Thursday, November 29, 2012

w w w .w e sterngazette.c a • @uw ogazette

Ontario’s worst drivers Londoners rank as some of the province’s worst behind the wheel. >> pg. 2

thegazette Confirming it’s actually Thursday since 1906

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canada’s only Daily Student Newspaper • founded 1906

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Volume 106, Issue 49

Raising alcohol prices may curb binging Iain Boekhoff Gazette Staff A new study from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse has three key recommendations to reduce risky drinking, including a minimum price for alcohol in Canada. The study recommended prices be based upon three principles—index alcohol prices to inflation, base prices on alcohol content to encourage lower strength products and focus on minimum prices to remove inexpensive sources preferred by youth.

Gerald Thomas, senior research and policy analyst at CCSA, explained demand for alcohol is an inverse relationship with price, like it is with most other goods.

“The data is clear—if the price of alcohol goes up, people buy less and consume less,” Thomas said.

“That principle would particularly apply to young adults who don’t have a lot of disposable income, [and] who are also some of the

heaviest drinkers. So [consumption] would be quite reduced because they just can’t afford it.”

These policies aren’t meant to raise prices on all alcoholic drinks, and they wouldn’t actually have much of an effect on most consumers.

“What we’re talking about is not raising prices across the board, but looking into each system to [find] where relatively high strength, low price products have emerged from their pricing system, and making sure that the alcohol doesn’t fall below a certain minimum price per standard drink,” Thomas said.

Pricing has the biggest effect on consumer behaviour and these policies limit both regular heavy drinking, as well as occasional binge drinking, especially in highrisk groups, such as young adults.

“To deal with risky drinking you have to deal with both groups, the regular heavy drinkers and the oc>> see drinking pg.3

Cameron Wilson Gazette

Campus > Ancillary fees

USC requests reduction in ancillary fees Aaron Zaltzman News Editor Last January, in response to a possible increase in the cost of Access Copyright’s services, the university levied an interim fee of $30 on students. Due to a loophole in their agreement with the University Students’ Council, Western did not have to ask their permission for such an increase.

It’s situations like this that caused the USC to draft a new policy regarding ancillary fees levied on students, which are extraneous fees that go towards university services not included in tuition. The policy aims to put increased pressure on the university to incorporate more of these fees into tuition.

“I think it’s time for the university to take a serious look at what should be included in tuition, and what should come out of their operating budget, as opposed to pushing the cost onto students,” Pat Whelan, student senator-atlarge, said.

Whelan said the money to fund core services, like academic counselling, “should be coming out of the money that we pay for our tuition and the money the university receives in provincial grants.”

But the problem is growing, as ancillary fees have increased 15 per cent since last year, according to a paper presented to council last week. The paper was authored by Amy Wood, external affairs commissioner for the USC.

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I think students already pay a lot for their education—we’re tapped out. If they continue to add all these ancillary fees, what they’re doing is increasing tuition without having to actually raise it.

—Pat Whelan

Student senator-at-large

“Increasing tuition and ancillary fees combined with stagnation in per-student funding has meant that students are becoming ever more concerned about the financial burden of education,” Wood wrote in the report.

“The biggest problem is that universities are downloading their costs through ancillary fees onto students,” Wood said. “Students pay through a number of different outlets and this isn’t always transparent or clear.”

The policy would aim to increase student power over fees. It would also encourage the provincial government to put restrictions on universities’ use of ancillary fees.

“The biggest thing is having stu-

dents aware of what they’re paying for so that they can look out for increases that shouldn’t be happening,” Wood said. “We certainly need more legislation and stricter enforcement regarding what should and shouldn’t be included in ancillary fees.”

For now, Whelan said the fees are exploiting loopholes to get around tuition controls “Tuition rises every year, but the amount that it rises is controlled.

Ancillary fees are not controlled in the same manner,” Whelan said. “I think students already pay a lot for their education—we’re tapped out.

If they continue to add all these ancillary fees, what they’re doing is increasing tuition without having to actually raise it.”

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thegazette • Thursday, November 29, 2012

Caught on Camera

Crossword By Eugene Sheffer Cameron Wilson GAZETTE

A DREADED SIGHT. Western officially closed off some of campus’s main walkways earlier this week in preparation for winter weather.

Londoners bad at wheeling Karty Vishal Gazette Staff London drivers are amongst the worst in Ontario, according to a recent study by Allstate Insurance.

In a study of 46 Ontario cities, London was ranked the second worst non-GTA city in terms of collision claims per 100 cars, falling just behind Ottawa.

According to Ryan Scrivens, traffic management unit officer for the London Police Service, factors such as population and traffic density contribute to the number of collisions in any given city. Scrivens explained a denser volume of traffic and more congestion usually contributed to higher collision rates.

“It would not surprise me if New York City had a higher rate of collisions than Omaha, Nebraska,” Scrivens said. “Toronto is [fourth worst] in Ontario—it surprises me that it isn’t [the worst].”

He added there are a myriad of

other factors outside of population, like city infrastructure, influencing collision rates, making it hard to pinpoint an exact cause.

“Cities like Hamilton have two expressways within that city that people are able to travel on, as opposed to travelling down Oxford Street where they’re going to deal with much more congested traffic,” Scrivens said.

Because so many different factors influence the likelihood of collisions, Scrivens cautioned what works in one city may not work in another. A great deal of analysis is needed before effective safety measures can be implemented in a particular city.

There are also several parameters of the study itself that must be considered when interpreting the data. For one, Scrivens pointed to the sample used.

“This is a study done by Allstate and it involves Allstate customers specifically,” Scrivens said. “I’m

not saying it isn’t representative of the population, but it’s something to keep in mind in terms of parameters.”

Another parameter to consider that is not specified by the study is whether or not these statistics include inhabitants of other cities.

For instance, many collisions in Toronto may involve visitors or commuters who don’t actually live in the city.

Collisions are not as much of a concern on campus, according to John Carson, operational leader of the Campus Community Police Service at Western. A primary reason for this is that motorists on campus are usually travelling at low speeds.

“We have the odd fenderbender, but generally, with all the pedestrian traffic out here, we really don’t get very many [collisions],” Carson said. “I can think of maybe three since the first of the semester.”

Andrei Calinescu Gazette

Solution to puzzle on page 8

Follow us on Twitter! @uwogazette

Like us on Facebook! facebook.com /westerngazette

The Cryptoquip is a substitution cipher in which one letter stands for another. If you think that X equals O, it will equal O throughout the puzzle. Single letters, short words and words using an apostrophe give you clues to locating vowels. Solution is by trial and error. © 2002 by Kings Features Syndicate, Inc.

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•3

thegazette • Thursday, November 29, 2012

Study shows drug- Drinking I hereby declare this means nothing driving overlooked >> continued from pg.1

Carma’s a Bitch

Alex Carmona News Editor By reading past this sentence, I hereby declare that you owe me one hundred dollars. If you have even the slightest inkling how a disclaimer, or the law in general, works, you know the above statement means exactly nothing and has no legal force. Hopefully, you’ve also made the same conclusion about the so-called ‘privacy disclaimer’ floating around on Facebook for the last few days.

In response to Facebook going public, someone with a thesaurus and a grasping understanding of copyright law decided to post a statement formally declaring Facebook has no legal right to any aspect of their postings on the site. This is of course exactly the opposite of the truth— by using Facebook, you are implicitly agreeing to give them the right to display exactly everything you post, according to that long Terms of Service Agreement you clicked ‘agree’ to without reading back when you signed up for Facebook in ninth grade.

The beginning of the ‘intellectual property’ disclaimer is clearly meant to show those identity thieves over at Facebook that the savvy user isn’t going to let themselves get pushed around by some billion-dollar company with its own fancy legal department.

“In response to the new Facebook guidelines, I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, graphics, comics, paintings, photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention).

For commercial use of the above, my written consent is needed at all times!”

Oh! The Berner Convention! Well, why didn’t you say so sooner? Probably because there is no such thing. And while there is a Berne Convention that governs copyright worldwide, it certainly doesn’t apply in this case.

Most importantly, Facebook has no interest in the actual copyright to anything anyone posts— just their ability to display it at will. But, surprisingly, simply declaring something unilaterally does not a legal argument make. There is precisely one way to, without Facebook’s expressed consent, prevent the company from using the contents of your Facebook profile, and that’s to delete it.

But let’s be honest—the overwhelming odds are that you aren’t going to delete your Facebook profile, and Facebook is perfectly aware of that. The social network ecosystem is almost the very definition of a seller’s market, so Facebook has little incentive to start handing over the rights to use the content posted on their site. You could take such offence that you abandon Facebook’s one billion users, but where is one to go? Google+?

Because the rules are the same there too—just with a whole lot fewer people to apply to.

Jesica Hurst News Editor According to a study recently released by law professors at Western, drug-impaired driving is a growing problem—particularly among young people.

Erika Chamberlain, associate dean academic for the faculty of law at Western and co-author of “Drug-Impaired Driving in Canada: Review and Recommendations for MADD Canada,” explained there is a gap between education on alcohol and drugimpaired driving.

“We have been hearing about the risks of alcohol-impaired driving for decades, and young people are well educated on the issue,” Chamberlain said. “But there is less awareness about the risks posed by drug-impaired driving.”

She added because there are few effective means of enforcing drug-impaired driving in Canada right now, most drivers assume they will not be identified or prosecuted. Until Canada adopts a more efficient system to screen for drugimpaired drivers, Chamberlain believes the law will be under-enforced and its deterrent effects will be minimal.

According to Chamberlain, a national survey of drivers suggests over half a million Canadians drive after using cannabis annually, and young people are more likely to drive after using drugs than after consuming alcohol. In the 2007 Canadian Addiction Survey, almost twice as many drivers aged 15 to 24 reported driving after cannabis use than after alcohol use.

Apart from the statistics on drug-impaired driving by youth, Chamberlain was most surprised by the relatively small number of people who were charged for drugimpaired driving in Canada.

“Although roughly half a million people admit to driving after cannabis use, there were only 915 people charged with a federal drugimpaired driving offence in 2010,” she said. “This means that the average user would have to make 550 drug-impaired driving trips before being charged.”

In their study, Chamberlain and her co-author, Robert Solomon, recommended roadside saliva screening for the most commonly used drugs.

“This is a quick and cost-effective procedure that can identify drivers who are potentially drug-impaired.”

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casional heavy drinkers,” Thomas said. “These pricing mechanisms are designed, in the case of minimum prices, to target heavy [drinking] regular consumers. The others, indexing and pricing on alcohol content, are more general for the moderate risk group.”

Higher prices may be the answer to limiting binge drinking, however, Ron Scarfone, general manager at Joe Kool’s, said there’s little bars can do to combat it, and increased prices would have an adverse effect on business, especially in this economy.

“There is not so much binge drinking in bars, per se. Most of that binge drinking goes on elsewhere at home parties. Our average sale, at a place like Jim Bob Ray’s, would be 1.9 drinks per night per person, so you really couldn’t fit that into a binge drinking situation.”

These recommendations are already put into practice in Canada and around the world.

“All of these policies already exist somewhere. For example, Ontario already automatically indexes its minimum prices to inflation. Saskatchewan, in 2010, implemented policies very much like we’re asking for. They have probably the most advanced pricing system in Canada, and they reduced consumption by about eight million beers in one year.”

Thomas stressed these policies aren’t prohibitionist, but they are trying to encourage safer drinking consumption.

“Women should drink no more than two drinks a day and 10 drinks a week, and men no more than three drinks per day and 15 a week.”

4•

thegazette • Thursday, November 29, 2012

Arts&Life

thespianthursday All the world’s a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed.

—Sean O’Casey, Irish playwright.

Carnism founder finds Joy in her work Alison Knight Contributor Carnism, though it sounds strange, is the latest “ism” to hit campus. As psychologist and founder of the Carnism Awareness and Action Network Melanie Joy describes it, carnism is “the invisible belief system or ideology that conditions people to eat certain animals.”

Joy will lecture at King’s University College about carnism tomorrow, discussing the impact our eating habits have on our environment and ourselves.

“The way that we frame what we’ll be talking about is very specific—the invisible belief system that conditions us to eat certain animals, and how that belief system really causes us to act against our own interests, our core values and the interests of others,” says Joy of her upcoming presentation.

At just four years old, Joy stopped eating fish after a fishing trip with her charter captain father. Joy’s route to carnism really began, however, at 23, after a stint in the hospital from eating a hamburger contaminated with campylobacter, a bacteria similar to salmonella.

“When I got sick from the hamburger, I had already stopped eating sea life. I stopped eating all

flesh and eggs and dairy just a little bit after that.”

Despite her early aversion for eating sea animals, Joy grew up eating meat, just as many of us do.

But after her hospitalization at age 23, Joy was determined to educate herself, and eventually work to educate others on the unethical practices of the industrialized animal food production system.

Through her extensive work as a psychologist, animal advocate and as the author of Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows, Joy explores the implications of what we eat and why—and why we should care.

“My goal is to create a better world for all animals—humans included,” Joy says. “I believe that a better world for humans includes helping them to become aware of carnism, which impacts them and victimizes them in a variety of ways.”

Joy discusses carnism through her own experiences, and presents her material in a way to not come off as sanctimonious or preachy.

“All the information I share is through my own story. I don’t say ‘You should’ or ‘This is why people should be vegan.’ I say ‘This is why I became vegan—this is my story.’”

Joy’s approach works to overcome barriers she calls “carnistic

defences,” the ingrained social and psychological ideas that mask inconsistencies in people’s values and behaviours regarding their relationships with animals—both on and off the plate.

“It’s important to recognize that carnism is organized around a defence mechanism, and these defences become internalized.”

Joy explains perception is key to our relationship with what we eat. How we perceive different animals, viewing dogs as companions and cows as protein, is directly related to how we have been taught to think of them.

“What I’m encouraging people to do is to examine—to step outside of the system that is carnism, so that they can make choices that reflect what they authentically think and feel, rather than what they’ve been conditioned to think and feel.”

As Joy explains in her book, “A Hindu might have the same response to beef as an American Christian would to dog meat.” Despite this variance, Joy’s theory on carnism applies to cultures and societies worldwide.

“Carnism is a global problem because people eat animals all over the world,” Joy says. “I’ve been travelling quite a bit internationally, talking about carnism

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overseas. The response is exactly the same as in the United States.

Psychologically, people can relate regardless to what culture they’re in, at least in my experience so far.

People are curious and want to know the truth.”

“It’s not to make people change—it’s just to raise awareness, because without awareness,

there is no free choice,” Joy explains. “My goal is to help people be able to make their choices freely.”

Joy will speak at King’s University College in Labatt Hall on Friday, November 30 at 7 p.m. Presented by the King’s Animal Rights Club and Cedar Row Farm, the event is free and open to the public.

Poizner points out personality in writing Bradley Metlin Gazette Staff The way you curl your As, how you dot your Is and the length of your Ys are all distinct in the way you write. We seemingly don’t notice how our handwriting morphs out of its phase, but what if this progression had to do with our personality?

Annette Poizner explores this through her studies in graphology, which, as she describes, is “a practice that has a trained clinician looking at handwriting and discerning facets of personality.”

This discipline of projective personality assessment states that, by watching any fundamentally expressive behaviour, personality

can be extrapolated by a trained professional.

First discovering graphology during a trip to Israel, Poizner visited a therapist who used the discipline.

“He didn’t only analyze my handwriting, he would have me draw pictures, tell memories—use a whole battery of things,” Poizner recalls. “Then he started to talk and it blew me away by the accuracy and the relevance of what he said to me.”

Some are skeptical, wondering how something as basic as handwriting or your signature can suggest anything about personality.

While Poizner notes graphology has not been validated through scientific research, she passion-

ately refutes her critics.

“We’re not using it as an assessment tool, because if you’re doing assessment, you better make sure your assessment tool works,” Poizner states. “I’m talking about its uses as a therapeutic tool.”

Although Poizner can deduct a lot from signature alone, she still thinks intervention and therapy are necessary to get a full idea of who a person is.

Looking to Marilyn Monroe, Poizner says, “You would see a very angry, corrupt, brutal image of coitus in the lower zone of her handwriting. As if this poor woman has been so corrupted and perverted— as if sexuality has been so tainted for her.”

Poizner asserts that, perhaps

with some professional help, Monroe could have been spared her infamous fate.

The question remains—why does Poizner want to present graphology to university students?

“Everybody and their brother takes psychology,” Poizner says.

“Students are going to go off and study psychology, and they’re interested in it. These are tomorrow’s leaders. There is a small pocket of interest, but I have to try and bring this [forward] because I want those students to say ‘We need to get this at [Western’s] library. I’d like to do a project on this topic.’”

Through personal experience, Poizner also expects professors and other university professionals may take a somewhat hos-

tile tone towards this discipline.

Poizner specifically remembers a story about her experience as a student dealing with an academic counsellor.

“So [the academic counsellor] looks at me, completely flat affect, and says, ‘I have to tell you, graphology has virtually no place in the field of psychology in North America.’ Now, you go to any professor and they’ll tell you that.”

One thing’s for sure—graphology is certainly interesting and will make you think—that’s what Poizner wants. Now, maybe you’ll think twice the next time you’re adding that flourish to the first letter of your signature—it could mean something totally insightful about you.

>> Poizner’s signature analyses Matt Groening

Donald Trump

Bradley Metlin (author)

Simpsons’ creator, Matt Groening, demonstrates rebellious tendencies. Children learn that capitals are only used at the beginning of sentences or nouns.

When an individual chooses to defy grammar rules and convention, they demonstrate rebellious tendencies.

Angles represent analytical thinking, a sharp intelligence, critical tendencies, black and white thinking, a lot of exertion shows that they are very hard workers. A writer who strips down ideas in the same way that he strips the letters down to bare structures.

Not much roundedness to be found in that signature—roundedness represents emotion.

Large capital letters at the beginning of both the first and last name denote a sense of pride. Additionally, according to Poizner, the lack of loop in the Ls denotes a strong sense of privacy.

•5

thegazette • Thursday, November 29, 2012

FIMS grad goes from NCB to SNL

Emily Fister Gazette Staff She may have once studied in North Campus Building, but Deana Sdao now spends her days at NBC in New York City.

“Since I was 12 years old, my goal was to work on Saturday Night Live,” she says.

Now, 11 years later, the media, information and technoculture alumnus interns at SNL, helping the production team bring the zany skits to life.

Sdao is no stranger to the states-side entertainment world.

Since 2009, the 23-year-old has completed six unique internships in the industry.

“Each internship has taught me

to think outside the box,” she says, noting that she’s been challenged to apply her rapid-fire creativity to the business world.

Her first media gig was with Los Angeles’s Warner Music Group in their licensing department after second year. The next summer, she returned to the City of Angels to work with Dick Clark Production in archives, digital media and licensing.

With her eyes set on the Big Apple in 2011, Sdao eased into her master’s in media studies and media management at The New School and started researching the industry.

“When I found out I was moving to New York, I got the ball rolling immediately,” she says. Thriving in the artistic city, she started firing off emails. “The entire month before school I spent my time doing research and gathered up a bunch of names [and] contacts.”

After an internship with fashion company Rebecca Taylor in their public relations field, Sdao became an intern at NBC News Technology and NBC Music Services. Those

connections led her to a position at SNL. Since joining the team in August, Sdao has cultivated her media management skills both on and off set. Whether helping on location, writing cue cards or shadowing the production team, preparation for the weekly comedy show is non-stop.

“As a production intern, you understand videos as short as two minutes [take] two or three entire days to film,” she says.

On October 27, Sdao got to go on the other side of the screen—with singer Bruno Mars. They teamed up for the skit, “Sad Mouse,” where she played a frog opposite Mars’ mouse.

Although she may work alongside Kristen Wiig and crew, Sdao will always remember her hybrid undergraduate experience in FIMS. Balancing theory and production, the media student found her strength and hopes that other students follow their passion.

“There are so many options when it comes to media and you have to find your niche,” she

Courtesy of Deana Sdao

says. “It will take time, but stick it through.”

Sdao’s currently working on her own short films, photographs and drawings inspired by her time at The New School. After graduation, she aspires to pursue media pro-

duction in either New York or L.A. Wherever she ends up, Sdao knows that work will always be productive play.

“Once you find what you are truly interested in, it will no longer feel like work.”

Red Dawn doesn’t break much light Aleks Dalek Contributor

GHFFF Red Dawn Director: Dan Bradley Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson Take a hit 80s movie, a director who has no idea what he’s doing, a mediocre cast and you get Red Dawn—a not-so-special attempt at a remake.

Directed by Dan Bradley, Red Dawn will make audiences cringe with its attempts at pretending to

be a real action movie. This film is Bradley’s first attempt at directing, a fact evident after watching Red Dawn. Instead of a background in directing, Bradley has experience as a stunt coordinator, which makes sense considering the explosions, car chase scenes and firefights mark the only memorable parts this movie has to offer.

The cast of the film, unlike the plot, isn’t completely awful. The most entertaining and engaging performances in Red Dawn come from the minor, supporting characters—which isn’t a great sign.

The movie’s leads include Chris

Hemsworth, best known for playing Thor, and Josh Peck of the famed Nickelodeon show Drake & Josh. Peck and Hemsworth star as two brothers—Hemsworth as a marine on leave visiting his hometown of Spokane, Washington, and Peck as a high school football player. Hemsworth and Peck’s scenes together attempt to invoke some kind of catharsis, but fail miserably. Contrarily, the actors who shine in minor roles include Josh Hutcherson, Connor Cruise and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Morgan’s performance stands out most, even though he only ap-

pears near the end of the film.

As for the plot, the original premise for Red Dawn seems to be decent. The original is about China invading the United States—however, due to unfavorable reactions to this narrative, the invading army was switched to North Korea. This decision alone creates a disjointed connection between the original and this remake, one that hurts the film as a whole.

When the North Koreans invade, the two brothers escape into a nearby forest with friends. To say that Bradley bit off more than he could chew would be an under-

statement. The narrative is portrayed in a choppy manner, which points to Bradley’s inexperience and indecisiveness.

Also, the ending of the film isn’t really an ending at all, as it concludes in a scene that just alludes to what will happen, but provides no real satisfaction for the audience.

Bradley may want to go back to being a stunt coordinator, because, overall, the biggest wreck he created in Red Dawn was the film itself.

ALPHA GAMMA DELTA Congratulations to our new initiates: Julia Buck, Ashley Buckle, Megan Devlin, Kelly Fillman, Emma Germain, Taylor Hanson, Sarah Helwig, Delaynie Hunter, Celeste Kierans, Krista Kelly, Hilary Lajoie, Monica Matow, Anne McDonald, Katie Mitchell, Darian Schmidt, Natalie Topp

file photo

>> Weekend event calendar

Mole Laine Gazette

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thegazette • Thursday, November 29, 2012

Opinions Letter to the Editor

Ombudsperson woes To the Editor: I would like to begin by saying that the Office of Ombudsperson here at Western is an office that deserves a tremendous amount of respect and gratitude from the student body. As a department totally dedicated towards impartial and fair assessment of issues regarding both faculty and students, their mandate is admirable and their efforts warrant thanks.

That being said, I do have some issue with the nature of my limited communications with them.

After receiving a disappointing grade on a midterm, I was stuck with the dilemma of risking the appeals process, which would likely run over the withdrawal date for the course, and end with me stuck in the course with the grade should I be unsuccessful. In distress, I turned to the office of the ombudsperson for help.

Instead of help, I was greeted by a representative whose attitude can best be described as judgmental. I was lectured on the civility of my email and it was noted that had I been more civil, I would have been helped sooner. My concern over this is two-fold.

Firstly, I have re-read the email now several times in confusion and do not feel that it is in any way ill-mannered or disrespectful. My tone is polite and formal, and I do not feel that it warranted the allegations it received.

Secondly, even if my tone was discourteous, that should be irrelevant to an office that prides itself on being the lender-of-last-resort to students in dire need of help. It is a stressful time of the year, and I do not feel anyone deserves to be treated without respect, whether it is in person or via electronic communication.

The majority of students who are contacting the ombudsperson are stressed, and perhaps even hostile given they are seeking help to correct a wrong they feel has been done to them. An office that’s mandate is to be somewhere students can turn for a fair and impartial mediator should be the last one that greets them with judgment and petulance upon introduction. It should especially not be the kind that withholds help to those students in need based on this.

I myself do not wish to seem petulant in this grievance.

I am in particularly high spirits, having remedied my issues. I do not wish to complain about this office, or any specific individual. I feel this office is a noble and necessary one on our campus, and truly has the interest of the students at heart. My concern derives from the fact that many students would turn to the ombudsperson in a time of need, and if they received the same treatment as I, they would be greatly discouraged from returning for help again. I hope I won’t need the services of this office again simply because of the very nature of the ombudsperson.

However, for those students who do need it, it would be a tremendous shame if they felt it was not an environment that was welcoming, open minded and dedicated.

—Colin Baulke International Relations, II

thegazette

Volume 106, Issue 49 www.westerngazette.ca

Gloria Dickie Editor-In-Chief Nicole Gibillini Deputy Editor Cam Parkes Managing Editor

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The Gazette is owned and published by the University Students’ Council.

Food has replaced sex in my life, now I can’t even get into my own pants.

—Author unknown

Food fetishism sets a frightening precedent RySpace

Ryan Hurlbut Opinions Editor In an unexpected turn of events, two companies are arguing over who was the first to invent and release baconscented shaving cream.

This is amazing. I’m glad I live in a world where I’m able to simultaneously carve bothersome hairs off of my chin and enjoy the delicious scent of warm, greasy pig meat. At the same time, there seems to be something inherently wrong with the fact that this prospect seems so enjoyable.

In fact, when the initial sway of bacon-y goodness wears off from this invention, what is left seems to be more along the lines of the Whopper-scented cologne Burger King released a few years back.

Eating is all fine and dandy—personally, I eat from two to four times a day—but when characteristics of food are used in unrelated products, it makes me wonder about our society.

Since when was a repeated pattern of burgers and fries an acceptable design for a shirt?

The complete saturation of our everyday lives with food might have something to do with our culture’s growing obesity problem, and could exemplify a food fetishism that exists within our society.

For those who believe in evolution, it’s no wonder that we crave food so much. Before humans were able to literally grow and control what we make and eat at will, it was difficult to find salts and sugars in the wild, leading to a massive craving for those foods.

Because putting fat on the body is important, ancient humans gobbled up sugar as soon as they found it—but nowadays, it’s everywhere.

It’s possible we have never been able to fully eradicate these natural impulses, leading us to blindly consume anything fatty and sugary, and develop an emotional relationship with it.

By all accounts, wiping your brow with a piece of bacon and smashing a Whopper into your armpits would not make you an appealing person to be around. Yet, somehow, products that emulate these actions become hot commodities, reaching incredible sales numbers.

There might just be something inherently sexy about the prospect of delicious foods, combined with the added bonus of not having to consume. A person with a bacon-scented face mirrors the same temptations faced when your housemate decides to cook a myriad of bacon directly outside your bedroom— a forbidden lust, if you will.

In a culture where unhealthy foods and an unrealistic body image are both marketed in an equally aggressive way, these products offer a way to satisfy both cravings—giving in to the temptation of food without having to suffer any negative ramifications. Enthusiasts of heavily processed food can make their preferences public without taking any flak.

Overall, our fascination with these products may just be our inner evolutionary anxieties leaking out in the only way they know how—but is it healthy?

Is it okay to be obsessed with food in this way, or do we have to work to remove this stigma from our culture?

While there may be not be a definitive answer to this question, thinking about it sure gives me a hankering for a delicious bacon cheeseburger—or maybe just a spritz and a shave.

Michael Dunn, a 45-year-old gun enthusiast from Florida, is apparently not a fan of loud music. After hearing four teens blasting music in a parking lot, Dunn fired nine bullets into their car, killing a man. After this, Dunn and his wife immediately fled the county, but were caught when a witness identified their license plate. In light of all this, Dunn’s attorney stated that he “acted very responsibly.”

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All articles, letters, photographs, graphics, illustrations and cartoons published in The Gazette, both in the newspaper and online versions, are the property of The Gazette. By submitting any such material to The Gazette for publication, you grant to The Gazette a non-exclusive, world-wide, royalty-free, irrevocable license to publish such material in perpetuity in any media, including but not limited to, The Gazette‘s hard copy and online archives.

Gazette Composing & Gazette Advertising Ian Greaves, Manager Robert Armstrong

Your anonymous letters to life.

Dear Life, The only reason to stay in London after graduating is for United Supermarket’s produce section.

Dear Life, Why doesn’t the Spoke serve breakfast on the weekends?

Dear Life, Why can’t there be more tall girls who wear heels?

Embrace it!

Dear Life, “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” doesn’t really make sense. Horses don’t really need to be saved in that case. Shouldn’t it be, “Save a Horse, Don’t Use Glue or Eat Jell-o”?

Dear Life, Is it just me or does Michael Ignatieff really look like Phil Dunphy?

Dear Life, Why do you all keep sending in amazing Dear Lifes that are far too long? I can’t publish them!

Submit your letters to life at www.westerngazette.ca /dearlife.

Letter to the Editor

saywhat?

Editorials are decided by a majority of the editorial board and are written by a member of the editorial board but are not necessarily the expressed opinion of each editorial board member. All other opinions are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USC, The Gazette, its editors or staff.

Dear Life

Karen Savino Diana Watson

Gazette Staff 2012-2013

Iain Boekhoff, Danielle Bozinoff, Mary Ann Ciosk, David Czosniak, Megan Devlin, Jonathan Dunn, Chelsea Gauthier, Ross Hamilton, Amanda Law, Sarah Mai Chitty, Sarah Manning, Bradley Metlin, Kaitlyn Oh, John Petrella, Sarah Prince, Chen Rao, Nathan Robbins-Kanter, Lily Robinson, Katie Roseman, Nathan TeBokkel, Jacqueline Ting, Kate Wilkinson, Zoe Woods, Kartikeya Vishal, Usman Zahid, Mason Zimmer

News Alex Carmona Jesica Hurst Cam Smith Aaron Zaltzman Arts & Life Sumedha Arya Brent Holmes Kevin Hurren Sports Richard Raycraft Jason Sinukoff Ryan Stern Opinions Ryan Hurlbut Associate Kaitlyn McGrath

Pizza recipe “mainly fat” To the Editor: Re: Gazette-tested: Morning Pizza, November 23, 2012 I am appalled with the recipe for ‘Morning Pizza.’ Is this author even seeking a career in dietetics? I am currently studying Foods and Nutrition at Brescia University College and I feel this suggestion to students is just not right.

The nutrition of this meal is so minuscule it’s mainly fat. A diverse, nutritionally dense breakfast is adequate for minds to study with ease.

Let alone, who eats pizza for breakfast with orange juice?

—Natalie Bolichowski Foods and Nutrition

Photography Andrei Calinescu Ritchie Sham Cameron Wilson Graphics Naira Ahmed Mike Laine Illustrations Christopher Miszczak Liwei Zhou Online Julian Uzielli Web Cameron Wilson Video Chris Kay

• Please recycle this newspaper •

•7

thegazette • Thursday, November 29, 2012

Sports

tweet of the week I think Adam Levine is a beauty and all but why does he do up every button?! Is that the style nowadays?

>> Toronto Maple Leafs centre Tyler Bozak (@Bozie42) on Adam Levine

Rundown >> The Mustangs fell to the undefeated McMaster Marauders this past Sunday > This drops the Mustangs’ impressive record to 6–2—leaving them in third place in the Ontario University Athletics.

Former Knight returns to his roots OUA not too shabby for twilight of CHL careers Ryan Stern Sports Editor He has always been a man amongst giants, but as a star centre for the London Knights, he was larger than life in London, Ontario—a status that may have just drawn him back.

On December 7, 2007, he was the little engine that could, but it was that very same day that he became London’s little teddy bear. As a microscopic 16-year-old playing with burly men, Daniel Erlich, the London Knight’s newest acquisition burst onto the scene—and into the hearts of Londoners—in a big way.

The game was unlike any other the Knights played all season.

The night was the Knights annual Teddy Bear Toss, and the crowd took the promotion and ran with it. The crowd looked more like a child’s toy chest than the rabid hockey mob the John Labatt Centre usually housed. With over 5,000 stuffed animals in the arms of fans eager to toss the fuzzy bears of all sizes at the sight of the Knight’s first goal, the arena was a volcano waiting to erupt.

On the power play, the Knights found themselves passing around the perimeter looking for an opportunity to put a shot on net.

Erlich—generously listed at fivefoot-six—found himself waiting beside the net in prime position to pass the puck—his greatest asset as a player. Knight’s forward Phil McRae fired a one-timer at the net, and in the blink of an eye, Erlich picked up the rebound and potted the first goal of his promising OHL career.

As the red light went on, the skies opened up. A star was born in this hockey-crazed town, and the number 92 seemed to be on everyone’s minds practically overnight.

Kids aspired to be him, players wanted to play with him and London wanted to see more of him.

“I was in shock. It was the first time I had seen that many fans.

The teddy bears were coming at me. It was truly a crazy moment,” Erlich said fondly.

Undoubtedly a favourite of the fans, it was not just his size that endeared him to the London faithful. In his two full seasons with the Knights, Erlich put up 112 points in the regular season, and added 34 points in two postseason trips— including 21 points in 12 games in 2009.

Unfortunately for Erlich, his time in London ended before he desired to leave. Traded from the London Knights to the Guelph Storm on January 8, 2011, Erlich never really got a chance to settle down and get acclimated. Traded to the Storm due to his overage status, Erlich put up 38 points in 35 total games, but was quickly on the move to unfamiliar territory again.

This time, Erlich took the plunge overseas and signed with the EC Red Bull team in Salzburg, Austria. Far from his family, friends and his previous successes, Erlich certainly had an adjustment period with his new teammates.

“I learned that conditioning is a vital aspect of hockey over there with the large ice,” Erlich said.

“There are a lot of skilled players in Salzburg. They aren’t necessarily the biggest guys, but they are quick.”

In the professional stage of his career, Erlich also earned two trips to the San Jose Sharks’ rookie camp. In the camps, Erlich thought he may be able to crack the American Hockey League—the NHL developmental league—but despite strong play, having led the camp in points, his stature again stood between him and a shot at the pros.

“I went to San Jose’s camp two years in a row. I also had an interview with them, and they invited me out to their development camp and I succeeded there, so they invited me out to their main camp and I played four exhibitions with them one year and two the next year,” Erlich recounts.

These days, Erlich dons the purple and white, and though his career may not have gone the way he would have preferred, he is content with the road he has taken.

With 16 points in 10 games this season, Erlich has enjoyed success in his first year in Ontario University Athletics hockey.

“He is a kid who doesn’t take a whole lot too serious. Not that he doesn’t take hockey or school too seriously, but he just has that fun-loving attitude, and he likes to have fun,” Mustangs interim head coach Pat Powers said.

“He kind of takes it day by

day, and that is a good attitude to have coming into this environment.”

Having taught Erlich back in Erlich’s formative days in high school, Powers saw Daniel as a different case than the average OHL player.

“It was a little bit of a different situation. He had great success with the Knights and he was always a favourite with the Knights fans,” Powers said. “I taught him at Saunders Secondary School, so I had a good connection with him there, and we always got along well.”

And while the fans weren’t the biggest factor in his decision, they certainly were a relevant aspect in the process.

“I love the fans here. I was a fan favourite when I was here, and I really, really really appreciated all the fans that came out and watched, and some of them still come out to watch me play at Western,” Erlich said.

As for the game itself, it doesn’t slow down once the NHL is in the rear-view mirror. The M u s tangs—

and every other OUA team for that matter—are comprised heavily of players with the same dreams as Erlich. The mixture of players who ended up on the Mustangs, and players whose goal was just to make the team, provides an interesting dynamic to the game.

While the game may have slowed down for this boy wonder, his love for the sport never ceased to shine through.

Whether it be Knights green or Mustangs purple, his love for the game and carefree attitude was always obvious.

The

bright lights of the arena, formerly known as the John Labatt Centre, may not be shining down on him, and the teddy bears may have stopped falling years ago, but like many Mustangs that played in the OHL, he does it for the love of the game.

“Our team has a lot of guys from the OHL, and a lot of guys that played high level hockey. I had no idea it was going to be this high a level, and playing with guys that used to play in the OHL makes me feel like the level is still intense and that there is still a chance,” Erlich said. “Right now, I am doing my first year in school so I have three years left here. We will see what happens after that.”

Piotr Angiel Gazette

8•

thegazette • Thursday, November 29, 2012

thegazette To place your ad in thegazette MARKETPLACE, please contact us at 519-661-3579 or adoffice@uwo.ca VOLUNTEERS WANTED LIFE AFTER PARENTAL DIVORCE. This study out of UWO explores the life of participants age 13-23 years whose parents separated or divorced after age 10. Includes 2 art-based sessions and one interview.

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Karl Wolf with hit songs “Africa & Ghetto Love”

st DJ Special Gue Best “mo” D wins an IPA

UPCOMING EVENTS MOVEMBER MOUSTACHE PARTY! Featuring Karl Wolf with hit songs “Africa & Ghetto Love”. Special Guest DJ. Best “mo” wins an iPad. Friday, November 30 @ The Spoke. Doors Open 9:30. FREE SHOW so arrive early!

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ANNOUNCEMENTS HAPKIDO: TRADITIONAL KOREAN Martial Arts, The Huron Hapkido Society meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:00PM-9:30PM, Huron University College Dining Hall (Huron Room) Visit us at “UWO Hapkido” on Facebook for more info.

Get a perfect tan!

Coupons from your favourite tanning studios are available in the Westernizer.

Doors open 9:30

FREE SHOW so arrive early!