Impr int The university of Waterloo’s official student newspaper
Friday, May 7, 2010
Vol 33, No
1
imprint . uwaterloo . ca
Fire tears through University Plaza
— Jerry Smith, Owner of mel’s diner
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The point of origin [of the fire] was legitimately established to be in the DJ room at Tabu.
Rosalind Gunn
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features editor
t approximately 5:30 a.m. on April 22, a rapidly-spreading fire tore through the 140 University Avenue West plaza, leaving more than a hundred locals suddenly unemployed and causing an estimated $3 million in damage. The cause of the fire has not yet been released officially by the fire department. However, in an interview with Imprint, Jerry Smith, owner of the former Mel’s Diner, stated that the “point of origin was legitimately established to be in the DJ room at Tabu.” Smith claimed “that’s what the Ontario Fire Marshal proclaimed when they discovered the point of origin for the fire.” According to Waterloo Fire Rescue, the blaze lasted for two hours until it was brought under control at approximately 7:30 a.m. Waterloo Fire Rescue, who responded promptly upon arrival and were joined by the Kitchener Fire Department, were faced with the already immensely developed fire that consumed much of the complex. Multiple businesses were affected, including Mel’s Diner, Sugar Mountain, Mr. Sushi, University Vision Centre, 140 West, Tabu, and Caesar Martini’s. In a media release, John Percy, public education officer with Waterloo Fire Rescue, said that a firewall installed adjacent to the east end of the complex by Caesar Martini’s provided the proper protection and prevented the fire from spreading. Investigators from Waterloo Fire Rescue Fire Prevention and the Office of the Fire Marshal are still in the process of determining the cause of the fire. According to Waterloo Fire Rescue, samples have been sent for forensic investigation, the results of which can’t be expected to be released for a few months, according to Percy. In the wake of the fire and the devastating damage, Waterloo Fire Rescue officials will launch a new initiative to promote sprinkler systems in all new buildings, whether required by provincial building codes or not. According to Waterloo Fire Rescue, such wide-spreading fires can be better contained and stopped if such precautions as installing sprinkler systems are taken. The businesses at 140 University Avenue did not have this precautionary feature and it likely played a significant role in the amount of damage incurred. “A properly designed, installed and maintained sprinkler system is the very best means to protect lives and property from fire,” said acting fire Chief Larry Brassard. “Had the property developer installed a sprinkler system in this building, we quite likely would have had a small fire, controlled in its early stages by one or two sprinkler heads, and a quick final extinguishment by fire crews with no headlines. Six businesses would still be open, a multi-million dollar building would still be standing, and the livelihood of numerous people in our community would have been protected from all of this utter devastation,” said Brassard. Though many new buildings still do not require sprinkler systems under the Ontario Building Code, this does not stop any property developers from investing in this protection, and taking the initiative to install them at the time of construction, which can pay large dividends, according to fire officials. Waterloo Fire Rescue will be promoting this approach to all new developers in the city starting immediately. rgunn@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
The devastation from the fire left an estimated $3 million in damages.
komal lakhani
Features After the ashes
Mel’s reopening date deferred
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Sports Warrior earns spot in NFL Memories of Mel’s live on (above).
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Reinders signed with Cleveland Browns
News
Imprint, Thursday, April 1, 2010 news@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
warrior drug test results expected this month
Early retirement for VP of administration and finance Chris Neal resigned just over a month before his term was up Gina Racine editor - in - chief
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was, given the gravity of the charges... And there’s nothing to suggest that we have a concern so were really staying focused on the issue. If you look at the history of adverse findings over the years, I believe, since 1990, there have been 56 adverse findings that 45 were football related, so it appears to be an issue that is much more prominently in football than in any other sports.” In fact, the detailed allegations — which are under a publication ban ordered by the court — have prompted the CCES to test several other schools including, Wilfrid Laurier, the University of Guelph, McMaster, and the University of Western Ontario. In light of the recent issue concerning the sport, UW Athletics is looking to use this as an opportunity to educate student athletes. “We follow all the policies and protocols of the CIS, including a mandatory online drug education seminar that the student athletes have to complete, and you know, various other forms of team orientation and policies and things of that nature,” said Copeland. “We fully plan to look at opportunities to educate that will not only benefit our athletes at Waterloo but everybody in the CIS, I think we can be leaders in that area. We’re already working closely with the CIS in terms of looking at any shortcomings that may exist in the current educational program offered to the CIS and other opportunities that we can do to be a leader on our campus.” Marg McGregor, the chief executive officer of the CIS is also hoping to improve programs, “We don’t know the size or scope of the problem [however] we do take it seriously and are looking to evaluate the current education and the current program that we have in place and looking to see what enhancements can be made to them.” Specifically, she said the CIS has requested more testing of athletes and has collected information on the athletes so they can conduct unannounced tests throughout the summer which she said will allow for more intelligent testing. The potential employer of these students is the CFL, who currently has no drug testing program. “We have had conversation with the CFL encouraging them to begin testing their athletes and to respect the CIS sanctions that are in place, and the CFL does not currently do either one of those things,” explained McGregor. CIS sanctions could include a four year suspension from playing in any CIS sport. This has previously been an issue at the University of Waterloo where Shawn Dyson failed an unannounced doping control session in 1997 and was later suspended from the team and any further CIAU (Canadian Intrauniversity Athletic Union).
t was a premature retirement for Federation of Students’ vice-president of administration and finance last month. “Chris has taken on a position working in the Student Life office doing first year experience research,” said Allan Babor, Feds’ president at the time of Neal’s resignation. Although the decision was officially made at the end of March, the Federation of Students held back from releasing the information to the public until the second week of April. “The resignation was put in and we went through a series of communication, which was why a press release wasn’t sent out immediately,” Babor said. According to Babor, some of the current executives, including himself, would be taking on different portion of Neal’s portfolio in the meantime. “Within our organization, we anticipate that there may be unforeseen circumstances that come up and so we default to our board, our bylaws, which really dictates that should an executive leave for whatever reason, their responsibilities should be divvied up between the other executives and potentially nonexecutive board members which we have five of,” he said. According to Babor, one thing that is beneficial is that the current vice-president internal, Sarah Cook, will be the new person in the vice-president administration finance role. “Mr. Neal has been working with Sarah so ensure that a proper transition occurs so that she can be most successful in her new role,” he said. According to Babor, having an executive leave the organization is never something they hope for, but the team is more than prepared. “It certainly took an additional effort to ensure that whatever projects we could continue to maintain integrity of, to best serve students, were handled appropriately,” he said. “It was disappointing because Chris has certainly contributed a great deal to the Federation of Students over his five years, but at the same time, I think the focus had to really turn to how do we continue to service students with this loss? “I think that all of the executives could agree that Chris made significant contributions to the Federation of Students and we want to thank everyone who has given [us] the support to continue to succeed during the remainder of our term.” Neal said he had every intent on transitioning Cook into her new role so that her team can be successful and prosper. “It’s always unfortunate to leave things incomplete like the UPASS negotiations and the health and dental plan renewals, but I have complete faith in Allan’s team in getting the job done to the level of satisfaction that students deserve,” he said.
ptrelinska@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Imprint archives
The entire Waterloo Warriors football team is undergoing drug testing following allegations against a team member, Nathan Zettler, for trafficking anabolic steroids. Paula Trelinska news editor
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he entire Waterloo Warriors football team has been tested for drugs and a football player has been banned following allegations of steroid trafficking. Nathan Zettler, 23, a Waterloo Warriors football player and recreation and leisure student, has been charged with trafficking anabolic steroids. The arrest came after police found several thousand unknown pills, vials, and capsules when searching his Bridgeport Road home in relation to an investigation into a series of break-and-enters between Feb. 1 and March 24, 2010 in Kitchener and Waterloo. Zettler is also charged with five counts of break-and-enter, possession of stolen property, use of a stolen credit card, and breach of probation. Another Warriors football player, Matthew Valeriote, and former teammate Eric Legare are also charged with breaking and entering and possession of stolen property, according to an incident report. Following a bail hearing on April 14, Zettler was released on $30,000 bail and had his movement severely restricted. The court ordered that he is to stay away from the University of Waterloo and any other addresses he is accused of breaking into. He is not to have any contact with current or former members of the football team and is prohibited from accessing any wireless communication devices. He has been placed in the custody of his grandparents and can only leave their custody for work, court and medical appointments, or when in the company of his father, the third surety. When the university was informed of the investigation, Zettler was suspended from the team and banned from university property pending the outcome of the legal proceedings. The Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), was promptly informed. CIS then informed the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), who manages the Canadian Anti-Doping Drug Program. The entire Waterloo Warriors football team, including over 65 players, was subject to drug testing following allegations against Zettler. Results are not expected until the end of this month, said Bob Copeland, UW athletic director. “Once the results come out, there will be more information provided,” he said. The CCES said they would make the results public once they are available. When asked whether other teams would also be tested, Copeland responded no. “There’s nothing that would lead us to that type of decision,” he said. “The reason that we did the testing that we did
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News
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010
New budget on its way to senate for approval Paula Trelinska news editor
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revised budget was presented to the Senate Finance Committee by Provost Feridun Hamdulahpur on May 2. The budget for the next year had already been set but the new provincial budget meant that changes needed to be made. Hamdulahpur outlined how he would use the extra $17 million provided by the government to cover the costs of enrolment growth. This new funding will allow the university to cancel some of the budget cuts they were originally going to make, such as that to the academic development fund. Since the provincial budget has also dictated a
freeze on all non-union salaries and wages, there is an extra $2.3 million in the budget which was originally allocated to wage increases. This means that the cut to university-wide expenditures, which was supposed to sit at 3.5 per cent, will now be two per cent. This will be a reduction of $4.2 million, from $9.8 million to $5.6 million. What was projected to be a $2.8 million deficit will now become a $600,000 surplus. Although the former budget had been approved by both the Senate Finance Committee and the senate, it was not voted on at the Board of Governors. Hamdulahpur presented the budget with the expected changes at the Board of Governors but did not ask them to vote. ptrelinska@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Faculty of Arts seeks new dean Paula Trelinska news editor
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en Coates, the current Dean of Arts, will be stepping down once his term ends in June 2011. The committee, which has been enacted under Policy 45, has now held its first meeting and started the process of looking for the next Dean of Arts. A memo issued by Provost Feridun Hamdulahpur stated that, “Over the next month, committee members intend to consult broadly, including individual interviews and/or meetings with small groups within the faculty. Notwithstanding, you are invited to convey your views on matters concerning the deanship to any member of the nominating committee (identified below).” Should one wish to submit comments there are some questions people are encouraged to think about:
“What are the issues, challenges and opportunities facing the faculty of arts? What are your aspirations for our faculty? Where would you like to see us go over the next five years? What advice do you have for the search committee as to the background, credentials, qualifications and leadership style we should be seeking in our new dean? Do you have any suggestions as to individuals to whom we should speak about this opportunity?” All comments must be submitted by June 4 and will be confidential. Comments can be made to any of the committee members. The undergradute representative is Monica Chamberland while the graduate representative is Devon McDonald. If you prefer to submit comments in writing those should be submitted to Lois Claxton, the secretary of the university. ptrelinska@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Declaration of absence no longer available Students no longer able to self-declare flu like illness online
Paula Trelinska news editor
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wo announcements went out from Provost Feridun Hamdullahpur, the week of April 5 stating that the H1N1 crisis has passed. In September 2009, the provost had announced that students exhibiting flu-like symptoms did not have to get a doctor’s note to miss class, but just needed to selfdeclare their symptoms online. Effective April 5, students are now required to get verification of illness from a doctor within 48 hours in order to miss any mandatory classes or exams. The standard rules for accomodation of illness will now apply to the H1N1 as well. These verification of illness forms are not covered by OHIP/ UHIP and will cost students $10 should they require one. This will apply to students in distance education classes as well, who, instead of handing in the forms directly to their professors, should take them to the Centre for
Extended Learning. There have also been changes to the staff rules. In October 2009, it was announced that employees were to report influenza-like symptoms and/or absences to their supervisers. This was done so that the illness could be monitored daily by Occupational Health. Also effective April 5, this practice will no longer be required. The influenza update website that was set up to update staff, students and faculty about the worldwide pandemic has also been discontinued and it will no longer be used for timely announcements. If there is another public emergency the site may be revived. However, for now, information on both the seasonal flu as well as the H1N1, is available from Health Services. On March 15, it was also announced that Health Services had ceased vaccinations for both seasonal flu and H1N1. Further announcements will be on the Health Services page. ptrelinska@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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News
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010
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over-the-counter adult and children medications that were produced in a manufacturing plant in Puerto Rico.
Alim Khamisa reporter
Azra Premji
HP acquires Palm for $1.2 Billion
reporter
Gulf of Mexico oil spill continues
An explosion on the British Petroleum-operated Deepwater Horizon drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in 11 deaths and over 15 injured on April 20. With 200,000 gallons of oil spilling out daily, there has been a total of 1.6 million gallons that has spewed out to date and some environmentalists claim the amount of spillage could get much larger. The magnitude of this oil spill may eclipse the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989 that occurred off of the Alaska shores when an oil tanker spilled 11 million gallons. Two days after the explosion, the Deepwater Horizon sank about 80 km off the southeast coast of Louisiana. President Obama travelled to New Orleans, Lousiana on Sunday to survey the damage. Obama has halted any new offshore drilling projects unless new safeguards are in place to prevent a repeat of the disaster. Several species of birds, dolphins, fish, and oysters are being threatened by the oil spill. According to federal officials, BP is legally responsible for spill and cleanup efforts. Children’s Tylenol and Motrin recalled
Over 40 over the counter medications including Tylenol, Tylenol Plus, Motrin, Zyrtec, and Benadryl (all for children) have been recalled voluntarily by McNeil Consumer Healthcare because they do not meet quality standards. Although the recall is not based on any adverse events, products that are being recalled may have a higher concentration of the active ingredient than specified. Corrective actions are being implemented before new manufacturing of the products occurs by the company where the medications have been made. McNeil Consumer Healthcare has advised consumers to discontinue use of these products. A full list of the recalled products can be found at www.mcneilproductrecall.com. According to the New York Times, this is the second major recall by McNeil Consumer Healthcare this year with the first being reports of moldy smells emitted from
On April 28, Palm was officially acquired by HP in a $1.2 billion cash deal. With the deal, HP will gain ownership of Palm’s large patent portfolio consisting of over 1,500 patents. Palm has recently been struggling to move forward with its smartphone business, in spite of very positive reviews for its recently launched Palm Pre smartphone which boasted one of the best mobile operating systems around (webOS). At the same time, HP currently holds only 0.1 per cent of the global cellular phone market share with its iPAQ. This acquisition will now enable HP to become a major contender in the smartphone market, possibly becoming a threat to industry leaders such as RIM and Apple. One of HP’s primary interests in pursuing the deal was Palm’s topnotch webOS mobile operating system. HP’s senior VP of strategy and corporate development, Brian Humphries, was quoted saying that “webOS is the bestin-class mobile operating system. Our intent is to double down on webOS.” Watch out for a near-future comeback by HP into the mobile space. First full face transplant in Spain
After 24 hours in surgery, a Spanish man’s face was successfully transplanted. The surgery took place at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona with the help of a 30 member medical team. The patient, a Spanish farmer, accidentally shot himself in the face several years ago and since then has not been able to breathe or eat without the help of a ventilator and feeding tube. The injury caused the patient to suffer from a severe facial disfiguration which made simple functions like talking and swallowing very difficult. To date, only 11 full-face transplants have been carried out around the world, this was one of the first ever in Spain. The patient has been recovering successfully and is expected to remain in hospital for two more months. — With files from CNN, the Wall Street Journal, The Star, New York Times, the Globe and Mail, the Boston Herald and Tech Crunch
PETER KREZE
AFTER THE STORM: The UW campus sky was filled with a rainbow on Wednesday evening after a day of thunder storms.
Komal R. Lakhani staff reporter
McGill raises tuition
McGill University plans to raise tuition for its MBA program, but the Quebec government’s angry response to this action is to threaten to cut the funding to the university. The Education Minster Michelle Courchesne said the ministry would cut McGill’s funding by $30,000 for every student made to pay the increased tuition. Peter Todd, dean of the MBA faculty, does not have any intention of backing down and says the university has worked in non-funding environment before and will be able to do so again. Student found dead at University of Alberta
A University of Alberta student was pronounced dead after a possible exposure to chemical. He was found at the HUB International building, a mall and residence complex on the school’s campus. Edmonton Fire Rescue was informed about a possible presence of hydrogen sulfide gas and an unconscious student in the suites. Due to the hazardous nature of the gas, students were made to evacuate the buildings and a possible state of emergency was declared. This was done with the help of alarm systems, text and emails. No signs of poisonous gases were found by the team of experts inspecting the place. One of the maintenance staff
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at the university along with the victims roommates. The university has refused to give out any information about the deceased student, stating that it is a private affair. Fight of Frosh week
The administration of Carleton University wants to take control of Frosh week, which is being opposed by the students who want to maintain control over it. The students in opposition have been staging rallies, protest and demonstration while the university states that it has been deeply involved in the planning over the years anyway. The university wants to bring in new perspectives to Frosh week, where they want to introduce new elements like keynote speakers and cultural events. At the same time, they have proposed to work with the students creatively while taking over managerial control. Carleton states that the decision was not an easy one to make and was taken after a lot of consideration, since they want to make this week more informative and safer for the students. The students, unhappy with the university’s decision, tried to present their view at the Board of Governors meeting on April 20 but they did not get enough votes to even present their view. At this
point the students still plan to run a parallel orientation week, plans of which are still unclear. U de M ends strike
Université de Montréal finally ended a strike after about seven weeks. This strike resulted in over 20 per cent of the classes being cancelled. The union members ended the strike on April 11. According to the new agreement classes went on till May 9. The university also offered students to drop their classes and claim a refund on them. According to the new agreement class size are going to come under the scanner and the appointment of teaching assistants will depend on certain levels of class size. The university at one point all threatened to cancel all classes and run final exams, if the strike did not end; it was at this point that the state government interfered to get both sides under control. Quebec’s education minister, Michelle Courchesne was responsible in helping both parties reach an agreement. — With files from the McGill Daily, the Gateway, and the CUP Ottawa Bureau Chief. klakhani@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010
New health science building opens in downtown Kitchener
issues resolved by Board of Governors April Board of Governors’ meeting makes changes to student fees as well as the UW seal
Komal R. Lakhani
The second building of the downtown health sciences campus, which will house the McMaster DeGroote School of Medicine as well as the Optometry Clinic of the University of Waterloo, opened April 7. Located at 10B Victoria Street south, it is right next to UW’s School of Pharmacy. The $23 million building will house both clinical spaces as well as learning spaces, including a glass enclosed library on the third floor.
On the left is the approved new UW corporate seal. On the right is the old seal that was used on diplomas, transcripts, and various university documents. Paula Trelinska news editor
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he UW Board of Governors met April 6 to approve the new UW seal and changes to student fees, among other things. For all students, the vote will mean a decrease in their student service fees. Whereas in the 2009 2010 year, full time undergraduate students paid $135 per term, beginning in May 2010, they will be paying $126, $4 less. Graduate students will see their fee decrease by $7, to $102. The student fee goes toward covering all or some of the costs of operating Athletics and Recreational Services, Health Services, Career Services, Counselling, Student Life Office, Writing Clinic, Turnkey operation, Student Resource Office, Student Security Service, Gallery, and Organizational and Human Development. The Student Services Advisory Committee, which is composed of mainly students, voted unanimously to recommend the fee change to the board. Though student service fees may be reduced, graduate students will still face fee hikes in other areas. The graduate student fee, paid by both full and part- time students, is slated to increase from $13.75 to $15 starting this May. This non refundable fee was approved by graduate students at their January 27 general meeting. There will also be more fee hikes for graduate students as the Graduate Student Association plans on
increasing their fees by $50.42 in the spring term and by another $2.52 in the fall term. This will increase the GSA administered fees to $159.46 in the spring term and $161.98 in the fall term. These increases will go toward covering the new universal bus pass which was approved by gradute students in a referendum held in March and later ratified by the GSA council on March 15. The GSA fees for part time graduate students will remain unchanged at $109.04 as part-time students will not be participating in the universal bus pass program. Another item on the agenda at the recent Board of Governors meeting was the new UW seal proposal. This seal would appear mostly on transcripts, university documents and diplomas; it would be separate from the logo used in the marketing campaign. The change in the UW seal was proposed at the February Board of Governors meeting. However, following the “laser logo debacle,” the board wanted to be sure to solicit opinions before coming to a vote. The student governors were not the only members of the board to vote for the new seal as it did pass. It is expected that the seal could begin appearing on transcripts as soon as June. It may take a little while longer to roll out completely, however. It could still be a while before it begins appearing on diplomas and other uses. ptrelinska@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
519.743.5221 ext. 214 jwestman@staebler.com STAEBLER INSURANCE BROKERS 871 Victoria St North Kitchener ON N2B 3S4 www.staebler.com
Correction In the April 1 issue of Imprint, the number of seats open for the Feds by elections was incorrect. While it was stated that there were two seats open for the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, there was, in fact, only one seat open for AHS. There were also four seats in the Faculty of Science, one seat for the School of Architecture, and one seat for Renison University College. Imprint apologizes for the error.
Opinion
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010 opinion@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
IMPRINT The University of Waterloo’s official student newspaper
Spring into something new
Friday, May 7, 2010 Vol. 33, No. 1 Student Life Centre, Room 1116 University of Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 P: 519.888.4048 F: 519.884.7800 http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca Editor-in-chief, Gina Racine 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., vacant Distribution, Sherif Soliman Volunteer co-ordinator, vacant Board of Directors board@imprint.uwaterloo.ca President, E Aboyeji president@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Vice-president, Angela Gaetano vp@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Treasurer, vacant treasurer@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Secretary, Erin Thompson secretary@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Staff liaison, Keriece Harris liaison@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Editorial Staff Assistant Editor, Adrienne Raw Head Reporter, Dinh Nguyen Lead Proofreader, Ivan Lui Cover Editor, Sonia Lee News Editor, Paula Trelinska Opinion Editor, Andrew Dodds Features Editor, Rosalind Gunn Arts & Entertainment, Felicia Rahaman Science & Tech Editor, Komal Lakhani Sports & Living Editor, Brent Golem Photo Editor, Peter Kreze Graphics Editor, vacant Web Administrator, Xiabo Liu Production Staff Bogdan Caradima, Abisade Dare, Toyin Jibowu, Tejas Koshy, Alicia Mah, Steven R. McEvoy, Jacob McLellan, Divyesh Mistry, Namish Modi, Deanna Ostafichuk, Rajul Saleh Graphics Team Armel Chesnais 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 Thursday during fall and winter terms, and every second Thursday 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. Next staff meeting: Friday, May 7 12:00 p.m. Next board of directors meeting: Monday, June 7 12:30 p.m.
editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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here comes a time in every student’s postsecondary life where a four month break occurs and a decision must be made. I’m certain that every student shares in the level of indecisiveness and sometimes frustration as to how exactly they are going to map out their plans for the spring term. With literally hundreds of different and equally interesting options, it can often be troubling trying to decide what to do during spring. Whether it’s trying out a distance ed course, traveling the globe, finding a co-op somewhere cool, or experimenting with something a little more productive like finding a full-time job, I can definitely remember a time when even I was at a crossroad. Back in my days as a student, I remember taking a distance ed course in the spring during my last term at Laurier. Have you ever registered for a specific course based solely on the fact that you liked the prof that was teaching it? Well, I have at least once. Without mentioning any specific names, I definitely remember one prof that wasn’t afraid
to hand out the occasional A. And it was during this spring term that I decided to try out a distance ed course called children’s literature. The prof that rewarded students for participation and the reading material list included Alice in Wonderland and the Jungle Book — can’t go wrong there, right? Some students are eager and treat the spring like a regular term, hoping to get one step closer to their degree. Others, like myself, would have to focus more on fundraising to ensure that the rather expensive tuition bill was paid before the second week of September. One spring term I worked as a bartender, a server, and a customer service representative in the entertainment section at Future Shop. Need I say more? But starting a new term always brings about some sort of excitement — even if it is anxietydriven excitement. You sometimes get to embark on new adventures as well, and maybe take on interesting endeavors that you never thought were possible, like writing for your campus newspaper. But getting involved in the campus newspaper isn’t just for those who wish to one day pursue a
career in journalism. Volunteering can expand your horizons on so many levels whilst improving your writing skills and encouraging you to grow socially in a networking environment. Spring term at Imprint is also a fantastic time to volunteer because we take a break from our usual hectic weekly routine and switch to a more relaxed schedule of every other week instead. Life at Imprint is different during spring just like life on campus. Even the past few weeks of exams and preterm time, in comparison to the days when I first arrived in the midst of a busy winter term, have been quiet and uneventful (if you don’t count plaza fires). Spring is fun, spring is new. Spring is the perfect opportunity to do something you ordinarily wouldn’t. Sometimes spring is a time to expect the unexpected. Who would have thought children’s lit would turn out to be theory-driven and actually somewhat difficult?
My Smirk is my Smile eaboyeji@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Maybe what we really need is frank talk
O
ver the short break, some readers have courageously walked up to me or emailed me to ask why I seem so negative and critical when I raise issues on this column. I would be the first to admit my faults; I am generally more snarky when I write. Perhaps, if you have never met me in person, you are likely to think of me as just another angry black man who gripes about everything. The fortunate truth, however, is that although I cannot claim to be the nicest person you will ever meet, I like to think of myself as a fairly decent person.
I help people when I can, do my best to keep my promises, and try to speak diplomatically, even about issues I am very passionate about, whenever it suits my purpose. But then, if I am as nice as I imagine myself to be, why the need to write so disrespectfully? Would not the typical sentence or two of criticism buried in the middle of facetious praise do? Well, the answer is no. The unfortunate truth is that snarky gets attention – and all some issues really need is attention – something a little stronger than what my more amiable friends are apt to euphemistically code “awareness.” Perhaps I should share
an instance of this situation with you. As someone very much interested and involved in the study of international development, I (and many others who pay special attention to the field) have been very well acquainted with factual evidence that shows that, benevolent as it may seem, shipping shoes, clothes and toiletry kits to crisis-enveloped developing countries like Haiti have proved highly detrimental to them. This is because the logistics of delivering these supplies which often prove unnecessary as well the detrimental effects it has on the local economies often negate any meagre benefits this form of giving could have on
the country. For this reason, many reputable international development organizations and researchers often suggest sending cash contributions instead as they are fungible and thus allow countries and organizations to adapt to changing priorities. As it turns out, a pair of business partners who are paid to wear branded corporate shirts for a living decided to use their considerable social media reach to mobilize young people from all over the first world to send one million slightly used shirts to the developing world. The project was to be called #1millionshirts. See FRANK page 8
Community Editorial Adrienne Raw
Could be worse...
assistant editor-in-chief
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ver two weeks ago, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted better-than-average growth this year, following the recent global recession. The news seemed positive. The IMF predicted a 4.2 per cent expansion of the global economy, with 3.1 per cent growth in Canada and 10 per cent growth in China. The IMF weren’t the only ones discussing the end of the recession. Many economists have claimed that the recession is over, and that it wasn’t even as bad as it was made out to be. For students like me, less than a year away from entering the workforce, this news was a relief. Mainstream media and experts seemed to
agree; the economy was recovering and we didn’t have to be nearly so afraid that we wouldn’t be able to find jobs once we graduated. Yet the IMF warned that the recovery was still at risk. The biggest threat, they said, would be a surge in government debt. This week, the IMF’s prophetic warning has become reality and students are a little more worried about their futures and the fragile stability of our economic recovery. Talk of economic bailout plans and debt reduction strategies has been so prevalent in the media that we’ve almost become inured to it. So when the debt crisis in Greece erupted into violent protests resulting in the deaths of three people, it was an abrupt reminder that everything wasn’t as stable as we’d like to think it is.
Like many countries around the world, Greece’s government is being forced to implement debt-reductions measures in an effort to avoid economic collapse. The Greek government’s plan includes wage freezes and tax rises, and it isn’t sitting well with the population. The violence in Greece is particularly worrying because it incites doubt in our own economic recovery. Is our economy really as stable as we think it is? Are we really on the road to recovery? Or are we only one government edict away from rioting in the street? Up to this point, we’ve been lucky, both as Canadians and as UW students. Yes, the global recession means governmental and institutional budget cuts. Yes, the recession means fewer co-op jobs for students.
(According to statistics posted on the CECS website, as of April 29, just over 25 per cent of co-op students had not yet found employment for this term.) And yes, students close to graduation worry about their future career opportunities. But if the situation in Greece shows us anything, it’s that our situation could be a lot worse. In comparison to many nations, including the U.S., we’re doing very well. We largely avoided the financial meltdown and corporate collapse that occurred elsewhere, and economists are predicting improved economic growth for this year and next year. We should be thankful for what we have. But we shouldn’t be complacent, because the situation is still classed as “in recovery” not “recovered.” araw@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Opinion
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010
tolerating without dictating bcaradima@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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recently took part in an intriguing debate about civil rights. The debate was provoked by the recent news that a team of hijab-wearing women had been banned from participating in a FIFA football event. While presenting the official FIFA rules that specifically banned the wearing of religious and political messages during competition, I wrote to my opponent-in-argument that no discrimination had taken place since all competing athletes were being treated according to the same rule. My opponent responded that all religious beliefs must be respected. I was caught off-guard by such a notion but not all too surprised as it constantly appears in the media, politics, and the general public. The proposition is that all religions and beliefs are equal and therefore worthy of respect. This universal respect and protection of all beliefs under the law is often described as the founding principle of “multiculturalism” and “tolerance.” This popular idea seems to be deeply rooted in the politically-correct proclamations made by every politician aspiring to public office and every journalist seeking to secure his job. As for my opponent in argument, this was the first time that I had encountered such a position and I was frankly at a loss; it was rather like encountering a mythical creature in the wild. This construct of multiculturalism and tolerance seems to be protected by a social taboo that forbids the criticism of closely held beliefs that include religion, as well as a seemingly sacred and foolish notion that all such beliefs must be respected. Returning to the debate at hand, I pointed out a few things to my opponent that I would like to impart to you, the reader. First, there is no questioning that we all have the right to freedom of religion and freedom of belief; these rights are among the foundational laws of Canadian and Western societies. As individuals, we must therefore respect other people’s right to believe what they wish. However, we do not have any obligation to respect the beliefs themselves simply because we do not respect all beliefs. As reasonable human beings, we evaluate people’s reasons for believing what they believe, and then decide whether to respect those beliefs. That is why, for example, one is perfectly free to subscribe to the Church of Scientology, but not to expect any kind of respect for the beliefs of Scientology. In response to this façade of reason, my opponent called me “intolerant” and “arrogant.” Here I must use a cliché to describe my reaction because that is precisely what happened: my jaw dropped. My opponent was essentially espousing civil freedoms in order to protect religious adherence while demanding that I believe that
all religious beliefs must be respected. I will summarize this view more clearly: “I believe that all people have the right to freedom of belief, and therefore of thought and religion. However, I deny you the right to not respect my beliefs.” The hypocrisy and arrogance was all on one side of the argument, and yet it is worth noting that this view is accepted in our social circles. Our predominant views of multiculturalism and tolerance in society have essentially been skewed by liberal interpretations, to the point where the words have lost their original meaning. Respectively, multiculturalism and tolerance now seem to be defined by cultural relativism and politically-correct appeasement of the public. To define multiculturalism as cultural relativism seems to fall into the same trap of moral relativism, a notion that denies the existence of any objective moral truths; likewise, cultural relativism fails to criticize any aspect of culture and is willing to forgive any failure of civilization short of cannibalism. To define tolerance by how it is frequently invoked in all circles of society today (that is, the politically correct appeasement of the public) is nothing more than dishonest, cowardly thinking that reeks of condescension. Under these common understandings of multiculturalism and tolerance, it is not only practically impossible to criticize another person’s religious convictions without being branded as “intolerant” or “arrogant,” but our moral values are silently weakened when we do not assert them, instead choosing to appease those who say that they are offended by our values when we do not defer to their beliefs. Undoubtedly, there will be some commentators who agree with my opponent in describing me as “intolerant;” please note that I am not rejecting multiculturalism or advocating intolerance. I am rejecting interpretations of language that are not only far too liberal, but are also frequently exploited by pious religious followers seeking respect for their beliefs. The benefits of multiculturalism are obvious and easily attested to by any Canadian; rather than rejecting a property of demographics that cannot be ignored we should explore all aspects of foreign cultures. That does not, however, imply that we are obliged to respect everything we find. As a corollary based on our Canadian values, it does follow that we should not discriminate against aspects of other cultures that we dislike. This is the essence of multiculturalism and toleration. It is this essence that we must defend by criticizing political-correctness and deference to religion wherever we find it.
talking frank equals action Continued from page 7.
Unfortunately for them, the usually docile online community of international development enthusiasts who are usually concerned being diplomatic and politically correct spoke out in rather candid terms against the idea. Their general objection was that the effort would almost entirely wipe out Africa’s textile industry, which has already lost significant ground to traders in used clothing importing from developed countries. The everlasting retinue of snarky comments, blog posts and tweets that accorded the foray in stupidity left even me, for all my assumed stolidity, a little ruffled. Nevertheless, I was happy because for the first time, after numerous awareness cam-
paigns, people seemed to very quickly getting the message; aid to countries in crisis should be cash or nothing. Perhaps, veiled criticism might have worked well instead of the confrontational snark it took to end the ill-conceived project, but I honestly doubt it would have gotten as much attention as it did. The same applies in the context of our university. The easier road might be to avoid calling out public servants who fail in their responsibility, but the sad end result is an endless feedback loop where your “private consultation” is rewarded with vague assurances rather than veritable action. The more willing we are to embrace the art of frank, even snarky, conversation, the more meaningful discourse is for all of us.
Science & Technology
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010 science@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
UW scientist sees success while suffering tragic loss
Dr. Ming Li awarded prestigious Killam Prize
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r. Ming Li knows a thing or two about facing adversity. The University of Waterloo computer scientist was recently awarded the Killam Prize, one of Canada’s most distinguished annual awards for outstanding career achievements in health sciences, engineering, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. His reward? A total of $100,000. Li’s wife tragically passed away from breast cancer last month, but Li found out he was a prize winner in time to share the news with her. “My wife was very sick at the time so I was very pleased that [I won] because I could tell her,” he said. “At the time they told me about the prize, I was very happy that I had something good to tell her. Anything good to tell her was great, it made her a little bit happier.”
Li is currently working on research in bioinLi said he is very grateful to UW for helping formatics and plans to use the prize money to foster his research. continue to further his research. “The University of Waterloo has provided the “Because of my wife’s sickness, I would like research environment for me and I’m actually to use this money very grateful,” he said. eventually to support “Also, the University The University of Wamy research in bioof Waterloo has some terloo has provided the informatics and other strategic plan of beresources, of course,” coming the innovation research environment he said. leader and I’m very Li said he is far from happy to contribute for me and I’m actually finding a cure, but he to that.” hopes to provide some Li said he feels the very grateful. research and inforrecognition was honmation to help other ourable, but he is still scientists make progress. far from his goal. “The prize is great, but the “The research community is also very far from research still has to be done.” courtesy of the Canada Council of Arts a cure, but in certain cancers it’s closer, like breast editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca Dr. Li’s work was recognized cancer,” he said. “I know that with breast cancer, there are several types of breast cancers that are with a Killam Prize in April. difficult, but [my wife’s] type was easy.”
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Gina Racine editor-in-Chief
Computing camp promotes UW
Students from around the country visit UW campus for programming camp Justin Dufour intern
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wenty-one of the smartest programmers and mathematical students from high schools across Canada are preparing to program. The University of Waterloo will host a programming and computer camp next month in preparation for the International Olympiad of Informatics (IOI). The 21 selected students proved to be the best of the 2,300 that took the exam in February at the Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science (CEMC), which was founded in 1995.
The camp will train the students in different algorithms, programming skills, and for fun, there will be a mixture of extracurricular events. At the end there will be a six-hour contest to name the top eight. This is the first year that the IOI will be held in Canada. As the host country, Canada gets to choose two teams of four: an official team and an unofficial team. The camp’s purpose is to take students from all over Canada and give them an experience they will never forget as well as visiting university they likely have never been to and may be interested in one day attending. The camp is closed off to the public. “There will be updates on the website everyday so those who are interested in what happened during the
day can just look it up,” said chair of IOI 2010, Troy Vasiga. The camp has been running for 22 years. The competition tasks are of an algorithmic nature, but the contestants must show computing skills such as problem analysis, design of algorithms, data structures, programming, and testing. The participants of the IOI are said to be some of the best young computer scientists in the world. The week of August 14 to 21 is when the actual IOI competition takes place. Teams of four from all over the world will come to Waterloo to see if they can beat Canada. RIM is sponsoring the event, but the prizes are still unknown. jdufour@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Community Editorial Waterloo Team takes first prize in environmental design competition Jane Ho 4B environmental engineering
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aterloo’s engineering team took home first prize in the 20th Environmental Design Contest held by WERC Consortium for Environmental Education and Technology Development in New Mexico this month, where teams developed innovative engineering solutions to realistic problems faced by industry and government. The Waterloo Integrated Design Engineering Team (WIDE), represented by environmental and civil engineering students Alex Chik, Saleh Elnabolsy, Jane Ho, and Emily Vance, were one of two Canadian teams present at this international competition. As part of their fourth-year project alongside system design collaborators William Rea, Jack
Ng, and Matthew Chan, the team had chosen to compete in task one (posed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration), in which they constructed a field system to siphon and concentrate micro-organisms from agricultural waters. Over the course of four days of competition at Las Cruces, Pan Am Centre, New Mexico, participating teams were judged on the basis of their technical reports, bench-scale demonstrations and oral and poster presentations. WIDE’s system (dubbed the FLAMInGO, for filtering large amounts of mucky irrigation waters, and going) distinguished itself from other teams prototypes by being lightweight, robust in application, and easy to maintain. The team’s exhaustive and countless hours at the microbiology lab paid off as they were lauded by the judges for the comprehensive and thorough analyses presented in their
technical report. In the bench-scale test, FLAMInGO processed 100L of influent over 2.5 hours, more than any other team participating in the task. Despite mishaps of lost iron rings along the way, WIDE finally edged out seven other teams (including host New Mexico State University) to win first prize, which they accepted to a rousing chorus. The team is most grateful for the invaluable guidance from their advisor Dr. Emelko, project course instructor Dr. Annable, Dr. Mesquita for all the time she spent aiding the team in the lab, and Dr. Sykes for his support. The eight months and many sleepless nights that went into the project all paid off in the end; WIDE is honoured to have competently represented Waterloo and built on the university’s international prestige by winning the competition.
Did you know... The microwave was invented by Dr. Percy Spencer. It was created sometime between 1946 – 1947. The first commercial microwave was produced in 1967, by Amana, a division of Raytheon Corporation. It was invented as a byproduct of a radar-related research project after WWII. Dr Spencer was testing a vacuum tube magnetron when he realized that the candy in his pocket melted. From then on it was a series of experimentation with popcorn kernels and eggs that led to a project called the “Speedie Weenie” project, which ultimately resulted in the creation of the microwave.
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Science & Technology
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010
Sprouting science achiang@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
How my love for food sprouted its way into the lab — and rekindled my waning love for science
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o know me is to know that I love food. I think about food all the time. I think about food when I’m eating. I think about food when I’m walking to school. I think about food when I’m sitting in class. This gives people the impression that I’m diligently taking notes on the best selection methods for isolating genetically modified E. coli mutants, when in fact, I’m actually writing up my next grocery list. At this point, you may be thinking that I have food issues. You may also be wondering how this has anything to do with science. Well, the truth is, I’ve never been very good in the lab. In my defence, I would like to attribute this to most of my labs being in the afternoon. Apparently, the hours of 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. brings out the best of my incredible capacity to have waning thoughts about preparing dinner while my TA delivers pre-lab talks. But last term, it was precisely during one of these pre-lab talks for my six-hour microbiology lab — during which I was obviously dreaming of rolling up savoy cabbage wraps with apricot tahini — that my TA mentioned something about mushrooms. Edible mushrooms. “We are not using Sabouraud agar plates today because the supply is out. Instead, we will be using potato dextrose agar to cultivate our fungi. “I know this works because my boyfriend’s brother grows his own mushrooms on PDA.” While my peers immediately, and quite understandably, started demonstrating concern over whether or not their fungi would thrive on this foreign “substitute” media, I was still
stuck on the “…grows his own mushrooms on PDA” part. Halt all thoughts of apricot tahini — and begin vivid visions of harvesting my very own succulent, fleshy portobello mushrooms on an agar plate containing potato dextrose media. Of course, when I eventually got around to wiping the drool off of my lab bench, I picked up my inoculating loop and continued with my experiment, but already it was too late. There was no going back: the seed was sown for the notion of “the Edible Hypothesis” a food-obsessed, undergraduate science student’s dream of eating her own experiments. Of course, being the lab-less science undergraduate that I am, I had to enlist the aid of higher powers: lab-savvy senior undergrads and grad students. After some probing around and some pitching of ideas, I met several students who made me realize that, in fact, science can be mildly entertaining. (But nonetheless entertaining. Entertainingly edible.) Meet Billy Martin. Martin is a masters student in Dr. Bols’ biology lab whose main work deals with investigating the effects of carbon nano-tubes (CNT) on plant growth. To test the effects, he injects carbon nano-tube solution into “mini-wells” on a plate containing 96 of them — and then grows sprouts in the wells. Allow me to interject for a moment here and describe to you the awesomeness of sprouts. Not only are sprouts a deliciously crisp and refreshing addition to salads and wraps, they are also highly nutritious. Harvested at the peak of germination, sprouts represent an excellent source of high quality plant-based protein (the
Jar with sprouting seeds and accompanying it are 96 mini-well plate.
Photos by Aletheia Chiang
Sprouts after 48 hours of incubation at 26 degrees C. best kind, in my opinion), fibre, anti-oxidants, and of course, live enzymes. They are also rich in vitamins and minerals. For this article, Billy agreed to grow the “negative control” performed for his typical experiment. A negative control is an experiment that is expected to yield a negative result, confirming the absence of any unrelated weirdness, for example, contaminated growth medium that might affect the outcome of what you actually want to test. It is usually run alongside the “experimental” condition. In this case, Billy followed the same protocol to grow sprouts, only replacing CNT solution with distilled water. See right for instructions on how he did it. What’s the verdict on this week’s “edible hypothesis?” Negative. When asked whether he would eat his own negative control sprouts, Martin replied: “I probably wouldn’t eat those. Since we don’t fully know what the effects of carbon nanotubes are on living things, and since the negative controls are incubated alongside some other funky CNT-containing stuff, I wouldn’t risk it.” “In fact,” said Martin, “I wouldn’t eat anything from the tox lab.” Martin may not have plans to set up his own sprouts bar in the Bols lab any time soon, but I can’t help but wonder: what would happen if we took out all that “funky stuff ” from the incubator, and then tried to make “clean” and thus edible sprouts? I guess that’s another experiment
for another time or, perhaps more accurately, another thought for another pre-lab talk.
To watch the making of this week’s Edible Hypothesis, check out: lafillenaturelle.wordpress. com/t-e-h
MATERIALS • • • • •
A sterile 96 mini-well plate Pak choy seeds for sprouting (alternatively, one may use seeds of broccoli, alfalfa, etc.) A 100 μl micropipette Distilled water in a beaker A temperature- and humidity-controlled incubator set at 26 °C
APPARATUS • • • •
Place one seed into each of the 96 mini-wells. Micropipette in 100 ul of distilled water into each of the seeded 96 mini-wells. Parafilm the plate to avoid moisture loss. Incubate the plate in the temperature- and humidity-controlled incubator (set at 26 °C) for two days. Place in sunlight.
Features
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010 features@imprint.uwaterloo.ca E Aboyeji staff reporter
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What ’s your SECRET?
Rosalind Gunn
Post Secret’s Frank Warren comes to town, Waterloo students share their deepest secrets
hat is your crazy idea?” That was the challenge Frank Warren, founder of world famous blog Post Secret, posed to a room full of mostly University of Waterloo students at a highly anticipated speaking event penultimate May 4. At the speaking event organized by the Arts Student Union, with the help of the Federation of Students and the Arts Endowment Fund, Frank Warren, who has been aptly re-named the most trusted stranger in America, spoke at the Hagey Hall theatre about his journey with Post Secrets from its early days as a community art project to its present status of global acclaim as one of the world’s most popular with over a million visits per week. According to Warren, Post Secret started in 2004 as a community art project that seemed crazy at first. The idea was simple: to get 3,000 total strangers in the Washington D.C area where he lived and worked to jot a secret they had never previously revealed on four by six inch postcards and then anonymously mail it to Warren’s Maryland home. Over six years, these 3,000 plus post cards and even more were returned to his mail box; first in trickles of a couple a week and then in floods of over 200 a week. Today it has become necessary for Warren to secure a much larger mail box as he receives over 1,000 secrets a week. Every Sunday, Warren selects only 10 of the thousands of postcards of secrets he receives and posts it at postsecret.blogspot. com. Warren told the crowd that he was inspired to begin sharing these secrets with his ever increasing web audience because of a particular post secret that was sent to him. The post secret in this respect had the picture of a wooden door that had been forcefully dented by an abusive parent. This post secret reminded him of similar circumstances in his own life and brought him to the realization that even he was in fact struggling with certain secrets in his own life. According to him, he had “thought he was keeping a secret, but the secret was keeping him.” Sharing secrets with people all over the world has helped him understand that his project not only had the potential to relieve the sender of an emotional burden by providing an open environment for revealing secrets, but that it could also positively impact readers who may consciously or subconsciously share the same problems, fears, or concerns. Amidst other issues Warren touched on in his talk, he seemed particularly confident about the power of the web to bring millions of strangers together through free web tools, innovations and technologies. Warren also spoke about the light Post Secret has shone on mental health issues, especially with respect to eating disorders and suicides. Expressing surprise that media in general has an overemphasis on secrets relating to crimes like murder or terrorism, it turns out that many of the secrets are often about eating disorders, self-harm, and suicides. He also spoke about his advocacy and fundraising efforts for mental health and suicide prevention institutes. Before Warren ended his talk, he showed the audience some post secrets that had been banned from the book compilations of them. There was also an opportunity for people in the audience to share their secrets with the crowd and on postcards that had been handed to them before and during the event. At the end of the event, in an Oprah-style announcement, one in seven lucky attendees were given free copies of Warren’s latest Post Secret book; Confessions on Life, Death and God, courtesy of the student organizers. Mr. Warren was also on hand to sign the books after the event. According to Nikki Best, who had organized the event in her capacity as Vice-President Academic of the Arts Student’s Association (she is currently Vice-President Internal of the Federation of Students), “some people cried and some people laughed and it was a really close emotional event for everyone.” Thankfully, not all the secrets collected before and during the event went through the ears of the audience or to Frank Warren’s mailbox. The Arts Student Union is currently in talks with the Office for Persons with Disabilities and the Counselling Services Office to do something creative with the secrets. eaboyeji@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
What are you up to this summer? Justin Dufour intern
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ith the winter term passing, many students have returned to school for the spring, while some have decided to pursue other options. Ultimately it raises the question, what are your plans for the spring term? At the University of Waterloo there are several different avenues that students can explore. There are a variety of co-op opportunities and job placements, as well as the chance to study abroad. After speaking to a few UW students about their plans for the spring term, it’s evident that most are either working, or heading on co-op. Peter Gleason, a second year history major,
said that he will be working at Home Depot. Another student that will be working on his own is Conor Brennan. Brennan’s summer plans include working at a grocery store, and possibly a restaurant. He would also like to travel to Europe, and if possible not to study abroad, but simply for pleasure/leisure. Brennan is studying political science. Derek Cranshaw is one of the 17 per cent of students who are currently in a co-operative education program for political science. “I am working at VN Instruments,” Cranshaw said. “I will be working in an Ultra Sonics plant.” Cranshaw found this co-op job on his own time. “It was not that hard to find, you just have to not give up,” he said. Included is a small number of students,
and if more students would have been asked, there could have been a number of different unexplored variables. However, it seems that a vast majority of students take the summer to work, and make some money for the upcoming academic year. That leads to the question of why don’t more students wish to travel overseas to study during the spring term? Perhaps it is because winter term is typically the time of the year when most students go to school. What is important is that regardless if you are involved in a co-op or not, with a little bit of research and some patience you can definitely find yourself something interesting to participate in for the summer months. Different students have different plans for the spring/summer. For those who do not yet have
plans for the term, looking at UW’s website may be a good place to start. It has in-depth information about co-op placements and jobs. Head to www.uwaterloo.ca and if you go to services, you will find Co-operative Education and Career Services. This would be the place to go if you are having trouble finding a co-op placement. Also along the left-hand side of the page you will find information about prospective employers. There are different methods to get a co-op job, but one of the easiest would be setting up a profile in Jobmine and doing research on your own time, as well as allowing the CECS to assist you. If you are having a tough time do not forget to ask for help from the CECS. Whatever you are doing, enjoy your spring term.
Features
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010
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We’re looking for ward to getting back on our feet as quickly as possible, but I think it’s going to be from between eight to 12 months. — Jerry Smith, Mel`s Owner
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Left: Former Mel`s employee Tara, dressed in the older style uniform, getting set up for another big day. The uniform mirrors those worn by waitresses in the 1976 television series Alice where the original Mel`s Diner first appeared. Top right: Jerry Smith and now wife Angela Wood Smith enjoying a milk shake during the early years of Mel`s. Middle right: Mel`s sign was still hanging after the fire which destroyed six business, and left many unemployed. Bottom Right: An Elvis impersonator serenading a former employee on her birthday at the ‘50s diner. Mel’s Diner early days photos courtesy Jerry Smith Mel’s sign photo courtesy Andrew Kasurak
After the Ashes: Then, now, and the future of Mel’s Diner Dinh Nguyen Head Reporter
“A
t 6:30 in the morning on Thursday, April 22, I got a phone call from the manager Dulce. She had to park her car at the corner of Phillip and Columbia in one of the RIM building parking lots. She was running, screaming and crying ‘the building is on fire you have to come in now;’ and she hadn’t even seen the building yet. I started getting ready, I jumped out of bed, I’m getting dressed, I’m on my way in, I’m thinking another blip in the back room. But by the time I got in the car she called me back and said ‘it’s gone.’ She was crying and screaming and yelling ‘it’s gone, it’s all gone.’ And I, I just went cold and blank, I just couldn’t believe it. The emotions, there are no emotions for that; your whole life is gone in two hours. Fifteen years of commitment, and memories. Gone,” said Jerry Smith, owner of the recently demolished Mel’s Diner as he fidgeted with his fingers. He then laughed and added “And I don’t think — I still don’t believe it. I’m pretty stubborn that way, the whole thing is [literally] in the dumpster and I’m still waiting to go back to work.” While Smith waits to go back to work, many have been anxiously awaiting news of the future of Mel’s. At least four Facebook groups have been created to show support for Mel’s, with the largest one yielding 8,200 members. Among them are three variants of the name “RIP Mel’s Diner” and a group titled “Bring Mel’s back!” Since the fire, members of these groups have gathered on Facebook to share news about the fire and when Mel’s is expected to make a comeback. They also came together to express sentiments and flashbacks of experiences they had while the building was still erect. The Campus Court Plaza fire may have destroyed six businesses, but from within its ashes, a message was clear: Mel’s Diner was more than a restaurant. “For the last 15 years, I feel like I’ve been standing in the forest looking for the trees, if that makes sense,” said Smith. “You get up in the morning and go to work, cooking breakfast for people, or burgers, or otherwise, dealing with situations that comes up - somebody not showing up for work, or fixing the washroom sink - you forget what you really are doing there. If nothing else, those [in memory of Mel’s] Facebook groups brought [community] to the forefront. The fact that we had such a long tradition of people starting their
school career with Mel’s Diner as part of their experience… you realize then what you are doing here. Realistically, it’s a restaurant, a ‘50s diner, but more than that it’s a second home for students who are away from their own homes. We had Facebook attention from people all over the world — people that went to the University of Waterloo and Laurier and Mel’s is one of the first places they ever went, or they frequented. “ Since its debut in 1995, Mel’s kept an interactive relationship with many members of the university community. Every fall Smith gave a giant offsite breakfast for UW Orientation Week leaders and first year students at V1 green. After the famous Orientation Week toga parties, leaders can be spotted celebrating at Mel’s. Many members of the arts and science faculties have made it an Orientation Week tradition. According to Smith, students can be expected to show up as late as 5 a.m. at the end of frosh week. While, if given the chance, Smith intends to rekindle the V1 offsite breakfast, 2010 Orientation leaders are out of luck. Mel’s Campus Court Plaza location will not be back in operation in time for this fall’s Orientation Week. Originally Smith told CTV News that the diner was expected to be back in business within six months. However, after re-evaluating the situation, the plan has changed. “We’re looking forward to getting back on our feet as quickly as possible, but I think it’s going to be from between eight to 12 months,” said Smith. “It’s all contingent on city codes and, because [the Mel’s loft] was built 20 years ago, codes have changed so severely. Getting current with new buildings is part of a process. Twenty years ago there weren’t any provisions for the [physically impaired]. Thankfully there are, but the original drawings don’t permit for that, so we have to have the property redrawn and redesigned. Then we can build.” Smith suspects that it will take at least three or four months just for planning and designing. In the meantime, he is spending time looking into new location possibilities for another Mel’s Diner. The new diner will not replace the original Mel’s. Instead, it will be like a franchise. Smith hopes to eventually own five or six of these and is confident that competition will be no match for the name Mel’s has made for itself. However, as the demolished Mel’s is expected to be rebuilt, the new Mel’s may be more inconvenient for student to access. On the bright side, when it is finally rebuilt, students can expect an upgraded facility. With the original diner gone, many have speculated that there is an opportunity for renovation. Smith is adamant about maintain-
ing the original Mel’s atmosphere. “It’s up to the landlord, but I’m hoping it will be a bit bigger. Maybe an extra 15 feet for the dining room, but it should feel and look the same as before, because that’s what made people comfortable, put people at ease, allow people to enjoy themselves and feel like they’re in a nostalgic environment, “ he said. “A lot of people won’t even recognize the difference [from the old diner] if I have my way with it. The back of the house will be a little bigger to accommodate a catering component that I want to add. It will also allow us to be quicker with orders.” Smith has also managed to salvage a lot of the original store decorations. Among them are a great numbers of posters, the bar stools, and the counter frame. The God Father Wall of Fame, a tribute to people who managed to finish Mel’s six patties, 48 ounce burger by themselves, was also intact. Aside from structural changes, Smith also hopes to update the current Mel’s menu. “The new menu will be a really nice blend of what people are familiar with and some healthy choices, he said. “I’d also like to do a daily quiche.” Poutine, nachos, and guacamole also may make it onto the new menu. Of course, many dishes from the old menu will also be available. These will include the popular Mel’s Special (two eggs, bread, home fries, and ham or sausages) and favourites like the God Father and the Easy Rider (The Easy Rider is a burger that is only half the size of the God Father). If possible, Mel’s will also be bringing back their old employees— the waitresses and kitchen staff that many people on the Facebook groups have missed. According to Smith, currently many of Mel’s former employees have founds jobs, but he will still welcome them if they want to come back. For those fire victims that haven’t been so lucky, members of the local community have put together fundraisers in their support. Encore Inspired Casual Cuisine held an event on April 30 to raise money for the unemployed. A bank account has also been set up in TD Bank for people who wish to donate. Unfortunately, as supportive as people are, they may also be others who wish to gain from the tragedy. A link for T-shirt sales with the message “This Rise Again Mel’s Diner Memorial Shirt is being sold on Cafe Press - profits will be donated to funds for those directly affected by the fire I’ve just bought mine! Do your part!” was posted on the “RIP Mel’s Diner 2010” Facebook group by the group’s creator on April 23. The identity of the group’s creator is unknown. When questioned by members of the group and by
Smith about the legitimacy of the donation claim, and the identity of the salesperson, no responses were received. “I heard about it and a few days later I looked into it. As far as I could tell somebody is just capitalizing on the situation. It’s not my logo on the shirt,” said Smith. Though Smith did not endorse the shirt sales, he expressed that even if the sales were legitimately for donations he wouldn’t be promoting it. When Imprint contacted Café Press, they had no information about the donation and had no way of contacting the merchant, as he did not leave any contact information or name on his storefront. There wasn’t even an email or message option. Café Press was not able to release private customer information that was not left on the merchant storefront. The shirt, which read “Mel’s Diner. Like a Phoenix- Eggs will rise again,” does not seem to be promoted elsewhere. An intensive web search using the link information and shirt phrasing on lead to “RIP Mel’s Diner 2010” and Café Press. Anyone who wishes to make donations is advised to use the TD Canada bank account. Those who wish to show support for Mel’s and have not already done so, should join the Facebook groups as Smith and many of the employees (post and pre fire) are on there. People who can’t wait to see Mel’s employees back at the restaurant can expect them to come back changed — at least in attire that is. While explaining the motivation to create the diner in the first place, Smith gave hints about future plans. “I certainly can’t lay claim to the idea of an all-American diner, or restaurant, or any of it. We may have thrown together some major components that were influenced by Alice, [like] the uniforms prior to the ones we have, we might bring those back, but the actual idea of Mel’s Diner came from a lot of different places we just managed to put it together from a combination of what people want. The uniform, inspired by the 1976 television show Alice, was a long pink dress-like blouse. Alice was the first time in history where the name Mel’s Diner appeared. Today there are Mel’s Diners all over the world. Before Mel’s Diner, there was Mel’s drive-through, a chain of restaurants that started in 1943 and founded in San Francisco. Before the resurrection of the Campus Court Plaza Mel’s Diner, let us remember the original Waterloo Mel’s Diner, a place that provided us with 15 years of bacon and eggs, as well as 15 years of community. With the new diner, let the traditions live on. dnguyen@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Features
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010
Europe 101
Y
ou know those people who dream that they will one day embark on a crazy adventure that will change their lives? That’s me, and this summer I am going to Europe. First off, a bit of background information, I have been to Europe before however I never planned my own trip, and I have never gone on my own. For years I have wanted to embark on a trip like this. However I always found excuses not to go. Then, last winter, I bought an airplane ticket to Edmonton to go to the Canadian University Press (CUP) conference. I was all set and ready to go, and then two days before my flight, I blew my nose and popped my ear drum. All it took was one trip to the hospital later and I was unable to fly. I went to the travel agency from where I bought my ticket and was left with a free airplane ticket which had to be used within one year of being issued. My itinerary came about slowly, and has been subject to constant change. Many of these changes were based on whether other people would be able to go with me, or if I would be able to meet them, or if I had the money to go to those places. This is one of the first mistakes I made. I was unsure of what I wanted to see so I couldn’t plan my trip properly.
Things only started falling into place really late and we have yet to see the consequences. I did a lot of stuff last minute, including bookings for hostels and trains, and this means I probably did not find the best deals. The finalized plan is to stay in London from May 3 to 6 and then go by train to Paris. I will stay in Paris from May 6 to May 11, after which I will take an overnight train and get to Venice on May 12. Then I will stay in Venice until May 17 and take another train to Florence and stay there until May 22. On May 22 I will take my last train to Rome and leave Italy to come back to Canada on May 24. Now this is the scary part, the financing for the trip. Prior to this I had the opportunity to work on a couple of different jobs and I had managed to save up quite a bit of money. However, my costs are quite high, even with those jobs. The stay in different hostels alone costs roughly $550. My train tickets will cost roughly $600, and my airplane ticket was $630. (My airplane ticket was originally $730, but I got it reduced, because I got an International Student Identity Card (ISIC)). The card has additional benefits, with the rest of my budget, such as paying reduced fare at certain museums and on transportation. Oh, and that airplane ticket I was supposed to use to go to CUP with my ISIC, it was cheaper to buy a new Air Transat ticket instead of using the Air Canada to go to Europe. All that’s left to say is: London, here I come. bpetrescu@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
I
’m currently sitting on a bench in Pearson International Airport, near gate 177 to be specific, waiting for my flight to Heathrow Airport in London. My heart started thumping as soon as I walked into the airport and I want to share every moment of excitement that I could by writing about it. Hi, my name is Clara Shin and I just finished my first year at the University of Waterloo. As many of you know, if you go to the University of Waterloo and are in a co-op program, the concept of having a summer “off ” is a very far-fetched one. Since summer 2010 will be my first and last one while I am in university, I wanted to make the most out of it by traveling to a place I have never been before: Europe. Although I would not like to admit it, I’ve lived a much protected life as a teenager. I have traveled to over eight different countries all at my parents’ expense and under their care. This summer, however, I’ve decided to break away from my sheltered lifestyle and savour every moment of freedom in an unfamiliar continent. Just the thought of traveling to a foreign continent on my own enthralled me. I want to experience a broader range of culture, social scenes, people, and other aspects of life in a way that I have never experienced and hopefully prove that it is possible to travel across Europe with style as a university student with financial constraints. My solution to this problem was Contiki. Contiki is a tour guide company for people between 18 to 35 years of age giving people
the chance to travel across Europe at a discounted group price. As much I would have found a short backpacking excursion very exciting, I have decided to travel with Contiki because I felt that it is safer to travel with a group. Many might wonder if this method of travelling is very expensive and restrictive. On the contrary, the tour includes all accommodations, breakfasts and some lunch and dinner as well as some activities such as wine and cheese tasting. I paid $3,049 for a 27 day tour which I believe is a reasonable price, considering the cost of living is in Europe. In addition, I’m given the freedom to travel to any location if I wanted without having to follow the tour group all the time. Furthermore, I will get to venture around the main cities in Europe with young people all over the world who share the same passion as I do: exploring the unknown. Some of the major places that are included in the itinerary are London, Paris, Beaujolais Wine Region, Barcelona, French Riviera, Monaco, Florence, Rome, Vatican City, Venice, Vienna, Munich, Austrian Tyrol, Liechtenstein, Swiss Alps, Rhine Valley, and Amsterdam. Each column will feature my first-hand experience in a specific country or region. For the duration of my stay in Europe I will be writing and posting pictures on my personal blog as well. If you want to check out my blog, go to nerdinheels.blogspot.com for pictures and blog posts. As much as I’m excited for this adventure, I am kind of nervous. Exploring new parts of the world that I still yet had to marvel will be eye opening and perhaps help me get out of my comfort zone. cshin@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Follow Imprinters Clara Shin and Bogdan Petrescu as they travel through various countries in Europe this summer. Check our website for updates at www.imprint.uwaterloo.ca. no more Ships in the Night
W
aterloo has some of the most intelligent young people of any university in Canada, but you’d never realize it by walking around campus. Nods or smiles from passing strangers are rare at best, and spontaneous conversations are at risk of extinction. Awkward silence and averted eyes cast a shadow over a land of opportunity. What a shame. At Waterloo you can meet future millionaires, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, accountants, engineers, and business moguls. You can make professional contacts that last a lifetime. But until someone makes the effort to start a conversation, you’d never know. So allow me to break the silence. My name is Ivan Merrow, and I want to help you build a network that can make all your dreams come true. Network Now is about getting your professional network started. Today. Right now. Networking is about meeting new people, and about building relationships. If you want the freedom to be able to determine your own career path, this column is for you. If you are satisfied letting other people have control of your future, you might as well stop reading right now and flip straight to the crossword. Networking is not a passive activity. It takes a constant effort to get to know new people wherever you go, but it is ultimately worth it. I don’t care if you want to be a registered nurse, a software developer, a rocket scientist or a prostitute. Networking will help you get the career you want and create opportunities you never thought existed. That being said, great networks don’t happen overnight. Networking isn’t about getting 500 more Facebook friends or Twitter followers that you will never talk to. Collecting friends like rocks on a beach will get you something
imerrow@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
just as useful – a bag full of rocks. What your network needs to be is a vibrant garden: a variety of quality relationships that have taken time and effort to develop. With time and care your network can grow to accommodate future friends, co-workers, business partners and clients. They will help connect you with opportunities to accomplish your goals. Sounds exciting, right? Here’s how to get started. Start by learning more about the people around you, and find out how you can help them. Ask questions. Once people realize you can help them win at the game of life, they are eager to help you get ahead. As an added bonus, every time you help someone succeed it is your network that improves. It is no secret why politicians fill powerful positions with friends and allies – keeping their friends down only keeps them down. Also, helping people doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it can be as simple as a word of encouragement or a sincere congratulation after a job well done. Help people realize their goals and they will find ways to reward you. Key take away point: building a network isn’t about business cards, it is about relationships. Don’t let Waterloo’s future superstars pass you by like ships in the night.
IMPRINT The University of Waterloo’s official student newspaper
HAVE A STORY IDEA? EMAIL FEATURES@IMPRINT.UWATERLOO.CA
Arts & Entertainment
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010 arts@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Songwriters get ready for finals By Gina Racine editor-in-chief
L
ocal songwriters are preparing for a talent competition that could change their lives. The Grad House will soon play host to the final rounds of a songwriting competition that began in February. Singer/songwriter Robbie Hancock, owner of RJ Entertainment, is co-ordinating the contest that seeks songwriters from the University of Waterloo and beyond. “Contestants sign up with an entry form and they are allowed to enter between one and three songs,” Hancock said of the entry rules. The competition has been running every Tuesday night at the Grad House on campus since the contest began. “Contestants performed in front of a panel of judges,” he explained. “We (had) between five and eight competitors usually per week, in which the top two competitors from each week go through to the semi-finals.” In total there will be 10 semi-finalists on two semi-final nights, for a total of 20. They will then be narrowed down to 10 for the final. “For the finals, everyone is competing for $1,500,” said Hancock of the first place prize put up by Wellington and Grad House general manager Rose Vogt. The second place prize is a five-song EP mixed, mastered and engineered by DSP studios. “The artist will get an EP CD,” Hancock said. The songwriters are judged on their composition, originality, melody and lyrics, said Hancock. According to Hancock, the competition is a way to help future songwriters have the ability to marry art and commerce together. “A lot of young artists don’t really know how to promote themselves properly or have the means to do so. That’s part of what I’m trying to do,” he said. Although this is the first year for the contest on campus, Hancock says he intends to continue it in the future. “(People) can enter next year and we will probably be starting around February or March,” he said. The semi-finals will be held on May 4 and May 11. The winner will be selected at the May 18 finale. All performances will be held at the Grad House at 6 p.m. Those interested in attending are encouraged to check it out, free of charge, as there is no cover to get in. “I just want to get the word out and see if I can get more students to come and check it out,” Hancock said. For more information about the contest, visit www.rjentertainment.ca. editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
The Kobo: good choice or a no-go? By Steven R. McEvoy staff reporter
F
adrienne raw
MURAL UNVEILED: The SLC’s new mural, unveiled above Brubakers’ on May 5, was conceived as a way of bringing students together and creating public art for the SLC. UW students Rachel Small and Veronica Diaz Garduno began organizing the creation of the mural during the winter term of 2010. The design was created by a group of students during a brainstorming session early in the term. Maca Suazo, a fourth year fine arts student, was the artist that sketched out the final design on canvas. Once the design was completed, students took over the painting of the mural. The final result is a colourful collaboration showcasing UW’s creative spirit.
or a few weeks I had the opportunity to take the new Kobo eReader for a test drive and put it through its paces. The Kobo device is a cheaper, slimmer, and sleeker version of an Amazon Kindle being launched by the Canadian company this spring. Set to hit markets in early May, Kobo is one of the largest retailers in the world as far as eBook productions go, supplying Chapters-Indigo in Canada, sales through Borders south of the border, and a large share of the Asian market. Kobo has been in the EPUb market for a few years now and supports an open format eBook that is purchasable and transferable to a variety of existing devices. You can put your books on your Blackberry, Mac, PC, or nearly any other device. Now they have entered into the hardware market with a dedicated eBook reader. The Kobo eReader comes in at around 220g, in a variety of colours and different skins. It also comes pre-loaded with 100 eBooks. Their eReader has the lowest price tag on a dedicated eReader; it is intended to be an entry-level device to get you hooked on the idea of eBooks. It is lighter, smaller and more versatile than most of its competitors. The Amazon Kindle supports its dedicated format and PDF, but you must download via USB or 3G. See EREADER, page 16.
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Arts & Entertainment
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010
Kobo eReader; bang or bust? Features
Kobo eReader
Amazon Kindle 2
300
Sony Reader Touch Edition
Price
$149 CDN
$259USD
$199USD
$299USD
Colours
Porcelain, Custom
White
Blue, Rose, Silver
Silver, Black, Rose
Device Size
183mmx119mm
203mmx127mm
159mmx108mm
175mmx121mm
Thickness
10mm
19mm
13mm
11mm
Weight
221g
292g
227g
227g
Diagonal Display Size
6: E Ink
6” E Ink
5” E Ink
6” E Ink
Screen Grey Scale Level
8 Levels
16 Levels
8 Levels
8 Levels
Memory
1 GB
2GB
400 MB
440 MB
Memory (No. of books)
up to 100
1500
250
200
Memory Expansion
Yes
No
No
Yes
Expandable to
4GB
NA
NA
16GB
Font Sizes
5
6
3
5
Choice of Fonts
Yes (2)
No
No
No
Pre-Loaded Content
100 Free eBooks
Limited Exerpts
No
No
File Formats
ePub, PDF, Adobe, DRM
AWZ for library and PDF
ePub, BBeB, PDF, TXT, RTF, DOC, Adobe DRM
ePub, BBeB, PDF, TXT, RTF, DOC, Adobe DRM, MP3
Connectivity
USB, Bluetooth
USB, 3G
USB
USB
Audio
No
Yes
No
Yes
Text to Speech
No
Yes
No
No
Built in Dictionary
No
Yes
No
Yes
Courtesy of koboereader.com
Continued from page 15.
The Sony eReaders support a slew of formats but only connect via USB. Over the last 10 years I have used a number of devices to read eBooks, and I confess, I am a bibliophile and do love having real books made from paper in my hands. But this device was different. It was the first eReader I have used that I could picture myself using as a dedicated device, and as my primary reading source. I have used a few generations of the Sony eReaders, and for a few years used a Sony Clie as an eReader while riding the bus daily to and from UW. I have played with the Kindle and read books on the PC, laptop, or tablet for years. In all of that experience I would have to say the most pleasurable was the Kobo. It was easy on the eyes, comfortable in the hand, and convenient to carry around. The
quilted back made it much easier on the hands than any other eReader I have ever used. I held it for close to eight hours straight the first night I had it, and read Christopher Moore’s Bite Me on it in three sittings. During the time I had the demo model, I used it exclusively for reading, and let over 30 people play with it. They were all amazed at the functionality and ease of use. Combining the Kobo with Calibre software, I was able to convert some older eBooks I had and drop them on the device with no issues. The ability to re-size the font on the fly was nice. At one point I had been up over 20 hours and was waiting for a plane to arrive. Being tired, I bumped the font up a size and continued reading with less strain on my eyes. The next morning I bumped it back down and continued with the book. I had the device out of the box and in less
than five minutes had installed the software (from the device) and synced some of my own eBooks for reading. But even with all of that, are there some drawbacks to the Kobo? Yes, there are a few. It only has a six-inch screen and the Kindle DX has a nine-inch screen. You cannot search your library, or sort the books any other way than author or title. You cannot create sub-folders or groupings, but the people at Kobo did mention this is under development. It does not have a dictionary or Wi-Fi so you cannot look up something immediately. It is a little slower at turning pages or opening your own eBooks over its native Kobo books, but not enough to be a hindrance. On the plus side, it is the cheapest of the eReaders on the market that use eInk technology.
It is the most comfortable to hold and use. It is easy to manage the library and add or remove books. It is small, light and fun to play with. There was not a person who tried it that did not think it was not only functional, but at the price point, a great option. After playing with it for a few weeks am I convinced? Maybe I could see myself going to it as my primary source for fiction reading. Could I see myself using it as my textbook? No. Some of the other features in other eReaders make them more promising for school. Do I want one? Definitely. As someone who works full-time in IT, I often have the opportunity to play with new technology, devices or applications. This eReader blew away my expectations. For more information about the Kobo reader, visit www.koboereader.com.
Arts & Entertainment
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010
White Cat Holly Black Simon & Schuster
Steven R. McEvoy staff reporter
Holly Black is fast becoming one of my favourite female authors; I now rank her with Terry Tempest Williams, Madeleine L’Engle
Bite Me Christopher Moore William Morrow
Steven R. McEvoy staff reporter
The first Christopher Moore book I read was Bloodsucking Fiends. It is the first book in his Love Story series and one of four set in
The Strumbellas The Strumbellas
courtesy of Megan Ward
The Song Tree
The Strumbellas self-titled debut album should make you, as their first song on the album, Indiana, proclaims “cry just a little bit.” However, it is a cry of joy, not of sorrow. Mentioned by many different media outlets as a band to watch, it is no wonder. Their calming country rock style with original lyrics is a sure surprise. From the moment Indiana begins to play, you are transported to the past where songs were more than just bumpin’ and grindin’. A time when “emo” meant more than just someone with way too much eyeliner on and a desperate need for a haircut. The music feels like an interesting blend of country rock with a bit of their own style of indie put in for good measure. The way their album plays feels like a journey through the life of someone who is living in Indiana and is reminiscing about the past. It is a neat concept to tell a story, whether this was the intention or not is irrelevant. Whether you play each song as a standalone story, or believe they are tied together, you will feel something. Borrowing from a very prominent Canadian song writer and artist, Neil Young, their songs stay away from the usual country lyrics which typically either follow a truck or tractor, or some unfortunate fight who has left someone with a broken heart, and gives the listener something much more. The album seems to try and breathe a point of view in to the listener, as if it was saying, “I may be country, but I am still full of surprises.” The album is short with only five songs, making you wish for more but each song does play originally, prolonging the experience.
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and Kathy Shaidle. Her works are dark, witty, and sublime. Her created world is believable and compelling, and something about every one of her books I have read has touched something deep and sometimes dark within myself. Black has a way of drawing the reader into her world that makes you become a part of it. While reading White Cat, I dreamed about it, and found myself reflecting upon it, and the alternate reality it presents again and again. I cannot get the story out of my head, and to be honest I do not want to. Not since reading Madeleine L’Engle’s books about a decade ago has an author’s words and worlds impacted me so completely from a fictional novel. The story is set in an alternate reality to our own, except instead of just booze being banned during Prohibition, so is magic, or ‘working’ as it becomes known as. Though the ban on booze was lifted, the ban on magic was not. The story is set in a time very close to our own where most people wear gloves for fear of
being touched or ‘worked’ by one with the gift. People either fear that they have the ability, or that they don’t, and are just ‘normal’. Our hero, Cassel, comes from a family of workers. They are not one of the controlling crime families, much like a magic mafia, but a family with certain skills and powers. He is the only one without them, and as such he always feels on the outside. Cassel finds himself outside his own family because he does not have the gift, and is not fully part of their plans, and on the outside at school because he comes from a family of workers. Cassel who wants to be a normal boy in high school, killed his best friend four years ago, even though he doesn’t remember doing it. He only remembers her body and his family cleaning up the mess for him. Cassel’s problems start when he sleepwalks and nearly falls off the roof of his school dorm. He then realizes all the pieces of his life, via his memories, do not fit together right. He begins to wonder if he has been worked. He has a lot
to figure out and not a lot of time to do it, and even less people he can trust. Cassel is a strong character, troubled, and in a tight spot, but someone who is working to resolve their issues and trying to do the right thing. He is someone you grow to respect and appreciate, someone you would want as your friend. The story is well written and the world Black has created is enthralling. Black leads us down a path where magic, the fey, and the country witch develop into mainstays in our culture, not just things trifling at the sides. Though their practice and arts are against the law, many still use them, for both good and bad. Where charms and protection are needed, they cannot always to be trusted. As Black writes about the curse workers, you will fall under her charm and be captivated by her writings, and maybe be a little worked to love her and her books. As a side note, two other books are planned in the series – Red Glove and Black Heart.
and around San Francisco. I absolutely loved it. When I reached the end of book two, You Suck, I literally wanted to throw it across the room - I hated the ending so much. Bite Me completely redeems this series beyond all expectations. The fourth book, set in the bay area, is A Dirty Job, and though a great story deserving of a squeal, it overlaps with this trilogy with a number of characters and places. All are worth reading, but I don’t think this book should be read as a standalone. Bite Me continues a few months after You Suck. Abby von Normal is still running around desiring to become a vampire with her boyfriend, Stephen Fooman. But all hell breaks loose in the bay area. Vampire cats are eating all the street people and others. Their horde is growing and appears unstoppable. Jodi and Tommy are freed from their bronze encasement, but Tommy has lost his mind while encased in bronze and
is now missing. To make matters worse, a dark ship arrives in the bay with three ancient vampires who have come to clean up the mess. Moore states on his website that he wanted to write horror books. But people kept laughing at what he wrote, so he decided to write humour. He does indeed write with a bent humour and a very skewed look at life, and in this book he lives through a number of different characters’ eyes. The book is written as a series of first person narratives. Each character tells their experience of the events, so the story jumps time to time from person or storyline. Yet it all remains a complete and fluid composite whole. When you finish reading you feel satisfied, and like anyone who has eaten too much, maybe a little sleepy. The book proceeds at a break neck pace, and you find yourself not wanting to put it down. Bite Me does a great job of tying up the story
lines from both the first and second books in the series. This book is witty, whimsical and somewhat sublime. Moore’s humour is not for all readers, but if you like Douglad Coupland, Chuck Palahniuk or Irvine Walsh you will enjoy this humorous presentation of the other side of the coin. Moore is an excellent writer and his 11 previous books have garnered him a huge and loyal following. Anyone I have introduced to his writings has fallen in love with them. I even have a friend who is currently rereading all of Moore’s works in chronological order to experience the growth in Moore as a writer. As such, Bite Me is definitely a pinnacle in Moore’s canon of literature. It is full of characters you will love and jokes you might even laugh out loud at.
Indiana is an interesting opening song. It is a very soul–filled piece. The guitars and other instruments, especially the fiddle which is intentionally put in the song, alongside the lyrics, opens up the song for further interpretation. Listening to this song of harmony transports you to what feels to be the 1960s. The song is very happy and the lyrics tell a story of a man’s visit to different states in the US. It talks about friends and experiences and makes you want to listen to the rest of the album to see what else this journey may have in store for us. The second song on the album “Underneath A Mountain” is a very short song and filled with emotion. It opens with a nice guitar rift to start filling the listener with emotion. It only has one single verse which is, “the last train coming home.” It then speaks about a poor relationship and ends with the listener finding out that his friends won’t know him until he knows himself. Their song “I Ain’t trying to Die (It’s just my style)” talks about singing songs. It reinforces the joyful atmosphere of the first song back to the album. The lyrics are interesting it tells a full story from singing until the moment of death. “Carry My Body” feels much more country. The lyrics talk about carrying a dead body and then burying it, then a girl travelling through a forest to find her man. The song starts with a harmonica and has a southern twang. The last half of the song has a beautiful clarinet solo. Lastly “The Racer” talks about a man asking for forgiveness from God and seeking people to live in the mountains with him. It is a fitting end to the album, it shows a transformation of birth, through life, until death, and then you arrive lastly at the afterlife. It is back to the style of the first song, fast–paced and joyful. Throughout the album you get a great taste for the music that The Strumbellas have produced. A great blend of country rock and harmonized lyrics makes them a band to watch out for. Since they have already played on many of Toronto’s prominent radio stations, it is expected to see much more from these young up–and–comers. - Justin Dufour
smcevoy@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
18
Arts & Entertainment
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010
Rise of digital distribution tkoshy@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Console owners especially feel the bite One of the common complaints console owners have is the fact that games on their respective consoles often cost more than their PC brethren. Search any major retailer anywhere and you will notice that the console version is usually overpriced by $10. One way that console owners can recoup their losses is by selling their used games. By selling our used games we can reduce our overall net cost of purchasing videogames for a system. However the concept of digital distribution throws all of that out the window. By virtue of the game being stuck in your hard drive and tied up to your account, it makes it virtually impossible for one to sell a used copy of their game. You’d have a better chance of making an elephant dance a samba. Ridiculous metaphors aside, the point is that once you’ve bought a game via digital distribution it
makes it virtually impossible for one to recoup their purchase, without selling their entire videogame library and account on the console hard drive. So, if 10 years from now you ever want to even recoup your loss after purchasing Dead or Alive: Xtreme Boobies 2 Special Edition, be prepared to sell your entire hard drive which include games which you aren’t embarrassed to own. Bear in mind that the march towards digital distribution truly began when publishers looked at downloadable content and decided to milk it until its proverbial udders fell off. The framework and infrastructure that is used to deliver overpriced map packs, could easily in a pinch deliver Call of Duty: Modern Black Ops Warfare 2. Prices might not actually drop One of the often proclaimed advantages of a digital distribution system is the fact that the consumer would ultimately benefit from the reduced costs of distribution. While this may be true, one is operating on the assumption that the publishers would drop their prices. After all this is an industry whose major players charge $15 for just five maps (three of which are just rehashed versions); aka The Stimulus Package for Modern Warfare 2. One of the benefits one would receive from shopping at a big box retailer is the fact that the retailer has the desire to empty their inventory.
If a particular product absolutely refuses old copy of Splinter Cell: The Return of to leave the shelf, more often than not, the The Sam Fisher. retailers slash the price on it, until they’re Now while some might argue that I’m practically begging for you to buy it. merely playing the role of a crotchety old man However with digital distribution, gone is moaning the fact that cars now go faster than the inventory man30 km/hr, I would agement system argue that I’m merely Publishers looked at that in an odd twist the skeptic. of fate is actually You see the viddownloadable content beneficial for the eo-gaming industry consumer. is fast approaching and decided to milk it A publisher usthe stage where the until its proverbial uding digital distribupublishers can diction doesn’t have tate whom and what ders fell off. to wor r y about they please, and all emptying out his we can do is simply inventory to make turn around and take space for the next big product. it up rear end while moaning pitifully. Instead he could let the product sit on the In the end, the gaming industry has to server until the apocalypse comes, continuing realize the fact that while digital distribution to charge the ridiculous $69.99 for a decade has benefits, these should not be abused.
“
“
T
he rise of digital distribution brings many benefits to developers, publishers, and ultimately consumers. The promise of reduced prices due to the reduced distribution costs is one that many in the video gaming industry embrace. Nonetheless there is a dark side to this change, one that few have noticed until now. This is more apparent with regards to console gamers and resale of games in that videogames might not actually drop in price.
Correction In the April 1 issue of Imprint, the article titled They spoke up, they spoke out, incorrectly stated that Amanda TK took third place in the competition’s poetry slam portion for her poem, “Renovation Observations.” However it was Sky Smith who was awarded third place for his poem “Substance Abuse” and Amanda TK was awarded fourth place for her performance.
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Sports & Living Doc should still be a fan favourite
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010 sports@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Warrior earns a shot in NFL ClevelandBrowns couldn’t resist signing a 6’8”, 320-pound lineman after noticing his YouTube highlight reel
I
n sports, sometimes you watch a great player play on a lousy team for so long that you begin to feel bad for them. Year after year they produce at a great rate only to fall short in the playoffs (or miss them altogether) due to their teammates deficiencies. It’s in times like these, when as a fan of said losing team, you are disallowed from complaining when your team trades this player to a good team. After years of service, this player deserves a shot at a championship. Just ask the fans in Minnesota when Kevin Garnett was traded, or the Bruin fans when Ray Bourque was traded from Boston — the player becomes bigger than the team. It was time to let go and realize your team was only holding them back. Ditto for Blue Jay fans with the trading of Roy Halladay. See, as fans of the Jays, we were faced with this exact scenario when our beloved Jays traded away our best player for a group of prospects. Should we be mad at management for unofficially admitting the season was a bust? Should we be disappointed in Roy for asking management to move him? Should we jump off a tall building, maybe the CN Tower? The answer, of course, is none of the above. As true fans of the Jays, we had to sit back and look at the big picture. We had to understand that Halladay had given us, essentially, almost every year of his pitching prime. We had to come to terms with him wanting to actually win more than 85 games in a season. We had to admit to ourselves that the Jays were only holding him back, that a pitcher as good as him shouldn’t finish a season with only 17 wins. And all of this has been proven true, even in the early stages of another season. The Jays are continuing on their streak of average-to-belowaverage baseball and the Doc is tearing up the national league with a 5–1 record and 1.47 ERA. But, despite losing our best player, there is a silver lining. See, as Jays fans, we are allowed certain luxuries when it comes to the Doc. Since he was with us for so long and put in so many tremendous seasons with us, we are all now granted partial “rooting interest” in the Phillies. This is not to say we are all allowed to jump on the Phillies bandwagon (an act that should be punishable by law, but that’s a whole different column), but come playoff time, we now have a team to root for. This is the only positive that can come from the Halladay trade (unless prospect Kyle Drabek truly does become an ace). Since we know Toronto won’t be making the playoffs (it’s been 17 years, after all), at least the post-season isn’t meaningless. We can cheer for the Doc and if the Phillies win, we’ll feel just a tiny percentage a part of it. And as a Jays fan these days, that’s all we can really hope for. jtoporowski@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
CFL Pre-Draft Rankings by TSN Analyst Duane Forde Warrior Ranking
Ht
Wt
6’8”
320
6’0”
293
6’2”
233
Offensive Tackles 2
Joel Reinders
Offensive Guards 5
Mike Warner
Defensive Ends 9
Andrew Heeley
Running Backs 9
Steven Lagace
5’11”
210
10
Justin Andrushko
5’9”
193
Receivers 10
Dustin Zender
6’0”
176
26
Mike Squires
6’4”
206
5’10”
184
5’9”
193
Cornerbacks 5
John Boonstra
Safeties Courtesy Joel Reinders
Joel Reinders signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns after going undrafted by the NFL. Reinders, ranked 11th by the scouting bureau, headed into the CFL draft as a potential first rounder. Ron Kielstra Jr. staff reporter
L
ess than two years after first picking up a football, Waterloo’s Joel Reinders has already completed his first NFL mini-camp. Despite going undrafted in the NFL draft, the hulking 6’8”, 320-pound offensive lineman has signed a free-agent contract with the Cleveland Browns, and spent the last weekend attending their rookie mini-camp in Berea, Ohio. “It was nerve-wracking,” Reinders said, when asked about the experience. “There were roughly 40 players at the camp, and maybe 20 guys left at the end of it. [But] the first meeting with Coach Mangini was really good. All the coaches are really helpful.” Reinders’ path to the NFL has been atypical, to say the least. A former varsity basketball player, Reinders played only eight games for the Warriors before his coming-out party at the CFL Evaluation Camp in March. After the camp, Reinders’ agent, Gil Scott, put together a YouTube compilation that drew the attention of scouts from a number of NFL and CFL teams. To date the clip has drawn almost 500,000 views, and has been featured on Yahoo and CNN. Though some have written him off as an internet sensation similar to Jarron Gilbert or Keith Eloi, the video was impressive enough to draw interest from at least 10 NFL teams. In fact, at least two teams thought highly enough of Reinders to offer him a contract, though he eventually chose to sign with the Browns due to their lack of depth on the offensive line. But while the video may be the reason he’s received so much media attention, it’s his nation-
ality that’s become the centre of attention in the locker room. Reinders has encountered a number of stereotypes about Canadians, and has even been dubbed ‘Gretzky’ by his teammates. Ultimately, though, Reinders is focused on earning a roster spot. He’s already passed his first major hurdle, becoming one of three offensive linemen at the camp to be invited back for another look, and after a taking a brief break on Monday, he’s resumed his regular training.
“There’s an opportunity step in [in Cleveland],” Reinders said. “There are a lot of older guys on their offensive line. But it’s going to be tough. I’m going up against vets with a lot of experience.” To prepare for the challenge, Reinders has been studying the Browns’ playbook for at least a couple of hours per day, and has continued his daily workouts at Sport Specific Training in Burlington. In addition to working with Larry Jusdanis, who Reinders credits for his impressive showing at the CFL camp, Reinders’
19
Nathan Zettler
courtesy TSN.ca
new training partners include Bishop’s Shawn Gore and Laurier’s Chima Ihekwoaba — each of whom has also signed an NFL contract. Should he fail to stick in the NFL, though, Reinders still has a number of options available to him. Both he and fellow Warrior Mike Warner were selected by the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL draft on Saturday. Reinders was selected in the fourth round, with the 36th overall pick, while Warner was selected with the first pick of the fifth round. Reinders was previously ranked 11th overall by the CFL scouting bureau prior to the draft, but his stock dropped after being signed by the Browns. If things don’t work out in Cleveland he’ll likely be asked to join Warner at the Double Blue’s training camp in June. And if his size and athleticism doesn’t catch on with the Argos, Reinders might even end up in a Waterloo uniform in September. One factor that could work in the Warriors’ favour: if he is cut by the Browns after the Argonauts’ season has already begun, he might not get a chance to break their roster. While the CFL season begins on Canada Day, the NFL preseason continues on until the first week of September. Having drafted Reinders, the Argo’s own his Canadian negotiating rights until one full calendar year following his graduation. As Reinders is scheduled to graduate in April 2011, the Argonauts would hold his rights until January 1, 2013. But while he said he would be content to play out his CIS eligibility if it comes to that, Reinders has no doubt where he’d like to be. “I will always be a Warrior,” Reinders said, “but the NFL is my dream.” rkielstra@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
20 Sports & Living Woman of influence
JJ Maxwell staff reporter
S
ports and academics are two very different things. The stereotypes are often true, and the best sports players are jocks, while the best academics are nerds. Waterloo often bucks this trend. It attracts smart people, and often these people happen to be great at sports. This balance is difficult, because of Waterloo’s academic standards. The co-op program throws another wrench in student-athletes plans. Having to play around work, and studying and enjoying life is a hard thing to do. Vicky Lounder was able to balance everything. A civil/environmental engineering student from Ottawa, she was honoured in Toronto at the OUA Women of Influence luncheon as the top female scholar-athlete. She was named for her achievements in
athletics, academics and community involvement this past Friday. She spent 2006–2007 on academic exchange in Lausanne, Switzerland. She also volunteered with an NGO in West Africa. She was working on environmental protection and social development projects in a village. She was the volunteer co-ordinator for the Engineers without Borders Waterloo. She talks of her time in Africa with awe. “The positive memories I have of that experience continue to motivate me to pursue my studies and a career in environmental protection and research.” But not only tackling problems abroad, she also volunteered around campus, promoting engineering before graduating in 2008 with a civil engineering degree. But this girl is obviously more than just brains and heart. She has competed on the Waterloo field hockey team since arriving at Waterloo. She was named a OUA second team all-star and team MVP in 2008-09. Her proudest sporting moment was when she won the OUA field hockey championship in 2003, her first season at Waterloo. jjmaxwell@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
This year saw a crazy March that was filled with great intrigue and upsets. We appreciate all that played the Imprint March Madness bracket challenge. To those who were not as lucky, hopefully the contest will continue next year and you can try once again. The top 15 from the main round and the top 10 from the redo round were prize winners. CONGRATULATIONS ~ YOU WON! GRAND PRIZE WINNER ($100) Dan Van Der Werf 2nd - Dalton Bleskie 9th - Samantha Musacchia 3rd - Reanne Holden 10th - Jeffrey Laythorpe 4th - William Hillock 11th - Erin Middlebrook 12th - Littin Modoor 5th - Melodie Harik 6th - Robert Tutins 13th - Avi Itskovich 14th - Ken Suong 7th - Tamim Anwar 8th - Andrij Pasche-Arabczuk 15th - Michel Saccone REDO ROUND WINNER ($50) Santixay Homsombath 2nd - Ken Suong 7th - Laura Tan 3rd - Tamin Anwar 8th - Jenna Dawson 4th - Adam Crawford 9th - Emma King 5th - Melodie Harik 10th - William Kyle 6th - Adriel Orena Hamilton
THANK YOU for playing Imprint’s
...Brent Golem Sports & Living Editor
Athletic banquet
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010 Marsden Trophy
Most outstanding Warrior female Awarded to Tiffany Terrier Previous winner Tiffany Terrier
Totzke Award
Most outstanding Warrior male Awarded to Jason Goetz Previous winner Eric Dingle
Courtesy UW Athletics
From left to right: Associate director Christine Stapleton, Tiffany’s mother, women’s golf coach Chris Miranda, Tiffany Terrier, former director Wally Delahey, and director Bob Copeland
FEDs Rookies of the Year Male recipient Aleks Podma Female recipient Katherine Pringle
Tiffany Terrier accepting the Marsden trophy. She is the first person in the award’s 45 year history to win it twice. JJ Maxwell staff reporter
O
n Monday, April 5 the Waterloo athletic department held the annual Athletic Awards Banquet at St. George Banquet Hall. The banquet honours the long standing tradition that is the Waterloo athletic program by giving awards to the best of Waterloo’s best. The main event of the night is the male/female athlete of the year award, named the Totzke and Marsden trophy, respectively. This year it was golfing star Tiffany Terrier who claimed the Marsden Trophy, while triple jump specialist Jason Goetz took home the Totzke. These two student athletes have had impressive careers donning the gold and black. Goetz has dominated the triple jump for years. He won silver this year at the OUA Championships, but redeemed himself with a gold at the CIS National Tournament. He broke record after record, and extended the Waterloo all-time record by almost a full metre during his career—from 14.27 to 15.13. Terrier was a force on the golf course all year long. She finished in the top three in every event that she entered and capped it all off with a OUA championship medal at the Angus Glen Golf Club. She has been an OUA all-star four years in a row, and will be representing Canada at the FISU World University Golf Championship.
Other awards handed out included the rookie of the year award. Katherine Pringle took home the prize for her curling prowess, while Aleks Poldma earned a starting spot in the men’s volleyball team. Poldma was also named to the OUA and CIS all-rookie teams. The Imprint coach of the year award went to Brian Bourque, coach of the men’s hockey team. Over the five years of Bourque, the Warriors have a great record of 92-34-10. Bourque cemented Waterloo’s status as a contender this year by going 20-71, despite losing 10 players to graduation—including all of the captains. The J.O Hemphill award went to Kevin Dawe, who won gold in the OUA’s figure skating competition for his free skate. He also volunteered around the Waterloo athletic community. Taryn Daneman won the director’s award for her promotion and co-ordination of the men’s and women’s hockey teams. The Rotary Club Athletics community citizen award was presented to Reanne Holden, who represented Waterloo on the women’s basketball team. Her dedication to the community and world is evident from her local and international volunteer efforts. Laurel Calhoun and Eliza Butler, third-year kinesiology students, won the Brian Farrance therapy award for their work with the women’s hockey team. Finally, Betsy Zanna won the Warrior campus service award.
Previous winners Julia Endicott and Jordan Verdone
J.O. Hemphill Award
Most outstanding administrative contribution to the Inter-university program. Awarded to Kevin Dawe Previous winners Will Oud and Doug Spooner
Director’s Award
Outstanding female administrative contributor to the Inter-University program
Awarded to Taryn Daneman Previous winners Jamie Hauseman, Kirstie Irving and Lisa Kelly
Brian Farrance Award
Student therapist demonstrating excellence Awarded to Laurel Calhoun and Eliza Butler Previous winner Ashley Chapman
Community Citizen Award Awarded to Reanne Holden
Imprint Coach of the Year
jjmaxwell@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Sports & Living
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010
21
Formula motorsports car unveiled Waterloo engineers are ready to compete in the Formula SAE® Series for their 24th straight year Justin Dufour
Formula Car Specifications
intern
A
photos Kevin Shahbazi
Above: The team unveils their newest model of race car to impressed students and sponsors. Left: A sponsor from RIM enjoys her time in the driver’s seat.
Working toward getting slim for summer
S
o this is it: you’ve decided that this is the summer you are going to get in shape. This is the summer you are going to get your diet up to snuff, your waist line under control, and it isn’t like last time. Unfortunately, if this describes you the chances are you won’t make it. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t try, but rather that most people burn out before they are able to make that change in lifestyle. This is simply an honest-to-goodness fact and acting like this isn’t a challenge against a difficult opponent is not the way to get ahead and succeed. The truth is most people struggle to change for any number of reasons, but hopefully with this column, I can offer you the tools that will improve your odds towards making your personal transformation successful. Arguably the best and easiest way to increase the likelihood of sticking with it is having a set goal. Use the first time you go to the gym to determine you base level abilities, and with your trusty friend the internet you should be able to plot a course for a difficult but attainable goal over a set time period. Consider going to www.reddit.com/r/fitness and asking questions. Whether it’s to lose fat or get a bit bigger, to run every week, or to increase your flexibility, having a goal is a sure
mjefkins@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
way to help keep focused and stay on track until what might be new in your life becomes routine. The next step, then is to keep track of that progress. Progress in the world of fitness doesn’t happen over night and because of this, your best bet is a written log to track your goals. Though it might be easy to remember it from week to week, putting it on paper makes it that much more real. For me, I know that being able to look back on a time when 160 pounds was all I could lift and the 325 that is in my log book now acts as an excellent motivator, on top of being one less thing I have to worry about at the gym. One of the most difficult aspects of fitness is how subtle the improvements can seem. Our eyes see our bodies every day, and the minute decreases and increases go undetected and can lead us to believe we aren’t making progress. To combat this, keep a bimonthly or monthly visual record. This alongside the aforementioned logbook can make a huge difference when it comes to staying motivated. My last piece of advice is simply to give it a shot. For us humans, it generally takes about three weeks of consistency for something to truly become a routine, so do what it takes for you to make that happen. Ask
questions, do some research, and take those first few steps. Make this summer the one where you make a serious investment in yourself and your future. It is that willingness to step outside of what you know and into more unclear waters might help you live longer, healthier, and ultimately happier.
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nother competition is almost here for the University of Waterloo’s Motorsports team. They have been really busy putting the final touches on their vehicle dubbed the “2010 Race Car.” The team has quite a long and interesting history. It was first introduced in 1988, and has competed consecutively since then. The team has also grown in number over the years, boasting a strong number of around 60 people in total this year. Building the car consists of different steps from constructing the frame to placing the engine. Different members of the team may specialize in a particular field. They may be part of the build team, or they might look over the car’s systems as well. The team boasts a great deal of mechanical engineer majors, but they have also recruited some dedicated volunteers from other engineer majors. Electrical and mechatronic engineers also have a hand in the design and fabrication of the car. The Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) hosts the event where different build teams from all over North America meet and have two competitions. First they try to win over the judges with a marketing and overall presentation category. Afterwards it is off to the races. It is an autocross match to see who’s vehicle is in top performance. At the end of the week of competition, the top three teams are awarded cash prizes. Other awards are handed out as well. This year’s team seems to have high hopes of beating the previous best record ever set by the University of Waterloo, fourth place. “Things have been really tight as we’ve been preparing for this year’s competition,” said Andre Lo. The competition is every May and
0 – 100 km/h
3.5 seconds
Max Speed
over 160 km/h
Weight
195 kg
Length
2,800 mm
Lateral Accel.
1.5 g
Braking Decel. 1.2 g Motor
599 CC Honda
Horsepower
82.5 @11k RPM
as soon as the competition ends, the team begins planning for next year’s event. At the beginning of the planning and building stages, the time spent in the garage is drastically less than towards the end where people are sometimes in the shop for 12-16 hours. It is a great way to meet friends, but be forewarned, towards the end people get stressed and you get to see all different attitudes of people, but that’s just natural. Overall the fun remains. Some students get to use a piece that they build for the car as a final project. This unfortunately applies to fourth and fifth year mechanical engineer students only. “It doesn’t matter though, there is so much to do, and even if you can’t use it for a final project it is still worth joining the team,” Andre Lo told Imprint. A lot of time and effort has been put into this vehicle. The team has improved their previous year’s models by removing some of the gears, thus increasing the acceleration and control of the vehicle. The only drawback is that its top speed is lower; however, in auto cross it is better to have control since not many courses contain extended straight stretches of track. They will find out soon if their hard work pays off as they race May 12 – 15 in Michigan. jdufour@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
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Campus Bulletin UPTOWN WATERLOO BIA EVENTS 2010 Thursday, May 13 – UpTown Waterloo Jazz Festival fundraiser featuring DEE DEE and The Dirty Martinis. Saturday, June 19 – UpTown Country July 16-18 – UpTown Waterloo Jazz Festival August 26-29 – Waterloo Busker Carnival Sunday, September 12 – UpTown Dining Saturday, October 9 – 29th Annual Pancake Breakfast Saturday, October 9 – 32nd Annual Great Oktoberfest Barrel Race Monday, October 11 – Thanksgiving Day Parade November 2010 – UpTown Waterloo BIA Annual General Meeting November 4-6 – UpTown Waterloo Treasure Hunt Saturday, November 20 – Santa Claus Parade November 2010 – Holiday Open House December 2010 – FREE Horse Drawn Trolley Rides December 2010 – Victorian Carolers For more information about the above events call 519-885-1921 or email uptownwaterloobia@waterloo.ca or www. uptownwaterloobia.com.
UPCOMING May 2010 Rotunda Gallery presents “Coming and Going” by WCI students for the month of May, at 200 King Street, W., Kitchener. For info 519-741-3400, ext 3381. Saturday, May 8, 2010 Get your car washed for a good cause! City of Waterloo employees are holding a charity indoor car wash and BBQ to raise funds for KidsAbility – Centre for Child Development, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Waterloo Service Centre, 265 Lexington Court, at the back of the building. Cash or cheque donation. For more info 519747-8629 or 519-747-8625. rare Charitable Research Reserve presents “Wild Flowers Along the Grand” led by Jeanette and Greg Vincent from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 1679 Blair Road, Cambridge For more info 519-650-9336, ext 125 or www.raresites.org. Sunday, May 9, 2010 The Grand National Quilt Show “Off the Wall” exhibition will be hosted by Homer Watson House & Gallery with opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m. The exhibition will be on site from May 9 to June 13. For info 519-748-4377, ext 233. Saturday, May 15, 2010 rare Charitable Research Reserve presents “Garden Preparation” with Matthew Crooks from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, 1679 Blair Road, Cambridge. For more info 519-650-9336, ext 125 or www.raresites.org. Sunday, May 15, 2010 rare Charitable Research Reserve pres-
ents “Spring Migration Tour” with Andy Steinberg from 7 to 10 a.m., 1679 Blair Road, Cambridge. For more info 519650-9336, ext 125 or www.raresites.org. Saturday, May 22, 2010 rare Charitable Research Reserve presents “Community Garden Workshop” with Matthew Crooks from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., 1679 Blair Road, Cambridge. For more info 519-650-9336, ext 125 or www. raresites.org. June 4 to 6, 2010 Subtle Technologies Festival – come experience the “Art & Science of Sustainability” at Innis Town Hall, Toronto. For info www.subtletechnologies.com. Saturday, June 12, 2010 Mark your calendars – the annual Service Centre open house is coming up with proceeds from the day will benefit KidsAbility. For info call 519-747-8629 or 519-747-8625. June 14 to 18, 2010 Compass Points for Students and Emerging Artists – the most exciting gathering of theatre students and young artists in Canada! The event is sponsored by UW and will be held during the Magnetic North Theatre Festival. For applications/info compasspoints@magneticnorthfestival.ca or www.magneticnorthfestival.ca. Wednesday, June 30, 2010 Student Video Contest – hosted by City of Kitchener – explore your creativity, win cash prizes and have your video digitally projected on City Hall. Deadline is June 30 at 4 p.m. For guidelines and application visit www.kitchener.ca.
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010 ads@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
CAREER SERVICES WORKSHOPS
Please refer to https://strobe.uwaterloo.ca/ cecs/cs for updates/changes to workshops. Tuesday, May 11: Networking 101 – 4:30 to 6 p.m., TC 1208 Wednesday, May 12: Work Search Strategies for International Students – 2 to 3:30 p.m., TC 1208 Thursday, May 13: Career Interest Assessment (Strong Interest Inventory) – 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., TC 1113.
Tuesday, May 18: The Big Guide to Living and Working Overseas – www.workingoverseas.com/uwaterloo – 12 to 1 p.m., TC 1208 Career Exploration & Decision Making – 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1112 Working Effectively in Another Culture – 3 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208 Wednesday, May 19: Thinking About and International Experience – 2 to 3:30 p.m., TC 1208 International Work Term Procedures – 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., TC 1208
Classified HELP WANTED
Weekend counsellors and relief staff to work in homes for individuals with developmental challenges. Minimum eight-month commitment. Paid positions. Send resume to Human Resources, K-W Habilitation Services, 108 Sydney Street, Kitchener, ON, N2G 3V2. Extend-A-Family part-time positions – providing in-home and community support to individuals with developmental/physical challenges in a variety of programs. Providers will be reliable, energetic and committed. $12.48/ hour to start. If interested, please contact Recruitment at 519-741-0190, ext 238 or via e-mail at joy@eafwr. on.ca. Web – www.eafwr.on.ca.
HOUSING
Housing on campus – St. Paul’s University College has undergrad and grad housing available immediately or throughout the term. Please contact Jenn at jlaughli@ uwaterloo.ca.
SERVICES
Does your thesis or major paper need a fresh pair of eyes to catch English spelling and grammar errors? Thesis English editing. Five business day turnaround. Neal Moogk-Soulis, ncmoogks@uwaterloo.ca.
IMPRINT The University of Waterloo’s official student newspaper
A GREAT PORTFOLIO BUILDER
TREASURER Board of Directors position is vacant The Treasurer shall cause to be kept full and accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements of the Corporation in proper books of account and shall cause to be deposited all monies or other valuable effects in the name and to the credit of the Corporation in the bank or banks from time to time designated by the Board. He/she shall disburse the funds of the Corporation under the direction of the Board, taking proper vouchers therefor and shall render to the Board, whenever required of him/her, an ac-
count of all his/her transactions as Treasurer and of the financial position of the Corporation. He/ she shall co-operate with the auditors of the Corporation during any audit of the accounts of the Corporation and shall perform other duties that are prescribed from time to time by the Board or that are incidental to his office. The Treasurer shall also be responsible for assisting the full-time staff in the creation of the annual budget, to be presented at the AGM.
To apply, ask questions, more info, email board@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Systems Administrator
Up to 15 hours/week at $11/hour. Candidates will have Webmail server administration experience, be familiar with medium scale Linux network administration, SAMBA file management, Windows XP workstations, LDAP authentication and Apache admin. Duties include maintaining and strengthening our office’s network system. Applicants must be full-time students and eligible for OSAP. Please send resume to editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca.
Volunteer Co-ordinator
Up to 15 hours/week at $11/hour. Candidates will have excellent people skills and organization skills to raise the awareness of volunteering for Imprint. Applicants must be full-time students and eligible for OSAP. Please send resume to editor@imprint.uwaterloo.ca.
Comics & Distractions
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010
crossword
SPRING
Across
1. Does the Lindy Hop, for example 7. Chew out 10. Fixed allowance by weight 14. 3.26 light years 15. Be in debt 16. Institute of Advanced Management and Research 17. Common child’s ailment 18. Spring... 20. Like simmering 22. Daytime talk show host 23. Spring... 27. Already determined 28. Maple syrup festival staple 29. Raphael’s weapon of choice 30. City in Saitama, Japan 31. Dark brown-grey colour 33. Brit. special forces regiment 36. Spring... 40. Common ending letter 41. Jack of prime-time 42. Against 43. Grow 44. Broker 47. Bond before Daniel 51. Spring... 52. “____ were.� 53. Famous author Clive Staples 54. Spring... 56. Scottish language 61. Reason for hot a residence 62. Bob of Canadian politics 63. Champagne and O.J. cocktail 64. Strategy and roleplaying game (abbr.) 65. They’re found nearly everywhere 66. Former Jay Roberto Down
1. Resort 2. Used to be 3. Item Response Theory 4. National Society for Histotechnology 5. Third astrological sign 6. Part of a bouncer’s job description 7. Meteorol. term for “pretty much the same�
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By Mike Koivusalo
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sudoku
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8. Abandonment of duty (abbr.) 9. Mesh 10. Dr. for example 11. Complains 12. Host 13. Peterborough university 19. Breakfast staple homophone 21. Earn through hard work, with “pay� 23. Irritate through rubbing 24. Portugese city 25. Ones who watch others 26. Popular kids’ game Four in ____ 27. Water holder, possibly 29. Small bird 32. Exclusive First Editions 33. Gift giver 34. Pursue 35. Common spring garb
My Favourite Defensive End,
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Dear Awestruck, Next time I run away, you should follow. - Love Mac
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37. Primitive math tool 38. Emotion or Stephen King novel 39. “The Wire� locale (abbr.) 45. Puzzle 46. Assault 47. Leonardo DiCaprio sitcom “Growing ____� 48. Common child’s retort 49. Famous American conservative activist Tim 50. Famous Rolls 51. Edible mushrooms (fr.) 53. Follow’s partner 55. ___-la-la 57. Not quite goth 58. Type of gypsy 59. “Happiness ____ Warm Gun� 60. Automobile
Mr. SLC,
You have, by far, the best swagger of anyone on the football team. (Are you aware that you all walk the same?) You have recently taken the position of my favourite Warrior. Go You! Longingly yours, Enamoured
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We are best friends. I don’t want to be JUST friends but I don’t want to lose you. You probably don’t feel the same way but I just wish that I knew so I could move on. See you at Subway. Hataz fall back ;) -Sweaty Palms Missed any connections lately? Got any ideas, gripes, or randomly entertaining thoughts? Send them (with utmost affection) to
distractions@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Solutions: S W I N G S P A R S E C A S T H M A I N C L E A N I H A Y R I D A G E O F O R W A R B A E S S A G P I E R C E A S Y O U I N M Y S T R N O A C S T N E A
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April 1, 2010 N O S O I N G E S E D F U E E C L E E P A E D S
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What is your favourite thing to do during a thunderstorm? By Divyesh Mistry and Sonia Lee
“Put on a bathing suit and running around the street.�
“Running around like a crazy person�
Joel Zondervan
Jay Jueng
4B Kinesiology
“Watch movies with boys.� Isabelle Messa 4B Applied Health Sciences
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4A Life Sciences
“Play Settlers!� Hayden Tay, Julie Wu, Jacob Hsu 4A Psychology, 3B Science and Business, Alumni
“Climb up a tree with a big metal rod.� Josh Pantony 4A Computer Science
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R A I L S
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A C T O N
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Comics & Distractions
Imprint, Friday, May 7, 2010
RAJUL SALEH (adifferentperspective@imprint.uwaterloo.ca)
ADRIENNE RAW (araw@imprint.uwaterloo.ca)
MICHAEL TO (irresponsiblyoptomistic@imprint.uwaterloo.ca)
“J.T.” (geese@imprint.uwaterloo.ca)