The Concordian

theconcordian Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011

life Staycations: There’s no place like home P. 10

music Colin Stetson refuses to label his music P. 17

opinions Farewell, Jack: charisma was key to Layton’s rise P. 21

Women s soccer looks to improve their offence P. 19

Burlesque fest brought the frisky P. 11-12

Summer ends,

orientation begins

Photo by Navneet Pall

See p. 3 for orientation preview and more ASFA frosh

CSU on the fence Action on governance over Faubourg centre report could happen while ConU waits in September Union must give final decision to university by end of September

Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo News editor While the university remains committed to a student centre at the Faubourg Ste-Catherine, the Concordia Student Union has yet to pronounce itself one way or another.

Meeting every two weeks throughout the summer, the CSU and representatives from facilities management have been discussing aspects of what could become the Faubourg agreement.

As university spokesperson Chris Mota explained, the university’s option to buy the building expires in April 2012.

“The university is prepared to move forward,” Mota confirmed.

“As soon as there is a signed agreement then we will proceed.”

See “‘Union...” on p.2 Volume 29 Issue 1

arts

sports

She added that, “The university remains committed to a student centre, there’s no question about that, and there have been meetings throughout the summer with the new student executive to talk to them about the project.”

However, at least officially, the CSU remains on the fence regarding any potential agreements.

“As of yet we have not come to an official decision regarding the Faubourg,” acknowledged VP clubs and student space Gonzo Nieto. “When we came into office, we were told that we had approximately three months from the beginning of our mandate to give the university our answer on a $51 million-partnership for 25 years, effectively.”

Because of the time constraints imposed by the September deadline, he said, “There wasn’t much time, had we wanted to look at other options.”

“A decision has to be by the end of September […] because it has to go through a series of approvals at the government level. Any investment on that level needs government approval.

Jacques Gallant Editor-in-chief

Concordia’s governance troubles could be on the mend as early as this September, depending if the university’s governing bodies adopt a set of recommendations stemming from an external review.

The 39-page report from the external governance review committee, released in June, outlined 38 recommendations that could eventually lead to ending what the committee members described as a “culture of contempt” at Concordia.

Formed in February, the committee was the product of a joint agreement between Concordia’s Senate and Board of Governors. It saw the light of day in the direct aftermath of the ousting of former president Judith Woodsworth in December by the BoG. Woodsworth was sent on her way with a $705,000 severance package. The entire scenario was described by the external review committee as an event that “revealed a substantial degree of misunderstanding, blatantly deficient internal communications and a lot of distrust, often bordering mutual contempt, between the various communities of the University.”

Eight months after the flaws in Concordia’s governance structure began to expose themselves, the BoG’s ad hoc committee on governance is preparing to present its report on the ERCG’s recommendations to the full Board at the end of September. Whether the ad hoc committee, or the full board for that matter, will endorse some or all of the ERCG’s recommendations remains to be seen.

“At the open meeting held in June about the external review committee’s report, the chair of the board’s ad hoc committee, Maitre Rita DeSantis, indicated that the ad hoc committee would be studying the report very closely with the intention of moving very quickly,” said Concordia spokesperson Chris Mota. “There were some concerns that this report would be just be sitting on a shelf, but it will be dealt with as quickly as possible.”

See “Governance report...” on p.5

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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Got a news tip? news@theconcordian.com

City in brief Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo

Con U: The search for the next president is on Concordia University is soliciting input in their search for the next president. In an email sent to the Concordia community, Chair of the Board of Governors Peter Kruyt asks that members fill out a questionnaire online with their suggestions as to the most suitable person for the role.

Members of the community have until Sept. 16 to give their feedback.

The last Concordia president Judith Woodsworth exited under suspicious circumstances. Former president Frederick Lowy has been filling the position on an interim basis since January 2011.

McGill non-academic workers prepare to strike Around 1,700 non-academic workers at McGill University are set to go on strike as Sept. 1 as students return to classes. If labour negotiations lag this week,, McGill University NonAcademic Certified Association, which represents staff members like lab technicians and library assistants, is prepared to strike over disagreements related to their wage scale and benefits plan, as well as for the premiums they are paid for evenings and weekend work. The Montreal Gazette reported that MUNACA president Kevin Whittaker also objected to the university slashing its contribution to retirees’ dental and medical plans, all while renovating the administration building at a cost of $2 million. While Michael Di Grappa, vice-principal of administration and finance for McGill, countered that the renovations were needed, and included the removal of asbestos. He added that the university has a contingency plan.

Continued from cover

Union hard pressed to find alternative building

There are three ministries that would have to grant their approval.”

“The Faubourg is the only choice at this point, with the students maintaining a $2 per credit fee towards the student centre,” Mota said. “There is no other option that the university can consider at this point with the budget it would have.” Mota affirmed that the budget will remain undisclosed until the agreement is finalized.

While Nieto maintained that a decision has yet to be made by the student union, he didn’t feel that he had the information necessary to consider other options at this point. “[The fee levy currently being collected] essentially implies that the money can only be used for one centralized building, but again, as to specific of what alternatives exist, I don’t know,” he continued.

Students currently pay $2 per credit towards an accumulating fund intended to finance consolidated student space. As of May 2011, the amount collected for the student centre is just under $6.8 million. There is no end date for the fee levy, so students will continue to finance the project indefinitely.

Last year’s CSU executive campaigned for the Faubourg to become the next student centre.

It was sold as the option that was “the most realistic, the most affordable” by then-president Heather Lucas. And it would be achieved, it was added, before current students graduated.

They also brought a potential fee levy increase to the table, looking to add 50 cents per credit over five semesters to bring the

body about student space but are having difficulty fulfilling that mandate, with the university asking for a response on the student union’s part by the end of September.

Under the terms that are currently being discussed, the CSU has a 51 per cent proportionate share of the building, while the university has 49 per cent, Nieto said.

CAMPUS

$50,000 honeypot needed to fix the Hive

Café lacks buzz needed to have it “Wiki Took Montreal” run on Sunday

The Canadian version of Wikipedia’s media library, Wikimedia Commons, called for Internet users and amateur photographers to submit their photos of Montreal to fill its pages last week. The Montreal Mirror reported that Wikimedia Commons Canada sponsored a photographic scavenger hunt entitled “Wiki Takes Montreal” which took place on Sunday. The event sent amateur photographers around the city with a list of targets to shoot, in an effort to give exposure to lesser known parts of the city. For those who missed Sunday’s race, Wikimedia Commons does accept pictures year-round.

levy to a total of $4.50 a credit, but a majority of students shot it down through referendum.

This year, winning slate Your Concordia ran on the basis of public consultation of the student

Christine Jeyarajah Contributor Work on the Hive Café, which was slated to open in September, has been put on hold due to electricity problems in the SC building at Loyola. Remedying the situation may cost upwards of $50,000.

“An ongoing problem with the SC building is limited power,” said Melissa Fuller, Concordia Student Union VP Loyola and services.

“Because Chartwells, located on the first floor, requires a large amount of the available electricity to operate and has been allocated that power from the start. No construction has been completed because we could not move forward without knowing how the electrical problem would be fixed.”

The lack of electricity is an ongoing dilemma which the CSU has already dealt with in the past. “[There have been times] where generators

have had to be used for CSU events because of it,” said Fuller.

Nonetheless, the CSU was given confirmation that electrical problems would not be an issue before DART, a Collaborative Design Research class, went to work on the café designs.

Therefore, it came as a surprise for Fuller and the other student union executives that electricity was the main factor preventing the café’s opening.

“Facilities management has been working alongside the CSU to find solutions, temporary and permanent,” explained Fuller. “A short term fix of adding electrical panels is moving forward,” she continued. “We are waiting on signed approval from a firm, and a meeting is set for next week to move forward on building everything.”

While a final budget to fix the issue has yet to be confirmed, such an option may cost upwards of $50,000.

One of the long term solutions considered is to place solar panels on the roof of the SC building.

A meeting with facilities management and dean of students Andrew Woodall was held on Aug. 24 after receiving a report on the load capacity of the SC roof. A followup meeting

The Hive has been used for various student union events. Archive photo is scheduled to take place within the next week to discuss the costs associated with long term versus short term solutions.

This semester, an engineering class will be working on a green roof for the SC building as a class project.

The CSU will take a look at options the class creates before moving forward on actually building a green roof.

“Some ideas may include a rooftop garden, greenhouse, or a combination with solar panels,” suggested Fuller.

Planning for the café began nearly a year ago, when the CSU, which manages the space, wanted to endorse a sustainable method of design. With the floor plans drawn up, construction is slated to begin once the electrical problems are resolved.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Follow us on Twitter: @TheConcordian ORIENTATION

Your Montreal orientation in

the works for Concordia Nomadic Massive, Lunice among confirmed artists Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo News editor Montreal music mainstays Lunice and hip-hop collective Nomadic Massive are two of the 12 different artists slated to animate the two weeks of fun and mayhem commonly referred to as orientation at Concordia University.

This year’s orientation, comprised of 17 different events over the course of two weeks, will unfold from Sept. 6 to 18. The theme, “Your Montreal,” is a spin-off of the current executive’s slate name “Your Concordia.” According to Laura Glover, VP student life and sustainability, the idea behind it was to “really focus on orienting students to both Concordia and the city of Montreal.”

The CSU sought and booked Montreal artists from a variety of genres, hence Lunice and Nomadic Massive’s inclusion in the final Sept.

15 concert set list.

While both Glover and CSU president Lex Gill declined to reveal the big ticket names for the final concert, Gill did confirm the CSU has been in talks with several Canadian bands and have pending contracts for both the headline and the second headliner, which were not finalized as of press time.

According to Gill, the CSU is in the process of verifying the acts’ Canadian residency. The step is necessary to ensure that the union could

FROSH

First year arts and science students benefited from the post-hurricane sunshine on Monday as ASFA frosh kicked off at noon in the Loyola Quad.

Activities included a mechanical bull and inflatable rides.

ASFA frosh week will continue until Sept. 2.

Photo by Navneet Pall

maintain their tax-exempt status by ensuring they are not remitting taxes for the bands, explained Gill.

Like last year’s concert, which featured performances from SomaliCanadian hip-hop artist K’naan, Montreal-based Chromeo and Toronto act Keys’n’Krates, the show will be held at the Quad on Concordia’s

“

We’ve found that there are many diverse, amazing artists that are well known within not only the Montreal community, but also nationally Laura Glover, VP student life and sustainability

Loyola campus. For years, the orientation concert was effectively a block party held on Mackay Street near the downtown campus. A noise complaint moved the last fall orientation concert to the Quad, which is private property with no noise restrictions.

“It’s a beautiful space and I think that the concert went really well last year. There was no question it was definitely going to be the Quad all along,” Glover commented.

The predicted expense for Orientation this year is $150,000, less than the $195,000 budgeted for last year’s orientation and well under last year’s

final tally of $252,852. Gill added the total cost of the Sept. 15 concert will be slightly over the price tag for K’naan’s performance alone.

“We’ve found that there are many diverse amazing artists that are well known within not only the Montreal community but also nationally recognized and it has fit within our budget,” Glover said.

In partnership with Sustainable Concordia, the CSU’s goal is to produce as little waste as possible during orientation.

“It’s difficult to evaluate the amount of waste that has been caused in the past,” Glover admitted.

“I can say though that the process of planning orientation has seriously

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Nation in brief

Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo

Ryerson radio off the air

taken into consideration of logistics of planning low waste […] for example, ensuring that the food that we’re supplying can be handheld food rather than serving food that requires a plate, making sure that mugs are available, reusable plates, etc.”

The second edition of the Sustainable Food Festival will also be featured during orientation. “[The festival] focuses on hosting local vendors, local restaurants, and local farmers,” Glover explained.

Look for more Orientation updates both online at www.theconcordian. com and in coming issues of the Concordian.

Confirmed orientation events: While the student executives are keeping complete information under wraps while waiting for contractual confirmation on the part of the artists, they have released partial information for several of the events. Here’s what has been confirmed so far: Tuesday, Sept. 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.: CSU Welcome Meet & Greet Wednesday, Sept. 7 from 10:00 a.m.: Faculty Association Day at Loyola Quad (ASFA, FASA, ECA, CASA) Wednesday, Sept. 7 from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.: Throwies’ Game Wednesday, Sept. 7 from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.: Techno Multimedia/ Concert Thursday, Sept. 8 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Keynote speakers Ilona Dougherty and Lou Piensa Friday, Sept. 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Clubs fair and The Many Tastes of Concordia Wednesday, Sept. 14 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Photo Scavenger Hunt Thursday, Sept. 15 at the Loyola Quad: Final concert featuring Nomadic Massive, Lunice Friday, Sept. 16 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.: “IEAC and CISA Athletics Tournament”

Community radio station CKLN 88.1 FM, based on the campus of Ryerson University in Toronto, vacated their campus office on Aug. 27 after nearly 30 years on the air. According to the Eyeopener, CKLN lost its broadcasting license last January due to breaches of the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications standards, at which point the Ryerson Students’ Union and the Palin Foundation (which manages the student space which housed the station) asked the station to vacate their office. While the CRTC has yet to begin the application process for the now unused 88.1 FM frequency, three broadcasters have already signalled their interest.

Toronto, boring? Tell that to the topless women

Bare-breasted women and men in bras marched along Queen Street E. in Toronto on Sunday afternoon as part of an event aiming to promote the right of women to go topless in public, the Toronto Star reported.

The group’s slogan, ‘’Equal Topless Rights for All or None,’’ pointed to a double standard in the Toronto Municipal Code whereby a woman can be ticketed and fined for setting foot in a public park while topless. The event was organized by the Canadian chapter of U.S.-based organization GoTopless.org. The chapter has started a petition asking the city to recognize a 1996 Ontario Court of Appeal verdict which saw the exoneration of an Ontarian woman who was arrested in 1991 for taking her shirt off in public on a hot day.

That verdict made it legal to go barebreasted in Ontario.

Moshing your way to academic success

University of Alberta graduate Gabby Riches is making a study of moshing, according to the Edmonton Sun. The 5’4” student graduate student first combined her love for heavy metal with her academic career during her undergraduate degree. She’s now writing a thesis on mosh pits for a degree in recreation and leisure studies. Riches adds her favourite mosh pit was at a Slayer concert in Edmonton.

Canadians overconfident about overcoming debt

A new survey has revealed that Canadians are overconfident about the age when they will be debt-free. The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce surveyed 2,008 people over the phone about their expectations relative to their financial situation, according to The Financial Post.

They found the average age by which people expected to be without debt was 55. However, only 35 per cent of Canadians aged 55 reported being without debt. The survey also showed that Canadians tend to assume they will be debt free within ten to fifteen years. A CIBC spokesperson suggested making additional payments as well as having a strategic plan to pay down debt.

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theconcordian

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

World in brief Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo

British government won’t limit social media

The British government will not look to limit social media networks despite their role in the violent rioting that took place across England in early August. CNN reported Sunday that government officials met with Internet communications firms in what was described as a nonconfrontational meeting. Instead, the agenda focused on how law enforcement officials and the British Home Office can collaborate on cracking down on those who use the networks to coordinate criminal activity. British Prime Minister David Cameron had previously mentioned that the government should limit the free flow of information that the networks allowed during such occasions, after reports surfaced that rioters in England were organizing via social media.

iPhone hacker hired...

by Apple

A 19-year-old iPhone hacker that goes by the username of “Comex” has been hired by Apple, Business Insider reported Friday.

Comex - real name Nicholas Allegra - is the hacker behind JailbreakMe, an app which allows you to jailbreak your iPhone. Allegra’s made it easy for users to circumvent the restrictions Apple makes on their products, allowing them to download and use applications not available at the App Store. Allegra announced on Twitter Thursday night that he will be interning at the tech giant come September. At least he’s not taking Steve Jobs’... job.

CAMPUS

Medical residents could strike Sept. 12 Union not satisfied with latest government offer Sarah Deshaies Chief copy editor Quebec’s medical residents are one step closer to taking strike action after weeks of pressure tactics.

Following a day of negotiations with the Ministry of health on Aug. 25, representatives of the Fédération des médecins résidents du Québec presented the government’s latest offer to 1,200 members at a general assembly the next day.

“I would say that the offer that they’ve put on the table on Thursday is far from being satisfactory for us.

It’s simply not enough,” said FMRQ president Charles Dussault.

While the offer was slightly higher than the previous one, Dussault said that if the government can’t present a better option by the end of this week, residents will walk off the job Sept. 12.

The union and the government have been in contract negotiations for the past 18 months over salaries and acknowledging residents’ work in training medical students.

Residents argue that they are underpaid and overworked, especially in comparison to residents in other

parts of North America. Dussault said that Quebec residents were on par with their Canadian counterparts 10 years ago, but that the discrepancy has since grown to 32 per cent.

Dussault suggested that residents are also treated differently than other public employees, like not being offered overtime. “They [the government] simply don’t want to hear it.”

First-year residents in Quebec stand to make $41,000 a year, and can make around $65,000 by their sixth or seventh year. As well, residents in Quebec work on average 66 hours a week, according to the results of a survey of FMRQ members.

Residents suspended teaching to medical students on July 11 as a pressure tactic.

While medical students have said they support the residents’ side of the debate, many say they don’t agree with their methods, out of fear that their education is being jeopardized.

Phil Vourtzoumis, a third-year McGill University medical student and Canadian Federation of Medical Students representative, likened the decision to treating students as ”bargaining chips.”

“They basically have us hostage,” said Vourtzoumis. Some students, he said, have been kicked off of their wards.

“A lot of us support the reason they’re going on strike, but we don’t support the measures they’re taking,” explained third-year McGill university

Medical residents argue they are underpaid and overworked, especially in comparison to residents in other parts of North America. Photo by Navneet Pall medical student Andrew Zakhari, who co-wrote an opinion piece denouncing the teaching suspension.

But Zakhari said he supports residents walking off the job. “I think a full-on strike will probably be a lot more effective at getting the message across,” he argued, saying that suspending teaching impacts only medical students, while the effect of a strike would be broader.

As the residents’ work is considered essential services, only 10 per cent of the union’s 3,000 members will walk off the job every day until

they come to an agreement with the government. Dussault added that protests and picketing may be decided at a later date.

Both sides have agreed to an intense schedule of meetings in Quebec City. However, despite having had a strike mandate for weeks now, the union will avoid the strike if possible.

“We want to try and find a way to settle this before the strike, that’s for sure,” said Dussault. “And obviously, the plan is dependent on the results of the negotiations. It’s not in our plans to stop negotiating.”

RESIDENCE

Italy won’t tax soccer players after all

The Italian government has rescinded on aspects of their austerity package, according to the Globe and Mail. A.C. Milan collectively breathed a sigh of relief after the government released a statement saying the package, which had cut €45.5-billion ($66-billion US) across the board, would no longer includes a tax on high earners. They have also amended the package to lessen the cuts on local authority funding. The package had been passed in parliament this month, but has been highly criticized by labour unions, opposition politicians as well as members of the ruling centre-right coalition.

Tim Hortons rolls out extra-large format

Everyone’s favourite coffee chain has just won a bigger space in the hearts of Canadians across the country. According the Vancouver Sun, the chain has introduced a 24-ounce “extra-large” format in its outlets in Sudbury and Kingston, Ont. The new “extra-large” will set you back $2, tax included. It remains to see whether the Canadian chain will be able to compete with Starbucks’ “Trenta” format, which at 31 ounces contains more liquid than the average human stomach can hold.

While for most the semester doesn’t start until Sept. 6, 242 students at the Grey Nuns residence were already settling into their new lives at Concordia last weekend. Along with their peers in Hingston Hall and Jesuit Residence on the Loyola campus, the new residents explored their new home. GN students benefited from a Welcome BBQ hosted in their honour, despite being forced indoors by Hurricane Irene.

Photo by Navneet Pall

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

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Follow us on Twitter: @TheConcordian TUITION

Student reps present united front against tuition hikes Student union and advocacy groups gearing up for Nov. 10 demonstration Andrea Zoellner Contributor Although the fall semester is just starting on most university campuses, the student movement to combat tuition hikes is already in full swing.

On Aug. 21, the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec launched their campaign in response to the $1,625 per year tuition increase set in the 2012-2017 provincial budget. The FEUQ, a province-wide organization of which the Concordia Student Union is a member, is calling all post-secondary students to mobilize for a freeze in tuition fees.

“We’re planning a lot of action this fall, notably rallies and demonstrations,” said FEUQ president Martine Desjardins. “Our objective is to have the Charest government back down on this issue. We’ve seen them do it on the shale gas issue, so they can go back on this too.”

The FEUQ’s fall campaign “1,625$ Ça ne passe pas” ($1,625, that doesn’t fly), launched in partnership with the Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec, will operate on both the local and national level in a lead up to their Nov. 10 demonstration in Montreal.

According to CSU VP external Chad Walcott, the CSU is prepared to do their part.

“We will be conducting an informational campaign to inform students of the impacts of the proposed tuition increase, as well as to dispel many of the misconceptions

the government has been fostering regarding the tuition fee hikes,” he said.

Money talks

While tuition fees were frozen in 1997, mandatory institution fees, or the ancillary fees that universities charge, continued to increase annually. In 2005, the Liberal party, under the auspices of premier Jean Charest, announced a 30 per cent increase in tuition between 2007 and 2012, raising the cost of a 90-credit undergraduate degree to roughly $8,700.

The last budget, introduced in March, plans for a 75 per cent increase over the next five years, a hike students are finding hard to stomach.

Concordia also has many out-ofprovince and international students who chose to study here because of affordable tuition, according to Walcott. An increase in Quebec’s fees will be felt across the board and it is these students that may be hit the hardest, he said.

In the next couple of months, FEUQ and FECQ executives will be visiting campuses throughout the province, distributing educational booklets about the impact of tuition hikes, as well as planning events with student associations to create buzz around the campaign and demonstration in November.

The publications and material found on the FEUQ’s campaign website and Facebook group, such as their guide to the tuition increase, answers to counter-arguments, background information on tuition hikes and research on the impact of the hikes raise issues of student indebtedness and intergenerational equity related to affordable education.

They also question financial management in post-secondary institutions, stating examples such as the departure of Judith Woodsworth and the real-estate loan to interim president Frederick Lowy as scandals

The FEUQ’s fall campaign “1,625$ Ça ne passe pas” ($1,625, that doesn’t pass), will operate on both the local and national level all semester in a lead up to their Nov. 10 demonstration in Montreal. that have indirectly cost over $1 million to university students.

Part of the FEUQ’s long-term strategy includes collaborating with labour unions and not-for-profit groups such as Free Education Montreal to promote accessible education.

They will also be targeting Liberal ridings that won by less than 1,000 votes in preparation for the next elections.

A united front

The FEUQ regroups 15 university associations, and plans on working closely with the FECQ’s 23 CEGEP associations, l’ASSÉ - l’Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante - that represents 45,000 students and Free Education Montreal. Despite having different mandates, research

projects and concerns, Desjardins is calling for a united front across campuses.

“Students need to be aware that there is a bigger picture than their own studies and that we need to fight for each other’s rights,” she said. “We are part of a generation that doesn’t have a demographic impact, so we need to act together. We are young people with big dreams, but we’ll have nothing to put our hands on if we don’t use the power of groups.”

Concordia student and Free Education Montreal member Raùl Chacon believes collaborative action is possible.

“Virtually every democratic student group is on the same page,” he said. “We all differ on tactics and details, allowing for an important

diversity, and everyone is cooperating to achieve our one overriding goal: no tuition increases.”

There also seems to be solidarity across French and English campuses, something Desjardins feels has grown in the student movement since 2007.

“We are working on translating all of our material, because they are a part of our campaign and they are enthusiastic - English universities are concerned about tuition hikes too,” he pointed out.

Walcott agrees Concordia has the potential to take its place within the student movement, but thinks there is a little bit of catching up to do with regard to the knowledge students have of what the student movement has done, and where it is going.

Continued from cover

Governance report recommends reducing student presence on BoG The BoG’s ad hoc committee met four times over the summer to discuss the ERCG’s report, said Mota. Apart from DeSantis, the ad hoc committee’s nine members include BoG chair Peter Kruyt, Concordia interim president Fred Lowy, representatives from full-time faculty, part-time faculty, and staff, and one student representative, former CSU president Amine Dabchy.

Mota indicated that the Senate’s steering committee also met twice over the summer, and will discuss the ERCG’s report at Senate’s first meeting of the year in early September.

The ERCG’s report recommended a major overhaul of the Board of Governors, Senate, and the Office of the president.

Among other items, it recommended reducing the BoG from 42 seats to 25, which would incude 15 external members and 10 internal members.

Among the internal members, the ERCG recommended that there be two student representatives, down from the five currently in place - four undergrads and one grad student. This is the main recommendation that has Concordia Student Union president and BoG representative Lex Gill concerned.

“If the recommendation is accepted, it would reduce undergrad representation on the BoG to four per cent. That’s unacceptable,” said Gill.

Gill said she still remained generally satisfied with the report’s recommendations, particularly those empowering the office of the president. The report also called on Senate to assert itself as the supreme governing body on academic affairs at Concordia, indicating that the governing body’s priority for the time being should be to adopt an academic plan.

The EGRC’s three members, Bernard Shapiro, André C. Côté, and Glen A. Jones, stood to make $1,000 a day for their work for a maximum of 20 days, thereby

costing Concordia $60,000 in remuneration alone. According to an email sent earlier this summer from Concordia spokeswoman Fiona Downey, the final cost

incurred by the university for the EGRC’s work came closer to $78,000, mostly due to hotel fees paid for the two members from out of town.

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theconcordian

Tuesday, August 30, 2011 CAMPUS

Academic plan targets

changes across the board Second draft calls for increased emphasis on research strength, excellence of teaching Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo News editor While the second draft of Concordia University’s 2011-2016 academic plan is an ambitious one and has yet to be finalized, it promises to have far-reaching effects on students.

The provost’s office released the initial draft of the plan in February 2011, soliciting feedback from students, faculty and staff through various means. After receiving over 400 individual contributions to that effect, the university released the second draft of the plan on Aug. 24.

According to provost David Graham, the plan’s importance is in the relative weight that has been given to different departments within the university.

Seven areas will see new investment, including graduate student funding and teaching assistant positions. As per the plan, students will benefit from increased TA-aided skill development, while increased training will be made available to the teaching assistants themselves.

The plan serves as a five-year

PROTEST

About 40 protesters gathered Friday in front of the Suncor refinery in PointeAux-Trembles, calling for Canada’s largest oil refinery to end its collaboration with a state-owned company in Syria. The Montreal-founded and Calgary, Alta.-based company has come under fire over their involvement in a natural gas joint venture the company. Syria’s dictatorial regime has left more than 2,000 dead in the past five months, according to recent reports by AlJazeera.

Photo by Navneet Pall

“

insight into the academic future of the university, addressing numerous concerns that commonly surface for undergraduate students.

For one, the plan tackles the challenge of increasing the quality of teaching in the university. In Graham’s view, a commitment excellence in teaching has been neglected in North American society as a whole, while researchers climb the academic ladder more rapidly because of the prestige that accompanies their work.

“As a culture, academics place too much weight on assessing research in judging things like tenure and promotion, and not enough on teaching, so one of the things that we want to do in the academic plan is to make absolutely sure that we do not fail in maintaining our commitment to excellent teaching and to improving our teaching as much as we are improving our research,” Graham said.

Involving researchers in the classroom is nonetheless seen as beneficial, especially for undergraduate students, who can draw value from the hands-on experience. “One [way to incorporate researchers into the classroom] is to be sure that our most high-profile researchers are not devoting so much time [...] to research,” said Graham.

Guest lectures and focused seminars are two other options the working group is considering.

“I wouldn’t want to close the door

As a culture, academics place too much weight on assessing research to judging things like tenure and promotion, and not enough on teaching, so one of the things that we want to do is to make absolutely sure that we do not fail in mainting our commitment to excellent teaching and to improving our teaching as much as we are improving our research David Graham, Concordia provost

on anything that would enable us to increase the exposure that high quality researchers and scholars are getting with our students,” he added.

The academic plan also merited a mention in the external governance review committee’s June report; one of the commit-

tee’s recommendations was to continue work on the plan despite the ongoing search for a new university president.

“Dr. [Frederick Lowy, Concordia’s interim president] and I discussed that after the report was released and we reached the conclusion between ourselves that it would be a very serious mistake to delay work on the academic plan until our next president is in place,” Graham said. He and the working group charged with crafting the plan brought the matter to the Senate Steering Committee, which

unanimously “decided to endorse that view.”

The plan will be presented to senate on their Sept. 9 meeting, following which it will go to the board of governors for final approval in November. The previous academic plan expired in 2010.

To read through the plan its entirety and to submit feedback, visit www.provost.concordia.ca or scan the QR code below.

life

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

7

Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com TRAVEL

Travel can be the best medicine

The view from the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge - all 134 metres of it. Photo by writer

One student’s journey Down Under helped her rediscover herself Phil di Palma Contributor Recently, a string of problems started plaguing me.

I have had depression for 10 years.

About a year ago, I started to attend counselling sessions at Concordia to deal with some of my experiences. When I began the counselling, my boyfriend at the time had his own demons to deal with. After putting up with his judgement long enough, I left him.

Less than two weeks after I broke up with him, I was mugged on my way home from school. One day, the jewellery store I worked at was robbed while I was on shift.

I had also been having regular bouts of flu, which turned out to be an obscure stomach disease.

By this point, many of my friends and family were worried about me. I was actually seeing the bright side to these events.

As Eleanor Roosevelt said “A woman is like a tea bag — you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” I went through them and came out victorious.

I decided that since I was back to being myself and could handle dealing with my depression, a toxic relationship, a mugging, a robbery and now a stomach disease, I needed to follow my dreams. So, a month

and a half after the robbery, I quit my job and took a solo trip to New Zealand and Australia for five weeks.

I landed in Auckland. New Zealand is a shade of green. Flying over the country, all you saw was green. It was like nothing I have ever experienced before.

On my way to Taupo and Wellington, I saw the volcano that was used as Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings.

I loved Wellington, where I tried 24 wines on a wine tasting tour. It was a fun party city. Thursday nights were ladies’ night. If men felt this was sexist and wanted to get in on the ladies’ night specials, they had to dress like women. I have never seen so many men in skirts and bras and still able to pick up women. I give them mad props.

From here, I went to Christchurch. One cab driver told me how he used to call the city paradise before the earthquake that hit it last February. Now, he cannot say the same.

The city is still in ruins. The earthquake hit their central business district the worst.

Only two streets lead to the centre of the damage. I saw firsthand how selective an earthquake is. A building would be completely in shambles while the one next door would be pristine.

It was time to say “kia ora,” which means “good health” in Maori, and “G’day” to my next stop: Australia.

I spent three days in the Cape Tribulation rainforest. My next stop was Cairns (pronounced Cannes), Australia. Here, I met mates I will never forget. On my first day in Cairns I decided to face my fears.

Despite having never even been on a roll-

ercoaster, I decided to go skydiving from 11,000 feet.

I signed my life away, and up I went.

My tandem partner was Max, a gnarly man who has survived over 60,000 jumps. He told me how to position myself when my legs would be dangling from the edge of the plane.

The door opened and all I saw were clouds: big, fluffy clouds. They were so inviting and were basically asking to be jumped through. And then we fell...

Next day, I went snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. I had never been before and thought I would just see some coral and fish. When I opened my eyes underwater, it was like looking into a giant aquarium.

The space between the top of the coral and the surface of the water was so small that I scraped my feet on them. I ruined Nemo’s home.

A general warning: if you are going to spend two nights on a racing sailboat, be ready to party and play some of the weirdest drinking games all night long, sleep in a room with 25 people and still have to be woken up at 6 a.m. by two skippers.

Next up was Surfers’ Paradise — the Miami of Australia. Here I learned how to surf and how ladies’ night works in this city.

Two buff, topless, Aussie boys are hired to do whatever the women want. You could put edible body paint on them, do body shots off them, etc. Also, women drink for free — all night long. This is sexism I could get on board with.

The downside is that it’s against Australian law to be drunk in a club. If you are tipsy or look like it, you will be kicked out.

In Sydney, I challenged myself once

more, deciding to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The structure is 134 metres high, 1,149 metres in length and it’s 1,437 steps — information we are not told before we sign our lives away and begin the climb.

I strapped myself in, thought, ‘If Oprah could do this, so can I.’ I climbed four rows of ladders. Making it to the top, seeing all of Sydney, including the Opera House, the amusement park, the botanical garden and three weddings in progress, was so amazing that my mates and I broke out into a victory dance.

After staying in Sydney for five days, I headed to Melbourne (pronounced Melbin).

Here, we visited a chocolate factory, saw koalas again, went on another wine tasting tour and finally, the piece de resistance: every night at sunset, hordes of foot-tall penguins escape from the ocean and waddle across the beach. The night I went there were over 800 of them.

My mate Nicole wanted me to plan our day in Australia last. Since we had arrived, I had watched and tried to understand how Aussie Rules works. This game is a mix of football, rugby, soccer and street fighting.

An indication of what a mess the game is: seven referees are required on the field.

After five weeks, it was definitely tough leaving behind new friends and a lifestyle to which I had became accustomed.

The road from rock bottom to New Zealand and Australia was lined with lessons learned. The one person we should never give up on is ourselves. My trip taught me just how independent and how quickly we could adapt to foreign surroundings. Test yourself, live your dreams, don’t dream your life.

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theconcordian

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

We re hiring!

We need what you can do.

Be a part of creating a newspaper.

We are looking for: - Life editor - Music editor - Sports editor - Opinions editor - Graphics editor

Submit your application to editor@theconcordian. com before Friday, Sept. 16, 2011, at 4 p.m.

By-election will be held at the Concordian’s editorial offices, CC-431, on Sunday Sept. 18 at 2 p.m.

theconcordian

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Follow us on Twitter: @ConcordianLife NEIGHBOURHOODS

Exploring Montreal: Laurier The street of breakfasts, beers, and everything in between

La Boîte Gourmande’s terrasse is the perfect place to spend the last few days of summer. Photo by writer

Dieu du Ciel!

29 Laurier Ave. W. For beer enthusiasts, this bar definitely challenges the palette. Dieu du Ciel! is primarily known for a variety of unique ales and lagers they brew themselves. From cherry beer to more seasonal selections, there is a beer for every taste (and budget). If you are having trouble choosing, the staff is kind and will help you select one that is just right for you, maybe even providing a free sample.

Settled in a cozy location, Dieu du Ciel! is a gem, and even has a terrasse for those who prefer the outdoors. This year, Dieu du Ciel! will be celebrating their 13th anniversary, making this bar one for the books and definitely worth a night out.

Sir Wilfrid-Laurier Park With summer coming to an end, visiting the spacious and gorgeous Sir Wilfrid-Laurier Park is a great way to escape the city without venturing too far. This green space is ideal for picnics, walks and has a variety of community activities that take place year-round. There is a pool, a community centre, fields for soccer, baseball and softball, as well as a number of bike paths that run along and through the park.

The entrance to the park is located on Laurier and Christophe-Colomb Avenues.

FOOD

Mac ’n’ cheese, bourbon and jazz

Griffintown Café is a rustic spot for southern fare Renee Morrison Contributor

Nestled between antique shops on NotreDame Street, the charming Griffintown Café lies behind an ordinary, non-descript front.

This vintage-style café is hiding a rustic little terrasse out back that will make you want to eat your meal a little slower just to stick around. Live jazz and blues play during dinner from Thursday to Saturday, and the menu has a touch of southern inspiration.

Breakfast is Mexican egg dishes meeting classic Canadian breakfast. The breakfast mac‘n’cheese dish comes with bacon and poached eggs, and a bacon-free version is served throughout the day. I know what you’re thinking — why didn’t I think of that?

Dinner has some solid options, including an organic salmon tartare, gourmet burgers and lobster salad. The menu is short, but there’s a main dish to please almost everyone — except vegetarians.

The cocktail menu is constantly changing but always makes use of their extensive bourbon collection. Try the Wild Turkey lemon cocktail; sounds like Thanksgiving dinner, but tastes like spring break. Vegetarians can enjoy this one as Wild Turkey is a brand of bourbon.

Don’t expect a loud and crazy atmosphere; this little café is a go-to spot for a laidback, intimate experience at any hour.

Think twice if you’re going out with a

Dressing for the fall Alyssa de Rosa Contributor

With school right around the corner, it’s time to make the most of what’s left of summer.

For a day that embodies the spirit Montreal is so famous for, hitting up Laurier Avenue is a must. This chic and trendy street divides the Plateau and the Mile End, offering a variety of boutiques, restaurants, shops and bars that are both unique and traditional. Though Laurier can be quite upscale, there are locations that are modern and affordable while remaining true to the street’s exclusivity and elegance. Here are a few places worth checking out.

Located just outside Laurier metro, this bistro is perfect for study dates, a quick bite to eat or to catch up with friends. It offers a balance between trendy and bohemian with its art, soft music and overall relaxed atmosphere. The inside blends artistic and industrial, making it refined yet casual. Outside, there is a terrasse surrounded by trees and plants making it an ideal breakfast spot.

The staff is friendly and informed. Above all, their remarkable service and delicious culinary creations show that they truly love their jobs. When it comes to the menu, simplicity is key and even the pickiest eater can find something. In terms of price, breakfast goes for under $10. The lunch menu is no more than $15 and includes sandwiches, soups, quiches. A variety of coffee and lattes are offered, and though not always inexpensive, they are definitely worth the splurge.

FASHION

Tips to keep you warm this season

Kalina Laframboise Contributor

La Boîte Gourmande 445 Laurier Ave. E.

9

Baby, it’s cold outside, so let’s shop!

When fall comes around, colourful wardrobes are traded in for more neutral palettes: browns, blacks, greys, and burgundies. But this autumn, keep all of those bright yellow and oranges close by because you’ll need them to complete your look this season.

For starters, be bold and invest in a bright pair of pants. Depending on your body type, they can be cropped, flared, boot cut, you name it, as long as they pop. Try rocking pink pants, pairing them with a low-key top like cream or beige. As for footwear, nude or tan heels should do the trick. The key to working a colourful piece is making sure the rest of your outfit is neutral.

However, if you really want to pack a punch this season, mismatch your neon colours. Scrap the nude hues and pair an orange top with those pink slacks.

For all you online shoppers, Asos.com offers bright, skinny pants that can be paired easily with ballet flats. H&M and ZARA have a few cool finds, as well.

If you prefer a classic look this season and are looking for a timeless piece, invest in a blazer. This one item can provide you with endless possibilities when creating an outfit for any occasion. When working with a short blazer, wear it with a longer top, like a tunic, over jeans, leggings, or even a long skirt.

Layering is the new black; cropped over long, long over cropped, and so on. Longer blazers give your outfit a crisp look but can be worn casually with fitted jeans and flats.

When the weather begins to cool down, two fashionista favouritescome together: nylons and tights. Colourful nylons in dark shades of blue, black, grey, burgundy, and brown, and even pink and red, are a hit this year. A pair can easily bring together your outfit. Nylons with a cute pair of shorts, a casual top and some leather boots are an effortless combo.

This fall season, buy yourself a pair of leather leggings, matching them with a long sweater and some ankle booties. With this outfit, you’ll be ready to hit the streets.

For men, the ‘90s are back with unique patterns, awkward haircuts, and tons of denim. If you are not ready to turn back time, buy yourself a signature piece this season that you can wear with anything. This means you can choose between a pair of combat boots, sunglasses, a scarf, jeans, or a cardigan which can be worn over every tee you own.

So, don’t let the cold bring you down.

There is so much to choose from this season and you’re bound to find something you love.

Griffintown Café’s financially-friendly fare does not lack in taste. Photo by writer

large group. The atmosphere and seating arrangement of the restaurant works best with groups of four or less. Nobody wants to be yelling across the table during live music.

Bonus: amazing coffee from their espresso machine.

Price: $15-$30 Griffintown Café is located at 1378 Notre-Dame St. W. For more information, go to griffintowncafe.com or call 514-931-5299

This Montreal student has already taken out her fur clothing this season. Photo by writer

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theconcordian

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

HOLIDAY

Staycations: the cheap travel solution Keeping your wallet and your friends happy by never leaving Montreal Marissa Miller Life editor Why deal with angry security guards at customs, the fear of flying, jetlag and annoying exchange rates, when you can plan the perfect staycation right here in Montreal?

The term “staycation” was initially coined by comedian Brent Butt in an episode of Corner Gas when he wanted to spend his free time in a more wallet-friendly way. Ever since, families have been planning their own ‘staycation’ to avoid the financial burdens associated with North America’s recent economic downturn.

Lucky for us, our lovely city of Montreal is your one stop shop for sweet times and sweet treats, so whip out your Opus card and adventurous spirit and get ready to never purchase a plane ticket again.

Horse and Buggy rides When the clock strikes 12, you’re missing your glass flip flop, or you’re looking for something to do, Old Montreal’s Horse and Buggy service is your new best chauffeur. Located along the St-Laurent River, it is a five-minute walk from downtown. Pull a Will and Kate and wave your hands regally at envious passersby, as your tour guide pulls you along the Old Port’s cobblestone roads. The tour accommodates three to five people.

Located at Notre-Dame Street, near Place Jacques-Cartier, De la Commune Street, near Place Jacques-Cartier and Place D’Youville, near the Pointe-à-Callière Museum.

Average rates are $48 for 30 minutes or $80 for 60 minutes

scaredy-cat friends play beach volleyball by the shore, pick up a surfboard and put your legs and abs to work. Or you could always convince them to join you since the buddy system is a safe move. This touristy gem, located minutes away from downtown Montreal, provides you with boatloads of activities to choose from: canoeing, kayaking, surfing, windsurfing, jet skiing, water skiing, swimming, Segway riding, rollerblading, cycling and tanning.

Certain activities are reasonably-priced while others are completely free, so call in advance for details.

Located at 1 Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal 514-872-6120 (Jean-Drapeau metro station.)

The Tam Tams Hippies unite! If you haven’t spent a Sunday morning lazing on a giant blanket at Mont-Royal Park yet, well, you don’t know how to ‘staycate.’

Con your friends into neglecting all their responsibilities with you as you convene in an energy circle telling “trippy” stories as you lick melted ice cream off your fingers. Or join in on the bongo music and dancing crowd or laugh or cry hysterically watching medieval swordfighters challenge each other to a battle. The tams has one of those vibes where you have to be there to believe it, so you should take advantage of it before the end of September rolls around. Bring some cash in case you decide to scope out the neat vendors that sell jewellery, skirts, artwork, hacky sacks and paraphernalia, and pack extra snacks for those

loud Beatles chanting to a minimum.

The Botanical Gardens Everyone has an inner nerd, and it’s okay to be one on the weekends, too. As autumn’s afternoon temperatures begin to fall like crunchy rust-coloured leaves, there’s no place better to go than the Botanical Gardens. The Garden offers tours for the Insectarium lasting 30 minutes to an hour, outdoor gardens tours lasting an hour to four hours, and hour-long greenhouse tours. The Botanical Gardens is a great place to go on a date.

It doesn’t feel like a typical grade 5 field trip, and it could be quite the mentally engaging experience, too.

Located at 4101 Sherbrooke St. E. 514-8721400 (Pie IX metro station) Open: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets: $14.

Flickr

Camping

Jean-Drapeau Park The Caribbean and Montreal have a lot more in common than you may think. Grab summer by the waves and hit up Parc Jean-Drapeau, Montreal’s famous manmade beach. While your

munchies, if you know what I mean.

Near Mont-Royal Metro

Flickr

There’s something character-building about ditching your bed for a sleeping bag and gazing up at the stars instead of your computer screen for the night. Get your buff friends to help pitch a giant tent in your very own backyard before your breath on a summer’s night turns to frost.

Achieve that “vacation” feel by lighting candles (the citronella kind that chase away mosquitoes), playing guitar, sipping on wine, and pretending to get attacked by a giant bear. This is the type of camping where you don’t lose cellphone reception, get homesick or have to use sketchy outhouses and communal showers. Just remember to be courteous to the neighbours and keep the

And there you have it. Five reasons to never leave Montreal. Send us postcards!

arts

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

11

Write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com

BURLESQUE

Beautiful teases

Though performers got cheeky during the shows at this year’s Montreal Burlesque Festival, they maintain their art form is all about the tease. Photo by Navneet Pall

Burlesque performers took Montreal by storm last weekend - just don’t call them strippers David Adelman Contributor

There is a common misconception that the striptease in burlesque is another form of red-light entertainment no different than what takes place in a strip club.

On lower St. Laurent Boulevard last week, the burlesque performers were set up on one side of the street at Club Soda, directly across from the erotic dancers at the infamous Cafe Cleopatra. Like their street locations, they face each other on opposite ends of the sexuality spectrum.

While to the naked eye the two seem similar, they are different, explained Scarlett James, burlesque superstar and founder of the third annual Montreal Burlesque Festival.

“The art of burlesque revolves around celebration of women and the audience can see that through the style, the movement and the dancing of the performers. It’s important that the difference between burlesque and stripping at a strip club is preserved,” said James.

Walking through the doors of the festival was like stepping through a time portal back to the 1920s when Montreal was renowned for clubs, cabarets and live entertainment during the time of American prohibition.

Melancholic jazz music set the nostalgic tone of the atmosphere while burlesque actors and

actresses adorned in vintage furs, silks, gloves, suits and top hats added to the glamorous mode-de-vie of the early 20th century.

“Montreal was Vegas before Vegas and I say that all the time,” said James, whose dream is to revitalize the life of burlesque and bring it back to the city.

At the venue’s reception, a young woman slowly painted a portrait of a blond burlesque performer in a white dress, standing. Pin-up artist Maly Siri believes that young adults today are searching for authenticity and trying to rediscover vintage. “Our society is very hypersexualized and I believe that porn went way too far and now people want to get back to the mystery of hiding the body,” said Siri.

“Burlesque never ends in nudity.”

Sales representative Shauna Feldman, more commonly known as the temptress L Diablo, explained that burlesque is more about the journey rather than the destination.

“There is so much nakedness in Montreal and burlesque takes you back to a time when seeing a wrist or an ankle was exciting,” she explained. “The meaning of burlesque goes deeper than sexuality, but female empowerment and that’s what inspires my passion.”

Performing to Edvard Grieg’s eerie orchestral piece “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” L Diablo is a supernatural character right out of a Tim Burton film. Just like a puppet master would manipulate a puppet, she used her flamenco skirt as her main stage prop. Curly blond hair bobs ups and down under her top hat as she dances to her own twisted version of the can-can. Every so often she flashes her undergarments to the crowd and she is greeted by roars of howls and applause.

Growing up with a passion for dance, L Diablo took ballet classes as a child, where she was constantly criticized for being overweight. “It’s really nice to be in an art form

that celebrates curves and women who look like women and not women who look like eight-year-old boys. No one throws you off the stage because you are five pounds larger,” said L Diablo, whose greatest joy is having women in their 40s thank her for inspiring them to feel empowered about their physical sexuality.

Within the concert space, a fashion show featured lingerie by Parisian label Lise Charmel and the fall collection of Montreal label NEVIK. When the lights went down, a man dressed in a suit and a top hat came onto the stage. Comedian Benjamin Marquis welcomed the audience of “anglophones, francophones, allophones and cell-o-phones.”

From vintage outfits resembling a naughty version of Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz to tight latex only Dracula’s wife would wear, women of all different shapes and sizes marched out, smiling and winking at the audience. James, with her hair short, curly and blond, made her first appearance on the runway wearing a silk green robe, playfully revealing her shoulder and curtsying to the audience before disappearing behind the curtain.

Most couples giggled and gossiped between themselves.

Couple Tracy Allan and Braulio Elicer were among the giggling festival-goers.

Allan was impressed by the performers.

“It’s amazing how much power these women have over their bodies. They know that even the person in the very back row is watching them take even their gloves off,” she said.

“The beauty is that the performer can take as long as she wants and she knows the audience will anticipate for her every move.”

While Elicer would feel awkward at a strip club with his girlfriend, going to a burlesque show was different, as the emphasis is on

theatricality and the tease, and not sexual attention.

“The better the tease, the better the show because you’re hoping that the next move is going to be the reveal and the performer keeps postponing and postponing it,” he explained. “The anticipation is building because you’re led on to still have faith that the next one is coming, then that’s where the excitement lies.”

Concordia communications student Elise Hogberg appreciates burlesque’s open attitude. “I love burlesque because it allows women of all ages, nationalities and body sizes to perform and not just one type of woman over and over again.”

Performer Lady Josephine put on her show with a cape and an eye-patch. Resembling the one-eyed bad woman in Kill Bill 2, she had balanced herself on a giant exercise ball.

“Burlesque’s perfect market is our age group. I’m 25 and I got involved with burlesque when I was a student. In university, I was an activist and I was interested in gender politics. Student life is so much about that. Burlesque addresses so many of those things so it became part of my identity,” she explained. “It allows me to be a feminist but also be feminine.”

April March is an American burlesque superstar who began her career in the ‘50s as a young bombshell. Now in her mid-70s, she has very different stories to share with you than your average grandmother.

“Burlesque isn’t about being young and beautiful, it’s about feeling young and beautiful,” she said. The one criticism she had of modern burlesque? She doesn’t approve of the tattoos – at least, not entirely. “Maybe a small one on the butt,” she conceded. “But that’s it.”

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theconcordian

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Grin and bare it BURLESQUE

Third annual burlesque festival delivered on the raw by sticking to its roots Daniel Chen Contributor Walking into Club Soda on the gala night of the third annual Montreal Burlesque Festival, there is an inevitable sense of nostalgia. The concert hall is draped from the ceiling and furnished with glittering, high-heeled showgirls. Even the soundman is wearing suspenders. There is an indiscernible feeling of longing in the room - a wanting for another time when concert halls were indeed draped from the ceiling and furnished with glittering, high-heeled showgirls.

Burlesque entertainment is the love child of Victorian parodies of more serious works, as well as American 19th century vaudeville acts. The shows are a variety of exaggerated, theatrical (sometimes absurd) acts.

The evening opened with the wacky master of ceremonies Benjamin Marquis dressed as a ringleader and ready to guide the revellers into bizarre and foundation-heavy fantasy. As promised,

the bill was quite eclectic and novel, with acts including comedic beat-boxer Charlypop to magician Sebastien-Louis XVI. Through gimmicks, tricks and slapstick, these acts entertained the audience while staying honest about how their act is simply a deception, like watching Mickey Mouse on a cigarette break.

Of course, the bulk of the programme was set aside for the striptease - a routine where the performer slowly removes an outrageous costume until she is mostly naked.

The performances were wildly diverse as the ladies moved, danced, and stripped in their own unique way, with performers varying greatly in styles, shapes, and number of tattoos. There were gorilla suits and ice queen characters that the performers slowly peeled away, revealing their bodies in all their glory. Musical choices varied sultry big band tunes to Jay-Z’s “Death to Autotune,” and presentations spanned from acrobatic to glow-in-the-dark.

Despite the elaborate and over-the-top superficiality of the costumes, the performances came off as incredibly genuine as the props and gimmicks surprisingly took a back seat to the performers themselves.

The show itself seemed to embody this sentiment as the audience hurled

Photo by Navneet Pall

Past all the lace and feathers, performers managed to strike a real connection with their audience.

encouraging catcalls toward the performers as they interacted with the audience by dancing with — and sometimes on — different audience members. The whole process broke down many barriers that often make stage performances incredibly distant and difficult to relate to.

As it turned out, burlesque isn’t about escape and delusion into fantasy, but deliverance. By stripping away the fluff

that fills entertainment through parody and exaggeration, burlesque allows for an unusually close connection with the performer. The Burlesque Festival isn’t simply a longing to be in another time or a purely nostalgic festival. Rather, it’s about longing for another place where stage magic isn’t lost to props and costumes.

Map it to me EXHIBIT

Mile End residents get out their inner explorers in collective art project Andrea Zoellner Contributor

If you have lived in a neighbourhood for a while, you’re bound to have found your favourite coffee shop, discovered the best shortcut to the metro and probably figured out which dépanneur has the cheapest Pabst. But these gems of information don’t appear on Google Maps, no matter how much you zoom in.

Mile End gallery Articule has found a solution — make your own map.

During September and October, the gallery is inviting local residents to share their interpretation of the neighbourhood through a series of cartography workshops called “Mile End Mapping.”

“Instead of us telling people ‘this is our community,’ we wanted to ask residents for their input, to see it through the eyes of different people,” said Julie Tremble, Articule programming coordinator. “We want people to share their personal routine of the place they inhabit, we all have paths in our neigh-

bourhoods, there are places you go and don’t go”.

Since 2007, Articule has published two Mile End Art Maps that highlighted galleries, artist centres and other cultural points of interest. For the third edition, however, the organizers wanted to open the conversation to the public on what should appear on the map, exploring what it means to live in a neighbourhood.

“People would tell us the maps didn’t have trees, parks or allies,” said Coco Riot, Articule outreach co-ordinator. “So this year, we decided to ask the neighbours, to see how they feel about their space and the changes within it.”

The Mile End Mapping project has grown to include several artists as well as non-profit groups. Six different workshops are scheduled as well as discussions on gentrification and green spaces, facilitated by artists and urban planners.

Bricolage Urbain is a group whose mandate is to bridge the gap between urban planning and local residents. They strive to give a voice to the general public, placing importance on senior citizens and the Hasidic community.

They will kick off the series on Sept. 2 with a creative introduction to social cartography, which invites locals to share the places not represented by traditional

maps.

Subjective cartography is what visual artist Emmanuelle Jacques, another participant, has been exploring by documenting her various itineraries.

“

We want people to share their personal routine of the place they inhabit.

Coco Riot, Articule outreach co-ordinator

“I became interested to see what kind of intricate drawings it would make if people who share the same territory would trace their movements on the same medium,” she said. “I discovered that the relationship developed between participants was really interesting too and that people had lots of things to say about where they live.”

Articule prides itself in being commu-

nity-driven and creating opportunities for these relationships to develop.

“We want to create bigger links between the artist and the community in order to make culture and arts more accessible,” said Tremble. “Everyone is concerned with their space, the space inhabits them, they inhabit the space, you can’t take yourself out and be nowhere.”

As part of the project, Articule will also host activities in collaboration with non-profit organization Les Amis du Champ des Possibles to discuss issues related to the train tracks separating the Plateau and Rosemont. Residents who use these paths are asked to map out their itineraries as part of a movement to legalize cyclist and pedestrian crossings in that area.

After the workshops are done, residents will get to see the results of their input in an exhibition that will start in mid-October.

“We have no idea what it will all look like,” said Riot. “It will be a surprise”.

Mile End Mapping workshops and discussions start Sept. 2 and run through October. Go to www.articule. org for a detailed list of activities. All the maps created will be exhibited from Oct. 15 to 25.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Follow us on Twitter: @ConcordianArts

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EXHIBIT

New life for old treasures Heir/Looms explores the artistic side of antique shopping Sofia Gay Arts editor When it comes to keeping items that have been passed down in the family and leaving them unused, nearly everyone is a repeat offender. Sometimes the object will sit in an attic in dust bunny splendour, and maybe end up on eBay somewhere down the road.

But with websites like Etsy sweeping hipsters off their brogues-clad feet, these artifacts are getting a second lease on life by artists who use them as inspiration or include them in their artwork.

In comes Heir/Looms, an exhibition that combines the sentimentality found in inherited objects with the DIY sensibility of the crafts movement.

“What would it be like, I wondered, to have contemporary artists who work with craft materials and techniques to present their work alongside familial or cultural heirlooms that they had inherited?” said curator Nicole Dawkins. “I was interested in the idea of confronting the complexity and ambivalence of our relations with the labours, materials and techniques of our respective heritages.”

With that in mind, she found 12 artists hailing from Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa who work with textiles and were interested in exploring the relationships people have with the objects they inherit and the role they play in their lives.

While each work, just like the objects the artists worked with, is unique, they evoke a shared feeling of intimacy with the viewer. The artists’ personal attachment to their heirlooms is very much present in the stories behind their objects.

From the second-hand handkerchiefs Jennifer Smith-Windsor has collected, or “rescued,” from flea markets, paying homage to her grandmother’s penchant for collecting linen, to Carl Stewart’s handwoven wool portrait of his brother, who passed

away at the age of three, every piece elicits a memory. It is these stories that lend the works an unmasked sincerity, and allow the viewers to create a deeper connection to the art.

“The works we decided to include in the exhibit tell a far richer and more compelling story than the simple juxtaposition of new works and old crafts,” said Dawkins.

“They explore much broader themes and ideas surrounding notions of “heirlooms” and creative inheritance: memory, nostalgia, trauma and family history, appropriation, collaboration, authorship.”

Artist Megarrah Buxton went one step further with Collect, a button exchange that took place on opening night. She invited viewers to bring a button of their own and swap it for one from her grandmother’s collection.

“There is something really amazing about holding a button in your hand; feeling the cracks, chips and etched details of each one,” said Buxton. “It’s a way to grow and alter the collection, and share the experience with others.”

The exhibition also aims to explore the place of crafts in the modern art world, where the word “hobby” is nearly always used in the description of the medium.

“There seemed to be a tension between the yearning to reconnect with the traditions of craft and textile production, and the conflicting desire to cut those threads in order to mark these new idioms of making as entirely distinct or radically subversive of, for example, the crafts our mothers and grandmothers made,” explained Dawkins.

The exhibition comes at a point in time where there has been a resurgence of both interest and practice with crafts, especially with Generation Y artists who learned the practices from their parents or grandparents and are changing them.

“I think that craft is gaining a whole new respect within the arts community,” said Buxton. “In the past, many of these pieces would have been considered kitsch, but I think the way artists are approaching and utilizing crafting practices today is different.”

Thread sits inside of the Thea Hines’s “The Fruit Cellar of Miss H...,” with one resembling a house.

Amanda McCavour created a thread installation based on her kitchen from an old home.

“What interests me is how crafting has so many different meanings for this generation: for the majority it is a hip pastime; for many it is an alternative and meaningful form of work; and for a few, it is a deeply profound social and political statement,” added Dawkins.

And it is to this changing landscape that Heir/Looms is contributing and lending a platform to keep evolving.

“Perhaps viewers will think about how what contemporary textile work says or doesn’t say with respect to the traditions

and legacies of the medium,” explained Dawkins. “I would hope that the show avoids creating a simple story about creative continuity and reproducing the stereotype that all craft work and art work that uses craft techniques or mediums is ‘traditional.’”

Heir/Looms is on at Studio Beluga, 160 St-Viateur St. E., Suite 508A. It runs until Aug. 30. A limited edition catalogue is also available. For details, go to www. heirloomsexhibit.tumblr.com.

Lizz Aston’s medium of choice? Burnt-out doilies. Photos by Jessa Alston-O’Connor

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theconcordian

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Step this way FILM

World Film Festival let two different countries show their tunes and moves in one night Sofia Gay Arts editor

Every year, cinephiles in Montreal gather to take in the sights of foreign lands and sounds of words they couldn’t dream of pronouncing for the World Film Festival.

The beauty of the festival comes from the juxtaposition of films. There is something enticing about sitting down in a dark theatre, ready to jump from a Flemish coming-of-age story to a Swedish horror movie.

Such contrast was present for two films – Belgian dance flick Dancing With Travolta (Dansen met Travolta) and French/Algerian/Moroccan hybrid documentary Tagnawittude, which were shown back-to-back one night.

Dancing with Travolta tells the story of young aspiring dancer Heleen. By day, she works as a roller-skating waitress at her boyfriend Koen’s restaurant. But by night, she — what else? — indulges her only passion, which is moving her feet to any conceivable beat. When she hears there’s going to be a contest where the prize is to dance with her hero, John Travolta (whose poster she longingly sighs at in between serving meals) she, of course, jumps at the chance.

But it wouldn’t be a dance movie without some drama. Heleen quickly comes to the halting realization that she cannot win the contest without dancing with her ex-flame (and first class d-bag) John.

While the plot is fairly predictable in all its “well-meaning girl caught between two lovers” glory, this sweet short film is at its best when the love triangle is put to the side and the dancing takes centre stage.

In between the smooth camerawork that lets the viewer follow the dancers

without feeling like they’ve just stepped off a rollercoaster, and the moves themselves (cartwheels and jumps galore), the viewer is left feeling good and breathless (as one should feel at the end of a dance movie).

The second film, Tagnawittude, while also playing with the music and dancing theme, was worlds away in terms of tone. A serious documentary about Gwana music, which combines religious songs and beats from sub-Saharan Africa, Berber, and Sufism traditions, the film follows individuals who use this music genre to express their religious beliefs and find a transcendental experience.

Between interviews and clips of concerts in France, Algeria and Morocco, director Rahma Benhamou El Madani explores the subject while infusing her own personal experiences; she would watch her mother go into this transcendental state when she was younger.

However, it is the interview portion of

the film that is lacking. While El Madani talks a lot about magic and passion with her subjects, the lengthly, under-edited interviews never manage to convey much of either quality.

Yet Tagnawittude redeems itself through the footage of the singing and dancing. Watching the performers do acrobatics in a street fest, and the shots of the audience (some of whom look to be achieving that other-worldly feeling) is striking, and makes one feel as if the performers could have jumped off the screen and burst into the theatre at any second.

While vastly different in many respects, both films did have one thing in common: they proved that when it comes to films that revolve around singing or dancing, sometimes the best thing to do is let the groove take over and charm the audience — in whatever language it might be.

BOOK

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children offers weird kids and boring plots While the storyline is predictable, the pictures are worth a second look Elizabeth Tomaras Copy editor

One might automatically assume picture books are for easily distracted children or for ones who don’t like to read, but every once in a while there comes a picture book that stands out from the pack.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by American author Ransom Riggs is the ultimate book for all your creepy photography enthusiast friends. Unfortunately, the images are the only intriguing part of the book.

With its teenage protagonist, this novel is definitely geared towards the young teen crowd. Jacob is your average high school kid living in Florida, working in one of the many pharmacies owned by his uncle. Close family ties play an important role from the start as readers are immediately introduced to the relationship between Jacob and his paternal grandfather, Grandpa Portman.

Jacob describes the splendour that filled the days of his childhood spent with Grandpa Portman, who told the young boy stories made all the more fascinating by their eeriness and mystery.

Grandpa Portman was but a young boy during World War II, and recounts to Jacob that he was sent to an island in order to escape the “monsters.” Jacob,

being the cynical teenager that he is, dismisses these so-called monsters as Nazis or perhaps figments of his grandfather’s fading memories.

However, these monsters become all too real for young Jacob after he discovers Grandpa Portman clinging to life in a field behind his home. While trying to rescue him before it is too late, Jacob spots something lurking in the trees above his grandfather’s motionless body.

He immediately recognizes the bizarre creature as one of the aforementioned monsters from Grandpa Portman’s stories. Needless to say, in this moment, Jacob’s life changes and the innocence of his early teen years comes to an abrupt end.

Before Grandpa Portman takes his final breath, he strings together key words for Jacob to remember. Then on his 16th birthday, Jacob is given a copy of The Selected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Through a series of clues left behind, the final words of his grandfather are made clear.

Similar to a scrapbook, photos of Miss Peregrine’s children on an island that Grandpa Portman spoke of in his stories are added between chapters and are impossible to ignore. Contortionist girls and floating babies as well as children dressed in outfits Lady Gaga would never dream of wearing are wonderful additions. There is also a shot of twin girls with their backs to the camera, which looks like something out of an M. Night Shyamalan movie. But unlike his films, the pictures in this book are actu-

ally good.

Despite the mostly predictable plot, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is extremely well-written.

Riggs’s use of a sophisticated, yet nonintimidating language keeps the novel at a level somewhere between Twilight and Harry Potter; light-hearted yet with some substance.

The spirit of the moment, found not only in each chapter but in each scene, is perfectly captured within the words on the page. Riggs manages to create drama and contrast between Jacob’s psychological state before and after his grandfather’s death, which keeps the reader on track. Oh, and the pictures are definitely worth checking out.

music

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

15

Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com

FESTIVAL

Why not Montreal?

Prevenge during their performance at L’Absynthe. Prevenge got their fans rocking for Montreal’s first annual Pouzza Fest. Photo by Tony Di Salvio

The first annual Pouzza Fest rocks Montreal and leaves everyone wanting more Mat Barrot Contributor Montreal has always had to push harder than other cities in North America to have their presence known in the music industry. We always had amazing bands by the truckload, but the shows outside of Quebec were never quite there.

Bands had to start taking matters into their own hands. One of those bands was The Sainte Catherines, who continually toured and amassed a schedule that saw an excess 200 shows per year, enough to get the attention of punk record label giants Fat Wreck Chords. So as it were, The Sainte Catherines became the first band out of Quebec to be signed onto Fat’s elite roster.

Despite the new found backing of the American label, The Sainte Catherines frontman Hugo Mudie still knew that the talent of the Quebec punk scene festered under the cover of sight like a bad case of scabies.

After indulging himself in various festivals across America such as “The Fest,” “Rad Fest” and “Monster Fest,” in Florida, North Carolina and Vermont, respectively, Mudie pulled up his pants and asked, “Why not Montreal?”

Mudie named his festival after a late-night Pabst-fuelled invention of topping off pizza with poutine, and thus, the Pouzza Fest was born.

He set out to do what no chaos-oriented punk

should ever attempt: organizing a three-day festival of music and events with over 100 bands at four different venues across downtown Montreal.

I sauntered off to the fest back in May with low expectations. I had always wanted to go to a punk-rock festival but assumed it would just be one of Montreal’s failed attempts at a colossal organizational effort. Thankfully, I was wrong; it was like a busted old car, full of rust and holes, but when the engine started the whole thing purred like a lion.

The most difficult thing about Pouzza Fest was figuring out which locale you were going to go to. Each club had an awesome lineup and slightly different style being represented.

Mudie said he “listened to everything growing up, every style of punk. It didn’t matter. Crust punk, pop punk, hardcore, oldschool, I liked it all.” He wanted to make sure that every genre was represented. It was a curse and a blessing because every club I was at, I knew someone of equal panache was only a block away, killing it.

Mudie’s years of firsthand knowledge of the touring game helped him decide the headliners. He knew that out-of-towners might not be so inclined to come to a festival that showcased nothing but Montreal talent, so he took the opportunity of the festival to bring in bands that haven’t played the city in a long time, or ever for that matter. Short-lived but influential ska/punk legends Rollerstarter hit Pouzza Fest for a onetime reunion show.

They smothered the soldout Foufounes Electriques crowd with a blast of nostalgia.

Equally full of fond memories was one of Saturday’s headliners, Lifetime, who came to play at Pouzza after a 15-year hiatus from our fair city.

“I know that a lot of bands don’t play Mon-

treal because they don’t have to,” said Mudie.

“They have huge followings in the states and a less than average following here. A festival is the perfect excuse to get bands like Rollerstarter and Lifetime to come to Montreal.”

The headlining acts were great at what they do, but my experience rested on the shoulders of the up-and-comers. Bands that went above and beyond to show that they are not only contenders, but could one day become the champions of world where punk rock is at its truest form; a place that heralds fun, excitement and anticipation of the unknown.

On Saturday night I met up with Chris Snelgrove, guitarist and singer for Montreal outfit Prevenge. Snelgrove has been playing with bands in Montreal for well over 15 years and knows the vast majority of groups that were playing because he probably shared a stage with them at some point.

Walking around with Snelgrove, I remembered why the punk-rock scene was always so special to me. It’s a big family, spanning racial divides, state lines and international boundaries.

It’s a family of black sheep. Whether it was a handshake, a knowing nod, or a high-five, once you met someone at the fest, every time you saw them you would act like you had known them forever.

By the time Sunday rolled around, everyone had partied for about 48 straight hours. Stinking of two-day-old PBR and sweat, the festivities commenced. Today, however, I was mostly staying in one spot — Bar L’Absynthe on Saint-Denis Street.

The place was packed; and a handful of great bands like Edmonton natives The City Streets took the stage. Snelgrove and I took a quick break

to head over to Underworld and watch Windsor, Ont. band Shared Arms, a group with so much energy that you can’t do anything but smile the whole way through the blistering set.

Pouzza Fest ended for me the way I wished it would. Back at L’Absynthe, the room felt like there was a generator in the centre. Due to the cancellation of the headlining band, three bands decided to fill the spot and do a superset, but before they did, Prevenge took to the stage.

Prevenge is a band that I can truly say I respect. They play to have fun, there is no monetary gain in their music, they print their own music, give it away for free through www.juiceboxdotcom.com and are always trying to introduce people to other great Canadian bands. They are the epitome of what punk-rock music is all about. The crowd agreed.

It seems like all the best up and coming bands were tightly packed into that venue, to the point where Shared Arms climbed into the rafters above the stage and Prevenge delivered with an unmatched passion and enthusiasm.

The Pouzza Fest ended that night at L’Absynthe when Montrealers Dig It Up! hit the stage with Ontario’s Junior Battles and !Attention! and continued to pummel the crown into a state of reverie. It was a room full of strangers that were now your best friends.

It was the first annual Pouzza Fest, and I can’t wait to see what 2012 has to offer.

If you want to meet the man behind Pouzza, Mudie runs a talent showcase every Thursday at Panda Bar, 2021 Saint-Denis St. For more information go to www.pouzzafest.com

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theconcordian

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

MIXTAPE

Summer might be coming to an end. The weather will get chillier, the jackets will get thicker, our free time will get shorter, and we’ll all be suffering day in and day out with our heads stuck in textbooks, loathing our lives away. BUT at least we still have sweet playlists, right?

So, when you feel the weather is making you grumpy, or classes are making you feel like you have no life whatsoever, blast up these tunes and see how your whole day brightens up. Remember, whatever the situation might be, music is guaranteed to save our mortal souls. With a mix of old and new pump-up jams: Side AAwesome, Side B—Babealicious. http://8tracks.com/the_concordian/still-got-jamz

Still Got Jamz Compiled by Eileen English Contributor

SIDE A: Awesome

SIDE B: Babealicious

1. “Praise You” - Fatboy Slim - You’ve Come A Long Way Baby (1998) 2. “Good Times Pt. 2” - RJD2 - Deadringer: Delux (2009) 3. “Hillbilly Man” - Gorillaz - The Fall (2010) 4. “Rights for Gays” - John Maus Love Is Real (2007) 5. “Met Some New Colors” - The Pop Winds - The Turquoise (2010) 6. “Maximalist” - Baths - Cerulean (2010) 7. “Bad Wings” - The Glitch Mob Drink The Sea (2010) 8. “Colours” - Hot Chip - The Warning (2006) 9. “Primetime” - Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch The Throne (2011) 10. “Truck” - The Octopus Project Hello, Avalanche (2007) 2011

11. “Montezuma” - Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (2011) 12. “I Zimbra” - Talking Heads - The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982) 13. “Yo Yo Bye Bye” - Why? - Elephant Eyelash (2005) 14. “Dirt” - WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain (2011) 15. “Golden Cage” - The Whitest Boy Alive - Dreams (2006) 16. “Flame” (Chicken Lips Remix) Bell X1 - Down To The Sea And Back: The Continuing Journey (2010) 17. “Yes!” - Colourmusic - My ____ is Pink (2011) 18. “Oh Yeah” - Yello - Stella (2005 reissue) 19. “Eyes Be Closed” - Washed Out Within and Without (2011) 20. “Knife” - CSS (Grizzly Bear cover.

- Friend (2007)

Quick Spins

Beirut - The Rip Tide (Pompeii; 2011) Beirut’s established sound is all heavy horns and loud orchestral resonance, and The Rip Tide continues this tradition. Despite some really catchy tunes like “East Harlem” there are no hooks, no shocking beats, and no outof-the-box melodies. The theatricality of his earlier instrumental and voice work is still there, but sometimes that same theatricality is just irritating. Case in point: “Santa Fe” and its uneventful (and annoying) beat of drum machine.

The album has its high points, with some quirky up-tempo beats, nice string work in “Payne’s Bay” and a gentle use of electric organ in “The Peacock.” Nothing memorable and definitely not as passionate and inspiring as the classic Beirut album The Flying Club Cup. Trial track: “East Harlem”

Retro review

Bon Iver - Bon Iver (Jagjaguwar; 2011)

The Horrors - Skying (XL; 2011)

Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers (PVC Records; 1978)

When I found out Bon Iver’s frontman Justin Vernon had recorded a song with Kanye West for My Dark Twisted Fantasy, I was a bit scared that his debut For Emma, Forever Ago was just another one-hit wonder. I wanted more of that mournful, lonesome and introspective feeling he put me through with For Emma, where you can either cry your balls out, or make passionate love. However, I didn’t quite get that with Bon Iver.

What it lacks in raw emotion, this sophomore album makes up for with musical prowess. Vernon’s creamy falsetto remains present throughout the whole album, but the recording is more pop and less wintry. This time, we are focused more on the ensemble than just the frontman; you can hear this on the bombastic horns in “Perth,” the subtle piano in “Wash,” and the electronic beats of “Hinnom, TX.” The album is undeniably a remarkable piece of music, and it’s almost as beautiful as the last one, but it’s a mistake to listen to it expecting another For Emma.

The Horrors make a complete genre change with every album they release. They went from eccentric, garage rock-inspired vocals and guitars with Strange House, to gothic rock with Primary Colors. Skying is psychedelic shoegaze, making use of electronic beats and reverb. The result is a more atmospheric vibe, though more inconsistent than Primary Colors, when they wore their post-punk influences on their sleeves.

Some songs, like “I Can See Through You,” sound like they could be part of the Tears For Fears repertoire. Others are inspired by The Psychedelic Furs and My Bloody Valentine.

The Horrors have surprised us again with another genre shift filled with crafty, clever musical ideas.

Dysfunctional American band Big Star produced three albums before finally breaking up for 20 years. Produced by famous Memphis producer Jim Dickinson, Third was recorded over several short periods of time with only two of the original band members. The fuzzy guitars, endless voice echoes, overdubs and things like using a basketball as a snare drum may have killed the mainstream potential of the album, but they created something spooky, surreal and truly honest. It’s the sound of a band falling apart.

In Radio City, Big Stars’ second album, it was easy to detect the departure of lead singer Chilton’s writing partner, Chris Bell. But with Third, Chilton seems to have settled and completely let his mind loose. He sounds like a man without a soul, a friend in need. You can hear the shakiness of his voice in the opener, “Kizza Me.” Some say he destroyed most of the songs during the recording process. What really happened? Only the band knows.

Third/Sister Lovers will leave you caught in a wasted state of mind. It is a pop masterpiece.

Trial track: “Still Life”

Trial track: “Wash”

5.0/10

-Fréderique Landry

8.0/10

Trial track: “Thank You Friends”

-Fréderique Landry

7.0/10

-Fréderique Landry

-Jean-Philippe Bourgeois

Follow us on Twitter: @ConcordianMusic

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

PROFILE

Catch him if you can Colin Stetson won’t let any genre pin him down Giselle MacDonald Interim music editor

Andrew Guilbert Contributor

China: Beyoncé’s banned and Gaga’s gone China’s Ministry of Culture has released a new Internet blacklist of hit pop songs from artists like Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Simple Plan and Lady Gaga. Chinese websites that do not wish to face potential prosecution by Chinese authorities must remove any and all of the list’s 100 tracks from their website by Sept. 15. The list includes songs like the 1999 Backstreet Boys hit “I Want It That Way,” Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night,” Beyoncé’s “Run The World (Girls)” as well as six of Lady Gaga’s most recent tunes. Though there are a number of western artists on the list, most songs are by artists from Hong Kong or Taiwan, such as Yu Wenie, whose humorously-titled number “You Say I’m Too Handsome” is also on the blacklist. This is not the Ministry of Culture’s first foray into restricting access to online music. Last April, the ministry announced it would penalize 14 sites accused of hosting illegal downloads, including Baidu, China’s largest search engine.

Is this really the best way for them to resolve their issues?

The brothers behind Britpop band Oasis have recently reconciled over one of their many feuds, though this time it was without the need for a court date. Early last week, Liam Gallagher, infamous for his longstanding sibling rivalry with brother Noel, announced he would be taking his grievances to court.

He’s upset over a statement Noel made back in 2009 regarding Oasis’ cancellation of their V festival Chelmsford show. Noel had said they’d cancelled their gig because Liam had been too hungover to perform, but Liam claims he had laryngitis and merely wanted to set the record straight for their fans. Now it seems the threat of a lawsuit has caused the elder of the two siblings to recant his position in a webchat on NME.com. “For the record, it is a fact that he was diagnosed with laryngitis and it is a fact that he had a doctor’s note to prove it. […] but it’s all getting very silly and a little bit out of hand,” said Noel. Following his brother’s statements, Liam has dropped the suit.

To the shock of absolutely everyone…

Singer Amy Winehouse’s family has released the results of the “Rehab” singer’s toxicology report, which concluded that no illicit drugs were present in the 27-year-old’s body at the time of death. “Toxicology results returned to the Winehouse family by authorities have confirmed that there were no illegal substances in Amy’s system at the time of death,” said family spokesman Chris Goodman. Prior to the test results, a friend of Winehouse’s claimed that she bought nearly $2,000 worth of drugs the night she died.

Alcohol withdrawal was also considered a prime factor in the singer’s untimely death.

Though the test did show that alcohol was present in her system, it has yet to be determined whether this may have played a role in her passing. The cause of death is not yet known.

Saxophonist Colin Stetson is aware that his music is hard to fit into one musical category, but that doesn’t bother him.

“I won’t apply a genre to [my music] ‘cause then immediately you’re talking about it in its relationship to something else and not in terms of just its relationship with you and the moment that you’re experiencing it,” said Stetson.

“I haven’t heard anybody having any issue with what I do. But I’m sure I can imagine that happening. I mean, you’re gonna hear sometimes from people about how this doesn’t sound like a saxophone the way they would know what a saxophone sounds like, and so they don’t like it.”

Regardless of what category his work fits into, critics are receptive of his work. The Los Angeles Times praised his last album as “undeniably compelling.” The New York Times, for its part, described it as varying from “fluttery, funky” to “unexpectedly serene.”

After studying music at the University of Michigan, Stetson moved to Brooklyn to pursue his musical career. There, he crossed paths with Arcade Fire, and after recording with them for a bit, he started playing with the Montreal band during their Neon Bible tour.

Stetson also encountered Justin Vernon, his current Bon Iver bandmate, in the Big Apple.

They met at a show one night, performed another gig together, and then started to collaborate.

“That was what sealed the deal: us working together,” said Stetson. “I played my solo set, he played his solo set, which I loved, and then he contacted me about coming out to Wisconsin for the new record.”

“

Montreal is a great town for music. It has allowed me to work on a lot of ideas that would’ve taken me longer to get to if I was still in New York.

Colin Stetson

Stetson has lent his talents to performances by other musical heavy hitters like TV on the Radio, The National, Feist, Tom Waits and LCD Soundsystem.

In 2007, Stetson travelled to Montreal, fell in love with the city, and stayed.

“Montreal is a great town for music,” said Stetson. “It has allowed me to work on a lot of ideas that would’ve taken me longer to get to if I was still in the constant hustle of New York.”

A year later, Stetson released his debut solo record New History Warfare Vol. 1. It showcased his skills on saxophone and clarinet, but its reach was limited. By contrast, his followup, New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges, released last February, succeeded in touching a broader audience.

“I was surprised that so many people in a more mainstream context were even listening to it because whatever type of music that I make usually ends up being something that inhabits a more avant-garde or experimental music.”

Vol. 2: Judges was nominated for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize, and made the album shortlist alongside Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs and Braids’ Native Speaker.

“It’s a pretty spectacular honour to be recognized on that level,” said Stetson. “I think for me it worked on a couple of other levels more being that I recently moved [to Canada], so it’s like the welcoming into the community of musicians on a whole that is really special to me.”

Colin Stetson performs Sept. 2 at Il Motore , 179 Jean-Talon St. W.

Colin Stetson will be performing Sept. 2 at Il Motore. Photo by Keith Klenowski

17

sports 18

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com

FOOTBALL

Stingers seek return to playoffs Morsink hopes to lead his team to Vanier in second season as QB Stefano Mocella Contributor Concordia’s men’s football team is looking to bounce back in 2011 after a difficult season.

The Stingers performed admirably well, considering the team’s youth, and a string of injuries. By week one last year, the team was already at a disadvantage when starting quarterback Robert Mackay suffered a concussion and was sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Terrance Morsink had to take over for Mackay in just his second year with the team and the Stingers wound up finishing with a record of 4-5, missing the playoffs.

Morsink completed 170 of 302 passes and wound up with 2,037 yards on the season with eight touchdowns and 18 interceptions. The last number was Morsink’s biggest concern.

Morsink spent the off-season improving his footwork and feels more confident going into the season as the starter.

“I feel like everything has slowed down for me,” said Morsink. “I’m seeing the field a lot clearer and able to make my reads much quicker. Personally, the novelty of being a starter in the CIS has worn off. I now know what it takes to be a successful quarterback in the CIS and it’s time to focus on our main goal: winning a Vanier Cup. ”

“

Concordia received stellar QB play in 23-21 preseason win at Guelph Gryphons. Photo courtesy Marianne Pointner, The Ontarion

I now know what it takes to be a successful quarterback in the CIS and it’s time to focus on our main goal: winning a Vanier Cup. Terrance Morsink

The Stingers wanted to address their offensive line in the off-season, as they had difficulty running the ball last year, averaging just 55.8 yards per game. Offensive line coach Bryan Chiu has said he’s pleased with the progression, and with veterans Anthony Barrette and Corey Newman returning, the Stingers will have a better mix up front.

The running game will be a key factor in making life easier for Morsink, and coach Gerry McGrath has made it a point to improve on. Morsink’s 302 throws led the conference and was too much for a young quarterback.

The Stingers have a group of running backs in Michael Donnelly, Edem Nyamadi and Raul Thompson, who will share carries until a standout emerges.

The Stingers hope certain recruits, such as linebacker Chris O’Kill McMullen, defensive back Vince Nardone, and wide receiver Renaud Labrecque can produce fairly quickly as Concordia suffered some key player losses, most notably star slotback Liam Mahoney, who is now in the CFL, having joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Other departures include Mackay, LB/ DE Kamil Thompson-Hutchinson, WR Daniel Rodrigues, DL Maurice Forbes (also in Hamilton) as well as kicker/punter Rene Paredes,

The Stingers’ running game must improve to take pressure off quarterback. Photo courtesy Marianne Pointner, The Ontarion who was picked up by the Calgary Stampeders this season.

On the defensive side of the ball, veteran DB Nathan Taylor will look to step up along with Kyle Smith and Nicholas Arsenault-Hum, as the unit has lost some great leaders in Forbes, Hutchinson-Thompson and Alexandre Turp.

“All three were starters on the line; it is fair to say losing them was upsetting,” said Taylor. “Kamil and Turp were both great vocal leaders and technically sound players. Maurice going to Hamilton is a clear indicator of his talent. His presence demanded the respect of the opposing team.”

The unit will be looking for more turnovers and increased physicality this season to create a shorter field for the young offence

and provide as many scoring opportunities as possible.

The Stingers open the season at home this Saturday against the Laval Rouge et Or, who trounced the Stingers in both meetings last year, 46-10 and 62-7. Laval is the powerhouse of Quebec, but the Stingers are preparing as they would for any opponent.

“The preparation for every team is the same: watch game film, put together a game plan and learn to execute that game plan,” said Morsink. “However, when playing against Laval we all know that there is no room for error. They are an extremely disciplined team and are excellent at capitalizing on their opponent’s mistakes. We need to minimize our errors and stay disciplined.”

Every off-season is full of losses and

gains but the biggest factor in determining the Stingers’ success this season will be how much they’ve matured from 2010. Last year was somewhat of a transitional year with the change at QB and young players among the roster. This year provides higher expectations, ideally meaning a Vanier Cup. A return to the playoffs would be a start and this season it seems more likely that the Stingers will make it, seeing as they missed the post-season last year by a hair.

The Stingers’ rise to the top may just be beginning.

The Stingers’ home opener is Sept. 3 against the Laval Rouge et Or at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on television on CBC-RDI.

Follow us on Twitter: @ConcordianSports

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

19

SOCCER

New additions give hope to struggling offence Padvaiskas, Duff look to add spark and talent Julian Mei Sports editor The Concordia Stingers women’s soccer team is coming off a 2-9-3 season and have not finished above .500 since 2005. The lack of success makes recruitment difficult for coaches who are constrained by a Catch-22.

“Ultimately, the problem is that when a team is struggling it can be hard to move forward. You need better players to get results, but you need results to get better players,” said head coach Jorge Sanchez.

Despite recruiting difficulties, Sanchez did manage to add two key players to his roster.

Gabriela Padvaiskas and Jennifer Duff are both offensively gifted players who are joining the team this year and are hoping to provide more talent and depth to an offence that recorded only seven goals last season.

Padvaiskas spent the last two seasons as a standout at Dawson College, while Duff returns to the team after a two-year absence. Sanchez will be relying on the duo to help the stagnant offence. “(It’s) an area we obviously have to improve on,” he said. “It is important for us to be orga-

nized defensively and try to create chances on the counterattack.”

Defensively, the Stingers will be facing an uphill battle. The team lost captain and MVP defender Allison Burgess to graduation, and

goalkeeper Andrea Davis will miss the beginning of the season due to an injury.

How the team adjusts to these losses and comes together will be critical to their success early on.

Stingers struggle to score in 0-0 draw in preseason game vs Cape Breton. Photo by Navneet Pall

“The keys for success will be if someone can step in to fill the void with Andrea’s injury and how well Gabriela and Jennifer can click offensively,” said Sanchez.

With a turnover rate of about 50 per cent, Sanchez is realistic in his expectations and will be preaching fitness and smart tactical play.

“My expectation is to try and build the team as quickly as possible, to be well organized tactically and be competitive one game at a time. The players were given a summer fitness program, we have a three-week training camp with five exhibition games and an overnight team retreat to get ready.”

The team’s first exhibition game was a 3-0 defeat to the defending CIS champions, Queen’s Golden Gaels.

Sanchez was unavailable to attend the match (he was in China with Team Canada for the World University Games), but he was not discouraged by the defeat.

“Queen’s is the defending champion, it was going to be a tough game and was the first time the team was together. The important part comes from taking the performance in the game and adapting the team tactically and then measuring the improvement in our next game.”

The team will begin their regular season at home on Sept. 9 at 8:30 p.m. against the Laval Rouge et Or.

BASEBALL

Baseball team gets stung by departures Stingers will have to rebuild on the go Julian Mei Sports editor Coming up just short is heartbreaking for any team in any sport, but the heartbreak is even worse when your archrivals drink in the sweet taste of victory.

This was the case last year for the Concordia baseball team who, after winning a national championship in 2009, were eliminated in the CIBA national semi-finals, falling to the Brock Badgers. Brock would eventually lose to McGill in the championship, a team Concordia had already defeated in the regional championship and in round robin play in the tournament.

If the 2011 team hopes to recapture any of

the success last season they will have to do it without two key components. Mehdi Djebbar, the ace of the pitching staff last year, will be forced to miss this season due to injury and Braden Simpson, the staff’s number two pitcher last year, has elected not to return to school.

“Any team would feel that kind of blow,” said manager Howard Schwartz. “I’m relying on all 25 guys to step up and play the kind of baseball I know they can play. Great pitching wins championship so the pressure will be on the pitchers to fill the gaps and patch the gaping holes in our rotation.”

Despite losing Djebbar and Simpson, Schwartz believes this team has potential to do great things.

“I think offensively and defensively, this year’s squad may actually be better than last year,” he said. “I think the big question mark is pitching.”

If the pitching staff takes a positive ap-

proach to their roles, and “gels,” Schwartz thinks they could be a force to reckon with.

But the team has to come together to make it work.

“This year, more than in the past two, we are going to have to work very closely together if we want to have a chance to win it all,” he added.

Schwartz will also be looking at Jason Katz to take an even bigger leadership role on the team after batting an impressive .444 last season, tops in the CIBA Northern Conference. “(Katz) is a major student of the game,” Schwartz said. “He understands his role and based on the changes made is going to take it upon himself to be even more of a leader than he was before.”

The Stingers will begin the regular season Sept. 4 when they host the Carleton Ravens for a double-header. The game begins at noon at Trudeau Parc.

Snapshot 2011-2012

Last seas o Who’s ou n: 11-5 t? (shoulder Mehdi Djebbar, SP su son, SP (p rgery)- Braden S impersonal).

Who’s in ? Jamal G ittens and Riley- Th e T expected rookie outfielders im to contrib will be ute early.

Circle th e 6, 7:30 p.mcalendar- Tuesday , ing natio .- Stingers face de Sept. nal cham fendp town riva ion and c ro l last seaso McGill for first tim ssn. e since Graphic b y Katie Bri oux

SOCCER

Life without Matthjis could get ugly Another year of rebuilding for men’s soccer team

“This year the team will be fitter than any other team I’ve coached,” he said. “We are preparing to play a high tempo game.”

Though last season was fraught with disappointment, a lot was learned about what it takes to compete in the always competitive RSEQ (which last season featured three teams ranked in the top 10 nationally).

Primarily the Stingers learned about the level of focus and intensity needed from the first minute to the 90th in order to compete.

“The game is played from the opening whistle to the closing whistler,” said Barker.

“We cannot take time off and have mental lapses during the game. We also learned that players need to produce consistently and at a high level in order to compete.”

Barker has set the bar much higher for this year’s edition of the team saying the goal is “playoffs and some type of silverware.” He does not want his squad, though, to simply be a team that bottom feeds off weaker opponents.

“We circle every game on the calender because we believe we can win every game.

We are equally disappointed with every loss or draw.”

Julian Mei Sports editor If the Stingers thought goals were difficult to come by last season, the task will be even more difficult this year.

Concordia’s men’s soccer team will face the challenge of trying to replace the offensive fire power of recently graduated, All-Canadian Matthjis Eppinga who led the Stingers in scoring last year. The team had the second worst offence in the RSEQ last season, scoring only 15 goals. Eppinga factored in on over half of the team’s scoring, recording seven goals and two assists.

The Stingers also surrendered the most goals in the conference last season (33) and if they have any hope of competing this year they will have to sharpen their play on the defensive end, but once again they will be missing a key piece from last season: team captain and defender David Cerasuolo, like Eppinga has also graduated.

“We expect to cut back on our goals against considerably and that should translate to more victories,” said head coach Lloyd Barker.

However, with two key players of last year’s team gone the coach acknowledged

Concordia ties 1-1 in exhibition game against Cape Breton. Photo by Navneet Pall this year’s team will need a much more balanced effort and simply can’t expect one or two individuals to fill the voids.

“All (players) need to continue improving

to a more effective level than the year before,” Barker said.

Another area that Barker has focused on in preparation for the season is team fitness.

Concordia opens the regular season at home Friday, Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. The Stingers will be playing host to the Laval Rouge et Or. The Rouge et Or finished first in the conference last year and will be a good measuring stick to see whether or not the Stingers will sink or swim this season.

opinions 20

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com EDITORIAL

It s time to work away from culture of contempt Concordia’s governance issues have been brewing for too long; now is a real opportunity for change

The previous academic year was certainly one of the most memorable in Concordia’s 37-year history, but for all the wrong reasons.

It was a year marked by the words “transparency” and “accountability,” words that were so overused in countless press releases that, at least for now, they probably mean next to nothing to the average Concordia student.

It was a year that saw two Concordia vice-presidents depart, one president get sacked, and saw a once little-known governing body known as the Board of Governors gain massive notoriety.

The December ousting of Concordia president Judith Woodsworth by the BoG sparked a chain reaction of events, from which the university is still reeling at this very moment.

Two months after her firing, the external review committee on governance was formed to tackle what the committee itself would later term a “culture of contempt” at Concordia.

While the committee’s full cost is a whole

other topic that is certainly worth debating - the final price sits at close to $78,000 - the committee did manage, within its mandate of 60 days, to put forward 38 recommendations that proposed a major overhaul of the Board of Governors, the Senate, and the Office of the President.

While most of the recommendations were widely praised by groups including the CSU, the Faculty Association, and the Part-Time Association, the ERCG’s report’s fate now lies in the hands of the governing body from which this PR fiasco exploded from in the first place.

The Board of Governors is set to discuss in detail what action in might take on the ERCG’s recommendations at its September meeting. Over the summer, its ad hoc committee on governance, which includes as its members BoG chair Peter Kruyt and Concordia interim president Fred Lowy, held meetings to go over the recommendations and to discuss what it will present to the full Board as appropriate recommendations going forward.

While the ad hoc committee’s chair, Me Rita DeSantis, did promise that her committee would be moving “very quickly” on the ERCG’s report, it remains to be seen if the BoG will do the same. The Board has certainly not been very receptive to calls for change in the past. Motion after motion was put forward last year by all Concordia stakeholders - students, faculty, and staff for the BoG’s external members who have

“

If the BoG truly believes in what is good for Concordia, it would endorse some of the committee members’ most powerful recommendations.

overstayed their terms, including Kruyt, to go.

Instead, they chose to go against the will of the campus community and kept their seats.

Will this time be any different?

If the BoG truly believes in what is good for Concordia, it would endorse some of the committee members’ most powerful recommendations: reduce the number of BoG seats (the ERCG called large boards “problematic”), strictly enforce two, four-year terms for BoG members, enable the Senate to become the supreme governing body with regards to academic affairs, and empower the office of the president, notably allowing the title holder to develop a clear academic plan.

It has become clear that something needs to be done. Local and national media have seized on the governance issue at Concordia

this past year, unfortunately shadowing any good news that may have come out of the university in the meantime. The Board not only has to act on the ERCG’s recommendations to bring Concordia back to a credible position on the national stage, but also to fix its own “credibility gap” on campus, as described in the ERCG’s report.

But while the BoG and Senate mull over the report recommendations, there is one in particular that should be given special attention, and that is the recommendation concerning student representation on the BoG. There are currently five student representatives on the BoG - four undergrads and one graduate student. The ERCG recommends reducing that number to two, most likely one undergrad and one graduate student. At a university where over 30,000 students are undergrads - the largest portion of the campus community - it is unreasonable and unacceptable to have that same group represented by a lone representative on the BoG. The undergraduate and the graduate students have proven to be incredibly vocal this past year on major issues, including tuition hikes and calls for more transparency at Concordia. To have their voices snuffed out by reducing the number of their representatives on the BoG would be dangerous.

These voices are needed at the BoG to ensure the student population that the top governing body is being kept in check. Because as we’ve seen this past year, somebody has to do it.

What did you think of this paper?

The Concordian welcomes your letters to the editor, and any other feedback.

Letters to the editor must be recived by Friday at 4 p.m.

The Concordian reserves the right to edit your letters for length, clarity and style.

Send your letters to opinions@theconcordian.com.

Your friends at theconcordian

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Follow us on Twitter: @ConcordianOps POLITICS

Remembering Jack: 1950-2011 Layton’s popularity transcended partisanship

21

SECURITY

Don t share the road

Daniel J. Rowe Contributor After Jack Layton and his orange wave swept Quebec, he could have gloated. He could have given a smug wink to Paul Martin, Jean Chrétien, Stephen Harper, Stéphane Dion and every other federalist who tried to take Quebec from the Bloc, but he didn’t.

He called Brian Mulroney instead. This was Jack Layton: smart, logical and humble.

It was such a simple, human act. It was so special, and unusual. It is something that is just not seen in politics, where the opposition is seen as evil. Jack Layton was different.

“

He belongs with John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Terry Fox as an inspiration and an example to strive towards

There was Harper, lamenting the fact that

he and his rival never made time to jam.

Then there was Gilles Duceppe talking about how he used to hang out with Layton in the gym and chat. On and on, the stories of Layton’s totally human character flow out of everyone who knew him and we are left wondering why more leaders are not as real.

The answer is that most leaders are not Layton, the most exciting figure in Canadian politics for the last 10 years. He gave the socially conscious in Canada someone to rally behind. He gave the young a leader who would listen to them.

There is a big hole left in the Canadian political landscape, but let’s not be too bleak about it.

Layton exhorted Canadians in his final message to work together, and be positive.

“My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair,” he wrote.

We are privileged to have lived with Layton’s example. He belongs with John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Terry Fox as an inspiration and an example to strive towards.

I think of the time I gave Layton my card in 2004. It said, “You met Daniel J. Rowe and loved it.” He took my card, laughed and said that it was “awesome.”

Little did I know how true the inverse message would become. You were awesome, Jack, and we loved it.

Rowe is a former member of the New Democratic Party.

Flickr

Headphones and helmets don’t match. Top photo by Navneet Pall

A solution to Montreal’s cyclist-motorist accidents Luciana Gravotta Contributor

The late NDP leader Jack Layton. Photo by David Marino/The Ubyssey

Mourners leave messages honouring NDP leader Jack Layton at the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Aug. 22. Photo by Alex Smyth/CUP

As police redirect traffic, ambulances are parked in the middle of the street with somebody strapped to a stretcher. A bike is laying in the middle of the street. This was the scene on a Wednesday night on the corner of St. Laurent and Sherbrooke Streets. It is not yet clear what happened and who is to blame but it is, unfortunately, a familiar scene in Montreal. Two cyclists were killed in back-to-back accidents that took place the second week of August.

Montreal police’s “share the road” campaign was launched last year and aims to crack down on Highway Safety Code violations made by both cyclists and motorists.

The goal is to reduce the number of fatalities and accidents, despite the perceived increase in the number of bicycles on the road.

While enforcing cyclists to follow traffic rules and fining those who do not will improve safety, the best way to ensure cyclist safety is by not allowing them and drivers to share the road.

Cycling fatalities and injuries are surprisingly low in Germany and the Netherlands, even though bicycles are a widespread mode of transportation in these countries. What are they doing differently? A Rutgers University study showed that the answer lies in infrastructure. Extensive bicycle paths and lanes, special traffic lights for cyclists that give

them priority at intersections, and designated bicycle stop areas that allow cyclists to stay in front of cars at intersections.

This month, Montreal has taken a step in the right direction by setting up its first bicycle box. The green-painted patch of pavement on the corner of Milton and University marks the space where bicycles can wait ahead of cars, giving them priority at the intersection. The bike box is just a pilot project for the moment, but its location is perfect for a test run as the intersection gets approximately 5,000 cyclists and 700 cars each day.

“

Regardless of who is responsible in each individual case, the city should make sure it protects its cyclists as much as possible.

Although pricey – the bike box’s nonskid plastic that won’t come off during snow clearing has a price tag of $10,000 – it is the most effective long-term solution for the city’s bicycle accident problem.

Regardless of who is responsible in each individual case, the city should make sure it protects its cyclists as much as possible. In combination with cautious cyclists and motorists, these measures should dramatically cut down on the fatalities and accidents that have been so prevalent this month.

theconcordian

Concordia’s weekly, independent student newspaper.

Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2011. Vol. 29 issue 1.

Jacques Gallant Editor-in-Chief editor@theconcordian. com Kamila Hinkson Managing editor managing@ theconcordian.com Jacqueline Di Bartolomeo News editor news@theconcordian. com Marissa Miller (Interim) Life editor life@theconcordian.com Sofia Gay Arts editor arts@theconcordian.com Giselle MacDonald (Interim) Music editor music@theconcordian. com Julian Mei (Interim) Sports editor sports@theconcordian. com Myles Dolphin (Interim) Opinions editor opinions@theconcordian. com Jamie Gewurz Online editor online@theconcordian. com Navneet Pall Photo editor photo@theconcordian. com Katie Brioux (Interim) Graphics editor graphics@theconcordian. com Sarah Deshaies Chief copy editor copy@theconcordian. com Elizabeth Tomaras Copy editor Chris Hanna (Interim) Production manager production@ theconcordian.com Vacant Assistant production managers Board of Directors Brennan Neill Emily White Cindy Lopez Ruben Bastien directors@theconcordian. com Editorial 7141 Sherbrooke St. W. CC.431 Montreal, QC H4B 1R6 514.848.2424 x7458 (Newsroom) 514.848.2424 x7499 (Editors) 514.848.2424 x7404 Melissa Kate Ganon Business Manager business@ theconcordian.com Marshall Johnston Advertising advertising@ theconcordian.com Business and Advertising: 1455 de Maisonneuve W. H.733-4 Montreal, QC H3G 1M8 514.848.2424 x7420 (Office)

STAFF WRITERS AND CONTRIBUTORS: Andrea Zoellner, Christine Jeyarajah, Alyssa de Rosa, Renee Morrison, Kalina Laframboise, Phil Di Palma, David Adelman, Daniel Chen, Elizabeth Tomaras, Mat Barrot, Eileen English, Fréderique Landry, Jean-Philippe Bourgeois, Andrew Guilbert, Stefano Mocella, Luciana Gravotta, Alex Woznica, Daniel J. Rowe and Marianne Pointner

theconcordian

INFRASTRUCTURE

Driving towards a solution A common sense fix to Montreal’s traffic woes Alex Woznica Contributor It is often joked that Montreal has two seasons: winter and construction. This year, the latter season seemed unnecessarily harsh.

The traffic congestion experienced this summer by Montreal’s drivers was not the result of conditions specific to the period between May and August of this year, but of poor urban planning. When erecting our roads, highways and bridges, the various levels of government involved decided to take the cheaper route. While the tax-payers at the time probably saved millions, what they got clearly cannot stand up to either the level of traffic or the harsh weather conditions to which they are subjected.

Things do not need to be this bad. Anyone who has had the good fortune of driving, biking and walking on the roads, bridges and highways of Montreal’s neighbour to the south, Vermont, will tell you how vastly superior their transportation infrastructure is in relation to ours.

Northern Vermont, which experiences nearly the exact same weather conditions as Montreal, has roads that are preferable to ours, and require much less maintenance.

Vermont invested heavily in their transportation infrastructure years ago and has since avoided the need for regular, costly and disruptive road work.

Tolls and additional fees are a possible fix. Photo by Jacob Enos (Flickr) Like Vermont, we need to focus on long term use, rather than short term. Fixing our infrastructure in such a way would cost many millions of dollars; money that none of the levels of government involved want to spend.

As such, it seems most fitting that the people who will benefit most directly from such improvements should have to pay for them. The municipal, provincial and federal governments could raise millions of dollars for such projects by charging a toll for the use of many current roads, bridges and highways, and as well for those that will be constructed.

Furthermore, more funding for the construction of quality, long-term transportation infrastructure can be generated by adding additional fees associated with license and registration payments.

Not only would charging drivers help generate more revenue to build and maintain the roads that they use, but it may also make driving a financial luxury some could not afford. This promises to further improve Montreal’s horrible traffic problem, and benefit the environment as well.

TOOLS

Another year at Concordia begins...

Advice to freshmen new to university life in Montreal Daniel J. Rowe Contributor You have made it to Montreal. You have made it to the centre of town, and you are about to begin your life at Concordia University.

Take a good look around because before you know it, it will be over and you will be left wondering where it all went and why you didn’t go to the Jazz Fest once while you were in Montreal.

However, do not despair yet, as there are years between now and then and, if you heed some advice and be smart, you can get the most out of your education.

First thing, get a job. It doesn’t matter if you have a million-dollar scholarship or a millionaire mother or found $1 million like Bill Paxton in A Simple Plan. Getting a job will make you a better person and add to your three, four, five or six years at school.

You will be surrounded and consumed by the world that is Concordia, and developing an identity outside of that will only broaden your person.

Second thing, take advantage of as many festivals, galleries, events and concerts as possible, but also be careful. Montreal is the best city in Canada, and a gold mine of cultural experience and non-stop goings-on.

You can experience much, but the city can swallow you like the sarlacc pit in Return of the Jedi. If you miss a show, a festival or a game between the Habs and the Canucks, don’t worry. There will be others.

Third, pace yourself. Start figuring out ways to manage time so that you won’t be one of the people stressing everyone else out with your complaints of how much work you have to do.

If you have six books to read in a term, read one in the first week.

On that note, if you do have to read six books in a term, thank your teacher. You will be better for it if you don’t complain and do the work to the best of your ability. Students

“

Pace yourself. Start figuring out ways to manage time so that you won’t be one of the people stressing everyone else out...

used to have to read a lot more than you do now, so get over it.

Fourth, everyone is working, everyone is trying, everyone is studying, and you are

just another one of the cogs that make up the machine. All work will get done if you want it to get done.

Talk to students in other programs, and you might learn something; I’m looking at you, engineering students.

Your discipline will not give you all the answers in the universe no matter how bold your teachers’ claims are.

Stay in Montreal for the summer. You do not need to go home and save on rent or visit your family. Montreal is the coolest place in the world in the summer, and to miss it is to miss a great party.

Finally, read Ulysses by James Joyce. If there is one thing that anyone can do, and that you can permanently wear like a badge of honour and battle, it is to read Ulysses.

You’ll thank me later.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Follow us on Twitter: @ConcordianOps

23

The Etcetera Page

Graphic by Katie Brioux

Hurricane Irene wreaks havoc on the Twittersphere. Over-hyped or not?

Regardless,Tweepz this week sound off about the storm in its wake.

@kdara: According to all the Irene aftermath photos, a lot of people like to sit by themselves on benches in flooded areas waiting for the bus.

A skater takes advantage of sunny day in Vancouver’s Cooper Park under the Cambie Street Bridge. Photo by Navneet Pall

Circular Sudoku brings a whole new shape to the Sudoku puzzle.

Standard Rules: Complete the grid so that each ring and each pair of adjacent segments contains the numbers 1 to 8.

@maura: surely there is some sort of correlation between the record numbers posted by the vmas and people being stuck at home bc of irene

@JohnBolaris: Two more, people found dead from Irene, just about hour ago, from Delaware, last tweet was going out jogging in the hurricane

@suzzzanna: Night #3 without electricity. Beginning to understand why dinosaurs went extinct.This blows. #irene #firstworldproblems

@desireegruber: Like many young women before her Irene came to nyc hoping to be as big as she was back in Carolina only to be ridiculed by the locals...

Aries - March 21 to April 20 Sunny skies and pizza pies! You instantly switch to veganism after discovering a rather unsettling amount of Brazilian fire ants in your . After making several threatening phone calls, you finally calm down and eat your crunchy salad in peace.

Taurus - April 21 to May 21 A cold chill up your spine indicates the exact moment when Mike Myers is thinking about you. Whether that’s good or bad, well, only Mike knows that.

Gemini - May 22 to June 21 A mysterious letter someone left behind leads you to a startling discovery. Thankfully the antidote is somewhere in your apartment. To find it you must answer a series of 18th-century riddles. Watch this space next week for the first one!

Cancer - June 22 to July 23 Your boss won’t give you that raise you deserve? Get a dictionary and look up ‘embezzle.’ Sure, it sounds like an album by Snoop Dogg, but it’s actually not. Then, tag him in all those pictures you took together during that bender you went on a few weeks ago at the Casino. With the extra cash, hire a good lawyer.

Leo - July 24 to August 23 Good news: the insect that has been burrowing towards your brain for the past two weeks in a desperate attempt to control your mind has finally stopped (to rest). I suggest you complete important tasks this week.

Virgo - August 24 to September 23 After realizing you don’t know 96 per cent of your friends on Facebook, you promptly head over to Reggie’s to make some new ones. Buy me a pint! Make sure it’s Thursday night around 7 p.m., I’ll be the one sitting by myself.

Libra - September 24 to October 23 Go to the arcade and blow off some steam while playing Buck Hunter. However, please keep in mind that the plastic shotguns are ineffective against humans and that you need to insert coins in order to actually play the game.

Scorpio - October 24 to November 23 Those pills you’ve been taking for the past month were secretly replaced by your mother, who is just dying to have grandchildren. Let her know how pleased you are with her by punching her shepherd’s pie in the face next time she makes it.

Sagittarius - November 24 to December 21 Make sure you’re in the vicinity of Lafontaine Park this week; the energy there is incredible! Bring a chair, some beers and just kick it. Remember to kick it all night long; the probability of something amazing happening will multiply accordingly. Also, make sure to kick inanimate objects only.

Capricorn - December 22 to January 20 The steaks are really high this week. The expression “you’ve got a face for radio” takes on a whole new meaning. Actually, avoid public spaces altogether and don’t be surprised if random strangers stop to give you their spare change.

Aquarius - January 21 to February 19 Relax this week. The sun doesn’t revolve around you; the universe has been around for a while and it’ll still be there when you’re gone, so sit down for a bit and meditate on that. Connect with your fellow man and pop a few jolly ranchers, dude.

Pisces - February 20 to March 20 The partner of your dreams walks up to you while you’re at the SAQ buying cheap wine for yet another Friday Night Lights marathon at home, alone. He whispers his phone number in your ear, then walks away. Because your mind’s focused on which season you’re going to watch, you forget it. Oh well, at least you have your health, right?