Issue 2

The Peterborough and Trent University

Independent Press

INside:

Photo by Jenny Fisher

The Jays are flying high!

#trentUhelps Refuguees

Writers Reading has begun

StreetStyle at Clubs & Groups

Contents

Page 3 : Letters to the Editor t 1H 4USFFU 4UZMF BU $MVCT BOE (SPVQT 7PMVNF ] *TTVF ] 4FQUFNCFS

0GGJDJBM NBTUIFBE CZ +BDLTPO $SFFL 1SFTT (FPSHF 4USFFU / t 4VJUF 1FUFSCPSPVHI 0/ t , ) 5 UFM FEJUPST!USFOUBSUIVS DB t XXX USFOUBSUIVS DB

$P &EJUPST ;BSB 4ZFE :VNOB -FHIBSJ

/FXT #VSFBV 5#"

$PQZ &EJUPS "SUT #VSFBV 5#"

5#"

1SPPGSFBEFS 1IPUPHSBQIFST 5#"

5#"

#PBSE PG %JSFDUPST $IBJS 5#" 4FDSFUBSZ ,FJMB .BD1IFSTPO t 5SFBTVSFS *TBBD -JOUPO 7PMVOUFFS 4UBGG *TTVFT 7BDBOU

$POUSJCVUPST +FOOZ 'JTIFS t ;BSB 4ZFE t :VNOB -FHIBSJ

t 1H 5$4" "(.

Pages 4 : Community

Page 10: Arts

t 1H $MBTT PG t 1H .PEFM PG UIF 8FFL t 1H )PU %JTI $PMVNO

t 1H )PMZ (BTQ .VTJD 3FWJFX

Page 5: Life t 1H 5IF 5PSPOUP #MVF +BZT t 1H *G ZPV SF HPJOH UP ESJOL

Page 6- 7: Feature- Refugee Crisis t 1H &OE *NNJHSBUJPO %FUFOUJPO 7JHJM t 1H 5SFOU 6OJWFSTJUZ SBJTFT GVOET GPS 4ZSJBO 3FGVHFFT

.FNCFS BU -BSHF $BMFJHI #PZMF *TBBD -JOUPO .JSBOEB 3JHCZ 1BU 3FEEJDL ,FJMB .BD1IFSTPO ;BDIBSZ $PY

Page 9: Promos

Page 8: Film Reviews t 1H 4USBJHIU 0VUUB $PNQUPO t 1H 5IF 7JTJU

Page 11: Campus t 1H 8SJUFS T 3FBEJOH t 1H 8IPTF 6OJWFSTJUZ JT *U t 1H 5SFOU 'JMN 4PDJFUZ 4DIFEVMF

HAVE A STORY IDEA? A BURNING DESIRE TO WRITE FOR ARTHUR? COME TO OUR STORY MEETINGS! MONDAYS, 5 PM AT THE TREND

#FO 3PVHI t 5SFOU 'BTIJPO 4IPX t .BSJOB 8JMLF t "OUIPOZ .POJ[ t 4BSB 0TUSPXTLB t 5ZMFS .BKFS t 6HZFO 8BOHNP t #FUFMIFN 8POEJNV t #SJBO -VLBT[FXJD[ t 5$4" t ,FJUI )PEEFS t $33$ t ,FJMB .BD1IFSTPO

$POSJCVUPST BSF FODPVSBHFE UP BUUFOE UIF XFFLMZ TUPSZ NFFUJOH JO UIF 5SFOE 1VC BU 5SBJMM $PMMFHF UIJT .POEBZ BU 'FFM GSFF UP DPOUBDU UIF FEJUPST JG DPOTJEFSJOH TVCNJUUJOH UP BO VQDPNJOH JTTVF 0VS EFBEMJOF GPS TVCNJTTJPOT BSF 5IVSTEBZT BU /PPO

Submission guidelines "SUJDMFT "SUJDMFT TIPVME CF TVCNJUUFE WJB FNBJM UP FEJUPST! USFOUBSUIVS DB JO UIF CPEZ PG UIF NFTTBHF PS BT BO SUG EPD PEU PS UYU BUUBDINFOU 5IF CPEZ TIPVME CF BQQSPYJNBUFMZ 800 words. -JTUJOHT BOOPVODF NFOUT PS CSJFGT TIPVME OPU FYDFFE 100 words. 'FBUVSF QJFDFT DBO CF VQ UP 2000 CVU NVTU CF BSSBOHFE JO BEWBODF XJUI UIF FEJUPST

*NBHFT *NBHFT TIPVME CF TVCNJUUFE WJB FNBJM (PPHMF %SJWF %SPQCPY PS TPNF PUIFS GJMFTIBSJOH TJUF 1MFBTF TBWF BT UJG XJUI B EQJ PG OP MFTT UIBO QJYFMT

-FUUFST -JNJU MFUUFST UP UIF FEJUPST UP XPSET -FUUFST MPOHFS UIBO XPSET NBZ CF QVCMJTIFE CVU "SUIVS SFTFSWFT UIF SJHIU UP FEJU GPS MFOHUI BOE DMBSJUZ CVU OPU DPOUFOU

0QJOJPOT FYQSFTTFE JO UIJT QVCMJDBUJPO EP OPU OFDFTTBSJMZ SFGMFDU UIPTF PG "SUIVS TUBGG WPMVOUFFST PS JUT #PBSE PG %JSFDUPST $POUSJCVUPST BSF FODPVSBHFE UP BUUFOE UIF TUPSZ NFFUJOHT PS DPOUBDU UIF &EJUPST UP EJTDVTT TUPSZ JEFBT "MM BSUJDMF TVCNJTTJPOT BSF EVF 5IVSTEBZT BU OPPO -FUUFST -JTUJOHT $MBTTJGJFET BOE &WFOUT BSF EVF 5IVSTEBZ BU BN BOE TIPVME CF TFOU UP MJTUJOHT!USFOUBSUIVS DB "EWFSUJTFST BSF FODPVSBHFE UP DPOUBDU BEWFSUJTJOH!USFOUBSUIVS DB GPS BE SBUFT BOE DPOUSBDUT

2

www.trentarthur.ca

Corrections to the Disorientation Schedule Published in Issue 1: What Are we Not Talking About? is at 7:30pm (Sun. Sept 20th) @ First Peoples House of Learning Harrasment on Campus is at 12:00pm (Tues. Sept 22nd) @ Sadleir House

Cover Photo by Jenny Fisher

Design by Keila MacPherson

streetstyle

Street Style at Clubs and Groups Day! Street Style is back at Arthur Newspaper! What does that mean?

It basically means if you’re out looking fly, and we see you sporting a fashion unique to you, we might try and get a picture of you to make our paper look better!

So don’t be afraid if two random girls run up to you and think your outfit is on fire! Like Mel’s here- who co-ordinated her red belt with her smile, and is also rocking some priceless disney princess shoes. Trae, on the left, had the best accessories to compliment his attire. Whatever your style is, only you can wear it best!

Trae Trott

Daniel Ross

Melissa Henning

This week we were lucky enough to be surrounded by fashionistas at Clubs and Groups day!

TACSU was rocking some exquisite colour, while others like Daniel were prepared for the heat with a wide- brimmed hat.

Everyone looked so cool while we sweated into a pool of despair. We’re going to take note for next year!

Sylvia Mulowayi

Francini Brice

Volume 50 | Issue 2 |September 21, 2015

3

Community

Artists gather for class photo of 2015

By Ben Rough The Class of 2015 Musician’s photo after a friend mentioned a similar happening in Toronto. Other cities, such as Guelph did photos as well. I put together a Facebook event page, invited musicians, and those that work alongside the music community in Peterborough, and encouraged people to invite like minded people. Photographer Jessica Melnik signed on to capture the photo. Around fifty people were able to attend the get together, and if there is interest, it is likely to happen again next year, so those that couldn’t make it this year have another chance.

I’m a musician & writer based in Peterborough I’m big on inclusive community events, and projects that are arts, social justice, humanitarian based. I volunteered this year for the Peterborough Folk Festival as the Arts Workshops curator. I have also been the (quiet) organizer behind the #ptbopiano currently located in the alley across from the Only Cafe on Hunter St. West . That idea came to me due to the public pianos I have seen in Europe over the last couple of years. I hope to keep the #ptbopiano outside, and available until the weather turns. I’d like to recreate it next year as well.

Many of Peterborough’s musicians are Trent graduates, or current students. The connection between Peterborough’s cultural mosaic, and Trent is interwoven and symbiotic as I see it.

Meet the team: Bhisham Ramoutar

By Trent Fashion Show What is your major and year?

3rd Yr, History & International Development Studies What is your position in Trent Fashion Show, how long have you be involved?

Financial Manager, 1 year Why are you a member of the Trent Fashion Show?

I like what TFS stands for in being a group inclusive of all people and one that promotes self-confidence and self-love, while raising money for worthy causes What is your favourite memory or favourite part of the Trent Fashion Show group?

March 2015 runway show where I challenged myself and got over my fear of audiences and stages What are your long-term goals after you graduate Trent University?

A career in Development, working on policies for community development, with an emphasis on women, children and education.

THE TRENT FASHION SHOW WILL BE SHOWCASING VARIOUS MEMBERS AND MODELS IN THE COMMUNITY IN ARTHUR. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THIS COLUMN IN FUTURE ISSUES!

4

www.trentarthur.ca

Hot dish: crab apple crumble

By Marina Wilke Fall is on our doorstep, and apples are coming into season. Peterborough is a treasure trove of crab apple trees. They line our parks and pathways, and best of all, they are free! So, get out there and pick some. Their tart flavour is the perfect match for the sweet, crisp, crumble topping. Just do me a favour, and if you spy a juicy tree on private property, knock and ask before you pick.

Ingredients: 4 cups sliced crab apples ½ lemon, freshly squeezed 1 cup brown sugar ¾ cups of flour ½ cup oats ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp nutmeg ½ cup butter Directions: Apples can be found all over Peterborough! Look 1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Celsius. for them on the bike trail to Symons Campus 2. Slice and core the apples (If you’re using crab apples check for worms. They are organic after all!) and toss them in the lemon juice. Mound them into a 9 inch pie plate.

3. Mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cut in the butter until you have crumbly dough of varying sizes that has the consistency of wet sand. Sprinkle it over the apples and bake for 40 minutes or until the apples are tender.

Hint: Bake this before you have a date at your place. It will perfume the whole house with the irresistible scent of cinnamon and baking apples.

Life

Believing the Hype

By Anthony Moniz It’s been 22 years since the Toronto Blue Jays won back-toback World Series titles. Since then, the hype around the team has been minimal at best. No playoff appearances, no division titles, and no glimmer of hope. Superstars came and went while the franchise failed to live up to the expectations set by those two World Series wins.

To be fair, the Jays play in what is arguably called, “the toughest division in baseball.” Some people even go as far as saying they play in the toughest division in all of sports.

The Blue Jays share a division with the mighty New York Yankees (who have won more titles than any other major league franchise) and the Boston Red Sox (winners of three titles since the year 2000). It’s no easy path to the post-season with those two juggernaut teams contending for the division title every year.

However, things in the American League East division look a little different this year. The Blue Jays currently hold a slim lead over the Yankees for the division lead. It seems that for the first time in 22 years the Blue Jays aren’t just hoping for a post-season appearance, but are firmly believing in themselves to make it there.

Before the non-waiver trade deadline the Blue Jays gave fans a small glimpse of what the team could do in order to make that playoff push. Giving General Manager Alex Anthropoulis the confidence to reward the team by bringing in key pieces and making a post-season possibility an actual reality.

The acquisition of David Price, Troy Tulowitzki and Ben Revere bolstered the roster without really having to give up many major leaguers. In fact, the only big club player lost amidst all the trades was short stop Jose Reyes, but receiving Tulowtzki in the process was a huge upgrade in both batting and fielding, while the acquisition of Revere filled in the gap left by Reyes’ base running and base stealing abilities. These roster moves show that Anthropoulis has done his job in finding the right players but now it’s up to those players to deliver and live up to these high expectations.

So here we are now with September winding down and playoff baseball right around the corner. Now is the time to start believing in these Toronto Blue Jays in the hopes that they will bring another championship to the city of Toronto and ignite the passion of all the fans across the country.

Above: Joe Carter after hitting the game winning home run during the 1993 world series.

Pictured: David Price

Pictured:Troy Tulowitzki

If you’re going to drink, do it right

By Tyler Majer Peterborough is a small city, and therefore, it is not regarded as the biggest party town. Trent’s reputation for partying seems small compared to party universities such as Western. However, Trent, and Peterborough is still a fantastic place to drink. Peterborough’s downtown is home to 25 plus bars, restaurants, cafés, and establishments that serve alcohol regularly, and late into the night.

Now, a quick disclaimer, 19 is the legal drinking age, so technically anybody under that age consuming alcohol, is breaking the law.

A big mistake that first-year students make when drinking on campus is drinking too much, too quickly. Yes, the main goal is to get drunk, but being drunk at 8:00pm while your friends watch you vomit all over yourself is not the best way to spend a night, and not a great way to make a first impression.

Most pamphlets first years get highlight that safe alcohol drinking is about one drink per hour. A typical drink consists of one beer, one shot, or one glass of wine. However, this guideline is a guide to drink responsibly, and responsibly basically means drinking without getting drunk.

Here is a list of tips to guide you through getting wasted, without hurting yourself, or other: 1. Know your limits, and what you can handle. Typically, if you are of a smaller size, your body cannot handle as much alcohol. So trying to down that mickey in an hour will not end well.

2. Sober friends are valuable friends. Much like a designated driver, a sober friend can keep track of what you are drinking, and what you are doing. If the worst comes to worst, they can put you to bed safely. However, it is not good to always rely on somebody else, but having someone sober is always a good tactic.

3. Travel, and drink in groups. Never split up if you are traveling somewhere, and don’t drink alone. Both could end up being detrimental to the fun you are having. It is

also very unsafe, because if something happens, no one is there to help you.

4. Always watch your drink. I have never experienced somebody drugging me, but I have heard horror stories, so it is better to be safe than sorry.

The Bar Scene: Here a couple of the most popular bars in Peterborough, and a few underrated ones.

The Pig’s Ear Tavern, or just, “Pigs” is arguably Peterborough’s most student friendly bar. There is an open mic every Tuesday night. It’s a good time for musicians, or anybody wanting to perform in a comfortable atmosphere, and show their chops. Wednesdays at Pigs is student night, with cheap pitchers of beer, and lots of people to meet up with. Thursdays is a trivia night, and Fridays is their infamous Pingo, the bar’s take on a bingo night. Finally, Saturday’s offer live music, with a $3 cover charge and local bands.

Peterborough has three clubs for you to get your sweat on: Shots, Aria, and Sin City. Shots, and Aria seem to be the chill clubs.

They play the latest hits with hip-hop on heavy rotation, and are definitely a place to have fun, if you are into the club atmosphere. Sin City, on the other hand, seems to be a clusterfuck, with Thursday being their student night.

They are always bumping,

and something about that place churns out the most memorable nights, that is, if you can remember anything.

The Only Café is very relaxed, with a more mature atmosphere. The Only has a great patio, and plays fantastic music.

They have an eclectic selection of beers. The Only is more of a hangout bar and less of a bar to get wasted at.

Other bars to Check out: tThe Spill - Café by day, amazing music scene by night- 2$ Punk Shows every month. tSapphire Room - Cocktail lounge with amazing drinks, great tunes, chic atmospher tThe Garnet - Great music, Great meal specials throughout the day.

Volume 50 | Issue 2 |September 21, 2015

5

Feature: Refugee Crisis

Feature: Refugee Crisis

Trent and community members reach out in solidarity with refugees

By Ugyen Wangmo

Confederation Park played host to an emotional candlelight Vigil on the evening of Sept. 16, gathering a crowd of supporters in solidarity with all the migrants.

The Vigil was organized to recognize and honour all those whose lives, families, and communities are torn apart and kept apart by borders and immigration systems.

As well, it commemorated the two-year

anniversary of the migrant strike at the Lindsay Super Jail. The vigil called for an end to the wars, aggression, economic instability and climate chaos which are the catalysts of displacement.

The event was hosted by End Immigration Detention Peterborough, a network of individuals who demand an end to deportations and detentions, and fight for full immigration status for all migrants.

According to the media focal person of the End Immigration Detention Peterborough, the event was mainly to bring awareness to current immigration situations across the world, and about the ways Canada is handling the recent refugees who are finding safe spaces to live.

The group was formed as a result of a strike and the many other acts of resistance that followed the Sept. 17, 2013, event where 191 migrants jailed at the Lindsay maximum-security prison went

6

www.trentarthur.ca

on hunger strike in response to their indefinite detention without trial or charge.

The Vigil gave the supporters a space for dialogues of love and support that they had for refugees in Peterborough, Lindsay and around the world.

One of the supporters in attendance said, “ I want the borders on this Mother Earth to be all ripped down.”

She wanted everyone to understand that everybody is related. The woman brought to light how people have allowed these man made boarders to hold them back from sharing love the way they are supposed to share it. She also offered up a song to every single person looking for a home right now, an Indigenous song titled “May We All Fly Like Eagles”.

The supporters not only showed their

solidarity for migrants across the world, they also displayed messages to the community; posters with stories of migrant detainees to put up around town. This was in hopes of beginning a discussion on the topic of migrant injustice in the community.

One of the posters read, “Are the actions undertaken by Immigration Canada unjust? I would go so far as to say their actions are i n h u m a n e , d e s p i c a b l e and grossly hypocritical.”

These were the words of Amin Mjasiri, who was deported to Kenya, a country he had not lived in for

By Betelhem Wondimu

two decades.

The efforts of End Immigration Detention Peterborough does not end with the candlelight vigil. Various other initiative were taken to raise funds, and bring awareness towards the plight of immigrants and refugees.

Currently, as stated by the End Immigration Detention Peterborough, “Detained migrants, their families,

and their supporters, have formed the Campaign to End Indefinite Detention, and are making four simple and pragmatic demands: 1) Freedom for the wrongly jailed.

Release all migrant detainees who have been held for longer than 90 days.

2) End arbitrary, and indefinite detention. If removal cannot happen within 90 days, immigration detainees must be released. Limits on detention periods are recommended by the United Nations, and are the law in the United States, and the European Union.

3) No maximum security holds.

Immigration detainees should not be held in maximum security provincial jails. They must have access to basic services and be close to family members.

4) Overhaul the adjudication process.

Give migrants fair and full access to judicial review, legal aid, bail programs, and probono representation.

By now, most of us have seen the heart wrenching images of refugees trying to escape their war torn countries, and sadly the failures of nations worldwide. These refugees are caught between the Islamic State onslaught and that of their government.

Despite concerns of decreasing humanitarian aid in the face of the ever expanding refugee crisis, it is inspiring to find student leaders in collaboration with Trent University engaging with global issues.

Trent University recently announced a fundraising effort to increase its commitment to refugee students through the World University Service of Canada Student Refugee Program (WUSC SRP). The pledge to strengthen Trent’s efforts comes in light of the tremendous concerns expressed by the community over the predicament facing refugees from Syria and Northern Africa.

Trent has been sponsoring one student

per year through the WUSC SRP since 1983. The university’s plan is to double that commitment through fundraising, volunteer dedication, and in-kind contributions. Ryan Newman, a member of WUSC, looks to his own heritage to find inspiration.

“As an Irish-Canadian, I look at my heritage and how my ancestors came to Canada as settlers. They escaped the potato famine; essentially, they were refugees.”

He encourages students to realize how interconnected everyone is all are.

The total cost of bringing a refugee student is $25, 000. With the new goal of bringing four refugee students Trent has, unsurprisingly, already surpassed the fundraising goal of $5,000 by raising $6,700.

“The WUSC selection process is very competitive. Having lived most of my life in a refugee camp, I feel very fortunate to be a part of an amazing community like Trent,” said Emmanuel GMAN, a WUSC sponsored student from a Malawian refugee camp.

“Students who come from refugee camps are not the only beneficiaries,” explained Dr. Mike Allcott, director of Trent International Program.

“Their presence on campus is considered an extraordinary learning opportunity for their fellows at Trent, as well as for families in our community who have gained so much by helping to welcome them to our community. The friendships that result through welcoming, mentoring, and supporting someone from their first days in Canada through to successfully establishing a life in our community provide for lasting life learning.”

We don’t have to look far to find the amazing contributions of WUSC students.

Tabitha Chol, a WUSC student majoring in Economics at Trent, is the recipient of the 2014 Leonard Conolly Award, and is described by her friends, colleagues, and professors as a hardworking, kind-hearted and dedicated student.

This initiative was by no means intended to solve the global refugee crisis, but certainly serves to engage Trent students

with world issues.

This message is to the Trent community, “Continue what you are doing-being a supportive system!” added GMAN. “I have cherished everyone I have met so far and will continue to do so.”

Donations to the Trent/WUSC initiative can be made securely online at https://mycommunity.trentu.ca/givenow, or by cheque made out to Trent University (indicating WUSC Refugee Trust Fund in the memo section).”

#TrentUHelps

All photos taken by Jenny FIsher

Volume 50 | Issue 2 | September 21, 2015

7

arts

By Tyler Majer

It seems hard to summarize such a prolific group as N.W.A, and their career into a three-hour movie, and one hourlong album. It seems even harder to sum up said movie, and album into a few short paragraphs.

The Straight Outta Compton film highlights the rise, and fall, of arguably the most influential rap group of all time, and does so in a very concise and entertaining manner.

However, Hollywood is Hollywood, and even though the movie tells their story succinctly, it also leaves out information that would harm the group’s image and adds information that is beneficial to the group’s legacy.

The main factual omission is the movie’s lack of information on the 1990 assault of Dee Barnes and Dr. Dre’s subsequent arrest. Dee Barnes was the host of a well-known hip-hop show on Fox called ‘Pump It Up’.

Dr. Dre attacked Dee after seeing a segment about N.W.A. and Ice Cube’s

Listen to what the Doctor says departure from the group.

This scandal is completely missing from ‘Straight Outta Compton’; probably due to the fact that Dr. Dre is one of the executive producers and, if included, would be a huge knock against both the character of the fictional Dre and the real one.

There has been news of a Directors Cut release with an additional hour of footage.

It will be interesting to see what scenes, and stories are added.

If the Dee Barnes controversy, the story would definitely be a grittier one, and the movie would be less buddy-story, and more close to reality.

N.W.A. past and present Another omission from the theatrical release that would be nice to see in the directors is the beef between Eazy E, and Dr. Dre. Although the movie touches on this mo-

ment, there is a lot more to the story of Eazy E and Dr. Dre’s relationship, and would really highlight the downfall of their relationship The soundtrack to the movie, produced and written by the Doctor himself, is the glue that really holds this movie together.

There has been news on and off for years

now that Dr. Dre was going to release his final album, ‘Detox’. For years there has been suspicion, anxiety, and anticipation that the master producer Dre will finally release his last album, and his farewell to the rap game.

Dr Dre’s final magnum opus was released, but not as the mysterious ‘Detox’, but rather as a retrospective of his career and a soundtrack to the movie about the same. It seems almost too perfect to be true, and yet again, The Doctor doesn’t fail to please.

Overall, the movie accomplishes what most biopics attempt to do. It tells the story of a group of individuals, while basking them in the warmest light possible.

You won’t find a critical look at the career of N.W.A. You also won’t find much information that will harm their character either.

What you will find, however, is the basics of their story, and a truly entertaining story of the most influential rap group ever.

M. Night Shyamalan really doesn’t want you to visit your grandparents

by Brian Lukaszewicz

The poster for The Visit boasts “From the Director of The Sixth Sense and Signs and the Producers of Paranormal Activity and Insidious.”

That’s an interesting pairing, if only because it means that M. Night Shyamalan – that aforementioned director who at one point was almost a genre onto himself – has apparently now decided to do

8

www.trentarthur.ca

a genre movie. It’s no secret Shyamalan has had a rough go at the box office for a while now. For a guy who’s had a few high profile flops, there has to be an appeal to the low budget nature of these films. There’s just not the same burden of expectation.

But it’s not every day you see someone with as distinctive a voice as Shyamalan take on something with such an established visual, if not narrative, flavour.

The good news is they’re actually a pretty good fit. The blend of these two brands is a relatively fun, if not entirely successful, little experiment. The film combines Shyamalan’s gift for misdirection and fancy plotting, with the claustrophobic atmosphere of the found footage genre.

The film kicks off with Rebecca (Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) on their way to visit grandparents they’ve never known. Their mother Paula (the always great Kathryn Hahn) has had no contact with her parents since she left home some 15 years ago.

The kids however, precocious as they are, have decided to go mainly so that their mom can take a trip with her new boyfriend – I guess it’s safe to say they approve of the guy. And so they

depart their home for an isolated farm in Somewhere With Snow, USA. There the kids meet John and Doris (Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie), who on the surface seem like a fairly nice, well-adjusted couple. They just have one rule: don’t leave your room after 9:30 p.m.

If that sounds foreboding you’ve seen a horror movie or two in your lifetime.

Shyamalan’s script finds its greatest struggles in the early going. He’s not immune to the typical story pitfalls of the horror genre so we’re of course treated to a few throwaway lines about how the cell phones don’t work so well way out here in… I guess 1999 when that may have been true for a town this size.

Less forgivable is his inability to represent any semblance of how humans under the age of 16 really talk. The young actors themselves are actually pretty good, but the dialogue they’re given is so stilted at times you wonder if the big twist may be that these kids are robots and it’s really the grandparents who have to watch out.

Still, Shyamalan wisely errs on the side of humour and while not every joke hits the mark, I admire the sentiment. There’s nothing worse than a horror movie that

takes itself too seriously. Oxenbould in particular does just about all he can to win you over and his energy is contagious.

And luckily, once the scares start to creep into the film all the dialogue problems seem to disappear and The Visit settles down into a pretty decent horror flick. What’s more, is Shyamalan is able to coax some sweet, genuine character moments out of his young actors in between scaring them half to death. The horror elements may be stripped straight from the Paranormal Activity playbook, but those, those are pure M. Night and I haven’t seen him in this fine form since Signs.

Of course, vintage M. Night always included a sudden, unexpected twist and The Visit is no exception. Whether that twist holds up to further scrutiny is debatable – but I’ll admit, it roused a thrill out of me at the time. And if you like Shyamalan, it’s nostalgia inducing.

The Visit has its flaws, that’s for certain.

But none of them are too far out of line with what you’d find in the movies it boasts about at the top of its poster. I don’t know if it reaches the same heights, but if you’re a fan of those motion pictures you could do worse.

promos

Volume 50 | Issue 2 | September 21, 2015

9

Campus

Writers Reading: Michael Crummey comes to Traill

By Yumna Leghari Co-written by Jenny Fisher

After many successful years, Writers Reading is back and already started. Everyone is welcome and encouraged in attending the event. Lewis Macleod, the coordinator of the series, has made a special ‘Come All Ye’ to students, especially first year students, who haven’t been around before. It’s not as boring as you think!” Lewis Macleod has also described the event as, “not a bunch of pompous people trying to demonstrate how smart they are. Instead, it’s just a gathering of people who show up, hang out, and spend some time with some smart, creative people. It’s not a lecture situation. It’s more like a demonstration of, and conversation about, how creative lives are lived and how cool things get made.”

Most of the events will start around 7:00 PM on Trail Campus, 310 London Street. The events will either be in the Junior Common Room of Scott House or Bagnani Hall. There is also food available, and a chance to talk to the authors after in the Trend. Again, this is a very open event and everyone is welcome. “We invite all members of the community to take advantage of this opportunity to see, hear, and meet these writers in relaxed and hospitable circumstances.”

On Tuesday September 15th, poet and novelist Michael Crummey presented his work. The room was bustling with eager folk ready to take part in the first of the Writers Reading series. Crummey is a Canadian writer who spent much of his life in the East Coast, more specifically in Labrador. He dropped out of his Ph.D program to pursue a career in writing.

Crummey has written several poetry anthologies as well as the novels River Thieves, The Wreckage, Galore, and his latest novel, Sweetland.

His writing is strongly shaped by the geography, and history of Newfoundland. Arthur spoke to Crummey in regards to his work. He expressed his love for Peterborough, and how he often finds himself here, “It’s a very comfortable place.” When asked how growing up in the East Coast inspires his work, Crummey replied: “I mean, I think that everything I have ever written has been about Newfoundland. I think the reason I’m writing about the place is because it’s an island way out in the Atlantic, and it’s been isolated for its entire history. Due to this, I think that people are shaped by the place in a much starker way than in a lot of other places in the world. Who Newfoundlanders are is intimately tied up with that physical location.

A review: Whose University Is It?

By Keith Hodder Whose University is It? is a 2003 made-forTV documentary that takes a critical look at the role of corporate funding on university education. The documentary is set during the context of Trent University’s controversial years under the leadership of president Bonnie Patterson.

Whose University Is It? produced and directed by Trent University graduates James Motluk and Mark Wright is no different.

The film, though rough around the edges, has something meaningful to contribute and say. Its approach, however, is as rocky as the documentary process.

Whose University Is It? examines and sheds light on a decision that shook the Trent University community during the late-1990’s and early 2000’s.

It was a process that, lead by president Bonnie Patterson, took Trent University and its administration in a new direction, one that focused on the business of the school and its bottom line.

The transition was met with outrage from a significant portion of the faculty and student population who saw no relationship between a place of learning and a place of business. Herein lies the objective of Whose University Is It? The film has no shame about its heavy bias in favour of the cause led by students and faculty. Its images are potent, and its clever editing draws comparisons between Patterson’s words and those of the bureaucracy. Though the filmmakers make an attempt to showcase both sides of the

10

www.trentarthur.ca

argument, their effort with the opposition seems lacking in comparison.

Patterson is given the opportunity to discuss her mission, but not the chance to defend it, nor are the hardball questions asked. She’s depicted as the evil figurehead throughout, a dictator worth rebelling against. Beliefs aside, the film should be lauded for what it captured, and the wealth of information it provides.

The use of archival footage and photos are powerful, and in combination of the film, serves as a historical reference of a critical event from the university’s past.

This is the film’s biggest accomplishment, but it also mars it potential to reach a bigger audience, one beyond the walls of our campus and our small town surroundings.

What Whose University Is It? lacks is vision. The filmmakers had an opportunity to use Trent University as an archetype of what was taking place in the world of postsecondary education.

The issues and history featured in the film could have been summarized as an example, and a catalyst to explore this dilemma worldwide.

That’s not to say that viewers outside of the Trent community couldn’t identify with the cause, and its David and Goliath struggle, but they are refused the tools and philosophy to explore this issue on a greater and grander scale. With that said, the opportunity for Whose University Is It? to creates ripples in waters beyond the Otonabee River, are lost to the sands of time.

The film is available online for viewing

Everybody in Newfoundland relied on the sea to make their living. It was a very difficult, unpredictable livelihood. Newfoundland is located in the Sub-Arctic basically, and subject to the ravages of nature. That created a particular character within Newfoundland, and it’s why I’m constantly exploring that.

What is it about the place that made the people who they are. It’s a tiny gene pool.

90% of the population in Newfoundland are direct descendants of an original settler population of about 17,000 people” A classic question posed in the Humanities is, “What defines Canadian literature?”

Arthur asked Crummy this regurgitated inquiry, to which he responded: “ I don’t know if there is something that defines Canadian literature. I think that in some ways that that question is reductive, and speaks to an insecurity of what Canada is. I would like to think that we’re kind of past that. I like to think of Canada as Canada’s, as pluralities. Part of what Newfoundland brings to Confederation is one more sense of what it is to be part of this community.

I love the fact that when I see a great Quebecois film, I have no connection or ownership of those stories, but I feel it’s part of my world because I’m Canadian.

I love the fact that someone in Saskatchewan, who has never been East of Toronto, reads those books, and feels like it’s part of who they are. The magic of the country is that we are connected, and have decided to be family.

When I think of what defines Canadian literature, part of it is that there isn’t a definition, and I love that about it.”

During his reading, Crummey mentioned how writing about his grandparents allowed him to try and make sense of who they were. Crummey to expanded on this: “I think that in many ways that’s the job of fiction, and creative writing. Any serious student of history will admit that history

is full of holes. There is no such thing as a definitive notion of what happened in the pats. There are all kinds of holes in what we know in the past, and all kind of arguments about how people lived, and why things went the way they went.

I think that part of what creative writing is for is to fill in those holes, and give people a sense of the past not as some list of what wars happened, or what votes took place, but a sense of real peoples lives, and how they experienced the world. It gives one a notion of what living through those things meant for them as individuals. I think this makes the past feel real to us. It creates a sense of real lived experience. Part of what I’m trying to do is honour the people who came before me. They didn’t just survive, and live through incredible difficult circumstances, they often thrived. I think

that is something worth celebrating.”

Steven Heighton has given high praise to these events: “The Trent University reading series is one of the best. Everything is first-rate: the classy venue, the full-house audience. The warm hospitality and, of course, the personable and well-prepared host”. KD Miller said that: “The post-reading questions were some of the freshest and most interesting I have ever encountered”. Lastly, just to prove that the Writers Reading series is fun, there will even be a musical guest Nick Ferrio. He will be playing on October 15th at 8PM, at the Trend after Sean Micheal’s Writers Reading.

arts

THE HOLY GASP: “don’t let anyone tell you how to FUCK” in the Lemon Bucket Orkestra. And uh, Mr. James McEleney is in the Andrew Collins Trio… He’s the dude everyone calls when they need an exceptionally good bass player.

The Unseen Strangers is one of his projects.

So you write all of the songs?

I write all of the songs. Sebastian helps a little bit. Increasingly we are writing more songs together.

Everyone in the band seems to be really serious about music. Can you speak to that?

By Sara Ostrowska

Have you heard?! If you haven’t, you should.

The Holy Gasp are coming to Peterborough to play with Television Rd on October 2 at The Red Dog. In anticipation of their arrival, I decided to sit down with their lead, Benjamin Hackman, and hash out the nitty gritty whatever.

My housemate started practising trumpet halfway through this interview. So imagine a lonely, wacky horn squacking in the distance. *** Benjamin started with a pair of congo drums. After doing the “beatnik” thing and releasing an album with just percussion, he starting putting more musicians together.

“I knew I wanted to still play with that kind of beatnik aesthetic, so I intentionally created a jazz line up. But with something I could still do intense punk influence things with. So that’s how it became the fivepiece - percussion, drums, sax, guitar, and upright bass.”

What can people expect when they come to see The Holy Gasp play live?

They should abandon all expectations at the door! They should come with a positive mental attitude and a desire to live life to its fullest. They should let go of their hangups and face their own shadows. That’s what they should expect. Less they should expect a lifetime of suffering and parents that never truly understand. They’ll have to resolve that for themselves, y’know.

That’s not my fault. I’m not responsible for that. I’m just saying it like it is.

You really have a knack for story-telling on this album, where does it come from?

I did literature for ten years before really exploring music as a career choice.

The words are a huge part of the songs.

I teach creative writing privately, with various schools and organizations... I do work with at-risk youth, sometimes people with intellectual disabilities or mental illness... essentially wherever there is work to be done where I can use creative writing in a therepeutic context.

What is “How I Get Down” about?

“How I get Down” is like a tongue and cheek empowerment song, about not wanting to take hassle from the man, and refusing to conform to a society that wants the worst of you. It’s kind of like a declaration to say “y’know what, that’s kinda how I got down for quite a while, and no longer shall I get down in that fashion!”

So you mentioned a punk influence... Are you at all influenced by the Dead Kennedys?

Yeah, totally. I love Dead Kennedys.

They’re one of my all-time favourite bands.

What are your aims and aspirations as a political band?

It wouldn’t make a difference if we were singing about apolitical ponies or revolutionary ponies. I just want to impact culture in a deep and significant way. And I want to blur the lines of genre and tell people it’s alright to think for themselves.

I want people to grow their hair out and get groovy and kiss people of the same sex.

You’re very theatrical and in-your-face on stage. Have you always been this way?

Is it a conscious decision to have theatre blended in with live performance?

Oh that’s an interesting question… Um, I kind of just think that’s what’s good entertainment. I’m not trying to challenge our preconceived notions of entertainment. I’m just trying to entertain in the way that I would want to be entertained. My favourite performers are really theatrical.

Who are they?

Jello Biafra, Tom Waits, Lux Interior from the Cramps, Nick Cave, Frozen Mellow Drama, Frank Zappa. I like the weirdos.

I’m such a weird guy. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m an exceptionally weird person. It’s alright. I’m kind of just coming to terms with that.

Do front-people need to be weird?

People always want to look at other people doing the shit that they wish they themselves could do but are too inhibited to do. The weirdos are the rulers of the world! *laughs maniacally* The weirdos are the people who tell others who to be! …

Ehhh, I don’t know if that’s true. *laughs* Is everyone in The Holy Gasp in another band?

Everyone’s a pretty busy musician.

David and I are in Rambunctious, an improv band. Sebastian’s in a great pop group called Midday Swim. Christopher is

They’re good musicians! They’re better than me! That’s why I picked them!

It’s just a very different level of music education and culture for jazz musicians.

When you’re working with jazz musicians, everyone knows their theory inside and out. So a musician like that is just in a different level of demand. If you want to get an electric guitar player, there’s 150 guitar players a stone’s throw away. If you want to get an upright bass player, it’s a different thing. It’s a more specialized skill.

What was your favourite show this year?

Yonge and Dundas Square! It was fucking crazy! I was on a jumbo-tron! They just asked us! I forgot how to speak for a minute.

of scissors! Don’t get me started!

And whenever people play trombone through a loop pedal.

I love a good shoulder shrug.

And when women have a little pudge above their elbows. I die! You know that little pudge? Ah! I love it! It’s so good.

You’ll see. You’ll print it in the paper and then everyone’s going to have a fetish.

Have you ever played 20 questions? I love playing 20 questions.

You know what else I love? I just love the word, I don’t even love it. Periactoi! - it’s a large prismatic structure that rotates to demark different seasons in an ancient Greek play… a cultural currency that you might not want jangling in your pocket.

Are you all into astrology?

Yeah! The Holy Gasp strongly endorses Western Astrology. Actually if you look at our astrology, it’s an awful like the Beatles.

You know why? Because we’re also bigger than Jesus! *smiles* What are the other signs in the band?

It’s all wind and water in The Holy Gasp.

Pisces, Libra, and Gemini.

How does that play into the dynamics of the band?

What should people expect from The Holy Gasp next?

I think it’s a tidal wave, baby! I say, it’s a tidal wave if ya dig me!

We’re working on a new album right now.

I kind of describe it as being… It’s more extreme and more normal. Some of the songs are really avante-garde. They’re like a minute and a half long or big numbers that are going to take like 40 musicians to pull off… and then some of them are the most beautiful, simple, jazz/blues numbers…

But you won’t be able to hear us perform those tracks for a while. They’re being worked on. Weirder and bigger.

That’s what it’s becoming.

I get this sexy grimy feel from the album.

Did you mean for it to be sexy?

Thoughts on the upcoming election?

I don’t know! Does my opinion actually really matter? I’m a fairly left-leaning person, I don’t have a really popular view, I don’t have much faith in the electoral system, I don’t think that our culture is particularly progressive, I’ll probably vote NDP. I hope Harper chokes on a dick (consensually) and dies. And uh, it doesn’t get more complex than that. I think Canada used to look better. I’ll say that.

What are some things that you love?

I love my wife. She’s so nice. She’s the nicest lady. She’s sooooo nice.

And I love Friendly Rich & The Lollipop People. I had coffee with Friendly Rich yesterday, that guy is soooo nice! You should get them to come play in Peterborough. That’s what Peterborough is missing! Friendly Rich and the Lollipop People!

And I love Tauruses. The zodiac. What sign are you? Pisces?

This is so weird, Chris also asked me what my sign was. I’m an Aries.

You’re an Aries! Huh. But late Aries? Like close to Taurus?

Haha, no... But what’s your sign?

I’m a Libra. OH! You know what else I love? Dog butts! They’re so cute! That little wiggle waggle, it’s the best. And the sound

Well I’m kinda Freudian, I think everything is sexy. “How I Get Down” was meant to be sexy. It’s like a dark eros. A deathly sexuality. That comes from a Nick Cave influence... a melodramatic preoccupation between the interplay between sex and death. That’s an old Greek theme, thanatos and eros.

You ever do laughter yoga? We should join forces and lead some laughter yoga together at your [Television Rd] CD release.

I totally agree!

I’ll tell you something my very first writing teacher ever told me. He told me, “the only things worth writing down are those things not worth remembering.”

Ok, since the time is upon us in Peterborough… What do you think about Pride?

I love Pride. My father took me to the gay pride parade every year since I was eight years old. It was a big part of my family’s tradition. Every Pride I always take a look at what Toronto looked like in the very first pride parade and I see what a protest it was. and how different it is. And now it’s a parade, but in the 70s, it was a protest. It was a demonstration. I always get really moved by the amount of progress we’re making in this part of the country.

Don’t let anyone tell you how to fuck.

“Fuck” should be in rainbow font.

And you know the parts where I said Harper should choke on a big fat dick?

Make sure in brackets it says consensually, but he should still die.

Volume 50 | Issue 2 | september 21, 2015

11

Clubs & Groups

Happy Ukulele Group: Enjoy playing the ukelele? Want to learn? Come to our weekly uke group meetings every Friday from 2:00 to 3:00 at the Champlain quad (down the stairs with the picnic tables by the river). Bring ideas for music and activities you want to do throughout the year. There will be FREE PIZZA!! Bring your ukulele if you have one. There are extras if you don’t.

Local The Theatre on King (TTOK): TTOK is happy to present a public reading of “A Little Sweeter” by Wyatt Lamoureux on Wednesday, September 23rd @ 7:30pm. PWYC at the door. The reading will feature Di Latchford, Kieran Kelly, David Adams, Thomas Vaccaro and Sarah McNeilly. TTOK, 159 King Street, The Theatre on King (TTOK):TTTOK is proud to host Andrew Root’s new, original series “Crime City” on Saturday, September 26th at 8pm. $10 at the door. “Crime City” is presented in the style of a 1950s radio drama, recorded once a month in front of a live audience.

Follow the exploits of detectives Victor Marshall and Lillian Steel along with their sidekick, Adventure Scout First Class, Brad Bramble as they attempt to clean up the streets of Crime City!

Written by Andrew Root, starring Mike Judson, Marsala Lukianchuk, Kenn Gibb, Dan Smith, Megan Murphy and more, and featuring original music by Adam Martignetti.

Peterborough and District Italian Club: Come and enjoy an exciting Soccer Game in Toronto on October 3, 2015. Bus leaves from Burnham Mansion car pool lot at 2:30 p.m.

for the 5:00 game.

Price per ticket: $80. Contact John Mazziotti at 705-876-1282.

Thank you for supporting our fundraising event.

Dance Like No One Is Watching: Dance like no one’s watching to eclectic sounds (mainly world) in a beautiful hall in downtown Peterborough. No alcohol, no fashion, no steps to follow, just authentic moves to music. No experience needed. Thursdays,6:00-8:30pm at All Saints Church Hall (SW corner Rubidge and Sherbrooke). $10, first time free.

RummageSale:Saturday,September 26th: 9L00am-Noon. Located at St. Andrew’s United Church (on the corner of Rubidge & Kirk.) Use the Rubidge entrance, For more information, contact Anne Smith at (705-742-8294)

Arts

Television Rd. CD Release Show: ATTENTION! your ears will tingle, your body will jiggle! celebrate your friends, celebrate new local music! Hell, celebrate Head of the Trent! Get out of your house October 2nd for Television Rd’s new CD release! They are joined by darling garage rock duo Watershed Hour and the afro-cuban-jazzy-surfy-punkness of The Holy Gasp! Get ready to boogie! Live at the Red Dog (189 Hunter St. W.). Doors at 9pm. Cover: $8 Donna Collison & Biff Hannon Jazz Duo:On Saturday, October 3rd,from 6:00-9:00pm at Curry Village (306 George St. N., Peterborough) Media Arts Peterborough Presents: A free catered multi-media happening. Enjoy eye-popping visuals, music, food, a unique art show, and live performances.On Friday September 25, 2015 9:00pm - 2:00pm.

Located at ELECTRIC CITY GARDENS

Next week: Issue 3... PRIDE!

listings send yours to listings@trentarthur.ca