TheFulcrum - Feb3 - 9

Volume V olume 71, 71, Issue Issue 1 18 8 JJan. an. 2 27–Feb. 7–Feb. 2 2,, 2 2011 011

INSIDE: Is grammar haz dead? p. 20–21 Slut-shaming and why you shouldn’t, p. 23

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The Fulcrum’s Election Guide for the 2011 #SFUOelxn.

Puzzles on p. 22

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Amanda Shendruk | editor@thefulcrum.ca | (613) 562 5261

LETTERS

No Nicknames?

I WAS GREATLY saddened when I recently learned that the Fulcrum no longer gives nicknames to its contributors. Th is is a long-standing tradition that needs to be restored as soon as possible. (Like, this issue).

When I was volunteering, checking my nickname each week was a fun and rewarding exercise that demonstrated that the Fulcrum was, occasionally, about being silly and nonsensical, and that it appreciated its volunteers. (I hope it still

is and does.)

When the theme was Pokemon, I was happy to be called Squirtle. When the theme was U.S. Presidents, I was proud to be Harry S. Truman. And when the theme was sex positions, spank me on the ass and call me Reverse Cowgirl.

And what’s up with ‘Recycle this, please’? Can’t wrack your brain and come up with...anything at all? How about, ‘Recycle this or I’ll have to write another letter’.

I think the Fulcrum’s editors can take 10 minutes out of their undoubtedly busy

3

production evenings, look up some random shit online, and then throw it between somebody’s fi rst and last names.

Editors may think of this tradition as a time-sucking inconvenience, but telling volunteers that they’re special by assigning them a stupid nickname is more important than agate lines and word counts.

Please return to giving volunteers their nicknames, or I’ll have to come up with one for the Fulcrum, “Stale”.

Ben Myers, Fulcrum Volunteer, 2006-07

contents

Got something to say?

U-Pass to return? 6

Send your letters to editor@thefulcrum.ca Letters deadline: Sunday at 1 p.m.

Letters must be under 400 words unless discussed with the editor-in-chief.

Drop off letters at 631 King Edward Ave. or email editor@thefulcrum.ca.

We will not even consider hate literature or libellous material. The editor-in-chief reserves the authority on everything printed herein.

And Di can’t do it all herself.

Fare increase and budget costs may result in second referendum

thefulcrum.ca

Celebrity connection

11

Check out the real reason why stars tweet

Overtime victory 13

Give everyone’s favourite sexpert a hand and write for the sex issue. email features@thefulcrum.ca

Men’s hockey team finally wins one on home ice

Information international

14–15

The Fulcrum examines where our international students come from

Is the medium still 24 the message?

Advertising Department Advertising Representative email: ads@thefulcrum.ca Check out our rate card online. Go to www.thefulcrum.ca and follow the link for “Advertisers”.

Multi-market advertisers: Campus Plus: (800) 265-5372 Campus Plus offers one-stop shopping for over 90 Canadian student newspapers.

The Fulcrum is a proud member of Canadian University Press: www.cup.ca

Board of Directors The Fulcrum, the University of Ottawa’s independent, English-language student newspaper, is published by the Fulcrum Publishing Society (FPS) Inc., a notfor-profit corporation whose members consist of all University of Ottawa students. The Board of Directors (BOD) of the FPS governs all administrative and business actions of the Fulcrum. BOD members include Scott Bedard (community rep), Andrew Hawley (Fulcrum staff ), Niels Wolkman (student rep), Des Fisher (Fulcrum staff ), and Devanne O’Brien (student rep).

Jessie Willms sounds off on the responsibilty we all have to the public discourse

Fun with flowcharts!

27

To contact the BOD, email board@thefulcrum.ca.

To contact the FPS ombudsman regarding the Fulcrum’s editorial practices, please email ombudsman@ thefulcrum.ca. The ombudsman is an impartial party not employed by the corporation who has the power to investigate and pursue a resolution on your behalf.

Flowcharts are great, but so is voting! You should do it

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NEWS EDITOR Katherine DeClerq | news@thefulcrum.ca | (613) 562 5260

5

NEWS

photos left by Dani-Elle Dube (left) and Alex Smyth (right)

U of O students find entertainment and competition in -30 weather Brianna Hill | Fulcrum Staff

L

AST WEEK, THE University of Ottawa campus was transformed into a hub of winter activities as the Community Life Service (CLS) and the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) came together to put on the Snow Festival and the Winter Challenge, respectively. “[The Snow Festival is] just to get people outside, especially [to] show them that there are many different activities that can ... still be fun, even if it’s freezing cold,” explained Jane Cyr, manager of events and programming with CLS. The second annual Winter Challenge saw 100 teams of four compete in various obstacle courses around campus.

“We create the obstacle courses, the teams show up every day. It takes five minutes a day, most of the time less than

that, to run the obstacle course,” said Alexandre Chaput, vp social of the SFUO. “Winter fun is basically what we want [students] to discover,” said Cyr. Sports Complex Students lined up to receive over 3,000 free Beavertails over the four-day period of the Snow Festival.

“Those who have not tasted Beavertails fall in love with them automatically ... on one of the days we had to close down at two in the afternoon because we had run out of Beavertails,” said Cyr. There were queues for the dogsledding as well, an activity most individuals are excited to try.

“The sole purpose of the activity is to allow the students to live a different experience,” explained Cyr. “At the beginning of the week it was

a bit cold, but people were still in a very happy mood,” said Sarah Divanga, one of 80 CLS Snow Festival volunteers who were coordinating the dogsleds on Thursday.

Tabaret Lawn The U of O teepee could be seen in front of Tabaret Hall throughout the week, right next to lines of students waiting to try maple taff y on snow. Over 8,000 students tried the sugar bush delicacy known as “la tire”.

On Wednesday, 170 students gathered to enjoy a $5 miniature sugar bush meal complete with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, and beans all doused in traditional maple syrup.

During the meal students were privy to a traditional First Nations dance.

That night, 15 students camped out in the U of O teepee, telling stories, drinking hot chocolate, and playing games.

Friday night the lawn was transformed by scaffolding and dump trucks of snow to create the terrain for the Winter Chal-

lenge Spin competition.

“The spin is a rail competition, essentially a trick competition for ski and snowboarders,” explained Chaput.

Also on Friday night was also the annual Guerre des Tuques, a 24-hour interfaculty snow fort building competition, won this year by the Faculties of Criminology and Economics.

Snowstock On Saturday, the fi nal day of the Winter Challenge and Snow Festival, the University Centre fi lled with students waiting to hear a variety of performances from artists such as Paper Lions, Hello Beautiful, OMNIKROM, and Grandtheft.

“On Saturday we fi nished off with Snowstock, which is our concert closing ceremony to end the week. So that’s a show where we announce the winners for our Guerre des Tuques and the winners for all of our prizes for Winter Challenge,” said Chaput.

Prizes included iPads, an all-inclusive trip to Quebec City, and a Mount Trem-

blant ski getaway, as well as iPods and spa packages.

“It’s all a time race during Winter Challenge ... we add up all three days, whoever has the best time after bonuses and all that stuff gets ranked accordingly,” explained Chaput. f At the end of the week the top prize went to team Real Good Looking, a team completely comprised of fi rst-year students.

“We were all so shocked when we heard we had won first place. We knew we had done well and expected to be in the top ten, but never first,” explained Tyler Schram, a first-year geography student.

Schram’s teammate Mariah Campbell, a fi rst year in confl ict studies and human rights, was just as surprised when she heard her team had won the big prize.

“Especially being in first year, it made me feel like a part of the university. We are hoping to keep our team together [for next year]—team Real Good Looking all the way.”

All four team members won a brand new iPad.

6 | news

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

Future of U-Pass system dependent on OC Transpo budget decision Keeton Wilcock and Katherine DeClerq | Fulcrum Staff

T

HE FUTURE OF the U-Pass is now in the hands of the City of Ottawa. With a possible 2.5 per cent hike in OC Transpo fares, the cost of the universal bus pass will undoubtedly increase, forcing the University of Ottawa to participate in yet another student federation referendum.

The planned fare hike would increase the cost of the U-Pass from $145 a semester and $290 a year per student to $148.63 and $297.25, respectively.

President of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO), Tyler Steeves, explained that any increase would violate the mandate that students agreed upon when they voted in favour of the initial U-Pass referendum.

“It’s not about how much the increase is,” said Steeves. “It doesn’t matter if [the increase is] $3 or $100. The difference is that there’s no mandate. There’s a mandate from students at $145. There’s no

mandate for greater than that.”

However, a 2.5 per cent increase in bus fares may be the least of students’ concerns. According to Diane Deans, Ottawa interim transit commission chair, the City of Ottawa is recommending cutting subsidies for OC Transpo programs. Th is includes a $3-million subsidy towards the U-Pass, bringing the total cost for students to $175 a semester as of January 2012.

“The recommendation for 2011 is that we will continue to offer the program.

Now, that is subject to council approval so it could change, but right now the recommendation will be a $3-million subsidy,” explained Deans.

“The full-cost recovery would be a pass that would be around $175—not $145. So although we are willing to extend it for this year, for the 2012 year we would be looking at both campuses to hold a referendum and ask their student population if they are willing to pay the cost recovery,” she added.

Regardless of the cost hike, Mathieu

Fleury, city councillor for the Rideau– Vanier ward, continues to be a strong advocate for the re-implementation of the U-Pass program.

Fleury explained that the U-Pass adds value to the bus system by promoting a culture of using public transit, and that he thinks the U-Pass program should continue. However, he understands the city’s need to make students pay a little more for their passes.

“From the city’s standpoint, the 2.5 per cent increase has been implemented across the board. All our bus fares are going up, and so the cost of living is going up,” explained Fleury. “It is unfortunate.

I am a recent graduate so I understand the student pressures, but in the context of the city, we have to make sure we balance our books.”

Deans explained that the removal of the U-Pass subsidy would ultimately result in the end of the U-Pass, unless students decide to cover the costs.

“We are not asking for any profit base, just break even. It’s a great deal, and its a

Who’s running?

Sofia Hashi and Katherine DeClerq | Fulcrum Staff

SFUO electoral candidates for executive positions: PRESIDENT

VP SOCIAL

federation elections is officially over

Nathan Boivin Amalia Savva

and the Fulcrum has the finalized

Terry Morin Marie-Claude Noël Charles Rose

VP STUDENT AFFAIRS

list of candidates. These students are running to be your representa-

Amy Hammett Stéphanie Roy Alexandra Webb

Tristan Dénommée Sarah Jayne King

tives on the Student Federation of

VP UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS

VP COMMUNICATIONS

the University of Ottawa (SFUO) and

Osama Berrada Liz Kessler Landry Ntwari

Paige Galette Logan Ouellette

the Board of Administration (BOA)—

VP FINANCE

For an extensive list of BOA candidates, as well as candidates for Senate and the Board of Governors, visit elections.sfuo.ca.

basically the federated bodies that run student life at the U of O.

Electoral rules and regulations As an informed voter, it is important to be aware of the rules of the election process. Here are a few of the more important SFUO election rules. To see the list of regulations in its entirety, visit the SFUO elections website.

6.2.1 A member of the outgoing executive cannot take a stand in favor of one or more candidates during the election period.

11.1.2 It is forbidden to post [posters or banners] in staircases, on doors, on floors, on painted walls, on wood, on any transparent surface or over any material already posted, unless specifically indicated in the posting rules.

11.1.4 Off-campus advertising of any kind is prohibited.

11.1.5 Candidates and committees are prohibited from advertising and organizing house parties or parties in licensed establishments for the purpose of campaigning.

dum question into the 2011 elections that would include a price inflation, ensuring that students could have a bus pass as of September.

“Although it couldn’t have been a specific figure, it could have allowed for cost of living or inflation to be taken into consideration. But from my understanding, OC Transpo never went back. It’s my understanding that OC Transpo wasn’t in favour of the [U-Pass] the fi rst time, and now they are setting it up for failure the second time,” said Fleury.

Steeves added that he is not surprised about the plans to increase fares and believes that, in all likelihood, the 2.5 per cent increase will be implemented, thus ending the current U-Pass program.

For the current U-Pass system to be altered, a referendum would have to be held on whether U of O students are prepared to pay for bus passes at the new rate. If an increase is put into effect, the earliest a referendum could be called is September 2011, and the earliest the U-Pass system could be re-implemented is January 2012. f

2011 SFUO and BOA candidates revealed

And the race is on! The nomination period for the 2011 student

deal that most people don’t get. But, then again, it’s up to the students to make that determination.”

Steeves maintains that the city’s impending decision on whether or not to implement a fare increase is dependent on how much city councillors value the continuation of the U-Pass program.

“What’s a bit nebulous at this point is: does the city see the same value in the U-Pass that the students who voted for it see? So the question is, do the city councillors and OC Transpo want the UPass to continue? Because if they do, they won’t assign the increase. And if they don’t, they will,” said Steeves. “It is a very simple decision.”

Although supportive of the necessary cost increases, Fleury is concerned that students have not been given enough notice of the U-Pass increase. According to Fleury, the SFUO had asked OC Transpo to inform them by December if there was any doubt about an increase in U-Pass costs. Th is was meant to allow the SFUO time to incorporate a referen-

Dates to remember The official candidate list was released on Jan. 28; however, the electoral campaign does not begin until Feb. 6. The campaign period runs until Feb. 17, giving students time to become familiar with the candidates and their platforms.

The Fulcrum and La Rotonde will be hosting a candidate‘s debate on Feb. 10 and 11.

Students can vote at polling stations around the U of O campus Feb. 15–17 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The results of the election will be announced on the evening of Feb. 17 once the ballots have been verified.

11.1.7 All banners and electoral materials must be posted in a way that does not represent a traffic or fire hazard.

of the Elections Committee. As such, determination of good taste is at the Chief Electoral Officer’s discretion.

lent content must be written in both English and French and appear in the same size.

1.2.1 All publicity materials pertaining to the elections shall include, in a legible form, the name of the candidate or the committee that sponsored it.

11.2.4 Candidates may not use any form of logo, letterhead or material similar to those used by the SFUO, the Elections Office, the university, any federated body or SFUO club, or other campus organization on their advertisements.

11.4.4 No campaign advertisement will be allowed on campus before 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011.

1.2.5 All electoral materials must respect the bilingual posting policies of the University of Ottawa. The French text does not need to appear fi rst, but the equiva-

19.1.2 All candidates are entitled to have one (1) official website.

11.2.2 Campaign materials must not be libelous, racist, sexist, homophobic, or discriminatory in any way.

11.2.3 Campaign materials must be in good taste as per the recommendations

12.1.2 Posting on residence walls is prohibited.

f

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

news | 7

news briefS

Action Sandy Hill holds first meeting of the new year Briana Hill | Fulcrum Staff

Beatles master’s program produces first graduate

A

ENGLAND—LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY launched a one-of-a-kind Beatles program in 2009. The first ever Beatles degree was recently awarded to Mary-Lu Zahalan-Kennedy, a Canadian who’s to teach at Sheridan College this fall. According to Zahalan-Kennedy, the program involves more than just studying the band’s music. “It’s really about history and genres of music and semiotics, which is the language of music and…how communities are forged with different identities happening because of the way music is delivered,” she said.

—Jane Lytvynenko

CTION SANDY HILL (ASH) is a community association run by volunteers who advocate on behalf of Sandy Hill residents, run community-wide events, and support local services. The association is run by a board of directors who meet monthly to discuss matters they want to bring up before city council.

With the U of O campus within the borders of the community, ASH often concerns itself with student issues. The board convened for their fi rst meeting of 2011 on Jan. 31.

Proposed OC Transpo fare hikes For Sandy Hill residents, the U-Pass has meant less traffic and fewer parked cars in their neighbourhoods. Members of the ASH board are overwhelmingly in favour of continuing what has been a pilot project for 2010–11.

However, the board is concerned that the proposed fare hikes may make the initiative less attractive to council.

When U of O students voted for the U-Pass in 2010, they voted for a $145 per semester fee to be collected with their student dues. The proposed hike would see the cost of the U-Pass raised to $148 per semester, and would result in a referendum at the U of O. Members of the ASH board agreed Monday night to draft a letter to council pledging their support for the continuation of the project. A tentative idea about fundraising was also suggested; however,

Fall reading week on the rise

COMMUNITY MEMBERS GATHER AT ASH

photo by Alex Martin

Ted Horton (left), vp university affairs of the SFUO, talks about student concerns the possibility and feasibility of such a project was not discussed.

voice its concerns with the growing student population in its community.

ASH president meets U of O president Robert Stehle, president of the ASH board of directors, and Allan Rock, president and chancellor of the U of O, met this month to discuss common issues faced by the two communities.

The most pressing concern for Stehle is the growing student population in Sandy Hill. With over 30,000 students and only 3,000 student beds in residence, Sandy Hill houses the brunt of the U of O student population.

Th is mass influx of students presents a serious challenge to community cohesion in Sandy Hill, as more single-family dwellings become “warehouses” of students.

Rock invited Stehle and ASH members to sit in on a meeting with the U of O and the provincial government so ASH can

Two communities collaborate Also discussed at Rock and Stehle’s meeting was the possibility of harnessing the talent of the U of O’s visual arts students to produce documentaries about the heritage of Sandy Hill, thus preserving important community knowledge and instilling an appreciation of the area’s history in students.

In addition, ASH hopes to become more involved with of the U of O’s Experiential Learning Program, providing niche volunteer opportunities for students. As an alternative to handing in a term paper or writing an exam, students can work 30 hours in the community at a job that pertains to their course. Th rough its working groups, ASH hopes to develop suitable and challenging roles for students. f

What’s he building in there?

Profiles in science research at the U of O Digital drugs

CANADA—MORE UNIVERSITIES ARE jumping onto the fall reading week bandwagon to relieve high student stress levels in November. Ryerson University is the latest to shorten their semester to 12 weeks. University of Alberta’s student president Nick Dehod stated that more students are using counseling services in November than in any other month, making the need for a fall break apparent.

Other universities across Canada, including the U of O, have already opted into the fall reading week.

—Jane Lytvynenko U of O students sew patches to raise money OTTAWA—AS PART OF their Schooling & Society course, seven U of O education students came together to complete a social action project that would take off into a fundraising event of its own. The group calls themselves Sewing Patches, Sewing Progress, and is to create quilts for families in need while simulataneously selling the quilt patches to raise money for a sub-Saharan microfinance organization called Drombaya.

On Feb. 9 and 10, this group of students will be collecting donations in the university centre. For every $2 collected they will sew one patch to a quilt. The patches themselves will be made of recycled clothing. Their goal is to create 21 quilts regardless of there donations, and hopes to be able to make more thanks to the generosity of U of O students.

—Katherine DeClerq UNB launches Sweater Vest Society FREDERICTON (CUP)—UNIVERSIY OF NEW Brunswick’s clubs just got a classy addition. Brad McKinney, founder of the Sweater Vest Society and vp external of the student union, has been crazy about sweater vests since his freshman year, and decided to make an official club as a tribute. Sweater vests will be bought from secondhand shops and distributed in the student union’s building during McKinney’s lunch break. McKinney received some criticism from councilors during the club’s ratification process. Although the councilors called it “a joke,” McKinney is proud to have launched what he believes to be the first club of its kind in Canada.

—Hilary Paige Smith, the Brunswickan UVic looking to implement multi-use gender-neutral washrooms

Tyler Shendruk | Fulcrum Contributor

The problem IT IS POSSIBLE to cure certain cancers by surgically removing the tumors, but this requires that every single cancer cell is extracted. If any cancer cells remain, or if they spread to further, undetected sites, only remission has been achieved—not a complete cure.

Therefore, tracking surviving cancer cells is vitally important. Given the opportunity, they will grow into deadly new tumors. Unfortunately, treatments that can deal with remaining cells, like radiation or chemotherapy, indiscriminately kill cancer cells and healthy cells alike, making the treatments brutal on the body. Targeted therapies are at the forefront of cancer treatment.

The researcher In the Department of Chemistry, professor Maxim Berezovski has a laboratory that is, in many ways, obsessed with se-

lectivity. In one project, Berezovski studies separation techniques that can teach him about biochemical reaction rates.

In another, he isolates biomarkers from cells. In yet another, he marks cells of one type without marking any of the others.

The flags he uses to mark cells are called aptamers.

The project Aptamers are short polymers of nucleic acids that bind to specifically targeted molecules. In many ways, researchers can use them as synthetic artificial antibodies. Berezovski builds them from little chunks of DNA to target the surface of different cells, in particular cancer cells.

The selectivity of aptamers makes them perfect for marking or attacking cancer cells while ignoring the healthy ones.

individual tumor cells.

Tumors that reappear are actually clones of the original tumor. Th is means that the personal recipe of aptamers for the original tumor could be kept as a digital record in case of recurrence. Since there is no need to keep the actual aptamers, Berezovski refers to this record as a digital drug.

The digital drug could be used to produce a personalized mixture of aptamers that will target clones of the original tumor. Doctors could then attach labels to the aptamers to track cancer cells that escaped surgical removal or to identify new tumors. The selectivity of aptamers could even direct the delivery of toxins or medicine specifically to the tumor, allowing for a more fi nite cancer survival rate. f

The key Berezovski proposes that once a tumor is surgically removed, a cocktail of aptamers can be specifically designed for those

Are you doing interesting science? Or do you have a professor who can’t stop talking about his research? Let us know at research@thefulcrum.ca

VICTORIA (CUP)—THE UNIVERSITY OF Victoria student’s society is looking at implementing gender-neutral washrooms in the university’s students’ union building. A motion to investigate the cost and logistics of converting a set of main floor washrooms was passed unanimously at a Jan. 24 meeting of the society’s board of directors. The argument is that gendered washrooms can be marginalizing for transgender, gender-queer, and gender-variant people. The only problem the students’ union foresees is that of building codes.

—Kailey Willetts, the Martlet Ryerson radio station loses broadcasting license TORONTO (CUP)—THE CANADIAN RADIO-TELEVISION and Communications Commission (CRTC) has revoked the license of Ryerson University’s campus radio station, CKLN. The CRTC said that the station had violated several regulations and license conditions, and had no way of ensuring quality control for its programming. The station was unable to meet some basic conditions of license holders such as a program log, the submission of audible on-air tapes, and complete annual returns.

The CRTC began investigating CKLN in July 2009 after receiving complaints about its day-to-day operations and minimal student involvement. The station also has a history of infighting among its staff, a situation that resulted in a seven-month off-air standoff.

—Emma Prestwich, the Eyeopener

8 | news

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

UOHI among collaborators developing alternative isotope manufacturing methods Katrina Medwenitsch | Fulcrum Staff

I

N JUNE 2010, the government of Canada announced the launch of a Non-reactor-based Isotope Supply Contribution Program that would research alternative methods for producing medical isotopes. Current production methods are unreliable and unstable, so a sustainable, alternative production process would be revolutionary in the medicine community. The University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) is working in collaboration with the Canadian Light Source (CLS), Canada’s only linear particle accelerator, in this cutting-edge research.

Isotopes are currently used in diagnostic procedures and scans, a crucial part of modern medicine. The UOHI will focus on the feasibility of producing medical isotopes using high energy Xrays, as opposed to the current practice involving a nuclear reactor with weapons-grade uranium.

The UOHI will also be working in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), as well as NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes and the University Health Network.

Dr. Raphael Galea from the NRC Ionizing Radiation Standards laboratories emphasized the dire need for alternative isotope manufacturing. Current production worldwide relies on aging nuclear reactors, which are unreliable and prone to outages. Such breakdowns have led to international shortages of technetium-99 (Tc-99m), the component necessary for the isotopes used for diagnostic purposes.

“There [are] only a handful of [reactors] in the world and it creates this

shortfall,” explained Galea. “So what we’re looking for is to have a reliable and sustainable supply [of isotopes] for the Canadian demand.”

Last year, there was a year-long outage at Canada’s own National Research Universal (NRU) reactor at Chalk River, where ongoing problems have created an isotope crisis.

Galea has high hopes that the new research will change the face of diagnostic medicine.

“We’re fully expecting that this procedure will prove to eventually replace the reactor supply of technetium.”

Regardless of the outcome of the research, new manufacturing solutions need to be discovered in order to compensate for the shortages of Tc-99m.

“NRU is scheduled to be closed in 2016,” explained Galea. “That is something independent of the outcome of this project. Part of the [goal] is to fi nd a replacing supply before we lose our domestic production.”

The environmental impact of producing isotopes from nuclear reactors is disastrous, as there is a great deal of nuclear waste that needs to be safely stored and disposed of. Using X-rays for manufacturing could largely eliminate this waste.

Dr. Mark S. de Jong, director of accelerators at CLS, is optimistic about the research thus far.

“Most of the reactors are using highly enriched uranium (i.e. weapons-grade uranium) as a target that must be replenished weekly,” explained de Jong.

“The attractiveness is that no uranium is used in the [X-ray] process at all. [Th is leads] to essentially no long-term radioactive wastes of any sort, and the size and cost of the units are relatively low so that

several can be built across the country, reducing the risks of failure of any one unit.”

“If our analysis is correct, the facility that we are building at CLS would have the capacity to supply between 15 and 25 per cent of Canadian requirements,” said de Jong. “Larger accelerators are easy to construct if the work is successful.”

Both the researchers at UOHI and CLS believe that, if this research is successful, it will greatly change the face of medicine forever, enabling isotopes to be used for medical purposes in a much more reliable and sustainable manner.

(Almost) everything you ever needed to know about isotopes Atoms aren’t unchanging blocks of matter. Let me tell you, it’s nearly impossible to figure out where an electron is at any given moment. And the nucleus! Nuclei are constantly jumping from one energy state to another as protons and neutrons push and pull, sometimes absorbing energy and sometimes ejecting it. Every once in a while, they decay and become something else entirely.

Nuclei are constantly hopping down the periodic table.

So it’s not surprising that the number of neutrons in a nucleus isn’t always the same as the number of protons. Oxygen isn’t just oxygen—it’s any atom with eight protons. The number of neutrons can be anything from 4 to 20! Atoms with the same number of protons are called isotopes: it doesn’t matter how many neutrons there are. The exceeding majority of isotopes aren’t stable. Some decay radioactively and their radiation can be used for all kinds of great scientific and medical purposes.

—Tyler Shendruk

f

photo courtesy sxc.hu

Ontario government launches OSAP ‘app’ CFS-Ontario says student aid resources should be better allocated Emma Godmere | CUP Ottawa Bureau Chief

OTTAWA (CUP)—THE ONTARIO GOVERNMENT seems to think that smartphones and extended deadlines are the keys to a student’s heart.

In a string of recent announcements, the Ontario government has launched a mobile site to help students fi nd more information about the status of their Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) application on the go and also pushed back the annual opening of OSAP online applications from May to February.

John Milloy, Ontario’s minister of training, colleges, and universities, was

in Ottawa Jan. 24–25 to unveil the new “OSAP app” and speak to students and media at Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, and La Cité Collegiale.

“Once the OSAP has been approved, you’ll be able to follow along—you’ll know payments that are forthcoming and payments that have been made,” Milloy explained.

“It’s a tool that’s obviously going to have a big impact on people going to post-secondary education for the fi rst time.”

Not everyone is applauding the new announcements, however.

“It’s really frustrating to see what the government is putting resources into when it comes to student fi nancial aid,”

said Sandy Hudson, chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario.

“I mean, this is an app that allows you to watch how much debt you have, see whether you’ve been approved—if you have a smartphone,” she said, adding that it “does nothing” to help more students access post-secondary education.

And technically speaking, the app isn’t actually a piece of application software for a smartphone, but rather a simple mobile site. Students are invited to visit ontario.ca/osapmobile, where they are redirected to a smartphone-friendly login portion of the OSAP website.

After logging in, they can only check the status of their application for the cur-

rent academic year—no information is available about repayment assistance or deadlines.

Annette Phillips, Milloy’s director of communications, explained that the initiative is currently in a pilot stage.

“The mobile app is an additional step the ministry has taken to try and reach students where they are and make the process a bit easier,” she said in an email.

“The minister receives feedback from students regularly on a broad range of issues and will be discussing the new app, among other issues, with students,” she added. “If students feel repayment options should be included in the app, we will look into doing that for them.”

And while students cannot apply for

OSAP directly on the mobile site, they now have a few extra months to do so on the complete and recently reformatted OSAP website.

Milloy explained that while the government’s recent individual announcements may seem small, they are still meant to make students’ lives easier.

“We have invested $81 million in additional resources to OSAP and made some pretty significant changes that are in place right now,” he added, referring to changes announced last spring that include the doubling of the student income exemption cap, the addition of a six-month interest-free period after graduation and an updated Repayment Assistance Program. f

ARTS EDITOR | Charlotte Bailey | arts@thefulcrum.ca | (613) 562 5231

9

ARTS&CULTURE

Dance in the dark Dark pop music on the rise Dani-Elle Dube | Fulcrum Staff

I

MAGINE BRITNEY SPEARS singing something other than lyrics about innocently teasing boys or going out with her girls to a club—yeah, I can’t either. That’s why there’s dark pop, a new wave from the U.K. of upbeat music that appeases the moody side in any pop music lover. It’s a mix of the infectious dance beats popular in most mainstream music today, but with sinister, provocative lyrics and a dangerous edge.

U.K.’s Natalia Kills is the most notable international artist in this emerging genre. Many have compared her sound to Lady Gaga, but her image has a more dismal edge. Her new single, “Mirrors”, lyrically lacks a darker side, but her image and music video compensate with a provocative, brooding feel.

Even though Kills takes a sexualized “shock factor” approach to the music, not all dark pop artists do. Atlanta band Debutaunts are known for their ability to take underground sounds and transform them into “infectious, powerful, and undeniable songs,” according to Last.fm. DJ Race of Ottawa’s HOT 89.9 notices the growth in popularity and appeal of this type of music.

“Let’s face it—dance music is huge right now, [with] harder, faster beats. It’s everywhere,” he explains. “I don’t personally think it’s the lyrics that attracts people to this music—it’s the rhythm.”

Dark pop is music for people who appreciate uplifting pop melodies and rhythms, but like them to be a bit more thought-provoking and imperfect.

–Renato Giamberardino, The Red Jets vocalist Dark pop’s influence is not only felt overseas. The Red Jets have played festivals and fundraisers all over their hometown of Ottawa, and feel that dark pop appeals to a different audience.

“To me, dark pop is music for people who appreciate uplift ing pop melodies and rhythms, but like them to be a bit more thought-provoking and imperfect,” says vocalist Renato Giamberardino. “It conjures up the visual power of profound simplicity [both in the music and lyrics].”

Another Ottawa band influenced by the new wave is My Dad vs. Yours.

With a new music video on its way, band member Jose Palacios takes an alternate approach to the genre by focusing on the music rather than the vocals.

“There is sincerity in the image be-

ing associated with the music,” says Palacios. “Most music is defi ned by its listeners and the media through its lyrics, artwork, or any particular image the artist is trying to convey. For me, this music tends to have minor chords and psychedelic undertones.”

Dark pop possesses many dimensions to its sound, unlike the popular bubblegum pop music that has existed for decades. Although not a new music movement, it is quickly becoming a mainstream sound—and people are eating it up. Whether this genre is here to stay is something only time can tell. So, with those dance beats and dark lyrics, turn the lights out, tighten those handcuffs, and get ready to show your bad side! f

illustration by Brennan Bova

Orgasmic entertainment Sexy film festival aims to turn on Ottawa viewers Jane Lytvynenko | Fulcrum Staff

THE MAYFAIR THEATRE will be arousing audiences with the third annual Painted Lips and Lolly Licks: A Sexy Film Festival on Feb. 11. The night will be fi lled with sex on the big screen, giving the audience a chance to view short pornographic movies from all over the globe—which will be judged by adult fi lm star Bree Olsen.

Lee Demarbre, the founder of the festival, originally got the idea after participating in the Slam Dance fi lm festival in Los Angeles.

“I met one fi lmmaker [there] by the name of Oscar Perez, whose short fi lm was a funny, sexy little movie called The

Pacifier,” explains Demarbre. “He created the Pink Bubble Bath fi lm festival in Los Angeles. I thought, ‘It’s such a great idea; why not bring it to Ottawa?’” After a year of working with the Pink Bubble Bath, Perez went on to do other work, but the concept stuck with Demarbre.

“There was a really good opportunity to do a fi lm festival in Ottawa that catered to what the fi lmmakers considered to be sexy, not necessarily pornography,” says Demarbre. “I was feeling like the adult industry killed erotica in the movies.”

Painted Lips and Lolly Licks has found its home at the Mayfair for two years running, always showing to a sold-out theatre. Th is year, Demarbre accepted submissions from all over the world. There are no clear-cut criteria for winning— Olsen, a first-time judge, will simply pick the sexiest one. Demarbre believes strong women like her are the future of porn production.

“Women are really taking over the

adult industry, and it’s sort of become interesting again because women are in control of their own product. It’s not a man’s industry anymore,” says Demarbre. The organizer stresses that the festival will be fun for any open-minded individual.

“I think a lot of people are perceiving the only people showing up are creepy old men in trench coats, which is far from the truth,” says Demarbre. Most visitors are couples, young and inspired fi lmmakers, and curious individuals.

“People should just expect a super-entertaining night,” says Demarbre. “We’re not watching porn; we’re watching super entertaining art. It’s really liberating to sit in a theater of 300-plus people and watch sex on the big screen. It’s a really fun, exhilarating night.” f

photo courtesy BreeOlsen.com

BREE OLSEN JUDGES PAINTED LIPS AND LOLLY LICKS Sexy film festival premieres at the Mayfair

Painted Lips and Lolly Licks: A Sexy Film Festival will be screening on Feb. 11 at 9 p.m. at the Mayfair theatre. Tickets are $5 for members and $9 for non-members.

10 | arts&culture

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

album reviews

featured review Carmen Townsend

Waitin’ and Seein’ Company House Records

A-

IT’S NOT WHAT you say, but how you say it—and Carmen Townsend says it all. In her debut album Waitin’ and Seein’, this Cape Breton native delivers a tantalizing blend of folky acoustics and driving electrics. Inspired by artists like Joni Mitchell and Heart, Townsend really uses her voice as an instrument, while also trying to capture that raw rock and roll energy. From throaty belting to whimsical melodies, her vocals are captivating, almost teasing you with their range. Rock inspired tunes like “Without My Love” will keep you on your toes, while songs like “Sweet Little Bird” and “All That Was Left” show off a fl irtier, more playful side.

Waitin’ and Seein’ really achieves that live on-stage quality Townsend should be proud of. If you want to check her out for yourself, she will be opening for Heart at the Civic Centre on Feb. 7. Meanwhile, check out her album, you will not be disappointed.

—Michelle Ferguson

Baptized in Blood

Michael Rault

The Autumn Portrait

Twilight Hotel

Baptized in Blood

Ma-Me-O

The Design is Over

When The Wolves

Roadrunner Records

Pirates Blend

Unsigned

Go Blind Unsigned

F

BAPTIZED IN BLOOD’S debut album has a picture of a shark on the cover eating their band name. Needless to say, I grabbed the album thinking it would at least be funny. Unfortunately, it only left me wanting back the 49 minutes of my life that I wasted on it (yes, I thought it was necessary to add them up). I think Baptized in Blood’s sound could best be described as Cookie Monster chasing a drum kit down a fl ight of stairs while an angry Tazmanian Devil (of the Loony Toon variety) assaults an electric guitar whilst blending scrap metal—but slightly less pleasant. There are many things I’d rather listen to than this album—such as screaming babies and dying cats. Ironically, this album sort of sounds like both of those things at once.

—Brennan Bova

A-

MICHAEL RAULT TAKES rock and roll back to its golden age with his unique blend of ’50s-inspired tunes. Known for his throaty howls, catchy lyrics, and grooving riffs, Rault’s garage-rock twangs are quickly becoming a sensation in both Canada and Europe. Barely in his twenties, Ma-Me-O marks this Edmonton native’s fifth EP. What sets this one apart from the rest? Its distinct bubblegum pop feel. For this one, Rault casts aside the raunchy vocals and takes on a smoother persona. Songs like “Call Me On The Phone” or “The Things You Said” feature an upbeat quality, whereas “I Don’t Need No Help Gettin’ Down” or “Lay Right Down and Die” revert back to his more rugged sound.

After hearing this album, I’m going to look into his earlier work a little more closely.

—Michelle Ferguson

A-

THE AUTUMN PORTRAIT has struck a pleasant chord with their debut album The Design is Over.

Gaining a level of fame in Vancouver through their concerts and their showcase for War Child Canada, they seem ready to take on the rest of the country with this release. The Design Is Over features many excellent tracks, and the album itself is an easy listen from start to finish. Drawing from a number of influences, they’ve mashed together a sound reminiscent of bands like The Killers, Kings of Leon, and Age of Electric. The opening track, “Jealous”, was an obvious choice for the lead single, being the strongest song on the album. That track alone makes this album worthy of a listen.

—Brennan Bova

D

WITH THEIR THIRD album, Winnipeg duo Twilight Hotel offers a lacklustre blend of folk, old rock, and country. Since The White Stripes dusted the cobwebs off the genre 10 years ago, it seems that everyone needs to have a “Catch Hell Blues” track and Twilight Hotel are, sadly, no exception. Their new release, When The Wolves Go Blind, makes me think of the band as one of those moody groups, playing in the corner of a dingy bar, providing the soundtrack to a break up—or 50. The fi rst two tracks are painfully boring and cliché, and can be skipped without regret. The rest of the album is just as predictable; case in point being the oddball blues track “Ham Radio Blues”.

The only worthwhile tracks are “Mahogany Veneer” and “Frozen Town”. These tracks are set apart from the rest by their genuinely enjoyable composition and almost touching lyrics, inspired by the band’s hometown. In sum, if you’re looking for an album to brood to, this will do the trick. Otherwise, don’t bother.

—Chase Patterson

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

arts&culture | 11

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by Maria

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Uncovering the real reason why celebrities tweet Charlotte Bailey | Fulcrum Staff

W

ITH THE EMERGENCE of Twitter came the dawn of micro-blogging—people summarizing their day’s events in 140 characters or less.

Among these people are celebrities; those tweeting about their upcoming movies, TV cameos, and passion projects. With the arrival of celebrities on twitter, online fandom took a new turn, and connecting fans with celebrities has become a new norm. But why have celebrities chosen to connect directly to their fans through these means?

Some argue that on platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, everyone is equal in terms of accessibility. Th is is especially true of Twitter, as those who follow celebrities don’t need approval to access their posts. Some have joined Twitter for this connection, such as fourth-year U of O English student Kristyn Filip.

“I’m only on Twitter for celebrities,” she says. “I like to see how they respond to their fans.” Filip created a Twitter account because she heard that Ellen DeGeneres was giving away tickets to her followers, and convinced her roommate to join Twitter after getting a personal response from a celebrity. Filip has been retweeted by NBA player Charlie Villanueva, and replied to by actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who appeared in the TV shows Lost and Oz. Rather than going for what she calls “big” celebrities, Filip targets those in her favourite TV shows, who she has found are more receptive to her tweets. Th ird-year U of O communications student Katherine McCulloch also follows television stars—mostly those who appear in The Buried Life. “[The word] ‘stalk’ might be an OK

word to use,” jokes McCulloch McCulloc about her pursuit of these celebrities. celebritie “Literally two or three times a day, I will go on their page and I’ll see who they’re tweeting, [and] who’s tweeting at them. I like to know what they’re doing.” The fact that they’ve replied to messages that she has sent has only increased her love of the show.

“You get a better sense of who these people are, so it makes you like them more,” McCulloch explains. “I think it makes celebrities more special, because they’re more accessible—they’re less of a mystery. You feel sort of like an insider that way.”

Filip agrees that the tweets she’s received have made her a bigger fan, but she also understands that the reasons celebrities tweet go further than just wanting to connect with fans.

“They’re defi nitely doing it to gain a fan base,” she explains. “They’re really one-on-one.”

Although it’s exciting to deal directly with celebrities, some say that it’s an illusion in which celebrities encourage their fans to indulge. University of Ottawa communications professor Dina Salha teaches courses about advertising and society, and says that this is all Twitter is: a new way for celebrities to market themselves, rather than a way to genuinely connect with the fans.

“Advertising is about selling a commodity,” she explains. “The traditional sense of getting a commodity is that we see the product, and we can go and get it. It’s totally different now with new technologies. New technology has taken branding to a different level, where you’re branding a concept, rather than an actual commodity. They become their own brand when they become iconic.”

Salha points to celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Lady Gaga as examples of celebrities whose public image extends far beyond who they are actually, as a person. With new technologies, this disconnect is not as easily recognized, as most people believe that through Twitter they’re dealing exclusively with the celebrities themselves.

“When Ashton Kutcher got a million followers, did he answer to all million of

them? It’s impossible,” says Salha.

“But is it possible that he’s not the one answering? We have to really defi ne personal connection. Is [Twitter] face-to-face interaction, or does it just simulate that? It’s an illusion.”

Salha argues that stars tweet for marketing reasons—to fi nd out their audience’s interests and wants, so they can tailor their product to their clientele.

“It’s a direct access to public opinion,” explains Salha. “In order for them to survive, they have to have the consent of the public. Brands want to see, what is your value system? What are your preexisting norms? Then they address them, and introduce [audiences] to something new.” Th is is especially easy when fans are identifying themselves, and including all their personal information on a public profi le.

Some Twitter users aren’t discouraged by the constructed reality of the social networking tool. McCulloch argues that, whether or not there are alternate reasons for tweeting, it still gives her a sense of connection with celebrity tweeters.

“A lot of people would argue that it’s not a real form of communication, but I guess now things like tweets and Facebook posts hold more value to people,” says McCulloch. “I feel special. I like it.

I’ll proudly say ‘Guess who tweeted at me?’ and it’ll make my day.”

Filip agrees, saying that Twitter is an entertaining way to pass the time, and that she doesn’t plan to stop contacting celebrities any time soon.

“It’s really just an escape,” says Filip.

“I don’t go on it every day, or every week.

It’s more just me having fun—I don’t take it that seriously.”

Salha doesn’t dispute that some celebrities enjoy the ego-stroking practice of interacting with their fans online. However, she says that this is the exception, rather than the rule.

“There are personal motivations—actors are not just businessmen or businesswomen, they’re people, and I’m sure they’d like to sit and chat a bit with their fans,” she explains. “But the reality of it is that … even personal [messages] become managed at some level.” f

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thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

arts&culture | 12

Snapshot Charlotte Bailey Arts & Culture Editor

In defence of the album LAST WEEK I was at the Rideau Centre, and I stopped by HMV with a friend. I made the mistake of searching for an album in front of him, then proceeded to be heckled for the next 20 minutes about it. Insults included, “You’re seriously going to buy that?” and “No, really, you’re not going to download it?” By the end of the transaction, he was laughing that I’d actually spent $20 on an album by an obscure band.

Now, aside from the whole illegal-versusiTunes-downloading argument, I actually enjoy having an album. I understand that CDs scratch and LPs warp, and the environmentalist’s argument that access is better than ownership, but for me, there’s nothing better than having a full album to listen to.

To start with, it means I can play music in the car without needing a special adapter. It also means I can be sure when I’m belting out the lyrics while I’m driving (and hoping nobody’s watching) that I’m actually singing the correct lyrics instead of what I’m guessing they are, because guess what?

There’s a disc jacket. And beyond the thank yous to family and God in it, there are photos, online links, and all the album information. Yes, I read it.

Maybe it’s because I’m a retro nerd (although

I promise I don’t carry around a Discman), but I like the idea of having a complete volume of something. If an artist has put time and effort into arranging transitions and deciding song order, I feel like I’m robbing myself if I just download the tracks that I like. To be honest, I’ve listened to said album about four times since I bought it, and the track that I bought it for isn’t my favourite anymore. I probably wouldn’t have known about the other songs had I not bought it.

So, maybe I’m old-fashioned, or maybe I’m just one of those fans who wants to support the artist by actually buying a CD. But I feel if an artist has worked hard to make one cohesive piece of art, then that’s what I should be experiencing.

If you’re a cheapskate, there’s a very easy way around buying albums—the library. Borrow any CD you want (you can reserve them for pick-up online), rip it, and take it back the next week. But don’t deny yourself the experience of getting to know an artist a little better through their selected works. You never know what you’ll be missing without them. arts@thefulcrum.ca (613) 562 5931

art s bri efs Feminine hygiene gets a makeover LONDON, ON. (CUP)—PARTY IN MY Pants (PIMP) is a woman-owned company that hand-craft s cloth menstrual pads made of cotton and leak-proof nylon. Besides the funky patterns that adorn these pads, the draw is their positive environmental impact. While a typical woman uses between 8,000 and 17,000 disposable menstrual products that end up in the trash, PIMP’s pads are simply thrown into the washing machine after use. With proper care, they can last from five to seven years. They’re also easy on the wallet; PIMP’s savings calculator shows savings of up to $240 over five years. PIMP takes a happy and eco-friendly approach to that dreaded time of the month, helping women turn their periods into parties, with plenty of patterns meant to please.

—Erika Faust, Interrobang Waterloo companies offer online note market TORONTO (CUP)—RECENTLY FORMED WATERLOO companies, Studymonkey.ca and Notewagon. com, now offer Canadian university students the opportunity to buy and sell class notes online. Individuals can preview other student’s notes and pay a small fee to download them, or upload their own and cash in when the work is purchased. The websites’ creators noticed the recent growth of online marketplaces for lecture notes in the U.S. and brought the movement to Canada. The practice of buying notes is being criticized, however, notably by Catherine Ellis, a professor and member of the Academic Integrity Council Committee. Ellis questions the legality of selling the notes, as the lectures the notes come from are the intellectual property of the students’ professors.

—Jeff Lagerquist, the Eyeopener Former model confronts cover girl image in new fi lm LONDON, ON. (CUP)—DOCUMENTARIAN NICOLE CLARK explores issues experienced by young girls and career choices in her fi lm Cover Girl Culture, a documentary that looks at how fashion, media, advertising, and celebrities affect today’s young girls.

“Ninety-nine per cent wanted to be famous—celebrities and models. They didn’t know there were other ways to be famous,” she said.

Clark explores the messages that media, such as music videos, magazines, and advertising, sends to youth. She also speaks with individuals who are a part of those messages, including models and editors.

Clark’s documentary is now a required viewing at Princeton University in media and women’s studies courses and was recently featured on CNN. —Jessica Ireland, Interrobang Student couple competes for wedding giveaway VICTORIA (CUP)—THERE’S NOTHING CHEAP about having a wedding, especially when it’s a pair of students getting married. But newly engaged University of Victoria students Michael Gunn and Vanessa Tse are on the brink of winning a Mexican wedding package valued at $26,500. Of the nearly 700 couples who initially entered the contest, Gunn and Tse have now reached the fi nal 10. Each of the remaining couples’ biographies are posted on Globaltvbc.com, where the public can vote until midnight on Jan. 31. The winner will be chosen based on the public’s votes and a decision from a panel of judges.

—Tyler Laing, the Martlet Ottawa gallery to rent out space for porn shoots OTTAWA—AN OTTAWA ART gallery struggling to pay the bills is offering its space to adult fi lm producers looking for an “artsy” backdrop. Le Petite Mort Gallery, on Cumberland Street in the Byward Market area, is already courting two porn producers interested in the gallery’s backdrop of nude paintings.

“It’s exciting for me to share my space,” says gallery owner Guy Bérubé, as he pointed out the various features of the gallery, which is already named after the French euphemism for “orgasm.”

“It takes some of the pressure away of having to sell constantly to pay our bills,” he says.

Pierre Luc St-Laurent, the owner of Gallerie St-Laurent + Hill gallery, said most galleries rent out their space, but this is “an extreme.”

“Who would want to arrive after the fact in a gallery where they fi lm porn?” St-Laurent asks. Bérubé isn’t bothered. He said he’s looking at his new venture as an artistic experiment.

“I’m hoping this space can motivate them to do fantastic porn,” Bérubé says.

—Charlotte Bailey Ryerson students produce, star in YouTube reality series TORONTO (CUP)—A HANDFUL OF Ryerson University students are broadcasting their posh lifestyles living in the upscale blocks of Toronto with a new web-based reality series. Take MTV’s The City’s focus on style, knock it down to a Canadian calibre, toss in the high school drama of MTV’s Laguna Beach and the sexual ambiguity of LOGO’s RuPaul’s Drag Race and voila!—The Avenue is paved. According to the press release, the show profi les “the lives of five up-and-coming Torontonians as they build new friendships, deal with drama, enemies, and climb their way to the top.” A small camera crew follows the fabulous five as they romp across Toronto’s most unrecognizable clubs, bars, ultra-lounges, and the occasional lunch spot—“for drinks.” The weekly show premiered on YouTube on Jan. 25, and is scheduled to air on a Rogers channel sometime next month.

—Graham Slaughter, the Eyeopener

SPORTS EDITOR | Jaehoon Kim | sports@thefulcrum.ca | (613) 562 5260

13

SPORTS

A VALUABLE SPLIT

photo by Paul Yaccobucci

Ottawa finally won at home against the Stingers but fell to Trois-Rivières, Jan. 29–30

Rookie forwards Blain, Ireland star in 6-5 overtime win over Stingers Chris Radojewski | Fulcrum Staff

O

N JAN. 28, the Gee-Gees men’s hockey team was engaged in a heated battle against the Concordia Stingers (12-11-2). Ottawa (11-11-3) came into the game in a bit of a slump: they had not won on home ice since late November.

At the start of the crucial Ontario East divisional matchup, the Stingers were outplaying the Gees. The Gee-Gees made nothing of their fi rst power-play and halfway through the fi rst period, the Stingers scored to take a 1-0 lead.

Though the fi rst period saw only one goal, it was an exciting 20 minutes of

hockey. A check by the Gee-Gees on a Concordia player resulted in some heated tempers, and fi sts began to fly. “Austin Krahenbil stepped up and fi nished his check, and it was fi ne,” said Ottawa head coach Dave Leger after the game.

“They got all upset about it and that’s their right. That team [Concordia] likes to bully their way through games, and I thought our guys stepped up.”

The incident put seven players in the penalty box and seemed to fi re up both teams and the fans.

The Gee-Gees began shooting away at the Concordia net near the end of the fi rst frame. By the second period, rookie forward Luc Blain scored the fi rst goal for the Gee-Gees, closely followed by a

goal from rookie Kyle Ireland. Ireland was scrambling amid a group of players in front of the net when he scored Ottawa’s second goal. A few minutes later, forward Tim Drager gave the Gee-Gees another marker, putting them ahead by two.

The lead wouldn’t last long, though, as a powerplay for Concordia created an opportunity to close the gap. The Stingers were hitting hard, but the Gee-Gees did well to prevent goals on two more power-play chances for Concordia in the second period.

“I thought our second period was a big statement. The guys did a really great job with that period,” said Leger.

Within the fi rst four minutes of the

fi nal period, Concordia completed their comeback, scoring twice to retake the lead by one over the Gee-Gees. It wouldn’t be until 12 minutes through the third that Blain would score his second goal to even things up again.

Rookie Matt White took a heavy hit at centre ice with six minutes left in the game, but none of the referees seemed to see what had happened. White was helped off the ice, but Leger noted that he would be okay.

With four minutes remaining, forward Steve Blunden scored a goal, which could have won the game for the Gees.

However, Concordia managed to tie it with 30.7 seconds left and their goalie pulled. An overtime goal by second-year

winger Sean Smyth sealed the win for the Gee-Gees, 6-5.

With the playoffs quickly approaching, Blain showed confidence in the performance of his teammates. “We felt better with the home win, and we’ve been waiting for the win for sure. It is a big two points for us.”

Unfortunately, Ottawa’s game versus Trois-Rivières (16-8-1) the next day resulted in a defeat for the Gee-Gees. Even with a 4-1 loss against the Patriotes, the Gee-Gees’ chances to make the postseason remain very good as the season comes down to the fi nal stretch.

On Feb. 4, the Gee-Gees will play crosstown rivals Carleton (15-7-2) at f 7 p.m. at the Sports Complex.

14 | features

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES: U of O is home to students The University of Ottawa is home to 1,396 international undergraduates and 533 international graduate students. That’s 1,929 unique U of O students who contribute to the incredible and diverse cultural mosaic on our campus. The scholars represent hundreds of nations: From Cuba to Zimbabwe. The Fulcrum searched out some of these students to ask them about both the challenges and rewards of moving across the world to study in our nation’s capital.

CHINA My greatest experience here is the Christmas I spent with people from many countries during a camp in Kingston. We did a lot of activities like skiing, skating, climbing, and dancing. That is really great. I choose this university because Ottawa is so beautiful, despite being a little cold. Also, as the capital of Canada, Ottawa can help me understand Canada better.

Longyu Zhang, electrical engineering

FRANCE Speaking English is my greatest challenge here. The whole point of my oneyear exchange—besides discovering an amazing new culture and having a lot of fun, which are both being successfully completed—was improving my English skills. But anytime people hear my French accent they immediately start talking to me in French, because it’s so natural for everyone here! It’s actually part of what I like with Canadians: this duality of languages and culture. But it makes it hard for us to practice!

Coralie Tripier, foreign languages (English and Russian)

CHINA The challenge of come to study in Canada is to find out what I could do by myself.

Also do presentation in English is a little bit challenge too. The reason I pick the university is my supervisor is here. I have no other choice. But I do like it since I studied here.

Rui Zhang, biochemistry

BRAZIL Major challenges that I have been facing are the ones related to my adaptation to Canadian environment and culture. It is not easy to get out of the tropical summer in the southern hemisphere and drop into Canada mid-winter. And it takes time to understand how socialization goes on over here. Sometimes it seems as if people live in their own world. When classes are over, students move away hardly having a conversation, which makes it difficult to build social relations and friendships.

The academic differences are huge (the format of classes, evaluations, etc.), but all my Canadian professors have been great and really disposed to help me with problems I may have to face.

Francisco Rebel Barros, criminology

CHINA The first challenge I have to face is language. I come from China where most native people don’t speak English, so I found it a bit hard to communicate since I landed at the Ottawa airport. Plus, I don’t know any French. We don’t register online in China. So in the first few days, I found it very confusing. The last thing I have to overcome is loneliness. Since I knew no one here, it could be very hopeless sometimes. But now it’s getting better.

Yuening Li, drama

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

features | 15

from around the world INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Top 10 countries of origin

Country, number of students

UNITED STATES Although many people assume that Canada and the U.S. are quite similar, there were a lot of challenges that I faced when I came to Ottawa. Having to learn to live on my own and be away from my family was very difficult for me. When it came to socializing, there were a lot of media and cultural references that I had either never heard of, or simply did not understand.

I felt very out of place at times. I’m also from a small town in the States so growing up I never took the bus and could get to one end of the town in 30 minutes. Figuring out the bus routes, and simply how to get to the bus station was a challenge for me. However, after living in Ottawa for two years I have tackled the bus-system and use it all the time!

Saskya Caicedo, psychology

CAMEROON My greatest experience so far has been the cultural and development week celebrated each year, because I feel at home to an extent when the diversity of the university population is portrayed, especially when my country participates.

This therefore makes me feel proud and happy to be in a country that allows multiculturalism. I picked the University of Ottawa because I found that Ottawa is a very calm and quiet city, so I decided to come study here. Also, the University of Ottawa is a well known university.

Tatiana Nouya, communications

CHINA My greatest experience so far in Canada is that I can sit next to a girl from Iran who is only 23 but already had three kids, talk with a native white Canadian whose parents are from different countries, and watch a boy nearby speaking Italian.

What I mean is that Canada, or more specifically Ottawa, is really diverse!

Yuening Li, drama

AUSTRALIA Having to adapt to an independent lifestyle and start afresh at a new university and country without some basics (phone, laptop, fridge) was challenging at first.

But I was fortunately surrounded by so many supportive international and Canadian students, so I never felt isolated or alone. Learning to cope with temperatures 70-80 degrees colder than the current summer at home was also challenging!

Grace McKie, French and English literature

FINLAND The most challenging thing for me when coming to Canada was immigration related issues. It was very time consuming to try to find out what you need to send where, gather all needed documentation, and wait for answers to your questions.

Being an EU citizen I’m used to free travel (including moving) between the European countries, so this whole process with getting a study permit was totally new for me.

Lotta Lundsten, music

16 | sports

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

sports briefs

Women’s basketball chalks up two more wins against Queen’s and RMC Jaehoon Kim | Fulcrum Staff

LESS THAN 48 hours after the double overtime loss to Carleton at the 2011 Capital Hoops Classic, the Gee-Gees women’s basketball team found themselves back on the court, facing the Queen’s Golden Gaels (3-14) on Jan. 28. And as expected, Ottawa (11-6) played like a tired team early in the game, shooting just 30 per cent after the first quarter. The underdog Gaels only trailed by four points after the first 10 minutes of play; the Gees were in serious danger of losing their third-straight game.

“This is now their fourth game in seven days. That’s a lot of basketball. We had some tired girls out there tonight, and we didn’t have the same energy level,” said Gee-Gees head coach Andy Sparks.

However, the formidable frontcourt duo of Hannah Sunley-Paisley and Jenna Gilbert woke up just in time to prevent a Queen’s upset. The two veteran post players used their height advantage to perfection over shorter Gaels defenders, scoring points in the paint with ease. Rookie guard Kim Cupid also made a difference in the game, using her quickness to create offensive opportunities for both herself and her teammates. By half-time, the Gees’ lead had increased to 30-18.

“I really enjoyed not getting fouled out, that was cool,” said fourth-year centre Hannah Sunley-Paisley—she had fouled out in each of her past two contests. “It was definitely a character game for [us].”

Though Queen’s made a small run in the third quarter to trim the Gees’ lead to just seven, Ottawa refocused in the final quarter, taking a dominant 22-point lead with seven minutes left in the game. The

Men’s basketball crushes Paladins and Gaels to secure playoff spot

CRUISE CONTROL

photo by Paul Yacobucci

RMC offered no resistance against the Gees, Jan. 29 Gee-Gees cruised down the stretch for a well-deserved win, 65-47. The trio of Cupid, Gilbert, and Sunley-Paisley accounted for 46 total points, led by Sunley-Paisley’s 22-point effort.

“Those three always have to [step up].

They’re our three main threats and the other girls play off those [players],” said Sparks. “We knew we needed to get a win to keep the team going in the right direction. We were up and down a little bit [tonight], but we did show some pretty good stretches.”

The next day, Ottawa beat the Royal Military College Paladins (1-16) by a final score of 95-39. Cupid led all scorers with 15 points in the match. With the pair of

victories, the Gee-Gees are now assured to finish at least fourth in their division, earning them home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. They remain two games back of the second-place Toronto Varsity Blues (13-4) and four games back of first-place Carleton Ravens (15-5) as Ottawa prepares for the final five games of the season.

“Although we’ve had our slip-ups, we’re coming together much better,” said Sunley-Paisley. “As for the loss to [Carleton] last Wednesday, I would lose to Carleton by 1,000 points in regular season, if I beat them by one point in the playoffs.”

The Gees will now travel to Toronto on Feb. 4 to face the York Lions (5-12). f

The Fulcrum’s mustsee game of the week:

AFTER GETTING OFF to a blazing 9-4-2 start on their season, the Gee-Gees men’s hockey team has struggled of late. They have slowly slipped down the Ontario East division standings, falling from third place to sixth over the last two months.

Ottawa has gone 2-7-1 in their last 10 games, getting outscored 55-28 in that stretch. The biggest reason behind the Gees’ recent slide is their extremely difficult second-half schedule. All 10 matches were against opponents with better than .500 records, including three games against the first-place McGill Redmen (22-1-2).

“When we saw that schedule, we knew that the second half [of the season] was going to be challenging. We have a lot of games against traditional rivals, and these games are tough at the best of times,” said Gees head coach Dave Leger.

However, the young Ottawa team has still shown some flashes of brilliance, such as their 6-1 road win against the 16-8-1 Trois-Rivières squad on Jan. 14. Leger also explained that the difficult schedule will

end up preparing the Gee-Gees for the post-season.

“We’re playing hard games, but it’s a real nice dress rehearsal for playoff hockey.

None of these games are soft and easy; it will end up serving us well.”

There are only three regular season games left for the Garnet and Grey, including their last home game against Carleton (15-7-2) on Feb. 4. The Ravens have been the best defensive team in Ontario this season, giving up just 2.38 goals per game. “[Carleton] has a lot of depth up on their defence and their goaltending has been very solid. I think they have all the ingredients to be successful,” said Leger.

In their most recent head-to-head matchup on Jan. 7, Carleton beat the GeeGees 8-0 on the Ravens’ home ice, while scoring four shorthanded markers. Leger maintained that there were still some positives that come out of that game.

“The last time we played Carleton was probably the best eye-opener for us.

I think we all felt good about ourselves through December and the wake-up call that Carleton gave us was just that. It was a nice alarm clock to go off, to let us know

Women’s volleyball team dealt two surprising losses on the road OTTAWA’S WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL team was on a season-high five-game winning streak before the Jan. 28 road matchup against the Laurier Golden Hawks (5-10). The Gee-Gees (10-6) were stunned by the underdog Hawks squad who easily beat Ottawa with a 3-0 victory. The Gees were outscored by a 75-52 margin in the disappointing match.

Ottawa was looking for a rebound victory the next day against the Waterloo Warriors (6-9), and quickly took a 2-0 lead after two sets. The Gees had a chance to close out the victory in the third set but lost 27-25. The Warriors would never look back in a 3-2 comeback win. Rookie Myriam English led the Gees with 18 kills while veteran libero Claudia Seguin contributed with 27 digs.

The Gee-Gees are now tied for second place in the Ontario East division with Queen’s (10-4), though the Gaels have two games in hand. Ottawa will now travel to Thunder Bay to take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves in back-to-back matches, Feb. 4–5.

—Jaehoon Kim

Gee-Gees track and field team earns five medals at McGill meet

Men’s hockey against Carleton, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m.

Jaehoon Kim | Fulcrum Staff

THE GEE-GEES MEN’S basketball team was dominant in a pair of home game wins this past weekend. On Jan. 28, the Garnet and Grey faced off against Queen’s (3-14), ending the fi rst quarter with an impressive 25-9 lead and limiting the Golden Gaels to a mere 14 points at the half. Th ird-year guard Warren Ward led the team with 18 points, as the Gee-Gees earned a 71-41 victory.

The next day, the Garnet and Grey treated their fans with a series of blocks, steals, and most notably, crowd-pleasing dunks against the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins. The bench secured a lead early in the game, scoring 42 points by the half. By the fourth quarter, the Gee-Gees broke the 100 point barrier, beating RMC by a fi nal score of 109-36.

The two wins have guaranteed the Gee-Gees a spot in the playoffs, but where they will seed is still up for grabs. With the possibility of fi nishing anywhere from third to sixth place in the Ontario East division, the Gees will head off to York (8-9) and Laurentian (6-11), Feb. 4 and Feb. 5 respectively next weekend.

—Jessica Beddaoui

that we had to get back to work.”

Unlike the last time these two teams met, both squads will be missing some of their top players due to the World University Games. In order for the underdog Gee-Gees to pull off an upset, Ottawa will need to play a physical game and hope that they can win what will most likely be a low-scoring affair. Another key to this cross-town rivalry match? The Gee-Gees’ special teams play which was absolutely awful in their previous meeting.

“When we get powerplay opportunities, we’re going to have to make them count. Let’s be honest, we gave up four shorthanded goals [on Jan. 7] and their coach told me that he’s never been a part of a game like that before,” said Leger. “We’ll make sure that our powerplay is a lot more poised and under control and we’ll execute it at a higher level.”

Final verdict: Last October, the Gee-Gees outplayed Carleton at the Sports Complex but ended up losing a heartbreaker 3-2.

Look for Ottawa to repay the favour this time around, in a game with huge playoff implications. f

THE GEES TRACK and field team had another solid showing at the McGill Team Challenge, Jan. 28–29, as five medals were won by the Garnet and Grey.

Twenty university teams from across the country participated in this competition. Fourth-year runner Julie Tousaw won a gold in the women’s 600m event and also helped the 4x400m relay team to fi nish fi rst. The women’s 4x200m relay team earned Ottawa’s third gold medal of the meet.

As for the men’s side, veteran pentathlete Patrick Arbour won silver in his event with 3382 points, while second-year long jumper Christopher Greenaway won a bronze medal.

Nationally, the men’s team is ranked eighth while the women are ranked sixth. The Gees’ next competition will be at Ottawa’s Louis Riel Dome, at the Winter National Capital Invitational on Feb. 12.

—Jaehoon Kim

How are the Gee-Gees faring at the World University Games?

Men’s hockey statistics and scores Jan. 27, Canada beats Slovakia 9-0 Th ird-year forward Matt Methot: 1 assist, 2 shots on goal, +2 rating Rookie defenceman Dominic Jalbert: 1 shot on goal, +2 rating Jan. 29, Canada loses to Belarus 3-2 (SO) Th ird-year forward Matt Methot: 0 shots on goal, -1 rating Rookie defenceman Dominic Jalbert: 2 shots on goal, -2 rating Jan. 31, Canada beats South Korea 3-2 Th ird-year forward Matt Methot: 5 shots on goal, even rating Rookie defenceman Dominic Jalbert: 1 assist, 0 shots on goal, -1 rating

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

sports | 17

Gee-Gees Jockey Club continues to grow, controversies aside Keeton Wilcock | Fulcrum Staff

F

ROM ITS HUMBLE beginnings as a group of friends tailgating before University of Ottawa football games, the Gee-Gees Jockey Club has grown to become an official university club with hundreds of members. The Jockey Club is a group of student Gee-Gees fans who meet to party, tailgate, paint faces, and provide the Garnet and Grey with an enthusiastic fan base and a defi nitive home field advantage at their games.

The support of the Jockey Club has not gone unnoticed by the athletes and coaches, especially in the more popular sporting events, such as men’s football, basketball, and hockey.

“They love when we come to their games and we have good relationships with all of them,” said Steve Baker-Findlay, a student in the arts program and the current president of the Jockey Club.

“They know of us; they’ve thanked us many times and [have] asked us to keep coming.”

The club has been notably absent at some of the traditionally less popular sporting events, particularly women’s games. Baker-Findlay explained that the main reason the club doesn’t support the women’s teams with the same fervor as the men’s is because the women’s teams have not requested their support, unlike the men’s teams. “[They should] just reach out to us and

we’ll do our best. There’s nothing against women’s teams,” said Baker-Findlay.

“The guys are reaching out to us, so we go and help them back. If the women’s teams came and talked to us and reached out to us ... then that would be the fi rst step.”

A large portion of the “Jockey Club experience” is to party before going to GeeGees games. The club has been criticized in the past for its excessive drinking behaviour—by Ottawa fans and opposing supporters alike. While Baker-Findlay agrees that it is unacceptable for fans to cause harm, physically or mentally, to themselves or to others at a game, he does not believe that drinking at sporting events is a problem.

“Students are having a great time, [while] promoting the atmosphere and getting people to [come to] games. So is it too much to promote this club and promote drinking as a part of it? Because it is something that’s part of this club, it’s part of tailgating, and it’s part of sports,” explained Baker-Findlay.

The Jockey Club has grown at an impressive rate since its inception, but there is still room for expansion. Baker-Findlay, for one, is all for a rise in the Gees’ attendance numbers, but feels that the matter—to a certain extent—is no longer in his hands.

“I think we’ve done a lot on our part and [now] it’s absolutely up to the University ... If the university wants to pack the games, just give us a bar, give us the venue and we will.” f

‘WE RUN THIS TOWN TONIGHT’

photo by Alex Smyth

The Jockey Club makes its presence known at varsity Gee-Gees games

Red Bull: it gives you wings—and insomnia Is there ever a right time to consume caffeinated drinks?

Marco Walker-Ng | Fulcrum Contributor

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FACE challenges on a daily basis. Not only are you incredibly busy with school, but many students also have jobs and do their best to maintain a social life. Taking the time to properly care for yourself often takes a back seat. Students stay up late studying during the week and binge drink on the weekends. Many do not have the time to make healthy meals.

Combine this with class and work and you have a recipe for sleepy students. For many, the only way to get in “the zone” is to rely on caffeinated drinks.

These stimulants, although not entirely bad for you, tend to be a “band-aid” fi x for something that requires reconstructive surgery. It only masks the problem and it doesn’t fi x the cause—the actual reason for you being tired. But for those of you who’d rather die than go a day without caffeine, let’s take a closer look at the two most popular drinks: coffee and energy drinks.

Energy drinks Benefits: Provides quick boost of energy.

Mixes well with Jagermeister.

Cons: Contains loads of sugar or aspartame.

Contains a ton of man-made chemicals and artificial colouring.

Too many Jagerbombs lead to a nasty hangover.

Can be addictive.

Recommendations: Use sparingly in situations when you need to pull an all-nighter or when refusing Jagerbombs is not an option. Th is is your secret weapon when you need a quick source of energy—when overall health is not your main concern.

Coffee Benefits: Has lots of antioxidants, which help to protect from cell damage.

According to research, regular coffee drinkers are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, less likely to develop liver cirrhosis, and also less prone to developing Type 2 diabetes.

Increases mental and physical performance.

Cons: Can become addicted to coffee, where people drink up to five or six cups a day.

Can lead to adrenal fatigue, overall feelings of exhaustion, and dependence on caffeine.

Often consumed in the form of high-sugar, high-fat concoctions that cause more of a blood sugar crash than an energy lift .

Most coffee crops tend to be sprayed with lots of pesticides.

Recommendations: One cup of coffee a day seems to be the dose most experts recommend.

Try to be as minimalistic as possible.

Maybe take one cream, some Stevia (organic, sugar-free sweetener), or simply drink your coffee black with a dash of

cinnamon.

If you make your own, go organic. The instant coffee stuff is absolute garbage.

Try Kicking Horse Coffee for a nice Canadian organic coffee. They also sell organic coffee at Timothy’s and the campus cafeterias.

Do not drink coffee after noon, as caffeine stays in your system for a while and can negatively impact your sleep.

For a great pre-workout energy booster, have a cup of coffee!

To sum things up, coffee is good when used in moderation. Energy drinks are good when desperate or trying to impress that girl at the end of the bar with your Jagerbomb prowess. Nevertheless, you should not depend on caffeine to get all your energy. Tune in next week where we will look at some natural ways to boost energy! f Marco Walker-Ng is a personal trainer and a strength coach for the Gee-Gees’ soccer, football, and volleyball varsity teams. His blog can be found at marcoathletics.com.

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thefulcrum.ca/blogs/blog

18 | sports

Gees’ upset attempt falls short in 4-1 loss to first-place McGill Jaehoon Kim | Fulcrum Staff

AFTER GIVING UP a goal to the nationally top-ranked McGill Martlets (15-0-0) just 42 seconds into the game on Jan. 30, the Gee-Gees could have simply given up any hope of pulling out a win. But then the feisty Ottawa women’s hockey team (6-9-1) did the unthinkable with five minutes left in the fi rst period: fourth-year defender Michelle Snowden’s blast from the point was redirected in front by captain Érika Pouliot into the back of the McGill net. The Gees fi nished the fi rst frame tied at one—Ottawa’s hopes of upsetting the Martlets were alive and well.

“We’re always going into a game thinking [that] we’re going to get two points, even if it’s McGill,” said Yanick Evola, head coach of the Gee-Gees.

“We felt like we were in the game. [The goal] came really early in the game,” said fourth-year defender Amber Foster.

Unfortunately, the Gees unraveled in the second period by taking four straight penalties. After McGill reclaimed the lead early in the second, the Gees were called for two infractions within a dozen seconds of each other—leading to a long five-on-three opportunity for the Martlets. Though second-year goaltender Stephanie Auger made a highlight-reel save with her right pad, McGill eventually took advantage of the long powerplay by scoring with just 11 seconds left

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

on Ottawa’s penalty kill.

McGill scored another marker late in the frame to push their lead to 4-1, which was the fi nal score, as the two teams played out an even battle in the third period. Simply put, the angry Martlets had come out of the fi rst intermission determined to restore their lead; Ottawa ended up contributing to McGill’s cause with their undisciplined plays.

“We just had a bad second period [with] too many penalties,” said Evola.

“They weren’t bad calls from the refs— the referees did a really good job tonight.

We just have to play smarter on the boards [when] making decisions.”

“We need to be more disciplined. We have to take that extra stride instead of a hook or trip,” added Foster.

The Gee-Gees have spent 224 minutes in the penalty box as a team this season, which is easily worst in Quebec—Montreal is in a distant second with 180 minutes.

“If you fi nd a way to fi x [the problem], please tell me,” said Evola with a laugh.

“We do discuss the penalties all the time in the [locker] room.”

Despite the loss, Ottawa remains three points ahead of Carleton (3-7-4) for the fourth and fi nal playoff spot in the Quebec conference. The Ravens do have two games in hand, but the Gees still have control over their own playoff destiny.

“We’ve [beaten] Montreal, Concordia, and Carleton this year. We have one game against every team left ,” said Evola.

“We probably need at least two wins to be assured of a playoff [berth]. We want to fi nish strong.”

Ottawa’s next game is on Feb. 5 against Concordia (6-6-2) on home ice at f the Sports Complex.

COMPLETELY SURROUNDED

photo by Kate Waddingham

Ottawa had a tough time against McGill’s stingy defenders

Gee-Gees synchro club still going strong after founding in 2003 Tamara Tarchichi | Fulcrum Contributor

T

HE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa’s synchronized swimming competitive club has made a big splash in the Gee-Gees athletic world since they fi rst started eight years ago. The team blends two distinctive elements of dancing and gymnastics into one aquatic sport by performing a synchronized routine underwater accompanied by music. “[Synchronized swimming] is a combination of swimming, dancing, and some cheerleading because we throw people in the air and lift people in the water,” said Emily Hamilton, a veteran swimmer for the Gee-Gees. “Besides being one of the hardest sports in the world, it’s a lot of fun, and you won’t know unless you try it.”

The U of O synchro team has two full competitive teams, a competitive duet,

and two novice swimmers. The club also has three volunteer coaches, Kara Barclay, Meghan Farrier, and Janick Cormier, who are experts in the sport. Hamilton encourages students with minimal swimming experience to join the novice league if they are interested in synchronized swimming.

“The novice league does not require any experience; you just have to be able to hold yourself afloat in the water. Novice swimmers also get to compete, and there’s a specific division for that,” she said.

Students with competitive experience are also welcome to join the Gee-Gees.

“Tryouts are every year in September.

Even if you can’t always compete due to exams or mid-terms, you can choose to be on the alternative team and you won’t have to do competitions,” explained Hamilton.

The fourth-year communications stu-

THE MERMAIDS OF GEE-GEES NATION

photo courtesy Gee-Gees Synchro Club

Ottawa’s synchro club participates in three main competitions every season dent added that a lot of commitment is required of the team’s members; the club practices seven hours a week, and practices are usually in the wee hours of the morning.

“You have to be able to wake up early ,and sometimes practices take place Friday nights and Sunday mornings,” said Hamilton.

And while the sport’s reputation for being difficult might turn some students off, gymnastic moves such as the platform lift, which requires one swimmer to float underwater on her back and another swimmer to perform synchronized moves on top, might just be more fun than they think.

“For me, being lifted up and thrown in

the water is the best part; you are dancing and swimming—that’s fun!” said Hamilton.

The synchronized swimming team also competes in seasonal events. The Gee-Gees recently participated in the Queen’s Invitational on Jan. 16 against 13 other university teams. Ottawa placed third in the novice solo event and fourth in the competitive duet, and the two competitive teams fi nished 6th and 11th. “[The competition] was a lot of fun.

Our [routine] is to Jersey Shore music, so [we] do a lot of fist pumping and our second team swims to Inglorious Basterds, so they do a lot of kill shots and ninja moves,” explained Hamilton.

Ottawa’s synchro club longs to achieve a top-three national ranking as one of their goals—currently held by Western, McGill, and the University of Alberta.

Though the team is underfunded compared with the top teams, Hamilton and her team will attempt to bring home the title from a national competition held at the University of Toronto, Feb. 12.

The Gee-Gees synchro team will hold a bake sale on Feb. 9 in the University Centre to raise funds for an upcoming f out-of-province competition.

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

thethryllabus

19 want your event listed on the thryllabus? Email events@thefulcrum.ca

Feb. 12: Fuck The Facts plays Ou Quoi (48 Rue Laval), 8 p.m.

Feb. 11: The Eagle released to theatres

Feb. 19: Women’s basketball vs.

Carleton at Montpetit Hall, 8 p.m.

Feb. 3–12: Waawaate Fobister’s Agokwe runs at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 18: April Wine plays the Bronson Centre (211 Bronson Ave.), 7 p.m.

Feb. 18: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son released to theatres

Feb. 20: Women’s hockey vs. Carleton at Carleton University, 2 p.m.

Feb. 8–13: Broadway musical Cats runs at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 18: Rich Aucoin, Ennuie, Life In 2D, and Pete Samples play Cafe Deckuf (221 Rideau St.), 9 p.m.

Feb. 18: I Am Number Four released to theatres

Miscellaneous Happenings

Theatre

Feb. 8–26: Norm Forster’s comedic play The Long Weekend runs at the Ottawa Little Theatre (400 King Edward Ave.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 18: Watters Brothers, Ornaments, and Those Gulls play the Elmdale Tavern (1084 Wellington St. W.), 8:30 p.m.

Feb. 9–19: Evolution Theatre presents Little Martyrs by Dominick ParenteauLebeuf at the Arts Court Theatre (2 Daly Ave.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 18: The Goo Goo Dolls and Steven Page play the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 11: Straight No Chaser presented by Front+Centre at the Shenkman Arts Centre (245 Centrum Blvd.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 15: Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada’s Ghosts of Violence at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 19: Hey Rosetta! plays Capital Music Hall (128 York St.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 20: Coro Vivo Ottawa’s “Armonia Rinascimentale” in Tabaret Hall, 2 p.m.

Feb. 28: Melissa Ethridge and Serena Ryder play the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 22: Be The Saviour, I, Emperor, Mercenaries, Fractures, and Infecticator play Cafe Deckuf (221 Rideau St.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 21: A Chinese Carnival in honour of the Chinese New Year at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 25: Die Atlantic!, Horizons, The Prologue, Be The Saviour, After The Vendetta, and Kill For Change play Murphy’s Inn (917 2nd Street West), 6 p.m.

Feb. 24–27: The Mariinsky Ballet performs The Kirov, or La Bayadère, at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 7 p.m.

Feb. 25: Great Bloomers, Huron, and The Withering Pines play Cafe Deckuf (221 Rideau St.), 8 p.m.

Music Feb. 3: Danko Jones, Iconoclast, and Doll play Capital Music Hall (128 York St.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 4: Julie Doiron, Little Scream, and The Allrights play Mavericks (221 Rideau St.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 5: Sarah Harmer plays the Bronson Centre (211 Bronson Ave.), 7 p.m.

Feb. 5: Cuff The Duke and The John Henrys play Mavericks (221 Rideau St.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 6: John Mellencamp brings his No Better Than This tour to the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 8:15 p.m.

Feb. 10: Blackguard, Neuraxis, Insides Out, and From The Deep play Mavericks (221 Rideau St.), 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 12: My Dad Vs Yours, Coco et co, and In Antarctica play Mavericks (221 Rideau St.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 25: Drive Angry 3D released to theatres Feb. 25: Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas plays at the Mayfair Theatre (1074 Bank St.), 9:15 p.m.

Feb. 25: Hall Pass released to theates

Feb. 20: The Nightengale presented

by Rag and Bone in collaboration with OYP Theatre School at the Shenkman Arts Centre (245 Centrum Blvd.), 1:30 p.m.

Mar. 3: Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet presents Orbo Novo at the National Arts Centre (53 Elgin St.), 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 22-23: Winds of Heaven: Emily Carr, Carvers, and the Spirits of the Forest plays at the Mayfair Theatre (1074 Bank St.), 7 p.m.

Feb. 26: Brain Trust, Thesis Sahib, and Greed Bros play Raw Sugar Café (692 Somerset St. West), 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 2: The Dreadnoughts, The Resignators, Nummies, and Dry River Caravan play Mavericks (221 Rideau St.), 6:30 p.m.

Film Feb. 3: Plastic Planet plays at the Mayfair Theatre (1074 Bank St.), 7 p.m.

Feb. 4: The Roommate released to theatres Feb. 4: Blacula plays at the Mayfair Theatre (1074 Bank St.), 11:30 p.m.

Feb. 4: Sanctum released to theatres Feb. 6: The Pink Panther (1963) plays at the Mayfair Theatre (1074 Bank St.), 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 11: Gnomeo and Juliet released to theatres Feb. 11: Graphic Sexual Horror plays at the Mayfair Theatre (1074 Bank St.), 11:55 p.m.

Feb. 26: Cockfighter plays at the Mayfair Theatre (1074 Bank St.), 11:15 p.m.

Feb. 3: “Neither Culture nor Development: the Politics of Economic Interventions” lecture by Dr. Simon and Dr. Spronk in room 205 of the University Centre, 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 3: “Dear Africa” lecture by Shakira Abubakar, founder of Continental Rescue Africa in the Terminus, 7 p.m.

Feb. 10: “The Canadian Men Chippendale Show for Leukemia & Lymphoma” at Mambo Restaurant (77 Clarence St.), 7 p.m.

Feb. 11: 3rd Annual Painted Lips and Lolly Licks: The Sexy Film Festival at the Mayfair Theatre (1074 Bank St.), 9:30 p.m.

Feb. 12: The 3rd Annual Hopewell “Love Your Life” Valentine’s Gala at the Hilton Garden Inn (2400 Alert Rd.) Feb. 27: The 83rd Annual Academy Awards telecast at the Mayfair Theatre (1074 Bank St.), 8 p.m.

Feb. 4: Mining Justice discussion in the Terminus, 2 p.m.

feb. 3–march 3

Events on campus

Feb. 27: Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie plays at the Mayfair Theatre (1074 Bank St.), 6 p.m.

Mar. 1: Pi plays at the Mayfair Theatre (1074 Bank St.), 7 p.m.

Mar. 1: Requiem For A Dream plays at the Mayfair Theatre (1074 Bank St.), 8:45 p.m.

Visual Art Now–April 17: Che Bella Linea: Italian Master Prints, 1500-1650 exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada (380 Sussex Dr.) Now–April 24: It Is What It Is. Recent Acquisitions of New Canadian Art exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada (380 Sussex Dr.) Now–April 29: Alex Colville: The Formative Years, 1938-1942 exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada (380 Sussex Dr.) Sports Feb. 4: Men’s hockey vs. Carleton at the Sports Complex, 7 p.m.

Feb. 5: Women’s hockey vs. Concordia in the Sports Complex, 6 p.m.

Feb. 9: Women’s volleyball vs.

Queen’s at Montpetit Hall, 7 p.m.

Feb. 12: Men’s and women’s track and field Winter National Capital Invitational at Louis-Riel Dome, 10 a.m.

Feb. 18: Men’s basketball vs.

Carleton at Montpetit Hall, 8 p.m.

Feb. 19: Women’s hockey vs.

Montreal at the Sports Complex, 6 p.m.

20 | features

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

The reality of reform Why altering our alphabet may not pan out Corin Latimer | Fulcrum Contributor

W

HETHER IT BE grumblings from an older family member or bitter griping from an English professor, almost everyone has heard the complaint that kids these days don’t know how to spell properly. But when you have words spelled “through” that could just as easily be spelled “thru,” maybe traditional spelling no longer makes sense.

The fact is that our alphabet is not effective for modern English. Technically, it is not even a true alphabet according to defi nition, which states that, in an alphabetic system, every letter represents only one sound, and each sound is represented by solely that letter. Consider the words “meat,” “beet,” “elite,” and “believe”—all of those vowels are pronounced identically, but are spelled four different ways.

It would make so much more sense to revamp English spelling to truly reflect

pronunciation, wouldn’t it?

Challenges of alphabet reform Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. For example, if you ask English speakers from anywhere within the English-speaking world to say the word “poor,” you are going to hear a plethora of different pronunciations. It may rhyme with either “for,” “lure,” or even “truer.” So who decides which variation is the one that will be reflected in the new spelling? Whichever pronunciation is declared to be “correct,” there will be two other ways to say that word that will not be reflected in the spelling. Already, the entire purpose of this new alphabet is defeated.

Writing is a naturally conservative medium. Words on a page cannot be modernized without being rewritten; speech, on the other hand, can be altered at any time. Also, if the alphabet were changed, texts with an older writing system would become unreadable in only a few generations. People are resistant to change something they are comfortable with, regardless of its inefficiency.

It seems alphabetic reform is not nearly as simple as we would like it to be.

Development of English If English can’t be fi xed through official

restructuring, we seem to be stuck with the dysfunctional system that we have.

It was not always so ineffective, however.

During the reign of Old English, the language got along very well with its alphabet. Then, during the second century, the Normans conquered England—suddenly the country’s official language was French, and remained that way for about 200 years. Eventually the French influence waned and people regained an interest in recording their language, except that the English intellectuals had all been disposed of by the Normans. There was no one left alive who knew how to write English. Academics did their best in spelling words the way they heard them, but they had all been trained in French spelling conventions, not English ones.

Th is resulted in words such as “hus” (pronounced “hoos”) being transcribed as “hous,” because in French, the way to write an “oo” sound is “ou,” like in “loup” or “vous.”

While these French conventions gave a spelling guideline for contemporary English writers, it was still not standard across the English-speaking world. People spelled words as they wished, even depending on how much space remained on a line. As long as the general idea was conveyed, spelling didn’t matter. Then

Save the words! the printing press came along, and as texts became less personal and more widespread, standard spellings emerged.

However, each particular spelling was once someone’s personal variation.

One more significant influence on English spelling is an event known as the Great English Vowel Shift. All the vowel sounds in English changed: sounds that used to be pronounced “oo” became “uh,” “ee” turned into a short “i” (like in “pit”), and so on. Languages often experience shifts, and this would not have been a problem if English had not become standardized shortly before this change occurred. Thus, our words are stuck being spelled out according to how they used to be pronounced centuries ago rather than how they are actually spoken now.

“Proper” spelling is a social construct—there is no cosmic punishment for an alternate spelling. But a complete dissolution of standardized spellings could turn into a modern Tower of Babylon: if everyone’s spelling was influenced by their personal dialect and accent, language may become incoherent to other readers. Still, “grammatical” spelling should not be so quickly judged; what is perceived as correct today whould perhaps not be the same as what was correct during the Reformation. f

AS OF LATE, some specific words in the English language have become particularly fashionable. As proof, count how many times you use the word “epic” in a day. An Oxford organization called Save the Words is dedicated to reviving the variety in our vocabulary by letting people adopt words that are becoming extinct.

Oxford’s reasoning is that most of what we write and say is communicated by only 7,000 words. Hundreds of words are forgotten in the English language every year, which makes us seem like poor and careless communicators.

To save mankind from becoming speechless, and the abandoned words from a slow, painful death, Save the Words allows you to pledge to use a word of your choice every day. The organization even allows you to make t-shirts and provides other creative ways of spreading your word. For example, why not name your pet Ictuate or Cestuan?

So, next time you try to use the word “epic” to describe something, reach for the thesaurus and try something like “herculean” or “monumental” instead.

Better yet, pull up savethewords.org and stun someone by saying, “My dear chap, are you nequient to obarmate against abysmal use of language?”

—Jane Lytvynenko

The makings of our modern tongue Everything you need to know about the long-developing language Mathias MacPhee | Fulcrum Contributor

ENGLISH HAS LONG held a highly honoured, yet strange, reputation on the linguistic world stage. Although it has an illustrious literary past and is one of the most popular languages spoken, it is grammatically unsound and is comprised of a wide collection of native dialects that sound completely different.

In order to shed some light on English’s misty beginnings in Great Britain, the Fulcrum spoke to Geoff rey Rector, an English professor at of the University of Ottawa, who specializes in medieval English.

Stepping back through time to try and observe the roots of the English language, Professor Rector offers some insight into how it originated.

“English doesn’t have [just one] single ancestor,” he explains. “The history of the language is often deformed by our expectation that a language should evolve in a closed linear genealogy, as if from father to son.”

What we would recognize today as the

beginnings of modern English emerged during the 15th and 16th centuries, but the origins of our language lie much further back, in older dialects. Anglo-Saxon is considered to be one of the main predecessors to our modern tongue and is synthesized out of the Celtic spoken by the natives of Britain, and the Germanic spoken by invading Northern Europeans.

This ancestor to modern English did not sound anything like its descendant. In fact, a speaker of Anglo-Saxon would not be able to even communicate the most basic messages with the average anglophone today.

As we drew closer to the date of 1066, a year that marks a turning point in English’s history, Anglo-Saxon began to succumb to Christian influences from the south. It was at this point that Latin words entered the language.

During the same year, the English language was introduced to an all-new influence. When William the Conqueror invaded Britain, he brought with him the dialectical forerunner of Canada’s other official language, French. This early form

of French became the language of the nobility in England, mixing with the British tongues of the lower classes.

Rector explains that, at this point, the language could best be described as a variant of early Middle English. “[It was] a mix of a Germanic language spoken by England’s Saxons settlers and a francophone language spoken by settlers from northern and western France,” Rector says. “That mix, however, is also strongly influenced by Danish and Welsh.

It is, thus, a kind of Creole.”

As the unwritten oral tradition of a largely illiterate society gave way to manuscripts and texts, more transformative events in the history of the language ocurred; for example, changes to the alphabet. William Caxton was the man who brought the printing press to England, a Dutch printing press that did not include the letters Thorn (Þ) and Yogh (Ȝ), which were prevalent in English texts at this time. As a consequence, the letters faded from written documents and the form of English spoken in London became the popular form of the language.

English doesn’t have [just one] single ancestor... The history of the language is often deformed by our expectation that a language should evolve in a closed linear genealogy, as if from father to son.

–Geoffrey Rector, English professor, U of O

“Prior to this kind of centralization, we couldn’t even imagine the idea of a dialectical or orthographic ‘norm’ in English,” Rector explains.

As English evolved from its slapdash beginnings into the language we know today, more linguistic centralizations occurred. In 1755 Samuel Johnson published his Dictionary of the English Language.

Before this point, little attention was paid to spelling; one word occurring twice in a piece of writing might be spelled differently without attracting the attention of an editor. The publication of this early dictionary marked a new moment in the standardization of the language and its development in the dialect we speak today.

When asked where he thought the English language was headed, Rector was confident that we have not met the end of our development.

“English will continue to change as it always has,” Rector says. “[It will keep] subsuming influences from the languages it comes into contact with and influencing them in turn, being shaped and deformed by the history of its users.” f

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

features | 21

Talking in the technological age Kristyn Filip | Fulcrum Staff

“SHE WAS MY BFF until I found out that she was DTF with my BF… Backstabbers FTW! LMFAO. I unfriended her, obv.”

Welcome, my friends, to the language of social networking: it’s short, sweet, and changing constantly. Keep up or you’ll fi nd yourself in total social exile with the rest of the “LOL” users.

Admittedly, the sheer volume of Internet slang and its fluid nature make it difficult for even the most avid pop culture aficionado to remain current. The prevalence of online lingo in our daily lives is overwhelming. It begs the question: Is our generation running the English language into the ground, or are we simply masters of word-mincing? Better yet, why should we care? The Fulcrum sat down with Hisham Kelati and Jane Lytvynenko, both fluent speakers of the social networking language, to get some answers.

An enthusiastic Tweeter, Lytvynenko knows the importance of remaining on top of the ever-changing lingo.

“When I first started to use MSN, I had no idea what things like ‘LOL’ or ‘BRB’ meant,” she says. “I was really confused. Not understanding the slang took a lot away from my social experience. Of course, that’s a lot less common now.”

Kelati is rarely perplexed by Internet lingo.

“I can interpret most slang instantly,” he says. “The more immersed you are in the culture, the quicker you will catch on.”

Not only is Kelati able to understand online jargon, but he also feels comfortable using it.

“I use everything; I don’t want to limit myself. If I’m going to do it, I’m going to go all out,” he says.

Such is not the case for Lytvynenko.

“I think the slang I hate the most is ‘LOL.’ It’s like saying, ‘We’re in a conversational rut and I’m going to laugh out loud about it.’”

So, why is our generation obsessed with shortening words, misspelling everything, and using puzzling acronyms?

Both Lytvynenko and Kelati attribute the fascination to our “fast food” culture.

According to the pair, we want everything and we want it now. “[Slang is] easy and convenient; everyone gets it. It saves you precious energy,” says Lytvynenko.

hat, as a generation, we Kelati notes that, have had no other er choice but to keep up with the fast-paced ed world around us.

“It’s all aboutt adaptation,” he says.

“We’re able to sayy what we want to quickly, easily, and concisely ncisely in 140 characters or less.”

Despite its unarguable popularity in our society, Internet nternet lingo is not alved by all crowds. Both ways well received Lytvynenko and Kelati have been criticized in the past for their use of Internet slang.

“People who are sticklers of the English language will ll hate you for it. Purists are worried that it’s going to ruin our language,” anguage,” says Kelati. net Many Internet jargon critics label abel its users as lazyy or incompetent. For Kelati, however, our online way off speaking is as valid as any other slang terms used by previous generations. ultural thing. Our lan“It’s just a cultural guage fits the time me that we’re living in.

It’s simply a new method of communication,” he says.

As fluent Internet nternet slang speakers, ynenko have some fears Kelati and Lytvynenko anguage. Kelati especialfor the English language. ral concerns. ly admits to several “We need to be able to differentiate between the academic demic world and the Internet,” he says. “Once it starts encroaching on academia,, then we need to worry.

People who actually ually say things like ‘JK’ are also cause forr concern. I really think that type of language uage is meant to be communicated only through a social networking tool.”

Kelati and Lytvynenko vynenko think that sites like Twitter, which ch impose serious word rs, are the way of the fulimits on its users, ture.

“Twitter has to be short, sweet, and interesting,” sayss Lytvynenko. “When it first came out, nobody obody knew what to do with it. Now it has as evolved into a worldwide forum.”

Kelati agrees, “Twitter is where we’re heading. It’s the ultimate economization of words.”

And that’s what it’s really all about: economizing. As broke and busy university students, we know how important it is to save money, y, time, and words.f.

Fortunately, we can rely on our Internet slang to help elp us do just that.

illustration by Jackie Dunn

A DEAD LANGUAGE is, by definition, one that is no longer in everyday spoken use. Some are still important in ancient texts or literature, but there are hundreds of languages that have died off entirely, and several more are in danger even today.

Latin While many scholars contest that it is not a dead language, Latin is likely the best known of all the so-called dead languages.

Originating in Ancient Rome and used in Europe until the Renaissance, today Latin remains the language of the Catholic Church and is spoken in Vatican City.

Though it gave rise to the Romance languages, such as French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, Latin is considered, by definition, a dead language today due to the fact that it is not spoken in any existing culture.

Classical Greek Greek has the longest documented history of any of the Indo-European languages. Its alphabet arose from that of the Phoenicians and was the precursor to the Latin, Cyrillic, and Coptic alphabets. As one of the original Western languages, it is the language of some of the most important classic philosophical texts. While a modern form of Greek is still spoken today, and is considered the language of science and medicine along with Latin, classical Greek is generally classified as a dead language.

Sanskrit Sanskrit is the ancient language of India and the ritualistic language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Many of the Hindu hymns and mantras are in Sanskrit, and the oldest Sanskrit text—the Rigveda, from approximately 2000 B.C.—is a collection of over 1000 Hindu hymns. There have been some recent efforts in India to revive Sanskrit as a living language, but as of yet it is still considered dead.

Coptic Coptic was the last stage in the evolution of the Egyptian language and was widely spoken in Egypt until about the 17th century. It originally used the Greek alphabet but made some additions to form the Coptic alphabet. It was spoken most from the second to 13th century, and was replaced

by Egyptian Arabic as the main language of Egypt.

—Natalie Tremblay

FEATURES Jaclyn Lytle | features@thefulcrum.ca | (613) 562 5258

22

DISTRACTIONS

Dear Di...

Dear Di, About two weeks ago I was part of an interesting group liaison at an after party off-campus. I guess the technical term for what I took part in would be an orgy. There were only four of us, two girls and two guys, but I guess that still exceeds a threesome.

Anyways, my problem is that since it happened I find I’ve been increasingly interested in one of the guys I was with that night. Do you think he could ever look at me as girlfriend material, or am I screwed into the slut category because I met him in a gang bang?

—Girlfriend/Gang-Banger Dear G/GB, I’d like to state for the record that just because you took part in something a little more sexy than what most people participate in on the weekends does not mean you are a slut, skank, whore, or anything but an interested girl with a severe sexual appetite. Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to overlook an enticing past, and a lot of the time you may fi nd yourself judged for your actions over your character.

In terms of attaining exclusivity with your ménage-quatre man, it really all depends on whether or not he’s mature enough to take the time to look past your initial encounter and get to know non-group sex you. If you’ve been hanging out with him, or even spent some one-on-one time together since your interesting introduction, I’d say you have a pretty decent chance of getting into a girlfriend position. Hey, at the very least, you know he thinks you’re hot enough to have it out with you in front of a pair of other people. That’s quite the compliment if you ask me.

On the other hand, if he’s been ignoring you or rude at all since your first fun time together, it may be best to cut your losses and look for someone slightly less quick to judgement—especially considering his own involvement in the orgy. You deserve someone who will take the time to get to know the real you, in spite of any strange sexual stories you may have.

Ultimately, if I’m going to be honest, you have run the risk of getting slotted into the slut category as far as he’s concerned due to the nature of your meeting. But that doesn’t mean you should be afraid to initiate a fl irtation. If he’s at all receptive, or has been since the orgy occurred, then there’s no reason why this can’t become the sexiest “Where we met” story of all time.

Love, Di Dear Di, I am wondering if girls are actually telling the truth when they say that the most important thing to them is a guy’s personality. My reason for doubting this is that, after my last relationship ended two years ago, I went through a period of depression which saw my frame balloon to a whopping 365 pounds.

I’ve since become a regular at the gym and am active in a few organizations on campus. I like to think that I have a pretty happy and friendly personality, but it seems that I’m stuck in the “friend zone” with any girl I meet and cannot move onto anything more intimate. A girl’s body isn’t much of a concern for me— I like them in all shapes and sizes; however, I’m starting to have serious doubts that “there is somebody out there for everyone.”

—Without a Clue

Sexy Sidenote: Statistically speaking, two in every 1,000 men can suck themselves off. Those lucky few are well endowed and extremely flexible.

XKCD

Dear WC, Let me start by congratulating you. It sounds like you’ve been taking care of yourself both physically and mentally; however, I think we can both agree that it’s high time you add some sexual healing into the equation.

Now, to answer your question, personality is extremely important in any relationship (unless the relationship is horizontal in nature and takes place entirely between the sheets).

We’re all looking for a sweetie who not only gets our below-the-belt juices flowing, but also makes us laugh and stimulates us intellectually.

I think there are two problems here.

Firstly, you seem to want a relationship, but perhaps you’re pursuing women who are more interested in a quick winedine-69. For many students, university is a time to try tantric on Tuesday and wind up in an orgy on Wednesday.

Monogamy isn’t for everybody, but that’s no reason to be discouraged. There are plenty of ladies on campus who are ready to part with their little black books and settle down with a bodacious boyfriend. They may be a slightly more difficult to fi nd, but they are out there.

The second problem we need to address is your permanent residency in the friend zone. Once you’re in, it can be tough to get out. I get the impression that you’re the “shoulder-to-cryon” guy. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great guy to be, but you also need to show the ladies that there’s a sexual dynamo hidden underneath all of your sensitivity. The next time you meet a sexy single girl you’d like to knock boots with, you need to make it clear from the very beginning that you’re interested in more than platonic palling around.

There are many ways of going about this, and some are more effective than others. Your best bet? Give her genuine compliments. Pay her extra attention when you’re out in a group. Ask about her interests and fi nd a common bond.

Do you both like basketball? Suggest going to a Gee-Gees game together. Start with something low-key so as to gauge her interest. If the feelings aren’t mutual, who cares? The old adage rings true: there’s plenty of pussy at the pet store.

Listen, WC, you sound like a catch.

I am entirely confident that you’ll have plenty of interested honeys in no time at all as long as you play your cards right.

Love, Di

anwsers on p. 2 Puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com. Used with permission.

Across 1. CPR experts; 5. Distasteful; 9. Component of organic fertilizer; 14. Bender; 15. Native Canadian; 16. Like lungs; 17. Large hairy spider; 19. Juvenescent; 20. Dinner course; 21. General ___ chicken; 23. Ref’s decision; 24. Cuts off; 26. Chuck; 28. Prepares for publication; 30.

Cytokinin occurring in corn; 34. Hot time in Paris; 37. Type of massage therapy; 39. Large mop; 41. Slangy denial; 42. Reason to cancel school; 43. Living on land; 48. Nav. officer; 49. Of special elegance; 50. Early computer; 52.

Melt; 54. Elaborately adorned; 57. Bingo!; 60. 1975 Wimbledon winner; 62. Ogle; 64. A jewel; 66. Inordinate; 68.

Gross; 69. Edges; 70. Gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans; 71. Swagger; 72. School orgs.; 73. Breather; Down 1. Kitchen addition; 2. Haunted house sounds; 3. Rich cake; 4. Go hungry; 5. Jaundiced; 6. French vineyard; 7. Salmon that has spawned; 8. Brewer’s need; 9. Hero of the Odyssey; 10. Aussie hopper; 11. Adjoin; 12. Liquid container; 13. As a result; 18. ___ lift?; 22. Exude; 25. Slow growth; 27. Back talk; 29. Surplus; 31. Air; 32.

Golf club which can be numbered 1 to 9; 33. Information; 34. Cornerstone abbr.; 35. Affectedly dainty; 36. British nobleman; 38. Thick-skinned charger; 40. Very dry champagne; 44. Fatigue greatly; 45. Mariners can sail on seven of these; 46. Lacking oxygen; 47. Back streets; 51. Roman general; 53. Young of the dog; 55. Rubbish; 56. Roof overhangs; 57. Basics; 58. “Java” trumpeter; 59. Cracked; 61. Egress; 63. Dry run; 65. Columbus sch.; 67. Tax pro

EXECUTIVE EDITOR | executive@thefulcrum.ca | (613) 562 5260

OPINIONS ‘What a slut’

23

What that fourletter word really means— and why you shouldn’t use it Mercedes Mueller | Fulcrum Staff

“AND THEN WE went back to my place and fucked,” the girl ahead of me in line at Second Cup triumphantly declared, catching her friend up on the weekend’s events.

“I can’t believe you did that,” responded the second girl, incredulously. “You’re such a slut!” Both girls erupted into laughter as they grabbed their coffees and walked away.

What’s wrong with this conversation? Well, the fact that most of you silently thought “nothing” in response to that question. The word “slut” is everywhere—be it on TV, scribbled across a bathroom stall, or in our everyday conversations. Even the Canadian Oxford Dictionary has an entry for slut, yet the word has inconspicuously taken on a meaning greater than that which can be defi ned by a dictionary.

First used in the 14th century to refer to “a dirty, untidy, or slovenly woman,” the word slut has always been applied to women of low character, specifically to those who exhibit questionable sexual behaviour (i.e. behaviour that doesn’t conform to society’s patriarchal expectations of a woman’s sexual conduct). But within our contemporary culture, where it’s increasingly acceptable for a woman’s sexual identity to exist outside of a marriage, what constitutes “questionable sexual behaviour” is unclear. Nonetheless, words like “slut” and “whore” are hurled at women, usually in an attempt to exert control over their actions.

You’re a woman and you’re open about your sexuality? Slut. You’re a woman who enjoys having sex—be it within the confi nes of a monogamous relationship or as a career choice? Whore. You’re a woman who has never had sex before, but just so happens to wear shirts that reveal you do, indeed, have breasts? Skank.

When we consider the endless scenarios that render a woman a slut these days, it becomes clear that this word is used solely to shame a woman for expressing herself sexually. There’s a notion that this act of slut-shaming—making a woman feel ashamed for being sexual or having one or more sexual partners—is a tool that can be used to compel a woman to alter her behaviour for the better. Call a woman a slut and perhaps she’ll feel ashamed enough to change her behaviour—behaviour that society believes leaves her vulnerable to things like unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and sexual assault. It’s for her protection, right?

Far from leaving her better off, slutshaming can irreparably damage a woman’s self-perception. Being called a slut for exhibiting perfectly normal sexual behaviour can cause a woman to associate herself with the negative conphoto by Alex Martin

notations intrinsic to that word: dirty, easy, and worthless. Maybe she’ll indulge these unfounded labels and take on multiple partners, or maybe she’ll shut herself down to all forms of sexual activity out of shame. She may become a target for others to take advantage of, feeling as though her right to consent is taken away by her reputation. Either way, it diminishes a woman’s ability to express her sexuality—and that’s not healthy.

Slut-shaming has been used to make examples out of “bad” girls to their peers, sometimes ending with severe consequences. In 2009, a 13-year-old girl from the U.S. sexted a photo of her breasts to a boy she liked, which was intercepted and circulated around her school and a nearby high school. The girl was forced to endure endless taunting by her peers, routinely being called a “slut” and a “whore.”

When school officials were informed of these events, their response wasn’t to talk to the girl about the what had happened, or to discipline the offending classmates. They suspended her from school for a week, an action that sends the message to students that calling someone a slut for exhibiting “slutty behaviour” is OK—that, perhaps, slutty girls deserve to be punished by their peers. She hung herself less than a week after the suspension.

Beyond damaging someone’s reputation and self-esteem on an individual level, slut-shaming shapes societal discourse on things like rape, abuse, and sexual harassment. There is an inconspicuous but real conception in society and our legal systems that rape is more understandable under certain circumstances—circumstances that revolve around the identity of the victim.

In 2007, a British man charged with the rape of a 10-year-old girl was given concurrent two-year and 18-month jail sentences, as opposed to life in prison.

The judge felt he was faced with “a moral dilemma” in this “exceptional case” because the victim regularly wore makeup, strappy tops, and jeans, making her appear at least 16 years old—as though somehow her provocative clothing trumped her right to consent (assuming a child is even capable of consent).

Cases like the above aren’t isolated anomalies in our legal systems. Rape cases are thrown out on the basis of the victim’s appearance—how they dress, act, and speak—while instances of sexual harassment in the workplace are overlooked because of the victim’s sexual history. Women are constantly written off by their peers as worthless, irrelevant, and less capable at the simple utterance of that four-letter word.

The word slut has become a catch-all phrase used to defame a woman—one that has lost its meaning in society, while simultaneously carrying dark implications with its use. Next time you want to call a woman a slut, think about what you actually mean to say. Does the fact that she’s open about her sexuality make her a slut, or is she just a liberal woman? Is the woman that fucked your boyfriend really a whore, or is your boyfriend simply a cheating asshole? Is that classmate wearing the low-cut top skanky, or is she just gutsy enough to wear something you could never pull off ? It isn’t until we stop being so loose with our word choice that the problems associated with this powerful vocabulary will begin to dissipate. f

24 | opinions

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

Amanda Shendruk | Fulcrum Staff

EDITORS KNOW THAT almost everything they publish will offend someone.

Forums, online comments, letters to the editor, casual conversation, and even the chambers of Parliament are brimming with complaints about the insensitive and hurtful nature of the day’s coverage. This is in part because we live in a society with an increasing number of people who have made a career of being perpetually offended, partly because the media is in fact often insensitive and hurtful, and mostly because Canada is a diverse nation of incredibly diverse views.

Newspapers and magazines struggle to distinguish the blurry line between what should and should not be printed, and it is often those who are most loudly irritated who think their feelings of offence defi ne this line. There is no legal precedent or constitutional commandment, however, that gives citizens the right to be “free from” offence caused by another’s opinions or comments.

People are emotionally invested in their culture, race, gender, sexuality, and religion; these are just some aspects of life that influence our understanding of words, phrases, and images. Because of this, there are as many opinions of what

Coverage of these issues sparks a discussion of them, allowing us the opportunity to make genuine social progress.

In this sense, there’s an expectation that media act, in part, to frame the societal discourse, responsible for presenting issues in a way we can understand, while giving us the tools and information we need to make informed decisions. While, at times, much of the criticism hurled at the media is deserved, we, the information-consuming public, must also share some of the burden. We too have a responsibility to challenge the limitations of established discourse when it is unsatisfactory. If mainstream news organizations are unwilling or unable to go beyond surface level examinations, the audience ought to raise the underlying issues—an endeavour that has become increasingly simple over time.

Consider for a moment the mediums by which ideas are disseminated. Once, information and ideas were shared in print—from newsletter, to pamphlet, to newspaper: each a static, one-off monologue. Now, the medium has changed— and with it, the conversation between the media and the audience.

The Internet has unleashed an unrelenting, unforgiving free flow of information. When the stories presented to us by the media are one-sided or information is missing, we can make use of the endless channels of information provided

by the Internet—blogs, online forums, and emerging niche media organizations with relatively untested models of collaborative community journalism.

Th is has created a platform for a civil, transparent, and ongoing dialogue between media outlets and an actively informed and engaged public. The online news website OpenFile.ca operates on a model of collaborative journalism in which community members determine what stories (fi les) are covered. The site connects citizens to their city and the reporters who cover it.

Most importantly, files are not static— they are, as the name suggests, open, and can be added to by the reporter as the story develops. This allows the public to weigh in and help shape the narrative in a manner unlike the traditional print model.

In an ideal media landscape, news organizations, and the journalists who comprise them, ought to act not only as a check on current political and social powers, but also as a way of keeping the public honest with ourselves—to ask the difficult questions, and to ensure we have the context necessary to actively discuss them. The public must also accept its own responsibility in working to keep the media on this path by engaging proactively in dialogue. Only if the media and the public work together will we ever have the media we want, a media capable of advancing the ideals of the democratic process. f

image courtesy Wordle.net

is “fit to print” as there are words in the English language.

With such diversity of belief, everyone is bound to be offended at some point.

Therefore, it should only be the law and the Canadian Constitution that draws the line of acceptability for the media.

If Canada presents itself as a champion of free speech and a free press, it must protect all forms of communication and expression except those that are defama-

tory or hateful. Unfortunately for those who are particularly sensitive, this means that freedom of expression also guarantees the freedom to express the outrageous and ridiculous, as well as the moderate and the rational. In effect, it grants the right to offend.

The media has the right to publish controversial, risqué, and provocative material. So, what do you do? Because you damn well have the right to feel of-

The responsibilities of the media and audience in democracy have changed as the medium evolves Jessie Willms | Fulcrum Staff

T

HE MEDIA. THIS is the term most often applied to the individuals and technologies that make up mass communications.

When spoken aloud, “the media” is commonly pronounced with the upturned nose of contempt. Scorn is heaped upon “the media” for a myriad of reasons. It’s a liberal media. A conservative media. A corporate media. A media that propagates political press releases. Complaints of conglomeration and acquisitions by media organizations are plentiful, and the slander hurled at journalists is seemingly unrelenting.

But are these complaints being hurled in the wrong direction?

In democratic societies, we accept that the media exists, not only to act as

fended.

It is at this crossroads that our democratic society thrives, but it is also here where productive discussion can die.

When offended, the immediate reaction for many is to wish the offending image, phrase, or concept had never been printed. Th is is natural. But censoring— whether it’s ripping the publication off stands or exerting pressure to shut down a media outlet altogether—is never pro-

ductive. It is destructive and dangerous to societal discourse.

Freedom of expression, including the right to offend, allows for an open exchange of views, reasonable or not, and a competitive marketplace of ideas, both of which are important to the life of democracy. Censorship, even when enacted to counter something deeply offensive, is detrimental to equality.

Groups who challenge the status quo and are underrepresented in social discourse are often portrayed negatively in the press. In an attempt to squash stereotype and seek respect, these same groups occasionally call for and support censorship. It’s completely understandable, but it’s not rational. It’s certainly not the status quo that needs defending, and while protected free speech leaves room for intolerant dialogue, it also gives voice to those who challenge embedded discrimination and inequality.

It all comes down to this: don’t stifle the conversation, add to it.

If you believe certain attitudes within society need to be changed, transform them—don’t eradicate them. By persistently educating, writing letters to the editor, and engaging in debate, destructive attitudes can be morphed into learning experiences, and opportunities to strengthen or change opinions. f

illustration by Vanessa Burgete

a check on the political and economic powers that be, but also to provide the context necessary for social discourse.

The media—a collective group made up of reporters, journalists, columnists, and editorial boards—fulfi lls the role of an information gatekeeper, determining what stories are published and what information is included in these stories.

Th is element of perspective is important to note, as the stories that are not told are often more revealing than those that are.

It’s here that the principle of “media responsibility” comes into play—the idea that mainstream news media organiza-

tions have a responsibility to engage in practices that strengthen the democratic process. These processes include everything from basic tenants of journalistic integrity to a more progressive understanding of social realities.

Th is means journalism as an industry must be sensitive to an increasingly diverse social landscape, and journalists need to make it their mission to have that landscape more accurately reflected in the news media. Issues of great social importance often difficult to discuss in a public setting—race, class, gender, ability—need to be included in the discourse.

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9, 2011

opinions | 25

Book banning and burning and censorship, oh my!

IT’S NO SECRET that many adults will stop at nothing to shelter children from the world around them, but at what point does responsible parenting turn into flatout censorship? The following are five famous and beloved novels many students have read and enjoyed—ones that, if some censorship advocates had it their way, would never have made it into the hands of readers.

The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J.D. Salinger This protagonist is every parent’s worst nightmare: after being expelled from school, the underage Holden Caulfield takes the midnight train to New York City and spends the next few days drinking, smoking, swearing, and fraternizing with a prostitute and her pimp. Needless to say, the inclusion of this book in school curriculums is often hotly contested by adults who have long forgotten what it’s like to be a lonely teenager.

You can delete words, but you just can’t delete history The problem with trying to rewrite our past Tegan Bridge & Mercedes Mueller | Fulcrum Staff

S

EXUAL THEMES, PROFANITY, violence, witchcraft , racism— there are many reasons books have been censored in the past.

Hitler’s Mein Kampf has been banned in many countries because critics say it promotes racism and anti-Semitism. Zen Buddhism: Selected Writings has been challenged because it teaches Buddhism in such a positive way that readers could abandon their current religion in favour of Buddhism. The Scarlet Letter was once called pornographic and obscene by parents.

Some of these criticisms remain valid justifications for the banning of books.

Mein Kampf is still considered a racist book by people in free, liberal democracies. Canada’s own Heather Reisman, founder and CEO of the Chapters chain of bookstores, presently refuses to sell the book in her stores.

But many of these arguments are abandoned as our cultural mentalities evolve over time. In contemporary society, suggesting a book be banned for discussing a peaceful religion would seem ridiculous to most of us, while calling The Scarlet Letter pornographic, by any stretch of the imagination, is laughable.

For a book about adultery, it’s remarkable how little sex there is—like, none whatsoever.

Somewhere along this continuum of cultural acceptance lies Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which tells the story of Huck’s adventures down the Mississippi as he tries to illegally free a slave named Jim. The fi ft h most frequently challenged book in the United States during the 1990s, the book has been removed from shelves since 1885 for various reasons—particularly its portrayal of black people and use of the word “nigger”, which appears over 200 times in the text.

Controversy over whether or not the book is racist, or anti-racist, has caused many to question the appropriateness of teaching it in schools. Since the 1950s, many school boards have elected to drop the book from required reading lists because its study is seen as damaging to the self-esteem of black students, dredging

up painful experiences from the past.

Enter the newest revised version of the text. Published by NewSouth Books this year, this edition replaces the word “nigger” with “slave,” while also refraining from using the term “Injun.” The initiative to update the book was spearheaded

by Twain scholar Alan Gribben, who promotes the edition as a positive alternative that can better express Twain’s ideas in the 21st century. His ultimate goal was to create a version of the book that had a place within classrooms, as opposed to being banned altogether.

While one can sympathize with the indignation of the black community having achieved a status of equality only to be forced to study a book in which blacks are slaves, repeatedly referred to as “niggers”, is that really why the word was removed from the text? Gribben has cited his own personal experiences in discussing the book with audiences of many races as inspiration to change the word, noting a distinct sense of relief every time he substituted the word “slave” for “nigger” whenever he read passages aloud.

Th is rationale begs the question: are we banning the book or removing the word because of how it is experienced by black readers, or because it makes white readers uncomfortable with our role in

photo by Mico Mazza

the history intrinsic to the word’s usage?

We should feel uncomfortable, and that uneasiness is a testament to how much society has changed since the use of such words was appropriate—but that’s not reason enough to censor it. It’s a troublesome truth that slavery was rife in America until mere decades ago, but only by acknowledging this history can we endeavour never again to repeat it—a process that requires a presentation of the text that forces students to question the historical, social, and political context that once supported the use of that language.

Twain himself once said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” He used the word intentionally—“nigger” and “slave” are by no means synonyms.

Rather than alter the text, we can change the situations in which it is presented to students. Perhaps it should be saved for a more mature audience. Or, perhaps, with a skilled teacher, it could be appropriate for younger ages. What better way to teach students about racism than to deal with the issues brought up from reading Huckleberry Finn? Students would deal with racial issues fi rst hand—just like Huck as he travelled down the Missisf sippi.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) by Mark Twain No list of censored books is complete without Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Beyond being riddled with racial slurs, this book has been controversial since its initial publication, charged with obscenity, atheism, and use of the word “sweat” instead of “perspiration.” Since 1885, this “quintessential American novel” has been removed from the shelves of countless libraries across North America.

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret (1970) by Judy Blume It may come as a surprise, but this beloved children’s author is no stranger to censorship. Never afraid of tackling taboo subjects like masturbation, menstruation, racism, and religion in her writing, several of Blume’s books have faced banishment from school libraries. Not taking these attacks lying down, Blume is a member of the National Coalition Against Censorship and the editor of Places I Never Meant To Be: Original Stories by Censored Writers, a collection of short stories and their author’s experiences with censorship.

The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood Canadian novels face censorship, too!

Read as promoting violence and sexual degradation, Atwood’s dystopian book has been removed from the required reading lists of many North American high schools. In fact, the American Library Association ranks The Handmaid’s Tale as the 37th most challenged novel of the 90s.

Harry Potter series (1997–2007) by J.K. Rowling As if Lord Voldemort isn’t terrifying enough, Harry Potter has been forced to go to battle with some very scary Muggles as well. Countless religious fundamentalists who believe that the series promotes witchcraft amongst children have called for the removal of all things Harry Potter from classrooms in Canada and the United States.

—Kristyn Filip

26 | opinions

thefulcrum.ca | Feb. 3–9 , 2011

Revolution in Egypt sheds new light on the issues of Internet-blocking and censorship Chelsea Edgell | Fulcrum Staff

T

HE INTERNET IS, in many ways, the last and most essential of censorship frontiers.

Despite the fact that total censorship is extremely difficult in online environments without complete government access, the issue is vital to consider as regulatory agencies and corporations continue to exert influence over how consumers may access the web.

In some countries, such as North Korea, Venezuela, and the People’s Republic of China, Internet censorship is pervasive and crippling. Th is can have devastating effects on citizens’ ability to communicate with each other and the world, whether it is for social, humanitarian, or religious reasons. During the recent protests in Egypt, thousands of border gateway protocol routes were shut down, which resulted in an almost total blackout of Internet access for common citizens.

The one network that remained unblocked, Noor Advanced Technologies, continued to provide limited service to large corporations, ministers, banks, the stock exchange, and select five-star hotels. Th is not only made it difficult for protesters to document their experiences and report human rights violations to the world, but it also made it a challenge for citizens to organize themselves or request assistance in obtaining food, water, or medical attention.

photo by Sean Campbell

Internet-blocking is not simply a threat in distant regimes and overseas nations—it is a reality in North America as well. A proposed law in the United States would grant the president similar powers—that is to say, the ability to shut off or severely limit Internet access entirely for a period as long as 120 days at a time. Modelled after Chinese policies, the law is touted as a measure to be used in case of a large-scale cyber attack, but in reality it could have devastating effects on the nation’s economy and citizen freedoms.

In Canada, Internet censorship is al-

Shut up, Science The impact of censorship in science research on our democracy Tyler Shendruk | Fulcrum Contributor

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION is the root of the twins of Enlightenment: Science and Democracy. The essence of science is the freedom to question any dogma, the freedom to discover truth. And that right to question lies at the core of democracy.

Without the freedom to exchange information among all people, how can political debate in a democracy have any hope?

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of the dissemination of information and the right to free enquiry of our political system.

And yet, Canadians sanction the censorship of science by their silence.

Before we look in the mirror, let’s talk about our neighbours. Five years ago, James Hansen, the head of NASA’s institute on planetary science, accused NASA public relations staff of suppressing his public statements on the causes of climate change. It became clear that the political appointee who tried to silence Hansen’s fi ndings was following orders to ensure that scientists’ communication with the press was in line with the official stance of the White House.

Hansen’s experience with scientific

legedly nominal—but extremely problematic in its application. Project Cleanfeed Canada identifies child pornography sites and transmits this information to Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which voluntarily block them. However, lists of websites blocked by ISPs are not publicly reported; this information is not available to consumers and there is little control over what websites an ISP may choose to block. Without limitation or accountability policies in place, ISPs could very easily add non-pornographic websites to blocking lists without the knowledge of the public in order to cater to corporate

or government interests.

The practice of pseudonymity and the availability of data havens help preserve freedom online. Data havens—which are essentially freely held and usually unregulated data refuges—break down national borders and enable whistle-blowing organizations (such as Wikileaks) to continue to operate despite government efforts to shut them down. Proxy websites, virtual private networks, and anonymizer soft ware offer similar solutions. These practices enable soft ware distribution and freedom of speech in countries where censorship laws prevent

the publication of certain kinds of materials or opinions. In less revolutionary terms, virtual private networks and their offspring can be used to access entertainment content that is geoblocked.

While the situation in Canada is not nearly as bad as in nations such as Egypt, Internet censorship is a global concern that must be actively discussed between citizens, governments, and corporations.

Because whether you’re posting bad poetry on your anonymous blog or organizing a revolution, freedom of expression and freedom of access are critical social issue in today’s world. f

censorship wasn’t an isolated case. Nearly half of federal climate scientists in the U.S. claim that they have been pressured to remove the words “global warming” or “climate change” from their reports.

They claim their work has been edited by bureaucrats, and many said they too have been prevented from talking to the media. More recently—and despite a new government that has promised to “restore science to its rightful place”—federal scientist talking about the BP oil spill have required government clearance before speaking to the press about their fi ndings.

Bad Americans.

Oh wait—things may sound bad in the United States, but here in Canada the situation is even worse. In this country, politics always trump science.

Stephen Harper’s Conservative government is all about message control— both within the Conservative party and also for federal employees. In 2007, Environment Canada implemented a new federal communications policy that demanded that federal scientists obtain permission from the federal government

prior to giving any interviews. The regulation is reminiscent of the Bush administration’s attitudes toward scientific debate, but is far more institutionalized and overarching. By ignoring or denying interview requests, the government steals the ability of the country’s news outlets to talk to experts and cover scientific fi ndings.

Effectively, the Conservative Party has complete control over media coverage on climate science. Since the Harper government introduced the new rules, media coverage of climate science dropped by more than 80 per cent. It seems that when the conclusions of the Canadian government’s own climate research run counter to the Conservative government’s stance on the Kyoto Protocol, the oil sands, or any of the party’s policies toward the environment, potential debate is simply squelched.

After the loss of the mandatory longform census, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, a union for federal scientists, launched a campaign against Canada’s “worrying trend away from evidence-based policy-making.”

Canadian scientists have begun to fight back, but federally employed climate scientists remain gagged.

Environment Minister Jim Prentice’s campaign of soft censorship through reduced funding to independent research is also an attack that can’t be ignored.

In theory, agencies like the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Science fund university-based research independently from political bodies, but last year Prentice threatened these investments. Without money to conduct research, scientists can’t provide the public with evidence informing debate.

The people of Canada pay taxes to fund scientific research, but the government of Canada doesn’t let us hear the results.

Scientists get public funding to research questions that have serious ramifications in modern political debate. We must demand that they get the chance to report back to Canadians with accuracy—otherwise it amounts to a conscious effort on the part of the government to keep the Canadian voters uninformed about the consequences of federal policies. f

EDITOR–IN–CHIEF Amanda Shendruk | editor@thefulcrum.ca | (613) 562 5258

27

EDITORIAL

Our annual “You should vote” editorial. Now in a flowchart!

START HERE

Volume 71, Issue 18, Feb. 3–9, 2011 Using really big words since 1942.

Phone: (613) 562 5261 | Fax: (613) 562 5259 631 King Edward Ave. Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5

Graduate Congratulations! You’re going to get better jobs than the rest of us

YES

Are you a student?

Undergraduate

Recycle this or the words will be sad.

staff

NO

Did you know Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) elections are in only a few weeks?

Amanda ‘stiricide’ Shendruk Editor-in-Chief Jessie ‘eicastic’ Willms Production Manager Mercedes ‘mingent’ Mueller Executive Editor Alex ‘leeftail’ Martin Art Director

You’re not really our demographic

Katherine ‘ovablastic’ DeClerq News Editor Charlotte ‘vacivity’ Bailey Arts & Culture Editor Jaclyn ‘jussulent’ Lytle Features Editor Jaehoon ‘odynometer’ Kim Sports Editor Chelsea ‘binoternary’ Edgell Online Editor Briana ‘pication’ Hill Associate News Editor

You should consider buying ad space

NO

FACT: SFUO election dates are Feb. 15, 16, and 17

Do you care at all?

GSAÉD elections are later in the month. You still have time to nominate yourself

YES

Oh, you must be a candidate then...

YES

The Fulcrum’s advice to 2011 SFUO and Board of Administration (BOA) candidates: Just keep it clean. As much as we like a good scandal now and then, we would really just prefer a nice fair fight

NO

YES

Good for you! You’re an active and informed citizen.

Hero cookies all around!

NO

Katrina ‘ducenarious’ Medwenitsch Staff Writer

Let’s assume more than one of you will vote...

How do you feel about the SFUO?

Kate ‘philargyrist’ Waddingham Staff Photographer Nicole ‘rogalian’ Bedford Copy Editor Alexandra ‘obarmate’ Schwabe Proofreader Will ‘aquabib’ Robertson Webmaster Katarina ‘saburrate’ Lukich Volunteer & Visibility Coordinator David ‘pomarious’ McClelland General Manager business.manager@thefulcrum.ca Andrew ‘jobler’ Wing Advertising Representative ads@thefulcrum.ca

contributors Jessica Beddaoui Chris Vanessa Radojewski Burguete Maria Rondon Brennan Bova Alex Smyth Sean Campbell Tamara Dani-Elle Dube Tarchichi Jackie Dunne Marco WalkerMichelle Ng Ferguson Keeton Wilcock Cortni Paul Yacobucci Fernandez Desmond Fisher Sofia Hashi Corin Latimer Jane Lytvynenko Mico Mazza Simon Oliver– Dasault Chase Patterson Cover photo by Mico Mazza

Here’s a long tirade about why you probably should care about elections and democracy: “No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline.”

Thanks, Kofi Annan

I don’t know

I could do a better job

They’re OK, I guess. Shrug

You should have nominated yourself weeks ago

C’mon!

Student apathy is so last year!

You really can’t complain unless you vote, you know

Read next week’s Fulcrum for extensive BOA and SFUO candidate and election coverage On Feb. 15, 16, and 17 go vote like responsible adults. Make sure to vote for the ones that don’t win if you really want to be able to complain later YES

Now do you care?

NO

You’re a burden on society

Down with the system!

You just want to cause trouble, don’t you?

YES

NO

Then make a point by spoiling your ballot

Don’t know who is running? Never heard of any of the candidates? Don’t know who does what?

Well, the Fulcrum is here to solve all those election woes. Next week we will have an in-depth election pull-out that will include personal interviews with all the candidates. This will give all you political keeners with a sneak peak into the platforms and personalities of your potential SFUO president and vps!

This year, we will be including some never-before-seen special features, so be sure to pick up an issue of the Fulcrum, on stands Feb. 10–16.

Be sure to also check for #SFUOelxn updates at thefulcrum.ca and twitter.com/the_fulcrum

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