Imprint_2008-02-22_v30_i28

Impr int The university of Waterloo’s official student newspaper

Friday, February 22, 2008

vol 30, no 28

imprint . uwaterloo . ca

Understanding student governance Part 5 of 5: Obstacles and optimism, page 13

Michael L. Davenport assistant editor-in-chief

I

f you were walking to class before reading week and saw costumed students running around, you weren’t dreaming and you weren’t drunk. On Friday, February 15 those people were engineers, and this celebration happens every year.

That is, fourth year engineers annually celebrate their graduation by partaking in two events: the Iron Ring Stag (IRS) and Iron Ring Ceremony (IRC). A 2003 Iron Warrior article by Dave Clegg compared the entire ordeal to a wedding, where the IRC is the official ceremony and the IRS is the crazy party “where they let loose and celebrate in their own way this achievement in their life.”

The costumes and the rowdiness are all a part of IRS. It’s the thing you see advertised on posters.

The IRC is a uniquely Canadian, highly secretive event which only graduating and previously graduated engineers are allowed to attend. However, grad committee chair Bahman Hadji was able to describe how the event made him feel. “What happens at the Iron Ring Ceremony is supposed to be private and not for the media (including [Iron Warrior],

If the ring fits obviously). I can tell you that it was very solemn and went beyond giving you a sense of achievement. You really felt a sense of integrity and pride to be entering a profession with such a rich history, especially in Canada, and becoming one of only about 200,000 people ever to wear the Ring.” For a more detailed accounting of the history behind the Iron Ring Ceremony, visit ironring.ca.

IRS proper takes place at night after the IRC but there are traditionally antics in the morning, too. Traditions vary from class to class but can include pranks, a champagne-and-pancake breakfast and the (playful) interruption of lectures. Some engineers also elect to get stinking drunk.

The costumes you see are also a part of the tradition. At the IRS dance engineers are only permitted

to wear black, so any costume bits remaining at that time of the day will be torn off until only black can be seen. (The price of a IRS ticket includes the cost of a pair of black shorts.)

There were a couple acts of vandalism last Friday — the top of urinal flush valves were unscrewed in one campus bathroom, leading to flooding, and “spraybombs” were set off in RCH, EIT and the Davis Centre. Of the flooding, plant ops mechanical department foreman Phil Simpson said, “It can happen any time of year.” Plant Ops Buildings Section Supervisor Peter Fulcher said that the frequency of the graffiti wasn’t something he tracked. Neither Simpson nor Fulcher specifically fingered the engineers, so the incidents could have been unfortunate coincidence. In any case, Hadji remarked that engineers were “ g ive n t h e

message” and although there were a few incidents, nothing was major enough to warrant cancelling IRC (which is entirely possible). It’s also worth noting that Paul Herlick, who was managing the Waterloo Inn that night (the site of the IRS) said the engineers weren’t any trouble.

Perhaps the most important part of IRS is The Tool. The Tool, a 60 inch wrench manufactured by the Ridge Tool company, is the mascot of the engineering society. Only EngSoc presidents and engineers who have successfully obtained their iron ring are allowed to touch The Tool; one of the duties of the Tool Bearers is to enforce this rule. (That, and to make sure The Tool doesn’t get stolen. Again.)

Our university is young compared to most of the others in Canada. The early days of UW had its students longing for the kind of history and tradition seen at other universities. The IRS has its roots deep in UW’s past, the distant descendant of the Billionaire’s Ball held in 1958. Students may complain about student apathy (and they always did, even back in the ’60s) but at least in the last 50 years, our engineers have developed rituals unique to UW. mdavenport@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

UW student leaders speak at last

Feds president-elect Justin Williams and continuing VPAF Del Pereira unveil plans for office Maggie Clark editor-in-chief

W

hile the road to elected office was long for some members of the 2008/2009 Feds exec, acclaimed president-elect Justin Williams and continuing VP administration and finance (VPAF) Del Pereira had little on their plates where campaigning was concerned — leaving time for them to work on plans for office instead.

“We’re actually really fortunate,” said Pereira.

“Politicians have to say a lot of things that are flashy and dramatic while they’re campaigning for office, but because we got acclaimed we’re in a good position to advocate for some equally important, but not always flashy, things that also need to get done.”

To this end Pereira plans to administer what he calls “general housekeeping,” revisiting Feds

policy and bylaws in conjunction with the Feds president to eliminate redundancy, contradictions, and outdated terminology. “Everyone’s good at creating new bylaws,” said Pereira. “But no one revisits the old ones.”

Williams expressed a similar interest in “cleanup” items, with the title of “Feds executive researcher” high on his list. “It’s just misleading,” said Williams. “And while it’s up to the exec to understand [this position and that of the general manager], I feel a lot of execs haven’t. I just feel both positions could be used more effectively in the future, and I want to make sure that happens.”

The existing Feds information technology department is also a top priority for the continuing VPAF. “We have an IT department that’s absolutely exceptional, even though it’s working on a very small budget,” said Pereira.

“Just think what they could do to improve

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the website, communications, and other Feds operations with a little more support.”

Both Williams and Pereira placed a high priority on continuing to develop the website, taking its success to date as only a step on the way to what they feel the online service could eventually provide. They were also very firm about maximizing student engagement in the process of developing the website, as opposed to just as the end result.

“What I’d really like to see is the redesign project integrated with a math course,” said Pereira. “If we can get students involved like that, the website’s not going to be perfect in six months, but it will still be a lot better than it is right now.”

“Creating advisory bodies for the website is also important,” added Williams. “As are more student research bodies and working groups in general, so we can have an impact on UW developments too.

Often the administration approaches Feds late in

a policy process, asking for our feedback, so we don’t have much in the way of informed research to offer them. But if we get proactive and have that research on-going among student groups, we could get ahead of UW on planning new bills.

When they ask for our input then we’d actually have something [to say] that represents the wants and needs of current university students.”

Williams would also like to see the website develop more in keeping with current student interests, citing such possible elements as a student-created course calendar (so students can share their own interpretations of what each course entailed in practice) and a section dedicated to the posting of public lectures, so recordings of campus and community events would be accessible online.

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Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008 news@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Welcome WUSC; so long CKMS

Andres Fuentes-Martinez and Andrew Falcao voted in as VP education and VP internal respectively Maggie Clark editor-in-chief

T

he atmosphere was relaxed and casual in the SLC at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, February 15, when Feds president Kevin Royal announced the results of this year’s Feds elections and referenda.

Of a total 26,608 eligible voters — that is, fulltime undergraduate students and full-time Federation of Students staff members — turn-out was highest within specific faculties (the St. Jerome’s and science council seats, at 21.3 and 30.4 per cent respectively), and lowest for the positions of vicepresident education and vice-president internal (at 9.7 and 9 per cent respectively). The WUSC and CKMS referenda received similarly low turn-outs, with 12 and 12.8 per cent of the eligible student voters respectively participating.

Asked about the voter turn-out this year, Feds executive researcher Rick Theis was quite frank: “I think the numbers speak for themselves.”

First off in the actual announcement were the results of the remaining student council

positions — St. Jerome’s and science — with Chris Neal receiving 116 votes to maintain his council position. Opponent Sebastien Kundra received 44 seats, with 5 eligible voters (that is, students within the St. Jerome’s faculty) declining to make a choice. Sam Andrey (273 votes), Rosalyn Chiu (246), Humberto Vigil-Gutierrez (245), and Yuwei Liang (203) won science council seats, with Matthew Colphon tailing behind at 180 votes.

The position of VP education then went to Andres Augustin Fuentes-Martinez (1163 votes), after a very close race that left opponent Fatima Ahmed (1133) a mere 30 votes behind.

Andrew Falcao (1184 votes) was then recognized as the new Feds VP internal. Opponent Steve Hayle received 969 votes, but both he and Ahmed were very gracious in defeat.

“In this process there was a lot of research done, and I would really hope that any research and feedback we gathered won’t be in vain,” said Ahmed, who has yet to decide where she will invest her energies next. “I sincerely hope something substantial can come out of this whole process.”

The WUSC and CKMS referenda were next on Kevin Royal’s announcement, with WUSC receiving resounding student support at 1999 votes for, and 1145 against (50 declined), the inclusion of a $1 dollar refundable student fee used to support “the University of Waterloo World University Service of Canada Student Refugee Program.”

The CKMS referendum results were equally resounding, with 2280 voting “Yes” to the removal of the $5.50 per term student fee that presently supports CKMS, the campus community radio station, effective fall 2008. Only 1081 students (47 declined) voted in support of the CKMS student fee.

“I’m disappointed, obviously,” said Stephen Krysak, of the CKMS “No” committee. “But I also think this is just the first step in the process. This still needs to go to the Board of Governors, and of course CKMS will still try to stay alive. We’ll be seeking alternative forms of financial support, and try our best to provide the kind of community and campus work we’ve been trying to do for

the last 30 years. Rest assured, this isn’t the end of the station.”

Nonetheless, celebration took on many forms in the SLC, with newly-elected VP internal Andrew Falcao requesting that Turnkey play his favourite song, “Love Today,” by Mika, on the occasion of his success. “As for my first task in office, I’m going to throw myself right into making connections,” said Falcao. “I ran on the platform of expanding communications with people on campus, and hey — I’m actually going to do it!”

Fuentes missed the original announcement, but after the Great Hall dispersed he was able to comment on how he would work on student educational issues with regard to OUSA and CASA, our provincial and federal student lobbying organizations. “I think we have to take into consideration that there may be a federal election,” said Fuentes, newly-elected VP internal. “And also, [internally] we have to wait on the budget decisions, which will play a huge role into what we can do to improve student issues and how we can do it.” editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Plans: general housekeeping on the agenda Continued from cover Meanwhile, Pereira’s focus on improving Feds office efficiency extends to a two-track plan: improving Feds sustainability and streamlining computer technology. In pursuit of the former, Pereira wants to set a 30-printed-pages-a-day maximum for every office member, and to seek out other ways of reducing paper usage in the office. Williams likewise stressed the importance of heightened sustainability on campus, but said he would be tackling the problem externally, working with student committees and UW administration to link up sustainability goals and “create community leadership from within.”

With regard to streamlining Feds technology, Pereira mentioned the possibility of VMware (virtualization technology) on the Feds horizon.

“What I want to see is a system that gives equal access to everyone [in Feds], so no information is ever stuck in one particular place,” said Pereira.

VMware would allow virtual machines to be configured, maintained, centrally stored, and readily exchanged independent of office hardware, improving data security and maximizing executive access both on and away from campus.

Pereira also wants to see Feds continue reworking the society agreements with UW administration, hoping to improve payment schedules, formalize the budget process, and “take room for growth and the need for accountability” into consideration. For the campus as a whole, Pereira expressed a desire to increase the programming budget and bring back the position of Special Events Coordinator — two objectives he said would “prioritize diversity and encourage more all-campus events.” But alongside that desire for an increased budget comes an equally strong desire for an internal financial health check, which Pereira said was necessary “to see if things were spent effectively, and to see if we can cut down on over-spending.”

Pereira’s plans for outside the Feds office also extend to the creation of a Halal food outlet in the space where Scoops used to reside. With Feds Xpress up and running, the Halal food outlet is Pereira’s top priority for expanding student services on campus. “We’re respond-

Michael L. Davenport

President-elect Justin Williams and continuing VP administration and finance Del Pereira stand within the Feds offices which will see a balance struck between innovation and continuation when the 2008/2009 Feds exec begins work on May 1, 2008. ing to a strongly expressed need from a lot of students,” said Pereira. “My hope is that the new outlet won’t just have one or two Halal options, but enough to provide a viable alternative to existing food services.”

Pereira also wants to develop better relations with existing CnDs on campus, partnering enough with the mainly volunteer-run society stores to provide Feds catering — and with it, more student choice — to interested outlets. “We were actually solicited by the math CnD,” said Pereira. “They were somewhat frustrated by the lack of control they had over the kind of products they keep in

Correction The news story “Black History Month: have we learned?” published in the February 15, 2008 issue of Imprint was attributed to Scott Houston alone. The story was actually co-written by Scott Houston and Travis Myers.

Imprint apologizes for the error.

stock. If we can help students gain better access to the kinds of foods they want, we definitely should.”

And while Pereira has student stomachs at heart, Williams said he wants to address a different form of student appetite: the need for better trained, more engaged, student representation on campus. “We need to promote a culture of engagement, especially with first years. I really want to increase volunteer visibility and provide opportunities for volunteers to be rewarded for their hard work.” To this end Williams said that Feds had to identify the needs of satellite campuses better, and hopes to improve the Feds-to-student consultation process by working outside the Feds office as much as he can.

Williams’ hopes for greater student engagement also involve expanding relations outside of campus, working with Wilfred Laurier exec to better engage university students as a whole with their surrounding community, the Region of Waterloo.

“And then there’s Orientation Week,” said Williams. “We really need to review the process to make sure it’s serving Feds, students, and volunteers as much as it should be. I also don’t think Feds makes Warrior Weekends enough of a priority, but the event regularly has 300 students attending week by week, so that’s a real opportunity for [student] engagement and consultation that Feds exec should be using.”

Regarding the upcoming spring term and Orientation Week 2008, both Pereira and Williams also hinted at some very big plans in process. “We’ve got some ‘Along the Path’ goals for student engagement, but we obviously need to sit down with the rest of the Feds exec and get everyone on the same page,” said Pereira. “For now, let’s just say there are some really great things in the works.”

The 2008/2009 Feds exec officially assumes office on May 1, 2008. Students are invited to visit www.feds.ca for more information on UW’s student government. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

4

News

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008

Feds consider volunteer-staffed Walksafe

Jenn Serec

In what could be their last term as paid employees of Walksafe, Noor Hajir, 3B planning and Kearney Nugent, 4B math hold down the fort on a Wednesday night.

Marco Baldasaro assistant news editor

W

ith some key changes to the training requirements for security personnel in Ontario on the radar, major operational modifications could be in store for Walksafe.

“In a paid capacity, there will be more stringent requirements for those who are providing

security. What exactly that is remains unclear but it’s possible that it could be as much as 40 hours of training,” said Feds president Kevin Royal.

As a result of the upcoming changes, the future of Walksafe, a student security service provided by the University of Waterloo, is uncertain. One option actively being considered is halting Walksafe in a paid capacity and replacing it with a security force strictly made up of volunteers.

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Currently, student security is composed of students at the University of Waterloo, employed by the UW Police Services on a part-time basis to operate the Walksafe Service.

Student Security has two patrols on duty every night between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. to provide the Walksafe service, in addition to other security functions. Each patrol consists of two student security members, one male and one female. Each team is equipped with departmental two-way radios and flashlights, and are identifiable by their highly visible fluorescent vests.

While sticking with a paid Walksafe is still an option being considered, Royal was clear that it would be a serious financial burden once the changes in legislature come into effect: “[T]he cost for this [staying with a paid Walksafe and springing for the training of all the employees] is prohibitively high, since we’d likely have to hire someone to coordinate the training and then conceivably pay all those being trained.” Not only that, “it becomes [even more] troublesome from a perspective of us being a co-op school with high turnover,” Royal continued.

A third option being considered by Feds, outside maintaining a paid group of employees or switching to a volunteer service, is providing a shuttle service or golf cart-type system that would be largely dependent on the weather.

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ties manage to provide this service without accruing a significant financial burden will weigh into the ultimate decision. As Royal observed, “We are one of the few schools who operate this service in a paid, as opposed to a volunteer, capacity.” Laurier, Western and Windsor all operate a similar program on a strictly volunteer basis. In fact, anyone worried about the program’s ability to attract enough volunteers (should Walksafe become volunteer-driven) need only look as far as our closest neighbour; Laurier boasts a completely volunteer Foot Patrol unit over 170 members strong.

Still, Royal seems well aware that the transition, should it take place, could be a bumpy ride: “It would be a difficult change assuredly, especially since our Walksafe is currently a paid system.” Still, on a more positive note he added, “[O]ther schools have made it work, so I’m optimistic. We’re still looking hard at it.”

A decision either way is far from certain at this point. For the time being, at least, it’s back to the old waiting game. Said Royal, “Being clear on a timeline isn’t possible since we’re still unclear on the training requirements from the government. Realistically though, it’s possible I’ll come to a decision in late March after information becomes available and our students and other stakeholders are consulted.”

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Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008

5

Campus Events Marco Baldasero assistant news editor

Michael L. Davenport assistant editor-in-chief

Yellow fever outbreak in Paraguay The government of Paraguay declared a state of emergency last week after a sudden outbreak of yellow fever. The outbreak is responsible for the deaths of at least four people. So far, health workers have provided 160,000 vaccines but officials say they need to administer even more.

Yellow fever is transmitted by infected mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, muscle pain (with prominent backache), headache, shivers, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting. Outbreaks of Yellow fever are usually confined to rural or jungle areas.The last outbreak in Paraguay was in 1974.

Walberto Pinanes, the director general of Vigilancia de Salud, a Paraguayan health agency stated that demand for the vaccine had exploded recently due to fears that the outbreak was spreading.

In Luque, a suburb of the capital Asuncion, protesters tried to hammer down the door of a health center, the Reuters news agency reported. In Villa Elisa, another city close to Asuncion, residents blocked a highway and burned tires. Yellow fever is believed to be responsible for the recent deaths of an additional 13 people in neighbouring Brazil.

Social unrest in Kenya continues Kenya’s main opposition party is calling for more mass rallies next week unless the government moves forward with constitutional changes aimed at solving the country’s political crisis.

A spokesperson for opposition leader Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) said parliament must follow through with previously agreed upon constitutional changes within one week.

If that does not happen, ODM will resume peaceful mass action, said a statement written by party secretary-general Anyang Nyongo.

Mass anti-government protests have sparked violent clashes across the east African country between opposition supporters and those who back President Mwai Kibaki.

Aid groups say roughly 1,000 people have been killed and up to 250,000 people displaced.

Negotiations between the two sides are being lead by former United Nations secretary general KofiAnnan in an attempt to reach a deal to end the political standoff and violence.

Castro relinquishes role of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, the weathered president of Cuba, has announced that he will not be accepting another term at the helm of the country.

“It would betray my conscience to take up a responsibility that requires mobility and total devotion, that I am not in a physical condition to offer,” he said in a

letter published on the website of the Cuban Communist Party’s newspaper Granma, Tuesday. Castro has held power in the communist country for 49 years. Power was temporarily handed over to his brother Raul in July of 2006 when Fidel underwent surgery. He has not been seen in public since then.

Cuba’s parliament will meet Sunday to begin electing a new president.

Castro has ruled Cuba since leading a revolution in 1959.

HD-DVD, Toshiba sing the “Blus” Toshiba announced Tuesday that it is backing out of the HD-DVD business, conceding defeat to the Sony-backed Blu-ray format and signaling an end to the battle for supremacy in high-def DVDs. The turning point in the fight for control between Blu-ray and HDDVD came when Warner Bros.

Entertainment made a decision to release films exclusively in the Blu-ray format. The decision left only two of the seven major movie studios, Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios, supporting HD-DVD. Last Friday, Wal-Mart publicly announced that it would no longer be carrying HD-DVD products and choosing to back Blu-ray in its 7,200 stores instead. The Future Shop will also be moving to Blu-ray.Analysts accurately predicted that this would be the death-blow to theToshiba-backed product. Now that the format war is over, it remains to be seen how Bluray will perform against conventional DVD — adaptation of the high-def formats has been slow.

Kosovo declares independence Kosovo declared itself an independent nation on Sunday, February 17, announcing itself to be “an independent, sovereign and democratic state.” The declaration of independence was unanimously approved by legislators in Kosovo as 11 ethnic minority deputies, including Serbs, neglected to show up for the vote.

The move drew criticism from both Serbia and Russia.

Ambassadors from Europe and the U.S. released a statement together stating their support for Kosovo’s right to independence. Russia meanwhile called for an open debate on Monday at the UN Security Council. Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica reacted to the news of Kosovo’s declaration by calling the breakaway province a “false state.” It says the move could set a dangerous precedent for separatist groups worldwide.

However,mostWestern nations have said they will support the independence of the nation. About 90 per cent of Kosovo’s two million people are ethnic Albanians. Most of its minority Serbs live in isolated groups.

Kosovo once enjoyed status as an autonomous province of Serbia, a rightYugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic began to disassemble in 1989.

The ’90s saw the rise of a significant independence movement.

— With files from the BBC and CBC

February 25

Monday 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. @ Tatham Centre (TC) 2218 Writing CVs and Cover Letters This workshop will show you how to prepare an effective curriculum vitae and cover letter when applying for positions in academia or research. Register online at www. cte.uwaterloo.ca

February 27

Wednesday @ SLC Great Hall Islamic Information Booth The Muslim Students Association will be setting up an Islamic information booth in the SLC Great Hall and Vendors Area.

Drop by to pick up a free copy of The Holy Quran and other books on Islam. More information at www.waterloomsa.com.

February 29

Friday 7:30 p.m. @ C.L. Siegfried Hall, St. Jerome’s University Rethinking the Bottom Line: International Business and Poverty

More than two billions humans live in poverty. Most live in developing areas. International businesses operate in many of these areas.

In what ways have these international businesses acted to reduce and/or aggravate the problems of poverty? Join Frederick Bird, PhD for a Friday night lecture.

February 29

Friday 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. @ CIGI: 57 Erb Street West, Waterloo Peace and Conflict Studies 30th Anniversary Celebration Celebrate Peace and Conflict Studies’ 30 years of existence. Keynote address by Nigerian peacebuilders, Pastor James Wuye and Imam Muhammed Ashafa. Reception follows.

February 28

Thursday 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. @ TC 1112 Career Interest Assessment Attend this session to find out how your interests relate to specific

career opportunities.

There is a materials charge of $10 prior to the session. Hosted by CECS. Sign up online at http;//cecs. uwaterloo.ca

February 27

Wednesday 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. @ TC 1112 Exploring Your Personality Type Learn about your personality type and preferences for learning and decision making. In the second session, discover how to apply your MBTI type to explore potential career areas. Sign up online.

March 4

Tuesday 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. @ TC 2218 Alumni Networking Workshop A three-hour networking workshop, offering practical strategies and interactive activities with UW’sAlumni CareerAdvisor.Cost is $20. Register online at http://alumni.uwaterloo. ca/alumni/services/workshops/

Opinion Friday, February 22, 2008 Vol. 30, No. 28 Student Life Centre, Room 1116 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 P: 519.888.4048 F: 519.884.7800 http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca Editor-in-chief, Maggie Clark editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Advertising & Production Manager, Laurie Tigert-Dumas ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca General Manager, Catherine Bolger cbolger@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Ad Assistant, vacant Sales Assisstant, Jason Kenney Volunteer Coordinator, Angela Gaetano Systems Admin. Dan Agar Distribution, Peter Blackman, Rob Blom Board of Directors board@imprint.uwaterloo.ca President, Adam Gardiner president@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Vice-president, Jacqueline McKoy vp@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Treasurer, Lu Jiang treasurer@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Secretary, Alaa Yassin secretary@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Staff liaison, Rob Blom liaison@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Editorial Staff Assistant Editor, Michael L. Davenport Lead Proofreader, Eric Gassner Cover Editor, Mark Kimmich News Editor, Travis Myers News Assistant, Marco Baldasaro Opinion Editor, Christine Ogley Opinion Assistant, Monica Harvey Features Editor, Dinh Nguyen Features Assistant, Cait Davidson Arts Editor, Andrew Abela Arts Assistant, Duncan Ramsay Science Editor, Adrienne Raw Science Assistant, Sherif Soliman Sports Editor, Yang Liu Sports Assistant, Olinda Pais Photo Editor, Jenn Serec Photo Assistant, Jamie Damaskinos Graphics Editor, Joyce Hsu Graphics Assistant, Yosef Yip Web Editor, Hoon Choi Web Assistant, vacant Systems Administrator, vacant Sys. Admin. Assistant, Peter Sutherland

F

our years ago one nipple changed American airwaves.

In the fallout of Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction,” the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) charged CBS $550,000 for the surprise, momentary appearance of her right breast. Other companies were likewise charged for “indecencies” aired both before and after the Superbowl incident. The Grammies and Academy Awards adopted time delays, while other sporting events “cleaned up” their half-time acts. Victoria’s Secret didn’t even air their fashion show that year, and other broadcasters practised similar, drastic forms of self-censorship to avoid reprisal.

Incidentally, the “morality” of gay marriage became a dominant factor in the U.S. election later that year, when George W. Bush was re-elected to office.

Then, as with now, a vocal extreme applied pressure on the existing media environment.

Then, as with now, both religion and culture played huge roles in the debate. However, in the U.S. of 2004 the portion of religious fundamentalists pushing for “moral” reform had much more power to win immediate media concessions; now the Islamic population that has manifested in contemporary debate is met with much more resistance and distrust.

Have we learned from our brothers and sisters in the south? Not really. Whereas radical Christian conservatism had a long history of shaping American discourse, the application of Islam in Western media culture is fairly new — and while this Islamic extreme is very vocal in its outrage, it doesn’t have anywhere near the amount of entrenched corporate and political power required to oppress Western media freedoms.

Despite this, Muslim communities around the world are unfortunately represented by some pretty scary manifestations of extremism. Flemming Rose, culture editor for a Danish newspaper, fell under Islamic notoriety for publishing cartoon depictions of

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Annual general meeting: Monday, February 26, 2008 2:00 p.m.

Next staff meeting: Monday, February 26, 2008 12:30 p.m.

On extremism and outrage the Prophet Muhammad in 2005, while one of his cartoonists, Kurt Westergaard, was recently almost the victim of an assassination plot. Wikipedia fell under similar fire in 2007 for presenting ancient Persian depictions of Muhammad in its main article about the Muslim prophet, while Mark Steyn’s 2006 Maclean’s article about the demographic rise of Muslims in the West led individuals (backed by the Canadian Islamic Congress) to go so far as to file human rights complaints on the basis of “Islamophobia.”

These are case studies in extremism. Every culture has them. If anything, what makes Western culture so unnerved by these recent pressures is that Islam is still deemed “Other” in our eyes, and the reigning perception of Islamic culture (a perception in no way improved by statements of Holocaust denial from Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; nor by the “honour killing” of raped women, nor the hanging of gay men), is that of irrational tendencies towards violence and anger.

But here in Canada we are all individuals with equal rights and freedoms (only our Aboriginal communities have legal claim to suggest otherwise), and deserve to be judged by that individuality alone. Yet even just on an individual basis you’ll find case studies of extremism — forms of outrage that in no way align with the perceived slights themselves.

(As editor-in-chief of Imprint I see it all the time in the form of hate mail or letters of howling outrage.)

Yes, there is something ultimately cathartic about launching indignant and offended appeals to justice, while personal attacks allow us to reconstruct the world we live in as one where we, through our victim-hood, are free to victimize in turn. But are these extremes useful, or do they similarly damage our ability to operate in as open and accepting a media environment as possible? Do we really need to look as far as radical Islam or militant Christianity for breaches of social conduct?

Public outrage is easy — satisfying, self-preserving, and just “loud” enough to ensure you’ll get other people’s attention.

In 1971, political theorist John Rawls outlined three requisite conditions for legitimate civil disobedience: one, that the injustice be substantial; two, that normal appeals to resolution were made, and failed; and three, that these claims of injustice be exceptional, or else allied collectively with all other groups making similar claims.

These conditions were outlined with regard to group interactions within mostly just societies, but they work just as well on an individual level. Public outrage is easy — satisfying, selfpreserving, and just “loud” enough to ensure you’ll get other people’s attention. But when outrage becomes our sole means of expressing dissent, we endanger the presence of nuance, of moderation, in all of our most important debates. We also weaken the power of outrage itself; so when it’s truly called for, it doesn’t have nearly as much impact.

On the whole, we may not be able halt the disproportionate outrage of extreme groups; our media outlets may always be threatened by some form of censorship on their behalf.

But there is “the media” as it exists in the world around us, and there is “the media” as we know it should be — that “fourth pillar of democracy” we refer to without even having the words to describe it. And so long as we never lose sight of the latter — practising, at least on a personal level, the kind of civic response that maximizes room for nuanced debate — no group, no matter how “loud” or extreme, can ever demolish the former. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

The personal cost of war

Production Staff Tim Foster, Paul Collier, Mo Jangda, Susie Roma, Chantelle McGee, Jacqulien McKoy, Ashley Csanady, Scott Houston

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008 opinion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

W

hile headlines report almost daily of suicide bombings in Iraq, and of the toll this takes on entrenched U.S. troops, a toll Canadians are glad to be avoiding, but a toll we only understood superficially.

This is because while hear again and again of the suicide bombings that rip apart lives in Iraq, we are so very far from the true horror of it.

Imagine yourself in the shoes of Adnan and Noora Adwadi — their names changed for protection when they spoke to Time magazine.

These former Iraqis long dearly to return to their home, but fear drove them away. It drove them away when six men of the notorious Shi’ite Mahdi Army militia visited Adnan while he was at his job working for the Health Ministry. They told him they were cleaning Sunni garbage out of the government, and that he should leave. If he didn’t, he was told they would rape his wife and daughter in front of him and his son, and then stick drills into their eyes. The militia produced a jar containing a pair of bloody eyes. Now safely out of the country, Adnan’s colleagues tell him that the men who threatened him currently work for the Health Ministry.

Can you see videos of boys — young enough to count their age on their fingers — training with AK-47s, being run through neighbourhood terror drills in the streets? Can you imagine seeing your child in these drills? Can you imagine looking through Iraqi police photo records, going through pictures of dead women strangled, beheaded, tortured and worse for not wearing headscarves or violating other religious rules?

This is the horror that many Iraqis live with daily, and to which American troops currently bear witness. Fighting the war in Iraq remains an evershifting enigma. Instead of fighting a uniformed army on the fields of war, the hunt for al-Qaeda in Iraq continues as a ghost hunt. It is spread over the country between the battling Sunni and Shi’ite militias, where every person you meet could be friend or foe, and there are no clear uniforms to guide your attacks or bullets. The militias that once attacked American troops now leave them be, likely waiting for them to withdraw so they can continue their sectarian cleansing without distraction.

And every day that the war goes on, questions about how to end it remain, with a simple pullout unlikely to solve anything. Corruption and

And every day that the war goes on, questions about how to end it remain, with a simple pull-out unlikely to solve anything.

sect-based politics only fan the flames that divide and destroy the country. In the U.S., Iraq draws much of the attention, political will, and funding that could otherwise be directed to more fruitful or beneficial matters. The vast oil reserves in Iraq and the turmoil that surrounds them continue to keep prices high, thus giving more influence to men like Russia’s Putin and Venezuela’s Chavez.

This throws the world for a spin as it tries to cope with the staggering cost of doing business.

The war will and must come to an end, as all things do. The only question that remains is how to stop the seemingly unstoppable fighting and killing that continues. No motivation for stopping seems to exist, nor any ability to co-operate and co-exist.

The battle between the Sunnis and Shi’ites seems like a deadly squabble between two warring houses.

The one way outsiders might hope to quell the fighting between them is to separate them, and as unappealing as that strategy may be when seen in the context of Iraq, it may end up as the only way to bring stability back to a country that lost it with the departure of Saddam’s iron fist and brutal rule.

Separation, as it seems, has become a more popular solution to problems of late, as seen by Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia last weekend, and this touchy topic is what we will find ourselves right in the middle of next week.

— With files from the BBC, the New York Times, CNN and Time magazine. adodds@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008

7

Dinosaur rendez-vous

I

t’s night time in the Centre for Environmental and Information Technology building. You might be there late for some after-hours study. It seems the newer building’s large lower floor bathroom has attracted the interest of some characters looking for a different type of immediate relief than one usually seeks in a washroom. In the middle of the night it isn’t uncommon to see guys sitting around the fountain here. The guys make lots of eye contact, and some follow others into the washroom. The guys in the stalls beside you often tap their feet a few times.

They might even reach underneath the barrier. The guy you thought you saw jerking off a few urinals down from you out of the corner of your eye probably was.

What these guys are doing is cruising, or, cottaging (from British slang for public toilets). This is the practice of seeking anonymous man-on-man sex in public bathrooms and parks. And yes, this actually goes on in EIT. You didn’t think Waterloo was exempt from these things, now did you? Of course we’ve got cruisers — and it doesn’t end at the EIT bathroom either. The tenth floor of the Dana Porter library is another popular spot for gay hookups, as well as places out in the community like Homer Watson Park, Victoria Park, the saunas and bathrooms in various Goodlife and YMCA gyms, as well as a plethora of bathrooms at Laurier.

Shocking? Of course! Most people wouldn’t assume that cottaging and cruising are present on UW’s campus.

Then again, the people who know about it are probably the people who are looking for it, and those people probably wouldn’t want the locations of their secret sex spots to get out, lest they be monitored in the future.

Whoops, sorry guys.

The language of cruising is crude, featuring made-up body language and secret signals. Unlike the intrusive and extreme cyber-chat I taught you about leading up to an online-cruising hookup (read “Gay.com: C U @ my place 2nite?� Jan. 18, 2008) the

signals leading up to penis/mouth contact underneath a stall in EIT or in the bushes of Homer Watson Park manage a new level of classlessness by not even using words. The bizarre series of foot-taps, coughs, eye contact and dick-flashing are the only indicators given, and the only indicators needed.

The history of cottaging, cruising and man-on-man bathroom sex goes back much farther than Larry Craig.

Like most modern debauchery, the Romans did it first and did it best.

Roman baths were once considered to be the social highlight of one’s week, the finest of which included luxurious saunas, gymnasiums, swimming pools, hot tubs and more.

At first these bathhouses were heavily monitored for sexual activity to preserve the family atmosphere, but as the empire crumbled these palaces filled with hot oil, muscled men, and constant nudity became hotspots for homosexual vice and orgies.

Since these ancient times, public bathhouses have been prime spots for anonymous gay sex and the two have been permanently intertwined since the advent of household plumbing and the lack of purposeful use of public baths.

Although men had been meeting in cruisy bathrooms and city parks for decades or possibly longer, the collective consciousness of the heterosexuals became aware that gay men were having sex outside of their bathhouses and in regular ol’ bathrooms as late as 1964. Walter Jenkins, a devoted aide to the one and only Lyndon B. Johnston, was a war veteran, married with kids and enjoying the good life in D.C. He was arrested that October for engaging in sexual acts with a Hungarian man in a YMCA bathroom. The scandal hit the papers and for the first time “normal� North America became aware of what was going on in bathrooms underneath their noses.

Some people could excuse Walter Jenkins for cruising for man-sex.

After all, even though love was free in the 60s, being openly gay still had its price, especially in politics (just

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ask Roy Cohn). But when we consider the present day, we’re confronted with a dilemma. Is it right to stick your penis under a stall or through a glory hole to get blown?

Is it proper to flash your cock at someone in the park and lead them to a bushy area to fuck?

Is it okay to jerk off into a urinal and casually invite the person beside you to finish the job?

Well, it certainly isn’t legal.

Why in today’s world are these men still meeting up for nameless, faceless, lawless sex? The excuse that society doesn’t accept them is getting a bit old, considering we live in a country where you can’t be fired for being gay, you can’t be denied housing for being gay, and you can even go so far as to marry someone of the same gender.

So what is the reason for hiding out in a public park at 3 a.m. to fuck a stranger?

The reason is fear. Even though strong and confident gay activists and leaders have broken down barriers and paved the way for gay Canadians to live free and happy lives out of the shadows, these people are still afraid. They’re afraid of what their mother would say if they came out, they’re afraid of what their wife would think is she knew they weren’t 100 per cent straight, and most of all they’re afraid to defy someone else’s idea of “normal.�

sonia lee

Well here is my message to you, cruisers and cottagers: all the tools are there to be strong, be free and be yourself here and now. Your options are to either to embrace who you are or to learn the etiquette of stall-to-stall

sex. But, I understand if you choose to hide. Just remember to be careful of who you try to pick up at EIT tonight — he could be a cop. tmyers@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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8

Opinion

Letters

Had a reaction to one of our articles, editorials or columns? Write a letter to the editor at letters@imprint. uwaterloo.ca

R

e: Black History Month: have we learned?

(Imprint Vol. 30, No. 27) I noted with amusement, the slavery diatribe of Aggerholm and Mercer in The Record of February 12, in which they equated our “slave auction” with a slight against the African slave experience in the Americas.

The problem with all these do-good-legislateall-human-behaviour-types is that: They show very little common sense ... any moron knows the difference between a “slave” auction where frosh students get “bought” to clean up after the Iron-Ring parties and the abuse suffered by humans from ancient Egypt who built the pyramids (and weren’t black) to that suffered by Africans in the Caribbean and both Americas. It’s not the word slave that makes slavery; rather it’s the way “slaves” are treated ... which isn’t happening here.

“Slave,” ”slavery,” “enslaved” all have common, metaphorical usage in everyday conversation and writing. (Imagine, me, an engineer, instructing newspaper writers on the use of the language ... but they, Aggerholm and Mercer, reveal no language subtlety). For example, “I’m a slave to love”; “I’m a slave to alcohol”; “I’m enslaved by your eyes.” None of these uses have anything to do with the African experience.

In a free society you can’t legislate all human behaviour ... if you’re offended by something ... tough luck, Charlie ... get over it. You can object to it, but we don’t need Martha Foulds to “educate the students about what slavery really means” ...

First of all, how would she know? ... Secondly, no abuse is occurring here. It’s just good fun and money is being raised for the grads.

Our society is top-heavy with axe-grinding hobby-horse-riding groups all trying to control our use of words ... the feminist movement, the politically correct police, HR-speak, office-speak.

You can’t legislate common use of language in a free society.

We, the common people, will use language in any way we please to convey meaning.

In a free society, if somebody is offended by their own interpretation of something said or written, it is the responsibility of the offended to inquire of the user the intent of the speech or writing.

If no offense was intended then the offended should drop his offense. If offense was intended, then, by all means, be offended and respond accordingly.

We’ll call it a slave auction if we like and if they or anyone else doesn’t like it … you know … that dark place … subtle, eh?

— Donald A Fraser

Re: You can’t take notes on facebook (Imprint, Vol. 30, No. 27) Like the deteriorating morals of a cat in a dog prison, it appears that Imprint’s indecency has hit a new low. I am referring to the article entitled, You Can’t Take Notes On Facebook.

As I never bring my laptop to class because it requires three nuclear power stations to make the monitor emit light, I have enough self control to ignore my Facebooking peers and listen to

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008 that if people use the internet to socialize in class, restrictions will be implemented. You fear mongering jerkface, you do not know what you are talking about. The only way that the school could offer free wireless internet and prevent people from using Facebook or MSN is if they installed invasive surveillance software on everybody’s personal laptop. Unless we elect the currently non-existent Fascist Party of Canada, there is no way in hell that your dystopic fears will be actualized.

So next time you’re in class, spying on your neighbour’s activities, idolizing them as they boldly send your lover a virtual drink, instead of writing an article about it, why don’t you bring your laptop to class and start sending them viruses. Have you ever heard of a trojan horse, go for it man, make them pay! Also, before I leave this document to go send more vampire invitations to my enemies, I’d like to point out that I do realize that the second paragraph of this letter makes me a hypocrite. Deal with it suckas!

— David Halk

3A English RPW

I’m appalled and also found it rather sad that the only article in Imprint that even mentioned anything about the One Waterloo Black History Discussion Panel devoted the majority of its content to not actually discuss significant issues that were raised during the panel which actually pertain to Black History Month, but instead decided to nitpick on a the naming of an engineering graduation committee event that has been running for years.

First of all, this article is not news. It is clearly an editorial. Sure, it is an unfortunate coincidence that an event of such a name also happens during the month of February. It does not however, imply what the journalist states as “The importance of Black History Month... lost on some members of the university population.” Such an outrageous implication makes me wonder whether there is any integrity left in campus journalism. Secondly, it raises the question about today’s society; how much political correctness is too much? Is using the terminology of “slave” really that big of a problem? The auction makes absolutely no connotations or references to the slavery of African-Americans and African-Canadians.

Is it fair to change the name of an event just because certain people think of the unfortunate events of slavery when they hear the name?

If so, does that mean we have to stop using that word for anything not related to slavery in North America? For instance, in computers, hard disk drives are labelled as masters and slaves. Is that offensive too? Lastly, I’m disappointed that the article made no mention to what was actually discussed during the panel such as the importance of Black History Month, the cultural divide of Blacks, the media portrayal of racial stereotypes and the highly controversial discussion regarding the Afrocentric school being approved by the Toronto District School Board. This ironically makes me wonder is nitpicking on other people’s political correctness really the importance of Black History Month? Is it really what we’re supposed to be learning?

— Sunny Ng

Re: Black History Month: have we learned? (Imprint Vol. 30, No. 27) This letter is in response to the Imprint article

“I’m too beautiful for people to stop looking at me, yet you don’t see me publishing an article called, Keep Your Eyes The **** Off Me You Filthy Perverts!” the professor. That is, if I’m not too hungover to get lost in my own imagination.

It seems like the author of that article should see a doctor about being prescribed Ritalin. If you cannot ignore what others are doing then you might as well stop breathing. Everybody is always going to be doing something that you dislike, deal with it. I personally find it revolting if anybody looks at me, but I’m too beautiful for people to stop looking at me, yet you don’t see me publishing an article called, Keep Your Eyes The **** Off Me You Filthy Perverts! ?

Then the author makes the radical claim

of Scott Houston “Black History Month: Have We Learned?” The title implies that something bad is continuing, as if the “slave auction” of the engineers is really a slave auction. It is NOT. Nobody is being sold into a life of toil. Everyone knows that the money is being donated and that the “slave” has perfect freedom to refuse to do anything for the “owner” whose money was freely given to the cause. Usually the duty is one of cooking for or cleaning up after the various Iron Ring breakfasts that take place on Iron Ring Day. Secondly let’s clear up the notion that slavery

is the sole lot of black Africans. Every race on earth has been enslaved. Think about Stalin’s gulags. The road beds of the “highways” in the Kamchatka Peninsula are made of the bones of those he sent there. They weren’t black and their “owners” didn’t pay for them. This “free” slavery continues today in the sweat shops of the world and it’s worse, simply because there is a limitless supply of victims. When one dies or gets sick, you just go out on the street and replace him/her.

Now, let’s get over the specifics and on to the real issue; that of language (or any other) control in a free society. Engineering Society can do without its “slave auction” label without any damage.

It can sarcastically call it the “non-Slave Auction” just to get back at the language police (politically correct police or any other control freaks).

We are lucky to have our freedom. People die to preserve it. However, unless we understand freedom, we will lose it ourselves by over-legislating it away. In a free society we must live

only reporting that was done to write the story was to look at a copy of the February 12th Record and write a quasi-opinion article under the guise of a news piece.

Had we been contacted, we would have been able to clear up some misconceptions that would have benefited your readers. This type of fundraiser is not new, nor exclusive to UW – “charity slave auctions” are commonplace from charity organizations to high schools (you only need to Google the term to find out). At UW, it has been an annual (and sometimes bi- or tri-annual) event for decades.

While it was certainly not our intent to offend anyone, Charles Adler’s suggestion that “fake indignation” has played a part in the negative response is fitting when you consider that there has been nary a complaint in the past and that much of the outrage is coming from misconceptions based on the story printed in The Record.

In our case, the “slaves” auctioned off were volunteers who wanted to spend the day with

“Had we been contacted, we would have been able to clear up some misconceptions that would have benefited your readers. This type of fundraiser is not new, nor exclusive to UW — “charity slave auctions” are commonplace from charity organizations to high schools.” — Engineering Grad Committee by two things; “conscience” to tell what is right and wrong and “common sense” or wisdom to place practical limits on conscience. Freedom is not the right to do what we please, but rather the right to limit ourselves according to conscience and common sense so that our freedom does not take away the freedom of others. When an individual gets out of hand, we make “laws” to limit the “freedom” of those who can’t limit themselves. Laws are guidelines as opposed to “rules” which tell everybody exactly what to do in all circumstances, and, of course, are easily bypassed by those who wish to find loopholes and hire smart lawyers.

In a free society, we have to develop a thick skin. Others do and say things that “offend” us or that we disagree with. Think of the obscenities screamed into microphones and CDs of our rock and rap “artists” who insult everyone. Do we even think of controlling them? As long as our freedom is not threatened, we must tolerate disagreeable behaviour and not seek to control it. Simply being offended or opposed does not constitute interference with our freedom.

Getting back to the specific example above, we must trust Engineering Society not to abuse or take advantage of its “slaves.” If it does, then, as a society, we step in. We may disagree with their title or be offended by it, but tough luck, we must tolerate it. It’s the price of being free and we’d better pay it if want to remain free.

I also must tolerate, as the price of freedom, “opinionism” and “’bad journalism” in the disguise of “journalism.”

— Donald A Fraser

Re: Black History Month: Have we learned? (Imprint, Vol. 30, No. 27) We were extremely disappointed by Imprint’s coverage of the slave auction fundraiser that was held to raise money for the graduating class of 2008. It is understandable that The Record would choose to publish a sensationalist story making the University of Waterloo and its students look bad on their front page to sell papers and get national coverage – as they did. Imprint, on the other hand, should have no such motives, and as UW’s official student newspaper, has a responsibility to at least try to feature the students’ side instead of regurgitating the yellow journalism of The Record’s piece.

Unfortunately, while it would have been very easy for you to do so, no one from the Engineering Graduation Committee (which organized the event), the Engineering Society, or the Faculty of Engineering was contacted by Imprint, shown by the lack of original quotes and information in your story. What happened to, as you put it in an editorial, the “precept of good journalism” that asks whether all pertinent sources with a stake in the story have been contacted? It seems that the

graduating students helping them at their morning parties on the day of the Iron Ring Ceremony and Stag while at the same time helping raise money. They included not only engineering students in first, second, and third year, but also one from the Faculty of Arts and another from Applied Health Studies. Their duties ranged from making pancakes to driving to campus – things you’d do to help friends on the most important day of their undergraduate careers.

And, as Don Fraser correctly pointed out in a letter sent to Imprint, The Iron Warrior, and The Record, usage of the word slave (and its derivatives) is ordinary in everyday conversation in the English language – not to mention such uses as “slave hard drive” (which, by the way, is still called a slave hard drive in the month of February – “inopportune” timing be damned).

Another misreported fact was why we were raising money. The graduating committee is responsible for organizing the Engineering Graduation Ball, putting together and printing the 480-page yearbook, and organizing the Iron Ring Stag. The combined costs are enormous — near $100,000 — and we fundraise to keep the prices affordable for the over 900 graduating students. Excess money raised is donated directly back to the school in the form of a gift (past grad class gifts include the benches on the third floor of RCH and the new POETS patio awning built last summer).

Finally, your assumption that the auction was “promptly renamed after the issue received media attention” is misleading: We, the 2008 Grad Committee, do not plan on holding any other such fundraising events, but it is up to the next engineering graduating class’s Grad Committee to decide what they plan to call these fundraisers.

— Toni Carlisle, Bahman Hadji, Sunit Mohindroo, Evan Murphy, Andrew Rizkalla

2008 Engineering Graduation Committee CoChairs

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Features

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008 features@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Time freeze

Improv art group becomes contagious, spreading choas and delight to the hearts of many cities Angela Gaetano staff reporter

L

et’s paint a picture, shall we? Imagine yourself on a regular day, high-tailing it through the SLC on your way to that seminar that started 15 minutes ago. Your eyes are fixed firmly on the toe-tips of your salt-stained boots as you maneuver through the crowd, carefully avoiding eye contact to keep yourself out of any further delay-causing conversations. Slinking in and out of the human traffic to the beat of your MP3 player, you fumble for the volume key; this track must’ve been recorded on a louder volume or something. Weird. As you’re turning down the bass, you’re also gradually becoming aware of a change around you. A chill drips down your spine and a tingle starts forming near your sternum, growing and changing into the beginnings of dread as it slides toward your stomach. The bass fades out and you can’t hear anything. Nothing but the stupid falsetto line on that lame hipster song your ex-boyfriend sent you. No footsteps. No snippets of conversation. Nothing. You raise your head to remove your headphones, your eyes widen and your mouth slackens in disbelief.

Time has stopped.

All around you, people have stopped midaction. Mid-chew, mid-talk, mid-walk. Slowly, you start noticing others unaffected by this strange turn of events. Making awkward eye talk, you ask each other, “What the fuck?”

In a few minutes’ time your collective confusion turns to awe and bemusement as you all discover, almost simultaneously, that a huge number of people, hundreds, even, have all chosen to “freeze” in time together. You have been bombarded by performance art.

This is exactly what regular commuters in New York’s Grand Central Station experienced when New York based performance artist and self-acclaimed prankster, Charlie Todd staged his “Freeze Event” now of internet fame. Todd’s 207 volunteer “agents” walked into the iconic station, dressed and acting as normal commuters, and then all froze at precisely the same moment. The sea of statues remained perfectly still for a full

five minutes before resuming their activities to the stunned applause of onlookers.

This freeze event was the product of Todd’s performance art project, “Improv Everywhere.” A group of internet “agents” dream up scenes of social surprise to stage in public places. With the mission to bring “chaos and joy” back to the public life, Improv Everywhere has staged a number of prominent “pranks” since their founding in August 2001, including flooding a Best Buy store with approximately 80 people dressed in khakis and blue polo shirts, to mimic store employees, sending 111 shirtless men into an Abercrombie and Fitch store to poke fun at the chain’s tradition of hiring sexy male models to pose shirtless in their storefronts, and a six-year tradition of “No Pants Day,” when volunteers nonchalantly ride the New York subways in just their knickers. A similar group based both in New York and Toronto, Newmindspace, was founded by Lori Kufner and Kevin Bracken in 2005 and stages similar events in Toronto, including the “String of Lights” exhibit at Nuit Blanche this past September, the massive city Pillow Fight in May 2007 (to be repeated this June), and more recently, the traditional Valentine’s Day covering of Queen Street West in pink and red hearts lovingly crafted with sidewalk chalk and tempera paint.

As can be seen with spin off groups like Newmindspace, Improv Everywhere’s brand of kitschy fun has spurred enough interest to go global. On February 16, copycat Freeze events were staged in Toronto, Stockholm, and London’s Waterloo Station and Trafalgar Square, with the last event pulling in an estimated 1,000 participants. Additional freeze events are planned for February 26 in the Netherlands, and March 1 in Toronto’s Union Station. Rumor has it that there may also be one in the works for staging at the University of Waterloo. Sources report that anywhere between 100 and 200 stealthy students may be involved, but to keep it the surprise it should be, I won’t spill any further details. Just keep your eyes open, and maybe you’ll be lucky enough to see time freeze. agaetano@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Video courtesy Improv Everywhere Graphic by Jenn Serec

Features

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008

11

Couscous, just ‘cause

P

earls of Israelis couscous are reminiscent of the ones draped around a lady’s neck. The only difference is that enjoyment with the former does not cost nearly as much as the latter.

With today’s culinary trends veering towards astronomical pricing, it’s a relief to know that this healthy grain is not apart of that food phase.

Couscous is made from moistened semolina wheat, which is rolled into spheres. The granules are then coated with ground wheat flour.

Israelis couscous are like large, opal shaped pearls, which is a variation from the original yellow tinged couscous introduced by immigrants

in the 1950s from various regions of North Africa.

Couscous is a staple of The Maghreb, which includes Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Parts of France as well as Italy have adapted this versatile grain into their dishes.

Couscous is derived from a famous Maghreb dish where the granular semolina is steamed is a special pot called a couscoussière, which is composed of two pots, one taller than the other. The shorter pot has a hole-pierced bottom and is stacked on top of the taller one, and covered with a lid.

Served alongside the couscous are chunks of tender lamb or chicken

with an assortment of vegetables, chickpeas, and raisins, which would have been simmered in the bottom part of the pot. Bread would act as the utensil with which to scoop up

the meat and couscous.

Each country adds their own personal touch to couscous: for instance Moroccans include saffron, Algerians like to add tomatoes, and Tunisians

spice theirs up with a traditional hot sauce made of hot chiles, garlic, cumin, coriander, caraway and olive oil. tli@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Our biggest investment is in our employees.

Tiffany Li

Israelis Couscous with pan seared chicken Chicken: 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 large (8 to 9 ounces each) chicken breast halves (skin on), each cut in half crosswise to make 4 pieces total Preheat oven to 400°F, set rack to middle position.

Heat oil in a large, oven-proof skillet* over mediumhigh heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to skillet, skin side down; cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Put skillet into the oven and bake until chicken breast shows no sign of pink when pierced at the meat, about 20 to 25 minutes more.

Transfer to a serving dish. Serve the chicken hot on a bed of Israelis couscous. *If you don’t have an oven-proof skillet, you can use baking sheet lined with aluminium foil instead.

Couscous: 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature 1 large onion, chopped (2 1/2 cups) 3 teaspoons grated lemon peel, divided 1 (8.8-ounce) package toasted Israeli couscous (about 1 3/4 cups) 2 1/4 cups low-salt chicken broth 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over mediumhigh heat. Add onion and 2 teaspoons lemon peel.

Cover and cook 5 minutes. Add couscous; sauté 2 minutes. Add broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, until couscous is tender and mixture is still moist, about 8 to 10 minutes. Mix in cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Capital One is proud to be one of the GTA’s Top 50 Employers for 2008. ®

We’re currently looking for statisticians to join our team.

If you’re interested, come see us on campus.

South Campus Hall – Laurel Room Wednesday, February 27 at 5:00 pm

www.CapitalOne.ca © 2008 Capital One Services, Inc. Capital One is a registered trademark. All rights reserved.

12

Features

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008

It’s the thought that counts

I

’m going to be the first one to admit that I’m not the most news-savvy student out there. I have a pretty good idea of what’s going on in the world, but I guess I could benefit from making the Globe and Mail’s website my browser homepage, and spend a little less time browsing, say, Lifehacker, BoingBoing, or… Facebook.

But in all honesty: am I the only one who still can’t wrap his head around Family Day? Seriously. When did all this happen? You’d think that an artificially created holiday would have a little more excitement to it.

I think the worst part about Family Day is that it even sounds made up.

Family Day? In all honesty, the first thing I thought of when I heard about it (and still do) is the episode in The Simpsons when they create “Love Day,” under

This

the rationale that greeting cards sales were down and they needed something to boost sales.

So what are we expected to actually do during Family Day? Celebrate our families? How exactly does one do that?

Should we look to the corresponding statutory holiday in the U.S. , Presidents’ Day (which I’m sure had absolutely nothing to do with the timing of Family Day, at all) for inspiration? I’m sure every American is doing their civic duty to spend some quality time reflecting on the lives and accomplishments of the presidents, instead of, you know, getting drunk with their friends.

Personally, I find the logic of Family Day to be cute, if not hilarious. What better way to really make us appreciate our families than to mandate a statutory holiday with the intent of trapping us

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with our relatives? Where are we to hide? Most businesses are closed. It’s too cold and miserable to enjoy the outdoors. Even the usual, “alternative” strategy, Movie-and-Chinese-Food-Day (otherwise known as Christmas for Jews), isn’t exactly feasible.

Which brings me to the stark reality of most holidays. When it comes down to it, many holidays are just thinly-veiled excuses to spend money. Show someone you care by buying them shit! Easter, Christmas, and perhaps the most obvious: Valentine’s Day. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, we’re all encouraged to go through the motions of shelling out cash. Thankfully, Family Day is still new enough in this province that it hasn’t felt the influence of big business, but I’ll give it a year or two more. When you think about it, the timing is perfect:

cheesy, commercialized sentiments leftover from Valentine’s Day can be slightly transformed and recontextualized as the perfect Family Day gifts! I predict that restaurants and resorts will subversively fight the statutory holiday and remain open for Family Day deals and packages: free garlic bread on Family Day! Soon enough, Family Day will be just another day that we “celebrate” others using our currency and abusing our savings and loans.

So, what’s your everyday miserly student to do to protect themselves from the forces of commercialized holidays, artificial and not? Can we ever opt-out of this entrenched purchasing parade?

How can you avoid putting a price on sentiments?

Well, the easiest way to avoid buying-in to your sentiments is to not buy

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anything to begin with. Surprise! If your loved ones really love you for you (and here’s hoping), then they should theoretically see no problem in not receiving any gifts. Right? For inspiration, here’s the one free resource I can’t say enough about to get me through all my mandated expressions of sentiment.

www.someecards.com This website is single-handedly renewing my faith in e-cards. Usually I wouldn’t touch these email-based abominations with 10 layers of tabbed browsers, but these offerings make quite the formidable exception. I first came across it when I needed to send an honest “Sorry I fucked up” e-card to a friend after a little Facebook wall fiasco in which I nearly ruined her career opportunities. Yep yep yep, just another day. I found exactly what I needed in one card, “I need to kick my own ass,” and I was instantly addicted.

The e-cards aren’t animated (thank god!), and feature sharp black/white illustrations on colour backgrounds.

The simple aesthetic is only magnified by their humour — their motto, “when you care enough to hit send,” says it all.

I’m also still surprised at how these cards manage to hit the nail right on the head in certain situations. You honestly will not be able to stay away.

This site has e-cards for every event and occasion: from anniversary:“I want to grow old and disgusting with you” to pology: “Sorry I accidentally stole your password and read all your emails;” cry for help: “I wish there was a social networking site where everyone would leave me the fuck alone,” and holidays: “To celebrate Black History Month, let’s abstain from shopping at J. Crew.”

They even get extra points for having a gut-wrenchingly hilarious left-of-centre categories, like flirting:“I’m ready to change my Facebook relationship status if you are” — which I predict will explode in popularity. How perfect is that?

With the whole range of reasons, seasons, and events covered with these e-cards, you can bet that there’s an e-card dripping with snarkiness to suit all your sentimental needs. Why go out of your way to spend your hard-earned money on some crappy, unoriginal gift when the free alternative is so fantastic? So next Family Day, give the gift of webbased snark. isherr@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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21 01 2008 13:25:24

Understanding student governance A five-part Imprint special report

Part 1: Structures of Power January 25, 2008 Part 2: Representation through History February 1, 2008 Part 3: The Electoral Process in Action February 8, 2008 Part 4: A Working Dynamic February 15, 2008 Part 5: Obstacles and Optimism February 22, 2008

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Understanding student governance: Part 5 of 5: Obstacles and optimism Maggie Clark editor-in-chief

A

s I write this, it’s Reading Week. Before the mass exodus of students from campus, midterm assignments and exams were on everyone’s minds — just as they will be again once classes resume. For the consequences of this intense period of study and fleeting escape, I needn’t look any further than my own office: the empty chairs, the volunteers unable to pitch in, the mad scramble to get an issue out in their wake.

Imprint survives this, and similar, downswings in large part due to the size of our raw volunteer core and how entrenched an institution we are in the campus’ eyes. But when I consider other manifestations of student governance — whether they be clubs or services, special projects or student associations, student council or even Feds exec — I’m not surprised these kinds of obstacles are such a hindrance to the quality and consistency of student representation at UW. The question for me, coming from my own microcosm of student life, is whether the existing obstacles to effective student representation can be eliminated, or at the very least turned to our advantage. But even to begin answering this question, it bears keeping in mind how diverse these obstacles are, and the structural contexts that reinforce them. In previous weeks these pages have seen examples of student governance at work: here, at the culmination of this series, I’d like you to consider the many ways current UW student governance does not work — but could.

A peculiar campus life-cycle As universities go, UW operates on a rather special system. In keeping with our commitment to co-op programs (the UW co-op system touts itself as the “largest of its kind” in the world), our campus maintains a three-term-per-year life-cycle, as opposed to the two semester model (with supplementary summer courses) furthered by institutions like UfT. Whereas the two semester model creates a culture of steady development, with courses taken in the fall viewed as halves of their respective wholes, and the overarching environment thus built on similar, accumulated growth, the UW co-op system fosters regular upheavals, with all the benefits and consequences therein.

While the three-term-a-year system allows, at present, for 12,000 students per year to switch from school work to “real” work over alternating terms, the system also creates three distinct problems in developing and maintaining effective student representation: 1. Co-op complicates leadership transitions for student clubs and services, regardless of whether the organizations’ life cycles come full circle in anywhere from four months to a full year.

The reasoning for this is straightforward: volunteer absenteeism makes it difficult to impart knowledge on your replacements, or to pursue council meetings or club-related prep work in a time frame that respects both the 9-to-5 lifestyle of co-op students and the haphazard structure of a school-term student’s life. The balance is doable! But the complication remains.

2. Co-op makes consistent lobbying and project development difficult — especially when either task involves UW administration. Despite the relatively short time students spend at university, the UW administration is in the business of cultivating long-term student relations, and for good reason: That longevity demonstrates reliability (an important test for any group to pass, especially if it’s still fairly new), and allows the administration to put a familiar face to the projects or lobby positions themselves. This in turn creates a more meaningful rapport between both parties, but these relationships are exceedingly hard to maintain when an engaged student volunteer is also engaged, at least every four months, in co-op work in other cities, provinces, or even countries.

3. Co-op challenges a student’s allegiance to their school — not where pride and reputation are concerned (after all, the success of one’s school often goes a long way to aiding in one’s personal success at landing a job), but with regard to encouraging personal development within the school system when students are already actively pursuing more long-standing personal developments without.

And yet the potential positives of the UW co-op system, as it relates to student governance, should not be overlooked. Specifically, despite the many setbacks co-op programs introduce for volunteer organizations, time away from the campus environment provides students with the opportunity to network outside the university, and in doing so to expose themselves to real-world knowledge and important external networks they can later return to their respective clubs and projects.

It bears keeping in mind, however, that such a program benefit is only maximized when students seek out co-op experiences that resonate with their personal interests and ambitions: to that end, while students often use volunteer positions on campus to pad their (paid) work resumés, students might also be wise to regard their job options with respect to the volunteer work they most enjoy. At best, you might finish your university career in the midst of a field you don’t hate; at the very least, you’ll be helping the university environment as a whole to surmout the problems that inevitably arise when student representation is associated predominantly with “campus life.”

Vigilante volunteerism Moreover, it is not entirely fair to suggest that the aforemention problems arise solely from the co-op system; rather, co-op is one of a few student structures that regularly yields those three obstacles (transitional problems, inconsistent commitments to long-term projects, and a question of allegiances) to effective student representation. Another such problem is something I’ll refer to as “vigilante volunteerism,” and the phenomenon is by no means unique to UW. Specifically, the term refers to those students who singlehandedly spearhead, foster, and continue to run student clubs, projects, and services. These individuals are seemingly tireless in their efforts to leave an impression on the student community, and to effect change in the university or community as a whole.

Tireless, that is, until they graduate or burn out. Then, if no adequate transitional systems have been put in place — and worse, if the project or group leaders haven’t even fostered possible replacements from within — the initiatives they spent so much time and energy on are similarly doomed to fail.

And as Mike McWilliam, a previous member of the Sustainable Technology Education Project (STEP) once explained to me, even before such individuals graduate or burn out, the isolation of such student projects proves a dangerous mix in conjunction with the vulnerabilities of co-op: When students leave for co-op, they face returning to student groups where the most solitary, engaged members have also left (having lost interest or burned out), taking whole avenues of volunteer engagement with them.

In many cases, this means returning co-op students have to reapply themselves almost from the start, and this lack of assured, cumulative results can understandably be discouraging.

Vigilante volunteerism also promotes redundancy among student projects and groups, as two individuals with similar mandates or goals might find it impossible to relinquish the reins to one another.

And in the process of prioritizing their own maintenance of power over achieving their group or project goals, such volunteers in turn waste precious campus resources, not the least of which is the time and energy of secondary volunteers.

But again, it is not fair to portray vigilante volunteerism as entirely dangerous: without such determined individuals manifesting in various spheres of student representation, a great deal of important student

work would never get done. And there is also some inherent truth to the notion that some students are their projects; if they didn’t single-handedly propel their very specific pet causes, it is unlikely others would.

This result is a necessary off-shoot of university time constraints: four years seems like a long time to make a difference in this community, but if you want to effect lasting change, you need to be specific and unrelenting in your choice of goals. However, no matter how personal one’s pet cause might be, if students don’t foster a culture of inheritance in their work, they risk losing their investment of time and energy — not to mention the hope of leaving a lasting social imprint on the university community they’ve come to call home.

“Not my president” Yet not all the structural obstacles to effective student governance are based on UW mandate or human nature: Some might spring from the constitution of Feds itself. The timing of the Feds elections is a particular puzzle in that regard: Held in the winter term, many fourth years argue that the results of Feds elections “won’t matter” to them (as they will not be at UW for much longer), and for this reason they don’t vote. Similarly, with student governance elections so far removed from Orientation Week, Feds misses out on the opportunity to engage first year students more immediately in the UW student politics process — and in so doing, to secure more of the first year vote.

But the matter is never so black-and-white, as Feds presidentelect Justin Williams offers a compelling counterpoint to these perceived weaknesses: If Feds elections were held early in the fall term, third year students would have to make the decision to put off finishing school for one year (in order to take the full-time job of being a Feds exec) well in advance of the nomination period, while fourth year students would have to hedge their bets between applying to grad school or staying on in the hopes of winning the next year’s electoral race.

However, Williams also embraces the possibility of a middle ground between both extremes: he suggests that if some student council elections (such as for at-large members), or elections for a new first year advisory council, were put off until September, the campus could still see a marked improvement in civic awareness and student government engagement.

The myth of student apathy In the 2008 Feds election, 9 per cent of eligible voters weighed in on the two non-acclaimed Feds exec positions, VP education and VP internal; 12 per cent voted on two student-fee-related referenda.

With such low voter turnouts it’s easy to appeal to the tired excuse of “student apathy.” But are students really so unmotivated, or are their motivations just different? And if so, is it then the responsibility of Feds to reorient student governance systems around students’ more overarching interests? What would that even look like?

Or is it perhaps that students are just unfocused — a great many of them possessing a vague, overarching desire to “help out,” but also lacking any sense of what precisely they want to do?

Continuing VPAF Del Pereira commented recently that it was not appropriate for Feds exec to dictate the creation of all-campus events; simply to provide resources and support for students who bring forth ideas of their own. In this light it is especially clear what sort of student governance system has manifested in the UW community: One of potential-building; of opportunity-creation. And as with every other professional aspect of UW life, students are largely expected to flex their own entrepreneurial muscles — to develop personal statements of purpose during their time at university, and to use existing student governance structures to make those purposes manifest, first in their own lives, and then after, hopefully, in the world. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

sonia lee

Campus Bulletin ANNOUNCEMENTS

“Morning Drive Radio Show” – 6:30 to 9 a.m., www.ckmsfm.ca >click on webcast, for the latest news, traffic, school closures, interviews and a great mix of music! To get your important events on the air, e-mail morningdrivel@yahoo.ca. If you have an interesting person that CKMS should interview call 519-884-2567 between 6:30 to 9 a.m....qualify for a prize!

Win $1000, $500 or $200 award.

UW, UWO, WLU, or U of G students. Submit transcript, cover letter, and two technical communication samples. Deadline February 29, 2008.

Go to http://www.stc-soc.org/awards/ thiessenaward.php.

Doon Heritage Crossroads – February is workshop month – needlework, candlewick embroidery and genealogy. Call 519-748-1914 for info.

Exchanges for undergraduates and graduates – 2008/09 academic years: Ontario/Rhone-Alpes, France, Ontario/Baden-Wurtemberg, Germany and Ontario/Maharastra-Goa, India.

Scholarships available, for applications/deadlines please contact Maria Lango, ext 33999. MICEFA, Paris, France and the Chinese University of Hong Kong – internal deadline: March 17, 2008. For information and application forms contact Maria Lango, International Programs, Waterloo International, Needles Hall 1101, room 1113, ext 33999 or by e-mail mlango@uwaterloo.ca.

Considering transferring to the Accounting and Financial Management program? Submit a Plan Modification form by Friday, March 14 to Carol Treitz, School of Accounting and Finance, HH290B, ext 36537. Forms available at the Registrar’s Office.

Nominations are requested for one student elected by/from the fulltime undergraduate students, term from May 1, 2008 to April 30, 2010.

Nomination forms are available from the Secretariat, ext 36125, and from the Secretariat website. At least five nominators are required in each case.

Completed nomination forms should be submitted to the Chief Return-

ing Officer, Secretariat, NH 3060, no later than 4:30 p.m., Friday, February 22, 2008. A by-election will follow if necessary. Refer to the Senate website for information about Senate and its Committees/Councils.

Need help with your tax return? KW Access-Ability is hosting free income tax clinics for persons with low incomes. For info/appointment call 519-885-6770.

CO-OP/CAREER SERVICES “Career Interest Assessment” – Tuesday, February 12 at 2:30 to 4 p.m., TC 1112 or Thursday, February 28 at 3 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1112.

“Exploring Your Personality” – Part I: Wednesday, February 27 at 10 to 11:30 a.m., TC 1112. Part II: Wednesday, March 5 at 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., TC1112.

“Special Session for International Students” – Wednesday, February 27 at 4:30 to 6 p.m., TC 1208.

“Success on the Job” – Tuesday, February 26 at 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208.

“Successfully Negotiating Job Offers” – Wednesday, February 27 at 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., TC 1208.

“Getting a US Work Permit” – Thursday, February 28 at 4:30 to 6 p.m., TC 1208.

“Writing CVs and Cover Letters” – Monday, February 25 at 12 to 1:30 p.m., TC 2218.

COUNSELLING SERVICES English Language Proficiency Program (ELPP) – all workshops are scduled bertween 9:30 and 11:30 a.m..

Monday, February 25 or Tuesday, February 26 – “Articles/Prepositions/Pronouns.”

Monday, March 3 or Tuesday, March 4 – “Application of Grammar” (new).

Monday, March 17 or Tuesday, March 18 – “ELPE Strategy Session” (new).

For more info/registration call 519-8884567, ext 32655 or kmaclean@uwaterloo.ca or ext 33245.

STUDENT AWARDS FINANCIAL AID 2nd floor, Needles Hall, ext 33583.

Please refer to safa.uwaterloo.ca to view a full listing of scholarships and awards.

Stop by the Office to see if you have a grant cheque or Millennium Bursary cheque to claim.

February 21 – OSAP application deadline (full funding) for winter and spring term.

February 28 – deadline for OSAP Reviews (appeals) for winter only and fall and winter terms.

CHURCH SERVICE

St. Bede’s chapel at Renison College offers worship on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. or take a break midweek with a brief silence followed by Celtic noon prayers on Wednesdays.

Come and walk the labyrinth the second Thursday of each month, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more info contact Megan at 519-884-4404, ext 28604 or www.renison.uwaterloo.ca/ministry-centre.

VOLUNTEER

Volunteer with a child at their school and help improve their self-esteem and confidence. One to three hours a week commitment. Call Canadian Mental Health 519-744-7645, ext 229.

City of Waterloo, 519-888-6488 or volunteer@city.waterloo.on.ca has many volunteer opportunities.

Check out the website today.

Volunteer Action Centre, 519-7428610 or www.volunteerkw.ca, has many opportunities available – visit the website or call today!

The Kitchener Youth Action Council is currently seeking volunteers aged 14-24 who are concerned about issues facing youth and young adults across Kitchener. For more

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008 ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca info e-mail youth@kitchener.ca.

Distress Line Volenteers Wanted - Canadian Mental Health Association is seeking caring volunteers to provide supportive listening and crisis deescalation to callers living in Waterloo Region. Please call 519744-7645, ext 300.

The tri-Pride Community Association is looking for people to get involved with various projects leading up to Pride Week 2008 which will take place during the month of June. For more info e-mail info@triPride.ca or www.tri-Pride.ca.

Career Services volunteers needed for 2008-2009 – Student Career Assistant and Student Marketing Assistant. Depending on the position you will gain valuable job search, marketing and career-related skills by either promoting events and services or by helping other students in their career planning and job search.

Open to regular and co-op students who are creative and possess strong interpersonal and communication skills. Applications available in Career Services, TC 1214 or from our webpage at careerservices.uwaterloo.ca. Deadline March 14, 2008.

UPCOMING

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 Spend a semester or a year in Germany while earning UW credits. Exchange info session at 3 to 4 p.m. in ML 245. For more info scwood@uwaterloo.ca.

UW Vegetarians will have its General Meeting and movie night at 6:30 p.m., SLC room 2134. Everyone is welcome, free food. For details UWvegetarians@ gmail.com or uwveg.uwaterloo.ca.

Thursday, February 28, 2008 Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network will be having their board meeting from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at The Cutten Club, 190 College Avenue,

E., Guelph. For info call 519-822-6208, ext 212 or e-mail Kate.Borthwick@lhins. on.ca. All is welcome.

Friday, February 29, 2008 Feminist-Vegetarian Workshop – a workshop exploring the relationship between the oppression of women and animals put on by the UW Vegetarians and Women’s Centre at 1 p.m., SLC Multi-Purpose Room.

Ladies WOW Fun Seminars series will be hosted at Stratford Northwestern District Secondary School from 6:30 to 10 p.m. For info/tickets call 519-342-4029 or wsmith@wisemoove.com.

Saturday, March 1, 2008 Rotunda Gallery presents “Everyday People” by Linda Brubacher, a UW graduate, at 200 King Street, W., Kitchener. For info call 519-741-3400, ext 3381.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008 Waterloo Institute for Health Informatics Research (WIHIR) will be hosting “Careers in Health Informatics” from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. For more info please visit http:// hi.uwaterloo.ca/hi/regform.html.

Friday, March 14, 2008 Considering transferring to the Accounting and Financial Management program?

Submit a Plan Modification form by today to Carol Treitz, School of Accounting and Finance, HH290B, ext 36537. Forms available at the Registrar’s Office.

DEADLINE IS MONDAY AT 5 P.M. FOR CLASSIFIEDS AND CAMPUS BULLETIN, SLC, room 1116 or ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Classifieds HELP WANTED

Weekend counsellors and relief staff to work in homes for individuals with developmental challenges.

Minimum eight-month commitment. Paid positions. Send resume to Don Mader, K-W Habilitation Services, 108 Sydney Street, Kitchener, ON, N2G 3V2.

Angies Kitchen, Waterloo, needs part-time line cooks and waitstaff.

Flexable hours. Bring resume to 45 Erb Street, Waterloo, attention: Teresa. 519-886-2540.

Employment opportunity – Success is Mine Textiles is looking for sales reps, bookkeeping, clerks, account manager, computer specialists and employees with business skills. Email resume to oguns4mine@yahoo.com.

English major required to type screenplay. Software an asset. $20/ hour to start. Days/nights/weekends.

E-mail rfulton@golden.net.

HOUSING

Attention Cambridge School of Architecture students! Live conveniently and

comfortably right across the street from school in this beautifully renovated apartment. 4, 8 and 12-month leases available with excellent signing bonuses and rental incentives! Call Darlene or Joanne at 519-746-1411 for more details.

Free 32” TV or BBQ for the first 10 groups! Spacious three and four bedroom townhouses available for May or September. Newly renovated, private backyards, patio, free laundry and parking. Call 519-572-0278 or visit www.domushousing.com.

COURSE INFO SP-100 Forest Firefighting course to be held in London, Ontario March 1216, 2008 and Waterloo, Ontario March 19-23, 2008. Course will be held during evening hours during the week. To register, please call Wildfire Specialists Inc., 2233 Radar Road, Suite 5, Hanmer, Ontario, P3P 1R2, toll free 1-877381-5849. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources accredited. No guarantee of employment.

Income Tax / Bookkeeping / Accounting 1600 King St. N. | St. Jacobs, Ontario | N0B 2N0

465 PHILLIP STREET LOCATION ONLY LIMITED TIME OFFER

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Special Student Rates Available!

We Do Your Tax Return While You Wait (Maximum 5 slips for “Do as you wait”)

Phone: 519-664-2206 Toll Free: 1-877-664-2206 Email: martin.tax@rogers.com

Open Saturdays in March! Call to book an Appointment!

Arts & Entertainment

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008 arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Growing up turned funny and touching Andrew Abela arts editor

W

e all know how tough and awkward the first few years of adolescence seemed to us.

The current Theatre & Company production of I, Claudia in Kitchener reminds us of that troubling time. The play is centred on the seemingly complex world of Claudia, a young lady at the beginning of her long path to adulthood. And apparently, the path is a fearful, lonely and arduous one.

Claudia’s tale is told with such detail that I can only be lead to one of two conclusions about the writer: either actor/playwright Kristen Thomson wrote this piece during her own period of growing pains, or her emotional memory for the feelings experienced in that time remains impeccably intact.

In the face of the mounting problems of adulthood that most of us currently deal with, it’s surprisingly comfort-

interest and fiancée Leslie — three people in Claudia’s life have a unique influence on and perspective of her.

All four characters are portrayed by one person, the talented Michelle Polak.

Each character is largely distinct from the other, and as such, portraying them is a difficult feat to accomplish even for the most seasoned actor. Michelle Polak pulls this off seemingly effortlessly, though, without ever losing grip of the character at hand.

The complex character arrangement is simplified somewhat by the use of expressive masks designed to help with the changes in persona.

All that is revealed of the face is the mouth, which might cause some to be wary of this restricting the range of expression. Instead of simply covering the face, the masks become revealing since they allow the audience to attach a unique face to each distinct personality in I, Claudia. From the lows and highs of Claudia’s rollercoaster

The characters find themselves gazing into the mirrors onstage just as often as they find themselves peering into their own existence and soul. ing to be reminded of the problems facing a child under transformation such as Claudia.

Through many touching monologue scenes, we are exposed to Claudia’s private thoughts, feelings and desires which are sometimes funny and often shockingly revealing.

We learn about the confusion experienced while growing up, combined with the perplexity that is adult divorce for young children.

In no way is I, Claudia a one character piece, though. We are also introduced to school custodian Drachman, Claudia’s grandfather, and her father’s new love

of emotions to the reminiscent and longing sentiments of Drachman the custodian, each mask contains a wide range of individuality due to the skilled performance by Michelle Polak.

For the majority of the show, we find ourselves peering into a school boiler room. It serves as the backdrop for Drachman’s weary custodial work soliloquies and — more importantly — a place of solitude and solace for Claudia. Within each setting of the play conveniently lies a mirror which serves as the primary vehicle for changes in character — which are all done onstage before the audience’s

courtesy theatre and company

Claudia observes her goldfish for her school science experiment in her school boiler room. eyes. One can even pinpoint the moment at which Polak changes from one character to the next. Director Leah Cherniak was wise to keep the character changes onstage. They serve to remind us of the underlying connection between the characters.

The mirrors also fit the running theme of reflection and inspection of one’s self best displayed by Claudia’s examination of her current life. The characters find themselves gazing into the mirrors onstage just as often as

they find themselves peering into their own existence and soul.

I, Claudia reminds us of the pain that a divorce can cause for a child of the age “twelve and three quarters.”

We are also reminded of the divergent paths life can take us on, exemplified by how Claudia’s father’s attendance at one work conference led to the chance meeting of Leslie, which presumably led to the divorce of Claudia’s parents and the subsequent marriage of her father to Leslie.

This production of I, Claudia runs until March 2 at the King Street Theatre Centre in downtown Kitchener.

After that, it will be moved to the Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre in Montreal. Even if you prefer not to be reminded of your awkward adolescence, seeing I, Claudia guarantees you an evening filled with laughter and a touching glimpse at the complex world of a girl growing up. aabela@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Turner: hope for sustainability

According to Chris Turner, author of The Geography of Hope, change is possible Christine Ogley staff reporter

O

n Tuesday, February 19, Princess Twin Cinemas hosted a talk by journalist and author Chris Turner, who recently published a book called The Geography of Hope: A Guided Tour of the World We Need. You may recognize Turner’s name from his previous book, Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation, or his writings in The Globe and Mail, Time Magazine, or Utne Reader, among other publications.

There were about 50 people there, perhaps half of the main theatre.

The audience sported environmental fashions and eco-hip dreads, but come question period, they only had a small amount of questions to ask, some completely irrelevant to the talk. In contrast, Turner reminisced fondly about his Red Deer, Alberta crowd, making this audience member feel a little less than informed and motivated about environmental issues (which is entirely fair to conclude).

Turner started out the talk with quotes from economists, politicians, and other notable figures speaking about climate change. A shocking quote from a run of the mill science publication defined climate change as the worst crisis to face mankind yet.

Similarly, a conservative British economist was quoted as saying that climate change is the world’s largest market crash ever. Turner built upon this idea for the audience, saying that the idea of a market crash in this sense is not perhaps overworked stock tickers or faulty investment schemes, but instead, our entire system of economics does not calculate grandiose environmental factors. Climate change is a market crash, then, in that our market does not account for climate change, and our economic calculations will have to change in order to avert environmental disaster.

Turner deliberately included conservative individuals in his quotes in order to challenge the idea that only left-leaning environmentalists are paying attention to climate change. He then brought up a new concept: the “human-era,” the name for which, unfortunately, escapes me. But the idea itself was interesting: according to Turner, we have come to the end of an era, the end of a way of living and doing things which does not take the environment into account. Our generation is faced with the daunting task of changing everything we know to be, and so individuals often choose to either ignore the gravity of the problem, or see it as too big to be dealt with.

Turner asserts, however, that change is possible: through sustainability.

Sustainability was in fact the crux of his talk at Princess Twin. Turner walked the audience through eight examples of sustainable living projects all over the world. He toured the world to write The Geography of Hope, so the talk went over some of the most notable examples he found. Turner emphasized that, although he looked at examples of environmental sustainability, the greatest

... sustainability to Waterloo could be farmer’s markets, innovative composting or energy solutions; factor in all environmental “solutions” is social change. We aren’t lacking in technology or knowledge, he asserted, just in motivation. Turner aimed, I believe, to give hope by showing just what can be done if people are willing to use the technologies and solutions we have available.

Some of these projects were truly inspiring. The audience saw the small island of Samsø, Denmark, converted into an energy producer in excess of

its energy use. Turner talked with the locals and photographed their solar panels and wind turbines. He also heard of the town meetings and the ingenious methods the Danes used to get a small, set-in-its-ways community to take on the challenge of becoming completely sustainable.

What is sustainability anyway?

Turner admitted that this term has its difficulties, due to misuse and overuse.

But essentially, it’s a useful term, he said, because it points to what we do here and now to live in ways that don’t destroy the environment. As opposed to talking about “the environment,” which is perhaps separate from us, when we talk about sustainability, we are talking about our societies, our own actions and ourselves. Sustainability takes on a slightly different iteration depending on the community practising it. This means that sustainability to Waterloo could be farmer’s markets, innovative composting or energy solutions; while sustainability to Bangkok could be specially designed houses that keep heat and moisture out instead of in, which was in fact one of Turner’s star real-life examples. Another example was the “Earth Ships” built in Taos, Mexico. A man by the name of Mike Reynolds researched the conductive properties of various “junk” materials, such as glass bottles and tires, and

engineered three or four houses that produce energy by conserving the sun’s rays. Turner proposed that Reynolds’ ideas could revolutionize architecture in North America if he ever paired with the real estate industry or mainstream designers.

The talk, overall, was a good introduction to sustainability, and a small preview of Turner’s book. If the rest of the audience and I had been more informed, we could have taken full advantage of the question and answer period at the end of the lecture. We weren’t informed enough, but hopefully Turner has inspired each of us enough that the next time he comes, he’ll be meeting with a guerilla environmental committee meeting haphazardly in a library basement, as he did in Red Deer, Alberta. cogley@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Sugar and Sprites will be returning next week.

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Arts & Entertainment

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008

Book Reviews

The Dark Hills Divide The Land of Elyon Book 1 Patrick Carman Orchard Books

F

amous children’s author Madeliene L’Engle once stated that writing children’s literature was harder than writing for adults because children ask more questions; children do not just accept what an author writes the way most adults will. Her statements have always stuck with me and since doing a children’s literature course a few years back, I have continued to read children’s and teen fiction regularly. Usually I look for books that have a lot of buzz about them and have then been nominated for a Newbury, Mr. Christie, American Library Association or here in Canada — a Governor General’s Literary Award (more commonly known as the GGs). If so, I try to pick it up and give it a read. Because of that I tend to browse the children’s and teen sections at Chapters when I happen to be in a store.

The cover of this book captured my attention and almost compelled me to purchase it.

The representation of our heroine, Alexa, is a very striking image. I purchased this book when it came out nearly two years ago but only just recently picked it up to read. I now regret that I did not read it sooner. In part, I hesitated reading the book because the cover art was so powerful and cast such a spell upon me; I feared the text not living up to the story I had begin to build in my imagination. Those fears were unfounded.

The story is set in a walled kingdom — a kingdom built like three spokes on a wheel. Alexa is from Lathbury, the southwestern spoke, from the hub of Bridewell. This walled kingdom was built by the Warvold after his extensive travels in the wild mysterious world. He built walls around the central town of Bridewell, and walled roads out to the three surrounding towns of Lunenburg, Turlock and Lathbury. Yet upon the eve of his death, he hints to Alexa that the walls, once thought to be the salvation of the towns and their civilization, he now considers to be a mistake. Alexa begins an adventure shortly after the Warvold’s death that will affect her and this kingdom for time to come.

The Warvold’s death has caused a society once stable and thriving to start to spin out of control.

Alexa sneaks outside the wall and meets a dwarf and a talking wolf, and is summoned to a council, the severity and importance of which not even the participants can realize. Can Alexa fulfil a calling upon her life that the Warvold foresaw and that some others are trying to help happen and others wish to thwart?

This is one of those great books, originally written for children, that can captivate an audience of any age. Carman has an extremely mature voice and he writes in the manner of a master wordsmith.

Carman only conceived of this series in his midthirties; it is an extremely well-rounded and crafted world — a pleasure to visit, and I plan to re-enter the land of Elyon again and again.

— Steven R. McEvoy

A Handbook of New Testament Greek Grammar Peter Frick Laodamia Press

I

have had the pleasure and privilege of taking a number of courses from Prof. Peter Frick,at St. Paul’s United Church College at the University of Waterloo. I have seen this book go through many transformations and different drafts and editions, as it was used in class with hundreds of students. I first encountered the book in 2001 in the course it was written to support. Since that time I have gone back and worked on my New Testament Greek on a number of different occasions. I have even worked for Prof.

Frick as a research assistant, and helped develop the web — based version of this course.

I have used about 15 different New Testament Greek textbooks over the last decade or so. Having a dual form of dyslexia, learning languages has always presented difficulties for me. When working on NT Greek I have used all the tools I could find — books, audio books, study aids and study guides galore. The book I

always come back to is Dr. Frick’s.

Frick’s approach seems to me to be the most logical and practical, such that by the end of the book you will have the 500 most common words in the Greek New Testament in your vocabulary.

The next largest advantage is that by the time you are halfway through the book, you will have enough vocabulary to read entire passages in the Greek New Testament. Frick accomplishes this by introducing the reader to both verb and noun forms of the roots of words. What this means is that you will encounter words for which you know the root as either a verb or noun form, and recognize it, and can put two and two together and recognize the prefix or suffix that is the other form as noun or verb with the root and to determine the meaning of the word. This is one of the most encouraging results of Frick’s method. As you progress through the chapters and the lessons in the book, you are able to read more and more of the New Testament and writings contemporary with it.

Another great strength of the book is its appendices, which have extensive samples of writings from the time of the New Testament, and Study Guides and Aids. The book also provides answer keys to working through each chapter.

This book will be of great benefit to a casual self-taught scholar wishing to read the New Testament in the original Greek or to the serious academic scholar beginning his or her adventures in New Testament Greek Studies. I even know a classics major who took this course rather than the Classical Greek because of the speed at which he would expand his vocabulary. Now after many years of revision in class — testing the material term after term — it is finally published for the general public. This book will always be a treasured resource on my bookshelf. If you pick it up I am sure you will find it invaluable to your biblical studies as well.

— Steven R. McEvoy

Arts & Entertainment

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008

A toast to the machine A brief history on machinima

I

n a world of living and growing technology, animators â&#x20AC;&#x201D; both veteran and up-and-coming â&#x20AC;&#x201D; are finding new ways to create brilliant cartoons. One particular form of animation has been pretty big in the underground scenes of the internet for the past decade or so, known as machinima, which is a fusion of the words â&#x20AC;&#x153;machine cinema.â&#x20AC;?

Basically, machinima is the creation of animated videos with the use of real-time-rendered CGI to create the characters and setting, rather than the use of full 3D-animation software like 3ds Max or Maya. In other words, people make cartoons out of video games. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty cool, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been getting quite a bit of hype in internet culture.

According to Wikipedia, the idea started somewhere in the 1980s. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

off against each other while awaiting orders for the next big war. Being almost a form of sitcom-meetsdrama-meets-sci-fi, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the most brilliant things Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever seen on the internet. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gone as far as creating their own story-arc and universe, creating a large number of characters and side-stories. The main story, The Blood Gulch Chronicles, finished with its 100th episode in June 28, 2007 (along with six alternate-ending versions). Oddly enough both Bungie and Microsoft, owners of the Halo franchise, love Rooster Teeth to death and have even helped in making Rooster Teeth a higher success. Since then, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gone as far as creating different animations and commercials using games such as F.E.A.R., The Sims 2, and Shadowrun, as well as making their

While it hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t become a staple in animation, it has at least opened up new ways to approach making cartoons. the time of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;demosceneâ&#x20AC;?, when hackers started to customize cracked programs by adding fancy intros and (usually annoying) music on them. It was kind of like graffiti-tagging, but instead of using alleyways as the canvas they used software. These introscreen videos later expanded to full real-time graphics showing off some neat animations while staying limited to pre-existing 3D game engines.

The first machinima film to ever gain a wide number of views came out on late October 1996 called Diary of a Camper. Made by the game clan Rangers in the first-person shooter Quake, this short narrative included a team of characters trying to take out a camper (someone who prefers to hide in one chokepoint to take out ongoing enemies), using the chat system as dialogue for the story. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a really short clip at only about 100 seconds or so, but this one video started a long conquest of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Quake moviesâ&#x20AC;? made by different indie programmers and animators. Although, as the years passed, Quake movies became less relevant and started to become more of a fad.

Fortunately, some gamers thought otherwise, and tried to continue the evolution of machinima, such as the creation of www.machinima.com (a YouTube-like hub for machinima animations) in 2000, and the rise of the infamous series Red vs. Blue.

Possibly one of the most popular machinima animators out there right now, Rooster Teeth Productions is a group of independent filmmakers from Austin, Texas named after the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;cockbite,â&#x20AC;? a line referenced in many of their writings. Their biggest feat is the award-winning series Red vs.

Blue, a concept that initially parodied the setup of Team Deathmatch in the incredibly popular Bungie game Halo. Based on two military factions, the Reds and the Blues, each faction placed their own squad in a region called Blood Gulch (a popular map in the game) where they both fend

own comic from Canadian comic artist Luke Mckay. Halo and Rooster Teeth has also been the inspiration for many new animations such as Fire Team Charlie (www.xboxottawa. ca) and one of my current favourites Matchmaking, which is a mini-series from Darkspire Films (www.darkspirefilms.com) that spoofs on the features included in Halo 3.

The growth of machinima has affected the animation industry tremendously. While it hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t become a staple in animation, it has at least opened up new ways to approach making cartoons. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen the South Park episode, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Make Love, not Warcraft,â&#x20AC;? you know exactly what I mean. And as technology continues to grow, I hope to see more of this animation community in the future.

Well, as long as the cartoons donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t suck, I mean. ptrinh@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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Arts & Entertainment

20

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008

CD Reviews

Summer songs to tease

“L

emon Grove Avenue” playing as The Mason Jennings Band. A Many of his most popular tracks from the 2005 Album Use decade later, no longer playing at a bar, are love songs written for his wife Your Voice by Mason Jen- Jennings has released six albums along Amy Jennings, a Minneapolis vocalnings will put a little spring into your with two EPs, with several world tours ist. Although some may not relate to frigid winter shuffle. This tune proj- under his belt. having love for your spouse, almost ects some warmth onto its listeners, Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Mason everyone has been in love and perhaps using the acoustic guitar and the sweet Jennings has a voice that carries a sea this is the reason tracks such as “Butsounding vocals of Mason Jennings. breeze worry-free attitude and songs terfly,” from the 1998 Album Mason Lyrically, “Lemon Grove Avenue” such as “Lemon Grove Avenue” echo Jennings, have caught on. tells of a land much unlike Ontario this in many ways. The chords to this However, the music of Mason in its current state: a land “where the track are simple but entertaining and Jennings is not limited to love. The summer breeze / Blows through the the same can be said for the songs album Birds Fly Away, released in 2000, windows in the afternoon.”

While recommending a song such The switch perhaps signals that Jennings as this may seem cruel in February, let “Lemon Grove Avenue” appear as the will remain loyal to his beliefs of avoiding light at the end of the tunnel, because your salt-stained shoes will be replaced label pressure... by flip-flops soon enough.

Mason Jennings started out humbly recording his first album on his own in lyrics. “Lemon Grove Avenue” is the communicates a more political side of 1998. During the same year, accom- type of song you would play on your Jennings. On the album, songs such as panied by drummer Chris Stock and front porch under the summer’s sun. It “United States Global Empire” reveal bassist Robert Skoro, Jennings landed a is both genuine and relatable, as much accusations of the United States be1/4RENT_imprint:Layout 1 Bar, 2/19/08 12:11 PM Page 1 is. regular gig at Minneapolis’ 400 of Mason Jennings music ing a “power hungry” and “violent” nation. While voicing such beliefs are a common practice for popular musicians, Jennings is unique in standing up for his beliefs in other areas.

Until 2005, Jennings released music under his own label, Architect Records (distributed by Bar/None Records), to avoid the influence of a major label. On June 17, 2005 Jennings signed with Glacial Pace, a new label

by Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse.

The signing seemed appropriate after Jennings spent time touring with Modest Mouse prior to the record deal. However, in 2008 Mason Jennings moved on from Glacial Pace and signed with Jack Johnson’s label, Brushfire Records. The switch perhaps signals that Jennings will remain loyal to his beliefs of avoiding label pressure, by keeping his label in close proximity.

Recent work by Jennings can be heard in the Bob Dylan biographical film I’m Not There released in 2007.

The soundtrack features two cover songs sung by Jennings: Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changing” and “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol.” ktremblay@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

The D’Urbervilles We Are the Hunters

A Fine Frenzy One Cell in the Sea

Independent

Virgin

have often been at shows where The D’Urbervilles have opened for the main act, and as anyone who has seen one of their performances know, they are full of energy. Their new album, We Are the Hunters, isn’t as energetic but it is still worth a listen.

The D’Urbervilles is a local band from Guelph and this is very evident on this album. Like many Waterloo region bands, there is a lot of clapping and shouting of lyrics in the background. For some reason, all the bands from around here stick to that indie style, possibly to get audience participation at their live shows.

Luckily, it works for most of them, The D’Urbervilles being no exception. On the title track, “We Are the Hunters,” the band continually stops playing their instruments to yell out the lines, “We’re your hunters / We’re your children / It’s time for killing.”

This creates a fairly big impact, placing huge emphasis on these words, this is repeated on other tracks — with different lyrics of course — creating an entire album that leaves these repeated words in the listeners’ ears for days.

Overall, the album is great for all situations, with songs that work for dancing — slowly mind you — and for just listening to. But, if you really want to get the full experience of The D’Urbervilles I’d say go to a show and see them play; believe me, their dancing is worth it.

ometimes I put on an album and wonder why I’m immediately bored, and then I realize that it all has to do with the singer’s voice.

A Fine Frenzy, unfortunately, does cause this boredom.

Alison Sudol is the sole member of A Fine Frenzy, writing and performing all of her songs. She follows the standard for this type of female soloist — the ones who play their own instruments and wear clothes from Value Village, all to escape the Britney Spears and Christina Agueleria standard that they feel the music world has created. They never seem to realize that they themselves have created their own stereotypical caricature of a female musician.

One Cell in the Sea also sticks to the type of music this type of soloist plays, all melodramatic songs with ridiculous imagery. The lyrics are all standard lines that Sudol obviously feels are very deep, including words such as, “Liar liar, you’re such a great big liar / With the tallest tales / That I’ve ever heard / Fire, fire / You set my soul on fire / Laughing in the corner as it burns.”

It’s my hope that one day people can write lyrics that don’t end up sounding like bad high school poetry.

There is another unfortunate aspect to this album — one of the songs appeared on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. This wouldn’t be so bad except that all the songs are all fairly similar so when listening to the album it’s hard not to picture a montage of patients dying, someone’s relationship ending, and a bunch of people heavily drinking.

Since this is Sudol’s first album, I’ll assume that she’ll eventually learn how to write decent lyrics and not follow the cookie cutter forms that are found on One Cell in the Sea.

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Science & Technology

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008 science@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Craving clean energy

Ontario Centres of Excellence and industry partners make a major investment into providing clean energy technologies

sonia lee

Adrienne Raw science editor

T

he Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. recently announced an investment of $28 million into research and development for groundbreaking clean energy technologies. The money ($13 million from OCE and $15 million from its industry partners) will be invested in six projects that aim to create cleaner, more efficient ways for Ontario residents to generate, consume, and manage energy.

According to the news release, “These innovative madein-Ontario technologies will benefit consumers, institutions and industry alike by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, delivering economic returns and putting Ontario on the forefront of clean energy production, distribution and consumption.”

OCE is a provincially-funded “research-to-commercialization vehicle” that, according to their mission statement, “facilitate[s] economic growth through support for industrially relevant R&D [research and development], the opening of new market opportunities and the commercialization of leading edge discovery.” The firm has five centres throughout Ontario that work in communications and information technology, earth and environmental technologies, energy, materials and manufacturing, and photonics.

Their major investment, announced February 11, promises to fund technologies that will reshape the way Ontarians use and contemplate energy. The six projects that will benefit from the investment will address critical issues concerning Ontario’s energy sustainability. These issues include a demand for solar power as a viable, costeffective alternative energy source, a need for programs and systems to help manage energy consumption, and an ability to access clean energy alternatives. The six projects incorporate solar, hydrogen, and energy conservation and demand management. The unique nature of the projects is

expected to bring together industry leaders and academic experts from across the province.

Of the over 100 expressions of interest, six were chosen after a rigorous selection process. These projects were chosen “for their disruptive characteristics, promise of significant economic benefit to the province, research excellence and potential to transform the marketplace.”

Two of these projects involve the University of Waterloo: the Energy Hub Management System and a project to connect solar farms to the power grid.

The Energy Hub Management System is a web-based tool that gives consumers control over the way they use energy. For example, the system allows consumers to switch off the central power grid at peak times and transfer to on-site alternatives like solar and wind energy. The project’s lead researcher is UW’s Ian Rowlands, of environment and resource studies. The Energy Hub Management System will receive total funding of $2.45 million, with $1 million coming from the OCE and $1.45 million from industry investment. UW will partner with Hydro One Networks Inc., Energent Incorporated, and Milton Hydro Distribution.

The second project involving UW is a partnership with the University of Western Ontario. The two academic institutions are developing solutions to help power grid operators incorporate large solar farms into their networks.

The project includes the development of technologies to efficiently convert solar energy into electricity and the production of software to help manage weather-based conditions. The project will receive total funding of $6 million ($3 million each from OCE and industry investment) and, if successful, has the potential to encourage utilities locally and worldwide to adopt solar technologies. Other project participants include Hydro One Networks Inc., OptiSolar Farms Canada, Bluewater Power Distribution Corporation, and London Hydro.

These projects are not the only clean energy initiatives UW is involved in. UW’s clean energy program includes

the Midnight Sun solar car team, which has been building a solar-powered car and competing in American and worldwide races since 1990, and the Residential Energy Efficiency Project, founded in 1999 as a joint initiative between UW and the Elora Centre for Environmental Excellence to provide tools for sustainable energy use.

The other four projects that received funds from last week’s investment are: • A project to create a flexible hybrid-organic thin film material that would be used in solar panels to reduce the high costs and ensure high performance • A pilot installation of a new fuel cell system, a high temperature solid oxide fuel cell technology that operates on both conventional fuels and carbon-neutral fuels, that provides low-cost, efficient, environmentally-friendly power and heating • A project to reduce diesel dependency in remote Northern Ontario communities by developing a lowcarbon community energy system that combines wind turbines designed for extreme northern climates with a storage system using hydrogen and a fuel cell to generate electricity • A new approach to solar cell production using silicon technology that would be more than twice as efficient as existing solar cells and reduce manufacturing costs Clean energy is an issue on the minds of many Canadians and on the minds of people around the world. Investments like last week’s are not unique in the context of the world’s growing concern over our environment. In Canada, a number of initiatives are taking root, including an investment by Natural Resources Canada into a renewable energy facility proposed for a pulp and paper mill and the promotion of bio-fuel projects. The investment by OCE and its industry partners is one among many in a global trend towards environmental protection and cleaner energy. araw@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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Science & Technology

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008

On Virginity Part 2 of 3: Decisions, decisions, decisions

C

oming up with the Minimalist Sex Initiation Checklist was a bit of a sad experience for me. I had to bring the standard down to a new low, in consideration of the scenario of drunken/drugged party sex. Hey, people, it happens! Ignoring it isn’t going to help anyone, so we may as well put it to use. By broadening the scope past planned-ahead virginity loss, the following checklists can be considered mandatory for first-timers and strongly suggested for the experienced. Think of it this way: nobody is forcing these restrictions upon you, but they are put together to work for you, not against you.

If you’re about to have sex for the first time, and can’t answer YES to all five questions on the list, there is a good chance that the long-term consequences of having sex in these circumstances will include at best a fine and a restraining order, or at worst, jail time Is this legal? The question of legality is certainly an important one. In Canada, the Age of Consent is 14, where it has remained since 1890 at which point it was raised from 12.

After rifling through tiresome government papers and policies on age of consent in Canada, I came across a Parliament draft made public, which sums the possible consequences nicely: “The maximum available penalty for ‘sexual interference’ or ‘invitation to sexual touching’ is ten years for those prosecuted by way of indictment.”

As such, the second question on the checklist is closely tied to the implications and circumstances of sex, because with the legal age of consent comes the responsibility of ensuring SEMI-PRO 6X6.21of 2/5/08 3:24 you have the consent your partner.

Do we both want it? Age of Consent gives you permission to seek sexual consent from your partner in every case of sexual interaction; it’s not a right of passage granted from the first time you and your partner have sex.

I assure you, restraining orders break the mood much more effectively than asking, “Do you want to?” So before proceeding, make sure you are both on the same page.

Am I impaired? This question may cause a chuckle, but when you’re horny at a fraternity party, completely wasted and unsure of your partner’s name the next morning, you may think differently. Still not such a big deal? Now try remembering whether you used protection. For instance, in high school, I knew a couple who got pregnant from having sex at a party through a grocery bag. Now, you may be thinking you are much brighter than these two, but alcohol and drugs can blur the lines of reality just enough to make a plastic bag seem like plausible contraception.

To prevent such a situation, make sure the designated driver for the night keeps an eye on your drinking levels or is dedicated enough to make sure you are going to wear a contraceptive in the bedroom. If neither are possible, ask a buddy to keep you within eyesight and out of trouble. If your buddy doesn’t care, find a better one.

The questions Am I protected? and Am I prepared? go hand in hand. Just as having sex is a two-person commitment, and so is protecting yourself from getting pregnant. If a boy is willing to have unprotected sex with a girl who isn’t on the pill or using some PM otherPage form 1of contraceptive, and she

Sonia Lee

gets pregnant, it is just as much his fault as hers. Both partners are equally responsible by willingly participating in this risky situation. So, always make sure there is an appropriate amount of contraception used every time you have sex. For more information on selecting the right contraceptives, see the February 8, 2008 Sexuality, Illuminated column, “Contraceptive choices rock your world.”

Answering the Are you prepared? question is rather simpleL are you

prepared to handle the possible consequences of sex, including pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted diseases?

Do you have access to financial assistance if either happens? It is also extremely important to have a backup plan in case your primary contraceptive fails — such as spermicide or the morning after pill, which is available in pharmacies and by prescription from your doctor.

Of course, these five questions do

not cover your bottom in all sexual encounters. Instead, they are general guidelines to consider — something to keep you a little safer on your sex journeys. They say rules are meant to be broken (which excludes the Age of Consent Law, of course), so play hard but remember: novice or expert, the consequences of sex are non-discriminatory, so protect yourself. alomako@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Clarification In the February 15, 2008, Sexually, Illuminated column, Imprint did not intend to suggest that the loss of virginity and marriage cannot be associated with one another. The sentence should have read “No, I do not believe virginity loss and marriage have to go hand in hand, and my reasons have nothing to do with possible pregnancy.” Imprint apologizes for the misunderstanding.

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Science & Technology

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008

generated enough heat to keep these massive stars inflated. The details of exactly how these early stars looked and how the first normal stars became formed are still a mystery. But that mystery may be solved in five years’ time when NASA launches its James Webb Space Telescope, the successor of the Hubble Space Telescope, which may be able to see back to the time of these first stars.

Adrienne Raw science editor

Devil frog found in Madagascar

Scientists working in Madagascar recently completed unearthing a fossil specimen of what may be the largest frog that ever lived.

The 70-million-yearold specimen, called Beelzebufo or “devil frog,” is roughly the size of a beach ball, 41 centimetres (16 inches), and weighing about 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds). Paleontologists from Stony Brook University first began unearthing the giant frog more than a decade ago, and it is only recently that the specimen has been reconstructed by a fossil-frog expert. The devil frog, named for its aggressive temperament and the horns of some of its relatives, had powerful jaws that may have enabled it to kill hatchling dinosaurs. The discovery of Beelzebufo, whose closest modern-day relatives are a group of big-mouthed frogs found only in South America called ceratophyrines, has only added fuel to the ongoing debate about the origins of Madagascar’s unique flora and fauna. Traditional theories suggested that Madagascar separated from Africa 160 million years ago during the break-up of the supercontinent Gondwana and from India 88 million years ago. However the discovery of specimens like Beelzebufo has provided what some scientists see as proof of a later physical link between South America and Madagascar, likely through Antarctica. Though Beelzebufo is currently a one-of-a-kind find, it

Sharks travel on “superhighways”

may be just one of a number of recently uncovered fossils that lend plausibility to the theory.

Universe’s first stars may have been powered by dark matter

The nature of the universe’s first stars has long puzzled astronomers, but new research by U.S. scientists may have provided an answer. When the universe was young, there would have been an abundance of particles which physicists can’t detect, and that astronomers can’t see but are certain exists. The material, called dark matter, is made of WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles). These particles would have fused together and destroyed each other long before nuclear fusion, the reaction that powers current stars, had the chance to start. The first stars would have, consequently, looked much different than stars today. The leading theory is that gravity pulled together large balls of dark matter and hydrogen into giant protostars about a million times as massive as the Sun. Reactions between WIMPs would have

New insight into the behaviour of sharks suggests that the marine predators follow well-travelled “superhighways” among feeding hot spots. The research, led by Salvador Jorgensen of Stanford University, focused on the migration patterns of great white sharks, but other research suggests that other shark species have the same habits. Jorgensen’s research shows that great white sharks, despite their access to a year-round supply of seals and sea lions along the central California coast, migrate to two winter hotspots, one off the Hawaiian coast and another midway between California and Hawaii. Studies of scalloped hammerhead sharks found that they also have a number of winter hotpots; this species stops along a series of island sites between Mexico and Ecuador. Experts believe that understanding shark migration patterns may be the key to saving the declining fish. There are currently 233 shark species listed on the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List, a list designed to provide data on the risk of extinction for species and to highlight species and taxa that are facing higher risk of extinction. Of these 233 species, 12 are classified as critically endangered.

The 2008 IUCN Red List will add nine more species of shark to the threatened and endangered list this year, including the scalloped hammerhead shark.

Overfishing is the greatest threat to shark populations. Jorgensen’s study and others like it, which suggest hotspots for shark activity, will allow scientists and conservationists to determine the best place to establish reserves that will

23

protect the shark population.

— with files from National Geographic News and BBC News araw@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

McMaster University Diploma in occupational HealtH anD Safety The Program in Occupational Health and Environmental Medicine offers two diploma programs designed to provide basic instruction in the principles of occupational health and safety.

The full-time program runs from September to November. The parttime program runs from September to April and is designed for students within commuting distance from Hamilton wishing to continue their normal employment while enrolled in the program. The part-time program is held one day per week, but includes two extended periods of full-time study lasting two weeks.

While special consideration will be given to those already in the occupational health field, interested individuals without such experience may also be considered. A relevant university degree or equivalent is generally required.

Information and applications can be obtained from our:

website: http//www.mcmaster.ca/pohem/

telephone: Jean Bodnar ~ 905-525-9140, ext 22333

e-mail: bodnarj@mcmaster.ca.

Be smart.

Get suspended.

It’s easy to put your Bell Internet service on hold for the summer and reactivate it in September.

It’s also free.1 Come September, we’ll automatically get you hooked up and back online. No worries, no waiting.

Plus, make it easy to reconnect your service and you could win $500.2 Visit us on February 26 and March 27 in the Student Life Centre for details.

bell.ca/getsuspended (1) Customer must reactivate by September 30, 2008, otherwise $10/mo. will be charged for each month the account was suspended. (2) No purchase necessary. Contest is open to residents of Ontario and Quebec who have reached the age of majority in their province of residence. The contest begins on February 25, 2008 and ends on August 4, 2008. Twenty (20) prizes are available to be won. The draws will take place weekly from June 2, 2008 to August 4, 2008. The number of prizes decreases as they are attributed during the contest period.

Rules available at bell.ca/getsuspended.

24

Comics & Distractions

Crossword Tim Foster Across 1. Follows Fri. 4. Fitting 7. Expelled lung guck 12. Destroyer of Hindu mythology 13. Tell an untruth 14. Spice 15. Cuter 17. Invisible 18. Iterations 20. Put in your chips 21. Little barks 22. Fresh corn serving 25. Russian king 26. Himalayan snow monster 27. Pike 29. Twelve sided solids 31. Jazz hit, “Stomping at the ____” 34. Evergreen reproductive organ 35. Construction project 39. Little Mermaid heroine 40. Car track 41. Chunk 45. Christian holiday suffix 46. Hearing organs 47. Pursue 48. ____ Britannica 51. Samuel’s mother or Jesus’ grandmother 54. Pineapple ham pizza 55. Accustomed (2 wds) 56. Night before 57. Light focusing apparatus 58. Not these 59. Lair 60. Unofficial Democratic Party symbol Down 1. Emergency vehicle alarms 2. Zoroastrian scriptures 3. Shred

Sudoku

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I’ve noticed you in my theatre history class. You’re normally up by the front and I could listen to your dreamy accent forever.

Take me in your Olympic arms to your ekkyklema so we can spend our Happy Days together until Endgame.

I may as well be the elephant man with the way you look at me sometimes, but I’m starting to think there are more to those looks than simply disgust. Next time I fart in class, don’t hold back on the way you really feel.

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4. Landed 5.Very drunk 6. Wood-eating insect 7. Dispatched 8. Skip a turn 9. Utilize 10. Foot appendage 11. American pundit Coulter 12. Nursery rhyme dieter 14. Centres of a binary star system 16. Wee bit 19. Extraordinary 22. Compromise 23. Paddles 24. Bikini top 26. Top-and-string toy 27. Ammunition 28. Stylus 29. Feminine action figure 30. Zit condition 31. What will be, que ____

32. Latin, bird 33. 22nd letter 35. River flow obstruction 36. Theatrical production 37. Walked in step 38. Enthrall 41. Aussie slang, girl 42. Gentlewomen 43. Denizens of the largest continent 44. Legumes 46. Returning sound 47. American accountancy student goal (Abrev.)

48. May or may not justify means 49. Nathan diminutive 50. Zoolander star 51. Primitive house 52. Fire leftovers 53. Matrix hero

“Visiting from Vancouver!”

Ken Poon

University of British Columbia exchange student

“I have to work at five.”

Jordan Lapointe

3B mathematical physics

Feb. 15 solutions

Tim Foster

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tfoster@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008

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Remember the time in high school when I got you to sneak out of your house to go on a late night Timmy’s run? I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same! I had a great time, now don’t be a stranger.

You were wearing the typical collegiate get-up, strong fabrics and earth tones with a yellow scarf, and your long brown hair was flowing wildly in just the way you know I like it. Let’s stay together forever.

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“Meeting up and going to work!”

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“Out of province students — we don’t want to be here!”

Simon and Kevin Tseng 3A electrical engineering

“I have a doctor’s appointment at Health Services.”

Brita Akerstream 2B social development studies

I don’t know if this is the right venue, but this has to be said. I, for the first time had an open face piece of toast with jam alone sans peanut butter. I never used to think that jam alone could survive in the hectic world of my mouth, but it did. Yes, jam is a metaphor for my life, and yes, you are peanut butter. I can live without you, and I know it now. Goodbye.

“Making a paper!”

The Imprint Crew Missed a connection? Wanna break the ice?

Email mkimmich@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008

Comics & Distractions

“Postscript” by Graham Moogk-Soulis and

“Unnamed” by Nik Stewart’s will return next week

The Imprint caption contest This week’s photo in need of a caption:

The Imprint is introducing a new feature this week. Each week, we will accept submissions that create a caption (humorous, political, or otherwise) for a particular photo. The winner and finalists will be chosen by editors and will be shown in the following issue.

E-mail submissions under the title “caption contest” to: mkimmich@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

25

Sports & Living F

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008 sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Getting it on…athletically

eeling sick? Walking on the blurred line between grouchiness and vomit? Gained some weight? What did you do during reading week? Whatever it is I doubt it involved any form of academic reading — but hey, at least you survived it. And for those of you who actually did school work, congratulations, too. Unlike the rest of us, you’re probably not behind on your readings.

So what now? Do you simply reintegrate back into the student life cycle? Procrastinating or spending your free time doing the same routines because you’re broke? It doesn’t have to be that way. As a UW student you have the luxury of many services on campus. It just so happens that the university offers many high quality facilities and activities, free to WatCard card holders.

And the best part is, not only are they convenient and easily accessible, but many of them require zero commitment, too. You can pick and choose, show up and leave as you like. Hey, if you’re going to be wasting your time, why not do so wisely? Flavour your life a bit with the following:

P

ictured to the left and right are the information desks for the Columbia Ice Fields and Physical Activities Complex, respectively. They are your go-to centres for casual gym use. Free towels are available for those wishing to use the workout facilities (pictured above). The workout facilities are, incidentially, also free for students.

The schedules for most of the Campus Recreation facilities are online at http://www.campusrec.uwaterloo.ca/facilities/schedule. html. If you’d like to book a gym for use, simply contact the information desk at the pertinent facility (CIF or PAC) on the Monday of that week. Booking a gym is also, you guessed it, free — but they are in high demand.

PAC also has a pool. While there are classes, you can also just show up and enjoy yourself. The free swim hours are on the Campus Rec facilities schedule.

Also, PAC and CIF rent badminton rackets for $2, and also will also sign out other equipment, including basketballs and soccer balls.

If you’re a student here, you’ve already paid for these facilities.

For those who are feeling their “frosh 15,” it costs nothing but the time to go use them.

Above (top to bottom): CIF gym facilities, CIF information desk , a CIF gym in use.

photos by Michael L. Davenport, Copy by Dinh Nguyen and Michael L. davenport

Above (top to bottom): PAC gym facilities, PAC information desk , the PAC pool.

And if those aren’t enough, or if you’re looking for something different you can also check out CampusRec. UW has one of the largest campus recreational program in Canada. They offer a wide variety of fitness and general health programs, ranging from ballroom dancing, to non varsity sports, to yoga. They also hold various workshops such as bike maintenance throughout the term.

And once again, the best part is they do not require much commitment. You can show up for their clubs or classes, take part and see what it’s all about before making the decision to join or not — and hey, if you don’t like it, theres no obligations to come back. If you do like it, awesome, you’ve found a new hobby, how’s that for killing time? For more information visit www.campusrec. uwaterloo.ca.

If you’re looking to spend your time earning cash instead, Campus Rec is currently accepting job applications for 2008. Some of their opening positions include: • 4 Full Time Lifeguard Positions • Part Time Lifeguards • CR Registration Staff • Fitness Leaders • Skating Instructors Many jobs start at $10 to $12 and can range higher based on your level of qualification.

Still haven’t found what you’re looking for. Interested in skiing or snowboarding? Unfortunatly Campus Rec no longer has any of those club. However, they have made a deal with Chicopee ski hill in Kitchener to allow students with a WatCard to purchase lift tickets at a discounted price.

Currently you can purchase a full day Chicopee pass at the PAC Athletics Office, from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. The prices are $20 for each pass or three for $50. They accept cash, debit and credit.

Sports & Living

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008

27

The steroids circus show

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Sosa’s chase of Roger Maris’s home run record was dominating the sports headlines. Rumbles about performance enhancing drugs had been festering since the 1980s, but as home runs rates soared in the ‘90s both the MLB, politicians and fans alike turned a blind eye to the issue of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs).

It wasn’t until 2003, when the raid of BALCO drug lab by federal agents brought the issue to the forefront.

Superstars Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi were implicated as customers of BALCO, which was alleged to have supplied illegal PEDs and steroids to many athletes.

Suddenly, the witch hunt had begun, fuelled by accusations from former players such as Ken Caminiti and Jose Canseco that as many as fifty per cent of players were “juicing.” It wasn’t until 2004 that MLB moved to implement PED testing and penalties.

Baseball pundits declared the game to be tainted forever and many fans cried bloody murder ,while politicians looking to grandstand told us to “think about the children.”

Meanwhile, nobody has been able to show quantitatively how steroids even impacts baseball. All that there is

Baseball pundits declared the game to be tainted forever and many fans cried bloody murder, while politicians looking to grandstand told us to “think about the children.” so far is a lot of conjecture and guesses being thrown around. Baseball Prospectus is an organization devoted to statistical analysis of baseball. In 2007 they conducted a study that showed the increase of offenses during the “steroid era” was more likely attributed to the expansion of teams in the league and a dilution of pitching talent than any other cause.

A quick scan of the Mitchell report names reveals that most of the alleged PED users were fringe play-

ers with a handful of stars scattered among them. Suffice it to say, steroids cannot turn a scrub into a superstar.

Even many of the superstars such as Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds had performed for years at a superstar level before allegedly starting PED use.

The Mitchell report and the congressional steroid hearings is nothing more than a kangaroo court seeking to scapegoat and retroactively punish players for PED use before they were even prohibited.

While no one denies the harmful effects of steroid use, the MLB, the players union, the American congress, players and fans alike have all taken to finger-pointing and McCarthy-esque scapegoating in an attempt to shirk responsibility for this mess.

It’s time step back and take a sensible look at the steroid issue — without all the hysteria. yliu@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

chen chen

n a time of war and growing concerns over a slowing economy, the American Congress tackled one of the most pressing issues facing the country last week: Did Roger Clemens inject steroids into his butt?

The spectacle was eerily reminiscent of the side show that occurred during the 2005 congressional hearings on Major League Baseball steroid use. It was then that we saw Mark McGwire uncomfortably attempt to weasel out of questions regarding his own steroid use.

Rafael Palmeiro categorically denied under oath that he had ever used steroids only to be suspended a year later for a positive steroid test. That was also the location where Sammy Sosa conveniently decided he didn’t know how to speak English.

In light of the Mitchell report released last December, which named some 80 current and former MLB players as steroid or Human Growth Hormone (HGH) users, the Congressional House decided to bring back the traveling side show that was steroid hearings. This time Roger Clemens was on the hot seat, after being named by former trainer Brain McNamee in the Mitchell report as having received several steroid injections from him between 1996 and 2001.

As always, congress could not help but be divided among partisan lines even in a hearing as trivial as this.

The hearing centred around Democrats attempting to paint Clemens as a hypocritical steroid abuser using testimony from friend and former teammate Andy Petite, who testified that Clemens had confided to him that he used HGH. The Republicans on the other hand attempted to clear Clemens and portray McNamee as a self-aggrandizing liar. House Representative Christopher Shays (R-Conn), even referred to McNamee as a drug dealer to which McNamee simply replied, “that is your opinion.”

In the end, there were no real resolutions from the hearing on either Clemens’s usage or how to address the steroid conundrum in professional baseball. The only clear outcome of the hearing was that Congress had once again decided to grandstand and use demagoguery in an attempt to drive the public into a furor over the steroid issue.

Nary a peep was heard from any politician in 1998, when McGwire and

Become a sports writer!

Come speak with Sports Editor Yang Liu in the Imprint office (SLC 1116)

email:

yliu@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Office Hours: Monday and Friday 11:30-1:30

Photo: Bill Bickle

Presents

07 THIS WEEK IN 08 ATHLETICS OUA Semi-Finals

gowarriorsgo.ca

Friday, Friday, February February 22, 22, 6:00 6:00 PM PM at at U U of of TT Varsity Varsity Blues Blues

Watch Watch live live video video stream stream at at www.SSNCanada.ca www.SSNCanada.ca Registered trademarks of Boston Pizza Royalties Limited Partnership, used under license. © Boston Pizza International Inc. 2005

CIS Championships Championships

Friday, Friday, February February 22 22 -- Sunday, Sunday, February February 24 24 at at University University of of British British Columbia Columbia

OUA Championships

Friday, Friday, February February 22 22 -- Saturday, Saturday, February February 23 23 at at University University of of Windsor Windsor

WARRIOR WARRIOR WARRIOR [W] TRACK [W] VOLLEYBALL VOLLEYBALL SWIMMING SWIMMING TRACK & & FIELD FIELD

Athletes of the Week

IMPRINT | FEB 22 2008

Kirk Ewen - Track and Field

Kate Poulin - Basketball

Kirk, a 4th year Optometry student from Watson, SK, was the fastest runner in the Warrior relay teams this past weekend at the Hal Brown meet in Toronto.

Kirk ran the fastest leg for the gold medal winning Waterloo team in the 4x200m. In the 4x400m, Kirk again ran the fastest leg for Waterloo finishing second for the silver. The tremendous performances by Kirk and the relay teams significantly improved their CIS ranking.

Kate, a 5th year Kinesiology student from Peterberg, Ontario, was the workhorse for the Warriors in two wins this past week. On Wednesday, in a must win game to secure homecourt advantage in the playoffs, Kate played 32 minutes, scored 11 points, had 5 steals, and 6 rebounds in a 63-54 win over Laurier. On Saturday vs. Brock in the OUA West quarter-final, Kate had 9 points, 6 assists, 5 steals and an amazing 13 rebounds in 34 minutes of play. The win advances the Warriors to face the McMaster Marauders Wednesday night in Hamilton.

Sports & Living

28

Imprint, Friday, February 22, 2008

Warrior Wrap-up Final regular season standings

Men’s Basketball OUA

Women’s Basketball OUA

Women’s Volleyball OUA

Far East Division

Final regular season standings

Final regular season standings

Final regular season standings

East Division

East Division

East Division

Women’s Hockey OUA

Men’s Hockey OUA

Final regular season standings Laurier Toronto Guelph Queen’s Windsor York Western Brock Waterloo UOIT

GP 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27

W 23 20 17 12 12 11 9 7 7 1

T OTL PTS 2 0 48 1 1 42 0 1 35 6 0 30 1 1 26 4 1 27 5 0 23 7 0 21 4 0 18 2 6 2

L 2 5 9 9 13 11 13 13 16 22

GP 28 UQTR 28 McGill 28 Ottawa 28 Carleton Concordia 28

Far West Division Lakehead Western Waterloo Laurier Windsor

Men’s Volleyball OUA Final regular season standings McMaster Guelph Queen’s Western Waterloo Ryerson York Toronto Windsor Laurier RMC

W 20 14 14 13 12 10 9 7 5 6 0

GP 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20

L 0 6 6 7 8 10 11 13 15 14 20

GF 60 51 45 48 45 39 39 30 17 26 3

GA 8 30 26 24 32 29 36 39 48 45 60

W L T OTL PTS 45 1 22 5 0 37 1 18 9 0 30 2 14 12 0 27 3 12 13 0 25 3 11 14 0

GP 28 28 28 28 28

W L 23 4 18 5 18 10 16 9 6 21

T OTL PTS 0 1 47 0 5 41 0 0 36 0 3 35 0 1 13

Mid East Division

PTS 36 26 26 22 22 18 16 10 10 12 0

Toronto Queen’s RMC Ryerson

GP 28 28 28 28

W 13 13 10 9

L 13 12 16 16

T OTL PTS 0 28 2 0 29 3 0 22 2 0 21 3

Mid West Division Brock York Guelph UOIT

GP 28 28 28 28

W L 17 8 14 11 12 13 6 19

T OTL PTS 3 0 37 3 0 31 3 0 27 3 0 15

Game Recaps

Game Recaps

Men’s Hockey

Women’s Volleyball

OUA 1/4 Finals — best of 3

OUA 1/4 Final Playoffs

Wednesday, February 13 Game 1 Laurier 0 Waterloo 5

Friday, February 15

OUA West semi-final at McMaster Wednesday, February 20 7 p.m.

OUA West 1/4 Finals

Men’s Basketball Wednesday, February 13

Saturday, February 16 Windsor 70 Waterloo 67

Western defeats Waterloo 3-0

W 18 18 15 9 8 5 3 0

L 4 4 7 13 14 17 19 22

PF 1546 1632 1683 1408 1280 1230 1258 1135

PA 1303 1347 1470 1395 1307 1519 1501 1888

PTS 36 36 30 18 16 10 6 0

West Division

West Division

PA PTS GP W L PF Windsor 21 16 5 1701 1423 32 21 15 6 1674 1518 30 Brock 21 12 9 1596 1563 24 Guelph Western 21 12 9 1673 1556 24 McMaster 21 9 12 1549 1578 18 Laurier 21 8 13 1625 1687 16 Lakehead 22 8 14 1482 1495 16 Waterloo 22 6 16 1529 1684 12

GP W L PF PA PTS McMaster 22 21 1 1675 1155 42 Western 22 17 5 1576 1457 34 Windsor 22 14 8 1577 1363 28 Waterloo 22 12 10 1419 1389 24 22 11 11 1404 1447 22 Brock Laurier 22 9 13 1361 1470 18 Lakehead 22 9 13 1411 1461 18 Guelph 22 7 15 1369 1492 14

GP 19 19 19 19 19 19 19

Toronto Ottawa York Queen’s Ryerson Lakehead RMC

7 vol 30, no

GF 54 49 40 31 23 18 0

GA PTS 12 34 19 30 29 24 41 14 45 10 47 8 57 0

McMaster Waterloo Western Laurier Brock Guelph Windsor

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W 16 14 12 12 9 8 2

GF 50 45 44 41 35 35 13

GA PTS 17 32 27 28 27 24 28 24 39 18 37 16 4 53

Imprint Sports congratulates all the Warrior teams on a successful home season and wishes the best of luck to the teams still fighting it out in the playoffs. Go Warriors Go!

University of Waterloo Campus

NOTICE OF MEETING – Imprint Publications, Waterloo is holding its ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING on Tuesday, February 26 at 2 p.m., Multi-Purpose Room, SLC, UW Impr Int The Proposed Agenda for the Meeting is as Follows: In t WaTerloo

’s official

sTudenT

neWspape

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Friday, Janua

imprin t . uwate

rloo . ca

LIFE LESSONS ► page

4

michael l.

Evolution in

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official sTude

Impr of WaTerloo’s

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West Division

ersiTy of

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education

davenport

what’s inside

year re- Features describes the third students the Jernigan proudly ads and course,” during which museology Get your dice, gamep a biomedical te quired “museum secured a job at city to study at MiT, Jernigan day, while working as a live-in for Imprint’s comple to a museum-rich linary teams by teenagers travelare then divided up into interdiscip museum, cards ready engineering firm . house for troubled and for the chosen field, create an exhibit counsellor at a halfway guide to games a far cry from his teenagers. to research and compiling their information. staff reporter by night. Though digitally centre a lot about be found in the ex- gradually ahead of you. i Jernigan assures he learned can are step they one or program faculty teens The BKi n, located in the ed Jernigan is always early at second cup for our they are troubled ts and ► page 8 latté “Whethery gifted teens, they’re still adolescenmatter for Knowledge integratio it seems contradictory learned this by arriving no studies. his usual extra hot ental issues ceptionall secure faculty a could to i environm behaviour tment, of interview so program being tied at.” there’s a lot of common side. To my disappoin — a boundary-free the tables and asks me, “What’s spectrum they’re and get on his good seated and took the liberty ent which end of the is responding to the pressures Jernigan turns Jernigan was alreadymug himself. Lesson learned: Jernigan — but interdisciplinary than the big environm one such issue more path after high school. of filling the travelendlessly and execute flawlessly everything? of selecting a careerare a lot of teenagers coming out [Vicethat encompasses one must research arrive more than 15 minutes with the idea with learned that there do not yet know what career “I actually toyed and provost amit chakma] — and apparentlyagainst someone as capable as not have a of high school that academia and they should developing such early — when up Jernigan president they want to choose too far along in what until they are sure. g, Jerni- path t before we got encouraged me to think about ed Jernigan. design engineerin to make that decision in his enrichmen program…he look like.” Jernigan of Waterloo professor of systems the kids enrolled and program might ed the university option, the says some of , feel the very same degree enriching the unlimited building and gan has distinguish Waterloo abilities a new degree the success Sports a unique program, despite their leadership looking for has plenty of experience once more by founding for students, with e integration (BKi), pressures . “They were exciting programs valley program and Waterloo disciplines in Victor Ciesielski Bachelor of Knowledg qualities of education that would allow them to to incorporate all the shad was, he Former UW student and of both ; developing the BKI program program designed study. The highly anticipated a university experience the humanities Canadian Open. ” a student’s academic to explore in both we started thinking, Unlimited tees off at the e in september 2008. evolution. continue valley natural commenc “a shad to when faculty, set says, that’s each degree is running the disciplines from of students the sciences. so unlimited undergraduate degree Jernigan has been1984, and has been a systems By combining an ► page 13 since to attract the kindswell-rounded; ‘What would like?’ and we began talking about program at uW professor since 1976. each year BKi is expected in every “really bright, reallyroles as leaders program look engineering that UW wants: 20 and 30 Shads ample time design likely to be taking when they go it just that way.” for BKi ensures based on he noticed “between In the fall of 2003, Jernigan the ones who are also curriculum but Arts The class.” p years scholarshi systems design make this life decision or’s unique play during their universitygo in life.” Jernigan might as canadian Millennium during the first for students to they noticed a list of granted scholarships based on Drama profess lot. their passions lie on to wherever himself. where they find of the BKi degree. The students who are in a parking university well be describing his first engineering degree to be staged and could pick any ve science recipients and second years scholars. “I high school experience enrol in three investigati After achieving received 52 of these will be required to “not just textbook learning,” in the country. UW systems design and computing of courses that display two math courses, a prob► page 14 was on the chair for me to wonder how many of experimental says Jernigan. roughly and it was natural systems. systems is a very small language course, ability course, a new course, written and spoken ended up in cent of the only about two per course and them design, a computer department — it’s we’re very small compared to a critical thinking english courses, in the first two years of study. body — so Millennium 52 student and there are more are required years are designed to provide the whole university,at the university. out The first and secondacademy and an introduction scholars spread the a big picture of scholarship, while the third and , page 3 See DEGREE into the nature of reserved for more specialized fourth years are doug copping opportunities.

option.

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The univ

ED OF LIGHT Sun AT THE SPE for new Midnight

new degree Ed Jernigan founds

York Toronto Laurentian Queen’s Carleton Ryerson Ottawa RMC

Sunday, February 17 Waterloo 90 McMaster 80

27-25, 25-21, 29-27

Kinga Jakab

PTS 44 34 32 28 14 14 8 0

OUA West 1/4 Finals

Men’s Volleyball

2007

PA 1318 1520 1445 1439 1772 1702 1914 1984

Women’s Basketball Saturday, February 16 Brock 41 Waterloo 45

Friday, July 27,

PF 1869 1711 1680 1601 1658 1597 1532 1121

OUA semi-final at Toronto Friday, February 22 6 p.m.

Laurier wins series 2-1

The universiTy

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25-15, 25-21, 18-25, 25-22

Sunday, February 17 Game 3 Laurier 1 Waterloo 0

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Waterloo defeats Laurier 3-1

Friday, February 15 Game 2 Waterloo 1 Laurier 3

Daylight near

Carleton Toronto Ottawa Queen’s Ryerson York Laurentian RMC

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PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS PRESENTATION OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, 2006/2007 APPOINTING THE 2008/2009 AUDITOR PRESENTATION OF THE 2008/2009 BUDGET POLICY AMENDMENT RATIFICATION** ELECTION OF THE 2008/2009 BOARD OF DIRECTORS ADJOURNMENT

Proxy forms are available in the Imprint office and are due by Friday, February 22 at 2:00 p.m. Letters of intent to run for Imprint’s Board of Directors should be submitted to Imprint’s president by Friday, February 22 at 4:30 p.m. The floor will also be open to in-person nominations during the meeting.

QUESTIONS?? ~ Contact president Adam Gardiner at president@imprint.uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4048

Closure at las Man accused

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11, 2008

vol 30, no 22

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of murdering

UW student

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Organ don

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pleads guilty , page 3

Health Cana

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WORKS IN P

ROGRESS

Campus co nstruction an ongoin Different ro g process ut UW refuge e for e program Photos by

Michael L.

assistant

Jenn serec

Davenport -chief

editor-in

pit has since blossom despite initial (see above right), ed into a beautifu which will eventua l building Sarah vations starteddelays in getting the actual uW’s future Hewey remains on , construction for feds reno- isn’t comple pharmacy students. The lly house intern te yet, but the schedu to open January le and the store eXpress arrived on campus first pharma building the refugees is still due cy students this term. in december, from a varietywas provided through The Quantu 28.

The photov donations m-nano centre 2007, feds studen of groups on slow starter. due to open oltaic research centre (prc) tioned the has also as this year. origina is also univer against creating a student t council mo- fice,UW President’s Office, campus, including was supposed of september 2006, construbeen a fall of 2008, lly VP Academ but to uW’s research it was to open in vice sity of Waterloo World fee to fund the paul’sRenison English Langua ction park ic Ofyear. The green have started within the website of canada and technology ge Institute, united college univer St. tion, but the first is as of yet unmarred by following winter 2008.” says the “first phase [is] , federa program, an (uW Wusc) studen sity ser- and the faculty constru prc opening step is of science tion of students is already cfinally the Bombshelter campus map. students to organization that allows t refugee underway: excavati on new copies This past year, foundation. current constru suppor univers of our and ng also include service tunnel patio for the constru ction on campus integration t and fund the immigr ity Wusc’s further the issue of how to s an additio ction of a (see above centre-t of one or two ation refunda efforts — possibl fund n buildin post-se both Meanwhile, g (see above op). the refugees into condary institut ble student y through according to centre-bottom optometry was founde a countancy website ion.

With the council’s debatefee — came into questio a d in 1978, also The program, which the extensio school of ac- mence even more construction ) and pas. n. focused on (see above left) living ment provide n this to costs, a slated fee, and whethe how to implehagey hall s funding for year (“engin this year, with is due to be completed in betwee eering 5,” to to com- sary expens school supplies, and other r or approa March of hardha n east campus es. classes starting neces- presidech for Wusc. accordnot it is the right hall and ringbe built in July 2006, as since ts soon ing and nt the to interna as steel-to incepti feds May. uW owned road) l darcy vice ed boots on of the progra the corner of disappearing King and victoriaa giant sand pit on from our campusdon’t look to be uW has hosted two Kenyan m in 2000, cilors did not disagree higgins, some counTariku Kebed with the spirit program, but streets. That anytime soon. e and samuel student refugees: to rather, the sand of the bers of the Kakum fee admini Banti, both mdavenport@im mem- “There ster it. in particu itself and how a refugee support tuition print.uwaterloo. lar said higgin were things waivers and camp. funding to of ca to be worked s, accommodation the refund.” out in terms for

L E T S

See WUSC

M A K E

A Sign up in D E A L the SLC Jan !

REV: Jan 18 From 14 th V1: Jan 1411am-3pm Check ww 15 th from QUIT SMO w.leaveth 5-7pm KING epackbehi AND WIN $600 nd.org for details

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