The Silhouette - November 20, 2014

Thursday, November 20, 2014

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INSIDE NEWS OPINION Who are the Mounties? SPORTS Dating apps LIFESTYLE Interstellar review ANDY Marauder logo creator Brockface

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YATES CUP CHAMPIONS

“ IT’S OK

TO BE PROUD. IT’S NOT OK TO BE SATISFIED.” Three of the last four years, the Marauders have won the oldest football trophy in North America.

But in the next two weeks, they will set their sights on national glory.

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all o RE tfoli e?

U T Por to b A FE ningd up 6 r E ea acke L G he ’s cr PA t Is it

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LOOKING BACK

The Silhouette

Volume 85, Issue 14 Thursday, November 20, 2014 McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

EDITORIAL BOARD executive editor | thesil@thesil.ca Andrew Terefenko @andrewterefenko managing editor | managing@thesil.ca Julia Redmond @juliaeredmond production editor | production@thesil.ca Amanda Watkins @whatthekins section editors

Krista Schwab @kschwabi assistant news editor Patrick Kim @patrickmkim features editor Christina Vietinghoff @cvietinghoff opinions editor Ana Qarri @anaqarri sports editor Scott Hastie @scott1hastie assistant sports editor Laura Sinclair @Lsinkky lifestyle editor Jason Woo @jayjai223 assistant lifestyle editor Tobi Abdul @toe_bee andy editor Tomi Milos @tomimilos assistant andy editor Michael Gallagher @mikeygalgz news editor

online online editor online reporter

William Lou @william_lou Shane Madill @shanemadill art

Jonathan White photo reporter Eliza Pope @eliza_pope multimedia editor Catherine Chambers @catherineEBC video editor Colin Haskin @colinhaskin

NOVEMBER 16, 2000

photo editor

staff reporters

Carolyn Zeppieri Sofia Mohamed Daniella Porano

Rachel Katz Daniel Arauz

Alex Florescu Michelle Yeung

interns

Inaara Sumar Anthony Manrique

silhouette intern silhouette intern

Mac wins first Yates Cup The Marauders of yesteryear pulled up their bootstraps and took down the Laurier Golden Hawks in a 48-23 blowout. This was the 102nd year the Cup was in play, so it took Mac a while to get there, but they’ve brought it home six more times since then. Can they bring home Canada’s Vanier Cup later this November? Only time will tell.

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Thursday, November 20, 2014

News

The Silhouette McMaster partnership with Innovation Factory given $1 million in funding

Rachel Katz News Reporter

Dynamic. Innovative. Caring.

These three words summarize McMaster for Richard Zazulak. Although best known for designing the iconic Marauders logo, which celebrates its 30th birthday this year, the graphic designer-turned-photographer spent 28 years working at the University and remains a vital part of the McMaster community.

Zazulak attended the Ontario College of Art, graduating in 1968.

“Shortly after that I worked for […] about a year and a bit in a small advertising company in Hamilton,” he said. “After that I moved to a silk-screen shop that produced a lot of placards and signage for stores.”

Around this time, the university was starting a new department in conjunction with the launch of its medical school.

Zazulak was one of four artists hired to illustrate the curriculum.

“The principle of the school at that time was a lot of independent study.… We would create graphics, which would turn into slides.… It was a new, innovative way of teaching.”

Zazulak spoke fondly of his time in this niche illustration group.

His superiors “gave you a project and let you run with it.

They weren’t micro-managers. They recognized [different] people’s expertise and they just let it go. And that built my personality; to be curious; to want to be involved with many things.”

He described himself and his fellow artists as “a group of young, fresh artists in a totally new field.” One of his colleagues was Lynn

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Two McMaster cancer researchers awarded Movember Discovery Grant

PAGE 4

The artist behind the Marauder Johnston, who went on to create the successful cartoon “For Better or For Worse.”

When the group began illustrating medical school instructional materials, they were located in Chedoke Hospital and all their work had to be done “by hand, by ink, by paint.” As time went on, however, their department was moved to the McMaster campus.

“We were poking our noses just about everywhere,” Zazulak said. “We had this unique expertise and weren’t going to say no to anything…

Even if we knew nothing about it, we would

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take it on.” This included the early adoption of digital design techniques.

Although he has worked on countless projects for the university, Zazulak’s favourite project remains the Marauders logo, which he designed with guidance from Ross Tripp of the Athletic Department in 1984.

“It still sort of warms me up,” he admitted. “There’s a sense of pride because of its longevity. I made an attempt to update [the logo] and they… were totally satisfied with it.”

Zazulak retired from his job with the University in 1998 when his wife enrolled in the McMaster medical school and the couple had two young children. During this time, he became seriously interested in photography, a hobby he had been experimenting with since the 1970s. He took a particular interest in sports photography, and regularly attended games at McMaster and in the greater Hamilton community.

“I would buy a ticket to a football game or a hockey game, and I’d be

PAGE 8

Richard Zazulak speaks about his work at Mac on the 30th anniversary of the Marauder logo a spectator, but I’d have my camera. And I’d take photos and in turn I’d go to the organizers of the game,” he explained.

Eventually he was given media passes in exchange for photographs.

Since then, Zazulak has taken photos that have appeared in a variety of publications.

He credits the university with giving him a wide range of opportunities.

“They’ve allowed me to develop my photography when I don’t think anyone else would have. They’ve allowed me to participate and they’ve recognized my contribution as I’ve improved.”

When asked about his

proudest moment as an honorary Marauder, Zazulak didn’t hesitate.

“It was when I went to Vancouver as the team photographer when [McMaster] won the Vanier Cup. That experience was quite phenomenal.… I always said as I got older and couldn’t play the sports that I would live vicariously through the lens of the camera.”

While that may be true, there is no denying that Zazulak’s body of work has a life of its own.

@RachAlbertaKatz

Above: A comparison of the original 1984 Marauders logo to the current iteration.

Left: Richard Zazulak.

C/O YOUSIF HADDAD

4 CANADIAN CAMPUS NEWS

Patrick Kim Asst. News Editor

UBC opens centre for gambling studies UBC has opened the new Centre for Gambling Research which will study the psychology of gambling. The centre will provide solutions for problem gamblers as well as analyze policy around gaming. The centre has been made possible by $2 million from the provincial government and the British Columbia Lottery Corporation.

Vandalism acts target three UQAM faculty members An investigation is now underway at the Université de Québec à Montreal concerning acts of vandalism, specifically targeting three faculty members. Black and white notes referring to UQAM’s sexual harassment policy were placed on the doors of the three faculty, possibly by a group called The Hysterics Collective. The group exists for the “anonymous denunciation of sexist and anti-feminist gestures” at UQAM.

Niagara College receives $4.2 M investment in manufacturing facility The Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities recently announced a $4.2 million investment into building a modern manufacturing facility at Niagara College. The facility, named the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre, will help bring students closer to local industries while also bringing Ontario-based manufacturers sophisticated equipment and research facilities.

Fanshawe launches student story campaign Fanshawe College is undertaking one of its largest and most ambitious projects with its Your Story reputation campaign.

Headed with the tagline, “Your story is our story,” the College is aiming to bring awareness to the individual stories of the thousands of students, faculty, and alumni.

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News

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Forging better business leaders $1 million from province will fund youth entrepreneurship program Gabi Herman Contributor

The province has just granted more than $1 million to a project run by McMaster and the Innovation Factory to help young Hamiltonians become leaders in innovative business.

The project, called The Forge, is based in McMaster’s Innovation Park.

Successful applicants to The Forge become part of a six-month start-up accelerator program to help them hone their ideas and bring them to market. They are given a space to work in, and educational programming to help them advance and collaborate with other young entrepreneurs.

The ultimate goal of The Forge is to make Hamilton a hub for new developments in different sectors of business.

The Forge hosts 8-12 small companies at a time, and each is pushed into a collaborative environment. Weekly meetings demand that teams share their successes and failures, and their goals for the upcoming week.

Participants are encouraged to share ideas and brainstorm together.

According to David Carter, executive director of the Innovation Factory, it takes some time for participants to warm up.

“Some people are holding their cards close to their chest,” he says about new participants.

“A couple days later you see somebody helping somebody else out with a problem, or suggesting their perspective on

The Forge is a program that helps young Hamiltonians become leaders in business.

someone else’s idea.”

The collaboration is not limited to those with the same expertise. Designers, engineers, artists, and people with small business experience are some examples of people who join The Forge. They can learn from each other and hear differing points of view to fine-tune their projects. Carter calls the process “cooperative competition.”

Past developments include a walker for elderly people with safety precautions, a bike library for disadvantaged youth, and a number of technology-oriented apps. Since The Forge is such

a new initiative, much more is expected of its future.

“As new people come in the bar will get set higher and higher,” said Carter. “We’ll have success stories we can refer to, so people will come in wanting to raise their game.”

The grant will be used to help improve The Forge’s physical space with updates such as whiteboards on the walls for collaborative work, better electrical wiring, and more equipment. It will also be used to help fund more educational speakers and workshops, and to fund some business abroad.

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Confronting the collateral damage Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights runs controversial “Hug a ‘Terrorist’” event

Representatives from SPHR were present in the Student Centre on Nov. 13 to engage students as part of their #NotCollateralDamage campaign.

Patrick Kim Asst. News Editor

There’s certainly shock value behind any campaign titled “Hug a ‘Terrorist.’”

And although the emphasis is on the word “terrorist,” the initial backlash against the event was something that Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights, the club that organized the initiative, was expecting.

“A lot of people initially, were like, ‘oh my God, what is this [title]; that’s awful, that’s so insulting,’” said Yara Shoufani, a third-year political science student and President of SPHR. On Nov. 13, students were buzzing in response to the controversially titled campaign which was part of a larger campaign called #NotCollateralDamage. The initiative brought two boys, ages 7 and 8, to the Student Centre holding a sign in front of their table that read “Hug a ‘Terrorist,’” and later, “do I look like a ‘terrorist’ to you!?”

with the goal of showing the group’s perspective on the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel.

“Over the summer [...] there was a lot of rhetoric around Palestinians and people living in Gaza being terrorists,” Shoufani said. “It’s just this idea that this is what the media is trying to sell you, that these children are somehow terrorists, are somehow collateral damage.”

“If you stop visualizing them as this ‘other’ that’s so far away, and look at them as children, just like anyone else, it puts a face on them and makes them human, even though they should always be.”

The campaign was an idea originally inspired by a YouTube video filmed in the summer in Toronto, where two young girls held a similar sign on a busy downtown street.

For the afternoon, SPHR members filled the hall of the Student Centre to engage students on their position.

Despite its controversial nature, Shoufani explained that the

reception had generally been positive from the students she had interacted with.

However, a number of students expressed their disappointment and condemned the campaign’s controversial approach.

“I was shocked and outraged when I did see their campaign,” said Jacob Klugsberg, a fourth-year Health Sciences student. “Using the term ‘Hug a ‘Terrorist’’ really trivializes and undermines both the threat that is terrorism, which is a very real threat, and also the suffering that all victims of terror and all those affected go through—especially following the events two weeks ago in Quebec and Ottawa.”

Sean Haber, a fourth-year Arts and Sciences student and President of McMaster Israel on Campus, echoed Klugsberg’s statements.

“Not only is it a campaign [that] trivializes and undermines the severity of terrorism, but my own personal vested interest is that it’s an attack campaign against Israel,” said

Haber. “I would challenge anyone to try to find one [...] Israeli source that would claim that all Palestinians are terrorists.”

Although Haber was emphatic on his displeasure with the event, he acknowledged the

“

I think what the ultimate goal has to be is working towards a peaceful, two-state solution to the conflict.”

Sean Haber President of McMaster Israel on Campus two-sided nature of the conflict.

The difficulty in engaging a discussion was further acknowledged by both Haber and Shoufani, as both sides had yet to speak with each other.

Said Haber, “I guess any person who identifies with a certain side of any conflict is

C/O KRISTA SCHWAB

always going to feel like their side is misrepresented... I think what the ultimate goal has to be is working towards a peaceful, two-state solution to the conflict.”

Critics of the event also found the timing problematic, with the event happening the same week as Remembrance Day. In response to this, Shoufani explained that the timing of events was always going to be an issue. The campaign had initially been booked at the Student Centre for Remembrance Day, but the club quickly rectified that when they realized the unfortunate scheduling.

“Even though the events aren’t related, we need to think about sensitivity and about people who might be going through things during this day and not put them through that,” said Shoufani. “We have been trying to accommodate as much as possible, but I think sometimes, there’s only so much you can do with timing and sensitivity.” @patrickmkim

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Feature

Thursday, November 20, 2014

THE WRONG AVENUE Christina Vietinghoff Features Editor

The Student Experience Task Force met weekly in the winter of 2011.

The committee of professors was told to dream big to enhance the student experience at McMaster. They envisioned a course that all McMaster students would take, emphasising co-curricular learning through a supportive network of mentors.

They suggested calling this the learning “passport” or “portfolio”.

But when McMaster officially launched the Learning Portfolio in September 2013, it manifested very differently, as an online tool that has received a lukewarm reception from students and faculty.

The learning portfolio was developed with good intentions, but why hasn’t the funding input been matched by enthusiasm amongst students or professors?

SO WHAT IS THE LEARNING PORTFOLIO? If you’ve been on campus over the past two years it’s hard to miss the Learning Portfolio.

It was launched with great fanfare. Then came a boot camp to teach educators how to use it. After that it took centre stage at a showcase. Now, six learning portfolio fellows a year will receive up to $9,500 each to champion it and research its effectiveness.

The Learning Portfolio is a virtual tool, hosted on Avenue

to Learn and designed to stimulate reflection. The Portfolio aims to help students connect the bigger picture of what they gain from their degree through web pages with multimedia and text reflections.

“The portfolio is an opportunity to provide students with an additional tool… to integrate the learning that happens inside the classroom with the learning that takes place outside the classroom,” said David Wilkinson, McMaster’s provost.

The platform also has the support of some key student leaders on campus. They see reflection as an important skill that students otherwise miss out on at university.

“What we really value is the skills, the things that the students will be able to learn through the use of the Learning Portfolio,” said Rodrigo Narro Perez, MSU VP (Education).

FROM PASSPORT TO PORTFOLIO? The original idea for the Learning Portfolio, according to the Student Experience Task Force report, was to develop a learning portfolio or passport as a strategy to recognize and facilitate student learning in both curricular and co‐curricular environments.

The original proposal recommends one of the key objectives of the passport would be to credit students for their activities and learning outside the classroom.

The task force recommended the creation of a course that all students would take. They also recommended that a committee involving faculty and

students should together establish what activities would be credited on the passport, and what would be sufficient for course credit.

However, the current manifestation of the Learning Portfolio on campus has deviated more towards the purpose of inspiring reflection. Although a key part of this is still to engage students in extracurricular learning, students do not receive credit for the extracurricular involvement, unless it is somehow integrated into a course curriculum.

A LIMITED UPTAKE Over the past two years the University has spent $540,000 on the Learning Portfolio.

This sum includes salaries for dedicated personnel, events, communication and training materials, research projects and fellowships.

In September 2014, over 3,400 McMaster students used the Learning Portfolio.

But the majority of students have failed to embrace this tool, arguing that it is redundant with other platforms for reflection and job application processes.

According to a poll hosted on Avenue to Learn of 2,407 respondents, 69 percent had not used the Learning Portfolio.

The Silhouette solicited feedback through an online survey on the Learning Portfolio.

One survey respondent said, “I also don’t think the average employer is interested in seeing these— there’s a reason résumés are supposed to be one to two pages in length, so I don’t think Learning Portfolios provide that extra edge in getting hired.”

But the Learning Portfolio is not designed to replace these traditional means of reflections, or applying for work, but rather provide a supplementary venue for students who don’t currently reflect.

“And where it is redundant and [reflection is] already happening in different ways, then that’s fine, the intent is not to duplicate that,” said Wilkinson.

The amount of students using the Learning Portfolio will likely increase as the tool becomes a mandatory method of assessment in some courses.

In some cases this manifests as a graded reflection uploaded to a Learning Portfolio site or course goals. Some students who responded to The Silhouette’s survey expressed frustration that class time was spent on how to use this tool.

“We should not have to spend class/tutorial time learn-

Feature

Thursday, November 20, 2014

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McMaster has invested over half a million dollars in the Avenue2Learn “Learning Portfolio”. But with so much behind it, why isn’t it a more effective tool?

ing about this tool, where this time could be used to actually learn the material on the courses,” said one McMaster student.

Some professors seem to be equally disapproving of the Learning Portfolio as one survey respondent said “[I] noticed in some faculty specific forums (ie. Learnlink threads) that instructors are actually openly disapproving [the Learning Portfolio] and suggesting alternate, external platforms for reflection ie. Evernote.”

Despite this negative feedback, the University Affairs Commissioner thinks students have yet to learn how to properly use it.

“I think it’s important to also note that these learning technologies are very new and the only way that we’re going to get feedback whether or not it’s useful to students is through widespread promotion and awareness,” said Alan Rheaume, the MSU University Affairs commissioner.

Narro Perez is also a proponent of the tool, and has been involved with the Learning Portfolio since before it was launched.

“In terms of the Learning Portfolio I do see your point, that there seems to be a push, but not everyone’s going to be using it,” said Narro Perez. “It’s like saying exams suck. We all do it and we see the benefits after.”

SHOULD MCMASTER CONSIDER A DIFFERENT MODEL? Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia created a tool called the “Co-curricular Record”. Their

tool inspires reflection, but also creates a system to verify and legitimize students’ extracurricular involvement.

“It’s a document that acknowledges both academic and non-academic experiences. The document is an official transcript essentially, that is signed by the University President, Vice-President of Student Affairs and myself,” explained Chris Glover, the Associate Director of the Career & Leadership Development Centre at Dalhousie.

Reflection is not a primary purpose, but rather one component of a tool that aims to legitimize the extracurricular involvements of students.

The Co-Curricular Record is open to both undergraduates and graduate students.

Dalhousie was able to implement the Co-Curricular Record thanks to a gift to the university, so the costs to operate the program do not influence the operating cost of the university or students’ tuition.

One of the reasons Dalhousie created this tool was to address demands of employers to be able to verify the extracurricular activities of students.

So the Co-Curricular Record contains a code that employers can submit to a Dalhousie website that will then verify the activities.

In fact, the Co-Curricular model, which affirms activities while also promoting reflecting, has been adopted by many institutions including Western, Waterloo and McGill.

These are just a few of the options McMaster may wish to consider adding to the Learning Portfolio, to make it more

relevant for students.

However, it remains unclear whether Desire2Learn (the provider of Avenue to Learn) owns the content students add to their portfolios. If this is the case, there is some possibility that it would affect McMaster’s negotiations and with Desire2Learn and their likelihood to change platforms when the contract with D2L expires.

THE FUTURE OF THE LEARNING PORTFOLIO An important component of integrating technology at the university is objectively evaluating its impact.

Although this is difficult to do, the team behind the Learning Portfolio has worked hard to ensure there is ample opportunity for feedback to be incorporated and for evidence to be collected.

But more students and faculty will need to be convinced if the Learning Portfolio is to be a success.

“The idea behind it is great; I think it makes total sense that McMaster would invest money in something like this in an attempt to better market their students,” said another McMaster survey respondent. “But realistically they platform they’ve created is clunky, slow, and horrible to work with. They’d do much better if they partnered with some kind of preexisting platform, rather than Avenue.”

McMaster has taken a different direction from what was originally recommended by the Student Experience Task Force.

But it is perhaps worth reassessing whether this direction is worth sticking to.

“

In September 2014, over 3,400 McMaster students used the learning portfolio.

But the majority of students have failed to embrace this tool, arguing that it is redundant with other platforms for reflection and job application processes.

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Thursday, November 20, 2014

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Researchers receive SRA Meeting Movember grant Highlights

McMaster professor to investigate prostate cancer-induced depression biological ones.

“We decided to look at the quality of life of prostate cancer patients. Normally what happens is over time a lot of prostate cancer patients get depressed,” said Singh.

The research team discovered that many tumor cells produce a neurotransmitter called glutamate when they are under oxidative stress. In other

“When I joined this board on the day of run for the cure I was with some survivors and Krista Schwab they told me that it’s great they News Editor they’re living longer, but they are in so much pain that they’d Two McMaster researchers rather die,” said Singh. have been honoured with After that experience, the Movember Discovery Singh began studying pain in Grant which will provide each breast cancer patients with researcher with $200,000 over the goal to improve quality of a two-year term. The grant, life for those with cancer. This which Prostate Cancer has led to his new Canada awarded to 26 project that will researchers this year, provide a higher will go towards two quality of life for projects. prostate cancer paThe first will fund tients by alleviating research on cancer-indepression caused duced depression by by prostate cancer.

Gurmit Singh, profesThe project, sor in pathology and which is now molecular medicine. underway, is in the Another has been early stages. awarded to Khalid “We are Gurmit Singh Al-Nedawi, assistant hoping within two Professor, pathology and molecular medicine professor of medicine, years we will have for a study investigatan animal model ing hormone therapy for depression,” resistance. said Singh. “Once Singh’s research we have that then on how prostate cancer can studies, glutamate has been we will be screening for drugs cause depression uses an animal linked to depression, and is now that block the release of glutamodel, the first of its kind in theorized to be a main cause of mate.”

Canada. The study will evendepression in prostate cancer “At the end of the day, tually move to clinical trials patients. depression is not caused by one once the mechanism that causes “This would be stopping factor – it is multi-factorial. If depression in those patients depression at the tumor site we can control the biology, and in understood through animal rather than in the brain,” said the psychologists can control research.

Singh. the social aspects, we may The end goal of the Singh began his work in have a better quality of life for research is to alleviate deprescancer research when he first patients.” sion in cancer patients, which joined the board of governors Singh believes is caused not by for the Canadian Best Cancer @kschwabi psycho-social factors, but by Foundation.

“

[We] would be stopping depression at the tumor site rather than in the brain.

William Lou Online Editor

On Sunday Nov. 16, the Student Representative Assembly gathered in Gilmour Hall 111 for the second of three meetings in November.

During the meeting, MSU president Teddy Saull gave his presidential report, to which he revealed a few upgrades for the upcoming fall examination period.

1. Extended hours for Thode Library Good news for overnight crammers - Thode Library will remain open 24 hours per day three or four days prior to, and all throughout the examination period. This gives students a venue for late-night studying beyond rummaging through MUSC for precious table space near outlets.

“Thode used to be open for 24 hours before the first exam, but what if you had an exam on the first day?” MSU President Teddy Saull said. “Thode bumped that to 3-4 days before exams start.”

2. The Reactor Cafe open longer In tandem with extended hours for Thode Library, the Reactor cafe will also be open for an extended period of time during exams, including on weekends.

Saull also mentioned that he and the board of directors tried to push for Mini Mac to be open 24 hours during exam period, but cited bureaucratic pushback as to why the motion failed.

“If the next year’s board of directors pushes for this point, it will be possible,” Saull said.

3. Pulse open throughout exams The Pulse will now be open throughout exams. Regular operating hours will be in effect, giving students a chance to exercise both body and mind, while providing an outlet to relieve stress.

Saull also added that Pulse hours will be cut the last three or four days of examinations. This will be done to reflect the declining of student population as examinations come to a close.

By Levin C. Handy (per http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cwpbh.04326) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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Editorial

The Silhouette

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Thursday, November 20, 2014

QUOTE OF THE WEEK Dr. John Raymond Baker Chiropractor, Patient Advocate

“To see a wrong and not to expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance.”

Forward with dissent It’s easy to let the decisions of McMaster’s administration go uncontested.

But challenging McMaster’s plans is a healthy part of our school life

Julia Redmond Managing Editor

In this week’s feature article, we examine a topic that has been a long time coming—the Learning Portfolio. Features Editor Christina Vietinghoff takes you through the basis for its establishment, the prevailing attitudes on the tool, and some of the issues with it.

While it’s certainly an interesting read, what’s more interesting is the part that we couldn’t write.

Over the course of the investigation for this piece, we came across many people with good intentions.

They wanted to help us out and give their perspectives—but they couldn’t.

We talked to students, to administrators, and to faculty, many of whom were ready to speak in casual contexts about the problems they saw with the Learning Portfolio: how they’d tried it with their class and had simply given up on using it because it wasn’t worth the complaints from frustrated students, how they found Letter to the Editor

In February, a Harvard Crimson writer penned a column decrying academic freedom because it gave cover to ‘research promoting or justifying oppression’. Instead, she proposed ‘academic justice’.

She avoided a clear definition, but I infer that it is the coercive power of a school community to set the bounds of orthodox discourse. Segments of the McMaster community seem of late to be running the same play. “Eco-activists interrupt oil executive’s speech on women’s leadership”; “Pro-choice protestors invaded McMaster Lifeline’s lecture advocating against abortion”; I can dismiss this as being misguided, like the Sil’s Executive Editor did.

But when its Opinions Editor writes about the limits of freedom of speech on campus, I see her giving cover to the pro-

it to be slow and awkward and a poor choice of platform, or how it was not at all the tool they knew it was intended to be.

But as soon as we asked them to speak on record, people we knew to have strong opinions on the matter had nothing but positive things to say about what is an ultimately disappointing university initiative. They did this for fear of saying something that might jeopardize their jobs, their relationships at Mac, or their reputations. They watered down their ideas because the general climate of the university is an all-out promotion of this tool, bolstered by the untouchable message of Forward With Integrity.

I wish I could say I was surprised by this situation, but unfortunately it is all too familiar to us here at the Sil. The goal of our news and features sections is to address and investigate issues relevant to the McMaster community. We try to bring to light the problems that remain unaddressed.

We try, in our capacity as a team of (student) journalists, to hold the university to account.

But I don’t think this is a job just

testors whose post-game analysis was titled, “Free Speech: The Last Bastion of Scoundrels”.

Common to both pieces is the point that freedom of speech shouldn’t extend to people whose speech imposes on the freedom of others. First, this is unnecessary because Progressivism is winning. It is odious in 2014 to privately hold the view concerning gay marriage that President Obama publicly held in 2008. Ask ex-Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich. Second, ‘imposition on the freedom of others’ will be defined on ideological grounds, which is precisely where the battle lies. Discourse police should fall back and get to debating. The protestors, like some Ivy Leaguers, are honest about their tactic. I hope for similar candour from the Silhouette as it discusses where ‘the line’ is.

- Peter Bamikole

for the campus newspaper. If there’s anything I’ve learned from my years at Mac, it’s that the people here truly care about this place where they dedicate so much of their time. And they have a lot of opinions on our university’s operations. What I wish for McMaster, though, is that this dedication to the community extended to action. I wish that everyone would, in their own way, hold the university’s authority to account and give a healthy amount of dissent.

It’s often easier to let the university run in the way it’s been designed to, where many of the big decisions are made behind closed doors and the results just come down the pipeline for us to accept. We can continue to let it be a place where asking any kind of controversial question just means you’re redirected to a trained PR professional.

But sometimes stirring up a bit of trouble produces better results than just leaving the status quo.

We’ll keep trying to dig into issues we identify as problems—if you have any, be sure to let us know—but I hope we won’t be the only ones.

Letter to the Editor

It seems that Andrew Terefenko reckons himself an expert on “How not to protest” (Nov. 13).

If his first paragraph weren’t a dead give-away (bullhorns and drums have been a staple of social justice movements for decades!) perhaps his ensuing wreckage of an argument tipped you off to the fact that Terefenko has no functional ideas about how social justice movements ought to do their work.

While Terefenko would have you believe that only restrained messaging and collegial debate can make change in this world, every corner of history is laden with examples that prove him wrong.

Radical social and environmental justice movements have never limited themselves to collegial debate and there’s a reason for that: it doesn’t work in the face of grotesque power imbalances.

The reality is that different tactics are effective and appropriate

to Jason Derulo throwback jams

to the -17 degree surprise

to the Qarri polemic

to Flaming Hot Cheetos

to people who comment on fiveyear-old facebook photos and dig up uncomfortable hairstyles we’d rather forget we had

to Rick Z and 30 years of the iconic logo

to rapidly disappearing rubber bands

to chocolate pretzels

to ornaments in my zen garden. It’s a holiday-free zone

to stock and socks in the snow

to dissenting opinion to dead bird stories to rejected feature headlines: No desire to learn Whose portfolio is it anyways?

Any portfolio in a storm Learning “poor”tfolio

in different situations.

If someone is blasting pepper-spray in your eyes, open debate isn’t a great tactic to get them to stop. If someone is trying to wield patriarchal state apparatus to limit your bodily autonomy (ahem, McMaster Lifeline) then you’re likely to use every method available to stop them and to destabilize their efforts. If someone is coming to speak in your town who makes millions ravaging the earth and exploiting West African communities while simultaneously being trumpeted as a feminist icon (hi Susan!) then maybe organized disruption is a more fitting response than waiting politely for Q&A time (though I openly endorse both tactics).

I suspect that the disruptive tactics used last week on this campus simply made Terefenko and many other people uncomfortable. Those drums and bullhorns threatened the stability and familiarity of the dominant order,

to only one more issue in the term to not having enough time for wine and cheese events to misrepresenting vandals as bandits to buffalogeddon

and as usual the people who are privileged by the status quo took deep offence.

And so we feign no surprise when the editor of the campus paper calls us “inconsiderate assholes”, or McMaster's highest paid armchair-revolutionary-in-residence dubs us “pedagogical terrorists” (oh Giroux – you’ve outdone yourself!). We prefer to think of ourselves as empowered and enraged communities standing in solidarity against oppressive power structures. Rather than appealing to rights and freedoms as promised by the colonial state or “higher learning” institutions, we choose to assert our own freedoms and carve out space for radical transformations to occur.

All of your farcical claims to free speech and open academic debate will have to take a back seat to our right to protect our land, our communities, and our bodies – on these we simply cannot compromise. - David Prychitka

Thursday, November 6, 2014

www.thesil.ca

11

The McMaster Students Union

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

As the end of the first term draws near, I wanted to reflect on my presidency thus far, along with the goals I had aimed to accomplish when I first set out on this journey with the McMaster Students Union (MSU). With any endeavour, I believe it is important to take a step back and critically reflect on the progress one has made to both appreciate the efforts of oneself and those around them, and also evaluate the steps required to continue pushing forward. My mid-year report is simultaneously a game plan for the rest of my term as MSU President, as well as an opportunity for the student body to hold me accountable to the promises I made in my presidential campaign.

Below, I have outlined a brief overview of my completed and ongoing projects. Many of these were the result of my platform in the 2014 presidential campaign, while others are the continuation of efforts established by student leaders before me. Items noted with a check mark denote my specific goals, as per my platform. I welcome and appreciate continual feedback on the direction of the organization. It has been my pleasure to serve the students of McMaster, and I look forward to an even stronger second semester.

= PRESIDENTIAL PLATFORM Teddy Saull

PRESIDENTIAL MID-YEAR REPORT WHAT I’VE DONE

COMMUNITY MATTERS

WHAT I’M DOING

June

After being elected President, I wrote a letter about the MSU about what steps I believe the MSU should take to ensure community is an integral part of the McMaster experience.

MSU CLUBZA

August

Launched a portal on the MSU website so students do not have to pack a bag and trek through the Narnia that is our extensive clubs network to find a club that interests them.

HOMECOMING 2014

September

This year, we took HoCo to the next level with an international artist and a Ferris wheel. And more food trucks. Boom.

LINK CONFERENCE

October

I established a conference wherein autonomous student groups received guidance, training, and swapped best practicies for student leadership.

PERSPECTIVES ON PEACE

November

Working with President Deane, Diversity Services, and various student groups, we have initiated a campaign to empower marginalized voices on campus.

EXAM UPGRADES

December

We have solidified service enhancements to be available to students during the December exam period. Keep an eye out for the official announcement in the coming weeks!

The President’s Page is a space sponsored and used by the McMaster Students Union (MSU) Board of Directors (BoD) to communicate with the student body. It functions to highlight the Board’s projects, goals, and agenda for the year, as well as the general happenings of the MSU.

January

FROST WEEK

Planning is now underway and I am pumped to see how it all plays out. Expect big things.

January

PARTICIPATORY FUNDING

The idea collection phase has ended. I cam currently working with campus partners to determine the logistics. Students will be able to vote on ideas come January.

Ongoing

STUDENT LIFE ENHANCMENT FUND

ANCILLARY FEE

I am working with the University and student groups to prioritize the reallocation of financial resources for new mental health initiatives and professional counsellors.

February

FREEZE THE FEE

To continue saving students money, we plan to freeze the MSU fee for the 2015/2016 school year.

Ongoing

PEER TUTORING

With a website currently in the works, we hope to develop the logistics in the coming months. We envision a fully functional service in Fall 2015 through the Student Success Centre (SSC).

March

PEER to

peer

YEAR END CELEBRATION

I am speaking with as many students as possible to find out what they would like to see (if anything). I'm thinking a carnival, local music, and fireworks... what are you thinking?

TEDDY

SCOTT MALLON

NARRO PÉREZ

RODRIGO

JACOB

President

VP (Finance)

VP (Education)

VP (Administration)

SAULL

BRODKA

12

www.thesil.ca

Around Campus

Around Campus

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Eliza Pope Photo Reporter

“What’s something you’re passionate about?”

“I love working out, and I love driving fast. I drove at 170 km/h on the Ontario 401 West. It was February, so I could’ve skidded out, but it was cool. It thrills me. I’m actually looking forward to starting drag racing. I have a Mazda 3 right now though, so I’ll need to modify it.”

“What was a really cool experience you had?”

“I’ve been to NASA. I actually went to the spaceship simulator, which was really fun. I’m actually an aspiring astronaut, so that was really good for me. I dunno, I’m kind of a nerdy engineer.”

“Why do you want to be an astronaut?”

“Since I was a child, I’ve always been fascinated with those space shuttles. Like how the space shuttle takes off, and once the ignition booms, and all the exhaust and fire. That’s a real turn on for me. I want to work for NASA in the future.”

“Tell me something interesting about yourself.”

“Something people don’t know about me is that I write a lot. I entered a writing contest a month ago in my hometown, and just won.

This particular piece was supposed to be a ‘message to the world’ type of thing.”

“What’s it like being Santa?”

“It’s great! I just gained some weight very recently, and it’s also really hot with all this hair.”

“And how long have you been Santa?”

“Either five minutes or eternity, I guess.”

“So what was your message to the world?”

“It was an anti-suicide message. It’s hard to explain - it was symbolism writing. You remember the game hangman from when you were young? I used that as a kind of symbolism for suicide and how the point of the game is when you make a mistake you get closer to dying - and it shouldn’t be like that. But it is like that in real life. When you make mistakes, someone gets closer to dying, but when you do something right, it’s move onto the next person. It’s not like everytime you guess a letter correctly, one part of him is erased, it stays there. Only your mistakes count. And I just used that as a metaphor for the real world.

“So do you have a message for people battling suicide?”

“Open up to people. Not just telling one person, but everyone who cares about you, especially your family. And tell them why you feel that way. It helps a lot.”

“So how does it feel making kids dreams come true?”

“In the least creepy sense of the word, it’s great. I love making kids feel happy.”

“I still feel like there’s a lot of stuff I have to figure out - I’m very much a work in progress.

I never really had the epiphany moment where everything clicks, so I’m still looking for that. That’s kind of my goal in life - to find out where I want to be, and that’s really why I’m here.”

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Around Campus

www.thesil.ca

13

“What’s one life lesson you learned the hard way?”

“Yeah, a pretty bad one. I learned that I need to stop running away. I spent three months in Asia when I was in Grade 12, and before I did that, I shut off everything here. I kicked everyone out of my life, I broke up with my boyfriend, and I was just an awful person to everyone because I thought that I was getting a fresh start. I was running away and didn’t want anything to keep me back. And I burned a lot of bridges and pissed a lot of people off.

Even today I still regret everything I did back then.”

“What made you want to run away?”

“I think I just really didn’t like my high school. Also it was a travelling school, so I got this awesome opportunity to travel for three months. I just saw that as my new start, and wanted to get rid of everything in the past. I pushed my mom away, my friends, and I came back from high school with no friends. And I only connected with two people on the trip. So it really wasn’t worth it. I mean, the trip was, but not the experience. That was something I learned the hard way, and every day I’m still trying to build connections with people and maintain them - it’s the hardest thing for me.”

“What do you find difficult about building connections?”

“I don’t like to share with people - so this is really a big thing right now. So I’m actually really proud of myself right now. And every day I try to connect with people and reach out.

I’ve always been really shy, and so now I want to show people who I really am. In the past I was a chameleon. I would be whoever I had to be for people to like me.”

“And now?”

“It’s a struggle every day, but I’m trying to show myself much more. I’m a mix of everything: I’m on the tennis team, I’m a tennis coach, I love music. I can’t sing for crap, and I have no talent for any musical instrument, but I could listen to it all day. I’m also a complete hippie - I love travelling and am a complete wanderlust. And to top it off, I’m in business school. So I’m a complete mix of everything, and I like being that.”

Interested in a Bachelor of Education?

Applications due December 1, 2014 wlu.ca/education

“What’s something that really interests you?”

“What made you get into that?”

“I always was interested in painting my nails, and I saw a bunch of designs online and thought ‘I could probably do that!’ And so I did, and just got better over the two years.”

HAVE A STORY TO TELL? EMAIL PHOTO@THESIL.CA AND BE ON THIS PAGE!

Laurier’s full-time, two-year Bachelor of Education (BEd) program is designed to prepare you for teaching primary and junior levels (Grades K-6), or junior and intermediate levels (Grades 4-10). Our program has strong links with four local school boards, and you’ll spend at least two days each week in a Professional Development School (PDS) placement throughout two years, in addition to your five block practicum placements. You’ll regularly link the theory you’ll learn in your university classes to the teaching experiences of your placements.

WILFRID LAURIER UNVERSITY WATERLOO | Brantford | Toronto | Kitchener

EDU-860-NOV14-MCMAST

“Well I do nail art. I got into it a bit over two years ago, and I run a blog around it as well.”

Elections 101 Night

Mitchell Bowl @1280

at 905-545-9140, and online at

When: November 20, 2014 from 07:00PM until 09:00PM

When: November 22, 2014 from 02:00PM until 09:00PM

Adults $15 / Seniors $10 / Students $5

Where: MUSC 318

Where: TwelvEighty Bar & Grill

Interested in running for MSU President?

2 big screens live on TSN. Tailgating

or a seat on the Student Representative

starts at 2PM. Post game party with the

Assembly? Come out to Elections 101 at

team and friends of McMaster Football.

7PM on November 20 in MUSC318 to find out how!

Tight and Bright Party When: November 20, 2014 at 09:30PM until November 21, 2014 at 02:00AM Where: TwelvEighty Bar & Gril Appleton Club Night featuring DJ Amando Jose. $2 before 11PM. $4.50 after 11PM.

Mitchell Bowl vs.

Mount Allison When: November 22, 2014 from 04:00PM until 08:00PM Where: Ron Joyce Stadium McMaster Marauders Football Mitchell Bowl vs. Mount Allison Ticket information: - General student admission: $20.00 (tax included) *Please note: there is a

All that Glitters Jewellery & Handbag Sale When: November 22, 2014 from 10:00AM until 02:00PM Where: The Freeway Cafe, located at 333 King Street East, Hamilton.

Donations of Gently-Used jewellery,

maximum of 4 tickets per sale.

McMaster University Choir Concert: And On Earth, Peace When: November 22, 2014 from 07:30PM until 09:30PM

Handbags and Scarves will be sold on

Where: 165 Charlton Ave W

Saturday, November 22nd, 2014 from 10

McMaster University Choir presents our

am - 2 pm at The Freeway Cafe, located

fall concert “And On Earth, Peace.” Fea-

at 333 King Street East, Hamilton.

turing Howard Goodall’s Eternal Light Requiem and soloists Charlene Santoni

Proceeds from this sale will go to the

and Andrew Tees. Tickets are available

Native Women’s Centre Scholarship, J.

from choir members, at the door, by

Lynn Watson, and MSU Spirit.

phone through the School of the Arts

www.mcmasterchoir.ca.

The SHEC Show The Itch and the Burn When: November 24, 2014 from 01:00PM until 01:30PM Where: CMFU 93.3 STIs are no joke and on this show we will be giving students a run through of the most common sexually transmitted infections that affect students.

Holiday Acoustic Show feat. Craig Cardiff When: November 25, 2014 from 08:00PM until 12:00AM Where: TwelvEighty McMaster’s favourite Craig Cardiff will be joined by special guests Pat Maloney and Jojo Worthington in Twelveighty for the annual acoustic Holiday show!

The Silhouette

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Opinion

www.thesil.ca

15

What do Mac students think about the Learning Portfolio?

PAGE 16

Blackface, trauma and cultural racism The roots and implications of the racist costume at the centre of the Brock U controversy Ismaël Traoré Contributor

Brock University has been in the news lately for a Halloween party hosted by Isaacs/ BUSU, where a group of four people (three white men and one brown man) dressed as the Jamaican Bobsled team and the three white men wore blackface: they painted their faces so they can “look” black – which apparently means shoe polish-like.

They won first place for best costume, which came with a $500 stipend. This is the third time I am aware of this happening at Isaacs. The first was in 2007. An allwhite Bobsled team with blackface won second place.

The second, in 2009, saw a white male with blackface emulating Lil Wayne. He won first prize with an $800 prize. Isaacs promised to not repeat their mistake when it was brought to their attention in 2009. Yet here we are, again.

Blackface has played a powerful role in the trauma and holocaust of black persons. An example of this is the movie Birth of Nations that revitalized the Klan. Because trauma is passed on generationally, we cannot dismiss how the past affects us today. The practice of cross-race painting by white persons triggers generational pain, and perpetuates cultural racism. Cultural racism, specifically discursive racism, is when a dominant group uses mediums of communication (i.e. popular media, education, etc) to speak about, rather than with, a minority group, and in a manner that is negatively selective.

The fear-mongering of Muslims as terrorists is an example of this. Cultural racism not only is the practice of a dominant group speaking about an oppressed group selectively and stereotypically, but it also silences or tokenizes their voice

“

in these same channels of communication. While some may banalize it as mere talk – “get over it” – discourses shape our implicit thoughts, are stored in our collective cultural repertoire, and explain, for instance, why in a 2002 study by Joshua Correll and colleagues, titled “The Police Officer’s Dilemma, a Study on the Fatality of a Fraction of a Second,” white participants were quicker at shooting an armed black man in a videogame simulation than an armed white man, and more likely to not shoot an unarmed white target than an unarmed black target.

In short, white participants hesitated longer to shoot armed or unarmed white men, and were more likely to not shoot them when not armed and to misperceive unarmed black men as armed.

White life matters more. These results were found not to be related to cognitive prejudice, but knowledge of racial stereotypes associated with black men that implicitly induce bias.

Blackface is a discursive medium through which white persons in the past and in the present practice cultural racism by perpetuating stereotypes about black persons through costumes, by selectively “representing” black persons. It is not a coincidence that blackface costumes nowadays are primarily of rappers, gangsters, or athletes. This is a reflection of the white imagination of black identity and black life. It is also what author Chimamanda Adichie speaks about in her fascinating TedTalk called “The Danger of a Single Story.”

Many Jamaicans consider Cool Runnings offensive for it misrepresents Jamaicans by exaggerating a caricature, playing on stereotypes of “yes mawn,” and giving the save the day role to yet another white person. The actors were not even Jamaican. So while some

Blackface has played a powerful role in the trauma and holocaust of black persons.

Clockwise from top; Brock students dressed at the Jamaican Bobsled Team wearing blackface for Halloween 2007 (C/O BROCKBUG (TWITTER)); Brock student in Lil’ Wayne Halloween costume with blackface in 2009 (C/O HUFFINGTON POST); Brock students dressed as the Jamaican Bobsled Team wearing blackface in 2014 (C/O BROCKBUG (TWITTER))

may think a Bobsled blackface costume is “praising” or “celebrating” Jamaicans or Black people, this could not be further from the truth for it perpetuates stereotypes, continues a practice of cultural racism, and triggers and creates more generational trauma.

There is another matter to ponder: why is the practice of cross-race painting significantly over-represented by white persons and under-represented by persons of color? The very fact that “whiteface” is so infrequent as to be negligible is not a coincidence considering that behaviors do not occur in a vacuum. It is a reflection of a racial order that practices racism that

has made it possible for white persons to consider blackness as a “thing”; to dehumanize blackness to an object such that it can be taken apart from the humans that have said skin color, to then “wear” blackness without regard to how this may impact onlookers who are black, to “wear” blackness without a sense of repercussion or accountability whatsoever, and to defend continuing a practice that offends others by using target-blaming and “stop being insensitive” privileged rhetorics.

The blackface of the Brock bobsled team is less a reflection of costume accuracy, and more of a racialized order hierarchy and continuing history

that encourages the mocking, fetishizing, and appropriation of those who are marginalized and have less social qua discursive influence. This behavior exists within a culture that gives power to its dominant majority and absolves them from their action.

It is also a behavior that exists within a culture in which mainly, though not exclusively, white persons do not have to develop racial etiquette and cross-cultural competency to exist. Persons of colour, by the very nature of them being marginalized, do not have the luxury to take skin-colour issues lightly for skin-colour has material consequences.

16

Opinion

www.thesil.ca

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Stress and success

That midterm didn’t “rape” you

Coping with the pressures of academia Michelle Yeung ANDY Reporter

In elementary school, we were taught how to use rulers to measure lines. Since those halcyon days, this fascination with measurement has cemented itself in how we view the world.

We use grades to measure how well we do on tests, time to measure how long we take to get ready in the morning, and medals of various colours to measure how good we are in comparison to others. Comparison through standardized measurements is almost second nature in university. Only now, we no longer measure lines.

Our GPAs are the new standard by which we measure ourselves – and this is a downfall for many.

In an education system that places such great importance on numbers, it often feels as though these marks are a direct reflection of our abilities. Don’t get me wrong, I think university is incredible. There is always more to learn, always something to do. There’s something for everyone. But we often leave out the less glamourous side of post-secondary education, one where hundreds of students fall through the cracks each year into a state of poor mental health.

Mental illness is a real issue, one that is extremely prevalent at McMaster and across the country. By the end of the year, likely half of the people you know will have experienced

FEEDBACK

some sort of mental breakdown.

Hundreds of students with bloodshot eyes will have burned themselves out trying to do everything at once by fuelling endless all-nighters with caffeine. Unforeseen circumstances, coupled with a variety of pressures, will send many of our peers into a dangerous spiral.

Depression is among one of the most common mental illnesses in university students, but many more hide in the silence that we encourage.

Unsurprisingly, academic stress is a leading cause in mental health issues among university students. A major contributing factor is our susceptibility to tunnel vision. We zero in on getting high marks, and neglect everything in the periphery. Regardless what program you’re in, competition is stiff. We’re young and ambitious. Our blood runs hot and thick, our dreams are big and daring. The bar for success is continually rising, and with that so is the pressure we put on ourselves. When there is a blip in our planning, difficulties and other emotional vulnerabilities are magnified.

A couple weeks ago, I received a set of marks that were the lowest I had ever gotten. I remember being so overwhelmed, I felt paralyzed.

All I heard were the humble responses of friends who did well, and all I wanted was to leave the lecture hall and hide in my comforter. I didn’t feel like I belonged in my program anymore. But talking to an upper year student put everything back into perspective. I realized

that one mark, no matter how important it may seem at the time, was no measure of my capabilities. The isolation I felt dissipated, and I realized the importance of finding a healthy way to cope with setbacks.

Everyone needs an outlet.

It can be anything, as long as it’s something that will give you some time to yourself and help relieve stress. It’s important to schedule in activities that make you happy and recognize how much more there is to life than whatever it is you’re worried about. Some hit the gym. Some dance, some paint, some jog.

Some people choose to sit back with a tub of ice cream and Netflix. I write, play volleyball, or spend time with my guitar. Your outlet could be going out and doing something you love, or staying in and doing absolutely nothing at all.

Nobody is immune to pressure. Both the feeling and the effects of stress are harrowing. While finding your outlet is important in maintaining a healthy mind, it is by no means a solution to mental illness.

Going to the gym will not end breakdowns, and playing the guitar doesn’t guarantee nirvana. Staying healthy is about taking care of your body and mind, a fact that we often forget.

Our experience at McMaster cannot be measured by how badly we did on that organic chemistry mid-term, or by how we failed last week’s English paper. This isn’t easy to grasp.

But by gaming, knitting, or just chilling out, we make numbers and measurements seem a little less important.

Insensitive word choice trivializes the experiences of sexual assault victims Irina Sverdlichenko Contributor

I understand; midterms suck.

Tests suck. I feel your pain, your frustration. I’ve left a test hall feeling harassed by an assessment more than once since my time here. But I also acknowledge the physical and psychological ramifications rape victims endure days, even years after their attack. And I would never want to trivialize or imply that the magnitude of their ordeal was less than it was.

So why am I noticing a disturbing trend among my fellow classmates to alter the connotation of “rape?” Why is it suddenly okay to make callous remarks like, “that midterm raped me,” while friends snicker and shake their heads in agreement? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not accusing every student of being inappropriate or not politically correct. But talking like this, with no inhibitions or latent human decency and sensitivity to what some people have gone through, causes a snowball effect where sexual assault becomes normalized in our culture.

We all know there’s been no shortage of reports on sexual assault victims coming forward to share their stories, to expose and put their rapists on trial in the court of public opinion. The Jian Gomeshi case sparked a national outcry for the controversy surrounding a man that used the blurred lines of consent in submissive and dominant sexu-

al role-play as justification or a mitigating factor in the accusations made against him.

His insolent remarks and border-line victim blaming, using the term, “jilted ex-girlfriend” once or twice, prompted the creation of a hashtag, #BeenRapedNeverReported, where victims of sexual assault can share their personal assault stories. One of the more poignant was this one (paraphrased): “I didn’t think it qualified as “real rape,” so I didn’t report it.”

What qualifies “real rape?”

I’m not going to try to define it, because that’s not my objective.

But the fact that an individual might be reticent coming forward to share their experience because society has set in place a rigid definition of “real rape” is worrisome; and is only exacerbated by the normalization and misuse of the term “rape.”

This might seem contradictory, but the detached use of the word attributes to it a lighter connotation, which is juxtaposed by society’s rigid interpretation of what rape really is. This leaves no grey area, which is where a lot of rape victims might fall into. So making a joke out of a believed small group is actually being highly insensitive to a larger demographic.

We have to stop using the word “rape” to describe our difficult tests or exams, as this is not conducive to creating an environment educated on the topic of sexual assault.

What are your thoughts on the Learning Portfolio?

Sarah Sexton Commerce I

I’ve never used it. I don’t really feel the need to, even though my professors have advised me to use it.

Jacob Chiaraballe Economics III

It’s hard to find the Learning Portfolio. And students don’t really think about using it when they’re on Avenue2Learn since they are only there for homework purposes.

Jordan Noscworthy Life Sciences II

I haven’t used it much since I am in a younger year, but I think it’s really great, and I was thinking of using it at the end of the term so when I am done school I can reflect on everything I’ve done.

Melanie Lysck-Martin Life Sciences III

I think the Learning Portfolio needs more marketing. By being on Avenue2Learn, It becomes less interesting and more of a required task rather than something that benefits them.

Opinion

Grace Kennedy Contributor

“

PERCENTAGE OF CANADIAN POPULATION OVER 65

benefits. It seems unnecessary to inform ourselves about these things when they seem part of a distant future, but they are realities that affect us now because they affect our grandparents and parents. In 2023, the Old Age Security benefit in Canada will increase the age requirement to 67.

Furthermore, the amount of attention the word “pension” gets in politics and in the media would have most of us believe it’s a lottery we receive every month once we hit senior citizenship. It’s not. Roughly speaking, if you meet the maximum earning contribution mark of approximately $55,000, you will receive just over $1,000 per month from the Canadian Pension

Young adults are increasingly burdened by our society’s lack of accessibility and attention to old age.

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Plan, and if you have lived in Canada for at least 40 years after turning 18, an OAS benefit of just over $500 per month. This really sets the tone for how we think about the possible 2001 financial

25%

1 02

18%

talking about old age is that we can all be advocates because it’s an expected 201 life course; it’s on the itinerary.

How can we be more inclusive of old age outside our family members and friends?

Our attitudes may not show or seem to affect the seniors in chal71 our lives, but outside of these lenges for relationships, there is no doubt seniors in that the general public is filled our lives and with discrimination and stigma. people in old It is estimated that by 2050, age overall.

25 per cent of Canadians will If persons in old age had be seniors.

A survey paid for by better financial security and Revera, a provider of retirement accessible services, many youth homes and long-term care, would not be faced with the found that many of the stigmas challenge of providing care. associated with old age includTransportation, meal services, ing incompetence and “having and additional healthcare exnothing to contribute” run penses would be things that we counter to the fact that seniors wouldn’t need to worry about are more likely than any age if they existed as affordable and group to say that “age is just a accessible services. number.”

Our attitudes and culture This speaks to the imporplays a huge role in all this. tance of valuing our minds.

We often forget, whether we The word “old” can really only are in favour of the welfare refer to physical traits, and state or not, that old age is an isn’t a reflection of intelligence. immutable stage in life. The Wisdom and experience are the challenges that come with old true judgments of ageing. age bring threats to our autonomy and an increased need to pay for service. The beauty of

1

Ageism against seniors is an increasingly concealed issue in Canada. As university students surrounded by a majority of young adults, it is remarkably easy to get caught up in the culture of youth.

For many of us, our interactions with seniors are characterized by the time we spend helping care for our grandparents, parents, or friends in old age. Old age as a life stage is underrepresented in popular media and entertainment, including in journalism.

The harms of discriminating against seniors extend beyond the obvious demographic. There is evidence that young adults are increasingly burdened by our society’s lack of accessibility and attention to old age. A current Stats Canada report found that 27 percent of young Canadians provide care for persons in old age facing struggles with aging needs, disability or long-term health

issues. The duty to provide care was found to adversely affect studies and employment, as well as increase psychological stresses such worry and anxiety.

We may enjoy providing care for important people in our lives, but these situations are challenging and complicate our lives in a time when we many of us are trying to get our own ducks in a row. We often feel that we can’t say “no” to helping out, and in many instances the people we care for would face adverse circumstances if we weren’t there to help.

As youth, we don’t give much attention to topics such as pensions and other old age

17

2061

2

Accomodating our aging population

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Thursday, November 20, 2014

14%

13%

8%

Make your own path A letter to confused fourth-years Feven Yeshanew Contributor

What are your plans once you are done school? Are you applying to grad school once you graduate? Med school? Law school? What program are you in now? What kind of jobs can you get with your degree?

Since when did going to school and conversing with others become an interview regarding my ten-year life plan?

We are not psychics, and we don’t have a crystal ball that can see into the future. But as I go into the fourth and final year of my undergraduate degree, I find myself bombarded with the buzz of urgency to figure out the next big move. The inces-

sant way conversations seem to continuously circle the topic of the future causes students both panic and frustration.

For the past three years at McMaster, I have been cosily bubbled in by the idea that my future will figure itself out, and I’ve been dismissing the looming questions of the future.

However we will soon be forced to depart from the ever so snuggly bubble and make some “serious” life decisions. With the increased competition for what seems like everything and the growing youth unemployment rates, the idea of graduating can be very daunting.

Continued on PAGE 18

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Opinion

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Embrace the The misogyny of unknown Real Social Dynamics Continued from PAGE 17

Now, add in these intimidating questions into the mix, and you’ve got yourself an existential crisis.

I had my own angst-induced breakdown this summer, where the pressure of not knowing what I wanted to do following graduation got to me – just as I’m sure it’s getting to most of my fourth year peers. For those of you who know what you’re doing, huzzah! You may be applying to your med schools, your grad schools, your dream jobs, but not everyone is in the same boat. In fact, the unknown collectively daunts those of us who are unsure.

Similar to my fellow fourth year students who have experienced much of the same emotions, I made it to the other side of my meltdown alive and with some insight; it’s okay to be planless. It’s especially okay to not know the next fifty steps of your life. I understand this may be hard to accept. Although most of us need a job to provide us with the money for survival, this said job in no way needs to be the one you do for the rest of your life. Sometimes trial and error results in the best outcomes. Perhaps the best plans

“

are not linear, but are with no particular direction.

We hear of quotes that speak of life as a journey and not a destination, so why is it instilled in our minds that our lives need to be prearranged as if we’re trying reach an arbitrary finish line?

Sometimes the best things in life spring from the unexpected and the unplanned.

The only thing left to do is embrace this uncertainty.

If you do not know whether to continue in school, get a job, or travel, try your hand at all three or take comfort in knowing that taking time to figure out what feels right is okay.

As for me, I have decided to put off applying to medical school and take a gap year.

During this time, I hope to work abroad and acquire a different kind of knowledge that textbooks fall short of providing.

Perhaps we will find our dreams in the unexpected, in a way that we would have never known if we stuck to a single linear plan. Most of all, know that you are not alone in the midst of this frustrating buzz.

Perhaps the best plans are not linear, but those with no particular direction.

Sophie Hunter Contributor

It is baffling to me that a company exists whose sole purpose is to teach men how to objectify women. Yet here I am, reading up on how to “propel my dating life into a carnival of sexual abundance” with the help of professional pick-up artists who pride themselves on their womanizing prowess. There is a very large part of me that wishes I had stumbled across a parody site and that this is all some sort of horrible joke.

Real Social Dynamics is a company that claims to specialize in “attracting women,” providing their services to insecure men around the world. Their “instructors”— and I use this term reluctantly— travel across the globe to deliver seminars on the most effective ways to get a woman into bed, and for a fee will even join you on a trial run in order to give you one-on-one coaching in the field. The company has recently been brought into the spotlight because of the controversy surrounding one of its instructors, Julien Blanc, a man who has become known for his encouragement of violence against women as an effective “pick-up” technique.

What is incredibly troubling about this company’s existence, other than its shockingly misogynistic and downright offensive instructors and platform, is the fact that there are men willing to pay in order to acquire the services that it provides. The company exists because there is a demand for its services. Men want to learn how to become more confident

Julian Blanc is an American self-proclaimed “pick-up artist” and an executive dating coach at Real Social Dynamic.

C/O JULIEN BLANC (FACEBOOK)

when talking to women, and are willing to follow the advice of men who are self-proclaimed “experts” on sleeping with large numbers of women through manipulation and coercion.

Why is it acceptable for companies like this to exist?

Teaching men that dehumanizing and violating women is okay devalues women as a whole, and significantly contributes to the negative ways that men treat women in their everyday lives.

Attitudes such as this move beyond the bar scene, where they should not exist in the first place, and impact women in the workplace, in their personal lives, and even when simply walking down the street.

The existence of a company that relies on the objectification of women in order to sell a misogynistic message to men shows that our society still has

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a very long way to go before women are fully valued as human beings. We have made significant progress in regards to the rights and protection of women. But Real Social Dynamic provides a startling wake-up call. There is still more work that needs to be done in order to properly educate people about the rights that women deserve.

Men need to be taught how to treat women with dignity and respect. Women do not want to be catcalled, women do not want to be a reward for an effective pick-up line, and women definitely do not want to be physically intimidated.

Women are not objects to be won or obtained.

Women want and deserve respect. And that is something that truly needs to be taught.

Find us at either of our locations: Eastgate Square 75 Centennial Pky N, Stoney Creek, ON L8E 2P2 Underground Media + Design McMaster University Student Center 1280 Main St. W., Hamilton, ON, L8S 4S4

Thursday, November 20, 2014

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Learn more about the other Mitchell Bowl contestant - the Mount Allison Mounties.

Mac's NCAA addition is finding his footing with the men's basketball team.

PAGE 20

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Marauders cement their legacy After Marauder football spent decades in irrelevancy, McMaster has dominated the Ontario landscape and won 7 championships in 14 seasons.

And the team is not done yet.

Joey Cupido had two interceptions and this key break-up to lead a staunch Marauder defence.

C/O YOUSIF HADDAD

LEAGUE AT LARGE The OUA at a glance

Men’s Volleyball OUA

CIS Top Ten W L

McMASTER GUELPH RYERSON WESTERN WATERLOO WINDSOR YORK QUEEN'S TORONTO NIPISSING RMC

6 7 6 4 5 3 3 3 2 0 0

1 2 2 2 4 3 3 4 5 6 7

ALBERTA McMASTER TRINITY WESTERN UBC BRANDON DALHOUSIE WINNIPEG GUELPH MOUNT ROYAL MANITOBA

Women’s Volleyball OUA East

OUA West

W L

W L

McMASTER GUELPH BROCK WESTERN WINDSOR LAKEHEAD WATERLOO

5 6 5 3 3 1 1

1 2 4 6 6 7 7

TORONTO RYERSON OTTAWA QUEEN'S YORK NIPPISING RMC

0 1 2 3 3 4 7

Basketball OUA West - W

OUA West- M

W L

Scott Hastie Sports Editor

When the Marauders beat the Guelph Gryphons 20-15 on Nov. 15, they did more than win a trophy or earn a berth in the Mitchell Bowl. They solidified the McMaster football program’s place in history.

With the Yates Cup win, McMaster can rightfully say that they are the most consistent program of the new millennium.

Since 2000, Mac has won seven Yates Cups in eight championship game appearances — three more than Western, the next closest program.

The team is undefeated in Yates Cup finals under head coach Stefan Ptaszek and has won three championships in the last four years. Achieving “dynasty” status in sports is incredibly difficult, yet here we are. And of all the squads to win a Yates, this one may have had the toughest road.

The team came into the season as relatively unknown given a less-than-stellar campaign the year before. Winning the OUA was a goal, not an expectation like in previous years, and that showed in the celebration. The post-game scene was emotional chaos.

Players yelling, screaming about the win, finding family and loved ones to embrace and running toward the stage — it was an outpour of feelings.

No one really had a direction; players darted between runs to the stage and the people calling their names.

As someone who has witnessed Yates Cup wins by the

7 6 5 4 4 3 0

LAKEHEAD McMASTER GUELPH BROCK

3 3 2 1

LAKEHEAD McMASTER BROCK GUELPH

1 1 1 2

W L

2 2 1 1

2 2 2 2

Note: This year, team's will be seeded in playoffs based off Rating Percentage Index - a formula that weights a team's winning percentage, opponents' winning percentage and opponents' opponents' winning percentage.

Marauders before, it was interesting to see the confusion. This group has a handful of players who have won the Yates before, and they still have players who won the 2011 Vanier Cup, too.

But you couldn’t tell that anyone had been there before, because in a way, they never have.

Recent Marauder generations had dominated the competition, running through Yates Cup opponents with little regard for who lined up on the opposite side of the ball.

Now though, the league talent has caught up and the Marauders were not as balanced.

This game encapsulated all of that. Mac’s passing game was non-existent: Marshall Ferguson (one of the 2011 Vanier Cup winners) completed 24-34 passing for only 191 yards, throwing three interceptions in the process.

The ground game was effective, but running back Chris Pezzetta could not get every first down. He tried, though. Pezzetta, who tore his ACL twice in the past two years, rumbled for 144 yards. Guelph, while under-manned due to injuries to Jazz Lindsey and A’Dre Fraser, put together good drives

“

and stymied Mac’s attack.

The only Maroon touchdown of the game came from defensive lineman Mike Kashak, picking off a James Roberts screen pass, stiff-arming the Guelph QB and running for 30 yards to put six on the board.

It was the defence that brought the Yates back to McMaster. Joey Cupido picked off the Gryphons twice in the game — once in Mac’s endzone— and has 14 interceptions in 14 career playoff games.

The CIS does not know who the all-time leader in post-season interceptions is, but let’s just give it to Cupido.

It was a performance so good, there is little risk of time stretching the truth and exaggerating just how well Cupido played. A crucial break-up in the fourth quarter solidified his spot as the Yates Cup MVP. As the players ran around in post-win delirium, it seems like they were running with a bit more freedom. There has been nothing convincing about this season and most of the games against real competition have been ugly affairs.

The season, up until now,

The post-game scene was emotional chaos.

left something to be desired because we had experienced the best teams in school history.

But all the talk about being a team that can make a run at the Vanier was validated when that Yates Cup was hoisted.

This new brand of football delivered a Yates and really, that is all that matters. This team is playing with house money, escaping the toughest conference in the country and looking like they still have another gear. The rest of the CIS is wide open too.

Laval lost to Montreal in a 12-9 kicker’s duel. Mac’s opponent Mt. Allison made it through a transitioning AUS conference, playing few, if any, games against national contenders.

“It’s okay to be proud. It’s not okay to be satisfied,” said Ptaszek after the game. And watching that group celebrate while taking the group photo, banner and trophy in the centre of the team, you saw the pride.

You didn’t see satisfaction. You talk to the players, and you hear that pride but you don’t hear satisfaction.

Players like Pezzetta, Ferguson, Cupido— you could see that they do not want to be a checkpoint on the 2014 Vanier Cup bracket.

They want to be there at the very end.

Notable quote “Worst hands on the team. I didn't even celebrate (the score).

I just stood there confused.”

Marshall Ferguson McMaster QB Reflecting on defensive lineman Mike Kashak's interception touchdown

On the lookout: Athletes to watch this week

Maicee Sorensen Women's volleyball › 0.62 blocks per set Mac's defence will be needed this week when they take on the No. 4 Toronto Varsity Blues. Sorensen and Taylor Brisebois help make up the at-the-net D.

Taylor Black Men's basketball › 2x OUA All-Star › Team scoring leader

McMaster's basketball season kicks off this weekend, and Boiago has a heavier scoring load to take on with.

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Thursday, November 20, 2014

MITCHELL BOWL

COMPETITION REVIEW Who exactly are the Mount Allison Mounties, and what can we expect from their game?

Laura Sinclair Asst. Sports Editor

PASSING YARDS PER GAME

MCMASTER

MT. ALLISON

While the Marauders are getting prepared to host the Mt. Allison Mounties in the Mitchell Bowl, the rest of us are still trying to figure out exactly who they are.

The New Brunswick-based team are back-to-back Atlantic University Sport conference champions who have made huge improvements in the last two seasons, coming out of nowhere to win the AUS conference title last year after losing half of their games by huge margins in regular season play.

To give a sense of just how much they improved last year, in one of their matches against Acadia, they lost 40-9.

The next time they faced the same team, they won 23-14.

Their inconsistent performance last year still managed to get them to the Uteck Bowl, where they put up a good fight against the Laval Rouge-et-Or, and lost 48-21. Laval then went on to win the Vanier Cup. The Mounties came into this season better than ever, crushing all AUS competition and rising to be a feared oppo-

nent.

Acadia, having beat them 40-9 the season before, lost to the Mounties 33-5 this season.

Their biggest win was against Saint Mary’s University, a team that they also lost to last year in an exhibition game. They managed to beat them with a score of 38-0. The team has undoubtedly found a system that has worked and they are sticking to it.

Mt. A has four main guys on offence who have made a huge difference, and they continue to be what separates them from the rest of the conference.

Brandon Leyh, the Mounties’ quarterback, has thrown for 1,539 yards, which has him ranked 19th overall in the CIS for passing. He led the AUS with 129 completions over the regular season. He also threw for an average of 192.4 yards per game, including ten touchdowns.

Chris Reid, their talented rookie running back, has scored 987 yards in rushing on 173 carries, which has him ranked second overall in the CIS. His 123.4 yards per game average is the third-best tally in the country.

Wide receiver Josh Blanchard is the standout receiver in the balanced offence.

Blanchard’s 77.5 receiving yards per game has him ranked 15th overall in the CIS. He also has 50 receptions and scored five touchdowns.

Punter Kyle McLean is also someone to look out for, as he averaged around 32.4 yards per punt this season, including 20 punts from inside

REDZONE TD PRODUCTION

the 20-yard line. In a game that should be close and low-scoring, punting matters.

These four guys, along with six other Mounties were named as the AUS All-Stars.

The toughest team that the Mounties had to play in their conference this season were the St. FX X-Men. In the AUS Loney Bowl Championship, the Mounties beat them 29-7.

So who are the Mt. Allison Mounties? They are an undefeated team that has come a long way in the past two years, and they are a team that is very capable of winning the Mitchell Bowl this weekend.

Kick off for the game will be at 4 p.m. on Nov. 22 at Ron Joyce Stadium. The game will be shown on Sportsnet 360 – the first nationally broadcast game of the season.

POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME

GAMES VS RANKED OPPONENTS

Sports

Thursday, November 20, 2014

MARAUDER FALL HIGHLIGHTS

21

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The Marauders women’s rugby team flies past the Trent Excaliburs to make their way to a championship season.

The Marauders men’s cross The The Marauders cross country team works together at the OUA championships in Kingston.

C/O FRASER CALDWELL

CO/ PETE SELF

NCAA transfer settling in From Brooklyn to Hamilton, Troy Joseph is home and enjoying the ride.

Jaycee Cruz Contributor

S /YO CO

EIF

D HA D DA

The McMaster basketball team bus arrived in Ottawa and out came McMaster Forward Troy Joseph donning a Toronto Maple Leafs toque, some NCAA headphones, a Long Island University gym bag, and a McMaster Basketball backpack.

Each of those accessories tell us a little bit about the 6’5” forward who decided to forego his final year of eligibility at Long Island University Brooklyn (NCAA Division-1) to play here at McMaster. This isn’t a random transfer up north, but a sort of return home for the Scarborough, Ontario native.

Now the Maple Leafs toque and the NCAA headphones make some sense.

Joseph played 2 seasons playing for the Long Island University (LIU) Blackbirds in Brooklyn, NY. LIU Brooklyn is part of the Northeast Confer-

ence (NEC).

While playing for LIU, Joseph was part of three NEC champi-

onship teams and has experience playing in the NCAA March Madness tournament.

Almost exactly a year ago, Joseph was the leading scorer for an LIU team that lost 73-72 on the road at Indiana University. Joseph scored 16 points on 5-9 shooting (4-7 from 3-point range), one less than Indiana forward Noah Vonleh— a freshman drafted ninth overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Joseph brings valuable experience and leadership to this already experienced Marauders squad.

The NCAA transfer has found his transition from LIU

to Mac as a difficult, but welcoming at the same time.

“It’s harder than I thought it would be in terms of coming to a new team, understanding their concepts, different rotations and different terminologies. I’m still dealing with that stuff now, but its not that bad,” Joseph said.

“I was in terrible condition at first so it was harder back then but now I’m in better shape. Honestly, it’s just me understanding the team, how the team operates, their terminologies, and all that stuff.”

Despite the growing pains of change, Joseph credits and cites his experience playing NCAA basketball as the reason for his mental strength and relentless work ethic.

“Division-1 was tough, definitely tough. Coaches were tough on me from year one to year four. There were a lot of expectations so it was tough.

I liked it though, it has helped me become mentally tough and develop a strong work ethic.

My mindset is to keep going, to play hard all the time,” said Joseph.

That’s the one thing NCAA

coaches are big on: playing hard all the time and not taking a play off. When I came to Mac, every practice I was applying what I learned and just bringing it over. If Division-1 taught me anything, it was playing hard and being relentless.”

In terms of bonding with his new teammates, Joseph paints a warm picture of the Marauder basketball family off the court. “The team has treated me like I came in with them and knew them for four years.

Knowing Aaron [Redpath] and Leon [Alexander] helped; I got close with Taylor [Black] and Rohan [Boney] quickly, and bonded with young guys like Connor [Gilmore] and Dave McCulloch. Dave McCullough’s family and my family knew each other. It was kind of crazy how it happened. I played with Joe for Team Ontario. They took me in like it was nothing,” said Joseph.

Troy Joseph is a unique player on the court bringing what head coach Amos Connolly calls “guard quickness but forward length” making him a mismatch. He is a “wing-forward” type of player who has the ability to guard a forward but play a guard spot. Con-

nolly describes one of Joseph’s standout qualities as being, “his commitment to being a good defender that is willing to be verbal and vocal on the defensive end.”

A lot of coaches preach that student comes first in the term “student-athlete” on purpose.

For Joseph, that distinction is something he is aware of. “Troy is committed to being better at school and committed to being better on the court. He’s well-rounded,” said Connolly.

Joseph is expected to be able to attack forwards on the offensive end, but Connolly will use his defensive versatility to cause headaches for opponents.

Joseph’s unique skill set gives Mac Basketball a threat on both sides of the ball that can play and guard several positions.

Joseph has two years of eligibility left and will spend them representing the maroon and white wearing the number five.

While NCAA transfers have a history of joining a CIS team and dominating the playbook, Joseph is embracing his role and helping push this team further into the national championship conversation.

Sports

Men sweep, women 1 and 1 against Lakehead

Thursday, November 20, 2014

win at home.

Shortly after the women’s loss, time came for the men to prove themselves after having On Nov. 14, the men and women’s basketball teams tipped off taken a beating in the nation’s their seasons against the Lakecapital a week earlier. McMaster head Thunderwolves went in Burridge Gym. toeto-toe Friday night’s matchups saw a against packed gym as MaLakeFriday was our rauder fans, family head first loss, it really and the MSU Maand opened our eyes roons were present came to see the Marauders out vicand showed us defend home territory. torious, that every game is Earlier in the day, the hanimportant.

David Braley Athletic dling Centre played to a busiDanielle Boiago high school basketball ness at Women’s Guard tournament, so fan home. presence was anything It was a but lacking. physiThe double-header kicked cal game, as the Thunderwolves off with the women’s game. came ready to compete, but Head coach Theresa Burns and ultimately the 85-66 win was in her squad came into the matchfavour of the Marauders. The up with a flawless record of top contributor for the squad 2-0. McMaster suffered a 75-60 was Taylor Black-- 17 points on defeat to the Thunderwolves as the board and 11 rebounds for a things quickly went awry. Lakedouble-double. head’s Jylisa Williams finished Part two of the home the night with 35 points to help opener weekend was against tarnish McMaster’s perfect rethe same team, but the crowd in cord. McMaster guard Danielle attendance could not have been Boiago finished with 28 points any more different. There was a on 11-17 shooting, but it was noticeable lack of energy in the not enough to bring the team a building, but that didn’t stop the Sofia Mohamed Staff Reporter

“

CO/ YOSEIF HADDAD

Marauders from owning home court.

The women earned a 63-59 win against the Thunderwolves to even out the weekend of play. The Marauders saw help from many, but forward Clare Kenney led the way who put up a career-high 24 points coupled with 12 rebounds for a solid double-double.

“It was about getting the rebounds and loose balls and taking care of the little details.

Since Friday was our first loss, it really opened our eyes and showed us that every game is important, so we knew we had to pick it up,” Boiago said about the team turnaround post-Saturday’s win.

The men held their own and played a winning weekend series beating Lakehead 81-73. in a contest that went down to the wire, the Marauders kept their cool and the lead as time ran on an eight-point victory.

The Marauders saw key help from guard Joe Rocca, pouring in 20 points.

Marauder basketball will play on Nov. 22 against the York Lions. The women tip-off at 12 p.m., followed by the men at 2 p.m. in Burridge Gym.

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ACROSS

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17. Thoroughly 20. Parkinson’s drug 21. What a wedding planner needs 22. Soul singer Redding 25. Some sports cars, for short 26. Ever 30. Muss up, as clothing 33. Concerning birth 34. Heed 35. Airport X-ray agcy.

38. What a plane may come down with 42. Organ ending?

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48. Sarah of politics 51. Some breads 53. Modified 56. Air freshener outputs 60. Better than fantastic 64. Marine eagle 65. Unsophisticated 66. Knitting need 67. Scholarship criterion 68. Church assembly 69. Duel tool

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4 2 5 6 2 8

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(In order of completion) 1. Scott Mallon, VP Finance 2. J. L. & 3. M.S.

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/pinksburgers

Last Week’s Answers

DOWN 1. Bon ____ (witty saying) 2. Gone, but not forgotten 3. Detective’s need 4. Dirt or data, briefly 5. One nursery-rhyme Jack 6. “_____ you sure?”

7. It may be boring 8. Cries at fireworks 9. Orchard part 10. Dilly-dally 11. Turn ____ ear (refuse to listen) 12. Island south of Sicily 13. Mayberry’s Goober and Gomer 18. Mission to the moon 19. And others, for short 23. Like some humor 24. Less obvious 26. Nay sayer 27. Fancy shooting marbles 28. Nuclear energy source 29. Napkin’s place 31. Something to hum 32. Myanmar’s monetary unit 35. Sound of a small bell 36. Angry state 37. Forever and a day 39. Mamie’s man 40. Loch sighting, some say 41. AMA members 45. Made a metallic sound 46. Chinese leader?

48. Eucharist plate 49. Dean Martin song subject 50. Sierra _______ 52. Fix firmly in place 54. See 37-Down 55. June 6, 1944 57. Eye-opening problem 58. Duffer’s challenge 59. “Of course I will” 61. ______ Pan Alley 62. Ab _____ (from day one) 63. Vane dir., sometimes

The Silhouette

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Lifestyle

www.thesil.ca

25

Finding love in a hopeless place?

Lifestyle explores whether it’s possible to find love on Tinder.

PAGE 26

WINTER

‘14 WEAR ‘15 Daniella Porano Lifestyle Reporter

I’ll be the first to admit I absolutely loathe winter. Yes, I’m aware that I’m the worst Canadian around, and no, I don’t like snow (with the exception of the very small window from December 24 to 25).

The only good things about winter, in my humble Canadian-born-and-bred mind, are the luxurious accessories that come along with the dreaded

Winter isn’t just coming, it’s here and its going to be a long one.

Don’t give your wardrobe the cold shoulder.

season— which I imagine is what frozen hell is like. Those big knitted scarves and slouchy toques almost make winter bearable— almost.

SCARF SEASON

I am of the opinion that scarves can create or change an entire outfit. This opinion is not unfounded, according to Burberry’s 2014 F/W runway show, which featured glorious blanket scarves worn in every possible way. This show, along with a handful of fashion-savvy New Yorkers, has since created the wonderful trend that has

taken fall and winter fashion by storm.

This season is all about massive scarves. The bigger they are, the better they are — which is excellent news for us Canadians on a mission to strike a balance between style and warmth. These wearable blankets masquerade as super chic scarves, fulfilling all our winter dreams in one beautiful super-sized piece of fabric.

THE 2015 LOOK

This new blanket scarf trend compliments your winter coat, and most importantly functions as an extra-warm knit to snuggle in during your valiant fight against the biting cold.

Rich jewel tones, plaid, and knitted scarves are all fantastic buys that can take your outfit from boring to fabulous in a single wrap. Play with textures, colours, and patterns to create a unique look with minimal effort and have a successful winter morning.

Remember, a super soft pashmina in a solid colour never really goes out of style, and can be worn throughout winter as a warm and vibrant addition to your wardrobe. The blanket scarf is growing stronger as

“

Scarves can create or change an entire outit.

Those big knitted scarves and slouchy toques almost make winter bearable.

people everywhere are realizing what a luxury this is. Designers like Burberry are making this look high-fashion and celebrities like Olivia Palermo are also championing this look. These scarves can be draped over your shoulders or worn like a poncho, depending on the style.

HAT’S OFF TO WINTER

Beanies can be found anywhere and everywhere and getting different patterns or colours can make an outfit stand out. Plus, you don’t have to take it off when you get inside.

There are a lot of things that are

terrible about winter, a lot of things. Even though the season generally makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry, I take comfort in the fact that it’s socially acceptable to wear a large blanket as a scarf or a big beanie on my head. Yes, winter is coming, but with it the opportunity to look stylish in hats and scarves.

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Lifestyle

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Love me Tinder, love me true Dating apps are on the rise, but is it possible to find love online?

Beth Barr SHEC

One of my favourite family stories is how my grandparents met. They, literally, bumped heads over a microscope during undergraduate biology in the 1950s. Their story, although beautiful, is far too romantic and spontaneous for my over-stimulated brain. So I beg the question: where do we meet men and women to date?

It would seem that app developers around the world have leapt to our rescue. Why not put dating where we keep our music, schedules, alarm clocks, games, and light reading? For a generation dependent on cell phones for daily function and comfort, it only makes sense to tie dating into our virtual world.

Right in your pocket, people across campus are using apps to “see” multiple people, changing the very nature of the dating game. Hook-up apps aside, the expediency of the dating app world puts hundreds of other people at the mercy of your swiping thumb— people you may have never interacted with otherwise.

It is a beautiful thing – opening your horizons and meeting new people can never be thought of in a negative way. But when we look at the quality of these interactions,

what do we find? Quick and easy hook-ups are great; but how do you really get to know someone through a screen?

What happened to the faceto-face struggles of dating and conveying who you are in the span of a date? When did our generation decide that the ease of detachedly sitting on the other end of a phone or computer was worth more than making a long-lasting, quality connection?

Let’s address an interesting question: can we, as intelligent young adults, successfully make the transition from a semi-detached virtual connection to an in-person one? How would we go about doing this? Might we chuck our phones out the window and run to the person with whom we’ve been sharing details of our lives? What if that person isn’t who they made themselves out to be? We’ve all heard of “Catfishing” over the Internet— heck, there are entire TV series on this topic.

Can we, as today’s youth, be comfortable and unashamed about using these apps? Most importantly, can we make these connections strong enough to sustain a new generation?

Or will the next generation be the product of divorced/ separated parents, whose love story is a lie conjured from the embarrassment of meeting on

Grace Bocking Contributor

The large feline seen roaming near Disneyland Paris isn’t a tiger, according to French authorities. After a three-day investigation and extensive pawprint analysis, it was concluded that the beast was more likely to be a lynx or an oversized house cat. In either case, I wouldn’t recommend getting too close.

One Direction released their fourth album (creatively titled Four) on Monday, Nov. 17, and fans went crazy. The quintet will be coming to Toronto on their On the Road Again Tour in 2015, so buy your tickets before they sell out. Even if you’re not into their music, it’s worth going to see all the uncomfortable dads in the audience.

Tinder?

Okay, fine, maybe I am exaggerating in my anti-Tinder tirade. Perhaps these so-called hook-up platforms are nothing more than a silly game people play in their spare time. Maybe Tinder and similar mobile apps could be a platform for love at first sight? A medium that could facilitate the happy relationships and marriages of couples that were just meant to

be? I am doubtful, but cannot say for sure. There are some people who dismiss apps like Tinder and other dating sites like OkCupid as not viable options for real relationships and we have all heard online dating horror stories, but maybe, there is a possibility to find love in a hopeless place.

Dating apps have been around for a while but they’ve become increasingly popular on

The film Rosewater was released this past weekend, on Nov. 14. The movie is based off the memoir of a journalist who was imprisoned in Iran due to his participation in comedic interviews that aired on The Daily Show, and the film was both written and directed by Jon Stewart. If the reviews are anything to go off of, it seems that Stewart is as good at being serious as he is at being funny.

Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi have outdone themselves with this year’s Christmas card. The couple drew inspiration from the now infamous Kim Kardashian magazine cover. In our opinion, this picture way outdoes Kim K’s and should definitely #breaktheinternet

university campuses. Only time will tell whether our generation will be the one of simple, spontaneous love, or just love for things that are overly simple and spontaneous.

SHEC MUSC 202 905-525-9140 ext.

22041 M-TH 9:30-6:30, FR 9:30-4:30

Baby Bey is hiched! Solange Knowles married Alan Ferguson this past weekend in New Orleans. The ceremony, just like the bride, was unconventional, and all attendees, including the bride and groom, wore white.

Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Blue Ivy were all there to celebrate.

Lifestyle

Thursday, November 20, 2014

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27

Boarding for girls A safe place for board betches in a male-dominated sport Kaitlynn Jong Contributor

Longboarding culture among women has become overwhelmingly popular on campus and in society. Although it’s always great to see women striving for success in a male-dominated sport, it also makes me curious as to how this trend began. Many people say that celebrities like Kylie Jenner have had a strong influence on the prominence of skater-girl culture, as her blog and Instagram page are filled with pictures of her and her friends on their penny boards. Board sports are more than just a social media accessory; girls who have yet to try any board sports need to get out there and realize just how much fun they can be.

There are a number of

athletes to look up to, such as Lacey Baker, who embodies the boarding culture in a positive way. Baker was the winner of the 2014 X-Games, and she is sponsored by companies such as Billabong, Element, and many more. You’ll never catch Baker worrying about how she looks on a skateboard; instead, she goes out and learns tricks to do well in competitions. Another boarding role model is Maëlle Ricker, who became the first snowboarder to win a gold on home soil at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. As a society, we should be encouraging young girls to strive for achievement in these sports. This applies to every board sport, as it is a very male-dominated industry. Girls can find interest in many board sports, such as snowboarding, longboarding, wakeboarding,

skateboarding, and surfing.

In a male-dominated sport, there are normally groups full of male members, and this can be intimidating to some women, especially when they’re new to the sport. It can be hard for girls to find other girls to ride with, but luckily there are associations out there that support women and help unite them across the world, such as social movements like Board Betches. Board Betches is run by a student at McMaster University, Madison Calder, and their goal is to unite female boarders and bring together all women riders who love snowboarding, wakeboarding, longboarding, surfing, skateboarding, and more. Board Betches is a great social movement for women who want to meet other female boarders, and not just in one

board sport, but all of them.

Longboarding season may be over, but with winter comes snowboarding season. If you’re woman-identified and you love board culture, I suggest you grab a board and hit the hills. There are always organizations like Board Betches to help you get started and meet other board girls.

Why being a “crazy girl” is ok 2014 is the year women are taking crazy back in mainstream media

Jason Woo Lifestyle Editor

Dear crazy girl, I love you.

You’ve had a great year.

From Rosamund Pike’s mesmerizing turn as the ultimate femme fatale Amy Dunne in Gone Girl to TSwizzle riffing off her public image in “Blank Space”, 2014 has been the year of the crazy girl. While there have been some bumps in the road (Is Amy a misogynist? Are we laughing at or with Orange is the New Black’s Crazy Eyes?), ultimately this is a boon for women.

Crazy used to be one of the worst insults you could call a girl. It allowed a girl to be easily brushed off and unable to defend herself.

If she’s overreacting, starting a scene, emotional, or annoying, just call her crazy.

The list goes on. There’s no need to understand a crazy girl because she’s crazy. A crazy girl lies, cheats, and maybe even kills. You either laugh at a crazy ex-girlfriend or you

hate her. Responding with “I’m not crazy” just reinforced your craziness. So what happens if you can’t beat them? You join them, but in your own way – in a way where people might not even notice that you’re actually winning.

This is, for the most part, the case in 2014. In Gone Girl, I saw Amy as a cunning and intelligent woman, who takes society’s perception of her, and uses it to stick it to the assholes in her life. And maybe she does some questionable

things, but so do the men, and she wins. She’s not a good person, but she doesn’t have to be.

It’s about time a female character in pop culture became popular without having to be the stereotypical cute girl next door. The titular character in The Mindy Project is an unashamed crazy basic betch, who is sometimes irrational and

presents herself as a person some may consider to be a vapid idiot. But she’s also a successful, lovable, and relatable gynecologist, and she never apologizes for who she is.

Something similar has been going on with “bitches”. A few years ago there was no possible interpretation of the term that wasn’t derogatory. But now it can be used as a means of empowerment (and frequently alliter-

ation). Bitches get shit done.

Don’t like me? That’s fine. I’m better than you.

That’s what “Blank Space” is. In the video, Swift obsesses over the beginning of a relationship and just as aggressively destroys the man as soon as the beginnings of conflict surface.

You can practically see Swift sneering at the paparazzi. You want crazy? You’ve got it. I don’t care because I’m laughing all the way to the bank. And as an added bonus, Swift makes it okay to have all these feelings that people typically have after the tumultuous end of a relationship. She’s not defined by craziness; she uses it to her advantage.

It’s easy to forget that just a few years ago the most popular female characters were the most grounded and “rational”.

Meredith from Grey’s Anatomy is a career-focused doctor. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy is badass fighter, but she still conforms to gender stereotypes.

These characters were conflicted, but they were not proud of anything that made them appear crazy.

So sure, you’re crazy. But you’re also a badass mofo, and all you do is win, win, win no matter what.

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Lifestyle

www.thesil.ca

Thursday, November 20, 2014

‘Birks ’n Socks

There’s no such thing as a fashion faux pas Andrew Case Contributor

Are you ready for the greatest thing since that one time when Einstein proved that he hadn’t actually stood his date up at all because he’d walked really super fast to get there and his watch said he was actually early and so it must be the case that time is relative? Yes? Good.

Do you own a pair of socks? Congrats, you’re halfway

there! Do you own Birkenstocks? You’re golden. Now all you need is either no fashion sense or a complete lack of shame, and your life will be transformed. The revelation to which I refer is, of course, ‘Stocks and socks.

I was introduced to this life-changing footwear combination back in my carefree youth. My friend Ryan, a lineman on the high school football team and a generally chill guy, was sitting in class – on a chilly November day, mind you – wearing his Birkenstocks and socks, just like he had been since September. I inquired, with a complete lack of tact (as per my usual) “Why are you still wearing socks and sandals?

You must know that’s a faux pas.” “Nah, man,” came Ryan’s languid response, “you don’t understand. Birkenstocks and socks together are unreal.”

I was unswayed by Ryan’s wise words, I’m embarrassed to say. But I began to notice others who were committing the same fashion crime. Had the whole world gone mad? Curious, but unconvinced, I lived another year of my life without making the switch and becoming part of the ‘Stocks n’ socks family. Oh the regret! I tell you, if you are among the uninitiated, what I now know to be true: that there is no greater pleasure one can give the foot than the warm, cushioning embrace of a quality sock slid in-between the mold-

Rain? Snow?

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ed-to-your shape cork sole and fine leather upper of superior German footwear. Actually, to be perfectly honest, I haven’t tried socks with other sandals.

It’s probably just as good.

Nonetheless, the socks and sandals stigma remains. We must unite, my friends, to crush the outdated notion that socks and sandals are only for dads, those over 70, and people who wear their phones on belt clips.

Join me, I beg you, in wearing your ‘Stocks n’ socks, so that no haughty fashionista may look down upon us. Wear them in the Spring, in the Summer, and even in the fall. Wear them until it is so cold that you “can’t even.”

My only hope is that

now, after reading this, you too will wear socks with your Birkenstocks or other variety of sandal. I waited too long to make the switch, and must live to bear the consequences of my actions. But it is not too late for you! And just maybe, by saving others from making my mistake, I can bring an end to the nightmares, the cold sweats, and the sleepless nights. So do it. Do it for me. But more importantly, do it for your feet: they will thank you.

The Silhouette

Thursday, November 20, 2014

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andy

www.thesil.ca

Review: This is Me, This is Also Me

Keeping up with Coming up in Hamilton

This week’s quick picks

MUSIC

THE CASBAH > Vivid Eye > The Strumbrellas > Sloan

NOV 21 NOV 22 NOV 22 NOV 27

> Hamilton Brewery launch party BALTIMORE HOUSE > Ilitry/New Hands > Sean Nicholas Savage > Kevin Graff > New Hands

NOV 20 NOV 21 NOV 25 NOV 27

THIS AIN’T HOLLYWOOD > The Blue Demons > Metal Mondays > Open Stage > Juliana Lachance

NOV 22 NOV 24 NOV 25 NOV 27

MOVIES

WESTDALE > Force Majeure > My Old Lady MUSEUMS

AGH > Still Lifes

by Paul Cézanne

NOV 1 - FEB 8

ALBUM TITLE

1

Hyperdub 10.4

2

Michael

3

We Wanna Thank You

4

Gay Dog Food

5

Seeds

6

Flesh and Machine

7

We Wanna Thank You

8

The Trinity (3rd Sermon)

9

Black Metal

10

Ariel Pink’s misogynist bullshit

closer look at the painting, you realize that there is one very clear difference setting it apart.

Instead of being made out of standard paint brushwork, it is completely comprised of small blue, yellow, red, black paint splatters on a white canvas. It is remarkable that the only difference between the men’s faces and the white pillows behind their heads is how close together the splatters are. Details like the rosiness of cheeks, shadows on the face and even a faint trace of stubble were captured with only four different colours of

Alexandra Florescu ANDY Reporter

New Hands

“Strange Attractor” After a sabbatical that scared many a fan — including this one — New Hands are back like they never left. The Hamiltonbased quintet may have been unsure about their future as a band, but their new single “Strange Attractor” bodes a good omen for their 2015 full-length debut. Gloriously dark, the five-minute number is sonically dense with synths co-mingling with the steady drum machinedriven beat. The Ian Curtis comparisons will probably never cease for lead singer Spence Newell, but his band’s output is more conducive to busting out dance moves.

THE ANDY CHARTS

#

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Pusha T “Lunch Money” Pusha T is back with a vengance. The Virginia mainstay follows up 2013’s My Name is My Name with the Yeezyproduced “Lunch Money”. Featuring spacey production, the track is a banger.

The This is Me, This is Also Me exhibit at the McMaster Museum of Art curated by Sarah Brophy and Janice Hladki will run until Mar. 21, 2015, and features an extensive collection of self-portraits by both Canadian and international artists.

From polaroids to paintings to videos, no artist’s rendition of themselves is alike.

Among my favourites is a collection of four black-and-white read at the ’s White Th re o lm e B prints by Làszló a Rebecc f Art Museum o Moholy-Nagy.

McMaster What sets his work apart is his use of negative space to represent people doing everyday things like jogging and talking. Instead of someone standing in a doorway, there is a solid black door with the white cutout, its missing occupant hanging out in the bottom of the page. In the space where the man used to be is a sniper aiming to take out the cutout of the other man, who is talking to a woman. This piece, titled Jealousy, is my favourite dots. The of the four prints for its piece is titled Baby Makes 3 simplicity and the way and is done by three artists A.A in which seemingly unrelated Bronson, Jorge Zontal and Felix shapes and objects make a Zontal to portray an unconvencohesive piece. tional nuclear family.

Another interesting piece Rebecca Belmore’s iconic is one that appears to be a White Thread is even more wall-sized painting of three impressive in person than it is men lying in bed. As you cross on the museum’s website, the the length of the room to get a

ink-jet red a powerful contrast against the starch white of the cloth behind the model.

From head to toe, her body is wrapped in a red cloth. Her contorted pose is provocative and shocking, creating the exact effect that Belmore, an Anishinaabe-Canadian artist that has been creating performance art for years, wanted. This specific photograph is representattive of war in Iraq, and falls along the same lines as her past pieces, which portray the politics of identity.

Another personal favourite can be found in the back room of the exhibit, where Baaba Maal’s “Akkag-Addu Jam” is set to a silent video of a woman wrapping, unwrapping, and rewrapping a red cloth around her head. The woman, Grace Ndiritu, is first concealed completely by the cloth, but as the drum beat-driven “Akkag-Addu Jam” picks up in tempo, the cloth falls away and is contorted as she manipulates it. The piece is a representation of the use of cloth in different cultures, a passion that was sparked during her travels and has now become a vehicle for her empowerment of the silenced.

Other pieces in the exhibit includes a spoken word piece that uses heritage to define identity, Andy Warhol’s Portrait in Drag, Edvard Munch’s Self-portrait with Skeleton Arm and Cathy Daley’s criticism of female fashion.

It isn’t hard to find parts of your own identity in every piece. It makes for an exhibit that is both a vulnerable and powerful portrayal of what it is that makes us, us.

the

big tickle What’s a Christmas movie that you’d watch at any point in the year?

Logesh

“Elf”

Alex

“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”

Ariana

“Grinch (Original)”

Shaarujaa

“Christmas with the Kranks”

Nigel

“Grinch (Jim Carrey)”

andy

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Turning the

pages with andy

Title: Yes Please Author: Amy Poehler 352 Pages Price: $17.39 (Hardcover)

www.thesil.ca

Amy Poehler, Former SNL cast member and star of Parks and Recreation tells all in Yes Please Lorraine Chune Contributor

Amy Poehler really seems to have it all, and to have done it all. Her career has been prolific in the last two decades; she’s helped start a sketch-comedy training center (The Upright Citizens Brigade), risen to Saturday Night Live stardom, and portrayed the hilariously endearing Leslie Knope for six seasons of Parks and Recreation. She somehow manages to do this all while maintaining a sense of normalcy in her life and parenting two small children. So it’s not surprising that in her new part-memoir, part-satire (and in many ways, part-self-help book) Yes Please, she imparts a sensible, heartwarming wisdom.

Considering her book is a memoir, Poehler is lucidly selective about what she shares with readers. She doesn’t hesitate to recount elaborate childhood tales, vivid accounts of her early improv career, or details of her BFF-ship with Tina Fey. But she reminds us that her memoir is not the place for divulging truly intimate information, and sets clear restrictions early on; mainly, she draws the line at her

divorce, which is “too sad and melodramatic poem written by too personal” to write about. her 13-year-old self for social Despite setting these studies class). In one particularboundaries, Yes Please is still, at ly manic chapter, she crams all times, vulnerable and honest. the highlights of her SNL career This is perhaps most apparent into one 20-page stream of when Poehler recalls her first consciousness (which includes big television faux pas, and the anecdotes about humping Justin subsequent guilt and shame Timberlake, high-fiving Queen that followed her for years later.

Latifah and how Antonio She shares Banderas smells this story, good). Rathamong er than being many abrasive, however, Rather than others, with such pandemoan acute nium just seems being abrasive, introspecto capture the however, such tion and essence of SNL pandemonium fantastic coand the whirlwind medic dethat is Poehler’s just seems to livery. And life. capture the with each Fans of SNL comical and Parks and essence of story, she Recreation alike SNL and the also shares will devour the whirlwind that is inside scoop on a tidbit of (mostly what day-toPoehler’s life. legitimate) day life is like life advice. in TV-comedy The land. Just like book her on-screen sometimes verges on chaos. For personality, Poehler’s writing instance, much to my delight, is punchy, funny, and instantly every few pages are interruptlikeable. Anybody who already ed with a nostalgic relic from loves Amy Poehler will surely a Random Stage in Amy’s appreciate Yes Please.

Life (my personal favorite is a

“

Parks and Recreation writer, Megan Amram, says fuck you to the patriarchy in Science...for HER! Mike Nisiak Contributor

Megan Amram is a writer on Parks and Recreation who got started in comedy through Twitter, with gems such as “olls teach girls very unrealistic body standards. A Russian doesn’t have to have many tiny Russians inside her to be beautiful” and “our scariest president was probably Rushmore, because he has four heads.”

Now, she has released her first book, Science… for HER! Science… for HER! is a satirical science textbook in the style of Cosmopolitan that helps women learn many (not many) scientific facts. Amram marketed the book to women with the selling points that women’s brains aren’t biologically constructed to understand scientific concepts, and women’s tiny hands aren’t biologically constructed to turn the large heavy covers of most science textbooks.

Just for full disclosure: I am not a “HER!” Fortunately, my lack of X chromosomes didn’t affect my enjoyment of this book. I thought it was incredibly funny. The jokes are very absurd, but always carry with them a strand of intelligence. It quickly becomes apparent that Amram crafted the book with extreme precision.

Beyond being funny, Science… for HER! acts as a clever social commentary. In the same vein as Stephen Colbert’s conservative character, Amram taking on the perspective of a Cosmopolitan writer emphasizes the absurdity of how our society views women. Reading this book has shown me more ways that sexism is present in our society than any feminist literature ever has.

These feminist ideas come in articles such as “Women with Jobs?!” in which she ponders whether women should work or not, pointing out that this question remains one of history’s

31

greatest unsolved mysteries. Her opinion is that women should not work outside the home, stating “it’s Steve Jobs, not Eve Jobs.”

At one point, Amram shows what women scientists like Marie Curie and Elizabeth Blackwell look like without makeup.

It feels so demeaning of these women and begs the question of why I didn’t get this feeling when I’ve seen comparisons like this about celebrities?

Overall, this book is very entertaining. But more importantly, it made me question my innermost assumptions about gender. I feel like this book has made me a better person.

I would’ve given this book an even higher rating, but I felt uncomfortable purchasing this book at the bookstore because of its “girly” cover. Perhaps Amram should consider releasing a version with a black sleeve over the cover, maybe with some flames or skulls or something.

Title: Science...for HER! Author: Megan Amram 224 Pages Price: $19.01 (Hardcover) $9.99 (Kindle)

andy

Thursday, November 20, 2014

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Thursday, November 20, 2014

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Hayao Miyazaki receives honorary Oscar

Nimra Khan Contributor

Hayao Miyazaki, legendary Japanese animator and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, best known for his work on animated classics like Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro, received an honorary Oscar at the Gover

nor’s Award Ceremony on Nov 8. All I have to say is: it’s about time.

Miyazaki has become known as the “Walt Disney of Japan,” who still adheres to the traditional style of animation where one draws out each frame of the movie by hand. This incredible attention to detail is

present across the twenty feature films that Studio Ghibli has created since 1986 and resulted in films that rival many works of art. These films have brought considerable success in Japan, especially with the overseas success of Spirited Away, which is also the highest grossing film in Japan.

This success is furthered by the enthusiasm of John Lasseter (chief creative officer at Disney and Pixar), who has worked to show American audiences the beauty of Miyazaki’s work, resulting in the two animators becoming friends over the years. Unfortunately, despite Miyazaki’s efforts and powerful partnerships, he has only received one Oscar back in 2001 for Spirited Away. While he has since been nominated twice

for other works, this is only the second Oscar for the filmmaker, making the award that much more important.

Miyazaki took the stage at the ceremony as Lasseter enthusiastically presented him the award. Given to us through a translator, Miyazaki began his acceptance speech with “my wife tells me that I’m a very lucky man,” as he described how happy he was to have been a part of the last era of animated films created with pen and paper. Regardless of the awkwardness that language barriers provide, Miyazaki possessed the decorum of a man with enough experience to rival most people in the room, as he stepped off the stage with an “arigatou gozaimasu” (thank you).

Unfortunately, this award

also follows Miyazaki’s official announcement of retirement, making The Wind Rises his final feature film with Studio Ghibli.

Like many people all over the world, Miyazaki’s films inspired me when I was a child, and continue to inspire me into adulthood. I’m heartbroken to see him leave, but I will always be thankful for the respect I gained for animation through his work.

This Oscar only scratches the surface in terms of appreciating the amount of joy he has brought to children all around the world, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. Like many fans, I have my fingers crossed hoping that this won’t be the last we see of Miyazaki.

Year in review - Hayao Miyazaki

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ously disprove the idea that long content cannot succeed in an age of increasingly short attention spans. People engage with Oliver’s segments regardless of whether they are five minutes or 15, and leave every segment more informed, even if they don’t agree with Oliver’s position. If you’re looking for a program with as much style as it has substance, Last Week Tonight is the perfect fit.

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want to take the time to follow a complex story spanning several months or even years, so the journalist needs to make their best effort in keeping it concise and entertaining at the same time. While many people in the media are aware of this, few are able to find the balance between informative and entertaining like Oliver.

Whether Oliver admits it or not, Last Week Tonight does real journalism, and it does it brilliantly.

His YouTube channel numbers have proved that not only do millions of people enjoy his work, but they simultane-

Lo n g w o

A few months ago I weighed in on John Oliver’s latest comedic effort Last Week Tonight, praising it for its thoughtful commentary and hilarious writing. At the time, the show had just come out, and many were questioning the need for another “fake news show” to compete with the many already on air. So now, as the first season came to a close on Nov. 9, I find myself smiling at all that Oliver has accomplished in a short while.

What makes Last Week Tonight so great is that it doesn’t just spout its biases for comedic effect; instead it works to explain real issues, and analyze them from a journalistic perspective.

It does what The Daily Show and The Colbert Report have

line of when “fake news” ends and real investigative journalism starts. While Oliver assures his audience that the show is much more of a comedic effort than a journalistic one, this claim becomes hard to swallow when one considers some of the stories they have covered, and the way they have covered them.

Whether it is investigating the public tax records surrounding the scholarship claims of the Miss America pageant, or explaining the complexity of net neutrality, John Oliver is making a real journalistic effort with Last Week Tonight.

In particular, Last Week Tonight reflects a shift towards kind of “explanatory journalism” in which a reporter attempts to present a complex nuanced story in a more accessible manner.

This practice is nothing new, but it’s the methods Oliver uses that make his work so effective.

Put simply, most people don’t

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Michael Gallagher Asst. ANDY Editor

been doing for ages: provide intelligent discussion on real issues. However, unlike these shows, Last Week Tonight isn’t limited by formatting or content restraints thanks to the lack of restrictions from HBO. While I hate to compare Last Week Tonight to shows that I like and enjoy, when you watch The Daily Show it is a fairly predictable experience. Viewers know that Stewart will break down political issues, incorporating various jokes in a series of formulaic segments. In comparison, Last Week Tonight can be unpredictable in a good way. Whether it’s explaining the prison system with the Muppets, or launching salmon through a cannon at various newscasters, Oliver breaks up the monotony of late-night television beautifully.

Above all, what makes Last Week Tonight an important contribution to late-night television is its ability to blur the

Expy

andy

www.thesil.ca

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Thursday, November 20, 2014

Interstellar

The Verdict

Chris Chiu Contributor

“Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here.”

Some things get better with age, like old wine, or aged cheese. None, however, surpass the development of Christopher Nolan. As the renowned mastermind behind The Dark Knight Trilogy and Inception, Nolan once again graces the silver screen with his genius in Interstellar, a fascinating tale about space and time travel.

What Inception did for dreams, Interstellar does for space. Most of us have a working general knowledge on how these two things work, but Nolan dives deep under the surface, pulling out fantastic, thoroughly thought-out ideas that push the limits of our imagination.

With so many events and twists within the 169-minute affair, the trailers do a great job at concealing the plot of a movie. Because of this, I will try and honour that by not revealing anything except for two phrases “alternate planets” and “dystopia,” and a quote from one of the trailers: “your daughter’s generation will be the last to survive on Earth.”

Interstellar’s story is compelling, and although the ideas are grandiose, they never seem out of reach – which is what makes Interstellar so captivating and beautiful.

Unlike Zathura or Star Trek, there is still enough realism here to make the events of the movie seem plausible. Additionally, Nolan’s ability to capture relationships and the human condition further entrenches the viewer in the storyline.

The dialogue between characters is realistic, yet poetic, thus packing the film with many bittersweet moments.

There were a few instances that I thought I was going to start ugly-crying right there

in the theatre.

In true Nolan fashion, there are multiple moments in the film that make your heart simply freeze. His unmatched knack for creating plot twists truly makes him one of the best to touch the psychological thriller/drama genre in recent times. With physics on his side, Nolan is able to manipulate the concepts of special relativity and time dilation in order to craft a world similar to that of Inception – one that is expertly layered so that multiple settings and timelines blend together seamlessly. One defining moment in the film led to a collective gasp from the audience, sending shivers down my spine.

Interstellar is aesthetically pleasing, but we expected that from Nolan already. Every detail, from the tiniest grain of dust to the endless fields of corn shown in the opening sequence is gorgeous. What really caught my attention however were the space travel sequences, as the depictions of the universe and other planets reach a stunning Life of Pi level of scenic beauty.

Although visually stunning, Interstellar is a complete sensory experience. Hans Zimmer, who has collaborated with Nolan multiple times already, once again takes the reins for the score. The music is fitting and the melodies suggest the ideas of exploration and curiosity, while remaining Zimmer’s signature dark undertones. The music pairs

well with the movie and is able to evoke a plethora of emotions from the viewers as the film progresses.

The casting choices were sound as well, as no character felt out of place. Matthew McConaughey’s performance was captivating and moving, while still remaining seemingly effortless. Anne Hathaway, Casey Affleck, and Jessica Chastain highlight an unbelievably stacked supporting cast, all delivering convincing and heartfelt performances.

Michael Caine, iconic for his role as Alfred in Nolan’s Dark Knight series, also adds his talents to the film, resulting in a well-balanced film across the board.

The only criticism that I have for Interstellar is that some scenes felt a bit drawn-out. In one particular scene where McConaughey’s character is trying to dock his spacecraft onto a space station, we are literally watching McConaughey move a joystick for a full minute. This same sequence is repeated by Matt Damon later on in the movie, making an exceptionally well-paced film seem momentarily monotonous.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this movie. Although many of the underlying principles of Interstellar are rooted in physics, don’t be discouraged - the screenwriting makes the film easy to follow even for those without a background in the subject. If you only have time to watch one movie before now and the end of the year, make sure it is this one. Seriously, for a three-hour film you will leave the theatre asking yourself “Wait, that’s it? That felt so short!”

There is a consolation of some sort though, just like Inception, so expect to be thinking long and hard about the sequence of events even after the film is over.

Whether it’s dreams or space, I can’t help but wonder what’s next to get the Nolan treatment.

But it doesn’t matter—you can count me in.

THURS-

Painting by the dumbers: MsPaint is easier to use than layout programs.

HAMILTON SPECULATOR not sure what goes here since 1932(?)

november 20, 2014

Speculator staff arrested for public Top twenty reasons obscenity that generation Y is not worth giving up on SPECU INTERNS

1: We’re the same generation that produced such rock and roll greats such as Taylor Swift and Jay-Z. Doesn’t that count for something?

2: We invented the list format, making it that much easier to break down your life into manageable, bite-size chunks.

2: We are literally idea machines. We never stop pumping out original, cool brainstorms that will always take you by surprise.

4: Twitter? duh.

As deadline nears, untrained Speculator interns try to put together a newspaper SPECU INTERNS

With little warning and reckless abandon, Hamilton police descended on senior Speculator staff and arrested them for a series of obscene, inhumane public appearances.

With the clock ticking, we, the intern task force, have taken it upon our selves to push out a paper

anyways because it would be amiss to have a week missing from the Speculator archives.

Police are not letting friends and family post bail for the perpatrators, as they feel it would be a “sick lesson to society that these depraved whiskey machines be allowed back into circulation,”

said one officer whose name we forgot to ask before he hung up.

On an unrelated note, the Art Director was unavailable for comment as he had blown his one phone call on a taco pick-up order, which he later realized he should have changed to delivery.

[Put pull quote here to fill the rest of this box jerry}

5: Our organs are pretty much indestructible at this age. Seriously, hit me right in the gut.

20: Blogs are the new newspapers, so once they start paying us you dinosaurs won’t even know how good you had it with us.

Gif of the week

Quote of the week

“I FEEL LIKE I’M TOO BUSY WRITING HISTORY TO READ IT.” -KW

Disclaimer: The Hamilton Speculator is a work of satire and fiction and should not under any circumstances be taken seriously. Unless you’re into that sort of thing. Then do what you want. I’m not your dad.

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