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News

The McGill Daily, Monday, September 28, 2009

The Federal Court of Canada announces that the security certificate against Charkaoui will be dropped. All restrictions on his activities are dropped and his GPS bracelet is removed.

Following a federal court ruling in February, Charkaoui is permitted to leave Montreal for the first time in six years.

In October, the government introduces new legislation on security certificates.

Charkaoui celebrates with the press after the new verdict.

Stephen Davis / The McGill Daily

3

2009 Flying home, the plane that Charkaoui and two Canadian Border Services agents are taking to Montreal is forced to return to Fredericton, New Brunswick by U.S. officials as it passes over American air space. The three then drive the 700 km back to Montreal.

2008 Parliament ratifies the legislation.

Charkaoui is issued a new security certificate, and still faces all the same bail conditions that he had faced under the prior law.

2007 The Supreme Court rules in February that security certificates are unconstitutional.

La Presse publishes leaked CSIS

Charkaoui mostly free Max Halparin News Writer

A

dil Charkaoui removed his GPS tracking bracelet from his ankle for the first time in four years, after Federal court Judge Daniele TremblayLamer dropped the restrictive bail conditions that have left him living under house arrest since 2005. The decision came midway through Charkaoui’s public hearing, held Thursday at the Federal Court in Old Montreal.

A permanent resident, Charkaoui spent two years in prison after he was arrested on suspicions of terrorism in 2003.

He was detained under Canada’s security certificate legislation, which permitted the federal government to detain him indefinitely or even deport him on secret evidence.

The judge’s announcement came in the wake of the federal government’s July 31 admission that the evidence in Charkaoui’s secret file was inadequate. Five months ago, federal lawyers retracted confidential wiretap evidence that had been used to implicate Charkaoui.

Charkaoui emerged from the courtroom flashing the peace sign, and said that he was extremely satisfied with Tremblay-Lamer’s decision. He also asked when the government officials responsible for his two-year detention – and subsequent four-year ordeal – would be held accountable for their mistakes, and the detriment they have caused to his life, reputation, and freedom.

“Today I’m celebrating,” Charkaoui said. “Though I hope we’re all going to talk about accountability.”

Johanne Doyon, Charkaoui’s lawyer, said that the security certificate issued against her client was wholly unreasonable, and that Charkaoui has been severely

stigmatized.

“Their ‘proof’ is empty,” Doyon said in French.

Judge Tremblay-Lamer allowed the federal government the opportunity to lift the security certificate in advance of delivering her ruling. Federal lawyers left the decision to the judge – a move that would allow the government to appeal the decision at a later date.

When hearings resumed on Thursday afternoon, Doyon recounted the federal government’s and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s (CSIS) abuses against Charkaoui. They have been accused of using unreliable evidence and presenting false information in court. Moreover, the government is alleged to have used information acquired under torture, such as evidence gathered from Abu Zubayda, a high level CIA detainee who was subjected to water boarding.

The restrictions imposed on Charkoui have also prevented him from continuing his career as a French teacher these past two years. Though he was released from prison in 2005, he was subject to a strict set of bail conditions that forced his parents to accompany him at all times. He was obliged to wear a GPS tracking bracelet – what he has called his “bracelet of shame” – and forbidden the use of cell phones, fax machines, and the Internet. He was prohibited from travelling off the island of Montreal, and police were permitted 24-hour access to his home.

Despite being denied access to the Internet since 2003, Charkaoui completed his Master’s in French in 2005 and is working toward his PhD. Tremblay-Lamer’s ruling thus signifies the end of the economic stranglehold faced by Charkaoui’s family, which comes just as he and his wife expect their fourth child.

“This is a huge day,” Charkaoui said.

“After two victories in the Supreme Court, it’s clear this law is against [the Charter and individual rights].”

Charkaoui’s mother Latifa was also elated by the news.

“We had faith in Allah and confidence in the judge – we knew it would happen, and now it has,” she said.

Sophie Harkat, whose husband Mohamed Harkat is one of the other four Canadian Arab Muslim men named under security certificates, said she was ecstatic for the Charkaouis.

“It’s fantastic for all security certificate detainees – it gives us hope that we can pull through,” Harkat said.

Harkat had a similar victory last Monday, when the government’s own risk assessment concluded that her husband was no longer a threat, and removed most of the conditions currently imposed on him. He must, however, continue to wear his GPS tracking bracelet.

In February 2007, the Supreme Court ruled that security certificate legislation is unconstitutional, but delayed implementation of the ruling by one year. In the year that followed, the Harper government pushed through new security certificate legislation, Bill C-3, which patched loopholes in older legislation, adding a provision that would allow for a special advocate who would be privy to confidential information, but unable to disclose this information to the detainee.

Legal critics, such as Mohamed Harkat’s lawyer Yavar Hameed, have maintained, however, that this addition does not satisfy the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Quebec Bar Association has argued that security certificates under Bill C-3 remain unconstitutional.

reports revealing that allegations against Charkaoui remain unproven.

Canadians march in Montreal, calling on the government to abolish security certificates. Human Rights Watch and the UN Committee on Torture release reports against security certificates.

Charkaoui is released from detention, after having spent two years in prison without charge. He is placed under strict regulations.

In April, reports appear that a Moroccan prisoner has identified Charkaoui as the head of a sleeper cell.

Charkaoui argues that the security certificate process is unconstitutional. In October, activists across Canada organize a day of action against security certificates.

He is arrested in Montreal in May. He is surrounded by police while on the highway and told he has been arrested as a “terror suspect.”

He returns from Morocco and is forced off a plane by armed FBI agents while in transit at JFK Airport. The agents tell him that they had been contacted by CSIS. He is released again.

Charkaoui launches a case demanding recognition that threats of deportation and his detention are against his Charter Rights and the UN Convention against Torture.

2005 Radio Canada reports that it had obtained a letter from the Moroccan prisoner who accused Charkaoui of terrorism-related activities, in which the informant denies knowing him. Radio Canada also finds that Morocco has no warrant for Charkaoui’s arrest.

70 prominent lawyers and legal associations publish a letter in the Globe and Mail against security certificates.

2004 Charkaoui is repeatedly refused bail, although he is entitled to apply for release every six months.

A court ruling releases a public summary of allegations against Charkaoui, alleging that he fits the profile of a “sleeper agent.”

Included in the summary are names of Charkaoui’s associates as well as potentially incriminating details of his past – that he is a Muslim, practices karate, and has visited Pakistan.

2003 Then-Minister of Immigration Dennis Coderre and Solicitor General Wayne Easter sign a security certificate providing CSIS with the authority required to arrest Charkaoui.

Charkaoui arrives in Montreal from Morocco along with his mother, father, and sister.

Source: Coalition Justice for Adil Charkaoui. For a more comprehensive timeline, see adilinfo.org/en/timeline.

Compiled by Max Halparin with the permission of the original author.

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A to Zs of Running a Student Organization Wednesday, October 14, 5:30-7:30pm Are you new to a position of leadership or involved in a club or service?

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The Faculty of Arts presents A McDonald-Currie Lecture

Problematology as a New Vision of Philosophy: The Enigmatic in Art, Literature and Science Michel Meyer Professor of Philosophy The Universities of Brussels and Mons Brussels, Belgium Michel Meyer is a major figure in the field of European Philosophy. He has published over 20 singleauthored books and has edited 12 others. His book On Problematology is considered by many to be a decisive breakthrough in the philosophy of reasoning and cognition. His most recent major book, Principia Rhetorica, was released in Paris in October 2008. Professor Meyer is also editor of the Revue Internationale de Philosophie, President of the European Centre for Argumentation Study, and Book-Series Editor of “L’Interrogation philosophique� at Presses Universitaires de France.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009 6:00 p.m.

For more info, drop by the First-Year Office in the Brown Building, Suite 2100, or call 514-398-6913 www.mcgill.ca/firstyear/leadertraining

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News

The McGill Daily, Monday, September 28, 2009

McGill students protest outside of Choose Life event Stephen Davis The McGill Daily

S

tudents entering the Shatner Building Thursday afternoon were greeted by demonstrators with signs reading “I regret my abortion” and “I regret lost fatherhood” alongside about a dozen prochoice advocates protesting their presence on campus.

SSMU club Choose Life invited three representatives of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign (SNMAC), a non-denominational Christian organization that shares testimonials and aims to discourage women from obtaining abortions, to speak in the Lev Buhkman room.

Nancy Garez, a member of SNMAC who had an abortion in 1992, was grateful for the presence of pro-choice advocates. “I want to talk to them. I was like them before I had my abortion – we were all for choice in my family.”

President and Choose Life founder Natalie Fohl (U3 Political Science and Biology) also saw the interaction as a positive experience. “[It was] a great opportunity for dialogue,” said Fohl.

However, one protester who asked to remain anonymous was upset by SNMAC’s use of signs on campus, as well as Choose Life’s display of fetus photographs at the crossroads last November.

“I am deeply disturbed...that someone might walk to class and encounter signs that target a difficult decision that they had to make.... Whether they are made to feel ashamed for a minute or for the rest of the year, it’s not okay,” they said.

Arts Senator Sarah Woolf (U3 Political Science and Women’s Studies) student participated in the pro-choice protest and agreed that Choose Life’s activities, including hosting SNMAC, are offensive.

“As a woman on campus, their activities are offensive to me. Within the context of their current activities, I don’t want them on campus,” Woolf said.

Woolf added that she would be interested in hearing proposals from students on why Choose Life’s club status should be revoked.

Critics questioned other tactics of SNMAC, including the implications of their emphasis on testimony.

“I think that this kind of prolife activism is actually a lot more dangerous than traditional pro-life activism because it dresses itself

WHAT’S THE HAPS

Speakers share abortion experiences

5

Green Drinks Montreal Tuesday, September 29, 5- 7 p.m.

Thomson House, 3650 McTavish The PGSS environment committee will present a talk by the McGill Food Systems Project about the origin and decision-making behind food selection at McGill cafeterias. Speakers will also discuss areas in need of improvement. Mix at 5 p.m.; talk at 6 p.m.

No To Governance Bills 38 and 44, Yes to University Autonomy and Internal Democracy: Demonstration Thursday October 1, 12:30 p.m.

Emilie-Gamelin Park (outside BerriUQAM Metro) The demonstration will protest Bills 38 and 44, which impose 60 per cent external representation on University and CEGEP Boards of Directors. Protest the weakening of university and CEGEP communities.

Enough with privatization!

No to managerial governance. Yes to democracy!

Apply to speak at TEDx McGill!

Stephen Davis / The McGill Daily

Pro-choice advocates held their own signs, reading, “I do not regret my abortion.” up as being...non-judgmental. But it is,” said Erika Pierre (U4 Cultural Studies), who attended the event.

“By presenting themselves as saying...‘We regret our abortions, therefore, you will also regret your abortion. We know better than you.’

They’re being a lot more sly and a lot more manipulative than traditional pro-life [activists],” Pierre added.

Woolf echoed Pierre’s views.

“The manipulation of personal – obviously tragic – stories to convince people that abortion is wrong on all fronts...[is] unacceptable,” she said.

SNMAC eventually moved to the Lev Buckman room, where Garez, fellow member David MacDonald, and the campaign’s national coordinator, Angelina Steenstra, shared their experiences with abortion.

The three spoke once at 1 p.m. and again at 2:30, each time to a group of around twenty students, while protesters sang songs and played guitar outside the room.

Woolf described the demonstration as “A joyous protest,” adding, “You can have protests about things you’re angry about but still do it in an upbeat manner.”

Inside, Garez described her life after her abortion.

“My life became a mixture of broken relationships, anxiety crises, and heavy smoking,” Garez said. “[Abortion affected] my life and the life of my children. They have a sibling missing.”

MacDonald explained that his

views on abortion were derived wholly from his personal experiences with two abortions.

“I came to my views on abortion long before I picked up a Bible,” he said, adding, “My position on abortion came really from a whole bunch of messed up stuff.”

Steenstra spoke of choosing to receive an abortion after she was a victim of date rape at 15.

“Abortion did not solve my problem. It ended it,” Steenstra said.

Steenstra recalled the pressure placed on her to obtain an abortion by a coworker.

“I didn’t know that abortion was an industry...my fears were used against me,” she said.

Steenstra dealt with psychological problems for 14 years following her abortion. She explained how accepting that “[her] abortion had taken a human life” was vital to her healing process.

“It’s the truth that set me free.

Not euphemisms, not band-aids, not cover-ups,” Steenstra said.

MacDonald expressed similar views, asking, “What is it that’s killed? Is it a blob of tissue? Well, there’s not a biologist on the planet that would say that.”

U3 Arts and Science student Elaina Kaufman took issue with Steenstra and MacDonald’s language, asking if women who sought help from SNMAC would be encouraged to view their abortions as killing.

Steenstra responded by saying,

Want to meet about news?

Do it at Shatner B-24 today at 4:30

“They would be encouraged to tell their story.”

While speaking with The Daily after her testimonial, Steenstra elaborated: “When I talk about abortion in the context of killing, I’m talking about my own revelation.”

Fohl supported Steenstra’s and MacDonald’s language, saying “It would be bizarre...if not dishonest, for them to use any other language.”

Steenstra asserted that SNMAC’s only goal is to share testimonies and offer support to women and men. “Our goal is to reach out to people, one person at a time. We’re not political,” she said.

But SNMAC is is not without some political interests. In a January 2007 issue of The New York Times Magazine, Emily Bazelon reported that the campaign’s cofounders, Georgette Forney and Janet Morana, participated in a rally near the US Supreme Court with banners reading “I Regret My Abortion.”

SNMAC is funded partially by Priests for Life, whose web site encourages readers to “Help with voter registration and distribution of voter guides. Become involved, as citizens, in political campaigns.

Vote in such a way that will advance the protection of life.”

Fohl said that Choose Life plans to host a pro-life speaker in two weeks and is currently looking for a pro-choice speaker to participate in the event.

Deadline: Thursday, October 1 An independentlyorganized TEDx event at McGill is looking for student speakers! Think you have an idea worth sharing? Email tedxmcgill@gmail.com to learn about the application process. All topics welcome.

Missing Justice Panel Discussion Friday, October 2, 4 p.m.

De Seve Cinema, 1400 De Maisonneuve O. This event will discuss the deaths and disappearances of hundreds of Canadian Indigenous women, as well as the root causes of violence against women and girls in Indigenous communities.

There have been 521 official cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada since 1980. Panelists include, Indigenous women, campaigners, activists, and researchers.

VDay McGill Benefit Concert Friday, October 2, 8 p.m.

Gert’s Bar VDay is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls.

Come join VDay McGill and local artists for a night of music and fundraising. All proceeds will go to Montreal anti-violence organizations.

McGill Conference on Global Food Security: Public Lecture Monday, October 5, 5 p.m.

Centre Mont-Royal, 2200 Mansfield The effects of climate change on food production and availability will have a profound impact on both short and long term food security. Pre-registration required. Visit mcgill.ca/ globalfoodsecurity/

6 News

The McGill Daily, Monday, September 28, 2009

Locals and City clash on the Main Activists feel a plan to revamp the corner of Ste. Catherine and St. Laurent does not respect history

Emilio Comay del Junco News Writer

M

ontreal’s controversial plan to redevelop the strip of St. Laurent between Ste. Catherine and René Lévesque

was fast-tracked through the City’s Executive Committee – Montreal’s highest authority on zoning and planning – last week. The contract to revitalize the area, commonly known as the Lower Main, was granted to Angus Development Corp in 2006, and has faced stiff

opposition from local business owners and residents.

Founder of the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Phyllis Lambert, said that the plan seems to lack a coherent long-term vision. “[You] can’t build a city by plopping in projects that don’t fit with

Niko Block / The McGill Daily

Angus Development Corp. is slated to build a 12 storey office building in the Lower Main

NEWS BRIEFS Verdun acquires first industrial composter Montreal’s southern borough of Verdun has become the first municipality in Quebec to implement a public composting program.

At a press conference last Monday, Verdun Mayor Claude Trudel announced that the borough’s new industrial composter will process organic waste from municipal buildings, two local businesses, and a food bank.

The municipality also announced last summer that curbside collections of garbage and recycling will drop to once per week on October 20.

Verdun municipal spokesperson Francine Morin said that the program offers an environmentally friendly alternative to the garbage collection system employed by the rest of the city.

“We’re reducing greenhouse gases, because [this way] we won’t have to transport garbage from Point A in Verdun to Point B.” Morin added that the compost produced will be used in public parks and community gardens as fertilizer.

Steve McLeod, founder of the independent Compost Montreal, which operates an organic waste pickup program in conjunction with the Department of Parks and Horticulture, said that a large-scale composting program should be made accessible to Montrealers.

“A city program is necessary to remove waste from those who live on the third floor [of an apartment building] in the Plateau,” he said.

Morin said that the pilot project will last a year, after which it may be extended to households.

Toronto’s Green Bin system diverts an estimated 400,000 tonnes of residential waste from landfills per year. However, in Toronto compost is collected in plastic bags, which some argue compromises the quality of the organic waste.

“There is pressure on the City of

Montreal, because it is so far behind other cities such as Toronto, but it’s also an opportunity to learn from their mistakes,” Morin said.

“If what comes out of it is good quality compost, then the program will be [expanded to residences],” said Morin.

It remains unclear as to whether such a system would involve curbside pickups or citizens dropping off their own waste.

— Shirine Aouad

Tremblay cancels Water Meter contract Last Wednesday, Mayor Gérald Tremblay cancelled the City’s $355 million water meter contract with the private consortium GÉNIeau.

This move comes after a recommendation made last Tuesday by Montreal auditor general, Jacques Bergeron, to cancel the contract.

In the wake of the auditor general’s report, Tremblay fired the City’s general manager Claude Léger and the City’s director of corporate

the area or what people want.... The question is whether [the project] can be accommodated in the area or not,” she said. “We shouldn’t be going back to a sort of dark ages, where rich people can come along, plop down buildings, and decide everything.”

After holding public consultations throughout the spring, the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) submitted a report in August recommending a number of specific changes to Angus’s plan, and suggested that the firm proceed cautiously while maintaining close contact with the community throughout the process.

On September 18, a letter was released expressing concerns that the OCPM report had been swept aside by the Executive Council. This letter was signed by Lambert, as well as Héritage Montréal, Culture Montréal, and Club Soda.

Locals have also long expressed reservations about the project, and this summer a petition opposing the plan, which had garnered 1,000 signatories, was submitted to the OCPM. Louis Rastelli, a local writer and artist, emphasized the importance of preserving the cultural milieu of the Lower Main.

“I find the city is being overly dismissive of the corner and some historic businesses like Montreal Poolroom, Main Importations, and Café Cléopatra that figure prominently in countless novels, stories, films and art from the city. I’m a native Montrealer and to me that corner is the ‘real’ downtown,”

Rastelli said.

The redevelopment will involve the construction of a 12-storey office building and the establishment of a number of eco-friendly and fair trade boutiques.

Alanah Heffez, who has researched and written on the issue for urban geography blog Spacing Montreal, felt the City’s decision set the wrong precedent.

“This is a big issue. They did a consultation, then ignored it. It tells developers that public consultations aren’t binding.”

The original plan included the demolition of eight buildings, and the use of eco-friendly materials in the construction of their replacements, so it would meet gold-level certification with the Leadership in Energy and Environment program of the Canada Green Building Council.

While the new plan will likely prove less exhaustive in its scope, many of the details remain unclear.

Rastelli was especially skeptical that the installation of a high-rise building would benefit the community.

“If you look at the most successful streets for nightlife downtown, Crescent and St. Denis near Ste. Catherine come to mind. There are no skyscrapers, loading and truck docks, or multi-level underground parking lots involved,” he said. “These streets have attracted an endless stream of interesting and popular bars, restaurants, and terraces over the years precisely because they have a human scale and have preserved and renovated their heritage buildings.”

affairs, Robert Cassius de Linval.

At a news conference last Tuesday, Bergeron pointed out that the entire process had been, “too fast, too big, [and] too expensive.”

La Presse columnist Michèle Ouimet wrote in French about the incident last Wednesday.

“At the beginning the city simply wanted to install water meters in businesses, industries, and residences containing more than 12 lodgings. The bill: $32 million,” Ouimet wrote.

“The project got out of control, and the City found itself with a goldplated contract, a luxury Cadillac, by adding a component: a sophisticated system that measures water pressure – a contract that goes over $618 million and will only generate $20 million in savings a year,” she wrote.

The massive contract was initially suspended last April amid allegations of conflict of interest. There was also an announcement by the Canada Revenue Agency that they were investigating Tony Accurso, a Montreal entrepreneur involved in the contract, for possible tax fraud.

Suspicions arose after it was revealed that the Frank Zampino, ex-president of the City’s executive committee and who the CBC called the Mayor’s “former right-hand man,” had been long time friends with Accurso, and vacationed on Accurso’s yacht during the bidding process.

Michel Parent, president of the City’s blue-collar worker’s union, expressed anger over the private contracts to the press last Tuesday.

He insisted that instead of training hundreds of plumbers from private firms, the City could have used inhouse plumbers.

“By contracting out the maintenance for a 15-year period, the City of Montreal would have completely lost its expertise, and would have been at the mercy of the private sector,” Parent told the media.

The Montreal Gazette reported in August that the contract had been changed “at the 11th hour,” so that the City would regain control of 30,500 water meters near the end of their functional life.

— Sam Neylon

News

The McGill Daily, Monday, September 28, 2009

7

Catching up with PGSS The Daily sits down with the Post-Graduate Students’ Society executive to check out the upcoming year President Daniel Simeone (MA History)

All photos by Dominic Popowich / The McGill Daily

What are your major goals for this year?

A big project [I’m helping with] is the Family Care Pilot project. I’ll be working closely with its commissioner. The idea is to give some sort of support fund for student parents. McGill also has a long-term plan to increase the total number of graduate students. We need to make sure there’s an equal increase in graduate student space, supervision, and resources. Last year McGill also scored low on the Canadian Graduate and Professional Student Survey [which measures student satisfaction], and keeping an eye on this is key. 40 per cent of the people who used McGill’s ombudsperson were graduate students, and [a lot] had to deal with supervision. Dealing with this is a long-term strategy.

What has PGSS been doing to fight Bill 38?

We’re writing a letter of support from the PGSS for the Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec from the McGill Association

of University Teachers and the McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association, and the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec submissions [against Bill 38]. All three oppose the micromanagement of university governance.

The role of president in a student society often leaves room for interpretation. How do you see yourself as president?

I’m involving myself heavily in university policy, and what goes before the Senate and the Board of Governors. I’m taking an active role in addressing policy issues. One issue that’s been cropping up again is travel policy. For graduate students with field research in remote locales, the policy is overly restrictive.

How does the PGSS feel about the recent MBA tuition increases?

The official policy of the PGSS is that tuition should remain at 1994 levels.

VP Finance Eric Pollanen (LLM Law)

VP Internal Affairs Charalampos (Harry) Saitis (PhD Music) What are your plans for your portfolio this year?

My plans for this year are in three directions.

One was a new orientation format that was introduced by graduate studies. The second is getting a much better and more effective communication channel between the PGSS and the different post-graduate student associations (PGSA) within every department in McGill. The third direction is events that are of more interest to the society. We will focus on more cultural events, talks, and workshops – but at the same time keep the more fun events.

How connected are graduate students to campus life, and what are you doing to facilitate this connection?

When it comes to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, I would say we are more connected to our own department, and in some cases just to our own labs or research groups, and I think that is just the nature of graduate students. And this has

been the reason we haven’t enjoyed great attendance at events, though some events have great attendance. So going back to the previous question –the PGSA’s – we will actually have to approach graduate students in their own space, rather than asking them to come to campus or Thomson House.

What events are you most excited about this year?

One of the things that we are working on but haven’t decided a date on yet is an event on copyright issues, which is actually a discussion throughout the country and inside universities. So we will organize some talks and discussion and would like to screen RiP: A Remix Manifesto, so that is something I’m really looking forward to.

Another is toward the end of January and for the whole of February, we want two weeks of Queer events. That will be followed up by Love Sex Week [which] was done two years ago. It was very successful [and] was in the newspapers. Greater Montreal heard about the event, and PGSS and McGill were characterized as very progressive.

Last year, PGSS had a $112,000 budget defecit and so it cut management positions. What effect have you noticed from this absence?

I would say that overall things are better.

There is much less of a situation of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. It was an extremely difficult process, and it’s not a one year effort. We have implemented the azbar liquor control. If you don’t have a record like that you have a danger of people pouring drinks that are non-standard size, so you don’t really understand where your inventories are going.

What measures will you take to ensure greater accountability?

We changed the structure of the Board of Directors. Previously the five members of the executives were the same on the Board of Directors.

Now there are three members of the executive, graduate students at large, and two people from the outside Montreal community on the Board of Directors. The idea is that this will help to provide some professional feedback.

Have PGSS finances improved this year?

We should be getting our financial statements in a few weeks time . What I can say is that the process was successful in dealing with the budget crisis, and basically are near break-even from last year. But we had very bad trend lines and we were able to change that.

VP University & Academic Affairs Dahlia ElShafie (PhD Electrical Engineering)

VP External Ladan Mahabadi (PhD Computer Science) Luke Thienhaus / The McGill Daily

What are your main goals for this year?

One of my main goals is to see through setting up an affordable transportation plan for PGSS members. Second is to re-evaluate our external representation, both provincially and nationally, and third, work on the conference involving the largest research-intensive universities across Canada. We’re going to try to build a data exchange platform. Finally, I’d like to deal with copyright reform, and update students on what’s going on as it’s developing.

A petition by PGSS to leave the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) recently passed. What’s next for the executive?

This process of debate will be very lengthy and will take most of the year. If all goes well the referendum will happen in April, and then I’ll only have two more months in office. So it will really be up to the future executives to decide what to do.

Graduate students have traditionally been less involved on campus. What are you doing to fight apathy?

To be honest, this year I’ve always been impressed meeting graduate students who take time out of their work [to be active]. I’m happy to see so many involved, and I hope this improves.

How do you see your role this year? What do you think you can achieve with your portfolio?

My goal this year has been the same as it was throughout my campaign and elections: the CARPET project. CARPET stands for Communication, Academia, Research, Professionalism, Executive collaboration, and Teaching. So my main focus as VP Academic is keeping all Senate positions, all University committees filled. But it’s not all about that. For me it is about creating a link and a communication channel between these representatives, the PGSS, and the University. Three way transparent communication for open feedback, collaborative feedback, instantaneous feedback – to bring up student problems to the Senate, to the University, and to bring University concerns to the students.

What are some things you think you can achieve on Senate?

A reason I campaigned [was] to have maternal or

parental paid leave for students. As grad students we often run into having children, so I would be very happy to bring this issue up with the University, with the FEUQ, and the CFS, and see if we can address this issue for the benefit of the graduate students. So if you are a student here and working on your PhD, and you happen to have kids, I do think it would be fair to ask for a paid maternity leave or parental leave, just for three months. It would be a release for them [from the stress of] where to get the money.

How is the relationship between PGSS and the Administration?

I feel very welcome from the Administration. We’ve had a few meetings with them. They were actually quite friendly, quite open. They do listen to what we have to say; they do collaborate. I was surprised by McGill, and how keen they were to listen to grad students. Some of the committees that grad students are involved in do not meet until the grad position has been filled – they do give a very high priority to grad students to be there to speak their minds.

8 Commentary

The McGill Daily, Monday, September 28, 2009

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Just say no to Bills 38 and 44 Government encroachment on educational institutions should be stopped Sebastian Ronderos-Morgan

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he provincial Ministry of Education is currently in the process of conducting consultative hearings on the proposed Bills 38 and 44, concerning university and CEGEP governance. The bills are scheduled to be presented to the National Assembly this fall.

Stakeholders from postsecondary institutions throughout Quebec, including the Students’ Society of McGill University, most student associations, employees’ unions, and administrations are linking arms in opposition.

Why? Because Bills 38 and 44 threaten university and CEGEP autonomy and internal democracy.

Take note of article 4.0.3 of Bill 38 – it states that “at least 60 per cent of members of the board of directors must qualify as independent directors,” while only 25 per cent must come from the university community. What does this mean for universities and CEGEPs in Quebec? If the bills are passed by the National Assembly, postsecondary institutions in the province would have reduced independence in tailor-

ing the structure of their boards of directors to their unique needs.

Worse still, the restrictive effects of the bills would unquestionably result in the reservation of fewer board seats for internal and, often, democratically-elected representatives: students, members of academic and non-academic staff, et cetera.

In short, fewer seats on managing boards for professors, non-academic staff, alumni, and students will mean that these groups will have less of a say in the management and direction of their university.

More seats will go to “independent” representatives, who come largely from the private sector to direct the affairs of our educational institutions.

Why is this wrong? Misguided philosophy and bad causation. What precipitated the birth of these bills?

The real estate fiasco at UQAM, which came to light in 2007 and led to a government bail-out, in the region of $400 million. Some of the heads that rolled came from within the university community. Naturally, the provincial government reacted by saying “Never again!”

In keeping with the now entrenched ideology of the pri-

macy of the private sector, the Ministry of Education convinced itself that businessmen and CEOs should be sent to the rescue.

Apparently there’s nothing better than a shot of private sector busi-

in.

If the Ministry had had the hindsight to properly review the events surrounding the UQAM real estate fiasco, they may well have noticed that abundant opposi-

I ask all students to mobilize to oppose these bills and support university autonomy and internal democracy ness models to inoculate universities against the mismanagement of those klutzy eggheads. It’s almost as if the Ministry suspects that people with an actual stake in their postsecondary institutions are too blinded by their bias to be capable of properly counting numbers.

Instead, the Ministry would like us to feel confident that businessmen never take risks. And we should also believe that businessmen will always have wholehearted concern for the well-being of institutions that they have little vested interest

tion to the imprudence of the real estate scheme came from within the university community. Students and employee unions from UQAM demonstrated and passed General Assembly motions against the projects. Unfortunately, the primary responsible party, ex-principal Roch Denis, had previously been a professor and union leader at UQAM, so the political elites in Quebec City drew the conclusion that decisionmakers emanating from within universities could not be trusted.

In many respects, these bills

are a result of the poor causation illustrated above. Now the Quebec postsecondary community is being forced into a corner. From student associations to university administrations to employees’ unions, there is widespread dissatisfaction with Bills 38 and 44. Given the general consensus that they must be seriously amended, if not outright rejected, you’d think that the Ministry would listen. And while the Ministry’s education committee is conducting consultative hearings, Minister Michelle Courchesne remains resolute in her conviction that these bills should pass into law.

With a majority Liberal government in the National Assembly, she’ll probably get her way.

I ask all McGill students to inform themselves and mobilize to oppose these bills and support university autonomy and internal democracy.

A demonstration is being held on October 1 at 12:30 in Parc ÉmilieGamelin (near Berri-UQAM). If you have any questions or comments, write Sebastian Ronderos-Morgan (VP External Affairs of SSMU) at external@ssmu.mcgill.ca.

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Why Stephen Harper always wins PM’s politically flexible and the opposition lacks credibility

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obody puts Baby in the corner, or Stephen Harper for that matter. Just like the Little Engine, Harper is proving to be the prime minister that could. Although he did come in as a nobody from Alberta just a few years ago (at least from this Quebecker’s perspective), Stephen Harper is playing the parliamentary game remarkably well. It might have something to do with his supposed skills as a tactician, or maybe he just knows what he wants. And that, of course, is to remain in office.

In Canada, it seems that the only way of gaining power is practicing a level of pragmatism to a point where no one can really tell what you believe in. Conservatives and Liberals often seem interchangeable, and when they don’t, the radical candidates get shown the back door. Stéphane Dion, case in point. Since last year’s election, Harper has undergone several ideological transformations, adopting policy changes that would make

any Liberal proud. From billions in stimulus spending, warming of business relations with China, the nomination of NDP premier Gary Doer as Canadian ambassador to Washington, and increased spending in Employment Insurance, Harper has shown in practice the power of compromise.

And yet, ask anybody who is the most moderate politician in Ottawa, and Harper would come at the bottom of their list. The problem for the opposition is that nobody comes at the top of the electorate’s list.

Several pundits have commented positively on the Liberals’ envious position, forcefully denouncing the government without facing the risk of an election. However, one has to ask what the point of all this election talk is. Poll numbers should never be an excuse to call an election or make a government fall, especially when not even a year has passed since the last election. Why in fact do we need to vote? The opposition might claim that Canada needs a new direction that would favour social equality and economic prosperity, and most Canadians would

agree with it. Unfortunately, there is no political option that presents itself as capable of this task. When political wrangling and sound bites are the main preoccupations of politicians, they cannot be trusted with serious policy matters.

All of the federal political parties are guilty of increasing voter cynicism, but the opposition parties hold the burden of presenting a credible option. The NDP and Liberal Party have to choose between antics that aim to increase their poll numbers and promoting the interests of their constituents. Until that time, the Conservative government will be able to hold on to power by projecting an image of stability and flexibility within an uncertain political situation. Most Canadians may dislike Harper for a large number of very legitimate reasons, but that probably won’t stop them from voting him back into office for lack of a better option.

David Searle is a U2 History and Political Science student. Write him at david.searle@mail.mcgill.ca.

Elena Kingsbury for The McGill Daily

David Searle

Stephen Harper will do anything for a price (electoral victory).

Commentary

The McGill Daily, Monday, September 28, 2009

9

Letters SSMUth talker Re: “Council goes SSMUthly” | News | September 21 I just wanted to clarify some points left unclear in the article “Council goes SSMUthly.”

The article reports that Councillor Joshua Abaki asked me, the VP External, about the 40 per cent portion of the TaCEQ’s expenses. It then says that “the number was a rough estimation that had been hashed out in consultation with other TaCEQ members….”

This is a really important point that I don’t believe was explained clearly enough, either by myself at Council or by the reporter.

For the record, the TaCEQ members decided in July on an interim cost-sharing formula. This was used to cover the expenses that were external to those that could be absorbed by the capital and human resources of member associations, in the form of in-kind contributions.

The major costs incurred over the

course of the summer were due to acquiring letters patent and issuing of press releases. The total cost for SSMU amounted to $345.

Three important points to consider: 1) Expenditures where this costsharing formula is invoked will continue to be low.

2) The decision to temporarily establish a cost-sharing formula where SSMU covered 40 per cent of costs took into account a rough estimate of the capacities of the member associations to contribute financially.

3) This is an interim cost-sharing formula that will be reassessed this fall.

If anything is left confusing, please don’t hesitate to contact me at external@ssmu.mcgill.ca.

Sebastian Ronderos-Morgan Vice President External Affairs (SSMU)

Keep up the good work!

Re: “Students at 13 unions petition to leave CFS” | News | September 21 I just wanted to let you know that I thought your article on CFS was great! I know that a lot of the graduate students read The McGill Daily, and it’s nice to see an article focused on grad student issues. I commend Erin Hale on writing a very thoughtful piece, and I thank the editors at The McGill Daily for taking an interest and giving a full page to an issue that is extremely important to grad students. It was well researched and nicely balanced, highlighting the arguments from both sides. Grad students often don’t have a lot of time to research issues like this one, and it is fantastic that they can pick up The Daily and get up to speed in just a few minutes. I certainly hope to see more articles like this one.

Jordan Frank PhD II Computer Science

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Re: “Students at 13 unions petition to leave CFS” | News | September 21 I was happy to read that the campaign to get CFS interference out of the student movement is not isolated to McGill post-graduates – and is in fact happening all across the country! This is a good day: that 13 student associations in five provinces are seeking to disassociate themselves from the organization should, hopefully, send a strong message that students in Canada are tired of CFS meddling.

It seems everyone has a bone to pick with the CFS. Whether you are from the right and detest the incessant financial mismanagement of the organization and its rigorously pro-NDP agenda, or if you are from the left and can’t stand its antidemocratic structures and opposition to free and open discourse, everyone can find something they dislike about the organization.

Which is why I am happy that a national and ideologically inde-

pendent campaign is underway to shake the CFS death-grip from the student movement. This is a truly unifying experience. Canadian students from a diversity of beliefs and value systems are uniting behind this basic concept: that the CFS has stagnated the student movement in Canada for too long, and that the only way we can move forward is to get them off our campuses.

The CFS is managed by a group of white-collar spin-doctors in Ottawa who in many cases graduated from university decades ago.

They have no place dictating to us what we should believe, while taking our money and not giving us anything back.

Cheers to the good people organizing this.

Stephanie Law Epidemiology II Send your thoughts to letters@ mcgilldaily.com from your McGill email address, and keep them to 300 words or less. The Daily does not print letters that are hateful.

HYDE PARK

Taking a closer look at Tank Man Sarah Ghabrial

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Enough is enough

have seen so many amazing photos. The ones that strike me most deeply portray ordinary individuals doing extraordinary things. I’m inspired by photos of young women in Afghanistan lining up to cast their votes or of university students in Tehran engaging in peaceful protests to demand nothing less than having their voices heard. Such photos are all around us – on news web sites, in magazines, in books. But thanks to globalization, we have grown accustomed to such photos and no longer pay much attention to them, and even less to the message they convey.

No clearer was this revealed to me than at the McGill poster sale. In the crowded room, I acted like any other student. I absent-mindedly walked around, looking for a nice poster to embellish the bare white walls of my apartment. I may have passed by countless photos portraying historical events or individuals who have had an impact on this world, but I paid little attention to

them since I’d seen these images before. After walking around aimlessly for 20 minutes, I stopped and found myself in front of a black and white poster entitled “The Human Spirit” showing a lone man (also known as “Tank Man”) standing unflinchingly in front of a long row of moving tanks.

I had seen this picture before.

Just a few months ago, watching a documentary on the Tiananmen Square protests left me inspired.

What stirred me most was the resolve of these ordinary individuals to press on in order to bring about change, despite the obstinacy of the Chinese political regime.

While staring at the poster of Tank Man, I was struck by how little attention we give such photos. Everyone who sees this photo admits that this man was very courageous, but reflections usually stop there. This is not to say that such images do not become the object of sterile reflection, but rarely do they inspire us to action. I believe the reason for this is that most of us are caught up in our own circumstances, and that we rarely identify with the people we see in these photos.

Seeking: pro-choice champion As I contemplate what Tank Man did 20 years ago, I become more and more convinced that he is someone that anyone can relate to. He was an ordinary person who, despite being in the middle of chaos and bloodshed, decided to take a stand for what he thought was right, and his courage led him to do something remarkable. Unfortunately, our appreciation for Tank Man’s bravery, along with similar acts of courage, is cheapened by how frequently we see these images.

When we see such photos, we tend to detach ourselves from the events they are depicting; this distancing blinds us to the subtle message they are conveying. What we need to do is look beyond the photo and attempt to understand the circumstances surrounding the event captured in the picture.

Only once we understand the magnitude of the message transmitted by the photo can we truly be inspired by it, and maybe even act upon it.

Sarah Ghabrial can be reached at sarah.ghabrial@mail.mcgill.ca.

Turned on by anything lately?

Tell us about it. commentary@mcgilldaily.com

Kathryn Sawyer

W

e have a situation here that I don’t understand.

I was present at the two SSMU Council debates last school year over the right of the pro-life club, Choose Life, to even exist. In fact, it was the intensity and occasional viciousness of the first debate that caused me to join the club in the first place. So there you are; now you know my bias and you can take it or leave it as you will.

When the existence of the club was first debated in October 2008, and especially in the subsequent campus media coverage that followed, the majority of the student body seemed to be split into two camps. There were the people who didn’t agree with what the club had to say, deeming the club’s claims dangerous lies that would adversely affect the student population, and so they vocally opposed giving the club a chance to express these views on campus. Then there were the people who didn’t agree with what the club had to say, also deeming the club’s claims dangerous lies that would adversely affect the student population, but who nevertheless supported the club’s right to exist under the logical conclusion that if the club were truly spreading vicious lies in an atmosphere of scholarly intellect and debate, the club would soon be proven wrong and would thus collapse under the weight of its own stupidity and irrelevance. Fortunately or not, the second camp won.

So here is what I don’t understand. Choose Life is hosting a prolife speaker, Jose Ruba from the

Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform, on campus in early October.

The original goal of having a speaker in the first place was to be able to host a formal, civilized, intellectual debate between pro-life and prochoice speakers. However, and this is what I don’t understand, Choose Life has been entirely unable to find a pro-choice speaker to participate in this debate. If the club is lying, if the club is wrong, here is your chance to prove it! Stand up and formally, publicly, voice your wellreasoned and well-supported prochoice views in a balanced, moderated space. Like it or not, abortion is still a very controversial topic in Canada. It makes perfect sense that opposing ideas regarding it should be debated in open forum. But the debate cannot happen without a solid, well-informed, and wellspoken pro-choice representative who has the guts to stand up and be heard. I assure you, you and your views will find overwhelming support in the McGill student body.

So all you intelligent, compassionate, well-spoken, formidable, and thoroughly convinced prochoice supporters, here is a golden opportunity for you to have your message heard in a clear way and in direct response to specific pro-life arguments. I know there is someone out there who is up to the challenge. But does that person have the courage to stand up for what they believe in? We’re waiting to hear from you so we can get this debate going!

Kathryn Sawyer holds a B.A. from McGill and graduated in 2007.

Debate her respectfully at kathryn. rose.sawyer@gmail.com.

10 Features

Follow

Melanie Kim explo

A

nthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote in La Physiologie du Gout (1826), “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.”

Say this to a McGill student living in Residence, and he or she will most likely give you a baffled look, tap on his or her belly, and reluctantly reply, “Rez food?”

With approximately 3,000 students in residences, plus the rest of the McGill students and faculty who eat on campus, there is quite a lot of nosh being served each day. But do we have any idea where our food comes from, how sustainable our diet is, and what alternative options there are? Moreover, who is in charge of our food sourcing decisions and how can we, as a community, improve the sustainability of our food chain?

Beginning in May 2009, the McGill Food Systems Project (MFSP), a collaborative initiative between students, professors, McGill Food and Dining Services, and the McGill Office of Sustainability – whose goal is to maximize the economic, social, and ecological sustainability of the McGill’s food system – undertook the task of answering these questions. With five part-time student researchers and one volunteer conducting more than 60 interviews and attending approximately 150 meetings, MFSP was able to solve the mystery behind food served at McGill in 15 weeks.

Basically, the flow chart of fresh produce from farms to what we actually purchase looks like this:

Farmers in Quebec or outside

Commodity Brokers sometimes coops of farmers

Suppliers & Distributers Hector Larrivée – largest independent produce distributer in Quebec

Food Service Providers Chartwells, Sodexo, and self-operated residences

You

q

via McGill restaraunts and dining halls

Pretty complicated, eh? But if you take into account that the average distance a Granny Smith apple travels to reach McGill dining halls is 5,700 km, it’s not too surprising.

A

s of right now, McGill subcontracts New Rez and Carrefour Sherbrooke dining halls to Chartwells, one of the world’s largest food service providers and a familiar name at universities throughout North America.

Royal Victoria College, Bishop Mountain Hall, and Douglas dining halls are self-operated,

meaning that they are run directly by McGill Food and Dining Services. Sodexo does not run any dining halls, but it currently operates at Centennial Centre Cafeteria, one of two eateries on Macdonald Campus. For Chartwells and Sodexo, the majority of their food produce comes from Hector Larrivée, and the number rises to more than 80 per cent for self-operating residences. Ordering habits are quite similar among campus restaurants and dining halls.

Now that we know how the system works, we can ask where, oh where, does our food come from? And by what standards do these food service providers (FSPs) abide when making large orders? Unfortunately, statistics for food sourcing are not retained by FSPs, although Chartwells keeps velocity reports that track all food purchases over the course of one year (primary supplier, volume, and food type). However, these reports aren’t enough, because they don’t tell us what farms or regions our food comes from. The self-op residences, which do not keep track of velocity reports, were only able to supply MFSP researchers with informal trends.

Speaking of standards, Chartwells is the only group on campus that currently abides by SeaChoice standards, which means that they follow a sustainable seafood purchasing policy.

There are many food measures that different residence dining halls stick to, but these are merely conventions, not formal or external standards like SeaChoice. However, this doesn’t mean we have to feel unsure of the food being served – a third party inspects all incoming food to guarantee that food safety standards have been met. Moreover, Chartwells and Sodexo have Management Order Guidelines (MOGs), which have approved lists of inspected products and suppliers. But how strictly the MOGs are imposed is a question that should be asked, considering that there have been multiple allegations made against Chartwells for food poisoning in various institutions around the world – including one at Concordia (yikes!).

T

here is no single factor that guides chefs’ decision-making process when choosing

where to order their food from. But one of the most important variables that sets residence dining halls apart from all other food outlets is the magnitude of their operations: approximately 3,000 students eating three times a day!

Other variables – as agreed on by McGill chefs and managers ordering food – include price, quality, safety, reliability, and accountability.

And on top of this list, MFSP is trying to add another criterion: sustainability.

“We want to make environmental, social, and economic information more accessible in the purchasing decisions of both chefs and students,” said Jonathan Glencross, one of the five student researchers in MFSP. “Students should be able to consider more than just the price when buying food.”

An impressive vision, but let’s first have a look at what sustainability means, and how it differs from the current system. Today’s dominant form of agriculture relies heavily on synthetic fertilizers, chemical pesticides, large amounts of water, and fuel for long-distance transportation and factory-style practices for raising crops and livestock. In addition to the incidences of artificial hormones in milk, mad cow disease, and food poisoning, for which industrial production is responsible, the typical business model depends on fossil fuels, produces pollution, and simply isn’t sustainable. This model is proving more and more difficult to maintain, both economically and environmentally. On the other hand, sustainable practices support methods that are healthy, friendly to the environment, respectful of workers, humane to animals, fair to farmers in terms of wages, and supportive of farming communities.

T

he next question: could McGill establish a sustainability standard for our restaurants and dining halls? Currently, the ENVR 401 (“Environmental Research”) class in the School of Environment (MSE) is working with MFSP on developing food sustainability standards to be incorporated into criteria documents for all future purchasing contracts at McGill.

“We tend to know a lot about health issues now,” said Professor Sylvie de Blois, who is

overseeing the group of students involved in this project. “It’s not hard to know what [food] is good or bad. But from the point of view of environmental sustainability, it’s not easy to make choices.”

The students will choose specific food items to focus on, based on what is consumed most by the McGill students and faculty. Due to the short growing season in Quebec, they will try to get as much information as possible on greenhouse practices from Quebec suppliers, and even arrange a tour to see first-hand what’s happening on Quebec’s farms. By comparing the scale, heating method, inputs, and outputs, the students hope to be able to evaluate the best source of produce for the winter.

“The problem is, when we try to find criteria, organic is not enough, and local is not enough,” de Blois said. “There is a tendency to say that local is better, but if it is greenhousegrown in the winter, is it a better choice than produce coming from perhaps further away?”

This project within the MFSP has been going on since early September and the students hope to continue it after the end of the term, until sustainability criteria are defined and implemented on campus.

Luckily, McGill’s suppliers and food service providers have been very cooperative with MFSP. The industry is made to be flexible, and MFSP researchers were surprised at how unstable the sources of food were. Starting on September 30, MFSP will be implementing a pilot project called Local Food Days for the 2009-2010 academic year. With the purpose of engaging students in our regional food system and strengthening the cafeteria’s support of regional production, each residence will source all their produce, meat, dairy, eggs, and grain products from farms within Quebec for one designated day of each month. A large portion of food will be coming directly from the Macdonald campus farmers’ market.

“The purpose of local food days is to reconnect students to the seasonal availability of regional food, and strengthen our residence’s support of regional food production. Over the long term, we want to move towards not

Key 1 Il Motore 2 La Place Ubisoft: Espace Réunion 3 Le Milieu 4 Plaza Theatre 5 Zoobizarre 6 Red Bird Studios 7 Galerie Frame&Canvas 8 Theatre Outremont 9 Cabaret Playhouse 10 Ukrainian National Federation 11 Articule 12 Sala Rossa 13 Preloved 14 Casa del Popolo 15 Club Lambi 16 O Patro Vys 17 Quai des Brumes 18 L’Escrogriffe 19 La Tulipe 20 Balattou

21 Urban Outfitters 22 Le Divan Orange 23 Église St. Michel 24 Gymnase 25 Barfly 26 Mainline Theatre 27 Jupiter Room 28 Les 3 Minots 29 Café Campus 30 Cinéma du Parc 31 Ex-Centris 32 Notman House 33 L’Astral 34 Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal 35 Just for Laughs 36 Club Soda 37 Metropolis 38 Foufounes Électriques 39 Underworld 40 Olympia 41 Le National

Combing through the Pop Montreal calendar with a pen and marking off the shows that appeal to you is one of most enjoyable parts of any Pop experience. But sometimes that 400 band-long roster can be intimidating. There are just too many bands and too little time. As usual, The Daily is trying to make things easier for you by highlighting some of the shows we’re excited about. But this year, we figured we’d also try something a little different. What if, instead of organizing your Pop-pourie with a list of artists, you also took venues into account? Montreal’s performance spaces are as eclectic, unique, and oftentimes as bizarre as its bands. And since Pop shows usually feature a number of bands in one night, sticking it out at one venue for an evening can be a good way of getting a broad taste of Pop’s offerings and, just maybe, encountering something a little different than you’re used to. We combed through some of most interesting venues Pop Montreal had to offer this year; take a look before devising your Pop concert-going plan.

Quai des Brumes (4481 Saint-Denis) This Plateau bar takes the cake for dedication to Montreal musicians. Incredibly, the petite venue hosts seven shows a week, featuring multiple bands on single nights throughout most o the festival. According to Quai matron Anne-Claude Crepin, the venue has become so adept at handling live music that bands crave playing here, leaving sound and set-up considerations to the seasoned staff. Pop seems like an especially good opportunity to check the place out if you haven’t already.

They’ll be cramming an eclectic mix of 14 acts into the relatively small space, ranging from folk-pop to hip-hop to speed metal. Many venues use Pop as an opportunity

to broaden the spectrum of bands they put on their stages; for Quai, which usually features a broad spectrum of styles, the goal of being part of Pop is to get new kinds of crowds in its doors. “We are the French side of the city, and I like to have some anglophone people come here,” says Anne-Claude. “I like the music they do on the west side!” If you’re not sold yet, something must be said for the decor in Quai des Brumes. There aren’t many places in the city (read: affordable places) with this kind of oldschool tavern feel. At Quai, you can have the juxtaposed experience of listening to quality rock’n’roll and the sensation of being in Oscar Wilde’s parlour.

Balattou (4372 St. Laurent) Balattou lies on the west side of St. Laurent between Mont-Royal and Villeneuve. For the past 20 years, Balattou’s staff has been dedicated to providing a home for African and Caribbean music in Montreal. Given the considerable size of these communities here, that’s an important cause. Balattou is not, however, the first place you’d think of to showcase some of the bands that regularly play at Pop. Nevertheless, they’ve been hosting the festival for a number of years. Balattou looks forward to Pop, which provides the space with an opportunity to open its stage to different kinds of acts and its doors to different demographics. Suzanne Rousseau, Balattou’s manager, told me that she loves the Pop Montreal events, when the whole Main is filled with happy music-goers.

Speaking of the Pop crowd, though, Suzanne definitely didn’t imply that Balattou would be bending over backward to draw them in during the rest of the year. You can spot the Pop people, she told me: “they’re from another province. They’re speaking English. They’re young and well-educated.” If you’ve been waiting for a chance to check out this St. Laurent staple, which, admittedly, can be a little forbidding to students, Pop seems like the golden opportunity. But there’s no reason your Pop trip should be your last. We suggest you check out Balattou during the regular season. Montreal is a great place to get your fill of indie music, but it’s a common mistake to imagine that’s all this city has to offer. If you’ve never been to Balattou, maybe it’s time to broaden your horizons a little.

2

Sala Rossa (4848 St. Laurent)

Though the door is marked only by a handmade sign, Sala Rossa isn’t hard to find. On any given weekend night, you’ll see a crowd of smokers huddled outside its doors on the stretch of St. Laurent between Villeneuve and St. Joseph. Once inside, head upstairs and you’ll find a beautiful, open ballroom with high ceilings and a wide stage that allows Sala to accommodate all kinds of shows. The darkened interior, vaguely New Orleans-esque, is perfect for an intimate performance, while the ample floor space means nothing gets too cramped when everybody’s dancing. The only problem with the venue’s layout, objectively speaking, is that some fool put the bathrooms right beside the stage. If a band manages to draw any kind of a crowd, you’ll have to head for the alleyway. This aside, Sala is probably the top place to be for this year’s Pop. They’re hosting an incredible 21 bands, with a solid line-up for all five nights of the festival. The schedule for Saturday 3, for instance, exemplifies everything we love about Pop. On the same night, on the same stage, you can watch Lee Fields, veteran soul singer, and Golden Triangle, an experimental sextet from Brooklyn, and you only have pay cover once.

Preloved (4832 St. Laurent) This year at Pop, you can go see a show at Urban Outfitters. Three shows, in fact. The Urban Outfitters shows are during the daytime, suggesting that these Pop features will be less about appreciating music and more about placating shoppers’ musical hunger as they browse through racks of I-can’t-believe-they’re-not-keffiyehs! But this doesn’t mean that combining a musical venue and clothing store is always a bad thing. Take Preloved, a boutique that has been hosting Pop shows for two or three years with great success. While they leave the clothes on the walls during the shows, Preloved’s staff seems committed to providing a quality space for musical performance. Meddlesome sales racks and stands are shoved out of the way, and the cash is converted into a bar that provides concert-goers with free drinks (yes, free drinks).

Preloved isn’t quite a vintage store, and it isn’t quite an original-design line either. They’re the mash-up artist of the fashion world, repurposing vintage clothing and fabrics into new items. Preloved often functions as more than a store – they’ve hosted huge vintage shoe parties, for instance. The transition into Pop venue, then, isn’t too traumatic for this creative company. Come by on October 1 for a Pop venue that’s a little out of the ordinary.

Il Motore (179 Jean-Talon O.) Few would claim that Montreal is lacking in good music. Good music, however, necessitates good venues, and in that respect, according to Il Motore manager Steve Guimond, Montreal has a bit of a problem. We’re not sure we agree – that’s the kind of mindset that inspired this rundown, really – but there’s always room for more. Il Motore opened its doors last November up in Rosemont to make sure that bands from Montreal and everywhere else have a place to play. The venue didn’t appear out of nowhere; Il Motore is a joint venture between booking company Blue Skies Turn Black and Sala Rossa, both giants on the Montreal music scene.

Perhaps that’s why, in their first year of existence, they’ve managed to book as many bands for Pop as Sala. The space might be a bit of a hike for the average McGill student, but it’s worthwhile. The area north of the tracks has recently become saturated with interesting lofts and venues, like Zoobizarre, Lab Synthèse, and La Brique. So whenever you’re up in Rosemont, it would be a good time to take a look around.

—Compiled by Ian Beattie

Lionize them though we might, musical legends are people too. Most of them – I’m sure – do their own groceries, assembling a routine cartful of fruits and veggies each and every week. But every once in a rare while, one will return from the checkout empty handed, sadly informed that her long years of complacency have finally caught up to her. She is broke.

Devastated, the legend will swallow her pride, aware that she has but one course of action left: call her former band-mates, apologize for years of misdeeds, and plead

for a reunion. The band reformed, they set their sights on the milkiest of cash-cows: the festival circuit. And thanks to our yearly Pop Montreal festival, we get in on the action.

Hot off the heels of last year’s fondly remembered line-up (ahem, Burt Bacharach, Nick Cave, and Wire) the Pop organizers have somehow bested themselves onceagain, summoning a zeitgeist of legendary bands for which I only have the global recession to thank.

F

ronting this line-up are art-rock trail-blazers Faust. Sonic innovators far ahead of their time, the band originally formed in 1971 under the direction of German producer Uwe Nettlebeck. Tasked by an A&R representative with forming Germany’s furthest “out” rock band, Nettlebeck assembled a rag-and-tumble group of destitute freaks, all classically trained to some extent. The emerging collective immediately upset every modern musical convention, infusing then-nascent progressive rock with Captain Beefheart’s outsider mystique, the Beatles’ sincerity, and Frank Zappa’s irreverence and daring.

Four years and four boundary-stretching masterpieces later, Faust disbanded, leaving it to their fans to propagate their legacy. And so they did for 25 years, until finally, in 1990, three of Faust’s original members emerged from the depths they hid in, initiating work on the band’s second creative spell. Divisive as their recent output may have been, Faust’s live show has shouldered their reputation into the Internet era. And bringing it to Canada for the first time this Saturday, I can safely bet that all those in attendance at the Ukrainian Federation will have rarely experienced an event so storied, and so weird. You should go.

L

e National, meanwhile, will be receiving its share of “out” music vibes, accommodating Brazilian psych-pop gods Os Mutantes that same night. Bred out of the scene responsible for most of your parents’ world music staples (i.e. Brazilian Tropicalia, from which emerged sixties-pop geniuses Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil,) Os Mutantes succeeded in capturing none of that market. And with reason: their jams – equal parts Donovan, Syd Barrett, and Animals – provided the earliest template for the Elephant 6 collective’s fascinations, whether the Olivia Tremor Control’s or Of Montreal’s.

Originally a trio composed of the brothers Batista – Arnaldo and Sergio – and their mutual friend Rita Lee, today the band exists in an entirely different incarnation. Following a period of extended hiatus from 1978 to 2006, the two brothers reformed with Brazilian singer Zelia Duncan at their side. But despite a warm reception, both Arnaldo Batista and Duncan retreated back into their solo careers in 2007, leaving Sergio Batista to continue the band on his own.

Now three years into the “reunion,” the band – bolstered by a whole army of collaborators – has finally released its first new collection of songs in over two decades, supporting the record the old-fashioned way: with a world tour. With Os Mutantes only a few stops away from our city, readers would be wise to prepare for the unparalleled hippie mindfuck that is sure to be Saturday night’s show.

M

ore discerning noise-mongers, however, may want to preface that experience with one of the festival’s most obscure draws, no-wave flag-carriers Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. Though front-woman Lydia Lunch is no stranger to Pop’s proceedings – having appeared here last year on her own – Friday will mark the first time she and her noisenik cohorts will appear in the city.

Part of the late-seventies wave of New York bands to have made music without any tonal or structural conception of it, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks is to rock music what Coltrane’s late-period work was to jazz. Perhaps alien, their approach remains simple: Lunch screeches out Dada-lite poetry while running glass over a slide guitar – producing noise alternatively grinding and abrupt – leaving it to the rhythm section to ground their “songs” in any sort of momentum.

While that description certainly doesn’t sound inviting, those of you with a penchant for art-conceptual experimentation might want to check it out. Think of it as an opportunity: whatever musical structures they break down, you may well be inspired to reconstruct.

A

nd rebuild is exactly what the Butthole Surfers did.

Though equal in notoriety to the rest of Pop Montreal’s headliners, these venerable sleaze punks never quite broke up the way the previous bands did. Rather, the band’s three core members – Gibby Haynes, Paul Leary, and King Coffey – simply soldiered past their late-eighties heyday, unfazed by their early fans’ cries that they sold out in the mid-nineties.

Slated to play Olympia this Thursday, the Surfers are finally back in their most celebrated incarnation. Perhaps as a nod to those aforementioned fans, their most recent shows have paid solid tribute to the body of work they’re most remembered for: the riff-heavy, tape-manipulated gross-out rock tied so closely to the advent of grunge. And though show-goers shouldn’t expect a full return to form – which, for the Surfers, would imply a combination of onstage arson, assault, and raunchy public misconduct – they can at least hope to catch the band committing one major felony.

By now, all of you should have the information necessary to figure out which venerable rock institution you’re keenest on catching. And with your choice in mind, my work here is done. Festivals shall continue to function as easy cash-ins, affording tired old musicians many years of uncreative rest.

Thus, all is well in the world.

—Nicolas Boisvert-Novak

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Megasoid October 1 / 10:00 p.m.

Studio Just For Laughs (2109 St. Laurent) Megasoid is a Montreal duo made up of Robert “Speakerbruiser Rob” Squire and Hadji Bakara. They’re known for their live remixes, featuring accompanying heavy synthesizer, heavy bass, and the revered verses of some of the most recognized artists in the rap game, like Snoop Dogg and Easy E. If you are who your friends are, Megasoid is rap-electro-crunk royalty. Their posse is filled with A-level musicians in the game: they’ve appeared alongside Thunderheist, Ghislain Poirier, Jokers of the Scene, Omnikrom, the Cool Kids, AutoÉrotique, DJ Mehdi and Busy P, and Cadence Weapon. To date, Megasoid has released two mixtapes, “Remix Runners” and “Tank Thong.” Their full-length rap LP is expected to drop this winter.

Megasoid has held down weekly “Turbo Crunk” club nights at the Coda Social Club on St. Laurent. Don’t come unless you’re prepared to party (and party some more) as Megasoid’s shows notoriously get out of hand.

Spin Magazine named them the best show at Pop Montreal last year, so this is not a concert to miss. Not to mention they’re playing alongside heavy-hitters MegaHurtz. Grahmzilla, Hovatron, Baretta, Jelo, Lunice, Neighbour, and Nosaj Thing will also be tearing up Just for Laughs the same night. This audio and visual fiasco is bound to be mega-awesome.

Think About Life October 4 / 1:20 a.m. / Espace Réunion (6600 Hutchison)

—Tiana Reid

The Hoof and the Heel October 4 / 8:30 p.m. / Il Motore (179 Jean-Talon O.) Taking time off from touring around the States to officially release your first EP at Pop Montreal would be a dream for any emerging band. It certainly was for the Hoof and the Heel, a Montreal-based trio consisting of Harris Shper, Christian Hale, and Farid Rener, who will release And All the Tigers on October 4 at Il Motore.

When asked to describe their sound, the band notes that “after every show people compare us to bands that sound absolutely nothing alike. We all come from different musical backgrounds and have different tastes. I guess our music meets somewhere in the middle.”

To my ear, their sound is comprised of captivating vocal melodies laid over definite folk elements. At times, the music leans toward psychedelia; at times, it is more sober, but it maintains a mature pop sensibility throughout.

As the band is currently on their first international tour, I was interested in the effects that constant travelling and performing might have on the creative process. “On the road we don’t really have that much time to practice, which is frustrating as we love to fool around with new ideas. We try and take in the atmosphere of each venue and change up our set accordingly.”

So come out for their EP launch, give them some good energy, and be rewarded by an original and catered performance by one of Montreal’s up-and-coming bands.

—Cameron Schallenberg

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Think About Life had an eventful summer. They released their second album, Family, in May, made their first big-budget video for their single “Sweet Sixteen,” bade farewell to original drummer Matt Shane, played a festival in front of 4,000 people, and toured with Franz Ferdinand, all before coming back to Montreal to practice with a new drummer for their show at Pop. The hype that surrounds them is well-deserved. They have come a long way since their debut album three years ago: “We had one really simple set-up that we did the entire first album on, which was just keyboard, drums, and vocals,” explains Graham Van Pelt, another of the band’s members. But now, “we don’t think that way when we make music. We completely got away from writing songs on a keyboard. [For Family,] we wrote our songs with samples and guitars.... Those are the things we actually know how to do.”

The structure of their first album seemed to limit their respective potentials. “Martin [Cesar, the band’s vocalist], wasn’t playing any instruments, and I wasn’t playing guitar. There’s way more collaboration now.” Family comes off as a well-nuanced and sophisticated upgrade of their chaotic poppy sound. When putting together this album, says Cesar, “we didn’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into this one noisy, high energy, little pop band.” On Family, the collaboration and chemistry that has developed within the band is palpable. This fraternal intimacy must have been what Cesar was thinking of when he said, “this music we make, it’s kind of saving us.”

As for Pop, “it’s going to be a close-knit event,” Cesar says. “The festival has lost its way a bit; they are focused on making money more. I wish it had a grassroots element again. With this show, I hope we bring more of that back to Montreal.”

—Dana Drori

Fever Ray

Egyptian Light Orchestra

October 1 / 9:30 p.m. / Metropolis (59 St. Catherine E.)

October 3 / 1:00 a.m. / Espace Réunion (6600 Hutchison) Sam Shalabi is a native Montreal composer and musician who has been a leading force in the experimental rock scene since the mid-nineties. He has been involved in a variety of musical projects, including a solo act and the instrumental electronic band Shalabi Effect.

As the Shalabi Effect, Shalabi and bandmates Anthony Von Seck, Alexandre St. Onge, and Will Eizlini produced his best known work, releasing four albums under the Montreal-based label, Alien8. As a solo artist, Shalabi has released works including “Osama,” a politically-minded musical composition addressing post-September 11 arabophobia. Talent and innovation in instrumentals, electronics, experimental rock, and improvisation have propelled Sam Shalabi to legend-status in the local art and music scenes.

This year at Pop Montreal, Sam Shalabi is leading Egyptian Light Orchestra, an ensemble containing more than 20 musicians, playing instruments from the guitar to the Arabic oud, enhanced by a distinct aesthetic component. With Shalabi acting as conductor, the orchestra will produce a fusion of classical Middle Eastern melodies with Western pop, country, and rock.

Egyptian Light Orchestra will be playing alongside Anthony on Seck & The Exiles.

Prepare for an hour of mind-blowing, vivid sounds: layered guitar riffs, drones, electronically transformed tones, making their everyday instruments almost entirely unrecognizable.

Middle Eastern sounds meet psychedelia; that’s Sam Shalabi’s Egyptian Light Orchestra.

—T.R.

There’s a reason Fever Ray’s Karin Dreijer Andersson keeps her live shows covered in fog; there’s a monster hiding somewhere in the mist. It rumbles and groans in a pitcheddown version of Andersson’s voice and has become her most distinctive piece of instrumentation.

Her first solo album – and first release since The Knife’s Silent Shout, the fourth album put out by Andersson and her brother Olof Dreijer – Fever Ray keeps the sibling duo’s preoccupation with dark electronic tones and voice augmentation but drags those elements somewhere toward the woods of Twin Peaks.

Whereas The Knife usually kept their experimentation within a dance framework, Fever Ray builds on the typical electro groundwork of high-pitched synths and drum machines, adding organic percussion tones and a slower tempo to create something slightly more personal and even moodier. The album’s sense of dread is unavoidable; opener “If I Had a Heart”

builds on a repeating bass pulse until the altered voice groans an ominous “more, give me more, give me more.” Brighter tracks like “Seven” increase the tempo and melodic work, but the sense of moody introspection remains.

“Concrete Walls” plummets into an ambient blackness, quivering and almost breaking with the unsettling lyric “I live between concrete walls/ In my arms she was so warm.”

Fever Ray’s live show promises to bring Andersson’s peculiar kind of weary nightmares to Montreal. Andersson conducts her shamanistic re-telling of Fever Ray, costumed and shrouded in fog, lasers, lamps, and projections, similar to the live presentation that made the Silent Shout tour so successful. A surprisingly large five-piece band plays almost completely hidden behind the various light effects, another sign that Fever Ray is no typical electronic dance act.

—Joseph Henry

DJ/rupture October 4 / 1 a.m. / Club Lambi (4465 St. Laurent) DJ/rupture, also known as Jace Clayton, is a New York-based DJ and music producer who made his big break with his mix Gold Teeth Thief in 2001. He uses three turntables to create his complicated mixes, instilling life into his music. On his latest mix tape, Uproot, the influence of the Columbian folk style cumbia is especially evident. Uproot also happens to be the first mix DJ/rupture has created in which all the music has been 100 per cent legally cleared. This was not the case on his earlier mixes such as Gold Teeth Thief, in which he used songs from big-name artists such as Missy Elliot and ran into copyright issues with the labels. Uproot is relaxed yet infectious, not nearly as intense as some of his previous mixes.

As well as being an international DJ, Clayton is well known in the blog world, writing both musical and non-musical posts for his blog Mudd Up! He also does freelance work for publications such as The Wire and Frieze.

DJ/rupture hosts a weekly radio show in New York, also called “Mudd Up!” on Wednesdays, 7-8 p.m. on WFMU. In an interview by Maga Bo last November, DJ/rupture said that the mix shows in New York on night radio are “some of the best in the country.”

DJ/rupture’s work has an international and free sound. His music gets under your skin and makes you want to get up and move.

Through his music your body finds freedom, and your mind soon follows, leaving you lost in the beautiful Cuban and African mixes. He plays at Pop on Saturday, October 3 at Club Lambi, and the show starts at 10 p.m. To find out more about DJ/rupture, check him out on MySpace, or read his blog at negrophonic. com.

Ariane Moffatt October 4 / 10:00 p.m. / Ukrainian Federation (5213 Hutchison) Ariane Moffatt is one of the most influential and vibrant Quebecois singer-songwriters of her generation. She began her love affair with music at a young age, leaving her childhood hometown to make her way to Montreal, where she studied music at UQAM. Moffatt’s songs are hybrids. By carefully balancing pop and electro, indie and mainsteam, Moffatt has made her own path.

At 29 years of age, with four albums (Aquanaute in 2002, Le coeur dans la tete in 2005, Tous les sens in 2008, and a remix of Tous les

sens in 2009), a music DVD (Live a la station c), and numerous awards under her belt, Moffatt has proven that her music and its charm are here to stay. In addition to her accomplishments in singing and songwriting, Moffatt occasionally delves into the fields of DJing and producing.

In 2009, her latest album Tous les sens won a Juno award for francophone album of the year. Tous les sens takes a step away from the careful introspection that previously informed her creations and lends itself to a sort of jubilation. Catch Moffatt performing these songs at the Ukranian Federation on October 4.

—Pamela Fillion

Micachu & The Shapes October 1 / 10:30 a.m./ Cabaret Just for Laughs (2111 St. Laurent) For something super-effective against predictable rhythms and Rock Band instrumentation, I choose you, Micachu!

Classically-trained U.K. artist Mica Levi throws convention out the door with Jewellery, the debut release for Micachu & The Shapes, a band formed by Levi with Raisa Khan on keyboards and drummer Marc Pell. The young group may have performed in Montreal this past July, but if there’s any Pop Montreal band to keep an eye on, it’s Micachu & The Shapes.

Jewellry’s trademark song, the single “Golden Phone,” is indicative of the type of “attacks” Micachu is capable of. A syncopated drumbeat seemingly constructed out of kitchen appliances couples with Levi’s insidiously catchy melody, then moves into a handclap-laden chorus.

The song is all pop – that is, until a sample of what sounds like a collapsing wine rack and a fair amount of glitchy feedback throw everything off-kilter. All this aligns perfectly with the song’s computer-age

disconnect lyrics: “How could they even care, it’s a nonsense sound / This sound is everywhere but it can’t be found.”

Some have compared the band to Xiu Xiu, and that’s fairly apt. But whereas Jamie Stewart et al. deconstruct pop sensibilities by ripping off layers one by one, Levi works from the inside, retaining the most accessible elements of pop but injecting them with her avant-garde leanings.

It wouldn’t be unfair to say this is true “contemporary” music.

Levi’s path from club DJ to experimental music ambassador to chart-topper is demonstrative of the ever-thinning margins between “indie” experimental leanings and pop accessibility. She invents her own instruments (the “chu” is a guitar played with hammers), but has also rapped on Mercury Prize-winner Speech Debelle’s single, “Better Days.” Experimental queen Bjork even gave a shout-out to Micachu on her web site, giving Levi the musical avant-garde’s stamp of approval.

As for the form Micachu & The Shapes will evolve into, we’ll just have to wait for her inevitable next level of art-smashed pop.

— J.H.

—Erin O’Callaghan

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Pop is famous for bringing in bands from all over to Montreal. The festival serves another important purpose, however, in giving local groups a chance to break through to a greater audience. And since our city has the biggest student population on the continent, many of these local musicians are still in school, some of them even at McGill. So in the spirit of student journalism, we thought we’d do our part and put together a run-down of some of Pop’s best school-bound bands.

Below are our picks for bands that are not only awesome, but contain one or more members either in, or just out of McGill. Take a look.

Clues

Charlotte Cornfield

October 1/ 11:30 p.m./ Le Millieu (2111 St. Laurent) Clues crept up on the Montreal music scene in 2007, when co-founders Alden Penner (exUnicorns) and Brendan Reed (ex-Arcade Fire) began playing inconspicuous, word-of-mouth shows, amassing fans with their theatrical, frenetic, eerie-dance rock. Two years passed, and after recruiting additional band members and playing larger shows, they released their debut album this past May, extending their fan base and acclaim to an international platform. Still, they’ve always chosen to stay close to home.

“You really don’t need to do all that much touring,” says Penner. “You really don’t have to put out an album every year. You can concentrate on other things in your life, take more time with being a band, be more local, establish connections to artists in more of a community network.”

And Clues has achieved that, not only through collaborating with other Montreal artists, but also by supporting them through their online music store, villavillanova.com, which showcases local and non-local, lesserknown musicians.

The band’s goal is simple: “make a record and play some shows.” For them, it’s not about being thrust into a large-scale public persona, or satisfying expectations other than their own. “It really just has more to do with friendship, with the playing of music, with enjoying it.” Their philosophy continues to work well as us locals keep enjoying their tunes.

September 30/ 11 p.m./ Club Balattou (4372 St. Laurent) Charlotte Cornfield has already released two albums, It’s Like That Here and Collage Light.

She mixes folk rock and alternative pop to create a sound similar to Feist and Adele – particularly “North of Superior.” Coming from a family populated by musicians, Cornfield was enrolled in music from an early age, and was exposed to the classical elements by learning to play the piano, French horn, and percussion. She later discovered rock music, trying her hand at drums, guitar, bass, and keyboards. Last year was the first time Cornfield played Pop Montreal. At the festival this year, she will be introducing her new band with Noah Barer on drums, Kathryn Palumbo on bass, Kyle Irving-Moroz on cello, and Ryan Frizzell on trumpet. Musically inspired by places and encounters, the rock singer-songwriter’s sound is always changing, particularly with her recent exploration of classical instruments. Cornfield is unsure what the future holds; finishing school, touring, and making another record seem likely next steps. Regardless, she knows she will be making music forever.

October 3/11:00 p.m./Le Divan Orange (4235 St. Laurent)

—Alexis Montgomery

—Dana Drori

Braids

Silly Kissers

October 1/ 11:30 p.m./ Cabaret Juste Pour Rire (2111 St-Laurent)

When asked to list their influences, Montreal sensation Braids breaks things down into three categories: friendship, Animal Collective, and tea. The sense of friendship is easy to trace. Raphaelle Standell-Preston, Austin Tufts, Taylor Smith, and Katie Lee met during high school in Calgary and started out writing music that they call, with a shudder, “dark dance pop.” Now in Montreal, three band members are attending McGill and Braids has taken the local music scene by storm, opening for acts like Deerhunter and garnering all sorts of praise.

The link to Animal Collective also makes sense; the band is clearly a progenitor of Braids’s sound. Both combine ambient, experimental leanings within a poppy carapace, and both rely on versatile vocals that can range from a coo to a scream. Braids’s hugely satisfying “Lemonade,” for instance, begins with low-pitched drones and various whistles that eventually evolve into glistening, layered arpeggios.

Main vocalist Standell-Preston soon takes charge and leads the band to the chorus with her perceptive delivery, sensitive to every change in intonation and inflection. With Tufts’s shifting yet rock-solid drum patterns and the group’s subtle support vocals, the song reaches an unexpected but accomplished crescendo that shows off all the members’ contributions to the group’s sound.

As for the tea, it’s a voice-saving concoction Standell-Preston frequently prepared during Braids’s recent nine-day Canadian tour. The cross-country journey was a surprisingly ambitious and appropriately DIY endeavour for a student band with a mean age of 19. Next, they’re working on an album that should be out by spring 2010. But despite all future plans, Braids sees themselves as a live band first and foremost. Given that, it seems only fair that you go see and hear their brilliant, dreamy pop in person.

Silly Kissers is a local pop band comprised of David Carriere, Jeremy Freeze, Thom Gillies and McGill Students Bob Lamont and Jane Penny. Their first album, Love Tsunami, came out in January 2009, before they had even played together as a band. Carriere and former member Sean Savage recorded the album in a bedroom using the computer program ProTools. The excitement caused by the infectious songs spurred the boys to form a real band for their first show this past February.

The band turns out happy-go-lucky songs about love with a synth-pop sound. Their music makes people smile, and many are filled with a strong urge to get up and dance or sing along.

The single “Halloween Summer,” from their most recent album of the same name, released this past July, is particularly catchy.

The song, along with accompanying music video, is as odd as the title implies. These oddities make Silly Kissers a breath of fresh air in the pop world, and although some of their songs are about heartbreak, their infectious lyrics and upbeat rhythm will keep people smiling.

Silly Kissers’s their show is sure to be tons of fun. Penny said that Silly Kissers are very excited to play Pop: “it’s sure to be a great time [and] it’s always really exciting when you’re looking forward to hearing all the bands you’re playing with.”

You can check out their stuff beforehand at myspace.com/sillykissersmusic. If you’re in the mood to hear some love songs with super-catchy hooks, don’t miss Silly Kissers.

—Erin O’Callaghan

—Joseph Henry

6

Bent By Elephants

Zeroes

October 3/11:00 p.m./Zoobizzare (6388 St. Hubert) Serving up a sweet mélange of what guitarist Luke Fowley calls “orchestral-folk-rock-whatever,” Bent By Elephants creates floating, captivating melodies and breaks them with crescendoes of heavy cymbals and wild strumming on loose, out-of-tune strings. Think Damien Rice with an injection of jolliness. The presence of such varied ranges of sound within a single song lends Bent By Elephants an unpredictability they strive for and makes them a band well worth hearing.

Comprised of seven members, many of whom attended McGill’s own Schulich School of Music, the band formed a year ago, aspiring to channel the spontaneity of improvisation into a more structured, folksy form. With a variety of classical and folk instruments, including trumpet, violin, and upright bass, the instrumentalists complement singer Chesley Walsh. Walsh’s voice is delicate, yet somehow does not lose its presence or resonance over the melodies.

Bent By Elephants play Zoobizzare (6388 St. Hubert) on October 3. It promises to be a folk-filled night with perhaps a little extra entertainment during interludes, as Walsh divulges that she “tends to say at least one embarrassing thing per show” between songs.

October 3/ 10:00 p.m. /Il Motore (179 rue Jean-Talon O.)

Zeroes’ upcoming Pop Montreal performance marks the band’s two-year anniversary.

And with their most recent EP out on villavillanola.com, an album underway, and upcoming shows in Toronto and New York, Zeroes seems poised to break through the Montreal music scene. The foursome, composed of Ben Shimie, Liam O’Neill, Max Henry, and Joseph Yarmush – two of whom attended McGill – brought together their jazz backgrounds to completely oppose their formal training making cold, somewhat ambient electro-rock reminiscent of groups like Clinic, Fugazi, and even Deerhunter. “PVC” lays down the group’s main motifs: an angular drum and bass line, minimal guitar work, and Shimie’s hushed, repeated vocal. “Arena” builds on a steady synth groove with washes of noise. It’s a formula more inclined to dance music than rock, but as Shimie warns: “it’s party music, not dance.”

Zeroes has become established in the scene, with members in local bands Silver Starline and Land of Talk, and their live shows having earned a solid reputation. Regardless of what their guitarist says, there should be a fair amount of movin’ and shakin’ in their razor-sharp approach to dance rock.

—Joseph Henry

—Jelle van Wijhe

Oxen Talk September 30/10:00 p.m./ O Patro Vys (32 Mont-Royal E) Folk enthusiasts will not want to miss Oxen Talk on September 30 at O Patro Vys. Integrating their diverse musical backgrounds, McGill students Bob Lamont, Luke Neima, and Riley Fleck, along with Concordia classics major Adrian Levine, create new music with an old soul.

Described by San Diego-denizen Fleck as “Canadian Americana,” Oxen Talk’s music is alive with stories, transporting the listener from the cinder and smoke of Montreal to dusty prairies and destitute farms. With an entire band of songwriters, Oxen Talk’s sound is eclectic, but remains grounded in a classicist tradition due to Levine’s “obsessive” foundation in the genre. Expect haunting, finger-plucked melodies, elegant vocals, and a distinct stage presence accentuated by coordinated outfits – usually determined by Lamont. Check out their MySpace (myspace. com/oxentalk) for the video for “Bougain Villa” directed by McGill grad and fan, Alex Cowan.

—Anna Leocha

TONSTARTSSBANDHT October 1/ 11:00 PM/ Le Milieu (6545 Durocher) On October 1, at Le Milieu, biological brothers Andy and Edwin White are inviting you to party with them to the radical beats of their musical ensemble, Tonstartssbandht. The band was a long-distance affair for two years while Eddie was finishing his college career at NYU, but the Orlando-bred boys have been reunited in Montreal, and it sounds good.

Classified as “psychedelic party beats” by younger brother Andy, Tonstartssbandht’s music is abstract and invigorating. Not geared toward a hands-in-pockets kind of performance scene, one can expect jumping, diving, dancing, and slick, sweaty skin at Tonstartssbandht’s shows.

Andy and Eddie maintain that their music is inspired by and made for friends, near and far. But everyone is a friend at a Tonstartssbandht show! Just be ready to have fun – and put up your hands if a crowd-surfer comes your way.

—A.L.

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Film POP

Billed as Pop Montreal’s “film festival buddy,” Film POP is the branch of the festival that deals with movies about music.

Highlighting the interaction between audience and art that exists not only in music, but in cinema as well, this year’s Film POP focuses on public presentation in an age of private media. The festival hopes to start a dialogue about the exhibition of independent and repertory content in Montreal. To that end, many of the screenings will be presented alongside live elements.

What’s great about the festival is that its line-up showcases both musicians through the medium of film, and filmmakers through the medium of music, all the while surpassing music video and rockumentary standards.

Of Film Pop’s more experimental offerings, try not to miss Glory at Sea. Set on the coast of a flooded New Orleans, the short film takes the perspective of a small girl from the bottom of the sea, as she follows a man emerging from the depths of Hades and tries to give the coastal residents hope. Together, they collect washed up driftwood and knickknacks, and weave a raft out of memories of past lives, in the hopes of rescuing adrift loved ones. This post-Katrina allegory – calling Werner Herzog to mind in its surrealism

and production values – challenges the short film form, arising as a modern myth or an emotional odyssey.

Sharing Glory at Sea’s short format is Hard City Heart, brainchild of McGilleducated activist filmmaker and video journalist Brett Story. In this short video essay, she attempts to capture urban and spiritual alienation through Super 8 film. The scratchy 8mm aesthetic provides the perfect cinematic grounding for her lonely, disconnected shots of Montreal, while the uncanny soundtrack provides the perfect aural background for the film’s alternating intellectual musings and mad, street rambling.

While these experimental features should succeed in intriguing crowds, the festival also offers more conventional music cinema, showcasing a few instances of the rockumentary genre. For example, standout We are Wizards provides more laughs than the genre has since This is Spinal Tap. Looking at the intersections between Harry Potter fan culture and the music industry, the film exposes the odd musical genre of “wizard rock” – encompassing such bands as Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys, The Hungarian Horntails, and The Whomping Willow. While it devotes some attention to the uphill legal

battles that fans frequently encounter, the film mostly succeeds as a straight comedy.

Achingly funny, We are Wizards makes for an oddly inspirational look at fringe fan culture.

Film Pop also boasts Montreal’s sneak peak at An Inconvenient Truth director Davis Guggenheim’s It Might Get Loud. Sure to attract guitar virtuosos everywhere, the film documents the encounter between three rock heavyweights: Jack White (The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather), U2’s The Edge, and Jimmy Page. If these three distinctive guitar gods’ egos don’t get in the way, the film might actually teach us something as it chronicles the group’s performance – a show of mutual respect and friendship. But as White points out in the trailer “when the three of us get together, what’s going to happen? Probably a fist fight.” Fisticuffs or not, I’m betting on it getting loud.

Finally, not to be missed is Film Pop’s screening of a selection of Vincent Moon’s music videos. Moon, a captivating filmmaker with a passion for good music, applies guerrilla filmmaking techniques to musical performance, creating his own “spatial music” aesthetic. He specializes in filming a range of famous and more obscure bands giving small, intimate live performances, often in public

8

—Cameron Schallenberg

We are Wizards and Glory at Sea screen at Cinema du Parc, Saturday, October 4 at 3 p.m.

Hard City Heart screens at Cinema du Parc on Thursday, October 2 at 9 p.m.

Poster Boy

Art POP Wait, did you say “a room full of objects made out of piñatas, which viewers are supposed to, nay, encouraged to destroy”?

Such was my reaction while speaking with Art POP curators Kit Malo, a Concordia fine arts alum and Julien Ceccaldi, a current Concordia fine arts student. The exhibition they were describing was a room full of destructible furniture and domestic objects created by Bridget Moser and Jessica Campbell. It turned out to be a good representation of the eclecticism and eccentricity of the Art Pop offerings this year.

The pair’s excitement was palpable during our conversation; Malo and Ceccaldi were overflowing with information about Art POP, and we only had an hour in which to cover it all. Nonetheless, they gave me a rundown of the festival this year, how it’s organized, and some events not to miss.

Most of the Art POP happenings are being held at two venues this year: Maison Notman (51 Sherbrooke O.) and La Place Ubisoft: Espace Réunion (6600 Hutchison). The centralization of events will make it easy for festival-goers to see many of the exhibitions, and perhaps even to see works more than once, which, as Malo stated, “creates a different type of relationship between people and the artwork.” “[It’s] hard for people to engage with art,” she explained. “[Seeing a piece more than once] might allow people to experience art in a more personal way.”

Art POP is a unique event in that it’s only five days long. Most people in the art world consider it insane to even host a festival this short. But while the organizers

places using makeshift instruments. Making good on his gift for putting his performers at artistic ease, Moon then uses extreme closeups to capture the artists’ subtle gestures and eccentricities – things impossible to see even in the front row of a show. By placing musicians in these difficult situations, Moon gets beautifully personal and original performances from these artists, which he captures with artistic prowess. If you miss the screening, check his work out at blogotheque.net/Concerts-a-emporter.

agree with the claim that they may be crazy, they think it’s worth it, because the festival brings art to a multitude of people. Even though Art POP is brief, it enables a lot of people to view the art and interact with it.

As curators, Malo and Ceccaldi have a very open and creative approach; they want to offer artists a space in which they can come together to work, create, and have freedom with their art. They provide participants with an opportunity to “fuck around,” as Malo put it, without imposing constraints as other art festivals do.

The festival this year is loosely centered around the theme of interactive art, be it visual-, performance-, or sound-based. Lalie Douglas, a performance artist based in Montreal, interpreted this theme more literally than some. She constructs sculptures out of food, and will ask people to eat her artworks while she films them.

David Beaulieu and Christian Pelletier’s theremin installation works with the theme in a different way – by requiring viewers to interact with 16 metal poles that function as antennas in order to create music.

Art POP offers the Montreal public a multitude of artists and exhibitions to explore, engage with, love, or hate. Malo and Ceccaldi have worked tirelessly for the past nine months to bring interactive, challenging, and interesting works to the forefront, managing to showcase a multitude of local artists in the process. From students and professors to veteran performance artists, there is surely something at the festival that everyone will be able to discover and enjoy.

To find Jack Dylan’s art, look no further than the closest flyerladen telephone pole. With over 200 handbills for local shows and events under his belt, it’s not surprising that his illustrations and poster art have become practically synonymous with Montreal’s indie-music scene.

It certainly helps that his old living room – as Dylan has since moved out of the space – doubles as a venue for local bands, better known to concert-goers as Friendship Cove. Over the past few years, the space has acted as a launching point, and at times a studio space, for such notable acts as Sunset Rubdown and Miracle Fortress.

Dylan’s ties to Pop Montreal go way back. This October will mark his fifth round of Pop-postering duties, as he remains responsible for this artistic aspect of the festival’s advertising campaign.

Dylan’s distinct approach to illustration makes his artwork easily recognizable. His illustrations resemble comic book-style graphics, and his work often combines iconic imagery with familiar local landmarks, creating artwork that is accessible to the average Montrealer. One piece depicts the Mile-End greasy spoon Nouveau Palais in the style of the Edward Hopper painting “Nighthawks,” while another shows an MP3-toting Superman atop Mount Royal’s cross, overlooking the city.

This year’s Pop posters seem to have moved in a new direction.

One poster pictures a crowd of fans, dancing, presumably, to a Pop performance. Another offers a voyeuristic peek into the various rooms of a typical Montreal triplex apartment building.

Beyond their appearance at the festival, Dylan’s illustrations will also be available for sale at Puces POP, a marketplace-style event where hundreds of artists, local and otherwise, gather to sell their creations. You can also catch a glimpse of Dylan’s work on the festival’s web site, and of course, plastered across the city.

—Erin O’Callaghan

—Laura Anderson

The McGill Daily, Monday, September 28, 2009

w your food

ores sustainable options for campus dining

just local, but sustainable ‘model’ farms in our region, ” explained Glencross. o there is a lot of food activism going on, but how can we, as consumers, make sustainable food choices? If buying Granny Smith “organic” (but not local, eh hem) apples for $1.59/pound from Eden – a natural foods grocer located at Prince Arthur and Parc – is not the route you want to take, check out the McGill Farmers’ Market that takes place every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., September through October. The prices of these organic fruits and vegetables are amazing (e.g., a large corn on the cob for 50 cents!), they come from farms about 45 minutes from campus, and, when you buy veggies, there’s a high probability that the farmer will tell you, “freshly picked this morning!”

To change public habits, the public must be educated. This first step – analyzing necessary data to assess the facts – has been accomplished by MFSP for us, but it is up to the entire community to make use of that knowledge by making healthy choices. We’re going to eat for the rest of our lives, so why not start thinking about the consequences now? The next time you enter a cafeteria, remember: every plate has a story, and each food choice has a consequence.

If all this information about food sustainability excites you, or if you want to learn more, ‘ to Green Drinks Montreal on Tuesday, come September 29 in the Thomson House restaurant at 3650 McTavish. The gathering and free refreshments will begin at 5 p.m., followed by a presentation at 6 p.m. by MFSP entitled “Farm to Plate: Unpacking McGill’s Food Sourcing.”

Here, you can learn the life story of the food that ends up on our plate.

There is also a farm tour organized by MFSP with the help of the Environmental Residence Council (ERC) scheduled on October 3.

Students will visit Mac farm, the Horticultural Research Center, and the Mac farmers’ market – a great way to learn about agricultural production first-hand.

Sally Lin / The McGill Daily

S

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Science+Technology

The McGill Daily, Monday, September 28, 2009

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In search of Earth’s long-lost twin MIT prof says technology is bringing us closer to an answer Daniel Ting Sci+Tech Writer

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ne of the defining moments of the scientific revolution occurred 400 years ago. In the spring of 1609, Johannes Kepler published Astronomia nova, which provided strong evidence for Copernicus’ heliocentric model of the universe. In the fall of the same year, Galileo used a telescope to observe the night sky for the first time.

In recognition of these seminal events, the United Nations declared 2009 the International Year of Astronomy, and McGill University’s Faculty of Science has organized a triumvirate of commemorative public lectures entitled “Black Holes, New Worlds, and the Universe.” Sara Seager, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), presented the first of these lectures, “Origins and Aliens: The Search for Other Earths,” on September 21 to a near-capacity crowd in Leacock 132.

Seager’s research focuses on trying to find and analyze exoplanets – planets outside our solar system that orbit a star, and which are most likely to harbour alien life.

Seager, an expert in analyzing the way that light diffracts in an alien atmosphere to reveal the gas com-

Looking for a challenge BEYOND the books?

position, calls the resulting pattern formations the “fingerprints of a planet.” These fingerprints are useful for detecting tell-tale signs of life like oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapour.

“Oxygen is such a reactive gas, and if you find that an atmosphere has 20 per cent oxygen [as Earth’s does], you have to ask, ‘Why should it be there?’” Seager said.

The main difficulty in searching for hospitable exoplanets, according to Seager, is that the glare from stars obscures planets with Earth-like orbits. To illustrate this problem, consider that Earth is 10 billion times fainter than the Sun, meaning that our current ability to resolve planets vanishes at about 20 times the Earth-Sun distance. The ability to directly see an exoplanet with an Earthlike orbit would demand a massive, near-perfect space telescope, which would use non-circular mirrors to reduce the amount of glare observed.

Alternatively, a screen could be set up to diffract sun rays to a smaller, non-perfect telescope. But this solution also has its shortcomings, as it would require extreme spatial coordination between the 15 metrewide screen and the telescope, which would be tens of thousands of kilometres apart.

Fortunately, there are other ways to find an Earth-like exoplanet. The “wobble method” and “transit method” are two indirect detection techniques that measure either the gravitational attraction between a planet and a star, or the change in a star’s radiation pattern caused by a planet’s orbit. From these observations, one can infer the mass, size, and temperature of a planet, but not the presence of biological signs.

“These [indirect] methods can’t tell us the composition of the atmosphere,” said Seager.

Devin Hart for The McGill Daily

According to Seager, we may discover an Earth-like exoplanet as soon as 2030.

According to Seager, exoplanet travel will not be happening anytime soon. The possibility of visiting an exoplanet is a venture currently hindered by considerable economic and logistical barriers. The closest star to Earth is Alpha Centauri, approximately four light-years away, and though we might consider the claim that humans could travel at one-tenth the speed of light, such a journey would still take 80 years, round-trip.

We can still learn a lot about

planets by studying them from afar. Current research can identify planets’ densities, atmospheres, and the different phenomena that they experience – for example, how heat is transferred across tidally-locked objects like Earth’s moon.

As for finding an Earthcounterpart out there, Seager is optimistic that she will witness the historic event. “People often ask me whether we’ll find another Earth in my lifetime,” she said. “And I say

‘Yes. But I expect to live a very long time.’”

Realistically, Seager estimates, such a planet will be discovered within 20 to 25 years. Whether little green men will be waiting there is another question.

The next lecture in the series is entitled “The Origin of the Universe and the Arrow of Time” and will be presented by Professor Sean Carroll on October 19, 6 p.m. in Leacock 132.

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Change Lives.

“Economics Without Ecocide: Building a Whole Earth Economy” Tuesday, Sept. 29, 7 – 8:30 p.m.

Macdonald Campus, Raymond Building, R2-045 Part of the Food for Thought lecture series, Professor Peter G. Brown of the McGill School of Environment talks reconstructing the world economy while keeping environmental ethics in mind.

McGill Technology Career Fair Tuesday, Sept. 29, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

New Residence Hall McGill students and alumni are invited to come meet industry representatives in the fields of engineering, computer science, and physical sciences to learn about job opportunities and internships.

“Can we erase memories for therapeutic benefits?”

Thursday, Oct. 8, 6:00 p.m.

Redpath Museum Auditorium Karim Nader, from the department of psychology, will speak on the ethics and scientific possibilities in memory research.

A Walk Under the Stars Thursday, Oct. 1, Friday, Oct. 2, 5 – 9 p.m.

St-Michel Environmental Complex, Belvédère entrance, Paul-Boutet + des Regrattiers On these evenings, telescopes will be set up throughout the park, with astronomer guides on-hand to help you observe and interpret stars and constellations.

Write it, cut it, paste it, save it,

Load it, Check it, quick - rewrite it,

technologic.

Write for Sci-Tech scitech@ mcgilldaily.com

The McGill Daily, Monday, September 28, 2009

Photo Essay

Sara Traore

13

Sports

The McGill Daily, Monday, September 28, 2009

14

Politics in the pool A Daily writer talks with his father about water polo, the Troubles, and solidarity through sports Michael Lee-Murphy Sports Writer

W

hen Brian Murphy’s water polo team booked practime in the Grove Leisure Centre, they needed IRA protection. This is not a typical amateur sporting experience, and Belfast is not a typical city. But this was reality for Murphy, my father – or “Da” to me – a lifelong amateur water polo player and coach in Belfast.

“Water polo was very popular in Belfast in the sixties,” my dad recalled, “partly because there were a lot of [public pools] in working class areas, and people used them.

But when the Troubles started, there was basically nothing.”

The Troubles are what the people of the north of Ireland call the 40 year violent conflict involving Catholic and Protestant communities in the province, the British Army, and the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). At the height of the conflict, the British Army had as many as 25,000 troops stationed in Northern Ireland, Britain’s largest troop deployment since World War II (major hostilities have since ended after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement).

Like most other sports in the city, water polo is organized on a club basis. Belfast sporting clubs draw their players and supporters from either the Catholic community or the Protestant community, but rarely both. As with almost every facet of seventies and eighties Belfast society, sports were (and still are to some extent) heavily divided. Da told me “Soccer would have allowed for that type of [community] interaction, but the leagues were kept separate at the time. It was peculiarly divided, but water polo was the one game that wasn’t.”

Cathal Brugha (CAH-hull BROOuh), my father’s club, is based in the Lower Falls Road district in the heart of Republican west Belfast, a centre of the IRA’s support base. In the seventies Belfast was one of the most lawless places in Western Europe, with sustained urban guerrilla warfare and a state structure with little to no control over its population. “In [the early seventies], there were no street lights – the street lights were all shot out. After dark there was nobody about. This was around the time of ‘no-go’ areas,” Da told me.

No-go areas were entire sections of Belfast and especially the Falls Road that were under the complete control of Provisional IRA militants.

“There were no buses running on the Falls Road at this time, so you had to walk [downtown] and get a bus back to North Belfast from there.”

The violence that surrounded

people living in the city was never far from their minds. “Everybody was a news junkie. In that early period of the Troubles, everybody had short wave or long wave radio and you tuned the radio in to the [British] Army frequencies, just to hear what was going on, and everybody did that. You informed yourself from various sources so that you could form an opinion about what was the actual truth behind what was happening in the papers.”

Because of the nature of the Troubles, when you were on the Falls Road you were never far from someone directly involved in the conflict in one way or another. During one period of particularly heightened tension and violence, Brugha had scheduled a practice in a heavily Protestant working class area. Da recalls having IRA protection at the pool: “I can remember him patrolling up and down the pool, and I can remember organizing all our exercises to be facing towards the door, because we really were sitting ducks in the water, and if somebody had’ve burst in through the doors, you would’ve been caught.”

At an earlier period in the seventies, Da even lost some game time to IRA fugitives hiding out south of the border. “The first time I went down to the Falls Road for the drive to Dundalk [a town in the Irish Republic, south of Belfast]…I was working out the numbers and figur-

ing ‘I’ll get playing time.’ And then when we arrived in Dundalk these two boys appeared and played the match instead of me. I didn’t know who they were, nothing was said about it. The next week we went down, there was a massive police presence at the pool and I got my chance to play.”

This close connection to the politics and the violence allowed for a peculiar Belfast-style respect and credibility to develop for my father, who came from a middle class area of North Belfast. “[Water polo] allowed me to be part of the real life on the Falls Road. For a middle class kid, that would have been extremely unusual…it allowed me to be closely connected with people based [on the Falls], and who were in the midst of the Troubles…I was lucky in that my father was prepared to take a chance. He promoted my involvement, because he himself was from the Falls.”

When Da stopped playing in the nineties, he moved into coaching the club. After a number of successful seasons, he was asked to coach the Northern Ireland water polo team at the Commonwealth Games. The Games’ participants are member nations of the British Commonwealth, essentially the skeleton of the former British Empire. Acknowledging the existence of the Northern Irish state or admitting subjugation under

the British crown staunchly conflicts with typical Republican ideology. Sarcastically referred to as the “Empire Games” by members of the Brugha community, Da received some playful slagging (“teasing,” in Belfast) over the decision to coach the team. “I did agonize about it, I had difficulties with the concept.”

A big break, however, came a few years ago when Da was asked to coach the Irish national squad, made up of players from both north and south of the border.

One particularly important experience for Da was coaching against the Basque autonomous region of northern Spain. The political situation in the Basque Country, having gone through a history of violence and guerrilla warfare of its own, has quite a few parallels with that of Northern Ireland. These parallels are so strong that Father Alec Reid, a Belfast priest who facilitated many of the talks leading to the North’s current peace, traveled to the Basque country to assist in their negotiations. “I had previously gone into the Sinn Fein centre and gotten Basque and Irish pins to bring over” my dad told me. “I knew Alec Reid was over there working on their peace process to try and replicate what we had here. A veteran referee told me that the hospitality given to us by the Basques was the best he had ever seen. The feeling of solidarity was very strong.”

Another high point for my Dad’s water polo career came after the nation of Montenegro passed a referendum to split from Serbia.

Montenegro, “an epicentre of water polo,” was relegated to the lower leagues and again had to climb the ladder of international competition.

The Irish team was invited out to the newly formed country to compete against one of the best squads in the world.

Montenegro, too, stirred up memories of the seventies for my father. The Balkan wars of the nineties had left the whole region devastated. “There were definitely echoes of 1970s Belfast. When you walked into a café, everybody stopped talking and looked at you.”

For my father, coaching players from West Belfast and from around Ireland in one of water polo’s capitals was the ultimate honour – Montenegro represented a long way, geographically and emotionally, from his start on the Falls Road. My father reflected on his time in the seventies: “Kids today don’t have the same freedom that we had, even in the seventies in Belfast [laughs]. We were outside all of the other mainstream structures; there were just ad-hoc structures that you made up as you went along. [Cathal Brugha] was quite a strong community of freedom-loving people in Belfast.

And it is still extremely important in looking after kids here.”

Caroline Dutka / The McGill Daily

Sports

The McGill Daily, Monday, September 28, 2009

15

Life on the pitch A look at McGill’s cricket community

The McGill Daily

I

n recent years, a man nicknamed Chacha (Urdu for “uncle”) Cricket has garnered worldwide media attention for his devotion to the game of cricket. A bearded 59-year-old fan who once sold his 1.5 million rupee home to subsidize his obsession, Chacha Cricket is paid 10,000 rupees by the Pakistan Cricket Board every month just to tag along with the nation’s cricket team and drum up excitement.

“That’s how big cricket is in Pakistan,” explained Shreryar Rasool, a U1 Economics student hoping to play cricket at McGill. “I don’t think any other country has an example of such a loyal cricket fan.”

One could debate who the world’s biggest cricket fan is. But there is no doubt that the baseball-like sport played on large oval fields and with bats reminiscent of paddles has fans across the globe. While it remains relatively unpopular in North America, the International Cricket Council has 104 member nations and the 2007 Cricket World Cup sold nearly 700,000 tickets.

The sport has even inspired a community of fans and players at McGill.

Both the McGill Cricket Club (MCC) and the Bangladeshi Cricket Team (BCT) allow students to participate in cricket games on campus. Abu Sayem, a McGill ’08 alum who works with the University’s Centre for Research on Children and Families, has been playing since he was 6 and taking formal lessons since he was in grade 9. Sayem, who grew up in Bangladesh, helped form the BCT in 2005 after meeting members of the Bangladeshi Students Association who played the game.

“Since we have been playing this [game] since our childhood, it’s like a seed inside us,” said Sayem.

“Wherever we go, we want to play.

We grew up with cricket. There are a lot of memories around it, of winning, of being victorious,” Sayem added.

Aside from some gear donated by the Bangladeshi Students Association in 2007, the BCT buys all its own equipment. They try to hold games four days a week during the summer and early fall.

The MCC gained SSMU club status in 2008, and has continued to attract interest from McGill students

from all around the world, including several from the West Indies, England, South Asia, and Kenya.

But that doesn’t mean the group’s had an easy time finding places to play. Instead, they resort to using the entrance of the Fine Arts Core Education School opposite the Adams building, as well as some less-than-ideal spots on campus.

“McGill is very small and we don’t have a proper field,” said Sayem. “All we have is the lower field. Throughout the summer the rugby field is closed and in winter it is impossible to play cricket.” Sayem also noted the team has played at the reservoir field, but that the grass is sometimes too long.

The club organizes tournaments twice a semester – usually at the beginning of the fall semester and at the end of the winter semester.

Each tournament attracts around 60 players, approximately seven on each team.

The group plays its own variation of cricket using custom rules and a tennis ball covered in electrical tape. And since cricket games can last up to five days, they opt for shorter matches.

The MCC tries to accommodate

all players interested in participating. When the games take place can also depend on people’s academic schedules. The club’s VicePresident of Communications, Varum Sharma, U3 Chemical Engineering, uses Facebook in order to keep in touch with players. A large number of cricket fans and players at McGill have a connection to South Asia, where cricket is a major pastime. Despite the game’s introduction in the Indian subcontinent in the 19th century

by British colonists, the game has found widespread popularity in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. In India, there is even a 24-hour sports network, STAR Cricket, devoted to around-theclock coverage of the game.

MCC President Usman Khalid, originally from Pakistan (U3 Electrical Engineering) said, “People are passionate about cricket. It’s like if you go to Europe you see soccer everywhere. It’s the same. Cricket is the soccer of Southeast Asia.”

Jeff Bishku-Aykul / The McGill Daily

Jeff Bishku-Aykul

Call for Candidates he Daily Publications Society, publisher of he McGill Daily and Le Délit, is seeking candidates for

a student position on its Board of Directors. he position must be illed by a McGill student belonging to any faculty other than the Faculty of Arts, duly registered during the upcoming Winter term, and able to sit until April 30, 2010. Board members gather at least once a month to discuss the management of the newspapers, and make important administrative decisions.

Candidates should send a 500-word letter of intention to chair@dailypublications.org by September 30th.

Contact us for more information.

Have a penchant for media criticism?

The McGill Daily wants you to be its Public Editor!

The Daily Publications Society seeks a good writer and critical thinker to write a regular column evaluating the journalistic quality of the McGill Daily.

This volunteer position will involve corresponding with Daily readers, listening to their concerns and criticisms of the paper, interviewing Daily editors and staff, and exploring the issues raised by those discussions in print.

For details, email

chair@dailypublications.org.

The application deadline is October 6th.

Culture

The McGill Daily, Monday, September 28, 2009

16

Lit city New online fiction journal Joyland continues Montreal’s writerly tradition Kira Josefsson The McGill Daily

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hink it’s difficult to produce a literary scene worth mentioning if you’re a minority group? Think again. The Anglo writers of Montreal have been called a triple minority (they’re artists, of a minority language in their province, the province being a linguistic minority in its country), and yet they were the founders of the first cohesive literary scene in the entirety of Canada. In fact, one of the scene’s most important publications first saw light in the lap of our own alma mater. The McGill Fortnightly Review, published between from 1925 to 1927 by F.R. Scott, was instrumental in the formation of the Montreal Moderns, a group of writers including A.J.M. Smith, P.K Page, and Irving Layton, who effectively brought modernist writing to Canada. Later, of course, came Leonard Cohen and Margaret Atwood. While the modernist project became less urgent after the sixties and its writers began to look outside the movement’s framework, Montreal’s artists did not lose their way with words. The city has been called the spoken word capital of North America, and proof of the good health of its literary scene is shown by frequent readings at different venues around town, certainly not restricted to spoken word.

One of these events was last week’s Montreal launch of the literary web site Joyland, at the Green Room.

The founders of the site, Torontobased writers Emily Schultz and Brian Joseph Davis, call Joyland a hub for short fiction. The web site brings together writers from seven different cities; each location has its own editor who is free to select the writers they want to feature. In Montreal, that person is Concordia professor and writer David McGimpsey, who was also at the helm of the evening’s event. Often hovering frighteningly close to the line that separates hosting from stand-up (there was, for instance, a lengthy monologue about the sex lives of panda bears), McGimpsey nonetheless presented an admirable line-up of both established and emerging writers: Nick McArthus, Sina Queyras, Arjun Basu, Allison McMaster and Eva Moran were amongst those taking the stage. Moran read a hilarious piece from her book Porny Stories, about a Harlequin novel writer who gets to follow the red-clad Mermaid Marianne on a series of man-eating escapades. Using these adventures as inspiration for her writing, the protagonist becomes the poster child for Harlequin’s new series: raunchy, with none of that sentimental crap.

Another highlight was Basu’s story of an Oedipus complex with a twist: a young boy is in an illegitimate relationship with the mother of his girlfriend, who he has impregnated

(don’t worry, he puts an end to the incestuous love triangle by leaving the mother).

Schultz was the last to read her work; after she left the stage, Davis said that he was happy with the Montreal launch. “This is a different scene from that of Toronto in several ways, not least because the Montreal scene is more integrated.

Most writers do both poetry and fiction, and there is an audience for both.” Davis is right; Green Room was filled with a substantial crowd, despite it being a Monday night.

“Fiction [readings] can be a bit iffy, but I’ve never had a bad event in Montreal”, he added.

McGimpsey agrees, saying that here, literary events seem to fit in with people’s expectations of a night out. Because of the universities, especially Concordia with its creative writing program, events such as poetry readings become a natural part of the city’s cultural life. “It’s not very difficult to get involved, but you have to become actively interested”, McGimpsey claims, recommending that aspiring writers submit material to open readings. By going to readings, especially those with a featured writer, you will get acquainted both with different people and styles.

McArthur, another of the writers featured at Joyland’s Montreal launch and a former student of McGimpsey’s, suggests the Pilot Reading Series at Blizzarts, the last

Sunday of every month, as well as readings at the Yellow Door.

“The Montreal scene is special, because as an Anglo, you need persistence to live in Montreal”, McArthur says. And perhaps that’s part of the explanation of the local Anglo lit scene’s vibrancy. Granted, English is Canada’s majority language, a fact that may discredit the minority status of the Anglos to some extent. But why then didn’t the Montreal Moderns and their

Rebeccah Hartz / The McGill Daily

Hit the road

CULTURE BRIEFS

Making our cities pedestrian-friendly again Melissa Wils-Owens Culture Writer

S

ince Henry Ford whipped out the first Model T in 1908, owning a car and migrating to the suburbs have grown to symbolize the affluent and comfortable lifestyle that families strive for. Once citizens began to purchase automobiles, they shifted out of cities and into sprawling neighbourhoods.

With this came a corresponding shift away from walking. Luckily, as urgent environmental concerns have entered into the public consciousness over the past decade, the seeds of sustainability have been planted in society’s soil, the bridge-and-tunnel mentality has, to a certain extent, been abandoned.

Mary Soderstrom, author of 2008’s The Walkable City, underscores the necessity of reducing dependence on automobiles by comparing the urban layouts of cities such as Paris, Toronto, Vancouver, and Singapore.

In so doing, she articulates a plan meant to create a truly walkable

city.

Soderstrom begins the book with an anthropological description of the evolutionary process that led humans to bipedalism, and the efficiency this change introduced.

Although humans may share 98 per cent of our genetic code with chimpanzees, “no other animal has hind feet so elegantly differentiated from front feet, so clearly evolved to give us advantages in specific landscapes.”

The men and women who pushed handcarts across North America in a mid-nineteenth centry migration at a rate of 44 kilometres per day exemplified these advantages – they were able to travel twice as fast as the wagons chugging along at only 20 kilometers per day. In the grand scheme of things, carbon-emitting automobiles are a relatively new invention, a convenient plaything certainly not worth its impact on Mother Nature.

To steer humans back toward walking, Soderstrom elaborates on several measures meant to reduce vehicle dependency, implemented

heirs, whether modernist or not, emerge out of, say, Toronto? As McGimpsey points out, a smaller community is easier to unify, while at the same time it increases its participants’ intensity of dedication and interest. Being at a crossroads of languages and cultures probably helps, too. Certainly, the multicultural metropolis that has sparked the imagination of so many great writers of the past will continue to inspire many more in the future.

in cities worldwide. São Paulo, Brazil, for example, has outlawed the use of cars with odd- or evennumbered license plates on alternating days to reduce traffic and air pollution. Paris, meanwhile, has continually increased restrictions on traffic and parking since 2001, and has successfully reduced automobile traffic in the city by 15 per cent in only four years. By making other methods of transportation (metro, bus, bicycles, foot) as convenient as driving, Paris aims to reduce car traffic by 40 per cent come 2020.

Soderstrom is hopeful that the world’s population will realize that preventing environmental havoc requires more than the isolated efforts of a few cities. People consume, on average, 300 more calories per day than they did in 1970, leading to increases in average weight. An interesting study compared the average weight of a 5’7” person in Manhattan, a place where citizens don’t think twice about walking a few kilometers to work, with an average person from

Geauga, a sprawling suburb in Ohio.

The average Manhattanite weighed 6.3 pounds less than the Ohio resident.

These trends affect the global environment.

Increased average weight within our population causes both a rise in heart disease as well as in usage of gas, as heavier passenger loads require that cars use more gas. Sucking up more gasoline, of course, causes greater carbon emissions, and higher incidences of asthma.

In reality, there are many factors preventing people from walking on a regular basis, such as the fear of attack in certain neighbourhoods, and congested sidewalks. But as Soderstrom details, “a constant stream of foot traffic lessens the opportunity for crime.” And since a greater number of pedestrians would reduce car traffic, most of the detrimental effects of an automobile-reliant society can be spared if individuals unearth the gumption to elicit change. Let’s face it: your driving habits are everybody’s business.

Politica gets rolling This Tuesday, Cinema Politica will host its first screening of the semester, of the documentary Roadsworth: Crossing the Line.

The story of notorious Montreal stencil artist Peter Gibson, aka “Roadsworth,” the documentary follows him through the earlymorning streets of Montreal, Paris, London and Amsterdam, exploring intentions and inspirations through the lens of his concerns about art and freedom of expression. Gibson has dealt with prosecution both at home and abroad as a result of his work; such controversy illustrates the extent to which his art is challengeing. Support Cinema Politica this Tuesday and enjoy the free screening of a film that promises “the language of the streets.”

— Anna Leocha Cinema Politica will screen Roadsworth: Crossing the Line on September 29 at 8pm in Leacock 26.

Culture

The McGill Daily, Monday, September 28, 2009

17

Eating out east

Dan Rubenstein Culture Writer

O

n the corner of Marie-Anne and de Lorimier, a neighbourhood diner sits unassumingly behind a small terrace.

Obscured by the umbrellas and trees in front of the low-set restaurant is a glowing rust-orange sign, radiating warmth and offering an invitation to passersby: La Bolduc.

Stepping inside, you feel as if you’ve entered someone’s home: the décor is, to say the least, eclectic. The walls are painted pale yellow, and are adorned with artwork, photographs, a sombrero, and a wide range of knick-knacks.

Booths, upholstered in leopard print, surround colourful tables.

Dozens of unique homemade and antique light fixtures, fashioned from coloured glass and wire or res-

cued from flea markets, hang from the ceiling. A long bar used for food preparation runs along one of the walls. On the night I visited, there was a steady stream of music, ranging from Bedouin tribal to French folk, played at a respectful volume.

The bohemian ambiance feels authentic: a good balance between “Rent” and Weimar-era Berlin.

“There are lots of regulars,” said waitress Karyne Levesque, of La Bolduc’s crowd. “Most of our customers are typical Plateau people.”

I understood this to mean students, hipsters, beatniks, colourful pensioners, and other unwaged individuals, creative types, subversives, et al. This makes for a “great” crowd, explains Levesque, who sees a steady stream of such customers all week.

La Bolduc serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and offers a lengthy menu. Everything is home-

made, and the majority of the choices are under $10. The breakfast menu features a wide variety of omelettes, crepes, and classic breakfast combinations. Lunch and dinner options include a hamburger and poutine combo ($6.99) as well as the Menu du Jour, which consists of soup, a choice of 3 entrées, and a dessert, and rings in at $9.99. Unfortunately the confines of this assignment prevented me from ordering the Menu du Jour (the prices on the menu are before tax). I settled on a specialty hamburger with cheddar, salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, and jalapeños called “le Mexicain” ($7.99). My friends, out of solidarity, employed the same $10 dinner budget and chose the veggie-paté sandwich ($5.99) and a specialty burger with goat cheese ($6.99). We were all satisfied with our meals, which, despite their low price-tags, were generously portioned. Since we still had some wiggle room between what we’d ordered and the $10 dollar cap on the article, we felt dessert a fitting reward for our thriftiness. We decided to share a piece of carrot cake ($3.69). It was moist, flavourful, and fresh baked (full disclosure: I may have eaten more than the 1/3 portion allotted to me).

La Bolduc occupies the erstwhile site of the Bolduc family’s eponymous grocery store, which opened in the forties. In the late six-

ties the elder Bolduc relinquished control of the épicerie to his daughter, who turned it into a restaurant and neighbourhood establishment.

The staff was not able to confirm whether the restaurant had any affiliation with the depression-era Québécoise singer, violinist, and Jew’s harp prodigy “La Bolduc” (née Mary Rose-Anna Travers), but one waitress said she had her suspicions. Regardless of whether “La Bolduc” had anything to do with the Eastern-Plateau restaurant shar-

ing her moniker, it is certain that the chanteuse—a symbol of lean times and a hero to the underprivileged of Quebec—would have enjoyed the inexpensive fare at the eatery bearing her name. Indeed, La Bolduc is a rare combination: firstclass offerings for steerage prices.

Its cuisine and character make it a dining experience you won’t soon forget.

La Bolduc is located at 4351 de Lorimier.

Sasha Plotnikova / The McGill Daily

Beggar’s Banquet

WIN ONE OF THE 75 DOUBLE PASSES TO SEE THE MOVIE! Presented by

STARTS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2nd !

Come by the McGill Daily Office (Shatner B-26) and get a free double pass to Capitalism: A Love Story.

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Compendium!

The McGill Daily, Monday, September 28, 2009

Lies, half-truths, and blasphemy

18

Dress code flouted in Birks Chapel Campus Puritan community outraged Spencer Duffy The McGill Daily

C

ampus pagans gathered to thumb their noses at the papacy Thursday, throwing themselves into McGill’s only baptismal font with reckless abandon, leaving a trail of Hawaiian shorts and plastic beer cups behind them.

Religious Studies student Nam Seylon wasn’t bothered by the soaking wet debauchery. “Pagans are people too. People with beliefs.

Beliefs in the divinity of the Sun, the holiness of fire, and unprotected sex with multiple anonymous

partners in public. While drunk.”

Meanwhile, across campus, Daily staffers bullied and harassed engineering students.

“The warm, soothing power of Christ compels me,” said U5 Phrenology major Cornelius William Twittrephede IV. “Moahmmed too. Solid dude,” Twitterphede added, before disappearing to examine the lumps on classmates’ heads.

Somewhere, O’Ria McRean cried into his soggy PB&J. O to have a friend...

Check out O’Ria McRean on Twitter twitter.com/oriamcrean!

Sara Traore for The McGill Daily

POOPY-BUTT AND OTHER PROBLEMS SOLVED! DILEMMA DIVAS TELL YOU HOW TO FIX YOUR FAILING LIFE. missadvised@gmail.com Camilla Grudova for The McGill Daily

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