The Strand Volume 58, Issue 3

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER VOL. 58 ISSUE 3 • OCTOBER 6, 2015

The Age of the Surprise Album: What A Time to Be Alive!

Alexandra Scandolo | Staff Contributor In December 2013, Beyoncé’s “Drunk In Love” abruptly interrupted the routine airplay of holiday songs. On December 13, four years after the release of her studio album 4 and with no follow-up in sight, a two-part visual album under her name was suddenly made available on iTunes without promotion. It immediately debuted at number one on the Billboard and iTunes charts, and

it just as quickly became necessary to listen to the album in order to stay up-to-date with the references popping up on social media. The eponymous album was the beginning of a new era for the singer; it was dark, aesthetically driven, and a complete surprise to pop fans around the world, quickly garnering critical and fan acclaim.

This unanticipated manner of releasing albums has

VUSAC Fall Election Results Councillors: George Wilson: 194 votes Cricket Cheng: 170 votes Hannah Brennen: 157 votes Peter Huycke: 151 votes Carl Abrahamsen: 147 votes William Cuddy: 146 votes Miranda Alksnis: 139 votes Seraphina Vasilodimitrakis-Hart: 131 votes Victoria College Council: Arden Burrows: 351 votes Stephanie Spagnuolo: 343 votes

changed the music world forever, allowing consumers to interact with music in a different way than previous eras.

(Continued page 13)

In this issue...

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Super Time at Supermoon

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Get To Know UniversityRosedale Candidates

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Review: Power Plant Gallery Opening

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To Exchange or Not To Exchange?

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Vic Gets Jazzed for Jazz Cartier

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Adieu to Cottage Country

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Humans of Victoria College

News • the STRAND

Clouds Don’t Stop Super Turnout for “Supermoon” Viewing Party Emily Deibert | Contributor On September 27, 2015, the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics—an astronomical research and public outreach centre associated with the University of Toronto Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics—hosted one of their most successful events to date, in celebration of the evening’s rare supermoon lunar eclipse.

The Facebook page for the event, where an astounding 18,000 people confirmed their attendance, described the phenomenon as “special in many ways.”

Not only was the moon totally eclipsed by the Earth’s shadow as the planet aligned itself between the sun and the moon, but the moon was also at its closest approach to the Earth during this time, making it appear roughly 14% larger than it does at its furthest point from the planet. The eerie red shade of the moon, characteristic

of a lunar eclipse, combined with its slightly larger appearance during this close approach, led to the nickname “super-blood-moon,” which was used to describe the event. September 27 marked the first time this phenomenon had occurred in more than 30 years.

Unfortunately, less-than-optimal viewing conditions got in the way of the majority of the eclipse.

Clouds covered the sky from the beginning of the event until roughly midnight—well past the total eclipse that thousands of staff, students, and interested members of the public had gathered in King’s College Circle to see. Despite this unavoidable impediment to the main event, volunteers kept the crowds engaged through a live-stream of the eclipse from locations with better viewing conditions, a “virtual tour” of the moon with an Oculus Rift virtual reality device, and a human-sized inflatable moon for attendees to snap photos next to.

The event volunteers also kept guests entertained by chatting with them about the “super-blood-moon”, and any other astronomical phenomena they were interested in.

Die-hard moon enthusiasts were rewarded when the moon finally did reveal itself shortly after midnight, just before the partial eclipse ended. Although it was not the blood-red moon that many had turned out to see, the crowd was still enthusiastic about watching the Earth’s shadow slowly travel across the face of the moon, and many agreed that the full supermoon still visible after the eclipse had ended was certainly a sight to see.

The next “super-blood-moon” will occur in 2033— and hopefully next time, the skies will be a little less cloudy.

Get to Know Your Candidates: Nicole Paroyan | News Editor

Nick Wright

Our political options for University-Rosedale

Chrystia Freeland

Karim Jivraj

Green Party of Canada

Liberal Party of Canada

New Democratic Party of Canada

Conservative Party of Canada

www.electnickwright.greenparty.ca

www.votefreeland.ca

www.jenniferhollett.com

www.votekarim.ca

Employment history:

Employment history:

Employment history:

Employment history:

Nick Wright was the former leader of the Green Party of Nova Scotia

Journalist and editor at the Financial Times, the Washington Post, The Economist, The Globe and Mail, and Thomson Reuters

MuchMusic VJ

International litigation and arbitration

Broadbent Institute leadership fellow

Author: Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else MP Toronto Centre Liberal Critic for Intern ational Trade

Associate at the Atkinson Foundation

Conservative Party policies at a glance:

Adviser and board member with a number of not-for-profit organizations Green Party policies at a glance: Foreign Affairs and Defense: Realign defense spending from NATO war missions towards UN peacekeeping contributions Economy: Invest in renewable energy Social: Invest in undergraduate research fellowships to support innovation and encourage more young Canadians to pursue careers in such subjects as science and technology

Liberal Party policies at a glance: Foreign Affairs and Defense: Increase foreign aid and support multinational institutions Economy: Reduce income taxes for middle-class, defined as those with incomes between $44,700 and $89,400 a year Raise income taxes for those making over $200,000 annually Social: More federal funding on a regular basis for affordable housing; invest more in education, with better bursaries and loans

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Jennifer Hollett

Digital director on Olivia Chow’s Toronto mayoral campaign Combines digital consultation with sessional teaching at Harvard University NDP policies at a glance: Foreign Affairs and Defense: Promote peacekeeping, participating only in UN-mandated operations Economy: Reinstate a $15-per-hour minimum wage. Raise corporate income taxes and reduce small business taxes Social: Increase transfer funds to provinces for post-secondary education and work with provinces to reduce tuition

Foreign Affairs and Defense: Increase defence budget, fund anti-ISIS mission in Syria and Iraq, provide training to Ukraine security forces and support Israel as a strong ally Economy: Income splitting for families with minor children and reduction in small business tax rate Social: Committed $250 million over two years for training of skilled workers

The Ongoing Fight over Planned Parenthood

News • the STRAND

Carey Roach | Contributor

The Republican Party introduced the Continuing Appropriations Resolution of 2016 in early September, hoping to block government funding of Planned Parenthood for one year. Although the bill never made it past the Republican-controlled Senate, failing by a final vote of 47-52, debate over the organization continues.

Controversy around Planned Parenthood first began to escalate in July when an anti-abortion group released a series of videos attacking the organization. The videos show executives speaking about how Planned Parenthood sells fetal organs and tissues to research, and how abortion procedures might be slightly altered in order to deliver the types of organs that medical researchers are looking for.

Planned Parenthood vehemently denied these claims, explaining that the videos are “heavily edited” and do not accurately depict the situation. But the videos still sparked outrage in conservative communities, causing many Republican politicians to vow to punish the organization for their actions.

Republicans such as John Boehner and Carly Fiorina have been especially vocal about their positions in the debate around Planned Parenthood. When questioned about her stance on women’s reproductive rights at an Iowa campaign event on September 26, Fiorina responded by proclaiming that she “[doesn’t] support the butchering of babies.”

The White House has made it clear that President Obama is prepared to veto any sort of bill that deals with defunding Planned Parenthood. He was even willing to shut down the government over the situ-

ation, à la Obamacare, although that now seems increasingly unlikely.

In wake of these criticisms, Planned Parenthood has been trying to dispel many of the misconceptions surrounding their services. Contrary to the beliefs of many Republicans, providing abortions is only a small aspect of what the organization offers to communities, accounting for only 3% of their services.

According to Planned Parenthood’s 2013 Annual Report, the vast majority of their services revolve around STI testing (42%) and contraceptives consultations (34%).

Planned Parenthood’s services are especially important in the United States, where not everyone has access to health insurance. They are accredited with providing affordable essential services such as pap smears and breast cancer screenings to women who might not have the financial means to otherwise receive these services.

The consequences of defunding Planned Parenthood would have been large-scale; the Congressional Budget Office estimated that as many as 630,000 Americans would have lost at least some access to healthcare, with women in low-income communities being hit hardest by the loss.

Although the controversy now seems to be dying down—John Boehner has publicly announced that the government will not shut down over the issue, and an inquiry in Missouri found Planned Parenthood innocent of any wrongdoing—this is certainly not the first time that women’s reproductive health rights have been at the centre of an American po-

litical drama. In an eerily similar situation four years ago, Boehner threatened to shut down the government because Obama wouldn’t agree to cut funding to Planned Parenthood.

The GOP is still looking for other ways to defund Planned Parenthood that would avoid a government shutdown.

Percentage of Planned Parenthood budget spent on performing abortions (3%)

Percentage of Planned Parenthood abortions covered

by American taxpayers (0%)*

*except under the special circumstances covered by the Hyde Agreement

Blue Jays Qualify for Playoffs for First Time in 22 Years Justin Novick-Faille | Contributor

Lynn Hong

Twenty-two years ago this October, Joe Carter lined a walk-off homerun in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series to secure the Toronto Blue Jays’ second straight championship. For 22 years, that was the last taste of playoff baseball that Toronto had experienced. But now, after many years of frustration and failure, Canada’s only major league baseball team has qualified for the playoffs once again. This is thanks largely to an incredible second half turnaround which has seen the Blue Jays boast the best record in the MLB since the All-Star break. That turnaround was helped by the additions of former Cy Young winner David Price

and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who is widely considered to be the best all-around shortstop in baseball.

At the time of writing, the Jays have secured at least the top Wild Card spot, but they seem poised to win the American League East thanks to a number of factors.

Hitting was never the problem for the Jays this season. They have consistently had the best lineup in baseball this year and have scored an impressive 848 runs, leading the second place team by 113. To put that into perspective, only three other teams can say they have scored even 700 runs. The Blue Jays’ fearsome lineup boasts three of the six players in baseball this season that have hit 35 home runs and driven in 100. Those three players—Josh Donaldson, José Bautista, and Edwin Encarnación—are also among the top four players in baseball, in terms of runs driven in this season. MVP frontrunner Josh Donaldson has been the catalyst all season long, with 41 home runs and 122 runs driven in. Twenty-seven of those home runs have also given the Blue Jays the lead or tied the game, showing how consistent he has been all season long. While Donaldson has been outstanding, others have also provided major contributions: catcher Russell Martin has hit a career high of 22 homeruns, for example. The offence has been historically good all year, but the Blue Jays couldn’t have won more than 90 games with just their offence.

Until the All-Star break, the Blue Jays had gone through trial and error with their pitching staff. They had already lost Marcus Stroman for what everyone thought would be the whole season, their starting rotation was in disarray, and Brett Cecil (whom everyone expected to be the closer) wasn’t performing.

However, all that started to change, which contributed greatly to the amazing turnaround. R.A. Dickey found his knuckleball and has only lost one game since the All-Star break. Marco Estrada was moved to the rotation, where he thrived and quietly became one of the Jays’ best starters. Mark Buehrle continued to give the Jays quality innings as well.

However, the whole pitching staff was completely changed at the trade deadline. General Manager Alex Anthopoulos acquired ace David Price, along with relievers Mark Lowe and LaTroy Hawkins. Price has been exceptional for the Jays down the stretch. He has only lost one game during his time in Toronto—while only allowing three runs that day—and has beaten the New York Yankees in his four starts against them. This has been especially crucial for the Jays’ success, since New York have been Toronto’s nemesis throughout the season. Crucial as well has been the unexpected return of Marcus Stroman, who made three starts in September, winning all three and allowing only four runs combined. Twenty-year-old Roberto Osuna has been exceptionally consistent in the role of closer, relievers Hawkins and Lowe have also stepped in to make huge contributions, and Brett Cecil has found his touch again.

Another element that has been exceptional for the Jays all season has been their defence. On top of his outstanding contributions at the plate, Russell Martin has been a rock at catcher this season. He has thrown out 44% of would-be base stealers, which leads Major League Baseball by a wide margin. Kevin Pillar has been a highlight reel all season in the outfield, and Ryan Goins and Troy Tulowitzki have played exceptionally well at second base and shortstop respectively. Additionally, Josh Donaldson has made some exceptional barehanded plays at third base. Ben Revere, another trade deadline acquisition, has also helped stabilize the left field position for Toronto.

Clearly the Blue Jays had the elements necessary to be a contending team, but with some of the trade deadline acquisitions they have been launched to another level and are poised to win their first division title in 22 years. *All statistics accurate as of Sunday, September 27.

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Opinions • the STRAND

To Exchange, Or Not To Exchange Jocelyn Mui | Contributor If you are contemplating whether or not you should study abroad next year for a semester or two, you are definitely not alone. I, too, have been struggling to decide whether I want to go on an exchange, and the reasons for my hesitation are simple: money and time.

First, the costs of living in a foreign country sound daunting already, not to mention the price of plane tickets. Second, in regards to time, I thought it would be too late to travel for next September because I’d be in my fourth year. Even though I don’t mind studying for only a semester abroad in the fall, I find it hard to imagine doing that while graduating within the year.

Don’t get me wrong—I love to travel. I like exploring different cultures, trying out various cuisines, and observing the way people live. To me, travelling is a way of broadening our exposure to the world in which we live.

Recently I had a chance to do a test run with a short trip to London, England—the intended destination for my potential exchange. Two weeks in England was a brief stay, but it was an eye-opening experience for me, mostly because I was travelling solo for the first time. I was very anxious at first; I have never been to the UK, I’m awful with directions, and I’m clumsy. One time, I

forgot to collect my only baggage after passing customs, and I didn’t realize I was empty-handed until I boarded the plane. Surprisingly, this trip went smoothly, perhaps because being alone makes you a lot more alert.

The biggest perk about travelling alone is being able to take all the time you need—whether you want to marvel at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers for five more minutes or savour a cup of Monmouth macchiato while getting lost in the Borough Market. It’s your call.

What was most rewarding about travelling was getting to meet or reunite with people and gain insight from them. When I talked about concerns like the high cost of living in London, they encouraged me to do it because university is a great opportunity to go abroad before you graduate and move on to the working world. “Going for an exchange is expensive,” one of my friends said, “but it’s not like [the costs] would go down in a few years, at least not now…I had that in mind when I was in university, so I didn’t apply for an exchange to Canada…I should have.” Some people also mentioned that many of their friends said they would travel around the world after graduation, but none of them did. “It was costly, and it was competitive to get into the work force, and you would be left behind.”

If you’re still debating whether studying abroad is for you, have no fear; just start early! Below are suggestions that could get you started if you are considering applying for an exchange through the Centre for International Experience (CIE) at UofT: 1. The CIE homepage www.cie@utoronto.ca would be the first place to go. Just browse around; they’ve modified the website and it looks more accessible and friendlier than before, which is pretty neat.

2. The CIE fair is taking place this November 3 from 11 AM to 3 PM at Cumberland House (33 St. George Street, opposite the UofT Bookstore at College and St. George). It’s a good way to get you thinking about schools that might be of interest.

3. Finally, if you have any further questions regarding details and requirements, drop-in hours are available for students from Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 12 PM and 1 PM to 3 PM. Good luck! And believe me, travel is a once-in-a-lifetime experience you won’t forget.

How You Get The Girl: Swift, Adams, and the usurpation of feminist musicality Ola Skudlarska | Contributor Taylor Swift’s 1989 occupies a neat little niche in current pop culture. Aside from being the biggest selling album of 2014, 1989 has quickly become a rallying cry for modern feminists. In the post-Beyoncé era, Swift’s polished pop and subtly punchy lyrics fit a need for a strong feminine voice for young women. Ryan Adams’s decision to do a full-album cover seems like an indie gimmick at first, since it’s become trendy to cover pop songs as a statement of how twee and relatable you are. Only after a deeper look does it make more sense. Swift is a brilliant songwriter and her roots lie in country, only steps away from singer-songwriter territory, and Adams’s performance is more of a reinterpretation than a cover. It’s fitting that he created the arrangements while coming out of a rough breakup, finding genuine solace in the songs.

I was more interested in the album because of the excellent discussion around it, focusing on women’s voices and place in music. I decided to give the album a shot following the NPR story about it, and I entered the album skeptically, to say the least.

I’m a pop culture feminist, and my best friend had just written a published essay on feminism, madness, and “Blank Space” (look for it in Intersections: The Women and Gender Studies Undergraduate Journal). The idea of a man covering such a powerful display of feminine anger made me edgy. But, at the end of the day, I’m a sucker for acoustic music— especially the mopey, sad-boy type—and Adams’s “Blank Space” is a straight up Mountain Goats song.

Swift calls it “this beautiful aching sadness and longing,” and that’s an accurate description.

This new “Blank Space” is a retrospective, while Swift’s was a bristly dare. Her song reveled in recklessness and power, and his reflects instead on the emptiness after the loss of something huge and poi-

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sonous. It’s a different song, and the feminist in me isn’t sure if I like it. (The indie trash in me knows she loves it.) In contrast to the original, it verges on sounding like a bitter man whining about how a strong woman toyed with him and hurt him. The song in Swift’s rendition was a reclamation of the “crazy ex” trope, but Ryan Adams almost takes it back to where it was, especially with the single pronoun he left intact from the original, “Oh my god, who is she?” sung with fear and reverence. Adams’s “Blank Space” suffers in a theoretical comparison to the original, which makes it seem threatened and frightened by Swift’s power. However, it stands solid when viewed as if he’d written it, which interviews have suggested is his intent. In the end, Adam’s 1989 is a story summed up by a quote from the album’s song “Out of The Woods”: “We were meant to fall apart, then fall back together.” It’s a story about broken and wrong love, and a wish for a world where it could have ever worked. Adams calls it an alternate universe. Despite my bitterness at the context of the album, I sort of love it.

There’s the crux of my complicated feelings on the topic: the album works best if it’s imagined as Adams’s creation. Nevertheless, he is being hailed as Taylor Swift’s prophet, as the voice that stripped the pop sheen from her music to reveal the true brilliance of her song writing. And that scares me. The idea that Swift can’t showcase her own talent and requires a man to come and reinterpret her words for her is chilling. As if men have not already been the dominating voice in “serious” music, leaving women to the kiddie table of pop. That the album harkens back to Bruce Springsteen helps to solidify it as the property of the Indie Boys’ Club.

In some ways, this feels like an appropriation (taking the best and then taking the credit), but the

covers are undeniably respectful and heartfelt. Perhaps this is a commentary that intends to showcase the misogyny of the music industry. This is certainly a tribute, and Adams does highlight some new points. His 1989 flows like a story album, telling the highs and lows of an ended relationship. This is also a cover album that turned my least favorite song on the album, “How You Get The Girl,” into my favorite. 1989 as refashioned by Ryan Adams makes me desperately want a Taylor Swift who returns to her stripped down country girl roots—now empowered with lyrical chops, an adult past, and an Intro to Women’s Studies course under her belt.

Emily Pollock

Opinions • the STRAND

Shakespeare on Twitter: The Evolution of Internet-Speak

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Emily Pollock

Emily Pollock | Design Editor It can be said that at the heart of the controversy about “proper” language lies a simple white notebook with the words “Shakespeare never tweeted a sonnet” printed in black Helvetica.

To understand why this notebook is so important, we need to understand the culture in which it was made. Internet communication—like Twitter— is an ever-increasing part of our daily lives, but the way it shapes our speech and written language is still largely unstudied. My favourite piece of linguistic commentary is the “What are Your Teens Saying” type articles for worried parents who want to know the meaning of “smh” or “get rekt.” To young people, these pieces are funny because adults have no understanding of their “everyday language.” However, adults, through their ignorance, are actually illustrating what’s really going on here: the creation of an entirely new dialect.

And let’s be clear—there are actually thousands of new dialects being created online, because dialects differ from platform to platform and from forum to forum. One common feature among all this variety is the use of capitalization, punctuation, and grammar to indicate tone and thus communicate better.

The format of the text becomes part of the message.

People TYPE LIKE THIS to show they’re shouting, use multiple punctuation marks to indicate confusion or excitement, and deliberately use bad grammar to show how worked up they are. For example, the famous Tumblr-ism “I can’t even” indicates such a high level of emotion that one is incapable of typing correctly.

Most of the resources on this language profusion are informal and online, since academic institutions can’t keep up with its evolution. In fact, the internet has its own resources to track these innovations—sites like “Know Your Meme” archive the course and meaning of these linguistic novelties.

Wow! That’s some pretty cool stuff, right?

Well, not everyone is excited. Every time a piece of internet-speak becomes part of everyday language, it’s met by a reactionary and boring outcry equalled only by Pluto’s de-planet-ing. When teens use text-speak in verbal communication, selfproclaimed “defenders of the English language” are quick to prophecy doom. When “trigger warnings” moved from the computer to the campus, columnists wrote panicky op-eds about how this bareminimum of human courtesy was “destroying the freedom of speech at universities.” When “selfie” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary, people furiously blogged that they “didn’t want to live on this planet anymore,” blissfully unaware that their very response was a well-worn internet meme.

The people who complain about the fruits of internet communication usually appeal to the Great Authors of Yesteryear, imagining them frowning down from the afterlife like your disappointed relatives. That’s where we get cultural products like the Shakespeare notebook, aimed at telling the ignorant masses that the owner of said notebook is too smart for the sheep-like embrace of internet linguistics.

There’s one problem here—few artists became great by sticking to well-worn linguistic clichés.

Shakespeare added over 1,700 words to the English language, many of them (to the delight of my internet-linguist soul) by turning nouns into verbs. And if we want to talk about linguistic prestige, Shakespeare’s plays were seen as lowbrow entertainment for the masses, and the Puritans hated them so much they literally closed all the theatres. In fact, critics like John Dryden basically thought Shakespeare was ruining the language through his shoddy grammar.

In other words, language changes, and linguistic reactionaries aren’t the ones making cool things.

This doesn’t mean that we have to uncritically embrace internet-ese. I personally love hearing debates about how online surfing is changing our attention spans and the pros and cons of brief, Twitter-style communication. But it’s boring and wrong to look at this as the simple “dumbing down” of our generation. You can’t deny that people are making a functional, sometimes even beautiful dialect out of the bare bones of online communication.

So I hope my kids talk in an idiolect that I barely understand. I hope that every noun they verb makes the moral puritans of the age cry and gnash their teeth.

After all, “to be or not to be” is under 140 characters.

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OUR MASTHEAD Editors-in-Chief editor@thestrand.ca

Anthony Burton Rhianna Jackson-Kelso Holly McKenzie-Sutter

News

Nicole Paroyan

news@thestrand.ca

Opinions

Your Student Account Has a Balance: UofT’s Complimentary Course on Economic Absurdism

?

Olivia Dziwak

opinions@thestrand.ca

Features features@thestrand.ca

Geoff Baillie Claire Wilkins

Arts & Culture

Clarrie Feinstein

artsandculture@thestrand.ca

Film & Music

Bronwyn Nisbet-Gray

filmandmusic@thestrand.ca

Stranded

Neil MacIsaac

stranded@thestrand.ca

Copy Editing

Jake McNair

copy@thestrand.ca

Design design@thestrand.ca

Emily Pollock Grace Quinsey

Photo

Genevieve Wakutz

photo@thestrand.ca

Art

Lynn Seolim Hong

art@thestrand.ca

Web

Emily Pollock

Kasra Koushan

web@thestrand.ca

Editorial Assistants

Vacant

Contributors Maddy De Sousa, Emily Deibert, Arika Jiang, Molly Kay, Marina Klimenko, Ainsley MacDougall, Jocelyn Mui, Justin Novick-Faille, Carey Roach, Philip Russell, Alexandra Scandolo, Ola Skudlarska, Brenan Sivapragasam, LaurentPhilippe Veilleux Copy Editors Sarah Armoogam, Amanda Ghazale Aziz, Alexandra Jones, Annabelle Moore Illustrations Emily Pollock, Lynn Hong Photos Henry Chan, Laurent-Philippe Veilleux, Alexandra Scandolo, Genvieve Wakutz. All candidate photos copyright of their respective websites.

Cover Images Rosa Kumar (photo), Lynn Hong (illustration) The Strand has been the newspaper of record for Victoria University since 1953. It is published 12 times a year with a circulation of 2000 and is distributed in Victoria University buildings and across the University of Toronto’s St. George campus.

The Strand flagrantly enjoys its editorial autonomy and is committed to acting as an agent of constructive social change. As such, we will not publish material deemed to exhibit racism, sexism, homo/transphobia, ableism, or other oppressive language.

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Our offices are located at 150 Charles St. W., Toronto, ON, M5S 1K9. Please direct enquiries by email to editor@thestrand.ca. Submissions are welcome and may be edited for taste, brevity, and legality.

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Holly McKenzie-Sutter | Editor-in-Chief A few days ago, I received a pleasant and friendly message in my UofT mailbox under the subject line “your student account has a balance.” The contents, listed in accessible and personable pointform, reminded me that if I did not pay my outstanding tuition and student fees that day, I would start to collect interest on my account.

Despite having worked 40-hour weeks in the service industry while attending summer classes for the larger part of the summer, I hadn’t quite reached my personal goal for comfortable savings going into the school year. Regardless, with student loans, a Vic scholarship, and an ongoing job with consistent hours, I don’t consider myself among the most economically disadvantaged in our school community. I was a bit sad to see that email, but I paid my fees—because that’s the contract we’re in at this institution and paying the fees is part of what you do. A melancholy strain of “Taps” played over a loop of every depressing memory from my months of night shifts as I watched my savings essentially disappear when I clicked “pay bill.”

As a student, this time of year always makes me think about how as a student, the concept of money is one that I can’t quite wrap my head around. I understand that there is a reason for student fees, and as a levy head I do think these fees are worth something for the experiences and opportunities they make available to people. Without them, The Strand would absolutely not be able to run the way that it does. But I can’t help but laugh at the irony of fee deadlines coming in so close to the breaking story of the recent UTSU lawsuit. In case you missed The Varsity’s or other Canadian news media’s coverage of this surreal campus development, it has been reported that the former president, vice-president internal, and executive director of the UTSU are alleged to have committed civil fraud in writing severance payments that amounted to $247,726.40, or around 10% of the UTSU’s overall budget.

There’s a reason that this event is covered in The Strand’s humour section, because looking at it in a comedic light seems to be the only way to avoid being overtaken by debilitating sadness. It’s also necessary because humour is the only way I personally can look at those numbers and pretend to have a lens with which to understand them.

I have no idea what $247,726.40 looks like, let alone what ten times that number looks like, or what one could possibly expect to buy with that money. I do know that if I had that kind of money lying around, I could pay for my minimum fouryear degree and not be in massive debt at the end of it, which would be fun.

Maybe this piece is making me come across as economically illiterate. All I know is that aside from campus involvement and my studies, I don’t have a hell of a lot of time for reading up on economic theory because I’m spending most of my spare time at my job so I can feed myself and maybe only be paying off debt until I die. The flippant way in which money seems to be handled at UofT may have contributed to my economic illiteracy— what with tuition hikes every year on the one hand and a solid month of classes suspended last year on the other, due to educators feeling that they aren’t being paid enough to feed themselves and the school saying “Nah, we think you’re good.”

I haven’t had the opportunity to write a cheque to myself for $9,782.24 of overtime hours. Given the opportunity, I’m not sure that I would, because I’m the kind of person who will merely be sad and click “pay bill” when I get the email telling me it’s time to do that. Given the behaviour of our student government with our money, I’m not sure if this attitude is going to help me succeed out there in the real world. But I’m going to keep clicking the button when I need to and try to believe, against all evidence to the contrary, that honesty and hard work will get me somewhere.

Editorial • the STRAND

No Fear, First Years!

The Strand editors present our midterm tip sheet With the overwhelming spectre of midterms approaching, Frosh who are feeling lost in the hurricane of first-year feelings can rest easy, kick back, and read on to hear from The Strand’s seasoned editorial board offering tips on how to tackle life at UofT. Only reading the last paragraph works.

Don’t be the guy who starts your comment with “I didn’t do the reading, but….” You don’t need to do the reading, but don’t be that guy.

If you talk the most in tutorial, even if you didn’t read a single page of the readings, you will always get a good mark. Always.

Holly McKenzie-Sutter, Editor-in-Chief Bring several backup pens to your exams. The look the invigilators give you when you have to ask them for one is truly terrifying.

I know you want to get involved in everything, but narrow it down to three major things to focus on so you don’t get overwhelmed.

Genevieve Wakutz, Photography Editor Don’t be afraid to major in a subject you are actually interested in during your down time. Being passionate about your program will mean you are likely to be compelled to explore more in that field than just study.

Find a person who can be your mentor throughout your undergrad. Whether it’s a teacher, an older sibling, or a TA...they will become an invaluable asset!

Clarrie Feinstein, Arts & Culture Editor If you really like a prof or TA, go to their office hours (even if you don’t have any questions) and straight up befriend them by talking about their subject! Having faculty friends will help you lots throughout your undergrad.

Olivia Dziwak, Opinions Editor

Figure out early which courses you don’t really need to do the readings in (trust me, you don’t always need to do them). Letting some of them go guilt-free will cut down on a significant amount of stress.

Your college may not be as diverse or inclusive as the majority of students and allies think it to be.

Please know that you deserve so much better and that your voice matters. If you want to speak out, definitely do. As well, if you feel like you need to branch out, there are a lot of places on campus outside of your college that have been established as safe spaces for marginalized students.

Absolutely do not torrent anything, whether it’s on wifi or over Ethernet. They will know. They know everything.

Rhianna Jackson-Kelso, Editor-in-Chief

Amanda Ghazale Aziz, Staff Writer

Anthony Burton, Editor-in-Chief

Don’t stress if you don’t think you’ve met anybody that you get along with yet. Trying to rush it will only cause you grief, and you’ll meet your wedding party soon enough.

The UTSU is holding a Plebiscite.

The proposal you are asked to consider is:

“Are you in favour of moving the start of Orientation Week to a few days before Labour Day in order to allow for the introduction of a Fall Reading Week?”

Polling days: October 27-29 Polling times: 9:00am-6:00pm Polling locations: Galbraith, Sidney Smith, Gerstein, Wetmore, OISE, TYP, Old Vic @UTSU98

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For more information, visit your Students’ Union website at utsu.ca or contact the Chief Returning Officer at cro@utsu.ca.

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Features • the STRAND

Laurent-Philippe Veilleux

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Cottage country has been developed to the point that it is virtually indistinguishable from the city itself.

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Features • the STRAND

The Death of Cottage Country Laurent-Philippe Veilleux | Staff Contributor

Every so often, it takes a shock to the system to understand that the world has changed, sometimes for better, often for worse. Mine came this past summer when, while out rowing, I saw a group of cottagers in a speedboat intentionally buzzing a family of loons. At that moment, I realized (at the risk that this is all going to sound like sanctimonious bullshit) that the notion of cottaging I grew up with is dead, buried, and all but forgotten. While my cottage isn’t in what’s traditionally considered the “Muskoka” area, it’s close enough that many of the same phenomena that have affected that area are beginning to occur on my lake.

Cottages were initially conceived as a way to help urbanites get out of the city and become re-acquainted with the beauty of nature. The inner peace brought about by leaving technology behind was the main attraction. Nowadays, however, cottage country has been developed to the point that it is virtually indistinguishable from the city itself.

Gone are the days when forests enveloped shorelines, replaced by carefully manicured lawns that closely resemble the lands of a golf course. Properties that once contained charming, rustic cabins in the woods now house multimillion-dollar mansions. Lakes, once the source of solace and relaxation among cottagers, have become highly trafficked waterways. Muskoka, an area once world renowned for its rugged wilderness, now seems like little more than a logical extension of the Greater Toronto Area’s urban sprawl.

Ironically, the quest to civilize cottage country has made nature more of a nuisance than an attraction. Many species of animals and plants once commonplace in these areas have been virtually eradicated from the ecosystem, exiled to remote areas that have not yet been reached by developers.

Loons, for example, carry their young on their backs until the chicks are able to swim for themselves. When cottagers buzz at them with speedboats, forcing the adults to dive, there is a very high chance that the baby loons will drown. What those drunken louts don’t realize in trying to impress their friends is that they are putting serious strain on the ecosystem and forcing animals such as loons further away from cottage country.

When I was a young child, I distinctly remember lying awake in bed at night listening to the loons on our lake calling to each other, as well as the haunting, ethereal call of the whip-poor-will.

These sounds are so distinct and moving that I truly believe every person should have a chance to experience them at least once.

Sadly, however, hearing loons on the lake has become a rarity, while whip-poor-wills are now seldom ever heard.

Although loons or whip-poor-wills have yet to be considered an “at risk” species, there are a multitude of others that have not been so fortunate. The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, the only poisonous snake found in Ontario, has been much maligned by uninformed cottagers who overreact at the prospect of a venomous animal on their property. What they don’t know, of course, is that the snake is timid and prefers to avoid people if at all possible. Unfortunately, however, misinformation has led to countless snakes being killed on sight, and the species is now recognized as threatened.

Looking back, it’s incredible to think that this land was virtually given away by the government to open the area up to logging

and farming. Even more impressive, especially to those of us who know the area today, is that many settlers tragically died of starvation and disease while trying to homestead the land, unfortunate victims of unfertile soil and frigid winters. The only remaining vestiges of this bygone era are the names of the colonisation roads: the Opeongo, Nipissing, Hastings, etc.

Despite the area once being considered inhospitable, it has since come to be recognized as the “Hamptons of the North.” Despite the area having been a tourist draw since the early twentieth century, it has only been in the last 50 years that the area has begun to lose its rustic charm. In 2014, for example, there were 59 transactions relating to properties valued at more than $2 million.

In 1962, by contrast, our family bought an acre of undeveloped lakefront property for all of $1,200.

Our lake wasn’t allowed to have cottages built on it until the road development in 1969. For the next few decades, however, the area remained minimally developed, with tiny cabins hidden by the forests and the lakeshores dotted only with miniscule docks.

One thing that hasn’t changed, despite all the development, is the importance of water. Boats have always had a place in cottage country, although now most lakes are home to many families with vessels more valuable than an average car. Palatial boathouses, larger than many homes in Toronto, dot the waterfront of every lake in cottage country. Most comical, perhaps, has been the tendency to clear-cut the forests along the shorelines, replacing them with grass. Who in their right mind wants to leave their home in Toronto only to spend their weekend mowing their lawn at the cottage?

What’s the point of this newfound grandiosity? The priceless experience of “roughing it” is no longer desired. Cottages have become commodities, assets that are bought and sold on a whim for a profit. Further, people will invest money into altering the landscape in spectacular ways simply to demonstrate their wealth. The original purpose of the hobby has metamorphosed into a rat race for prestige. The desire to impress peers has superseded the purpose of experiencing nature.

A family friend, whose family had owned a cottage on Lake Muskoka since the 1930s, once claimed, noting the size of many Muskoka cottages, that the largest cottages never have anybody staying there, since the owners have to work constantly in order to afford them.

This over-the-top luxury has further inspired a number of offshoot industries to come to the area, which has further detracted from its peace and serenity. Chartered flights by floatplane are now available, which, although horrendously expensive, often present the only opportunity for Bay Street financiers to enjoy their properties.

The oldest generation of cottagers, like the family friend mentioned above, are beginning to move on from the area, whether by passing away or being forced to sell properties they can no longer maintain due to advanced age. The ones who still remember when the lakes were lined with little more than virgin forests are few and far between. Just like the loons and whip-poor-wills, they are becoming rarer and rarer in an ever-changing and less natural environment.

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Arts & Culture • the STRAND

Trinity’s The Winter’s Tale made the most of what it had Philip Russell | Contributor The Trinity College Drama Society kicked off their season with the annual production of Shakespeare in the Quad, which follows a long tradition of performing Shakespeare’s works in outdoor settings. This year’s performance was The Winter’s Tale, one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known dramedy plays.

The play focuses on King Leontes’s descent into madness, which causes him to banish his friend Polixenes and imprison his wife Hermione. The end of the act reaches a climactic point with the death of his son and wife, or so he believes. The second act changes gears dramatically as we flash-forward to the king’s outcast daughter, now grown up. At this point, the show becomes your typical Shakespearean comedy featuring young forbidden love, disguises, and a finale only Shakespeare could get away with: the king is miraculously forgiven his past wrongdoings, reunited with his wife, and everyone lives happily ever after.

King Leontes, played by Louis-Alexandre Boulet, performed the part so brashly that he overpowered his band of courtiers. The only players who seemed to match his intensity were Queen Hermione, played by Rachel Hart, and her friend Paulina, played by Madeleine Heaven. Both women excelled with the emotional aspects in the text and gave powerful performances.

However, I was a bit miffed that the first act’s conflict between Leontes and Paulina seemed to be resolved by Paulina excusing her actions as “the rashness of a woman.” It was in certain scenes like these that the characters’ motivations and actions seemed underdeveloped and, frankly, weak. This is not one of Shakespeare’s literary triumphs.

The second act begins with a surprising turn as the play shifts to comedy. We are introduced to a host of new characters, most notably the rogue Autolycus, played by Kevin Wong, who did a fantastic job of bringing laughter and warmth to the stage on an extremely cold night—The Winter’s Tale was aptly named.

Songs were incorporated, which managed to emphasize the comedic qualities of the play and offered a pleasant contrast to the drawn out Shakespearean prose.

The audience especially enjoyed the replacement of 15 pages of text with a two-minute song, or “ditty”—their words, not mine. The cast as a whole was solid, with their fair share of jitters, but whether that was from opening night nerves or the fact it was five degrees outside is anyone’s guess.

Anthony Botelho made some interesting directorial choices, the most obvious being his use of mime to visually convey the characters’ internal conflicts. It highlighted the play’s themes of imagination and perception shaping the major conflicts of the play. While it was a clever device to help explain certain charac-

ter developments, it also drew attention away from the main action, making some scenes unclear. I also question Bothelho’s choice to portray the king’s paranoia as caused by drug use. The result is that his madness no longer derives from the anxiety of power, but is more like the product of a bad trip from his snuffbox. This action can change the way we interpret the king’s development throughout the show, for better or for worse.

While The Winter’s Tale might be lacking in strong themes, or in coherence between the first and second acts, its actors certainly provided entertaining moments, which made for an enjoyable show. If you decide to see Trinity’s Shakespeare in the Quad in the future, I would highly recommend a blanket. Or four.

Emily Pollock

The Flesh of the World exhibit explores the human body Molly Kay | Arts & Culture Associate UofT students are pretty lucky. Our campus is located in the core of downtown Toronto and we have access to so many artistic and cultural opportunities. However, due to the high volume of external events and exhibits, we often tend to forget about the many exciting things happening right here on campus. In fact, many students are unaware of the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery and University of Toronto Art Centre that exist at our very own Hart House Student Centre.

These establishments feature contemporary Canadian artists, as well as select historical pieces, all year round. Over the past few months, they have showcased a large collective of artists in a very special exhibit called The Flesh of The World, which managed to leave a lingering impression.

Inspired by the philosopher Maurive MerleauPonty, as well as the 2015 XVII Pan and Parapan American Games, which occurred in Toronto this past summer, The Flesh of The World challenges our preconceived notions about the human body and questions society’s idea of a “normal body.” The compelling questions brought forth are, “What does normal even mean?” and “How can such a standard exist in a society as complex as our own?”

This exhibit provides viewers with an inside look at several physical disabilities and conditions along

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with the ways they limit quotidian functions. The various art media of the exhibit examine the relationship between physical appearance and psychological perception of self.

Through a series of photographs, Alexa Wright captures people who have amputated limbs or serious skin conditions. The subjects in these photographs demonstrate how a bodies’ athleticism is unfixed and limitless. This provides a necessary narrative for these communities, who are often discussed in terms of their limitations and not their accomplishments. The lack of positive representation can lead these athletes to feel ashamed, as they feel they don’t represent what society considers a “normal” human experience.

One subject importantly states, “This is definitely something that happened to me, and yet at the same time it is what makes me me.” It is this demonstration of the human spirit that the exhibit captures at its core. The Flesh of the World strives to deconstruct our idea of what is “normal” and replace it with the recognition that everyone is different. Simply put, it reminds us that people come in many shapes, colours, and sizes, and that’s okay. In fact, that is beauty in its purest and most natural form.

For example, artist Tim Lee uses video to illustrate “how one person’s stable perspective might be

another person’s warped one.” He films a man rolling on the ground at several different camera angles, creating a loop of non-stop motion. This distorted shot leaves the viewer feeling dizzy and disoriented, and prompts us to broaden our perspectives by considering the billions of people that exist in the world who feel ignored and unrecognized. Furthermore, Lee encourages us to be grateful for the opportunities we are granted every day.

In a different video installation, Helen Dowling investigates human interaction. She records a meeting between John, who lives with cerebral palsy, and a break-dancer. Dowling asks John to mimic the breakdancer’s movements and she asks the break-dancer to mimic John’s movements. She comments on imitation, as it can serve as a form of flattery, but can also inflict serious harm, which John has to endure on a regular basis. She effectively turns an act of cruelty into a challenge that is admirable, promoting universal acceptance.

The Flesh of the World is on at Hart House until October 10, and I would highly recommend that you see the exhibit before it ends.

Arts & Culture • the STRAND

Power Plant Gallery opens to receptive audience, some setbacks Henry Chan

Marina Kleminko | Contributor On September 25, the Power Plant Gallery—located on the Harbourfront—opened its new season to a receptive and welcoming audience of more than 5,000, which created a line-up outside the door before the gallery’s opening. The Power Plant is “renowned for its global vision and special commitment to groundbreaking contemporary Canadian art and widely supported as essential to the cultural infrastructure [of ] Toronto, Ontario, and Canada.”

There were three exhibits that premiered at the opening. The first was Mark Lewis’s work Invention, which toys with the concept of architecture captured on film. The Canada-born, UK-based artist travelled to Toronto to create three films that showcase the modernist architecture of the city (one of the locations filmed was UofT’s own Robarts library). Lewis focuses on the medium of film itself, creating a highly aesthetic-focused art exhibit and highlighting the beauty of the city in the process.

The curation of the exhibit was minimal, which was underwhelming; the second-floor installation appeared underdeveloped, as if the final film was an afterthought.

Invention was overshadowed by its neighbour installation and the show’s star—Carlos Amorales’s, Black Cloud. The site-specific installation features 30,000

black paper moths installed in a wave pattern on almost every surface down the gallery’s main hall. The massive display was the most visually stimulating, even attracting a number of people who tried to photograph the piece. Black Cloud illuminates the Power Plant’s own history as an industrial space.

Amorales’s work is inspired by the peppered moth evolution—a natural phenomenon wherein Britain’s black moth population skyrocketed due to increased levels of industrial pollution during the Industrial Revolution. Black Cloud is meant as a cautionary tale of the effect human activity has on its environment. Taking into account the Power Plant’s history as an industrial facility makes the impact of this site-specific installation even stronger. The perfect combination of location, idea, and beauty make it the night’s highlight.

The final installation, I See Words, I Hear Voices by Spanish artist Dora García, failed to marry theme and aesthetic in a compelling way. At first, it seemed that the Irish writer James Joyce served as inspiration for the collection. The Joycean Society was a 53-minute film that depicted the members of the Zurich James Joyce Foundation discussing the author’s work. Despite being well filmed and visually appealing, the piece did fit not with many of the other pieces that revolved around the theme of exile. Focusing on the film was difficult, as

it was shown in the main room alongside several other pieces, making it difficult to comprehend the message being conveyed.

It was because of such issues of curation that the installation suffered. One piece, Exile, which featured postal items sent to specific locations by various authors, was a response to the central theme. The layout and description of it as a “real-time installation” led many guests to believe that they were meant to interact with the mail. The gallery was quick to allot someone to shoo away those who wanted to touch, which would not have been necessary if it had appropriate installation.

Overall, the energy and positivity of the crowd added an exciting atmosphere to the evening. Black Cloud was a clear favourite, with visitors trying to capture the dramatic composition from every angle. Yet the lack of flow (from one artist to another as well as in the collections themselves) was confusing not only visually but physically as well, as many guests were unsure of where they were supposed to be heading next. However, The Power Plant is a Canadian institution that has garnered acclaim in Canada and overseas, and one I was very proud to support, regardless.

Henry Chan

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Carlos Amorales’s... installation features 30,000 black paper moths installed in a wave pattern on almost every surface down the gallery’s main hall.

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Film & Music • the STRAND

No to No No No Ainsley MacDougall | Contributor If you enjoy indie-folk music, enticing vocals, and/ or accordions, you have probably encountered Beirut, an American band with a penchant for European-inspired sounds and captivating lyrics. Zach Condon, a composer and musician widely regarded for his unique voice and multicultural influences, founded Beirut in 2006. Since then, he has provided the alternative and indie genres with a refreshing yet nostalgic take on folk music.

No No No, Beirut’s first new album in over four years, is a unique one in his catalogue. No No No feels like the antithesis to the band’s earlier and more complex albums, including Gulag Orkestar and The Flying Club Cup. However, it seems too simple in comparison with the understated and compelling The Rip Tide.

Not only does the album lack the distinctive, eclectic energy typical of Beirut, but it misses the depth and sincerity characteristic of Condon’s voice and lyrics.

Instead of the band’s usual complex instrumental layering, No No No features simplistic trumpet, guitar, and piano riffs throughout. Rather than nine distinct songs, the whole album comes across more like two or three tracks. The songs, all lasting from two to four minutes, greatly contrast with the four-to-five-minute epics Beirut has produced in the past. While the al-

bum contains numerous radio-friendly tracks such as “Perth” and “Gibraltar,” the rest of the melodies fade into the background, easily forgotten and often difficult to distinguish.

Where earlier albums like Orkestar and The Rip Tide suggest scenes of havoc and mayhem, intense love and loss, and joyful days cast over by dark clouds, No No No does not evoke such strong scenes, nor does it want to. Even No No No’s more serious songs, like “At Once,” suggest not a strong feeling of sadness and compelling loss like “The Rip Tide” or “Rhineland (Heartland)” from earlier albums, but a more overarching and vague sense of confusion and sadness.

Now, this is not to say that the album isn’t worth a listen. While it isn’t as memorable as Beirut’s prior work, No No No is still a nice album to enjoy while sitting in a coffee shop or reading in the park. Unfortunately, this is precisely what makes it forgettable.

Lacking in emotional power and Beirut’s usual eccentricity, it is difficult for the album to make a lasting impression.

Beirut

Jazz Cartier Live At Vic Arika Jiang | Staff Writer On September 24, VUSAC hosted their first concert for a series called “Cat’s Eye Concerts” and was able to score a very special artist—Jazz Cartier. In April, he released his debut album Marauding in Paradise and was longlisted for a 2015 Polaris Music Prize. Born in Toronto, Jazz has been working very hard on writing distinctive music and has received a lot of praise for his work. Currently in the middle of touring, Jazz Cartier continues to surprise audiences and put on electrifying shows. The concert also opened with two of UofT’s artists, Sean Kudryk and Aery, who showcased their original music. With only 100 tickets available, the show received a lot of hype and sold out very quickly.

Like the title of his first track ever released, Jazz Cartier definitely “set fire” to the stage. This might explain why he was constantly catapulting water towards the crowd—to extinguish the fire he summoned and cool down the audience. Yes, Jazz Cartier did indeed throw water at the crowd; not just once, but continuously. Some would say that it was an incredibly irritating and unnecessary routine, but others would say

that it enlivened the show and connected the audience to Jacuzzi La Fleur. Regardless, the water throwing was certainly an interesting and atypical concert experience that no one but Jazz Cartier could pull off. His energy and vigour built up the enthusiasm of the crowd, as exemplified by the rowdy cheering and explosive shouts for “Jacuzzi” heard throughout the night.

Performing tracks off his new album, Marauding in Paradise, such as “New Religion,” “Switch,” “Feel Something,” “The Valley,” “The Downtown Cliché,” and others, Jazz Cartier continued to keep audience engaged with his hypnotic, hard-hitting beats. Though the album contains heavy and intense hip-hop trap tracks, it also has a mix of mellow tracks, which he performed as well. Marauding in Paradise is an eclectic album, influenced by sounds all over the world, since Jazz Cartier was constantly traveling. Jazz brings an inexplicable atmosphere to the stage—it feels like you are just listening to any other hip hop artist, but there is also something completely different and new. He gives off a familiar but fresh vibe, which is what makes

him so unique.

Interacting with audience members is important for live performances, and Jazz did not disappoint.

When he performed “Holy Shit,” he made sure to keep the crowd involved. Lifting his left arm up, he instructed the crowd to chant “holy shit” whenever he raised that arm. As well, with his right arm in the air, he instructed the crowd to chant “woo” whenever he raised his right arm. The enthusiastic audience spiritedly yelled these words as he rapped and danced.

Towards the end, he gave the audience exactly what they wanted—Jazz Cartier himself. He grabbed a table nearby, climbed up, hung from the ceiling, and began to crowd surf. Everyone went wild as he sailed through the crowd and continued to rap intensely.

Talk about putting on a fiery show! If you were unable to attend this intoxicating performance, you definitely missed out. But don’t fret—as a Toronto-based artist, Jazz will definitely be back. In which case, you have no excuse for missing his next show.

Genevieve Wakutz

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Film & Music • the STRAND

Get Ruff Arika Jiang | Staff Writer

Born Ruffians

Although surprisingly short (38:56 minutes in length), the new Born Ruffians album, RUFF, indulges listeners with the familiar sounds of Luke Lalonde’s vocals and classic Ruffian guitar riffs. In contrast to their previous album, Birthmarks, RUFF contains songs that are less pop-y, but rather reminiscent of old school rock.

The opening of the second track of the album, “Stupid Dreams,” bears a slight resemblance to the hit single, “Take On Me” by the 1980s band A-ha. Born Ruffians seem to be reviving their old indie rock roots, bringing back incoherent lyrical vocals heard in songs like “Barnacle Goose” and “Badonkadonkey” from their earlier 2008 album Red, Yellow & Blue.

RUFF seems to portray the band’s feelings for their current status as rock stars. With songs like “(Eat Shit) We Did It” and “We Made It,” the artists appear to express their jubilance and sense of pride for surviving and getting to this point of their lives with their music careers. Lalonde sings in his new song, “One Day, I’m Gonna Make It,” and these lyrics certainly ring true as their hard work and dedication earned the 2004 band a recent 2014 Juno nomination. As revealed in the lyrics and music video of their opening track, “Don’t Live Up,” the musicians express that their lives as artists

are not as glamorous as most would think. Constantly touring and writing music, their lives consist of repetition combined with sleepless nights. As Lalonde sings, “You’re living the dream… but it don’t live up!”

Born Ruffians began their 2015 RUFF tour in September, starting with Indie 88’s two-year anniversary party in Toronto and continuing across North America and Europe. Just as they began their tour in Toronto, they will end their tour in Toronto with three separate shows from December 10 to 12 at the Silver Dollar, Lee’s Palace, and Opera House. Filled with incredible energy and passion, Born Ruffians consistently put on explosive shows that are known for being memorable.

They often interact with the audience and perform with intense spirit. Jumping to the rhythmic beats of their songs, the members of Born Ruffians always look like they are having a good time, which lifts the spirits of everyone around. Make sure to catch them at one of the Toronto dates and dance your pants off. Don’t be afraid of getting a little RUFF.

The Age of the Surprise Album: What A Time to Be Alive!

Alexandra Scandolo | Staff Contributor (From page 1) Since Beyoncé’s self-titled drop, the age of the surprise album has reached its pinnacle. While people assumed it would be an unrepeatable gimmick, many artists have followed suit by releasing albums unannounced. Any Torontonian remembers Drake’s spontaneous release of If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late on the eve of Valentine’s Day. Just when you thought it couldn’t be done again, he and Future debuted a surprise 11-track mixtape titled What A Time To Be Alive on September 20.

The Apple Music exclusive premiered at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100, just like Beyoncé’s album. It contains brand new music from both artists, and the mixtape continues to show Drake’s determination to change his image from lonely Toronto-boy to hard-hitting music mogul.

Following Beyoncé’s model, the release of a surprise album usually means a new concept for the artist. With If You’re Reading This Drizzy broke away from Cash Money Records to further connect with his own OVO label. In the meantime, he began to tighten his alignment with Apple Music, dropping mid-July tracks like “Hotline Bling” and “Back To Back” exclusively on the new streaming service, while also creating the Beats 1 program OVO Sound Radio. This new era in Drake’s career is linked to the Internet as a medium through which the fans act as promoters for his new and spontaneous branding.

None of these music power plays would be possible without the Internet. Beyoncé did literally “chang[e] the game with that digital drop”—a lyrical boast she crowns herself with in Nicki Minaj’s “Feeling Myself.” The music world has been different for pop enthusiasts and music writers since December 2013—everyone with an ear to the ground for any inkling or speculation of someone ‘pulling a Bey.’ Social media sites where fans follow their favourite artists have become spaces where these surprise releases spread. Right before If You’re Reading This dropped, many knew a new mixtape from Drake was approaching in 2015, but the question was when. The connectivity of

social media and music streaming has given artists the ability to throw new material online in seconds. The Internet has assumed the role of record stores and music clubs of the past—an album release party is available seven days a week and right at your fingertips. The connectivity of social media and music streaming has given artists the ability to throw any new material online in a flash. These methods demonstrate a sense of faith in fans’ ability to consume art without preparation, while evoking a pre-Internet era sense of excitement for undiscovered content.

Nonetheless, integrating music and social media is a difficult balancing act. It’s easy to see companies and labels attempting to find a place in these millennial driven online spaces—how to speak to their target audience and how to get them to listen in such a fast-paced and overcrowded space is important. Beyoncé and Drake’s PR teams know that dedicated fans are willing to stand by any project, even without traditional promotion. Online, there is a strongly felt need to know everything about your favourite artist as quickly as possible. The surprise album gimmick, paired with social media’s almost invasive reach, has worked for artists since Beyoncé, but other artists have chosen to grab their fans’ attention with a different type of gimmick: the countdown.

This past summer, two songs garnered enough attention to break multiple records—and everyone knew the exact release dates. Taylor Swift’s summer single “Bad Blood” had three weeks of promotion on her Instagram account where she posted photos of her famous best friends starring in the video. While the promoted video broke the VEVO 24-hour view record, with 20.1 million views within a day of its release, the music video was met with harsh criticism over its content and its failure to fully live up to Swift’s hype.

Another song given the same Instagram treatment was Justin Bieber’s first solo single in three years, “What Do You Mean.” The song plays on the same hooks as his summer hit with Diplo and Skrillex, “Where Are Ü Now?” but has given Bieber the springboard to make the comeback many

have been awaiting. Leading up to its release, he had a starstudded line-up hold signs counting down the days to its release in multiple Instagram posts. Both Taylor and Justin’s work was consumed because of anticipation—people were eager to know what these evolving artists were proud of and why so many other famous people were on board.

While the surprise album has certainly changed how we consume music, the pop heavyweights of the world seem to be the ones profiting off of the movement. However, immediate adoption isn’t a given: while Taylor and Justin’s fans are more obsessed than most, these singles act as a way to ease followers into new styles before full albums are released. These singles work because they build and sustain listener interest: you wanted to see what Taylor’s girl squad would get up to in the Instagrammed Sin-City fantasyland, and you wanted to know if our Canadian heartthrob was back on the straight and narrow. The artists wanted to create hype around their content’s release that was geared less towards excitement and more towards satisfaction.

The surprise album is a way to show long-time fans of an artist that there can be spontaneity in a world where connection to live celebrity updates is instant. It combines our rapid-paced viewership with an era prior to mass online campaigning. By placing trust in music streaming services like Apple Music or Spotify, these artists are propelling themselves into the future of music. They are making an argument for fan dedication and the importance of online consumption by people our age. Average people created the impact of these albums through social media; it was not simply a string of celebrities vouching for artistic credibility on Twitter and Instagram. Fans are integral to making an artist’s movement successful by passing on content to one another. As Kanye West put it at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, “Listen to the kids, bro.”

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Film & Music • the STRAND

The Sweetness of The Great British Bake Off Connie Lee | Contributor

The Great British Bake Off has taken the UK by storm ever since it first aired in 2010. The premise of the show is simple: 12 bakers are assigned three challenges every week until the best amateur baker is crowned. There really isn’t much more to it, so why is it so popular?

First, let’s get an idea of just how popular Bake Off is.

Last season’s finale peaked at 13.5 million viewers, meaning that one in five people in the UK tuned in. It also makes it the most watched TV show in the UK in 2014, beating out heavy hitters like Sherlock and Downton Abbey. With those statistics, it wouldn’t be particularly far fetched to say that Bake Off has become a part of the British national identity.

The challenges are comprised of the signature, technical, and showstopper bakes—all examined scrupulously by

judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. The show owes its success, in part, to Mary and Paul. Mary’s endearing softness contrasts strongly with Paul’s no-nonsense attitude.

Their deep knowledge of baked goods is evident, and when they start tirelessly dissecting the bakes, you actually start caring about the crumb structure and the thickness of pastry.

The rest of the permanent cast is comprised of hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, who provide much needed comic relief in the tense Bake Off tent. Despite speaking primarily in puns and innuendos, it’s evident that they just want the bakers to feel comfortable in their environment.

Mel and Sue have, on occasion, been known to unintentionally hinder the bakers’ efforts, but the fact that they’re

always willing to lend a helping hand is a reflection of the kindness that marks the show.

Above all, I believe it is the show’s sweetness which makes it such a mainstay of British television. It sets itself apart from the plethora of drama-fuelled cooking competitions, filled with barbed VTs and manufactured catastrophes. The show is focused on the bakers and what they bake, and although that sounds a tad humdrum, it’s easy to become invested in the outcome of someone’s frangipane.

If you want to check it out for yourself, the finale will air this Wednesday, and should be available on BBC iPlayer (check out Google for advice on how to access it).

Season 6 Finalists

Ian Cumming, the Dalai Lama’s personal photographer in the region, is the inventor of the tent.

Winning Star Baker three weeks in a row early on made Ian a favourite to take home the crown, but he’s struggled to recapture that initial success.

Full-time mum Nadiya Hussain had a rocky start to the series, but has since turned it around with a run of beautifully presented bakes.

Nadiya has been known to let her nerves get to her; however, she’s probably the best baker out of the finalists when her creativity shines through.

Heartthrob and trainee anaesthetist, Tamal Ray is the most consistent of the bunch. His timing problems could very well be his downfall in the finals, but despite being adventurous with his flavours, he has yet to put out a truly spectacular bake.

BBC

Angry Indian Goddesses Turns Buddy Comedy Trope On Its Head Vipasha Shaikh | Contributor Angry Indian Goddesses, a film from India directed by Pan Nalin (Samsara), has been christened India’s first “female buddy comedy.” However, after seeing it premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, it is clear that the film is also so much more than these tropes—by taking classical comedy tropes and turning them on their head, the film reaches into darker and more genre-bending territory than initially anticipated.

The concept for AIG is fairly simple: on the week of her wedding, Frieda, a celebrated and successful photographer, gathers together six of her closest friends from college for her bachelorette party. There is just one problem: Frieda refuses to reveal who the groom is.

The six friends who join Frieda are a diverse array of people—we meet Su, a business executive and mother; Nargis, an activist of sorts for tribal peoples; Jo, an aspiring Bollywood actress and Frieda’s cousin; Pammy, an unhappy housewife; Mad, a singer-songwriter; and Lakshmi, who is Frieda’s house servant. All of them come from different walks of life, but the opening shots establish their connection to each other quite clearly as we see each woman break down in anger from the sexism they face in Indian society.

From here, the tone is set—these women are angry and on edge from all that society, especially men, is throwing at them.

As they arrive in Goa, these women carry all this anger with them—an anger that informs the conversations and banter that they have on the eve of Frieda’s nuptials.

The characters throw themselves into a series of scenes that vary by the emotions exhibited, often changing in a heartbeat; joy in one moment, extreme anger the next. What’s amazing about this film is that the scenes were improvised

by the seven actresses on-set. Due to this improvisational structure, it’s difficult to say that this film is wholly Nalin’s vision. Rather, it is clear that this was a film that was also partly created by these actresses and their bonds with each other—in other words, by what they saw as important to convey the present tensions in Indian society and how they chose to do so. The group chemistry of the seven actresses is therefore highly significant: it makes this movie as feminist and authentic as it could be.

It is this improvisation that turns what could be a buddy comedy on its head and makes the scenes richer and more surprising than expected. The plot twists and turns in unexpected ways as the characters take the film in fresh and daring directions that are difficult to predict from the outset. In doing so, the film remains far truer to life than fantasy and is far more engaging as a result. For me personally, it was my favourite film at the festival.

Jungle Book Entertainment

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Stranded • the STRAND

Humans of Victoria College Captions by Maddy De Sousa / Photos by Alexandra Scandolo

“On July 29, 1981, I recorded the television broadcast of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer’s wedding using my VCR. On July 30, 1981, I replayed and re-watched the broadcast, all the while re-recording it on a new tape. I’ve repeated this exercise every single day since then. 12,475 VHS recordings of the broadcast are now strewn aggressively around my house. There was a noticeable drop off in quality by Day 3. By Day 20, it was completely unintelligible. Since then, it’s just been two hours every day of me, a bottle of Olde English, and god-awful TV static. That’s Mommy’s Time.”

“In one of my pockets is a sweet, sweet candy bar. In the other, an even sweeter candy bar that contains razor wire. Oh, I forgot to mention that the first candy bar is poisoned. That part is kind of important. Anyway, pick one.”

“Everyone is always like, ‘Drake this, Drake that,’ but I’m too embarrassed to admit that I have no idea what on this good green Earth they are talking about. It might be an app game, or maybe a social media site? Those things sometimes have names that sound like that, you know, like a single-syllable... Don’t show my face.”

Pope Francis’ Popemobile To Headline Pimp My Ride Reboot Brenan Sivapragasam | Contributor Amid much fanfare, Pope Francis successfully concluded his first visit to the United States of America last week.

The trip was highlighted by an address to both Congress and the UN General Assembly, a visit to a correctional facility, and a Papal motorcade through Central Park.

Everyday Americans, the press, and politicians offered praise to His Holiness for his poignant remarks on humanity, the European refugee crisis, and climate change.

Considering these issues’ global nature, many were keen to see who the Pope’s words might inspire for the betterment of the world. Sooner than expected, it seems that one unlikely figure has now stepped forward to collaborate with Pope Francis on a new venture: Alvin Nathaniel Joiner, better known by his stage name Xzibit.

Aside from his musical pursuits, Xzibit is arguably best known as host of short-lived but beloved MTV program, Pimp My Ride, in which dilapidated vehicles

were renovated and customized. Beyond its three-year run, the show spawned three spinoffs based in the UK, Central Europe, and the southern US. The original series was cancelled in 2007, sending Xzibit into years of debt and near-bankruptcy. Toward the bottom of this “dark period in [his] life,” some hope has finally come.

News of the Papal visit prompted an epiphany, or a “pope-piphany, dawg” for Xzibit. Calls were made to the producers of Pimp My Ride International, somehow the only spinoff still going strong due to a die-hard fan base in Bratislava, Slovakia. Fresh off the restoration of a 1972 Ferrari, now equipped with a gelato machine, in Rome, Xzibit recounts his pitch to the crew: “What if we accomplished the unthinkable? Pimp out da Pope’s Popemobile on a special segment of Pimp My Ride and use that publicity to revive the show stateside? It’s crazy, but we have to try. This will please our old fans, sure, but also maybe heal the American peo-

ple, you know? Remind them of the value of watching broadcast television surrounded by family in these hard times, what with online streaming services like Netflix, nationwide obesity, and ISIS…just to name a few.”

Miraculously, reactions were positive, and Xzibit and his team received federal funding through the National Endowment for the Humanities Media. The White House has denied rumours that President Obama accidentally green-lit the project, assuming it to be a joke email. More credibly, the Vatican has confirmed participation only if Xzibit and “the original crew: Mad Mike, Big Dane, 2Shae, Ish, everyone” are involved. In his most recent address from the balcony of St. Peter’s, Pope Francis was visibly ecstatic: “Someone in America has finally responded to my prayers…for 24-inch rims.”

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Stranded • the STRAND

Explaining The UTSU’s 1,975 Overtime Hours Problem Neil MacIsaac | Stranded Editor The University of Toronto Students’ Union was the subject of more controversy than usual this past week with its filing of a lawsuit against former executive figures.

Charges of civil fraud against the UTSU’s former executive director, president, and vice-president internal and services were reported by The Varsity on September 24.

The UTSU allege a loss of nearly $250,000 via severance packages and overtime payments. Among the most egregious details is that nearly half that sum came from the roughly 1,975 overtime hours of the executive director that were “recorded in a single entry on April 1, 2015,” which left me scratching my head.

I quickly began investigating the issue. The Wikipedia entry for “Day” specifically refers to this “unit of time” as “an interval equal to 24 hours.” After rigorous number-crunching, I determined the difference between this figure and the claimed number of overtime hours to be 1,951 hours. I kept digging, but the Wikipedia entry for April 1 only said it was the “91st day of the year,” which led me briefly back to the page for “Day” again. I scrolled down for other clues, but there was nothing in the Events section regarding it lasting 1,951 hours longer than other days of the year. I looked into why days last

24 hours and found out it was due to the rotation of the planet. I realized I’d have to take my investigation to someone more knowledgeable of the subject of time.

Storming into the Gerstein Science Information Centre yelling, “you nerds gotta explain days to me,” I was met with skeptical looks. One student calmly explained that the speed at which the Earth rotated was 1,600 km per hour. After several hours of attempting to explain cross multiplication, my exasperated companion screamed “Like, 19 kilometres per hour, man! How did you graduate high school?” After a few minutes of them reminding me why I was there and what I had wanted to know, it hit me: Earth’s rotation would have to slow to roughly 19 km per hour to produce a day lasting 1,975 hours.

This seemed unlikely. I personally don’t remember April 1 being 1,975 hours long, or any instance of the Earth’s rotation slowing down by over 1,500 km per hour. As editor of a newspaper’s humour section, I did recall that xkcd What If where the author said if the Earth stopped spinning, the atmosphere would continue rotating at the same speed. If the Earth slowed greatly and the atmosphere’s speed relative to Earth increased to 1,581

km per hour, causing supersonic winds that would rip most buildings—including the UTSU office—off of their foundations, surely this is something I would have heard about? Or at least it should have come up in some other documents found while researching this lawsuit?

I realized I was perhaps thinking about all this the wrong way. Considering the somewhat ambiguous wording of the article, it would be possible that the executive director had been adding 1,975 hours of overtime work accumulated over their entire career in one day but attributing each to the days they had worked overtime.

Not exactly standard operating procedure, but more plausible than my previous hypothesis.

I eventually realized I had made a mistake. Considering that the UTSU’s office hours run from 9 AM to 6 PM (a period of nine hours), I realized that my hypothetical 1,975-hour April 1, assuming the executive director worked the whole day, should have run for longer.

The number of hours I should have been aiming for was 1,984.

At this point, I admitted to myself that it was probably most likely that a member of the student government had committed fraud.

How Much Do YOU Know About Waist-Touch Disorder (W-TD)?

Sara Truuvert | Contributor

Every day, hundreds of heterosexual men in your community are afflicted by a condition called The WaistTouch Disorder, or W-TD (known in the medical world as Unnecessitus Gropiosis). This grievous condition, aggravated by the close proximity of a woman, causes the man’s auditory and verbal abilities to become directly linked to the mobility of his lower arm. As a result, he is unable to speak to or even hear the woman unless he is touching her waist.

Hey, That Sounds Like Me!

Did You Know?

This condition seems rampant, but how rampant? Close your eyes and count to four. Now, open your eyes.

In those four seconds alone, approximately 3.7 waists were touched.

The internal struggle may not be apparent on the man’s face; in fact, he may look pleased with himself.

The condition, however, originates in the brain, and directly impacts the nervous functioning of the affected areas (see Fig. 1.0).

Emily Pollock

Who Are The Victims?

Keep an eye out for individuals showing these symptoms in environments such as bars, clubs, restaurants, department stores, clubs, garden parties, bars, county fairs, clubs, vineyard soirées, bars, and clubs.

CALL 1-800-022-3485 or visit www.waisttouchdisorderandme.com to learn more about the condition and how to donate to the cause.

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What Does It Feel Like?

To see for yourself what this experience is like, try this simple experiment: first, put on the fluffiest pair of earmuffs you can find. Next, put a piece of tape over your mouth. Find two friends and have one stand behind you and the other stand in front of you. Now, try to have a conversation. That’s right, you can’t! Next, have the friend in front of you raise your forearm and place it on their waist.

Then, have the friend behind you rip off your earmuffs and tape. You’ve just experienced a simulation of the Waist-Touch Disorder!

Plenty of men may not know that they suffer from this condition. If you can’t seem to have a conversation with a woman without touching her waist, don’t worry! The main thing to keep in mind is that the condition does not affect your legs. When you start to feel your symptoms coming on, follow this procedure: take a step back. It’s that simple! That way, your arm may be up, but you will avoid touching the woman unnecessarily.

You may not be capable of participating in the conversation, but at least you’ll be respectful.

How Can You Help?

Band together with the hundreds of men and women who are unaffected by the Waist-Touch Disorder and practice the Run-Between. When you see an individual who is exhibiting symptoms, simply run back and forth between him and the woman, preventing contact between hand and waist. Studies show that by consistently preventing the waisthand connection, afflicted males may learn to hear and speak without it.