7 December 2022

The Official University of Manitoba Students’ Newspaper

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ? editor@themanitoban.com

Gillian Brown

BUSINESS MANAGER ? accounts@themanitoban.com

Dhruv Patel

ADVERTISING CO-ORDINATOR ? ads@themanitoban.com

Richard Plant

MANAGING EDITOR ? me@themanitoban.com

Grace Anne Paizen

COPY DESK ? copy@themanitoban.com

Ezra Taves (ed.)

Morgan Heck

NEWS DESK ? news@themanitoban.com

Matthew Merkel (ed.)

Colton McKillop (ed.)

Ashley Puchniak

Alicia Rose

RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY DESK ? research@themanitoban.com

Elah Ajene (ed.)

Robert Moshe Thompson

COMMENT DESK ? comment@themanitoban.com

Sarah Cohen (ed.)

Braden Bristow

Dina Hamid

ARTS & CULTURE DESK ? arts@themanitoban.com

Alex Braun (ed.)

Damien Davis

Jessie Krahn

SPORTS DESK ? sports@themanitoban.com vacant, applications open (ed.)

Quinn Mayhew

PHOTO DESK ? photo@themanitoban.com Ebunoluwa Akinbo (ed.)

Faith Peters

DESIGN DESK ? design@themanitoban.com

Matthew Doering (ed.)

Taeran An

GRAPHICS DESK ? graphics@themanitoban.com

Dallin Chicoine (ed.)

Jenna Solomon

AUDIO DESK ? audio@themanitoban.com

Harmatpreet Brar (ed.)

SOCIAL MEDIA DESK ? social@themanitoban.com

Jory Thomas (ed.)

Violet Baker

VOLUNTEERS THIS ISSUE ?

VOLUNTEER STAFF ? interested in volunteering? email me@themanitoban.com today!

THEMANITOBAN.COM

109 HELEN GLASS BUILDING UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA WINNIPEG, MB 204. 474. 6535

The Manitoban is the official student newspaper of the University of Manitoba. It is published monthly during the summer and each week of regular classes during the academic year by the Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation.

The Manitoban is an independent and democratic student organization, open to participation from all students. It exists to serve its readers as students and citizens.

The Manitoban is a member of the Canadian University Press, and our journalistic standards can be found on the Manitoban’s website.

The newspaper’s primary mandate is to report fairly and objectively on issues and events of importance and interest to the students of the University of Manitoba, to provide an open forum for the free expression and exchange of opinions and ideas and to stimulate meaningful debate on issues that affect or would otherwise be of interest to the student body and/ or society in general. The Manitoban serves as a training ground for students interested in any aspect of journalism.

Students and other interested parties are invited to contribute to any section of the newspaper. Please contact the appropriate editor for submission guidelines.

The Manitoban reserves the right to edit all submissions and will not publish any material deemed by its Editorial Board to be discriminatory, racist, sexist, homophobic or transphobic, ableist or libellous.

Opinions expressed in letters and articles are solely those of the authors. Editorials in the Manitoban are signed and represent the opinions of the writer(s), not necessarily those of the Manitoban staff, Editorial Board or the publisher.

A “volunteer staff” member is defined as a person who has had three volunteer articles, photographs or pieces of art of reasonable length and/ or substance published in the current publishing year of the Manitoban.

Any individual who qualifies as a volunteer staff member must be voted in by a majority vote at a Manitoban editorial board meeting. Elected representatives and non-students may be excluded from holding votes as volunteer staff members in accordance with the Manitoban Constitution.

All contents are ©2022 and may not be reprinted without the express written permission of the Editor-in-Chief.

U of M holds info session for Onyx Initiative

Program assists Black students with career development, recruitment, retention

Colton McKillop, staff

The Onyx Initiative— an organization that aims to assist in the career develop ment of Black post-secondary students and recent graduates — held an information ses sion over Zoom with the Uni versity of Manitoba last Tues day.

The event was initially set to occur several weeks ago, but had to be rescheduled.

Lisa MacPherson, the Career Services lead co-ordi nator at the U of M, noted that many Black students at U of M are international students.

“There can be a range of unique career development challenges for international students who are studying in Canada connected to employ ment [and] understanding work culture,” she said.

The U of M began partner ing with the Onyx Initiative in 2021, and Career Services soon noticed that the two groups had a number of “parallel programs,” including those involving career mentorship.

“We have a brand new Indigenous career mentor program that just launched at U of M Career Services this September, and ultimately we know that there are folks who are interested in mentoring maybe across more than one program,” MacPherson said.

“So in our newsletter that went out this summer to our career mentors, we did high light Onyx as something that perhaps our current mentors might also want to take part in.”

Onyx Initiative executive director Nigela Purboo and her husband Wayne Purboo founded the organization fol lowing the wave of protests against the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

“ We were deeply troubled by the adverse impact the per vasive incidences of racial injustice, systemic inequality, social and political unrest and the murder of George Floyd was having on us, our family and a massive number of peo ple,” Nigela Purboo said in an email to the Manitoban

She explained that while she and her husband had long been engaged with phil anthropic efforts to sup port health care and educa tion, the “gravity of the situa tion” made them realize they needed to do more.

They chose to focus their efforts on challenging sys temic gaps in the corporate recruitment of Black post-sec ondary students and recent graduates in Canada by strengthening partnerships between the community and

various corporate and educa tional institutions.

At the U of M info ses sion, Onyx’s director of out reach Simone Rennie noted that when Onyx brought its concerns to potential cor porate partners, companies expressed that they had diffi culty finding Black candidates to hire.

“ When they looked within their own corporations, they just weren’t seeing enough executive leaders in manage ment that were Black that could poten tially be men tors, which they agreed was a prob lem,” she explained.

Rennie said that Onyx’s goal was to get Black students into the cor porate world “straight from university.”

“ Then we could actually begin to get them into roles where they could root them selves, plant themselves, grow, be retained and pro moted or advanced within those roles,” she said.

Any student who identi fies as Black and who is cur rently enrolled in a Canadian post-secondary institution — or who has graduated within the past 12 months — may apply for the program. The program is free of charge, and offers paid internships and positions.

If accepted, students receive access to online courses on professional devel opment, networking opportu nities and internships, as well as mentorship from experi enced professionals.

While Purboo said that she did not want to generalize the experiences of Black uni versity students and recent graduates, “especially since our community is often posi tioned as a monolith that thinks and acts the same way,” she noted that research has

awareness about opportuni ties and diverse paths.”

Purboo said that Onyx is not only focused on provid ing opportunities for Black students, but also wants to ensure that they retain their positions and receive promo tions.

“A significant number of Black employees do not end up staying at different compa nies because they are not pro moted and/or the culture is not welcoming or inclusive,” she explained.

Rennie noted that membership with Onyx helps students’ applications get noticed by corpo rate employ ers, who may have hundreds of resumes to sort through.

said.

80 per cent of Onyx’s fund ing comes from the corporate partners who are looking to hire candidates from the ini tiative. These partners include numerous major corporations such as Amazon, Bell, TD and Sobeys.

Graduates of the program will receive certification and ongoing mentorship follow ing job placement.

The program currently accepts 200 applicants a year, but the organization intends to increase this number as it grows and expands its capac ity. Rennie said that Onyx has recruited about 500 scholars in total so far, and is hoping to recruit another 500.

shown some consistent chal lenges facing Black students in Canada from various cul tures.

Purboo explained that the biggest hurdles Black stu dents have to jump are “a lack of awareness about career opportunities in their field of study, a lack of access to key decision-makers in corporate Canada and a minimal num ber of professional mentors and coaches.”

“In short, many don’t have the social capital or the net work of people around them to open doors and help increase

“At Onyx, because these companies are here to just see you, you are already at the top of their list,” she said.

Maeesha Mahbub, a mar keting intern for Onyx, shared stories of her experience with the organization as part of the info session. She said that the relationship between Onyx and these potential employ ers reduced her anxiety about how she would be treated in the application process.

“ There’s a certain level of comfort that comes with knowing that these employ ers are here for you,” Mahbub

The initiative’s name is inspired by the Onyx stone — a semiprecious gem that is often black in colour. Pur boo explained that the stone is not rare, which symbolizes the fact that “qualified Black students are also not rare, but bountiful.”

“For Wayne, our team and myself it’s simple — anyone seeking meaningful career opportunities, who have the skills and qualifications to ful fil the roles, should have equal access to do so.”

photo / Faith Peters / staff

“Anyone seeking meaningful career opportunities, who have the skills and qualifications to fulfil the roles, should have equal access to do so”

— Nigela Purboo, co-founder and executive director of the Onyx Initiative

U of M student groups hosting holiday-themed events

Socials, gingerbread house decorating, movie nights, fundraisers make up December

Matthew Merkel, staff

sity Centre Dec. 5 and 6.

U

niversity of Manitoba student groups are host ing holiday-themed events in December.

On Dec. 2, the U of M Pho tography Club held a Christ mas photo shoot in University Centre.

Earlier this month, UMSU held a couple of holiday themed events in support of its Holiday Hamper program.

On Dec. 1, the union held a holiday movie night on the first floor of University Centre.

The next day, a holiday kara oke night took place at VW social club, and pictures with Santa were offered in Univer

The University of Manitoba Graduate Students’ Associa tion also has a Holiday Ham per program that will be open for applications until Dec. 11. The hampers will go toward graduate students in need of financial assistance.

The Rainbow Pride Centre is having a gift exchange on Dec. 7, as well as a movie night held the same day alongside the Women’s Centre.

The Science Students’ Association will be hosting a gingerbread house deco rating competition on Dec. 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the sci ence lounge. Entered groups should be comprised of two to four people, and the winners will receive gift cards.

The U of M International Centre is hosting a holiday party on Friday, Dec. 9 from 2 to 4 p.m.

On Dec. 12 at 7 p.m., the University of Manitoba Cam pus Conservatives are hosting a free-for-members Christmas party at Lasertopia.

On Dec. 16, the Arts Student Body Council is hosting a gin gerbread house making night in the arts lounge from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Snacks, drinks and the gingerbread houses will be provided.

On Dec. 23 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., the University 1 Student Council is hosting a Christ mas social at Obsidian Ultra

Lounge. Part of the proceeds will go toward the UMSU food bank and Holiday Hampers program. All U of M students, not just University 1 students, are able to buy tickets for $15 each.

The Commerce Students’ Association (CSA) is hosting their annual Commerce Carol social on Dec. 23.

CSA vice-president stu dent life Avery Groeneveld said that this year’s social is a “winter wonderland theme.” There will be multiple DJs and food, as well as surprise guests and sponsors.

“It is Asper’s premiere win ter social event,” she said.

“It’s meant to bring forth everybody in the University of Manitoba community to enjoy some dancing, some drinks if you choose and just to have a wonderful time celebrating the holiday season.”

Once again, CSA’s lat est social is completely sold out. After the CSA’s Hallow een Shocker social sold out in three days, Groeneveld antici pated that ticket sales for the Commerce Carol would sell similarly. However, she was surprised to see that early bird tickets sold out in 10 minutes, with the social completely selling out in three hours.

“As a group we’re just super excited to see that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Uni versity of Manitoba commu

nity is still enjoying the events we’ve been able to put on thus far,” Groeneveld said.

This year, the social is being held downtown at the Metro politan Entertainment Cen tre.

Groeneveld explained that student accessibility was a pri ority for the CSA when plan ning the social. She said that in the past, ticket prices usu ally cost $50 for Commerce Carol socials held at the RBC Convention Centre, which would have nearly doubled this year due to rising venue costs.

By switching venues, Groeneveld said that the CSA was able to sell a number of tickets on par with their other socials for only $35 each.

“We’re really excited to have the social again held this year,” she said.

“We really think that the social aspect of university is one that’s important.”

graphic / Dallin Chicoine / staff

“We’re really excited to have the social again held this year”

— Avery Groeneveld , Commerce Students’ Association vice-president student life

U of M students continue to protest Mahsa Amini’s death

Over 200 universities hold rallies in solidarity with Iranian protestors

Ashley Puchniak staff

The University of Mani toba Iranian Students’ Asso ciation (UMISA), along with over 200 universities across the globe, have been partici pating in demonstrations of solidarity with Iranians pro testing the killing of 22-yearold Mahsa Amini. The U of M rally was held on Nov. 30, which marked 75 days since Amini’s death.

Amini died in the custody of Iran’s morality police, who detained her in early Septem

ber for improperly wearing her hijab.

The incident sparked out rage in Iran and worldwide, with Iranians and other dem onstrators around the world taking to the streets in protest.

The movement has adopted the slogan, “woman, life, free dom.”

For Pouya Farokhzad, the president of UMISA, this slo gan resonates internationally because women have little freedom in many developing countries.

“Without freedom, you can not have anything, you cannot even have justice,” he said.

“I think it’s a chant that all people around the world could relate [to], and as I said, it’s not a matter of a region even, it’s a matter of the whole world,”

Farokhzad said that the idea for this series of rallies originated at universities in the United States, and soon spread to other schools in Canada and overseas.

He explained that the upris ing in Iran has affected U of M’s Iranian students deeply,

as many have loved ones living under the country’s “brutal regime.”

Nazanin Roshanshah, an Iranian PhD student at U of M, said that spreading aware ness about Amini’s death is important, as many in Iran “don’t have any voice” because the government has restricted internet access, and those who try to speak out are often censored.

She emphasized that due to the Iranian government’s vio lent crackdown on protests, it is important for the world to show its support for the people of Iran.

“Be [the] Iranian voice, take action.”

To find more information and support, visit UMISA’s webpage or social media plat forms.

news@themanitoban.com

My Student Wellbeing provides mental health resources

Online service helps students make timely appointments, manage costs

Alicia Rose, staff

As exam time rolls around, students may expe rience higher levels of stress. This season, another resource is available in the form of My Student Wellbeing, an online platform that can help U of M students access private men tal health therapists.

Tyler Phill, founder and CEO of the company, explained how on the My Stu dent Wellbeing website, stu dents can get their insurance checked to see what they have covered.

On the website, students can also browse the clinician directory, where they are able to connect with a therapist of their choice. From there, stu dents can book a free 10-min ute consult call with a selected therapist to see if they are a good fit.

Under the UMSU health and dental plan, students have up to $1,250 in cover age for services with a men tal health practitioner of their choosing.

The services covered include licenced clinical psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists or an indi vidual with a master’s in social work.

For students enrolled in the UMSU health and dental plan, My Student Wellbeing can dir ectly bill their student insur ance.

Once U of M students approach their $1,250 limit, My Student Wellbeing can notify students and suggest alternative options for pay ment.

Students who are not under the UMSU health and den tal plan can still use the ser vice, but may need to pay out of pocket and bill their insur ance themselves.

Online therapy sessions through My Student Wellbe ing are conducted through a program called Jane, which ensures privacy and security between the therapists and their clients.

Jane also has a calendar where students can see a ther apist’s availability, book their appointment and set up a reminder service that works best for them.

Phill explained that he started My Student Wellbe ing after working in social work for about five years. Dur ing this time, he found him self wanting a role in an orga nization where he could make a systemic change that would

help frontline staff and pro vide better services for clients.

“I provided counselling to clients myself and I loved the work, and I loved seeing peo ple grow and improve and change their lives in that way, but I wanted to impact organi zations in a larger way,” Phill said.

He returned to the Univer sity of Manitoba in 2017 to pursue a master’s degree in business administration, with the goal of eventually work ing for a social service organi zation. However, after seeing that those around him were unsure of what mental health services to use, he looked into the university’s insurance plan and discovered that he had insurance coverage.

“If I wasn’t just curious one day and looked into it, I prob ably would never have known that I had this coverage,” he said. “I just paid the fee in my tuition and never really thought about it.”

Phill realized that many other students were probably unaware of the coverage they had, and he also saw a need for more accessible mental health services. He began think ing of what he could do to try address these issues, and as

his confidence and knowledge of business grew, he started working on the project.

He explained that the COVID-19 pandemic helped him come up with the idea of creating a virtual counsel ling and therapy practice that students could use with their insurance plan.

Phill said that his goal for the organization is to have therapists available within 24 hours for appointments with students who need them

My Student Wellbeing is also looking to hire students from the U of M in the near future. Phill noted that pro

viding students with proper work experience before grad uation is another way of look ing after their well-being.

He said that so far, he has received positive feedback from students and therapists alike.

More information on My Student Wellbeing can be found on the My Student Well being website, or on its Insta gram page.

photo / Ebunoluwa Akinbo / staff

photo / Faith Peters / staff

Research & Technology

U of M’s new vice-president research and international

Mario Pinto seeks to unify multiple research disciplines

Robert Moshe Thompson, staff

The word “polymathy” was first used in the title of a work in 1603 by phil osopher Joannes Wower. It refers to encyclopedic know ledge that encompasses many fields.

A person who has such knowledge is known as a “polymath.”

Mario Pinto, the U of M’s new vice-president research and international, firmly believes in the power of mer ging multiple disciplines.

“In principle, if you bring disciplines together, you can do this far-out stuff,” he said. “But it’s a matter of having the experts in the different disci plines, and having them all play in the same sandbox.”

Before coming to the U of M, Pinto worked at Griffith University in Australia as dep uty vice-chancellor research. During his time there, he oversaw several clinical trials which required co-ordination between experts in different fields.

Some of these trials used 3D printing and modelling to solve complex medical prob lems. Pinto’s team had to bring together engineers, computer scientists and AI specialists to work with surgeons.

Before performing surgery, these specialists would create models of patients that Pinto described as “digital twins.”

The surgical team would then be able to practice on the twin before operating on the patient. This clinical trial used the same strategy to perform complex pediatric hip proced ures. After treating 20 chil dren, the trial found that the need for repeat surgeries was reduced significantly.

This technique was also used in a trial that sought to treat aneurysms in stroke victims. An aneurysm is an abnormal expansion of a blood vessel that can rupture and cause serious complica tions.

Since no two aneurysms are exactly alike, having a digital model of the enlarged blood vessel gave surgeons the chance to fine-tune their tech nique before the operation.

Pinto has also been involved in projects that require a col laboration between the arts and sciences.

While working at Simon Fraser University, he was a leader in an interdisciplin ary study of the evolution of human culture. The pro ject brought together various experts such as anthropolo gists, evolutionary biologists and even economists to work

together on the research.

Pinto has been merging the arts and sciences since well before university. His rela tives on his mother’s side were heavily involved in artistic pursuits such as music, poetry and theatre.

Pinto added that his mater nal great-grandfather had one of the first printing presses in Sri Lanka, the country where he grew up.

Pinto’s father’s relatives, on the other hand, were involved mostly in the sciences. His grandfather and great-grand father were both apothecar ies, another term for a phar macist. His father was also a forensic chemist.

Because of his paternal family history, Pinto consid ers himself to be a fourth-gen eration chemist.

Although Pinto wanted to maintain his dual interest in the arts and sciences, he had to choose one or the other when he went to university.

During his undergradu ate degree, Pinto switched his topic of study multiple times. He entered various majors such as musical theatre, math and the live sciences.

Eventually, Pinto gradu ated with a degree in chem istry, but he was not done mixing disciplines. While pur suing his PhD at Queen’s Uni versity, he also worked with supervisors at the University of Toronto and Dalhousie Uni versity.

Since all three of his super visors had different special ties, Pinto was able to assem ble a thesis that reflected his diverse work experience.

Although his formal educa tional background is chemis try, Pinto continues to engage with the arts. He often uses art to depict scientific concepts.

Diversity of many kinds has always been a theme in Pin to’s life. In Sri Lanka, he grew up being exposed to people of many different backgrounds and religions from a young age.

Pinto’s own origins are also diverse. His ancestors are a mix of Sri Lankan, Portuguese and Goan. Being exposed to multiple cultures taught him to be open to different philos ophies and ways of knowing.

He has always been inter ested in international rela tions and has spent many years working abroad. His research has taken him to Europe, Latin America and

the Caribbean.

Pinto said that hav ing a worldwide network of researchers brings many of the same benefits as interdis ciplinary collaboration.

“It’s the same principle,” he explained. “You have very different perspectives. People have been trained differently, they’re exposed to differ ent cultural norms and what drives them is very different. And they ask very different questions. So one can learn a lot from that.”

photo / Faith Peters / staff

“

It’s a matter of having the experts in the different disciplines, and having them all play in the same sandbox”

— Mario Pinto, U of M vice-president research and international

To space and beyond

U of M prof spearheads aerospace research project

Elah Ajene, staff

F rom childhood, Philip Ferguson aspired to be an astronaut.

“I loved things that fly,” he reminisced. “I loved things that go into space, and so I was fascinated at the technology that’s required to put these things in space.”

This prompted his profes sional journey into the aero space industry, which eventu ally led him to work on Cana da’s first space telescope.

Now an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the U of M, Fer guson seamlessly blends his experience in the aerospace industry with academia.

“My research is trying to kick the aerospace industry in the pants and say, ‘hey, why don’t we start adopting new technology, taking on a little bit of risk, but taking that risk on in smart and intelligent ways,’” he said.

The U of M’s Space Technol ogy and Advanced Research Laboratory (STARLab), which is directed by Ferguson, works on a wide array of technolo gies.

The team uses rover sys tems in “trying to under stand how new next-genera tion Mars rovers or lunar rov ers can better navigate those planets to explore different areas for possible human hab itation,” he said.

The STARLab in the Engi neering and Information Technology Centre at the U of M’s Fort Garry campus has a testing area for drones and new satellite control systems.

Additionally, Ferguson noted the presence of elec tronics workbenches, which are used to develop “avionics systems or sensor systems for drones and rovers.”

The Advanced Satel lite Integration Facility — a branch of the STARLab located at Magellan Aerospace — is co-owned by the U of M and Magellan Aerospace.

“It allows our students to have access to world-class space systems and aerospace engineers at Magellan,” Fer guson explained.

“These students train there. They learn skills like solder ing, space systems assem bly, integration and tests, and ultimately many of these stu dents end up taking on fulltime jobs at Magellan Aero space when they’re done.”

Ferguson described this facility as having a “large clean room” used in satel lite construction, develop ing flight systems and testing systems that eventually go to space.

As a NASA satellite cur rently heads back to Earth

from an asteroid, Fergu son highlighted that the rock samples harvested are being exposed to space radiation.

“We have this question say ing, well, what is the radia tion doing to these rocks in the time that it takes them to go from the asteroid back to earth?” he asked.

This question can be explored using a CubeSat — a small satellite made up of cubes, each approximately the size of a Rubik’s cube — which can be used in understanding how rocks change on exposure to space radiation. The STAR Lab is currently finishing con struction of a CubeSat com posed of three cubes, or about

the size of a carton of milk, for this purpose.

“We’re taking some little micro-meteoroids that crash to the earth, we’re taking lit tle bits of the moon that the Apollo astronauts harvested when they went back there in the sixties and seventies, and we’re sending them back up into space,” Ferguson explained.

“We have cameras that [are] going to be taking pictures of them several times a day, and we’re going to watch how space radiation changes those samples.”

In collaboration with Indig enous communities in Chur chill, Man. and Inuit com

munities in Nunavut, Fergu son and his team also plan on developing a second satellite to understand the impacts of climate change on a warming Arctic.

Ferguson explained that the team is in the early stages of designing a new sensory CubeSat that would be capa ble of measuring ice qualities in Northern Canada, as cli mate change is causing the ice to become increasingly haz ardous to communities that rely on it.

“They can use that as part of their network of data sys tems, that they use to under stand the ice and the environ ment around them,” he said.

Then there is the Drone Zone project — a warehouse facility that received funding last month from Prairies Eco nomic Development Canada. This is projected to be one of the world’s largest robotics indoor motion tracking sys tems, and would be used in testing new drone control sys tems in the safety of an indoor

facility.

“This is going to open up the door to a whole new era of drone technology,” Fergu son said, explaining that these drones could be applied in the agriculture and construction industries, and even in explor ing new planets.

“There’s really no end of applications of drones in our society right now,” he added.

“We’re absolutely thrilled and excited to be developing some of those technologies at DroneZone.”

Ferguson’s research ulti mately aims toward making space and aerospace systems accessible to both research ers and communities at large, without a million-dollar bud get.

“Manitoba is a huge hub of aerospace research and man ufacturing, and it’s really an honour and privilege to be working in such a great envi ronment,” he said.

photo / Ebunoluwa Akinbo / staff “There’s really no end of applications of drones in our society right now”

— Philip Ferguson, U of M associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering

photo / Philip Ferguson / provided

photo / Philip Ferguson / provided

This is the virtual bad place

The balkanization of the information highway is dangerous

Grace Anne Paizen, staff

W hen Elon Musk pur chased Twitter this year for US$44 billion, the ship-jumping began, with many Twitter users urging others to switch platforms.

What is perhaps being reached for, yet overlooked, in Musk’s disastrous takeover of the social media platform is that one billionaire should not be able to purchase the virtual town square. What’s more, Twitter’s new ownership has shone a light on the ugly bal kanization — in other words, division and compartmental ization — of the internet into privatized companies.

The World Wide Web was created by Tim Berners-Lee as an information superhigh way. It was always meant as an access point for the exchange of information and con necting people from opposite sides of the world, meaning you didn’t necessarily have to join a private company’s web site to speak to other human beings online.

David Bohnett, the founder of the early internet’s free webpage platform GeoCities, said in a recent interview with Gizmodo that “we’re really not one Internet,” noting, “it’s become very what I call ‘bal kanized.’”

While monetization has played a major role in destroy ing the fun of the internet — one only has to attempt to watch a YouTube video with out an adblocker to see my point — it is how the internet has been balkanized through out the world that has set the present-day internet’s danger ous precedent.

The constant pop-ups and paywalls have been a con venient distraction from how the internet has separated the masses into distinct echo chambers, but this balkan ization has been occurring quietly for years.

One only has to look to the internet of the early-2000s to see how it has since been par titioned into Myspace, 4chan, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, among others.

However, the World Wide Web has always been a vir tual Wild West if you know how to peel back the corners of the viewable web. Yet, it is this surface-level sphere of balkanized websites-turnedapps responsible for shaping discourse and dividing the masses more than ever.

Google is a large player in the balkanization of the web as the premier inter net search engine. The prob lem with Google is in fact

what has become the problem with the internet in general — search results are returned and ranked by what Google’s algorithm believes is most rel evant to the query.

This means that the search engine might not be giv ing you the information you were actually looking for. More importantly, as a search engine Google does not pre vent Search Engine Optimiza tion (SEO) on its platform.

Google hits thrive on SEO, meaning that mainstream news websites will purpose fully use viral keywords in their headlines or modify their website to appear on Google’s first page of results. This can lead to the same handful of news sites appearing in searches again and again.

While having mainstream news sites in your search results is not necessarily bad, through SEO practices Goo gle furthers the problem where the same few corners of the internet reach out to filter their online customers into subsequent left-wing and right-wing perspectives.

In comparison, the early age of search engines was dir ectory driven, where you had to seek out your corner of

the internet while being pre sented with other options.

All of this has made me wonder if nostalgia for the ’90s is not necessarily for “simpler” times — the world’s affairs have never been sim ple — but for the tangibly sim pler, like the dial-up internet that didn’t necessarily steer you into your culturally deter mined echo chamber.

While not trying to roman ticize the early internet too much, it really was a time

ing to filter which websites and information are brought to the forefront of searches. Once again, this creates an easier entry into our virtual echo chambers by prioritiz ing only mainstream websites to consumers.

Now more than ever, the balkanization of the internet has spilled over into real life.

From Pizzagate to QAnon to the trucker convoy, the shep herding of internet users into echo chambers has divided us more than ever and spurred on danger ous real-life events.

What is most concerning outside the political realm is how dangerous the tenuous access to an internet host is in the world.

In 2021, pre-Meta Face book went down. This rocked the Asian, African and Latin American economies, as Face book was practically the only corner of the internet avail able in many of those regions. Real working-class people had their incomes disappear sim ply because of the separation of the internet into boxes such as Google, Meta and AWS.

The balkanization of the internet, then, has never been more dangerous.

before the rise of social media bots, where you could carve out a modifiable space for yourself in the new virtual world.

It was before the rigid pre sets of social media websites, before the dark times of You Tube ads, before the empire of billionaires controlling cyber space from web service giants like Amazon and Meta.

40 per cent of the sur face-level internet that is used in some aspect of our everyday lives is controlled by Amazon Web Services (AWS) — from Netflix to the Globe and Mail. AWS specifically helps com panies maximize their SEO, meaning that AWS is help

One only has to look to Jan. 6, 2021 in the United States to see how one man’s social media peddling inspired a real-life wave of angry voters who believed the voting sys tem was rigged.

Worse yet for Canadians, federal Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre’s You Tube videos were recently found to have been using male supremacy dog whistles in their tags. Male supremacist and misogynistic rhetoric has led to multiple deaths in our country, most recently in the 2018 Toronto van attack when a self-proclaimed “incel” motivated by misogyny killed 11 people.

We need to begin holding these tech giants accountable through active petitioning and boycotting. Further, we need to put real-life pressure on governments to hold the companies controlling the information superhighway accountable, or better yet, break them up. Otherwise, the virtual world will continue to be monopolized, and in turn, its users balkanized.

graphic / Jenna Solomon / staff

Now more than ever, the balkanization of the internet has spilled over into real life

‘Going woke’? Or just not straight and white?

Braden Bristow, staff

I recently saw Disney’s Strange World in theatres. After watching the movie, I went to Twitter to see what others were saying, and whether my opinions on the movie made me some kind of social outcast. As it turns out, this film made some people very upset.

The phrase “go woke, go broke” has been levelled against this movie to explain its general commercial fail ure. The going “woke” here refers to the fact that one of the film’s protagonists, Ethan Clade, is mixed race and queer. It is important to note that in the real world, the actor who plays Ethan, Jaboukie YoungWhite, is also a gay man.

First, let me explain what “go woke, go broke” actually means, as well as its social subtext. The term “woke” has been invoked to refer to media that has a social justice aspect to it, and that attempts to address social injustice. “Going broke” is, obviously, losing money.

In summary, to go woke

and then to go broke is to take a “politically correct” action, then lose a great deal of money — pretty straight forward. This term is regu larly thrown around by rightwing Twitter users and antiwoke YouTubers complaining about video games, television or film.

Generally, when a piece of media includes a charac ter who is not white, male or straight, it is only a matter of time before it is labelled as “woke.”

When it comes to films for example, a 2021 list of “Top 10 Woke Movies That Ruined Their Franchises” from Bounding into Comics is made up of films that include a female or racialized person as a protagonist.

In terms of video games, God of War Ragnarök and The Last of Us: Part II were both accused of going woke then going broke, yet have each made millions of dollars in sales.

By accusing a company of “going woke” when they include a non-white, nonmale or non-straight charac ter, there is the strong impli cation that the very exist ence of 2SLGBTQIA+ people, women and racialized people is political.

Believe it or not, these people are very much real and exist. I myself am a bisex ual and Métis person. Yet, if I were to headline in some form of media, it would be labelled woke and criticized across social media. But divers ity in media is important, as it exposes us to new per spectives, helps further rep resentation and encourages creativity.

The term “go woke, go broke” also implies that if media fails to attain commer cial success it is inherently less valuable, and this is sim

ply untrue.

Just because Disney’s Strange World did not gar ner financial success does not mean that as a piece of art it is an absolute failure, nor does it mean that its financial failure was because of its diversity.

Even if this were the case, other forms of “woke” media have been resounding suc cesses. The aforementioned God of War and Last of Us, as well as Get Out, House of the Dragon and The Owl House are all, gen erally, mas sive successes despite being considered “woke” by some.

Judging a piece of media based on a lack of straight white men, how much money it made or the proportion of positive to negative reviews is an incredibly reductive way of viewing art.

Art, and media in general, should be appreciated for what it means to you and the work that went into it. Also, if your first thought when you

see a same-sex couple is “wow, more wokeism,” you might be homophobic. Which, in case I need to clarify, is a bad thing.

Part of what makes the “go broke” mantra frustrat ing is that it pushes a suprem acist narrative that people grab onto. I do not think it is unreasonable to claim that “go woke, go broke” actively creates prejudice for any form of media that makes an earn est attempt at representation or diversity.

If you are the kind of person who is sympathetic to the “go woke, go broke” cause, take the time to understand and appreciate why racialized or 2SLGBTQIA+ people are being represented in film. And if you are the type of person who enjoys so-called “woke” media like I do, keep doing your thing.

comment@themanitoban.com

If your first thought when you see a same-sex couple is “wow, more wokeism,” you might be homophobic

‘Go woke, go broke’ just another supremacist dog whistle

The joy of Chrismukkah

A multicultural holiday season

Sarah Cohen, staff

hrismukkah. The inter section of Christmas and Hanukkah. Few people get more than one aspect of the holiday season. I am one of them.

C

As a Jew, my family cele brates Hanukkah every year. The celebration of lights! Commemorating the oil that burned for eight whole days and nights in the Second Tem ple.

We celebrate with the menorah, adding a new candle every night until nine brightly shining candles stand tall. We make latkes and smother

them with applesauce and sour cream, accompanied by mom’s melt-in-your-mouth brisket. A few nights end with the exchange of presents, the others we give back to the community.

A week or so later, my mom and I fly up to the snow-cov ered streets of Winnipeg to decorate the Christmas tree centred in my Gramma’s front window. We wrap presents for family, bake batch after batch of cookies and on Christmas Eve, we all gather with paper crowns to eat a turkey dinner.

Waking up on Christmas morning feels magical, even now that I’m in my 20s. How ever, there is one tradition I cannot disregard.

For context, growing up, all my best friends were Jewish. When we each asked our par ents why we couldn’t have a Christmas tree, we got the same answer: “you are Jew ish and don’t get a Christmas tree.” The occasionally lucky got a Hanukkah bush.

This leads me to my childhood best friend, Ariel. Ariel and I were mis chievous, and celebrated anything to the highest

Come, let’s talk

Help UMSU help you

Jaron Rykiss, UMSU president

Throughout the past sev eral years, UMSU has been criticized for not listening to students.

When I ran to become UMSU president, I heard these concerns and wanted to do better, but I knew finding a solution to years of students feel ing unsupported would be a chal lenge. However, I campaigned with the promise that I would work along side the executive team, staff and board of directors to create an UMSU for all.

Today, I am sending all Bisons an invitation. A request. A call out for collab oration. If you want to chat, let me know! I, along with the rest of this year’s executives, are eager to help, have discus sions with students and meet with you. Please, help us do what we were elected to do — serve and support the Uni

versity of Manitoba student body.

I plan to address the dis connect between UMSU and students in three ways, the first of which involves drop ping by my office hours.

Each week, on Mon days from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., I hold office hours in a public university space, whether at Degrees, IQ’s, VW’s, the Fireside Lounge in Univer sity Centre or even Campo.

Please, stop by and say hi, ask a question, tell me that you aren’t a fan of my haircut — whatever you’d like! These office hours aren’t a performative gesture, they are meant to be a time when students can connect directly with myself or other members of the executive team.

Another option would be to send me an email or DM. If you decide that you want to chat, I am anything but hard to reach on any given day. If

extent possible. So when we wanted Christmas, we did it our way.

That first Sarah-Ariel Christmas, we got a mini tree from Target. We decorated it with ornaments and put our stockings underneath. We blasted classic Christmas music while baking treats for Santa and snuggled up in matching pjs, hot chocolate burning our tongues while Christmas movies played. And right before bed, we set out a plate for Santa and his reindeer.

I’m sure Ariel knows this now, but after she had gone to sleep, I stuffed our stockings with candy canes and little knick-knacks from the Target dollar sections. I ate a cookie and placed the note my mom had written as Santa beside the plate. I moved presents under the tree, then crawled back to bed to wake up hours later and watch Ariel experi ence a Christmas morning. Stockings dumped and pre sents unwrapped, we finally got Christmas.

Now that it’s been a good six years since this tradition ended, I realize how much I wanted to share the joy of Christmas with my best friends. There was something

about Christmas that I felt every year that was unfair my other Jewish friends didn’t get.

The one night a year where you know most of the world is doing the same thing. The calm and happiness that comes with being around people you care for, when you can celebrate the humans in your life. Christmas is just that time of the year.

Although, my absolute favourite years are when Hanukkah spans through Christmas. We call this Chris mukkah. During those years, we bring our menorah up and sit it next to the lit-up tree. I get to share each night of the holiday with our non-Jewish family. I feel proud to be able to share that part of my cul ture.

That leads me to my grand idea. I think Christmas should be secularized even more than it is. And out of all the places in the world, I think North Amer ica is the place to do that.

gious holiday?

Every person should get to decorate a tree, sing Christ mas music, watch Hallmark movies, bake for a fictitious, never-aging man and wake up with that feeling on Christmas morning without the feeling they are participating in reli gion.

However, taking religion completely out of a day that celebrates the main guy’s birth seems nearly impos sible, especially when a major ity of people in North America believe in Christianity.

At the same time as want ing the whole world to cele brate Christmas, I feel very lucky that I get the commun ity and celebration of Hanuk kah. Growing up in a multi cultural family was not about getting loads of presents, but about the joys of each holiday and the time I get to spend with my family.

Really, the holidays should be about spending time with the ones you love and giving back, no matter which you participate in. Whatever it is you celebrate, I wish you all a happy holiday season and wonderful new year.

The holiday is already an ever-increasing consumers’ dreamland. We all crave Star bucks red holiday cups, pic tures with Santa and snazzy holiday deals, so why not move toward an even more secular, or at least a less reli comment@themanitoban.com

you have questions, concerns, comments or even if you just want to ensure that you can reach me, please, I beg of you, let me know!

Some folks might be uncomfortable with in-person meetings. I totally get it! In that case, just know that I will be checking my email (pres@ umsu.ca) and Instagram (@ jaronrykiss), waiting for ques tions or whatever you may like to roll in. I am constantly con nected and ready to support students in whatever way they want or need!

A third option is to attend an UMSU board of directors meeting. Every two weeks on Thursday evenings, the union holds a board of directors meeting in the UMSU cham bers, located at 176 Helen Glass.

These meetings are open to all students, and are a great way to meet the entire execu tive team and students from nearly every faculty. Not to mention the fact that they are always catered by Degrees.

All UMSU members —

which includes all under graduate students at the U of M — have automatic speak ing rights at these meet ings, and the ability to bring motions to the floor. While there are always projects that the executive or UMSU com mittees are working on, there will undoubtedly be things that students are interested in tackling that UMSU may not have on its radar.

The bi-weekly board meet ings are a great venue for folks to get engaged, have their voice heard and maybe even start their journey into stu dent politics.

Each year, an execu tive team is elected to serve all Bisons completing their undergraduate degrees. We come into these roles with ideas on how to improve the union, and often those ideas come from our own personal experiences with UMSU and the university.

The only way that we can gain additional perspectives, ideas and knowledge about university affairs is if that

information is brought to us. Of course, it is our responsib ility to keep our eyes and ears open and to listen to the stu dent body, but we also rely in part on students telling us the specific problems that they, along with their peers, are having so that we can collab orate to remedy these issues.  I want every single one of you to know that we are here to help. Whether it is a faculty association that needs sup port with event co-ordination, a club that needs resources for a campaign or even a studentat-large who has a burning question about UMSU oper ations, we are here to support you through whatever your challenge may be.

Together, we can strengthen the union. UMSU will con tinue to be here and listen to students, but we need your help to truly make a change. Please, tell us what you need, and tell us how we can help.

graphic / Dallin Chicoine / staff

The link between music and our memories

Why do some songs evoke such vivid memories in us?

Dina Hamid, staff

W hen I was visiting my cousins this summer in Tours, France, my favour ite overplayed song was “Please Do Not Lean” by Dan iel Caesar featuring BADBAD NOTGOOD.

When this song comes up on my playlist now, it brings back memories of tram rides over the Loire River, late-night bike rides around an Auchan parking lot and my cousins’ faces. In fact, this song smells like Tours to me.

This phenomenon is known as a music-evoked autobio graphical memory (MEAM), which, as the name suggests, is when a memory from your life is triggered by music. MEAMs can be triggered by a wide range of music, and typ ically occur when performing routine tasks like commuting and housework, on average about once a day.

Daily MEAMs are reported as being vivid, involuntary and followed by feelings such as happiness or nostalgia. This suggests that music can act as a powerful cue to recall the feeling that was felt at a par ticular moment when a song was played, which I believe to be true.

A song can evoke emotional memories that do not corres pond to the mood of the song, since the feelings of the event will be what the association is built on. That is to say that “happy” songs can still stir up negative emotions if paired with a negative experience, and vice versa.

I think the same can be said about pieces of music that you associate with people, places and periods of your life. There are songs that I pair with certain people and locations, however there is no

real correlation between the song and the thing, or why it reminds me of said thing.

“Song Cry” is a rap bal lad by Jay-Z that reminds me of my brother. In the song, Jay-Z raps about the breakup of a relationship and how much of it is his fault. How ever, his pride and masculin ity won’t let him visibly show his emotions, so he hopes that the song can express them instead. None of this applies to my older brother.

Nonetheless, it was a clear-sky, sunroof-open kind of summer day when my brother drove me to the mall and blasted this song in the car, windows rolled down, of course. He immediately began rapping it bar-for-bar as I sat, annoyed, in the pas senger seat. When I hear this song now, I associate it with him and hot summer days.

I believe one of the main reasons that an association between a song and memory is formed is due to classical con ditioning, which is the pro cess where a natural response to something is paired with a different, neutral stimulation, so that eventually that stimu lation is all that is needed to get the same response.

When it comes to music, the response that I believe is con ditioned is the summoning of memories that trigger an emo tional response when listen ing to the song.

In my first year of univer sity, I would listen to “Ice Water” by Loyle Carner on

the bus almost every mor ning during my commute to campus. Now, anytime I hear the intro it reminds me of fall 2019, and makes me feel a

calm happiness. Those were simpler times.

I was a first-year student who was naive, happy and confused, but still hope ful about the future because it was full of opportunities. Now, I’m a burnt-out fourth-year stu dent with the future pound ing on my door, but my door is securely locked as I idly con

tinue to watch Netflix.

Music allows me to have these moments of reminis cing, and to reflect on the past and present. Life moves so quickly that you never really get a chance to process what’s going on until you get to the end of a chapter and review the summary.

Since I listen to music every day, I get little daily chances to explore my past and live in nostalgia, which I normally

would not be able to do.

Music acts as a potent time capsule for my memories by bringing them back to focus when they get cloudy.

Music acts as a potent time capsule for my memories by bringing them back to focus

graphic / Dallin Chicoine / staff

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box con tains every number uniquely

In Hidato, fill the board by continuing the chain of numbers from 1 to 100 mov ing any direction or diag onally to the next number.

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.

For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org If you like Str8ts check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store.

In Straits, like Sudoku, no single number can repeat in any row or column. But rows and columns are div ided by black squares into compartments. These need to be filled in with numbers that complete a “straight.” A straight is a set of num bers with no gaps but can be in any order, eg [4,2,3,5].

Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to see how “straights” are formed.

Sudoku

Puzzle by Syndicated Puzzles

Hidato Puzzle by M.J.D. Doering

Straights Puzzle by Syndicated Puzzles

If I ever find myself in a space adventure, I’ll assume I’m a fictional character and try to probe the studio’s financial constraints, “Sir, it looked really cool.”

”Oh no--prestige TV. Okay, which of you has a terrible secret that’s being slowly revealed to the audience through flash backs? Just spit it out so we can escape this arc!”

Horoscopes for the week of Dec. 7

Zodiac tips for surviving life at the U of M

Damien Davis staff

ARIES

Your tarot card for the week is the Queen of Cups. Have you ever found yourself staring too hard at the flames in the fireplace? December will have you ask ing where your passion went, and the Queen of Cups reminds you to think with your heart rather than your mind. The skeleton of your body is made of forest fires, and the embers of your heart can keep you warm in the blizzards to come.

TAURUS

Your tarot card for the week is Jus tice. The moon phase tonight is wax ing gibbous in Taurus, more than 50 per cent full but not yet at 100 per cent. Be warned, you are not immune to the consequences of your actions. At night you dream of open fields and a wind so strong it takes you to the highest peak of your existence.

The Justice card asks you to consider while under the moon light: does avoiding accountability have value, or could you flourish more in being honest?

GEMINI

Your tarot card for the week is the Ace of Wands. Have you been hear ing voices again? You’ve been trying to decode whispers of creativity and wondrous inspiration in your aca demic and personal projects, but have yet to be fluent in the language. The Ace of Wands wants you to know that this is the sign to start what you’ve been waiting to start. Do not be nervous to look in the mirror, it’s not a stranger.

CANCER

Your tarot card for the week is the Five of Pentacles. Loneliness can come even when sur rounded by those who love you. You have not been aban doned. As a cancer, you’re no stranger to giving without receiving. The Five of Pentacles acknowledges that this isn’t fair, but pay no mind. Splash water onto your face and remember where you come from. Meditate to the sound of running water. You will find your way home. Treat yourself tenderly during the winter break. You come first.

LEO

Your tarot card for the week is the Two of Cups. Grinding your teeth and holding your tongue will finally produce fruit this Decem ber. Have you been dreaming of someone to share in your success? The texture of blue velvet and taste of pomegranate remaining in your senses long after you’ve woken up? When in the intim ate spaces of the Art Barn, share glan ces with strangers and you may find who you’re looking for.

VIRGO

Your tarot card for the week is the Magician. All the practice and prog ress that has gone into your talents has been successful, but are you start ing to gloat? The Magi cian is a card that symbolizes mysti cism, willpower and desire. However, it can also call out deception and trickery. Sometimes we do things with good intent and still hurt others. Be sure to respond to your messages and letters, unless you want others to feel you’re too good for them. The bark of birch trees resembles eyes, but who’s watching who?

’Toban Tips

How to help a friend in a toxic relationship

Dear Toby, I have a friend stuck in a toxic relationship. I want to help her see what’s wrong with it, but I don’t want to lose the friendship. What should I do?

Please help, Concerned Friend

Dear Concerned Friend, It is hard to see that your relationship is toxic when you’re in it. All you can do for

your friend is express your concerns in a compassion ate, non-judgmental way and hope that she gets the mes sage. Above all, be there for her. Support her decisions, but don’t be afraid to tell her the truth when she asks for it.

If it is time to intervene, do it calmly. Let her know that you are confronting her for her own sake. You could tell her stories about situations that reflect the toxicity in her

LIBRA

Your tarot card for the week is the Knight of Swords. When lightning strikes, it sets alight the tip of the sword you’ve pierced into yourself. Self-sacrifice can be tempt ing, and even easy, but does martyr dom suit you? The knights of old did more than die in battle, and so should you. The Knight of Swords encour ages you to do what you always do: maintain the balance. Don’t confuse perfectionism with careful planning. Don’t be frightened of the empty hall ways full of empty lockers at the bot tom of St. Paul‘s college.

SCORPIO

Your tarot card for the week is the Ten of Pent acles. It asks you: what did you inherit from your family? We do not all come from hopeful beginnings, but we can all choose to arrive at hopeful endings. It’s not silly to put so much stock in roots that you’ve worked so hard to plant and grow. You’re sowing seeds for future generations, and you belong to a tree far bigger than you know. Take a walk through the bottom floor of Helen Glass. Consider joining a club and making another root.

SAGITTARIUS

Your tarot card for the week is the Wheel of Fortune. We all exist within a cycle and this card reminds you of that. One tragedy can create another opportunity. Are you nervous about the changing seasons of your life? Of adjustments? Of shedding the feath ers that have taken you this far? Don’t be, you’ll find yourself worse for wear resisting the winds. Cut the and trust that you’ve prepared enough to land exactly where you’re meant to. These old appetites no longer serve you.

CAPRICORN

Your tarot card for the week is the Five of Swords. Put down your fists and think carefully on the difference between revenge and vengeance. Even the most docile of creatures can leave senseless violence in their wake, but is that what is needed of you right now? Five of Swords acknowledges that you have been wronged by someone, be it a professor or a friend, but it reminds you that as an earth sign, you’re resilient, but not immune to the poison that comes naturally to others.

AQUARIUS

Your tarot card for the week is the Fool. Have you been taking yourself seriously this week? Consider doing so for the winter break. What hap pened to your unwavering confi dence as a water bearer? As a vision ary? The Fool is often under estimated when they are in fact always in con trol. They create chains of events that lead kingdoms to ruins. The Fool assures you that things like freedom, innocence and adventure should not be taken lightly.

PISCES

Your tarot card is the King of Wands. You are at risk of transitioning from a leader to a tyrant. It’s perfectly fine to know your worth, but remem ber that nobody gets to where they truly are by themselves. Remember your ori gins, and be kind to the people who have always been in your corner. With all this done you can see the big picture more clearly, and others will gravitate back to your boldness and optimism. Heavy is the crown, but also heavy is the heart.

relationship. That might give her an idea of what’s happen ing from an outside perspec tive.

However, after you’ve said your piece you should leave the situation alone, since con tinued confrontation about the relationship could go poorly and might drive your friend away. If and when she is ready to leave, she will need a caring friend like you for sup port, so just be patient with

her as she goes through this. We here at the ’Toban sup port healthy relationships and wish the best for you and your friend.

Best of luck, Toby the Bison

To ask ’Toban Tips a question, email comment@ themanitoban.com.

Arts & Culture

The ’Toban staff’s holiday favourites

All the comforting watches and eats you need to get you through the holidays

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Yes, Stanley Kubrick’s uncanny, erotic psycho drama Eyes Wide Shut is indeed a Christmas movie. The obviously fake New York City streets are lined with fairy lights, and the film ends with a beautiful moment of fam ilial reunifica tion in a depart ment store decked out in seasonal decora tions.

At first glance, the film contains none of the jolly warmth that you might want out of a holiday film, but as I get older, the haze of psycho sexual confusion and strange dream logic that Eyes Wide Shut operates under is maybe the predominant feeling of the season.

Going Christmas shopping in a mall is about as psycho logically horrifying to me as going through whatever Tom Cruise feels in this movie.

So, pick a fight with your wife and get yourself mixed up

Buddy’s breakfast from Elf (2003)

Buddy the Elf, from the classic holiday film Elf, is a character beloved by many holiday film fanatics. Not to sugar coat any thing, but Buddy has some eccen tric ideas of what humans need to sustain them selves.

Buddy explains that the four main food groups are candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup. One of the most iconic scenes in the film is when Buddy is seen eating an exceedingly sweet breakfast.

To create this iconic dish, you will need one serv ing of spaghetti, marshmal lows, chocolate syrup, maple syrup, M&M’s, sprinkles and a fudge flavored Pop-Tart — for crunch, of course.

Once all the ingredients have been acquired, boil the pasta for about 9 to 10 min

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

The ’60s stop motion musical television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Rein deer is an event of its own.

Rudolph is a reindeer with a bulbous red nose that lights up. The other reindeer bully him until the North Pole is faced with its first-ever instance of weather condi tions so severe they threaten to cancel Christmas.

Rudolph goes from outcast to the saviour of Christmas in a blink when Santa realizes Rudolph works well as a head light, and the film ends with a song from a narrator-snow man voiced by — and made to look like — Burl Ives.

My mom has told me every year of my life that the abom inable snow monster freaked her out when she was a kid. I just appreciate that the effects are practical. The weird, janky movement and characters’ limited facial expres sions remind me that humans made the film.

Holiday media should reflect the

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean” (1992)

While in Manitoban years past I have spent most of my time dunking on the 1964 stop motion Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer movie, I feel like this year calls for something entirely positive.

This might sound too mil lennial of me, but growing up with a dial tele vision meant very little choice in holiday program ming. While I will always be nostalgic for Beave and Buckley’s Santa Tracker, for me nothing says it’s the holi days more than when the CBC plays “Merry Christmas, Mr.

The show is simply episode seven of the ITV Mr. Bean series that aired in the ’90s. It has since become a heartwarming —

A Madea Christmas (2013)

Despite having been released in 2013, A Madea Christmas rests fresh upon my young mind, just as every Madea film does.

Our story follows the titu lar Madea as she heads into the quaint countryside with her great-niece Eileen to visit her great-niece’s daughter, just as the Christmas season begins. However, trouble arrives when it turns out that

Eileen’s daugh ter is romantic ally involved with a man Eileen would not approve of.

Unfortunately, that is as much as I can say without spoiling this movie. The mov ie’s major saving grace is the bizarre acting and low-brow comedy of Tyler Perry as Madea. The rest of the cast, save for Larry the Cable Guy, plays the premise very straight to a boring degree.

A majority of the movie is actually a very ham-fisted racial commentary that simul taneously lectures the audi ence on acceptance while also being filled to the brim with

Like all Madea movies, it is either a hate-watch or a guilty pleasure. Objectively, it is a boring movie, but the little shimmers of Tyler Perry’s off-colour humour and the bizarre interactions in the film

— Braden Bristow, columnist

Gimme Some Truth documentary festival returns

Docs on a wide variety of topics screening Dec. 7 to 11

Damien Davis staff

Returning for its 13th run, the Cinematheque plays host to the 2022 Gimme Some Truth documen tary film festival held from Dec. 7 to 11.

Opening night will feature the newly annual documentary challenge Gimme 10 in 30!

A challenge with a cash prize of $500 for the audience favourite, Gimme 10 in 30! tasks 10 contestants with creating and completing a docu mentary film in 30 days, without any restrictions other than that the film cannot be over seven minutes long. As long as the films are documentar ies, they can be anything from narra tive to experimental in nature.

The contest encourages film mak ers to work outside of their comfort zones.

Olivia Norquay, programming co-ordinator at the Cinematheque, explained that the challenge high lights the Winnipeg Film Group’s core goals.

“This is what the film group is all about,” she said. “Encouraging film makers in general, and giving people

access to equipment and cameras, and paying screening fees.”

The festival itself aims to provide an experience that mixes lectures and

’Toban about town

Double D’s Cheesecake & Coffee House

Jessie Krahn, staff

I like to tell myself I am too metropolitan in spirit to enjoy frequenting the same places and meeting the same familiar faces. But part of the appeal of living in Winnipeg is that you can rely on this city to always feel the same and change only for the stranger.

Just a stone’s throw away from St. Vital Centre, Dou ble D’s Cheesecake & Coffee House is a south Winnipeg staple.

The café’s coffee menu is reliable, with just enough vari ety that it does not get over whelming. Holiday standbys make their mandatory sea sonal appearances, and every thing is generally good qual ity.

However, the cheesecake at Double D’s is what gives the place its reputation.

Offering both party-sized cheesecakes and mini, pucklike cheesecakes, Double D’s has one of the most idiosyn cratic recipes I have encoun tered. Its cheesecake is no-bake, a process which mys tically manifests airy — bor derline foamy — sweetness.

I have a fiendish craving for chocolate most days, but rich and thick chocolate cheese cakes almost always hurtle me into nap-mode. Double

D’s Rolo minis, as well as its mint-chocolate chip minis, are my light and breezy go-tos. They satisfy cravings without the sleep-inducing side-ef fects of heavier cheesecakes.

I am told by my dairy-de spising friends that there is not the overpowering cheesy aftertaste to the minis that heavier cheesecake recipes have, either. The flavours are subtle, and there is a wide range to sample.

workshops with special events, as well as feature film screenings and short programs.

The opening night of the event will also include a reception at the PLAT FORM Gallery with local filmmaker Kevin Nikkel. Nikkel will also be host ing a curated screening Dec. 10 called Not Forgotten Docs: Winnipeg Docu mentaries from the 1970s.

After the opening reception, a 9 p.m. screening of Ever Deadly is scheduled. This documentary directed by Chelsea McMullan and Tanya Tagaq combines concert foot age with sequences filmed in Nuna vut, bringing viewers through stories and songs with award-winning musi cian Tagaq at the lead.

The festival will also see several filmmakers in attendance, including Alexandre O. Philippe, who will be delivering a workshop titled “Script ing the Unscripted” followed by a screening of his two newest films The Taking and Lynch/Oz.

Director Rob Freeman will also be in attendance, virtually joining the screening of his new film Drop the

Needle, a film about the Toronto rec ord store Play De Record.

Queer film historian and program mer Elizabeth Purchell will be intro ducing her film Ask Any Buddy, described as a “snapshot of urban gay life,” as well as the film Sex Demon

Chase Joynt will be present vir tually for the screening of his new documentary, aimed at dissecting the media’s ongoing fascination with trans people, Framing Agnes

All told, the Cinematheque has put together several diverse, new, local and Canadian short narrative and experimental documentaries for the festival.

More information on the Gimme Some Truth documentary film fes tival can be found at winnipegfilm group.com.

There are some eternal dis advantages to the Double D’s no-bake recipe, however. In particular, if you bring any of its cheesecake home with you, you absolutely must keep it in the freezer. Unfortunately, if you do, the stuff becomes so hard that it is inedible.

There also isn’t anything to bind the base together in place of heat fusion, which means that if you take a risk and stab your frozen cheese

cake during a dessert frenzy you will fire crumbly sugar shrapnel in all directions.

This is why Double D’s cheesecake works best for me in the café itself, as it is served in that optimal frothy-solid pre-liquid window. A fine compromise, since the café is cozy and welcoming.

After recently undergoing a change in ownership, the café has seen a few quirky changes. Cheesecakes are served on

cutesy miniature cutting boards with little forks. The most notable of any aesthetic changes is the café’s newest tenant Cheeko, a giant stuffed bear who now occupies one of the corner barstools.

I have been stopping in at Double D’s regularly for the past year to write and fuel up on lattes and minis because — aside from walk-in custom ers — I can always count on the place to be a warm and familiar spot. The owners are friendly and never complain when they see me, no matter how erratic and wind-swept a state grad school has left me in.

We will cycle through another round of holi day-themed syrups and tired Frank Sinatra covers, and all the while Cheeko sits, watch ful over Double D’s, the famil iar but strange fuzzy sentinel in a Winnipeg staple.

Double D’s Cheesecake & Coffee House is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

photo / Faith Peters / staff

photo / Winnipeg Film Group / provided

’Toban tracks — a holiday miracle

Or, how I learned to stop hating and embody the holiday spirit

Alex Braun, staff

Holiday music — the trash they pump through mall speakers from October through December as they try to hype up shoppers and passersby to buy as much gar bage as they can afford.

It is easy to be cynical about Christmas and the consumer circus that has sprung up around it, and by extension, Christmas and other holiday music, which is often insig nificant schlock or cheap cash-ins from over-the-hill stars squeezing the last few bucks out of their fans.

Haven’t we all heard “Wonderful Christmastime” enough times for a lifetime? Why would anyone want to voluntarily listen to the stuff we are so often forced to hear in our commercialized public spaces?

My friends, I will make a case to you in this writing and in this playlist that there is plenty to love about holiday

music. After all, isn’t the holi day season filled with emotion and imagery rich with artistic possibility?

Most of us in the West are raised with these ideas of Christmas, of celebrating love and togetherness in the mid dle of the cold, cold winter, giving thoughtful gifts to each other, with all sorts of myth ology and mazes of nostal gic association to dig through. This is the stuff pop music magic is made of.

So, I’ve made a playlist of some underexposed and side ways looks at the season, cov ering all bits of it, from Jesus to Santa to snow to famil ial love to lonely misery to romantic love and everywhere in between.

I won’t even select a few standouts because I love all these songs deeply and com pletely, and sincerely urge everyone out there to lis ten and learn to love holiday music. Resist the urge to be a

Scrooge, try to let go of your cynicism and embody the holiday spirit with this music.

Christmas Must Be Tonight — the Band, Islands (Expanded Edition)

Christmas at the Zoo — the Flaming Lips, Clouds Taste Metallic

December Forever — Liv ing Hour, Someday is Today We’re Goin’ To the Coun try! — Sufjan Stevens, Songs For Christmas

Just Like Christmas — Low, Christmas Child’s Christmas In Wales — John Cale, Paris 1919 I Don’t Intend to Spend Christmas Without You — Margo Guryan, 27 Demos Twin Falls — Built To Spill, There’s Nothing Wrong With Love

Jesus Christ — Blue Rodeo, A Merrie Christmas to You

Snowsuit Sound — Sloan, Twice Removed

Listen, The Snow Is Fall ing — Harry Nilsson, Losst and Founnd Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis —

Tom Waits, Blue Valentine River — Joni Mitchell, Blue Christmas on Earth —

Marching Church, Christmas on Earth

Snow Is Falling In Man hattan — Chilly Gonzales, Jarvis Cocker and Feist, A very chilly christmas

Christmas — The Blue Nile, Hats (Deluxe Version)

graphic / Jenna Solomon / staff

Bisons track and field season off to great start

Herd ranks high in CanWest standings after George Tanner Memorial Classic

Quinn Mayhew, staff

The Bisons track and field team competed in the annual George Tanner Memorial Classic this past Saturday, held on home turf.

The meet was a success for Roy Tambal Musa, who had a time of 7.24 in the 60-metre and ran the 300-metre in a time of 36.06. Tambal Musa ranks third in the 60-metre and first in the 300-metre in the Canada West (CanWest) rankings after this weekend’s classic.

With the Bisons men’s track and field squad dominating the CanWest ranking — cur rently sitting in first place this early in the season — it will be interesting to see how the men will step up to maintain their place, especially with the Saskatchewan Huskies nip ping at the Bisons heels, just nine points behind the herd.

This is a great start to the season, as the U of M men ended up tying the University of Alberta for fourth place last year in the U Sports rankings.

It goes without question that this year, the team is looking for a first-place finish.

The meet was also good for the Bisons women’s track and field squad, with rookie Signy McKim ranking fourth in the CanWest women’s high jump standings after this year’s annual meet, clearing a height of 1.60 metres.

Another great performance was had by fellow rookie Nat alie Fournier, who ran the 1,000-metre in a time of 3:37.10, placing fourth in the CanWest standings.

With this year’s rookies being so strong and placing high in the rankings, the team shouldn’t have to worry too much about points.

A fantastic team effort within the herd’s squad was performed by the entirety of the women’s shot put group, who finished the day with Erica Udoh placing first, Alainna Melnyk placing sec ond, Janai Smith placing third and Paige Newcomb plac ing fourth, giving Manitoba

Sports teams’ schedules

U of M Bisons — Women’s Basketball

Saskatchewan Huskies @ Bisons

a sweep from first to fourth place in the CanWest rank ings.

The women’s CanWest rankings were slightly lower than the men’s portion of the team, with the women rank ing fifth after this competi tion behind the University of Regina.

At the end of last year’s track and field season, the women ranked outside of the top ten in the U Sports rank ings. They are undoubtedly hoping to place within the top ten this season.

Going into the holiday sea son the team is looking strong With minimal meets under the team’s belt so far, it will be fun to see how they will com pete coming out of the holiday break.

However, it will be interest ing to see how the track and field team stacks up against other teams across Canada outside of the CanWest div ision. With a long season ahead — the Canada West Championships taking place

in February, and the U Sports Championships taking place in March of 2023 — the herd has plenty of time to hone their skills.

The herd’s final event of 2022 will again be on home turf this Dec. 9 to 10, as they

compete in the Athletics Man itoba Last Chance, hosted in the James Daly Fieldhouse at Max Bell Centre.

sports@themanitoban.com

U of M Bisons — Men’s Volleyball

Dec. 2 — Final: 101 – 56

Saskatchewan Huskies @ Bisons Dec. 3 — Final: 80 – 51

Bisons @ UNBC Timberwolves Jan. 6 — 7 p.m. Bisons @ UNBC Timberwolves Jan. 7 — 6 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Women’s Hockey

Bisons @ Regina Cougars

Jan. 6 — 8 p.m.

Bisons @ Regina Cougars Jan. 7 — 4 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Women’s Volleyball

Bisons @ Mount Royal Cougars

Dec. 2 — Final: 1 – 3

Bisons @ Mount Royal Cougars Dec. 3 — Final: 1 – 3

MacEwan Griffins @ Bisons Jan. 6 — 7:45 p.m.

MacEwan Griffins @ Bisons Jan. 7 — 6:45 p.m

U of M Bisons — Men’s Basketball

Saskatchewan Huskies @ Bisons

Dec. 2 — Final: 61 – 84

Saskatchewan Huskies @ Bisons Dec. 3 — Final: 58 – 82

Bisons @ UNBC Timberwolves Jan. 6 — 9 p.m.

Bisons @ UNBC Timberwolves Jan. 7 — 8 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Men’s Hockey

Regina Cougars @ Bisons

Jan. 6 — 7 p.m.

Regina Cougars @ Bisons Jan. 7 — 3 p.m.

Bisons @ Mount Royal Cougars

Dec. 2 — Final: 0 – 3

Bisons @ Mount Royal Cougars Dec. 3 — Final: 0 – 3

MacEwan Griffins @ Bisons Jan. 6 — 6 p.m. MacEwan Griffins @ Bisons Jan. 7 — 5 p.m.

U of M Bisons — Swimming

Prairie Winter Invitational

U of M Bisons — Track and Field

Dec. 16 – 18

Dec. 9 – 10 Bison Grand Prix #1 Jan. 11

Athletics Manitoba Last Chance

Winnipeg Jets

Colorado Avalanche @ Jets

Nov. 29 — Final: 0 – 5

Columbus Blue Jackets @ Jets Dec. 2 — Final: 4 – 1

Anaheim Ducks @ Jets Dec. 4 — Final: 2 – 5

Florida Panthers @ Jets

Dec. 6 — 7 p.m.

Jets @ St. Louis Blues Dec. 8 — 7 p.m.

Jets @ Chicago Blackhawks Dec. 9 — 7:30 p.m.

Washington Capitals @ Jets Dec. 11 — 6 p.m.

Vegas Golden Knights @ Jets Dec. 13 — 7 p.m.

Nashville Predators @ Jets Dec. 15 — 7 p.m.

Jets @ Vancouver Canucks Dec. 17 — 9 p.m.

Jets @ Seattle Kraken Dec. 18 — 7 p.m.

Ottawa Senators @ Jets Dec. 20 — 7 p.m.

Jets @ Boston Bruins Dec. 22 — 6 p.m.

Jets @ Washington Capitals Dec. 23 — 6 p.m

Minnesota Wild @ Jets

Dec. 27 — 7 p.m.

Vancouver Canucks @ Jets Dec. 29 — 7 p.m.

Jets @ Edmonton Oilers Dec. 31 — 9 p.m.

photo / Ebunoluwa Akinbo / staff