H ea lth o n t h e n et
R ez m o v ie m a k in g
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18 2000
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M c G IL L T R I B U N E O N L IN E
P u b lis h e d b y th e S t u d e n ts ’ S o c ie ty o f M c G i l l U n iv e r s it y
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Year of the Dragon roars in By G
abby
Ja k u b o v i t s
February fifth may seem like your average winter Saturday. But beware of the Nian monster - it is his day. Also, it’s the first day of the Chinese New Year. While our solar calendar has enjoyed more than its share o f attention in the past, the 12 ani mals of the Chinese zodiac contin ue to trade places in the cycle of the C hinese calend ar. Next Saturday, the Rabbit will give up its throne to the Dragon to ring in the year 4696. The cycle follows the lunar calendar, but corresponds to a com bination o f both lunar and solar movements. One lunar cycle — a “month” — lasts about 29.5 days. Because of the discrepancy between the 30 or 31-day month and the shorter lunar one, adher ents o f the traditional calendar insert an extra month into the year approximately every seven years, to “catch up” with the more widely used solar calendar. For Chinese people, especially those living in Asia, the New Year is the biggest event of the year. Shaun Rein, of the Centre for East Asian Research at M cG ill, compares the coming holiday with North American cultural block busters. “It’ s lik e m ixing Thanksgiving and Christm as that’s how important the New Year is for Chinese people,” she said. Despite the firecrackers and dragon dances, most daily life in China revolves in the year 2000 no one only follows the lunar cal endar. “The C hinese governm ent tried to subscribe to the Western calendar,” Rein explained. As a resu lt, celeb ratio n s aren ’ t as extravagant in China as they are in Taiwan and Hong Kong, where the traditional date notation is still very present. C o n tin u ed o n P ag e 14
Fans g o w ild a t th e M e d le y as th e St. Louis Ram s h o ld on fo r v ic to ry in A tla n ta S u n d a y n ig h t _______________________________________________________ Mike Colwell
Lloyd Axworthy speaks to students from around the world U nited Nations, land m in e tre a ty and Canadian youth subjects o f Axw orthy's M cM U N speech By W
il l
Sa c k s
Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Lloyd Axworthy received a standing ovation in response to his speech at the opening cere m onies o f the M cG ill M odel United Nations Assembly 2000 on Thursday evening at the Montreal Sheraton Hotel. A xw orthy was p resen t to receive the M cG ill International Review Award of Distinction, rec ognizing his outstanding achieve ments as a Canadian in the interna tional arena. The United Nations has been
under attack by U nited States Senator Strom Thurman recently. Axworthy took this opportunity to refute the recent criticism. “To those [cou n tries] who think they can go it alone, I say they are in a fool’s game, a mudlumps parad ise. It cannot be done,” Axworthy said. “A strong and relevant United N ations is indispensable.” Axworthy spoke to the impor tance of the United Nations in pro tecting civilians from the “scourge of war” and from both internation al and domestic conflicts. “The tragic plain truth about
modern armed conflict is that ordi nary people — innocent civilians — su ffer m o st... C iv ilia n s are direct targets of war and live on its battlefield,” he said. “They have in crea sin g ly become tools in warfare - herded about to destabilize governments, pressed into military service, held hostage, exploited sexually, used as human shields,” Axworthy told the captivated audience o f over 1,000 McMUN delegates, confer ence organizers and members of the press. The second h alf o f the 25minute speech concerned Canada’s
role in the United Nations as a recently appointed member of the Security Council. “During our first year on the Council, Canada has made a difference... As a result of Canadian initiatives, the voice of human suffering is being heard, and listen ed to, at the co u n cil table.” Finally, Axworthy, who was nominated for the Nobel peace prize in 1997, spoke of his recent ly ratified land mine treaty, which bans the manufacture and deploy ment of landmines worldwide. C o n tin u ed on P ag e 3
CASA’s m ission is to ensure that students are fu ll participants in defining the future of post-secondary education in Canada. R E A L sTi id e NT's jm c k i j Nt i. R . E A L
i ^ih h il e m s . v v it ii
REAL
s o it it io n s
For more inform ation contact W ojtek Baraniak, VP Community and Government Affairs, at 398-6798 or visit the Alliance’s webpage @ www.casa.ca