Imprint_2009-03-13_v31_i30 by Editor Imprint

Impr int The university of Waterloo’s official student newspaper

Friday, March 13, 2009

vol 31, no 30

imprint . uwaterloo . ca

Misconceptions in abstraction — Interview with transgendered bisexual Lyn McGinnis, page 14

Sounds like a referendum Sound FM President Steve Krysak (right) delivers petition papers to Feds President Justin Williams. If a majority of students vote yes in the ensuing refendum, a $2.50 fee will be levied to support the radio station. See upcoming issues of Imprint for further coverage.

Michael L. Davenport incoming editor-in-chief

ith Amit Chakma’s term coming to an end this July, the search is on for a replacement. Though the Vice President, Academic & Provost isn’t personally seen every day by students, the office’s influence permeates the entire campus. Amit Chakma is the “quarterback of the team,” holds the purse strings to this institution, and thus has much influence over campus matters. One example came in January of 2008 — Chakma was against the idea of creating a UW Sustainability office, saying, “easiest thing for me, if I didn’t believe in the cause, would be to create a sustainability office.” Chakma went on to say that he believed UW had the “ability to get things done and not create bureaucratic institutions instead.” The position also plays a large role in draft-

ing documents such as the “sixth decade plan”, which affect students on a variety of levels. For instance, the sixth decade plan outlined that several new construction projects were to take place on campus. This means an increase in research and office space for graduate students, but also means that the Vice President, Academic & Provost is responsible for everyone having to walk around the construction site where the B2 Green used to be. In a sense, Chakma changed the path everyone takes to walk to the SLC. In an email sent to faculty and staff, the nominating committee encouraged “interested regular and non-regular faculty, staff and students to make written submissions expressing views on these matters.” The email invited any feedback to be sent to Lois Claxton, at lclaxton@uwaterloo. ca. The message continued, “Consultation will be completed by and submissions received up to March 25. On the basis of information generated

by this broad consultative process, the committee will prepare a position profile describing the critical qualities of the individual who might best fill the role.” During the recent Feds election, many candidates remarked how essential it would be for the winners of their races to establish a relationship with the new Provost. Current Feds President and VP Education Elect Justin Williams said, “... the Federation of Students is going to need to move quickly to create a relationship with the person who becomes VPAP. Regardless of who is selected, the personal relationships that are created with the administration allow for improved communications, which leads to better decisions being made by both parties.” Williams also said, “Whenever an administrator leaves, you hope that they are replaced by someone who will be more able to address the concerns of students. This has nothing to do with the person or

Bikra m

YOGA kitchenerÊ|Êwaterloo

Committee struck to find Chakma’s successor

the job that they have done. Regarding the VPAP, it will be important to have someone in that role that students can approach related to issues of academic and budgetary importance. Over my time at the University of Waterloo, it has become clear that in these areas students are interested in tuition, quality of academic teaching and sustainability. Probably more importantly, though, is the ability of the next VPAP to communicate with students in a two-way manner. Students need to know that they are being told the entire story, that they are being listened to and that their opinions are truly valued in decision making.” Since the term of university president is typically limited to a 12 year maximum, current UW president David Johnston will be leaving in 2011. Whoever becomes the new provost will, in turn, play a role in determining the new president. mdavenport@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

bring in this advertisement and receive 26 postures 2 breathing exercises 100% workout

the original hot yoga

FOR

ONLY $15.00

663ÊBelmontÊAve.ÊWest (GlasgowÊandÊBelmont) 519.749.9888 www.bikramyogakw.com class schedule available online

*buyÊoneÊclassÊandÊreceiveÊtheÊsecondÊandÊthirdÊfreeÊwithinÊtenÊdays *offerÊvalidÊforÊ1stÊtimersÊonly;ÊÊvalidÊstudentÊidÊrequired

UnionÊBlvd

KingÊSt.

picking a provost

photo by dinh nguyen, graphic by paul collier

Belmont Ave.

weight loss, trimming and toning detoxification and vibrant well-being relief from stress, anxiety and depression helps to heal and prevent back pain and many other chronic ailments

Rock Ave. GlasglowÊSt. VictoriaÊSt.ÊSouth

News

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009 news@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

A splash of orange

caitlyn mcintyre

Feds President-elect Allan Babor is the target of with warm water outside the SLC on Thursday, March 5. Babor and other members of the student community donned bathing suits in the freezing weather for Engineers Without Borders’ annual “Splash Out Poverty,” an event aimed at drawing attention to conscious Caitlyn McIntyre staff reporter

ngineers Without Borders (EWB) hosted a series of events and displays on Thursday, March 5 in order to raise awareness for conscious living amongst students. The event was part of Be Orange day, EWB’s big campaign for the year with the focus of spreading their reach out to the entire UW campus. “We wanted to try and integrate all of our faculties into the efforts,” said Rob Sparrow, a system’s engineering student, in an interview with

Imprint. Sparrow is the public outreach director for the Waterloo branch of the EWB, and worked along with other club members to hold various events trying to spread their message to students in and around the SLC. “We want to link people’s actions in Canada to the effects they have on the world,” said Sparrow. The day included the ever popular Splash out Poverty event in the SLC courtyard, various EWB and Feds executives lined up to be soaked for the cause. By giving a donation to charity, students were given the opportunity to drench

the bathing suit-clad students with warm water outside in the bitter cold. Meanwhile inside the SLC, Sparrow and his fellow students set up various information booths from EWB, the Waterloo Public Interest Group (WPIRG), and the Ethical Trading Action Group (ETAG). Though even more catching than the newsletters, pamphlets, and the puzzle piece Earth lining the SLC’s basement floor, was the giant banana that was standing at Sparrow’s side through out. “The costume is really to emphasize our stress for fair trade,” Sparrow explained. “Bananas are an excellent example of something

that people consume every day with a reasonably priced fair trade alternative.” All of the day’s events led up to a charity concert held that night, starring Craig Cardiff, a folk musician. The tickets had been sold in advance, and the turnout for the evening looked extremely promising. “We’re getting the word out for Be Orange,” said Sparrow. “People have to take it as a way for them to get more involved in their community, and subsequently, the world.” cmcintyre@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

A change of guard Imprint announces its new Editor-in-Chief Adrienne Raw staff reporter

caitlyn mcintyre

UW’s Muslim Students’ Association and Islamic Information Centre held a week-long outreach event in the SLC’s Great Hall, starting March 9. Muslim students answered questions about their faith as part of the club’s Islam Awareness Week.

t is a time of transition in the Imprint office as current Editor-in-Chief (EIC) Maggie Clark enters the last few weeks of her time with the newspaper. Incoming EIC Michael L. Davenport has already begun his 13-month contract with Imprint, joining the paper’s volunteer staff for the production of this week’s edition of the paper. Davenport will spend the remaining few weeks of Clark’s term in training to take over the reins of the paper. “I feel very positive about this transition,” Clark said. Clark has been the EIC since November 2007 when she took over from Adam McGuire. “I just started [Tuesday], so being back is still a bit surreal,” said Davenport, who volunteered with Imprint from 2004 to 2008. “I’m confident that with Maggie’s help over the next four weeks I can find my stride.” This time of transition is also one of reflection as the outgoing EIC contemplates her time at the paper and the incoming EIC considers the future. “When I started as Imprint EIC, I was bursting with a lot of ideas and energy, and I was honoured by the opportunity to give back to this university community and create a positive journalism learning environment,” said Clark. “I was especially excited about the opportunity to create a more engaged campus discourse about relevant student issues.” “I do think I was able to establish a different kind of feature writing in Imprint,” Clark continued, “and also target issues in Feds and the UW administration while they were happening so students had a better chance to make an impact on their community by being informed.” Informed students are a consideration for Davenport as well. “A reliable source of good information” is what Davenport hopes to give UW students during his time as EIC. “I’m hoping

that my passion for hard news on this campus is contagious,” he said. “And by contagious I mean spreading to both the readers and the volunteers. I want to get new volunteers interested in the goings-on of this campus.” The transition also gives the current and future EICs to address what they see as weaknesses at the paper. “I am frustrated about not being able to complete the shift to the new website and equally frustrated by being just a little burned out, and so feeling week-byweek that there might be more I’m missing, more coverage that could be done,” Clark said. Davenport plans to address this volunteer burn-out during his upcoming time with the paper. “It’s been a problem for my last five years here,” he said, “to have volunteers oscillating between selflessly devoting their lives to the paper and then retreating because their personal or academic lives have been neglected.” “I think a goal that any new EIC should keep in mind is spreading out the workload for everyone so that long-term participation in Imprint is more sustainable,” he said. The EIC is one of the most important individuals in the organization. He or she is the paper’s guiding hand and the final decision maker regarding all content and editorial matters on a day-to-day. An EIC’s responsibilities also include administrative tasks that keep the organization running and the recruitment of new volunteers. New EICs are chosen by a hiring committee pulled from the Imprint and general community. This year’s committee was composed of three out of five possible members due to scheduling conflicts. As the Winter 2009 term wraps up and Imprint’s staff labours on the final few issues of the paper, the organization prepares to bid a fond goodbye, farewell, and amen to Maggie Clark and a warm welcome to Michael L. Davenport. araw@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

News

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

Students smoked out Michelle Bellefontaine reporter

t was an intense Friday night as firefighters fought the flames in a burning townhouse unit on March 6. Witnesses gathered between approximately 7:30 and 11 p.m. while emergency services cleaned up the scene, a complex primarily occupied by UW students. The fire is believed to have originated from a coffee maker that was left sitting on a stovetop. While the occupants were absent, heat from the source transferred to nearby curtains and spread quickly through the entire unit. Neighbours stood outside with concern for their own homes and belongings. A student living directly beside the engulfed unit said that

Knights Inn Kitchener EVERY KNIGHT JUST RIGHT

Student Discount with I.D. 1455 Weber St. E. Kitchener (519) 893-6641 www.knightsinn.com

he heard the fire alarm and went outside when he smelled smoke. His roommate immediately called 911 and waited as the police and fire department arrived. Students were brought out of their homes by the sirens and bright lights in the roadway. Several fire trucks and police cars blocked the driveway, leaving vehicles intending to leave trapped inside. The landlord was ready to enter the burning unit to ensure that no one had been left inside when the police showed up and insisted that he remain outside. Police officers also searched the units close to the fire to make sure no one was left inside. They thoroughly searched the burnt unit for any residual flames and for the cause of the fire. After the flames subsided fire fighters removed the damaged items, black and burned to ashes, out of the unit. Clean up continued late into the night and into the following week. Luckily, no one was in the unit at the time the fire broke out, but they had to face the damage of their home when they returned to an unpleasant surprise. The landlord went on to say that the four girls who live in the unit had each been at separate parties at the time. He was lucky to retrieve at least three of them and had them stay with him until the shock subsided. The

fourth roommate, being a UW student, had to leave her job at Ride Safe in order to return to her scorched home. The girls are now living in an unoccupied unit while their belongings are being retrieved from the destroyed unit. The landlord was relieved that the fire had not spread to other units. Since the fire, inspectors have been around to other units in the building to check fire alarms and extinguishers. The fire is a reminder to students learning to live independently that there are great responsibilities. A word of caution: remember to turn off your stove and oven when you are done cooking, and it doesn’t hurt to check before you leave the house. It is also a good idea to remove any debris from the burners and replace the burner plates. Don’t leave candles burning unsupervised. Electrical items such as cookers, kettles, hair styling products and heaters should be left unplugged when not in use. Also check that material or fabric isn’t left too close to electric heaters and that they are not left on to overheat. Make sure you know where your fire extinguishers are and how to use them. It also doesn’t hurt to check your smoke detectors by burning some toast.

Ajanthan Thirumurugan

Saranya Yogarajah, an Arts undergraduate, signs a petition for the Canadian Humanitarian Appeal for Relief of Tamils in the SLC on Friday, March 6. CHART’s aim is to highlight what it claims are violations of women’s rights in Sri Lankan refugee camps.

The teacher

education program you choose really does make a difference

For over 150 years, Niagara University has offered outstanding educational opportunities to students from Canada and the United States. Today you can find bachelor’s or master’s degree programs at our Canadian or New York locations.

OPEN HOUSE April 4, 2009 Niagara University Campus Lewiston, NY Academic Complex 9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Bachelor of Teacher Education • Programs in Primary/Junior and Intermediate/Senior • Accredited by the Ontario College of Teachers • Convenient on-site classes in the Greater Toronto Area

Master of Teacher Education • Programs in Primary/Junior and Intermediate/Senior • NCATE-accredited • Convenient U.S. location across the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge Check it out! Call 1.800.462.2111 or visit niagara.edu/advance today.

Education That Makes a Difference

College of Education Academic Complex Niagara University, NY 14109 1-800-778-3450

Exploring opportunities for growth. Next Generation Nuclear | Hydrogen | Wind | Solar

Adding clean energy to Ontario’s mix Now there’s an innovative idea. As part of Bruce Power’s plan to consider the feasibility of building a clean energy hub at Nanticoke, a unique partnership has been developed to seek out and consider new cutting edge energy technologies. Bruce Power, the Canadian Hydrogen Association, University of Waterloo and McMaster University have developed a partnership to seek out and study how an energy hub at Nanticoke could be used to produce hydrogen from nuclear, wind and solar, while using hydrogen in applications such as heavy industrial equipment, transportation and electricity generation for peak demand. In addition to our Environmental Assessment for next generation nuclear, this is our way of considering new and innovative technologies to build a clean energy hub at Nanticoke providing power for a new generation. Innovation will only occur through action and opportunity is only possible through planning. Developing a clean energy hub at Nanticoke is about all of these things.

For more information please visit: www.brucepower.com.

Please feel free to contact us with any enquiries or concerns Toll free: 1-866-748-4787 ext. 6577 www.brucepower.com

News

Katrina Massey reporter

Ryan Webb assistant news editor

German teenager kills 17

WINNENDEN, Germany Authorities report that a teenage gunman killed 15 people Wednesday, March 11 while on a rampage in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The death count includes nine students, three teachers, and three bystanders. Eight of the nine students killed at the school were females, leaving some to suspect the gunman was singling them out. Tim Kretschmer, 17, entered his former secondary school in Winnendenm, near Stuttgart, at 9:30 a.m. local time dressed in black combat gear and carrying a semi-automatic pistol. Reports indicate that the pistol belonged to his father, who is a gun collector and was licensed to own over a dozen firearms. Once inside the school, Kretschmer entered a classroom and began firing at the heads of students. In the chaos, several students were seen jumping out of windows and teachers locked their classroom doors. Following the assault on the school, Kretschmer commandeered a nearby automobile, killing the occupant in the process. After a short car chase, police cornered him in a nearby industrial area, where a shootout ensued. Two bystanders were killed during this melee, two of the police officers were wounded, and police shot the gunman. There are conflicting reports whether

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

Kretschmer’s death was due to police fire or a self-inflicted wound. The Guardian reports that a former classmate of Kretschmer told local media that he had recently broken up with his girlfriend and had “been putting on weight.” Der Spiegel dubbed him a “boy without qualities.” — With files from Der Spiegel, BBC, and The Guardian. Pair of Real IRA attacks leaves three dead in Northern Ireland

CRAIGAVON, Northern Ireland Officers are currently investigating two attacks which occurred in Northern Ireland on March 7 and March 9. The Real Irish Republican Army (IRA), a designated terrorist organisation, has claimed responsibility for both shootings. On March 7, British soldiers Cengiz Azimkar and Mark Quinsey were killed at a military base in Northern Ireland while they were accepting pizza from delivery men. Two masked gunners opened fire on them, critically wounding two other soldiers and the two delivery men. The soldiers had been preparing to leave for Afghanistan that day. Two days later, Constable Stephen Carroll was shot in the head in Craigavon. He had been one of four officers that had responded to an emergency call. The others were not injured. Carroll was the first police officer killed in Northern Ireland in over a decade. These attacks have caused escalating fears of a renewed outbreak of

violence between divisions of Ireland, which have previously experienced nearly 20 years of fighting. Tensions still exist between Northern Ireland Catholic republicans who want to break away from the United Kingdom and join the Republic of Ireland, and Protestant unionists, who want to remain a part of the United Kingdom. The creation of a power-sharing government between the two divisions of Ireland in past years has allowed the country to remain mostly peaceful, save for several radical divisions that exist on both sides. “I am sickened at the attempts by terrorists to destabilize Northern Ireland. Those responsible for this murderous act will not be allowed to drag our province back to the past,” said Peter Robinson, the leader of the Protestant-backed Democratic Unionist Party. Craigavon is notorious for harbouring rebels. In the past, the Real IRA has been responsible for bombings and other acts of violence in Northern Ireland and in England. Militants organized 18 attacks in 2008. — With files from CNN and The Globe and Mail France pledges to help Mexico tackle drug war

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico During an official visit to Mexico, French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged to help Mexico battle against organised crime. On going drug wars have escalated in 2009 as rival gangs

engage in territory battles over smuggling routes into the United States. Over 1,500 troops are attempting to regain control of the city of Ciudad Juarez in northern Mexico, where the most killings have occurred. President Sarkozy acknowledged Mexican President Felipe Calderon’s attempts at ending the drug wars and said that France would help with police training and provide Mexico technology for gathering intelligence. The two presidents also announced plans to create a $550 million Franco-European helicopter factory in Mexico, aimed to boost the aeronautics industry in Mexico and to provide better equipment for their armed forces. Experts say that Mexico is also trying to broaden their trading partners, as currently 80 per cent of their exports go to the United States. Drug violence killed 6,290 people in Mexico last year, and over 1,000 have been murdered in the first two months of 2009. Morgues are overflowing with more bodies than they have room for. A morgue in Ciudad Juarez reported an instance when they had been forced to stack over 200 bodies in two fridges that were designed to hold only 80. Drug traffickers have been known to invade morgues and steal bodies while workers are held at gunpoint so that they cannot be used to track the murderers. This has become so habitual that Mexican soldiers will guard morgues if a notorious trafficker is suspected among the dead. — With files from AP and BBC

Accelerate your

SUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION

studies! Choose from over 85 online degree credit courses this Summer. Registration Is Easy…

1. Identify the course you wish to take. 2. Obtain a Letter of Permission from your university. 3. Send us your registration as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

oll ! r n E ay t od

Ⴗ Registration Deadline: April 24, 2009 Ⴗ Courses begin: May 7, 2009

For further information, contact Mickey Smart at: Tel: 519-824-4120 x 56050 Email: msmart@open.uoguelph.ca

For a list of upcoming courses, visit: IN THEATRES EVERYWHERE FRIDAY, MARCH 13!

www.open.uoguelph.ca

Suicide bombing in Baghdad kills at least 28

BAGHDAD, Iraq A suicide attack that took place in West Baghdad on March 10 during a peace conference has killed at least 28 and wounded another 28, although varying official sources say as many as 33 are dead and 52 are wounded. Among the dead were security personnel, civilians, women, and children. The attack on tribal leaders and security officials occurred as targeted delegates left a national reconciliation conference, and was the third major attack in the past few days, although experts place the current violence levels in Iraq as low as they were in the summer of 2003. Two journalists for a Cairo-based TV station were also reported dead, and four Iraqi journalists were injured. This follows two other recent attacks. On March 8, over 30 people were killed in an attack on an Iraqi police recruitment centre, and on March 5, an exploding car bomb killed 10 at a cattle market. “Reconciliation is the response to the devilish acts that try to wreck nationalist efforts between Iraqis,” declared Ali al-Dabbagh, an Iraqi government spokesman. The March 10 attack occurs two days after the U.S. government announced that they plan to reduce troop numbers by 12,000 in the next six months. If the violence continues, there is concern that United States President Barack Obama’s 2010 combat withdrawal goal could be exceedingly difficult to maintain. One of the United States’ primary concerns is to ensure that the current Iraqi government has adequate forces to deal with security measures when they leave. After 2010, 35,000–50,000 troops will stay in Iraq to provide support and training to tthe Iraqi National Army. There are currently 140,000 American troops in Iraq. — With files from BBC, CBC and Reuters news@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Opinion 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, vacant Systems Admin. Dan Agar Distribution, Garrett Saunders Distribution, Sherif Soliman Interns, Julia Gelfand, Brandon Rampelt Volunteer co-ordinator, Dinh Nguyen Board of Directors board@imprint.uwaterloo.ca President, Sherif Soliman president@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Vice-president, Vacant vp@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, Alicia Boers Cover Editor, Veronika Zaretsky News Editor, Vacant News Assistant, Ryan Webb Opinion Editor, Adrienne Raw Opinion Assistant, Christine Nanteza Features Editor, Vacant Features Assistant, Mark Zammit Arts & Entertainment Editor, Tina Ironstone Arts & Entertainment Assistant, Vacant Science & Tech Editor, Rajul Saleh Science & Tech Assistant, Vacant Sports & Living Editor, Caitlin McIntyre Sports & Living Assistant, Vacant Photo Editor, Amy LeBlanc Photo Assistant, Shannon Purves Graphics Editor, Vacant Graphics Assistant, Armel Chesnais Web Administrator, Arianna Villa Systems Administrator, Mohammad Jangda Production Staff Mavis Au-Yeung, Andrew Dodds, Alicia Mah, Paul Collier, Katrina Massey, Bogdan Petrescu, Keriece Harris, Yang Liu, E Aboyeji Graphics Team Paul Collier Imprint is the official student newspaper of the University of Waterloo. It is an editorially independent newspaper published by Imprint Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. Imprint is a member of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association (OCNA). Editorial submissions may be considered for publication in any edition of Imprint. Imprint may also reproduce the material commercially in any format or medium as part of the newspaper database, Web site or any other product derived from the newspaper. Those submitting editorial content, including articles, letters, photos and graphics, will grant Imprint first publication rights of their submitted material, and as such, agree not to submit the same work to any other publication or group until such time as the material has been distributed in an issue of Imprint, or Imprint declares their intent not to publish the material. The full text of this agreement is available upon request. Imprint does not guarantee to publish articles, photographs, letters or advertising. Material may not be published, at the discretion of Imprint, if that material is deemed to be libelous or in contravention with Imprint’s policies with reference to our code of ethics and journalistic standards. Imprint is published every Friday during fall and winter terms, and every second Friday during the spring term. Imprint reserves the right to screen, edit and refuse advertising. One copy per customer. Imprint ISSN 0706-7380. Imprint CDN Pub Mail Product Sales Agreement no. 40065122.

Educational reforms Why we need to talk about the future of academics

Friday, March 13, 2009 Vol. 31, No. 30 Student Life Centre, Room 1116 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 P: 519.888.4048 F: 519.884.7800 http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009 opinion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

.S. President BarackObama unveiled aggressive education reforms on Tuesday, March 10 — everything from transforming seniority-based pay systems to merit-based ones, to increased funding of charter schools, to higher wages for math and science teachers, and longer school hours across the nation. Pros and cons for all these initiatives have already been bandied about plenty since the plan was released, and there isn’t space enough here to parse all of them. Thankfully, it’s not the American education system itself that intrigues me, but columnists who have already been quick to point out that Canadians had best pay attention to U.S. reforms, because what starts south is deemed likely to flow north. Some would argue, however, that in many ways the Canadian university system is already in terrible sync with the worst of American academic industry — and in a week that saw the Harvard Medical School called out in the New York Times for receiving an “F” from the American Medical Student Association (which rates how medical schools “monitor and control [the presence of] drug industry money”) — that’s not a comforting thought. Yes, the University of Waterloo is an especially industry-oriented institution: a fact which makes many students particularly proud to be UW graduates, others disillusioned by their degrees, and the great majority somewhere in the middle — recognizing the benefits and risks of our particular structure, and not comfortable with either absolute endorsement or condemnation of best practices at this school. And I have to say, I like that middle ground: I think there’s a lot of room in that middle ground for a healthy, inclusive debate about the direction of Canadian academics, and whether that direction is the right one for society as a whole. But first, the outliers — and for both groups, please permit me some rather extended metaphors. The first comes from an experiment in “individuated news” by The Denver Post, which is trying to sell the concept of printable news you customize to include only what you want to see. If something seems... off about this experiment, let me hazard a guess: It might just be because the news should, at its essence, be conveying what you do not know about your community — local, national, or global. So by giving readers

editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

what they think they want in specific, news media runs the very real risk of not giving readers what they really want, and need, in practice. How on earth does this relate to students who strongly endorse the intersections between industry and academia? Quite simply, it answers an underlying argument forwarded by these endorsements: that a university should be what its membership — staff, faculty, undergrads, grads, community-at-large — want it to be, even if that means changing its operating premises. And if that means pursuing stronger alliances between industry and campus programming, the prioritization of university research in line with market growth, and the resolution of co-op issues in favour of companies, not students, so be it. Further, some will note that the university itself was founded on that same eschewing of traditional values, so there’s little reason for undergraduates to feel “betrayed” or “disillusioned” by a system that always prioritized hard sciences, long before the hard sciences themselves became so crucially interwoven with business interests. But here I would have to point out that, while that partiality has always existed, so too has the debate over it: Our founding president, Gerald Hagey, both fought valiantly for the emergence of an engineering school in Waterloo, and simultaneously did not want to see this fortress of practical learning removed from the arts education embodied by Waterloo College (from whence present-day UW was spawned in the first place); rather, he hoped both towers of learning could stand in constant, paired vigil. Sadly, Waterloo College pulled out from Hagey’s developments, leading to a pronounced division between UW and the original, Lutheran university — now known as Wilfrid Laurier. Maybe it’s arrogant to suggest that what students who make these arguments want out of a university education is not all they really want, or need, from university — that there are a great many essential qualitative factors that an institution bound to industry cannot as effectively teach. But in praising students who always question, rather than blindly condemn or praise, the quality of their education at UW, I have to hazard such arrogance. I do so especially because I feel for the other group of outliers — those who

feel betrayed or disillusioned with their UW education. Cue my second extended metaphor: in a New York Times article I discover New York City finds itself turning to “cluster housing” to cope with its homelessness problem. Essentially, the city pays apartment owners a whopping monthly rent to house the homeless — and unsurprisingly, some landlords see the higher profit margin from such inhabitants as incentive to pressure traditional tenants out. Now, it’s no surprise that engineering and math students, international students and co-op students alike are “worth more” from a simple financial perspective: Their education costs more, and while there’s debate over whether this means more revenue-per-student in an engineering course, it most assuredly means more revenue when a student in engineering takes an arts course at the higher cost, and when that same student is already bringing in more government dollars by participating in PDEng courses during their co-op terms. Also, as we’ll develop in the news section next week, current federal funding has emerged as clearly aiding science and technology to the exclusion of other programming. So from these elements alone there are reasons for arts students to doubt, or even despair, that UW is at all growing in their favour: after all, the real money lies with students not-like-them. But, much as I sympathize with this sense of betrayal, I don’t find the disillusioned approach productive. It’s one thing to emerge after four to six years of university education feeling ripped off by the process: it’s another thing to accept that while the university education you have might not be the education you wanted, an awareness of this fact might prove more crucial to your success in life, period, than a “perfect” education could ever be. On that theme, then — an appeal for the middle-ground response to the strengths, weaknesses, and growth of Canadian universities — I’ll be deliberating next week. For now I leave off likely as muddled about the future of industry and academia as most of you — but hopeful, too, for the quality of discourse I expect so many of us will be having about the quality of our educations, and the future of learning as a whole, in the years to come.

Next staff meeting: Monday, March 16 12:30 p.m. Next board of directors meeting: TBA armel chesnais

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

Community Editorial truth compromised in israel-palestinian conflict

uppose that the City of Kitchener did not recognize the right of the City of Waterloo to exist. For nine years, they indiscriminately launch over 9,000 rockets into Waterloo with the goal of killing and injuring as many civilians as possible. Say these rockets were landing in our schools, streets, and homes. What would you demand of your govern-

“

with regards to mainstream reporting of Israel’s recent incursion into Gaza. Two egregious lies circulated during the war: where Israel’s alleged illegal use of white phosphorous as a weapon, and the bombing of a UN school. Despite the fact that these allegations have been disproven, stories and propaganda-laden misinformation continue to circulate. An International Red Cross investigation has cleared Israel of improper use of white phosphorous (Associated

This campaign of double standards should be seen for what it is — a duplicitous and hypocritical attempt to deny or undermine the right of the Jewish people to exercise self-determination in their ancestral homeland.

ment? This is the situation Israel finds itself in. Hamas does not recognize Israel’s right to exist, and to this day they continue to launch these deadly rockets. Just like every other country, Israel has a right to defend its citizens from armed attacks, and they are doing just that. In war, the first victim is often the truth. This is particularly true

“

Alex Kaldor Israel on Campus

Press, Jan. 13), and an investigation into the school bombing proved that the school itself was never hit, leading to the U.N. acknowledging this (Globe and Mail, Jan. 29). Despite the truth, we don’t hear these stories, but instead continue to hear bold-faced lies. Although the mainstream media is often unwilling to point out the truth and admit they made mistakes

in reporting, groups like honestreporting.com (and .ca) and camera. org are committed to ensuring that accurate coverage of the conflict is reported. The truth is, Israel is being subjected to a hypocritical onesided campaign of de-legitimization replete with double standards in order to convince the global community that it somehow does not have a right to exist. In 2001, the UN Conference against racism held in Durban, South Africa was ironically hijacked by a sizeable group of bigots that used the conference as a platform to single out Israel for censure and abuse. Needless to say real issues endemic to much of the Arab world such as the widespread subjugation of women, persecution of homosexuals, and the stoning of victims of rape were not on the agenda. Moreover, a couple of weeks ago university campuses across North America played host to “Israel Apartheid Week” — a sick propaganda campaign of delegitimization and dehumanization where an entire nation was somehow allowed to be subjected to a single repulsive label by its enemies. Meanwhile the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Ontario recently passed a motion encouraging the discussion of boycotting Israeli universities and academics. Groups such as Students for Palestinian rights (SFPR) advocate this same sort of divestment. As university students and faculty we value education, and strive to use our minds to make the world a better place. Israelis are no different,

as they have developed cell phone technology, instant messenger software, radiation free breast cancer test, etc. As academic scholars, we should not be excluding the minds of one country that have provided the world with technologies that make your lives safer, easier, more efficient, and healthier. To learn about these and countless other innovations visit israel21c.org. This campaign of double standards should be seen for what it is — a duplicitous and hypocritical attempt to deny or undermine the right of the Jewish people to exercise self-determination in their ancestral homeland. To say that any criticism of Israel is forbidden is outrageous. However when a double standard is applied to Israel, and when those who criticize Israel do not criticize other countries for similar faults — this is unacceptable. The Land of Israel/Palestine is unique in that the entire territory (not simply parts of it) is home to two different indigenous groups — the Jews, who have had deep cultural, historical, and religious connections with the land for over 3,000 years, and the Arabs who arrived in the seventh century A.D. following the advent of Islam. Instead of moving towards peace based on recognizing both peoples’ ancestral rights to the land, this illiberal, hypocritical, and unjust campaign of vilification being raged against Israel foments division, burning bridges of dialogue in favour of rhetoric. For a thorough discussion of the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel and other related topics, visit:

JewishVirtualLibrary.org. It is difficult for Israel to find a true partner for peace when Palestinian leaders are engaged in double talk. These leaders say one thing to the Western world to appease us, and often the complete opposite to their people, often in Arabic — their native tongue. We hear Mahmound Abbas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) denounce terror at every opportunity, but then he uses his budget to pay Palestinian terrorists being held in Israeli jails, and the families of suicide bombers. These leaders indoctrinate their people with messages of hatred towards Israel through textbooks and television while saying to the international world that they are committed to peace. Children don’t idolise Arab scholars, or political leaders; the posters that hang on their walls are that of suicide bombers. Palestinian Media Watch (pmw.org.il) is a watchdog organization that tracks the double talk that the Palestinian leadership is engaged in. Like these websites, Israel on Campus is committed to providing the campus community with a broader outlook on the conflict in the Middle East. To this regard, on Thursday March 19, we’ll be screening Alan Dershowitz’s documentary: The Case for Israel at 4:30 p.m. in DC 1350. Anyone who is interested in Middle East issues is encouraged to come out to hear the “other side” of the story. Discussion with Jeff Robbins, former U.S. Delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to follow the screening.

I earned my

undergraduate degree,

now

I want a

rewarding career * * not just a job

In less than one year, Humber postgraduate programs will help you launch your career in: • • • • • •

Financial Planning Human Resources International Development International Marketing Marketing Management Public Administration

Building on your university degree, Humber’s postgraduate programs offer a concentrated curriculum, career-focused courses and practical field placements. You’ll gain the real-world experience and skills that employers value most.

Get the career you want – apply now. business.humber.ca

465 PHILLIP STREET LOCATION ONLY LIMITED TIME OFFER

746-6893

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

Community Editorial 61 years of oppression is enough students for palestinian rights

etween December 27, 2008, and January 18, 2009, Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assault on Gaza left over 1,300 Palestinians (431 children, 698 civilians) dead and over 5,300 injured (United Nations â&#x20AC;&#x201C; OCHA, 2009). Infrastructure including power plants, sewage systems, hospitals and police stations, as well as factories, mosques and schools were deliberately targeted and destroyed. The U.N. headquarters in Gaza were attacked with illegal and lethal white phosphorous shells (UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Times, Jan 15, 2009). Three Israeli civilians and ten soldiers were also killed. Over 100,000 people remain displaced today (Save the Children Alliance, 2009). Over 4,000 residential buildings were obliterated and the damages are in excess of $1.6 billion (Reuters, Jan 18, 2009). Rebuilding and importing essential materials such as steel and cement will be difficult since Israel often denies even critical humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. Targeting civilians and vital infrastructure under the guise of â&#x20AC;&#x153;self-defenceâ&#x20AC;? was a deliberate act to pulverize Gaza before a new U.S. administration took office. It is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;self-evident legal and moral principle that an aggressor cannot rely upon self-defence to justify violence against resistance to its own aggressionâ&#x20AC;? (Mandel, 2009). As the Israel Defence Force (I.D.F.) chief of staff Moshe Yaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;alon put it in 2002, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Palestinians must be made to understand in the deepest recesses of their consciousness that they are a defeated people.â&#x20AC;? The recent events are only the latest in Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ongoing crimes against humanity. Since Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founding 61 years ago, generations of Palestinians have been victimized by the Israeli government on a daily basis. Prior

to the 2009 massacre, 70 per cent of families in Gaza lived on less than three dollars a day, 50 per cent of the population had access to water for only a few hours a week, and 80 per cent of the supplied water did not meet drinking standards (United Nations â&#x20AC;&#x201D; O.C.H.A., 2008). When 21 South African activists visited Israel-Palestine in 2008, they unanimously concluded that what they saw was significantly worse than the apartheid they had experienced. Sunday Times editor Mondli Makhanya wrote, â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you observe from afar you know that things are bad, but you do not know how bad. Nothing can prepare you for the evil we have seen here. It is worse, worse, worse than everything we endured. The level of apartheid, the racism and the brutality are worse than the worst period of apartheid.â&#x20AC;? Last week marked the fifth annual Israeli Apartheid Week (I.A.W.), a series of lectures and events held on campuses in over 40 cities across the world. Building on the patterns of last year, when the McMaster administration temporarily prohibited the use of the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;Israeli Apartheidâ&#x20AC;? and later apologised, Carleton University banned the IAW poster and threatened students with expulsion. Ottawa and Wilfrid Laurier followed Carletonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cowardice to the pro-Israeli influence and banned a factual depiction of an event that has occurred at least 431 times this year alone: the death of a Palestinian child by Israeli assault. Pro-Israeli groups such as Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nai Brith were quick to run full page newspaper ads and label the academic events of I.A.W., many featuring prominent Jewish speakers, antiSemitic. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;anti-Semiteâ&#x20AC;? card has always been conveniently used on anyone, Jew or non-Jew, who dares condemn Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s criminal actions. Equating the critics of Israel with enemies of Judaism poisons political

Study in Australia

Leaders in International Education

Seats still available. Apply now for 2010!

%&" $ % $ ' ("$ "

$ &" "$&$ " # &$ " ! " " & " )"$ $ &* !* +,%* " "* #) $ -* #)- )"$ ##$ %&

. &) - "/#"$ " " * #$ "

## $ "$( " ! ) " $ ( " &

! " #"$ " "

debate, confuses human rights activism with discrimination and makes it more difficult to counter real anti-Semitism. Furthermore, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an insult to every Jewish person who disagrees with the policies of the state of Israel. When children, women and civilians are murdered, it is the moral responsibility of every person to stand up and raise his or her voice. The crimes perpetrated against Palestinians for six decades are crimes against humanity itself, and must be stopped. Intellectuals must rediscover their courage and exercise their freedom to publicly debate and challenge the deeply biased reporting of the North American mainstream media, which often parrots Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own talking points. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement was initiated in 2005 by over 170 civil society organizations and involves activists who were directly responsible for ending the Apartheid in South Africa (bdsmovement.net).

The movement calls for non-violent punitive measures against Israel until it discontinues its repeated violation of international law, recognizes the Palestiniansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; right to self-determination, ends its illegal occupation of Palestinian land, grants equal rights to all of its citizens regardless of race or religion, and (as stipulated by U.N.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

media machines. Being informed is a vital part of helping the situation. Some recommend books include â&#x20AC;&#x153;Palestine Peace Not Apartheidâ&#x20AC;? by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestineâ&#x20AC;? by Ilan Pappe. The websites for BBC, Al Jazeera, Haaretz, and other prominent European and

The crimes perpetrated against Palestinians for six decades are crimes against humanity itself, and must be stopped.

Resolution 194) allows Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland. Students for Palestinian Rights (S.F.P.R.) works from bottom up to provide students with a clear outlook on the Israel-Palestine situation, abandoning the haze of corrupt

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Ali Siadati

Middle Eastern news outlets can also be excellent sources of balanced information. S.F.P.R. is a Feds club with diverse membership, and always welcomes newcomers. More information can be found at sfpr.ca.

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

Community Editorial Human rights violations against the Bahá’ís in Iran respondent

few days from now the Iranian government will put a school teacher, a social worker and an optometrist, along with four other innocent members of the Bahá’í community of Iran on trial, on unsupported charges of “spying for Israel, insulting religious sanctities, and propaganda against the Islamic Republic.” Two women and five men have been imprisoned without access to their lawyer, Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, for close to a year. They are the latest victims in a breathtaking array of attacks against the Bahá’í community that have intensified under Iran’s current government. Bahá’í homes have been torched, holy places demolished, and children vilified for their beliefs. Government documents instruct universities to expel Bahá’í students “once it becomes known that they are Bahá’ís,” order the military to create lists of Bahá’ís and secretly monitor the activities of the community. Speaking out

in 2005, General Romeo Dallaire declared that this kind of “inventorying and targeting of citizens, based on their religious beliefs or racial heritage, is the first ugly step toward systematic violence and crimes against humanity.” The 350,000 Bahá’ís in Iran are the country’s largest religious

“

an Iranian religion than Christianity is a Judean one. Iranian Bahá’ís comprise less than five per cent of the world’s Bahá’ís, the overwhelming majority of whom live in India, Africa, and Latin America. Bahá’ís come from 2,000 national, ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The Britannica names

Government documents instruct universities to expel Bahá’í students “once it becomes known that they are Bahá’ís,”

minority, but they enjoy no rights under the Iranian constitution. The irony is that unlike the smaller Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian communities, the Bahá’ís believe in Islam. Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the faith, refers to Islam as “the blessed and luminous religion of God,” and to Muhammad as “the refulgent lamp of supreme prophethood.” Yet, although it began in Iran, the Bahá’í faith today is no more

“

Jonathan Menon

the Bahá’í Faith as the second most widespread religion on earth, with “significant communities” in over 200 countries, surpassing Islam itself. The first Canadians became Bahá’ís in 1897. Since the 1840s, Bahá’ís have been the scapegoats of fundamentalist clerics and successive Iranian regimes. In the 19th Century thousands were murdered by government authorities and mobs incited by mullahs. After the 1979 Islamic revolution over 200 Bahá’ís were executed. The record of persecution is littered with lunacies that would be laughable if they weren’t so horrifying. The absurdity of the current charges of insulting religious sanctities should already be obvious.

The “evidence” for espionage has always been that the Bahá’í World Centre is located in what is now Israel. But it is only there because the Iranian and Ottoman governments imprisoned Bahá’u’lláh there in 1868, 80 years before the state of Israel was born. The Bahá’í World Centre maintains cordial relations with Israel because, on Bahá’u’lláh’s order, the community obeys all governments and never involves itself in partisan politics. “In every country where any of this people reside,” he wrote, “they must behave towards the government of that country with loyalty, honesty, and truthfulness.” It’s also why the Bahá’ís disbanded hundreds of elected governing councils in Iran almost the moment they were declared illegal in 1983, and why on March 24th they agreed to suspend all informal activities as well, simply as an act of good faith. Why then, if the Bahá’ís have no political agenda, revere Islam, and love their country, is their very existence so objectionable to the Iranian government? Bahá’ís follow a prophet who appeared after Muhammad. This belief contradicts a religious hierarchy that draws its legitimacy by claiming to represent the final messenger of God. This reason, pure religious intolerance, is proven by the fact that Iranian Bahá’ís have been repeatedly of-

fered freedom from persecution in return for recanting their faith. The Bahá’ís of Iran have endured persecution for 30 years now, yet they have refused to consider contravening the letter or spirit of Bahá’u’lláh’s instructions against resorting to violence, to divisive political tactics, or even to pointing fingers at individuals. As the prisoners wrote last Monday from their cells, all that Bahá’ís have ever asked of the Iranian government is that it live up to its commitments as a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Only international scrutiny prevents Iranian radicals from carrying out their worst intentions, and governments around the world have joined our Parliament in demanding the seven be released. But regardless of what happens in the coming days, the greater concern is what will happen once the story of this particular trial disappears from the headlines. If we allow the Bahá’ís of Iran to drop from our awareness, then the most fanatical elements of Iranian society will return to their cozy pattern of denouncing Bahá’ís from pulpits, kicking students out of school, and bulldozing cemeteries, a systematic pattern of persecution that carries all the hallmarks of pending genocide.

Study in Lausanne, SWITZERLAND!

M.S.c. in

MANAGEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP From Mind to Market

http://mte.epﬂ.ch

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

Rise of the B

Is print media

Andrew Dodds staff reporter

ove them or hate them, blogs are here to stay. Since the inception of the internet its tentacles have spread across the globe. Every step in its evolution has been accompanied with individuals trying to reach out to something bigger than themselves — looking to step up to a podium larger than the ones typically available in life. Back in the ‘90s, Geocities was one of the early homes for the internet’s pioneers, sharing their stories, photos, and cheat codes for video games. Yahoo! and MSN chat offered the unique experience of live forums with people from all over the globe. Evolution continued through vehicles such as Livejournal, MSN Messenger, MySpace, Facebook, and Blogger, all avenues leading to easier communication and exchange of ideas. As much as the social aspect takes the spotlight, the ideas exchanged have carried with them the meatiest developments. It is not just the speed, but the absolute freedom that makes blogging and the internet so powerful. On one end of the relevance scale, you can find out the latest and greatest happenings in Hollywood from Perez Hilton, but at the same time blogs are giving voices to those who would otherwise be silent. Once upon a time, scrawl-

ings on tattered papers would be slipped out of isolated countries and prisons, spread as quickly as oppression and technology would allow. Now, the eyes and ears of the world are transmitted to us almost instantaneously, granting us a far greater awareness of the world around us, its triumphs and its sorrows. For me, it was nothing so lofty. A year and a half ago, I took the easy route, creating a Blogger account and starting to muse about the journeys of my hometown Ottawa Senators. My credentials had been limited to bemusing UW with philosophical and political opinions, but in hockey, the NHL, and the Ottawa Senators — I found a topic that I could immerse myself in day after day. One year later, a one-line email started the discussion that brought me into the fold at Kukla’s Korner, a top site for hockey news and opinions. Accepting the invitation placed me alongside writers talented enough to surface in countless venues with paycheques given for their work, and in front of thousands of eyes each day, limited not only to fans but those I’d been covering as well. Seven weeks ago, as an unpaid fan of the game with only opinions and up to that point no special access to offer, I found myself donning media credentials to attend the NHL All-Star Game in

“

It is not just the speed, but the absolute freedom that makes blogging and the internet so powerful.

Montreal, voice recorder in hand as I went around rooms filled with hundreds of millions of dollars of the world’s most skilled hockey players. Needless to say it was the most incredible opportunity, and still it was the furthest thing from my mind when I first posted my words to the internet so many months ago. That the NHL, a millions-of-dollars-a-year industry, was willing to give me the same access afforded to mainstream media household names should serve notice that humble beginnings can lead to grand opportunities. In the same way, blogs are becoming a vehicle for countless others to share their talents with the world, from aspiring writers and journalists to soulful musicians and artists. It didn’t take long to find the varied reception to my presence. On one end, there were the harsh stares from veterans of the field, in particular those who had entered the online world and weren’t eager to share. From the other side, I was welcomed in, discussing how my 10 hour bus trip beat even layoverfilled flights from California, and no hard feelings felt even as the discussion turned to the squeezed print media and tales of forced unpaid vacation. Have I and others truly hurt print media though? I link to the media stories and quotes that I source, they still having the full-time job

112.8 million 72.8 million blogs tracked by Technorati by April 2007

blogs tracked by the China Internet Network Information Centre by November 2007

dying? part 2

and access that I lack, and there is always a comfort with the concrete familiarity of newspapers and paid professionals. As time goes on and trust rises, blogs like mine will find their niche markets, and to keep pace with the instant-gratification updates we offer print media will straddle the differing vehicles. What it comes down to in the end is familiarity, trust, and comfort. The internet has accelerated so quickly from the stone age we saw two decades ago to get to this fast-paced behemoth, and every day that goes by still sees insecurity over false information and unscrupulous individuals, anonymous bloggers not doing much to help the cause. Still, trust is built, brick by brick, and the inherent advantages and preferences that are aligned with the internet will bring even more eyes to the blogosphere. For print media, the resources that have been the framework still stand tall even as the vehicle is showing its age. The fundamentals still strong, a transition to the internet, bringing the loyal readership along while cementing the trust in the current relationship, can keep the industry alive and well, perhaps picking up promising pioneers as they enter the digital age. adodds@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

“blog”

term “weblog” coined by Jorn Barger, one of the first bloggers

Blogging restrictions worldwide Egypt: 100 bloggers were arrested for “damaging national security.” The government continues to monitor everything that gets sent over the internet. China: All blog’s on the country’s biggest blogging platform must be hosted inside the country. The government monitors and filters all information and continues to arrest cyberdissidents and bloggers who “reveal state secrets abroad.” Iran: Bloggers risk jail time for publishing any information considered harmful to the government. Cuba: Posting an article deemed “counter-revolutionary” on a foreign-hosted website results in 20 years of jail time. Syria: 160 sites viewed as critical of the government, including sites such as Blogspot and Facebook, are banned from the Syrian Web. Vietnam: Regulations ban bloggers from discussing subjects deems sensitive or inappropriate — meaning bloggers must limit their writing to personal issues. — with files from The Irrawaddy, The China Internet Network Information Centre, Wired.com, The Blog Herald, and CNET.com

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

Take off the love goggles

nbest@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

hy is it that people hang on to a relationship that has past its due date? I am sure we have all seen our fair share of train wreck relationships. It’s hard for me to talk about a horrible relationship of mine from the past because I know of other people’s experiences that have outweighed my woes in ways I could never imagine. Of all the relationship horror stories, I have taken to an old friend, Kyle, to help me write this week’s article. Kyle takes the cake for having the worst relationship I have seen since university. To start this story, I want to explain the “Kyle” that I knew before he entered his relationship from hell. Kyle was a fun-loving, genuine, kind soul. He was always smiling, even though I knew he had some problems back home. Kyle was the kind of guy that would be the life of the party. He was the sort of person

everyone loved to be around, called to hang out, and the ladies all had a secret crush on. Eventually, one girl caught his eye. He walked right up to her and started talking. Kyle is good at talking to people, and I can only imagine how great he is at wooing someone he fancies. Once he approached this girl and started talking to her, it was all downhill from there. Literally. Kyle and Amy (not real names) became inseparable. I thought Kyle was mad at me because we hadn’t talked in a while, but I was put at ease when he finally told me he’d “met someone” that he’d been spending a lot of time with. Kyle told me all about how beautiful, amazing, funny, and down-to-earth this girl was. I was excited to meet Amy, and I was excited to make a new friend. I figured that if she was such a great person in Kyle’s eyes, then she must have been

awesome. I eagerly awaited an invitation from Kyle to meet her. Unfortunately, that invitation never came. However, I did end up meeting Amy randomly at a bar where she and Kyle were sitting with a group of people. I walked in wide-eyed and excited to see my old pal. I gave him a hug, introduced myself to everyone at the table, and when I got to Amy... she wouldn’t even look at me. I thought it was off-putting at first, but only later did I realize that she hated my guts from the first second she saw me. From then on, I was never welcome to hang out with Kyle, talk to him online, or even show him the slightest beam of friendship. Amy owned him, and, being a good friend, I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes. She didn’t seem sour or mean to Kyle though — he had “love goggles” on. He later told me that he felt tricked into liking her. He

said, “She misrepresented herself. She absolutely pretended to be someone that she wasn’t. As I got to know her, I saw who she really was and tricked myself into thinking that the girl I originally met would reappear.” Kyle dated her for over a year, and I was short one good friend for that year because I didn’t have the guts to tell him how I felt about her. When is it right for us to say that we don’t like our good friend’s significant other? Is it ever right to say, “It’s me or them?” One of the worst parts about this whole situation was that I ended up finding out some horrible things about Amy and I never once told Kyle. I only let him know after they’d broken up and he’d started to talk to me again. Even Kyle has said that if I had told him in the middle of his relationship what she was really like, he wouldn’t have listened.

ONE YEAR TO A GREAT CAREER! Sheridan Graduate Certificate Programs

potential employers, even in a tough job market.

Get your competitive edge in just one year!

Choose from over 20 programs in: t

Film, Journalism & Communications

Education

Engineering & Manufacturing Sciences

Information & Communication Technology

Public Safety

Visual Arts & Design

3. If your friends don’t like them, that’s a huge problem. Sometimes your friends won’t tell you what they think or know until you ask them to be honest with you.

5. Things aren’t the same anymore. You’re not excited to see the person, and you don’t miss them. They are more of a job or duty than they are a break from your life. It took Kyle months to get back to his old self after this failed relationship. Along with the failed relationship he had to deal with phone calls, texts, emails, and just about everything from his ex before he could finally get away. He admits to losing a part of himself when he started to let things slide. His advice: “Open your eyes.” Try to give someone the decency of an honest appraisal because you are only hurting yourself by trying to see things that aren’t there. Trust in yourself and don’t let another person’s skewed perception of you determine who you are.

will make you irresistible to

Business

2. Your partner is reluctant to get close. They avoid being physically close to you — not just sexually, but in the caressing and emotional way as well. Hugging and kissing your partner should never be a chore.

4. Just because someone is close with your family, or vice versa, does not mean you have to stay with him or her. If their family really cared about you, they would want the best for you.

are intensive, applied and

He said, “I eventually learned that she wasn’t who I thought she was… and I still sat idly by.” Kyle is no fool. He’s as smart as they come and even he was tricked by his love goggles. What are love goggles? Love goggles are an imagined picture of your significant other as more attractive, likeable, and the embodiment of everything good, when in reality, everyone else sees their true colours. Kyle slowly lost his freedom, his confidence, and his smile. The Kyle I once knew was now a hollow shell, used and abused by a girl who tricked him into love. Kyle now wishes he’d listened to the warning signs, then maybe he wouldn’t have wasted a year of his life with someone who has destroyed a part of him. I asked Kyle to give me some of the warning signs he didn’t pick up on right away: 1. Your partner changes their demeanor. Someone you saw as sweet and sensitive just stops showing signs that they care about you.

Book a campus tour today! tours.sheridaninstitute.ca

LSAT MCAT GMAT GRE Preparation Seminars • Complete 30-Hour Seminars • Convenient Weekend Schedule • Proven Test-Taking Strategies • Experienced Course Instructors • Comprehensive Study Materials • Simulated Practice Exams

Fo r m o re i n f o r m a t i o n a n d t o a p p l y : h t t p : / / o n e y e a r. s h e r i d a n i n s t i t u t e. c a

• Limited Class Size • Free Repeat Policy • Personal Tutoring Available • Thousands of Satisfied Students

OXFORD SEMINARS 1-800-269-6719 416-924-3240 www.oxfordseminars.ca

Opinion

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

Freedom’s cause eaboyeji@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

“In a democracy, human beings may enjoy many personal freedoms and securities that are unknown to us, but in the end they do them no good, for they too are ultimately victims of the same automatism.” Vaclav Havel

spent the entire weekend immersed in the philosophical rants of Vaclav and K’naan. My eyes focused on an alternative manifesto for the “powerless,” my ears throbbing to the sound of dusty foot philosophy. Nothing could have made more sense to me than the most unlikely pathway of life and freedom at which these two intellectuals meet. What relates Somalia’s dusty foot philosopher of Fifa 06 fame to the Czech playwright President that took down communism? One successfully orchestrated a bloodless revolution that freed Czechoslovakia; the other is a victim of the bloody revolution that birthed Somalia’s chaotic bondage, a refugee turned philsopher. Despite the huge disparities that exist in the lives, status, and aims of these two men, a bond connects them and their contributions to revolutionary thought. It is the important question of freedom and its answer — truth. I went to work, my eyes and ears working overtime in conjunction with a willing brain to fathom a prize question I had set for myself; why should I (or anyone else) be free? This should seem a “sine qua non” question in a world whose logic sees freedom as the happy end to every significant revolution. The idea that freedom should be desirable for its own sake seems to me a circular argument—the sort

that selfishly and often unnecessarily champions the devaluation of human life at conception even as it denounces the wisdom of moral restraint. As I approached enlightenment, I found that the sync of ideas between two most unlikely characters is enough proof of the universality and veracity of their message. In my ears, K’naan sings the question of freedom; with my eyes, I read Vaclav’s answer — truth. In one of his most remarkable musical pieces, In the Beginning, K’naan inquires about this freedom by telling his listeners a story. K’naan sings in a style reminiscent of Somali’s oral traditions. He tells the tale of a dedicated and conscientious poet that performed his poems as prayers. One day, he heard a subversive inner voice that invited him to evil, greed and lies. Though he was hesitant of this voice at first, he soon dismissed his conscience and followed the voice. Soon, the poet gained a lot of power and became a leader who lost his soul and belief in God. Though the poet hopes for freedom, he becomes greedy, proud and power hungry, “imposing himself on all those opposing.” The people he once served in prayer became scared of him and his evil power. The youth are soon misled into a revolt for “freedom.” Despite the many wars they fight for this elusive freedom, they never find it. Instead they are cheated, starved of love, beaten, and rejected. Throughout K’naan’s poem, an undeniably clear theme stands out; freedom’s purpose is often misinterpreted— and the consequence of such an unforgivable error is death and destruction. At the same time, he poses an interesting question. What is freedom for? K’naan does not leave us clueless as

he launches his philosophical inquiry in this poetic song. By default, he disqualifies power as the purpose of freedom. He instead tells us that “freedom [is] for the mind and soul.” Enter Vaclav, an aristocrat who should not care about the injustice of communism. Still, he called out the government that his father represented as an ambassador for caging people in “a lie.” Vaclav gives the clear answer of truth to K’naan’s inquiry of freedom. He explains, in as poetic a fashion as K’naan, that communism’s lie had abounded from the practice of ideology such that “the centre of power is identical with the centre of truth.” He compares ideology to a secularized religion that seeks to reduce lives to the least common denominator. In revealing the workings of communism’s “post-totalitarian” world, he explains that ideology forces society to “live within a lie” that promotes the “aims of the [ideology’s] system” as against the “aims of life.” Vaclav includes human dignity, moral integrity, harmony, and free expression of being in these aims. Vaclav takes a veiled swipe at today’s democratic society, occupied with ideologies that advance freedom and equality for its own sake. He says “people are manipulated in the automatism and selfishness of technological civilisation and industrial consumer-society; ways that are more subtle and refined than Communism’s brutal methods.” Our societies are so obsessed in indulgence with freedom and “stuff ” that often our morals fail. As the current financial crisis has proven through greedy Wall Street executives and covetous homeowners, most of us are often left without any inkling as to the moral duty we owe to

our common humanity through our everyday actions. Even more tragically, there is a growing movement of people who reject them altogether. Just like the former east’s obsessesion with equality birthed communism, the west’s obsession with freedom for its own sake is birthing an alarming trend that sees truth and morality as subjective. We have all sorts of “isms” for this rejection of morality; postmodernism, nihilism, existentialism and the several other forms of reasoning that force us to disregard man’s principal purpose — advancing the system of life through the quest for truth. As democracy busies itself with an obsession for freedom, it panders to the means whilst ignoring the end. Thus universities, which are built as citadels for the advancement of truth, choose to close the debate on the morality of abortion and other forms of oppression. Governments choose to advance economically and politically by destroying the environment and other peoples. Young people degrade

meaningful relationships with callous and casual sex. These institutions reveal to us that while our societies are becoming freer, there is little direction and meaning to the “freedoms” we receive. Hence, whenever there is contradiction between human dignity and freedom we choose freedom, thus negating the more obvious aim of life. We overturn the logic of freedom, making life serve its interest rather than the other way round. Slowly but surely, it seems, the pure willfulness we have renamed as “freedom” leads us away from the broader and more important aims of life to the narrower and less important aims of the system. In a world that places the intrinsic value of life and human dignity on scales in the name of “intellectual freedom” and “moral relativism,” the works of K’naan and Vaclav serve an important function. They remind us that nothing — even freedom — deserves to be sought for its own sake.

Student social justice and environmental action since 1973!

You’re Invited to

WPIRG’s ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING and 35th Anniversary Bash! At this year’s AGM, YOU can elect 5 new board members!

Letters Re: Israel-Palestine — The Final Word It has, on numerous occasions, been mentioned that the Israeli conflict is not a war on the Palestinian people at large, but on the minority — radical Islam and Hamas. In Hamas’s very founding charter they proclaim that an Islamic state must occupy the territory now known as Israel — a clear-cut mandate. What is not often discussed is that this group — a group considered a terrorist organization by Canada, the U.S., E.U., Japan, and more — was democratically elected by the residents of Gaza. There was no bloody coup that put Ismail Haniyeh, the de facto Prime Minister of the Gaza Strip, into power. Every rocket fired into Israel by Hamas cannot be blamed solely on him and his party. Those who elected them, the general populace, must also be given their fair share of the burden. It is a relief that in 2008 Hamas changed its stance on the eligibility of a two-state solution. It is clear that Israel is here to stay and that those fighting against the fact do nothing except poke the proverbial bear. There is no such thing as a disproportionate response to attacks on your country and your citizens. As long as Israel has the means (and they will for a long, long time to come), they will continue to engage militants in a manner such as they have done in the past. If Hamas, or any other group for that matter, wants peace for

their fellow Palestinians, they must seek a completely non-violent solution, because if it is violence they seek there can be only one victor, and we all know that to be, without question, Israel. Derek Aiton President of the KW-OPCYA Re: Mimicking nature To the editor, It has become generally accepted that in our quest to live a comfortable lifestyle we have been consuming and degrading our natural environment at drastic rates. In our quest to find the solutions to our problems, we have created and improved a vast amount of technology each with its own problem or environmental threat. Therefore, even though biomimicry appears to be a major step forward for humans as it attempts to recreate natural aspects in our physical world to reduce our impact, it does not rid us of the problem entirely, just some of the effects. What I don’t understand is why scientists have been exploring the field of biomimicry to find alternative solutions to the ones we already have. It is a waste of resources as well as time, and the environment keeps on degrading. For example, the development of the Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe was designed to mimic the tunnels in termite mounds to help maintain a constant temperature. This was an

attempt to reduce the use of fossil fuels as well as greenhouse gas emissions to heat or cool the building. Even though this appears to be helpful to the environment in comparison to the billions of other conventional buildings that make no attempt at reducing their use of fossils, it is still dependent on them. There are, however, many other ways in which we can heat and cool our homes without the use of fossil fuels such as the use of a geothermal heating system. This method involves taking water, circulating it underground to either heat or cool it and then distributing the heat or coolness within the building. This system requires no fossil fuels, is renewable and produces no greenhouse gases. It is therefore much more sustainable than the mimicked tunnels used in the Eastgate Centre. With the already available and sustainable methods of regulating temperatures, it makes me wonder why scientists are still trying to find alternative solutions that tend to only reduce the effects of the problem, when the problem could already be slowly fixed. The environment in which we live will soon be unable to support our population and way of life. If the problem keeps on being ignored we will most definitely face worse problems than lack of fossil fuels and global warming. Michelle Lui Planning, first year

Find out about the year’s highlights and financial report, appoint an auditor, change bylaws and give your input. Join us for dinner and dessert as we celebrate 35 years of student action and appreciate WPIRG’s amazing volunteers! Please RSVP for dinner at info@wpirg.org.

April 2, 2009 - 5 PM Environment 1 Courtyard All UW students and community members are encouraged to attend and have a say! For more info on the AGM and election visit: UW SLC 2139, http://wpirg.org, or call 888-4882.

Nominations for WPIRG

Board of Directors The Waterloo Public Interest Research Group is governed by a Board of Directors of nine members. We need five new board members to be elected at the

WPIRG Annual General Meeting on April 2. Nominations are open from March 16 at 10 am to March 26 at 4:30 pm. Pick up a nomination package in the WPIRG office (UW SLC 2139). See our website for information on being a board member, or email election@lists.wpirg.org. For more info visit the office, wpirg.org, or call 888-4882. Information Session: Being a board member Monday, March 16 5:30 pm SLC 2139.

Features reporter

RANSGENDER. Does the term sound familiar? Maybe you’ve heard it or seen it written somewhere. But do you really understand what it encompasses? As we highlight women throughout International Women’s Week, March 9 to 13, why not shed some light everyone who identifies as a woman? Often these women are overlooked and perceived in an unfavorable light. Fortunately, Lyn McGinnis, an employee of the University of Waterloo, could spare a few moments to educate us by sharing her story and what it truly means to be Transgendered. Lyn McGinnis has been involved in various aspects of the LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and/or Transgender and Intersex [Intersex refers to hermaphroditic individuals]) community for many years. Lyn’s community involvement includes speaking at forums — including being a regular guest speaker for MEDIX classes — speaking to at-risk and marginalized groups at ROOF (Reaching our Outdoor Friends, a local shelter for homeless youth), and participating at the Guelph Sexuality Conference for mental health professionals. Most recently, Lyn participated in a panel during the Support Love week at WLU, put on by the Rainbow Centre. What does “Transgender” mean to you or how would you define it?

Lyn: What does it mean? The term is awkward due to its imprecise nature. My own definition is a broad and inclusive one. I see it as an umbrella term, taking many identities and behaviors under it. It could also be seen as a spectrum, having at one end recreational or professional cross dressers and drag queens (the female version is a drag king) and at the other those who seek complete sexual reassignment surgery. These are specifically termed “transsexuals” by most. The general definition is someone who does not adhere to the stereotypical cultural overlay of biological gender. Their identity takes them either out into the land between the two definitions for a variety of reasons, or all the way to the opposite side. You identify as a “Transgender Bisexual.” Can you explain this term, how you arrived at this identity and why you feel it accurately represents you?

I must say there really is very little in the way of precise definitions here. Everyone has their own ideas and even “experts” can vary on these things. Figuring out that I identify as both bisexual and transgender was a slow and difficult process. There are bisexuals and there are transgender persons. These are separate concepts, which do not usually go together. They just happen to be part of my own personality mix. I spent a lot of time trying to figure myself out while realising what I was finding was repulsive to some people. This added to my stress about it. I tried to read everything I could while not daring to come out to anyone about it. It was my secret and I kept it to myself for a long time. I finally did begin to come out and began to meet others who were able to give me support and basic information. Bisexual and transgender are two terms, which identify certain parts of who I am. Given the variety of behaviours that can be found under either term, I am comfortable with taking both on. You mentioned giving complete permission to people to refer to you with the male pronoun, so long as they do not identify you as a man. How do you prefer to be identified?

The exclusive nature of pronouns is another example of the power of language to marginalize those not fitting the mainstream. There has yet to emerge a new inclusive set that has caught on. What I would like is for a new pronoun to be coined. That said, I am fine with being a ‘he,’ and ‘him.’ I do not like being called a ‘man’ because for me it does not fit. Were there more options I would happily say, “I identify as

transgender, instead of ‘man,’ please say…” but I do not know what that word would look like. Given this is only one part of my life I would hope there are lots of creative options. I can also say this has rarely if ever come up. If and when someone does choose to identify me as a ‘man,’ I will not throw a hissy fit. What is more common is being referred to as a woman and being called ‘she’ and ‘her.’ I have no problem with this either, although depending on the relationship I will eventually clarify my identity, if only to ensure they are not embarrassed. I have no problem with gentlemen opening the door for me or stopping on the road so I can cross. [Lyn winks.] How does Lyn differ from your former male identity? Can you talk about what you love most about yourself now, and what you felt was missing prior to being able to embrace your full identity? Lyn is the name everyone knows me by. It is my middle name and is on my Birth Certificate. It is also my ‘chosen name.’ At one point early on in my process of discovering who I was, I attended a conference. We all had to wear nametags and on a whim I put down ‘Lyn’ instead of my first name. Everyone dutifully called me Lyn and I liked the sound. It was lighter, freer and more in keeping with my evolving androgyny and so I let everyone know I wanted to be called this from now on. There is no separate personality, nor some residual persona attached to my first name. I no longer use it because it has heavy and dark associations with a past that is now

What would you like to say to those students who may be experiencing a similar struggle?

To those who may be going through something similar I would say do not listen to the hateful little voices inside your head. We were all brought up to be homophobic, and notwithstanding many progressive changes in the law and other spheres, this is still a homophobic culture. Everyone is presumed to be heterosexual and to fall neatly into the clearly defined categories of female and male. You deserve to live honestly and openly. You cannot live for anyone else and no one who really cares for you will ask you to. Be proud of who you are in every way and know you are as much a part of the human race as everyone else. You can also take pride in the fact that having to deal with these issues will give you strength and new insights that will serve you and those you love. By embracing who you are, you are stronger than those who are threatened by you. Are there any misconceptions of being transgendered you would like to clarify?

Yes. When you deal with an abstraction, you can attach all sorts of absurd things to it. It is entirely possible to be transgender and celibate. It is just as possible to be lesbian, gay or bisexual and be celibate. Being heterosexual and conforming to traditional gender behavior has nothing to

I am:

a moment with Lyn McGinnis distant and irrelevant to my present life. What do I love about myself now? I love being at home in my skin. I am now a whole and embodied being. Before this, different mental and emotional states were at war with each other inside me. I was angry and miserable no matter what I did. I was dishonest with others and more so with myself. What was missing from my life was the courage to step away from other expectations and embracing my true self. I cannot fathom the shallow insensitivity of those daring to suggest those who have to deal with this are somehow ‘weak’ or ‘cowardly’ for choosing to be themselves despite the massive public pressure to stay in the gender closet. Those who are at the deep end of Transgender spectrum - Transsexuals, are the most courageous people I have ever had the privilege to meet. Were you married prior to transitioning? If yes how did this affect your family, friends and wife? How was this change received? Were you supported? If not, how was your marriage received and perceived?

To clarify, I am not transsexual and have no intention of becoming biologically female. That said, I met my wife while I was in full bloom as a flamboyant transgender person, cavorting around the dance floor at a gay dance in my long hair and androgynous attire. My family has been very supportive. In the case of my mother, when I came out to her she informed me she had known about this aspect of my life for quite some time. My real friends appear to have also clued in long before I gathered up the nerve to tell them. I have been very fortunate in this way. My wife and I were eventually married in the Unitarian congregation in town, well known for being welcoming and accepting of both sexual and gender diversity.

do with sexual activity. Being heterosexual does not mean you are [interested in] heterosexual sex. These sexual and gender identities are fundamental to who we are, and can and do exist independently of any sexual activity. Transgender and transsexual persons are like everyone else. They want to honestly and openly find their way in the world. The difference for sexual — and gender — identity minorities is that it takes a lot more courage for them than it generally does for straight persons. I challenge anyone who thinks it does not take courage to try a simple experiment. Find a button that clearly states you support sexual and gender identity minorities. Wear it prominently while going about your normal day and see what kind of response you get. The frowns, scowls and unpleasant comments you may receive are all too common to us. Now imagine you can never take the button off and you know what those who are different live with their entire lives. How ‘weak’ is someone who steps out their door every morning knowing this may be part of their day? Even more absurd is the notion that because they have broken one taboo, they break them all. We often hear fundamentalists linking sexual diversity with child molestation. The underlying thinking, if thinking is the best word for it, is the only reason people ‘choose’ to be this way is willful perversity. Such a person is seen as having no moral centre and as being capable

“

of anything. Such a childish attitude makes no distinction between choices made by consenting adults and abusive relationships capitalizing on power imbalance. The root of this kind of attitude is fear. Those who cling to narrow visions and authoritarian teachings do so because diversity is threatening. It challenges their safe notions of simple answers to complex questions. We are not here to shore up other people’s insecurities. We cannot live our lives for other people. Each of us must enlarge our vision of humanity to include far more than ourselves. Your transition is a choice of the middle ground in a spectrum that ranges from drag queens/kings to gender reassignment. With this in mind, is your personal transition completed, and what form does (or did) that transition take?

I am not sure any of us is ever finished evolving. We all continue to grow into ourselves as we progress through life. I would say I am done moving from my old inhibited and unsure self. That person is long gone. Whatever bridges I have burned did not connect me to anything I wish to return to. As the old song says ‘I am my own special creation,’ and as such I am making up the rules as I go along. Truth is this is what everyone should be doing! Can you comment on the status of transgendered issues both within the LGBTQQ community and in society at large? (Where are the successes and what still needs to be addressed?)

Back in the late 1960s, in New York City, there were police raids at a gay bar known as the Stonewall Inn. It was filled with drag queens and other very queer individuals who fought back in what became known as the ‘Stonewall Riots.’ This action led to the birth of what was then known as the Gay Liberation Movement. This happened in late June hence, most Pride Day events happen at this time of year. It may surprise some people to learn that very shortly after this a conservative element settled-in the movement and it became clear both bisexuals and transgender persons were no longer welcome. There are still some elements among the gay and lesbian community (mostly older folks now) who do not hide their loathing and aversion for both bisexuals and transgender persons. In the last ten years, there has been a complete turnaround with intensive dialogue and joint actions. I am happy to say the status of both bisexuals and transgender persons is now fully equal with lesbians and gays within the queer community. Visiting Pride events in Kitchener’s Victoria Park at the beginning of June, or the major Pride event in Toronto at the end of June, will reveal the full spectrum of the queer rainbow celebrated by all. Outside the LGBTI community, our issues are subject on the one side by those accepting and celebrating us and on the other by those hating and condemning us. Lesbians and gays have largely worked through their trans-phobia, but there is considerable education and communication needed to address this in the larger straight population. Transgender persons are attacked, beaten and murdered throughout the world. There remains a lot of confusion in this area. People who are not happy and secure in their own identity are more likely to be threatened by difference. This issue is with them, not with us. Life is far too interesting to be reduced to blacks and whites. There is no room for abstract absolutes in our pluralistic society. I am happy I have been able to contribute my small part in increasing our understanding and appreciation of each other. kharris@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

You deserve to live honestly and openly. You cannot live for anyone else, and no one who really cares for you will ask you to.

“

Keriece Harris

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009 features@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

MAR 24 - 26 AT THE MULTI PURPOSE ROOM UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

$100K ROCK BAND TOURNAMENT

FREE ADMISSION

GET FREE STUFF

OPEN 10:30AM - 7PM EVERY DAY

†

THE HOTTEST GAMES

††

FACEBOOK.COM/AMPENERGYCANADA

Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360 and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. “PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION”, and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. © 2009 Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Harmonix, Rock Band and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., a division of MTV Networks. Rock Band developed by Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. † No purchase necessary. Some conditions/restrictions apply. For details on how to enter and how you could win, go to facebook.com/ampenergycanada. †† Limited quantities available on giveaways. © Pepsi-QTG Canada, 2009.

Features

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

Budgeting 101 imerrow@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

reating a budget is one of the most simple and effective ways to manage spending and control debt. A budget will help outline exactly how much money you make, how much you spend, and how much cash you plan to have left over at the end of each month. Do you know how much money you spend over a whole semester? The process of making a budget can help solve this mystery, and will help you spot the patterns in your pocketbook that are throwing you into overdraft, and ultimately, into debt. Budgeting is not just for your average thrifty student, either. Being able to make a budget and stick to it is a skill that only becomes more useful as financial obligations increase later in life. So how exactly do you go about making a budget? Here are four simple steps that will hopefully explain the process.

Step 1: Know your flow Before you can set any limits on what you would like to spend, or how much you would like to save, you need to determine your cash flow. How much money do you make, and how much do you spend? Obviously, if your spending exceeds your earning, there is a problem. Normally, after discovering that you are living above your income, you would just reduce spending, thus solving your problem. Unfortunately, students without a steady income need to plan a little more carefully, seeing as the majority of income is made outside of the academic year. Since undergraduate life perpetuates itself through a cycle of semesters, it might be

helpful to think of your budget in terms of four-month segments. However, if you make all your money in the four months of the summer, you need to look a little further ahead. Exactly how much money can you make this summer, and how is it going to stretch out across eight months of academics? The easy part is figuring out how much cash you need for tuition, rent and textbooks at the beginning of each school semester. The tough part is then anticipating how much you will actually spend on a week-to-week basis for the rest of that term. If you can approximate this figure, you can determine what your limits are, allowing you to spread your cash all the way to May. Try estimating how much you think you spend in one month on different things like groceries, going out, concert tickets, utilities, clothes and, in most cases, alcohol. Next, you have to find out how much you actually spend on these things in a month. Bank statements are helpful, but receipts are the best. Collect as much information as possible and see how it compares with your estimates. This exercise alone can be helpful when trying to save money, because tallying up piles of receipts can be a sobering experience. Now that you’re inspired, you need a plan for action.

Step 2: Set a goal Why are you making a budget? Are you frustrated not having enough money to last until April, or would you like to be able to take a vacation once the 2008/2009 school year is over? Now that you know how much

©2009 Ernst & Young llp. Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member ﬁrms of Ernst & Young global limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young llp is a client-serving member ﬁrm located in Canada.

Day one and the journey’s just begun Day one. It’s what you’ve been waiting for. When your career starts to take shape with award-winning training and support. When your skills are developed through experiences tailored to your needs. And when your success is driven by individual coaching, mentoring and counseling. From your very first day, we’re committed to helping you achieve your potential. so, whether your career lies in assurance, tax, transaction or advisory services, shouldn’t your day one be at Ernst & Young?

What’s next for your future? Visit ey.com/ca/careers and our Facebook page.

you’re spending, it is important to set a goal to work towards. Unless you love saving money for the sake of saving money, only an important goal will keep you on track when you’re tempted to break the bank. Your goal does not need to be epic, it needs to be tangible. Set your sights on something realistic you are excited about, and you will be motivated to stick to your budget.

Step 3: Budgeting Now you know where you are, and you know where you want to be. It is time to make the two ends meet in your budget. How much do you have save per month to meet your goal? Knowing this, you should be able to scan through your purchases from last month and identify some unnecessary items that you splurged on. Be careful when declaring certain categories as “necessary” expenditures, because even your grocery category can be reduced if you spend carefully, buy in bulk, and minimize waste. The goals of realistically trimming down categories are to anticipate spending and ultimately control it. For example, I plan to only spend thirty dollars a week on restaurants, but I have to actually follow that plan for my budget to work. That brings us to…

Step 4: The hard part Yes, you have your budget cleanly laid out on graph paper, ready to be pinned up on your wall next to Starry Night. So, what now? Follow the budget. Easier said than

done. Abiding by a new budget is difficult because it represents a drastic lifestyle change, somewhat like going on a monetary diet. However unlike dieting, is it easier to budget because shopping at the mall is not necessary to stay alive. Starting out, it may be helpful to carry a mini-budget in your wallet to remind you of the “new deal.” If you need more than mild encouragement, there are some ways to force yourself to obey. The best way is to go on a strict “cash diet.” A cash-only budget is where you put away your debit card, and keep dedicated envelopes of cash for specific weekly expenses. For example, you want to spend only 200 dollars on entertainment this month, so you keep an “entertainment envelope” of 200 dollars that, for all intents and purposes, should last you the entire month. Obviously this is a risk move if you happen to share a room with a sketchy individual. However, whether it is in cash or plastic, leaving your money at home is a good strategy if you are going out but do not want to spend money. There are almost as many ways to save money as there are to spend money, and you have to find out what works for you. For me, I try to avoid Chapters and the ML sandwich café. Making a budget is the most important first step to reining in your spending, because if you don’t know how much you spend, you can’t make a change. Don’t get bummed if your first budget is too tough to follow, keep experimenting with realistic numbers and you’ll be that much closer to your goal.

Part 3

crime on campus

Part 1: A history of student crime

Part 2: Stealing

Part 3: Public & property incidents

Part 4: Drug culture, facts & fictions

Part 5: Violent crime

Part 6: Hate crime, and security cultures

ALCOHOL UW

Crime on campus

Amy LeBlanc

he overconsumption of alcohol within university culture has become, to some, an overwhelming and unfortunate norm that is nearly impossible to ignore. And UW isn’t ignoring it. Dan Anderson, the Director of Police and Parking Services considers the “overconsumption of alcohol by students [a] great concern to UW, as well as UW Police, most particularly in relation to [the students’] health and safety.” Unfortunately, irresponsible alcohol consumption can often lead to minor student infractions. The Bombshelter is a fairly prominent nexus for alcohol-related infractions on campus where fire alarms may be pulled, students may be caught carrying open alcohol, and public urination might ensue. Custodial staff may often have to deal with vandalism, and of course there’s always the chance of a bar fight extending into the SLC as a whole. However, it would seem that there is a consensus that vandalism and other alcohol-related infractions at the SLC on Bomber nights may have actually reduced in occurrences in the past few years. Scott Pearson, the Assistant Manager at the Turnkey Desk in the Student Life Centre has certainly had a frontrow seat to the kinds of infractions that occur on Bomber nights but he recognizes that the “[UW] Police have a greater presence in the SLC on Bomber nights than before,” adding that two years ago the Men’s bathroom was vandalized almost every Bomber night, and while there’s still the occasional damage to things like soap dispensers, the amount of alcohol-related infractions and severity of vandalism at the SLC on Bomber nights has dropped significantly. This observation is supported by Anderson who believes that “there are far fewer incidents of improper behaviour at the Bombshelter than any similar sized offcampus pub serving students.” It’s doubtful that this has happened by accident, so what are the forces behind this change at UW? For one, Pearson has noticed that “attendance at the Bomber seems to be lower this year”. But Anderson points out that some credit can be granted to programs such as Smart Serve and Drink Wise (a program offered by nurses at Health Services for any student who wishes to moderate his/her drinking behaviours). He also recognizes efforts by the “UW administration [which] engages UW Police, along with Health Services, Counselling Services, and representatives from our licensed establishments and residences to identify better ways to lessen overconsumption and misuse of alcohol.” UW Police appears to be fulfilling this, as Pearson has noticed a greater UW Police presence at the SLC this year including a higher number of foot-patrols, specifically on Bomber nights. Anderson also notes that part of the preventative measures include “the staff at the Bombshelter, [who are] fully trained with respect to properly serving their patrons... [and they liaise] closely with UW Police in an attempt to address issues before they get out of hand.” Pearson has witnessed the UW Police in action and believes that they are “excellent at handling these kinds of infractions.” In discussing the appropriate course of action most frequently taken when dealing with such infractions, Anderson ensures that UW Police’s “first priority is the student’s welfare and if alcohol poisoning is a possibility, the student is immediately transported to the hospital.” As far as disciplinary action is concerned, “there are times when charges are appropriate, and the rare occurrence requiring an arrest, but often the police presence and some gentle persuasion is all that is required.” aleblanc@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Part 3: PUBLIC AND PROPERTY INCIDENTS

staff reporter

Maggie Clark editor-in-chief

few Wednesday nights every term, likely after a student has been kicked out or refused entry to the Bombshelter (as happens invariably around 2 a.m.), the fire alarm is pulled. The SLC is emptied, including Imprint (where volunteers and myself are working through the night to get our next issue out), while emergency response teams thoroughly investigate the building for fire. Every trigger of the alarm is taken seriously — prompting the arrival of a fire truck, despite the consistency with which these alarms go off in the same time frame, on the same weekdays, in the same, telling buildings. For the sheer waste of officers’ time, and fire fighter resources (director of UW police, Dan Anderson, notes that the Waterloo Fire Department can charge a fee for responding to repeated false alarms), the pulling of fire alarms on campus is a reprehensible act. But it sadly does not mark the extreme for disorderly conduct by university students under the influence. In April 2008, history repeated itself on Ezra Street, a region of the city primarily housing Wilfrid Laurier and UW students. Called a “near riot” by the Waterloo Chronicle, police dispatched to the scene Sunday, April 27 found “furniture on fire and extensive property damage to the residences.” Residents noted a systemic problem of extreme behaviours and conduct on this street — and history corroborates this.

In April 1995 some 1,500 participants in an end-of-term street party precipitated the “Ezra Street riot,” an event that garnered national attention and involved the temporary arrest of at least four UW and sixteen WLU students. One woman sustained a fractured skull when a chunk of concrete was thrown at her, and a young male was hit by a car. According to UW’s Gazette (the faculty and staff paper on campus at the time), police, community officials, and university administration denounced this incident as a “disgrace” they would strive to ensure was never repeated. But a look at how community news relayed issues of student housing after last April’s incident tells a different story — one of continually frayed ties between university students and permanent residents over such incidents. The Waterloo Chronicle uses the term “ghetto” in relation to some areas of student housing, while city councillors highlight the nodes and corridors plan, which is slowly shifting student housing to bigger streets like King, Weber, and Columbia, as a means of curtailing problems attributed to student culture. (See “The Future of Student Housing,” Imprint, May 20, 2008 for more information.) Waterloo Regional Police (WRP), in the meantime, have taken a zero-tolerance approach to “antisocial and drunken student behaviour in their neighbourhoods,” according to UW’s Anderson. The Ezra Street scenario, and all issues of disorderly conduct offcampus, creates an interesting intersection of “bubbles” for students, who belong to two police communities — UW and Waterloo — which use different rules of engagement for student populations. “WRP only have the option of laying a charge, or not, with students who are

intoxicated or have consumed underage,” said Anderson. “UW Police has the benefit of being able to take a little more time and involving other UW resources to address alcohol related offences.” This difference amounts to a privilege for students transitioning into independent lifestyles while at university (more on police culture in Part 6), but also suggests a measure of leniency that does not correlate to “real-world” authorities. When students “living the life” in Waterloo housing units engage in disorderly, disruptive, drunken, or anti-social behaviour in their communities, they do more than toy with the possibility of serious police intervention: they also create a legacy of criminal behaviour that weighs, in the minds of permanent Waterloo citizens, on all law-abiding student residents to come. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

A WORD ON

EXTREMES

Bylaws

Tired of the right-wing corporate crap? Don't just sit there:

for the community atwrilarge om c . p u e s Tina Ironstone staff reporter

iving off campus can be a daunting thought for someone who has never lived away from home before but imagine if that wasn’t your biggest worry? Living in an off campus house has hidden responsibilities. Signing a lease, you agree to pay rent but you also may inherit responsibilities — that if aren’t completed you’ll be fined and have a possibility of legal repercussions. There are seasonal and weekly responsibilities, which need to be addressed and completed. One task, which everyone should already know about is recycling and garbage: It is easy to remember to take these outside but remember to place them on the curb except in the winter when there is the presence of snowbanks. In this case it is best to place them behind the snowbank or they will not be collected. Cans and recycling bins are to be removed from the curb by the following day by 9am. This is just one example of a task you will be expected to do. Some tasks are mandatory, and to ensure they are completed, cities make bylaws, as defined by “A law that is less important than a general law or constitutional provision, and subsidiary to it; a rule relating to a matter of detail; as, civic societies often adopt a constitution and bylaws for the government of their members.” The city has bylaws in place to make life more pleasant and orderly for its citizens. A few common bylaws that those living in houses should be aware of are: Noise bylaws, lot maintenance bylaws, and property standards. The noise bylaw basically states that you should be considerate of others and try not to exceed a reasonable noise level. Exceeding the noise level can result in police at your home and a fine. Typical examples of things that can violate this bylaw: blaring music, yelling, parties with lots of music and people, and incessant dog barking. Jim Barry of the bylaw enforcement office in Waterloo stated that the noise

bylaw is the most commonly violated bylaw for residents. He continued on to say that sometimes people don’t realize how loud they are being at the time.” Students should be particularly careful about this one because it is very easy on a Friday night if you invite a bunch of friends over to party. It is important not to get carried away as this can result in a visit from a police officer and potentially a fine. Another bylaw students should be aware of is the lot maintenance bylaw. The lot maintenance bylaw basically states that the lawn must be kept in proper order. Some examples: don’t leave trash on the ground, don’t let the lawn get full of weeds, shovel in other words keep the outside of your property looking habitable. Some landlords will shovel the driveway in the winter but if they have not stated that they do so, you are responsible. Anyone who is caught violating the lot maintenance bylaw will be issued a five-day notice to clean up and if the clean up is not performed. The city will clean up your property then issue you a bill and possibly fine you up to $5,000. The property standards bylaw, while similar to the lot maintenance bylaw, has a more severe violation. On top of the visit by a police officer, the bill, and fine, there is also the possibility of legal repercussions. This bylaw applies to the residents as well as the landlords. As well as outside property maintenance, residents must not have unlicensed cars on their property and landlords must make sure that their property is up to standard. An example of the property not being up to standard is one with no heat. It would not be a good idea to try and violate these, or any other residential bylaws, because the city has a zero tolerance policy on bylaw violations. Simply put, there is no way to talk your way out of a violation: if you do the crime you have to pay the fine, and possibly more. Any questions or concerns about bylaws contact the bylaw enforcement office at 519 747 8785. tironstone@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Tired of the right-wing corporate crap? Don't just sit there:

Features

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

The FOB-story revisited yliu@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

pr in Im

t in Imprint pr

t n i r p

t Imprtin in pr Im int t r t ImprinImp in pr

Join

largely retain their ethnic identities even several generations after the initial immigration wave. This is why places like Toronto and Vancouver, which contain large Asian populations, the “FOB”/“CBC” dichotomy exists. The large Chinese communities allow one to have all the creature comforts of the homeland, and advanced English abilities are not required, as one can simply network within the Chinese business communities. One of my Asian friends that came from a small rural community in Ontario had never heard the terms “FOB” or “CBC” before coming to Waterloo. All of her aesthetic tastes, thought patterns, and cultural discernments were natural to her, and she had never considered whether she was CBC or “white-washed,” until she came to an environment where she was surrounded by other Asians, such as in the accounting program at the University of Waterloo. While only an anecdote, this probably confirms our intuition, which suggests that the “FOB” or “CBC” label can only exist in large urban centers with many Asians and copious exposure to Asian culture. An environment where there is little pressure to act “Asian” would likely cause a person to conform to the cultural and aesthetic tastes of your

Impr Imprint int

t n i r p m

I t Imp n rint i r mp

You know you wanna.

Parkdale SUBSHACK 519-747-2330

1 Large Roast Beef or Turkey Sub

Plus Tax / Limited Time Offer / Bring in coupon or refer to Imprint ad

REMEMBER.... CATERING WITH DELIVERY IS OUR SPECIALTY!

www.subscafe.ca

465 Phillip Street (at Albert) WATERLOO

LOCATION ONLY

peers over time, in this case, “white North American culture.” For students at Waterloo, this implies that while the two Asian cultures exist, there is little reason for antagonism on either side or for one to look down on the other. Many that belong to the “FOB” crowd are international students, exchange students, recent immigrants, or grew up in heavily Chinese-populated cities such as Scarborough, Markham or Richmond Hill. In reality they are a product of their circumstances, as much as the “CBC” or “white-washed” crowd is. The club culture at Waterloo does tend to cater to either the “CBC” or “FOB” crowd, however they actually share many similar characteristics: the tendency to associate with other Asians; a concentration

“

in accounting, engineering, math and sciences; or doing stereotypical Asian activities such as karaoke or drinking bubble tea. Oftentimes the main separation barrier between the two groups simply comes down to Chinese language ability. Basically, we should realise that being “CBC” and “FOB” boils down to different transitional stages in adapting to North American life. Over time, nearly every member of the Chinese community becomes slightly more “CBC,” so to speak, as cultural osmosis from North American culture is nearly impossible avoid in even the deepest reaches of Chinatown. However, Chinese expatriate communities will still retain a hint of “fobbiness”, especially in an age where Asian media is so readily accessible.

She had never considered whether she was CBC or “white-washed” until she came to an environment where she was surrounded by other Asians, such as in the accounting program at the University of Waterloo.

“

arlier this term I wrote a piece detailing the basic differences between “FOBs” and “CBCs.” After a large amount of reader feedback asking to delve further into this social phenomenon, I decided to delve back in. While there is a distinct cultural gap between the two groups, the truth is that the boundaries between the two groups are fluid. In fact, many of the Asian students in Waterloo can identify with both. The dichotomy of the two Asian groups is tied to the immigrant experience. When European immigrant groups came in large waves during the 19th and early 20th century, they often formed distinct and insular cultural groups. But subsequent generations melded into society, and largely became “Americanised” or “Canadianised.” One would expect the same thing to happen to Asian immigrants that have arrived since the 1980’s. However, East Asian societies, particularly Chinese communities, tend to be rather insular and resist integration. Examples of this can be seen in South East Asia, where there are large communities of Chinese expatriates living in places such as Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Chinese communities often accrue in specific areas and limit networking circles to largely to themselves. Similar to older Jewish communities, Chinese expatriate communities

Arts & Entertainment C

P R

photos courtesy Warner Brothers

arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Review

onsidering the film has gone through a long list of filmmakers and screenwriters since 1987, Moore’s and Gibbon’s Watchmen has been considered to be the un-filmable graphic novel adaptation. Once the project landed in the hands of Zack Snyder, the director of 300 and the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead, I was stoked for the film, but also “cautiously excited.” I may not be a fan of Moore’s work, but Watchmen stands out to me as one of the greatest stories I’ve ever read. With the film finally out, the question of if Watchmen, is well, watchable can now be answered. For me, the answer came to me as a bit of a surprise — I genuinely liked the film. Seeing it a second time, I enjoyed it even more. Snyder has meticulously adapted the look of the graphic novel onto the silver screen with a lot of focus. For those who’ve read the book, the minor details like the framed newspaper clippings and the use of colours are all there. I found the costume designs to be a nice touch; taking a modern twist for most of the characters, much of what Snyder’s team has done for them made sense. Overall, you’d think the original comic was the only collection of storyboards Snyder used for the film (but I’ll touch on that a bit later). The justification of design can be said for the music, although that point can be arguable. The film’s setting takes place from the era of World War I all the way to the Cold War in 1985, and none of the licensed songs were recorded after that year, save for the end-credits song, a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row” by My Chemical Romance. To me the soundtrack had a great impact on the film, although on effect there are some points where I was a bit mystified to hear some songs start up. Hearing Nena’s “99 Luftballoons” seemed oddly placed. It added a nice flair to the film though, and I appreciated it more as I thought about it; I can hear the music and realise that the story did take place in a world 20 - 30 years ago. The story and the characters is where the meat of the film needs to be analysed,

and from what I saw, the film was, for the most part, spot-on. Although, the argument is that it’s almost too close to the material, which makes it both insanely dense and a bit misleading for those who either choose not to focus on minor details in a film or don’t understand the original material. I thought the actors did an impressive job as their roles, the top numbers being Jackie Earle Haley as the psychotic Rorschach and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the sinister plot-device role The Comedian. You understand who each character is, how they fit into the story, and what makes each of them particular from everyone else. The biggest debate that many of the comic’s fans have gone through has been on the altered ending from the novel. I won’t spoil the ending, but the fact is that the change has been made known to the public for a while before the film’s release. Despite its changes, the film’s ending still held some of the meaning the comic approached. It may not hold the same amount of justified ambiguity as the novel, but it holds just enough, as well as making other concepts seem much clearer in the end. Clarity doesn’t always mean something is great, but I’ll be brave enough to say that I enjoyed the film’s ending more than the one found in the novel. Of the many parallels the film has with the novel — almost to the point where you may worry there is too many parallels — the one that I felt was the most intriguing to me is that I had to see the film again. Like the novel, the film made a good impression on me the first time, but I didn’t know how much it did until I saw it a second time. Seeing Watchmen only once made me a bit concerned about the film as a whole, but that second viewing convinced me that Snyder has filmed what Hollywood and comic fans thought were a myth, and has justifiably made it a solid and intriguing story. —Peter N. Trinh

Watchmen A

rorschach

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

book is a book, and a movie is a movie. I regularly watch films adapted from literature for the big-screen, so I knew full well the difference when walking in to Zack Snyder’s Watchmen. As such, I wasn’t vehemently put-off by the film; in fact, I’m sure I’ll see it again — at least once. Why, if this is a negative review? Well, for one, I had been especially worried about how one subplot, pertaining to rape, would be handled on screen, and was relieved to find the hard truths of that narrative preserved. I also felt the character back-stories were handled with a great deal of delicacy, and there was much about the look and feel of the film that resonated well with the book. That aside, there were issues of all magnitudes. Small issues: for one, some of the cinematography was off, or sensationalized; and yet other scenes, like one where we witness a murder through a swinging bathroom door, were intelligently filmed. Similarly, the soundtrack was hit or miss: the opening number, Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changing,” was perfect for the complex back-story of graphic artist Alan Moore’s revisionist 1985, but a great many were poorly matched. As one friend remarked, “You were always aware of the music — for better or for worse.” Another tiny, irritating issue is the blocking for the final scene — to what end was the smiley-face marred at the beginning of that scene, instead of at the end, as it is in the book (since that heightens the sense of circularity even further)? Like I said: minor issues. But here are some bigger ones. Maybe this is corrected in the director’s cut, but Rorschach’s “day-job” is stripped to a few awkward seconds that no one who hasn’t read the book would recognize as belonging to a coherent whole. The newspaper stand and The New Frontiersman are similarly reduced, such that the final scene, involving the latter, stands curiously alienated from the rest of the piece. Now, the graphic novel sports a story within a story, in the form of a pirate comic

that resonates with the atmosphere and themes of the main plot — and that story will appear as an animated short film on the DVD version, because obviously there’s no room for it in the film. I’m okay with this. But what really troubles me is that along with this subplot also went much of those resonant themes themselves. The acting is a dead give-away that Snyder was really trying to be true to the source material: Rorschach is played superbly by Jackie Earle Haley, and the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) are strong as well — but otherwise the performances are quite stiff, a fact I overlooked while watching because the reasons for it were clear: Snyder was being careful to get the “bigger picture” right. ...Which is why, when he doesn’t, despite sacrificing many a character to this end, I got peeved. There is one very big, very blatant change to the graphic novel’s ending in Snyder’s film — and a few much subtler ones. The larger change I can accept: it shows that Snyder knew suspending disbelief in this adaptation required an oversimplification of some of Moore’s plot. But the subtler ones are devastating, and reflect a very common, very tedious Hollywood need for some element of hope, against all odds, in all its most prominent films. To this end, some characters are brave when they should be defeated, and one glimpse into life after the climax is far too cheery. What’s the point of taking viewers to the brink of despair if you’re not really prepared to throw them over the edge? Watch Snyder’s film, sure. He develops a rich world, care of Moore’s mindscape, and his director’s cut will surely be even richer. But for a film chronicling “heroism” of chilling extremes, Snyder ultimately lacks quite as stiff a spine. So for real fearlessness, and in the pursuit of a brink you can never truly come down from again, please, give yourself a taste of the original: Read the book first. — Maggie Clark

silk spectrE ii Zack Snyder | Warner Bros.

C N

Arts & Entertainment

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

Hypnogaja

Alternate history repeats itself

egassner@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

fter last weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s departure Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll return to safer ground for this week. This weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s band doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really have anything special to set them apart, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just a solid rock band (that occasionally uses piano or subtle stringed instruments) that â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for whatever reason â&#x20AC;&#x201D; have gotten little attention so far (not for lack of talent, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll tell you that much). Hypnogaja has been around since 2003 when they released Kill Switch, an eight track album that was already at an exceptional quality for a first album. In 2004 they followed that up with a full album: White Label. Vol. 1. White Label, while it still had some

though. Below Sunset is a full album with 13 varied tracks (and one bonus track that is a short instrumental and one bonus track that is an acoustic version of the opening track to the album, â&#x20AC;&#x153;They Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Careâ&#x20AC;?). â&#x20AC;&#x153;They Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Careâ&#x20AC;? is a perfect introduction to the album, a quintessential rock song â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and one of Hypnogajaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s angrier ones. Lyrically, Hypnogaja follow a pretty simple mature-angst formula, but they do it well and Arnold has a unique voice and several different styles of singing throughout the album. Songs like â&#x20AC;&#x153;Quietâ&#x20AC;? display a more frail sound and singing style whereas songs like â&#x20AC;&#x153;Scornedâ&#x20AC;? are

The one song that I felt was unnecessary on the album was â&#x20AC;&#x153;Here Comes the Rain Againâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a Eurythmics cover. I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a decent cover, but it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really do anything for me.

great songs, felt like less emotion went into it, leading to flatter songs. However, this was followed up yet again with their third album in their third year: Below Sunset. Below Sunset is definitely the peak of Hypnogajaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work so far, but they havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t released an actual successor since Below Sunset (though they have released a best of album entitled Audio from Last Nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dream and the acoustic Live at the Longhouse). Their unique band name is extracted from the term hypnagogia, the state between awake and asleep. Now first you should know that while you may never have directly heard of Hollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hypnogaja, you may have been introduced to them in one way or another in the past. For instance, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a fan of Joss Whedonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dollhouse, members of Hypnogaja were involved in the production and writing of songs performed on their February 27 episode. Additionally, if you have ever played Devil May Cry 3 for even a few minutes, you have almost certainly heard Hypnogajaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lead singer Jason â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shyboyâ&#x20AC;? Arnold because his song â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Time Has Comeâ&#x20AC;? plays almost every single time you get into a fight. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell you how many times Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard that song from playing that game â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the entire game is fighting. Also, if you kept your ears plugged for the entire game, he also sings for the end game song â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shall Never Surrender.â&#x20AC;? There is much more to Hypnogaja than their involvement in other projects,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

egassner@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

much more energetic and catchy. The one song that I felt was unnecessary on the album was â&#x20AC;&#x153;Here Comes the Rain Againâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a Eurythmics cover. I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a decent cover, but it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really do anything for me. On the other hand, their song all about Alice in Wonderland, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Looking Glass,â&#x20AC;? is classic. Overall Hypnogaja has a sound that really makes me surprised theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not more popular. Their songs are almost all relatable, well written, and radio-friendly. However, I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be surprised if this is how they want things; what kind of high-quality band doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have its own Wikipedia entry? Low-level Canadian bands even have their own Wikipedia entry. You can check out 17 of their songs by downloading them for free directly from the band at www. hypnogaja.com/free_downloads (out of the songs they have to download, I suggest â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Comingâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nothing Left to Giveâ&#x20AC;?). In the future, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be surprised if Hypnogajaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s distinctive name pops up more often with a new album, Truth Decay, due out June 9. If they put as much effort into an album theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had four years to do as they did with their albums that they did in a year, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll kick ass.

ptrinh@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

he promotion of Zack Snyderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest film Watchmen had more effect on the comics industry than anything I have ever seen. Whether the effect is, in itself, either good or bad, as something I have difficulty deciding upon in general. The recent increase of sales for the novel and the film is for the most part significant to the work. In the past year or so, one prominent image seen in front of every Chapters store was the cover of Alan Mooreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Dave Gibbonsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; graphic novel, the front cover donning its iconic bloodand-smiley-face image. In almost every public place I walked by for the past few months, at least one person in the crowd was reading the comicâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;of course to be fair Watchmen has been selling well since its release. After seeing the film, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m almost hoping to hear someone approach me and say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know it was a comic!â&#x20AC;? But the only way Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d hear that now is from someone who never really pays close attention to the world of comics or the world of film at all.

Now, the reviews for the film have been all over the place. Take a look at the overall score displayed on RottenTomatoes.com where the ratings have shifted from a roundabout 90 per cent Fresh rating to a 64 per cent rating, barely remaining on the Fresh side. One would think this could be argued simply, but the problem that forms from this is that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no single way to justify the overall slew of either positive or negative ratings. Rotten Tomatoes senior editor Jen Yamato on the Review Revue episode on Watchmen said â&#x20AC;&#x153;only people who know the material will be impressed,â&#x20AC;? but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arguable. People from the comics industry are as divided on their opinion of the film as much as the general audience, if not more so. As well, some people whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen the film with no knowledge of the comicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s narrative really liked Snyderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adaptation. Whether or not the film was liked or not, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be hard to deny that it was in some way a success. Not only did the movie earn $24.5 million in the first day

at the box office, but the graphic novel has been selling great because of it. For the first time ever, a superhero film has made almost all those unfamiliar with the work curiousâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;curious enough to actually read the source material. While such can be the case for films based on the typical form of literature, comic book films to my understanding have been given the benefit of a doubt from much of its viewers, only relying on the iconic imagery of the characters and not their stories. And now people are reading the comic either just before or right after the film. I think this is what is meant when others called Watchmen the â&#x20AC;&#x153;dawn of the new superhero film.â&#x20AC;? Not that the movie will be generally amazing, but that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to have people talking for a long time. Once you see the film, you may find yourself in this great debate. If so, take some time to self-analyze and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be surprised to see how much of an impact the phenomenon of the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;if not the film itselfâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;has actually put upon you.

Third time is .... rarely a charm

hreequels are a rarity; at least I like to think they are. These days, when box-office smashes like Pirates of the Caribbean and Oceanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eleven make waves, Hollywood just canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help itself. We get unnecessary trilogies where people take sides, some upset with the Industry for diluting the appeal of an original film, others so overjoyed with a new addition they tend to overlook its short-comings. I can relate, to some extent. But why are threequels almost always a let-down? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll not call on the oft overused point that â&#x20AC;&#x153;theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just out of ideasâ&#x20AC;? because, as strange as it may seem, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more to the story. 2007 was undoubtedly the year of threequels. We had Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s End, Shrek the Third, Oceanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Thirteen, and The

Apply Now!

++++ â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unabashedly,

Fall 2009

imcewan@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Bourne Ultimatum to name a few. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably a coincidence, but jeezâ&#x20AC;Ś When you get right down to it, trilogies are like a good essay â&#x20AC;&#x201D; you have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Basically a plot expanded into three acts. The first act introduces you to the characters, the setting, and establishes the main plot arch or problem. The second act is where the characters are developed and things usually go downhill. It culminates in a cliff-hanger for the inevitable third act. The third act ties all the loose knots and draws on the development and events of the two previous films to create a climax where every character is tested. By this point, the audience should be so familiar with the series that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;re emotionally invested in seeing the plot resolved. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how I see it, at least. Knowing Disney,

there were probably big plans to go ahead with sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. This trilogy wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as effective as it could have been because the first act seemed autonomous compared with the two sequels. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basically a stand-alone story attached to another one thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s broken into two parts. While you can say that it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t impossible to make Black Pearl a part of the trilogy, Jack got his ship back and Will and Liz got engaged so there was really nothing to do but impose a huge back-story on the film. What Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m getting at is that the relationship between parts two and three isolated the first one, which concluded its own plot arch where as the others didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. see LACKING, page 25

Rent 2 Movies at our regular rates and you can pre-order Twilight at(Available ourfor pick-up special price! Midnight, March 20th)

unapologetically... proudly Canadian!â&#x20AC;? - NOW Magazine

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A great, memorable film!â&#x20AC;? - Filmcritic.com

Accepting Applications NOW! For more information call 519-748-5220 ext. 3751

Teaching English as a Second Language Post-Degree Program

r 5&SL Ontario approved r 'VMM UJNF TFNFTUFS QSPHSBN r *ODMVEFT XFFL QSBDUJDVN r $POFTUPHB $PMMFHF %PPO $BNQVT ,JUDIFOFS

NOW PLAYING 46 King St. N., Waterloo 885-2950 www.princesscinemas.com

www. conestogac.on.ca

Single Disc $7.99 Double Disc $12.99 Blu-R ay $15.99

Arts & Entertainment

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

Reviews Music

Novel

check it out at

niagara.edu/mba Master of Business Administration “ Put your career on the fast track!” Check out Niagara University’s AACSB accredited MBA program at niagara.edu/mba. Experience the quality of a full time MBA with flexibility and convenience of Saturday and evening classes.

OPEN HOUSE April 4, 2009 Niagara University Campus Lewiston, NY Academic Complex, Room 229 1:00 pm

It’s unbeatable – and you can finish your degree in as little as 16 months. So don’t put your career on hold, apply now!

Check out our new Health Care Administration classes. Call 1.800.462.1111 or apply today at niagara.edu/mba. Email: mba@niagara.edu

Education That Makes a Difference

Niagara University, NY 14109-2011

Make technology work for you. In just two semesters at Humber, you could upgrade your degree with a postgraduate certificate in

Wireless Telecommunications, Supply Chain Management or Project Management. Apply now and be well on your way to a successful career in technology.

phillm.com

Airborn.ca arthurslade.com

Harper Collins – First Look

Jolted Arthur Slade Harper Collins

Arthur Slade is an award winning author, his honours’ include: Governor General’s Award, the Mr. Christie’s Book Award, Saskatchewan Book Award, and the Red Maple Honour award. Jolted is both shocking and electrifying in its tale and the mastery in telling it. Our hero is more than a little unusual because he is Newton Starker, he is the second last surviving Starker, for his whole family has been decimated by lightning strikes. Having recently lost his mother he moves to the Jerry Potts Academy of Higher Learning and Survival in Moose Jaw. It is a school far more entertaining than Hogwarts. The school’s motto is ‘‘survival through fierce intelligence.’’ The board considered all factors in allowing Newton to attend and upgraded all of the buildings lightening rod protection. The cast of characters are zany and fun. They include Newton’s only surviving Starker relative his great grand mother, Enid, who is 102 and live in a retirement home in Moose Jaw, Newton’s first friend Jacob Edward Clarke, an aspiring author, his antagonist Violet Quon a daughter of a Mountie with some pugilistic skills, and the unique headmaster, a giant of a man, who is always in a kilt and lumberjack shirt, Mr. McBain. This book deals with issues like death and grieving. It also deals with coming of age, and finding your place in the world. The book is like a cross between Edgar Allen Poe, Rudyard Kipling, and C.S. Lewis. It is wonderfully written, greatly entertaining I could not put it down. Slade presents unique characters, in unusual situations; and does so in a way that draws the reader in and causes us to cheer for them as the story progresses. Arthur Slade is an author writing for youth today. The only thing I regret is how short the book was, and how many questions it leaves unanswered. I can only hope to see more books set at the Jerry Potts Academy, and meet Newton Starker again. —Steven McEvoy

humber.ca/appliedtechnology/graduate

Starclimber – Airborn Book 3 Kenneth Oppel

This is the third book in an alternate reality created by the world renowned Kenneth Oppel. In it the airplane has not been developed but flying machines, gliders, blimps and balloon’s are the modse of air transportation. The first two books, Airborn and Skybreaker have won almost every Canadian children’s literary award. Altogether they have won: Governor General’s Award, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award (twice), Red Maple Award (twice), Michael L Printz Honor Book (ALA), combined won 26 awards and nominated for another seven. The interesting thing is this was the first book in this series to come across my desk and was read as an independent story. It stands strong on it’s own and left me wanting to read the first two. This story is part of the saga of Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries, two young people in love and pursuing higher education to pursue their dreams. it’s about Matt becoming a captain on a airship and Kate becoming a world class scientist and researcher, especially zoology in the stratosphere. It is also a story of the race to space. The French are trying to build a tower into space, and Matt and Kate are called home to Canada, to be part of a Canada’s attempt. Kate is outright invited to be a scientist on the Mission. Matt must go through a gruelling training regime and compete with over a hundred people competing to be an astronaut aboard the Canadian ship Stairclimber. Matt is a skilled Skysailor, but can he compete with so many older and more experienced men. The story is part science fiction, part romance, and part social commentary. Oppel does an excellent job of weaving the different elements into a cohesive story that is compelling and addicting. The greatest strength of the story is the incredible characters that seem so real, and the powerful narrative technique used by Oppel that make’s you feel like you are there and part of the action. They story has a great pace that picks up speed as it moves along and finishes like a runaway train dragging us along with it racing to the end. This is a great novel and like the others in the series will probably win numerous awards. —Steven McEvoy

Unearth The March Label: Metal Blade Records

In a time when seemingly all the oncemetal bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Metallica are selling out and converting to the repetitive, appalling new style of mainstream ‘‘sissy’’ rock, it’s nice to see the odd band with the balls to continue a consistent path of musical mayhem regardless of what genre sells best. Many listeners of heavy metal know of the allure of powerful metalcore bands like Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall, but a band that is unjustly overlooked by the ears of many is Unearth. Unearth was formed in 1998 and its debut album, The Strings of Conscience, was received with enthusiasm by the underground metalcore scene in 2001. Since then, they have put out multiple albums such as The Oncoming Storm and the unrelenting III In The Eyes Of Fire, and have toured with influential metal bands like Lamb of God and Slayer. While Unearth experienced some popularity after each of their albums, the new release of The March on October 14, 2008 has undoubtedly become their most successful CD and is destined to be a reference point for future work. The new album is a concept album that represents both the evil and good sides of humanity. Trevor Phipps, the lead singer, describes humanity’s evil as a “balancing act of power within government, religion and our financial institutions.” This belief is evident in the opening lines of the CD: “So many lost their way…fallen to their grip of faith, controlled by their words of hate.” Still, the band also recognizes the inherent good of human beings, leaving it to the listener to decide whether we will choose between “a March of power and greed or a March of a unified human race.” In addition to the deep, meaningful lyrics, The March is in no way an instrumental upset, to say the least. With the amazing guitar opening in the first song, “My Will Be Done,” ceaseless thundering drums (courtesy of a well-used double kick) and seemingly endless, extremely skilled guitar solos scattered through the album, it will be difficult for any fan of metal to stop listening. Added Bonus: Adam Dutkiewicz, the guitarist and backing vocalist for Killswitch Engage, produced the album. Songs to listen to: “My Will Be Done,” “Grave of Opportunity” (acoustic guitar solo, anyone?), and “The Chosen.” Tim’s Rating: 8.5/10 —Tim Clark

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

lacking LACKING: continued from page 23

Then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oceanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 13, which some people like to describe as â&#x20AC;&#x153;rushed.â&#x20AC;? Right off the bat, Reuben Tishkoff, the guy who financed the heist in the first movie, gets muscled out of business by Willy Bank played by the Godfather himself. When Al Pacino doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like you, your days are numbered. He and Andy Garcia (who plays Terry Benedict) were in the Godfather movies, which apparently also sucked. Anyways, Thirteen is arguably better than Oceanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Twelve (which didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give us what we want: A caper damnit but this film essentially follows the same problem as Pirates. It isolates one of the segments. Part oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about screwing Benedict out of 130 million and Part two is about paying him back. Part three is about getting revenge on the new guy, something completely unrelated. It was still decent, but when it skips the character and plot development, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bound to be some confusion. The reason most threequels donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t turn out too well can sometimes be the whole lacking of ideas dealy, but the reason why theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re lacking ideas is because they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t connecting each act properly. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still make good third sequels that are episodic, but they need the same level of development in their own plot that was used in the first film.

Come write for Imprint! Be artistic! Express your creativity! write about anything arts or entertainment related!!! Some examples include:

music, movies, literature, webcomics, and much much more! arts@imprint. uwaterloo.ca

â&#x20AC;&#x153;All I do is partyâ&#x20AC;?

Arts & Entertainment ONE WEEK FREE! 3TUDENTS GET WEEK OF 5.,) - )4 % $ (/4 9/'! /N TOP OF THEIR INTRO WEEK

-).54% #,!33%3 !6!),!",%

by artsier acts like New Order, the Smiths, and even EinstĂźrzende Neubaten. But the club soon caught on to the fact that house music was going to blow up, and started running regular DJ nights, which were ridiculously successful from the get-go and only got bigger. Clubbers started to go specifically to see the DJs, who were treated almost reverentially â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a big change from 10 years ago where DJs were basically an afterthought. As house music developed and morphed throughout the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s, and rave culture gained prominence, the DJ started to become kind of a figurehead. Peter Gatien, who you might know better as the owner of Circa in Toronto, was perhaps the most influential figure in â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s New York rave culture. His little club empire was a world of excess, glitz, and euphoria. It was spearheaded by DJs like Keoki, the boyfriend of infamous â&#x20AC;&#x153;Party Monsterâ&#x20AC;? Michael Alig. Keoki was never really known for his skills as a DJ, but nevertheless ran the good ship Gatien behind the decks. In this way, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more similar to Aoki than just in name â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Keoki might have been the original â&#x20AC;&#x153;celebrity DJ.â&#x20AC;? 10 years after Keoki, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a whole cloister of DJs who compensate for subpar live mixing skills with simple stage presence. The French duo Justice are probably the most confusing example of intangible presence. They openly admit to being awful DJs, claim to have recorded their smash album â&#x20AC; with Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s GarageBand, and last year got caught in a Milli Vanilli-esque scandal where they were found â&#x20AC;&#x153;DJingâ&#x20AC;? with their turntables unplugged. Yet they still put on a wild live show, which they documented in last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A Cross The Universe â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the â&#x20AC;&#x153;crossâ&#x20AC;? in question being the giant lighted cross they typically perform aside. This cross might best explain their weird live success. In lieu of watching bona fide DJs, Justice fans can just worship the cross as an eternal symbol of not what Justice sounds like, but what they represent. This idea of a symbol might be the best representation of the role Steve Aoki plays in music today. His roots as a punk rocker are prescient, as punk rock was a movement about attitude first and musical ability later. Aoki could care less about musical ability. Discussing turntablists with the New York Observer, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do you really want to see a guy doing a guitar solo for 45 minutes, or do you want to see a guy play songs that make you pee your pants?â&#x20AC;? It would not be surprising if there were pissed jeans at that Starlight show â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Aoki rocked it that hard. And he rocked it not through any kind of musical ability, because there was very little on display, but by basically acting like a rock band frontman. DJing has come a long way from just playing records. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about as live as it gets right now.

! NEW EXPERIENCE IN

(/4 2!$)!.4 (%!4).' 0!.%,3

WWW MOKSHAYOGAWATERLOO COM s %RB 3T %

amackenzie@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

7!4 % 2 , / /

"!-"// &,//2).'

4AKE A CLASS AT OUR ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY STUDIO

A couple Tuesdays ago, Waterloo got to see how far club culture has come in the past 20 years â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to DJs who canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mix and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have creative song selection. In other words, celebrity DJ Steve Aoki came to town, and despite his well-publicized technical deficiencies, he still brought Waterloo one of the wildest parties it has ever seen Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m starting a hardcore band with the Bloody Beetroots!â&#x20AC;? he yelled before choppily mixing in another played-out electro banger. While the formerÂ did play some hardcore â&#x20AC;&#x201D; notably Refusedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classic â&#x20AC;&#x153;New Noiseâ&#x20AC;? which he helped repopularize, played-out electro bangers comprised the majority of his set, which was eerily reminiscent of his BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix from August of last year. Suspicions abound that his set wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t actually mixed live â&#x20AC;&#x201D; suspicions corroborated by the fact that in the midst of some furious headbanging, he knocked his noggin and was out cold for a few minutes, all with the crowd too frenzied to notice. Sources close to the stage noticed that Aoki only really touched his mixer, generally bypassing his CD turntables and letting his computer do most of the mixing work. You didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even need to be close to the stage to notice that Aoki spent the majority of time in front of the decks rather than behind them. He was all over the place: crowdsurfing, hanging from the ceiling, screaming at the crowd, and very often showering them with Grey Goose. It was, well, freakinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; incredible. In a world where everyone and their mom can get on Traktor DJ and throw together a competent auto-beatmatched mix, it has become really endearing to see a guy with absolutely no live mixing skills whatsoever rock a massive party. This is the future of DJing, people. Aoki would like this: itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty hardcore Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go through a bit of a primer on the role of the DJ throughout history. Disc jockeys have been around for as long as discs have â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and that includes vinyl discs, not just the compact ones. But the DJ didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t start getting recognized as a musician until the early â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80s, when both sides of the Atlantic experienced sonic booms in their club scenes. In America, hip-hop started to emerge under the guidance of three DJ godfathers: Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and Afrika Bambaataa. These three popularized scratching to the extent that turntablism became one of hiphopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Four Elements. Suddenly, hip-hop DJs couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just play records. They needed skills too. On the other side of the Atlantic, the DJ emerged in a place the uninitiated might consider unlikely: Manchester. Its â&#x20AC;&#x153;Madchesterâ&#x20AC;? scene germinated in the monumental HaĂ§ienda club, which was a creation of the influential Factory record label. Factoryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s influence was clear in the HaĂ§iendaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early days; the club was mainly known for live shows

6/# &2%% 0!).43

#OUPON REQUIRED .OT VALID WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS

&),4%2%$ 3(/7%23 &!5#%43

MARCH!

rickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day . Patwith t S

Fred

$15 adv 19+ Doors at 8pm

straight outta Cork, Ireland

Busted Flat Records â&#x20AC;˘ Eastern Canada Tour Kickoff Show

26 28

featuring

Lucas Stagg Band & Paul MacLeod

PROM!

WITH BOCCE AND KIDSTREET

APRIL!

BERLIN STARS FEATURING

MYSTIC & MIRANDA RUFUS, MANTIS, IMAN, Q, FRESH, ESJAY, KLUE, & SCARZ

JULIE DOIRON

16 19 21

The

English Beat

nomeansno

Hawksley Workman

23 BELLE ORCHESTRE 24 Steve Strongman 25 GENTLEMAN REG 28

SHOUT OUT OUT OUT

OUT

29 THE SADIES

JOHN DOE

WITH

(OF X)

MAY!

5 13

Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;MON and PRIDE TIGER CLASSIFIED SATURDAYS FRIDAYS

NO COVER! BEHIND THE GLOBAL MILK WARMING WITH

DJ CHARLESS

With rotating DJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s who will keep you dancing

TICKETS ON SALE AT: ORANGE MONKEY, ENCORE RECORDS AND AT TICKETWEB.CA WWW.JANEBOND.CA THE STARLIGHT

47 KING ST. N. WATERLOO

519.885.4970

Photo Feature

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

PHOTO ESSAYS ARE RETURNING TO IMPRINT! creative documentation and portrayal of student life on campus discover waterloo through a whole new frame

wANT TO TAKE PART? CONTACT PHOTOS@IMPRINT.UWATERLOO.CA FOR MORE INFO photos by mark zammit

Campus Bulletin UPCOMING

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Friday, March 13, 2009 The Fine Arts Film Society presents “Classics of the Asian Erotic Film series – Macho Dancer” 7 p.m., ECH 1220. Free. Must be 18+years of age. Saturday, March 14, 2009 Arts Gala 2009 – On the Red Carpet – Fed Hall 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., tickets sold at ASU office, AL 120 or for more info asu-executive@asu.uwaterloo.ca. Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Greenpeace Climate Solutions Tour – free lecture by Bruce Cox, Executive Director of Greenpeace, at 5:30 p.m., RCH room 302. Presented by WPIRG. Thursday, March 19, 2009 Career Services presents “Hot Tips from the Pros!” – come out and hear from our expert employer panel on such topics as resumes, job search tools, etc. 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., TC 2218. The Case for Israel: Landmark documentary with Alan Dershowitz. Q&A to follow with Dershowitz, trained laweryer and former US Delegate to the UN Human Rights Commission Jeff Robbins. DC 1350 at 4:30 p.m. Friday, March 20, 2009 Knowledge Integration Seminar series – “Connecting Dots and Clouds” – with Eric Higgs from 2:30 to 4 p.m., ALH, room 113. All welcome. Saturday, March 21, 2009 Homer Watson House and Gallery is pleased to present a bus trip to Canada Blooms in Toronto from 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more info visist www.homerwatson.on.ca or call 519-748-4377. Tuesday, March 24, 2009 Career Services presents “Success with an Arts Graduate Degree” – a panel of alumni will talk about their career paths after finishing graduate studies at UW. 4:40 to 6 p.m., TC 2218. Friday, March 27, 2009 The annual commemoration of the UN international Day for the elimination of racial discrimination at Kitchener City Hall at 8:30 a.m. UW 9/11 Research Group presents “9/11, Did Explosives Demolish the Towers?” 7 to 9 p.m., ALH room 116. Free public lecture. 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. Saturday, April 18, 2009 “Music in the Gallery” – New Vibes Jazz Quartet – at 7:30 p.m. Homer Watson & Gallery, Kitchener. For info/ tickets call 519-748-4377, ext. 224. Friday, April 24, 2009 CFUW Book Sale today and April 25 at First United Church, King and William. For more info please call 519-7405249. Saturday, April 25, 2009 “Arts, Business, Creativity: The ABC’s of Success” – one day interactive workshop providing business training and information. Register/visit www.artsbusinesscreativity.com or 519-741-2984 by April 21, 2009. Sunday, May 3, 2009 “Walk to Remember 2009” – Bereaved Families of Ontario-Midwestern Region. 9 a.m. registration at Waterloo Memorial Recreation Centre. Lots to do from silent auction to children’s activities and prizes! For info 519-8948344 or www.bfomidwest.org. Thursday, May 7, 2009 Hear the Music Symposium: learn about noise-induced hearing loss and how to protect yourelf while still enjoying the music you love. Keynote speaker Dr. Marshall Chasin, audiologist to some of Canada’s most well-known musical artists. 7 p.m. Conrad Grebel. For ticket info 519-744-6811 or akafadar@chs.ca.

Crown Ward Status: attention students who are/were Crown Wards needed to work with large, Provincially funded transdiscliplinary team (including UW students) dedicated to helping current Crown Ward youth. Please contact Kelly Anthony at 519-888-4567, ext 32802. Paid position. Exchanges for undergraduates and graduates – 2009-2010 academic years: MICEFA, Paris, France and the Chinese University of Hong Kong internal deadline: March 17, 2009. For info and application forms please contact Maria Lango, International Programs, Waterloo International, Needles Hall 1101, room 1113, ext 33999 or by email: mlango@uwaterloo.ca. Excellent exchange opportunity for UW undergraduate students to participate in the Ontario/Jiangsu Student Exchange Program in China for the 2009-2010 academic years. The OJS Program provides scholarships to successful applicants. For additional information and application form/deadlines contact Andreea Ciucurita, Waterloo International, Needles Hall, 1101, room 1103, ext 35995 or by email: aciucurita@uwaterloo.ca. General casting call – independent filmmakers looking for acting talent, full cast, extras and potential crew members. Contact Black Cloak Entertainment at casting@blackcloak.ca. Tune in to Sound 100.3 FM radio to hear DJ Cool with lots of music, entertainment, helpful info, weather and more. www.soundfm.ca >listen or www. ckmsfm.ca. Nominations are requested for the following student seats on Senate: Undergraduate Student Representative – one undergraduate student of the University to be elected by/from the full-time undergraduate students of the Faculty of Arts, term May 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010. Graduate Student Representatives – two graduate students of the University to be elected by/from the full and part-time graduate students of the University, terms May 1, 2009 to April 30, 2011. Nomination forms are available from the Secretariat (ext 36125) and from the Secretariat webpage; see www.secretariat.uwaterloo. ca/elections/nomelectionsb.htm. At least five nominators are required in each case. Nominations should be sent to the Secretariat, Needles Hall, room 3060, no later than 3 p.m., Wednesday, March 25, 2009. Elections will follow if necessary. Senators whose terms expire April 30, 2009 – undergraduate student Allan Babor*(Independent Studies) ; graduate students – Douglas Stebila*(Combinatorics and Optimization), Kathleen Wilkie (Applied Mathematics). *not eligible for re-election. CIGI has an exciting line-up of public events for March. Check out website for full lecture listings. All events are free, but RSVP early as seating is limited. www.cigionline.org.

VOLUNTEERING Career Services volunteers needed for 2009-2010 to fill two types of volunteer positions: student career assistant and student marketing assistant. Depending on the position, you will gain valuable job search, marketing, and career-related skills by either promoting events and services or by helping other students in their career planning and job search. Open to regular and co-op students who are creative and possess strong interpersonal and communication skills. Applications available in Career Services, TC 1214, or from our webpage at careerservices.uwaterloo.ca. Deadline is March 9, 2009. City of Waterloo needs volunteers for summer 2009 events: Uptown Country Festival on Saturday, June 20, Royal Medieval Faire on September 19, Busker Festival needs new talent for interesting Board positions such as Director

of Corporate Sponsorship ; Director of Marketing and Media Co-ordinator. 55+ Urban Poling Club needs indoor walk leaders on Friday mornings. Email volunteer@waterloo.ca or 519-8886488 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. Volunteer with a child at their school and help improve their self-esteem and confidence. One to three hours a week commitment. 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 to visit people with Alzheimer disease through Alzheimer Society Volunteer Companion Program. Call Jill at 519742-1422 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. Volunteer Action Centre, 519-7428610 or www.volunteerkw.ca, has many opportunities available – visit the website or call today!

CAREER SERVICES WORKSHOPS Monday, March 16, 2009 Teaching Philosophy Statement – hands-on workshop to work on your own teaching philosophy and tie it to forms of evidence. Note: register for this workshop on the CTE website. 10 to 11:30 a.m., TC 2218. Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Work Search Strategies for International Students – 4:30 to 6 p.m., TC 1208. Successfully Negotiating Job Offers – increase the odds – 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., TC 1208. Tuesday, March 24, 2009 Working Search Strategies – increase your chances of success – 2:30 to 4 p.m, TC 1208. Wednesday, March 25, 2009 Career Interest Assessment – your interests relate to specific career opportunities – 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., TC 1113. Are You Thinking about an MBA? – an overview of requirements – 5:30 to 7 p.m., TC 2218. All about GMAT – presented by Geoff Vokes from Kaplan Centre, T.O. – 5 to 5:30 p.m, TC 2218. Thursday, March 26, 2009 Career Exploration and Decision Making – increase your understanding – 2 to 4 p.m., TC 1112. Getting a U.S. Work Permit – with speaker Nina Juncewicz, U.S. immigraiton attorney – 4:30 to 6 p.m., TC 1208. Teaching English Abroad – learn more about TESOL certification – 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., TC 1208. Law School Bound – learn best practices to prepare an effective law school application – 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., TC 1208. Preparing for the LSAT – begin on the right foot – 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., TC 1208.

LIVE & LEARN LECTURES-WPL Lectures from 7 to 9 p.m. at Waterloo Public Library, 35 Albert Street, Waterloo. For info 519-886-1310, ext 124. Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009 ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Is it normal for my teenager to be gambling? Tuesday, April 7, 2009 Saying uncle: speaking under torture or coercion. Tuesday, April 21, 2009 Necromedia.

STUDENT AWARD & FINANCIAL AID Office is second floor Needles Hall, 519888-4567, ext 36605, safa.uwaterloo.ca. March 25/09 – last day to submit Confirmation of Enrolment for winter only term and fall and winter term to ensure full OSAP funding. March 30/09 – recommended submission date for OSAP Rollover Form to add spring term to winter only term or fall and winter term. Recommended submission date for OSAP Reinstatement Form to add spring term to fall only term.

VOLUNTEER

Hot off the press every Friday morning

Classified WANTED

PERSONALS

Used books wanted for CFUW Book Sale, Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25, 2009 at First United Church, King and William. Drop off donations at church (back door) Wednesday, April 22 and Thursday, April 23. No textbooks please. For more information please call 519-740-5249.

Egg donor needed – married couple seeking kind individual ages 20-32 years of age. Attributes: caucasian, healthy. Compensation for expenses incurred. Reply to: vaa5866@gmail.com.

HOUSING Attention Cambridge School of Architecture students! Live conveniently and comfortably right across the street from school in this beautifully renovated apartment. 4, 8 and 12-month leases available with excellent signing bonuses and rental incentives! Call Joanne at 519-746-1411 for more details. Graduate housing: on-campus suites and apartments available now and May 1 at St. Paul’s College. Apply online: www.stpauls.uwaterloo.ca. For more information call 519-885-1460, ext 212.

SERVICES

Does your thesis or major paper need a fresh pair of eyes to catch English spelling and grammar errors? Thesis English editing, $50/hour. Five business day turnaround. Neal Moogk-Soulis, ncmoogks@uwaterloo.ca. Papers without panic! Efficient, professional editor with academic experience and student rates. Call 905-864-1858, ext 2 ; 1-877-872-4619 or email amy@ enabletc.com

HELP WANTED

Weekend counsellors and relief staff to work in homes for individuals with developmental challenges. Minimum eight-month commitment. Paid positions. Send resume to Don Mader, KW Habilitation Services, 108 Sydney Street, Kitchener, ON, N2G 3V2.

McMaster University Diploma in occupational HealtH anD Safety The Program in Occupational Health and Environmental Medicine offers two diploma programs designed to provide basic instruction in the principles of occupational health and safety. The full-time program runs from September to November. The parttime program runs from September to April and is designed for students within commuting distance from Hamilton wishing to continue their normal employment while enrolled in the program. The part-time program is held one day per week, but includes two extended periods of full-time study lasting two weeks. While special consideration will be given to those already in the occupational health field, interested individuals without such experience may also be considered. A relevant university degree or equivalent is generally required. Information and applications can be obtained from our: website: http//www.mcmaster.ca/pohem/ telephone: Jean Bodnar ~ 905-525-9140, ext 22333 e-mail: bodnarj@mcmaster.ca.

Science & Technology

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009 science@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Change to U.S. stem cell research policy

And why the Canadian research industry may suffer because of it Lana Sheridan staff reporter

his past Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order to allow government funding of stem cell research that uses cultures derived from human embryos harvested since August of 2001. This reverses more than seven years of policy implemented by former-President George W. Bush. In a statement in 2001, Bush limited the stem cell projects that could be funded federally to ones where the cells had already been harvested from embryos at the time of his decision, with no new cell lines beyond that. This policy has proven rather controversial. It was intended as a middle ground between banning funding for embryonic stem cell research altogether and allowing new cells to be gleaned from extra embryos cast off after fertility treatments. Since then, opinion has been drifting toward support for research using embryos that would be destroyed anyway, with critics saying that the restriction was undermining progress in U.S. research. Bush vetoed two bills that passed in both houses of the U.S. Congress, with backing from members of both the Republican and Democratic parties, once when each party had the majority. Despite this, Bush reinforced his position in a 2007 Executive Order, urging further funding for alternative sources of stem cells apart from human embryos. Why is there so much interest in this kind of research? Though it is fraught with ethical concerns, embryonic stem cells hold extraordinar y promise for developing treatments for a wide variety of diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis,

burns, diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, and stroke. They have such potential because stem cells are undifferentiated, can replicate themselves for long periods of time, and convert into specialized tissue cells. In mice, injected stem cells have been shown to repair a damaged heart by transforming into the required differentiated heart tissue. There is hope that the process through which differentiation takes place can be better understood through further research on stem cells. Also, embryonic stem cells are excellent for testing new drugs because they can be easily replicated and are then all completely identical, so that different drugs can be tested under the same conditions. This policy change will bring U.S. stem cell guidelines closer to Canadian ones. In Canada, there is government funding for embryonic stem cell research using embryos that are donated in lieu of destruction. However, there is a ban on cloning for research and therapies, which includes stem cells. Other countries, including Britain and Japan, allow such cloning, while prohibiting cloning for human reproduction. This step is sure to renew debate on the issue of funding, both within and outside the U.S. Some Canadian researchers fear the move will encourage stem cell scientists to move their research from Canada to the U.S., with the U.S. National Institutes of Health budgeting more than $20 billion for research grants. Perhaps they should proceed with caution. In the state of Georgia, it looks likely that a bill will come before the state senate this week that will prohibit new stem cell lines from being created within the state. It would also prevent embryos created by in-vitro fertilization from being destroyed, which will leave patients in the awkward position of having to pay hundreds of dollars a year to keep extra embryos frozen that they have no intention of using. Clearly, the debate about science, ethics, and politics is still alive and well. lsheridan@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

paul collier

Mohammad Jangda staff reporter

Sixth Sense wants you to feel the world

Sixth Sense, the latest project from the MIT and featured on TED.com, wants to add one more tool to your sensory arsenal. With no connection to the movie of the same name (expect maybe physical similarities of the creators of both projects), the Sixth Sense project is attempting to add a level of digital interaction to the physical world that is not possible through traditional screen-based computing. The device, which is hung from the neck,

contains a projector, a camera, and a three-hour battery, and communicates to the Internet through a cell phone. The projector displays the user interface on any given surface, which can be a wall or the user’s hand, while the camera tracks movements of coloured caps worn on the fingers, which enables the user to interact with interface elements. It takes the Microsoft Surface concept and makes it portable. The goal is to combine information sources available through the Internet with aspects of the real world to help you make better choices and decisions. A simple example is providing you the eco-friendliness level of different brands of toilet paper at a supermarket by simply recognizing the

brand through their logo or packaging. Alternatively, the device can look up reviews of a book listed on Amazon while you’re in a bookstore. While the applications of the technology seem endless, its practicality and implementation seem a little rough — though this is to be expected from a prototype. The idea of carrying around a bulky device around the neck would not appeal to too many, though, much like the hula-hoop and Twitter, it could soon take the world by storm. To learn, see, and feel more about Sixth Sense, visit http://ted.com iPod Shuffle unbuttoned

Apple has gone and stripped its Shuffle line of iPod players completely bare. The fourth generation release of the iPod Shuffle is a button-less chicklet look-alike that talks to you in 14 different languages. The most notable, and

potentially jaw-dropping feature is the lack of buttons on the body of the player, which are replaced by a single control (and volume buttons) on the headphones. The control enables standard functionality such as play/pause, previous and next song, based on the number of presses. With 4GB of storage, the key-sized music player can store around 500 songs and has the ability to announce the title and artist of each song — Apple’s response to the lack of a display screen. However, in a typical Apple-style move, non-Shuffle headphones — yes, your fancy Sennheisers — will need an adapter, available at an added cost, to work with the player. The Shuffle is available for $99. — With files from TED.com, Gizmodo, Apple.com, and Endgadget. mjangda@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Science & Technology

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

The arctic dilemma

Wael Elsweisi staff reporter

Going green to the limit

One of the world’s greenest achievements is a building located in the industrial city of Dubendorf, Switzerland — located just outside of Zurich. The building serves as the headquarters of Eawag: the Swiss federal institute of aquatic science and technology. This five-storey building has a cubic capacity of 38,615m3, a floor area of 8,533m2, and an energy reference area of 11,170m2, yet its energy consumption is equivalent to that of an average single-family house. This major feat is mainly accomplished by the building’s nonconventional heating and cooling systems. The heat generated by people, office equipment, lighting, and sunlight is sufficient for the building to maintain a pleasant ambient temperature in the winter. In the summer, the specially-engineered exterior design of the building keeps it cool all day long. Other unique features involve rainwater, which is harvested on the roof before getting directly fed to the building’s washrooms where it’s used for flushing the toilets. Further, a new technology of NoMix toilets is used, where urine is separated and collected for research purposes. Recycled concrete is used for ceilings, the floors are laid with xylolite, and most of the walls are of timber construction. The dividing clay walls between offices also help to regulate humidity levels. All in all, the building is a work of art that redefines what it means to go green.

looking for more oil; not only for the sake of the environment, but also because few things are more frightening than a corporation like Big Oil becoming more powerful than the government (which already seems to be the case). The Arctic, especially, is the last place we should ever want to harm with our hunger for exploitation.

“

weather is something we’ve already tinkered with in our emissions, and drilling right at the sources would only finish the job. This wouldn’t just be an environmental problem; we would feel the impacts as well. Melting ice at the poles, as we’ve heard before, contributes to rising sea levels. Last fall, tourists had to be vacated from a park on Baffin

Governments want to e x p l o i t a clear sign of the rapid and dangerous effects of global warming by looking for more oil and gas.

Think of the poles — the Arctic and Antarctic — as giant control stations. What do they control? They play major roles in the influence of climate and weather. The atmospheric and oceanic circulations that occur within decide what happens to the weather everywhere else. The Antarctic (which I bring up because there is also talk of drilling for oil there) is like a giant pump for our weather systems. Global

chemicals grows as well. Many of these chemicals become an environmental concern as they reach levels that threaten the survival of aquatic species. Such chemicals include pesticides, dyes, and pharmaceuticals. The traditional way of assessing the impact of these contaminants on the environment has been the Fish Acute Lethality test. The test requires at least five concentrations of the chemical or effluent, with ten fish per concentration. The test is aimed at identifying the concentration that kills 50 per cent of the exposed population, referred to as LC50. This approach, however, has numerous limitations. It is laborious, expensive, and typically limited to a few species. It also lacks the ability of giving us insight into possible cellular modes of action. The test also requires the use of a large number of fish, and so it contradicts our societal desire to reduce the use of fish/animals in toxicity testing. Accordingly, the use of fish cell lines as an alternative to the use of fish has gained the attention of many scientists, including UW’s Dr. Niels Bols and his graduate student, myself. In contrast to in vivo systems, this in vitro approach is aimed at identifying the effective concentration that kills 50 per cent of the exposed cells, referred to as EC50. The idea behind the use of cells is that toxicity is first manifested or initiated at the cellular level, before going on to disrupt tissues and/or organs. Going in vitro not only reduces our dependence on fish, but also offers a rapid, reproducible, and much more economical approach than traditional in vivo systems.

Exploring alternatives to the use of fish in aquatic toxicology

— With files from Forum Chriesbach

As the world’s population continues to grow in the midst of globalization, our reliance on industrial and synthetic

welsweisi@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

“

ast summer, for the first time in 125,000 years, the Arctic ice cap became an island. Both the Northwest Passage above Canada, and the Northeast Passage above Russia were found to be free of ice. One or the other has opened up before, but never at the same time. Scientists are now warning that the Arctic ice cap could disappear altogether, sooner than we think. Instead of taking this as an alarm about the effects of global warming, governments of countries such as Russia, the U.S., and Canada are starting a battle over ownership claims of the Arctic seabed. These claims aren’t to conserve it, but rather to exploit it for transportation and to search for oil and gas. Yes, that’s right; they want to exploit a clear sign of the rapid and dangerous effects of global warming by looking for more oil and gas. Ignorance has reached a whole new level. As Prime Minister Stephen Harper said, part of the future plans for the North is exploiting it for its “precious resources buried under the ice, sea and tundra.” While we are facing a looming energy crisis with dwindling supplies and high prices, the solution should not be

thelferty@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Island due to flooding from the melting ice, and our favourite Arctic animal, the polar bears, are dying from hunger and drowning while trying to swim hundreds of miles for retreating ice and seals. Not to mention, the ecosystems in these places take millennia to repair. Due to the cold and harsh conditions, natural processes are slower and take longer to fix themselves. Damaging this ecosystem won’t result in

replanting a few trees and seeing a new ecosystem take its place in a few months or years. Instead, damage will be there for the length of our stay on this planet, and even longer after that. Ice also holds records to Earth’s past. Using ice cores as samples (lengths of ice cut from glaciers), scientists can determine the content of the atmosphere thousands of years ago, as well as determine what the climate was like and what organisms existed. With melting ice caps, that research path is disappearing. Paul Mayewski, director of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, likened the loss of the glaciers to “losing the only library on Earth that tells us what was happening in the Greek period.” As a modern species, we need energy, and with supplies of oil and gas running low, the poles may be able to fill that demand. However, we have tons of new innovations of clean energy and renewable sources that have little to no impact on the environment and prolong our stay on Earth, and they are becoming cheaper and more efficient every day. We’ve already exploited almost every part of this planet; let’s have

at least some of it remain natural. While we can’t keep the Earth in the same state forever, and climate change is a natural process that has happened before, it is agreed among many scientists that our impacts on the planet are intensifying and changing the dynamic of how change occurs. We can’t save all the species from going extinct, and as a part of this planet we will always have our impact, just like any other creature, but to blatantly ignore such terrifying signs of degradation such as melting Arctic ice and instead exploit it shows that we are detaching ourselves more and more from our only planet. The consequences of this will hurt us just as much as the environment around us. Climate change is natural and has its effects, but human-induced climate change impacts the Earth beyond what it’s used to. Claiming the Arctic as part of our country is not a bad thing, and I look forward to seeing what we as Canadians own. However, once the ownership struggle is over, the choice will come as to what to do with our part of the Arctic, and when the push comes for oil exploration, I urge everyone to push back and say no.

Science & Technology

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

New/old media platforms ...for information sharing, learning and networking Maria Karpenko reporter

odCamp Toronto 2009 was held for the third consecutive year on February 21 and 22 at the Rogers Communications Centre of Ryerson University. It is a free, volunteer-bolstered, and sponsor-supported “unconference” for audio and video podcasting, blogging, and many other branches of new media.

Information on PodCamp Toronto 2009, including video and content archive, can be found at http://podcamptoronto.pbwiki.com. All sessions were live-streamed and video recorded. The first session I attended was Making Video: Light It, Mic It, Shoot It, presented by Geo Perdis and Rob Koci. The presentation was a clear and concise précis of the various lighting options, microphones, cameras and support equipment available on the market, as well as an introduction to essential production skills and techniques. The key lesson that I took from it is that setting up a studio to produce good quality video podcasting is easy and very affordable. Next on the agenda was Dear Toronto – Why we love you and making videos about Toronto, presented by Adam Schwabe, co-creator and producer of DearToronto.com. “What makes Dear Toronto different is that we have a fascination with the city rather than ourselves,” said Schwabe. Dear Toronto shines

a spotlight on people, art, culture, tech, and design. The aspects that make Toronto interesting are a blend of its emotional richness, spontaneity, authenticity, and passion, to name a few. After lunch, The Power of the Niche, presented by Sylvain Grand’Maison, host of QuebecBalado.com, was next in line. Grand’Maison sprinkled bits of humour throughout his talk, beginning with “Quebec is a niche, podcasting is a niche market; I have a podcast in Quebec about podcasting — it’s like a niche in a niche.” The audience, a full house, loved his wit and charisma, and appreciated his several inspiring messages: “The lack of means often pushes people to be more creative. What do people do with Coca Cola cans in poor countries? They build toys. We just buy toys.” He gave great advice on

All the sessions in PodCamp Toronto 2009 were live-streamed and video recorded.

2009 Waterloo Science and Business Conference

The Economy of the Future Saturday, March 21, 2009 8:00 am-5:30 pm in RCH To Register: visit www.fusion.uwsbsa.ca or come by the Science and Business Resource Center ESC 254 D Registration cost is $10.00 Sign up by Wednesday March 18th for your chance to win a Digital Camera!

how to attract an audience. “Don’t play hide and seek. It’s not the crowd that has to find you, but you have to find your crowd. In a niche market, you know where the target is, so you have more chance in this game.” He concluded with his own take on John F. Kennedy’s famous phrase: “Ask not what podcasting can do for you, ask what you can do for podcasting,” to which the audience erupted in applause. Up next, Green Film & Video Production for TV, Podcasting or ??, presented by Lance Carlson. Topics on environmentally friendly practice spanned from more efficient lighting and offering free e-zines, to digital subscriptions instead of trade magazines and recharging batteries, amongst others. Overall, the message was as clear as always: there is a multitude of ways to become environmentally conscious and reduce our carbon footprint. My upcoming session selection was What’s Next in Canadian Social Media, Word of Mouth & Community Building (findings from the Buzz Report), presented by Sean Moffit. “The only media that marketers think is going to go up next year is social media,” said Moffit. Moffit presented statistics on social media, many of which surprised the audience. For example, at 27 per cent, marketing via word of mouth is greater than any other medium. Moffit left the audience with food for thought: “With the market down, social media is going to grow. And monetizing social media is becoming increasingly more important.” The subsequent session gave me the chance to get a little more techeducated, and, too often coming off as a tech-phobic, I take anything that can help! Editing Video Using Apple’s Final Cut: An introduction to essential post-production skills and techniques, presented by Geo Perdis, gave just the right amount of insight into the processing power that is under the fingertips of so many of us. “iMovie 2009, as part of iLife, is a good simple editor to start with,” said Perdis. Adele McAlear and Tracy Apps presented Video Microblogging. Their take was that video is overtaking all other forms of social media — such as chat rooms and forums —because bandwidth has become broadly available and cheap. McAlear and Apps stated that online videos are the site of largest growth in advertising, and noted that we are at the cusp of moving from plain text emails to video emails. TokBox.com is an example of an application that enables talk over live video as well as sending video mail. Check out Seesmic.com and 12seconds.tv. In I Got the Job because of Social Media, Daniel Patricio drew attention to the importance of monitoring the social trail we all leave online. “You have to be very conscious of the type of personal brand you’re developing online,” said Patricio. He

An historical snapshot PodCamp is a neologism coined by Chris Penn, cofounder of the groundbreaking PodCampNewMediaCommunity unConference, to distinguish it from BarCamp. BarCamp is a spin-off of Foo Camp, an annual hacker event hosted by Tim O’Reilly, a star of open source publishing. BarCamp draws its organizational process, which entails codifying the event in a wiki and making it publicly available, from Foo Camp. This organizational model enables a self-organized, user-generated conference.The term unconference, shorthand for unorganized conference, sums up the concept. The first BarCamp was held August 19–21, 2005 at the of-

shared his personal experiences of how social media has helped him achieve his goals. “I connected with a lot of people in Toronto. I am able to connect with people at the top of my industry,” he said, referring to Twitter. “The world of opportunity is open and we all have equal opportunities to step up.” Log on to DanielPatricio.com for more information. The second day of PodCamp Toronto 2009 started off with Journalism New Media Communication: Creating Digital Content to deliver clearly the written and spoken word, presented by Dawn Boshcoff. The talk tapped into the essentials of creating good digital content. My favourite bit of advice: “Make juice — give readers an orange, apple and kiwi, but condensed and mixed up.” This is a fabulous illustration of the importance of telling your readers a story that is creative and clever, but keeping it short. To build readership, Boshcoff recommends creating unique audience-focused content, posting regularly, having

fices of Socialtext in Palo Alto, California. The focus of the first BarCamps was on early-stage web applications and related open source technologies, social protocols, and open data formats. Since then, BarCamp has spread across the globe and became a model of user-generated conferences in other fields, fostering many new applications. Some examples are WordCamp, Seattle Mind Camp, and PodCamp. The first PodCamp was held September 8–10, 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts. PodCamps are now being held worldwide. For a list of past and upcoming PodCamps, see http://www. podcamp.org.

message was that money comes after you establish value, and often times it is merely perceived value. “You have to believe in the value of your niche audience, customize, be creative, be everything that traditional media can’t be.” The final session on my agenda was Minding your Business – the nitty gritty of starting your own business and making it work, presented by Michelle Joseph. Joseph gave a quick run-through of numerous business aspects, ranging from what type of business entity to go with (sole partnership, partnership or corporation) and picking the right niche market, to having an actual sales and operations plan and taking care of legal business aspects. Don’t: quit your day job, run out and get office space right away, raid Staples and/or Office Depot right away, and incorporate. Do: get a separate business account, a love affair with your banker, and find an attorney you can stand, a certified registered accountant you like, and a printer that loves you.

photos by maria karpenko

Sean Moffit discusses the importance of social media. a comment and reply policy, and showcasing visitors. The second last session on my schedule was Becoming a legitimate media outlet. Sponsorship, monetizing, living off your podcast, presented by Matt+Nat, hosts of YourGeekNews.com. An important

PodCamp Toronto 2009 was a great experience, and a must-go for anyone who is interested in new media. It filled my mind with new information, left me inspired, helped shape some of the ideas I have been brooding over, and sparked new ones.

Sports & Living

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009 sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Squashing the competition sports editor

he squash Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Championships saw seven of our Warrior squash players on the courts at University of Toronto from March 6-8. The team was made up of dedicated athletes ranging from their first to fifth years at UW, bringing back some incredible results from the national competition. “The CIS tournament is a unique competition for the team, as it is the only event where we all play individually,” Eric Dingle, a senior member of his team and a computer engineering student at the University, noted in an interview with Imprint. “All of the OUA [Ontario University Athletic] sanctioned squash events are team based.” The team pulled together in preparation for the event, using their practice time to simulate tournament scenarios in the weeks before the CIS. “We played a lot of matches and condition games,” Dingle explained, “whereas during other times in the season, we spend more time doing shot and skill related drills or off court endurance training.”

With the CIS championships, the squash team was given the opportunity to individually exhibit their talents against people from all over the country, facing their opponents solo. Dingle, who played through the Men’s Open, also pulled in impressive results for his performance at nationals. Just barely missing gold with a three to two finals match and

“

The three time running OUA Male player of the Year didn’t even known that UW had a squash team when he enrolled, but it became an important part of his involvement at the school. “I had played a lot of squash before attending UW and had always been interested in sports, so when I found out there was a varsity squash team, there was

There are always feelings of nervousness as the day approaches and sometimes you wonder if you’re ready

— Eric Dingle finishing with the silver medal for his impressive efforts. “I felt that I’d improved a lot this season, and that I had a good chance at winning the event,” said Dingle. “There is always feelings of nervousness as the day approaches and you sometimes wonder if you’re prepared enough.” He has placed third in the CIS championships twice before, once in 2006, and again in 2008, and had hoped to use this opportunity for improvement.

graphics by armel chesnaisA

“

Caitlin McIntyre

no question that I would try out,” Dingle said. After a great year of accomplishments, from running undefeated in the OUA regular season for the third consecutive year, Dingle will be graduating from UW at the end of the term. “I feel very proud about my accomplishments this season,” said Dingle. “Winning the silver medal at CIS only added to what was already a very successful year… it was a great way to end my varsity squash career.” Another big name for the warriors in the CIS championships was Micaala Seth, a first year chemical engineering student, who walked away from the Women’s Open draw with a silver medal of her own. “I really didn’t have any expectations going in,” Seth explained in an interview with Imprint. “I feel good about going as far as I did.” Seth had won her first two matches three to one (8-11, 11-1, 11-9, 11-7), and three to two (11-7, 5-11, 11-2, 6-11, 11-3), before landing herself in the finals. The gold metal match up found Seth against Stephanie Edmisson, who had won the gold medal in nationals for the past couple of years. Seth played hard against this exceptional player, but ended up losing the finals, three sets to zero. Much like Dingle, Seth’s squash career started off before she hit the university scene. “I’ve been playing since I was ten years old at my club

in Elora under my coach, Jake Doering,” Seth said. “Both of my parents were members of the club. I just picked up a racket, and that was that.” Seth balances her busy school schedule with her dedication to the squash team, pushing herself to turn up to at least two to four practices a week. “I have my social life, my academics, and then squash,” she explained. “It’s become a set part of my life.” Her silver ranks her 5th in the top Canadian’s women under 19, and moves her up in the Ontario rankings to 3rd in junior women under 19. Besides Dingle and Seth’s impressive results, the rest of the team brought home their own incredible, individual victories. Derek Golub, a mechanical engineering student, worked his way through the Men’s B division of the CIS championships, ending up in the consolation draws. He placed fourth overall in the Men’s B consolation, losing his semi-final game three matches to one (6-9, 9-2, 2-9, 2-9). Pranav Sharma, a computer engineering student, also played in the Men’s B division during the competition, losing his quarters game, before dropping down to the consolation finals. He powered through the consolation semis, winning all three sets of his match (9-3,9-3,9-0), and winning the consolation finals by default. The Men’s Open found Andrew Kane, a computer science major, in the quarters before he was defeated and dropped down into the consolation draw. He won his consolation quarters match three sets to none (11-9,11-8,11-3), but ended up losing the semis, three to one. John Mammen, an economics major, went into the CIS Men’s A draw in the first round of the competition. He moved to the consolation semis after his quarters match, missing the finals with a three to nothing loss. On the Women’s side, Joanna Hamlyn, a science student, went into the Women’s A draw at the start of the tournament. Hamlyn, an exchange student from England, won

her quarters match three to nothing (9-1,9-0,9-0), moving on to take semis with another three nothing win (9-3,90,9-6), before losing the finals to land second over all in the draw. Michelle Craig, a Masters student, also brought home an impressive win over the weekend. Craig placed third after winning her quarterfinals match (10-12, 11-2, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9), snagging bronze for the overall draw. sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Building up speed for the community Peter Trinh

Brent Golem assistant snl

courtesy jason dockendorff

ompeting to qualify in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championships for triple jump might be a daunting task, but Nancy Spreitzer accomplished so much more as she recently took home an award for OUA Female Student-Athlete Community Award. Spreitzer won the award, not just for being an excellent athlete, but because she is also an excellent person. Spreitzer has been heavily involved in volunteer work for a long time, but the “heat” for this award was much more competive then the ones she normally competes in. “I was really shocked,” Spreitzer said. “I know there’s a lot of people that are hard-working and really

deserve it. I was really shocked, but really happy. It’s nice to win the award.” Spreitzer wasn’t even going to apply for the award, she didn’t think she had a chance at winning it, and wasn’t until her coach pushed her to apply that finally made her give it a try. It was worth the time; not only did Spreitzer win the OUA award, but she also is in the running for the Canadian Interuniveristy Sport (CIS) award. Regardless of the outcome, Spreitzer has deservedly been recognized for her contribution to the community. Nancy Spreitzer is heavily involved in the community, working with Reaching Our Outdoor Friends [ROOF], as well as volunteering at Huron Heights Secondary School. At ROOF, Spreitzer helped homeless youth and youth-at-risk in any way

possible. She helped cook meals, gave youth advice for finding work, cleaned clothes, and talked to lonely youth one on one to help put a smile on their face. Spreitzer got started at ROOF last fall when one of her classes had a community development component that encouraged her to volunteer. “I had heard about it before and thought it was an interesting client group,” Spreitzer said. She had certain expectations going into the experience but she “soon realized that they have the same needs as we do.” In the winter Spreitzer was busy volunteering at Huron Heights S.S. as a teaching assistant for Phys Ed, Kinesiology, and Sociology classes. “I go to help out in those classes with group work and giving my perspective,” she said. Spreitzer is most involved in the Phys Ed classes, which

she enjoys. “Sports has always been a big part of my life,” she said. “I want to use my abilities to help pass on my knowledge to others.” Spreitzer has such a busy life being enrolled full-time in school and extensively volunteering in her free time, that it’s amazing she was still able to maintain a tough training regiment for the track team. It wasn’t easy for her to get going at the beginning of the track season, after playing varsity basketball last year. “It’s hard to switch from a team sport to an individual sport after a year off,” Spreitzer said. “In December, after the competitions started I did better. Week after week I improved and started reaching my personal bests again.” See OUA AWARD, page 33

Sports & Living

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

Swimmers of all skills and sizes are welcome to splash around in the PAC pool

W Campus Recreation offers a plethora of aquatic programs that UW students and faculty alike (and even children of either) can enjoy. Registration for the courses begin at the start of each term, and you have six weeks to register, although they usually start within three weeks of the beginning of the term. The swimming courses are offered for every skill level, whether you want to learn how to swim or stay fit. If you are a seasoned swimmer, Campus Rec has an Aquatics Club (formerly known as Power Hour). It involves a swim training program, coached by the UW Varsity Swim Team coaches, which strikes a balance between triathlon training and general fitness training. You can choose the number of sessions you wish to purchase: 10, 20, or 30 sessions are available. If you are a beginner, the “Learn to Swim” aquatic program is a top-notch, six-level program from the Lifesaving

Experience aquatics

assistant snl

Society, which offer a seamless learnto-swim progression with levels for everyone. The courses are run in either five or ten weeks with one class per week, usually at night. It includes new report cards and badges for each level. These classes are offered for various skill levels: For example, participants can start at Level one, which teaches participants to become comfortable jumping into water with and without a personal floatation device, and to

“

breaststroke, and concentrate on the 4 x 25m sprints in interval training, ending with the 200 to 300m-endurance swim. These courses are offered for a 10-week period for a small fee of $30. Women’s-only courses involving the same aspects are available for a ten-week period and cost $38. UW aquatics also offer a three-level program for children of current students and PAC members, 10 weeks available for $38.

courses available, such as: the National Lifeguard Service (NLS) course and an NLS instructor course. Limited spots are available for all these courses and fees are subject to change. Interested? Check it out on the Campus Rec website. If you didn’t sign up a course this semester and still want to enjoy a swim, the Campus Rec website has the times when the pool is available for recreational and fitness swimming.

Didn’t get a chance to sign up this semester...the pool is availabe from 8a.m. to 9a.m. and 11:30a.m. to 1p.m. on Monday through Friday

become comfortable going under the water to retrieve objects. The participants can excel to the Level 6 course, where swimmers rise to the challenge of sophisticated aquatic skills like compact jump entries and eggbeater kick for one minute while changing directions. They’ll develop strength and power in head-up front crawl or

Parent and toddler classes are also available with the same specifics. Didn’t get a chance to sign up this semester? There is a free swim available Saturdays and Sundays 12:00p.m. to 1:00p.m. where children accompanied by campus rec members can swim. Want to become a lifeguard or pool supervisor? There are also

“

Brent Golem

The pool is available from 8a.m . to 9a.m. and 11:30a.m. to 1p.m. on Monday through Friday. There are additional times available depending on the day which are also available on the website. bgolem@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Making good use of the pool reporter

re you feeling fat or out of shape? Have you ever wanted to belong to a team, but were too afraid? Well there’s one group on campus that doesn’t care what your athletic ability is and encourages you to become a member. The triathlon club is an enthusiastic, outgoing, group oriented establishment and is interested in helping you achieve personal great-

“

ness. Caitlin Port tells Imprint in an interview, “It doesn’t matter whether you’re a beginner or a pro, most people just come out for the fitness aspect of it anyways.” Port is an executive member of the triathlon club along with Rebecca Hader and Ashley McKoewn. All three girls are volunteers who are interested in spreading the rapture. “We’re fairly new, and have only been an official club for about two and a half years, but this club helps people get involved and meet others

People are there mainly to support one another because no one wants to run for two hours by themselves.

“

Julia Gelfand

who are interested in similar things,” said Hader. For those of you who don’t know much about the triathlon team, it’s a very welcoming group, which isn’t necessarily about being competitive, but working towards helping people excel toward where they would like to be. Many of the students do participate in a competitive series every summer and others train for marathons; but people are there mainly to support one another because no one wants to run for two hours by themselves. The triathlon club holds workshops with nutritionists and kinesiologists to provide proper nutrition training and workout awareness. The triathlon club is looking into recruiting as many new members as possible, providing many, various scheduled practices so people are able to pick and choose which ones to attend. They also provide one-session workouts, which you can to attend once to see if it’s something you want to continue

with. The schedule is listed on the Campus Rec website so interested students are able to go onto the website pick which practice they would like to attend and send an email to the triathlon club to let them know their interested. Their e-mail is sctri@uwaterloo.ca. All questions regarding workouts or fees can be sent to that address. All the coaches and trainers with the triathlon club are encouraging and helpful. The varsity swim coach Jeff Slater is an avid volunteer with the triathlon club. Hader says “Jeff is a very reliable asset and an important one, he’s also really into it, so it makes our job a lot easier.” Port adds “We’ve also seen a lot of improvements in our athletes, considering some of them couldn’t swim at first.” This term the triathlon club has about 45 members. They hold new sign ups each term, but sign-ups are welcome at any time. It’s a small fee of $40 and definitely worth every penny.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

St. George Banquet Hall 665 King Street North, Waterloo Tickets (available at the PAC Office) March 9-20: $35 March 23-26: $40 Includes transportation

Tickets are non-refundable. Watcard and proof of age required

Registered trademarks of Boston Pizza Royalties Limited Partnership, used under license. © Boston Pizza International Inc. 2005

IMPRINT | March 9

Club profile: triathalon

Make it there faster with two wheels, your runners, and a couple laps of the pool

On Sa le

NOW!

In the

PAC O ffice

Sports & Living

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

OUA awards

Female Student-Athlete Community Service Award for OUA Track & Field Athletes Spreitzer had an overall good season, qualifying for the OUA competition. She gives credit to her teammates for helping to push her to do her best. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The team chemistry and support made everyone do a lot better,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Eight to nine people qualified for OUA competitions, which is based on individual talent, but support helped everyone.â&#x20AC;? Spreitzerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favourite moment came during those OUA competitions: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Watching the guyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pentathalon high jump, pretty much whole team was cheering on Ryan Wight and Aaron Bates and they hit their personal bests,â&#x20AC;? Spreitzer said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I felt like our support and cheering helped them out. Our team isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

See something (or a lack of something) in the Sports Section that you want addressed?

about only doing our best but helping others achieve their bests too.â&#x20AC;? Next year she wants to be in teammate Jason Goetzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shoes, by qualifying for CIS championships. She hopes that her skill in triple jump will launch her into the CIS championships. She plans to get there by competing in outdoor track and field

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

events this summer and improving her skill. If that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work then she is confident her 4 x 200m relay team can make a good argument to be there as the team had a lot of good rookies and if they keep training hard she expects to get to the CIS championships for sure. As for Spreitzerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community involvement, she plans to continue

I feel like all my coaches have given me so much and I like to volunteer to give back to people. I want to apply that to children to help them learn.

her volunteering at the high school next year, although itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weird when kids call her by her last name. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel like all my coaches have given me so much and I like to volunteer to give back to people,â&#x20AC;? Spreitzer said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to use what I learn and apply that to children to help them learn.â&#x20AC;? She also wants to be involved in the Team-Up school outreach program, where she will go to local school to impart powerful knowledge of how to succeed in school and sports by teaching kids about goal-setting and working hard. In the end she hopes it will translate to a successful career as either a Phys Ed teacher or a therapeutic therapist. courtesy jason dockendorff

bgolem@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

The Schulich Master of Finance â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Must-Have Degreeâ&#x20AC;? states the Financial Times of London.

But not all finance degrees are created equal. The new Schulich Master of Finance is one of a kind. In just 12 months of full-time study, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll become an expert in all areas of finance. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll work with faculty who conduct cutting-edge research in the field and learn from leading practitioners in finance and financial services. As well, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be exposed to the broader governance, legal, regulatory and global frameworks that impact financial decision-making. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll develop a solid understanding of the finance function in organizations of all sizes. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll master the full range of finance functions from the â&#x20AC;&#x153;buyâ&#x20AC;? side to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;sellâ&#x20AC;? side, including investments, risk management, financial management, venture capital, private equity and more. In addition to the career advantage youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll gain from the breadth and depth of Schulichâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Master of Finance, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll also profit from valuable hands-on experience doing research projects using various financial databases.

Drop us a line at: Sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Be heard.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Continued from page 31

Pauline Shum %JSFDUPS .BTUFS PG 'JOBODF 1SPHSBN "TTPDJBUF 1SPGFTTPS PG 'JOBODF

Make history. Begin this August and finish in July, 2010. Be among the first to graduate from this exciting program. The Schulich Master of Finance will open up career options ranging from investment banking and asset management to private equity firms, hedge funds, consulting firms and government agencies.

Find out all that sets the Schulich Master of Finance apart from the competition at www.schulich.yorku.ca/mf

Teach English Overseas TESOL/TESL Teacher Training Certification Courses â&#x20AC;˘ Intensive 60-Hour Program â&#x20AC;˘ Classroom Management Techniques â&#x20AC;˘ Detailed Lesson Planning â&#x20AC;˘ ESL Skills Development â&#x20AC;˘ Comprehensive Teaching Materials â&#x20AC;˘ Interactive Teaching Practicum â&#x20AC;˘ Internationally Recognized Certificate â&#x20AC;˘ Teacher Placement Service â&#x20AC;˘ Money Back Guarantee Included â&#x20AC;˘ Thousands of Satisfied Students

OXFORD SEMINARS 1-800-269-6719/416-924-3240

www.oxfordseminars.ca

You can also attend an

Schulich Leads in Rankings

Information Session

5IF 4DIVMJDI .#" JT SBOLFE JO UIF XPSMEÂľT UPQ UJFS PG CFTU CVTJOFTT TDIPPMT CZ 5IF 8BMM 4USFFU +PVSOBM UI JO UIF XPSME JO Â˛5PQ *OUFSOBUJPOBM 4DIPPMTÂł SBOLJOH 5IF &DPOPNJTU Â° &DPOPNJTU *OUFMMJHFODF 6OJU UI JO UIF XPSME 'PSCFT UI CFTU OPO 64 TDIPPM 5IF "TQFO *OTUJUVUF B 64 UIJOL UBOL SE JO UIF XPSME JO 4PDJBM BOE &OWJSPONFOUBM 4UFXBSETIJQ BOE &YQBOTJwO TU JO UIF XPSME JO UIFJS NPTU SFDFOU HMPCBM TVSWFZT 5IFZ BMTP SBOL UIF 4DIVMJDI .#" JO $BOBEB

To register, visit www.schulich.yorku.ca/infosessions

FMMPHHÂľT HMPCBM OFUXPSL PG &YFDVUJWF .#" QSPHSBNT JODMVEJOH UIF ,FMMPHH , 4DIVMJDI &.#" JT SBOLFE JO UIF XPSME CZ 5IF 8BMM 4USFFU +PVSOBM JO JUT JOBVHVSBM &.#" TVSWFZ 5IF ,FMMPHH 4DIVMJDI &.#" JT SBOLFE JO $BOBEB CZ UIF 'JOBODJBM 5JNFT PG -POEPO JO JUT NPTU SFDFOU HMPCBM &.#" TVSWFZ

Toronto (Main Campus) 4DIVMJDI 4DIPPM PG #VTJOFTT :PSL 6OJWFSTJUZ Tuesday, March 24 6:00 pmâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;7:30 pm

Toronto (Downtown Campus) .JMFT 4 /BEBM .BOBHFNFOU $FOUSF &SOTU :PVOH 5PXFS Wednesday, April 8 6:00 pmâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;7:30 pm

Comics & Distractions

Crossword 1

18 20

38. Spanish cooking-pot

59. Expected completion times (abbr.)

40. Good depository

60. Manner of moving

41. Slant

61. Playing field structure

42. Crew leader

62. Unfermented beer

44. Most delightful

63. Perpendicular building wings

45. Poem set to music

64. Dapper

48. Alter in a particular direction

53. Reconciliations

Paul Collier 6

49. Going inside 30

46 49

27 29

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

51 53

6. Egyptian bird

36. Wrathful space villain

10. FBI agent

37. Turf

14. Spy

38. Black-and-white acquatic mammal

15. Descend

39. Japanese honorific

16. Luxury auto

40. Snow glider

17. Mind, behaviour department

41. On water

19. Undivided whole

43. B2 Green encroaching program

20. Joint engineering program (abbr.)

46. Object of worship

21. Sea level falling period (Two words)

47. Tuber shredder

23. Gather creases

48. Genuine

3 4 6

56. Web

5. Orbiting bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s farthest point

57. Flammable toluene derivative (abbr.)

6. Small island

58. Pronounce

22. Opening flower

March 3 Crossword Solution 1

24. Salt Lake City native

20 23

29. Indifferent to emotion

30. Implant

S 36

43 46

U R

45 48

R Y

26. Design

37. Cadaverous

A L

35. Creature having goat ears, legs, and horns

25. An indefinite future time

31. Feudal land tenure, as opposed to knight service

23. Haystacks

March 3 Sudoku Solution 1 7 6

Cryptogram Blon a s o s amk a f km s lifj mk fa x d i rml j imj d i

- Odx i l s Ia k f s i a k

4. Legendary bird of prey

18. Saline body

52. Leg bender

5 7 4 1 6 6 9 4 3 8 1

rod da kb a k dm n i .

55. Major division of time

13. Short letter

51. Top-fermented beer

7 5 2 3 1 5 1 3

3. Plaything

12. Surrounded by

34. Engine boosting product (abbr.)

54. Grease for cooking

11. Distinctively small

1. Tropical freshwater fish

2. Typographical widths of captial N

10. Muscles making up the buttocks

33. Golf starting area

51. Social insects

9. Azure (two words)

Across

Sudoku

1. 5 mL (abbr.)

8. Consumed

32. Son of Ham, grandson of Noah

28. Arti dipartimento

50. Not far

7. Department of life (abbr.)

27. Veer

Down

7 2 1 5 8 4 9 6 3

3 6 8 1 2 9 4 7 5

9 4 5 7 6 3 2 1 8

8 3 7 2 9 5 1 4 6

5 9 6 4 1 8 3 2 7

4 1 2 3 7 6 5 8 9

1 8 3 6 5 2 7 9 4

2 5 9 8 4 7 6 3 1

6 7 4 9 3 1 8 5 2

poor mathnews

March 3 Cryptogram Solution Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths. -Lois Wyse

julia hawthornthwaite

EVEN PASTRIES DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T LIKE YOU

Comics & Distractions

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

To hot pregnant brunette,

To dark and handsome,

I saw you at last week’s lamaze class.You were with that blonde dude, and I was with some blonde chick I accidentally knocked up. If that guy’s not your husband (or even if he is, wink), and you saw me checking out your curves, meet me at Dooly’s Saturday at 9 p.m. I know someone who can guard the men’s bathroom for us

I saw you at the back of my business class today.You were crying silently , your black hair covering your eyes. I couldn’t see what you were writing. If you’d like sometime, we could listen to The Academy Is...in the dark, and cry and hold each other. I bet you smell like despair. It turns me on.

CurveFetish

Love, Dark n desperate 4U

Aybbe, KD, We’ve been arguing arguing a lot lately and it’s starting to get me down. I really love you and I know we’ll make it through but let just get through this now.You were wrong and I was wrong, we’re both sorry. Now let’s go to the bedroom and go at it — hot, sweet, and strong all night long. (I’ll wear something vanilla, you wear something leather). AB

you: the beautiful brunette who slipped on her ass on the black ice in the parking lot outside of PAC. me: the guy watching you as you fell, from behind the PAC doors. Our eyes met at flailed around helplessly in the air for a few seconds, body twisting in many different directions in attempt to regain balance, until you finally fell flat on that cute booty of yours. I sensed your desperation for my help in your eyesyou wanted me to come save you. Unfortunately I was eating a quarter pounder and I didn’t know if I should swallow or finish chewing before I leap out to help you. Since then I have replayed the incident many times in my mind. Drop me a line if you’d like me to play your knight in shining armour in a different setting....

I jus wanned 2 sey U R mi 1 an onli bby grl, that utha grl aint no thing 2 me. she wuz jus 4 fun, but ur da reel thing 4 realz grl i don want no bby but u i swer. MastaPimp

To girl watching me cry, Why didn’t you say hi? I cried myself to sleep that night listening to the Academy Is... Lonely Soul. :’(

To my Hawkeye: We have shared a couple of passionate, intimate experiences. I realize that you get around, and to you, our encounters don’t mean much. But to me the way you kiss me, hold me, and look at me drives me wild! I can no longer accept you as a friend and occasional lover — I need you for a lover, for a lifetime.You are perfect for me, so passionate about work, a great sense of humour, you’re the most handsome man I know, and I’ll love you forever. From your hotlips.

Send your Missed Connections to distractions@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

Shaniqua is busy taking Travis Myers up on his request to get slapped... Her hands will be out of commission until next week. Send questions to Ask Shaniqua at distractions@imprint.uwaterloo.ca

If you had to give up either sex or the internet for two weeks, which would you give up and why? By Ted Fleming and Matt Pankhurst “Give up sex for two weeks..It’s important for me to keep up with my family” Edmund 4th yr Chem. Engineering “Sex...because I’m not having any” Lisa Yu 2B Biomedical Science

“Both..I do that whenever I go visit my parents in Saskatchewan” Priya Chandra 1B Applied Health Sciences “Sex..because you can find it on the Net“ Aaron Webster 2B Psychology

“Thanks to Resnet, I’ve survived without internet for a whole term.” Andrew Falcao VP Internal, Federation of Students “Internet...sex is a basic human need, and there are still normal guys around..” Kelsea Mahabir

2B Arts

“nternet… or else we’d be out of the loop, spending every night alone. We’d get the person we’re banging to check the Internet.” Nick Green 3B Computer Science & Mahrie Boyle 3B Mathematics

Missed Connections are BACK! Send yours to: distractions@ imprint. uwaterloo.ca

Comics & Distractions

Imprint, Friday, March 13, 2009

POSTSCRIPT

GRAHAM MOOGK-SOULIS

IMPRESSION, BY JIM & LAN

LOOSE SCREWS

GEOFFREY LEE & SONIA LEE

IN THE WEEDS KURTIS ELTON

BY MATT FIG, BRANDON FORLER, AND KEEGAN TREMBLAY

RUNAWAY RINGTOSS

PETER N. TRINH