The McGill Tribune Vol. 23 Issue 25

Conference full of rich challenges.

The joy of sports video games.

A lion of a chal­ lenge in Kenya.

SPORTS, PAGE 22-23

FEATURES, PACE 13

NEWS, PACE 6

R I B U N E Published by the Students' Society of M cGill University since 1981

Vol. 23 Issue 25

Tuesday, M arch 23, 2004

J-Board hears Alii v. CRO Ruling expected at noon today to determine whether there will be a need for a third presidential election since September Laura Saba

*

The Student’s Society Judicial Board heard arguments in the case of Alam Alii versus the Chief Returning Officer on Sunday evening.

Citing numerous campaign viola­ tions, CRO Carlyryan Kochen had dis­ qualified SSMU presidential candidate Alii on Friday March 12, the last day of the campaign period. The CRO ruled that advanced polls cast that day would be invalidated and voters would be allowed to vote again for the remaining presiden­ tial candidates.

Alii petitioned the Judicial Board to hear his appeal against the CRO’s deci­ sion the following day.

Various campaign violations were brought up, the most severe of which was Alli’s use of the Science Undergraduate Society’s office to store campaign materials. The SSMU election bylaws state that a candidate cannot use his or her present position or its resources to aid their campaign. After he was warned, Alii moved his campaign to

the lounge in the Burnside Basement.

Another violation was two unsolicit­ ed e-mails that were sent out to various acquaintances by members of Alli’s cam­ paign team. Alii said that he had previ­ ously cleared this with Elections McGill.

Campaign team members also used the slogan “Save Frosh, Save Carnival.

Vote Alam,” which was called a “slander­ ous slogan” by both the CRO and Deputy Returning Officer because it may have been misconstrued to mean that present SSMU President Rhodes planned to ban both those events if re-elected. Alii argued that it was in fact meant to high­ light the fact that SSMU did not have the correct insurance for such events.

Witnesses also testified about an incident at Gert’s where an alleged insult was hurled at Rhodes and a lewd epithet allegedly flew. Alii said that he was not in the bar at the time, and to the best of his knowledge, his campaign team was not involved.

During her final arguments, Renee Darisse, Alli’s advocate, argued that there was a lack of evidence of bylaw viola­

tions on which the CRO’s decision could have been based. She said that Alii had no idea what a few of the violations could have been based on, and that once he had been warned of any violations, he took immediate steps to correct them.

Finally, she said that on numerous occasions Alii had sought advice from Kochen and had received “cryptic and vague advice.”

The CRO was asked what violations the decision to disqualify Alii had been based on. Kochen replied that Alli’s use of the SUS office was one of the more serious ones, and poster violations were not much of a factor in the decision. The decision also did not factor in an alleged altercation between Rhodes and Alii in a hallway because no witnesses could be found other than the candidates, the CRO said.

Kochen affirmed that the decision had been made collectively between the CRO, the DRO and the two election coordinators.

See ELEC TIO N S, page 4

NICOLELEAVER

■ A survey o f students will show that writing exams on nights and week­ ends is worth the extra time to study or to finish sooner.

OP/ED, PAGE 9

■ There was' plenty o f hot monkey lovin’ going around at P[h]assion 2004: Love in style A&E, PAGE 15

■ Either Sweet Lou Piniella is trying to be the next Daniel Alfredsson or he’s on crack.

Last week the Coalition for Action on Food Services led a boycott of cafeterias run by Chartwells in Redpath, Bronfman, and McConnell Engineering. The coalition of students, staff and faculty is protesting university plans to tender the management of

SPORTS, PAGE 21

16 cafeterias to outside bidders in May.

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2 News The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March23, 2004

Campus N E W S

International pressure leads China to release student's family JenniferJptt............. ........................... .........................

A McGill student’s request for international assistance after his family members were arrested in China may have been a factor in their recent release.

Qiang Xu’s 55-year-old mother, Li Fengying, and 62-year-old father, Xu Zhaotong, as well as his sister Xu Lei, 32, were arrested on February 19 for refusing to denounce their belief in Falun Gong.

Xu, a graduate student in mechanical engineering who left his Beijing home in 2002, found out about their arrest through relatives the next day.

Xu, who does not practice Falun Gong, believes the response of McGill students, faculty and administrators influenced the deci­ sion to release his family late last week.

“I know that international attention and awareness will play an important role in rescuing my family.”

“I know that they’re still alive. I know that international attention and awareness will play an impor­ tant role in rescuing my family.”

—Qiang Xu Graduate engineering student

than 1,600.

At a press conference last Tuesday, Concordia student Alison Duncan read a statement in support of Xu’s family from Hallie Gyles, president of Concordia’s Falun Dafa and Friends Club.

“Through their attempts to state the truth about the persecu­ tion, they are helping Chinese citizens to come to know the reality behind the defamation campaign that is so hurting China and the world,” she said. “Their example should not be ignored by us here in Canada, for their desire for peace and compassion affects us all, eventually protecting these ideals for all people in the world.”

Humanistic Studies Director Robert Myles became involved after hearing the story from Xu, who is a student in his graduate writing course.

“It’s àn issue of freedom of religion, freedom of speech [and] habeas corpus,” Myles said.

More than 3,000 people have signed a petition drafted by Myles and other professors.

Xu also has the support of the Post-Graduate Students’ Society and the Canadian Federation of Students-Quebec. CFS-Q Chairperson Carolyn Perez said Concordia University faced a simi­ lar situation two years ago when a Concordia student was arrested while home in China. A letter written by Concordia Rector Frederick Lowy proved to be effective.

“It was a big help in releasing the student,” Perez said. “A word from the rector or the principal has a lot of clout."

Family persecuted for Falun Gong

All that can be done in Canada

Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa, is an ancient practice of medita­ tion that emphasizes truthfulness, compassion and forbearance.

According to the Falun Dafa Information Centre, as many as 100 million people practice Falun Gong, which was banned in July 1999 by former President Jiang Zemin. Estimates of deaths that have resulted from subsequent persecution range from 907 to more

According to an article distributed at last week’s press confer­ ence, Xu’s family has practiced Falun Gong since 1998. Xu said his parents had been fugitives since 2001, and have spent the last few weeks in a detention centre with other Falun Gong practitioners.

Xu’s family will continue to be monitored by the state and can be arrested again if they are found to be practicing Falun Gong again.

Xu’s five-year-old niece Lin Huixuan is now back in the care of her immediate family. Lin’s father was arrested when she was

E v e r y y e a r t h e S t u d e n t s ' S o c i e t y o f M c G ill U n i v e r s i t y ( S S M U ) th a t

have

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in n o v a tio n ,

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two, in the care of a distant relative. Last January the girl’s father was sentenced to three years of “re-education” at a forced labour camp. The 33-year-old, who has lost seven fingers as a result of his experiences, was hospitalized last month after he went on a hunger strike.

Xu, who said he will continue to press for the release of his brother-in-law, spoke to his niece about two weeks ago.

“We didn’t talk about my family,” he said, “because I didn’t want her to worry too much.” ■

A w a r d s

The Students' Society of McGill University

iz a tio n s

NINAZACHARIADES Graduate student Qiang Xu says international attention will

g iv e s a n u m b e r o f a w a r d s to in d iv id u a ls a n d o r g a n ­

and

o u ts ta n d in g

s e rv ic e

to

th e

s tu d e n ts

o f M c G ill.

C o n g r a tu la tio n s to t h e fo llo w in g in d iv id u a ls a n d o r g a n iz a tio n s t h a t h a v e b e e n n a m e d fin a lis ts :

Publication of the Year Moksha (H.S.A.) The McGill Tribune

Web Site of the Year M.A.N.A.B.A. Engineering Undergraduate Society

SSMU Service of the Year Queer McGill First Aid Players' Theatre

Faculty of the Year Music Undergraduate Students Association Nursing Undergraduate Society Engineering Undergraduate Society Science Undergraduate Society

New Club of the Year Out of the Bubble Charity Network Art of Living

Volunteer of the Year Florencia Herra May Shawi David Howson

President of the Year Lina Schuerch (Players' Theatre) Seth Offenbach (AUS) Emmanuel Cappellin (MUPS) Keshia Williams (BSN)

Coordinator of the Year Heidi Cheung (Mini Course Coordinator) Catherine Barry

SSMU Committee of the Year Community and Government

Club of the Year Hindu Students Association Savoy. Society M.A.N.A.B.A.

Campus Group of the Year Civil Engineering Undergraduate Society McGill Science Computer Task Force Student Advocacy

SSMU Campus Life Fund Project of the Year Vagina Monologues SMYLE Auction

Event of the Year OAP March of Hearts SUS Charity Fair Tanya's Choice Award Chip Arnaldo (Culture Fest) Senator of the Year Nick Peters Philip Carpenter Ruth Chen Councilor of the Year TBA Young Alumni Laurie Barkun Roberto Caluori Michael Macaraeg

The se le c tio n c o m m itte e w o u ld like to c o n g ra tu la te all th e a w a rd s ap p lica n ts.

W inners will b e a n n o u n c e d a t th e SSMU A w ards B a n q u e t o n M arch

24, 2004.

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March23, 2004

Campus N E W S

Going with the Flo: Tracy takes off

Senate hears silent protest, sends Turnitin policy back to committee Sam Goffman

The university senate voted unanimously to send the proposed policy regarding the use of plagia­ rism-detection software back to the Committee on Student Affairs on Wednesday after numerous objections were raised concerning its current structure.

Complaints that compulsory sub­ mission is unfair, that the use of tur­ nitin.com would erode the trust between professors and students, that the software presumes students guilty, that it unfairly targets papers written in English and that students would be forced to contribute to the profits of a corporation were voiced by student senators and professors alike. About 40 student protesters, holding signs with the words “My degree is not guilty” and “Turn it in?

Throw it out!” observed the proceed­ ings.

Dean of Students Bruce Shore was one of the proponents of the on­ line plagiarism-detection software.

According to Shore, turnitin.com would address plagiarism in a new era of increased opportunities for on­ line cheating.

News 3

unease over the right of universities to distribute papers to other universi­ ties.

Faculty members who sit on sen­ ate also raised concerns about turnitin.com. political science Professor Samuel Noumoff said that turnitin.com is not the right solution to the plagiarism question. “[We would] develop a culture of using this as a kind of magic bullet for truth,” he warned. “If we accept this policy, we have accepted a terrible failure of ourselves as an institution.”

Other professors said that turnitin.com might infringe on the legal copyright students have over their papers, and that a better alternative might be to improve instruction on how to avoid plagiarism.

Some senators defended tur­ nitin.com. Another professor said that turnitin.com is merely another tool, and that using it does not imply guilt.

Deputy Provost and Chief Information Officer Anthony Masi agreed.

“It’s just an agent of the universi­ ty," he said, adding that turnitin.com would not replace the responsibility of professors. “It’s a tool, an agent. It’s

“ T h e

Internet and the World Wide About 40 student protestors, hold­ Web didn’t ing signs with the words “My exist 20 years ago,” he said. degree is not guilty” and “Turn it “New risks in? Throw it out!” observed the require new tools.” proceedings.

Shore said that the policy is based on a year-long trial and that it contains not the solution.”

Masi pointed out that the univer­ clear guidelines. He pointed out that the software would discourage stu­ sity hires invigilators for final exami­ dents from plagiarizing in the first nations, but their presence does not imply guilt on the part of the students place.

“The primary purpose is not to taking tests.

Students were pleased with the catch plagiarism, rather to prevent it,” final decision to send the proposal he said.

He also emphasized that the back to the CSA, though some stu­ software would not make decisions dent senators expressed frustration about potential plagiarism. It would with their treatment by the chair of merely point investigating professors senate, Principal Heather MunroeBlum. in the right direction.

“She ruled me ‘out of order’ on Arts Senator Nick Peters pointed out that the program might create ten­ what I thought was an important sion between the students and the motion,” said Peters, referring to a motion to create a workgroup under professors.

“It creates a considerable climate Provost Luc Vinet with an equal num­ of distrust,” he said. “This [scholarly] ber of students and faculty represen­ trust creates a positive learning tatives.

According to Peters, Munroeatmosphere.”

SSMU Vice-President University Blum misinterpreted his motion as equal to a motion proposed by Affairs Vivian Choy agreed. “[With turnitin.com] we are Rhodes that had just been voted changing the dynamic between stu­ down.

Choy also expressed frustration dents and the university,” she said, with the way student senators were adding that the university would be sending a clear message that it does treated by Munroe-Blum, but praised the student protesters for being not trust students.

SSMU President Kate Rhodes respectful yet firm in their message. and Engineering Senator Phil Choy said she was pleased with how Carpenter questioned the legality of students have united over this issue.

“It was one of my proudest turnitin.com based on Canadian intel­ lectual property laws, and expressed moments in senate,” she said. ■

Jennifer Jett

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In the sunlit hallway leading to the elevators in the Royal Victoria College “tower,” three portraits hang—one of each of the women who have served as warden of McGill’s all-girls residence. Those three portraits, which are being moved to a lounge in the west wing of the building, will soon be joined by a fourth, as long-time warden Flo Tracy retires at the end of this year.

“After 25 years, it’s time,” Tracy said. “It just seems the milestone year to do it.”

During her time as warden, Tracy has resided in a charming apartment overlooking the corner of rue Sherbrooke and rue University. Incidentally, the pastelcoloured apartment has no dining room, because traditionally every­ one was expected to eat in the dining hall. Tracy plans to move into a house in Ville St-Laurent.

Tracy will remain in her other position as director of Residences.

“This was one big decision and step,” she said, “so I’ll just see where the next one will take me. It would be too drastic a change all at once.”

Howard Zinman, assistant to the RVC building supervisor, said one of his fondest memories of Tracy was when he was hired as a full-time employee. “[Tracy] gave me a big hug,” said Zinman, who has been a familiar face at the security desk for five years. “She herself knew what

[the job] meant to me. You could see it in her face.”

As Tracy walks down the hall­ way, a group of girls cheerfully greets her with, “Hi, Flo.” Tracy’s fondest memories will be of the stu­ dents.

“I love my meetings with the dons,” she said. “The holiday dinner this past year, my 25th, [the stu­ dents] made it very special. It was a special moment for me.”

The girls who arrive in late August, excited and nervous at the same time, are not much different from those Tracy supervised 25 years ago.

“Society has changed and the pressures have changed,” she said, “but a young woman at 19 is a young woman at 19- The changes have been external to the young

woman.”

Malek Yalaoui lives in the west wing of RVC. “Whenever I’m working the front desk and Flo will walk by, she’ll always ask, ‘Do you need a break?”’ said Yalaoui, UOArts. “She’s just a really caring, thoughtful per­ son to ask that.”

Knowing Tracy was available helped ease the transition to univer­ sity, Yalaoui said.

“I know for me it was a diffi­ cult transition to be in residence, to be in Montreal, to be in university for the first time,” said Yalaoui, who came to McGill from Missouri but is originally from Tunisia. “It was nice to see a smiling face, to know that there was someone there if I need­ ed help.” ■

K A L H b L BACttt l

After 25 years, Flo Tracy is moving out of Royal Victoria College.

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4 News The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 23, 2004

violations.”

Based on precedent. Keen argued, for the “I wanted to make sure we were a united front, appeal to have the ruling overturned to succeed, the and we were. There were a couple of questions from CRO’s actions should have been "markedly unrea­ sonable” (quoting a bylaw). the EC’s but in the end we were all in agreement.”

C la im s o f S S M U d is s a tis f a c tio n a n d la c k o f “The decision that the CRO made was in no “What’s important here is that we didn’t disqual­ way, shape or form, markedly unreasonable.

It ify Alam on the basis of a balloon banner,” said Reid, le a d e rs h ip p la g u e V P C & E DRO. “We decided to disqualify him because of the should stand,” he said.

According to the SSM U constitution, the Judii i il frequency and the nature of the violations that occurred, and that he severely disadvantaged anoth­ Board may declare a SSMU election or referendum Lebel, who said he had considiim ile r je tt invalid if it violates the constitution. er candidate through a slanderous slogan.” ered asking for Zell’s resignation in The Judicial Board decided to seal the results of || A motion to suspend payment of September, quit SSPN in October.

Saeed Fotuhi, another presidential candidate, Students’ Society Vice-President testified in a different vein. He had complained to the the presidential race until the case had been heard “The main reason was I couldn’t Communications and Events Kimberley work with Kimberley Zell,” he said.

CRO a few hours before Alli s disqualification that he and a decision on whether to uphold the CRO’s deci­ felt that Alii was spending more that the allotted sion could be made. They felt that releasing the 1 Zell’s stipend was emphatically shot Zell said she has missed SSPN down Thursday at council. amount, $150, on his campaign. He felt that as results while the case was being heard would cast meetings because chairs Rob Kozak Arts Representative John Bowden and Paddy Scace reschedule meetings another candidate, he was also disadvantaged doubts on the process by which the winner was introduced the motion, emphasizing at the last minute. Zell noted that she because he did not have equal access to some of the elected.

“Since the sealed results of the presidential elec­ that it was not related to his unsuccess­ sits on many committees, including campaign materials Alii had used. ful bid for Zell’s posi­ Nevertheless, Kochen said that the decision was tion will only be released if the J-Board finds that the tion in last week’s not affected by Fotuhi’s complaint because there was CRO’s decision was unreasonable, a president will SSMU election. no way to determine if Alii had indeed overspent only be announced once there is no doubt as to his “I’ve been disap­ unless he himself decided to submit receipts to or her legitimacy," they' said.

Chief Justice Iris Bar-Haim announced that the pointed with the level Elections McGill. and the quality of the Matthew Keen, Kochen’s advocate, argued that final decision of the five justices will be sent to both executive since many of the issues brought up during the cross- parties by today at noon Kochen will either be allowed to announce the January,” he said. “I examinations were besides the point, and that what would have liked to was important was that there had been violations, SSMU presidential election results or have to discard see more leadership that there was evidence of these violations and that them in favour of a new presidential election. from the vice-presi­ the CRO was forced to make a judgement call.

—with files from Kim D Souza and Mark Sward dent.”

“Regardless of how they came about, there were Bowden said he unsolicited e-mails,” he said. “There were campaign had considered a vote of non-confidence or a motion to remove Zell from office, but found neither to be construc­ tive. While he credited Zell with introducing new events at Gert’s Pub, hè said other committees have not fared so well.

“Committees have had to use their own credit cards to pay for TRIBUNEPHOTOGRAPHER supplies” for events like Four Floors and SSMU Vice-President Communications and Events SnoAP, he said.

Kimberley Zell.

He added that he r* c > | 4 % i : Hi! was concerned that Zell is taking four executive committee, legislative coun­ courses this semester, which is unusual cil, the communications and events for a SSMU executive. committee, and the Gert’s promotion m i m m ii u M M f m s m s tn h i Zell said she thought the motion committee. was unwarranted and inappropriate.

“I can’t skip some of my more “Pretty much everything [Bowden] important meetings just because they said was a lie in the motion,” she said, scheduled one at the last minute,” she referring to a line claiming that SSMU said, “and sometimes they simply don’t was dissatisfied with the quality of her give me notice.”

1 1 m m *— a t work.. “A lot of coordinators who work One recent SSPN meeting was with me and a lot of other people who called so late, Zell said, that only Kozak I work with and who know me were and Scace attended. upset with that statement.”

Communications Commissioner I M S f S I M Y Many councillors spoke on Zell’s Farah Qasemi presented statements of m u o n s behalf. support for Zell from a number of stu­ “I do not find this constructive and dents, including Science Undergraduate I find it cruel,” said SSMU President Society Vice-President Internal Michael Kate Rhodes.

Macareg.

Engineering Undergraduate “While her performance was not S a le m R o b e r t V o g e U & i Society President Michael Wozny read stellar, I wouldn’t go so far as to use it statements from two EUS executives in as grounds to take away her stipend,” support of Zell.

Qasemi quoted Macareg as saying.

“She suffers for the blunders and Qasemi added that Education failures of others,” he quoted EUS ViceRepresentative Caroline Roy thought /w ith P e d r o M e d i n a President Internal Shane Saunderson as that Zell “seemed on the ball” with D lr « e t« » r 4» iW g a jt!* « *{» » c o lo m b ie n n e à b e t « e n !» « r » * if Vo €*>«» e * C o lo m b ia saying. “The difficulties she has faced respect to the communications and D i r e c t o r o f t h e C o l o m b i a » n o n p r o f i t o r g a n i s a t i o n ¥ » C r e o « » C o lo m b ia this year do not justify taking her events committee. Roy questioned stipend away.” why, if Bowden’s accusations were Former Students’ Society true, they were being brought up so 2:30 pm 5:30 pm Programming Network co-chair Denis late in the year.

Lebel he has been disappointed “I feel like it’s more of a backlash Columbia - Best Kept Secret Why to Believe in Columbia? with thesaidquality of Zell’s work. Despite to make it look like it’s my fault the in the World discussing his concerns with Zell, other things that they’re not doing properly,” Another approach to international current executives and her predecessor, Zell said. “At this point I’m so sick of co-operation that will em power Naeem Datoo, Lebel said, nothing has people acting like this.”

Investment opportunities in changed. participants to support the developing Zell added that the stipend that developing countries “The vice-president is supposed to executives receive is not reflective of world be the one who is going to basically the amount of work they do. work with all the coordinators and “It’s not worth being treated this work as hard or harder than they do,” way,” she said. “I’m forced to work in said Lebel, who was Bowden’s cam­ a really bad atmosphere.” ■ paign manager.

Zell keeps her salary

Continued from cover

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2004

Leacock 232

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March23, 2004

News 5

fromGRANTING COUNCIL

TOKNOW LEDGE COUNCIL Tony Clement and Belinda Stronach are no longer in the running for the position of leader of the federal Conservative party after being roundly trounced by Steven Haper • McGill stu­ dent Jennifer Heil, a McGill student was fonnally recognized as the women’s overall moguls champion on the World Cup freestyle ski cir­ cuit. • Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the founder of the Palestinian group Hamas, was killed by an Israeli missile early Monday morning. The funeral pro­ cession for those killed by the missile numbered thousands. • Officials at the World Health Organization believe that the knowledge of SARS. and the recent panic, will encourage citizens to learn more about other contagious dis­ eases, such as tuberculosis. • Claims of monopolization are keeping Microsoft’s lawyers busy and rich. The current case before the European Commission is nearing the five year mark, Mircrosoft’s defence should start next week. • And in other news... Chinese education officials have requested that pub­ lishers remove the myth that the Great Wall can be seen from space., that’s a myth? • Police in Rome arrested 15 rioters and used tear gas to control a crowd that got rowdy during a soccer game between Lazio and AS Roma, after a rumour began circulating that police.had run over a boy outside the stadium. • Film direc­ tor and writer Katherine Gilday examines why men and women are staying single longer in her MB documentary Women and Men Unglued, which is being screened at McGill University on the 24 in room 151 ot the Bronfman Building. • Well if you thought Botox parties, where alcohol would be served with a side of Botulism, was odd, then look out for your invite to the newest craze. In Plano, Texas people are getting together for colonoscopy parties, a fun way to steer clear of colon cancer. The Tribune asks, what do you serve with that? • Spanish •officials have arrested fourteen people in connection to last week’s Madrid rail bombing that killed 202 people, and wounded 1800. • There were 31,752,842 of us in Canada on January 1, Statistics Canada estimates, up 276,843 from a year earlier. • Law students get your resumes ready! With Justice Frank Iacobucci announcing his retirment Monday, and Justice Louise Arbour leaving to take the post of United Nations Commisioner for Human Rights, there will soon be two vacant seats on the Supreme Court of Canada • And finally the child born to a Nigeria woman on a Virgin Airline's flight to Paris, has been named Virginia, to commerate her unique birth We Tribbics are just happy tliat she wasn’t bom on Luftwansa Air

One step closer to CKUT S S M U w a n t s r a d i o in a

The final draft of the agreement between student radio station CKUT 90.3 and the Students’ Societyaimed to increase student participa­ tion at the station and make CKUT accessible to all McGill students—is not expected to be completed until April 1.

“Currently, there is no agree­ ment between the SSMUand CKUT,” said Zev Tiefenbach, vice-president finance and administration of CKUT. “The SSMU is its own independent corporation and CKUT is its own not-for-profit organization.”

Tiefenbach has been working closely with SSMU Vice-President Clubs and Services Mia Gewertz to bring about the discussed changes.

“Originally we wanted 50 per cent [McGill student] involvement in programming,” she said, “but [CKUT’s board of directors] said it couldn’t be done.”

Instead the agreement will require that McGill students be responsible for 50 per cent of all radio production, which includes technical work in addition to pro­ gramming.

Gewertz also noted that there is a strong need for CKUT to make itself accessible to students, as some areas of the Ghetto do not receive the station. She said that it will be

McGill University invites you the consultation on the

TRANSFORMATION ofthe

S ocial Sciences & H u m a n itie s Research C ouncil o f C an ad a

(SSHRC) How to participate:

© Sy contacting the Associate Dean (Research) of your faculty © By completing the McStll questionnaire: Deadline: Friday, April 2,2004 For more information on theconsultation (including access to the questionnaire):

WWW4ncg#l.ca/researchoffi<e/sshrc-consultation/ Questions© Dr. Jo Arm Levesque [514) 398-346J joann,levesque<s>megili.ca

and Savy Marino (514) 398-4400 ext 00225 savy.martno#mcgiil.ca

box'

necessary to purchase new equip­ ment in order to remedy the situa­ tion.

“It is an investment on their part,” she said.

The SSMU is awaiting a legal assessment on the proposed agree­ ment, which was submitted March 12. There have been concerns that the new arrangement might hold SSMU responsible for any slander­ ous on-air broadcasts.

“We would not want to be liable for that,” Gewertz said. “This agreement aims to put CKUT in a box. [It will] allow them to do what they like in the box, but the box will be there.”

SSMU will, however, hold power over CKUT. If the station were to violate the agreement, SSMU could call a referendum to reassess the CKUT student fee.

Positive changes have come from the agreement, such as the cre­ ation of the McGill caucus, an inter­ nal committee within CKUT. “[The caucus] is a body set up to help with the orientation, training and integration of McGill students into CKUT,” Tiefenbach said.

He also stressed that some of the proposed changes have already been implemented on a trial basis this year and will lx* entlx’dded more formally within the organiza­ tion in the future. ■

© By attending the Open Meeting: Open Meetingwith SSHRC President Marc Renaud, Wednesday,March 31,2004,1-3:30 p.m.

Room 232

tsandallthose ofSSHRCarewelcome thfccomuftation.

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Emily Harris

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6 News The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 23, 2004

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graduate student. “The presence of Ms. Richler made people think twice. It also hasn’t been that long since his death [in

Lauren Consky

The Richler Challenge, a symposium about Montreal 2001].”

Several speakers pointed out that Richler was a writer author Mordechai Richler, was held Thursday and Friday at whose works speak beyond a highly contextualized Jewish the Faculty Club.

The symposium was organized by Professor Nathalie background.

Author Nadia Khouri called Richler “an honest witness of Cooke and the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, in conjunction with the Woodrow Wilson International Center his time.

“He saw Montreal transform itself from the happening for Scholars.

Although many Canadian personalities such as Moses city of the Trudeau years to a nationalist conservative Znaimer, Pamela Wallin and Hana Gartner participated in the Montreal, constantly threatened,” Khouri noted.

Friday morning’s panelists grappled with the question talk, very few undergraduate stu­ [of] whether Richler and his work is Canadian content.

Toronto author David Macfarlane mentioned that an aca­ He was an internationalist dents were present, due to a lack of demic dissection of Richler’s works would have would have and measuring himself on publicity, limited infuriated the Montreal legend.

“Richler would have been against anything, not just and a steep an international stage, not space $25 dollar cost for nationality, that limited literature,” said Macfarlane, author of the play, Four Nights with Mordecai, which starred Ally students. a Canadian stage.

With national McBeal actor Gil Bellows on Friday night.

According to Macfarlane, Richler wrote to entertain him­ media coverage, a self and the reader. He was unconcerned with the catego­ host of academics Neil Besner and celebrities, and rization of his work.

Dean o f Humanities, even Richler’s wife, For Neil Besner, the 2001-2002 Seagram visiting chair in University o f Winnipeg Florence, on hand, Canadian Studies at the MISC, Richler was a writer first and the conference foremost, and “a Canadian or whatever next.

“Richler’s work was always more important than explain­ turned out to be more of an appreciation of Richler’s works, such as The ing Canada to Canadians,” added Besner, currently the Dean Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, St. Urbain’s Horseman, of Humanities at the University of Winnipeg. “He was an Joshua Then and Now, and Solomon Gursky Was Here, than internationalist and measuring himself on an international stage, not a Canadian stage.” a critical examination.

Some speakers focused on the under representation of Panelists moderated their negative criticism of the author, despite the fact that Richler has been called anti- Richler in Canadian academic institutions. Professor Donna Bennet from the English department at the University of Quebec and a misogynist. “[The talk was] interesting, but not as provocative as it Toronto noted that although he is one of the top 20 authors aimed to be,” observed Sarah Bernath, an English Literature in Canada, students don’t ‘get’ his work because his refer-

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ROBWAVMEN.COM A curmudgeon or master satirist? The debate rages on.

ences are highly contextualized.

“Usually satire expires in interest as time passes; there­ fore [his works becomes] less defined for younger readers,” Bennet observed. “If a writer is highly contextualized in the types of references needed, for example a faculty of the lan­ guage, history and/or tradition, the teacher stays away.”

Furthermore, she said, with the trend towards survey courses, professors choose only one or two authors to repre­ sent the 1950s-70s period and Richler’s works fall by the wayside.

Ironically, it is now McGill University, the school that once rejected Richler because his marks did not meet the ‘Jewish quota,’ that is pushing for giving Richler his due place in the academic canon of Canadian literature. Perhaps he will finally get a seat in the classroom. ■ —with files from Mark Kerr

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w w w . p r i n c e t o n r e v i e w . c o m

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 23, 2004

m a aafi

Cam pus NEWS

Ghosts of Demosthenes and Cicero fill Leacock

whether or not people should be able to sue their mothers for ill­ nesses such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Harthouse was tenacious in arguing that such a litigation right would not endanger Canada’s abortion laws, arguing that the right to litigation only actualizes once the baby is born.

York, as the opposition, reject­ ed the claim, and attacked the potential complications of the law.

“A lot of things that harm babies are not as clear cut as FAS."

McGill’s debating union host­ ed the national debating champi­ onships Sunday.

Representatives from universi­ ties across Canada came to com­ pete in two-on-two debate contests and individual public speaking competitions. Hiram Mills profes­ sor of history Desmond Morton gave the audience a guest lecture on contemporary politics in Canada. The talk was followed by the debating finals between York York won the final debate 6-3 and Harthouse (University of in a split decision.

Toronto).

Morton lamented the present state of politics in Canada. Warning students who may desire to affect Teach English O verseas! change, Morton said, “Remember you are not entering an arena you have designed, you are going T E S 0 L where other people are.” w o r k s h o p f o r C a n a d ia n s However, Morton also remind­ ed students that there can be pride Student Special in public service.

Montreal “Making a change that makes April, 2004 you proud at the end of your life, 1 - 8 6 6 9 1 2 - 4 4 6 5 is about the only way you can look One day and you’re on your way! back on any life with satisfaction,” he said. w w w .goteach.ca I l S É t e The final debate topic was

—DavidM.Nataf

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FACULTY O F A R TS R IC H A R D F . S A L IS B U R Y L E C T U R E

MUS to vote again on constitutional change Amanda Greenman

Members of the Management Undergraduate Society will vote tomorrow on whether to remove the MUS senator’s vote from council. This development fol­ lows a controversial vote on the same issue during a general assembly a few weeks ago, when Management students approved a number of changes to the MUS constitution.

Current Management senator Nathan Chan ques­ tioned the constitutionality of the general assembly at which the amendments were originally approved.

“Notice of the general assembly was not posted 15 days in advance,” said Chan. “I felt it didn’t reach everybody.”

MUS President Sanjeev Nath said that the re-vote will be held because he doesn’t want to “saddle next year’s executive with a J-Board case.”

In addition to his concerns about constitutionali­ ty, Chan argued against the amendment itself.

“It sends the strong message that the senator’s vote is not valued,” he said.

Chan said that student senators representing other faculties have votes on their faculty association coun­ cils. He also added that if the amendment passes again it will not be mandatory for senators to attend the council meetings.

Chan did not comment on whether he thinks the amendment will pass again, but simply said that he hopes more people will vote on the proposed change this time.

Nath said the re-vote will address Chan’s con­ cerns.

“One executive was unhappy, so we are analyzing the situation,” he said. “If [the amendment] deserves to

P R O F E S S O R IS S A J . B O U L L A T A

COURTESYOFELECTIONSMCGILL Management Senator-elect Kalanga Joffers favours removing the senator's vote from council.

pass again, then it will.”

Nath also mentioned that recently elected Management senator Kalanga Joffres was in favour of the amendment. ■

N E W M A N BALL

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8 Op/Ed

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 23, 2004

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ta ro The ftfliQhty Q on Bowdons motion

Cooped-up cats and the art of kittyculture hat a crazy, senseless world. Beckett never really knew the Internet. Every now and again, something infiltrates this vast network of information and absurdity and spreads like cyber fire—or maybe like Paris Hilton. The Bonsai Kitten affair began in December 2000. If you haven’t heard about this then it’s news to you. As Harry Truman said, “There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.”

The Web page (motto: “Dedicated to preserving the long lost art of body modifi­ cation in housepets”) opens to the sound of an anguished meow. Why is this cat so forlorn, you ask?

In a subhead entitled “Method,” the authors of the Web page (these people must be male) purport to describe how a kitten can be custom-shaped by putting it into a “rigid vessel” and allowing it to “grow out its formative time entirely within this container.”

Before this “containment stage,” the cat is initially sedated, and air holes are drilled in the vessel, as well as a hole for a “liquid slurry” food-hydration tube, and a hole for a “waste removal” tube. The cat’s anus, it is suggested, should be sealed with superglue. Eventually, the Web site says, kitty’s colon will call it quits and the tube can be used for drainage purposes “in any convenient fashion.”

After an undisclosed amount of time, the vessel is removed (or broken) and a Bonsai Cat is turned out that supposedly retains the contour of its vessel. Apparently, there is virtually no limit to the even­ tual shape of your pet. One astute visitor to the site, evidently worried about an expensive kitty invest­ ment running away, suggested producing a banana-shaped Bonsai Cat: it could only run in circles.

There is, as the old maxim goes, more than one way to skin a cat. (Please limit hate mail to one per reader.)

I was delighted to learn that I no longer need to be satisfied with a house pet having the same mundane shape as all other members of its species. Java and Elvis, my roommate’s two cats of recent laser pointer fame, better watch themselves. With Bonsai Kitten, a world of feline forms limited only by my imagination awaits me. This Web site gives a whole new meaning to watching your figure.”

“Who has not been stricken with the expressive grace of Japanese Bonsai?” the Web site proclaims.

“With this in mind, we are proud to now offer to you the animal complement of this art form; the Bonsai Kitten.” What blatant disrespect. As a writer, I was disgusted by this contempt for even the most basic human decency; that is no way to use a semicolon.

The Web site offers to sell visitors a “rectilinear kitten” within a typical waiting period of three to four months, but it does not list prices or a mailing address for money orders. Some sickos out there actually requested more information.

In December 1999, President Clinton signed a law (Google “H.R. 1887”) making it a federal felony to possess and otherwise profit from “a depiction of animal cruelty” with the intent to distribute inter­ nationally or across state lines. The depiction of human cruelty is acceptable, apparently. After all, one has to keep that multi billion-dollar movie industry happy.

Now, enter the FBI. In what I believe was a case of political correctness gone mad—and a keen PR stunt to boot—agents launched an investigation into the freaky feline site. They determined that it was an elaborate hoax staged by some students at MIT. No kittens were rectilinearized. No one distrib­ uted profited from, or possessed any cats in mason jars. All they possessed was one heck of a success­ ful prank.

Gumshoeing journalist that I am, I checked out some bonsai message boards on-line. What I found, ironically, is more intolerance on the part of bonsai-haters than bonsai-lovers. Some pieces of hate mail included anti-Semitic or otherwise racial slurs. Some wrote that the Web site’s authors were probably Jewish or Chinese.

The sad thing is, the perverse MIT students who sparked the fiasco are smarter than the dopes who penned hate mail on the site, who could not respond any more profoundly than with a resound­ ing “ef you, you effing (enter racist label here)” and “don’t hurt the cute kitty” witicisms?

But everyone has a right to have his voice heard. As I argued last week, freedom of speech should not differentiate, even for jerks. While those nefarious MIT students might need some lessons on the finer points of black humour, satire and parody, they did not break the law.

No animals were harmed during the writing of this article. ■

W

bonsaikitty.com

the

M C G IL L T R I B U N E

E d i t o r - I n - C h ie f

Mark Kerr D e p u t y E d it o r

Sarah Wright Production Manager Natalie Malo-Fletcher

i$ an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Students' Society of McGill University

News Editors Kim D'Souza Katherine Fugler Jennifer Jett Features Editors Brody Brown Jeff Roberts Entertainment Editors Panthea Lee Spencer Ross

Sports Editors James Scarfone Andrew Segal Photo Editors Nicole Leaver Nina Zachariades On-line Editor Lynne Hsu

Layout Editor Tomoko Shida Advertising and Marketing Manager Paul Slachta Ad Typesetter Shawn Lazar

Staff: Liz Allemang, Rachel Bâcher, Andrew Bauer, Lauren Consky, Susan Cooke, Daniel Chodos, Mirella Christou, Simone Cruickshank, Patrick Draper, Sam Coffman, Amanda Greenman, Emily Harris, Shusaku Hattori, Jamie Hull, Heather Kitty Mak, Jonathan Klein, Anne-Marie Lafrotune, Dan McQuillan, David M. Nataf, Julie Peters, Laura Saba, Stefan Szpajda, Dan Suski, Liz Treutler, Josh Wilncr

Last Thursday, John Bowden, the AUS Representative to the Students’ Society council, brought a motion to the table asking to suspend the stipend of Kimberley Zell, the current SSMU vice-pres­ ident communications and events, for the rest of the year. He claimed that the society was unhappy with the way she had been performing. Needless to say, the motion failed with the only per­ son voting in favour of it being a reluctant John Bowden.

I personally think John is a great guy. Regardless of what was mentioned in a recent article, Zell did not campaign for me either—whether “officially” or “unofficially.” Being a Libra, I usually tend to be neutral in disputes and try to maintain very “just and informed” opinions.

While Zell might not be the best person for the job, I just have one question to ask: who else was running against her during the spring 2003 election? Nobody much more qualified, as far as I remember. (And I didn’t know her personally at that time at all).

Maybe SSMU councillors should realize that if they are unhap­ py with the qualifications of the students elected (or acclaimed) for SSMU vice-president or senator positions, they should go ahead and educate their constituencies more about each position—specif ically, what it entails and what the real qualifications required for it are.

I remember a certain SSMU executive once telling me how it’s all about the learning curve, and that if you work hard enough, you can do any job well. As someone who has been very involved with the ins and outs of SSMU (and non-SSMU) organizations for the past couple of years, I disagree with this assumption. While you don’t have to be a complete insider to run for a SSMU posi­ tion, you absolutely have to have what it takes to be one (and what it takes to be vice-president university affairs, for example, is entirely different from what it takes to be vice-president communi­ cations an events, as I remember another executive once telling me).

So, SSMU councillors, please try to educate your constituents about the inner workings of SSMU. In the ‘ideal’ SSMU world, I’d like to see us have a whole bunch of qualified candidates running for each position, instead of trying to force out executives that we ourselves elect a month before their term is about to end.

Students should feel welcome in their own “diverse” society.

Educate them about it, elect qualified candidates for each position and, right from the very beginning, keep an eye on them as to whether they are doing their jobs well or not.

Tribune

— FarahQasemi SSMUCommunicationsCommissioner, 2003-04 Stop the hypocrisy Canada’s drug problem seems to be getting worse. Law enforce­ ment officials appear just to be “flailing around” in their fight against the distribution and use of illegal drugs. We need a fresh start. To begin, why don’t we mandate compulsory drug testing (the way ath­ letes must submit to tests for performance enhancing drugs) for all such officials: judges, Crown attorneys, RCMP officers and staff, municipal and city police officers and staff, and all court officials.

Citizens and law enforcement officials all have their rights.

However, when officials appear hypocritical, drug law enforcement turns into a farce, and citizens’ rights to pursue peacefully their own lives are endangered.

— ElmerG.Wiens Vancouver

Letters must include author's name, signature, identification fe.g. U2 Biology, SSMU President), telephone number and be typed double-spaced. Letters more than 200 words, pieces for Stop the Press more than 500 words, or submissions judged by the Edrtor-in-Chief to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic, or solely promotional in nature, will not be published. The Tribunewill make all reasonable efforts to print submissions provided that space is available, and reserves the right to edit letters for length. Letters may be submitted to the tribune office, faxed to 398-1750, e-mailed to tribune@ssmu.mcgilLca or submitted via the Tribune web site.

Columns appearing under 'Editorial' heading are decided upon by the editorial board and written by a member of the editorial board. All other, opinions are strict­ ly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The McGill tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.

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Tel: (514)398-6789 Fax: (514) 398-1750 E-mail: tribune@ssmu.mcgill.ca Web: www.mcgilltribune.com

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 23, 2004

Opinion to the

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dentity today is a bit of a conundrum Motivational ther­ apists glorify individuality as a means to personal success, while neuroscientists argue that selfhood is an illusion— it’s enough to confuse even the most self-possessed.

Naturally, adolescents have become the prime victims of such semantics, wedged between the social need for self-def­ inition and the ever-increasing pressure to conform. Yet instead of throwing them a lifeline, their very mentors—the teachers, advisers and counsellors—have thrown in the towel, dismissing their potential with one cold and ageist shoulder.

Be it resolved, they say, that all teenagers are idle, incompetent and wayward, showing no sign of direction, except towards the mall and video arcade. The presumption is that if teenagers are not currently thinking, there is no hope for them ever thinking, a deducing-an- is’-from-an- ought' mentality that is inexcusable. Adolescents are our future think-factories, still they have not been taught the difference between image and identity Human flourishing is a contemporary goal that demands self-knowledge and self-understanding. Creating an image may be a calculating process but it does not involve the kind of deliberation that identity-building requires. Historically.

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Editorial

EDI TORI AL

.............Bill C.9 and health of the poor, Bill C-9 is the reason Kofi Annan calls Canada every week. It is the reason why the hopes of mil­ lions of people living in the developing world rest with the Canadian parliament and the Canadian cit­ izenry. Bill C-9 is not strong enough yet to meet those hopes.

Bill C-9 is an act to amend the Patent Act and the Food and Drugs Act, which would allow Canadian generic pharmaceutical companies to export patented medications at much lower prices to least developed countries and WTO-member developing countries.

However, Bill C-9 grants the patent-holder a “right of first refusal.” What this means is that once a generic company has finished negotiating a contract to export patented drugs at generic prices, the patent-holder is given the opportunity to match the terms of the contract. If the patent-holder match­ es the contract, the patent-holder gets the contract and the generic company loses all the time and investment (transaction costs) that were necessary to negotiate the contract in the first place. This is the most serious problem with the Bill because it significantly weakens the incentive for generic com­ panies to negotiate contracts in the first place and may defeat the whole purpose of the Bill. It is essen­ tial that the “right of first refusal” be removed from the bill.

Bill C-9 limits the countries eligible to import generic chugs from Canada. Developing countries which are not WTO members or classed as “least developed” are excluded. This excludes a number of developing countries in desperate need.

Bill C-9 limits the pharmaceutical products which may be exported to a list of 46. Incredibly, Nevirapine, which is widely recommended to prevent transmission of HIV from mother-to-child, is not on the list. We are asking that Bill C-9 be changed so that these restrictions (on drugs and on devel­ oping countries) are removed.

Several NGOs provide health care in developing world. For populations made vulnerable by con­ flict or discrimination, NGOs are often the only health care provider. Bill C-9, as it is presently writ­ ten, would not allow these NGOs to buy patented drugs at generic prices. We are calling out for this to be changed.

Stephen Lewis (the UN Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa) and Doctors Without Borders are both demanding the four changes to Bill C-9 described above.

Op/Ed 9

Behind bars cGill calendars were released last week containing pertinent infor­ mation about next year’s available courses, plus, just as important­ ly, when final exams will take place. Unfortunately, the university has once again taken advantage of McGill students’ seemingly good nature, or passive-aggressive attitude, and trapped them inside the walls of this fine institution longer than necessary. Moreover, undergraduates are given no study days in the winter semester of 2004-05. By selecting the worst pos­ sible dates for all important matters such as exams and the first day of class, the administration has followed through on its unofficial stance of leaving students out of the process.

Guess what? Senate has approved this format for the next three years. In case you neglected to sift through the phone book, otherwise known as the calendar of dates, students will be attending their first lecture before Labour Day. Dean of Students Bruce Shore should be prepared to listen to the protests students may have regarding this odd scheduling of dates. There are a few reasons why this will incon­ venience, if not infuriate, most undergraduates.

First, the pre-Labour Day issue. Many people rely on their summer jobs to get them through the year financially. Most of the time, they are obligated to work through the Labour Day weekend. This makes it impossible for these students to return to the—albeit insignificant—first week of school. What’s more, our Ontario counterparts will be able to fulfill their contracts, and they will be finished spring exams well before we will be once again getting the upper hand on the best job opportunities.

Second, many students could experience difficulties regarding apartment leas­ es, which will likely commence on the first of the month. Is the administration ask­ ing these people to forego setting themselves up in their new homes in order to go to class? Rest assured, if Shore and his committees think they are preparing us for the real world, they’re not.

Further, the number of study days is essential if students are expected to suc­ ceed. This year, Queen’s University students complained that their study week prior to final exams was being reduced to four days. Four days between classes and exams is unheard of for McGill students. The university was kind enough to give students the weekend for next fall’s exams but was not so charitable in the winter, as finals will begin the day after last lectures take place.

We understand that the province of Quebec has certain laws that it imposes on its universities in terms of how many hours undergrads must attend class. However, this does not excuse the Committee on Student Affairs, which Shore chairs, from evaluating the positives of a reformed exam schedule. A survey of students will show that writing exams on nights and weekends is worth the extra time to study or to finish sooner. The university will argue that there is a higher probability of con­ flicts, but if other universities can accomplish the timing harmony we are address­ ing, why can’t McGill?

We attend one of the most prestigious post-secondary institutions in Canada that boasts some of the brightest and best students this country has to offer. Yet, somehow, the university cannot wrap its head around some of the most plausible solutions to meaningful problems. We can only hope that our degrees will be worth more than the time we spend fortified by the administration. ■

M

don't think, therefore who am I? Natalie Fletcher

thinkers have thrived because of their keenness for questions that help delineate character and aptitude. Yet brain power does not imply wisdom—we may all have similar cognitive capacities but without the necessary training, these do not generate the kind of reasoning skills that enable original and strong personalities to develop. If teenagers aren’t being trained to think, how can they establish firm identities, much less pursue worthwhile goals?

Education is a loathed beast amid the juvenile stratum of society. Students are given content without structure, causing them to be reactive rather than reflective. Logic is now about rationalizing irresponsible behaviour, ethics is a means for challenging authority, aesthetics is a justification for vulgarity, metaphysics is an excuse for substance abuse and epistemol­ ogy is all about proving the teacher’s ineptitude. Adolescents marinate in their stereotypes because too few are willing to make the necessary leap of faith to unveil their capabilities.

Yet when given the chance, they reveal the same ontological and cosmological queries that have charmed generations.

Free-styling, dressing provocatively, defying the norms—this is them thinking aloud, soliloquizing, but we’re too wrapped up in the puppetry to see beyond the act.

Thinking on one’s feet is not an inherent skill When

girlie mallrats aren't prevented from seeking self-worth in questionable fashion that their wallets can t match, they will get arrested for shoplifting. When tween boys with drug-deal­ ing problems are shipped off to camps of the Teen Help vari­ ety and subjected to Maoist-like behaviour modifications, they will rebel against the system. Yet criminals they are not.

With the right approach, young women will refuse to be spoon-fed fashion tips peppered with opposing messages about beauty being only skin deep, while young men will refuse to have their rights violated for the sake of a national melting pot.

Educators must stop taking the shadow for the sub­ stance. Teenage misdirection is not a nationwide epidemic as many claim. It is the obvious consequence of a learning sys­ tem that does not foster independent thinking but quantifies knowledge by overemphasizing psychology and neglecting philosophy. Not unlike the play-acting of children, teenage image worship is natural, so long as a firm identity is guiding it from behind the curtains. Thus, to the many that harbour ill-conceived views about today’s adolescence, let it be resolved that current realities do not mirror the true nature of young adults, but rather reveal what can easily happen when thinking is merely a chorus girl. >________

10 Op/Ed

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 23, 2004

to th e

Trust or check? The IVlcGill way A Russian motto says, “Trust and believe people, but check them.” It dates from long ago in a simple, feudal socie­ ty controlled by a privileged few. Now, the “trust and believe” has gone and only the “check them” remains.

People are checked constantly everyday, especially we in the most developed countries. It happens with files acting as a substitute for trust, and more power being invested in these files since the latest hysterical security concerns.

In the past, the selfish aristocracy was at least God-fear­ ing, and thus their pestiferous aspects were easier to accept by the vulnerable masses. Today, the powers at the top believe in something that eliminates a priori humanistic values, contribut­ ing to the greatest number, proportionately, of suicides known in history.

Furthermore, these narrow circles of power that are the main beneficiaries of globalization increasingly want to play a role similar to that of the old feudal aristocracy. They have long been influenced by their worship of the “3M trinity”: Money, Manipulation and the desire to have More of every­ thing. This trinity is now reaching everyone’s minds, rich and poor, so that the latter are easier to control, thereby converting the traditionally antagonistic relations between the rulers and the ruled into the friendlier dynamic of masters and their fol­ lowers. What the followers do not know fully is that those who already have riches are gaining more as they acquire more power, and tjie followers are being poisoned with envy, which is treated as a virtue motivating people to work harder. It makes many richer, but erodes traditional religions, which endorse dialectally different values from a very addictive “consumerist life philosophy.” In fact many people from the reli­ gious establishment are not immune and can be easily target­ ed as the enslaved materialistic or pleasure monsters. This ero­ sion allows the corporate media to continue their consistent total attack against all religions, and their defence of the 3Ms. In this situation it is probably safer to support Mr. Smith’s approach and treat Mr. Hanna’s view as too idealistic when hypocrites outnumber the true believers today.

This is a simplified description of our modern society where people hurt themselves and their families and friends after being indoctrinated with a go-getting mentality. It makes them difficult to be spontaneous and socially active. It makes

them more like separately caged animals, afraid of the havenots and very afraid to risk losing something while fighting for more respect or independence. The ruling circles love societies motivated in this way as people become very predictable in their activities. Their consistent indoctrination and manipula­ tion become an easily achieved objective once the monopo­ lized corporate media and puppet governments lend a hand.

Right now, the true rulers do not need strong police and con­ centration camps to maintain their dominant position; but they will when encountered with even the slightest active resistance to their globalized interests.

This explains why people are unwilling to say, “Trust and believe people.” However, let’s not give up. Let’s use this beautiful motto in a slightly modified version: “Trust and believe our feudal lords, political leaders and CEOs—but check them.”

Only a constant push to check our lead­ ers can galvanize people. They need to exam­ [!| ine the ethics associated with “the 3M reli­ gion,” involving constant promotion of unre­ strained consumerism, while ignoring the world’s physical limitations (e.g. diminishing resources) and the spread of pollution. The new heroes of this aggressive materialism are rewarded with eulogies about their “successes” in the media. This prevents people from see­ ing anything spiritual, because they are fed by the mass media and their lowest denomina­ tor—profit.

Universities are for students not only to obtain knowledge but also to approach and challenge different social problems. Even the mere intentions of the top McGill notables should be monitored: These worthies are try­ ing to make controversial changes to our BoG “Profs peeved at perceived paucity,” and in this post-Enron era, nobody should simply trust them to do the right thing. We need to exert moral pressure in order to improve the situation at McGill, which is plagued by para­ sitic “developments” reflecting the world. If

the students can make a modest difference by for example drawing attention to dubious affairs in the university, then they have a better chance of reaching other social groups later in life, and perhaps reintroducing the notion of trust into people’s lives. At least let’s give it a try. We could start by following the example of Vivian Choy, who has questioned in Senate the Principal’s plan to downsize the BoG (a plan that mimics the trend in corporate governance). Choy coined the phrase “McGill way” that encourages trusting bigger bodies of demo­ cratically elected envoys and checking more initiatives of the “parachuted” rulers wanting to concentrate their power.

—Slawomir Poplawski, Staff member in the M.M.M. department

McGill The Departm ents o f Jewish Studies an d Political Science are pleased to present

Dr. J u d it B o lfse r Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autônoma de México.

"Latin American Jewish Communities: A Challenging Present" Wednesday, March 31, 2004, 4 p.m.

Leacock Building Room 232 855 Sherbrooke Street West The public is welcom e. Admission is fre e information: Philip O xhorn, (514 )3 9 8 -8 9 7 0 , philip.oxhorn@mcgill.ca

This lecture is made possible with support fromthe Beatty Memorial Lectures Committee

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19 E9

Q uébeco o

Features

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 23, 2004

Hauling in your sorry McGill ass ^WTF ask us a n yth in g

Q U E S T IO N S : W h a t c a n Liz Allemang

fo r? A n d

I g e t a rre s te d

if a r r e s t e d , w ill I g o t o ja il?

n such an academically rigorous institution there is no doubt that, every now and then, it is important to let loose. Many McGill students have adopted a “work hard, play harder” philosophy. For some, spending a month’s grocery money on retail therapy is the way to unwind, while for others hitting the gym provides crucial relief. For those who like to embrace the child at heart, launching water balloons rooftop, playing nicky nicky nine doors or wrestling drunkenly outside of Vol de Nuit after last call may be among the best ways ,to relax. There is no doubt that causing such a ruckus can make for a good time, but depend­ ing on the activity, it can land you in a holding cell at Division 38.

If you think of students as immature brats and the police as our babysitters, consider the following: we are away from our parents and many of us see this as an opportunity to get into trouble and party hard. The police have the job of looking after us and making sure we don’t do anything too stupid. They want harsh punishment to be the last resort, so they give us a slap on the wrist and hope that we straighten up and fly right.

If you are blasting your *NSYNC album at 2:00 am and the neighbours call in a complaint (and really, who wouldn’t after trying to sleep with “Dirty Pop” at full volume?), they will give you a $138 ticket for disturbing the peace and tell you to turn it down. If the tunes go back on and the coppers keep getting called back, you can expect to be cuffed and taken to your local police station.

So if you’re not the brightest bulb in the box and can’t restrict your Justin Timberlake singalongs to the shower and karaoke night, what should you expect to deal with when you find yourself in the back of a squad car?

“In November I was walking home drunk and I managed to break a car window with my elbow,” says a McGill student who wishes to remain anonymous. “I was charged with mis­ chief, got cuffed, they read my rights and then put me in the back of the squad car where I waited for about half an hour.”

Eventually, when the cops had determined that he was not a threat to society, they hand-

I

ed him two sheets of paper. One directed him to a police station where he would be finger­ printed, photographed and have his description entered into a criminal database the follow­ ing weekend. The other paper listed a court date for which he was to appear and enter his plea.

This is common practice for minor crimes and bylaw violatibns, the sort of infractions most often committed by students. 1 “It’s when there is a bigger crime, like a fight, where someone’s life is in danger, they are arrested and sent to the station, searched, entered into the crime database and put in a cell,” says Caroline Bernier, a social community agent and constable at Station; 12. “They always have the right to remain silent and get a lawyer, The person who has committed the crime will meet with an investigator who will decide whether to release or go to court immediately.”

Bernier also adds that the police decide to release people who have committed minor crimes depending on conditions such as criminal history* the crime itself and whether or not they are likely to do it again. She also notes that drinking, urinating and drunkenness are all considered crimes when done in public,.and offenders can be arrested. And if you like to enjoy the view from your balcony while smoking a spliff, be warned that even though you are on private property, it's illegal, and if a police officer happens to lx: patrolling right past you, you're busted.

But if you're expecting to be roughed up like those criminals on Law & Order, get frisked by a Benjamin Bran look-alike or get tossed in the slammer with leather clad bikers, chances are you'll be let down If you stole a pineapple from Provigo, you're not going to receive the same treatment as a New Jersey maç who murdered a transsexual prostitute in Greenwich Village. After you’ve been arrested, but before the reports are filed, the police ask the victim if they want to press charges. Chances are you’ll wait around a lot, answer questions, get a lecture and the arrest will likely go on your permanent record.

If your crime scene is campus based, you aren’t even that likely to see a police officer.

“Staff members respond to all incidents on campus. If it is deemed nec­ essary, the police may be called to the scene [in the case of a criminal act! and the police would make the arrest,” says Louise Savard, manager of Security Services at McGill.

She notes, however, that it is “very rare for police to get involved” in campus crimes, likely because the majority, according to statistics for 200203, are property crimes such as thefts of wallets, computers and bicycles. In comparison to other schools, “McGill has an extremely low crime rate, which can be attributed to its central location and use of surveillance,” says Savard.

So be warned all streakers, public drinkers, graffiti artists, hash smokers and wrestling wannabes. If you want to avoid the hassle of having a record, getting mug shots, showing up at court and scheduling meetings with your lawyer in between classes, you might want to reconsider your troublemaking ways. Or at the very least, don’t get caught.

T M c G ill The Department of Jewish Studies

BLACHER AND GLASROT FAMILIES MEMORIAL AWARD FOR HOLOCAUST RESEARCH N e w

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stablished in 2000 by Mr. and Mrs. Josef Glasrot, survivors o f the Holocaust and residents o f Montreal. Open to any student at McGill University, the award is presented for excellence in research in

Holocaust and related studies, and particularly on the history o f the ghettos o f Warsaw and Kovno (Kaunas). Essays prepared in any course or independent research may be considered. The award is administered by the Department o f Jewish Studies in cooperation with the Jewish Com m unity Foundation.

The award w ill be presented during the Closing Exercises o f the Department o f Jewish Studies in June, 2004. The value o f the Blacher and Glasrot Families Memorial Award is $1000.

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12 Features

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 23, 2004

The changing face of racism S o m e o ffic ia ls d a i m

s t r u c t u r a l r a c i s m is n o m o r e . ANN E-M ARIE LAFORTUNE p r o v e s t h e m w r o n g

etween you and me, there is no racism here.” So says Francine Sénécal, a senior official with the City of Montreal. Here at McGill University, Dean of Students Bruce Shore is also optimistic when he cites the decline of race-based prejudice on campus. “Reports of racist behaviour on campus are a very tiny minority of actions brought to the attention of my office," he says. “I do not know if this reflects a tip of an iceberg, or the reality that McGill is a pretty decent—not perfect— place.”

Despite increasingly complacent public attitudes, the reality is that racism continues to lurk all around us. Racism is present when the store clerk fol­ lows Lali Sindi, an African-Canadian student in U3 Management, whenever he goes shopping. It was present when Salma, an Afghani, was excoriated by a man near McGill who told her: “Stop terrorizing us!”

Racism’s presence was felt when a Muslim student in the medical facul­ ty had his car vandalized after September 11, and it was there when Yesim Bayar, Ph D. Sociology, was told by a bank employee that since she is Turkish, she probably doesn’t know what a credit card is: “Business must be slow over there, no? You people should learn from us a little.”

Minor incidents. Trivial even. No blows exchanged, no curses left hang­ ing in the air—probably imperceptible to most of us. And if the subtlety of much racism leads most “crackers” to perceive only bits of it, it is another story for others.

“It’s daily bread. It’s the air I breathe. Our dignity, our intimacy, our whole sense of self: this is what racism attacks,” says Joseph, a Haitian who moved to Montreal 18 years ago.

B

Too politically correct?

After what Sénécal, told me, I was ready to inform readers of this reve­ lation. I was ready to broadcast the information and celebrate. But then I turned on the TV. “He’s black, he’s Haitian. Prostitution in that environment is normal. It’s part of their culture, like it’s part of Jamaican culture to smoke cannabis,” came out of the box.

These were the words of Quebec lawyer Yves-André Le Bouthillier, when asked to comment on his client, who had been charged with pimping.

After the scandal caused by his declaration, Bouthellier corrected himself: “What I said is that in Haiti there is a lot of prostitution.”

One might be surprised to hear such shocking words from the mouth of a well-educated man. In fact, most people see a negative correlation between schooling and racism—the more education you have, the less likely you are to be racist.

A nice thought, to be sure. But how, then, do we account for former Quebec Premier Jacques Parizeau s behaviour on the night of the 1995 refer­ endum? As he learned of the failure of his referendum, he blamed “money and the ethnic vote.”

We may be far from the 1920s and 1930s, when signs stated, “No dogs or Jews allowed,” but has racism really abated? Or, as overtly racist behaviour became politically incorrect, did it reconstitute itself in a subtler form?

The fact is that the discourse about racism changed.

Québécor founder Pierre Peladeau’s controversial “Jews take too much space” remark a few years ago was in fact a mistake, a phrase that slipped out of his mouth—he broke the wall of politeness. What if he had not? His comments revealed a thought most people hide behind a polished discourse, a discourse that is “politically correct.”

“For instance, the word nigger ' It’s not because one doesn’t say it that he doesn’t mean it,” says Faiz Abhvali, U3 IDS. No such thing as race, only racism

In the case of a multifaceted term such as racism, an incongruity lies in the fact that race does not even have a definite meaning. With the United Nations scientifically discrediting the concept itself in 1998, race is now con­ sidered a social creation. But even so, it remains a very powerful fabrication that has a profound impact on social reality.

Dean Shore offers his perspective.

“Racism is very likely a deeply ingrained attitude, and it is almost cer­ tainly learned. Hence the best solution is to assume good will, and to set good examples in word and action for how we wish our fellow human beings to be treated.”

Shore has a point. Individuals are not born racist, so excuses to justify the persistence of racism are, well, lame. The problem has a source, and we need to uproot it.

For one, we are exposed to it early in life. In primary school, many fran­ cophone students encountered fill in the blank exercises such as: “Travailler comme un... (nègre).”

At the same time, early childhood education is also the result of inter­ acting with friends, and mainly with parents. From that perspective, one might wonder what values will be imparted to kids who hear their mother loudly announce in a dépanneur: “I’m not racist. But in my mind, humans are white.”

By the time one reaches university, racism becomes more and more intellectualized. But, at the same time, old-fashioned ignorance is still preva­ lent, such as when Carmen Nono, U2 IDS, was asked by a fellow classmate if she had a lot of lion pals when she was living in Africa.

Other examples of “naive” gestures abound. Although the latest mani­

festation of racism at McGill was during Management Carnival, one might equally just look around—it is all over the place, from the bathroom graffiti, to the absence of a campus equity policy.

Indeed, if one is a victim of racism on campus, there is not much one can do about it. The Charter of Students’ Rights and Responsibilities states that everyone must be treated equally, but there is no mention of any sanction if mistreatment occurs.

“An anti-discrimination policy was first proposed 10 years ago but noth­ ing has really changed since then. So I guess the person could go to Montreal’s police office and, of course, tell McGill’s administration,” says Students’ Society Vice-President University Affairs Vivian Choy.

It seems that official silence on problems of racism can amount to tacit acceptance.

A society of ostriches?

Racist prejudice is deeply rooted in every sphere of society. A politician is no less racist because of the position he occupies. Likewise for a police­ man, or teacher. But the problem remains as the existence of racism is not acknowledged.

“People must get their head out of the sand and attack the core of the problem by recognizing that there is racism. Otherwise, it will remain latent and we will keep on accumulating dust under the carpet,” says McGill African Students’ Society President Annie Fa. The most obvious manifestation of subtle racism can be found in the media.

“Media are very good political tools used to reflect what the government wants society to look like,” says Julia Bietz of the McGill Students Against War and Racism.

What you see through this tube is far from reality. Take the perception that most criminals are from minority groups. Out of all the people incarcer­ ated in 2002, 78 per cent were white. Moreover, numbers published by the McGill School of Social Work are challenging other stereotypes. Immigrants do not steal jobs; in fact, blacks are more likely to be unemployed than other citizens, and those who do have a job generally earn 30 per cent less than the average.

Socially constructed, institutionally enforced

The mention of public services produces a frown on the face of Bayar, who heard racist remarks by a bank employee a few months ago. Her first reflex was to blame it on ignorance.

“It surprised me because I’m sure he had a high level of education to be working in that position, and also Montreal is such an ethnically mixed place.

So, one would think that communities interact more, learn about one anoth­ er, but it’s obviously not the case.”

Reports of racial prejudice from public services employees are countless.

One need only recall the recent scandal implicating police officers for mak­ ing racist comments about aboriginals doing the Ipperwash Provincial Park stand off. On tape, one heard reference to a “great big fat fuck Indian."

Surprised? There is more. Talking about the police intervention plan, they said: “We had this planned, you know. We thought if we could get five or six cases of Labatt 50, we could bait them. Then we’d have this big net at a pit.”

If those are the same people responsible for human security, there are reasons to be worried.

Nevertheless, the place of ignominy definitely goes to metro security agents who practice what is called “subjective policing.”

“If I am in the middle of a huge crowd at the rush hour and I see one of them, I know I will be the one they pick for an ID control. That’s just the way it is,” says Thierry Ntakirutimana, U3 Political Science, a Burundian stu­ dent who came to Montreal a few years ago.

The city of Montreal is actually trying to fight this problem with programs such as “Profilage Racial” and “Accommodement Raisonnable.” The first intends to inform public servants of the different ethnic groups’ behaviour.

According to city official, Sénécal, the program works as follows: “For instance if a group of blacks is being noisy, the metro controller should see that this is not necessarily a sign of violence.”

On the other hand, “Accommodement Raisonnable” targets tolerance towards cultural habits.

“If, for religious reasons, Jews need to leave earlier on Friday afternoon, they should not be penalized by their employer,” says Sénécal.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said that, “Tolerance brings with it an implic­ it moral relativism—who is to say what is right and what is wrong?”

Practices like those listed above seem to be tolerance-oriented, but it would be fair to wonder why. If our country really is a cultural mosaic praised for its multicultural cities, wouldn’t the word tolerance be seen as quasi-blas­ phemy?

“You may tolerate the fly hovering around while you eat, but do you accept it?" says Ehab Lotayef, a system manager in engineering at McGill.

This questions everything that has been said earlier. Indeed, if you want to talk about a change, it is impossible to do so when the society you live in is this hypocritical. But, ultimately, the institutions forming our society are first and foremost composed of human beings, each different from one another.

The eradication of racism will definitely have a snowball’s chance in hell until we recognize and celebrate those differences. ■

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 23, 2004 B

Features 13

eyond

C a n a d ia n Borders

Field semester in Africa ichard is a Maasai senior elder. He is also a lobby­ ist, herdsman, farmer, warrior, administrator and Baptist preacher. He is one of us; or, it should be said, we are one of them. Since we, the students on McGill’s field study semester, have arrived in this finger of the Rift Valley, we have been graciously welcomed by the Maasai. Though it has not rained since June of last year and the livestock are dying, the children rush to the buses to wave and smile, seemingly unaware of the harshness of their environment. They must deal with scorpions, snakes and malarial mosquitoes, in addition to the Kenyan government’s oppressive land policies. Poverty by the technical sense—less than $1 US per day—doesn’t concern them as most rarely see a shilling. Instead currency includes cattle, sheep and beads.

But Richard has decided to try a different way. Most Maasai are easily identifiable by their hanging pierced ears, but when his parents approached him to perform this rite of man­ hood, he objected.

“The pain is so much,” he told the Canadian group one night. “When they asked, I said no.”

Richard’s avant-garde ways have also included the con­ struction of a fruit and vegetable garden, unheard of among

R

the Maasai in this area.

“They said a Maasai cannot grow food," he explained.

“They thought I would die from overwork. When it worked, they were amazed. Everyone was my friend. They were very much impressed that a Maasai could do the work of a Kamba or a Kikuyu [highland agriculturalists].”

Richard’s story underscores the significant changes going on in Kenya, which we in the Canadian field study directly wit­ ness. The country is currently in the process of negotiating a new constitution that will determine its future development.

There is hope in the country but there is also trepidation.

While some feel that the new constitution will right the wrongs of the past, others feel that the negotiations are an attempt by politicians to solidify their hold on power.

Richard is one who has hope. He sees the new constitu­ tion as a chance to reclaim land that was snatched by corrupt politicians, rich .Kenyans and other outsiders. According to Richard, of the 1056 parcels of land divided in his district, only 141 went to the people living on that land.

“When I went to the government office to complain,” he said. “They screamed at me, saying it was the right way.”

The new constitution promises to alter the legal land­

African escapade: Part II o not pick the plants or animals,” urges a sign at the entrance to Nakuru National Park. This is not an empty warning. Metres away, park rangers walk in formation, armed with AK-47s and authority to shoot to kill. Welcome to Kenya, where wildlife is not just endangered, but is also a source of millions of tourist dollars every year. Officially, militant con­ servation is the accepted practice and it is the hunters who are the extremists.

Unofficially, farmers and the government alike cull wild game. For many smallholders and cattle herders in Kenya, lions, leopards and elephants are not the charismatic megafau­ na of daytime nature programs, but overpopulated pests that attack their cattle, eat their sheep in the night and trample their crops. Farmers with only one to five acres of land can lose their annual incomes in a matter of seconds when elephants rampage through the farmers’ harvests, unimpeded by the flim­ sy wood or barbed wire fences erected to keep them out.

One Maasai herder tells of a single Christmas Day when 17 goats were eaten by a group of Savanna predators.

“It is as if we keep the sheep and goats for the leopards,” he says. “Once, seven were eaten by one leopard at one time.”

Often, the only recourse available to Kenyans is to kill the animals that threaten their livelihoods, risking the retribution of the Kenya Wildlife Service. Recently, I was told a story about government gunships swooping down a picturesque valley

D

T

scape of Kenya, but it is not the only force of change. Some Canadian students are questioning what role they play as they interact with people who have had little contact with industri­ al societies.

“It’s important to know that we are not here to save peo­ ple," remarked McGill political science student Rebecca Hay. “But what’s better, us not coming at all or us coming with a lit­ tle bit and exposing them to our culture?”

Zoe Horn, another student, points out that we might be overestimating our impact.

“They don’t know about our culture. All they know is that we’re white and have nice clothes. If anything we confirmed their idea of what white people are like—consumptive, unhelpful, un-useful lumps."

Still, many students, myself included, developed a close bond with Richard and his Maasai community over the last few days. We have experienced happiness to the point of crying, but conflicting emotions are present in almost all of us. In his role as Baptist preacher, Richard spoke of love for all people in his metal cabin that doubled as a church. We can only hope that we have the ability to return it in kind. ■

ANDREW BAUER outlines a contentious Kenyan policy: are the flora and fauna coming before the people?

south of Nairobi, shooting at Maasai poachers protecting their livestock. The Maasai fought back, tossing spears and knives at their airborne enemies, convinced that “the government’s pri­ ority is lions, not people.”

“We like the animals,” one elderly man explains. “But we must kill them sometimes.”

The conservation debate is an emotional conflict, pitting rural Kenyans and their advocates against the Kenyan govern­ ment and conservation NGOs intent on defending what remains of many endangered species in East Africa, from the elephant to the zebra to the white rhino. The catchphrase is “protecting biodiversity.” The method has been and continues to be a total ban on all killing of threatened species. The result has been violence between humans and animals and within a divided human population.

A few weeks ago, virtual war broke out between ele­ phants and small farmers in the Transmara in southwestern Kenya, leaving four animals dead and seven severely injured humans. It also left one baby,elephant orphaned. The KWS’ response was to protect the dead behemoths from meat and ivory collection by force, and to airlift the orphan to safety, leaving the injured human combatants helpless.

Several solutions to the human-wildlife conflict have been proposed to the Canadian Field Studies group by the interest­ ed parties and by students. “Cull the humans,” one student argues, half-jokingly. Human population, some would say

Give Youth Peace a chance o this we commit in spirit, thought and action.” The pal­ pable silence that descended over the crowd hung in the air as the speaker finished. She descended from the podium, smooth faced and cognizant of the cameras and gazes that followed her. As the words sunk in, I tried to imagine the world that had just been described to me. I had the feeling that this had the potential of creating true progress, or could end like many other such initiatives—in big, empty words.

The rally of hundreds of youth from across the Asia Pacific regions who shared a common commitment to a better future was underway. In Bangkok, from February 24 to 28, more than 200 delegates gathered under the banner of the World Youth Peace summit. Present at this summit were those who are lead­ ers in their respective fields: government, business, civil society, religion, science and the cultural communities.

The World Council of Religious Leaders spearheaded the initiative to help address issues of world peace. Five such regional conferences will be held throughout the world in the next seven months, leading up to a world summit in Nairobi, Kenya. With the support of the United Nations, more than 2,000

Upon arrival in Africa, ANDREW BAUER worries about the reception of McGill students and chats up a Maasai mutineer

overpopulation, has undoubtedly contributed to the growing incidence of conflict. But as Queen’s University Professor Steve Lougheed acknowledges, “If it was my family being hurt, I would pull the trigger.”

Gilford Powys of the Laikipia Wildlife Forum suggests a hunting scheme whereby tourists would pay “$40,000 to $50,000 to shoot an elephant or lion. The money would go to the community, providing the premium for a life-insurance scheme for those who have died at the hands of wildlife.

Hunting is better than cropping.”

Another proposal has been from East Africa Wildlife Society Chairman Imre Leofleur. He envisions the future com­ modification of wildlife, ranching zebra and wildebeest for skins and meat, arguing that “if you don’t utilize the resource, you will lose it.”

“I’m not convinced that pulling these populations into captivity alleviates pressure on wild game," Lougheed remarks.

“However, people must necessarily come first. Wildlife conflict is inevitable. Where there is a necessity of intervention, the question is what can you do?”

Unless human or wildlife populations decline, incidents of human-wildlife conflict will continue to rise. Today, KWS rangers chase humans away with guns as commonly as they chase the overpopulated baboons away from their lunches.

Perhaps this antagonistic relationship might warm with greater understanding about the issues here and abroad. ■

PATRICK DRAPER offers an uplifting account of last month's World Youth Peace summit

youth worldwide will come to Nairobi to participate in one of two delegates come to a consensus, but the rest of the 200 had the biggest forums yet created for youth. Its slogan, “Each One, as well.

Having spoken at length with many motivated young lead­ Reach One”, embodies the hope that youth can emerge as an involved force in helping the world on its path to a better place. ers, I realized the potential inherent in energizing youth to a Three days of thematic information sessions, workshops common goal. There was a dedicated core group that gave up and late nights made up the core of this summit. Organizers most of its nights to produce the vision and action it felt would hoped that the delegates would come together to form a com­ embody its world. Many were already highly involved individu­ mon vision of the future, and make a commitment to a plan of als who were working towards change. Using this experience as action that would enable it. The process was designed to foster a foundation, the summit built a network of dedicated youth a high level of participation. I had volunteered to help facilitate who set the tone for Nairobi.

The measure of whether or not these words will ring true these workshops. is still undetermined, as the network mobilizes to tangible The summit was filled with highly diverse participants counting some 44 countries in the area. With different religions, action. But given the individuals in attendance, with their cultures and beliefs, they all sat under one roof working towards impressive track records and dedication, I think this summit a higher purpose. Their diversity might well prove to be one of might just bring some sunlight into a world that is becoming their greatest assets, as the ability to overcome and utilize these increasingly dark. ■ differences will be a hallmark of the possibilities to come.

For more information on the World Youth Peace Summit During a vision-building workshop, two delegates, from India and the North American Summit happening this summer, and the Maldives, approached me saying they couldn’t agree on go to www.wyps.org. any common vision. By the end of the process, not only had the

14 Features

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 23, 2004

Correction The WTF article in the March 18 issue of the Tribune, titled "Vicious cycle or circle of life: A period piece," was not credited to Lise Bondy. It should have been.

We love you Lise. And Features loves menses.

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Fire With Water is an art exhibit in testament to the strength and courage of survivors of sexual assault. : is intended as a space for expression in relation to the prevalent social issue of sexual assault.

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4$ A flair for passionate Julie Peters

here was a lot of love going on at the Pfhjassion 2004: Love in Style fashion show put on by the Management Undergraduate Society to raise money for the MAC AIDS Foundation. Love for the clothes, love for the body, love for the cause and, perhaps most of all, love for pointy-toed shoes. The sheer volume of this brand of footwear inside Spectrum Thursday night made it seem like a scene out of Roald Dahl’s The Witches, where scary women remove their pointy shoes to show terrifying, mis­

T

shapen feet.

Luckily, there was nothing scary or intimidating about this affair. In the past, people may have gone to Pfhjassion feeling like they had to at least pretend to take it seriously. These spectators dug up their most fashionable togs from underneath the pile of warm Montreal winter gear to impress the fashionistas who were sure to be there.

Interestingly, and somewhat surprisingly, some of the clothes the spectators sported were more interesting and original than what the models strutting down the runway wore. Fashion lines like Gas Jeans, Wantstil, Energie and Miss Sixty

seemed to be showing off their styles from right now, or maybe even last season.

The whole 80s punk rock slouchy shirts and legwarmers fad is pretty much in the evening of its day, and fashion shows are generally supposed to show off the newest ideas from the designers. Admittedly, this was a show by and for McGill students, not “real” fashionistas, but give us some credit—many of these outfits have been floating around campus since fall, notably the white pleat­ ed miniskirt and off-the-shoulder top. I thought Montreal is supposed to be the exception to the rule that Canadians have no style.

Still, some of the labels showed off interesting new fashion concepts. Très Anti Social by Phillippe Girard was a notably fun men’s line, full of jackets with huge popped collars and horn-like exten­ sions on the shoulders. The sexy male models strutted along the runway grabbing each other’s butts and wink­ ing lewdly at one another. The horns on the jackets were phallic, homoerotic and undoubtedly sexy.

KHl>nCLDWOntR

Janelle Gauthier offered a fresh and sexy take on women’s fashion, displaying a relish for colour, texture and the female body. The clothes themselves seemed to har­ bour a desire to reveal what was underneath them, whether it was a playful thong or sexy black bra.

The heart of this show, however, was not really in the clothes; it was the models that danced along the runway, smiling and strutting, having a great time.

Total Effect, the high energy hip-hop dance group that broke up the show at intermission, infused the crowd with new energy. Effusion, one of McGill’s a cappella groups, loved up its pure vocal rendition of Alicia Keys’ “Falling” so much that you couldn’t help but love the singers too. Soloist David Taylor was a bit of a random addition to the show. He came on in jeans and running shoes and sang a cheesy song as earnestly as he knew how.

The thought surfaced unbidden: is this Canadian I dot'.

Strangely, the word AIDS was never mentioned, but the message of love and tolerance was unassumingly pres­ ent in the red ribbons everyone was wearing and the bowls of free condoms being offered up on the tables. The pro­ ceeds raised for the MAC AIDS Foundation are estimated at approximately $10,000.

P[h]assion was a great time, and was proof positive that love is always in style. ■

Roger Toupin: A grocer among Goliaths Susan Cooke

Step into the archived footage of Roger Toupin’s store and witness a vanish­ ing Montreal.

Roger Toupin, l ’épicier variété is a doc­ umentary about the decline of small busi­ ness and community in Montreal. The film offers a rare glimpse into an aspect of the city that is closed off to most McGill students while, at the same time, offering a nostalgic reminder for anyone else who grew up here.

WHAT: Roger Toupin, Tépicier Variété WHO:

Roger Toupin, Maria Toupin, Gilbert Nadeau Benoît Pilon

BY: RATING -k -k -k ils ik

Toupin’s father opened a grocery store in the Plateau in 1939 and Toupin has been running it since his death. In the hey­ day of this working-class neighbourhood, the store was a centre of socializing, catch­ ing up and shopping for the local families.

As the neighbourhood became more upscale, most of the families moved out, but Toupin remained.

The store provides a dusty backdrop for the friends and regulars who stop by to visit with Toupin, drink coffee and remi­ nisce for the cameras. Toupin is genuinely attached to his shop and dreads the day he will have to sell it. This story cannot end happily: Toupin’s profits are tiny and his fate is sealed.

The working-class characters are never patronized or edited to fit a quaint profile.

Their stories are treated with respect and interest. Sometimes they are funny, but

they are never reduced to caricatures.

Toupin is the quiet hero of the piece, a sweet and likeable character who has the audience behind him without making a plea for sympathy. He is the stuff of French fiction, and is all the more endearing since he is a real person. Like Toupin, the docu­ mentary is touching in an understated way.

It never contrives a melodrama out of the tragedy that is one man’s failure to survive in the present.

With human contact increasingly dis­ appearing in favour of on-line ordering, automated tellers and robot ticket sellers, it is interesting to see what life was like before these technologies dominated the service industry. The movie creates pathos not only for the fate of Roger Toupin, but for business owners like him and people like us, who will never experience the sense of community they once created. ■

SERVICESMONTREAL.COM A slice of the simple Montreal life...

16 A&E

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, Mar ch 23, 2004

The sem iotics of com m unity ort "B eaded Prayer Project" allow s v iew ers to b e c o m e a part o f th e p ro cess

“Art belongs to everybody. It cannot exist without a community.”

This is artist Sonya Clarks philosophy and the driving force behind her travelling exhibition, “Beaded Prayer Project.” The art exhibition, which is made up of more than 4,000 palm-sized bead and textile amulets, is at the Montreal arts interculterals Gallery (3680 rue Jeanne-Mance) until April 24. The main event behind the proj­ ect, however, took place on March 20.

Clark held a workshop for 30 Montrealers of all ages where she gave a lecture on her own work and led the group in making its own contributions to her work.

Clarks research into her African her­ itage led her to explore the semiotics of var­ ious African traditions, including hair­ braiding, basket weaving and the wearing of amulets much like those made for her exhibition.

“People come up to me and comment how, in Western culture, we have no amulets,” says Clark. “I tell them we do, except the amulets we wear today are logos.”

Clark explains how fabric and beads mean nothing until someone gives them a meaning. She has each participant write a

prayer, a wish or a thought on a piece of paper and sew it into a small, colourful package because she believes that “power lies in secrets.” The only rule is that at least

ualism, Clark created a truly personal expe­ rience for each participant. She listed the name of every single person who has an amulet in the exhibit. She scorned the idea

holds two hopes for her participants.

Stemming from her degree in psychology, she cites art therapy as having the power to transform the artists emotions. Secondly,

BEADEDPRAYERSPROJECT.COM Each bead and textile amulet in the Beaded Prayer Project contains a unique prayer, wish or thought from individuals the world over.

one bead must be sewn on the outside.

Most participants go further than just one bead, creating figurines, geometric shapes or elaborate borders and tassels.

Having inspired the group with her talk, Clark walked around complimenting and offering sewing tips.

Through all the emphasis on individ­

that this is her work; she formed the idea, but insists it was 4,000 plus people who created it.

To walk through a room filled with the handiwork of so many people from around the world and know that inside each is a deep-seated fear, a cherished hope or a beloved prayer is overwhelming. Clark

she reiterates the community surrounding the project and the collective history shared by thousands of amulets.

Judging by the shared smiles and con­ versations at the end of the workshop, Clark is achieving her goal. ■

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A&E 17

Not just the typical 'cops and robbers' „ , ............... -

- ,

How many times have we heard the cliché that Canada is a cultural mosaic. This country embraces all cultures because they enrich the multicultural tapestry that makes up our country. Canada is a veritable utopian United Nations where no one locks her door at night.

This is where director Micha Saal throws a wrench into

Police officers confront a young man. Does race play a role?

the unifying plan of all the powers that be. Problems are boil­ ing below the surface, and not far from home, either. Saal’s fdm, Zero Tolerance, speaks volumes about problems with racial profiling and police brutality in Montreal. This is the Tunisian-born filmmaker’s third project dealing with intercultural relations. The first, L’drbre qui dort rêve à ses racines, dealt with her own assimilation into Quebec society, while her sec­ ond, La position de l’escargot, was a look into Quebec’s differ­ ent multiethnic communities.

Saal builds the film through testimonials and COPSesque footage in different parts of Montreal. The first segment features a young Filipino man outside a bar on the rue Ste. Catherine strip. Police officers accuse him of being publicly drunk and causing a disturbance. They handle him roughly, despite his sobriety, and find nothing on him except credit cards and lip balm. They take him away, disregarding his innocence.

The documentary continues, showing numerous stories of youth being mistreated just for walking through the park or hanging out in public places. Saal portrays the marked differ­ ence between the two ends of the spectrum—majority and minority groups, police and youth, anglophones and fran­ cophones.

The film also follows around Maurice Chalom, a 15-year veteran in social intervention as an educator and a communi­

ssmu.mcgill.ca/qpirg for more information.

BY:

Zero Tolerance Michka Saal

W HERE: Cinéma Parallèle in Ex-Centris Complex March 26 - April 8, 3:00 and 8:10pm

Attention Undergraduate Students

M o n e y look s at th e root o f all evil

WHAT: Money BY: Isaac Isitan W HERE: Screening locally in May, check

WHAT:

S P A P s y c h o lo g y * * / D e p a rtm e n t

Are we better off without it?

Money: who creates it? Who controls it? Who profits from it? You need not be a dreadlocked Concordia student to appreciate the value of Money, a documentary by Montreal-based filmmaker Isaac Isitan.

The film focuses on the economic turmoil of Argentina and Turkey, and the effects of globalization on those who suffer the consequences of the shifting economic order. The documentary’s underlining mes­ sage is that the world today is run by people who, as the saying goes, “know the price of everything and the value of nothing.” Isitan wants the world to stop turn­ ing and humans to reclaim the lives they have sold to business leaders.

The topic of globalization has become somewhat clichéd over the years. Yes, we are all aware of the evil doings of the International Monetary Fund, and yes, as good pseudo-Marxists, we abhor them. It is unfortu­ nate that the core of the issue is either resoundingly supported without offering an alternative or dismissed as a fad for students who can afford to be “against the grain.”

Isitan stops short of jumping to conclusions and manages to shine a light on possible alternatives to the current system. He pans back and forth between the two countries, mixing in the opinions of economics professors from Paris and Ottawa. There is a definite leftist perspective, but the film should not offend the sensibilities of even the most ardent neo-conservative.

Despite Isitan’s attempt at being unbiased, it is dif­ ficult not to respond with anger to scenes of children attending underfunded schools in Argentina and a Turkish farmer threatening to solve his problems with a noose. One scene, in which a woman lights herself on fire to protest the situation in Turkey, is as horrific as it is stirring.

ty worker, as well as an adviser for the Service de Police de la Ville de Montreal. Another side of the police force is present­ ed, examining its retooled hiring policies in order to target minorities and diversify the force from the current population of white francophone males.

This is one of Saal’s greatest strengths—her uncanny abil­ ity to capture both sides of the argument and let viewers draw their own conclusions, rather than fogging up her lense with one perspective. With greater awareness over the past couple years as the result of highly publicized stories such as Abner Louima in New York and Rodney King in Los Angeles, it is easy to believe that such problems don’t exist close to us. Zero Tolerance is a rude awakening that not only is racial profiling and police brutality present, but it happens in our own back­ yard. ■

Although adequate alternatives are not expressed with any detail, an admiring eye is batted at communi­ ties such as Ithaca, New York and a market in Argentina that prints its own currency based on a barter system of days gone by. Isitan romanticizes about the communities more human approach to value, where interest and currency are replaced with more hands-on, personal interactions.

Money is strong because it was shot on location, and appears less stocked with the opinions of flowery protesters than with economic jargon. It runs for just over an hour, and does not compromise integrity with overly controversial material. Despite focusing on a somewhat overdone subject matter, Money is a simple and effective introduction for potential anti-globaliza­ tion marchers everywhere. ■

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18 A&E

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, Mar ch 23, 2004

Picks A Night in November Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts (5170 Cote St. Catherine) March 24 through April 4 Tickets available through www.admission.com

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists Friday, March 26 La Sala Rossa (4848 St-Laurent) Tickets through Cheap Thrills, CD Esoterik, L'Oblique

The Ladykillers Starring Tom Hanks, Marlon Wayans Opens Friday, March 26 Playing at Paramount Theatre

Mosaica Features dance perfomances, from hip hop to modem to ballet March 25 through April 3 Playing at Players' Theatre Call 398-6813 for ticket information

Barnacle W ood

® e a tre

Bootless Theatre kickstarts Shakespeare

Simone Cruickshank

Macbeth is a conundrum of a play. It has long been considered cursed, and is referred to in theatre circles as “the Scottish play” as insurance against the bad luck inherent in its very name. And yet, there is something appealing about the combination of magic, murder, psychological torment and revenge that makes Macbeth a favourite of high school teachers and audiences every­ where.

The Bootless Theatre Troupe’s selection of Macbeth as its inaugural-season performance was an audacious one. However, the troupe, led by first-time directors and composed of theatrical novices as well as more experienced actors, rose to Shakespeare’s chal­ lenge to deliver an engaging and creative performance.

By selectively abridging parts of the play and keep­ ing stage properties to a minimum, the performance avoided the possible pitfalls of trying to stage magical supernatural events. The actors compensated for the bare stage by focusing on line delivery and, in some cases, character development, in order to carry the play through to its tragic, but near-miraculous, ending.

The principal members of the cast turned in very good, and sometimes excellent, performances. Macbeth (Nicholas Knowland) had a tendency to rush into major speeches without pausing sufficiently to focus the audience’s attention. This was slightly jarring, par­ ticularly during the “Is this a dagger” speech, which Knowland started into without allowing the audience time to prepare.

However, he had the stage presence, nervous ener­

gy and level of comfort with Elizabethan English to play an effective and convincing Macbeth, and was ultimately entertaining to watch.

Maggie MacWhirter as the comically drunken Porter, and Katharine Miessau, as Duncan and Lady Macduff, were particularly notable for their outstand­ ing performances. MacWhirter’s fearlessness in per­ forming the Porter’s antics made her the perfect comic relief in a play otherwise steeped in violence and tragedy.

Miessau, as the embodiment of that tragedy twice over, showed an ease onstage that surpassed all the other actors, and was especially impressive in the small but emotionally devastating role of Lady Macduff. The actors’ timing moving on and off stage was impeccable, helping to build the tension of the final scenes and emphasizing the dizzying speed with which fate crash­ es down around Macbeth. The supporting cast was also good, although many of them struggled to infuse emo­ tion into the sometimes confusing and often tricky Shakespearean language.

The Bootless Theatre Troupe hopes to become a member of the respected McGill theatre community as the Shakespearean equivalent to the McGill Savoy Society. Bootless’ artistic director Julie Cusson, and her assistants, Fenn E. Stewart and Alex Hanson, are plan­ ning to present Much Ado About Nothing and Romeo and Juliet next season, and hope to get students excited about and involved in the productions. With its strong debut performance, the Troupe is likely well on its way to doing so. ■

Presented by infinitetheatre Tuesday to Saturday, shows at 8:00 pm, Sundays 2:00 pm Opening March 18

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The one thing that

Admission: $16-$26, Sundays are pay as you can Call 987-1774 for reservations

cannot be forgotten Mirella Christou

In Eternal Sunshine o f the Spotless Mind, director Michel Gondry and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman col­ laborate for the second time to create a film about a man who discovers that his girlfriend of two years has permanently erased him from her memory.

When Clementine (Kate Winslet) decisively ends their relationship, Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) embarks upon a literally mind altering experience.

The result is an imaginative peak into a man’s mind—one last look before all memories of Clementine are electronically zapped away. Joel is directed to Lacuna Inc., where the memory-erasing procedure is not just an abstract sci-fi concept, but a believable reality for the pitiful clientele.

Playing against his typecast, Carrey allows his more restrained and soulful side to surface. It is just as interesting to see Winslet take on the role of a chaotic and unpredictable figure. The chemistry between

Carrey and Winslet reflects not only the sparks of love between the couple, but also the mundaneness and the conflicts encountered in any relationship.

Eternal Sunshine showcases Gondry’s innovative approach that he developed directing music videos and also employed during his past collaboration with Kaufman on the film Human Nature. With his unique and disjointed method, Gondry delivers big, adding a refreshing twist to the common romance flick that we have all seen one too many times. This atypical progres­ sion of storyline is both appropriate and rewarding to watch.

Through the layering of scenes, there is a glimpse of the frivolous Lacuna technicians, Stan (Mark Ruffalo) and Patrick (Elijah Wood), the creepy identity thieves who toy around with more than just memories.

Among other periphery roles is the unimpressive per­ formance of Kirsten Dunst playing the ditsy reception­ ist, Mary.

However, redeeming moments include the colour­ ful scenes of Joel’s past, extending from the more recent Montauk excursions to his early childhood. This brings back a level of humanity to the film, which could have easily been lost due to the sometimes disorienting feel of the visual effects and multi-track storyline. The childhood innocence portrayed is something we can giggle at in retrospect, but the trauma or embarrass­ ment of the moment is something that we all can relate.

In the end, the film emphasizes how essential it is to enjoy the moment while it lasts, because memories and experiences are intrinsically tied to our identities. It also entertains the comforting notion that certain things can never be erased from one’s mind. ■

WHAT: Eternal Sunshine o f the Spotless Mind WHO: MOVIES.YAHOO.COM "Please hold me before I forget you."

B Y: RATING:

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m en Andrew Segal

The races for the Quebec Student Sport Federation ski titles have been largely devoid of drama the past few years and, for better or for worse, that trend held at the sea­ son-ending competition, March 13 and 14 at Mont Sutton.

A bright spot was the McGill womens ski team finishing first overall for the fifth straight season.

On the downside, l’Université de Montreal Carabins took the mens and combined titles—also for the fifth year in a row—leaving the Redmen in third place of nine teams. A consolation, however, was that McGill sophomore Nicolas Zyromski won the individual men’s crown.

The Martlets left no doubt that they were the top team in Quebec. They finished first in eight of 10 competitions this season, and

fin is h th ir d

outscored second-place Montréal by nearly 1,500 points.

Leading the charge for McGill was Kaylin Morton of Toronto, who finished second in the women’s individual standings, losing by only five points to Sandrine Jean of the Carabins in one of the closest com­ petitions in QSSF history.

All told, the Martlets placed six skiers among the top 11 performers over the course of the season. Two of those competitors stood out on Saturday, as Emilie Mollier and Laura Buet earned silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the giant slalom. Mollier followed that up with another silver in Sunday’s spe­ cial slalom, propelling herself to a fourth-place finish overall.

On the men’s side, Zyromski won a gold and a silver over the weekend, helping him finish 100 points in front of his nearest rival, Bruno Guay of Montréal. The 21year-old finished ahead of 104

other competitors, and earned him­ self a spot on Team Canada for the 2005 World University Games, to be held in Innsbruck, Austria.

Nonetheless, Zyromski’s hero­ ics weren’t enough to push McGill up the standings, as the Laval Rouge et Or swept both men’s races to cement its hold on second place, more than 800 points ahead of the Redmen. Zyromski’s performance notwithstanding, the men’s team lacked the depth of Montréal and Laval, as Christopher Owen was the only other Redmen skier to fin­ ish in the top 20 individually.

If recent form holds, things won’t be much better for next year’s Redmen. The Carabins and Bishop’s Gaiters have combined to win the past seven men’s titles, while McGill has only finished on top of the conference once since the Quebec championship was resur­ rected 18 years ago. ■

COURTESYMCGItLSKI TEAM The women's ski team struck gold at Sutton.

No sunshine cast upon these Rays s most of you know, Boston and New York. So, he emp­ Lou Piniella is the dis­ tied his pockets this winter for three tinguished manager of proven power sources: former AL the putrid Tampa Bay MVP Miguel Tejada, long-time baseball squad. The Brave Javy Lopez—who is coming Devil Rays have been in the off one of the greatest offensive sea­ American League East cellar for so sons ever by a catcher—and future many years, that they should start hall-of-fame first baseman Rafael fermenting wine down there.

Palmeiro. These slugging veterans However, Sweet Lou promised will improve a team that already this year will be different. Last boasts bright prospects in Luis month he guaranteed the Tampa Matos and Jerry Hairston Jr. The Bay area that its team will not be Orioles also re-signed Sidney the doormats of the AL East this Ponson, their breakout pitcher last upcoming season.Either he’s trying season, who was shipped to the to be the next Daniel Alfredsson, or Giants at last summer’s trade dead­ he’s on crack. line.

The perpetually disappointing Well, Tampa has speedy sopho­ Devil Rays do indeed have a talent­ more centrefielder Carl Crawford. ed young core. They also picked up He might swipe 50 bases this year. free agents Jose Cruz Jr., Paul Unfortunately, he’s a .250 hitter— Abbott and Tino Martinez. And too bad he can’t steal first base. with the return of 100-RBI man Besides, you want young tal­ Aubrey Huff, maybe they do have a ent? Check out the new and chance. But Tampa Bay will play 76 improved Toronto Blue Jays. The games against teams in its own divi­ new generation, including offensive sion. threats Jayson Werth and Josh So let’s examine the competi­ Phelps, seems ready to make a tion. splash in the big leagues. And Baltimore owner Peter Angelos Toronto’s roster still includes MVP is sick of continually finishing candidates Carlos Delgado and behind the East powerhouses Vernon Wells, as well as last year’s

A

ESPN.COM This could be a familiar sight in Tampa this season.

Cy Young winner Roy Halladay. In been talking much more about a addition, solid bullpen and rotation certain Yankee player, whose team acquisitions should significantly plays its spring training games just lower the team ERA. It seems that, around the corner: the incompara­ aside from team speed, the Rays are ble Alex Rodriguez. inferior to the Jays in every way.

He’s been added to a New York But the Rays boast last year’s lineup that could put up better rookie sensation Rocco Baldelli. offensive numbers than the Bronx Gee, better start cooling the cham­ Bombers of old. And while every­ pagne. one seems concerned about Yankee Meanwhile, last year’s AL wild pitching, they overlook the fact that card, the Boston Red Sox, stayed GM Brian Cashman added several basically intact—save for the excep­ stellar relievers and replaced three tional signing of perennial 300- aging starters with three potential strikeout-man Curt Schilling. 20-game winners. If anything, their Along with hard throwers Derek pitching improved.

Lowe and ace Pedro Martinez, the Truly, the Devil Rays are David BoSox have perhaps the best rota­ in a field of Goliaths, and somehow tion in baseball. These three hurlers I doubt Piniella brought a slingshot. alone should be responsible for In fact, I predict his team will be about 60 of Baldelli’s 200 strikeouts lucky not to finish last in the whole this season. And if last year’s No. 1 American League, since even con­ offence performs at the same level, sistently mediocre franchises like the Sox first 100-win season since Detroit and Kansas City have 1946 is not out of the question. revamped themselves considerably.

So what? Tampa has hardUnless Piniella plants some throwing righty Victor Zambrano magic beans in the fields of central as the cornerstone of its rotation. Florida, it looks like his humble He might even strike out 200 bat­ Devil Rays will not climb out of the ters and provide some excitement.

AL East basement anytime soon. ■ Unfortunately for Zambrano and Piniella, Devil Ray fans have

The McGill Tribune<Tuesday, March 23, 2004

Sports 21

A look at some of our favourite shots of McGill's athletic standouts.

NICOLELEAVER

DANSUSKI

22 Sports

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 23, 2004

VIDEOGAME SPECIAL A n a d d i c t i o n t o f ic tio n J if

It’s OK. There’s no judgment here. After all, we share a common affliction: We’re video game fanatics. Now it’s time for us to stand up and be proud.

Sure, there are those who disapprove: mothers, worldwide, who tell their kids that video games will rot their brain; countless girlfriends who are infuriated when the men in their lives need to play just one more round before going out; top North American sociologists who report that video game violence does in fact have real-life consequences. But these people just don’t get it.

They don’t understand the bonding, the camaraderie, and the simple joy that comes from pressing a few buttons and throwing a Super Bowl-clinching touch­ down pass. They’re unable to appreciate the friendships that can be forged and instant rivalries created over something as simple as moving a trackball back and forth. They aren’t capable of comprehending that when we jump around and taunt our opponents after rejecting their potential game-winning layup, we don’t actually think our buddies are inferior to us—we’re just getting our shots in while the going is good, because we know things will turn on us just as quickly.

Granted, we video gamers are lazy, and we probably should be outside getting

The essence of Golden Tee Planning to go out on a hot summer night? No, you’re going to put down that blonde’s phone number, because you have a date with the king of all arcade games: Golden Tee. Golden Tee has become an enormous cult favourite of late because it is one of the few games that allows a bunch of guys to get together and talk trash while playing golf. You can’t get away with that kind of murder at snooty country clubs. The only downside is that you don’t get the cart lady every few holes. But what are you gonna do?

Let me give you an idea of how popular this game has become, even if it might still be relatively unknown. A few bud­ dies and I were down at a gen­ uine pickup bar in Kingston a few weeks back. Despite the plethora of beautiful people on the dance floor, we chose to go with the pricy Golden Tee staring

omc on, admit it. You’ve kept your own statistics for RBI Baseball on ~ original Nintendo, played Mike Tysons Punch Out until your thumbs bled, tried to make your goalie score on an empty net in NHL 95, ^ and practiced your moves for days in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.

us in the face next to the clubhoppers. You could say we were just arrogant about K-Town’s finest, but how could anyone pass up the chance at breaking his hand on the dash when com­ ing down on the backswing of a par 5? Even the best-looking peo­ ple at the bar could not tear our eyes away from the Tee screen.

At $1 per three holes, plus the pitchers, this game can defi­ nitely empty your wallet in a matter of minutes. It kind of feels like the blackjack table in Vegas.

You can even make it more fun that way. Play the skins ver­ sion and let the loser pay for the next three.

No other golf arcade game can bring the kind of excitement and crack-like addiction that the Tee can. It is a great alternative to the real sport, at which we all stink.

—James Scarfone

Thinking inside the (X)box Life used to be so simple. Remember the game Ice Hockey for original Nintendo? Your choice of which guy to put on the ice was limited to fat, medium or skinny. Now there are games like EA Sports’ NHL 2004 where you select players after considering both an overall rating and their scores on more than 50 attributes.

Ever play golf on Nintendo? The graphics were, well, simple.

Today, links games like Tiger Woods on both Microsoft Xbox and Sony Playstation involve deer running across the fairways at Sawgrass, the howling winds of St. Andrews and over 25 pro golfers to choose from.

While video games are obviously more complex than they used to

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The SSM U is seeking students from April 30th until June 30th to sell advertising sp a ce for the student handbook and other publications. These positions are proven money-makers for talented, dynamic, articulate individuals who can close sales.

P r o t e c t e d T e r r it o r ie s • O n ly s e r io u s c a n d id a t e s n e e d a p p ly

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One of my fondest memories of high school is the annual Winter Sports Day, designed to give us a break from class and let us do something active for at least one school day. But while many of my classmates were out enjoying the slopes or on a scenic hike, I always looked forward to spend­ ing a day at the Hockey Hall of Fame. We would go down­ town to the shrine to Canada’s favourite game, and amidst all the tradition and memorabilia, we would head straight for the NTN trivia setup.

Yes, NTN trivia, a way for hockey fans to demonstrate their accumulated knowledge of Masterton Trophy winners and famous Zamboni drivers. During the game, a question appears, as well as five possible answers. Entering an answer right away is worth 1,000 points, if correct. As time passes, the point value of the question decreases, with clues to the answer being provided at fixed intervals. These clues are often the greatest part of the game, as they usually take the form of gems like “Stan’s the man,” if the right answer is Stan Mikita, or “Stan’s not the man,” if the question refers to Bobby Hull.

NTN is truly one of the greats of sports video games. It simulates the atmosphere of sports, without the sweat and threat of bodily harm. It has fierce competition, thrilling vic­ tories, agonizing defeats, and, best of all, hilarious misuse of the English language.

—Jonathan Klein

The McGill Tribune, Tuesday, March 23. 2004

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Contending with Nintendo Now that many of us have ascended past our teen years, I insist we pay homage to the magical box that spearheaded our degenerate video game generation: good of eight-bit Nintendo. As a sports junkie, Nintendo was my first source for interactive sporting activity with­ out actually having to be active. It was a lazy kid’s dream.

Part of Nintendo’s mystique was the effort required to do anything with it. Because dust inevitably infil­ trated most any Nintendo game, I found myself all-too-often huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf just to make a game start. Following that, a frustrated smack to the sys­ tem itself was the video console equivalent of corporal punish­ ment—we hit because we love.

When the game finally began, I felt

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be, the chief change brought about by new-school systems is the emotion they evoke in those who play them. The number of times I have sat down for a game of Tiger Woods or NHL 2004 and not heard numerous obscenities thrown toward the screen are few indeed.

A friend who I’ll call Derek S.—better yet, D. Stodart—is overcome by his Xbox. He has no idea why the games control him, just that they do. He’s not alone. Whether it’s leading Michael Owen to the open field or setting up Dany Heatley on the breakaway, the systems are so advanced that you have no choice but to feel as if you are there. They turn participants into junkies who get their fix each time they power on the system. As Derek says of the grasp today’s games hold over him, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try and try again.”

—-Jamie Hull

Electronic Arts gives egos a boost Since 16-bit video game systems first arrived, Electronic Arts has dominated the sports gaming scene.

I’ve played my fair share of games, but my newest pet, Madden 2004, is unlike any other sports game I’ve played.

The greatness of Madden comes from its balance between football and team management. I spend hours after every 16-game regular season (and, if I’m lucky, four playoff games and a Super Bowl victory) scouring scout­ ing reports for the draft and then leading my new recruits through the rigours of training camp. In addition, the game comes with innumerable owner’s features: the abili­ ty to relocate the franchise anywhere (even to Montreal) and build an expensive new stadium—but don’t think of building anything that resembles the Big Owe! Another favoured EA feature, which appears in Madden as well as other popular EA games, is the createa-player function. I recall the first player I ever concocted, in NHL 96. His name was Dan Koivu—derived from a combination of my first name and my favourite player’s last. He had the speed of a young Mike Gartner, the slap­ shot of the indomitable A1 Maclnnis, the playmaking skills of the “Great One”, and the scoring touch of Super Mario. Best of all, he got to play on a line with his name­ sake Canadiens’ star. Ultimately, isn’t that what we all dream of?

— Dan McQuillan

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some real exercise. And, yes, stacking the franchise-mode Maple Leafs by ripping off the computer in a trade is probably the closest well come to actually managing a team—not to mention that no one among us could even dream of playing profession­ ally.

But none of that matters when we have our games. They grant us a double life, and allow us to turn our fantasies into reality. We can make a computer replication of ourselves the starting quarterback on our favourite team, or pretend we can bowl three straight 300 games. Nothing is impossible with a TV, a console, and a controller or two.

So it is to you, the closet addict, that we dedicate this spread. Make yourself counted. Don’t be ashamed to tell the world that you love your sports and your video games, and that when pur together, the combi­ nation is unbeatable. Explain the rush you get from hitting that mammoth home run, the feeling of achievement that comes from pulling off a sick move on the halfpipe, or the bragging rights you earn for answering a trivia question correctly. 1 he rest of us have already come clean—now it’s your turn, and | there’s no time like the present. After all, in the nottoo-distant future, the Prime Minister of Canada will have grown up playing Blades o f Steel * d a n

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truly privileged.

Today, with the advent of Internet simulators, retro geeks aplenty can sample the simple joys of old-school Nintendo without the fuss. My brother and I were able to rehash our old RBI Baseball rivalry without visiting countless Cash Converters, and I’ve regressed to reli­ giously trying to pass Track & Field events I found hopeless as a child (and, unfortunately, still do).

Above all, Nintendo’s appeal was—and remains—the innocence of the games, whose primitive tech­ nology precluded trades, free agent acquisitions and greedy owners. We were allowed to experience the beau­ ty of sport itself, something that all fans can no doubt appreciate.

— Daniel Chodos

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ASEQ SPECIAL Our fee covers: pre-procedure exam inations, laser treatment and follow -up. * The McGill Student Health Plan covers laser vision correction with LASIK MD. Special offer exclusively for ASEQ members.

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P O S IT IO N S A V A IL A B L E FO R T H E 2 0 0 4 - 2 0 0 5 A C A D E MI C YEAR A re y o u in te r e s te d in g e ttin g in v o lv e d w ith a c tiv itie s o n c a m p u s n e x t y e a r?

The Students' Society of McGill University is currently looking for enthusiastic and dedicated people to fill the following positions for the 2004-2005 academic year: Secretary General Treasurer Speakers of Council (2) Recording Secretary Faculty Relations Commissioner Francophone Commissioner Environmental Commissioner Judicial Board Justices (5) (m u s t b e 3rd or 4th ye a r L aw stu d e n ts)

Student Equity Commissioner Academic Research Commissioner Communications Commissioner Students' Society Programming Network Commissioner Student Involvement Commissioner Webmaster SSMU Handbook Editor-in-Chief Clubs Commissioner Safety Commissioner Federal Policy Commissioner Provincial Policy Commissioner Municipal Policy Commissioner Ghetto Residence Association Director Mini-Course Managers (2) Sadies Managers (2) POST Manager Sponsorship Manager Gert's Assistant Manager Gert's Bar Staff Gert's Security Staff Assistant SSMU Officer Manager SSMU Front Desk Staff Elections McGill Chief Returning Officer Elections McGill Deputy Returning Officer Elections McGill Election Coordinators *Many of these positions receive financial compensation.

SSMU Coordinators for the following events: Frosh Welcome Week Activities Night Blood Drive CultureFest Open Air Pub Snow Air Pub Terry Fox Run

Members at large needed for the Following Committees: Senate Committees (mcgill.ca/senate) Constitution and By-Law Review Media Advisory Board Financial Affairs Committee Financial Ethics Research Committee SSPN Student Equity Committee McGill Ghetto Residents Association Gert's Promotion Committee Library Improvement Fund Committee Safety Network

Executive Portfolio Committees Presidential Affairs University Affairs Clubs and Services Community and Government Communications and Events Operations Committees

The deadline to apply for the any of the above positions is 5:00pm on Friday, March 26, 2004. Applications including a resume and cover letter must be submitted to the SSM U Front Desk, Suite 1200 of the William and Mary Brown Student Services Building, or by email to Kate Rhodes at: getinvolved@ssmu.mcgill.ca.

For more info on any of the above positions, please go to www.ssm u.ca.