Wednesday, October 16, 2013

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VOLUME 107, ISSUE 23

Tennis court may Canadians return home re-open Monday Tarek and John back after two months Iain Boekhoff NEWS EDITOR The University Tennis Centre will be up and running again soon — possibly by next Monday according to the owners.

A fire started last Tuesday just before noon and the building was evacuated. The fire was contained to the clubhouse and the bubble was not damaged, according to Mike Richards, co-owner of the tennis domes.

The fire started when a third party was installing a water cooler for players to fill up their water bottles. There is not an estimate of the damage caused to the clubhouse at this time.

The courts have been closed for the past week and will remain closed this week. However, the owners have been working to get players and classes back on the courts as soon as possible.

Richards said the clubhouse will be under repair until January, but that won’t stop them from opening the dome back up.

“As soon as we get through some protocol, we can get the bubble back up,” Richards said.

The bubble has been unattached from the clubhouse and new entry and exit doors will be installed so that the bubbles can be re-inflated without needing the clubhouse to be fully functional.

Richards said the fire was an accident and members and players need not worry about their safety.

The bubble material is fire retardant and the cause of the fire had nothing to do with any of the clubhouse’s workers or the wiring.

Richards expressed appreciation for all of the e-mails and calls of support and stressed that they are working to have operations running again as soon as possible.

“We’re doing our best to get it back up so people can play and have some fun and use the courts and get their exercise,” Richards said.

He also commented that the indoor tennis season normally starts next week, after the Thanksgiving holiday, so there will hopefully only be a short delay in getting things started. Some kinesiology classes and tennis lessons have been disrupted, but since the weather has stayed mild, people have been able to keep up playing tennis on outdoor courts.

Taylor Lasota GAZETTE

Logan Ly GAZETTE

HOME SWEET HOME. After being detained in Egypt without charge for nearly two months, professors Tarek Loubani and John Greyson have returned safely, landing on Canadian soil Friday. In this photo, Londoners demonstrate to demand their release last month.

Jeremiah Rodriguez NEWS EDITOR After two months of detainment in an Egyptian prison, a hunger strike, a secret letter and a surprise midnight release, two wayward Canadians finally touched town on home soil this Thanksgiving weekend.

Tarek Loubani, an emergency room doctor and Western professor, and filmmaker and York University professor John Greyson, waded through a sea of family, friends and a media circus at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Friday night. Everyone there had more than one thing to be thankful for.

Egyptian police arrested the pair on August 16, the day the country suffered one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the past decade.

After temporarily not being allowed into Gaza to continue ongoing efforts with the Al-Shafa hospital there, Loubani and Greyson made their way to a protest against the coup of the country’s president Mohammed Morsi.

They had only intended to stay in Egypt for the day.

Military officials shot into the crowd and Loubani quickly began triaging gunshot victims at a makeshift hospital. Greyson began documenting the aftermath. After stopping to ask for directions at a police checkpoint, they were arrested on charges of colluding with Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers and inciting violence.

50 excruciating days later, the

When they were released from house arrest and on a plane back to Canada, then the true euphoria hit. They’re in good spirits and good health.

— Benjamin Thomson

friend of Loubani and Greyson

“Free Tarek and John” campaign, in association with the Canadian consulate and Canadian embassies finally secured the pair’s release last Monday.

But Loubani and Greyson were barred from leaving the country by a no-fly watch they’d been placed on.

For five days they were out of prison but still stranded from home. Once they were removed from the list, the pair took the first plane out of Egypt on Friday.

Benjamin Thomson, a personal friend of both Loubani and Greyson, was one of those breathing easier over the weekend.

“Initially when they were freed from prison, I was euphoric, relieved and very excited to see them,” Thomson said.

“But thankfully when they were released from house arrest and on a plane back to Canada, then the true euphoria hit. They’re in good spirits and good health,” he added.

At the impromptu press conference at the airport on Friday, Loubani and Greyson expressed how relieved they were to be back home and thanked campaigners, supporters and Canadian officials.

Adam El-Shalakany, an associate from the Shalakany Law office who was handling their case, said that accusations against them — and 140 others arrested that day — included murder, conspiracy, incitement to violence and destruction of public buildings.

On Sunday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied the pair’s allegations that they were beaten and harassed.

On Wednesday night, the London Health Sciences Center is organizing a private event for Loubani where family, friends and colleagues can welcome him back into town.

The idea is to reintroduce the young ER doctor and part-time activist back into the world.

“They’re just trying to get their life back on track and in order. This is one of the first chances that he’s going to have to meet with people he’ll work with at the LHSC and see the family and friends and everybody that helped get him home,” Thomson said.

Loubani will be returning to his position as an associate professor of emergency medicine at LHSC.

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thegazette • Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Caught on Camera

CROSSWORD By Eugene Sheffer Midori Kuwahara GAZETTE

AUTUMN GLORY. Even as Western enters the height of midterm season, students find alternative ways to soak up the beautiful campus, such as studying outside.

Mustang wins Nobel Prize Plenty of purple and forest pride was present last week, as London and Western’s own Alice Munro was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature, being praised as a “master of the contemporary short story.”

“Honestly, my thoughts were something along the lines of ‘about time,’” said Bryce Traister, associate

professor and chair of the department of English and writing.

“Anybody who knows anything about English literature knows that Alice Monroe is without a doubt the finest living practitioner of the short story, so the recognition conferred by the Nobel is, in my view, entirely merited and somewhat overdue.”

Traister said what makes Munro’s writing so captivating is the simplicity and relatability of her stories.

“She grew up and spent most of her life in southwestern Ontario and the subject of a great deal of her work are simply ordinary people,” he said. “Her short stories are populated by teachers, librarians, housewives, and accountants — ordinary people going through fairly ordinary

lives.”

“She doesn’t have huge, sweeping, melodramatic plots — they’re often very simple. She’s interested in capturing the experiences of people like you and me.”

Monroe was enrolled at Western for two years of undergraduate studies before leaving to get married and start a family. She was later selected as Western’s writer in residence in 1974, and conferred an honorary degree in 1976.

“I think most people would agree that she ranks right up there with the greatest practitioners of the English tradition in the genre, along with Hemmingway and Chekov,” Traister said.

—Aaron Zaltzman

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The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons reports that one in six newly graduated medical specialists can’t find work. Despite high unemployment figures for young adults, the statistic comes as a surprise in the medical field.

Dr. Michael Rieder, assistant dean at Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, stressed the report was only about graduates of specialist residence programs, not all medical graduates.

Rieder explained that these individuals can do extra training or are doing part time work known as locums.

“They are still working, but they are not working in what they are trained to do, at least not full-time,” Rieder said.

For troubled graduates, Rieder suggests broadening their search range and being open to move out of their home province for work. He suggested to get away from the cities with high unemployment rates like Toronto, Vancouver, and Ottawa and to try to go to areas where demand for medical specialists is high, like Regina and Moncton.

“People say we have a numbers problem, it’s more of a distribution problem,” Rieder commented.

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thegazette • Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Western defends tuition deferral fees University says controversial fees are essential for planning

WRITERS WANTED!

Megan Devlin NEWS EDITOR Western has responded to a proposal issued by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities on fee reduction, saying the money collected from student fees is important for their budget.

The proposal calls for universities across Ontario, including Western, to get rid of tuition deferral fees and late tuition interest, claiming they unfairly target students in financial need.

However, John Doerksen, viceprovost academic programs and students, said the fees helped with planning, both for enrollment and resources.

“The funding supports direct costs as well as additional services for students,” Doerksen said in an e-mail.

But Amir Eftekarpour, Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance president and vice-president external for the University Students’ Council, was not satisfied with the explanation.

“They say it helps with planning and cash flow […] and I guess that’s just the university’s perspective on planning — and knowing how many students they have coming in,” Eftekarpour said. “But really, from our perspective, students with the most need shouldn’t be paying more because they don’t have the money.”

However, Doerksen emphasized Western is there for students in financial need.

“Western continues in its commitment to the student access guarantee, which ensures that no qualified student is unable to attend Western or required to withdraw from an academic program for lack of access to adequate financial resources,” Doerksen said.

But this access guarantee may not always work perfectly in practice, as Melissa Fox, a fourth-year visual arts and women’s studies

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The Gazette

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COUNTING QUARTERS. The Western administration has responded to a proposal from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities that would require universities to eliminate deferral fees on tuition payments. Western says the fees are important to maintain student services.

From our perspective, students with the most need shouldn’t be paying more because they don’t have the money.

— Amir Eftekarpour

president of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance

student told The Gazette last week.

Fox was sent an e-mail that threatened to de-enroll her from her classes should she not pay her remaining balance of tuition — even though Fox is guaranteed full coverage from OSAP. However, Doerksen maintained that Western’s OSAP system had improved over recent years.

“A student who has OSAP assessed by the time the payment is due and whose OSAP amount covers tuition is not charged a late fee,” he said.

“Through automation, Western’s OSAP process has been made much faster. This year, for instance, over 7,400 OSAP confirmations were completed by September 1, 2013, and over $44 million was released,” he continued.

The ministry’s proposal, should it go through, will abolish tuition deferral fees across the province.

Eftekarpour’s problem with deferral fees is that they unfairly punish students who do not have the money to pay their tuition by Western’s August 3 deadline since they have not received their OSAP, which comes out in early September.

“At other schools, it’s automatic.

At Queen’s they automatically defer OSAP students’ tuition until after it comes out at no fee,” Eftekarpour said.

Whereas at Western, students have to apply to defer their tuition and they are slapped with a fee for doing so, he said.

Regarding the progress of the proposal, Doerksen said there are ongoing discussions between Ontario universities and the Ministry of Colleges, Training and Universities.

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New mental health website COU site provides information to students Jesica Hurst ONLINE EDITOR The Council of Ontario Universities launched a new website yesterday that aims to raise awareness and provide information about mental health issues prevalent on university campuses.

The website, which can be found at accessiblecampus.ca, features a variety of resources that administrators and educators can use to help remove barriers for students struggling with anxiety, depression or other mental health issues that may be affecting their academic performance.

“With an increased number of students presenting with mental health issues, some of our young people face barriers that may prevent them from fulfilling their potential and following their dreams,” Bonnie M. Patterson, COU president and CEO, said in a release.

“Universities are working hard to connect students to the resources they need, whether in the university or in the local community.”

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educational videos, which include insights from students and advice from experts and university health advisors. The videos also include guidelines on how to identify signs that a student is struggling, such as withdrawal from group discussions or weight loss.

According to the press release, the new Accessible Campus website is Canada’s “most significant aggregation of resources for helping universities make their campuses accessible for students with disabilities and to comply with the

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.” “[The website’s] comprehensive information and wide range of tools shows the Council’s exemplary leadership on accessibility,” Eric Hoskins, minister of economic development, trade and employment, stated in the release. “I am confident the website will inspire others as we work together to build a province where everyone has the opportunity to contribute and enjoy a high quality of life.”

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thegazette • Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Arts&Life

word of the day Turgid Adjective. Swollen and distended or congested.

Avoid Facebook feel-bads Orli Bogler CONTRIBUTOR The Facebook Newsfeed is a huge source of communication. From it, one can find out about free events, see a friend’s Instagram of their cat and get a YouTube link to “What Does the Fox Say.” The influx of statuses and photos give users daily entertainment and information.

However, Facebook’s breadth of information can be a friend or a foe.

An article published in Psychology Today by Susan Krauss Whitbourne shows how Facebook can encourage downward or upward social comparison. The article builds on work done by social scientist Leon Festinger in the 1950s, saying that humans naturally try to establish accurate self-evaluations by comparing themselves to others in an upward or downward pattern.

Downward comparison means seeing oneself as better off than another. A friend’s failure can provide a boost in self-esteem.

Facebook readers may see a baseball rival’s “No! Sprained my ankle” status and gleefully smile. One can also experience sincere happiness from another’s success. Both can keep a person’s mood, and thus mental health, intact. The opposite is also true.

Anabel Quan-Haase, associate professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies, conducted a study that showed similar results. The study focused on post-breakup Facebook users.

“After breakups, people are selfconscious and have low self-esteem.

In those instances, Facebook is their worst enemy. They see pictures, staged or not, that make them feel insecure and further their anxiety,” Quan-Haase says.

Logan Ly GAZETTE

FACEBOOKING YOUR INNER DEMONS. According to an article from Psychology Today, using social media like Facebook can lead you to unhealthily comparing yourself to others whose lives are probably better than yours.

Social comparison can backfire if unlimited. When a user’s benchmark competitor is posting fun pictures or accomplishments, the self-esteem high crashes. Such posts can draw out emotions akin to, “my life sucks” or “I’ll never look like that.” Facebook self-haters enter the minefield of self-comparison booby traps. They can be blind to the actual motives behind the statuses and pictures and forget that users normally only post the sunny side of things.

According to a 2013 study done at Stony Brook University published in an American Psychological Association journal, students who engaged in Facebook self-hating were more likely to feel depressed if they were already in a vulnerable state.

“The images on Facebook are much stronger because the people in them are not random; they are

your friends, or your ex-boyfriend, so the messages have a personal jab,” Quan-Haase says. “Facebook doesn’t determine how you feel but how you feel can determine how you approach Facebook and self-hating.”

How can one avoid the vicious cycle of self-hating?

“If you’re feeling vulnerable, it is good to disconnect from certain people. Unfriend someone in your network who is particularly intimidating,” Quan-Haase says. “Or you get offline. If that’s too hard, make sure your network is meaningful and supportive.”

The Psychology Today article suggests using those self-hating feelings as a spark for change if they truly reflect fixable disappointments.

Remember to keep the self-hating to a minimum — you are your best Facebook friend.

There are those magical bottles of wine. The inexpensive ones that taste like they cost a fortune. The ones universally appreciated, that you can share with friends, or bring to a fancier dinner party. The ones that have patriotic appeal, something you can be proud your country produced. For me, the 2011 JacksonTriggs Meritage Reserve is all that and more.

For a little background, a Meritage is the name given to wines that are made using a blend of the traditional Bordeaux grapes: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

The French are fairly fastidious when it comes to others using their wine terms, so countries have to get creative when indicating their wines are made in the French style. The Jackson-Triggs Meritage Reserve is an example of this, sharing many attributes with a well-made Bordeaux.

My first encounter with the Meritage Reserve was at the local Wine Rack. It was late, the LCBO was closed and I didn’t feel like committing to an expensive wine for a night of board games.

Seeing the J-T was going for under $15 (and a “Reserve” no less), I thought I’d give it a shot.

And I’ve never looked back.

Finding your go-to bottle under $20 is an important part of every wine drinker’s journey.

It’s the one you turn to time and again, even when money’s tight.

Sometimes you just don’t feel like doing an in-depth tasting and

just want to relax with a familiar glass. After much deliberation, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Jackson-Triggs Meritage Reserve is the best Canadian wine I’ve had under $20. I’d even go as far as to say it’s in my top 10 all-time favourites from any country under $15, and one I’ll continue to pick up for as long as it’s available.

It’s got a fantastic texture, with a medium body and fantastic mouth-feel. The taste is classic Bordeaux, with strong notes of vanilla, blackberry and a bit of plum. The tannins are fairly soft, making this a great wine to drink young. While you can probably get away with cellaring the Meritage Reserve for a few years, I think it’s safe to say it’s a “drink now” wine, perfect to bring to parties, or sip with a good dinner.

Also, the classy looking grey label connotes a certain sophistication appropriate of a bottle to impress someone’s parents.

This wine has it all. Great taste, mouth-feel, stylish labeling and a pricetag that is ridiculously reasonable. Best of all, it’s a Canadian wine, and I love a patriotic production that elevates our country’s wine esteem.

Call it Meritage if you want, but the Jackon-Triggs Meritage Reserve is nothing less than a quality Bordeaux on a budget.

You can buy it for cheap, but it’s so good you’ll definitely want to sip it slow.

— Cam “Smoth” Smith

Editor’s Picks > The essentials for your week

ON TV

ON DISC

IN THEATERS

ON THE CHARTS

ON DVD

Junior MasterChef Children from the ages of nine through 13 sear filet mignon with expert precision; and when they say it’s medium rare, you better believe it’s medium rare. It’s odd to watch Gordon Ramsay in a cooking show and not curse. That said, watching the faces of these children light up when they cook something correctly is both inspiring and almost comical. Knowing that a pre-teen is nailing their quinoa when you can barely make Kraft Dinner is potentially amazing.

To brighten up your week, this is the show!

A Mary Christmas Known as the Queen of Hip Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige brings her amazing vocals to some classic holiday tunes. Sure, it might be 70 days until Christmas (that’s right, start doing your shopping now, this is a wonderful time) but you surely will always have a function for Blige blasting away to “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” While they might have picked a silly release date, Mary J. Blige is fantastic so why not get into some early Christmas mood?

12 Years A Slave 12 Years A Slave won the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival and has been garnering universal critical acclaim. Widely touted as an Academy Awards contender, one that could go all the way and claim the Best Picture prize, this film is a must see! Following Solomon Northup, a free man who is kidnapped and sold into slavery, the film might be a tough watch but the emotional gravity is likely to be unmatched this year. Come awards time, this will be the film everyone is talking about.

“Walking On Air” by Katy Perry Katy Perry has had a busy last few months, with a few songs from her new album, Prism, coming out. So far, the only song that has really hit was “Roar,” with “Walking On Air” hoping to match it. Yeah, that’s probably not going to happen. It’s not a bad song but by the time the chorus rolls around, it’s very breathy and airy and just seems odd. That said, “Walking On Air” might become a very popular tune or one that might even be someone’s favourite when Prism is finally released in a few weeks.

The Heat Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock star in this buddy cop comedy that topped the box office during the heat (see what just happened there?) of this summer. McCarthy has had quite the year, first starring in Identity Thief and then this film. Bullock also has been having a superb year. Everyone knows two really bankable stars immediately make a movie good. Except no, that’s not true in the slightest. But seriously though, The Heat is good fun.

•5

thegazette • Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Serious ship going down on the high seas

ON DISC

Captain Phillips paddles on with fantastic performances

GGGGF Make a Move Gavin DeGraw RCA

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Kevin Heslop GAZETTE STAFF GGGGH Captain Philips Directed by: Paul Greengrass Starring: Tom Hanks Captain Philips is a biopic based on Richard Philips’ account of an attempted act of piracy which took place in 2009 in international waters off the coast of Somalia. After the attempt failed, Philips was taken hostage and held ransom by three Somalian pirates before the United States military intervened to save Philips’ life.

Director Paul Greengrass has demonstrated great patience telling this story which can afford to cross the two-hour threshold of modern

film. Captain Philips offers action, suspense and acting performances of an uncommonly high calibre.

The way in which Greengrass and screenwriter Billy Ray have contrasted the journey of a hero with U.S. military action effectively promotes Captain Philips from “an excellent Tom Hanks movie” to “an uncommonly good movie starring Tom Hanks.”

It’s no surprise then that the chief virtue of this film as a film, rather than as a social commentary, is Hanks as the captain with a job to do. His performance as Captain Richard Philips in this gripping flick brings to mind two of Hanks’ previous characters — Forrest Gump and Chuck Nolan from Castaway. Philips may not be the smartest guy, but he certainly has the most integrity.

Hanks’ ability to allow the audience into his thoughts in this brilliant performance is truly remarkable, Oscar-worthy and Hanksian to the core.

Barkhad Abdi, as Muse — the leader of the pirates and Philips’ counterpart — gives an authentic knife-edge desperation to the film, without which the intensity could not have been maintained throughout.

Catherine Keener was well cast as Philips’ wife, Andrea. She readily imbues her character with the underlying sorrow of a spouse whose partner is often away and matches Hanks’ taciturn compassion breath for breath.

Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed and Mahat M. Ali give performances that equally succeed in revealing various elements of human nature, adding depth and believability to the film as a whole.

The substantial flaw of this film is its pacing — a significant amount of

momentum is lost during the third quarter of the film. As a result, the final chords of the film resound, but with far fewer over-tones than it could have if the movie had been more succinct.

The social and political mirror which this film holds up to the viewer may cause Western audiences in particular to shift uncomfortably in their seats. The late writer William Burroughs once said, “The job of the artist is to show people what they know and what they don’t know that they know.” The film succeeds brilliantly in this respect.

Though this film is sure to pick up a few nods come Oscar season for its careful construction, elegant cinematography and array of excellent acting, it has really accomplished something much more, with its effective social commentary and fantastic embodiment of its reallife roles.

Gavin DeGraw’s highly anticipated fifth album, Make a Move, is set to be released October 15 and is sure to please a diverse audience. With the release of his debut album Chariot in 2003, which sold over one million copies, Gavin DeGraw has earned a strong presence in the mainstream music charts and will continue to do so with the release of this new album.

Fans can expect the same upbeat but soulful lyrics in this new compilation, but Make a Move also exposes a slightly different and welcomed side to Gavin’s artistic abilities.

The album begins with the first single “Best I Ever Had” which is probably the best song on the album. It is an upbeat track with quick guitar and bears stylistic similarities to the songs released

by Train in the past few years.

It is evident that a great amount of time was spent ensuring each song earned its place on this album.

Unlike a lot of releases these days, it is difficult to pick out even one song that does not deliver.

Although a few songs on this album have similar melodies, each one is unique and tells a story that each listener is sure to relate to individually.

— Shannon Cross

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thegazette • Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Opinions

I don’t think I’m the worst singer, but I don’t think I’m the best singer.

—Rebecca Black

From Friday to fried rice, YouTube videos Seven Minutes in Kevin

Kevin Hurren OPINIONS EDITOR “I go clubbing/Then I’m hugging/Then I’m hungry” These are just a few of the heinous opening lyrics for a song called “Chinese Food.”

The song, accompanied by an equally painful YouTube video that went viral this past week, is about all the kinds of Chinese food that young Alison Gold loves to eat — including fried rice, noodles, and chow mein.

After watching “Chinese Food” for the first time, my friend informed me that ARK Music Factory, the same people behind Rebecca Black’s infamous “Friday,” created the song and video.

This news didn’t surprise me. The video had many of the same characteristics — simple and meaningless lyrics, awkward preteen dancing and a featured verse from an uncomfortably older rapper.

But even though “Chinese Food” had so many parallels with 2011’s “Friday,” I couldn’t muster the same enthusiasm I once would have. I chuckled at the pointlessness of the song, and raised an eyebrow at the racist undertones, but beyond that there wasn’t much I cared about.

Though it’s been over two years, I still remember the effect “Friday” had.

It was in my final year of high school, and people couldn’t stop discussing the track. Pranksters played the song over the announcement system, teachers quoted

Dear Life Your anonymous letters to life

lyrics, and you couldn’t escape a single Friday without hearing some kind of reference to Black’s song.

So why are new variations of “Friday” just not sticking like they used to? A large part, I think, is because of the sheer number of them.

There are the parody videos that try to be funny. Fail videos that are accidentally funny. Vlogs that center on the ideas and opinions of funny people.

And in this mix are recordings like “Friday” and “Chinese Food” that are (allegedly) serious attempts at music videos. In the mix of all the better clips listed above, however, these ridiculous attempts at internet stardom just come off as weak and kind of pathetic.

For our generation, YouTube is becoming an increasingly popular medium. There is a creative community thriving in the online streaming website, and within this collective are people who have dedicated their lives to putting forward quality content. YouTube is much more than just a hobby and pastime. It’s their job, their life.

So contrary to what ARK Music Factory may think, they can’t just throw the same painful elements of a bad music video together and expect it to get the same attention as “Friday.” Their 15 minutes of fame are over, and it’s time for the real talent of YouTube to step forward and get the spotlight they earned.

This means, unfortunately, that Alison Gold isn’t going to be the new Rebecca Black. In fact, outside of this column she isn’t going to be much of anything. Gold and the song her parents paid to create will experience this surge of online traffic, but ultimately fade into the background just as it should.

But hey, she’ll always have her chow mein.

Dear Life, Why am I questioning my life here?

Dear Life, How does London expect me to stay in town after grad when I’ve had three bikes stolen (with locks) and know at least 11 other people who had their bikes stolen.

Dear Life, Some jerk standing less than a foot away from me peed in a cup on the 6 Richmond last night. The cup almost spilled.

Dear Life, Isn’t the squash team one of the most winning teams at Western?

Dear Life, There’s nothing like a cold pickle on a warm afternoon.

Dear Life, Why can women refer to their female friends as “girlfriends,” but men can’t refer to their male friends as “boyfriends?”

Dear Life, How does the city expect me to clean my bong when they shut off my water?

Dear Life, I want the other Aaron back.

The prickly one. Thank you in advance.

Dear Life, You know what I’m not thankful for? I’m not thankful that I couldn’t enjoy my thanksgiving meal because of media poisoning my relationship with food and eating. wgaz.ca/dearlife

Send us your letters! westerngazette.ca/contact

Mike Laine GAZETTE

thegazette

Volume 107, Issue 23 www.westerngazette.ca

Julian Uzielli Editor-In-Chief Cameron M. Smith Deputy Editor Jason Sinukoff Managing Editor

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thegazette • Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Sports

factattack Reggie Wayne achieved at least three receptions in 70 straight games, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.

Rundown >> The Mustangs women’s lacrosse team won all four of their games this past weekend, winning 15–7, 12–2, 21–3 and 16–5, respectively > the Mustangs are now 8–0 on the season and will ride their wave on momentum into Toronto when they take on York University next weekend.

Mustangs sting Concordia in opening game The men trample the Stingers to open the season Nathan Kanter GAZETTE STAFF Matt Clarke was the overtime hero but it was the play of goaltender Josh Unice that got them there as the Mustangs men’s hockey team won their season and home opener 3–2 against Concordia.

Western entered the 2013-14 season already ranked number three in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport national rankings, yet on Friday night they got out-shot by a Concordia Stingers squad that missed the Ontario University Athletics playoffs last season.

“There is so much parity in our league every night,” Clarke Singer, Mustangs head coach, said.

“It doesn’t matter who you play, whether it’s a team that’s in eighth or second or first; you’ve got to play well to win.”

It was Josh Unice who played more than just well Friday night, as he turned aside 42 of the 44 shots that he faced. Eighteen of those saves came in the third period and overtime.

“I was impressed with Josh Unice shutting the door when he had to,” Brendan Riggin, Mustangs assistant coach, said. “He held us in the game when he needed to and our penalty killers did what we asked of them, which was great.”

That penalty-killing unit was kept busy through the first two periods of play, killing off all five Stinger power plays, which allowed new Mustang Stefan Salituro to open the scoring with a wrister just under the bar. Goal-scoring machine Zach Harnden gave Western a 2–0 lead after his pass went off of Stingers’ defenceman Mark Keca’s skate and into his own goal.

But before the second was done, Stingers’ forward Dany Potvin cut the lead in half on a nice toe drag before going blocker side on Unice.

When the third period opened up the crowd enjoyed the end-toend action, until Harnden took a questionable goaltender interference penalty that allowed forward Jessyco Bernard to tie the game for Concordia with just minutes remaining.

Overtime continued the excitement from the third as teams exchanged chances before Concordia defender Youssef Kabbaj laid a monstrous hit on Salituro that resulted in another questionable penalty, this one for boarding.

With the Mustangs up a man in overtime, Western’s leading scorer from last season, Matt Clarke, fired a shot from the high slot that found its way past goaltender Antonio Mastropietro. Harnden redeemed himself for taking the third period penalty by providing the screen on Clarke’s goal.

“If you learn to win ugly it can go a long way,” Clarke said after the game, referring to being out-shot and over-relying on Unice. “It’s not always going to be pretty.”

Concordia coach Kevin Figsby was happy that his team earned three points in their first two games, but pointed out the officials could have handled the overtime situation better. Before the Youssef boarding call, Matt Paltridge of the Mustangs high-sticked forward Taylor Lambke but Lambke ended up getting a penalty as well on the same play, which cancelled out a possible Stinger power play.

“What I don’t understand is […] where there should have been an obvious call,” Figsby explained.

Piotr Angiel GAZETTE

GOTTA KEEP THAT HEAD UP. The Mustangs took on the Concordia Stingers in their first game of the season this past weekend. The ‘Stangs played a tough back-and-forth game, and heavily relied on goalie, Josh Unice at times, but they ultimately walked away with the 3–2 victory.

“He makes a double up call to do the honourable thing but then you penalize one team after you make that call. You either make the first call right away and set the tone, or you don’t make those marginal calls

Piotr Angiel GAZETTE

at all.”

Figsby noted however that he wasn’t blaming the refs for the outcome of the game.

“I’m not hanging the game on that one call,” he said. “I’m

impressed with the Western team this year; I think they’re going to be one of the top three teams in the country. If that’s a gauge for me, I thought our guys performed pretty well for a young team.”

Mike Laine GAZETTE

8•

thegazette • Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Mustangs softball wins National Title Victory over Ottawa seals Western’s three-peat Thanksgiving weekend proved prosperous for the Western Mustangs softball team as they secured their third consecutive national championship in London. Their undefeated quest was capped off by an 8–3 win over the Ottawa Gee Gees in Monday’s tournament final.

After the Gee Gees ended the Mustangs’ 103-game winning streak early in the regular season, the team was no match for the country’s best as the Mustangs pulled away early.

The eight-run effort was one of four wins by five or more points.

Western enjoyed consistent offence through the entire weekend as they scored 45 total runs in five games.

“Shannon Davidson and Tricia Mackay had big games at the plate, both of them producing big extra base hits and RBIs, but there was half a dozen that contribute significantly,” Pete Lemon, Mustangs head coach, said. “It’d be hard to single out a couple of players for sure and that’s quite common with this team; they’re a group of all-stars.”

Davidson, the Whitby Ontario native, hit a two-run bomb to right field in the semifinal match-up against St. Clair College — a game in which she dominated the scoreboard. The three-RBI game was the third-year infielder’s second multiRBI game of the weekend.

“The semifinal against St. Clair was tough, and the final against Ottawa was tough,” Lemon said.

“We were able to put together a few

runs here, and a few runs there and pull away but those two schools had really strong teams and it wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination.”

In the national championship, however, scoring was led by Western’s first baseman, Tricia Mackay. The offensive pivot produced two doubles and brought in three runs as she propelled her team to their three-peat.

While Kara Stirling pitched well in the first two days of the national championship tournament, Sterling was unable to pitch in the final day due to injury. In the place of her injured teammate, Stacie Cox pitched in both the semifinal and the final.

“I was fine pitching both games yesterday. I just focused on one inning at a time and tried to stay in the game mentally,” Cox said. “I love pitching under pressure, it’s really fun. Just gotta keep a level head and be positive.”

Cox held her opponents to four total runs in two complete games, striking out eight in the final, and three in their semifinal win over St. Clair college. In her 14 solid innings, the third-year pitcher gave her bats every opportunity to produce and secure their win.

“We were at a bit of a disadvantage this weekend in the final couple of games because Kara Stirling, one of our captains and our other pitcher was injured so we had to go with Stacie, and Stacie did a tremendous job,” Lemon said.

Up next for the Mustangs is provincials. Because of seeding, the Mustangs won’t be seeing their

Jonathan Dunn GAZETTE

familiar foes in the round robin, but they don’t think they’ve seen the last of Ottawa either.

“The draw came out this week (provincials) and it was based on the final season standings and because Ottawa was second behind us, they’re in the other pool so we won’t see them in the round robin,” Lemon said. “I fully expect them to come through the round robin and I fully expect to see them in the semifinal or the final.”

The Mustangs will return to the diamond on Sunday to finish the provincial playoff round robin against Durham College, a game that will determine provincial playoff match-ups.

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