Imprint_2008-03-28_v30_i33

Impr int The university of Waterloo’s official student newspaper

Friday, March 28, 2008

imprint . uwaterloo . ca

vol 30, no 33

Criticism: our final gift to Feds

Imprint reviews the executive body at the end of their terms, pages 20 and 21

a culture of vaginas Ten-year anniversary for The Vagina Monologues sparks important dialogue Cait Davidson staff reporter

A

t the end of the Vagina Monologues, even the men in the audience were grinning.

Not, it seemed, out of a sense of perseverance, and not from an apparent sense of discomfort. Rather, because the production — now in its 10th year worldwide — was as fun and inclusive as it was informative and engaging.

From one woman’s love of the word “cunt,” to the quiet hurt of a Bosnian character conveying the destruction of her innocence from rape, to the quaintly accented story about “talkin’ to old ladies about their ‘down they-ahs,’” UW’s March 19 and 20 presentations in the Modern Languages building provided a diversely empowering, and powerfully performed, selection of monologues about vaginas — and the women who come attached to them.

Some monologues were quite serious; others, such as the one that began with “My vagina is angry!” were as hilarious as they were thoughtprovoking. Despite being frustrated and worried over many of the issues raised by this performance, as I walked away I was ultimately comforted by the “culture of vaginas” this production promoted – even just from talking about issues I’d only ever thought about in passing, and never had the opportunity to discuss.

One of the monologues (The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could) also forged a common bond for me between genders; while men have a basic understanding about getting “kicked in the junk,” I used to think women couldn’t share in that kind of connection. Then this monologue came along, describing a girl injuring herself on a bed post while jumping on the mattress — and subsequently having to get stitches in her “coochie snorcher” — and, well, I felt her pain.

See MONOLOGUES, page 26

Part-timers part ways UW students caught in complexities of Wilfrid Laurier strike

Sukhpreet Sangha staff reporter

O

ver 350 members of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Contract Academic Staff (CAS) officially went on strike Wednesday, March 19 at 6:01 a.m. after voting 89 per cent in favour of the action. The CAS strike includes part-time faculty, teaching assistants, and part-time librarians. The strike is effective at both the Waterloo and Brantford campuses, and affects UW students taking courses taught by part-time staff at Laurier, just as it affects any similar WLU student.

Contract negotiations began in the summer of 2007. Dr. Herbert Pimlott, Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA) media relations officer, claims that WLU administration “does not want to negotiate,” an allegation which Sue Horton, WLU Vice-President Academic, asserts is “unprofessional of the union to make” and is essentially “posturing.”

Horton notes that 41 negotiating sessions, two with a mediator, have been held and all were in “good faith.”

Pimlott counters that the number of sessions is meaningless when one side (the administration) is unwilling and draws out the proceedings.

According to Pimlott, CAS teaches 33 per cent of all courses at WLU and 40 per cent of the student population, most of which are large first and second year courses. He asserts

system allowing part-time faculty to gain seniority on what they consider to be a fairer basis than that which is currently in place. The proposed system, wherein part-time faculty would receive seniority based on the total credits accumulated through teaching related courses multiple times rather than on the basis of teaching a single

While WLU’s part-time faculty is unionized, UW’s is not. that this means the institution makes a lot of money from their labour; the university is claiming a budget deficit as a contributing factor to their lack of ability to increase CAS pay, to which Pimlott comments, “Their numbers… well, creative accounting right?”

The WLUFA home page, www. wlufa.ca, states that CAS is asking for a pay increase equalling approximately one year of WLU President Max Blouw’s salary, or one-fifth of one per cent of WLU’s budget, as well as a new seniority package with a grid

course multiple times and thus gaining seniority within it alone, would also likely earn CAS seniority at a quicker pace.

The pay increase requested would put WLU part-time faculty at a pay rate closer to that of UW’s part-time staff, whom WLUFA cites as being paid $6,708 per course to WLU CSA’s $6,001. The administration’s final salary offer to CAS is $6,212 per course. While WLU’s part-time faculty is unionized, UW’s is not. This difference, in the eyes of WLU administration, creates an

mackenzie Keast

inherent difference in pay scales which makes the comparison between the two institutions unjust. Horton justifies the lack of comparison further with the assertion that UW does not publish its salary scale publicly and non-unionized employees do not have seniority, making the comparison difficult.

Terre Chartrand, a first-year student at Laurier who has led much of the student protest on CAS’ behalf, claims that the comparison with UW is fair since the two universities compete for professors. Chartrand also assumes that UW’s part-time staff are likely not unionized because they already “have a decent pay scale.”

A key repercussion of the strike’s timing so late into term is the altering of the administration of final exams, scheduled to commence on April 10, as well as the determination of final grades. Most students’ main concern is how they will be graded for courses taught by part-time faculty and whether their final course work will need to be completed.

See STRIKE, page 4

News

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008 news@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Genocide spurs student action Marco Baldasaro

In anticipation for the fourth annual Footsteps of Death Walk for Darfur, which occurred on Wednesday, March 26, the Genocide Action Group met on Wednesday, March 19 to learn about the horrors occurring in Sudan. Currently, each footstep counts for six victims of the African genocide. Over 2.5 million people have been displaced in Sudan, roughly the population of Toronto and an area the size of Texas. Students and other interested people pledged money to those walking to raise funds for refugees to be sent through OxFam Canadian Students for Darfur, as well as to raise awareness about the current situation in the country.

assistant news editor

Ryerson hit by homophobic vandals

Jennifer Serec

What it takes to lead

Feds honours UW’s student leaders; Imprint seeks them out James Damaskinos staff reporter

T

here are a lot of myths surrounding the nature of student leaders. How does the get through their schoolwork and their extra-curricular work? How do they manage to keep smiling despite all the stress? Do they need sleep? Are they superhuman? Do they consume high amounts of meth? For most, the distance between a student and a student leader can be considerable and for some it is even considered incommensurable.

Let me assure you that the 10 winners of the Federation of Students Leadership Awards are not, in fact, superhuman. Nor do they ingest any amount of speed whatsoever — to my knowledge — coffee is another story. So the question remains: how do they do it? The answer is not self-evident and for each individual student leader it is different. In general it requires patience, organization, a strong support network, and a willingness to try new things.

Renjie Butalid has certainly left his mark on the University of Waterloo. On top of being one of the founders of the Laurel Centre, he is currently the director of development for the organization.

The Laurel Centre is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the talents of current entrepreneurs and prospective entrepreneurs alike.

The Laurel Centre’s mentorship program focuses on providing education for up-and-coming potential entrepreneurs. Furthermore, Butalid has been a Senator-at-large, a Feds councillor and a St. Paul’s don.

That crucial first step can be the key to launching you into a fruitful career of student leadership. According to Butalid, being a don in St. Paul’s was the vaulting point that gave him the gumption to step up to the plate in later years. Butalid explained: “I applied and was accepted to be a residence don in my second year; it was this early boost of confidence that allowed me to actively get involved with numerous clubs and organizations on campus for years to come.”

Environmental activist Rob Blom offers a refreshing, laid-back outlook on being a student leader.

Blom has been involved with Imprint at varying levels, ranging from being involved with the editorial board to being a member of the board of directors. His strong passion for environmentalism has been strengthened through his involvement with the University of Water-

loo Sustainability Project (UWSP).

In addition to all of this, Blom has been involved with MathSOC and Waterloo Public Interest Research Group.

It’s easy to get self-absorbed and lose yourself in the hectic day-today routine of student life. So how does Blom pull it off ? Simply put, he doesn’t let the stress get to him.

Blom states that “daily studying, volunteering, meditating and midnight strolls can all be accomplished.

There is more time available in a single day than most people think, it’s just a matter of time management and you don’t need a fancy scheduler for that either!”

Matt Heppler is also an integral member of the UWSP community and a recipient of a Student Leadership Award. Heppler saw that would-be vegetarians had no support through student-run services and founded UW Vegetarians to fill the gap. Motivated by the altruistic desire for genuine change, he realized that there are a lot volunteer opportunities available to students who want to pursue activism. However, Heppler reminds potential student leaders that there may be difficulties to overcome in their pursuit of activism. “There will be growing pains when you start to get involved,” Heppler said. “Just be

sure to push through them because the rewards are endless.”

Kristin Valles is another force for active change in the University of Waterloo community. Valles has been involved with the Out in the Cold Project in order to raise funds for the homeless in our community.

Despite the great opportunity to focus on poverty outside of Canada Valles prefers to focus her attention on the homeless and impoverished within our community. Valles states that her “main goal has always been to bring a little more reality to people, get people to open their eyes to the struggles of others.”

Valles has certainly had her ups and downs throughout her university life. A strong support network was crucial for helping her get through the difficult times. “My greatest struggle was when my friend came to me about her attempts at suicide.” Valles explains, “It affected every aspect of my life and academic career, but I pulled through with the help of my friends and family and my don.”

Caitlin Cull has an expansive resumé of volunteer positions. She has been involved with the Feds council and a member of the Feds board.

See LEADERS, page 4

Joanna Sevilla

The office and lounge of RyePRIDE, a community service group advocating for the rights and equality of queer and trans students at Ryerson University (in downtown Toronto) found itself victim tp homophobic vandalism on Tuesday, March 11.

“Gays must be eliminated” and “Kill the fuckers” were among the discriminatory markings found scrawled on walls. As well, stickers were found covering RyePRIDE’s “positive space ally” stickers on three office doors, a pink triangle (used by RyePRIDE as a symbol for conveying positive space), and RyePRIDE’s main signage.

In addition to the vandalism done to RyePRIDE, the vandals covered up various other anti-discrimination postings, including the Ryerson non-discrimination policy statement poster, with stickers..

The vandalism follows other homophobic incidents at Ryerson, including homophobic graffiti in washroom stalls, threatening slurs in the classrooms and on campus against members of the LGBTQ community, and vandalism on RyePRIDE’s campaign material about Health Canada’s recent decision to ban gay men from organ donation.

Clash between students, administration at U of T A group of students from the University of Toronto taking part in a protest on Thursday, March 21 claim they were “brutalized” by Toronto police.

The incident occurred after U of T students attempted to present the school’s president with a petition protesting an increase in residence fees. They ended up staging a sit-in to push for their demands, and also to raise awareness for the plight of Palestinians in the Middle East.

While the 35 students inside sought an audience with President David Naylor, their supporters waited outside.

Students claim that police later moved in on the students inside the building, manhandling them and causing them fear for their safety.

In a statement released in the days following the fiasco, the U of T Students’ Union claimed that “the response of the University of Toronto was to violently remove students from their peaceful sitin. Police aggressively grabbed students and dragged them away from the entrance of the office. The students feared for their safety and after four hours in the building, the police violence forced the students to leave.”

Administration spokesperson Robert Steiner told Maclean’s that he questions this claim of brutality, citing students as the primary aggressors. UW students can view student footage of the protest at http://youtube.com/watch?v=ketNtnZQIwQ, and decide for themselves. mbaldasaro@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

4 News LEADERSHIP: UW’s best Continued from page 3

She has also taken an active position in the Diversity Campaign Steering Committee. Moreover, Cull has been a member of the Education Advisory Committee. Managing such a long list of accomplishments has been tough and Cull attributes her success in these pursuits to her ability to organize and schedule. Cull also states that: “When I am involved in extra-curricular activities, which give me purpose, I actually do a lot better in all aspects of my life. I get lots of sleep and exercise and I have a lot of energy and somehow things always get done.”

Stress-management is a contentious topic for most students and both Allan Babor, president of the Arts Student Union, and Claire Van Nierop, VP Social of the Arts Student Union, are fully aware of this. They have both been integral leaders in the ASU. The duo were involved in creating and organizing the Free Hugs Campaign. Van Nierop says that: “The Hugs Campaign is ex-

tremely valuable to the UW community.

The hug is an international symbol for support, love, friendship and kindness.

What student, during the stressful exam season, doesn’t need all four of those things?”

It appears as though the unanimous message of the winners is that getting involved is the key to success in all areas of student life. Feds Leadership Award winner, Steven Hayle, echoes this statement: “I would tell first year leaders to get involved as soon as they possibly can.

It could be through something like running for a first year position with your student society or residence council, or by joining a club and volunteering for a campus service.” By taking an active role in the community at large students can garner strong relationships and are given access to an extensive set of resources that will prepare them for years to come. As tired as it sounds, it is important to remember that the journey of a thousand miles always starts with the first step.

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

STRIKE: Exams, grades may be withheld Continued from cover

UW students who are cross-registered at WLU face the same issue and will likely receive identical treatment in terms of grading and completion of exams. When interviewed, Horton was planning a meeting with UW VP Academic and Provost Amit Chakma to discuss the contingency plan in relation to UW students at Laurier.

Information on the plan is frequently updated and posted at http://www.wlu.ca/negotiationsupdate. The site also contains the most freely available information from the WLU administration regarding their position on the strike.

While contingency plans are still officially under consideration, the university’s negotiations site lists several prospective options. These include the possibility of an extended semester and deferred exams or, for students who are dependent on their grades, a final exam exemption and a final grade based on course work completed prior

to the strike. The university has also extended add/drop dates for courses affected by the strike, with a partial tuition refund and no academic penalty. This move has been criticized by WLUFA members as revealing the administration’s true lack of desire to negotiate and end the strike quickly, despite their claims of willingness to return to the negotiation table at any time. The administration advises students not to drop their CAS-taught classes as a first resort.

While Horton is quoted in the Cord Weekly as saying that the majority of classes are running, Laurier students asked to comment claimed anywhere from one to four of their classes were no longer in session as a result of the strike.

A separate article in the Cord quotes Horton as commenting, “I have more stakeholders I have to think of, so I can’t just go ‘Rah, rah, I’m the underdog’” in relation to her role in the labour dispute.

Horton will be leaving her position at Laurier this summer, which she says has

no bearing on her role in the conflict, a comment which Pimlott agrees with while asserting “she can take a lot of the flack for what happens and allow the president and others not to since she’s leaving.” In other interviews, Pimlott has called President Blouw “invisible” for his seeming lack of involvement in the conflict, which Horton says is “somewhat normal in strike situations” since the president must remain impartial and ultimately provide a solution.

Wilfrid Laurier University Student Association (WLUSA) President Dan Allison comments that students could be seen as pawns in the dispute but “students shouldn’t be used as leverage for either side.” Chartrand believes this comment to be an “insult” as “people don’t consider the trend towards the use of part-time staff in professional areas, making the outcome of the strike impact anyone considering a career in academia.” ssangha@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

jdamaskinos@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Not important enough to make the news?

YOU CAN WRITE IT! Imprint is always looking for reporters, but the spring term is an awesome opportunity to get involved!

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News

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

5

Campus Events Warrior Weekend Friday, March 28 – Saturday, March 29 Starts at 9:00 p.m. each night @ SLC Come on out this weekend for some fun at the SLC. Activities include Casino night, a euchre tournament, a mocktail contest, live music, magic performances, and movie screenings. Free food will be provided both Friday and Saturday. For more information and a full schedule of events, check out http://www.warriorweekends.uwaterloo.ca/.

Earth Hour Saturday, March 29 @ everywhere Reduce your carbon footprint by turning off lights and other electronic devices between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. on Saturday.

2008 Mechatronics design symposium Monday, March 31 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. @ Great Hall, SLC Poster and prototype displays of 36 innovative final year design projects, presented by the first graduating class of the Mechatronics Engineering program.

This event is hosted by the mechanical and mechatronics engineering departments.

Debate society meeting Monday, March 31 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. @ RCH 301 Come out for the debate society’s weekly meeting. Of particular interest to those who’ll be on campus next term. executive positions and duties will be decided.

New German cinema – films from the 1970s and 1980s Tuesday, April 1 7:30 - 10:00 p.m. @ RCH 301 Come out for a screening of

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classic films from the 1970s and 1980s (with a few recent films thrown in for good measure). All films are in German with English subtitles or in English. Open to the public. Admission is free.

Orchestra concert “Heroes and Villains” Thursday, April 3 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. @ Humanities Theatre, Hagey Hall

The web clinic Wednesday, April 2 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. @ C2 160

UW’s orchestra of students, staff, faculty, and alumni plays Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony and Chopin’s second Piano Concerto, featuring concerto competition winner Taylor Wang. Tickets free from the Humanities Theatre Box Office, 519-888-4908.

The web clinic is for people of all skill levels and experiences to work on their websites and get help from each other. Bring your laptop or use the lab’s computers.

Effectively using the Environmental Bill of Rights Wednesday, April 2 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. @ RCH 309 Learn about how to use the Environmental Bill of Rights and the Ontario Municipal Board to the best of your advantage.

From universities to new businesses Wednesday, April 2 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. @ Davis Centre 1302 Come on out for a lecture on intellectual property and how to find a technology partner. This lecture is sponsored by the UW Office of Research, C4, and other groups.

For advance registration, contact zadilsky@uwaterloo.ca.

GLOW Wednesday night discussion group Wednesday, April 2 8:15 - 9:30 p.m. @ PAS 3005 This group provides an opportunity for members of the local queer community and their allies to get together to meet new people while discussing topics of interest. The group has its roots in Peer Support so confidentiality is assured. All are welcome.

Engineering Jazz Band charity gig Tuesday April 8th 2008 7:00 p.m. @ Hagey Hall The Engineering Jazz Band, With Respect to Time, is holding an end-of-term charity gig. All proceeds from the concert will benefit the Food Bank of Waterloo Region and the Waterloo Chapter of Engineers Without Borders.

Tickets are available at the Hagey Hall box office. For more info visit www.engjazzband.com.

Two just for you staff conference Tuesday, April 8 and Wednesday, April 9 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. @ University of Waterloo Two full days for staff to enrich their professional and personal lives through keynotes, workshops, and seminars. This event is hosted by Organizational and Human Development.

Drop offs for Canadian Federation of University Women book sale Wednesday, April 16 – Thursday, April 17 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. @ First United Church, Waterloo Drop off books, sheet music, CDs, DVDs, commercial video tapes, audio cassettes, and video games at First United Church back door.

Communication in creative leadership Thursday, April 17 - Saturday, April 19 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. @ Conrad Grebel University College, Room 1110 Differences in values and beliefs can lead to misunderstanding, judgment and discord. You will learn to develop stronger relationships and foster creativity by exploring new ways of thinking about/experiencing community/ communication with others.

Canadian Federation of University Women Used book sale Friday, April 18 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. @ First United Church, Waterloo

on sale. Proceeds of the sale will support local scholarships. Sale continues Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Best choices on Friday; best deals on Saturday.

Hamilton Alumni Networking reception Thursday, April 24 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. @ Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Hamilton alumni are invited to a networking event at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. Guest speaker John Baker, BASc ‘00, President/CEO of Desire2Learn Inc. Reconnect, network, and socialize with fellow UW alumni; enjoy great food and win door prizes.

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Opinion

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008 opinion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Forums for discourse Friday, March 28, 2008 Vol. 30, No. 33 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 Intern, Dylan Cawker 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 & Entertainment Editor, Andrew Abela Arts & Entertainment Assistant, Duncan Ramsay Science & Tech Editor, Adrienne Raw Science & Tech Assistant, Sherif Soliman Sports & Living Editor, Yang Liu Sports & Living 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 Production Staff Rajul Saleh, Paul Collier, Sheffield Mok, Alicia Boers, Tim Foster, Sohni Satyajit, Jessica Van de Kemp, Susie Roma, Matthew Wiebe, Jacqueline McKay, Tim Lawless Imprint is the official student newspaper of the University of Waterloo. It is an editorially independent newspaper published

by Imprint Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. Imprint is a member of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association (OCNA). Editorial submissions may be considered for publication in any edition of Imprint. Imprint may also reproduce the material commercially in any format or medium as part of the newspaper database, Web site or any other product derived from the newspaper. Those submitting editorial content, including articles, letters, photos and graphics, will grant Imprint first publication rights of their submitted material, and as such, agree not to submit the same work to any other publication or group until such time as the material has been distributed in an issue of Imprint, or Imprint declares their intent not to publish the material. The full text of this agreement is available upon request.

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Next staff meeting: Monday, May 5 12:30 p.m.

Next board of directors meeting: Tuesday, April 1 11:30 a.m.

A

cademia is a state of mind. It often — but not always — manifests in universities. In the course of your time at UW, you’ll encounter students here to get their “M.R.S.,” or degrees for the sole purpose of acquiring a good job. You’ll take classes with students who prefer being fed opinions rather than practising independent thought; or students who speak proudly of not having read any of their required texts.

But you’ll also share your UW experience with people dedicated to the one core essential of academia: a thriving forum for discourse.

After all, at the best of times, this is what your studies entail: learning about the various “conversations” between previous scholars, and understanding the conclusions and questions established up to the point where you yourself can take part in the debate. This is true whether you’re deliberating over contemporary applications of Hegel and Kant, or gaining a practical knowledge of inorganic chemistry, and all the time-tested discoveries therein. An interactive engagement with knowledge is what makes any academic community vibrant.

So why aren’t there more sweeping, all-inclusive conversations at UW? After The Gazette printed its final issue, back on June 9, 2004, students lost a window into the kinds of discussions shared between campus faculty and staff — while faculty and staff in turn lost a more broadly inclusive format for sharing updates and debate. At present the UW Daily Bulletin website does a formidable job breaking content as a university representative, but by virtue of its format can-

not offer the same platform for engagement found even on the front page (with its campus blog and interactive media relations link) for the University of Western Ontario.

Meanwhile, though the Faculty Association of the University of Waterloo (FAUW) and UW Staff Association (UWSA) represent their respective members with almost-monthly newsletters, and the Graduate Students Association puts out a tri-annual newsletter of their own, our most technologically advanced campus has no real communal forum for discussion. Dismayingly, Imprint (staffed by undergrads and the occasional fee-paying graduate student) and Facebook are the closest we have to resources that might overcome the fragmentation of students and staff on campus — to break down participatory barriers, provide more comprehensive insight into the many different facets of every campus debate, and ultimately unify the university community in its own progress and development. Feds.ca has potential, of course, but as of yet its lone discussion forum hasn’t prompted a torrent of participation. This isn’t to say that FedsPulse can’t provide what this campus needs in terms of solidarity, but the seriousness of its task needs to be taken into account as the new Feds exec expand on the work of their predecessors.

(Imprint faces a similar task as it maybe-hopefully soon completes its web redesign.)

But in a broader sense, what form would a more comprehensive campus forum take? I’m not confident I can point to just one answer, but I can point to just what such a forum would accomplish. For one, a viable, all-encompassing campus forum would maximize internal

discussion — creating a level playing field on which students, faculty, and staff could all share differing perspectives on communal issues, and for those same groups to better co-ordinate activities that serve more basic, overarching interests (environmental reforms, for instance; and global citizenship initiatives; and answering a collective desire to improve access to academic research and resources).

It is mystifying that, in an age of so much technological empowerment, faculty and staff aren’t provided with more opportunities to share with students the insights they have that make them such valuable members of the university in the first place. And more mystifying still that average students aren’t better engaged in “mainstream” university discourse.

Academia is a state of mind: one, hopefully, that those graduating this term will carry with them wherever they go, forever applying their passion for knowledge and critical thinking skills to whatever community (and media environment) they next inhabit.

But for those students still a part of the UW environment — and those staff and faculty, too — I offer the following challenge: ask yourselves this summer just how inclusive this community’s conversations should be. Then ask yourselves what you, personally, can do to make that level of interaction — that level of engagement, exchange, and ultimately, understanding — a reality. Start talking to one another. Keep acting. And who knows?

A year from now, we might just have a forum that better represents all of you. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Under-reported hatred

A

lot of times I catch myself assuming the worst. If I see a bunch of rowdy jock-type guys walking toward me on the street in the middle of the night, I’ll brace myself for something that doesn’t come anymore. When I meet conservative-minded people, I expect a confrontation that doesn’t happen. The feeling that comes after these realizations is incomparable. It’s the feeling of safety, of acceptance, and of freedom.

Unless I’m actively looking for homophobic and discriminatory horror stories, I’m able to go weeks at a time without reading and hearing news stories about inhumane treatment of human beings. This amazing feeling of me — and people like me — being free, accepted and safe, though, never seems to last for very long.

My brother is in his second year as a student at Ryerson University in Toronto. Thus, he keeps me informed: of all the hot new trends happening on west Queen West that make me so much more stylish than the rest of you, and of the interesting events going on around the city that I might not otherwise hear about, even through alternative media.

Ryerson is an interesting school in terms of demographics. The downtown Toronto school is well known for both its engineering faculty and its associated math and CS studies, where the students are predominantly brown and non-ethno-European, and its arts faculty and design programs where the students are predominantly white.

Young Torontonians, a progressive age bracket in the multicultural centerpiece of a nation that bills itself as a patchwork quilt of cultural and ethnic identities; would, on the surface, seem to be a group to whom discrimination and close-mindedness are undesirable options. Why is it then that Ryerson has been

having so much trouble with these issues?

The issue of race at Ryerson has reared its head recently, with “white minority” groups springing up on Facebook and in real life within the past two years, fighting for what they view as a lack of representation on the campus where the predominantly white arts faculty is smaller than the others, and where the Caucasian presence in the other faculties isn’t as visible as in other universities.

Things heated up again when a Conservative white student sent out an e-mail to the Ryerson Student Union and the Ryersonian paper with the headline “White Power KKK,” with the actual content of the e-mail criticizing the speaking appearances of former Black Panthers Angela Davis and Muhammad Ahmad on campus.

The issues in this school just never seem to let up: if it isn’t a Jewish student having the words “fat Jew” and his name scrawled over the Pitman residence, it’s an East African student group having their poster and announcement space set on fire. Then it’s conflict between the religious Islamic student politicians and gay groups on campus, and the age-old issue of affirmative action for black students playing out through rallies and protests on the downtown campus.

The spark that drew me to the issues that this university is currently facing was the homophobic remarks directed at RyePride, the Ryerson answer to GLOW. On March 11, the offices of the group, as well as the poster board and lounge for the community service were found vandalized. “GAYS MUST BE ELIMINATED KILL THE FUCKERS FUCK + SUCK THEM FIRST,” read the graffiti.

The cultural, religious, ethic, social and sexual groups at Ryerson are quite obviously in crisis.

The name Ryerson, however, is currently being splashed across various mediums for a different reason. Canadian news outlets such as CBC Radio and Newsworld, as well as our local newscasts and newspapers, such as the CTV and The Waterloo-Region Record, have been devoting large portions of coverage to a Ryerson issue. Even American news outlet CNN has been reporting on a story taking place at the troubled university. What is this story that is demanding the attention of North America? Surely someone was murdered. Surely the problem of discrimination degraded into riots in the school’s Toronto streets. Surely the atmosphere of fear and hate has finally warranted the attention and intervention of larger parties. What is this breaking story?

A student made a study group on Facebook.

I must hand it to the media — they really do have a way of lulling people into a false sense of security. If my only knowledge of Ryerson had to do with its study groups, I might assume that these are the largest problems facing its students.

By the same token, I can assume that because there is no coverage of hatred in Kitchener/ Waterloo that I am living in an accepting and tolerant community. I can assume that because the problems of homophobia and racism in Canada aren’t making the front page or the national newscasts that I am living in an accepting and tolerant country. This way, people like me get their warm fuzzy feeling every once and a while, and the rest of you don’t have to worry about wild ideas like changing the way things are. It’s much easier for everyone, really.

Besides, when has doing things the easy way ever been a bad thing? tmyers@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

Letters Had a reaction to one of our articles, editorials or columns? Write a letter to the editor at letters@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Re: “Tiffany Li’s Recipes” I’m FED UP with the recipes in the Imprint. I was under the impression that Imprint was a newspaper for Waterloo students but when I read Tiffany Li’s so-called “Savoury Bites,” which I prefer to call “Reader’s In-Digest,” I can’t help but feel that I’m reading an excerpt from some ritzy food and wine magazine!

I’m all for expanding one’s culinary taste, but how many students are actually interested in cooking custards, compotes, and luxurious cheese desserts when one’s very life is at state due to starvation? How many students have the time to precariously deep fry shrimp for a shrimp’wich when deadlines are looming?

A university food columnist should be ashamed of themselves for promoting such gluttony in the student population. Students need healthy breakfast, lunches, and dinners on a budget and on the fly.

I feel so strongly about this issue that I challenge Tiffany to an Iron Chef university duel. Just to clarify, Iron Chef university duels only happen 20 minutes before your class starts and all you have to work with is a microwave and a toaster oven.

The winner gets to write the food column! Accept my challenge or tarnish your reputation!

— Chris Ing 3B physics

Re: “When does debate become wrong?”, Imprint, Vol. 30, No. 31 I completely disagree with [Csanady’s and Ogley’s] point that the abortion debate is closed. Abortion is a controversial topic in society today; many people have very strong opinions. In fact, in a 2005 Environics poll, 60 per cent of the sample group agreed that the human life should be protected at some point prior to birth. Clearly, not everyone feels the debate is closed.

Although “The Supreme Court of Canada [struck] down Canada’s abortion law,” it does not mean that all discussion on this topic should stop.

Before the Supreme Court took away the law on abortion, there was much debate about the issue, even though there was a law. The fact that something is a law is not reason enough to stop dialogue on the topic. Laws can be and are amended.

Whether the law is in favour of abortion or not, people on both sides

should at least have the opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns rather than being silenced because of what some believe is valid. This is an issue that needs to be discussed and people need to think about where they stand on the issue.

Especially on a university campus, where we are encouraged to question everything and be open to both sides of an argument, this debate should not be stifled.

— Hailey Brown year 2 religious studies

Re: “When does debate become wrong?”

Imprint, Vol. 30, No. 31 Cancelling the debate at York University wasn’t the best course of action, nor in the best interest of academia. I believe that a debate on abortion is a very pertinent and relevant subject in universities.

While the Supreme Court may have struck down previously existing abortion laws, there is currently no law in place regarding abortions. As such, abortions are legal simply by the lack of legal restrictions. In the United States, the Bush administration has been actively working to reverse the efforts of reproductive rights activists with legislation such as the Global Gag Rule, Partial Birth Abortion Ban, and the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. Similar action is being taken in Canada.

The right for a woman to choose what happens to and in her body is just as significant today as it was 40 years ago when women and medical professionals demanded the government re-examine Section 251 of the Criminal Code. To say that this debate is moot is to ignore the constant global attack on women’s rights.

— Danielle Hyde 1B environment and business

Re: “In View of a Homeland”, Imprint, Vol. 30, No. 31 This article really spoke out about some of the feelings that are common among all people who have a homeland or have family in places other than Canada. I am an emigrant from Hong Kong, China and although I have lived here for the greater part of my life, whenever I return to Hong Kong, it is a welcoming feeling to be part of the ethnic majority. Like David Yip (the reporter), I am much more familiar with Toronto but returning to Hong Kong always gives me a feeling of belonging and I am entranced by the whole bustling atmosphere of Hong Kong that gives people the feeling it is always awake.

There are many people our age that are considered to be foreigners by our families in our homeland but also seen as a minority in our emigrated country.

For me, sometimes it is difficult to not feel aware of my background and my skin colour. Even in a country known

for its multiculturalism, I feel constantly aware of where I am from. I know this probably puts me on my guard a lot but I feel that it is a self-defense tactic because even though Canada places a great deal of emphasis on cultural diversity, there are still a lot of prejudices against ethnicity.

Personally, I feel that I always put a shell on whenever I meet new people of different ethnicity because I am never quite sure what prejudices they have against my ethnic background.

— Cheuk Ting (Jenny) Chiu 1B environment and business

Re: “Are you there God? It’s me, Travis”, Imprint, Vol. 30, No. 31 I just read Travis Myers’ first article in his series on homosexuality and religion entitled “Are you there God? It’s me Travis.” His writing suggests that homosexuality and Christianity need not be mutually exclusive. The article is sincere, and written with good intentions. However, I think it is important to point out how seriously backwards some of Travis’ ideas are.

First of all, Travis discredits Old Testament references to homosexual behaviour by citing other outdated Old Testament “rules,” and also by claiming that Christ had abolished those rules anyway. He fails to mention the numerous New Testament references to homosexuality which can be found in the writings of St. Paul. This omission not only discredits Travis’ argument, but may also mislead readers.

Travis does not help his cause by referring to Jesus Christ, the Christian God as “J-ster,” “J-man,” and “J.C.” This attempt at humour is insensitive to those individuals who take their faith in Christ seriously. I can’t help but wonder if he’d be so ready to assign funny nicknames to gods in other religions.

In his article, Travis concludes “[Christianity] is defined by your own feelings on your own terms, and that applies to everyone.” Not only is this idea incompatible with any aspect of life (i.e. sports, science, religion, education etc.), it is so anti-Christian and so dangerous, that a Christian could argue it is responsible for everything bad in this world.

Am I being extreme? I am only echoing the words of C.S Lewis his book Mere Christianity (Book 2, Chapter 3: “The Shocking Alternative”). Consider the story of Adam and Eve. The couple rejected God’s terms, and decided to act “by their own feelings and on their own terms.” The result was expulsion from Paradise.

— Andre Hladio 4B mechatronics

Re: “Politicizing the Olympics”, Imprint, Vol. 30, No. 32 The naïve notion that politics and sports exist in separate realms has got to stop. Baron Pierre de Coubertin wrote

in 1894 that the aim of bringing back the Olympics was to increase amateur athletics and to create a more peaceful world. It’s a pretty philosophy, but it’s not reality. Indeed, years later it was discovered in de Coubertin’s personal correspondence that the decline in the French spirit after the Franco-Prussion War was a prime motivating factor in his work to rebuild the Olympic Games.

He even worked behind the scenes to keep Germany out of the first Games.

(Richard E. Lapchick A Political History of the Modern Olympic Games) The Olympics were not founded out of some peace-loving quest for pure sporting achievement. They were founded by a bitter man to increase nationalism and physical fitness in his humiliated country. From the beginning, they were linked to political events.

Still, people continued to buy into the Baron’s preaching about “equality” and sports played without “discrimination of any kind.” Unless you were a Jew in the lead up to 1936, that is. Before the games, Jews in Germany were systematically denied access to training facilities, leading the president of the American Amateur Athletic Union to state in 1935, “the present German government has injected race, religion, and politics into sports in general and into the Olympics in particular, and has destroyed their free and independent character.”

Despite widespread knowledge of the persecution of Jews in society in general, and sports in particular — the 1933 boycott of Jewish businesses, the 1933 legislation banning Jews from the civil service, the dismissal of the best tennis player from the German team (he was Jewish), the 1935 Nuremberg race laws which made sexual relations between Jews and “Aryans” illegal — the games continued. I guess the

7

“equal footing” clause of the Olympic charter did not apply. And while Jesse Owens did win a lot of medals, Hitler and the Nazis still greatly benefited from the games.

Firstly, the games infused muchneeded foreign currency into Germany through the tourism industry. It also provided a massive German propaganda opportunity for people abroad and at home. As David Clay Large puts it in his book Nazi Olympics, “the Olympic Games were important to the Nazis because by hosting a successful festival the Reich could come across as a peaceful nation that was making economic progress and winning respect abroad.

By deciding to show up in Berlin despite reservations about Hitler’s policies, the world’s democracies missed a valuable opportunity to undermine the regime’s stature not only in the eyes of the world — and ultimately more important — in the eyes of the Germans themselves.”

The 1936 Olympics are really one of the most shameful chapters in recent history and for some Jews they had deadly consequences. In the lead up to the Olympics, anti-Jewish propaganda was stepped down in order to make a more favourable impression on the world. This lull in anti-Semitic vitriol caused some Jews to stay in Germany, thinking that the government really was stepping down its anti-Jewish program.

They did not escape when they had the chance, and I’m sure I don’t need to describe what happened to Jews still living in Germany in WWII. Why, then, did the world participate in 1936? Members of various Olympic organizations (the IOC, the American Olympic Committee, and the British Olympic Committee) see LETTERS, page 8

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Opinion

Letters continued from page 7

did not feel that it was their job to mix politics and sport. So the world went, and basically condoned what was happening in Germany.

Hitler scored a major propaganda coup with the German people because they won the most medals and he could point to the full participation of the international community as proof of his great leadership.

So I am not optimistic about the Olympics.

Today, we have full knowledge of human rights abuses in China and we will still go and play games. We know that the Chinese government is killing protestors, “disappearing” political dissenters and their families, and selling weapons to Sudan to use in a genocide against Darfur. Once again though, we will legitimize this regime in the eyes of its citizens by showing up. The Olympic ideals (without even examining the lack of amateurs in sport now) are a farce. When the Olympic torch begins its journey to Beijing (a tradition, I should mention, started by the Nazis) I urge people to think about whether you can truly separate politics and sports and how you think history will judge 2008.

— Kristin Biefer, 4B history (President, UW Genocide Action Group)

Re: “When does debate become wrong?” Imprint, Vol. 30, No. 31 As the debate between pro-life and pro-choice continues, a third contender, “pro-ignorance” emerges. This side is represented by Csanady and Kelly Holloway from York University.

Holloway was perfectly okay with anti-zionist activities on the York campus, but felt that a pro-life discussion was too damaging. It is wrong to end a debate simply because you believe that the opinion of others is wrong and damaging, especially when others feel exactly the same way about your viewpoint.

According to Holloway, debating abortion “would be equivalent to having a debate over whether or not you can beat your wife.” The obvious difference here is that everyone understands that beating women is wrong, but a significant portion of the population believe that abortion is wrong, no matter how much

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008 Holloway wants to pretend there isn’t. There are even more people that are against third trimester abortion. Many people do not even realize that third trimester abortions are legal in Canada. This is an important fact, among others, which Canadians need to know, so Csanady should stop promoting ignorance.

Even though she claims to be pro-choice, Csanady does much more damage to the prochoice viewpoint than she understands. No one will ever be convinced of her opinion if the issue cannot be debated. If she truly believes her standpoint, she should not be so afraid to defend it.

— Krzysztof Dziewa 4B engineering

Re: “St. Paddy’s about more than drinking”, Imprint, Vol. 30, No. 31 I speak in response to the article from March 14 as a non-Irish and non-Christian Canadian. If you were at Bomber on Monday, March 17 or even Saturday, March 15, you would have seen a herd of wasted people wearing green. It was indeed St. Patrick’s Day on both days which gave people two excuses to justify their drunkenness before noon. In my opinion, this day is really just an excuse for people to drink massive amounts of alcohol starting in the morning. It really does not have any connection to Canada as a country.

Technically speaking, Canadians who have no Irish or Christian background should not even be celebrating this non-holiday “holiday.” The real celebrations include singing Irish songs and parades, which is nothing close to what Canadians experience. All most of us do to celebrate this occasion is get dressed up in our green costumes and drink loads of green alcohol all day long only to see green waste products in the toilet the next day. Definitely all the real meaning gets lost in the hubbub, but it cannot be an important symbol of our future since this day is about nothing else but drinking. Cheers!

— Madihah Mazhar

To the Editor: Turn off your lights! I am not just talking about turning them off when you leave the bathroom or house, although you should continue doing that. I am talking about turning them off for one hour from 8-9 p.m. on March 29. This hour deemed Earth Hour is a little contribution you

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can make to show that you care about the future of our planet. Honestly, it couldn’t be easier! You simply turn off your lights for one hour.

It all started in Sydney Australia when it caught the media’s eye. Simply by turning their lights off for one hour, 2.2 million Australians reduced the drain on their power grid by 10 per cent. That was in 1 city of the world, can you imagine the impact if this became the global event we are striving for? What do you do for an hour on a Saturday night without your lights on you ask? Well, you could take a walk. You heard me get your butt outdoors and take an evening stroll through Waterloo Park. Ok maybe that isn’t your cup of tea. Instead, I suggest, you hop on a bus and check out Canada’s own Nelly Furtado who is performing a free concert in Toronto for the event. Or you know those ancient things we call candles? How about a little candlelit monopoly game, use your imagination!

Earth Hour is an example of how every individual person can make a difference when we group together; the truth is we don’t have a choice. You guys are probably as sick of hearing it as I am of saying it with the eye roll that always ensues from my listeners but... global warming is a real threat! We need to take action and all I’m asking is that you turn your lights off for 1 hour. We as a community need to step up because we cannot keep waiting on the government. If we did this there might not be a planet for our children’s children. There is no magical solution and it isn’t going away. Fellow University of Waterloo students I challenge you to turn your lights off and become involved.

Encourage your friends, local businesses and the university itself to do the same! Let’s make a difference.

— Tyla Wilson 4B french and geography

It’ll be too late community editorial

W

ar films and conspiracy theories have a lot in common. For one, they’re both almost purely entertainment.

And for another, they’re both crafted long after the fact, after people have any power to affect the situation — the wars, the falling of the twin towers, and the genocides.

How many readers here watched ‘Hotel Rwanda?’ How many of you watched ‘Blood Diamond?’ How about ‘Schindler’s List?’ Oh everyone! How many will go to see the movies that will be made about the Cambodian genocide? The East Timor genocide? The Bosnian genocide? The Darfur genocide? The Afhgani genocide? The Iraqi genocide? How many will cry in the theatre as an exercise in social bonding and feel more involved with the world? Oh so many difficult questions stringed together without respite.

All our idols and stars whose lives are so important will make millions of dollars and collect precious awards and nominations through movies that gave them a chance to emote with fidelity.

We will watch and feel one with the suffering. I’m sure the movies, TV series and plays will serve a purpose to educate us and raise awareness, besides their main objective of making lots and lots of money. Our stars will feel precious and noble because they did a good deed, and hey what if they collected a fat paycheque as a by-product.

We will feel precious and noble because we paid attention. The tragedy has already, or would already have, passed. But until such movies are being delayed for when they are useless in helping

the situation, we can watch sports and dote over those chiselled athletes. And let’s not forget to support our troops because they are so fucking brave and serve such an important purpose in going around shooting people, troops dressed in thousands of dollars worth in equipment chasing after naked men with sling shots.

In the end I can summarize it into a single, much simpler question: how is genocide, such as that in Darfur, tolerated? (And ignorance is a cheap, sinful excuse in a well off society like ours.) Show business glamourizes war through pretty faces and special effects; soldiers are celebrated for a brutish profession, classically honoured as a noble occupation; the military industry and business keeps on producing arms for both sides of the conflict all at once...

That, my fellow students, is the end of my very angry, but simple, honest and heartfelt tirade. This past Wednesday some dedicated students, even a few from high schools around the area, walked nine laps around Ring Road in an attempt to raise awareness and collect donations. It was a fantastic effort — working on limited resources, without an actionpacked plot line, without any famous faces, they attracted a few small time cameras and some wandering eyes. I am sorry to say I was pessimistic. After so many years of atrocities, it feels like this will be just another disaster that we will look back on and shake our heads.

However, it’s never too late to save lives, and the first step is simple: an awareness of the present.

— Ali Alavi

Clothes don’t make the man or woman community editorial

T

here are 36 varsity teams at the University of Waterloo involving hundreds of student athletes. What these individuals have in common is a black and gold tracksuit.

The tracksuits proudly display the warrior logo, promoting a community around athletics. While some see the tracksuit as a status symbol, stereotypes and labels are developed around these athletes.

A long haired, fit, and talented young woman, wearing a tracksuit with “Women’s Hockey” embroidered underneath the UW logo, reflects on her overall image. The impression that non-athletes give on her appearance is stereotypical to most female hockey players: “They say it’s not real hockey, girls can’t play hockey or that we are all lesbians.” “If I were to talk to a male who wasn’t an athlete he would first be a little intimidated by me and anytime I try to defend women’s hockey I get called a feminist.” She also reflects on what it would be like if she chose a more feminine sport.

“If I was a gymnast or figure skater I know I would be treated a lot differently, guys wouldn’t be intimidated by me or have the stereotypical assumptions about me. I know that I myself look at those athletes differently, I think of them as being in more feminine sports.”

These feelings remain consistent with a female rugby player. She comments on assumptions about her appearance when she is described to others as a rugby player: “People draw conclusions that I am ‘bigger’ because I play rugby and the girls that are known to play rugby can sometimes be heavier than normal.” These conclusions directly affect the self esteem of the athlete being labeled.

The labels do not solely apply to athletes that are performing against the norms of their gender. A tall, muscular and attractive football player comments on how his strong academic performance is often overshadowed by the stereotypical assumptions that are typically associated with “macho male athletes.” He also comments that he feels his large stature prevents people from approaching him and developing a relationship.

The tracksuit is just an article of clothing worn by athletes, whether on purpose or because clean laundry is scarce. This outfit should not determine how you communicate with the person wearing it. We challenge you to look beyond the stereotypes you normally draw when approached by an athlete. Besides, it’s just a track suit!

— Lauren Wilson and Brooke Lauria Year 3 speech communication

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

9

The Canandian asbestos trade

O

f all the adjectives one might associate with a nation, “petty” is one of the least flattering. It implies small-mindedness, lack of foresight, and arrogant disregard for the wider effects of its actions. Canada’s fight on behalf of the asbestos industry is exactly that — a battle that puts it at odds with academics, health organizations, and a wide coalition of nations. It is a battle to continue the export of an admittedly hazardous chemical to prolong a small, dying sector of the economy.

Canada, in conjunction with Russia, China, and a small number of other nations, has consistently worked towards blocking the regulation of the international asbestos trade. The asbestos industry in Canada is responsible for a tenth of the world’s production, and employs approximately 800 people, almost exclusively in Quebec. It has been in a steady decline for over 30 years and currently produces about a tenth of what it did in the 1970s.

The Rotterdam Convention is a UN-backed multilateral agreement that, while not completely regulating products, attempts to at least ensure that importing governments are adequately informed of the dangers involved. It’s based around the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) system

— any signatory government that is exporting a chemical or substance covered by the convention must inform the importing government of the sale and provide information about it.

The asbestos industry in Canada is responsible for a tenth of the world’s production, and employs approximately 800 people, almost exclusively in Quebec.

Currently, the substances on the list are mostly industrial pesticides.

The list is reviewed at conventions held on a bi-yearly basis, the most recent having occurred during the second week of March. The United States and the European Union, amongst many other countries, have been pushing to add chrysotile asbestos to the convention, but a small group of countries has been very vocal in thwarting those efforts.

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Asbestos seems like a relic of the past. The naturally occurring, silicone based family of minerals was used extensively during the 19th century, and much of the 20th century, for its heat, chemical, and sound resistant properties — most frequently in construction as a fireproofer and insulator. Over the course of the last century, a growing body of literature supported the link between exposure to asbestos fibers and high levels of lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma.

The first time I heard the word was when a friend and I dislodged some pipes in my junior high school, breaking apart the plaster-coated asbestos insulation. A teacher made us leave the room and it was consequently off-limits until the offending pipe could be dealt with. Later, I discovered that a close friend’s stepfather had been an asbestos miner in the Northwest Territories, before its carcinogenic effects were fully documented.

Today, its use is tightly controlled — governed by a number of workplace safety regulations. Although it is technically not illegal to use it as a building material in Canada, it’s no longer used for construction domes-

tically. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency has completely banned its use, as has the European Union — hence Canada’s developing world customer base.

The asbestos industry argues that fear of lung cancer and other pulmonary diseases stems from older production methods, and a different type of asbestos. Chrysotile is the only kind of asbestos still manufactured today, and it is always encased in concrete sheets. Even without the concrete sheets encompassing it, most studies show that it poses a significantly lower carcinogenic risk.

However, proponents of a full asbestos ban argue that even if chrysotile is safer than previous forms of asbestos, it’s still a potentially dangerous substance.

They point to the fact that there is no known threshold for exposure — the long incubation time, and the availability of man-made substitutes as reasons to act proactively.

Arguing against the free dissemination of information about an admittedly hazardous product out of fear of damaging a very small economic group seems absurd. If the asbestos industry maintains that chrysotile is harmless when used properly, how

can they argue about spreading proper information? Both those against asbestos and those pushing for wider spread use, can cite studies in their favour, but even proponents admit that improperly handled chrysotile can have dangerously carcinogenic effects.

The federal government’s stance is indefensible. Not only is it morally reprehensible to sell a product that is considered too dangerous for use in Canada to developing nations, but it also damages our credibility in international environmental negotiations, especially considering our obstructive attitude at the latest round of climate negotiations in Bali.

To shy away from informing importing countries of the dangers associated with chrysotile is incomprehensible. Canada should act with the dignity its status warrants and join the European Union and the United States in pushing for chrysotile’s inclusion in the Rotterdam Convention.

With files from the Washington Post, Macleans, the Globe and Mail, the Sierra Club of Canada, and the Chrysotile Institute. ghalpern@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

10

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

9/11 conspiracy: an incomplete debate community editorial

O

n Thursday March 20, the UW Debate Society hosted a “Forensic Analysis” of the 2001 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. Dr. Alexander Dewdney began by calling into question the ability of cell phones to make calls from regular flight altitudes. Then Dr. Graeme MacQueen shared his analysis of photos and eyewitness accounts of the World Trade Center attacks and collapse.

Their thesis was twofold: that the official story of the plane attacks seems to be flawed, and more strongly, that the official story is a fabrication, in the case of the tower attacks, to cover up the method of destruction of Flight 95 and the controlled demolition of the World Trade Center buildings.

These were, of course, bold claims and some of the material presented angered audience members, myself included. However neither angry speeches nor Godwin’s law have ever helped to resolve a contentious issue. Creating a David-and-Goliath feeling only strengthens the stubborn resolve of critics, and divides a debate into name-calling factions. Likewise, many find it difficult to take seriously a lone voice who angrily defames the more powerful group.

There were several problems with the seminar as it was constructed, chief among them were that the audience was not terribly qualified to analyze the information being put forward and there was very little opportunity for examination or analysis.

Much of the material depended on what we

in debating call “specific knowledge.” Specific knowledge is information that one debater has of which their opponents might not be reasonably expected to be aware. The speakers had combed through the myriad photos and video clips of the collapse of the buildings for images that most closely gibed with their case. Without such background knowledge, and without an opposing speaker to hold the speakers’ proverbial feet to the fire, the audience was unable to critically examine the information in the presentation.

Even if the audience had the background to capably argue against the speakers’ interpretation of evidence, which surely a few must have had, the question and answer phase was hardly sufficient for more than a few tokent questions.

There were many issues that never got examined.

For example, Scientific American quoted different thresholds for steel losing its strength which made the official story much more plausible.

Dr. MacQueen claimed WTC-7 had no damage and fell spontaneously, while Popular Mechanics reported that the building had been gouged out to 25 per cent of its depth on the side opposite Dr. MacQueen’s picture. These are aside from questions that were raised by other audience members about the accuracy of the call counts from Flight 95 for instance. Only a sample of these critical questions could be asked, since many also wanted elaboration on the theories being suggested.

The Debate Society was in an awkward position. Faced with the withdrawal of a planned opposition speaker, the organizer,

The speakers had combed through the myriad photos and video clips of the collapse of the buildings for images that most closely gibed with their case.

Without such background knowledge... the audience was unable to critically examine the information...

Adnan Zuberi had to make a call: To attempt to get other members of the Debate Society to oppose the speakers in formal debate, to make the presentation more of a colloquium, or to postpone and risk losing the opportunity for any sort of presentation. While I don’t agree with the tack that was taken, I believe that attempting to get together an opposition at the last minute could have been worse. Often, a side of a debate can be harmed more by poor, insufficiently informed support than by no support at all. Zuberi chose to make the event a colloquium, believing that the Debate Society would be able to organize a similar event in rebuttal to this one, and also that viewers would take the initiative to do their own research into opposing data and interpretation. Zuberi and the rest of the Debate Society are working with contacts Zuberi has already made to organize the rebuttal event.

Trying to host educational events like this is very important. While at university, we have the

opportunity to get speakers to argue issues at a much more sophisticated level than is generally discussed in front of the general public. However as with any educational activity, analysis is key.

It is difficult to thoroughly dissect an issue, to evaluate it on multiple criteria, and explore all the possible ramifications. A disgraceful amount of public policy from all ranges of the political spectrum doesn’t get examined by the electorate the way it should. Improving the quality of analysis, largely but not exclusively through debate, is what the Debate Society considers its mandate to be.

This colloquium has been educational on two levels: it exposited the facts and interpretations put forward by the “9/11 Truth” movement and illustrated how important it is to provide the means, whether through opposition or prior education, for analyzing information. It is the aim of the Debate Society, and my hope for other campus groups organizing events, to provide the resources to properly scrutinize further presenters.

— Tim Foster Member of the UW Debate Society

A more balanced approach

I

t’s old news that Canada and the United States are experiencing economic slowdown. In the States you see constant interest rate slashing, and here in Canada, businesses are asking for help in the form of tax relief. Federal Finance Minister Jim

Flaherty calls Ontario “the last place” for businesses to invest in Canada. The Ottawa Citizen reports that Flaherty’s plan would cost $2.3 billion, with the McGuinty budget delivering a third of that amount in tax relief.

One would wonder, though, if there isn’t a

way to combine the big worry of the day — the economy — with the big issue of the moment, the environment.

We aren’t hearing much about how we could pull off a win-win like this though. Tax cuts are supposed to stimulate the economy, but they pull funds away from other government initiatives.

One of the most successful ways to stimulate the economy, to create more jobs and more need for workers, create near-endless demand for products of all kinds, and give all workers a common goal to work for and share with one another – just happens to come from waging war, one of the least humanitarian acts possible. Slowly though, people are starting to take notice of other initiatives, realizing that we can have our cake and eat it too.

One of the easiest ways to help the environment is to make it easier for everyday people to make a difference. The emergence of compact fluorescent lights has given Canadians a stepping stone into the world of green: buy a CFL, reduce energy use and pollution, and save money on your electric bill.

Canadian cities have also been working hard to make it easier to pollute less. The CBC reports that Calgary is set to spend $5 million over five years to expand its bicycle path network. The network is already so large that it’s viewed the same way you would look at our GRT bus routes.

Check out Google’s satellite map of Vancouver, and you’ll see over 100 square kilometers of city without any highways cutting through it. City planning focuses development to put pedestrians first, followed by cyclists, public transit, carpoolers, and then transport trucks.

After all that, they see if they can make the lives of single passenger cars any easier.

Each of these projects has helped the environment, but also the economy, by providing jobs to engineers, city planners, construction workers and many more people. National efforts can’t seem to keep pace. President Bush has supported biofuels, which drive up the price of corn to voting farmers happy, but also drive up the cost of countless corn-based foods, potentially pricing them out of Americans’ diets.

At the same time, Bush has made no strides to improve fuel economy, which could generate new companies and investment dollars, and reduce overall oil consumption.

In Canada, the Liberal government did little after the Kyoto Accord was signed. When the Conservatives took office, as the environment became Canadians’ biggest concern according to the polls, their action was to blame the previous government for its inaction, while accomplishing just as little.

A New York Times article, “Millions of Jobs of a Different Collar,” casts doubt on the ability of ‘green collar’ jobs to help the economy.

It mentions that “others note that green jobs often pay less than the old manufacturing jobs they are replacing,” suggesting that there is little benefit to workers or to net job creation.

The question here is a matter of balance: for instance, is it better to have someone working on a coal-fired power plant or a green wind turbine field? Similarly, is it better to pay a worker more to build a ‘dirty’ car or to pay the worker less to build a green car — which would reduce pollution, the need to import oil, damage to our environment and our health, and all the costs associated with those?

Even on a one-for-one basis, isn’t it better to have a higher-skilled and educated employee doing green work, bringing more highly educated workers into the workforce? This also brings workers the chance to start new businesses and patents, with new technologies and methods.

Isn’t that better than to have a lower-skilled employee doing work that is bad for the environment?

Just this past Tuesday, the CBC reported that Prime Minister Harper has committed to a $240 million pledge to convert a polluting coal power plant in Saskatchewan into a carbon-sequestration plant. The CO2 taken out of the air will make the world a little cleaner. Prevention is almost always cheaper and easier than fixing problems after they happen, but a step in the right direction has to be acknowledged.

The most important thing is that you remember that you can help our country, our economy, our world, and still be successful. Remember this when you head out into the world, applying for jobs or creating your own. Everyone has a choice, and as always, it’s up to you to decide which one you will choose. adodds@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

WE HAVE THE CAREERS, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES. If you are a graduate or are currently studying medicine, pharmacy, nursing or engineering, consider a full- or part-time career in the Canadian Forces.

You’ll have opportunities that few people have the chance to experience.

We can offer you: • Training and education programs throughout your career • A competitive salary • Opportunities to work close to home and abroad • A stimulating work environment To find out more, visit our Website or your local Canadian Forces recruiting centre.

WWW.FORCES.CA

1-800-856-8488

JOIN US

Campus Bulletin ANNOUNCEMENTS

UPCOMING

“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!

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.

The Grand House Student Co-operative is a non-profit housing co-op comprised of architecture students from UW, community members and professionals. Workshops are being organized on environmental techniques, solar power, non-toxic materials and more. For info/registration visit the website at www.grandhouse. wacsa.org.

Napkin Books is currently accepting manuscripts for its next publication cycle. Publishing Canadian writers of sci-fi, horror and fantasy genres. To apply see the application process on the website www.napkinbooks.com.

The Greater K-W Chamber of Commerce is presenting a curling event with great prizes. For info call Laura at 519-749-6035 or e-mail www. greaterkwchamber.com or lrichards@ greaterkwchamber.com.

Nominations are requested for the following graduate student seats on Senate: two graduate students of the University to be elected by/from the full and part-time graduate students of the University, terms from May 1, 2008 to April 30, 2010. Nomination forms are available from the Secretariat (ext 36125) and from the Secretariat webpage; see http:// ww.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/elections/nomelections.htm. At least five nominators are required in each case.

Nominations should be sent to the Secretariat, Needles Hall, room 3060, no later than 3 p.m., Friday, March 28. Elections will follow if necessary.

Graduate student senators whose terms expire April 30, 2008: Rashid Rehan (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Craig Sloss* (Combinatorics and Optimization). *not eligible for re-election having served for two consecutive terms.

Have you lost a baby? Bereaved Families of Ontario is now taking registrations for our Spring Support Group for parents who are grieving the death of a baby starting April 30. Registrations need to be received by April 21.

Call 519-894-8344 for more information or visit our website: www.bfomidwest.org.

Voting is to begin Monday, April 7 as UW undergraduate students elect a representative on the University’s Senate. Brief campaign statements (www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/elections/statements2.html) are available online for the two candidates who are now contesting the position: Aswin Alexander (engineering), Gagandeep Pabla (mathematics). All regular and co-op full-time undergraduate students are eligible to vote online (www. adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/elections/ eballot5.html). The by-election runs through April 9.

Friday, March 28, 2008 Women in Politics: panel discussion in Student Life Centre, Great Hall from 2 to 4 p.m. Brought to you by student volunteers and the One Waterloo Campaign. Politicians from various levels of government have been invited to speak on diverse issues pertaining to women working in politics, their experiences and ways for students to get involved. Question/answer session. All welcome!

United Nations International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination. All day starting at 8:30 a.m. at Kitchener’s City Hall. From 3 to 6 p.m. is the “Freedom of Speech” panel discussion. A detailed full day programs can be viewed at www.crosscultures.ca. RSVP to (519) 748-9520 or by email to crosscultures@ bellnet.ca.

Saturday, March 29, 2008 UW Conservatives and WLU Conservatives are hosting a youth social at Morty’s, King Street, Waterloo, from 6 to 9 p.m.

All are welcome regardless of political affiliation.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008 Interested in script writing? Come to the Multi-Purpose Room, SLC, at 8:30 p.m. to learn about Script Frenzy. For more info contact Scott at kwscriptfrenzy@ gmail.com.

Thursday April 3, 2008 Rotunda Gallery presents “Manifest Expression – by James Nye” with opening reception today from 5 to 7 p.m. at City Hall, 200 King Street, W., 7 floor, Kitchener. For more info call 519-741-2912.

Monday, April 7, 2008 Faculty of Arts Class of 2008. Come celebrate your accomplishments with UW President David Johnston, Dean of Arts Ken Coates, Alumnus Gerry Remers, President and Chief Operating Officer, Christie Digital. Register with mobriens@watarts.uwaterloo.ca or on Facebook.

Saturday, April 12, 2008 11th Annual Walk to Remember presented by Bereaved Families of Ontario.

Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. at Waterloo Memorial Recreation Centre, 101 Father David Bauer Drive, Waterloo. For pledge forms/info call 519-894-8344 or www.bfomidwest.org.

April 16 to 19, 2008 Used books wanted for CFUW Book Sale, April 18-19 at First United Church, King and William Street. Drop off donations at church (back door) April 16 and 17. For info call 519-740-5249. No textbooks please.

Sunday, April 21, 2008 You are invited to attend a special meeting of the Waterloo Wellington LHIN Board of Directors with special guest speaker, Dr. Alan Hudson, Lead, Access to Services and Wait Time Strategy. The session will be of particular interest to hospital boards, senior leadership teams, hospital surgical programs, emergency department staff, and physicians. 190 College Street East, Guelph at 6:00 p.m.

RSVP with Kate Borthwick by April 21, 2008 by email or phone. kate.borthwick@ lhins.on.ca or 519-822-6208 ext 212.

Friday, April 25, 2008 Call for Nominations! 10th Annual Independant living awards, hosted on June 5 by the Independent Living Centre of Waterloo Region (ILCWR). The awards recognize individuals, organizations and businesses that help make a difference for people with disabilities. The seven award

categories are: Barrier Free Access, Community Partner, Distinguished Volunteer, Influential Advocate, Skills Development, Outstanding Individual, and Staff Recognition. All nominations must be received

by ILCWR by April 25, 2008. Visit www. ilcwr.org or phone 519-571-6788 or email Kristen@ilcwr.org.

May 24 long weekend May long-weekend – Port Burwell Country Camping – best party camping in Ontario! Party animal olympics, live bands, D.J’s and more! For more information please visit www.countrycamping.ca or call 1-800-863-3735.

COUNSELLING SERVICES

English Language Proficiency Program (ELPP) – all workshops are scheduled between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.

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

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.

SPORTS

Attention female slo-pitch players – coed league, Sunday mornings, May 4 to August 24. No long weekends. Kitchener. $65. E-mail evansmatthew@rogers.com.

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 info e-mail youth@kitchener.ca.

Distress Line Volunteers 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.

Local Red Cross Youth Group – want to volunteer in the community? Raise local awareness about International issues? Between 16 and 25 years of age? E-mail Lisa.Allen@red.cross.ca.

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008 ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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.

PLEASE NOTE: effective May 1, 2008 we can no longer accept the UW Watcard as a form of ID. Acceptable government photo ID includes valid drivers license, passport, immigration card,

or citizenship card.

March 30: recommended submission date for OSAP Rollover Form to add spring term to winter only term or fall and winter term. Recommended submission date for OSAP Reinstatement Form to add spring term to fall only term (for co-p students).

April 17: Recommended last submission date for Continuation of Interest Free Status Forms for this term.

Classified 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.

Required: Retail Salesperson at Shoes 22 – you will provide exceptional customer service in a fast paced friendly environment. Experience in clothing, footwear or related products is an asset. The ability to sell verses serve a customer is critical. Successful applicants must be able to work days, evenings and weekends. Please drop off resume in person to Shoes 22, 133 Weber Street, N., Waterloo. Phone 519746-4983. Full-time and part-time positions available.

Fun, games, sports and crafts with after-school children at Laurelwood Public School. Only a short walk from UW. Interested persons should leave a message at 519-741-8997.

Summer job – work at the beach!

Kazwear Swimwear has full and part-time management and staff positions available in Grand Bend, Port Stanley and Bayfield. Competitive wage and bonuses. Contact resumes@kazwearswimwear.ca or visit our website www.kazwearswimwear. ca for job opportunities.

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

Weekends – permanent, part-time for varied shifts. Must be energetic, work independently and have good communication skills. Drop resume off at Club Willowells, 40 Blue Springs Drive, Waterloo (beside East Side Mario’s on King).

Accountant representative, sales representative, store keeper, clerk and secretary needed. Must be computer literate, along with CV. For more info e-mail gina.limited@ gmail.com.

Teach in Japan! Canada interviews – INTERAC, Japan’s leading private provider of teachers to Japanese public schools, is interviewing individuals of Caribbean descent in Canada for Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) positions starting in September 2008. A Bachelor’s degree is a MUST to apply for these positions.

An attractive remuneration package is offered for experienced and qualified professionals. Qualifications: Native speaker of English with a BA/ BSc (or equivalent) of 12 years education in the medium of English.

Have a passion for teaching school children and a strong desire to live and work in Japan. Apply online at www.interac.co.jp/recruit. Deadline is April 10, 2008.

University of Waterloo Student Security Services is looking for outgoing and motivated individuals currently holding a valid Ontario “G” class licence to become part of RideSafe team. For more info and to apply, e-mail your resume to uwpass@uwaterloo.ca.

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.

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.

Summer sublet, May to August 2008, at 31 High Street, Waterloo. $300 plus utilities (negotiable) Call Jason at 519208-5017 or kenkaniff02@hotmail. com.

San Diego housing – five bedroom, three bathroom furnished home with pool, jacuzzi, big screen TV, wireless internet, cable, washer and dryer, FREE calls to Canada! Available May 1 – pictures available. E-mail slukas62@gmail. com.

Graduate housing available – suites and apartments for May 1 on campus at St. Paul’s College. Apply online at www. stpauls.uwaterloo.ca.

Five bedroom house – five bedrooms, two bathrooms, two kitchens house for rent. New kitchen, hardwood, clean, walk to both universities. Call 905-3984909 for appointment. $2,300/month including utilities.

SERVICES

TechTown Dentistry – “Smile With Confidence” – welcoming new patients.

Complete dental care including whitening and Invisilign, the invisible way to straighten your teeth. Located at 340 Hagey Boulevard, R&T Park, UW. Contact us at info@techtowndentistry.com or 519-746-7333.

LOST & FOUND

Found: a bracelet in REN 2102. E-mail description and contact information to wordchick@gmail.com (put “bracelet” in the subject line) and I’ll get it back to you.

TRAVEL

May 24 long weekend May long-weekend – Port Burwell Country Camping – best party camping in Ontario! Party animal olympics, live bands, D.J’s and more! For more information please visit www.countrycamping.ca or call 1-800-863-3735.

LAST PAPER SEE YOU IN MAY!

Features e o s e m d l o t s d r a c e th F

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008 features@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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Eer and he wr iversi t this a inte ffecti an rig t s p r d d i e a o v fre det s littl ading te, an ding the rsonha d read her or and s e fulfi to be happ e that’s .

Un ough a ver y nd e re th t fo calls. I n a a e w e e a s r e a o r r e h t p r e n g r f din l a u e car Whet ture ( ibly b mains ading mayb erapy tm I t e he hts en m a genera ily acc As the questio nd my rate. H nd n par s hous hing th ed fu re ss th e re o a r ’ a r giv insig prov r. s doe met ent my ot po hecy) f that eks. S m of ctive o ay y e ee ort. my nt, a accu on, ity t r w c e o e i c s s e r e v n e f p s o l d e d ld pro ut o n w r fo rsp th wa et h ea also ot s nse- den a f re es am m ad rm bec for co each o my pr nd mo as de person re of cou lling lked o been i nothe e pe may o vant and ally m t to Mgh she able, n e ince sychic room , w a fi t a t a l m a e l es ough pas ore mily t my naw lown fu , I w an I’d n is, u so that is re e fin I wen lthou tly lik nd th chy p ell-lit that I y e m y fa ou sly u s b ld r s a n a h m t w s , t i a f , way er th inatio ive yo a tale e, but g inst mit e k the urse f di ut cam f m s ab viou I wa ns ho t n e i o d h r b d f t p o a y be n o hing pre te. ctio yon calm ny div to g ll you our lif no rea nd he nly a rom ide o like ens away r e o a t i m t a v i e e ’ i r n s al cript aled bee accu pred no, I ich i all eon and t ith y fou mmo s far f One s il-case th doz uzzed anage to e t read s p d w m r e , h e g o i u a y e e v a . a o d y b c l c d d n p f w S r li h u re I m w lture pen led w uter ust m vere I h ite t h an e, it’s Th itel thi she t even defin or no en — ils her d any you matc less. I think elves. l defin I’m roo op cu red in ere fil comp ws m ce-co ildly e e e r a t s a th wer ethe be s det dubb no e the end, them I wil ether it in p s cove ed w ks, a Meado the la med m ming eredd v t h e o e o t u n c e h d u v c r t r a e W e b y. non In the for e, and e. Wh r not, w r lea ot d here gs, an all s nass a emains into time I’ print. I was . A ca er o w m ice g ide ur a s h o o n r t g late nt tar rner w ookin rystal b wise u r t e to g firs t int adin tea mo w ki d dec uched he fut eaning d adv s u e a r o r c b o r t e d e u s n c e t f f ne line with othe re t i p m t an th to ng an nt ow I ha goi bably nal to of the almos sed gr , and a ows’ ing back i to find ll spen ead r not ation in o er on plete the M d o o a e a s r r h e n p per e end s and dece hom Me tha go ching ey w ith er o epa e as all le com ace in t. oo y th ump f my e to from more ome rin an w wheth l my pr erienc ing t rea s mon ived. g tab -of-pl ce. e B s mp a s h l o b b i p t e d e a o r e e fi t l a n c x g s n t b f @ o.c w ll-rec ou e o eadin ted a . With this e e las for a tio o c dvi to oo g” o ach ady lo in g a men hed to ome a roved e tellin as I re ught? we san ater homThe r I wan stions r into as th n off e and c a d c w c n w p o l f w n u e u w s t d u e e r a o e t t to nw nc O ely s or wha c qu en this hro mo g en had of u ave si this “f ation? sperat form ng to me specifi pts to ssible, ind. T rnalist readin ike to s h l s l e t l n bi ding o wa divi so d d a amb i But, any attem as po my m to jou pical ople l want e t y d d n t y s i y rea rect. S m of ers I rejecte as scr ve in? p an trall rosse hed at a me rs ju reall e u o , acor er for d answ usly be I w o belie ne ave c switc er wh that s le oth and it mind alid s o t h y n v i t h a I r i h fi , v g e o , d t o h e o n t ond king aine , w read is i in ow r to ,m gf ara ing ving p l faith , anyth t… ookin Mead sec an as e expl estion rate sp ith th ee sep ation Ha itiona ething ybe no come l ,” said beg ed. Sh ific qu elabo on. W ve thr l divin c a s l a i e e r e trad som n, ma le do feeling h n ta a sp mor e pe uld io ily. e onc I t i d , k o h find n agai n peop ey’re as nger on t r I c e tra d fam rpris rds. h e o a u s t l n s the “Ofte hat th c h s a a r t d a en he cove reer, other r the y I w at w p w e of d ked that e, ca an ove ager wh tion I as dings ove lif in for rning al im from twork rea ecta: l soon ed tu ediev as far ful ar thing trif I was s start the ming w olour ever y C at w ee ado ized th d to s used. turing e M eal use she fea yosef yip r

14

Features

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

From UWat to tdot Monica Harvey staff reporter

A

s the winter term comes to an end, many of us are looking forward to shorts, birds chirping, and fun in the sun, but some of us are faced with the big decision of what to do after school. Many will be moving on into their field, furthering a career whose foundation they built during their long four to five years here — but four recent graduates chose to do something a little extra.

Jerry Gee, Jonathon Chai, Nichloas Tam, and Adrienne Chau have started a new website “tdotWiki.org” (tdotWiki) which was launched on January 14, 2008 with the only promotions for the site being a Facebook group.

It has grown since, with 20 registered users, approximately 2,000 page views per month, and 239 articles.

While you may think that these may all be graduates from the math faculty with computer science degrees, you might be surprised to know that these four students are from four different faculties. The founder and president Jerry Gee, graduated with a bachelors of science, Jonathan Chai, the chief strategy officer, graduated with a bachelor’s of applied science in civil engineering, Nichloas Tam, the lead researcher and developer for the site, graduated from the math faculty with a degree in computer science, and Adrienne Chau, the marketing assistant and director of human resources graduated from the arts program. The director of marketing, Mark Sy, is currently completing a masters of business at the Schulich School of Business, and did not go to Waterloo, but was recruited because “tdotWiki needed someone with more of a background in business and marketing” said Gee. TdotWiki is a website providing online information about Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) — everything from restaurants and transportation, to weather and the latest news. The website uses a free software package originally written for Wikipedia. The

website generates revenue from Google ads at the bottom of the site which uses Adsense to provide ads relevant to the website content.

The amount of money generated from each ad is dependent on the number of hits a website receives. Right now, TdotWik is still struggling in terms of profit and is currently generating only enough money to maintain itself, but as the website and its user base expands, so will the profits.

Because there are many other websites similar to tdotWiki; such as: “Toronto.ca,” “torontotourism.com,” “dine.to” and even the “yellowpages.ca,” it may be difficult to see why another website about Toronto is needed, and how it would be able to distinguish itself from the others. However, Gee feels that an interactive website provides more reliable information than these other static websites.

“We noticed that there was a lack of up-todate information regarding local events — so we felt that there was a need to address this.

Sometimes you find out about community events by scanning local newspapers, but why not have one resource for the entire GTA?” said Gee. It is interesting to think that Gee completed a bachelor of science degree at Waterloo and embarked on this business project. “Science

at UW was a good program — that’s why I took it. However, I do enjoy starting up projects like this. UW has helped a lot in my development and growth. But if you find a need for something, don’t wait around for someone to do it — that’s an opportunity for you to grab,” said Gee. While tdotWiki is a promising new project started by dedicated Waterloo graduates, its success will be determined in time. Said Gee: “The future plan is to continue to gain momentum through word of mouth and potentially small sized marketing campaigns.

In five years, we see ourselves as the primary information source people go to when they think of Toronto. If there is enough demand, we might even add Waterloo to tdotWiki, or start a Wiki for Waterloo itself!”

So if you are struggling to decide if you want to pursue the career you started here at Waterloo or try something totally different, why not do both, like Gee and friends? When asked what advice he might have for anyone wanting to pursue a project like this, Gee replied: “Don’t be afraid to reach for the stars, you might just land on a cloud.” mharvey@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

While tdotWiki is a promising new project started by dedicated Waterloo graduates, its success will be determined in time. ‘The future plan is to continue to gain momentum through word of mouth and potentially small sized marketing campaigns...’

Joyce Hsu

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Features

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

15

A self improving conversation

A

s a special, end-of-term treat, Bringing Stingy Back presents its first- (and last-) ever guest! My good friend, and ironically arch-nemesis; Alex K. No, wait…that’s too obvious. How about I just refer to him as Alex Q. Alex is going to be my co-pilot as we navigate the treacherous waters of beauty transformations. Or, as three-syllable words go, makeovers!

For those of you avid Clone High fans, feel free to insert the “Makeover Makeover…

Makeover!” theme right here.

So, why do I need a guest columnist? Well, I don’t think that it’s a surprise that I’m about as miserly as they come, so makeovers of any sort have traditionally been viewed as extravagant treats, relegated to daytime television and inquisitive wanderings through issues of my sisters’ Seventeen as a youth.

However, Mr. Q has taught me that it is possible to achieve a transformation in inner and outer beauty (the former, admittedly, much easier on the wallet) without breaking the bank.

To quell any cries of “foul play” from the audience, I decided to sit down and have a little chat with Mr. Q about the finer details of everyone’s favourite m-word. And with that, here goes yet another thinly-veiled narrative of my life, rife with good humour, kind words, endless one-liners, and inside jokes that range in sources from anti-Britney YouTube videos to Arrested Development episodes (RIP):

Ira: The cheapest way to change your body (for the better) is to go to the gym, right? I mean it’s included in your undergrad student fees (unless there’s another referendum on

the horizon…). Any difference between the two on-campus gyms?

Alex: Ventilation…

Ira: … (awkward) Moving on… I really like your outfit!

Alex: …Don’t lie to me.

Ira: No, no! It’s true! It looks like it cost a lot more than my 95 per cent second-hand wardrobe, with an impressive combined value of maybe $40. Where do you get clothing on the cheap without trekking to the Value Village in Kitchener?

Alex: Winners is a safe bet, if you have the patience for flipping through racks upon racks of clothing. It’s a safe way to ensure that few people will have the same clothing as you.

Ira: Kind of like second-hand!

Alex: (sighs) I’m walking away from this project…

Ira: (tugs at shirt collar, swiftly making a smooth transition) Uh, uh… don’t you hate blackheads?

Alex: Now there’s a question that totally saves this conversation!

Ira: I’ll say! I don’t know about you, but every time I’m in the drugstore I’m overwhelmed by the huge selection of skincare products. Thoughts?

Alex: Rule #1: Cleanse. To stay on the dime, try one of those monstrous Specto-Jel pump bottles. If your skin is like mine and produces more oil than Iraq, try Clean & Clear — but be warned, it can be pretty harsh.

Rule #2: Moisturize. Splashing water won’t do — it’ll actually dry your skin out. Cetaphil makes a good, lightweight face lotion with SPF12. Which reminds me: Rule #3: Sunscreen! If you’re lazy, you can always just get an SPF moisturizer. And no, your SPF 4 Banana Boat won’t cut it. You’ll

live? o t lace p a r g fo n i k Loo

Short hairstyles can easily get away with a twoin-one shampoo-and-conditioner and a little styling product. Longer hair needs a little extra effort avoid skin cancer and the leathery uglies when you’re older.

Ira: Speaking of cleansing, I have this great St. Ives stuff (picks up the apricot scrub).

Alex: Great! Rubbing crushed shell against your face! Why don’t you just light your face on fire and put it out with a pickaxe?

Ira: Well… Ethanol is cheap at ChemStores.

Alex: Or, buy a decent exfoliant that doesn’t list sandpaper as its first ingredient — the finer the exfoliating beads, the better.

Ira: Disclaimer; the products espoused by Alex do not factually represent any part of his skin-care regimen. That nightmare, much like his skincare budget, is beyond the scope of this article, trust me.

Alex: If we’re talking fine print, perhaps your face should have its own warning sign: “Large Pore Alert — Watch Your Step.” On the brighter side of things, I do like your hair today… did you wash it?

Ira: Why, yes. (Strokes hair.) So what’s the deal with hair care?

Alex: Other than the fact that it’s blatantly obvious you don’t believe in it, it doesn’t have to be much of a ritual. Short hairstyles can easily get away with a two-in-one shampooand-conditioner and a little styling product.

Longer hair needs a little extra effort — perhaps some leave-in conditioner (quick tip

from a roommate — you can skimp on your shampoo and conditioner spending, but invest in a good leave-in — your hair and mirror will thank you). And then there’s haircutting — but I should probably let you have your two cents in that department.

Ira: Well, Apple II is great for people like me who have extra money on their WatCard flex, namely because they refuse to submit to the extortion that is Food Services. But if you’re both cheap and into BDSM, you can always try First Choice. Speaking of BDSM, all that preening will likely result in sex. Thankfully, free condoms and lube are far from extinct on campus. Other moneysaving strategies?

Alex : Stay sober! Spend your beer budget on your bar victim instead. Not only will you be less likely to employ faulty judgment, and avoid disappointments the morning after, it won’t be a regretful night — at least for you.

Ira: Amen! With that tip, I think anyone could probably “pull,” as the British call it. Hell, with enough booze, I’d even want me.

Alex: (mournfully) Oh, I’m sorry Ira. Nobody wants you. Nobody. Wants. You. Ira: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! … Hack. isherr@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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16

Features

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

The Universe could be hers

UW student selected to display both beauty and brains in the Miss Universe Pageant Cait Davidson assistant features editor

S

pending a few minutes with Sharon Philipose, a first year kinesiology student at UW, I found that she is more than just a pretty face. Philipose is one of 62 delegates competing in Toronto’s Miss Universe Canada. Hailing originally from Ottawa, Philipose will be competing from April 18 to the 29 in Toronto. Chosen from 3000 applicants, Philipose applied back in April 2007, but with all the competitors chosen for that year, the Miss Universe Canada competition held her application over to this year. The application process consisted of an online application and two photos. This month there were two training sessions Philipose was unable to attend.

Disappointingly to some, beauty pageants remain a feature of the entertainment world. “Sure, their Nielsen ratings are not what they used to be,” Toronto Star columnist Antonia Zerbisias wrote in 2007, “but, my guess is, that’s because the show format is just outdated.” Historically, beauty pageants have been looked down upon, as people participating in them were commonly refered to as “airheads.” Even in today’s society, many, stereotypically speaking, still look at these contest with disdain, as they view the contestant as “bimbos.”

However, if you take time to talk to what some beauty pageant deledate, you may find that the stereotypes of them wrong.

For the girls in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), like Philipose, there is a cocktail reception and fashion show fundraiser for S.O.S. Villages, a child advocacy group, on April 11, a second fashion show for

the GTA girls and good luck party on April 12, a reception with the Raptors on April 7. Canada AM or Breakfast Television will also present the contestants on a media day.

The national competition kicks off officially April 18, with the arrival of delegates from around the country and an official photo shoot. The photo shoot and check in continues to the next day, where the girls will also have a gala, another fundraiser for S.O.S. Villages. With a whirlwind of day trips, media days, speeches, sponsor visits and other events between the 19 and 25, the competition heats up on Saturday, April 26 with the preliminary competition which decides who the top 20 girls are in the competition. The two competition nights consist of a bathing suit, evening gown and interview sections. Each section is worth one third of the final marks for the victory. The top 20 girls continue on to the final competition on the April 28. After the final competition, there’s the coronation ball and the winner goes on to compete in the Miss Universe Pageant in Vietnam.

Philipose applied to compete last year after seeing that Miss Universe 2005 was a Canadian competitor, Natalie Glebova. Having wanted to compete previously, she found her life too complicated while she was studying and working as a dental assistant. When she decided to pursue a professional degree in kinesiology at UW toward the goal of achieving a career in physiotherapy, the free summers would allow time to compete.

However after finding out she was a finalist in January, Philipose was unsure she should compete because of exam demands. After talking to

SEX.

Courtesy Sharon Philipose

Miss Universe Canada delegate, Sharon Philipose is not just another pretty face, she is also an intelligent, first year, kinisology student, here at the University of Waterloo. professors and family and receiving a lot of support, Philipose decided to continue. She mentioned in the interview that she wanted to “bring a new aspect of beauty and intelligence” to the competition. While talking about the competition, she was excited to be a student of Waterloo and to be representing the student body. When it comes to the pageant side of things,

Philipose believes that there are more to these girls than just the superficial, they also involve showing others that you can do thrilling, exciting things, without compromising your focus on life and your degree.

Overall, Philipose views this as a chance to rise above herself; an opportunity to display her self-confidence and beauty, overcoming some

of the challenges in her life. As many would understand, the portion she’s most nervous about is the bathing suit competition, displaying her body for people to judge. Most importantly, while she wants to win, she’s looking most to gain an experience and add to the competition. cdavidson@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

yes, you can write a column about that.* Do you have an area of expertise? Some of our columnists are retiring; new writers need to step up to keep Imprint interesting!

Anyone who wants their own column should send three samples along with a cover letter to editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca by May 2.

For those who wish to volunteer in other ways, Imprint’s first staff meeting of Spring term will be Monday, May 5, at 12:30 in SLC 1116.

Come on out — new faces are always welcome!

* Imprint also encourages column submissions which are not about sex.

Features

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

Spring seasoning

S

pring is coming and the season reminds me of a salad, the landscape soon to be tossed with freshly sprouting greenery and a mix of sunny skies.

While I can’t wait to herald in springtime, the salad for me is a different story. Although I like the idea of salad because it’s good for you, I admit I am not much of an herbage person, usually bypassing the dish in favour of reaching my entrée sooner.

However, it really depends on whether the salad has enough favourable qualities in it for me to want to consume it rather than be obligated to. Until recently, salads were not given the attention they deserved, most times being tucked away at the bottom of the menu list, or given a monotonous and lack-lustre description: there’s not much punch in a ‘house/chef ’ or ‘mixed’ salad, and to me, poor Caesar’s name is synonymous with overkill; when haven’t you seen an

improperly constructed Caesar salad on a menu?

Naturally, the French, in spite of their rich butter-based creations, are able to necessitate a delicious and beautiful salad. Their Salade Niçoise, from Nice, France, encapsulates this ideal. Like a Monet painting, items blend together seamlessly, but can be distinct in their own right when given the attention. The basic Niçoise uses the sweetness of tomatoes and garlic, the saltiness of the anchovies and black olives, hearty tuna, the crunchiness of the green beans, creamy eggs, and pungent onions, all tossed in a light vinaigrette to deliver a panoramic sensation of tastes. The salad can also be embellished with potatoes, salty capers, or shallots used in place of onions which provide a sweeter and milder taste.

This salad happens to be one of my favourites because it has so

many components, and the layers of flavour bring a lot of depth to the dish. Everything works so well together that I personally enjoy it without any vinaigrette, preferring to add sea salt and black pepper instead.

However, don’t just take my word for it; this also happens to be Julia Child’s favourite salad as well. Julia Child was a revered and legendary chef who introduced French cookery to North Americans and made it more approachable to the masses.

Among her famous works, it was her 1961 published Mastering the Art of French Cooking that made French food possible in the home because of its methodical instructions and helpful illustrations.

Help chase away winter woes and put some spring in your mealtimes with a hearty and palate-pleasing salad. tli@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Salade Niçoise

17

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A

s a treat, use slices of sashimi grade tuna from the grocery store, instead of the canned variety. If you want this, call your local supermarket to see whether they offer this, and if so, they’ll return your call to notify you when it arrives.

• 8 ounces green beans • 12 ounces baby or fingerling potatoes, washed and cut in half, then into quarters • 1 large head Boston-lettuce leaves, washed and dried • 1 1/2 cups flaked cooked tuna (8 ounces), or one 9 1/4 ounce can of chunk white tuna (in water), drained and broken into chunks • 2 medium tomatoes, washed, cut into wedges • 2 hard or soft-boiled eggs * Recipe Below • 1/2 cup pitted black olives • 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion • 4 anchovy fillets, drained • Salt and pepper to taste Wash beans, removing ends. In a large saucepan cook beans and potatoes in lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain, cover and place in fridge to chill. To make the salad: artfully arrange leaves on plate, then beans, potatoes, tomatoes, eggs, olives, onion, tuna and anchovies on top. Drizzle with vinaigrette (recipe follows), and add salt and pepper if desired.

Niçoise dressing:

In a measuring cup (or jar if you have one), combine 1/4 cup olive or grapeseed oil, 1/4 cup white or red wine vinegar, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp fresh tarragon (or 1/4 tsp dried), 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/4 tsp sea salt, dash of black pepper. Whisk to combine if using a measuring cup, or with the jar, screw the cap on and shake well.

* Soft-boiled:

Place eggs in a medium saucepan. Add enough cold water to just cover the eggs. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and immediately run eggs under cold water for easy removal of shells.

* Hard-boiled:

Place eggs in a medium saucepan. Add enough cold water to just cover the eggs. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat. The moment it gets to a rapid boil immediately remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and run eggs under cold water for easy removal of shells.

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Master of Planning Program in Urban Development*@Ryerson University Ryerson’s new graduate program in Urban Development, scheduled to commence in Fall 2008, is an advanced study program centred around a core sequence of planning design studios, core courses on issues of culture and nature in planning, electives plus a major research paper or project. The program offers a Master of Planning (M.P.I.) with a focus on urban development, concentrating on design approaches for contemporary metropolitan regions through which students develop a nuanced understanding of current global and local dynamics. The program is unique in offering professional study of urban development through an innovative integration of ‘culture’ and ‘nature’, providing a combined multicultural and ecological framework to facilitate the study of practice of sustainable urban development.

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18

Features

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

Close encounters of the comic kind Scott Houston staff reporter

A

few years back, I wrote about what to do if you were a geek in Waterloo, and had no idea what to do. But the nerd landscape in this town has changed with a couple of big closures in 2007. First of all, back in June, the hallowed anime Mecca of Gemini Jetpack shut its doors for good.

If you frequented the store at all, you know why it closed. Waterloo would, however get back on its feet.

In September, another prominent geek store closed down: Now and Then Books. Located in downtown Kitchener, it was thought to be the oldest shop that dealt exclusively in comic books in Canada, it was open in 1971

by Harry Kremer and Bill Johnson.

Kramer took over the store shortly after, but suffered a fatal heart attack in 2002, and Dave Kostis, a then employee of the store, bought it. The store closed its doors in September, and has since been replaced by the Catacombs, a music merch store.

So, with these two giant of geek-ery shut down, where can you go to get your fill of comics, games anime and other nerd-ware?

Let’s start with comics, because everyone likes comics. Spiderman, Batman — we grew up reading these books, or beating up those who did. Now, we’ve

grown older and realized that, yes, comics are indeed a legitimate form of media. So where can we go pick up our weekly fix? If you are looking for proximity to the university, the closest shop is Carry-on Comics. However, you can use that jolly ol’ Watcard of yours and hop a bus to Looking for Heroes, located right beside the bus terminal, on Charles street, downtown Kitchener. Is there a large difference in comic shops?

Not really, most will offer you the same price. However, if you can find a shop that will sell at the US cover price, or give discounts for a subscription, you should head there.

So now you’ve picked up your comics, and you’re ready to head home. Your buddy calls you up on your cell phone, and says, “Hey, Let’s play Risk tonight!”

You think, “pretty sweet, a few hours of global warfare.” But then you slink back into your bus seat realizing that your Risk board is back home, in Sault Ste. Marie.

So naturally, you pull the cord and get off at the next stop. Luckily you find yourself at King and University. The best place to head now is down toward Weber St. on University (not King, you’ll get to Chapters) and you will see a castle-shaped building. That building contains the best stop for games in the area. If you are into board games, card games — both collectible and non-collectible — puzzles or anything like of that sort, then this is the place for you.

It is J & Js and it is where I go to pick up any Magic (the gathering) singles I

need. They also sell Games Workshop models for Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000(40K). However, the best place, if you’re into tabletop gaming, is Phoenix Hobbies and Games. Located right beside the old Now and Then, the toughest part about getting there is climbing the narrow flight of stairs at the entrance. Inside you will find a friendly atmosphere with plenty of Warhammer and 40K models to choose from. If you are into this kind of gaming, there is a club on campus for it too.

So you got your Risk board, and you’re about to get back on the bus when buddy calls you up again. “Hey, lets watch some anime too!” Fine.

You can get that covered too. Times were, a simple trip to Gemini Jetpack was enough. But now that it’s closed and anime has come closer to the mainstream, it is possible to pick it up at any video rental store. Blockbuster and Rogers video are okay choices, but if you want indulge your other tastes at the same time, say by picking up the old Godzilla with your anime, then head to Generation X. They have a decent selection of movies, but their anime was a little lacking last I went there.

So know you are armed with the knowledge to get out there and do your geek thing. And if you don’t want to admit to your roommates that you are going out to play Risk, tell them you’re going to the gym. Don’t forget your gym bag. shouston@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

graphics by peter trinh

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19

Features

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

through foreign eyes

Iranian culture close at hand

COURTESY Payam Ghafari

Community members near (Kitchener) and far (Toronto and beyond) gather in Waterloo to celebrate the Persian New Year.

Cait Davidson assistant features editor

G

rowing up in a small monocultural town, I wasn’t exposed to different cultures as I am here in Waterloo. On Saturday, March 15, I had the chance to experience the celebration of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, put on by the Iranian Student Association (ISA). For those of you who knew as little about this as I did, this year is 1387 in the Persian calendar, which is a solar calendar. In order to make it follow the Gregorian calendar, one would add 621 years to the total. Saturday night was a party, a social gathering for families and students to come together and celebrate the New Year. Similar to the celebration of the Western rendition of Christmas, Nowruz has two weeks leading up to it that are celebrated as a holiday season. The Persian year begins on the first day of spring. Their calendar does have leap years, but each month

has 30 days to it, and every season is exactly three months long.

I attended the event which took place at Saint George Hall with Mahtab Ghamsari and Negin Nowtash, a Persian UW student and alumnus who were kind enough to offer me a ride to, and spend time with me at the event. When we entered, I noticed that across from the door was the haft sin, described to me as the Persian Christmas tree. The haft sin is a table on which seven things that, in Persian, begin with the letter “S” are placed.

Haft being “7” and sin meaning “S.” Apples, painted eggs, candles, a mirror, goldfish, evergreen plants and garlic, among other things, were on the table.

In some homes, families would place copies of the Qu’ran on the table as well. Each item placed on the table had a symbolic reference to things people wished for in the coming year. For example, the painted eggs represent fertility, goldfish for life, the mirror

represents light, and garlic turns away bad or evil things.

Surrounding the haft sin, there were many people socializing, waiting for the main focuses of the event: the banquet and a dance following it. When I first arrived, the food hadn’t gotten there yet. Everything was falling into place, leading to a feast. Done beautifully, the food was catered by Shandiz restaurant from the University Plaza. The food; which consisted of a chicken dish and rice, was carefully crafted and tasted great. The hall was decorated beautifully and everyone looked marvellous in their semi-formal wear. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize the event was semi-formal and was wearing jeans and a sweater. No matter how informally I was dressed, no one paid attention, contributing to an incredibly welcoming atmosphere. In past years at UW, Nowruz was celebrated by a small group of dedicated students who served the food themselves and put together decorations, arranging everything to give Iranian students at Waterloo a chance to celebrate this holiday with friends and fellow Iranian students. This event has been organized by the ISA in the past, as well as this year.

The hall was packed; it had really grown from being a small event at the university to being something that the community got involved in and attended. Nowtash, having graduated from UW, mentioned that people came from Guelph, St. Catharines, Toronto and other places to attend this event, because of the small Persian community. At one point, she said, she would have known everyone in the room. Nowtash herself has graduated and is working in Toronto, coming back to UW for the event.

Following dinner was a dance. The small children, the teens and young adults as well as many of the older married couples made their way to the dance floor. The music was a mixture of

house and popular Persian songs. The atmosphere stayed one of comfortable socialization. There were people passing through the crowd of dancers, in lines, holding hands. As well, people danced in a circle around a couple of people inside who were dancing. Ghamsari told me that both were traditions. As the night continued on, so did the dance, running until well after 1:00 a.m. which in Persian tradition similar to the Western concept of 12 a.m. is the marking of a new day.

The celebration I attended did not take place on the actual day of the Persian New Year. This year, the official day fell on Thursday, March 20.

The event at Saint George Hall was a pre-celebration, the socializing aspect of a larger celebration, which included a bonfire to be held the night before the New Year, welcoming it.

On Wednesday night, March 19, the ISA held a bonfire. Traditionally, people would light these fires and jump over them, singing that — in the new year

— they would have a wife with a baby in her arms. In the old religion of Persia, before Islam, fire was a sacred thing. On those nights, children would cover their face and go door to door with a bowl and spoon, clinking the spoon against the bowl at doors until someone gave them candy or nuts. After explaining this and the haft sin to me, we went inside to the sit-down dinner, meeting up with Ghamsari’s parents and many of both girls’ friends. Greeting friends and family with handshakes and kisses on both cheeks, we found the hall was quite full.

Payam Ghafari — former ISA president, grad student and ISA advisor — commented that the event turnout for both events was great. In spite of Tuesday’s rain, Wednesday’s bonfire had around 60 to 70 people attend. It seemed to him that “the Nowruz spirit doesn’t let bad weather get in the way of traditional celebrations.” cdavidson@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Watch Imprint’s Free Movies on the Big Screen and you could get free DVD rentals from us.

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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR RESEARCH STUDY ON MONEY We are looking for volunteers to complete a study examining how people view and evaluate money.

The study will take approximately 2 hours to complete and will take place on campus. Normal or correctedto-normal vision and fluency in English is required.

In appreciation of your time, you will receive $75.00.

If you are interested, please call the recruiting agency, Viewfinders Research, at 1-888-592-0059 to see if you are eligible.

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Viewfinders can be reached 7 days a week, 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. If calling after hours, please feel free to leave a message and your call will be returned the next day.

This study has been reviewed by, and has received ethics clearance through, the Office of Research Ethics, University of Waterloo.

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Shattered Glass Multi-Purpose Room, SLC

A Mighty Heart Great Hall, SLC

The Paper Great Hall, SLC

All The President’s Men Great Hall, SLC

20

News Feature

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

EXECUTIVES

F

News Feature

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

Travis Myers

IN REVIEW

news editor photos by Michael L. Davenport

PRES

VPAF

VPED

VPIN

Kevin Royal

Del Pereira

Jonah Levine

Darcy Higgins

eds President Kevin Royal may have been featured among Canada’s top young leaders in the CBC’s program Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister, but how has his performance and leadership been this past year as a Federation executive is still subject to review.

Royal’s initial campaign for president (a race against then-incumbent Michelle Zackrison and Adam Shubert that was marred by angry e-mails and attacks on the engineering faculty between the two) was based on some very basic platform points.

First and foremost, his intention was to engage students into the Federation though an interactive website current with the capabilities of the internet, including streaming video, photo galleries and podcasts of Feds events and bureaucratic events.

Another platform plank during the campaign was the promise of a more inclusive attitude towards the University of Waterloo’s satellite architecture campus in Cambridge, widely regarded as isolated from the goings on of UW campus proper. His ideas included constructing a rotation of campus services (i.e. GLOW, Women’s Centre) that would make these valuable community assets available to all UW students instead of those within close proximity to service offices and the SLC. Royal promoted this idea as part of a proposed move of Feds away from solely occupying the SLC to being regarded as more of a campus-wide presence.

After being elected, Royal wasted no time in implementing FedsPulse in September of 2007, in time for returning and new students to take advantage of regularly updated content and interactive tools. When asked about the success of the new website, Royal explained that student feedback had been mainly positive in nature so far, but was also quick to admit that the website was far from being a done deal, saying that “there remains considerable opportunity for improvement as we move forward, and I think that starts with more targeted cover-

age of events on campus, and a fostering a culture on campus and within Feds that promotes Web 2.0 tools.”

When asked about his promise to expand Feds and services to Cambridge, an election promise that was never realized, Royal expressed his regret for what he called “underperformance” in the School of Architecture. “While there has been a closer connectivity between UW-Cambridge and main campus due to the bus pass, we haven’t gotten our services out there as much as I would’ve liked to see.”

As for the idea of expanding Feds beyond the boundaries of the SLC, the renovation of the Feds offices and the construction of a new Feds store within the centre would immediately suggest otherwise. Royal’s view on the matter is slightly different, claiming the Residence Life Engagement Project (mainly Feds visiting residences to stomp up student interest) as a success, although Feds visibility throughout the rest of campus is still non-existent to most who are not actively seeking it.

The overwhelming success of Royal’s term — including bus costs into student fees through the U-Pass system — is something that wasn’t involved in his platform and was an idea that had been tossed around Feds for years. The U-Pass, although caught in red tape for most of the 2007 spring term, was finalized in time for September. Talk of the possibility of using Watcards as a swipe card and its associated costs were an issue for the new set of executives. Another point of distance between Royal and the U-Pass is his self-promotion as a fiscal conservative, something that would suggest disagreement with the large costs associated with the student bus pass.

Royal’s influence during his term as president has not had many lasting effects on the student body of UW, although he has exhibited confidence and capability behind the wheel, and his recent national exposure suggests we haven’t heard the last of Kevin Royal.

COLOUR

D

el Pereira, whose campaign may be best remembered for the ridiculous posters featuring him being mauled (presumably) by the hands of students, is coming to the end of his first term as the vice-president of administration and finance, and gearing up for his second term in the coming year. But, despite the underlying message of his posters, does everyone really want a piece of Del? His campaign was run on some very simple platform points, mainly associated with his experience as a Federation employee at the Bombshelter Pub. Appealing to students, Pereira’s people-pleaser promises were anchored by the claims that he would improve the speed of service at Bomber and to get more people into Bomber on busy nights.

Another campaign promise was to “turn Fed Hall into a premiere venue,” and weighty claim for a business venture that, as of March 2008, has yet to yield a profit.

His first two platform points can easily be deemed unsuccessful by anyone who has ever been to Bomber. Service times are still achingly slow, even during times when there are very few people in the restaurant.

As for getting more students into the bar on busy nights, such as the always-popular Bomber Wednesdays, the congestion in the SLC Great Hall because of the line is physical evidence of Pereira’s failure.

The VPAF is quick to claim these battles as draws rather than losses. “We’ve got the comment cards now [at Bomber] and we’re receiving 150-200 comment cards a week.”

This attempt, however, is a small step towards improvement, as Pereira already knew the areas of weakness for the pub during his 2007 campaign – for students to continue to point out problems is immediately part of an active solution.

His second Bomber related campaign commitment, to raise the capacity of the bar to accommodate more people, is another avenue that has turned out to be a dead end. At the time of the election Pereira

believed that he could convince university administration to increase the pub’s capacity from 380 people to 440-460, pushing the boundaries of the Liquor Control Boards of Ontario’s regulations.

“The decision is up to the landlord, which is in this case the university ... although the [LCBO] says we can have more people, the administrations concerns about safety [override this].”

Pereira does promote the advances in Bomber service that have occurred during his current term in office. “With the new patio we will have more space.” He is also proud of the new wireless system that has been implemented for debit and credit card payment, as well as a reduction of waste with a new ordering system.

Fed Hall is still an issue of concern, although Pereira is proud of the improvements the venue has seen. “This will be the first year [Fed Hall] breaks even ...

It has become a premier banquet hall.”

Although this gain is not ideal in the eyes of councillor Jeffrey Aho. “It’s bittersweet to me to have our student union business held above water with weddings and high school proms.”

The VPAF defends these losses, though, with what he calls being a “wide-eyed puppy dog” upon first starting the job. He hadn’t taken into account the amount of time he would be spending on projects such as the U-Pass and the Health/Dental Plan.

He can also claim the respect of his peers for his management of the Federation Express project, citing praise from councillors Sam Andrey and Jeffrey Aho on his handling of the endeavour.

Pereira’s ability to follow through on his word during his term in office has been negligible, although experience in Feds bureaucracy makes him valuable in the coming term. He concluded his term review interview with the statement: “Get involved,” a sentiment this report card echoes — future Feds may take example from Pereira on making promises they can keep.

J

onah Levine is known for his outrageous hours in the Feds office, devoting his free time to the realization of goals and adding to the perception of availability that has been lacking in previous years for the Federation. But are these extra hours helping students?

Levine’s campaign promises centered around student engagement. “I want to get students engaged in the job of VP education,” he said during the 2007 campaign period, “so that the VPED does their job better.” When asked as part of this end of term review, Levine stated, “I feel that I have established greater levels of connectedness between the VP Education Office and the faculty societies through initiative such as the student social and study space forums. I also think higher levels of student engagement were achieved between myself and specific students.”

Levine also pledged to retain VPED as his only leadership role if he were to be elected, a promise in direct opposition with many who had held the VPED and VP External position before him who also occupied positions with Ontario Undergraduate Student Association (OUSA) and Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA).

Levine’s pledge was one he ultimately broke by taking on a role as an OUSA Secretary, and chairing a CASA committee in charge of reviewing the CASA Campus Ambassador Network. Levine believes that by taking these roles he was not vacating his Federation position in favour of larger assemblies, but instead using the knowledge he gained through these outlets to better help the students of Waterloo.

Councillor Sam Andrey supports Levine’s involvement with OUSA and CASA: “Under Jonah’s guidance, Waterloo showed leadership at the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA) general assembly on a number of issues including sustainability, alternate cost-recovery models,

D COLOUR

and fighting against income-contingent loan repayment.”

Levine also had goals of assembling a unique council of student leaders. “One change to the position that I was trying to have done by the AGM this year was the establishment of an ‘Education Council.’ I intended this council to bring together a variety of student leaders from across campus together to network and develop common on-campus advocacy goals and strategies.”

Unfortunately, this goal was never realized, but Levine has laid the groundwork for the implementation of the Education Council during the term of his successor Andres Fuentes, but the effort behind creating the group ultimately rests with Fuentes.

Levine’s ideas of inclusion and engagement are key to what Rick Theis describes as a “more cohesive” Federation. “They have done a very good job working as a team.

We’ve always had good leaders, but it’s less common to find a good collective,” said Theis when asked his opinion on this year’s executives as part of the Feds report card.

Levine’s long hours, working in both the realm of Feds and OUSA/CASA, has helped him achieve success on the behalf of students, but for many students putting a face to VPED has been hard, with Levine falling into familiar VPED habits of limited accessibility and working externally of UW — despite claims of working towards the opposite during campaign period.

Levine can claim more successes during his term than some of his fellow execs, however, having run a successful program to advocate for student political involvement during the provincial election and breaking ground on revisions to co-op service.

Levine’s involvement with OUSA/CASA has been both a benefit to the students of UW, but also a detriment to his credibility as a politician. Overall, his term has brought about little change in the way of changing the definition of VPED as he had hoped it might, but he still managed a good job in the traditional sense of the position.

arcy Higgins ran his campaign for VP Internal as part of team eX (along with current executive Del Pereira) on the foundation of creating a stronger sense of community at the University of Waterloo. Higgins maintains that his actions over the course of his term in office have furthered this goal, while simultaneously working with faculty and staff to dissolve the drawn lines on which the UW population exists.

When asked about what work he has been involved in as VPIN to create a strong UW community, Higgins responded by saying that “We have had more clubs and services collaborating on events and panels which promote dialogue. I supported the creation of the Mayor’s Student Advisory Council, which will maintain an ongoing partnership with the Feds, and made other links with community members that will serve us well in the future.” He went on to explain that he also hoped to achieve a more cohesive populace through meetings with senior staff members.

Higgins also stated that he has been often misquoted in regards to a 2007 campaign idea of transitioning student clubs and associations such as the Muslim Student Association (MSA) into campus services — something he denies having said. He does however maintain that he has provided support for clubs and associations like the MSA and his ongoing involvement in the One Waterloo Campaign. One Waterloo a program which is responsible for diversity drives that can be seen around campus, such as the poorly attended Black History Month celebrations of February.

Of the proposed and supported ideas of his initial campaign, Higgins saw the realization of FedsPulse, which is among the larger successes of this

set of executives. Higgins is proud of his involvement with the FedsPulse project, spearheaded by Royal and Team Yellow as a whole, saying “The changes have allowed students to publicize their groups, interact more and give a good window to what is happening on campus of interest to students. The Arts Student Union and other groups have linked to FedsPulse and followed the model.” The involvement seen on the website is a drastic improvement from the old Feds.ca, a website with irregularly updated content and little to draw in students in an interactive sense.

Hig gins’ involvement with the University of Waterloo Sustainability Project (UWSP) has also shown through his work as VPIN. Although his efforts towards a Sustainability Office have been unsuccessful, councillor Andrey promotes Higgins’ achievements, stating that “Darcy has successfully lobbied the university administration to institute an annual $25,000 sustainability projects fund,” a task spearheaded by the President-Elect Justin Williams.

In contrast to some of the other executives, Higgins is confident that he has accomplished all the goals he began with and more, including sustainability projects, raising awareness around mental health and suicide prevention, work on Diversity and One Waterloo, as well as trying to encourage Fed Hall as a premier venue.

Overall, Higgins’ involvement in various facets of campus life, accomplishment of goals, and visibility as an executive earn him a good mark on his term review report card, something reflected in his own comfort with his time as an executive: “The year was a great learning experience, so I put in all the effort I could, and there wasn’t much I would have done differently.”

Of the four executives, he seems at the very least to have the fewest regrets.

21

22

Photo Feature

Jim Wallace

A ferocious shot of a dinosaur in the Centre for Environmental and Informational Technology.

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

Julie Lavelle

Lynn Thomas

An artistic view at the underground tunnel that connects Arts Lecture Hall A snowy path and a windy night near with South Campus Hall.

Grebel College.

A pile of snow-covered abandoned bikes lying outside the SLC.

Jen Thomson

Jane Ruttkayova

A view of the Dana Porter Library from the window of a student’s house on Lester Street.

Campus Clicks This week’s theme: Winter Term 2008 in Review Scott Chonghar

(Left to Right) Caitlyn Smith, Sophia Lane, Liz Reimer, Rose Eeelman, and Jesse Van Amerom show off their University of Waterloo’s spirit during Campus Day while promoting orientation leadership!.

A majestic Canadian goose coming in for a landing on Laurel Creek.

Philip Jama

Send your campus photos, along with the names of any people in them and a brief description, to photos@imprint.uwaterloo.ca.

23

Photo Feature

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

Jim Wallace

A foggy glimpse of Technology Park on an evening walk home from campus.

Arthur Kai Hei Kok

Nikoo Shahabi

Philip Jama

Mysterious set of footprints here suggests Alex Anam hard at work in the ECE 223 lab during the Metal artwork depicting “CS” in front of the Mathematics and Computer Science Building. evidence of student life. late hours of the Chinese New Year.

Ethan Wilding

Dana Porter at night, long ago, when the grass was still green.

A group of Waterloo students cheer on the Raptors.

Jane Ruttkayova

At dusk, Health Services glitters across Laurel Creek, exposing a glamourous side of its architecture.

Scott Chonghar

Andrea Johnson

Members of the University of Waterloo’s Hip Hop Club practise their moves.

24

Comics & Distractions

And the winner is...

“Jack and Jill demonstrate the dangers of flatulence beside a running bunsen burner.”

– Ainko Ramanathan, 2B Biomedical Science

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

Guest Comic by Travis Myers

Comics & Distractions

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

Crossword

1

2

3

4

5

14

Tim Foster

21

34

24

35

25

36

42

50 54

59

60

61

55

J.Dub, let me sing you a song: “And any time you feel the pain, hey j, refrain. Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders.” you REEK of awesomeness. Remember that. Imprint five! from Swarley

57

63

67

68

69

35. Shortchange 37. Serious convict 39. Dangers 42. Reeves’ hacker handle 43. Crunchy salad addition 44. Actor Eastwood 45. Let go 48. Harm 50. Follow Augs 52. Glowing coal 53. Cucumbers in vinegar 55. Hindu dress 57. Gael 58. Eight prefix 59. Auto 60. Attempt 61. Inflated superiority 63. Box top

“Blue Jays game.”

Ryan Hill and Mike Seaward 3B arts

“Dare Day! Whoever does the most dares wins.”

Asif Khan and Anju Kalsi

1B nanotechnology and 2B science

Mar. 21 solutions

tfoster@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

8

Ken, I’m in pieces. Why the cold shoulder?

Barbie.

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56

66

Tim Foster

To my Hot Trini Boy - K.N. – i have been eying your sexy ass for awhile. i love those firm muscular arms of yours... they’re looking sexier by the day, ur my role model babe, i’ve been trying to get my pecs to look as scrumptious as yours. i love watching ur naughty bootie sweat in the gym. I’m wondering can I pour honey on your delicious abs and slowly ... nibble it off??? i always see u at the tables at the SLC. My body aches to be one of those girls that are always on you. I get aroused when I think of the possibility of bubbling up on u at the party tonight, ill be wearing something short with easy access so u cud really ride up ‘pon my bumper boi. Keep in mind ... I’ll be watching you.

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5. Depart (2 wds) 6. Fuss 7. Make vocal music 8. In lieu of 9. Less long-winded 10. French lily 11. Unwell 12. Indicates a woman’s maiden name 13. Banned insecticide 18. Ermine 22. Measures 24. Sugary liquid 26. Poem of praise 27. Groups of species 28. Bolivian capital 30. Baton-passing race 32. Fermented honey and water 33. Knocks 34. Germany’s new marks

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48 51

62

by Dylan Cawker

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1 4

How are you planning to celebrate the end of exams?

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44 47

49

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7 8

7 5 4 6 9

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1 3

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Sudoku

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Down 1. Late “Ring of Fire” singer 2. Burn treatment plants 3. Fifth wheel 4. Maliciously accuse

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7

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Across 1. UW advocacy group 5. Back talk 9. Visually impaired 14. European mountain system 15. Polish text 16. Aroused and angry 17. Inuit carving material 19. Small island 20. Until now 21. Monopoly or soccer 23. Like the liquid and clotting part of blood 25. Removes condensation 29. Goat boy 31. Roman Catholic thankfulness hymn (2 wds) 33. Start at square one 36. Citation 38. Big extinct sea bird 39. Hands down judgment 40. Irish militant org.

41. Headmaster 44. Shed tears 46. Henry VIII’s court jester 47. Warble to the mountains 49. Ghosts 51. Drove a length of iron through 54. Puts to purpose 56. Memory related 58. Two quartets 62. Of tolerable taste 64. Payload 65. Angle math (Abrev.)

66. Part with for money 67. Give clothes a test (2 wds) 68. Fries or steamed veggies 69. At one time

6

25

3 8 4

7 9 3 8 1 6 TL, every week when I turn to “Savoury Bites” and see your face my mouth waters...and that’s before I read the article. How about we try the following: 1 part you, 1 part me, 7 parts booze.

It shouldn’t take much time before we create some of our own Crème de love. I can’t help but dream of Ricotta Kisses from you, while we Bake our way to Endless Love.Talk to MK for my contact, I can definitely Spice up Your Life.

I see you floating through the SLC with your long flowing trench coat, trailing behind you like a trail of fire. I watch you sometimes unknowingly, and want to run up and jump on you.Your long lean body seems to be calling for me. I want to come up and yank on your beautiful brown dreads.You work at Imprint, or at least I think you do. Come hither and whisk me away. Signed, your admirer from afar.

To my Jewel, You drive me crazy and I just can’t sleep, I’m so excited, I’m in too deep.

And I know I got to be right now, cuz I can’t

E L L S

L O O K

S A N E

O B I T S

S A D I E

I S L E T

E P A V O D E N S N E

8 9 7 3 5 6 2 1 4

5 6 1 8 4 2 7 3 9

E D G E T Y E R K E E S S L R O A U I D S E E R

3 2 4 1 9 7 6 8 5

E R I C F E T A F A C T C H A E T P S L U T F U L R A T C A U S O G S A M I L E T S N E S T A U S T E

6 1 2 9 8 4 5 7 3

9 4 3 7 2 5 1 6 8

Z A F P T A I N G S P T I E A N N O T S P

7 5 8 6 1 3 4 9 2

2 7 9 5 6 8 3 4 1

E R R E D

T E A R

A S N A U D S

G I C S

G E N I I

M A T T E

T R A Y S

T Y R E

H E A T

E A R N

R H E A

4 8 6 2 3 1 9 5 7

1 3 5 4 7 9 8 2 6

get much wronger, man I been waitin’ all night now to see your true colours shining through.

Don’t worry I’ll see your real rugby skills soon.

When I do, and I remove my jeans but trip over them cuz I still got my shoes on, I’ll turn it into a sexy dance…just for you. So when the sun shines we’ll shine together, and we’ll always be together, under your umbrella, ella, ella. I look forward to seeing you bring sexy back and girl I always knew you wanted me to show you my thong th thong thong thong. All I got left to say is hit me baby one more time! Goodbye my lover. – Hopeless Romantic.

To 5-3 MS, ECE calc is rather tough, Let me tutor you I know it’s rough. I made up an equation for me to show, How much of this calculus I really know. MS+MS is equal to you and me, Factor that out and (M+M)S we’ll be.

Here’s a Proof we’re destined together, both Sagittarius from places of warm weather.

Our names spell out M&Ms like the candy.

When I tutor you I’ll make sure to have many handy. We’re also both kids from flemo park

“Going to France.”

“Party hearty.”

3A software engineering and 3A arts and business

2B science and 2B biomedical science

Mike Aasen and Brittany Farley

“Travelling to Europe.”

Maliha Mhaeed

3B environmental studies

Herminam Rai and Neha Katoch

“Smoke up... a.k.a. Sheesha, Hooka, water pipe.”

Sonia Dhaliwal and Karine Badawi 4B health studies and 2B arts

therefore QED. Do you realize now that we’re meant to be? Give me a chance to tutor you, meet me at DC library in Waterloo. Shorty, what do you have to say? Want to learn some of that calculus today? – From 6-1 MS. To the jerk who always made me smile, I know you’ll be creeped out by the fact that I’m writing this publicly. It may be possible that you might never read this. It may be possible that you’ll never speak to me again. I just wanted to say that I will cherish everything that we had. I will always remember the “crow’s feet” wrinkles you get when you smile like the weirdo that you are. I miss your smiles. I miss you. – The dorkface with the dimple.

To “George” from last weeks edition of missed connection... I obviously know that you are talking about me.You don’t think I realize that I am one of the few people that wear a jersey to dc? yes, I do know what you mean when you say we make eye contact and I always look away. I am really shy and a guy

like you with all of your friends tend to intimidate me; so it is hard for me to approach you. I really would like it if we met sometime, get to know each other, or just hang out. I really think you are cute, and now that you wrote that caption in Imprint I am expecting a greeting. introduce yourself next time you see me. Don’t be shy, i don’t bite =D. But if this is a joke, you are a really mean person and I do not want to meet or see you EVER. toodles =) I stare in disbelief because I truly don’t believe your beauty, and the fact that you don’t either. I smile because I couldn’t be happier when I’m with you. Being with you has made the last three months of my life incredible and I can’t wait for the next day I get to spend with you. The only thing missed about our connection is when you aren’t in my arms.

Remember my promise? – Your Curtie Bear

Missed a connection? Wanna break the ice?

Email mkimmich@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Arts & Entertainment

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008 arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Monologues: women speak from the...

Continued from cover

While there has been controversy in the past about the play’s explicit content — including a previous VP internal, Sai Kit Lo, refusing to let the 2007 production run in the Great Hall — I feel the performance was respectful to the realities it portrayed. The monologues originally come, after all, from playwright Eve Ensler’s interviews with over 200 women from diverse cultures and religions, as well as divergent life experiences (from lawyers to sex workers, and those who sometimes cross the line!) and different age brackets. While some of the monologues may have stemmed from just one woman’s experience, others were stories told and mirrored by many women. Having been made into a book, a movie, and a play, these monologues grew from conversations with people who were, according to the performance’s introduction, “at first reluctant,” but ultimately “couldn’t stop” talking about their vaginas. That same initial hesitation is surely reflected in any community that doubts the performance’s worth.

This year the directing and producing team was made up of three second-year drama students: Kate Teddiman, Jessalyn Broadfoot, and Sukhpreet Sangha. Broadfoot and Sangha had been previously involved in the Vagina Monologues at UW, performing in the production last year.

Teddiman noticed earlier this year that no one was planning on putting together the Vagina Monologues. After asking around, she took on the project herself, enlisting Sangha and Broadfoot to work together as a team.

The cast, coming from several departments, included several drama minors; a psych major (Crystal Daugherty); a sexuality, marriage, and family (SMF) major (Cat Christo); and faculty member, Eugenie Ducatel. Auditions were held, and what the directors were looking for was believability, a good attitude, and a genuine desire to be involved in the Vagina Monologues production and the V-Day movement. When casting the roles, the directing team wanted to give some of the women roles that would challenge them and help them learn. This year Kereice Harris, normally a comedy actor, performed My Vagina Was My Village, a serious monologue about rape and the sexual abuse and mutilation in Bosnian refugee camps. While she may typically have been a comedy actor, Harris’s calm performance was moving and heart-wrenching; but above all, it was quiet: and that calm stood out in stark contrast to the more effusive, dramatic, and ultimately playful monologues around it.

Other memorable monologues included Amy O’Grady’s rendition of “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy,” in which a sonorous medley of moans was offered, pitch-perfect, with only the smoothest of recoveries when their thread was momentarily dropped. Meanwhile, Brenda Pilatzke’s performance of “My Angry Vagina,” with which she commanded the stage in its entirety from entrance to exit, suggested just two words: Don’t. Mess. But all the actresses were similarly in their elements; not a single performance made the pace drag, or shook me from the spirit of the Vagina Monologues as a whole. Even the final piece (this year’s spotlight feature) about New Orleans, “the vagina of America,” was moving despite its brevity.

The proceeds from this year’s ticket sales went to the ANSELMA house, which offers women’s crisis services. The Women’s Centre has been an ally in the play’s production in the past, providing a place of support for women and the V-Day movement. As well, at the end of the show, there was a letter read from Ensler, regarding the V-Day celebration in New Orleans this year. Running from April 11 to the 12, the V-Day celebration is about using the funds from the performances of The Vagina Monologues to support the work to end violence against women. cdavidson@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

— With assistance from Maggie Clark, EIC

Michael L. Davenport

Amy O’Grady performing “The Woman who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy” in this year’s UW Vagina Monologues.

Arts & Entertainment

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

27

Fierce and fabulous ď€ ď€‚ď€ƒď€„ď€…ď€†ď€‡ď€ˆď€ƒď€‰ď€Šď€„ď€‹ď€‡ ď€ ď€‚ď€ƒď€„ď€ƒď€…ď€‚ď€„ď€†ď€‡ď€ˆď€‰ď€Šď€‹ď€„ď€Œď€?ď€?ď€ˆď€„ď€†ď€…ď€ˆď€Šď€‚ď€‹ď€‡ď€‚ď€ˆď€‰ď€‚ď€„ ď€?ď€‚ď€‘ď€‚ď€„ď€‹ď€ƒď€’ď€“ď€Žď€„ď€?ď€”ď€’ď€‰ď€‹ď€‚ď€„ď€•ď€–ď€ƒď€…ď€„ď€„ď€—ď€?ď€ˆď€‘ď€„ď€˜ď€™ď€„ď€†ď€ˆď€‡ď€‡ď€„ 

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Christine Ogley

Matt LeBlond, Rahim Thawer, Simon Tse and Kevin Nixon strut their stuff at the GLOW drag show.

Christine Ogley staff reporter

G

LOW put on its first amateur drag show at the Bomber on Tuesday, March 25. In the past, they’ve hosted professional drag shows, but this was the first time GLOW volunteers and other students donned fake wigs and beards to showcase their talents.

The idea was born quite some time ago — roughly two years past — but the actual planning began this past December. Organizers Kevin Nixon and Sue Weare, among others, started to solicit volunteers, get the word out, and generally envision how and where the event would take place.

I spoke with Kevin Nixon, Matt LeBlond, and Sean Stotyn (GLOW co-ordinator, past co-ordinator, and volunteer, respectively) about their involvement with the show. All three were performers in the event. They told me that the main inspiration for the show was their collective attendance at many professional drag shows, particularly at Club Renaissance. The three thought it would be fun to participate themselves and to get friends and others to join in.

Kevin said he recruited mainly by talking to friends and people involved with GLOW, often at GLOW social events.

They picked their characters and songs

by looking to big female divas such as Cher, Tina Turner, and Bette Midler — a pretty standard and stellar line-up as far as drag shows go.

I asked specifically how the men got their characters and mannerisms down pat: did they have any training? “It’s amazing how fast you transform once you put on the outfit. You put on this persona,� responded Stotyn.

In other words, no specific training — but the men did receive make-up and costume tips, as well as a bit of practice, by attending Club Renaissance’s drag show last Thursday, some in drag themselves.

I was later able to speak with Sue Weare, one of the principal organizers of the show and GLOW’s special events co-ordinator this term. She said that there were no particular difficulties or snags in planning the show; just the usual hard work that goes into organizing an event. Weare was also a performer in the show, singing in drag to Al Yankovic’s “White and Nerdy.�

I asked if there were any other drag kings lined up, or if they had trouble recruiting women as performers. Weare replied simply that they were looking for anyone and everyone who wanted to be involved, and it just so happened that she was the only drag king. Another king had apparently been ready

to perform, but had to withdraw due to academic demands.

Advertising was done mainly through word of mouth, but also using posters designed by James Saliba and through Paul Cyr’s work Facebook and the GLOW mailing list. Weare was in charge of booking Bomber and other logistics, such as soliciting the help of the UW DJ Club, the event’s official DJs. The organizers all hope to plan more amateur events in the future — as many as once a term if volunteers are available. Although the professional drag shows organized with Warrior Weekends in the past had more attendees, there is something to be said for the number of people at Tuesday’s event in Bomber. About 150 people came specifically to see the performances.

The attendees seemed to have positive reactions to the show.

Miss Drew, the host of the event, helped to pass around the GLOW donation bucket, eventually collecting over $600. A chunk of the money will go to Planned Parenthood, who provides many of the free condoms that GLOW offers. The money that GLOW retains will help to improve their library, organize future events, and keep the office running. cogley@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Book Reviews

E.A. Rappaport The Legacy of Ogma iUniverse

H

alia, a beautiful young thief, finds a small crystal orb. This is the beginning of a grand adventure. While searching for the key to the sphere, she encounters Ahriman, a sorcerer and Xarun, a warrior, both

of whom have their own sphere. The three set off on an adventure around the globe to find out the secrets of the orbs. This book has it all — wizards, thieves, warriors, battles between good and evil. It contains travel, or we should say journey or quest, and the great unknown.

There is epic scenery across the continent and under the sea. Add to that adventure, weapons, magic and battles. A reader could not ask for more in a book from this genre than we have in this volume.

Rappaport writes in a smooth and pleasing style. The reader gets drawn into the story and the world is so wellcrafted it becomes believable. While reading this book you are transported into a world in your imagination and it is as if you are there participating in the events. Rappaport creates believable characters that stay true to themselves.

Some new authors have characters who

become wishy-washy or who seem to change personality part way through a book, sometimes even a number of times. Rappaport has not fallen into that error. He obviously spent a lot of time planning the characters and the plot to create this novel. He also does a great job at describing stunning scenery and believable fight scenes.

His battles are neither too gory nor too glossed over. He writes with the balanced approach of a professional.

The dialogue is great — neither stunted nor verbose. Rappaport has written an excellent book.

This book is the first in a series by E.A. Rappaport, and if the other two books in the weapons trilogy are as good as this one, fantasy fans are in for a treat — not only in this series but in future writings from Rappaport. If you are a fantasy fan give this new author a try. — Steven R. McEvoy

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Arts & Entertainment

28

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

Those crazy Caribou

Horton happily good

Paul Parkman staff reporter

C

aribou and co. rolled into the Starlight last Wednesday for a sold-out show supported by the new up-and-coming duo straight out of the U.K. known as Fuck Buttons.

Fuck Buttons have been generating a lot of buzz since they released their first seven-inch single last fall, and with their new record, Street Horrrsing (ATP Recordings), released just two weeks ago, they have started their tour in support of Caribou. Comprised only of two people, the duo creates noise music, which literally shook the floor and temporarily impaired almost everyone’s eardrums within the sold-out crowd. Though I am not very familiar with noise music, Fuck Buttons served as a great opener and complimented the night perfectly.

Once Caribou took the stage, they filled the Starlight with their brand of electronica-post rock with opener “Sundialing� from their latest full release, Andorra (Merge Records), put out late last summer. The entire set was comprised of all the tracks from Andorra, plus standout tracks from previous albums, and showcased Caribou’s multi-instrumentalism, switching between guitar, keyboards, drums and even a bit of the recorder. Although Caribou’s Daniel Snaith (main man

Movie Review Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!

Paul Parkman

and sole original member and founder) had a mic setup for the show, he used his vocals more as another instrument rather than a verbal communicator, often manipulating his voice with an array of effects and modulations.

Some of the most impressive moments of the night came whenever Snaith put down the guitar and contributed drums, playing along with the already stunning drum work of Caribou’s main drummer Peter Mitton.

This spectacle was something to be seen as both drummers traded-off on fills and transitioning rhythms, almost overloading their sound with cymbal

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crashes and pounding snares.

The energy level for the entire show was at a perma-high, with Caribou only slipping into a mellow track in between two energy-packed songs, almost as if they themselves needed a small rest, too.

Highlights from the show were their first single from “Andorra� titled “Melody Day,� and an old favourite (back from when Snaith was known by the name Manitoba, before a legal affair forced him to change his name) called “Skunks.� The crowd throughout the show was very responsive and the more energy the songs packed, the more the audience danced and moved around.

I was not a huge fan before the show, having known very little about Caribou and only having heard just over a handful of songs. However, I would urge anyone who has not heard of Caribou to take a listen — the records don’t quite substitute for the high energy and power behind the songs in a live setting, but they come pretty darn close. There is a very good reason every time Caribou comes in to town that the shows always sell out. pparkman@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

A

s I stepped into the dim theatre light, An expected (but still unwanted) scene met my sight.

Groups of children everywhere, with a parent or two, Pretty much the target audience for Horton Hears a Who! “Oh whatever,� I thought, as I looked for a chair, “Just watch the damn thing and get out of there.� “But should I even be here?� I began to doubt.

It appeared that I was about to find out.

The story begins displaying a tiny speck on a flower on top of a hill, which is dislodged and sent floating into the jungle below. The speck is the home of the Whos, a microscopic civilization resembling humans, who don’t know that their world is on the brink of destruction. Enter Horton (voiced by Jim Carrey) the elephant hero of our tale, who saves the speck and manages to make contact with the Mayor of Whoville (voiced by Steve Carell). He makes it his mission to take the speck to safety, but is hindered in his efforts by Kangaroo, a busybody who refuses to believe Horton’s tale of little people and doesn’t like the idea of the children using their “imagination� like Horton. Meanwhile, the Mayor faces similar problems back in Whoville, where no one is ready to accept the fact that their whole world could come to an end at any moment.

courtesy imdb

Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who is one of those rare kids’ movies that people of any age can enjoy. Although the recent two adaptations of Dr Seuss’ works on the big screen (The Grinch and The Cat in the Hat) had their troubles in trying to translate their fantastic, imaginary worlds into live-action, it seems that animation is the way to go. Not being hindered by the physical, this adaptation is free to explore the Jungle of Nool and Whoville to the utmost detail. While the movie may predominantly be a comedy, none of the serious moments are diluted, and the whole thing comes together quite seamlessly.

Jim Carrey does an amazing job in bringing the character of Horton to life.

While we all know that he does have a tendency to go over the top with his comic roles, Carrey keeps himself in line to deliver a character that, hilarious as he may be, is also quite admirable. On that note, Steve Carell also conveys his character with great energy. Having a wife, a son who never talks, 96 daughters, and a town full of people to look after, his concerns and overreactions are genuinely conveyed to the audience.

The only parts that may not click with the adult audience are the Bollywood-esque ending song sequence and the brief 2D anime-style bit where Horton imagines trying to do martial arts (unless watching elephants fire kamehameha waves at flying monkeys just happens to be your thing). But that is a small price to pay for laughing your head off for during the rest of the 75 minutes. I definitely recommend this movie to anyone who needs to de-stress during the upcoming exam time and just have a laugh. — Rajul Saleh

Arts & Entertainment

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

29

Backward betrayal Duncan Ramsay assistant arts editor

T

here is something sad and ironic about the fact that what may be Theatre and Company’s final production is also one of its finest. In the wake of recent announcements that the veteran company will be closing its doors for the 08/09 season, it would have been all too easy for Betrayal to become a subdued, overshadowed affair. What Betrayal is, though, is a powerful, aching ride through years of deception and conflicting emotions, and a production with which Theatre and Company can, should they collapse, at least hold their heads high.

Betrayal tells the story of Robert, Jerry, and Emma, two best friends, and the woman who is wife to one and lover to the other. The play, written by Nobel laureate Harold Pinter, is everything you would expect from the man — dark, full of powerful emotions held just beneath the surface, and filled with layers and layers of meaning, lies, and truths. The story is told in reverse order; beginning at the end of the affair and working back to its inception and keeps its narrative drive by replacing the need to know what happened with a need to know how it happened, why it happened. There’s a real fascination in working through the lies these characters tell each other, tell themselves, and more so in watching them speak truth. One of the recurring motifs of the play is alcohol, and I suspect it’s a direct reference to “in wine there is truth.” Whenever one of these characters has a wine glass in their hand, it’s certain that they’re being honest for one of the few times in their lives – even if the truth they are telling isn’t what they think they are saying. All in all, Betrayal represents the work of a master writer at the height of his craft, and it shows in every line.

RENDER: graduating show

Nikoo Shahabi

Shown above is a piece from the fourth year fine arts graduation exhibit at RENDER. The exhibition begins on March 28 and runs until Friday, April 4.

Upcoming Concerts in KW courtesy theatre & company

although never very sympathetic to others, has been hurt past caring, and who embodies that hurt in a terrible, destructive wit. There is a scene in the play in which Robert confronts Emma about the affair, and it is simultaneously one of the most hilarious and hurtful things I’ve ever seen on a stage. Meadow’s performance is a balancing act, never allowing the character to descend into unforgivable viciousness or have us forget the volume of his hurts.

In fact, between the script, acting and Daryl Cloran’s sure-handed directing, I would have little to complain about in this play, were it not for a severely unfortunate aspect of the set design. I have no issues with the staging — the play is shown in the round, meaning the seating surrounds a central stage, and it gives an enhanced sense of openness and vulnerability to the characters. The set itself is made up of seven or eight pieces of blocky, ‘70s modular furniture, and it nicely establishes the time pe-

This is the sort of play that will have your mind buzzing two scenes in, and continue to leave it so long after you’ve left the theatre.

However, even the best play requires actors capable of carrying it, and fortunately here Theatre and Company has been blessed with three actors who truly excel in their parts. Ingrid Rae Doucet provides a subtle, understated performance as Emma, lending the character just enough of a sultry edge to make us remember she’s a lover, without overshadowing the more important emotional conflicts within her. At the same time, the entire performance is undercut with a hollow sadness – even when she smiles, it doesn’t entirely cover the pain.

As Jerry, Brian Marler puts in an equally complex performance. Jerry as Marler realizes him as the sort of cheerful, irresponsible guy who’s used to charming his way out of the trouble he inevitably gets into — at least on the surface. More deeply, there’s a heartfelt selfishness and arrogance in his character. This is the kind of guy who can honestly say that Robert shouldn’t find out about Jerry and Emma’s affair because “he’s my oldest friend” without the slightest irony, and who has the perfect, unjustified confidence that he could never be caught. If anything, this is my only real quibble with the acting in this play — I could like Jerry, for his cheer and wit, but the consistency of his arrogance meant that I could never sympathize with him — the only character in the play with whom I couldn’t do so.

Jeff Meadows provides the strongest performance in the play as Robert, Emma’s embittered, vicious husband. Meadows shows a man who,

riod. The actors and stagehands shuffle these pieces under dim lights between each scene, and it gives a nice sense of changing time and place. I have no issue with these.

The problem arises with the flooring, and the inexplicable use of wood chips. The stage itself is a raised square platform in the middle of the theatre, and the action takes place on a circle of dark wood floor in the middle of this square. To make up the difference between the square and the circle, the set designer has used — you guessed it — wood chips, and I cannot for the life of me understand why. Aside from the dirty, cheap look they give the set, they crunch each time the actors walk over them, revealing their presence during dark entrances and exits. But more to the point, the things just look so maddeningly out of place in a play about middle-upper class professionals that they act as a distraction throughout the entire production.

The last thing I want to be thinking as an actor storms out after an impassioned exchange is “but what the hell is with those woodchips?”

However, wood chips aside, I have no other reason to complain. This is the sort of play that will have your mind buzzing two scenes in, and continue to leave it so long after you’ve left the theatre. You should absolutely go to see this play. In Betrayal, Theatre and Company have shown what they are truly capable of — maybe for the last time. dramsay@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

April marks a busy month for the music community, especially in terms of folk and instrumental performances. Events will kick off on April 2, as Jill and Matthew Barber come to Starlight as part of their Sibling Revelry tour. Guitar players will be pleased to note that the Waterloo Guitar Summit is once again coming to the Waterloo Community Arts Centre this April 8, featuring workshops and concerts with several top guitarists in a variety of style. The month will close off with a concert by the Constantines at Starlight with Attack in Black and Jen Castle, April 30 at 9 p.m.

Clarification

dramsay@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Full disclosure: Daniel Simac, the writer of “CKMS: Mixing it Up” in the March 21 issue of Imprint, is a CKMS board member. Also, in relation to the description of Spotlight On that appeared in the same issue, this section will highlight the current state of certain local art scenes (i.e. theatre, music, etc.) and not necessarily local venues, as previously stated.

Arts & Entertainment

30

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

Sequential art soundtracks

I

think it was about a year ago when I posted this one feature entry in my personal blog called “Webcomic OSTs [Part 1].” The entry was a pretty simple idea: I talked about three different webcomics, and for each comic I thought of a popular song that would be the best contender for its theme song, and the common idea for what a comic’s musical score would be. It was a bit of a silly idea, but I put a lot of thought into what I posted. In reality, it was actually a fun experiment!

For example, I took into consideration a few things when I was thinking up of a theme song for Questionable Content (J. Jacques; www. questionablecontent.net). For one,

Jacques is a big fan of Broken Social Scene, and the comic he writes and illustrates is heavily influenced by the music that he listens to. Mind you, Jacques listens to a broad range of music, ranging from Mogwai to Mastodon. As such, I remembered what his comic reminds me of, and that’s a sitcom. While Broken Social Scene usually doesn’t sound all that much like “I’ll Be There For You” by The Rembrants, the band still has a bright tone to them. To me, Broken Social Scene’s “Cause = Time” sounds like the perfect theme song for Questionable Content.

When I read webcomics, each one gives off a different vibe or mood. It makes sense; most literature tries to

reach that goal, to immerse someone into their world of creativity. One can imagine music playing in the background as he or she reads literature, whether it’s prose or poetry. So it’s understandable to see some comic artists try to implement music into their work.

Kean Soo (www.keaner.net) is mostly known for his work on Flight, the comic anthologies I’ve mentioned before, and Jellaby, a children’s comic about a girl who makes friends with a large and curious creature. But if you look at the “Comics” section of his site, you’ll find a collection of autobiographical comics about some of his previous meanderings and growing pains. A

specific set of these comics entitled exitmusic is where the music comes into play (literally). Every one of these comics is named after songs from artists such as Elliott Smith and Galaxie 500, and the song is available to play (via Quicktime) on each page for an interactive feel while reading the comic. It’s a small gimmick, but it’s really neat.

I’ve also mentioned Craig Thompson’s friends from an Oregon band named Menomena. What I haven’t mentioned is that Blankets — which I don’t mean to rub into your faces again — actually has a soundtrack written by another band from Oregon called Tracker. Now as of today, I haven’t heard the album; I just purchased the

album off of the Top Shelf Productions website earlier this week. But the album is supposed to have an instrumental track for each of its nine chapters, each giving off the theme that they all individually have.

I’d like to know what you guys think about music in comics. When you read a webcomic, do certain pages remind you of different songs? Do you have your own idea for comic original soundtracks? If not, at least try this — the next time you’re reading a comic, start up a playlist that you think would fit while reading it, and take in to account how much it adds to the artwork. ptrinh@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Summer mixtape for warm weather optimism

E

arlier this week, I got wind of a rumour that summer is coming. While I normally believe all rumours to be true until proven false, I think this piece of gossip is a little too far-fetched. As a result, I’ve chosen to live by the doubter’s code and only believe that summer is coming when I see it coming. However, because I don’t want to seem out of the loop, I’ve assembled six songs for a Summer ‘08 Mix Tape just in case summer happens to show its snow-free face.

I) Q and Not U’s “Hooray for Humans” from their 2000 album No Kill No Beep Beep. Most people really like to kick it once the school year is complete, and this track will aid in these post-school/pre-summer celebrations. While Q and Not U folded three years ago in 2005, their posthardcore/dance punk is something to check out. With lyrics that read “D-O-W-N and that’s the way we get down,” this tune is likely to help you express your violently happy gyrations

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after exams. Search for “hooray for humans — q and not u” on the mighty YouTube for a listen.

II) K’naan’s “The African Way” from his 2005 album The Dusty Foot Philosopher.

This track will introduce a fresh and worldly sound into your summer tunes.

K’naan Warsame is a poet, writer, and hip-hop artist who has become one of Africa’s most famed rappers. His difficult years as a child and youth leading up to the Somalian civil war translates into his music and adds to the passion of his well-thought words. “The African Way” displays a unique yet simplistic beat that will provide a good introduction to the music of K’naan.

III) Tom Waits’ “On the Road” from his limited edition three CD set Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards released in 2006. This tune, found on the third disc entitled Bastards, can be difficult to track down but is worth the effort. It features the distinct raspy voice of Tom Waits singing the words of renowned author Jack Kerouac overtop the twang of the banjo and the toot of the sax. To ease the efforts of your searching, type “Jack Kerouac on the road + Tom Waits” in the

YouTube search bar and choose the movie titled “Jack Kerouac ‘On the road’” from the search results.

IV) “Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset” from the 1996 album This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About by Modest Mouse – because often the best music is made prior to a band’s popularity. Summer is all about rediscovery as free time makes way for trips down memory lane with friends and family. This summer, try diving into the past of the bands you’ve come to enjoy. While this track isn’t one of the most popular Modest Mouse tracks, it is certainly among their best — give it a listen.

V) The hit single “Scenario” from the 1991 album The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest — it’s a legendary rap that all hip-hop and rap fans should have a place for on their summer mix tape and in their cassette players.

The song features Busta Rhymes and members of Leaders of the New School alongside A Tribe Called Quest.

Rapping over an old-school beat, the assembly of artists spit such classic lines as Busta Rhymes’ famous “Raow!

Raow! Like a dungeon dragon!” This

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track should lure you in to check out more from the legendary album The Low End Theory. If it doesn’t, you may be persuaded by the opinion of Rolling Stones Magazine, who ranked the album 154 on their list of the 500 Best Albums of All Time.

VI) “I Was a Lover” from the 2006 album Return to Cookie Mountain by TV on the Radio. This song is a chilled yet depressing tune that seems to lumber its way onto this summertime mix tape.

While it can come across as a downer of a track, the elements of “I Was a Lover” seem to demand a certain respect. The horns in particular will undoubtedly linger in your memory, and encourage you to check out more of this band which has ventured into the genres of electro, soul, free jazz, a capella/doowop, rock, and trip-hop.

Indeed, the music you will listen to most this summer will be a mixture of what you already know, but hopefully with the help of this column — perhaps even this article — you’ll pick up the music of an artist you didn’t already know. That is the hope of my work here, partially because I’d like this column to have a purpose but mainly because you can only interpretive dance to Enya in front of your residence mirror for so many Friday nights.

Be your own boss Earn up to $3,000 in awards and turn what you love to do into a summer experience. Keep all business profits and develop entrepreneurial skills. Apply online at www.summercompany.ca.

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Contest Feature

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

31

In recognition of Imprint’s 30th anniversary, we decided to hold a contest — a media essay contest, to be precise. We offered readers a choice of four different questions to answer in a 750 to 1000 word essay, and the response was staggering. From 31 entries we selected the following piece, our winner of $250 and publication in Imprint. Hall wrote in response to the third question: Where does the bias lie in contemporary media? All the submissions were fervent in their argumentation, and many offered striking and compelling examples of the media at its best and worst. Thank you, everyone, for taking part; we were honoured by all your efforts.

Sincerely, the judges:

Angela Gaetano (“The Library” editor, The Boar, and Imprint staff), Michael L. Davenport (Assistant editor-in-chief, Imprint), and Maggie Clark (Editor-in-chief, Imprint)

A cure for “awakeness”

by William Hall

at Princess Cinema

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“Flak” refers to negative responses to a media statement or program (Herman & Chomsky, 1988). Chomsky and Herman see “flak” as targeted efforts to discredit organizations or individuals who disagree with or cast doubt on the views favourable to the established power (Herman & Chomsky, 1988).

The fifth and final filter Herman and Chomsky describe is “anti-communism.” Anti-communism, they argue, plays on people’s fear of groups that potentially pose a threat to their way of life — commonly an imaginary threat. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Herman and Chomsky argue that anti-communism has been replaced with anti-Islamist terrorism (Fleras, 2008).

During the coverage of the 2008 U.S. presidential election the satirical news website The Onion ran the following headline in an online newscast: “Researchers say they have found a cure for awakeness.”

Although The Onion never expanded upon the headline, maybe mass media is the cure. Bill Hicks may have been right. Does a media bias exist in order to keep its citizenship ignorant? The corporations who control the mass media don’t want a population of well-informed individuals

2008

— it wouldn’t be in their interest.

Through media bias, corporations are able to control the information that we are exposed to, allowing them to pursue their own agendas without being questioned by an informed citizenship. Or maybe I’m wrong. American Gladiators is on in five minutes — best not to think too much about this anymore.

References: Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early (2008) The Onion. Retrieved March 14, 2008 from: http://www.theonion. com/content/video/diebold_accidentally_leaks Flaris, A. (2008). Sociology 246 Lectures, University of Waterloo.

Herman, E, and Chomsky, N (1988) Manufacturing Consent, New York: Pantheon Books.

Hicks, B. (1993) Interview. Retrieved March 14, 2008, from: h t t p : / / w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / watch?v=pkptz2YfZik Lahr, M. (1993). The Goat Boy Rises. The New Yorker. Retrieved March 14, 2008, from: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1993/11/01/1993_11_01_ 113_TNY_CARDS_000365503

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and information that could endanger corporate financial interests of those who own the media will be excluded from mainstream media.

Mainstream media relies heavily on advertising revenues to survive; Chomsky and Herman (1988) argue that the interests of advertisers come before the news. According to the propaganda model, the mainstream media is nothing more than a filler to get audiences to see advertisements, which make up the real content (Fleras, 2008). Information that presents a picture of the world that collides with advertisers’ interests tends to be marginalized or excluded from mainstream media (Herman & Chomsky, 1988).

Herman and Chomsky (1988) argue that “the mass media are drawn into a symbiotic relationship with powerful sources of information by economic necessity and reciprocity of interest.” That is, the government and news sources — wire sources — attempt to make it easy for news organizations to buy their services; at the same time, news organizations are reluctant to report information that could harm their corporate interests that provide them with the resources they depend on (Herman & Chomsky, 1988).

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access channel (a channel beyond the grips of corporate bias — one would hope) Hicks remarked: “I believe that there is this agenda in mainstream media to keep people stupid, docile, and apathetic and therefore the elite who own these corporations, and the families who own the corporations: their agenda is to keep us stupid and apathetic.”(Hicks, 1993) Are these the ramblings of a bitter comedian, or is there truth to Hicks’ message? Media scholars Edward S. n October 9, 1993, Bill Hicks Herman and Noam Chomsky would became the first comedian likely see a lot of truth in Hicks’ to be censored while per- argument.

Herman and Chomsky’s proforming at CBS’s Ed Sullivan Theatre for the David Letterman show paganda model alleges that systemic (Lahr, 1993). Although his material biases exist in the mass media that was approved and reapproved prior serve anti-democratic ends (Herto filming, Hicks was informed later man & Chomsky, 1988). The theory that day that his material had been presents five classes of “filters” that deemed unsuitable for the Letterman determine what type of news is preaudience. Hicks protested, arguing sented in the news media: ownership, that he was part of the Letterman funding sources, sourcing, flak, and viewership and did not feel the anti-communism (Herman & Chommaterial to be unsuitable. However, sky, 1988).

The propaganda model argues CBS was unmoved by Hicks’ plea and replaced his act with another that as mainstream media outlets comedian (Lahr, 1993). Thus, Hicks are either large corporations or joined Elvis Presley in becoming the part of conglomerates, information second person at CBS’s Ed Sullivan presented to the public will be biased theatre to be censored — Elvis only with respect to the interests of the managed to be censored from the corporations (Herman & Chomsky, waist down (Lahr, 1993). Later that 1988). Such corporations often week a friend called Hicks to tell him extend beyond traditional media about a commercial she’d seen dur- fields, and thus have large financial ing the Letterman show — a pro-life interests that could be jeopardized if certain information is widely commercial (Lahr, 1993).

Hicks was outraged and felt that publicized (Herman & Chomsky, CBS had shown their true colours. 1988). Thus, according to Herman 6000_Kinofest.Imprint.v2 3/25/08 12:12 PM Page 1 Appearing a month later on a public and Chomsky (1988), news items You know who’s really bugging me these days? These pro-lifers . . .

You know what bugs me about them? If you’re so pro-life, do me a favour — don’t lock arms and block medical clinics. If you’re so pro-life, lock arms and block cemeteries. (Audience laughs.) . . . I want to see pro-lifers at funerals opening caskets — “Get out!” Then I’d really be impressed by their mission.

— Bill Hicks, 1993 (Unaired David Letterman performance)

Science & Technology

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008 science@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Understanding oral health

April’s National Oral Health Month aim to promote awareness of oral health protection Adrienne Raw science and tech editor

I

n April, events taking place locally and nationally as part of National Oral Health Month aim to promote the importance of oral health and educate people on techniques to protect their teeth and gums. Local clinic TechTown Dentistry is just one of the many dental practices and associations planning events for April. Some of the events taking place across the country include radio trivia contests, educational campaigns, and initiatives in elementary schools and lifestyle classes, among others.

The origins of National Oral Health Month date back to 1957 when the Canadian Dental Association adopted a motion to organize National Dental Health Week to provide an opportunity to promote oral health through educational programs.

In the 1970s, National Dental Health Week evolved to become a month-long, and in 1977 the month of April became the designated National Oral Health Month. Today the educational initiative is recognized as a national health event.

Why the big fuss about oral health? Because oral health is linked to the body’s overall health. Pain, missing or misaligned teeth, and infections — all signs of poor oral health — can affect a person’s quality of life, impacting how they speak, eat, and socialize. Oral problems can also be an indicator of much more serious problems, like oral cancer. In Canada, approximately 3,200 people are diagnosed with oral cancer each year, and 1,050 deaths occur from oral cancer in the same time period.

Research into the relationship between oral health and overall health has shown that oral diseases are linked to health problems like diabetes and certain types of pneumonia. Oral diseases may also be linked to heart disease and stroke, as well as premature and low birth weight babies.

“One of the things we’re finding more and more about is the relationship between chronic inflammation anywhere in the body and overall health,” said Dr. Doug Jones, a dentist at TechTown Dentistry. He added that “one of the most common chronic inflammations, unfortunately, is gum disease.”

There is no one cause of poor oral health; causes differ on an individual basis. Some people are unlucky enough to be genetically prediposed to poor oral health. Others experience high levels of stress, or suffer from digestion problems or other diseases, all of which can negatively impact oral health. Lifestyle choices, like diet and smoking, are other key factors that govern a person’s oral health. Food high in acid such as sports drinks and soft drinks can cause tooth erosion. Smoking can cause oral lesions, bad breath, increased severity of gum disease, and oral cancer.

To maintain good oral health, the Canadian Dental Association suggests the following five steps: 1. Brush and floss at least once every day.

2. Eat a well-balanced diet.

3. Check your mouth regularly for signs of gum disease and oral cancer. These signs include lesions in the mouth, difficulty swallowing, and bleeding from the mouth.

4. Don’t smoke.

5. Visit your dentist regularly.

These seemingly small steps are based on common sense, but they can provide a powerful protection for your oral health.

“The biggest risk of ignoring signs and symptoms with respect to your oral health is that a condition goes untreated and gets worse,” said Dr. Tim Sellner, a dentist at TechTown Dentistry.

Unfortunately, according to Dr. Jones, oral health isn’t something people take near as seriously as they take the rest of their health. Sure, most people brush their teeth, many floss, and some even use anti-bacterial mouth wash. But people often ignore bleeding or tender gums, sensitivities, and other aches. When pain or bleeding anywhere else would send us to the doctor or to a hospital, pain and/or

bleeding in the mouth is dismissed.

“Gums and teeth are very much like a fingernail and cuticle,” said Dr. Jones. “So when you wash your hand you would be shocked to find that your finger, the cuticle, bled every time you did it, but for some people, that’s normal to have their gums bleed in certain areas. It’s not healthy, but for them it may be normal.”

TechTown Dentistry, a full-service dental practice in the nearby Research and Technology Park, is just one of the many groups trying to change this approach, especially during the nationally-recognized National Oral Health Month. The dental clinic has planned a number of educational initiatives including visits to elementary schools.

Other organizations and practices have planned their own local and provincial initiatives. The British Columbia Dental Association has organized province-wide events including a Brush to Win contest for kindergarten to third grade students,

time to carefully make the decision that is not only best for them, but also fits into their busy lives. Dentists and other health practitioners are beginning to offer patients more than one possible treatment plan in an effort to accommodate different schedules and limited availability.

Education at TechTown Dentistry goes beyond information provided in consultations. Staff at the dental clinic keep their skills up to date by taking courses and attending lunch-and-learn seminars on new techniques and products in oral health.

TechTown’s staff are not alone in their education efforts. Dentists, hygenists, and other healthcare staff often chose to take classes to hone or update their skills.

“Our biggest challenge is getting the word out,” said Dr. Jones. That’s the key reason TechTown Dentistry is involved in the upcoming National Oral Health Month — to educate the community.

The dental clinic is already working on an infor-

“If people get given the right environment, they’ll choose very well for themselves.”

— Dr. Doug Jones, TechTown Dentistry

radio trivia contests, and oral health presentations. In past years the Grey Bruce Health Unit has promoted tooth brushing through their “2 for 2” campaign. The goal of these educational campaigns seems to be creating an environment of educated people who can make good choices about their oral health. Dr. Doug Jones, one of TechTown Dentistry’s founders, believes that “if people get given the right environment, they’ll choose very well for themselves.”

Like many dentists today, TechTown Dentistry seeks to educate their patients and help them make the best possible choices about their oral health. The clinic operates under the policy that the patients have a right to know, both about their current problems and about any future problems they might encounter. “Our commitment is that if we see anything coming up, any bumps on the road, any storms on the horizon, we promise to tell you,” said Jones. By that same token, patients also have the right to choose not to know. This policy of informing patients is relatively unique, but it won’t likely be long before other practices adopt the principle.

Staff at TechTown Dentistry ensure that patients have access to all the information they need to make decisions about their dental health, from photos that allow patients to see what is actually going on in their mouths and x-rays of their teeth and gums that reveal problems patients might not be aware of to comprehensive analyses of treatment options.

“One of the nice things about dentistry,” said Dr. Jones, “is that it’s often — almost always — not an emergency.”

Patients can take their

mative newsletter for its patients and has plans to visit a number of elementary schools and lifestyle classes to teach about oral health.

The clinic supports a proactive approach to oral health. Dr. Jones and Dr. Sellner envision a time when people don’t have to visit their dentist or hygienist as often because they’ve become better dentists for themselves. This future, they believe, is only possible through education. Proactive dental care is about knowing the dangers and choosing behaviour to avoid those dangers. Especially important is teaching good dental habits to children.

Dentists and health care providers around the world have recognized the importance of instilling good dental practices at a young age. Parents are encouraged to start brushing their children’s teeth as soon as they appear, to take their children to the dentist regularly, and to teach their children how to properly brush their teeth at an early age.

Some pedodontists (children’s dental specialists) like to see children as early as one-year-old, while others like to wait a few years. However by the time the child reaches three-years-old, the child should have had their first appointment.

Appointments at an early age help catch problems before they become serious and

get children acclimated to visiting the dentist.

Though TechTown Dentistry is not part of the Feds’ UW Dental Plan, the clinic is accepting new student patients. With its proximity to the campus, it’s one of the many good dental choices for students, especially if they’re living away from home and don’t have access to their regular dentist.

Student who are part of the UW Dental Plan have access to 12 dental practices in the KitchenerWaterloo area. The dental plan covers 100 per cent of students’ preventative services (recall exams, cleanings, root planing, extraction of impacted teet), 90 per cent of basic services (fillings, oral surgery, periodontics), and 20 per cent of major restorative processes (crowns, posts, bridges).

UW’s Dental Plan was created by Feds as part of the university’s Health and Dental Plan, which provides students with coverage not available through basic health care plans. All students pay the fee at the beginning of their fall term, then have the choice of opting out. Despite the cost of the dental plan, students recognize the importance of protecting their health. Of the 21,000 students in the 2006 student body, only 1,820 chose to opt-out of the program.

April’s National Oral Health Month is not the only widely-recognized health event. September is National Prostate Health Month. Mental Health Awareness Month in recognized throughout the U.S. during the month of May. Men’s Health Week is observed annually the week before and including Father’s Day, while Brain Awareness Week occurs in March. National Oral Health Month is just one of the many health events, and like the others it is important for people to acknowledge and understand the message being delivered. araw@imprint. uwaterloo.ca

joyce hsu

Science & Technology

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

Stop standing in the dark How to reverse a love bite

H

ickeys, being the by-product of passion, are generally frowned upon in our society. Even if you aren’t bothered by them, there are certain social circumstances that leave you disadvantaged while wearing a great purple mark on your neck. Seeing how most of us are entering adulthood, the fear of parents spotting a hickey quickly shifts to potential employers staring at it in the middle of an interview. In short, they can be a real nuisance.

Throughout high school I have been told that the only treatment option for hickeys is to stand in dark corners while wearing a turtleneck for the next week or so, since there is no way to help the healing process. Inspired by my university environment, I readily asked, “why not?� and after some research, I discovered there are many ways to speed up, reverse, and camouflage a love bite.

All you have to do is take a hickey for what it is; nothing more than a bruise.

Like a bruise, a hickey is the result of red blood cells trapped under the surface of the skin. Essentially, the difference is that a hickey is an intentional action resulting from suction whereas a bruise can be caused by accidental trauma — by falling or bumping into something.

Both a bruise and a hickey can occur virtually on any skin-covered body part.

When skin is struck but not broken, blood escapes ruptured capillaries by pooling just under the skin, causing a purplish mark. The rainbow of colours

that a bruise turns before returning skin to normal is caused by the body breaking down and reabsorbing red blood cells.

This is a healing process which, if helped externally, can significantly shorten the lifespan of a hickey.

The quicker you deal with your hickey, the better. Right after you get the love bite, DO apply an ice compress, and keep it on for 20 minutes. This slows down blood traveling to the area by constricting vessels, minimizing the spread of blood. To make an ice-pack at home, wrap a pack of frozen vegetables in fabric or put some ice in a plastic bag and then wrap it in a thin towel. Make sure never to apply ice directly to skin —- this can cause frostbite and actually deepen the colour of your hickey.

After numbing the area with ice, apply a Menthol product to the area, such as Deep Cold, Icy Cold, or Tiger Balm.

This will further numb the area so you can move on to the next step, which involves breaking up that collection of blood cells. Grab a toothbrush and a comb and gently massage the area in circles for at least 10 minutes — only then will you see results. Leave the spot for five minutes. Reapply the menthol product and attack the hickey with even pressure, such as a pencil eraser or the cap of a chap-stick, for another 10 minutes. Give yourself another break and begin the process again until the hickey is reduced in colour and size.

In the naturopathic remedy

section, Arnica cream, Aloe Vera gel and chopped raw onion save the day.

Wash the hickey with cold water before applying any of the three and apply liberally. It may be tricky to keep the onion in place, but this ancient remedy is very effective. Do not apply the onion on broken skin.

During my research I came across a few hickey-busting methods that are not worth resorting to. Initially, DON’T apply anything warm to the spot. Many people suggest microwaving a cloth or running hot water over the hickey, which improves blood circulation and can increase the size of the hickey. Hot applications should only be used after 24 hours have passed since the inception of the hickey. Alternately, don’t freeze a spoon and apply it to the hickey, as this method can have the same dangers are those associated with applying ice directly to the skin.

Lastly, the frequent advice of smothering a love bite with toothpaste is both fruitless and messy. This idea is probably aimed to mend the hickey with peppermint, improves blood circulation. However, if you want to treat your hickey internally, you are far better off drinking peppermint tea instead, along with sustaining a healthy diet for optimal immune support on a daily basis.

When all is said and done, a little dab of concealer never hurt anyone. alomako@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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33

School of CS changes education scheme Michael L. Davenport assistant editor-in-chief

W

rite once, run anywhere — that was the promise of Java. But nowhere in that statement is an implication that Java is a good educational language, suited for teaching students programming skills. Is Java a good educational language anyway? The consensus seems to be “no.�

Starting in Fall 2008, Scheme will be replacing Java as the primary programming language used in first year courses including CS 115/116, CS 135/136, and a brand new course, CS 145.

As director for the School of Computer Science Frank Tompa explained, “Three alternative approaches to introducing programming concepts have been widely adopted worldwide, distinguished by their principal programming style. The imperative-first approach emphasizes how to organize individual instructions to accomplish given tasks. The objects-first approach emphasizes the relationships of operators to the data on which they are applied. The functional-first approach emphasizes the similarity of approaching programming problems to solving mathematical problems with the use of mathematical functions. At Waterloo, we have taught first year classes using each of these approaches, choosing the programming language of instruction to match the approach: Pascal for imperative-first, Java for objects-first,

and Scheme for functional-first.�

The problem with the objects-first approach to programming is that in using object-oriented languages and abstraction to teach programming, students wouldn’t necessarily learn how computers work. “The Java-based first-year courses were not working — there was too much language overhead for non-majors, and majors were not picking up the programming or algorithmic skills needed for subsequent courses,� said Prabhakar Ragde, a professor in the School of Computer Science. “Java is simply not a good first language, even for majors. It is better suited to those who have some experience in programming, and I anticipate it will be used higher up in the curriculum.�

Scheme was chosen, according to Ragde, because it is a simple yet powerful language. “The set of language constructs chosen for the teaching languages is small but powerful, so that we can build the tools we need, and students can see how they work, instead of just using something from a monolithic library they don’t understand.� Radge hopes the change in language will allow professors to focus on the fundamental concepts behind and and implications behind computing. Also, the language has already been used in CS 135, which itself was introduced as part of an alternative to the CS 133/134. see SCHEME, page 35

34 Science & Technology

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

The Underrated Alternative: Linux ... and how to install it on your system Taylor Helferty staff reporter

Y

ou’re halfway through that term project worth 40 per cent of your final mark. It’s due in 20 minutes. You haven’t saved in about half an hour, and mid-keystroke your computer screen goes gray, and your project is gone. A true story. It was due to the operating system — Windows Vista — having a bit of a nervous breakdown. Early reviews looked at Vista as something that shouldn’t be touched unless threatened with having to sit through a Nickelback world tour. The release was riddled with problems from the start. Microsoft has this habit of releasing things before all the kinks are worked out – even XP was unstable before the service packs came out. So instead of planning your dinner around the time you start your computer so Vista will be loaded by the time you get back, how about an alternative? Something that’s making its way fast into the mainstream like a rapper remixing “Freebird:� the open-source operating system commonly known as Linux. It is far more stable, never needs an antivirus, and runs a lot faster (booting Linux takes about as long as it takes for Windows to come out of hibernation). It is, and will always be, completely free, along with all its software, and it comes with all the software you need (an office suite with pdf creating capabilities, an image editor much like Photoshop, etc.) right off the bat.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Windows is not always a one-way ticket to a system crash. I know many people who use Windows without any problems, and it is very efficient and can do a lot of things well. In terms of Vista, the first service pack was just released this week, which should fix a lot of the missed details within the operating system. Plus, Vista looks pretty, so that’s got to count for something. I’m not trying to say Linux is the best operating system, but rather make people aware of its advantages, disadvantages, and how it is becoming a popular and successful alternative.

Linux has been around for a long time. The Linux kernel — a kernel being the central component of an operating system — was created in 1991

by Linus Torvalds. Back then, it was still a project that could only really be understood by people who knew computers and programming really well.

This has now become a common misconception that Linux is still for advanced computer users, which is no longer true. You don’t have to be of the 1337 (hacker-speak for ‘elite’) calibre to use Linux. The most popular distribution, Ubuntu Linux, is already being shipped pre-installed on Dell computers, and other companies are considering following suit. Over the last few years, Linux has become more and more user-friendly. There is a Linux version for almost every Windows program out there, and for those Windows programs you just can’t let go of, there’s the powerful Windows emulator “Wine� that can run them. After you’ve got all your favourite programs from Windows installed, you can explore the thousands of efficient, user-friendly programs Linux has to offer, like VLC media player and the digital audio workstation Ardour.

Now here’s something for all the ES students: Linux is environmentally friendly. New versions of Windows and Mac can’t run on old computers. With every release, you need more powerful computers, which creates a lot of waste from

people throwing out their old junky computers.

New versions of Linux can run on computers with 128MB of RAM (the average computer today has 1000-2000MB). There are even versions out there – such as Damn Small Linux – that can run on computers with 16MB of RAM. Albeit, they can only do simple tasks such as word processing and browsing the internet, but if that’s all you need you can use a computer for years after it was thought to be obsolete. I have three computers ranging from four to ten years old all still running well with various versions of Linux, doing what I need them to do.

Now that I’ve put Linux up on a pedestal, let me take it back down. It is by no means the perfect operating system. I won’t say it “Just Works� like a Mac, because just like a Mac, it doesn’t. A computer will always have problems. For example, because it is open-source – meaning it’s not made by a giant company like Microsoft – there are compatibility issues with things like video cards, or wireless cards. Some simply just don’t want to work with Linux, and sometimes drivers for those cards take longer to make. It also does take some getting used to, and although code is generally not needed anymore, it is usually necessary for fixing any problems that come up. Although, there is a lot of helpful support on the internet for fixing problems, should you run into them, and most Linux distributions like Ubuntu come out with a new release every six months, adding new support. The Ubuntu 8.04 beta, or “Hardy Heron,� was just released, with the full version coming out next month. If you want to check it out before installing it as your primary OS, you can download the “Live CD� and run it as if it were installed to see how it works without actually affecting your Windows or Mac installation. Ubuntu Live CDs can either run as a demo or be fully installed, and are available at the Computer Science Club office (MC3036/3037) for free.

If Linux just isn’t for you, there are many ways to make Windows faster and fix problems. With any technical problems that you want to take on yourself, Google is your best friend. Here are a few other hints if Windows is bothering you: www.fixmyvista.com has walkthroughs on how to fix various speed and performance related issues within Vista, as well as a forum for discussion if you’re having a problem not addressed on the website. For the more advanced user, the free program vLite (www.vlite.net) is able to reduce Vista’s footprint by half. There are also published books on how to fool around with Windows and make it do what you want. Some other simple tricks: turn off the Aero theme and change to the Windows Basic theme, as well as disabling the Windows Sidebar if you don’t need it. Both of these greatly improve system speed. Also, download any updates Microsoft releases to fix bugs that may cause your computer to crash.

There are many ways to secure your computer against crashes and frustrations during exams.

Linux is a big jump, but after a bit of getting used to, it’s efficient, stable, and rarely has serious problems. If you want to look into it more, look up different editions, visit www.ubuntu.com and see which one would work best for you. However, you may want to wait until after exams to try it in case there are problems.

Taylor Helferty staff reporter

M

ost Linux distributions come on a Live CD. This is a CD you can boot from, and run that booted distribution, as if it were fully installed on your computer, without actually affecting your hard drive and operating system at all. These are also really handy to retrieve files from your hard drive if you can’t get your computer to boot into the operating system. This way you can try out the programs and features of Linux and see if all your hardware works with it before installing it. If you’ve tried out a Live CD of Linux, researched it, and you’ve decided you want to install it, this article shows you how: Before installing, however, it’s best to decide what distribution and version of Linux you want.

Ubuntu alone has many different versions of Linux for different needs. Ubuntu is the main distribution and the most used, showing off the simple yet elegant Gno me interface. Kubuntu is the same thing, but with the KDE interface (which has just been released with a nice new makeover, including a dashboard and widgets like the Mac). Ubuntu Studio comes with all the most powerful audio, video, and image editing software. Xubuntu and Fluxbuntu both use few resources and can be run on older computers with weaker hardware. For this walkthrough I’ll be using Ubuntu, since the installation process isn’t very different across distributions, and this is the most commonly used. You can research and download any of the above at www.ubuntu. com. Remember to back up all important files and have your system’s backup CDs made before you go through with the installation, in case you want to go back to Windows later.

Step 1: When you boot from the CD, and a menu comes up, choose “Start or Install Ubuntu.� If it does not start up then, or the screen goes wonky, restart your computer and this time choose the second option to start in safe graphics mode. When it gets to the desktop, double click the “Install� shortcut. This will open the installation wizard. Here you can choose the language and hit “forward.� On the next screen it asks you for your time zone. In the drop down menu named “Selected city� choose the city closest to you and hit forward.

Step 2: Here it will ask you to select your keyboard layout. Normal keyboards on PCs are U.S. English, which is what the menu selects by default. If you’re installing it on a Mac, there is the option of “U.S. English — Macintosh� in the menu on the right side. There are also many other options if you have another type of keyboard.

Step 3: After you hit forward, the installer starts up the partitioner and brings you to a new screen. This is where the process gets a tad more complicated. There are three options to choose from: “Guided — resize [hard drive name], partition #1 (or some other number,) and use freed space.� This is if you have

Windows installed and want to keep Windows as a dual-boot. Dual-booting lets you choose which operating system you want to use when you start the computer — Windows or Linux.

Having multiple operating systems does not slow down your computer. If you choose to do this, drag the slider to the amount of hard drive space you want for your Linux installation. If you just want to have Linux on your computer, you can choose the second option “Guided — use entire disk.� This formats your entire computer and installs Linux as the only operating system. If you have multiple hard drives, select the one you want to install Linux on. The third option “Manual,� is for more advanced users and lets you create, format, and delete partitions for your Linux installation. Remember to leave a partition of at least 1.5 GB for the swap if you choose manual. Hit “Forward� after you’ve chosen which you want.

Step 4: Now it asks you for your name, your password (this is mandatory), and your computer name. When you type in your name, it automatically fills out the rest of the fields (except password) with default options. You can change these if you want. Sometime around here in the installation, it may or may not check for other operating systems and ask if you want to import settings such as bookmarks and e-mail settings. You can choose whether to do this or not. The last screen summarizes the installation and you can then choose “Install� to accept the changes. The installation takes about 20 minutes or more. It will then ask if you want to restart or continue to use the Live CD. If you continue to use the Live CD, any changes you make to system settings will not be saved when you restart. When you’re done, restart, remove the CD when it asks, and let it reboot into your new operating system.

Now you can change system settings, desktop effects, and look through the software. Check to make sure all of your hardware (video card, wireless, etc) is working. If not, the first thing to check is the Restricted Drivers Manager (under System ďƒ Administration) and be sure the drivers, if there are any, are enabled. If that doesn’t work, go online to the Ubuntu support page or use Google.

You can also explore all the new software available to you. Go to Applications ďƒ Add/ Remove. On the top right there is a menu that says “Show: Supported applications.â€? In the drop-down menu select “All available applications.â€? Let it reload and start browsing. Some good software to start off with: the music player Amarok or Banshee, the windows emulator Wine to install window programs, VLC media player, and anything else that looks interesting.

If you run into any problems while using Linux, remember: Google is your best friend.

The Ubuntu Forums (www.ubuntuforums.org) are also really friendly and helpful. thelferty@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

thelferty@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

HOSPITALITY HUMBER CA #ULINARY !DMINISTRATION \ %XERCISE 3CIENCE AND ,IFESTYLE -ANAGEMENT \ (OSPITALITY AND 4OURISM /PERATIONS -ANAGEMENT \ 4OURISM AND (OSPITALITY !DMINISTRATION

Science & Technology

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

35

Scheme plan Continued from page 33

Maria Karpenko

testing in a few years.

staff reporter

Implantable prosthetic for the blind

John Pezaris, an assistant in neuroscience at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, proposes a prosthetic that bypasses damaged eyes and optic nerves due to illness or head trauma by sending image information directly to the brain. The patient will wear special glasses with a digital camera mounted in the lens. The camera sends signals via a wire to an external signal processor that translates images from the camera into neural impulses, which are then passed on to an implanted stimulator that delivers images to the visual system. While this prosthesis will not treat impaired vision, it will foster the identification of simple objects and maybe even recognition of faces.“[A] remarkable amount of information can be conveyed in a relatively small number of pixels,” Pezaris told Scientific American.

However, at this point it is impossible to say what exactly an individual wearing the prosthetic will see.

There are many challenges, such as the need for high resolution images and potential infections during brain surgery.

Pezaris has made important advances in visual prosthetics over the past five years. Currently, he is co-operating with Emad Eskander, a neurosurgeon at MGH, who specializes in deep-brain stimulation. Pezaris is hoping to have a functional prosthetic ready for human

Chloride mineral deposits on Mars

NASA’s Mars Odyssey, which has been mapping Mars since 2002, has detected signs of a chloride mineral in the southern hemisphere. Its camera takes images in the visible and infrared parts of the spectrum in order to work out the distribution of minerals on the surface. In the southern hemisphere, approximately 200 places were located that have spectral “fingerprints” consistent with chloride salt deposits.

The team of members from the University of Hawaii, University of Arizona, and Stony Brook University believe that the deposits formed about four billion years ago, when temperatures and water content were much higher on Mars. “Two possible mechanisms would be the evaporation of a large body of water (like a salt lake on Earth), or capillary action in the soil that could draw salt-rich water toward the surface, where the water evaporates and the salt is left behind and accumulates. Either case is exciting because it implies a large amount of water near the surface,” said team member Dr. Philip Christensen, of the School of Earth and Planetary Exploration at Arizona State University, Tempe.

Water is the first sign that life may have existed, and so scientists say that areas rich in chloride minerals should become the focus for future rover missions to Mars. “Salt is also an excellent

means of preserving organic material,” Christensen told BBC News, “So if there was life present in the distant past, the signature might still be there.”

Therapeutic cloning success in mice

An international team located in New York has for the first time successfully treated disease with cloned cells that were derived from the recipient animal. Mice with a condition similar to Parkinson’s disease were cured with neurons that were cultured from their own cloned skin cells in the lab.

The team first gave mice a drug to kill neurons that make dopamine, a neurotransmitter. This treatment resulted in movement problems similar to those seen in humans suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

Subsequently, the investigators took biopsies from the tails of these mice.

These biopsies were then transferred to Teruhiko Wakayama, a specialist in cloning at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan.

There, nuclei from skin cells taken from these biopsies were transferred into mouse eggs without chromosomes.

In this manner, embryos were created. The Japanese researchers extracted embryonic stem (ES) cells from these cloned embryos to create a total of 187 ES cell lines from 24 mice. Following that, the ES cell lines were handed to the New York team who induced them to develop into dopamine-secreting neurons. These cloned neurons were then

transplanted into mice with symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The health of all six mice that had been given grafts of these neurons significantly improved.

“It is the proof of concept,” Lorenz Studer (of the Sloan-Kettering Institute in New York, U.S.) told the New Scientist.

However, he warns that presently it is premature to say whether the technique can be developed into a therapy for human patients.

Disease forecasts, a health risk?

A report for the London-based charity Sense About Science assembled by British doctors says not to waste money on whole-body scans or blood and DNA tests that claim to predict diseases an individual may get in the future. They say that these tests might endanger an individual’s health by giving false assurance that a certain disease is not a threat or incorrectly predicting that it is. For example, some smokers may continue smoking if their cholesterol levels are normal.

Furthermore, the tests may carry risks such exposure to unnecessary radiation and a one-in-a-thousand chance of bowel perforation of a colonoscopy.

Andrew Green, a family doctor in East Yorkshire and co-author of the report, advises to simply follow the guidelines for healthy living.

— with files from Scientific America, BBC News, and New Scientist mkarpenko@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

The adoption of Scheme brings UW in line with other institutions to which our administrators like to compare our school — MIT already uses Scheme to teach computer science. There’s good news too for those who want to get a leg up: DrScheme, the interpreter which will be used for the course, is freely available at www.drscheme.org, and can be distributed under the GNU Lesser General Public License, and the associated textbook, published by MIT press, is available at www.htdp.org.

Scheme will not be the only language taught in first year. CS 116 will also teach Python, and CS 136 also features C — the intent is to combine the solid understanding imparted by scheme with languages more commonly used in industry. “Before, students essentially knew only Java — they learned some C++ in second year, but those who treated it as a dialect of Java (which is possible, as Java was designed to lure away C++ programmers) never quite grasped the low-level ideas ... which we now emphasize through both the use of C and a closer look at the implementation of Scheme.”

“I think it’s a good thing,” said Computer Science Club President Sean Cumming, saying he supports the change with the caveat that the first year CS major course also teaches C. Byron Weber Becker is one UW CS professor who is at least implicitly pro-java; he is the author of Java: Learning to Program with Robots. Sadly, he declined to comment. mdavenport@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Sports & Living

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008 sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Dylan Cawker imprint intern

Gillian Maxwell Fifth year – human resources

Ryan Sayer

Basketball

Curling

G

Rocky Choi

illian Maxwell didn’t even start playing basketball until her first year of high school.

She said while laughing, “I got started in Grade 9. I went to watch the tryouts and the coach asked me to try

out when she saw how tall I was and how long my arms were. She wanted to use me to stand in the middle of the zone and to rebound; I didn’t shoot the ball much.”

Oh, how she has progressed since then…When Gillian Maxwell first came to the University of Waterloo she wasn’t quite sure if she was going to continue with basketball, which is why, when asked who she gives a lot of credit to for helping her get this far, she stated, “I give a lot of credit to my first year coaches (Tom O’Brien and Craig Nichol) who convinced me to continue playing basketball and who welcomed me into Waterloo’s program.”

Also getting a lot of credit were Maxwell’s parents and Waterloo coach Mano Watsa, who also, she said, was

Fourth year – kinesiology the person Maxwell looked up to the most growing up while attending his camps.

The 5’11 forward’s stellar stats — including an average of almost 14 points per game and almost nine rebounds per game — easily earned her a spot on the OUA West First All-Star team. During the season Maxwell became the OUA West’s all-time leader in rebounds, which puts her second all-time in the entire OUA for rebounds accumulated. Back for a fifth year finishing her option in resource management, Maxwell is still undecided on whether she would like to persue a career overseas after this year, but as for after sports? “I would love to travel a little bit and then get out into that working world.”

Cam McIntyre First year – rec and leisure Basketball

G

Rocky Choi

etting national recognition at any time in your university career is tough to do, but it is especially tough when you are in your rookie season, but that is just what basketball star Cam McIntyre managed to do this year. The local boy, who credits his parents as the people who have helped him the most to get him where he is today, had an outstanding rookie season averaging 13.9 points per game, a stat that led the Warriors. The 6’4 guard also gives a lot of credit to Waterloo assistant coach Brad Johnston for helping him develop into the player he is today. “He taught me

a hell of a lot about the game over the 6 to 7 years that he coached me [when McIntyre played on the K-W Vipers Rep team, the team Johnston coach prior to becoming an assistant at Waterloo] and therefore a lot of my knowledge for the game I credit him for.”

A phenomenal game against the York Lions in which he racked up 37 points earned McIntyre OUA and CIS athlete of the week honours.

Those two awards, in addition to being named to the OUA West All Rookie Team, capped off an incredible rookie season for McIntyre.

The recreation and leisure studies student is no stranger to bringing home the big awards either. In high school he was awarded the Mike Moser Award, an award named after the former University of Waterloo basketball star which, is presented to the most valuable player in the Waterloo Region High School basketball league. After doing so much already in only his first season, McIntyre still has plenty of goals for himself during the remainder of his university career, and possibly after “My goal would have to be becoming an All Canadian for at least one of my years here at Waterloo, and perhaps play overseas upon completion of university.”

Nellie Dow Second year – health studies Cross-Country Skiing

courtesy Nellie Dow

I

courtesy steve brooks

f you absolutely hated the amount of snow we received this year in K-W, you might not want to make Northern Ontario your permanent residence; you may however want to if you’re planning on taking up curling any time soon, as the northern area of our province has produced some greats.

The great Russ Howard, Canadian Olympic gold medalist, comes from Northern Ontario, as does Waterloo skip Ryan Sayer. While Sayer didn’t quite win an Olympic gold medal, he did put up quite an impressive season throwing the rocks for Waterloo. Coming from New Liskeard, a place a bit more than two hours north of North Bay, Sayer was first introduced to curling along with his brother, by their father, who was also a competitive curler in Northern Ontario. Sayer and his brother didn’t look back after that, “falling in love with the game,” and even getting the chance to compete in the Northern Ontario provincials on the same team, “hav-

H

ailing from Smithers, Ontario, Nellie Dow got an early start in the sport, strapping the skis on at a really young age. “When I was about four I started skiing in the fields behind my house and in elementary school we had a Jackrabbit program.”

A Jackrabbit program is something for skiers who have just began skiing and would now like to learn the basics such as technique, motor skills and, of course, safety skills.

At the age of 13, Dow began training all year round for ski season and had this to say when asked who she credits for helping her get to where she is now “the coaches I had at that time taught me a lot of what I know about dryland

ing the opportunity to share the experience alongside my brother is something I’ll never forget,” Sayer said of the experience.

The fourth year kinesiology coop student lists entertaining Cincinnati Reds centerfielder Ken Griffey Jr. as the athlete he most enjoyed to look up to as a kid growing up and had this to say when asked what his favourite memory from the past season was, “my favourite memory from this past season was winning the OUA First Team All-Star Skip Award. It was an incredible honour to be recognized with such a prestigious award.”

On top of the All-Star selection, Sayer also got the chance to compete in the inaugural CIS curling championship. After a big 10-1 beatdown on Lethbridge the hosts dropped two tough ones to Regina and Memorial to finish off their tournament. “…our team played great. We were real close to qualifying for the medal round of the event, which gives us an attainable goal to strive for next season,” commented Sayer on the performance put on by the team.

As for the future, Sayer hopes he can take his game to the next level and compete internationally, “for as long as I can remember, I have always dreamed of representing Canada at the Olympic games. I was probably one of the most excited people in the world when curling became an official Olympic sport a few years ago.” training. They were very dedicated and helped me progress in my sport throughout high school.”

Naming Becky Scott and Chandra Crawford as the athletes she looked up to growing up, Dow took right after them and had a fantastic season being named an OUA all-star as the Waterloo women’s team finished with a well earned fifth place finish in the OUA championships. The second year health studies student has some big plans for next year, too.

“Next year I hope to continue to build the strength of the women’s ski team at Waterloo. After that, I hope to do some coaching and help others achieve their goals in cross country skiing.”

Graphic by Sonia Lee

38

Sports & Living

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

Eat healthy, stay healthy A guide to healthy snacking habits and foods for the busy student facing the exam crunch Jacqueline To reporter

E

xam time is nearing, and for most university students, that means more irregular eating patterns and plenty of snacking throughout the day. The university campus offers a variety of different foods but most of us are drawn to unhealthy foods, such as pizza from the Student Life Centre and cookies from Tim Hortons. Although junk food is appetizing, there are many other types of snacks that are also delicious, but provide your body with nutrients that keep your body and brain well-fuelled throughout the day.

Eating throughout the day is essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Sandra Chuchmach, University of Waterloo’s professional dietician explained, “Hectic schedules often take their toll on students, who find themselves skipping meals or going long stretches without eating. Having a meal or snack at regular intervals helps you to avoid energy slumps and maximizes your physical and mental energy levels. Eating regularly also helps to prevent overeating that is more likely to occur if you’re ravenously hungry. Having snacks during the day is also a good way to fit in those elusive veggies, fruits, low-fat dairy products and whole grains that students often fall short on.” Generally, students should have a snack every three or four hours to re-energize their body.

It’s best to stay away from snacking on junk food since it cannot provide many nutrients that we need daily. Constant snacking on junk food for a long period of time may also lead

to high blood pressure and clogged arteries as you age. To stay away from junk food, Sandra advises, students to “avoid skipping meals, as this is a sure-fire way to set yourself up for cravings later in the day. Have a balanced meal or snack that includes a whole grain, a fruit or vegetable and some protein.

The protein component is really important in helping you to feel satisfied after a meal.

Also, if you want to be a healthier eater, you need to surround yourself with the right “tools”— nutritious foods that you can turn to when you’re hungry. If you have intense cravings for certain foods, especially higher fat, salty or sweet snacks, crave-proof your surroundings. For example, if you find it hard to resist chips, don’t keep them in the house.

That’s not to say you have to give them up altogether, but buy a small, single-serving bag at the campus convenience store instead.

Constantly denying your urges can make them even more intense, so learn how to include all foods you enjoy in moderate portions.”

Try snacking on nuts and trail mixes, baby carrots, flatbread and hummus, yogurt and fruit parfaits, and high-fibre, low-sugar cereals. All of these foods do not need a lot of preparing and are packed with nutrients that strengthen our body. Nuts provide proteins, carrots are rich in Vitamin A, yogurt contains calcium, and so forth.

To maintain a balanced diet, try planning ahead and buying healthy snack foods that you enjoy eating. By doing so, not only will you maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle, but your meals will taste good and you will feel great throughout the day.

A guide to eating for working out Protein is the building block of muscles and it’s crucial for your body to have lots of it. For the workout buff a diet high in protein is essential. Without enough protein, muscle mass will not increase.

Eating after working out is critical to muscle development. Most nutritionists recommend eating 45 to 60 minutes after a workout. Your muscles will be most efficient in absorbing nutrients during this period.

High protein foods:

Post-workout eating tips:

•

Chicken

•

Turkey

•

Lean cuts of beef

•

Fish

•

Tofu

•

Egg white

•

Pumpkin seeds

•

Flax seeds

1.

You do not have to eat a large meal, but you should eat something after working out.

2.

A meal with about 65 per cent carboyhdrates, 20 per cent fat and 15 per cent proteins is considered near optimal for an after work-out meal.

3.

The shorter the workout, the less you should eat. Your meal should be proportional to the workout time.

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Sports & Living

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

39

Can sports change lives?

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gnore the clichéd line for a second and let’s think about the ways sports have changed your life and the lives of others. If you are reading this column you’re almost certainly a sports aficionado, but where would you be today if

sports hadn’t been a part of your life? For those at the professional and international ranks, sport is their lives. It’s not hard to imagine how the lives of superstar athletes such as Alex Rodriguez, Kobe Bryant or Tom Brady has been trans-

Jen Stanfel

formed by sports. While they have become multi-millionaire celebrities through their athletic gifts, those that reach their ranks number just a handful.

For ordinary people, the changes that sports bring to their lives are much more subtle, even un-noticeable (except in hindsight). For many youths living in impoverished areas, the sporting opportunities are few and limited. Government initiatives that seek to reduce youth crime often involve after school sports programs. Conventional wisdom dictates that busy youths are far less likely to commit crimes while occupied and a team sport boosts the self-esteem of participants. In Newham, one of the boroughs of the 2012 London Olympics, the government poured over two million dollars CAD into encouraging 64 000 youngsters to participate in the 26 Olympic sports.

At the same time, the number of youths making a first court appearance to face criminal charges dropped 25 per cent in Newham.

In contrast, other parts of London, which did not have the same government sports program saw only a 1 per cent reduction on the year. Overall the total number of juvenile court appearances dropped by 38 per cent on the year. Similar spearheads in the U.S. also yielded successful drops in youth crime for as long the programs were funded.

However, that’s not to say sports will rehabilitate hard offenders and is catch-all panaceas to the problem of crime. What sport can do is put idle kids in a positive environment and keep them busy and away from

For ordinary people, the changes that sports bring to their lives are much more subtle, even un-noticeable (except in hindsight). other more negative lures. Teenagers involved in after-school sports in New York City were 2 times less likely to drop-out out of school and 50 per cent less likely to have children while still school — both which are triggers to a path of crime and despair.

Often for the disabled, sports can seem like an elusive pipe dream.

The Canadian Paralympic committee estimates there are 700,000 disabled Canadians between the ages of 5-45, however only some 20, 000 of them participate in an organized sport. Sport can be a normalizing and rehabilitative influence in the lives of those that are disabled. It is a means to integrate into society and can serve to teach independence.

Paralympic athelete Brad Lennea was involved in a motor vehicle accident in 1991 at age 19 which left him a paraplegic. To him, sport has provided him a new lease on life after spending several years adrift after his accident. “Sport has given me a life. I wasn’t too sure what to expect from life before. The more I got involved with disabled skiing

the more it consumed my life. Now every decision I make in life revolves around skiing,”said Lennea.

Now let’s go back to our own lives and think where we’d be without the influence of sports in them. How many friends have you met throughout your life been through sports? Would your life be better or worse without the impact of sports? How much of your life is consumed by sports-related activities? In a time where obesity and sedentary lifestyles are on an intrepid rise, that daily game of pick-up basketball could literally be the difference between life and death years down the road. The people you’ve met through sports and the lifestyle that you live now thanks to sports probably affects more of your life than you might think. On the surface, sport may seem like a silly trivial game of balls and sticks at times, but its effects may shape your entire life and outlook. yliu@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

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40

Sports & Living

Imprint, Friday, March 28, 2008

Dylan Cawker imprint intern

Bojana Josipovic Third year - sociology Volleyball

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courtesy Uw Athletics

he Waterloo warriors women’s basketball team were on fire after the first eight games, and have a 8-0 record to prove it. One of the players leading the way was Bojana Josipovic, a 6’1 outside hitter from Kitchener. The third year sociology student got her start on the volleyball court in eighth grade, “I started playing just to stay active until basketball season came around,” she said.

The Warrior team continued to

play well throughout the season, as did Jospovic, who was named to the OUA-West’s second team all-stars after racking up 183 points this season. The team made it to the OUA’s final four, and unfortunately, due to some great play on the parts of the University of Toronto and University of Ottawa, the Warriors went home with a forth place finish, just missing out on a medal.

When asked about someone Josipovic really looked up to growing up playing volleyball she said “Vladimir Grbic, an outside hitter for the Yugoslavian national team,” because “he’s just a great all around player.”

As for next year, look for the Warrior women to build on their current success that also included two bronze medal finishes in pre-season tournament action. Josipovic’s goals for next season are also very team oriented as she had this to say about the future: “my main goal is to keep improving and to contribute as much to my team as I can and hopefully end my last year with an OUA medal in hand.”

Oleg Chernukhin Third year - mechanical engineering Swimming

L

Michael L. Davenport

eading the Waterloo swim team to success this year was Oleg Chernukhin. The third year mechatronics engineering student hailing from Fredericton, New Brunswick, got his start in swimming as just about everybody does, having his mom sign him up for swimming

lessons at the age of four, and just like everyone else as well, he wasn’t too keen on it. “I didn’t enjoy it at first, but that eventually changed and swimming has since become a big part of my life”.

No kidding. Chernukhin posted more than impressive times all season capping it all off with four gold medals and “swimmer of the meet” at the OUA championships as well as a bronze medal at the CIS championships. Not a bad year in terms of bringing home the hardware, which is the reason Chernukhin states this year as the one he’s most proud of in his career thus far, “When you set a goal and work towards it for a year, no matter what obstacles get in the way, and then accomplish what you wanted, you can’t help but feel pretty good about it and that’s why I think this year was very special.”

Chernukhin isn’t finished with this year yet either. April 1-6 he’s headed to Montreal to compete in the Olympic trials for the first time.