The Concordian

theconc rdian Independent student newspaper at Concordia University. Since 1983.

Volume 30 Issue 10

October 30, 2012

Investing in student space

ConCordia’s LoyoLa Campus (Left) and sir GeorGe WiLLiams Campus (riGht) WiLL eaCh be examined in the Csu’s upCominG study on existinG student spaCe on Campus. photo by madeLayne hajek

CSU hires project management firm to help plan out new student centre Matthew Guité Assistant news editor

The Concordia Student Union unanimously agreed on a motion to sign a $97,000 contract with MHPM Project Managers Inc. for their services in planning and preparing for a new student centre during a regular council meeting Wednesday.

The contract would also allow MHPM to aid the CSU in negotiating with the university should there be another round of student centre contract negotiations in the future.

Nadine Atallah, VP clubs and internal affairs, said that hiring MHPM was an important step in the long-term plan for the student centre.

“The whole idea behind this is to keep the option open for students to decide if they want to move forward with the university, independently or with another party,” said Atallah. “Should students decide they do want to move forward with the university, then at least we’ll have started the process of putting together an agreement that is a little

more representative of the students’ interest.”

Two representatives from MHPM were present at the CSU meeting to explain their proposal and to answer any questions. Council had very few questions upon the conclusion of the presentation, but Atallah told The Concordian that council members received the proposal weeks

in advance and many had already had their questions answered by her. Council voted unanimously to accept the motion, but after the representatives left, councillor Ramy Khoriaty raised concerns about what had specifically been voted on minutes before.

music

sports

opinions

Stingers going to Nationals P. 18

Halloween 2012 trends P. 21

Continued on P. 4

In this issue... life

arts

The zombies are coming P. 6

Horror movies and Profiling Cadence books P. 10 Weapon P. 15

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

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2

news Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Got a news tip? news@theconcordian.com

City in St-Jacques St. exit ramp raises concerns brief New Students and bus drivers worry about curves, speed, visibility on the road CAMPUS

Kalina Laframboise

>>Watch out, white collar criminals Premier Pauline Marois will address corruption when the Quebec National Assembly opens a new session this Wednesday. As one of its top priorities, the provincial government plans to close loopholes in Bill 35 following the revelations of corruption and collusion with the construction industry during the ongoing Charbonneau Commission. A new bill could be presented as early as this week, in order to fight corruption and force contractors to be more honest by implementing stricter rules and mechanisms in order to win a contract from municipal authorities.

>>Time to invest in a train pass Commuters, prepare for more traffic headaches. The Honoré-Mercier bridge, which connects Châteauguay and the Island of Montreal, will undergo more construction for an undetermined amount of time. The Gazette reported that while work continues on the federally owned side of the bridge and is slated for completion in 2014, the provincial side expects an additional five years of work and has no target date for completion. Construction started in 2008 to fix the decrepit bridge that is used by 80,000 commuters daily. Repeated lane closures often snarl traffic on the bridge, extending to the west and downtown.

>>...Or not Public transit users will see their monthly passes rise from $75.50 to $77.75 in January 2012. The Societé de Transport de Montréal will increase the costs of a three-day pass to $18 from $16, and offer a new option for a weekend unlimited pass for $12 that will cover commuters from Friday evening until Monday morning. The express bus to Montreal’s Pierre-Elliot Trudeau airport will cost nine dollars as will the unlimited day pass. The STM has steadily increased monthly rates since 2002, when a pass was $50.

>>Say goodbye to your employee discount Pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced it will cut 300 jobs nationwide, but mostly in Montreal. The company’s headquarters, located west of Montreal in Kirkland, will see a large number of employees dismissed due to restructuring process. The layoffs account for nearly 11 per cent of the company’s total number of employees. Pfizer has 2,700 employees in Canada and approximately 1,800 in Quebec. The company recently underwent a multimillion dollar renovation, with a $2.7-million contribution from the provincial government.

Photo by Madelayne Hajek

Amanda Brin Staff writer The newly reopened St-Jacques exit ramp off the westbound Ville-Marie Expressway , which is extremely curvy and potentially dangerous, is raising concerns for Concordia University’s students and staff.

“You enter the ramp quite violently when you’re doing 70 kilometres or more on the highway so it’s scary when you see that curve,” said Mathew Pizzanelli, a Concordia student who uses the ramp to get to the Loyola campus. “Suddenly you realize that you have to reduce your speed significantly.”

The St-Jacques St. exit reopened in late August after its reconstruction to make way for a vehicle entrance for the McGill University Health Centre super hospital, which is in the process of being built. The exit has been closed since February.

According to an article published in The Gazette, the new ramp is not a typical loop normally used for exit ramps but a reverse curve which forces drivers to take a steep right, a steep left followed by another right.

Concordia University’s shuttle bus service that transports students from the downtown campus to the Loyola campus in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce uses this exit daily. According to university spokesperson Chris Mota, Concordia has not received complaints from students or bus drivers about the new ramp, although shuttle bus driver Vince Torchia immediately noticed the potential dangers of driving too fast.

“It’s a big difference from the old one,” said Torchia. “As soon as you get there you really, really have to slow down or you can hit the wall.”

Yet, the main purpose of the ramp is to force cars merging onto St-Jacques St. to reduce their speed.

“It was a request by the City

of Montreal,” said Caroline Larose, spokesperson for Transport Québec.

“They wanted drivers to slow down before entering a residential area.”

While it is understandable that the city would want vehicles to slow down, Luis Amador, a Concordia University civil engineering assistant professor, believes this is an inappropriate measure.

“What do you do when you’re back on a street that is straight, if these curves have forced you to slow down?

You will accelerate again, so it’s not going to help,” said Amador. “If they want vehicles to slow down on StJacques, they need to bring proper measures on St-Jacques.”

Amador suggested placing little poles or markers on the side of the road to give drivers the sensation of going faster than they actually are and said widening the sidewalks to produce more narrow lanes will force drivers to slow down when approach-

ing the intersection.

He also explained that drivers only have about six seconds from the time they see the 45 kilometre speed limit sign that also indicates a curve. It then takes about three seconds to react.

“You see the sign indicating 45, you decide to slow down, you take the foot off the gas, and three seconds after you are on the curve,” said Amador.

This becomes more of a problem when drivers may miss the road signs due to poor visibility because of blowing snow, hail or fog. However, Amador emphasizes that the ramp is still under construction and more signs may be added.

Transport Québec hasn’t reported any accidents, though it’s been open for two months and typically accidents are looked at over a three-year period.

Amador advised caution to all drivers, including the Concordia shuttle bus, and encouraged those taking the ramp to fully follow the curves.

Concordia student council remains divided Councillors and executives clash over several motions at CSU meeting Kalina Laframboise News editor The Concordia Student Union discussed student appointments, the upcoming byelections and the ongoing issues with information technology services during a regular council meeting Wednesday.

Two weeks ago, Councillor Ramy Khoriaty announced his resignation from Senate in light of the lack of undergraduate representation from the John Molson School of Business.

Contrary to his statement however, Khoriaty did not officially step down from his spot by sending a letter of resignation to the council chair. Citing midterms, Khoriaty said he simply forgot to submit the letter and would do so soon.

Schubert Laforest, president of the CSU, expressed interest in appointing

VP academic of the Commerce and Administration Students’ Association, Tuan Dinh, but council immediately voiced their concerns regarding his repeated absence during interviews.

Chairperson Jean-François Ouellet then refused to allow a motion to appoint JMSB student and applicant, Melissa Lemieux, to Senate. According to Ouellet, a student cannot be nominated for the position until Khoriaty submits his letter of resignation to the chair. Therefore, Senate will not have a JMSB student representative for its third meeting, this coming Friday.

Furthermore, a contentious council disagreed over the suggestion to open the executive position of VP academic and advocacy next month. Many councillors expressed discomfort with the current situation of dividing the position among the current executive, while those same executives felt

it was crucial to help them function as a whole.

“Keep in mind we’re asking someone to work full-time and this is not an easy task. It takes time, and it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen,” said VP external Simon-Pierre Lauzon. “The other risk is that this person comes on the team, and does not actually work with us.”

Senator Chuck Wilson argued that “one portfolio is enough” and that Lauzon would be unable to fulfill his own duties if he was also taking on additional work.

The motion to open the position for applicants during the byelections passed.

Council also addressed the recurrent problems with the information technology service and went forward with the decision to hire councillor and former VP finance, Jordan Lindsay, to

investigate the hardware issue.

Council was divided over the notion of hiring a company to do a massive overhaul of the IT services, something that a visibly frustrated Laforest argued was necessary for his executive to function.

“You’re asking us to do all this stuff with our hands tied behind our back,” said Laforest. “The fact of the matter is that a decision needs to be made immediately.”

Laforest explained that waiting another two months to choose which company will remedy the situation will only cost the CSU more since it is losing money on funding a dysfunctional system.

It was decided that an open-tender process would be used for the website documents and management despite the wishes of the executives to hire a company immediately.

Photo by Rob Flis

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

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Nation in ConU addresses foreign recruitment brief CON U

University plans to implement measures regarding international students Marilla Steuter-Martin Editor-in-chief Concordia’s VP Services Roger Côté announced six new measures Monday afternoon, which will be taken to address concerns raised about the experience of international students at the university.

Côté sat down with student media to discuss initiatives the administration will enact, in response to an article published in The Link on Sept. 25. The article stated that some Chinese international students have had negative experiences with the Concordia China Student Recruitment Partnership Program and the Premier Homestay program.

“It came to light that some students were experiencing difficulty with the homestay program,” said Côté. He went on to explain that while the university administration was concerned about students who had bad experiences in a homestay, the program is not run by Concordia.

“Students elect to do that on their own,” he said. It is arranged “independently” from Concordia and Côté emphasized that it is a

“private arrangement” which international students are in no way required to do.

Peter Low is the director of the CCSRPP via the university’s agreement with his company, Orchard Consultants Ltd. The company is authorized to represent ConU at educational fairs and presentations as well as accept tuition and fee payments from international students.

On Oct. 2, a letter was sent out to Concordia’s 5,200 international students encouraging anyone who had complaints or concerns to come forward.

“While some students may hesitate to launch complaints for fear of compromising their academic or immigration status. We assure you that is not the case,” read the letter. “We urge you to take advantage of Concordia’s student services or contact the Dean of Students office for immediate assistance.”

Members of the administration spent the next few weeks reviewing the situation and coming up with six measures to help clarify the CCSRPP’s information and investigate complaints further.

“Given the fact that there were few responses [to the letter], we wanted to proactively reach out,” said Côté.

One of the main focuses of the initiative was to call for the translation of all relevant documents into Mandarin as well as English. The pre-departure guides created by the International Students Office, the documentation provided by the CCSRPP and homestay applications will all be made available in Mandarin in the future.

University spokesperson, Chris Mota, explained that while the university can ask to have these changes made, it is not in the “parameters of the contract” with Orchard. Côté, however, said that he was optimistic these changes would be made nonetheless.

“It’s in the interest of all parties to be as helpful and supportive to students and make things as clear as possible,” he said. “We’re interested in working with individuals that have the best interests of our students at heart. Those are the kind of partners that we want to have.”

This fall, a survey will be cre-

ated to gain a better understanding of “student needs relating to university residence with a focus on international students.” Student enrolment services will also conduct annual interviews with a random sampling of 15 per cent CCSRPP students.

“We’ll be asking students to come in and talk about their experiences,” said Côté. “We want to be responsive and supportive of the needs of students, especially those who travel halfway around the globe to get here.”

The last measures will be to establish an online orientation session for new international students in not only Mandarin, but Arabic and Farsi as well, and update all references to the CCSRPP on the Concordia website.

Earlier this week, at the Concordia Student Union meeting on Wednesday, a motion was passed to formally review the situation.

Côté explained that he had already met with student representatives to discuss the issue and hoped to collaborate with them further.

According to Côté, the contract with Orchard is almost up and is currently under review.

GOvERNMENT

Ministry of education to issue formal directives Students will be refunded the difference of the cancelled tuition hike

Photo from Flickr

Marie-Josée Kelly Assistant news photographer Quebec universities can expect to receive official directives from the provincial government regarding the reversal of the tuition fee increase, applied to student accounts at the beginning of the fall term, by the end of the week.

Concordia University has been

awaiting formal instructions since Premier Pauline Marois announced last month that her government cancelled the tuition hike. The increase amounts to $254 per student for the academic year, assuming a student is attending university full-time.

Following Marois’ decision, the university stated that the tuition structure in place at the start of the term, which included the increase mandated by the outgoing Liberal govern-

ment, would remained unchanged until further notice.

Joël Bouchard, spokesperson for Pierre Duchesne, the minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, confirmed with The Concordian last Thursday that an official letter, detailing the formal procedures to follow, would be sent out in a matter of days.

“We will confirm in writing the amount that will be charged and re-

funded and the document should arrive shortly,” said Bouchard.

Concordia spokesperson Chris Mota confirmed that as soon as the university receives formal instructions, students will be informed immediately.

“The minute we have the official notification, the tuition hike will be reversed,” she said. “As soon as we get those instructions, all of our students will receive an email. Everybody will be alerted to the fact that their accounts have been changed and what options will be open to them.”

Mota re-affirmed that students will be able to request a refund if there is a credit balance on their accounts and will also have the choice of crediting the amount to account for the following term.

McGill University spokesperson Julie Fortier confirmed that McGill is also waiting on formal directives in order to know what amount will be refunded and that students will also have similar options available to them.

Schubert Laforest, president of the Concordia Student Union, said that he hopes that because the university has had time to accommodate the tuition freeze, the transition will go smoothly.

“It would pain me to see students penalized because of an inability to cope with the situation appropriately,” said Laforest.

Robin Della Corte

>>Losers in Canada After its fourth draw, no one has claimed the winning ticket for the $50million Lotto Max jackpot in Canada.

“Fifty MaxMillions prizes of $1-million each were up for grabs in Friday night’s draw, and there are winning tickets for 24 of them,” the Canadian Press reported. There were nine winning tickets sold in western Canada, six in Ontario, four in Quebec, and one in Atlantic Canada. The next jackpot for Lotto Max on Nov. 2 will remain at $50 million and, again, there will be 50 MaxMillions prizes for the taking.

>>Bar refuses to serve black patrons A group of individuals claim they were refused entrance at a bar in Gatineau, QC because they were black. According to a video posted online, the bouncer at Le Fou du Roi can be heard telling the group that black people who were not regulars could not be admitted inside. Brigit Vanhoutte, co-owner of the bar, apologized for the incident and told CBC that the bouncer has been suspended due to the situation that occurred and that the bar does not ban black customers from the premises.

>>I’m stealin’ it Investigators in Moncton, N.B. said a man walked into a McDonald’s at around 3 a.m. last Saturday morning claiming he had a weapon and demanded money. Eyewitnesses claim no weapon was seen, but saw the accused leaving with food and an unknown amount of money. Police reported that the description of the suspect was vague and confirmed no one was hurt at the scene of the robbery.

>>Punch drunk love The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were called to the Halifax Stanfield International Airport last Friday night after a passenger punched a flight attendant. Police reported that a 24-yearold male passenger became aggressive during the plane’s descent. According to Sgt. Mike Lidstone, several passengers stepped in and subdued the individual until police were able to detain him allowing the plane to land without further incident. The accused will undergo a psychiatric assessment.

>>No laughing matter A San Diego costume manufacturing company called Incharacter drew criticism this week for an offensive product made for young girls. It’s not what you think, though. According to CBC North, the costume, called “Sassy Squaw,” was inspired by the Nothern Canadian aboriginal look, and not surprisingly some natives found it pretty offensive. In case you didn’t know, the word “squaw” is believed to come from different Algonquin words to describe a woman. The company, which also makes “Indian Brave,” and “Spirit Warrior” costumes, apologized for the offence and pulled it off their site after complaints were received. “We are discontinuing this style for future production,” they wrote in an emailed statement.

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theconcordian

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

World in brief CSU votes on project management firm campus

Matthew Guité

>>A different kind of Woodstock A New Zealand woman has admitted to feeding her three-month-old baby cannabis through her breast milk. The mother, 29, plead guilty to giving a controlled substance to an individual under the age of 18.

She was sentenced to six months supervision, and her partner was also sentenced for crimes related to the same police raid. The Whanganui District Court said her actions amounted to child abuse.

“People often believe drug-related activities are victimless,” Acting Senior Sergeant Andrew McDonald said, “But it affects the people around them.”

>>Can I have some more, sir?

Undergraduate students of Magdalen College, a member of the Oxford University group, are boycotting their dining hall’s services over new plans that would see students paying more than £150, or $241, annually to eat there. Students would pay the fee to use the canteen and would be required to buy a food card for another £150 which, if not spent by the end of the year, would not be refunded. Students have set up food kitchens and organized home cooking sessions to help feed other students.

>>To serve and protect?

An A New York city police officer has been charged with conspiring to kidnap, cook and eat women.

Gilberto Valle III kept the names, locations and personal information of women he had been surveilling on his computer including pictures as well as the locations and personal details of some of them. The accused officer had begun surveillance of the homes and places of employment of some of the women, and compiled a document titled “Abduction and Cooking: A Blueprint”. In an online conversation, reported by Reuters, with an unknown conspirator, Valle described how he was “thinking of tying [his victim’s] body onto some kind of apparatus ... cook her over a low heat, keep her alive as long as possible.” The maximum sentence could be life in prison.

>>Killer lit An employee at the Porter County Public Library in Valparaiso, IL, opened a book to find an interesting story inside. The book, Outbridge Reach by Robert Stone, was hollowed out and a handgun was tucked neatly away inside.

Valparaiso police said the old weapon was a gold, A.S.M. brand black powder gun with a wooden handle . As the the library receives several donations, employees were unable to identify who gave the handgun and book. However, police said the gun wasn’t reported as stolen.

Continued from cover “Is this a proposal or a contract?”

Khoriaty asked. After being informed that council had agreed to a contract, not simply a proposal, Khoriaty asked if the contract had been reviewed by a lawyer. Council then reconsidered and amended the motion to have a lawyer review the contract before its approval.

The student centre, which has been an issue for students and the CSU for nearly a decade, would provide free space for students and clubs near the downtown campus. An account set up for student space has

amassed more than nine million dollars to date, according to VP finance, Keny Toto, mostly from fee levies and interest accrued over the years.

Alex Callard, a second-year communications student, said he was cautiously optimistic when he heard of the agreement.

“It really depends on what specifically the consultants are helping out with,” he said, “Because if they’re professionals and can actually do a better job, then I think it’s a reasonable investment.”

Justin Banks, a second-year mar-

keting student, said that he had been hearing about the student centre for as long as he’s been at Concordia, but is still wary about paying a project management firm so much for their services.

“If they’re going to be drawing up the blueprints and planning everything that needs to be done before construction takes place, then I suppose it’s a necessary evil,” he said.

“The CSU doesn’t know anything about what the building needs other than what they want for students, so it could be worth it.”

According to Atallah, once the contract has been signed, a financial feasibility study will be conducted followed by the creation of a project implementation plan.

“The first step is consulting with students on what they need from the space, on what space we have and what we might need in 10 years,” Atallah said. “Once you get the results from the space study, then we put together a financial feasibility study, which is basically looking realtime at what’s available to us and what are our options.”

cup

ConU to offer indigenous studies degree The university will be the first in Quebec to do so Erin Hudson CUP Quebec Bureau Chief By next fall, Concordia University is hoping to be making history as the first university in Quebec to offer a bachelors degree with a major concentration in First Peoples studies.

A major in First Peoples studies has been available to students since September 2010, however approval from the Ministry of Education, Leisure and Sport must be granted before the program is official, meaning no student can graduate with the major until then.

The major is offered through Concordia’s School of Community and Public Affairs, along with a minor that is both available and officially sanctioned — minors do not require ministerial approval.

Daniel Salée, the school’s current principal, has been working on implementing the major and minor programs since the 2001-02 school year.

“We’re really in the very final stage now of having it approved, it took a lot of time,” said Salée. “But we’re confident that this year should be the year where we’ll be able to finalize the whole thing and have it approved officially.”

Along with Manon Tremblay, now senior advisor on Aboriginal initiatives at the University of Ottawa, Salée and his colleagues took two years to form the program proposal together. Passing Concordia’s internal governance processes, the major and minor programs were approved by the university’s senate in 2006.

The final hurdles for the major program involved gaining approval from the Conférence des recteurs et des principaux des universités du Québec and then the ministry. Each of the external reviews involves answering a series of questions and recommendations concerning matters such as financing the program, projected enrollment, and content of the curriculum.

Although this final stage of approval typically does not take a long time, Vice-Provost Ollivier Dyens expressed

uncertainty over how the ministry of education will function now under the newly elected provincial government.

“Right now, in Quebec, we’ve split the ministry of education in two different ministers, so there’s a brand new one who’s in charge of university and I don’t know what the process is at that point right now, so it might slow down a bit,” he said.

Salée said the major program received a lot of support within Concordia and from the government bodies, though he noted that he and his colleagues had to “justify more what we’re doing or what we’re

trying to do.”

“Really the biggest problem was that when you make certain claims with respect to epistemologies and methodologies you get all these people who raise eyebrows: ‘What do you mean? Why aren’t Western ways of knowing good’?”

For Salée, part of the reason for the nearly decade-long approval process was due to the major in First Peoples studies being the first of its kind in Quebec.

“No other university in Quebec has a similar program ... so there was a lot of discussion internally,” explained

Salée. “For example, one of the big issues was how do we integrate Aboriginal methodologies into a Western-type curriculum.”

With the exception of Bishop’s University’s minor in Indigenous Studies and Université Laval’s certificate program, no other Quebec university has a structured program offered through the institution.

Throughout the last 20 years, many universities across Canada have developed a variety of programs, departments and faculties dedicated to the expanding field of indigenous studies.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

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Follow us on Twitter: @TheConcordian CiTy

McGilliLeaked reveals university practices New website issues documents related to McGill Robin Della Corte Assistant news editor

A

McGill University student launched a website containing numerous documents obtained by requests filed under the Access to Information Act about the university, including contracts, investments and security reports.

McGilliLeaked features contracts with security, the university’s dealings with the company

MIR3 that is in charge of mass emergency text messaging notifications as well as documents from McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association, the university’s labour union for non-academic support staff. It also includes security reports and reports from the sixth floor student occupation and Service de police de la ville de Montréal’s reports from the Nov. 10 protest against the tuition fee increase and brief occupation at McGill.

Christopher Bangs, an honours economics student at McGill, is the creator behind this newly launched website. Bangs explained that he received various documents from concerned students and some

Montreal university newspapers, which he put online.

“Over the last year or so, a lot of students submitted access to information requests to McGill, and we got interesting documents,” Bangs said. “After getting the response, people took what they got home, and none of us had copies of the others’ documents. This site is supposed to fix that, so that everyone has access to everything we have gotten from the university.”

In contrast to McGillLeaks, a website with a similar name that was closed down due to documents being retrieved illegally and then uploaded afterwards, McGilliLeaked is a website with documents obtained legally and has no rela-

tion to McGillLeaks. Furthermore, Bangs said he didn’t come up with the name for the site himself.

The online initiative has garnered support from students like Lisa Bartczak, a first-year education student at McGill, who believes that this website will “help shed light on the fact that McGill really mismanages its money and resources.”

First-year biochemistry student, Kyle Acton, said he believes that this website is based on reason, allowing anyone to verify the university’s expenses and actions.

This is just the reaction that Bangs had hoped for.

“The site benefits everyone at McGill University, because we de-

serve to know what our university does on our behalf,” Bangs said.

“That includes where it spends money, what it invests in, who funds its research, and how it governs its own activities.”

Bangs stated that “feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and [he] will keep on publishing any documents people want.”

There are times where the university can refuse documents being uploaded onto the site, such as those concerning serious security issues, The McGill Daily reported.

“I hope that we can use these documents to better understand our school’s place in Quebec,” Bangs said.

LECTURE

Suzuki discusses environmentalism Canadian legend, David Suzuki, hits the stage in front of thousands at John Abbott College Alyssa Fourneaux Contributor David Suzuki presented a lecture in front of more than a thousand students at John Abbott College in honour of the official inauguration of the new science building Wednesday.

The college cancelled classes to allow students to watch the speech, entitled The Challenge of the 21st Century: Setting the Real Bottom Line. The lecture was also available through a live webcast to more than 13,000 high school students as far away as Gaspé.

Throughout the lecture, Suzuki imparted his wisdom to the attendees.

“The planet is not in trouble,” he said. “The planet will be just fine, with or without us. We’re the ones who are in trouble.”

Suzuki said he often gets asked how the planet can be saved but expressed it was not the planet that needed saving, but the people inhabiting it.

“Environmentalism is not a speciality, it’s not a discipline,” he explained. “Environmentalism is a way of seeing our place on the planet.”

Suzuki referred to himself as an “elder” and shared his belief that it is up to elders to pass wisdom onto the next generation but that it is up to the youth to take action.

Suzuki told the students the most important difference they can make is to see the world through an environmentalist’s eyes.

Suzuki emphasized that wealth was not defined by money, but, as his father said, relationships are what constitute prosperity. He went onto explain that the last weeks of his father’s life were some of the happiest they shared.

John Abbott student Jeremy

Pizzi said that while he didn’t learn anything new, the lecture was still enlightening. Pizzi found the most effective part of Suzuki’s lecture was when he held up the 1992 document World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity in which leading scientists warned against the impact of environmental destruction and global warming.

“If not checked, current practices put at serious risk the future we wish for a human society,” read Suzuki. “No more than one or a few decades remain.”

John Abbott College inaugurated their new science and technology building after the presentation. The building is heated with geothermal technology and the college is hoping it will be certified gold in the Leadership in Environment and Energy Design, a ranking system for eco-friendly buildings.

Suzuki finished by speaking about the economic market as a major factor in the environmental debate today. “If it’s not working we can change the market, we can’t change the laws of nature but we can sure as hell change the things that we invent.”

“

The planet is not in trouble.

The planet will be just fine, with or without us. We’re the ones who are in trouble.

- David Suzuki

life /death 6

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com hallOWeen feaTure

Digging out the undead among us What’s not to love about zombie culture?

Zombie walkers lurk through the streets and show off elaborate costumes at Place des festivals during the montreal Zombie walk on oct. 20. Photos by mallika guhan Saturn De los angeles Contributor

I

t’s past midnight. You get off the metro and walk out the door. You encounter a paleskinned corpse covered in wounds with blood dripping on the floor. Worn in ripped clothing, messy hair and an axe to boot.

The poor creature is mumbling, grumbling and walking towards you. You want to freak out, you scream and turn around. And guess what, a mob of possessed nobodies welcome you from about.

Your legs start to shiver, you scramble in fear. You find yourself in a dead end. Where do you go?

And cut! That’s a wrap, folks.

That’s a common scene you find in your average horror film, and let’s face it, there seems to be a huge demand lately for our dear friend, the zombie. The questions is why are they so popular and so beloved?

“Zombies, they’re everywhere,” said Donato Totaro of Concordia’s Hoppenheim School of Cinema. Totaro is a part-time film studies professor and the editor of the online film journal Offscreen.

He explained that zombies have been around for a while and spanned various waves of popularity.

“Cinematically, zombies go back to the ‘30s.

The first wave weren’t like the bone eating, bone crunching ones we know now, but more to the voodoo, witchcraft and slavery kinds,” said Totaro.

He explained that zombies trace their roots back to Haitian Creole culture. He attributes the significance of slavery, where people used witchcraft to possess one’s physical body.

“The dead are brought back alive as slaves.

They’re the working class monster, the anti-establishment monster. They’re the allegorical exploitation of the working class,” said Totaro.

The most recent wave, Totaro said, spawned from director George Romero’s horror film, Night of the Living Dead. Released in 1968, the plot centers on a group of people seeking refuge in an abandoned farmhouse from an invasion of the walking dead.

Totaro attributes how director Romero orchestrated the adrenaline-induced fear from getting eaten by a walking corpse as a defining moment

for the mass popularity of zombies today.

To further understand this phenomenon, I spent a day immersing myself among thousands of walking corpses - sort of.

The annual Montreal Zombie Walk was held on Oct. 20 at Place des Festivals. People strut out their creepiest zombie costume outdoors to gather and walk together through the streets of downtown to the delight of spectators.

Walking along with five thousand undead beings was a dream, or in this case, a nightmare come true. Their bodies were caked in chalkwhite makeup, faces smeared in cornstarch-diluted red blood.

As I endlessly followed these undead creatures, I bumped into Alex Marotte, a spectator taking photos with his friends. I also discovered that he was a hardcore zombie enthusiast.

“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of zombies. Unlike most children, I didn’t get scared at all…I was so excited about being a zombie. I wanted to eat brains, raw brains,” said Marotte with a laugh.

Marotte credits the ‘80s horror punk band

True Sounds of Liberty for his immersion into zombie culture. Ironically, T.S.O.L. music was featured in the 1985 film Return of the Living Dead, a film which was also one of the many spin-offs from director Romero’s Night of the Living Dead.

He also explained that a good part of ‘80s music was zombie-oriented, from music to album covers and even music videos. Does Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” ring a bell?

So why do people love zombies? Going back to Totaro, he elaborates on this fascination with the walking dead.

“Look how they’re dressed, very poorly... the stereotype of the working class person,” said Totaro. “Modern people we can relate to…not appreciated by the elite, but by the disenfranchised.”

In essence, zombies represent the attack of the masses - the low-class monsters, compared to more socially elite creatures, such as vampires.

“I love the whole thing, like what’s not to love? Everybody’s having a good time getting together with it, all united in death. It just blows me away,” said Marotte.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

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7

CulTure

All around the world on All Hallows Eve halloween traditions go beyond candy bars and costumes Casandra De Masi Staff writer It’s that time of year again. The time where sloppy-faced pumpkins adorn lawns and balconies across the city, where chocolate bars and candies are shrunk and sold in mini-formats by the dozen, and children dress up while adults dress down.

The actual origins of the Halloween we know are always a topic of dispute, with roots in both Christian and Druidic religions. One thing we do know for sure is that Halloween has become a huge deal in North America for commercial purposes. Stores sweep in over $8 billion in sales, according to the National Retail Federation, putting it second on the list of American holiday moneymakers. However, not everyone around the globe can be seen donning Nicki Minaj costumes and chowing down on candy corn on Halloween.

euroPe In France the holiday is not celebrated much at all, and only really found its place in the late ‘90s thanks to commercialism. Those who do celebrate organize parties, but nothing as grandiose as us Westerners.

Trick or treating is rare, but Dawson College student Karl Ussakowsi, who spent some time as a child in France, said some stores give out treats. “A considerable amount of people don’t celebrate it because it is not a French holiday,” he explained.

Italians are known to celebrate All Saints (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2); the two

Christian holidays that many say Halloween originates from. In Sicily, the holiday is treated much like Christmas Eve, where children wake up on Nov. 2 to find treats left for them by the dead souls who raised from their graves.

The English have given into the pull of American culture, and children find themselves going door to door on Halloween.

In Sweden, Norway and Germany, the holiday has been increasing in popularity over the last 10 years. Just like in North America children and young adults dress up and trick or treat in some areas, as well as decorating their houses and storefronts.

AsiA Asian celebrations have taken on a twist of their own. In Japan the Obon Festival takes place in July and is a time of year where it is believed that the souls of the dead return home. Lanterns are hung, food is prepared, and their houses are decorated to welcome the spirits. It is believed that the dead return to their birthplace during Obon.

In China and Vietnam, celebrations are also centered on welcoming spirits home. During the celebration of Yue Lan (Festival of the Hungry

Ghosts), people believe that the spirits have 24 hours to roam free. “It is a holiday or rather a festival for spirits. We pray for the dead,” said Université de Montréal student Nathalie NguyenPham. According to Nguyen-Pham, some larger cities have taken on a more Western approach to celebrating.

Middle eAst And AFricA It is not every country from around the world that has traditions linked to Halloween or spirits. Halloween is rare and not very widely celebrated in Middle Eastern and African countries.

lAtin AMericA And sPAin

reCipe

Latin America and Spain’s celebrations go on for three days. El Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, begins on Oct. 31 and ends Nov. 2 on All Souls Day. During these three days people pay their respects to their dead ancestors and reflect on the joys of life. Families build altars in their homes and surround them with flowers, candies and water; all offerings to comfort their dead relatives. On the last day, they make a trip to the gravestones and have picnics in the cemetery. They are celebrating those who have passed on, recognizing the circle of life.

Despite many countries having their own spiritual celebrations, American culture has travelled across borders and overseas, which is why those living in metropolitan areas can be seen donning Iron Man and Hulk costumes and going door to door asking for treats.

Essentially, Halloween in North America is what you make of it, and has no actual meaning for most. Nevertheless people have fun with the holiday. It’s one day in the year where you can dress as a giant baby without being frowned upon. Just know that there really isn’t much rhyme or reason as to why you are wearing a diaper!

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

The perfect pumpkin eat all your fears away with this sweet and healthy dessert nathalie laflamme Contributor

I

t’s that time of year again. As we get closer and closer to Halloween, people are decorating their homes, picking out costumes, stocking up on tons of candy and, of course, carving pumpkins.

So, what better way to get into the Halloween mood than by making a pie with the holiday’s official vegetable? Here is a simple recipe for pumpkin pie, made from scratch.

Instead of simply buying my pumpkin at the nearest market, I decided to go to Quinn Farm, located on l’Ile Perrot. They had a huge selection of pumpkins; from small ones, to flat ones, some with a wart-like texture. If you are making a pie, the best kind is a sugar pumpkin, but a regular one will do the trick too (that’s what I used).

At Quinn Farm, pumpkins cost $0.40 per pound for pumpkins and $1.00 per pound for squash. You must also pay an admission fee, which is $2 a person between October 15th and 31st. It’s a really fun way to spend the day, especially with your family.

Pumpkin pie is a great way to eat dessert without feeling guilty. You are just getting your portion of veggies! According to the Huffington Post, the bright orange color is a sign that the vegetable is full of betacarotene, an antioxidant which helps the

pie

body retain vitamin A. Current research shows that a diet containing high amounts of beta-carotene can help reduce someone’s chance of having certain types of cancer, and also helps protect from heart disease.

So don’t be shy, help yourself to another serving!

Here are the steps to making the pie. This recipe was inspired by Mark Bittman, the author of How to Cook Everything: The Basics.

Pie crust ingredients One packet of Graham crackers, crushed 3/4 cup of melted butter

Filling ingredients 2 eggs 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 1/2 cups fresh pumpkin purée (made from a fresh pumpkin, not the can!)

3/4 cup of cooking cream Whipped cream (for topping) Baking the pumpkin will take about an hour, so make sure to start with that. Cut off the top of the pumpkin and empty out the seeds (but keep them for later!) Once the pumpkin is empty, cut it in quarters.

Place them with the flesh side up on baking sheets. Cook the pumpkin in the oven at 350°F for about an hour, or until the pumpkin is soft. Once the pieces are cooked, take

PumPkin Pie made from scratch takes a while but is worth the effort. Photo by writer

off the skin and make the purée with your food processor, or with a potato masher.

While the pumpkin is cooking, you can start making the crust. Crush the Graham cookies until they make a powder; a few chunks here and there is fine. Slowly add the butter and mix with a food processor or electric mixer. The dough should be moist, add more butter if needed. Remember that it has to stick to the plate. Then, flatten out the dough on your pie plate with your hands or a fork. Make sure that there is a lot of dough on the sides of the pie plate, because it will shrink the first time you put it in the oven.

Put the dough in the oven at 350°F for

about 5-10 minutes, then let it out to cool.

Now for the filling. Beat the eggs, then add all the dry ingredients. Add the pumpkin purée, then the cream. Once the mixture is homogenous, pour it into the crust.

Cook for 30-40 minutes at 350°F, until the filling is a jello-like consistency. It is best to refrigerate the pie overnight, but you can eat it once it has cooled. Throw some whipped cream on there and you will be in for a treat!

Overall, it took me about two hours to make the pie, from cutting up the pumpkin to taking my first bite. It is totally worth it; the Halloween-inspired pie was incredibly tasty, and nutritious too!

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COSTuMeS

Costume shopping doesn’t have to be scary Discover three great places in Montreal to find the perfect disguise for halloween anne-Darla lucia D. Contributor For many university students, Halloween could not come at a worst time. Midterms have us losing sleep, hallucinating because we’ve been staring at empty word documents or gigantic textbooks for too long, and drinking coffee like it’s nobody’s business. If that’s not enough, in the middle of it all, we then have to find the time to buy a Halloween costume.

In a last minute attempt not to be that person who shows up at a party without a costume and uses the boring one liner “I’m dressed as me,” you may be tempted to shop at some random Halloween store opened just for the occasion. I suggest you think for a second before you go, because you can find better, right in our city, for similar prices and way better service.

Johnny Brown is one of those sweet deals.

For 80 years now, Johnny Brown has been offering costumes ranging from theatre to dance all year around and is a true Montreal landmark.

Luba Lapierre, self-proclaimed jack-of-all-trades at the store, explained that service, dedication and passion is what makes it one of a kind.

At Johnny Brown, you will be assisted stepby-step in your costume creation process from the minute you walk in. The store and its staff are truly dedicated to give clients what they need.

“If you can’t find a costume, we’ll help you find it, and if we can’t find it, then we’ll start twisting something to make it happen for you,” said employee Luba Lapierre.

While many stores are open on Halloween

just to push sales and make money, Lapierre says that Johnny Brown is more about giving good service. Most of its employees have been working there for years and love what they do.

“When people walk out of here well-served and happy, that’s my Halloween,” said Lapierre.

Moreover, Imagine Le Fun and Malabar are worth checking out as other stops on your journey to find the perfect costume. Imagine Le Fun impresses you the minute you open the door. It’s

absolutely massive. It has a diverse and incredible amount of costumes, wigs, accessories and makeup covering all walls from floor to ceiling.

Malabar has been in the business since 1923.

It offers everything from dancewear to opera costumes. They are also open year around. An interesting aspect about Malabar is that you can buy a costume or rent one. The store has a seamstress available on the top floor and any costume can be tailored to fit you perfectly. Some of their

rental costumes can be found online as well.

So, you’re probably thinking that all this sounds expensive. It’s not necessarily. These stores can satisfy any budget. Whether you want to spend $30 or $100, they have options for you to pick from. Most importantly, they will give you great service regardless of what you spend. Of course, if you decide to shop on Halloween day, expect some hecticness and a little less individual attention.

reSTO

Bevo Bar and Pizzeria: The modern-day nonna

Travel to naples a little bit more with every bite

of Naples, and entered the smallest looking trattorias, on my quest to finding the best pizza ever made in the town where pizza was once invented. I succeeded, as I entered a small alley and sat at a tiny trattoria, run by a joyous looking old Italian man. It was a pizza that changed my life. I had given up hope of ever tasting pizza that good again.

I’ll say one thing about the menu. If you don’t order a pizza your first time at Bevo, then you should kindly step out. An enormous wood oven run by chef Giovanni Vella is creating pizzas worthy of the trattorias in the confines of Naples. For the first time since that day in Naples, I was brought back to that small trattoria. This was a pizza. Add bocconcinis, Italian sausage, fresh parsley, Italian cold-cuts, and you have a masterpiece. Ranging from $13 to $21, there is a pizza to satisfy anyone’s taste. from the vegetarian Giardino to the Bosco in Bianco topped with roasted mushrooms and black truffle.

Needless to say, the menu was filled with a variety of Italian hors d’oeuvres and main dishes that will make your mouth water.

Juicy, massive, Italian meatballs dressed with a fresh tomato sauce definitely makes the honour roll. Perfectly cooked veal scallopini with home cooked potatoes definitely makes the cut. An aromatic pesto sauce with fresh clams makes the list as well. All in all, a simply amazing menu.

It isn’t easy finding a restaurant like this in Montreal, where you can appreciate both the food and the nightlife experience a great city like Montreal has to offer. From Thursday to Saturday, Bevo has a DJ spinning the hits into the wee hours of the morning.

George Menexis Opinions editor One of the main reasons I adore the Italian culture is for their wonderful, diverse cuisine.

The pizzas, the pastas, the meatballs; I’ve fallen in love with it all. Some may say that you haven’t really lived until you’ve had an authentic nonna, that’s grandmother in Italian, cook you an authentic meal; because that’s what the nonna does, she cooks, and she cooks well.

Montreal has become a haven for Italian restaurants, some good, some not so good.

Bevo Bar and Pizzeria has done something that many other restaurants have failed to do - bring authentic Italian food into a 21st century setting.

Bevo Bar and Pizzeria isn’t easily describable. It’s a mix of two distinct decors. An Italian trattoria, worthy of a Sicilian village, and a supper club in the heart of an urban city.

However, they’ve clashed together to create something quite special. This is the core of Bevo. We see it in the decor, and most importantly, we see it in their cuisine. Bevo has become the modern day nonna, who could give any master chef a run for their money.

Now as you sit in this chic setting, you see beautiful dark oak floors and an amazing glass bar, serving up some innovative martinis. The tables are dressed with classic red and white tartan cloth napkins, and what looks like century old lanterns are creating a dim lighting worthy of a scene in The Godfather. All in all, an amazing atmosphere.

Now, I’ve been into the deepest confines

bevo bar and PiZZeria is where modern and traditional meet. Photo by madelayne hajek

Bevo Pizzeria is located on 410 saintVincent st.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

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Sing the night away CEO Karaoke Lounge: a hidden karaoke gem Chinatown offers a top dollar experience Marta Barnes Staff writer

I

f you love to karaoke your heart out but haven’t consumed enough alcohol to keep your knees from knocking on stage, have no fear! CEO Karaoke Lounge offers a fine selection of private party rooms for groups of any size.

Located in one of the more well-hidden nooks of Chinatown, CEO is below the famous Ruby Rouge restaurant, in a basement veritably riddled with karaoke caves. It might be easy to miss, but if you’re in the know of where to look, then you’re in for a treat.

Descending into the open lounge, a fine selection of liquor catches the eye, as do the multiple wall-sized projections of karaoke videos to get newcomers in the singing mood. The couches are arranged in a square, intimate and comfortable, and are excellent for those who just want to drop in spontaneously when out with a couple of friends.

Where CEO KTV really hits their stride, however, is with their private rooms. While the small ones are cozy and can squeeze in six to 10 people, the largest can easily accommodate more than 30, if not 40.

After talking to the staff about what makes a night here particularly memorable, they answered that hands down, it’s the friendly atmosphere.

“Customers always come here and feel they know the rest of the rooms by the end of the night,” said one employee with enthusiasm, explaining how the parties seem to always end up merging to-

gether. So for those who are social butterflies, this is the place to meet strangers and enjoy a quality glass of wine, whisky, or sake!

Except for soft drinks and beer, which are fairly standard prices, drinks are sold by the bottle. Wine ranges from $45 to $65, while hard liquor can range between $120 to $180.

Renting rooms go according to how much the final tab comes to. The small rooms are free if more than $100 is spent on alcohol. The bigger rooms can go as high as $500. Although, keep in mind this is the total cost divided among possibly more than 30 people.

Hope is not lost though. Students get a happy hour discount between 6 p.m. and midnight on weekdays and 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends, which is the very decent cover charge of $10 including a drink. The staff advises big groups to make reservations on weekends, but welcomes spur-of-the-moment drop-ins during the week.

The kitchen offers a very basic selection of instant noodles, pork dumplings, dried squid, and chips. It’s recommended to eat beforehand, particularly if more than $100 will be spent on drinks that night. With that said, Chinatown is literally on the doorstep, so it’s easy to run out for a midnight snack.

The song listings themselves are displayed on impressively new touch screen computers and are easiest to search through by artists. There are selections in English, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Vietnamese.

Check out their Halloween spirit this week for their seasonal decorations and costumes!

CEO Karaoke Lounge is located on 1008 Clark St.

Pang Pang Karaoke Bar

CEO Karaoke Lounge

Pang Pang hits all the right notes Who says karaoke needs to be humiliating?

Andrea Sun Contributor

S

o you’ve thought of doing some karaoke, but can’t bear the thought of being jeered on stage. Too many times you’ve said, “There’s no way I’m singing in front of all these people.” Do not fret. Pang Pang Karaoke Bar satisfies all of your vocal cravings without the need for public embarrassment.

Pang Pang is two steps away from campus, making it convenient for after-class meetups. It may look small from the outside, but inside you’ll find it new and beautifully furnished, and who can ignore the immense mural in the entranceway? I’m talking golden Grecians frolicking. Once you’ve felt the touch of Bacchus, you’ll gleefully join the chorus.

Pang Pang has an impressive number of private booths available, from a cozy smaller rooms to spaces large enough to accommodate up to 22 people. Each room has its own flat-screen television, leather couches or benches, and in the larger rooms, your own coinoperated peanut dispenser. No matter what size, the rooms are comfortable enough you could easily kick back for a few hours.

“I like it because it’s intimate,” says Rosi Lutchman, a third year John Molson School of Business student and frequent Pang Pang customer. Lutchman says she likes “being in a room with friends as opposed to singing in front of a crowd full of strangers.”

Once seated, you never need to leave the room. if you want to place an order, simply press the button on the wall and a waitress will come to you. However, if you’re shy of the mic, I highly recommend a stroll down the hallway. The drunken howling of other

guests will always cheer you up!

Drinks are nothing fancy, but reasonably priced at $4 to $6 for beer, $4.50 a shot, and $6.50 for mixed drinks. There are two types of rental rates, room rates and Happy Hour. The cheapest rate depends on how many people you are and the time of day. Small rooms of one to four people are rented for $25 an hour, large rooms of five to 12 people go for $30 an hour, and V.I.P. rooms of 13 to 22 people are $50 an hour. Fridays and Saturdays are $15 an hour per person.

The karaoke system can be somewhat difficult because the controller’s keys are all in Korean, but with help from the staff, you’ll get the hang of it. Most impressive was the range of songs available, with 25,000 to choose from in English alone. It isn’t all Queen and Shania Twain either. Songs are as new as PSY’s “Gangnam Style.” Although reading the lyrics is another story. Add to that a plethora of Japanese, Korean, and Chinese songs, and you’re set.

Snack offerings include chips, nachos, and fried dumplings, but with the amount of restaurants on campus, it’s more satisfying to eat elsewhere. That being said, Pang Pang is cozy, clean, and conveniently placed. Whether it’s a casual get-together or a birthday event, you’ll have a good time!

Pang Pang is located on 1226 MacKay St.

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arts 10

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com hallOWeen feaTure

Horror in film and literature XX

What makes a great scary movie Colin McMahon Staff writer Imagine seeing the face of the Frankenstein monster in theatres for the first time. Imagine that you were one of the first to see the haunting image of Dracula’s castle or hear the howl of the Wolfman. Those images, now so mundane, were at one point considered frightening. The Frankenstein monster was grotesque, the castle was rich in haunting atmosphere and the werewolf’s howl sent chills down people’s spines.

These horror movies inspired fear in their time but one would argue that they no longer have that same power. A lot of the techniques of horror from the age of Frankenstein are still employed today but to a different degree.

For one thing, the advent of technology has greatly increased the realism of horror movies. Also, film standards are less stringent

than they were in the 1930s when movies like Frankenstein and Dracula were released. The Motion Picture Production Code of 1930, also known as the Hays Code prohibited the portrayal of brutal killings in detail or murder in a way that could spark imitation. This is not the case today, as exemplified by such brutally violent films as Saw, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or The Human Centipede.

The older films were about the atmosphere; the horror of the unnatural in unnatural places. They featured uninhabited castles with dripping stone walls, locked rooms, secret dungeons, abandoned and overgrown graveyards, creaking staircases, clanking of chains, swirling mists and sudden shrieking winds.

Atmosphere still plays a key role in modern horror films such as Paranormal Activity and The Silence of the Lambs but is enhanced with help of technology. The atmosphere of modern

horror movies are less about the supernatural and more about the everyday gone wrong.

As technology has progressed so have the techniques of terror. An increase in the quality of sound, costume and visual effect serve to make the horror all the more realistic, and therefore more terrifying, for viewers. Dracula or Frankenstein are no longer as terrifying to modern audiences because we’ve come to expect horror films to be incredibly realistic and engaging as a result of technology.

In movies of old, evil creatures and monsters were supernatural beings, they were costumed to resemble nothing remotely human. These days, evil is more likely to have a

human resemblance, suggesting that modern viewers find the idea of evil that looks human scarier than evil in a mask.

In a sense, the fundamentals of horror have not changed all that much over the years. As human beings, we still find the same fundamental concepts frightening but, thanks to our imagination and technology, there will always be new methods of conveying those fundamental fears and new frights are to be had from them. In the words of Edgar Allan Poe, “Perversity is the human thirst for selftorture.”

With files from Amanda L. Shore

books that give you goosebumps Colin McMahon Staff writer Can words on the page be truly scary? While some choose to read the classics like Lovecraft, and others enjoy the pulp of Clive Barker, there is only one King.

It is hard to argue the impact that Stephen King has had on the horror genre. For the past 40 years, King has contributed dozens of works to the realm of horror, including such influential classics as Carrie, Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Misery, and It. If you haven’t read King, you’ve heard of him, and even if he isn’t your cup of tea, you still have to respect his talent.

“Stephen King has done a tour of just about every horror concept that you can imagine. He might be kind of a dirty word in the world of ‘literature’,” said Jessica Marcotte, a graduate

student at Concordia. “But when you write as much as he does, you’re bound to write something good - he’s a master of the short story and novella. Different Seasons is one of the best collections of novellas I’ve ever read.”

What Marcotte points out is arguably King’s greatest strength. His sheer prolific nature has forced him to be recognized. While much of King’s work is still outside the realm of academia, he has become such a presence in the world of fiction that it is impossible not to encounter his work, whether it be in their original literary form or in the film adaptations.

Many authors are lucky if they can have one book or series become a successful film.

King has enjoyed so many quality adaptations of his work that even his short novellas like The Mist and Secret Window have become major Hollywood films. Currently, King’s Dark

Tower series is undergoing the film treatment, which has the possibility to set him alongside the likes of J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien.

While King’s reputation is unquestionable, how did one author from Maine become an international name in horror? The answer is that his novels and consequently his movies employ three techniques of horror that never fail to frighten; the gross-out; severed body parts, mysterious green goo dripping on someone’s arm, the horror; huge spiders, zombies, something grabbing you in the dark, and atmospheric terror; “when you come home and notice everything you own has been taken away and replaced by an exact substitute. It’s when the lights go out and you feel something behind you, you hear it, you feel its breath against your ear, but when you turn around, there’s nothing there...” BOO! you jump a foot in the air.

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filM

Top five scariest movies amanda l. Shore arts editor

Roger Ebert called The Silence of the Lambs a “horror masterpiece” and describes the fear in this film as inspired by the “terrifying qualities” of Hannibal Lecter, especially when he is first seen by Starling. “His speaking voice has the precision of a man so arrogant he can barely be bothered to address the sloppy intelligence of the ordinary person. The effect of this scene is so powerful that it underlies all the rest of the movie, lending terror to scenes that do not even involve him.”

W

hat films are constantly touted as being the scariest of all time? Lists come out every year from various media and no two are ever the same. Out of 10 different lists, the following five classic films have appeared the most frequently and these oldschool scares are guaranteed to send a chill down your spine.

5. Alien, 1979 A science fiction horror film about a murderous alien who stalks and kills the people aboard a spaceship, very much resembles a haunted house type film, only it takes place on board a spaceship and has an alien instead of monsters and ghosts. The most common element of horror in haunted house type films is when things jump out unexpectedly or when the audience is waiting for something to jump out, which this film has lots of and where it derives most of its horror appeal.

4. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1974

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called it “as violent and gruesome and bloodsoaked as the title promises,” and American film critic Rex Reed said it was the most terrifying film he had ever seen. This gruesome film about a group of friends who fall prey to a murderous family while visiting their grandfather`s old farmhouse, was banned outright from some countries and removed from theatres after various complaints. Nonetheless, the film grossed $30 million dollars and inspired a re-make in 2003. Loosely based on the story of real life murderer Ed Gein, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre inspires fear as a result of its desolate Texas setting; broken down homes and hardly a soul around, the character of Leatherface with his mask made out of human skin. And just when you think it can`t get any worse, it does.

3. The Silence of the Lambs, 1991 A blending of crime and horror, this film centers around the need for FBI trainee Clarice Starling to consult with cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter, in order to apprehend another serial killer, “Buffalo Bill.”

wrote in The New Republic, that this was the scariest film he’d seen in years, “... If you want to be shaken... then The Exorcist will scare the hell out of you.” Based on William Peter Blatty’s novel by the same name, The Exorcist is concerned with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempt to free her daughter by having her exorcised by two priests. The power that the demonic presence wields is particularly frightening especially as it gets stronger and stronger, transforming the young girl into a terrible monster.

2. Psycho, 1960 Sometimes called the first psychological thriller, the fear in this filmed is inspired by the character of Norman Bates, a lonely motel owner who lives with his mother. Fear is created through the suspense of trying to discover what’s really going on and the idea that no one is safe as the unknown murderer might appear at any moment.

1. The Exorcist, 1973 In February 1974 Stanley Kauffmann

liTeraTure

Film adaptation reignites interest in novel Midnight’s Children, based on Salman rushdie’s novel, introduces itself to a new generation nicole Yeba Contributor “At the precise instant of India’s arrival at independence, I tumbled forth into the world,” said Saleem Sinai in the 1981 novel Midnight’s Children written by acclaimed author Salman Rushdie. These words are just a sampling of the prose and story that enchanted millions when the book was first released. The book has since been adapted into film by Oscarnominated director Deepa Mehta and is set to be released in theaters Nov. 2.

Midnight’s Children is an allegorical recounting of the historical events of India’s independence and its partition into two religious states: the Dominion of Pakistan and the Republic of India. It is told by Saleem, who was born exactly at the stroke of midnight on the day of India’s independence and is therefore exactly as old as the Republic. In this fictionalized and fantastical rendering of India’s history, Saleem represents the entirety of India. His telepathic conference with the other children born at midnight the day of India’s independence reflects the political and personal conflicts that consumed citizens of India at the time. Saleem attempts to imbue his personal narrative with all the themes and stories of his country eventually overwhelms him and he disintegrates, much like the united country of India disintegrated during the partition.

According to Dr. Jill Didur, the chair of the department of English at Concordia, Saleem’s telepathy is meant to play on the Western idea of Indian mysticism.

“Saleem’s telepathic powers have been seen by critics as a gesture by Rushdie to appropriate Orientalist assumptions about Indian culture and satirize them through exaggeration [while] signaling them as a creative choice rather than simply reproducing a stereotype about India.”

The novel was extremely popular during

Midnight’s Children recounts the story of saleem sinai and india’s independence. its initial release in 1981 garnering itself the Booker Prize, the English Speaking Union Literary Award and the James Tait Prize. Furthermore it was also awarded the Best Of The Booker in 2008 when the Booker committee was celebrating the 40th anniversary of the award.

Midnight’s Children is considered groundbreaking in its use of an imagined form of Indian English — a mix of accented English

and Hindu, its employment of magic realism to relate historical events and its postmodern literary style. The novel integrates the past and the present and spans a great number of years, beginning in 1915. It will be interesting to see whether the master craftsmanship of Rushdie’s writing can be effectively translated into the medium of film.

With files from Amanda L. Shore

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theconcordian

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

COluMn

The problem with theatre audiences today Students are in high demand at theatre productions but it seems that they’re hard to come by

amanda l. Shore arts editor

T

he average university student, especially those who are studying English literature, will most likely have read more plays than they will have seen performed. It’s definitely not for lack of shows; Montreal has more than 70 English theatre companies and hosts the Fringe Festival, a month long festival featuring more than 500 shows. University students simply aren’t interested. Out of 50 students surveyed by The Concordian, only 13 acknowledged that they like to go to plays.

The general response as to why these students didn’t see plays was that television was easier to access and they didn’t have the time or any particular interest in seeing a theatre production. Some students said they attended Broadway musical-type shows such as Wicked and The Lion King, but hadn’t gone to see any Montreal-produced shows of the non-musical variety.

Despite school, work and social obligations, many students still find the time and money to see movies in the theatre. On average, the price of a student ticket to see a

theatre production is not much more than the price of a movie ticket, but students are more likely to attend a movie rather than a show.

Quincy Armorer, the artistic director of Black Theatre Workshop believes it’s because students have an idea that theatre is vastly different from seeing a film. And it is different.

Theatre is live, the actors are mere meters away from you and anything can happen; if an actor flubs a line or loses a prop there’s no ‘re-shoot’. Some would say this makes it all the more exciting and impressive. In terms of genres, theatres offer similar selections as movie theatres. Montreal offers a range of productions in the genres of drama, comedy, romance, tragedy, mystery and adventure. On the other hand, theatre productions rarely have special effects, high speed car chases or dramatic gun battles; things that only the medium of film can pull off.

However, a film can still be enjoyable without these elements and therefore, logically, so can theatre.

Joseph Shragge the Co-Artistic Director of Scapegoat Carnivale, feels that one reason that students don’t attend shows is because of “a lack of outreach on the part of the company.”

“I’ve felt that the more effort we put into letting students know about our plays, the more attendance we’ve gotten,” he said.

Companies often find it difficult to get information out to students. Armorer notes that his company relies heavily on student

media. His company has tried to get permission to post promotional material in schools but the bureaucracy involved often makes this difficult.

Would more students attend theatre productions if they were inducted with the same media campaigning that films use? After all, promotional film material is everywhere; television, online, on public transportation, in restaurants, even in our washrooms. Theatre companies, on the other hand, don’t have a large enough marketing budget to blitz students the way films do. What can be done then?

Theatre companies have to be more cre-

ative and thrifty by doing things such as school tours, social networking and using student press. But perhaps it would be useful for Montreal theatre companies to band together and try campaigning to dispel the myth that theatre is boring or not worth a student’s time. After all, students are the new blood, without them theatres will have no fuel once older generations pass on. Instead of 70 different theatre companies spread all across Montreal, maybe resources should be combined to offer students easier access and to cultivate their interest in the productions on offer.

theatres in montreal strive to attract students to their shows. photo from flickr

music

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

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Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com

COnCerT

Rockabilly bands, Halloween Rock Show

Go retro at L’Absynthe with good oldfashioned rock and roll Victoria Kendrick Contributor

Why settle for the “Monster Mash” this Halloween season when you can high-tail it over to l’Absynthe, a local hotspot showcasing Montreal talent new and old, for their very first Halloween Rock Show?

The event features an eclectic mix of groups such as Café Racer, Rocket ’56 and Trade Secrets. Rockabilly group Rocket ‘56 highlights a genre quickly gaining momentum in the music world. A potent mix of the fresh and the familiar, rockabilly transports audiences to that hazy point in time where past meets present. A fitting soundtrack for a Halloween-style shindig, the genre lets ’50s style rock take on a more modern interpretation while still coming across as authentic. We can also look forward to hearing from Trade Secrets, a fresh group who will be opening the night with some crowd-pumping Indie-pop.

The band headlining the event, up-andcomers Café Racer, are sure to please audiences with their versatile sound. When asked what influences we can expect to hear through their music, frontman and fellow Montrealer Myles Hildebrand replied simply, “Everything. Labels don’t really mean much to me. We have a great time onstage and a lot of people have a good time listening.”

It was difficult to categorize Café Racer’s sound. While their penchant for that old school sound, notably Elton John and the Beatles, definitely shines through in their work, it’s impossible to ignore the progressive perks laced throughout each track, creating a crossover between the retro and the modern.

The band admits they always feared making music that does not pertain to their generation and that keeping a suitable amount of modernity

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was a definite necessity. This is especially apparent in their song “Circus Girl,” a lively, upbeat tune featuring a dangerously catchy guitar riff, a smooth yet complicated drum intro and strong vocals. Taken separately these aspects might seem old-fashioned, but combined they offer an original mix different from anything our parents ever listened to.

One thing they can tell us for sure, however, is that they’re loyal to their roots. “We’re a true Canadian rock and roll band,” said drummer Josh Grant, originally from Ontario, while fellow member Shawn Forbes hails from Manitoba.

“Canadian music has a distinctive sound. You see that with Yukon Blonde, Zeus and The Sheepdogs. We know Canada very well, and I hope that shows in our music,” added Hilderbrand.

Café Racer may be new on the circuit (formed just over a year ago), but its members are no strangers in the music biz. Hildebrand recently released his debut solo album Myles from Home, a light and classy homage to all things folk, available on iTunes. Hildebrand describes his solo project’s trademark sound as “Sunday afternoon music,” while his exploits with Café Racer are “Friday night music.”

As for when we can expect some fresh online tracks from Café Racer, they hope to be in the studio this upcoming year.

“I think we’re all, to some level, perfectionists,” explained Forbes, “While it’s a priority for us, as a band, we’d rather have nothing than something poorly done. With recording, you only get one shot.”

In the meantime, they’ll be keeping busy with shows booked for November and December, building a fan-base around Montreal, with their sights set on gigs in Toronto, Boston and New York this summer.

The Halloween Rock Show starts at 8 p.m. at L’Absynthe (1738 Saint Denis St.) on Tuesday, Oct. 30. Tickets are $5 in advance or $7 at the door. https://www.facebook.com/ events/195752527226554/

10. “My Body’s A Zombie For You” - Dead Man’s Bones: Founded by hunky movie star Ryan Gosling, Dead Man’s Bones released their monsterthemed, self-titled debut in 2009 to critical acclaim. Is there anything more creepy than a choir of children shouting, “My body’s a zombie for you!” Unless you’re into that ... not judging!

9. “Poor Edward” - Tom Waits: This is a song about Edward Mordrake, a 19th century heir to English nobility. He supposedly had a second face on the back of his head, which would laugh, cry and whisper to him in Satanic language. Poor Edward was driven to suicide at the age of 23.

Halloween party songs

By Paul “El Monstro” Traunero Staff writer

8. “Sally’s Song” - Fiona Apple: Originally written for Tim Burton’s stop-motion masterpiece The Nightmare Before Christmas released in 1993.

Sally was a rag doll and desperately in love with the film’s protagonist, Jack Skellington. In “Sally’s Song,” she laments her unrequited love for Jack.

This song is perfect for a slow dance or a bumpin-the-night.

7. “Monster Mash” - Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers: The song is narrated by a mad scientist whose monster arises to performs a new dance called “Monster Mash.” This 1962 novelty

(L-R) Josh GRant, shawn FoRbed and MyLes hiLdebRand oF CaFe RaCeR. “mash” is sure to catch on in a flash, and be a graveyard smash!

6. “In A Gadda Da Vida” - Iron Butterfly: “Wait a minute, this sounds like rock and or roll.”

This 17-minute jam was famously covered in an episode of The Simpsons, as Bart exchanges the sheet music in church during Sunday mass from their usual hymns to this pipe organ-driven psychedelic rock number. An instant classic!

5. “I Put A Spell On You” - Bette Midler: Originally by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, “I Put A Spell On You” was performed in the 1993 Halloweenthemed comedy Hocus Pocus. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy are witches executed during the Salem witch trials, who come back to life on Halloween night for one purpose: to boogie!

4. “Ghostbusters Theme” - Ray Parker Jr.: This was the theme song for the 1984 cult classic, Ghostbusters. The film features Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney Weaver as unemployed parapsychology professors who create a ghost removal service — with hilarious results.

This catchy tune is sure to haunt even the most skeptical.

3. “Time Warp” - Motion Picture Cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Dust off those fishnets and corsets boys, because we’re doing the “Time Warp” again! This song was featured in the 1975 cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The film stars British actor Tim Curry as a sexually ambiguous and flirtatious ‘Sweet Transvestite’ from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylvania.

2. “Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565” J. S. Bach: Although there is nothing inherently spooky about a pipe organ, the pop culture references transcend Bach’s original intention for the piece. With references ranging from Dracula to Phantom of the Opera, this melody is definitively Halloween. (Bonus: It also makes an obnoxious ringtone!)

1. “Thriller” - Michael Jackson: Composed by Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones, “Thriller” is one of Michael Jacksons’ lasting musical legacies. This song has it all: a killer beat, catchy hooks and a dance-ability that lands this song at the top of my list. All we need is Michael to come back from the grave this Halloween to don his red leather jacket and re-enact the infamous music video.

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theconcordian

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 FeSTiVAL

Coup de coeur: a proper homage to francophonie

Andrew Guilbert Staff writer

>>>Isn’t he a musIcIan too?

aLex navsky (LeFt) and aMyLie aRe two oF the dozens oF aRtists pLayinG MontReaL’s Coup de CoeuR FestivaL FRoM nov. 1-11.

Annual music fest presents French culture from all across Canada Veronique Thivierge Staff writer The Coup de cœur francophone festival is back for its 26th edition with an outstanding palette of francophone artists. The goal: to celebrate French music in all of its creativity, forms and shapes across the country. From Nov. 1 to 11, Montreal’s heart will be pounding to the rhythms of dozens of francophone artists. The festival provides unique support to rising artists belonging to francophone minority communities, and most importantly, brings the festival on the road, giving these same communities access to musical discoveries.

Coup de coeur features blues, rock, indie, folk, country, bluegrass, poetry…you name it!

The lineup is so impressive, it’s difficult to

find where to start; Richard Desjardins, MariePierre Arthur, Chinatown, Bernard Adamus, Pascal Lejeune, xavier Cafféine, Julien Sagot, Madame Moustache and much more. Emerging artists, such as Les Hay Babies, Simon Kingsbury and Klô Pelgag join the already established talent in this diverse mosaic of francophone music.

You will have the opportunity to discover and rediscover winners of industry prizes such as Festival en chanson de Petite-Vallée 2001, Prix Felix-Leclerc, Prix France OFF, Prix Rapsat Le lièvre and le Gala de l’ADISQ. Another important aspect of the festival is ‘Les Escales Coup de Coeur’, which offers an open window to artists from outside the province and the opportunity for them to interact with the Québec audience. Bratsch, La Grande Sophie,

Alexis HK and Suarez are among these outof-province guests. At the Théâtre Outremont, ‘Danse Lhasa Danse’ will be presented in tribute to singer songwriter Lhasa de Sela - who died in 2010 after being diagnosed with cancer.

CIBL will host live public recordings of the radio show “4 à 6” with numerous artists. Francophonie Express and Live at La Quincaillerie will also be recorded on Nov. 6 and 7 with select francophone artists. All 10 days of the festival are packed with album launches, prize presentations and free lunch shows at Bistro in Vivo.

The icing on the cake: a pyjama party with Bia, a Brazilian artist living between Québec and France, on Nov. 11. In brief, Montreal’s Coup de coeur is an array of events to fill your ears, make your soul soar and your heart burst into song.

MixTApe

Streams of the week Three of the latest discoveries elizabeth Mackay Music editor

1. MA ReMix - ARIANe MOFFATT (2012; AuDIOGRAM)

2. “SPLITTeR” - CALexICO - NPR’S FAVORITe SeSSIONS

3. “BReAKeRS” - LOCAL NATIVeS - HuMMingbiRd (2013; FReNCH KISS)

Not an easy task, but Montreal’s Miss Moffatt has managed to seduce Quebec’s French and English audiences and bridge the gap with 2012’s MA. Moffat told CBC that she wants “to master the essence of each kind of groove” and that she feels “more creative when making stylistic clashes.” In the spirit of chasing something different, the singer-songwriter is set to release MA Remix on Nov. 6. If MA showed Moffat dipping her toes in electronica, with MA Remix she’s completely submersed.

The album’s six tracks are straight-up dancehall thanks to a collaboration with Montreal’s DJ Poirer, who she chose to lead production.

MA tracks were reworked by several DJs, so that MA Remix stands as an entirely different record on its own. Moffatts voice is slowly stretched out over jumbled, intoxicating electronica — “Hotel Amour” and “In Your Body” are transformed from pop into slow, sexual dance. This album will likely make heavy rotation in Montreal clubs after the official launch on Nov. 5 at her 5925 Park Avenue show.

In the latest installation of their ‘Favorite Sessions’ series, NPR published a clip of Calexico performing their new single, “Splitter,” at Minnesota’s 89.3 The Current studios. Electronica is seeping into almost every strain of music — even Taylor Swift is dabbling in dubstep — so it is surprisingly refreshing to see a band perform raw acoustics. Vocalist Joey Burns leads two additional guitarists and a pianist in what NPR called ‘a beautiful breakup song.’ Burns’ husky, southern soothing voice comforts the listener with “One hand on the hammer, one foot by the door/Pushed by the wind, fed by the need for moving on/Moving on to nowhere.” If the lack of actual instruments in popular music leaves you lost, reassure yourself with Calexico’s live “Splitter” footage.

Remember Gorilla Manor? Hard to believe it has been almost four years since Local natives released their debut album. Last week, straight out of the blue, the Cali afro-pop rock band released “Breakers”, the first single off their anticipated 2013 sophomore record.

With reference to their new material, Local Natives told Pitchfork that it “feels like our band, but we’re not doing the same thing again.” If “Breakers” serves as an indicator of what direction the band is moving in, they are rounding out their young, catchy pop tunes in favor of a louder, darker and venue-absorbing sound. The track begins with their signature, light toe tapping drum beat, then ascends into something new for them — loud, victorious vocal harmony. This change from innocent pop to emotional rock sounds like maturity, but the lyrics instead reveal a state of limbo, in between adolescence and adulthood. “Stare down my nose, watching/the color change from my eyes/Cold cereal and TV/Before I go to sleep.”

In an interview with the A.V. Club last week, Noel Gallagher was his usual frank self.

When asked why he doesn’t hang out with musicians, he said, “Because they’re fucking idiots.” Gallagher went further, explaining his reticence at the thought of forming a new group with British artists: “Oh, fuck that. I don’t fucking mix with anybody— British or any other musicians.” The interview also revealed the singer’s sentiments on his increasingly popular Tales From The Middle Of Nowhere tour blog, which he admitted he only started at the insistence of the people who run his website: “Let’s be under no illusions about what this actually means.

It’s just a way of drawing people to the website so I can sell them some shit. That’s all it is.” In response to the mandatory Oasis reunion question, Gallagher acknowledged that a lot of his old band’s contemporaries were reforming, but that didn’t mean it was a good idea for them. He said he knew from experience the one way to get people to stop asking about a reunion was to do it, but he still was not interested. “I’m afraid I won’t be getting involved in any of that. There’s no need for me. I’m not interested in that kind of a thing.”

>>>Bon Iver’s Been scrapIng a lot of Barrels lately

Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon has designed a new guitar made from old Bushmill whiskey barrels and built by fellow Eau Claire resident Gordy Bischoff. The guitar, named “The 1608” after the year Bushmills was founded, will be auctioned off on eBay, with proceeds going to Eau Claire’s Confluence Project, which hopes to build a community arts center in Vernon’s home town.

“The goal is to put art back on the map in Eau Claire. Far too many artists from this area have had to leave because what we want to do with our lives just isn’t possible here. That’s what the Confluence Project is: to build a center that can be a nucleus for art here in Eau Claire,” said Vernon. Interested in owning The 1608? The auction closes Nov. 1 and the latest bid as of this writing stands at more than $8,000.

>>>“Better

run, run, run, faster than the Bouncer”

Foster The People frontman Mark Foster was kicked out of a Prince gig in Los Angeles last week for using his cell phone. Prince has strictly forbidden the use of phones with recording capabilities at private shows, a rule Foster had apparently disregarded, which got him escorted out of The Sayers Club. The frontman begged security to let him back in, claiming he had an unpaid bar tab and promising that he wouldn’t use his phone to take photos, at which point they acquiesced and allowed the singer back in after checking his phone at the door. Foster was very understanding of the security’s reaction and said of the incident “It’s cool ...

Prince doesn’t play in front of 100 people every night.”

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

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Cadence Weapon’s Dirt City state of mind

RoLLie peMbeRton, betteR known as CadenCe weapon, wRaps up his 2012 touR, the bLaCk expeRienCe in sound, in MontReaL at MusiC venue iL MotoRe on satuRday, nov. 17.

Genre-bending hip hop artist, Cadence Weapon, returns home for the final stop on his six-month tour

Michelle pucci Contributor DJ-rapper extraordinaire and Montreal transplant Rollie Pemberton, a.k.a Cadence Weapon, has had all three of his LPs nominated for the Polaris Prize and is already a Canadian music veteran. At 26-years-old, he has already served a two-year term as Edmonton’s Poet Laureate and learned to transcend the limits of the hip-hop genre.

Pemberton grew up in Edmonton and began rapping at the age of 13, describing his interest in music as “inevitable.”

“I grew up around rap music so it seemed like a foregone conclusion that I’d end up trying it out,” he said. His father, Teddy Pemberton, was a campus-radio DJ who introduced hip-hop to Edmonton with his show

‘The Black Experience in Sound’.

Pemberton also cited Nas as a huge inspiration,“I became obsessed with the song ‘Half -Time’ by Nas. I got an instrumental of it and taught myself how to rap by rapping over that beat.”

His eclectic approach to hiphop is a result of his musical influences. His uncle Brett Miles — a saxophonist and the frontman of the Magilla Funk Conduit — encouraged him to perform at a young age. Pemberton also cited Edmonton’s thriving punk scene as an inspiration.

“The only bands that were around were hardcore bands and punk bands so I would go to those shows, and there are elements of that that have influenced me,” said Pemberton.

After a year of journalism school in Virginia, he decided to move back to Canada to pursue music.

“I had all these ideas for songs and I’d been working on music the whole time and I wanted to put something out before someone stole the idea out of my head,” said Pemberton.

But he didn’t completely distance himself from journalism. The rapper reviewed music for Stylus and Pitchfork before he became known as a musician. Now that the

roles have changed, he tries not to think about what critics say.

“If I have a bad review, it feels like it’s karmic retribution for the sins of my past life,” he said with a laugh. “I’m going to make the music I make, no matter what.”

Pemberton described his latest album’s title, Hope in a Dirt City, as a state of mind. “Colloquially we refer to Edmonton as ‘dirt city’, but it’s not just an Edmonton thing,” the rapper said. “When you’re in a dirt city state of mind, it’s like making the most out of your circumstances or rising up against the darkness.”

He had a specific process in mind for the album, saying that he “wanted to have more of an organic sound.” After making demos of the beats for the album, he took them to a live band in Toronto. “We jammed them out and we replaced all the samples with live instruments. It’s kind of a mix of different styles that came together naturally.”

His music is considered a cross between electronica and hip-hop, and the rapper tries to

“

convey this in his performances. “[The show] features all these different genres of music and goes out in all these different directions,” he said. “It’s definitely unlike any rap show I’ve ever seen.”

Cadence Weapon’s show at Il Motore with DJ Co-op is the last date of his Hope in a Dirt City tour. He’s been touring mostly non-stop since the album dropped in May, supporting Vancouver rock-duo Japandroids and the three-piece band Liars along the way. Pemberton is looking forward to the show, which will feature fellow Montrealers and a few of his personal favourite artists, Mozart’s Sister and Karneef.

But ‘vacation’ isn’t part Pemberton’s comprehensive vocabulary. “I’ll probably hang upside down in my closet for a week straight after the tour,” he said, but then it’s right back to the drawing board.

Cadence Weapon plays Il Motore (179 Jean-Talon W.) on Saturday, Nov. 17. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door.

if i have a bad review, it feels like it’s karmic retribution for the sins of my past life. i’m going to make the music i make, no matter what.

-Cadence Weapon

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theconcordian

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Mixtape

Halloween: the only night of the year when just about anything goes. Dracula rides the metro with Superman, people spoil themselves with an abundance of candy (or booze) and babies are invariably cute, dressed as little pumpkins or ghosts. As the weather gets gloomier, everyone needs the excitement that comes from being scared (or drunk) out of their wits. What better a time for that than Halloween? Side A of this mixtape includes songs that will give trick or treaters the heebie-jeebies. Side B is for you and your friends as you plan an evening of dressing up or down, whether you’re going to a friend’s party or a midnight showing of Rocky Horror.

C’est L’Halloween Compiled by Andria Caputo Staff writer

SIDE A: Hauted House Horrors

SIDE B: Monster Ball

1. “Bleed The Freak” - Alice in Chains - Facelift 2. “… And We All Have A Hell” From First To Last - Heroine 3. “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” - Bauhaus - Single 4. “Forty Six & 2” - Tool - Aenima 5. “Pray For Plagues” - Bring Me The Horizon - Count Your Blessings 6. “Scream” - Avenged Sevenfold Avenged Sevenfold 7. “Head Like A Hole” - Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine 8. “The Beautiful People” - Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar 9. “Seven Devils” - Florence & The Machine - Ceremonials 10.“Spellbound” - Siouxsie and the Banshees - Juju

11. “Meet Me On The Dark Side” - Melissa Auf der Maur - Out of Our Minds 12. “Monster” - Kanye West ft. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 13. “Gold Lion” - Yeah Yeah Yeahs Show Your Bones 14. “Switchblade Smiles” - Kasabian Velociraptor!

15. “Tear You Apart” - She Wants Revenge - She Wants Revenge 16. “Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT Remix)” - Metric - Single 17. “Boys Wanna Be Her” - Peaches Impeach My Bush 18. “Get Some” - Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes 19. “Zombie” - Natalia Kills - Perfectionist 20. “Intimate” - Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles II

Quick spins

Sinkane - Mars (2012; DFA Records)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!

(2012; Constellation)

Kendrick Lamar - good kid, m.A.A.d city (2013; Interscope)

Boys Noize - Out of the Black (2012; INgrooves)

Former of Montreal member and current Yeasayer member Ahmed Gallab debuted his solo electro-pop project Sinkane with the album Mars. The album is a soulful collection of world beats, vocals and sounds effects, resulting in a mélange of genres —from electro-soul, to hip-hop and afro-beat. Prominent in almost every song is the use of funk guitar. The sonic textures and fabrics that Gallab patches together are truly unique, in that they are able to introduce unusual sounds yet simultaneously seem familiar to the listener.

At just 34 minutes and 11 seconds in length, the album definitely leaves the listener yearning for more, which may be one of the few drawbacks to this album. Sinkane will perform on Nov. 8 at Cabaret du Mile End, alongside Yeasayer.

Ten years later, GY!BE sparked back to life releasing an album just days after announcing it.

Those fortunate to have caught one of Godspeed’s five, near-consecutive concerts in Montreal last year may be familiar with two of the album’s four tracks, “Mladic” and “We Drift Like Worried Fire.” The other two tracks are new offerings, and a clear nod to the Maple Spring protests, with “Strung Like Lights At Thee Printemps Erable.”

“Their Helicopters’ Sing” runs with a hiss and a haunting undertone; it’s eerie, invasive, and certainly meant to take you out of your comfort zone. The track is reminiscent of the nightly helicopter patrols, used by Montreal police to intimidate and dissuade protesters during the 100 days of nightly student marches last spring.

The song’s tones eventually converge with a cacophony of sounds, a chaotic situation that cannot be controlled until it eventually subsides and lulls into nothingness.

Produced by rap mastermind Dr. Dre, good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick Lamar’s second studio album released on Oct. 22, has undoubtedly earned the Compton native the respect he deserves. Making his major label debut, Kendrick draws inspiration from his profoundly troubled adolescent life.

The result; nothing less than sheer lyrical genius from beginning to end.

Differentiating himself from most other artists in the rap game, Kendrick takes hip hop back to its origins, going back to the art of storytelling as he gives a vivid, emotional account of his adolescence.

His struggles with gangs, drugs, and violence experienced in his 25 years are evident throughout the 12 tracks, his diction and complex, descriptive choice of words. The original, captivating sound of the album makes it one of the best hip hop albums of the year. The highly anticipated good kid, m.A.A.d city certainly delivers and earns Kendrick Lamar a spot alongside the rap legends he once could only dream of becoming. “What more can I say?/Welcome to L.A.”

Listening to Out of the Black, Alexander Ridha a.k.a. Boys Noize’s third full-length album, is like rocketing through deep space in black latex hot pants with a mug of tequila in your right hand and a grenade in the left. From beginning to end, each track sounds as if blenders and machine guns are being artfully played as instruments, all to the rhythm of a choppy yet pleasantly consistent backdrop.

“Rocky 2” and “Stop,” among others, feature variations of Boys Noize’s signature robotic voice interspersing each pulsing track with a droning mantra. “Missile,” a slow-building song reminiscent of gunfire, is sure to coax the biggest of downers out of their housecoats and onto the raunchiest of dance floors. Look for Snoop Dogg’s sultry pipes on “Got It,” a successful union of smooth rap and gritty synth beats. For your hard-hitting electro fix, Out of the Black surely delivers.

Trial track: “Runnin’”

Trial track: “Mladic”

Trial track: “m. A. A. d city”

Trial track: “Missiles”

9.1/10

- A.J. Cordeiro

9/10

- Jamie Klinger

9/10

-Flora Hammond

7.3/10

-Stephanie Ullman

sports

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

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Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com hallOWeen

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

Pre-Game rituals and superstitions from your Stingers

Find out what your Stingers are doing before the game starts Kevin Duarte Sports editor

For as long as there have been sports, there have been pre-game rituals and superstitions to go along with it. No sport in the world is immune to these types of strange antics done by players, coaches and fans alike.

Every year, different media outlets publish articles compiling all of the strangest pre-game rituals or superstitions from around the world of sport. Some of the best athletes in the world make the lists with their quirky habits.

In the hockey world, Wayne Gretzky, considered to be the best hockey player of all time, had a number of pre-game superstitions that included putting his equipment on in a particular order, firing his first warm-up puck in the same spot, and putting baby powder

on his stick before the game started. Former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy, considered his posts to be his best friends.

During the national anthems, he would have a regular conversation with his metal friends and tap them for good luck.

Concordia women’s hockey team shares some similar pre-game rituals. Like Gretzky, many players put their equipment on in a special order. It is also fairly common to see some of the players dance before and after the game in the dressing room.

Forward Veronique Laramee Paquette said that she makes a point to never touch the goalie at all on game day. Whether this works or not, she has scored in four straight games.

Soccer players are no strangers to superstitions and rituals either. One of the most common ones includes grabbing the grass when walking on the pitch and making a sign of the cross right after.

“I have a little turtle around my neck and I kiss it before a game,” said men’s soccer striker Andrew Bryan. “And I usually put

white socks over black.”

Defender Enos Osei turns to technology to get himself ready for matches.

“I like to watch soccer games on YouTube,” he said. “That gets me pumped before, and it gives me an idea of what I can do on the field.”

Although they could be seen as a pregame ritual, many athletes will always have the same meal on gameday. Pasta dishes seem to be the food of choice, but the professional sports world has seen some weirder snacks. Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs went out of the way to eat chicken before games, while current Montreal Impact defender Zarek Valentin always eats gummy bears before taking to the pitch. Other athletes turn to soft drinks like NBA player Caron Butler. Butler drinks half a two-liter bottle of Mountain Dew prior to games and finishes it at halftime.

Members of the Concordia Stingers football team related to this. Some players stuck to the same pre-game breakfast, while another would only drink coffee on game days.

Pre-game rituals are not only subject to individuals. Professional teams in any sport will do team events hours before the game.

Whether it is a team walk around the city or mini-games inside the locker rooms, the Concordia men’s basketball team also have their way of preparing for games.

Last season, before every game, the entire team would do some yoga to get in the right mindset. Fourth-year forward Taylor Garner confirmed that the team still does this regularly. He says the group does it more for the mental aspect of it.

Athletes are a crazy breed and it is no secret. Players at all levels, be it professional, varsity and even every day recreational athletes have their own unique ways of preparing for games. Whether these pre-game rituals and superstitions actually work remains to be seen, but one thing is certain — every athlete will do whatever it takes to get Lady Luck on their side.

With files from David S. Landsman and Vanik Kechian.

hOcKey

Two late goals lead to loss against McGill

Stingers women’s team puts up a fight against nationally-ranked rivals David S. landsman contributor

Ending the month of October on a high note was almost accomplished, as the Stingers were just two minutes away from pulling off an upset to send their game against the cross-town McGill Martlets to extra time. It was all for nought, sadly, as the Martlets prevailed 5-3 on two late goals. The game was a huge contrast compared to the season opener which McGill won 8-1 at Ed Meagher Arena.

Playing their second game in 18 hours, the Concordia Stingers women’s hockey team came off their first win of the season, a tough fight, winning on the road against the Ottawa Gee-Gees 3-2 in a sudden-death shootout in the ninth round.

McGill started the game with a power play goal by Melodie Daoust, barely three minutes in. Less than 10 seconds later on the next faceoff, the puck went deep into the McGill zone and goaltender Andrea Weckman misplayed the puck, landing right in front of the net. After a couple of whacks, Stingers rookie

Kim Boismenu potted the puck into the empty cage, tying the game less than three minutes after the start.

Midway through the first, on a Concordia powerplay, McGill took over the puck and Bianca Della Porta spotted an open Erika Pyke who gave them the lead. A little more than a minute later, Leslie Oles gave McGill a two-goal lead with her first of three on the afternoon.

Stingers goaltender Carolanne Lavoi-Pilon seemed off her game, but quickly got back on her feet, finishing with 39 saves.

“It’s always hard [versus McGill], but you learn to challenge the player with the puck and follow them, give them a mental read,” said Lavoi-Pilon. “Once you have that down, then it feels easier with the reflexes. You have the fire to stop everything.”

Midway through the second period, Concordia was playing with immense pressure.

McGill was unable to capitalize or get their plays together, and the Stingers got one back when the top line of Emilie Bocchia, Alyssa

Photo by Marilla Steuter-Martin

Sherrard and Veronique Laramee Paquette connected yet again with Laramee Paquette netting her fourth goal of the year.

Seven minutes into the final period, Sherrard connected off a back-door pass behind the net from Bocchia, tying the game at three and sending the fans at Ed Meagher into a frenzy.

“Lately we’ve been too passive, but today we were aggressive, fighting for loose pucks, [winning] battles,” said Bocchia, who had two

assists on the afternoon. “Tying the game and creating turnovers was excellent.”

Very late in the game, with the crowd on their feet, a faceoff in the Concordia defensive zone was won by McGill’s Daoust who passed it to teammate Katia Clément-Heydra who spotted an open Oles who wristed a goal past Lavoi-Pilon with only 1:55 left in the game. Fourty-eight seconds later, she completed her hat trick, jumping into her teammates arms as they avoided a near upset.

18

theconcordian

Tuesday, October 30, 2011 rugby

Concordia defeats Laval in RSEQ women’s rugby final Stingers head to nationals vying for the cIS championship christine beaton copy editor “We played like it was the last 80 minutes of our lives. If that doesn’t sum it up, I don’t know what does.” After defeating Laval 3534 on Saturday in a heart-racing game, Bianca Farella sums it up pretty nicely.

Concordia knocked the McGill Martlets out of the semi-finals last week as Laval defeated Ottawa, giving the Stingers a second

Photo by Pierre Bonenfant

chance against one of their biggest competitors.

“It feels amazing to win and beat a good team like Laval,” said head coach Graeme McGravie. “I thought our coaching staff did a tremendous job of getting this team ready every week and [Saturday] was the pinnacle of that.”

The game started off strong in favour of Concordia; two of their first attempts at tries were held up in the try zone by Laval. Halfway through the first, Laval scored the first try but did not score their conversion kick.

The Stingers came back and scored a penalty kick, a try and a conversion, bringing the score to 8-5 with less than 10 minutes to go. Farella then scored once more before the end of the first half and two consecutive times in the beginning of the second, bringing the score to an impressive 27-12 for the maroon and gold.

In the nail-biting second half, the scores got closer and closer to each other, eventually reaching 34-30 for the Rouge et Or. With less than five minutes left, Concordia scored the final try bringing the final score to 35-34.

Concordia showed off their strength and determination the whole length of Saturday’s match. No matter how close the score got, they kept their head in the game.

“All in all, we knew what was at stake and we weren’t ready to give that up without a fight,” said Farella.

Photo by Pierre Bonenfant

The first half was seemingly in the hands of the forwards, who capitalized on their strength in the rucks and scrums.

Compared to their last game against Laval, the Stingers stepped up and hit them a lot harder. The second half was dominated by the backs who executed skillful offensive plays and took advantage of the gaps in Laval’s usually solid defence. Line-outs were strong for both teams but Concordia shone when they attempted to throw the ball to the jumper, back to the thrower and then out to the wing. Even though it is late in the season, they aren’t afraid to diversify their plays.

As for next season, coach McGravie said

he’ll start worrying about that next week.

He looks forward to next season but made it clear that this was a year to remember in women’s rugby.

“I thought our real strong point this year was that we played as a team, no one individual had to carry the load for the team this year,” he said. “When we needed someone to step up, multiple players did.”

The Stingers will now head to St. Francis Xavier University as the RSEQ champions to take part in the national CIS championships. Five other teams will join Concordia in the tournament that runs from Nov. 1- 4.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Follow us on Twitter: @TheConcordian

19

WOmen’S SOccer

Concordia falls to Laval in must-win game

The women’s soccer team’s 2-0 loss leaves them out of playoffs Kevin Duarte Sports editor

I

t’s been years since Concordia’s women’s soccer team made the playoffs. This season, it came down to the final game on Sunday to officially eliminate the team from playoff contention.

The Stingers lined up with the same 4-4-2 formation as usual. Melissa Kedro partnered with the team’s leading goal scorer Jennifer Duff up front. Shauna Zilversmit, Elizabeth Allard, Valerie Ishak and Gabriela Padvaiskas formed the midfield. At the back, Alexandra Dragan, Shannon Travers, Philippa Lyttle and Kayla Myre played ahead of Saby Dagenais in goal.

Laval were the stronger side from the start. The visitors forced Concordia to defend for most of the first half. The Stingers were able to defend well by staying organized and by staying compact.

The Rouge et Or had the first real chance of the match. In the 18th minute, a corner kick from the right bounced inside the sixyard box. Concordia’s Ishak made two great blocks with her body to deny a goal.

Five minutes later, Laval would get the opening goal. From another corner, the ball flew to an unmarked Frédérique Paradis. Her header towards goal was tipped in by teammate Gabrielle Lapointe.

In the 28th minute, the Stingers were close to grabbing the equalizer. Duff controlled a

through ball and set off towards goal. A last minute slide tackle by a Laval defender inside the penalty area, thwarted the attack.

Before the first half was over, Laval had a few more quality chances to double its lead.

With one minute remaining, Dagenais had to make a massive save by denying a Laval player from point blank range. She ended up making a total of eight saves in this encounter.

In the second half, knowing only a win would save the season, the Stingers came out firing on all cylinders. In the 60th minute, Duff had a chance to tie the game with her shot from outside the box. The ball bounced by everyone, including the Laval goalkeeper,

but ended up hitting the right goal post.

Seconds later, on the other side of the pitch, Laval would make Concordia pay for the miss. After making a good run, Léa Chastenay-Joseph was able to receive a long ball and dribbled alone on a breakaway. She made no mistake sliding the ball under Dagenais and into the Stingers’ goal.

The rest of the match was very physical, but the maroon and gold was unable to get back into the game. This loss in the final game officially ended the Stingers’ season.

“We’ve overcome a lot this year in terms of injuries and players learning new positions,” said head coach Jorge Sanchez. “We got some results, but we just ran out of steam

at the end.”

Concordia played an organized match, but a few slip-ups cost them two goals. Having a bit of luck would have also been nice, as Duff’s shot off the post would have completely changed the game if it went in the net.

“We hit a post, and 30 seconds later, they scored. I think that was the game right there,” said Sanchez. “We would have had momentum and we would have been one mistake away on their behalf from getting a goal to go ahead.”

With the loss, Concordia ends their season with six wins, five losses and three draws, good enough for 21 points. This fifth place finish is the Stingers’ best since 2007.

Photo by Marilla Steuter-Martin

men’S SOccer

Stingers fall to the Laval Rouge et Or The men’s soccer team loses 7-2 in final game of the season Vanik Kechian contributor “We lost focus,” lamented defender Enos Osei, as the Stingers were handed a heavy loss at the hands of the Laval Rouge et Or. The Sunday afternoon match at Concordia Stadium officially brings the season to a close.

Concordia started the match well defensively. The team pressured Laval which resulted in a slow offensive game for the visitors and some counterattack opportunities for the Stingers. The good defensive play lasted until the 16th minute when Samuel Georget scored his first of his four goals for the Rouge et Or. Concordia’s loss to Sherbrooke on Friday night ensured the team would not make the playoffs. This resulted in an uninspired performance on Sunday according to defender Christopher Mirasyedi.

“You don’t play as hard, or you’re not focused until the end, when you know there’s nothing to play for,” he said. “After a couple goals go in, you start to lose focus and start giving up. I think most of us were playing for fun.”

After going down 4-0 two minutes into the second half, Andrew Bryan scored the first goal for the Stingers in the 50th minute.

Quick passing and an excellent through ball led the Laval keeper to a failed attempt at reaching the ball, leaving Bryan with an open net and an easy finish.

Their first goal gave the Stingers a shot of energy, as they began playing similarly to what was seen at the beginning of the game.

Only 10 minutes after the first goal, Stingers midfielder Amadou Lam scored from 45 yards out, when his cross from a set piece went untouched and bounced into the top corner of the Rouge et Or net.

The persistent Stingers were reorganized, and assistant coach François Bastien’s encouraging yells were heard from across the field.

Concordia’s hopes for a comeback were smashed when the official awarded Laval with a questionable penalty kick. Georget stepped up and converted the spot kick with ease.

Laval added a few more goals to make the final score 7-2. This was the most amount of goals conceded by the Stingers in one game this season.

Everyone fell silent, as disappointment rang through the players, coaches and fans.

Hopes for a comeback were crushed much like hopes for reaching the playoffs were a

couple of days earlier. With a majority of the players returning, the team hopes to see better chemistry and consistency next year.

“We just got to be consistent,” said Bryan. “That’s all it is.”

Concordia officially ends the season with a record of two wins, eight losses and two draws for eight points.

This is two points worse than last year’s total of 10.

“

Photo by Marie-Jose Kelly

after a couple goals in, you start to lose focus and start giving up. I think most of us were playing for fun.

- Christopher Mirasyedi Stingers defender

opinions 20

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com EdiTOrial

You do your job and we’ll do ours Student press has just as much a right to cover demonstrations as the mainstream media does

L

ast Monday, student journalists covering a protest march taking place in the downtown core were stopped by police and ticketed. These Concordia students argued that they were covering the event for a class and tried to show their passes, but their explanations fell on deaf ears.

This is the type of thing that really makes us mad. While the journalists ticketed were not on The Concordian’s masthead, they were journalists nonetheless and being tossed in with the rest of the protesters is extremely unfair.

Young reporters often have a hard time proving to Montreal police that they are covering a protest, rather than participating

in it, and the last thing any journalist wants is to be arrested or ticketed for doing their job.

This is a problem many reporters faced covering the Maple Spring last year and into this summer and it can make for some close calls. Police seem to think that just because the student press isn’t as high profile as other mainstream publications, it isn’t “real” or “legitimate.”

The same thing can happen with freelancers and young people trying to break into the field itself. Often they find themselves alone, taking photos and getting quotes, until all of a sudden, the police are surrounding the area.

The tickets people can be given for

participating in a protest that doesn’t give a route beforehand, or doesn’t respect the flow of traffic can run pretty high, with one Concordia student getting charged almost $500.

How is the press supposed to effectively cover demonstrations like this and inform the public when we have to worry about getting arrested? The Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal is becoming more infamous than ever for brutality and reporters should not have to be scared to be out in the streets at a non-violent protest.

The other concern that comes to mind is ‘why now’? Why is the SPVM choosing to crack down on student and journalists now when protesters flooded the streets nightly

only a few months ago. Now that demonstrations have become rare, and the energy of the student movement has ebbed, what message are they trying to send?

As far as we are concerned, it feels like the SPVM is trying to silence people who are simply exercising their right to protest and have their opinions heard. Our staff reporters covered dozens of demonstrations this year and it is worrying to us that police are back to treating students like dirt now that the Maple Spring has come to an end.

Rest assured, though, we have no intention of stopping anytime soon. Where student interests are at stake, student reporters will be there to cover it, and a few unfounded tickets and SPVM scare tactics aren’t going to change that.

EnvirOnmEnT

Climate injustice in Canada

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

Harper’s environmental record needs to change robin Sas Contributor Whether it be pulling out of the Kyoto Protocol, the gutting of federal environmental regulations or the muzzling of some of our top climate scientists, the Harper government has done irreparable damage to our interna-

tional reputation and, more importantly, to our ecology.

That’s not to mention an unprecedented and secretive trade deal being negotiated with China that would all but ensure the unbridled expansion of the tar sands. This would also increase Canada’s direct role in the release of GHG emissions which threaten to push the global concentration of CO2 over the edge and into dangerous territory.

It’s no secret that Harper is a friend to big oil. After all, this government continues to hand out subsidies to the tune of $1.4

billion to the fossil fuel industry even as energy companies take in record profits.

If there was ever a time for Canadians to come together to stand up and tell this government that we oppose its policies and want an end to these subsidies, this is it.

It is true that climate change will most negatively impact the world’s poorest; but the regressive environmental policies of the current government will also be felt here at home. They will also be felt in communities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change; such as Indigenous communities who have lived and depended on the land for generations, ranches and farms which depend on streams and water tables, and yes, eventually the rest of us.

This is why now, perhaps more than ever, we need a new generation of climate leaders to converge and create meaningful opposition movements. Climate injustice is another form of oppression, inextricably linked to all other battles in social justice. Whether it’s the destruction of the environment, access to education or vast economic inequality we must hold our leaders accountable and ensure equity and justice for all of our citizens. Ending the fossil fuel subsidies and recommitting to the protection of our climate and environment more generally could be a first step.

This week saw historic action taken against the future oil pipelines, and the prospect of more tankers on the B.C. coast shipping tar sands bitumen to global markets.

The movement, aptly called “Defend Our Coast,” has rallied thousands of concerned citizens across British Columbia to mobilize and take action against the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline. As I write this, citizens all across the province are linking arms in front of their Member of Legislative Assem-

bly offices to show they are united in opposition to this pipeline.

This has left me thinking. After a year that saw an incredible mobilization of students in Quebec to defeat the tuition increases and ultimately the Liberal government, why not learn from that success? Let us link our common struggles from coast to coast.

Radical grassroots activism has proven to work. It’s time to take direct action against the environmental record, or lack thereof, of our federal government.

This weekend, I will be attending a conference called Powershift, in Ottawa. There, 1,500 youth from across the country will meet to discuss the future of climate change activism and how Canadians can mobilize practically to fight for our country to start taking it seriously. Speakers such as Naomi Klein, Bill Mckibben and Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois will be making key note addresses throughout the weekend. Participants will be lobbying MPs, taking it to the streets and getting out their message to end big polluter handouts in every way we can. After all, Harper did promise at the G20 to do so. It stands to be one of the most important convergences of young activists and environmentalists that we’ve seen in the past decade.

We now have a chance to come together and show the Harper government we will no longer let them tarnish our reputation internationally, nor will we let them trample the ecological rights of our most at risk communities while providing subsidies to Photo from Flickr companies with soaring profits. As Naomi Klein aptly put it,“ We are part of a groundswell, a global movement against all forms of dirty energy. It is a movement on a roll.

The beautiful truth is that we have fossil fuel companies surrounded, and they’re running scared.”

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Follow us on Twitter: @TheConcordian

21

Halloween

He said, she said: Halloween

costumes in 2012

The Concordian is cracking down on the vastly different costume choices for men and women, grasping at relevant stereotypes and offering advice where need be. We want you to remember what Halloween costumes are all about, so here’s our take on the difference between men’s and women’s costumes.

Women’s costumes: slutty is the new sexy

Men’s costumes: go creative or go home

Paula Rivas Managing editor

George Menexis Opinions editor

Y

ou’ve seen it in all the teen movies, Halloween is that one time of the year when it’s socially acceptable for ladies to dress down and there is no doubt that it gets worse and worse every year. It feels like girls nowadays are looking towards Halloween costumes that are more and more outrageous. I have seen it all, from the emergence of touchy costumes that mock cultures to the creation of sexier and sexier costumes for young women. Let’s not forget how some girls will compare and judge each other even more than is already happening in the ferocious jungle of the girl world.

Don’t get me wrong, women do occasionally come up with hilarious and innovative costumes. Unfortunately these costumes aren’t on display anywhere. Upon entering a Halloween store, all we can see is different characters in slutty outfits.

Lena Haddad has been working at a Halloween store in Montreal for the last three years, seasonally. She says that she sees the same patterns in costume buying for women.

“Look at the wall, it’s every costume possible, made into a slutty dress,” she said. “I’d say about nine in 10 women looking for a costume here end up picking one that shows a lot of skin.”

My question is this: why do we insist on squeezing into skin-tight, thigh-high stockings and tiny dresses in the freezing autumn air, spending $60 or more on a piece of cloth that you will only wear once? Girls, it’s time to change it up.

I once entered a party exactly like the one portrayed in the movie Mean Girls, where the guys dressed up as beer kegs, political figures and one even came as a penguin! Meanwhile, the girls primped, plucked and stuffed themselves like turkeys on Thanksgiving only to show up as sexy police officers and sexy nurses. At this party a catfight broke out over a girl (dressed as a sexy firefighter) insulting another girl (dressed as a sexy boxer) for looking too “skanky.” Talk about ridiculous. They spent about half an hour analyzing and yelling at each other over what they were wearing while the Halloween party went to waste . . . all because of a costume.

On a tireless search for originality in women’s Halloween costumes, the other day I was browsing costumes online when I stopped in shock to see a new costume which has been created for us girls. To my horror, I was looking at a “sexy burka” costume sold for $49.85. A girl was dressed in the traditional style black burka, but everything else was a different story — she was wearing a tiny black matching dress exposing cleavage and legs but only leaving a slit for the eyes on the face. This is not only offensive, but makes me embarrassed to say that this is the western culture of today, mocking other cultures through this candy-crazed festivity.

I think it is time to step away from the herd and try something different this Halloween.

This year let’s try to lay off the racy costumes and embrace original and hilarious costumes such as Princess Leia or Veronica Corningstone.

Trust me, you will win more high-fives wearing these classic costumes than if you show up in an outfit that looks like it could fit a toddler.

E

TOP 5 HALLOWEEN COSTUMES IN 2012 1. Get a cardboard box and cut it round. Big enough so that your is smaller than the circle. On the circle, write 25 cents on the top. This is the good part. You need to dress as the Queen of England. That’s right, the Queen of England. Take the cardboard, stick it behind your head and there you go, you are the Queen of England’s face on a Canadian quarter.

2. This one’s going to make you giggle inside. Get an enormous white paper and cut a square hole in it for your face. You’re going to become a Youtube clip. Write YouTube on the top, or print it for a more legitimate look. As for the caption, get imaginative. You can write stuff like “sexiest man on earth” or “the honey badger, ‘Gangnam Style.’”

3. Who has become one of the biggest symbols of manliness to our generation? That’s right, the Dos Equis man. Get an empty Dos Equis bottle and walk around with it all night. The rest is simple: fake white beard, nice suit and you’ve become a legend.

4. One of the better ones I’ve seen in a while, and also very simple to make. Dress as a woman if you’re a man, or dress normally if you’re a woman. Get a fake baby and either carry it or attach it to your stomach. Now, print a face sized picture of Angelina Jolie’s face. Genius!

5. Let us go to the extreme here. This is especially crazy for those of you that have a full set of hair and want to go a little bit crazy. Shave your head, I don’t want to see one stray hair. Shave it. Get red and yellow drapes and cut them in the form of robes. Simply put, you’ve become a monk.

ven as we get older, students somehow still feel the need to dress up on a frosty Halloween night. It’s a part of our childhood that we are slow to let go of. Because it is such an important part of the year, we need to learn to do it justice.

Halloween is a time of imitation and creativity. It’s a time to think of the extreme and to try and find a costume that really exceeds all expectations. It’s a time to be competitive with your friends as to who can come up with the dumbest costumes. To dress up as something original instead of wasting $100 at overrated Halloween stores. As a Halloween admirer and costume-lover, I’ve been bitterly disappointed by what I’ve seen the past few years. Men, like their female counterparts, are lacking imagination.

Let’s not lie to each other boys, we’ve been doing the same thing year after year.

It’s no wonder we find doubles and triples of stupid characters these days. “The Situation” from reality T.V. show Jersey Shore, a cowboy or a nerd. It’s getting way too repetitive.

Look around you. The world is filled with inspirational people, objects and ideas.

Here is one of my favorite Halloween costumes that would stick out in 2012: the other day, I saw a kid in a ice cream truck that was made out of cardboard, with the kid walking in it acting as the ice cream man. If a toddler can do that, imagine what us young adults would be able to do.

I think the secret to a good Halloween costume is to make it yourself. You just can’t find what you want at a Halloween store.

Also, making your costume at home is much more fun than it sounds. Imagine walking around your house, looking at pieces of clothing and random objects you see everyday, inspiring yourself to make a costume out of these. It’s a project everyone should attempt once in their lives. You’ve become an artists attempting to do this, and I tell you, it’s a great feeling trying on your somewhat ridiculous looking work of art. Lena Haddad has worked at a Halloween store seasonally for three years and said that most of the costumes stay the same year after year.

“People are always interested in the same stuff, from what I see,” said Haddad.

“It’s always the same costumes that sell out fast, and the same ones that stay on the shelf year after year.”

There’s been a lack of imagination, it’s no secret. That being said, I do think men’s costumes have become the pioneer of innovative, new Halloween costumes. Year after year, party after party, I find myself laughing at something a guy was wearing. From bananas to parisiens to presidential candidates, variety is something that is somewhat present in men’s costumes, but there’s still a long way to go.

My advice to all: Halloween is a time of invention, so this year go out there and be different. Start by looking in the deep confines of your closet to see what you could whip up. I swear you won’t be disappointed.

22

theconcordian

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 CamPuS

Things may be looking up for Concordia Conu’s transition from a culture of “contempt” to “respect” Jenna Cocullo Contributor Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. After Concordia University’s administrators spent $2.4 million buying out two former presidents and five other senior administrators, many students feel that they have lost confidence in the institution.

“Once was a mistake, but twice is too much,” said Concordia student Ryan Chyzensky. “What really upsets me about the situation is how the students [were] fighting against tuition hikes and there was our governance just blowing our money on payouts because they couldn’t get organized.”

In 2007 former president Claude Lajeunesse received a $1.4 million buyout, and three years later ex-president Judith Woodsworth received a severance pay of $703,500 to leave. According to James Bradshaw of The Globe and Mail, this resulted in “an imbalance of power in the senior ranks and a culture of mistrust, and a $2-million fine from Quebec’s government as punishment for being too generous in doling out severance to some departing administrators.”

Needless to say things were looking grim for Concordia.

However, despite all this doom and gloom, things are looking up for Concordia under the reign of new President Alan Shepard. Many students who were interviewed expressed feelings of hope toward the new leadership and some students never even saw a problem to begin with.

“If they wanted someone out that bad it’s obviously because they [were] not doing a good job and in the end it’s better to just hire someone else altogether,” said John Molson School of Business student Vanessa D’Amico.

Those students who did see an issue with Concordia’s past mistakes say that the University is slowly coming into a new era, shedding all the baggage that preceded it. The Gazette has called this new era a “culture of respect and hope” for the university.

It is still too premature to say that Concordia has suddenly shifted to a “culture of respect.” Maria Peluso, president of the Concordia University Part-Time Faculty Association told The Gazette in an interview that “a culture takes years to develop and years to dismantle.”

Many students are finding themselves somewhere between contempt and respect.

They find themselves in a transitional culture of hope. Shepard’s first weeks at Concordia have been without any major hiccups so far.

He’s managed to renew the dialogue with students, faculty and staff and connected with the external community that supports the university.

“After two costly mistakes, a penalty fee, a disappointed faculty and students and some recommendations from the External Governance Committee, I think Concordia has finally got the message and are starting to learn from their mistakes,” added Chyzensky.

“But that does not mean that I am ready to start trusting them with my money and important decisions again.”

While there is ConCordia’s Webster library building loCated on the sgW Campus. definitely a more positive vibe on campus, be trusted. For now it appears that ConcorConcordia’s governance still has to prove that dia University’s governance has been put on they are learning from their mistakes and can academic probation.

WOrld

Malala Yousafzai: Pakistan’s unsung hero Shooting in Pakistan will hopefully raise awareness for dire conditions anne Kingma-lord Contributor “In the world, girls are going to school freely. And there is no fear. But in Swat, when we go to our school, we are very afraid of Taliban. He will kill us. He will throw acid on our face. He can do anything.’’

Malala Yousafzai pronounced these words when she was only 11 years old, when she was still able to attend her private school in Swat Valley, Pakistan. Now, at 15, Malala is an icon and encourages people to fight for girl’s education all around the world.

Last Tuesday, Malala was attacked on her way back from school. Why? Because she showed up for class. Because the Taliban wants girls in schools to wear the burka, a veil that covers the whole body and only leaves a grating for eyesight. Because she defied the Taliban by saying things like: ‘’they cannot stop me,’’ and ‘’I will get my education if it’s at home, school or anywhere else.”

People in Pakistan need to be inspired by this young girl. In a country where women are seriously oppressed, she stepped up and defied the Taliban. This 15-year-old girl has brought a country to its knees.

“This is a turning point. In Pakistan, for the first time, all political parties, Urdus, Christians, Sikhs, all religions prayed for my daughter,” said Ziauddin Yousafzai, Malala’s father.

“She is not just my daughter, she is everybody’s daughter.”

Countries like Pakistan, that are terrorized day after day by groups such as the Taliban, need to find their voice, just like Malala did. More importantly, it is imperative that the rest of the world take action as well.

a young pakistani girl, muCh younger than malala, trying to ConCentrate on her Work at a sChool. photo from fliCkr I am deeply moved by this young girl. I feel ashamed for taking my education for granted, at times. As educated and free university students, it is our duty to take a stand against this injustice. ‘’Why should we let a bunch of uneducated cowards and thugs be the press secretaries of Islam when the faith, much like Western secular values, is an illustrious enabler of women education? Please. Understand that we have a shared enemy here,” said Dr. Faheem Younus, clinical associate professor at the University of Maryland and the founder of the website www.muslimeri-

can.com. He said he was shocked by the Taliban’s actions and argued that Islamic belief and values have nothing to do with these fearful men.

Fortunately, Yousafzai did not die, she is still being treated in the UK. The state of things in Pakistan are seriously deteriorating. Children are woken up by the sound of gunfire at night. People receive daily Taliban threats via FM radio and the list of refugees in camps is growing. Worst of all, teachers and children (especially girls) don’t go to school because they are afraid of being beheaded,

whipped, or publicly humiliated.

Populations living in fear is what drives organizations like the Taliban. People need to start defying fear mongerers; Yousafzai has done it, and despite threats from the Taliban that she will be killed if she returns, she’s insisting they return home and she’s already started preparing for her exams. Talk about inspiring.

I can only hope that Malala’s shooting will wake people up and expose the horror of what is happening, not only in Pakistan, but in other countries experiencing violent unrest as well.

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Oreo cookie cocktail!

Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 Vol. 30 Issue 10 Marilla Steuter-Martin Predator-in-Chief editor@theconcordian.com

robin della Corte

assistant news editor

Paula rivaS adult Trick-or-Treater managing@theconcordian.com

A fun cocktail to enjoy after university midterms and upcoming winter break.

It’s very easy to make and tastes great afterwards. If you’re a huge fan of Oreos (or any chocolate for that matter) then you’ll become addicted to the greatness of this easy cocktail. Mix together in a blender and enjoy!

SoPhia loffreda Teenage Witch production@theconcordian.com

Kalina lafraMboiSe

IngredIents:

Haunted raspberry news@theconcordian.com

12 Oreo cookies 1 cup of milk 2 cups of vanilla ice cream 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup 1 shot of chocolate liquor (or substitute with Baileys) 1 shot of vodka

StePhanie la leggia death Eater life@theconcordian.com

aManda l. Shore Bride of Frankenstein arts@theconcordian.com

elizabeth MacKay

UnIVersItY MUsICIAns!!!

The Concordian wants you!

Looking for band members, singers, instrumentalists that moonlight as Concordia students or teachers by day for our ‘Campus musician profile series.’

Please email music@theconcordian.com if you fit the bill.

lizzy the vampire Slayer music@theconcordian.com

Kevin duarte Ghost of Playoffs Past sports@theconcordian.com

george MenexiS The not-so-Situation opinions@theconcordian.com

Madelayne hajeK Hellraiser Photo@theconcordian.com

nataSha taggart alySSa treMblay Spooky doos online@theconcordian.com

jennifer Kwan Zombie Tamer graphics@theconcordian.com

robin della corte Matthew guite Evil-in-training news@theconcordian.com

Marie-joSee Kelly Giver-of-raisins photo@theconcordian.com

chriStine beaton Sara King-abadi elizabeth toMaraS

Hurricane Sandy is ravaging the East Coast as we speak, and it’s made it’s way to the Big Apple. Naturally, the Twitter world had many humorous things to say concerning this potential natural disaster.

Here are this week’s tweets of the week! @krstina_saylor “i think hurricanes would be

scarier if they gave them ghetto names. shanaynay > sandy.” @pro_failure: “You now have a few days off to

just sit at home and masturbate, but your internet is down. Sandy giveth, and Sandy taketh away.” @FakeOrioleBird: “HURRICANE

SANDY IS GIVING @SNOOKI A FEW NIGHTS OFF FROM BLOWING THE JERSEY SHORE” @BigBirdRomney: “Everyone in the

Hurricane’s path should immediately make their way to their second or third home” - Mitt Romney. #Sandy” @nerddad: “#Sandy’s beginning to remind

me of the Kardashians. Big, wet, and willing to blow the entire East Coast just to get on TV.”

Creepy Crawlers copy@theconcordian.com

celia Ste-croix bianca david cynthia duPuiS MariSSa Miller Pumpkin Eaters

editorial office 7141 Sherbrooke St. W. - CC.431 montreal, QC H4B 1r6 514.848.2424 x7499 (Editor-in-Chief)

MeliSSa Kate gagnon

Keeper of Souls business@theconcordian.com

brennan neill eMily white cindy loPez ruben baStien

Witches and Warlocks directors@theconcordian.com

Staff writerS and contributorS alyssa Fourneaux, amanda Brin, Saturn de los angeles, Casandra de masi, nathalie laflamme, marta Barnes, andria Caputo, Collin mcmahon, nicole Yeba, michelle Pucci, victoria Kendrick, veronique Thivierge, andrew Guilbert, Paul Traunero, Tim lazier, david S. landsman, robin Sas, Jenna Cocullo, anne Kingma-lord.

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Events of the weeK: Oct. 30 Tuesday + THEATRE - Trench Patterns - 20h - Infinitheatre

Wednesday +THEATRE - Harlem Duet - 20h - Segal Centre Studio +THEATRE - Rocky Horror Picture Show Halloween Ball - 20h - Imperial

THURSDAY +THEATRE - Harlem Duet - 20h - Segal Centre Studio +TRAVEL TALK - ASIA TIPS BY LAUREN FRASER , BURRITOVILLE 3RD FLOOR, 18H +DANCE - Hofesh Shechter, “Political Mother” - 20h - Place des Arts +music - Coup de coeur francophone 2012

Friday +THEATRE - Harlem Duet - 20h - Segal Centre Studio +DANCE - Hofesh Shechter, “Political Mother” - 20h - Place des Arts +music - Coup de coeur francophone 2012

SATURDAY +THEATRE - Harlem Duet - 2030h - Segal Centre Studio +DANCE - Hofesh Shechter, “Political Mother” - 20h - Place des Arts +music - Sugar Sammy, Theatre Des Deux-rives

SUNDAY +THEATRE - Harlem Duet -15h - Segal Centre Studio