SHOULD WE PRIVATIZE THE TCHC? the DEBATE 3
the newspaper University of Toronto’s Independent Weekly
No pain, no energy gain
U of T community plans relief event for Japan
GSU debate raises myriad issues
UofT turns exercise into electricity
MILAN CEHO
studying public policy at Columbia, and Chris Lea, Director of Facilities at Hart House, approached Electrical Engineering Professor Dr. Trescases with the idea for energyconserving bikes. “I said ‘Sounds really interesting. We can do it.’ I thought this would be a neat side project,” Trescases recalls. In June, he recruited Scour-
The graduate student all-candidates debate was held at Sidney Smith this past Wednesday. Some of the issues that came to the surface included the equitable dispersal of grants and awards, lack of student participation, and the transparency of the GSU decision-making branch. “The debate was really productive, it was a good opportunity for all the candidates to go for their issues,” said University Affairs Commissioner candidate Anton Neschadim. Candidate Keith Ho said that the debate was mainly based on how candidates could help “improve engagement,” in order to “get people motivated through a series of new ideas and platforms.” Keith Ho wasn’t the only candidate to express feelings about the apparent lack of motivation to vote in the GSU election. “It really isn’t getting much sup-
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BODI BOLD
ANDREW WALT Last Friday’s earthquake in Japan has wiped out entire communities, left thousands of people dead, millions without power or water, and caused countless billions of dollars in damages. Given the scale of the disaster and the inspiring outpouring of aid and prayer for the stricken nation, members of the university community are stepping up to bring relief to the region. Leading the charge is the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Effort led by students from OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) and GSA (Graduate Students Association). Event coordinators met for the first time on
March 17, 2011
Vol. XXXIII N0. 20
GEOFF VENDEVILLE This time next year, students will have an added incentive to pedal away their “freshman fifteen”/excess calories on the stationary bikes at Hart House. At the initiative of Hart House’s former sustainability director David Berliner, electrical engineering student Peter Scourboutakos and recent grad Andrew Rosselet, under the guidance of
Professor Olivier Trescases, have designed an exercise bike that converts physical effort into electricity, saving money and reducing carbon emissions. So far, 20 green bikes are due to be installed in the Hart House gym. At the Green Innovation Awards last summer, the project won a $10,000 grant given by the Toronto Community Foundation and the City of Toronto. Last year, David Berliner, now
U Regina student union votes to stay with the CFS in controversial referendum
BODI BOLD
SUZIE BALABUCH
U of T Parliament participants convene in a room at Queen’s Park before hitting the legislative chamber for a bit of parliamentary simulation.
A long-standing fight came to a head this past week between two governing bodies at the University of Regina. At a referendum in October of last year, the University of Regina Student Union (URSU) sought to separate from the CFS. According to Matt Steen, VP Operations & Finance, the URSU first decided to separate from the CFS at the urging of their student body.
In an email to the newspaper, Steen stated, “A petition was brought to the attention of the 2009/2010 URSU Executive that contained the signatures of 10% of our student population urging us to hold a referendum to defederate from the CFS.” URSU is dismayed that the CFS delayed releasing the results of a referendum called between October 26-28 of last year until now,
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the news BIKES JAPAN QUAKE
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GSU
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port, if you look at the stats. Last year it was about three percent student turn out for the voting,” said candidate Ann McPherson. Graduate students have been feeling the impact of reduced grant amounts, and increasingly competitive submissions for awards since the introduction of the Doctoral Thesis Completion Award. The award is highly competitive and sought-after, carrying with it a tenthousand dollar value. The award replaced the Doctoral Completion grant last year. Although the grant consisted of a smaller sum of money, about four-thousand dollars, it was available to four times as many students. “One of the biggest things for the position of Internal and Finance Commissioner is transparency in GSU and whether or not they are able to reach the wider graduate
student population,” said Internal and Finance Commissioner candidate Ann McPherson. “I felt this position was best suited for an outsider to actually criticize GSU’s current practices and make suggestions as to where it can be improved.” Securing access to funding and establishing a transparent decision-making process is a vital goal for the union, which represents nearly 15 000 students. The GSU is aiming to be more progressive in its affairs with the university’s administrative body, in order to secure a long-term solution to this concern. Voting takes place from March 22 to 24 for the election of candidates in the GSU. Graduate students will elect candidates for the positions of University Affairs Commissioner and Internal and Finance Commissioner.
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Suzie Balabuch
Geoff Vendeville
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the newspaper 1 Spadina Crescent, Suite 245 Toronto, ON M5S 1A1 Editorial: 416-593-1552 thenewspaper@gmail.com www.thenewspaper.ca the newspaper is U of T’s independent weekly paper, published by Planet Publications Inc., a non-profit corporation. All U of T community members, including students, staff and faculty, are encouraged to contribute to the newspaper.
boutakes and Rosselet to design and program the bike. That summer, they spent between six to eight hours almost every day in the sweltering basement lab of the Galbraith Building carrying out tests and putting the prototype together (they continued to work part time during the semester). Rosselet says he and Scourboutakes make a great team, well suited to the inter-disciplinary nature of the job. “We complement each other very well. I’m a more experienced programmer and he’s stronger in electronics.” Although the bike remains a work in progress, they it will be finished within a year. Trescases expects the electricity output of these bicycles to be relatively modest. He estimates that a single bike can produce about 220kWh a year. In comparison, an energy-efficient dishwasher consumes 200kWh a year. The prototype bicycle is connected to a monitor displaying the user’s progress. To my shame, my two-minute test ride generated barely enough power to run a “high-end laptop” continuously, Trescases said. Although the bikes’ energy output is fairly low, money saved on electricity will eventually cover the cost of their installation (estimated at “several hundred dollars”). However, the main purpose of the green bike isn’t to generate electricity but to raise awareness, “to teach people about the relationship between physical effort and energy.” Accustomed to cheap, energy-rich fossil fuels, people are “totally clueless” of the real value of energy, Trescases said. “It’s not their fault,” he added, “There’s nothing out there to educate themwhat better way than having them sweat on a bike for an hour?” As Rosselet points out, “the goal of the bikes isn’t to offset the lights in the gym. In the grand scheme of things, the energy we’ll be harnessing is miniscule. The point is education, so people say ‘Oh wow, that’s what 100W is like.’” Trescases, Scourboutakes, and Rosselet plan to wirelessly connect the green bikes in Hart House to an LCD screen showing each cyclist’s total watt output. This information will also be accessible online and by mobile phone. By recording and displaying the quantity of energy each person has generated, they hope to encourage competition among cyclists and increase overall efficiency. Trescases and co. will be presenting the green bike at the Kids’ World of Energy Festival (May 1820) organized by their sponsor Toronto Renewable Energies Co-op. Professor Trescases has asked any fourth-year electrical or computer engineering students who may be interested to apply. The team is also open to suggestions for the name of the bike.
Continued from page 1 the morning of Tuesday, March 15, and have slated the event for 7PM Thursday March 31 at Woodsworth College’s Kruger Auditorium. The event is open to everyone and all proceeds will go to the Canadian Red Cross and an associated charity dedicated to education for displaced children in Japan. “The events over the last few days in Japan have been devastating. Loved ones are missing, and there are struggles to get even basic emergency supplies to stricken areas,” says David Goldberg, event coordinator and PhD Candidate at the the Department of Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning at OISE. “Regardless of our occupations, we wanted to unite our efforts to stage an event with one goal: to raise as much money as possible to donate to the Red Cross, one of the relief agencies approved by the Japanese government.” A spokesperson from the Red Cross will be in attendance at the event to update the audience about how the relief efforts are proceeding. Jeff Myers, president of the GSA, and Josephine Mullally, Acting Dean of Students at Woodsworth College, will also be in attendance, both of whom have spent considerable time in Japan and will have prepared a visual presentation of the devastated areas. “As educators, we thought it important to bring speakers to our event who can speak with knowledge about the relief efforts on the ground,” says Goldberg. “We are pleased that the Red Cross has agreed to speak at our event, and are awaiting word from other leaders in the Japanese community.”
March 17, 2011 In addition to the presentations of various guest speakers who are either actively involved with on site relief in Japan or share special ties with its afflicted communities (Mullally lived and worked in Miyagi Province for three years, one of the heavily damaged areas), there are arrangements for a silent auction, the proceeds of which will go directly to Red Cross. Various Japanese musical artists are also being invited to stage a performance. In the meantime, the Canadian Red Cross is actively encouraging any and all donations for relief in Japan. And if you can’t chip in a few bucks, chip in a few documents to the U of T note exchange website www.NoteSolution.com, who will match every contribution made until this Saturday with $0.25 to Red Cross on your behalf.
Nuclear implications A meltdown occurs when more heat is generated than removed at a nuclear reactor Fission at the Japanese reactors was stopped by the insertion of boron control rods into their cores Seawater laced with boron is being used to cool the reactors and prevent the release of explosion causing hydrogen The reactor cores are being sacrificed to stress corrosion cracking in the seawater cooling process Although the reactors are lost, the radioactive material is being stabilized and controlled - Courtesy of Prof. Roger Newman, Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry.
URSU
Continued from page 1 with student union elections taking place this week. The URSU claims that the CFS placed an “embargo” on any information released on the referendum via confidentiality agreements and a letter dated December 15, 2010, signed by both parties. “CFS has continually ignored our emails and phone calls asking (even begging!) them to come to the table with us in order to reach an agreement that will allow the results to be released as soon as possible.” In a legal document dated March 9, the CFS responded to the contrary of what the URSU is claiming. “Results of the referendum were to have been announced forthwith to the students at the University of Regina and the public. To deny those students that result is an infringement of the democratic process and inconsistent with the Agreement as entered into.” Finally, on March 11, the results of the divisive referendum came in. In a surprising turn of events, 51.6% of students voted to stay with the CFS, and 48.4% voted to leave the organization. The legal back-and-forth be-
tween the two parties is an extension of long-standing animosity. Another spokesman for the URSU said: “We don’t find the CFS is representing us well enough for the fees.” Emails to the CFS chairman were unreturned. In its statement released to the media, the URSU speculated as to the timing of the CFS’ decision, citing this sort of tactic as a “pattern of behaviour” in past years, which more than hints at deteriorating relations between the two groups. The unsettled issues between the two groups seem to be grounded in the question of voter participation. In a recent press release from the URSU, the association went on the defence against claims made that they tried to disenfranchise the First Nations University Association in the referendum, as they are separate local members of the CFS, and plan on staying with the organization. Despite extending the proverbial olive branch, the URSU will have to resolve its issues with the CFS in order to provide the students of the University of Regina with a strong representative association.
the inside
March 17, 2011
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Should we dismantle and privatize the TCHC? The con
The pro
MICHELLE CASSIS
There was an open house on Tuesday unlike any other you’ll see as the spring real estate season heats up. Tenants of some of the city’s shabbiest rental units--owned and operated by Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC)-- invited the media into their homes to see first-hand their states of disrepair. Mothers complained of cockroaches competing with their kids for food, others bemoaned years of unanswered requests to fix missing floorboards and peeling walls. The pictures made it clear that there’s more wrong with the TCHC than the indulgent spending unearthed in the auditor-general’s damning report released earlier this month. Perhaps following the lead of their taxpayerfunded brethren at the TTC, the TCHC Board of Directors appeared to be asleep at the switches, unresponsive to tenants’ legitimate health and safety fears. Ironically, however, fear is also what makes privatization the right move in this debate. Mayor Rob Ford has hinted that he plans to blow up the current public housing system and replace it with a privatized one. But it has to be the right kind of privatization or the plan could blow up in his face. Selling TCHC buildings to private buyers probably leaves the city no better off because the Social Housing Reform Act puts Council on the hook for renter subsidies to offset each unit sold. Considering market rental rates these days, a subsidy-based plan could open the City up to the risk of a shortfall at the end of the day. But a call for bids on operating contracts makes good sense because it would get property management companies competing to come in with the lowest bid. It’s simple economics: When companies vie for the same customer-in this case, the city-- the cost to that customer goes down. Fear of losing the contract in subsequent rounds of bidding would keep the successful property managers on their toes through the life of the contract, especially since every disgruntled tenant could now pick up the phone and report them to the city. With the city operating the buildings, what recourse do tenants really have? The contracting option has the added benefit of offloading much of the responsibility for tenant relations to industry. One of the wasteful habits the TCHC was criticized for was the free food and other inducements used to attract tenants to feedback meetings, as well as the pricey, corporate-style team-building events they held for their staff. With privatization, it would be the property managers, desperate to keep tenants happy and away from the city’s complaint hotline, who would be charged with spending their private funds to win the favour of renters. Mayor Ford was invited to this week’s most unfortunate open house, but he declined. He may have been wise to attend, because the detritus on display illustrated to ordinary Torontonians, more clearly than any auditor’s report, his central theme: the city’s wastefulness --or in his terms, the “gravy” -- has its cruel consequences in the lives of real citizens, and all too often the most vulnerable ones.
KATE WAKELY-MULRONEY
GLEN BRAZIER
The auditor’s findings regarding the gross misspending by TCHC board members added fuel to the City Hall conflict between Ford and city councillors regarding the issue of decreasing government involvement, which has now been extended to include subsidized housing. While the misconduct uncovered by the recent audit cannot be ignored, what seems to have been ignored are some of the benefits that the TCHC has provided to the city, such as revitalization projects in Regent Park and Lawrence Heights areas. The TCHC is furthermore the second largest landowner in North America, which means it holds a lot of assets - a benefit when those assets are properly managed, and a liability when they are not. Proper management begins with accountability to both those footing the bill and those being served. The reason why this issue received so much attention is because tax-payers are privy to reports from the Auditor General, who oversees TCHC operations and because they are publicly funded, the TCHC also has a reporting requirement to the taxpayer. Mayor Ford didn’t have to request a report, nor did he request it - it came unbidden from the Auditor-General, something which might not necessarily happen in the private sector. Housing conditions across the city that may be sub-par don’t receive the scope of attention TCHC has, because taxpayers are not personally invested in this issue. Granted, City Hall never sought to handle the responsibility of subsidized housing. It was handed down, first from Ottawa to Queen’s Park, and then again to the municipal level in 2002. Rather than potentially passing this responsibility off yet again, we should fix the issues brought to light by the auditor’s report. Mayor Ford has taken steps to replace the existing Board with interim Managing Director Case Ootes. However one of the major topics for discussion regarding this appointment is Ootes’ compensation and not his proposed measures. While the Auditor-General brought up issues which need to be resolved, the TCHC and the city should look to resolve them in order to better provide for those in need of this assistance. Ootes’ appointment as ManagingDirector should hopefully resolve any issues of internal governance, especially with his ability to remove CEO Kaiku Nakamura, who up until press time had yet to step down. However, the findings from February’s audit now publicly available, along with the TCHC’s response to the findings. Those in need of support deserve better than to have this issue passed off again, like it was in 2002. The first steps to resolving the governance issues within the TCHC are already in place and the recommendations for change are not only available to the TCHC, but also to the public. Therefore, instead of privatizing this service, why not look to the resources at hand and keep Toronto’s City housing in public hands? After all, isn’t that how we found out about the problem to begin with?
You decide which argument smoked the other. Visit thenewspaper.ca and vote in the poll at the bottom of this article!
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the inside
March 17, 2011
Holographic awesomeness MTV Live looks to the future with a nod to the 3D past SUZIE BALABUCH
jumped on board at CTV, and here we are.
MTV Canada’s sharply funny pop culture/news show MTV Live is putting on three 3D formatted shows from March 14-17. Featuring the always hilarious Daryn Jones, Nicole Holness, Paul Lemieux and Sheena Snively, the series promises to be crazy funny in its 3D incarnation. Paul “The Intern” Lemieux will be donning his thespian hat in a special Shakesperean soliloquy, and Sheena Snively will give the audience what they want with a step by step fitness routine, all in 3D. The show will also celebrate MTV’s Jersey Shore, a show that makes this editor seriously doubt humanity. What better way to showcase the show’s repulsiveness than with a guido vs. guidette brawl? Retro 3D glasses are available in locations all around Toronto (check www.mtv.ca/livein3D). The hosts will also be teaching viewers how to actually make their own pair, so make sure to tune in all of this week, until Thursday, March 17.
How do you think this will make the show even better? [Laughs] “Better” is a subjective word. It’ll be different, I don’t know if it’ll be better. Our Thursday episode right after Jersey Shore is the only one this week that’s entirely 3D. So from top to tail, right when we start opening graphics, all of our live stuff is all 3D. I’ve never seen that before. So it’ll be better in that we’re attempting to do something.
Tell me how you came up with the 3D idea. Was it a group effort? We were all sitting around, trying to come up with a fun thing to do over March Break. We were goofing around how every movie that’s come out in the last year and a half has been 3D, and 3D TVs are out and all that. We were talking about the idea of doing an episode in 3D, and we looked into it, and turns out you can use the old school, redand-blue glasses technology, pretty easy. So once we figured out we could do it, we thought, “Let’s make it a whole week,” and lo and behold, everyone
What does Sheena have in store for us this week? Will the 3D factor add to the crazy, or detract from it? Tomorrow she’s break dancing. Thursday, she’s doing a workout video. All 3D. So, if you need to get a work-out in, and you want it done in a minute in a half, and also in 3D, you’ll definitely want to check that out. What’s been the most fun part of this whole process? Trying to figure out if we an actually pull it off, and putting our existing bits in the 3D format. So, on Thursday we’re going to 3D Freestyle Ambush, that’s where we improv rap about whatever. It’s been the most fun just trying to explore the concept of 3D. If you had to choose just one person on the show to see naked in 3D, who would it be and why? Ok, I gotta think about this…I feel like you already get to see Sheena more or less in 3D on the show. I’m gonna go Paul, because he’s got a third nipple, and I figure in 3D that could really pop out and have quite an effect.
the inside
March 17, 2011
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The right to die U of T’s Current Affairs Exchange Forum hosts lecture on euthanasia The hotly contested issue of euthanasia has once again been brought to the forefront in the form of a thirteen month old baby. Baby Joseph, as he’s become known to the world, is a terminally ill baby who suffers from a rare degenerative disorder, surviving with the aid of a respirator. Doctors at London Health Sciences Centre wanted to take Joseph off the respirator, proclaiming he was in a vegetative state, and had no chance for recovery. Refusing to perform a tracheotomy so that Baby Joseph could die at home, the tiny patient’s parents whisked him away to a St. Louis hospital, hours before Joseph was to be taken off his respirator for good. Euthanasia is always a muchdebated topic, and something that U of T’s Current Affairs Exchange Forum (CAFEX) decided to explore as part of their year-long lecture series in the theme of freedom. Crystal Mason, Communications Director for the club, explains a little bit about how they came up with the idea to get Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, to host a talk at U of T’s Gerstein Library this Thursday, March 17 for their event “Freedom to Die? : A Look at Euthanasia.” “Oftentimes people say that the reason why they’re in favour of euthanasia is because it’s a question
KATE WAKELY-MULRONEY
SUZIE BALABUCH
of allowing people their own personal freedom. We thought it’d be interesting to go more in depth into that question, and see whether or not it actually does assist freedom,
“
or whether or not it ends up preventing freedom in the end.” The club was keen on getting a speaker like Schadenberg, not only because of his knowledge on the topics, but also because of Alex’s emphasis on the issue of euthanasia was actually from the freedom perspective.
“He’s clearly against euthanasia, but he knows a lot about the different issues that have been happening in Canada, so he can share his own experiences and also share information about the situation in Canada in terms of the legal status, and the different ways it’s being dealt with in hospitals.” Mason emphasizes that CAFEX itself does not have an official stance on euthanasia, and instead welcomes open and frank discussions on this issue and an array of ones like it.
the campus comment
“The talk gives the people who attend it an opportunity afterward to talk amongst themselves, with other people who have different viewpoints.” The recent news stories surrounding euthanasia, like Baby Joseph’s story, have given people in this country much to think about, in terms of where the Canadian government stands in relation to countries like Holland, where euthanasia is allowed. Current legislation differentiates between passive and active euthanasia, although the procedure itself remains illegal. Mason hopes that this event will help people see all sides of this important social issue. “Oftentimes people can think about it in an idealistic way, in terms of mercy killing. The actual experience of what has happened to euthanasia in these kinds of countries actually shows that it’s not really a situation that facilitates the respect for human dignity, even though that’s what it’s usually promoted as doing, so I think that is also something that would be very helpful for people to understand better.” “Free to Die?: A Look at Euthanasia” takes place today, Thursday, March 17 at the Gerstein Science Information Centre in the Alice Moulton room from 7-9 pm. The event is free, and refreshments will be provided.
”
the newspaper asked: if you could bring any fictional character to life, who would it be and why?
BRUCE, Campus Mailroom
LESLIE, Campus Mailroom “Puck. Because if Puck is possible, anything is possible.”
MICHELLE, Life long student, Sociology
PAUL, 1st year, Humanities “Stewie, to see if he can actually talk or if it’s all just gibberish.”
DAVID, 1st year, EngSci “Pikachoo, so I could have a pet.”
“Homer Simpson, for obvious reasons.”
HELENE GODERIS
“Captain Kirk, merely because I’m a huge fan.”
JUSTIN, 1st year, Track One “Towelie, cause Towelie can get you high.”
the arts
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March 17, 2011
The film
A film that indicates Soderbergh’s career is Going Fine This monologuist’s biopic is anything but Gray DAN CHRISTENSEN How do you attempt to document the life of such a notorious autobiographer such as Spalding Gray? For director Steven Soderbergh, the answer is simple: allow Gray to do what he does best, and tell the story himself. In And Everything Is Going Fine, Soderbergh and Gray make their second collaboration, after 1996’s Gray’s Anatomy (no relation to the ABC hospital drama), which was a straightforward filming of one of Gray’s monologues. Some might be reticent to call it a collaboration, considering Gray has been dead for seven years now, having committed suicide in 2004. Considering its form, however, it seems impossible to see the film as anything but a co-authored effort. Gray himself was a theatrical monologuist and storyteller, especially popular in the 80s and 90s, who took his own experiences as the subject of his dramatic works. Soderbergh’s film, then, is essentially a biographical documentary. Save for the occasional still photograph or interviewer/ee of Gray’s, it is composed exclusively of “found” footage of Gray alone performing monologues and taking interviews, usually behind a desk, with only a notebook and a glass of water as accoutrements. Soderbergh’s style is similar to Gray’s in its sparse adornment. He forces himself to refrain from (overt) commentary by refusing to include any material that Gray himself did not leave behind. But this seemingly simple form works on you more and more as the film goes on. For example, Gray is
able to speak on his early life and childhood from a variety of different perspectives, as he has had his whole life to reflect upon it. However, as his life goes on, and he gains more insight on his first experiences, his newer experiences (those of his later life) are deprived of such clarity. As such, the film itself mimics the feeling of runaway momentum as one ages, just in having less material to offer on Gray’s each passing year to the point where, near the end, even the facts of his life’s
events are lacking in clarity. (We might say that here, too, the film mimics one’s actual experience of life.) I wondered while watching how Soderbergh would tackle the issue of Gray’s suicide, considering the form he’d set up for himself – Gray is obviously unable to speak on the subject of his own death, being unable to speak from beyond the grave. I then realized, however, that the whole film is spoken from beyond the grave. The very fact of its be-
The album review
Eureka Moment
Canadian rock darlings go from strength to strength Mother Mother Eureka Last Gang Records The powerhouse five-piece Vancouver-based band returns to form with their third album, Eureka. The album begins with one of the strongest songs, “Chasing it down”. A strong message song, the band’s trademark punk-infused sound and evocative lyrics like “Turn around your life it will change, without your consent, without your okay” make it a truly interesting track. The single off the album, “The
Stand”, which has getting been a lot of radio play lately, is actually one of the album’s few weak numbers. Apart from the somewhat clever lyrics, it does nothing to show off the band’s true talent: Ryan Guldemond’s strong lead vocals, and Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin’s sublimely kittenish backup vocals. Another strong track, “Simply Simple,” steers the band back onto the right path, with a glorious arrangement that not only makes room for the band’s unique vocal stylings, but also showcases the
drummer (Ali Siadat), and the subtly awesome bassist, Jeremy Page. It’s clear that Mother Mother has a knack for arrangement, especially when it comes to their vocal harmonies, and in general knows where their strengths lie. They are currently on the rise in Canada and the States, recently playing at Canadian Music Week, and now at SXSW. With great harmonies, good songs and a unique sound, this band is bound for greatness, as long as they stick to their guns.
SUZIE BALABUCH
ing a posthumous autobiography means it necessarily takes on this conundrum. In terms of completeness of the story, we only see what Gray lets us see. When asked directly, Gray confirms that there are parts of his life which he keeps from his monologues. As such, it seems to us that there’s a disconnect between his public life and his private life – we think that behind his confessional tales there must be another self with whom we are not familiar. Even in the one of the few pieces
of home-video footage in the film, Gray himself is unmoving on the living room couch, while his son is the focus of attention, doing gymnastics on the rug. Alternatively, Gray’s touching and energetic narration of he and his family dancing to Tubthumping by Chumbawamba is abruptly ended with Gray returning to his seat, turning of the music at the touch of a button and announcing that they went for ice cream afterwards, instantly cutting us off from the familial closeness to which we were momentarily invited. We come to the realization over the course of the film that no matter how much Gray were to show us, it would not eliminate this feeling of incompleteness, of lack of intimacy – we can’t escape the idea that Gray is in a constant process of presentation. Conversely, though, he emphasizes his efforts to eliminate a performative persona and say honest with his audience, and we start to think that perhaps the Spalding Gray before us really is the entire article. He even comments at one point: “I like telling the story of life better than I do living it.” With Soderbergh arriving at the end of his directing career – he recently announced that he will retire from filmmaking after his next four projects are released – one might wonder whether he feels as if he has lost his touch, or whether he wishes to quit while he’s ahead. If this is any indication, a film with so many intriguing questions tumbling forth from it, especially considering its modest formal ambitions, the answer is definitely the latter.
March 17, 2011
the arts
7
Buying contraband cigarettes costs more than you think. It fuels other criminal activities, such as the trafficking of drugs and guns. Individuals caught in possession of contraband cigarettes face serious consequences ranging from a fine to jail time.
contrabandconsequences.gc.ca L’achat de cigarettes de contrebande coûte plus cher qu’on le pense : il alimente d’autres activités criminelles comme le trafic d’armes et de drogues. Les individus pris en possession de cigarettes de contrebande s’exposent à de graves conséquences, allant de l’amende jusqu’à l’emprisonnement.
consequencesdelacontrebande.gc.ca
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the backpage
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ANDREW WALT
Across
1. That woman 4. Pairs 8. Rule 11. Chopping tool 12. Moved through with difficulty 14. The Barber of Seville, eg. 16. Chart 17. Rank 18. Salary 19. Riot 21. Elderly 23. Lead, as a film 26. Era, or 60 Across 27. Snug or loose 30. Industrious insect 31. Lubricates 33. Red vegetable 36. Not no 37. Seven day period 38. Women’s shoulder bag 39. Sail support 40. Coloured 42. Wrath 45. Simba or Mufasa 46. Vast expanse of water 49. Beats 51. Rim 52. Pet ped 53. Attempt 54. Concealed 56. Revere 58. Chip brand 60. Age, or 26 Across 61. Boundary 64. Courageous 69. Slick 71. Sharp 72. Work out 73. Definite article 74. Tee 75. Ogled 76. “Game, ___, Match”
Down
1. Pork 2. Probe
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March 17, 2011 3. Essays 4. Double one 5. Battle 6. Strange 7. Behold 8. Lower appendage 9. “We ___ not amused.” 10. “T’___ the night before...” 13. Tow behind 14. Be in debt 15. Bachelor apartment, casually 20. “To ___ or not...” 22. Obtain 23. 24 hour span 24. Scaredy cat 25. Binds 26. Inquire 27. At a distance 28. Possessive pronoun 29. Foot digit 32. Tennis try again 34. Revealed 35. Soggy soil 39. Males 40. Accomplished 41. Meditative exercise 42. Appropriate 43. “Neither... ___...” 44. Director Ritchie 45. Took charge 46. Souls 47. Aural infection 48. Amazement 50. Bashful 55. Common contraction 57. I, as an object 58. Novel studies, for short 59. Consumed 61. Once around the track 62. Frozen water 63. Coffee cup 65. Raw mineral 66. Hudson or St. James 67. Fib 68. Finish 70. Still