The Concordian Fall 2014 Issue 11

theconcordian

November 11, 2014. | Independent student newspaper at Concordia University. Since 1983.

Issue 11 | | Volume 32

Life p. 6-7

Lest we forget

Corporal Adrian McKenna, 24th Battalion O.L. 1905

Killed in action on January 19th, 1916 Graphic by Marie-Pier LaRose

In this issue

NEWS

p. 4

Elizabeth May: future of green

ARTS

p. 11

Expozine is set to impress

MUSIC

p. 14

Hemsworth & new heights

SPORTS

p. 16

OPINIONS

p.20

JMSM scores We need more with big names than a poppy

We tell your stories. Follow us on Twitter: @TheConcordian

theconcordian.com

news 2

//

Tuesday, november 11, 2014

write to the editor: news@theconcordian.com

CITY MiLos koVACeViC news editor

>> TRAIN TICKETS GET PRICIER

Continuing a tradition typical of the city’s public transportation, Montreal’s AMT service will raise train pass prices by three per cent in January to offset what it says are greater operating costs. Global News reported that AMT President Nicolas Girard made the announcement this week and also said there would be a 19 per cent raise in the prices of the incoming Mascouche and existing Saint-Jérome routes.

The AMT says it is forecasting an 11 per cent deficit for next year’s budget, and still needs to find ways to either raise revenue or cut costs.

>> IF A MONTREAL WINS, THIS CAN BE A BRIEF According to CBC, Quebec’s Court of Appeal is set to decide whether Guy Turcotte is to remain free on bail while awaiting a second trial for the killing of his two young children.

Turcotte admitted to killing his children in what his lawyers say was depression-induced mental instability, and he was judged criminally not responsible. A second trial was ordered in late 2013, but Turcotte gained a conditional release before the 2015 start of procedures. The Crown’s reasoning for its request is that if he were to remain free, there would be a drop in public confidence in the justice system.

>>

DAY-CARE PROTESTERS

Thousands of individuals protesting against the dismantling of universal $7-a-day Quebec daycare marched on Sunday morning to show their displeasure at a new plan calling for a sliding pay-scale. CTV reports that under the new program, the lowest cost would be $8 per day and rise to as much as $15 to $20 for top income earners.

The previous system had existed in Quebec for the past 10 years and was judged financially unsustainable by the current provincial government—a charge protesters vigorously deny.

rights // news

Finkelstein speaks out for Egypt and Gaza the media and America blamed for a lack of transparency and democracy JessiCA kenwood Assistant news editor

Controversial scholar Norman Finkelstein spoke as part of the Human Rights Conference at Concordia University on Wed. Nov. 5 concerning the human rights crisis in Egypt and Gaza and the link between both countries.

The talk, entitled Egypt and Gaza Intertwined: Human Rights Conference, was based around three main topics: understanding what Finkelstein calls the Gaza massacre of 2014; media misinformation and Israel’s ability to take advantage of it; and the role of the United Nations (U.N.) and primarily the United States with regard to both Gaza and Egypt. The event was sponsored by the Egyptian Canadian Coalition for Democracy, the Egyptian Canadian Home Organization, and the Concordia Egyptian Student Association (CESA).

Finkelstein, a political activist who has done extensive research on both conflicts, has seen his fair share of criticism over his opinion on what he sees as flagrant human rights abuses in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That night, he focused most of his speech on creating a timeline of the major events that took place during Operation Protective Edge, the Israeli name for this summer’s seven-week assault on Gaza, which was spurred on by the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas operatives. “[The event] was not unlike the

previous massacres, though on, clearly, a larger scale,” explained Finkelstein on the thousands of overwhelmingly civilian casualties in Gaza, which he said the European Union and United States turned a blind eye on. “Surprisingly, the United States and the European Union did not break off relations with the new [Israeli] government, but basically took an approach of ‘let’s just see what’s going to happen’,” Finkelstein said.

While the world sat by their T.V.s, computers and/or smartphones, there was little to no reference to the conflict as a major issue. According to Finkelstein, Hamas were not behaving like terrorists, a necessary premise for Israel, whose actions would otherwise be considered war crimes, as stated explicitly by Amnesty International.

Finkelstein argued that one of the main reasons Israel was able to continue attacks in Gaza for nearly two months was because of the media. He cited the fluidity and ever-changing focus of the news as something that allowed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue the “massacre” relatively unnoticed. His two primary examples of this shift were the bizarre and tragic Malaysian airplane crash over Ukraine and the first ISIS beheading of an American.

The other side of the media coin was the lack of research of Israel’s claim of terror rockets sent by Hamas.

Finkelstein called this claim a piece of “science fiction,” explaining that it is highly implausible that 4,000 rockets would kill a mere seven civilians and cause only $15 million in property

damage. He also denied Israel’s claim that its Iron Dome (a system that Israel claims intercepts and destroys short-range rockets) saved countless lives.

The latter half of the conference focused on the U.N. and U.S.A.’s role in both Egypt and Gaza. With regard to Gaza, Finkelstein condemned UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for his laissez-faire attitude toward Israel. Particularly, Finkelstein said Ban Ki-Moon only released a statement calling the Israel-Gaza conflict a “moral outrage and criminal act” after Israel attacked a seventh UN shelter. “Ban Ki- finkelSTein Speaking aT concordia. phoTo Moon, [the] comatose puppet of by keiTh race. the United States, wasn’t doing anything,” Finkelstein said. It was the legally armed those who were vested later that day that President Obama interests to them, according to Finkelspoke out. Having Ban Ki-Moon stein. “Egypt is not on a democratic speak out was very embarrassing for transition, Israel is on a dictatorial transition,” he explained. This is beObama, he added.

Finkelstein argued that the events cause the United States have allowed that took place in Egypt, the over- it to be so by expressing how both Isthrowing and jailing of the elected rael and President Sisi have the right to president in the name of democracy defend themselves, despite the lack of by the United States, were and con- evidence that they are being attacked.

“Israel has the right to defend ittinue to be unfounded. Finkelstein refused to call the current president, self, Sisi has the right to defend himself, the only ones who don’t have Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a president.

It took about 40 minutes, but Fin- the right to defend themselves are the kelstein managed to find the place to people living under brutal and illegal compare the two situations, making siege,” said Finkelstein. “And the peothe title of the conference relevant. ple of Egypt who are now living under Finkelstein argued that the common a brutal dictatorship, they don’t have denominator between the atrocities in the right to defend themselves. Only both Gaza and Egypt is America. The important people have the right to deU.S.A. is a country in which the last fend themselves and the rest of us just two presidents have defended and il- have to live with it.”

Business // news

Brainstorming for Montreal’s prosperity Concordia in running for projects in novel Je vois Montréal project MiLos koVACeViC news editor

Concordia has less than seven days remaining to garner sufficient votes and see whether its six proposals on social and business initiatives will make it into the final round, in a city-sponsored project looking for public solutions to improve Montreal’s prosperity.

Je vois Montréal was launched in February by Concordia Chancellor and BMO Financial Group President Jacques Ménard in partnership with the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. It seeks to better Montreal’s reputation, increase its international stature, and improve both economy and society. According to Concordia’s press

release, Ménard’s other reason was to “counter the negative publicity that has too often plagued Montreal in recent years.”

The campaign depends heavily on community voting in choosing the final projects—arranged in four broad categories: community identity; business; skills and education; and quality of life—that will see the initial 200 proposals whittled down to 120. Organizations and individuals submitting comprehensive plans detailing aims, timelines, and logistics must be willing and able to carry out their proposals should they be chosen at a Nov. 17 forum.

Concordia’s six proposals are: A network of ambassadors of entrepreneurship throughout Montreal, proposed by Xavier-Hervé

Henri, director of Concordia’s District 3 Centre.

A universal discount card for post-secondary students proposed by Concordia as well as the other major universities: Université de Montréal, McGill, HEC, and UQAM. A partnership with La Vitrine for a fund dedicated to the cultural integration of international students. The students would receive credits exchangeable for artistic activities in Montreal.

A collaboration with Youth Fusion in the mentoring of youth at the Kahnawake Education Centre for the duration of a school year.

“Adoptez une école,” likewise with Youth Fusion, would pair organizations with schools to increase student success by having organizations provide human,

technical, and financial support.

In return, businesses would profit as skilled students enter the workforce.

“Keeping kids in school is our priority—creating innovative partnerships between targeted schools, universities and private companies, and implementing long-term projects in order to engage youth in learning,” Gabriel Bran Lopez, Youth Fusions co-founder and Concordia alumnus, said.

“We want to reach the 80 per cent graduation rate target that we have set for ourselves as a society.”

Want to vote for Concordia’s initiatives or curious about the other projects? Check out jevoismtl. com. Deadline to vote is Nov. 17, 2014. (French only).

Tuesday, november 11, 2014

//

3

environment // news

Keeping up the pressure on divestment first nations on the aboriginal fight for land and air among speakers frÉdÉriC t. MuCkLe Arts editor

Four notable keynotes spoke at the inaugural event of the Fossil Free Canada Convergence that took place Nov. 7 to 9 at Concordia and McGill universities. The event, which focused on the growing divestment movement calling for the shedding of income and profit from fossil fuels, brought together students and activists from all around the country and gave them a chance to discuss and collaborate on climate change and environmental justice.

The divestment movement, not only active at Concordia but also on nearly 30 campuses across Canada, calls for responsible investments by educational institutions.

The event united four women activists intimately involved in different but connected movements such as aboriginal rights, climate change and the divestment effort.

It was led by the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition and supported by both the Concordia Student Union and the Student Society of McGill University.

Denise Jourdain, an elder representative of the Innu community of Uashat mak Mani-Utenam and active participant in various aboriginal rights movements like Idle No More, opened the event.

She presented parts of her memoir and spoke about aboriginal identity and culture, and on the conflicting governmental policies over their traditional territories. She went on to talk about her own experience with the ever-present judicial issues surrounding the uncertain rights of the aboriginal community, going so far as to share a personal moment about her weakened mother’s desire to relate to her ancestral culture.

Throughout, Jourdain underlined the importance of preserving the various and very distinct aboriginal cultures.

Following her was native youthfocused activist Heather MiltonLightening, currently working as the co-director of the Indigenous

Tar Sands Campaign out of the Polaris Institute. Milton-Lightening strongly advocated active participation of youth in the activism process, notably on aboriginal-related issues. Her testimony about her difficult childhood with foster parents and her teenage years in Winnipeg served as an example of a generation that was subject to past and present controversial Canadian policies.

Alyssa Symons-Bélanger, an anti-pipeline activist who has participated in and organized events around Québec, talked about the

array of projects she has been involved with, like the Marche des Peuples de la Terre Mère. SymonsBélanger also recalled her background in theatre and defined what is known as theatre of the oppressed, a type of theatre that looks at people involved in power struggles against oppressors. The Cabaret Olé Oléoduc, a play aimed at protesting pipeline projects, was cited as a good example of this type of theatre.

Finally, climate and energy campaigner for Sierra Club Canada Crystal Lameman addressed the crowd,

and talked passionately about issues relating to land use and exploitation by Canada’s government and private companies over the years.

She encouraged people to think about how to challenge such institutions who, as she put it, “keep making stupid decisions.” This call to action on the part of Lameman closed the keynote speaker’s event and set the tone for the rest of the Fossil Free Canada Convergence.

For more information on the divestment campaign in Concordia, visit divestconcordia.org.

ENACTS ANTIEBOLA MEASURES Canada has enacted new preventative measures aimed at halting the spread to Canada of the Ebola epidemic that has killed thousands in Africa. Now, government authorities will have the option of putting individuals found to be at risk in a three-week quarantine period, which is the incubation time of the disease. CTV News reports the rules will also allow the potential quarantining of returning medical personnel and volunteers.

>> POLAR VORTEX RETURNS

SpeakerS deniS Jourdain (above) and alySSa SymonS-bélanger (below). phoToS by frédéric T. muckle.

Csu closes in on signing-off on student Advocacy Centre move to mezzanine

T

>> CANADA

Abandoning their traditional neutrality in politics, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, a union representing 55,000 federal scientists and professionals, is actively campaigning against Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his restrictive science policies, which are muzzling scientists and the reporting of their research to the media and public. On the union side, The Globe and Mail also wrote the union’s “delegates have agreed that the union should energetically expose the damage they believe the Harper government has done to federal public services.”

Preparing to advocate from centre stage

he Concordia Student Union’s (CSU) Student Advocacy Centre is on the brink of finalizing a move that will see it moved from its presently cramped and tucked-away location to the Hall building mezzanine.

The Student Advocacy Centre’s mandate is to aid students and

MiLos koVACeViC news editor

>> FEDERAL SCIENTISTS RALLY AGAINST GOV T

Campus // news

MiLos koVACeViC news editor

NATION

mediate campus complaints and issues like discrimination.

CSU President Ben Prunty said a meeting was arranged last week to approve the project’s price increase. The revised price will now be roughly 10 to 15 per cent higher than the $100,000 originally allotted as the CSU’s portion of expenses. The move was made in concert with the university, with Concordia covering the infrastructure costs and the CSU covering the rest.

The centre has experienced in-

creased activity that has made its current location cramped. Moving it to the mezzanine would not only alleviate the space issues, but give it a more visible and central location. Meanwhile, its old space will be taken over by an expanded Legal Information Clinic, with the financial details of that transfer unknown at the moment.

The CSU also managed to negotiate for an extra $10,000 to be taken on by the university.

Prunty said the university was

helpful and understanding of these sorts of moves and upgrades.

“HOJO [the Off-Campus Housing and Job Bank] sees way more usage than the advocacy centre, and we’re pretty certain it has to do with location,” said Prunty, adding that he’ll be happy to see the mezzanine return to a completely student-run space with the re-opening of Reggie’s alongside the Hive and HOJO. “The mezzanine will be once more very student-centric.”

Environment Canada has reported the return of last winter’s buzz word, with temperatures expected to plummet for wide swathes of western Canada, in addition to freezing rain and the already substantial snowfall the region is seeing. Global reports Typhoon Nuri as the cause, which began near Japan and travelled to the coast of Alaska, and the resulting chain reaction with other air currents has seen temperatures plunge up to 15 degrees below seasonal averages.

>> UBC S NEWEST CAMPUS

Once it is finished, University of British Columbia’s Vanier College will be an exclusive enclave catering to Chinese students and other wealthy international clientele, a move criticized at a time when the university is cutting back on providing services for its student body. The $127.5-million building will house about 1,000 students, and will be off limits to the Canadian student body. CBC reports it will have lower English language standards, allowing for those with a weaker grasp of the language to enter a special prep-year, and will cost about $50,000 a year.

4

//

Tuesday, november 11, 2014

Lecture // news

WORLD MiLos koVACeViC news editor

>> REPUBLICANS

TAKE CONTROL OF SENATE AND HOUSE

Preparing for the Green swell elizabeth May on the approaching juncture of democratic change or ruin MiLos koVACeViC news editor

Last Tuesday’s midterm election saw an outstanding win by United States Republicans, who now have control of both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives. After months of factually questionable campaign ads and sagging approval rates for President Obama, now sitting somewhere around 41 per cent, the Republicans had a nearly historic win, just shy of their 246 seat record during Truman’s presidency.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May stopped by McGill University on Saturday, Nov. 8 to speak about her latest book Who We Are: Reflections on My Life and reflect on Canadian democracy, world climate and the next election.

The Concordian had the pleasure of a private conversation with the politician, social activist, and environmentalist. Below is a part of our interview. It has been condensed and reordered for readability.

>> KIM JONG UN RELEASES LAST TWO AMERICANS

The Concordian: Canada is rapidly becoming an economy dependant on the export of raw resources.

What has this meant for Canada?

After months in detention, two Americans were released from North Korea. Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller were released under orders from Kim Jong Un and are now back on American soil. CNN reports they were freed after a rare visit by a top United States official carrying a letter from President Obama. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper went to Pyongyang and delivered the letter but did not meet with the North Korean leader.

>> JAPAN WILL RESTART NUCLEAR ENERGY PRODUCTION Al Jazeera has reported that just three years after the horrific Fukushima disaster, Japan is planning on restarting production of nuclear energy with a plant reopening in the south of Japan. Kagoshima Governor Yuichiro Ito said two reactors at the Sendai Nuclear Power Station would be restarted despite concerns among residents. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said in September that these units met the safety standards toughened after Fukushima but the reboot may take a year to begin. Residents and critics are weary about the decision, fearing another Fukushima and citing risk from a nearby volcano.

>> 11 WOUNDED OUTSIDE CAIRO UNIVERSITY

A bomb went off right outside Cairo University on Wednesday injuring 11, including six police officers.

The bomb went off at a local hot spot for protests, near the site of a similar but far less deadly bombing that took place in April and killed one police officer. Al-Jazeera claims the explosion came after a clash between pro-Islamist student protesters and police earlier in the day.

Elizabeth May: I have to say [resource dependence has] been the result of failed policies, and the focus on bitumen production has seen a weak case of Dutch disease that’s reduced employment opportunities for Ontario and Quebec.

That’s not entirely due to tying the dollar to a barrel of bitumen, but it sure hasn’t helped. As our dollar rose, a lot of jobs were lost in traditional manufacturing and export-based industries, as well as our tourism industry. The resource-based industry is both evolutionary and manipulated by certain policies: [Prime Minister] Stephen Harper has favoured one industry above all others, which is basically fossil fuels, particularly bitumen.

C: The centre is shifting from Quebec and Ontario to the western part of the country. Provinces there, especially Alberta, are particularly tied and dependent on petrochemical exploitation and raw resources for growth. How does this bode for the Green Party’s fortunes?

EM: The fortunes of the Green Party are, I think, national, not regional. We’ve just elected our first member of parliament in New Brunswick, and he defeated the Conservative Energy Minister and the top issue [there] was fracking.

We’ve also elected our first member to the B.C. legislature in 2009, who’s one of Canada’s leading climate scientists; the issues were climate, pipelines, and oil tankers.

The Green message is resonating in Alberta, and that’s because Albertans are also concerned about conservation. You can’t make assumptions that Alberta represents a certain type of person anymore.

Those assertions were never right.

The land ethic in Alberta runs very deep. Farmers and ranchers as much as young, savvy, professionals want a concrete plan on climate change.

Our message gets across anywhere to the extent [that] we are able to command political space in

the field. During the last elections, the mainstream media virtually ignored the Green Party. If we can be noticed enough … it will change our electoral fortunes everywhere. I think we are going to have a breakthrough in the next elections.

C: What do you think this determined drive for oil says about our country?

EM: We’re going for the last barrel. We’re scraping, we’re going for fracking and bitumen, and this is what happens when you get desperate. It’s time to really start looking at what kind of economic opportunities Canada has that’s not specifically geared to fossil fuels, a push away from regional resource models.

C: You say in your book that there is no inherent conflict between the economy and the environment.

Could you explain a bit more?

EM: Capitalism is in the way, but only because we’ve allowed corporate rule, we’ve allowed the notion that the profits of multinationals are more important than the health, sustainability, and resilience of Canadian communities.

All sorts of statistics show when you ramp up environmental protection, competitiveness improves, productivity improves, [research and development] improves. The stronger your environmental policies, the stronger your economic performance. But it has to be driven by government policy, because without guidance, industries will always have to hedge for the outlier laggard in any sector that wants to make profits c heaper.

C: You also call upon pragmatic governance, but simultaneously point out these huge companies have never enjoyed as much influence and power. How can you pragmatically expect to fetter organizations that will refuse to yield and are at the apogee of their power?

EM: This is why Canadian citizens, and citizens from [all] over the world, will have to work a lot harder at this. We’re not bystanders to this. Students at Concordia are not bystanders to corporate rule.

We are enablers to corporate rule when we don’t step up and say ‘this is what’s happening.’

Voting is the least of it. Explaining, educating, reaching out so that Canadians understand these issues before the next election, putting maximum pressure … we have to make citizens aware [that] we’re in a serious struggle.

Ursula Franklin said that we live in an occupied state. We’re occupied by multinational corporations. If the occupiers were soldiers stationed on every street corner, I think we would have formed a resistance to that by now. But because it’s the friendly face of corporations whose products we buy

green parTy leader eliZabeTh may. phoTo by keiTh race. because we’re relatively comfortable and consumer culture breeds passivity, we’re not organizing a resistance.

I think that the tools of fundamental democracy are all the resistance we need—I’m certainly not calling on anybody to break the law! The tools that we have in the law-abiding, non-violent use of our democratic rights to demand governments pay attention to things that really matter—we’re not really using that. The largest voting bloc in the last election were the people who didn’t vote. I know there are many reasons why people decided to not vote, but citizen disengagement is the key enabler of corporate rule. As long as we act like we have no power, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

C: Is this more of an election fight, or a generational struggle?

EM: Because of the climate crisis we’ve got to make significant progress the next election—we’ve got to have a globally inclusive [climate] treaty by 2015, which is the deadline for negotiating the next climate treaty that takes effect by 2020.

It is a generational struggle in the sense that [we have] to nail this now and really recover democratic governance, repair social safety networks, get rid of the notion you can’t have a single discussion on any issue in public policy before first bowing down to the idea that unlimited economic growth must be the underpinning. That’s going to be a longer struggle than one election. But let’s start naming the problem now, and engage more people.

C: What do you see as the state of Canadian political system right now?

EM: Stephen Harper is the first prime minister who’s written off entire regions of the country because he figures he can get enough votes here or there. It’s all an electoral calculation rather than a public policy meant to be of greatest benefit to the most people.

This is a deliberate calculated manipulation of public opinion and shared values [and] common assumptions. We can still repair our laws, so we can have engaged citizens.”

C: Politics is compromise. How will the Green Party compromise?

EM: I don’t really believe in compromise on the key issues that really matter, but it’s figuring out [things] in the context of governing. It’s important to stop having politics on the basis of division, the so-called wedge issue and the politics of slicing-and-dicing issues, that’s not healthy in terms of holding a country together.

What can we do collectively as a country to change the fact we waste half the energy we currently use? What employment opportunities are there for energy efficiency, conservation, demand-side management, building retrofits? There are a lot of opportunities for having a healthier, more prosperous Canada.

All these things can happen, but they won’t happen when you have a system where politicians work through fear and division and not consensus. You use the word compromise, I use the word consensus that will take everybody’s interests into account.

Elizabeth May’s book, Who We Are: Reflections on My Life, is now on sale and can be purchased hardcover on Amazon.ca for about $19.

tuesdAy, noVeMBer 11, 2014

life

//

5

write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com health // Life

Brace yourselves—winter is coming here’s a checklist for those facing their firstever Montreal winter MiCheLLe GAMAGe Production manager

T

he first flakes floated around in the Friday skies on the downtown campus, hailing the true end of summer and the proper start of Canada’s second season: winter.

Welcome to the cold season. Population: you. From here on out the weather gets progressively colder and nastier till even Fahrenheit and Celsius get together and agree, “it’s bloody cold out.”

Here is the bad news: winter is coming, and it’s one frigid, icy, relentless season that will haunt you every time you dare to brave the outdoors. Here is the good news: it’s actually survivable.

Take it from the Vancouverite whose previous winter experience consisted of owning a solid pair of rainboots; I’m walking proof that you can make it through the next six (or seven) months and live to see the green shoots of spring.

For those of you in my (last year’s) shoes, here is a checklist of survival necessities. Send me a postcard from spring; I’m heading for some poutine in the meantime to prepare.

Don’t spend too much on gloves or toques (knitted hats, welcome to Canada) as they are just base layers against the cold.

Your hands will mostly be in your parka’s pockets and your hood will cover your head most of the time, but for that half-second you have your hands out and hood down, you’ll be grateful for them.

Fleece and wool are warmest even when soaked in sweat from the several minutes you spent on the Metro.

Another life hack is buying cheap but super-thick wool (warm) sweaters from thrift stores and long underwear or fleece leggings to wear under your pants.

It’s an odd bit of science, but jeans are incapable of keeping your legs warm at all, yet keep them like icicles for hours after you re-enter a warm area.

Scarves too.

They’ll keep icy blasts of frigid air from ramming down your neck and you can pull them over your face to prevent frostbite if you’re outside for long periods. Wool is warmest but can be itchy against your skin.

self-care Moisturizer.

Constant below-zero temperatures and

General life hacks A hot water bottle.

After being outdoors for anywhere from five minutes to an hour, heading inside feels like stepping off of a plane into a tropical paradise. Here’s the problem: sometimes with the relative temperature change, you don’t realize how cold you still are.

Hypothermia—or being so cold that your body can no longer generate heat and you can die—is an actual danger.

Symptoms include feeling suddenly warm, sleepy, and no longer shivering. Heading to bed while hypothermic is dangerous because the blankets only insulate your cold body to keep in the cold.

A hot water bottle is a life-saver. Toss it under your covers a couple of minutes before bed to avoid that icy-blankets feeling, use it to defrost your legs and toes after being outdoors for more than five minutes, and allow it to soothe your aching muscles after falling on the ice for the eighth time that day.

the gear First and most importantly: a winter jacket.

A parka is best, with down or synthetic filling that reaches at least to your knees (because frostbite on your thighs is a real thing). You want sleeves with elastics at the end of the arm, and a hood that entirely obscures your head. That fur lining (real or synthetic is fine) around the hood, when the jacket is fully zipped up, should entirely obscure your face because it keeps heat in near your skin and snow and ice off your eyelashes/beard. I wish I was kidding.

Second most important is a solid pair of thermal lined, entirely waterproof boots.

They should have thick rubber treads, and if you are not comfortable wading through ankle-deep piles of salty, grimy slush right out the door in them, they are not good enough. Uggs are most fashionable (and will keep you snug if you coat them with a waterproofing spray), but Sorrels work just as well, and will save you a couple hundred extra bucks.

These are both large financial investments, but remember that these are two things you will wear every. single. day. for the next five or so months. Talk to sales clerks while browsing and let them know you are a winter virgin, as their input and advice is invaluable and will ensure you get the right gear.

the hot and dry air inside are really rough on your skin. Using a moisturizer to slather your entire body every time you get out of the shower will help keep your skin from cracking, flaking, bleeding, or breaking out. Full-body moisturizing is a necessity, trust me.

Different moisturizers are recommended for your face and hands, unless you are a skin superhero and can use one for all.

Your hands need a super-strength moisturizer and your face needs something lighter. Shop around and find something that works for your skin; we are all unique snowflakes, especially when it comes to skincare.

Plastic window insulation.

Most (all?) windows in Montreal are double-paned for increased insulation against the cold, but windows still feel like they’re seeping icy drafts into your cozy home when it’s 20-below out. Adding a layer of plastic insulation is a cheap and easy way to keep your home warm and keep your February Hydro-Quebec bill from being (as) horrifyingly expensive.

Graphic by Marie-Pier LaRose

And finally, a pair of skates!

Winter is a long—sometimes seemingly endless—season. But Montreal is an amazing place in the winter and there are still tons of activities to do during the cold months. Almost every park is turned into a free skating rink where pickup neighbourhood hockey games are played. Snow shoeing and cross-country skiing are possible in the winter wonderland of Mount Royal park. And don’t get me started on the winter festivals like Igloofest and Nuit Blanche.

Winter is coming, but it’s survivable.

And if you keep warm and take advantage of all winter has to offer, who knows. You might even find yourself sad when the warm winds of spring blow and it’s over.

6

//

tuesdAy, noVeMBer 11, 2014

We remember Concordia 100 years ago, Loyola College boys dug into wwi trenches and helped make history sArA BAron-GoodMAn Life editor

B

y the time the back-toschool bells chimed at Loyola College (now Concordia University) in September of 1914, war had already begun to rage across the Atlantic.

The Great War, as it was soon to be called, began on July 28, 1914, just over a hundred years ago today. While the battlefields were half a world away from the classrooms where some of Montreal’s brightest young scholars spent their days, the ravages of the war certainly hit close to home.

In 1914, the first ever issue of the Loyola College Review, a comprehensive yearbook of all the events and best work of the school year, was published. Amid sketches for the much-anticipated expansion of the college to Montreal West

(now Loyola Campus) and detailings of the college team’s athletic victories, the Review proudly gave accolades to the first of Loyola’s boys who put on their marching boots and left for the front lines of war.

A total of 32 students and alumni, who were fondly dubbed “Old Boys,” went to war in 1914.

At the time of press for the 1914-15 Loyola College Review, “some [had] been wounded, but as yet we have no deaths to mourn.” By the time of the armistice almost five years later, the death toll of Loyola boys reached 34 of the over 275 who went to the Front.

During the school year of 1914-15, the war was on everyone’s minds, but the outlook was optimistic. Even the Loyola Literary and Debating Society resolved against the statement “that the Germans have a better chance of winning this war than the Allies.”

By the time of publication of the following year’s Review, soldiers had dug into their trenches. France was under occupation and Canadians had fought in the First and Second Battles of Ypres, where gas warfare was infamously introduced by the Germans. Turkey had joined Germany, and they invaded Serbia. Italy switched its alliance and declared war

on Germany. Germans used heavy artillery shellings in the Battle of Verdun.

The Battle of the Somme saw a modest advance for the Allies, at the cost of over 1.2 million lives from both sides.

Back in Montreal, Loyola College felt the effects of its first war casualties.

The 1916 Review lists that 115 students and Old Boys had gone to join the fight, two were confirmed dead, and several were wounded.

The two confirmed dead were Loyola Old Boys Corporal Adrian McKenna and Lieutenant John Howe.

McKenna wrote a letter back home on Jan. 16, 1916 from Belgium, and relayed his excitement at being back with his regiment after an absence. He wrote: “I know your eyes must be winking and jumping from trying to make this out, so I will say good-night. I am enclosing the stripes off my great-coat. I value them very much, as I have had them since I left Canada. The stains on them are blood from a man who was killed and whom I carried into the trench. Keep them for me till I get back.”

On Jan. 18, McKenna wrote to his brother from his “little dug-out” in the trenches: “The Huns are quiet this morning. I guess they are getting sick of the war. I

had a letter from mother yesterday. She seemed to take it for granted that I was coming home. Much as I appreciate your offer, I wouldn’t dream of going back until I have done my “bit,” and I am glad you didn’t do anything until you heard from me. . . . . . Good bye for a while.

It’s dinner time, and I am starving, as usual.”

McKenna never would get back; goodbye for a while was indeed the final goodbye. On Jan. 19 McKenna was the first Loyola boy killed in action, shot in no man’s land just outside of Ypres, as he was carrying ammunition back to his troops.

The Review’s pages from that year, and the years that followed, would increasingly be filled with these firsthand accounts from friends and former classmates at war. The section of the Review dedicated to these “Letters from the Front” was nestled alongside short stories (some telling of war, some not), musings from college boys, prayers, and spreads for every academic, religious, and athletic club on campus. By the 1919 edition, these letters had all but given way to eulogies for fallen friends.

While the war was a constant presence on everybody’s minds at home, the boys at the front often thought of life at

tuesdAy, noVeMBer 11, 2014

//

7

during the Great War school.

A letter from Major (later LieutenantColonel) George J. Boyce to a former classmate, written March 7, 1916, said: “Your thoughtfulness in sending me a Christmas box was very much appreciated indeed. Many thanks from an old friend years’ standing.

How is life with you? You are at the dear old College. God bless Loyola! May it constantly prosper and blossom out into one of the greatest Canadian Colleges! Already, in quality, Loyola leaves nothing to be desired. Let us hope that, with greater facilities, material welfare may be likewise.”

Boyce was awarded the Distinguished Service Order medal in 1919, and his praise as a high-ranking war hero was sung proudly in the Review time and time again during the war years.

The “greater facilities” Boyce describes are indeed the buildings for expansion to the college at what is now Loyola Campus.

Loyola College would be officially moved to the new campus on Sherbrooke Street the following year, in 1917. The old buildings at 68 Drummond St. would then become occupied by the Military Hospitals Commission as a convalescence home for returned soldiers.

Amidst this excitement for a new college stomping grounds, in 1917 the sombre cloud of war hung heavier than it had to this point.

From only two Loyola boys recorded as killed in action the previous year, the casualties marked a total of 14 killed, 24 wounded, and over 175 gone to fight by the time the 1917 Review was published.

The war raged full throttle in that year.

The United States declared war on Germany, and joined the Allies on the battlefields. The British launched the third bloody Battle of Ypres. The concept of a “total war” became a reality as German troops bombed British civilians.

A letter from the editor on the first page of the 1916-17 Review reads: “Our readers will note that a large portion of this number of the Review is fittingly dedicated to our boys at the Front, particularly those who have given their lives to the Empire’s cause. To their families and friends, who have sent us photographs and letters, we offer our sincere thanks.”

The enormous losses from the previous year’s Battle of the Somme had left a sizeable dent in the Allied forces manpower. In response, Canada passed The Military Service Act in August of 1917, which stated that the Canadian govern-

ment could institute conscription across the country if the need was felt.

The school year of 1917-18 saw many students conscripted, and the college certainly felt the loss.

The Review’s first page for that year reads: “The demands and alarms of war have played havoc with its ordinary staff and contributors. They have dropped the pen and seized the sword.”

Conscription summoned all young men aged 19 to 23 to the battlefields, where they were to report for duty by April 27. The college had no choice but to entirely close down the philosophy department.

Bright young minds stopped debating Aristotle and Machiavelli, and instead prepared to take up battle. Final exams for the year were pushed forward to the beginning of April and the department remained closed from then until the end of the war.

That year, Loyola’s losses numbered 24, almost double from the previous year.

Twenty-eight boys were wounded, and one soldier was reported missing, from a total of over 250 Loyola boys at the front.

The pages of the Review were filled with eulogies for fallen friends, death an-

nouncements, and letters of condolence.

With so many gone to serve, it became harder to keep track of all the Loyola boys who had gone to the front. The Review urged any students or alumni who had news from friends or relatives at war to share it.

The 1918-19 Review was published just before the bells of peace rang out on Nov. 11. By the end of the war, Loyola College had sent over 275 boys off to the battlefields, 34 of whom would not return.

The maple trees that today line the perimeter of the campus on Sherbrooke Street were planted in honour of Loyola College’s fallen WWI heroes.

At 11:11 a.m. today, please take a moment to remember Corporal Adrian McKenna, Lieutenant John Howe, Colonel-Lieutenant Boyce, and the others who have studied in the classrooms you now do, walked the same halls, shared the same campus, and who fought in this and so many other wars to afford you the liberties you now enjoy.

All information and files c/o The Loyola College Review 1915-19. Special thanks to Concordia’s archives department.

War events timeline according to theworldwars.org.

8

//

tuesdAy, noVeMBer 11, 2014 Column // Life

Mim meets Montreal: the bagel episode 6: in which Mim realizes that bagels are holy

My Australian mentality of “ah, suck it up mate, it ain’t that cold,” is beginning not to suffice.

From the wood fire oven drifted a sweet fragrance so homey and reassuring that I immediately realized that there was more to a bagel than a bagel. There was the experiMiM keMPson ence of being surrounded by bagels. I was staff writer informed that they also serve another function in winter. Pop a few hot ones in a paper bag and, voila, you’ve got a (temporary) It’s 3 a.m. on a Sunday morning, it’s raining portable heating device—simply stick your and all the good bars on St-Laurent Blvd. face into the bag and inhale the goodness. are closing. Time to go home, right? Wrong.

It was an event: witnessing bagels being Why? Bagels. made from scratch.

“Seriously, what’s so special about a One man kneaded the dough and rolled bread roll with a hole in the middle?” I asked it into rings with an effortlessness that was like folding bed sheets. After the dough had been tossed in sesame seeds and placed into the oven, which appeared to house over 50 bagels comfortably, the second man used a several meter long wooden plank to flip over a dozen at a time. He didn’t use a timer so how could he possibly know when each of those 50 bagels were ready? It appeared that he just knew.

The young man at the counter was intrigued by the fact that I was Australian, but even more so by the unfortunate situation of Australia’s bagelessness. Back home, bagels are about as popular and as fresh as sliced supermarket white bread.

Despite the recent opening of a couple mim viSiTS ST-viaTeur ST. for a monTreal claSSic. phoTo by Sara baron-goodman. of specialty bagel cafes in Melbourne and Sydney, the modest roll-with-a-hole still remains a novelty and there are certainly no 24-hour venues to satisfy a midnight bagel craving.

My friend bought half a dozen fresh Arts and Science Students Looking at Next Steps steaming-hot sesame Are you interested in: bagels and gave me • Applying your background in the humanities, social and life sciences? one. I took my first • Helping individuals and families deal with health crises? bite and, I tell you, it • Taking a leadership role in helping communities to improve their health? was like eating a warm cloud. Before I had the • Being part of new directions in the health care system? chance to go to the The Direct Entry Master of Sciences Applied program in nursing may be for you! counter and buy a second, the young server The Ingram School of Nursing offers master’s level education in nursing for arts and had walked over to science graduates with no previous preparation in health care. It is the only program us and handed me a of its kind in Canada. bag of three. “On the Nurses are found everywhere in health care and graduate education opens doors to house,” he said. the many diverse career paths the field offers. Come find out more!

In the time it took my friend to eat half of his bagel, I had inFOR MORE INFORMATION, including admission requirements, visit our web site haled three: one third at www.mcgill.ca/nursing/programs/msca-direct-entry or contact the Ingram School of of my daily caloric Nursing at admincoord.nursing@mcgill.ca. intake within a numProgram prerequisites are easily completed as electives within most bachelor’s programs – ber of minutes. But, students who have just begun their BA or BSc program are especially welcome to contact us just like the poutine, to find out how. it was all worth it: the sesame goodness, the Financial aid available soft dough, the perMore questions? Come to our Information Night on Thursday, fect crusty crunch.

November 20th, from 16:00 to 18:00 to hear more about the program.

My friends were right: nothing beats a fresh Light refreshments will be served. bagel. my friends as we walked in the windy, minus-one degree weather.

I’d asked a similar question about poutine when I first arrived in Quebec—“it’s just chips and gravy. Why the hype?” That’s when I learnt that Montreal could turn something so ordinary into a magical gastronomical experience.

My friends just said, “you’ll see,” and I trudged along behind them in the opposite direction of home.

As we stepped into the St-Viateur bagel store the warmth engulfed me like a giant hug. Sounds lame, I know, but with the increasingly cold weather, I have developed a new appreciation for well-heated spaces.

sex // Life

Let’s talk about sex

hair or bare down there? do what’s right for you LAurA MArChArd opinions editor

I

f you’ve ever watched porn—and let’s face it, most of you have—then you probably noticed something a little unnatural. No, I’m not talking about penis size, or the problematic male-female dynamic, or unfaithful representation of what an average night bumpin’ uglies might be.

No, today we’re going to lay bare the facts about porn’s signature style: hairlessness.

As you’re likely aware, porn stars all seem to be missing a certain something down there. It is the standard to be strandless, if you will. The Brazilian style—meaning absolutely no pubic hair—is so mainstream that if you want to see a female lead with hair you usually have to dig for the “hair” or “hairy” tag.

As a member of the generation of the Internet (and hence, porn), I fear this has created some unrealistic standards in men and women. So, to all of you who look down at your privates with shame, this goes out to you.

There’s nothing wrong with pubic hair!

Absolutely nothing! Shockingly, just because it is in porn, does not mean it is the norm. In fact, a 2010 study among sexually active women, published in the International Journal for Sexual Medicine, concluded that it’s “more common than not for women to have at least some pubic hair on their genitals,” and I imagine it’s even more common for men. So, take a deep breath, because there’s nothing wrong with you.

“But my partner thinks it’s gross! They won’t have sex with me!”

Sorry, but your partner is an A-rank jerk. Sex is about respect, and yes, people have preferences—but if they don’t respect your decision for your body, then you should bail, as fast as you can. If you don’t want to shave, or wax, or sugar, or do laser hair removal, then that is 100 per cent your choice. Own it!

And, of course, if you want to get rid of your hair, go nuts! There’s nothing wrong with that either. Liking the bare look doesn’t make you a pedophile or brainwashed by the patriarchy. I’ll say it again: your body, your choice.

If you want to go bare—or semi-bare, or trimmed, or whatever!—do your research first. Be aware of how many blades you should use, how to exfoliate, and how to deal with the itchy ingrown hairs. Look up reviews for waxing salons, and make sure to tell them it’s your first time! It’s going to be a bit touch and go finding out what method works best for you.

Whether you decide to rock it au naturel, or go for a more personal touch, make sure you’re well-informed, and— most importantly—make sure it’s what’s right for you.

tuesdAy, noVeMBer 11, 2014

//

9

tech // Life

Anti-virus software is scamming you Contrary to popular belief, $60 a year won’t help you JoCeLyn BeAudet online editor

F

or the past few months, I’ve been urging readers of this humble column to browse safely and change their passwords, and I gave them a solution on blocking ads, malware and other less-than-awesome content from their personal computer(s). But this week, I’m going to take things a step further and let you faithful fans in on a tiny industry secret: anti-viruses are generally fairly useless.

Sure, they’ll detect some absolutely atrocious piece of software that you’re about to install, if you’ve decided to run off and download a random executable file from some barely-reputable website.

But most of the time? They’ll hog your computer’s resources, drain your wallet, and remain all-around ineffectual. There’s a reason for this and, honestly, it makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

Nefarious individuals who are in the business of producing viruses know that

these countermeasures exist, and that the “best” and “most popular” ones are happy to flaunt their would-be infallibility. In reality, these anti-viruses generally function on a local basis: you can run them when you’re not connected to the internet, and the installed piece of anti-virus software does all the work from the computer, and on your computer.

Unlike a real-world scenario, where doctors would wear protection during an outbreak, and everyone would be allaround safe, anti-virus software is usually more of a hindrance than it is a preventative power for these terrible little viruses.

Infecting the thing that’s designed to cure you makes sense, from the virus producer’s perspective, and it happens more often than you’d think.

How easy is it to pirate anti-virus software? If pirates can get their hands on anti-viruses just as easily, and remove the paywall that prevents users from stealing the software with surprising ease, imagine how much easier it is to figure out how to have this anti-virus simply ignore the threat you’re making once you know exactly how it works?

The problem with the modern-day anti-virus is simple: all of the files and in-

formation used to do its work are stored in the exact same place where the infection spreads from in the first place. Workarounds exist, and most of them offer their services for free, or at a pittance of the cost of a subscription to Norton or McAfee. An old favourite of mine is Housecall (housecall.trendmicro.com). Housecall uses a Java applet (which is compatible with every operating system) to remotely connect to your computer and go over your files’ integrity. If it finds anything that it can’t contain on its own, the little applet will direct you to a page giving you step-bystep instructions on how to remove all the malicious worms, Trojans and keyloggers that may have inadvertently eaten away at your computer’s core.

Is it foolproof? No. But it’s certainly a better alternative than shelling out almost $100 on software. The only immediate drawback is the lack of real-time protection that many anti-viruses boast. On the other hand, this real-time protection is an enormous resource hog, and generally only gets updated every few weeks or months, while Housecall is always as up to date as it can be.

As usual, it’s always a good idea to browse safely and to be smart about where you get your files from. If things seem dubious, or too good to be true, it’s probably because they are.

JOIN THE CONCORDIAN’S FAMILY : ASSISTANT EDITORS WANTED Seeing your name in print is only half the fun; if you want to get the full newsroom experience, here’s your chance! Assistants will have a variety of tasks, including working closely with section editors to find story ideas, writing stories weekly, gaining first hand editing experience, and working with writers. Assistants will also be asked to attend weekly story board meetings on Sundays as well as production nights on Mondays.

Although no experience is necessary, applicants who have

6 ;)6 /-& 5--:8/0 1Ŵ ;9989(;/( 678(Ŵ9 8/ Ű6 1-55-&8/0 962Ŷ-/9n

written for The Concordian or who have relevant experience in journalism are preferred. For more information, please contact section editors (contact information is located on the inside back cover of The Concordian).

To apply, please submit a CV, a letter of intent and three samples of journalistic work to applications@theconcordian. com before Nov. 14. In the subject line, please include the position that you are applying for.

Assistant news editor (2 positions, compensated) Assistant life editor (1 position) Assistant arts editor (1 position) Assistant music editor (1 position) Assistant sports editor (1 position) Assistant opinions editor (1 position)

If you’d like to get to know the team, come on by our weekly story board meetings on Sundays at 3 p.m. in CC-431 at the Loyola campus. Hope to see you there!

theconcordian.com

arts

10

//

Tuesday, november 11, 2014

write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com film festival // Arts

French movies for all, even the anglophone audience Cinemania is a french and Belgian film festival rolling out the red carpet for Montreal’s cinephiles JohAnnA PeLLus staff writer

W

SK1 (L’Affaire SK1)

Saint Laurent

Xavier Beauvois’ latest movie is a pleasant surprise in this festival. The filmmaker of Des hommes et des dieux (2011) and Le petit lieutenant (2007) offers a sublime homage to Charlie Chaplin. The ‘dramedy’ literally makes Chaplin turn in his grave—the movie recounts the story of Chaplin’s coffin being stolen.

In a ‘70s small town on Lac Léman in Switzerland, Eddy Ricaart (Benoît Poelvoorde), fresh out of prison, is welcomed by an old buddy, Osman Bricha (Roschy Zem). Money is scarce for Osman to take care of his sevenyear-old daughter and his hospitalized wife, Eddy hatches a wild idea: kidnap Chaplin’s coffin who just died in a neighbouring town and ask for a ransom. From a real minor item news, (Chaplin’s coffin really was stolen from its grave), Beauvois made a tender comedy around a family, with a touch of love and suspense, and two superb actors. The granddaughter of Chaplin, Dolores, is also part of the cast.

If you are a fan of thrillers, or even just a movie person overall, you should definitely go see this crime film, which dives into the 36, quai des Orfèvres—the criminal investigation division of French police in Paris. While presenting the real circumstances that lead to the revision of justice in France in the ‘90s, you will face a gut-wrenching story.

We directly jump into a sordid investigation with the newly-recruited police detective Franck Magné (Raphaël Personnaz). He researched and cross-referenced proof of a long-term serial killer perpetrating horrific crimes in the East of Paris.

From performance to staging, all is strongly done to make this a tenacious and efficient movie based on the real 10-year tracking of Guy George (Adama Niane).

To get a taste of the ‘70s and of high-end French fashion, you should try watching Bertrand Bonello’s Yves Saint Laurent biopic.

The story is built around Saint Laurent’s schizoid personality. He goes from spending his days surrounded by luxury and creativity—supported by Pierre Berger (Jérémie Régnier)—to darkness following his love at first sight, Jacques de Bascher (Louis Garrel). The dichotomy of Saint Laurent’s life is apparent from the first scene. Filmed from behind with a voice-over, the film involves a scene with Saint Laurent arriving in a hotel as Mr. Swann, and thus immediately displays an unexpected facet of this well-known figure of international fashion’s persona. The ambiance is aesthetically pleasing, sometimes disturbing, but definitely ‘70s-inspired, with incredible actors and a lot of talent to display.

Love at first fight (Les Combattants)

Price of Fame (La Rançon de la Gloire)

ith an extended program of 55 films and special guests, the 20th edition of the Cinemania francophone film festival is an opportunity to discover big names or rising stars of the French and Belgian cinema.

You do not even need to understand French in order to appreciate the festival, since all movies will be screened with English subtitles. Cinemania Creator Maidy Teitelbaum’s goal was to launch the first French-language film festival with english subtitles—she had Montreal’s many english speakers in mind.

If you plan on seeing as many of the films as possible, passports are available, allowing you access to the entire festival. If you do not have time to see every film, here are a few of our recommendations.

Price of Fame (La Rançon de la Gloire)

The Concordian interviews director thomas Cailley about his movie Love at first fight (Les Combattants)

L

ove at first fight (Les Combattants) will be the subject of an important gala evening on Nov. 11 that the film team will be attending. A second screening is planned for Nov. 12.

Originality is the best word to describe Thomas Cailley’s first feature. The film was showcased at the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes and features Adèle Haenel who won a César for “best supporting actress” in Suzanne (2013).

Humor is one important aspect of the dialogue and accordingly balances itself well with the rest of the movie. The stormy weather and other elements of nature following the two traveling lovers, Madeleine (Adèle Haenel) and Arnaud (Kévin Azaïs), add a sense of complexity and a little je ne sais quoi to the movie. The unusual beauty of this film comes from the setting of the deeply-forested French Gironde region. Arnaud, completely smitten for Madeleine, chases after her.

Director Thomas Cailley spoke to The Concordian about his first full-length movie.

The Concordian (C): In a few words, how do you sum up the story of Love at first fight (Les Combattants)?

Thomas Cailley (TC): It is a love and survival story with a girl waiting for the end of the world and a boy who will offer her the beginning of a world.

C: How did you choose this duo?

TC: I like the duo figure and I immediately wanted antagonistic characters. Antagonistic characters are often very complementary. They have two different life supports.

Arnaud struggles for the conservation of his world while Madeleine is a war person, waiting for a fight that does not arrive. While he toughens up, she opens herself to the world; the story is a journey to [each] other. What I like about having antagonistic characters is that it creates conflicting viewpoints; he looks at her, tries to understand her. Eventually they contaminate each other. I do not think the two characters cure each others from this contamination. Arnaud speaks like her at the end and Madeleine becomes aware of the necessity to have a partner.

C: How did you choose Madeleine’s character? She is a bit atypical of the image of women in cinema.

TC: The problem comes from the representation of the woman in cinema, moreover

in romantic comedies. I am not interested in representing something I do not see in real life. I know a lot of girls like Madeleine.

I find her quite realistic and contemporary.

And more as an observation, I took my inspiration from Bear Grylls, creator of the U.K. television series Man vs. Wild, to create Madeleine. He puts survival as a top condition of life. Surviving is not living less, but living more intensely.

C: What about the choice of the military background? Is it not in contradiction with the way of living intensely?

TC: Yes, it does not work for her. She goes to the army to find concrete things for her but the army just offers values. This confrontation becomes funny. She is in a such selfish approach, the army could not be hard enough in relation to her self-discipline.

C: The link between natural elements and character development is quite strong. How did you build on this? Is nature a character in itself?

TC: I do not see nature as a character but as an extension of the characters. Roughly, there are three parts in the movie; first, there is Arnaud’s world being an area quite flat in

Aquitaine. There is no horizon, there is always something to cut and hide it wherever you place yourself. It’s precisely Arnaud’s problem, who can not project himself in the future, thus his absence of “horizon.” Then comes the disrupted world of the army with mountains and assault courses, something with a bit more texture. Finally, with these two worlds resulting in failure for the two characters, they decide to create their own.

At first the characters realize that if the world surrounding them does not pleased them, they can create their own with the power of imagination. Then, the further they go into this fictive idea, catastrophes starts to to happen. Those events happen because of Madelaine; you try to help her, you get a storm; you take the train with her, you see fiery tornadoes through the windows; if you go into the forest with her, the forest burns. I like this idea of confusion between the characters and the environment around them.

Love at the first fight (Les Combattants) will premiere in theatres from November 14.

This Q&A has been condensed and reordered for readability. The interview was translated from French.

Tuesday, november 11, 2014

//

11

Event // arts

So you think you’ve ‘zine’ it all?

Biggest small press fair Expozine preparing to take a hold of Montreal this upcoming weekend Chris Aitkens Contributor

T

here’s a moment every year when I get overly excited. No, it’s not Christmas, not my birthday either: it is for Expozine, happening on Nov. 15 and 16.

Expozine is a small press fair co-founded

by Louis Rastelli in 2002, and it has grown to become the largest event of its kind in North America. It will be taking place in the basement of Église Saint-Enfant-Jésus where over 250 artists and publishers from all over the world will gather to sell their books and art.

Rastelli has been writing for zines and local newspapers since the mid ‘80s. “I was a teenager and I started submitting concert reviews, band interviews and record reviews. I also started publishing my own zines and little books in the ‘90s,” Rastelli said. “I knew the Montreal scene very well and I had six or seven colleagues, also longtime underground self-publishers, who felt the need for something to promote their work. We already had a good list of contacts and people to invite to take part when we first started this project.”

The reason Expozine has become so big is mostly due to its bilingualism, which attracts people from all over Quebec as well

as publishers from France, Belgium and the United States. “We have to turn away so many people because we don’t even have room for them. Everybody wants a table at Expozine; it’s getting tougher to sell stuff at bookstores, so events like this are really important for sales,” said Rastelli. “A lot of publishers rely more and more on book fairs to be able to sell enough books.”

At least 100 out of the 250 participants are new to Expozine. “We have a crew from France coming in for the first time; they’re called Cagibi, really insane silkscreen and printed art,” Rastelli described. “Another new exhibitor is the Goethe Institute, who are cultural ambassadors from Germany.”

The Expozine sister project, Distroboto, will be present as well. For those of you who haven’t heard, Distroboto takes old-fashioned cigarette vending machines and fills them with small art and zines that sell for two dollars. Another thing to look for this year is Rick Trembles’ work. Trembles is best known for his Motion Pic-

ture Purgatory comic reviews in the recently deceased Montreal Mirror, and is teaming up with his 87-year-old father, a long-time

illustrator and comic artist. They will be launching their brand new zines together at the cultural event.

Expozine will also be having a number of round table discussions, one of which will be hosted by a former member of Arcade Fire, Howard Bilerman, and will concentrate on the explosion of the Montreal indie scene in the past years. It will take place Saturday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. and admission is free. Archive Montréal, co-founded by Rastelli, will also be hosting a roundtable discussion exploring the small independent press of the ‘60s and ‘70s, which will be presented on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 3 p.m.

“Expozine looks for art that is pushing the envelope, or that is more innovative or different,” Rastelli explained. “For me, it’s like Christmas; if I don’t have enough time to go around and buy something from every table, I’ll be very disappointed.”

Expozine will be held on Nov. 15 and 16 in the basement of Église Saint-Enfant-Jésus situated at 5035 St-Dominique. For more information, visit expozine.ca.

Cinema Politica // arts

Legal injustices in our own backyard The Secret Trial 5 takes a look at Canada’s unethical security-related legal practices Lydia Anderson Contributor

The majority of you reading these words are probably not going to end up spending multiple years in jail. If you were to, the chances are that you would know what you were being charged with, and hopefully have a fair trial.

When compared to other parts of the world, Canada is generally considered to be a country that has a strong, fair justice system.

However, the individuals in The Secret Trial 5—next week’s Cinema Politica screening— didn’t receive this expected treatment.

The movie examines the cases of five men who were imprisoned in the name of a “security certificate.” This is a section of Canadian law that is applicable only to non-residents, and as refugee immigrants these five men were subject to it. This certificate allows for individuals to be held in indefinite detention because of so-called secret evidence that is not revealed to them or their counsel.

They are asked to legally defend themselves without any knowledge of what they are

charged with. The film follows the stories of these five men and their experiences in prison, under house arrest, and within the judicial system of Canada. The Secret Trial 5 does not make a case for the innocence of these individuals, but instead calls for inspection of the unethical judicial conduct in their situations.

Evidence was gathered in secret against these individuals; they were tried in secret, and the arrests occurred unexpectedly. Their families and friends were transformed into full-time activists overnight, helplessly fighting for justice for years. Throughout this

The Secret Trial 5 tells the story of five men arrested by Canadian authorities without actually knowing why.

struggle, the men didn’t ask for all charges to be dropped—rather, they asked for a fair trial. Fair, in the sense that they would be given more information than the notion that they could possibly present a threat to national security in one way or another.

In the end, these men were never actually proven or even charged as guilty. Even if no longer behind bars, these men’s names are still permanently tainted, and the cloud of suspicion around them will never fully dissipate.

Documentaries are powerful cinematic tools that have the ability to edit materials to favour one side of an argument or frame a situation in an empathy-inducing manner.

Although, to a degree, this film enacts these strategies to make its case, its appeal is more analytical. It looks at the facts of the cases in terms of fairness and human rights. This documentary allows for the understanding of an ongoing situation in which a difference can still be made. None of these men have officially been charged with a crime and some are still under house arrest to this day.

Even if the film doesn’t inspire you to militate for their cause, it starts a possible reflection on our judicial system, ethical laws, and our preconceived notions about criminal justice. Law is a powerful tool for preventing harm and criminal activity not only in Canada, but also in every country considered to be fair to its populace. However, it is essential to inform oneself and understand how judicial practices can become misguided, unconstitutional or unethical.

The Secret Trial 5 will be screened by Cinema Politica on Nov. 14. For more information, visit cinemapolitica.org/Concordia.

12

//

Tuesday, november 11, 2014

exhibit // Arts

Tripping the light fantastic

Montreal photo artist illuminates the art world with psychedelic manipulations of light steVe zyLBerGoLd Contributor

S

ince the late ‘90s, Montreal photographer Kiran Ambwani has been producing some critically-acclaimed, award-winning images of people from various unique, ancient cultures all over the world. Her photos and exhibits have raised awareness about important social issues like women’s fight for equal rights, the everyday hardships of oppressed ethnic minorities, deplorable living conditions in poor developing nations, and the difficulties of preserving cultural traditions in the face of globalization.

Her work has been praised for its success in visually expressing the complex emotional realities of these situations in a way that simply cannot be communicated with words.

Ambwani’s newest photo exhibit, Lumière Infinie / Infinite Light—which is on display at the Monument National until Nov. 23—is a radical departure from the style for which she has become known.

Moving away from socio-culturally motivated photography, she decided to jump head-first into the realm of abstract art, and explore one of the most fundamental and universal elements of life: light.

By embracing and experimenting with digital photo technology, she has created an unconventional series of abstract images featuring wild, psychedelic ren-

derings of light.

Bursting with energy, her pictures offer intense yet playful visuals that go from explosive patterns to unpredictable twisting and turning beams of colour that look like road maps for UFOs, often within a single photo.

“What really excited me about this project is that it was totally based on improvisation, chance and a little bit of intuition,” Ambwani said. “There was no photoshopping, or postediting. It’s just phoTographer kiran ambwani ofTen creaTed The picTureS wiTh a biT of improviSaTion, inTuiTion and chance. me playing with the camera while aiming at oscillating light beams. I’d fo- of spontaneous magic. Some of the real real time exhibit where projections of my cus, take the shot, but, as I was shooting, time manipulated images that Ambwani images accompany the music of EDM I’d shake the camera, or randomly turn captured look like overlapping luminous DJs,” Ambwani said. In fact, Erik Amyot, on an effect at the spur of the moment. tadpoles heading in divergent directions, organizer of the EDM Eclipse Festival, Basically just doing whatever felt right while others look like explosive shoot- used her photo “Phosphorescence” for ing stars. Much like some of the beauti- both the cover and title of Ilai Salvato’s and seeing what happened.”

Just like any kind of improvisatory art, ful music improvised onstage by artists new EP, on Amyot’s Tech Safari label.

It doesn’t look like Ambwani will be a lot of what came about were moments like John Coltrane or Jimi Hendrix, spiritual beings who abandoning her trademark socio-culturalthought, worked, ly relevant photo work in favour of creatand expressed on ing images for acid-heads to drool over higher planes of anytime soon, though. She is even doing c o n s c i o u s n e s s , a project called Objets chéris, in which what was pro- cancer patients pose with specific objects duced invites and that have personal meaning and have allows spectators helped them in their struggle.

“Portraiture is really rewarding, I learn to lose themselves in the moment. a lot, and I do feel it is important to raise Looking at Am- awareness. The emotion that you can bwani’s photo- capture in a photograph of a person’s face graphic render- can often tell a whole story which can reings of light often ally have a profound effect on viewers lures viewers into and hopefully inspire greater compassion a meditative, hyp- and thoughtfulness.” Ambwani said. “I notic, trance-like will definitely do more of those projects in the future. But, right now I am really state of mind.

The combina- enjoying what I’m doing, so for now I’ll tion of psychedel- go with the flow and see what happens.” ic music and Ambwani’s photos Kiran Ambwani’s Lumière Infinie / could very likely Infinite Light exhibit is on display at take the human Monument National (1182 St-Laurent mind places it’s Blvd.) until Nov. 23. For more informaphoToS by kiran ambwani. never been. “I’d tion on Ambwani’s work, visit kiranalove to do a live mbwani.com.

514-487-4400 7363, 7363, rue rue Sherbrooke Sherbrooke Ouest, Ouest, NDG NDG Montréal Montréal (Québec) (Québec) H4B H4B 1S1 1S1

Tuesday, november 11, 2014

//

13

Opera // arts

Figaro, Figaro, Figaro comes to Montreal

Opéra de Montreal presents Oriol Tomas’ version of the emblematic The Barber of Seville Cristiana Iulia Contributor

Are you thinking about finally shaving your hipster beard? Opera de Montreal may have the perfect barber for you.

Opéra de Montréal and Oriol Tomas’ version of The Barber of Seville, one of the most famous creations of comedy in music, was premiered to Montrealers on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Place des Arts.

The 19th century Italian composer Gioachino Rossini is known to be a self-taught prodigy who began to compose at a very young age. When he was just 23 years old, he went on to create one of the most emblematic opere buffe or commedie in musica in just 13 days: The Barber of Seville, an opera that remains an indisputable and universally admired masterpiece, a pillar of his repertoire.

Even though almost 200 years have passed since this flamboyant creation was first performed in Rome’s Teatro Argentina on Feb. 20, 1816, it still falls into the typical realism style, so that the plot is perceived by the modern public as actual and not as anachronistic, like one might think at first.

The Barber of Seville tells the story of a love triangle in 17th century Spain, focusing on the fierce attempt of the lover Count Almaviva, faithfully portrayed by Romanian tenor Bogdan Mihai, to marry the beautiful Rosina, exceptionally sung by Spanish mezzo-soprano Carol Garcia. However, their love cannot easily achieve fulfillment

because her guardian, Dr. Bartolo, sung by the full voice of Italian bass Carlo Lepore, opposes it, pushed by his desire to accelerate his own marriage with her. A character who acts like the guardian angel of the two lovers is Figaro, the famous eponymous barber, who uses his qualities as a clever merchant to save them.

To speak of the devil, Figaro unexpectedly made his entrance from the middle of the audience, giving insight into Tomas’ intention to bring the audience as close as possible to his creation not only metaphorically, but in a physical way as well.

Arriving on the stage, the Canadian bari-

tone Étienne Dupuis debuted with the well-known “Largo al factotum,” one of the most difficult baritone arias to perform due to the demanding rhythm and the allegro vivace tempo, in addition to the need of a high vocal range, thus setting the tone of the show.

As far as the acting capabilities of the performers are concerned, it was clear that Tomas’ version fell right into the last two decades’ trends of modern opera. The singers were more and more physically solicited, constantly moving along the stage. In the past, emphasis was placed only on the vocal performance of the singers, which

Montreal’s presentation of Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville will run until Nov. 17.

confined them to limited movements.

Quebec’s artistic capabilities impressed again with an appropriate use of technology to reproduce the setting of the story.

The décor was beautifully created with the help of today’s visual technology. It was composed of a typical Spanish house that covered the whole stage, and that could be seen only from the exterior at the beginning of the show.

The setting stayed fixed, but as the audience was further immersed in the story, the house opened, revealing its interior and ultimately the intimate life of the characters. Other interesting aspects of the décor brought more depth to the story, like the cages specifically displayed to portray the helpless situation of Rosina in her oppression.

The audience seemed to be delighted by the show on the premiere and showed their appreciation with applause after each scene. I was also personally witness to a continuously laughing lady that made me feel, from time to time, like she was watching a comedy at the cinema. This also made me ask myself if the story, the funny moments, and the eye-catching lights took precedence over the artists’ performance and the stage director’s talent.

The show concluded in a positive note, crowned by a flurry of balloons, thus ending Tomas’ exuberant and colourful version of The Barber of Seville.

Opéra de Montréal’s The Barber of Seville runs until Nov. 17, at the Place des Arts’ Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier.

Theatre // arts

Family ties explored in fun quirky production Social Studies tells the story of one somewhat unconventional family Julia Bryant Contributor

of Sarah doing a class presentation about Sudanese lost boys.

Deng, who at first brings perspective and light into the family’s world, soon begins to cause some confusion and uneasiness. The entire show offers a comfortable, homey feel, but there is always an underlying layer of mystery.

Jane Wheeler, who has appeared in many past Centaur productions, portrayed the character of Val, the mother of the two girls. Val is a holistic, spiritually-driven

It’s hard to believe that Social Studies, a new comedy playing at the Centaur Theatre, is the first play that Tricia Cooper has written. The University of Winnipeg graduate has worked mainly as an actor and a sketch comedy writer in Winnipeg and Toronto. Social Studies is her first full-length play, and she has managed to craft a beautiful, believable piece about Canadian life.

Directed by Paul Van Dyck, Social Studies is about a somewhat unconventional family that has taken in a lost boy from Sudan.

The play begins when 27-year old Jackie arrives at her mother’s house just after leaving her cheating husband. She is ready to curl up in the safety of her childhood home when she discovers that her mother, Val, has opened it to a Sudanese boy named Deng, who is now living in Jackie’s bedroom.

Jackie is left to sleep on the couch and wallow in her own self-pity while her teenaged sister, Sarah, is keen to have Deng visit. The play Tricia Cooper’s is strung together with snapshots

woman who is all about good feelings and deep breathing. Wheeler played the part with an enormous amount of energy while still keeping the character grounded. The exchanges between Val and her daughters seemed completely genuine and true to those of a real family.

Emily Tognet, fresh out of Concordia’s theatre program, played the part of Sarah.

Tognet’s portrayal of a Canadian teenager was superb, particularly through her physicality on stage. She brought excellent en-

play takes an original look at familial relationships.

ergy to the show and delivered some great comedic lines.

Montreal native Eleanor Noble played the role of Jackie. This character is a tricky one because Jackie is always looking for attention. She is onstage for much of the show and must constantly be at a high level of energy. Noble did a great job with the role, but there was a slight disconnect between the actor and the character, perhaps because of the dialogue she had to work with. In most of her scenes she gives out many negative thoughts and few positive ones.

Jaa Smith-Johnson, a theatre graduate from Dawson College, portrayed Deng. Somewhere between his big smile and his not yet perfect grasp of English, he got the audience on his side from the start. Smith-Johnson did some good work with the part and played it quite convincingly. At times, he was a bit tense physically, but this worked well to depict his uncertainty in the new home he’d become a part of.

Filled with vibrant characters, a gorgeous set, and masterful technical work, Social Studies ended up being a magnificent piece of theatre.

Photo by Andrée Lanthier.

Social Studies is playing at Centaur Theatre until Nov. 30.

For more information, visit centaurtheatre.com/socialstudies.php.

14

// Tuesday, november 11, 2014

music write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com

Profile // MusiC

Ryan Hemsworth revisited: one year later this up and coming Canadian artist has continued to grow in his moments alone on the road Jordie yeAGer Contributor

I

t’s been just over a year since Ryan Hemsworth was last featured in The Concordian, but in those 13 months, he’s grown to astonishing new heights.

Last October, I compared Hemsworth to a tree. Rooted in a childhood of guitar playing and lyric writing, his branches are ever-expanding; he’s toured across the globe, started a label, and released his second studio album. But with the release of Alone for the First Time, his focus is less on stretching towards the sky and more on strengthening his roots.

While many of his best-known songs are upbeat, Hemsworth used this album as an outlet for introspection; it’s a window into himself, an audible documentation of what it’s like to get to know yourself in the endless stretches of hotel rooms, plane rides and alone time between hourlong sets.

“I made this album in the past, like, six to eight months on the road, in between shows and at hotels and airports and stuff,” he said. “I produced it all on my laptop. But I got a lot of friends to help with it, so it’s a lot more collaborative than the last few projects I’ve put out.”

There’s no better place to start the process of self-discovery than childhood, and since he’s been making music since before the days of laptop production, this album incorporates those first roots of musical interest—playing the guitar.

“In ‘Blemishes,’ all that guitar part is me, and a few other tracks have guitar parts throughout them as well,” he said.

“But ‘Blemishes’ is the one that I wanted to go all out and play a lot of weird, different stuff on it. If you hear any guitar, that’s me, rockin’ out.”

But one thing we won’t hear anytime soon is Hemsworth’s own voice in his music.

“All the features on this album are basically vocal features,” he said. “But I did little, like, bits of singing in the background, and then I would mess with it until it didn’t sound like my voice anymore. Since the guitar doesn’t come from my vocal chords, it’s a little less personal, I guess. I also made sampler keyboard sounds out of acapellas that my friends made, each singing one note, and then turned those into notes on the keyboard.

That’s how I made the intro to ‘Snow in Newark’ and the outro to ‘Walk Me Home.’”

Alone for the First Time is an exploration. It’s hard to create an accurate image of the feelings it incites; you can simultaneously feel the rush of performing and the loneliness of life on the road. There’s something about impermanence—the

view out of your bedroom window is never the same, and the scenery flashing by your car windows eventually becomes a kaleidoscope, indistinguishable from one place to the next.

“It’s hard trying to lead somewhat of a normal life when my friends are in one place and I’m not there,” said Hemsworth. “It’s a balance of mostly good and maybe slightly bad, because you’re just becoming a nomad and you don’t have a home. But in a way, you start to get used to it.”

For someone who’s a self-proclaimed introvert, travelling alone doesn’t have to be scary—it can be an opportunity for growth instead.

“It probably would either break you down or make you a bit more of an open person,” he said. “It’s definitely opened me up a little bit. Before touring and travelling, I was definitely a lot more shy than I am now, even though I’m still probably fairly shy.

But it’s awesome to be able to start having little groups of friends in different cities. Regardless of not seeing certain people for a while, I’ll always have some friends around, which is cool.”

But as Alone for the First Time hints, a life of constant motion can be a lonely one. Surprisingly, the most crowded places—festivals and clubs, for example—can be the loneliest.

“It’s kind of weird,” Hemsworth laughed. “It helps a lot to be with a crew, because sometimes I’ve shown up at festivals just totally by myself.

It’s definitely good to have some friends, and also to get a little drunk beforehand. Sitting backstage by myself is really not an ideal way to pump myself up to play in front of thousands of people, but it happens more often than people realize! But at least backstage we have chicken wings.”

To counteract that loneliness, Hemsworth has planted a forest to grow alongside him with the creation of a project called Secret Songs.

“It’s becoming a ‘label thing,’ but I started it as basically a way to put out my friends’ music who don’t have a lot of listens on Soundcloud or whatever,” he said.

“That’s what everyone cares about nowadays, for some reason. I just wanted to use whatever popularity I had to get people into stuff that I think is probably better than my music. And on the tour I’m doing that’s starting up now, I’ve got most of them opening shows across North America.

I’m trying to keep everything sort of like a family, I guess.”

Ryan Hemsworth plays at Le Belmont on Nov. 14.

ryan hemSworTh’S new album, ALONE

FOR THE

FIRST TIME, iS available now.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014 //

15

Opinion // music

You too had U2 in your iTunes library The value of music is put in question when U2 gave their album away for free Oneida Crawford Staff writer

iTunes had to publish an entire article dedicated to the steps describing how to remove U2’s new album, Songs of Innocence, from your iTunes library. You can sense something went terribly wrong.

The renowned Irish rockers released their 13th studio album, Songs of Innocence, to immense backlash. The album, which was available digitally on Apple platforms Sept. 9, is still sparking discussion surrounding the method of its distribution. Upon its release, the album was exclusively available to all iTunes customers, and was directly downloaded to their music libraries as a “gift” from the company and the band.

Today, digital downloads are seemingly the preferred method of consuming music. iTunes, as a digital music platform, dominates the digital music industry. It seems only logical that a band such as U2, who have had connections with Apple and iTunes in the past, would want to take full advantage of the benefits of an

exclusive digital release. However, writers and musicians alike have brought up problems with this method.

Patrick Carney of The Black Keys (in an interview with The Seattle Times) and Nick Mason of Pink Floyd (in an interview with Rolling Stone) agreed that by releasing their music for free, it was sending a message to other bands and the public that the album somehow has no value.

This is very problematic, as musicians should be supporting each other and helping to remind the public that their work is valuable. Their music is their career. Their music is their livelihood.

Bono, the lead singer of U2, revealed in a Facebook interview a few reasons for why the band chose to “generously” give back. He bizarrely suggested that the iTunes release was partially out of “deep fear that these songs that we poured our life into over the last few years might not be heard.” This sounds utterly appalling coming from a band who have sold over 150 million records and who have won more Grammy awards than any other band in history.

To think they could justify forcing their album on consumers out of fear it

wouldn’t be heard is completely outrageous. Generous intentions aside, not every band can have the luxury of giving away their music for free. It would seem likely that every musician or artist in the world lives in fear that his or her hard work won’t be seen or appreciated, but then again, that is life.

If something is worth being listened to or watched or experienced, the public will

find it. They will do whatever they can to seek it out, whether that means waiting in a line up outside of a record store, or risking illegal downloading. Sure, Songs of Innocence was downloaded and listened to and enjoyed by millions of fans. Yet, it is unfortunate to think that these musicians arrived at a point where they had “poured [their] life” into their work, and still they weren’t even able to give it away.

Bono in Moscow, 2010. Photo by Anna Kovylina from Flickr.

Quick Spins // music

Quick Spins

Advance Base - Plastic Owen Band (Orindal Records; 2014)

The Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways (Roswell Records; 2014)

Les Sins - Michael (Company Records; 2014)

Röyksopp – The Inevitable End (Dog Triumph; 2014)

Drop your guitars and pick up your Omnichords!

Chicago’s Owen Ashworth of one-man band, Advance Base, (formerly known as Casiotone for the Painfully Alone) has released a collection of beautifully gloomy covers. Combined with covers of his own original work, Plastic Owen Band includes favourites from folk-rock and country singers like Neil Young and Kris Kristofferson. In keeping with Ashworth’s typical lo-fi sound, each track is infused with a sorrowful tone, evoked from the combination of his deep vocals and chilling ‘80s synthesizer sounds. The vintage cackle on track two, “To Beat the Devil (Kris Kristofferson Cover)” adds charm to Ashworth’s gentle take on a classic country song.

At times, the nostalgic sound from the electric piano, mellotron and autoharp samples is what one could imagine to be a sound that would emanate from the glow of lights on an old fashioned Christmas tree. While Plastic Owen Band showcases a few originals, it also provides insight into the songs that inspire his own unique sound.

Written and recorded in eight studios across America, Sonic Highways is an ambitious project that, from a production standpoint, is a clear contrast to their last album. The Foo Fighters’ award-winning 2011 Wasting Light was as stripped down as they come, having been recorded in frontman Dave Grohl’s garage. The group hoped to be inspired by the different locals while producing Sonic Highways. While the concept was good in theory, anyone expecting to hear a massive influence on the group’s sound will be disappointed. The Foo’s sound is pretty similar throughout the album, and a massive departure from Wasting Light should not be expected. There are worse things in this world than sounding relatively similar to a multiple Grammy award-winning album, but most of the songs are simply not as memorable as the previous releases. The Foo Fighters are still one of the strongest rock bands still making music, but this album fell a bit short of the mark.

Better known by his moniker Toro Y Moi, Chaz Bundick has stepped away from his signature chillwave sound for his new side project, Les Sins. Drawing clear influence from ‘90s French house producers like Daft Punk and Mr. Oizo, as well as the left-field house style of Four Tet and Motor City Drum Ensemble, Michael is both danceable yet introspective. Bundick describes the album as the “perfect music for the neon-lit, fast paced Ginza district in Tokyo,” according to PopMatters, further stating that he was particularly inspired by cartoons and movie soundtracks.

Though Michael lacks cohesion and suffers from some awkward compositional decisions, the simple arrangements, pulsing synths and chopped vocal samples that feature prominently throughout the album, showcase Bundick’s unique vision as a producer and ability to borrow from multiple genres effortlessly.

Norwegian synthpop veterans Röyksopp bring their A-game with their latest release. A variety of sounds meld into this album: they’ll go from chill-out tracks such as “You Know I Have to Go”, or will throw in a more house/deep-trance sound in “I Had This Thing.” They leave you baffled at the combination of music and lyrics in “Rong,” where they shamelessly curse to mellow music.

The album does explore some darker topics such as heartbreak and sadness. Singer Robyn described the album best on MotherJones: “It’s sad, but it’s not cold. It’s very warm.”

The Inevitable End will be the last LP that the duo will be producing, although they say that they will not stop making music and working in the industry. Overall, the album can be great when doing homework as background noise, or when you find yourself in the mood to just relax at home on a rainy evening.

Trial Track: “Philadelphia (Neil Young Cover)”

Trial Track: “Congregation”

Trial Track: “Why (feat. Nate Salman)”

Trial Track: “Save Me”

8/10

-Oneida Crawford

7/10

- Justinas Staskevicius

7/10

-Paul Traunero

8/10

-Andrej Ivanov

sports 16

Tuesday, november 11, 2014

write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com event // sPorts

JMSM scores with an all-star line up the19th annual John Molson sports Marketing conference was an incredible success

Elliotte Friedman and Ned Colletti chat.

TSN reporter John Lu and Don Meehan began the event

and the Montreal Canadiens.

On Saturday, Nov. 8, All The Way came to an end with the keynote speaker, Mitch Garber. Garber is a Canadian businessman and CEO of Caesar’s Acquisition Company and Caesar’s Interactive Entertainment (CIE). From Montreal, Garber shared his successes and failures as a businessman. Stressing that being persistent, and remaining focused on your goals, will pay off in the end.

As the delegates and JMSM organizers celebrated with an open bar at the end of the night, it was clear that their hard work had paid off.

“The conference was a huge success.

The entire committee is so proud of how everything went. It took months and months of preparation. Since May, we’ve been working on securing hotels, venues, speakers and inviting schools all across North America,” said Kristyna Spooner, the delegate director for the JMSM team.

“It took a lot of dedication from the entire team, especially throughout the weekend.

But everything ran smoothly and we are very proud of how the conference turned out.”

Mitch Garber and Alessandro Mina talk one-on-one

T

his past weekend marked another great yearly event that was hosted

by Concordia’s John Molson Sports Marketing (JMSM) team. The student-organized conference, which is carried out every November, brought well-known personalities and executives from the world of sports together for a three-day conference.

Attracting students from across Canada and the United States, this year’s conference was entitled All The Way. From Nov. 6 to 8, the JMSM team recruited 24 different speakers, which included general managers from the NHL and MLB, renowned sports journalists and professionals on marketing and analytics to come and talk to the delegates.

“It’s great, I feel that we really achieved our goal in giving the delegates an opportunity to hear from some of the best in the business,” said Daniel Kozel, a JMSM team member and executive. “It’s also exciting because these people showed a

manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The three spent the time talking about analytics, stats and their growing importance in the world of sports. By early afternoon, Rogers-Sportsnet journalist Elliotte Friedman hosted a sit-down with Colletti. Colletti dived into his journey as a manager and his life in the big leagues.

The last group of the day catered to the business side of professional franchises.

The list of speakers included Kerry Bubolz, the president of business operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and David Snyder, the vice president of Corporate Partnerships for the Milwaukee Bucks. Hosted

by Abe Hefter, who works for TSN radio and is a journalism professor at Concordia, they discussed the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running a franchise.

The final day of the conference, Saturday, Nov. 8, heavily appealed to the marketing side of students. Throughout the day, three separate panels discussed the intricacies of executive and marketing duties. There were 11 speakers during the day, some of whom represented professional franchises like the Columbus Blue Jackets, Boston Celtics, Tampa Bay Rays

TSN insider Darren Dreger hosts Bergevin and Brisebois

eLiAs LArAdi staff writer

lot of interest in wanting to speak at our event this year.”

On Thursday, Nov. 6, Newport Sports Marketing founder Don Meehan took to the stage and kicked-off the event. Meehan explained how his education from McGill’s law program would later lead to a career as a professional agent. TSN reporter John Lu moderated the evening’s discussions.

The second day of the conference, Friday, Nov. 7, was the JMSM’s team’s most impressive feat. Held at Concordia’s D.B. Clarke Theatre in the Hall building, the first panel of the day was hosted by Darren Dreger, a hockey insider for TSN. Joining him was Marc Bergevin, general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, and Julien Brisebois, the assistant general manager for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The two managers shared what they have learnt and the lessons they’ve taken away from their jobs as professional decisionmakers.

Travis Yost, from TSN’s analytics department, hosted a panel between Bloomberg sports journalist Alex Burwasser, and Ned Colletti, the former general

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

17

Event // sports

A message that is worth listening to The importance of hard work, passion and ambition defined this year’s conference each other since they were 14 years old, and were side-by-side until the day Colletti’s father died of cancer.

By now, the room was hanging onto Colletti’s every word.

Throughout his career, and evident in his genuine manner on stage, it was never in Colletti’s make up to be flashy.

He relied on hard work and hoped somebody would eventually notice him.

“I’m not the smartest guy in any room I’ve ever been in,” said Colletti.

As the conference dwindled down to a close on Saturday at the Centre Mont-Royal, the keynote speaker, Mitch Garber, wrapped up the event in fitting fashion. Garber, a Canadian businessman who is currently the CEO of Caesar’s Acquisition Company and Caesar’s Interactive Entertainment, spoke of his path to success and all the speed bumps along the way.

“My road has many more spectacular crashes than successes,” said Garber.

Coming from a man who is valued at $200 million by Celebrity Networth, he spoke of the importance of persistence.

Garber shared a story about one of these crashes and how in 1997, he had an opportunity to get involved with Hotmail. At the time, the idea of electronic mail seemed foreign and Garber needed time to think about it. Little did he know, a week later Microsoft bought Hotmail for 500 million dollars. Garber had missed his chance.

As the room groaned, Garber smiled and reminded delegates to just keep going.

Because if you’re going to go, go all the way.

JMSM President Steve Lyberopoulos concluded the day

The idea of never having to work a day in your life can become a reality if you follow your passion. Brisebois admitted that he can’t wait to get to the office every morning.

Even in the midst of defeat, Bergevin told the crowd that there are opportunities to learn and to improve. With every Canadiens loss, Bergevin takes a moment to find out how his team can improve, rather than looking for people to blame.

“Winners find solutions, losers look for excuses,” said Bergevin.

While the Canadiens’ main-man may have been the big-ticket item on the bill, former Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti was one of the more inspirational speakers at this year’s conference. As a part of two panels on Friday, his second appearance was a one-on-one with Rogers-Sportsnet reporter Elliotte Friedman.

Comfortably sunk back in his chair with a voice that could have reached the back row even without a microphone, Colletti answered questions about his past and the values that he was brought up with.

“A blue-collar kid in a white-collar job,” explained Colletti.

Colletti, who was the Dodgers’ general manager from 2006-14, grew up with very little in Chicago, but credits his father for teaching him the importance of a strong work ethic. Colletti told a few stories about his father and portrayed him as a simple man. His father had seven other siblings and the only thing he knew for sure was how to work hard.

Coletti’s mother and father had known

Bergervin and Brisebois were the headliners at the event

The JMSM team celebrates a successful conference

I

n the closing ceremonies of this year’s John Molson Sports Marketing (JMSM) conference, president of the JMSM team Steve Lyberopoulos didn’t prepare a speech. He couldn’t fathom an appropriate statement that described how much hard work and commitment his team dedicated to the project. Without even realizing it, this was the perfect way to summarize the extraordinary three-day event.

Like any annual gala or event, the notion of ‘bigger and better’ is always promised, but rarely executed. While some big-name guests helped the cause, the reason that this year’s JMSM conference was special to the delegates in attendance was because of the underlying theme that stayed constant from the opening ceremony to the keynote speaker.

Appropriately entitled All The Way, the conference was about pursuing your passion to the best of your abilities, to go all the way. With a little bit of luck, a lot of hard work and unbeatable ambition, no dream is too far out of reach. And for the hundreds of wide-eyed students that attended the discussions, the message was exactly what they wanted to hear.

Don Meehan, a professional agent and the man behind Newport Sports Management (NSM), preached the importance of education in his discussion with TSN reporter John Lu during Thursday’s opening event. Meehan un-

Ben Fendle addresses the audience on Nov. 8.

Tim Lazier Sports editor

derstands how many students can’t wait to get past school and be onto the next step, but the time spent in a classroom is invaluable. Even after formal education, the learning doesn’t stop. With an intimidating presence yet soft-spoken manner, Meehan told delegates to embrace the learning curve.

Beginning the season, NSM represented 129 NHL players. Although it has been 34 years since Meehan began NSM, he can remember when he was just starting out. Meehan explained how he just had to keep his head down and keep working, something many students can attest to.

Lu first spoke at JMSM four years ago as the keynote speaker and has returned every year since. Like Meehan, he hopes his experience can help students in any way possible.

“I know what challenges there are in trying to launch a career, and when working towards a purpose,” said Lu. “There are all sorts of challenges attached to it, so I always appreciate the opportunity to impart my experience and lessons I’ve learned.”

On Friday, the conference was moved to Concordia’s 387-seat D.B. Clarke Theatre, and with good reason. Delegates filed into their seats by 11 a.m. to see the main attraction. Habs general manager Marc Bergevin sat down with TSN’s Darren Dreger and Tampa Bay Lightning’s assistant general manager Julien Brisebois to discuss the responsibilities of being in charge.

While talking about their daily duties, Bergevin and Brisebois brought up the importance of ambition and passion.

Photos by MANNY.

18

//

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Women’s basketball // sports

Comeback falls short versus Laval Women’s basketball team lose 72-65 in home opener Casey Dulson Staff writer

T

he Concordia Stingers played the Université de Laval Rouge et Or in their regular season home opener on Thursday, Nov. 6.

The Stingers entered the match on a fourgame winning streak to end their preseason. However, this momentum wasn’t enough; the Stingers lost 72-65 despite Stingers’ three-time All-Canadian guard, Kaylah Barrett, getting 20 points and 13 rebounds.

The Laval Rouge et Or started the first quarter with scoring the first three points of the game on free throws by forward Jane Gagne. The Stingers would only score their first points of the first quarter at the five-minute mark on a basket by Barrett.

The Stingers would take an early 11-9 lead into the second quarter due to the three point shooting of forward Marilyse Roy-Viau, who hit two three-pointers in the quarter.

In the second quarter, the Rouge et Or took over the game. They opened the scoring and tied the game with a twopointer by forward Geneviève Derome.

The Stingers would respond and take the

lead with a three-pointer by Barrett. However, the Rouge et Or then went on a run, scoring 20 unanswered points including two three-pointers by forward Justine Guay-Bilodeau and forward Raphaëlle Côté. The Stingers would end the quarter being down ten points, losing 31-21.

The Stingers would open the scoring to start the second half with a basket

by Roy-Viau. Laval started to pour it on and got another three-pointer by forward Catherine Belanger to increase their lead to 17 points. Viau would score 10 points in the third quarter and help the Stingers stay competitive, but her team was still down 15 points entering the final frame.

The Stingers made it a game in the last quarter starting with the dominant play of Barrett. Concordia’s guard got the first six points of the quarter. The Stingers, with just under 90 seconds left in the game, had cut the Rouge et Or lead to four points. However, it was not meant to be as Laval’s guard Gabrielle Girard would clinch the game with a basket, ensuring Concordia’s loss.

In close games, it all comes down to the littlest mistakes, and Stingers head coach Keith Pruden recognized his team’s shortcomings.

“We need to execute a little better, we missed a lot of easy shots and free throws,” he said.

Pruden also discussed that the game was a physical one, and as the game got closer, the referees put away their whistles.

“Bodies were bouncing off the court,

it was like a hockey game,” he said.

Because of their strong preseason play,

in which they went 6-3, the Stingers were ranked tenth in the country.

Kaylah Barrett goes hard to the hoop against Laval. Photo by Brianna Thicke.

Men’s basketball // sports

Concordia completes thrilling comeback Stingers win home opener 80-70 against the Rouge et Or Casey Dulson Staff writer

T

he men’s squad hosted the Université de Laval Rouge et Or on Thursday, Nov. 6 in their regular season home opener. The Stingers entered the game after a shaky 6-6 preseason record.

However, the Stingers showed plenty of desire, scoring 43 points in the second half to win 80-70.

The first quarter was very high scoring, with 46 points scored by the two teams. The Rouge et Or won the tipoff to start the game and scored first on a threepointer by guard Karl Demers-Belanger.

The Stingers responded with three straight baskets to take an early lead, two of which were scored by Ken Beaulieu. The Rouge et Or would storm back and score 18 unanswered points to take the lead, ending the quarter with a score of 26-20.

The Stingers scored first in the second quarter on a three-pointer by first-year point guard Ricardo Monge. The Rouge et Or would continue to increase their lead as Demers-Belanger and then forward Thibaud Dezutter would hit back-to-back three-pointers. Seconds later, the Stingers would respond with another three-pointer

by Monge. The Stingers entered the locker room at half-time down 43-37.

Laval came out firing in the third quar-

Ken Beaulieu was one of the key conditbutors in Concordia’s win over the Rouge et Or. Photo by Brianna Thicke. ter, with center Boris Hadzimuratovic scoring the first points on a two-pointer.

A minute later, forward Antoine Beaumier would hit two free throws.

The Stingers finally got their first basket of the quarter with seven minutes left on a basket by fifth-year forward, Gabe Riche. At the end of the quarter, the Stingers went on a run and scored six straight points which included four free throws by forward Mike Fosu. Stingers were now down three points entering the last quarter.

The fourth quarter was a textbook demonstration of great shooting and de-

fending by the Stingers. Beaulieu started the quarter with a two pointer and then a free throw which tied the game at 62.

Concordia would break the tie on their next possession with guard Mukiya Post hitting two free throws.

The Rouge et Or would make things interesting with four minutes to go as they were only down by two. The Stingers then took control and responded with another six-point run. The defining moment of Concordia’s impressive second-half play was when Beaulieu stole the ball and ran down the court for a monstrous slam dunk that electrified the fans.

Stingers head coach John Dore was impressed with his team’s effort in the game.

“We executed well offensively and dominated defensively especially in the fourth quarter,” he said.

Dore also had great praise for Beaulieu and expects the rookie to be a big factor for the Stingers.

“He will be the most exciting player in our conference,” said Dore.

After the win, Monge added how good it felt to be in front of the home crowd.

“It is really exciting to win our first home game.”

Tuesday, november 11, 2014

19

Golf // sPorts

Men’s golf team heads to nationals representing Conu at the 2015 Cis national Championship in ontario ChristinA rowAn Production assistant

T

he Stingers golf season may have come to a close last month, but next season will tee off swiftly as the men’s team have qualified to compete in the 2015 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) National Championships for the first time ever.

After the Stingers men’s and women’s golf teams played their strongest season yet, coach Ben Painchaud says that qualifying for nationals this year is redemption for the team.

“Last year was difficult for the guys.

They finished fifth in the conference and missed qualifying for the National Championships by three shots,” he said. “They worked very hard [this whole year] and didn’t take anything for granted. On paper we were a good team, but I think the guys wanted to come out strong, play good consistent golf and ensure that spot for nationals.”

By competing in the championships this year the Concordia golf team will attain its first CIS national ranking, which Painchaud says is an important aspect given a program revival was implemented in 2013 after the men finished at the bottom of the Quebec conference.

At the end of the three Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) events and the provincial championship this season, two Stingers placed in the top five of over 80 players who participated: Paolo Addona finishing third overall in the conference and Jacob Peterson finishing fourth overall. The two players were also named part of this season’s all-star team, which includes the four best conference players.

Having tied with and beat the top ranked golf team, Université de Laval, multiple times during the season, the Stingers proved that Concordia is a powerhouse.

“Being able to compete and beat Université de Laval and Université de Montréal was very encouraging [this season].

The guys definitely know they belong

amongst the best players in the country,” said Painchaud.

This year’s CIS National Championship will take place in Guelph, at the Cutten Fields Golf Club in May 2015. In order to get a solid grasp on what to expect of the course, Painchaud and some of the team members travelled there and studied it closely.

“We have taken notes and measurements and we are beginning to formulate a game plan for that course. Google maps, pictures and the creation of a yardage book will be invaluable to team success,” said Painchaud. “We will be training in the Concordia Dome all winter.”

The week-long event at the end of May 2015 will include four rounds of competition as well as multiple practice rounds. Once the snow melts and the season springs forward in April, Painchaud will take his team on another trip to the course to further familiarize themselves with it and the city of Guelph.

“Personally, I will make sure that Concordia is the most prepared team at the event,” he said.

Sports in the News tiM LAzier sports editor

>> RETIRING NO. 5 On Nov. 8, Guy Lapointe’s No. 5 was lifted up to the rafters and retired by the Montreal Canadiens in a pregame ceremony before facing off against the Minnesota Wild.

Lapointe played for the Habs for over a decade, throughout the ‘70s and early ‘80s. In his time with the CH, he collected six Stanley Cup rings and was famously known for being one of “The Big Three.”

Serge Savard and Larry Robinson have already had their numbers retired by the Canadiens organization. To top off the evening, the Canadiens defeated the Wild by a score of 4-1 and improved their record to 10-4-1.

>> PLAYOFF PICTURE SET

On Saturday, Nov. 8, the Montreal Alouettes finished their regular season on the road versus the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

With a playoff spot already secured, the only thing left to decide was where the Als would finish in the overall standings.

Montreal’s six-game winning streak was snapped as the Tiger-Cats beat the Als 2915 and claimed first place in the Eastern conference.

Now, the Als will host the BC Lions on Sunday, Nov. 16, in the Eastern SemiFinal. The winner of that game will head to Hamilton in the Finals. On the Western frontier, the Saskatchewan Roughriders visit the Edmonton Eskimos and the winner of that game will head to Calgary to play the Stampeders in the Western Finals.

Illustration by Marie-Pier LaRose

>> THE FINAL FOUR

Upcoming Stingers games COME CHECK OUT THE CONCORDIA STINGERS IN ACTION ON HOME TURF !

Women’s Basketball

Women’s Hockey

Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6 PM VS Bishop’s

Saturday, Nov. 15, at 2 PM VS Ottawa

at Loyola

at Ed Meagher Arena

Men’s Basketball Thursday, Nov. 13, at 8 PM VS Bishop’s at Loyola

MORE INFO AT STINGERS.CA

FIGHT

With NCAA’s new college football playoff format this season, teams don’t have to be flawless to have a shot at the crown. With just five weeks left in the season, the four teams that will make it to the playoff are still undetermined.

On Saturday, No.1 ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs and No. 2 Florida State Seminoles both remained undefeated with 9-0 records. Meanwhile No. 4 Oregon Ducks improved their record to 9-1 with a win over Utah. However, No. 3 Auburn Tigers fell 41-38 to the unranked Texas A&M Aggies. Now with a record of 7-2, the Tigers are sure to fall out of playoff contention, which means a spot is up for grabs. Moving onto week 12, that final four spot will most likely go to either No. 5 Alabama or No. 6 TCU. Both teams won on Saturday and sit at 8-1.

20

//

Tuesday, november 11, 2014

opinions write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com editorial // oPinions

Get informed, make a difference Csu byelections are soon, and knowing what is at hand is crucial With so much happening around us, keeping up-to-date with current events, local or international, can sometimes feel like a chore. But sometimes, doing a little research can really matter.

In a few weeks, the Concordia Student Union (CSU) byelections will be taking place. Between Nov. 25 and 27, students will be able to vote for or against a total of 10 different referendum questions, some of which need a little bit of research in order to fully comprehend the issue at hand.

The CSU represents each and every undergraduate student on campus—over 35,000 of them. It is therefore important to know what exactly the union—and therefore the students as a whole—support.

This is where byelections come in.

Some of the questions being brought forward are quite controversial—like the support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, “which calls for the boycott of all academic and consumer ties with any institution or company that aids in Israel’s occupation of Palestine,” as stated in the CSU referendum question.

Students will also be voting on whether or not to take an official stance against government austerity measures, including asking whether the CSU should take an

official stance opposing the budget cuts to the education sector and the public sector in general.

There are also free levy groups looking for more funding, including the International and Ethnic Association Council of Concordia (IEAC) and Model United Nations Education and Leadership Centre (CONMUN). Students will also be voting on whether or not to continue supporting the creation of a daycare for student parents. For students who will be picking up the tab, it’s of vital importance that you look into these groups and their contribution to student life so that you can ensure your money is going to projects that positively contribute to student life— regardless of your personal involvement

in these groups.

Keep in mind that the CSU is accredited, meaning that they are legally the voice of all of Concordia’s undergraduate students. Don’t let any organization speak for you without giving your input.

Discover what is going on this byelection and prepare yourself to pick a side on these issues.

Bottom line; it’s your money and your voice, so get informed. If you don’t educate yourself on these issues and take the time to express your opinion at the ballot box, it’s nobody’s fault but your own.

Don’t complain if you don’t like how things turn out if you didn’t participate.

Do your research, pick your stance, and act on it.

Culture // oPinions

Lest we forget: terrorism does not define us for those that came before, and those who will follow: remember kArL usAkowski Contributor

R

ecently, Montreal-area schools have cancelled field trips to various cenotaphs on Remembrance Day following the murder of two Canadian soldiers in the month of October at the hands of radicalized individuals. The change put in place has been declared to be in the name of safety and caution.

They are sending the wrong message.

Remembrance Day is when we come together as a nation to pause and pay our respects to the countless brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, and anyone who answered the call to arms and defended the ideas of liberty and democracy that we so cherish.

It is a day during which we are reminded that we are part of a society which will not cower in the face of tyranny and oppression. More importantly, it bears witness to the fact that we, as Canadians, will not sit idly by as those around us are trampled and beaten.

How are we supposed to demonstrate this to future generations if we allow terrorism to paralyze us and have us hide in fear, on the one day a year we should stand ever so proudly? We should not let such people define how we go about, or cause us to question our daily safety. Our nation is equipped with a military and an internal

security apparatus which does a highly effective job at keeping our borders and the Canadian population safe. As we all know, these incidents are rare and should in no way reflect on the daily lives of citizens.

Every day that we walk out of our homes and function as a society, it is a victory in the face of terrorism and an act of defiance towards the fear it tries to instil.

The schools are failing to show just that, and maybe it’s time that citizens remind school boards what it is to be Canadian. Kids should be taught that we never surrender our civic culture to savage acts of terrorism and the individuals or groups who commit them.

If we show those students that we can be pushed around by this, how will they react when their generation is faced with violence? Might we inspire them to act out of fear or will we just be remembered as having folded when we needed to hold our heads up high? Who knows, but as Abraham Lincoln once said: “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of the government in the next”.

So on this Remembrance Day, buy a poppy and take a moment on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month to show that we are grateful for those who serve and have served. If you have the time, give your school boards a call and voice your opinion on their policy regarding this important day. It is vital to not sit idly by when today’s actions and reactions can have such an impact on our future. Most importantly, let us remind the world what it is to be the True North— strong and free.

Lest We Forget.

Graphic by Marie-Pier LaRose

Tuesday, november 11, 2014

//

21

Culture // opinions

Kahnawá:ke: a native perspective on the KKR

An interview with Concordia alumna, professor and Kahnawá:ke native, Orenda Boucher-Curotte Robin Stanford Staff writer

Last week the Western media showed how it still views itself as the disapproving parent admonishing the errant Mohawk child, done through the coverage of the Kahnawá:ke Kanien’kehá:ka registry (KKR).

The KKR defines who can and cannot remain a member of Kahnawá:ke. It states that any member who marries or cohabitates with a non-native “will have their entitlement to receive any of the benefits and services … suspended for so long as they remain married or in a common law relationship with the non-Indigenous person.”

This policy came into the spotlight with news of a $50,000 lawsuit brought before the Quebec courts. In it, seven members of Kahnawá:ke allege that their rights have been infringed upon and have been harassed and intimidated as a result of the KKR. Instead of throwing another Western media hat into the ring, I sat down with Orenda Boucher-Curotte, Concordia University Religious Studies alumna, professor at McGill University, and Kahnawá:ke native to see what she thought of the situation.

The Concordian (C): What do you think of the media’s coverage of the lawsuit thus far?

Orenda Boucher-Curotte (BC): The media has jumped on the “this is racist”

bandwagon, in part because I think it allows for people to vent their own colonial frustrations. People with very little understanding of what Kahnawá:ke has been through see this as a racist policy, but they have to first understand that those who support the evictions have a deep rooted fear that colonial laws set out to assimilate and destroy Indigenous peoples. Canadians know, or should know that residential schools, reservations, the Indian Act, etc., were all policies that set out to assimilate

us [the Mohawk people] into the dominant [Canadian] culture ... They fear allowing non-natives to live in Kahnawá:ke would eventually further those assimilation policy initiatives ... I appreciate outside media giving a voice to those affected directly, for certain. But they also have a responsibility to speak about the injustices that led us to this point.

C: What has led to this point specifically?

BC: Restricting our resources to the

A Kahnawá:ke native holds a child at a community event on Sept. 19, 2008. The Kahnawá:ke Kanien’kehá:ka registry defines who is a member of Kahnawá:ke. Photo by L. Lew on Flickr

point where we end up fighting about this: the blame on that lies with the government. The government includes [the Canadian Government as well as] our own band council system; a system put in place by the Indian Act. Essentially we are in a catch-22. If we had more resources, this would not be a problem. But our own traditional laws, such as ‘The Great Law of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy’ which SHOULD supersede federal laws makes room for things like adoption and integration.

C: What has been the reaction in Kahnawá:ke to both the news coverage and the lawsuit itself?

BC: The reaction has been anger and frustration I think, but not all directed at those filing the suit. There’s resentment that those who would potentially make a decision on the case would be an outside court. That risks further imposing colonial laws on a community that is pushing for self-determination and self-government.

On the flip side, those suing don’t have any other real recourse.

C: Do you have any concluding thoughts for our readers on the situation in general?

BC: All sides, and there are more than two on this issue, have strong conviction for their argument. It’s important to understand that it’s not the whole community who supports these evictions, but rather a group within the community. Many want to open up a space that encourages a dialogue where consensus can be reached, or alternatives offered. That can’t happen in one meeting, or even two. This issue has been ongoing for decades.

Sports // opinions

Washington can’t run out the clock on racism Team’s caricature of Native culture is way out of bounds Jessica Deer Contributor

Over the past few months, new voices continue to join the ongoing pressure on the National Football League team based in Washington, D.C. to change their controversial name and logo.

In the past year, politicians like U.S. President Barack Obama, celebrities like Mike Tyson, John Oliver, Sarah Silverman, and even former players on the team have spoken up about the need for a name change.

Websites like Etsy and Canada’s Apple store have changed their policies to ban the team’s name. Several major newspapers, including the New York Daily News, have also jumped on the ban-bandwagon in the recent months.

In June, the United States Patent and Trademark office cancelled six trademark registrations for the team’s name on the grounds that it is “disparaging to Native Americans.”

Now, owner Dan Snyder and his team are attempting to sue the group of Indigenous people who were responsible for the trademark cancellation—a lowball move in an attempt to curb that growing pressure to change the name.

Sorry to break it to him or anyone that supports the team’s name, but that pressure is just going to grow stronger.

For years, Indigenous people have been expressing how they are offended by the name and stereotyped imagery. Unfortunately, when it comes to Indigenous people, society has a hard time understanding how Native mascotry and other forms of cultural appropriation is a form of racism— something that would not be tolerated if it were any other race, ethnicity or culture.

While opinions toward examples of cultural appropriation among Indigenous people are diverse, nothing is more annoying than having non-Natives trying to disprove what is and isn’t offensive to Indigenous people that speak out against the name.

A team’s traditions and their fans’ attachment to the name seems to always trump our traditions and concerns. We constantly have to defend our own identities from being mocked, used as a trend, a form of entertainment and giving people a false sense of honoring Indigenous people.

There is no denying that we have “more important” or “real” issues in our communities, such as alcoholism, drug abuse, housing shortages, healthcare, unemployment, etc.

However, Indigenous people are also seen as less than human by some and that is certainly a real issue too.

The problem with sports mascots and logos using Native imagery is that it is the same issue as other forms of cultural appropriation: they undermine the diversity and true identities of Indigenous peoples

by creating highly inaccurate and dehumanizing portrayals.

Our distinct cultures become a fictionalized and heavily stereotyped monolith rooted in colonial ideology. Those images in sports, on television, on the runway, or even Halloween costumes affect what people know and think about Indigenous people. They add layers of misinformation about who we really are. That really affects how society understands those real social, political and economic issues—and it’s kind of hard to do when society’s notion of Indigenous people is bound to something fictionalized and set in the past.

That is reflected in how we are treated by society and the government and poses

dangerous implications on how we see ourselves.

According to a 2004 study by Dr. Stephanie Fryberg, when Native youth are exposed to these images, their self-esteem is harmfully impacted, their self-confidence erodes, and their sense of identity is severely damaged.

That impact on our identity is very much prevalent in our communities, such as judging another Indigenous person’s “authenticity” based upon their appearance, internalizing fictionalized stereotypes, focusing on “blood quantum”, or tanning to “look more Native.”

We don’t need our youth dealing those issues. Change the name.

The offending Washington NFL team refuses to change their name, despite growing calls of racism from the Native community and beyond. Photo from Flickr by Joe Glorioso

22

//

Tuesday, november 11, 2014

Politics // opinions

BDS and the CSU: a story of selective outrage Vote ‘No’ to the BDS movement at the Nov. 25 byelections Bradley Martin CAMERA Fellow

tions, it is the former issue which seems awkwardly placed.

Support for BDS against the State of Israel runs counter to the principles of what the CSU claims to uphold, as well as most standards of decency.

It is discriminatory to single Israel out for isolation, when such standards are not applied equally across all governments.

The CSU has not seen fit to condemn the systemic discriminations of women and minorities by Saudi Arabia, the torture of hundreds of thousands of political dissidents in North Korea, and many other gruesome and serious human rights abuses that take place throughout the world.

Neighboring Israel is Syria, where a bloody civil war has led to the deaths of an estimated 200,000 people. If focus is to be put solely on Palestinian suffering, more

On its website, the Concordia Student Union (CSU) describes itself as an organization that “offers a number of important services to help make sure that students [sic] lives are as fun and problem free as possible.” The CSU also claims to defend the rights of students and represent their interests. Indeed, these are honourable principles that any student union must uphold if it is to ensure that their university is a safe haven for their students to engage in the free marketplace of ideas.

It is therefore baffling as to why the CSU would go against their own principles.

In the 2014 CSU byelections referendum, scheduled to take place from Nov. 25 to Nov. 27, the issue of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement sticks out like a sore thumb. While all the other questions deal with important issues that affect the lives of students, such as the establishment of a daycare centre and the improvement of Photo by mediActivista from Flickr. student housing condi-

than 2,000 dead in Syria are Palestinian refugees and more than 55,000 Palestinians were forced to flee the country, according to Arab-Israeli journalist Khaled Abu Toameh. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) estimates that 235,000 Palestinians have been displaced inside Syria since the beginning of the conflict two years ago. These figures dwarf the Palestinian casualties that have happened in conflicts with Israel.

If consistency was pursued, then there would be a call for BDS against Syria and those of Syrian descent. However, such actions would be equally as ridiculous as what is being leveled at Israel. It goes against the CSU principles that were highlighted earlier, in that it sets a double-standard. Israeli students and those who identify with the

State of Israel will be demonized for their affiliation. What was once a safe-space for students of all different backgrounds to exchange ideas will be replaced with narrowminded and intolerant policies fueled by an anti-Israel obsession.

Apart from the inherently discriminatory nature of this BDS motion, it is also downright idiotic. Intel’s new multi-core processor was completely developed at its facilities in Israel. Will BDS supporters seek to remove such products from Concordia University, since they are developed and manufactured in Israel? It would certainly make for a technologically-bare campus, seeing as Israel also hosts Motorola and IBM’s largest R&D facilities outside the United States. Microsoft and Cisco also built their only foreign R&D facilities in that country.

Selective outrage seems to be a theme among proponents of BDS. It is therefore crucial that students vote ‘no’ against BDS when it comes to a referendum and that the CSU fulfill its mandate for all students of Concordia University.

Instead of seeking to stigmatize a group of people, we should all focus on ways to improve the quality of student life across the board.

Bradley Martin is a Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) Fellow at Concordia University.

one man’s mission to conquer Concordia’s finest porcelain throne

Seasonal Woes What happens when you mix film buffs and a broken keyboard? Magical otters, golfing dinosaurs, and hysteria.

Try to find your beloved classics in the Twitter-remixed Wonderland of #FilmsWithOneLetterMissing.

stePhen ho staff writer

Dear readers, or rather just reader. I address this to the single soul who actually reads this consistently, my dear editor.

The fifth leg of my journey, and a strange creature this journey is, that has five legs and weekly increases in limbs, finds me on the third floor of the library. @m0lll The library is a place I seem to be frequenting #ilmswithonelettermissing harry otter more and more as the weather grows colder and the number of friends on break still remains @MatthewMillner “Snakes on a lane - Thriller squarely zero. I find the library has a rather about snakes in a bowling alley interesting atmosphere. At times studious and #FilmsWithOneLetterMissing” calm, other times, usually around midterms or finals, it is alive with the panic of procrastination @sheeplyfe and the stink of desperation. With a month or “Need for Seed - some thirsty hoe’s life so left of school and inching closer to finals the story #FilmsWithOneLetterMissing” library seems rather full, and that includes the bathroom. @iamTizCaqyah “The Dark Night - When suddenly, nights Upon entering the library, I made my way are dark. #FilmsWithOneLetterMissing” to the third floor washroom along with all my belongings, that is, coat and backpack. Upon @euphoriabuzz entering, I saw one man at the sink washing his “Rock, Rock 2, Rock 3, Rock 4, Rock face, another standing texting on his phone, and 5, Rock 6 - a geological blockbuster three other dudes just standing around aimlessly. #filmswithonelettermissing” As it turns out, they were all waiting for the stalls! And being the committed reviewer that I @Hostmorke “#filmswithonelettermissing Finding Emo am, I decided to wait as well.

- A teenager lost in an ocean of tears!”

So there we all were, peas in a cramped and stinky pod, trying not to make eye contact. I @DexterG18 am unsure of which was worse, the slow and

“#filmswithonelettermissing Lady and the Tamp: Girls dealing with the changes their bodies undergo using the help of manufactured sponges”

measured exhalation of those in the stalls as they delivered their not so discreet excretion, or the roaring silence in between those breaths in which I stared resolutely at the leaking faucet shoulder to shoulder with five other men growing sweatier by the minute in my winter coat and wondering in a state of near existential crisis why I was there and whether I should go and turn off that tap.

At this point yet another student walked in and proceeded to clean his lunch container in the sink. I apologize dear readers but this was too much for me, I had to leave.

I was at a loss for what to do, should I hover around the entrance to the washroom in anticipation for a free stall? What if all those guys were still in there? No I couldn’t do that. I made my way to the next floor wondering if the bathroom is on the same side of the library as the previous floor (it is) and hoping against hope for it to be free.

I arrived and was greeted by thankful emptiness except for a single, rotund man inexplicably staring wide-eyed at me from his spot at one of the urinals. There were three stalls.

One taken, the other with toilet paper all over the seat (how do you miss?) but thankfully the third was free with only unflushed urine and a single large drop on the toilet seat. Not too shabby for Concordia.

These bathrooms are rather hard to rate, I would think it really depends on what week in the semester you go in at but I’ll give it a 4/10 during exam periods. Too much traffic, gross piss seats and hand dryers that are even older than the standard. Oh, forsooth a pilgrim’s plight!

@CathalFitz97 “#FilmsWithOneLetterMissing Raveheart - a story of a young Scottish lad who goes against his parents will by going on the lash” @PurrfectMsKitka “#filmswithonelettermissing Iron Ma Ironman has to move back in with his Mom who drives him CRAZY!”

Milos Kovacevic News editor news@theconcordian.com Jess Kenwood Assistant news editor Sara Baron-Goodman Life editor life@theconcordian.com Frederic T. Muckle Arts editor arts@theconcordian.com Mia Pearson Music editor music@theconcordian.com Tim Lazier Sports editor sports@theconcordian.com Laura Marchand Opinions editor opinions@theconcordian.com Keith Race Photo editor photo@theconcordian.com Andrej Ivanov Assistant photo editor

Gregory Todaro Emily Gaudet Marilla Steuter-Martin Copy editors copy@theconcordian.com Christina Rowan Natasha Taggart Marilla Steuter-Martin Production assistants

@ephpphathinker “Argo #FilmsWithOneLetterMissing see what I did there?”

@PoliSlix “Star Was: An aged supreme Sith Lord copes with depression after losing 3 of his apprentices #FilmsWithOneLetterMissing”

Michelle Gamage Production manager production@theconcordian.com

Marie-Pier LaRose Graphics editor graphics@theconcordian.com

@awhooker “#FilmsWithOneLetterMissing Jurassic Par. Old man with more money than sense builds a golf course for resurrected dinosaurs”

@markhoran9 “28 days late. The mesmerising tale of a woman who was meant to buy contraception #filmswithonelettermissing”

Nathalie Laflamme Editor-in-Chief editor@theconcordian.com

Jocelyn Beaudet Online editor online@theconcordian.com

@evanmcgee1998 “‘War of the words’. Tom Cruise takes scrabble a little too seriously #filmswithonelettermissing”

@smaug_hoarder “#filmswithonelettermissing Tar Wars - A New Hope. Gentlemen compete to develop a suitable road surface during the Industrial Revolution.”

Tuesday, November 11, 2014 Vol. 32 Issue 11

ADVERTISING – MEDIA MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION EVENT MANAGEMENT FASHION MANAGEMENT & PROMOTIONS FINANCIAL PLANNING GLOBAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT MARKETING MANAGEMENT PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

business.humber.ca/postgrad

Editorial office 7141 Sherbrooke St. Building CC-Rm 431 Montreal, QC H4B 1R6 514-848-2424 ext. 7499 (Editor-in-Chief) Marc-Antoine Cardin Business manager business@theconcordian.com William Atsaidis Advertising manager advertising@theconcordian.com Tyson Lowrie Jacob Serebin Ruben Bastien Board of directors directors@theconcordian.com

Contributors Robin Stanford, Lydia Anderson, Julia Bryant, Johanna Pellus, Christiania Lulia, Steven Zylbergold, Chris Atkens, Oneida Crawford, Casey Dulson, Jesica Deer, Bradley Martin, Karl Usakowski, Stephen Ho, Justina Stakevicius, Paul Traunero

theconcordian

Porcelain Pilgrim

Concordiaʼs weekly, independent student newspaper.

EVENTS

Have a good week !

Film Film

Cinema politica: The Secret Trial 5, Concordia University - Nov. 14 Cinemania film festival - Until Nov. 16

Theathre Theatre Corpus, MAI - Nov. 13 to Nov. 30

Other Other Hamlet by The Tiger Lillies, Cinquième Salle of the Place des Arts - Nov. 12 to Nov. 18 We Walk Among You, Mainline theatre - Nov. 13 to Nov. 23 Expozine, 5035 Saint-Dominique - Nov. 15-16

Music Music

Boundary, Le Bleury - Nov. 16 Ryan Hemsworth, Le Belmont - Nov. 14 Alt-J w/ Mikki Ekko, Metropolis - Nov. 12 The Harpoonists & the Axe Murderer, Divan Orange - Nov. 19 HSY w/ The Beverleys, 1601 - Nov. 15 Thee Oh Sees w/ The Blind Shake, Le National - Nov. 22