The McGill Tribune Vol. 27 Issue 25

Published by the Students' Society of McGill University

Caps placed on ancillary fees

www.mcgilltribune.com

Volume 27 Issue 25 • March 26,2008

The Grannies are coming!

Protest group sings their political agenda

Tuition de-freeze remains level. According to Vice-President External Max Silverman, any changes that the administration makes to an­ cillary fees should be put through a legally-bound referendum proce­ dure.

“What's so good about this piece of legislation and why it's such a positive step in the right direc­ tion is that it forces McGill to talk to students and to appeal to students," Silverman said. "For any increase in student fees, we must go to referen­ dum, appealing to the student body.

What we've been proposing is that for ancillary fees, there should be the same policy."

For the most part, according to Silverman, McGill students are very reasonable when it comes to an in­ crease in fees.

"If it's something that people value, there will [be] no problem on the part of the administration to levy these funds," he said.

T homas Q uail In a piece of provincial legisla­ tion implemented last Friday, the Quebec Ministry of Education im­ posed restrictions on the regulation of ancillary fees. Ancillary fees are those that the university charges outside of tuition. At McGill, these in­ clude— among others—an athletics fee, student services fee and a wire­ less fee.

The legislation stated that for a university to raise ancillary fees, the administration needs to consult with the student association executives.

Following that, any proposed in­ crease should be put to referendum for approval. However, student soci­ eties are not legally mandated to do so. McGill students pay an average of $1,475 in ancillary fees annually. By law, this means that the university can still increase any fee— regardless of approval— by a maximum of $15.

The Students'Society is hoping to take this legislation to the next

See POLICY on page 7

The Raging Grannies use unorthodox protest techniques to make their voices heard. See story on page 3.

Diplomat discusses policies on rogue states Former ambassador to Syria warns against pushing Western beliefs J ames G ilman Former Canadian Ambassa­ dor to Syria Brian Davis discussed the use of engagement with rogue states in bringing about positive changes, such as improvements in human rights situations, focussing on the situation in Syria at McGill yesterday. The talk, organized by the Humanistic Studies Student Asso­ ciation, was part of a series of events marking Human Rights Awareness

I

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Month. Davis, who has served as a diplomat in Africa, South and East Asia, Europe and the Middle East, argued that engagement was not working in bringing about positive change in Syria.

"When forming policy toward a country like Syria, it's important to analyze not only your own nation's interests, but also the perspective of the other state," he said. "Syria has its own views, based on its history and culture. It doesn't see itself as a

rogue state, but as a state that's try­ ing to defend its own national and Arab interests, and many countries and people in the region would share that view."

Despite this, Davis noted that Syria still has a poor human rights record and emphasized the impor­ tance of working with Syria to try to bring about improvements.

"The West's policies, and our po­ sitions, will be affected by whether or not we see Syria as someone we

can do business with, or a state that should be isolated and ignored or pushed into a corner, and you have to decide this as part of the process of identifying your policies" he said.

Davis was critical of the Bush administration's policy of diplomatic disengagement and attempts at iso­ lating Syria as a member of the 'Axis of Evil', which he argued has instead led to a decline in the human rights situation in Syria, driving the nation to seek closer ties with countries like

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Iran, which only hurts the long term goals of the United States.

Dia Austin, Human Rights Month coordinator of the HSSA, said that Davis's experience in Syria gives him a a unique perspective in trying to improve human rights in Syria as ambassador.

"His experience working there [Syria] has given him a very differ­ ent view of working within human rights,"she said.

See DIPLOMAT on page 4

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Arts deans address doubts at Town Hall Initiatives for advising and course evaluations introduced

MICHELLE GEESAMAN

Arts deans discuss improvements to aspects of their faculty's undergraduate academics.

S ean W

ood

At last Wednesday's Arts Under­ graduate Society Town Hall, the deans of the Faculty of Arts presented new programs to remedy McGill's histori­ cally impersonal academic advising.

Throughout the hour and a half, Dean Christopher Manfredi and As­ sociate Deans Mary MacKinnon and Enrica Quaroni presented new poli­

cies and fielded student questions concerning academic advising, in­ terdisciplinary programs and course evaluations.

The discussion opened with ad­ vising, which Quaroni acknowledged to be a long-standing problem. The Faculty of Arts currently employs five faculty advisors, making the student to advisor ratio approximately 1200to-1.

"People arrive [to be advised] and get so frustrated they don't even see anybody," said Mika Kissen, U3 In­ ternational development studies.

In response, Quaroni presented a number of new initiatives to the 20 students present, including exit surveys for advisees, more training for advisors and incentives for good advising. She estimated that it would take a year for these new projects to

take effect.

"I think a year is a decent time­ line. Some of [the initiatives] well be able to do within less than a year be­ cause they have been in the works for the past year,"said AUS Vice-President Academic Pat Boily, who organized the Town Hall. "The [advisee] survey we've been working on since Janu­ ary, so it's ready to go, but academic advising is going to be a long change.

A lot of the changes are coming with­ in a year; some of the smaller things that we talked about will be able to be achieved."

The discussion moved to inter­ disciplinary programs, centring on the international development stud­ ies concentration, the second-largest major in the Faculty. Students com­ plained that such programs lack con­ sistent rigor and clearly-articulated expectations.

"I was once told I had to write two theses]" said Katarina Daniels, U2 Canadian studies and East Asian stud­ ies.

Manfredi stressed the need for "two R's"in interdisciplinary programs: resources and rigor. He suggested the creation of a professorship in IDS and more attention to concentration requirements as possible remedies.

Finally, MacKinnon addressed students for ways to raise the course evaluation response rate. The deans

promised a shorter evaluation sur­ vey, saying that the current one is too long to interest students.

The students and deans agreed that, to motivate students to com­ plete their course evaluations, a hold should be placed on students' tran­ scripts until they log in to the course evaluation page.They concluded that this would be more effective than of­ fering material incentives, as some professors have done.

"We've thought about using a policy of sticks instead of carrots," Quaroni said.

Boily agreed that a negative incentive would be more effective, suggesting that registration should be delayed for a day or two for those who do not fill out their evaluation forms.

Despite the low turnout, Boily felt that the event was a success.

"Out of the people we had there, we were able to have better discus­ sions with the deans, more focussed discussions and the chance to go back and forth," he said. "It's always a bit disappointing to see only 20 stu­ dents when-there is a good chance to have discussion, but the ones who did show up were the ones who ob­ viously cared about the issues that were at stake."

— Additional reporting by Vincci Tsui

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26.03.08 • News • 3

CAMPUS

Low turnout cuts Grannies' rage short Activists reminisce about past protests I nes B eatrix In an age characterized by political apathy, Montreal's Raging Grannies are the exception to the rule. Conceived in the late 1980s, the Raging Grannies is, ac­ cording to their Web site, a group whose unorthodox protest methods aim to cre­ ate "a more humane, just and non-vio­ lent world for their grandchildren.'Their image as grandmothers is used to gain access to areas where protest—in the traditional sense—may be unwelcome.

Ironically, apathy forced the Gran­ nies to cancel a workshop that was part of the Humanistic Studies Students' Association's Human Rights Aware­ ness Month activities last Thursday.

Instead, the Grannies recounted their fondest protest memories to the few students who gathered in the Lev Bukhman room.

Helen Van Veeren, a member for the past two years, commented on her experience as a participant.

"Last February, we went to Ottawa to give the Prime Minister roses, one for each dead soldier in Afghanistan and we really got the run around," she said. "We left the roses and I'm sure that they were unceremoniously thrown away, but that was our message. It's one of my re­ ally good memories seeing the Grannies walk across the snow of Parliament Hill.”

One of the original founders of the group, Joan Hadrill, continued the discussion, detailing an anti-sweat-shop protest from last year.

"It was a parody on a normal fash­

ion show targeting manufacturers like Nike, Gap and Adidas. We wore ridicu­ lous Disney clothes and Nike hats put on backwards.... It was the full Monty; we were so sexy," she said.

Singing is one of the group's main protest tactics. The group was not shy with sharing some of their poignant ballads with the audience. Before break­ ing into song about toxic chemicals—a group favourite—the Grannies warned, "this one is a little naughty," before singing "Watch out guys it makes your' thing droop."

Along with their comical refrains, the Grannies are not afraid to use un­ compromising language reflecting the hard line that they take against certain issues. Such an attitude is reflected in one of their songs against the war in Afghanistan with lyrics like, 'This isn't peace it is just occupying/We're killing and dying for what?"

The Grannies pointed out the special advantages they had as "little old ladies".

"We go anywhere and everywhere.

Our favorite is to go where we are not invited. Grandmothers are invisible. No one suspects us. So we use this to our advantage," said Molly Wash, another Raging Granny.

These tactics • have proven to be successful in the Grannies' past endeavours.

"We have been able to bypass se­ curity many a time,"Hadrill said.

HSSA Human Rights Awareness

CAMPUS

SUS race begins President set to be close vote T homas Q uail The campaign period for next year's Science Undergraduate Society executive started at midnight last night with the usual Facebook frivolity and Burnside basement hysteria. Candidates vying for a place on the executive have until one minute before the beginning of April to woo a traditionally apathetic science electorate.

The campaign period had been scheduled for earlier this month, but was delayed due to by-law technicali­ ties concerning acclaimed positions and number of candidates.

"According to the by-laws, if there are positions uncontested, then the nomination period must be ex­ tended to allow for more competi­ tion," said Ritu Modi, SUS Vice-President Communication Affairs.

This Thursday Mar. 27, SUS will be hosting a Meet the Candidates forum in Burnside Basement. The event is an attempt to raise awareness for the elec­ tion period while allowing the candi­ dates to present their platforms to the science student body.

The positions of President, VP Aca­ demic, VP External, VP Communications and SSMU Representatives are all con­ tested with multiple candidates. The VP Internal and VP Finance portfolios con­ tinued to be uncontested. Chris Saun­ ders took the Internal position while Jor­ dan Doherty took the Finance portfolio.

The election that is seeing the most attention so far is for SUS Presi­ dent, between candidates Neil Issar, Ui biology and Harald Gjerde, U2 mi­ crobiology and immunology. Issar and Gjerde are both strong candidates with extensive experience in SUS and other student organizations.

Gjerde described his vision for the presidential portfolio.

"If you could have one phrase to encompass my campaign, it would be 'Working from the inside.' SUS is really all over the place, especially in terms of getting people involved. What I want is to have a centralized place wherein I can herd my sheep around.”

Although stating that his main pri­ ority as SUS president would be straight­ ening out the existing organization, Gjerde also had some new initiatives in his platform. He hopes to renovate Burnside basement, by installing new lights, adding study space and fixing all the outlets.

Communication and enhanced student support were also cited as im­ portant aspects of Gjerde's platform.

Issar—an incumbent SUS repre­ sentative to SSMU Council—explained that his experience with a variety of SUS and SSMU committees has allowed him to understand the details behind how these organizations function.

"I have seen how the inner work­ ings of say SSMU and SUS work; I know how to run an executive," Issar said.

According to Issar, a priority for him would be bridging the collaborative gap between SSMU and the faculties. More specifically, he wants to turn events such as SUS'Charity week into a month long event under SSMU sponsorship.

"SUS did charity week single-hand­ edly and managed to raise $14,400. If we're going to use SSMU as a vehicle for promotion, I bet we can go past $50,000," Issar said.

Increasing the visibility and trans­ parency of SUS are also goals that Issar wants to bring to the forefront if elected. “I think [SUS President] Spen­ cer [Ng] did a great job of increas­ ing the visibility of-SUS this year, but I think in terms of the transparency of the organization we should be doing much better."»

Month coordinator Dia Austin was dis­ appointed with the low turnout and said that the incredible energy of the grandmothers' puts students to shame.

"It's just really sad that no one turned up to the event. Everyone is just so distracted with the entertain­ ment industry. Students watch the

news just to watch it. I’m disappointed that our generation is so much less po­ litically active than these grandmothers are,” she said. ■

IMAGES

Masked Bandits terrorize McGill student body!

Spirit of Easter taken a little too far

SARAYOUSEFNEJAD

The Easter Bunny and a Deranged Big Bird offer Easter greetings to a hesitant student.

The McGill Tribune

4 • News • 26.03.08

PROVINCIAL

Diplomat urges Sex education pulled from empathy in methods Focus on moderate change Continued from COVER Davis spoke about his own experience in dealing with Damas­ cus and his attempts at promoting a policy of constructive engage­ ment, saying that Canada was able to achieve a moderate amount of success this way, citing the fact that Canada was the only country that ever got access to its citizens that were detained in Syria for security reasons.

He said, however, that a policy of engagement is a long term com­ mitment, and can be damaged by arm-twisting from Washington and unforeseen factors such as the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and the resulting furor over Syria's involve­ ment in Lebanon.

Davis ended his talk on a cau­

tionary note, saying that the West needs to be cautious of pushing their beliefs on countries like Syria and coming across as moral imperi­ alists and that change can't be im­ posed overnight.

"A society has to be ready for certain things [to change], you can nudge it and push it forward, and we shouldn't stop trying, but at the same time it doesn't happen just because you want it to happen," he said.

Laura D'Angelo, Ui humanistic studies, said that it was interesting to hear from someone with first­ hand experience in the field.

"It was great to actually have a diplomat there, it wasn't just some­ one who has read accounts of what happens... it was a different perspec­ tive than what you usually get," she said. ■

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Quebec high schools

Curriculum to be part of other subjects Au W ithers The Quebec Ministry of Education's holistic educa­ tion reform will see sexual education classes slashed from its high school curriculum.The five hours-per-year of class time that was allotted for students in grades 7 through 11 will be eliminated within the next two years.

Instead, teachers will be asked to incorporate these lessons into other subjects, such as science, math and his­ tory. This reallocation of classroom hours is in line with the Ministry's plan to place more emphasis on core aca­ demic material.

According to Ministry of Education spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay, youth will continue to have access to a variety of resources, including "complementary edu­ cation services...such as nurses and psychologists."

Community groups remain skeptical that accessi­ bility is feasible for students. Christina Foisy, funding re­ searcher at Heads and Hands, a grassroots community organization funded solely through independent dona­ tions, stressed a need for "accurate and confidential infor­ mation sources for youth."

Following the reform, Head and Hands began The Sense Project to offer anonymous counselling services and workshops in high schools around the Montreal-area.

"What we're really trying to promote is decision-mak­ ing," Foisy said. "We're not saying pro-sex."

This effort is congruent to the Ministry of Education's new approach to health and wellness in Quebec. Dubbed Healthy Schools, it is a broad platform to bring together community groups, public health and schools. While Foisy called the approach promising, she indicated that it was an arms-length program; schools may extend the in­ vitations to community groups and public health workers based on causes they believe are relevant in their school.

"If a school thinks obesity is a bigger health concern, that's what they'll focus on," said Foisy.

Healthy Schools is currently being offered in six schools. Foisy explained that many schools were dis­

inclined to invite these workshops into their hallways.

"There's a lot of moral panic around sex ed" Foisy said.

Alex McKay, a research coordinator with Sex Informa­ tion and Coordination Council of Canada, explained how teachers can be uncomfortable with the subject.

"Teachers need to be well-trained in order to provide direct and targeted information," he said. "That's the only way sex ed is effective."

As there will no longer be a government mandate to ensure that sex ed classes be provided within the spectrum of the curriculum, schools are free to interpret how they wish to spend class hours on their obligation to teach'health and wellness'.

"Teachers need to be well-trained in order to provide direct and tar­ geted information. That's the only way sex ed is effective."

— Alex McKay, Sex Information and Coordination Council of Canada research coordinator

"This makes Quebec the only province in Canada that does not specifically mandate some form of sexual health education," said McKay, adding that while other provinces seem to be taking a progressive stance on sex ed in their curriculums, Quebec is presently doing the opposite.

The English Montreal School Board has formally expressed that they intend to monitor the effect of this reform, but have not indicated which standards will be used to this end. They were not available for comment before publication. ■

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW— HEATHER MUNROE-BLUM

Principal projects plan for university's future Vision includes more bursaries, research and steady state fundraising As M cGill's sixteenth P rincip al and twelfth Vice-Chancellor, Heather M un roe-Blum has becom e a centre o f con­ troversy am ongst the student m ove­ ment, in p art for her stance on tuition fees. The Tribune sat dow n with our P rincip al to discuss her ideas on tuition re-regulation, cam pus priorities a n d her vision for M cGill's future.

You have close to five more years in your tenure as McGill's Principal. For your long-term vision for the univer­ sity, what is your mission?

The Taskforce on Student Life and Learning was my first overture to get the community more engaged on having outstanding student perspec­ tive and making a place with special leveraging ability by virtue of building research into the teaching environ­ ment at thé undergraduate, graduate and professional levels.

We have now just set out these goals so the top priority for me would be to implement those goals over the next five years, on various things like student advising and the integration of research into teaching.

The second element would be to take the academic plan that's been developed and continue and grow further our ability to be known around the world for specific fields in which McGill is distinctly positioned to excel. Take any of the themes of our academic plan and I have a no­ tion that we would have ten top-io fields for which we would be known by the quality of our professors and the scholarship and research that they do.

Beyond that, we should look at the impact of scholarships and re­ search and how we get the results of our scholarship and research out to

whçre they can make a real difference.

I don't just mean the commercializa­ tion of the product of the research but also scholarly works done in the arts and social sciences that might influ­ ence policies or be taken up into poli­ cies that are in cultural areas and go to a broader public.

At the root of each of these areas, all depends on an adequate resource base. Money is only a means to an end, and the end is our mission as one of the greatest public universities in the world.

Campaign McGill, which has been raising funds since 20 04 , was of­ ficially launched on Oct. n8, 2007 .

After Campaign McGill finishes, will there be a second campaign?

The ideal goal would be that, by the end of this campaign, we move into a steady state of fundraising at a much higher level than we were. Hav­ ing a campaign is a way of creating energy and focus and discipline into doing that.

Based on the framework that Principal David Johnston had cre­ ated, I hope we will have created a new model that has many more en­ gagements with our alumni, different programs to participate in, having parents involved as well as students, cultivating friendships with people of influence who understand the impor­ tance of having a great public univer­ sity for the benefit of Canada. All that would be [a a] steady state, and then you might think about having a cam­ paign of campaigns, eight years from now, where faculties will be running their own campaigns, building on the success, targeting various initiatives.

One of the problems that students

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often cite is the disparity in funding between faculties. If there was such a faculty-led campaign, will this ex­ acerbate the situation?

Increasingly in North America, governments are very inclined to support the fields that they think will have economic pay-off for society.

What we do as a comprehensive uni­ versity with a range of disciplines, is take the money from governments or students and we redistribute it. Some fields do cost more money; we take that into account and we take into account that some faculties will sub­ sidize others.

Normally when we go after gifts, we have a strong emphasis on the social sciences and the humanities. I was very committed with the Dean of Music to bringing in as the first major gift of the campaign, a gift to music, not engineering or medicine. It was reported that [Seymour Schulich] called to ask about giving to medicine or engineering; it was a deliberate attempt to get a focus on a very im­ portant field that government doesn't fund at a high level.That was a symbol of our campaign; that we were going for excellence, and not just in one par­ ticular field.

Amongst students, the biggest argu­ ment against the tuition defreeze is that, in response to a rise in tuition, government will reduce their fund­ ing to the university. In your experi­ ence, has this been the case?

Not at all; recently the govern­ ment made an investment; what was most important that happened in the budget was that they gave money outside of the transfer. This is where we need to be very active and vigilant, in all our interactions with the govern-

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ment to make it very clear that tuition can not replace government support.

Government support will always be the primary funder of the base opera­ tions of the university and it should be a stable and effective I've been proposing the re-regulation of tuition fees, not a de-regulation of tuition fees. It's absolutely criti­ cal to be able to monitor the support of government on a student basis.

Public accountability and the univer­ sities and the student groups keep an absolute focus on the amount of in­ vestment coming from government.

What I do believe is that the mis­ sion of McGill is not only accessibility but I'm committed to accessibility and the fact is, with the tuition fees that we have got, I can not guarantee that any qualified student can corné to McGill independent of their financial needs. My goal as principal is to reach a moment where, no matter your eco­ nomic background, if you applied to McGill and you're accepted, you'll be

L e a d e r s h ip T

able to come here and be supported while you're here. ■ — Co m p iled by Ken Sun

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During the Easter long weekend, a Croatian man built what is claimed to be the world's biggest chocolate castle. The castle, which measured three metres tall and was built on a six-by-two metre base, was built with 10,000 locally produced chocolate bars in 24 hours. Immediately after the castle was built, the individual bars were sold as part of a char­ ity event. • A corn flake shaped like Illinois was sold to Monty Kerr, who owns TriviaM ania.com , for $1,350 USD on eBay. Kerr plans to put the ce­ real in a travelling museum along with other pieces of Americana. • A South Korean woman is accused of telling her six-year-old daughter to steal $140,000 from a bank in Jeju. The young girl was left alone in the VIP room and stole cash and cheques from a small safe. The mother insists that she was not involved in the matter. • Here's someone who's not such a smooth criminal: an Australian man was arrested for growing pot in his house after he called the police reporting that six of his plants were stolen. While the police couldn't find the thieves, they came to the man's house with a search warrant and found six more plants grow­ ing in his house. • A police officer shot a runaway cow in rush hour traffic in a Toronto suburb last Thursday after unsuccessfully trying to corral him for about four hours. The half ton steer, who escaped with three other cows and a bull after a trailer carrying a herd of cattle tipped over, caused chaos on the highway, injuring two people and charging repeatedly at police before moving on to a residential neighbourhood and grazing on various lawns. • A Commission on Human Relations has ruled that two signs that say "This is America: WHEN ORDERING PLEASE SPEAK ENGLISH" hanging at Geno's Steaks, a famous cheese steak shop in Philadelphia, are not discriminatory. Shop Owner Joe Vento said he put up the signs after immigration reforms led to an influx of Asian and Latin American immigrants in the traditionally Italian neighbourhood.

Commissioners Roxanne Covington and Burt Siegel dismissed the com­ plaint that the signs discourage customers from certain backgrounds of frequenting the restaurant saying that the signs did not communicate that business would be "refused, withheld or denied."

— Sources: AFP, A ssociated Press

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26.03.08 • News • 7

Don't miss your last chance to write for theTribune! Come to our final news meeting o f the year on Tuesday at 5:30 in theTribune office (Shatner Room 110, behind Caferama)

Policy effective May 1 Silverman claims students have done jo b Continued from COVER Citing the Days of Action in the fall and the grassroots movement for the re-freeze in tuition, Silverman claimed that the new policy was in­ dicative that students were doing theirjob.

"Even though the government isn't backing down on tuition fees, the government has realized that students are right and that educa­ tion can't be unaffordable,"Silverman said.

Devin Alfaro, arts councillor and VP External-elect stated that ancillary

fees would be a part of his platform for next year.

"I am pleased with the decision and I will deal with it as I see fit for next year."

The policy in place would be ef­ fective for the school year beginning May 1,2008. ■

CAMPUS

SSMU bursts its bubble Campaign reaches out to com m unity C hristie L ee

STOP

The rift between permanent residents and students living in the MiltonParc community took a positive turn last Tuesday with Community Connec­ tions, an event hosted by the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office of McGill University and the Students'Society. The meeting marked an end to SEDE's week long Burst Your Bubble campaign aimed at enhancing students' understanding and awareness of Montreal's rich culture.

This past January, Milton-Parc citizens gathered in Eglise Notre-Dame to voice their concerns with student drunkenness and vandalism in the area.

Community Connections seemed to shed some light on the misconception that the majority of McGill students are oblivious to community responsibili­ ties.

The evening began with speeches given by student and community representatives, then continued with dinner, entertainment and networking opportunities. Participants were encouraged to talk and mingle with each other in a casual and relaxing way.

SSMU Vice-President External Max Silverman was optimistic that the Burst Your Bubble campaign would provide a more constructive framework for bridging talks between students and local communities in the future. "[SSMU] believes that the campaign would strike a positive note with the Montreal community and hopes to continue working with SEDE in pro­ viding such initiatives in the future,"he said.

SEDE Program Officer Veronica Amberg was also pleased with the event.

"SEDE's long-term goal of fostering a fair and inclusive environment by connecting the McGill community with the other communities of Montreal fitted right in with SSMU's approach to the Milton-Park Citizens'community crisis,"she said.

In addition to networking, community groups were also invited to pres­ ent materials in the form of brochures, posters and artefacts. One of the participating groups was Head and Hands, a non-profit youth organization in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.The group offers a variety of services to students, parents and job seekers.

Jocelyn Porter, health animator at Head and Hands expressed interest in collaboration with McGill students.

"We already have volunteers from McGill at Heads and Hands," she said.

"In the future, we wish to tap into more resources available in McGill through research projects, such as those pertaining to youth and sexual health."

Community Connections was only one of two parts of the Burst Your Bubble campaign. The first part comprised of a series of community visits to local groups. Hicham Mahboubi, Ui Biology was one of the visitors: "Students normally wouldn't pay visits to community groups on their own, so the campaign provided the opportunity for us to open up our minds and understand that there is so much more beyond the McGill bubble," he said.

Mahboubi further stressed that the campaign was not purely grounded on volunteering purposes.

"I feel that students should gain a better understanding of a community they might get involved with in the future," he said. "Who knows, maybe you would be working alongside these people [community groups] in two or three years'time."*

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O pinion -

THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

Canadians are wimps

® YOU HAD AN OPTION, SIR

By-by, Stéphane Dion ince last week's federal by-election, there has been a deluge of commentary on the results. In the end, it is indisputable that the Conservatives should be happy with the out­ come of the by-elections. Voters in DesnethéMissinippi-Churchill River elected a new Conser­ vative MP to the House of Commons, opening a 16-point margin of victory. Meanwhile, Vancouver Quadra turned out a surprisingly successful result for the Conservatives. In a riding that had once been a securely safe seat with a 20-point margin of support, Liberal Joyce Murray squeaked into the House of Commons by a hair, winning by only 151 votes.

By-elections are usually a time where voters punish the current government if they are unsat­ isfied, as it's usually harder to motivate satisfied voters to go to the polls. This, combined with recent negative media coverage of the Conser­ vatives over such events as the Cadman affair and the so-called 'NAFTA-gate' scandal, would have led one to believe that Harper was being set up for a massive rebuke. But it never hap­ pened—and everyone has an opinion as to why.

It wasn't Stéphane Dion's incompetent leader­ ship or his inability to communicate with Cana­ dians that was to blame. The results also cannot be explained by assertions that Stephen Harper's government has impressed Canadians. Instead, the answer can be, plain and simple, tied to the reactions of grassroots party members.

There are two clear messages present in the statistics from last Monday. First, don't mess with the people on the ground if you don't want your campaign to be severely disadvantaged. Second, if you allow your party members to campaign freely in a nomination process, they will flour­ ish. Let's look at each of these points, in turn. In Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River, Stéphane Dion snubbed local party members by ignoring the strong grassroots support of prairie activist David Orchard in order to appoint his personal choice (one who went on to lose).

By slighting local party members, Stéphane Dion was angering potential doorknockers, vol­

ontreal's St. Patrick's Day parade dates back to 1824, one of the most enthu­ siastically attended public events in the city's history.The only problem with it, and with St. Patrick's Day in general, is that people keep asking me if I'm "going." And naturally, I'm not going. I'm not Irish. Nor are most of the people in attendance, but that doesn't seem to bother them.

It has only recently occurred to me how silly it is that people play ad hoc ethnicityswap just to enjoy a particular holiday. Per­ haps it's emblematic of the non-specificity and nebulousness of Canadian cultural iden­ tity, or perhaps a testament to the melting pot dynamic prevalent in Canadian demograph­ ics, or maybe it's simply that Montrealers look for every available opportunity to get drunk mid-day and/or mid-week.

My original intent for this column was to enumerate my hypothetical adoption of a stereotypical ethnic mask for each day of the week in a way that would result in the best possible outcome for me. The crux of the pa­ tently satirical column would rest in exempli­ fying how culture was trivialized by resorting to stereotype, just as Irish culture arguably has been by people wearing green face paint and singing drunken ditties while knowing noth­ ing of being Irish or the origin of the holiday being celebrated.

Upon submission, the Tribune's senior editors felt that the column was offensive, even borderline racist, and rejected it out­ right. When I noticed that the only editor on staff who went to bat for me was American, I may finally have realized something about my own identity that had remained nebulous until this day, that elusive common thread which ties my people together: Canadians are all so fucking sensitive.

While we're discussing comic stereo­ types, why not discuss Michael Moore's C a ­ n ad ian Bacon, a rare fiction from the Oscarwinning director. Set mostly in Canada, one scene involves an epically rotund John Candy barreling down a busy Toronto street, pushing brusquely past a score of Canadians, each one

M

T imothy M ak T imothy .mak @ mail .mcgill.ca

S

B en L emieux BENLEMIEUX@GMAIL.COM

unteers, donors, fundraisers, future young Liber­ als and others in the riding who wanted to see someone of their own choosing represent them in the House of Commons. Angering these peo­ ple may not have made them vote Conservative, but it certainly convinced a lot of Liberals to stay home. The point is patent. If you mess with your base, you not only lose their vote, you lose your campaign team and eventually, the election.

Vancouver Quadra was a riding in which the Conservative nomination was hotly contested.

While Conservative Party elites didn't force a can­ didate, it was obvious who they wanted to run.

One of the nominees, Mary McNeil, had the en­ dorsement of John Reynolds, 2006 Conservative national campaign co-chair and my former MP. A fierce nomination contest ensued in which a woman named Deb Meredith emerged the win­ ner. Conservative members had not been told who to choose and the nomination process had galvanized supporters, resulting in the raising of funds and the mobilization of volunteers.

This strong grassroots support allowed Meredith to inspire thousands of Vancouverites to vote for her, draining significantly from Lib­ eral- ranks. I remember meeting Meredith late last year in Harrison Hot Springs. My immediate impression was that Deb had an unusually loyal team behind her and that she would be giving her opponent hell. She did— and you can look for her to win the riding in the next general elec­ tion. The message? Leave the grassroots to func­ tion freely and the campaign will find itself in a stronger tactical position.

The most significant point from last week's by-elections is not that the Liberals lost a seat or that the Conservatives gained one. It's not that Martha Hall Findlay and a slightly less social­ ist Bob Rae are now in the House of Commons.

Rather, the moral of the story is that nomination races—while messy and divisive— lead to electri­ fied grass-roots members that are fired up and ready to win elections. Stop ignoring the grass­ roots for the sake of party discipline, Stéphane— it will be your undoing.*

offering him a hearty apology.

Though the scene is hyperbolic, it's no secret that Canadians are polite—and sensi­ tive—to a fault. We bridle indignantly before considering possible truths in the inflamma­ tory. In 1965, a time during which the United States was busy kicking ass, Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson advocated a settle­ ment in Vietnam during a speech at Temple University. When he met U.S. President Lyndon Johnson the next day, the latter reportedly picked Pearson up by his lapels and shouted, "Dammit Les, I don't piss on your rug, so don't you piss on my rug!" How did Pearson retali­ ate? He invented Peacekeeping. Sissy.

In 1982, when Canada finally achieved Patriation, severing all legislative dependence on the U.K., Quebec quibbled over the terms of our sovereignty. Rather than cutting these brigands loose, the Canadian government spent almost a decade getting the province to sit around a bargaining table and work out some issues.

Even on our own campus, the Tribune has been hounded by a group known as the Students for the De-militarization of McGill, who take offense from military advertise­ ments occasionally featured in the paper and freely vandalize numerous copies of the Tri­ bune. They feel that their own, personal moral qualms with the army supercede the fact that we live in a free market economy and that stu­ dents are free agents with the ability to make rational decisions about their beliefs and, God forbid, their careers.

Canada needs to grow some balls. For too long our nation has been known as a cheerful, donut-munching, snowy amuse­ ment park, recoiling from armed conflict and all national or international matters requir­ ing any gumption. We need media sources like they have in the U.S., where Ann Coulter can call a Presidential candidate "faggot" on national airwaves and not only escape being prosecuted for propagation of hate, but also remain revered by half the nation. We need to get troops in Iraq, Iran and North Korea. The whole goddamn Axis. We need our own Shaft

OFF THE BOARD

What type o' fact finding missions are those?

A aron S igal lthough now back in the cozy confines of America's grossly overheated electoral climate, presumptive Re­ publican presidential nominee John McCain landed in the always strife-torn Middle East for a crucial "fact-finding mission" last week. As thé senior GOP statesman on the Sen­ ate Armed Services Committee, the presidential hopeful spearheaded the venture and, naturally, claimed most of the limelight. But, likely in order to couch the trip as official Con­ gressional business, he was accompanied by. fellow commit­ tee members, Senator Joseph Lieberman (l-CT) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C).

While the media assailed McCain's explicit denial that this trot around the world (with two of his most ardent political supporters nonetheless) was intended to bolster his already hawkish international image and used as a campaigning op­ portunity, it clearly was politically expedient, as everything is in these"harrowing" months of electioneering. But there is a more fundamental and necessary question that must be asked: why is anyone in the wider American political machine traveling on a fact-finding mission to, pardon the laughter, Israel/Palestine and Iraq with stopovers in Britain and France?

Are there any areas on the planet that U.S. politicos should, or do, know more about than these four locales? Exactly what

A

unknown "facts” were McCain and his cronies learning at the taxpayers'expense, relating to either the Israeli-Palestinian con­ flict or the American-unleashed civil strife in Iraq? And what is left in Britain and France—the most traditional of American allies—that still perplexes the Congressional mind after Dan Brown revealed the secrets of the glass pyramid outside the Louvre? Sure, fact-finding missions are likely vital to under­ standing relatively nascent conflicts and probably served the international community well in 1948 when Israel was con­ ceived at the Palestinian expense as many did not understand the complex peculiars of either the theoretical situation or that on the ground.

Such trips to the Jewish State and the accompanying ter­ ritories could even be justified after the events of 1967,1973, 1982 and 1993 which forever altered the dynamics of the Is­ raeli-Palestinian project and had massive political, cultural and economic implications for the wider Middle East. But, in today's climate, the fact-finding mission has become an anachronism.

What could these politicians possibly have learned on this goaround? Arabs don't like Israelis and vice versa; one had land and the other has minimal amounts; oh, they also fire rockets at each other—we all get it. America is in a quagmire in Iraq; it won't be easy to get out— I think we all know that too. Never

mind the ludicrous amount of academia and popular literature that has been produced on these very two subjects available to anyone who desires the information—why, a simple walk across any campus with the inevitable encounter withcollegeknow-it-alls, partisan booths and button-wearing, ideological zealots can turn any layman into a Middle Eastern expert. No state-sponsored international gallivanting required.

Especially in U.S. policy-making circles, there is absolutely nothing remaining that is unknown about the state of the Holy Land or regarding the American-made war and American-led reconstruction in its neighbour, Iraq. For a candidate such as John McCain, who has, ad nauseaum, pounded into the collec­ tive mind of voters that his strengths lie in the realm of foreign policy, maintaining American interventionism and protecting the U.S. against Islamic extremism, there had better be noth­ ing that he learned anew about the obviously pertinent situ­ ations in these two areas, because if there is, it revealed more than simple Semitic facts; it hints that he isn't truly ready for the Oval Office.

• With the coming "economic correction,” it is time to do away with the useless and, more importantly, expensive relic of the fact-finding mission. All the necessary information has been gleaned; now is the time for implementation.*

26.03.08 - The McGill Tribune • 9

T r ib u n e

EDITORIAL

Vive la Kosovo libre!

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anada announced last Tuesday that it will recognize Kosovo as an independent nation, approximately a month after the Balkan prov­ ince unilaterally declared its independence from Serbia on Feb. V - Canada's decision accompanied similar declarations by Japan and three of Serbia's neighbours: Bulgaria, Hungary and Croatia. Some 33 countries now recognize the fledgling state, includ­ ing the United States and 18 EU nations. According to the Canadian Press, approximately two-dozen countries are opposed to Kosovar independence, including Russia—a staunch Serbian ally and a UN Security Council member.

While Canada's hesitation to grant its official recognition to Kosovo may seem unwarranted given the apparent willingness of other democratic countries, the situation is far from straightforward.

Much fuss has already been made of Canada's unwillingness to encourage Quebec separatism.

Other countries with secessionist movements, such as Spain and China, have opposed Kosovo's independence. This, however, is possibly the least problematic issue regarding Canada's recognition of Kosovar sovereignty. Indeed, the very compari­ son of Kosovo to Quebec is ludicrous and hinges on the idea that any separatist movement is analo­ gous to any other separatist movement— regard­ less of time, place or socio-historical circumstances.

A comparison between the violent, war-torn his­ tory of Kosovo and the cultural tensions in Quebec belittles both Kosovar Albanians and Serbs and is a disservice to those who might try to exploit it.

Kosovar independence may not provide a legitimate pretext for the likes of Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois, but it nonetheless is rife with legal and diplomatic problems. Indeed, even Kosovo's strongest supporters, such as the United States, acknowledge that this is a special situation with special circumstances, without which Kosovo's independence would not have been acceptable. In particular, they point to the violent Serbian regime of Slobodan Milosevic, which killed, raped and dis­ placed thousands of Kosovar Albanians in the late 1990s and which prompted NATO to take drastic military action in the region. Since then, Kosovo has been under UN protection and Milosevic has stood trial before the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Without these special considerations,

C

however, it is generally acknowledged that Koso­ vo's bid for independence would carry little weight with the international community, at least not without Serbia's unlikely acquiescence.

While such considerations are not without merit, objections to Kosovar independence should not be not so quickly brushed aside. To begin with, Albanians as well as Serbs have both been guilty of violence and ethnic cleansing against the other and neither party is wholly victim or aggressor.

Both sides also claim centuries-old historic rights to the territory which are difficult to unravel and even more difficult to apply equitably in the present situation. From the legal standpoint, moreover, the move contravenes the general protection under international law of the territorial integrity of sov­ ereign states. In this case particularly, UN resolution 1244, which authorized the NATO-led peacekeep­ ing force and placed Kosovo under UN adminis­ tration, also guaranteed the territorial integrity of Yugoslavia, of which Serbia is the legal successor.

Critics also point to the self-interested behaviour of the United States in the region, such as the building of the 955-acre Camp Bondsteel immediately after NATO's 1999 military incursion. According to such critics, the real backing for Kosovo's independence is the American desire to have a foothold in the Bal­

kans and yet another client state at its disposal.

As convincing as arguments against Kosovar independence might be, the reality of the situation suggests that Kosovo is unlikely to be reintegrated into Serbia any time soon. With a population that is at least 90 per cent ethnic Albanian, a return to Serbian rule couldn't be accomplished without di­ sastrous amounts of violence and bloodshed, par­ ticularly after the past month's political develop­ ments. Serbia, Russia and others may continue to refuse to recognize the country, but with American, NATO and EU support, their protests are likely to be largely symbolic.

It is no doubt because of such perplexing and perhaps insoluble difficulties that many countries have simply desisted from issuing a statement on the issue one way or another. Unfortunately, this is a situation where no position is a position, particu­ larly problematic for Canada, with its close ties to both the United States and Europe. Canada's deci­ sion to recognize Kosovo is warranted, therefore, as it fits both the practical reality of the situation as well as our own diplomatic self-interest. We can only hope that an independent Kosovo will suc­ ceed in ameliorating the economic and political woes that have plagued it for so long. ■

OFF THE BOARD

Fighting neo-Nazis with crypto-fascism Byron Tau

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L ast week, one of our own Tribune columnists proudly proclaimed, "I can say pretty much whatever I want [in my column], because that is part of what being a Canadian is about... We hold our right to free speech as dear as we hold our right to due process—and any perceived challenge to said rights arouses fierce opposition and fury."

She expressed a noble sentiment, indeed. If only that were really the case here in Canada.

Canadians live under the veneer of free expres­ sion, as granted by their precious Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, just beneath the placid surface of Canadian jurisprudence lies a whole host of thorny anti-liberal restrictions on freedom of speech and expression.

The Canadian Charter shamefully abridges and limits free expression, and restrictions on free speech go deep. For example, under Section 318 of the criminal code, Canadians don't have the right to "promote hate," no matter how silly, satiri­ cal, farfetched or shallow their 'advocacy' is meant to be. Quebec language laws dictate what content must be written in which language—a restriction antithetical to private property and free expres­ sion rights. Canadian trade law even gives the state the power to ban books such as Salman Rushdie's Satantic Verses (which was almost banned as antiIslamic) and certain gay and lesbian fiction (some­ times confiscated at border crossings).

But even more disgracefully, Canadian human rights law gives plaintiffs with no standing or actual injury the right to sue publishers and authors who express or publish controversial views. An excerpt

of author Mark Steyn's book Am erica A lone that ap­ peared in M aclean's has led several Canadian law students to sue under the Canadian Human Rights Act. Steyn's interlopers have cited Islamophobia as the basis for their complaint and three provincial human rights tribunals have acknowledged this.

According to such human rights tribunals, Canadians do not even have the right to insinuate, that the British Royal family descended from a race of space lizards. In an op-ed, Steyn noted that one human rights complaint focussed on former BBC an­ chor David Icke, who was convinced that the Queen and her ilk were shape-shifters who had been born of extraterrestrial creatures. Lawyer and activist Rich­ ard Warman-—a plaintiff in almost 50 per cent of all Canadian human rights cases—filed a complaint against Icke, telling the Independent, "What benefit can there be in allowing him to speak?"

Apparently, Icke's wild ideas resemble typical anti-Semitic conspiracy theories too closely, even though Icke himself has repeatedly said of the space lizards,"We are being manipulated and I do not care if you are Jewish, Chinese, [or] Catholic."

One of the central tenets of liberalism is that there is no monopoly on truth and that all points of view are equally relevant in a truly free society. Or­ thodoxy must be challenged and dissenting view­ points must be permitted. Banning allegedly racist, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic or homophobic views is a form of control over expression that has no place in a truly free society. Such sentiments wll always exist among an angry minority, and it is problematic for small groups to decide who deserves censorship

or not. Canada's human rights kangaroo courts and anti-liberal restrictions on free speech have not ac­ tually made the country any more united or free of bigotry and may belittle more serious human rights cases. Canada suffers from strife over integration is­ sues in a way that the United States does not—with a fierce "reasonable accommodation"debate raging and anti-lsfamic sentiments being expressed by oth­ erwise credible and mainstream political figures.

Countries with similar restrictions as Canada on free speech are hotbeds of hatred. France, Brit­ ain and the Netherlands all restrict some forms of expression and all are breeding groups of anti-Se­ mitic, anti-Western and anti-liberal sentiment.These countries suffer from both small groups of disgrun­ tled radical immigrant communities certain of the West's decadence and nativist right-wing racists who seek to end all foreign immigration. Dutch film­ maker Theo Van Gogh was assassinated by radical Muslims for expressing controversial views on Islam, while France's über-right wing politician Jean-Marie Le Pen thrives off anti-immigrant racist sentiment.

Meanwhile, Britain suffers from homegrown Islamic terrrorism and domestic radicalism. Banning free ex­ pression in Europe and Canada has not lead to more harmony, only strife.

Just the fact that a country as safe and demo­ cratic as Canada even has human rights tribunals makes a mockery of real tragedy and injustice oc­ curring abroad. It's time that Canadians everywhere actually took their right to free expression serious­ ly— even if that means permitting unpopular or even bigoted speech. ■

The McGill Tribune is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the Students'Society of McGill University in collaboration with the Tribune Publication Society. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Students' Society or McGill University. Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@mcgilltribune.com and must include the contributor's name, program and year and contact information. Letters should be kept under 300 words and submitted only to the Tribune. Submissions judged by theTribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. The Tribune reserves the right to edit all contributions.

Editorials are decided upon and written by the editorial board. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions ofth e McGill Tribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.

Campus

SILHOUETTE

A passion for fashion Twisting the traditional runway event, P[h]assion raises funds for AIDS K athryn D ingle

Love will be in the air this Thursday night at the annual P[h]assion AIDS benefit show.The popular event will feature Mc­ Gill models, Montreal designers and urban and cabaret dancers parading the runway for a charitable cause.

This year's theme, "LAmour est en Vogue," will give the show a more romantic, Moulin Rouge kind-of-feel, says P[h]assion CoDirector Zeïna Belouizdad, U3 international business. "It's a very classical thing to say... and it really accentuates our motive be­ hind the fashion show [which] is to raise money, raise awareness and help out people that are affected by HIV/AIDS." In its 15-year history, P[h]assion has raised close to $200,000 for AIDS charities, a mark that organizers hope to surpass on Thursday night. The P[h]assion committee has been fundraising all year with events such as the Hype Party, Model Auction and World AIDS Week Sample Sale, so that all tickets sales from the show will go straight to charity.

While in the past, P[h]assion has raised money for the M.A.C. AIDS Campaign, this year they're focussing closer to home. "We wanted to involve more of the local community, so we're actually donating to AIDS Community Care Montreal this year," explains Co-Director Charlotte Palermino, U2 marketing. ACCM supports those infected with HIV/AIDS and runs education and prevention programs in the community.

The event itself is billed as "a traditional fashion show, but with some twists," according to Palermino. "We wanted to focus more on the designers because we do have really good design­ ers this year."

All of the clothes are from local designers, including Bedo, Guido & Mary, Aqua Di Laura and McGill students Eli Mlyn, Kim­ berly Beattie and Alan Brismead. The show also features the MATSU collection by Megan Fischer, a McGill alumna and former P[h]assion Coordinator who was one of the contestants on Proj­ ect Runway Canada and recently took part in Toronto Fashion Week.

The show will be much more than just clothes, however.

McGill dance groups Mosaica and Dance Pak will be performing, as well as a French cabaret group. Music for the show will be an eclectic mix of everything from classical pieces to hip-hop and electro.

This year's event is being held at La Mouche, a brand new club at the corner of St-Denis and Ste-Catherine.

"It's absolutely beautiful... it's a great club, great venue and it'll be a really amazing party," says Palermino. ■ D oors open at 9 p.m . a n d it's recom m ended yo u arrive early to grab a seat for the fashion show a t 10 p.m . The after-party starts at 77 p.m . a n d w ill continue late w ith a live D J a n d free energy drinks from Red Bull.

Tickets are on sale for $20 a ll week in the Bronfm an Lobby and are also a va ila b le a t the door or by con tactin g a m em ber o f the o rga­ n izin g com m ittee. Tickets for the after-party are $10.

Letters to the editor What are we, the Economist?

Sirs, How many grains does it take to form a heap? I read with interest your recent editorial on the movement to rename Lionel-Groulx Metro for Oscar Peterson ("Peter­ son Deserves Better than a Metro"i8.03.o8).

What I object to, apart from the unsigned editorial's high-handed and disrespectful tone, is the use of the "slippery slope" argument to dispute the movement's aims.

The assumption made when asserting the existence of a "slippery slope” is that a trend or transition must nat­ urally take place and that no grey area exists. It is a logical fallacy that refuses to take context into consideration.

Further, it is a fallacy at odds with natural justice, which forms the framework of our Constitution. Natural justice relies on the concept of procedural fairness, as expressed in the maxim audi alteram partem— let the other side be heard.

In other words, claims must be examined based on the merits of the facts involved, not on the fear, justified or not, of repercussion on future events.

I realize that history does not take place in a vacu­ um and there is a natural corollary effect of one event on another, but that is not an argument to ignore context

and reason and give in to sophisms like that of the "slip­ pery slope.”

Best, — Michael Citrome LL.B., moderator of Rename LionelGroulx Metro after Oscar Peterson Snowball fig h t over Peterson News: If you haven't checked outTVMcGill's

Dear Editors, Are you really so silly to believe that renaming the Metro station for Oscar isjust the start of a snowball ("Pe­ terson Deserves Better than a Metro” 18.03.08)? Do you really think that this is the start of socio-political inter­ ests fighting over names in this city (or anywhere else for that matter)? Do you have any idea why Dorchester Street is so small? Cities will always choose what heroes they want remembered. In this case the people of the city, from all walks of life, have agreed just who they want memorialized, and shame on you for trying to claim that your judgement is superior, simply because it is the status quo. By the way, I'm looking forward to your future editorials about how since Metro stations are'din­ ghy'they shouldn't be honoured with historical figures' names. Oh the irony!

— Kyle Bailey McGill B.Sc 2007, Environment

complete coverage of the SSMU j | Elections results already, visit www.tvmqeiilLaiip nofUt Fokus Film Festival

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___

Congratulations to all Fokus Film Festival entrants and winners! Check out www.tvmcgill.com/fokus to view all submissions!

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C IT Y L IV IN G , A T A L L C O S T S ...

Visit our model condos Buy,

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Financing available 4.85% variable Tel: 5 1 4 - 3 9 6 - 4 6 0 0 98, rue Charlotte, M ontreal www.ledistrict.ca Hours: • Mon-Thurs. 12-7 p.m.

• Fri. - Sat. - Sun. 12-5 p.m.

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Tuesday

Monday

Wednesday

Thursday

Saturday

< a

Disparity Dinner: Dine at the world's table!

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LU

< u to D

Sunday

23

Scrivener Launch Party Come celebrate the launch of a national literary magazine!

Date: Friday, March 28 8 :30 -11:30 p.m.

Location: Le Cagibi; 5490 boulevard Saint-Laurent Recommended $3 donation at the door.

26

Come experience global inequalities in food distribution first hand.

You will either eat a simple "developing world" meal or be one of the lucky few to get a full restaurant meal! All funds go towards the McGill Global AIDS Coalition's advocacy and education projects for next year.

Friday, March 28 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Shatner Ballroom Tickets: $5 in room 433 in Shatner or SNAX in Leacock.

Meals donated by: Lola Rosa, Santropol Roulant, Faim du Monde and more!

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Want to advertise in the Campus Calendar? For just a toonie you can advertise your event up to two weeks in advance.

Email calendar@mcgilltribune.com for more information, or drop by the Tribune office in Shatner 110 .

29

Student L iving

X VS. Y

Taboo vs. Balderdash Balderdash Cost: $21.67 at Am azon.com . Replacing the board pieces with bottle

Taboo Cost: $2649 atA m azon.com .

Number o f players: The box says four to ten, but if you're willing

to make teams, you can play with as many people as you want.

How you play: Players break into two teams. In each round, one player tries to get team members to guess as many words as possible before time runs out. The player who is describing the word cannot use any other words on the playing card; if they do the other team can press the buzzer and scoop the point.

Difficulty: Medium. The words are not necessarily high-level, but most players find it difficult to refrain from using the banned words on the card.

Creativity level: Medium. You don't get to make anything up but you have to come up with a way to portray your word to your team without using the most common methods of describing it.

While you get to make stuff up for Balder­ Just add alcohol: Just make sure not to let anyone too drunk get their hands on the buzzer. Punishments for saying forbidden words dash, nothing beats the fast-paced, one-buzzerfits-all nature ofTaboo. Also,Taboo is slightly more may also grow violent as the night wears on. expensive and is thus superiour. ■

caps when you lose the originals? $0.25. Screaming obscene-sounding words at friends and family? Priceless.

Number of players: Three to six.

How you play: Make up definitions to little-known words. Players vote on which definition is the most plausible and points are awarded by the number of votes your definition receives. Variations include making up his­ torical events or laws.

Creativity level: High. You have to make up a definition to a word to which you don't know the real definition. This requires you to come up with something convincing. You also get to practice manipulation and, oc­ casionally, bribery, as you try to promote your definition above everyone else's.

Difficulty: Easy, if you are well versed in the art of bullshit.

Just add alcohol: Definitions make less sense as you have more drinks.

On the other hand, other players are more likely to believe them.

— Compiled by Meghna Marjadi and Carolyn Yates.

DUCKTAPE

The dirt on carpet stains Because if you can't see it, it didn't happen Em m a C abrera- A ragôn

Whether to cover stains, keep your feet warm or simply to spice up your place, carpets come in handy for a variety of rea­ sons— until they get dirty. Here are some ways to clean up last night's party that don't involve forking over some of the grocery budget to professional cleaners.

In any carpet stain scenario it's best to act promptly and try to remove the stain before it dries. Blotting—whether after hav­ ing re-soaked the stain or on the first clean-up—is the key, as rubbing or pressing too hard on the carpet fibres will cause the

stain to become further absorbed. To blot, use white paper tow­ els ora clean cloth.

- Should the stain be of a more solid persuasion—think-mud or vomit—vacuuming the dry stain and then scraping up as much as possible with a blunt edge (spoon or spatula) is the first step.

Once the stain has been reduced to a more or less two-di­ mensional splotch, neutralize potentially infectious stains (blood and vomit) with a mixture of one tablespoon household ammo­ nia in half a cup of water. If cleaning up blood, use cool water as heat will set the stain. Blot until the moisture is removed.

Be a Tribune Editor.

FOOD FORTHOUGHT

Borscht recipe ever Beeting around the bush So phia K arwowski

Borscht, a soup that originated in the Ukraine but is now part of the traditional cuisines of many Eastern European countries, got its name from the old Slavic word for beet.

There are as many varieties of borscht as there are Old World grandmothers, but the two general types of the dish are hot borscht, made with meat, and vegetarian cold borscht, a

Polish version of which is shown here. Despite its name, cold borscht isn't bad eaten hot straight off of the stove and it only seems to get better the longer it sits in the refrigerator. When handled, beet juice has a way of getting messy; if you start looking like you just spent a day in the slaughterhouse, rub lemon juice on the offending areas.

Ingredients

Steps

1 tbsp butter 1 medium onion, chopped 11/2 tsp salt 11/2 tsp caraway seeds

1.

2.

3‘small potatoes, chopped 6 medium beets, chopped 6 cups water or vegetable stock

3.

1 stalk celery, chopped 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced 3 to 4 cups cabbage, thinly sliced

4.

5.

1to 2 tbsp cider vinegar 1to 2 tbsp honey A pinch of fresh ground black pepper 1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped 6 eggs Sour cream or yogurt

Once the stain has been picked up and disinfected, spray a mixture of 1/4 teaspoon of clear dishwashing solution with one cup of water on the stained area. Blot and repeat until the stain comes out. One quarter cup of white vinegar with one quarter cup of water—which works for everything, but is best for stains such as red wine and coffee—works in the same way; spray and 'blot.

To finish the job, spray water onto the cleaned area, though not so much as to wet the backing of the carpet and blot until dry. A final tip: test any cleaners on an inconspicuous spot first to ensure that no discolouration or other damage will occur. ■

6.

7.

Melt the butter in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion and salt and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add caraway seeds and stir until fragrant, about one minute.

Add potatoes, beets and water or stock. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer over medium heat until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. While soup is cooking, boil eggs in water until firm, about 10 minutes; peel and slice.

Add celery, carrots, and cabbage. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir in vinegar, honey, and pepper, and simmer 5 min­ utes more. If soup has too much broth, leave it uncov­ ered to let the liquid evaporate.

Remove from heat and preferably let cool for a few hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Serve topped with slices of hard-boiled eggs, a sprinkle of dill, and a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

• Serves 4. ■

The Tribune is calling for applications for the 2008-09 Editorial Board. The following positions are open: Managing Editors (2) Production Manager News Editors (3) Opinion Editor Features Editors (2) Arts & Entertainment Editors (2) Sports Editors (2) Photo Editors (2) Copy Editor Online Editor Design Editors (3) Submit a cover letter, a CV and three relevant samples addressed to Tiffany Choy, Editor-in-Chief to editor@mcgilltribune.com, or drop off a copy in the Tribune office, Shatner 110.

Applications are due by Friday, March 28.

Questions? Email, call, or stop by our office.

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BEAC O N SFIELD 40C Saint-Charles Blvd.

Edward Hoodfar BLAIN VILLE 10 des Chateaux Blvd., Suite 105 Claude Brosseau B R O SSAR D 1850 Panama Avenue, Suite 307 Samir Mounayar 1850 Panama Avenue, Suite 307 Stratis Touloumis 1850 Panama Avenue, Suite 307 Christiane Blais-Touloumis 3 25 0 de Rome Blvd., Suite 4 Trang Bui 3 25 0 de Rome Bvld., Suite 4 Minh Bui 3 25 0 de Rome Blvd., Suite 4 Danny Cardinal C Ô TE-SAINT-LUC 5 800 Cavendish Blvd., Suite 302 Zina El-Guizawi 5 555 Westminster Street Suite 400 Ewa Babarowski 7 005 Kildare Road, Suite 1 Harvey Haber 5 165 Queen Mary, Suite 304 Danielle Saint-Hilaire D O LLA R D -D E S -O R M E A U X Kinh Doanh Nguyen 3211 des Sources Bvld.

DORVAL Ronald Trifiro GATINEAU Centre Lapointe Centre Lapointe GREENFIELD PAR K Nada Malouf Lina Malouf JONQUIÈRE Centre Lapointe LAVAL Centre Lapointe Petr Pohanka Sébastien Proulx LONGUEUIL Centre Lapointe Centre Lapointe Jean-Pierre Loiselle Jack Sherman Laurent Revah M O N TR EAL A h u n ts ic Kiet Luu Aboucf Kano A n jo u Manon Rodrigue Bonaventure Pannese Jean-François Lefebvre Sarny Nouar Claire Simard Michel Laporte Elena Baltcheva Jean-Philippe Soucy C a rtie rv ille Michel Yazbeck Madlen Gardus C ô te -d e s -N e ig e s Sheldon Tager Edward B. Silver A. Mirfarsi Claudia Buracu Ida Tjia Joseph Henry Genoveva P. Santander Dana Munteanu James Pollock Jacques Bourgon Philip Brownstein Harvey Hirsh Reuven Singer Chanh Tran Tam Ho David Warren Shapiro Gordon Schneider Aboulfazl Sharif Naeini Elena Rozenberg Aleksander Dimitrovski Jeremy Cymet Edouard Cree Le Huyen Anh D o w n to w n Myriam Feldman Souzi Mhanna Qian Jing Fang Regina Bastos Ginette Martin Danielle Saint-Hilaire Donald Collins Allan Etcovitch Bakhoa Nguyen Ali Ghadban Lidiia Paiani Michel Huynh Pierre Ares J. Michael Little Kinh-Hung Huynh Jacob Ifrah Mehri Heidari Martin Lavoie Racha Awad Hani Kharbotly Nada Malouf Lina Malouf Sharon Messinger Sylvie Leroux Snahrouz Rezania Helen Mpantis Gerald Bultz Anca lonescu Oussama El-Housseini Ghassan H. El-Onsi Karine Dubeau Kim Thu Duong Gabriel Buck H o c h e la g a -M a is o n n e u v e Nina Thuan Do Centre Lapointe Mario Bessette Walid Samaha Zakia Benoiaret Adriana Ares Ali Aoude

(514) 6 9 5 -5 5 45 (4 50 )4 3 0-1 1 2 1 (4 5 0 )4 6 5 -9 1 0 0 (4 5 0 )4 6 5 -9 1 0 0 (4 5 0 )4 6 5 -9 1 0 0 (450) 4 6 2 -3 3 68 (450) 462 -3 3 68 (450) 462 -3 3 68 (5 1 4 )4 8 1 -1 3 5 7 (5 1 4 )9 3 1 -8 6 3 6 (5 1 4 )4 8 8 -7 6 2 4 (5 1 4 )5 6 9 -0 7 8 4 (5 1 4 )6 8 5 -6 8 8 5

1145 John Pratt Street

(5 1 4 )6 3 1 -7 3 9 0

430 de l'Hôpital Blvd.

290 Saint-Joseph Blvd., Suite 203

(800) 5 2 7 -6 4 68 (800) 5 2 7 -6 4 68

3 12 5 Taschereau Blvd.

3 12 5 Taschereau Blvd.

(450) 9 2 3 -3 3 33 (450) 923 -3 3 33

2 38 0 Mathias Street

(800) 5 2 7 -6 4 68

1860 Le Corbusier Blvd., 2nd floor, Suite 100 194 de l’Elysée Street 2 5 4 Curé-Labelle Blvd., Suite 100

(800) 527 -6 4 68 (4 50 )6 8 1-6 8 6 1 (450) 622-6711

116 Guilbault Street 1144 Saint-Laurent Street West 8 78 Saint-Laurent Street West 8 78 Saint-Laurent Street West 5 450 Grande-Allée Blvd.

(800) 5 2 7 -6 4 68 (800) 5 2 7 -6 4 68 (450) 646 -5 5 44 (4 5 0 )6 4 6 -1 5 9 1 (450) 656 -4 0 70

1209 Fleury Street 9 8 2 5 LAcadie Blvd., Suite 105

(5 1 4 )3 8 9 -1 3 8 1 (5 1 4 )7 4 5 -4 4 4 2

7 45 0 7 45 0 7 450 7 45 0 7 45 0 8 64 4 7 45 0 7 45 0

(5 1 4 )3 5 5 -4 8 8 4 (5 1 4 )3 5 5 -4 8 8 4 (5 1 4 )3 5 5 -4 8 8 4 (514) 3 5 5 -4 8 84 (5 1 4 )3 5 5 -4 8 8 4 (514) 3 5 4 -1 3 54 (5 1 4 )3 5 5 -4 8 8 4 (5 1 4 )3 5 5 -4 8 8 4

Galeries D’Anjou Blvd., Suite 250 Galeries D’Anjou Blvd., Suite 250 Galeries d’Anjou Blvd.

Galeries D'Anjou Blvd., Suite 250 Galerie d’Anjou Blvd., Suite 250 Chaumont Galeries d’Anjou Blvd., Suite 250 Galeries D’Anjou Blvd, Suite 250

2 48 4 de Salaberry Street, Suite 101 12265 Grenet Street, Suite 300

(5 1 4 )3 3 3 -3 3 6 0 (514) 3 3 6 -6 4 54

5 45 0 3 53 5 5 022 5 51 2 3 54 6 3 88 2 5 165 5 845 6 00 0 5 17 4 5 845 5 88 5 5 45 0 5 174 5 757 5 465 5 45 0 5 88 5 5 45 0 5 88 5 3 76 6 5 45 0

Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 512 Queen Mary Road, Suite 308 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 1 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 203 Van Horne Avenue Van Horne Avenue Queen Mary Road, Suite 304 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 100 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 375 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 106 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 200 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 503 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 124 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 106 Decelles Avenue, Suite 102 Queen Mary Road, Suite 685 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 308 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 2 10 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 318 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 303 Queen Mary Road Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 3 18

(514) 737-2251 (514) 739-3461 (514) 737 -2 8 88 (514) 731 -4 0 77 (514) 3 4 2 -4 4 44 (514) 7 3 9 -2 3 25 (514) 4 8 4 -3 1 10 (514) 3 4 4 -3 2 32 (514) 738 -9 2 06 (514) 738-8931 (514) 738 -1 8 42 (514) 7 3 8 -7 7 68 (514) 737 -3 3 68 (514) 738-8931 (514) 731 -7 5 16 (514) 489 -3 7 74 (514) 731 -1 4 43 (514) 735-0917 (514) 733 -4 3 88 (514) 731 -7 6 33 (514) 735 -1 8 09 (514) 737 -1 5 25

2 15 5 Guy, Suite 810 1500 de Maisonneuve W. Blvd, Suite 300 999 St-Laurent Blvd.

1550 de Maisonneuve West Blvd., Suite 26 1037 Saint-Denis Street, Suite 203 1834 Sainte-Catherine Street West, Suite 301 300 Leo Pariseau Street, Suite 920 1801 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, Suite 710 405 Sherbrooke Street East, Suite 200 3 57 5 Park Avenue, Suite 5207 1834 Sainte-Catherine Street West, Suite 301 1440 Sainte-Catherine Street West, Suite 701 1832 Sherbrooke Street West, 3rd floor 1600 Seaforth Avenue 1111 Saint-Urbain Street, Suite R-20 1834 Sainte-Catherine Street West, Suite 301 1834 Sainte-Catherine Street West, Suite 301 1466 Crescent Street, 2nd floor 14 39 B Saint-Mathieu Street 14 39 B Saint-Mathieu Street 14 30A Saint-Marc Street 1430A Saint-Marc Street 1414 Drummond Street, Suite 412 1832 Sherbrooke Street West, 3rd floor 1834 Sainte-Catherine Street West, Suite 301 1600 Seaforth Avenue 4 685 Van Horne Avenue 3 55 0 Côte-des-Neiges Road, Suite 220 1610 Sainte-Catherine Street West, Suite 409 1500 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, Suite 300 1832 Sherbrooke Street West, 3rd Floor 2 00 0 Mansfield Street, Suite 1500 1 41 4 Drummond Street, Suite 412

(514) 9 3 5 -1 9 53 (514) 9 3 7 -7 5 55 (514) 871 -8 9 99 (514) 937 -6 6 69 (514) 284 -1 9 75 (514) 569 -0 7 84 (514) 288-8531 (514) 9 3 5 -5 4 58 (514) 288 -6 3 39 (514) 849-2037 (514) 933 -3 3 37 (514) 866 -9 2 97 (514) 9 3 9 -2 6 00 (514) 9 3 2 -4 0 78 (514) 397 -0 8 05 (514) 933-3337 (514) 933 -3 3 37 (514) 849-7771 (514) 9 3 9 -3 3 68 (514) 9 3 9 -3 3 68 (514) 9 3 7 -0 2 40 (514) 9 3 7 -0 2 40 (514) 281 -1 0 23 (514) 9 3 9 -2 6 00 (514) 933 -3 3 37 (514) 9 3 2 -4 0 78 (514) 735 -5 2 09 (514) 9 3 2 -1 1 10 (514) 931 -6 6 63 (514) 937 -7 5 55 (514) 9 3 9 -2 6 00 (514) 288-6967 (514) 281 -1 0 23

3 59 0 5 878 3590 3 59 0 3 59 0 3 59 0 3440

(514) (800) (514) (514) (514) (514) (514)

Ontario Street East, Suite 201 Sherbrooke Street East, Suite 201 Ontario Street East, Suite 201 Ontario Street East, Suite 201 Ontario Street East, Suite 201 Ontario Street East, Suite 20 Ontario Street East, Suite 410

526 -4 4 64 527 -6 4 68 526 -4 4 64 526 -4 4 64 526 -4 4 64 526 -4 0 12 522 -6 8 92

Anthony Vassiliadis Azin Alborzi Shahrok Esfandiari L a c h in e Centre Lapointe M o n tre a l N o rth Quoc Buu Tran Corneliu Georgescu Aurora Georgescu N o tre -D a m e -d e -G râ c e Sandy Baer-Layani Harry Rajchgot Javid Musevi O u tre m o n t Gabrielle Tiraloche P e tite -P a trle Tony Khoury Thanh Lang Truong Mabel Paulazzo Sandy Baer-Layani Marius Damian Mihaela Cristescu Voinea P ie rre fo n d s Javid Musevi Raafat Attara P la te a u -M o n t-R o y a l Eileen Margossian Saul Barchichat Minh-Tu Pham Tuan Quynh Do Nguyen Stéphan Elie Demetrius Malotsis Fouad Boussetta Sylvain Richard Tuyen T. Nguyen Salim Chebbo R iv iè re s -d e s -P ra irire s Jack Ng Giovanni D'Argenzio Christian Bertrand R osem ont Ngoc Suong Luu Arash Famili S a in t-L a u re n t Joseph-Yossi Mouyal Jerzy Szmigiel Shaker Tawfik Jocelyne Paquette Denis Barrette Ali Sadik Eytan Bouzaglo Zina El-Guizawi Nabil Pierre Dabar Artak Budaghyan Tze Wei Hsu Hoda Selim S a in t-L é o n a rd Orit Lancry Ameer Hirji S a in t-M ic h e l Mansour Kano Georgette Elias P M . Smith V e rd u n Sasan Bayat V ille ra y Thi Yuan Vien Le Thi Huyen Chau Nguyen Charles Malka Joel Baghdadi Hamid Shakerzadeh Lucero Trujillo Acosta Zachary U. Kano Assaad Germanos Samer Kano Mansour Kano Marius Damian Mihaela Cristescu Paul Coussa Manh Toan Nguyen M O N T-S A IN T -H ILA IR E Manon Corriveau P O INTE-CLAIR E Arnold Randolph Fouad Boussetta Mark Lazare Laurent Revah Ramin Mirmooji Giovanni DArgenzio QUÉBEC Centre Lapointe André Normand Mathieu Godin Emilie Durocher

2 927 Saint-Charles Blvd.

19781 Sainte-Marie Road 19781 Sainte-Marie Road

(5 1 4 )6 9 4 -8 6 6 9 (5 1 4 )6 9 3 -9 9 9 0 (5 1 4 )6 9 3 -9 9 9 0

6 5 0 32nd Avenue

(800) 527 -6 4 68

6 05 9 Henri Bourassa Blvd. East 5 435 de Terrebonne Street, Suite 1 5 435 de Terrebonne Street, Suite 1

(5 1 4 )3 2 4 -5 1 4 1 (5 1 4 )4 8 7 -3 5 3 2 (5 1 4 )4 8 7 -3 5 3 2

6 11 9 Monkland Avenue 6 11 9 Monkland Avenue 6 33 2 Sherbrooke Street West, Suite 203

(5 1 4 )4 8 3 -4 7 0 4 (5 1 4 )4 8 3 -4 7 0 4 (5 1 4 )4 8 4 -8 8 0 8

5 10 0 Hutchison Street, Suite 202

(5 1 4 )2 7 8 -3 1 2 5

6 93 0 Papineau 215 Jean Talon Street East 7 087 Chateaubriand 6 11 9 Monkland Street 7 71 5 Papineau Street, Suite 100 7 715 Papineau Street, Suite 100

(5 1 4 )7 2 2 -5 8 8 8 (5 1 4 )2 7 0 -3 9 8 3 (514) 2 7 6 -8 8 84 (5 1 4 )4 8 3 -4 7 0 4 (514) 376-3371 (5 1 4 )3 7 6 -3 3 7 1

12774 Gouin Blvd. West, Suite 206 4 73 3 des Sources Blvd.

(5 1 4 )6 8 4 -0 1 3 5 (5 14 )6 8 4-4 4 4 1

Saint-Joseph Blvd. West 1394 Mont-Royal Avenue East 5 655 Parc Avenue, Suite 202 5 655 Parc Avenue, Suite 202 917 Saint-Joseph Blvd., Suite 1 5 427 Parc Avenue 5 65 5 Parc Avenue, Suite 202 1374 Mont Royal Avenue East, Suite 105 753 Mont-Royal Avenue East 50 Saint-Joseph Blvd. West

(5 1 4 )2 7 7 -7 7 3 7 (514) 528 -1 5 87 (514) 2 7 8 -3 4 28 (514) 2 7 8 -3 4 28 (514) 7 2 7 -6 8 30 (5 1 4 )2 7 4 -7 4 7 7 (514) 2 7 8 -3 4 28 (5 14 )5 2 3-2 1 5 1 (514) 527 -4 8 88 (5 1 4 )8 4 5 -6 2 8 3

7 27 2 Maurice Duplessis Blvd., Suite 100 8 16 5 André-Ampère Avenue 8 16 5 André-Ampère Avenue

(5 14 )4 9 4-2 3 2 1 (514) 648-7211 (5 14 )6 4 8-7 2 1 1

2 03 3 Rosemont Blvd.

9 1 0 Bélanger Street East, Suite 201

(514) 7 2 5 -6 7 99 (514) 2 7 1 -3 3 02

234 Côte-Vertu, Suite 140 4 219 Décarie Blvd. Suite 101 685 Côte-Vertu Blvd., Suite 200 1530 Côte-Vertu Blvd.

1530 Côte-Vertu Blvd.

605 Décarie Blvd., Suite 200 2 167 Saint-Louis Street 9 6 0 Sainte-Croix Blvd., Suite 305 235 Côte-Vertu Blvd., Suite 122 9 4 0 Décarie Blvd.

876 Décarie Blvd., Suite 101 3 33 3 Côte-Vertu Blvd., Suite 225

(514) (514) (514) (514) (514) (514) (514) (514) (514) (514) (514) (514)

7 37 3 Langelier Blvd., Suite L-027 8 7 7 0 Blvd. Langelier, Suite 212

(514) 255-5511 (514) 3 2 4 -9 0 95

8261 Saint-Michel Blvd.

2 34 8 Jean-Talon Street East, Suite 208 3 27 6 Jean Talon Street East

(514) 728-6101 (514) 7 2 2 -6 5 75 (5 1 4 )7 2 2 -6 6 9 6

4 39 9 Bannantyne Street

(514) 769 -8 8 13

8 41 5 Saint-Denis Street Suite 207 7 17 6 Saint-Denis Street 8 34 4 Saint-Denis Street 529 Jarry East, Suite 202 7 087 Chateaubriand Street 1480 Belanger Street East, Suite 102 8 46 5 Viau Blvd., Suite A 529 Jarry Street East Suite 202 2 953 Belanger Street East 8261 Saint-Michel Blvd.

7 71 5 Papineau Avenue, Suite 101 7 71 5 Papineau Avenue, Suite 101 7 087 Chateaubriand Street 8 41 5 Saint-Denis Street Suite 207

(514) 3 8 4 -9 2 40 (514) 2 7 2 -6 1 86 (514) 383 -4 8 67 (514) 2 7 3 -5 0 50 (514) 276 -8 8 84 (5 1 4 )7 2 1 -2 4 1 7 (514) 327 -7 5 14 (514) 2 7 3 -5 0 50 (514) 7 2 2 -8 9 18 (514) 728-6101 (514) 376-3371 (5 1 4 )3 7 6 -3 3 7 1 (514) 2 7 6 -8 8 84 (514) 3 8 4 -9 1 40

565 Laurier Blvd.

(450) 464-4641

175 Stillview Avenue, Suite 260 175 Stillview Avenue, Suite 260 7 8 Donegani Avenue, Suite 120 78 Donegani S treet Suite 120 6 60 0 Trans-Canada Highway, Suite 806 8 165 André-Ampère Avenue

(514) (514) (514) (514) (514) (514)

694-7171 694-7171 6 3 0 -6 0 14 6 3 0 -6 0 14 695 -6 6 99 648-7211

3 0 Grande Allée Blvd West 1379 Sainte-Foy Road, Suite 201 1379 Sainte-Foy Road, Suite 201 1379 Sainte-Foy Road, Suite 201

(800) (418) (418) (418)

5 2 7 -6 4 68 6 8 2 -6 6 00 6 8 2 -6 6 00 682 -6 6 00

R O SEM ÈR E Rita Issa 132 Cure Labelle Blvd., Suite 240 Centre Lapointe 258 Labelle Blvd.

S A IN T-A D O LP H E D ’H O W A R D Ann Balogh 1780 du Village Road, Suite 101 S A IN T-D E N IS -S U R -R IC H E LIE U Sylvain Richard 703 des Patriotes SAIN T-EU STAC H E Mario Lalonde 4 3 0 Arthur-Sauvé Blvd., Suite 2030 SAIN T-H Y A C IN TH E Centre Lapointe

2111 Casavant Street West

SAIN T-JE A N -S U R -R IC H E LIE U Pierre St-Marseille 6 24 Séminaire Blvd. North S A IN T-LA M B E R T 4 65 Victoria Street, Suite 115 Joseph Serhan S A IN T-R O M U A LD 1885 de la Rive-Sud Blvd.

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AND oll out the green carpet: a new wave o f fashionistas is here with both a product and a purpose. Eco-friendly fashion is a rising trend in an industry other­ wise known for contributing a sig­ nificant amount o f pollutants and toxins into the environment. Like the little black dress, proponents of the fashion industry's green move­ ment hope ecotoure will become timeless and traditional— a way of engaging a trendsetting industry that impacts everyone.

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ing that is beautiful and wearable is possible. They don't have to be un­ comfortable hemp bags."

Green is the new black

This going-green trend has ex­ tended beyond the Montreal city limits, landing on runways in major cities across the United States. Earth Pledge, an organization comm it­ ted to "identifying and promoting innovative techniques and tech­ nologies that restore the balance between human and natural sys­ tems," launched New York Fashion Montreal's green team Week's first green fashion show in Living in Montreal provides 2005. Dubbed the FutureFashion one o f Canada's best opportuni­ initiative, it highlights renewable, ties to stay on top of fashion's lat­ reusable and non-polluting fabrics est trends and, as a result, numer­ as both viable and fashionable al­ ous boutiques are supporting the ternatives. eco-friendly movement. The locally "We had maybe 50 or 60 sus­ based clothing company, Covet, tainable materials and 28 designers is one o f these lines, encouraging to create one-of-a-kind looks," says responsible consumption. Estab­ Executive Director Leslie Hoffman. lished over three years ago, Covet "At this point, the material collec­ was created when the industry was tion library is over 600 materials; it's first discovering its green roots. an area that is really quite exciting "It was something I wanted to and has a lot of growth." develop, but it wasn't easily available Like any new project, the early on the fabric market at the time," stages were filled with twists and says Head Designer Tara St. James. turns; however, with the environ­ The company creates higher-end ment continuing to be in the spot­ fashions with organic fabrics, such light as one o f the most pressing as cotton, bamboo blends, soybean global concerns for everyday citi­ and, the upcoming fall season's lat­ zens, it has become easier to find est addition, merino wool. contributors to the cause.

"The brand is currently about "The design community is 85 per cent organic or sustainable much more ready today than they and we're working towards 100 per were before,"says Hoffman. "[For the cent,"explains St. James.

2008 show], we asked the designers Contrary to many other design­ and received a resounding'or course ers offering eco-friendly fashion, we'd like to participate' response."

Covet creates designs with fashion This year's show displayed works by in mind first."[St. James] didn't want some of fashion's most well-known us to spent too much time focus­ designer: Ere'ta McCartney, Michael sing on the environmental aspect," Kors, Versace and Yves St. Laurent all explains Janina Rormisher, who is re­ sent intricately designed— and ecosponsible for the pricing and distri­ friendly— pieces down the catwalk. bution of Covet. "The collection sells The FutureFashion Initiative a purpose, rather than the purpose isn't looking to just the clothes, but selling the collection." to the industry as a whole. The full"People want to buy the prod­ cycle approach is important, given ucts because they love them, not the high number o f different parties just because they're eco-friendly," involved in creating pieces. says St. James, who emphasizes the addition to material, design­ fine detailing o f her products. "O nes ers are ready to step up and think element o f the brand that stands about their own design process, out [is] the detail: a lot of hand fin­ material sourcing, manufacturing; ishing, work buttons, trims and the these can all be looked at with an like. Environmentally friendly cloth­ eye to reiducê the carbon footprint

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and environmental impact," says Hoffman. "We're now expanding and starting to look at the impact o f show production: everything from waste issues to materials used and energy to lighting." For exam­ ple, the January show catwalk was constructed from Kumbuc wood, to later be turned into furniture, in order to help reduce the carbon footprint of the production.

Despite the attention the shows are getting from consumers, Earth Pledge is ultimately working with the industry to initiate change.

"We like consumers to learn about these issues, but the real focus of our work is working with in­ dustries,"says Hoffman. "We're doing the carbon footprint analysis on textiles in China, working with sup­ pliers to source sustainable materi­ als and really teach them about the issues and where they can reduce."

Misleading messages Critics often point out that environmentally friendly fashion is a paradox, as fashion encourages consumption and waste while the green movement is about conser­ vation and recycling. These design­ ers insist, however, that they're not looking to save the world by toi norrow.

"It's something I've been strug­ gling with personally," admit' St. James. “At the end of the day, eople always want to buy new prod­ ucts. It's not a reasonable request to have people always buy used or recycled products— they :e always,, going to want something more. It's just a trait o f human kind, if they're going to do that, they m ight as veil buy something that's ehvironmentally friendly."

One of the most comme: is-1 sues in the environmental ment is the premium prio tached to the garments.

100 per cent organic t-shir anywhere between $17 a nd | depending on where you get i '"There are some prer brands that have focussed on tainability and are capitalizir by doing high-end, environna ly friendly products," says Hoff "But I'd also point out that Wal is the largest buyer of organic

26.03.08 - The McGill Tribune • 15

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F ashion, not to be confused with style, has always been about keeping your eye on the latest

ton worldwide, and Gap and H&M— amongst, others— are selling organic products*Wal-Mart has purchased over 10 million pounds o f organic cotton, opt­ ing out of three million pounds o f syn­ thetic chemicals which would otherwise have been used to produce the material.

Like these global chains, Covet is trying to keep prices lower to push both the products and the purpose."Originally we looked at the pricing and decided to not put as much o f a markup as we can," Romisher says, "in order for more of the masses to be able to acquire Covet clothing... How are we going to make a big change in the environment if only the wealthy— about one per cent of the world— can afford it?"

Covet's prices are still higher than the average American Apparel tee; a typical 100 per cent organic tee sells for roughly $40. "We're not competing against H&M, but it's certainly not $180 because it's organic," says Romisher. "We're out there to make sure people could afford it, could feel beautiful and could help the environment with us. There's no point in doing this on our own and not have people enjoy it."

As if you need a reason to stop wearing Uggs As students, making a difference in the environment doesn't necessar­ ily mean tjuying a brand new, greeninspirea vvartfobe. "Two-thirds o f the carbon footprint o f a typical garment happens after a consumer owns it," says Hoffman. "There is something in this for everyone and I don't see being sustain­ able as a opportunity for the elite.”

A simple and effective way to reduce the carbon footprint o f a piece of cloth­ ing starts with doing laundry.'This whole laundering idea needs to be understood.

Many automatically use hot water and throw it into the dryer," Hoffman says.

"There's no reason we can't wash in cold water and line dry the piece."

Eco-friendly fashion is a far place from perfection, however Hoffman and St. James view the fashion industry as simply a starting point for change.

T "As long as we're educating custom­ ers from the bottom up and they start re­ questing and demanding it from stores, that's what we want to start as a trend.

That it's tim e to be wearing eco-friendly clothing," says St. James. "It's probably the first tim e in my entire career," she added, 'where I wanted people to copy me." ■

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trend. Naturally, no pun intended, being fashionable in the near future consists of being environ­ mentally friendly. Now that eco-fashionable clothes, whether they're from Oqoqo by Lululemon or Go Green Go by Philip Lim and Anya Hindmarch "I'm not a plastic bag" bag, are popular, the next obvious step is to start using natural beauty products.

For the sceptics who still believe that natural beauty products are ineffective, it's easy to start moving towards a more environmentally friendly beauty routine simply by looking for brands that use smart packaging and eliminating waste. Cult skincare company Kiehl's uses soy-based inks for its la­ bels and recyclable containers. Customers are also encouraged to return their empty bottles to stores for recycling. Similarly,Toronto-based MAC Cosmetics'"Back to MAC'program encourages consumers to return six MAC containers to any location in exchange for a free lipstick.

Meanwhile, another Canadian cosmetics company, Cargo, has taken green packaging a step fur­ ther. The company recently received the Environmental Recognition Award from the Packaging Asso­ ciation of Canada for developing a biodegradable, greenhouse-gas neutral lipstick case made entirely of corn. Additionally, the lipstick comes packaged in a paperboard box which can be directly planted in soil as it is embedded with wildflower seeds.

Those who are willing to make a bigger commitment to natural beauty products can look for products made with organic and natural ingredients. With so many beauty products claiming to be green, it's difficult to navigate your drug store aisles and make up counters. Shoppers should note that while natural beauty products are made from natural ingredients, this does not ensure the prod­ uct is environmentally friendly. In contrast, organic products must contain ingredients produced, manufactured and handled according to the United States Department of Agriculture National Or­ ganic Program's guidelines. According to the NOP website, "all natural (non-synthetic) substances are allowed in organic production and all synthetic substances are prohibited.”

Unlike the organic foods industry, there is no legal standard definition of the term organic or nat­ ural for the cosmetics industry; however, the USDA does offer organic certification of cosmetic goods.

In order to meet USDA organic standards, products must contain a minimum of 95 per cent ingredi­ ents which have been produced without pesticides or synthetics, a standard which is also enforced by the Soil Association, a British organic certification board. Cosmetics may also receive certification from French national certification body Ecocert, whose website states, "the name of the certified product should not refer to the term 'organic' unless it is a 100 per cent organic product, or there is a phrase specifying what is organic."

"Origins has always been a very eco-friendly line," says Ann Bois, director of global communica­ tions at Origins. "The whole trend of organic products is arising and it stems from our initial philosophy to push natural products even further and work with products certified by the USDA which are very nature friendly.” Besides using organic ingredients, Origins has partnered with Community Energy Inc., with plans to completely offset 100 per cent of their C02 emissions, an endeavour which is equivalent to planting 3800 acres of trees.

Another certification is Burt's Bill Natural Standard, a label established by natural beauty brand Burt's Bees, whose Web site states that all their products which are labelled "natural" must “be made with at least 95 per cent truly natural ingredients, contain on ingredients with any potential suspected human health risks, and use no processes that significantly or adversely alter the purity/effect of the natural ingredients." Furthermore, as members of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, Burt's Bees aims to use completely natural product formulas and biodegradable packaging by 2020.

Perhaps the most environmentally friendly eco-cosmetics are lines such as Dr. Hauschka and Weleda that pursue manufacturing and development of products that are biodynamic, a concept which is also referred to as organicplus.

"This method, developed by Dr. Rudolf Steiner in 1924, regards the garden as self-contained system,"says Melissa Kalba, Marketing Coordinator at Dr. Hauschka Canada. 'Most of the seeds, compost and potting compost are self-produced. The gardeners use various plant preparations which aid the composting process and strength­ en the resistance of the plants to pests and disease." Like organic agriculture, biodynamic agriculture farms without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, but also considers how the product will affect the soil after its disposal.

With so many options being made available by cosmetics compa­ nies, it's easy to choose how green you want to go. So regardless of your sentiments about the environment, if you want to be fashionable, the ecocosmetics trend is rising faster than the glaciers are melting. ■

A rts & E ntertainment THEATRE

God is dead, but good theatre is alive and well Montreal playwright provides timeless meditations in Zarathustro...

Renée Sutton Existential crises are not easily displayed comprehen­ sively in any art form. Nevertheless,Trevor Ferguson's fourth play, Zarathustra Said Som e Things, N o ? proves absolutely breathtaking in its examination of two people's chilling journey through substantial life questioning. Ferguson, a Creative Writing professor at Concordia University with six published novels to his name (and two under the nom de plume John Farrow), first began writing plays quite ran­ domly at the suggestion of one of his readers Guy Sprung, who has now teamed up with Ferguson as the director of Zarathustra.

"Fie happened to call me up one day and just said that I should write a play, I figured I had nothing else to do that particular day, so I went ahead with it," Ferguson joked.

Sprung has worked as director for Ferguson's pieces since his first play Long, Long, Short, Long went to stage in 2002 at the Monument-National Theatre. That particular production was so well received that it was later translated into French and presented at Place Des Arts. And the duo's success continues. So far Zarathustra Said Som e Things, N o ? has seen incredible critical feedback since it first appeared Off-Broadway in New York in 2006. Though they initially had some difficulties getting that production running, it turned out to be entirely worthwhile.

"Due to the days of homeland security, we had some trouble getting past the border and whatnot," said Fergu­ son. "Flowever everything did work out, and the response to the performance was more than I could have hoped for."

Certain changes were made in the Montreal version of the play once Sprung took over as director and Ferguson is very content with the outcome, being particularly fond of his two lead actors.

"They were phenomenal from the very first reading," said Ferguson. "Both of them have the ability to create and infuse the play's characters with great details." Lina Roessler plays the part of the damaged, tempestuous and sadistic Adrienne and Brett Watson plays her lover, the more qui­ etly insane, resentful and masochistic Ricky. The interaction between the pair is passionate while remaining completely natural. Their characters are constantly shifting moods and personalities, though they play off each other with ease, always maintaining a remarkable connection with one another.

Zarathustra follows the young couple, who have en­ tered into a suicide pact and live together in a small run­ down apartment in France, where Sprung and Ferguson lay

their scene. Presented on what is supposedly Adrienne and Ricky's last day alive, the audience is guided through their traumas and psychoses, as well as the games they play with each other. The very title of the play is connected to one of their bizarre forms of amusement, revolving around Ricky's fascination with Nietzsche and the perhaps bizarre sexual arousal it excites in Adrienne.

"It's definitely an extra bit of fun to pay close attention to the games they play and try figuring out what the pur­ pose of each one is,"said Ferguson. As we continue to learn more about their pasts, their stories intensify exponentially.

The plot resembles a puzzle which slowly pieces together the characters' disturbing secrets and inner thoughts in a compelling and skillful manner.The audience begins to un­ derstand the workings of the minds of two people who are in a dire situation. In contemplating their own deaths, we can see the two characters struggle to understand them­ selves and we watch as they desperately reach out for more in their lives. They test every twisted limit in their attempts to find some kind of resolution.

In the face of such dense and morbid material, the actors remain so darkly comical that the entire audience is tempted to fall into laughter. Ferguson's writing is deep and brilliantly thought out, his word play resembling that of Harold Pinter or Tom Stoppard. The dialogue has an elegant way of intertwining and building upon itself: moving back and forth, mysterious statements exploding into incred­ ible forthright confessions. Roessler and Watson express the language in an unbelievably multi-faceted manner. All the while there is a raw vulgarity in the wording that adds a dominating quality to the characters'speech.

From the props to the beautifully selected music, every component of this production succeeds in strengthening the story. The vibrantly grungy set design and costuming emphasizes the perplexing psychological state of the char­ acters. The high-contrast lighting narrowing in on the actors' faces reflects the heart-wrenching anxiety they experience.

With a dénouement that proves shocking and open to some interpretation, concluding in a way that is satisfy­ ing while at the same time leaviing the audience in serious contemplation, Ferguson and Sprung have put together a true work of art. This is absolutely among the most complex and powerful performances to take the Montreal stages in some time. ■ Catch Ferguson's latest at La Ch ap elle Theatre (3,700 St-D om lnique). C a ll (514) 843-7738 for ticket prices an d show tim es.

RICCARDO CELLERE

Nihilism proves exhausting for the bed-ridden, suicidal lovers.

POP RHETORIC

Scream for me 1986!

J ohn Semley

T

his April brings Martin Scorsese's latest concert-doc Shine A Light to'theatres— and IMAX!—across the continent.

And although it's the arrival of Iron M an at the end of the

month that I'm most eagerly awaiting (though not without the normal reservations that come with any superhero flick), I'm pretty interested in catching Marty's newest exercise in rock idolatry as well. While this has more to do with the hilarious friction bound to occur when Scorsese butts egos with Mick, Keith and the boys, I also feel that it's because I know that only one of America's greatest filmmakers can give a group which has long been doomed to stagnation (except amongst the forty and fifty-something bleary-eyeds with enough to drop on tickets) a last shot at relevancy. Even the trailer for Shine A Light seems markedly better than anything I've heard regard­ ing the Stones'2006 Bigger Bang tour from which the footage was culled.

Regrettably, all the other nostalgia acts working diligent­ ly, and with little success, to prove that maybe it really is better to fade away, don't have the benefit of a Martin Scorsese or Jonathan Demme to add much needed inspiration to their tired concert performances. But with the likes of Rush, Gen­ esis, Steely Dan, Asia and the New York Dolls (whose indig­ nity seems somehow the greatest of the bunch) nonetheless packing larger concert halls and acoustically abysmal hockey arenas only to bore audiences with their largely uninteresting new material, we must look to heavy metal for a solution.

To be fair, Iron Maiden has never really disappeared in the same way a lot of these bands on reunion or anniversary or whatever tours have (save the Blaze Bayley years in the mid-90s which are as quickly forgotten as Van Halen's work with Gary what's-his-name). Their material has remained fairly consistent in recent years, with 2000's Brave New W orld ranking among some of their best work and their live show theatrics— guitar tossing, triple solos, huge Union Jack flags, twelve-foot tall zombie robots and all— remain entertaining in the same kind-of silly way they always were. But consis­ tency is for jokers like Rush and the Stones who, at best, give fans more or less what they've been giving them for thirty or forty-plus years. Maiden, ever prone to excess, has taken this premise to its logical conclusion.

Kicking off last month, Iron Maiden's Somewhere In Time World Tour sees the band performing material drawn exclu­ sively from their prolific mid-8os albums, with the band even dusting off the Egyptian-themed set pieces from the Pow erslave era in order to mount an authentic throwback Maiden show. While ticket prices remain inflated to today's standards, the tour is otherwise a trip back in time, fitting for the band's longstanding lyrical preoccupations with sci-fi, ancient his­ tory and all the other swords 'n' sorcery bombast typical of the NewWave of British Heavy Metal. Sure, loads of bands will undertake anniversary shows or tours to support greatest hits albums, which are great because they're not usually sullied by

the "new crap" (which isn't even bad so much as it is unfamiliar, and face it, classic rock fans weaned on pop's records and FM radio are an acclimatized bunch). Maiden, however is making a point to trot out not just the promise of no new crap, but all the old crap explicitly. And isn't this really what we all want?

When I pay ten or twelve bucks to see Shine A Light come April, it's largely because I'm hoping to consummately expe­ rience of whatever's left of the Stones live shtick. Until wiz­ ards invent time travel, we're by and large stuck with archival footage and live recordings with which to authenticate the heyday of some of our favourite acts. Isn't Maiden's trip back through time (to the roarin'decade of denim vests, high top sneakers, Tennessee top hats and Reganomics), however pa­ thetic it seems at first glance, the embodiment of all our out­ dated rock'n'roll fantasies?

Sure, it's easier for a band built on artifice to get away with this—I don't know that I'd want to see Lou Reed shed his puffy down vests for a Rock a n d R oll A n im al-era dog collar on his upcoming tour— but all the same, Iron Maiden is to be commended for guiltlessly giving fans exactly what they want. Anyways it's bound to be better than the 2006 A Matter of Life and Death Tour, which stopped at the Bell Center and almost put me to sleep (actually). Leave it to Iron Maiden to breathe some life into the corpus classic rock and new wave heavy metal, which like the band's undead mascot, has been lumbering stiff perhaps a bit too long.»

26.03.08 «The McGill Tribune • 17

BOOKS

MUSIC

14 words a day

What's on Giorgia's mind

Canadian poets take flight

Songstress crosses languages for charity

Ezra G unter

W illiam Robinson

A D ream o f Birds, a slim new volume of poetry, is the result of a casu­ al collaboration between University of Ottawa professor and Can-Lit pro­ vocateur Seymour Mayne and fellow poet and novelist B. Glen Rotchin (The Antibody, The Rent Collector). As its title suggests, the collection takes birds as its theme, but quickly extends itself to fundemental human con­ cerns such as love, prayer and poetry itself. Taking the form of a poetic dialogue between the two authors, the collection consists exclusively of word sonnets, a form that Mayne has spent much of the past several years cultivating. Like the traditional sonnet, the word sonnet consists of fourteen lines, but in this case there is only one word per line. According to the author's preface,"the form attempts to season the traditional West­ ern European verse with the far Eastern flavour of a minimalist haiku."

At first glance the word sonnet seems shallow and contrived— the brainchild.of a bored poet looking for a novel yet not-too-challenging form. The suspicion of poetic pretense is only furthered by the authors' self-laudatory description of their collaboration: "It came as a surprise like a flock of birds suddenly exploding into flight.The theme is birds and the reader might sense the push and pull of wing force in the cadences that1 cross the pages," they write.

To some extent, the poems confirm such lacklustre expectations. In a couple of self-referential pieces, Rotchin asserts that "A word is a family of formed syllabic birds composed and poised for flight," while Mayne responds that "A word is an avian aeronautical miracle taking off from any stretch of speech." Other than reinforcing the author's fondness for both language and birds, as well as their alleged similarities, such declarations aren't particularly insightful or poetically inventive.

On some occassions, however, the brevity of the poems make them pithy and entertaining, in "Savoury" Rotchin declares, "I have tasted the bird; savoured both the flavour of its freedom and flesh," and in his in­ explicably striking (and thus aptly titled) “Stopped in my Tracks" he pro­ claims,"What's truly suprising? Someone walking down the street with a bird on his shoulder." While such moments aren't entirely representative, they are refreshing and keep this light collection afloat. ■

A Dream of Birds w ill be lau n ch ed by the authors on A pril 8 at 73 0 p.m .; Jew ish Pub lic Library (5151 Côte Ste-Catherine Rd.) Tickets are $5 for JPL m em bers a n d students a n d $10 for non-m em bers.

Although Tuscan born soprano Giorgia Fumanti sang in a prestigious church choir as a child, she didn't become a professional singer until after a few abandoned attempts at other careers. Having given up her childhood dreams of missionary work, she also dropped out of law school two exams shy of graduation, quit music school and then gave up on yoga instructing. Finally, however, Fumanti com­ bined her previous paths into a career in music.

"My voice is a blend of my experience more than a result of my degrees," she said.

Fumanti now hopes to spread her universal spiritual­ ity through her craft while raising money for humanitarian causes. She first took on the role of spokesperson for the Cerebral Palsy Association of Quebec, and has now added to her roster the Quebec Multi-Ethnic Association for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities. Her upcoming concert in Montreal will be a fundraiser for this non-profit organization which helps physically and mentally chal­ lenged individuals integrate into society.

"They're the first friend you can find when you are ’ coming from another country and can help you per­ form your first steps. They are a family that can help you find your curriculum, job or school," Fumanti said of the organization.

Excited for the event, Fumanti exclaimed that "it will be a beautiful concert and very positive, a celebration, a universal concert for every kind of age, for everybody."

Fumanti's days in church choirs and her training at the Conservatorio di Musica Arigo Boito have imprinted a classical quality on her soprano voice. However, she uses her operatic style subversively as she reworks modern and contemporary music into a classical feel. Although she has multiple favourites from Ennio Morricone to Sting, she professes a special love for the work of Greek composer Vangelis. Her choice of music is cross-lingual as she offers music in English, French, Italian and a bit of Latin for good measure. Her recently released second album From M y Heart, features pieces from the films O nce Upon a Tim e in

the West and Cin em a Paradiso.Though she usually sings the songs in the language they were written, one welcome ex­ ception is"Campi D'Oro” (better known in English as Sting's "Fields of Gold") sung in Fumanti's native Italian. ■ G io rgia Fum anti w ill be p layin g alo n gsid e six other m u­ sicia n s at Place-d es-A rts on M arch 29. Tickets are priced be­ tween $25 a n d $45 a n d large portions o f the p rice w ill go to theA M EIPH .

FILM

Toying with the audience Funny Games invites viewer to violence C lare P idsley What is it about Naomi Watts that inspires filmmakers to submit her character to dangerous, surreal and unaccomadating situations? Although fresh from getting caught up amidst the Russian Mafia in Eastern Prom ises, and far from having had time to recover from abduction by a giant ape or dealings with malevolent videotapes in King Kong and The R ing (nevermind the psychological wringer David Lynch put her through in M u lh o llan d Dr.), writer and director Michael Haneke was adamant that Watts was the only actress he wanted to play Anna in the remake of his 1997 thriller in which an innocent family are relentlessly tortured by a pair of upper-class psychopaths.

Despite being originally shot in German, Funny G am es was always intended for an American audi­ ence (it even bears the alternate title Funny G am es U.S.), and the modern remake is a shot-by-shot rep­ lica of its predecessor right down to the propor­ tions of the set. Haneke wanted to re-shoot the film in English with a more recognisable cast to make it more accessible to its intended audience, which he sees as the nation most exposed and susceptible to the negative effects of violence in film.

Funny G am es begins with a bird's eye view of a car on the road and the voices of the Faber family as they play a game of'guess which classical musi­ cian' on the way to their vacation house. Already the influence of the media is evident as Anna adopts a gameshow-esque competitiveness against her hus­ band George (Tim Roth) in front of her son Georgie (Devon Gearhart). Such media influenced behaviour is later displayed alongside much more violent con­ sequences by murderous double act Paul (Michael Pitt) and Peter (Brady Corbet) who the family meet at their summerhouse.

The concept of the film is based around the extensively debated ethical concern in cinema of whether violent imagery in films causes violent be­ haviour in real life, and depicts a worst-case scenario of what would happen if the censors turned out to be right. Horror-movie clichés are purposefully adopted to give a sense of formula to the story, such as the prophetic dog Lucky whose warning barks before the onset of events create a sense of premature un­ ease. Further self-reflexive elements are introduced as the brutality unfolds, in order to incorporate the spectators into the events of the film. The villains are performing for our benefit, as Paul excuses his pro­ longed and otherwise motiveless persecution of the family mid-way through the film by saying, "we want to entertain our audience."

Instead of focussing too much on blood and gore, Funny G am es is more interested in captur­ ing the effects and aftermath of violence. The fam­ ily shows a realistic amount of courage and equally realistic submission towards their tormentors, yet the idea that Paul and Peter could be acting wholly under the influence of media is unbelievable. The villains refer to each other as Tom and Jerry, and Beavis and Butthead, which seems to suggest that the film has exaggerated its message; most people are able to separate cartoons from real life whereas the glorification of violence in Hollywood films may not be quite so harmless.

Using this technique Haneke gives wiggle room to the audience who are consequently able to watch Funny G am es as either a classically effective thriller or a politically charged commentary on a frequently discussed issue. ■ Funny Games is p la y in g at the A M C (2313 SteCath erine W.) a n d Ex-Centris (3535 Ste-Laurent). Check www.cinemamontreal.com for show tim es.

PREMIER.COM

Peter and Paul do America: Michael Pitt winks at the camera as Paul (top) and joins his playmate in torturing the bourgeois (bottom).

18 • Arts & Entertainment • 26.03.08

The McGill Tribune

ART

Reviews Boys Noize. 0 / 0 / Oi Remixed. Instead of bringing out a new album to follow the success of 2007's Oi Oi Oi, German electro hot-shot Boys Noize has first decid­ ed to release a remix of the album. After having re­ mixed nearly everyone else's material including Bloc Party's "Banquet," Justice's "Phantom," Kaiser Chiefs' "Everyday I love you less and less" and Feist's "My Moon My Man," I guess he had to allow other people to do the same to him or risk looking a bit vain. Oi Oi Oi Remixed therefore contains 6 tracks from the original album, each remixed by a different DJ. None of the tracks are wildly different from the first version, which may be a compliment to Boys Noize whose own remixes have, in con­ trast, sparked remarks equal in appreciation and defensiveness: Montreal born DJ and producer Tiga mentioned that Boys Noize's mix of his song "Feadz" is "so good it pisses me off.” Nevertheless, the unremitting similarity to Oi Oi Oi makes this album not particularly exciting, and the overwhelming impression is still extremely similar to Justice and all those other electro dance DJs who seem to be following each other round North America at the moment.

— Clare Pidsley Stephen Malkmus. Real Emotional Trash. Since Pavement's reign over the 90s indie scene, Stephen Malkmus has done little to exert himself in his solo 'career, relying heavily on quirky rock and skewing his favorite artists' styles. This may be aggravatingly in line with his slacker persona, but these elements yielded some of Pavement's finest moments, and as Real Emotional Trash proves, they still have the power to make some great stuff. Flowever, the album also proves that no matter how amiable Malkmus' shticks are, they don't always have the strength to uphold his musical ideas, especially when over half the songs pass the five-minute mark. Songs such as "Plopscotch Willie" and the title track simply drag on because they don't have enough gas for where they want to go. This is particularly frustrating with "Real Emotional Trash," which could have made a great late night sing-along if shortened, but instead is an awkward ten-minute epic with a few great moments. Other songs like "Wicked Wanda'and "Elmo Delmo'fare better in terms of length, but rely too heavily on their influences, with the latter emulating Sonic Youth to a fault. But not all of the album falls short of its goals and when the pieces fall together right, it achieves some scatterbrained brilliance. "Dragonfly Pie" starts off with a menacing crawl, and goes from slow burning leads to jittery pop without a stutter, while "Baltimore" effortlessly shifts between a Neil Youngish piano ballad, ethereal choir singing, and ballsy three-chord rock without pretension.

The two are definitely the highpoints of the album, but they aren't the only at­ tractions. Though flawed, Real Emotional Trash is still an enjoyable album with few songs noticeably lacking any merit. And for anyone who misses the days when indie wasn't afraid of electric guitars, the flaws are worth forgiving.

— GeoffAnstey Electric Wizard. Witchcult Today. The heaviest band in the universe hits black gold with Witchcult Today, easily the group's best release since their landmark stoner-doom classic Dopethrone dropped in 2000.

While still heavy on the thick, sludgy basslines and wickedly catchy riffs, the Wizard's latest has the band easing up a bit, allowing room for psychedelic stretching without abandoning themselves com­ pletely to the space rock of the Plawkwind school.

While dabbling in the timeless ephemera of stoner rock, such as exploratory guitar noodling and back-masking, may make the album's longer cuts (the 11 minute "Black Magic Rituals & Perversions") seem spread a bit thin, Witch­ cult Today never forsakes the essence of riff-heavy metal. Lead axe-grinder Jus Oborn delivers the sort of infectious licks on "Dunwitch,""The Chosen Few" and "Torquemada'7i"that would make Tony lommi blush (ifTony lommiwere capable of recognizing any emotion beyond awareness of his own unnerving awesomeness). Anyways, with all the bands kicking around today sanctifying the likes of Sabbath and Pentagram as supreme musical overlords (Witch,The Sword), it's great to see a band still able to do the whole heavy-as-shit doom thing without the taint of irony. Electric Wizard may not really be occult Satanists, but your mom would never believe that. (This review comes so late because this record was effectively impossible to find. I grabbed a copy on eBay, but any other"legal"online music outlet should carry it too.)

—John Semley

Correction The article "Sustaining Style" (3.18.2008) re­ ferred to the host as "Jessica Nisko Trisko'', when in fact her name is "Jessica Nicole Trisko." Further, event co-director Erika Harding was not men­ tioned in the article, despite her integral involve­ ment in the event.

The Tribune apologizes for these errors.

Capturing rock royalty Hendrix photo exhibit a scant experience C

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On Nov. 3,1968, St. Louis was honored by the pres­ ence of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. After finishing the remains of his joint, Hendrix himself stepped into the spotlight along with the members of the Experience, ready to send the city into a furious psychedelic haze. This concert in particular is considered by many to represent Hendrix at the height of his career and musical creativ­ ity. For those bootleg snobs out there, it is hard to argue how energetic the performance was. The concert's climax was an incredibly long jam that lead into "Voodoo Child," spinning back and forth in a crescendo of improvisation, leaving audience in complete awe before erupting in thunderous applause.

Among the ocean of stoned rebels was a young ama­ teur photographer named Jim Wiseman who would later become one of rock's most respected photographers. His

work features artists including the Who, Joe Cocker, Jerry Garcia and the Rolling Stones and are displayed worldwide from the Museum of Modern Art in New York to the Proud Gallery in London. For the first time ever, his photographs of this legendary concert have finally been released to the public.

Many of the quintessential Flendrix images are present, including his signature wah-wah soaked teeth shredding technique as well as a particular favourite, a nearly unrecognizable haze o f Jimi lost in his own visionary world.

It is rather disappointing that none of the photo­ graphs feature drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding whose contributions as a solid rhythm section for Hendrix's psychedelic melodies continue to be under­ rated. Granted, Hendrix is the heart and soul of the Experi­ ence that carried his name. But not only were Mitchell and Redding amazing musicians in their own right, they had the chemistry vvith Hendrix that laid the groundwork for all of his influential improvi­ sations and jam sessions.

Wiseman's photos don't deliver anything new to add on to Hendrix's short-lived story, but for those who know of this particular con­ cert as one of Hendrix's fin­ est hour, it is certainly a way of preserving his legacy. Stay free Jimi. ■ Enjoy W isem an's p h o ­ tos w ith a p ricy cocktail until A pril 29 at the H otel G au lt COURTESY AGENCE ZOI/HOTEL GAULT (449 Ste-Helene).

Wiseman puts Hendrix through his paces in this historical exhibition.

CRITICISM OF CRITICISM (OF CRITICISM) In which the Tribune pays Tribute to notable critics of the past.

Pauline Kael Jo h n S em ley

I n some ways, Pauline Kael's writing on film reads as the antithesis of criticism proper. At times extreme­ ly personal, idiomatic and lacking any pretences of authorial neutrality, her work signals a shift away from the ideal of objectivity enjoyed by literary critics and towards the immersive, personalized style of writing that would seize journalism full force with the rise of Norman Mailer, Tom Wolfe, Joan Didion and (later) the gonzo babblings of Hunter Thompson or Lester Bangs. So, in other, more accurate ways, Kael's body of work amounts to precisely the embodiment of great criticism—of the stuff that intrigues us and af­ fects us and (maybe even) shakes us to the core with as much force as the art-objects they investigate.

Her foremost move as critic was to distance her­ self from theory of the day, which, inherited from the work of Marxian-Freudian academics such as Ador­ no, had mutated the simple task of reviewing a film into the verbally exhaustive exercise in analyzing the ideologically dictated schema of mass culture itself.

In a particularly amusing piece in her best-selling col­ lection / Lost It At the Movies, Kael describes German cultural critic and film theorist Siegfried Kracauer as "the sort of man who can't say'It's a lovely day'with­ out first establishing that it is day, that the term 'day' is meaningless without the dialectical concept of 'night,'that both these terms have no meaning unless there is a world in which day and night alternate, and so forth. By the time.he has established an epistemo­ logical system to support his right to observe that it's a lovely day, our day has been spoiled."

The problem was not that academics like Kra­ cauer or American auteur theorist and Kael's sometimes-nemesis Andrew Sarris spoiled movies neces­ sarily— indeed, she writes that while theory always works to distort experience, it "helps us to see more sharply for having done so"— but rather that they

work in necessarily insulated circles, using convo­ luted prose and confused talk of "interior meaning," "hegemony"and "universals"simply in order to, as she writes in "Circles and Squares,""give some semblance of intellectual respectability to a preoccupation with mindless, repetitious commercial products." Such theoretical systems are in place only to help the theo­ rist excuse his own tastes, lest he risk embarrassment to himself or his colleagues. The function of real criti­ cism, according to Kael, was much easier to glean: "The role of the critic is to help people see what is in the work, what is in that shouldn't be, what is not in it that could be.”

It was this turn away from what she called “the term paper pomposity we learn at college" that in­ formed Kael's incisive, humane, enthusiastic, highly readable work for City Lights and her over twenty year tenure at The New Yorker. Her sympathies for the filmgoer inmo way tempered her criticism, however. She lambasted the then extremely popular The Sound of Music, calling it "a sugarcoated lie that people seem to want to eat" and her famously rigid demeanor resulted in battles with her editors throughout her career. Besides leaving an indelible mark on criti­ cal progeny such as A.O. Scott, David Edelstein and Stephanie Zacharek, Kael's influence has been ac­ knowledged by those within the filmmaking appa­ ratus, from screenwriter Paul Schrader to filmmak­ ers Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson and David Lean (who claimed her writing negatively impacted his career).

But perhaps the best testament to Pauline Kael's critical significance came late in her life, when she was asked if she thought her criticism had made any lasting impact on contemporary filmmaking. Ever shrewd, she deflected the question, saying: "If I say yes, I'm an egoist. If I say no, I've wasted my life." ■

26.03.08 • Arts & Entertainment • 19

www.mcgilltribune.com

THEATRE

Learning to Drive and learning to forgive TNC's latest a bum py trip down the rocky road of memory S ara M

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H ow I Learned to D rive is a play written by Pulitzer Prize-win­ ner Paula Vogel that explores the horrible cycle of molestation while focussing on themes of family, denial, forgiveness, free­ dom and power. Lil' Bit (Mackenzie Rio Davis) drives down the rocky road of her past relationship with her Uncle Peck (Bobby Lamont), a troubled war veteran. This story does not conven­ tionally define the guilty and the innocent, but rather focusses on the troubling causes and effects of an unforgiving world. Lil' Bit's departure point is the present and her destination is their very first sexual encounter during a driving lesson. Though their relationship may seem to end there, it actually develops into a mutual understanding and dependence between both charac­ ters— his dependence on their conversations to settle "the fire in his hearf'and her dependence on his lessons on coping with a world that prematurely sexualizes and manipulates both men and women.

Director Katie McMillan opens the curtains on a traditional Greek chorus (Adam Goldhamer, Allyson Graham and Meg^n

Stewart) reenacting and representing memories and the past as Lil'Bit drives down a painful memory lane. She begins her long journey into the past by confronting the memories that have both scarred and formed her. While her Uncle Peck does molest her, he is also the only family member who truly understands Lil' Bit and who acts as a stable father figure. Uncle Peck is, just like her driving lessons, her first step into adulthood and each driv­ ing lesson teaches her how to survive a cruel and unforgiving world. Uncle Peck's warnings are the lessons her mother could never teach her, nor the lessons her mother had ever learned.

Thematically, the play does call for the audience to be open minded in order to better understand and walkaway with a very important message: who or what is the true source of molesta­ tion? Or as Lil' Bit puts it, "I wanted to ask him, who did it to you and how old were you?"

Overall, the most important elements of the play are the dialogue and the Interactions between characters. What tends to be a little confusing at times, is the Greek chorus, who, dur­ ing crucial scenes, tends to distract from the more intimate and decisive moments between the characters.

The performances are very convincing. The depiction of Lil' Bit and Uncle Peck's relationship captures their vulnerability, sen­ sitivity, and helplessness. The members of the Greek chorus each have their strong points depicting Lil'Bit's mother and grandfa­ ther, Uncle Peck's wife, and the eleven-year-old voice of Lil' Bit at the moment of her first molestation—they represent the old standards placed on women, the susceptibility of young women and childhood innocence. Overcoming the speed bump that is the issue of pedophilia, the play supplies an insightful view on the world surrounding us, our interactions with others, and more importantly forgiveness. Or as McMillan best puts it, "Vogel's characters are still able to teach the audience a very important lesson: to listen, to acknowledge the ways in which we objectify people and to stop forgetting about a problem that is as real today as it was during the 1960s."* How I Learned to Drive is the last TN C production o f the year a n d is p lay in g at the T N C Theatre in M orrice H a ll (3485 M cTavish) this week, W ednesday to Frid ay starting at 8:00 p.m . Tickets are $6 for seniors/students a n d $ 8 for adults.

MATT PARK

"You see, remembering is a lot like checking the rear-view mirror..."

MATT PARK

Driver's education, like repressed memory, proves tramautic in Paula Vogel's H o w I Learned to

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S ports HOCKEY—CIS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Redmen fall short of first national title After a 7-3 drubbing, McGill responds w ith a gutsy effort against hosts M att C hesser The 2007-08 .season came to a bittersweet end on Satur­ day night for the McGill Redmen as they defeated the Moncton Aigles Blues 3-0 at the CIS National Championship tournament in Moncton. Despite having virtually no chance at making the gold medal game after losing 7-3 to the Alberta Golden Bears on Friday, the Redmen put in a spirited effort to cap a resurgent season for the program and dash the championship hopes of the host Aigles Blues.

"I was really proud of the boys," said McGill captain David Urquhart. "We showed so much character, from start to finish, every single guy on every line. We got a lot of comments from other teams at the tournament and people who were just watch­ ing us play, that a lot of other teams would have folded the tent and mailed in a loss if they were put in the same situation. So to play the way we did made me really proud."

The Redmen win created a three-way tie in Pool B between McGill, Alberta and Moncton, with the Golden Bears advancing to the final by virtue of having the best goal-differential. The Red­ men needed to beat the Aigles Blues by eight or more goals to move on to the championship game. In the title match, Alberta defeated the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds 3-2 to be­ come the first team in ten years to win the Cavendish Cup after losing their first game.

Although McGill ultimately fell short of their first National Championship, the 2007-08 season will go down as one of the best in the 132-year history of the Red 'n'White. The Redmen set a school record for wins in a season (33), posted an 8-1 record in post-season play and captured the program's first OUA men’s hockey championship—the Queen's Cup— in 62 years.

Bears maul McGill The Redmen opened tournament play on Friday night with the aforementioned 7-3 loss to the eventual National Champion Alberta Golden Bears. The game was a spirited affair in which referee Devin Kline handed out 21 minor penalties—12 of which went against McGill.

Despite ample motivation after a hard-fought 2-1 overtime loss to Moncton the night before, the Golden Bears found them­ selves in a hole early as McGill winger Guillaume Demers fired a quick wrist shot past Alberta goaltender Aaron Sorochan just 38 seconds into the game. The Golden Bears would even the score just over eight minutes later, however, when Ian McDonald fired a low snap shot that beat McGill netminder Mathieu Poitras

through the five-hole.

"I think the layoff we had in between [the Queen's Cup and Nationals] really hurt us," said Urquhart. "It's our job to be pre­ pared for that game, but that being said, it was our first game action in 13 days, and our second game in over 20 days. I felt that we weren't on our game mentally or physically and because of that we struggled" The Golden Bears would blow the game wide open in the second frame, notching two power play makers— one each from Jesse Gimblett and Jason Fransoo—within the first minute and a half of the period. The potent Alberta power-play would finish the night 3-for-i2, while McGill was 2-for-9 with the man-advan­ tage. Demers pulled the Redmen to within a goal, with his sec­ ond of the game, but then three straight Alberta tallies put the game completely out of reach.

McDonald finished with a three-goal night for the Golden Bears, while McGill's Shawn Shewchuk rounded out the scoring in a game in which Alberta held a huge 50-24 edge in shots on goal.

Redmen rebound against Moncton Playing for nothing more than pride, the Redmen came up with a great effort in a 3-0 win over Moncton, spearheaded by the superb play of former All-Canadian Poitras. The McGill goaltender made 39 saves to earn a shutout, and send the Golden Bears into the CIS finals based on goal-differential-—a performance that they would do well to remember when sending out Christmas cards this year.

"We've got about fourteen to sixteen guys who have been through a lot together over the last three years," said Raymond.

"We've grown up together, learned a lot from each other and we've had a lot of fun together. We were all crushed after Friday's game—we knew it wasn't our best game and we just looked at Saturday as our last opportunity together. We knew that, barring a miracle, it was going to be our last game together, so we just wanted to enjoy every minute of it. It's a special group of guys in our locker room—we all love each other."

It was another outstanding McGill player— Demers—who got the ball rolling for the Red'n' White in the opening period, tal­ lying his third goal of the tournament just over nine minutes into the match. Curling out from around the net, Demers somehow managed to find a sliver of daylight between Moncton goalten­ der Kevin Lachance's shoulder and the crossbar, to notch what would prove to be the game-winning tally.The third-year centre ended up second in tournament scoring with four points, and was named to the CIS All-Tournament team.

STEVE CAMPBELL

F Shawn Shewchuk looks for some help as he leads a Redman rush.

Poitras made several outstanding saves to keep the Aigles Bleus off the scoresheet, perhaps none better than a sliding pad save on a Mathieu Bétournay breakaway in the third period. Later in the last frame, defenceman Ben Gazdic provided an insurance marker for McGill, blasting a one-timer through the legs of La­ chance on a 5-on-3. Yan Turcotte would ice the game by scoring into an empty net with a minute left in the match. ■

THIRD MAN IN

CP3 for MVP ith less than a month remaining in the NBA regular season, MVP talks are heating up. Around the league executives, coaches and analysts are weighing in, with the same three names appearing in every conversa­ tion— LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. With all the MVP discussion revolving around these three, the same thought keeps running through my mind: "Are you kidding me?" When you step back from the mass-media hype ma­ chine that surrounds LeBron, Kobe and KG, one player, who rarely gets a mention in the debate, stands head and shoul­ ders above the rest for MVP— New Orleans' point guard Chris Paul. It's a crime that he gets so little attention simply because he's not as flashy, or as selfish, as some of his counterparts. Fie may not be a diva like Kobe or have as much raw talent as LeBron, but when you peel away the spin, Paul is the clear-cut most valuable player.

The fact that people are considering LeBron or Kobe makes no sense. LeBron's Cavaliers, currently 40-31, won't reach 50 wins this season—that alone should keep him from winning. Add that to the fact that his defence is average and his picture on this month's Vogue magazine is oddly disturb­ ing and I just can't back him. Laker Kobe Bryant doesn't make his teammates better. He is often found launching erratic shots instead of passing to open teammates and since elevating the play of those around you should be the main criterion for MVP, there's no way he should receive it. As for Garnett, KG

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has the benefit of playing with two All-Star calibre teammates and the Celtics did not suffer a precipitous fall in the stand­ ings when the Big Ticket was injured.

Then there's the man who is the antithesis of Kobe, the anti-King James, Chris Paul. The young superstar has been amazing this season, dragging the Hornets into second place in the ridiculously competitive Western Conference. He has become the league's best point guard and taken his team from being a 39 win, non-playoff squad last season to a 47 win championship contender this season, with 14 games left.

His stat line—21.5 points, 11.2 assists, 4 rebounds and just 2.5 turnovers per game— is incredible. In efficiency ratings, no point guard is even close to matching Paul or his astound­ ing 43 double-doubles. Sure, the 22-year old doesn't score as much as Kobe or LeBron, but that's only because he doesn't take as many shots. When he does elect to shoot he connects at a significantly higher percentage than either of his more high-profile colleagues. He also records more assists while turning the ball over much less and he plays the more chal­ lenging position of point guard. As if that wasn't enough, Paul has become one of the top defensive players in the league, averaging a league leading 2.71 steals per game. Need I say more?

If you're still not convinced, look no further than the most important criterion for the MVP award— making those around you better. If we're evaluating players based on this

Pa t T rinh single factor alone, no one even comes close to Chris Paul, with the possible exception of Steve Nash. When Paul is on the floor, there's a huge jump in his teammates' points and shooting percentages. His teammates are not nearly as tal­ ented as any of the other MVP candidates, yet Paul makes them look like All-Stars on a nightly basis. His impact on New Orleans' performance is invaluable; taking Paul off the team would cause more harm than taking any other MVP candi­ date off of their team.

To win the MVP award, a player has to be able to take over the game and carry their team. Take Paul's virtuoso per­ formance on Feb. 20 against the Dallas Mavericks. On that night the point guard torched the Dallas Mavericks for 31 points, 11 assists, nine steals and five rebounds while commit­ ting just one turnover. In the second half, Paul pulled a quick crossover, drove past Mavs'newcomer Jason Kidd, and laid it in for an easy bucket That single moment captured the entire essence of Paul's effectiveness: his deceptive speed, his deci­ siveness and the constant threat of superior passing skills that make defending the lane so difficult.

When the NBA hands out its end of season Coach of the Year award, it is inevitably given to the skipper that orches­ trated the biggest team turnaround in the league. Rarely does the trophy end up on the mantle of the most outstanding coach. It's time to start thinking of the MVP along these same lines; it's time for Chris Paul to be properly recognized.*

26.03.08 • The McGill Tribune • 21

NCAA SWEET SIXTEEN

Sixteen vie for four San Antonio spots Cinderelias' ride to Texas turns back into pum pkin Midwest—(i) Kansas vs. (12 ) Villanova, (3 ) Wis­ consin vs. (10 ) Davidson While the smart money ,is obviously on the two higher seeds advancing from this region, the Midwest has been this year's bracket-busting division, showing yet again that Cinderelias are the lifeblood of this tour­ nament. Kansas versus Villanova features two programs with extensive NCAA pedigrees: the Jayhawks have ap­ peared in the Final Four 12 times, garnering two national titles in the process, and the Wildcats boast three Final Four trips and possibly the greatest upset in tourney his­ tory, their miraculous 1985 championship win over Patrick Ewing's Georgetown Hoyas. Although 'Nova has earned a reputation as a perennial threat in March by rising to the level of their more renowned competition time and time again— seen this year in their first round chopping down of ACC tournament finalists, Clemson—they simply don't have the horses to run with Kansas.. Loaded with expe­ rienced studs like guards Mario Chalmers and Brandon OHlbSTATE.SCOUT.COM Rush, Bill Self's Jayhawks are beasts at both ends of the court and have looked like a well-oiled machine in their Curry spices up the tournament. first two games in nearby Nebraska.

On the other side of the region, there is only one name that matters: Stephen Curry. Davidson's emerging superstar, son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, has been a force in the first two rounds, leading the scoring race by posting 40 and 30 point efforts, respectively, and spurring the Wildcats to a stirring upset over Gonzaga and then a giant-killing comeback against second-seeded Georgetown. If Davidson has any hope to advance to the Elite Eight, it will have to be on the shoulders of another historic Curry performance. But if any team is unlikely to surrender to such a one-man show, it's defensive guru Bo Ryan's Wisconsin Bad­ gers. After capturing a less-than-spectacular Big Ten division, the Badgers showed their true mettle and defensive prowess in downing Michael Beasley's Kansas State Wildcats. Expect Wisconsin to ad­ vance and smash Davidson's glass slipper.

The regional finals should see Kansas take on the Badgers and, if so, Wisconsin will have to weather waves of Jayhawks assaults. Bill Self's deep and talented bench can counter any foul trouble encountered by the starting five and wreak havoc on a defensive Badger forward unit.

East—(1 ) North Carolina vs. (4 ) Washington State, (2) Tennessee vs. (3 ) Louisville

outstanding guard play and outside shooting led by speedster point-man DJ. Augustin , on the perimeter should be able to neutralize any inside advantage. Add the obvious home-court advantage and the Longhorns should be able to survive the West Coast assault.

With the regional finals also being played in Hous­ ton,Texas will again have an immediate edge over either Memphis or the Spartans and will be able to run with either side's talented guards. The Longhorns will also have extra incentive to reach the Final Four this season as the end rounds of the tourney will be held in San An­ tonio, providing a fantastic venue for Texas to win their first basketball championship— the squad in burnt or­ ange could win the NCAA title without ever leaving their home state from here on in.

AP.G00GLE.COM West—(1 ) UCLA vs. (12 ) Western Kentucky, (3 ) Western Kentucky's derby ends here.

Xavier vs. (7 ) West Virginia Like Kansas against Villanova in the Midwest re­ gion, the West bracket finds the top-seeded Bruins lock­ ing horns with another of the tourney's main Cinderella sides, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

While the Kentuckians have performed more than admirably thus far and provided viewers with the highlight of the tournament—Ty Rogers's buzzer-beating, overtime three pointer over three defend­ ers against fifth-seeded Drake in round one—the Hilltoppers run has likely come to an end against a program that has one of the deepest traditions in NCAA basketball. With standout freshman forward Kevin Love patrolling the interior like a senior big man and projected NBA lottery draff pick Russell Westbrook pushing the ball up-court, UCLA looks poised to make yet another deep run into the tournament they have dominated like few other programs. The Bruins struggled and almost fell in the round of 32 to a menacing Texas A&M side with star centre DeAndre Jordan, but Ben Howland's team will not falter against Western Kentucky and should win in a romp.

The Xavier-West Virginia tilt, however, should provide many more fireworks than the duller upper portion of the region. So far this tournament, the West Virginia Mountaineers, led by talented bench boss Bob Huggins and rising stud Joe Alexander, have dispatched two of college basketball's, all-time winningest programs in Arizona and second-seeded Duke and the Big East sleeper has snuck up on pundits everywhere to make a convincing charge. Worries abound, however, that after such an emotionally draining and exciting victory against a program of Duke's caliber the Mountaineers will have little left in the tank for Xavier. The Musketeers have fallen behind both Georgia and Purdue respectively in their first two games, but on the strength of a suffocating defence and timely scoring, Xavier stormed back in the two tilts to move on to the Sweet Sixteen. With such a fantastic and physi­ cal style of play, Xavier was pegged as a pre-tourney sleeper by many analysts to make a deep run.

Although Xavier-West Virginia will undoubtedly be a scrappy battle, it will prove only to extend the life of one of these teams slightly longer as UCLA will likely down either side in the Elite Eight af­ fair in Phoenix. The Bruins, a force inthe tough Pac-10 all season and strong on both ends of the court, will get the West's spot in San Antonio with the easier road of any of the remaining top-seeds. ■ —Aaron Sigal

In the only region where the chalk has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, North Carolina has ce­ mented its position as the top-seed in the entire tournament with two resounding victories in which the Tar Heels scored more than 100 points in both affairs. Although Washington State is battle-tested from their endeavours in the Pac-10—arguably college basketball's best conference this season— and easily dispatched a trendy pick in the fifth-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 61-41, the Cougars have been enigmatic all season and should slip against Roy Williams's UNC powerhouse. Led by All-American forward and ACC Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough and sparkplug point guard Ty Lawson and with the game being played in Charlotte, N.C., the Tar Heels will speed past Washington State on theirTobacco Road to the Elite Eight.

The second East division matchup finds Rick Pitino's Louisville Cardinals squaring off against Bruce Pearl's Tennessee Volunteers in what should be a runand-gun affair. While both teams have stout defensive units, with Pitino employing his patented 2-3 zone and the Vols using a riskier automatic switch strategy, the F a cu lty o f A rts offences are key to determining who will emerge. The Cardinals'tandem of the E n g lish an d F ren ch L a n gu age C en tre shifty Edgar Sosa on the perimeter and David Padgett as the passing point-centre have been instrumental in their cruising uncontested through rounds one and two, dispatching a solid Oklahoma squad in the process. Tennessée's extraordi­ ON-CAMPUS SUMMER EMPLOYMENT FOR MCGILL STUDENTS narily deep rotation is spearheaded by guards Chris Lofton and J.P. Prince, a trans­ fer student who had a breakout performance in an OT victory over scrappy Butler.

INTENSIVE ENGLISH SPEAKING PROGRAM FOR ASIAN STUDENTS Although Tennessee has worked a lot harder for the same amount of tourney wins, SEEKING MONITORS those tight affairs could prove crucial in downing Louisville in what surely will be a closely contested match—something Pitino's side has yet to see in this edition August 1-27, 2008 of the Madness.

Although conventional wisdom would dictate taking the Heels over the Qualifications: Native-speaker proficiency in English. In-depth knowledge of Montreal and Canadian culture. Strong leadership abilities. Openness to other cultures and customs. Dynamic, outgoing, reliable, Volunteers in the Eight as the game is being played in North Carolina and UNC and team-spirited individual. Interest in and/or experience with second-language teach/leaming and/or has looked unstoppable thus far, Tennessee is the same squad that waltzed into with East Asian cultures and languages would be an asset.

Memphis earlier this season and dropped the Tigers on their home court for their only loss of the year. Also, Pearl and his Vols have added motivation to beat Caro­ Job Description: The English and French Language Centre (Faculty of Arts) is seeking monitors for lina as the team, rightfully, felt screwed in receiving a two-seed and being placed its Intensive English Program for Asian Students. Monitors are in charge of a group of undergraduate in UNC's division while Memphis was awarded a top slot.

M cGill

South—(1 ) Memphis vs. (5 ) Michigan State, (2) Texas vs. (3 ) Stanford If polled before the tournament, most analysts and layman fans would have selected the Memphis Tigers to be the first one-seed to bow out of the Madness.

The one-loss John Calipari side, although supremely quick with the ball and of­ fensively gifted with players like point guard Derrick Rose and athletic centre Joey Dorsey, have one glaring flaw that will prevent their advancing in March: free throw shooting. Although Calipari has tried to quiet concerns over his team's in­ eptitude at the charity stripe, the Tigers, who shot an appalling 59 per cent from the line this year, will inevitably be limited by this deficiency in deeper rounds and closer matches that go down to the wire. Michigan State, conversely, are effective, if unspectacular, in all aspects of the game as they are coached by the legendary Tom Izzo. With an attack headed by three-point dynamo Drew Neitzel, the Spar­ tans solidly dispatched a physical Pittsburgh squad in round two and seem to be able to adapt to any style of play. While the more talented Memphis may prevail in the end, expect this game to be a tight affair.

In the bottom half of the region, the Texas Longhorns take on the Stanford Cardinal in what will surely be a very pro-Texas partisan atmosphere in Houston.

While Stanford has the bigs in the Lopez brothers to challenge and defeat any team in the country— the Cardinal relied especially on Brook Lopez's dominating presence in their overtime thriller against the Marquette Golden Eagles—Texas's

students from Asia, and will live in residence with the students.

Monitors are required to: • Dine in residence with students • Provide students with as many opportunities as possible to speak English • Coordinate out-of-class language learning activities • Act as resource-persons for their group • Participate in the program’s cultural and social activities

For more information on the program, including a detailed schedule, please consult the program’s website: www.mcgill.ca/summer/asianprogram/ To Apply: E-mail your CV and a cover letter explaining your qualifications and why this position interests you to: The Director - English and French Language Centre McGill University c/o Ms. Jasna Hancevic Program Administrator jasna.hancevic@mcgill.ca Deadline: Thursday, April 19, 2008

22 • Sports • 26.03.08

The McGill Tribune

PHOTOS OF THE YEAR

Sports snapshots: top athletes caught in the act on campus

STEVE CAMPBELL

STEVE CAMPBELL

HUGEGALDONES

ADAM SCOTTI

An affordable solution for 20/20 vision

Save More Money With the Montreal Vision Network Eyeglasses & Eye Exams As a Member of the SSMU, You Are Eligible for Exclusive Access to the Montreal Vision Network An exclusive N e tw o rk o f independent specialists - optom etrists and opticians - who provide SSMU mem bers with savings on eye exams, prescription eyeglasses, and contact lenses.

VISIT A MONTREAL VISION NETWORK MEMBER: D o w n to w n M o n tre a l

$45 Only for Eye Exams M ontreal Vision N etw ork members will charge no more than $ 4 5 fo r eye exams. $ 7 5 O f f P r e s c r ip t io n E y e g la s s e s G et $ 7 5 o ff the regular price o f prescription eyeglasses (lenses with fram es).

Vision Benefits for Covered Students S tudents covered by the SSMU Health & Dental Plan get the follow ing vision benefits from the ir Health Plan:

$30 per policy year for eye exams $75 per 24 months for new or replacement eyeglasses or contact lenses $150 per policy year for laser eye surgery V is it in g a N e t w o r k M e m b e r P r o v id e s A d d it io n a l C o v e ra g e

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LA BOÎTE À LUNETTES Dr. George Ward Dr. Lynne Landry 2025 Saint-Denis Street (514) 8 44-0830 C ô te -d e s -N e ig e s

LUNETTERIE F. FARHAT CÔTE-DES-NEIGES Zohra Bensenouci 5540 Côte-des-Neiges Road (5 1 4 )3 4 0 -0 1 3 5 P la te a u M o n t-R o y a l

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LUNETTERIE F. FARHAT MONT-ROYAL Zohra Bensenouci 1274 Mont-Royal Avenue East (514) 527-8201

□ SO SSMU Health & Dental Plan

ihaveaplan.ca

P o s itio n s A v a ila b le 2008-2009 Academie Year Do you want to get involved in campus life next year?

The S tu d e n ts ’ S o c ie ty o f M cG ill U n iv e rs ity is c u rre n tly se e kin g e n th u s ia s tic and d e d ica te d p eople to fill th e fo llo w in g p o s itio n s fo r th e 2008-2009 a ca d e m ic year.

Francophone Commissioners Elections McGill CEO (Chief Elections Officer) Elections McGill DEO (Deputy Elections Officer) Elections McGill Election Coordinator Judicial Board Justices (4) Speakers of Council Deputy Speakers of Council Environment Commissioner Recording Secretary Academic Research Coordinator Student Equity Coordinator Secretary General/Student

Involvement Coordinator Library Improvement Fund Coordinator Mini Course Manager Clubs Auditor Finance Committee Coordinator Junior Accounting Clerk Gerts Bartender Haven Books Cashier Advertising Representatives (Handbook) Athletics Commissioner Frosh Coordinator Translator

Creative Marketing Manager O Staff Faculty Olympics Coordinator Safety Commissioner Activities Night Coordinator Culture Shock Coordinator Interest Group Coordinator Clubs Website Handbook Editor-in-Chief (Summer Position) TV McGill Technical Director Frosh Leader Recording Secretary

SSMU Coordinators for the following events Frosh - Activities Night - Culture Shock - Equity Week - Snow AP Director

Members at Large for the following committees Senate committees Students’ Society Programming Network Constitution and By-Law Review Presidential Affairs Committee Finance Committee University Affairs Committee Finance Ethics Research Committee (FERC) Clubs and Services Committee Student Equity Committee Communications and Events Committee

Library Improvement Fund Committee Operations Committee Budget Committee External Affairs Committee Investment Committee Student Community Action Environment Committee Commission aux affaires francophone Inter Faculty Cross Functional Case Competition

C heck o u t th e SSMU jo b s page fro m th e SSMU hom epage: w w w .s s m u .m c g ill.c a P o u r c o n s u lte r la lis te des p o ste s d is p o n ib le s , v e u ille z v is ite r n o tre s ite w eb au w w w .s s m u .m c g ill.c a et c liq u e z s u r le lien “ SSMU J o b s ”

Hello Students! The Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) is now hiring for the 2008-2009 academic year.

Please have a look at the positions available and their corresponding job descriptions to see if you would be interested in working with the SSMU next year. If you decide to apply for one or more position, please print and fill out the cover letter attachment (on the website) for EACH job you apply for. Then attach your CV to the cover letter form and submit to the SSMU office at 3600 McTavish street Suite 1200 before April 4, 2008 at 5pm.

Chèr(e)s étudiant(e)s! L’Association Étudiante de l’Université McGill (AÉUM) est présentement à la recherche de candidats pour l’année 2008-2009. Nous vous invitons à consulter la liste des postes disponibles ainsi que leurs descriptions de tâches afin de voir si vous seriez intéressé(e) à travailler avec l’AÉUM l’an prochain. Si vous décidez de poser votre candidature pour un des postes, veuillez imprimer et remplir la pièce jointe de lettre de présentation (disponible sur le site web) pour CHACUN des postes auxquels vous posez votre candidature. Veuillez également joindre votre CV au formulaire de lettre de présentation et soumettre votre dossier au bureau de l’AÉUM au 3600 rue McTavish, suite 1200, avant le 4 avril 2008 à 17h.