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McMASTER UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER / THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

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VOLUME 80, NO. 18

INTEREST JEFF GREEN

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

“The SRA was kept in the dark,” commented John McIntyre, SRA Science, about the Student Representative Assembly’s (SRA) knowledge of the PST audit, which revealed a $503,579.03 bill from the Ministry of Revenue to the McMaster Students Union (MSU).

“We have checks and balances in place, and they all failed,” said John McGowan, Business Manager of the MSU. “We’ve paid the worst case scenario,” commented McGowan, “We’re hoping to get a credit back [through an appeal] for some of the interest charges and some of the charges they have made.”

The half-million dollar bill is mostly made up from 6.5 years of not paying PST on the MSU’s Health Plan – from May 2003 to September 2009. The bill also included $25,000 in tax on purchased items and a nearly $100,000 interest charge accumulated from 2003 onward.

The MSU collected fees and tax on their Health Plan from students, but did not pass the tax to the provincial government; instead, it was put in a reserve fund, where it gathered interest. “What was occurring is [that] we were accumulating a surplus because we were collecting the tax [on the MSU Health Plan] but we weren’t remitting it,” said McGowan. “So what it looked like in our statements is that our actual claims [by students] were going down.”

McGowan, a full-time employee of the McMaster Students Union, admitted that the student union knew that the audit was coming, as they made brief mentions of a PST audit an audit on Oct. 1 and Nov. 5 at • PLEASE SEE EXECUTIVE, A3

THE FACTS:

= $1,000

6.5 years it took to discover a 9 weeks it took for the lack of PST payments.

Executive Board to learn about payments owed

$99,332.40 of interest $2,078.73 penalty for

charges for not paying PST from May 2003 to September 2009

Non-Collection of tax

Gore park rally snubs Harper Brandon arsonist Community gathers for anti-proroguing protest

gets two years JEFF GREEN AND LILY PANAMSKY

EXECUTIVE EDITOR AND ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

JESSIE CHAU / SILHOUETTE STAFF

Community members, and McMaster students and professors joined an anti-proroguing rally on Jan. 25.

SAM COLBERT

SILHOUETTE STAFF

Despite the cold, hundreds gathered in Gore Park of downtown Hamilton on Saturday afternoon for the local Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament rally. Concerned citizens of all ages collectively condemned Stephen Harper’s decision to suspend parliamentary activity until Mar. 3, more than five weeks after federal MPs would have returned to work from their holiday break on Monday, Jan. 25.

Dan McLean, former CHCH News man and to-be Liberal candidate for the Ancaster-DundasFlamborough-Westdale riding, was

one of the first to speak, calling Harper a “despot and a little dictator.”

He added, “If it’s not his way, it’s no way. He shuts [Parliament] down so he can hide from your scrutiny and not have to answer any of your questions.”

When Harper phoned Governor-General Michaëlle Jean on Dec. 30 to request prorogation, he was effectively throwing out 37 pieces of legislation being debated in parliament and halting all committee work.

Critics say that he did so largely to avoid inquiries into the government’s knowledge of Afghan detainee torture. The move also gives

Harper the opportunity to appoint five new senators, which will give the Conservatives a majority in the Senate and control of its committees.

The Harper camp claimed that prorogation is a routine procedure, and that the break will give the government time to prepare its next budget and focus on the Olympics.

Analysts respond that although suspension of Parliament is not unprecedented, it normally comes at a time when the House of Commons has completed much of its business, and a fresh start with a Throne speech is in order. In this instance, many of the same bills will have • PLEASE SEE NATIONAL, A3

Following a Nov. 27, 2009 guilty plea, Brandon Hall arsonist Emerson Pardoe has been sentenced to two years less one day in a provincial institution, with three years of probation following in term.

The sentence, which occurred on Tuesday, Jan. 26, was exactly what the Crown asked for, and 6 months more than what the Defence requested. In the judge’s reading of the pre-sentencing report, he described it as “positive,” but also stated, “I suspect why he did this will remain a mystery, to us and [Emerson Pardoe] as well.”

Pardoe pleaded guilty to one count of Arson Endangering Human Life for lighting a fire in

the elevator of Brandon Hall on Oct. 18, 2008.

Gord Arbeau, associate director of public relations at McMaster University, stated on behalf of the University: “We’re thankful that this unfortunate incident has come to a conclusion and we’re able now to move forward and put this in the past.”

The Crown suggested a 2-year sentence based on previous similar cases that involved different arsonists.

One of the cases used to set a precedent for Pardoe’s sentence concerned an elevator fire.

Damage was totaled at $5.2 million according to Tuesday’s victim impact statement from McMaster University—$2 million higher than originally reported to the Court. “[The victim impact statement • PLEASE SEE PARDOE, A3

MSU Presidential Election Coverage For full coverage of the Jan. 26 presidential debate, please see A5.

For individual candidate web sites, please see www.msumcmaster.ca.

Voting takes place on Feb. 3 and 4.

A2 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2010

THE SILHOUETTE • A3

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010 On Feb. 3 and Feb. 4, McMaster undergraduate students face the option of choosing whether the McMaster Student Union (MSU) should be able to get into an exclusive contract with Coca-Cola. The last time a referendum was taken on this issue was in 2005, where the majority vote was against an exclusive deal with CocaCola due to a large concern over their unethical global business practices. In March 2009, several Student Representative Assembly (SRA) members felt that the students who voted in 2005 may no longer represent the current popular student opinion, and therefore called for a referendum. Referendums are possible either through three per cent of McMaster’s undergraduate population signing a petition, or two-thirds of the SRA pushing fourth for a referendum.

The last time McMaster University and the MSU formed an exclusive contract with Coca-Cola was from 1998 to 2008. It was then extended to December 2009 as a part of the contract, which stated that if the 10-year period does not meet a specific quote, the deal is extended for two years. The University decided to form the contract in 1998 when the school was experiencing financial difficulties following the provincial governments, “Common Sense Revolution” which deprived of approximately $17 million in revenue. The Coca-Cola contract provided McMaster University, the MSU and fellow signing parties with total revenue of $10 million. Immediately prior to the contract in 1998, 91 per cent of cold beverage sales on campus were Coca-Cola products.

Since the 2005 referendum that voted against exclusive deals with Coca-Cola, the University has respected the students’ decisions. However, Roger Trull, the Vice President of McMaster University explained, “We’re going right into another situation like the one in 1995, when the University’s finances were in a desperate situation and we have to find revenue wherever we can.”

The upcoming referendum votes only on whether the MSU should pursue any future exclusive deals with CocaCola, not the University. Though the University has chosen to respect the popular student opinion regarding this issue, they are not legally bound to the student decision and, therefore, if the University were to participate in a future contract, the MSU would not be able to participate, and would be deprived of any accompanying shares and benefits.

Furthermore, Queen’s University is currently continuing a two-year extension of a 10-year exclusive contract with Coca-Cola that ends in 2012. Due to this contract, Coca-Cola has provided the Queen’s with $5.8 million in revenue.

Coca-Cola has also sought to defend itself against human rights and business ethics allegations, explaining that all products that are delivered to McMaster University are produced and manufactured in Ontario.

Trull estimated that since the recent end of the Coca-Cola contract, 94 per cent of cold beverages on campus remain Coca-Cola products.

National anti proroguing rallies meet success • CONT’D FROM A1 to be reintroduced from scratch, including Harper’s own anti-crime legislation.

Shilo Davis, chief organizer of the Hamilton rally event Davis, was part of the small group that gave rise to a national Facebook movement that now has more than 200,000 members.

“I had an idea that we should have rallies...and Canadians across the country thought that it was just absolutely a great idea, and everybody started jumping on board,” she said. More than 60 rallies took place across Canada, plus five more in international locations.

In Ottawa, Jack Layton and Michael Ignatieff addressed a crowd of over 3,500, while an estimated 7,000 protesters gathered at Yonge and Dundas Square in Toronto.

“Politicians are still accountable to the Canadian people,” said

Davis, “and if they make a move that we don’t consider in line with our view of democracy, they have to be ready to answer to the people that put them in power.”

Also speaking at the Rally was David Hitchcock, a philosophy professor at McMaster.

He, along with many other faculty members of McMaster’s Political Science and Philosophy departments, is one of the nearly 200 co-signers of a letter by philosophy professor Daniel Weinstock of the University of Montreal entitled “Against the Prorogation of Parliament.”

“The Prime Minister’s actions risk setting a precedent that weakens an important condition of democratic government,” said Hitchcock, reading the letter to the crowd – “the ability of the people, acting through their elected representatives, to hold the government accountable for its actions.”

Since the Coca-Cola referendum has been pushed fourth in March 2009, the official opposition to getting an exclusive contract with Coca-Cola has been the McMaster Campus Choice, a service provided on campus to “raise awareness and critically examine the exclusive contracts between the University and corporations that engage in unethical business practices.”

One of the reasons provided against the exclusive deal with Coca-Cola is that the $10-million offered to the University when they agreed to the last 10-year exclusive deal with Coca-Cola is not a likely possibility given the current economic situation.

Vishal Tiwari, MSU president explained, “Coca-Cola doesn’t offer as much in terms of those types of deals anymore; the market has changed.

Before the deal was a little more profitable for the University… but now the deal that came along with that exclusivity are not the same anymore... In terms of the grand scheme of things it’s not that large of a party to pursue a contract [with] because it doesn’t provide as much return as it used to.”

A major excuse against voting for the MSU’s ability to pursue an exclusive deal with Coca-Cola is the plethora of allegations that CocaCola corporations practice unethical global business practices. Several examples include the depletion of ground water in areas in India that frequently suffer droughts by Coca-Cola bottling plants. Another major example of Coca-Cola’s unethical actions is the violent actions against union negotiators by the paramilitary in Colombia who are allegedly hired by Coca-Cola corporations. Furthermore, a Human Rights Watch report in 2004 reported that Coca-Cola’s sugar supplier in El Salvador was using child labour.

Natalie MacDonnell and Sidarth Murjani, two of the 10 active members of McMaster Campus Choice, firmly explained that their cause is not to remove Coca-Cola products from campus, but to raise awareness on their unethical practices and hopefully motivate change.

“We’re not interested in getting rid of Coca-Cola, just not making profit at the expense of human rights or environmental rights,” elaborated Murjani.

Cracking open the Coca-Cola referendum With the Coke referendum on next week’s ballot, alleged human rights violations stack up against funding from Coke SELMA AL-SAMARRAI / SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

What is the purpose of the upcoming Coca-Cola referendum?

To ask McMaster University students whether the McMaster Student Union should have the ability to engage in any exclusive contracts with Coca-Cola.

What will be the question on the ballot?

“Should the MSU be able to negotiate and/ or enter into an exclusive contract with Coca-Cola?”

What should we expect if the majority of students vote ‘Yes’?

That the MSU is able to participate in any exclusive Coca-Cola contracts.

What should we expect if the majority of students vote ‘No’?

That the MSU will not participate in any potential CocaCola exclusive contracts that the University may choose to participate in.

How can I vote?

On Feb. 3 and Feb. 4, McMaster University students will be presented with two separate papers at the polling tables, one to vote for the MSU presidential elections, and one to vote for the Coca-Cola referendum. Students can choose to decline either.

What drinks on campus are not Coca-Cola products?

Calypso Lemonades, Aloe beverages, Jones Soda and any yogurt and milk products.

SRA “left in the dark” on PST audit information • CONT’D FROM A1 Executive Board meetings.

As he pointed to the Nov. 19, 2009 statement from the Ministry of Revenue, McGowan stated that the actual amount was discovered, “in and around a week before [that date].”

Since the approximate discovery date of Nov. 12, 2009, there have been five SRA meetings, and four Executive Board (EB) meetings – both of which only mentioned the half-million dollar bill at their most recent meetings.

John McIntyre, SRA Science, was asked if the Board of Directors gave any indication of money being owed at SRA meetings prior to Sunday’s meeting, to which he replied, “Not according to my memory or the minutes [of the SRA meetings].”

“I understand that this is a sensitive issue, but I feel that the SRA and students should have been kept

in the loop as updated as more information became available,” commented McIntyre.

Andrew Caterine, MSU vicepresident (finance), informed the Sil that, “the numbers were released in an open session portion of the executive board meeting at two different meetings.”

However, McIntyre recalls the release of numbers differently, explaining that the SRA was only told about the MSU owing over half of a million dollars on “January 24 at the SRA meeting.”

With a Nov. 12 discovery of the bill, Business Manager John McGowan was asked if he informed the SRA, to which he replied, “I report to the Board of Directors [MSU presidents and vice-presidents]. So I report to the Board, it went to the Executive Board and then through that process it came to the SRA.” It is not clear why the amount was not immediately reported to the

SRA, or EB. At this past Sunday’s SRA meeting, MSU VP (finance) Caterine refused to take any more questions on the number, and advised the SRA to check EB minutes.

McGowan was hired by the MSU in 2002, and said a shift in duties in 2003 may have resulted in the missed payment. He also pointed out that “each year the Trustee, the accounting group, myself, the executive board, the SRA all review our audited financial statements.”

He did not specify what shift in duties occurred. “I’m not going to be specific with names, but it was reassigned within the management in the accounting group.”

The MSU had invested the money that was collected and not remitted into their reserve fund, and they estimated that the fund earned a 4 per cent return annually.

The Ministry of Revenue used an 8 per cent interest rate to calculate the nearly $100,000 owed.

Pardoe described as “youthful first offender” • CONT’D FROM A1

CHRISTOPHER CHANG / SILHOUETTE STAFF

McMaster students celebrated the tenth annual Soulfood Fair at the University’s Student Centre on the afternoon of Jan. 28 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

was] an opportunity for us to make sure the Court understood the widespread impact, especially on students, of the fire,” said Arbeau, “And it was an appropriate time for us to just remind the Court that the actions had significant consequences.” $3 million of the total $5.2 million was in structural damage and

$2.2 million was in costs associated with the relocation of students.

On his way into the courtroom, Pardoe’s father called him back, gave him a hug and said, “I love you Emerson.”

The judge described Pardoe as a “youthful first offender,” while his psych report found that the arson act was “out of character,” and that Pardoe “possessed a strong will to make amends.”

A4 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

CHRIS CHANG / SILHOUETTE STAFF

Working out with gender on your mind T

he notion that the gym is a highly gendered space is not a new one. It is a place in which males and females strictly abide by the narrow social definitions of masculine and feminine. A qualitative research study conducted this fall narrowed the focus of the study to McMaster’s campus gym facility, a space dominated by university students. The focus was to investigate the social impacts the gym environment had on males and females and how gender is created and functions within it.

LIAH CIPRIANO / SPECIAL TO THE SILHOUETTE A commonly shared goal of males in the gym is to build muscle and increase their overall size. This theme initially emerged during field observations as the downstairs and upstairs segregation was very pronounced – cardiovascular equipment upstairs, and resistance training and weights downstairs. Men congregate in the weights section and for the most part, steer clear of the cardiovascular machines and aerobics classes. Many male students adopt the ideology that masculinity is associated with a muscular physique.

The goals and work out regimes that are a by-product of this mentality, serve as tools in communicating this desired “maleness.”

Conversely, females typically possess goals to be smaller, regardless of their current size. A personal trainer agreed that women are highly concentrated in the fit-

n e s s studio and cardiovascular area bec a u s e t h e y want to lose weight or tone up and consider extensive cardiovascular workouts to be essential in achieving these goals.

T h e architectural design of the Pulse emphasizes the segregation of men and women between the weight and cardiovascular rooms. Through field observations, it was recorded that the number of participants in 52 different fitness classes and found the ratio of women to men overall, to be 250:1. The men that were present were almost always older community members, as opposed to univer-

sity-aged males.

Similarly, at one point during the observations, it was noted that the approximate ratio of men to women in the weights section was 35:1. These ratios are indicative of gendered goals and impossible to ignore.

A theory that may explain why many women avoid the weight section is the “fear of bulk” mentality. The interviews conducted with female patrons revealed that some women are intimidated, uncomfortable or unmotivated to lift weights, as they fear becoming too muscular and unattractive to the male population. The feminine goals and “fear of bulk” that women possess are especially significant within a campus gym environment as the Pulse is essentially an extension of the dating market.

During an interview with the Pulse director, she mentioned having received requests from members to have a women’s only time in the gym. Her response is that “segregation is not the answer. If we do that, we just foster the idea that we’re different and we should be separate.” In an attempt to decrease the gap, she recalled programs for women, which have been established to educate them in the weight room. She acknowledged that “knowledge is powerful and we want to communicate that to our female members.” Sadly however, many of these programs, have not run for the past two years, after women expressed little interest, which was made evident by the low enrollment numbers.

On the flip side, during an interview with a male patron, he revealed his frustration at times when he encountered “chicks who have no clue what they are doing.” He said, “it’s just so brutal. I don’t go into the fitness classes and get in all their way.” This is an example of the masculine attitude that is at work within the gym where men feel that there are certain zones within the workout atmosphere that have an inherit ‘maleness’ or ‘femaleness.’

During observations, a cohort of male members were noted who, perpetuated the stereotypes of the “Meathead Mentality;” demonstrating a narrow focus to enhance their arms and chest beyond proportional size.

Also a part of this mentality is the “performance” quality associated with lifting weights.

At many times during the study males were noticed who made extremely loud remarks about the amount of weight they were lifting and grunted profusely while lifting it.

The social environment is a defining feature of the Pulse. Competing views of the environment, in terms of whether or not this was a positive or negative trait, emerged during the interviews. While all interviewees agreed that the Pulse is a highly populated gym, which becomes “over-crowded” frequently, males and females tended to deviate in opinion regarding the social atmosphere and its implications.

The consensus among the males was that the gym is a comfortable environment in which they are provided opportunities

for social interaction. A male patron noted, “I love the environment. It’s such a social atmosphere, and it’s awesome because you work out with people you know. We’re all students!”

The females’ response however, largely contradicted the males. A female patron felt that “the environment needs to change. The fact that it’s all students that are all approximately the same age as me is so intimidating.

I just don’t like that.”

The Pulse, unlike community gyms, is not an outlet where students can escape from their social life. As a result, men and women are forced to maintain the gendered identities they adhere to in class, on-campus eateries, the library and even the campus bar at night.

A female member admitted that, “it’s not like my gym at home where I can just roll out of bed and go. I know I’m going to see a lot of people I know, so I have to look half decent.”

The gym, like any other place on campus, is a breedi n g ground f o r social relationships.

T h e Pulse i s

not only a gym; it is a meeting place where students convene to further communicate their gendered selves to one another. The unavoidable reality that gym goers are surrounded by their classmates has a tremendous impact on the activities they choose to engage in, the ways in which they present themselves and relate to one another.

For this reason, gender construction is enormously visible and ideologies so entrenched, that students cannot and do not leave their gendered selves at the door. ***Liah Cipriano was the researcher for this study about gender and the gym and gathered this information for a research paper at McMaster University.

BOTH PHOTOS: CHRIS CHANG / SILHOUETTE STAFF

THE SILHOUETTE • A5

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

Your MSU election page

Week one of campaigning ends with the presidential debate LILY PANAMSKY

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Two McMaster Student Union (MSU) presidential candidates officially dropped out of the race this week, leaving only the five standing candidates, all of whom showed up to the nerve-racking presidential debate held on Tuesday, Jan. 26.

All five candidates remained composed throughout the two-hour question and answer period. Although the speaker rotation switched every question, Kieran Alkerton was forced to answer many of the more difficult questions based on his position as the first speaker. He was not, however, afraid of admitting lack of knowledge on particular issues, like the lack of funding for Centre for Student Development or the nearly $100,000 that the MSU paid in PST interest.

Ashkan Eshaghbeigi admitted to not knowing about certain issues as well, but showed the audience that he had extensively researched the procedures of both the MSU and Student Representative Assembly (SRA), so as to not be caught in the middle of a question that he could not answer. As a sixth year Engineering and Management student, he

referred to his years of experience in the Engineering Society many times.

Tauseef Khan delivered every answer and rebuttal in a booming voice that vibrated throughout the Student Centre. The last statement in his introductory speech—“I’m here for a revolution”—grabbed and commanded the attention of the audience.

Mary Koziol seemed to be the most rehearsed, as she spoke slowly and enunciated well enough for everyone to understand exactly what she was saying. She did, however, often choose to revert back to prepared answers whenever given the chance.

Casey Park, choosing to stand before the audience before he spoke, appealed to his experience in the MSU and his knowledge of the operations of the union, and was able to defend his campaign despite much criticism that was aimed at him.

The atrium of the Student Centre was filled with about 350 spectators in the seats or standing around, actively listening to the debate and often participating by way of questions. Students watching from the second floor could

CHRIS CHANG / SILHOUETTE STAFF

Many students gather in the Student Centre atrium on Jan. 26 to listen to the presidential debate. be seen peering over the railings in an attempt to catch some of the action. Two hours into the debate, the audience had not yet petered

out. Each candidate had one minute to answer the questions posed, and five—originally three—rebuttals at their disposal. Former candidate

Aaron Wade chose to withdraw his vote in support of Kieran Alkerton.

Nnamdi Ngene also withdrew his vote for reasons unknown.

E

CHRIS CHANG / SILHOUETTE STAFF

Taking a closer look at the presidential debate LILY PANAMSKY

also mentioned his promise to keep full-time staff like the Accounting staff up-to-date with information.

Eshaghbeigi had a well-preMSU Experience Alkerton does not have any formal pared answer that he often glanced experience within the MSU, but down at and mentioned that the served as the McMaster Social budget currently portrayed online Science Society Spirit Leader for was ambiguous and that he would 2009-2010 and is the Undergradu- ensure momentum in all MSU serate Representative on the Senate vices.

Committee for Student Affairs.

Eshaghbeigi was on the SRA What is your stance on the Mcas the Engineering representative Master exclusivity deal with for the 2006-2007 school year. He Coca-Cola, given the accusations has been highly involved within of the unethical nature of the the faculty of Engineering, serving Coca-Cola Corporation? as, among other positions, the Vice Koziol declared that, because of a President External in 2007-2008 general student opposition to the and as the Co-Chair for the Organ- contract, she was opposed to the exizing Committee of the 2010 Con- clusivity deal. gress of the Canadian Federation of Park admitted that he was originally for the exclusivity deal, but Engineering Students.

Khan does not have any experi- had changed his mind to agree with ence on the MSU or SRA, but de- whatever the student population declared that he was willing to speak cided. to students and delve into their Alkerton urged students to do questions and concerns regarding their research before making a decision, adding that he has not yet the MSU. Koziol is part of the SRA as the made a decision on this issue.

Arts and Science representative for Eshaghbeigi chose to stay away 2009-2010. She was the Charity from the issues of human rights, but Ball Committee Chair and Coordin- contended that he was against the exclusivity deal due to economic ator in 2008-2009.

Park has experience as a Health reasons.

Science Faculty Welcome Week Khan launched into a list of Rep and Welcome Week Planner. countries where Coca-Cola has parHe has been the External Affairs ticipated in human rights violations, Commissioner of the SRA and is and profoundly declared that he was the House Leader of the SRA for the against the deal.

2009-2010 school year.

How will you implement your enHow would you specifically en- vironmental promises? courage fiscal responsibility in Park said that he would focus on getting students to properly recycle next year’s MSU? None of the candidates went into on campus, on making recycling detail about what they would spe- practices beneficial to the environcifically do to encourage fiscal re- ment, and on making the campus more energy efficient by turning sponsibility in the MSU. Khan, Koziol, and Alkerton all lights off when rooms are not being admitted that they were not highly used. knowledgeable in the issue of fiscal Alkerton wanted to encourage responsibility and spoke about the the use of the free MacGreen mugs importance of communication and by implementing incentives like working with the Vice President cheaper coffees at Union Market.

Finance. Alkerton went on to say He also wanted to increase the comthat there was a continuity problem munication between the environbetween the years within the MSU mental services—MacGreen and and that a long-term plan is needed the Sustainability Office. to reach fiscal goals.

Eshaghbeigi confessed to not Park did not make reference to having made any environmental a lack of knowledge in fiscal re- promises on his platform because of sponsibility and was slightly more lack of experience in that area, but specific in his answer, as he referred agreed with Alkerton and pushed to the fact that budget-operations the idea of working with MacGreen and reallocations would need to be and the Sustainability Office. He discussed with the VP Finance. Park offered the idea of a student-run reASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

cycling program that bypasses the university’s program.

Khan’s environmental ideas were similar to Alkerton, as he also planned to make better use of the MacGreen mugs and work with MacGreen to “build a culture.”

Koziol discussed the idea of establishing a Farmers’ Market in the Student Centre and getting more bike racks on campus. The Farmer’s Market’s incited several rebuttals further on in the debate, especially

by Park.

take place, but we’ll do our best to make sure things stay transparent.”

Koziol told the audience that she had witnessed two closed sessions—one in which she was able to take part in and one in which she was not. “What goes on in closed sessions can be a defamation of someone’s character,” she said, as she reminded the audience that there is a responsibility to protect all students, including SRA members.

Park asserted that the closed session was of prime importance when human resources matters Do you think that the SRA and were brought up, regardless of how the VPs used closed session well often. in the past year and that publicly elected officials should use it at Do you think that the $500,000 all? that [the MSU] paid on Nov. 25 Alkerton admitted to not being en- for the PST audit is a matter of tirely aware of the process of closed HR? Because it can go in as to session. He stated, however, that why the [Executive Board] was it was necessary when issues of in closed session for that discushuman resources were in question, sion, why they only told the SRA but that students should be informed this week, and why the EB came of the information afterwards. out only yesterday and still VP Eshaghbeigi professed to being Finance Andrew Caterine didn’t personally against closed session, respond to any further questions but, like Alkerton, said that it was at this weekend’s SRA meeting. necessary under certain circum- So how is that an HR issue and stances involving human resources. how are you going to do anything “I do think that they did happen a bit about it? too often in the past few years and The floor was opened up for reit’s a bummer because it kills trans- buttal, but no one spoke. The canparency,” he added. didates were not prepared with an Khan answered, “I’m not here answer. to make unrealistic promises, so if Alkerton, however, was closed session is called for, it will prompted to answer. His answer in-

cited much applause from the audience. “I don’t believe that that was an HR issue and I surely don’t agree with whatever that went on in that SRA meeting…however I believe that the SRA members need to be told something so that they can tell their constituents.”

Eshaghbeigi then added his own comments. “$400,000. That’s a house…it’s not transparent if you’re hiding spending or any allocation of that huge quantity of money. I have no words. It has to be transparent.”

Khan also spoke a few words: “Half a million dollars is way too much to be happening under the table, behind closed doors…it’s our money and that just can’t be right.”

Koziol and Park offered no rebuttal and remained silent instead.

Who will be your number “2” on the ballot?

Eshaghbeigi: Koziol Khan: Alkerton Koziol: Eshaghbeigi Park: Hadn’t made up his mind yet, but was leaning towards Khan.

Alkerton: Eshaghbeigi Other topics that were discussed at the debate included the MSU’s neutral position during the TA strike in November, how they will deal with the MSU’s current deficit climate, the cuts to the Centre for Student Development, and campaign slander.

A6 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

EDITORIAL McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

The Silhouette TheSil.ca Editorial Board Executive Editor Jeff Green Managing Editor Bahram Dideban Senior News Editor Selma Al-Samarrai Assistant News Editor Lily Panamsky Features Editor Paige Faber Opinions Editor Peter Goffin Sports Editor Brian Decker Assistant Sports Editor David Koots Insideout Editor Lindsay Jolivet Assistant Insideout Phyllis Tsang Photo Editor Will van Engen Staff Photographer Terry Shan Multimedia Editor Ava Dideban Production Editor Katherine Marsden Web Editor Jason Lamb Health Editor Sarah Levitt Distribution Coordinator Jonathon Fairclough Business Editor Simon Granat Business Editor Santino Marinucci Ad Manager Sandro Giordano

Senior Andy Editor Grace Evans Music Editor Corrigan Hammond Entertainment Editor Myles Herod

Silhouette Staff Sam Colbert, Joey Coleman, Kevin Elliott, Noah Nemoy, Julie Compton, Jenifer Bacher, Michael Hewak, Christopher Chang, Lauren Jewett, Jacqueline Flaggiello, Natasha Pirani, Amanda Fracz

Contact Us Volume 80 2009-10 • McMaster University Student Centre, Room B110 McMaster University 1280 Main Street West Hamilton, ON L8S 4S4 • Fax: (905) 529–3208 • E–Mail: thesil@thesil.ca • Production Office: (905) 525-9140, extension 27117 • Advertising: (905) 525-9140, extension 27557 • 10,000 circulation • Published by the McMaster Students Union

Write to us Opinions: Up to 600 words Letters: 100 to 300 words Submit via email by 5:00 p.m. the Monday before publication.

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We reserve the right to edit, condense, or reject letters and opinion articles. Opinions expressed in The Silhouette are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, the publishers, university officals, or Ricter Web Printing Ltd.The Silhouette is an editorially autonomous newspaper published by the McMaster Students Union.

The Silhouette board of publications acts as an intermediary between the editorial board, the McMaster community, and the McMaster Students Union. Grievances regarding The Silhouette may be forwarded in writing to: McMaster Students Union, McMaster University Student Centre, Room 201, L8S 4S4, Attn:The Silhouette Board of Publications.The board will consider all submissions and make recommendations accordingly.

thesil@thesil.ca

executive editor: extension 22052

Find your voice and vote Feb. 3 & 4

What can a President achieve in a year? While here in the Editorial position, I have been strongly critical of what past and current presidents have achieved. I have to confess, though, that the president of the MSU works in a relatively hostile environment.

Pushed and pulled in so many directions, it is easy for the MSU president to get off track, learn the system late and then realize there is not enough time to achieve what he or she set out to do. Some full-time staff in the MSU have known this for years, and too often they have capitalized on it. To be blunt: some have bullied past MSU presidents into completing their own agenda.

I say this because I want a better MSU. I want an MSU president that sees through the crap, realizes that he or she is the boss, and has a plan for the MSU not just for their own year, but years beyond their tenure.

I want a better MSU because I have a vested interest in the success of the Union. The 23, 000 students at McMaster also have a vested interest in the MSU through its clubs and services.

When I first learned about the PST audit (see page 1) that revealed a $503, 579 bill from the Ministry of Revenue, the first question I had was “how long have we known about this?” The MSU was hit with $100, 000 in interest payments, money that could have been spent on clubs and services, and ultimately, students.

While some full-time staff may have not realized the error, calling it a mistake on the process and saying that the MSU, SRA, and fulltime staff ‘collectively’ failed is not a valid excuse. It is the job of the MSU president to see that, and act on it.

You, as a student, deserve a President that will stand up to the full-time staff who have overseen a 6.5 year mistake cost the students of McMaster $100, 000.

I’ve repeatedly called for someone outside the SRA to run for MSU President for a reason: the process of hiring from within the SRA has failed in the past. This is not to say that hiring outside the SRA will solve every problem.

To clarify, I urge the students of McMaster to elect someone who they think is not a part of the current problem, and someone who has the guts to stand up and take control of a student union that I feel has slipped away from those it represents.

At the All Candidates’ Debate, I asked why the SRA was not informed of the half million-dollar bill from the Ministry of Revenue, and two candidates (Mary Koziol and Casey Park) declined to answer. A successful president is one who is prepared to answer any question.

Done well, the MSU president’s job is not an easy one.You need a voice. Find yours, and vote Feb. 3 & 4.

•Jeff Green

Volunteer

Letters:

Re: Editorial: Cover It. Cover it.

I understand that the Sil doesn’t talk about the MSU because students don’t talk about the MSU, but it works both ways. Media influences public discussions, so why would people talk about it? The only credible news outlet that should be dedicating space to the MSU (much like any major newspaper should cover government activity), doesn’t. People won’t talk if they’re uninformed.

I know there have been a number of ego-boosting, resumebuilding, incompetent members of the SRA that have made the Sil cynical, but there are some student representatives who genuinely want to do good.Whether or not you believe that’s true, the MSU isn’t going away. People need to be in place to operate the many great MSU services, of which the Sil is one. Sil news coverage often acts as if student government doesn’t exist, and the editorials say this might as well be the case, but who is this helping? It only makes students apathetic and student government resentful.

By covering SRA activity in the news, student members become more accountable to the student population. People will know how much or how little is getting done, and the SRA will have incentive to get down to work. Even if certain members of the MSU Board of Directors don’t, many SRA members care about their reputations. Your job in the editorials is to offer a somewhat balanced and unbiased opinion so that you won’t be the newspaper who cried ‘wolf’ when you report that the student government isn’t doing its job.

So, please cover these elections.

If you care, students will care, and if students care, a student government might become worth a portion of our tuition.

This exceeds my “two or three words,” but I hope it was helpful.

Talk to you soon, Sam Colbert ---Dear Jeff Green The idea that the Sil would not cover the MSU elections, seems fairly ridiculous. A campus paper, not reporting news about events occurring on campus essentially defeats the purpose of the paper. The idea of your pulse experiment has no merit. I personally don’t read editorials or opinions because it’s one person bitching about their life and observations, and usually

taking a very one-sided perspective on issues. You’re pieces prove my point. Maybe instead of trying to fight the student apathy, and complain about how only 1 in 10 students here vote, we should accept it. Chances are, those other 9 students are going to Mac to receive an education, and don’t want to be tied up in this bullshit. Perhaps instead of complaining about who and who doesn’t read the Sil, your efforts should be focused on covering issues that matter to students, like the MSU elections, like changes in our education, like relevant political pieces, like the bar with the best drink deals. Just do your job.

Mark Reinders Civ Eng & Society V ---I am one of those individuals you mentioned that read the Sil every week...I like to find out what is going on at McMaster and I like to read the opinions of my peers...since so many of my opinionated peers are involved in the MSU presidential election, I’d like to learn more about what’s going on from a news source I enjoy reading, the Sil. M. Kingwhale ---Cover it. Because 1/10 people showing up to the polls is better than 1/20 or 1/30.

What we need is a more convenient vote. Is the MSU considering e-voting as a possibility? Seems like most people feel inconvenienced by voting.

Aaron Toth ---In addition to the 10 responses to the online version, the following is a list of others who wrote “cover it” Joe Finkle Danny Zanyk McCormack Leigh Conroy Matt Wright Paula MacDonald Jackie H. Mirjana Cirjak Grace McGeachie Belinda Hanson Stephen Thompson Jenna MacDonald Naheed Lindsay Walker D. Baxter Alicia Ali Sara Halawa

Want to get involved? Come attend one of our sectional meetings in the basement of the student center, room b110 News: Wednesdays @ 12:30 pm InsideOut: Mondays @ 1:00 pm Sports: Thursdays @ 2:30 pm Andy: Mondays @ 1:30 pm Photo: Fridays @ 3:30 pm Opinions: Tuesdays @ 11:30 am (all opinions can be mailed to opinions@thesil.ca, keep them 500-700 words)

Corrections In Jan. 21’s 12 Years., we wrote that Saad Gaya is an engineering student which was incorrect. He was a former science student at McMaster.

In this week’s Business Section, the SIl refer’s to Apple’s new gadget as the “iSlate” when in actual fact it is the “iPad”. The error occurred due to print deadlines of the new section being set before the release of Apple’s new device.

The Silhouette makes every effort to be accurate. If you discover a mistake, please notify us via e-mail at thesil@thesil.ca with the subject “corrections.” We will include the correction in the following issue of the Silhouette.

to people going to the all candidates’ debate. to the right side of the brain.

to losing money. to the iPad and the menstrual jokes that come with it.

to that mouse on youtube benching the mouse trap. and on the same note, sneezing panda. hey, maybe you didn’t see it, i don’t know...

to the iPad tutorial video. seriously - check it out.

to talking to the sra.

to barqs root beer. ewww.

to dr. pepper.

to blowing speakers.

to really loud speakers.

to that stupid song ‘memories’. sorry...

to the models for sex and the steel city. you guys rock. i can’t wait! to king.

to pepsi. you taste like coke ran through the dishwasher.

to lulu lemon pants for misleading me too many times. but most of the time you get a thumbs up.

THE SILHOUETTE • A7

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

OPINIONS

opinions@thesil.ca

production office: extension 27117

I had a drink with the

MSU

Sometimes all it takes to relate to someone is a conversation and a couple of beers Peter Goffin OPINIONS EDITOR

I went to only one legitimately Christmas-themed party in 2009.

And it just so happens that the event in question was the MSU Company Christmas party, held at 1280 for anyone who gets their paycheque stamped by the Students Union. And because I fall under that category and, mainly, because it promised free beer, I showed up.

And I learned some things.

Firstly, that free hors d’oevres are free for a reason but still disappear faster than polar ice caps. But I also learned a little about the people who hold elected office in the MSU. Just, quickly, you should understand that I do not occupy myself with campus politics in any way.

I don’t know who holds what job or who said what at SRA meetings. I don’t know who has what

policy and I don’t follow the elections. I guess I don’t care.

So when I found myself in a room with a whack of people who most certainly do occupy themselves with student politics, and are in that room solely because of it, I got to feeling a little out of place. A lot out of place. And pretty negative about the whole scene. And dreading the small talk. And very glad for the availability and costlessness of beer.

I was cornered at the bar by a significantly lubricated student politician who was making rounds and shaking hands and slurring words and I figured I was dead if I got stuck talking shop with these people all night, not only the least interested person in the room but also the only one who can hold his pints.

And it was just as I was saying goodbye to the few familiar faces and heading for my coat that I got stuck with what I thought would

be another rummy glad-hander, an MSU official who I had met briefly during the election campaigns a year ago. And he’d had too much to drink and he was feeling kind of down and he got to talking about trying hard at his job, and wishing he was more appreciated by students and worrying that all the work he put in was going unnoticed.

And I was a little uncomfortable. A lot uncomfortable. I mean, I took first-year psych but I didn’t do very well. But it was a nice sort of talk I guess, and maybe I was weirdly touched that this drunk semi-stranger was opening up to me. And when I told him his hour was up and I had to leave, he walked me out of the bar, still talking.

He was a nice guy.

He didn’t make a followup appointment and I neglected to ask him about his relationship with his parents. So I sup-

pose as a therapist I’m no good.

But I had realized something about this guy and his Student Union colleagues: they are very much human.

The people that we (well, somebody) elected to run the McMaster Students Union drink too much sometimes, they get insecure sometimes, they make mistakes sometimes. But that just makes them regular humans, a little goofy, a little troubled but no more than the next guy.

I don’t think we should hand them carte blanche to slack off or half-ass their entire term. I don’t think we should absolve them of all past and future mistakes, whatever they may be. But neither do I think we should hold them to an unreasonable standard.

The experience at the Christmas party didn’t move me to pay more attention to student politics,

let alone start picking allegiances.

But it did soften my image of the “big bad Students Union” a fair bit.

They’re not dictators, just normal kids with jobs that put them in front of a 23, 000person audience on a daily basis.

Maybe they could do better, maybe they’re already doing the best they can. I don’t really know and I don’t care all that much.

But I have decided that as the halls around campus fill up with MSU election campaign posters, and the platforms and speeches and endorsements and all that election stuff starts coming down the pipe from the current and aspiring members of the MSU, I’ll try to remember that regardless of what I think of their job titles, they’re just people. Mostly regular people who are mostly like me.

Only with slightly weaker drinking legs.

Vote against MSU contract with Coke Sidartha Murjani Natalie MacDonnell OPINION

On Apr. 1, 2009, Romero Camilo, a member of SINALTRAINAL, one of the unions that represent CocaCola bottling plants in Colombia came to McMaster to give a lecture and provided us with clear links between Coca-Cola and the deaths of trade unionists in Colombia. In 1996, when a collective bargaining agreement was being negotiated at one of the bottling plants, a chief union negotiator was shot in the forehead by paramilitary forces which were hired by Coke.

Letters of resignation printed on the Coke letterhead were handed out to workers by the paramilitary and they were intimidated into signing them. Following this incident the new set of workers hired by the Coca-Cola bottling plant were paid lower wages than the previous workers. It was a direct relationship between human rights abuses and profit gains.

The number one reason to vote against McMaster having an exclusive contract with Coca-Cola is that students should not support corporations that are environmentally irresponsible and violate human rights. What kind of a message are we sending to Coca-Cola if we sign over our entire drink market to them and them alone?

It would tell them that we are supporting their unethical practices.

In many countries including India, Colombia, El Salvador, Turkey and Indonesia, Coca-Cola has contributed to environmental degrada-

tion and violated human rights. For example, Coca Cola bottling plants in India have depleted and polluted the ground water in drought prone areas that local villagers and farmers depend on for their livelihood.

Coca-Cola has also been linked to the death of trade unionists in Colombia and child labour in El Salvador.

The MSU also has a Social and Environmental Purchasing Policy in which it commits to conducting “business affairs in a socially and environmentally responsible manner and as such the ultimate aim of this policy is to balance the economic, ecological, and social impacts of purchasing decisions within the MSU”. The concept of responsible consumerism is therefore concurrent with MSU policy.

Coca-Cola has invested a great deal of money and resources in public relations campaigns to cover up their tracks because the success of the company depends on its public image. Some people use the International Labour Organization (ILO) 2008 report on Colombian Coca-Cola bottling plants as evidence that Coca-Cola is innocent.

They are misinformed.

This report does not and was never meant to address the deaths of trade unionists.

This is because the ILO does not address past injustices, but rather only investigates current labour right abuses.

Aside from environmental and human rights issues, having an exclusive contract with Coca-Cola limits our beverage choices, and the concept of a monopoly goes against competitive principles.

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

Coke has been implicated in several deaths in Colombia as labour battles rage.

Furthermore, according to various sources in the MSU, CocaCola is not even offering to give financial benefits with an exclusive contract, as they have done in the past, as the market has changed.

Therefore, not only is there no support for the exclusive contract in terms of the environment and human rights but there is no significant finan-

cial benefit for such a contract.

Remember, saying no to an exclusive contract does not mean that Coke products will be banned from campus. All this referendum is asking is whether you think the MSU should be able to negotiate an exclusive deal. Coca-Cola products can still be available on campus if you vote no to an exclusive deal. This campaign is about the

fight for ethical drink options on campus. It is about giving students the right to choose between ethical and unethical manufacturers.

Hopefully with a non-exclusive deal the university can provide a larger variety of beverage choices while taking a stand on human rights and environmental sustainability issues. Please take a stand and vote “no” to exclusive contracts.

A8 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2010

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2010

THE SILHOUETTE • A9

A10 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

Olympics are a meat market Improve voter Go for gold in the bedroom at the Vancouver games turnout. Get heard.

Students need to take elections seriously Ashkan Eshaghbeigi OPINION

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

The Olympics are a time of closeness and intimacy, off and sometimes on, the proverbial playing field.

Eric Williams

erotic encounters were somehow made available, the ratings would dwarf interest in Olympic coverage.

Losing at the Olympics would be Think of the five Olympic the best thing ever! I don’t mean not rings as five interlaced condoms, winning, but rather coming in dead and you got the idea. People last and bombing out of your event like winners, but they love sex. as quickly as possible.

You want an event you can lose at fast, without a lot of trials During the or qualifiers. Like speedskating.

Olympics, Just lose the first heat, and you’re all set. Why? Here’s the skinny: thousands of speciVancouver is a beautiful city, and mens of the fittest, during the Olympics, thousands of most athletic tail specimens of the fittest, most athletic tail will be hanging out, partywill be hanging ing, and banging aaaaaall niiiiiiiight. out, partying and At the Sydney games, organbanging aaaaaall izers provided 70,000 free condoms for athletes, which were niiiiiiiight.” used up in mere days, making requisite a second shipment of Sure, quitting sacrifices the Olym20,000 condoms to sustain an pic spirit, but ultimately in life, it orgy of Olympic proportions. all depends on what kind of prizes Little has been written about you want to win. Screw Hockey! this in the past, but trust me, this The Olympic after-party is the story is bigger than the games itself. real golden event of the games.

If videos of these thousands of While she did win silver in CalOPINION

gary, if Elizabeth Manley had been more focused on scoring with Mr. (or Ms.) Right back in 1988, then perhaps today she would not be out shilling Herbal Magic weight loss pills on TV. (Really, an Olympic figure skater needs magic herbal pills to lose 25 pounds?)

Now if you are intentionally losing in a sport so that you can enjoy the host city on your own time, then no problem. You probably weren’t going to win anyways, so why worry about it?

In Vancouver there’s a chance for some lucky guy to bomb out in the early ski jump qualifier and still make it back from Whistler in time for the Opening Ceremonies at BC Place.

The parade of athletes would give him a perfect chance to qualify a select crop of hotties, and then the real games begin. Oh la la!

Better an ounce of luck than a pound of gold.

Olympic fame is fleeting and when it comes to personal glory, the spoils do not always go to the victor.

In the past few years, voter turnout within the MSU has been diminishing. Last year’s presidential election saw a meek 12.5 per cent turnout, the lowest in our history. When you speak to alumni from decades ago, they will tell of the times that everyone would vote, and cared about the direction of student government. Back then, people cared more about student government.

These days, especially the last two to three years, it seems people care less and less, but the importance of student government has not changed.

Apathy towards elections has increased for a number of reasons; disillusionment with student government, lack of transparency or accountability, students not feeling like their single vote matters or people simply feel like they have better things to do. These elements have worked to increase student apathy in general, but now it has bled into the election process. Apathy towards activities and events is fine, many students just aren’t interested in participating in things, but there are very good reasons why students should care enough to come out and vote on Election Day. Whether you like it or not, your student government is working hard to represent you in your community, city, and even the country. If you are enrolled at McMaster, you are reaping the benefits of efforts of student government. This will always be the case, whether apathy is high, or voter turnout is high. Internally the MSU seeks to add value to your time at McMaster, and externally, it defines the brand that represents the institution you go to. The point is, no matter how much you don’t care about the

fun things you ignore as you walk through the student centre, those fun things make you look good. You don’t need to participate in them to be part of them. It is a choice you made when you chose McMaster.

Since you are a part of it, you have a special interest in guiding McMaster’s future.This is where voting comes in. This is the best chance you have at making change while maintaining minimal effort. For some crazy reason, some people are bidding to serve as president of the MSU.There are a variety of candidates with a variety of platforms and experience. Some might work hard, serving you very well, some might suck, and some might simply let the MSU go nowhere.You have a choice to pick the person, and while a bad choice might not sink the ship, a great choice might cause the ship to win the race. You have the ability to choose whether to better your community and image, or to let it stagnate and fall behind. Why would you give up this choice? It seems so counter-intuitive.

This is where those who are in the final year of their degree say, “Why should I care? I’m done this year.” You may be done with academics, but you will still have a stake in McMaster as alumni.You will want this place to keep looking good, and in doing so, make you look good. It is still in your best interest to help set the direction of the MSU. It really isn’t much effort, the candidates have already made their information as easy as possible to find, so it isn’t hard to figure out who you think is the best, after that, all you need to do is simply show up and vote. One simple act can help set the direction and momentum of the MSU potentially for years, so even if you don’t care about the various services it provides, care about the brand it defines for you, and vote.

THE SILHOUETTE • A11

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

MSU candidates Four years and this is the thanks I get: more forms must be more open A pox on grad school apps

Lindsay Jolivet INSIDEOUT EDITOR

Graduation sucks. For the first time in four years I’m willing to admit that part of the reason I’m here is to postpone my inevitable transition into the workforce. At high school graduation I was brighteyed and ready to face the big bad world before me, but now that I’ve had a glimpse, I’m feeling nostalgic about grade 11 chemistry class.

Pretending I didn’t notice that this is my fourth year worked for a while. I tried twitching my head and saying “hmm?” when people mentioned it. They caught on. So naturally, I resorted to postponing my life by staying in school even longer. I figured graduate school applications would alleviate some of my stress, at least temporarily, because it would give me something to say when people asked, “What are you going to do next year?”

It isn’t that I don’t consider education valuable. I do. And getting into graduate school would be a great opportunity to develop my prospects and knowledge even further. Although a wellpaid, full-time job would be better.

But back to the point. Graduate school applications were the most grueling, painful process I

have ever been through, and two weeks after the deadline, it still isn’t over. In the time it took me to find references and check up on them, write tacky statements of interest, and glue on approximately 100 stamps per envelope, I could have applied to jobs all over the country.

Professors are absolutely swarmed with requests for references every year, from students they barely know, which also makes me wonder how many nice things they really had to say about me after the 12 other reference letters they wrote the day they reached “J” in their alphabetical pile.

All the same, my applications to Carleton, UBC, and Ryerson were signed, sealed, and delivered by Jan. 15 (my Carleton application was a bit early for the Feb.1 deadline. It made me feel good about myself for a minute). I had patted myself on the back and put my feet up to wait, idly, for my response. But it wasn’t over.

A week later I received an e-mail from UBC saying that two of my reference letters were missing. After several frantic emails to the professors I’d already been badgering for the past two months, I received confirmation that the letters were sent.

Here we come to another problem with the sheer volume of applications to Master’s programs

across the country. The odds that two letters sent by individuals with doctorate degrees were mis-addressed or had insufficient postage seems fairly unlikely. More likely is that the sorely overworked graduate secretary is currently tunneling her way through a mound of reference letters and one of mine is stuck in her hair, the other sitting neatly on the desk underneath everything.

So, I helplessly await the fate of pieces of paper I have mailed to three different schools. I’m now becoming paranoid that they are all lost somewhere on their respective paths. My Carleton materials have probably slipped under a crack in the ice on the Rideau Canal, Ryerson’s probably landed on the CN Tower, and well—we know what happened with UBC’s. At least I delivered McMaster’s application by hand.

If you’ll excuse my neuroticism, my point is that the graduate school system has simply failed to keep up with the increasing number of students who aren’t willing to begin their lives just yet.

There is no easy way out of this one, folks. Adulthood will find a way to catch up with you, even if it’s because it’s just less work to grow up than pursue an alternative.

Maybe I’ll drop out and join the mafia.

AVA DIDEBAN / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

MSU candidates need to open up and speak to voters.

John McIntyre OPINION

WILL VAN ENGEN / PHOTO EDITOR

There ain’t no grad application that can hold me down. Except maybe this one. And the few after that.

WRITE FOR OPINIONS opinions@thesil.ca Meetings are Tuesdays at 11:30 in MUSC B110

“Mind your own business.” This was the response that I received from one of the MSU Presidential election campaign teams after I asked some difficult questions and announced my lack of support for their candidate. Is that what these MSU elections have become?

Should you only be engaged if you support a candidate? If so, I completely understand the Silhouette’s hesitation to cover this election.

This is a public election. These candidates are running to be the president of the McMaster Students Union, the Chief Executive Officer of the organization to which we pay significant fees so that it represents us.Yet we should mind our own business? How does this attitude represent any semblance of democracy?

As an individual who has been significantly involved in the MSU during my time at McMaster, I have had the opportunity to work with most of the presidential candidates. As such, I have developed educated opinions regarding their suitability for the role. Students who haven’t had the exposure to candidates that I have are forced to base their decision on a candidate’s platform, campaign and conduct during the campaign period.

Unfortunately, this does not always represent an individual’s suitability for the role. Although a lot can be learned about a candidate during this time, a lot can also be hidden.

This brings me to my main frustration with these elections every

year. Why do we discourage each other from explaining our lack of support for a candidate? Why do people automatically scream “dirty politics”,“personal attacks” or “slander” any time issues are brought up that may reflect poorly upon a candidate. It is absolutely ridiculous.

An election should be about selecting the best candidate; this cannot be determined solely by their platform. It can only be determined by considering a culmination of all of their experiences and actions during their involvement at McMaster. They should be accountable to their previous actions and positions. How can a student who is unacquainted with the candidates make a fully informed decision if all they have to look at is a flashy campaign meant to hide what’s really important? We should be cultivating an election process that encourages the discussion of all aspects of every candidate, positive and negative.

I have received complaints and been subjected to intimidation attempts over my approach to this election, but I believe that I am doing what is right and I will not back down. Not once have I made personal attacks against a candidate, nor have I ever slandered an individual. Rather, I have discussed their lack of suitability for this role based on their platform and past actions.

So please, to all of those upset with this approach, stop hiding behind these inaccurate accusations and start supporting a truly democratic and engaging election process that results in the selection of the best candidate.

A12 • THE SILHOUETTE

SpeculatoR The Hamilton

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2009

INSIDE THE SPECULATOR A6: B7: Q3:

We got nothin’. Not a goddamn thing. But I’m considering a career change. I’ve always wanted to teach. Or dance. Or ride or run or sing or be free. Because a man is not a man until he can live by his own rules, breathe air in liberty and safety, for such are pillars of humanity in this fair country of ours. Martin Luther King once sai

Thursday, January 28, 2009 F Bite the power. Don’t head on me.

The Spec Endorsement: Solomon Ostero

Forget everything you ever new about Solomon Ostero. He’s a new pseudo-man.

And he’s here to lead you.

“I want to start by acknowledging that this is in fact the third bid I have made for the student union presidency in less than a year, all while running on the fascist necrophiliac ticket.

And that I am aware that I lost quite terribly in last year’s elections. But I take solace in the fact that I did draw ten votes.

Well, I say ten. I count them as ten. According to the returns officer it was one.

But the voter who cast that ballot went through so much – tunneling out of solitary with a plastic teaspoon which he had smuggled into his cell concealed someplace intimate about his person, climbing over the barbed wire and hitting the streets disguised as a hideous old crone of a laundrywoman, trying to hail a cab to McMaster’s campus while dressed as a hideous old washerwoman, casting his ballot, then re-offending heinously so that he could be back in prison by dinner time – that I think his vote should count ten-fold.

But this year, my friends, I have a platform that cannot fail.

If elected I will return McMaster to its past glory, restore to it the dignity and purity it once held, banish all those usurpers and false students, menaces who are undermining the progress

of society. I propose that we remove all residents of Westdale who are not McMaster students.

But of course there are Mac students in other areas. And so I say we annex the Mountain and Stony Creek and invade Burlington, thereby forming a defined McMaster fatherland and reuniting the McMaster race.

To my critics I say, that I am just as qualified as I ever was, and my time in the hills of Mexico as an accountant for the Zapatista guerilla movement did not diminish my health or my healthy sexual interest in the dead and decaying. If anything, it enlightened me as to the delectability of the dead and decaying, deliciousness-wise. In other words I am a more wellrounded human being and have solved the age-old conundrum of having one’s cake and eating it too.

And it is for these reasons and so many more that I believe I deserve this position. If not for me, then for my ailing mother whom, I ailed specifically for this purpose.Vote Solomon Ostero for student president or the dame gets it.

Sincerely, Solomon Ostero”

Vandal reined in. Reign of terror ends.

Sharpie confiscated and melted down in guns-for-marker exchange SERGE VANIER SPECULATOR Following a major investigative breakthrough, McMaster Security Services arrested one of Hamilton’s most notorious taggers today.

Michael Keenur, better known by his tag symbol of “Med Keenur,” has been making his mark on public property for years. While graffiti can range from literal forms of bathroom humour to beautiful artwork on brickwork facades, tagging is characterized by mass replication of quick, recognizable signatures.

Despite an extensive bus shelter ad campaign and the creation of a special graffiti hotline, investigations into Med Keenur’s identity repeatedly led nowhere. It wasn’t until a rally by the McMaster chapter of a human rights club that the break finally came. Special Special Constable (that’s twice the Specialness) Trigger Halloran of McMaster Security services explains, “We never usually pay much attention to all those ‘verb the

children’ clubs, but when I saw an open letter from some group actually called ‘Verb the Children’ signed by some clown named Keenur, I knew we had him.” Mr. Keenur, colloquially known as “Med,” was apprehended by campus security later that day whilst fulfilling his paid role as the MSU Executive in Charge of Peer Tutoring, Equality, Social Development and Puppies.

Although this is his first offense related to the Med Keenur tagging, he has already received several warnings from Campus Security for the creation of irrelevant leadership positions in obscure, ineffectual, MSU funded social justice clubs. It is expected that Mr. Keenur, charged with over 9, 000 counts of public vandalism under $5, 000, will receive up to nine months in prison as a result of his February court date. Although it is unlikely that he will be accepted to any medical schools following his incarceration, experts agree that jail time may still teach him a thing One of Keenur’s victims shows on a graphic where the accused “hurt” him. or two about the male anatomy.

“What Did You Learn This Week, Timmy?”

“I learned that

between a man and a woman it’s good. Between a man, a woman and a house pet it’s earth-moving.”

Disclaimer: Stories printed in The Hamilton Speculator are fact. Any resemblance to persons real or dead is likely intentional and done out of spite. Opinions expressed are those of The Speculator and if you disagree with them you are wrong. And stupid. Possibly ugly as well.

THE SILHOUETTE • B1

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

INSIDEOUT

production office: extension 27117

e-mail: insideout@thesil.ca

A runner’s story of

Bringing joy and hope to Haiti

Esther Pauls, founder of the Road to Hope race and an experienced volunteer sharing her story and photos of Haiti.

PHYLLIS TSANG / ASSISTANT INSIDEOUT EDITOR

• PLEASE SEE DELIVERING, B3

S E X AND THE STEEL CIT Y

Love = Matter Romance from an evolutionary perspective LINDSAY JOLIVET INSIDEOUT EDITOR

Favourite song / band: Heartbeats - The Knife

What’s your favourite quote? “A man should always carry on him a flask of whisky in case of snake bite, and a small snake.”

What do you look for in a significant other? Intelligence, good looks. Hard to say.

How would you describe your personal style: Lazy hipster?

Jeans: $30, Winners Belt: $?, Fredericton Farmers Market Boots: $200, Dr. Martins Shirt: $15, Winners Scarf: $?, Cashmire, Germany Coat: $?, Saint John

ThreadCount Noel Severin Iverson

4th year Arts & Science & philosophy JONATHON FAIRCLOUGH / DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR

What would you say of love if it were simply an adaptive trait? Not an all-powerful divine force, wrenching control of hearts, but a solution to the problem of reproduction and rearing? More importantly, would love still be meaningful?

Well it has been said that love is no more than evolution’s rotating gears, but perhaps this does not mean all our silly love songs are for naught.

Theories on the subject are controversial, to say the least. Authors such as Ada Lampert in her 1997 book The Evolution of Love argue that love is ‘matter’—part of the system in which humans were created and sexual drive is created and maintained through partnership.

However, even this author acknowledged the caution required when defining love on such limited terms. She suggested that like sex, love may have become separated from its evolutionary purpose, reproduction. One evolutionary trait, intelligence, seems to have overridden the earlier traits to ensure reproduction. Sexual pleasure can easily be achieved while preventing reproduction and love often fits the same pattern. Romantic connections do not always lead to families. This is the point where evolutionary theory becomes complicated, where we must question the degree of our connection to our own biological drives. Tricky.

Lampert also noted, however mockingly, the place love finds in contemporary society. Love is the stuff of songs, flowers, chocolate and unexplained connection, unlike the easily accepted evolutionary functions of hands and feet, for example. She wrote, “But love is “spiritual”; it is not to be constrained in the dryness and simplicity of biology, but is to be left floating ethereal, innocent of any material reality.”

Although evolutionary theory becomes muddy closer to today, the logic of love as a solution to child rearing before daycare existed is difficult to deny. Close emotional connection also ensures sexual opportunities, which means a sure way to produce those children.

Love theory also branches off into discussions about monogamy versus polygamy. The question then becomes, isn’t it more likely that evolution favours group rearing than pairing up? Western society may condemn the idea of “Big Love,” outside of HBO series, but some religions (like Mormon fundamentalism), history and other places in the world do not.

We return to the issue of intelligence potentially overruling what scientists have deemed evolutionary tendencies. However, certain patterns are still visible in the way people choose their partners. Signs of health and fertility are still considered attractive. Although the debate between blonde and brunette may carry on, few will argue that a well-proportioned, healthy looking option for a mate is undesirable.

While science has yet to explain our romantic tendencies, we needn’t throw out our gushy records yet.

B2 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

FirstYear

The house hunt: Another adventure Use a sharp eye as you seek out a student house AYDA ASKARI

SILHOUETTE STAFF

Some may argue that the most difficult aspect of first year is the adjustment—finding the perfect balance between studying, partying, drinking, sleeping and eating. Yet, as we approach the end of the year, many students must look beyond the comfort of their residence beds and begin the vicious hunt—the house hunt.

Without some prior knowledge, it can be the most frustrating, dif-

However, there are still several issues students face while touring local homes, including promised repairs, double bookings, and misleading advertisements. ficult aspect of first year. The task not only requires time dedication but a sense of intuition. While some may find it a gruelling experience and others a walk through the park, there are, nevertheless, key aspects that all students should consider when undertaking such an endeav-

our. As Jennifer Kleven, manager of Off-Campus Resource Centre, described, “There are several things to watch out for.”

The Off Campus Resource Centre primarily focuses on listings posted by landlords in the area. Kleven noted that moving off campus does not have to mean the end of convenience. “Everything that you can get on campus, you can get off campus,” she explained. In addition, one gains several things by living off campus.

“You learn how to clean, pay bills, shop for groceries….you gain a sense of responsibility,” elaborated Kleven, “You escape the McMaster bubble and you see what else is out there…life in the community.”

However, there are still several issues students face while touring local homes, including promised repairs, double bookings and misleading advertisements. Kleven said it was important to look over the lease and make sure that it states any promises clearly. The lease should also outline a time commitment for the repair. Kleven discussed the importance of noting damages on the first day of the lease and upon termination to avoid surplus charges.

Seeing houses can get busy and crowded because landlords tend to double book showings. House hunting is a competitive market, as Kleven affirmed, which contributes

MICHELLE NG / SILHOUETTE STAFF

Houses on the brain? The Off-Campus Resource Centre has a comprehensive list of places in the area. to much of what makes students uneasy when looking for that perfect house. She said, “It’s part of business. Landlords want to seal the deal as quickly as possible.” This also means that landlords sometimes pressure students into signing on the fly.

Kleven also mentioned the problem of false ads. “Most likely, it is to cut costs on advertisements,” said she. “Some landlords may just think that they are being smart…not necessarily deceptive.” Students must simply use caution while they hunt and make sure they are not too trusting.

“Never sign a lease without seeing the property,” cautioned Kleven, adding, “This is often an issue for [international] students in the summertime who commit and send out deposits.”

Also, students should “keep an open mind….properties are not always [what] they look like in photographs.”

Once students settle down in a home, there are still other points of concern with respect to landlordtenant rights. Consult the Residential Tenancies Act of Ontario to know these rights. Two key aspects under the act that students should recognize are as follows: 1) “It is an offence to charge more rent than is allowed under the act.” 2) “It is an offence to fail to provide information on the total cost of utilities, which includes heat, electricity, and water where required under the act.”

Kleven commented that for a new tenant, “landlords may charge any amount they desire.” However, upon renewal of the lease the fol-

lowing year, “by law, landlords can only increase the rent by a certain percentage as outlined for the respective year.”

This is important for students thinking of re-signing a lease. Concerning the second aspect of the act, Kleven said it was important to be an active, engaged tenant. “It is fair for tenants to request to see the hydro/electricity bills at the end of the year,” she said.

If the prices are lower than that which was charged, “It is the landlord’s responsibility to pay back the tenant.” However, in the event of a more costly bill, “the landlord cannot, by law, go back and ask tenants for more money.”

While tips and details are helpful, the bottom line for students is to be cautious, be a judge of character, and not be afraid to ask questions.

THE SILHOUETTE • B3

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

Delivering Haiti out of poverty

Joy and Hope for Haiti provides microcredit to spur business • CONT’D FROM B1 PHYLLIS TSANG

ASSISTANT INSIDEOUT EDITOR

“Why are we giving to Haiti?” a lady asked a year ago when she found out about Road to Hope, an annual fundraising run for Haiti organized by Runner’s Den, a running store in Hamilton and Westdale.

No one would ask that now.

On Jan. 12, the day of the earthquake, Esther Pauls, the owner of Runner’s Den and the founder of Road to Hope, was on her way to Haiti with nine other volunteers from Joy and Hope for Haiti, a humanitarian organization dedicated to help Haitian children. Their journey was cut short because the earthquake touched down before they did.

Their original plan was to hold the second annual Marathon de la Soliderite road race, an event to bring a day of celebration to Cap Haitians and to alert others about

the plight of the Haitians.

“We decided to come home, do something good here,” explained Esther, “because…we are not doctors or anything.”

On Saturday, Jan. 30, Runner’s Den will be collaborating with its competitor in Toronto, Runner’s Free to host Training for Solidarity, a 5k – 20 k running event that will happen simultaneously in Hamilton and in Toronto to raise funds for relief and long-term projects in Haiti.

Esther and the team of volunteers are still planning to return to Haiti in February. They will not be building schools like on their previous trips, but will be opening and setting up the schools and churches which they have built before for “the exodus of people that are going there but don’t have a place to stay.”

While the devastation in Haiti is foreign to the majority of the world, it is not to Esther who has travelled to Haiti over 15 times in the last decade.

“Every time I go, I see people living in horrible conditions,” said Esther. “I have seen people living on garbage, no water, [and] no toilets...It is a living hell.”

Esther travelled to Haiti for the first time in October 2001, a week after the first Road to Hope run, which was then called the Hope and Joy for Haiti run. Curiosity and concern prompted Esther to go to Haiti to see what the receiving organization, OMS International, which has been working in Haiti for over 20 years, would do with the $50,000 raised.

Esther said she came back as “a totally different person” after staying there for three weeks.

“Not only [because] I lost weight [but] because we were so shocked the first time,” she explained with wide eyes, “three weeks is too long

for your first time.”

Despite that, she kept going back.

Joy and Hope for Haiti, which consists entirely of volunteers and with which Esther and her husband, Gord are heavily involved, has built over 40 schools and orphanages to date, as well as provided food, medicine, and books for Haitians.

While others are dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake, Esther, together with the Joy and Hope for Haiti is planning to bring about sustaining changes in the povertystricken land.

They are changing their focus from building elementary schools in the Cap Haitian area of northern Haiti to giving Haitians opportunities to work.

“We sponsored a child there for a long time but he’s on the street now, you know why?” Esther raised her voice, “[Because] after school, there’s no job there.”

According to the Human Development Index, a scale developed by the UN to rank nations according to people-centered development like life expectancy, knowledge and education, and standard of living, rather than national income, Haiti ranked 149 out of 182 countries in 2007. CIA World Factbook reported that 80 per cent of the people live under poverty line and 54 per cent in abject poverty. More than twothirds of the labour force does not have a formal job.

“A young boy finishes school; do you know what’s waiting for him?” Esther asked, “Idleness—It’s the worst thing. You get up in the morning and have nothing to do.”

Esther thinks giving jobs is “sometimes more important than giving food.”

“You cannot sustain Haiti by giving them things!” exclaimed Esther, “That’s what we have been

PHYLLIS TSANG / ASSISTANT INSIDEOUT EDITOR

A snippet of Esther Pauls’ journey to help the children in Haiti. doing for years. They [still] haven’t grown up.”

This is why Joy and Hope for Haiti is catching on to the success of microcredit to empower Haitians to become self-sustaining entrepreneurs.

Microcredit is considered to be originated with the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, launched as “an action research project to examine the possibility of designing a credit delivery system to provide banking services targeted at the rural poor,” according to Grameen Bank’s website. The bank grants small loans to the poorest of the poor so that they may engage in income-generating projects that will enable them to build wealth and break the cycle of poverty.

“We are going to give them a year of salary to start a business,” Esther explained. “After the business gets going, they have to pay it back, with no interest.”

In Haiti, the average annual salary is only about $450. The idea behind a loan without interest is to give a sense of responsibility.

Joy and Hope for Haiti has recently sent 1000 pairs of used

shoes to Haiti to start a shoe business. Esther already has a list of ideas lined up: sewing business, fish farm, gardening, and carpentry.

“They have sugar cane, why can’t there be a sugar cane export there?” Esther added another item to the list.

The recent earthquake is causing the world to reassess the situation in Haiti. Charities and humanitarian groups find alternative ways to deliver Haiti out of poverty, not just the earthquake. Christian Aid, a UK-based organization working to eradicate the causes of poverty is responding to the earthquake by launching an emergency appeal to drop Haiti’s debt.

Haiti’s total public external debt amounts to an alarming $1.8 billion US as of September 2008, according to the International Monetary Fund. A group of 19 major world lenders pledged to forgive Haiti’s foreign debt obligations, CBC news reported on Jan. 19.

“Give whatever you can,” Esther urged, referring to the Training for Solidarity run, which starts at Westdale high school at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30.

B4 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

Interactive

Crossword Across 1- Curse 5- Lucid 10- Celestial body 14- "East of Eden" director Kazan 15- Lofty nest 16- Fork feature 17- Writing desk 19- Bibliography abbr.

20- Jumpy 21- Harshness 23- Casserole dish 25- Satan 26- Grammarian's topic 28- Yellowish color 31- Bit of gossip 34- Milk source 36- "Til ___ do us part" 37- 13th letter of the Hebrew alphabet 38- Permanently attached, to a zoologist 40- Acapulco aunt 41- Up 43- Actress Hatcher 44- Denomination 45- Ski lodge 47- Geneva's lake 49- Forest makeup 51- Pert. to the fingers 55- Clerisy 58- Volcanic material 59- Arthur Ashe's alma mater 60- Having united carpels 62- Turned right 63- "Pomp and Circumstance" composer 64- Dresden's river 65- Swirl 66- Sordid 67- Drop of water expelled by the eye

Sudoku 5 4 1 9

By Sandy Chase / CUP Graphics Bureau Chief

Crossword puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com (http://www.bestcrosswords.com). Used with permission.

Down 1- Stupefy with drink 2- Coeur d'___ 3- More pleasant 4- Membrane in the ear canal 5- Link together 6- Meadow 7- Goddess and sister of Ares in Greek mythology 8- Broadcast 9- "Speed" star 10- Aseptic 11- Excite agreeably 12- Med school subj.

13- Be dependent 18- Sponsorship 22- Circumvent 24- Discharge 27- Art supporter 29- Auricular

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January 29, 2010 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at MUSC Room 311/313 Mental Health 101 Workshop Centre for Student Development is leading an interactive workshop on current mental health statistics, types of mental illnesses, and how to approach mental illness in daily life.

January 29, 2010 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at McMaster Museum of Art Artists’ Think Tank: FIERCE: Women’s Hot-Blooded Film/Video McMaster Museum of Art current exhibition, FIERCE: Women’s Hot-Blooded presents four women at the forefront of media production and installation to discuss their art.

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30- Come again?

31- Apple product 32- 9th letter of the Hebrew alphabet 33- Beset by conflict 35- Exhausted 38- Guide 39- Serving as a limit 42- Now 44- Fragment 46- Tantalizes 48- Antiquing agent 50- Genre 52- Fulcrum for an oar 53- Island off Venezuela 54- Coherent light beam 55- Sled 56- Chilled 57- Swenson of "Benson" 61- Engine part

CommunityEvents

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Sudoku credit:

Breadbin

Chick pea brownies Ingredients:  1 and 1/4 cups pitted dates  9 Tbsp cocoa powder  1/4 cup olive oil  1/2 cup honey  2 cups garbanzo beans (chick peas)  4 eggs  1/2 tsp of baking powder  1 tsp of cinnamon.

Recipe 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 2. Measure the dates into a liquid measuring cup and pour in hot water to the 1 and 1/2 cup line, turning the dates over with hands until the water reaches all the dates. Let sit for at least 10 min., then pour off 1/4 cup of the liquid in the dates and process the rest in a blender until it forms a smooth paste.

3. Put the date paste into a large bowl and add the cocoa (or cocoa powder), oil, honey, mixing well.

4. Combine the beans and eggs in a blender and process until very smooth. Add the bean mixture to the date mixture, stirring well to combine. Add the baking powder and cinnamon, stirring to combine and pour the batter into a 9 inch nonstick pan.

5. Bake for 45 min., cool for at least 15 min.

ALEX MICULAN / BREAD BIN VOLUNTEER

This recipe can be found in The Healthiest Meals on Earth, by Jonny Bowden.

•

Alex Miculan, Bread Bin Volunteer

Write for InsideOut InsideOut@thesil.ca

B6 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

PumpingIron

WhereAreTheyNow?

Get to know your nutrition facts

Countless students have passed through McMaster’s halls over the years, but once their campus days are over some of them go on to great things. Some very interesting people got their start at this very university; why not find out where they are now?

Which numbers really Julie Angus affect your health BSc’97 CHRIS CHANG / SILHOUETTE STAFF

BAHRAM DIDEBAN MANAGING EDITOR

Although they’re a common sight, Nutrition Facts tables were not actually required on foods until just a few years ago. Health Canada reports that nutrition labeling—and its regulations which were introduced in 2003, have only recently become mandatory—since Dec. 12, 2007.

This may be a little hard to believe considering how much depends on the statistics in those little tables but it also means that you might not be as far behind in the diet race as you think. This is a great chance to get ahead of the curve, so to help you out, here’s a quick guide to getting the most from your food labels. The Nutrition Facts table, which is now present on the back of all foods—with a few exceptions— is basically a list of the nutritional content of your food. It contains information about the amount of calories and 13 other nutrients including saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates (fibre and sugars), proteins, Vitamins A and C, and calcium and iron that your food contains. Each of these is listed in the same spot in all labels to make them easy to compare. Don’t be scared by your first look at the back; all those statistics might seem daunting but they’re actually much easier to decipher than you think.

The first thing you should do is look at the amount of food the nutrition table is based on. The specific amount of food is always listed below the “Nutrition Facts” title. For example, a bag of brown bread may have a nutrition label with “Per 2 slices (30g)” listed on it. This means that the information in the table is based on two slices of bread, which together weigh 30 grams. Compare this listed amount to how much you actually eat.

Next, and this step might seem strange, but skip the calorie content listing. There are a couple of reasons why you should do this.

First, calories are just a measure of energy content and so they can come from the digestion of practically anything; sugars, fats or even proteins. This makes calorie content a very poor representation of the health level of the food. Second, the number of calories that each person requires varies considerably depending on age, gender, body size and activity level. Even in the table, the calorie content isn’t listed with a per cent sign recommending how much you should eat in a day. This brings us to the next step.

Take a look at the figures on the right. These are written in per cent values based on a recommended daily intake. So, if two slices of bread are listed as two per cent fat, then they have two per cent of the total amount of fat you should be

eating each day. In other words, you could eat 50 slices of bread and not go over your limit for fat. Obviously, you wouldn’t do that since your diet would be horribly unbalanced but the theory is there. So, how do you use these values?

A complicated way is to track all your food throughout the day and add the values up at night. A simpler way is to think of the total amount of food you eat in a day as 100 per cent. Then, think that you’re going to eat 3 times a day, so for each meal you can eat around 30 per cent. You can easily add up the percentages in your meal to see if you’re eating more than your allowance.

Based on the ‘30 per cent rule’ you’ll find some startling things on the back of some foods. For example, half a bag of Blockbuster popcorn can have as much as 70 per cent of your daily intake of fat!

A single cup of noodles can have a sodium content as high as 60 per cent, and a single burger patty can be as high as 80 per cent of daily intake of fat. But, compared to red meat, chicken burgers are usually around 15 per cent, so you could eat 6 chicken burgers for every beef burger that you eat and still get the same amount of protein.

Don’t make the process too complicated; just adjust it a little when you realize you’re over doing it. And remember to leave room for snacks.

From molecular biology, to adventure rowing, photography, writing, filmmaking, motivational speaking and environmental activism, Julie Angus has done it all.

From her days as a student in Biology and Psychology at McMaster, Julie moved on to the University of Victoria where she completed a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology—then things really took off.

Angus studied and developed treatments for heart disease, cancer and genetic ailments for a time before she began exploring the natural world full-time.

Today, she and her husband, Colin, head “Angus Adventures,” leading active, sustainable lives and inspiring others to do the same.

They have rowed across the Atlantic Ocean from mainland to mainland and completed the first human-powered circumnavigation of the globe.

Recipient of National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year Award in 2007 and published in several newspapers and magazines for photography and writing, including the Globe & Mail and Explore Magazine, among others.

Angus is an inspiring example of where our ambition can take us.

Her books, Rowboat in a Hurricane and Rowed Trip, were nothing short of successful endeavors.

The Angus’ also produced Rowed Trip as a film to add to their

PHOTO C / O ALUMNI HOUSE

Julie’s love for the outdoors lead her to pursue adventure. list of video productions, which already included The Yenisey River Expedition and Amazon From Source to Sea. On her latest blog, Jan. 13, Angus showed no signs of slowing down. She wrote, “We spent much of 2009 working on Rowed Trip, writing the book, editing the film and then touring across Canada with both. Now our energies are focused on new adventures and ventures.”

• Files from Danielle Roy, Alumni Officer

THE SILHOUETTE • B7

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

SPORTS

sports@thesil.ca

production office: extension 27117

Kings of Queen’s

PHOTO C/O LARRY SKELLY

McMaster defeated Queen’s in a 5-set win in Kingston this weekend, and is now tied with Western at the top of the OUA standings with 13 wins.

Men’s VOLLEYBALL

Mac knocks off Queen’s 3-2 for second time this season

FRASER CALDWELL SILHOUETTE STAFF

With less than a month remaining in their conference season, the McMaster Marauders men’s volleyball team kept their quest for OUA supremacy alive this past weekend, with victories over their heated divisional rivals, the Queen’s Gaels (23-25, 25-20, 25-13, 22-25, 15-8), and the cellar-dwelling RMC Paladins (25-13, 25-17, 25-23).

The wins bring the Marauders’ record to an impressive 12-2 on the season, good for a tie for top spot in the OUA standings with the surprising Western Mustangs. By extending their win streak to four games, McMaster also moves up a spot in the CIS national rankings to No. 5 in the country.

The Marauders’ two game road trip began with a marquee matchup on Friday night, with the Hamilton outfit meeting their long-time nemesis from Kingston. Not only

were crucial points on the line for both clubs, who are still jockeying for position in the tight upper echelons of the OUA, but the Gaels were undoubtedly out for revenge after being downed by the Marauders earlier this season, and spending much of the campaign in their considerable shadow.

As such, it is no surprise that Queen’s kicked off Friday’s encounter on top of their game, pushing the pace in an exceptionally tight first set, which would end on a knife’s edge at 23-25. However, despite the disappointment of losing such a close decision in the opener, McMaster showed great resiliency to storm into the lead, sealing the second frame 25-20 before putting on a master-class in the third to grab a two set lead at 25-13. Desperate not to lose the season series to their rivals, the Gaels remained determined, and forced a fifth and deciding period with a 22-25 victory in the fourth.

However, Queen’s would fall behind early in the abbreviated fifth frame, and proved unable to mount a comeback, with the Marauders winning the set and the match at 15-8. Shawn Bench led the attack for McMaster, racking up 21 points on 15 kills, four solo blocks, and two service aces. Jeremy Groenveld and Paul Podstawka chipped in 13 of their own, while Joren Zeeman topped the Gaels, and the game, with a grand total of 24 points.

Sunday’s game against the winless RMC Paladins was an entirely different affair, with McMaster resting the vast majority of its starters.

Despite the diluted line-up, the Marauders dominated the match from start to finish, winning the first two sets comfortably at 25-13 and 25-17 respectively. Only in the third did the Paladins mount something of a challenge, forcing their opponents to grind out a slender 25-23 victory to seal the game.

McMaster’s ginger giant,

Shayne Petrusma dominated the scoring charts, leading the team and the game with a total of 17 points on 11 kills, three aces, and three solo blocks.

Rookie hitter Kevin Stevens contributed seven points of his own, as the only starter to see consider-

SCOREBOARD Friday January 22nd

able action on the night.

With momentum clearly in their favour as the season winds down, the Marauders will welcome the mid-table Waterloo Warriors to Burridge Gym on Saturday night at 8 p.m. in search of their fifth consecutive victory.

13-2

Mac’s conference record this season, tied for 1st in the OUA

3-0

Mac’s record against Queen’s and Western, their rivals

#5

Mac’s CIS ranking, the only Ontario team in the top-10

4th

Mac’s finish at CIS nationals last season, their best

MCMASTER 3 QUEEN’S

2

Saturday January 23rd

McMaster 3 RMC

0

Next Game vs. Waterloo Warriors Saturday 8 p.m. Burridge Gym

Men’s BASKETBALL

Jeppesen leading the way for Mac BRIAN DECKER

Saturday January 23rd

WESTERN

64

McMaster 93 Wednesday January 27th

McMaster 83 GUELPH 76 Next Game vs. Waterloo Warriors Saturday 4 p.m. @ Waterloo

ough 93-64 beat down of the Western Mustangs and a solid 83-76 overtime road win over the scrappy Since falling on back-to-back nights Guelph Gryphons this week, it’s to the Lakehead Thunderwolves, easy to imagine that team well on McMaster has fallen out of the CIS its way back to contention. top-10 and hasn’t returned. And Keenan Jeppesen, Mac’s gohaving lost to all four Ontario teams to-guy all season, was huge in the in the top-10, it may be a while win over Guelph on Wednesday. before they can return to the ranks Jeppesen scored 33 points in a of the nation’s best teams. thrilling head-to-head duel with the It does seem like the team Gryphons’ Jay Mott, who poured in that went 9-0 in the preseason and 18 of his own. soundly beat ranked teams Ottawa After a back and forth game and St. Francis Xavier hasn’t been that was tight throughout the fourth around for a while. But after a thor- quarter, the Marauders dominated SPORTS EDITOR

overtime, coming out with a 7-0 run to open the extra period.

Breaking out with a career game on Wednesday was guard Jordan Tew, who scored a season high 19 points. The guard is one of the season’s major success stories, having recovered from devastating ACL and Achilles tears in high school to become a regular part of Head Coach Joe Raso’s rotation.

Said Raso of the rookie guard, “Jordan is a success story based on himself and our medical staff… he works so hard, and the team is happier for him than anyone else.”

Tew converted a layup while being fouled one minute into the extra session, making the free throw to give the Marauders a five-point lead they would not relinquish. The 6’2” Dundas native also produced a block to preserve a three-point lead with a minute remaining in the game.

Earlier in the week, Jeppesen faced his former team in the Western Mustangs for the first time. An MBA student in his final year of eligibility, Jeppesen played two • PLEASE SEE TWO-WIN, B9

B8 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Young Marauders learning from Smith

PHOTO C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

Jaklynn Nimec, a member of McMaster’s impressive young core, hit the game-clinching jumper in a 71-66 win over the Mustangs.

BRIAN DECKER SPORTS EDITOR

When Taylor Smith graduates, McMaster will certainly be feeling her absence. But as the team builds on its 10-5 record and looks toward the OUA and CIS playoffs, there is time for the veteran leader to teach her teammates a thing or two so they’re Saturday January 23rd

WESTERN

66

McMaster 71 Wednesday January 27th

McMaster 70 GUELPH Next Game vs. Waterloo Warriors Saturday 2 p.m. (away)

63

okay when she does eventually leave.

Over the past three weeks, McMaster’s young core of first and second year players has showed why it was so highly touted this summer, and that it is ready to give Smith a hand when the playoffs come around.

Coming on especially strong

of late has been NCAA transfer Hailey Milligan, whose 6’3” frame is tough to match in the paint. In a 70-63 win over the short-handed Guelph Gryphons, Milligan scored 20 points and added nine rebounds to pace the Marauders.

Taylor Chiarot, a third year forward, totaled 18 points and was brilliant in the first half against Guelph,

who dressed just eight players.

Rookies Nicole Rosenkranz and Jaklynn Nimec have been playing a significant role in the rotation, and have played big roles in a number of games alongside Chiarot and Milligan in the frontcourt.

When Mac was nursing a 67-66 lead and held the ball with 30 seconds left against the Western

Mustangs on Saturday, everybody in the building expected Smith to take the last shot.

Instead, it was the rookie Nimec who received a pass from Smith and knocked down game-clinching jumper.

The shot, or rather the shooter, was a surprise, to be sure. But for Head Coach Theresa Burns, having Nimec take the last shot was not a problem at all. “[Jaklynn] is on the verge of busting out. We know it, she knows it, it’s just a matter of time before she busts out and becomes a shooter in this league.”

The importance of taking the pressure of Smith, who hit five three pointers in the game and scored 23 points, was not lost on Nimec, a 6-footer out of Saltfleet High School.

“The pressure can’t always be on Taylor, and it’s always nice to beat Western,” the rookie commented after the game.

Rosenkranz was hurt on the first play of that game, but was still visibly the hardest working player on either team, bringing an effort that has boosted the Marauders’ success this season. The 6’0” rookie from Niagara Falls is averaging 10.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

Milligan was also strong against Western, scoring six straight points in the second quarter to stop a run that saw the Mustangs cut a 29-19 Marauder lead down to one point.

The number of players who have stepped up in recent weeks have been huge, but when all is said and done, Smith is the player who takes the kids to school. Leading the CIS and assists while averaging 20 points over her last five games, Smith is a bona fide MVP candidate in all facets of the game.

“When you have a veteran like Taylor Smith… she’s just helping those young players progress so much more quickly leading them out there on the floor,” said Burns earlier in the season.

While there are just seven games until the OUA Playoffs begin and the CIS national tournament comes to town, there is plenty of time for Mac’s young core to learn from their veteran leader. And if Burns is lucky, the likes of Rosenkranz, Nimec, Chiarot and Milligan will remember a thing or two.

THE SILHOUETTE • B9

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

MEET A MARAUDER

Jeremy Groenveld

BIO: Pos: 6’6” Outside Hitter Age: 22 Program: 3rd year Geog.

From: Welland, ON HS: Notre Dame College HIGHLIGHTS: Two-time OUA All-Star Two-time OUA Champ 5th in OUA kills/game 6th in OUA points/game CHRISTOPHER CHANG / SILHOUETTE STAFF

Volleyball All-Star hungry for medal at CIS nationals BRIAN DECKER FRASER CALDWELL Jeremy Groenveld is a part of Mac’s two-time defending OUA Champion volleyball team and a twotime OUA All-Star. The Sil’s Brian Decker and Fraser Caldwell sat down with the 6’6” outside hitter to get to know everything from his preference in wrapped sandwiches to the best memory from his 3+ years with the team.

The Sil: Pita or Burrito?

Jeremy Groenveld: Burrito. From Burrito Boys [In Toronto] TS: Ultimate Celebrity hookup?

JG: Holy cow. I’d say Jessica Alba TS: Favourite outside interest?

JG: Soccer. Big Liverpool fan.

TS: Best movie you’ve seen recently?

JG: Law Abiding Citizen.

TS: Favourite Spot on Campus?

JG: Burridge Gym. TS: Playing on your iPod right now?

JG: Rise Against. That’s my big thing before matches.

TS: Biggest prankster on the team?

JG: Tyler Santoni. Maybe Shawn Bench. One time at our house, Shawn covered our housemate’s entire room with tinfoil. Every item

in the room – including the bed

been our rival,

TS: Best moment or experience on the team?

JG: Winning quarterfinals at nationals last year.

TS: Goals for this season?

JG: National Medal. To win a semifinal match…. Obviously a national medal would be a good way to go out.

TS: Best thing about playing for [Head Coach] Dave Preston?

JG: He not only makes you a better volleyball player, but a better person. He prepares you for life and anything outside the court.

TS: Favourite away gym to play in?

JG: Queen’s.

TS: Toughest opponent to play against?

JG: Western and Queen’s are our biggest rival. Queen’s has always

TS: Most influential teammate?

JG: I loved playing with my brother [teammate Nathan, ’09 grad]. I learned a lot from him. He’s very intelligent with the game, he’s taught me a lot since I started playing in grade 9.

TS: Advice for a rookie?

JG: Work hard off the court as well.

It’s a physical game at university, and you can’t come in as a freshman without hitting the gym.

B10 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Victory over Lakehead pushes streak to eleven

Nederveen leads the way on route to being named Athlete of the Week Sunday January 24th

lakehead

0

Mcmaster 3

Next Game vs. Brock Badgers Friday 7:30 p.m. (away)

FRASER CALDWELL SILHOUETTE STAFF

With an astounding winning streak spanning 10 consecutive conference matches heading into this past weekend, the McMaster Marauders women’s volleyball squad extended this run with a routine straight-sets win over the Lakehead Thunderwolves (25-13, 25-16, 25-21) on Sunday afternoon.

The victory moves the team’s record to an OUA-leading 13-1 mark, with only five matches remaining in the conference season.

Despite this achievement, McMaster remains outside the CIS top-10 rankings, sitting in 11th.

Sunday’s encounter clearly showcased the Marauders’ considerable talents, as they thoroughly trounced the well-travelled Thunder Bay squad. McMaster elected to play the majority of their starters in the opening set, a move which resulted in a decidedly one-sided frame.

The Marauders jumped out to a large early lead, reaching a 6-1 score-line after a strong combination block from veterans Sarah Kiernan and Kaila Janssen. The Thunderwolves continually struggled to compete at the level of McMaster’s starlets, and a signature ace from Larissa Puhach would bring the set to 10-3. After emphatic kills from Janssen and second-year phenom Shannon McRobert, the Marauders entered the second technical timeout with a commanding nine point lead.

Two consecutive points from the stalwart Puhach brought the score to 20-9, before Kiernan’s strength at net, and a block-splitting effort from Margot Randall gave McMaster a set point. Meghan Jamieson would put the period to rest only two points later, blasting a kill off the Lakehead block to cap off a dominant set for the Marauders.

The second frame saw McMaster rest several of their starters, without any real change to the balance of play. After a close opening, the Marauders brought an 8-5 lead into the first technical timeout, when Jamieson hammered a kill off of a mistimed Thunderwolves’ dig.

From here, McMaster would go on

to win seven of the next eight points, reaching a 15-6 advantage thanks to the attacking prowess of Puhach, and the crafty defence of pint-sized libero Meagan Nederveen.

More errors from the Thunderwolves, and a massive combination block from Jamieson and Genevieve Dumas, stretched the Marauders’ advantage before a brief Lakehead resurgence in the dying stages of the set.

However, after clawing to within seven points of the home side, the Thunderwolves dumped an attack at net, and followed with a horribly misfired serve to gift the second frame to McMaster.

If they had been soundly beaten in the first two sets, Lakehead would redeem themselves in the third, holding the lead for much of the period before fading in the final moments.

After a slick set up from Nederveen had given the Marauders a 7-5 advantage, the Thunderwolves fought back to lead at the first technical timeout.

With McMaster struggling woefully into mid-set, and Lakehead simply lacking the skill to definitively seize the initiative, the result was a sloppy and ineffectual frame which saw the Marauders trail 14-16 at the second technical timeout.

However, despite their miscues, McMaster managed to raise their level of play in the late going, finally grabbing a lead at 18-17 after another Jamieson effort careened off Lakehead fingertips. Suddenly, the momentum was firmly back in the hands of the Marauders, and after Lauren Skelly rolled an effort off the block for set point, the Thunderwolves gifted the period and the match to their opponents by hitting the antenna.

Meagan Nederveen received the player of the game honours as well as female Athlete of the Week for McMaster on the strength of her stingy defensive effort and surprising playmaking prowess. Genevieve Dumas and Meghan Jamieson posted identical tallies of 10 points to lead the Marauders and the game in scoring.

Leading the OUA West rankings by four points, McMaster has the chance to effectively seal the Meagan Nederveen (4) and Meghan Jamieson (16) led the way for the Marauders against Lakehead. division in their favour this coming weekend. The women travel to Brock on Friday night to meet the Badgers, before returning to Burridge Gym on Saturday to take on the OUA’s second ranked team, the Waterloo Warriors at 6 p.m. in their last home game of the conference season.

PHOTO C/O LARRY SKELLY

THE SILHOUETTE • B11

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

MEN’S BASKETBALL

SQUASH

Two-win week for Marauders Mac qualifies for

OUA playoffs

DAVID KOOTS

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The McMaster men’s and women’s squash teams travelled to Toronto on the weekend for the OUA crossover event and after a series of hard fought matches, both squads earned a trip to the OUA Championship.

The men opened up the event with 4-2 wins over Queen’s and Toronto, before dropping their final contest to McGill 2-4.

The men’s effort was spearheaded by Ahmed Shohayeb and Hassan Muhammad in the number one and two spots, respectively.

Shohayeb won his first two matches handily, only dropping a single set in the process. Against McGill he failed to take a set against the team’s talented top player.

Muhammad overcame an injury to win his match against McGill and remain perfect with his third victory of the weekend.

Second-year Michael Fong PHOTO C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

Second year Marauder Cam Michaud averaged 16.2 points over his first four starts at power forward.

• CONT’D FROM B7 seasons with the Mustangs, leading them to last year’s CIS semifinal game. The Stoney Creek native led the Marauders with 22 points and 11 rebounds.

Raso said that the game, which was much closer than the score would indicate through the first half, was decided when his team went to Jeppesen on offence.

“Sometimes I have to introduce our guys to Keenan… this is the man, and he has to touch the ball. It’s gonna be too late when he leaves, and you’ll miss him.”

The third quarter saw Mac blow the game wide open with a 21-2 run, a momentum shift that started with Mustangs star Andrew Wedemire fouling out with just 10 points. It was arguably McMaster’s finest half of the season,

which saw them share the ball, play solid team defence and knock down shots that just haven’t been falling lately.

“Sometimes we let our ego get in front of our brains… it wasn’t until the second half when we started playing more as a team that we had some more success,” said Raso after the game.

Still, if anyone can find things that need to be worked on in a 30point win, it’s Raso, who understands the team still has a lot of work to do if it wants to contend in the playoffs.

“In the first half [we] were doing things that aren’t their strengths,” said the longtime coach of his players, who noted that the Marauders did a better job of taking advantage of mismatches in the second half.

A return to the top-10 for the Marauders, who sit at 9-6 and in third place in the stacked OUA West, will require a continuation of their modest three game winning streak over division opponents. One of those games takes place this Saturday against the 8-7 Waterloo Warriors this Saturday in Waterloo.

With the losses to their top-10 rivals, no one is going to prematurely crown the Marauders national title contenders just yet.

But if there is one thing the team can learn from Jordan Tew, it’s that being down doesn’t mean you’re out. With Jeppesen leading the way and a versatile supporting cast in tow, this team is far from out, and looking to get back to being ranked among the country’s best teams.

had Mac’s other victory against the solid team from McGill. Fong was one game away from going 3-0 for the weekend.

“Michael Fong at number four played aggressive, accurate squash and pushed his opponent around the court to the point of complete frustration,” said Head Coach Darryl White.

The women did not have the same problems when dealing with the team from Montreal.

After dropping their first game to Queen’s 1-5, Mac came back and beat McGill by a score of 4-2.

Against Queen’s, Shannon Galea was the lone Marauder to win her match. She would also pick up a win against McGill to give her a perfect weekend.

The remaining matches were won by fourth-year Sunayna Gupta and rookies Megan Raczkowski and Kathleen Buck The OUA Championships are to be held on Feb. 13 and 14 at the University of Waterloo.

B12 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

HEALTH

production office: extension 27117

in partnership with SHEC

Loving someone from a distance Long-distance relationships require communication and trust JESSICA LYDIATE SILHOUETTE STAFF

E

verybody seems to have an opinion about long-distance relationships, and many people either subtly or openly show disdain for them. For example, you introduce your dad to the new guy in your life and he says, “He seems nice, but he is leaving.” Or, you mention the possibility of a long distance relationship to your friend and he says, “I could never do that, how do you trust someone when they are that far away?”

At least today’s separated lovebirds can use email, phone, and video-chat to connect instantly in real time. In the not too distant past, long distance relationships were sustained with heart-felt letters in the mail, or perhaps delivered by a messenger pigeon, if you were really lucky. Long-distance relationships are manageable as long as some basic elements are present.

Firstly, trust is of the utmost importance. Trust is an integral part of any healthy relationship, but when your partner is far away, possibly in another country, it is harder to suppress neurotic worrying, and a bit easier to imagine your loved one in compromising situations. Making sure your partner is trustworthy, establishing an open and honest relationship with him or her, and having faith in your own ability to make good decisions are all important elements of long-distance relationships.

Communication is another challenge in a long-distance relationship. You want to be able to connect with your partner often, but you also want to avoid having forced conversations and being frustrated with one another when you cannot think of anything to talk about. Long distance relationships involve a lot of verbal communication because other intimate activities typical of romantic relationships are limited.

Be honest about when you want to talk and when you are not into it.

Also, search the Internet for long-distance relationship activities. There are a wide range of suggestions, from watching a movie simultaneously, to sexy-phone or video dates, to making characters in second-life and going on virtual dates. Although it has its downfalls, being in a long-distance relationship tends to make people learn to communicate well verbally, since you cannot use physical distractions to avoid points of conflict. You also have the benefit of more time to compose yourself and evaluate each situation to ensure that you behave appropriately in tense situations.

Despite their challenges, longdistance relationships have their perks. Anticipation makes spending time together seem more precious and exciting. You can easily maintain your individuality and not be crowded by the relationship.

You do not have to feel guilty if you are busy with other things and only have time to talk on the phone at night. These benefits might be

JONATHON FAIRCLOUGH / SILHOUETTE STAFF

What did people do before Skype? Having spicy video chats is one way to keep the romance alive over a distance.

especially valuable for students, who are often over-committed. In a long distance relationship you are less likely to feel like you need to choose between spending time with friends and time with your partner.

However, all these benefits can lead to a potential downfall if they become the driving force behind the relationship and create the temp-

tation to leave the relationship as long distance indefinitely. The goal of a long-distance relationship is the same as any other long-term relationship–to grow closer with your partner and potentially spend your lives together. Spending time face-to-face with your partner and eventually being in the same place is hopefully the desired outcome of

any long-distance relationship.

Though it might be a new and challenging step, being together and exploring a more intimate relationship should be exciting. Long-distance relationships can work; with some effort, communication, and a sprinkling of exciting encounters, they just might result in something special.

Water is the magic cure for hangovers Did you JESSICA LYDIATE SILHOUETTE STAFF

The morning after, or some time in the middle of the night, you wake up with a splitting headache and a terrible feeling in your stomach.

You groan and whine, “I am so hungover!”

Everyone you know will advise you on a different way to cure your hangover. Most remedies involve drinking lots of water, eating something, and sleeping. Drinking water is very important, as your headache is likely the result of dehydration. Alcohol increases the rate at which water leaves your body and causes you to become dehydrated.

Drink a few glasses of water right away when you wake up with a hangover. Do not expect to feel instantly better when you hydrate yourself, but know that drinking water is a crucial first step in getting rid of your hangover. You can even potentially prevent a hangover by drinking water before you go to sleep drunk. Many people also recommend a bottle of Gatorade on a hangover-ridden morning, as it is full of electrolytes that help restore salts to your body.

Eating can also aid your recovery from a hangover. Hangovers often include feelings of nausea, so try and eat something easy on your stomach. Lots of people find that bland items, like bananas or bread, do the trick. If you have a slightly bigger appetite, or feel daring, you could even try eating a meal. Lots of people have morning-after meals

they claim cures their hangover blues. Some common ones that are convenient for McMaster students are pancakes or French toast at Pancake Houses and waffles or the “Egg McMaster” at Commons. Just like drinking water, eating something before you go to sleep can also help prevent waking up with a hangover the next morning.

Sleep is your friend if you are suffering from a hangover. This strategy mostly applies to people who are sleep deprived from the night before. Many drunk people tend to suffer from sleep depravation, as being intoxicated prevents individuals from entering the deep sleep phase of the sleep cycle. If you wake up after just a few hours sleep, try to have a drink and a snack and then get back to bed for a few more hours.

If you wake up hungover after a full night’s sleep (eight hours or more), then get out of bed, even if you feel groggy. Grab some water, eat a meal, and try and get on with your daily routine. Lounging in bed is not likely to make you feel that much better. In fact, some sources suggest that exercise may help you beat your hangover. Just make sure that if you hit the gym, you are properly hydrated first.

Hangover cures come in all shapes and sizes. If you hear one you like, think it sounds reasonable, and are certain it is safe then give it a try. However, if you really want to avoid a nasty hangover in the morning, the only thing to do is drink The doctor orders a tall glass of water as a remedy for your hangover. less or avoid alcohol altogether.

WILL VAN ENGEN / PHOTO EDITOR

know?

Heavy legs is characterized by an unpleasant sensation of pain and heaviness in the lower limbs. Legs may appear swollen or feel very tired. Students may suffer from heavy legs, as it is often caused by long periods of sitting or lack of exercise. Many of the students who spend hours hunched over their books in Mills, Health Sciences, or Thode certainly fit that description.

Heavy legs may also be caused by venous insufficiency, which can be accompanied by varicose veins or thread veins. Others believe that the condition is caused by cellulite.

Heavy legs seems to primarily affect people in France, with the French consuming well over a third of the entire world’s supply of heavy legs medicine. Remedies for heavy legs are fairly holistic including tea, essential oil massages, and walking in the sea. Other treatments are wearing compression products like support stockings and taking water tablets, which are diuretics.

Dr. Auber, a Parisian GP, says that heavy legs is one of the most commonly seen illnesses in the entire country. Due to the small demographic that it affects, many medical practitioners believe that “heavy legs” is in fact only a sign of hypochondria, meaning it has no medical basis. However, if being diagnosed with heavy legs can get you a perscription to walk in the sea or for a massage, it may be worth the trip to the doctor.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

BUSINESS

production office: extension 27117

THE SILHOUETTE • C1

business@thesil.ca

Digital digest Online subscriptions may leave print out in the cold SANTINO MARINUCCI

BUSINESS EDITOR

There is a common understanding that with the accessibility of the Internet, there will be less of a need for paper books, magazines and newspapers. This idea has been scaring the publishing industry for years now, because with the ease of access to free online content people are becoming deterred from actually buying a newspaper and reading it.

According to The Toronto Star, “The U.S newspaper industry has sold an average of 44 million copies a day last year which was the lowest in 60 years. This shows that there has been a significant decline with newsprint media over the past few years with the accessibility of free online news.

This trend has been noticed primarily in the U.S newspaper industry, when its smaller neighbour Canada experiences profitable growth.”

So what can readers expect for the future of newsprint? According to the Newspaper Association of America, there will be an increased effort to try and make money from its online content. This means that newspaper organizations are turning to tech giants like Google (NYSE: GOOG) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) to help in their quest for changing the face of online news.

Google has been the most proactive in the hunt for new ways of improving the purchase of online material. They have suggested the idea of using its e-commerce system, Google Checkout, as a potential avenue for internet consumers to pay for news subscriptions. The other methods of purchase that were suggested by the search engine giant include micropayments for individual stories, which would be ideal for consumers who do not want subscriptions to certain publications.

Google also suggested that they would present their news content on their website and provide the user with links to news sites that the individual has a subscription to. The material provided would also be available for a preview if they do not have a subscription.

The full content and special information

National Money: see C4

would be restricted to those with a subscription. This content would include exclusive stories, investigative reports, and columns.

However, older news content along with breaking news will be available for viewing after the story has becomes old.

If every company decides to restrict content then it may force customers to pay for the news. However, this plan will not work if only a few newspapers charge online fees.

What is stopping anyone from going out and finding the same thing for free that the newspapers would be charging for?

Apple’s new iSlate is attempting to carve out a new niche in the way users digest content, in an attempt to circumvent the print medium.

The business model that Apple is looking at using for the downloadable online news content would be similar to that of the iTunes store. Apple would start offering individual articles from different publishers and the user would pay a small fee, depending on the size and type of article.

However, the revenue generated by potential online subscriptions to US newspapers may not be enough to save the future of American news giants.

The biggest challenge that most of the big publishing companies face is how to sell the online content that was previously free.

This will difficult because of the abundance of free material currently present, challenging companies to keep readers on subscriptions and purchasing physical papers when they can attain it other places.

The New York Times failed when it tried to charge for online subscriptions in 2007. All eyes are on The Times, since they plan on charging for online content again in 2011.

This time they may potentially use paywall technology.

The newspaper has been an iconic centerpiece for journalists to write in and voice their opinion in for decades. It has also been synonymous with everyday life to the point that it would be strange without it. The future of print is in limbo as new forms of digesting material digitally become readily available, nonetheless, the spirit of journalism will live on.

Bull & Bear: see C3

Stock Challenge: see C2

GTF: see C4

C2 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

around the globe

Raging bull

United States

Every time I pick up the paper, there is some piece of news reminding everyone how China is slowly taking over the world.

More recently, they have been garnering attention because of their red hot economy (no pun intended) and record economic growth.

However, this impressive development has been perpetuating the idea among western analysts that China’s economic bubble is going to burst and that they will face the same financial fate as their friends across the Pacific.

Let me tell you, this will not be the case.

China has managed to successfully administer an efficient way of managing its economy, in the midst of a global recession. This seriously

Motorola Inc. (NYSE:MOT: US) has filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission, accusing Research in Motion Ltd (TSX:RIMM: US), the maker of the Blackberry, of, “unfair trade practices and the infringement of five patents,” which Motorola claims they had developed first. They claim that Blackberry lifted their patents in the areas of Wi-Fi access, application management, user interface, and power management. Motorola also claims that all Blackberry models infringe at least one Motorola patent.

China

As the Chinese economy runs wild with accelerated growth, the Peoples Bank of China is taking steps to cool the rising inflation creeping up on the market. The bank announced that they would be increasing the yield on threemonth bills sold to financial institutions. This would encourage firms to hold their assets.

BOC is changing their lending policies amid their unprecedented growth following their stimulus plan.

makes me think that a market run by the state may be best.

Now, before you label me a Commie-sympathizer, hear me out.

China has managed to sustain its growth through a tightly controlled economy.

These controls include a constant devaluing of its currency so that China can stay competitive amongst world markets. This ensures long-term economic growth and prosperity by making their goods cheap for us to buy.

Analysts have also extended their fears regarding China’s real estate market and rising wages among factory workers. They speculate that increased wages and affordable housing could inflate a bubble, potentially hurting the

economy. However these concerns are easily dismissed when looking at Chinese culture, which promotes saving instead of spending. Unlike the Americans who notoriously spend their pay checks and live outside of their means.

There are always exceptions to the fact though, and there have been instances of rapid increases in property prices in select cities within China. However, this cannot represent the country as a whole.

The reason I say that China’s economy will not follow the same fate as western models is mainly because it is not built on a western laissez-faire foundation, thus making China’s economics inherently different than what we have seen in Canada or the United States.

That being said, their economic growth is unprecedented so it is hard to gauge exactly how that will affect the country.

This is mainly because of how their political structure is managed and how they mesh communist ideology with capitalism, considered, “communism with Chinese characteristics”.

All-in-all, the massive growth witnessed in China is remarkable.

No matter which way you spin it, the potential for an enormous middle class within this country is inevitable; maybe even the potential for a middle class as big as the U.S of A. But the stars and stripes will never admit that.

• Santino Marinucci

Soft skills

Negotiate like a pro

Germany

At the next financial summit in Canada, officials will discuss what caused the financial crisis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel plans on suggesting that a law surrounding executive payment be brought forward at the G8 that would enforce the top banks in the country to impose self discipline on pay for executives.

This would mean that bankers would be able to set their own paycheques, without government interference.

Japan

Japan’s national bank has opted to keep interest rates at the low rate of 0.1 per cent. This follows actions taken by other national financial institutions such as The Bank of Canada and the Federal Reserve. The Japanese fear that if interest rates rise too quickly their economy could dip back into recession.

Keeping the rates low should increase spending. The Bank of Canada and the Federal Reserve are currently holding their interest rates at 0.25 per cent.

Greece

Greece had an $11 billion debt sale on Jan. 26 in an attempt to avoid the risk of a credit downgrade. This comes to curb the government’s largely uncontrollable debt problem in an attempt to lower the deficit of 12.7 per cent of GDP. The debt sale is an attempt to improve the country’s cash flow, while minimizing their liabilities.

CHRISTOPHER CHANG / SILHOUETTE STAFF

How to haggle: The one skill that can make or break a deal Santino Marinucci Business Editor

Whether you are working out a high profile deal, haggling for that extra 20 cents at the farmers market, or trying to convince your parents how much more money you need for rent this month, the art of negotiation is vital to everyone’s life.

Watching Donald Trump on television may seem like all of the knowledge you need when going into a hard negotiation deal, but there is more to negotiating than intimidation and bad wigs. When you are about to get yourself into a negotiation you must have a clear set of objectives and goals that you want to get out of the other party to achieve success.

When negotiating a deal you must always go into it with a set

break point, so essentially whatever the lowest possible price you’re willing to settle for. Establishing this at the beginning of the deal will set a clear goal to the person you are negotiating with and you will have a greater chance of getting what you want.

Now onto the fun stuff, what price should you actually start at?

Should you be reasonable? The answer is no, be extreme. You never know what you might get if you set your price a little higher or lower when negotiating a deal. You might actually get what you want.

This is important because the worst that could happen is that the other person thinks you’re unreasonable, but that does not mean you are out of the deal. If anything they will think you are gutsy.

Before you go to negotiate,

Think you’re a business guru?

Strut your stuff in the

educate yourself on the item you are trying to get a deal on. Good research is vital to successful negotiating. Let’s say you are trying to get that new iPod touch you have always wanted but don’t want to shell out the $375 dollars for it at the store. Simply start by saying that another store is offering the exact same product for $20 cheaper (this works better with smaller stores).

Always bring proof. A printout of the price to show the seller increases your chances because it shows that you are in fact serious. At this point they will either turn you down, or match the price from the other store. Sometimes they will even give you a better price than the other store if they are competitors.

The other important thing when working out a deal is to know what you have to offer when entering a

negotiation. Does the price you are offering pose an interest to the person or does it push them away?

When you know who needs the other person more, it is easier to negotiate (especially if they need you) and come to an agreement closer to what you were looking for.

In this example it would be obvious that the store would have more to lose than you by dropping their price. Especially since their ‘lowest’ price is set at $375. They may be less likely to budge, potentially leaving you out of luck.

If worse comes to worst and you cannot get the person down to what you are negotiating for, then just walk away. Knowing your lowest price is the most important step when negotiating. Chances are if you walk away they may call you back and reconsider.

$500 in Prizes! • Free to Join!

Silhouette Stock Challenge! Enter now!

Are you convinced that you are the next Warren Buffet? Do you look for high payouts and dividends like it is your job? Here is your chance to prove it. We are looking for students like you to participate in The Silhouette’s Stock Market Challenge.

The challenge will be hosted online by Wall Street Survivor. Traders get $100,000 in fantasy money to buy any common stock, preferred stock, or ETF listed on NYSE, NASDAQ, or AMEX exchange. The trading is done with a 15 minute delay and all prices and commodities are identical to the ones you see in the paper every day.

This is your chance to get you and your

friends together to duke it out for bragging rights on who is the best trader. On the site there are friend lists and posting functions similar to Facebook. You can taunt, trade tips or ask questions about what stocks are hot or not, whatever will increase your chances winning.

The trader with the most money at the end of the competition will win $300 at Best Buy, with the next two receiving $100 each.

Only registered McMaster students may play. The Silhouette Fantasy Stock Challenge will take place from Tuesday January 26 to Monday March 1 2010. So be sure to get your account registered and start trading today. Let the games begin.

$300 Best Buy Gift Certificate for 1st place $100 Best Buy Gift Certificate for 2nd and 3rd Follow your portfolio weekly in the Sil Business Section!

Steps to join: It is pretty easy to sign up, just follow these simple steps and you’re on your way to making cold hard fictional cash.

Go to the Wall Street Survivor website: https://www.wallstreetsurvivor.com/Public/Members/Register.aspx Fill out your personal information in the boxes provided; choose Canada as your country and Hamilton as your city.

You must register with a valid McMaster email address and handle.

You must enter ‘silbiz’ as the promo code. Otherwise you will not be able to compete.

You will then be sent an email confirming that you have set up an account, from here click the, “confirm registration” link.

From here you will be able to start trading immediately, making you one step closer to the sweet smell of a $300 gift certificate.

If you have any questions, send us an email: business@thesil.ca.

THE SILHOUETTE • C3

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

executive silhouettes

From the boardroom to the classroom

the water cooler

Compiled by Simon Granat & Santino Marinucci

Just missed the big one As of the fourth quarter of 2009, the Bank of England believes that their economy is out of the woods. This is likely due to the bank’s increased purchasing of bonds, and pegging the interest rate at 0.25 per cent.

Economists believe that the economy has bounced back 3 per cent from last year.

Digging a Deeper Hole The latest federal report conducted showed that Canada recorded a $4.4 billion deficit in November. Officials believe that this is the result of the recent recession that has hit Canada. This brings the total current deficit to $36.3 billion.

Google founders cash in Google (NYSE: GOOG) co-founders plan on cashing in 5 million of their shares in the tech giant. This move will lower their holdings in Google to less than 50 per cent. It will also allow the founders to diversify their stock portfolios. They plan on pulling out slowly over time to reduce the impact on the market.

5 million Google shares are worth the equivalent to $2.75 billion.

They’re selling cars somewhere General Motors (NYSE: GM) plans on constructing a new automotive plant in China to meet the rising growth in that country. GM also forecasts that they will sell more than 2 million units this year in China to meet the increasing demand for cars in the country. Last year, GM sold 1.83, more than any other manufacturer.

CHRISTOPHER CHANG / SILHOUETTE STAFF

Former Otis CEO sets the record straight on business Santino Marinucci Business Editor

Santino Marinucci: You graduated with a bachelor of science degree, how did you find your way into business?

Ed Minich: When I graduated high school my goal was to go into medicine, I wanted to be a doctor. At the time most medical schools, to get in they wanted a science degree the McMaster medical school was just being built then when I was on campus and it was a little different, it wasn’t a negative to have a science degree. They would accept any degree but anyways to cover my bases, science was the way to go.

And as far as how I found business it was kind of by accident, I was engaged and I met my wife at Mac in my second year and we were going to get married and I thought okay, “I’m not going into medicine got to do something, what am I going to do? I think I’m going to get my MBA” But then there were not a lot of MBA’s in the world especially not in Canada. Mine was either the second or third class.

I ended up at Otis which was really by chance. They were recruiting on campus and I thought I’ll go and went down there so I interviewed with the VP and he made me an offer and I accepted and boom. I was hired the next day and thirty years later retired from Otis. So business was kind of accidental.

SM: Was getting your MBA hard without any business background?

EM: No, because business is not rocket science, I don’t think business is conceptually or intellectually difficult compared to science or engineering.

So how do you make a business curriculum difficult? Pile on the work and see how everyone handles it. Pile on the volume so it requires everyone to be organ-

ized in order to survive. So you have to be organized and you have to set aside time and you cannot go to the pub every night, well you can but you’re going to fail.

SM: What is the value of a business degree to you?

EM: It’s like the value of any degree, it teaches you how to think it teaches you discipline, it teaches you how to analyze business issues and it gives you a vocabulary in which you communicate.

Business gives you the tools to come up with a conclusion, it is not like mathematics where the solution is always clear cut, in business there may be multiple solutions, the trick is to pick the best.

SM: When you sit down at the end of the day what drives you to get up again in the morning?

EM: What gets me going in the morning is that there are a variety of things that I want to do. I always wanted to teach and I always wanted to do what I’m doing right now. I teach because like to teach, and I tell my class every semester that if I have fun, I’m going to come back next semester, and if it’s a drag, I’m not coming back.

So I look forward to everyday because there is a lot of stuff to do. I’m involved with the building of the new hospital in Oakville and I’m doing a lot of fundraising for that, I’m fundraising for the new Ron Joyce center in Burlington and MBA school. But I don’t think I’ll ever retire.

I think you just need to challenge yourself, you need to be engaged and stimulated by something because otherwise why get up in the morning?

SM: What qualities would you look for when hiring a recent graduate?

EM: I look first and foremost for en-

Bear:

Capital Financial Group (NYSE: COF)

What’s in your portfolio? Well it probably isn’t Capital One. The credit card company’s stock plummeted on Jan. 21, 2010 when they released their fourth quarter numbers for 2009.

While the numbers were higher than Wall St. expected, share prices fell around 20 per cent, from just shy of $43 (USD) when the report was released, leaving the stock just over $35 on Jan. 25, 2010. Investors abandoned ship reportedly because of Capital One’s declining margins and forecasts that the industry would shrink in the next two years. But I think I’ve found out the secret reason why shareholders sold.

They’re sending a message: no more Viking commercials.

thusiasm, and passion; people who see life as being a glass half full, not a glass half empty. I think that a graduate, in any discipline, will have basic knowledge, and I know that you can have a certain degree of smarts. If you have an MBA you had to do a certain amount to get accepted and to pass.

Who has got drive and persistence?

That’s how you will succeed in life. No matter what it is. You just won’t quit. And that’s critical.

SM: Do you do any philanthropic work?

EM: Yes, I’ve given money to a lot of things and raised money for a lot of things.

One is McMaster, because [my wife and I] went there and all of our kids went there ; it has been good to us, and without McMaster I would not have achieved what I have achieved in life.

The other focus is the vnew Oakville hospital. The new hospital is going to be transformational for this town. Nothing in the last twenty years and nothing in the next twenty years is going to be as significant as this new hospital. That’s just a fact for Oakville.

Giving back is just so satisfying, people are so appreciative. It just blows you over. I encourage everyone to do that. The earlier you do that the better.

SM: Is there anything else you’d like to say to McMaster students?

EM: You have a world-class education at McMaster. Without question. Would you get a better education at Harvard? No. I’ve recruited at Harvard, I would know.

So my message is: it’s up to you it’s always up to you what happens in this life, where you go from here it is always up to you.

You’ve got a world-class education.

It’s what you do.

Goldman slices bonuses Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS: US) plans on capping the bonuses of its London employees at £1 million. This move was prompted by public outcry when bankers received outrageous bonuses. This comes at the heels of recent legislation by the British Government threatening to cap salaries.

More fat cat bank bonuses James Gorman, CEO of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS: US), the second largest bank in the US, was given a share bonus worth an estimated $8.6 million (USD). On top of that he will be given restricted shares valued at $5.7 million. He may receive more in 2013, if he meets company targets.

Broker gets 5 years for fraud A broker from Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS: US), a world leading financial services company, was found guilty of illegally selling subprime mortgages to its clients.

Eric Butler, whose shenanigans have cost investors an estimated $1.1 billion, was sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Toyota takes a tumble Toyota Canada (TOYOF) has issued a recall on eight different car models across the country. Toyota cited a sticking accelerator pedal as the problem. The recall will affect about 270,000 vehicles. Models affected are the Highlander, Tundra, Sequoia, Avalon, Rav4, Corolla and Matrix. Toyota will also stop production in North American industries for the week of Feb. 1 until the production problems have been resolved.

Yahoo bounces back Yahoo (NYSE:YHOO) reported earnings of over $153 million this quarter. This is a significant increase from last year’s quarter at this time, when the company lost just over $303 million. These gains are likely due to the hiring Carol Bartz as CEO just over a year ago.

Bull:

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.B) Who isn’t bullish on the Oracle of Omaha?

Long time investment king Warren Buffett’s Investment Company is looking particularly attractive right now. On Jan. 21, 2010 they split their class B share prices 50:1, dropping them from around $3,400 to about $70 a share. This will facilitate Hathaway’s acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company. Buffett claims that the move will equalize the benefits of the railway deal between small and large shareholders. He does not believe that the deal will be wildly profitable in the near future, however he feels that it will be widely profitable in the long run. If you have time to spare, bank on Buffett.

C4 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2010

FROM THE GOULD TRADING FLOOR

Exiting the Great Recession OMAR MASUD

GOULD TRADING FLOOR

On Jun. 18, 2008 after years of gains the S&P/TSX Composite Index finally broke through the 15,000 mark, a significant psychological barrier. Unfortunately, it was destined not to be. Within a matter of days, the market had taken a nose dive. Falling close to 50 per cent and the TSX reached historic lows of 7591.47, only to rise up again, reaching 11,343.43 six months later.

While Canada and the world certainly have come a long way since those days of epic uncertainty, it remains far from clear to experts as to the direction the economy or the equity markets will go.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects growth of 2.9 per cent in the world economy for 2010. As credit flows are now starting to increase, consumer confidence is returning and unemployment numbers are stabilizing in developed economies.

Policymakers have their hopes pinned on companies finally being able to raise funds in newly liquid markets, allowing them to invest and rebuild inventories driven down during the height of the recession.

As manufacturing operations recover, unemployment figures will likely improve. This will increase consumer confidence and solidify the economic recovery. Since con-

sumers are the driving force behind most major world economies, even the slightest increase in confidence will help propel the economy to safer ground.

This optimism is not shared by everyone. In its preliminary “World Economic Situation and Prospectus” report, the United Nations warns that, “much of the rebound in the real economy is due to the strong fiscal stimulus provided by governments in a large number of developed and developing countries.”

The danger is that as stimulus measures expire, consumer demand and investment may still be too weak to support the private sector, exponentially increasing the probability of a second recession.

Renowned economist, Nouriel Roubini also points out that as the U.S. “Fed is holding short-term interest rates near zero… Investors and speculators are borrowing dollars cheaply and using them to buy various assets.” This results in rising asset prices with the potential to fuel another bubble which could burst once interest rates start to rise.

Clearly the economy in 2010 will be desperately dependent on the direction of government policy.

Central Banks will have to maintain a delicate balance between ensuring stimulus measures are taken out in a timely fashion while providing adequate support to the economy in order to guarantee that growth does not stall.

Gould Trading Floor Market Outlook • In the United States, analysts expect the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank to release figures for manufacturing activity showing a strong rebound in the sector. Likewise, statistics on national durable goods orders are expected to show a 2 per cent increase, up from 0.2 per cent a month earlier, confirming signs of sustained economic growth.

Annualized quarter-over-quarter economic growth is thought to have accelerated in the fourth quarter to 4.6 per cent, up from 2.2 per cent a quarter earlier.

Q4 earnings releases this week: • Canadian announcements of note include Canadian National Railway Co., Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., and Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan.

• Prominent American announcements include Verizon Communications Inc., E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Johnson & Johnson, Boeing, Caterpillar Inc., Microsoft Corp., and Chevron Corp.

NATIONAL MONEY

Rise of CPI sparks inflation

AVA DIDEBAN / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

REMEK DEBSKI SIL ANALYST

January 18 to 22 was a busy week in the Canadian economic calendar. The week started with some big numbers posted in Canada’s international transactions and security reports. The dominant transactions were in favour of private sector and government bonds.

Statistics Canada released that $10.5 billion worth of these securities were purchased. Canadians purchased $2.4 billion in foreign securities. US government debt dominated these transactions for Canadian investors.

Tuesday’s big release was the Leading Indicators. All 10 components showed positive growth for a total of 1.5 per cent in December. The dominant indicators were household spending and the stock market. The index has been growing for the seventh session with the October numbers posting at 1.3 per cent.

With such strong all around growth, this Friday’s GDP number is predicted to show the economy’s continued expansion. Analysts are hoping for a 0.3 per cent gain for November, a POP of 0.1 points

How the new HST tax will affect students SIMON GRANAT BUSINESS EDITOR

Tax may be the most contentious act possible by a government.

When faced with a tea tax, the good ol’ Yanks threw their tea into the Boston Harbour, and when the British tried to impose a Salt Tax in India, Ghandi marched to sea.

Up here in the Great White North, we have historically sat idly by when it comes to taxation. Sure, we may not like it. We may vote against it; but compared to other countries when it comes to taxation, we just let it happen.

On Jun. 1, 2010 Ontarians will face new tax laws. The Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) will combine and replace both the General Sales Tax (GST) and Provincial Sales Tax (PST).

Instead of paying separate PST and GST charges, consumers will pay one tax.

In addition, what will be taxed will change. Currently, some things are subject to both taxes, some just GST, and some items, like food stuffs, are not taxed.

Some items will not be subject to the HST and will not have any sales tax. They include, basic foodstuffs, condo fees, rent, prescription drugs, medical devices, child care products, books and feminine hygiene products.

Other items will be exempt from a portion of the HST tax. They are, newspapers, prepared foods that total less than $4 and homes sold for less than $400,000.

Many items will be taxed fully under the newly implemented HST. This includes some items that were not taxed before.

The Ontario government claims

that the new tax will, “eliminate hidden tax” on some consumer products. Currently, manufactured goods are taxed 8 per cent at each step of the process before and when they are sold to consumers.

For instance in the process of mining nickel: the mining company would be charged 8 per cent for mining, another 8 per cent for transportation, 8 per cent for processing and finally another 8 per cent when the finished good is sold to consumers. With the HST, businesses will be credited for the tax they pay. The 8 per cent will only be applied to consumers at the time of sale.

The Ontario Liberal Government hopes that less tax will attract, or at the very least, keep business in Ontario. They claim that it will create jobs, contribute to economic growth and lower the price of consumer goods.

Critics argue that the HST will offload taxes from businesses to consumers. It is expected that the cost of goods will rise. However, the rise inflation will be softened by lower operating costs for business which will help keep the price of goods low. TD Financial Group predicts that the new tax will inflate the Consumer Price Index by 0.7 per cent.

How will the tax affect me?

Subjected to the new Tax: Gasoline, tobacco, bicycles, heating, personal services, hydro, electrical, price new homes over $400,000.

Things that will stay the same: Books, basic food, children’s products, and consumer goods that were previously taxed by both GST and PST.

adian Price Index up to December.

This follows the 1.0 per cent increase in CPI up to November and is the largest increase since February 2009. Stats Canada contributes the rise to gasoline prices – reporting an increase of 25.6 per cent since last year. Transportation costs had the largest influence in the last 12 months – 4.7 per cent increase since December 2008. Of the eight components, six saw increases in the last 12 months. Clothing and footwear costs declined 1.3 per cent overall following a mild increase in November. Shelter costs declined 1.7 per cent over the year.

This decline is mainly attributed to the lower costs of natural gas and mortgage interest costs.

January 25 to 29 will be a busy week in US economics. Some expectations are a decline in existing home sales along with a monthover-month decrease in housing prices.

The decline in existing homes sales will be slightly combated by an increase in new home sales, if analyst predictions are correct later in the week. A further positive spin in US economics is that the Fed is expected to maintain interest rates at 0.25 per cent.

Banking on a recovery ALEX JAMKODJIAN

THE SILHOUETTE

To tax or not to tax?

over October’s 0.2 per cent increase.

The other significant release Tuesday was the Bank of Canada Overnight Rate – the rate at which Canadian banks and other financial institutions lend each other money.

The Bank has decided to maintain its 0.25 per cent rate and will do so until the second quarter of this year. They hope this will help the economy on its return to full capacity in the third quarter of 2011– it is currently operating at 3.25 per cent. The Bank hopes that maintaining its interest rate will stabilize inflation to its 2 per cent target.

The January 19 report details that the economy will grow in 2010. It expects 2.9 per cent economic growth as financial conditions improve, and as consumer confidence as well as overall global growth increase. It seems the strength of the Canadian dollar and low overall US demand in Canadian exports will be factors slowing down growth. The private sector is expected to be the driving force in economic growth through 2011.

Inflation was the dirty word Wednesday. Stats Canada posted a 1.3 per cent increase in the Can-

September 2008 may be remembered for the American housing slump that unexpectedly became an epic global recession.

Not since the Great Depression has the world experienced an economic event on such a widespread scale. Housing prices began their decline in a select number of cities, while American financial institutions would never have guessed the implosion in property prices that was to follow.

Collapsing real estate value led to millions of mortgage defaults by over-leveraged, debt laden consumers. Financial institutions in the United States and around the world were left with trillions of dollars worth of assets they couldn’t cover. Banks, investment advisors, insurers, brokerages, and retail investors extensively leveraged funds to amplify gains when times were good. Overinvestment meant that when it all fell apart, the losses would be much larger as well.

As a result, losses on assets including mortgages and consumer credit ballooned. The securitization and re-securitization of these assets, along with the use of derivatives such as credit default swaps in highly speculative positions by financial institutions such as AIG only complicated things.

To loosely gauge the effect of 2008’s economic crisis on the financial sector, we can study five of America’s largest surviving financial institutions: Goldman Sachs

Group, J.P. Morgan Chase and Co., Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Citigroup.

In March 2009, when the DOW Jones Industrial Average declined 55 per cent to $6,470 (USD), these financial institutions experienced an average 83 per cent decline in market value.

Clearly, despite recent scepticism by an angered American public, some type of government intervention was needed to support and restore some semblance of stability to the country’s financial sector.

In Feb. 2009, the newly elected President of the United States, Barack Obama, signed a second economic stimulus bill pumping approximately $700 billion dollars into the United States economy.

The stimulus carried the hope of jumpstarting a quick recovery in America’s increasingly troubled financial sector.

Commenting on the signing of the bill, President Obama said, “I don’t want to pretend that today marks the end of our economic troubles, nor does it constitute all of what we’re going to have to do to turn our economy around. But today does mark the beginning of the end.”

Since the signing of the bill nearly one year ago, equity markets have since been resurgent. The DOW Jones Industrial Average has recovered, rising approximately 64 per cent to sit around $10,700.

Financial institutions, being one of the greatest market losers during the financial crisis, have been the poster child of what seems to be a

strong market recovery.

Since the market bottomed out in March 2009, many financial institutions, in part due to stimulus funds, were brought out of possible bankruptcy.

However, it is important to note that the problem is not over.

Since the financial crisis the American government has allowed the institutions to isolate their toxic assets. This means that the growth figures reported do not account for any of the assets held by the banks which created the crisis in the first place.

Stability is slowly returning to the embattled financial services sector, returning liquidity and allowing the United States to rebuild its shattered economy and return to growth. The resurgence of America’s top banks has left the public outraged at what many believe to be a return to the same practices which steered the country to the brink only a few years ago.

The return to profitability of banks, with more tough times for the majority of Americans still ahead, has certainly strained the country’s goodwill. Certainly, changes must be made in financial regulation to diminish toxic assets.

The first step to recovery is profitable, stable financial institutions which provide credit, the lifeblood of the American economy.

With the Federal Reserve holding interest rates at a measly 0.25 per cent the Americans are trying to stimulate growth.

Maybe we are further down recovery road than we might want to think.

posing beauty art exhibit imaginarium of doctor parnassus • john frusciante did it leak? • ron jeremy • andy’s best of the decade

index

D2 • the silhouette’s art + culture magazine

thursday, january 28, 2010

Senior Editor: Grace Evans Entertainment Editor: Myles Herod Music Editor: Corrigan Hammond Contributors: Aaron Joo, Katharine Snider-McNair, Farhang Ghajar, Ben Small, Noah Nemoy, Jemma Wolfe, Michael Hewak, Dan Hawie, Kevin Elliott, Josh Parsons, Derek Hung, Roxanne Hathway-Baxter, Catherine Brasch, Chris Hoy Cover: Tyler Hayward

this week

what’s inside

in the hammer

feature

instead of finishing that twelve page paper...

p.12

write for andy. musc b110.

feb. 7

Basia Bulat Casbah 8:00 p.m.

feb. 15

Sleepless Night Absinthe 9:00 p.m.

feb. 23

Russian Futurists The Casbah 10:00 p.m.

Wilco Hamilton Place 8:00 p.m

art Posing Beauty Art Gallery of Hamilton 123 King St., Hamilton 905-577-6610 info@artgalleryofhamilton. com

jan.16-may.9

Grasshopper Absinthe 9:00 p.m.

Woodpigeon The Casbah 8:00 p.m

theatre jan.27- feb.20

Mary Simon The Casbah 8:00 p.m.

Attack In Black The Casbah 8:00 p.m.

Tuesdays with Morrie

By Jeffrey Hatcher Theatre Aquarius 190 King William St. 1-800-465-7529 boxoffice@theatreaquarius.org

andy’s pick now

opening jan. 28 jan. 29 jan. 30

Paradox Hotel The Casbah 8:00 p.m.

feb. 4

John Frusciante: “This past December, the Red Hot Chili Peppers formally announced the departure of their long-time guitarist John Frusciante.”

p.10

Classified 1280 9:00 p.m.

feb. 5

p.5

Jeff The Brotherhood The Casbah 7:00 p.m.

feb. 5

p.12

music Did It Leak: “In a music culture ever so increasingly reliant on and fixated by digital downloads, torrents, rips, and file sharing, getting a head’s up on the latest online leaks of upcoming releases is essential for high-cultured music aficionados and ardent critics alike.”

Westdale Theatre Up in the Air Fri - Sat: 7:00, 9:10

music

film Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus: “You cannot make him up. Yes, George Clooney, Hollywood’s grey bearded lothario may appease the hungry eyes of women and gay men abound, yet he is also one of the industry’s highest risk takers.”

playng

p.6-7

When in Rome Edge of Darkness

feb. 6

Ron Jeremy: “Disclaimer: for those of you how don’t who Mr. Ron Jeremy Esq. is, he is primarily famed for a certain (9.75”long) male appendage and the films that he has spent the past three and a half decades making that star it.”

film

feb. 7

andy’s best of the decade: “Welcome to Andy’s third week of highlighting the best of films and music from this past decade, chosen by us and made readily available for your immodest approval or hateful displeasure.”

maybe medallion. GZA (the genius). scrubs. having a roommate who is an amazing cook.

andy short fiction contest theme is quarterlife crisis 2,500 words deadline is february 22 e-mail andy@ thesil.ca for details

submit to musc b110

thursday, january 28, 2010

f.u.b.a.r.

and zines love what they do, and that love the art of small press and print culture.

2010 is the final editorial column year for the Canada grace evans Magazine Fund, which contributed I love the rush of anticipation “toward the production coursing through my body as of high-quality magazines I reach for the newly delivered showcasing the work of a wide plastic covered issue of BUST in cross-section of Canadian my mailbox. The pages crisp, the creators” since 2000. Attempting cover a soft matte texture, the spine to promote Canadian’s access to smooth and un-cracked. I rip into Canadian magazines, improve the the plastic cover and slide out the quality of Canadian magazines new issue, pausing to skim the and make the Canadian headlines before flipping through magazine industry stronger. the glossy pages. The index photos, Replacing it is the the unique feature articles, the Canada Periodical Fund, which high quality spreads, the beautifully aims to provide “assistance to the designed pages – and it’s all tangible. Canadian magazine and nonWith the media, critics daily newspaper industries so and technophiles alike proclaiming they can continue to produce and the death of the print industry, distribute Canadian content in small, independent magazines still the face of systemic disadvantages mean a lot to me. I find it hard to in the marketplace.” The only believe that the same people who problem is that the new fund’s collect dusty secondhand copies details state that magazines with of novels and who subscribed to a yearly circulation under 5,000 magazines will one day no longer were now ineligible for subsidies. care enough to buy something Obviously these are tangible to read. The print industry the magazines that need it the is going to stay alive because of the most, such as small literary art people that produce magazines magazines like The Malahat

column

Review, and The Feathertale Review.

Other independent magazines are working hard to stay alive. Broken Pencil, a magazine that reviews zines and independent culture, is a small magazine with a large audience across North America. And the magazine is but a seven person staff and a tiny office on the third floor of a historical building in Toronto.

Shameless – “the magazine for girls who get it” – is another independent magazine with a very small budget. Launched in 2004, the grass-roots magazine is produced by volunteer staff members, and a teen advisory board. Shameless has been named Best New Magazine

by Toronto alt-weekly NOW and was nominated for two Utne Independent Press Awards, Best New Title and Best Design, and won the Utne Award for Best Personal Life Writing. Subscriptions go for $12 a year for three issues.

A registered non-profit charitable foundation publishes The Walrus, one of Canada’s premiere magazines, covering politics, environment, arts, culture, sports and more. The magazine says its advertising revenues are down considerably, and has appealed to readers for help. Editor John

the big tickle compiled by michelle ng

“psych today, cosmopolitan, natural health.” morgan zavarella

& christopher chang

“tribute magazine.” hannan uppal

the silhouette’s art + culture magazine • D3 MacFarlene writes in an email to readers that Canadians need The Walrus because “we need a magazine about us, and about our place in the world.” He asks for renewals and new subscriptions as well as donations.

Similarly, my beloved BUST magazine sent out a plea for support in the form of subscriptions, donations and the purchase of back issues to keep the magazine alive in the wake of a recession, where independent enterprises are at a disadvantage because they do not have a parent company backing to bail them out when the going gets rough.

The Utne Reader is a magazine that works as a guide to the alternative and independent press, and has done so for over twenty years. Editors of the magazine look at various newsletters, magazines, journals, weeklies and zines and edit and reprint the best material.

You’re looking at the cream of the crop in terms of alternative publications, in one handy source.

The prestigious Utne Reader validates independent print media by virtue of its very existence.

And what about zines?

Zines have always been the alternative to the alternative, the

DIY medium of expression for anyone and everyone. Microcosm, an independent publisher and zine distributer based out of Portland, Oregon and Bloomington, Indiana, has expanded their space twice in the past six months to accommodate growing demand. What started in someone’s bedroom in 1996 as part time mail-order, has grown into a successful print media.

The Portland store has expanded to sell Microcosm zine and books, as well as selfpublished zines and small press books. Microcosm founder Joel Biel has also expanded the store in a more mobile way: the zine tricycle. The tricycle moves around Portland displaying zines, as Biel says, “People forget that even shopping is a form of socializing and if we push all commerce onto the Internet, we’ll be leading some pretty isolated lives. I hope the zine trike will fight that and add a little old-worldly situationism into the mix at the same time.”

The iPad, Kindle reader or whatever techno-gadget is out there does not appeal to the nostalgic bookworm, and neither does the online versions of print magazine. The screen hurts my eyes, and I don’t like it.

q: what print magazines do you read regularly?

“none.”

“time.” ahmad alkhatib

“motocross canada.” kimoy marston

mike macdonald

D4 • the silhouette’s art + culture magazine

art

thursday, january 28, 2010

in the eye of the beholder deborah willis’ exhibit showcases images of black beauty at the art gallery of hamilton In 2010, the Art Gallery of Hamilton is hosting a yearlong program of events and exhibitions that focus on the richness of African art and culture. The gallery will showcase contemporary African artists, a large collection of tribal art, and an exciting variety of events that focus on film, music, fashion, and dance. Just over a week ago, this season’s lead exhibition, Posing Beauty in African American Culture opened to the public. Posing Beauty explores representations of African American individuals through historical and contemporary media.

The collection contains over eighty photographs from a variety of artists and sources over the past century and range from portraits, to editorial images, to digitally manipulated statements on the beauty industry. Some are overtly political, others are simply moments captured, together these images provide a sense of identity that challenges perceptions of race. Posing Beauty is a very self-aware collection. It is beautiful, diverse and incorporates fashion, art, editorial and portrait photography. As curator Deborah Willis explains, images

of black beauty simply didn’t exist in the larger culture of the 20th century. This show is about rectifying this imbalance.

The variety of people shown in this exhibit is what makes it so interesting.

There are portraits of celebrities such as a poignant image of a young Michael Jackson, a vivid shot of Lil Kim mid-performance and a portrait of a strong, composed Michelle Obama. Though interesting, these portraits aren’t half as captivating as the images of everyday people; a couple wearing matching fur coats, mother and daughter applying lipstick, members of the Black Panthers, an older woman in her living room. These images remind us of those instances in which we become so captivated with someone or something we cannot help but stare, if not for only a moment. These photos contain a part of their subject’s personality, people we know nothing about, and this is what makes them so irresistible. Every photo is different and will evoke a unique response.

Race is obviously a focus in these images and some might question the value of showing these photos. Skeptics should

remember that even today, so much of what we see is white culture. So overwhelming is this fabricated notion of ideal beauty that dark skinned women and men all over the world are buying products that support a billion-dollar skin whitening industry.

Clearly, race, was, is, and will continue to be an issue if we pretend it doesn’t exist.

The photos in Posing Beauty provide a glimpse into a history that is too often suppressed. It is not often that we see honest, everyday images of black North Americans gracing gallery walls and it is a refreshing change.

When I think of the politics of Posing Beauty I think of the work of the Guerilla Girls, a group of unidentified feminist artists who are known for culture jamming and condemning the racial and gender imbalances in the art.

They are responsible for the notorious billboard stating “less that 3% of the artists in the Met. Museum are women, but 83% of the nudes are female.”

Like the Guerilla Girls some of these images assert themselves politically.

One image showed a portrait of a girl with a hairstyle formed entirely of Afro picks with handles in the shape of a raised fist.

This image brings to mind the civil rights movement and the “black is beautiful” mantra, yet as I sat nearby contemplating what I might write about this exhibit an older woman approached this work with a puzzled expression. Her daughter approached her and whispered something that caused her to respond, “Oh, that’s what that is!” I don’t wish to poke fun, but I felt that this experience proves exactly why this exhibit is so valuable. Posing Beauty provides a much-needed space in which people can experience, discuss and admire beauty and race in a positive and open way.

Deborah Willis will be giving a lecture on Posing Beauty at the AGH on Feb. 11 at a cost of $10 for students.

Oh, and just incase you haven’t heard, McMaster students get free admission to all exhibits at the AGH if they bring their student card. This means no more excuses, jump on a bus and go check it out.

•Katharine Snider-McNair

thursday, january 28, 2010

film

the silhouette’s art + culture magazine • D5

the imagination of terry gilliam The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Directed by: Terry Gilliam Starring: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits

 Terry Gilliam is probably most well known for his contributions as an animator and active member of Monty Python. His first project as director, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, was a dynamic success, (and needless to say still remains a classic) and at the time pushed audiences’ expectations of Gilliam’s future works. Time Bandits, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and 12 Monkeys are just a few examples that illustrate Gilliam’s competence as a director, but Doctor Parnassus was a difficult and confusing movie to sit through. The film had just the right amount of publicity: not so built up that it became a mainstream hype, but not so underground that it was completely unknown except to ardent Heath Ledger fans. Personally I was intrigued to see the end result of this whole venture, especially since Gilliam decided to finish the movie despite Ledger’s untimely death.

The film revolves around a curiously compelling relationship built upon gambling debts between the thousand-year-old Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummet) and the Devil, the suave Mr. Nick (Tom Waits).

Parnassus was granted immortality by winning a bet he made with Mr. Nick. However, the effects of age were never subdued and Parnassus found himself an old and decrepit man when he falls in love with a young woman. He then makes another bargain with Mr. Nick: in return for his youth, Parnassus must relinquish his future daughter’s soul on her sixteenth birthday. Years later, in what is now modern London, Parnassus’ wife has long since passed away, and his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole), soon approaching her ill-fated age, along with his magical vaudeville/circus act, are all he has left. Mr. Nick shows up to collect his dues but brings along a new proposition: whoever claims five souls first will be allowed to keep Valentina.

In this dream-like world, where a magical mirror brings all who enters into Parnassus’ imagination their greatest desires, Gilliam’s signature style of eccentric, hallucinatory visuals are really emphasized and even subtly alludes to his past contributions of Monty Python. Once past all the glitter in the imagination of the Doctor, one comes to

a crossroads and is offered a moral choice.

The wrong choice results in the possession of your soul, the right one leads to a further journey into bliss. It is while the Parnassus troupe is struggling to make ends meet that they encounter Tony (Heath Ledger), a philanthropist involved in a monetary scandal, associating with Russian mobsters.

The scene definitely imprints an eerie feeling of synchrony as the troupe rescues the seemingly dead Tony hanging from a noose under a bridge. Tony, upon gaining consciousness, meets the troupe and decides to assist them. Using their savings, he modernizes the act and relocates them to a busy mall, taking on the role of a barker, rounding up passersby to watch the act.

Ledger’s charming and enticing disposition attracts the attention of many bystanders and Parnassus is close to winning the wager as Tony leads women one by one through the Imaginarium. As Ledger enters the mirror with a different person, his character changes as well wherein Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell then play Tony.

Most of the hype surrounding the film was about the four actors playing the same character. The result has both pros and cons: it’s clear that Gilliam intended the actors to complement each other as one cumulative role, since none of the four are any more prominent than the other. If anything, audiences will be drawn to Ledger since he represents Tony in reality while the others appear for shorter amounts of time. Aside from him, Farrell has the most screen time, being the final character in the last climactic scene.

The transitions are sudden, a hard hurdle to get over, still, in any case, the consequent events build up to a proper climax ending in a neat close. Unfortunately, Doctor Parnassus did have some rough spots when it came to plotline and direction even during the parts when Ledger was present. Still Gilliam is known for having bad filmmaking luck so one has to feel sympathetic.

I was expecting Heath Ledger to be playing a lead role throughout the movie, but clearly Gilliam didn’t have much to work with on hand. Fans are most likely not going to see this film as Ledger’s ‘swan song,’ if you will, but The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a great movie to pay tribute to a great actor and demonstrations the potentiality of Gilliam’s vision and directing ability.

•Aaron Joo

andy’s best of the decade

D6 • the silhouette’s art + culture magazine

the movies

Welcome to Andy’s third week of highlighting the best of film and music from this past decade, chosen by us and made readily available for your immodest approval or hateful displeasure. Now, you may ask, how did Andy come up with all these great choices? Well, since I can’t take all the credit, I’ve been asked to make mention of our trusted volunteers, the lifeblood of our section and cultural connoisseurs of whatever free CD’s or movie passes we have for them on any given week. As for the list, don’t groan just yet. We still have to conclude this prestigious collection of film and music in next week’s Andy, an issue you do not want

thursday, january 28, 2010 • D7

to miss on your life. Unless, you actually do die, but that’s something we can’t take responsibility for. This week features James Cameron’s 3D aliens, a dysfunctional family’s chaotic trek to California, an idealistic youth hungry for the Alaskan wilderness, and a tale of forbidden love that had us shedding a tear or two. As for music we present the inimitable voice of Canadian darling Feist, the garage revival of The Strokes, the incomparable charm of John Mayer, and the Icelandic post-rock of Sigur Ros. Be sure to join us next week for our top five selections from the concluded decade. This paper is free after all. As for this week’s list, enjoy.

the music

Death Cab for Cutie

Sigur Ros

John Mayer

The Strokes

Feist

10. Avatar (2009)

9. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

8. Into the Wild (2007)

7. City of God (2002)

6. Brokeback Mountain (2005)

20. Transatlanticism (2003)

19. Takk... (2005)

18. Continum (2006)

17. Is This It (2001)

16. The Reminder (2007)

What does $237 million buy you?

Well, if you’re James Cameron, the highest grossing film of all time.

The self-proclaimed “king of the world” (the tongue-in-cheek jab at Hollywood glam that he made after Titanic cleaned the house at the 1997 Oscars) originally conceptualized this sci-fi experience in an 80-page script he wrote in 1994. Having his idea dismissed as being impossible by major film studios in 1997, Cameron spent the next 12 years inventing technologies that would silence the non-believers.

Although detractors call the story nothing more than a rehash of Fern Gully, Dances With Wolves, and Pocahontas, the visuals are where this film shines, transporting viewers into the lush and lively world that is Pandora. Riddled with blatant socio-political commentary – environmental awareness and anti-war messages – this cinematic adventure is not only a visual orgasm, but refreshingly relevant.

•Farhang Ghajar

Little Miss Sunshine is an exceptional dark comedy-adventure film released in 2006, which manages to be uplifting and hilarious whilst also conveying a meaningful commentary on modern life. The film follows a varied and dysfunctional family trying to get their daughter to a beauty pageant contest via an 800mile road trip in a Volkswagen bus from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Redondo Beach, California. Each character on the journey is unique and likeable, but it’s Steve Carrel who steals the show as Frank, a self-loathing homosexual scholar of Marcel Proust. The film encourages everyone to be themselves and not to conform to what is expected of them, climaxing with the film’s finale, which no one could watch without a giant grin on their face. In the positive words of the Nietzscheobsessed son, Dwayne, “You do what you love, and fuck the rest.”

•Ben Small

Into the Wild, Sean Penn’s affecting evocation of John Krakauer’s best selling book crackles with artistic abandon. The film is based on the true story of Chris McCandless, a 22-year-old college graduate who one day simply left everything behind: family, money, even his identity. With a new name – Alexander Supertramp – and the literary influences of Kerouac and Thoreau at his disposal, the film’s idealistic hero renounces capitalist society and spreads his philosophic way of life. At two and a half hours, Penn offers a majestically photographed road adventure of America – cinematically constructing a life that obviously meant alot to him. With a rousing soundtrack by Eddie Vedder, Into the Wild depicts a tragically romantic glimpse of a free spirited individual, cementing a career defining performance from Emile Hirsch and a masterfully nuanced directorial effort by Penn. This is American cinema at its most poetic.

•Myles Herod

City of God is one of those movies where everything just fits. The directing, cinematography, story, dialogue, and acting were all flawless.

Set in a Rio de Janeiro slum from the 1960s to the 1980s, City of God chronicles the overlapping lives of Rocket, an honest kid who wants to become a photographer and escape the slum, and Li’l Ze, a psychopath who rises to the top of the slum’s drug trade. While it’s a great gangster movie, it also shows the effects of police corruption, the drug and gun trades, racism, and the dichotomy between Brazil’s wealth and poverty.

Through its many vignettes it shows the slum as a dynamic community and succeeds in being an action, drama, and global issue film all in one. Directed by Fernando Meirelles and using all amateur actors from the ghettos, it was Meirelles breakout film and led to Brazilian cinema gaining international prestige.

•Noah Nemoy

Brokeback Mountain was definitely one of the most memorable films produced this decade. Adapted from the short story by E. Annie Proulx, and directed by Ang Lee the film tells the story of two young cowboys who become intimately involved while out in the wilderness. Trying to move on, they find themselves plagued by their feelings for each other. Eventually, pressure to perform within societal norms leads to a tragic end for these star-crossed lovers. Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Williams all provide stellar performances, while the film won Oscars for directing, writing and soundtrack. Importantly, this film offers viewers a non-traditional way of thinking about love in a decade where homosexual rights were often in the political foreground. This is a film you just can’t seem to quit.

•Katharine Snider-McNair

Released in October of 2003, Transatlanticism is the fourth studio album by indie rockers Death Cab for Cutie. This critically well-received album was praised for its grown up, mature, and defined sound. Indeed, both the seamless transition between songs, and the poignant depth lead singer Ben Gibbard’s lyrics makes Transatlanticism an excellent start-to-finish listening experience. The most notable track on the album is “The Sound of Settling”, the second single to be released from the album. An upbeat number, with a catchy chorus and lighthearted feel, in 2003 “The Sound of Settling” was an immediate hit. Mellow, artistic, and well-constructed, Transatlanticism definitely deserves its spot in the top ten albums of the decade.

Cinematic, ethereal, explosive. Few words can really capture the range of emotion and texture present in the Icelandic quartet’s most expansive work to date. Takk took post-rock into another dimension and then some, essentially redefining the boundaries of what a rock band could sound like. The dramatic and vivid sound of the album is exemplified on the mind-blowing opener “Glosoli”, which starts as a trudging bass doodle underneath lead singer Jonsi’s signature falsetto warble, before building to an apocalyptic climax of raw guitar distortion. By utilizing dense string and brass arrangements, heavy shifts in dynamics, and an abundance of violin-bow electric guitar strumming (producing a noise analogous to an airplane and a whale combined), Sigur Ros created the soundtrack to the most epic movie never made.

As the pinnacle of John Mayer’s career, Continuum holds immense musical significance in differing him from his mainstream Jack Johnsonesque, surfer-guy counterparts.

Having played alongside iconic greats like B.B King and Buddy Guy, there’s no doubt that Mayer has channeled their distinct smooth soulful groove into this album. Yes, the guy has earned a bad rap for his openhearted confessions on love (celeb-status connections), but the musical depth exhibited on Continuum, as Mayer crafts a near perfect contemporary blues album, signifies a break from this frivolous reputation, hinting the guitarist’s more mature side.

With each track, from start to finish, wistfully bound together by an organic, bluesy-vibe, Continuum successfully serves as a bridge to the past -- linking contemporary listeners to a genre that hasn’t undergone the techno-littering of post-production.

Wait, what is this music? Where’s the glossy production? The over-thetop melodies and harmonies? The poppy, octave-driven bridges with corresponding sing-a-longs? The lyrics about reckless abandon that is neither reckless nor abandoned? Oh that’s right, it’s rock-and-roll. The Strokes almost single-handedly revived a numb generation in 2001 with Is This It and its back-to-basics-rock. Songs featuring a couple of guitars, a bass, simple drum parts, and quiet, harsh, and bitter vocals recalling the themes of urban youth in New York City; and every one of them has less than a dozen tracks for that raw, live feel.

Is This It was one of the few catalysts of the garage rock revival of the early 2000’s. Oh, the album’s pretty good too. Scratch that. Really good.

Feist’s third full-length album showcases Leslie Feist’s beautiful and clear vocals over catchy guitardriven melodies. The single “1234” hit number eight in the U.S. (a rarity for indie rock musicians) after being featured in an iPod nano commercial. The haunting “Honey Honey” features sparse guitar layered on top of soft “ahhing,” and melts into melodic harp playing. The single “My Moon My Man” features a heavy drumbeat and piano, and Feist’s magnified laidback vocals, for an upbeat, nonchalant song that pulls various instruments together in a swell, before stripping back to piano, drums and softer vocals. The album won a 2008 Juno for “Album of the Year.” What gives this album the intimate feel is its simplicity; masterfully recorded with beautiful vocals and musicians who can play their instruments exceptionally well, this album is artfully made.

Notable track: “The Sound of Settling” •Jemma Wolfe

Notable track: “Glosoli” •Michael Hewak Notable track: “Gravity”

•Dan Hawie

Notable track: “Barely Legal” •Kevin Elliott

Notable track: “My Moon My Man” •Grace Evans

D8 • the silhouette’s art + culture magazine

music

thursday, january 28, 2010

the lone chili

inside a rock n’ roll breakup This past December, the Red Hot Chili Peppers formally announced the departure of their long-time guitarist John Frusciante.

While this may send a rift of discontent throughout the legions of loyal Chili Peppers fans, it is to be received as a sigh of relief for the quiet minority of fans who have attentively followed his ambitious solo career.

Having already put out a bakers-dozen of relatively unknown, yet stunningly brilliant releases, Frusciante’s departure from the band will hopefully help to bring his other endeavors into the limelight.

Frusciante’s extensive musical career began over two decades ago when, at the age of sixteen, he dropped out of high school and packed up for Los Angeles. His first foot into the music industry was when he reached the last round of auditions for Frank Zappa`s infamously exclusive touring band, The Mother’s Of Invention. But an uninterested Frusciante would later state, “I wanted to be a rock star, do drugs and get girls, and I wouldn’t be able to do that if I was in Zappa’s band.” Zappa after all was vehemently opposed to all mind altering substances (coffee excluded).

Around this time Frusciante was also becoming well acquainted with then Chili Peppers’ guitarist Hillel Slovak. This close friendship naturally led to Frusciante replacing Slovak in 1988 following the late guitarist’s untimely heroin induced death.

Frusciante’s maturing guitar work was key in the success of the Chili Pepper’s mainstream breakthrough, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The seemingly endless tour in support of the album wasn’t without its ill effects though.

By the summer of 1992, he was sinking into a full-fledged heroin addiction and, as a result of the accompanying depression, was forced to quit the band halfway through their Japanese tour. He spent the next several years in nearly complete isolation as his reliance on heroin, crack and alcohol dropped him on the doorstep of death. It was during this time that he released his first two solo albums, Niandra Lades & Usually Just a T-Shirt and Smile from the Streets You Hold, for the sole purpose of collecting drug money.

In 1997, he quit heroin cold turkey and, still struggling with his other addictions, checked himself into a rehab clinic. Shortly

thereafter, a clean Frusciante was asked by bassist Flea to rejoin the Chili Peppers and quickly began work on what was to become their 1999, five times platinum album, Californication.

But this time around, Frusciante refused to let the pressure of mainstream attention stifle his creativity and worked ceaselessly over the next decade, releasing a dizzying amount of solo material. First came 2001’s To Record Only Water for Ten Days, which no longer displayed a helpless Frusciante wailing over a single guitar but instead provided insight into his deep spirituality and revealed his affection for ambience and electronica.

His most prolific period of flourishing creativity came when, in 2004, he poured out six releases over the course of six months on a slew of semi-major and independent labels. Shadows Collide with People emerged as the most accessible to the mainstream and is a quality example of both his heavenly vocals and gifted guitar work.

The album also boasts a polished, but not over-produced, mastering that fits with the simple instrumentation. Another album, released under the moniker Ataxia, has Frusciante jamming with Joe Lally of Fugazi and long-term collaborator Josh Klinghoffer in a drawn out style influenced equally by both post-punk and psychedelic music.

Aside from his solo work, Frusciante has been busy lending his skill to a slew of other musicians over the last few years. Most notably has been his longterm musical relationship with Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. Hailed by Rodriguez-Lopez as his “secret weapon in the studio,” Frusciante has contributed tracks to every Mars Volta album so far (recording an overwhelming amount of the guitar tracks on their latest two releases). He has also contributed to several of Rodriguez-Lopez’s solo projects and both have played a handful of experimental live gigs in and around Los Angeles together.

Since the Chili Peppers’ final release, 2006’s Stadium Arcadium, Frusciante has busied himself with several solo projects. In 2009, he released his latest solo effort, The Empyrean, which received an unprecedented shower of critical acclaim.

•Josh Parsons

thursday, january 28, 2010

zine beat

Title: I Am Not A TV! Author: Matthew Baker Thompson matthewbakerthompson@gmail.com, www. matthewbakerthompson.com Matthew Baker Thompson’s collection of poetry makes for an interesting and funny zine. Interesting because the poems themselves are absolutely hilarious, but make references to contemporary western culture in such a way that it seems that Thompson’s anthology will feel outdated within the next few years. There are poems based around the use of literary references during a game of Halo on X-Box live, president Obama, and Jesus using Internet slang. They’ll probably still be funny, but it is unclear if they will still be as relevant. However, there are also poems that feel almost out of time, if “awesomelyhip” references to DVDs, exercise machine ads and office space were disregarded.

Thompson writes mostly about the banality of day-to-day life as a midtwenties worker with an English degree, but occasionally breaks out of that mould and reaches for a farther view of his life.

It’s notable, though, that Thompson doesn’t so much rebel against the mundane

under the radar environment he finds himself in, so much as merely accept it as boring. The poem “Stationary Bike” is an instance where he writes as if he is outside of the time and age frame that he fits most of his work into, opting to take a critical view of the powerlessness he feels against time and space. It is not that those kinds of poems are better than the other ones that Thompson writes, it’s just that his poetry constructs such a specific picture of his life that it almost threatens to alienate some readers. However, if you understand the references he makes, and are willing to take an immersive walk into his world, Thompson’s poetry can be a rewarding experience. If not, you’ll at least get more than a few moments of “Yeah, I’ve been there.”

•Derek Hung

the silhouette’s art + culture magazine • D9

off the web sleep talkin man sleeptalkinman.blogspot.com The Sleep Talkin’ Man blog showcases the midnight mutterings of a sleep talkin’ man.

The site is updated nearly everyday with hilarious and often obscene dream-induced phrases overheard by his wife. You’ll be curious to know what is actually happening in his dreams as you read his ramblings about pirates, genitalia, and the tickling of badgers.

•Roxanne Hathway-Baxter egg watchers www.eggwatchers.com “The egg timer that entertains you.” The site takes you through the process for making the perfect boiled egg, based on egg size, temperature and desired consistency. My perfect egg is: “A large runny egg takes 5mins 35s. Now pop your egg in boiling water and start your timer. Enjoy.” The graphics are simple, clean and ridiculously cute. And then there is an adorable timer that plays YouTube videos while you wait!

•Grace Evans

10 quotes visualized www.freshbump.com/special/10design-quotes-designed “10 quotes visualized” is a feature from freshbump.com that seeks to end the social websites trend of posting irrelevant, boring quotes up, and instead has commissioned ten designers to present inspiring quotes about creativity visually. Graphic designer Nick Bujnak’s rendition of Albert Einstein’s “ The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources” is a layered green graphic, with varying shades of green contrasting to present the visuals in an eye-catching way.

•Grace Evans first person tetris www.firstpersontetris.com Tetris, arguably the world’s most popular video game ever, debuted in 1984. Since then, despite proving resistant to many, many attempts at updating it for a younger, hipper, less block graphic oriented audience, Tetris has literally remained exactly the same.

You might say to yourself “Tetris is perfect the way it is – I’ve played it in 3D and with weird obstacles and those just don’t cut it.”

First Person Tetris is different though. Try it. Unlike all those other lame Tetris sites, this one has actually improved upon the seemingly un-improvable.

•Corrigan Hammond

D10 • the silhouette’s art + culture magazine

music

thursday, january 28, 2010

when the music’s over the tragic passing of the blogger behind did it leak?

In a music culture ever so increasingly reliant on and fixated by digital downloads, torrents, rips, and file sharing, getting a head’s up on the latest online leaks of upcoming releases is essential for high-cultured music aficionados and ardent critics alike. For about the past two years, everyone’s “it” source was the online blog Did it Leak? (diditleak.co.uk/), and later its Twitter counterpart, @diditleak, which ultimately claimed an impressive amount of over 12,000 followers.

The website and its corresponding Twitter account had quickly established a growing reputation for being a reliable source of album leak notifications.

The reputation, in turn, was able to increase the accuracy and consistency of Did it Leak?, as well as make it even more up-to-the-minute, as there were more passionate fans and followers, which meant more potential sources of leak notifications for the blog’s creator/administrator.

But who was this administrator, this enemy of the Recording Industry Association of America, this person who was likely vehemently despised by every corporate big-shot music executive, this beloved character of music fans and critics around the world? Well, his name was Alan Carton, and he died twelve days ago. He was 23.

For years Carton kept his anonymity for several reasons, namely to protect himself from any legal trouble and to keep the integrity and efficiency of his project intact. But few people knew this Edmonton native and Vancouver film student had been diagnosed with cancer at the age of 18, and

throughout all of the turmoil, all of the pain and suffering, and all of the exhausting hospital visits, he continued to release leak notifications, even from his hospital bed.

After high school, Carton developed a lump on his leg and originally dismissed it as a cyst. When it was revealed to be cancer, he was at first apathetic about the potential dangerous consequences, confident that if Terry Fox had the determination to beat a similar cancer, why couldn’t he? But then a full MRI proved to be tragic, as the cancer had spread to his lungs. Doctors had to remove 45 per cent of the muscle in his leg, which left Carton dependent on crutches and soon confined him to a wheelchair, but it did little to improve his bleak odds of survival.

So at such an unfortunate and terribly young age, Alan Carton began to live out his bucket list. He travelled around the world with friends and family, taught himself the guitar and keyboard and wrote music, and fulfilled his dream by attending the internationally renowned Vancouver Film School, where he would go to class during the week, and fly home to Edmonton periodically on certain weekends for his chemotherapy, back in time for class on Monday morning in Vancouver.

But his biggest accomplishment began in the fall of 2007 with Did it Leak? The popularity of the site grew so fast, it was not long before interview requests were pouring in from newspapers from around the globe. Even the Chicago Sun-Times tried to contact him for leak-hunting advice. But

Carton turned them all down for the sake of his anonymity.

By the spring of 2008, the tumour was pushing against Carton’s lungs, and he was down to 90 pounds. The hospital visits began to increase in both frequency and length.

He could have had the tumour surgically removed, but that meant the removal of his lungs, which also would have logically entailed being strapped to an oxygen tank for the rest of his life. In any event, it was not long before the cancer continued to spread, and a tumour in his brain was soon found.

But Carton was not without a phone for receiving leak tips and a laptop for reporting them by his hospital bedside. Little did the world know that the first person to publicly announce the leaks of the latest Ringo Starr, Usher, Lil Wayne, and Mary J. Blige albums was just a kid confined to his deathbed, bored and with nothing else to do.

His last post was on his blog on Jan. 4 and on his Twitter account by the next day for the new Vampire Weekend album Contra, which currently holds the top spot on five different Billboard charts, including the Billboard 200. On Jan. 16, doctors filled him with morphine and drained his lungs, and he died later that day.

Meanwhile, his Twitter counterpart @diditleak remains stuck on Jan. 5, forever to read “Vampire Weekend – Contra leaked, due out January 12th.” Alan Carton was a vital proponent of viral music, bringing music to the masses quickly and discretely. He was only 23 years old. Rest In Peace.

•Kevin Elliott

thursday, january 28, 2010

classic review

in stereo

the silhouette’s art + culture magazine • D11

featured review

It just wouldn’t be decade in music unless the critics accused someone, anyone, or perhaps maybe even everyone, of being the next Bob Dylan. And although the D-word was tossed Beck’s way more than a few times during 1996 and 1997, prior to the release of Odelay, folkhop troubadour and self-proclaimed “enchanting wizard of rhythm” Beck Campbell was the frequent victim of that other frequently misplaced and overused music adjective: “onehit-wonder”. Indeed, following the success of his 1994 breakthrough novelty single “Loser,” there had been little reason to expect that the slacker icon would follow

up his début disc with anything even remotely note-worthy.

Odelay however, equally due to the Dust Brothers’ funky, sample-heavy production and the surrealist imagery of Beck’s disjointed lyrics, not only exceeded commercial expectations, but also became a musical landmark that showcased the production potential of computer software like Pro-Tools.

The album was a perfect mishmash of nineties musical-aesthetics — psychedelic one moment before seamlessly transitioning into grunge, hip-hop or folk-rock.

It was the pacing of Odelay that really set it apart from the alternative music of the moment.

Just as the Dust Brothers had done on their previous effort, producing The Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique in 1989, on Odelay they essentially sought to turn a hip-hop disc into a rock album minus all the tired, worn out rock elements that

had rendered the genre dull and boring by the mid-nineties. The only tragedy of Odelay is that, with the notable exception of 1999’s Sea Changes, Beck, obsessed with the funky irreverence of his 1996 output, has essentially spent the remainder of his career attempting to recreate his sophomore opus.

• Corrigan Hammond

The Swell Season Strict Joy

Bane Boston 6:58/Los Angeles 3:58

Nouvelle Vague 3

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Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes Up From Below Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes début effort Up From Below is indie retro-rock at its finest. The album, as you would largely expect from the groups catchier than catchy single “Home,” has the perfect latesixties Southern California vibe.

Underneath dreamy echo and traded boy-girl vocals, the disc sounds exactly like what would have happen if M. Ward were to drop acid and then make a Mamas and Papas or Beach Boys album.

Up From Below dances between dark tracks and steadily building light pop ditties that are literally about sunshine and summertime.

Of all the albums that have recently attempted to recapture the spirit of 1960’s folk-pop, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes so far comes the closest channeling the essence of that particular musical moment.

•Corrigan Hammond

I don’t listen to bossa-nova, a Brazilian take on jazz and lounge that existed in the early 60s.

Nouvelle Vague (new wave in French) takes this stripped down, acoustic genre and performs covers of punk and new wave songs.

And that is where the enjoyment in Nouvelle Vague lies, in the complete reimagining of old classics by sexy, breathy-voiced French women. Therefore, an awareness of the source matewrial is necessary to fully appreciate the songs if you don’t listen to this style of music. That’s the problem with 3, beyond Nouvelle Vague’s older material, (covers of “God Save the Queen,” “So Lonely” and “Road to Nowhere”), I listen with ignorant ears; I can appreciate the musicianship in the other songs, but they do nothing for me.

•Ben Small

Beck Odelay (1996)

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The group The Swell Season combines powerful meaningful lyrics with amazing melodies to produce a great listening experience.

As an album, Strict Joy, sounds like striped-down rock and soul. The songs captivate you and pull you into the stories of relationships that are full of heartache and joy.

Made up of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (the duo from Once), this album succeeds because of the group’s ability to test different vocal boundaries. Because of the presence of influences from different genres, each song has its own unique melody and sound.

•Catherine Brasch

This is a simultaneous release of two different recordings, representing seven international cities, under seven different titles, through five different record labels. And indeed, Bane has made this release quite an international affair for a band that has become synonymous with the Boston hardcore scene. The tracks on here are two different beasts, each with their own distinct growl.

The first are blistering old-school hardcore anthems that will incite impromptu bedroom circle pits. The second ventured into more progressive territory, experimenting with soft/loud dynamics and tempo changes, while still keeping the grit of more traditional songs. These impressive EPs show why Bane has garnered such respect internationally during their almost fifteen year career.

•Chris Hoy

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Hawksley Workman Meat

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Meat is Workman’s eleventh fulllength album since 1999 — not to mention its counterpart Milk, which is soon to be released digitally, and countless EPs. This small-town Ontario cabaret glam rocker boy doesn’t live music; he breeds music.

Anti-urban themes have always characterised Hawksley’s music, but with Meat he takes it one step further; the album art (a silhouette of a somewhat distorted, naked woman’s torso), is merely suggestive of what to expect: songs about constructivism, solidity, determination, wholeness. If his previous albums were a defence for and a celebration of natural man and an attack on urban man, then Meat is a repositioning, almost as if Hawksley has experienced defeat and he has to (re)create himself.

The album is heavier than the mellower Treeful of Starling and Between the Beautifuls, and while it incorporates some of the rock elements of Los Manlicious and his earlier albums. “Song for Sarah Jane” sounds like John Lennon with a piano gone gritty, while “French Girl in LA” employs poppier elements that are very catchy.

Some of the more experimental rock moments are, however, annoying, including the unnecessarily long outro in “You Don’t Just Want to Break Me (You Want to Tear Me Apart)” and the very odd screams in “(We Ain’t No) Vampire Bats.” The end result is that Meat has scant traces of bone.

•Kevin Elliott

D12 • the silhouette’s art + culture magazine

feature

thursday, january 28, 2010

in defense of porn

ron jeremy speaks with andy in our hardest interview yet Disclaimer: for those of you who don’t who Mr. Ron Jeremy Esq. is, he is primarily famed for a certain (9.75”-long) male appendage and the films that he has spent the past three and a half decades making that star it. Jeremy (now a published author, reality-TV fixture, and mainstream ambassador for the adult-film industry) has graduated from the guttural depths of the “other Hollywood” and achieved bonafide and recognizable double-D-list celebrity status. Indeed, just as Jeremy has become more and more recognizable within the mainstream media, he has become increasingly controversial as an advocate for, and public defender of, his X-rated and often besieged industry.

Earlier this year, Jeremy courted controversy after his assertion that violent video games have a “much bigger negative influence on kids” than pornography was picked up by mainstream media outlets.

“First of all, kids can [play] them,” Jeremy explained to us, prior to his Q & A session here at McMaster last week.

“By the time you’re eighteen you can fight for your country and drop dead,” he continued. “[I] figure you [should be allowed] watch a porn video right? The [mainstream media] always try to criticize porn, but yet we cater to adults only. Jay Leno even mentioned that I said kids shouldn’t watch porn,” Jeremy explained — clarifying a statement that he made during a panel discussion on pornography where he urged parents to “watch what their kids are doing online and take some responsibility.”

“They’ve done so many [studies] from the Fraser Committee, to the Nixon-Johnson Committee, the Denmark Committee where they’ve [tried to] show a correlation between watching porn and committing violent crimes, and nothing. Yet they have shown, and Dr. Phil did a whole special on it, that watching violent video games if you’re a minor can [have a negative] effect on you.”

“I’m just sick and tired of porn being criticized for doing the things it’s doing [when] there has been no correlation, no statistics, nothing [that shows a relationship between it and violent crime,]” he stated.

“So I got the shit kicked out of me by the media saying ‘Ron Jeremy defends porn and… who does he think he is? That fat hairy bastard is talking about video games?’”

However, it isn’t just mainstream media outlets that, in Jeremy’s experience, have exhibited a distinct discomfort with the sex industry. Indeed, although Jeremy is quick to gush about his positive reception from many mainstream celebrities — he’s quick to point out that some Hollywood stars are still uneasy about his line of work.

“A lot of the directors back then in the seventies were doing both [mainstream and adult films],” he recalled. “[Because] there was no DVD, [or] VHS, [porn films were] better [quality productions by a lot of] filmmakers who went on to be big Hollywood film directors. I consulted Boogie Nights. I’m on the credits — it says ‘Consulted Ron Jeremy.’ It was a very accurate portrayal of a select few people. Boogie Nights and Wonderland both are only portraying the

life and times of John Holmes. [His] problem mostly came from his illegal activities. If he [had] just stuck to porn, he’d [have been] fine, but he got involved in serious drugs, he got involved in heroine; he got involved in doing gay movies.”

“I [have] met a of couple assholes,” Jeremy recalled — explaining how stars like Married With Children actress Katey Sagal have “dissed” him in the past. “’I’m on the set of Married With Children because Dave Faustino brought me down,” he told us. “[We’ve] been friends for years, … so he brings me to the set and Ed O’Neill is great, Christina Applegate [is] great, Ron Levett, the producer, is very, very nice, … [and then] they bring me to Katey Sagal,” he paused. “David is almost giggling in the corner. He knew what was going to happen — I said ‘Hi, you’re a terrific actress.’

I held out my hand and … she gives me one of these [motions like he’s giving us the cold shoulder]. And I’m going ‘Ah-ha.’ And people are watching, going ‘There’s Ron getting egg on his face again.’”

“When they had Jessica Hein [and adult actress] Tracey Lords on the show… she had an attitude [towards] them, but look at what she does — she plays a risqué mother, she makes masturbation jokes, she’s on a show called Sons of Anarchy where she’s almost half naked herself half the time. Why the fuck does she have a problem with the sex business?”

“Fast-forward three or four months to Gene Simmons’ [birthday party],” he continued. “And there in the distance is Katey Sagal… bowling with Pamela DeBarres [the famous groupie.] So I asked Gene Simmons, ‘Why are Pamela DeBarres and her hanging out together?’ ‘Oh, they’re best friends’ — and now I was furious… She dissed me, and she disses the porn business, but her b e s t

friend [wrote a book] about how [she’s] ‘with’ the band! So how the hell do you have an attitude about some one who does adult [films] and your best friend fucks rock stars and writes about it?”

“I don’t care about being dissed. Anyone has the right to diss,” Jeremy continued. He’s just tired of being subject to hypocritical judgments from the mainstream media and celebrity snobs that everyday uses sex as a marketing ploy, but still won’t acknowledge the merits and legitimacy of the “sex-industry” or the people that it employs.

•Corrigan Hamond & Myles Herod