The Silhouette - Sept 22

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McMASTER UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER / THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

The Silhouette

YOUR VOICE ON CAMPUS

Est. 1930

VOLUME 82, NO. 6

Royal Society

Down for two more: Quarterback Quinlan suspended for three games. See S5 for more.

Prof elected to Royal Society Kacper Niburski

Assistant News Editor

PHOTO C/O RICHARD ZAZULAK

INSIDE THE SIL SPORTS

Enrolment hits record Too many res spots were promised to new students Farzeen Foda

Senior News Editor

WOMEN’S RUGBY CLOBBERS YORK, MOVING TO 2-0 ON THE SEASON AND MOVING TO NO.6 NATIONALLY. SEE S4

OPINIONS

THINK YOU’RE SAFE IN YOUR STUDENT HOME? THINK AGAIN, AND MAKE SURE YOUR STUFF IS SAFE.

SEE A9

McMaster wasn’t always a zoo of students. There once was a time where a mere 300 students traversed the halls. Classes were small, and library spaces large. Times, it seemed, were simpler.

Flash forward to 2011, and one will not find a quaint university. In its place is a campus of students crammed into libraries, classes and, most noticeably, bars. This year alone, 2,000 students flooded the already tight campus life.

McMaster, however, is not an isolated case.

Across Ontario, 90,000 undergraduate students were admitted to universities this September. This was the highest level of post-secondary enrollment since the double cohort of 2003, when Grade 13 was removed from the secondary school’s curriculum, resulting in two graduating classes swarming universities at once.

The enrollment this year, though, breaks the record set in 2003. 2,000 more students entered university this September than in that year.

For McMaster and many other universities across Ontario, this

BY THE NUMBERS

NUMBER OF STUDENTS ADMITTED TO RESIDENCE AS OF SEPT. 1

JOSH PARSONS CHECKS IN WITH NEWFOUNDLAND TROUBADOR MARK BRAGG. SEE D4

As more students chose McMaster University to pursue an undergraduate degree, and a greater portion of those students satisfied the requirements for guaranteed residence, McMaster’s Housing and Conference Services was met with a challenge on June 2 when residence applications were due.

The number of students that chose to live on campus for their first year of university far exceeded expectations.

It was at this time that the InterResidence Council (IRC) was informed of an unanticipated increase of about 500 first year students, explained Nicole Archer, IRC President.

Archer further noted that, “At that point, there were approximately 300 students who had been guaranteed a space in residence but had not yet been assigned a space.”

It was determined that the number of residence spaces available would not be able to accommodate the number of incoming undergraduate students eligible and interested in living in residence.

“As of Sept. 1, there were 3745 students admitted to residence. This is higher than the total number of • PLEASE SEE REFORM, A4

RESIDENCE SPACE 3,745

ANDY

large influx of students has put significant strain on post-secondary education.

Additional enrollment only exacerbates an issue that the University is already struggling with: the availability of campus space.

A Campus Capacity Study, which concluded in April 2011, determined that the McMaster campus required an additional 12 per cent more space than what is currently available. While the study did account for projected growth in enrollment, the spike in the number of undergraduate students choosing McMaster reached an unprecedented high this year, and was not dealt with accordingly.

On-campus housing is usually guaranteed to all entering first year students who have an entrance average above 79 per cent and have met all application and deposit deadlines, according to McMaster’s Housing and Conference Services.

With all entering undergraduate students holding at least a 75 pe cent average, and a mean entering average for undergraduate students of 84.3 per cent, a significant portion of those admitted to McMaster for the 2011/2012 school year satisfied the requirements for guaranteed residence.

3,685

NUMBER OF TOTAL BED SPACES FILLED IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR

62

INCREASE IN NUMBER OF RESIDENCE BED SPACES FROM LAST YEAR

500

NUMBER OF STUDENTS GUARANTEED SPOTS FOR STUDENTS BY JUNE 1

300

NUMBER OF GUARANTEED-SPOT STUDENTS NOT ASSIGNED A SPACE BY JUNE 1

McMaster professors are not short on recognition, whether in Canada or globally. Chalked up among these greats is Robert Pelton of Chemical Engineering.

On Sept. 21, the Royal Society of Canada, one of the oldest and highly esteemed national institutes, recognized Pelton for his renowned work in scientific discovery.

The award stands the highest form of national recognition in the disciplines of science, arts and humanities.

“When I found out I was elected, I was delighted; it is a great honour,” said Pelton.

Joining McMaster in 1987, Pelton has had a long and distinguished career as both a researcher and a professor. Among his notable discoveries and projects, two stand as his pillars.

The first and oldest is the development of a biomaterial called a microgel. Although much of the preliminary work was done primarily in Montreal, Pelton was integral to the success of promoting the application of these materials.

By inventing a polymer unit called NIPAM or poly-N-isopropylacrylamide, Pelton formed the basis of microgel work. Currently, research groups from around the world use similar microgels for various applications, such as drug delivery or new types of coating processes.

The second and more recent discovery was bioactive paper, or as it more commonly known, “pathogen-detecting paper”.

After applying for a research grant as part of an NSERC Research Network in 2004 and being awarded it in 2005, professors around the country worked with Pelton in pursuit of the discovery. Some of the few from McMaster are John Brennan in Chemistry, Yingfu Li in Biochemistry and Mike Brooke in Chemistry.

The idea is simple: like pH paper, which is used to indicate the power of proton dissociation in an aqueous solution, Pelton and the various other professors discovered a method of replicating these results for pathogens using chemically treated paper.

The paper, developed in relation with the McMaster-led Sentinel Bioactive Paper Strategic Network, for which Pelton stands as scientific director, detects pathogens and toxins in food, water and air.

Unlike other analytical methods, the bioactive paper is fast, easy and inexpensive.

When commenting on these successes, Pelton said, “My time at McMaster has virtually everything to do with my recognition. Any professor who gets any recognition has to acknowledge the people who actually did the work.”

He added with a chuckle, “I had approximately 30 PhD students, more than that in post-docs and Masters students; these are the people who did all the work. I mostly sat in my office and picked up their manuscripts.”

Even with the national recognition, Pelton plans to remain saliently active in both the McMaster and scientific communities. Much of his future work focuses on an entirely new area of interest: mining processing.

Using nanoparticles, Pelton plans on investigating various screening methods that are more efficient than current methodology.

Pelton stressed that “it’s important to keep repackaging science, because then people are excited about funding it”; and throughout his illustrious career, there is no greater embodiment of this ideal than his work.

Pelton will be officially inducted into the Royal Society of Canada on Nov. 26.

the

PRESIDENT’S PAGE Duncan Thompson VP (Finance)

Katie Ferguson VP (Administration)

Matthew Dillon-Leitch President

Alicia Ali VP (Education)

VOTING GETS RESULTS: PROVINCIAL ELECTION OCTOBER 6 With education a hot topic for the provincial election, students have a resposibility to understand what each party brings to the table. The MSU is hosting an All-Candidates Debate on September 28th.

Alicia Ali VP (Education) vped@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 24017

On October 6, students all across our province will have the opportunity to make an electoral decision. At McMaster, the choice is even more complicated, as we’re in a political riding with seven candidates. So what’s the deal with a provincial election? Why should you care? Many students don’t realize that voting in a provincial election is an extremely powerful tool.

First and foremost, the provincial government holds jurisdiction on various elements of our education while in university – namely issues of tuition, financial assistance (think OSAP) and educational quality. The parties are vying hard for the student vote – as post-secondary education has made it into each of the big four parties’ platforms. So what issues are you voting on this year? What are

your priorities?

The MSU is running a campaign called “Voting Gets Results”.

We encourage students to make an informed vote, because that informed vote can actually translate into results in our education. And that’s the beauty of an education – if we educate ourselves on the issues, and we make an informed decision, the power is in our hands. Here at McMaster, we have a population of over 20,000 undergraduate students.

Assuming at least 17,000 are 18 years or older on Election Day (legal voting age), this amount would be more than enough to swing the riding of Ancaster-Dundas-FlamboroughWestdale (ADFW). Students could even run their own candidate and likely see him or her elected as a Member of Provincial Parliament.

Sound crazy? It isn’t – it just takes movement, desire and a little bit of education.

So why vote? The MSU is running a campaign on affordability and quality of education. The Conservative Party of Ontario is vying for your vote with a promise to reduce the parental contribution for

student loans – sound good? What be an All-Candidates Debate taking about the Liberal Party wanting to place in Gilmour Hall, Room 111 keep student debt capped at $7300 on Wednesday, September 28 from and reduce tuition by 30% for families 5-7pm followed by the Party Party in the income bracket of under with the candidates at TwelvEighty, $160,000? The NDP are dedicated featuring free appetizers and political to freezing tuition for 4 years – party themed shots! Come out and the span of your undergraduate meet the candidates.

We are happy to take your education, followed by eliminating the provincial interest on student questions to the candidates in advance, please submit loans. And oh yes, them to vped@msu. the Green Party mcmaster.ca. wants to see a On October 6, tuition freeze for We encourage make your vote count. the 2012-2013 students to make If you live in residence, year, but indexing an informed vote, take your proof of further increases in because that residence and photo tuition to the rate informed vote can ID to CIBC Hall – or of inflation. actually translate if you live off campus, Now this into results in our check out www. is only half the education. wemakevotingeasy.ca story. Make sure type in your postal to check out each party website, and visit www. code and find your local voting votinggetsresults.ca for more on station. To make the process even not just affordability, but quality of easier, there is a University-wide test education. Every qualified student ban on Election Day to ensure that should be able to go to university, so students have the time they need to on Wednesday, September 28, ask vote.

Voting Gets Results. Make this your candidates how they will make this a reality in Ontario. There will election count.

“

MSU MOVES TO ELIMINATE PLASTIC BOTTLES As part of a greater commitment to sustainability, the Student Representative Assembly enacts policy ensuring that no MSU funding will be spent on single-use plastic containers.

Katie Ferguson VP (Administration) vpadmin@msu.mcmaster.ca ext. 23250

This past Sunday at a meeting of the Student Representative Assembly (SRA), an exciting milestone in sustainability efforts was achieved when the proposed Plastic Bottle Free Policy was adopted with unanimous consensus from the assembly’s voting members.

This policy officially commits that no MSU money will go towards the purchasing of beverages in single-use plastic bottles.

The move to go Plastic Bottle Free stems from McMaster waste audit results that show plastics have

a much higher rate of being disposed of on campus, in comparison to glass and aluminum. Work to generate this policy was done with the support of the McMaster Office of Sustainability and the MSU’s MacGreen.

This impressive commitment results from an initiative started last February when full-time staff of the MSU signed a pledge to designate the MSU Main Office (MUSC 201) a Plastic Bottle Free Zone. A Plastic Bottle Free Zone is a physical office location or area that prohibits the use of single-use plastic bottles by individuals when they are within that zone. Other services of the MSU, specifically MacGreen, the Student Health Education Centre (SHEC) and COMPASS, followed suit soon after and also pledged their spaces as Plastic Bottle Free Zones. At this time, MSU affiliated individuals as

well as McMaster University staff, faculty and students are encouraged to take an individual Plastic Bottle Free Pledge. This pledge is still available at plasticbottlefree.com and states; “I pledge to use a refillable bottle whenever possible, drink tap water where public drinking water is available, or opt to purchase beverages in aluminum cans or glass bottles”. Also included is information about the health, economic and environmental benefits of going Plastic Bottle Free.

McMaster has supported the use of refillable bottles as a campus sustainability initiative aimed at decreasing waste on campus by encouraging reuse. Beginning in 2009, the University began the Water Fountain Retrofit Program to ensure that campus fountains included a bubbler for drinking, a gooseneck spout for bottle refilling and a chillier

The President’s Page is sponsored by the McMaster Students Union.

It is a space used to communicate with the student body about the projects, goals and agenda of the MSU Board of Directors.

www.msu.mcmaster.ca

to provide cold water. Each retrofit location was also outfitted with an educational sign stating “tis better to refill than to landfill”. Starting in 2010, all retrofitted fountains also include a filter as well as an electronic counter which tracks the number of single-use plastic bottles saved as a result of refilling. To date, over 45 water fountains have been retrofitted on campus. In the MSU Main Office alone, the retrofitted fountain has refilled the equivalent of more than 5000 plastic bottles.

A list of all retrofitted fountain locations can be found online at: www.mcmaster.ca/sustainability/ waste_fountainlocations.html.

If you would like to find out how to make your space a Plastic Bottle Free Zone or have any questions or comments regarding the Plastic Bottle Free Policy, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

THE SILHOUETTE • A3

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

RECORD-BREAKING ENROLLMENT

High influx puts strain on residence Res-admission guarantee backfires, students offered incentive to seek other arrangements • CONT’D FROM A1 beds stated in previous year, which was 3685.

Full occupancy is not usually obtained,” said Archer.

This was reflected in an email sent on behalf of Residence Admissions, Housing & Conference Services in July 2011 to all students anticipating on-campus living accommodations for the coming September.

“McMaster University is a destination of choice this year! More students are planning to attend Mac this fall, which has generated increased demand for a spot in residence.”

The email further outlined options for those students who would be willing to opt out of the residence option: to either find accommodation off campus or continue living at home. These students were offered a full 600-dollar refund on the deposit, as well as a cheque for $1,000, along with priority placement for on-campus accommodations in September 2012.

In addition, the email encouraged students to contact the Off Campus Resource Centre (OCRC) to receive assistance in finding off campus accommodation. Between 44 and 64 first year students as well as 20 upper year students accepted the incentive, noted Cathie Miller, Director of Housing & Conference Services.

This attempt in the decrease of residency space was coupled with a transformation the residences themselves. A total of 62 bed spaces were created throughout McMaster’s residence buildings to accommodate more students.

Some single rooms were converted to double rooms in Edwards, Les Prince, McKay, and Wallingford Halls. In Edwards and Moulton Halls, some games and meeting rooms were converted to triple rooms, and in

Hedden Hall, double rooms were converted to triple rooms, according to Miller.

In previous years, the number of admission offers and ultimate intake of students usually balances out as students choose other options for post-secondary education, and with respect to residences, there is a natural attrition that tends to unfold throughout the summer as students consider alternate living arrangements.

For the 2011/2012 academic year however, the number of students opting to accept the university’s offer of residence accommodation was markedly high.

Despite the increased enrollment and additional beds put in place throughout various residence buildings, the residence experience has remained largely unaffected, explained Archer, further noting that,” while there are more students in residence, it is not that many more than there has been in the past, and they are divided between the residences, so common spaces in residences are being shared by roughly the same number of people.”

Students have a varied reaction to this issue. “The university experience is what you make of it, I suppose, whether you live on or off campus, university can be amazing or boring,” said Ankita Dubey, a fourth year Psychology student at McMaster. “I lived on residence in my first year, and I loved it. I definitely wouldn’t have gotten the same exposure commuting,” she explained.

Other students who lived off campus in their first year expressed mixed views. “When I was starting at Mac, I was definitely a bit worried that I would lose out on some of the university experience by living off campus…

SOCS (Society of Off Campus Students) helped me meet many amazing people, and made sure that living off campus wasn’t an issue at all. I’m so glad that I didn’t end up

staying in residence,” said Andrew Marlowe, a fourth year Nursing student.

Meanwhile, living off campus seemed rather inconvenient for some, including Diana Gutierrez, a second Year student, who shared her view, “I think living off campus made everything less accessible. I had to search for things to do. If I didn’t search, I probably would have had a lousy time, said Gutierrez.

With residence issues mounting, dirty dishes piling, and elbows rubbing together, McMaster has a plate-full of work to do to create a more permanent solution if enrollment is expected to increase in this manner in coming years.

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

McMeekin promotes student votership at Mac

TYLER HAYWARD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

MPP Ted McMeekin visited Mac to cast his ballot for the upcoming election.

Liberals] are trying as a government to respond, and tuition, where we posed a 30 per cent tuition reduction – those are practical MPP for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough- issues – is the general issue that has to do with Westdale Ted McMeekin stopped by campus jobs and prosperity,” he said. on Sept. 21 to vote in an advance poll for the Despite his talk of reducing tuition, he upcoming Ontario election. has concerns about diminishing financial re McMeekin, a proud McMaster alumnus, sources for universities. “There’s concern on is running again for the Ontario Liberal Party. campus about the quality of instruction, the His visit to CIBC Hall in the third floor of large class sizes, the deferred maintenance MUSC was intended to be a gesture to his that can’t be deferred much longer. That’s student constituents. “I know why we believe a tuition it’s corny, but students are freeze isn’t the way to go, beour future,” he said. cause you debilitate the UniThere’s no finer “We hear a lot of talk place in Ontario versity’s ability to do those about student apathy. I don’t things. My worry is that if we than my alma believe students are apago down that road, the Unithetic, I just think there are matter, McMaster versity will, just for survival barriers put in their way.” reasons, begin to focus more University. This Putting a voting station onon grad school spots. Grad is the finest campus, he thought, was a students bring more research step in the right direction. money than undergraduate university in the While an undergraduate students. I think that would be province, if student at Mac, McMeekin a shame, because I think the not the country.” four-year undergraduate eduspent time on the Student Representative Assemcation is fundamental, pivotal, bly (SRA) and University foundational to our future.”

Senate, among other organizations.

McMeekin was rumoured to be a visitng “There’s no finer place in Ontario than speaker at the Sept.18 meeting of the current my alma matter, McMaster University. This SRA, which became a minor controversy. is the finest university in the province, if not Certain members of the Assembly had the country,” he said. concerns that the invitation, which was made Since his election, McMeekin has fre- by MSU Vice-President (Education), Alicia quently visited the University to consult with Ali, was not extended to other candidates. students, faculty and administration. He has Though there is some precedent for the also been working with his post-secondary sitting MPP for the riding visiting the SRA education advisory group, which is comprised prior to an election, McMeekin decided not of 20 students from McMaster University, to come. “I was invited to come, and I didn’t Mohawk College and Redeemer College. know I was invited to come until the day “I think the biggest concern that students before. I took the decision that that wasn’t have discussed with me, other than the every fair for me to appear myself without the other day stuff like OSAP, where we [the Ontario candidates.”

Sam Colbert Managing Editor

A4 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Literature, Theatre, and Performance

MSU Group

Author creates buzz around campus Farmstand

a local food venue Roy Campbell Silhouette Staff

Ann-Marie MacDonald (left) and Kathleen Gallagher (right) engaged in a theatrical discussion.

Kacper Niburski

Assistant News Editor

“Darwinian natural selection”, “eugenics”, “monstrosity folding onto disability”, “disability folding onto monstrosity”, “love and the lack thereof”; these are but some of the words that were heard in Robinson Memorial Theatre on Sept. 20.

While some of these words were whispered, and others were yelled, the arrival of the internationally acclaimed author Ann-Marie MacDonald and prominent theatre researcher Kathleen Gallagher certainly brought a buzz to the campus.

The two literary titans came to McMaster to bring “page to stage” by analyzing the many dichotomies, theatrical elements and unconscious mysteries that lay within MacDonald’s play Belle Moral.

For seven years now, such notable invitations to McMaster have been made through the Arts and Science Summer Reading program, where incoming first-years

are provided a book to read over the summer.

According to Jean Wilson, the director of the Arts and Science Programme, this “not only gives the students something to talk about, but incites thought and inquiry into what it means to be an Arts and Science student.”

For this reason, among many others, Belle Moral was chosen.

The play is a reworking of a previous work, The Arab’s Mouth, which premiered in 1990. Situated in Scotland during 1899, the main protagonist, Pearl, explores a time where dissemination and liberation of free thought germinated wildly.

“People look back at that period and say, ‘Those are the times that everything was cooking’,” said MacDonald.

Through an exploration into this time, Belle Moral becomes a play of the abstract as much as it is of the concrete. Woman’s equality is stressed, as too is the idea that one cannot play God without impun-

ity. Gallagher stressed, “These are but some, mind the pun, pearls of wisdom in the book.”

To develop more of them, the two women – along with McMaster professor Janice Hladki – held a workshop for Arts and Science students, hosted by Dr. Wilson, in which the play could be enacted and examined.

In the evening, both presented a public lecture, which was cosponsored by the Arts and Science Programme, the Faculty of Humanities, the Alumni Association and McMaster Association of Part-Time Students.

In one of the afternoon activities, students worked in pairs and groups, enacting a particular scene within the play. Then, using only a whisper, they were asked to enact the scene again. This was repeated, but only one word in each sentence was stressed.

“Distilling it right down to the particles of ideas, one can see that each reading – whether by acting,

JEFF TAM / THE SILHOUETTE

whispering, or selecting – brings about a new salient point in the play not yet discovered,” said Gallagher.

Following the workshop, MacDonald and Gallagher answered questions from the audience. One student asked for advice to any would-be authors about reworking previous work.

“At first, I was terrified,” said MacDonald. “Well, that’s completely disingenuous. I was haunted. But once I removed the thing I was most afraid to let go, it was easy. How do I let go of something integral to my identity? I do it for five seconds and say, ‘That’s great.’”

Of her particular dark humour style, MacDonald said, “There are two kinds of comedies: one is a profuse comedian who does anything to get the audience to laugh. I wish I could stand up and do this. Then there is a classical story; a tragedy, but at the same time redemption.

To me, that’s important because it’s all going to be alright, or at least, there’s going to be a tomorrow.”

Global Development Challenges

Humanitarian incites hope for global change Nichole Fanara The Silhouette

How many ambitious people do you know? Truly and sincerely, can you count them on hand? Those brave souls who give a damn, whether it is about the state of affairs, the right of children or even the look on your face?

Marilyn McHarg graced the McMaster campus on the evening of Sept. 20, spreading the news about an organization that she helped see from the ground up.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Canada, also known as Doctors Without Borders Cananada, is a Canadian-run humanitarian organization. Men and women in the medical field go to distant countries and attempt to make things better.

But it’s really not as simple as that.

Despite all the good that can come from an organization such as this, there are many stresses and ethical issues that arise. Humanitarian aid is not a black-and-white concept, McHarg explained. The goal

of the organization is to try to find a solution that will lead to the greatest good for the most people, choosing a location where the need is greatest and trying to provide relatively equal access to healthcare.

In over 60 different countries worldwide, MSF has offices set up with medical programs that respond to epidemics, natural disasters and other, lesser known issues that may affect places such as remote villages.

However, despite their far reaches, McGarg assured her audience that they cannot help everyone.

Many times, the organization has to make a choice between addressing one issue that reaches over a large area, or a rather smaller one that is more concentrated. A shift between the two is reflected in their numbers. Where they were once helping 10 million people, they have now cut down to 8 million.

In a Western view, where bigger is better, this may seem outrageous.

But the goal of MSF is one of trying to give a higher quality of care to

its patients. It is not a solution to a broken country’s problem of inadequate health care, but rather a band-aid on the problem that will not stay forever. It is a part of the MSF’s ethical battle to know when the right time is to pull out of a country, and who to leave in charge after they have left.

McHarg gave the example of the issue of HIV/AIDS in Africa as a way of showing her audience how the teams on the ground are challenged with ethical decisions every day.

MSF wanted to give medical treatment to those affected in villages that had the highest concentration of AIDS, but certain governments didn’t want this. Instead, they wanted MSF to perform a condemn run to a vast amount of the population. MSF first had to decide which option was in the best interest of the people, and further, which would save the most lives.

It turned out that if MSF were to run the condemn program, the government would be able to hide

TYLER HAYWARD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Marilyn McHarg (back) joined by numerous speakers to discuss humanitarian aid.

behind this NGO in the heat of the AIDS battle. So MSF instead fought for the treatment plan they wanted to establish, and were soon after able to deliver treatment and education about AIDS to people living with it in these villages.

In a world plagued with ethical questions, McHarg was able to enlighten her audience on an organization that is truly doing amazing work. She taught the lesson of choosing, perhaps not always the simplest decision, but a decision that may benefit the greater number of people. MSF, as she began and concluded, is driven by the mantra, “saving lives, alleviating suffering and trying to get space for others to hold onto their dignity.”

Loca-vores have something to cheer about.

The Mac Farmstand is now well into its second season, offering up an expanded range of products and services to promote sustainable living on and off campus.

When it reopened for the season this summer, the on-campus farmers’ market aimed to be bigger and better than last season.

“We are making an effort to increase both our operating hours and the amount of local produce that we carry,” said Farmstand executive Matt Howe. “We figure the more students we can reach with this unique service – while hopefully getting them excited about local, sustainable food – the better.”

One of events offered by the group has been the Farmstand’s Pick Tour, held on Sept.18. A group of 39 participants travelled to tour Puddicombe Estate Farms and Winery in Winona, where they spent the afternoon experiencing many of the features that the farm had to offer.

“The purpose of the event was to show the amount of resources and hard work that go into a simple snack like an apple,” said Andrew Chong, the Farmstand director. A similar trip has been scheduled to Simpler Thyme Farm, one of the Farmstand’s suppliers, in October.

On campus, the Farmstand team is working to improve and refine its operations. “With a year under our belts, we are starting to get a sense of what McMaster students are most interested in when it comes to what we offer,” Howe explained. “We are maximizing on these things to provide the best service possible.”

To accomplish this, Farmstand’s suppliers have changed and prices have dropped. “We have carefully selected farmers based on the sustainability of their produce and their price, so customers will be happy to know that our prices have decreased greatly from last year,” said Chong.

The effort to expand and improve the Farmstand has included use of social media and a partnership with the Office of Sustainability and Hospitality Services.

“The Farmstand is important because it offers something that might not be available to students otherwise: the opportunity to explore sustainable and healthy produce from the Hamilton area. It makes it far easier for the McMaster community to access healthy, delicious food on a regular basis and will hopefully inspire some to continue working with local produce in the future,” said Howe.

The Farmstand operates in front of University Hall every Wednesday and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. It will continue to do so until the middle of October, weather permitting.

THE SILHOUETTE • A5

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

McMaster Museum of Art

Gallery enlightens Exhibit connects 18th-century art to contemporary society

TYLER HAYWARD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

Display at the “Rising to the Occasion” exhibit at the McMaster Museum of Art. Melissa Lang The Silhouette

“Revolution, Empire and Enlightment” are key words that come to mind when visiting the McMaster Museum of Art’s (MMA) “Rising to the Occasion: The Long 18th Century Classics” exhibition.

Commonly known as a beachhead for modern art by both students and world-renowned artists, the MMA has begun a collection of artistic renderings from the 1800s.

Perhaps one of the most aspiring projects to date, the museum has excavated a repertoire of 75 authentic 18th-century art pieces in five distinct exhibitions.

Education co-coordinator Nicole Knibb noted that the presentation offers a “glimpse into the new world,” as this time period encouraged and spread the drastic influence of Europe outward to the rest of the world.

“The 18th century was a turning point that focused on secular facets of society rather than the religious,” said Knibb.

“The exhibition is a great medium that opens up students to 18th-century artistry first hand,” noted Sara Brophy, professor in the Department of English and Cultural Studies.

The pieces are intended to portray the connection between 18th-century ideas and its impact on contemporary society. In order to achieve this, “Rising to the Occasion” was made as the first instance where the entire museum is devoted to one theme.

Of the many exhibitions on display, a few notable works are those of John Verselst, Rebecca Belmore and Jinny Yu. The fusion of European and Indigenous influences can be seen in John Verelst’s anthropological “Four Indian Kings” paintings, which were commissioned by Queen Anne in 1710.

Viewers can witness the radical Belmore dress artifact that was worn by Rebecca Belmore and appreciate the artistry of the human body through Jean-Antoine Houdon’s 1767 life-sized flayed figure made out of plaster.

The exhibit also features Jinny Yu and Don Andrus’ “Cadenza”: a grandiose mural that caters to the sentiment of 18th-century art by emphasizing human emotion, illustrated using oil slick and oil pastel.

While concentrating on European empiricism and European influence during the century, many works extend to Eastern influences as well.

Artworks devoted to 18th-century China will be running until Jan. 7 in the Levy Gallery. Additionally, there will be a lecture featuring the guest curator Angela Sheng on Oct. 12.

In the spirit of the event, the MMA encourages students and other members of the McMaster community to visit, and hopes to foster curiosity and engagement in 18th-century art.

The exhibitions began on Sep. 5 and will run Tuesdays to Fridays from 12:30 p.m to 1 p.m until Nov. 5.

Rising Tuition

The soaring cost of postsecondary education

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

Tannara Yelland

CUP Prairies & Northern Bureau Chief

SASKATOON (CUP) — As universities try to balance their budgets in the face of a sluggish economy, Canadian university students have seen their tuition go up by eight per cent in the last two years.

A four per cent increase for the 2010–11 year was followed by another 4.3 per cent hike this year, according to recent Statistics Canada study. The Canadian average for undergraduate tuition is now $5,366.

Ontario students, who pay $6,640 on average, pay the highest tuition in the country while Quebec undergrads enjoy the lowest tuition in the nation, paying an average of $2,519. Students in Newfoundland and Labrador, where tuition fees have been frozen since 2003–04, are paying an average of $2,649.

In Alberta, tuition is nominally capped to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), meaning it increased by about two per cent for the 2011– 12 year. Average fees for full-time undergrads in that province sit at $5,662.

“However, that number is misleading,”

said University of Alberta Students’ Union Vice-President External, Farid Iskandar. “Alberta has the highest mandatory non-instructional fees levied on students in the country: they’re $1,399.”

While Alberta has the highest non-tuition fees, students in New Brunswick will have the largest increase over last year’s non-instructional fees for both graduates and undergraduates. Compulsory non-tuition fees went up for undergraduates by 21.5 per cent over last year, rising to $430. For graduate students, non-instructional fees went up by 17.6 per cent.

The national average for compulsory fees went up 5.5 per cent for undergrads. Graduate students in Nova Scotia were the only students in the nation to see a decline in compulsory fees; they went down by 7.5 per cent.

While Canadian undergrads are paying more each year, they are still significantly better off than either their international student counterparts or graduate students.

International students, who represent a rapidly growing portion of the student population, pay an average of $17,571 in tuition — up 9.5 per cent from two years ago.

A6 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

EDITORIAL

editor’s extension: 22052 letters: thesil@thesil.ca

Who do you think you know?

The Silhouette McMaster University’s Student Newspaper

I don’t know Kyle Quinlan. In the times I’ve reported on the McMaster football team, I’ve talked to him briefly after games and practices numerous times. He’s well spoken and gracious, always willing to talk until we get everything we need.

But beyond when I’m doing my job, I’ve never met the guy. It’s not my job to follow peoples’ private lives just because we report on what they do in the public eye.

So when the news broke last week (hours after our print deadline), I was surprised as anyone. If you had told me a varsity athlete was going to be charged with assault, Kyle Quinlan is probably the last guy I would have thought it would be.

There’s a lesson in there. Sometimes, you just don’t know the people the way you think you do.

Do these charges all mean Quinlan is a bad dude? Of course not - they aren’t proven, and even if and when they are, they don’t necessarily categorize him as a bad guy.

But whatever happens, regardless of whether it conflicts with the many rumours out there, an assault charge will jolt your perception of someone. Your opinion might not change, but you’ll at least be compelled to wonder.

For me, it wasn’t just my opinion of a football player that was jolted. It’s the idea that I knew who this guy was just because I’ve seen him play football a dozen or so times.

There will be a lot of debate in the next few days about whether Quinlan’s suspension, recently announced as three games, is long enough. People will say he did this and deserves that and that so-and-so has it all wrong.

That’s a matter of debate, something we don’t know for sure. What we do know is that we shouldn’t pretend to know someone, especially an athlete, just because we’re familiar with their face or voice or penchant for throwing touchdowns.

The guy might be a familiar figure to a lot of people around campus, especially Mac sports fans. But I certainly won’t try to convince myself he’s anything beyond that familiar figure to me.

It makes you wonder: who do you not really know?

•

TheSil.ca

Editorial Board Executive Editor... Brian Decker Managing Editor... Sam Colbert Production Editor... Jonathon Fairclough Senior News Editor... Farzeen Foda Asst. News Editor... Dina Fanara Asst. News Editor... Kacper Niburski Opinions Editor... Andrew Terefenko Sports Editor... Fraser Caldwell Asst. Sports Editor... Brandon Meawasige InsideOut Editor... Natalie Timperio Asst. InsideOut Editor... Cassandra Jeffery

Brian Decker, Executive Editor

Business Editor... Sonya Khanna Senior ANDY Editor... Jemma Wolfe ANDY Music Editor... Josh Parsons

Worth Repeating:

ANDY Ent. Editor... Myles Herod

I read your article on the gas leak scare (Gas leak scare a false alarm, Sept. 8), and I was astonished by the line “outside of the two evacuated buildings and clearing of the BSB lawn, no buildings or Welcome Week activities were affected”.

I wonder how many people actually know that hundreds of nursing first-year students were denied access back onto the campus at that time, leaving them with nowhere to go, or that hundreds more first-year engineering students were evacuated, not just off of the BSB field, but off of campus.

This is more than a big deal, considering that people inside the university had no idea it was happening. This forced the Welcome Week organizers for these groups to have to decide on a safe and welcoming place for upwards of a thousand first-years to stay for the entire day.

This was an unsafe, unprofessional, and unorganized emergency protocol that left students fearful of not being allowed on campus, and it cost these Welcome Week faculty planners thousands of dollars in planned events that they could not use that day. For some students, the evacuation was merely a change of plans, but for many this ruined the rest of their week and their opinion of the university.

It was extremely unfortunate, and I understand that things like this cannot be avoided, but there is no reason why this many first year students should be told by police to leave campus without traffic control or an alternate location being provided. It was a safety hazard and left a poor opinion of the university’s emergency protocols.

Multimedia Editor... Joy Santiago Senior Photo Editor... Tyler Hayward Asst. Photo Editor... Ricardo Padilla

Silhouette Staff Sandro Giordano, Ad Manager

Krystin Quinn

Legal The Silhouette welcomes letters to the editor in person at MUSC B110, or by email at thesil@thesil.ca. Please include name, address, and telephone number for verification only. We reserve the right to edit, condense, or reject letters and opinion articles. Opinions expressed in The Silhouette are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, the publishers, or university officials.

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

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AND ALSO...

Tune in to the Sil’s radio show every Thursday at 1 p.m. on CFMU, 93.3 on your dial, cfmu.msumcmaster.ca on the web.

to liquid diarrhea. to lance “touchdown” johnson.

to toad.

to the badger of honour.

TheSil.ca

did we upset you this week? are we blantantly offensive and unworthy of print? is this paper only good for making into a pirate hat?

to chicken broth in the burrito rice.

to the new server system. thanks, todd.

to midnight in paris.

Son tan pacificos, con todo tan violentos!

to bad chcicken.

to post-deadline news.

to the word “coolie”.

Actually, we sold the URL due to start a Mexican dove-fighting ring.

to quarters, erm, twelveighty not having enough tables. boo.

to friends at the spec.

Check out our paper in brilliant PDF format at our website

PLUS stay tuned in the coming weeks for our new and improved website to serve all of your sil-ly needs.

to people complaining about the new facebook. wahh!

to artist renditions. to joy santiago. ‘nuff said. to rolly rockets. to caribbean salsa beats. to new slaves...er, interns. to new business cards.

let us know. send us a letter and we’ll publish it right here on the editorial page.

to snoot’s on mondays and thursdays.

just don’t be too mean to us. thesil@thesil.ca

to bodoni.

to rob ford. why not? to rug burn. to fraser. you rat bastard. to the crappy back room printer. to 4 a.m. deadlines. what are they? to caribbean salsa. to the office couch. stop shedding on me. to the breakup of rem. everybody hurts. sometimes. to sarah palin’s bodoni. to no more thumbs down worth writing.

THE SILHOUETTE • A7

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

OPINIONS

production office extension: 27117 opinions@thesil.ca

Conrad to lose status, title in order

Black at risk of losing his noble place in the Order of Canada Ryan Mallough The Silhouette

Conrad Black’s contributions to this country and abroad have been immense. At its peak, his company, Hollinger International, controlled 60 per cent of Canada’s newspapers as well as hundreds of international dailies, providing thousands of jobs for Canadians and informing the public.

The Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, an organization established by Black, merged into what is now known as the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada’s leading addiction and mental health organization. He is also an internationally recognized biographer, having published best-selling works Conrad Black may be charged with heinous crimes, but should not be stripped of his past accomplishments because of them. on Maurice Duplessis, of stairs. And yet it was after these events, competitiveness that were the cornerstones victions, that he may have done wrong later Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Richard when Black’s character was well known, that of his media empire. Yes, they were at times in life does not diminish his past contribuNixon. unscrupulous, but how many make it to the tions to academia, to charitable causes or to he was invested to the Order in 1990.

Despite his contributions and accom- The decision to strip Black of the Order top without stepping on a few shoulders?

Canada. plishments, all of which contributed to Can- of Canada rests solely on his recent convic- While its demonstration is usually re- Conrad Black embodies the side of ada’s betterment as a nation, the Advisory tions. Mail fraud and obstruction of justice served for international hockey tournaments, Canada that sits under the “polite and friendCouncil of the Order of Canada is consid- must be taken seriously, as they are indeed it is an historical and fundamentally Can- ly” surface; the fiercely competitive spirit ering stripping him of his status as Officer of criminal, and it cannot be overlooked that adian value to compete as hard as one can, that drives the population of our nation to be the Order. great.

Black was charged with 11 counts of fraud, and that’s what he did.

There’s no question that as a business one count of obstruction of justice and one Conrad Black was a competitor, and Every year, a select few Canadians are man, Black, the Lord of Crossharbour, was as count of racketeering. Had he been convicted through his tenacity, he raised the profile of honoured with the Order of Canada, granted ruthless as they come. Stories of his dismant- of all counts, the punishment would total a our nation while performing a service to the in recognition of a lifetime of outstanding ling of companies after he acquired them and 101-year sentence. Yet he was found guilty public. Did he profit? Of course. But that achievements to Canadians. his widely publicized and ultimately fruitless of only one minor charge of fraud and one didn’t stop anyone from picking up one of his Canada prides itself on being a small attempt at claiming $56 million of Dominion charge of obstruction of justice, resulting in a papers, reading his columns, or buying his nation of great men and women with great workers’ pension funds are infamous. So too six-and-a-half-year sentence. books; and it shouldn’t warrant taking away ideas and the ability to change the world. is the often recounted, though false tale that If anything, Black’s only great wrong- his Order of Canada.

Conrad Black is one of the few that managed Black pushed his own father down a flight doing was displaying the fierce drive and Even if one were to accept Black’s con- to turn that sentiment into a reality.

SILHOUETTE FILE PHOTO

Context is everything

Disinterest in higher education is a plague

The rapid spread of information in the modern age means a higher risk of being misinformed

Lauren Murphy The Silhouette

Near the end of high school I was excited to finally escape and move on to what I saw as the idyllic world of university. With visions of ivycovered buildings, football games, independence, teachers interested in what they were saying and students actually caring about their education dancing in my head, I arrived this September with high expectations.

I did not find myself disappointed, except in one aspect. During my first class, I eagerly took my seat to listen to my first real university lecture. As I looked around during the rest of the class, I was surprised to see students coming in late, texting through most of the lecture, watching Youtube videos on their laptops and leaving as soon as the class was scheduled to be “over”, despite that fact that the professor was still talking.

A friend and I talked that night about how our first day had gone and the same was true of most of her classes. She, in turn, asked an older student about it, and he essentially told her that things don’t change in upper years.

This is what mystifies me. Why would you pay thousands of dollars to go to university if you were then going to proceed to pick your courses based on having Mondays and Fridays off and not having to get up before noon? Where has the genuine interest in getting an education gone?

This is mostly a rhetorical question, because I can gather a general idea of why. These days, it’s much easier to hide out in a university instead of taking a good hard look at yourself and figuring out what it is that you really what. Even more so because of the implied promise of fun, and parties, and in some cases just the sheer desire to get away from parents.

But with the amount of classes that are available to you in university, I can’t understand why students can’t find something that engages and excites them even if they are undecided about what they want to do. This isn’t high school anymore. Selection isn’t limited to a few choices within prescribed groups of classes.

Maybe I’m just old fashioned, but I feel like everyone should be enjoying and appreciating the opportunity we’re given here in university to learn about pretty much anything that interests us. I also know that it’s impossible to make all people care, but I do prompt everyone to consider this: by not immersing yourself in your studies and trying to soak up every last bit of information and by not enjoying learning for learning’s sake, you’re wasting your money and you’re wasting your time.

Erin Chesney The Silhouette

“OMG forward this to twenty people or your e-mail will be deleted.”

At some point or another, we have all received messages as outrageous as this. Yet someone out there sincerely believed that by forwarding these messages to everyone they know, they would satisfy the great technological powers that be and, miraculously, their hotmail account would be spared.

But seriously folks, do we truly believe that this mass messaging is going to bring us anything other than annoyed acquaintances? Clearly, some people think that these messages contain potential prophecies, for if people didn’t, these junk messages would never get passed along.

It is now clear that if a message pops up on your blackberry that promises to fix your BBM on the condition that you broadcast the message to all your contacts, its validity should probably be questioned. However, there is another aspect of mass messaging that must be given more attention.

Our generation prides itself on its mastery of technology, and there are undoubtedly many benefits to having a world of knowledge at the touch of a button.

Through media such as texts, BBM’s, Twitter and Facebook, noteworthy events can be communicated instantly. But when broadcasting current events to all your close family, friends and the random guy you met at that party that one time is all but a click away, should we not be evaluating what exactly we are passing along?

This past week, for example, an incident at York University has provoked this exact discussion. A student heard what she claimed to be a professor making an anti-Semitic statement. She stormed out of the class

and immediately, the story spread like wildfire in an attempt to get this professor terminated. The professor responded to these accusations by claiming that the student took his statement out of context and that he was giving an example of the kind of opinions he does not want to hear in his class.

Who is correct in this situation is up for debate.

The issue I care to focus on is that this story went viral instantaneously, yet very few people considered the context or potential misconceived perceptions of the situation. Students lacked sincere consideration of the incident before passing it along to all of their online friends.

With technological power comes technological responsibility and I believe our generation is guilty of abuse. Something is not true just because we receive it to our smartphone. We still need to evaluate what we read, or the information highway will inevitably become obstructed with roadblocks of misconceptions.

I believe that university students, especially at McMaster, pride themselves on being intellectual individuals and contributing citizens; we embrace multiculturalism, we are analytical of politics and we strive to improve the world on a national and international basis.

Therefore, I do not believe it is too harsh to expect our community to evaluate the content of the messages they are spreading, whether it is a chain message that belongs in the trash or a media to protest against a university professor.

Here is my advice: check into the facts and ensure there is valid evidence supporting the claims being presented. Next time you have doubts that the message you have received might be somewhat taken out of context, know that the right course of action is to resist releasing it out into the openness of the World Wide Web.

[This Week in Opinions] Board Game Rage Gauge

Harping on Harper

Theft-safety for dummies

We explore the ramifications of venturing into the hate-filled world of ‘friendly’ board gaming.

When Stephen Harper makes a xenophobic comment “offthe-cuff,” we will not let it slide.

As a student, you are extremely susceptible to have your prized possessions stolen, sold and shamed.

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A8 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, SETPEMBER 22, 2011

The scrabbled monopoly of game rage One might not expect the torrent of emotions spawned on the board Andrew Terefenko Opinions Editor

There is a sort of unexplainable phenomenon that baffles me.

A situation meant to breed teamwork and harmony instead fosters seething hatred and the irreparable tearing of social bonds.

I’m talking about board games, and I have endangered too many friendships with them to stay silent any longer.

The year is 2003, and I’m in my good friend’s dingy basement. In our bored stupor we have the bright idea to dust off his parents’ Monopoly set and invite some unsuspecting chumps over to participate in our first communal experience with this engine of suffering.

The beginning is never hostile. Everyone just moves forward and builds beneath them a respectable empire, trading politely and even extending a helping hand to other people trying to complete a coloured set. It’s what comes next that horrifies me.

When there was no more room for neutral purchasing and riskless trading, the fun stopped and we ceased playing a game altogether. It became a prison simulation, where we all held everyone else’s favourite brand of cigarettes and a deep, shank-worthy hatred for the other inmates because of it. It got ugly. Names were called, mothers were insulted and at one point a game piece got swallowed in a furious display of belligerTime to set up: three minutes. Time to play: thirty minutes to an hour. ence.

I had never before seen four close friends I thought I had learned my lesson, but the opposite was so eager to choke each other like cantankerous chickens. If we had not stopped the game after twenty true. I played again, and again. The fallout got worse with straight turns of stalemates, I am certain I would have never each session as I got older and more capable of inflicting mental harm on those who would defy my unstoppable doseen a single one of them again – not that we saw each If you want to make minion of fictional real estate. My grandma would stop taking my calls, my sister put up a sign on her door specifically banother soon after. We needed a breathing period, some per- an enemy of a long- ning me from entry, and I think I made my little brother cry. It sonal space; time to recover time friend, board brings out the worst in people, and the even worse in already from this trauma that we had games are the solu- detestable souls.

I have permanently lost a friend to another board game, all accrued. Time moved tion. which, in my opinion, is far better at ruining friendships. The on, but on some level I still Settlers of Catan was a game that ‘”improved” upon the tradresent each and every one of ing aspect of other games, making trade mandatory in order those bastards who refused to sell me railroads when I was being so very reasonable with to succeed. It was a truly demonic decision, as a competitive game should not make me depend on the clear-headedness of my too-generous offer.

RICARDO PADILLA / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

Time to clean up: lifetime of psycho-therapy. others (or lack thereof) in order to succeed.

I tried to trade smart and offer people what they needed, but once you start winning, you contract a sort of board-game leprosy and are shunned to a corner where nobody will do commerce with you.

I have come to the conclusion that board games prevent the maintenance of any sort of acquaintance with people. It may seem like I should just avoid the particularly hostilitybreeding games, but I assure you, the friend who had a Jenga block shoved down his throat would tell you otherwise.

If you want to make an enemy of a long-time friend, board games are the solution, and a damn good one at that.

If you want to have anyone left in your life, abstain, as I am convinced that they are small circles of a portable hell, and I for one am not in the mood for eternal damnation.

Terror can now be grown on Canadian soil, courtesy of Prime Minister Harper

Tax breaking at the seams

“Islamicism” is a cruel joke that alienates us, Stephen

Eric Gillis

Waleed Ahmed The Silhouette

Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently declared that the greatest threat to Canada was ‘Islamicism’ – whatever that is. Sure, we might be familiar with ‘Islamism’, ‘Islamist’ and ‘Islamesque’, but even the word processor on my computer doesn’t recognize ‘Islamicism’.

The unfortunate reality is that our prime minister has coined a new term in the lexicon that is aimed at using Islamophobic sentiment for political advantage.

The average Joe who has never met a Muslim, knows nothing about Islam or is out of touch with the political landscape of our world is now convinced that Muslims like me are the greatest threat to this nation.

He hails PM Harper for speaking up, saying things like they are and for not bowing down to political correctness. His next vote is going to Harper.

Harper and his supporters defend his statement by saying that he was referring to Muslim terrorists and their ideology. However, by using such loose and imprecise terminology that focuses on the word ‘Islam’, he is appealing to a large uninformed part of our society. This crowd is increasingly skeptical of Muslims and is affected by xenophobic rhetoric from the U.S. and Europe. Harper’s sophistry allows him to gain political support and at the same time dismiss any criticism, all on grounds that he was referring to violent extremists. The Progressive Conservatives have employed similar divisive politics in the provincial

campaign for the October elections by labeling new Ontarians as “foreign workers”.

The Norwegian prime minister responded to the recent terror attacks in his country by vowing for more democracy and a more open society. Our prime minister, on the other hand, is using the pretext of ‘Islamicism’ to re-introduce two controversial pieces of anti-terror legislation that were thrown out in 2007. Both aim to sacrifice personal rights and freedoms to give us an illusion of security. It is interesting to note that police never employed these laws when they existed, yet the PM feels the need to introduce them again ten years later.

The most notorious terrorist attacks in Canada include the Air India bombings, which were carried out by Sikh militants, the Montreal Massacre, executed by an antifeminist, and the Quebec October Crises, which was led by militant separatists. History tells us that terrorism can happen on our soil from a multitude of extreme groups, so why all the fear mongering about Islam, considering Muslim militants have never attacked Canada? Why put 800,000 Canadian Muslims under the lens of suspicion out of fear of a hypothetical threat from an obscure minority?

I would argue that it’s not ‘Islamicism’ that is a threat to Canada. Rather, it is Harper’s sleazy and divisive politics that threatens our multicultural tapestry. It’s his agenda to bring back expired, undemocratic legislation that threatens our freedoms and personal rights. And it is his unbending desire to autonomously run this country that threatens our democracy.

The Silhouette

The Ontario Liberal Party’s controversial $10,000 business tax break is arguably an admirable attempt to resolve a problem that is undeniably in need of a fix in both Ontario and Canada in general. (One of my favourite pizza joint’s delivery guys has a masters’, for Pete’s sake).

The tax break is for businesses that hire new-to-Canada immigrant professionals (defined by the “No Skills Left Behind” plan as people who have not resided in Canada for more than five years). The money saved by businesses is to be put towards certification and retraining expenses. An immigrant with professional training should not arrive to Canada to find their education has absolutely no value here.

That being said, the Ontario Liberals have missed out on a wonderful opportunity to prop up our new Canadians and to boost the Liberal Party’s favour in the eyes of Ontarians with the plan. I am not stating that their plan will not accomplish its intended goal of helping new immigrants. In fact, I would be surprised if it failed to do so. What I am saying is that they missed out on a chance to empower Ontario’s new immigrants with Canadian certification without the bad press and divisive nature that is abhorrent in their current plan. They had the chance to have their cake and eat it too.

The Liberals should not have laid the onus on businesses to provide the training to these immigrants. That method ultimately results in a divide culturally and slants the supposed equality-based playing field that is applying for a job in their favour. It is quite likely businesses will go for the tax break incentive to WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

• PLEASE SEE TEN, A10

THE SILHOUETTE • A9

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

Palestinian separation stigma The blocking of Palestine’s bid for statehood is unjustly popular Mozafer Rajabali The Silhouette

If you watch the news, you’ve heard about all the commotion in the Middle East. You can call it what you want, but the international community is about to face a challenge. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas is seeking recognized statehood at the UN for Palestine. Naturally, you would think that the UN, an international organization, would want to accept a new nation as a state, to give them sovereignty and everything else that comes with it.

The United States, however, are condemning the move and plan to veto it at the UN Security Council. They say that it will ruin the potential of any peace treaty, and they may have a point.

But politics isn’t about good and bad, it’s about who is on your side. At the end of the day, even if the UNSC refuses to give Palestine statehood, Abbas will approach the General Assembly.

So now you’re asking, what does it mean to get statehood?

Well tune into CNN, and you will get the American point of view; i.e. it is wrong and will inadvertently lead to Palestine’s demise.

Tune into Al Jazeera (Qatar) or the controversial PressTV Israel is suffering form separation anxiety at the prospect of losing land while the world watches with judgemental eyes. The United (Iran) and you will begin to Nations’ ultimate decision will have dire ramifications that extend to more than just the country of Israel. see the other side of the story.

(And yes, those two are the only telling the Israelis that wronged. too. somewhat pro-Palestinian English-speaking you cannot sit at a Abbas won’t be At the end of the day, even if Palestine news channels in the Middle East.) table with them and short on global sup- does not attain statehood, there is a growing Statehood will mean that Palestine can come to a conclusion. port. Turkey, for international support for the Palestinians – have a claim on its land. And “its land” will And this is only natexample, who had and hence, much like in the 2010 Tunisian finally be defined completely. Not like it is ural. their people killed revolution, things will start to change. No, now, where the Israeli government keeps If you tell a child on the freedom flo- they will probably not get statehood. building illegal settlements in a much-ma- they can have their tillas, will want to Hell, I wouldn’t even rule out assassinaligned Palestine. And yeah, they occasion- land, and then conput one up on Israel tions of certain people in the next few days. ally send their troops into Gaza and the West tinue to build on their by voting for Pales- But at the end of the day, the bully is growing Bank, almost always leaving civilian casual- land like everything tine. Perhaps even old. ties. you agreed upon was forgotten, the child Jordan and Egypt, whose people have evict- Whatever happens, let’s just hope it’s for Of course, becoming a state would imply eventually grows up and knows it’s been ed their Israeli ambassadors, will have a say, the better.

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Politics isn’t about good and bad, it’s about who is on your side

Students are prime for theft, not rare Having your things stolen sucks, but it will probably happen to you Perri Maxwell The Silhouette

Getting robbed is like teen pregnancy. Nobody thinks it’s ever going to happen to them.

This summer, my student house was burglarized. We came home one Saturday morning to see our front door busted open and our deadbolt in pieces on the doorstep. Our laptops, cameras and jewelry were gone and our bedrooms were left in disarray.

There are no words to describe how it feels to know that a stranger has rifled through your possessions and taken away your most valuable and treasured belongings.

We called the police and filed a report. Since then, none of our stolen goods have been recovered and there are no suspects.

We students have targets on our backs. Our houses are loaded with expensive merchandise, including laptops, iPods and TVs. What makes us such easy prey is our naïve sense of security. We leave our doors unlocked and valuables in plain sight. Most of us are just asking for it.

Burglars are always on the look out for quick and easy entry and accessible valuables. Use these simple tips to dis-

courage potential thieves from targeting your house.

First, always lock your windows and doors. Keeping your door unlocked may be convenient, but it creates a perfect opportunity for at thief to sneak into your house without attracting much attention. Speak to your landlord if you are concerned about the locks on your windows or doors.

Store your valuables in a safe place and keep your drapes or blinds closed. Don’t leave expensive belongings out in the open, especially when you’re not around. Thieves aim to spend as little time as possible in your house. Don’t make it easy for them to find your valuables and leave.

Equip your house with a sign that says, “Under video surveillance” or “Beware of dog.” Even if you don’t have a video camera or a dog, a sign is sometimes enough to deter a potential thief from targeting your house. You can also get an alarm company sticker and buy an inexpensive motion sensor alarm. If the sticker doesn’t scare burglars away, the alarm should send them searching for slightly less risky marks.

Many student homes are targeted during scheduled vacations. When you’re away, do not leave any valuables in your student house. Always

lock your windows and doors, make use of light timers, and ask a friend to watch over your place if possible.

Another option is Tenant’s Insurance. Tenant’s Insurance will repair or replace expensive things, like furniture and electronics, as well as kitchen supplies, clothes and other household items. It will pay for necessary expenses, like hotel bills and meals, in the event that you can’t live in your house (although this coverage is limited). Tenant’s Insurance will also protect you in the event of a lawsuit. The Off-Campus Resource Centre in the MUSC basement has more information on insurance.

If you come home to discover that you’ve been robbed, call the police immediately. Gather photos of anything that is missing and take pictures of your house, but do not touch anything – you could contaminate evidence. Then, call your landlord and pass on the news.

Getting robbed sucks and it could happen to anyone. Take precautions to protect yourself. Don’t be an easy target.

GOOGLE IMAGES

Theft affects us all, but especially the people that have their things stolen.

?

A10 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

“A week before, up to three days.”

What was your worst case of procrastination?

-Josh Yun, Philosophy

Ten-thousand good reasons to hire new Ontario immigrants Liberals invest in local business to encourage new hires longer be a factor.

The Ontario Liberals have hire new immigrants over those really dropped the ball on this who already maintain Canadian one. They lost out on a prime opportunity to show that their certification in their field.

What they should have done brand can still be one of ambiis created a process in which tion and unity after the federal these immigrants could receive party’s major downfall. The effort these funds in the form of a grant to address the issue is commendable, but not well and receive the thought-out in the necessary Canadian equivalent The effort to address slightest.

I believe Dalton of their certificathe issue is comMcGuinty himself tions through acmendable, but not said it best: “In my credited institutions and individwell thought-out in Ontario, there’s no us and them, uals. There would the slightest. there’s just us.” be absolutely no Unfortunately, disparity between this plan’s divisive those people who were born in Canada and those nature, which will provide incenwho immigrated here, as the in- tive for businesses to hire new centive to hire immigrants over immigrants over others, doesn’t Canadians born here would no seem at all reflective of the that.

• CONT’D FROM A8

Feedback

“Until the night before, took all night, turned out shitty.”

-Jill Kocymans, Art-Sci

It’s beneficial to be busy, but remember to breathe Keep your priorities straight to hopefully stay healthy “Hours before, it was really hectic.”

-Walid Sabeh, Honours Psyche

“Twentyfour hours, stayed up eight to eight.”

-Amy Elliott, Chemistry PhD

Compiled by Andrew Terefenko and Jon Fairclough

“The night before!

Was really stressful, I probably didn’t do too well.”

-Elena Gatto, Social Sciences

Get enough sleep! As a graduate of a health program, I know that our society really doesn’t I have never been so busy in my realize the importance of getting life (or at least it seems that way). the sleep a person needs. Seven Weeks before school began, I hur- or eight hours may be unrealisriedly rushed to square away the tic, but at least shoot for six most dozens of things that needed to be days, with enough time to catch taken care of before classes start. up on the weekend for the nights I even aimed to be way ahead of you get by on four. Twitter can the pack this year. But as soon as wait until the AM. I took care of one thing, it seemed Communicate with your prolike three more materialized for fessors and TAs often. They are the next day. people too, and you are going to So, I guess it was not meant show incredible initiative if they to be, because it’s two weeks into can remember something about a school and I have still not re- random email you sent and things ceived some of my textbooks. you have said in class before That’s okay, because many you ask for some kind of help or of you are probably in the same an extension. Demonstrate that boat. And as behind as we may you’ve been going to the classes, seem in some ways, many of us know what the focus is on and at have likely accomplished a lot of least have a few ideas on what valuable things already. to read and write about for the Reading stuexams. Showing dent almanacs, accountability is Take a breath and a valuable skill meeting lots of people and findstep back. If you in the real world; ing out about it now are overwhelmed practicing campus life are is going to make all things that by a mounting list of things a lot easier. need to be done Take a breath things to do, as soon as posand step back. remember to sible. For exIf you are overput it in ample, it’s going whelmed by a to be very useful mounting list of perspective. down the road to things to do, reknow about all member to put it the discounts and in perspective. It’s offers that are easy to get frusavailable to you as a student, be- trated, but deal with each task on cause who wants to find out after its own rather than bunching up the fact that you’ve overpaid for your problems. Some of this may a bunch of stuff when you could not matter beyond a few weeks, have used that money for some- and even in the worst case scenthing else? So, if you feel like ario, summer school may turn out you haven’t gotten nearly enough to be the best thing that ever hapdone, or have hardly made it out pened to you. of the gate, don’t despair. A se- Lastly, prioritize. There are, mester goes by quickly, but the I in fact, so many great things to do have a few tips to help unburden and take advantage of while you the load. are at university that no one can Go to your classes! Even ever really sample even a moderthough it’s so basic a concept, ate spectrum of the offerings. You these days it’s what a lot more of can only be at one place at a time your academic success is riding so make it count. And sometimes, on. Trying to figure out how to being at home tackling a good do your assignments or what’s on portion of that gigantic Chaucer the tests is very difficult if you’ve text when you’re really in the missed two months of your 8:30 mood, or getting rest you desperclass. You will be totally out of ately need because you’ve been the loop pretty fast without the really working hard, might be a core guidance the professor gives, better use of your time than going even in the easiest courses. off to campus for that one single That is not to say you have to class you’re on top of. be completely anal about never Forfeiting the 100 per cent missing a lecture, but if you find perfect attendance award in this you’re extremely busy, then it’s busy world of minute-by-minute even more important to at least changes and multi-tasking can be get those two hours of class time the best path to success and overevery week, even if you’ve barely all balance of your student experiskimmed a few paragraphs. Just ence. trust me on this.

Happy juggling.

Rob Hardy

The Silhouette

THE SILHOUETTE • A11

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Get involved to meet people at Mac

Force yourself to be a part of school clubs while SOLAR is down Aaron Grierson The Silhouette

Welcome back once again! If you’re new here, then welcome for the first time.

So it’s a couple of weeks into the semester, all of your classes are rolling along and tutorials are starting up. Friends have been made, or reacquainted, parties are happening and

it’s still quite warm and sunny out, save for the odd rainy day.

I realize, though, that this doesn’t describe everyone. Not all of us are outgoing, jumping to get involved in activities or making new friends. Some of us are shy.

I was one of those people. But, slowly, after settling into first year, through encouragement from some friendly faces and help from the ladies I work with, I have become more outgoing and sociable. So much so that you might have seen me running around in a blue jumpsuit to open September and the new school year to the mass of first-years that have arrived in the last three years.

With any luck, so far, we all have more or less perfect attendance records. For those of us that don’t, why didn’t you take a more interesting class? I kid, of course. Most class problems are probably SOLAR’s fault, which, with limited capacity and processing speed, you would figure Mac would upgrade every other year. But that would actually involve cost-reducing measures. I would hope that University cannot get any worse quality service than SOLAR when it comes to these types of applications.

But, registration is only the first step in a year at university. Getting involved with other people and groups can really make or break someone’s university experience.

Getting involved isn’t always easy. You might not know what or how to fit something like a weekly club into your busy timetable with homework and socializing. I am not here to provide an itinerary that will help you be better prepared for school; there are other kind souls out there that have beaten me to that punch.

One piece of advice I will give to you, though, is to talk to people. Besides, most of us like social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. Well, making friends, checking out clubs, even just going to school is how social networking started in the offline world. Face-to-face connections form the strongest bonds of social networking, and can obviously be carried into the online world. But, as with any network, you have to plug in (or log in, if you’ve got wireless support) somewhere.

Regardless of what year you’re in, or the year of the person you talk to, even a ‘hello’ or bit of small talk can make all the difference. That person will remember you, if not forever, then at least the rest of the term. You can meet more people through them, or perhaps be inspired to try out a new club or recreational activity like salsa dancing or fencing.

And, for someone new to university lectures, a friendly face can make a large class a lot less intimidating.

So consider this a dare; talk to someone new tomorrow, in lecture, lab or in the lineup for Tim Hortons.

After all, who’s to say that stranger couldn’t be a lifelong friend?

“In the past I would keep my feelings about ogre droppings to myself, but thanks to The Silhouette the entire village I cause mischief in knows what I think!

I heartily recommend sending a speedy missive to opinions@thesil.ca so your village can hear your thoughts on droppings too!”

-Pipe-smoking goblin

A12 • THE SILHOUETTE

SpeculatoR The Hamilton

Thursday, September 22, 2011

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

INSIDE THE SPECULATOR

A4 - Domesticating skunks C9 - Post-coital rituals D2 - Let us shake their hands F2 - The relevance of Tom Hanks

Making smoking cool since 1930

F

Football player pummels campus cop

by Buggs Vindaloo

Star-athlete acts like a douche, everyone loses

Varsity football quarterback Lance “Touchdown” Johnson faces criminal charges after absolutely beating the crap out some campus special police officers last week outside of campus bar ThirtyLeven.

Johnson, a fifth-year starter with no declared major, has been charged with assault, but wasn’t arrested because he was too tough for the cops to meddle with.

“He broke my glasses and ruffled me up,” said constable Geoffrey Wurbler, the assaulted police officer. “And then he made fun of my haircut.”

Johnson was attempting to enter the bar with teammates, and allegedly got in the altercation after one of the bouncers said he saw his Grandma throw a tighter spiral.

“AIN’T NOBODY OUTTHROW THE TOUCHDOWN MACHINE!” Johnson was reported to have screamed while shoving the bouncer, prompting the call to Wurbler.

Once Wurbler arrived on the scene, the officer attempted to calm down Johnson, who responded by saying “don’t you know who I am? I’m the juggernaut!”

McMonster University public relations was quick to mop up the mess, placing all witnesses at the scene under heavy hypnosis, as not to spread panic and general football apathy throughout the school.

When asked for comment, McPR quickly ran to the old track and field, found the long-jump pit, and buried its head in the sand. Shortly after last week’s Speculator was published, depriving loyal readers of their only source of McMonster news, With help from mommy and daddy Johnson, as well as McMonster ‘athletics and discrimination,’ Johnson will most likely not have to deal with the swift hand of justice. Instead, he will continue to be primped, pampered, and prepared for his future as a benchwarmer in the CFL.

ARTIST’S RENDITION

Gingers Snap

Australia overrun by militant redheads

by Kingsley Morris

And all they wanted was to donate sperm.

In a surprise move this Wednesday, the Greater International Network for Ginger Emanicpation and Retribution (GINGER) performed a shocking and effective invasion of the country of Australia – despite repeated warnings fro the UN Security council, Washington, and other bureaucratic nations that like to send mean letters.

Though internet and telephone communication in and out of the country has been completely shut down, sources say that the coordinated attack began early Thursday morning with the invasion of the Sydney beach-head, followed by air attacks on Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, and Brisbane.

“Crikey, these ginger blokes are all over the bloody place,” said Australian Foreign Minister Steve ‘Bruce’ McGuiness.

The market price of digeridoos has fallen precipitously in the wake of the attacks. Local Thousand Villages franchise locations have been forced to close up shop.

It seems that the GINGER military force comprises of mercenaries and angry teens, all of whom are attempting to annex Australia, enslave its people, and begin a Ginger-only colony.

This is a retaliation to the new corporate policey of Cryos, the worlds largest sperm bank, and its decision to exclude red-haired people from further sperm donations. The redhead population is in complete outrage, and it appears that starting their own colony is the only way to protect their crimson-haired, light-skinned, traditions.

The Speculator managed to speak with GINGER spokesperson, and small freckle of a man, Carrots McPherson. Though he was only allowed to give us limited information, he did list GINGER’s 5 main objectives from this strike:

1) Utilize Australia’s gold-reserves to transport redheads to the country, grant them 5 hectares of land, and give them the entire Molly Ringwald DVD collection.

2) Establish a Ginger-Constitution, written in red ink, to be signed by notable ginger politicians, including Dutchess of York Sarah Ferguson and Prime Minister of Finland (and Conan Obrien look-alike) Tarja Halonen 3) Import foxes, orangutans, red-squirrels, and other ginger animals to inhabit the diverse climate of Australia – breeding with kangaroos and wallabees to make a superior, Australian, race of species.

4) Establish an intelligence agency to track and persecute participants and organizers of “Kick a Ginger Day”… similar to the Mossad Nazi hunts post-WWII. 5) Exploit non-ginger Australians and use them as unpaid labour, giving them the option to “die your hair red or GTFO”. Senior editors at the Speculator are still trying to decipher that last acronym.

Only time will tell if the GINGER annexation of Australia will be a successful one. But granted their angry demeanor and inherent hate of everything “un-red”, this reporter

“What Did You Learn This Week, Timmy?”

“I never heard a girl refer to it as ‘shark week’ before”

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

Thursday, September 22, 2011

www.thesil.ca

@SilSports

SILSPORTS

YOUR SOURCE FOR MCMASTER MARAUDERS SCORES, STORIES, UPDATES AND ANALYSIS

All eyes on 12

PHOTO C/O JEFF CHAN

S5 - THE LATEST ON KYLE QUINLAN’S SUSPENSION S4 - WOMEN’S RUGBY DEMOLISHES YORK S3 - SETTER T.J SANDERS REPRESENTS CANADA S2 - MEN’S SOCCER DEALS OUT SERIOUS DAMAGE

S2 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Women’s Soccer

Men’s Soccer

Marauders return to form after blowout home loss Fraser Caldwell Sports Editor

For an entire half, the McMaster Marauders matched the premier team in the nation stride for stride and tackle for tackle.

And then in five disastrous secondhalf minutes, the wheels fell off in spectacular fashion for the maroon and grey.

The game was the first in a twogame weekend over Sept. 17 and 18 with a home fixture against the Laurier Golden Hawks, the squad currently regarded as the cream of the CIS crop.

While the Marauders were undoubtedly out-possessed in the opening 45 minutes, the home side kept the match on even terms as the two teams entered the dressing room at the interval.

But when the squads emerged for the second stanza, it was the visiting Golden

Hawks who proved more ready and willing to take control of the contest.

It was forward Emily Brown who provided the spark, slotting home on the break in the 50th minute to open the scoring and then doubling her tally two minutes later.

Laurier effectively sealed the result in the 55th minute when Heather Malizia added her name to the score sheet with a short-range strike of her own.

With the match quickly running away from the Marauders, Leanne Molnar rubbed salt in the hosts’ wounds with a wellstruck half volley from the edge of the box to nudge the visitor’s lead to four goals.

McMaster’s veteran forward Tara Dawdy would deny the Golden Hawks the clean sheet in the 76th minute as she drilled a low shot off of the post and in. However, The Marauders scored a heavy victory at Ron Joyce after a Laurier red card.

FRASER CALDWELL / SPORTS EDITOR

• PLEASE SEE WEEK, B7

All guns blazing for Mac Maroon and grey explode for nine goals in two weekend games Fraser Caldwell Sports Editor

Suddenly the McMaster Marauders men’s soccer team is having absolutely no problem scoring goals.

After managing only four tallies in their opening three games – in which the team achieved a 1-1-1 record – the maroon and grey exploded for nine goals in two contests on Sept. 17 and 18.

The team opened their weekend account at home against the Laurier Golden Hawks, recording a dominating 4-0 victory after the visitors were awarded a red card in only the second minute of play.

With the infraction occurring in the Golden Hawks’ penalty area, the Marauders were awarded a spot kick that team captain Anthony Costa duly converted.

With their visitors shorthanded, the home side wasted no time in taking full advantage, and second year striker Gersi Xhuti finished clinically in both the 11th and 20th

minutes to extend his team’s lead to three goals. The influential Xhuti would complete the Marauders’ scoring in the 23rd minute after slotting home from close range.

The second half of the Sept. 17 contest was largely played in McMaster’s defensive zone, as the team rested several starting players and reverted to a passive, defensive style to ride out the clock.

Captain Anthony Costa commented after his team’s convincing win that the quick start was key to the Marauders’ success on the day.

“That’s the thing in this league,” said Costa. “If you get one big chance you really have to put it away. Because at that point, the other team starts worrying, they lose their spirit. A quick goal, especially the way we got it after they went down to 10 men, was crucial.

“As our coach says, if a team is down, you’ve got to take them out. And we • PLEASE SEE MAC, B6

THE SILHOUETTE • S3

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Football

Men’s Volleyball

Setter Sanders Marauders bend, don’t break captains U-21 Ferguson leads Mac past Windsor in first career start squad Fraser Caldwell Sports Editor

who up until Sept. 17 had never made a start in a CIS football game.

To say the least, Ferguson had some large shoes to fill.

Pitted against a Windsor team who started the season 2-0, it appeared to have the makings of a long day for the Marauders’ offence and their inexperienced quarterback.

It certainly didn’t help that reigning CIS Player of the Week Austin Kennedy led the huddle for the opponent.

What happened next injected the

Fans of the Marauders have never seen T.J. Sanders compete in maroon and grey, but that hardly stopped him from captaining the red and white this summer.

The 19-year old setter has yet to play a conference match for McMaster. He was forced to sit out for the duration of the team’s OUA title winning season last year after transferring from the University of Manitoba.

However, despite Sanders’ lack of match practice, the coaching staff of Canada’s Junior National Team saw enough promise in his game to not only name him to the squad, but award him its captaincy.

“It was definitely a huge honour,” said the setter. “I really wanted to focus on working hard to get a starting spot on the roster. But at the end of the day, I just wanted to be a part of that team and to help them win.

I guess that the coaching staff saw that, and saw how competitive I was and how much I love the sport.

“They saw some leadership skills there and decided that I was the right choice.”

While the selection was understandably flattering for Sanders, the setter still had one problem: he hadn’t played a competitive match in an entire year.

Despite constant work with Marauders’ coach Dave Preston throughout the past season, there was no avoiding a shock to the system when Canada’s captain set foot on court for the first time this summer.

“I was working with Dave a lot in the lead up to the selection camp, and he was training me mentally and really reinforcing that I should look to the summer and to the future while I was on the bench,” said Sanders. “But it was definitely a shock when I finally got out there.

“I was prepared in a lot of ways but there’s really no way to simulate competition.”

As the face of the Canadian team, Sanders led his squad on a summer-long international tour that began at the U-21 PanAm Cup in Panama and took the Canucks

• PLEASE SEE GUELPH, B6

• PLEASE SEE SANDERS, B8

JEFF TAM / SILHOUETTE STAFF

Slotback Matt Peressini (#24) was one of Marshall Ferguson’s favourite targets on Sept. 17 at Windsor.

Brandon Meawasige Assistant Sports Editor

It was one of the best quarterback performances Stefan Ptaszek had seen in his six years as head coach of the McMaster Marauders.

“It ranks up there with Adam Archibald throwing for 500 yards against Guelph a couple years ago,” said Ptaszek after his team’s practice on Tuesday.

However, the most intriguing part of that statement is not what coach Ptaszek said, as the Marauders’ were prepared to have many stellar performances at pivot this

season, but rather who he was talking about: Marshall Ferguson.

After getting blown out the previous game on Sept. 10, things only seemed to get worse for the Marauders as they approached their contest with Windsor.

Quarterback Kyle Quinlan was suspended following an incident at campus bar TwelvEighty, throwing the season (and the quarterback situation) into serious doubt.

That suspension has now been announced as three games. Less than a month in the 2011 season, the team was suddenly embroiled in controversy and confusion.

Enter unlikely savior Ferguson,

THE SILHOUETTE • S4

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Women’s Rugby

Men’s Rugby

Marauders bulldoze York at home Men’s team looking to defend last year’s title Brandon Meawasige Assistant Sports Editor

The Marauders broke away from the scrum early and often against the Lions in Cam Mitchell praised her performance.

Ben Orr

“She played very well kicking, and Silhouette Staff she really picked up her game, not only with The no. 6 McMaster Marauders women’s the ball, but without the ball this week.”

Alison McFadden, Varsha Tripathi, rugby team followed up their convincing opening win against the Western Mustangs Maggie Cogger-Orr, Alex Fargrieve, Sarah by completely dominating the York Lions at Berry, Hannah Braithwaite and Emily RickBack Ten Field. Natasha Turner led the Ma- etts also scored tries in the victory. The Lirauders with three tries in the match, as the ons simply did not have an answer for the Maroon and Grey rolled to a 72-10 win on a attack of the Marauders, who scored from all picture perfect Saturday afternoon on Sept. over the field, seemingly at will.

Coach Mitchell compared the vic17.

The Lions’ only points came early tory to the previous week’s game, an openon a Tiera Thomas-Reynolds try, with Alexis ing 38-22 win over the Western Mustangs.

“I think that physically we did Boltsis converting an extra point and a pen- alty. Ten points would not be nearly enough very well in both games, but today we just though, as the Marauders’ balanced attack brought more balls to hand, passes worked saw nine different players add their name to a bit better, we were a bit sharper and that’s why were able to put up a bigger score in the score sheet.

A week after being named Mc- this game.”

The performance takes the MaMaster Female Athlete of the Week, Cindy Nelles proved it was no fluke on her way to rauders to an early 2-0 record on the season, racking up 23 points on the day, in the form which is good enough for first place in the of one try, one penalty and an impressive OUA’s Russell Division. Mac will take on seven conversions. The Marauders’ coach Toronto next week, followed by a match

JEFF TAM / SILHOUETTE STAFF

a convincing win on Sept. 17. with the Queen’s Gaels, in a battle between nationally ranked teams. The outcome of that game will go a long way to determining the front-runner in the OUA’s division championship, but don’t tell that to Coach Mitchell.

“We’re trying not to focus too much on the teams were playing, just our own performance and looking at things we didn’t do well, and improving that going forward.”

It will be tough for the coach to find very much that his Marauders did not do well, however, in such a dominating victory.

Elsewhere in OUA action, Waterloo remained undefeated in a convincing 34-7 victory against their cross-town rival Laurier Golden Hawks, Trent squeaked

by Toronto 24-20, Queen edged the Brock Badgers 15-14 and the powerhouse Guelph Gryphons beat up on Western 100-5. Guelph leads the OUA’s Shiels Division.

McMaster will travel to the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus to take on the Varsity Blues on Sept. 24.

Coming off a championship season just a year ago, the 2011 men’s rugby team faces high expectations.

So far the team has not only lived up to the hype but has entrenched themselves as the elite in OUA competition.

In two games the Marauders have only allowed 8 points, the fewest of any OUA side, including a 34-0 route over the University of Waterloo at home on September 11.

Key Contributions have come from a pair of backs in veteran Tyler Ardron and 6’3”, 210-pound freshman Cameron Stones, who leads the team in scoring through the first two contests.

The Queen’s Gaels, who also have a shutout to their name, are next on the schedule for the maroon and grey.

Combined, the two juggernauts have outscored their opponents 151- 20 this season.

That matchup will be in Kingston this Saturday, Sept. 24, with kick-off set for 1 p.m. Both Queen’s and McMaster go into the game undefeated.

In order to maintain that distinction the Marauders will need to contain fourthyear center Dan Moor, who is second in OUA scoring with 19 points this year, all of which came against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues during a 71-0 romp in the season opener.

Elsewhere in the rugby world, two former McMaster rugby players are representing Canada at the Rugby World Cup 2011. Aaron Carpenter and Mike Scholz are the two alumni who were named to the 30man roster this past summer.

The competition is being hosted in New Zealand this year with the final game being played on Oct. 23 in Auckland.

Canada’s next game is against Japan on the Sept. 27 with a game against the home team New Zealand on the schedule just five days later.

THE SILHOUETTE • S5

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Football

Quinlan to return on Oct. 6

JEFF TAM / SILHOUETTE STAFF

FLUSHED FROM THE POCKET: Quinlan will occupy the sidelines until Oct. 6.

Brian Decker Executive Editor

Kyle Quinlan will return to football on the same day he is scheduled for a court hearing.

The McMaster Marauders announced Wednesday, Sept. 14 that the star quarterback’s suspension, stemming from assault charges laid by Hamilton Police, will have spanned a total of three games by its end.

That makes Quinlan eligible to return on Thursday, Oct. 6 against the University of Toronto. McMaster athletic director Jeff Giles said Quinlan’s lawyer will attend the hearing in his place.

A Hamilton Police Investigation remains underway. According to reports, Quinlan was involved in an altercation the night of Saturday, Sept. 10 at Mac campus bar TwelvEighty. He was released that night and, upon investigation, was charged with one count of assault and two counts of assaulting a police officer on Thursday, Sept.

15.

Quinlan was suspended by the Marauders indefinitely on the day the charges were laid.

“In our view, while the review is still ongoing and there are still people to talk to, it is pretty clear that Kyle’s actions on Saturday night did not live up to those

standards, and we’ve decided to suspend him on an indefinite basis,” said Giles that Thursday.

“Our investigation focused on two things: the Student Code of Conduct, and, in particular, the Athletic Code of Conduct. It was under the provisions of that code that Kyle was suspended,” said Giles.

Hamilton Police Sergeant TerriLynn Collings said the investigation is ongoing and could go past Quinlan’s initial court appearance date of Oct. 6.

Giles said that the investigation “had no effect on our decision,” and that any additional results from the suspension will have no effect on Quinlan’s eligibility to play.

“Our suspension was based entirely on our athletic code of conduct and nothing else.”

The Hamilton Spectator’s Jeff Green reported that Quinlan has been barred from consumption of alcohol and entering any licensed establishment.

According to Green’s report, other McMaster players were present at the incident, but none were charged or suspended.

With Quinlan at the helm, the Marauders looked to be one of the strongest contenders for the Yates Cup. At the time of the incident, he was leading the CIS in total passing yardage, and has been widely mentioned as a frontrunner for the Hec Crighton trophy.

Mac’s backup QB, Kingston native Marshall Ferguson, filled in admirably in last week’s 21-19 over the Windsor Lancers. In his first start, Ferguson completed 25 of 33 passes, throwing for 284 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

McMaster coach Stefan Ptaszek called the performance one of “the best quarterback performances in Marauders history.”

The Marauders won on a controversial call after Windsor came up just short of the end-zone on a two-point conversion attempt that would have won the game.

The Marauders will travel to Guelph this weekend to take on the Gryphons in their homecoming game. Guelph currently sits at 2-1 on the campaign after falling 21-12 to the University of Toronto last weekend.

With files from Fraser Caldwell

The saga, in short Sat. Sept. 10 Afternoon

Sat. Sept. 10 Night

48-21 Loss to Western Mustangs in front of sell- out crowd at Ron Joyce Stadiaum.

Police called to twelveeighty after an alleged assault by Kyle Quinlan, Marauders’ senior Quarterback.

Thurs. Sept. 15 Statement by director of athletics and recreation department Jeff Giles confirms Quinlan’s suspension.

Sat. Sept. 17 Back-up Quarterback Marshall Ferguson makes first career start, leading the Marauderss to a 21-19 victory in Windsor against the Lancers.

Wed. Sept 21 Suspension to include games against Guelph and Waterloo. Making Quinlan available for Oct. 6 against U of T.

S6 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Football

Men’s Soccer

Guelph visit next up for Marauders

Scoring troubles behind Mac

• CONT’D FROM B3 McMaster Marauders and their faithful with a healthy dose of hope. Under the lights at Alumni Field, Marshall Ferguson did not just manage the offence. He took control.

With less than one full week of practice as the team’s starter, the converted backup quickly demonstrated his worth, completing 25 of 33 passes and throwing for 284, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Most important of all, the game ended with the maroon and grey on top by a score of 21-19.

“To come off of two days of practice as a starter and to walk in and execute like he [Ferguson] did is unheard of,” raved Ptaszek. “Really special day for the young man.”

Ferguson was not the only standout on the day. On the other side of the ball, McMaster safety Michael Daly intercepted three of Kennedy’s pass attempts to swing the momentum of the game in his team’s favour. The game also featured a big showing by the Marauders’ offensive line, which allowed the maroon and grey’s runners to carve up the Windsor defense for 230 yards rushing.

With Quinlan out for the next two games, Ferguson will have a second chance to lead the charge against the Gryphons Sept.

24 in Guelph, which is Guelph’s homecoming game.

In order to improve on their 2-1 start to the season, the Marauders’ will be looking for big plays on both sides of the ball. On defense, the secondary has been solid all season and the defensive line will have to put consistent pressure on Gryphons quarterback Chris Rossetti.

The linebacking core, led by Ryan Chmielewski is charged with controlling the run game and getting the ball back into the hands of, for at least the next two games, Marshall Ferguson.

On the offensive side of the ball, the key to success lies in “finding unique ways to get [receiver] Mike DiCroce the ball,” according to Ptaszek, and making sure to “protect our young quarterback.”

“He scored in our first game and he’s got himself a hat trick today, so I’m really happy for him. It’s good for his form and other teams should be worried about him.”

Xhuti is part of an emerging core of young players in the Marauders’ lineup that is beginning to make its presence felt within the OUA. For his part, Costa laid the praise at the feet of his coaching staff, the members of which scoured the region over the summer to bring a strong rookie class to McMaster.

“Credit to our coaching staff,” said the veteran defender. “They really covered all of Southern Ontario in the off-season and you’re seeing the results now. We’ve got our centre back [Nicholas] Vecchi, our backup goalkeeper Angelo [Cavalluzzo], Gersi is only second year and so is Paterson [Farrell].

“In four years from now, we’re going to be a force, and even now we’re starting to show that promise.”

For Costa, who is playing in his final season of eligibility as a fifth year senior, the promise of the future is both exciting and wistful. He enjoys his role as a mentor of skilled young players, but will be unable to share in their future achievements.

“To be honest, it’s bittersweet knowing that I won’t be able to play with this team next year,” said Costa. “But I’m going to help out on the coaching end of things, so hopefully I’ll see these guys get their own glory.”

After the impressive four-goal effort on Sept. 17, the Marauders would oneup themselves a day later, smashing home five tallies against the Warriors on their home turf in Waterloo without conceding a single reply.

Standout midfield veteran Mark Reilly notched a hat trick of his own on the day, while Abraham James and Ouajih Hamouda added solo efforts to secure the rout.

The Marauders’ scoring bonanza The Marauders were on the ball in their destructions of Laurier and Waterloo. continued on Sept. 21 as the maroon and

“He came out last year before de- grey potted three goals in a shutout victory • CONT’D FROM B2 ciding to drop out of school that term,” said at Guelph against the Gryphons. really did that.”

The red-hot McMaster team will the captain of his teammate. “I walked into

Following a star-making perfor- training camp this season and saw him, and next compete in two days when they match mance from forward Gersi Xhuti that net- I was really excited. He has experience at up against the Brock Badgers on Sept. 23. ted him a hat trick, Costa was effusive in his the club level in the CSL (Canadian Soccer Fans of the maroon and grey will praise for the second-year striker. hope that the rampant goalscoring continues.

League) and he’s a young talent.

JEFF TAM / SILHOUETTE STAFF

THE SILHOUETTE • S7

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Women’s Soccer

Week of mixed results for Mac • CONT’D FROM B2 Laurier would reassert their authority and complete the rout with tallies in the 83rd minute and inside stoppage time.

The 6-1 result was one that national rankings may have predicted, but one which undercut a battling effort from the Marauders for much of the contest. McMaster coach Brett Mosen indicated that it was his team’s lack of concentration to begin the second half that sunk their chances against the Golden Hawks.

“With three goals all going in within a five-minute period there, it really hurt us,” said Mosen. “It’s hard to recover, and naturally the heads go down.

“I thought we did so well in the first half and sometimes you really don’t want half time because it breaks the momentum. It can be a completely different game in the second half, and it’s very difficult to get players to come out and keep the same focus.”

The coach believed that while the performance of the visitors was an impressive one, the final result was a harsh one for the home side.

“Full credit to Laurier,” said the first year bench boss. “It’s a very good side we’ve played against. Obviously we’re disappointed but I would say that our first half was probably one of our best performances of the season. I don’t think it was a 6-1 game.”

Despite the bewildering score line, McMaster enjoyed several encouraging runs of play, and coach Mosen commented that there were glimmers of progress among the letdowns of the Sept. 17 match.

“Some of the things that we’ve been working on in practice were showing up,” said Mosen. “It seems strange to say that I’m pleased after losing 6-1, but there were so many positives in that game. We’ve been asking the girls to do some things that they’ve never done before, and I saw hints of them today.”

Having to play the very next afternoon after the disappointment of the blowout loss was a blessing in disguise according

FRASER CALDWELL / SPORTS EDITOR

Mac goalkeeper Brittany Duffey allowed six goals against Laurier but bounced back with a shutout vs. Waterloo. to Mosen, who argued that the less time his squad had to dwell on their lopsided defeat the better they would be for it.

“The players have to deal with [the result] very quickly because they’re playing tomorrow,” said Mosen. “The old saying in the game is that you’re as good as your last game. Well, we can get that over with quickly and get a result tomorrow, and the whole

world will look different.”

The coach hinted at the eagerness on his players’ part to return to the win column, and he appears now to have been quite right.

Because less than 24 hours after their thumping at home, the maroon and grey traveled to Waterloo and notched a 1-0 win against the Warriors on the strength of

an Alicja Giftopoulos strike.

Unfortunately for the Marauders, their efforts to return to the win column suffered a setback on Sept. 21, as the team dropped a 2-0 decision to the Guelph Gryphons on the road.

They will continue their travels in two days time as they visit St. Catherines to battle the Brock Badgers on Sept. 23.

S8 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Men’s Volleyball

Sanders takes Brazil by storm

Another valuable element of Sanders’ international journey came in the form of his interaction with top-level players from to training camps in Slovenia and Argen- across the globe. Many of those athletes tina before culminating in the World Junior whose native countries enjoy the luxury of Men’s Championships in Brazil in early Au- professional volleyball leagues already ply gust. their trade for a living, a concept that is for Having never journeyed outside eign to Canada’s young players. of North America, the London, Ont. native “Being the captain of the team, I spoke glowingly of his opportunity to expe- had the opportunity to go to post-game press rience other parts of the world, even while conferences where the other team’s coach his travels made him more appreciative of and captain were also speaking,” said Sandhis home country. ers. “Naturally I got the chance to talk to a

“We didn’t have much downtime to bunch of the captains. Some of those guys explore on our own,” said Sanders. “But just are already pros and making decent amounts to be able to use volleyball as a means to see of money, so it was really interesting to hear the world was great. Seeing how they live what they had to say.” in these other areas and how different it was From a playing perspective, the also gave me more appreciation for Canada, Marauder setter argues that the most imporbecause at the end of the day, I get to come tant aspect of his time in Brazil lies in having back to this.” experienced the very unique styles of play • CONT’D FROM B3

“What we have here is phenomenal. It’s definitely something to be excited about returning to.”

PHOTO C/O FIVB

The U-21 team brought together the best young players in the country.

PHOTO C/O FIVB

Sanders was the starting setter as Canada finished 11th in Brazil.

that other teams brought to the event.

“Playing against teams from across the globe is so valuable, because their styles of play are entirely different,” said Sanders.

“Our teams are typically very tall and strong, and you might think that we could overpower a lot of teams on that alone. In our match against Argentina for example, we towered over them.

“But they did so many of the little, technical things so well and were so athletic.

It really opened my eyes.”

With the education of international duty behind him for the time being, Sanders looks to finally make his mark on McMaster’s squad as the new volleyball season quickly approaches.

Having been without regular com-

petitive volleyball for so long, the setter can hardly contain his eagerness to kick off the new campaign.

“I really came off that high of being the captain of the national team and was immediately anxious to get back to Hamilton as quickly as possible,” said Sanders.

“Because what we have here is phenomenal.

It’s definitely something to be excited about coming back to.”

The young setter undoubtedly has the Marauders’ opening match of the OUA season on Oct. 21 circled on his calendar.

But as he looks forward to another season of high expectations for the maroon and grey, Sanders and his teammates know full well that the priority at this point remains on the practice court.

THE SILHOUETTE • C1

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

INSIDEOUT

production office extension: 27117 insideout@thesil.ca

Cassandra Jeffery

Assistant InsideOut Editor

According to a recent article in the Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE), optimism, promise and security for the future of sustainable energy resources are on the way for North Americans.

“North America’s vast shale gas resources are projected to become a major resource for the coming decades, as the U.S. and other countries seek to move toward cleaner energy sources and to become less dependent on foreign oil and natural gas imports,” the article says.

Though the article contains a hopeful message, it does not provide reality.

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as ‘fracking’, has been around since the mid-1980s in southern parts of the United States. However, this method of energy extraction did not become a concern on a large scale until the effects of fracturing became more prominent in the early-2000s.

According to SHARE, “hydraulic fracturing involves pumping vast amounts of fluid into a gas well at extremely high pressure in order to produce mini-earthquakes in the rock that surrounds the well. The objective is to open fractures or cracks in the rock through which tightly stored gas can be released and find its way into the gas well.”

• PLEASE SEE HYDRAULIC C6

Are you a Diva?

Sustainable Transportation

A new line of feminine hygiene products helps reduce ecological footprint.

Make the eco-conscious decision to either walk, bike, ride transit or carpool.

Pg. C4

Pg. C6

C2 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

EcoWatch

Go natural with hair care Learn how preserve the environment, protect your health and save money by cutting down on of harmful hair products Chanèle Jordan The Silhouette

Cyclopentasiloxane. Dipropylene Glycol. Polybutene. Diazolidinyl.

Polyquaternium. Para-Phenylenediamine.

Just like me, you quickly read these and similar ingredients on the back of your shampoo bottle and think little or nothing of it, in part because you have no idea what they are and in part because, quite frankly, you are just not that interested.

But, maybe it’s time we attempted to understand what exactly we are using to lather, condition and dye our hair.

If you did not know, all of these ingredients listed above can affect our sense organs and release toxins into our bodies. Of these ingredients, the most dangerous chemical is Para-Phenylenediamine, also known as PPD.

PPD is used to keeping hair colour from fading, but it has been found to increase the risk of cancer and cell mutation.

Although companies have been forced to reduce the amount of PPD contained in their products (due to government restrictions), it is still not in our best interests to continue using products containing this particular chemical.

Perhaps now you are a little more interested in what hair products you are using.

Over the last few years, we have seen an increase in the number of eco-friendly products and most certainly an increase in the pressure to use them. There are eco-friendly shopping bags, eco-friendly water bottles and many more similar products.

Most of us have attempted to make an effort to bring our own bags to the grocery store, but when it comes to making the switch from the brands we know and love to the less familiar eco-friendly ones, we are usually not so willing.

But, next time you are at your local grocer or drug store, take a look at the cost of Pantene or Head & Shoulders compared to a brand that proclaims to have “no additives”.

You will see that these “no additive” brands are much cheaper.

You can save money, save your hair and save the planet – it seems like a no-brainer to me.

There are currently a number of great products available.

One Natural Solid Shampoo Hair Biscuit is a shampoo bar, though you use it the same way as any liquid shampoo.

Wet your hair and then run the bar through it about three or four times. This product contains numerous natural ingredients such as seed oil, shea butter and water, and is packaged in a recyclable aluminum tin. Oh, and did I mention it’s only $6.99 and lasts as long as three 8-oz. bottles?

To go along with the solid shampoo, try Burt’s Bees Super Shiny Grapefruit & Sugar Beet Conditioner, which is sold for just $9.99.

It contains gentle, natural ingredients such as grapefruit oil to help restore your hair and skin’s natural moisture. In addition, the sugar beet extract softens your hair, thus making it more manageable.

What’s more, hair dye can also leave our hair in more than just a brittle state.

And with the latest hair dye trends, such as ombré, a hair dye style in which the top half of hair is died brown while the bottom half is died blonde to achieve that chic “grown-out” look, or colourtipping, wherein the ends of hair are dyed colours of all sorts, hair can take an even greater beating.

Before you run out to your hairdresser to try and imitate these styles, consider looking into the type of dyes that will be used. Hair dyes are actually the most harmful to your health, as the dye seeps and remains in your scalp.

To stay up to date with these trends while protecting your tresses, try Palette by Nature, which produces an all-natural, PPD-free organic hair dye. It contains a variety of herbal ingredients such as ginseng, proving to be the safest alternative to conventional hair dye.

I know, I know. You want to stay committed to your favourite brands.

But would you not rather take care of your hair? It may seem like a sacrifice now, but ultimately, your body will thank you.

Sunglasses: free Denim shirt: H&M $30 Boots: Aldo $60

ThreadCount Ryan Prance

Second Year Communications and Cultural Studies Favourite quote: “I’d rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.”

Favourite band: The Clash Describe your style: the educated hipster What do you look for in a significant other?

Intelligance and uniqueness

Photos by Tyler Hayward and Ricardo Padilla

JOY SANTIAGO/ MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

THE SILHOUETTE • C3

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

SEX and the STEEL CITY

Going green while gettin’ it on Protecting yourself may not always be protecting the environment

specialty stores that are food grade. (Yum.) Sex toys may be stimulating, but they contain chemicals that are a big downer Whether single and ready to mingle or in a for your body and the planet. In order to make long-term relationship, sex is something the plastic soft and pliable, chemicals called many people find both pleasurable and phthalates are added, which have shown important as a connection with their partner. hormone disruption properties in animal lab However, all the products that go along with studies. sex are rather unfriendly to the environment.

A safer option is to look for glass or I am not advising that you forgo protection natural rubber toys, or those made of 100 per for you and your partner for the sake of the cent silicone, which have the same soft feel environment, but if eco-friendly products are and can be sterilized between uses – a very something you would like to consider, there important practice to prevent the transfer of are plenty of options available!

STI’s and bacteria.

Condoms are one of the most If your sex toy of choice has a effective ways to reduce the vibrating function, consider risk of contracting an STI, as using rechargeable batteries well as preventing pregnancy. or look for a toy that can be Latex condoms are recharged through a wall But, although they come made a natural in small packages, they are outlet. not always good things.

Hormonal birth rubber substance, In the U.K., for example, control, commonly referred but the jury is still to as ‘the pill’, poses many the number of improperly disposed condoms is as high out whether they are concerns for the environment. as 60 to 100 million per year. biodegradable and Birth control must be taken Condoms flushed every day to replenish the how long it would hormones, because the down the toilet can clog pipes, requiring the use of take a condom to woman’s body regularly caustic chemicals to wash excretes the hormones decompose.” them down, or end up in through urine. All of these waterways where they excess hormones end up in the can affect wildlife that may mistake them water system, where they cannot be removed for food. Latex condoms are made from by treatment facilities. a natural rubber substance, but the jury is This affects both our bodies and still out whether they are biodegradable those of our water-dwelling friends. Studies and how long it would take a condom to have shown that fish populations are decompose. Polyurethane condoms are made undergoing genetic changes. This is a result of a petroleum-based plastic, so they are not of estrogen from hormonal contraceptives, biodegradable and rely on a notoriously eco- as well as estrogen-mimicking compounds unfriendly industry. found in personal care products such as A little extra slipperiness definitely shampoos and perfumes. This drastically isn’t unimportant when it comes to sex. But reduces fish populations, which in turn affect as with any product you are putting on your the sustainability of our aquatic food sources, skin, much less in a very sensitive region with as well as the populations of other animals highly absorbent tissues, it is important to that depend on fish for food.All hormonal take care and read labels. birth controls have a similar environmental Try to go as natural as possible effect, but it’s important to remember that the and avoid those products with petroleum environmental impact of having a baby is far by-products, as well as those with artificial greater! Regardless, have safe and enjoyable colours and flavours. sex, and if you’d like to be green, there are There are even organic lubes at plenty of resources available to keep it steamy. What method are you using to protect yourself and the environment?

Meagan McEwen SHEC Media

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

EnviroTips • Wash your clothes in cold water using a cold water detergent; heating up water takes a lot of unnecessary energy.

• Remember to turn off and unplug all of your appliances when you’re not using them.

• Try to limit your showers to less then ten minutes; indulging in half hour bathing sessions have a larger impact on the environment then you would expect.

• Use the compost bucket! Recyling only simply doesn’t cut it anymore.

• Ride your bike everywhere possible. It’s not only great for the environment, it’s great for your physique.

C4 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Are you ready to be a diva?

New wave of feminine products aim to make a greener tomorrow Brittany-Lyne Carriere The Silhouette

Lunapads, a Vancouver-based company that specializes in washable cloth menstrual pads, estimates that approximately 20 billion pads, tampons and applicators are sent to North American landfills annually.

On an individual level, consumers can calculate their contribution to this astronomical number by simply multiplying the number of pads and tampons they use per day by their average cycle length, then multiplying that by 12 for a personal yearly contribution.

For example, if a woman uses five pads or tampons a day and menstruates for five days, that is 25 disposable products used per month. Multiply that by 12 for an annual count, and that totals 300 disposables.

The average woman will menstruate for 40 years.

Multiplying that by one’s yearly use totals makes 120,000 disposable menstrual products one woman contributes to a landfill in her life.

Disposables take hundreds of years to decompose. Some tampons have plastic applicators and most pads have a plastic wrap enclosing the napkin, which is neither biodegradable nor recyclable.

With one woman contributing approximately 120,000 pads and tampons in her lifetime, and with Lunapads’ blogger Madeleine estimating that 85 million women are of menstruating age in North America, that adds up to one sky-high mountain of pads, tampons and applicators.

Disposable menstruation products are advertised to be sanitary, convenient and comfortable. Most women would say this is far from true.

Women’s Health states that tampons impose the threat of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), and pads create a moist environment for bacteria and yeast infections. For these reasons, pads and tampons companies encourage changing products often, generating more waste.

Women’s Health further states that disposable pads and tampons are made primarily of bleached kraft pulp or viscose rayon from wood cellulose found in trees.

Super-absorbent acrylic polymers, surfactant-laced gels and leakproof plastic backings are used in disposable pads.

Furthermore, disposable menstrual pads are made from very similar materials and ingredients as disposable diapers.

Lunapads’ latest statistics from the Landbank Consultancy Report state that “compared to cloth

diapers, throwaway diapers used 20 times more raw materials, three times more energy and twice as much water; overall they generated 60 times more waste.” Similar problems exist with disposable menstrual products.

Don’t forget that, on top of the environmental problems, disposables put quite the dent in your wallet. Over the course of five years, most women spend an average of $330.00 on menstruation products.

But don’t fret! There are a few sources for solutions to cutting this pile of non-degradable pads, tampons and applicators: the DivaCup and Lunapads. The DivaCup would be a tampon user’s eco-friendly alternative, and Lunapads’ cloth pads would replace disposable napkins.

The DivaCup is a nonabsorbent menstrual cup that ‘catches’ one’s flow. When inserted into the vagina it sits at the lower base of the vagina canal. The

Disposable menstraution products are advertsied to be santiary, convenient and comfortable.

Most women would say this is far from true.”

DivaCup is latex-, BPA- and plasticfree and is made from top-quality silicone. The silicone manufactured for the DivaCup has been used in healthcare settings for over 50 years.

No chlorine, dyes, colorings or additives of any kind are used in making the DivaCup. Unlike pads or tampons, which come in many sizes, the DivaCup has two sizes: the first for women younger than thirty and/or that have not vaginally delivered, and the second for women who are over thirty and/or have delivered vaginally.

To insert the DivaCup, a simple fold must be made, which measures the same size as a tampon.

When properly inserted, the DivaCup cannot be felt and acts like a suction cup, anti-leak guaranteed.

The DivaCup can be worn up to 12 hours and during all activities such as running, camping, swimming, yoga, or skydiving. The DivaCup cost averages out at approximately $35 and does not necessarily have an expiry date.

The DivaCup team suggests changing the cup every year or so to ensure top quality, but

over all it is one’s personal choice.

The only waste that comes with the product is a cardboard box, which can be recycled. It’s a win-win-win situation!

For pad users, Lunapads are a collection of reusable cotton menstrual pads and everyday panty liners. The Lunapads company offers a wide variety of sizes, colours, patterns and absorbencies.

They also offer Lunapanties, which are organic cotton underwear that have a soft absorbent pad sewn permanently into the gusset where extra inserts can be added depending on one’s flow.

Lunapanties are said to be “the most functional, stylish pair of period panties you’ll ever own.” The Luna gals estimate that “a single Lunapad replaces 120 disposable pads or tampons.”

Lunapads can be bought separately or in multiple kits. The kits range from thongs and liners to heavy and postpartum pads – some even include the DivaCup! Lunapads last about 5 years and price range is from $80-$130.

Although this may seem like a large sum of money at once, this is one’s approximate total spent on pads for 5 years.

The cloth pads require rinsing and soaking in cold water (if heavily saturated), can be washed at any temperature with normal detergent and can be machine dried or hung to dry.

Lunapads can be used while in public or in travel. The ‘moon bag’ allows traveling and changing pads in public facilities to be a breeze. The bag features two separate zippered compartments lined with water-resistant fabric, making it easy to keep fresh liners and pads separate from used ones.

According to its website, the bag is said to “fit easily into most bags and purses and comes in super-cute fabrics. It’s the cloth pad user’s secret weapon!”

Estimates from Lunapads say that there are about 100,000 DivaCup and Lunapad users.

Climbing yearly numbers and decreasing need for disposables put a positive outlook on North America’s landfill situation.

Some people have chosen to use stainless steel water bottles and canvas bags over disposal alternatives. Using Lunapads or the DivaCup is based on the same idea; decreasing one’s ecological footprint, saving some money and, in doing so, reducing the total amount of resources consumed and sold, as well as waste generated.

In others words, it’s about making the Earth a little greener.

Whether a woman is a tampon user or a pad user, there are answers and solutions to making every period a green one.

The DivaCup is friendly to both the environment and your wallet.

Word of the Week Enviro-Nazi Definition: an environmentalist who is so anal over the cause that he or she feels it is entirely okay to trample on the rights of othe to enforce his/her beliefs.

Used in a sentence...

That enviro-nazi over there hasn’t stopped talking about saving Free Willy.

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

THE SILHOUETTE • C5

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

Save with sustainable transportation Natalie Timperio

Senior InsideOut Editor

Recent years have set a new precedent for environmental sustainability both within and without the McMaster community.

With numerous initiatives in the works, it’s no wonder that enthusiasm for environmental sustainability is so pronounced wherever we go on and around campus. And while at times it may seem somewhat overwhelming, making the effort to do your part when and where possible is the first step in improving the environment as a whole.

Individual engagement in environmental initiatives may not necessarily change the world in the blink of an eye, but it surely helps to speed up the process. Whether you believe in doing your part or not, chances are you have at least unconsciously contributed in some way.

Nowadays, being a friend to the environment is somewhat second nature to us. A leading example of this is using sustainable modes of transportation, such as transit, cycling, walking and carpooling – many of these have become a part of students’ everyday lifestyles, whether willingly or not.

Even so, being an eco-friendly traveler is assuming newfound popularity

The McMaster community has become increasingly involved in encouraging environmentally sustainable modes of transportation, thus providing an even greater opportunity for people to take part.

The Smart Commute Week Challenge, which runs until Sept. 25, is a shining example of an environmental initiative taken on by the McMaster community. The Challenge is a week-long campaign that includes International Car Free

Day on Sept. 22, along with other events. The campaign requires that participants use only sustainable transportation to commute to and from their daily destination.

Commutes are logged in an online diary for a chance to win a twoperson trip to Ottawa for the annual winter festival Winterlude.

The Smart Commute Week Challenge, though, is just one of many transportation initiatives here at McMaster. In the University’s 2010 Transportation Survey, 45 per cent of respondents, which included staff, faculty, and students, “agree or strongly agree that they limit their automobile travel to improve the environment.” The Survey also revealed that, among students, 37 per cent choose to walk or cycle, 24 per cent drive a personal automobile and 39 per cent ride the HSR.

Daniela Carlucci, a fourthyear communications student, commutes to McMaster from her hometown of Mississauga. She admits that while the environment is not the primary reason for her choice to use GO Transit, it is a positive plus. Additionally, Carlucci said that “usually the only reason I’m not taking the GO bus is if I’m getting a ride with a friend that lives ins Mississauga. Otherwise, I always take the GO.”

Like Carlucci, many of us may not be fully aware of the fact that in choosing particular modes of transportation, so too are we helping out the environment. Choosing environmentally sustainable transportation is not only something of which we are all capable, but it is also a sure-fire way to play an active role in the broader environmental effort.

For more information about McMaster transportation initiatives, or how you can take part, visit the Office of Sustainability in Gilmour Hall, Room B107.

Be a responsible commuter and walk, bike, ride transit or carpool.

CHRISTOPHER CHANG / THE SILHOUETTE

EnviroFacts Air Did you know that the average person breathes about 75 million gallons of air in his or her lifetime? That’s equivalent to 142 million two-litre pop bottles. (For your sake, we hope you don’t also consume that much pop.) Transportation and industries are significant contributors to air pollution.

So, before stepping out the door, be sure to check the air quality using the Weather Network’s Air Quality Index to make certain that you are taking the appropriate measures to ensure the safety of your already overworked lungs.

Water Canada possesses the largest store of fresh water on earth, totalling about seven per cent of the world’s reusable fresh water.

Sadly, this also makes our great nation a huge water hog. And while we consume and use gluttonous amounts of water, little do we know that this same water is heavily polluted through our very own human activity and development. The pollutants release into both the air and land, posing a threat to not only our ecosystems, but also us. Consider what you dump into the ground and flush down the toilet.

Habitat With over 300 plant and animal species at risk for extinction in Canada alone, largely due to human activity, it is our responsibility to protect those that cannot protect themselves. Even Mac’s very own Cootes Paradise suffers damage each and every day. As the largest wetland along the western edge of Lake Ontario, Cootes Paradise houses numerous plant and animal species that are sadly in jeopardy as a result human development. Help to restore Cootes by getting involved in cleanups and awareness campaigns here on campus.

For additional information on air, water, habitat and more, check out Environment Canada and the McMaster Institute of Environment & Health.

C6 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Conscious cooking: vegetarian style Aaron Fitzgerald The Silhouette

Did you ever play animal, vegetable, or mineral (AVM) when you were younger? This variation on the popular game 20 questions is taken from the Linnaean taxonomy of the natural world, which is based on scientific classification.

In this case the answerer tells the questioner whether the subject is any one or all of the three. There is also a DC comic character called AVM man who can transform parts of his body into any Animal, Vegetable or Mineral.

The question game AVM brings up issues of technicality—is a piece of paper a vegetable because the pulp came from trees? We live in a world where arguably everything can be categorized, however is it up to us who decides our consciousness of each part?

We are not all farmers, but we all eat. As we begin to choose what we eat we are also forming our identity, which can replace social status as a reason to adopt a movement. Today there are many restaurants taking on the responsibility of providing the customer with alternative options such as Bread Bar on Locke street, Bean Bar in Westdale, and McMaster’s own Bridges Café.

If you are a vegetarian or vegan it becomes a part of your selfconcept as a lifestyle choice usually associated with other ideas about food.

However, for me, our consciousness about food will synch up naturally, providing information, encouragement and the opportunity is the best one can do to progress a movement.

I am a vegetarian who is skeptical about labels such as fair trade, organic, and farmer fresh, yet I smile when I hear a student exclaim that you can find everything you need in the Hamilton farmers market. This is because at the farmers market you can feel the bustle of happy people, exercise democracy, and ask the farmers about their food. Nonetheless, it is still your choice whether you ask yourself if you’re an A, V or M. On this weeks menu...

Aubergine (Eggplant) Loaf Instructions: Preheat your oven to 200°C/ 400°F/ Gas. Cut the aubergine into pieces and mince in a strong blender or in parts in the slap and chop. Put into a bowl. Put all of the other ingredients in a separate bowl, mix together, pour into the blender.

Whiz all the rest of the ingredients in the blender and fold in the minced aubergine. Bake in a greased loaf tin for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for a further 15 minutes or until a knife comes out clean from the centre. Cover with a cloth for 10 minutes, then turn out of the tin.

Leave to cool in the fridge, it should look like a large pate. Slice and

serve with roasted tomato dressing.

Ingredients: - 350 g (12 oz) aubergine - 3 eggs

- 75 g (3 oz) breadcrumbs

- 50 g (2 oz) grated cheese

- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped Basil

- 100 ml (4 fl. oz) olive oil

- 2 crushed cloves of garlic - 1 tablespoon soy sauce

- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley - Salt and pepper

This past summer I had the opportunity to travel to Avingon, France where I stayed with a friend and her family. Avingon is not a very vegetarian-friendly place, though very beautiful. Her family is lovely and they did everything to make me feel at home with them, including introducing me to this delicious dish.

When I first saw it I admit the colour was off putting.

Nevertheless, I smiled at them encouragingly as I took my first bite preparing to hide my disgust.

After a few bites, however, I was surprised to find myself asking for more! Though it is definitely on aime ou on déteste. It’s easy, cheap and can be prepared ahead of time.

Try it for yourself!

Aubergine loaf is a great alternative for vegetarian diets.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Hydraulic fracturing is a cause for concern • CONT’D FROM C1 In the past, fracking companies have been exploiting areas of the Barnett Shale basin, which is a large sedimentary rock formation beneath parts of the U.S. Essentially, this large rock has a substantial amount of unclaimed natural gas trapped thousands of feet beneath the surface, which will provide companies with a viable and economically beneficial resource in which they can cultivate and provide as a resource for the public.

SHARE, however, suggests there’s a problem.

“Unlike conventional gas, unconventional gas sources such as gas shales and coalbed methane require special extraction methods to be economical.” Basically, drilling a direct whole in the ground from one well will not provide companies with enough natural gas to sustain a profitable business. The solution? Drilling and fracturing a well more than once; machinery can now drill up to “30 horizontal wells from a single location, and fracture each well up to 10 times,” reads an excerpt from the SHARE website.

James Smith, McMaster University professor in hydrogeology, described hydraulic fracturing as coming “into vogue.”

The techniques used in hydraulic fracturing are advancing rapidly and are appealing for two reasons: “it’s relatively inexpensive to do and it increases the production rate of gases,” explained Dr. Smith.

On face-value, hydraulic fracturing appears to be a clean source of energy extraction, a source of energy that will benefit Canadians financially.

Behind the façade, however, lies a truth energy companies are conveniently

disregarding: hydraulic fracturing requires the use of a substance known as ‘frac fluid,’ and without this fluid, which is blasted deep into the ground, the fracturing would not be successful.

The frac fluid is used because when the pressure being injected into the ground is reduced, most of the fractures will close.

Chemicals are added to the water to prevent this. These are chemicals are not safe for our environment and certainly not safe to have in our drinking water, according to Smith.

In the opinion of Sean Carey, a McMaster professor of geology and earth sciences, “hydraulic fracturing is probably the most dangerous type of resource extraction that we do, mostly because we know the least about it and the impact about it.”

Despite the uneasy opinions towards hydraulic fracturing and the claims of water contamination in the States, companies have established drilling wells in Canada.

EnCana is one of the major hydraulic fracturing companies in Canada and in the past they have established wells in Alberta.

According to EnCana’s website, “hydraulic fracturing is a safe and proven way to develop natural gas.”

The company advocates the use of steel casings in the prevention of fluid leaks.

They also suggest that hydraulic fracturing is “safe” because “thousands of feet of rock separate the target formations from any fresh or potable aquifers.” The company advocates integrity, safety, and obedience to government regulations, saying “hydraulic fracturing processes are strictly regulated by various state or provincial government agencies today. EnCana meets and, in many

cases exceeds, the requirements set out by the regulators.”

The website goes on to inform the public of their honourable intentions to preserve natural resources and customer satisfaction, reading, “we carefully select our well sites to avoid wetlands. We drill and produce natural gas and/or CBM [coalbed methan] in a manner that protects groundwater, and we monitor the integrity of our operations.”

CBM “is made up of hydrocarbons including methane, carbon dioxide and other components derived from coal,” according to an excerpt from the EnCana website.

In a written testimony, Alberta resident Jessica Ernst voiced her concern on EnCana’s drilling practises when her drinking water became contaminated.

“I testified to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development in 2007 about my community’s drinking water contamination after EnCana hydraulically fractured our fresh water aquifers even though the company promised never to do such a dreadful thing ... governments gave more incentives and deregulation to enable hydraulic fracturing; more deregulation is reportedly coming. This is appalling because our governments, regulators, and industry know of the many cases of drinking water contamination that have occurred after drilling and fracturing across North America,” she said.

EnCana has requested to drill a fracturing well under Ernst’s land. The company has reassured her on countless occasions that “deviated drilling” will not increase the risk of gas leaks, yet will not inform Ernst of the contents the company intends to inject into the

ground or how she will be protected in the case of a gas leakage.

“The company refuses to give me a copy of their liability insurance. My community’s water is already a ticking time bomb [and] the energy regulator approved EnCana’s application in a day,” said Ernst.

EnCana has made numerous statements to the public that have, for the most part, been false. Companies assure citizens that a proven case of water contamination, resulting from hydraulic fracturing, has never occurred, yet Ernst and local Albertans have testified to a recent health issue. Also, high levels of diesel have been found in the drinking water despite the company’s promise to remove the substance. According to Ernst’s SSCNR, companies recently admitted to Congress that they were in fact injecting diesel into the frac fluid despite their allegations of having removed it.

After continued persistence, the list of chemicals that are used in hydraulic fracturing are available to the public. In Ernst’s testimony to the Standing Committee, the list of chemicals is provided. This information is also located on the website of Halliburton, the company which produces the frac formula. The frac fluid contains several very dangerous chemicals, including hydro-treated light petroleum distillate, which can cause respiratory irritation, coughing, difficulty breathing and pneumonia.

Menthol, which composes 30-60 per cent of the frac fluid base, can “cause respiratory irritation, central nervous system depression including headache, dizziness, drowsiness, muscular weakness, lack of incoordination, slowed

reaction time, fatigue, blurred vision, slurred speech, tremors, and convulsions.” Prolonged exposure may cause, eye, blood, lung, liver, kidney, heart central nervous system and spleen damage, according to Ernst’s SSCNR.

With the obvious negative aspects of hydraulic fracturing explained, we cannot deny the reality of necessity. As a society, we want the natural resource without the environmental impact, and in reality, that concept of an idealistic, fully sustainable world does not exist.

“From a purely technical perspective, [hydraulic fracturing] is a useful and viable way to enhance recovery from formations [though] there are real risks” involved with this method, said Smith, adding that the public needs to become informed and needs to be selfeducated on these risks involved with hydraulic fracturing.

A huge problem is that companies are not required to disclose information on events that are directly affecting Canadians.

Because they are not required, companies are not going to voluntarily exceed requirements.

As Canadians, we need to engage in the risks associated with hydraulic fracturing and create awareness on the serious health and environmental effects this form of energy extraction has created.

As the public we need to demand change in areas as we see fit.

We are aware that hydraulic fracturing can be extremely damaging, but we will not accomplish anything if we do not acknowledge our societal need for natural gas or if we do not understand the distinct politics behind the relationship between energy companies, the government and the public.

THE SILHOUETTE • C7

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

One person’s trash is another’s treasure The environmental movement inspires the world of artistry that he provided for class use. He managed to make ceiling decorations for our forum using nothing but plastic water bottles, and There are many social movements that have metal rods and wires that he had no other use a considerable effect on our everyday lives. for. He cut the water bottles in such a way Today, one such social movement that has and shaped them to take the form of flowers. this particular effect is the environmental He used wire and piping to make leaves that movement. would weave around the metal bars to create Now more than ever, people are a beautiful ceiling fixture. conscious of where they throw out their trash, In terms of the materials, he gave what clothes they choose to wear, even the us sketchbooks that were made from 100% kind of paper they buy. It affects government recycled paper. He was also very conscious policies and in turn, changes peoples’ of the paint we used and mainly used waterattitudes toward taking part in environment based paints that are not as toxic as regular initiatives. Even artists have been affected by paints. Additionally, he encouraged us to the environmental movement when it comes use paper efficiently; rather than sketching a to how they create art and the materials that small image on one page and they choose to use. There then skipping to another, Mr. are many artists who make Conway advised us to make Artist Stuart beautiful works of art from drawings on the other side of the Haygarth is known sheet. He taught his students to things that we would not normally think to use in never use more paint than they for creating creating a sculpture or a chandeliers and light had to and to waste nothing. painting.

Overall, he encouraged small fixtures from Artist Stuart changes that could indeed materials such as Haygarth is known for make a big difference to and for creating chandeliers the environment. recycled and light fixtures from Nowadays, even in art prescription eye materials such as recycled stores it is hard not to notice glasses.” prescription eye glasses the array of environmentally and plastic bottles. Anyone friendly products. For example, else would probably see portfolios are made from these items as more or less useless, but recycled paper and cardboard, inks and paints not Haygarth. He takes such materials and do not contain as many toxins and are safer uses them to their full potential by creating when disposed of, and recyclable pencils and beautiful and sustainable works of art. paper are always available. These are just few David Guilfoose is an American of the ways in which to make eco-friendly art artist who is fascinated with wine bottles. and take part in the environmental movement.

Instead of throwing them away, he sees them These products keep artists in touch as a suitable material in which to make lamps, with the importance of using environmentally bells and vases. friendly products to make being ecoThese lamps are fully functional friendly more readily accessible for artists and are fantastic examples of how artists can everywhere. This change in mentality visual art and make it so. Also, it demonstrates towards the environment has also affected the the impact that the environmental movement type of art that artists are making. Ordinary has had and continues to have on artists and trash that would normally be seen in a how these artists turn everyday objects into landfill is now being used to create beautiful, art. environmentally sound artworks. Instead of My high school art teacher, Mr. making art depicting Campbell’s Soup Cans, Conway, tapped into the idea of sustainable artists are now considering using the cans art in his own pieces and even the materials themselves to create eco-masterpieces.

Artists are creating captivating pieces out of our recycled garbage.

Jenna Shamoon The Silhouette

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Try something new this year and write for Insideout Section meetings Thursdays @ 1:30 MUSC B110 or

email insideout@thesil.ca

THE SILHOUETTE • C9

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

BUSINESS

production office extension: 27117 business@thesil.ca

Cover your tracks online

What’s the Biz in the World Market?

Online screening of applicants has become increasingly prevalent

Tim Horton’s Tim Hortons has spread its wings internationally to open its first store in Dubai. As part of a deal signed with Dubai-based Apparel Group, the coffee and baked goods chain has announced that an additional 120 Tim’s locations will be set to open in the Middle East, with expansion including locations in United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain. The Dubai location offers the same traditional items as are included on the Canadian menu.

PETA and Porn PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) announced plans to launch a pornography website in the name of animal rights. The site plans to raise awareness on veganism, displaying a mix graphic footage of animal suffering including undercover videos depicting the mistreatment of animals as well as good old-fashioned pornography.

The non-profit organization plans to launch the site in early December.

Moody’s rating changes Bank of America shares plumetted 3% following Moody’s downgrade of the bank’s senior debt to Baa1 from A2. The downgrade reflects increased fear that the US government is less inclined to support large banks during the financial crisis.

Moody’s also downgraded Well’s Fargo & Co. to A2 from A1, as well as Citigroup to Prime-2 from Prime-1.

S&P rating changes

Protect your online image from potential hiring blunders and censor the content you post .

Sonya Khanna The study also found that 35 per embarrassing grammatical errors Business Editor cent of employers disqualify appli- and ninth grade slang can easily be cants on the basis of crude content kept private.

Do you tweet your boss? Would uncovered from sites such as Face- For those who aren’t keen on maintaining a pristine image online, you consider getting in a poke-war book, Twitter and LinkedIn. Carefully conyour privacy can be with your employer? promptly altered at I’m sure we can all recall the structing an impresincessant nagging from family and sive resume is only According to a study your convenience teachers warning us to be mindful one piece of the pie conducted by Harris through your priwhen it comes to settings. of what we broadcast online.

Interactive...45 per vacy Unguarded pro Many may have brushed it off what you should cent of employers files can provide as invalid as feeling a sense of im- put into the applimunity from the invasive nature of cation process. use social network- employers with an Primping your uncensored glance employer screening. ing sites to gain into the lives of ap With technological advance- Facebook should insight to potential plicants and can ment and the continuing popularity be deemed equally of social media outlets, employers as important as it job condidates.” often be a true indication of the integare increasingly utilizing these sites sheds light into your personality rity and personality to conduct applicant screening. of individuals.

According to a study conducted and diminishes the This doesn’t neby Harris Interactive for Career- unrealistic facade Builder.com, 45 per cent of em- of your resume and the formality of cessarily need to have a negative connotation as often times social ployers use social networking sites interviews. d r u n k - networking sites can piece together to gain insight to potential job can- Barbaric actions enly documented via Facebook, bits of an applicant’s personality didates.

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

that may allow them to shine in the eyes of employers.

Information on extracurricular activities as well as hobbies and interests can help applicants stand above the rest.

In today’s fast-paced, technology driven society it’s not surprising how influential social networking sites have become in recent years.

Social networking has enabled individuals to communicate effortlessly, exposing society to the vulnerability of the web and the issues arising from a few easily avoidable bad decisions.

Take it upon yourself to avoid the threat of online misdemeanours that might prevent employment prospects, highlight features that depict your enthusiasm and intelligence and primp your online etiquette.

Standard and Poor’s has issued a downgrade of Italy’s sovereign credit rating for the first time in five years, one notch to A from A+. The downgrade was based on growing concerns of a fragile government and increasing borrowing costs making it difficult to reduce the lingering debt burden; this comes after the credit rating cut of Spain, Ireland, Portugal, Cyprus and Greece were issued earlier this year.

Inflation Four Italian banks have had their credit ratings lowered by S&P following a downgrade in Italy’s credit rating Tuesday. Intesa Sanpaolo SpA and Mediobanca have had their ratings cut to A, with a negative outlook. According to a report published by Stats Canada, inflation in Canada rose up four notches to 3% amidst higher gasoline and food prices. Prices rose from 0.3 per cent from July to August. Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney expressed no concern of inflation and stated that interest rates would not need to be raised to deal with the issue.

Coming to terms with big-box dominance

Greater efficiency and productivity has contributed to the popularity of supermarkets Sonya Khanna Business Editor

Once upon a time in a land far, far away small mom and pop shops dominated the markets and the existence big-box retailers was nothing more than a vivid, implausible dream in minds of few daydreamers.

Small grocery stores seem to have been putting on a vanishing act in recent years given the increased popularity of supermarkets.

Small neighbourhood retailers have always been a typical sight.

In recent years it seems as though large supermarket chains such as Loblaw’s and Costco have been clobbering up small, locally owned food retailers at a rapid pace.

The existence of these retailing behemoths has posed significant threat to smaller shops, leading to a decline in the demand for small retailers, resulting in loss in sales, profit loss as well as significant loss in employment.

In recent years it seems as though small stores have been thrown to the curb one by one as

monster retail stores tower over them.

The obvious reasons include the greater product potential and improved productivity.

Another leading factor is the lack of innovation evident in most small grocery retailers as opposed to their smaller competitors. Many supermarkets, including Wal-Mart, are a one-stop shop for a wide variety of essential household products.

The ease of efficiency of these stores is ideal for the hectic life of the average worker and parent.

Small grocery stores provide a more personalized experience for the shopper; however, supermarkets have gained prevalence in society by offering what smaller stores lack including security, efficiency and entertainment.

In today’s fast-paced society, individuals are constantly on the go.

The days of crowding around the dinner table with the family seem to be all but a distant memory clouded instant dinners and on-the-go breakfast shakes. With the traditional notion of dinner becoming some-

what obsolete the demand for bigbox supermarkets offering a range of on-the-go products seems to be widely prevalent.

Urbanites seek to meet the demands of their fast paced lifestyle by purchasing pre-cooked, homemade-ish meals that can be found conveniently within five steps of household staples, including body wash and toilet paper.

Another appealing factor is the added sensual aura evident in many large supermarkets.

Loblaw’s has placed great importance on the aesthetics of their retail outlet to appease individuals by offering fresh cooked meals, prepared in front of shoppers.

Large retailers provide an ideal domain for the burnt out worker looking to eliminate travel time, or the student seeking to increase efficiency by having the ability to purchase school supplies two aisles down from the produce section.

Big-box retailers, however unwanted they are, have revolutionized productivity in an impactful way that has forever changed the Supermarkets provide a one stop shop for consumers. game of the business.

TYLER HAYWARD / THE SILHOUETTE

C10 • THE SILHOUETTE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

“Ethical”oil ad sparks fury in Saudi Arabia

Would you consider yourself to be business obsessed?

Interested in writing for the business section?

Come out to our meetings every Thursday in MUSC B110 or email us at: business@thesil.ca

TYLER HAYWARD/ THE SILHOUETTE

Ads promote Alberta oil as ‘ethical’ in contrast Alberta oil sands are promoted as an ethical alternative.

Sonya Khanna Business Editor

Recent Canadian ads by EthicalOil. org have sparked fury in the Middle East resulting in a move to censor the controversial Canadian ads.

The Toronto-based organization encourages consumers to favour “ethical” oil from Canada as opposed to “conflict” oil with roots stemming from undemocratic regions. One of the primary aims of the ad is to promote Alberta’s oil sands as an ethical alternative.

Controversy ensued upon the airing of commercials on the Oprah Winfrey Nework in late August, upon which a ceaseand-desist letter was issued to the Television Bureau of Canada indicating the ads were requested to be withdrawn from the network by request from groups in Saudi Arabia.

The 30-second ad seeks to educate consumers on the oppression of women in Saudi Arabia and touches on the impact Saudi oil experts have in enabling this oppression. The ads indicate that increas-

ing the production of tar sands will liberate women from oppression, particularly in Saudi Arabia.

The act of foreign interference on behalf of Saudi Arabia has resulted in backlash from Canadian officials, including stern words from NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar as well as Canadian minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism Jason Kenney.

Saudi Arabia’s attempt to block the pro-oil sands ad has been deemed inconsistent with Canada’s strong belief of freedom of speech.

“This is a brazen act of domestic political interference by a foreign dictatorship that neither understands nor respects the rights of women or freedom of speech,” said executive director of EthicalOil.org, Alykhan Velshi. “Each time we buy Saudi conflict oil we are funding their oppression – and now their attempts at Saudi-style censorship of Canadian TV.”

The ad can be viewed online as well as on EthicalOil.org and is now airing on Sun News Network.

THE SILHOUETTE • C11

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Assessing the perks of working from home Recent technological advancements have brought about a surge in ‘telecommuting’

Telecommuting provides employees with the comfort and flexibility of working from home, but presents a host of other issues.

Shama Kassam Business Writer

In the city of Toronto, where average commuter times are the highest in the country, the average Torontonian spends more than 7 hours a week on the road, most likely sitting in traffic.

With stress levels and job satisfaction directly linked to commute times, telecommuting can be a very convenient option.

Telecommuting is exactly what it sounds like. Your “commute” happens through telecommunication links, meaning you clock into work through the internet, phone or other means of communication.

It is as simple as waking up, making breakfast and sitting down to do work in your pajamas.

This atypical work arrangement

can have its pros and cons. The benefits are so obvious it seems useless to mention but here goes –the convenience factor of working from home, not having to get dressed, pack a lunch, worry about scary underground parking lots and most importantly, no traffic!

It also means less pollution, less gas expense, less wear and tear on the car and less commuters on the road.

From a productivity perspective, it also means you have less wasted time on the road and can get to work faster, as well as it being an extremely effective recruiting incentive.

In the long run, a switch to more telecommuters may mean offices can become smaller, less overhead expenses on electricity, janitorial costs to name a few. Overall sounds

like a pretty sweet setup.

On the flip side, without the typical work environment, workers lack the daily social interaction found in an office.

Also, without coworkers and superiors around, it can be de-motivating employees may fall into a deadly trap of playing Farmville all day long.

These telecommuters may find themselves in a routine that gives them no excuse to shower, get dressed and leave the house for days.

This can have its own consequences: it encourages “micromanaging,” may only work with very specific management styles, and could be disastrous with other management styles.

Telecommuting may work for certain personalities and not for

others. How does the office decide who will be allowed to work from home on a regular basis? It seems unfair to offer it to one employee and not to another of similar ranking, but their productivity levels may be different.

Could workers undergo a trial period of telecommuting to prove their productivity levels when left to their own devices?

It’s similar to having a podcast vs. an actual class. It’s amazing!

You don’t have to go to class, can do it on your own time, and there are no annoying kids in class. But the problem is, will you ever watch the podcast? It will pile up until 12 hours before the exam when overdrive kicks in.

Now imagine all of your classes were like that. Never going to school, not making friends, no

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

social interactions, no clubs... no nothing.

Telecommuting seems like a fun, innovative “new-age” approach to the work environment, but the question still remains – does telecommuting in fact increase productivity or does it encourage a culture lacking work ethic?

Is the lack of personal connectedness too much for this to be a viable long term option?

There are many advocates for both ends of the spectrum and various pros and cons exist for both.

Although debates regarding the effectiveness and efficiency of telecommuting still linger, one thing remains true – with continuing technological advancements the demand for telecommuting will show continued rapid growth.

HAMILTON & DISTRICT EXTEND-A-FAMILY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES “ S H A R E A S P E C I A L FRIENDSHIP!”

B U DDY PROGRAM We have over one hundred children and teens with special needs waiting to spend time with a volunteer buddy. Matched buddies spend eight hours a month pursuing a hobby, playing sports, or enjoying other activities in the community.

Gain volunteer experience, have fun, and share a special friendship with a young person with special needs!

R E C R E AT I O N P RO G R A M We offer a minimum of six recreation events each month, providing respite and opportunities for fun and friendship in the community.

We bowl, play laser-tag, go rock-climbing, and challenge each other in all sorts of fun ways.

We have a great bunch of volunteers who assist at these events and are always happy to welcome more!

INTEREST E D ?

V I S I T OUR WEB-SITE, FIND U S O N FAC E B O O K O R CONTACT U S ! www.extendafamilyhamil t o n . s y n t h a s i t e . c o m 905.383.2 8 8 5 eaf@execulink.com ( B u dd y P ro g r a m ) e af.connect@gmail.com (R e c re a t i o n P ro g r a m )

Sunday, October 16, 2011 1:3 Canadian women and 1:6 Canadian men will experience sexual assault in their lifetime.

45% percent of female college and university students say they’ve been sexually assaulted since leaving high school.

The victim and the accused are known to each other in 82% of cases – as friends, acquaintances or family

But… I am not alone!

SACHA (Sexual Assault Centre, Hamilton& Area) is there with 24-hour confidential support, information or accompaniment @

905-525-4162

www.sacha.ca

Join one of the most fun, most scenic runs around.

Help give cancer the bum’s rush!

Promoting Awareness and Prevention of Colorectal Cancer and Supporting Wellwood

Effort Trust 1K Kids Run (9:30 am) • 5K Walk/Run & 10K Run (10:00 am) Special rate for Mac students and a discount for teams!

BEFORE OCTOBER 14 Student rate = $20 Teams of less than 10 members = $18 each Teams with more than 10 members = $17 each

AFTER OCTOBER 14 Student Rate = $25 Teams less than 10 members = $22 each Teams with more than 10 members = $21 each

Contact Wellwood: 905-667-8870 or email wellwood@hhsc.ca 860 King Street West, Hamilton

drive • mark bragg summer performance festival

andex

thursday, september 22, 2011

Senior Editor: Jemma Wolfe Entertainment Editor: Myles Herod Music Editor: Josh Parsons Contributors: Nolan Matthews, Alison Greco, Paul Fowler, Kyle Fisher

Cover: Jonathon Fairclough

this week

sept. 22

Allosaurus The Casbah 8:00 p.m.

sept. 23

Hammerpalooza The Casbah 9:00 p.m.

sept.23

Robert Gordon This Ain’t Hollywood 8:00 p.m.

sept.23

music

Shoshana Telner Convocation Hall 8:00 p.m.

sept. 25

photo of the week...

in the hammer

Mark Bragg The Casbah Lounge 9:00 p.m.

sept. 26

cheese buns, half full (half empty), tasty times, stephen lewis on campus, new interns, broken guitar, ston jewart, sam colbert, truffles, stinkfoot, oldegg, smells like teen nirvana, bastid, whale of approval, brad pitstain, emma wolf, goodaysir, once an howa , abj sexy, zane kane, remember the 5th of november, fraser run in

The Fleshtones The Ain’t Hollywood 9:00 p.m.

sept.28

now

andy’s ticks

Obijou This Ain’t Hollywood 9:00 p.m.

sept.21-oct.8

theatre Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure Theatre Aquarius

opening

film Dolphin Tale Money Ball Abduction

don’t submit to peer pressure

write for andy!

meetings are held on tuesdays at 2:30pm in musc b110 e-mail your submissions to andy@thesil.ca

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.

RICARDO PADILLA / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

musc b110

editorial

thursday, september 22, 2011

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D3

diva hatin’ on hydrangeas Madonna has always been known for controversy. It’s what made her famous, made her thrive, and been a pillar in her success.

Her recent controversial actions, however, are in my opinion the wrong kind of controversy.

It’s one thing to wear a cone bra or smooch Britney Spears. It’s a completely other thing to insult the ordinary people who made you the star you are and act like a selfindulgent ass.

First, there was the hydrangea episode at the Venice Film Festival. During a press conference for her film W.E., a male fan approached her and presented her with a bouquet of purple hydrangeas. Madonna immediately put them on the floor, rolled her eyes, and said in her pompous, wannabe-British accent, “I absolutely loathe hydrangeas. He obviously doesn’t know that.”

How on earth was he supposed to know that, Madonna?

That’s like expecting a stranger to know your favourite brand of toothpaste or what colour of nail

polish you really like – unknown except by very close friends, and hardly something relevant to broadcast.

Due to her positioning at the conference as being directly in front of a microphone, I can’t help but wonder if this was not a slip and she in fact wanted to be heard.

Madonna threw herself into further disgrace at the Toronto International Film Festival when on her way down a hallway to another press conference for W.E., she had her entourage demand that the eight TIFF volunteers in attendance turn their backs to her and face the wall as she walked past them. Apparently she did not want them to look at her as she made her way through the space. Madonna and her crew, despite first-hand complaints by TIFF volunteers, have vehemently denied this bizarre and diva-esque behavior.

On Sept. 12, Madonna finally responded to the hydrangeahating incident, not with an apology, but with a rude, silent film posted on YouTube entitled

“Madonna’s Love Letter to Hydrangeas”. The video opens with her creepily caressing a bouquet of hydrangeas while a caption reads, “Words cannot express how sorry I am. To think I may have caused you pain” (sic).

These sentiments are quickly revealed to be sarcasm however, as the 46-second long video quickly progresses to her throwing and kicking the bouquet as the captions explain, “I still hate hydrangeas! And I will always hate them!” and finally, “It’s a free country! So f**k you I like roses!!”

Some may view this as a comical or confident response to the whole ridiculous incident, and undoubtedly Madonna had a good laugh about it. I, however, can’t imagine a more immature, petty, and self-important method of further insulting the kindness of one eager fan. So, following in the fantastically eloquent words of the Material Girl herself: it’s a free country, Madonna. So fuck you.

• Jemma Wolfe, Senior Andy

the big tickle

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

who is the most notoriously rude celebrity right now?

compiled by tyler hayward & josh parsons

“bruce willis” kearon roy taylor

“mel gibson”

“charlie sheen” lynsay turner

megan mckinnon

“kanye west” melissa curran

“the situation” eric battiston

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D4

music

thursday,september 22, 2011

bragging rights

andy chats with newfoundland's cabaret ringleader mark bragg Canada is a land of hidden treasures. It’s a country where vast tracts of land can often hide some of the most extraordinary musicians from those living in the congested sprawl of Southern Ontario. Newfoundland musicians such as Mark Bragg face another obstacle – the ocean.

“I’m a bit geographically challenged,” admitted Bragg in an interview with ANDY earlier this week. “I’ve got a four-year-old daughter, so I can’t really leave from St. John’s to do all of Canada in one go. I kind of break it up a little bit, the time home and the time away.”

Laughing, he added, “My wife doesn’t enjoy the fact that I party for a living.”

Yet this hasn’t prevented him from embarking on a two-week stint across Ontario and Quebec beginning this week.

The tour is his first since the Sept. 16 release of his third album, Your Kiss. He spoke confidently about his latest work, suggesting that it was, in a certain sense, a natural progression from his previous albums. “It felt very natural. It is quite a bit different than my previous works but it didn’t feel unnatural. Thematically, it’s all the same, narrative fiction with dark themes. That has stayed true on all my records.”

But in different sense, Your Kiss is a departure from the production process that was typical of his first two releases. For the first time, Bragg has taken full control over his music in the studio.

“After getting a bit of studio experience I was comfortable with the record-making process.” He continued, “This is the first album that is basically self-produced, I’ve always worked with a producer on past records.”

Although a fluent multi-instrumentalist himself, Bragg stepped back and allowed his carefully assembled troupe of

musicians an unprecedented amount of artistic license. “I didn’t play a lick on this record. I have a great band in St. John’s who I work with and just let them do their thing.”

This attitude perfectly reflects the underlying philosophy that inspires Bragg’s music. “I’m not into bands, I’m not a band guy. I’m a musicians-serve-thesongs kinda guy.” He boasts an excess of experience as a sideman for a variety of bar musicians. On the side, he often lends himself to other acts in and around St. John’s by accompanying them on organ or accordion.

Despite the fact that he has only toured Eastern Canada, Bragg has a keen eye for the variety of audiences across our country. “I find that it’s much easier when you have energetic music and a rockin’ band to get a dance floor happening in the Maritimes. But it’s interesting that in Ontario the audiences are really good listeners. They hang on to the phrases, and the subtleties of the performance seem to come through more. Its very different, but I enjoy both.”

Bragg has yet to plan his raid on the rest of the country, but he felt assured that Western Canada shall soon experience the bombastic energy of his breathtaking live shows.

“My first two albums, I was a little bit conservative in my touring, but I think this time I want to see all of the country. I want to make it to Calgary, to Vancouver, to all these places that have great music scenes.”

Mark Bragg will be performing in Hamilton on Sept. 25 at the Casbah Lounge.

• Josh Parsons, Music Editor

thursday,september 22, 2011

film

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D5

JOY SANTIAGO / MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

how netflix beat down blockbuster in the battle for rental audiences When I was a kid, going to my local Blockbuster and renting movies or video games was a big thing.

I made it a personal goal to watch as many as I could. I’d go to Blockbuster daily like it was my religion. If my parents refused to drive me, I would either bike or walk there to feed my addiction.

With the news that Blockbuster is now closing all of its Canadian stores, though, my most recent visit was filled with nostalgia and sadness.

After Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy protection last September, it was only a matter of time.

Blockbuster’s departure in Canada is not one entirely of remorse, however, due to the arrival and growth of Netflix - a convenient and reliable online rental and streaming outlet.

Netflix is more than just a suitable replacement for physical rentals but a logical next step in accessibility. Netflix has given

Blockbuster a good run for its money over the last decade.

Blockbuster and Netflix have been battling it out since 2000. The long-term feud began when Netflix founder, Reed Hastings, approached Blockbuster’s CEO at the time, John Antioco, to help run Blockbuster’s online rentals but was laughed at by Antioco and his staff.

Unfortunately for the now crumbling Blockbuster, karma’s a bitch. Founded in 1997 in the US, Netflix has managed to spread its brand across North and South America and is attempting to hit the European market in 2012. The company now boasts over 25 million subscribers – an incredible figure for a company that began as mail-service only.

Initially, it allowed subscribers to

rent unlimited movies by monthly subscription without late fees, due dates and all other restrictions imposed by companies like Blockbuster. The brand expanded to “Watch Instantly” online streaming in 2008.

How can you say no to that? No wonder Blockbuster is out on its ass as the world passes by. Blockbuster’s stubborn approach to movie rentals would see the company’s rental cost rise higher and higher.

The last time I rented from Blockbuster, I may have spent well over $20 on just two rentals when I could have gone online and paid $8.99 for unlimited rentals monthly on Netflix.

So really, who would pick Blockbuster over Netflix? Chumps. The only problem that Netflix is experiencing right now is

So really, who would pick Blockbuster over Netflix?

Chumps.”

mainly in its services outside of the US and their condensed catalog.

Canadian Netflix subscribers are currently stuck with a somewhat limited selection of what films they can watch due to licensing restrictions from the US. These constrictions do leave a lot of the choices limited to independent B-movies but that should all change pretty soon after Blockbuster’s official closing because now major film companies are left without a huge rental distributor.

Now there is a major component of home viewing missing and Netflix aims to fill it or at least the Internet does.

This gap leaves room for other companies to flourish, however, and as the next year plays out I’m sure we will see newer and even better alternatives to movie rentals as we venture into territory unknown.

• Kyle Fisher

D6 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

film

thursday, september 22, 2011

ryan gosling takes hollywood by storm

talented ontarian makes movie magic at every turn With Crazy Stupid Love released earlier this summer, Drive released last Friday, and The Ides of March scheduled for release later this fall, Ryan Gosling has made it quite obvious that he is Hollywood’s shinning star of the year.

Now 30 years old, the Ontario-born Gosling has reached the point of his career where most actors dream of being. He is handsome, extremely talented, and is at the perfect age to tackle any role that comes his way.

For the film industry, Gosling is considered the perfect package. But does Gosling have the charisma and intelligence to last in Hollywood? Does he truly have what it takes to stand in the shoes of movie legends like Jack Nicholson, Robert DeNiro, and Anthony Hopkins, or has he always possessed this unique ability? Let’s take a look back at previous highlights in Gosling’s career and judge for ourselves.

First, let’s start with the infamous

era of the late 90s. After appearing on The Mickey Mouse Club alongside Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera in 1993, Gosling went on to star in popular Canadian programs, such as Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Goosebumps, Ready or Not, and Breaker High.

Even though these appearances were small and did not fully grasp the talent of the young actor, Gosling was given his big break on American television in 1998, by landing the title role in Young Hercules.

Although the program only lasted one season, the show was the second top rated program on the Fox Kids Network, mainly for the show’s entertaining story and the intriguing performance of its leading man. The show also introduced Gosling to American audiences, which ultimately began his movie career.

The era that followed brought Gosling his true fame and recognition. Released in 2001, The Believer, which captures Gosling

playing a Neo-Nazi Jew named Danial Balint, remains compelling, provocative, and controversial. It’s a film one wouldn’t expect a young actor to choose for his debut, yet Gosling took the risk and he carried the film superbly.

Although, if Gosling was avoiding being recognized as a heart throb through his performance in The Believer, then he made a misstep by starring next in The Notebook.

Today, the movie is still considered one of the best romances of the past decade, and solely responsible for launching Gosling’s career. However, even though The Notebook awarded Gosling fame, it did not alter his humble taste in films to come.

Gosling appeared in a number of captivating pictures after the release of The Notebook, including Half Nelson, which garnered him his first Oscar nomination, Fracture, Lars and the Real Girl, which earned him his first Golden Globe nomination, All Good Things, and the critically acclaimed, Blue Val-

entine, which brought upon a second Golden Globe nomination.

All these films present diverse range, which Gosling successfully portrays with enormous skill and versatility. He not only chooses to portray flawed, real-life characters, but also selects films that are thought provoking and underrated, greatly showcasing Gosling’s appreciation for the meaning behind a film rather than the sum of his paycheck.

Gosling shows no sign of slowing down. The charisma he brings to every character, his modest ability to stay out of the limelight, and his intelligent movie choices made throughout his career make it quite clear that he has what it takes to endure the pitfalls of Hollywood.

The only question left to ask is: what will he do next?

• Alison Greco

thursday, september 22, 2011

theatre/music

the silhouette’s art & culture magazine • D7

SPF an experimental experience

cd reviews Girls Father, Son, Holy Ghost

HHHH

TYLER HAYWARD / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

mac student productions explore themes of past, present and change Ideas of theatre are changing. McMaster’s School of the Arts is leading an academic and cultural movement towards study and appreciation of non-normative theatre, and students are responding. Funded through the School of the Arts, the Summer Performance Festival gives creative students the opportunity to develop their theatrical ideas over the summer, culminating in September with a finalized production.

This year’s SPF is a manifestation of creative thought pushing the boundaries of theatrical experience, and has resulted in two very different but equally worthy student productions for the 2011 season. Presented in a double bill back-to-back theatre experience will be Tanya Kuzman’s States of Cleanliness and Samuel Chang’s The Girl in the Window.

States of Cleanliness examines shifting notions of hygiene rituals in history, spanning from Ancient China, Victorian England, a 1950s medical lab, and a 1960s American automotive shop. These contrasting times and places interrogate what being clean has meant over time, and subsequently what it means today. This is a concept that Kuzman, the show’s director and producer was very drawn to exploring.

“It’s very fascinating for me the different juxtapositions of the different exhibits because you get to see how the understanding of what it means to be clean as we move and migrate through these different environments,” Kuzman explained.

Set up like an interactive museum tour, in which the audience physically moves through the different sets, this production has a performance art feel to it that Kuzman found intriguing.

“A museum exhibit seemed to resonate very well with the kind of [interactive] experience we wanted audiences to have…

The audience can filter through and observe and engage in these rituals,” she said.

Unique to this play is also the invitation to attendees to download four audio tracks - corresponding to the four historic spaces - to be listened to privately throughout the performance. This unusual request is justified by the benefits of private engagement with performance, according to Kuzman.

“The audio really contributes to the denotation of the time period and also provides a quasi-narration to these fragmented segments. When you are watching something and you put headphones on, that becomes a very solitary experience. Suddenly, your relationship to that performer becomes personal.”

Personal connection is also an important element of Samuel Chang’s production The Girl in the Window. Inspiration for this play came from Chang’s personal obsession with the diary of Anne Frank.

Creating a new narrative out of Anne Frank’s story was an exciting challenge to Chang. He explores his dream of being able to save Anne Frank through the character of Hal Hammond, a director commissioned to create a biopic and his struggles with her story. This production, in contrast to Kuzman’s performance art, is situated more in the realm of traditional theatre, though its creation methods were progressive.

“We did the reverse [of what] a lot of playwrights do: everyone in the cast made the script and there is no physical copy of it,” said Chang.

This method of devising or collective creation in which everyone is a part of the production process has been a critical component of this show’s formation.

The show is also innovative, incorporating multimedia effects with acting and dance.

“I wanted to mix and match a lot of mediums and put them into one thing,” said Chang.

The effect is a visually appealing and imaginative production, which surpasses the limitations of a confined stage space through the film projections, lights, and sounds that transport characters and audiences alike, adding to the ethereal feel of the story.

States of Cleanliness and The Girl in the Window will both expand our understanding of theatre, and challenge our notions of the way things were, are or could be. Definitely a must-see • Jemma Wolfe, Senior Andy Tickets may be purchased at the door or can be reserved online by emailing n.ruginis@ gmail.com with your name, number of tickets requested, and which date you will be attending; payment is made upon arrival the day of. Tickets provide admission to both shows, presented sequentially each night, and the cost is $9 for students/seniors, and $11 for general admission. Performances will be held September 22, 23, 24, and 25, and will begin at 7:30pm in T-13 (the temporary building beside McMaster Hospital). Audio tracks for States of Cleanliness can be downloaded at summerperformancefestival.wordpress.com.

Christopher Owens, the main songwriter behind Girls, is an honest guy.

He’s had a history of being candid in interviews about the bands that have left an impression on him.

The opening track, Honey Bunny, owes its jangly melody and guitar slides to the early surf rock of the Beach Boys, but the driving, self-deprecating chorus and dreamy middle section are Girls’ own. From 70’s hard rock to gospel, Owens takes these diverse styles as the starting point for writing effortless pop songs that sound undeniably unique.

But even this diversity can’t help the second half of the album from dragging a bit, as many of the songs begin as mid-tempo ballads before kicking in with crashing drums or guitar solos. Like his influences, Owens’ lyrics are also stuck in the past. The words can be painfully sincere, but their directness makes the heartbreak and hope all the more powerful.

• Nolan Matthews St. Vincent Strange Mercy

HHHHH Annie Clark, the sweet voiced singer/songwriter behind St. Vincent, has never been afraid to take risks with her music. On Strange Mercy, Clark’s adventurous nature pays dividends, taking St. Vincent a step forward and delivering a work which will no doubt receive serious consideration for album of the year. Strange Mercy stands out as a piece of challenging and thought provoking pop music. At the heart of the album is a dizzying combination of strings and bubbling synths, interjected with violent bursts of guitar.

These complex arrangements coupled with Clark’s inventive songwriting fill the album with unexpected turns and undeniable hooks. Lyrically, Strange Mercy is an album broiled in the sweat of sex. On the stomping “Cheerleader,” Clark proclaims, “I’ve seen America with no clothes on,” and album highlight “Surgeon,” begins with the dreamy declaration “I spent the summer on my back.” It may be a demanding listen but on Strange Mercy, the melodies shine, the vocals are beautiful and Clark’s blistering guitar pierces through it all.

• Paul Fowler

D8 • the silhouette’s art & culture magazine

film

thursday, september 22, 2011

buckle up, and...

Drive Starring: Ryan Gosling, Albert Brooks Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn

HHHHH Drive oozes cool. In fact, its opening shots define it.

Propulsive like its synthetic soundtrack, stylized as its hot pink typeface, Drive’s confidence immediately intoxicates the screen, setting sights on a driver of the night, cruising Los Angeles to the heartbeat of an existential underworld.

Overcoming obvious noir and Michael Mann influences, the gloss and gore of Drive does little to damper its trajectory.

If anything, it elevates its intimate crux. For Drive is more than an insipid car crash, crime capper; it lives, breathes, and thinks.

At its centre is an unnamed mechanic and stunt man (Ryan Gosling), who, by night, moonlights as an elusive getaway driver.

A man of few words, he offers the same service during all robberies: 5 minutes of his time. No more, no less.

Seemingly a loner, the driver becomes involved with his neighbour, Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her young son, Benicio (Kaden Leos). After agreeing to drive for Irene’s newly paroled husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac), he finds himself on the wrong side of an assassination plot, bound to protecting Irene and himself from the vicious gangsters who seek retribution.

While the film’s first half plays as drama, the second roars as violent fantasy.

Strangely, for all its brutality, Drive has a tone of wry wit too, much like the toothpick forever dangling from the side of Gosling’s mouth. With belligerent gangsters chewing the scenery in comic fashion, the humanity of the film settles on Gosling’s pensive demeanor, and his sweet, awkward romance with the winsome Mulligan and her young son.

Often heralded as one of the finest actors of his generation, Gosling delivers splendidly as the driver, creating an enigmat-

ic force all the more effectively due to his ability to harbour tension with the slightest tightening of his fists and tensing of his jaw line. Yet, pushed to the limit, like a berserk superhero, he will literally crush skulls.

Other supporting players prove equally committed, and wild-eyed. Bryan Cranston brings gravity as a garage owner and father figure to the driver; Ron Perlman, and his demonic features, inhabit a volatile Jewish gangster who operates out of a dingy pizzeria; and best of all is Albert Brooks, performing slyly against type as a former movie producer, now mob player, with a penchant for razor blades and slitting wrists.

Thinking back, there isn’t much driving in Drive - a handful of chases here and there, staged thrillingly mind you. Actually, it’s more about the questionable choices that drive people, and ultimately, push them away.

Director Nicolas Winding Refn sustains his artful vision at top gear. Quiet moments stretch into suffocating silence, and the explosive violence inevitably shatters one’s senses.

The audio is expertly mixed, so you’ll want to see Drive loud. From its rumbling engines and spurting blood, to its venomous dialogue, the film is the epitome of superb sound design.

If The Fast and the Furious is the sleek contours of an automobile, Drive is the greasy interior of a Porsche. Refn fetishizes neither cars nor women, instead molding his film as mythic movie making, complimented by ethereal pop and sun drenched cinematography.

Eligible as either an explosive end to the summer season or an autumn adrenaline rush, Drive is nevertheless a flash of hope in mainstream cinema, leaving its hundred million dollar competition in the dust.

Generalize the film any way you like - tender, troubling, retro, revolting, or surreal - in the end, the European flavour infused by Refn, combined with Gosling and crew, have created the makings of a near classic.

Simply put, Drive is dynamite.

• Myles Herod, Entertainment Editor