Impr int The university of Waterloo’s official student newspaper
Friday, November 21, 2008
Maggie Clark editor-in-chief
A
fter two and a half hours of deliberation, the UW Senate passed a motion on Monday, November 17 stating that they endorse “in principle the United
imprint . uwaterloo . ca
vol 31, no 19
Arab Emirates (UAE) campus initiative, as it has been described to date.” The satellite campus will initially be housed in Dubai, with possible later expansion into Abu Dhabi. Chemical engineering and civil engineering programs, operating on the 2+2 system that has students spending
U
W Provost Amit Chakma spoke fee revenue increas of 14 per cent) will all first on the matter of the UAE, be invested “in support of UW’s academic noting that UW’s Sixth Decade mission,” in the short term by generating Plan calls for “significant internationaliza- capital funds for the Eng VI building and tion of UW to ensure that UW graduates math expansions. 32 new faculty positions can play their role as global citizens.” and 8 new lecturer positions, allowing This could be achieved by sending more for some $5 million generated through students abroad, bringing in more inter- research revenue, are also listed as benefits national students, and expanding UW’s of the new campus. boundaries — all three of which the Dubai “Executed well, this will improve UW’s campus allows for. academic quality,” said Chakma. In general Chakma also noted the financial climate discussion, senators had similarly qualitawhich he felt made such a campus crucial, tive arguments for the satellite campus: stating that “we realize we cannot depend “I want to take it further, this idea of on government funding, as trends show [the campus] not being a UAE issue, but our funding per capita is on the decline. We of us doing business globally,” said Dean continue to build our endowment [funds] of Environment Deep Saini. “When we but that’s a long process, and in the meantime... we need new sources of “We have a responsibility to operating funding.” To this end the Dubai campus dare to be in those places.” is expected to yield $22 million per year, with the potential, according to — Deep Saini, Dean of Environment Chakma, for this revenue to increase to $50 million in the future, depending on how many other programs are do that, we have to be open about the fact developed over the existing ones. Chakma that we will be doing business in places cited undergraduate programs in interna- that are not like this place. And frankly, I tional affairs, digital media, environmental wouldn’t have it any other way. I want to planning, environment/business, and go to places that are different. We have a science/business, as well as a master’s in responsibility to dare to be in those places. public health, as possible extensions of Would I place my students where things are the campus — though according to arts perfectly safe? No. You weigh your risks students union president Allan Babor, no and then you act. Social change comes from formal endorsement has yet been given by people being engaged. You cannot engage the arts faculty for its share in these future if you don’t go.” projects. Chakma said that the increased Saini’s comments resonated with revenue (which also accounts for a tuition numerous stories of professors who had spent extensive time working abroad, or as part of international “I have no doubt we can be a exchanges. Bruce Mitchell, speaking on behalf of himself and Susan positive influence.” Wisnor, related in particular his 20 — Amit Chakma, UW provost years of experience in Indonesia. “When the project first began there was quite a bit of discussion.
four terms in UAE, then their last four on Waterloo campus, will commence Fall 2009. Financial Analysis and Risk Management, as well as Information Technology Management, will join the UAE campus starting 2010. The Monday meeting saw numerous
other university matters pushed back, perhaps until January, to allow discussion on the academic merit, as well as opportunity costs, of the Dubai initiative. Too much was said to convey here in full, but the general pros, cons, and comments on developmental process, are developed below:
W
“I’m Jewish myself,” said Rothenberg. herewomen’sissueswereaddressed — in Chakma’s statements, as well “If I sensed at any point that this was an as those of a graduate from UAE anti-Semitic country I would never go or let University (Women’s Campus) — classroom any of my Jewish colleagues go.” A different segregation played a dominant role, despite approach emerged later: “On the matter of being a moot point where the UW satel- gay rights ... our going to the UAE will crelite campus, which will be integrated, was ate indirect discrimination, but if it serves concerned. Workers’ rights likewise re- “I would not feel comfortable ceived little attention outside of going anywhere all faculty the Chair’s responses document, which noted that “UW is not in a position to meaningfully influence would not feel safe going.” working conditions for construction of the campus.” — Wayne Oldford, Math Faculty Faculty-at-large Senator Fraser Easton did, however, address academic freedoms: “Are we forgetting that uni- a greater good, then it is a permissible disversities are fundamentally liberal institutions, crimination. All schools that go to foreign founded on freedom of inquiry alongside lands face this ... and if you look at Section freedom of speech? I know personally that 11 of the Ontario [Human Rights] Code if I were to teach a digital arts class there I you can find documents on ‘constructive would be in so much shit. ... Not saying it discrimination.’” What Rothenberg refers to is 11.(1)(a), can’t be done; I just want to know how it which states that a person’s rights are not could be done.” But the bulk of concern lay with discrimi- infringed when “the requirement, qualification or factor is reasonable and bona fide in nation on the basis of sexual orientation. “What I really wanted to say, and I wish the circumstances,” with the definition of I had,” Feds President Justin Williams later “reasonable” determined by an application of told Imprint, “is that while all the personal the Oakes test, which asks a) are the measures stories of positive experiences in the UAE “fair and not arbitrary, and rationally conwere nice to hear, they all came from places nected to [the] objective,” b) even if rational, of hetero-privilege. And that’s really the do they “impair the right in question as little problem here, because these people aren’t as possible,” and c) is there a “proportionality the ones who would be affected by Dubai’s between the effects of the measures and the objective, [recognizing that] the more severe anti-homosexuality laws.” Graduate Students Association Presi- the deleterious effects of a measure, the more dent Craig Sloss expressed similar views at important the objective must be.” Questions about at least the second crithe meeting: “I can’t support this motion until I’ve seen the issue of discrimination terion arose when Graduate Student Senator Douglas Stebila expressed concerns about the addressed.” Deliberations on discrimination broad- delivery of counselling, health services, and ened when Acting Dean of Engineering Leo academic advising to UW students in the UAE. Rothenburg spoke about equal access for The formal response noted that such services Jewish faculty and students, citing the over 200 will be provided by UW’s partner “within the context and norms of UAE culture.” different nationalities living in the UAE.
See UAE, page 4
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Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008 news@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
revisiting 9/11 The UW 9/11 club recently hosts a conference to look at alternative theories for the sequence of events that occurred on Sept 11, 2001 Nokyoung Xayasane assistant news editor
“
Sometimes it is necessary for a leader to attack his own people in order to sustain war against others,” said Paul Zarembka, professor of economics at State University New York in Buffalo, who presided as the guest speaker for “The Hidden History of 9-11-2001.” Zarembka was referring specifically to the U.S. government and to Machiavellian State Terrorism, which he believes underlies the events of 9/11 — an inside job against its own people. Claims made by Zarembka and similar-minded theorists are highly controversial and deviate from mainstream, official views. The conference, organized by the UW 9/11 Research Group and Global Outlook, was held on November 13 in the Alumni Lecture Hall.
Dr. Terry Burrows, a retired Toronto general practitioner and psychotherapist, moderated the event. UW 9/11 Research Group President Adnan Zuberi said that members of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) were invited to present arguments for the mainstream interpretation of events, but were unable to attend. Zarembka, an editor for Research in Political Economy, Frontiers in Econometrics and The Hidden History of 9/11, is a passionate advocate for the re-investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. When asked about the relevancy of 9/11 today, Zarembka said: “9/11 has redefined the U.S. political economy and North America in general. It’s the one single defining event in the last quarter century.” When asked about the objectivity of the club, and its openness to
evidence which contradicts these unofficial theories, Zuberi explained: “We don’t have theories. What we’re doing is questioning the government theories, and we’re trying to engage in potentially original research with the help of professionals.” “What we want to achieve is public awareness and the end of the occupation of Afghanistan, which is predicated by the 9/11 lie,” added Adam Parrott, a non-UW volunteer for the club. Zarembka went on to answer a written audience question, which voiced the individual’s “disgust with the 9/11 lies” and their desire to take action. “My feeling is that a lot of progress is being made. There is broadening interest and talking about 9/11.” See 9/11, page 6
photos courtesy wikipedia
More than seven years after 9/11, clubs such as the UW 9/11 Research Group continue to question the official story of events on that fateful day. The club recently hosted a conference featuring a lecture from Prof.Paul Zarembka to question the “real version” of events.
NADER SPEAKS TO UW
mackenzie keast
Ralph Nader addressed the packed Humanities theatre audience on Thursday, November 13. Nader gave the keynote address celebrating the 35th anniversary of Waterloo Public Interest Research Group (WPIRG).
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Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
u-pass contention
Students voice concerns over the mandatory Universal Pass program implemented during the last fall term E Aboyeji staff reporter
A
year and a half after the Universal Pass program was mandated overwhelmingly by a student referendum, certain concerns are rising over the program. These concerns are informed by a report by the transit planner to the Community Services Committee of the region on the program. The U-Pass program was implemented last fall for full-time undergraduate students at the University of Waterloo based on the success of a similar program at Wilfrid Laurier University. It allows qualifying students unlimited use of the GRT service for a non-refundable fee of $43.50 per term as part of their tuition. The report, which was presented to the committee in mid-February of this year, is based on statistics from the first fall term of the program. The report indicates that Waterloo students paid $768,894.36 for 785,535 boardings. This implies that the average cost for students is approximately 98 cents per boarding. The students opposed to the program claim the statistics show that the program does not really benefit students who may need to take two or more transfers to get to and from the university. They also claim that a lot of other students, especially those who own cars and those who never use the buses, may not find the service beneficial. These students believe that the Feds should make the fee refundable to anyone who wishes to opt out of the program. Students in favour of the program insist that the program is beneficial to most people and so there is no need to
Ethan oblak
provide an opt-out option. According to Del Perreira, Feds vice president for administration and finance, the modest costs of the U-Pass program are justified when compared to the alternative. The prohibitive costs of car insurance and parking space, make cars a less likely option for students, and combined with the high rent rates for decent accommodations within acceptable distance of the university, make mobility by bus the least costly alternative for many students. Since only 10 per cent of students drive, it is by far the better alternative for students. Among the many benefits of the program is increased mobility for students — especially first years who may be trapped on campus without the U-Pass. Comparing their increased mobility as a result of the program, Perreira recalls his days before the advent of the program as a first year in Waterloo when his options were limited to staying on campus, paying the regular bus fare, or taking a very expensive taxi. He dismisses the dissenters by saying that “there are always a few people who will not agree with everything and who the programs may not benefit.� However,
since the program has the overwhelming support of the student body, they simply have to live with it. It seems that even the community at large, including those who drive, benefit from the program, as it reduces the pressure on students to drink and drive. It is also environmentally friendly as students will have less cause to pollute the environment. Also, according to an earlier report by the region at the time the referendum was taken, it will be twice as expensive for the GRT if the opt-out option was provided. Apparently, having more people signed up to the program has enabled Feds to make modest cuts to the U-Pass access fee, as it has already dropped from $50.58 to $43.50 in the last year. However, there is a ray of hope for dissenters who feel very strongly about this issue. The contract is up for executive review in three years and if they can get a considerable following, they can force it to referendum. Though it is not clear how much goodwill their cause has, one thing is pretty obvious; most students still think U-pass is a life saver. eaboyeji@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
UAE: Pros, cons, and process Continued from cover
Pros, continued
Cons, continued
“Two positions were taken: one, that this was wrong, and we shouldn’t go; we’d be legitimizing the military dictatorship, and two, the question of ‘how is a place ever going to change if it doesn’t get exposed to other countries?� Mitchell stated that while he and Wisnor were eventually pushed out, with students evacuated over the course of eight months, he first saw a difference in both the Indonesian students who came out of the program and the awareness level of Waterloo students going in. Wismer added that she was a “Strong supporter of the university taking forms of prudent risk, doing we’ve never done before without always knowning what will happen. That’s part of the fear, and the power, of being innovative.�
Said Stebila: “I’m worried that compromises our ability to provide safe spaces in these extensions of UW — not just in class but on our campus as a whole.� Science Senator Sam Andrey later cited the case of a French national gang-raped in Dubai last year: according to the 15-year-old boy, he was then accused of sodomy, an offence punishable by jail time and deportation, by the doctor he went to for treatment. “You said we would never go to places with Draconian laws,� said Andrey, addressing earlier statements by Chakma. “But how does the UAE not count?� He closed by making a formal request for health and counselling services to be provided by UW staff, and not CERT employees. No address of this request emerged in the course of the meeting.
F
“A learning experience�
lipping through a document of responses from the Chair to submitted faculty and staff questions about the UAE campus, Prof. Fraser Easton raised concerns about the process by which discussion around the satellite had been framed. “I only received a five-page document tonight, which gives me no time to take it back, give it a rigorous readthrough, and compare notes with other faculty, prior to the vote.� Other senators expressed concerns that the campus was only now coming to a vote at senate, long after financial contracts had been arranged with CERT. “I support Tom [Duever, of engineering] when he says that these things have been brought up in various meetings,� said Wayne Oldford of the math faculty, “but despite that it hasn’t been brought up to a vote [in senate], and I strongly feel that this is an academic issue so it should have been.� Many of the faculty questions posed in the agenda and at the meeting also referred to individual concerns about coming forward with dissenting opin-
ions about the UAE campus, which had present deans expressing dismay and offense at the perceived censorship of academic freedoms at home. These concerns manifested most prominently in a motion for a secret ballot; though the motion failed, there was a considerable split in votes. “I take offense to comments about reluctance to express fears on account of the deans,� said Roger Mannell, Dean of Applied Health Sciences, “In an institution dedicated to academic freedoms, it seems more that these concerns and fears arise from within, and not out of a reality of censorship.� Mannell tempered these remarks with a different perspective on the process as a whole. “I think part of the reason for these difficulties is because we’ve never done this before — so let’s use this as a learning experience, and know well enough to do things differently next time.� UW’s next international satellite campus, to be pursued in Beijing, is presently under contract negotiations. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
5
Rwandan aide arrested, sri lankan displacement, and tokyo stabbings Danielle Whittemore intern
Rwandan aide arrested for presidential assassination KIGALI, Rwanda Rose Kabuye, aide to the Rwandan president, was arrested last Saturday and is being charged for a role in assassinating the former president, Juvénal Habyarimana, whose plane was shot down on April 6, 1994. Kabuye is thought to be one of the main shooters.
Marley song “Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.” The Rwandan government also seems to believe that Kabuye is innocent. They seem confident that she is ready for her trial, and will be declared innocent. The Rwandan genocide, which killed over 800,000 people is thought to have been triggered by the assassination of Habyarimana, and Kabuye will be questioned thoroughly about her possible involvement. — With files from BBC, Reuters and CNN
“All three victims were found in their homes, mere blocks from each other, and all three were stabbed near the front door.” Kabuye was taken into custody by Germany at Frankfurt airport, because France had issued international warrants for her arrest. The Rwandan government said that this was unfair, as Kabuye was on a business trip and had diplomatic immunity, as reported by Reuters. Kabuye is now being extradited to France to await trial, to the dismay of many Rwandans. Rosemary Museminali, Rwandan Foreign Minister was quoted in BBC News saying that the arrest is “illegal and flawed.” The government of Rwanda speculates that this is all a political gimmick, designed to “blur the truth and weaken the government,” according to a statement reported by Reuters. Rwandan citizens are also in an upheaval surrounding the arrest. According to BBC News, Kabuye has “heroic status” in Rwanda, and citizens are rebelling against her arrest. On November 12, thousands of people came out to protest, with signs reading “Rose is innocent and she is ready to prove it,” and T-shirts featuring roses or Kabuye’s face. Outside of the German embassy, a band was waiting to play the Bob
living in a situation that Amnesty’s Asia Pacific Director Sam Zarifi referred to as “critical,” as reported by AFP. Amnesty Inter national has called on the Tamil Tigers, urging them “to ensure freedom of movement for civilians and stop preventing people from moving to safer places.” One of the biggest issues Amnesty International is facing is food distribution. According to BBC, as long as food is given out by the government, “there is no way of establishing if the aid is reaching those most in need.” Instead, all food must be distributed by aid agencies. Both the government and the rebels deny responsibility for the condition of the displaced families. — W ith files from BBC and AFP
Sri Lankan civilians displaced MANKULAM, Sri Lanka A rebel-dominated town in Sri Lanka has been reclaimed by security, leaving displaced families open to help from Amnesty International. The Sri Lankan forces took over Mankulam, which has previously been a political stronghold for the Tamil Tiger rebels, who have been fighting against the government for over a decade. The next day BBC reported that Amnesty International has stepped in to help families in need. With monsoon season approaching in Sri Lanka, the suffering families will need shelter, as well as food and water. Some temporary shelters have been assembled, but there are still 20,000 families with nowhere to go. Amnesty has accused both the Tamil Tigers and the government of Sri Lanka of using the civilians as war shields, and not providing them with the resources they need to survive. The war drove these people away from their homes and they are now
Three stabbings may be related to botched pension plans TOKYO, Japan Three people were stabbed in a Tokyo suburb, two fatally. Takehiko Yamaguchi, 66, and his wife, Michiko, 61 were found on the morning of November 18, stabbed to death. Yasuko Yoshihara, 72, was found later that evening in critical condition. CNN reported that the attacker approached her acting as if he was part of a parcel delivery service,
before he attacked. According to The Washington Post, Yoshihara was heard saying that she feared for her husband’s life. Police do not know whether or not these attacks are related, but they do contain some common elements. Yamaguchi is a former Vice Health Minister, as is Kenji Yoshihara, Yasuko’s husband. All three victims were found in their homes, mere blocks from each other, and all three were stabbed near the front door. Police speculate that these incidents may be related to a botched computerization of pension records, which happened in the mid1980s when Kenji Yoshihara was the head of the Social Insurance Agency. Millions of records were lost, leaving the elderly in Japan in turmoil. Prime Minister Taro Aso told The Washington Post that he could not comment on the theory that the attacks were acts of vengeance or terrorism. “We don’t know whether they are simply cases of assault or murder or not,” he said. In the meantime, police have a few leads, including bloody footprints at the crime scene that they are analyzing to determine whether or not both crimes had the same attacker. Just to be on the safe side, security is also being increased around other public officials. — With files from CNN and The Washington Post dwhittemore@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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9/11: “seeking the truth” Continued from page 3
photos courtesy wikipedia
New York firefighters and rescue workers struggle to haul away the injured after the buildings collapsed.
He went on to recommend participation in the UW 9/11 Research Group. “You really ought to know about it to have opinions. It might make a difference.” Quoting H.G. Wells, he told the audience: “History is a race between education and catastrophe.” In response to a student’s question about the alleged automated demolition of the Twin Towers, and the Pancake Theory, which theorized the resulting tower collapse as a controlled demolition via explosives and incendiary devices, Zarembka said: “There’s a capacity for people who need an explanation. Fire is hot — seems reasonable. Dark smoke suggests cold fire, not a hot fire. People need some kind of explanation for the shock, and for most people, it’ll be implanted and never get
out. At a minimum, it suggests that someone had a story ready and passed it along.” Highly controversial and unofficial 9/11 theories come with passionate proponents and dissenters, and when asked about his reception in the Waterloo community, Zarembka relayed an earlier interview with Faith FM, calling the interviewer “knowledgeable, friendly, and interested.” He added that he has not experienced any hostility from the university community. The message that he wants UW students to take away from the “9/11 truth movement” is the necessity of finding the truth: “The most important thing is to seek your own truth and not what the media wants you to believe. That’s what education is all about.” nxayasane@imprint.uwaterloo.com
Opinion Friday, November 21, 2008 Vol. 31, No. 19 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, Lawrence Wang Systems Admin. vacant Distribution, Rob Blom, Ash Mukadda Interns, Matthew Lee, Brandon Rampelt, Holly Sage, Danielle Whittemore Board of Directors board@imprint.uwaterloo.ca President, Sherif Soliman president@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Vice-president, Vacant ssoliman@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Treasurer, Lu Jiang treasurer@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Secretary, Vanessa Pinelli secretary@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Staff liaison, Peter Trinh liaison@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Editorial Staff Assistant Editor, Dinh Nguyen Head Reporter, Vacant Lead Proofreader, Paul Collier Cover Editor, Kevin Shahbazi News Editor, Yang Liu News Assistant, Nokyoung Xayasane Opinion Editor, Travis Myers Opinion Assistant, Keith McManamen Features Editor, Duncan Ramsay Features Assistant, Caitlin McIntyre Arts & Entertainment Editor, Mark Kimmich Arts & Entertainment Assistant, Marco Baldasaro Science & Tech Editor, Anya Lomako Science & Tech Assistant, Eric Gassner Sports & Living Editor, Adrienne Raw Assistant Sports & Living, Tina Ironstone Photo Editor, Mackenzie Keast Photo Editor Assistant, Ethan Oblak Graphics Editor, Tifa Han Graphics Assistant, Jacqueline To Web Administrator, Sonia Lee Systems Administrator, vacant
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Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008 opinion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
nobody speaks, nobody wins
B
oy, I wish you’d been there. As senate meetings go, the UW meeting on Monday, November 17 was exceedingly long, with discussion on the UAE satellite campus carrying on for some two and a half hours, overwhelming the rest of the agenda and pushing back a slew of important university matters to December. The conference room was also packed — no space, really, for more than ten other sardines, let alone the whole of the student body. The air was stuffy, the heaters blasting. Leg room was at a premium, and with a pillar smack dab in the middle of Needles Hall 3001, you didn’t stand a chance of seeing the faces of everyone who spoke. But boy, I wish you’d been there. I lay down the general flow of the meeting on page one, “We’re going in: UAE pros and cons”; if you didn’t jump straight to the comics, you’ve probably at least skimmed it by now. But here, in this forum, I want to talk about what couldn’t get into that article — the anecdotal discussion that, while sometimes of debatable direct relevance to the matter at hand (the assessment of ethics and opportunity costs in relation to the decision to support the UAE satellite campus in principle), nonetheless adds incredible depth and insight into some of the players in this latest university exchange. Students, myself included, can often get so caught up in the particulars of our most immediate concerns that it’s easy to forget what came before. Red China, Soviet Russia, Suharto’s dictatorship in Indonesia — fears about academic exchanges in foreign lands are by no means new to Canadian exchanges. It’s only regrettable that UW President David Johnston did not speak of his own, long history in academics, a history replete with matters pertaining to exchanges of this politically-contentious magnitude, until this final vote. Also regrettable was how late in this public process UW Provost Amit Chakma’s striking personal remarks emerged, pertaining to his own experience living in a region with egregious human rights abuses, his strong appreciation for Canadian freedoms, and the very real human rights decision he had to make, 17 years ago, while touring the UAE for a potential job with the safety of his wife and children in mind. And these two accounts were by no means
Next staff meeting: Monday, November 24 12:30 a.m. Next board of directors meeting: Friday, November 21 10:00 a.m.
cons of tuition or salary increases can be deliberated upon for students to read? Where are the public forums putting professors from various faculties together to discuss the various ramifications of more widespread academic and social issues? I know as editor-in-chief of Imprint, I’m in a particularly privileged position to effect change, despite the main mandate of Imprint being to give students a much-needed, oft-underrepresented voice on campus. To this end, I’m working with Feds to present a more consistent forum series on campus issues next term; and our hope is to solicit the relevant expertise from faculty and staff whenever possible. But more is needed, especially as so many faculty on Monday expressed a startling fear of recrimination simply for speaking their minds. Deans in attendance expressed great hurt over the implication that they might censor comments or reprimand faculty for ideological dissent; and as editor-in-chief of Imprint, I’ve encountered my fair share of students who similarly fear that if they write in disagreeing with something we’ve published, we’ll simply censor them too — so I know how hurtful that perception can be. What I also know is that the best way to counter those perceptions is by broadening the discourse; by making no secret of just how many ways there are to be heard. Faculty and staff, I strongly suspect, need to hear the same. They need to pass department bulletin boards listing calls for participation in radio programs, scan emails announcing professorial forums on campus, or read the words of their many colleagues in campus-wide print. Meanwhile, for students as despondent as I’ve often been about the lack of manifested scholastic attitudes in everyday campus life, I wish we had available to us the fruits of such a transformation — the means to better connect with the generations of experience and insight that surround us all over campus. But until things change — until the views of our esteemed professors and faculty leaders are more effectively aired in public forums — let me leave with one simple wish: Boy, do I wish you’d been at that senate meeting. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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unique in the exhaustive meeting: many professors spoke of their long service abroad, the lessons they’d learned from this exposure, and the power of gradual change through broadened educational opportunities. I refer to Associate Provost Bruce Mitchell (Academic and Student Affairs) in particular in the main article; he spoke his piece out of 20 years’ experience with such exchanges, and the students who arise from them. Professor Beth Jewkes similarly spoke from family experience in the region when promoting the exchange, as well as her interactions with graduate students from the UAE. I don’t mention these individuals and stories to sway you to one side of the fence or the other on the matter of the UAE campus as a whole; for that I encourage you to use the main article as a tool to help you decide for yourself. But I do want to mark upon the presence in the conference room that evening — and with it, for me, the dawning of real awareness about just how much diverse experience is encompassed by the faculty and staff of UW campus. In my own personal journey on this campus, I’ve often grown despondent over the perceived lack of scholastic priorities, as espoused both by individual students and their more employmentoriented programs, as well as the prominence of money matters and business partnerships in mainstream university discourse. Missing, for me, has regularly been public affirmation that the experience acquired through both employment and research at this campus could be applied (and was being applied) to the kinds of analysis that demonstrate ever-growing insight into the place of universities and knowledge in society as a whole. And to hear just that depth and breadth of debate aired at long last in senate on Monday was humbling, just as it was encouraging. I wish I heard more of it on campus, and more often, too. I wish faculty had more forums — on radio, in person, and in print — to help them apply stories of experiential insight to very real, very relevant university matters as a whole. Where is the campus radio talk show inviting professors to speak about environmentalism at UW? Or the staff newspaper wherein the pros and
I
n my podcasting life, I have become addicted to Dharma talks. Essentially, its North American converts to Buddhism giving sermons in a Christian church style setting. My particular favourite is a man named Gil Fronsdil (whom you can hear on Zencast in iTunes if you’re so inclined) since he has a cute British accent and a nice middle-aged Buddha belly. I was listening to one of his Dharma talks a few weeks ago, and one of his points I felt was rather fitting to discuss. It was something he merely touched on, discussing the vows of the Sangha, the Buddhist community — particularly those in monasteries and nunneries. Traditionally, they would renew their vows on the full moon of every month. His point was that it was intriguing that they picked the full moon because the waning and waxing of the moon is an illusion; the moon is always full. Like the full moon, retaking a vow is an illusion — a true vow exists fully everyday. It made me think of some the things we do only on specific days. Remembrance Day happened last week and I think this Dharma talk has something to say on it. For a few weeks, we wear this fake poppy that usually stabs you to pieces, we stay quiet for a few minutes at a specific time and that’s about it. I’ll be honest; I don’t usually even wear the poppy. Think about it. There’s not much that really changes about
your day. You still went to class, you still ate, and you went on with life. It’s not that I don’t remember, but I would like to present a different view on remembering. My Granddad passed away when I was just a small kid, but he left me only one thing: his gas mask from his experience in World War Two. He never had to use it — nerve gas attacks were a First World War phenomenon — and so it sits in its case to this day. I don’t know why he gave to me, but I’m glad he did. My Scottish Granddad survived his imprisonment in a German P.O.W. camp, to succumb to lung cancer in Canada. Until I was much older, I never knew of his experience, of his near death before he even met my Grandma. He lived a full life — a good life — and was well loved. Not every man in the war was so lucky; there are many who never got that chance. But my story isn’t just one sided. My Oma was a small child growing up in Hamburg, a major port city in Germany. The Allies throughout the war bombed approximately 80 per cent of the city. She’s told me stories of her early years, her father fighting in the dead of winter in Russia and her mother hiding fugitive Jews in her shed while they escaped Germany. Her father eventually shot himself in the leg to be sent back home rather than freeze to death thousands of miles away from his family. My Oma and her
family had to escape the city and they lived in the country while the city was slowly rebuilt after the war had ended. She also nearly died before she met my Opa — nearly had her life end before she began it. Both my Opa and my Grandma view the war in the greatest disdain because it nearly caused the death of their spouses, albeit my Opa was in some peril as a Palestinian refugee living in exile in Jordan. By the time my parents met as adults in Canada, there was hostility on both sides. So in my remembrance, I don’t think of Saving Private Ryan, but of my Granddad’s imprisonment, my Oma hiding in a bomb shelter and my Opa in exile. I think about how the world suffers so much from violence and how our world is so shaped by it. From our perspective, we are living in a peaceful world, but from the world’s perspective, there is still great suffering. Remembrance Day is like the Sangha’s renewal of vows: it is symbolic as we promise ourselves that never again will we go to war, never again will we fight each other in this way. But do we? The vows we made last Tuesday to remember the suffering of our past and to stop the suffering of the future are still in place. The moon is always full, even if we don’t always see it. Our commitment to humanity is always there, even if we don’t perceive it that way. nhutton@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Opinion
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Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
A lot can change in a year
Eh, Harper? F
N
ext issue, this column will be a year old. I have taken it down paths both familiar and new, and have enjoyed every issue of it. Like the New Year celebrations of days gone by, this column has passed from infancy, through life, and now to senility, and next issue will mark the end of its days, just as new opinions and columns rise up anew. I want to thank Imprint and its volunteers for welcoming me in, giving me friendships and fond memories, and helping me to grow as a writer and a human being. To end my run, I hope to touch first in this issue in the thoughts and fears of many, and next week to conclude by looking forward, with hope, to Canada’s potential and political future.
three years, Mr. Harper asked delegates to consider the grave threat posed by the softening economy, and to avoid leaning too far toward or too heavily on right-wing issues. As an indirect result, the speech from the throne is expected to be more agreeable in tone than previous mandates, with the focus being on preserving and rebuilding the economy. Running in the red is not a clean cut wrong action, for while the economy might falter, few of the needs of Canadians and the world will fade away, especially not ones within the government’s sphere of influence. Canadians, including countless UW students, implicitly recognize this need when they take out a mortgage to buy a house, or take on a loan to put them-
provide the assurances and help necessary to get individuals through tough times, it is now all-too-common to hear of an “I deserve” attitude prevalent in society. It is that very attitude that makes Christmas season the time when countless families pledge to buy their and their families’ happiness, even through debt. This very attitude means it is a staple to watch an episode of “Til Debt Do Us Part,” and find host Gail Vaz-Oxlade helping couples refinance credit card debt, put an end to the juggling of debt from one card to dozens of others to cover minimum payments, and discovering just how impossible it is to get people to communicate on the subject of wealth, salary, and debt. Pride may be what they hope to
The Conservatives stepping in now with potential deficits and big-government-style controls should not be what is frightening. Running for re-election, one of the few promises Mr. Harper made to Canadians was that in these economic hard times, his government would not run a deficit. Upon his re-election, along with Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, the pledge was softened to a single budget of deficit avoidance. After a meeting of the G20, one of many declarations adopted was to stimulate economies, even if defecits come of it. The surprise in all this? None of this should alarm anyone, as alarming as the word deficit and the colour red can be. At the party’s first policy convention in
the
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selves through school. They recognize that there are times when action is needed despite thin resources, but that the payoff will take care of the costs incurred, as everyone at UW should realize that whether they leave $1,000 in debt or $50,000 in debt, the education and skills gained are far more valuable, and will open far more doors than that money otherwise could have. Indeed it is widely believed that this recession — if we are ready to use the word — finds its roots in American and global propensity to incur debt, often unwisely, unnecessarily, and excessively. In that respect, Harper can once again be applauded, for he was part of a charge at the G20 that called for required reviews of countries’ financial systems. In all, it sounds quite contrary to right-wing ideology, implementing more controls, more government, but there are times when systems are clearly flawed. I would push for further reforms myself, looking to abolish the near-criminal in cases implementation of payday loan services, and require stricter controls over credit cards and loans. We recognize that credit checks for mortgages make sense, in advance of granting individuals hundreds of thousands of dollars, but we seem to think that on a lesser scale, people and companies can be fully trusted. Where once families and handshakes could
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preserve, but their futures loaded in debt is all they accomplish. Consider that in 2005, according to Statistics Canada, the average Canadian carried over $28,000 in debt, nearly $50,000 was carried by every American, and that for over half a decade Canadians had steadily been adding to that debt at the rate of $100 million a day. That was 2005, when all was good times and the tap on credit was wide open. The Conservatives stepping in now with potential deficits and big-government-style controls should not be what is frightening. That we champion our own destruction — our right to ensure it, continue it, and bear much responsibility for it — that is what should frighten Canadians, but also shake them and jar them loose from the allmighty dollar’s grip. Like a parent to a child, and elder sharing guidance, we should recognize that there are times when we have clearly gone astray, and need help to find our way back to the prosperous path. We can have happiness, have it all, but first we must focus on what is truly important, what we truly need and deserve at the moment, and how we can sensibly, calmly, and jointly carry each other through whatever hard times are still yet to come.
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or 17 years and eight months, I have scoured history through books and stories. Most of the world’s big events happened before I was born and, as for the historic events that took place afterwards, I was too young to understand. Thus, before this time, I had viewed all of history through other people’s eyes: my grandfather’s stories of Colonial rule, the children’s books that I began reading a little too early, my father and mother’s kitchen table discussions, and most importantly, the times I spent behind the curtain in the living room, listening to political debates that would erupt in our living room on Thursday nights when my father held his politburo like meetings of intellectuals. Thus very early, I formed my political opinions through thought and theory; placing my ideas on a scale of history that I now realize may have been fairly inaccurate. At dusk on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, I learned firsthand how it felt to live history. Ironically, I will now attempt to describe the event to whatever unfortunate fetus or product of a to-be-conceived union may pick this up in the future, attempting to see history through my eyes. However, such is life; history can only be virtually relived through stories told — at least until time machines are invented. I can only promise you two things that I hope will make this perspective of history different. First, profound thought, for I believe that I have thought this through like nothing else. Second, that you will view history exclusively through my own eyes for the reason that an event is never truly historic if it has no impact on the individual, talk less of the community. First, I am black, so the events of November 4 hold a special significance to me. However, that is not the sole basis for my shock and awe. My shock is in the fact that democracy, a system that hardly makes logical sense to me, could achieve something so unprecedented and historic. My awe was in the united response of the entire world. Now, believe me, I am no anti-democratic, human rights-busting, ultra-rightwing, bigoted, elitist, royal scumbag who believes in oppression. Many of you would like to think of monarchists like me in such perverse terms. I have as noble intentions as you do. Perhaps intentions are made even more noble by the fact that unlike a lot of people in a world possessing more dogma than reason, I have reached my conclusions based on practical, logical deductions that do not factor in the sound bites of either wing (opinions with which I gladly entertain or use to torture my political science tutorial class). More than a week since history was made, I cannot fathom a logical reason as to why and how it happened. I know that many of you simply dismiss it as the reaction of the American people to an inept administration and a wandering party (see the town hall debates), but I still think it goes
beyond mere voter’s remorse to get such an overwhelming mandate from a country where the majority of citizens consider the word “liberal” a censorable term and voted for George W. Bush twice. It was not just an election, my friends; it was a revolution — a democratic revolution. As a confirmation of this concept of revolutionary democracy, three images from that fateful Tuesday are seared into my thick skull. The first image was an endless line of people waiting to vote. It seemed to me the weirdest thing — that in the age of widespread political apathy (see the Canadian elections), people stood in line for five to eight hours, determined to exercise their right to vote. As I watched the spectacle stream live from CNN’s website, my head struggled to understand the concept. I had never seen it before. My thinking was simple; why on earth would the good southern people of hinterland Virginia, former capital of the Confederacy, where black people are still being denied good drinking water and proper schools and anti-immigrant sentiments run high, troop out en-masse to exercise a choice between a coloured man and a proponent of immigration reform. It seemed to me that real America would simply sit out the election and hope Caribou Barbie or her likes run in 2012. Though I lack those answers, I understand too well that those lines made a political statement. Those long lines said to a world in doubt of its will: “I am not in this revolution for any one man, be they persons I loathe or persons I love. I am in this for the reasons that I must participate in this all-important effort to heal the injustices of the past, endure the trials of the present, and build the hope of the future.” True to those words, the election-day lines beat the Iranian revolution, the Russian revolution, the American revolution, and even the French revolution to remain the single greatest act of revolution in modern history. The second image that remains seared in my memory is one that has created more laughs than profound thought — the tears of Mr. Jackson. The sight of Mr. Jackson crying is a gesture symbolic of the many foot soldiers of the civil rights era that said more to me about the struggle for racial equality than a thousand cold historical references could. In his face, I saw two strong emotions: relief and regret. Relief that Dr. King’s prophetic words did not fall to the ground; that what Dr. King said about the Promised Land was so true. Mr. Jackson clearly does not think the work is over — he would be foolish to think so. However, that night he became, in that lovely Christian parlance, “born again” in Dr. King’s dream. For the most ardent followers of Dr King (which include my humble self) never expected that this would happen. See HISTORY, page 9
Opinion
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
9
HISTORY: in the making Continued from page 8
We had all agreed that pushing Dr. King’s cause was reasonable if we were to create a world that was to be just a little better for black children — so we championed the small things that made for a good life; social security, affirmative action and urban reconstruction and jobs for black people. He scourged civil rights from the government because he never once believed that his people could aspire and achieve life’s larger things — they were too down-trodden, too oppressed. The dream was just a string of lofty words, and he wanted to work with the realities. Even Dr. King would agree that a black President was pushing it too far. In Mr. Jackson’s face, I saw regret for the disbelief in this idea and tears that tell only the story of a true conversion. In his tears a revolution was born again with the realization that civil rights goes beyond government handouts. Dr King’s dream was more than a collection of welfare cheques. So for the many that think even Mr. Jackson’s job is not recession proof (see Jon Stewart), think again. The one difference we can expect is that this time, he would sooner or later cut his own nuts off, “talking down” (or challenging) black people. As if to crown the inevitability of revolution, the third image would be seared into my eternal memory a few hours after the country declared a one day revolution — the march on Washington. As I watched in my living room, people, who were unorganised and unprompted, decided that they would take back their White House — I understood
the symbolism of an event that few would qualify to be an act of simple euphoria, even presumptuousness. Those young men and women who marched to the White House that Tuesday night made a statement true scholars should see as symbolic of the true source of a state’s power. With that march in Washington, the inhabitants of a capital as diverse as the country it rules said in the most unambiguous terms: “This belongs to us.” It was as though they suddenly realized that the White House was not just the house they could look to for leadership in times of crisis, but also the house whose occupants only remained at their pleasure. For eight years, its occupants had sorely soiled their mandate — most times staying only at the pleasure of less than 20 per cent of the population. With that demonstration of peaceful revolution outside of the White House, the people sent its leaders an important message, one they will be wise to remember. These images of revolution remain with me, senseless as their origins seem. If there is any one thing I have learned from my solo experience with history, it is this: history is that rare event where reason is deficient and passion is proficient. Hopefully, I shall see more history (like the invention of time machines or the Earth’s first embassy on Mars) before fate deems me least useful to its purposes and turns me to dust. Meanwhile, I will never cease to tell of that fateful Tuesday night when “We, the people” became less rhetoric and more reality. — E. Aboyegi 1A arts
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10
Opinion
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
letters@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Re: Outsourced exams I’ll keep this short and to the point. I’ve noticed a few times with my chemistry, biology, math and CS lab manuals, lecture notes, and tests that some words are spelled using the American form. For example, colour is spelled ‘color’. I find this very odd considering that Waterloo is a Canadian school. It’s funny how we don’t even bother to hide the fact that we use material from an external vendor by changing these words to the proper spelling. For such a ‘high-tech’ campus with a prestigious ranking from Macleans, why are we not creating our own material? Can we not afford to do this? Where is the thousands of dollars we spend on tuition every term going? Oh right, to a satellite campus in Dubai and an $18,000 booklist. Michael Campagnaro 2nd year biology Re: Portrait of a Gallery Part 2: Gallery on the Grand, I was really disappointed in how this article portrayed art galleries (Imprint, November 7). First of all, I was particularly irritated to read that while traveling and comparing visits to art galleries, that Mr. and Mrs. Burkett felt that the Region of Waterloo was lacking in that respect. There are at least five galleries I can name off in the KW area: Render in East Campus Hall, Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Harbinger Gallery on Dupont Street, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery and the Artery Gallery which is a space the City of Kitchener donated to the University of Waterloo.
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We’ve seen galleries in different cities so we knew that we wanted it to be open, inviting, nobody was going to pounce on you when you come through the door, and prices were going to be visible. Am I mistaken or is that description of a ”perfect gallery” the epitome of your friendly, neighbourhood IKEA? If art, or the galleries, are too intimidating and elitest, do some of your own research outside the gallery. The Canadian Art Database (ccca. ca) is online and full of Canadian artists that range from Charlottetown, to Victoria, to the Northwest Territories in every medium imaginable... just to name one. And not to mention, a handful of artists who teach at UW can be found in there. I’m sorry, but, good art isn’t generated in large quantities like toilet paper or office supplies. And prices next to artwork kind of ostentatious don’t you think? People interested in art have to realize that the price for a work of art is the amount the artist is willing to accept from a stranger assuming they’re never, ever going to see it again. The KW area is innovative in the engineering and technological sense, but also in the visual art sense. All the artists out there can’t be generalized into one huge group. There are people who like to paint bird houses and sell them at craft shows for five bucks, but there are people who believe art is life, spend hours of research and months of labour on one piece of art. I’m assuming what we’re all looking for here is a happy medium. Some artists aren’t looking to sell and some artists are. If you’re looking to buy quality art, it’s obviously not going to be as easy as pressing D-2 on a vending machine. Danielle Owen 4A fine arts
Features
Reel Residential Competition
Exam Fatigue: A student’s handbook Amna Iqbal reporter
I
t’s crunch time. The time of essays and exams. Time to align yourself with the motto of “finally I need (to) learn this stuff ”. But breathe easy, for Imprint is at your service. We have put together a survival guide to get you through this gritty season. Let us first offer advice to students in Zone 1. Folks, you have plenty of time. What this means is that you can pace yourself at will and study with ample time for revision. Start the process by planning out what needs to be done. List all of your courses and their exam dates. Plan days and time accordingly. According to UW Counselling Services’ tips on exam preparation it might be beneficial to study from the top down by starting with the main ideas and then moving onto the subtopics. Break studies into chunks and make it a point to review often. Zone 2. You are packed with many exams in a few days and have little time to devote to each course. The assumption here is that you have kept up with course work over the term. You can conjure Cap’n Cramming to review previously learnt material. Start by writing yourself a course summary. In essence you will be giving yourself a crash course of all the concepts learnt in class. Decide what needs to be focused on first depending on its conceptual importance or emphasis in class. Work through assignments and notes. This will help you in reviewing and retaining the structure of the course. Up next is Zone 3. Here you haven’t kept up with the course work and are now immersed in panic. The advice here is don’t panic. Start by organizing information on what could likely be on the exam. See PANIC, page 13
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008 features@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Jeff Kelly staff reporter
L
et’s say that you want to get the word out to UW students that they should consider living in residence during the spring term. How would you go about speaking the message? You could hire a fancy PR firm to design an ad campaign, spending thousands in the process, with no guarantee that students would respond to pitch. Or you could do what UW’s Housing and Residences (H&R) is doing: hold a contest to get students to design an ad of their own. The contest rules fill several pages with legalese, but in brief: Create your own brief video (30-45 seconds) which shows other students “how great it is to live on campus for the spring term.” The videos should point out the various conveniences of living in residence, such as proximity to classes and not having a landlord, and encourage students to visit the H&R website for more information. H&R gets the right to use submitted videos as it sees fit, forever. The top five videos, as chosen by H&R staff, are posted online where students have until November 20th to vote on them. The video with the most votes wins the contest, and will be awarded a $500 prize. The results are every bit as entertaining as you might imagine, and even though they share the common goal of promoting residence life, the approach taken by the creators of the top five videos is very different: Reporting to you live This clip reminds me so much of the videos we had to make in high school, pretending to be news reporters, that I found it incredibly funny. It discusses the benefits of living in residence for the spring term, but in a very entertainingly cheesy way. The right FIT for Spring 2009 Picking up on the H&R branding of being the best “FIT” for students, this video doesn’t have dialogue, just slick shots of people enjoying themselves in residence, with a few captions highlighting the some of the conveniences. What it lacks in humour, it makes up for in polish. It actually looks better than some commercials you see on TV.
Nikoo Shahabi
The incongruous gorilla If Charlie Chaplan had been a gorilla, this is the kind of video clip he’d have made. To be honest, I’m not sure I really understood the message being communicated, but that might have just made it funnier. I think the gorilla was just thrown in for laughs, which it definitely accomplished. Ronnie in residence An outstanding video featuring one of the “other” residents of campus… Ronnie the Canada Goose. In a variety of entertaining scenarios, the fun aspects of residence life are effectively communicated. Just one proviso: don’t try the dryer bit at home. Resi-Chins Ever wondered what a boy band would be like without bodies or foreheads? Watch this video to
find out. The participants actually sing the virtues of residence life during the entire clip, which earns big kudos. Think that you have to be a film major to make a video? Think again. According to Ashley O’Brien, one of the creative minds behind “Resi-Chins,” it was a “spur of the moment” decision to enter the contest when she and some friends were goofing around one night. It didn’t involve a lot of planning, and filming was an easy one-shot deal. Things came together quickly for Alex Kranyak too, and his slick-looking “The right FIT for Spring 2009” all started with a “visual story board” in his head when he first heard about the contest. Even filming and getting people together was fast, and “took no time at all.” Though the $500 prize was a significant factor in enticing people to
enter the contest, one thing was clear from the responses of the entrants: Making the videos was a lot of fun, and is definitely something they’d be willing to do again. According to Ryan King, the marketing co-ordinator for H&R, this is the second year that the video contest has taken place, and more clips were submitted this year than last year, so its popularity seems to be growing. Rather than a top down advertising campaign, King considers the contest a type of “peer-to-peer” marketing that is more effective and certainly more affordable. Based on the success of the video contest concept, H&R certainly intends to continue it again next year, so if you missed participating this time around, you have at least 11 months to start work on next year’s submission. jkelly@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Just a little bit rusty
S
o for the first time in almost three years, the Toronto Maple Leafs played the Canucks in Vancouver last Saturday. I invited a few Leafs fans over, we shared a few Newcastle Brown Ales, and revelry was had all around. Fortunately, the Canucks won. Unfortunately, the beer lost. It was a favourite to win, too. Fans all over the world root for this ale, but it fell short of winning the Empty Cup — as in I couldn’t finish it. And it is not as if the beer doesn’t have heart, because it certainly does; it has just become complacent in recent years and doesn’t try like it used to. Maybe Newcastle needs to team up with the Maple Leafs; the hockey players can teach the beer how to sell out to support its ailing career, and the beer can
drown out the team’s sorrows! I mean, the Leafs are going to need all the beer they can get after their season ends in April. How can a beer with so much promise be so disappointing? To explain, we are going to have to go all the way back to the late 1500s when Newcastle began exporting coal. The coal economy helped the city grow right up until the industrial revolution. Once machines and industries were introduced, the city became a large heavy manufacturing centre, producing glass, print products, and ships among other things. All well and dandy if these industries hadn’t been located so close to the Tyne Rivere, as this was a principal waterway at the time and water travel was the fastest and most efficient during the 18th and
19th centuries before the introduction of the locomotive. Effluents from factories would continuously be dumped in the Tyne, yet water for homes and businesses were still drawn from this source. Now, fast forward to 1927 — many of these industries still exist, and water is still being drawn from their dirty river. Newcastle Breweries begins brewing their Brown Ale using the same water that has been polluted since the late 17th century. The beer thus inherits a slightly rusty, metallic taste — a taste that becomes part of the Newcastle brand, and one they are not going to easily give up. Where am I going with this conspiracy? These industries dirtying the water in Newcastle began disappearing in the latter half of
the 20th century. It was not until the 1980s when Newcastle Browns began to be mass exported, then taste was altered thanks to new water filtration technology and a cleaner water source due to the loss of industry. Both Newcastle drinkers and brewers were afraid of change, forcing the brewery to retain the taste it initially inherited from pollution. You may think I am crazy, but as soon as you pour the beer in the glass you will see what I am saying. Look at the dark amber colour and compare this to a Google maps satellite image of the Tyne River in Newcastle — it’s the same colour. The beer is hazy, and is almost flat with little head and a watered-down feel. Its initial nutty flavours mix with a caramel malt taste, and then
you will feel that metallic rustiness I have been talking about. It’s sharp and stings the palate, overpowering the mildly bitter hops. You start thinking about the complexity of all these flavours, and then you think “Why the hell am I thinking about the complex flavours — this beer tastes like fucking metal.” It’s truly a Kodak-worthy ‘“a-ha!” moment. Price for 6: $11.70 Taste: Value: Getting the recommended intake of lead and mercury: Overall: mkeast@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Features
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Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
Through foreign eyes
Sun and sand in Fiji Alexandra Sleghel reporter
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he Fiji Islands are known as a tropical destination with beautiful beaches, waterfalls and indescribable sunsets. But the experience is so much more that that; for a country whose economy thrives on tourism, Fiji knows what it takes to keep visitors coming year after year. Some people go for the adventure, others for the relaxation. I went for the challenge of travelling solo. Stepping off the airplane in Nadi town, on the main island of Viti Levu, I felt a heat wave sweep over me. Ah, welcome to the South Pacific. Nadi airport is similar to other airports in tourism-reliant countries: five minutes after stepping off the plane, I was bombarded by travel companies and sales pitches. Getting past all the salespeople was a hassle, but alas, once I stepped outside, a driver was waiting to take me to my budget resort. Did I mention that $18/night gets you a private room with a private balcony in an extremely clean resort, all inclusive with breakfast, airport pick-up, and pool? Luxury. The majority of resorts in Fiji operate as travel centres and have various options available for tourists. Since I booked my flight to Nadi the day of, I ended up planning my trip the day I arrived, through the use of colourful brochures. After much paper rustling and comparing prices, I decided to go with Fejee Experience, which plans cultural experiences in the South Pacific and Europe. The nice
thing about traveling solo is that you can make decisions like this on the fly: book tonight, start the trip tomorrow. Overall the experience was great, and I recommend it to all independent travelers on a budget. However, since word of mouth travels amongst backpackers, I can’t say the same for the remainder of the experiences offered by this company in other countries but Fiji. After a night in my “private suite,” I hopped on the tour bus, which was full of a bunch of much too awake 20year-olds. I immediately made friends with a Dutch girl, who became my travel companion for the next 10 days. Our first adventure together: haggling with locals at the overly colourful and packed Nadi market, where I bartered $20 for a sarong, jewellery, a native mask, and a carved wooden turtle. (In Fiji the turtle signifies good luck...or so they tell the tourist). Our second stop on the Feejee Ex bus was Natadola beach, which is supposedly the most beautiful beach in Fiji: it was beautiful, but the little children trying to sell you hand-made jewellery took away from the experience. After the beach we went sand boarding down a massive sand hill, wheeeee. Although some of us ate sand and crashed into the bushes, it was incredibly thrilling. Toward the end of the day, we arrived at our first overnight destination, Mango Bay Resort, on the Coral Coast, where we took part in a Kava Ceremony. Kava is a cultural drink that Fijians use as part of a ceremony; the Kava plant is mixed with water, then drunk out of a wooden
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bowl that participants share. On day two of the tour, my Dutch travel companion and I said farewell to our first group of friends, and headed to the beach for a full day of amazing snorkelling and crab racing. Yes, crab racing, where you gather crabs from the beach, bet on them, then race them for the prize money. Somehow, the crab our Fijian friends chose won every time...I think it was rigged. The next day was the best and most adventurous of the whole trip. I used to consider myself somewhat of a city girl, but hiking through Fijian rainforest in waist deep water and steep hills for three hours made me reconsider the self-imposed label. The hike followed the Namosi Highlands, which are located on the east side of Viti Levu. This gruelling trek led us to the top of the Navua river; the payoff of the trek was tubing down the river, while making frequent stops to jump off waterfalls. Getting to our next
overnight resort, we drove through the richer side of Suva, Fiji’s capital, where the divide between the social classes became evident. The next day brought us closer to the real Fijian life. We visited a local children’s school, some of which take up to two hours by boat and foot to get there. Before the visit, we stopped at a stationary store and bought some things for the children, who are very disadvantaged. It was incredibly rewarding bringing the kids pencils, pens and notebooks that they could use. They were extremely happy to have visitors, and they put on a dance and song celebration for us. What struck me the most was just how proud they were of their school, classrooms and the work they did. All the tourists on my bus had at least two or three children clinging to their hands and eager to show them around the school and tell them stories. Of course, only a few kids spoke any English, but they
were very enthusiastic to communicate with us. Some of the highlights over the remaining days included scuba diving at Voli Voli beach, one of the top three dive sites in the Fijian islands, and soaking in the Sabeto Mud Pools and hot pools on our way back to Nadi town. Two things struck me most about Fiji. One, the Fijian people are extremely welcoming, especially to strangers. Driving on the road on any given day, people would come out of their houses to wave at our green bus. The second is the slowness of island life: Fiji works on Fiji time, which means that if you want something done now, wait a few hours. Now does not have the literal meaning. People have such a relaxed way of living, which sits in high contrast to the multitasking and constant stress of North American life. I guess island life just isn’t for everyone — especially not me — but it makes for a great adventure.
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Features
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
Melody Jahanzadeh reporter
U
Continued from page 11
Pluck principal themes and sub topics. Memorize selectively by repetition and other memory tricks. This will ensure that the little time you have is put to best use. In all three cases take care of the place, palate and slumber. Place: Choosing the appropriate place of study can do wonders for you at this time. Choose a location that will enhance your preparation and enable you to get the most work done. Palate: Most of us neglect to take care of our dietary needs during this period. This is important because it is difficult to study on an empty stomach. According to Health Services’ advice on exam time energy boosters, the foods you choose will affect your energy level and academic performance. As such, you should alwasy have breakfast, refuel every 3 to 4 hours and drink at least 6 cups/1500 ml of water daily. During exams students also see an increased intake of caffeine and quick sugar fixes. These energy boosts are temporary and can hinder the process of relaxation by making you jittery and restless. Limit yourself to two cups of coffee per day and go for balanced diets. Slumber: Sleep is important; you should try to get at least six and preferably eight
hours of sleep. If you have trouble falling asleep, follow Counseling Services advice on this by sleeping only when sleepy, avoiding naps and ensuring a sleep friendly environment. Adequate sleep can work to your advantage and help in feeling more refreshed for the exam. Amid all this studying one can still have fun and relax by: Prioritizing the parties: While the rule here is to befriend concentration and shy away from distraction; it is a good idea to take activity breaks for they serve as good rechargers. Exam time energy boosters recommend a 15 minute walk in the fresh air. This will improve your concentration and help you to feel more relaxed and alert. If you are feeling overwhelmed talk to someone about it. Counselling Services offers study skills workshops and individual appointments with a study skills counsellor. They can be contacted at Needles Hall, Room 2080, 888-4567 ext. 2655.
If you are living in residence, there are many opportunities geared towards exam success. There are 23 hour quiet hours in all of the residence buildings and 24 hour REVelations cafeteria open from December 2 to 10. There are study skills sessions (14 in total) available to every student in residence to help them learn how to memorize, how to take multiple choice, essay based exams and general exam tips. There is also extra tutoring in residence sessions that coincides with some of the first year final exams so the students can get extra help when most needed. So while the exam season can be stressful there are survival measures to it. Third year electrical engineering student Neha Sinha summed it with her exam tips of “making a timetable of sorts...and getting sufficient sleep helps a lot in staying on top of things.”
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niversity is full of trials and tribulations: getting through finals and finding your passion in life are no small feats. However, none of these compare to the inner turmoil you feel when you face the most dreaded encounter of all: the first run-in with a former fling. There’s nothing quite like the dread that fills every ounce of you,— the shaky hands and the feeling of your heart sinking down to your toes as you realize there’s nowhere to hide. Living in a town with so few bars, it’s almost inevitable that you’re going to run into your tonsil hockey partner from Phil’s… who you could have sworn was much better looking. And let’s face it, this run-in will most likely occur on the one day you decided to make a fashion statement with your sweats and unbrushed hair. While these situations are uncomfortable at best, there are ways to handle it and walk away relatively unscathed. The one cardinal sin that many fall victim to is playing the “I’m-going-topretend-you-don’t-exist” game. Notice how the halls of UW aren’t lined with lockers? That’s because we’re not in high school anymore. Walking right past someone (or worse, doing a complete 180) is not only obvious and immature, but will garner you a reputation as someone who can’t handle a one night stand. Likewise, acting cold and giving a curt head-nod definitely won’t win you any points, nor will it help your love life as there are few things more off-putting than someone who turns into an awkward 14-year-old after an intimate encounter. Many people are familiar with the situation of floor-cest, where sheer intoxication induced a hook-up with someone they lived with, and the idea of hiding out in one’s room and forgoing laundry for the rest of the term seems enticing. Similarly, there will be those situations where your platonic friend turned into your bedmate and in this case it is even more important to tread carefully. There’s no denying the awkwardness of this predicament, as few things strain a friendship like seeing each other naked. But it’s important to not let that one night overshadow the
bond you two had prior to that fateful encounter. Consider the time you’ve invested in the friendship: it’s simply not worth it to throw all that away just because of one bump in the night— er, road. The beauty of technology is that it has enabled us to deal with uncomfortable situations in a less confrontational manner. Send an email if you feel it’s necessary, saying you hope things won’t be weird because of “what happened the other night.” The biggest fear most people have post-hookup is that the other person now expects a serious relationship. However, most of us are at the point where we recognize these things for what they are: one-time deals. Being clear that you don’t want your friendship to change will put both of your minds at ease. Similarly, if you’d prefer to wait it out until the first faceto-face meeting, be sure to act normal and discuss what you would on any other day. Don’t avert your eyes, don’t pretend you have somewhere to go and really, do you actually expect anyone to believe that you’re late for your meeting with the Tai Chi club? At times, the unpleasant situation will arise where you run into the former object of your desire while they are with a mutual friend. While it may be tempting to only acknowledge the friend and ignore the person you couldn’t keep your hands off of a few nights ago, never forget how perceptive friends are. Not only will everyone immediately pick up on your childish behaviour, but you can be sure that it’s going to be talked about in your circle of friends, putting you in a very negative light. The first post-coital encounter is by no means a fun experience that we eagerly anticipate, but the way you handle it speaks to your level of maturity and can make or break your reputation with members of the opposite sex. The only thing better than someone telling their friends “he was amazing in bed” is adding on “and he was surprisingly cool about it afterwards.” If in doubt, remember that maintaining friendly relations is a great way to ensure future hook-ups and wade into friends-withbenefits territory, so stop cowering in the cubicles of DC: Sit up, say hi and resist the temptation to text all of your friends until the person is safely out of sight.
STRESS: How to cope with exams
The
Morning after meetings
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The Waterloo Region Record wants to celebrate our area’s unheralded leaders and give them the recognition they deserve. Do you know of a leader making a difference who lives, works, studies or plays in Waterloo Region? Nominate them for 40 under 40.
w w w. w l u . c a / m b a Plan to attend our upcoming information nights being held in the KW area. WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY November 26, 5:30 - 7 p.m. School of Business and Economic | Room 2260 December 4, 5:30 - 7 p.m. School of Business and Economic | Room 1240
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Photo Feature
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
Photo Feature
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
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Exams: The Seventh Circle Matthew Lee intern
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Matthew Lee
Maggie Clark
he winter holidays will soon be upon us, and all over campus, there is a collective rise in the level of stress. In this cauldron of nervous tension, two groups stand head and shoulders above the rest: the first and fourth year students. For most people in first year, this will be their first time writing university exams — in a gymnasium filled with hundreds of people. Many fourth years, on the other hand, will be using these marks to apply to Grad School, so they have to get them right. So how does one survive the exam season with their head intact? Well, for starters, don’t panic. Everyone else in the room is feeling the same way you are. Failing that, here are some starter tips provided by UW Counselling on how to prepare for exams: First and foremost, tr y not to cram. Cramming doesn’t help because your short-term memory simply can’t hold all the required information for that bio exam. Cramming can also disrupt your long-term memory, causing you to forget things and setting you up for panic “blanking,” which is never good. Take time every day to review material from your courses, as this little bit of reviewing will help imbed the information you are looking at into your long-term memory. A week or so before the exam do a quick review of all major concepts; this allows you to identify what your strongest and weakest areas are. This review will also build confidence, and get you ready to tackle more heavyduty study sessions as the exam approaches.
Get some sleep. At this stage in the game, you should aim to have between 8-10 hours of quality sleep a night. Having a good night’s rest will help your brain process the information you have absorbed during the day and file it away in your long-term memory. On top of the being well rested remember to eat well and keep yourself hydrated. Your brain and body function better with significant nutrition. Also, remember to schedule breaks into you study schedule. Studies show that most people will only absorb information for about 45 minutes at a time. Study for 45 minutes, then take a 10 to 15 minute break to do something entirely different: go for a walk, listen to music, relax, do anything that doesn’t involve absorbing more information. Finally, once you have finished an exam, go and reward yourself with something. Indulge in a frozen yogurt or a nice meal out on the Watcard. The relief of being finished is great, and will come soon enough. If you are having problems coping with exam stress, there are several things you can do to help yourself. Try talking to friends, or calling home. Sharing your feelings with someone is an excellent way to alleviate tension that may be building up. Some people study better in a group setting, if you’re that type of person, try to get together with a few friends and have a study session — but only do this if you know your friend will keep you on track. The University of Waterloo also offers counselling services, and can be extremely useful if you feel that you need help. They have both individual and group counselling sessions, and can be contacted at: 888-4567 x32655. mlee@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Above: The desk arrangement in the PAC is often one of the most intimidating settings to write a career-altering paper. Try to relax and ignore the person sniffing two rows behind you Left: Breakdowns are common in the lead-up to exams. If you are suffering a breakdown in the Dana Porter Library, please try and keep the sobbing to a minimum, as the librarians are rather tetchy about noise.
Matthew Lee
Opposite Top: Laptops, although useful study tools, are prone to running out of battery at the worst possible time. Try and resist watching Hard Boiled unless your laptop is plugged into an outlet. Opposite Centre: Monitor glare is one of the leading causes of baggybloodshot eyes and suspicious sidelong glances from fellow students. Opposite Bottom Left: Caffeine is the fuel of choice for students, and comes in many different delicious delivery forms. Featured here are the classic Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper. Please enjoy responsibly. Opposite Bottom Right: Although it may be too early to celebrate at this point, be sure to keep in contact with other human beings during your ordeal. Failing that, a volley ball will do in a pinch.
Mackenzie Keast
Matthew Lee
Matthew Lee
Arts & Entertainment
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008 arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Diversity is key for UW music club
for a room. Both of these buildings have piano rooms. Jam sessions take place throughout the term to allow musicians to meet and play together. usic is everywhere. It is on the radio, These sessions provide a great opportunity for on TV, on people’s computers, and people with different skill levels to teach and learn, their MP3 players. Most people listen as well as to just have fun playing their music. Jam to music, in some form or another, every day. But sessions take place Monday nights, from 7–9 p.m. of course, in order for there to actually be music, at the Conrad Grebel Practice Rooms, or Thursday some people have to do more than just listen. nights, from 7–9 p.m., at the SLC. The UW music club is designed for students who This past term teachers were available for acoustic like to create music. Founded in September 2004, the and electric guitar, flute, saxophone, theory and voice. program consists of students teaching other students If you’re a student who wants to learn an instrument how to play musical instruments. What’s more, the UW not listed above, don’t worry. The instruments available music club goes on “field trips” to different musical events, to learn depend on who signs up to teach. If you want to most often at Centre in the Square. So far they have seen teach an instrument, you can sign up on the UW music webStomp, RENT, Romeo and Juliet, the Vienna Mozart Orchestra site, http://www.uwmusic.org. Don’t worry too much about and the KW Symphony, all at group discount rates. commitment either; every term your teaching availability hours Other activities members of this program have participated are wiped to zero, giving you a chance to sign up again if you in include a performance at the Coffee House at Waterloo Park want, or to end your participation in the program. Band Shell in August 2005, Wilfrid Laurier’s production of Fame: The UW music club also has a Facebook group (logically called The Musical in 2004 and Conrad Grebel’s production of Footloose “UW music club”) that you can check out for more information, in 2006. In 2006, the UW music club also started getting involved or to meet some of the current members. In addition to that, there with the UW stage band and the Conrad Grebel ensembles. is a forum set up on their website. These are both great ways to The type of instrument that can be learned varies by term, meet other people involved in the program and set up jam sessions depending on how many students volunteer to teach. According to of your own, learn from people more experienced than you, or even the UW music website: piano, guitar and violin are usually the most get a band together. consistent instruments being taught, but other instruments to learn The UW music club puts on a recital show every term, and this include baritone, cello, clarinet, drums, flute, saxophone, trombone and year’s show will take place on November 29, at the Conrad Grebel Coltrumpet. If you are musically inclined but have no access to an instrulege Chapel. The event takes place from 2–4 p.m., and costs only $2 per ment, voice and music theory lessons are also offered. person. This is a great place to go to check out the local talent, as well as Lessons are usually one on one, but depending on the teacher’s schedto get more information on the program itself. Who knows, maybe next ules, they can also take place in groups. The program is very flexible, so term you could be performing with the best of them. don’t let coursework and other clubs stop you from participating. You don’t even have to have your own instrument, as long as you have access to one on a regular basis, both for lessons and for practising. Practice spaces are available right here on campus: you can book a room at the Turnkey desk in the dwhittemore@imprint.uwaterloo.ca SLC, or you can go to Conrad Grebel University College and ask the secretary graphic by Marco Baldasaro Danielle Whittemore
intern
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concert to honour former UW student Veronika Zaretski reporter
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n honouring the life of Steve Sajecki, 27, who recently passed away from a battle with cancer, the philosophy department at the University of Waterloo will sponsor a charity benefit concert, held this Saturday, November 22, at the Humanities Theatre. The concert, costing $15 at the door, will include a selection of local talents, a charity auction, CD sales, cancer awareness information sessions, and intermission refreshments. Proceeds will be donated to the Grand River Cancer Centre for the purpose of purchasing a spot monitor, a device which greatly assists in the observation and monitoring of cancer patients. Using the Arts as a tool to reach and move the community, the organizers of the concert hope to further awareness of the fight against cancer.
Sajecki, who passed away this past July, spent much of his life in Waterloo — as a teen he attended St. David’s High School, then moved on to attend the University of Waterloo, where he graduated with a degree in History in 2003. He later attended Conestoga College for telecommunications. Passionate about the people in his life, Sajecki was known as “a loving, gentleman with a large group of friends,” who, according to Sajecki’s girlfriend Tracy Finn, was “the glue that held everyone together.” Finn explained that when Sajecki was diagnosed with a rare form of adrenal cancer in 2003, he was determined to make his friends and family a priority in his life, and spent his time fulfilling his dream of travelling the world. He traveled to Japan, Poland, South Korea, Germany, Czech Republic, and wished to travel to Thailand and Egypt. Sajecki wanted to spend the time left
to him gaining new experiences and developing perspectives on life. He was determined to live each moment to the fullest. Music, according to Finn, was an important part of his life. He loved different musical genres, admired the creative process of creating music, and was moved by the way music, as an art form, could inspire people. Sajecki’s love of music is the inspirational source for the concert. In supporting the local independent music scene, bands from a variety of genres — including acoustic rock, folk, and pop rock — will perform. Many of the performing acts are friends of Sajecki, who were inspired by his presence in their lives. Live acts will include Rob Szabo, The Colour Tasters, Opposite of Blue, Todd Donald, Revival Dear, MEA, and Jordie Pancer. All performers will be donating their time without compensation to honour the memory of Sajecki, and to support
the fight against cancer in our community. Finn described how this event is important in its support of the local independent music scene, and in increasing awareness of research related to curing cancer. Sajecki passed away due to complications arising from a rare and under-researched form of adrenal cancer. Finn explained that “if we can make people aware of Steve’s struggle, and thus inspire people to help cancer research, then the night will be a resounding success.” With the exception of MEA, who are coming from Ottawa to perform, all bands are local and independent. This event is aimed at bringing the community together through music, celebrating the life of a man whose life touched many others. Tickets for the “Memory of Steve” concert are available at the Humanities Theatre.
Arts & Entertainment
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
The world through animated vision An experience at the 2008 Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema
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f the many forms of animation, one that impresses me to this day is animated films geared toward a mature audience. No, I’m not talking about hentai or cartoon pornography. I’m talking about thought-provoking animations, and yes they do exist. Animations discussing grown-up topics: the real world of life and death, serious themes of sex and corruption, and the truest of expression of the human mind. In my opinion, it wasn’t until the MTV generation where artists started to examine the medium as a useful tool to express visual and literary creativity—which now that I think about it sounds like a bit of a paradox. Last week, I attended the eighth annual Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema (WFAC) at the Gig Theatre which I covered in last week’s issue of Imprint (Novemeber 14). Here, I was exposed to a great collection of international animated cinema with an array of in-depth tales. There was a lot to take in at this event, so I’ll only bore you readers with what I took to heart and saw at this four-day experience. Friday marked a special screening of Studio Ghibli’s Grave of the Fireflies (Takahata, 1988) at WFAC which is celebrating its 20th anniversary by going on tour, with Waterloo being the only Canadian stop on its list. I’ll admit I was pretty impressed with the presentation too. The 500-plus-seat theatre was almost packed for this screening, with attendees ranging from families to high-school students on a field trip. As well, the students received a booklet containing essays from academic writers such as Susan J. Napier and Fredrik L. Schodt,; the latter also served as a moderator during a discussion panel after the film. Influenced by the film’s theme of ignoring those in need and in poverty, the festival also helped support charity organizations UrbanEx and Out in the Cold, . The discussion, led by Schodt and ac-
companied by John O’Donnell (Central Park Media) and Brian Ruh (writer of Stray Dog of Anime: The Films of Mamoru Oshii), surrounded itself around the aspects of Japanese animation. O’Donnell in particular stated about how Grave of the Fireflies even exceeds the conventions of anime. “My company has several hundred entertaining programs in its catalogue,” O’Donnell said, remembering a question asked to him about anime being art, “but it only has one work of art.” The discussion was a great inclusion for the event, and led to a quality debate. My favourite screening presentation at the festival would have to be from special guest M dot Strange and the showing of his Sundance-Festival-premiered film, We Are The Strange. His film was a postmodern underground experience that I’ve never experienced. It was absurd, insane, and when I experienced it at WCAF in its purest form (with volumes defying levels of eleven), it was downright excruciating. However, while I’m usually a person who avoids eye contact with postmodern art, I was amazed to see that I enjoyed this film, and the reason was possibly because there was a well-done narrative. I asked Strange about whether he preferred the abstract or the narrative in filmmaking, and he said, “For me, I like to walk the line.” It was definitely the most bizarrely enjoyable moments at the festival, and if you’re person enough to do so, I’d recommend checking out his film. You can watch it for free on his YouTube channel, “MdotStrange.” The founder of the event, UW alumnus Joseph Chen, has done a good service by creating this festival. Not only has he gathered others to express these films, but it’s great to see that he started the event because he wanted to show the community that animation is an important part of our world. I think he has something there. ptrinh@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Photos courtesy Winnie Kuang. Clockwise from top: Long-time contributor Lea Alcantara (centre) holds a postcard of this year’s WFAC poster, designed by her and illustrated by Jorby Alano (not shown). The box office attendant at the Gig Theatre recounts the tickets sold for Saturday night.
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Arts & Entertainment
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
A Comment on Criterion
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here are many different types of film lovers: moviegoers that are simply looking to be entertained, and there are those who are looking to be entertained while critiquing the films they view. From the latter category comes the pretentious film critic, who judges all films based on different standards than the the masses, and judges anyone who will sit through a blockbuster with disdain. These movie snobs have been given a gift: the Criterion Collection. Criterion is both a godsend to the cinephile and a detriment. The collection itself ranges from French New Wave and Italian Neorealism to Cult Classics, and it includes many great films from the past 50 years. The Criterion Collection argues
that they are not snobby and their collection includes everything from Hollywood films to a B-list horror films. They state that all their films are considered on the grounds of their contributions to film in general, and that all films are considered for inclusion. Now this may be true, but Criterion has become a safe haven for pretentious film geeks to argue that a film is not worth viewing if it has not been selected by Criterion. Seriously, I used to work at a video store that didn’t rent Criterion (but did rent many hard to find titles) customers would argue with the counter staff for not carrying Criterion films. Besides the damn pretentious people, Criterion is useful for cinephiles. Their
films include a lot of bonus material including commentary from cast members and directors, and behind the scenes featurettes. Criterion itself creates these featurettes – so they are actually decent – and Criterion gives viewers information that they actually want. For example, in the special features for The Royal Tenenbaums Wes Anderson discusses the art found throughout the set and discusses how, as well as by whom, it was created. Details like this give films that extra quality and brings viewers into the loop as to how much work actually went into producing the film. Criterion films are also presented in the original theatrical ratio, allowing new viewers to see films as they were originally seen in theatres.
This brings me to my main argument against Criterion. They argue that they choose the best films of a certain genre and give that film the Criterion treatment (i.e. special features). Unfortunately, the films chosen are often the lesser-known titles of famous directors. For example, within the Orson Wells selection there are only two films, The Complete Mr. Arkadin and F for Fake. Now one would assume that Citizen Kane would be included in the collection, considering that it had a major influence on cinematic history. Many other famous directors and actors’ works are not included that really should be. Criterion also has some pretty bad movies in their collection. From Armageddon to Charade,
they have gotten the rights to some dull movies that have caused those pretentious kids to believe that these films are worthy of serious criticism. Criterion has been able to bring lesser-known films to the public. This is excellent for anyone who loves films and wants to watch a more diverse collection. However, Criterion has helped to create a rather large group of snobby little shits who pensively watch films, shushing those around them when they laugh or make any comment about the film while viewing. Criterion knows that films are meant to be enjoyed and has tried to produce DVDs that enhance viewing. So stop judging and just enjoy. etarswell@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
The Music Snob’s Top Five
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very year, music aficionados across the globe come up with bullshit arbitrary lists of the top artists, albums, and songs of the past year. Sadly, this enthusiast is no different. With only two Imprint issues remaining, this week I will be highlighting the best, the worst, the overrated, the underrated, the must hears, and the steer clears of 2008 thus far. Top 5 Albums of the Year: 1: Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours Words alone cannot describe how fucking monumental this album was in terms of originality, and musical ingenuity. Cut Copy is the Barack Obama of the music world. Their music inspires, provides hope for the future of music, and more so than any other band will make you shake harder than Mohammed Ali and the “I Got A Crush On Obama” girl combined. They are electro, new wave,
synth-pop, and disco-love all at the same time. If you haven’t heard, purchased, or stolen this album yet, please do so. Track to Download: “Lights and Music” 2: Lil’ Wayne – The Carter III The only thing Lil’ Wayne can’t do is play the guitar. Aside from that, Wayne has solidified himself as being the apex of hip-hop. After a string of mixtapes, Wayne delivered the Carter III, which bedazzled listeners with his mix of verbal mastery, catchy beats, and club bangers. In the next year, look for big things to come from this rap star or in the words of Lil’ Wayne himself, “Abracadabra, I’m Up like Viagara.” Track to Download: “Playin With Fire” 3: Glasvegas - Glasvegas These Scottish indie doo-wop revivalists have managed to combine rockabilly, reverb, and thick accents
to create one of the most energetic albums of the year. With richly layered songs, these Scotsman provide enough organized noise to make Phil Spector and his wall of sound seem amateur. With a huge U.K. fan base, it will only take months before North Americans realize what they are missing. Track to Download: “Gone Daddy Gone” 4: Plants & Animals – Parc Avenue After Arcade Fire became the big swinging dicks of the indie music industry, many thought that the great city of Montreal had finally been tapped for all its musical talent. Boy, where those douchebag critics wrong. With the release of Parc Avenue, P&A have delighted critics, listeners, and enthusiasts alike with their pastoral sounds, and reverent lyrics. Track to Download: “A New Kind of Love” 5: Islands – The Arm’s Way Not only did Islands release a gem of a record, they also managed to put out the best album art of the year. Formed from the remnant members of the Unicorns, Nick Diamonds and his troupe of instrumentalists have managed to avoid the sophmore slump by delivering a solid
neo-psychedelic indie pop album. Track to Download: “Pieces of You” Top 5 Worst Albums of the Year: 1: Kid Rock – Rock N Roll Jesus Kid Rock is a giant douche in a wife beater. He proves that to be successful in the music industry, all you need to do is rip the guitar riff from “Sweet Home Alabama,” vote republican, and have terrible hygiene. 2: Coldplay – Viva La Vida Contrary to what some critics believe, record sales don’t determine the quality of a record. If Chris Martin wanted to record 14 tracks of Gwyneth Paltrow farting on a snare drum for the Coldplay album, I guarantee they would still go platinum. Simply put, no matter what Coldplay releases, it will sell. Unfortunately, Coldplay have gone astray and have lost that honest sound that made them popular in the first place. 3: Metallica – Death Magnet I wish I could be more empathetic toward the gentlemen of Metallica because it must be hard on one’s emotions to suck for over a decade. Unsurpsingly, Hetfield and Hammett have used the same rubric to craft songs and it really
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does show on this album. It’s loud, it’s busy, it’s shitty. 4: Guns n Roses – Chinese Democracy The only democratic thing about Axl Rose and the new Guns N Roses album is that we have the right to choose whether or not we want to listen to an album that was made with the intentions of making money. Rose is like a bad case of genital herpes, he just wont go away, only this time he’s back with a fat ass and no Slash. 5: Weezer – The Red Album Weezer is not only running out of colours for albums, but they are running out of chords, lyrics, or any other fundamental quality to which one needs to write a mediocre pop song. This album is tired, weak, repetitive, and boring… not to mention dull. Top 5 best new artists: The Courteeners Santogold Vampire Weekend Fleet Foxes Los Campesinos Top 5 overrated new artists Duffy: MGMT Fucked Up Black Kids Katy Perry hcolosimo@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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DJ /rupture Uproot The Agriculture
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he bar’s been set high for DJ /rupture since his first self-released mixtape. That mixtape, 2001’s Gold Teeth Thief, is arguably one of the most influential releases of this decade. To the overly literate media snobs who we now know as the Pitchfork set, Gold Teeth Thief was a revelation. An abrasive, cerebral, frenetic, and scholarly revelation. Although there were other abrasive scholars in 2001 – many of them on Kid 606’s Tigerbeat6 label – DJ /rupture was different. While Kid 606 and the Tigerbeat crew were primarily electronic artists who flirted with predominantly “black” genres, DJ /rupture embraced them wholeheartedly. Gold Teeth Thief was a tour of heavy hip-hop, dancehall, and whatever other demented beats DJ /rupture could dig up. Like the Tigerbeat gang (who eventually ended up releasing a few DJ /rupture mixes), DJ /rupture’s intellectualism made him critic-friendly, and by extension, accessible to white people. It’s worth noting that Gold Teeth Thief precluded the rise of the influential DJ duo Hollertronix, who blew up off repackaging Southern rap and Baltimore club for white hipsters. Hollertronix are probably the act that spawned the legions of hipster alt-clubbers that purists like to complain about. And they owe a lot to DJ /rupture and Gold Teeth Thief. Without Gold Teeth Thief, white kids might still listen to AFX instead of M.I.A. However, while the Hollertronix alt-clubber movement has gone the way of Grey Goose, DJ /rupture stays
with black coffee. He is not a fun DJ like Girl Talk. Unlike Girl Talk, DJ /rupture makes a point of keeping his ear to the ground, picking the rawest beats from different musical dimensions. Uproot is DJ /rupture’s most low-key album yet. His early mixes could be mistaken for party albums, but you’d have to be a zombie to consider Uproot party music. It’s sober and somber, owing a lot more to dubstep than dancehall. This shift to the dubstep sound is a bit surprising coming from DJ /rupture. Compared to the out-there boom selection on his early albums, he’s picked some pretty staid stuff on the consistent Uproot. While it isn’t strictly a dubstep album, it certainly sounds familiar. There are a lot of dubstep artists with wide exposure: Burial, Benga, and Kode9 among them. Horizons don’t feel expanded as on the early mixes. Uproot’s weird reworking of dubstep bangs like the sound of acclaimed Montreal DJ Ghislain Poirier, who actually shows up on Uproot with the menacing “Idnadjossi.” Despite its familiarity, Uproot still sounds fresh. DJ /rupture has often been celebrated as a champion of global, border-crossing sounds, which comes through on Uproot. Its influences are clear but it is still unclassifiable. DJ /rupture has become less fun. His early releases were peppered with Eureka! moments of musical joy, like when he brought in dancehall matriarch Sister Nancy to sing the opening track on 2004’s Special Gunpowder, or when he mashed up a rollicking Bollywood track with a violent Bodysnatcher instrumental on 2002’s Minesweeper Suite. Uproot has none of those moments. It’s calm, cool, collected, controlled, and consistent, and it doesn’t catch you off guard. Uproot is a fine album. It’s sophisticated, complex, and interesting. But it’s almost too confident in its consistency, and – sin of sins – it doesn’t quite measure up to his groundbreaking early work. DJ /rupture is falling back into our world when he should be staying in different galaxies. — Andrew Kai-Yin Mackenzie
Taylor Swift Fearless Big Machine
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’ve been a fan of Taylor Swift since her debut in 2006. She began her career at 11 years old writing songs for other country artists. At 16 she burst onto the music scene with the amazing song “Tim McGraw” off her self-titled Taylor Swift. All of the songs off of her first album were either written or co-written by her. This makes her the youngest artist ever to write her own songs and have the album go multi-platinum, which is quite an accomplishment for such a young talent. Swift’s new album Fearless lives up to the extremely high bar she set with her very successful debut album. Once again, all of the songs are either written or co-written by her. I bought the album on the day of its release, November 11, and listened to it five times in a row this Sunday while cooking dinners for the week. The album is everything that Swift is and, to this point, represents: catchy lyrics, bouncy music, whiny complaints about break-ups, and incredibly moving lyrics about love and life. The first single released from the album was “Love Story.” Swift does something that many people have hoped for for thousands of years: she had turned Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Romeo and Juliet into a happily-ever-after love story. The last chorus pronounces: “Marry me Juliet; you’ll never have to be alone. I love you and that’s all I really know. I spoke to your dad, go pick out a white dress, it’s
THE
music Reviews
a love story, baby just say yes!” I have been a lover of Romeo and Juliet since I first read it, but I am always the one who has to hold myself back from yelling “NO! Don’t do it! He’s alive!” Evidently, Swift is the same kind of person because her song resolves the tragedy and lets Romeo and Juliet live happily ever after. At first listen, some of Swift’s songs sound whiny. In reality, Swift is not a whiner, she’s a fighter. Swift isn’t afraid to kick some ass and take
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names. If you’re a jerk to her, or to one of her friends, you’d better realize that you’ll pay for it. This CD speaks to all women (and men who want some love advice). Swift speaks to young high school girls, hopeless romantics, heartbroken women, older women, and daughters with her powerful love song to her father, “The Best Day.” Swift’s new CD has got it all. — Alicia Boers
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Campus Bulletin CHURCH SERVICE St. Bede’s Chapel at Renison College offers worship on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. 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. Parkminster United is an affirming, liberal congregation open to all, regardless of race, sexual orientation, age, ability, economic or family status. 275 Erb Street, E., Waterloo. Sunday services at 10 a.m. For more info www.parkuc.ca.
UPCOMING
November 17 to 21, 2008 UW hosts its third International Education Week. Events and activities include exchange program info sessions, volunteer opportunities, film, music, theatre and more! Check the IEW website at www.iew.uwaterloo.ca. Friday, November 21, 2008 November Swing Dance at 315 Weber Street, N. Beginner lesson begins at 8:30 p.m., then dancing from 9:15 p.m. onwards. For info www.waterlooswing. com. BananaFest November 21 and 22 in Student Life Centre at 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Presented by Engineers Without Borders to promote free trade bananas and other fair trade produce in Kitchener-Waterloo. Fundraising for 100.3 CKMS Sound FM – your station – at Elements Night Club, featuring “Hello Beautiful/Low Level Flight/The Joys. For tickets/info available at 100.3 CKMS Sound Station, www.ticketmaster.com or www. ticketscene.ca. 2008 Impact National Conference at Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto. Canada’s largest youth entrepreneurship and leadership event. Conference includes an 800 person gala, workshops, speakers such as self-made billionaire Bob Young and much more. Register at www.conference.impact.org. Limited space. Sunday, November 30, 2008 Jan Guenther Braun, UW and Imprint alumni, will be doing a reading from her book “Somewhere Else” at Erb Street Mennonite Church library, Erb Street, Waterloo from 4 to 5 p.m. For more info jan@janguentherbraun.ca or www. janguentherbraun.ca. Saturday, December 6, 2008 Canadian singer and songwriter will appear in concert at Emmanuel United Church at 7:30 p.m. For tickets/info call 519-886-1471. Trinity Village Christmas Craft and
Bake Sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2727 Kingsway Drive, Kitchener. Admission. For info call 519-893-6320. Thursday, December 11-13, 2008 “A Lost & Found Christmas” at 8 p.m. at Emmanuel United Church, Waterloo and December 18-19 at UW School of Architecture, Cambridge. Door prizes with food bank donation. For info/ tickets, lostandfoundtheatre.ca. Saturday, December 13, 2008 Graduate Student Semi-Formal – dinner, live music, dancing, beginning at 6 p.m. in South Campus Hall. Tickets on sale December 1 at Grad House. For info www.gsa.uwaterloo.ca/semi. Thursday, December 18, 2008 BlueWorks Erotic Literature – come and read your own erotic short stories and poetry. Proceeds to Masai for Africa Campaign. blueworksevent@gmail. com. Tuesday, January 6, 2009 Delight the senses, touch the heart, move the soul – “Divine Performing Arts” will be at Centre In The Square January 6 and 7, beginning at 7:30 p.m. For tickets/info 519-578-1570. www.DivineArts.org. Wednesday, April 1, 2009 2009 Autonomous Racing Challenge – build autonomous robots – race for first prize of $500 to $1,000. Early registration deadline April 1, 2009. For details www.RobotRacing.org.
VOLUNTEERING
City of Waterloo needs volunteers for summer 2009 events: Uptown Country Festival on Saturday, June 20 – entrance security/programs ; runners/site patrol ; information/volunteer/CD and t-shirt sales tent ; festival operations. Email cdostle@city.waterloo.on.ca for more info. Volunteers needed – the English tutor program is in constant need of volunteers to tutor international students. Volunteering is an essential part of student life at UW. Apply online at www. iso.uwaterloo.ca. June 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 at 519-744-7645, ext 229. Best Buddies is a national charitable organization matching students with individuals with intellectual disabilities living in the community. Hours are very flexible – compatible with busy schedules. More information contact: bestbuddiesuw@gmail.com. Resume builder! Volunteers needed
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Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008 ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
to visit people with Alzheimer disease through Alzheimer Society Volunteer Companion Program. Two hours per week with training November 30 day. Call Jill at 519-742-1422 or volunteer@ alzheimerkw.com. Drive. Deliver. Befriend – Community Support Connections needs volunteers to help drive seniors to appointments, deliver a lunch meal or befriend an isolated senior. Mileage is reimbursed. Contact 519-772-8787 or info@communitysupportconnections.org.
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!
HELP WANTED
Distribution workers (2) needed for the winter term 2009 to distribute Imprint every Friday. For info ads@ imprint.uwaterloo.ca.
Classified 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, KW Habilitation Services, 108 Sydney Street, Kitchener, ON, N2G 3V2. Summer of your life! Camp Wayne for Girls – children’s sleep-away camp, Northeast Pennsylvania, June 20 to August 16, 2009. If you love children and want a caring, fun environment we need counselors and instructors for tennis, swimming, golf, gymnastics, cheerleading, drama, high and low ropes, camping/nature, team sports, waterskiing, sailing, painting/drawing, ceramics, silkscreen, printmaking, batik, jewellery, calligraphy, photography, sculpture, guitar, aerobics, self-defense, video, piano. Other staff: administration, CDL Driver (21+), nurses (RN’s and nursing students), Bookkeeper, mothers’ helper. On campus interviews January 28. Select the camp that selects the best staff! Call 215-944-3069 or apply online at www. campwaynegirls.com. Applied behavioural therapist needed for autistic boy. Ten minutes from University. Two afternoons per week plus monthly meetings. Training provided. Good hourly wage plus frequent raises. Must commit two eyars. Email resume to steffen.darla@rogers.com. We’ve got what you’re looking for – let’s make 2008 your best summer yet – Camp Wayne, northeast Pennsylvania, USA. Counselor-specialists for all land and water sports including tennis, golf, basketball, baseball, football, martial arts, soccer, outdoor adventure, camping, mountain biking, climbing/ropes, roller hockey, archery, rocketry, water-ski, wakeboard, sailing, canoe/kayaking, fine arts theatre, ceramics, woodworking, drawing, painting, CDL drivers. RN’s for our Health Centre. June 20 to August 15. Let’s get the ball rolling now! Online application www.campwayne.com or info@ campwayne.com or 1-888-549-2963.
HOUSING Only $399 – four bedroom housing – 34 Bridgeport Road, E., starting May 01/09. Excellent location, on bus route, close to everything, downtown at WLU, near UW, new, immaculate, open concept kitchen, all appliances, dishwasher, dining room and living room open onto a private balcony, central air conditioning, huge rooftop garden patio, complete laundry facilities, dryers free, free parking, gas heat, gas water heater, cheap utilities, on bus route, perfect for students. Rents fast – a must see. Only $399 per room, per month. Call 519741-7724 or www.acdev.ca. For more info and pictures email info@acdev.ca. 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. Only $389 – five bedroom house. Must see – goes fast – excellent location. 147 B Weber Street, N., starting May 1/09. Close to everything, very clean, free washer/dryer, gas heated, cheap utilities, two full bathrooms, two full size fridges, hardwood floors and ceramic tile throughout, large private yard and large deck, free parking for five cars, on bus route. $389 per room, per month. Call 519-741-7724. Only $389 – five bedroom house. Must see – goes fast – excellent location. 121 B Noecker Street, starting May 1/09. Close to everything, very clean, free washer/dryer, gas heated, cheap utilities, two full bathrooms, two full size fridges, hardwood floors and ceramic tile throughout, large private yard and large deck, free parking for five cars, on bus route. $389 per room, per month. Call 519-741-7724.
Get Involved! VACANT – Vice-President position for the Board of Directors The Vice-President shall, during the absence or inability to act of the President, his duties and powers may be exercised by the VicePresident. The Vice-President shall also perform other duties that are prescribed from time to time by the board or that are incidental to his office. The Vice-President shall also be responsible for ensuring the full-time staff of the Corporation are properly evaluated. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Vice-President, his duties and powers shall be exercised by the Secretary.
Interested? Send your Letter of Intent by November 28 to board@imprint.uwaterloo.ca.
ANNOUNCEMENTS Your garbage can be very worthwhile! UW Community Garden (behind Columbia Lake on north side, behind a row of tall hedges) needs any compost items that you might regularly throw away, such as coffee grounds, egg shells, oatmeal, veg or fruit bits, or garden waste such as dead leaves, etc. Meetings on Wednesdays, 5:50 p.m. and Sundays 4 p.m. For further info/questions, e-mail cwormsbe@ gmail.com.
LOST & FOUND Whomever found lost credit card and turned it in September 19 please email proudy1717@yahoo.ca to receive “thanks.” $100 REWARD – for lost gold ring, has three cubic zirconia stones, black, yellow and orange. If found please contact s_grieco@hotmail.com or 519-2270795. Cash reward up front, no questions asked. CASH REWARD – iPod Touch lost since beginning of October. Engraved on back, “Trust in the Lord and He will make your paths straight.” E-mail cheta3327@hotmail.com or call 519572-9680.
SERVICES Professional Go-For Service – don’t have time? Need a second pair of hands? Dog walking, picking up dry-cleaning, groceries, Senior Services, are just a few of the many helpful services that is offered. Call Sheila at 519-590-4103 or progo-forservice@hotmail.com.
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Science & Technology
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008 science@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
A Changing Melody hits home
Lana Sheridan reporter
I
magine: You find yourself in an unfamiliar place surrounded by people you don’t recognize. They want something from you, but you don’t understand what. They are becoming agitated, but you cannot seem to figure out how to communicate with them. You are totally isolated, frustrated, and confused. This is the horrific reality facing people with moderate to advanced Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias on a daily basis. According to a report compiled by Statistics Canada, these disorders affect a full one-third of seniors over 85 and a 1994 study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal indicates that dementia costs Canada approximately $4 billion every year. There is currently no known cure. With so much at stake, the work of the faculty of applied health Sciences’ Murray Alzheimer Research and Education Program (MAREP) could not be more essential. On
November 15, MAREP together with the Alzheimer Society of Canada, the Alzheimer Society of Ontario, and the Dementia Advocacy and Support Network International, hosted its 5th and final A Changing Melody Forum. The purpose of the forum is to bring together people suffering from de-
many more people and families on the dementia journey.” MAREP’s mission is to educate and provide resources to people caring for loved ones with dementia, as well as the sufferers themselves, and to forge links between different families dealing with dementia and with professional
about their images, understandings and actions and then provides some concrete strategies for making change.” Students also help with organizing the forum. “I am very fortunate to work with students who are very passionate about dementia research and care,” said Dupius, though she laments that
“Unfortunately, many students do not understand the rewards involved in working with older adults and persons with dementia.” mentia, those that care for them, and experts in the field, in order to share information about living with the disease. The preceding day, MAREP held the first ever “A Changing Melody Tool-kit Workshop”. Sherry Dupuis, the director of MAREP described it as “a resource put together in partnership with persons with dementia, family members and professionals to help local communities plan and implement their own forums in their own areas. This will make A Changing Melody so much more accessible to so
caregivers. This prevents feelings of isolation and improves the quality of life of those with dementia. As part of this mandate MAREP undertakes studies to analyze the effectiveness of various techniques for working with those with dementia and as well as educational strategies. According to Dupius, A Changing Melody works towards all aspects of MAREP’s goals. “It enhances the capacities of persons with dementia, family members and professionals by providing an opportunity to think
“unfortunately many students do not understand the rewards involved in working with older adults and persons with dementia.” The social stigma, almost an embarrassed silence, that surrounds dementia makes it more difficult for younger members of society to make this disease a priority. Terry Pratchett, the acclaimed author of the best-selling Discworld novels, was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s disease in 2007, at the age of 59. In a speech to the UK Conservative Party Confer-
courtesy Bryan Smale
ence, he contrasted the media attention for cancer with the relative vacuum of coverage for dementia. “Dementia, on the other hand, is stuck in a medieval fog of superstition, misunderstanding and silence, corrosive and shameful and betraying...I want this disease to be dragged into the light and stay there, seen for what it is, a random disease and no cause for shame.” Hopefully, with the work of programs like MAREP, all of this can begin to change. Dupius came away from this year’s forum with feedback that it was a huge success. “Many participants who had been to A Changing Melody before came up to me throughout the day and told me they felt it was the best one yet.” With regard to the impact the forum has for her personally, she added:“I can honestly say that it has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my career. I am a changed person and a better academic and mentor because of A Changing Melody.”
CEMC: life after the Gates Foundation grant Lana Sheridan reporter
S
ince its inception in 1995, the faculty of mathematics’ Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) has had the goal of promoting interest in math and computer science and providing resources for both pre-university students and their teachers. This program has followed a multi-pronged approach of holding workshops for educators, and math contests for middle and high school students, as well as making visits to schools to speak about problem solving skills and careers in mathematics and technical fields. One year ago this month, the CEMC announced a $12.5 million
USD donation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to further its programs and development. As Canada’s largest mathematics outreach program, the CEMC has worked with 450,000 students from Grades 4 to 12. “Our priority is certainly Canada,” saild Prof. Ian VanderBurgh,director of CEMC; but he emphasized that the CEMC was interested in making its resources available internationally. “All of the contests are available to be taken internationally. About 200,000 students write the contests each year, and of those, about 10 per cent are international.” These contests, which are named after famous mathematicians, including the Euclid and the Fermat, are well known within Canada and should soon become more recognizable abroad. The new funding
has permitted the hiring of three new faculty members, as well as plans to hire a new staff member dedicated to marketing in order to raise awareness of CEMC worldwide. Being awarded the grant alone has raised UW’s profile, Prof. VanderBurgh believes, “and it will be raised even more so moving forward.” The contests organized by the CEMC play a positive role in attracting bright students in these areas to consider Waterloo. “You could certainly say that the contests managed to recruit me to UW,” said Donny Cheung, a UW alumnus and committee member for the CEMC’s Canadian Computing Contest. Douglas Stebila, a graduate student in Combinatorics and Optimization, said that for him CEMC provided “a target for math interest
beyond the classroom,” emphasizing that it is “perhaps the single best recruiting tool that UW has.” Beyond the contests, the grant allows a mathematics seminar program to be run at UW starting this spring for girls in Grade 9. This program will parallel the existing program for girls interested in computer science. Furthermore, as a result of Gates’ personal interest in Africa, CEMC is working to build links with Africa through CEMC faculty member, Prof. Steve Furino, who is working with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World University Service of Canada. As for other aims of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the grant
is in line with one of their guiding principles: that “science and technology have great potential to improve lives around the world,” from Gates’s 2005 visit to the university, during which he expressed interest in attracting more students to math and computer science. In the foundation’s press release, the CEMC quoted Bill Gates in praise of the university where he stated: “we are proud to support the university’s efforts to prepare the next generation of students for a world of innovation.” Cheung summarized the feelings toward the CEMC saying he feels, “ people are excited about expanding these outreach activities which help improve the quality of mathematics and computer science education in schools across the country.”
22
Science & Technology
Taylor Helferty
Wael Elsweisi
staff writer
staff writer
Australia joins space elevator race
The “silent” problem of antibiotics
The race for a space elevator between Japan and the U.S. faces a new player: Australia. Australia recently entered the race by announcing a region of its west coast being an ideal candidate for the Earth dock — the anchor for the elevator. With this project, what used to seem the product of fantasy may become reality. Japan is already researching plans to build a space elevator for $11 billion USD. Obviously, there are still obstacles to overcome, such as creating a cable stronger than steel to stretch from Earth to space, and an ideal site for the Earth dock. For the cable, researchers are looking into nanofibre technology. Despite the obstacles, optimism is high for the project, since the cable is expected to be made and tested within a decade. A space elevator would not only be good for tourists, but allow cheaper and more efficient space exploration, as most of the budget in current space exploration is spent on getting out of Earth’s atmosphere.
It is common knowledge that many bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics, but what is not so commonly known is the fact that antibiotics are non-discriminatory in their attacks as they target both good and bad bacteria. A recent study gave three healthy individuals, two men and a woman, a single course of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (“cipro”), which is believed to be among the least disruptive to bacterial diversty. To analyze the effects cipro has on an individual’s “flora,” the researchers analyzed each of the participant’s stool samples taken before the treatment, during treatment, and for months after. “We find that cipro was more disruptive than we had thought... About 30 per cent of all of the strains and species that we could see were disrupted. And most of them were... either knocked out or knocked down,” said senior study author David Relman of the University of Stanford. This finding is of major significance. It explains why taking antibiotics to cure one problem could give rise to another, such as yeast infections or C. difficile diarrhea. The study is published in the PLoS Biology journal.
thelferty@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
— With files from NEWS.com.au
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
The optimistic side
miR-208 protective against heart failure
A recent study has tested the effects a new drug has on the hearts of highly stressed mice. The drug was found to protect against heart failure, despite the stress each of the hearts was facing. Affecting more than 20 million people worldwide, heart failure leaves survivors tired, breathless, and prone to more heart attacks. The new drug attacks a micro RNA, specifically miR-208, a molecule that inhibits the expression of multiple genes. Researchers at Miragen Therapeutics in Boulder, Colorado injected the drug into the hearts of healthy mice before inducing stress by tying a band around the major blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart. With miR-208 action blocked, typical signs of heart failure were not observed. “If the data are reproducible in humans, there will be vast clinical potential for applying miR-208 antagonists in the treatment of a number of cardiac diseases,” said Hasse Bronnum of the University of Southern Denmark in Odense. welsweisi@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
— With files from Scientific American, CBC News and Newscientist. com
M
uch of environmental campaigning is making the human race seem a little unwelcome on the earth. Contemporary environmentalism focuses on the shortcomings in sustainability with increasing starkness, understandably creating a bridge between environmentalism and pessimism. For every step forward in sustainability, it seems there are a plethora of things still in need of attention. So I want to bring to your attention a few things humans are doing right, providing an idea
Canada, this may spark more change in our country as well. In other places, policies aren’t just being changed, but entire cities. Boulder, Colorado in the U.S. is the first city in America to implement a Smart Grid system. This system will allow 50,000 homes in the city to run off renewable sources of energy such as solar, own electric cars, and have specialized heating and cooling systems. Not only that, but from anywhere with an internet connection, homeowners will be able to see their ecological footprint, designate
A new constitution was passed, providing nature with inalienable rights to live. of how the sustainable movement is no longer just trying to get into the mainstream, but is becoming an implemented reality. In Ecuador, home to the Galapagos Islands where Darwin formulated his theory of evolution, a new constitution was passed, providing nature with inalienable rights to live. As the constitution says: “Nature ... where life is reproduced and exists, has the right to exist, persist, maintain, and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions, and its processes in evolution.” Basically, the constitution makes it law to protect nature from invasive degradation, and means any degradation committed must be restored. Hopefully, this will find its way into the constitutions of other countries. Something like it may even make its way into the U.S., with the recently celebrated news of Barack Obama’s election. He may not be directing our country, but many of his decisions certainly affect us as America’s neighbours. Having such a landslide victory across the country for pro-environment candidates and especially for Obama signals an end to making excuses for not cleaning up our environment, and many big environmental groups such as Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and the World Wildlife Fun are very optimistic about the new president. With American culture spilling many of its values into
times at which home appliances on specific items – such as the air conditioning – should run, and even remotely turn off an appliance they forgot to turn off while on a trip. On a worldwide scale, the company Better Place is looking to install electric car systems wherever they can. Their philosophy is to make a car that functions similarly to a cell phone plan, where you “subscribe” to the electricity you use and buy the car for cheaper as a result. Part of this plan, battery charging stations are then placed everywhere, roadsides included. When you arrive at a station, your battery is simply replaced with a charged one. This method is cheaper and faster than liquid fuel. Within the coming weeks and into January, the first Better Place cars will be arriving in Israel. Compared to years ago, Canadians have become less dependent on fossil fuels and are cleaning up our waste on a global scale. Government policies are shifting to protect ecosystems and the animals that inhabit them, and architecture is restructuring towards sustainable practices. Sustainability is even becoming a Hollywood attraction, with the latest 007 movie Quantum of Solace presenting James Bond’s latest enemy as a greenwashing villain using his eco-hotel to hide his scheme of stealing water from South America. thelferty@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Sports & Living
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008 sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
PAC probed
Are students being served? Imprint examines recent PAC actions and student reactions
Dinh Nguyen
assistant editor-in-chief
Tim Clark reporter
S
ince the beginning of Fall 2008, multiple student complaints have reached the ear of Feds President Justin Williams regarding changes to services offered at the UW Physical Activities Complex (PAC). Among these complaints were concerns about schedule changes in the PAC conditioning room (weight room) instituted this fall. “From what I understand, there’s varsity time and non-varsity time,” said Williams. “Some people are worried about this creating animosity between varsity and regular [PAC weight room] users.” Before these changes, the PAC weight room was open to students at all times throughout the day; now it is only open to the public during peak traffic hours, and is available for group bookings after that. “I wasn’t so happy when I learned about the change in the hours,” said Jeeshan Masud, a third year student who works out at the PAC weight room three to four times a week. “I feel like it affects my schedule in a negative way. I’m missing a lot of workouts because of it; sometimes I even have to work out elsewhere. With the demands of work and school, it’s hard for me to work with the new PAC schedule. There is a longer wait at the gym — in particular the cardio machines.” UW Athletics is also aware of these concerns and, according to UW Athletics Director Bob Copeland, are doing what they can to ensure that students are better served. Copeland spoke of both long term and short term solutions to the issue of student service. Come Winter 2008, for instance, additional hours will be added to the weight room in the morning. UW Athletics will also be adding eight new classes and a weight club that students can sign up for to optimize their usage of the PAC weight room. Another solution up for consideration is to move the PAC conditioning room over to Columbia Ice Fields (CIF) if there is sufficient space. This will help make the weight room
more efficient, as the PAC space was originally built and used as a lecture hall; this explains why it does not have the capacity to support the equipment updates or the volume of people required, especially as Copeland noted burgeoning participation numbers among UW students. Moving the weight room over to the CIF will also eliminate gym redundancies, according to Copeland. Concentrating weight training equipment in one gym would address the staff issues they have been facing in that regard, he said. Not everyone shares that perspective of staff issues with the PAC, though: “I’m one of the trainers [at the PAC conditioning centre] and we actually don’t have a shortage of trainers. Some of us don’t even have a shift; they just pick up shifts other trainers can’t make. … It’s not that there are not enough trainers, it’s just that they can’t afford to pay them,” said Chau Le Ngoc, on the “Petition about the PAC’s new hours” Facebook group. In its pursuit of expanding and improving services to the student body, and in addition to perceived student dissatisfaction, UW Athletics notes that finances are among the greater difficulties impeding their efforts. This is due in large part to the fact that, since 2005, UW Athletics has experienced a 40 per cent increase in student interest. Currently they have more than 30,000 students registered in various programs, and have had to turn down many students due to insufficient space. There are no statistics on drop-ins, but Copeland feels there is no reason not to extrapolate similar growth from the programming numbers. “When you look at the increase that places a lot of pressure on staff and resources,” said Copeland. Among other things, the UW Athletics’ budget has been further strained as a result of increases in the annual cost of equipment repair and replacement. Since last year, the cost to repair damaged equipment has doubled. But with financial problems come other issues, as some students have expressed concerns about a possible locker and gym user fee being introduced. Fortunately, this is only a rumour. “We would never implement any fee whatsoever without consulting students and the Student Service
Advisory Committee. We have no such proposal on the table,” said Copeland. UW Athletics also plans to collaborate with the Student Service Advisory Committee on improving Athletics’ access. According to Copeland, over the next three to four months they department will be performing a self-evaluation, which involves a complete review of services, resources, and user statistics, as well data-gathering and comparisons of other universities’ athletic programs. UW Athletics will then dedicate another six to seven months to strategic planning to improve future athletic services in the long run by setting goals for best practices, and meeting benchmarks using data from other universities. In comparison, Queen’s University recently took three years to complete such a review of its own. Another complaint brought to Williams’ attention addressed the breakdown of PAC swimming pool reprogramming — specifically, the removal of the “women’s only” swim time in the schedule. This is especially detrimental to women from religious backgrounds who would prefer to swim in a femaleonly environment. According to Copeland, the cut of “women’s only” swim from the pool was a result of lack of interest. Since there were very few people taking advantage of the swim, UW Athletics decided to cut the program in favour of newer programming requests, such as the introduction of a parent and toddler program (for student parents). The pool presently has some 25 different lesson certifications, and 25 to 30 fitness swim programs. Though old swim times were cut and new ones added, Copeland emphasizes that UW Athletic are willing to reinvest in past programs if there is demand for it. He urges students to voice concerns, interest, and ideas to UW Athletics. Students who wish to do so should contact Campus Rec manager and intramural co-ordinator Marc Iturriaga. He can be reached through email at miturria@uwaterloo.ca or through UW extension 35693. — with files from Maggie Clark dnguyen@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
adrienne raw
Warrior [W] Hockey November 22
vs York Lions
Athletes of the Week
7:30 PM UW CIF Arena
November 21
vs Ryerson Rams [W] 6:00 pm, [M] 8:00 pm UW PAC Gym November 22
Warrior Volleyball November 26
vs WLU Golden Hawks [M] 6:00 pm, [W] 8:00 pm UW PAC Gym
Nicole Giberson Volleyball 4th year, Honours Science/Business Waterloo, ON
vs Toronto Varsity Blues [W] 6:00 pm, [M] 8:00 pm UW PAC Gym Sean Roche Hockey Registered trademarks of Boston Pizza Royalties Limited Partnership, used under license. © Boston Pizza International Inc. 2005
IMPRINT | NOVEMBER 21
4th year, Engineering Ottawa, ON
24
Sports & Living
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
Warrior Wrap-up
email:
Imprint Office Hours: Monday and Friday 8:30a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Game Recaps Women’s Hockey
Women’s Volleyball Friday, November 14 Waterloo 3 Ryerson 0
Friday, November 14 Brock 4 Waterloo 1
Saturday, November 15 Toronto 3 Waterloo 1
Men’s Hockey Friday, November 14 Waterloo 5 Brock 4
Men’s Volleyball Friday, November 14 Ryerson 3 Waterloo 1
Saturday, November 15 Waterloo 4 Guelph 1
Saturday, November 15 Waterloo 3 Toronto 1
Men’s Basketball
Friday, November 14 Waterloo 94 Laurentian 74
Women’s Basketball Friday, November 14 Laurentian 83 Waterloo 69
Saturday, November 15 Waterloo 90 York 76
Become a sports and living writer or photographer. Send in your article ideas.
Saturday, November 15 York 73 Waterloo 46
Editor’s Note
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Volleyball
Saturday, November 22 vs. Toronto, 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 23 At Queen’s, 2:00 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
Wednesday, November 26 vs. Laurier, 8:00 p.m.
Upcoming Games Friday, November 21 vs. Ryerson, 6:00 p.m.
Yang Liu’s column All Around will return next week (November 28).
Friday, November 21 vs. Ryerson, 8:00 p.m.
Men’s Volleyball
Saturday, November 22 vs. Toronto, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 22 At RMC, 2:30 p.m.
Women’s Hockey
Sunday, November 23 At Queen’s, 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 22 vs. York, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, November 26 vs. Laurier, 6:00 p.m.
Men’s Hockey Friday, November 21 At UOIT, 7:30 p.m.
Women’s Figure Skating Saturday, November 22 Fall Invitational at Queen’s
Swimming Saturday, November 22 At Niagara
Women’s Hockey OUA Standings
Men’s Hockey OUA Standings
Far East Division GP W L T OTL 13 12 1 0 0 UQTR 11 6 4 0 1 Carleton 11 5 4 0 2 Ottawa 1 Concordia 11 5 5 0 9 4 4 0 1 McGill
PTS 24 13 12 11 9
Far West Division GP W L T OTL 12 9 2 0 1 Laurier 2 Lakehead 12 7 3 0 2 Waterloo 12 7 3 0 11 6 4 0 1 Western 11 5 5 0 1 Windsor
PTS 19 16 16 13 11
Mid East Division GP W L T OTL PTS 12 13 5 6 0 2 Queen’s 12 11 6 5 0 0 Toronto 8 12 4 8 0 0 RMC 5 10 2 7 0 1 Ryerson
Guelph Brock York UOIT
Mid West Division GP W L T OTL 15 7 7 0 1 12 6 3 0 3 11 5 5 0 1 9 2 6 0 1
Saturday, November 22 At RMC, 1:00 p.m.
PTS 15 15 11 5
Laurier Toronto Guelph Brock Queen’s Waterloo York Western Windsor UOIT
GP 11 11 11 11 11 11 12 12 12 12
W L 11 0 8 3 7 2 6 3 6 4 5 5 5 7 3 5 4 8 2 10
T OTL PTS 22 0 0 16 0 0 16 0 2 14 0 2 13 1 0 11 0 1 10 0 0 10 0 4 8 0 0 4 0 0
Think Pink Check out next week’s issue of Imprint for coverage of the Think Pink event in support of Ontario’s Chapter of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. For contextual information, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5bvqeQ7DoU to see UW athletics students raising awareness.
Comics & Distractions
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
Competing crosswords
by Maggie Clark
It’s elementary, dear Watson!
25 By Alicia Boers
Can you think of any innovative uses for all this snow?
Across
“Make houses for the homeless —they can live in igloos!” Jennifer Silva
1. Cover story 6. To be, to Brutus
1A math
10. Remembrance Day solo
“Just dump it. Just move it out of my way!“ Kiira Lavine
14. Board (2 wds) 15. Rhine tributary
2A math
16. Big-ticket ___ 17. Compound with carbon bonded to a halogen
“Cover up all of the construction that’s going on.” Meaghan Murphy
19. Completed
2A ERS
20. Not quite (2 wds.) 21. Be in arrears
“All natural beer fridge.“
Ryan Deska
22. “___ and the King of Siam”
3B arts/business
23. So out it’s in 25. Bedim
“Build a giant igloo.” Jack Wang
26. Birthstone after sapphire
1B computer engineering
30. Water entering a system 32. Backslide
“A cheap and effective defense against lava monsters.” John Munnings
35. 96,485.3415 coulombs 39. Gardening tool
45. Pro bono
64. Cry in a mudslinging contest
40. Apprentice
47. Wrecks
65. Prestigious U.S. institutions
41. Sound systems
48. “He’s ___ nowhere man” (Beatles lyric, 2 wds)
66. Comfort
43. Under field marshal, in the army 44. Atomic number 68 46. Pass over 47. Marriage announcement 50. Prank 53. Acid with formula C5H4N403 54. Referee 55. Obligated by law 60. Half: Prefix 61. Atomic number 106 63. Off-limits: Var. 64. Largest of seven 65. Literally, “dwarf dog” 66. Meager
49. Multiple haloes 51. Worldwide workers’ grp. 52. Odyssey enchantress 54. American Air Force 56. Awestruck 57. Ethiopian currency 58. Olympic sled 59. Broadcast 62. Humanities degs.
Rhetoric rumble Across 1. Place to exchange vows
67. Teen affliction 68. Let Down 1. British bottom 2. Deposits
5. Prefix with linear 6. Old name for Tokyo 7. Emitting light 8. To grease (from the Yiddish) 9. Barely manages, with “out” 10. One who loathes
12. Gasket (hyphenated)
14. Poker ploy
13. Writing distinguished from verse
15. Kind of fowl
18. Cub’s home
16. Ethiopian currency
24. ___ Wednesday
17. Part used to refer to the whole
25. Found a new tenant for
19. Mishmash
26. Declines
20. Heir’s concern
27. Sweat source
21. Dash lengths
28. Clothes presser
22. Department store department
29. Repetition of consonant sounds
23. Asinine
31. A ___ pittance
8. Exhibitionist
25. Chain of hills
33. 180, so to speak (hyphenated)
9. Sea eagle
26. Kind of poem (e.g. The Iliad)
34. Kind of wild cherry
10. The correct term is “tsunami” (2 wds)
30. Flower part
36. Pay (up)
11. Answer for
32. Administrative district of some countries
37. Sauce from soybeans, roasted grain, water, and salt
12. Perfect or normal feather
35. Fall back again
13. Besmirch
39. Family name of Emily, Charlotte, and Anne
38. “The moan of doves in immemorial ___”: Tennyson
1. Turkish honorific 2. Loyal, honest 3. “___ do you good” 4. Nitwit 5. Bring upon oneself 6. Blunder 7. Incite to commit a crime; also, perjure
18. Broke bread
42. Concise or terse phrase
40. Tweak
43. Chess pieces
41. Inducing pleasurable sensations
45. Scottish fabric pattern
26. Offal
43. Word denoting one thing but referring to a related thing
47. Pottery finish
27. Sprightly
44. Showy
28. ___ vera
46. Swedish rugs
29. Atomic number 103
47. John or Gould
31. Narrow street
50. Official set of works within a fictional universe, or the greats in a literary sphere
24. Bit of business attire 25. Atomic number 5
33. Equals 34. Neatnik’s opposite 36. Scottish dagger 37. Small, deep purple berry 38. Canine cry 42. Kind of cat 43. Time standard: Abbr.
48. Female demon 49. Balances 51. Frequently, in poetry 52. Latin for nothing 54. Basic unit of currency in Western Samoa
53. Volcano output
56. Actress Campbell
54. Craggy peak
57. Three oceans touch it
55. Grand ending
58. Commits perjury
60. Emphatic agreement
59. Latin 101 verb
61. Counter-proposition
62. Anger
63. Brass component
Geoff Hooper (left) & Alison Duncan (right) 2A kinesiology & 1A biology
Photos by Alicia boers
4. Away from port
10. At the peak of
Down
“We could bury Laurier in it.” “You are a genius. That’s clever!”
3. Shade
11. Furnished in ceramic or linoleum pieces
68. “Snowy” bird
“Arrange it to make a scenic picture of Canada.” Joseph Laquis 2A math
6. “If all ___ fails ...”
67. UW student government
1A CS
November 14 Crossword solution editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Easy Crossword
Difficult Crossword
26
Comics & Distractions
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008
POSTSCRIPT
BY GRAHAM MOOGK-SOULIS
IMPRESSION, BY JIM & LAN
LOOSE SCREWS
BY GEOFFREY LEE & SONIA LEE
RUNAWAY RINGTOSS
BY KURTIS ELTON
IN THE WEEDS
BY MATT FIG, BRANDON FORLER, AND KEEGAN TREMBLAY
BY PETER N. TRINH
Comics & Distractions
Imprint, Friday, November 21, 2008 Watch out, peers! The walls have ears. Your hopes and fears…Campus Creep hears.
Nov. 18 @ 1:30 PM Between DWE and TC : It was bad. Basically I was vomiting all over myself.
Nov. 19 @ 11:30 AM DC Library
: Oh my...
Nov 7. @ 3:00 PM On the south side of campus
Maggie Clark
Nov. 17 @ 2:30 pm PAC Lockerroom : That was some sick ballin’ out there!
: (slowly losing her mind) Where’s the zero on this graph? How can I find the zero on this graph? Where’s the zero? Where is it? (Incoherent mumbles.)
: Dude, tell me about it. I was like, on fire! : You were on fire? Damn, if anyone was on fire, it was me!
: (Stares.)
:You should see me when I actually try.
: (on cellphone) But it’s so huge. It’s not going to fit.
Say back Something: I’d Like To Know who you are. I keep having Little Thoughts about who you may be. It’s clear We need to Cut The Chatter. I feel like I’m In A Radio Song. I Just Do need you to reveal yourself and then maybe we can Compliment Each Other Like Colors? I’ll play the tape n’ tapes. I hope you’ll Listen to the Math and Tell Me In The Morning.
Sudoku
27
:Yeah? Then maybe next time we’ll win.
dating me if you really cared about me... let me move on, let me live life, you chose not to be in it... Precious
dear neighbour, stop having loud sex over the weekends! at least quiet down or stop screaming! the walls are very thin!
Thanks for a wonderful time...see you at SciBall 2009?
Dear UDub Campus,TURN THE HEAT UP ... we are freezing our little tushies off! We don’t want to have to wear two pairs of wool socks and thermal underpants to go to class!!!! No wonder you make so much money ...YOU DONT TURN ON THE HEAT!!!!!! Brrrrrrrrrrr .....
The sexy girl who laughs out loud in class, you know who you are.You are in two of my classes but I don’t think you have noticed me. I dream about taking you out and making you giggle all night long. Pay attention in your classes and see if I catch your eye because I think that sparks could fly.You are an amazing person, let me treat you like the princess you are. From your hopeful funnyman.
You must be pretty cold there, all alone in your dorm. I’m sorry that it’s been so long since I’ve stopped by your room, and I’d be glad to pop in for a visit some night. But you’ve really got to stop locking your windows first. -X
Jide Falodi, i just can’t get over the first time you held my Well, well, well... spotted. hand, the frist time we kissed, damn boy If it isn’t that fat ginger gremlin that lives that one time at the pond:) our library dates, in our residence, Can you please, for the oh you were so proper, haha oh so proper! love of Jebus, stop hogging the lounge To the two girls I spent the evening with at remember our late night calls? remember with your creepy lonesome self - not to SciBall:The girl in the polka dot dress with when you helped me pack by the end of the mention, it’s dark in there... so, what are the orange belt, I had so much fun doing school year? we had no clue that i wans’t goyou doing? Puh-lease, we know what you the SSD with you on stage. And my friend ing back,i guess sometimes life is unexpected and your fire crotch are up to. Do you ever in the black dress from Walmart, you and unfair. i have fallen more in love with know when to keep your hands away from amused me so much with your constant recently... but i’m seeing someone now, and your glands? sneezing on thePM dance floor.1I truly enjoyed 40Crk_10.3125x7.5_Imprint_fin:Imprint - 10.3125 x 7.5 b&w 9/2/08 4:01 Page i know you aint too happy about it, but long xoxo GossipGirl sharing big slabs of cake and chocolate distance wouldn’t have stopped you from fountain yumminess with both of you.
Nov. 14 Sudoku solutions editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Keep it real.
Missed connections, that is. Send your drama to:
distractions@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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A watch that displays messages from your phone. Location-based content on your mobile device. A website that changes the way you shop for food. Just a few of the things VeloCity students have been developing. Come see what’s new and what’s next.
mobile + media incubator
project exhibition Monday November 24, 2008 I 10:30am – 2:30pm DC foyer (outside the fishbowl)