movember has become so big that there are actually awards given out to people in something called the Moscars, where

BANDERSNATCH John Abbott College 21275 Lakeshore Road Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada H9X 3L9 Phone: (514) 457-6610 ext. 5389 Fax: (514) 457-6091 Office: H-041 Web: www.bandersnatch.ca bandersnatchpaper@gmail. E-mail:

com

Analisa Astorino Editor-in-Chief

Emma Sutherland Assistant Editor-in-Chief The official shaving

facial-hair-ridden fundraisers nominate team members with exemplary facial hair to win. But prizes are also given out to people based on their involvement in the causes which they are supporting, whether for the originality in their fundraising events or by their pure dedication to the month and facial hair itself. In fact, for the first time, John Abbott has their own team which is open to all students to join. They’ve already had an official shaving on November 1st to signify the start of Movember, but it’s never too late to start! Around 195 people from

Angela Brett Campus Life Editor

Tessa Mascia News Editor

JAC’s movember team

Abbott have already signed up to raise money, and you could be the next one to join the team. Just go to ca.Movember.com and join JAC’S Dirty Stache (the Abbott team name). Participants will be holding events throughout the month to raise money. Half of the funds will go directly to research for prostate cancer, 40% will go to supporting men’s mental health, and 10% will go to research for testicular cancer.

All proceeds raised during Movember go to supporting men’s health research; teams raising money can choose which causes they wish to support. So if not with Abbott, maybe someone somewhere else has a team which you can join. It’s for a good cause and all you have to do is not shave. It’s probably one of the easiest ways you’re ever going to raise money, so why not? Even if there isn’t a team you’re interested in joining, just show your support by growing that beard!

Dina Willis Entertainment Editor

Kenzy Abdel Malek Arts Editor

Caroline Houle Opinions Editor

Constantino Montelli Games Editor

Elaine Huang Science & Tech Editor

Aaron Rogers Procrasinator Editor

Trevor Laurie Sports Editor

Zachary Hirsch Production Manager

Brendan McGarry Webmaster

Breno Hölz Coscarelli Photography Manager

Emily Ciccia

Hey Abbotteers! Hope all of you are enjoying the semester and excited for it to end! November is finally here and that means the start of ‘Movember’, an event where guys grow out their moustaches in order to raise awareness of testicular cancer. A serious topic, but with an approach that has come to be known all over the world with tremendous success. Much has been happening around the school and we are glad to say students have been participating greatly. Getting up and moving was the idea behind ‘Fit Happens’--our yearly run around the Abbott Campus. Although cold, many turned up and it was

an overall success. Since many of you may not know what COAC is…it’s the Confederation of Anglophone CEGEPs and it allows students to connect with other Colleges and to exchange ideas and better our schools in the process. This month it was held on November 5 at John Abbott and any ideas or comments anyone has for the next meeting can be dropped off at our Office, at P-101! Many of you dropped in for SUJAC’s very own Haunted Open House, bringing many new faces and questions to our Office. We hope you learned a little more about your Student Union (plus the cookies were delicious!). After the Halloween candy craze, this month started

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with a fundraiser known as the ‘Loonie-Toonie Challenge’, which prompted 3 brave boys from SUJAC--named Charles, Sebastian and Mandeep (myself)--to put their hair on the line, offering to dye it all pink! With this ‘Dye SUJAC’ fundraiser challenge, these SUJAC Execs were able to raise over $450 for this cause. On top of this, SUJAC also donated $2,000 on behalf of the students--for the struggling students of John Abbott! On another note, Remembrance Day ceremonies are taking place as follows: Thursday, November 7 (at 10:15 A.M. leaving The Agora to follow a bag piper to Memorial Field) and Monday, November 11 (at 10:30-10:40 A.M. leaving the Cafeteria to follow a bag piper to The Agora, where there will be 2

minutes silence). Come march to Memorial Field to join up with other students from McGill, Mac High and Abbott as well as special speakers and guests, to honour the veterans present and all those who lost their lives in war, and to take time to reflect on how lucky we are to live in the time we do! The surprising thing is that those who lost their lives were teenagers our own age who went to war to protect us--kids who went to school, had friends, and lives, just as we do today--so that we future generations could continue to enjoy all which they lost. Let’s hope we don’t have to worry about that and for now focus on finishing this semester and then enjoy our winter break!

Office Manager

B a n d e r s n at c h i s a s t u d e n t r u n alternative press at John Abbott College. It is published every two weeks and is partially funded by the Student Activities Commitee and by advertising solicited customers. Submissions are welcome and become property of Bandersnatch. Submissions must be sent via e-mail to bandersnatch@gmail.com and must be in Plain Text format (.txt) o r M i c r o s o f t Wo r d D o c u m e n t format (.doc). All submissions must include the full name and telephone number of the contributor, as well as the e-mail address if applicable. Bandersnatch reserves the right to reject submissions or to edit any submissions for length, legality, or clarity. Submissions should be a minimum of 350 words and a maximum of 650 words. Articles lower or above these parameters may be printed at the discretion of the executives. Spelling and grammar will not be corrected on submissions as it is the responsibility of the contributor to correct them. If you should have any questions or concerns, please contact us at our e-mail indicated above or visit us at the Bandersnatch office, located in the basement of Herzberg, room H-041 (across from the hallway entrance of The Oval).

CAMPUS LIFE

“Just Chilling” The Scoop on Marijuana Usage on Campus Tessa Mascia News Editor

ust chilling, man.” Indeed, a lot of “chilling” does in fact go on at John Abbott college. Whether by virtue of boredom, easy access, or simply as a product of their MTV music video culture, many John Abbott students partake in the (still illegal in Canada) practice of smoking marijuana. “It helps me concentrate,” claims one user. She has been using since she was 13, now 6 years. “I have ADD, smoking really helps me concentrate.” This pseudo-scientific method of self medication holds little water with experts, many of whom agree that smoking can actually aggravate mental health conditions. Where do Abbott students smoke? In the privacy of their own homes? “I don’t need to go to Amsterdam, weed is legal wherever I go,” said one user, boldly smoking a joint inside the bus shelter on Lakeshore Boulevard. It becomes increasingly clear that acquiring this herbal remedy is much easier than one would expect. Perhaps even easier than acquiring alcohol for the underaged. Staying no longer than an

Source: Chmee2 aspirations. A week of trying to submerse myself in “stoner culture” gave me a good overview on which social groups partake in such activities: nearly all of them. Jocks, geeks, nerds, gamers: all had some within their ranks who would admit to being both current users and under the influence frequently in class. “I usually get baked before this class, it makes it more interesting,” said one student in a Modern History class. “I would be bored otherwise. I really don’t think it has a negative effect on my grades.” Not to paint a gloomy picture of the JAC

locus pocus

just a zap away

Deadline Approaching

From a Mugfull of Heaven

Naz Arabaghian Faculty advisor for LOCUS

hour and observing my surroundings, I saw the uninhibited use of marijuana, the smoke blending in almost perfectly with the tobacco cloud from the other smokers. “In my line of work, I would much rather deal with a pothead, someone smoking weed, rather than an alcoholic, someone who is drunk,” said one student studying in the Police Technology program. “I do not condone its usage nor would I ever do it but subjectively I see it as more of a benign drug, something that should not be our priority in enforcing (as police officers).” This Police Technology student has RCMP

student body, the majority of people I spoke with claimed to either never have smoked anything nor did they plan on doing so. “I don’t understand how these people can do this, some everyday, some before class,” said one judgemental, stern-looking boy. “ I would never be friends with someone who did that. It’s disgusting.” Other abstainees took a less critical tone in speaking with me. “I don’t do it ever, and I can’t imagine that will change, but I don’t judge those that do. It really doesn’t affect me and I think that it is getting to be more socially acceptable anyways,” said one well-put-together honours student. “Unless you’re driving, why should anyone care?” she added. With exams fast approaching and the school year slowly winding down, students are as stressed as ever and perhaps going to class high is not the best idea for the aspiring doctor, lawyer, or politician. One thing is for certain: no matter what your passtimes are, it is always best to take a moment to “just chill,” and enjoy your surroundings, whether you thrive on stress, meditation, or spicing up your liberal arts class.

OCUS is one of the oldest student-produced literary magazines at John Abbott College. The magazine is the brainchild of poet and retired English teacher Endre Farkas, who ran the magazine as an English course in journalism and publication in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, the magazine is put together by student editors, whose responsibilities include print and digital advertizing, soliciting materials, proofreading the final manuscript, and working on visual layout. While the student-editors come from different academic backgrounds and disciplines, they share the same goal: to produce a chapbook-sized magazine in which the student body can showcase

artistic and literary talent. With the financial backing and printing services provided by the Student Union, the print room, and the English department, the LOCUS team releases one issue at the end of each semester. While the print run is slim (about 350 copies per issue), the magazine continues to be well received by enthusiastic readers. The Fall 2013 issue is slated for release at the beginning of December 2013. The deadline is fast approaching (Nov. 15). Anyone who wishes to submit works of short fiction, poetry, or photography should do so electronically at the following address: locus.jac@gmail. com. If you are curious about LOCUS, don’t hesitate to get in touch with English teacher Naz Arabaghian, who currently acts as faculty adviser for the magazine.

Angela Brett Campus Life Editor

ith finals approaching, chances are you’re feeling a little bit stressed out. And the issue with stress is that while a little bit can be a useful motivator, a lot of it will make it impossible to get things done. A useful trick to reduce stress levels is to frequently take short breaks while studying. But sometimes, even if you’re doing your best to stay on track, and to keep motivated, you can find yourself in despair. One of my favourite ways to raise my spirits is by microwaving myself a warm, gooey baked cookie in a single-serving cup? Try it out yourself! Microwave Chocolate Chip Cookie: 1 tbsp. butter, melted 1 tbsp. white sugar 1 tbsp. brown sugar 3 drops of vanilla

pinch of salt 1 egg yolk 1/4 c. flour 2 tbsp. chocolate chips -In a bowl, mix together the butter, sugars, vanilla. -It might simplify things to microwave the butter first, so it’s soft and easy to work with. -Seperate the egg yolk by cracking the egg, then, over a sink, rocking the yolk from one helf shell to the other, letting the clear egg white fall away while the yolk stays in the shell. -Add the egg yolk to the bowl. -Add in the flour and salt. -Mix until combined. -Add in the chocolate chips, feeling free to add more in as many as you think is appropritate. -Put the dough into a small microwaveable bowl, ramekin, or coffee cup. -Microwave for 40-60 seconds or until the cookie looks done. Best served warm… Enjoy!

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CAMPUS LIFE

Halloween’s Best Dressed Favourites From JAC Student Activities’ Costume Contest

Ask Alice I’m constantly stressed and can never find time for my friends and family since I’m always doing schoolwork. How can I learn to balance my life?

First place Ken Cave

Second place Nikolas Dolmat

Third place Jodie Couture

It’s great that you’re placing importance on your studies, however, there is more to college than schoolwork. If you solely devote your time to studying, you may just drive yourself insane. You should place an emphasis on maintaining a healthy state of mind by allocating your time to family and friends at least twice a week. You’ll be surprised how spending even two hours with someone you love can relieve stress. I would also practice yoga and/or meditation to gain control over my emotions. Many students are feeling stressed, so I would advice that you go speak to a school counselor in Students Services. I’m 18 and still have never had a boyfriend. How can I change that?

Julian Ragosta and Chloé Lamborelle

Phillip

Mandeep Singh supporting the Loonie Line

Don’t wear yourself out Doing an Exta Semester Isn’t the End of the World Charles Keita Staff Writer

ollege is a lot different than high school; you’ve probably already figured that out. Along with the newly found freedom is a demand on your time. You will learn that the more time you spend on something, the better your result will be. For example, if you work an hour extra, you will get paid more, and if you spend an extra hour studying, you will receive a better mark on that test worth 15%. Now, you are probably feeling that there is not enough time in the day for you to do everything that you want. Let’s do the math. Seven classes a semester is roughly 20 hours a week in class, thus 20 hours a week at home doing class work. It is recommended that we get 8 hours of

sleep a night, accounting for 56 hours a week. Now let’s add a parttime job that takes 20 hours of your time a week (note: this can be volunteer work, too, or time spent doing extracurricular activities such as clubs and sports). You’re left with 52 hours to just do anything, right? The obvious answer is no. I have not taken into account eating, getting dressed, socializing, Twitter (and, no, it is not the same as socializing), and commuting. Seeing that this is an unsustainable lifestyle, what should you do? Well, you are obviously working those hours for a reason, so why not cut down on your school hours? It is only required that you take 4 classes a semester for you to remain a full-time student. Now, I know what you’re thinking, that all your friends will be gone by the time you finish CEGEP, but that is not the

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case. The John Abbott Annual Report shows that only 40% of the Pre-University population actually graduates within the 2 years. This tells us that 60% of the student population decides to take an extra semester. Universities do not care about the amount of time it took you to complete CEGEP or that you were able to take 8 classes in one semester, nor will they care about your extracurricular activities. The only thing that universities care about is how well you performed in each class. It is too late in the semester to drop a class but it is a good time to think about your priorities for next semester. For those of you who would like to keep your seven-class course load, the college suggests that you work 12 hours a week or less so that it does not affect your academic standings.

You’re at a point in your life where having a boyfriend should not be your main priority. Sure, it’s always nice to have a partner in crime by your side, however, it’s also important to embrace the single life. It gives you more time to nourish your current friendships and see your family. If you wish to broaden your potential for a new relationship, there are a few things you can do to seek such opportunities. Socialize with different groups of people, whether it be with students studying in Visual Arts or even Sciences. Step away from your comfort zone and take up a new hobby. It may even be in your best interest to join clubs, form study groups and find out how you can help out in your community. Perhaps you’ll meet someone who spikes your interest; therefore, it is vital that you draw their attention by introducing yourself. It’s as simple as a warm “hello”. Don’t strain any of your relationships and ease off the pressure. Focus on the more prevalent aspects of your life, such as finding security within yourself and enjoying your youthful college years.

Sports

with Trevor Laurie

bandersnatchsports@gmail.com

THE RISE OF SOCCER Why It’s An Important Presence in Canada Emily Ciccia Office Manager

veryone knows that playing sports has an endless list of health benefits. Mainly, it keeps you in shape and people are generally happy because they are doing something they love. In Canada, soccer has become one of the most popular sports over the past few decades, after hockey of course. Soccer has many specific health benefits that might not apply to other sports. Soccer is generally a low-contact sport, which speaks for itself. There are still the occasional people who aren’t team players and get too aggressive, but that’s what the referee is there for. Besides the occasional bruises and pulled muscles, soccer is a pleasant and fun sport to play. Soccer increases your aerobic capacities and your cardiovascular health, as well as lowers your body fat content and improves muscular tone. These are very important health factors as they all reduce the risk of having heart disease

Source: www.psychotherapybrownbag.com

and heart attacks. The shift between walking, running, and sprinting is also a huge benefit in how effective the workout it. When a workout doesn’t have enough diversity, your body gets accustomed to the activity and it loses its effect. With soccer there is no predicting when you will have to take off on a sprint down the field, or when

you’ll be able to just casually stroll around waiting for some action. The sport also has a huge factor on your mental health, which is extremely important but all too often overlooked. Soccer is a tactical, team oriented sport and requires for the team to get along and be friendly with one another.

Because of this, soccer teams tend to stick together from season to season, and the players grow closer in doing so. Being a part of a team that gets along makes playing all the more enjoyable, and obviously makes you happier. Being in such an environment is not only fun, but can actually help with depression and anxiety. Soccer also encourages you to think on the go and increase your concentration and self discipline. After a soccer game you’ll feel like you’ve had a good physical workout and exercised your brain at the same time. Soccer is a great and fun sport to play, with lots of physical and mental health benefits. You can play for fun with your friends on weekends, or join a team and make new friends. We’ve even overcome our unfortunate cold weather and built indoor soccer fields to be able to play during the winter. So next time you want to have a good time and get some exercise, grab a ball and a few friends and go play some soccer.

BOSTON STILL STRONG

Sports in the north

Red Sox Win World Series

Yellow Knifes Cross Country Ski Club

Trevor Laurie Sports Editor

he beleaguered city of Boston certainly has a lot to celebrate with the Red Sox’s 6-1 win over the St Louis Cardinals. Winning the series 4 games to 2, the bearded horde that is the 2013 Sox clinched the title at home in front of their loyal fans for the first time in 95 years. This means that the team have now landed three Major League titles in 10 seasons, following an 86-year drought which ended in 2004.The game had many highlights including Shane Victorino’s driving in four runs with a basesloaded double in the third and an RBI single in the fourth. A resurgent John Lackey, the Red Sox starting pitcher, produced an outstanding performance that incited the crowd at Fenway Park to a standing ovation after he left the game after six and two-third innings with Boston in control with an insurmountable 6-1 lead. Cardinal’s then attempted a comeback with slugger Carlos

Beltran scoring shortstop Daniel Descalso on a single in the seventh inning but it was not to be. St Louis left three batters on base in one of the few real opportunities they had to put real pressure on the Red Sox. Relief pitcher Junichi Tazawa got the crucial out and capped a strong series. This is definitely a high point for Boston sports fans, and all members of the Red Sox nation throughout Massachusetts, in what has been an emotional year. With the wounds of the horrific Boston Marathon bombings still fresh in the minds of many citizens, the team managed to come through and brighten spirits by being only the second team in MLB history to finish last in their division in one season and win the World Series the next year. Big hitter David Ortiz, who is said to be the greatest clutch hitter in Red Sox history, said it best: “Nobody expected this, but we never stopped believing”. Boston Strong!

Mark Cool Contributor

lthough not enough snow has fallen in Yellowknife to allow enthusiasts to begin participating in winter sports such as cross country skiing, snowshoeing or dogsledding, northern Canadians are still finding ways to embrace winter. Currently, the temperature in the city revolves around -7°C with a wind-chill lowering it to around -12°C; however, contrary to some people here in Montreal, people there can hardly wait for it to get colder. The reason is simple: the colder it is, the more snow there is, snow being a key component in countless sporting activities practiced in the community. An organization that promotes athleticism in this northern environment is Yellowknife’s Cross Country Ski Club. Not only is the club a good outlet for people to get involved in cross country skiing and other winter sports, but also, with over 560 members, the biggest volunteer sport facility in Northern Canada. At the moment, the club is doing its best to operate with low snow levels. By opening snow jogging programs

on the ski trails or using resources such as snow-making machines, the club is constantly working on ways of getting its winter season under way and with good reason. With a small population of just twenty thousand, sports have always been a good way of bringing people together. Some believe that back in the day, it was the region’s mining companies that played the biggest role in bringing sports to the community. It seems as if these companies used to hire workers that were athletic so that they could, not only work for them, but participate in company tournaments. Sports and life have gone hand in hand in Yellowknife ever since. Needless to say, the city will be participating, along with the rest of Canada, in the RBC National Sports Day on November thirtieth. On this date, cities all over the country will be hosting different events that celebrate the positive aspects of sports. Yellowknife’s Cross Country Ski Club will certainly be proud to represent the North-West Territories sporting community as they are certain there will be more than enough snow on the ground by the end of November.

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NEWS

with Tessa Mascia

bandersnatchnews@gmail.com

Bloodshed in iraq Hostilities Continue Between Religious Sects Danielle Nadin Staff Writer

loodshed has become part of the everyday for Iraq, with tensions between Sunni and Shi’ite populations – two divisions of Islam who reside side-byside in the country and have always been subject to cultural, ideological and political conflict – on the rise. With bombings, shootings and uprisings at a high, it is estimated by the United Nations that 5000 civilians have died since the beginning of 2013. Last Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki met with President Obama in Washington, where the two leaders held private discussions on the Middle-Eastern country’s precarious situation. Up until now, violence has been mostly due to

attacks by Shi’ite terrorist groups like al-Qaeda. Maliki, having seemingly abandoned the idea of diplomacy at this point, has expressed Iraq’s need for American assistance to defend his people. The United States have shown no interest in sending their army overseas once more, and with good reason, as the 2003 US invasion, which came to an end in December of 2011, benefitted no one. Iraq was left crippled and in shambles, no better off than when it began, and the US suffered great economical loss. The less involved alternative, therefore, would be for the US to supply Iraqi peacekeepers with guns and Apache attack helicopters. If this happens, Iraq will undoubtedly face civil war. “If it is true that Maliki starts looking to [Shi’ite militias] for security, then we’re going

from a Sunni terrorist campaign to a situation where two sides are going to be fighting each other,” said Stephen Wicken, a D.C.based security analyst, to Time Magazine in October. What, then, is Iraq to do? The only other option would be an attempt at diplomatic discourse between the two opposing factions, as suggested by Obama. An issue that runs this deep (since the British colonization) would surely not be resolved so simply, though. As Paul Danahar of BBC News so plainly puts it: “Iraq is broken. It’s broken because it was never fixed.” The country’s situation is dire, its inhabitants shackled to a violent, corrupt system by conflicts that have gone unresolved for years. Under Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party regime, a minority

Source: bigstory.ap.com

Sunni population composed the government. After the US overturned the dictator in 2003, power shifted towards the more numerous Shi’ite population. Democratically, this would be fair… if Sunni’s rights were not being slighted. Feeling that they are not well-represented by the current Maliki government and unable to advance to powerful positions, this religious group has nowhere to turn but, in the words of American senator John McCain, “into the arms of al-Qaeda”, and

other extremist organizations who promise to defend their rights. The conflict in Syria, Iraq’s neighbor by way of a 600 kilometer border, has also spilled-over to the already struggling country. Militants are now operating in both countries, and even joined forces in April to form the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS). Without international intervention, it seems that the only way things can spiral is towards a gruesome civil war.

shooting at lax Gun Violence Continues to Plague the US Shiraa Noumbissie-Nzefa Contributor

ast Friday, Los Angeles International Airport was witness to a shooting that injured 7 people and left one dead. The suspected shooter, Paul Anthony Ciancia, entered terminal 3 of Los Angeles Airport around 9:20 am, dressed in combat gear, and then proceeded to pull a semi-automatic rifle out of his bag in order to shoot his way past the security checkpoint. Through this action, the 23-years-old man from New Jersey fatally wounded one Transportation Security Administration officer (TSA) and injured a few others before he was subdued by the police following a shootout and taken into custody. This event that lasted around ten minutes left

only one dead, a 39-yearsold TSA by the name of Gerardo Hernandez, who was in charge of behavior detection at the airport. After the shooting, various witnesses have reported that the suspect seemed to have a grudge against TSA agents, uttering several curses against them. According to those same witnesses, he would also ask them if they were TSA officers before moving on if the answer was negative. This hypothesis was proven true when a note stating that he “wanted to kill TSA” was found on the shooter’s person, leading an FBI spokesman to conclude that, “The true motive for this attack is unknown other than an obvious disdain for the government and TSA”. However, the reason of his hatred towards those agents responsible for the

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security in the nation’s airports is still unknown. As a result of this incident, most flights were cancelled or delayed and the airport was evacuated, leaving the people to pick up their luggage on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. This most recent event, though tragic, is sadly far from uncommon in the USA. There was even a shooting that occurred in the same airport on July 4, 2002, where a lone limousine driver walked into the airport, killed two people and injured a few others, before turning his gun against himself. Indeed, in the last decade, the shooting incidents even seem to have grown in numbers. In the 2000s, 40 instances of school shooting were reported in this country. And it seems like the 2010s promise to be higher

Source: hollywoodreporter.com

in number, because there were already 46 school shooting events as of October 23 this year. According to FBI statistics, 7364 murders out of a total of 9787 were caused by firearms in the United States in 2011. With such a high number, it is easy to question the wisdom of the right to bear arms in this country. It is possible that this latest event will reopen the debate about the right to

bear arms. On this debate, opinions are and will stay divided. On one side, we have the defenders of this law who say that every citizen has the right to have a weapon to defend themselves, whereas on the other hand some cite shootings such as the one that happened last week to prove that citizens shouldn’t be trusted to carry firearms. Sadly, the last week’s incident seems to be proving the second group right.

news

Eavesdropping on presidents US Oversteps with International Community Gabriele Bavaro Staff Writer

pying allegations against the United States have been growing by the day. On Thursday October 31st, 2013 an Australian newspaper alleged that the United States used embassies in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand and other Asian countries as a way to collect intelligence on their own allies and other nations according to the Washington Post. They joined the many other dissatisfied nations who are accusing the United States of spying on them. This new series of allegations comes after a wave of angry protests from many core U.S. allies which include but are not limited to, Germany, France, and Spain. One of the most angered countries is Germany, which

a few weeks ago found out that the United States had been spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The tip came from German newsmagazine Der Spiegel which received the information from none other than Edward Snowden. They gave the German government evidence that the United States had been spying on the German Chancellor through her phone for over ten years, according to CBC news. Germany`s Interior Minister has now declared that “If we find culprits and if we can identify them, they must live with the legal consequences, and if they are diplomats, they must leave the country”. Germany is also looking to cut off the United States’ access to a tool used to track terrorist money flows and is considering, along with the European Union, other pu-

nitive measures. The United States has countered some of the allegations, stating that in France and Spain the government had been spying on their own citizens and passing off the information to the United States, as reported by the Daily Mail. Germany and the United States’ European allies are not the only ones with harsh words with the U.S. Allies such as Southeast Asian countries demand an explanation for the United States’ actions with as many as 35 foreign leaders being affected, according to the Inquirer News. China has expressed anger over the revelations, which claim that many Chinese cities were also spied on, according to the BBC News. The Chinese Foreign Minister had this to say: “China is

Angela Merkel speaks to reporters.

severely concerned about the reports, and demands a clarification and explanation.” They were joined by the Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who said Indonesia “cannot accept and strongly protests the news of the existence of wiretapping facilities at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta”. With all of these allegations it came as a surprise that President Obama stated that he had no knowledge of the spying said the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee on

Source: abcnews.go.com

Monday October 28th. The recent scandal has prompted the White House to declassify NSA documents to show greater transparency in the face of the growing protests both outside and inside the United States. The U.S government is attempting damage control with the International Business Times reporting that Obama has ordered that no more spying will be done on the IMF and the World Bank. The Voice of America News has reported that Obama is now considering ending the spying of allied leaders.

ROMA GIRL, ROMA CAMPS Blonde Girl Found in Camp Sheds Light on Roma Plight Zoe Quinn Shaw Staff Writer

olice across Europe have been searching Roma camps for child traffickers and their victims. This began with a drug and weapons raid of a camp made by authorities last month in Greece. When a white, blondhaired, blue-eyed toddler was found among people who looked nothing like her, authorities raised their eyebrows. This child, called “Maria” or “the blonde angel”, lived with Christos Salis and Elefthiera Dimopoulou, who cared for fourteen children at the time of the raid on October 16th. Authorities removed Maria from the camp in the city of Farsala, 280 kilometres north of Athens. After her DNA was tested, they discovered that the couple were not her real birth parents. Salis and

Dimopoulou admitted to accepting the infant from a mother who could not care for the child. With no proof of this event, they were charged with abducting a minor, and the search for Maria’s birth parents made international news. Meanwhile, Maria was cared for by a Greek charity called the Smile of the Child, which is a non-profit organization that fights for child welfare. The ignorance that most of the world has toward the Roma culture stands out in this conflict that they are facing. They are stigmatised as travelling vagabonds and illiterate thieves, but now they are accused of trafficking children. Salis and Dimopoulou are not the only Roma couple accused of using children for welfare benefits, since Maria’s story lifted the spirits of heartbroken parents across Europe. The parents of missing

children hope to find their loved ones in Roma camps, which have been raided more than ever in the past few weeks. A Roma man explains how the local police have never cared about his people, only knocking on doors to harvest election votes. Not even murders in their neighbourhoods are investigated. Maria’s story may have inspired parents of missing children, but for the Roma people, this does nothing to help their case. Under the Child Care Act, authorities can remove children from any environment that is suspected to be unhealthy, and Roma camps are devastated as their families are torn apart. Across Europe, children who do not resemble their parents are given DNA tests to prove their parentage. This is causing an uproar against European authorities, who are taking children from their homes

Maria, the blonde angel

with force, regardless of their attachment to their guardians. On October 25, DNA testing proved a Bulgarian Roma couple to be Maria’s true parents. However, when Sasha Ruseva and her husband were tracked down, they were deemed unfit to have Maria returned to them and even unfit to keep their own children. Of those who still lived in the

Source: abcnews.go.com

single-room house with the mud floor, two were assigned to a state institution and one to live with relatives. Maria has been put up for adoption in Bulgaria. Ruseva wants all of her children returned to her, but she and her husband are unemployed and living on welfare. She has threatened to commit suicide if she loses this battle.

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Science & Tech

bandersnatchscience@gmail.com

with Elaine Huang

Bubble babies no more!

A Walk on the Wild Side with Nigel Thornberry

A New Way to Treat the “Bubble Boy Disease” Orla Mahon Contributor

magine living your whole life in a bubble. And I don’t mean just keeping to yourself, but having to move around in an actual physical bubble. Now imagine that you cannot set foot outside of this sterile bubble… ever. For, if you do, you will likely die. Until recently, this was the daily reality for children affected by Severe combined immunodeficiency, or “bubble boy disease”. SCID, also known as Alymphocytosis, is a rare genetic disorder linked to a mutation in a baby’s DNA. This modification happens during an infant’s prenatal development and makes that child’s immune system completely defective. In its most common forms, this malfunction is a result of the near or complete absence of lymphocytes, or white blood cells. This makes the bodies of those affected unable to recognize and destroy foreign substances and viruses, and causes them to succumb to any infection they may come into contact with, no matter how

small. It is not surprising then, that babies born with SCID usually die within a year of their birth due to complications from infections. Doctors originally thought they might be able to cure this ailment by transplanting stem cells from the bone marrow of healthy donors to that of affected patients. They hoped that, through this process, these cells might be able to produce the lymphocytes the diseased systems so desperately lacked, restoring their immune functions. However, not only was it extremely difficult for them to find donors whose bone marrow was a perfect match to those of the sick infants, but the transplant itself was incredibly risky, with one out three children dying during the procedure. Nevertheless, doctors noticed something startling in those for whom the surgery had been successful. The healthy copies of the mutated gene that were introduced by transplant would quite often multiply much faster than their modified cousins, quickly

source: vimeo.com

overwhelming the bad gene in their sheer numbers. This gave researchers the idea that they might be able to cure these children of their deficiency by simply introducing a working version of the damaged gene into their system, a much neater procedure than transplanting an entire section of bone marrow. So they put it to the test, first using a virus as a carrier to replace the faulty gene with a healthy one. However, this particular process often resulted in the children developing treatment-related leukemia and so was discarded very quickly.

Now doctors have found a way to collect stem cells directly from the child’s bone marrow, repair the damaged or defective gene in these cells and then inject them back into the patient’s body, and the results so far are extremely promising. To date, a total of five children have been successfully treated using this method, all of them showing a dramatic increase in their number of white blood cells and this, much more quickly than anticipated. This raises hope that other children born with genetic disorders will soon be able to be treated using this new, safe form of gene therapy.

Populated by hundreds of strange, beautiful and fascinating creatures, these dark and mysterious realms in the depths of the ocean seldom reveal themselves to the human eye. Last week, however, marine biologists got into quite a tizzy when two oarfish washed up on the beaches of California within the same week. These massive serpent-like creatures, though to be at the origin of many sea serpent legends, can grow to 11 meters of gelatinous flesh. Though they may be imposing, the odd-looking creatures feed mainly on zooplankton and are harmless to humans. A necropsy performed on the oarfish revealed that one of the fish was ready to spawn, while the other was teeming with worms. Thus far, biologists hypothesize that the oarfish, which are in fact quite poor swimmers, may have been carried into rough waters by a strong current and were battered about before washing up, sadly deceased, on the shore.

new online currency Say Hello to Bitcoin! Brendan McGarry Webmaster

what is currency? Although it’s a big jump from gold, salt and even seashells to credit cards and online banking, forms of currency have evolved with the times, from metal coins to bank notes, bills to bonds, and more recently, to electronic and digital forms. However, a new currency has arisen; one that fueled a billion-dollar online black market, one that let a man spend $27 and walk away with $886 thousand, one that had a brand new type of ATM opened in Vancouver in its name last Wednesday. The currency of our time is the Bitcoin. The Bitcoin (c) is far different from any form of currency

we’re used to: it’s a “decentralized peer-to-peer digital cryptocurrency.” To put this in plain English, “decentralized” means that it’s not controlled by any government or even any one group, “digital cryptocurrency” means that bitcoins are unique and rare because of the encryption that’s used to generate them, and “peer-to-peer” means that the closest the Bitcoin comes to existing in the physical form is on the Internet in a public record known as “the blockchain.” What might be the coolest feature of bitcoins is “bitcoin mining,” which in the beginning was basically printing money from your computer. Each bitcoin has a unique bitcoin code, and anyone to find one with a bitcoin-searching algorithm owns that bitcoin. However,

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they become progressively harder to calculate so people have resorted to pooling their processing power to mine blocks of bitcoins, with each block currently being worth about $4,000. A darker feature of the Bitcoin is its complete untraceability which made it central to the business model of the Silk Road, an online black market that facilitated over $1.2 billion in illegal transactions before finally being shut down by the FBI. Its incredible two-and-ahalf year run was broken with the arrest of the shady operator of the website who left some small but careless traces, then attempted to have some of his employees who he suspected to be FBI informants assassinated. Fans have worried that the Silk Road would mar the

source: www.theguardian.com

Bitcoin’s reputation, but the only other mishap — a temporary fork in the public bitcoin network in March 2013 — proved to not be a big deal when hours after the incident, the bitcoin network stabilized and the exchange rate returned to near-normal. All other evidence seems to point to Bitcoins being here to

stay. It was recently recognized as a “unit of account” in Germany, and as a form of currency in the US. A café in Vancouver recently opened the first-ever Bitcoin ATM, and many cafés around the world now accept Bitcoins as payment. Only time will tell the next step in online currency, but the evolution so far continues to be promising.

games

with Constantino Montelli

bandersnatchgames@gmail.com

The saga of the xbox one

The story of how a console can create controversy Constantino “Tino” Montelli Games Editor

ay 21th 2013 was the date that the Xbox One was revealed. The conference was mostly on the features of the console, TV implementation, a new version of the Kinect, family plan sharing of games, and several other things. But what was the most revealing was that the console would have DRM policies. 24-hour online check-ins and one-time game installations discs would mean is that there would be no used games for the Xbox One and the console wouldn’t work properly if you didn’t have internet for a day or even at all. With more and more information being revealed for the new Xbox, more questions were asked. “What if I live in an area that doesn’t have great internet?” “What about my retail purchase of an Xbox One game?” “I can’t sell it because of onetime use installs?” “What about people overseas?” “Am I essentially just renting these

Source: Xbox.com

games at full price?” “What would happen if in the next decade the servers shut off?” “Can I play my games in ten years time?” These were the kinds of questions fans and video game journalists were asking about the console. It seemed that, leading up to E3 2013, Microsoft was going to have to explain to people about this situation. When the event ended at E3, despite showing off impressive games like Dead Rising 3, Overstrike and Killer Instinct, they didn’t address the main concern.

Nintendo 2DS Next in the family Andrew Fironi Contributor

s of October 12th, Nintendo released their latest handheld console, the 2DS. Many people have been “hating” on it without ever actually using one, let alone hold one. In terms of looks, yes, it does resemble a door-stopper, but it really is not all that bad. Although it doesn’t fold, it feels just like a normal DS once you get into a game. If anything, it just feels like a slightly larger console controller but with screens. It also

Source: Nintendo.com

has a built in microphone at the bottom left, next to the touch screen, as well as the option to plug in headphones. It still comes with a sleep option, which is a sliding switch instead of closing the screens, which allows for counting steps and StreetPass while it is in the low power sleep setting. Unlike the 3DS, it does not have 3D capability, but it still retains the 3D camera and the option to take pictures in 3D and save them to the SD card. In terms of games, it can still play any 3DS game and any DS game, like the ever-so-popular Pokémon X/Y and the new Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (which will be released as of November 22nd). Overall, it’s a fine handheld console that works just as well as the previous models and is a cheaper option for people who are not willing to spend as much money on a 3DS.

Then the PlayStation press conference happened. Three quarters into a stellar presentation, Sony proceeded to, and I quote from one of my friends, “Verbally murder the Xbox One” by calling out the Xbox One policies and saying that they are not going to do what Microsoft is doing. The audience attending cheered loudly for that and it was one of the biggest and most memorable moments that happened during E3. So on June 19th, a month since it revealed the Xbox One and its features, Microsoft

pulled a 180 and reversed their policies on their new console. No more “always online” requirement, no more 24-hours check-in, no additional restrictions on trading games or loaning discs. All game discs will work on Xbox One as they do on Xbox 360 with region locking gone on the Xbox One. So from this amazing story of the Xbox One, I think we learned that gamers are serious about their gaming. While the other non-game features were great or a waste (depending on who you are), the gamers, the consumers, wanted a great gaming machine and the Xbox One threatened the way we would game if that version of the Xbox One had been released. With so much fan response and banding together, we have the voice to change the industry. The fact that we had a say in changing a mega corporation’s policy of a video game console will be one of those historic moments in gaming that we will be talking about for generations.

Hey Gamers! Last issue’s Twitter question was “Who’s your favourite Pokémon?” Here are your answers! @Bigjackpot777: Articuno @AndrewFironi: Wobbuffet for competitive, he makes for a good wall that can take out a couple dangerous Pokémon before he is K.O. @PennyCenturyXo: Eevee! @AdrianChroca019: Aerodactyl cuz he’s badass and great flying HM slave.

For the next Twitter question, “PS4 or Xbox One? Which one are you getting?” Tweet your answers to @TinoGamesEditor and your answers could be in the next issue!

Free Indie Games Cool games to check out! Dr. DDR Contributor

o you want to play some awesome games but can’t afford to buy anything at the moment? Well, go on the computer and search for these awesome free indie games! 0Space, created by Teknopants, is a unique 2-to-4 player arena brawler where you shoot and fight your friends in a zero-gravity environment. It’s a really cool concept, with bright colors and lots of depth to the gameplay. If you have some friends huddled up together in front of the computer screen, I highly suggest downloading it. Cave Story, created by Pixel, is a

classic freeware game with a great following. Created in 2004, the game is a platform-adventure similar to the Metroidvaina style of gameplay. You play a kid who wakes up with amnesia. He discovers that the animal inhabitants have been taken away by a doctor who is turning them into monsters. The game has several updated versions on Steam, Wiiware and 3DS but you can still download the free version online. Spelunky, created by Derek Yu, is a platform-adventure that is a rogue-like dungeon crawler. You play an explorer gathering treasure and saving damsels in distress, all the while dodging traps. Every level is randomly generated, so the replay value is high. You can get the updated version of the game on Xbox 360, PS3 and Steam, but you can still play this great game for free. See the column right next to this article for other free indie games. You can find all sorts of high quality games free to download and play on the PC and MAC.

In other news, PS4 is releasing on Nov. 15 for $399 and Xbox One is releasing on Nov . 22 for $499. We’re so close to the next generation of console it’s insane! Hope you guys get your console soon. Recommended Free Indie games: • Ikachan • O ctodad • Mighty Jill Off • Street Fighter X Mega Man • Osu! • Tag: The Power of Paint • Warning Forever • Happy Wheels • Toribash

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Opinions

with Caroline Houle

bandersnatchopinions@gmail.com

Test drive the car before you buy it Sex Before Marriage is Only Natural

Emily Ciccia Office Manager

or a lot of people, getting married means finally being able to have sex with their now husband or wife. So many cultures and religions worldwide follow what I think is a ridiculous tradition. Although I believe in freedom of speech, belief, and being yourself, I’ve never been able to make peace with staying a virgin until after you’ve gotten married for a list of reasons. Firstly, I like to look at the situation in a similar fashion as buying a car. You’re always going to take a car out for a test drive before buying it. You have to make sure you like the way it feels when you drive your new car. I’m not trying to say that women or men are material objects like cars, but that sex is a very important aspect in a relationship. You don’t want to

spend thousands, or dare I say millions, of dollars on a wedding that will go to hell because you hate having sex with your new spouse. Secondly, in my opinion religion is forced upon people at a very young age. Because of this they grow up not knowing any differently and thinking that they have to think exactly like their parents. I was raised as a catholic, but was lucky enough to have parents who also let me have a mind of my own and accept that I developed my own thoughts and beliefs. People who don’t have the opportunity to do this might realize that they disagree with the beliefs that have been pushed upon them despite their fear of changing anything about themselves. Because of this they end up becoming very sexually frustrated which can lead to a number of other issues. Finally, imagine that you’re someone who doesn’t

Source: huffingtonpost.com

believe in waiting until you’re married to have sex. You meet a wonderful person and really love them and really want to have sex with them, but you can’t because they want to wait until they’re married. A lot of the time these situations will lead to a premature wedding because they just want to be able to sleep with the person they love. This sounds like a

ridiculous thing to do but it does happen. People will end up getting married even if they don’t really want to just because they want to be able to have sex. They don’t realize that even if marriage isn’t a big deal to them, they still have to deal with consequences. They will either be miserable and stuck with someone they don’t love for the rest of their lives,

or end up getting a divorce which could very well screw them over and leave them broken. Sex is a natural instinct that all animals have no matter what the species is. To deny your body from a natural act in order to respect a manmade belief is something that, in my opinion, is just plain stupid.

Unending debacle My Opinion on the Senate Crisis Gabriele Bavaro Staff Writer

here are a few things that I feel will be remembered as historically significant events. These include the Charbonneau Commission and the Charter of Quebec Values. That being said, I think that the Senate Scandal is perhaps the biggest crisis in federal politics at the moment. What the Senate Crisis has shown us is that rampant corruption is just as prolific amongst the federal government as it is amongst the provincial parties of Quebec. The current crisis goes deeper than what you would initially think. On the surface it would appear that some politicians had made

some grave errors. But when you realize that the Conservatives are hiding certain facts, that their story changes every couple of weeks, then it becomes obvious that the Scandal is farther reaching than what was first imagined. It comes to me as no surprise that the Conservative Party, specifically Stephen Harper, are at the center of this crisis. After the Robocall Scandal–which is still ongoing–not only did I disagree with the Conservatives on their policies, I grew to distrust them, viewing every statement that they made with great suspicion. Now that they are at the center of another scandal, suspicion has merely grown. The Conservatives have been proven to be lying as they have repeatedly

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changed their stories and other details. For example, they initially said that the chief of staff, Nigel Wright, resigned but are now saying that he was fired. The Prime Minister refuses to directly answer any questions that other people have for him, preferring to dance around them. This reveals that he is not being honest with Canadians and that he is not brave enough to face the music. The Conservatives used to advocate strongly for Senate reform, with Stephen Harper giving speeches in 2006 for the abolition of the Senate. But after being elected into power, they have not lifted a finger to ensure a more democratic Senate, instead going back on the promises that they had made to Canadian citizens.

Source: macleans.ca

The Conservatives’ solution to this scandal is to try and get the three Senators at the center of the scandal suspended without pay. This is a violation of the Senate charter, which only states that a similar punishment can be made if a Senator does not show up for work. They are trying to get around due process and allow the RCMP to launch a full investigation into the matter, which is against the principals of democracy.

It is high time that our Prime Minister and the Conservative party come clean about the Senate Scandal and reveal once and for all what really went on. This crisis has shown that Senate reform is a must here in Canada. I personally advocate for a democratically elected Senate where each member is independent of any political party in the House of Commons. What is your solution to the current crisis in the Senate?

opinions

Secrets, secrets are no fun Unless shared with Everyone Sam Maurovich Staff Writer

or many years, the Internet has been an outlet for a large number of people. It can provide anonymity or create a completely new persona. With things like tumblr and different blogs, people have felt like they can open up and share their “secrets” with their online community. While some users may give very negative feedback, an overwhelming and surprising amount of support can be seen as well. Websites like PostSecret have blown up in the past couple of years and this sharing of secrets seems to have been very therapeutic for many people. I often check the PostSecret website and am continually finding out that, I too, share these secrets. It’s nice to know you are not alone, which is why I think this movement has been so well received. JAC Secrets is a common topic of conservation this semester at John Abbott. It was

originally a place for John Abbott students to send in secrets anonymously and where they could possibly receive support, approval or relief. There is a combination of light-hearted secrets as well as more personal secrets that are being posted daily, which is great. Some of the posts have been quite emotional and discuss issues that are typically considered taboo or too difficult to talk about. These secrets almost always remain anonymous and I am pleased to say that they receive respectful and helpful comments by the majority of the student body. However, there are some posts that are very unnecessary and contradict the whole point of this page. JAC Secrets has become another form of Unmentioned Abbott. While I have nothing against the Unmentioned page, it’s a great idea. I believe those types of posts should stay there and not invade JAC Secrets. Eventually everything turns into some sort of a popularity contest, which is what I see happening.

Source: gawker.com

Out of the six-thousand students at Abbott, it seems like it’s always the same forty students who are being posted about or commenting on the secrets themselves. For many of the posts, the idea of anonymity has gone out the window and all that matters is who is getting the most amount of likes on their comment. The shoutouts to a cute girl or boy have overshadowed the emotional secrets which are now just “depressing”, and the initial point

of the page seems to have been forgotten. My opinion of the page first altered when I saw the post calling out some girl because of the car she drove. She was accused of being a spoiled brat or something along those lines, and decided to send in a post defending herself. I’m all for standing up for oneself, but instead of just posting an anonymous secret stating how she felt about the accusations, she revealed her identity and began

an online battle with her accuser and all the other commenters. In my opinion, this goes against everything the page stands for and was completely uncalled for. If the Internet is a place where someone can find some sort of reassurance than I am all for it, which is why I’m hoping JAC secrets can remain a place where one’s identity does not matter and people from all different groups will offer their support without judgment.

My standpoint on religion Questioning the True Purpose of Religion Kady Motton Contributor

am not an atheist. I do not believe in God, nor do I accept religion or any of its teachings. My reasoning is simple: I do not like that an invisible force with no other proof than a forced belief puts a man on his knees. The fact that man has decided throughout the centuries that one religion is greater than the other or that one race is superior over another is complete bogus. Why is white skin better than dark skin when we breathe the same air, simply because they believe in different gods? Why are homosexuals disgraceful when they feel the pain of a lost loved one simply because their choices are deemed sinful? Why are terrorists and freedom fighters seen as good and evil because they fight for different homes?

Source: religion.png

Because humans are selfish and arrogant, ignorant and egocentric. We aim to be better than everyone else. If something is different than what we are used to, then it is deemed blasphemous. Not because it is a personal attack to ourselves but an attack on what we were taught and forced to believe in since before we could form memories.

Don’t get me wrong, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and lifestyles. However, if you are convinced that your beliefs, choices, and lifestyle should be respected, then so should everyone else’s. No man is superior to another man because of their wealth, status, sexual orientation, geographical heritage or traditional background, access

Source: the20.org

to food or healthcare, or any other society based standard. A man’s superiority comes from his virtue and understanding of the balance in which the universe operates. The Greeks called this the Logos. It is the balance of respect, of physics, of mathematics, and of evolution from the microscopic to the catastrophic level.

Religion provides no such balance among itself because the laws are exclusive to those who do not abide by such laws. The only way to better ourselves and to break free from the bonds of forced answers is to ask ourselves the most annoying question straight from the toddler’s mouth—why?

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ENTERTAINMENT

with Dina Willis

bandersnatchentertainment@gmail.com

Reflection on Reflektor A Review of Arcade Fire’s New Album, Reflektor Andrew Grant Staff Writer

rcade Fire’s previous albums had a unique sound with phantom-like vocals mixed with hard, dramatic bass that gives the listener the image of an actual arcade burning to the ground slowly, as the vocals went, with Pacman, Mortal Kombat, and Dance Dance Revolution Machines exploding inside, one with each bass beat. An ‘Arcade Fire’. Probably not intentional, but impressive. The bar was set pretty high for their next album. The lead single, “Reflektor”, starts off the new album with its best track and showcases most of the great new things about the album. While lyrics sing the story of one lover leaving the other when he finds a way to escape his limited world, new instrumental tools appear. Techno beats now can be heard; beats, clicks, and a hum that gives the song a creepy feel that never leaves, helping the whole album’s atmostphere. The range with

these new tools is impressive; especially in the chorus, which hits you with a forte like a nuke just dropped. That mushroom cloud in front of you rises into the sky and when you stand to look at the stunning sight to take it in, it actually kills you. You are actually dead. The haunting vocals rise, three notes hit, and it goes back to the creepy beat. However, with this first song, the rest of the album just sort of pales and you doze off with the next few songs before it picks up again. Arcade Fire only had one ace, and they played it right at the beginning. They tossed out the ace and were left with a couple of threes and fours, then a number of nines and tens. That’s the rest of the album. The novelty of the techno gets old faster than a mayfly. The beats and clicks just sort of shift into a drunk person jumping on to the stage beatboxing and trying to make standard rap beats, such as in “Flashbulb Eyes”, the third song of the album, which has a beat taken straight from a Dirty Heads song. Listeners might doze off before

the album gets to one of its skillful elements: electric guitar. Without that, a few tracks are just moaning poetry in a practically monotone voice with clicks and beats in the background. You have to be paying a lot of attention to even catch any words out of the moaning, or even tell the difference between songs. Those are the threes and fours. However, some of the beats are fresh enough to make up good songs when they are paired with an effort by the vocalist to put some range into the moaning vocals, bringing it up to a whine every once in a while. This is present in the track “Porno”. The good use of electric guitar makes a great modern sound in “Normal Person”, sounding like a musical of ghosts in a cold, metallic factory. If you think about the coldness, that’s the album: you’re wandering around in the cold, a ghost looking for other ghosts (just as what’s happening in the lyrics) who never finds anybody, and sometimes you’ll see a living snowman and jam out with it on guitar or DJ

equipment, hoping that another ghost will be attracted and give some real powerful vocals. However, this doesn’t happen enough over the long double album. More work into more impressive songs rather than filler would have helped. The album gets four stars. The weaker songs will put you to sleep, and you might miss the impressive, cold, haunting hits that separate your spirit from your body, which are worth buying the album for. Just try to stay alert if you really want to experience what might be Arcade Fire’s best album yet.

Source: wikipedia.org

Review: Los Campensinos! – No Blues Aaron Rogers Procrastinator Editor

s I describe my lonely, you listen very clear: The last set of goalposts taken down, summer of odd numbered year” exclaims Gareth Campensino!, lead singer, of Los Campensinos!, equating his loneliness with the boredom caused by every other summer without football. For those who are unaware, Los Campensinos! are a six piece indiepop band formed at Cardiff University in Wales known for energetic, joyous, yet anxious pop-rock sounds and lyrical obsession with death and football. They released their first LP inFebruary 2008 titled Hold on Now Youngster… and have since released and extended EP as well as two more LPs leading up to their recently released fifth record No Blues. Released on October 29th, No Blues features a ten-song line up of explosive and bright indie pop that occasionally blossom with earpleasing choruses. The band’s energy and musical diversity often lead to a bombastic sound that will

lack cohesion between band members. The band does maintain a clear musical focus in the context of the album however, the individual songs sometimes lack a focal point to latch onto as a listener. A part of the problem is that the six band members have a very uninhibited approach to contribute to a song. In songs such as “What Death Leaves Behind”, the instrumental layering over the chorus feels bloated to the point where the song actually loses energy due to the addition of individually interesting, yet inappropriate instrumentals. That being said, however many of the songs on this LP do feel very energetic without approaching a glut of sound. In fact No Blues really does present a pop sound that is nothing short of a great album. The opening track For Flotsam, brings in energetic percussion, Christmasesque piano, as well as backup vocals that reminds me of The New Pornographers’ LP Together but with more anxious vocals. The song progresses into an energetic hurricane of expressive drums and instrumentals so colourful that they really do emulate the sad yet playful lyrics.

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The seventh track Avocado Baby features a groovy rhythm section accompanied by heavy bass and guitar and a beautiful, whiny synth. The progression of the song doesn’t feel as rushed as many of the other songs either. The song shines most at the end, when the chorus comes together for its final repetition accompanied by playful children chanting like cheerleaders: “A heart of stone, rind so tough it’s crazy, that’s why they call me the avocado, baby” On the topic of lyrics…they’re solid. Gareth Campensino! mixes

poetically potent imagery and phonetically pleasing lyrics expertly to convey the ambiguous mixture of angst, frustration, and football references that is painted throughout the album. Overall No Blues is an energetic, pop based LP blessed with poetic lyrics and enough different sounds per song to give it huge replay potential. The occasional carb-bloated feel of LC!’s sound is overshadowed by their unyielding spirit and catchy melodies to make this album an enjoyable hurricane of delicious, angsty, indie-pop.

Source: tumblr.com

Entertainment Upcoming Concerts November 6 Finntroll - Club Soda

November 8 Bon Jovi - Bell Centre

November 12 Simple Plan - Corona Theatre

November 14 Kanye West - Bell Centre

November 18 Paramore - Bell Centtre

November 23 SLAYERRRRR - CEPSUM

November 30 Alestorm - Club Soda

December 3 Pink - Bell Centre

Grave New World A Review of the Pretty Little Liars Halloween Episode Dina Willis Entertainment Editor

fter nearly a two month wait, on October 22, the Halloween episode of Pretty Little Liars finally arrived. And in my opinion, it did not disappoint. In typical Pretty Little Liars fashion, it revealed some secrets to keep us happy (and freak us out) but also made the mystery more complex. We are left with more questions than answers, and that’s what has us so addicted to the show. The Halloween episodes of the show tend to be some of the most action packed and creepy episodes (second only to the finale, of course). As far as Halloween episodes go, however, I don’t find that this one was as good as the previous ones. The episode cleverly introduced characters and the storyline of the new PLL spinoff, Ravenswood, which premiered right after the Pretty Little Liars episode, but personally I would have preferred to have some more questions answered rather than just new things being introduced.

When the show left off in August, we had just found out that Alison was alive and it was assumed that Ezra was A. This is acknowledged again in the Halloween episode as the girls go to Ravenswood looking for Alison. Nevertheless, we are left in suspense until the last 5 minutes of the episode where we are hit by shock after shock. The girls finally speak to Alison and Ezra seems more and more suspicious with every

passing minute. Of course, we now have more questions: why isn’t it safe? What does Ezra want from Alison? Of course, these questions will not be answered any time soon. The season will resume on January 4, 2014. The show now plays on M3 rather than Much Music, which caused some confusion the night of the episode. If you don’t have the channel, the episodes are posted on-

line on M3.ca.

Source: examiner.com

Dusk Walking by zoe quinn Shaw A Review

Upcoming Albums November 8 Lady Gaga - Artpop

November 19 Five Finger Death Punch The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 2

November 25 One Direction - Midnight Memories

December 3 Britney Spears - Britney Jean

Zack Duma Staff Writer

hat would you do if you were given super powers? If you could move lightning fast, or have inhuman reflexes? Would you put your life on the line to help save the world and make it a better place, or would you turn away from the world and live by your own rules? The book “Dusk Walking” is the first part of a trilogy about an unfortunate event in New York City which caused several people to gain different super powers. Unfortunately, these people were not given a choice in how to use their powers. Eight people were gifted with unique powers from the event, but also lost all their memory of what they had beforehand. Five of the people, Alix, Lily, Cordy, Eva, and Jack, all lost their way after the event and eventually banded together; they did not even know who they were until missing posters were put up soon after the event took place. It was not long after that

‘missing’ turned to ‘wanted’. The five did not know what to do, and once they were labeled criminals they had no choice but to rob stores at night to gather supplies so they could live through the days: this earned them the title “Dusk Walkers”. The other three known survivors of the event were Luke, Gianna, and Rae, taken in by the city and now used by the NYPD as “Huntears” to find the other five super humans. This first book mostly follows the story of Jack who has gained the power to heal himself rapidly, and his struggle to not only live through life and lead the other Dusk Walkers day-to-day, but also to find out who he really is. Will he find out who he really is or will Luke and his team stop the teens and lock them away? This book is the first in the trilogy and was published in 2012, the second part “Hunted” was released in June 2013 and the final part will be published in early December of this year. This series is by author and Abbott student Zoe Quinn

Shaw, who first started writing the series when she was only twelve years old out of her love for comic books and superheroes. The books are self-published and are available on Amazon, Kindle, CreateSpace. com, or you can email the writer at zoequinn.shaw@gmail.com.

Source: Zoe Quinn Shaw

Wednesday, nOVEMBER 06, 2013 | VOLUME 43, ISSUE 06 f

ARTs & Culture

with Kenzy Abdel Malek

bandersnatcharts@gmail.com

Nature’s Scarf

Erika Croft Contributor

W E a r

Warmer than a hug, and twice as stylish. Rahul Gandhi Staff Writer

it p r o u d

Pale Moth Jessica Ford Contributor

I dreamed of a pale moth, Atop a tall blade of grass, And it cared only for the moment, Knew no future and forgot the past.

It flew a little, but the fog, Condensed on its wings, And it began to flutter side to side, Like a bell as it rings.

And it landed on a pink rose, That over looked the sea, And, its wings too wet to fly, Drowned there peacefully. wednesday, ####### ##, 2013 | VOLUME 43, ISSUE ## f

now blanketed the streets as men and women were slathered in their obnoxiously large winter coats. Sheltering wherever they could, slumbering as much as possible, and generally slobbering all over the reports of temperatures twenty-under. Mittens were bought, heaters were turned up and hot-chocolates were inhaled by the gallon, as busy people were caught like plastic pylons in the cold, stiff, consuming, self-centered, but mostly useless. The wind would howl relentlessly through the night, carrying with it a cold so potent that even the bravest gentlemen wouldn’t dare venturing out without earmuffs. Not a single soul would dress sparingly this late in November. Not a single man or woman would venture out into this unthinkably contrasted hell. No one until Eric, that is.

Some say he has no soul, others say he ate too much play-doh as a child. The rumors surrounding Eric were ripe with diversity, as the ones around him couldn’t help but realize they didn’t know anything about him aside from what was sprawled respectively across the mid to lower portions of his face. On November 29th, Eric went out into the wilderness that is the sidewalk by his local 419 stop in the blistering cold without a scarf. The only thing protecting his face from the cold was his magnificently grown No-Shave November beard and moustache. Its lush depths could simultaneously repel the horrible weather, launch a thousand ships and have dinner ready by 6:30 P.M. all while looking ridiculously suave. The moral of this story is that it is getting cold, and its No-Shave November. Get your beards on, men!

Bee Clarke Staff Writer

W a l k ON THE B e a c h

the procrastinator

with Aaron Rogers

bandersnatchfun@gmail.com

Horrorscopes The Cold Hard Truth Angela Brett The Oracle

ARIES (March 21 - April 20):

Spice up your love life and remind your lover how much he should care about you and how much he should fear: accuse him of cheating on you and threaten him with a knife–for the sake of your love.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21):

If you examine your life and your choices–really, truly examine them– you’ll notice a strong undercurrent, a universal theme to everything: blenders. Blenders are ewverything.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21):

Everyday you are hustling. Like, your hustling is a universal constant,

the one thing we know that we can depend on. Your family is worried, they miss you.

mustache will be a sentient being. Make this your goal.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23):

If you add all the numbers together in your birth date, you will get a number. How weird is that? Spooky.

Have you ever noticed that most things will become a car if you make them bigger, more expensive, and give them wheels? Me neither.

LEO (July 24 - Aug. 23):

SCORPIO (Oct. 24 - Nov. 22):

Have you noticed the local dogs have been eying you lately? Don’t be afraid, they’re not out to get you, I promise. They just think you’re looking cute today. Which admittedly is pretty creepy.

VIRGO (Aug. 24 - Sept. 23)

The mustache you’ve been growing suits your eyes really well. If you work at it, by the time November’s out, your

LIBRA (Sept. 24 - Oct. 23):

The author of this column is no longer on speaking terms with any Scorpios ever. They know what they did. Except, like, you’re ok, I guess.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 - Jan. 20):

You’re being such a cantaloupe lately. Kindly go to SUJAC for help with fruit reassignment. You can overcome this, and we’re here for you.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 21 - Feb. 19):

If you’re feeling low on time, and work is pilling up, you’re probably right. Geologists estimate that you’re one essay away from creating an avalanche with all your unfinished assignments.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): PISCES (Feb. 20 - Mar. 20): Try as hard as you can, but it’s inevitable. You will never reach a cow-saving-woodsman’s level of cool. Grief counselors have been hired to help you deal with this.

You are the meaning of Stonehenge, but you can’t tell anyone else, they’ll get jealous. After all, they’re just the meaning of boring things, like stop signs.

Do it yourself Everyone can have a mustache!

Excuse me, but I seem to have misplaced my facial hair. Would you be an old sport and bewhisker this lonely, cold, face?

Draw this man some facial hair and send it to bandersnatchfun@gmail.com and it’ll be published in the next issue.

Wednesday, nOVEMBER 06, 2013 | VOLUME 43, ISSUE 06 f