The McGill Tribune Vol. 28 Issue 9

SKY-HIGH LAUGI.IS AT I NC THEATRE,

NBA PREVIEW:THAT OTHER WINTER LEAGUE, PAG ES 22&23

V Volume 28 Issue 9 • October 28, 2008

blished by the Students' Society of McGill University

www.mcgilltribune.com

>ound caught in sauvage" storm

Supernatural secrets

:omments offend natives S teven H offer V ancouver O lym pic C o m m ittee board m em b er and McGill Ch an cello r hard Pound publicly ap ologized last W ed nesd ay for an off-colour rem ark he de regarding Canadian Aboriginals in an A ugust g interview w ith La Presse, lontreal Fren ch-lan g uage new spaper.

The controversial statem ent co ncern ed the International O lym pic Com ttee's relationship w ith Ch in a, w hich w as positive desp ite the host co un try s or hum an rights record.

"We m ust not forget th at 400 years ago, Canad a w as a [pays de sauvages],

:h s c a r c e l y 10,000 inhabitants of European descent,"Pound had told La Presse : rench."While in China, we're talking about a 5,000-year-old civilization."

Pound's q uote w en t u nnoticed for several m onths and only gained nanal attention w hen Q u e b e c Aboriginal rights groups filed a form al com iint w ith th e IOC Ethics Board, calling for Pound's resignation from both his sition on th e VANOC and his role as McGill chancellor. Pound apologized ïdn esd ay after the McGill Board of G overnors released a statem ent distancj th e university from his com m en ts. British Colum bia Prem ier G ordon Cam pII also publicly criticized th e remarks.

"I apologize for any unintentional harm that w as caused, absolutely," said e A P O LO G Y on page

2

rAs' grievances dismissed fink finds ruling shortsighted T ho m as Q uail G rievances filed by m em b ers of the Association of G raduate Students n p lo y e d at McGill w ere d ism issed last m onth, validating the university's desion to susp end teaching assistants from secon dary ca m p u s em p loym en t arlier this year. AGSEM's strike began on April 8 and end ed on Ju n e 23.

The suspensions, issued in late April, dismissed TAs from non-union emloyment. According to AGSEM, the suspensions were illegal. The university, owever, interpreted the labour code differently.

"It w as McGill's u nderstanding of Q u e b e c law that the university canno t m ploy union m em bers w h o are on strike," said D ep uty Provost (Student Life nd Learning) M orton M endelson in an interview w ith th e Tribune earlier this ear.

O n ce th e new co llective bargaining ag reem en t w as finalized, 150 union le m b e rs filed illegal dism issal com plaints. If McGill's interpretation had ;e A G S E M o n p a g e

Fake blood is only one of hundreds of possible special effects. See Halloween Pullout, pages 11-14.

2

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MASTHEAD AND COVER PHOTO BY NIKI

CAMPUS

AGSEM claims McGill still owes pay from strik Mendelson says the university is not concerned about labour situatioi C o n t in u e d f r o m C O V E R

been d ee m e d illegal, Q u e b e c Labour Relations C o m m issio ner A ndre M ichaud w ould have heard individual cases. Instead, on Sep tem b er 24, th e co m m issio ner d ism issed th e com plaints.

According to AGSEM President Richard Hink, the decision w as shortsighted.

"You can't b lam e [the com m issioner] for failing to u nd er­ stand a TA's particular predicam ent," he said. "The result w ould have b een different if he had fully grasped th e context of w hat w e w ere talking about."

The co m m issio ner took a strictly literal ap p roach in interpretting th e labour code. Union m em b ers, how ever, felt that their situation w as uniq ue and that M ichaud did not ap p reci­ ate the n uances of their situation.

"We look to the courts to interpret. If w e w ere looking for a literal interpretation, based on th e m echanics of syntax, of the labour code, I don't think an yo n e w ould have co m p lained to the courts," Hink said.

In addition, AGSEM claim s McGill still ow es union m e m ­

bers w ag es from last spring. U nder th e co llective bargaining ag reem ent, a TA has 180 requisite hours to fulfill in a sem ester.

Their pay, how ever, is even ly distributed in tw o -w eek install­ m ents. The strike w as called on April 8, and TAs w h o co m p let­ ed their total hours before th e strike have yet to receive their

February. N ow th at the co m m issio ner has d ism issed th e ç an ce s, how ever, the provost's office intends to expeditf process. Arbitration has been resch ed u led for D ecem ber.

"The provost agreed th at if it w as p ossible to [speec this process, w e should do it. [The provost] also indicated

"Originally, arbitration for th ese cases w as scheduled for February. Follow ing the com m issioner's dism issal, however, the provost's office intends to expedite this process. " — Richard Hink, AGSEM President

the university is w illing to han out a solution before the arbitn date," Hink said.

According to M endelson, university is not co ncern ed a the state of union relations at M "Labour negotiations are r easy, esp ecially in difficult ecom situations, such as the o ne in w

final paycheque.

"Obviously, there should be a strict burden of proof. But anyone that can clearly demonstrate that they worked those hours should be paid," Hink said.

Originally, arbitration for the cases was scheduled for

w e find ourselves," he said. "I thin unfair to look at the last six m onths and say they are typic McGill in term s of labour relations. We had tw o big contrac AGSEM and M UNACA— co m e up for renew al at roughly sam e tim e, and th at created an unusual situation in tern labour action. ■

NATIONAL

Apology offered for remar Where do ideas that change the world come from?

Campbell calls for chancellor's resignatio C o n t in u e d f r o m C O V E R

Pound. "That w as not m y intention in an y way, sh ap e or form."

Pound explained that th e d ispute stem m ed from a m isun d erstand ing d ue to errors in translation. "[Pays de sauvages] is th e term that has been used in French, w hich m eans som ething entirely dif­ ferent than savag es in English, for clo se to 400 years," said Pound, "It's fallen out of favour n ow and I probably should have been m ore alert to the ch a n g e in v o cab u ­ lary. It's not derogatory."

G e ttin g to th e b o tto m o f b u lly in g W h y d o o v e r w e ig h t kids g et b u llied m ore than others?

It's a question po n d e re d b y A t if K u kasw adia, a M a ster's candidate from ou r D ep artm ent o f Sociology. To an sw er it, he often finds inspiration o v e r a coffee at a fa vou rite

solved.

"I don't think this issue is going aw ay any 1 soon." said C h ie f Stuart Phillip o f the Union o f Br Colum bia Indian Chiefs. "Clearly it's generated a g deal of co ncern w ithin the aboriginal co m m u n it large and w e will co ntinu e hearing m ore as tim e c on. The e sse n ce of an ap o log y begins w ith a fundan

tal requirem ent to ackn o w led g e th e w rong doing [Pound] has not d on e that, he refuses to do t h a t .. m ore of a self serving effort to deflect th e issue."

Phillip repeated th e indigenous com m unity's for Pound's resignation from his posts both as VAI1 m em b er and McGill chancellor.

Prior to his apology, Pound had said that the co m ­ m ents w ere m isunderstood and taken out of context.

Pound, a form er IOC vice-president, ad d ed th at the stigm a surrounding his rem arks belittle th e m ore than 50 years that he has sp en t co m b ating discrim ination.

"He w as w rong for saying som ething hurtfu the native Am erican co m m u n ity and he apologizec that," said M ichael Doxtater, a McGill Faculty o f Edi

"None o f th ese p eo p le have ever had the co urtesy to call m e, first o f all to see w h eth er w hat w as reported w as w hat I actually said, and the context w as w hat I meant," said Pound. "Did I really call an yb o dy a savage?

No I didn't."

Doxtater noted that Pound has b een a long t su p p o rter o f ind ig en o us people's rights for m any ye advocating for ind ig en o us representation on the Me

D espite the p u blic apology, leaders of the Aborigi­ nal co m m u n ity still feel that the, issue has not been re­

tion professor and director of th e M cGill indigen educatio n program .

Board of Governors, and that his regrettable comme w ere not part of a b roader m indset. ■

co ffe e shop on the e d g e o f campus.

A t i f chose Q u een 's fo r the "fr e e f lo w o f id eas'' that com e fro m sm all class sizes and d e e p interaction b etw een students and faculty. A n d w h atever link exists b etw een b u lly in g and obesity, A t if and his colleagues w ill b e am on g the first in the w o r ld to fin d it.

L o o k in g fo r a place to p u t y o u rs e lf and you r ideas to the test? C o m e to Q ueen's.

To learn more about Queen's Graduate Studies, or to apply, visit www .queensu.ca/sgs

COURTESY OF DAYLIFE.C

ww.mcgilltribune.com

28.10.08 • The McGill Tribune • 3

)UCATION

Jniversity of Toronto moves towards higher uition fees, fewer undergrad spaces ioverning Council adopts controversial long-term strategy A n drew S eo On Thursday, members of the University of Toronto's jhest governing body voted overwhelmingly in favour of opting a long-term policy framework that is closely mod;d on research-intensive universities in the United States.

The p olicy d o cu m e n t, e ntitled '"Towards 2030," w as first )led by U of T P resident D avid Naylor. It calls for a b oost to m m ercialized research an d a sig n ificant red uctio n o f the d erg rad u ate p op u latio n . Critics o f th e plan arg ue th at the cu m e n t readily a cce p ts p e rm an en t tuition d ereg ulation o n e o f Canada's lead ing p u b lic institutions.

A m on g th e 50 voting m e m b e rs o f th e C o u ncil, o nly o ne vern o r o p p o se d Thursd ay's m otion. Jeff Peters, a reprentative of th e A sso ciatio n o f Part-Tim e U n d erg rad u ate Stu­ nts, feared th at th e plan w o u ld esp e cially hurt part-tim e gree stu den ts, an d lam en ted th e plan's strong b u sin ess eus.

"[The administration] want to deregulate tuition and ey want to add more continuing education spaces," Peters d. "They also talk a lot about corporate funding [but] thëy n't mention anything about equity."

Unlike p art-tim e study, Peter aru ges that, co ntinu in gu cation program s do not issue official d eg rees and are le to ach iev e a full co st reco v e ry from a financial point-of-

Yale, and th e M assach u setts Institute of Techn o lo g y, w h e re u n d e rg rad u ate sp a ce s m ake up less th an 60 per ce n t of total

A h m ed fears th at th e university will be looking to capitalize on th e earnin g potential o f intern ation al tuition fees.

stu d en t enro lm ent.

Thursd ay's m otion also called for fu rth er "co m m ercial­ ization of u niversity d isco veries" as w ell as an in crease in "per-student revenues" w h ich accord in g to th e rep o rt cu r­ rently m ake up less than o n e -te n th of financial reso urces at

W hile Thursday's m otion did not co ntain specific refer­ e n ce to tu ition d ereg ulation it did state th at th e u niversity will co n tin u e to e n su re th at "accessib ility is m ain tained as and w h e n tu itio n s increase." Critics of th e proposal have ar­

private, research-intensive, A m erican institutions, accord in g

fee hikes th an lob b y th e g o v e rn m en t to keep co sts dow n.

Students' S o cie ty P resid en t Kay Tu rn er indentified a sim ilar trend to w ard s p rivatization at M cGill, w h e re greater attention has b een paid to g rad u ate stu d e n t ad m issio ns, w h ich bring lucrative research fun d ing and g reater prestige

to th e report.

Ryan M atth ew C a m p b ell, a g o verno r rep resen tin g full­ tim e stu d e n ts in p rofessional d eg re es su ch as law an d m ed i­ cine, w as am o n g th e m ajority o f legislators w h o voted in fa­ vou r of Thursd ay's m otion.

"I d o th in k th e fram ew o rk d o cu m e n t from 'Tow ards 2030' is good for both th e U n iversity of Toronto [and its students]", C am p b ell said. He n oted th at his co n stitu en ts w ere largely am b iv ale n t w h e n asked ab o u t th e plan. "The fram ew o rk did n ot take a p ositio n on tu ition, and it exp licitly stated th at the top priority for th e U n iversity of Toronto is a d v o c a cy w ith the Province of O n tario to increase p u b lic fun d ing for e d u c a ­ tion."

So m e critics have arg ued th at p u blic fun d ing can do m ore harm th an g oo d if reso urces are not sp e n t a cco rd ­ ingly. U n d er th e n ew fram ew o rk, th e U of T will co n tin u e to ad v o cate for g o v e rn m en t "in vestm en ts in research, as well as g row th in fed erally d erived stu d e n t aid an d scholarships."

g ued th at the university w o u ld rather acco m m o d ate tuition

for th e university.

"It has [also] b een m a d e exp licitly clear by th e p rinci­ pal and o th er u niversity ad m in istrato rs th at a shift should be m ade to w ards th e d ereg u latio n of tuition and a shift [in] focus to w ards increased private funding,"Turner said.

M cGill Principal H eather M unroe-B lum p revio usly served as both a g o v e rn o r on th e U o fT's G o vern in g C o u ncil and as a v ice -p resid en t of research and international relations. In ad ­ dition, M cGill an d the U of T are th e o n ly C anad ian m em b ers o f th e A sso ciatio n o f A m erican U n iversities, an invitatio n-o n­ ly g roup of 62 lead in g North A m erican research universities w h o se rep o rts are freq u en tly cited in th e 2030 fram ew ork.

"In a v e ry narrow sen se, th e se ch a n g e s m ay be good for [McGill] as an institution, in th at it w ill have m ore m oney,

ÎW .

Stu d en ts fear th at p u b lic research fun d ing is increasin g ly

m ore prestige, an d be m ore o f an elite university. For stu ­

While the Governing Council refrained from voting on a ecific action plan on Thursday, the motion formally recogzed the future priorities of the university, several of which

b eing used for co m m e rcial interests. Fu rtherm ore, it has b een arg ued th at sim p ly issu in g b u rsaries and sch o larsh ip s will not help th e university p rovide affordable e d u ca tio n — part o f its p u b lic m andate.

d en ts and so cie ty as a w ho le, it will be a step backw ard s. Less p eo p le w ou ld be able to attend th e university,"Turner said.

In d eed , for th e lone m e m b e r w h o o p p o se d th e m ea­ sure at Thursd ay's vote, this w as a rash ch o ice in a G overning Co u ncil w h e re o nly four seats o ut o f 50 rep resen t u nd erg rad ­

inspired by p ro m in e n t A m erican universities. O n e such al is to red u ce th e u niversity's u n d e rg rad u ate populan from 83 p er cen t o f total en ro lm e n t to 65 p er cen t by

"On the other hand, international students [who are in­ eligible for many forms of financial aid] are concerned that 30. Sp aces for g rad u ate stu d e n ts w ou ld increase by sim ilar their fees will skyrocket," said Binish Ahmed, former vicepresident university affairs for the U of T Students' Union. argins. This plan m im ics e n ro lm e n t strateg ies at Harvard,

uate stu den ts. "[It m akes] th e university even m ore inaccessible," Peters said. "It is not th e vision I have for U o f T m oving forward." ■

TY

Province injects funds into Montreal transit \dditional $155 million should help students who commute to McGill J ulie B eauchamp Th e provincial g o vernm en t introduced $155 million in unding for public transportation last M onday, w hich will >enefit McGill students co m m u tin g from th e W est Island and he North and South Shores into Montreal.

M inister of Transport Julie Boulet an n ou n ced that this figure will add to the $4.5 billion already prom ised until 2012. th a t funding included $386 m illion to buy n ew suburban com m uter trains and $1.2 billion to buy 342 additional m etro cars.

This g o vernm en t initiative is m eant to satisfy frustrated transit users w h o have co m p lained ab o ut inadeq uate ser­ vice.

In addition, th e funding is m ean t to encou rag e people to use public transportation and leave their cars either at hom e or in a parking spot ad jacen t to co m m u ter lines.

"At a certain m o m en t th ere is a m axim al cap acity to build n ew highw ays, and yet there are alw ays m ore and m ore cars, so that could definitely be an incentive for p eople to use public transportation," said M ario St-Pierre, Q u e b e c M inistry of Transport spo kesperso n . "It rem ains a personal choice, but m aybe it could turn into societal movement."

The funding will have so m e short-term effects. Current users of sub u rban co m m u te r trains will benefit from service im provem ents starting in Janu ary 2009.

"Starting this January, there will be 61,000 additional places for co m m u ters on our trains," said M artine Rouette, M etropolitan Transit A g e n cy co m m u n icatio n advisor. "Our priority at the m o m en t is to increase the cap acity of our net­ work."

The M etropolitan Transit A g en cy will add 80 departures on th e Deux-M ontagnes, Dorion-Rigaud, St. Hilaire, and Delson -C an d iac lines.

B ecause it is controlled by th e Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways, the M ontreal-St. Jerom e line is the only o ne that will not have additional dep artures start­

ing next January. The railroads are under their jurisdiction, and co m m ercial trains have had priority over sub u rban co m ­

in convincing m ore p eop le to leave their cars [behind]."

The g overnm en t also an n o u n ce d a project to create a

m uter trains th us far. The M ontreal-St. Jerom e line w ould also

bus lane on hig hw ay 15 in Laval and on St. M ichel Blvd. b e ­

require a large am ou n t of w ork before it could be used m ore extensively, th ou g h this is ad d ressed in th e MTA's long-term plans.

Myriam Labrie, U2 international d evelo p m en t stu d ­

tw een Henri-Bourassa and Rachel Streets, w hich, w ith m ore than 4 0,000 co m m u ters daily, is th e city's busiest bus route.

"This infusion of m o n ey by the g o vernm en t will also pro­ vide 300,000 additional bus hours,"St-Pierre said.

The C h arest governm ent's o bjective is an eight per cent

ies, uses th e M ontreal-St. Jerom e line on a daily basis. She is happy w ith the governm ent's d ecision b e cau se she believes

increase in the use of public transportation by 2012. ■

there are m any p roblem s w ith the current system .

"I've been disappointed with the current service, as many oth­ ers have. There [are] too many people and not sufficient space.

The schedules are less than ideal," she said."All these factors increase the frustration among users."

Students stand to benefit from th ese m easures. Th e ad ­ ditional dep artures will provide rpore flexibility in the sched u les and provide better travelling co n ­ ditions. According to Rouette, stu ­ dents co nstitute approxim ately 20 per cen t of MTA's ridership.

An additional 2,000 free park­ ing places will also be available to users at MTA co m m u ter line sta­ tions.

"The MTA has exp erien ced a five per cen t increase since the beginning of 2008 w hich is quite considerable," ad d ed Rouette.

"It is very likely that th e alw aysincreasing gas price and th ese m easures an n o u n ced by the g ov­ ern m en t will have a real im pact Quebec's new transit funding will keep buses like this one running.

ADAMSCOTTI

4 • News • 28.10.08

The McGill Tribu

CAMPUS

SPEAKER ON CAMPUS

Diamond talks democracy Stanford prof, sees a "democratic recession"

Nations, the U.S. State Departm ent, and the Coalition

W hile he struck an optim istic to n e at the beginning of th e lecture, Diam ond said that th e sw eep in g rise of d em o cracy has "not been the w ho le picture" in recent years. Since th e mid-1990s, virtually no new d em o cra­ cies have em erg ed , w hile dem ocratic breakdow n has greatly increased.

"Two-thirds of th e 24 reversals have h app en ed in the last nine years, including in som e strategically im­ portant nations like Kenya, Venezuela, and the Philip­ pines," he said.

The statistics Diam ond presented show ed w id e ­ spread but thin sup p o rt for d em o cracy around the world. However, he also em p hasized a steady decrease in public sup p o rt for, and satisfaction w ith, dem ocracy.

Provisional Authority in Baghdad.

Diam ond began th e lecture by defining d em o cra­ cy as a form of governm ent at the national level w here p eople ch o o se and replace leaders in free elections with universal suffrage. However, he em p hasized the im portance of differentiating b etw een sim ple electoral d em ocracy and its higher form, liberal dem ocracy.

"There are tw o main criteria for liberal dem ocracy: political rights and civil liberties," Diam ond explained.

Using Nigeria and the Philippines as exam ples, Diam ond argued that there is an increased w illing ness am ong m any nations to co nsid er authoritarian options.

Diam ond highlighted several factors that contrib ­ ute to w eakening dem ocracies, including a w eak rule of law, poor eco n o m ic perform ance, e th nic and religious divisions, ineffectual political institutions, and m inim al constraints on authoritarian leaders. He also noted that th e recent credit crisis will likely play a large role in d em ­

Using charts to represent different areas of the world, Diam ond d em onstrated the explosion in the num ber of d em ocracies after 1974. Since that tim e, nearly 100 new d em ocracies have em erg ed , w ith the fall of the Berlin wall acting as a driving force in d em o c­

ocratic breakdow n in th e near future.

"The financial crisis has spread to large strategic countries like Argentina in the past few w eeks, leaving them near bankruptcy," Diam ond said. "New and non-

T ori C

ra w fo rd

Stanford University professor Larry Diam ond dis­ cussed th e rise of, and challen g es to, dem ocratic co u n ­ tries around the world last Thursd ay in a lecture titled "The Spirit of D em ocracy: Th e Global Boom , Recession and Renewal." The presentation, w hich took place in Leacock 232, w as part of the Centre for D eveloping-Area Studies Speaker Series.

A senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Diam ond has advised m any p rom inent g overnance and d evelo p ­ m ent ag encies including the World Bank, the United

racy's spread to sub-Saharan Africa and th e rest of the d eveolping world.

"During this period, d em o cracy b ecam e a global phenom enon," Diam ond said. "What seem ed [previ­ ously] to be cultural and developm ental o bstacles to d em ocracy have been greatly eroded."

Diam ond noted that the only world region that lacks a significant n um ber o f d em ocracies is th e M iddle

consolidated d em ocracies will be hit particularly hard."

Diam ond ended his talk by suggesting w ays in

MUNACA still without contract Talks described as difficult T

hom as

Q

u a il

The McGill University N on-A cadem ic Certified Association's negol tion com m ittee rejected McGill's latest contract offer last w eek, informi the adm inistration that they w ould not low er their salary d em ands.

M UNACA, a union representing non -acad em ic em p loyees like nurs librarians, and adm inistrative assistants, w ants a 13 per cent salary incre; over four years. On Monday, McGill offered a 12 per cen t raise.

"Talks have been extrem ely difficult," M UNACA President Maria Ruoc said. "We are alm ost at th e end of October, and we've reached an im pass In Septem ber, MUNACA's negotiation co m m ittee encou rag ed uni m em b ers to vote for a 12 per cent w ag e increase. The offer w as rejected a w id e margin.

M UNACA has been w itho ut a contract since N ovem ber 2007. On Thu day, frustrated w ith uncertainty in the w ork environm ent, M UNACA m e bers dem onstrated outside th e Roddick gates.

"The adm inistration is not negotiating in good faith,"said Robert Sell a M UNACA m em b er w ho works at the Schulich Library of Scien ce and En neering."l can't stand th e uncertainty."

Approxim ately 100 union supporters attended the lunch hour rally. A p.m„ M UNACA m oved from the Roddick G ates to the Jam es Adm inistrati Building, returning to th e g ates ten m inutes later.

According to M UNACA Vice-President (Labour Relations) Linda Loi bard, the d em onstration show ed the union's strength.

"Today, w e've achieved a united front in sup p ort of our negotiatii claim s, and our w ishes for a fair contract," she said.

In addition, Lom bard said that union m em bers are tired w ith the fru

w hich nations like Canada and th e United States can sup p ort th e stabilization and spread of d em o cracy in th e rest of the w orld. He advocated an overhaul of d e ­ velo p m ent assistance program s in order to spend m ore on civil society actors, rather than on corrupt g overn­ ments.

"This is an unsustainable pattern. O ur goal should

East. However, he w as quick to discredit w hat he called the "easiest argum ent" for this situation— the p redom i­ nance of Islam in the area and instead argued that oil is a d om inant factor holding back M iddle Eastern d e ­ m ocracy.

"Twenty-three countries derive m ore than 60 per

less contract negotiations.

"Our m em b ers are feeling dem oralized over the fact that it's takii such a long tim e. They feel like they're not being treated fairly and th< co ncern s are not being addressed,"she said.

However, negotiations will continue. M UNACA has schedu led concili tor m eetings w ith a conciliator N ovem ber 6 and 10. Until th e adm inistrate extends its final offer th e union will continue to work.

be to foster good governance," he said. "If w e don't, m ore ch allen g es like military rule or populism will com e along and erode democracy."

Nicole Grondin, U2 geography, w as im pressed with Diam ond's presentation.

"He w as very willing to entertain different o pin ­

"W hen th e university m akes its final offer, w e will bring it to the mer bership and th ey will ultim ately d ecid e w h eth er or not to accep t it," Ruoo said. "Concerning a strike, I g uess we'll see then."

It w ould be the first strike in th e union's history. According to Ruocco strike w ould have a devastating im p act on student services.

cent of their export earnings from oil and gas exports.

Not one of th ese is a democracy," he said.

ions," G rondin said. "He reacted very w ell to the o p p o ­ site view points people presented." ■

A c c e l e r a t e y o u r s t u d i e s * ./

"Well, stu den ts w ould have no service. O ur people are in th e office in the libraries, in the laboratories. Due to our sheer size, w e w ould have trem en do u s im pact if w e w en t on strike," she said. ■ — With a d d itio n a l re p o rtin g b y B e rn a rd Rudi

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e

NATEVANDERWEER! A MUNACA member protests Thursday at the Roddick Gates.

fw.mcgilltribune.com

28. 10.08 -N ew s -5

ENCE

cGill physicist uncovers new physical state liscovery has profound implications for physics and electronics T rip Y ang J McGill physicist G uillau m e G ervais and his team o f reIc h e rs have discovered a n ew state of m atter th at has propd im plications for the electron ics industry.

] During the third day of an uitra-low temperature experiht, Gervais discovered a quasi-three-dimensional electron Ital in a material similar to those used in contemporary Isistors.

By cooling sem ico n d u cto r material to a tem perature ap|(imately 100 tim es colder than outer space, G ervais discovch a n g e s in the m o vem en t of tw o -d im ensional crystal-

give w ay to quantum m echanics. Applying classical physics to in cre asin g ly small chip s b ecom es im possible.

"This is the u nknow n grey area w e are trying to navigate. U nderstanding this nano ran ge— th e crossover from the classical to th e quantum w orld — w ould provide us a n ­ sw ers to a lot of questions," said Gervais.

W hile classical m e ch a n ics ad equ ately explain p h en o m en o n a visible to the hum an eye, they break dow n at th e atom ic and su b ­ atom ic levels. In response, quantum m e ch a n ­ ics w as d evelop ed in th e 20th cen tu ry to help

electrons. The team th en ap plied large m agnetic forces

u nderstand m echanical system s at or below

le s e electrons. On the third test day, the tw o-dim ensional Jtron system unexp ected ly shifted into a quasi-three-diTisional state. There had been cursory quasi-three-dim enJial state predictions, but th o se p redictions had not been |erim e n tally reproduced.

th e atom ic level. The co nvergen ce o f th ese seem in gly co ntrad icto ry th eories is a crucial area of physics. This problem is im portant to m any physicists, including Gervais.

"Im agine th e possibilities if w e could

"Im agine a pool table, w ith the billiard balls acting as

u nderstand this grey b ou n dary b etw een the

I electrons. In a tw o -d im ension al state, th ey can m ove on |a n e , such as the billiards table. However, they can't m ove and dow n. T hese properties ch a n g e w ith quasi-three-diisio n a l electrons. T he billiard balls can now m ove up and irn,"said G ervais, director of McGill's Ultra-Low Tem perature |tdensed M atter Experim ent Lab.

tw o theories. O ur electron ics could be based in a quantum w orld. We could im prove te ch ­ nology to a point w here w e invent d evices w itho ut electron charges," he said.

Refinem ent and im plem entation of the q uasi-three-d im ensional crystal could

"It's a transitional state. In quasi-three-dim ension, the

ch a n g e transistor properties in current e le c­

kinetic field reduces the size of th e electron. The electrons Ifre e along th e z-axis,"said Benjam in Piot, a m em b er o fG e rp's team .

Gervais's d isco very will im m ediately im pact electronics [lineering. According to Moore's Law, th e n um b er o f transisi that can be cram m ed onto a m icrochip o f a given size in-

tronics. W hile Moore's Law could co n tin u e to predict tech no log ical im provem ent, Juliano Cottitto, U2 physics, believes it's too soon to sp ecu late ab o ut our electron ic future.

"Practical applications w ould include, w ell, faster and

ases exponentially, d oubling each year. Since th e invention

to tell. In th e end, though, everyo n e w ants to build a q u a n ­ tum com puter. But I don't really see that hap p en in g anytim e soon."

A d isco very that has both acad em ic and practical im p lica­ tions, th e q uasi-three-d im ensional crystal has m any physicists

Ih e integrated circuit in 1958, Moore's Law has been applied ^Im ost every electron ic m easure, such as processing speed I m em o ry capacity.

But as chip s g et sm aller and smaller, classical m echanics

Université d'Ottawa

sm aller co m p uters. As for anything im m ed iate— it's too soon

HUMAN-SUIT.COM and eng in eers excited ab out future tech no log ies. How ever G ervais w arns th at a p roper u nderstanding of th e fu n d am en ­ tals is required before n ew innovations are im plem ented.

"You can't build som ething w itho ut fully understanding it first. There is w ork being d on e around the world to bet­ ter u nderstand th e b ou n dary b etw een th e classical and the q uantu m . Any n ew electronic g ad gets are terrific for society, but our first goal is to bring kn o w led g e to this grey zone," said G ervais. ■

University of Ottawa

Our assumptions about privacy have been challenged by an "Internet that never forgets." Is privacy a right we should be fighting for? Or is it to be sacrificed for the benefits of near-infinite access to information?

It starts h e re . u Ottawa

seektoknow.ca

6 «N ew s-28.10.08

The McGill Trib

CAMPUS

Controversy over travel directive continues Cancelled Indonesia trip cited as the impetus for new policy M a tt C hesser & T heo M eyer After w orking to send McGill student teachers to Indo­ nesia for over a year, professor Fiona Benson w as"gobsm acked" to learn that the university's n ew travel directive w ould force the trip's cancellation less than a m onth before departure.

"I w as given a green light to go to Indonesia by [Faculty of Education Dean Hélène Perrault] and by th e administration," said Benson, w ho is also the director of th e Faculty o f Ed u ca­ tion's Office of Student Teaching. "This w as a project that took m onths to build w ith very good m inds behind it, and it w as pulled very late."

McGill's new travel directive prohibits student p articip a­ tion "in an y university related activities, be they curricular or co-curricular, in countries w ith a level-three (avoid n on -essen ­ tial travel) or level-four (avoid all travel) w arning."lndonesia has a level-three travel w arning, as issued by Canada's D ep artm en t of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. In addition, som e re­ gions of the country currently have level-four w arnings.

Eight u ndergraduate students w ere scheduled to leave for Indonesia in the third w eek of October. They planned to spend nine w eeks as teachers in the Program for International Attachm ent, Global Education, and Training (PIAGET) netw ork of schools. All exp enses w ere going to be paid by their In d o ­ nesian hosts. The trip w as cancelled shortly before the new travel restrictions w ere released in a m em o on Sep tem b er 25.

D ep uty Provost (Student Life and Learning) M orton M en­ delson identified the trip to Indonesia as the catalyst behind th e n ew travel directive.

"It cam e to our attention that there w ere people w ho were not taking w hat m ight be considered appropriate precautions

with respect to student travel, and we felt that we had to take control of the situation," Mendelson said in an interview with the Tribune two weeks ago.

When asked earlier this week to name specific pre­ cautions that had been neglected by the planners of the trip to Indonesia, Mendelson declined to engage in "a public con­ versation" with Benson.

"The trip to Indonesia w as cancelled b ecau se there was, and rem ains, a level-3 DFAIT travel w arning to th e country, plain and simple," said M endelson. "DFAIT travel w arnings are not new, and McGill has heeded th em in the past."

Mendelson cited the Africa Field Study Semester re­ shuffling earlier this year, and the suspension of a bilateral exchange agreement with Technion—the Israel Institute of Technology—as examples of McGill heeding DFAIT warnings in the past.

According to Quebec civil law, liability waivers can be rendered invalid in the case of injury or death. Therefore, even students who sign liability waivers could theoretically sue the university if injured while on McGill-sanctioned trips abroad.

Benson maintains that proper precautions to provide for student safety were taken, and that, as adults, the students should have been allowed to determine if the risk was accept­ able.

"There was nothing haphazard about this trip," Benson said. "I went to Indonesia and visited all the schools our stu­ dents would be working at, and I helped to train the [Indones­ ian] cooperating teachers who would work with our student teachers. I liked what I saw, and I never felt at risk."

Kim Grenier, a U3 seco n d ary education student sch e d ­ uled to go on the trip, said that th e trip fell through despite Benson's hard work.

"Going to Indonesia in the first place was giving us an in­

credible opportunity to be immersed in another culture see what their teaching techniques were," Grenier said. " it was an international school, so it was providing us with working opportunities and numerous opportunities to what the profession is like. Not being able to go ... is a h setback."

Grenier is currently fulfilling her field work requirerr working with special needs children near her home on M< real's South Shore. She lamented the short notice of that dents were given.

"We didn't have much time to turn around and try to another experience that would have been like [studying ir donesia],"Grenier said.

Benson claimed that some students had given up j and leases that are no longer available to them in order tc to Indonesia.

Students' Society Vice-President University Affairs Na Wilkinson said that SSMU, in conjunction with the Arts Un( graduate Society and Post-Graduate Students'Society, is g; ering information to combat the new travel directive. The ministration's revised guidelines are expected to be relea by the end of October.

"As soon as the policy and the guidelines come out, tl we can get loud with this,"Wilkinson said.

Both Benson and Grenier stressed that while Indom is not completely safe, students are exposed to some dan anywhere they study.

"I was asked if I could guarantee the safety of my stude and I said no. But I can't guarantee their safety in Montreal ther],"said Benson. "I'm not against McGill tightening pro dures, but this blanket ban and the last-minute cancellatior this project without really doing due diligence, is not a d< sion I'm happy with." ■

NATIONAL

CITY

Liberal wins recount

Hope for FI remains

Mendes gains seat on South Shore J am es G

ilm a n

T he results of th e O ctob er 14 federal e le c­ tion in the South Shore riding of Brossard— La Prairie w ere overturned late last w eek, grant­ ing Liberal cand idate Alexandra M endes the win by a slim margin.

Incumbent Bloc Québécois candidate Marcel Lussier initially won the seat by a mar­ gin of 143 votes. Mendes'campaign, however, requested a recount. The riding's chief elec­ toral officer conducted a second recount after noticing errors in at least one poll's reports.

The jud icial recount, led by Q u e b e c S u p e ­ rior Court Justice M ichel A. Caron, overturned the original result, and aw arded M endes a 69vote victory.

"I w as very thrilled th at I had been given the chan ce to prove that I w as right to request th e recount," M endes said. "Our request cam e in w hen w e noticed the am ou n t of errors ... that had happ en ed on election night."

The result increases the total number of Liberal seats in parliament to 77, and decreases the Bloc's total to 49.

According to M endes, Lussier, w h o had held the riding since 2006, and third place Conservative Party cand idate M aurice Brossard, cam p aign ed com petitively against each other. But th ey didn't exp ect th e Liberal ca n d i­ date to do very well.

"I don't think it w as expected by either one of them that I w ould [poll] so strongly.

That w as a surprise for them," M endes said.

"They thou g ht that the Liberal Party w as pretty m uch done and over with in B rassard— La Prairie. They had th e surprise of their lives w hen they found out that it wasn't quite the case."

In addition to the recount in Brassard— La Prairie, several co nstitu en cies acro ss C a n a­ da have requested recounts. No other results have been overturned.

Liberal MP and form er federal health m in­ ister Ujjal D osanjh held on to his Vancouver South riding by a razor-thin m argin following

a jud icial recount.

"O bviously I'll have to re-earn the trust of th ose that left m e in this election, and I'm humbled," D osanjh told the Canadian Press.

"People, I believe, w ere scared of the carbon tax and Mr. Dion obviously didn't connect."

Dosanjh w on the co nstitu en cy by 22 votes.

Co n servative cand idate Gail Shea had her m argin o f victory in Egm ont, PEI reduced to 55 votes after her Liberal challen g er com plained of irregularities.

Further recounts are set to be held in the Vancouver Island riding of Esquim alt-Juan de Fuca, w hich w as w on by th e Liberal in cu m ­ bent, and Ontario ridings Bram pton— West and Kitchener— W aterloo, w on by th e Liberals and the Tories, respectively.

According to Diane Benson, a spo kesper­ son for Elections Canada, there are tw o situa­ tions in w hich a recount can occur.

"The tw o w ays are: there's an autom atic recount if at the end of validation, [if there's] less than one o ne-thousanth of a difference b etw een the top tw o cand idates [in terms] of all the votes cast," she said. "[Or] a candidate, or any electorate, can ask for a recount to take place in a particular riding."

Benson add ed that sim ilar election results have been overturned before, but it doesn't happ en often.

The last tim e a federal electoral result w as o verturned w as in 1988, although for differ­ ent reasons. The courts d eclared th e Progres­ sive Conservative's victory in York North void, w hich led to a by-election.

Despite the Liberals' relatively poor sh o w ­ ing in the federal election, M endes rem ains optim istic ab out her party's future prospects in Q u ebec.

"We cam e second in the w h o le of the South Shore— and in m y case first. We proved that w e are very m uch alive," she said. "The party is strong, th e party has a lot to build on, and I'm very confident that we'll do a lot better next tim e around." ■

Delegation returns from London J a m es G

ilm a n

The M ontreal Form ula 1 Grand Prix's status is still up in th e air after Canadian offici travelled to London last w ee k to co nvince F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to reverse th e decisi to drop th e race from the 2009 Fi calendar.

M ontreal Mayor Gérald Trem blay, Q u e b e c Econ o m ic D evelo p m ent M inister Raymo Bachand, and federal International Trade M inister M ichael Fortier arrived b ack in M ontr last Thu rsd ay night after a tw o hour m eeting with Ecclestone in London. Trem blay < scribed the m eeting as "encouraging."

"The m ayor said th at it w as a constructive meeting," said Renée Sauriol, the M ontr mayor's press secretary. "He did say, w ith m easured optim ism , that there w ould be a p sibility for another G rand Prix to take place in Montreal if [Montreal] w ere able to [me th e n ecessary conditions."

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) decided to drop the Grand Prix—t only remaining North American Fi race—on Tuesday October 7. Since then, efforts to ke the race in Montreal have gathered momentum.

"It is a surprise to m e that w e've co m e to this situation," Fortier told th e M ontreal C zette."W e will do w hatever w e can to see that the G rand Prix stays in Montreal."

The Grand Prix has been held at the Circuit G illes Villeneuve, on Notre Dam e Islar every sum m er since 1987.

Th e FIA's reasons for cancelling th e race are unclear. Reports suggest, how ever, tl there w ere unresolved contractual issues am ong Circuit Gilles Villeneuve officials and co mercial rights holders. Ecclestone claim s that Montreal has not paid its Fi d ebts for up three years.

After returning from London, th e Canadian delegation directed their attention to 0 taining com m ercial prom oters.

"We m ust find a prom oter, som eo ne to run th e event," Bachand told reporters at Piei Elliot Trudeau Airport after returning from London. "We m ust com e up w ith a responsit financial project that m akes sen se to Mr. Eccleston e and to Montrealers."

A n um ber of local businesses have reportedly offered m oney to help th e city's cau: Certain sources have suggested that G uy Laliberte, th e founder of Cirque du Soleil anc friend of Ecclestone, m ay provide financial assistance.

However, rumours that Laliberte will come to the event's rescue remain unconfirme and Cirque du Soleil denies that he has offered financial support.

The race is a popular sum m er event w hich g enerates around $100 million of econorr activity every year.

Bachand and other politicians have said that they would be willing to publicly fur | the race. Of course, it must be a "reasonable" amount.

"There is an economic spinoff that's important for Montreal as well as for Quebec," sa Sauriol. "There has been interest in some promoters, and time will tell what direction tf will go."

Sauriol added that public funds would have to be used carefully, and any investme of government funds would have to be fiscally responsible.

M any Fi team s have expressed an n oyan ce at the decision to drop the last Fi race North Am erica. BMW boss Mario Theissen, Honda team principal Nick Fry, and Toyota tea principal John Howett are am ong those w ho have publicly expressed disag reem ent wi the d ecision. ■

ww.mcgilltribune.com

28.10.08 • News • 7

EWS ANALYSIS

ffects of GA reform still being felt

ast year's changes cited as cause of recent problems B ernard R udny The effects o f last year's G eneral A ssem bly reforms have haken up student politics at McGill this past m onth, but the rama is far from over. T h e Students' Society held their fall GA n O ctob er 7, w ith 120 students attending. Six m otions w ere pproved at th e GA, but it fell short of th e new qualified quourn of tw o per cent of McGill undergraduates (currently 397 tudents). T h e approved m otions w ere then subjected to an nline ratification vote, w hich also fell short of its post-reform uorum of 15 per cent of students. Finally, on O ctob er 16, the otions w ere tabled, debated, and defeated at a SSMU CounI m eeting.

Students approved the GA reforms in an online referenum last November. Then-SSMU President Jake Itzkowitz was key figure in promoting the reforms. In an email to the Tri­ une, Itzkowitz described his main goal as improving the GA rocess.

"The most important element of the reforms was to find way to add legitimacy to the forums by making the quorum equirements more reasonable and palatable to the general tudent body, while maintaining and developing the demoratic and deliberative nature of the GAs," Itzkowitz said.

The GA changes were drafted by SSMU's Constitution & y-Law Review committee in consultation with the GA comittee and student groups. Itzkowitz sat on the GA committee, nd chaired the "Yes" committee for the referendum motions, fter the motions were approved in November, the CBLR comittee consulted with Council and Elections McGill to amend he SSMU Constitution.

The new constitutional clau ses m andate a qualified quourn o f tw o per cent, and stipulate that an online ratification ote m ust be held w ithin 48 hours of an unqualified GA. Moions w hich don't secure quorum are autom atically placed on he next GA's agenda. Also, video recordings and transcripts f th e GA m ust be placed online, along w ith a W eb discussion orum .

Th ese specific chan g es have presented a challen g e for

this year's SSMU Executive. The record-keeping clau se has yet to be im p lem ented . Although th e O ctob er 7 G A w as video re­ corded, the recording, transcript, and online forum are not yet available to students.

SSMU President Kay Turner suggested that the delays to SSMU website have contributed to their record-keeping prob­ lems. But, in terms of impact, the quorum and online vote are SSMU's immediate concerns.

"I w as d isappointed that w e didn't get quorum initially," said Turner, though she w as less d isappointed w ith the online vote results. "Am I surprised th at w e w eren't able to g et 15 per cen t of the student population in 48 hours over Yom Kippur and Thanksgiving? No, I w asn't particularly surprised by that."

Turner believes that the results of the fall GA, and both failures to make quorum, can be attributed to problems with last year's reforms.

"I think that this G A show ed us how glaringly problem atic th ese ch an g es are," said Turner. "Namely, having th e 48-hour period [for th e online vote] in the constitution. I don't think that m akes a lot of sense."

Turner isn't the only one concerned about the constitu­ tional changes. Cleve Higgins, U3 international development studies and a member of the Grass Roots Association for Stu­ dent Power, opposed last year's GA reforms. Then, as now, he argued that the qualified quorum was unreasonably high.

"The GA reform[s], by raising the qualified quorum to a level that had never been reached in a regular GA before at McGill, made it so that decisions weren't actually going to be made at the G A,"he said. Instead, "they would be made by [on­ line] referendum in almost all cases."

Apart from the qualified quorum, Higgins was concerned with SSMU enshrining the GA reforms in the constitution.

"I think that the specifics of [the GA reforms], some of them are good, some of them are bad," said Higgins. "And I think all of those specific things really shouldn't be in the con­ stitution, first of all. It doesn't really make sense, because those are questions of specific implementation, and those things can change."

Higgins suggested that specific policies should be laid

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out in SSMU's by-laws. Regarding th e 48-hour online vote deadline, Turner agreed.

"First off, I w ould take the tim e period out of the constitu­ tion, specifically [for] th e o nline referendum ,"Turner said, dis­ cussing potential im provem ents to th e GA system .

A no ther round of GA reform s is already in the w orks.Turner feels that last year's reforms w ere poorly im plem ented, and should be replaced.

"I do understand that [the GA reforms] w ere an attem pt to m ake GAs m ore dem ocratic, and I very m uch resp ect that," she said. "But I think that [these policies are] absolutely the w rong w ay to go ab out it."

Turner's perspective w as shared by her predecessor.

"W hile I think [last year's GA] reforms w ere a positive step in the d evelo p m en t of a GA culture and process at McGill, I w ould by no m eans argue that they w ere perfect," Itzkowitz said. " In fact, reading coverage of th e fall GA, it is clear to me that they w ere flawed in m any ways, and that the process needs further developm ent."

GRASPé is also exploring GA reform proposals, but of a broader nature. According to Higgins, along w ith im p lem en ta­ tion and quorum rules, the group has discussed ch an g es to the rules of th e GA, including th e ability to subm it n ew m otions on the floor (m otions m ust currently be subm itted in advance).

However, Higgins'focus w as on the qualified quorum .

"Personally, m y main co ncern is having the GA have the pow er to m ake decisions on its own," said Higgins. "I think the best w ay to have th e GA m ake d ecision s on its ow n is to have the vote m ade in the GA, and not online."

Turner w as non-com m ittal ab o ut keeping the qualified quorum and the online ratification vote.

"I'm open to suggestions on that," she said.

Turner hopes to consult broadly w ith students before drafting new reforms. Writing new policies that are both ef­ fective and flexible will be a challen g e for this year's SSMU Ex­ ecutive, although they hope to learn from their predecessors' m istakes. ■

N e w s B rie fs Pro-life club a step closer to recognition C h o o se Life, a pro-life cam p us group, has been recom m en d ed for interim clu b status by th e Students'Society's clu bs and services com m ittee. SSMU Leg­ islative Council will vote on the recom m endation Thursd ay night.

"W hile w e m ay not all agree w ith Ch o o se Life's aim s or ideologies, they do have a right to organize like any other group," said SSMU Vice-President Clubs and Services Sam antha Cook. "We can't be [rejecting applications] ju st b ecau se w e don't personally agree w ith a club."

Club s w ith interim status have three m onths to recruit 25 McGill students as m em b ers and organize three events. If a group m eets th ese requirem ents, then it can apply for full status. Full clu bs can ap p ly for office sp ace and subsi­ dies, w hile interim clu bs cannot. „ C h o o se Life plans to provide inform ation and resources on preg n an cy o ptions and post-abortion help, and to foster discussion ab o ut sexual ethics, pregnancy, abortion, adoption, and parenthood.

"Som e p eople have expressed co ncern s w ith how [Choose Life] may cho o se to express their view s,"Cook said. "[Our policy] has to be inn o cent until proven guilty, though. We can't shut them d ow n assum ing they're going to go m arch on cam p us [to try to raise aw areness for rescinding abortion rights.]"

— M a tt C h esser

Cundill Prize shortlist announced

Day one artd you're part of the team Day one.Jt's when you have the opportunity to focus on your career, yoqr life and your community. It’s when your experiences, ideas and opihionjjlount. And it’s when you're welcomed into an environment erfbrajjfig diversity and encouraging inclusiveness. From your very first day! we're committed to helping you achieve your potential. So, whether your career lies in assurance, tax, transaction or advisory s e r v S s , shouldn't your day one be at Ernst & Young?

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iJJ E r n s t & Yo u n g Q uality In Everything We Do

McGill Dean of Arts Christopher Manfredi announced the Cundill Interna­ tional Prize in History shortlist last Tuesday, narrowing the field of finalists to three books.

The Cundill Prize, w hich the university is billing as the largest non-fiction his­ torical literature award, consists of a U.S. $75,000 first prize and two $io,ooo"Recognition of Excellence" awards.

The new annual prize w as established by McGill alum nus and international financier Peter Cundill. Michael Meighen, a McGill senator and Cundill's friend, said that he w as surprised that Cundill chose to establish a prize in history rather than accounting— the field in which Cundill made his fortune. According to Meighen, Cundill did rather poorly in history at McGill. Though this experience could have turned Cundill off history, it som ehow endeared him to the field.

"I think that in addition to his m em ory of [doing poorly], he felt that history had m uch to teach those w ho were involved in investment," Meighen said.

The shortlist announcem ent com es nearly tw o months after Manfredi made the long list public before a lecture at the Faculty Club on Septem ber 4.

"We identified 15 books that were put on the long list. I think it's fair to say there were som e very intense discussions regarding som e of the books," Manfredi said.

The three historians w ho m ade the shortlist include the University College London's Harold J. Cook, the University of Illinois' Peter Fritzsche, and Yale Univer­ sity's Stuart B. Schwartz.

The Cundill prize w inner will be announced November 25.

— T h eo M eyer

O pinion HISTORIA ME ABSOLVERA

YOU HAD AN OPTION, SIR

A different path for healthcare T im o t h y M

Friedmanism is bankrupt in every possible way M

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TIMOTHY.MAK@MAILMCGILL.CA he facts are in: th e C a n a d ia n

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MAXWELL.SILVERMAN@MAIL.MCGILL.CA

field o f 28 O E C D co u n trie s, C a n a d a

p u b lic h e alth care m o n o p o ly is broken, and w e n eed to fix it. A 2007 Fraser Institute rep o rt ind icated th at C a n a d a sp e n d s m ore per capita on health th an an y o th e r O rg a n isa ­ tio n for E co n o m ic C o -o p e ra tio n and

ranks 22nd in infant m ortality, 10th in th e in c id e n ce o f b reast c a n ce r m o rtal­ ity, an d n inth in years of life lost to d is­ e ase. C a n a d ia n s also rank 17th in the p e rce n ta g e o f th e ir life e x p e cta n c y th at will be lived in full h ealth . There's

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a

ore than half a century ago, the British

W hy? Because Friedm anism doesn't work. It

econom ist John Maynard Keynes w rote that dogm atic free market capitalism as­

bullshit, plain and simple, and this has been prove

M

by history, em pirical observation, and basic logic.

In 2006, a group of leading econom ists and po icy makers (including several Nobel prize winner: gathered to exam ine the track records of recent eco nom ic policies. Dubbed the "New W ashington Con

in

sum es that th e w orst of people, w ith the w orst of motives, will som eho w m ake the best choices for everyone else. As a result of this critique, a w hole generation of econom ists focussed on finding the best w ay for th e state to regulate the econom y. They

th at last, ag o n izin g ly low, test score.

w anted to m ake sure the m arket didn't screw over

only econom ies to grow m ore than seven per cen

Sw itzerlan d . But d o es th is m assive am o u n t o f sp e n d in g (and th e resu lt­ ing taxation) lead to a co m p arativ e ly h ig h e r q u a lity o f care? Sadly, th e a n ­

In O E C D co u n trie s w ith so m e form o f p rivate h e alth care , citize n s have h e alth ier lives.

C a n a d ia n s h ave e q u al a c ce ss to

m ost of hum ankind w hile m aking a select few im­

sw e r is no.

T he n u m b e r of d o cto rs p er p a­

h e alth care , but this co m e s w ith equal a c ce ss to long w aitin g lines. W hen you

yearly for periods of 25 years w ere those subjecter to m assive state intervention.

If that doesn't convince you, just look at the cur rent econom ic crisis. The sam e people w ho know ingly created this crisis are profiting from it, througl m assive buyouts of corporate executives. This isn'

tie n t in C a n a d a is d isg racefu l. W e rank 24th o ut o f 28 O E C D co u n trie s, barely e d g in g out Finland an d Turkey. But w h at ca n w e do to im p rove co v e ra g e ?

A p u b lic h e alth care m o n o p o ly has no p rice m e ch a n ism , th u s p reven tin g an y m arket in flu en ce on h ealthcare.

ask d o cto rs w h a t th e y co n sid e r "clini­

u n iver­

sal he alth care , excep t for Icelan d and

p rofound

m e ssa g e

co n c e a le d

ca lly reaso n ab le" w aitin g tim es, and co m p are th e se fig u res to actu al p a­ tie n t w aitin g tim es, th e a v e rag e w ait e x ce e d s th e "clinically reaso n ab le" stan d ard in 76 sp e cialist-to -trea tm e n t ca te g o ries.

Acro ss 12 ca te g o rie s an d 10 p ro v­

m ensely wealthy.

There's no doubt that this approach saved capi­ talism from itself.

Keynesianism w as th e ruling ideology of W est­ ern eco no m ics for decades, until an idealistic intel­ lectual burst onto the scene with a brilliant new idea: fuck it all! After spending years crunching num bers in a classroom , Milton Friedm an and his peers at the University of Chicago proposed to make capitalism great again. "Fuck it all" is a d ecen t description of their plan. "Let the greedy be greedy" isn't bad, ei­ ther. "Take a really old idea that caused the repeated

inces, th e total w aitin g tim e from referral by a g en eral p ractitio n e r to tre atm e n t w as m ore th an 18 w eeks.

For m o st illn e sse s, d o g s ca n g et faster tre atm e n t th an h u m a n s in C a n a d a ,

collapse of our econom y, and package it as so m e­ thing new," would be the m ost accurate description.

Friedm anism looked good on paper, arguing that supply and dem and, in their purest form, are the best distribution m echanism s for goods and capital.

It followed that no o n e — be they large corporations

This phenomenon also applies to areas of specialization in medicine.

If the demand for a certain specialty decreases, the cost of those special­ ists' services would go down. Fewer students would study that particular specialty, as the wage incentive would have decreased.

d u e to less strin g e n t reg u latio n o f th e

or the state— should interfere w ith the natural flow

v e te rin ary sector.

U n fortu n ately, it's hard for my

of th e m arket econom y.

But let's set asid e th e n u m b e r of d o cto rs for a m o m en t, and exam in e th e q u a lity o f h e alth care in C a n a d a . In te rm s of h ig h -tech m a ch in e ry used for d ia g n o stic a sse ssm e n ts, C a n a d a lags

system .

If p e o p le b eg an to pay for co re health services, th e d em an d for d o cto rs w o u ld be cle arly ind icated by hig her p rices. Stu d e n ts, d raw n by h ig h e r sa l­ aries, w o u ld enroll in m ed ical scho ol in larger n um b ers.

b e h in d m ost O E C D m e m b e rs: w e rank 18th in a c ce ss to C T scan n ers, 13th in a cce ss to MRIs, an d sev e n th in a cce ss to m a m m o g ram s. O th e r h e alth care in­ d icato rs sh o w th at, d esp ite b ein g third am o n g O E C D co u n trie s in h e alth care sp e n d in g , C a n a d a is not g ettin g m uch bang for its buck. A m o n g th e sam e

sid e of th e p olitical sp e ctru m to d is­ cu ss h ealth care. A ny m e n tio n o f p ar­ tial p rivatizatio n lead s to fear m o n gering and a c cu sa tio n s th at th e se p o li­ cie s will "Am ericanize" o ur h e alth care

But there are more than two ways to run a healthcare system. Social­ ized healthcare and private health­ care don't need to be dichotomized.

Canada could choose a mix that bor­ rows the best elements from both sys­ tems. Public healthcare is sometimes considered a fundamental aspect of Canadian identity. But if we want to improve the standard living of Cana­ dians, we need to take a look at a dif­ ferent path. ■

The problem with Friedmanism was implemen­ tation. The first experiment began in Chile in 1973, when General Augusto Pinochet brought in little Milton as one of his chief advisors. Setting aside the irony of creating something "free" through mass murder and political intimidation, the Pinochet ex­ periment was a failure. Chile's economy plummeted almost immediately, and it's only now emerging thanks to state intervention and a focus on econom­ ic development.

Despite this failure, and having no basis in the

sensus,"they cam e to an unexpected conclusion: th

an "econom ic crisis," it's an "asshole crisis." We'vi placed our econom y in the hands of assholes, anc look w hat they've done with it.

This brings me to the Wall Street bailout, w hicl is the ultimate irony of Friedman's legacy. Denni Kucinich astutely called it "the single largest act o class warfare in m odern Am erican history." America' leaders, w ho unquestioningly im plem ented the Friedm anite policies that let greed reign, have or ganized the single largest cash handover in moderr history— to the assholes w ho got us in this mess.

I don't blam e the assholes at the top. G reed i: hard to resist, especially w hen you're told that you greed helps the world. I also don't blam e America': political leaders for com m itting this crim e agains their own people. To do otherw ise would prove tha' their system is com pletely bogus. But I do blame those w ho continue to preach that the free m arke and hum an greed should rem ain unchecked.

In a sick and twisted way, the bailout m akes me happy. It proves that th e political refrain, "there jusi isn't enough m oney in the system for social goods' is bogus. If the Am erican governm ent can find $70C billion for greedy executives w ho sunk our econom y for their ow n profit, they can find m oney for health­ care, education, and putting roofs over people':

of basic resources, and harm ed the econom y as a

heads.

T he bailout also proves that even free market zealots know their theory is bullshit. W hen push co m es to shove— and th ey start to suffer along with th e vast m ajority of people— even Friedm anites sup p ort econom ic intervention. In other words, they acknow ledge that the infallibility of the free market

whole.

is bullshit. ■

real world, by the 1980s Friedm anism w as considered factual and unquestionable by m any econom ists.

In recent years, the popularity of neo-liberal econom ic ap proaches in the United States (called the "Washington Consensus") has increased the gap b etw een rich and poor, d ecreased the availability

FRESH HELL

F e w th in g s a re s w e e t e r th a n 9 0 s n o sta lg ia Z oe D

a n ie l s

ZKDANIELS@GMAIL.COM 1orry, ho m eless guy, I have no m oney. Let m e offer .y o u this borderline hom oerotic fantasy via View finder ’ instead of change." (Kid inexplicably featured at the beginning of the m usic video for b4-4's 90s pop hit, and thinlyveiled sexual innuendo, "Get Dow n On Me.") Not being Canadian, I never cam e in co ntact w ith the lum py Ryan and Dan Kowarsky, or their drag q ueen look-alike friend O had Einbinder, in m y youth. T h ese young m en co m ­ prised a m oderately successful boy band from Toronto, infor­ m atively nam ed b4-4. B ecause there are three of th em . And three co m es (wait for it) before four. b4-4's songs w ere on the radio w hen I w as busy listening to Boys II Men, sive, and 98 Degrees w hile doing algebra ho m ew o rk (which seem s ap p ro ­ priate).

Perhaps I ap preciate every note of "Get Dow n On Me" b e ­ cause I co m e to it w ithout an y m em ories of aw kw ard grade seven d an ce butt-touches. The m usic video doesn't hurt, ei­ ther. It neatly packages m uch of w hat w as hilarious ab out the

1990s: tankinis, FUBU, puka shells, th e pre-m etrosexual world, and m ale falsetto.

It boggles my mind that others don't love this video as much as I do. My friends have repeatedly dismissed "Get Down On Me" as "lame,""tacky," and "not related to our poli-sci study group, Zoe." But you can pull it up on YouTube at any time, and I'll stop whatever I'm doing to watch, laugh, and request replays until everyone else gets annoyed (or starts talking about which Toronto private school had the best junior high dances). Some friends have told me that it's unfair to mock a music video from an era when Carson Daly was famous, since popular culture was obviously experiencing growing pains. But I disagree.

Every second of "Get Down On Me" makes me quiver with laughter and excitement. Who wouldn't get hot at the thought of having an over-tanned troll with a puka shell necklace (and an obvious anabolic steroid habit) root around their nether re­ gions? And how could I, as an English major, not swoon over one of the Kowarski brothers'eloquence in articulating his roguish

desire to "make [me] co m e tonight ... over to [his] house." love a m an w ith a 12-year-old's aptitude for innuendo.

Visually, the "Get Dow n On Me" video is the pinnacle of 90s cin em ato g rap hic achievem ent. It has everything. Exces­ sively shaky cam era w ith lots of zoom ? Check. Extensive shots of an obviously fake beach football g am e? For sure. Half-shirt Kevlar vests for th e d an ce break? Absolutely— I have som e in m y trunk. Like Brian Latrell's unm otivated backflips in "Every­ body (Backstreet's Back)," and A.J. M cLean's w ardrobe in real life, b4-4's sen se of style delights me.

The co ntractions in boy band culture are fascinating: ev­ eryone's a boy, but no one plays an instrum ent. Everyone d a n c­ es, but no o ne w rites songs. Everyone's singing to the sam e girl, but they're banging different ones every day of th e w eek.

And som ehow , in th e world of boy bands, plucked eyebrow s and Mystic Tan signal a m anly heartthrob. It m akes m e susp ect that lesbians are running the m ed ia— and laughing their faces o ff .»

www.mcgilltribune.com

IT

28.10.08 -The McGillTribune • 9

r tb un e www.m cgilltribune.com E ditor- in-C hief

Matt Chesser editor@mcgilltribune.com M anaging E ditors

Crystal Chan Thomas Quail seniored@mcgilltribune.com P roduction M anager

Samantha Chang production@mcgilltribune.com N ews E ditors

James Gilman Theo Meyer news@mcgilltribune.com O pinion E ditor

Bernard Rudny opinion@mcgilltribune.com F eatures E ditors

Meghna Marjadi Carolyn Yates features@mcgilltribune.com A rts & E ntertainment E ditors

Carolyn Grégoire Laura Tindal arts@mcgilltribune.com S ports E ditor

Jacob Kanter sports@mcgilltribune.com P hoto E ditors

Niki Hyde Adam Scotti photo@mcgilltribune.com O nline E ditor

Kaylea Howarth online@mcgilltribune.com D esign E ditors

Femi Kassim Janet McMullen design@mcgilltribune.com C opy E ditor

Tori Crawford A dvertising M anager

Matt Ward

ED ITO R IA L

The CRTC shouldn't tangle with the Web ack in 1999, in a rare and uncharacteristic display of good sense, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunica­ tions Commission announced: "Our message is clear. We are not regulating any portion of the Internet."

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. The CRTC recently announced that it will hold hearings to investigate the possible regulation of "new media" in Canada. The announcement comes as the CRTC is deliberating whether or not Internet service providers have the right to throttle bandwidth based on the con­ tent clients are accessing. These are both troubling developments.

Regulating Canadian broadcast media is part of the CRTC's mandate. According to the agency, the ubiquity of streaming video prompted their intrusion into online affairs. But the Internet is nei­ ther Canadian, nor a broadcaster. It's an international network, and the "old media" rules don't apply to online content. There are no broadcast licenses to issue and no channels or signals to prioritize.

Because the internet is demand-driven, there's no need for on­ line content regulation by the CRTC. Canadians can access (or cre­ ate) whatever content they want on the Web. There's no real danger of corrupt broadcast monopolies or American content pushing out home-grown culture.

Of course, listening to the CRTC talk about regulating the In­ ternet is like watching Don Quixote joust with windmills: neither of them has the slightest idea what they're up against. Trying to im­ pose CRTC policy— be it Canadian content quotas or decency regu­ lations— on an open network is thoroughly impractical. Because the CRTC's jurisdiction only extends over Canadian-operated websites, the negative impacts of regulation will be limited to Canadian con­ tent— a cruel irony for an agency whose goal is to "ensure that all Canadians have access to a wide variety of high quality Canadian programming."

While the CRTC's proposal to regulate online content is Quix­ otic, their deliberations on network neutrality are troubling. They're currently hearing a complaint filed by the Canadian Association of Internet Providers against Bell Canada, after CAIP complained that Bell is throttling the speed of certain types of online traffic, like peer-to-peer file sharing.

Throttling is a troubling practice for net neutrality advocates.

Google, one of the more prominent advocates of network neutral­ ity, states their case in simple terms: "Internet users should be in control of what content they view and what applications they use on the Internet. ... Just as telephone companies are not permitted to tell consumers who they can call or what they can say, broadband carriers should not be allowed to use their market power to control activity online."

The Tribune couldn't agree more. Giving Internet service pro­ viders the ability to prioritize or block traffic makes them the judge of what Canadians should see. Government censorship— like the CRTC's— is bad enough. But private sector censorship is a terrifying prospect. Whatever its flaws, the Internet's accessibility has been a virtue. The CRTC should leave it that way. ■

B

Letters to the editor Allegations of misconduct by the McGill administration My December 2007 complaint to the Senate Advisory Council of McGill University included allega­ tions of lack of due support and process in violation of student rights.

The McGill Handbook of Stu­ dent Rights and Responsibilities 2005-7 instructs the Council to at least forward a summary to the McGill Senate of all allegations submitted to it. That instruction ensures transparency and is a safeguard for student rights if the Council decides not to investigate a complaint.

But the McGill administration has intercepted my allegations. It has taken the position that my complaint, such as it is drafted, does not support an "allegation" which would be brought to the attention of the Advisory Council as there is no general "University rule which violates the Charter of Students'Rights".

The administration thus as­ sumes the power to decide what the Council may see. That by­ passes a Senate approved pro­ cess to ensure transparency and safeguards in the protection of student rights. What I asking for is transparency. I am a 1983 McGill PhD in mathematics who failed a McGill 2003-5 teacher certification program taken for sake of end of career employment.

— Alan Selby, PhD 1983 Don't forget the ombudsperson Not too long ago, there was an article in the Tribune talking about the need for an indepen­ dent ombudsperson at McGill, fol­ lowed by a letter stressing the im­ portance of having the same thing for the good of the students. This is an issue I have been following closely for quite some time as it

is near and dear to me. In the Oc­ tober 16 issue of the McGill Daily there was an advertisement for the McGill advisory committee for the selection of an independent ombudsperson.

My problem with this is the lack of any such advertisement in the McGill Reporter. The Tribune published the advertisement about a week after the Daily, but I haven't received any word on whether or not it has shown up in the Reporter. This is an important issue that will have an enormous impact on students at McGill. The need for an independent ombud­ sperson that is free to act on be­ half of the students (as well as the faculty) is necessary for any uni­ versity to function fairly and with everyone's best interests at heart.

So why is the ad in the Tri­ bune late and missing entirely from the Reporter? Surely the Daily isn't the only paper at Mc­ Gill that takes this issue seriously.

I understand that this is likely a paid advertisement, but given that this is such an important issue (and that the Reporter is di­ rectly associated with McGill), this shouldn't be much of a deterrent.

This needs to be put out there so the students at the university can have a voice and someone to push their cause. This is me calling on McGill's other newspaper to step up and advocate this issue, and for both the Tribune and the Reporter to not be so late on the draw if something like this comes up again.

— Aly Jivraj, BA 2007 •

[The Tribune published the McGill administration's announce­ ment of the new ombudsperson advisory committee in our October 21 issue— the first issue we printed after the announcement was sub­ mitted for publication. -Ed]

cpm@ssmu.mcgill.ca P ublisher

Chad Ronalds C

The rules of life at McGil

o n t r ib u t o r s

Julie Beauchamp, Margot Bishop, Kyle Carpenter, Bob Clark, David Costello, Zoe Daniels, Jon Gregory, Steven Hoffer, Sam Hunter, John Kelsey, Leanne Kilroy, Kailan Leung, Tim othy Mak, Carly Orleach, Emma Quail, Jon Rubenstein, Brahna Seigelberg, Andrew Seo, Max Silverman, Katherine Stavro, Renee Sutton, Pat Trinh, Nate Vanderweerd, Alice Walker, Sarah Xu, Trip Yang T

O F F T H E BO A R D

r ib u n e

O

f f ic e s

Editorial Shatner University Centre Suite no, 3480 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 1X9 T: 514.398.6789 E: info@mcgilltribune.com

Advertising Brown Student Building Suite 1200,3600 McTavish Montreal, QC H3A 1Y2 T: 514.398.6835 F: 514398.7490

J acob K anter rom the moment you register for your first year at McGill, or the moment you walk through the Roddick Gates for the first time, or the first time you donate to a cause without realizing it just to get a samosa (or three), you buy into a system. There are rules for how to par­ ticipate in the McGill system, but they're never explicitly taught. For the most part, when on campus, we take cues on campus etiquette from our fellow students. It's a wondrous and efficient system.

But it's not perfect. Every day, countless stu­ dents break these rules, often while completely oblivious to their campus faux pas. After all, the rules aren't written down anywhere. There's no reference to which the ignorant can turn. Or there wasn't— until now. I'm here to teach you four of the previously unwritten rules of life at McGill.

Rule one: If you have reasonably healthy legs, you may not use the McLennan library el­ evators unless you're going to, or coming from,

F

the fifth or sixth floor. This may be extended to the fourth floor, but only if you have a heavy backpack. There's nothing more deflating than having someone rush into the elevator and press one of the three lower buttons, thereby ruining your nonstop trip to the sixth floor. A"two-threefourer," as I like to call them, will have to work extra hard to earn my friendship.

Rule two: After a professor begins to wrap up a lecture, you may not raise your hand to say something. Even if your hand was raised before the professor began his concluding remarks, even if it's the deepest, most enlightening com­ ment in the past 50 minutes— when the profes­ sor calls on you, you should simply say, "Oh, it was nothing." Everyone has started to pack up, there's too much rustling going on, no one's pay­ ing attention, and you're keeping everyone in their seats when they should be checking their missed calls. Congratulations— you've instantly earned the hatred of an entire lecture hall. If you really need to get something off your chest, go

up to the professor as everyone's leaving and say it personally. Besides, he's more likely to remem­ ber your comment that way.

Rule three: When the weather turns nice at the end of March, don't say,"It's so nice out! I can't believe it!"over and over again. We're all outside, we all have our jackets slung over our shoulders, we're all elated— I don't need to hear the same phrase in every conversation I have. The weather gets warmer every spring. It shouldn't come as a surprise.

Rule four: Do not complain about the hill leading up to the Education Building. We've all seen it, and most of us have climbed it ourselves.

No one wants to hear your story about how you almost died when you were hurrying up to your conference. "Wow, you were out of breath and your legs hurt? That's fascinating!"

I may be nitpicking here, but we're students at Canada's premier university. Learning a few rules isn't difficult, and I'm certainly not asking for much. Thank you for your cooperation. ■

The McGillTribune 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 theTribune. Submissions judged by theTribune Publication Society to be libellous, sexist, racist, homophobic or solely promotional in nature will not be published. TheTribune 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 of the McGillTribune, its editors or its staff. Please recycle this newspaper.

JC »

10 «The McGill Tribune • 28.10.08

O F F T H E BO A R D

The unappreciated art of text messaging L aura T indal s long as electronic messaging has been around, people have been rebelling against it. They lament the disap­ pearance of hand-written letters, and complain that our reliance on emails, text messages, and Facebook is degrading the English language. The senior citizens and English teachers at the forefront of this communication squabble condemn the brevity and improper grammar of electronic messages. The personal phone call, where one catches up with a friend and asks about their plans for the night, has been replaced with "Wat r u up 2 2nite."When words are butchered, or replaced by numbers, how can our language survive?

The answer is"quite easily."Electronic messaging may have shortened our discussions with others, but this has taught our generation to use the English language more precisely. With only a short space to write in, today's youth must choose their words carefully. They use fewer words and phrases to convey the same emotions and ideas that, in the past, would have re­

A

quired a five-minute phone call or a two-page letter.

One of the first things taught in writers' craft classes is to edit out the unnecessary. But teens and young adults arealready learning this skill through electronic messaging, where only the essential words are used to get a message across. Along with brevity and precision, electronic messaging teaches editing and sensitivity to the reader. Because these conversations are purely textual, conveying the appropriate tone is a challenge.

A message reading "im busy," may be the shortest answer to an invitation to a party but, depending on the recipient, it could come off as cold or angry. A more polite message— "Sry! wish i could, but busy :)"— helps prevent unintentional spats.

The meaning and possible interpretations of each word must be mulled over. Messages that take three seconds to read can take 15 thought-filled minutes to write— a habit that would make George Orwell proud. Orwell stressed that words and phrases used for convenience rot our minds and our language.

But with some phones limiting text messages to 140 characters, no word is wasted.

Electronic messaging has become the new writer's craft teacher, and our messages are often infused with the same thought and feeling as poetry.

For example, a post on my Facebook wall reads: "I'm home.

Give me a ring, or two. You prob never check this though and i will call you before you do, but still, call me."

Thanks to the constraints of electronic communication, and the need to convey an emotion, this is more than a mes­ sage— it's an accidental poem. This o r . even rhymes a little, but that's not essential to the art and flow of the words. Tech­ nophobes can cry about the death of snail-mail, but calligraphy is the only art lost in the transition to electronic messaging. And with the writing skills required to type a modern conversation, the next great poet might start online as an accidental "Sh8kspr." ■

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BLOOD IS DRIPPING ON THE STAIRS, BRAINS ARE DRAINING ON THE COUNTER. AND BILE IS DROOLING OUT THE EYEBALLS OF ZOMBIES EVERYWHERE. Bu t

are

THEY REAL OR FAKE? I t 's

up to

THE AUDI ­ ENCE TO FIND OUT

\

THE DEVIL'S SECRETS Before animation and green screens, creating spe­ cial effects was physically demanding. The directors of The Exorcist invented and produced special effects never before seen in film design. Actors performed stunts without camera tricks and by the end many had physical injuries. But the result still sent audiences run­ ning from their screens to vomit, scream, and cry. Such is the power of special effects: generating genuine fear in an audience who knows that what is in front of them isn't real.

Simple techniques of light and darkness were used in The Exorcist to reflect conflicting forces and to make scenes feel spiritual. The warm, light-filled home was a safe haven, while the little girl's room was always darkly lit and unsettling. It was also constantly cold, because of the supernatural presence. To show visible breath, four air conditioners blasted cold air onto the set nightly. The following morning, the temperature on set would be between -30 and -40 degrees.

The famous shaking bed was fashioned by simple trial and error. Three different beds were used for dif­ ferent scenes, and each bed was attached to a rig and flying strings which would lift it up. Enough weight and leverage were placed behind the bed to pull it back down as it "tried to fly."To create an earthquake­ like effect, the room also sat on eight pneumatic wheels.

As the film's plot progresses, the little girl becomes increasingly pos­ sessed. Her move­ ments become contorted and ab­ normal. One memo­ rable scene depicts the little girl thrash­ ing up and down in a movement incon­ sistent with natural body dynamics. A hard metal mould of her back was cre­ ated and attached to a brace, which sat around her stomach and laced up on the sides. Her body was mechani­

K atherine S tavro

cally moved up and down as a crew member on the opposite side of the wall manually pumped the ma­ chine attached to her.

The little girl's mother tries to stop her daughter's violent movement and gets slapped in the face; a slap so hard that it sends her flying across the room. The mother had a rig around her midriff with a wire out the back. A stunt man was instructed to pull her to the floor, giving the effect of having received an extremely powerful blow. Today, this would be done in a green­ room to avoid possible injury, but in the 70s, actors did it on set.

The famous head-spinning-backwards scene is one of the most memorable and disturbing parts of the film. A dummy with a mechanical head sat on top of a plastic torso. Hair covered the space between the head and torso, and remote controlled eyes made the doll lifelike. Soon after, the little girl vomits a thick green liquid across the room onto the priest who is exorcising her. A thin flat tube rested behind her head, connected to a nozzle resting in her mouth. Makeup covered the device. Hot pea soup was loaded in a pump and sent to the flat tube behind her head, which then made its way to the nozzle in her mouth.

The "spider walk," a surreal scene that was removed from the 1970s version but included in later versions, involved a combination of cam­ era tricks and acting. At the top of the staircase the little girl bends her body backwards in the shape of a crab and runs down the stairs upside down with her arms. The special effects direc­ tor hired a contortionist who wore a harness attached to flying wires, which hung above the staircase. These strings elevated the contor­ tionist so that her hands and feet would barely touch the stairs.

One of the final scenes of The Exorcist in­ volves the priest strangling the little girl, forc­ ing the devil out from her soul while transfer­ ring the demon into his own body. The priest then proceeds to throw himself out of the second-storey window and fall down 97 verti­ cal stairs to his death. The stairs were covered in rubber, and the actor actually performed the life-threatening stunt twice.

Created before all the smoke and mirrors that are at the disposal of today's special ef­ fects teams, The Exorcist showcases an earlier method of creating the impossible. ■

EVALUATinO HOÏÏTRE/O IfflUIITS La Maison Hantée Located at the corner of Bleury and de la Gauchetiere, La Maison Hantée is the most popular 18th century Victorian mansion in Montreal. It served as a Hudson Bay Company fur trading post and passed through the hands of a few wealthy Montreal families before it was abandoned.

Rumour has it that in the early 20th century, dar­ ing adventurers explored the house and found old diaries filled with pages upon pages of horrific stories describing perpetual nightly torment; lamps exploded and paintings spun around while loud bells drowned out the screams of inhabitants.

Many decades later, on Friday 13,1987, the doors to the old mysterious Victorian house were finally reopened— this time as a themed restaurant. Since then, La Maison Hantée has hosted many shows themed around the paranormal events rumoured to have taken place in the building's past.

Reservations are required, as La Maison Hantée plans interactive shows with its customers. Groups can choose to

uncover a bloody murder mystery, communicate with the dead while taking part in séances, or participate in night­ ly shows which play out both on stage and on the dining floor.

Every moment is a life-threatening anxiety producer for the "horror movie-impaired" and a hilarious adventure for those who crave the paranormal. Unfortunately, earlier this year, La Maison Hantée temporarily closed its doors after a dispute with the building's landlord ended a 21 year history of entertaining Montrealers.

Montreal Ghost Tour For a historical tour of the local paranormal scene, take the Montreal Ghost Tour. Located in the Old Port, guides will take you on an adventure through cobblestone streets, de­ scribing historical events in Montreal's dark past. Tours run from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. They are mostly geared towards providing family fun for tourists.

K atherine S tavrc

The Rocky Horror Picture Show Ball With La Maison Hantée closed this year and the Ghos Tour rating low, what's an avid horror fanatic to do thi Halloween? For those who enjoy kinky costume parties The Rocky Horror Picture Show Ball is highly recommended Based on the cult classic movie musical, the show feature live perforers who act out the movie as it plays on a large backdrop. Shows start October 26 and end October 31 at the Theatre Rialto at the intersection of Parc and Bernard.

La Ronde Fright Fest La Ronde hosts Fright Fest every weekend in October as well as on Halloween itself. The park is filled with every thing from the living dead to giant rats, and includes Dr. Vor Terror's Psychiatric Hospital, where mentally ill patients tes your fright tolerance. Ratville penetrates the front entrance with its stench, and the Vampire Walkway takes your sou into hell-on-earth. La Ronde is a must-visit on your Hallow een horror-extravaganza.*

28.10.08 «The McGill Tribune • 13

TOLET E0LLÏ

C arly O rleach

In Monty Python and the Holy Grail, King Arthur's servant knocks two coconuts together to create the sound of a horse's hooves, to hilarious effect. This type of sound effect is achieved offscreen more realistically in other films, by foley artists who produce hard-tocapture noises by recording similar sounds produced through easier methods. This process can often incor­ porate several different sounds, which are then mixed in a studio to make one noise.

Since foley artists usually use unusual props, their

*

*m 4

studios are filled with an assortment of bizarre junk.

Foley studios even have many different types of floor­ ing, used to create the effects of different types of walking.

Foley sounds are added after filming. They add life by creating a more realistic soundtrack than the real sounds recorded in filming.

There are many techniques for reproducing diffi­ cult sounds, but here are a few examples. ■

Bats flying

Opening and closing an umbrella rapidly

Explosion

A lion roaring

Chain mail

Jingling keys

Ripping a small alien's body in half

Slicing a cabbage in half

Rope with heavy weight swinging

Twisting a pencil between the keys of a keyboard

Spear piercing flesh

Biting into an apple

Spirits screaming

Dolphin and sea lion cries

Airplane engine flying

Mixing the sounds of large fans

Walking in the mud

Squishing wet newspaper

Walking through the leaves

Rustling through a box of corn flakes

Crackling fire

Twisting cellophane

Punching

Thumping watermelons together

A bone-breaking blow

Breaking celery or twisting a head of lettuce

Crops in a field

Shaking bamboo

Gun cocking

Slowly closing a briefcase

BATCH OE BLOOD

M

eghna

M

a r ja d i

Blood, guts, and gore are trademarks of most I movies and Halloween costumes. But bad fake blood can ruin even the goriest costume. A visit to the costume shop might solve the problem, but with these simple tools, anyone can create scream-worthy innards.

Recipes can be tailored to the purpose of the fake blood— for example. Wood to be displayed in glasses should be thinner while blood used for simu­ lating wounds should be thicker. A word of warning: any fabric that touches fake blood will probably be stained forever, so watch your bloody limbs and don’t wear your favorite clothes.

To thicken it, add flour, corn starch, chocolate syrup, or condensed milk. Use syrup sparingly as too much will make the blood too sticky. After stirring, let the mixture sit for a few minutes to thicken. Basic blood can be applied to shirts or body parts to create blood­ stained-attire and oozing wounds.

Basic: This recipe for fake blood calls for corn syrup, flour, and red and blue food colouring. Propor­ tions vary, but one part water to three parts com syrup is a good starting-off point Add red food colouring a few drops at a time to the mixture, until the color re­ sembles real blood. Repeat with blue food coloring.

A brain: For a fake brain (great as a table cen­ terpiece or on your head) use the leftovers from your jack-o-fantern. When you scoop out the insides, re­ move the seeds (don't forget to roast them), and satu­ rate the stringy pumpkin bits in the basic fake blood.

Mold the final product into a brain like structure. ■

Chunky blood: For blood that looks like it con­ tains pieces of flesh, add oatmeal, cherries, or bread crumbs to the basic mixture. To make the fake guts look goopier, add some gelatin or jam (strawberry or raspberry). For blood with bits of bone, use chunky peanut butter.

'HE LEGACY OF THE GRAHD GUIGHOL Like the rest of us, Paula Maxa only lived once— but she ■d over 10,000 times, in about 60 of the most gruesome ys possible.

As star performer at the infamous Grand GuignQl theatre 3aris from 1917 to 1933, Maxa's "body parts" regularly flew at diences. Mutilations and amputations were common in the and Guignol's shows (eye-gouging was a favourite, as well execution techniques such as hanging or guillotine), but were more extreme terrors like acid-melted flesh, scalping, ooting, disembowelment-by-puma, and even decomposin. A show's success was judged by how many audience ambers were unconscious, hyperventilating, or vomiting the end.

The smallest theatre in Paris when it opened in 1894, The and Guignol sold seats to everyone from local workers and grants to foreign royalty, and even Ho Chi Minh, who at the ne was a cook in a local Chinese restaurant.

Why did people fall in love with these horrors? The Grand Guignol was a cathartic orgy for the senses, a place where even respectable society could vicariously revel in sadism, and even the most proper housewives could openly take pleasure in the sexual and sensual show. All the gore wasn't just a cheap shock tactic to sell seats: it was the cutting edge in psychological drama, both onstage and off. André de Lorde, the house writer from 1901 to 1926, worked with psychologists to incorporate mental illness and fixation into the plots and manipulate the psychological perception of his audience members. One consulting psychologist, IQ test in­ ventor Alfred Binet, was a leading investigator in sexual fetish and insanity at the time.

The Grand Guignol experience liberated audience mem­ bers from proper behaviour. Immobile in their seats, they would have to fight the instinct to help the victims spew­ ing blood at their feet, and sit back and enjoy the torture.

The plays also integrated religious satire. In one play, two brothers poured gasoline on a prostitute and set her on fire in a religious frenzy while chanting prayers. The heresy was heightened by the presence of angels and pews in the the­ atre, which had been converted from an abandoned church.

The Parisian theatre closed its doors in 1962, but thanks to its 68-year legacy, people are still getting a kick out of the profanely gory. Several theatres and plays spring out of the Grand Guignol tradition, including San Francisco's Thrillpeddlers, Washington D.C.'s Molotov Theatre Group, and New York's The Queen's Players. The Grand Guignol influenced film as well: Paula Maxa acted in the iconic German expression­ ists film The Cabinet o f Dr. Caligari. German expressionism heavily influenced film noir and horror films. Special effects techniques pioneered by the Grand Guignol, such as pasting fake flesh and blood on victims before they get sliced and diced, have become standard in films today. ■

Student L iving ood

M IS C E LL A N O E U S

GURU

Fall's favourite foods

Help! I'm a zombie!

Jassic pumpkin pie, now with apples Directions

L eanne K ilrov I don't know about you, but I'm cold. I know I should be grateful that it’s not yet negative de­ grees outside, but for some reason the first chill of the season seems to hit the hardest. In any case, while trying to avoid thinking about the blustery weather, I've decided to celebrate fall in all its glory. What ingredients are more autumnal than apple and pumpkin? Thus, I present you with this recipe for yummy, heart-warming Pumpkin-Apple Streusel Cake.

As with all my recipes, this is really easy, really cheap, and really good. It's also pretty quick— the only slightly time-consuming thing is peeling and chopping the apples. Midterms are over and snow is in the forecast, so preheat your oven, roll up your sleeves, and warm yourself up with the best that fall has to offer.

Ingredients Apples

Guide for the newly reanimated

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

C arolyn Y ates

Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C). Butter and flour an 8" or 9" cake pan. While you prepare the rest of the cake, sauté the apple slices in 3 tbsp butter, stirring often until softened (about 15 minutes).

Remove from heat and add sugar and cinna­ mon.

While the apples are softening, mix the brown sugar, salt, flour, and butter in a large bowl until well combined. Measure out 2/3 of a cup of this mixture and set aside in a separate bowl (this will be the streusel).

In a big bowl, add pumpkin, sour cream, bak­ ing soda, and eggs. Mix until smooth.

In the prepared pan, layer the pumpkin bat­ ter, then the apples, and finally the streusel.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired. ■

3 tablespoons butter 4 or 5 apples, peeled and thinly sliced 2 tablespoons sugar i teaspoon cinnamon (optional) Pumpkin Cake and Streusel 11/3 cups flour 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking soda 11/3 cup canned pumpkin 2 large eggs

As any good evil doctor knows, reanimating the dead can be wrought with logistical problems. But what to do if you awake from an 'everlasting' slumber on a metal table with Igor drooling a few feet away? In this environmentallyfriendly era, rotting away in a back alley is no longer an acceptable activity. To get you started, here are a few things you can do after getting out of the lab.

Marriage is a popular option for the newly deceased. In China, the 2,000-year-old practice of marrying ghosts has been used for everything from gaining social acceptance for spinsters to making the deceased happier. This one is only for the naturally dead, however— in 2007, there were two cases where murderers attempted to sell victims as ghost wives.

Starting a multi-vitamin empire is also an option. In the 16th century. King Francis I of France consumed a daily pinch of mummy for strength. Make the arrangements be­ fore you die to profit while you're alive, and then become a mummy and reap the benefits of alternative medicine.

Touring the world as a work of art has been a popular method of travel for the undead since the 1996 BODY’ WORLDS show in Japan, which featured flayed human bodies. Last February, ABC News ran an interview with a man from one of the companies responsible for supplying the bodies, who claimed that one third were executed political prisoners. With the result­ ing investigation underway, the competition should be decreasing, and your chances of having your application accepted are good.

If you're going for the limbs-falling-off look, selling body parts is a profit­ able venture and creates that authentically decaying ambiance attained by the most discriminating creatures of the night. Your entire corpse will fetch about $1,000, but individual pieces go for more— your knee will get $650, while your disembodied torso might get $5,000.

Finally, for those unhappy with their undead situation who also have an eyeball for environmentally-friendly solutions, go to Helsingborg, Sweden, and help fuel the city—-since 1997, local crematoriums have provided 10 per cent of the heat for residential buildings.

There's also the rampage option. Be sure to shout slogans such as "Raid!

Pillage! Burn!" and remember to stay out of the sun. ■

Source: www.mentalfloss.com.

GRAPHIC BY NIKI HYDE

LEANNE KILROY 1

Campus CafenSar Screening of Point Blank When: Oct. 28 7-9 p m.

Where: Arts W-125 DESA presents a film screening of the 1967 noir classic Point Blank. Cultural Studies professor Alanna Thain will be presiding over the screening and will lead an informal dis­ cussion after the movie. There will be free popcorn!

National Novel Writing Month When: Nov. 1,12:00 a.m. to Nov. 30,11:59 p.m.

Where: Everywhere National Novel Writing Month is a writing contest in which participants write 50,000 words (175 pages) by the end of November. Valuing quantity over quality, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing extravaganza for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared by the time/effort involved.

Visit www.nanowrimo.org for more info or to sign up.

Election Coverage When: Nov. 4, 8 p.m.

Where: Gert's (Shatner basement) The Political Issues Club wants you to join in on our American election night extravaganza! We're meeting to catch the results of the election live, along with other politi­ cal clubs and students. Questions? Contact mcgillpoliticalissuesclub@gmail.com.

Advertise your event for free by sending the name, date, location, and other info to features@mcgilltribune.com with "event" in the subject line.

ST Y LE

Play dress up at Eva B Rent orginal costumes at minimal prices S arah X

u

A vintage clothing boutique that doubles as a café, I triples as a costume rental shop, and quadruples as an art gallery, Eva B is a must visit for any costume shopping trip.

Since 1 9 7 8 , the St. Laurent store has earned a reputation I as the go-to place for costume rentals and clothing at a reasonable price.

"The boutique grows by itself," says owner Julie, who I goes only by her first name. She describes the store as a work-in-progress. "When we opened, it was just vintage I clothing and books."

The store's atmosphere is unique— it's like walking into a childhood dress up box. On the first floor, there is regular vintage clothing for sale, and on the second, racks upon racks of costumes rentals are put out for Halloween.

Unlike other costume stores that rent costumes in sets, Eva B allows customers to mix aspects of various costumes: a ninja or a pirate? Boring. But a ninja-pirate? Awesome.

If Eva B stands for anything, it is originality. Many of its pieces are authentic and one of a kind, such as 7 0 s disco suits or 8 0 s jogging suits. Some pieces are even handmade j by costume designers.

"There are costumes that we refuse to sell," Julie says.

I "They've been here for 1 5 , 2 0 years, ever since the store opened." A regular costume rental costs between $2 5 - 6 0 a week, though the more elaborate the costume, the higher I the rental fee.

Renting costumes is also the greenest and most I economical way to approach Halloween. Instead of buying I a costume that will be worn several times at best, you can rent a costume that can be used over and over again. Lets ’ face it, how many times are you going to put that nurse's

costume to use? Eva B was created with the environment in mind, and everything is recycled.

During the rest of the year, Eva B rents costumes for theatre groups, photo shoots, and costume party-goers. In fact, a group of fans has created biweekly costume parties solely for the purpose of getting their Eva B fix. There are also several local designers who showcase their designs in the store, from handmade jewellery to clothing; they also carry designs by Guylaine and Marie-Martin.

"There are a lot of people who come here to look for inspiration," says Julie. "You never know what you are going to find."*

Boutique Eva B is located at 2 0 13 St. Laurent, open late every day for Halloween season.

CANPRESS.CA

28.10.08-The McGill Tribune • 15

VS. Y

igeons versus Martlets ,n epic battle between the mythical creature and sidewalk hog Pigeons

Martlets

Habitat: Pigeons are found in large numbers all around the world. They favour areas with high concentrations of statues and bald people having picnics.

Habitat: Martlets are mythical creatures, so their population limited, to say the least. Also, their lack of legs makes it difficult 1build nests or establish a stable habitat.

Mascot value: As an urban nui­ sance and a carrier of several fungusbased diseases, the pigeon is not a popular mascot. But rumour has it that McGill will switch their crest to pigeons in 2009, as a cost-cutting measure.

Mascot value: Apart from McGill's coat of arms, martlets can be found on the crests of Oxford, Cambridge, and King Richard II of England. While inconvenient, the martlet's inability to land is considered majestic.

Combat readiness: While lacking the martlet's impressive firepower, pi­ geons did start dive-bombing long be­ GREECE.K12.NY.US fore man took to the skies. They can also WINNER: Pigeons They're featherbrained, dirty, and obnoxious, but be downright vicious when bread crumbs are at stake. pigeons still have a leg (or two) up on the mythical In the media: While pigeons are generally unpopular, their In the media: The Martlet is name of the University ofVicto- red bird of McGill. And for students dining on a bud­ lia's weekly student newspaper. get, grilled pigeon (you can probably catch one on appearance in the Mary Poppins musical number "Feed the Birds" lower field) is an excellent and inexpensive source of earned them critical acclaim protein.■ Combat readiness: "Martlet" was the official code name for a World War II fighter MCGILL.CA plane- The British variant of America's F4F Wildcat, the Martlet was equipped with Dur .50 caliber machine guns.

— Bernard Rudny

YO U RSPA CE

iIZ M O S & G A D G E T S

etting the legal high Stargate has created aline of'Social Tonics"— which they claim are safer, legal alternatives Jo illegal party drugs, distributed in Canada by Purepillz. Varieties include Peaq, a long-lasting Dill which creates a mild feeling of euphoria; Spun, which has psychedelic effects; Freq, which provides sensual stimulation; and Rush, which creates a feeling of vertigo. Intended uses Include clubbing, partying, and dancing. They cannot be taken with alcohol, medication, their Illegal counterparts, or by people with heart or liver conditions. These drugs have yet to be approved by Health Canada. ■

BL

PUREPILLZ.COM

Want to rant on our pages without the trial of sending a letter to the editor? Features is look­ ing for pissed off, hilarious or observant individuals to write YourSpace submissions on any topic from Overheard-at-McGill-style eavesdropping to smok­ ing legislation to cat litter. Submissions should be no more than 100 words long and include your name, email and a phone number you actually an­ swer. Full names may be withheld from submission upon request. Email features@mcgilltribune.com to see your thoughts in print.

P A R T IN T IM A C Y

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A rts & E ntertainmentFILM

Let's do the time warp again, Montreal style Midnight screenings of Rocky Horror keep Halloween tradition alive Emma Q

u a il

Halloween! It's that time of year again to let go of all inhibi­ tions. Everybody's normalcies and insecurities will be released during this festive season. Montreal's annual Rocky Horror Pic­ ture Show Ball will provide all those dreamers with a chance to embody and release their erotic and creative secrets.

Based on a British musical stage production. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 film that parodies science fiction and horror motifs. Traditionally shown at midnight, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has successfully been one of the longest running theatrical releases in film history. The film's unique emphasis on audience participation is certainly responsible for its longevity and popularity. What began as a mere film screening has transformed into a timeless cinematic experi­ ence in which the audience is invited to do things out of the ordinary, such as yell and throw props.

It was a creation of a whole new type of media. The per­ formative experience of the film provides the audience with what feel like near-authentic connections with the actors and actresses on the screen. This interactive aspect of The Rocky Horror Picture Show caught on quickly and the film is still in limitless release all around the world, maintaining its reputa­ tion as a midnight film.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show chronicles the adventures of a pair of all-American newlyweds who take a wrong turn on a dark, stormy night and end up in the castle of sex-crazed aliens from the planet of the Transsexual, in the galaxy of Tran­ sylvania. Needless to say: madness ensues.

This year, Montreal's own Rocky Horror Picture Show Ball is going into its 11th year. In previous years, Twentieth Century Fox has confirmed the event as the biggest Rocky Horror Pic­ ture Show in North America, with up to 4,000 people attending each year. Hosting the show will be none other than Plastik Patrik— one of Montreal's most dynamic, entertaining, and wild drag queens. Plastik Patrik will also host the ball's notoriously risqué costume contest, where the winners are determined more by their ability to arouse the crowd than anything else.

"The format [of the show] is basically a film projected on a large screen.... Actors are dressed as authentically as possible like the main characters in the film, moving in perfect sync to the actors on the screen,''says Phillipe Surrel, the event's pro­ ducer.

The use of multiple mediums lends the show a unique and interesting dynamic. In the background, the film provides

a static, silent account of the story, while in the forefront, the actors and actresses amplify the musical and theatrical aspects of the film. Traditionally, the audience brings in props such as rice and toast to throw around and water guns to squirt during strategic points in the film.

Surrel explains this interesting effect in greater detail. "It's this kind of almost surreal experimental theatre thing where your eyes are darting back and forth from the screen and the actors moving, and you want to see how skilful they are in the way that they move in sync."

The Rocky Horror Picture Show has become one of the most successful cult films of all time. So how does it manage to maintain an independent feel while still attracting a some­ what mainstream crowd?

"I still think it's this kind of culty oddity ... it's pretty out there and has a reputation, so there are a lot of mainstream types, people from the minivan majority, soccer moms. Out of curiosity they will go to see the show," says Surrell.

Over the years, the show's fans have morphed Rocky Hor­ ror screenings into an outlet for creativity. The insular, preten­ tious stigma that is often associated with some cult classics does not attach itself to Rocky Horror. With regards to the minivan majority, Surrel says, "It's either a totally liberating experi­ ence for them, they love it, or it makes them feel really uncom­ fortable and they want to leave."

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is certainly not something you want to mess with; the show is a real product of its time.

It's all but guaranteed that a huge crowd of young and old alike, diehard fans and first-time viewers— not to mention a significant showing of McGill students— will assemble on Hal­ loween to take part in the tradition.

"I am super excited about the show for sure. I mean, if it's anything like last year, I will be happy," says McGill student and avid Rocky Horror fan, Alexandra Montagnese. Along with many other excited fans, Montagnese cannot wait to let go of all reservations at the late night picture show.

"What I've realized lately, is that The Rocky Horror Picture Show is kind of like the Ramones. If you go see the Ramones over and over, you expect exactly the same thing and you wouldn't have it any other way,"explains Surrell. ■ The Rocky Horror Picture Show plays at the Rialto Theatre (5723 Parc) on Thursday October 30 at 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., Friday October 31 at 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. and Saturday No­ vember 1at 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

GRAPHIC BY NIKI HV

P O P R H ETO R IC

Office politics K y le C arpenter

efore I begin, let me say that I have seen every single episode of both the British and the American ver­ sions of the hit TV show The Office. But with the debut of its fifth season on September 25, the American Office seems to have taken a turn for the worse. It's time for the show's writers to remember where it came from.

"I don't give shitty jobs."

These are Ricky Gervais's opening lines from the orig­ inal British version of The Office, and they're words you will never hear from Steve Carrell.The edgier, uncensored na­ ture of the British version is one of the many aspects that got lost in translation on its way across the Atlantic for the American remake.

For the most part, the American Office has departed so far from the British version that the two can barely be thought of as the same show. One major pitfall is that some of the main characters in the American version are vastly different from their portrayal in the British one.

For example, Carrell's role as Michael Scott is, at best, an overblown parody of the bumbling British boss David

B

Brent. The real loss is that Gervais's style of subtle come­ dic delivery throughout the series has been abandoned.

Instead, Carrell's jokes are over the top and spoon-fed to the American audience.

Another prominent character that was spoiled in the American version is the role of the slightly neurotic wimp Gareth Keenan. Mackenzie Crook's role as Gareth was turned into Dwight Shrute, portrayed by Rainn Wil­ son. Wilson's role is so over-acted and unbelievable that he comes across more like a villain from a little kid's show than a character in a comedy that is supposed to be funny because of how realistic it is. This brings me to the fun­ damental difference between the two shows. Although a stretch at times, the British version feels like it could be a real workplace, and the characters are humorous in their authenticity. In the American version, the characters are larger than life, and often find themselves in unrealis­ tic situations. While some viewers see this as part of the show's charm, it entirely undermines the original premise of the series.

This is not to say that the American Office doesn't have its merits. By and large, the best part of the Ameri­ can Office is the new characters that are not featured in the British version. One example is the original American character portrayed by The Daily Show's Ed Helms. Helms' character Andy Bernard is a WASP-y suck-up whose irri­ tating mannerisms and love of a cappella drive the other characters crazy. Bernard's attempts to fit in with the rest of the office produce some of the show's funniest lines.

Another notable original character is Toby Flenderson.

Toby, the H.R. representative, symbolizes the more logical, good-hearted side of the American Office. Naturally, he is Michael's nemesis and is often chastised by Michael in dis­ proportionately hilarious ways. Now that Toby is gone, so is one of the best elements of the American Office.

So far, season five is lacking in what makes the Ameri­ can Office enjoyable, and it seems to be getting closer and closer to jumping the shark. Perhaps the last good thing about the British version is that it knew when to die with dignity. ■

28.10.08 «The McGill Tribune • 17

'w.mcgilltribu ne.com

USIC

lomfort food and comfy music IcGill grad Krista Muir goes from lederhosen to lovely on her new CD M argo t B ishop Krista L.L. Muir is no longer wearing Lederhosen.The Lon1, Ontario native and McGill graduate entered the Canadian ctro-pop music scene as the fully-costumed "Lederhosen il,"creating enticing gimmick pop while donning a blonde and homemade outfits. After close to a decade of heavy ring and amassing a cult following as Lucil, Krista Muir left ind Bavaria to create a mature, personal and often melanly sound that can be found on her first album, Leave Alight,

e'll put a feather in your cap.

INDICA RECORDS

and now on her recently released album, Accidental Railway.

Krista Muir experiments with a variety of different musical influences on Accidental Railway to compose a light, person­ able, ukulele-flavoured indie pop album.

"I went in and I co-produced with Shane Watt, and it was really my first time co-producing and arranging things how I wanted them and playing tons of different instruments," says Muir.

The newest feature of Muir's song writing is her self-taught baritone ukele, which has become a key part of her unique sound. ‘‘Accidental Railway to me became a little more larger than life. The CD has a pull-out map of all the different places and stories involved in the record, different languages, recipes; it became its own world,"says Muir.

The album tells the tale of an accidental journey in Muir's recent past, taking place in an imaginary café she invented on tour; "The Lemon and Ginger Café." This sets the comforting, relaxed mood that Muir sought to recreate for herself while touring. "For me, it's all part of the experience of listening to the record, making ginger cookies and lemon tarts and drink­ ing hot lemon ginger tea with cayenne pepper— it's a comfort thing," says Muir. The album becomes a multi-sensual experi­ ence for listeners, enriching them with a picture, taste, feeling, and story to accompany each song.

Having spent a lot of time on tour in Europe both with friend DJ Kid Koala and as Lederhosen Lucil, Muir has picked up an eclectic music style and a multilingual approach to songwriting, often performing live in Greek. However, Krista

Muir sticks firmly to her Canadian roots, creating songs in the FemBot's Junkshop studio in Toronto and Shane Watt's haunt­ ed studio in Montreal. While her love of the Canadian music scene and its musicians is strong, Muir can't help but feel ap­ prehensive about Canada's artistic future. "Its tough in Canada right now. I don't know if it's easy to succeed in any particular city unless you have a great stroke of luck or an amazing per­ son to take a megaphone and cry your name in the streets," says Muir.

According to Muir, increased cuts in arts funding are di­ rectly affecting the music scene already. "I don't even know if bands I know in Toronto can succeed anymore based on all the grants being taken away," Muir explains.

The diversity and musical innovation of Accidental Rail­ way will reassure music fans that the creative pool in Canada has not yet run dry. Muir refuses to confine the album to one genre, and instead she jumps around the musical spectrum, creating soft ballads, haunting melodies, and gentle arrange­ ments plucked on the auto-harp and ukulele. With her light voice, Muir leads her listener to The Lemon and Ginger Café and leaves them in a satisfied, pleasant state, not unlike the one produced from the expired painkillers she describes in the album's highlight, "Drugging the Drain." Accidental Railway pulls out all the stops, coming from one of Canada's musical veterans, and a member of the talented rat pack of musicians coming out of our cold country. ■

Krista Muir plays October 29 at Petite Chapelle.

HEATRE

>eatbelts optional at TNC Theatre eed your people-watching fetish with Departures and Arrivals C rystal C han There's something missing in Tuesday Night Café Thee's take on Canadian literati Carol Shields's Departures and rivals: seatbelts.

Although the play is about characters that do everything cept take off, the play certainly does— and you'll need someing to hold you in your seat while you're dying of laughter.

NATEVANDERWEED

iedge-hatted tourists: two of over 70 characters in D & P .

eater' sequence could have Near the beginning, one drawn out the awkward and character asks, "Who really frank edges of the dialogue knows what happens when instead of masking it with you step into the airport?" melodramatic slapstick. Per­ Over 70 others wait for planes haps interpreting such an to take off or disembark dur­ overwhelming number of ing the course of the play, characters makes it impos­ offering slice-of-life answers sible to avoid losing some to the question. They range dimensions. from two hot-to-trot senior As a comedy, the pro­ citizens meeting through a duction is exceptional. personal ad to obnoxious Outside of a few lighting national hockey team cham­ and sound cue glitches on pions to soap-operatic air­ opening night, there was plane personnel lovers. New also a great use of sound characters and stories crop and music. It certainly went up every scene; each flowing beyond simple mood music seamlessly into another short or set change distraction. vignette. The play moves be­ Repeated songs like "Girl tween the mundane and the from Ipanema" were so fantastical, from the silly to deftly cued that just hear­ the serious. ing them got the audience The most impressive feat giggling. TNC's space was is that only six actors play all also revamped for the set, these characters. All make which shifted the theatre 90 startling and believable degrees around— audience transformations. The six are members must walkthrough gifted comedic actors, and the set to get to their seat. director Kara Fletcher was This effect, combined with smart to draw out the physi­ the luggage drop chute that cal comedy both in the script went straight through the and in addition to it. Much use is made of extremely NATEVANDERWEED audience, thrusts viewers drawn-out sequences which Let's check out the mile-high club, baby. My cockpit or yours?" straight into the story.

If it's too early in the involve no dialogue or plot development but are absolutely hilarious, such as those featur­ season or too embarrassing to rent Love, Actually, head across campus to TNC and check out an earlier and funnier take on ing the 1980s Dwight-style glasses-wearing janitor mopping the airport floor inch by meticulous inch. The over-the-top ap­ airport encounters. There you can feed your people-watcher's appetite for"public drumrolls"—juicy private dramas that take proach provides side-splitting results, but at the expense of some nuance and variety. Shields'writing has sharp and bitter­ place in public. ■ sweet sincerity embedded in it, yet this interpretation bills the Departures and Arrivals shows 8 p.m. Oct. 29 to Nov. 1 at play as pure comedy, with little dramatic relief outside of some powerful but rare moments of real tension or honest tender­ TNC theatre (Morrice Hall, 3485 McTavish). Admission is $10 for adults and $ 6 for students and seniors. ness. It's too bad, because scenes like the first half ofthe'lotus-

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18 • Arts & Entertainment • 28.10.08

The McGill Tribu

CD Reviews

FILM Mobile. Tales From the City.

Local 514-ers Mobile have just released Tales From the City, their second fulllength album. Formally known as Moonraker, Mo­ bile has risen to critical suc­ cess in the past couple of years with their first album,

Tomorrow

Starts

The original sci-fi dweeb Docum entary portrays British writer's crazy life and creeptastic horror stories

Today,

which helped the band win a Juno Award for New Group of the Year. Luckily for their fans, Mobile has stayed true to their original sound. The new album sounds exactly like a Mobile album should— spacey and distorted, with indie rock undertones and pop rock hooks. The first single, "The Killer," is strong and pop-y, but is dwarfed in comparison to the rhythmic potential in the second single, "Gravity," which features a chorus that's sure to get stuck in your head. Another standout track is "Slow Motion Car Crash," which features reverberating elec­ tronic effects and distorted backing vocals built on a solid rock foundation. Tales From the City is a strong sophomore release from this Montreal band, and definitely deserves to be enjoyed from start to finish.

- Kyle Carpenter The Creepshow. Run For

Your Life.

Most people probably can't say that they've listened to a psychobilly band before.

But if you have, then you probably already know about The Creepshow, a female-fronted Torontobased band that has just released their second album, Run For Your Life.

For those who don't know what psychobilly is, imagine rockabilly (country-based rock n' roll) on speed. Run For Your Life is a witch's brew of rockabilly, hard rock, and punk.

Standout songs include the title track, "Buried Alive," and "Demon Lover."The album marks the debut of lead singer Sarah "Sin" Blackwood, who recently took over vocals from her sister who was featured on the first album. One draw­ back of the album is its repetitiveness. But if you like one song, chances are you'll like the rest. Similar to rock god­ fathers Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne, The Creepshow's horror persona adds a fun and engrossing element to their music and stage presence, kind of like a bad slasher movie you just can't stop watching. If you're up for some fiendish fun this month, then grab a copy of Run For Your Life, just in time for Halloween.

-Kyle Carpenter Oasis. Dig Out Your Soul.

Sometimes change is a good thing. Prolific British rock group Oasis' seventh album, Dig Out Your Soul, of­ fers fans something differ­ ent from their past albums, and has already gained widespread praise in the music world. Lead vocalist Noel Gallagher proclaimed that he wanted to "throw the kitchen sink at" this album, which has a new sound that's slightly more aggressive and less acoustic— showing a definite evolution from the band's hit album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory!. The album's first single,"The Shock of the Lightning" is infectious and memorable, but is eclipsed by several other notable tracks, including "Waiting for the Rapture"and the slower tune "Falling Down."The group ex­ periments with psychedelic tones à la Magical Mystery Tour with "(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady" and "To Be Where There's Life"—just one example of the Beatles' influence that pervades the album. As the album's title suggests, many of the songs' lyrics contain a philosophical slant— most notably in "The Nature of Reality"— filling the album with a depth and continuity that carries its energy through to the end. This album confirms Oasis' status as one of the most significant contributors to the contemporary rock scene. Whether you're a diehard Oasis fan or have some­ how managed to avoid their increasingly pervasive rock influence, Dig Out Your Soul is an album to listen to over and over again in its entirety, in order to feel the strong emotion that the group puts into each track. These Brits continue to build their growing legacy with an album that doesn't disappoint.

-Carolyn Grégoire

L ukas S am uelson For those who have heard nothing about H. P. Lovecraft before going to see the documentary Lovecraft: Fear of the Un­ known, all you really need to know is that he was a super-weird guy who loved to write creepy short stories back in the early 1900's. The documentary itself does a fantastic job of creating an eerie vibe similar to that of his stories, inducing a bad case of the willies almost immediately in its viewers. The entire film— from the narration to the background music to the photo montage— is supremely unnerving. The commentary by Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) and Neil Gaiman (2007's Beowulf) is especially insightful. Fortunately, all the contributors are refreshingly ob­ jective, and prevent the documentary from becoming a Love­ craft love-fest. Each is brutally straightforward in regards to the writer's rampant xenophobia, general ineptness, and the influ­ ence of his traumatic childhood on his writing.

The documentary is a stylized video-biography which pauses to talk about Lovecraft's works and his evolution as a writer. Lovecraft's bizarre existence lends a fascinating storyline to the documentary. Both of Lovecraft's parents succumbed to psychosis caused by syphilis, and he refused to work for a liv­ ing. Lovecraft believed that he was an Anglo-Saxon gentleman, so despite suffering through periods of poverty, he never took a real job, besides writing short stories. Although he was mar­ ried for a few years, there is much speculation that Lovecraft was asexual, which could account for his writing being devoid of any sex or romance.

If you have never read any of Lovecraft's works, then your appetite for his strange brand of horror will probably be whet­ ted after viewing the documentary. Good baroque writing is tough to come by nowadays, and his brand of psychological horror, though now formulaic and clichéd after being done for decades, really gets to the centre of what generates fear in hu­ mans.

Lovecraft's legacy is his brainchild creature "Cthulu," which

isbest described as an enormous humanoid

squid-man with a tentacle-cov­ ered head. Love­ craft's demon­ octopus was supposedly an analogy for God and Satan— both a creator and destroyer.

Regardless of Lovecraft's in­ tentions for the fictional being, Cthulu has become the subject of the "Cthulhu Mythos," a uni­ verse created by Lovecraft's contemporaries and followers in their own writings.

Is Lovecraftian literature particularly relevant to today's a’ erage university student? Hell no. But the documentary is corr pelling, and if you have an interest in macabre short stories c their reclusive Anglophile authors, you will probably get a kic out of Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown. ■ Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown plays at Cinema du Parc Ot tober3i, November 7, and November 2.

M U SIC

A band worth talking about Local darlings rise above the buzz on new album

and a powerful rhythm foundation that grounds the whole al fair, Land of Talk's jazz background (the founding members me Members of Montreal-based Land of Talk, especially front through Concordia's jazz program) often shows through thei woman Elizabeth Powell, are just coming out of a tough period. fresh approach to rock.

Recently, Powell not only sprained her ankle but also lost her Their recently released album, Some are Lakes, was pro voice, which forced Land of Talk to cancel a series of shows. The duced by Justin Vernon of Bon Iverfame and recorded in Arcadi timing couldn't have been worse for the band, who are current­ Fire's church studio. Vernon has evolved Land of Talk's sounc ly promoting their newly released album, Some are Lakes. making it less crowded while retaining the essence of Applause However, it seems The track "It's Okay" i that the trying times a simple and earnes are coming to an end, song that would hav< as Powell's voice has been out of place or just returned. With their first album.

Powell on vocals and All things consid guitar, Chris McCarron ered, Land of Talk is ar on bass, and EricThiboexcellent group that ha: deau on drums, Land released two stellar al of Talk will be open­ bums and is continuint ing on Halloween for to improve. Rather thar Broken Social Scene, simply rehashing the whose ever-growing, sound that got people ever-changing roster interested in the first Powell is also a mem­ place, they understand ber of. what they do well and Land of Talk's have expertly refined debut EP Applause it. Too many bands tr> Cheer Boo Hiss was re­ to remake their firsi leased in 2006, and album over and over definitely got people again. But Land of Talk talking. The album Powell lands back in Montreal on Halloween.

NIKI HYDE has proved that they're made an immediate not like the rest. A greal impact by taking the basic components of any rock band: vo­ band for anyone who likes straight rock 'n' roll, they work hard cals, guitar, bass and drums, and putting them together beau­ and have the sound— and injuries— to prove it. ■ tifully. Powell's voice is amazing. You can't go wrong with the daughter of North America's first female alligator wrestler; clear, Land of Talk plays at Metropolis on October 31. piercing and full of emotion, Powell always sings like she's on the verge of breaking up with a lover. Backed up by sassy guitar D avid C o stello

28.10.08-The McGill Tribune - 19

www.mcgilltribune.com

T H EA T R E

The dream reveals the reality Life is a Dreamoffers existential musings and a full range of human emotions R enee S utton Successfully adapting the work of classic writers is a challeng­ ing task. Director Alison Darcy should be recognized for continuing to give modern audiences the chance to see historically significant plays. Playing now at the Centaur theatre, Darcy's version of Pedro Calderon de la Barca's 17th century play Life is a Dream was both a learning experience and a beautifully crafted performance.

The play tells the story of a prince who has been imprisoned his entire life because of a prophecy that he will become a tyrant if put in power. Yet with the king starting to feel his age and no other heirs to hand the kingdom to, the prince is released for one day trial-run at ruling the kingdom, hoping to disprove what fate has dictated for him.

Strongly influenced by expressionism, this performance is an immediate eye-catcher. The idea of dreams versus reality is made immediately apparent through the set design and costumes. The sets are well-calculated but simplistic, allowing the flamboyant wardrobes to become even more apparent. In doing this, Darcy also intended to present a certain historical context. "When it was first performed, the costumes would have been extremely lavish, and we tried to go with that idea," Darcy explained.

Though a somewhat modernized adaptation of Calderon's play, Darcy's work is stiJI very true to the primary text, particularly when it comes to dialogue."The original Spanish version is actually not in iambic pentameter, as it is usually read,''she explained. "The translation we worked with is actually much closer to the original."

Darcy successfully uses the language as a way to emphasize the eccentricities of the characters and the story itself. Poetic wording is countered with a more inflammatory and fast-paced rhythm, re­ sulting in a dialogue that is simultaneously fluid and thrilling.

Each character expresses the intensity of extreme human emotion in a most stirring manner. Everything from love, rage, and complete madness is put forth with explosive dramatics, although the actors manage to maintain a natural quality.

The perfor­ mance forces its audience to con­ sider some of life's most difficult questions— what it means to love and be loved, whether fate can be changed or escaped, how to trust the validity of one's existence, and how to survive life's never-ending un­ certainties.

Darcy succeeds in piec­ ing these issues together in an intel­ ligent and compel­ ling way.

While Darcy's work focusses on displaying the hor­ KARL GRABOSHAS rors we face as He's dreaming that she wasn't so loud. human beings, a consistent comedic edge shines through, evoking laughter from the audience. "No matter what happens, even if things get really painful, you just have to laugh!" Darcy says.

The play's conclusion leaves the audience deliberating the boundaries of reality. "Life in reality is a dream," Darcy says. "And in dreams, everything inside you is reflected into this recognizable vi­ sual story.That's what I wanted to show on the stage." ■ Life is a Dream plays at Centaur Theatre until November 7 .

1

•

October 3 0 - November 1 For those too old to trick-or-treat Thursday: Comedy. Hellavator. New come­ dy by award-winning playwright Ned Cox about getting stuck in an elevator in which there's no way to go but down. Plan to be amused and afraid at the same time. 3861 st. Laurent.

Friday: Musical Theatre. Fini Les Bonbons!!.

Musical improvisers The Halloween Quintet and The Zubot/Ceccarelli Duo present a festive, masked evening. 356 Mont-Royal East.

Friday: Music. Broken Social Scene. The prolific Juno Award-winning collective indie rock band plays at Metropolis with opening band Land of Talk. Tricks and treats will abound.

Friday: Film. Zack and Miri Make a Porno.

Zack and Miri are best friends who are short on money. The title explains the rest. Seth Rogan naked may be the scariest thing you see this Hal­ loween.

Saturday: Monster trucks. Monster spec­ tacular. Witness the tenth annual demolition of the Olympic Stadium. Sure to be a monster mash-up!

CO N CERTS L E A D E R S H IP T R A IN IN G P R O G R A M

Leadership Skills Developm ent W orkshops

Leadership - F M c G ill L e a d e r s h ip T r a in in g

P ro g ra m

F ir s t - Y e a r O ffic e

If you a re a student involved in campus activities as an executive, o rg an ize r or event planner, you q u a lify for the Leadership Training Program ’s FREE Skills and Developm ent W orkshops.

D evelop and build your lead ersh ip skills. Attend a minimum of five workshops throughout 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 acad em ic y e a r and receive a certificate of completion.

Th is November, check out...

* Balancing Act of School, Work & Social Life Tuesday, November 4, 5 :30-7:30pm Having a tough time juggling all of your differen t school, work and social commitments? Take steps tow ards a more b alanced life by attending this practical workshop focusing on time m anagement tips and strategies.

* Com m unications Skills for Dealing with Different Personalities Thursday, November 13, 5 :30-7:30pm Is there a clash in personalities in your organization or club? Learn techniques and strategies that will allow you to handle difficult conversations and difficult p eople with skill and confidence.

R e g istra tio n fo r W o r k s h o p s :

In person, one week in advance, on a first-come, first-served basis, in the First-Year Office.

Calgary-based Michael Bernard Fitzgerald brought his upbeat indie rock to Trois Minots on October 21.

NIKI HYDE

For more info, drop by the First-Year Office in the Brown

Building, Suite 2100, or call 514-398-6913

S ports S O C C E R — M A R TLET S 4, C O N C O R D IA 0

McGill rolls on to the conference playoffs Mounicot's Martlets end season with a resounding win over Stingers J acob K anter A roller coaster regular season ended at its peak on Sun­ day as the McGill Martlets defeated the Concordia Stingers 4-0 at Concordia Stadium. The Martlets'win was their fifth in a row— their longest winning streak of the season— and vault­ ed them into the Quebec conference playoffs, where they'll face the top-ranked University of Montreal Carabins. The vic­ tory improved the Martlets'record to 9-4-1 and secured them a fourth-place finish in the Quebec conference. Concordia finished in seventh place at 1-11-2.

"With the game being the last game of the season, that gave us some motivation," said Martlets Captain Tania Giannone. "We came together and made sure that we played a good game in preparation for the upcoming playoffs."

A dominant victory The Stingers managed very few quality scoring opportu­ nities, and only once did the ball have a real chance of hitting the back of the net. Midway through the first half, with the score at 0-0, Stinger defender Andrea Davidson took a free kick from just outside the McGill box which sent Martlet goal­ keeper Anne-Catherine Huot diving to her left. Huot barely got her fingertips on the ball, which sailed wide of the goal.

The Martlets took over from that point on, squashing the Stingers' hopes for an upset.

Rookie forward Alexandra Morin-Boucher was the star for the Martlets. She came off the bench soon after the free kick and immediately put her stamp on the game. With 13 minutes left in the first half, Morin-Boucher took a centering pass in the Stingers' box, and forced a Stinger to pull her to the ground while dribbling towards free space. Midfielder Vanessa Salasky converted the ensuing penalty kick to open the scoring for McGill.

Morin-Boucher struck again three minutes later, taking a beautiful long pass on the left side field, just outside the Stingers' box. As defenders rushed at her from the side, Con­ cordia goalkeeper Fanny Berthiaume made the mistake of charging at Morin-Boucher, who calmly lofted the ball over the netminder's head. Berthiaume changed direction, but to no avail, as the ball bounced four times before crossing the goal line.

"With her speed, she offers us a lot more options," said McGill Head Coach Marc Mounicot of the prized rookie for­ ward, who could not play for the full 90 minutes all season due to an Achilles injury. "She had a good season, but she should have a better one next year."

With six goals this season, Morin-Boucher is tied for the lead among rookies, and sits fourth overall in the Quebec

Martlet defender Kathleen Wakeling made sure that the Stingers were always one step behind on Sunday. conference scoring race.The freshman sniper also helped set up the Martlets' other two goals against Concordia. She was fouled in the box 15 minutes into the second half, which led to a Magalie Kolker penalty goal— her eighth of the season.

With 20 minutes remaining, Morin-Boucher dribbled through the defence, charged at Berthiaume, and fired a shot that the keeper couldn't handle. The rebound came right to forward Christina Di Caprio, who made no mistake in blasting the ball past Berthiaume's outstretched arms.

Picking up steam The Martlets have underachieved for much of the sea­ son, and at one point seemed in danger of missing the play­ offs for the first time in team history. But the squad is com­ ing together at the right time, and is on a roll heading into

the playoffs. The Martlets have won seven of their last eight games, including a 2-0 home victory over the University of Montreal on October 17— the Carabins’ lone loss this season.

"In the past five or six games, we've really picked it up," said Salasky. "We've finally gotten some momentum and started clicking."

Though they will be underdogs against Montreal, the Martlets are confident that holding a victory in the last meet­ ing between the two teams will help give them the upper hand.

"We're expecting a pretty rough game,"said Giannone of the upcoming semifinal, to be played this Friday at 6:30 p.m. at CEPSUM sports complex. "But we're going to go in with the same spirit, the same mental strength, and the same tactical strategy [as we did in our last game]." ■

TH IR D M AN IN

Confronting the problem head on veryone loves a trainwreck, especially in the sporting world. Pure athleticism and artistry have their mo­ ments, but there's nothing quite as exhilarating as a big hit or a fight. To reiterate the argument Don Cherry has been using to support fighting in hockey for the last 20 years: look at the crowd when two players drop their gloves— there usually isn't a single person sitting down.

But trainwrecks have consequences. When two 200plus pound men collide, the force generated can be in ex­ cess of 150 Gs. For the sake of comparison, a typical roller­ coaster generates about 5 Gs, while a barrel roll in an F-i6 fighter jet will register about 9 Gs. Surprisingly, an athlete can withstand such devastating force. As long as the im­ pact of a hit is well distributed, a player's equipment will dissipate much of the energy and his body will absorb the rest. But when the energy is concentrated on a vulnerable area— like the head— the results of a collision can be cata­ strophic.

Take, for example, Carolina Hurricanes rookie Brandon Sutter, who spent Saturday night in a New York hospital with a severe concussion after a devastating hit by the Is­ landers'Doug Weight. Sutter, while skating into the neutral zone during Saturday's game, attempted to poke the puck past an onrushing Weight. But in doing so, he lowered his

E

head. The Islanders'centre, who had a full head of steam, caught the youngster flush on the jaw with his shoulder, knocking Sutter out. Weight didn't leave his feet and kept his shoulder tucked in. Therefore, according to the NHL, it was a clean hit. No penalty and no suspension—just scrape Sutter off the ice and keep playing.

Now, I'm not saying that Weight had any malicious in­ tent in mind when he hit Sutter. His body check was a far cry from some of the more recent flagrant head shots— for example, the Rangers' Colton Orr's cheap shot on the Hur­ ricanes'Matt Cullen, or the Devils'Cam Janssen's late hit on the Leafs' Tomas Kaberle— but Weight's hit left a promis­ ing young star with an injury that may affect him for the rest of his life. The NHL, like the NFL, has a serious problem with debilitating concussions. But unlike Roger Goodell's league, the NHL won't even pretend to address the issue.

Those who believe that driving one's shoulder into an opponent's head should remain legal often say that a checking-to-the-head penalty would take hitting out of the game. It wouldn't. If the NHL were to adopt a rule that would assess a minor penalty and a game misconduct for "incidental"contact, or a major penalty and a game miscon­ duct for severe head-hunting, the players would be able to adapt to a new style of hitting. I liken it to the checking-

M att

C hesser

from-behind rule in minor hockey, where any checks on an opponent's back incur an automatic game misconduct, whether they are intentional or not. Occasionally a player gets thrown out of a game for a minor infraction, but the game is safer because players think twice before they hit someone from behind. If the NHL determines malicious intent on a hit to the head, heavy suspensions would have to go hand-in-hand with a rule change. This has been im­ plemented in a similar form in both minor hockey and the OHL with encouraging results.

Fanatic devotion to a sport comes with some interest­ ing tradeoffs. In exchange for spending obscene amounts of money to support multi-million dollar corporations and grown men who play games, fans demand the right to treat players like cattle. Just because NHL players make millions of dollars doesn't mean that they should face un­ necessary risk. Wouldn't seeing fewer devastating open ice hits be worth another five years of Eric Lindros in his prime (before he became a concussion-plagued shell of his for­ mer self)?

As long as the fans and the league stand behind these "legal" headshots, players will keep throwing hits to the head. They know that nothing catches a spectator's atten­ tion more than a trainwreck. ■

28.10.08-Sports-21

www.mcgilltribune.com

S O C C E R — RED M EN 3, C O N C O R D IA 3

Sports Briefs Redmen triumph in nation's capital The Redmen basketball team swept three games over the weekend :o win the Jack Donohue Memorial Tip-Off Tournament in Ottawa. The Redmen got easy victories over the University of Guelph on Friday and the Jniversity of Prince Edward Island on Saturday, setting the table for the gold medal game against the University of Ottawa on Sunday.

SG Matt Thornhill sank a three-pointer with only 16.6 seconds remainng to put away the host Gee-Gees, who were ranked eighth in the country at the beginning of the tournament.

The Redmen were led, as usual, by PG Moustafa El Zanaty and PF Sean Anthony, who was named tournament MVP. Anthony played all 40 minjtes and logged his second-straight double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Anthony racked up 73 points, 31 rebounds, and 10 steals over the weekend.

El Zanaty gave Anthony a run for his money, however. In his second year with the Redmen, the sharpshooting guard scored 24 points against Ottawa before fouling out, and tallied a tournament-high 81 points over the three games.

McGill's preseason record is now 7-4, including wins over two ranked opponents (the University of Toronto being the other) and a victory over the University of Virginia on August 31. The win over the Cavaliers was McGill's first against an NCAA Division I opponent in 23 years.The Redmen have three more non-conference games on the road this weekend before the regular season gets underway on November 14.

Fielding a competitive squad The Martlets Field Hockey team was rewarded for marked improve­ ment this season, as two players and two coaches were honoured among the 2008 Ontario University Athletics field hockey All-Stars. Jean-Pierre Turpain and Laurent Fayen became the first McGill coaches to receive Coach of the Year honours from theOUA, while goaltender Shauna Kearns and rookie midfielder Camille St. Cyr were named second-team All-Stars.

Turpain and Fayen turned around a dismal program this season, as the Martlets won their first game in three seasons and finished with a 1-10-3 re­ cord. The Martlets lost five games by only one goal, and with a foundation of solid players and Coaches of the Year at the helm, the Martlets should compete for years to come.

A not-so grand finale

Redmen salvage tie to end regular season J acob K anter The seventh-ranked McGill Redmen ended one of their most successful regular seasons on a disheart­ ening note, tying the last-place Concordia Stingers 3-3 at Concordia Field on Sunday afternoon. The draw left a bitter taste in the Redmen's mouths as they began to prepare for their Quebec semifinal game against the Laval Rouge et Or this weekend.

A disappointing result The Redmen had many scoring chances through­ out the game, but their inability to convert left them demoralized for much of the second half. The mood worsened when, with the game tied at 2-2 midway through the second half, McGill defender Graeme Tingey was sent off with a red card for violently pull­ ing down a Stinger at midfield. Minutes later, the ball bounded towards the Concordia goal, but goalkeeper Kyle Prillo-Guaiani knocked the ball downfield before the Redmen could do anything with it. Stinger for­ ward Alfred Moody took the ball in stride at midfield, dribbled for a few yards, and lifted it over the out­ stretched arms of McGill goalkeeper Olivier Boulva who had rushed at the oncoming striker. Boulva could only watch as the ball bounced into the net.

Though the Stingers seemed to have seized the game's momentum, the Redmen were able to keep pressure on the Concordia defence. With only four minutes remaining, midfielder Sami Obaïd sent a long pass from the right sideline into Concordia's box.

Miscommunication between the Stinger defenders allowed freshman forward Michael Stein to pick up the ball, dribble to his left, and fire a shot past PrilloGuaiani for the equalizer.

"We had to double our effort when [Tingey] picked up the red card, and we managed to tie," said Obaïd. "But I think we should have won. This game was ours. But we didn't give [the effort] that we are capable of giving. We can play better than that. We were disappointed."

McGill Head Coach Philippe Eullaffroy was able to glean some positives from the game, but was still distressed at his team's performance.

"It was a good [sign] to push the way we did at the end of the game with only 10 players on the field," said Eullaffroy. "We even had a chance to win the game, but we didn't deserve better than a tie today. It's really disappointing ... because [the players] didn't listen at all to what we told them about these kinds of games.

We played only 15 decent minutes. It was a shame."

Frustrating first half The Redmen seemed to have the Stingers' num­ ber early in the first half. 13 minutes into the game,

midfielder Jeremy Hurdle found himself in some open space, and lofted a shot from 30 yards out that barely cleared the fingertips of Concordia goalkeeper Daniel De Palma, who started the game. The Redmen kept attacking, and were rewarded six minutes later when Obaïd curved a free kick around a Stinger wall that snuck in between a diving De Palma and the right goalpost.

But the Stingers responded five minutes later, when defender Bryan Bourbonnais took a pass in the box, turned away from his defender, and fired a pointblank shot past McGill goalkeeper Michael Faustini, who started the game for the Redmen. The Sting­ ers kept the pressure on for the rest of the half, and it seemed as if the halftime score would be 2-1, after Faustini turned away a shot by midfielder Aref Amiri by making a sprawling save during stoppage time.

But stoppage time was extended due to a violent col­ lision between De Palma and McGill midfielder Cory Marcon, which stopped play for five minutes earlier in the half and brought Prillo-Guaiani in the game.

The Stingers made the extra time count when de­ fender Kouyabe Ignegongba emerged from a crowd right in front of the Redmen goal to convert a header from a throw-in by defender David Stefanovich.

"It's not the way we wanted to end the season, that's for sure," said McGill Captain James Scholefield.

"And it's not the way we wanted to prepare for our playoff game. So we have to regroup this week, focus, train hard, and forget about this game."

Looking ahead The draw at Concordia did not affect McGill's standing in the Quebec conference— the Redmen would face Laval in the playoffs regardless of the game's outcome— but as a result of his red card, McGill will be without Tingey in their semifinal game, which is to be played at Molson Stadium at 7 p.m. this Friday. "[It will be] a completely different game [against Laval]," said Obaïd. "If we play like we did today, it's going to be over for us. So we have to step it up, we have to talk, we have to practice, we have to give 100 per cent, and if we do, [Laval] won't have a chance against us."

The matchup against the Rouge et Or, who had been the second-ranked team in the country at the beginning of the season, promises to be an evenlymatched and entertaining affair, despite Tingey's ab­ sence. The Redmen will try to replace the memory of the Concordia game with that of their two shutout wins against Laval this season. The Redmen won 2-0 at home on September 26, and beat the Rouge et Or 1-0 in Quebec one week later. ■

EARNYO URTEACHINGDIPLOM AIN: ■Languages: English, French and Spanish ■TESOL, TFSOL and TSSOL Diploma ■Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Math ■Science Teaching Diploma ■Arts and Music Teaching Diploma ■Teaching Phys. Ed. and Aerobics ■Sports Coaching Diploma / Dance Instructor ■Translation Diploma Simply having your Arts and Science degrees, or being an expert in Music and Sports, does not qualify you as a Teacher. You can now earn your teaching diploma toward a rewarding career.

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0. #404 8 7B 7 (5 1 4 ) 9 3 5 ww w .e<*ucationcanadacolle9e-cam

JOHN KELSEY The Redmen won most of the battles against Concordia on Sunday, but that wasn't reflected in the score.

22 • Sports • 28.10.08

The McGill Tribun

NBA PREV IEW

The McGill Tribune: Your definitive source for

If you took the above headline seriously, then you clearly haven't been P A C IFIC Los Angeles Lakers: The defending Western Con­ ference champions will now have a healthy C Andrew Bynum to pair with PF Pau Gasol, a tandem that no team will be able to defend in the low post. They also have a SG by the name of Kobe Bryant. As long as Bynum stays healthy, this team is the odds-on fa­ vourite to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy in June. SF Lamar Odom will have to deal with being the fourth scoring op­ tion, or even possibly coming off the bench.

Phoenix Suns: With the departure of Head Coach Mike D'Antoni, the "seven seconds or less" era is over in Phoe­ nix. The Suns should improve defensively with his replace­ ment Terry Porter, but age is not on their side— Steve Nash is 3 4 while Shaquille O'Neal is 36. Nash will have trouble keeping up with younger PGs like Chris Paul. Given Shaq's recent health issues, first round pick Robin Lopez will see meaningful minutes.

Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers signed PG Baron Davis to a five-year deal and stole C Marcus Camby from Denver for a second round pick. Camby and C Chris Kaman form an imposing duo of seven-footers, and talented swingman Al Thornton is now the starting SF on this athletic team, but Davis will be the Clippers' motor. Will Davis re­ vert to his playoff form from two seasons ago, or will the distractions of LA cause him to lose focus?

Golden State Warriors: The loss of G Monta Ellis, the team's most explosive player, for at least 30 games is a massive blow to the Warriors. The acquisition of SG Corey Maggette somewhat alleviates the sting of Ellis'injury. Marcus Williams will take over for Baron Davis at PG, while PF An­ dris Biedrins returns after leading the league in field goal percentage. However, look for the Warriors to miss out on the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Sacramento Kings: The Kings are in complete rebuild­ ing mode, and it will be interesting to see who steps up among youngsters like G Beno Udrih, and swingmen Francisco Garcia and John Salmons. SG Kevin Martin, one of the league's best-kept secrets, will carry this team, but the loss of Ron Artest will be devastating, as the Kings no longer have a perimeter defender to guard their oppo­ nents' best player. Look for Donte Greene, a 6 'io" swingman with three-point range, to make an impact.

— Jon Rubenstein

SO U TH W EST

N O R TH W EST

Houston Rockets: With the offseason acquisition of SG Brent Barry and SF Ron Artest, SG Tracy McGrady might finally crack his first round glass ceiling this year. With Artest on the perimeter and C Yao Ming inside, the Rockets will boast a stingy defence. IfYao and T-Mac can stay healthy, the Rockets could easily be playing deep into May and June.

Utah Jazz: The Jazz didn't make any waves this offseason, but the Olympic ex­ perience that PG Deron Williams and PF Carlos Boozer bring to the team is enough to make them the top squad in the Northwest. With those two superstars and a host of quality role-players, expect Head Coach Jerry Sloan and company to make the jump from good to great this year. Utah is a solid sleeper pick to crash the Finals.

New Orleans Hornets: After PG Chris Paul's breakout season, there's no denying he is the league's best point guard (apologies to Nash-loving Canadians). The addi­ tion of SF James Posey will help this team's defence and character, which were strong to begin with.The Hornets are young, athletic, and continuing to improve. More importantly, they don't have any glaring weaknesses.

San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs' dominant run will end this season. Any team that features PF Tim Duncan on the floor and Head Coach Gregg Popovich on the bench will compete, but age has caught up with San Antonio, who play in the NBA's toughest division. They will miss SG Brent Barry more than they expected, but Duncan will carry the team through tough times. The Spurs will make the playoffs, but expect a severe drop-off.

Dallas Mavericks: New Head Coach Rick Carlisle is not going to solve the Mavs' problems. The team just isn't talented enough to be a contender. PG Jason Kidd, now 35-years-old, doesn't quite fit on this roster, and is worndown after several years of stellar basketball. Getting C DeSagana Diop back at centre will certainly help the defence, but PF Dirk Nowitzki doesn't strike fear into opponents' hearts like he used to. They'll go no farther than the first round of the playoffs.

Memphis Grizzlies: The addition of SG O.J. Mayo is huge— he adds swagger and athleticism to a team lack­ ing in both. SF Rudy Gay and PG Mike Conley, along with Mayo form a strong backcourt and will lead this team for years to come, but the frontcourt is still a gap­ ing hole.They'll improve from last year, but don't expect to see Memphis anywhere near the playoffs.

— Pat Trinh

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Portland Trail Blazers: The Blazers are just nasty. Head Coach Nate McMillan has two studs in SG Brandon Roy and PF LaMarcus Aldridge, a bench stacked with could-be : starters, and three players who will compete for Rookie of the Year. It's hard for Blazer fans to contain their excite­ ment, and even harder for the rest of the league to con­ tain its fear. Health permitting, Portland will turn some heads in the playoffs this year, and contend for the cham­ pionship in the near future. ; Denver Nuggets: Head Coach George Karl's squad is still | so stacked with talent that it's easy to forget the biggest front office blunder of the summer: trading Defensive I Player of the Year Marcus Camby to the Clippers. The j return on Camby— a higher second-round pick— didn't I do much to inspire confidence in the Denver brass. With trade talk swirling around PG Allen Iverson and SF Carme| lo Anthony during the offseason, there is the sense that j all is not well in the Mile High City.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Yes, Minny has a potential AllStar in C Al Jefferson. Yes, rookie PF Kevin Love will pro­ duce in the paint. Yes, SG Mike Miller can shoot the lights out. But the young T-Wolves are still years away from play­ off contention, though they will give teams a tough time this year. Whether or not they finish close to .500 hinges on the development and durability of PG Randy Foye.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Oklahoma City— wow, it feels i strange writing that—-will challenge Cleveland for the title of "Team That Depends on One Player the Most" this year. SF Kevin Durant has improved and will put up big numbers, but honestly, this is a JV team even with Durant.

The crying from Seattle will be louder than the noise that the Thunder make this season.

— Kailan Leung

SO U TH EA ST Orlando Magic: Orlan­ do's frontcourt remains one of the best in the NBA, spearheaded

by C Dwight Howard.

He's backed up by the steady presence of SF HedoTurkoglu and the three-point shooting of SG Rashard Lewis. The team lost depth in the backcourt when Keyon Dooling bolted for the Nets, but SF Mickael Pietrus is a welcome injection of perimeter defence. Barring injury, the Magic will improve upon last season's success, and should easily win their division.

Miami Heat: Merely having a healthy SF Shawn Marion and

SG Dwyane Wade for an entire season should be enough to let Miami compete for a playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference. SF Michael Beasley, a Rookie of the Year candi­ date, will score in bunches and improve the Heat's dismal offence from last season. If either Mario Chalmers, Chris Quinn, or Marcus Banks establishes himself as a depend­ able point guard, this team will surprise the naysayers.

tunately, Atlanta lost PF Josh Childress to a Greek club and will struggle to replace his athleticism off the bench. Like the Wizards, the Hawks didn't make any significant addi­ tions this offseason, and are hoping that the development of SF Marvin Williams, SF Josh Smith, and PF Al Horford will help them keep pace in the Southeast. The playoffs are in reach, but Childress' departure will make it difficult.

Washington Wizards: With SG Gilbert Arenas out until the winter and C Brendan Haywood done for the season, Wash­ ington will have to rely on SF Caron Butler and SG Antawn Jamison even more. With no significant additions (unless you consider PG Juan Dixon "significant"), the Wizards are hoping for C Andray Blatche to develop and Arenas to get healthy. With a little luck and a lot of health, this team should be able to squeak into the playoffs.

Charlotte Bobcats: Despite a young roster brimming with potential, Owner Michael Jordan does not have the Bob­ cats headed in the right direction. Head Coach Larry Brown is fresh off a disaster in New York, and rookie D.J. Augus­ tin will compete with Raymond Felton— one of Charlotte's best players— for time at point guard. PF Sean May and SF Adam Morrison may be returning from injuries, but they have yet to succeed in the NBA. Charlotte fans might be wise to hope for a ton of losses and the firstoverall pick.

Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks pushed the Celtics to seven playoff games last May, and are full of young talent. Unfor­

— Jon Gregory

28.10.08-Sports *23

www.mcgilltribune.com

NBA information since 2008 reading this newspaper for very long CEN TRA L

for an astounding statistical season. * Chicago Bulls: Unproven rookie Head Coach Vinny Del Negro finds himself in a less-than-ideal situation in Chicago. The Bulls are chock full of tal­ ent, but are fundamentally unbalanced. Since SG Ben Gordon signed a one-year qualifying offer in the offseason, he could be dangled as trade bait.

The Bulls need to move him for a low-post scorer.

The key to the team's success will be the first over­ all pick in the draft, PG Derrick Rose.

* Detroit Pistons: The team that won it all in 2004 has kept their starting line-up virtually intact since, losing only C Ben Wallace in 2006. But after six straight trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, changes are afoot— new Head Coach Michael Curry replaces the polarizing Flip Saunders. With continued development from young players, spe­ cifically F Amir Johnson and PG Rodney Stuckey, this team has an exciting blend of youth and ex­ perience. * Cleveland Cavaliers: How can a team led by SF Lebron James be terrible offensively? Head Coach Mike Brown might finally have the tools to rectify that deficiency, in PG Mo Williams and rookie PF J.J. Hickson. Williams's ability to spread the ball around will open up the floor for James, who seems primed

Indiana Pacers: The Pacers addressed last year's shortcomings— cap space and the point guard spot— by trading C Jermaine O'Neal for PGTJ. Ford and C Rasho Nesterovic, both of whom will be able to jump into the starting line-up immediately. The Pacers are also hoping that 7'2" rookie C Roy Hibbert will fill the void left by O'Neal's departure.

Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks'offseason was full of much-deserved turnover. Milwaukee brought in disciplinarian Scott Skiles as head coach, as well as SF Richard Jefferson, PG Luke Ridnour, and SF Joe Alexander. Out went former head coach Larry Krystkowiak, PG Mo Williams, SF Desmond Mason, and SF Bobby Simmons. For this team to succeed, Jefferson and sharpshooting SG Michael Redd will have to light up the scoreboard, and C Andrew Bogut will need to continue improving.

O ND E C K Rugby— Concordia Stingers at McGill Redmen; Sunday, 1 p.m. at Molson Stadium The Redmen and Stingers will face off in a QSSF semifinal on Sunday I afternoon. Sean McCaffrey's Redmen are the top team in the Quebec conference, after posting a league-best 5-1 record and a point differen­ tial of plus-221. The Stingers are at the other end of the spectrum, winI less in six games and with a point differential of minus-97. The Redmen I outscored the Stingers 90-8 in two games this season, and should have no problem advancing to November 8 's conference final, in which they will face off against the winner of the Bishop's-Sherbrooke semifinal, to be played on Friday night. The winner of the QSSF playoffs will play the champion of the Atlantic league on the weekend of November 8 .

Lacrosse—Bishop's Gaiters at McGill Redmen; Saturday, 7 p.m. at I Forbes Field With wins in each of their last three games, McGill Head Coach Timo| thy Murdoch's"Cardiac Kids" rose towards the top ofa jam-packed East division to earn a home quarterfinal in the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association playoffs. The matchup will certainly be closely I contested, as the Gaiters and Redmen split two close games this year.

I Attackman Lukas LaCava will lead the Redmen in the sudden-death I battle against their divisional foes, and the winner will head to Mc­ Master University next weekend to take part in the Baggataway Cup, as one of the CUFLA's final four.

Where do ideas that change the world come from?

B Qugervs

— Sam Hunter

ATLAN TIC

of becoming an elite player. The Sixers hope that their abundant talent will make up for their roster's youth.

Boston Celtics: The reigning champs lost a lot of their toughness when they let go of SF James Posey, but the Celtics are still the favourites to win the East. Their rookies, C Semih Erden and guards Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens, have seen little action this preseason and figure to play minor roles, if any, this year. PF Kevin Garnett won't allow the champs to be content with just one title— this team will be strong once again.

Philadelphia 76 ers: The acquisition of PF Elton Brand immediately makes the Sixers a contender in the East. The duo of Brand and C Samuel Dalembert is going to be a matchup nightmare for op­ posing offences. SF Andre Iguodala has done well since Allen Iverson's departure, and is on the verge

Safer drugs, smarter energy In th e stu n n in g n e w C h e rn o ff H a ll c h e m is try b u ild in g ,

Toronto Raptors: Trading away TJ. Ford opens up the floor for the efficient PG Jose Calderon, who clearly established himself as a threat last season.

PF Andrea Bargnani and SF Jason Kapono give To­ ronto size on the perimeter, allowing them to cre­ ate more room inside. The addition of C Jermaine O'Neal gives Toronto the best frontcourt in the East with PF Chris Bosh. Those two must develop some chemistry if the Raptors are to advance to the sec­ ond round of the playoffs.

Dr. R ic h a rd O le s c h u k a n d h is stu d en ts h e lp w o r ld

New Jersey Nets: Don't expect big results from the Nets, who are in the midst of rebuilding. SF Vince Carter, whose career is on the decline, is the centrepiece of this team. However, the Nets have added some upside in C Yi Jianlian, and rookie C Brook Lopez has performed well in the preseason.

Lightning-fast Devin Harris will man the point and could make the all-star roster this season.

L o o k in g fo r a p la c e to p u t y o u r s e lf a n d y o u r

New York Knicks: With the arrival of Head Coach Mike D'Antoni and his run'n'gun system, the Knicks should be as entertaining on the court this season as they were off the court last season. But New York is still loaded with bad players and ridiculous contracts. Unless they get rid of C Eddy Curry and PG Stephon Marbury, expect another sub-25 win season, despite bright spots like PFs David Lee and Wilson Chandler.

— Pat Trinh

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S o m e o f Dr. O le sc h u k 's b ig g e s t b rea k th ro u gh s h a v e c o m e in liv e ly d iscu ssio n w it h h is students o n the p a tio at the G ra d u a te C lu b. H is a p p ro a ch is sim p le, an d e ffe c tiv e : " I d o n 't e v e r say n o to s o m eth in g a stu d en t w a n ts to try'.'

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