the carillon The University of Regina Students’ Newspaper since 1962
Oct. 25 - 31 2012 | Volume 55, Issue 9 | carillonregina.com
cover The best part of Halloween is that it gives you one day to be something that you’re not, and nobody judges you. Just kidding, everybody judges you. For Halloween, I want to be wellrested and happy about the world. Check out our jack-olantern patterns on page 11, and have yourself a goddamn happy Halloween.
the staff editor-in-chief
dietrich neu editor@carillonregina.com business manager shaadie musleh business@carillonregina.com production manager julia dima production@carillonregina.com copy editor michelle jones copyeditor@carillonregina.com news editor taouba khelifa news@carillonregina.com a&c editor paul bogdan aandc@carillonregina.com sports editor autumn mcdowell sports@carillonregina.com op-ed editor edward dodd op-ed@carillonregina.com visual editor arthur ward graphics@carillonregina.com ad manager neil adams advertising@carillonregina.com technical coordinator jonathan hamelin technical@carillonregina.com news writer a&c writer sports writer photographers olivia mason tenielle bogdan
arts & culture
Studying abroad. 4 There’s more to university life than studying. UR international provides students with the opportunity to partake in semester long overseas trips where students can see new places, meet new people, and immerse themselves into new cultures.
Fuck you, midterms. 7 It’s the time of year between doing nothing because it’s September and doing nothing because it’s Christmas. Midterms. They are a cruel mistress. But we must all just eat a Snickers, gain composure, and push through to attain our meaningless degrees.
sports
op-ed
Stupid media. 14 hockey superstar Hayley Wicknheiser was at the U of R to discuss the documentary Miss Representation. Perhaps she should have focused less on the film and more on her team, Calgary Dinos, as they lost to the Cougars on Saturday. BOOYAH.
1812 forever. 19 The Harper government apparently only cares that in 1812, we had a pretty forgettable war. Because the only thing that really matters in a country’s history is how many people die, right? Seriously, we’ve done so many better things to look back on.
kristen mcewen sophie long kyle leitch braden dupuis
marc messett emily wright
contributors this week debra schubert regan meloche raenna gohm michael chmielewski britton gray kris klein paige kreutzwieser robyn tocker sebastian prost regan meloche dustin christianson troy julé joel blechinger
the paper THE CARILLON BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dietrich Neu, Kent Peterson, Edward Dodd, Ed Kapp, Tim Jones, Madeline Kotzer, Anna Weber 227 Riddell Centre University of Regina - 3737 Wascana Parkway Regina, SK, Canada, S4S 0A2 www.carillonregina.com Ph: (306) 586-8867 Fax: (306) 586-7422 Printed by Transcontinental Publishing Inc., Saskatoon
The Carillon welcomes contributions to its pages. Correspondence can be mailed, e-mailed, or dropped off in person. Please include your name, address and telephone number on all letters to the editor. Only the author’s name, title/position (if applicable) and city will be published. Names may be withheld upon request at the discretion of the Carillon. Letters should be no more then 350 words and may be edited for space, clarity, accuracy and vulgarity. The Carillon is a wholly autonomous organization with no affiliation with the University of Regina Students’ Union. Opinions expressed in the pages of the Carillon are expressly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Carillon Newspaper Inc. Opinions expressed in advertisements appearing in the Carillon are those of the advertisers and not necessarily of The Carillon Newspaper Inc. or its staff. The Carillon is published no less than 11 times each semester during the fall and winter semesters and periodically throughout the summer. The Carillon is published by The Carillon Newspaper Inc., a non–profit corporation.
the manifesto
In keeping with our reckless, devil-may-care image, our office has absolutely no concrete information on the Carillon’s formative years readily available. What follows is the story that’s been passed down from editor to editor for over forty years.
In the late 1950s, the University of Regina planned the construction of several new buildings on the campus grounds. One of these proposed buildings was a bell tower on the academic green. If you look out on the academic green today, the first thing you’ll notice is that it has absolutely nothing resembling a bell tower. The University never got a bell tower, but what it did get was the Carillon, a newspaper that serves as a symbolic bell tower on campus, a loud and clear voice belonging to each and every student. Illegitimi non carborundum.
news
photos news Arthur Ward a&c Tenielle Bogdan sports Emily Wright
op-ed apathyisboring.com cover Arthur Ward
news
News Editor: Taouba Khelifa news@carillonregina.com the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
Who needs feminism? Students are encouraged to take part in a contest that re-engages student dialogue on feminism and the role it plays in society taouba khelifa cnews editor Why do you need feminism? In celebration of the 2013 spring equinox, the University of Regina’s Women’s Centre and the Women and Gender Studies department are inviting students to creatively answer this question and submit their answers into the Why Do You Need Feminism? contest. “The spring equinox is the springing into new ideas, new thoughts, new ways of being. We really wanted to run with that idea,” explained Darlene Juschka, U of R professor and one of the contest’s organizers. “In terms of different systems of belief and practice, often you will have a spring deity that is female - Flora in Rome, Persephone in Greece. So, you always have this association of spring and blooming with women, female energy, [and] reproductive aspects that women bring to the world.” It is the first contest of its kind on campus, both undergraduate and graduate students from any field or discipline are encouraged to think about the role that feminism plays in today’s society, and share their ideas through art, written expression, or performance. Who Needs Feminism? launched in April of this year when a group of 16 women from Duke University decided to launch an online PR campaign after being “disturbed by what [they] perceived to be an overwhelmingly widespread belief that today’s society no longer needs feminism.” In an attempt to change this perception and challenge the stereotypes of what it means to be a feminist, Who Needs Feminism? was launched.
warwick.ac.uk
Rosie used to be the epitomy of feminist badassery. We still need her. Only a few months into the campaign, and Who Needs Feminism? saw campuses all across North America participating in their online challenge, recreating the dialogue on what it means to be a feminist. Now, U of R students will have the chance to engage in these discussions. “I think there’s this attitude that ‘do we still need feminism? Women have gained equality,’ ” said Kim Karpa, executive director of the Women’s Centre on campus and contest organizer. “But when you actually look at is-
sues that women face - violence, [issues] in the labour market, the hyper-sexualization of women – we still clearly need feminism.” Juschka and Karpa say that
feminism is a misunderstood concept in the media and our society. The two explained that there is no such thing as one type of feminism. Instead, the word is pluralized into “feminisms” to include all the different methods, analyses, thinking patterns, and structures that each feminist brings to the table. “I teach about feminisms, and I would never say that it is one thing. The overarching idea [is] analysis of gender, sex and ideology,” Juschka clarified. “Equally, [it talks about] issues around injustices, equity issues ... race, class, and sexuality.” Karpa agreed, explaining that she is not the same kind of feminist that Juschka is, but they both still fit under the umbrella of feminism. “Not all feminists will agree on how to address certain issues,” said Karpa. “But this [contest] is supposed to break down the different kinds of feminisms and also the misconception that feminists are these bra-burning, man-hating, women.” Perhaps even more surprising, the women explained, is the fact that feminism is for both men and women. While the focus is mostly on women’s rights and issues, Karpa explained that feminism “also looks at marginalized men, and how race and class operate within their social bodies as well.” “Feminism is a political position,” Juschka added. “You do not
have to have a uterus to be a feminist. And, furthermore, everyone with a uterus is not necessarily a feminist.” Juschka believes she still needs feminism to have a better future for her children, and for herself. “I have two kids, and I want a world where both of them can move in that world and be free, so that my son has full access to an emotional range, which he doesn’t have now – not if he’s going to be a ‘proper man.’ And that my daughter have full access to a range of futures, and not limited because she is not male.” Karpa reiterates Juschka’s message, describing the various issues women face and continue face on a every day. “It continues to be an uphill battle,” she said. “And, until we have no violence in the world and no social injustices, that’s why we need feminism.” The Why Do You Need Feminism? contest is open until Feb. 1. All submissions will be put on display on March 20 in the Fifth
“Feminism is a political position. You do not have to have a uterus to be a feminist. And, furthermore, everyone with a uterus is not necessarily a feminist” Darlene Juschka
The Only Black Student Author and speaker Lull Mengesha chats with The Carillon about his book and workshops on race, inclusion, and education sophie long news writer Lull Mengesha recently visited the University of Regina to facilitate a workshop designed to prevent discrimination. His book, The Only Black Student focuses on the struggles some students face in faculties that are dominated by white students. Mengesha took some time to explain the origin of his book and where it took him, saying “I wrote it in my senior year at the University of Washington. It’s a guide to help students navigate through college, and I wrote it for a group of four guys I was mentoring. I would collect their questions and then it turned into a
book. It’s called The Only Black Student, but it’s pretty relatable for all students.” The workshop Mengesha created for the University of Regina is designed for students and teachers to consider the issues of acceptance on campus and in schools. “We do some pretty fun scenarios and role-playing to know what challenges students might face, like dealing with roommates and talking to your professor. That’s usually fun because I like to [show] the wrong way, and then the right way to do something, and the audience likes to give feedback,” he said. Mengesha’s goal is to open up conversations about racism and the unseen difficulties students
face. “I’ve had people crying, I’ve had people yell at me, which is great,” he said about his workshops. The Only Black Student is based on Mengesha’s own experiences. In the book, he talks about how he felt alone in his classes at the University of Washington.
“I was in several upper-division economics classes where it was only me as the only black student” he commented. To the people that believe this is unlikely, and question the book’s title, Mengesha responded that it is like being “the only international students or the only fe-
male student” in a class. The novel’s message, and the message of his workshops and lectures, says Mengesha, is not only for black students, but for everyone that feels excluded.
“ I wrote it in my senior year at the University of Washington. It’s a guide to help students navigate through college, and I wrote it for a group of four guys I was mentoring. I would collect their questions and then it turned into a book. It’s called The Only Black Student, but it’s pretty relatable for all students” Lull Mengesha
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the carillon |Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
news
Opportunities studying abroad Studying abroad is not that difficult and expensive thing, but the rewards are plenty sophie long news writer UR International is one of the University of Regina’s most active programs, but very few students are aware of the programs and options that the program offers. One of the biggest programs that UR International offers is the opportunity for students to travel while learning. Ashley Sheppard worked at UR International and has studied abroad. She believes this is an opportunity that every student should take advantage of. “I was doing regular student assistant stuff and I was occasionally going to different classrooms talking about the study abroad program,” Sheppard explained. “And it’s one thing to talk about it to advertise it, but it’s another thing to have actually done it. I’m currently doing a double major in international studies and Japanese, so that helped.” For one semester, Sheppard was able to travel to Japan because it directly fit into her studies, but she insists that almost every student should be able to do a semester abroad. And, she said it is easier than it sounds. “The study abroad program, I think, has a bit of a rap for being difficult and expensive, and really hard to fit into your program,” she
Ashley Sheppard
Sheppard went on a semester-long exchange to Japan as part of the UR International study abroad program said. “When I was working in the office I was like ‘wow, it’s so easy.’ It’s so much more expensive to travel once you’re not a student.” For students who are concerned about the cost of traveling, Sheppard shed a little insight about her experience. “Every student who wants to study abroad gets an automatic $1,000 scholarship,” she said.
“When I was in Japan, they offer a living allowance for students, and they actually sponsor North American students to come to the university, and so I ended up [spending] almost no money.” Another concern students may have when traveling abroad is that the time they spend overseas will not count towards their degree. Sheppard says that is sim-
ply not true. “[You] get credits for the program, which is something I was worried about. I was wondering if I would have to take another year, and what actually happened was I got 18 credit hours.” For students who are interested in studying abroad, Sheppard suggests meeting with their program advisors to ensure
that the classes they will take overseas will be accepted at the U of R before they travel. “UR International has introduced some new things to make studying abroad more accessible.” She said. “We used to have tricky time for education students, but we have this new internship program. Everyone has to do an internship for education and we can have education students do their internship in so many places. Arts students [and] science students are easy. [For] business students, we have some schools in Australia and Scotland, and we have some schools that are popular for engineering. It’s so easy.” Sheppard says there are many advantages of studying in another country, aside from the credit hours and the change in scenery “You go for the cultural experience. We don’t want you to sit inside worrying about getting a 99 per cent in your class. You should meet the locals. And it gives you that competitive edge when you’re applying for jobs once you’re done your degree.” For students that are interested in studying overseas, Sheppard encourages taking three steps. “First, come and see us. Second, you have to decide where you want to go. Third, talk to a counselor in your faculty.”
Concordia to become first Quebec University with indigenous studies degree Erin Hudson CUP Quebec Bureau Chief MONTREAL (CUP) — By next fall, Concordia University is hoping to be making history as the first university in Quebec to offer a bachelors degree with a major concentration in First Peoples studies. A major in First Peoples studies has been available to students since September 2010, however approval from the Ministry of Education, Leisure and Sport must be granted before the program is official, meaning no student can graduate with the major until then. The major is offered through Concordia’s School of Community and Public Affairs, along with a minor that is both available and officially sanctioned — minors do not require ministerial approval. Daniel Salée, the school’s current principal, has been working on implementing the major and minor programs since the 20012002 school year. “We’re really in the very final stage now of having it approved — it took a lot of time,” said Salée. “But we’re confident that this year should be the year where we’ll be able to finalize the whole thing and have it approved officially.” Along with Manson Tremblay,
CFHHS/flickr
now senior advisor on Aboriginal initiatives at the University of Ottawa, Salée and his colleagues took two years to put the program proposal together. Passing Concordia’s internal governance processes, the major and minor programs were approved by the university’s Senate in 2006. The final hurdles for the major program involved gaining approval from the Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec (CREPUQ) and then the ministry. Each of the external reviews involves answering a series of questions and recommendations concerning
matters such as financing the program, projected enrollment, and content of the curriculum. But though this final stage of approval typically does not take a long time, Vice-Provost Teaching and Learning Ollivier Dyens expressed uncertainty over how Ministry of Education will function now under the newly elected provincial government. “Right now in Quebec we’ve split the Ministry of Education in two different ministers, so there’s a brand new one who’s in charge of university and I don’t know what the process is at that point right now, so it might slow down
a bit,” he said. Salée said the major program received a lot of support within Concordia and from the government bodies though he noted that he and his colleagues had to “justify more what we’re doing or what we’re trying to do.” “Really the biggest problem was that when you make certain claims with respect to epistemologies and methodologies you get all these people who raise eyebrows: ‘What do you mean? Why aren’t Western ways of knowing good?’” he continued. For Salée part of the reason for the nearly decade-long approval
process was due to the major in First Peoples studies being the first of its kind in Quebec. “No other university in Quebec has a similar program ... so there was a lot of discussion internally. For example, one of the big issues was how do we integrate Aboriginal methodologies into a Western-type curriculum,” he explained. With the exception of Bishop’s University's minor in Indigenous Studies and Université Laval’s certificate program, no other Quebec university has a structured program offered through the institution. Some students and staff at McGill University have been lobbying the university to establish a program for at least a decade and a program is reportedly in development. Over the last twenty years many universities across Canada have developed a variety of programs, departments and faculties dedicated to the expanding field of indigenous studies. Out of the 15 members of the U15, an informal group of the top research-intensive universities in Canada, only four universities do not offer official programs for students in the field of indigenous studies: McGill University, Université de Montréal, Dalhousie University and Queen’s University.
the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
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United Way helps social service organizations kristen mcewen news writer Each fall, a giant sign stands outside the university on the corner of Wascana Parkway and University Drive proclaiming that the U of R is raising $100,000 for United Way Regina. Aside from government organizations, United Way Regina provides more funding to social services than any other group in the city. “On the whole, United Way exists to improve lives and build said Amanda community,” Lanoway, major gift co-ordinator with United Way. “We have a network of 32 funded partners that assist people in the human-in-crisis service areas, in areas of children, youth and families.” These 32 partners are organizations throughout the city that ensure safe and stable home environments for families, sometimes even offering classes on how to maintain such an environment. Some of the partners include AIDS Programs South Saskatchewan, Family Service Regina, Regina Education and Action on Child Hunger, Regina Open Door Society, Schizophrenia Society of Saskatchewan, SOFIA House, YMCA of Regina and YWCA of Regina. “All of the 32 organizations realize that together, collectively, we
Arthur Ward
University of Regina’s United Way campaign is close to reaching it’s $100,000 goal
can achieve more than any of them could fundraise as a single unit,” Lanoway said. “There’s a power in numbers kind of thing in terms of the organizations being part of United Way and having that network of support as well.” As a result, United Way holds an annual fall campaign from September to December to raise money, which is then distributed among the funded partners. Last year alone, they raised $4.2 million. But, while this may sound like a large fortune to spend, Lanoway says there is a
need for more. “It really barely scratches the surface in terms of the need that’s out there, but it’s everything we can do to help raise money here,” Lanoway said. “All the money raised in Regina, stays in Regina.” This year, United Way has set the goal to raise $4.3 million. The University of Regina has contributed to the annual campaignfor as long as Lonoway can remember. The university also provides co-op work placements with the United Way. Third-year arts and
political science student, Graham Brandt, is an accounting intern with the organization this semester. As an accounting intern, Brandt works with campaign coordinators from businesses that raise money for United Way. Some of these businesses include The Co-operators, SaskEnergy, SaskPower, SaskTel, SGI, Rawlco Radio, RCMP Regina and the U of R. He also tracks donations for the campaign before they are deposited. “As far as co-op jobs go, it has
been the coolest co-op job,” Brandt said. “The public speaking end of it, it might not be for everyone ... I’ve been the featured speaker twice and that’s been a long speech in front of professionals. So that’s a little out of the ordinary with my education in arts. I’d say if you’re willing to try something different and try something out of your comfort zone, this is probably a very good job for people who are maybe ready for that. The event side of it is pretty fast-paced and a lot of fun though.” According to Brandt, the university has completed approximately 65 per cent of their goal of $100,000. Additional events have been scheduled to continue the on campus United Way campaign, including a 50/50 draw that takes place at The Owl on Oct. 26. The university campaign for United Way is scheduled to end on Oct. 31. Brandt said hearing the stories and seeing the effort the workers at the funded partners put in to helping the community is “pretty surreal.” “It’s actually really interesting working with them,” he said. “And you get to know you’re helping them raise money because they certainly need it.”
Roses for peace and understanding A group of Muslim students on campus handed out 800 roses last week in an effort to start a dialogue about Islam taouba khelifa news editor On Monday Oct. 15, students at the University of Regina were welcomed into the Riddell Centre hallway with roses of every kind. Attached to each rose was a short quote from the teachings of the religion of Islam. Organized by a group of Muslim students on campus, the ‘Rose Project’ handed out 800 roses in four hours. According to Debra Schubert, one of the project’s organizers, the idea for the project came “after a lot of negative ideas in the media regarding Muslims - especially in the last month or so. We wanted to counteract that.” Schubert pointed to the Taliban’s attempted assassination of Pakistani education activist, Malala Yousafzai, as a recent event that created a major uproar throughout the world, further building the stereotype that Islam oppresses women. A Taliban gunman recently shot Yousafzai in the head and neck to prevent her from going to school and promoting education for young girls. Currently, Yousafzai resides in a U.K. hospital, and is in stable condition. Stories like Yousafzai’s were part of the inspiration for the Rose Project, Schubert explained.
Taouba Khelifa
Students preparing the baskets of roses before distribution The idea for the project began in Europe, with Muslim communities in the UK and Norway taking the lead. Soon, the idea spread to North America. “The roses are nice, and a symbol of love and peace. It facilitates to convey the message of
love and peace,” said Nawaf AlZahrani, another student organizer for the project. Schubert states close to 15 volunteers set up a table in the Riddell Centre and answered questions, handed out roses, and clarified misconceptions.
Schubert also noted that although Muslims highlighted in the media are often “doing the bad things,” she believes “the things these Muslims are doing are not things found in the teachings of Islam.”
Al-Zahrani was in agreement, adding that handing out the roses and talking to students helped encourage him to “clarify misconceptions about Prophet Muhammad and Islam.” While student feedback was mostly positive, Schubert admitted that there were a few negative responses as well. “Overall, I think the majority liked it and they were very pleased with the initiative,” she said. “I saw a lot of people smiling and thanking us for doing something like this. Of course, there was a little bit of negativity, but I embraced that as well because I was happy to have a chance to have a dialogue. It was a chance for me to dispel some negative ideas.” Despite the negative feedback, Schubert said that keeping the lines of communication open is paramount. “A peaceful community, and that if you have any questions or concerns you can come talk to us, and we can do something together to change the mind set of the community. It’s important to start a dialogue, and this event was a chance to [do that] and be more present and approachable.”
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the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
news
Planet hunting for another earth The search for another earth is getting closer regan meloche contributor For many people the field of astronomy is mind-blowing. Tales about another earth-like planet smashing into earth and possibly forming the moon, the universe being over 13 billion years old, or how there is a supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy astonish the minds and capture the imagination of many people. What is even more astounding than these discoveries, however, is the fact that they can actually be discovered in the first place. Before the telescope was invented, the ancient Greeks used astronomy to accurately estimate the size of the earth and found methods of measuring astronomical distances. This tradition of using clever techniques to study the cosmos is still carried out by astronomers today. One of the most exciting recent developments in the field of astronomy is the constant discovery of more earth-like planets. Last week, astronomers discovered one planet almost identical to earth. An exoplanet, or extrasolar planet, is a planet outside our solar system. The first exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star was discovered in 1995. Since then, scientists have identified over 750 confirmed planets and over 2,300 more potential candidates. This large number of ‘potential candidates’ is largely attributable to the Kepler space telescope launched in 2009. Kepler’s sole purpose is seeking out earth-like planets around sun-like stars. A number of things make it difficult to spot planets, regarldess of how large they acutally are. For example, planets are trillions of kilometers away, and are often
as.utexas.edu
Oh. I always thought that was the Vancouver Science Centre.
overwhelmed in the brightness of their parent star. Things like this make planet hunting difficult, but to an astronomer equipped with the right instruments, overcoming these obstacles is all in a day’s work. There are many methods used to detect exoplanets, but two techniques in particular have proven to be the most useful. The first is the transit method. There comes a point, as a planet orbits its parent star, where the planet will pass in front of the parent star. This is somewhat similar to the recent transit of Venus that occurred this year. When this happens, the planet blocks some of the light coming from the star,
causing it to dim ever so slightly. Very precise instruments can measure this periodic dimming, and astronomers can infer the existence of an exoplanet. The other main technique is called the radial velocity method and makes use of gravity. As a planet orbits its parent star, the planet’s gravity causes the star to slightly wobble, causing a small change in the motion of the parent star. This change is measured by analyzing the light spectrum emitted from the star, and may be a sign of another world. Combining these two techniques and others can give scientists a good idea of when they have found a new exoplanet. Note
that these are all detection methods, meaning they can only detect the existence of a planet, and not actually observe it. But, researchers are hopeful that in a matter of time, observing the planet will also be a reality. The primary goal of planet hunting is to find an earth-like planet that could potentially support life. While we have already discovered over 750 exoplanets, astronomers are particularly interested in planets in the ‘habitable zone’. The habitable zone is the region around any parent star where temperatures would allow liquid water to exist on the surface. The planet cannot be too far away from the star, where the wa-
ter would freeze, or too close to the star, where the water would evaporate. With that being said, how close are researchers to finding a planet with the right conditions for life? There are many candidates that show some potential for being habitable. The red dwarf Gliese 581 has an impressive planetary system sitting 22 light-years from earth. Another one of the planets, Gliese 581g disovered in 2010, showed lots of promise as well.The planet is tidally locked to its parent star, meaning one side is always facing the star and the other is always facing away. If life was to be estiblished on this planet, humans would have to live along the perpetual day-night border, where the sun would always be setting in the crimson sky. Astrobiologists hypothesize that the red color of the star would also change the photosynthetic properties of the plants on Gliese 581g, causing them to be completely black. Most recently, astronomers discovered a new exoplanet on Oct. 16 – Alpha Centauri Bb. While this planet is not quite in the habitable zone as it is too close to the parent star and would cause any water to evaporate, the discovery is very important, nonetheless. Alpha Centauri Bb is potentially the smallest exoplanet detected so far, which would prove that current techniques could allow the detection of other planets of similar size. Philosophers and scientists have long debated about whether or not planet earth is alone in its ability to support life. With emerging insturments and continued research, this debate may one day be settled.
Gizmos & Gadgets Your weekly dose of science and technology about the composition of the planet.
regan melcone contributor
Ocean Fertilization: The Haida Salmon Restoration project controversially dumped 100 tonnes of iron sulfate into the Pacific Ocean last week. The project leaders argue that doing so will encourage plankton growth, helping to bring back the salmon population. Ocean fertilization may also be a possible method of combating global warming, since the plankton are capable of absorbing carbon dioxide, but the debate is ongoing.
Microsoft Surface: Microsoft’s new tablet, the Surface, goes on sale in Canada on Oct. 26. Some are calling it a bold move for Microsoft since they traditionally make software, rather than hardware. But then again, they were successful with the X-Box.
Long-distance Teamwork: the Mars Curiosity Rover discovered an out-of-place white speck while taking soil samples off the red planet. The rover had previously found out-of-place material, which turned out to be a piece of debris from when the spacecraft landed. Meanwhile on Earth, Alberta scientists are studying a meteorite from Mars that landed in Morocco 14 months ago. The space rock matches some samples collected from Mars over 30 years ago, and could tell us more
Paul Nicklen
This photo won Canadian photographer Paul Nicklen the Veolia Environmental Wildlife Photographer of the Year award
Rocket Penguins: Canadian photographer Paul Nicklen won the coveted Veolia Environmental Wildlife Photographer of the Year award for his stunning underwater shot of a group of emperor penguins charging out of the Ross Sea in Antarctica.
a&c
A&C Editor: Paul Bogdan aandc@carillonregina.com the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
The Stalemate The battle of the year has come to a standstill, but we must push on paul bogdan arts editor It’s late, but I can’t sleep. How could one sleep in times like these? I look over to one of my counterparts next to me, hunched over, silent, but trembling. We were well into the barrage, but it showed no signs of slowing down. Everyone braced once they heard the whizz and boom of a midterm, or the flash of a research paper that lit up the black sky. Yes, this is Midterm Month, that dreaded time from mid-October until late November when everything is due. Morale is low around camp. The assignments, the essays, the exams, the horrifying screams of insanity and futility from our fallen comrades have taken their effect on the rest of us clinging with all our frail fingers can muster to the last bits of sanity we have. How might we hold on in times like these? Why should we even bother, given that we all know our fate? It’s hard, comrades, but we must trudge on through the rain, the lifeless bodies in the computer labs, the muck, and the mud of the trenches and keep fighting. A saying was once told to me by a since-passed officer, Illegitimi non carborundum. Don’t let the bastards grind you down. Losing your mind and de-
Tenielle Bogdan
who needs pillows and blankets when you have introductory psychology? spairing is easy in times like these, but you’re going to need all the wit you have left if you want to even stand a chance to see the end of this war. So, go hard, but you’re going to need to take a break at some point. You can only study so much before the gears of your mind become clogged, rusted,
and immovable, and you end up pissing around on Facebook and subsequently fueling your already immense sense of self-loathing for not studying hard enough and being a failure. So, comrade, go out! See the light of day; I say, live comrade! Take a night off to blow off some steam, have a drink or
two or thirteen; a time comes when you need some mental rest so that you can get back in the fight. Once you rejoin the ranks and continue the battle, you’ll need to be more organized than you’ve ever been. Set reminders in your phone. Get into routines of study-
ing and doing homework. Make lists of all the things you have to do. Make lists of assignments. Make lists of readings. Make lists of all the fucking lists you have to make. You’re going to need all of your shit in line when the enemy comes over-the-top, creeping behind a barrage of textbooks and lab manuals. But you’ll be ready when you hear that whistle blow, and those sons-of-bitches come sprinting across the wasteland. Yes, you’ll be ready with your MG already loaded and aimed so that you can sprint to it and fire off round after round of Saussurean Semiotic Theory at the enemy. Yeah, how’s that for a sign? But, know that all battles can’t be won. Casualties are inevitable. You can be organized, but being on top of everything is impossible. The enemy is coming at us with all they’ve got, and they will surprise us from time to time. But, despair not, comrade. Accept the fact that this time will be hectic no matter how many lists you make, no matter how long you study for, no matter how late you stay up, there will always be more homework. These times will be hectic, but there will be an end. The snow may be cold, but it hints that the good times are coming – the holiday times, the times of drinking, and merriment, and carelessness, and ease. Yes, comrade, the good times are coming. But now, we must fight.
Participation Marks MFA student Jorge Sandoval presents his interactive exhibition, Peephole paul bogdan arts editor Being involved is generally always better than watching from the sidelines. No one buys a video game to watch someone else play it. Being involved is great because you have control and can shape the outcome of whatever you are doing. U of R MFA student Jorge Sandoval adopted this attitude for his graduating exhibition, Peephole, which opens Oct. 27 at the Mackenzie Art Gallery. With a background both on and off stage in theatre, Sandoval said his studies in the interdisciplinary program here have tied together his various artistic interests he was pursuing before. “It was a natural progression for me, to keep going,” he said. “Now I’m working with video installation, two-dimensional images, and bigger-than-life images, and the performative part of it.” What Sandoval hopes to achieve with Peephole is to break down the stigmas associated with viewing art in galleries. His exhibition is more than paintings and other traditional 2-D images (although that aspect will still be present); Peephole has images
projected throughout the room so that as the spectator moves about the space in the gallery they are part of the work. Thus, the spectator is no longer the traditional passive spectator of the art gallery; rather, they are performative spectators who interact with the work and as the different actions of the spectator and reactions to the work actually change the exhibit itself. “The gallery has its rules, and you have to follow them,” he said. “When you go into a gallery, it’s almost like a religious experience. You have to be very quiet, you have a path to follow, you’re not supposed to touch the walls. You’re supposed to be a passive spectator. You’re allowed to participate, but in a certain way. You are being dictated what to do and how to do it. In my exhibition, what I’m trying to do is break those rules – to break with the traditional way to see the art gallery. I’m trying to make the space interact with the spectator. So, the spectator becomes part of the show.” Moreover, Sandoval said that Peephole is almost more of a medium between the gallery and the spectators, than say the traditional conventions of the gallery
Jorge Sandoval
That man looks like he could be in the Nyquill commerical, poor guy.
being a medium between the spectator and the work of art. “The spectator and the gallery move together in a theatrical way, in a theatrical performance, and I’m just putting my art in between,” said Sandoval. In order for an exhibition like
this to be successful, the works involved must elicit a reaction from the audience; the greater the reaction from the audience the more successful and exhibit like this will be. Likewise, Sandoval remarked that Peephole is an intensely provocative exhibit that is
highly charged with sexuality, which also ties into the exhibition’s title. What is particularly interesting – as if an exhibition based around audience interaction and sexuality wasn’t fascinating in itself – is the cultural connotations that Sandoval is elucidating. “In this world of social media, almost everybody is becoming a performer. So then, in this global stage now with Facebook, and Twitter, and blogging – what we’re doing is becoming voyeurs because we like seeing what is happening to our neighbour. Facebook is an important example. So, we want to see what everybody is doing, but at the same time, we’re very happy to show what we are doing. It’s this exchange of performances. We’re going to see what the others are doing, but then we want to show the world what we’re doing.” Peephole runs from Oct. 27 to Nov. 12 at the Mackenzie Art Gallery, and there will be a reception on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. The exhibition is free to attend.
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the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
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Casting into weeds film. In short, I piss on the mediocre attempts that the star system has made recently to produce meaningful work. We should not abide by a world in which thousands of brilliantly gifted actors flounder and die in the gutter while someone like Jonah Hill becomes inexplicably more and more popular with every passing day. But I'm not angry. Honest.
i’m not angry kyle leitch arts editor While re-watching David Cronenberg's 2005 film A History of Violence, I noticed how often I confused its star, Viggo Mortensen, with similarly squarejawed actor, Aaron Eckhart. Every time this confusion set in, I got sad because I realized how much better Eckhart would have done in the film. "Kyle, you codgy old bastard!" I can hear them all saying. "Have you really run out of so many things to pick on that you need to ream out seven-year-old movies? Hardy-har-har!" Well, you smarmy pricks, that's not the point. The point is that a great number of otherwise awesome contemporary films have cheapened themselves with poor casting choices. From casting Keanu Reeves as the sandy-haired John Constantine, to casting the sandyhaired Daniel Craig as James Bond, it seems that some casting directors don't know their asses from a hole in the ground. At the very least, they don't know their source material from the actors who are attempting to portray it. This is far from a new problem; people have been miscast in roles from the dawn of moving pictures in the late 1800s. It's become a more glaring problem in this most Hollywood-centric time when the star system is far more
“ There's no shortage of raw talent in the world: independent films can often be a great source of awesome untapped actors and actresses. The problem is that greedy Hollywood execs want the "safest" bet for the money they sink into a film.”
Paul Bogdan
This movie seems like a good idea, right? Right? prevalent than the idea of – God forbid – making a decent fucking movie. There's no shortage of raw talent in the world: independent films can often be a great source of awesome untapped actors and actresses. The problem is that greedy Hollywood execs want the "safest" bet for the money they sink into a film. They want to minimize input while maximizing output, and the easiest way to do that is to attach so-called "name actors" to a picture, even if these name actors aren't the best, or even the comprehensible choices
to make to hold up the artistic integrity of the film in question. So, what then is the use of complaining? If it's always been a problem, and if the problem just continues to perpetuate and exacerbate itself, what's the point of bitching about it? Well, it only takes one overly sensitive person who considers even minor inconveniences to be personal attacks to change things. If I have to point out casting problems in (primarily) big budget features, then maybe other people will catch on, and hell, maybe even support the
idea. Until studios understand that not all stars are suitable for all roles, we will continue to be subjected to these shenanigans. When people stop caring about their jobs, they do poorly. When people do their jobs poorly, they get fired. That's how the real world works, and yes, I understand the subtle hilarity of mentioning reality as it pertains to film. What isn't all that funny is that the people responsible for casting just seem to draw a name out of an A-list celebrity hat, and we're expected to fawn over the
Angry Kyle Leitch
movie review Marble Hornets Troy Wagner Troy Wagner, Tim Sutton, Jessica May Once in a great long while, when the planets align just right, black holes reverse their pull, and roving gangs of narwhal whales meet in the Arctic Circle to have knife fights with Edward James Olmos, I actually look forward to something that I'm to review. Well, the planets are in alignment, the black holes are spitting up all measures of space junk, and Edward James Olmos is using his magical moustache to sharpen up his bowie knife. This being the Halloween issue, I've decided to review a horror film, of sorts. Rest assured, it's not going to be something godawful like House at the End of the Street. Rather, it's an ongoing project that calls the dark corners of YouTube its home. Before I launch into the full-blown review of the legitimately scary, albeit terribly named Marble Hornets, a little backstory is needed. On June 8, 2009, a post was made to the Something Awful forums. The thread was simple – create a monster. User Victor Surge created the Slenderman – an entity that stands between 8-15 feet tall. "He" wore a black suit with a red or black tie, had impossibly long limbs, and no face. Anywhere the Slenderman was seen, people disappeared. There were later found, often impaled on tree limbs with their internal
dafuqbro-wallpapers.blogspot.com
organs removed. Shortly after this post was made, another user on Something Awful made a post about his friend's encounters with the Slenderman, which were documented over the course of the filming of his student film. Thus, Marble Hornets was born. On June 19 of that very year, Marble Hornets became an official YouTube account, and the next day, their first video went live. Marble Hornets is shot in the documentary style, and chronicles the story of Alex Kratie’s ill-fated student film of the same name. As their earlier videos explain, Alex became more and more irritable and difficult to work with until production was shut down entirely. Alex's friend, Jay, procured the tapes and began
to review them. Enter the Slenderman, who seems to have serious nark on for anyone involved with this production. Since 2009, the Marble Hornets account has grown from a few followers to receiving millions of views on each of its 68 videos to date. What started out as one student studying the tapes of another has turned into a series about fear, paranoia, the paranormal, and the depravity of humans under duress. And despite all of its hiccups, it’s still an incredibly well done psychological thriller. A lot of people say that they can't stand Marble Hornets because of its striking similarities to 1999's The Blair Witch Project. While the two films do share some similarities, Marble Hornets
handles itself well, whereas Blair Witch shits the bed five minutes in and falls asleep in the wet patch. Blair Witch was intentionally ambiguous to cover its lacklustre story. You were supposed to be scared, but there was never a clear idea as to what you were supposed to be scared of. In Marble Hornets, the fleeting glimpses of a faceless watcher that you do see are enough to get your imagination working overtime, thinking of the horrible things that could happen to you should you encounter it yourself. Like Silent Hill 2, another great genuine horror experience Marble Hornets recognizes that a monster is only scary the less you see of it. All you need to really scare someone is an idea, and
I don’t know, he looks more misunderstood and adorable than frightening to me.
it's the idea that Marble Hornets executes so well. So, there's Marble Hornets in a nutshell. For a great horror experience this Halloween, skip the traditional slasher flicks and instead marathon Marble Hornets. After all, the independents should be supported, until the soulless sell-out fucks start making big box office returns. At the very least, you can be sure that Marble Hornets will kick the shit out of whatever cheap scares are sure to be in store in Paranormal Activity 4.
kyle leitch arts writer
the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
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ARTS ROUNDTABLE robyn tocker, paul bogdan, kyle leitch, troy julé this week’s roundtable
1. Do you enjoy Halloween? If so, what's your favourite part, and if not, why not?
Robyn Tocker: I do enjoy Halloween, but it’s definitely lost most of its appeal now that I’m older, and candy isn’t a huge incentive anymore. My favourite part now would have to be all the awesome TV specials that come on and seeing the creative costumes the kids wear. Definitely a highlight.
Troy Julé: It's all right. I mean, the older I get the less I care, and being 21, that makes me feel incredibly old. The best part though? Eating candy and feeling like shit afterwards. I do it most days anyways, but it's more widely, socially acceptable on Halloween, so that's cool. Kyle Leitch: I do. In fact, it’s my favourite holiday. One of the most intriguing things about humankind is its willingness to change attire and completely alter its personas accordingly. Halloween presents this on a fairly massive scale, and it’s mighty interesting to see people’s imaginations run amok so unanimously.
Paul Bogdan: I love Halloween. The aesthetic aspect of it is probably my favourite part – the darkness and consciously pursuing things that creep you out is interesting. Oh, and generally I get to drink too much. 2. What's your Halloween costume for this year?
RT: I haven’t decided yet. Handing out Halloween candy doesn’t require a super creative costume thankfully.
TJ: I'm the type of person who leaves it to the last minute, and with the least amount of effort involved as humanly possible, all the while being barely passable as a costume. Side note: watch for this year's most popular costume, Psy, creator of Gangnam Style. Calling it now.
KL: This year, I’m dressing up as Patrick Bateman of American Psycho fame. I’ve got a blood spattered suit/raincoat combo, and a little portable speaker that will constantly be blaring Huey Lewis and the News’ “Hip to be Square”.
PB: I’m thinking of going as Wasted Time. I’m going to dress up as a grandfather clock and get really drunk. It’s a costume that requires you to get drunk. How could this be a bad idea?
3. What's the best Halloween costume you've worn?
RT: Hmm, I’d have to say when I was a lion as a five year old; I had the complete mane and tail going on, with paw mittens as well. It’s
Tenielle Bogdan
what most university students call the freshman fiftenn, I call the halloween candy fiften.
my favourite to this date!
TJ: For whatever reason, I was the pope when I was 13 or something. Looking back, it was the most inadvertently offensive costume possible. It was a damn good costume too, had the hat and all. Only thing missing was the glasscase shield around me.
KL: When I was four, I dressed up as The Mask. My mom fashioned me a yellow suit complete with matching fedora, and a black and white polka dotted power tie. I had the officially licensed The Mask mask, and I could be seen that Halloween spouting all sorts of catchphrases at passersby. That, or the Hunter S. Thompson costume I’ve rocked in more recent years. PB: One year, I went as a banana. I constructed a banana suit out of coat hangers and covered it in yellow fabric. To top it off, I wore some yellow spandex, which I might add, that I looked damn good in. 4. What was the best thing to get when you were trick-or-treating as a kid?
RT: Aero bars are my favourite treat, so those were the best. Candy bags were cool too because it’s always a surprise to see what’s inside.
TJ: I remember this one house would give out beanie-babies every year. I'd go there every year, not because I liked beanie babies, but because I could sell that shit at school and use the money for whatever it is 10-year-olds like buying. Cigarettes, probably.
KL: Easy. Those McDonald’s coupons that everyone gave out that were often expired by the time anyone managed to use them. When they weren’t expired, you could walk into McDonald’s
like you owned the place, slap down a coupon, and get yourself a free Happy Meal. Childhood was badass, sometimes.
PB: Chocolate bars. Those “funsized” ones were good, but when you got a full-sized Oh Henry! or Crispy Crunch, it was like, “Oh shit. We partyin’ ”.
5. Is Halloween an excuse to wear particularly revealing clothing? RT: For some, I think it is. Then again, when you look at the costumes available to women, it’s hard to find something that’s not revealing. That’s the main reason I hardly dress up now that I’m older. TJ: Apparently.
KL: It shouldn’t be, but unfortunately, it is. I don’t know what marketing goon decided that every Halloween costume needed a “sexy” counterpart, but I hope that he or she (but let’s face it, he) finds razorblades in their KitKat bar this Halloween. PB: No, and if you think it is, it’s a reflection on your person.
the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
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Five
music reviews
terrible Halloween costumes
Mac DeMarco 2 Captured Tracks dayofwoman.blogspot.com
5
The sexy version of anything
4
Jesus
3
Psy
2
Nothing
1
Cultural stereotypes
Wearing lingerie with cat ears does not make you a cat. Halloween isn’t an excuse to dress slutty. If you want to wear revealing clothing, go for it, but don’t use Halloween as a veil to differ accusations of what kind of person you are. Also, There’s something weird about dressing up as a sexy cat or a sexy bunny. No one wants to bang a cat, and if they do, you probably don’t want to be hooking up with them.
It’s not like it’s particularly offensive, but seriously every stoner with shoulder-length hair has done this since Halloween was a thing.
Really, do you think no one else is going to think of this? “Gangnam Style” is literally the most liked video on YouTube. C’mon now.
You’re not cooler than Halloween. Dress up, or stay home, you lazy so and so.
Just don’t do it. I don’t think it takes a genius to figure out why this is offensive, and I don’t care if you can’t figure out why making fun of cultures by playing into stereotypes is offensive, or that you have Aboriginal friends who are totally fine with you and your bros’ cowboys and Indians costumes. It’s offensive, and you shouldn’t do it.
paul bogdan arts editor
The succinctly titled 2, Mac DeMarco’s second release of 2012, is a nuanced and enigmatic genre exercise masquerading as an unassuming thirty-two minutes of jangle-pop. On 2, DeMarco’s voice is not tampered with as it was on Rock and Roll Night Club, and we have to impose the distinction between these different versions of himself that appear on the record ourselves. What are we to make, then, of the ’70s funk-lite sleaze found on the verses of “Annie” coexisting with the unabashed,
melodic crooner of “Dreamin’ ” and “My Kind of Woman”? On “Ode to Viceroy” is Mac really just writing a(n admittedly beautiful) paean to his favourite budget cigarettes? Most perplexingly, how do we parse “Still Together,” the lone (non-instrumental) acoustic moment on the record? Is it, as it presents, Mac letting his guard down, strumming along late at night in his apartment, tossing off devotional lines like “And where I go, she’s by side/Half of my life/Together” in his slick bari-
tone? Or, is this just another genre exercise? Or, is it both? The fun and genius of 2, however, lies in the duality that I sketched above. When you want, you can ponder its intentions. When you don’t, Mac possesses enough effortless pop chops that you can just bliss-out to a guy singing a love song about his cigarettes.
joel blechinger contributor
the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
The best goddamn jack-o-lanterns ever
Step 1: Attach the stencil to the pumpkin. Tack it, tape it, staple it, just make sure it ain’t movin’. Step 2: Take a thumb tack and outline the black areas with dots just like that dot art BS you did in elementary school. This will give you an outline on the actual pumpkin, and make it easier to carve. Step 3: Carve that shit. Get a grown up or less drunk friend to help you if necessary. Step 4: Revel in the glory of the best damn Jack O’Lantern you have ever seen.
viannepire
Halloween just isn’t Halloween without pumpkin carving. But, thinking of what to carve on your pumpkin is always a pain every year, which often ends in settling with the iconic face constructed from crude triangles. Luckily for you, dear reader, we at the Carillon made some stencils to keep you from carving that same boring face that you see at every house. We’ve also included some instructions just in case pumpkin carving wasn’t clear cut enough.
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Quance Street and Applebees
sports
Sports Editor: Autumn McDowell sports@carillonregina.com the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
ROUNDTABLE Raul Ibanez, who is 40 years old. Detroit has Cabrera, Fielder, and Jackson. I rest my case.
braden dupuis, britton gray, kris klein, paige kreutzwieser this week’s rountable
If you could dress up as any athlete for Halloween, who would you pick and why?
Rams veteran quarterback Marc Mueller has been out for the last two games with a shoulder injury, do you think the Rams can win without him?
Dupuis: Do I go all-out, shave my head and don blackface for the Michael Jordan? Or do I take the lazy route – pick up a bong, snap on a speedo and rock the Michael Phelps? In the end I get drunk, combine the two and pass out at home alone dressed up as Michael Jordan-Phelps. Cause I’m classy like that.
Dupuis: Spoiler Alert: No. They might win one or two without him, but the only way this team has a shot at a championship is with its star quarterback at the helm, which makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Get well soon, Marc. Gray: While the injury to Mueller makes things more difficult, I think the Rams can pull it together and find out ways to win games. This could mean relying more on the running game, a defence that puts up points or the backup QB performing beyond expectations. Great teams find ways to win no matter what.
Klein: Well considering that they just beat Calgary in a big defensive show down, I think they won’t win the big games in the playoffs. Mueller just has the experience and the poise that they will need to get to the Vanier Cup. Kreutzwieser: No one likes losing their starting quarterback, but I would think Oleynik is pretty used to being thrown into the position by now. So I think the Rams will do okay without Mueller. But, you can’t just bank on interception returns and rouges to win a game, so let’s hope the offense picks it up.
Women’s hockey star Hayley Wickenheiser was recently at the U of R, do you think it’s fair that she is playing in the CIS?
Dupuis: Do I think it’s fair that a 34-year-old, three-time Olympic gold medalist who is widely regarded as the best female hockey player in the world is allowed to compete at a university level? Personally, no, but that’s just the way it is. If she’s comfortable with it, then more power to her I guess.
Gray: I do not think it’s fair to have an Olympic gold medalist playing hockey against girls who have never even played professionally. Calgary has a clear advantage with her experience and just overall skill and that does not make for a level playing field (or ice). Klein: Hell no. Look, she is the captain for the Women’s national team. She played professional in a men’s league. She could probably light up the CIS men’s league. There is no way she should be allowed to play in the CIS. Kreutzwieser: The fact that someone can partake in university level sports at the age of 34 amazes me. Props to her. However, knowing
mlblogs.com
I made a stranger wish he never would have worn a Yankees hat her resume, and being a Cougars Dupuis: Even though baseball fan, it’s hard to say that I com- sucks, I was pleasantly surprised pletely agree with her being able to hear that the Yankees were to play. But it does give me hope swept by Detroit. I can’t stand that maybe one day I could make deep-pocketed teams that just a team? Maybe. throw wads of cash at every superstar on the market. Fuck you, The Saskatchewan Roughriders Yankees, better luck buying anare currently third place in the other championship next year. West with two weeks to go in the regular season, where do you Gray: The Tigers have one of the think they will finish in the best pitching staffs in all of basestandings and how far will they ball and they also have the Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera go in the playoffs? and their bats are popping balls Dupuis: To be honest, they’ll be left and right all postseason and lucky if they can hold on to third they have a chance to win the in the West. Either way, they’ll be world series. No, I’m not in the playoffs, and then all bets are off. Nothing is impossible, but I’m not holding my breath for a Grey Cup appearance this year. Gray: They will be third in the west and make the playoffs and after that I have no idea how they will do. The Riders have been up and down all year and if they go into the playoffs on a hot run they can win it all, if not then one and done.
Klein: Well it looks like they will be finishing in third place in the West and only time will tell if they will play in the West or East. I think they will go to the Grey Cup, I really do. They just need to get their heads out of their asses when it comes to the big games. Kreutzwieser: I feel when the Riders play at home, the majority of fans just get way too drunk by the second half, end up forgetting where they are, and then the Riders just give up. But, I’m going to be positive and say the boys will win their next two games, and get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. I’m being optimistic. The brooms were out in Detroit, were you surprised that the New York Yankees were swept by the Tigers?
Gray: I would dress up as Terrell Owens because then I have the ability to walk around and act like a cocky asshole and not have people judging me because it would just be me in my character. I’d also be able to do touchdown dances randomly.
surprised they swept the Yankees.
Klein: Hell no, I literally jumped up for joy when the Yankees got swept and laughed at how A-Rod was pouting about not playing. The way I look at it, he is making more money to sit on the bench than what my family will make in a lifetime. If I were him, I would just sit quietly and finish a bag of sunflower seeds happily.
Kreutzwieser: No, because of two words: Justin Verlander. Alex Rodriguez is washed up, Jeter is a baby, and the Yankees only dependable player at the time was
Klein: Hmmm, that’s a tough one. The obvious choice would be Tiger Woods but I think I would be Gary Bettman just so if I get my assed kicked I can say “Hey I was Gary Bettman, I deserved it.” Kreutzwieser: My favourite athlete costume was a couple years ago when this guy dressed up as Michael Phelps. Not only did he slightly resemble him, he played the character too, which made it that much more incredible. However, with the Lance Armstrong debacle in full effect, I think it would be very timely for someone to dress up like him.
the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
sports 13
Rebound season The men’s basketball team returns to the court braden dupuis sports writer Coming off a disappointing year that saw them go 5-15 and miss the playoffs, the Cougars men’s basketball team is aiming for a bounce back season in 2012-13. “We didn’t have the greatest year last year. We only had five wins, but we didn’t graduate anyone,” said fifth-year veteran Paul Gareau. “We got a few key pieces back and we picked up a couple good players, so we should be alright.” With no graduating players last year, this year’s team has already got a head start in terms of on-court chemistry. “It means we’ve got an extra year of practice under our belt; we’ve got one more year of familiarity with the team,” Gareau said. “We’re just getting to know each other more and more every day.” The familiarity in the Cougar’s locker room has translated into an increasingly optimistic outlook. “Especially in our division, it’s really wide open. There’s not one clear-cut favourite who’s going to beat everyone by 40 or whatever,” Gareau said. “There’s competition for sure, but we feel like we’re just as good or better than everyone else in our conference.” Head Coach James Hillis of-
Athur Ward
fered up some cautious optimism as well. “A couple of the teams that I thought were way out ahead last year have graduated a number of players, so I do think it’s much more wide open this year,” Hillis said. “I think we’ve shown in the past that we can beat anybody...but that said, I think we’re a long ways from being the
favourite going into every game.” The team’s returning veterans worked hard in the off-season to set the tone for the new arrivals, and to ensure that this year’s team is not an easy one to play against. “The entire team was in the weight room [over the summer],” Hillis said. “We’re noticeably bigger and stronger, and that comes from a veteran leadership group.”
I would pay money to watch James Hillis attempt to dunk
The work ethic put forward by the veterans sets a good example for some of the team’s fresher faces, including standout hometown rookie Travis Sylvestre. “He’s going to get a lot of playing time this year,” Hillis said of Sylvestre. “I think he’s going to challenge guys for a starting spot even in his first year, which is very rare, and I think he’s going to
be a guy that we have great hopes for both this season and longterm.” Gareau has also been impressed by the rookie. “He’s actually blocked me a few times in practice, which got under my skin a bit,” he said with a smile. “But yeah, he’s looking real good so far.” When it comes to the younger players, Gareau said he tries to lead by example. “I show up, I put my hard hat on, I go to work. I work hard when I’m on the court, and have fun with the guys after practice,” he said. “I’m 24 years old, so I’m kind of older compared to some of these guys. They look up to me, and if I come to practice and slack off and don’t do much off court, then they’ll have bad attitudes. I try to be happy, bring a smile to practice and work hard.” With just one more year of eligibility in the CIS, Gareau hopes to help the team go the distance in 2013. “I would like to make Canada West final four, and then hopefully from there make nationals,” he said. “That’s the ultimate goal, but just to play to the best of our ability really, and hopefully the results will take care of themselves.”
Price is Wight Student by day, goal scorer by night braden dupuis sports writer In her last year of CIS competition, Cougars women’s hockey captain Rianne Wight is not looking too far into the future. Right now, it is all about what she can do for her team. “A national championship is what our goal is,” she said. “This year we really have been talking about it a lot, and it’s something that’s on all of our minds, so hopefully we can do that.” And after her CIS career is over? “I haven’t really thought too much about it. I’m trying not to, because it’s kind of depressing,” she said with a laugh. For now, the captain keeps her focus squarely on the season at hand. Through week three of the 2012-13 season, the team has played well, but with some room for improvement. “We’ve been playing good. Kind of inconsistent at times,” Wight said. “I still think we have a long way to go, but since we started we’ve improved a lot on our battles, and we’re playing harder and competing harder, so it’s good. I’m happy with that.” Wight recognizes the areas that need improvement. “Playing with our heads up, recognizing the situation we’re in
facebook.com
Sick celly, but I prefer the fist pump
and playing within that situation,” she said. “We haven’t been doing very well in the scoring. Our defence is doing a lot of our production, which we, as forwards, need to be doing more of.” When it comes to leadership, Wight said she tries to lead by example. “I try to work hard on and off the ice to show them that if I’m working this hard, you guys should also do the same,” she said.
She also stresses the importance of working as a team. “If you want to win, everyone’s got to buy in together, and work towards the same goal,” she said. In terms of her own personal production, Wight said she’s “not overly” satisfied with her numbers so far this year, despite being among the team’s point leaders. “I guess you’re never really happy, are you? You’re always hoping to improve,” she said.
While Wight was among the team’s top scorers last season, her aim is to regain the form of her third year, when she scored 16 goals – second only to Calgary’s Hayley Wickenheiser, who led the Canada West with 17. And there’s no shame in coming in second to one of the greatest women hockey players to ever play the game. “She’s a good player. Whenever we play against them, we play to shut her down,” Wight
said. “She plays aggressive and she plays in your face ... if you’re doing something to piss her off, she’ll tell you.” While Wickenheiser provides a formidable challenge, Wight doesn’t have anything against the three-time Olympic gold medalist playing CIS hockey. “I don’t think it’s unfair, no, because if she wants a university degree, and she wants to play university hockey, why should we stop her?” she said. During their first encounter this year with Wickenheiser and the University of Calgary Dinos on Oct. 19, Wight and the Cougars held the all-star forward to two assists in a 3-0 loss. The following night Wickenheiser again notched two assists, but the Cougars offense proved up to the challenge in handing the Dinos their first loss of the season, 4-3 in overtime. With the win over the topranked Dinos, the Cougars record improves to 3-3. In terms of the rest of the season, Wight said she is confident the team can earn a playoff berth. “We just have to make that next step past playoffs,” she said. “We need to keep improving, and like I said, everybody has to buy in on systems and such. We need to play as a team to get that far, and we’re just not quite there yet.”
the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
14 sports
Stupid media Hayley Wicknheiser discusses sports and media at the U of R autumn mcdowell sports writer Most people are aware of the damaging effects that can be caused by mainstream media; however, not everyone considers what effect the media has on women in sports, specifically. On Tuesday, Oct. 16, the University of Regina Women’s Centre, in conjunction with the First Nations University, organized a screening and discussion of the film Miss Representation. The American-based documentary examines how stereotypes projected in mainstream media affect the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in society. Although the film covers a range of topics, the campus presentation focused on females’ representation in sports. Hayley Wickenheiser – a renowned female hockey player and a U of R honorary Doctor of Law degree holder – was on hand to facilitate a discussion after the screening of the film, and more specifically, to give her own perspectives of how the media affects the way women are treated in sports. “We chose to focus the event on women and sport and we felt that Hayley Wickenheiser would be a great fit since she is an accom-
David Moll/University of Calgary
Is it really fair she plays in the CIS?
plished female athlete and she would be able to share her own experiences as a woman in a maledominated field,” said Brittany Wolfe, a media spokesperson for the event. “The purpose of the event was to raise important questions and look for some solutions in our own community and we were confident that Hayley would be able to facilitate the discussion well.” Playing hockey nearly all of her life, the three-time Olympic
gold medalist is no stranger to the pressures that ensue when a female becomes heavily involved and successful in what many people consider to be a “man’s game”. “In hockey, there is no question, I think there is just a general feeling that if you play hockey and you are female then you are masculine and you might not be as good as the guys,” said Wickenheiser in an interview with Sheila Coles before the event.
“You often see the athletes that are more skilled that may be less good looking as others don’t get the coverage or the endorsements that others do. We see that in sports all the time … The media certainly doesn’t help the cause.” The film, as well as the discussion, covered everything from sports to politics, and organizers of the event are hoping that everyone in attendance was able to take something valuable away from the night.
“We hope that the audience was able to discover what stereotypes exist and how these stereotypes limit women,” Wolfe said. “That being said, we hope that Miss Representation and Hayley were able to encourage young women and girls to become whatever it is they choose. Of course the event was equally important to boys and men as the stereotypes that Miss Representation speaks to affect the way they conceptualize young women in their own life.” After months of planning, The Women’s Centre, and everyone else who helped organize the incredible event were happy with how it turned out and feel that those in attendance were able to walk away with golden perspectives. “As a planning committee, we were pleased with the outcome of the event,” Wolfe said. “Miss Representation is a great documentary that sparks important questions and we felt that the audience was receptive and inspired to make a change. Hayley also brought her gold medal and the audience was encouraged to take an up-close peak at it. It was a really nice touch.”
It’s hockey night tonight It’s known as Canada’s game for a reason, dammit the chat roulette for sports fans. Hockey: bringing strangers together since the 1800s. For better or worse, Canadian hockey fans will support their team until the final horn sounds. When our team loses, every fan feels like a part of them was lost on the ice, too, even if they were thousands of miles from the game, watching the action from their living room. There’s just something about seeing athletes cry after a battle on the ice that really pulls at your heartstrings. But when our team wins, Canadians celebrate as if they have just won the lottery. Fans smile from ear to ear and highfive everyone that is in reach, because we have won – not “they”, but we. Hockey is much more than just a game. It’s our game.
what the puck? autumn mcdowell sports editor If there is one sport that has the ability to bring together an entire nation, it’s hockey. Almost everyone in Canada can relate to some aspect of hockey. Whether it’s driving their kids to the rink at six in the morning for practice, playing shinny with their buddies at the outdoor rink, or cheering on team Canada during international competitions, hockey lives here. There’s no single reason or explanation as to why I personally love hockey so much. Sure, I love the physicality of the game; I love the different styles of play that can be showcased in a single bout, I love hearing the cuts made into the fresh ice and, of course, the unreal popcorn they serve at every game. But, more than all of that, it’s the feeling I get when I step into the rink and am surrounded by people who all have the same passion as I do – as embarrassingly corny as that sounds. Every year, hockey fans fill rinks all over Canada to cheer on their favourite team. Whether it’s over cramming the always-cold community rink to support the local teams or sitting in a large arena as one of thousands of screaming fans at a National game, it’s all
Natasha Tersigni
Did you know that this guy invented Gainer? True story.
the same. Once Oh Canada begins to play over the airwaves and the crowd begins to sing with their breath hanging in the cold air, that’s where the magic happens. You wouldn’t think one game could have such an effect on a single person, much less an entire country. But, whether it’s cheering on team Canada at the Summit Series, the Olympics, or the World Juniors, Canadians take great pride in seeing the maple leaf dawned in stadiums around
the globe. Just to be clear, that’s the red and white maple leaf, not to be confused with blue and white. It is often questioned how a sport that looks so aggressive and violent can be such a large part of Canada’s national identity, but it’s the games amazing ability to unite an entire nation that makes it truly Canadian. Complete strangers suddenly come together to cheer for their team in victory and defeat. Whether they are all holding
their breath and hoping for that last-second buzzer beater goal, or collectively coming together over their distaste for Gary Bettman, hockey is powerful. There is no discrimination between hockey fans in Canada – unless, of course, you like the Canucks – but no matter where you are from across the country, or what your background is, hockey is something that can instantly spark a connection between two people; it’s essentially
“Hockey is something that can instantly spark a connection between two people; it’s essentially the chat roulette for sports fans. Hockey: bringing strangers together since the 1800s.”
the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
sports 15
Don’t hate me because I like baseball paige kreutzwieser contributor When I first started really getting into Major League Baseball, I struggled with the concept of watching the excessive 162-game season. I like baseball a lot, but 162 games? Really? And that’s just the regular season. Then add on another possible 43 games to be played in playoffs – I am still trying to learn how the heck it is possible for a fan to watch all these games and still proceed to have a life. Yet, when October rolls around, I disregard all the months I half-heartedly tried to schedule baseball into my daily routine. I now go out of my way to watch every single game. Sorry midterms, you lose. I love playoffs. The post-season in any sport is where memories are made. There are clutch plays that can change the course of a sport’s history – and that can’t be true enough in baseball. Being a sport depending so much on the strength and resilience of an individual, one player’s action can change any game. I don’t see this emphasis on individual play as a negative thing. Pitcher versus batter only
whiterhinoreport.blogs.com
Baseball players might have the worst bodies in all of sports makes for an epic battle of survival of the fittest. Don’t tell me it wouldn’t be amazing to watch Detroit Tigers pitcher, Justin Verlander, chuck a 95 mph fastball at David Freese of the St. Louis Cardinals. I wonder if Freese could be as clutch in game seven of the World Series as he was in 2011? For those of you who don’t watch baseball, you are missing
out. Executing necessary plays to get out of pressure situations has been a reoccurring theme in the 2012 MLB playoffs making them absolutely spectacular to watch. The walk-off bombs, robbing of homeruns, A-Rod getting benched, and incredible ninth inning nail biters that have made for a dynamic MLB post-season. Now, it’s apparent that there are many people who don’t enjoy
baseball. I can understand why with the lengthy games, mostly ancient and drab announcers, the irregularity of spectacular plays throughout each pitch, and for those who really despise baseball, the list goes on. However, I really enjoy watching baseball, because it is such a unique sport. A hitter has only split seconds to find a ball coming at them at roughly 90-some mph,
and hit it in such an accurate way to make it go where they want just seems amazing. And what sport can an athlete fail over half the time and still be considered a great player? That brings me to statistics. I hate math, but for some reason I love baseball statistics. There are way too many stats and facts, but they are what make watching just as appealing as listening to a game. Who didn’t want to know during the sixth inning of Cardinals and Giants game on Oct. 21 that popsicles were made in San Francisco in 1905? I am now more knowledgeable, so thank you baseball. I will never be able to defend baseball without being “bettered” by someone who doesn’t like it. It’s inevitable. You either love the sport or you hate it, but trying to tell someone who enjoys the game why it is a worse than watching paint dry is just plain rude. Just let it go. And those of you who are dedicated whole-heartedly to the sport, I think you have an interesting two weeks ahead of you. No matter how many people try to predict an outcome, the beauty of baseball is that it can all come down to just one swing of the bat.
U of R Highlights Minor miracles took place on the ice and field autumn mcdowell sports editor Rams football
Almost no one could have predicted this, but the Regina Rams handed the powerhouse University of Calgary Dinos their first loss of the season by a score of 12-9 on Friday, Oct. 16 at Mosaic Stadium. With veteran quarterback, Marc Mueller, still watching from the sidelines with a nagging shoulder injury, converted slotback Zach Olynik was in at shotgun for his second start of the season. However, it wasn’t the quarterbacking that was the story, it was the defence. The low-scoring affair highlighted the Rams defensive game, which included two interceptions, one sack, one fumble recovery and countless stops to make the Dinos time on the field a hellish nightmare. With the win, the Rams have clinched second place in Canada West and will have a home playoff game, but first they have to close out the regular season by taking on the always-crappy Alberta Golden Bears this Friday at home. The Golden Bears are 0-6 in case anyone was curious. The massacre begins at 7p.m. Quick hits: Joey Dwyer was named the Canada West defen-
Emily Wright
Only hockey and football are the cool teams sive player of the week while Jamier Walker earned the honor for special teams. Men’s hockey
After their series split with the Calgary Dinos last weekend, the men’s hockey team has already nearly matched their wins total from last season and currently sit tied for third place in Canada West. The weekend series was highlighted by a shutout victory for second year goalie Andrew Hayes
on night one, pushing the Cougars win streak to four – something that would have been unheard of last year. Second year forward, Troy Hunter, still has the hot stick for the Cougars, as he added a goal and an assist over the weekend to push his point total to 10 in six games. Not only is that good enough for third place in the Canada West scoring race, its 10 times the amount of points he had all of last season. The Cougars will be back in action at home Friday night when
Mount Royal (1-5) is in town. Regina might as well chalk up two more in the win column right now.
Quick hits: After the impressive weekend, Hayes is now the No. 3 goalie in Canada West, and posts a 3-0 record, a .930 save percentage, and a 2.21 goals against average. Women’s hockey
The Cougars women’s hockey team put an end to the Calgary
Dinos 22 game win streak on Oct. 17 in hostile territory. Although the Cougars fell to the Dinos 3-0 on night No. 1, that loss was quickly forgotten about and the only important thing from the weekend is their 4-3 overtime victory on night No. 2. Cougars scoring sensation Paige Wheeler gets the credit for the overtime goal – obviously, the only goal that matters – while second year tender Jennifer Schmidt stopped 44 out of 47 shots to earn herself the W. Let’s be honest, I know I’m stating the obvious here but the only reason Calgary is any good is because of Hayley Wickenheiser, but the Cougars were able to hold her to just four assists and zero goals in two games. She only has two goals in six games this season and doesn’t even lead the league in scoring. Basically, she sucks now. The Cougars continue their road swing as they take on Mount Royal (3-2-1) this weekend.
Quick hits: Second year forward Stephanie Sawchuk had a threepoint night on Saturday, bringing her season point total to five points in six games, thus matching the point total she had in 24 games last season.
graphics
Visual Editor: Arthur Ward graphics@carillonregina.com the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
op-ed
Op-Ed Editor: Edward Dodd op-ed@carillonregina.com the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
opinion
True horror Let me just say, I love The Walking Dead. What regular people called April to October, I called the “long pause.” Seriously, nothing is more riveting than watching a zombie get a screwdriver in the eye, their face ripped off, or one of millions of epic headshots we’ve seen in the past two seasons. But, as we escalate into season three, a darker element begins to take shape and threaten Rick’s group: the human element. The first episode (spoilers! Did I mention spoilers? There’s spoilers) ends on the group finding a few survivors in the prison they infiltrate, and then in the second episode Rick sort of kills them off. The second episode ends on two disturbing cliff hangers: Carol, while giving a c-section to a dead girl, is being watched by a figure in the bushes. You feel it isn’t a walker watching her, but a person, and then you get the classic horror film feeling of a girl about to be stabbed to death by a voyeuristic psycho. Also, the preview for next week highlights the introduction of Michonne and Andrea meeting the infamous Governor. If you don’t know the comics very well, the relationship that unfolds between Michonne and the Governor isn’t one that’s easy to look at. The comic takes the strongest female character – Michonne has an entirely separate cult following from the rest of the series for being so badass – and breaks her down to the worst subjugation of torture possible. Think Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Michonne gets her very graphic revenge, but you don’t feel better and you don’t feel like she’s been redeemed. The message this situation sends is that a strong woman is only truly strong when she comes back for revenge after being broken down in the worst ways. Michonne doesn’t just meet the Governor and take him the fuck out. First, she must endure the Governor, suffer,
nerdsayswhat.files.wordpress.com
fight for her freedom, watch her loved ones die, and then seek revenge. Her story is the true story of a post-apocalyptic horror. Nobody is safe. Not the strong, not the weak. Killing zombies is a simple formula: Don’t get shy and aim for the head. Surviving mankind in a warzone is more complicated. If you need evidence of that, look at Liberia or Sudan. War is hell, and women and children die first. What differentiates The Walking Dead from most zombie flicks is that it addresses
And it should scare you. It’s seriously fucked up.
moral issues, and zombies are put on the back burner. People are what is scary. The brutality and cruelty people become capable of when killing and dying are akin to blinking and swallowing is true horror. And if mankind looks like the Governor, I’d rather get bitten. The series does show some character growth in the female characters, particularly Maggie and Carol who take on stronger roles in the group. But with the ending of the voyeur stalking Carol, and
the introduction of the Governor, it seems that like Michonne, the strength and resilience of these women is being built to be broken, reminding us that when the dead start walking, and the living go insane, a penis might be more useful than a gun.
julia dima production manager
Letter to the editor Dr. Timmons’ opening commentary at Miss Representation did not address the context of the documentary
sharingpointmagazine.net
I guess since I was raised in a country that values freedom of speech as a privilege that anyone can exercise, I am allowing myself to take advantage and express myself. There is a burning in my ear from the opening remarks made by Dr. Vianne Timmons at the Oct. 16 film screening of Miss Representation at the University of Regina. I find it abhorrent that an educated woman beaming with intellectual power would stand up for such an amazing message only to perpetuate ongoing stigmas that are continually shown in the media.
Dear Dr. Timmons: Please help me understand how political issues abroad are relevant to the main topic of women’s position in society in North America as portrayed in the documentary. Maybe it’s just me, but this constant finger pointing and blame shifting is getting rather tiring. I am still left wondering: “what does a woman’s right to drive in Saudi Arabia have to do with the structuralized disempowerment of the most affluent women in North America?” After all, it is these types of micro-aggressions that are the catalysts for misrepresentation in the world. In this day and age, we have neverend-
ing information at our fingertips – couldn’t she have just Googled a topic that would better coincide with the subject at hand? I’m sorry, but it just seems easier to target these ongoing issues on the other side of the world that really don’t affect North Americans in our day-to-day life rather than focus on what is happening here. Yet, I wonder, how many people knew about and supported the “Sisters in Spirit Gathering” hosted by the First Nations University on Oct. 4? What names and whose stories, other than Tamra Keepness, do we, as a community, know about? Why was there yet another suicide last week in BC due to bullying? How is our society re-
“ I am still left wondering: ‘what does a woman’s right to drive in Saudi Arabia have to do with the structuralized disempowerment of the most affluent women in North America?’ After all, it is these types of micro-aggressions that are the catalysts for misrepresentation in the world.”
sponding to the perpetual cycle of domestic violence? All of these issues are directly linked to the messages found in the Miss Representation documentary, and I am still waiting for the relevant commentary. I just wish that we could look beyond the ends of our noses to realise that yes, we live in an amazing country, and yes, we are free in many ways, but we also need to acknowledge our shortcomings. Only then will we be able to take on such issues as put forth in these types of inspiring documentaries and truly make a difference in our homes, communities, and our society as a whole. Dr. Timmons, I am not so much concerned that you are showing your disapproval of atrocities around the world as I am that you left the context of the discussion around Miss Representation. Next time, let’s try to stay focused on the issues presented.
debra schubert contributor
the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
18 op-ed
Binder women When President Obama and Governor Romney squared off in the second presidential debate, many questions surrounded both men. For one, why was Obama off of his game during the first debate? Could Romney stand up to Obama if he did come back in full form? The issues both presidential hopefuls discussed ranged from the perennial issue of the economy to the recent “terrorist” attacks in Benghazi to “binders full of women.” Yes indeed, binders full of women. Romney uttered this awkward phrase when he was asked a question about inequalities in the workplace relating to women’s pay. This statement was rather funny, and the twitter community jumped all over it. John Fugelsang tweeted, “I respect that Gov Romney had binders full of women; most men just keep all that stuff on an external hard drive.” My personal favourite, which a few people posted was, “First you get the money. Then you get the power. Then you get the ?#bindersfullofwomen.” And, finally, a commenter with the Twitter handle “Keder” said, “I was going to vote for Romney, but the ‘binders full of women’ thing changed my mind and now I’m voting for Obama.’ – nobody.” This last tweet brings up the best point: what effect would this actually have on undecided voters in the battleground states? Probably none, and obviously party hacks will either ignore it, in the case of Republicans, or capitalize on it and make fun of it, like the Democrats have. The statement in and of itself is not a big deal – hardly anyone will label it misogyny, and most will write it off and forget
considering he opposes unions – and in Israel, where he said that Jerusalem, not Tel Aviv, should be the capital. The comment that actually outraged people was when he said, “as I come here and I look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things,” comparing Israel and Palestine and suggesting Palestinian culture was what kept their state in constant instability, not the ongoing Israeli occupation. These perceptions of Romney slowly built up in the minds of undecided voters, and they culminated in his famous comment about the 47 per cent. Still, the race is too close to call because a lot of people blame Obama for the economic situation of the last few years. Nevertheless, Romney has to be careful of what he says, for a stupid comment could mean a significant edge for Obama. A similar situation like this may have led to Gerald Ford’s loss in the 1976 Presidential debate, when he said “there is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford Administration.” Is Romney as out of touch as Ford was? Perhaps. With only a few weeks to go until the election, only time will tell. Then again, George W. Bush was elected – twice – in the United States, and he said some rather dumb shit.
eb-misfit.blogspot.com
this isn’t the first Romney gaffe to spark internet meme status, either. about it. Throughout this campaign, Romney has often had little gaffes like this, and these add up to the perception that
voters have of him. For example, on his international tour, he met with Solidarity labour leaders in Poland – rather ironic
michael chmeilewski contributor
Parking solutions It’s, like, not cool
Have you noticed people still can’t find parking on campus? I think you have. Last year, everyone was raving about a new parking complex on campus, not only so we finally have a chance to park near our classes, but also so the university can turn a higher profit on parking passes. Admittedly, eyes everywhere are caught up in the books right now, but I think I’m fairly observant for at least some hours a day and I haven’t noticed any large parkades springing up in the vicinity. There is, however, some new-looking fancy dirt to park on by the Kinesiology Building. What happened to the plan? I’m not sure but in some respects it might as well be out the window, or in Jamaica, in light of other university issues that concern funding and the precious cash we are increasingly asked to spend for our education. The students’ union seems to be occupied with politics. Parking might not necessarily be top-of-the-list of their priorities, but it’s worth giving some thought. Found in the line-up at the coffee shop are various arguments made to suggest that investing in increased parking space is an unproductive waste of space, but in general we’re usually lazy or preoccupied enough with ‘schoolwork’ to ignore this. This is fortunate since it allows us to concentrate upon the everyday, business-as-usual bullshit of paying a gray metal meter for the usage of empty space instead of repaying any of our surmounting debt or purchasing a comfortable, double-ply toilet paper. If you park at a meter, especially if you don’t insert enough shiny pieces of your time, you are therefore creating employment. If you park without a pass you are, likewise, doing as much good. Your university maintains an array of well-trained parking enforcement officials who fight together endlessly everyday to uphold your legal right to pay hefty fines for coming to
class, or work, and trying to sneakapark. These organized enforcers of the status quo have their own fleet of vehicles and twoway radios on their vests such that they may appear effectively hollywood-esque in their patrolling. Probably even health insurance-sponsored corrective eye surgery for examining the, you know, license plates and such. But really, I guess everyone is benefitting from parking services. What the parking authority does, besides siphon our dwindling resources, is effectively discourage parking on campus. This is good for us for a couple reasons: it opens up more parking spaces for those who are particularly desperate to do so, and also gives us all good reason to use public transit and/or our own legs (rather than thousands of fuel burning machines) for locomotion. God is not in the business of restocking our precious dinosaur bones. The more we can walk, bike, or use public transit to get places we need to be, the better. It is not only for ourselves but also for each other and the environment. When you walk instead of driving you make yourself healthier, you create a lot less pollution, and you make an impression on others around you. They’re all sure to say “hey, look at that guy. I think, like, that retro dance action thing he’s doing is what they used to call ‘walking,’ remember?”. Not only individually, but together, these two factors can easily contribute to bettering the community – whether you believe me or not – and generally making the world a better place to live in. Plus it saves money, if you have some, and the planet.
Sitting in a common area studying one day, I couldn’t help but overhear a variety of conversations taking place around me. The thing I found shocking was that I did not hear gossip or different topics or any such thing. All I could hear was the word “like” being repeated over and over. This brought on a flash back from when I went camping and I was told that I said “like” a lot. I do, or at least I used to until I started realizing it. Not only did I realize how often I was saying it, I realized I picked up a habit without even noticing it. I sat there studying one minute, then considered, how did this habit start and do these people even realize how often they say “like”? These were not the only questions on my mind. Does it even matter how often people say it? After all, it is a free country. So I started thinking up situations in which it would not be okay to use “like” as often as I was hearing it. A surprising amount came to mind. For instance if you were in court and you said “like” every second word in your case, I doubt many people would hire you as their lawyer. Another situation that came to mind was speaking to a nurse, asking questions about serious health problems and the nurse replying using “like” multiple times in the sentence. Could you take them seriously? Also consider being pulled over by a police officer and while they were explaining the ticket they wrote you, repeating “like” throughout his explanation,
would you reasonably listen? These and many more situations came to mind. These examples brought on another realization. No wonder many people aren’t taken seriously. If anyone was conveying an important message to you, and repeating “like” as every second word, it would sound ridiculous, especially at a university. How serious are you reflecting your knowledge when you cannot even have a conversation without using “like” constantly? A conversation with intellect and speaking about what you know, or conveying your emotions on a subject, but you feel the need to say “like” as every second word? How important does this sound to you? “He was like, ya I don’t think so and I was like, what do you mean? And it was, like, stupid and I just wanna, like, forget about it!” It’s a person trying to convey that they are not happy with the other person’s opinion, but it sounds ridiculous! The knowledge you gain at university isn’t just meant for the classroom or the workplace, it’s meant to improve your day to day lives and give you a deeper understanding of everything around you. Use your knowledge in your day-to-day lives, and speak about it. Show that you care about what you’re learning. Do not just lock it all up in the classroom.
raenna gohm contributor
csu a n a d a i n f e d e r a t o i n o f s t u d e n t s a s k a t c h e w a n t u d e n t s c o a t i l o n m c i h a e a j l c k s o n m o v e i a l y t o n n d e r fi r e t h a t s p e e c h s t e p h e n h a r p e r c a n a d a i n e e l c t o i n t w t i e r t i u n e s k a n y e w e s t a l d y g a g a t p a n i a u t o t u n e r e c e s s o i n a f g h a n s i t a n t a s e r s d o m e b a o l i u heatlhcarebankruptcysweatervesthp istetsr The Carillon:
dustin christianson contributor
Like, um, ruling at grammar since, like 1962.
the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
op-ed 19
Myth in the making
Edward Dodd
Recently, the Conservative government has been putting a lot of effort into commemorating the War of 1812 as Canada’s formative event. This notion also seems to have a lot of support of the “make Canadian history interesting” crowd that like to suggest that Canada’s history is boring, seeing as it lacks all the “good parts” of other nations’ history – namely war. It’s horrible that Canadians should live under the idea that Canada is a nation that was founded in peace and compromise rather than a nation that fought for its independence. What is concerning is not so much that
the government is looking to invest in Canadian history initiatives, which is a laudable goal, but that the government has chosen to make a spectacle of the war rather than really dig into what the war was about. It sensationalizes the war and doesn’t bother to show any of the research that might have been done to come to this new understanding of the war. The government should not be looking into our past with the determination to make Canadians interested in history by highlighting the horrors of our past as something to be excited about. The very
This totally accurate history brought to you by Canada’s Economic Action Plan
fact that we want to see the blood and guts of the War of 1812 over the “boring” suggests not a true dedication to learning and understanding our history, but a desire to mythologize and sensationalize our roots. Just look at the millions the government is spending on television ads for the War of 1812. The ads look like the trailer to a new war film, with the movie stars Isaac Brock, Tecumseh, and Charles de Salaberry playing the leading roles. If that’s not good enough, Canada has hired special guest star, Laura Secord, to sweep in and save the day. If that commercial is not an attempt to
Quash apathy
apathyisboring.com
Are we becoming too apathetic about democracy? With the Haanim Nur embezzling incident hopefully still fresh in our minds, the recent Huawei threat still on the radar, and the XL Foods fiasco continuing to raise a stink, the role of our governmental processes and our role in them deserves a second look and review. The Nur incident highlighted not only the susceptibility of even the simplest form of governance to criminal activity, but it also highlighted that students generally seemed to care very little about what was going on. Sure, there were those of us who were outraged, wrote fuming comments on the online edition of the Carillon, or wrote damning articles for the Op-Ed. On
the whole though, we really did not raise a serious political stink over the matter. So why is that? Well, maybe it is not apathy per se, but rather that we feel that beyond writing comments or articles, we really feel powerless in affecting what goes on after we have cast our vote in the election. Person X gets elected to position Y and then they have free reign to do whatever it is that they want to do without impunity. Yet, this is in no way how things should work. In the case of Nur, the students that elected her should have had the power to put pressure on those in office to have a proper investigation and file charges. How do we do that? Well, no one really knows. At least I don’t, and I do not think that I am in the minority.
So how does Huawei or even XL Foods fit into this picture of university politics? For one, how many of us actually care about the two matters beyond avoiding certain beef products for a while? Do we register the topics beyond reading the headlines or reading an article in a newspaper or online here and there? Even if we do all of that and more to stay informed and find out how it affects us and Canadian society as a whole, maybe what we should be doing is going beyond that. One of the possibilities that is open to us is to write to our MLA or our MP. We could even write the entire legislative body for that matter. Simply bombard the mail- and inboxes of our elected officials. After all, even if some poor schmuck is stuck reading
make a spectacle out of a past event rather than looking to understand the event, I don’t know what is. There is very little nuance to this type of portrayal of the past, and if you venture to the government website that the commercial directs you to, it is sorely lacking in any historical rigour that one would expect from a supposed authority on the subject. There is no bibliography, nor are there any footnotes or endnotes to back up what the government is claiming. The analysis presented operates from assumptions that are never backed up by any facts. While this is fine for some of the less-contested points, it’s often unclear where the government is getting its information. Wikipedia expects higher standards for submissions to their website. Like Kate Beaton’s recent comic about the Canadian attitude towards the war so succinctly sums up, it appears that the government is desperate to prove Canada’s military might, but has little real understanding of the war itself. The desire to make the War of 1812 Canada’s defining war ignores many facts and doesn’t bother backing up most of their claims about the war, and overall suggests that war is something we should glorify. What happens is less a revolution of Canadian history to make it engaging and interesting than an attempt to create an exciting myth about Canada’s past.
edward dodd op-ed editor
what we send, the hope is eventually something will stick. This is not to say that there are not MLAs or MPs out there that actually read the mail they receive, but the likelihood is small, sadly. Yet, I feel that most people would feel the way I do about such thoughts: what the hell is the point in the end? For starters, I guess, would be the fact that if we don’t make our voice heard, even if it is through the seemingly pointless act of writing our elected officials on what we think about certain matters, then are we not simply giving politicians the green light to omnibus every bill, every time? We, the people, should be the ultimate check on political power. All types of industries have lobby groups and pressure groups and so, too, should the electorate. We need to defend our stake in the political process, make our collective voices heard, and let politicians know that they cannot just steamroll Canadians. If we feel a politician should be charged with a crime, make enough noise for it to happen. If we feel a foreign corporation threatens both our personal and our national security, and we want to see it banned, raise a racket. If we want to have safe food and we demand better quality of inspection, mail all the rotten tomatoes you can find and raise a stink about it. Only when we collectively capitulate and say, “to hell with it all, I quit” have we really lost and apathy has truly set in. Until then there will always be a glimmer of hope that political change can happen and that we will keep democracy ‘of the people, by the people, for the people’.
sebastian prost contributor
20 #honestmistake
the carillon | Oct. 25 - 31, 2012
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