The Concordian

theconcordian Volume 30 Issue 27

IndependenT sTudenT neWspAper AT ConCordIA unIVersITy. sInCe 1983.

April 2, 2013

Wheeler takes the vote Presidential cancidate Melissa Kate Wheeler ran unoPPosed in the concordia student union general elections, With over one thousand four hundred students voting. Photo by soPhia loffreda

CSYou candidate Scott Carr beats Pierre Tardivo for VP finance position by two to one All of the candidates running for council were also elected, including outgoing executives VP academic and advocacy Hajar El Jahidi, VP student life Alexis Suzuki and VP clubs and internal affairs Nadine Atallah who received 244, 279 and 41 yes votes.

The three referendum questions included in the voting were all passed by wide margins. The Greenhouse fee

levy was granted its request for $0.12 per credit with a vote of 1142 for and 234 against. The Sustainable Concordia fee levy was granted its increase of $0.10 per credit, raising it to a total of $0.15 and the Concordia Food Coalition received a vote of 1,219 for and 145 against, in its request for support.

Three changes to the CSU’s bylaws were also adopted, despite a procedural

mistake that almost let the alterations disappear since they were not initially included as referendum questions. A notice of requirement was not fulfilled and the CSU was forced to abide by a notwithstanding clause since the changes weren’t formally announced during postering.

In this issue // life arts

music

sports

opinions

Charlotte Hosten accessories P. 8

Profiling FIDLAR’s skater boys P. 13

Being a fan is now Pandaplomacy & Harper P. 26 in fashion P. 22

MATTHew GuITé Assistant news editor

Despite some late night hiccups and with only one contested position, the ballot counting for the Concordia Student Union elections finished with the CSYou affiliation being voted in for the

upcoming academic year.

The only contested position, VP Finance, went to CSYou candidate Scott Carr with 617 votes in his favour. Competitor Pierre Tardivo had 364 votes.

The other CSYou candidates all received a similar number of votes.

Roughly 900 students voted for CSYou, approximately 60 to 100 voted no and approximately 250 abstaining ballots.

A summer of art lies ahead P. 9

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

Continued on P. 4

theconcordian.com

news 2

//

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

write to the editor: news@theconcordian.com

CITY MATTHew GuITe Assistant news editor

>> Quebec

construction a sausage fest According to a report released last week, discrimination against women is rampant in Quebec’s construction industry, with sexual harassment and human rights abuses against female construction workers being the prominent concerns. Quebec’s council for the status of women hopes that Quebec will achieve the national average for female construction workers, at three per cent. At the moment the province has the lowest percentage of employed female construction workers at 1.3 per cent. Way to go, la belle province.

A public condemnation against municipal bylaw P-6 The Concordia Student union supports motion against bylaw KALInA LAFRAMBoISe news editor

T

he Concordia Student Union officially denounced the municipal bylaw P-6 that requires an itinerary before protests start and the use of corralling as a tactic to swiftly end demonstrations by the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal.

During a special council meeting last week, Councillor Benjamin Prunty presented a two-page

motion that took an official stand against bylaw P-6 calling into

>> to be Mr. 3%

or not to be Mr. 3%

Bernard Trépanier, the former financing head of Union Montreal, took the stand at the Charbonneau Commission last week to speak to allegations that he took part in a system of collusion and collected a tax from construction companies which helped fund his party. Dubbed Mr. three per cent by several previous witnesses, Trépanier not only denied being part of any system of collusion, but also denied that such a system existed in the first place.

Our news editor Kalina Laframboise actually skims six per cent on a regular basis.

question the change in strategy by the SPVM since the anti-police

Photos by Keith Race

>> a norMal

night in Montreal

A series of photos posted online showing a gang of young adults drinking, urinating and vandalizing their way through more than a dozen of Montreal’s metro stations in early March has led to a police investigation. The photos, which stretch across 18 stations on the orange line, have also attracted widespread criticism for the lack of security at the stations. An STM spokesperson told The Gazette that it can be difficult to spot troubling behaviour in time to stop it or catch those responsible.

>> bill 78 bad, P-6

good?

The former Liberal government’s Bill 78 is once again being condemned by Premier Pauline Marois, however she continues to approve of municipal bylaw P-6. Marois said last week that Bill 78 was “scandalous” but that P-6 is not.

city// newS

brutality demonstration on March 15 where more than 200 arrests took place.

The motion specifically condemns kettling, a tactic where police officers corral protesters to a limited area and control access to the location. The tactic is controversial since it boxes individuals in and only leaves them with a single exit usually determined by police. Demonstrations to rally against the provincial government’s indexation of tuition fees over the last two weeks resulted in hundreds of individuals being contained for hours — including local journalists.

It also denounces bylaw P-6 for being “passed by a municipal council under intense suspicions of widespread corruption.”

Prunty’s motion calls for an independent office to conduct a public inquiry into kettling and tactics used by the SPVM and for the Fédération étudiante universi-

taire du Québec to facilitate legal action in the form of a challenge to the Charter or class action lawsuit.

Furthermore, the motion asks that the undergraduate student body at Concordia University be able to participate in peaceful demonstrations to condemn bylaw P-6 and kettling accompanied by a CSU banner supporting the motion. It The motion was adopted by the CSU despite some issues over the wording of the letter when Councillor Jordan Lindsay emphasized that the motion could benefit a restructuring in tone in order to have the “CSU’s voice.”

Conversely, Councillor Chad Walcott argued that the CSU should take a “strong stance in favour of freedom of expression.”

“I believe that as a student union it is our responsibility to take a firm stance on issues that affect our members,” said Walcott.

Walcott emphasizes that it’s the CSU’s responsibility to bring such issues to light and demand that they be examined.

“What we are seeing from the police under P-6 goes beyond what is called for in terms of limiting one’s rights,” said Walcott.

“What we are seeing instead is a gradual infringement on our right to assembly, free speech and the right to peaceful protest.”

However, certain councillors and executives promised to oversee the structure of the motion the following day. The revamped motion has not been sent to the public yet.

city // newS

McGill University Health Centre implements deficit plan Cost-cutting measures will see a decrease in nurse to patient ratio CHRISTInA RowAn Staff writer

The McGill University Health Centre’s implementation of cost-cutting measures in order to reign in a growing budget deficit has led to the layoffs of nine trauma and orthopedic nurses working at the Montreal General Hospital.

After government auditors came to the conclusion last December that the MUHC network was looking at a projected deficit of $115 million, the network came up with a series of cost effective strategies.

The cuts planned by MUHC Chief

Executive Officer Normand Rinfret for the 2013-2014 year include: 65 per cent reduction of manpower hours, 16.4 per cent related to contracts and other non-salary expense reductions, seven per cent from standardization of practices, 5.6 per cent related to team consolidation/work redesign, 3.5 per cent from capping clinical volumes based on budget and 2.5 per cent from unspecified application of the Quebec Health Department policies.

As reported by The Gazette last week, it appears as though employees are now part of the cuts the MUHC will be establishing as part of the budget deficit plan. About one quarter of the Montreal General’s 12th floor trauma recovery nurses have been notified

that their positions in the hospital have been cut and closed.

Montreal Children’s Hospital nurse, Nathan Friedland, worries that the cuts will affect aspiring nursing students as well.

“When new nurses join the profession they’re already somewhat discouraged because they know they’ll get burned out because of the long hours and so on, so when they read about cutbacks and layoffs, they realize it’ll likely be them, the young new ones being laid off,” Friedland said. “Two new nurses, who were grads, had 90 per cent of their hours cut, because they don’t have a specialized position.

They’re mostly filling in for someone on a leave of absence.”

Not only will these cuts be affecting MUHC employees but with fewer nurses in each ward of the hospital, nurse-to-patient ratios will be significantly altered.

Where originally there was one nurse with four or five patients, each nurse will now have up to eight patients, essentially doubling the workload. This will add more responsibility and more pressure to nurses to make sure that they perform up to par.

The MUHC network controls six of Montreal’s major hospitals including the Montreal Children’s Hospital, the Montreal General Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Montreal Neurological Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute and the Lachine Hospital.

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

//

3

city // newS

Massive overhaul of escalators costs millions Concordia university spent over $282,000 before massive project nIKI MoHRDAR Contributor

Concordia University spent roughly $15 million on a project that began in December of 2010 in order to replace the escalators in the Henry F. Hall building including the surrounding architecture as well as the lobby escalators and stairs.

While the project managed to stay approximately $500,000 under budget, repairs are still not complete. The escalators, according to the Georgian Archives, have been breaking down frequently since 1969 and have caused many inconveniences for Concordia students.

“They’re [finicky] at best and there always seems to be at least two broken down,” said 19-yearold Concordia student, Christian Holloway. “I understand that they’re heavily used, but after all the construction on them, it’s become a persistent inconvenience.”

However, university spokesperson Chris Mota points out that these repairs are vital.

“It’s an important project and a major infrastructure upgrade,” said Mota. “It’s something the university has wanted to do for a very long time.”

Documents obtained by The Concordian through an access to information request report that in addition to the $15 million spent

on the replacement of the escalators and surrounding architecture, the school has spent roughly $54,046 per year on repairs done by internal employees over the past 12 years, from 2000 to 2012. In addition, the university also spent $35,000 on repairs from external providers and expensed $89,000 towards the cost of employees and providers alone.

From 2005 to 2012, a total of $456,720 has gone toward blanket orders for escalator repairs from service providers. These are orders made between the university and specialized repair experts, who provide specialized services.

As of April 2011, the price of these service providers increased to $87,360 annually from the previous expense of $56,400 per year.

These figures account solely for the escalators in the Hall Building. Although escalators are still frequently shutting down, Mota states that this is just last minute tweaking that needs to be done and it will not affect the project’s budget.

“Millions of dollars are being spent and they keep telling us it’s the end of it, yet nothing seems to change,” said second-year psychology student Elizabeth Duong.

“It seems like there needs to be more initiative to make a final game plan, we can’t keep filtering money into this forever.”

However, these management concerns are nothing new.

NATION RoBIn DeLLA CoRTe Assistant news editor

>> officer caught on caMera An officer is in trouble after supposedly punching a cyclist during an arrest last week. The video posted to Facebook “only captures one portion of the incident,” Vancouver’s police union reported. Union President Tom Stamatakis claimed that officers had seen the cyclist, Andishae Akhavan, riding his bicycle in a way that “put a lot of people in some risk” and was stopped for running a red light. Akhavan claims that the officer was writing his ticket and he was assaulted while handcuffed. An investigation is still underway by The Concordian news team.

>> tragedy in

saskatoon

“It’s disappointing that there are millions of dollars being spent on the aesthetics of the university,” said Concordia Student Union Councillor Paul Jerajian. “Especially at a time where academics are having more and more financial difficulty.”

With repairs occurring so frequently, students are expressing

concern that these costly projects will continue to be a problem for years to come.

Jane Ellen Wolno, a Concordia alumna is shocked by the school’s inability to complete the project.

“They were broken when I was studying there too,” said Wolno.

“That was 25 years ago.”

A custody fight between a divorced couple over their children may have led a woman to try to kill their youngest son. The father was trying to pick up his sons when officers arrived at the home after the 10-year-old requested help. Police discovered the six-year-old child in a bathroom with a stab wound to his abdomen and a cut on his neck while the mother also had cuts to her wrists and stab wounds to her abdomen. While both are in stable condition, the woman has been charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault.

>> Missing Puzzle Piece

campus // newS

An agreement in the works CuFA holding special meetings for potential collective bargaining agreement RoBIn DeLLA CoRTe Assistant news editor

In their first meeting since they voted in favour of an unlimited strike mandate, the Concordia University Faculty Association has come to a tentative agreement with the university following 16 months of collective bargaining.

On March 18, CUFA met with university administration for a full day and night of conciliation where it was agreed by a majority vote of approximately 80 per cent that the tentative agreement had to be submitted to the membership for ratification.

In accordance with article 12.5 of the CUFA constitution, CUFA met again on March 28 to vote on a motion presented by the executive to recommend the negotiated collective agreement for

confirmation.

“We hope that the membership will follow the recommendation of both the CUFA executive and the CUFA council and vote in favour of the collective agreement,” said CUFA President Lucie Lequin.

CUFA released a statement listing gains made in conciliation which were addressed early in the month as issues. These gains include increased stipends for department chairs and extra teaching, compensation for extended-term faculty professors for excessive number of course preparations and an increased professional development allowance.

The union did hope for a better agreement but said that it “is in our view, the best deal possible at this point in time.” In the same statement, it is noted that the cuts to post-secondary education made by the provincial government are “draconian.”

Following the special meeting, two more meetings for the entire membership will be held on April 4. The meetings will be taking place on each campus, to elaborate on the different elements of the deal and to answer any questions or concerns.

This will be followed on the same day by a secret ballot which is to be conducted electronically over the course of five working days. This will constitute the third and last step, according to Lequin.

“We understand that the agreement in principle is going through the CUFA ratification process over the coming days,” said university spokesperson Chris Mota. “And we look forward to receiving the results.”

This tentative agreements comes after 74 per cent of CUFA’s union membership voted on an unlimited strike mandate. This

vote allows the union to go on strike with 48-hours notice.

Concordia President Alan Shepard told The Concordian that he hopes future labour relations will improve with additional staff to “provide proper engagement” since management was significantly understaffed during this round of negotiations.

“I would love us to embark on a bit of a new era at Concordia where we find common ground with our unions and other associations and look for projects that we can do together so that we can continue to have a positive climate,” Shepard said. “We need to figure out collectively, ‘how can we do collective bargaining in a faster way that doesn’t drag it out for years?’ because I don’t think that serves anyone’s interests.”

With files from Marilla SteuterMartin

The search for a car that plunged off the Cape Breton ferry ramp and into the water is ongoing after one week.

Police are now investigating a potential link between the car and a missing 81-year-old man. The driver of a silver 2007 Toyota Camry, Jerry Hengeveld, was last seen at a gas station in Baddeck, N.S., on March 25 however it remains uncertain whether or not it is the same car as the one that drove off the ferry. The ferry, which connects the communities of Englishtown and Jersey Cove, is out of service until further notice.

>> Watch out for your cars According to CTV, reports claim that unleaded gas pumps all over the country are being mistakenly filled with diesel fuel. “It’s a big mistake to put diesel in an unleaded tank,” said Jamie Haas, who was the victim of a mix-up at an Ottawa gas station. Putting diesel in a car that takes regular gasoline can create many problems such as engine failure, sputtering, stalling and black smoke and can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars in repairs. You hear that, Paul Jerajian? The CSU doesn’t need a truck.

4

//

theconcordian

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

campus // newS

WORLD MATTHew GuITe Assistant news editor

Presidential remarks: April Alan Shepard reflects on his first eight months as president of Concordia

>> death

Penalty sought

Prosecutors are pushing for the death penalty in the case of James Holmes, the Aurora, Colorado shooter who is accused of shooting and killing 12 people in a movie theatre last July. Holmes offered to plead guilty in order to avoid the death penalty, but prosecutors declined the offer saying that “in this case for James Eagan Holmes, justice is death.” The trial has been pushed back to February 2014. No word yet on the release date for the spoof made-forT.V. movie “Justice is death: the James Eagan Holmes story.”

>> internet

sloWed

An ongoing spat between a spamfighting group and a Dutch webhosting firm sparked a series of cyber attacks so severe they slowed the Internet worldwide last week. Spamhaus, a European organization that helps email providers filter out spam, claims that the ongoing cyber attacks are the work of a Dutch web host that recently had some of their servers blocked by the group. The cyber attacks have not taken them down, but Spamhaus’ chief executive told BBC that the strength of the attacks could easily wipe out government Internet infrastructure. You’re next, The Link.

>> no condoMs for you!

A Catholic university in Boston has warned students against handing out free condoms on campus and cautioned them that disciplinary measures could be taken against them if they continued. Students offering free condoms and sexual advice in campus dorm rooms claim they are offering a service that the school does not, but Boston College’s administrators told the students that their actions were violating the university’s religious mission. Sadly Concordia has yet to announce any plans to hand out free condoms.

>> Vigilantes arrest Police chief A group of vigilantes numbering in the hundreds stormed a town in southern Mexico and arrested the local police chief for his alleged involvement with local drug gangs. The town of Tierra Colorada was occupied by the group until local authorities agreed to suspend the police chief and investigate his involvement in the killing of a prominent vigilante leader earlier that week. Informal community police watchdog organizations have become a growing trend as an act of self defense during Mexico’s numerous and ongoing drug wars.

Photo by Marilla Steuter-Martin

MARILLA STeuTeR-MARTIn editor-in-chief

“I think the Concordia community itself wants to have the conversation about what makes Concordia special and what defines us,” said Concordia President Alan Shepard. “So what I’m hoping for next year is that we’ll have a strategic planning process. I’m hoping that much of the next academic year will be a series of organized reflections and conversations about ‘where is Concordia going’?”

Nearing the end of Shepard’s first year at Concordia, there is a lot for him to reflect on.

“It’s really important to know what’s going on and sitting in this office, you can get into a bubble.

You can spend all day long having meetings and still not get the pulse,” said Shepard. “What’s the community feeling, thinking? How’s it doing?

What’s its morale?”

Coming to Concordia as an outsider, Shepard had a lot to learn about the community and said he had his work cut out for him.

“It’s been extremely important coming from outside of Quebec, and outside of Concordia, to build relationships and I’ve devoted a lot of time to getting to know people. You can’t start proposing changes and doing stuff until you get the lay of the

land,” he explained.

In his efforts to learn more about the Concordia community, Shepard discovered that “there is a hunger amongst Concordians for ‘how do we define ourselves and what makes us special and different’?”

While he doesn’t have a response to that question just yet, it certainly piqued his interest.

“One thing I have been preoccupied with this year and will continue to be preoccupied by probably for the whole time I’m here as president is Concordia’s reputation. To close the gap about what I know to be true about the high quality of the place and how we’re perceived, not only by others but by ourselves,” he said.

Shepard described his biggest challenge coming into the university as one of integration. Being “the new guy” is never easy and forming strong relationships and “building trust” was a major priority for him throughout the year.

Shepard isn’t quick to parade his accomplishments but he does feel positively about his experience at Concordia thus far.

“From where I sit, I think it’s been a successful year so far,” he said. “A lot of this job is an intuitive thing.

[Numbers] are one set of gauges on the dashboard but there’s another which is this emotional intelligence meter, and I’m paying a lot of attention to that too.”

Voter turnout below five per cent Continued from cover In total 1,438 students voted out of more than 30,000 undergraduate students over the course of the three-day voting period, with women outvoting men by 783 to 655. The majority of the votes were cast by Arts and Science students, 816, with the second most common being Fine Arts students with 257 votes. John Molson School of Business and Engineering and Computer Science students voted the least with 182 and 133 votes cast respectively.

A last-minute mistake caught by Chief Electoral Officer Andre-Marcel Baril has forced a recount of the ballots in the JMSB building, but Baril has stated that the recount can in no way affect any of the results. Nevertheless Baril says that the recount must be done for the sake of procedure. An error left certain polling days with an irregular amount of votes and other dates with none for VP sustainability

candidate Benjamin Prunty and VP student life candidate Katrina Caruso.

The mistake is not expected to change the outcome of the vote but there will be a recount.

Speaking to The Concordian a few days after the ballots were counted, upcoming CSU President Melissa Kate Wheeler said that she and her team not only plan to shadow current executives in the coming weeks, but will also seek out past executives for advice and guidance. Wheeler gave Caruso as an example, saying that the incoming VP student life will be seeking out former VP Laura Glover for advice.

“Given that this year was not so great, it would be great to get a couple of extra people for training because I’m not convinced that this year’s executive knows what they are doing,” she said.

When asked about the fact that some of the current executives, such as Nadine Atallah and Alexis Suzuki, will be returning next year as councillors, Wheeler said that she was not

concerned despite a history of butting heads this year.

“I trust that their intentions are good,” she said. “I think everyone has the best intentions at heart.”

No FiNe Arts rePreseNtAtioN Despite the intense campaign to fill empty Fine Arts seats on the CSU council earlier this year, not a single Fine Arts student ran for the CSU council for next year, leaving the department in a similar situation they faced after this year’s byelections. Steps taken during this election period, including specifically postering and campaigning in the Fine Arts VA building, did little to encourage students to involve themselves in next year’s CSU. Recently-elected Caruso, herself a Fine Arts student, told The Concordian that while she was disappointed with the lack of Fine Arts students on the ballots, she understood the disconnect that made participation in the CSU’s affairs so uncommon.

“As a Fine Arts student, I’ve felt little connection with the Concordia Student Union prior to this election – and this is my third year at Concordia.

Fine Arts students are incredibly under represented at Concordia, which is unfortunate because we have so much to offer,” she said.

Caruso added that the issue of communicating with Fine Arts students was one she hoped to address by fostering connections and building new relationships between students and the CSU. “The major issue with the union is the lack of new blood — time and time again, people join the CSU because of their friends,” said Caruso. “I’d like to change that. I’m going to be working with FASA to have Fine Arts students at large run in the byelections, and win those seats.”

Any student wishing to see a full breakdown of the votes for and against each candidate and question can find them at the CSU elections website: http://csuelections.wordpress.com/

6

//

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

life

Write to the editor: life@theconcordian.com fashion // life

Hidden fashion in The Backroom laSalle students promote local designers Photo by Madelayne Hajek

Stephanie la leggia life editor

The Montreal fashion scene may not be as commercial or reputable as Toronto’s, but what we lack in big name brands we gain in local talent and hidden shops known only to those who look.

The Backroom may not be an obvious hotspot attraction for summer tourists, tucked between H&M and Reuben’s Deli three floors above, but it’s just the kind of place local trendsetters search for.

LaSalle College students Rachel Sendi-Mukasa, 22, and Marie Pike, 29, dove into business together last May after interning at Just

Worn, a vintage stop they bought from the original owner.

“It was something we felt like we couldn’t pass up at the time,” said Sendi-Mukasa.

Originally three, the full-time students took over the business and the clientele book and made it their own.

“We knew what was working, we knew what was being done right. We were the ones spending the most time with the clients,” said Sendi-Mukasa. “We knew what people wanted, what they were asking for. We were thinking that if we don’t go forward with this, people might just fall off.”

Their recent move to their Ste-Catherine St. location gave them the opportunity to evolve the style of the store from hipster to more of an urban street vintage fashion. The Backroom

showcases a mixed collection of vintage wear and accessories, upcycled clothing and designs by local designers no more than two at time.

“In Montreal, most people don’t usually like to [wear] something if they don’t know who it is or what it is, so it takes time,” said Sendi-Mukasa. “We’re taking our time to promote them, to brand them. We’re trying to create awareness for them because it’ll take time for people to be receptive to their brand.”

Sendi-Mukasa and Pike devote time and effort seeking out young talent, researching and attending fashion events like Mews at the Royal Phoenix Bar where they discovered VFranz.

Vfranz Bernil is a talented fellow LaSalle student; a young designer The Backroom duo hopes to continue working with and help es-

tablish his reputation.

While promoting local talent is a main priority for Sendi-Mukasa and her partner, they do want to cater to their client and offer a balanced range of styles.

“We’ll put something like V-Franz that’s a little more alternative urban street with Jolietta who’s a lot more commercial,” said SendiMukasa.

At the moment, The Backroom is focusing on unisex pieces, catering to the tomboy female with the confidence to take on the androgynous look. As for men, expect a more fitted style similar to Off The Hook.

Sendi-Mukasa and Pike have been business partners since December 2011 and have managed to build a successful working relationship in such a short amount of time.

While Pike is the creative mind behind their blog and takes on the role as the optimist, Sendi-Mukasa uses her marketing education to her advantage and is responsible for their finances and inventory.

“Honestly, I’m really impressed with the awareness that we’ve created about the store and the amount of clientele that we’ve managed to get on board in a short amount of time is really hard for a small business,” said SendiMukasa. “There are a lot of cliques, so you have a lot of people who stick to their genres and if you can’t get into that genres, then you won’t get your clientele.”

The Backroom duo is welcoming the new season with their Spring Fling event on April 5.

The Backroom is located on 1118 Ste-Catherine W. St. suite 305.

restaurant review // life

Indulge in afternoon tea at Birks

A

Photo by writer

nothing goes better together than scones and diamonds Sara Baron-goodman life assistant editor

udrey may have had breakfast at Tiffany’s, but Montrealers can eat their hearts out at the afternoon tea at Birks. The famed jewelry store houses a café by Europea on the mezzanine level so that you can gawk at all the diamonds and gold as you nibble on a scone or six.

The afternoon tea service begins daily at 2:30 p.m., and is in every way an indulgence.

For $26.50 plus tax a veritable feast is brought before you on a silver platter, accompanied by a pot of tea of your choice from the Marriage Frères de Paris selection.

Judging by the pride in the hostess’s eyes as she announced the brand name, I can only assume that this is the tea equivalent of an exclusive Parisian designer. Indeed, this was no plebeian cuppa; the lavender and red fruits fused perfectly together in the delicate yet punchy Vert Provence green tea. I also tried the Thé sur le Nil, another green tea infused with spices and citrus. It tasted every bit as exotic as it sounds.

You will surely taste the rich quality of the looseleaf tea in the classic Earl Grey Impérial (I may never be able to go back to Lipton’s again). The teas, each in their own iron pot, were brought to our table along with three timers designating the optimal steeping time for a weak, medium or strong brew.

The food was presented neatly on a tray the length of the table, arranged in the order

in which each course should be eaten. Up first were two freshly baked homemade scones, each served with fresh Devonshire cream and marmalade. The scones were buttery and warm, and the sweetness of the condiments was enough to utterly drive away the “mean reds.” After two cups of tea and both scones I was verging on full, but alas I persevered on to the trio of canapés.

The first of the lot consisted of a slice of cucumber atop a biscuit, stacked with a mini cocktail shrimp and green apple mint jelly. Following that was a duck foie gras and cranberry chutney canapé, and one with smoked salmon, caviar and cream cheese. Each one was bite sized but full in flavour.

Next up was a half-size club sandwich, made with arugula and crispy prosciutto. The arugula added a fresh herbal zing to the salty prosciutto, chicken and tomatoes. For you herbivores out there, vegetarian options are offered, though they change depending on the season.

For dessert we were each given a truffle to sample, enrobed in a shimmering edible pixie dust. The chocolates were decadent, each filled with an oozing fruit coulis. Beautiful pastel coloured macaroons sat next to the chocolates.

My only qualm was that we didn’t get to select our flavours, and I ended up with two that I didn’t care for. The raspberry anis one was heavy on the anis, while the pistachio had a strong Amaretto aroma. My favourite was the

maple and salted caramel, though it was little on the syrupy sweet side. They were however the ideal balance between crumbly and chewy, so the potential was there.

Last but not least were three verrines, respectively filled with vanilla syrup with freshly diced pineapple, bergamot pudding with sliced peaches and maple custard with hazelnuts. The pineapple was the favourite at my table, as the fruit was tangy and welcomingly light after the gluttonous amount of food we had just consumed.

As decadent as the spread was, it was the decidedly “ladies who lunch” atmosphere that sets this afternoon tea service apart from your average midday meal. While pearls are not a prerequisite to dining here, they are certainly encouraged. My friends and I couldn’t help feeling like we were Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, shopping on Rodeo Drive in her streetwalker attire. While we may not be streetwalkers, with our school bags and casual attire, we might as well have been in the eyes of the pretentious hostesses.

Though it is a little pricey for a lunch, the food was delicious and the experience makes it utterly worthwhile for a special occasion. To make the most of it, summon up your inner Audrey and dress up to look the part. The café also offers brunch and table d’hôte or à la carte lunch services.

Birks is located at 1240 Square Phillips St.

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

health // life

//

7

11

A juicy body takes on a whole new meaning the latest method for primping and preening is all about liquids taiSha henri Contributor

We live in a world of trends, and besides fashion, dieting may be the biggest fad that people adopt. Celebrity diets always catch our attention and, this past year, one in particular has become controversial.

During the summer, my family and I tried the latest health trend, “juicing” which is a diet that restricts you to consuming only vegetable and fruit juices and water for anywhere between a few days to a few weeks.

Now, before I continue, I must say juicing is expensive and involves a certain amount of dedication to truly benefit from this detox diet.

While the first two days may seem easy, expect a lack of energy and some time in the washroom on the third day and a sense of desperation by the fourth or fifth day.

We’re all guilty of following a fad diet at one moment in time. We all want change and we want it fast. Some believe juicing isn’t the easiest or safest way to lose weight or start a healthier lifestyle, nor is it fit for everyone.

“It can be very dangerous. If you have certain illnesses like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, for example,” said dietitian and co-author of Complete Arthritis Health Diet Guide and Cookbook, Kim Arrey. “It can affect your electrolyte balance which can unbalance

Photo by Flickr

your whole system. Some people get diarrhea and become very dehydrated.”

However, if done properly, juicing can be very beneficial. The Huffington Post recently published an article that stated juicing may ward off Alzheimer’s and lower blood pressure because of the disease-fighting chemicals in the juice of the fruits and vegetables. During this past summer, my brother received The Juicing Bible recipe book that offers a juice to help for just about every disease or virus, including HIV. Yet, not everyone can just jump into a seven to 30 day juice fast and stick to it, nor is it healthy for everyone. If you’d like to give it a try, start with replacing one meal a day with a juice. Not only will it help you lose that extra winter weight

before bathing suit season, but it will help you meet your daily dose of fruits and vegetables in one drink. The great thing about juicing is that you can incorporate produce that are rich in nutrients and antioxidants that you wouldn’t normally eat as a snack, like kale and ginger.

Although it does take less energy to digest your fruits and vegetables in liquid form, you lose some of the nutrient benefits of the skin and the fiber from the pulp. It is also recommended to blend your own juices or visiting a juice bar rather than purchasing bottled juices that could contain higher sugar levels, defeating the whole purpose of a detox diet.

Arrey suggests that if juicing is done for a short period of time, maybe three days, it can

actually help break old habits and lead to new, healthier ones. Juicing is controversial but with a thumb up from your doctor, incorporating at least one juice a day into your diet and monitoring the difference is worth a try.

If you choose to include juicing in your daily diet, investing in a juicer may be the best option. While centrifugal juicers are the cheapest and most common option, the high speed grinding and straining may generate heat and reduce the amount of enzymes. A masticating juicer “chews” your fruits and vegetables, which is a better option if you plan to include leafy greens in the mix. You would, however, need to chop your produce into smaller bits because a masticating juicer has a smaller mouth and takes a little longer to grind the ingredients. The ideal (but most expensive) type of juicer is a triturating juicer. It may run slower but it preserves the most nutrients and extracts the most juice out of your produce.

Here’s some cool recipes to try!

Beet RetReat: 1 beet 3 celery sticks A cup of watermelon 1 cucumber ½ pineapple GReen MacHine: ½ bag of kale Celery Cucumber 4 green apples ½ a pineapple

city // life

DESTA gives hope to the forgotten youth the Black Youth network is a home for struggling young adults anne Kingma-lord Contributor

Off the streets and into the working class, DESTA, the Black Youth Network, is a government-funded group that helps young people reverse their downward spirals in the Little Burgundy neighbourhood of Montreal.

The founder, Frances Waithe, is a mother of eight and a foster mom. She started the charity in 2007 after realizing just how much there was a lack of citizen support for the black youth in Montreal. Helped by a group of community workers, Waithe and her team began wondering what they could do to help.

Since then, DESTA has been an organization that succeeds in demarginalizing black 18 to 25-year-olds in our city.

Waithe has been a caregiver all her life, a trait she takes from her mother, who was also a foster mom. She sees the everyday need for an organization like DESTA, and she makes it a mission to help each person that walks through her office door.

“This is my community; these are my friends and my extended family,” she said, adding that a space like DESTA is a place that young people can walk into and call home.

The first of DESTA’s participants to obtain

his high school diploma with the organization’s help was a young man named Dwayne Clark.

Tattooed all the way up to his neck, he went from being on the streets to becoming a programmer for computer games at Montreal’s CDI College.

“I know I’m in a different place in my life, and DESTA definitely helped out with it,” he said.

There are three main points that define how DESTA works: education, health and personal development.

“They don’t call MTL M-T-Hell for no reason. This age group is getting caught up in the streets or getting locked up, we don’t want that,” said Mustafa, a representative for the network. “What we do is help them go back to school, gain personal development, whatever crisis they have.”

The charity runs numerous resources.

For education, among other things, DESTA operates an alternative school to help participants obtain their high school diploma with a one-on-one tutoring service. They also have on-site counselors to assist people with their housing, psychological or direct physical health problems. Also, the organization holds a series of activities to support the in-

terests of participants and help them develop as active members of society. “These go from sexuality, to leadership skills, to T.V. writing and the list goes on,” said Waithe.

Concordia students have a history of working with DESTA as many volunteers and tutors are students.

Concordia students who wish to participate in one of DESTA’s events can attend its Health Awareness Day on May 30, where kiosks and workshops will be held on various subjects ranging from boot camp and yoga classes to HIV and drug information sessions.

This will be held in the charity’s offices on 1950 St-Antoine W. St. The very popular an-

nual gala, which is the group’s biggest event of the year, will take place June 4.

For more information, visit www.destabyn. org

8

//

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

theconcordian wedding // life

Dearly beloved, the wedding season is upon us Bridal Boudoir affair has got the market cornered maria hinoporoS Staff writer

In 2009, Madeleine Kojakian, founder of Maddy K Wedding and Events Atelier, created Bridal Boudoir Affair. When it first began, the event looked more like a pop-up shop. Flash forward to 2013 and we find ourselves at the Hyatt Regency where all the city’s most elite vendors are gathered in one location, set-up and ready for brides and grooms to sample and choose for their big day.

“I didn’t plan it at all. It all happened so quickly and by complete fluke,” said Kojakian.

The wedding planner graduated in business from Concordia University and started working for Ocean Drive Magazine. They had an annual publication on wedding planner profiles and when she tried to find one, she realized that Montreal didn’t have any particularly reputable ones.

“There was no market for it. I saw an opportunity and seized it,” she said.

In 2003, Kojakian launched Maddy K, a wedding planning business like no other. Since she had been in the media industry, she had some key contacts, but through her talent and perseverance, her company kept growing.

“I work very closely with my vendors. I get dozens of emails a day from start-up businesses. I work with the ones that are unique and bring something different to the table,” she

said.

Everyone needs a little inspiration, some drive - for Kojakian, it’s her job.

“I love what I do as a whole. From the designers to the marketing, I love it all, which inspires me every day.”

When it comes down to it, this wedding planner inspires herself. She loves what she does and it is reflected in her work. Bridal Boudoir Affair was the most exciting, lavish and enchanting event that I have ever been to.

The event kicked off with a brilliant fashion show that was put together by none other than Melissa Matos and Andrew Ly of TRUSST. Galleria Della Sposa showcased its beautiful gowns designed by Jenny Packham, Marchesa, Monique Lhuillier, Oscar de la Renta and Reem Acra.

Each dress surpassed the next. Colours

ranged from blush pink to ivory, varying in style from A-line to mermaid, from low-cut to backless - Galleria Della Sposa made sure to cater to every bride’s needs.

Alison McGill, editor-in-chief of Wedding Bells, explained that the it colour for the season is emerald green. Brides everywhere are accessorizing in this bright tone. Wedding invitations, bridesmaid dresses, ties, flowers, jewelry; a pop of this colour will be found in every trendy wedding.

Avanti Spa had their make-up artists on the scene, providing the brides-to-be with a fresh, fabulous and flawless look. Ally Zwonok Beauty brought their organic spray-tan booth, giving everyone a sun-kissed glow. Tres Chic Styling showcased some of their glamourous gowns and dressed hostesses Natasha Gargiulo from Virgin Radio and ET Canada, and DJ Abeille

Gélinas.

Luluthia had a gorgeous set up of their flowers in an array of bright colours.

Since the wedding season is right around the corner, the number one thing to remember when planning your own wedding is not to make rash decisions because of lack of time.

“Don’t fall for that, make an educated decision and don’t look back,” says Kojakian.

Although it may be tempting, once you’ve found your dress, don’t start flipping through magazines hoping to find something better.

Trust your taste. After all, it is your taste that got you to the altar in the first place!

Whether you’re the bride-to-be, in the wedding party or a hopeless romantic, Bridal Boudoir Affair is the place to be for something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.

jewelry // life

All you need is a Charlotte Hosten design Photos courtesy of Charlotte Hosten

montreal-based accessories designer brings a fresh take on jewelry Stephanie la leggia life editor

Fashion trends have never been so daring, so rich in colour and texture. Simply looking back on the past five years, there has been a shift from the simple V-neck to a mix and match of loud patterns — a craze that seems to be sticking.

It comes as no surprise that as the garments get louder, so do the accessories. Luxury jewelry is no longer limited to shiny metals and precious stones; the value of a piece is based on its uniqueness rather than its simplicity, making space for creative minds like Charlotte Hosten and her signature fabric necklaces.

“I wouldn’t have fun making jewelry that’s very simple,” said Hosten. “I really enjoy spending time on a piece of jewelry and feeling like I’m hunting, on a quest for something. Working on it and trying to get somewhere.”

The young Belgian-born designer moved to Montreal when she was 10, and although she has travelled back and forth between two countries, she officially planted roots here when she opened up shop in November 2011.

“I always wanted to build a little house around my necklaces,” she said.

After visiting her boutique and dazzling over her collections, there’s no denying Hosten was meant to be an accessories and jewelry designer.

She may have a law degree, but her need to express her creativity became a priority.

Hosten began designing jewelry at the age of

15, a hobby that, with time, evolved into a passion.

Once she graduated from university, Hosten began working for jewelry designer Renée Lévesque, where she had access to various materials and was given the opportunity to create her own designs. It was only in 2008, by pure serendipity, that Hosten discovered where her talents lay and how a small piece of fabric could bring a personal and distinguishable touch to her designs.

“Because I didn’t know what kind of designer I would be, I was still sewing and buying fabrics, as well as buying beads,” said Hosten. “I was looking for a big clasp for a big necklace I made, and then I had the idea of sewing a ribbon of silk. Eventually I started using fabric more as the necklace itself. It just happened naturally.”

Hosten explained that she’s never able to pinpoint exactly what inspires her. She keeps her eyes open and embraces everything that comes her way, from art, to fashion, to interior design. Her spring/summer 2013 collection, Bombay Bazar, is

a reflection of her voyage to India — a trip that introduced new materials to some of her favourite pieces, such as the Lakshmi necklace.

Her designs are one-of-a-kind and sometimes custom-made, a feature that seems to attract brides-to-be. With such a demand, Hosten incorporated a bridal collection a year ago and is currently working on her next collection. Whether it be pearls from decades past or a sentimental trinket, Hosten tries to incorporate a dash of vintage to every design.

Just in the past year, her statement pieces have graced the pages of fashion magazines like Flare, ELLE, FASHION and Chatelaine.

“You never know how it’s going to be featured, but then you see it, and you’re next to these amazing designers and you’re part of it,” said Hosten. “I really love it!”

Atelier Boutique is located at 122 Bernard St. W.

arts

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

//

9

Write to the editor: arts@theconcordian.com city // arts

Explore the city’s best art this summer as the semester finally draws to a close, The Concordian picks some of its favourite spots to enjoy art Musée d’art ConteMporain The Musée d’art contemporain is actually Montreal’s ideal summer venue for a variety of reasons. Truth be told, we all know that our idea of our summer outings does not include being cooped up indoors. To remedy this instinctive need for vitamin D that spreads amongst Montrealers the second that our temperature hits 10 degrees, the museum is located in the ideal district for downtown strollers. In the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles, right next to the venue for major summer events like the Jazz Festival, the MAC becomes an ideal solution for Montreal’s temperamental heat waves. It also offers a variety of late night conferences and workshops, which make it the place to be before hitting a bar or a restaurant with friends. Often filled with controversial artistic material that will render dinner conversation all the more interesting, the MAC is definitely a great stop to hit up with company.

The museum’s current exhibition, Laurent Grasso: Uraniborg, which runs till the end of April, is a sculptural installation for the most part, playing on interactivity in the arts as one of its key concepts.

The MAC is located at 185 Ste-Catherine St. W. Open Tuesday to Sunday. Admission is $8 for students.

-Ariana Trigueros-Corbo

the Canadian Centre for arChiteCture

GeorGe-étienne Cartier MonuMent

A lot of people go to the CCA for the comprehensive research archives, educational seminars, and world-class exhibits; I like to go in the summer because it’s air conditioned and allows me to surround myself with beautiful model buildings. Founded in 1979, the CCA houses continually changing collections of plans, photographs and other architectural artifacts, dating all the way back to the renaissance.

You don’t have to be an expert in the field.

The masterfully curated galleries feature notes that a layman can understand. Additionally, the integration of other disciples such as design history, sociology as well as community development makes for an engaging experience. If by the end of the tour your curiosity is piqued by the collections, head over to the fantastic bookstore that holds literature to meet all your architectural needs.

The CCA building itself is a Montreal landmark. Designed by Montrealer Peter Rose, the aesthetically modern grey limestone structure is a sight to behold behind its vast green lawn if you stand on the south side of RenéLévesque Blvd. Turn your head to the other side of the street and you can see and enter an open air museum: a public urban garden of sculptural heaven.

Canadian summer is the shortest time of year, so it’s important to soak up every minute of the precious sun and warmth. My favourite place to do that and enjoy art at the same time is under the watchful, beautifully sculpted figures of the George-Étienne Cartier monument in blissful Mount Royal Park. The statue itself provides shade and places to sit but you can also sit on the grassy knolls that surround it.

It’s free and it’s beautiful and it’s also a huge part of the Montreal scenery. Unfortunately, it’s right next to a busy road, but that also means its easy to get to.

The monument is located at the corner of Parc St. and Rachel St. -Amanda L. Shore

The Canadian Centre for Architecture is located at 1920 Baile St. Free admission for students. It is open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m..

-Roa Abdel-Gawad

cinema politica // arts

The right to sexual expression a personal look into the life of australian sex worker rachel Wotton ayan ChoWdhury staff writer

Are intimacy, connection and touch any less different if one has to pay for it? Are they any less different if one is not able-bodied?

Scarlet Road, directed by Catherine Scott, follows Australian sex worker and activist Rachel Wotton as she visits various friends and clients, educates fellow sex workers and travels to parts of Europe. Wotton has been in this industry for more than 16 years. In fact, she admits she’s always been drawn to it. She resides in New South Wales, Australia, one of the few places in the world that has decriminalized the sex industry.

At least in principle, they can operate like “any other business.”

John Blades, who has multiple sclerosis and is wheelchair-bound, is one of Wotton’s many clients. The time they spend together makes him feel normal and at ease with himself, like an “able-bodied person within a disabled shell,” he says. The director does a fine job of filming their scenes in a tasteful fashion.

Wotton also travels to Gothenburg, Sweden for the World Congress for Sexual Health in order to talk about her unique experiences and her work for Touching Base Inc., an organization which helps people with disabilities and sex workers in matters of “access, discrimination, human rights and legal issues.” During the conference, Wotton’s ability to articulate her experiences and

concrete facts is noted by her audience, a trait which is far different than those who come from a purely clinical and academic background.

Scott also follows Wotton in her personal life.

Although Wotton would like to move to Queensland, Australia in order to be with her longtime boyfriend, there are complications because the sex work industry is illegal in that part of the country.

This is a thoroughly engaging film regarding a subject seldom discussed so openly. Scott allows Wotton to share her story through her own words and actions, rarely interfering and focusing both on sexual education and narrative honesty. As an observational documentary, it aims for immediacy between subject and audience. In fact, it feels as though the camera is working as a

therapeutic device for a woman who likely faces frequent discrimination in such a stigmatized industry.

Wotton’s happy-go-lucky attitude is particularly endearing. She admits why she chooses differently-abled people as clients, “I like the fact that my job always entails pleasure, making someone feel better about themselves, that they are the centre of someone’s attention and they deserve to smile.”

Scarlet Road screens Monday April 8 at 7 p.m. in Room H-110, 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd.

W. The event is co-presented with STELLA. Rachel Wotton will be in attendance for a postscreening Q&A. For more information, visit www.cinemapolitica.org/concordia.

10

//

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

fiction serial // arts

Tourne au Rouge the last segment of The Concordian’s ongoing fiction serial by staff writer Andy Fidel

Illustion by Jihane Mossalim, Gallery 203

A

familiar sound perked her ears. The faint tut-tootle came from inside the carousel.

After listening to the melody for a few moments, Anya was able to hum along — it was from her mother’s music box.

Jester Thingrim put an encouraging hand on her shoulder and said, “Go ahead. She’s waiting for you.”

Anya eyed the boarded-up carousel; the white paint on the horses was chipped and smutted yet they reminded her of Christmas ornaments, of ice-like figures hanging in mid-air.

She felt unsettled by the way their heads were upturned, their mouths half-open and their eyes frozen wide with terror.

Briskly, she rubbed her arms as a gust of wind blew, scattering dust over her bare feet.

She had never noticed how cold it was, how the damp chill of the fog clung to her skin. Anya opened her mouth to say something back but she couldn’t find the right words. There were too many questions racing through her mind: How can Ma be alive? Will she remember me? What do I say? She glanced up at Jester Thingrim’s jovial face and smiled back shyly. If what he said was true, then why was she unable to move? Her feet were like two rocks stuck in the mud, heavy and still.

She turned around at the sound of Billy’s footsteps. He was standing behind her, still holding the carnival shotgun.

“What is he talking about—” “My mother’s in there.”

“Where?” he said, squinting. “I don’t see her.”

With an impatient exhale, Jester Thingrim said “Because she is inside.”

Then, he turned to Anya and said, “Come, child. You’re running out of time. The train will leave in the morning with or without you. ” “My mother’s dead,” said Anya in a soft voice, hearing the weight of her words settle uncomfortably in the pit of her stomach.

“Not here.” Jester Thingrim shook his finger.

“There is no such thing as life or death in my carnival.”

“So, what is there?”

“All you want, but can’t have elsewhere.

What do you want, little Miss Anya?” He put an arm around her shoulder and guided her toward the carousel while the young girl stared hard at her feet.

“You have enough tickets to take someone home with you,” he said. “It’d be fool-

ish to miss the train. You’re already one of the rare ones.”

“What happens to Todd, if I bring Ma home?”

Gaiety, Jester Thingrim rocked back and forth on the souls of his feet. “He stays here,” he said in a high-pitched voice, “with me — with us all! But this isn’t about Todd. This is about you, and what you want.”

Jester Thingrim’s last words echoed strangely in her mind as she automatically handed him one of her tickets.

“Wait for me,” said Billy, but Jester Thingrim was too quick for him. He caught the young boy by the collar of his jacket.

“I believe you’re out of tickets. No one goes on a ride without a ticket.”

“But, it’s broken,” as Billy stared up into Jester Thingrim’s eyes he got a sinking feeling in his stomach that something was terribly wrong, “Anya! Come back,” cried Billy.

Billy’s voice sounded distant to Anya’s ears.

“No,” she thought to herself, “I’m going in.”

Her eyes found the door that led to the carousel’s interior. She stepped up onto the platform and suddenly it felt as though the key she wore around her neck had become too heavy. The carousel creaked as it began to spin, slowly at first and then a bit faster. Anya glanced up. Jester Thingrim lifted his hand in a small wave and mouthed the words “Ta-da!”

Anya threaded her way through the plastered horses, all the while fumbling with the clasp of the necklace, trying to remove the key from around her neck before its weight pulled her off her feet. Suddenly one of the wooden horses beside her came to life, snorting and whickering.

Anya flinched in surprise, accidentally pulling too hard on the necklace and yanking the clasp free, the key clattered on the floor.

The carousel spun faster and faster in time to the accelerated tut-tootle tune until a whirring noise buzzed loudly. Anya bent down to pick the key up but she nearly lost her balance and toppled over. It was almost too heavy to lift. Using all her strength, Anya lifted the key and inserted into the metal padlock that guarded the interior door — Click! — the padlock snapped open as the key turned.

“She’s waiting,” Jester Thingrim’s voice floated inside her head, although he was nowhere to be seen.

Stunned, Anya let her hand rest on the cold handle. It felt like she was shaking hands with

the dead. Faintly, she could hear Todd calling out her name. She glanced over her shoulder and saw him standing in between Jester Thingrim and the Shadow.

Jester Thingrim’s voice came again, more urgent this time. “What are you waiting for?”

Anya flung the door open. A soft and tender voice from the darkness spoke. “Anya, is that you?”

Unable to see anything, Anya asked: “Where are you?”

“You shouldn’t be here. Go back —” said the voice at the back of the room.

“Go on.”

Anya felt a powerful hand on her shoulder, nudging her forward. Swivelling her head around, she couldn’t see her mother or Jester Thingrim but somehow she felt them both hovering around her. The carousel seemed to be spinning out of control. Todd was becoming blurry as well.

“Where are you?” shouted Anya, a little louder.

“Give her the ticket before it’s too late.”

Anya staggered on blindly until she felt something cold and clammy at the end of her fingertips. Uncertain of what to do, Anya listened to Jester Thingrim and dug her hands into her dress pockets where she pulled out the two red tickets she had left and the broken horse’s leg. Faintly, she could hear Todd calling out her name.

“You must find your bro —” Her mother’s voice was fading and barely audible over the creaks and the sound of static growing louder and louder.

The tickets began to glow red, expanding and shrinking, like a throbbing heartbeat. Anya held up the tickets as a lantern.

“You’re already a shadow!” Anya gasped.

She could barely see the figure in front of her, a blurred silhouette as though the person were standing behind a window on a rainy day, but she knew it was her mother.

“I came for you,” she said, and tried to launch herself into her mother’s arms, but there was no one there.

“Come home with me,” said Anya, grabbing her hand. Her fingers went straight through.

“I — can’t,” the voice whispered. “It wouldn’t. Be right.”

“Why not?” croaked Anya.

“Let me go —“ “The ticket,” Jester Thingrim hissed in her ear. “Now, or never.”

“No.” Jester Thingrim’s voice raised an octave as he yelled. “No?” “I want to go home,” shouted Anya, clutching the broken horse leg firmly in her hand.

Instantly, the darkness peeled back and before Anya knew it, she was standing in front of an empty room.

“We have to go,” said Todd, scampering up the wooden carousel when it had slowed down enough and the music had faded away.

Marching forward, Jester Thingrim raised his fist into the air and bellowed “You were supposed to pick your mother.”

Todd scurried behind Anya. “And you,” said Jester Thingrim, pointed a stronger finger at the Shadow. “You were supposed to keep that boy locked in his cage! She would’ve have picked her.”

“You’re wrong,” said Anya. “I would’ve picked my brother.”

Jester Thingrim jabbed a thumb into his chest. “No, I picked my brother — I tried to bring him back to life.“ “But you didn’t,” said the Shadow in a low voice. “Let them go. She made her choice.”

Jester Thingrim glared at the carousel. “She could have.”

Anya said “No, it wouldn’t have been the same,” and handed Todd a ticket. “We’re going home,” she said, firmly.

On board of the Tourne au Rouge train, both Anya and Todd peered out the large window to watch as the carnival became smaller than their thumbs, a mere speck in the horizon. Day was nearly here and their parents would be looking for them if they weren’t in bed by sunrise.

Todd laid his head against her shoulder, exhausted. “Did you see her?” he asked.

Anya nodded. “She misses you, too.”

“But she’s never met me.”

“She doesn’t have to, she already knows all about you,” said Anya and clung to the metal pole as the train came to a screeching halt. The metallic doors opened out to a foggy, but familiar street. Anya hopped off first, and then helped Todd. They looked around, but could not see past the tall red stop light. Anya spun on her heel to find Jester Thingrim standing behind her, grinning. He tipped his hat and bowed his head.

“Yes?” “How do we get home?” asked Anya.

“It’s just around the corner,” said Jester Thingrim, grinning, “just turn on red.”

music

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

//

11

Write to the editor: music@theconcordian.com

profile // music

Joshua Van Tassel turns to chaos for inspiration The unpredictable nature of dreams is the basis for his latest offering sTephanie ullman music editor

When Joshua Van Tassel steps into the studio (which, he can now proudly say, is no longer based within his home) for a day’s work, he checks all connection to the outside world at the door.

“I don’t have any Internet in the studio and I turn my phone off the second I walk in,” said the Canadian multi-instrumentalist. Following suit, anyone else in attendance leaves their cell phone in a neat pile on a shelf near the door so that nobody is tempted to break the golden rule.

“I want to be there, I don’t want to be connected at all,” said Van Tassel. “I want to be present and give 100 per cent of my attention, and I want that from everybody else — if you’re here and you want to do this, let’s do it for real.”

Much like his organic, bare-bones approach to creating art, the content of Van Tassel’s product is heavily influenced by Maritime sonic tradition.

Born and raised in rural Nova Scotia, the inclusion of predominantly acoustic instrumentation has always been the law of the land.

“The Maritimes have a really strong songwriter tradition and a really strong folk tradition in general, and a lot of really good acoustic guitar players,” he said.

In a triumphant effort to create a marriage between old-world and new-world vibes, Van Tassel takes care to nurture and perfect that balance.

“I’m interested in bridging the gap between really pretty, traditional-sounding, earthy folk songs and a more modern recording technique.”

Armed with the acoustic guitar as his auditory weapon and “portable writing tool,” Van Tassel not only composes each of his albums, but produces, engineers and mixes them to boot. Being at the helm of his own projects has allowed the musician to develop and acquaint himself with his medium.

“It’s a way to try out lots of things in a nopressure situation,” he said. “If I make mistakes, it only affects me.”

True to its name, the content of his latest album, Dream Date, is heavily based in the disjointed nature of dreams. “When I set out to make this album, I tried to picture a really specific scene in my mind, like I’m scoring a movie,” he said. “Let’s say you’re dreaming. Sometimes, it’s almost like there’s no connectivity — you’re in one scene, then you’re in another, and your brain doesn’t really notice. It doesn’t make you go, ‘Okay, why am I now in this spaceship? I was just in a desert’.”

Following this blueprint, Van Tassel constructed the record as if each scene in the album was part of a string of organized chaos, “[blending] it in a way sonically that has that effect —

now, [you’re] somewhere else, but it doesn’t feel foreign or strange. You’re being lead.”

“The Warmest Heart,” one of the album’s most acclaimed numbers, was built with a very specific scene in mind: a father and daughter stand on a sunny, picturesque beach, surrounded by water infested with mechanical fish.

Though they’re on a day trip together, she is ignored by her father while he works on his phone. She finds companionship in a mechanical skeleton, which she is intent on showing her father, but he refuses to pay her any mind. Soon, the skeleton begins coming to life, along with the robotic fish, and she becomes master of her imaginary mechanical domain.

Paired with resonating vocals and rolling soundscape of sinister bells and lightly twinkling background details, “The Warmest Heart” is one of many tracks that embodies all that Van Tassel has aimed for.

“I’m trying to make music that is completely respectful of an acoustic tradition, but at the same time recognizing that there are so many tools available to us with technology,” he said.

“We can make sounds that we couldn’t really make before.”

Joshua Van Tassel plays Casa del Popolo on Wednesday, Apr. 3 at 8:30 p.m.

profile // arTs

Concordia-based Atsuko Chiba blends education and artistry Their latest ep was recorded on campus in the Oscar peterson concert hall rOberT De lisi staff writer

While riding the Montreal metro system to and from Concordia where they are both enrolled in the electroacoustic program, Kevin McDonald and Karim Lakdhar would often discuss their love of creating music with their respective bands. It wasn’t until January 2012 that they finally got a chance to play together when they formed an impromptu band in order to play a show at a party organized by some friends from their program.

“We got together for our first show last minute — we heard about a party at Concordia and said, ‘Hey, this is our chance to play together.’ Within that week, we prepped for a 15 to 20 minute set and performed it at the show,” said Lakdhar. “So I guess you can say that it was the basis for our band: it was super random but it just clicked so we stayed together.”

Since that first show, the band has strived to create music that they can proudly call their own. They enjoy the process just as much as the finished product as they each add various styles and elements to the band. ”We played that show and wrote some crazy music for it,” said McDonald. “Until then, with our individual bands, we always wrote music with a

traditional formula: drums, bass, vocals. But this band has allowed us to evolve past that to something so much more.”

That first show included McDonald, Eric Shaufhauser, Lakdhar and Dave Palumbo. Months later, they would add Anthony Piazza as the permanent drummer.

In July of 2012, Atsuko Chiba released their first EP entitled Animalia: Several States of Being. Recorded live at Concordia’s Oscar Peterson Concert Hall and mixed and recorded by Juno award nominee Matthew Cerantola, the EP was a great success and a strong start for the group.

“You can say that Concordia has played a big role in our development,” said Schafhauser. “We played our first show because of Concordia, and were able to record at Oscar Peterson. The school was available to help us when we needed a space to record and had a hard time finding one.”

The guys also recognize how their education at Concordia has influenced and matured their creative process.

“You can say that a lot of our music has come out of what we learned in electroacoustic studies at Concordia, from teachers to fellow students,” said McDonald. “We’ve learned a lot and we’ve been constantly developing our creative process and style.”

Although Atsuko Chiba does not currently have a vocalist, they are not actively looking for one as

this allows them to each pitch in on the vocals of any given song.

“Even though we don’t have a singer and we’re instrumental we take turns adding in vocals because our music is very visual for us and sometimes vocals can help project the entire message,” said Palumbo.

The guys describe their style as “Western Space Groove,” a genre that includes a variety of styles and sounds to produce an experimental psychedelic post-rock.

“Our styles individually are all very different in fact, the band was almost started with the purpose of going against what we knew completely, so we definitely step outside our comfort zone,” said

Lakdhar.

Atsuko Chiba is hard at work as they are currently recording their next album, which is expected in early summer. Meanwhile, the band is still refining and evolving in style and sound.

“People who have an open mind will like our music most — not to say that we’re the most far-out band ever, but we sound different and so it means something when somebody comes up to us and tells us they like our music,” said McDonald. “We really didn’t take the easy route because our sound is completely different from most music out there.”

Atsuko Chiba plays Casa del Popolo on Friday, April 26 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10.

12

//

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

profile // arTs

BDT finds hope and success in dark times The group of young rappers has its roots in new beginnings, a make a Wish donation & a little Drake Each of the four possesses undeniable talent and their own personal taste, giving their music a fresh sound unlike any other. Their appreciation for a variety of music genres, including hip hop, indie rock, R&B, jazz and techno translates into their own sound which Guénin describes as “something dreamy, dark, and as real as it gets for rappers our age.”

Putting an image to the sound is their debut video, “Home,” directed by Vinoth Varatharajan, delivering visuals that effortlessly mirror their natural flow and ambient beats.

“That’s the cool thing about being so many people,” said Richardson. “We all come together and create A strong sense of frendship is the glue thAt holds the bAnd bdt together. photo by Vinoth VArAthArAjAn something we all love: that BDT sound.”

From start to finish, BDT unique beats substantiates that Montreal’s very is entirely self-sufficient when it comes to the sabrina curiale own up-and-coming rap group is nothing less production of their music. Guénin even taught contributor than real. himself to play piano, stimulating the lyrical Also known as Big Dreams Team, the group progression of his crew. Every track is a glimpse consists of four close friends ranging in age from into their source of consistent motivation and the Oh how the world is lost / To find a 19 to 21: Myles Guénin, a.k.a. Myles, Matthew story they strive to share. dream that’s small and achieve it is near- John, a.k.a. Timeliss, Terrell Mcleod Richardson, BDT’s formation in itself is a story to be told. ly impossible / But why do we live? / Not a.k.a. TasK The RaDD, and Alex Burrows, a.k.a. In 2009, the group’s founder, Guénin, was diagto achieve our goals / Not to accomplish Rowz. At the foundation of this rap group is one nosed with the systemic autoimmune disease our task / We’ve searched for miles and miles to of the most important qualities according to Gué- lupus, leaving him in the Montreal Children’s reach the Stars.” nin: their friendship.

Hospital for six months. Throughout his long and Straight from the intro of BDT’s album Stars, “I’d say it’s our team that sets us apart from difficult journey to remission, Guénin, an avid a combination of powerful lyricism backed by other young rappers,” he said. hip hop fan, heard Drake’s third official mixtape,

“

So Far Gone, and was profoundly influenced to start making his own music.

Helping him transform his dreams into reality, the Make a Wish Foundation granted Guénin’s wish of having his own home studio. From there, the BDT vision came to life.

This experience fueled their motivation, as does each and every moment they live. When asked about their inspiration behind the music, Guénin said, “Everything. Life. Our day-to-day lives. The good music out there motivates us to go harder so we can show the world what Big Dreams has to offer. Music is everything.”

Four years after coming together, BDT has developed a sense of confidence in their musical abilities, and have finally identified what they stand for.

“We all bring something different to the table,” said Guénin. “So I do me on the track and everyone just does them.”

The result: a strong individual sense of each rapper in an impressive collaborative effort.

What can fans expect from BDT in the future?

The group plans to release their second mixtape titled Real before June rolls around.

“We’ve been working really hard on our new material so we’re hoping to make some noise with these next few releases,” said BDT’s DJ Anthony Salvo.

The band’s driving passion and enthusiasm is a clear indicator of their forthcoming success.

“It’s our dream, our wish, our goal and over these four years, it has slowly become the main focus in our lives. We feed off of that,” said Richardson. “We inspire each other to do better so the energy will never stop flowing.”

BDT plays Cabaret Underworld located at 1403 Ste-Élisabeth St. with Rockie Fresh Thursday, Apr. 18 at 9 p.m.

profile // music

From Zeroes QC to heroes: the evolution of Suuns One of montreal’s most famed musical collectives is here to stay June lOper contributor

With a new album, Images Du Futur, released March 5, Suuns are back in their hometown of Montreal with new bold, dark and dream-like melodies.

The band chose to name its new record after an ‘80s Montreal exhibit where new avantgarde technologies were showcased. “Not necessarily that our music is futuristic, but it certainly is an attempt at creating something new,” explained Max Henry, the band’s bassist and keyboardist.

The new record represented an evident step in the band’s life. With more confidence and knowledge of their role, style and personality, the band explores greater depths and evolves into different styles. Throughout their work, they were able to understand and define themselves. “We approached it from a different perspective, we had a label, we were starting to know who we are,” said Henry.

With its robotic repetitions and electronic beats, the album conveys a certain alien feeling. In comparison to their first album, Zeroes QC, Henry explains that the band wanted to explore new musical territories.

“The second record is maybe a little less

fun than the first one, a bit more challenging. I think we’re exploring a lot more, maybe taking more chances,” he said.

Signed to the label Secretly Canadian, the band finds a new darkness in this album, with musical influences going from ‘60s german punk-rock, bands like Cans, Silver Apples and Clinic in particular, and classics like The Beatles, Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

“Our music has become a bit more nuanced and I like the idea that even when we play it now, there’s still some of it I don’t entirely grasp,” said Henry. “It’s cool to put something out there with confidence and discover more about it every time we play it.”

Brought together in 2006, the band formed

by Henry, Ben Shemie, a vocalist and guitarist, Liam O’Neill, the drummer, and Joseph Yarmush, a guitarist and bassist, wasn’t initially named Suuns. The band was first called Zeroes, but when they got to sign with the label they were encouraged to change their name — another band called Zeroes already existed so it could have been problematic for their career.

“It took a while for us to decide, but Suuns means zero in Thai,” said Henry. “We liked Zeroes in the first place because it had a darkness to it, a certain edge. Slightly dark but not depressing and definitely not emo.”

The band recorded Images du Futur during last year’s student protests. The turmoil

stimulated and affected them as Quebecers but they didn’t want their music to be politically involved.

“We’ve always been very proud of being Quebecers and even more so during that time,” he said. “It really made me want to read more about the history of Quebec and Montreal. The protests were on all of our minds but in my opinion, it’s not music’s place to engage in it.”

In their relationship with art, the members of the band are very multi-faceted. Not only do all of them like to read, but Yarmush and Shemie are also interested in photography and movie-making: Yarmush is in charge of doing all the press photos and Shemie directed all of their music videos.

In certain songs like “2020,” the music video adds really cool effects to the music and perfectly conveys the psychedelic, subconscious atmosphere of their new approach. The epileptic shots of the broken black and white lines

and other symbols tearing through the screen combined with the slow melting guitar notes and Shemie’s soft whisper-like voice transport the viewer into the realms of the unknown.

The members of the band are currently enjoying their free time in Montreal and rehearsing for their upcoming tour across Europe, Canada and the U.S..

“Playing abroad is somewhat easier,” said Henry. “It’s very exciting to play in Montreal, but a bit nerve-wracking because it’s where all your friends are. We’re definitely looking forward to it!”

Suuns play La Sala Rossa on Thursday, Apr. 4, 2013 at 10 p.m. Tickets are $12 at the door.

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

//

13

profile // music

Flume is forever on the fast track From overnight success to rapid-fire production, speed is a constant JOrDie Yeager staff writer

C

ertain music makes you fall a little more in love with it with every listen and Flume falls into that category without a doubt. With undeniably catchy synths and beats that could turn any frown upside down, it’s perfect whether you’re on the bus or out on the town. Harley Streten, the name behind the music, is an Australian producer and DJ whose sound is making waves internationally.

Streten may only be 21-years-old, but he’s no beginner when it comes to making music. He got his start at the young age of 13 when he discovered the world of music production from a program he found in a cereal box.

While he fell in love with music production quickly, his rise to fame was even faster. He signed with Future Classic in 2011 after entering three of his songs into a competition the record label was hosting.

“You were supposed to send in your best originals, so I sent them the Sleepless EP,” said Streten. “I had already put it on blogs and stuff

At just 21, AustrAliAn dj hArley streten, AkA flume, hAs Acquired internAtionAl fAme.

and it had gained a bit of traction. I got a record contract out of the competition and went from there.”

Some people spend years trying to make their name known, but Streten has been welcomed into the electronic music world with speed that would be shocking if it weren’t so well-deserved.

“A lot of people ask me if it’s been too quick, but I haven’t really known it any other way,” he said. “For me, it doesn’t really seem that crazy fast, but you know, I’m loving it. It’s been great fun. I get to see lots of the world and meet a lot of

people. It’s been really cool.”

Speed seems to be a theme in Streten’s life; he can create a song in as little as a day.

“The fun-ness and the creative energy wears off quite quickly for me, so I need to make things happen fast,” he said. “If I do a remix and I’m super into it, I can do it within a day or two. Sometimes it takes longer, but I never let anything go over two weeks.”

If you’ve heard even one Flume song, you know that two weeks is an impressive amount of time for the creation of such audible bliss. But for

Streten, that speed is an essential element.

“It’s just kind of how my brain works,” he said. “I can’t leave it for too long. When I have, it’s been a nightmare for me and I can’t really make much progress since I’ve heard the song so many times.”

Streten, who’s influenced by the likes of Flying Lotus, M83, and Shlomo, describes his music as “experimental electronica with a strong hiphop influence and lots of catchy melodies.” But his style hasn’t always been so defined.

“When I started, I didn’t really have a sound and I didn’t really want to make a serious project until I did,” he said. “I’ve written pop tracks, minimal tech-house tracks, electro bangers, orchestral scores […] so I know how most genres work.

I can manipulate and take the best of each genre and make them into whatever I please. It’s freedom. It’s good. It makes a producer more flexible if you can understand how other genres work.”

Australians are known for their love of traveling and Streten is no exception. His favourite part of success: seeing the world. However, being on tour makes it hard to find time to make music, regardless of how quick you are.

“I wrote all this music last year,” said Streten.

“And now that it’s been successful, I’ve written less music in the last six months than I have in my entire life. It’s quite ironic.”

Flume plays Le Belmont on Saturday, April 6 at 10 p.m. Tickets are $21.74.

profile // music

FIDLAR is living the high life like nobody’s watching mia pearsOn staff writer

Fuck It, Dog. Life’s a Risk. The acronym was first a skateboarding term, and bassist Brandon Schwartzel explained that “If someone was unsure [about a skate trick], we’d be like, ‘FIDLAR man!’ and they’d be like, ‘Alright, I’m gonna go for it!’”

Schwartzel and the friendly hooligans who make up FIDLAR - vocalist/guitarists Zac Carper and Elvis Kuehn, as well as drummer Max Kuehn - grew up in skate-influenced regions like Los Angeles and Hawaii. The soundtracks that accompanied Tony Hawk and other skate video-games were a big influence on the band’s sound, which is often described as garage, pop and punk rock.

Schwartzel improves the description by adding in that they’re “loud and rowdy.”

Although they’re not big skaters anymore “because you just get hurt too much,” Schwartzel shared that the name FIDLAR was appropriately adopted by band members. The philosophy of the acronym follows the band members as they bump around North America in their tour van. “[FIDLAR represents] not caring so much about what you’re going to do with your life, just living in the moment and being like, ‘Fuck it, fuck what people tell you to do and what they think you should be doing’. Just do what you want and have fun doing it.”

FIDLAR’s new album bottles the wild child and chill vibes of life rolling down sunny L.A. streets, then moving into nights, drunk and drugged. Each loud and upbeat song is drenched in their carefree attitude and touches upon youthful misdemeanors and intoxicated endeavors.

Their shows stay true to this as well: Schwartzel explained how the intimate feel of their early shows in empty parking lots, basements, and warehouses is still preserved with growing crowds.

Look for Justin Bieber’s phone number written on one of their amps When plAying A shoW, fidlAr Will often pull people from the croWd onstAge And pArty proVing their fAme hAsn’t gone to their heAds.

“We’ll invite kids on stage to come up and hang out with us while we’re playing,” he said.

“People who came to see you play are actually on stage with you, bumping into you.”

Schwartzel went on to highlight how during their rowdy warehouse shows, “Our shit gets unplugged or your gear breaks or someone steps on your pedals or knocks your amp over, so it can sometimes become difficult to play.”

Shows in concert venues are sometimes appreciated by the band because “[their] stuff doesn’t get broken.”

On a past tour with Swedish rockers The Hives, after a show at Montreal’s Metropolis venue, the bassist shared the events of a wild night when “we got these kids into the show, and they brought us some questionable substances […]

We went pretty big that night, and the skate-

boards came out of the van which is never a good thing to do when you’re really wasted. So everyone just started falling and eating shit, but no one could feel it, we were all just laughing.”

The next morning was characterized by deep gashes, scratches and extensive bruising.

“That was a pretty good one,” Schwartzel added, laughing.

When questioned about the rumor that the band has Justin Bieber’s phone number written on their amps, the bassist confirmed this.

“I can’t say particularly where we got it […]

We found it through different connections. Hopefully he’s getting a lot of calls […] We always say to text him racy pictures.”

FIDLAR spends their unglamorous touring days driving in their van, listening to podcasts, playing shows and “sleeping on people’s floors,

and eating shitty food ‘cause there’s nothing else.”

In essence, the band “[follows] no guidelines, we just do whatever we want. We have no one telling us what we need to be doing,” Schwartzel happily explained.

As the crowds continue to get larger while they grow in success, Schwartzel remarked, “I don’t think we were ever really grounded […] It comes down to making music we want to make, and playing music we want to play.”

As a final note, Schwartzel sends a message to all the ladies reading the article: “Max is single.

He’s our drummer and he’s always interested. So if you come to a show, harass him.”

FIDLAR plays La Sala Rossa with Wavves on Saturday, April 6 at 7:00 p.m.

14

//

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

theconcordian profile // music

Born Ruffians’ sound spans across the spectrum The canadian band can switch from soulful to toe-tapping in an instant selina garD staff writer

anDreW guilberT staff writer

>>We tip our Hi-hats to you, sir //

If you’ve ever come into contact with a drum kit, the name Sabian should be familiar to you, as it was probably on the cymbals you melodically thrashed on. If this indeed is your case, take a minute to thank Robert Zildjian, the company’s founder, who passed away last Thursday at 89. Reports suggest he was battling cancer. The only official word as of yet is a statement posted on the Sabian website detailing his life. “His professional story is well known. Having been dealt a major career setback at an age where most men would have opted for retirement, RZ instead chose to re-invent the cymbal business with his own hand-crafted brand, a brand that would forever change the face and sound of popular music. With his bare hands he shaped the Sabian cymbal brand into his life’s story — and by extension we became his family. We mourn his passing, and he will be forever in our hearts.

But we are better people for having known RZ, and we are richer for having worked alongside him. We draw comfort from the knowledge that his spirit will live on in the music made by drummers the world over.”

Locked away in an isolated farmhouse in Stratford, Ont., Born Ruffians were able to create some of their most memorable music yet. With hauntingly beautiful melodies and deeply relatable lyrics, their latest album Birthmarks provides the perfect balance between emotion and danceability.

The fact that they were so far away from civilization worked to their advantage. “This worked out so much better, we could be as loud as we wanted to be whenever we wanted to be,” said bassist Mitch Derosier.

Their first album was conceived in a similar fashion. With all band members living under the same roof, inspiration was easy to come by. As Derosier put it, “We wrote our record there and it was so easy and kind of immediate to be able to do that while living together. At any time [frontman Luke Lalonde] could come find us to go jam and work on something.”

They decided to follow the same route and forgo the “every Tuesday at 4 p.m., come to this place and hopefully you’ll feel creative” formula for their latest album, and it can be felt in every guitar strum.

Lalonde is described as the driving force behind the band, according to Derosier. He writes the lyrics, whereas the music tends to come about

organically with contributions from each of the band members. Their first single off Birthmarks, “Needle,” captures the disillusionment that often accompanies not knowing where you want to be in your mid-20s.

However, this doesn’t seem to reflect the way things are going for Born Ruffians so far. With three albums under their belt, an ongoing tour in Canada and the U.S. and an extensive fan base around the globe, it would seem that the band is on the way to having the world at their feet.

“We started this band when we were 16 so it’s kind of all we’ve ever really known,” said Derosier. He and singer Lalonde, who is also his cousin, have had music in their bones from the get-go. The band’s first name, Mornington Drive, was actually the name of a band that Lalonde’s father was in — it took moving to Toronto and making it on their own for the band to become Born Ruffians.

As Derosier put it, “It just kind of fit for some weird reason.” The move to Toronto seemed to have marked a milestone in the band’s development. For one, it introduced them to drummer Steve Hamelin, who provides the band with their signature beat.

With inspirations ranging from Led Zeppelin to Puff Daddy, band members Lalonde, Hamelin, Andy Lloyd and Derosier have created their own unique sound. This is palpable in their songs, which bounce back and forth from catchy to

Photo by Pascal Amoyel heartfelt. “Needle” is a song that is guaranteed to get you out of your chair and stay stuck in your head for days, while “With Her Shadow” offers soft vocals, mournful guitars and pounding drums.

The band has previously worked with Tokyo Police Club, an experience that they greatly enjoyed. It gave them a taste for collaborating with other artists and a love to jam with their current tour mates, The Elwins.

With a gig lined up at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City and plans to perform in various festivals this summer, the band may be a household name pretty soon.

Born Ruffians play La Sala Rossa Thursday, Apr. 11 at 8 p.m.

Quick spins// music

>> That’s quite an earful //

In an interview with XFM radio, 30 Seconds to Mars singer Jared Leto spoke about their fans’ baffling devotion to the band. On the topic of gifts they’d received over the years, Leto said, “The fans are an incredibly committed and passionate group of people. Going to a show is kind of like visiting Japan, you expect gifts on your arrival. You get all kinds of wonderful things.” So passionate, in fact, one fan decided to literally give him a little piece of themselves. “Someone cut their ear off once and sent it to me, that was very strange. A whole ear. The Van Gogh move. The note just said, ‘Are you listening?’ I never knew who it was, who’s missing their ear out there.” Asked what he did with the gift, Leto joked, “I poked a hole in it and wore it as a necklace.” He then cautioned others against doing something similar: “Just don’t put your entire body in a case and send it to us.”

>> A lead up to The Appeal pt.

II? // Rapper Gucci Mane turned himself in to Atlanta police last week on charges of aggravated assault with a weapon. Mane allegedly hit a fan, James Lettley, with a champagne bottle in an Atlanta nightclub’s VIP area on March 16, resulting in Lettley needing 10 stitches. “I was speaking to the security guard, and Gucci Mane hit me in the head with a bottle,” said Lettley. “That is dangerous because if there was to be any other fan trying to approach him, ain’t no telling what else he might do to them.“ This is far from Mane’s first run-in with the law: in 2005, he was charged with murder, though the case was dropped for lack of evidence, in 2006 he was jailed for assault and in 2011 he was charged on two separate accounts of battery and aggravated assault.

One Republic - Native (Interscope; 2013)

Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience (RCA Records; 2013)

Caveman - Caveman (Fat Possum; 2013)

The American rock band from Colorado Springs has decided to switch things up this time around by injecting some electro beats to their predominantly rock based songs.

Lead singer Ryan Tedder and his band members seem to want to cater to two audiences: those who would head-bang to rock music and those who would head-bang to electro house music.

The songs’ big sounds and meaningful lyrics demonstrate that the band has put a lot of emotional and mental hard work into the album. It is a product of the band’s evolution from their 2009 album Waking Up, and their social networking as they widen their fan base outside of North America.

While some songs like “If I Lose Myself” and “Feel Again” are upbeat and evoke a sense of joy and positivity, others like “Can’t Stop” and “Au Revoir” suggest a more sombre tone.

Justin Timberlake is back and he’s got a new sound. He brought sexy back in 2006 along with a series of hip hop dance songs. This time around, he brings a sexier, old-school sound to our ears.

I don’t see any teenagers blasting the album in their cars, but instead more of a 21-and-up audience. The album’s old-school feel has me thinking of a Marvin Gaye meets H-Town mix. The album’s track list mostly gives measured, steady beats but always brings it up a notch mid-track.

“Spaceship Coupe” leaves you a bit dazed until the sound of the bass guitar comes on and makes you feel.

Most tracks last about seven minutes. The album’s tempo is much slower compared to his sophomore album FutureSex/LoveSounds. With the more mellow tempos and longer tracks, Timberlake leaves listeners to slowly sway their hips and nod their heads.

Hailing from the Big Apple, the quintet of Caveman have stormed in with their second album.

It is a strange mixture of synthesizers, ethereal vocals and effects, but it’s a beautiful soundscape. Revealed through the mist of reverb and delay, with dreamy guitars melding together with drums, the band takes you on a journey that is extremely relaxed, pensive and reflective. It is as if the right stuff from the ‘80s has meshed with City and Colour’s songwriting style.

Don’t be surprised when one of these tracks ends up as a closing track to an episode on the next season of HBO’s Girls — this record is seductive, with vocals by Matthew Iwanusa that will please almost any listening ear.

Be sure to put this record on when staring at the clouds during the summer. At just over 45 minutes in length, it will provide the perfect soundtrack for your time away from the classroom.

Trial Track: “Counting”

Trial track: “Let the Groove Get In”

Trial track: “In the City”

- Krystina Scenna

7.5/10

-Taisha Henry

7.0/10

-A. J. Cordeiro

9.1/10

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

//

special insert //

Best of The Concordian

The ConCordian staffers (clockwise): Marilla steuter-Martin (editor-in-chief), sophia loffreda (production Manager), kalina lafraMboise (news editor), george Menexis (opinions editor), kevin duarte (sports editor), aManda l. shore (arts editor), stephanie ullMan (Music editor), stephanie la leggia (life editor).

W

hen I took this job last April I was pretty sure I was going to die. I imagined that after a while someone would find me curled up in the corner of my ice cold office on the top floor of the CC building at Loyola and have to pry The Concordian from my cold dead hands.

Well, if you’re holding this paper now, it means that we’ve made it to our last issue, and I am the first to admit that much of the credit lies with the incredible people I had the privilege to work with over the last seven months.

We have had all sorts of adventures together, and getting to know the editors and writers who cared enough to devote so much of their time and energy to the paper has been the biggest one yet. Twenty-seven issues later there are still some things my team and I are trying to figure out — and that is part of what keeps this job interesting.

It has been an eventful year full of trials, tribulations and triumphs. I feel lucky to have been able to share it with such fiercely dedicated journalists and kind, understanding friends.

We at The Concordian know not every student at Concordia reads our newspaper, or even knows that it exists. I secretly hope there is someone out there who is using old copies of The Concordian for some elaborate paper mache project. But I also know how much effort and care goes into each and every issue. I see the literal blood, sweat and tears that go into the paper, and somehow I have the nerve to ask for more each week.

The point of this special insert (in lieu of a spoof issue where we poke fun at the university and its chief cast of characters) is to celebrate the amazing work that our journalists have done this year. It can be so easy to overlook or underestimate the work

that these students are producing, simply because there are so many other things to think about. But not this time — this time each section gets the chance to put forth an article or a piece of coverage that the editor feels you should take the time to look at.

Whether you have read every issue of the paper religiously or you haven’t picked it up all year, the following pages are full of the best and most interesting stories we have to offer. These articles reflect the tone of the year; the admirable people we got to speak with, the news we worked our asses off covering and the Montreal culture we are so honoured to cover. We have deemed the following worth a reprint because of the way these pieces impacted us and the way we hope they will impact you.

Marilla Steuter-Martin Editor-in-chief

Photos taken by Sophia Loffreda, Production manager

15

16

//

Tuesday, april 2,, 2013

special insert // NEwS

News An ideological divide First day of the education summit met with contention from students

W

ell, this is slightly awkward.

I’m not going to lie, it’s difficult to narrow down my mandate to a single article considering how tumultuous and historic of a year it’s been.

The reason why I chose a piece about the summit on higher education is because it was a disaster and a relatively disquieting end to a gaping ideological impasse that consumed Quebec for months.

The tuition crisis was in itself educational — it was my first taste of real journalism along with pepper spray. It was exhilarating, it pushed boundaries I didn’t even know about and suddenly I was very much thrown into the world of reporting. It called into question the management of university spending, introduced controversial emergency legislation that only added fuel to the fire, triggered an election followed by a change of government and a tragic election night, forced Quebec to re-evaluate the value and worth of post-secondary education.

I can’t really put my love for this dysfunctional province into words, nor can I adamantly describe the failure that was the education summit; it was interesting but largely unproductive.

The education summit was full of promises about finding solutions to problems that sent hundreds of thousands into the streets of Montreal. It was to straighten unresolved issues but largely left students and university rectors unhappy. A discussion on higher education deserves more than a day and a half, it merits a real conversation where everyone can voice their concerns and provide input. Premier Pauline Marois declaring it the end of civil unrest was far from true and if the protests are any indication, this discussion is far from over.

Kalina Laframboise News editor

Original article: http://theconcordian. com/2013/02/an-ideologicaldivide/

The highly anticipated summit on higher education organized by the provincial government began Monday morning, where Premier Pauline Marois clarified that the two-day conference would “establish an open dialogue” on post-secondary learning but would likely not reach a solution.

Following a whirlwind provincial election, the Parti Québécois announced the summit in September in an effort to appease all sides in the student movement crisis that rocked Quebec for months last spring. The minority provincial government cancelled the tuition fee increase of $325 per year over five years, and later $245 over seven years, imposed by the Charest Liberals upon taking office, effectively freezing tuition for the time being.

The conference was initially pegged to resolve the issues at the core of an ideological impasse over higher education.

Heavily guarded by the Montreal police, guests had to pass through three checkpoints before entering Arsenal gallery on William St. in Griffintown.

Day oNE During the first day, Minister of Higher Education Pierre Duchesne offered three proposals in relation to post-secondary education: create a provincial council to oversee universities, a law that would provide a framework for universities and a plan to hold institutions accountable for financing and budgeting.

In a meeting that lasted over 12 hours, multiple issues were discussed: the development of post-secondary funding, research, quality of education and accessibility.

While various concerns were voiced by participants, the most contentious issue of the day was the issue of tuition.

The PQ announced later in the evening that they plan to index university tuition at approximately three per cent annually, meaning that tuition will rise by $70 per year leaving student representatives feeling deceived.

Martine Desjardins, president of the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec, said that indexation would “punish” students and send the wrong message. “I’m telling you there will be an impact,” said Desjardins.

However, Duchesne said that the province can simply no longer afford the same rates and that a freeze would force Quebec into a crisis.

LowEriNg thE ExpEctatioNs The summit has been the subject of backlash the last few weeks, with university rectors only receiving invitations 10 days before the start of the summit. Principal Heather Munroe-Blum of McGill University blasted the provincial government, citing disorganization and poor planning before calling the conference “a joke.”

Concordia University is waiting on the results of the provincial conference to know when the additional funding promised by the PQ is coming — something that was promised to the university in the wake of the tuition

freeze. protEsts throughout thE Day Peaceful protests marked the first day of the summit, with a small contingent gathering outside Arsenal gallery in the early morning during guest registration. Approximately 30 protesters passed through the streets of Griffintown calmly without ever accessing the highly guarded building.

Similarly, a gathering of 20 demonstrators including professors, students and civilians congregated on Notre-Dame St. to reiterate their position on accessible education. The protesters did not mobilize, choosing instead to read poetry and sing in support of students in front of the building.

In the afternoon more than 1,000 protesters marched through the streets of downtown Montreal, leaving from Cabot Square. The protest was promoted by the Association pour une solidarité syndicate étudiante, the student association that backed out of the conference since free education would not be part of the discussion.

“We feel sort of betrayed by the Parti Québécois,” said Concordia University student Serge Del Grosso. “They say they support the student movement and are against the hikes and then they say they will index it.”

Del Grosso went on to say that those present didn’t want tuition to rise and genuinely believe free education is a possibility.

Protesters headed south before arriving at the summit, where police officers from the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal and provincial police guarded the building. There was no intervention before demonstrators resumed their march east toward the downtown core.

The protest, though declared as illegal from the start, was largely peaceful. The SPVM reported two arrests. Police claimed that projectiles were launched and flags from some downtown hotels were removed by student protesters.

By 6:30 p.m. protesters had made it to SteCatherine St. and McGill College St. but by 7 p.m. most of the protesters left after tear gas was deployed. Several demonstrators met at Parc Émilie-Gamelin heading east but dispersed close to Beaudry Metro station.

VaNDaLism Earlier Monday, several buildings were vandalized with red paint including the offices of Duchesne and of former student leader Léo Bureau-Blouin. The Ministry of Education building located on Fullum St. was also covered in red paint.

Vandals wrote in white outside the offices of the minister responsible for Montreal, JeanFrançois Lisée, and several windows were also broken.

No arrests have been made in relation to those incidents.

With files from Robin Della Corte and Matthew Guité.

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

special insert // LiFE

Life Tour like a local, shop like a stylist Montreal Shopping Tours shares the city’s best kept shopping secrets Just a little less than a year ago, Janna Zittrer was walking along Ste-Catherine St. when two young women stopped her and asked for shopping recommendations.

As the Montreal correspondent for Flare magazine, it comes as no surprise why Zittrer was chosen to give fashion advice. It is was in that moment, only a mere three steps later, that Zittrer had an epiphany that led her to the creation of Montreal Shopping Tours.

Zittrer is the founder and shopper-in-chief of Montreal Shopping Tours, the only guided fashion experience of its kind in the city. As someone with fashion credentials and the right contacts, Zittrer knew she had to be the one to do it.

“In Montreal, if you’re looking for something specific, you’ve got a particular style or a particular set of needs, you really do need to know where to go, and that’s where we come in,” said Zittrer.

The Shopping Tours cater to locals, tourists, trend-setters and fashion-intolerants alike. Zittrer has ripped out the “shop like an editor” page and brought it to life; designing half-day and whole day VIP excursions through Montreal’s fashion scene. Along with helpful styling tips and personalized store recommendations from an editor in the industry, the tours include great swag with products from local businesses like Davids Tea, and a personal driver.

One of the most alluring aspects of the tour is the door-to-door transportation. Born and bred in Montreal, Zittrer knows all too well the stress of traffic chaos, street construction and puzzling parking signs. She meets her shopping group (of no more than six) at their hotel or designated meeting spot. Along with a Shopping Tours map Zittrer ensures her clients get a feel of the city’s diverse cultures, stopping along the swanky streets of Westmount and working her way up to the Mile End. As the shopper-in-chief, Zittrer has fashioned six distinctive themes to help her potential clients portray their style, and to communicate what they’re looking for along with what they expect from the tour. She includes a questionnaire for her clients to fill out before their tour date to help her customize an itinerary suited for any combination of style: Shop Like an Editor, 9-to-5 and Beyond, Montreal Designer Marathon, Sweat-Worthy Style, Vintage Treasures and Teen Dream.

“I work really hard at making people feel comfortable, letting them know that there’s no pressure,” said Zittrer. “If you come and buy nothing at all, that’s fine. If you just want to look and try stuff on that’s absolutely okay.”

Through extensive research and personal connections Zittrer has created a fashion community among local boutiques and designers, offering clients the opportunity to discover Montreal’s unique fashion scene. Before launching Montreal Shopping Tours this past April, Zittrer sat down with designers and managers to pitch a business idea that would benefit them and her clients.

“I knew off the bat that they would have to be stores that I would recommend,” said Zittrer.

“The other criterion was that they are Montreal boutiques, like either independent boutiques or local-based chains. Stores and brands you can’t find anywhere.”

Aware of how difficult retail could be for independent boutiques in Montreal, Zittrer offers them the opportunity to participate in her tours without a service fee or sales credit. In exchange, however, she does ask for a discount for her clients; a discount that averages to about 15 percent. Not only is this great publicity for local boutiques, but it’s a great way to add value to her tours as well.

Zittrer is a big advocate for functional fashion and takes a pragmatic approach to style. While keeping up with trends is part of her job as a fashion freelance writer and working for Flare, she does evaluate the cost per wear. Your level of style shouldn’t depend on your credit limit; it’s about how a garment makes you feel, how it’s going to serve you and how functional it will be with your lifestyle.

“I always say that all these best dressed lists drive me insane because it’s always like royalty or A-list stars,” said Zittrer. “If you shop only in designer, of course you’re going be a ‘best dressed.’”

Zittrer goes beyond the tasks of a personal shopper, teaching you how to shop on trend without sacrificing your credit card. She provides that extra nudge some of us need to push our boundaries and try styles and colours we never imagined we would; at the same time acting as that shopping buddy you wish you had to tell you the truth in the changing room. She comes with no preconceived notion, looks at you, grabs something and tells you to try it on.

“The biggest thing for me is, when you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you can accomplish things,” said Zittrer. “It’s really hard to project the image of yourself that you want to portray, and I feel like I can come and help with that.”

A

fter a month or so as the new Life editor of The Concordian, I finally learned how to manage my time between school, work, and the newspaper.

I tried to offer a range of topics to my writers, from food, to health, to city culture. One of my main objectives when I took over the position was to incorporate more fashion in the section. I knew there were other aspiring fashion journalists at Concordia, so I tried my best to give them the opportunity to cover Fashion Week, speak to local designers, and discover hidden trendsetter shops.

During one of my fashion searches, I came across Montreal Shopping Tours and it’s shopper-in-chief Janna Zittrer, the Montreal correspondent for Flare magazine. The concept was so original and new; a story I just couldn’t pass up.

I met Zittrer over coffee and spent over an hour discussing her new company and how she landed a job at one of Canada’s top fashion magazines. She was sweet, smart, and someone I instantly admired.

For the first time in months, as much as I loved writing the article, I was a little nervous knowing Zittrer was going to read it, especially since I knew Loulou had also featured Montreal Shopping Tours in one of their recent issues.

Thankfully, Zittrer loved the piece and offered me the opportunity to contribute to her blog and intern for her during Montreal Fashion Week, an opportunity I couldn’t be more thankful for.

This article may not be the longest I’ve written, nor will it be my best writing, but it will definitely be part of my top five because of what it represents and it’s offered me down the line.

Aside from my own personal feelings about it, I think it’s a fun read and great reflection of Montreal culture. Not only is Montreal Shopping Tours a unique idea, but it helps promote local boutiques and designers. It was, in every way, the perfect story to include in the Life section.

Stephanie La Leggia Life editor

montreal shopping tours run wednesday through sunday, and range from $160 to $180.

Original article: http://theconcordian.com/2012/10/tour-like-a-local-shop-like-a-stylist/

//

17

11

18

//

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

special insert // ArTS

Arts Concordia students’ best art of the year A review of the best art events put on by students this year this is happENiNg whEthEr you LikE it or Not

A

s editor of the arts section I was asked to pick my favorite article from the year. However, I feel that to pick only one article would not be doing the arts at Concordia justice. Rather than choose just one piece to represent this year’s arts events, I decided to choose what I thought were the best events we covered this year.

Published Sept 27, Let the words roll on profiled reading series, This is Happening Whether You Like It Or Not, started by Concordia students Ashley Opheim and Guillaume Morissette in the summer of 2012. Starting with some impromptu literature readings in Morissette’s backyard, This is Happening Whether You Like It Or Not eventually became a formalized event featuring up and coming young writers. On Jan 25, they held their fourth reading and are planning another one for the spring.

QuEEr partNErships Published Dec 4, Inquiring into the artistic process and its product, reviewed the Queer Partnerships art exhibit at Concordia’s VAV gallery.

Featuring works by Concordia students, this exhibit was unique in that the students artists were partnered with a queer artist from the community. The purpose of the exhibit was to showcase works of art that engaged with social issues and opinions. The exhibit was featured as part of World Aids Day and was thought to be a great success. http://theconcordian.com/2012/12/inquiringinto-the-artistic-process-and-its-product/ gaLa for stuDENt Drama

guillauMe Morissette co-hosts the reading on sept. 27. photo by Megan Joong.

Photo by Megan Moore

JoNah migicoVsky A sticker on a bus alerted us to this Concordia artist. A slice of honesty, a look at our truth, published Feb 12, profiled artist Jonah Migicovsky and his meaningful photographs. Migicovsky uses his photography to draw attention to the truths of our everyday existence. http://theconcordian.com/2013/02/a-slice-ofhonesty-a-look-at-our-truth/ sipa

http://theconcordian.com/2012/09/let-thewords-roll-on/ Amanda L. Shore arts editor

http://theconcordian.com/2013/02/4-plays-3nights-2-languages/

4 nights, 3 plays, 2 languages was published Feb 12 in advance of the 3rd Annual Gala for Student Drama. The event featured two French language plays and two English language plays. The two English plays were performed by Concordia students: this was the perfect opportunity for these young actors and playwrights to showcase their talent.

The Student-Initiated Production Assignment, is an annual festival which features short productions by students in Concordia’s theatre department. The Concordian featured the one woman show The Yellow Wallpaper, on March 5. Performed by theatre student Natasha Perry-Fagant and produced by fellow students Jen Cressey and Miranda Abraham, the production took a full year to come to fruition and was a supreme example of dedication to art. http://theconcordian.com/2013/03/the-yellow-wallpapers-jane-comes-off-the-page/ fibrEs Exhibit In March, arts assistant Ariana TriguerosCorbo visited the Monstrosities exhibit put on by students of Concordia’s fibres and material practices department and was thoroughly horrified and awed by the amazingly detailed work. The exhibit featured realistic portrayals of such subjects as fecal matter and disembodied genitalia. Published March 19, Welcome to the freak show, gave the exhibit a rave, if cautionary review: weak stomached art lovers need not attend. http://theconcordian.com/2013/03/welcometo-the-freak-show/

press photo for sipa concordia’s production the yellow wallpaper

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

//

special insert // MUSiC

Music Wake Island is as organic and raw as they come This multicultural Montreal band built their empire by hand, from the ground up Peeking out of the ocean, sitting almost directly at the mid-point between Asia and North America, is a spec on the map called Wake Island. In a “moment of despair” while aimlessly traveling the globe via Google Maps in search of inspiration for a new band name, guitarist Nadim Maghzal happened upon the tiny landmass, deeming it worthy of becoming the group’s namesake. Symbolically, it was too perfect to leave behind.

Wake Island’s roots are split between Lebanon, Canada, and the U.S., making for a cultural soup of epic proportions. With vocalist Philippe Menasseh and Maghzal hailing from the East, bassist Derek Koziol from America, and drummer Evan Tighe from Canada, finding musical common ground was an ongoing challenge at the start of Intensive Care – the project that preceded Wake Island, with Jonathan Parsons on drums at the time.

“When we started writing music, it was all over the place, and that’s natural,” said Maghzal.

“Everyone was trying to put in their own idea of what was cool and what was not. Being from such different cultural points, obviously, the result was a mess.”

Having spent the first 18 years of their lives in Lebanon, Maghzal and Menasseh were exposed almost exclusively to Britpop and European rock and roll, given the prevalence of MTV Europe as opposed to its Western counterpart.

When those foreign influences paired with the other members’ backgrounds from the North American music scene, the result was friction and vexation.

“Those were the hard years,” said Maghzal, giving a nod to the days of Intensive Care. “Everything was difficult, from booking a show to writing a song. There was always head-butting.

Everyone was so sensitive. Everything we said had to be calculated not to offend anyone.”

With the progression of time came closeness between the bandmates, newfound understandings, a new drummer, and the identity shift from Intensive Care to Wake Island. In the wake of Tighe’s induction, the band spent five months in the studio on hiatus from recording. Instead, they were jamming, finding their footing and establishing a cohesive sound.

“The word is compromise. That’s how you get closer to people,” explained Maghzal. “I love being wrong. It means that I’ve learned something.”

Thanks to its motley origins, Wake Island is naturally able to transcend and breathe new life into the often hackneyed sound of indie rock.

“We always have an outsider’s perspective,” he said. “We see [music] with fresh eyes – we’ve acquired this culture [by moving to Montreal], but we never make an effort to fit any mold. Everything we make, including the music, we’ve never made compromises to make the music

sound like what it ‘should’ sound like.”

Regardless of the group’s detached perspective, their willingness to stay true to the ideologies behind the genre remains intact.

“Typical indie rock is this whole idea of doing everything yourself,” said Maghzal.

Currently putting out a record – It Takes Time to be Uncomfortable is being released on Feb. 16 – the band is taking care of all preparations, from hand-making the tickets, stickers and T-shirt designs to booking shows and manning the website. The organic, hands-on mentality that Wake Island has gladly adopted is not unique to indie rock, Maghzal noted, but a characteristic of rock music that has been prevalent since its inception.

“This genre has constantly kept defying its own classification,” he said. “There have been generations of musicians – if you listen to rock in the ‘00s, its different than the ‘90s, and the ‘80s. It’s all rock: it’s the idea of, ‘We’re fucking unhappy with this, that’s shit, we’re going to do this instead’. I think all good rock bands are driven by this attitude: the do-what-you want, do-it-yourself attitude.”

It Takes Time to be Uncomfortable aims to reflect the volatile period that Wake Island worked through in its initial stages.

“If you don’t put yourself in an uncomfortable situation where there’s tension, you never learn,” said Maghzal. “There’s never any sense of reward. You never progress, you just stay where you are.”

Immersed in conversation touching on familiar ideas of discomfort while on tour in Koziol’s native Boston, the bandmates came across an old photo of him as a child while visiting his house.

“When we saw the picture, we were like, ‘This is the album cover, this makes total sense’,” said Maghzal. “You have a kid who’s clearly a kid from the ‘80s or ‘90s, where he had this promise that he was going to live in a serene world where everything was going to be nice and perfect.”

Enter the concept of discomfort. Nowadays, he explained, people are overwhelmed and confused, much unlike the idealistic vision of the future that people had at the time when the photo was taken. “That picture represented this illusion that people in [that era] had that the future was a place that would be better. We ask ourselves, is it really better, and how can life be improved? How can we fix things?”

Reflecting upon the trials and tribulations that riddled Wake Island’s past and drinking in present-day homegrown success, Maghzal is able to sum up his feelings in one simple phrase: “Wow. We made it.” wake island plays casa Del popolo on feb. 16 at 9 p.m. tickets are $10.

S

ince the dawn of time, from neanderthals scrawling on cave walls to the likes of Michelangelo and Jimi Hendrix, artists have been revolutionizing our world.

So riddle me this: why is it that I keep running into people that still can’t seem to shake the stigma attached to producing or studying an art form?

If you spend your days plucking guitar strings, experimenting with oil paints, scribbling poetry in a notepad, or dirtying your hands with clay, you’re a lazy degenerate. Shame on you. Did you ever consider pursuing astrophysics?

Of course, I’m making a fairly hefty generalization - that does not change the fact, however, that I’ve had many an inquirer subtly turn their nose up and offer a sugarcoated “Ohhhh” when I mention that I’m a journalism major.

To my fellow artists, and to anyone who has ever been under scrutiny for their life choices, I offer myself to you now as a martyr for the cause.

To anyone who has looked down on the arts as a lesser profession, including the self-loathers: this is for you, too.

When I sat down with Nadim Maghzal, denim-clad lead guitarist in a Montreal-based rock band, at a quintessential artisan cafe on Laurier, I thought I had him pegged. However, not too long after having a refreshingly intellectual conversation with Maghzal about music, life, and philosophy, I found myself congratulating him on his recent acquisition of a PhD in cell biology.

Dedicating a portion of his life to music didn’t make him half-corrupt, but rather incredibly well-rounded. But don’t take it from me, take it from a scientist.

“Growing up in a culture where ‘being an artist’ is not really a way of life but a hobby at best, I was repeatedly exposed to heavy pressures as I was taking my baby steps as an artist. ‘Don’t do it, it’s crazy! you’ll be poor, get a steady job instead,’” he said. “I always felt like I had to justify and explain that a musician’s life is not really something you choose, rather it is a force that some are naturally drawn to.

While these social pressures might have felt burdening at times, they certainly made me realize the importance of art in our society and strengthened my convictions that making music is a privilege and I feel grateful and blessed to have the chance to pursue this life.”

Art is not black and white. Art does not dictate apathy. Without art, we would have no media, no press, bare walls, and empty stages.

Artists are equally as productive as their left-brained counterparts let’s start acting like it.

Stephanie Ullman music editor

Original article: http://theconcordian. com/2013/02/wake-island-is-as-organic-andraw-as-they-come-2/

19

11

20

//

Tuesday, april 2,, 2013

special insert // SPOrTS

Sports

Stingers’ playoff dreams crushed ANdrEw MAggiO Staff writer

G

oing back to the start of my mandate, I had a general idea as to how I wanted the sports section to look.

Being a campus newspaper, I wanted the focus to be only on our Stingers teams. Some campus papers like to cover professional sports, but I feel the responsibility of a university newspaper is to shed light on varsity teams, teams that usually don’t get the coverage they deserve.

Throughout the year, we had a small group of writers, each covering a different Stingers team. The section included as many game reviews as possible. Although these are a little repetitive, readers picking up a copy of The Concordian should be able to open the sports section and see how every team is doing.

Aside from game reviews, I tried to get as many athlete or coach profiles as possible. Every athlete or coach has an interesting story to tell and having profiles on them gives anybody the chance to get to know the people representing the school on the field. Feature pieces on other Stingers related issues gave readers an off-field perspective of our school’s sports.

The article that stood out this year was “Stinger’s playoff dreams crushed”. It was published on Oct. 16 and written by our staff writer Andrew Maggio. The article was about the football team’s use of an ineligible player that caused the team to forfeit all their wins and subsequently left them out of playoff contention.

This article stands out because of the work done behind the scenes. As soon as the story broke, our writer was able to follow all the latest developments and have an article written up that same day.

The article was thoroughly written and included all of the important details necessary for our readers. The roster violation rule was well explained, quotes provided colour to the story and the overall situation was well analyzed by Maggio.

Breaking news stories are hectic to cover, but this article really demonstrated how they need to be handled. An article like this needs to be published as soon as possible, without compromising any facts associated with the story. The journalistic process of this story was completed in a professional manner. This story ended up being our newspaper’s cover story that same week.

Kevin Duarte sports editor

Original article: http://theconcordian. com/2012/10/stingers-playoffdreams-crushed/

The Concordia Stingers football team was hit hard by the Réseau du Sport Étudiant du Québec and by the Canadian Interuniversity Sport a week ago, after self-disclosing the use of an ineligible player through the first four weeks of the 2012-13 season.

The RSEQ and the CIS are citing CIS eligibility Article 40.10.4.3.1.1, which limits the number of years a student athlete can participate in CIS competition to five years, as the reason for the player’s ineligibility.

Two players, who wish to remain anonymous, confirmed to The Concordian that the player in question is offensive lineman Daryl Rankin.

The Stingers were forced to forfeit their first two wins of the season, a 42-36 victory over Bishop’s University in the season-opener, as well as the 41-20 win over St. Francis Xavier in the third game of the season. The Stingers were left with a 0-6 record, but a thrilling 43-40 victory over cross-town rivals McGill on Saturday, has already eliminated the possibility of a winless season.

It appears the time Rankin spent playing in the Quebec Junior Football League with the Chateauguay Jr. Raiders after CÉGEP may have knocked a year off of his CIS eligibility.

Katie Sheahan, Concordia’s Director of recreation and athletics, said Rankin approached the coaches himself with concerns over his ability to play on the team. “[He] spoke with our coach about his athletic background before coming to Concordia, and wanted to check whether or not there was something in his background that would make him ineligible,” said Sheahan. “Because at the time that he started with the school five years ago, he had not understood that all of the years that you play tackle football could be counted toward eligibility. So, at the time when he signed up with Concordia, he inadvertently did not understand that it was required to acknowledge that.”

Sheahan said that every student registers themselves, which is supervised by the athletics department, but admitted that the form players are required to fill out may have not been as clear as possible.

“The form asks the person to disclose information about sporting leagues and any particular activity that might happen in another league,” said Sheahan. “It’s possible that a student might not realize the significance of what they did or did not include.”

Sheahan added that the department is working on upgrading the forms in order to avoid future problems of a similar nature.

“One of the things we’ve been looking at is if there’s a way we can put better prompts in our paperwork that would ask someone to reflect on something, even if they didn’t understand some of the administrative jargon that comes with every administration, so we’re looking at whether or not we can break down the questions we ask to make it more explicit.”

Concordia’s athletic department released this statement to the press last Tuesday regarding the sanction handed down by the RSEQ:

“We recently discovered that an administrative error led to an ineligible student athlete participating in our first five football games this season,” read the statement. “Although we are disappointed for the members of our football team who have worked so hard this season, we are fully supportive of the sanctions that have been applied by the CIS and RSEQ.” Sheahan also pointed out that the phrase “administrative error” is only a “summary statement,” of sorts. “It is the phrase that we use to summarize, but it is not a question of someone having seen something and neglected to record it — it was something that was not there to be seen.”

John Bower, program director of university programs at the RSEQ, and Michel Bélanger, communications and media relations manager at the CIS, both had high praise for Sheahan and the athletics department for the way they handled the situation.

Bower revealed rumors began flying around one week before Concordia’s announcement.

He said the school took full responsibility, selfdisclosed the information without any issues, and were co-operative. Bower noted, while this doesn’t lead to a widespread search for ineligible players, the sanctions handed down by the league gets everyone’s attention, and teams make sure to review the statuses of their own players.

There is already evidence of this happening around the province, as the Sherbrooke Vert et Or men’s soccer team was forced to forfeit three regular season wins following the discovery of an ineligible player on their roster, earlier this month.

Bélanger noted that the issue will be put to rest by next year, as a new time-clock rule will come into effect, meaning athletes will have a certain amount of years to complete their five years of eligibility following their graduation from high school, depending on what part of the country, or part of the world, they are coming from.

Sheahan is not worried about the impact this might have on potential recruits, who may perceive this as another black mark on a football program that, as it is, is far from matching up with the elite teams of the province.

“If it was all about wins and losses, it would almost negate what the recruiting process is all about at the inter-university level, because athletics is one portion of that,” she said. “I think we stand for the integrity of the system of rules, and I think it would be wrong to assume that students and parents that are looking for programs across the country, wouldn’t support the fact that they know that there are ethical educators at the heart of their sports program.”

Sheahan said that the department would be implementing a new system which calls for anyone who has done any type of study beyond high school that is not a direct line from high school to university (or high school to CÉGEP and then to university, for Quebec athletes) to have their files reviewed and interviewed to try and catch any errors before it is too late.

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

//

special insert // OPiNiONS

Opinions Gun enthusiasts, beware Case to strengthen gun laws overwhelming grEgOry TOdArO Assistant opinions editor

April 20, 1999: Columbine High School, Colorado. 13 deaths. April 16, 2007: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

32 deaths. December 14, 2012: Sandy Hook Elementary. 26 deaths. How many more lives must be lost because of gun violence before the U.S. government takes action?

In 2011, 8,583 people in the United States were killed with firearms. This statistic is hardly surprising for a nation with the highest gun ownership rate in the world, with 89 guns for every 100 Americans. American history is no stranger to gun violence.

Since 1982, there have been at least 62 mass shootings in the United States, 25 of them occurring since 2006. In 2012 alone, 151 people were either killed or injured in a mass shooting.

Year after year, Congress continues to ignore the problem. President Barack Obama has promised to make gun control a priority during the first year of his second term. He has already assembled a task force, headed

by Vice President Joe Biden, to come up with some solution to end tragedies like the Sandy Hook shooting.

However, the President has a tough battle ahead. The National Rifle Association has spearheaded efforts against gun control, and with approximately 90 per cent of its political contributions going to the Republican Party, the Republicans will in no way want to risk their relationship with such a major benefactor. The party will likely dig in their heels as much as possible (as is almost tradition in American politics), and that lack of action is probably the biggest roadblock in America’s fight against gun violence.

There are a lot of excuses that are thrown around in the argument against stricter gun regulations. Some say guns keep people safe, and that restricting gun laws will make it harder for innocent people to defend themselves. After the tragedy at Sandy Hook, it was even suggested that teachers be trained and have weapons at schools in order to combat a gunman. However, as

the shooting at Fort Hood Military Base on Nov. 5, 2009 showed, even against armed, trained military men, a shooter can do a lot of damage. In that shooting, 13 people were killed and 29 others were injured.

Another argument used by gun enthusiasts is the protection of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. The amendment reads, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” Many people in the United States take that to mean the government has no right to organize any form of gun control, but in the context of the amendment, it seems more likely that the founding fathers and writers of the Constitution related the right to bear arms with being a member of a militia.

So much evidence has piled up in favour of gun control, it’s not clear how long-gun enthusiasts will be able to keep up this fight.

One convincing example of the positive effects gun control has is evident in Japan, a country which has implemented strict laws and many requirements for gun ownership, including a rigorous written exam.

Japan has had a large amount of success in keeping gun violence low, and because of their gun laws, they have the second lowest murder rate in the world. While the exact techniques Japan uses may not be effective in the United States due to the difference in population, the overall concept should help curb American gun violence.

It may be too late for the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary, or the many others who have met the same tragic fate, but we can honour their memory by doing everything in our power to stop these tragedies. Obama has his sights set on assault weapons, and while that’s going to help, the United States needs to focus on improving gun registration techniques and making it harder for people to acquire weapons. The harder it is to obtain a firearm, the less tragedies will occur. The time to act isn’t after the next school shooting — it’s now.

P

erhaps the most tragic event this year was in Connecticut, when a young male with a gun entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School with the sole intention of killing innocent children. A total of 26 were killed, an enormous majority of this number were children.

Parents were forced to say goodbye to their beloved kids as the entire world watched the aftermath of the shooting for weeks. But perhaps what’s really formidable about the horrible shooting, that will be ingrained in most of our lives forever, is the debate that immediately ensued: is it finally time to transform gun laws in the United States?

Despite countless previous public shootings in the United States in recent years, it seems the victims had to be young, innocent children for serious action to be taken. The Obama administration is spearheading efforts to improve gun control, taking on the National Rifle Association, who, along with the Republican party, will do anything they can to stop Obama in his tracks.

This is where The Concordian’s beloved Gregory Todaro comes in. A few days after the shooting, Todaro took it upon himself to write the opinions article of the year. Using statistics, a hearty argument, and comparing gun laws from around the world, Todaro’s argument simply made the United States look ignorant. How can we possibly consider arming teachers before implementing stricter gun controls. Is there not enough evidence? Have not enough people suffered yet? He explains how the NRA funds the Republican party, meaning that moving on gun control will be very hard because of this alliance. He breaks down the points and proves, in an elegant yet very strong voice, that there is no excuse to avoid tackling gun control head first. To sum it up, a perfect opinions article, whose timeliness especially make it an exemplary piece.

Georges Menexis opinions editor

Original article: http://theconcordian.com/2013/01/gun-enthusiasts-beware/

21

11

sports 22

//

Tuesday, april 2 , 2013

Write to the editor: sports@theconcordian.com season review // sports RseQ finals where they lost to McGill 51-48 in the final minute.

Football - 4/10 the football team’s season got off to a promising start, winning two of the first three games. However, midway through the season, the team was hit by a roster penalty and was forced to forfeit their first two wins, consequently ending their playoff chances. Without the roster violation, this team had potential to sneak into the playoffs.

Report card: a review of ours Stingers teams

Kevin Duarte sports editor

Men’s basketball - 6.5/10 after dominating RseQ for the past two seasons, the same thing was expected from the

WoMen’s Hockey - 2.5/10 In the first half of the season, the women’s hockey team had seven points of a possible 20. the team lost the following and remaining 10 games in a row, leaving them in last place of the five-team RseQ division.

Men’s socceR - 5.5/10 In the fall season, it was a much more competitive stingers side from previous years. concordia still had some trouble, but roster problems with two other teams meant the stingers made the playoff as the fourth and final seed. concordia lost to laval in the first round. In the winter season, the team kept improving, getting some very positive results against top sides.

WoMen’s socceR - 6.5/10 the women’s soccer team were the most improved team in their conference. Following a few consecutive season near the bottom of the table, the stingers had their first over .500 record since 2005. they finished fifth place, two wins outside the playoffs. In the winter season, the team finished in fifth once more and lost in the first round of the playoffs.

men’s basketball team this season. the team struggled in the regular season finishing third place in the conference with a 9-7 record. the team lost in the first round of the playoffs and failed to defend their crown.

Men’s RUGby - 8/10 the men’s rugby team had a great regular season, finishing the RseQ conference in first place. In the playoffs, the team cruised past sherbrooke in the semi-finals and went on to face McGill for the third straight season in the finals. concordia fell short, suffering a 24-18 loss at home.

WRestlInG - 8.5/10 both men’s and women’s wrestling teams were very successful at the cIs nationals this year. David tremblay, Jordan steen and linda Morais all won gold medals. tremblay, who represented canada at the 2012 olympic Games, was named cIs outstanding male wrestler. steen took rookie of the year honours. the men’s team finished fourth, while the women’s team finished 10th place.

WoMen’s basketball - 8/10 there’s been nothing but improvement from the women’s basketball team during the last five seasons. the team finished the regular season in second place in the conference with an 11-5 record. this is three wins more than last season. the team went all the way to the

WoMen’s RUGby - 9/10 (concordian’s team of the season) the women’s rugby team were one game away from having a perfect season. In the final game of the regular season, the squad faced the other undefeated team laval Rouge et or. laval won the game and finished first. In the

baseball - 7/10 the baseball team, competing as a club, finished the regular season with 11 wins and five losses. their biggest win came against John abbott college on sept. 23, when they won 17-0. the team lost to the carleton Ravens in the semi-finals of the playoffs.

Photo by Pierre Bonenfant

Find out which team is our pick for team of the year

Men’s Hockey - 3.5/10 the men’s hockey team started the season with two straight wins. they followed that up by going on a 10-game losing streak. they were able to string a few wins together, making a run for the eighth and final oUa east playoff spot. they missed the post-season by three points.

playoffs it was a different story. the stingers faced the Rouge et or in the finals and won, claiming their first RseQ title since 2010. at the nationals, concordia finished a respectable fourth place.

montreal impact // sports

Impact scarves: fashion or passion? this statement piece is much more than a passing trend nathan hayhoe Contributor

Fashion trends at concordia haven’t been particularly hard to track these past few years.

Most students will have noticed the steady increase of canada Goose jackets, rubber boots by Hunter and black leggings (or tights, or jeggings or yoga pants—the terminology can be difficult to master). but the more observant among us may have also picked up on the proliferation of another accessory: the blue and white Montreal Impact scarf.

Unlike the jeggings, though, the scarf is about passion not fashion.

“I wear them to school all the time,” said psychology major yann bonato De angelis, a

faithful supporter of the club. “Game day or not, it’s how I roll.” the Impact colours have gained prominence on campus since the team’s entry into Major league soccer in 2012 and their four straight wins to start the 2013 season has led to a visible uptick in popularity. Many of the Impact faithful, though, were on board long before the bandwagon came to town.

“I have been an Impact fan since the day they started in ’93,” said De angelis. “However, I have been a loyal supporter for five years now and have gone on several trips to watch the team outside of Montreal.” like De angelis, recent graduate in history sebastian Hertner owns many Impact scarves, and wears them daily. asked why he supports the club, Hertner’s reply was succinct: “love your city—support your club.” these aren’t fair-weather fans, folks. and although the blue and white may not have entirely supplanted the bleu, blanc et rouge as the colours of choice on campus, those who do wear the gear wear it proudly.

Photo from Flickr

at the root of the passion, De angelis explained, is “the Ultras mentality,” which means “being a supporter, rather than just an ordinary fan.” the “Ultras” mentality of which he speaks refers to the philosophy of the club’s largest supporter group, the Ultras Montréal (UM02). to the Ultras, being a supporter is about more than just watching the games. It’s about standing and chanting for the 90 minutes that the team is on the pitch. It’s about travelling for hours by bus to make yourself heard in hostile road stadiums. It’s about supporting the team through good times and bad—to suffer and to

celebrate with the club and, above all else, to be “always faithful.” so, back to those little blue and white scarves that have been popping up around campus. Well, they have nothing to do with fashion, to be sure, and they are most certainly not a passing trend. they are the symbol of a group of fans who wear their hearts on their sleeves—and their colours around their necks. and they’ll still be wearing them next year, long after those Hunter boots have found their way to the back of the closet, alongside that pair of Uggs from 2009.

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

//

23

athletes of the year // sports

Stingers’ athletes of the year We profile the best of Concordia’s great athletes Kevin Duarte sports editor

Men’s BasketBall - evens laroche evens laroche was always consistent in what was an up and down season for the stingers this year. He started 13 of 15 games and led the team with an average of 15.1 points per game. laroche was second in terms of minutes played and led the team in steals. He was named an RseQ first team all-star.

WoMen’s BasketBall - kaylah Barrett kaylah barrett was influential in the stingers making it to the RseQ championship game. barrett led the team averaging 15.3 points per game. she also led the stingers in free throw percentage and attempts. barrett was named RseQ MVP and a cIs first team all-canadian for the second consecutive year, as well as a RseQ first team all-star for the third year in a row.

FootBall - nathan taylor taylor, a fourth-year player from lasalle, compiled solid statistics across the board this season, with 36.5 total tackles, along with three interceptions. He also recovered one fumble and played a supporting role in the kick return department. His strong campaign was recognized at the team’s awards banquet, where he won the team’s overall MVP award and was named this year’s most dedicated stinger.

- Andrew Maggio, Concordian staff writer Men’s hockey - etienne archaMBault the sainte-Hyacinthe, native was the only stinger to record double-digits in goal scoring with 11 points. after an impressive campaign in which he recorded eight points in 10 games, the star forward finished the 2012-2013 season on top the team’s scoring list with 21 points in 25 games. archambault will return to the maroon and gold next fall.

- Anthony Abbondanza, Concordian staff writer

WoMen’s hockey - veronique laraMée-Paquette In a disappointing season where the concordia stingers could only muster up two wins, there were several standout players.one in

particular was fifth year winger, Veronique laramée-Paquette. the native of Mont. tremblant, laramée-Paquette led the team in goals, with a total of six and in points with a total of 17. she was also a team asset in offense.

- David S. Landsman, Concordian staff writer WoMen’s rugBy - Bianca Farella (ConCordian’s Player oF the year) Farella led the stingers women’s rugby team to an RseQ championBianca Farella is our stingers player oF the year. ship win and fourth place at the nationals. In what was her rookie season at team in time for the 2012 season. In the outdoor concordia, she was an RseQ all-star, cIs allfall season, he led the team with five goals and canadian and cIs Rookie of the year. two assists. In the indoor winter season, he was even more lethal, finishing with five goals in six Men’s rugBy - JosePh Fulginiti appearances. bryan was a first team RseQ allJoseph Fulginiti, center and kicker, led star and a second team cIs all-canadian. the stingers with 40 total points this season. the Île-bizard native scored one try, 10 conWoMen’s soccer - JenniFer duFF versions and five penalties. He was the third Jennifer Duff had a standout season with highest point getter in the RseQ conference. the stingers. the striker led her side with 12 He was named a conference all-star along goals and three assists in 14 appearances in the with four of his teammates. fall season. In the indoor season, she scored four times in six matches. Duff was a first team Men’s soccer - andreW Bryan RseQ all-star and was recognized as an RseQ andrew bryan joined the men’s soccer and cIs athlete of the week in late october.

profile // sports

Living, eating and breathing tennis

Photo from Flickr

Meet Concordia student and former number one-ranked Quebec tennis star Ginta Cojocaru saMantha Mileto assistant sports editor

With hockey being the most dominant sport in Montreal, tennis seems to be ranked much lower in the minds of sports fans in Montreal and at concordia. not for Ginta

cojocaru, however. the 21-year-old brasov, Romania native and political science student at concordia came to canada with her family when she was three. she began playing tennis at the age of seven, when her parents signed her up for lessons at carrefour Multisports. “over time, I enjoyed it so much that I was no longer playing because my parents wanted me to, but because I wanted to,” she said. these early learning step proved to be rewarding; cojocaru later went on to win many notable tournaments in canada and in europe. she won the Quebec championship in singles and in doubles five times between the ages of 10 and 14, where she ranked number one on the Quebec tennis team. cojocaru also reached ninth place in a tournament in France, which included players from 50 countries. cojocaru’s proudest moment of her tennis career came when she won the under-12 Quebec championship. “a nike watch was one of the prizes for the winner,” she said. “I wanted one just like it. During the final, my all-time rival had won the first set and was leading 5-2 in the second. all I could think about [then] was that watch and how it was slipping away. I took a moment to gather all the strength I had in me and turned the match around. I ended up winning the match in three sets. I didn’t lose hope.” cojocaru’s life and tennis career has not always been fun. When she was 12, she went for to see the doctor for an arm injury.

When she told him she was also suffering from occasional back pain, he took X-rays. that’s when the doctor told cojocaru her tennis career was over. “[the doctor] explained to me that I had a spondylolisthesis, a forward dislocation of one vertebra over the one beneath it, pro-

ducing pressure on spinal nerves,” she said. “[the] condition is relatively serious insofar as the dislocation can worsen over time and can ultimately lead to paralysis.”

However, she decided to continue playing and admits she didn’t take the doctor’s orders, or any other specialist she saw, to stop playing seriously.

“My life was revolving around tennis and I didn’t think anything could stop it,” she said. “I felt a very strong and steady back pain [during a tournament in France].

Despite knowing that I had to take a break, I decided to compete in the [under-14] Quebec championship, which I was supposed to win, as I was the number one seed.

When I lost the championship, I decided [I had to stop].” cojocaru spent a year and a half rehabilitating her back. she said losing the under14 championships was the hardest moment of her career. “that was the moment when I reached the conclusion that my back no longer allowed me to play,” she said. “I remember crying in the locker room forever.” she made a comeback at 15-years-old to try to regain her number one ranking in Quebec. she finished third in Quebec before quitting tennis for good at 17.

If there is one thing cojocaru would have changed during her career, she says it would have been to be less hard on herself.

“I didn’t want to acknowledge that my condition was something that was slowing me down,” she said. “because of the pressure that I put on myself, I was never satisfied when I played. If I could go back, I’d tell myself to take it easy, and enjoy the opportunity that I had to just play the sport that I love.” cojocaru will be coaching the newlyformed stingers tennis team when they begin competition in 2014.

opinions 24

//

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

Write to the editor: opinions@theconcordian.com editorial // opinions

On harmony, unity & identity at Concordia Changing the university’s reputation from the inside out

T

his year has felt like an all-time low for student engagement. Concordia Student Union candidates ran largely unopposed, debates were poorly attended and voting polls looked like ghost towns throughout the election. On an even wider scale, events organized by the CSU have seen low turnout, the Stingers are playing half-empty arenas and the overall campus atmosphere feels less like a community and more like a time-card-punching establishment where people go to do their time and move on.

This is partly the fault of event organizers but, for the most part, it’s students who can’t be persuaded to pay attention or care about anything outside of themselves.

Concordia president Alan Shepard says he has encountered a “hunger” from the campus community to know what makes the university special, what defines us. This is something we can all relate to: we’re not McGill, we know that, but that’s about it. At the moment, there is no unity at Concordia.

It is incredibly ironic to be named for a word that means agreement and harmony, when there is so little to go around.

This is something that a little clever rebranding could do a lot to change. Once you find out what people like about this university, and more importantly, what they don’t

like, then the possibilities are endless. Knowledge is power, and creating an environment where people want to spend time, and want to promote and recommend to others should be the school’s top priority.

President Shepard is concerned about the reputation of the university, as he should be.

Finding an image-conscious public face for Concordia was a brilliant move and he is absolutely correct when he says that changing the way this school is perceived starts with changing the way people inside the community see it.

Concordia has all the makings of a great university. This year has shown a really serious change in tone from the one before and new management has a lot to do with that.

It’s going to be a while before the ugly stains

of Concordia’s history are washed away and, realistically, they may never be fully forgotten.

But we like the idea that just because the old girl has made mistakes in the past, it doesn’t mean she can’t improve now.

We all make jokes about Concordia being a second-rate institution that’s plagued by mismanagement but it’s that exact attitude that keeps us where we are. Every year new students, staff, faculty and administrators come to Concordia and see something entirely different from what may have been there the year before.

It is hard to get a clear picture of what Concordia is but we appreciate the people who bother to ask the question in the first place and care enough to take on the challenge of finding out.

environment // opinions

Go green or go home Photo from Flickr

United states likely to lead the way into green industry AdAm AberrA Contributor

If I had to bet, I’d say Keystone XL will be rejected by Barack Obama.

Extremely cunning, the 44th American president understands all too well the historic implications of such a decision. A rejection of the proposed pipeline linking Alberta’s tar sands with refiners in the U.S. Gulf Coast would prove monumental. The world’s largest economy would essentially be telling the

world, “we’re weaning ourselves off oil.”

The death of Keystone could mark the birth of a new era devoted to green renewable energy—led by the United States.

A growing segment of America’s elite understands that the nation’s long-term security and economic prosperity would best be centered on renewable, clean, homegrown and cost-effective (once externalities are factored in) sources of energy. A reliance on fossil fuels leaves the United States vulnerable to spikes in the price of oil. An unfinished Arab Spring in the oil-rich Middle East practically guarantees more volatility ahead.

There’s also the fact that oil is essentially a finite resource. Although there are global reserves, they are buried in increasingly hard-to-reach places. Extracting oil from tar sands, the bottom of the ocean and miles below the ground in shale rock (via fracking) has proven costly and dangerous.

With this backdrop in mind, the Obama administration can send a clear signal to the world that the United States is starting the painful but necessary move away from a fossil-fueled based economy. As with the space race in the 20th century, the middle decades of the 21st century could witness a ‘Green Race’ where world powers desperately try to meet the energy demands of their respective economies in a sustainable way. The massive investments the Chinese have undertaken over the past decade in both wind and solar power are a sign of things to come.

From the Henry Fords at the dawn of the 20th century to the Mark Zuckerbergs of today, the United States has been at the forefront of innovation for well over a century. A concerted effort to develop more efficient and groundbreaking technologies in the fields of wind power, hybrid technology, long range electric motors and solar energy would once again place the United States as the innovative forerunner of a Green Revolution. While many of these technologies

are in their relative infancies, government subsidies and tax breaks (towards research and development, for instance) could pave the way for U.S. dominance in the world of green technology.

Mind you, there’s always politics. Obama, in his second and final term, wants to be remembered for something grand. American democracy at the moment is dysfunctional and practically paralyzed, due in large part to corporatized legislative process in which members of congress are beholden to their wealthy donors. The rejection of Keystone Pipeline—an executive decision—remains one of the few avenues Obama has left leave his mark on history as a true reformer. “The President who saved the planet;” talk about a moniker.

And while Obama himself might not be up for re-election, in fewer than 20 months Congressional Democrats and a third of all Senators certainly will be. Environmentalists, a significant portion of the Democratic base, came through for Obama in 2012. He needs to return the favour having largely paid lip service on the issue of climate change until now.

The recent spate of overwhelming weather events may prove to be Barack Obama’s best friend in selling a possible shelving of Keystone to the broader public. Until recently, Americans had grown increasingly sceptical of whether or not climate change existed at all. This was largely due to a corporate-financed campaign of deception, half-truths and hatched-up scandals such as “climategate.” But ferocious super storms, unbearable droughts and unprecedented heat waves may finally have enlightened the American public to the sobering truth: the climate is indeed changing, humans are most likely responsible and we’d better get our acts together fast if we want to live in planet that remains hospitable to our very existence.

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

//

25

city // opinions

Montreal’s infrastructure needs to be dealt with now

Photo from Flickr

Chunks of concrete, water main breaks and sinkholes, oh my!

Verity steVenson Contributor

Montrealers live life dangerously. They take risks everyday by simply walking down the street or driving through the Turcot inter-

change for a little trip to Ikea. It’s thrilling really. Even parking — not the action of parking but being parked — can turn into an adventure involving cars being swallowed by sinkholes. Or, a walk to class can become an exhilarating water slide down the street wherein the building of a dam ensues.

The sinkhole at the Trudeau airport that partially swallowed two cars did not come as a surprise. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that when a water main broke on Jan. 28 releasing 40 million litres of water down

McTavish St., that was not a surprise either.

Are we ever really surprised? When a block of cement falls from a bridge through someone’s windshield? When a 25-tonne slab of concrete falls onto the Ville-Marie highway?

Or similarly, when in 2000, an overpass killed five people? That one was disconcerting.

The city keeps emphasizing a need for gentrification but there isn’t much talk about fixing what is behind the scenes.

Roadwork has become synonymous with patchwork. Parts of Montreal’s underground

water system, indeed, date back to the early 20th century. Thankfully, as part of a billion-dollar project, pipes and underground water systems are set to be repaired in the next 10 years.

Even Montreal’s 2012 municipal budget acknowledged the “decades of neglect” justifying its plans to go from $265 million in its spending to $1.5 billion.

“We have spent billions and billions of dollars since the end of the ‘80s, early ‘90s on our infrastructure. Do you find there is much improvement at all?” said Toronto Sun journalist Brigitte Pellerin at a conference organized the Fraser Institute on March 23.

What with the Charbonneau commission, I think we’ve all figured out where the money’s been going (down a sinkhole along with the noses of those two cars).

We’ve gotten so used to this dangerous lifestyle that we don’t have the energy to confront. Proof is the Charbonneau commission was brought about after a series of really good journalistic investigations were made, namely, by La Presse.

Yes, media is society’s voice, but it is moderated, malleable and not a perfect twoway form of communication. Granted, our government hasn’t exactly been transparent about its spending, but isn’t that something that we should be questioning by ourselves?

That’s why I think, although radical, it’s healthy to have people protesting in the streets despite the fact that it doesn’t always represent widespread views.

I can just imagine city officials pacing in their office with sudden bursts of energy: “OK! Infrastructure. What do we do about that one, Gérald?”

“What do we usually do?”

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXAMS!

Good luck with your exams and final projects.

After exams, enjoy the summer break.

If you are graduating, I look forward to seeing you at spring convocation.

Alan Shepard President

26

//

Tuesday, april 2, 2013

foreign policy // opinions

Pandaplomacy is a sign of good things to come new pandas could mean a lot for future relations with China milos KoVACeViC Contributor

Who are they? They’re Er Shun and Da Mao, and you’ve undoubtedly heard about them by now.

The two giant pandas recently touched down in Canada to much fanfare and celebration courtesy of the Chinese government for five year stays at both the Calgary and Toronto zoos. How are they important to Canadian-Chinese relations?

The two are destined to attract hoards of visitors and paying customers — that’s why we forked out more than $1 million to bring them here. China and Canada can mutually benefit from reciprocal ties of friendship. We have much to learn from each other culturally and much to gain materially, but care needs to be taken. A panda can be stubborn and must be respectfully, yet firmly, worked with.

Take their diet: an unrelenting, monotonous supply of bamboo. This is the perfect metaphor for the insatiable Chinese economic need for natural resources and raw materials, and one we’ve done well to embrace. Ever since the financial crisis, Canada has increasingly cozied up to Beijing as national priorities have shifted from a mix

of humanitarian concern and business ambition to pure economic overdrive. Bamboo, like the oil and other commodities we export to China, suits the pandas just fine. But just as zookeepers need to know when to say enough, so does the Canadian government need to critically evaluate just how far they’re willing to feed the Chinese, at what expense (remember Nexxen?) and how this influence can be used for further dealing with China on touchy subjects like human rights and democracy.

The handling of the cute mammalian duo also shows what the government shouldn’t do.

Pandas are exotic star attractions and for good reason, but the zoos will never ignore their other charges for their sake. In fact, the regulars will continue to receive priority.

So maybe Harper shouldn’t have scheduled the pandas’ arrival and reception the same day the Nishiyuu walkers wound down their epic trek from James Bay, Que., to the nation’s capital to bring attention to the plight of indigenous peoples. The pandas may have flown 12,000 kilometres in 15 hours to come here (stocked with choice bamboo and veterinarians on standby) but the Nishiyuu walked 15,000 kilometres on their own two feet. For 68 days straight.

This is the first time in almost 25 years that we have pandas, an apt parallel to the once frosty relations between China and Canada that have thawed and, in some respects, blossomed. Yet just as Er Shun and Da Mao aren’t laurels to be rested on nor to be treated lightly, the time

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan

they’re on loan to us is the window we have for determining our future relationship with China.

One of the aims of the zookeepers is to entice the duo into the panda’s notoriously difficult act of breeding. Yes, we have them for 10 years, but this means very little if we can’t get them to produce dividends: in their case cuddly pups, in China’s case strong and serious bonds between equals.

In both cases an active and energetic approach is critical.

Panda diplomacy was once a bestowal of favour by Chinese dynasties to preferred foreign states on the periphery. While times have changed and China now finds itself amongst many equals, the act is undoubtedly one of honour. The Calgary and Toronto zoos have pulled off a coup by securing the pandas. By pursuing with acumen our current opportunities with China, Canada as a country should be able to do the same.

politics // opinions

How do we go about uncovering the bare truth?

embracing extreme liberalism to escape extreme conservatism isn’t a solution tsoler teKeyAn Contributor

In the 1920s, Edward Bernays lifted the taboo on women smoking in public. The “father of public relations” achieved this by advertising cigarettes as “torches of freedom.” He was working for the American Tobacco Company.

Then as now, some projects carried under the banner of feminism have little to do with women’s rights. So it is important to analyze any claim, action, or individual that purports to be feminist. For example, what to make of groups like Femen and young women like Amina Tyler who use nudity as a tool to protest gender discrimination?

Of Tunisian descent, Tyler has posted nude self-portraits online with the following messages written across her chest: “Fuck your morals,” and

Conference

“My body belongs to me, and is not the source of anyone’s honour.” Apparently, these statements are aimed at the religious and conservative segments of her society. Likewise, Femen activists have held nude protests with anti-religious slogans written across bodies of protesters. Admittedly, many oppressive methods of control are practiced on women under the cover of religion.

However, conservative values cannot be reduced to “bad,” nor liberal values to “good.” Most societies are a mix of both; because, pushed to the extreme, either set of values becomes undesirable.

For example, liberal dress codes can be just as oppressive for women as conservative ones.

In theory, those of us living in liberal societies are free to wear what we want. But, implicitly, we are pushed to uncover, flaunt our figures, and compete for the attention of men. However, ads invariably remind us that we are not good enough.

The “I can do what I want with my body”

argument, taken to its extreme, isn’t limited to dress code. For some, it has turned into a depressing cycle of loveless promiscuity, selfish individualism, emotional indifference, and a culture of loneliness. The ultra-conservative alternative, obsessed with virginity and built on the subservience of women, isn’t appealing either. It stifles diversity, leaves little room for personal agency, and leads to loveless marriages. But, as much as they need freedom to explore and nurture their unique qualities, individuals need the comfort and support of family and community. Whatever happened to meaningful relationships, complicity, true friendship? Liberalism, taken too far, has left people drifting in solitary states and filling the emotional void with antidepressants and excess consumerism.

These women’s obstinately one-sided interpretation of freedom equals their opponent’s obstinately one-sided interpretation of virtue.

And the lack of nuance in their slogans is made

worse by the lack of substance in their method.

It’s not that there is something inherently wrong with nudity: if everyone walked around naked, it would cease to be controversial. Femen activists capitalizing on the controversy argue that their performances attract more attention than serious, academic work on feminism. But getting attention and offering a real understanding of gender discrimination is not the same. As it stands, public discourse brought on by these women’s activities is limited to the shallow issue of nudity. They claim that their body is a weapon, but a lecture

by Gail Dines or Jean Kilbourne is much more threatening to the establishment than Femen’s marketing schemes.

Unlike Bernays who openly supported corporate power, these women claim to have social and political motivations. But their slogans and methods, perhaps unwittingly, serve the establishment Bernays worked for more than they serve women.

Des mathématiques pour faire parler la Terre Ingrid Daubechies, President of the International Mathematical Union and Professor at Duke University. The talk will be given in French.

Wednesday, April 10th, 7 PM www.coeurdessciences.uqam.ca

Publicati Format : Couleur

Parution

From our Kitchen

Concordia’s weekly, independent student newspaper.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013 Vol. 30 Issue 27 Marilla Steuter-Martin editor-in-Chief editor@theconcordian.com

Sophia loffreda production manager production@theconcordian.com

There’s only one day of the year where you can prance around like a hyena and lie about everything, scaring friends and family and watching their looks of horrors as your genius joke unfolds.

April Fool’s Day was yesterday, and it seems the Twitterverse had no lack of pranks and jokes for all to see. Here are the Tweets of the week. @LatinoKidProbs12m: “My best

friend’s mom once called her sister and told her that La Migra caught her in Tijuana and was going to deport her. #AprilFools” @TrevDon18m: “April Fools idea

...Hide all of the desktop icons on someone’s computer and replace their wallpaper with a screenshot of their old desktop” @idcamanda25m: “for april fools im

gonna replace all the sugar in my house with cocaine” @BetchIssues38m: “I’m sure that

overdone pregnancy scare April Fools joke brought you and your boyfriend closer. #betchjudgments”

Kalina lafraMboiSe news editor news@theconcordian.com

Stephanie la leggia life editor life@theconcordian.com

aManda l. Shore Arts editor arts@theconcordian.com

Stephanie ullMan music editor music@theconcordian.com

Photo from Flickr

WATERMELON AND FETA SALAD sopHiA loffredA production manager

With summer just around the corner, we thought it was appropriate to leave you, our dear readers, with a scrumptiously delicious From our Kitchen recipe to tide you over until we return for Volume 31 of The Concordian in the fall.

The recipe is a simple one and the ingredients are easy to come by, once those warm rays of sunlight start to shine down upon our faces again.

I love bringing this salad to a barbecue or just whippping it up really quickly whenever I have friends or family over. You can serve it with almost anything really. The taste is sweet because of the watermelon but salty because of the oil, lemon juice and pumpkin seeds. Ba-

sically, it’s a heavenly combo. I suggest you keep it in your culinary inventory, until the time is right.

This dish can be served as an appetizer or even as a side to fish or meat.

Ingredients: One large watermelon, cut into cubes One cup feta cheese, crumbled Handful of Basil (or mint or cilantro) 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (optional) One red onion, thinly sliced One lemon, juiced Olive oil Salt Pepper

Kevin duarte sports editor sports@theconcordian.com

george MenexiS opinions editor opinions@theconcordian.com

Madelayne hajeK photo editor photo@theconcordian.com

nataSha taggart alySSa treMblay online editors online@theconcordian.com

jennifer Kwan Graphics editor graphics@theconcordian.com

robin della Corte Matthew guite Assistant news editors news@theconcordian.com

Sara baron-goodMan Assistant life editor

Instructions: Add watermelon to a bowl. Mix in the remaining ingredients (adding olive oil, salt, and pepper) as you see fit & enjoy!

ariana trigueroS-Corbo Assistant arts editor

SaMantha Mileto Assistant sports editor

gregory todaro Assistant opinions editor

@BlackNerd1h: “Don’t know what’s

more annoying... people’s April Fools tweets or people whining about how they don’t like people’s April Fools tweets.” @rolldiggity1h: “I keep expecting God

to shout, “April Fools!” and then rewind my life back to before I spent all of high school as a magician.”

@DJMattMadcharo1m: “April Fools

day is always a good day to confess to cheating on your woman. You can just judge her reaction and say #AprilFools if needed.” @chanelpuke: “Who needs April Fools my whole life is a joke.” @LOLVancouver: “You know what’s funnier than @28CGiroux April fools joke? The Flyers record this season.”

ChriStine beaton Sara King-abadi elizabeth toMaraS Copy editors copy@theconcordian.com

Cynthia dupuiS nathalie laflaMMe production assistants

editorial offiCe 7141 sherbrooke st. W. - CC.431 montreal, QC H4b 1r6

brennan neill tySon lowrie Cindy lopez ruben baStien

board of directors directors@theconcordian.com

Staff writerS and ContributorS Christina rowan, taisha Henri, Anne Kingma-lord, maria Hinoporos, roa Abdel-Gawad, Ayan Chowdhury, robert de lisi, sabrina Curiale, June loper, Jordie yeager, mia pearson, selina Gard, Jessica romera, paul traunero, Andrew Guilbert, Krystina scenna, nathan Hayhoe, Verity stevensen, tsoler tekeyan, milos Kovacevic, Adam Aberra.

theconcordian

the etc. page // opinions

Events of the week: April 2 Tuesday +ART- VeRnissAge inÉDiTs - 17H - gAleRie BeRnARD +THeATRe - PeeR gynT - 20H - D.B. ClARke THeATRe +MUsiC - JosHUA VAn TAssel - 20H30 - CAsA Del PoPolo +MUsiC - k-os - 20H - CoRonA THeATRe Wednesday +THeATRe - lUDwig AnD MAe - 20H - 661, RUe RoseDe-liMA Thursday +THeATRe - lUDwig AnD MAe - 20H - 661, RUe RoseDe-liMA +MUsiC - sUUns - 22H - lA sAlA RossA Friday +THeATRe - losT: A MeMoiR - 20H - JoHn ABoTT College +THeATRe - PeeR gynT - 20H - D.B. ClARke THeATRe saTurday +THeATRe - lUDwig AnD MAe - 14H & 20H - 661, RUe Rose-De-liMA +THeATRe - losT: A MeMoiR - 20H - JoHn ABoTT College +MUsiC - FiDlAR - 19H - lA sAlA RossA +MUsiC - FlUMe - 22H - le BelMonT +MUsiC - MikA - 20H - CoRonA THeATRe