Cup of java?
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005 Students feed their coffee addiction on page 7
imprint IMPRINT
A strumming good time
Hillside Festival invades the Royal City on page 9
IMPRINT
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LOTR symphony spawns on page 9
UN I V E R S IT Y O F WAT E R L O O ST U D E N T NE W S PA P E R
JULY 29, 2005
VO L 28, NO 7
I M P R I N T . U WAT E R L O O . C A
Failing frosh on the rise at UW Jacqueline McKoy IMPRINT STAFF
Waterloo’s first-year students of 2004 might be on their way to setting an infamous record — being one of the worst-performing first-year classes in the school’s history. The July 1 issue of Imprint reported on an increase in the number of first-year math students on academic probation. Poor academic performance is proving to be a campus-wide trend, especially in some of Waterloo’s more competitive programs. Software engineering has lost 41 of 108 students from its incoming 2004 class. This number is far higher than the usual attrition rate of six to eight per cent for first-year engineering. According to Joanne Atley, associate director of software engineering, the class of 2004 had already lost that number of students by the end of the last fall term. Second-year software engineering student Richard Shih attributes the poor performance of his classmates to a curriculum that offers a manageable first term, but requires challenging secondyear math courses in their 1B term of study. Shih says, “The newfound difficulty with the three second-year courses, coupled with the confidence carried over from 1A, [didn’t quite prepare me] to bust my hump working on assignments and learning quite yet.” Science has also had trouble with keeping firstyears in its business program. According to Morris Tchir, undergraduate dean of science, “a significant portion” of the 100 students admitted to science and business last fall will not return to the program, or even to UW, in September. Tchir noted that the program usually loses a few students each year who either transfer to other programs or simply fail. He added the spike in attrition is likely due to Waterloo’s need to admit lesser-qualified students in order to meet enrolment targets. Using the high school averages and first-year marks of 600 science students, the faculty found there is at least a 15 per cent drop in marks between high school and university for most of their students. Only one per cent of students showed even the slightest improvement in their marks. Based on such statistics, the dean says it is “almost unfair to admit students in the low-70s…for a variety of reasons, they risk spending too much of their time at Waterloo close to academic probation.” Tchir’s concerns of fairness haven’t prevented the university from lowering its admission averages across the board. Waterloo’s admissions averages have been dropping since 2003 and they hit an all-time low of 85.4 per cent last fall. see FAILING, page 5
MATT KAVENAGH
A UW student bears the spicy hot wings made with the Bomber’s homemade habanero pepper sauce during a wing eating contest held during the last Bomber Wednesday of the term this week.
Student dies in Chatham crash UW’s Sara Leili killed instantly by Brooklyn driver Christine Loureiro IMPRINT STAFF
UW student Sara Leili was killed Friday, July 22 after an SUV rear-ended the vehicle she was traveling in near Chatham. Leili, 18, and her friend, University of Ottawa student Sarah Mouland, 19, were returning home to Leamington from Stratford at 2 a.m. when they were hit. Both died instantly. Leili recently finished her first year of studies in arts at UW-affiliated Conrad Grebel College, where Chaplain Ed Janzen recalled her kindness. “She had a really pleasant personality,” he said, describing her as friendly. “She had a great, kind attitude towards others. A generous disposition.” Edward Robinson, 32, of Brooklyn, New York, faces two charges each of criminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving causing death. Police said Robinson’s 2003 Chevy Tahoe slammed into Mouland’s 2004 Volkswagon Jetta, which was stopped in a construction zone 30 kilometres east of Chatham.
The impact forced Mouland’s car forward into another stopped SUV, then into two cars, according to Const. Tony Grant of the Chatham-Kent Ontario Provincial Police. No other drivers were seriously injured. “The car was totally demolished,” Grant said. “Both speed and a lack of attention were factors.
“Her laugh is something that people will remember. I wish I would have recorded it.” —Darlana Dyck, friend
“The driver did not pay a lot of attention to the fact that it was a stopped traffic because of the construction zone and those are the two main reasons why this collision took place,” Grant said. Police confirmed there is no indication that alcohol played any role in the collision. Robinson is still in a Chatham jail.
Leili was prime minister of her high school’s student government in Grade 12. “She wasn’t bold or brave,” said Randy Lepp, who knew both students. “She was a kind and gentle leader.” “Her laugh is something that people will remember. I wish I would have recorded it,” said friend Darlana Dyck. “I’m laughing thinking about it. You could hear her laugh from anywhere.” This death comes on the heels of another student’s traffic-related fatality. Third-year math and business student and Chatham native Tara Quach died on July 6 after sustaining serious injuries in an April 23 motorcycle accident on Westmount Road in Waterloo. Leili is buried at Evergreen Memorial Cemetery in Leamington. Donations in her memory can be made to Essex Region Conservation Foundation or the Mennonite Central Committee. —with files from the Windsor Star cloureiro@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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IMPRINT
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
IMPRINT
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
Neal Moogk-Soulis CROSSWORD
What would you have done if the LCBO went on strike? by Salim Eteer and Kirill Levin
“I would buy six twentysixers of Smirnoff vodka.” Mike Girodat
“L-C-B-what?” Sarah Elliot & Danielle Kinsie 2B kinesiology
4A kinesiology
Across 1. Enthusiastic approval 6. Muslim pilgrimage 10. Companion to Badger, Ratty and Mole 14. Hunt illegally 15. Dwarf buffalo 16. Palidromic ss word 17. Slippier than a patch of ice 18. The telephone having rung 19. Flightless bird 20. Top culinary world 22. Everyone should have three square ones a day 23. Channel marker 24. Chinese, Japanese and Indians among others 26. Wet nurse 30. Seven stops on campus 31. Harry Potter’s best bud 32. Canadian D-Day beach 33. Angers 35. Wrote the Divine Comedy 39. Ladies at their basketball team reunion 41. Shakepearean speech 43. See again 44. Former presidential nominee and Viagra spokesman 46. Also called margarine 47. Her cookies are the best 49. Arrest 50. The Commies 51. Princess Leia’s last name Solutions for July 15, 2005
“If they went on strike, nobody would be guarding the store ...” Diana Compagnone
“I would start doing well in school.” Vlad Moisseykin 2B math accounting
1B computer engineering
F L U T C A R O C H I N E P A D D A D A T O M D E P A A R T I N P I E D O N D O M E A L A N Y E N S
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A G E D S E R A C K E R S H S O H A M E R M A P L O T S S T O R E A M E X S P A T I G H T R A I M A L S U M I A K S A M M Y
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“I would set up a bootleg alcohol industry.” Abigail Cabunoc 1B bioinformatics
2B kinesiology
“Would the beer store be closed too?” Promita Datta
“I’d have to move to Mexico and drink the tequila there.” Chantal Wall
2B math & business
3B applied studies
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54. Not false 56. Distinctive odour 57. Neutralize 63. Hindu princess 64. Remedy 65. One who utters gibes 66. Religious painting 67. Plant part 68. Part of hilarious 69. Male deer 70. Sweet to have in weather like this 71. Relative positions Down 1. Lord of the Rings saga 2. She named Chanel 5 3. Wolf den 4. Passed with flying colours 5. Pulsating pain 6. Having secretly sheltered 7. Break down into detail 8. Ready to eat 9. Feline car make 10. Arnold as an android 11. Irish last name 12. Pacific Asian treaty association
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13. Money-making ventures 21. Ancient African region below Egypt 25. Coke and Pepsi 26. Propped open door 27. Donkey-horse love child 28. Tail end of the intestine 29. Profession of the stay-at-home mom or stay-at-home dad 34. Powers Midnight Sun 36. Lifeblood of Egypt 37. Having kept in line 38. Mr and Mrs Eno 40. Elemental John Mayer song 42. Prove to be false 45. Odds are its your home province 48. Daredevil 51. German iris 52. Undergo a chemical reaction 53. Home port of Christopher Columbus 55. Number of milking maids 58. European currency 59. The last English King Henry 60. Having skills and qualifications 61. Sign of sadness 62. Mistakes
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“It doesn’t matter, I got a years worth of Jack Daniels in my house.” Wayne Felder
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NEWS
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FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
IMPRINT NEWS
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2005
news@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Mark Stratford IMPRINT STAFF
In honour of my final instalment of “Here, There, Everywhere,” let’s dispense with the overly serious university and Canadian news and get straight to the bread and butter of the column; the wacky-ass, “whatthe-hell” international stuff. Enjoy!
KAREN CHOW
Spirited athletes rock the waters at this year’s exciting Waterloo Region Kiwanis Dragon Boat Festival.
Dragon boat racing splashes into summer Karen Chow SPECIAL TO IMPRINT
Over 60 teams of paddlers joined together with spectators, volunteers, and sponsors on Saturday, July 16 for the Waterloo Region Kiwanis Dragon Boat Festival at Laurel Creek Conservation Area, 15 minutes north of the University of Waterloo. Although the competition was delayed and shortened due to lighting and rain, the spirit of the teams and spectators were certainly not beaten. “All you need is two feet, a heartbeat and no fear of getting wet,” said Elizabeth Lynn, manager of Normie’s Spirit, one of the oldest K-W teams, competing since 1999.
Organized by the Kiwanis Club of Elmira, this year marked the event’s fourth annual fundraising campaign for charities in the surrounding area. A large portion of the funds raised goes to the Grand River Hospital’s childbirth program. Over the past three years, the festival has raised over $50,000. This year’s Kiwanis Grand Championship went to the TCBA Jr. Riptide team. Over 132 participants put their feet into the water this year, including paddlers from local universities, colleges and corporations. In addition to the dragon boat races, the festival featured arts and crafts vendors, food booths, beer tent, live music, beach volleyball, martial arts demonstration, plus all of the activities the
conservation area offered such as overnight camping. “I love it! It brings people together and is a great experience,” said Thomas O’Brien, a recent UW science graduate who has been with Normie’s Spirit since 1999. The team includes paddlers from the K-W community and UW, like Brubakers chef Roland Lynn. It also includes affiliates from Wilfrid Laurier University and McMaster University. “We are like a family,” said Lynn, “everyone is welcomed to join. Our oldest member last year was 82 years old.” The team will compete again at Stratford this September. See DRAGON, page 5
Poor sales force reduced hours at SLC Tim Hortons Darren Hutz IMPRINT STAFF
Nighthawks seeking large double-doubles and Boston cream donuts between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. found the doors to Tim Hortons shut for most of July. The relatively new SLC coffee shop, formerly open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, took on a new schedule due to waning evening sales. The decision to change came from the Food Advisory Board, a committee composed of Food Services staff, UW administration and students. According to board meeting minutes, the Tim Hortons was selling $14-$17 per hour between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. To break even, the establishment would need to pull in at least $100 per hour — over the course of those hours, they were losing approximately $300 each night. In light of these facts, the Food Advisory Board exercised its ability to truncate the Tim Hortons’ hours. The contract between Food Services and the Federation of Students for the Tim Hortons says (item 3.c), that “Tim Hortons SLC will be
open on a 24 hour basis from the first day of classes to the last day of exams each term,” but allows hours to change pending “approval of the Food Advisory Board.” The current contract will not be up for review until 2006. However, “This [change of hours] is a complete violation of the spirit of the agreement,” said Greg Hines, a former Feds councillor for SJU co-op who sat on the council that voted to accept the Tim Hortons’ contract. “Once again, the university has pulled a fast one on us and [has] shown a disturbing lack of respect for students. We were promised a 24-hour a day/7 days a week […] there is a cost associated with that; we are committed to doing it. […] this was a huge reason for me voting in favour of Timmy’s,” said Hines. “The decision is framed with running an efficient business in mind, but I thought the philosophy behind the contract was [for Tim Hortons] to provide service to students,” said John Andersen, Feds president. Mark Murdock, former director of Food Services, said, “our sales volume is exceeding even our best case scenario,” back in October.
Yet, the Food Advisory Board is still worried about losing money. Andersen said, “The plan was to save a few hundred bucks. I’m a little shocked at these money concerns that don’t make sense. If they’re short on cash, why are they giving [money] to UW campaigns?” It comes down to a debate as to whether Tim Hortons is more beneficial as an efficient, maximally profitable business, or as a constantly available source of food and coffee for students. When asked if we could expect 24/7 service again in the fall term, Carmen Lam, VPAF of Feds said “that was the agreement that student council voted [in favour of].” For now, and for the remainder of the exam period, Tim Hortons will be open 24/7. Hines said, “In two years, the agreement between Feds and Food Services is up for renewal … In the meantime, we need to start pressuring food services to make changes.” Lee Elkas, current director of Food Services, was unavailable for comment by press time.
dhutz@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
An artist in London, England is facing controversy with his latest experiment — a faucet in a small gallery that he turned on June 28 and has since refused to turn off. Mark McGowan, who has named the project “The Running Tap,” says that it is a protest against the act of wasting water and that he will let it run a full year to emphasize the foolishness of squandering aqua. Utility company Thames Water is more outraged than enlightened, as running the faucet for a year non-stop could cost about $23,320 and waste about 3.9 million gallons of water in a summer already named the driest in London sine 1976. But McGowan, whose past projects include sitting in a tub of baked beans with french fries up his nose in an endorsement of the full English breakfast, is proud of what he has done. “If it wasn’t so serious, my art would be hysterical,” he said. “But it’s not, is it?” Does she get a gold watch? A prostitute in Berlin, Germany will retire from the sex trade when she turns 64 next year. Renate Dolle has been hooking for 49 years, averaging four or five clients on a productive night. (So does she work with her teeth or without? Sorry, couldn’t resist.) Dolle was even granted permission to keep working in the same area after it was flushed of sex workers following the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. She will retire after 50 years of faithful service, perhaps so she can spend more time with her nine-year-old granddaughter and her husband, who drives her to work every night. At least there will be plenty of younger streetwalkers to take her place — in fact, a bunch of them recently harassed her and chased her away when she tried working alongside them in a popular red light district. The nerve! A farmer in Croatia was killed this week when the cow he was milking fell on him and crushed him. (Now really, haven’t we all feared that at one time or another?) His grief-stricken daughter-in-law explained that the 61-year-old farmer had most likely slipped and pulled the milking machine onto himself; the cow, named Lara, must have been spooked and fell onto him (she added that it took about three minutes to pull the cow off the poor man). A newspaper reporting the story did not mention what became of the cow, but a bittersweet platter of “Thanks for killing our father, you bovine bastard” barbecued cutlets is a safe assumption. A woman in Palermo, Sicily was milked out of 50,000 euros over the course of four years by a cabaret singer and his girlfriend, both of whom told her that they were vampires who would impregnate her with the son of the anti-Christ unless she kept buying pills at 3,000 euros a pop that would prevent the pregnancy. Truly, a sentence that every news journalist waits a lifetime to publish. mstratford@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
IMPRINT NEWS
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
5
Failure: other programs affected The end of a productive spring in Parliament Students in the arts and business cooperative program have had similar troubles to those in other faculties. Although the program has historically admitted high school students with A averages, program advisor Susan Andrews said “the attrition rate has always been high, around 60 per cent, but this year it’s definitely increased.” The program, which admits about 200 students to its co-op option each year has already had 21 of its incoming students, some with averages as low as 70 per cent, transfer into the regular arts program or elsewhere. Andrews said that currently close to 100 students from last year’s incom-
ing class have failed out of the program, and more will leave the program in time for September. Dr. Tom Ruttan, director of Counselling Services, has noted that less academic preparation might not be the only problem with last year’s frosh. Waterloo, like many other universities and colleges, has seen a spike in usage of its personal counselling services, including usage by first-year students. An extra counsellor-in-residence has been stationed at UW Place to handle the increased demand for counselling. In particular, more and more first years are attending life-skills seminars on topics like time management. jmckoy@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Dragon: racing’s popularity soars Continued from page 4
Other UW teams included Paddlers Anonymous (PA). The club, founded by three students at the University of Waterloo, sent out three teams this year. Comprised almost entirely of UW students, the club is the among the biggest Dragon Boat Racing teams on campus. The teams include daBoat, daWaves, and UW Waterhawks. The teams train regularly and have participated in various competitions. “We train once a week in Toronto,” said Jeremy Tse in 3B Science and Business, Team Captain of UW Waterhawks. “It is very addicting,” added Jessica Chiu, player for this year’s UW Waterhawks and a recent Master of Accounting graduate. The team came third in the I category in the recent Dragon Boat Racing at Center Island in Toronto, and second overall at the Dragon Boat Racing Festival at Cambridge. Dragon Boat racing has recently became one of the most popular team water cannoning sports in North America. Originated around 277 B.C. in China, it was first part of a celebration on the fifth day of the lunar month of the Chinese calendar to worship the Dragon in order to avert
Christine Loureiro IMPRINT STAFF
misfortune and to encourage rain needed for prosperity. However, it is most widely known in the death of a well-respected poet and minister of State during the Chou Dynasty, Qu Yuan. Qu’s protest against the government was rejected and was stripped of his office. When Qu, sent away from home, disappeared into the river, local fisherman raced out their Dragon Boats, beating drums to scare off the fish that they believed would eat his body. The locals also dropped rice dumplings into the river to prevent his body from being eaten. Today, the Chinese still eat rice dumpling during the Dragon Boat festival and Dragon Boat has evolved into an international team sport of fun, fitness, and friendship, often held to raise funds for charity. A typical Dragon Boat is 40 feet in length. It consists of a team of 20 paddlers, paced by a drummer and guided by a steerperson. It combines power, rhythm, and synchronization to race over a 500-metre course. The Waterloo Dragon Boat Festival 2006 is already set to be on July 15 next year again at the Laurel Creek Conservation Area. Organizers from the Kiwanis Club hope to raise more funds for local charity. “Bruce Mitchell is a distinguished scholar, teacher, mentor and leader,” the Mitchell’s citation said, saying his “groundbreaking and innovative research in the areas of water and environmental management.” The society went on to call Sudicky “a scientific leader in the development and application of mathematical models to aid in our understanding of fluid flow and mass transport in porous and fractured geologic media.” Jackson, according to the society, “has been at the forefront and [combinatorics] has developed over the last 30 years into a mature discipline. Perhaps most notable has been the creative vision that has consistently driven Prof. Jackson’s work, and the subsequent independence and novelty of his contributions.” The Royal Society of Canada’s mandate is the promotion and development of learning and research in arts and sciences.
COME TO IMPRINT!
UW profs named to Royal Society of Canada
Three UW profs were named to the illustrious Royal Society of Canada this month. Geography Prof. Bruce Mitchell, earth sciences Prof. Edward Sudicky and combinatorics and optimization Prof. David Jackson enjoyed this year’s distinguished honours, the highest that can be attained by scholars, artists and scientists in Canada. “The new Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada are among those who, today, build the world we will live in tomorrow,” said a society news release.
cloureiro@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Well, the doors of the Parliament of Canada have finally closed for the summer. After some overtime by our hardworking Members of Parliament, the Senate sat well into July to pass three crucial bills: C-43 (the budget), C48 (the NDP amendment to the budget) and C-38 (the Civil Marriage Act). What a zoo this session has been! It all went haywire after the introduction of the 2005/06 budget in late February. The Conservatives, who initially supported the budget, flipflopped, causing Paul Martin to have to work instead with the NDP, who demanded fewer tax cuts and more social spending. Of course, flip-flopping is second nature to the Conservatives. They were long opposed to the Kyoto Accord on climate change — now they’ve decided they’ll keep it. While Tory leader Stephen Harper has described medicare as “the biggest policy problem facing Canada,” now, perhaps because of the polls, he’s decided that he supports universal health care after all! The Conservatives have also made the assertion that Paul Martin supports child pornography and Harper’s former communications director called the Prime Minister “Osama bin Laden Martin.” This party is clearly not to be taken seriously. On the other side of the coin, NDP leader Jack Layton capitalized on the government’s desperation to avoid collapse and extracted $4.6 billion in additional spending for the environment, post-secondary education, foreign aid and affordable housing. With a mere 19 seats the NDP managed to get its agenda onto the table while the Conservative Party sat idly by. The Bloc Québécois opposed the budget right from the get-go, claiming that, in spite of its support of Bloc
priorities such as child care and environmental protection, “this budget is not good for Québec.” Riding high in the polls, Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe was thirsty for an election and eager to collapse the government. In league with their sister party, the Conservatives, the Bloc attempted to bring down the government on more than one occasion. The kingmaker for the Liberals, of course, was the late Chuck Cadman, independent MP for
Harper’s former communications director called the Prime Minister “Osama bin Laden Martin.” This party is clearly not to be taken seriously. Surrey North and a former Alliance MP, who refused to vote in favour of an early election because his constituents opposed it. In fact, the majority of Canadians did not want an election, but the Conservatives, who care about winning power above all else, didn’t give a damn. They were determined to force us to the polls, but the morality and integrity of Chuck Cadman stopped them in their tracks. Thankfully, near the end of June, the Bloc Québécois, in spite of past silent alliances with the Conservatives, decided to be more co-operative. They agreed to let the budget pass if it also meant the swift passage of the samesex marriage legislation. Co-operation and teamwork made that victory possible. Question Period has, as of late, often been a sad spectacle featuring the Conservatives and Bloc repeatedly posing the same asked-to-death questions on the sponsorship scandal — and simply getting the government’s scandal shield, Public Works Minister Scott Brison, out of his seat over and
over with the same, tired answers. Aside from the odd suck-up question from a Liberal backbencher, only the NDP asked real, pertinent, thoughtful questions — questions about missile defense, or maintaining clean air and water for Canadians, or child care or post-secondary education. The surprise defection of Belinda Stronach to the Liberals was also instrumental in saving this fragile government, and the hasty departure from the Tories of the moderate, progressive MP was a further signal to Canadians that this new party is not progressive at all, but just the same old bunch of Reformers. In closing, thanks mostly to the political smarts of Belinda Stronach, Paul Martin and especially Jack Layton, this minority Parliament has not only survived, but it’s gotten a huge amount accomplished! The Atlantic Accord has been put into place. The implementation of the Kyoto Accord continues. We’ve significantly boosted foreign aid to Africa. The military is getting an enormous funding increase. Post-secondary education gets a boost, as do our affordable housing programs. History was made with the complete legalization of same-sex marriage. The list is endless. Congratulations to all political parties on a very productive spring! mjohnson@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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FEATURES 6
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
IMPRINT FEATURES
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
features@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Have you heard? Poker is the latest craze! Chris Mustakas SPECIAL TO IMPRINT
Once a game only for criminals, poker has taken off to new heights with no sign of coming down. Now, poker is being marketed to the masses, and it’s everywhere; chip sets and “How to Win” books written by professional players are being sold on the shopping network and in every store in the mall that sells books, games or sporting goods. It’s even in the schools. I remember playing asshole or euchre, but now kids play poker at lunch. Oh how times have changed. Of course it’s on TV as well; with countless programs dedicated to this game everyone has grown to love. The new wave of reality TV is complete with flop cams and commentators calculating odds. The World Poker Tour, the World Series of Poker and Celebrity Poker have all seen tremendous market shares in
recent times. But despite seeing the direction poker is going, it’s very easy to get lost in the hype. It’s easy to watch Celebrity Poker and say “what the hell?” I hate watching it because I can’t learn anything from it. It blows me away! The World Poker Tour is a bit different. It’s fun to watch players like Gus Hansen showdown with Phil Ivey and see their skills play out. After all, poker is a game of skill, attitude, and luck more than anything. But let’s not talk about TV — let’s talk about poker! For the uninitiated, Texas hold’em poker is a card game that involves playing the best five cards possible. Each player is dealt two cards face down followed by a series of betting. Those wanting to stay in the game must match the largest bet otherwise they are forced to fold. After the initial round of betting, there are three community cards dealt face up. These three cards are called the“flop.”
The flop should help players who wish to stick around after another round of betting. Some will stay in the game if they have a draw (meaning they will hope to hit lucky and make five cards in a row or five cards of the same suit). Others might stick around if they have a high pocket pair or if they believe nobody has anything else better. The “turn” card is the fourth community card. Another round of betting occurs, and the “river” card, which is the fifth card, is revealed. The winner of the hand will have the best five cards; they may use one or two of the cards in their hand and the rest from the community cards, or in some cases, they may be playing the board which are the five cards on the table. The winner takes down the pot and that’s basically the game of poker in a nutshell. There is obviously more strategy associated with the description of the basics of poker, seating positions and calculating odds that all factor into the
game. For example, seating position is quite important to the game of poker. In one sentence, sit to the right of a tight player and to the left of a loose player. With the loose player on your right, you are able to evaluate the cards after he makes his call. Then when it comes to you, you can re-raise his bets to try and wipe out their mediocre and drawing hands. By playing with a tight player on your left, you can raise him if you have a decent hand, and steal their blinds. Very tight players will tend to just call a bet than re-raise even though they might have a decent hand. Now, I am not a player who likes to calculate the odds that much. I feel I am a bit loose at the table and I like changing it up and playing the player, not necessarily playing the cards. Playing loose can be a very good thing as nobody expects you to call a raise with 2, 6 off suited, especially if the flop comes down 2, 6, K. But in the long run, it will also cost you a lot of
money if all you are doing is playing random cards. Ever wonder how those analysts calculate the odds? It’s simple mathematics. For the first card you can have any one of the 52 cards in the deck. On the second card though, there are only three cards you can catch to make you pair up. For example, let’s say I am dealt a six. There are only three more sixes in the deck. Therefore, I want three out of the remaining 51 cards. Three out of 51 is approximately six per cent. Thus I have a six per cent chance of being dealt any pockets. As you probably know by now, poker has become the hip and cool game that everyone and their mother seems to be playing these days. Expect this trend to continue. CityTV, TSN, Rogers Sportsnet and The Score all play poker programs regularly. Check your local listings for more information.
Aloha! Maui explodes with culture every time you visit Adam Gardiner IMPRINT STAFF
The biggest vacation of my life so far took place in the summer of 2003 on a warm, breezy island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Its name — Maui — is instantly recognizable to anyone in North America as a place of pristine beaches, perfect weather, summer surfing and “Hang Loose” T-shirts. And while all those things exist on Maui — in great quantities — it’s only a very small part of what makes the island as memorable as it is. The 10 hours I spent in the sky getting there definitely didn’t bring me as close to heaven as the 10 days I spent after landing! Along with my mother, Sara — who had longed to return to Maui since her last visit 27 years earlier — and one of her friends, I experienced a place on earth that, in all its aspects, is truly like no other. Like its companion islands in the Hawaiian chain, Maui is essentially made up of the two large mountains whose lava flows created it. The first mountain, Puu Kukui, is the smaller of the two and comprises the north and west ends of the island; the second, Haleakala, makes up the east and south coasts and at over 10,000 feet it is one of the world’s highest summits accessible to tourists. A wide variety of climates and vegetation types exist as a result of the island’s unique shape. To the west, the strong sun and rich soil create an oasis of rolling green hills; to the north, a rainforest climate flourishes; on the far east end, where the cooled-lava runoff makes the surface impossible to build upon, the terrain is that of a rocky desert; atop Haleakala, overlooking the clouds, the temperature is as cool and the air as misty as a chilly October morning. The humid air, cooled by the Pacific cross breeze, creates rainbows at every turn;
the beaches, naturally, are everything you’d expect of a Hawaiian island with plenty of surf, sand and sun. We collected sand from several shores, as the sand colours across Maui range anywhere from black to light beige. In the tourist areas, palm trees grow in abundance, but the natural brush of Hawaii is actually quite rough, with a wild mix of ferns, tall grasses and, surprisingly, very few palm trees at all! We rented a car, like most tourists, so we could explore all of Maui’s regions ourselves. Most of our road trips were relaxed, pleasant journeys, thanks to the excellent condition of the winding major highways — Hawaii is an American state, after all — as well as the abundance of scenic overlooks, which we pulled off the highway to take advantage of at almost every opportunity. Aside from extra film and water, we took our snorkeling gear along with us; in many of the island’s beaches, especially when they’re in a bay, there’s plenty of colourful fish and coral to dive down and look at. The roads aren’t all motorist paradises, however; our road trips (which, in total, covered almost all of the island’s perimeter) included a threehour journey to drive a mere 57 miles through the East mountains where, in addition to stomach-shaking twists and turns, some roads are so rough that your contract with the rental car company will be violated if you drive on them. When we weren’t exploring the Maui landscape, we spent our time enjoying the other treasures of the island — the culture and people. Hawaiians first settled on the islands from Polynesia over 1,200 years ago and until the arrival of European explorers in the 18th century their culture had evolved quite strongly. After being repressed by the Europeans, and later the Americans, the identity of the Hawaiian people has made a
ADAM GARDINER
Everywhere you turn, the majestic beauty of Maui will take your breath away. dramatic comeback in the latter half of the 20th century. I saw only two streets bearing English names, and I was surprised to hear the staff at the local WalMart end their pages with “mahalo,” the Hawaiian word for “thank you.” On our day in Wailuku, one of the less tourist-oriented cities, we attended a hula competition at the local arena, where parents sat and cheered their dancing children on with the same spirit and sense of community you would find at a swim meet or hockey game here in Canada. A sense of family exists among the Hawaiian people, borne out of their common history and perhaps as well the knowledge that they all share a very special place in the world; they treat each other — and, most notably, the scores of tourists in their land — with warmth and open arms, smiling at you in acknowledgement and conversing with you as casually and intimately as if you
were one of their own. Whether it was an aging lady telling us about the spirits that live in the forest, or a family explaining fishing spears to us at the side of the road, there was an acceptance to be felt and a conversation to be enjoyed whenever we opened up to the people whose island we were visiting. I recommend several activities for anyone considering a trip to Maui, or even Hawaii in general. The first is to attend a luau, a traditional Hawaiian party that involves a dinner feast with live entertainment (such as hula dancing). As well as being an absolute blast (especially if it includes an open bar, like ours did), there are usually displays and activities that introduce you to some of the more interesting basics of Hawaiian culture. Also, try surfing with a boogie board, a small foam pad you lay on to ride a wave, available to borrow at most hotels. If you master that, then you can upgrade to a full board, but at the very
least, you’ll be able to tell people you surfed in Hawaii! And take time, on at least one clear morning or evening, to find a quiet spot and watch the sun rise or set. We may get some beautiful skies in Canada, but there’s something about watching it in a place such as Hawaii that makes the experience extraordinary. And above all, get out of the room, away from the resort, and explore. The biggest thing I learned coming away from Maui is that the more of it you experience, the greater an effect the island will have upon you. There truly is a spirit to the place, a spirit that is nurtured by the land and represented by the people. You can hear it call when you listen to the surf, and feel it pull when you lie upon the sand. The Hawaiians call it aloha. I call it something I hope to experience again someday very soon. agardiner@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
IMPRINT FEATURES
7
Campus java junkies lose more money than sleep Through wise planning and investments you can turn your coffee expense into your retirement dream Stephanie Lim SPECIAL TO IMPRINT
With 8:30 a.m. classes, pulling all-nighters to finish off assignments and studying for tests, it’s no wonder coffee is so popular among those on campus. When students were asked how many cups of coffee they drink in a day (on average), the results were surprising. While the majority modestly said two, others laughed and admitted to drinking at least five cups of coffee. After the infiltration of Tim Horton’s into the SLC and the others already located in ML, DC, Optometry and other buildings, coffee is more and more accessible on campus. However, is it worth it to drink coffee on a regular basis? Just how much cash are students and staff dishing out for a daily hit of java? Different grades of coffee obviously cost different amounts. Coffee found at Brubakers and Bookends averages $1.14 for a medium, while the same size at Tim Hortons’ costs $1.12. Those who indulge in the espressos and higher-end coffees at Second Cup and Starbucks will find themselves spending anywhere from $1.55 for a single shot of espresso to $3.65 for a medium latte. Over the course of one year, a student who drinks three cups of regular coffee a day at $1.12
KIRILL LEVIN
Caffeine, nectar of the Gods. A familiar sight during the exam period; as drowsiness sets in, coffee helps a student stay awake and cram for those finals. per cup (on average) is spending $1226.40 per year before taxes. With all of that coffee being consumed, can you imagine having a muffin with that?
Kamil Szynkarczuk, director of UW Apprentice and ACE Waterloo vice-president of micro business believes that, “Students who spend money for three cups of coffee a day
should invest in a thermos and place the money they save aside in a useful investment.” When asked what kinds of investment strategies students could embark on with their coffee money, he suggests students can open a trading account to trade options or currencies. “Personally, I prefer quantitative strategies, and actively trading by these strategies can be very profitable. Right now is a great time for students to get started on their RRSPs since they have the opportunity to wait out medium term fluctuations in aggressive high-return investments,” says Szynkarczuk. While the latte factor is expensive for many people, avid coffee drinkers such as Sarah Kim, a third-year biomedical science student, choose convenience over cost. As for Dan Man, a thirdyear speech communication major, he needs coffee to stay awake through all-nighters. “I believe saving money is an important concept that has been lost over the years,” says Szynkarczuk. For him, he chooses cash over coffee in order to live a comfortable life. So which is it? Do you prefer coffee or cash? “Think about it,” says Szynkarczuk. “Placing that $5 a day into an investment account and letting that investment reach $1.3 million at retirement is more worthwhile than coffee.” For some, coffee may be a forgivable daily expense, in the end, it does cost a lot. But who’s counting pennies when your essay is five days late and sleep is the last thing on your mind?
Maybe I’m getting too old for this
The end of July for the past few years has consisted of one thing for me — attending Darknights Nationals. DKN7 took place this past weekend and for the first time in years I didn’t get to go. Being sick, working on an essay, debating writing this column and filling in for someone who quit at the last minute from my parents’ company all filled my weekend instead of DKN. I’ve found lately that I just don’t have time to be involved in the car scene like I used to. In fact, I haven’t been to a single car show this summer. Many of the people I know have started to back away from the scene, due to time constraints, like me, or because of the drama that can take place. Additionally, I have noticed that enthusiasts have been getting younger and younger (or am I just getting older and older?).
As people become busy with university or graduating university and working or starting grad school, things happening on the side start to slide, like involvement with the tuner scene. Personally, I have even nearly completed removing all modifications from my car; I’m doing this somewhat backwards though because it’s usually once people get older that they have more money to put into their cars. Another factor affecting my friends leaving the scene is that they are in fact investing more money into their vehicles. With more money invested, the risk of theft and vandalism goes up, so they don’t want their cars on display throughout the city. Since I’m in the middle of writing a 22-page essay, I am going to leave you with some food for thought: we all need to step back and breathe once in a while. Whether you choose to take your break by going to a car show, playing hockey or reading a book that isn’t for class, be sure to take some time to sit back and enjoy life. Now if only I could follow my own advice.
on weekends i wear vinyl.
hard core thursdays with dj obi no cover / free pool
kamcgreg@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
big al’s retro fridays
new rock alternative saturdays no cover for the ladies
open thurs.- sat. 9pm - 2am 667 king street w kitchener 571-9032
open wed.-sat. 9pm-2am
667 king street w kitchener 571-9032
ARTS
8
IMPRINT ARTS
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
UW student launches art exposition at Jane Bond Amanda Kind IMPRINT STAFF
History major Jeff Maus is a man of many talents — he’s a filmmaker, television-show creator, comic book writer, and painter. Maus, who has had two previous exhibitions at the Jane Bond restaurant in uptown Waterloo, brings his third collection there on August 9. Before beginning his undergrad studies at the University of Waterloo in 2003, Maus graduated from Confederation College with a diploma in film production. During his two years in the hands-on program, Maus studied all aspects of production and a variety of filmmaking styles. His short film Well Being garnered the Best Film Award in 2000 and was chosen by APTN (The Aboriginal People’s Television Network) to be adapted into a children’s television series. Maus recalls all the hard work that went into the film, “I wrote, directed and shot it as well as created the sets and puppets.” The series provided several challenges for Maus, the foremost being that the series was 90 per cent in Cree and only 10 per cent in English. The television spin off was renamed Moose Factory and featured a native actor from Timmins. Maus recalls, “I flew in there to record his voice and filmed the show in Thunder Bay.” The episodes were televised nationally in the 2001 season. Maus then moved to Toronto and got a position with the Partners Film Company acting as an assistant editor, cameraman and tape operator for a variety of projects including music videos for Sloan while also being responsible for Kodak’s largest Canadian account. Despite his numerous successes in the film business, Maus felt the need to expand his education and scope beyond the Toronto film scene. In 2003, he enrolled as a history major at UW and soon became the president
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
JEFF MAUS
“Saxophone Player” is featured in the newest art collection by Jeff Maus, on display at Jane Bond August 9. of the history society. Maus has taken a broad range of histories but cites Canadian film history as a particular favourite. His comic book, which Maus says is more like a graphic novel, is based on a film script idea he’s had for at least five years, though he’s only worked on putting the idea into comic book form over the last two years. Escape from Planet Crazy will be released in stores around Waterloo and Montreal sometime this fall. The plot is set in the ‘60s and is influenced by comics from the
July 30 Warped Tour w/ The Transplants, Offspring, Drop Kick Murphys, Millencolin, Dillinger Escape Plan, and many more — Molson Park, Barrie August 2 Coldplay (doors open 6:30 p.m.) — Air Canada Centre August 5-7 Blues, Brews, Barbeques Festival — Kitchener August 6 Nathaniel Mayar w/ Special Guests (8 p.m.) — Starlight August 11 Kelly Clarkson (8 p.m.) — Centre In The Square August 18 Bob Saget (8 p.m.) -- Centre In The Square
New Yorker and old advertisements from the ‘50s and ‘60s. When he’s not drafting comic books, creating movies or studying history, Maus paints — his creations are abstract, colourful and heavily reminiscent of Picasso’s work. The 16 new paintings, which include Saxophone Player (pictured here) are available for purchase as well as viewing and are certainly a sight not to be missed. Grab some friends and support this extraordinary artist. akind@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
1. Jason Collett 2. Antibalas 3. DJ Spooky & Dave Lombardo 4. Sufjan Stevens 5. Bonobo 6. The Herbaliser 7. Torngat 8. Fndmntl 9. Poor Man Stylist & Mr No Tears 10. Martin Tétrault/ Otomo Yoshihide
Idols Of Exile Government Magic Drums Of Death Illinois Live Sessions Take London La Rouge Subduction The Mighty Dub Machine AHHH
Four easy ways to write a rock song musician and getting supremely wasted seem to walk hand in hand. It’s talent juice right? I need to expand my mind! So many rock songs are about partying or struggle, and booze and drugs can certainly offer both — sometimes simultaneously. We’re going to light this town on fire, and Hey, I’ve got the four chords down, smoke it down, down, down! Then I forgot why don’t I write a song? It’ll be a just who I was, and the bad man came piece of cake. Look at that girl who, around. Or just get messed up on for some stupid reason, is not sexing LSD and cease to make sense! It was me up, I’ll write a song about her! If orange when it met me, then the sun you’ve ever been to a high school poured silk beside me, then the fourth before, that kind of angst should be time tried left me orange. But seriously. easy to muster. Hey, I’m writing a Those are some common styles song, right? That means I’m not getting laid at least not at this exact of songwriting — avoid them if you moment. I’ll work with that. Baby can. The true art behind writing music lies in novelty get with me, I won’t and applicability. break your heart, To be novel, I’ll love you true “I could be a Chris- you must be right from the original. Sure, like start... tian rocker! Naw, the Barenaked Damn, that then I’ll feel bad Ladies say, “it’s all sucks. Hmm, gee I sure hate George once the ladies get been done,” but that doesn’t mean Bush and bombs all crazy over me.” you can’t comand shit. I’ll tap bine things that into my political have been done self! Rock is about initiating real change, right? I can use before to create something that dissome imagery or something to convey tinctly reflects whatever it is you think my deep unrest. As megaton rain breaks yourself to be. For applicability, make your lyrics through the roof, an ocean away, they lie a little vague through the use of about truth. Ok, that’s really pretentious. I metaphors, so that the general pubdon’t really give a damn about popu- lic can relate. Also, this means that lar politics, so my vague insights even if you write an intensely perdon’t really have any value. I wouldn’t sonal song, the public won’t be privy to the private details of your perwant to be a douchebag. How about spirituality, I have sonal life. Be conscious of the music you that right? I could be a Christian rocker! Naw, then I’ll feel bad once listen to and make sure you don’t the ladies get all crazy over me. I’d simply emulate. After all, composbetter just make up some other kind ing is the pinnacle musical expresof spirituality that resembles a hodge- sion. You can play all the covers you podge of eastern and native Ameri- want, but nobody will give a damn can religions. The light shines through unless your original stuff is good and not boring. the trees and the hawk. Aw, who am I kidding, I have no dhutz@imprint.uwaterloo.ca soul. I’ll try intoxicants. Being a rock
– Name any song by The Haunches. – Who is “He-who-shall-not-be-named?” – What band did lead singer Thornley used to play for? – Who are the two arts columnists this term? – What production just played at the Waterloo Stage Theatre? – Who the hell is Bob Geldof anyway? Submit your answers to arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca for a chance to win free CDs. Last week’s answers: 1. Graphic novels 2. Seedy, very seedy. 3. Benefits of Doubt 4. Famous international jazz singer who played the Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival 5. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at Stratford 6. UW
IMPRINT ARTS
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
9
Hillside Festival: a jewel in the crown of the Royal City Dave George-Cosh IMPRINT STAFF
After the last remnants of music floated through the air, it was undoubtedly clear in everyone’s minds that Guelph’s Hillside Festival is truly one of Canada’s finest music festivals. Spread out over a lazy July weekend, the festival managed to create an incredible amount of buzz after confirming a lineup that made every indie music fan in Ontario snap up all tickets available. Known as “one of the world’s top 25 music festivals,� Hillside combined a lineup of popular Canadian bands and folk heroes and managed to contain a palpable energy which escaped once the headliners, Montreal’s The Arcade Fire and Sam Roberts, walked off the stage. Holding true to its down-to-earth mentality, the festival provided many opportunities for community interaction. From environmental exhibits to healing booths to a food court which included everything from hemp shakes to numerous vegan offerings. Held at the Guelph Lake conservation area, the location allowed many patrons, volunteers and performers the chance to camp out on site leading to many impromptu jam sessions, including one inspiring bluegrass session. Highlighting Hillside were the many workshops held on a side stage which featured artists such as Sarah Slean, Luke Doucet and members of Broken Social Scene. Loosely following the theme of the workshop, each artist
contributed a song or two while being accompanied by their peers on stage. Most songs played were unreleased and rare, whose intimacy was heightened by the addition of a guest musician adding backup vocals or a guitar lick or two. Oshawa’s Cuff the Duke threatened to steal the show with their performance on the Island stage, playing in support of their upcoming self-titled CD that was released last Tuesday. The Duke electrified the stage with their unique blend of alt-country and hard rock, ensuring that audience members would quickly snap up every copy of their new album before the day was over. The Toronto label Arts & Crafts, was represented by four different acts including Milton’s Most Serene Republic, Stars and the aforementioned Broken Social Scene. Sunday night’s performance by Broken Social Scene was even more special considering that a week prior, a member of Broken Social Scene was assaulted by New York cops. Their homecoming show was aided in part by Metric’s Emily Haines and a special guest appearance by k-os, who played up to the crowd by crowd surfing mid-set. The Arcade Fire lived up to its welldeserved hype by providing all spectators with an example of their reputable live performance. With the Hillside Festival as only one of three shows the band decided to grace during their selfimposed two-month break, the band ended their set with current singles “Neighbourhood #3� and “Rebellion (Lies)� before exiting the stage through the crowd.
DAVE GEORGE-COSH
The Weakerthans still hate Winnipeg but love playing in front of the crowd at the Hillside Festival. However, it was Doucet who managed to rise out from the diverse lineup and emerge from the festival as the artist to keep an eye on in the future. It seemed that everywhere you looked, Doucet was adding his unique warm guitar tones to every song. Although he had his own stand-out set on the main stage, Doucet managed to impress audience members by rushing
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m afraid there won’t be an encore tonight
“Thank you everybody, this is our last song!� Excuse me? No, it’s not your last song. I know that, the guy standing next to me knows that and I’m pretty sure a lot of other people aren’t buying it. We all know what’s going to happen; you’re going to leave the stage and come back and play a few more songs for your encore. There’s no surprise here, folks — it’s like watching a magician perform but you’ve already seen his act on the DVD you already own. So I’m just going to come out and say it — I hate encores. I hate them with a passion. I cringe whenever a band is finished its main set and leaves the stage only to return in a few minutes. Encores don’t add anything to the live experience other than stroking the band’s egos during the brief break between sets. In the past, encores have served as a way for the audience to really show the artist how much they appreciated the performance. “Encore! Encore!� used to be bellowed from the audience,
prompting whoever deserved such admiration to come out and accept it. Maybe, just maybe, there would be something extra played. Maybe. Today, encores are so standard during live shows that people get upset if the band doesn’t come out for its obligatory extra minutes. The majority of the time, the songs played during encores are nothing new. Some are hits, and people in the audience will wait just to hear that one song. Some encore songs have extended jams of old songs. Some encores just never happen at all! To those who wonder exactly what happens during the encore break, I was backstage at last week’s Hillside Festival held in Guelph and had the pleasure of witnessing first-hand what happens. It was after Sam Roberts finished whatever song he ended his main set with (I think it was “Brother Down,� so let’s assume it was that). The band exited to the back, talked for a bit, one band member got some water and then they all walked back on stage. And what happened? They played a couple more songs, both from We Were Born in a Flame and then left. At least you have to give credit to Roberts for not pulling a Motley Crue — grabbing a couple groupies, a pile of cocaine and vanishing for 10 minutes. With the music industry beginning to fall under its own weight and slowly
imploding (Sony payola scandal anyone?), bands have to realize that major labels are not the best avenue to promote their music, live performances are. And what better way to stand out from the rest of the pack than to do something totally different with your live show? So why can’t bands just play the set they intend to play (encore songs and all) during the main set and save the encore performance for something special like covers or unreleased tracks? So much emphasis is placed on saving your “hit� song until the end or encore that little attention is paid to other aspects of the performance. One final note (and if I could draw a small tangent), this column will not have an encore performance. I’ll be moving to Toronto for something other than co-op and to be honest, I’m looking forward to getting out of Waterloo. It’s been fun writing about music and I’d like to thank whoever helped and offered feedback for my writing — you all know who you are. Any final words? Support your local artists, go to as many live shows as you can, listen to as much music as you can and always, always, always remember that Queens of the Stone Age is the best motherfucking band in the world. dgeorgec@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
over to provide a lead guitar to Ridley Bent’s performance in mid-song immediately after concluding another guest appearance elsewhere on the festival ground. With each successive performance, Hillside managed to constantly prove to concert-goers that it is the preeminent music festival in Canada. Its dedication to the community and
commitment to providing high-quality music ensures that its status will stay up there as time goes on. If this year’s festival is any indication of what the 2006 edition will look like, people should start lining up to buy their Hillside Festival tickets as soon as they can. dgeorgec@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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OPINION FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
IMPRINT UNIVERISTY
OF
W AT E R L O O S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R
Friday, July 29, 2005
— Vol. 28, No. 7
Editor-in-chief, Carla Sandham editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca General manager, Catherine Bolger cathy.bolger@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Student Life Centre 1116 University of Waterloo Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1
BAR FLIES
Cats: paws and reflect Clearly far superior pets than any canine alternatives
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Ian Blechschmidt
Most of my friends are dog people. I am a cat person. The difference of opinion between our “pet-orientation” has caused a few catfights, but nothing my furry felines and I can’t handle. I have always been a cat person. As a child, I built a cathouse on my grandparents’ farm to provide shelter and food for the barn cats. Unfortunately, they didn’t like my decorating sense: they never made it their home. Instead, they risked being attacked by the dog or even being shot and killed by my father who tried to control the cat population around the farm. My mom never liked cats, so an indoor cat was prohibited. But we always had outdoor cats and a handful of strays I mothered. About 30 per cent of Canadian families own a dog, 28 per cent own at least one cat and 32 per cent of dog owners also have a cat, according to a 2002 Leger Marketing survey. But despite their popularity as a family pet, cats tend to have a bad rep. A rep for being poor pets: unaffectionate, unfriendly, moody
and inconsiderate of neighbours’ gardens, as duly noted in The Record’s letters to the editor. But these labels are undeserved. It’s a fact that cats simply have over-zealous personalities. When cared for by a responsible owner, such as myself, cats are not nuisances nor would they over-populate urban areas. In Canada, there are more than 7.2 million cats compared to just over five million dogs, the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals states. Thirty thou-
“Sadly, people take better care of their barking dogs than they do their purring kittens.” sand of those cats live in Kitchener with owners. But, sadly, people take better care of their barking dogs than they do their purring kittens. Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society reports only 20 per cent of cats see the inside of a veterinarian office. Who’s the inconsiderate and unaffectionate one now? This lack of care results in the euthanization of thousands of abandoned cats and kittens each year at the
Lincoln County Humane Society in St. Catharines alone, according to manager Kevin Strooband. What a shame considering the love and companionship a cat can offer. Take for example my two-year-old tabby Mr. Bojangles. He talks to me. He meows, I meow back. We go back and forth like this until one of us gets bored or offended by what the other said. Then there’s my slightly overweight kitten, Gizmo. She is a total sweetheart. This ball of fluff knows how to melt any dog-lovers heart. Each morning she gently caresses her face against mine before curling up on my stomach to purr until I get out of bed. And every time I come home, the cats are there to greet me at the door — sometimes Mr. Bojangles will even jump into my arms. But they are also independent enough that I can easily take off for the weekend and know they will be absolutely fine when I come home as long as I leave the toilet seat up — I mean water in their dish — and food where they can find it. I know, I know, I can’t coerce anyone into liking cats, but all I ask is that you please have an open mind about the species because most housecats are just as good as any dog. It’s feral cats that give those like Gizmo a bad name. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Andrew Shannon and Stephen Dunscombe
SHOCK AND AWE
Editorial Board Assistant Editor, Darren Hutz Cover Editor, Salim Eteer News Editor, Ciprian Mihalcea News Assistant, Jackie McKoy Opinion Editor, Mark Johnson Features Editor, Kelly McGregor Arts Editor, Amanda Kind Science Editor, Azadeh Samadi Sports Editor, Rod McLachlan Photo Editor, Kirill Levin Graphics Editor, Claire Mousseau Web Editor, Martin Kess Systems Admin., Michael Scanlon Sys. Admin. Assistant, Erik Levinson Lead Proofreader, Paul Marchwica Proofreader, Simon Yarrow Proofreader, Ernie Lau Proofreader, Alex Tam Proofreader, Mallory Peternel
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FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
IMPRINT OPINION
11
Face it: the world is screwed!
Well folks, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face facts: the world is fucked. Not so much in a â&#x20AC;&#x153;damn, I overcooked this casserole so I guess weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll order inâ&#x20AC;? fucked, but more of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;there seem to be two trains traveling towards each other at a high rate of speed and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing I can do about itâ&#x20AC;? fucked. Pretend for a moment that you are a Brazilian tourist, off studying in the grand city of London. Pretend you are in a hurry to get to work, which will take you onto The Tube. However, since itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s raining, pretend you decide to toss on a trench coat to keep you dry. Pretend, in your rush to the subway, you stumble and fall over a couple of barriers set up as a precautionary measure from the bombings you heard about two
TALES FROM THE SEX SHOP
weeks previous. Pretend you have already ignored the obvious dangers of riding the mass transport since the British government asked you to continue on with you life as though nothing happened two weeks ago. Pretend you see your soon-to-be executioners (i.e. London police on orders from these very same politicians) taking aim at you with their weapons. Pretend you even hear one of the eight bullets fired that, in an instant, will be scrambling your brains into an oatmeallike consistency. Pretend you remember your last breath on this pathetic little planet. Now stop pretending and listen to this true story of one unfortunate soul. Why am I such a bitter person? It is most certainly because stories like this happen on a consistent basis in the lives of every person on this planet, in varying degrees of severity, of course. How can humanity permit suffering in Africa to go unchecked? Or
allow a movie to be filmed about the murders of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy? Where is the justice in the world? And perhaps more importantly, can I make a difference? To put it bluntly, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. Not in a global sense, at least, where change is desperately needed. Unless one day you become the leader of a world power (something that Canada is not), we can only effect change on a micro-scale. There are always exceptions, of course, such as Terry Fox or Martin Luther King Jr. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; phenomenal individuals who fought for what was right despite being under intense scrutiny. It is these people we must adopt as our heroes and mentors going through life. Humanity is at a crucial stage in its evolution. Decisions we make today will surely weigh heavily on the shape of the world we eventually leave. Tragically, for one Brazilian student, that day has unjustly come much too soon. kruch@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Little brothers (and sisters) are watching Photojournalism transforms the news as we see it
Events are remembered for their iconic images. In the last 50 years of photojournalism, images like little Kim Phuc fleeing the napalm attack on her village, the soldier staring down the protestor at Oka or the fall of the Berlin wall have created an indelible mark on our consciousness. The earliest use of the camera in the battlefield was during the American Civil War. Never before had readers been able to see the horror of war
for themselves. Before this, the only images that were available were those described by surviving veterans. By the early 20th century, print technology allowed news photographs to be reproduced in newspapers and magazines. In this new era of journalism, readers no longer needed to rely simply on the descriptions of journalists in order to see for themselves those iconic events. New publications like Life or National Geographic grew and refined the art of photojournalism â&#x20AC;&#x201D; of showing people the world around them. Life magazine became world renowned for its images of events ranging from the mundane to the earth shattering. Similar publications,
exploiting the new technology of the glossy magazine, sprang up elsewhere around the world. Photojournalists became sought-after commodities. Sadly, with the increasing portability of video cameras and the rise of the television network, public access to global images increased exponentially. One no longer needed to wait for the weekly news magazine to see the au courant images of the day. One by one, the creators of this genre either faded away from the spotlight or evolved into something totally different, neither of which resulted in necessarily excellent, or far-reaching, photojournalism. See CAMERA PHONES, page 13
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IMPRINT OPINION
12
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
Letters
l letters@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Hooray for bisexuality! I give a big salute to Graham Barclay for his column on the so-called myth of bisexuality. Us bisexuals owe him a high five for blasting the bullshit study that says there are no bis because their tiny, insignificant sample group either got turned on by straight porn or gay porn — but not both. Oh, my God! Gee, if 100 guys they paid to be there delivered no bisexuals, that must mean they don’t exist! What a load of cow droppings! Hey, I love both of those! Bring on the porn! Bisexuality is cool, people! There’s no limiting myself to either men or women — they’re both sexy! I love it! People, if you have bisexual tendencies at all, explore them! Find an experimental male/female couple and take a romp in the hay! You get the best of both worlds, dammit! There’s nothing like getting head and giving it at the same time, I tell ya! I’ll get on my knees for bisexuality! Cheers and happy fucking! — Steve Watson 2A psychology Lose the sneering contempt! Though the article by Mark Johnson begins and ends with shock and sorrow for the victims of 7/7, the sneer-
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for val
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p pi n g a t it sho re
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dollar s to greeting cards $ hardware $ helium balloons bows $ lotions $ makup $ pet $ gift bags party $ toys $ snacks $ candy $ frames candles $ school $ household $ craft $ scrapbook $ and much much more
ing contempt and “I told you so” air undermine any sympathy or outrage the author claims to possess. After all, they had it coming to them. I won’t get into the arguments Mark makes, because the most remarkable thing about his article is the absolutely overblown rhetoric he uses. Mark has, in one article, listed all popularized anti-American arguments since 9/11, along with their buzzwords: “egotistical imperial powers,” “socalled War on Terrorism,” “Iraq quagmire.” I think he forgot to put “oil” in there. I say “popularized” anti-American arguments because he uses antiwar shorthand with none of the more subtle reflections and reasoning of the intellectual left. Mark says, “The deluded band of egocentric, paranoid terrorists that I think have made up the present and past governments of the United States of America,” while referring to himself as a “clear-thinking individual.” This is a vanity piece undercover of backhanded sympathy for the victims of 7/7. The university newspaper should be a forum for discussion with columnists leading the debate. Put aside the derision and blatantly biased remarks that discredit you, Mark, and read War by Gwynne Dyer. You’ll like him. I don’t; but then at least we’ll have a chance at tackling some relevant theories of the left. — Tatha Swann 4A architecture Shame on the ACS! It’s not too hard to look around and find deceptive advertising. “Zero per cent financing!” boast some car ads, and then you read the fine print and innumerable truths and conditions behind the deal. “Low-fat” foods should be healthy too if it weren’t for the mountains of sugar they contain that end up as fat on your body anyways. I accept that car dealers and large corporations are not to be trusted, but I wouldn’t expect this from our own student body associations.
On July 14, I had hoped to take a dancing fanatic friend out to satisfy her compulsion. Seeing as how she’s still 18, this does make many venues offlimits. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Association of Caribbean Students was hosting a “Summer Bounce,” and according to the ads it was “All Ages! Open to UW community and friends!” With this in mind I convinced her to get ready for a good night of grooving to DJ White Gold. After a cab ride over we met up at the SLC and headed over to the Bomber to start into the night. Sadly for my friend, the bouncer would not let her in without a UW student card, and so she had put off other plans and shelled out for a cab for nothing. Now is it just me, or doesn’t “UW community and friends” encompass more than just UW student card holders? I’m not sure that there’s an interpretation of that line that could exclude my friend in any way, but it seems that lies are now en vogue. I’d curse and yell, but to be proper, I’ll just say shame on you Association of Caribbean Students and Bomber bouncer, you’ve disgraced us all and turned away a future student as well. For shame! — Andrew Dodds 1B mechanical engineering University degrees valuable University establishments — no matter what selfish and despicable purpose you believe they serve — are the medium the public may use to enhance their skills and life in preparation for a career. I am annoyed, although not terribly surprised, at the letter in the last issue of Imprint comparing university degrees to toilet paper. The author of this letter believes the university took his money out of greed and gave him something worthless in return. He is trying to blame the university for the dissatisfaction he feels toward his own life decisions. I admit the university is like a business. It charges money for a serv-
ice. That service is teaching skills and awarding degrees. If you choose to attempt a degree that is useless after you graduate, that is your own fault. The university does its best to prepare and help students but it can’t be responsible for the jobs available in today’s economy. The author claims that his degree is worthless. Then why the hell did he go for that degree? He claims he is deeply in debt. Then why didn’t he go into the co-op program or search out bursaries or scholarships, etc.? He claims that it is difficult finding a job. Then why doesn’t he get more credentials? Go to graduate school! Take some additional courses! Anything to differentiate himself from the crowd. This is the responsibility of the individual! The university can’t hold the hand of every student forever. I am a 2005 alumnus, too. I have a Bachelor’s in mathematical physics and am going to graduate school for physics. I worked my way through university without debt in the co-op program. I can take responsibility and don’t need to dissociate blame onto the university. Alumni 2005 Bachelor of Something good and worthwhile. — Ryan Newson UW alumnus Johnson a coward Mark Johnson is truly a caricature of himself. “Thank heavens we had the Liberal Party of Canada in office” to protect us from terrorist attacks by not sending troops to Iraq, he says. First of all, hasn’t Johnson’s hackneyed Liberal Party boosterism taken up one third of a page for long enough? That aside, the reason for taking over Iraq may have been trumped up and false, but the spirit of the cause is just. I’m pretty sure I’d rather have George Bush running my southern neighbour than Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden. Suggesting that the U.S. and the U.K. have got what they deserved and indeed, as he does, that
their citizens have got what they deserved, is not only crass, but pretty feeble, too. We can’t allow terrorists to stop the Western world from spreading democracy and freedom throughout the oppressed states of the world. Sure, the U.S. does all sorts of bad stuff and supports all sorts of dictators and fanatics. This doesn’t mean its people deserve to be terrorized and it doesn’t mean the people of Iraq and Afghanistan aren’t better off, because they are and that’s pretty obvious. Johnson compares al-Qaeda to Hitler, but he’d let the Afghanis take their Hitler and deal. We didn’t let Hitler spread his hate and repression — we shouldn’t let al-Qaeda either. WWII was one of the few times in history when the evil was real and clear, and the means to defeat that evil lamentable, but clear as well. Canada, the U.K., the rest of the Commonwealth and the U.S. (teamed with Stalin, a mite bit more despicable than Bush) had the honour and the duty to save the world then. We shouldn’t let cowardice like Johnson’s stop us from doing the same now. — Chris Ferguson 3A English RPW Questioning UW Apprentice While I understand that UW Apprentice is out to “test the business wit” of its competitors and some proceeds go to charities, the end result is that the rest of us are bombarded with even more advertisements urging us to consume more in our own academic environment. The reality of our “uncompromising corporate world” in no way means that we should try to maintain it, especially not for a handful of crap to be won. After graduation, there will be plenty of opportunities to be corporate whores. Why not wait until there are real incentives before we pimp ourselves out? — Janet Yip 3A electrical engineering
Really, why would you study business?
95 King St. N. at Young Waterloo, ON (519) 746-1500
A friend of mine once told me that a business degree is “really nothing more than a degree in common sense.” I took his word for it, as he was just finishing the third year of the wellrespected Laurier BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration). The comment came as my friend looked back on the value of his education, comparing it to certain tougher programs on our own campus. Why was he paying to learn to make decisions that seemed little more than common sense? Others have noted that the master’s level business degree (the MBA) is
North America’s most popular graduate-level degree. Today’s market is glutted with business grads they say, and long gone are the “six-figures-guaranteed-upon-graduation” days of decades ago. A business degree is worth less and less, these people cry. Why bother? There are many different answers to these questions, but my personal favourite is really quite simple. Any decent business degree will not only give you a breadth of background in relevant subject areas (economics, accounting, human resources) but more importantly it will challenge you with questions that you will face later in your careers. Imagine, fellow students, what you would do if you ran a business. What would your mission statement read, if you were the leader? Would you focus on a “triple bottom line,” paying attention not only to financial outcomes but also to environmental and social
ones as well? Or would the focus be money, more money and only money? Really, it depends on whom you ask. One of my peers, in the midst of a joint business/law degree at York University, has been reading over research on issues similar to the “triple bottom line.” While those coming straight out of school (predictably) argued for a focus on “money, money, money,” it was interesting to note that older and more established business leaders placed greater emphasis on making the business sensitive to environmental issues. How much money would you spend on research and development, ensuring that your company has new and/or improved products and services that it can offer in order to remain competitive? How would you even get the data to answer a tough, but very important, question like this?
With such a focus on decision-making in the business world, it comes as little surprise that some of the topranked universities in the world follow the “case study” method of teaching. Students are continually given real-world scenarios (“cases”) where they have to provide the best possible solution to real-world problems. Canada’s topranked business school, the Richard Ivey school at the University of Western Ontario, places a great emphasis on the case study method. So does worldfamous Harvard. Business issues can arise quickly and require immediate attention. A formal education in business can help students be aware of the problems that might arise, not to mention giving them the tools they may need to face each challenge. adilts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
IMPRINT OPINION
13
A European view of the London attacks Mark Johnson’s comments on how we in the UK were asking for the recent terrorist attacks have been made available via the Internet. Since Johnson “sees things differently,” he fails to see the whole picture. Calling the democratically elected government of the U.S.A. terrorists serves only to encourage real terrorists. If you equate the actions of Hitler to the actions of Bush without mentioning Stalin, Pol Pot and Saddam, then you do your whole case a disservice from the outset. If Bush, Blair, etc. are dictators, how are they prevented from pursuing many of their desired programs or laws? Well, there is a democratically-elected opposition to stop them and which often does! Johnson claims the World Trade Centre was selected as a target because it was connected to the government. That al-Queda themselves have said that it was selected as a “prestige target” means nothing to him. After all, would hitting the State Department building get the same coverage as hitting the tallest, most visible symbol of American commerce? The general population in the WTC and Pentagon worked and lived by both targets and flew on the planes. They included all faiths and all races, not just citizens of the U.S.A. Johnson compounds his credibility problem by claiming that Spain threw out her “liar of a president” and is now safe. Err, shouldn’t that be Prime Minister Aznar (not President) who was not standing for election anyway in a country that has been attacked again since then? The investigation into the Madrid bombing concluded the plans were made long before Iraq, or indeed Afghanistan. There was no “invasion” of Afghanistan. Kabul fell to the Northern Alliance in November 2001, with the consequent collapse of the Taliban, but there were no foreign combat units in Afghanistan. The Northern Alliance did receive air support and assistance from Special Forces (both U.S. and British); that, however, is not an invasion. Extensive foreign combat forces — including Canadian — only entered the country after the Taliban had been deposed, and those forces entered with the agreement of the Northern Alliance. So if thanks to the “awesome” Chrétien, Canada is safe from attack by virtue of not being involved in Iraq, can he explain why Canada has been involved in Afghanistan and is increasing her
assistance to that country? In fact, did Chrétien not hundreds in Iraq and elsewhere? Remember East stand up in Parliament saying Canada was sending Timor, Madrid, Bali, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Kenya, 800 troops to Iraq, and then the next day (the eve Tanzania, Yemen, Turkey, Egypt and yes, New of a Quebec election), recant? York. The war in Iraq, the Israeli-Palestine conflict With over 800 citizens butchered by Islamists — these are flashpoints in the war; they are not in the last year, perhaps Johnson should be asked wholly cause or effect. In 1991, along with many for his suggestions about Muslim countries, a U.N. how Thailand should alter coalition liberated Kuwait, a its foreign policy towards Muslim country, from “The general Iraq. (In case he is unaware, Saddam Hussein and in the they are not involved in Iraq). population worked in process, saved the holiest So little understanding is Islamic sites in Saudi Arabia. the WTC and being displayed by a “clear That in Bosnia under a thinking” individual such as Democrat U.S. president the Pentagon and also Johnson. How arrogant for U.N. eventually intervened a fourth-year politics student worked and lived by to save Muslims from being but more worrying for his both targets and flew massacred; we did the same tutors as he seems to have again in Kosovo. Furtheron the planes. They more, even the 9/11 Comfailed to grasp the most important thing of all — apmission and the Clinton adincluded all faiths peasement never works. ministration’s Richard Clark “The ‘We told you so’ and all races not just agreed that Iraq was linked to crowd all just somehow know citizens of the USA.” al-Queda, providing safe that the Iraq war was an effeccamps and assistance. tive cause of the deaths in In summary, some terLondon. How do they know rorists who happen to be this, these clever people? For what they need to Muslim declared war on the rest of the world years know is not just that Iraq was one of a number of ago. This is why we must band together — the fact influencing causes, but that it was the specific, and that all sides in the U.K. and many in the U.S.A. and a necessary, motivating cause for the London bomb- elsewhere are coming together regardless of political ings. beliefs to stop them shows that most people “get” “If it was only an influencing motivational cause it. There will, however, always be people like Johnson among others, and if, more particularly, another who choose not to or cannot understand. such motivational cause was supplied by the military intervention in Afghanistan, then it’s not the case that the London bombings wouldn’t have happened but for the Iraq war. “Ever on the lookout for damning causes, the root-causers never go for the most obvious of these. This is the cause, indeed, which shows, by its absence, why most critics of the Iraq war or of anything else don’t murder people when they are angry. It is the fanatical, fundamentalist belief system which teaches hatred and justifies these acts of murder. That cause somehow gets a free pass from the hunters-out of causes.” That from a famed British left-wing professor, Norman Geras in the Guardian, the most leftwing paper in the U.K. apart from the communist Morning Star. If senior left-wingers in the most multicultural city in the world are saying this, then Johnson’s article only serves to highlight his moral bankruptcy. If al-Queda are reacting to what Johnson calls “egoistical imperialistic powers” then why are they murdering children, women and civilians by the
Camera phones: a boon for the news media Continued from page 11
Throughout the latter quarter of the 20th century, the iconic image came from frames of video footage. The famous shot of the lone protestor in Tiananmen Square was lifted from video footage of the event. News networks fought each other for the rights to amateur footage that inadvertently caught key moments in history. Where an amateur cinematographer was not available, journalists frequently relied on grainy surveillance photographs for newsworthy material. I have noticed an interesting phenomenon with the recent coverage of the bomb blasts in London. Given the British love affair with mobile telephones (cellphones to you and me), there were plenty of camera phones on the London transit system on July 7. The BBC has capitalized
on this by creating an entire section of its news web site to showcase these photographs. Closer to home, The Globe and Mail featured cellphone photographs on its cover. The news media were not the only ones to capitalize on these camera phones. The British police have prominent link on their web site where citizens can e-mail or message their photographs of the day to help the investigations. This new surveillance camera has become highly mobile, sending pictures at 30p a shot. Cameraphones, like the Kodak Brownie camera or the JVC GR-C1 camcorder, have become the people’s eye on the world. The photojournalists are outnumbered; the surveillance videos are outnumbered. Little brother and little sister are watching. nmoogksoulis@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
To end, a quote from Peter Thatchell, the foremost gay rights campaigner in the U.K. today: “Terrorism is not socialism; it is the tactic of fascism. But much of the left doesn’t care. Never mind what the Iraqi people want, it wants the U.S. and U.K. out of Iraq at any price, including the abandonment of Iraqi socialists, trade unionists, democrats, gays and feminists. If the fake left gets its way, the ex-Baathists and Islamic fundamentalists could easily seize power, leading to Iranian-style clerical fascism and a bloodbath. I used to be proud to call myself a leftist. Now I feel shame.” If as Johnson rather nastily proclaims, “what goes around comes around,” then I sincerely hope that Canada never gets attacked as he has run out of excuses. Canada is not safe because it is not involved in Iraq. It is not a case of if, but when. I think even the Liberal Party of Canada is beginning to realize this, hence the recent comments by General Hillier about “murderers and scumbags” and the support he received from the defence minister and others in the Liberal government. —David Terron University of Stirling Scotland, United Kingdom Editor’s note: The writer is a 4th year student teacher (English(Hons) and History) at the University of Stirling, former soldier with 13 combat tours and now 80 per cent disabled as result of bomb attack during service.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 14
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
IMPRINT SCIENCE
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
science@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
UW student flies high in France
Dave George-Cosh IMPRINT STAFF
What happens when you mix a love of space, Jarome Iginla’s helmet, a plane called the Vomit Comet and the University of Waterloo? You end up with Benjamin Sanders, a third-year electrical engineering student who recently spent some time in Bordeaux, France, conducting experiments on weightlessness. Sanders and his team were in France to ride the Vomit Comet, a plane that creates weightlessness by flying in parabolic arcs along the curvature of the earth. As previously reported in Imprint, Sanders was to investigate the effect of varying gravitational pull on the human eye in order to better understand how increased ocular pressure can affect one’s visual field. In addition to completing his research for the Canadian Space Agency, Sanders will also get to present his findings at the International Astronautical Congress in Japan this October. The team’s final design evolved from a mechanically-moving system to an optical system with an array of
EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCCY - ANNEKE LE FELOC’’H
Jeeshan Chowdhury and Benjamin Sanders experiment with weightlessness in a Vomit Comet. LED’s. The goal with the LED’s is to have them light up in sequence, beginning near the ear where they aren’t visible, and then to be stopped when the light finally is in view of the test subject’s peripheral visual field. In each of the 31 parabolic arcs taken, four sweeps of the LED array
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HELP WANTED Weekend counsellors and relief staff to work in homes for individuals with developmental challenges. Minimum eightmonth commitment. Paid positions. Send resume to Don Mader, K-W Habilitation Services, 108 Sydney Street, Kitchener, ON, N2G 3V2. Angies Kitchen Ltd, St. Agatha, needs wait persons with Sip program and line cooks. Weekends and weekday schedules available. Call 747-1700, ask for Sharon or Mike Graham.
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make appointments, you save time! High rise, low rise, town homes, furnished and unfurnished. All prices! Call now for this free service. 310-7000. Uptown Waterloo – Caroline and Erb Street room for rent. Please call 4968273, ask for Teresa or Bob Huegle. Three bedroom apartment for September and May $395 per room. Five bedroom apartment on 449 Hazel, $350 per room September 1, 2005. One bedroom $700, 122 Columbia 8 rooms. 746-6327 or 501-1486. Fall and winter – single rooms available for upper year students, quiet residence, Resurrection College, 265 Westmount Road, adjacent to UW, 10 minute walk to campus. Eight month contract required. Call Patti 885-4950, e-mail: resurrection@resurrectioncollege.ca or visit www.resurrectioncollege.ca. Student rental – fully furnished rooms minutes walk to the University of Waterloo. $375/month plus utilities, eight month rental available. Please call Soraya Shabtai 1-866-303-1528 or e-mail 70amosave@rogers.com. Room for rent for a quiet individual in a detached home near both universities. Parking and all amenities. Please call 7255348.
were taken to be compared to control tests taken on the ground. And how does Jarome Iginla fit into microgravity and optical research? “Without the NHL this year, we came up with our own unique alternative usage for some of the hockey helmets in Canada,” explains Sanders.
“Furthermore, since we were the only Canadian team flying this year, we wanted to have something really special from home. I came up with the idea of trying to pursue one of Jarome Iginla’s used helmets and through the Calgary Flames I was able to grab his attention.”
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bursed. If you have the time and want to help someone live a better quality of life give Meals on Wheels of K-W a call at 743-1471 and join a winning team. FBN Multimedia begins shooting for “Into the Badlands,” aiming for an October release. For info and volunteer positions visit the website at www.fbnmultimedia.com. The City of Waterloo is needing volunteers for Gardening Assistants and Welcome Bag Assemblers. For info call Wendy at 888-6488. Volunteers wanted for a research project. Help us test an internet-based survey of post-secondary student’s tobacco use. We are asking smokers and non-smokers to complete a brief paper and pencil questionnaire and the same questionnaire online. Completing them both should take you about 25 to 30 minutes. E-mail Linda Jessup at ljessup@healthy.uwaterloo.ca for more information or to set up a data collection appoinment. Your anonymity will always be protected AND you have the chance to enter your name into 30 draws for $20 UW Retail Services gift certificates. This project has been reviewed by and received ethics clearance through the Office of Research Ethics. In the event you have any comments or concerns resulting from your participation
Keeping his extra-curricular work related with his school work at Waterloo proved to be an easy challenge for Sanders. “I was able to directly apply some theory from class in the design and construction of my project. My co-ops at MDA [the space company that built the Canadarm] also helped me to really think about the constraints of building something for a totally foreign environment such as microgravity.” He also credits his sponsors for helping. Now that a parabolic flight is crossed from Sanders’ set of goals he has in becoming an astronaut, he continues to expand his horizons. “I shouldn’t simply do these things merely to improve my chances [of becoming an astronaut], but I should find passion in life and pursue that fully. “ He added,”If along the way that leads to exciting adventures such as this, then that’s great, and they should be things that will fulfill your passion and not simply items on a checklist. I may only ever get to float just this once, but I can find passion in every-day life.” dgeorgec@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
CAMPUS BULLETIN
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UPCOMING Saturday, September 25, 2005 Superwalk for Parkinson’s – begins at 10:00 a.m., Victoria Park, Kitchener. For more info or pledge forms call 652-9437 or 1-888-851-7376.
VOLUNTEER Reliable student volunteer needed to be responsible for walking a pet on a weekly basis. Please call Mrs H at 579-5873. Drivers wanted – Meals on Wheels of Kitchener-Waterloo is asking you to consider joining the volunteer force to deliver meals and a smile to seniors and people living with physical and mental challenges once a week or on a spare basis. Meals are delivered 7 days a week over the lunch hour and mileage is reim-
in this study, please contact Dr. Susan Sykes at 888-4567, ext 6005.
FINANCIAL AID July 2005 2005/2006 OSAP application available now on-line. Visit http:// osap.gove.on.ca/>http://osap.gov.on.ca/ to apply. July 29: Ontario Power Generation Engineering Award and Ontario Professional Engineers Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship. August 5: recommended last submission date for continuation of interest-free status forms for this term and recommeded last day to pick up loans for this term. For further info www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/ infoawards.
“Life isn’t like a bowl of cherries or peaches ... it’s more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your ass tomorrow.”
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SPORTS JULY 29, 2005 FRIDAY, JULYFRIDAY, 15, 2005
IMPRINT SPORTS
15
sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Volleyball team gets gamebreaker
Rookie striker looks to add depth to the Warriors next season Steve Utz SPECIAL TO IMPRINT
Warriors volleyball head coach Jason Grieve didn’t attend the Fanshawe College High School Volleyball Tournament last winter with the intent of watching Diana Robbins play — she just happened to outperform every other athlete at the competition. “I was actually there to recruit a player that she was competing against,” he confessed. First impressions aside, however, Grieve soon became convinced the 5’10” left-side striker from London would be a perfect fit for the up-andcoming Warriors team. As the star of the OFSAA bronze-medal squad from Saunders Secondary and a member of the revered Forest City Volleyball Club, Robbins had earned a reputation as a gamebreaker. “Diana has always been super-consistent and dependable in key times for us. If we needed to score a point, we knew that we could count on her,” observed her high school coaches Jan Marcus and Julie Smyrnios. But it was not talent alone that endeared the intriguing young striker to Grieve’s vision. “Diana’s strength of character and work ethic are two of her best qualities. She is also a great team player with a mental toughness about her,” said Grieve. “I know how passionate Diana is about volleyball and how excited she is to commit herself to Waterloo,” enthused her former teammate and
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Diana Robbins, of London, was recruited for the Warriors women’s 2005-06 season’s volleyball team. third-year Warriors middle blocker Susan Murray. “She is going to fit in really well with the team.” This belief is echoed by much of the Warriors bench and brass who expect that this synchronicity will trans-
late to success on the court especially — and sooner rather than later. “Last year we lacked the mental toughness to finish off a number of tough matches,” said Grieve, who stated that Robbins has the potential to contribute to the team’s success
immediately, largely because of her intense mental drive. In addition, he dismissed her rookie status and the presence of established quality outside strikers (Lesniak, Lemieux and Schroeder) on the Warriors roster as something that would dissuade the incoming kinesiology major from competing hard for one of the three starting positions. In actual fact, the increase in depth and therefore competition is all part of the grand design as conceived by Grieve as an athletic architect. As he explained, “most quality CIS programs carry six to eight outside hitters on their roster. The recent recruiting of Robbins and Josipovic and the return of Hilary Lemieux brings us up to five, and we have plans to add one more for 2006.” All of this good news comes as the UW program moves from the brink of mediocrity — highlighted by four consecutive playoff misses — to becoming a school which aspiring players would like to attend. Like a talented player with a Rubik’s cube, one gets the feeling that Grieve, as the lynchpin of the process, is building toward something formidable. In his own words, Grieve expects the recent additions will be enough to earn the three or more extra wins in the 2005-06 season that it will take to vault the team into the OUA postseason. “Our team has steadily improved in the last two years and our record shows that. This year, we expect to be one of the teams competing for the OUA championships.” —with files from UW athletics and Warriors women’s volleyball
Latta joins Warriors on the links Ontario Junior Golf Tour sensation to play for UW men’s golf Steve Utz SPECIAL TO IMPRINT
There is a well-known axiom which suggests that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. For the UW varsity men’s golf team, winners of two OUA silvers and one OUA gold over the past three years, this trend may have proven beneficial. On July 6, UW’s athletics department confirmed that they had secured the talents of Ontario Junior Golf Tour sensation Jimmy Latta, a homegrown talent from St. Clement’s and graduate of Bluevale Collegiate Institute in Waterloo. A double MVP at Bluevale for golf and hockey, the modest Latta was the subject of a three-year recruitment process aided by former UW golf coach Doug Painter. “Doug was able to watch Jimmy grow as a golfer and individual as a fellow member at Elmira,” relayed
Warriors golf head coach Dave conceded that his first goal for the Hollinger. “It is obvious that Jimmy upcoming season is “to make the team is passionate about golf and has a fine as one of the starting five members.” Coming off a temperament for fifth-place finish a game that is so the nationals, challenging men“It is obvious that at and now knowtally.” For his part, Jimmy is passionate ing that their capand the 2005 Latta was simply about golf and has a tain UW male athlete flattered to have been pursued so fine temperament of the year Justin Fluit will be reaggressively. “It’s awe- for a game that is so turning to their camp, this line-up some to be rechallenging menboasts no holes. cruited by such a tally.” However, great team,” he Latta has already enthused. “UW —Dave Hollinger, been praised for has an outstandWarrior golf head coach having the type of ing reputation as attitude that comone of the best plements the universities in the country and it has one of the best golf Warriors roster. Coach Hollinger describes, “The team player concept has programs.” However, the talent of the existing been the foundation of the UW golf team was not one lost on Latta who program since 1969. Jimmy is open to
suggestions and is the type of team player that we seek.” Which is to say nothing about his burgeoning technical ability. “Jimmy has a very simple but effective golf swing,” stated Hollinger. “And we demand that every Warrior golfer excel from within 100 yards of the pin.” This simplicity of task is to be expected of a player who seeks to emulate PGA star Ernie Els. Accordingly, says Latta, “I think that my driving and my wedges are the best part of my game.” Already a proven commodity in these regards, the Warriors expect that he will become even more so over his varsity career. Applauds Hollinger by way of a final vote of confidence, “He is driven to succeed. His work ethic is great.” — with files from UW athletics
Campus rec playoff results Campus recreation playoffs for the spring term have come to an end. Listed below are the final scores from each division. Ice Hockey A Division Finals Worriers (2) vs. East Beer Beasts (1) B Division Finals 1 & 2 The 00 Agents (2) vs. Bendy Garden Gnomes (1) Thunder (5) vs. The Bush Pilots (1) C Division Finals Sofa King (2) vs. Puck Bunnies (1) Soccer A Division Finals Five Star (2) vs. Flying Buttresses (1) B Division Finals 1 & 2 Mech Nerds (3) vs. AHS United (2) We’re Hai on Rui (4) vs. SIS (0) C Division Finals 1 & 2 Hillbillies (2) vs. Crazy Mofo’s (1) Bernie’s Army (1) vs. Soft Eng (0) Basketball A Division Finals Dynasty (53) vs. Small Ball (48) B Division Finals 1 & 2 Help D (29) vs. Working Stiffs (28) Brown Ballers (29) vs. Slice N Dice (26) C Division Finals 1 & 2 Pink Ties (80) vs. The Soohan Experience (50) UPS Delivery (39) vs. Wasabi Up Your Nose (31) Ball Hockey A Division Finals Thrown Together (8) vs. Brown Sound (1) B Division Finals Broke Bum (4) vs. Team Fitzgerald (3) C Division Finals Orange Pylons (8) vs. Red Rockets (7) Volleyball A Division Finals Fab’s Five (2) vs. Set Me (1) B Division Finals 1 & 2 Ramred (2) vs. The Gold Diggers (0) Chemistry Sets (2) vs. STF5 (1) C Division Finals North 6 (2) vs. Elec07 (0) Dodgeball Artful Dodger (5) vs. Dodgaholics (2)
IMPRINT SPORTS
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FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2005
JANINE GILBERT
COURTESY OF ROCKWAY MENNONITE COLLEGIATE
David Burnett, a 5’10” point guard from Rockway Mennonite H.S., is the Warriors basketball team’s leading recruit this year.
Campus recreation ice hockey team, The Bush Pilots, enjoy a friendly game of pool at Dooley’s Billiards on University Avenue. The team from each division of every campus rec sport with the highest overall spirit of competition (S.O.C.) score from the spring term was invited out for two hours of free pool at Dooley’s on Tuesday. On top of a free night of pool, each player was awarded with a free campus recreation t-shirt as gratitude from the campus recreation department for their outstanding sportsmanship throughout the term.
Clause and affect So in this spirit, Two-Minute Warning introduces some pro-sports contract clauses in the making — because making millions for playing a game isn’t good enough.
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Alison Laidlaw, a recent graduate of UW’s School of Optometry, will compete at the Taekwondo World University Games in Turkey in mid-August. She qualified for the games by winning a medal at the Canadian Championships in British Columbia in February. She won an international gold medal at an invitational tournament in the Dominican Republic during training camp.
San Diego Padres first baseman Phil Nevin is the epitome of the spoiled athlete. Aside from the casual sports fan’s obvious question — who the hell is Phil Nevin? — this statement may seem somewhat peculiar. Of all the Mike Tysons, Kobe Bryants and Terell Owenses, why is a 35-year-old semi-dried up ball player the poster boy for pampered athletes? The answer can be summed up in three words — no-trade clause. Nevin is the most recent athlete to take a pass on a deal when he rejected the proposed trade his Padres had worked out with the Baltimore Orioles, enacting the most absurd contract clause in sports — the dreaded no-trade clause. Nowadays, contracts with no-trade clauses are commonplace, allowing the player to pick and choose just if — and to where — he wishes to be moved. Correct me if I’m wrong, isn’t this what general managers are supposed to do? But in the era of no-trade clauses, contract holdouts and reality shows like Super Agent, the athletes not only hold the balls on the field, but off as well. Stars in the sporting world are privy to all kinds of contract perks, from extra clubhouse stalls to the vehicles that chauffeur them during road trips.
The “Randy Moss” Clause In the shadow of Moss, who once said he only tries hard when he feels like it, this clause would make fly-at-theirown-pace athletes not only acceptable, but contractually legal. Perhaps one such clause would allow sports stars to simply change their uniform numbers to reflect the percentage of effort they intend to give — although flaked-out Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams would have to pick a different method, since the team has already retired the number 13.
So in this spirit, Two-Minute Warning introduces some pro-sports contract clauses in the making. . . The “General Manager” Clause Players are allowed to quash deals involving themselves via contract clause, so why not deals that involve anyone else? Consider this tradedeadline-day news conference held by San Fransisco Giants outfielder and pampered-athlete extraordinaire, Barry Bonds.
Reporter: Barry, why did you turn down the deal that would have sent beleaguered backup catcher Yorvit Torrealba to St. Louis for slugger Albert Pujols? Bonds: Well, Pujols is a solid player, but I really like hanging out on Torreallba’s yacht during off-days. The “D-U-Why not?” Clause This contract loophole will offer athletes one free run-in with the law annually. Whether it be an impaired driving charge, a nightclub stabbing or the good ol’ fashioned drug-trafficking and solicitation of prostitution deal, this would act as an athlete’s “get out of jail free” card. After all, everyone deserves a second chance and athletes are only human — just don’t treat them that way. The “Wipe My Ass” Clause Athletes who ink a deal with this clause will have round-the-clock access to a team employee to aide with each day’s remedial chores — from grocery shopping to food preparation to, yes, even the occasional two-ply crevasse cleansing. Hey, the modern athlete is a whiny baby anyway, so their contracts might as well reflect it. These are just a few ideas for the future; a simple warning to sports fans across the globe of what could be in the upcoming years of professional sport. What can we as fans do to stop this, you ask? There is only one thing we can do — fight fire with fire. Have you ever heard of the “astronomically-priced ticket refund” clause? amcguire@imprint.uwaterloo.ca