December 3, 2009 Conversing at the local watering hole since 1875 Vol. 139 Iss.

11
Argosy
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I n d e p e n d e n t S t u d e n t J o u r n a l o f Mo u n t A l l i s o n U n i v e r s i t y
Drink tickets removed from student mailboxes
Advertising determined to be in violation of university liquor policy
Rebecca Anne Dixon
Argosy Staff
Every Mount Allison student auto-
matically pays $7.50 per semester to
rent a mailbox in the Student Cen-
tre. is is a service provided by the
university, who receive students mail
en-masse from Canada Post and re-
distribute it through the boxes. ey
are also used for interdepartmental
mail, iers, and communication from
administration to students. ere has
been no major issue with this set-up,
until now.
Last Monday the SAC sent out a
survey about the Pub to all students,
which oered free drink tickets to
the rst 200 respondents. ese tick-
ets were subsequently distributed on
Tuesday to students through the mail-
boxes, a practice which has gone on in
the past. However, section 15.a.iii. of
the Universitys liquor policy forbids
the advertising of free alcohol, while
section 16 species that alcohol re-
lated promotions [...] may be permit-
ted with prior approval of the Liquor
Policy Committee through the Dean
of Students.
As a result, the SAC was deemed to
have breached the universitys policy
and on Wednesday mail sta were in-
structed by the university administra-
tion to go through and remove the
tickets from the mailboxes and return
them to the SAC.
e university was apparently un-
aware that drink tickets have been
distributed through the mailboxes in
the past.
Im not sure it ever came to the
notice of the university before [... ] I
think this time it was this mass public
display, said Tony Frost, Director of
Marketing and Communications.
Sometimes you can only deal with
something when you realize its hap-
pening, and in this particular case
[...] we realized we had an issue and
now were going to have to look at
the whole issue of drink tickets and
whether theyre an appropriate thing,
elaborated David Stewart, Vice-Presi-
dent, Administration.
e SAC has accepted most of the
blame so far.
For us, its important that we accept
our shortcomings - like we shouldnt
have given out the tickets in the rst
place, explained Trevey Davis, SAC
President, although he admits there
was confusion on all sides. Its impor-
tant that we communicate eectively
so that we can resolve the conict in a
way that both parties can feel good at
the end [...] and I have faith that that
will happen.
Communication is what some stu-
dents feel has been lacking in the situ-
ation.
We originally heard about it be-
cause Scooter sent out a sta email,
recalled Nikita Moriarity, one of the
creators of a Facebook group about the
issue, entitled Protect your mailbox.
Protect your privacy.
eres been no clear indication
from administration, the SAC or any-
thing on what the complete reason be-
hind it was; were just kind of waiting,
Moriarity said. It just would have
been nice for it to have been addressed,
it should have also been announced to
students its our mistake, we re sorry,
we apologize [and] its not common
practice.
e concern of violation of privacy
has been raised by many students who
are uncomfortable with the university
ordering the removal of an item from
their personal mailbox.
I get my private mail there, every-
thing personal is coming to my mail-
box and they shouldnt have the right
to go through my stu, expressed
Cathy Cowe, the other Facebook
group administrator.
e university does not see this as
an issue of privacy.
It shouldnt be an issue of privacy
because its not a regular occurrence,
explained Frost. is was a one time
act. ere was an error that involved
an item that the university deemed as
breaking university policy, that was put
in by the university [...] and honestly
they shouldnt have been put in [...]
Its clear that the university takes the
safety and the privacy of all students
very seriously.
e mailboxes are also not owned or
operated by Canada Post.
ese are not post oce boxes,
these are Mt. A Universitys way of get-
ting things to the students, said Stew-
art. is is a private system [...] this is
an internal distribution process.
Fate of campus pub to be determined before new year
Amidst claims of scal ineptitude and lack of interest, Board shows indecision
Julie Stephenson
Argosy Staff
Every Mount Allison student rents a personal mailbox in the Student Centre building for the length of their studies here at the university.
Jessica Emin
The Pubs nancial troubles partly result from decreased student interest in the new locations ambience.
Maggie Lee
See PRIVACY page 2
See BOARD page 3
Need a study break?
Check out our humour
centrefold
p 14 & 15
e Tantramarsh Pub in the Student
Centre is in danger of closure or bank-
ruptcy. As previously reported by e
Argosy, the Pub has been facing a -
nancial crisis for close to a decade.
e Pubs Board of Directors recently
held two emergency meetings after the
businesss manager, Jonathan Scooter
Clark, raised concern over the prob-
ability of the Pub surviving the aca-
demic year. A third, closed meeting is
being held on December 20 to further
determine the fate of the business.
e December 20 meeting will be
the only closed meeting of the Pub
Board to date. Usually all students, as
Pub members are allowed to attend
the Annual General Meeting in Sep-
tember, at which the Board members
are elected.
e meetings this November were
primarily to determine the nancial
feasibility of the business now and in
the future. It was acknowledged that
this might mean closure soon. e
Board reviewed several documents, in-
cluding nancial statements prepared
by Clark. e statements were based
on conservative guesses of past prices
of product, revenue generated,
w w w . a r g o s y . c a
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2 DECEMBER 3, 2009 THE ARGOSY NEWS
With friends in the SAC on November 25
Julie Stephenson
Argosy Staff
Last weeks SAC meeting showed an unusually
large turn out as each councillor brought a com-
panion in honour of Bring a Friend night. e
excitement and fanfare began with a presenta-
tion on Teaching Evaluations by Eileen Herteis,
the director of the Purdy Crawford Centre. Joni
Fleck-Andrews and Curtis Michaelis each gave
presentations on the incoming art in the student
centre and the applications for the Green Initia-
tives Fund (GIF).
Shinerama Chair, Mayme Lefurgy, presented a
nal report to council on the revenue and expens-
es for the charity drive. e nal amount raised
for Cystic Fibrosis Research was approximately
$36, 000 after all expenses. Orientation Chair,
Brent Williams also presented to council and re-
vealed that this years festivities had brought in a
$7,000 prot. Included within Williams report
were recommendations for next years chair, in-
cluding the thought that Orientation should be
planned to last one week instead of being ex-
tended over two.
Councillors brought up concerns of the lack of
action by Fix-It, the SAC survey and drink ticket
situation, and a possible new policy which would
eliminate the option of handing take-home ex-
ams in during the exam period.
VP Communications, Anna MacKinnon, VP
Finance and Operations, Ryan Sargent, and VP
Academic, Sarah Carrigan-Kent, each gave a re-
port to council. VP External, Alex MacDonald,
postponed his report until the next meeting.
Carrigan-Kent suggested the council make
a formal statement of support towards Univer-
sity President Robert Campbells reappoint-
ment. Discussion for the topic began positively,
but soon turned sour as a few councillors ques-
tioned the re-appointment. Satellite residence
councillor, Stephen Spence, questioned the idea
of giving Campbell full support and asked if it
was possible to use the statement as a manner
of gaining leverage. ere was disagreement and
confusion over Campbells role. VP MacDonald
was perhaps the most vehemently against the
statement as he brought up the BS that [Camp-
bell] feeds students. Science Senator Nathan
Walker attempted to point out that Campbells
vision for the university and his over-reaching
role are important to the consideration. e dis-
cussion jumped back and forth from praise over
Campbells personal friendships with students to
accusations of Campbell as a charming Presi-
dent who doesnt, in fact, meet students needs.
e motion to make a formal statement was
tabled after several councillors agreed that there
was a need to review what Campbell did for the
University more succinctly.
SAC meetings will resume after the Holiday
break. Meetings will be held in room 111 in Av-
ard Dixon at 7pm.
Students organize ethical giving workshop
An opportunity to create and learn about socially responsible gifts
Susan Rogers
Argosy Staff
ose looking to give their loved ones a special
or dierent kind of gift for the holidays this year
should look no further than to the Sackville
Ethical Giving workshop on Saturday December
5. e event intends to appeal to individuals
who are looking to give gifts that are socially
responsible, environmentally friendly, or simply
a lot cheaper than going out to a store to buy
something o the shelf.
e free workshop includes lessons in
decoupage, making recycled gift-bags, hemp
bracelets, newspaper beaded jewellery, woven
heart baskets, cards, and silk screening. ere
will also be space available for people who want
to teach others how to make other handmade
gifts.
Students, sta and community members can
drop-in for as long as they like between 1-5 pm
at Gracies Caf in the Wallace McCain Student
Centre. ere will also be live local music all
day. e organizers, who hope that the town
of Sackville will become involved as well as the
university students, have designed much of the
day to be kid-friendly.
Organizers Kristina Mansveld and Rosalind
Crump say that the event is about focusing more
on personal connections during the holidays,
and pointing out that you dont need to buy
useless, homogeneous products.
Were approaching the issue of Christmas
gifts in a positive way so people can get excited,
Mansveld said, adding that as a consumer, you
have choices about the kind of gifts you buy, but
that university students are often very limited
in their ability to make these choices because
of nances. is, she says, is a creative way that
everyone can overcome some of those issues.
ird year student, Sasha Van Katwyk says he
is excited for the event.
Its an innovative and clever alternative to
our standard consumer Christmas.
Tables from various Mount Allison clubs will
also be set up with holiday options oered by
their organizations to inform participants about
charitable donations that can be given as gifts.
Examples include gift certicates for Kiva.org,
an website allowing individuals to make loans
to entrepreneurs around the globe and Oxfams
Unwrapped campaign that allows individuals
to select items such as mosquito nets, radios
and literacy kits to be purchased with their
donation.
e ethical part of the workshop pertains
to the numerous recycled and reused products
involved. e organizers say that the amount
of waste produced from the event is minimal
compared to what buying a product made in
a factory abroad and transported to North
America would produce. By making their own
gifts, participants are also ensuring that they
arent giving an item made in a sweatshop.
Crump adds that since most people tend to
only make their own Christmas gifts when they
are young, the workshop will remind people
how much they enjoyed receiving and giving
things made by hand.
e event is free thanks to support from the
Campbell-Verduyn Fund. Attendees are asked
to bring their own t-shirts for silk-screening,
and glass jars for decoupage.
Anyone interested in helping out, or playing
music at the event can contact the organizers at
kmmansveld@mta.ca, and racrump@mta.ca, or
by phone at 506-229-0525.
Fair trade products are also ethical gifts.
Calan Field
Students have expressed concerns over the privacy of the mailboxes
Continued from front page
e mailboxes are also not owned or operated by
Canada Post.
ese are not post oce boxes, these are Mt.
A Universitys way of getting things to the stu-
dents, said Stewart. is is a private system [...]
this is an internal distribution process.
A Canada Post ocial conrmed this.
If they would have been delivered by Canada
Post, they would not have been allowed to re-
move it, but because its not Canada Post, techni-
cally we dont have any say in it, the sta mem-
ber explained.
Another problem is that some of the tickets
had already been removed. According to the
mail sta, seventy-eight tickets had been already
been removed by students. Tickets distributed
for other reasons were also taken out. A mail-
room sta member described how, to remove the
tickets, they simply walked behind the boxes and
took out tickets wherever they saw them.
It would have been more appropriate to have
gone around with a list and remove them, said
Cowe. ey took out tickets that members had
received.
So far the feedback from students has been
varied.
ere was a mixed feeling, said Moriarity of
the comments on the groups wall. ey are in-
structing anyone who is upset go see the SAC or
administration, [as] theyre informed.
Stewart agreed, anybody who wants to raise
the issue with me is welcome to.
e Pub itself has not really been involved.
I havent actually received any ocial com-
munications from the University, said Jonathan
Scooter Clark, Pub Manager. I dont really ex-
pect to, since they are dealing directly with the
SAC on the issue.
He is, however, a member of the Liquor Pol-
icy committee and so ocially agrees that if a
breach of the Policy occurred, then we have to
take steps to ensure that it doesnt happen again,
while personally regretting the lack of communi-
cation from those involved.
e Liquor Policy committee will be meeting
this coming Monday to discuss the issue.
Were hoping that within the next couple of
weeks to pull together the liquor policy commit-
tee to review the whole issue and then say OK,
how do we move forward on this, said Ron By-
rne, Vice-President, International and Student
Aairs.
e Policy Committee has independent stu-
dent, SAC, Pub and Administrative representa-
tives on it.
Light is going to be directed on issues, deci-
sions are going to get to be made [...] [to] clear
up any ambiguity in the policy, said Stewart.
At the moment the SAC still has the tickets,
but has decided to wait for the Committees deci-
sion before going ahead.
We dont know when were allowed to give
them out, said Davis. Confusion remains as to
the policy, which species that advertising for
events is not allowed, which would aect the
SACs promotion of discounted prices for pitch-
ers, but may not pertain to the tickets given out
for responding to the survey. e details of this
will be discussed by the Committee and action
will be taken accordingly.
THE ARGOSY NEWS 3 DECEMBER 3, 2009 THE ARGOSY NEWS
is week in the world
A weekly miscellany compiled by Kristina Mansveld
Julie Cruikshank
Swiss vote against minarets
A legally binding referendum de-
termined that all minarets will be
banned from mosques on Swiss soil.
Championed by anti-immigrant,
right-wing political parties, notably
the Swiss Peoples Party, the issue
initially seemed to have garnered lit-
tle support. However, in the end 57.7
per cent voted in favour of the ban.
Walter Wobmann, president of the
initiative committee, described it as
a victory for this people, this Swit-
zerland, this freedom and those who
want a democratic society. Others
worry that the move will exacerbate
extremism and religious polarization
in the country. Andreas Gross, Presi-
dent of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe, said it was
a slap in the face to everyone who
has an idea of the human rights.
Currently 5 per cent of the Swiss
population are Muslims, and the
country contains 150 mosques, four
of which have minarets.
Four US police ocers murdered
A cold, calculated killing took place
in a Washington coee shop Sunday
morning as four police ocers were
gunned down while drinking coee
before their shift. A man entered the
shop and red multiple rounds at the
ocers, and then ed. A local Sheris
spokesman explained, it was just a
at-out ambush. None of the employ-
ees or any of the people inside the store
were targeted or hit or wounded. e
suspect was described as a scruy male
in his early thirties, but as of yet police
have no leads. A $10,000 reward has
been oered for information leading
to his arrest.
Iran continues uranium enrichment
e Iranian government has given the
green light to plans to build ten new
uranium enrichment sites, in what
Britain called a potentially deliberate
breach of UN resolutions. e White
House commented that the action was
yet another serious violation of Irans
clear obligations. Western countries
are fearful that with the new plants
Iran will be able to produce a nuclear
bomb quicker. It is questionable how
they will respond to the countrys
continued deance of international
demands.
Honduran election results
Porrio Lobo, a conservative candi-
date, appears to have won in the Hon-
duran elections held on Sunday. Lobo
was announced to have a 16 per cent
margin over his rival, Elvin Santos,
who conceded just before midnight.
e elections follow last summers mil-
itary coup in which President Manuel
Zelaya was ousted and forced onto a
plane bound for Costa Rica. e leftist
Zelaya had aligned himself with Hugo
Chavez, yielding massive support from
some and worrying others. Zelaya had
asked supporters to boycott the polls
in Sundays election, which was over-
seen by military police. e United
States, having previously condemned
the coup, has said that it will likely
recognize Lobo as President.
Chinese mine disaster cover-up
Forty-eight ocials and ten journal-
ists have been charged with covering
up a mine disaster at the Lijiawa mine
in Hebei Province, China. e 2008
disaster claimed the lives of thirty-
four miners and one rescuer. It is now
claimed that mine ocials relocated
bodies, destroyed evidence, and paid
the journalists $381,000 to buy their
silence regarding the incident. It is
also suggested that the bosses cre-
mated bodies against relatives wishes,
sealed the mineshaft with dirt, and
paid grieving relatives to keep quiet.
Mine disasters are frequent in China,
where it was calculated that nine coal
miners died each day last year.
e Board will decide on the Pubs fate after a meeting in late December
Continued from front page
But we have bombs and airplanes.
Be on the winning side. Write News.
Join the Argosy in the new year at 5:30 pm on January 7, 2010.
and expenses. e Pub has a rent of
approximately $20, 000 a year, solari-
um rentals of $3,000 per term, and a
university loan of approximately $20,
000 over four years. ese expenses
are on top of the lost revenue resulting
from lack of interest and low sales on
drinks.
Michelle Strain, the university rep-
resentative on the Board, explained
after the rst meeting that the uni-
versity is aware of the current nancial
situation of the Pub, though it has no
ocial stance.
We reduced the amount of the
down-payment for the loan by half last
year, and then split the down-payment
into two payments to help the Pub
given the cash ow problem at the end
of April, said Strain. e rent that
the Pub pays now does not cover all of
the utilities and cost of providing the
space so the University subsidizes the
operation in this way.
Strain has said that if the Pub clos-
es, the university will use the space and
possibily for another pub. Whether it
will be the University running the new
business or an independent group has
not been determined.
Vice President of Student Aairs,
Ron Byrne, says that the university
will react to whatever the Board de-
cides. Byrne and Strain both acknowl-
edge the importance of a campus pub
as a place for students to meet and
converse. In a recent interview, By-
rne asserted that it is too early for the
university to comment, as the Board
is independent of the school and the
administration has no place in the de-
cision.
Clark presented the possible courses
of actions. ese included closure at
the end of rst term, a switch to either
a purely dance or purely sports themed
bar, and petitioning the university for a
new rent structure. It was also suggest-
ed that certain improvements needed
to be made to the Pub if it was decided
to that it would stay open, including to
the dcor and to the acoustics.
e Board examined the options at
length, though they came to no sig-
nicant decisions. Several sub-com-
mittees were created to look at campus
pub rents throughout Canada, open
discussion with University on the
continuance of the Pub, and examine
the eectiveness of the Solarium as a
shared space.
Cutting as many costs as possible
was discussed, although the Board
could not nd many areas in which
funds could be taken from. It was de-
cided that one of the two pool tables in
the Pub would be sold, with the money
allotted for Clark to pursue artistic
contributions for the walls of the Pub.
Several regular events such as SAC
Entertainment, Trivia nights, coat
check, and the dance oor, were dis-
cussed in terms of their ability to bring
both customers and prot into the
Pub. It was tentatively decided that
no further SAC Entertainment shows
will be booked for Wednesday nights.
e Board has decided to re-evaluate
the events, pending the December 20
meeting, during second term. Clark
has decided to no longer oer the
dance oor on Friday nights in an ef-
fort to conserve funds.
ere was a general split in the
Board members opinions as to the
Pubs ability to survive based both on
nances and the Pubs image. Several
Board members were concerned over
the lack of clarity in terms of the Pubs
nances. e meeting also revealed
that Board members were in favour
of the Pub succeeding, though no one
was sure if it was possible.
A major obstacle in the Pub prevail-
ing is the lack of student interest and
the current negative reputation it car-
ries. SAC VP Campus Life and Pub
Board member Patrick Forestell says
that this image exists in both upper-
classmen and newer students.
If the Pub experience could be
included in students everyday experi-
ence of Mt. A, it would build loyalty,
explains Forestell, something that is
missing from the current situation.
e SAC survey sent out last week
provided the Board with almost 500
student responses on the Pub. e sur-
vey asked students a range of questions
from their perception of the Pub and
its services to what eect would it have
on them if the Pub closed. A place to
add comments or suggestions was also
attached to the survey; only eighty stu-
dents responded to that section
e mix of positive and negative
comments about the Pub shows a pos-
sible division on student opinion. For
the Board, the survey was informative,
but it was discerned that there was a
heavy bias. Students may also have co-
erced by the SACs oer of free drink
If the Pub experience could
be included in students
everyday experience of Mt.
A, it would build loyalty.
tickets to the rst 200 students to
complete the survey.
e opinion of students remains
varied. ird year student Sarah Short
says that her pub experience has been
nothing but great. e sta is beyond
friendly, and the service is excellent.
Short also comments that she believes
the Trivia and live music nights are
vital to pub life and that it would be
disappointing to see the pub close.
e most prevalent comment
amongst students is the need for a new
identity. While many compare it to the
old Pub, the Board has acknowledged
the need for a new image, not a rever-
sion to the old one.
Second year Hilary Hamilton says
the Pub is pretty predictable and
lacks its own character, like most
campus pubs do.
At this time, the Board is waiting
for a better nancial picture of the
Pub before they make a nal decision.
Based on the current estimates of the
coming term, the Pub faces few op-
tions. While the options and the solu-
tions are not clear at this point, there
are several points that are, including a
distinct need for more student feed-
back and the complicated nature of
the issue. For now, the fate of the Pub
remains unclear for everyone.
THE ARGOSY NEWS 4 DECEMBER 3, 2009
A Riverview monument erected in
memory of victims of violence against
women was covered with swastikas
and racist slogans last week.
e vandalism was discovered only
two days before the United Nations
International Day for e Elimina-
tion of Violence Against Women,
commemorated on November 25. It
was also only a couple of weeks be-
fore the Canadian National Day of
Remembrance and Action on Vio-
lence Against Women on December
6, which marks the anniversary of the
1989 murder of fourteen women at
lcole Polytechnique de Montral.
On December 6 1989, a man by the
name of Marc Lpine walked into a
class room at lcole Polytechniquede
Montral, separated the men from
women, and opened re on the wom-
en. December 6 has been a national
Riverview Montreal Polytechnique monument vandalized
Spraypaint covers inscription only a short time before commemorative ceremonies
Susan Rogers
Argosy Staff
day of remembrance of this event since
1991.
Vandals spray-painted the monu-
ment yellow, and painted a swastika on
the peace dove.
e inscription on the monument
reads First Mourn: en Work for
Change. Envision a world without
violence, where women are free and
respected. In honour and to grieve all
abused women. In remembrance of
our fourteen sisters who were killed
in Montreal on December 6, 1989.
It had to be repainted because it was
rendered nearly illegible by the van-
dals abuse.
Riverviews Director of Parks and
Recreations, Bob Clive, told the
Moncton Times and Transcript: Its
sickening, its one thing to see this
stu on walls or bridges, but to see it
on something this precious is sicken-
ing.He also explained that he believes
the vandals took their time in painting
the monument.
Former Riverview resident, and Co-
facilitor of Free the Children, Sarah
Smith says she isnt surprised that this
sort of oense occurred she feels
like Riverview has a history of vandal-
ism.
Its upsetting that that happened,
and its particularly upsetting that it
happened to a memorial with such an
important message and so close to the
massacres remembrance day. Its also
really sad that people have nothing
better to do with their time.
However, she, like many members
of the community, isnt sure that the
vandalism was targeting the Violence
Against Women day, or gender issues.
She believes the monument was sim-
ply the unfortunate target of random
vandalism.
is certainly isnt the only recent
incidence of vandalism in the area. A
tank donated by the eighth Canadian
Hussars (Princess Louises) Regiment,
which sits in the same park as the
abused womens monument, has been
vandalised several times. Vandals also
broke into the town hall on November
1

and smashed light bulbs and a desk,
On Saturday fourth year International
Relations and Politics student Susan
Humphrey received the news that she
had been selected as one of two recipi-
ents from the Maritimes and one of
eleven from all over Canada to receive
the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.
Student selected for the Rhodes Scholarship
Forty-eighth Mount Allison student to attend Oxford as a Scholar
Rebecca Anne Dixon
Argosy Staff
I was in a state of shock, she de-
scribed. I just couldnt really believe
it [...] [the panelist] talked to me for
about two minutes after that, but I
dont really remember what he said.
It was also Humphreys twenty-rst
birthday.
e entire Mt. A community is
thrilled that [Humphrey] has been
named our forty-eighth Rhodes
Scholar, said University President Dr.
Robert Campbell. Mount Allison has
an extensive history with the Rhodes,
with the highest per capita number of
scholars of any university in the Com-
monwealth. He and other senior ad-
ministrators assisted by holding mock
interviews for the Mt. A candidates.
e actual interviews took place in
Halifax the same day as the announce-
ment was made, with candidates also
attending a lengthy dinner and social
event the previous evening at which
they got to know the other nominees
and the panelists. Two other Mt. A
students, Gillian Gibson and Michael
Currie were also nominated and went
through the interview process.
Humphrey had not planned on ap-
plying until after the academic year
had started and she was approached by
a faculty member.
Everybody always knows who ap-
plied and who got it [...] and thats
pretty intimidating, but at the same
time, people are so keen about it,
theyre so supportive, she said.
e Rhodes Scholarship supports
post-graduate students to attend Ox-
ford University in England, covering
tuition, college fees, and a stipend for
living expenses over two years of study.
Candidates can come from and elect
to pursue any academic course of stud-
ies. Rhodes Scholars are dened by ac-
ademic achievement but also by quali-
ties such as truth, courage, devotion to
duty, sympathy for and protection of
the weak, kindliness, unselshness and
fellowship.
Its a huge step forward for some-
one who is committed to bringing
about positive change, said Hum-
phrey.
e Scholarship was created in
1902 by Cecil Rhodes, a British-born
entrepreneur who made his fortune in
diamond mines in Southern Africa.
While there are concerns as to some
of his colonial activities, which Hum-
phrey mentioned are controversial,
the scholarship, she said, has kind of
been his redemption as an individual.
Eighty-four scholars are chosen
from amongst students in the United
States, Australia, New Zealand, South
Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Zambia,
Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Malawi,
Swaziland, India, Bermuda, the Com-
monwealth Caribbean, Jamaica, Ger-
many, Pakistan, and Hong Kong.
Humphrey has no concrete plans
for the future, wanting to wait and see
where her experiences at Oxford and
the interaction with professors and fel-
low students leads her.
I dont feel comfortable with set-
ting an end goal and then just going
through the steps to get there, I think
life is just a series of opportunities that
you seize and then you get led places
and then thats where youre supposed
to be. Youll inevitably end up where
youll have the greatest amount of
positive change, if thats what youre
committed to.
At Oxford she plans to do a Mas-
ters Degree in Comparative Politics
and, more specically, has an interest
in the relationships between citizens
and the government.
Humphrey plans to study Comparative Politics at Oxford next year.
Jessica Emin
The Riverview monument honours victims of the Montreal shooting.
Jessica Emin
generally making a considerable mess.
Several other instances of racist grati
have happened in the area in the past
few years as well, including a mosque
and a synagogue vandalized in the
Moncton area in July 2008.
e RCMP are still investigating
the vandalism of both the town hall
and the monument. Security is now at
the site several times a week, and the
monument should be restored in time
for the December 6 ceremony.
Mount Allison students mark World AIDS Day
Free HIV testing is offered by the Wellness Centre on campus be-
tween 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday. The Sexual Health Clinic
in Moncton also offers anonymous testing as do the blood clinics at
Salvus Clinic on High Street in Moncton on Thursday mornings.
War Child, the Red Shoelace Campaign, the Health Matters student
society, Oxfam and Global Medical Brigades all organized projects.
48,000 - 68,000 people in Canada are estimated to be living with
HIV/AIDS. 27 per cent of these individuals were undiagnosed,
which means they could unknowingly transmit HIV.
All photos by Jessica Emin
NATIONAL
KELOWNA, B.C. (CUP) A nation-
wide project launched this week will
aim to change the face of the services
available for Canadas homeless living
with mental illness.
e Mental Health Commission of
Canada project, called At Home/Chez
Soi, will last ve years and is based
out of Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto,
Montreal, and Moncton. It will see
1,325 homeless people aicted with
mental illness be given a place to live,
out of a total of 2,225 participating in
the project.
is will test the eectiveness of
what the commission calls the Hous-
ing First approach to ending home-
lessness. All participants will be oered
services to assist them over course of
the project.
Its a signicant commitment to
people and family members of the
homeless that were going to discover
something that will change the service
landscape for the better, said Julian
Somers, an associate professor Simon
Fraser University who will be conduct-
ing research at the Vancouver site of
the project.
Each city in the study will have
a dierent focus, but according to
Somers, that wasnt due to any specic
decision on the part of the organizers.
Were gathering more information
about substance use or substance-re-
lated practices [in Vancouver] than is
being gathered in the other cities, he
told the Canadian University Press.
ere are substance use specialists
on teams in several of the cities, but
Urban cores get massive mental illness study
Goal is to change the service landscape for good, says Vancouver project researcher
Andrew Bates
CUP Western Bureau Chief
Proposed funding cuts to sexual health organization
Saskatchewan MP circulates controversial petition against Planned Parenthood
Matt Cheetham
The Sheaf (University of
Saskatchewan)
Planned Parenthood does a lot of work with reproductive rights.
Internet Photo/Bliss Tree
Homeless people with a mental illness will have a place to live.
Internet Photo/Homeless Take Issue
what were anticipating here is that
the demand for substance-related ser-
vices in Vancouver is likely going to be
greater.
Housing First participants will be
provided a choice of where to live
across a given city, including in an
apartment or group home, and theyll
have access to an assertive community
treatment (ACT) team.
[ACT is] a multidisciplinary, multi-
professional team available twenty-
four-seven, said Somers. e role of
the team is to promote accomplishing
stabilization and recovery in the com-
munity setting.
In Vancouver, researchers will also
look at the eectiveness of a housing
arrangement that emulates the re-
furbished hotels in the city that have
been purchased and used in solutions
for homelessness in the past. is ap-
proach will combine group accommo-
dation with intensive services.
Well see when we look at the com-
parison between those two conditions
whether there are characteristics of in-
dividuals that appear to recover better
[and] more eectively in a congregate
setting versus in units that are scat-
tered throughout neighbourhoods,
Somers said.
ose participants not provided
housing will receive usual care and
access to currently available services.
According to Somers, usual care
is our opportunity to evaluate how
individuals are doing through those
services and supports that are coming
on line and will be made available to
people who [will be] homeless over the
next couple of years.
Applicants to the program need to
be adults and pass requirements for
homelessness and mental illness. e
Vancouver group sample will consist
of 200 people deemed to have moder-
ate needs and 300 that are judged to
have greater levels of functional im-
pairment, said Somers.
e Moncton study site will look at
service shortages in a fast-growing city
and its eects on the homeless men-
tally ill; in Montreal, dierent mental
health services will be examined; in
Toronto, ethno-cultural diversity will
be studied; and in Winnipeg, the focus
will be on mentally ill homeless per-
sons in the urban Aboriginal popula-
tion.
He also said that its not yet clear to
what extent the Vancouver sample will
be comparable to the other four cities
in the study.
We dont know yet, frankly, whats
the degree of similarity or dierence
between individuals recruited in each
of the ve cities, Somers said. Were
expecting that well detect dierences
in the overall character of the popula-
tions in each of the ve cities.
Because the project started as a
partnership between researchers, ser-
vice providers, policy makers and peo-
ple who have been homeless, Somers
said the team is excited that the results
could aect public policy going for-
ward.
Everyone . . . thats involved with
this is insuring that [none of ] the les-
sons that we discover that concern
service and support that can make a
dierence . . . are terminated at the end
of the study period, he said.
Were going beyond that. Our real
focus is not just safeguarding the sup-
ports for people that we recruit, but
ensuring that there is a likelihood that
those same services are going to be ex-
tended to everyone else in the system
that would benet from them.
e SFU researcher said hes excited
to be involved in the project.
[I] expect that I will be challenged,
Ill be forced to change, and that those
moments of awkwardness that I an-
ticipate shouldnt be closed down and
shut away but in a way may occasion-
ally be validating that something is go-
ing right, he said.
If each of us take on board that
progress is likely going to require some
changes within each of us, weve at
least given ourselves the opportunity
to move in that way.
e federal government has pro-
vided $110 million for the ve-year
project. It is estimated that 300,000
Canadians are currently homeless.
ose provided with homes during At
Home/Chez Soi will be required to
pay a portion of their rent.
SASKATOON (CUP) Brad Trost,
MP for Saskatoon-Humboldt, is cir-
culating a petition to stop government
funding for the International Planned
Parenthood Federation so the Uni-
versity of Saskatchewan Students
Union is circulating a counter-peti-
tion.
Trosts petition charges the Inter-
national Planned Parenthood Federa-
tion of promoting the establishment
of abortion as an international human
right, and lobbies aggressively to im-
pose permissive abortion laws on de-
veloping nations.
In 2006, the Canadian Interna-
tional Development Agency pledged
$18 million of funding to the IPPF
over four years. Trosts petition asks
the government to stop all funding to
the group.
e petition has already stirred up
a debate among the citizens of Sas-
katoon, including those he repre-
sents. e issue is divided, with many
persons either strongly opposed to or
strongly in agreement with what Trost
is proposing.
e petition also drew the attention
of Chris Stoiche, the USSU vice-
president of external aairs. It was
Stoiche who brought up the idea of
taking action in the form of a counter
petition that he is spearheading.
Stoiche said that while there is
certainly an element of the pro-life
versus pro-choice issue entrenched in
this debate, he does not feel that issue
is the centre of the problem.
I think our foreign policy should
reect our domestic values. I think
both the . . . IPPF are doing a lot of
good in terms of gender equality and
reproductive rights, said Stoiche.
USSU president Warren Kirkland
says the petition is important to stu-
dents because IPPF plays a large role
in Saskatoons health care system.
It comes down to a lot of factors.
e IPPF is directly aliated with
Saskatoon Sexual Health . . . e uni-
versity does tonnes of work abroad and
IPPF helps with that. ese are issues
that directly aect students and can
have both a positive or negative im-
pact depending on whether this goes
through.
e relationship that the USSU
has with the Saskatoon Sexual Health
Centre and the universitys work
abroad means there is certainly cause
to take a stance against Trosts petition.
Our hope was to raise awareness that a
debate is ongoing, said Kirkland.
He feels the IPPF does considerable
good work in developing countries and
that it was appropriate to take the po-
sition that they did.
My initial reaction to the petition
was surprise that it was going forward,
and we wanted to do everything pos-
sible to prevent these motions.
Kirkland and Stoiches main goal
is to continue to support the IPPF and
to make sure students are aware of the
debates between the two parties.
e USSU has received emails both
supporting and disagreeing with their
petition. While Kirkland appreciates
this, he still wants to have the debate
open to the student body. He says
these debates aect both communi-
ties here and the developing countries
IPPF provides aid to.
Linh Le, the Womens Centre co-
ordinator at the University of Sas-
katchewan, also feels very strongly
about the petition.
e funding is so crucial for these
countries; the funding covers health
care, health services, sex education,
said Le. If you take that away you
leave these women who are already
disadvantaged with very little.
Le also talked about the eects this
petition could have on students on
campus.
When you have someone local
who is so directly opposed to general
rights and sexual rights and reproduc-
tive rights, it can create a negative en-
vironment around both womens rights
and the womens rights movement. It
could create a negative stigma.
I think both the . . . IPPF
are doing a lot of good in
terms of gender equality
and reproductive rights.
OPINIONS
is past Sunday, voters in Switzerland
were at the poles to take part in one
of the most controversial referendums
to arise in a country renowned for
being uncompromisingly neutral.
e question on the ballot was
straightforward: Do you support the
creation of a constitutional amendment
to ban the future construction of
minarets in Switzerland? ough
supporters of the yes side fought a
hard campaign that some have called
racist, and Islamophibic, it was widely
believed among pundits that the
referendum would be handily defeated.
e nal tally reads otherwise. All
together, 57.5 per cent of Swiss citizens
who cast ballots supported the ban,
as did twenty-two of Switzerlands
twenty-six cantons (roughly equivalent
to states).
e vote comes at the end of a battle
that has been brewing for several years.
It began in 2005 with a request by a
Turkish community group to build a
minaret, a distinctive tower that was
traditionally used by mosques to call
the faithful to prayer ve times daily,
on the top of their local mosque. Local
authorities delayed and ultimately
denied the application and the
community group appealed that they
were being mistreated on the basis
of religion. e debate then took o
and several right wing political parties
including the Swiss Peoples Party
responsible for this recent referendum
tried to have a permanent minaret
ban passed in several of Switzerlands
cantons. However, this proved
unsuccessful, as none of the local
legislative bodies would hear the
discussion, saying such a ban would
be unconstitutional in a country that
guarantees freedom of religion.
Undaunted, the Swiss Peoples
Party took their desire to ban minarets
to the public and gathered the 100,
000 signatures required to force
a constitutional referendum. e
campaign itself was acrimonious;
those in favour of the vote plastered
the country with posters that are
nothing short of fear mongering,
whilst the Swiss Parliament, religious
organisations including the Catholic
Church and the Swiss Federation
of Jewish Communities, and social
advocacy groups all argued that the
ban would violate democratic ideals of
tolerance and freedom of religion.
ose familiar with Swiss politics
know that despite its rosy image as
a politically neutral Alpine paradise
renowned mostly for its innocuous
clocks and chocolate, Switzerland is
in many ways a ercely conservative
country. Swiss women were only given
the right to vote in federal elections in
1971 (one Canton held out as late as
1990). Military service is compulsory
among men and those involved in
the army must be ready to engage at
a moments notice, to the extent that
guns and munitions are required to
be kept in the home. Despite this, the
recent move to ban minarets represents
a surprisingly regressive step even for
Switzerland.
Media responses to the ban
have been unambiguously negative.
Denmarks Berlingske Tidendes
editorial board spoke out saying e
moment we resort to special bans
on religious symbols - including the
building of minarets - we have also
lost our belief in our own cultural
foundation... Self-respect is the rst
step on the path to mutual respect;
religious bans, on the other hand, are
the complete opposite, while Frances
La Charante Libre wrote e lesson
of the Swiss minarets vote is valid for
all democracies: its absurdity shows
the dangers of referendums known
as popular initiatives, a blessing and
a fearsome weapon for all extremists
who know how to surf the irrational
fears of public opinion.
Ultimately, proponents of the yes
campaign fought a vicious ght that
played upon the fears of the public
by reinforcing a crude caricature of
Islam that barely manages to conceal
the bigotry upon which its founded.
However, far from being a singular
condemnation of the Swiss, this is
an issue that has come up time and
time again all around the world where
democratic majorities are asked to
what extent theyre prepared to defend
the rights of their minorities.
It was the same issue at stake in 2002
when the Province of British Columbia
tried to have First Nations treaty
negotiations stopped by appealing
to public ignorance; the public voted
overwhelming in favour of halting
negotiations in a referendum described
by veteran pollster Angus Reid as one
of the most amateurish, one-sided
attempts to gauge the public will that
I have seen. Its also the issue at stake
in the United States as the push to
have the right to same-sex marriage
enshrined has met with a public that
is at best heteronormative.
ese examples raise very important
questions about how we think
democracy should function. Lets
be very clear: the referendum in
Switzerland was a democratic exercise
in the most fundamental sense of the
word. If youre like me, that fact doesnt
make the result any more palatable. If
the result in Switzerland has any hope
of being overturned, itll be up to the
European Court on Human Rights
to declare the vote a contravention
of our fundamental right to freedom
of religion. Ultimately, the protection
of minority rights asks of the general
public to act for the good of a people at
their mercy. If history is any indication,
this kind of compassion isnt something
to hold your breath for.
Vote shows Switzerland may not be so neutral after all
Stephen Middleton
Argosy Staff
One of the posters used by the yes campaign to encourage a rejection of
Islamic values and support for the ban on minaret construction.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Saturday, December 5
9:30 AM till 11:30 AM - Christmas
Bazaar
St. Anns Hall, 65 British Settlement
Road, Westcock
At 8PM, the Mount Allison Choral
Society will present Sing Gloria
A Celebration of Christmas in
Song, directed by Ross ompson
at the Brunton Auditorium, MYB
Conservatory of Music.
1:00 PM till 10PM - German Day
1:00 PM till 4:00 PM -
Weihnachtsmarkt Christmas Market
5:00 PM till 7 PM - Supper at
Jennings Meal Hall - authentic
German food!
7:00 PM till 9:00 PM - German
movie at the Wu Centre (Dunn
Building). Come early to vote for the
movie to be played.
Sunday December 6
3PM - Festival of Lessons and Carols
Presented by the Mount Allison
Elliot Chorale. Directed by Ross
ompson, at the University Chapel,
free-will donations for the Sackville
Food Bank accepted at the door
7PM - Music Night and the Midgic
Baptist Church
Monday December 7
4PM - Mt. A Christmas Collegium
Hosted by the Mount Allison
Department of Music, presented
by both students and faculty, MYB
Conservatory of Music foyer
ursday December 10
8PM - CD Release
R.A. Lautenschlager will release
his seventh full-length CD Home
for Christmas featuring eight new
Canadian Christmas Songs at the
Bridge Street Caf. He will be joined
by a number of his friends for a
magical musical night of Christmas
music and more, admission free
Friday December 11
6 PM till 12 AM - Midnight
Madness
A second bout of Midnight Madness
is scheduled to sweep through
downtown Sackville. Be sure to
catch hay rides, complimentary
refreshments, and fantastic Christmas
deals
Sunday December 13
3PM - Childrens Concert
Taking place at the Owens Art
Gallery, Festive Music is the theme.
Free admission and all are welcome.
I am writing this in response to
Heather Murrays letter of November
26. In her letter, Ms. Murray expressed
her disappointment in the behavior
of fans at the basketball games on
the weekend of November 20. I am
wondering if this is the rst time Ms.
Murray has attended a basketball
game, or any kind of sporting event
between teams. Noisemaking by fans is
Dear editor,
an integral part of most team sports.
e students Ms. Murray
mentioned were not explicitly calling
out any players on the opposing team,
but were simply making noise in the
customary times that any basketball
fan will make noise. Stoppages in play
are usually considered an accepted
time to make noise, and it is too bad
for the opposing team if they cannot
hear their coach during a timeout. In
professional or National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA)
basketball games, loud music is played
during timeouts and fans go crazy.
When opposing players are taking foul
shots, noise by fans is common at all
levels of basketball whether in middle
school or in university level basketball.
Ms. Murray also asks if we would like
our own athletes to face these kinds
of actions when they are at away
games, and I am condent in saying
that our athletes do face these kinds
of things. ey are just considered a
part of the culture of basketball, and
are commonplace. Further proof of
this can be found at any National
Basketball Association (NBA) game,
or during NCAA March Madness.
Noisemaking and distractions are
a common part of all team sports,
not just basketball. If people are
going to be in a situation where they
are cheering for their team, and have
freedom of speech, noise is going to be
made. As long as the noise does not
become personal, and personal attacks
are not made on opposing players,
there is really no harm in it. is is not
intended as an argument provoking
response, but rather just to defend the
fact and make it clear that these kinds
of actions are part of the culture of
being a fan at a sporting event.
Sincerely,
William McQuaid
Inernet photo/islamophobia
7 DECEMBER 3, 2009 THE ARGOSY OPINIONS
How do you feel about the university
removing items from your Mt. A mailbox?
Emily Jewer
Since theres a law against opening
other peoples mail, I think that
should be extended to going into
mailboxes.
Breanna Moore
Id feel the same way they would
feel if I went into their house and
took their favourite bowl that they
eat out of.
Spencer Yarnell
My understanding is that your
mail and mailbox is your property
and its illegal for someone to take
your mail or stu, that is unless
Robert Campbell and Company
have a better understanding of this
issue than me.
Alex MacDonald
It is denitely a concern that is not
to be swept under the rug, that the
university thinks it is their duty
and right to be so involved in the
provacy of students.
Aly Kelly
It is redundant that there is a
facebook group about the disrespect
of privacy... Its upsetting to talk
about.
Ryan Burnham
Its totally unacceptable, the fact
that they are riing through
my property is unsettling and a
violation of my privacy. I want my
drink ticket.
Dear editor,
I support the concern expressed by
Vivi Reich concerning the custodial
response to student protest... or
was the student protest in response
to the custodial protest? Or was it
custodial reaction to student pranks
or student reaction to custodial
pranks? Its all swirling around in
the bowl - I cant keep track of who
plopped the rst one.
As my daughter considers her
university choices and focussed by
my wonderful (albeit sometimes
inglorious) experience at Mt. A, I now
hold these truths to be self-evident:
(A) A small number of students
will make it dicult for others and
frustrating for sta.
(B) Students contribute to custodial
salaries.
When I worked as a janitor (sorry,
no one ever called me a custodian) in
a Boston mens transient residence,
my job was to do my job - full stop.
My opinions were, by default, pre-
determined to be out of order. e
same rules should apply in institutional
(i.e. university) settings.
I feel sad for those who are being
held to ransom by some sta whose
opinions should be considered out of
order while they are on what amounts
to the paying customers (read:
students) time and their subsequent
and consequent (as well as historic and
persistently histrionic) nasty reactions
to life among students.
I just thought of a sign
which students might consider making
and which some sta might take to
heart: Your opinions welcomed here.
Now, I wonder where might we put
this sign..?
Sincerely,
Wayne Smith
Sackville
Employment insurance. Some dread
the thought of being on it, while
others make it a part of their long-
term income. In any case, politicians,
whether in government or opposition,
look to make political gain from
it. Most recently, Conservative
MP Gerald Keddy of South Shore
St. Margarets weighed in on the EI
debate in Nova Scotia.
Keddys now infamous remarks have
caused quite a stir. He stated, If anyone
ever stops Nova Scotia farmers from
hiring migrant labourers to harvest
their crops, they would destroy a lot of
businesses... Nova Scotians wont do it
all those no-good bastards sitting
on the sidewalk in Halifax that cant
get work. Outrageous? Yes. ought
provoking? Certainly. Perspective, in
this case, is everything.
I do not believe Keddy was directing
these remarks to the homeless and
disabled citizens of Halifax. However,
his statement above was stereotypical
and mean-spirited, hence his apology
last Tuesday. I believe that his tirade
regarding the unemployed was directed
at his own constituents in South Shore
- St. Margarets: the shermen to be
exact.
Fishermen become eligible for EI
according to the value of their catch.
is means that shers of expensive
products, e.i. lobster, can have a
much shorter season, say two weeks
and still reap the full benets of EI.
Some, like Keddy evidently, may
nd this unethical. ere was a time
when the humble shermen from
the South Shore would have to go to
the Annapolis Valley and pick apples
to supplement their income. Now,
EI lls that void. Remember, Keddy
apologized only if his comments
oended anyone, not for the comment
itself.
As with any regime providing nancial
assistance, fraud can happen. ere
have been several cases of shermen
hiring their wives and daughters,
only to lay them o so they could
collect EI as well. In most cases, these
people had never set foot in a boat. I
think anyone, even a critic of Keddy,
would agree that this abuse of the
system is frustrating and puts a strain
on the entire regime.
On the other hand, because the
government has imposed strict, albeit
necessary, limitations on shing
seasons and catches, perhaps the
shermen should be compensated
through EI. Should shermen, or
anyone for that matter, be forced to
work a job that is not their profession?
e answer to that is no, both legally
and practically. Case law has armed
that when you qualify for EI, you
qualify. Simple as that. To suggest
that seasonal workers like shermen,
farmers, construction workers, etc. seek
employment as a sales clerk or cashier
between seasons is absurd. Especially
when unemployment is at new highs
in this country.
As dened by the Act itself,
Employment Insurance provides
temporary nancial assistance for
unemployed Canadians. I think
Keddy has a denition of temporary
that is dierent than what is happening
on the ground. Some doctors, lawyers,
and professionals have had to, at times,
draw EI. To expect them to seek
employment in the hospitality sector
is unreasonable. e system in place
may not be perfect, but it does its job.
For the vast majority of those on EI
even now, it is temporary, meaning it
is the o season or the economy has
taken a downturn.
When someone frauds EI, it is at
the expense of taxpayers; a justiable
reason for anyone, including Keddy, to
get upset. Did his remarks go too far?
Yes, because those no-good bastards
are human beings and have unique
unfavorable situations of their own.
To criticize those who qualify and
apply for EI is an attack on the system
itself. In my opinion, it was a bad time
for Keddy to be overtly critical, as the
shing industry that employs most
his own constituents face some of the
lowest prices in decades and depend
on EI for sustenance. Time will tell at
the next election whether his views are
shared on the South Shore, because
votes speak louder than words.
Unemployed? Gerald Keddy has some thoughts
John Brannen
Argosy Submission
is ursday evening, Leadership
Mount Allison will be hosting an ugly
sweater party in support of Christmas
Cheer and the Sackville food bank.
e Christmas Cheer organization
provides food vouchers to families in
need, toys to children and infants, and
fruit baskets to the elderly and shut-
in. All together, more than 600 people
are served. e Sackville Food Bank
provides goods such as canned food,
fresh produce, and chicken to families
in hard times. Mt. A Leadership
participants are very excited to support
these two fantastic causes.
Beginning at 9:30 this ursday
night, the pub will host a special
Christmas themed trivia event. 100
per cent of the cover for the event goes
to the Sackville Food Bank. Clothing
donations will also be accepted in
place of cover. ose in attendance are
encouraged to dig through the depths
of their closets, and nd the ugliest,
tackiest sweater theyve ever owned!
However, if you dont have one, fear
not, because you are still more than
welcome to come! Preceding the
event at 8:30, Leadership Mt. A group
Suess will be will be holding a bake
walk in Gracies Caf. Proceeds from
the bake walk also go to the Sackville
Food Bank. Please join us ursday
evening in supporting these great
causes!
Ugly Sweater Party
Internet photo/cbc
8 DECEMBER 3, 2009 THE ARGOSY OPINIONS
Seeing as this week marks our last real
week of classes, I thought it might
be nice to change up the tone of my
editorials. roughout the past few
months, I have been told that my
weekly commentaries have had the
tendency to veer into foot-stomping
territory. inking back, I cant help
but defend my foot stomping as an
attempt to raise action or promote
critical thought. However, sometimes
we all need a break from that ever
present call to action. Sometimes
we need a laugh and a moment to
appreciate what we are doing.
In an attempt to gain both of those
things, I decided to spend a week
trying to be positive and optimistic
about absolutely everything.
When I rst explained the idea to
some friends, I got a few laughs and
more than a few doubtful looks. My
experiment as I so lovingly referred
to it was actually inspired by the
same people who laughed and gave
me the doubting looks. While I dont
believe I am a negative person by
nature, I am certainly the rst to admit
that I dont usually expect the best. In
a habit I picked up from my father, I
tend to expect the worst in order to
save myself the disappointment or
cushion the blow, I suppose. I am a
happy person those around me know
I laugh at almost anything and I, like
most people, surround myself with
things and people that make me happy.
However, I also have a horrible love of
sarcasm that has stuck with me since
my pre-teen days.
So, with some trepidation, I decided
to spend one week, Monday through
Sunday, attempting to ll myself with
positive thoughts and show others I
could have a sunny disposition.
e week certainly began well
enough. Fresh o a trip out of town to
see some much loved friends, my mood
was high. Coupled with the event of
baking delicious cookies for another
friend, I felt pretty darn positive as
I started my week. I wont lie; I had
anticipated some trouble with the
experiment.
A normal week for me is generally
comparable to a really bad sugar high.
Since I operate by the production
schedule of the newspaper, Mondays
are usually the beginning of the
high. e days that follow are lled
with emotional turmoil (generally
attributed to the animated sta on
Tuesdays), exhaustion, frustration, and
energy highs (a combination of a severe
lack of sleep and Red Bull). I realize
at this point that I am not making a
good case for any one who wants to
apply for editor next year, however, its
important to understand the normal
ow of my energy over the week.
I had gone into this past week with
a positive attitude, determined not
to let the normal inuences wear me
down. at lasted all of a couple of
hours. row in some crazy leads on
stories, one too many not funny jokes,
lots of editing, and I was back to my
frustrated self.
To be honest, it was not the best
week for my experiment. While on
the surface it seemed great I only
had one essay to get through it was a
week of culmination. I started to notice
the other editors in the oce were far
passed stressed, my roommates were
verging on insanity at some points,
and the whole campus had an air of
desperation to it.
Perhaps, now looking back, the
fact that it was a week fraught with
unexpected obstacles shows something
about the attempt to be positive. e
one element that surprised me this
week was my awareness. It was almost
ten times harder to be positive because
I was actively trying to remain positive
even when deep down I knew I just
wanted to scream a little.
In a recent study, it was found that
people with lower self esteem felt
better after recognizing both their
strengths and weaknesses. It was also
found that people who only received
positive feedback were prone to feel
worse about themselves. Researchers
say this is because it is positive to
recognize and acknowledge your
weaknesses. inking about that
study this week, I found myself more
grateful for the experience I had, even
if I didnt achieve my goal. After all,
that study is a good way to consider
normal interactions as well. You dont
have to have low self-esteem to need
constructive criticism.
I nished o this week feeling
positive about a lot of things. Despite
the fact that I denitely had a nasty,
though completely unintentional,
exchange with another editor, and
despite the fact that I denitely felt
like the butt of one too many jokes this
week, I feel like there was some success
in the week.
Its hard to be positive all the
time. We as a society tend to expect
kindness and compassion on a daily
level, but that doesnt always include
positivity. Since positivity is a state, its
often the hardest to change. is week
was a great example of how external
inuences often aect us more than we
like. I cant say with great conviction
that I will be outwardly positive all
the time, but I can say that my inner
attitude is dierent.
A sunny disposition on a cloudy day
Julie Stephenson
Argosy Staff
Earlier this week, economics professor
Dr. Frank Strain spent an entire rst
year microeconomics class exploring
the merits and drawbacks of carbon
emissions reduction strategies.
Applying microeconomic theory to this
critical discussion, I was thoroughly
impressed with the application of over
a dozen weeks of theoretical economic
discussions. Recognizing how boring
theoretical economics is for students,
Dr. Strain wished to explore the
practical connections that my fellow
students and I could make between
microeconomics and the policy
discussions preceding the upcoming
international talks in Copenhagen.
Although I was pleased with Dr.
Strains class this week, I cannot help
but wonder why practical application
must be the exception rather than the
norm.
Two weeks ago, I wrote letters to over
thirty students, faculty, administrators
and sta initiating a discussion about
the opportunities and obstacles of
Applied Student Research (ASR) at
Mount Allison. Dened by Rubin and
Jones as research that (a) is conducted
... with the goal of informing and
aecting school, community, and/or
global problems and issues and (b)
contributes to the positive development
of a variety of academic, social, and
civic skills [in students], several
major stakeholders at Mt. A expressed
interest in further discussions.
Arguably, Mt. As two greatest strengths
are our academic rigour and our strong
community involvement. Although
both are incredible assets for this
institution, these two forces remain
at odds. Student groups on campus
remain extracurricular, whilst our
classes are treated as the sole critical
component of our education. Although
few people actually argue that there is
educational value in extracurricular
activities around campus, our classes
remain totally sepearated from our
own interests and engagements. ASR
is a means of bridging this seeming
gap, emphasizing academias role in
harbouring engaged and involved
citizens in society.
For some professors here at Mt.
A, academic theory is absolutely
paramount. Acknowledging the
merits of teaching the canon in our
respective academic subjects, we tend
to overemphasize the importance of
theory in our undergraduate years. In
the real-world, it is the results that
matter, whilst the theory is used as a
Quit Being Sheepish: Support Applied Student Research
e opportunities and obstacles of Applied Student Research at Mount Allison University
Graeme Bousada
Argosy Submission
Missed@MTA
Fantastic Folder
I walked into the laundry room
the other day to see that instead of
tossing my clothes on top and getting
them wrinkly like others would, you
took the time to fold them. It was
appreciated very much and it made
my day! anks!
Old Man Rockin
Dear old drunk guy at e Most
Serene Republic show... keep on
rocking in the free world.
Ms CHMA Monday
Your voice on the radio makes my
Mondays. It even makes me want to
dance, but I dont dance... though Id
love to hold you while you do.
Pub Dancer
You were at the Pub on Friday night,
dancing against the window. We
professed our undying love for each
other as I walked by outside. It would
be nice to meet the man I love. Coee
sometime?
Computer Lab Christmas
anks to you, Ive found my Christmas
cheer. e little Christmas tree you
plugged into the computer through
USB lit up its string of tiny bulbs as
well as my day! I acted as if I didnt
notice, but I hope you test it out again
sometime. I want to know how you
made that magic!
Fiiine Arts Prof
I love the strong, silent type. e way
you run your ngers through your hair
is titillating. I wish I was the paper
you laid down on the press with those
tanned muscular arms. One question
though: are you always so scruy
because you are just so much of a man
that it grows back as soon as you shave
it?
Crazy Ice Cream Man
Yes, it is completely necessary to sculpt
my ice cream! And I will take my time
to scoop my ice cream, but dont worry,
the ice creams not going anywhere.
(It takes a lot longer than THAT to
melt.) But I do challenge you to an ice
cream sculpting... challenge.
Kissed and Confused
We danced two nights in a row. We
met at a ski party, and nished at a
punk party. My friend tells me youre
not a player: prove her right!
Purple and Plaid Philosopher
Despite your intellectual comments
on everything from Kant to the
Bhagavad Gita, I nd your disregard
for classroom decorum disgusting.
Please turn o your cellphone while
in class.
Litter snatcher
On no less than three seperate
occasions, I have seen you go out of
your way to clean up a piece of litter
or garbage on the ground around
campus and Sackville. I think thats
great and I now try to do the same.
tool. ASR is one means of grounding
our university, asserting that theory is
only as important as its applicability to
the real world.
Instead of allowing students to
engage and explore in their own
education, we force them through
prepared and premeditated exercises,
cookie-cuttering our students into
undergraduate sheep.
By no means do I propose that we
eliminate faculties here at Mt. A.
Instead, I propose that we shift
our focus from being an engaged
community to being an academically
engaged community.
As students, we must overcome
this trend and start pressuring the
institution to get serious about ASR.
As students, we must realize our agency
at this institution and demand the
personal and engaged experience that
rst attracted us to Mt. A. As students,
we must show professors that we are
not sheep and that we are capable of
truly engaging in our education.
gwbousada@mta.ca
Graeme Bousada
The Students Administrative
Council
S.A.C. Fact
Upcoming Events & Reminders
Contact Us
Email: sac@mta.ca
Phone: (506)-364-2231
Location: 1st Floor of the Wallace
McCain Student Centre
2IFHKRXUV: 8:30am - 4:30pm week-
days.
Shop at Co-Op!
A long time ago the SAC become a share
holder oI the Co-Op. As a beneft. all student
union members are also Co-Op members.
This means that you get a discount when you
shop at the Co-Op. Just make sure you tell the
cashier you are a Mount Allison student or
show your student ID card. So the next time
you are heading to the liquor store. pick up
your burgers or bread at the Co-Op!
Yearbooks 2nd. 3rd. and 4th year students
please pick up your yearbooks in the lobby of
the student centre and the SAC oIfce.
Pub Survey Prizes are being held at the SAC
oIfce until we hear Irom the Liquor Policy
Board.
Bake Walk hosted Leadership Mount A in
support oI the Sackville Food Bank. Thursday.
December 3. 8:30pm in Gracie`s CaIe.
admission $2 or a food bank donation
Ugly Christmas Sweater Trivia Party In
support oI the Sackville Food Bank. Thursday.
December 3. 9:30pm at the pub.
Exam Bonanza - The SAC is collecting exams
until Dec. 4; for each exam you will receive a
raIfe ticket Ior great prizes (ie. $50 giIt cert. to
Joey`s; $25 worth oI Mountie Money; two $10
gift cert. to Bridge St)
Carbon Crash The C3 Finale Concert.
hosted by Eco Action in Gracie`s CaIe. Friday
December 4. at 9pm.
Last Class Bash Super Stud Party Saturday.
December 5. 10pm. admission $5 with pub
membership. $7 without. Come celebrate
the end of Fall classes in your most Classy
threads!
Sackvilles 2nd Midnight Madness - Friday.
December 11. 6:00 pm to midnight. Ieaturing
special sales promotions. horse drawn
wagon rides. craIt sales. sidewalk vendors.
entertainment. Santa Claus. hot chocolate/
cider. and much more! Get into the spirit oI
an Ole Fashioned Christmas`. while enioying
a unique shopping experience. If you would
like to reserve a fund-raising table for your
organization or to oIIer your musical talents.
please contact Diane Fullerton at 536-3749 or
dfullert@nb.sympatico.ca.
SAC NEWS
What We Have Been Working On
Shinerama Success
This year`s Mount Allison Shinerama Campaign raised
over $36000 to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for
research. We would like to extend a BIG thank you to all the
Shiners. the committee. and the Chair. Mayme LeIurgey. Ior
all their hard work!
Election Procedures Committee
AIter the diIfculties with the presidential elections. the
SAC Council made its perogative to completely review the
election procedures to ensure they are effective for all future
elections. ThereIore Council created an ad hoc committee.
the Elections Act and Procedures Review Committee. which
is thoroughly reviewing our current election procedures as
well as conducting research the on procedures of other student
union organizations. The goal is to have our procedures
updated for the upcoming executive elections in the winter
semester.
Housing Issues Committee
The SAC has been receiving considerable concerns regarding
the on-campus housing issues this year. As a result. Council
has created and ad hoc committee to look into these issues.
The Housing Issues Committee was formed to gather student
input and take action to fnd a resolution. II you have any
concerns or complaints regarding on-campus housing please
let us know! Email the VP Campus LiIe at saccampusliIe(
mta.ca.
Exam Bonanza
The SAC is revamping our Exam Database! Students are
currently able to come in to the SAC oIfce and photocopy
previous exams to study Irom. However. many oI the exams
have become outdated. We are trying to collect your midterm
exams to make the database up to date. Additionally. this
year we plan on converting all the exams to PDF`s and
having them available for download on the SAC website
for your convenience. So help us help you - please bring in
any midterm exams you have! (PS. We will make sure your
name is crossed out.)
SAC GIVES YOU MORE STUDY TIME!
Extended Library Study Hall Hours During Exam Period
The SAC knows that Exam Period is a stressIul time Ior all students. We also know that the
library hours do not accommodate to the amount time students want to study. ThereIore.
every year the SAC council members volunteer their time to sit at the circulation desk from
11:45pm to 1:30am so that the Library can remain open Ior study hall hours. There are
no librarians or reIerence desk staII available during study hall hours. however this time
provides students with extra time to study at the Library. Library hours have been a concern
among students. We take a count every half hour of how many students are in the library
during the study hall hours. II you Ieel that the library should budget more hours. please make
sure to take advantage oI the extended study hall hours to show the Library management that
students would use longer hours.
GOOD LUCK ON YOUR EXAMS!!
COURSE EVALUATIONS
DO THEM!
Make sure you complete
course evaluations for each
of your classes. As Mount
Allison students we pay a
lot for our education. Course
evaluations are our say about
academics at Mount Allison.
This opportunity to provide
input about our education
should be taken seriously.
It is now mandatory for
professors to administer a
formal evaluation for each
course they teach. However.
because of the Mount
Allison Faculty Association
(MAFA) agreement these
evaluations do not have to
be seen by anyone other than
the professors themselves.
This means that the neither
department heads nor deans
see these evaluations. although most proIessors usually do
include course evaluations in their reviews for tenure track
positions. For this process to change. the administration and
MAFA need to see that students take course evaluations
seriously and believe they are important. If you want students
opinions to matter. make sure you complete your course
evaluations!
FEATURES
How many people watched Slumdog
Millionaire this winter and wished
that they could whip around a busy
Indian city in a rickshaw? I know
thats what I thought as soon as the
movie nished. Inspired by a movie,
I applied to the Mount Allison
Summer Program in Mysore, India.
Little did I know that this would
turn out to be one of the most life-
changing experiences of my life.
e India Summer Program was
so much more than the classes and
lectures we attended. Almost every
weekend, there were trips to various
monuments or sites around Mysore.
One weekend was spent at the Jungle
Retreat, an incredible jungle resort
nestled in between two national
parks and wildlife reserves for tigers
and elephants. Highlights from that
weekend included the mountainside
innity pool and the morning hike up
to the mountaintop tea plantation.
e most inuential part about the
summer program was just the day-to-
day life. As an International Relations
student, I am constantly reading
about India and the incredible strides
and progress that it has been making
over the past ten years. Walking to
the market in Mysore, the change
was evident. It was impossible
to walk for ve minutes without
seeing construction or development.
Everywhere we went, people were
eager to speak to us in English. When
we rst met our rickshaw driver, Ravi,
he was fairly quiet and reserved. By
the end of our time, he was joking
with us, pretending to forget where
he was going, making fun of us; it was
incredible the change that happened
in such a short period of time.
One of the rst things Dr. Strain said
to us when we arrived in Mysore was
that we shouldnt consider ourselves
tourists. anks to our courses, we
were getting taught some of the
intricacies of Indian life and culture,
things no guide book could ever
teach you. When combined with
the amazing experience of living and
working alongside a variety of Indian
students meant that we were learning
around the clock.
Last year, I remember sitting in
Dr. Reiensteins Developing
World class, learning about
dierent developmental theories
and approaches to development
in countries like India. Well, this
summer, I got to experience these rst
hand. In addition to the courses and
the incredible trips to the jungle, we
also got to travel to rural hospitals and
schools run by the host organization
in Mysore. It was incredible to talk to
the children at these schools. Most of
them were under ten, but when they
were asked what they wanted to be
when they grew up, the responses were
inspiring. I want to be a teacher. I
want to be a doctor. ese children
were all working for this education so
that they could return back to their
community to help.
If you talked to anyone who has gone
abroad on one of the wide variety
of Mt. A exchanges and summer
programs, Im sure that they would
all respond with stories of adventures
and life-changing experiences. e
India program gave me two of the best
months of my life. Between the daily
morning yoga, to the three meals a day
of delicious Indian food, to everything
else in between, it was an unparalleled
time. For any interested students, the
International Exchange Fair is on
Monday, October 5 in Crabtree. Its
an excellent resource for information
on all the programs oered by Mt. A,
giving prospective students a chance
to talk to past participants as well
as the project coordinators for the
various exchanges. So if youve ever
been curious about the opportunities
available to you, or maybe if you just
want to ride around in a rickshaw
in India, go out on Monday and see
what adventure is waiting for you.
International
Insights
Noah Kowalski
Argosy Staff
Last ursday, Mount Allison students
and sta lled Crabtree Auditorium
to listen to the inspiring words of
the fth speaker in the Presidents
Speaker Series, Dr. Balasubramaniam.
Balasubramaniam told the remarkable
success story of the grassroots
movement that he founded, the
Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement
(SVYM).
After graduating from medical
school at the young age of twenty-
one, Balasubramaniam quickly found
that the practice of medicine that
surrounded him didnt exemplify what
he had hoped to do with his skills.
So, in 1984, with the help of a small
group of other medical graduates,
Balasubramaniam founded SVYM
with the hope of working to improve
the lives of those on the economic and
social fringes of Indian society.
Balasubramaniam named the group
after Swami Vivekananda, an Indian
religious leader who is considered a
key actor in the revival of Hinduism
in India. e group aims to work for
four key values truthfulness, non-
violence, service, and sacrice taken
from Vivekanadas thought.
Upon SVYMs formation,
Balasubramaniam and his colleagues
intended to provide medical care in the
Mysore District of Karnataka, India.
An important part of the population
in this region is a group of indigenous
people (or tribals as they are known
in India).
According to SVYMs website, these
tribals were evicted from their forest
homes due to the construction of the
dam across the river Kabini in the
sixties and the subsequent declaration
of forests as protected area under the
Project Tiger.
It was in an interest to help this
historically oppressed community that
Balasubramaniam chose this region of
India.
However, while medicine was a
need of this community, it quickly
became clear to Balasubramaniam that
medical care was only a small facet of
the wide range of issues facing the
people of the region.
For Balasubramaniam, this
realization was not reason to despair,
but only to act more urgently. us, the
SVYM began to grow into its current
form.
After twenty-ve years of expansion,
the organization now has a team of over
400 people that caters to a population
of over 300,000 in the areas of not
only health, but education, community
development, training, research, and
advocacy.
Fraser Harland
Argosy Staff
A model of development
Dr. Balasubramaniam oers Mt. A a new perspective
Internet Photo/ppeach
Children supported by the SVYM in rural India are offered a dynamic and globally competitive education.
e group aims to work
for four key values
truthfulness, non-violence,
service, and sacrice
taken from Vivekanadas
thought.
In terms of health, SVYM runs
two hospitals. One, the Vivekananda
Memorial Hospital, is a seventy-bed
secondary care facility established in
1998. e hospital has an impressive
range of services including an
emergency care facility, a fully equipped
operation theatre, a care and support
centre for those living with HIV/
AIDS, and a blood storage centre.
e second hospital is smaller
with only ten beds, and serves mainly
tribal populations. Here they combine
both Western medicine and Indian
medicine (ayurvedic treatment).
SVYM also oers a health outreach
program that visits every tribal colony
in the Taluk, at least once a week and
oers basic diagnostic and curative
services, free of cost, in addition
to health education. Educational
programs are on sanitation, HIV/
AIDS, and childcare.
SVYMs educational programs
are focused around two schools.
Serving over 650 students, the
schools use experiential and child-
focused pedagogy modeled after the
Montessori school of teaching.
e organization also runs a
program with the aim of improving
education in government-run schools.
Here, the emphasis is on child rights,
the rights of girls to education, and
reducing school dropout rates.
Regarding community development,
SVYMs programs are multifaceted.
Some of these activities include
the creation of rural infrastructure,
training youth with vocational skills,
and support to income-generating
activities from bee keeping to cloth
making.
For any students interested by the
important and life-giving work of
SVYM, a nal important element of
the organization is its connection to
Mt. A.
ose students who participate in the
Shastri exchange have an opportunity
to spend time assisting with one
SVYMs projects. Furthermore, for
the rst time this year, the exchange
is also oering an additional one
month internship where students will
be able to gain more extensive rst
hand experience in one of SVYMs
endeavours.
Subhash Chandra Bose, a
well-known leader of the Indian
independence movement once said
of Swami Vivekananda: Reckless in
his sacrice, unceasing in his activity,
boundless in his love, profound and
versatile in his wisdom, exuberant in
his emotions, merciless in his attacks
yet simple as a child, he was a rare
personality in this world of ours.
Given his tremendous eorts to
aid the poor and marginalized in
Indian society, Dr. Balasubramaniams
wish to work in this spirit of
Swami Vivekananda is clearly
being lived out. During this Year of
International Engagement at Mt. A,
Balasubramaniam serves as an example
to us all.
Bing says:
Have a wonderful
Christmas,
and then come
Write for
Features
E\/RYHV$VVDVVLQ
11 THE ARGOSY FEATURES DECEMBER 3, 2009
e last article for 2009. What advice
can I give you as we all part ways and
head home for the holidays? Probably
not too much. We are going to go
home and eat huge meals heavily
laiden with calories, carbs, sugar
all the good stu. So when we get
back on campus in a few weeks we
are all going to be thinking about
how to get in shape, making our New
Years resolutions, etc. How about
incorporating some sex-ercises into
your life? ere are some key benets
to the act of having a good romp in
the sack, and sex-ercises can make
that romp last all night long.
e health benets of sex (even sex
with yourself ):
-Stress relief
-Healthier heart
-Boosts chemicals in body that
boosts immunity
-Eases joint and muscle pain
-Fights depression
-Helps you live longer
-Calories burned: a person weighing
140 lbs can burn 165 calories with a
moderate sex session that spans two
hours if you like to burn up the
sheets like its 1991!
-And best of all the benets Big
O!
Not that any of us needed a reason
to get down, but this will just help
you justify your extra time between
the sheets. To make sure you can go
the distance, you might want to take
a look at some sex-ercises to add to
your routine that will not only make
you look hotter than hell, but will
make you feel hotter too.
e Top ree Sex-ercises
3. Kegels. I know you all say yes, we
know about those, but the question
is, have you taken the advice? Ladies,
are you having a hard time hitting that
O-zone every time? Well, our friend
Kegel will get you there faster than
a speeding bullet. And yes, you can
sooo have one every time. When your
vaginal muscles are strong and you can
control them for a long period of time,
you dont have to rely on his talents,
you can rely on your Kegels. If they
are strong enough you can tighten
your Kegels in stages to heighten your
pleasure as the session get steamier.
Dont worry about pleasing him
hell be all over your new skills and
when youre ready to go, you can just
Kegel yourself a one way ticket to O-
town every time. And for the guys,
your little guy will be able to perform
amazing tricks that will surprise her
and yourself. Make it last, hit her
G spot, add some inner actions to
your repertoire beyond the mundane
thrust oh, the possibilities are
endless. And lets be honest, do you
know a bigger ego boost than being
able to deliver the Big O every time?
Yeah, I didnt think so. To learn some
good techniques you can Google a
ton of resources and best of all you
can get a study buddy and practice,
practice, practice.
2. Yoga. Not only will yoga give
you the ability to hold some freakin
awesome poses for a long time, it will
make you so exible you will be able
to hit some moves you never thought
possible but oh, wont you be glad you
did. Ever look in awe at the Kama
Sutra? Ever wonder how the heck
they can even manage those hand
stands and have sex at the same time?
Yep, you got it. Yoga! It comes from
the same culture, so that should give
you a serious clue as to how to get
that yoga bod. Its the reason we all
think yogis are so hot, cause hello
can you say yummy pretzel? A huge
bonus, you get to watch while you
learn. Nice huh? Classes are oered
free on campus, just check out the
tness centre activity board.
1. Dancing. e smart guys are all
nodding their heads and getting mad,
as I am about to reveal their dirty
little secret. Wanna get booty guys?
Get your on that dance oor and
get your groove on. While you learn
new hot sexy dances, you can meet
chicks who also have sexy hot moves,
get up close and personal with sexy
hot chicks for hours, and nally, take
the sexy hot chick and your new sexy
hot moves back to your bedroom
for some personal dance lessons.
For the ladies it will boost your self
condence and personal image, so
when you hit that bedroom youll
be on re! Plus, you get to check out
his action potential in advance. Once
again several classes oered free, so
head to the gym.
For all you ladies wishing for an
additional male view in the yoga
and dance classes, youre very well-
cum. For the guys wondering how to
improve their game, youre well-cum
too. So once the holidays are over,
lets get our little critters in tip top
shape!
Callan Field
Ever since Barack Obama was elected,
those to the north of the U.S. have
been begrudgingly commentating
over the seeming role reversal of our
two countrys leaders. e jokes have
been made and the comparisons
drawn out extensively. While the U.S.
(and the world) got Barack Obama,
Canada has Stephen Harper and his
Conservatives.
It may be liberal (not the party) bias,
but the sad reality has to be recognized.
In a time when the U.S. went from one
of the least popular to the most popular
countries in the world because of one
charismatic leader, we have a man with
photographed moments that make us
fear for the kitten, or baby, or human
being, he interacts with.
e environmental policies of our
two nations has only been the most
recent--and stark--comparison that
presents Canada as having incorrect
priorities and the U.S. as breaking new
ground. President Obama has backed
a cap-and-trade policy that actually
looks good, while Prime Minister
Harpers agenda has remained silent
on the environment.
While its not that straightforward,
it is the perception that is catching on,
and should catch on in the hopes that
it at least shames our government into
some sort of action.
e U.S. cap-and-trade structure
will evidentially not fall prey to the
common structural aw that by giving
away the original permits, major energy
producers gain further upper hand at
relatively little extra cost. Despite the
fact that it seems to have missed this
fault in other cap structures, there
is still concern that the number of
permits will not incentivise alternative
energy sources enough to see the
dramatic change needed in American
consumption methods.
More concerning is President
Obamas benchmarks by which the
national carbon production must
decrease. His goal is a 17 per cent
decrease by 2020, based on 2005
gures--the status quo for most
policies is 1990 levels.
is is a measly goal in comparison
to European benchmark policies, even
if one accounts for the larger portion
of the American economy that are
energy intensive or are fossil fuel
based. Nonetheless, the momentum
the policy--and the gesture itself--
creates is a positive indication of the
U.S. taking the situation seriously.
at is, so long as it is followed up
on in Copenhagen, rather than being
a hollow exertion to use as a political
tool in negotiations.
Whether Obamas recent action
has been in all seriousness or is just a
political gesture, its still more than what
Canadians think their government has
accomplished. Harpers government
has shown no interest in seriously
addressing the issues to be discussed at
Copenhagen, rather than campaigning
to get him personally invited to it.
According to a recent poll by
Hoggan & Associates, 75 per cent of
Canadians believe their government
has not taken an active enough role
to address the environment. In an
alternative poll, the same percentile
of Canadians agreed that they were
ashamed at their governments
inaction.
Indeed, with such substantial gures
it is not a reach to state that Prime
Minister Harper has failed to not
only address one of the most pressing
issues for Canadians today, but has
threatened the international credibility
and national identity of Canada.
Canadas inaction now has the chance
of disillusioning Canadians--and the
world--on our role on the international
stage, as the excitement and pressures
surrounding Copenhagen suggest.
Canadians have maintained a
decades-old illusion of ourselves.
We are the gentle giant of the West;
concerned with human rights, natural
security, and the welfare of not only
our own citizens but every nations.
e embrace of militaristic methods
of global security over peacekeeping
operations, the increasingly visible
faults of our universal healthcare
system, and now the inaction towards
the global danger of climate change
have each taken their toll against our
national self-esteem and identity.
In each of these cases, Harper has all
but entirely personied this Canadian
crisis of identity. He doesnt deserve
anywhere near that much credit, but
like his former American counterpart,
George W. Bush, hes certainly
exacerbated the problem enough to
receive the blame.
Something in Canada must change
if we want to extricate our edging
national self-understanding. Taking
action against runaway climate
change is an excellent opportunity.
At this point, with Barack Obamas
proliferating charisma turning into
a global change craze, it may end
up looking like Canada was behind
the times until an American example
made us change our ways.
We may have to take the bruise to
our pride and accept this narrative
for the sake of our common future,
regardless how wrong it feels for us
Canadians to take a clue from an
American. We deserve it, after all.
Frames of reference
e U.S. and Canadas role reversal over the environment
Sasha Van Katwyk
Argosy Staff
Internet Photo/broadcastthis
There are few leaders that can make one cringe with fear for the cat
Julie Cruikshank
rough Stained Glass
12 THE ARGOSY FEATURES DECEMBER 3, 2009
In 1978, William Least Heat Moon
lost his job at a community college and
separated from his wife; approaching
forty, and in a bid to deal with his
sense of loss and challenged identity,
he piled his worldly belongings into
a Ford Econoline Van and set out to
nd himself through nding America.
e result was several thousand miles
of travel, encounters with a variety of
people and places, and a book: Blue
Highways: A Journey into America.
e title was a phrase he coined, based
on the secondary roads of America
that were coloured blue in the
highway atlas, in contrast to the major
interstate highways that appreared
in red. And as he notes, at a certain
time of the day, when the sun is just
right, the very highways themselves
appear to match the colouring on the
maps, and he felt as if he was indeed
travelling blue highways. Perhaps
the phrase captures his own mood
and its sense of loss and the passage
of time, and the mood of America
as well; it was a timely work, as an
era was passing away, the Vietnam
War was over and America was
coping with that sense of loss. On
the other hand, the corporate world
had not yet swallowed up small town
life and economies, and he was able
to undertake the trip by heading
towards towns with interesting
names, avoiding malls, fast food
outlets and national motel chains.
Published in 1983, Blue Highways
was an elegy to a dying culture found
in the back roads and small towns of
America. It was also timely reading
for me; married in 1985, the various
travels we undertook in the light of a
shared reading of Blue Highways led
us o the main roads of Canada and
Rev. John C. Perkin
University Chaplain
Cooking with Jess
Banana Caramel Pecan Cheesecake
Heres a desert to distract you from
those term papers and make the long
night of studying a bit more bearable!
Ingredients:
2 large ripe banana, sliced into
medallions, divided
1 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
cup butter
3 packages cream cheese
1 tbsp vanilla
cup sugar
package of butterscotch Chipits,
divided
2 tbsp cooking oil, divided
1/4 cup milk, divided
200 grams pecan pieces, divided
1. In a medium sized mixing bowl
combine graham crumbs and butter
with a fork until the mixture is evenly
moist. Pour the graham into the
bottom of a 9 springform pan and press
it down with a at instrument such as
a spatula. e graham, once pressed,
should be smooth and compact. In the
microwave or on a stove top melt half
the butterscotch Chipits with cooking
oil and milk. I nd Chipits are prone
to burn therefore it is important to stir
them frequently while melting. Spread
100 grams of pecans and one sliced
banana over the graham crust then
pour the butterscotch over the entire
base.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl blend cream
cheese, sugar and vanilla with the help
of an electric hand mixer. Once the
cream cheese mixture is consistent the
eggs can be added, one at a time, and
blended. Fold in the remaining slices
of banana then delicately pour the
cake mixture over the crust. Make the
top of the cake even with the help of
a large spoon or rubber spatula before
placing it in the oven.
3. Bake cake for 50-55 minutes or
until the middle has set. Let the cake
cool then chill for 4 hours. Before you
serve the cake run a knife around the
pan then remove the springform.
4. Melt the remaining Chipits with
oil and milk. Place the remaining
pecans on the top of the cake and
drizzle with butterscotch.
Enjoy!
Serves: 14 small slices
Jessica Emin
Argosy Staff
Raising your hand in favour of a
professor will no long be considered a
feasible method of evaluating teaching
at Mount Allison University.
While it is hopeful that no professor
actually administered teaching
evaluations this way, a new senate
policy makes the use of a standard
evaluation form mandatory in all
teaching evaluations. e evaluations
are already mandatory in all courses
at the university, but the policy
now regulates the information and
method.
is policy is a big step in the
right direction, explains SAC VP
Academic, Sarah Carrigan-Kent, It
[] puts everything [and] everyone
on the same page.
e new form includes a statement
of purpose for students to read prior
to the evaluation, core questions that
appear on every form and are done
by Scantron sheets, and optional
customized questions that the
professor can create or chose from a
pre-determined list that are course or
goal specic.
Eileen Herteis, the director of the
Purdy Crawford Teaching Centre, says
the teaching evaluations are important
for several dierent reasons including
self-evaluation by the professors of
their own methods and student input.
Student evaluation is important, yet
it is only one source, says Herteis.
When a professors performance is
being reviewed, the main thing is to
see how all the various sources align.
Emily Higgens, a second year double
major in Classics and Anthropology,
agrees that a more standardized format
is preferable. In every class Ive had,
Ive had a dierent form of teaching
evaluation, explains Higgens. I think
[the standard form] is really useful,
especially to new teachers[for]
teachers that have been here for a long
time, I dont think its as necessary, but
I still dont mind doing [them].
e new policy shows a move away
from the online form of evaluations.
Despite wide publicity and
encouragement from professors and
the SAC, explains Herteis, In some
classes, fewer than 20 per cent of the
students completed online evaluation
forms--so the data collected wasnt
always representative or reliable.
e reliability and accountability of
the teaching evaluation process is the
main concern of the SAC. Carrigan-
Kent says that a further goal is to have
all teaching evaluations available to
high bodies, in contrast to the current
situation where professors are not
required to show the evaluations to
anyone.
Because of the collective agreement
between [Mount Allison Faculty
Association] and the university
[] the student evaluations [of
professors] cant be made mandatorily
available to [other] professors, deans,
or administration. Carrigan-Kent
says that the future goal is to have
a document that keeps professors
accountable when it comes to
teaching.
However, there have been calls for
caution in the search for accountability.
While it is admirable that students
desire a sound evaluation, some are
hesitant to assign full weight to the
evaluations. If tenure and pay become
dependent on good evaluations or a
certain numerical achievement, there
is a belief that professors and students
may lose sight of the true goal of
education.
Fourth year Math and Physics
Honours student, Alex Laoley sees
merit in the evaluations but is unsure,
like most students, of their role. I
think the concept behind [teaching
evaluations] is good, but Im sure [there
is] still lots of problems with them,
says Laoley, I do think its good
theyre mandatory, so that teachers
do get their feedback. I dont know
how much they actually act on the
evaluations. Knowing that its there is
[reassuring] as a student.
Dr. Andrew Nurse, director and
professor of the Canadian Studies
department, spends approximately
two weeks reviewing the evaluations
completed by students in each of his
courses and completing a summary
report. Nurse says that for him, the
evaluations are points of improvement
and reection and that while he cant
vouch for every professor at Mt. A, he
is aware of other professors who do a
similar review of the evaluations.
Currently the new policy is not in
full eect but Carrigan-Kent believes
it will be in full use by April 2010.
During the fall semester, twelve
professors are acting as part of a pilot
program to test the policy within the
student body. For the other courses
culminating at Mt. A, all professors
will be administering evaluations in
their last classes.
Carrigan-Kent thinks the biggest
conception students have of teaching
evaluations is that a higher body sees the
results, however she also acknowledges
that students dont understand how
important their comments are. It does
matter what you say on [the teaching
evaluations] and a lot of professors
do take into account what you say,
explains Carrigan-Kent, Its really
important to ll them out and ll them
out constructively and honestly.
Julie Stephenson
Argosy Staff
New Mt. A policy for
teaching evaluations
Senate approves standard evaluation
form; pilot program begins this term
Internet Photo/dolphinsoftware
encouraged us to venture onto some
of the smaller roads and into smaller
towns along the way, especially as
we journeyed from western Canada
to Ontario to take up residence and
study there. ere were those times
that we drove half the continent in
a single burst of energy (I remember
the trip from Hamilton to Wolfville,
just over two thousand kilometres, all
at the speed limit, and done in less
than twenty-four hours, or the epic
Hamilton to Brandon, Manitoba in
one day and one night, and a drive
to Calgary the next day); but we
have come to value the opportunities
of driving back roads, and eating in
places untouched by corporate culture,
meeting people who have roots in the
town going back generations, seeing
scenery that suggests the struggle and
invincibility of the human spirit.
I note this as we enter the season
of Advent, a time of preparation,
of reection, and for undertaking a
spiritual journey. e seasonal colour
of Advent can be red or purple, but can
also be blue, the colour of hope, which
marks the season from the words of the
prophets to the Christmas story itself.
e month of December, the season
of Advent, can be a time to reect, to
make changes, to ponder the reality of
the presence of God in life.
e Christian faith notes a birth
in an out of the way place surely
Bethlehem would have appeared on
a blue highway had the Romans used
Rand-McNally as their mapmakers
and it was an ordinary event unnoticed
by the mighty Roman Empire. Perhaps
it suggests that the spiritual realities of
life, the truly important things, the
encounters with genuine people, might
take place where we least expect them
to, and that in travelling in openness to
the spirit of blue highways leisurely
but intentional travel, openness to
community and to people, openness
also to pain and loss we might also
be open to a fuller experience of the
presence of God.
So this Advent season, take a drive,
if only metaphorically, on the blue
highways; this means moving with
less speed and more intentionality,
less destination and more openness
to the journey, less solitude and
more connection with other people,
less consumerism and more shared
life. Perhaps we should take the
approach of driving blue highways
more seriously in other areas of life
as well, being willing to support
Midnight Madness in town and keep
independent businesses in Sackville
going, because it is important to do so.
Maybe we should think about taking
the time to visit the small towns of
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
before they disappear, and to meet
people on their own terms. Perhaps
we should get in touch with our
own experiences of loss and sorrow,
knowing that in shared experiences
we not only encounter others, we
also encounter God, and healing.
Perhaps we should visit with those
people we have been neglecting, and
touch soul to soul.
While the season is a busy one,
academically and personally, this
is my encouragement to take time
make time to journey o the
beaten track, to take the road less
travelled, to follow a blue highway
even to an unknown destination.
And there meet those things that are
truly important, and be lled with
hope, like the blue light that comes
into the chapel in the late afternoon,
shining through stained glass.
PROGRAMMER HIGHLIGHT
140 CHARACTERS OR LESS: TWITTERING
I've always been a little skeptical of Twitter. Facebook is my
social drug of choice, and I always worried about the
repercussions of mixing the two. Wikipedia describes Twitter
as "a free social networking and micro-blogging service that
enables its users to send and read messages known as
tweets." Basically, Twitter is the result of some of the most
highly successful computer programing in the history of
interweb social networking, rivaling Facebook itself! You
can keep tabs on everyone on your list and have up to date
info on your friends through a series of their "tweets". But
why just stick to your friends when you can follow the online
lives your favorite musicians, actors and B-list celebreties (or
A-lists if your lucky).
So, I have chosen to immerse myself in the culture of Twitter
in hopes to understand more about this social medium and
its expanding influence over Canadian independent music
(purely in the interest of journalistic integrity). "Sign up now"
And so my journey begins.
I have chosen the username CHMAg1rl1592, another
successful internet alias. Oh the excitement! First mishap:
Accidentally added EVERYONE Twitter suggested: from P.
Diddy to John Mayer to Bill Cosby. Note to self: must learn
how to delete people. Oh great! Amber7pts is following me
after 3 seconds of having an account! I can tell we will be
life long friends, but hey, why does she think I'm a guy and
want me to know she's single?
Finally, I've now successfully added some of my favorite
THE CHMA 106. 9 FM CAMPUS & COMMUNI TY RADI O BULLETI N
DECEMBER 3, 2009 SEE YOU NEXT YEAR?
J. TILLMAN
VACILANDO TERRITORY BLUES / YEAR IN THE KINGDOM
WESTERN VINYL
I've come to the conclusion that Josh Tillman doesn't sleep. I
don't see how he can, what with releasing six albums in the
last five years and consistently touring on his own or as
drummer for the Fleet Foxes. The title of Hardest Working
Man In Folk-Rock has been vacant ever since Ryan Adams
started slowing down, but I'd say J. Tillman is more than
capable of taking over for him. He's off to a good start, too
since two of the previously mentioned six albums have been
released in the last year. February saw the release of
Vacilando Territory Blues while his newest album, Year in
the Kingdom, was just released in September.
With Vacilando we see J. exploring some new territory
while sticking with what he knows. Tracks like Steel On
Steel and Vacilando Territory Blues are similar to some of
the material on 2006's Minor Works, but the inclusion of a
horn section shakes things up a bit. Those two tracks feature
a full backing band (not exactly a common occurence with
Mr. Tillman's music), but the majority of the album consists
of Josh singing and playing acoustic guitar with little else
behind him. The sparseness works well with the dark tone of
his lyrics. A track like James Blues, aside from being one
of the best on the album, is reminiscent of the type of
melancholy man-with-guitar music Josh has been creating
ever since his debut album, I Will Return.
As for Year in the Kingdom it would seem that Josh's time
with the Fleet Foxes has rubbed off on him as the type of
harmonies they are well known for are very common
throughout. There are some real knockout tracks on this
one, like album opener/title track Year in the Kingdom
and Earthly Bodies (AKA the best song Iron & Wine never
wrote), but this album can be a little sleepy at times. Don't
get me wrong, overall it's a good listen, but I have a hard
time keeping focused on it some times.
On the whole, J. Tillman has had a pretty good year. He
has gained a bit more exposure and he released two
albums that he should be, more or less, proud of. However,
he's beginning to get to that point where the new albums
are starting to sound a lot like the older ones except less
lo-fi (ie, there are no tracks where a passing ambulance's
siren inadvertently made it onto tape). I'm not going to stop
buying his albums, but it would be nice to see another
album come along that changes the game as much as
Minor Works did. Either way, I'm looking forward to what
he does next.
-Scott Brown
Recommended for Vacilando Territory Blues: 5, 6, 9, 12
Recommended for Year in the Kingdom: 1, 3
A WEEKLY RECORD REVIEW
CONCERT OF THE WEEK------------------------------------------
ATTIC TRANSMISSIONS
THE CHMA CHARTS WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 3, 2009
THE CHARTS
RANK ARTIST TITLE (LABEL)
01 THE MOST SERENE REPUBLIC* And The Ever Expanding Universe (Arts & Crafts)
02 HORSES* Bortherly Love (Self-Released)
03 SAID THE WHALE* Islands Disappear (Hidden Pony)
04 THE TIRELESS SEDANS* Parts + Labour (Superbob)
05 DANIEL, FRED & JULIE* Daniel, Fred & Julie (You've Changed)
06 SHARE* Slumping In Your Murals (Forward Music Group)
07 AMY MILLAN* Masters of the Burial (Arts & Crafts)
08 ATTACK IN BLACK/BABY EAGLE* Split (You've Changed)
09 WOLFMOTHER Cosmic Egg (Modular)
10 THE GERTRUDES* Hard Water (Apple Crisp)
11 THE JOHN WAYNE COVER BAND* The Flatlands (Self-Released)
12 TEGAN AND SARA* Sainthood (Sire)
13 WE ARE WOLVES* Invisible Violence (Dare To Care)
14 JULIE FADER* Outside In (Hand-Drawn Dracula)
15 SHOTGUN JIMMIE* Still Jimmie (You've Changed)
16 FERAL CHILDREN* Currents (Self-Released)
17 OCTOBERMAN* Fortresses (White Whale)
18 AL TUCK* Food For The Moon (Self-Released)
19 BLACK MOLD* Snow Blindness Is Crystal Antz (Flemish Eye)
20 PINK MOUNTAINTOPS* Outside Love (Jagjaguwar)
21 YOU SAY PARTY! WE SAY DIE!* XXXX (Paper Bag)
22 BRENT RANDALL & HIS PINECONES* We Were Strangers In Paddington Green (Endearing)
23 WAX MANNEQUIN* Saxon (Zunior)
24 LITTLE FOOT LONG FOOT* Harsh Words (Self-Released)
25 CAROLYN MARK AND NQ ARBUCKLE* Let's Just Stay Here (Mint)
26 DAN MANGAN* Nice, Nice, Very Nice (File Under: Music)
27 ISLANDS* Vapours (Anti-)
28 DUPLEX!* Worser (Mint)
29 APOSTLE OF HUSTLE* Eats Darkness (Arts & Crafts)
30 THE FLAMING LIPS Embryonic (Warner)
31 LA PATRE ROSE* Self Titled (Grosse Bote)
DOUG HOYER
by CHMAg1rl1592
HIPPO IN THE BATHTUB FRIDAY 4 PM
ROBIN + KATIE
Tune into Hippo in the Bathtub every Friday from 4-5 pm,
expand your vocab and bump to some sweet tunes. Katie
and Robin choose a word each week and explore its
various definitions through music and banter. What a nice
way to ease into the weekend.
Only on CHMA 106.9 fm FRIDAY 4-5 PM
JOHN WAYNE COVER BAND
CD RELEASE
WITH CALM DOWN ITS MONDAY
AND BABY EAGLE
FRIDAY DECEMBER 4
ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION ~ 10PM
$5
Canadian bands and CBC radio personalities. Royal Wood
is "Drinking too much red wine and writing a new song..."
(exciting teasers of new songs to come!?), Dan Mangan and
Ohbijou remind us that voting for the CBC Radio3 Bucky
awards is ending soon (I was voting, were you?), and
checking in with The Most Serene Republic, they wrote on
Saturday "Havin' a time in Sackville! Get at me wolf!" and
"17 hours in a van later... and we are home. Done until the
new year!" Two Hours Traffic Tweets: "shooting a video for
'noisemaker' on Tuesday in front of a green screen."
Exciting prospects!
Twitter gives bands a chance to share tour updates, promote
upcoming shows, post band photos and communicate with
fans and other musicians. Everything is posted in a relatively
public forum and seems to be communally regulated. Unlike
Facebook, Twitter is simplistic in its design and function. The
rampant spam is disconcerting, but the perks of being on
Twitter are that you can feel more in touch with the people
and musicians you admire and with whom you can identify.
You can have a more personal connection with artists and
express it (in 140 characters or less).
Will Twitter triumph over Facebook? Will I continue tweet-
ing? Will I ever finish my term papers? Despite the best of
journalistic intentions, I fear I may have opened a virtual
Pandora's box of procrastination.
CHMAg1rl1592 going to the library to research my term
papers. I'm really really going. 4:42 pm Nov 30th from web
WRITE IT ON YOUR ARMS
STEREOPHONIC 7
JANUARY 20-23, 2010
HUMOUR
We nd the obscure word, and you
supply the meaning. One of these
is the correct denition, and the
rest are made up by your fellow
classmates. Can you tell which
ones right and which ones are
balderdash??
e Word: Purlicue
i. A amboyant curl added at the
end of handwritten word
ii. A nish resembling a pearl
iii. A ridiculous hairstyle
iv. e strange Belgium policy of
licking someone on the face only
once, similar to the French practice
of kissing someone on each cheek
twice
Answer: i. Also known as a curlicue
and dened as a ourish or curl
at the end of a handwritten word.
As in, Everything about Amandas
nagging notes to her roommates
was condescending and irritating,
from her tendency to refer to herself
in the third person to her purlicues
at the end of each word.
Campus
Balderdash!
a touch of grace Erik Fraser
Rvftujo n;
Are poor, overworked
undergraduates still
expected to buy others
Christmas presents?

B;!Noah, Sports Editor: During
these tough times, you would expect
that your friends and loved ones
would be understanding to the fact
that, as a student, the bulk of your
time and money is dedicated to the
callings of higher learning. Who has
time, let alone the money, to go out
gift shopping? Havent they heard
of exams? Last Class Bash? ese
important time commitments are going
15 THE ARGOSY HUMOUR DECEMBER 3, 2009
Top ten things
to avoid when
apartment
hunting
Jennifer Musgrave
10. Mystery brown stains that leak
from the ceiling of your bedroom
9. e only exit in case of re is a
long, winding wooden staircase
8. Bedrooms are in a cupboard
under the stairs
7. An apartment on Elm Street
6. Trap doors you will forget
5. Windows with plastic wrap
instead of glass
4. An apartment where you can hear
the faint pitter patter of woodland
creatures frolicking through the
crawl spaces in the walls
3. Apartments that are described as
unique because of their varieties of
dierent molds
2. Apartments where youre warned
against stepping on rat traps during
the tour
1.e only entrance is the open side
of a cardboard box
to monopolize your time from now
until the Yule log is cracklin on the re.
I always try to give my family gifts to
passively remind them of how hard I
work. is year, my sister is getting her
very own sheet of college-ruled lined
paper with Macroeconomic notes on
it. Who doesnt want to learn about
aggregate supply while sipping on a cup
of egg nog? For my parents, I got them
matching empty Vitamin Water bottles
with coloured water in them. Its artsy
and we all know parents love those
homemade gifts.
B;!Stuart, Sci/Tech Editor: I think
the spirit of giving to be the most
important component in December
25 annual ritual of gift-giving. That
said, I know my friends and family
understand that, as a university student,
I have significant drains on my fiscal
solubility: tuition, food, books,
rare electronic components, exotic
biological agents, and rent. There
are plenty of other ways, however,
to show everyone on your list that
you care. Dumpster diving, for one,
is an excellent resource for finding
Argosy InAction by Lindsay Laltoo
Noah & Stuarts
Q+A!
brand-name electronics, food, and
even clothes (which can be washed,
you naysayers) in practically-mint
condition! Plus, if youre lucky, your
re-claimed gift might even still come
in the original wrapping/garbage
bag/biohazard container! Fix their
computer! Buy them one of those
two-dollar indie games on Steam! If
youre crafty, you could try making
something. I hear bespoke gifts are
particularly heartwarming, but thanks
to my lack of aesthetics and poor (when
not directly applied to videogames)
hand-eye coordination, the only thing I
can make people is disappointed.
ENTERTAINMENT
e Most Serene Republics ever-expanding universe
Ontario band comes to Struts Gallery with openers Mardeen and Matt Reid
Neil Bonner
Argosy Staff
Neil Bonner
Have trombone, will travel: The Most Serene Republic, jamming at Struts Gallery.
Adam Lambert thrusts his way into our hearts
Internet Photo/Canvas Media
The Most Serene Republic, posing serenely in public.
Does the American Idol stars controversial performance expose a televised double standard?
Anahid Chujunian
Argosy Correspondent
Internet Photo/Spreadit
Adam Lambert and the thrust that launched a thousand angry phone
calls. The performance took place at the American Music Awards.
Capping o a month of excellent live
shows in Sackville, e Most Serene
Republic (TMSR), Mardeen, and
Matt Reid visited town on November
28. e show, originally slated to go
down at Georges Roadhouse, was
moved to Struts Gallery, giving our
little art space a chance to strut its stu
once again.
Matt Reid started the show with
a set of wry, piano-led pop tunes.
He used a more stripped-down
arrangement than usual: instead of
the lush arrangements found on his
recorded output, he performed with his
brother-in-law on drums. Fortunately,
the scaled-back setup didnt impede
Matt; his arch and funny lyrics came
through. Also of note: Reid might
have been the dapperest performer of
the evening. In his collared shirt and
v-neck sweater, he looked like he was
on his way to school picture day.
Halifaxs Mardeen have been here
before, visiting the Pub earlier this
semester for a very well-received show.
ey outdid themselves with their
latest visit, however.
Mardeen play an invigorating
take on shimmering, highly melodic
rock. Bands like this always have to
try and keep a balance between their
melodic and rock sides: lean too
heavily on the former, and your music
becomes a pretty but aimless mass
of textures. Yet Mardeens rhythm
section is a formidable one: bassist
Matt Ellis and drummer Jason Burns
ground the soaring textures of their
two electric guitars and the acoustic
guitar / keyboard. e result is a live
set that equally engages your feet and
your mind. Plus, tracks like the bouncy
Ice Truck Killer exemplify Mardeens
sense of humor.
Before they began to play, TMSR
player Ryan Lenssen had a question
for the crowd: How many people
here are stoned? is might be better
if youre stoned. ankfully, this
proved not to be true. e rst thing
you notice about TMSR, especially if
youve just seen Mardeen perform, is
that its harder to dance to. is isnt
a slight against the Ontario septet;
rather, its indicative of the restless,
inventive approach to their music.
Tempo changes are abound; uptempo,
blood-pumping arena-scrapers give
way to more delicate, jazzy passages
and everything in between. Heading
to Struts, I wondered if the band
would be able to recreate their bright
and busy compositions in a live setting,
but the band pulled it o without
breaking a sweat. When he wasnt
singing or playing the trombone, lead
vocalist Adrian Jewett entertained the
crowd with a selection of dance moves.
e most memorable: to celebrate
his tour managers last night with the
band, Jewett grinded him against the
ubiquitous Struts Post (you know,
the one thats right in front of the
stage). ough the set drew heavily
from their most recent record, and
the Ever Expanding Universe, TMSR
reinterpreted electronically-inclined
tracks from their debut record
Underwater Cinematographer and the
expansive Population. Overall, it was
a very entertaining set, one that drew
in a drunken passer-by, who shook
Jewetts hand and complemented his
trombone. I can think of no higher
praise than that.
Adam Lambert, this years openly gay
American Idol runner up also known
as Glambert, after his love of glitz
and anything diva is caught up in
quite the controversy lately and, once
again, the drama stems from a risqu
musical performance. On November
22, at the American Music Awards
(AMAs), Adam performed his debut
single For Your Entertainment in
anticipation of the release of his debut
album.
In an interview conducted a few
days prior to the show, Lambert spoke
about the expectations he had for his
rst real live performance as a pop star.
Lots of glitter and re and dancers.
Hopefully it will be way over the top
and very fun.
Well, Glambert, your expectations
were certainly met: over the top
was an understatement. During his
performance, the stage was ooded
with erotic dancers both male and
female, some of which he casually lead
around on leashes. e sexuality of the
songs lyrics was made quite evident
when Adam grabbed one of the male
dancers and shoved his face into his
crotch to simulate oral sex. If that were
not already enough he then proceeded
to seize his male keyboard player and
engage in what can only be described
as a steamy lip lock. Talk about a
performance.
As you can imagine, the media
jumped at the chance to amplify the
controversy instantly and many began
stating that Lamberts performance
was wrong and inappropriate. Others
believed that he did it solely to
enhance the sales of his new album.
Regardless of their reasons, people
were enraged. According to Lambert
the sexy ourishes were not planned;
rather, it was a matter of becoming
passionate in the moment. Its a sexy
song about seduction and power and I
was just doing the lyrics justice, said
Lambert in an interview with Rolling
Stone.
Speculation has arisen that the
controversy was increased because of
Adams sexual orientation. is idea
infuriated many individuals, gay and
straight alike. After the AMAs, popular
talk show Good Morning America
cancelled their interview with Adam,
saying that they were concerned
about airing a similar concert so early
in the morning. Nevertheless, the
show set up an upcoming interview
with celebrity Chris Brown, who has
recently been found guilty of brutally
beating his former girlfriend Rhianna.
is enraged others even more. Many
are confused as to how this could be
considered alright. People everywhere,
especially in cyber space, have been
asking how it could possibly be okay
to give a convicted felon the chance
to explain himself before a harmless
pop star who got a little too sexy.
As celebrity gossip blogger Perez
Hilton said sarcastically: Next time,
Glambert, go ahead and beat the shiz
outta your band! No harm there!
CBSs coverage of the event also
drew signicant controversy. While
Adam was doing an interview the
morning after the awards on e
Early Morning Show, photos of him
performing at the AMAs were shown,
with the oending bits blurred out.
Only moments later, a photo of the
all-too-famous Britney and Madonna
lip lock was shown full frontal, no
problem, raising accusations of a
double standard. It seems that female
performers have been pulling these
stunts for years and it only increases
their fame. It also seems that as soon
as a gay male does it, the world is
coming to an end. Reactions to the
situation dier from person to person:
some say Lambert had every right to
do what he did, while others say he did
not. Yet in the end did an entertaining
performance ever really hurt anyone?
17 DECEMBER 3, 2009 THE ARGOSY ENTERTAINMENT
Meet the new best, same as the old best
How the inevitable onslaught of Best of the Decade lists misses the point - plus, an alternative
Neil Bonner
Argosy Staff
Julie Cruikshank
e dense, dark woods of Timber Timbre
Taylor Kirk, the man behind the band, remains as detached as possible
R. Brian Hastie
The Link (Concordia University)
Internet Photo/Canvas Media
Ontario musician Taylor Kirk, better known as Timber Timbre. His new record has garnered much acclaim.
Come December, the only things surer
than snow on the ground and plunging
temperatures are music critics end-of-
year lists. But this year, things are a little
dierent. As you are no doubt aware,
dear reader, we now nd ourselves
teetering on the precipice of a brand
new decade. e aught-tennies, if you
will. Accordingly, every magazine,
blog, and website even tangentially
related to music is unleashing its Best
of the Decade List.
A best of the decade list is a sound
concept on paper. Looking back on
just a single year of music is dicult
enough. Inevitably, there are records
you miss in the shue, either because
you just dont have the time, or because
you were only able to give it a cursory
glance and it didnt connect. Re-
examining ten years of music then,
gives you a chance to rediscover things
you missed the rst time around.
When I say you, however, I
mean that in the singular sense of
the term. And thats where we run
into problems. e decade lists that
circulate the most, the ones that end
up Dugg and Facebooked, are done
by committee for major media outlets.
So the records that individuals might
love seem to get lost in the mix,
allowing widely respected favours to
take prominence. e outlets that have
released their lists have proved this
to be true: Pitchforks top record is
Radioheads much-lauded Kid A, Paste
Magazine picked Suan Stevens Come
on Feel the Illinoise!, British vanguard
NME chose e Strokes Is is It?,
and the Onion AV Club decided on
e White Stripes White Blood Cells.
Im not trying to say these arent
ne records. Ive listened to them
many times since they were released,
and enjoyed them immensely. But
you already know that theyre good.
Considering the amount of media
coverage they received, your grandpappy
probably knows theyre good. Upon its
release, Pitchfork gave Kid A a perfect
ten rating and likened the album to
witnessing the stillborn birth of a
child while simultaneously having
the opportunity to see her play in the
afterlife on Imax. Basically, these lists
are rehashing records that have already
been celebrated. Inevitably, the records
that get shued aside in the creation
of a new rock canon are almost always
more fascinating, and the thoughts
around them more deeply felt.
So that, dear reader, is where you
come in. Over the Christmas break, I
invite you to think of one record (or
song, or artist) that was important to
you over these past ten years. Is there
a major, transformative life experience
inexorably tied into one song? Is there
a record that made you look at life in
a dierent way? Tell us about it. Send
your picks and the reasons why to
argosy@mta.ca. Surprise us - if your rst
decade of the 2000s was soundtracked
by a forgotten local garage band or
Kevin Federline, we want to hear
about it. We will print the best ones
in our look back at our best music of
the decade. Keep them concise, so we
can t in as many as possible. If you
want to stay anonymous, we can make
that happen too. e Arcade Fires
and Radioheads and Suan Stevens
will have their day in the sun lets
celebrate those forgotten classics as we
head into a new year.

[Taylor Kirks]
propensity to leave
things unsaid has
accumulated a cult of
mystery around him.
MONTREAL (CUP) Timber
Timbres Taylor Kirk is not a man who
feels comfortable in the spotlight, but
as the only member of his band, he
may have to get used to it.
Kirks answers to questions are
usually prefaced by pauses and single-
vowel noises, as if his brain needs to
gear up before formulating responses.
Hell often ask if his answer ts the
question though it always does
and hes prone to digression. Kirks
phone mannerisms paint a picture of
an unwitting musical entity, one more
accustomed to singing into a recorder
than speaking into a telephone.
ough Kirk was cordial and
genuinely nice during our chat, his
propensity to leave things unsaid has
accumulated a cult of mystery around
him.
Timber Timbres music is a
reection of this personality trait: dark,
and recorded largely o-the-cu. Kirks
brand of reverb-rich, atmospheric folk
rock is best suited for those coming
down from a long night of drinking,
preferably while sitting in a room with
the lights o.
He said he aims to give his music
an interesting edge, trying to balance
sonic aspects as much as the song
structures and melodies themselves.
I come from a recordist background,
and so the properties of the recording
themselves are just as important to me
as the songs, he explains.
Kirks aloofness extends into the
digital world. ough Timber Timbre
does have a web presence, Kirk largely
shies away from it, preferring to stay
oine.
I like to remain as detached as
possible a lot, I guess, but I use the web
to promote myself.
At a lot of my shows, Ill see kids
pull out cellphones and take pictures
or whatever, you know, to put up on
their websites, he adds, seemingly
confounded by the notion.
His third and newest album, ocially
untitled but commonly referred to as
Timber Timbre, is his rst true studio
project. His rst album was made,
he said, up in a log cabin on a four-
track. His second was recorded all
alone with a four-track, wandering
through [his] Toronto apartment with
headphones dangling, going back and
forth in between takes.
is time Kirk used a proper
recording space to start sessions,
with an actual engineer sitting there,
watching [him] as [he] recorded take
after take.
e decision to record in a studio
with help was a practical one. Kirk
moved to Toronto, where new friends
involved in the Toronto music
scene helped him make the right
connections.
He acknowledges that having many
hands involved in the process was
benecial, saying it was actually a joy
to have people around. Kirk singles
out producer Chris Stringer for being
able to dierentiate between a good
take and a bad take, to be another
voice in the process.
He explains that his newest record
was left untitled because he didnt feel
like its tracks made up a cohesive set, a
notion that hes disproved since taking
his show on the road.
ese songs werent originally
designed to be played live, Kirk says.
e nature of their recordings was
much more interesting to me. Im
still uneasy about playing live, and
thankfully I dont count on being on
the road continually.
Send in your favorite albums/artists/songs of the decade to argosy@mta.ca.
Deadline is January 11, 2010.
18 DECEMBER 3, 2009 THE ARGOSY ENTERTAINMENT
British comedy with a satirical bite
Armando Ianuccis In the Loop is a profane, hilarious look at the diplomatic leadup to the Iraq war
Geoffrey Campbell
Argosy Staff
Internet Photo/BIFF
Scottish actor Peter Capaldi plays the foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker in the 2009 comedy In the Loop.
A less-than-soothing bath
Pub Culture
Neil Bonner
Argosy Staff
Rich Aucoin and friends thrill crowd
One of the most heralded comedies
of the year, In the Loop was this weeks
presentation at the Sackville Film
Society. While there were some minor
technical diculties playing the movie,
once all was right, it was a great ick.
Directed by Armando Iannucci,
In the Loop is a political satire
centering around the wheelings and
dealings between political underlings
working for the American and
British governments as those nations
prepare for a joint invasion of Iraq.
Peter Capaldi plays the intensely foul
mouthed Malcolm Tucker, enforcer for
the British prime minister who pushes
Simon Foster (Tom Hollander) and
Toby Wright (Chris Addison) into
toeing the ocial line supporting war
despite their misgivings. e lm begins
with Simon Foster straying past the
ocial line and saying that war in the
Middle East is unforeseeable, even
as the British are supporting Americas
drive to war. is immediately makes
anti-war lobbyists like Judy Molloy
(Gina McKee) and warmongers, led
by Linton Barwick (David Rasche) on
our side of the Atlantic ght tooth and
nail for his support.
Malcolm Tuckers intense and
creative use of expletives receives a lot
of In the Loops screen time. At one
point, upon being stood up and made
to speak with a recent college graduate,
he unleashes a rage on the poor kid:
We burned this tight-arsed city to
the ground in 1814, he spits. And
Im all for doing it again, starting with
you, you frat fuck. You get sarcastic
with me again and I will stu so much
cotton wool down your fucking throat
itll come out your arse like the tail on
a Playboy bunny.As Rick Groen from
the Globe and Mail put it, Capaldi
gives verbal abuse a time signature
and a toe-tapping beat his language
may be blue but, my, his rhythm is
golden. James Gandolni (of Sopranos
fame) plays an anti-war general whose
personal experience led him to his
cheeky anti-war shtick: Once youve
been to war, once youve seen it, you
never want to go there again. Its like
France. e lm is laced with well
done political humour, but no other
line hit closer to home then some pre-
meeting advice: You neednt worry
about the Canadians. eyre just
happy to be there...they always look
surprised when theyre invited.
ere really is nothing surprising
in the plot of the lm; intelligence is
adjusted to ll a gap and people are
coerced keeping to the ocial line or
forced out. An amazing political satire
with bite, but denitely not one to see
with your parents. e crisp wit of this
forces the question: it almost makes
me miss the Bush days if just for the
humour, and makes me wonder if there
will be hard hitting political lms in
this peace prize winning Obama era.
Dylan Cunningham
Argosy Correspondent
Paegan Terrorism Tactics (1996)
By Acid Bath
Rotten Records
e cover is a painting by a doctor
by the name of Kevorkian, if you
were wondering. Some of you may
sco at the excessively grim tone set
out by the lyrics and overall tone of
former Louisiana band Acid Baths
second and nal album; for example:
splashing blood upon my soul/crisp
black kiss upon my skull. But within
this mostly unknown release theres a
musical complexity that raises it above
just plain creepiness. At the core of it,
theyre rough as Black Sabbath at their
most evil, and dark like the hardest
hitting acts of the early nineties (Alice
in Chains comes to mind), which leads
me to give them the marvellous label of
Sludge-Grunge. eir foundational
musical style is the sort you would
expect to hear blasting heavily distorted
out of a speaker in the dingiest of bars,
but they retain a distinct melodic sense
that makes them stand out in the lthy
ocean of underground hard rock.
For one, Acid Bath picks up little
pieces from the farther reaches
underground and, uh, surface rock,
including a bit of punk, hints of
industrial, and the occasional nod to the
Swedish death metal scene. Atop that,
there emerge unexpected blues touches,
likely drawing from their Louisiana
inuence. ose extra avours not
only add depth to the overall music,
but serve nicely to turn the overtly
gothic and explicit subject matter into
something genuinely unsettling rather
than just forced and silly. e chugging
chords and moaning, violent vocals
also ensure that things stay well away
from the whiny territory exemplied
by so many mainstream acts today.
In many ways, Acid Bath
represented a dying strain of music
in their time. eir two-album run
was never marked by much branching
out or mainstream success, and with
the tragic death of bassist Audie Pitre
(in an incident entirely unrelated to
overdose or suicide, by the way) the
band just fell apart and faded into
obscurity. Coming just at the tail end
of the grunge era, they are technically
strong, innovative songwriters who
dont indulge in the overproduction
that plagues modern rock. ey are
uncompromisingly abrasive at times,
consistently explicit and ominous, and
sometimes blasphemous, all qualities
that kept them well away from the
charts. And they dont spend entire
songs bitching about how hard their
life is, either. Instead, theyre obsessed
with mystical talk of sex and death in
that creepy-guy-in-the-corner kind of
way.
e album itself jumps around a
great deal. Opener Paegan Love Song
would have probably been their rst
single if they released one, a chugging
ri-fest that shows o vocalist Dax
Riggs low moaning singing style as
well as his horrifying screeches he does
so well. Locust Spawning is a brutal
trip straight to Hell, ruthlessly hard
and aggressive, while New Death
Sensations is a creepy, gothic ballad.
e album closes on their most bluesy
note, with the fully acoustic Dead
Girl, a track whose mournful tone
highlights Riggs melodic groan and
the bands southern style. Its almost a
crime that is has yet to be used in a
zombie lm. And speaking of crimes,
while its no surprise that Acid Bath
is largely unknown but for its cult
following today, that doesnt mean they
deserve to fade into obscurity. Just as
long as you dont oend easily or cower
from loud noises, rock this one out.
Internet Photo/Punk Rock CDs
Internet Photo/ Exclaim! TV
Halifax musician Rich Aucoin, making some sweet synthesizer magic.
Let it never be said that SAC
Entertainment doesnt know how to
end things with a bang. For the last
concert of the season, the Pub hosted
three of Halifaxs most exciting acts;
House of Lancaster, Brent Randall
and his Pinecones, and Rich Aucoin.
House of Lancaster is the latest
project for Toronto-based musician
Sarah Gregg Millman (City Field)
and Halifaxs Eleanor King (e
Got to Get Got, e Just Barelys).
King took the drums while Millman
switched between synths, guitar, and
prerecorded loops. ey were a dicult
act to pin down musically; loud and
insistent instrumentals melded with
Millmans passionate vocals. It was
dicult to discern where some songs
began and ended. e House of
Lancaster is, however, a new act; it
will be interesting to see where they go
from here.
e next act, Brent Randall and his
Pinecones, recalled classic seventies
pop and rock music, from the likes of
the Kinks and Neil Young. ats not
to say that they were mere revivalists;
the band put their own east coast
rock spin on the classics. eir breezy,
enjoyable set ignited the nights rst
cluster of dancers.
is show marks the fourth time
Ive seen Rich Aucoin perform live,
and everytime I do his set is tighter
and more exciting. His intoxicating
synth pop has become more polished
than ever before. Concertgoers were
bopping around in front of his rainbow
colored keyboard stand in no time. He
handed out little bundles of confetti
to everyone, which seemed less like
a gimmick and more like a natural
extrapolation of his music. Visually,
Aucoin maintains his love of old lms.
No longer able to sync his music to
How the Grinch Stole Christmas, he
has expanded his repertoire to a wide
variety of public domain lm clips,
presented on a white sheet hanging
behind him. e images were overlaid
with images and instructions, but
this crowd hardly needed them. e
dancing didnt stop until the confetti
was swept up o the oor. Overall,
a great way to bid farewell to rst
semester.


Acid Bath an abrasive, scary and fascinating listen
ARTS & LITERATURE
Our (art)istic rea(lit)y - Vivi ventures into a concrete jungle
A weekly column by Maria and Vivi
Vivi Reich
Argosy Staff
is past Friday through Tuesday, I
had the chance to go to New York City
as an optional trip with the MASSIE
program. (I am the program assistant
for MASSIE, which is my alter-ego
to being co-editor of the arts and
literature section.) is was the perfect
opportunity to see the arts scene of
another major city, and believe me, the
selection was no disappointment. Here
is the rundown of my New York City
arts experience.
Saturday: We arrived early in the
morning, and had time to nd our
hostel. After dropping our bags o, I
went on my own way, since I actually
enjoy wandering cities alone, on my
own schedule, taking my time. First,
I went to Central Park to see the
Literary Walk. is is the southern
part of the promenade called e Mall.
Statues of poets and writers line the
last stretch of e Mall. ere are also
statues of gures such as Beethoven,
Christopher Columbus, and Victor
Herbert. I saw the statues of Fitz-
Greene Halleck (American nineteenth
century poet from Connecticut),
Walter Scott (Scottish nineteenth
century historical novelist and poet,
famous for works such as Ivanhoe and
the Heart of Midlothian), Robert Burns
(another Scottish poet, this time from
the eighteenth century, regarded as the
national poet of Scotland, and famous
for writing the song Auld Lang Syne,
as well as the poems A Red, Red Rose;
To a Louse, and To a Mouse), and of
course, William Shakespeare (need I
describe his history?).
Later in the afternoon, I visited
a store called the Strand Bookstore,
which boasts a collection of eighteen
miles of books. I broke down and
bought four books, which was really
the only purchase during my whole
weekend in New York City.
at night, I visited the George
Gershwin eater to see the Broadway
musical, Wicked. I had read the book
by Gregory McGuire (for those of you
who do not know, it is the untold story
of the Wicked Witch of the West
from the Wizard of Oz), which I highly
recommend. e musical certainly did
not disappoint. I was lucky enough to
nd a reduced-price ticket, meaning
I had only a partial view of the stage,
but what a partial view it was! I was in
the rst row, albeit far to stage right
so that anything happening upstage
was dicult to see, but more often
than not, the actors and singers came
so close to me that if I had stood
up, I could have touched them. e
performance was brilliant; the actors
were engaged with each other and their
emotions, the singing was awless, and
the comedic aspects of the show were
not understated or overstated. Being so
close to the action was a plus, as I was
able to become more lost in the story
than I would have sitting farther away.
It was the perfect end to the night.
Sunday: First, I headed to a gallery
called die Neue Galerie (meaning the
New Gallery), which houses original
works by German and Austrian
painters, sculptors, and manufacturers
of every day furniture and appliances
from the turn of the century. e artists
displayed included Gustav Klimt,
Egon Schiele, Josef Homann, Adolf
Loos, Otto Wagner, Georg Grosz, and
Koloman Moser. ese artists came
from the Bauhaus, Impressionist, and
Expressionist movements. Many of
the paintings and drawings displayed
depicted very ordinary scenes, but
there were also many portraits, painted
with bright, almost unnatural-looking
colours or simply with charcoal on
paper. Some of the painters took
ordinary scenes and made them seem
threatening and disturbing with dark,
thick lines and stark contrast between
lights and darks. Seeing original
Gustav Klimt paintings was one of
my favourite parts of the gallery. Klimt
used many bright colours, and his
subjects, more often than not, were
women. Usually, the patterns of their
clothes blend with the backgrounds,
while their limbs and faces stand out
from the colours in contrast.
In the afternoon, I met with one
of my mothers friends who lives two
hours away from New York City, and
we literally ran around Manhattan. We
visited the Museum of Modern Art,
which displayed original works from
many modern artists. Some of my
favourites were those by Andy Warhol.
We visited a special exhibition of art
from Bauhaus, a German art movement
and school from the early twentieth
century, which includes architecture,
typography, interior design, graphic
design, industrial design, and a
combination of crafts and ne arts.
Typography, we noticed, was one of
the most revolutionary parts of this art
movement, as the letters themselves
might look plain, but were placed on
the page in ways that many people had
never seen before vertically, upside
down, curving along the page, etc.
Bauhaus architecture is very plain and
boxy, and constitutes much of what
we would call modern architecture
today.
Monday: I met with some of the
MASSIE students to visit Central
Park, which was really the most arts-
related activity of the day. We visited
Strawberry Fields, an area of west
Central Park that John Lennon used to
frequent when he lived in the Dakota
building across the street. Strawberry
Fields was the name given to this area
after John Lennon was shot in front
of the Dakota building. Right at the
entrance to the park at this point, there
is a circular tile mosaic in black and
white, with the word Imagine in the
middle. Musicians are often seen in
this area playing Beatles songs, and on
days when the weather is nice, visitors
will place owers and pictures of John
Lennon on the imagine mosaic.
e trip to New York City was
fast and tiring, but well worth it. I
will never forget the thrill I felt while
watching Wicked, or the statues of
famous poets towering above me in
Central Park. e arts scene is rich
and plentiful in New York, and one
denitely needs more than three days
to see it all. I suggest planning a trip
to New York City with plenty of time
to truly experience the wonderful art
scene.
The statues of Walter Scott, William Shakespeare, and Robert Burns in New York Citys Central Park.
Central Parks Strawberry Fields memorial to John Lennon. Broadways musical Wicked.
The original Marilyn by Andy Warhol, displayed in New
York Citys Museum of Modern Art.
Die Neue Galerie, housing original prints by artists
such as Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele.
Photos by Vivi Reich
20 DECEMBER 3, 2009 THE ARGOSY ARTS & LITERATURE
Last Tuesday night, Mount Allisons
Chamber Orchestra and two piano
duo performances shared the stage
in Brunton Auditorium. is medley
of instruments and entertaining
performances made for an interesting
show for all those who attended.
Even though the Department of
Music does not have an established
program for the study of strings,
students wishing to practice their
instruments can still do so in the
Chamber Orchestra. e seventeen-
piece string orchestra is made up
of students from all areas of study
as well as musicians from Sackville
and Moncton. e Chamber
Orchestra is under the direction
of Professor Danise Ferguson,
and participation in the orchestra
is counted as a one-credit course.
During the rst half of the concert,
the Chamber Orchestra performed
three Canadian folksongs by composer
Harry Somers. ey then moved on to
something more classical and played
St. Paul s Suite by Gustav Holst. e
best performed piece of the night was
Palladio by Jenkins, a famous piece
for strings written as an homage to
the great Italian architect, Andrea
Palladio. e musicians played the
piece with passion and the song
captivated the audience with its fast
paced tempo, powerful melody, and
driving rhythm. To nish their part of
the concert, the Chamber Orchestra
played the famous Christmas song
Sleigh Ride. is jolly and festive song
transformed the atmosphere in the
auditorium from the serious Palladio
to the spirit of Christmas. It was a very
beautiful performance altogether, and
very refreshing to see a dierent genre
of instrument played in Brunton.
e second half of the concert was a
very interesting performance of piano
duos. e rst set, played by music
students Evan Mounce and Maren
McLean, was Hungarian Dances by
Brahms. e song was written to be
played by four hands at the same time,
so the musicians shared one piano and
played at the same time. It was very
interesting to see four hands dance over
the keys of the grand piano. e second
piece was played by Emily Logan and
Megan Matthews. is set was played
dierently than the other one in that
the musicians each played on a separate
piano, thus having two pianos on stage.
It was a very interesting and refreshing
concert, demonstrating the various
talents of Mount Allison students.
String and piano duos deliver a dierent sound
Maria Maute
Argosy Staff
Mount Allisons Chamber Orchestra and piano students show their talents
Mount Allisons Chamber Orchestra is made up of students from all areas of study and from members of the greater Sackville community.
Photos by Maria Maute
Alden Nowlan has been considered
one of Canadas greatest authors,
writing ction, non-ction, poetry,
and plays. In 1967, he won a Governor
Generals award for his poetry book
Bread, Wine, and Salt. He was awarded
a Guggenheim Fellowship and became
the Writer-In-Residence for the
University of New Brunswick. He died
of throat cancer in 1983, after growing
up in rural Nova Scotia and moving
to New Brunswick, where he died.
In 1988, e Wanton Troopers was
published posthumously, though
it was Nowlans rst novel. During
the editorial process of the novels
latest 2009 edition, the original last
page of the manuscript was found,
completing the novel for the rst time.
Just as the Second World War is
beginning, a boy named Kevin OBrien
enters his own sort of personal war,
with a drunk father who beats him,
an adulterous mother who loves
Kevin but leaves the family, and his
rst sexual feelings. It is set in a small
Nova Scotia mill town, where the
favourite pastime of the men is to get
drunk, and the women regard almost
everything as sinful. Kevin watches the
exchanges between adults and begins
to recognize, as all young adults do,
that the adult mind is complicated,
but also that love is constant.
Kevin is a boy with dreams of
being something much bigger and
better than a country bumpkin who
would follow his fathers footsteps of
working in a sawmill and becoming an
alcoholic. He dreams, rather absurdly,
that he will become the leader of
Nicaragua, after being voted into
Parliament and becoming the Prime
Minister of Canada. is fantasy,
however, is a way for him to escape
from his life and pretend to be someone
more important than he actually is.
Nowlan, obviously being an
adolescent boy at one point himself,
seems to truly understand the feelings
that Kevin has about his parents and
the world around him in general.
He understands the frustration, the
feeling of being trapped, the yearning
for his mothers love, and the desire to
be something his father appreciates,
which quickly turns to feelings of
surrender when his father spanks him
with a belt. is is one of the most
disturbing scenes in the beginning of
the book, where Kevin at rst ghts
back and yells that he hates his father,
silently vowing that he will not give
in to the pain. As the spanking slowly
goes on, he begins to cry and to beg
his father to stop. By the end, he has
told his father and himself that he
has deserved the punishment, and
even seems to enjoy the surrender.
Another one of Nowlans strong
points is his brilliant ability for
describing imagery. is undoubtedly
comes from his knowledge of rural
Nova Scotia, having grown up there.
e Wanton Troopers
Recovery of last page of Alden Nowlans novel completes newest edition from Goose Lane Editions
Argosy Staff
Vivi Reich
One can truly imagine what the
landscape looks like through the
depiction. Nowlan points out details
that most would never notice when
walking through their hometown. e
minutest details seem to be Nowlans
greatest thrill when looking at the
world. e downside to this, however,
is a narrative voice that describes such
detail while also describing Kevins
emotional state as a young boy. is
is a contrast that is hard to accept, as
Kevin is portrayed as seeing the images
and the situations around him with
a much more mature state of mind
than he actually possesses. Sometimes,
however, Nowlans description of
Kevins emotions are simple and more
true to what a young boy would feel.
When reading this book, it is
easy to see why Nowlan is such a
popular writer. e story is chilling
and amusing at the same time, with a
plot that is easy to follow. If nothing
else, it should be read for Nowlans
imagery and familiarity with young
boys and the confusion they feel
when entering the adult world.
Internet Photo/Amazon
21 DECEMBER 3, 2009 THE ARGOSY ARTS & LITERATURE
is past weekend, Windsor eatre
presented another one of its successful
musicals entitled Company, directed
by Paul A Del Motte. Originally,
this performance began as a small
group of one act plays by George
Furth. It eventually was transformed
into a musical, opening on Broadway
in April 1970 and going on to win
six Tony awards, including Best
Score and Best Lyrics for Stephen
Sondheim and Best Book for Furth.
e story follows that of a young,
attractive man named Robert (played
by Landon Braverman) living in New
York and struggling with the issue of
marriage. All of his friends are married
couples who get together for every one
of his birthdays; another year in which
he gets older and nothing seems to
change in terms of his relationship
status. Immediately the audience can
sense the monotony of Roberts life:
always the extra person, a single entity
without a matching pair. However,
his friends see him as the glue which
keeps them together and always
want to bring him over as company.
rough his experiences with these
couples Robert is able to see both
the pros and cons of marriage within
the various dynamics of his friends,
at times, very typical situations.
Sarah (Hilary Cole) and Harry (Eric
Biskupski) both ght each other
with passive aggressive comments
(transforming into a hilarious physical
scue), while suering each others
negative habits. e slightly obnoxious
Peter (Scott Lloyd) and airheaded
Susan (Sarah Bell) decide to get
divorced (despite still living together)
while Amy (Emma McMullin) has
too much anxiety over the concept of
getting married to her all too perfect
husband Paul ( Justin omas). en
there are the sweet parents Jenny
(Kristen Good) and David (Tommy
Smith) who are indeed a happy couple
but ultimately live less than exciting
lives because of their commitments.
Finally there is his friend Joanne (Cat
McCluskey) who has been married
quite a few times before, nally
settling on her current husband Larry
( Jeery OHara) who can truly paint
a picture of his life with a few words.
As the story continues, Robert
explores his relationships with three
girlfriends: Marta ( Juliet Manning),
Kathy (Robyn Harrison), and
April (Hilary Ready), all of whom
have strong positive and negative
characteristics, making it impossible
for any one of them to be the one for
Robert. Marta, although artistic and
interesting, is completely full of herself
at times; Kathy is a great friend but
nothing ever happens with her until
its too late; and April is extremely
beautiful but incredibly dumb. Robert
starts to feel more desperate in his
search for company, even though in
some ways he subconsciously avoids it.
ere is the innate fear of taking the
huge step of eternal company, that,
once taken, could make you unhappy
and miserable, yet if not done, might
lead to the same end. is is the question
Robert struggles with as he tries to
gure out what it is that prevents him
from taking any of his relationships
to the next level. Eventually the
audience sees him slowly come to
realize a little more about himself
and what he really wants, leading to
his eventual maturity as a person.
Company addresses the reasons for
why we decide to marry, what marriage
means to us, and ultimately explores
our basic need for contact with other
human beings. Overall, as a musical it
was amazingly well done with skilful
choreography and music/sound eects
that were quirky, fun, and well suited
to its antics. e only real fault with
this was that at times the voices
were hard to hear because the music
would overlap with the vocals too
much. However, the vocals were often
strong especially for some of the lead
songs. e quality of humour ranged
from subtle and dry jokes, to blatant
hilarity that at times left the crowd
hooting for more (especially so for a
rather dramatic, slow motion ght).
Other dramatic aspects were well
thought out for this story, such as the
way in which Robert would stand
with his back facing the crowd (often
within the crowd personal sphere)
to really create the feel of looking
through Roberts eyes at what he sees
in his life. As well, the personality types
were so well created in an atmosphere
around their actors that it would
honestly be a shock to meet some of
the actors in real life and see their
real personalities. e lighting eects
were also attuned to the storys moods
and created eects like the shine of
sunlight on glass. e set itself was
interesting and well designed, in some
ways becoming an art piece in itself.
e story was lled with humour
and interesting situations that had the
audience bursting with laughter, along
with catchy music that at times would
have the crowd swaying. Honestly, if
you missed this play it was a great loss.
One is lonely, two is boring, but three is Company
Windsor eatres Company a huge success
Jennifer Musgrave
Argosy Staff
By Chase Foster
Writers block is one of the most
frustrating experiences that a person
can endure when they are attempting
to express their ideas, dreams and
desires. You can feel a million dierent
plots, characters and events swirling
inside your head, with no feasible
means of organizing them into a
cohesive vision. Each is as unique as
a snowake, yet many are intricately
connected like a miniature blizzard
which whirls and spins into focus for
a brief time before another idea pushes
its way to the spotlight. e feelings of
frustration intensify because you yearn
to put your emotions and experiences
down in a way that not only makes
sense to you, but also touches other
people in some fashion. Of course it
has to make sense to the audience, even
if only enough to make them question
something. Otherwise there would
be no purpose in writing at all.
As much as you want to express
ideas to those around you and to
touch people around the literary
world, the only person you are truly
obliged to please is the one you
face in the mirror everyday. ere
would be nothing so unsatisfying
as to be a writer and not be able to
aect oneself with your own work.
Poetry corner
Internet Photos/Facebook
Did you know that the Owens Art
Gallery is the oldest university art
gallery in Canada? e Owens Art
Gallery building was built with
regional olive sandstone in 1891. It
was designed by Edmund Burke, a
Canadian architect who also designed
Torontos Prince Edward Viaduct on
Bloor Street and who later acted as
President of the Royal Architectural
Institute of Canada. e terracotta
frieze, located on the upper exterior
of three walls of the building,
was also designed by Burke. e
terracotta craftsmen from a company
called Tallman & Sons, a brick and
terracotta company in Beamsville,
Ontario, carved one image (following
the drawings of the architect), then
produced a plaster mould of the
carvings. ey then reproduced the
design twelve times to form the entire
length of the frieze. Names of twelve
individual artists such as Michelangelo
were inserted into the pattern later. In
the nineteenth century, terracotta was
popular in North America as material
for architectural ornamentation, but
existing examples in the Atlantic
region of Canada are rare. e name
of the gallery came from John Owens,
a shipbuilder who specied in his will
that money be set aside for the purpose
of establishing a gallery or school of
art.e original Owens Art Institution
was founded by him in Saint John.
Sackville arts series
Argosy Staff
Maria Maute
Jessica Emin
The cast of Company entertained the audience with a variety of songs and dances at Windsor Theatre.
German poetry reading
Saturday, December 5, 1pm to 4pm
Student Centre
22 DECEMBER 3, 2009 THE ARGOSY ARTS & LITERATURE
In case you havent been down to
Struts recently, theres a new visiting
artist in town. Michael Young is
the latest participant in the Ease On
Down the Road residency, and hes
bringing a unique mix of collage and
lm-inspired media to Sackville.
Originally from Halifax, Young now
hails from Berlin, Germany. He
studied at NSCAD majoring in Fine
Arts, specically printmaking and
painting, and graduated in 2005
which makes him not much older than
a lot of Mount Allison students.
Young has been doing his own work
for several years, sometimes selling
his pieces to support his practice, and
sometimes receiving arts funding. He
came to Sackville to participate in the
ve-week residency at Struts, and has
been here since November 8.
Its been a great opportunity to
only focus on work and not have to
worry about anything else, says Young
of the program. e open-studio
format of the residency and 24-hour
access to his working space have also
been perks. Youngs artistic practice
involves imagery inspired by lm
and television. He is denitely what
you could call a mixed media artist.
Some of the objects around his studio
include small collages made from
found images, gouache paintings, some
large-format drawings in graphite, a
poster from the movie Twilight that
he is systematically cutting into long,
zigzag pieces, and huge silhouettes of
objects cut out of black paper.
e silhouettes are part of the
main project he is working on right
now: a piece inspired by lm and
dramatic sets and set design. Young
is working on three separate sets, and
he is interested in the visual aspect
of them. Basically, he explains, he is
taking something that is always in the
background, behind the action of the
stage, and bringing it forward. e
work is also communal, and Young has
been inviting people to come in and
make silhouette cutouts of objects that
have a sentimental meaning for them
to be incorporated into his sets. Right
now the back wall of his studio space
has a large silhouette of a wicker chair
that Young has been meticulously
cutting out, next to a silhouette of a
hockey stick made by a young boy who
visited the gallery. Young describes the
project as a set made up of people and
memories.
Part of Youngs schooling at NSCAD
also involved video and photography
elements that continue to inuence
his work. He uses a variety of found
images from lms and magazines in
his work, but without emphasis on
one specic medium, imagery, or style.
Rather, Young incorporates the images
he responds to into his work, or seeks
out specic images that he knows he
wants to work with. Its more like
using words in a dictionary as sources
for ideas, he explains. Its like a lter
for images Im interested in.
Young also plans to do some work
involving more communications-
based media. A lot of the images Im
interested in come from lm, and I
thought I should try using it as an actual
Arts and souls: spotlight on artists
Julie Cruikshank
Argosy Staff
Silhouettes and design: artist Michael Young at Struts
Photos by Julie Cruikshank
Shawna Waterall displays her work at START Gallery
Shawna Wateralls artwork will be at the START
Gallery until the last day of classes. e work
is merely an exploration of layered marks made
with pen and gouache (an opaque watercolour),
not taking any particular shape, but often looking
similar to natural items such as owers.
Photos by Jessica Emin
medium instead of just referencing it,
he says of his plan to create a 16mm
short lm with the help of the Faucet
Media Arts Centre. Struts has really
good resources for lmmakers, he
adds. Young also hosted a radio show
on Monday at 1pm on CHMA.
As far as his time in Sackville,
Young describes it as a really special
opportunity. Although he was living
in Halifax, Young had never visited
Sackville, and so far he has been
pleasantly surprised by just how much
is happening in such a small place. Its
very inspiring and friendly, he says.
Youngs residency ends on December
12, and he will most likely have some
kind of closing reception, although
plans havent been nalized yet. Some
other possibilities on his list include a
project in the old Sackville Music Hall
above Bridge Street, and the idea of
hosting a drawing party at Struts.
Young is typically at Struts from
about 11 am - 5 pm every day. So if
you havent been down lately, pop by
the gallery and check out the unique
work that another talented artist in
residence is bringing to Sackville, and
maybe make a silhouette or two.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Sci/Tech
News Ticker

US FDA considering ban of caeine-alcohol drinks; British pub ned 8K for pirates using its WiFi
Weve all seen it before. e plain
manila envelope with the red string
fastener, stamped in glaring ink,
the words TOP SECRET: FOR
AUTHORIZED EYES ONLY
spurring the sharpest of curiosities.
Unfortunately, very few of us will be
behind those eyes to see such mythical
stationary in person. Fortunately
for us, however, its the twenty-rst
century and paper envelopes are now
relics of Cold War espionage. Today
weve got the internet and a service
called Wikileaks, which is changing
the face of journalism and secrecy as
we know it.
Wikileaks, in a nutshell, is an ultra-
secure website that accepts, veries
and publishes sensitive documents
while ensuring complete anonymity
to those who submit these leaks.
Wikileaks states explicitly that
they record no potentially source-
identifying information, and there are
a number of submission mechanisms
available to deal with even the most
sensitive national security information.
Wikileaks accepts classied, censored
or otherwise restricted material
of political, diplomatic or ethical
signicance. Wikileaks is not concerned
with rumor, opinion, speculation and
other leaks which are publicized and
easily accessible.
e service, run by the Wikimedia
Foundation, launched to much
controversy in 2007 under the slogan
we open governments. After being
briey banned that year, Wikileaks
Matt Collett
Argosy Correspondant
has gone on to achieve great success
in the journalistic world and receives
thousands of unique hits each day. In
2008 Wikileaks was the winner of the
2008 Economist Index on Censorship
Freedom of Expression award and was
awarded the Amnesty International
human rights reporting award this
year.
Wikileaks has amassed a respectable
repertoire of documents ranging from
its rst, a report on the looting of the
African nation of Kenya by former
president Daniel Arap Moi (a leak
that actually inuenced a later election)
to a full list of all websites currently
banned by the censorship-obsessed
Australian government, and boy, is it
a lengthy one.
Although, as Wikileaks argues,
their intent is to promote transparency
and to expose issue of injustice and
scandal, many argue that they are
jeopardizing the work of individuals
and corporations who rely on secrecy
to ensure the safety and well being of
others. e aforementioned ban-list of
websites contains many known sources
of child-pornography whose URLs are
now publically available.
In 2007, the website published the
Pentagons 2005 Rules of Engagement
for troops deployed in Iraq, exposing
the clause that allows troops to actively
pursue terrorists and members of
Saddam Husseins government into
neighboring Syria and Iran. Later that
year, Wikileaks published a manual
which revealed certain weaknesses of
several laser-guided armaments. In
both cases the American government
was enraged that such sensitive
documents could be published
Get your daily dose of state secrets... and more!
without consent. Wikileaks has to
date thwarted hundreds of copyright
claims and privacy violations as their
innovation places them on the fringes
of known legal precedent.
Currently, Wikileaks has been
making headlines with the release of
some 573,000 messages purporting
to be sent from mobile phones and
pagers on September 11, 2001,
including from people in the World
Trade Center. ese were released on
November 25 and 26 concurrent with
the hours with which they were sent.
Most of the messages are between
federal and local ocials but some are
from ordinary people trying to reach
loved ones. According to news sources
and analysts, the messages are genuine
and USA Mobility, the provider of
the pager service, has stated they are
troubled by the interceptions. Like
all documents on Wikileaks, nobody
knows the origins of these interceptions
or if they are still being intercepted.
Upon releasing the document my own
attempts to view them were met with
the message that the site had crashed
due to enormous trac.
Evidently, Wikileaks is still
attracting a great deal of attention
whilst thwarting legal action and
ensuring the anonymity of their
sources- no small task by any standard.
To date, nobody seems fully aware of
who owns and operates Wikileaks or
where their servers are based (likely but
not surely in Sweden). e domain is
owned by a man in Kenya who claims
to know little of Wikileaks. eir core
strength really seems to lie in their
ability to evade technical and legal
attack, poising them to be a prominent
gure in the future of journalism.
Now we just need to wait for the
full disclosure of aliens at area 51 to
be released.
SciTechLink:
Wikileaks, in all its
fully-anonymous glory
http://bit.ly/tvoU
Wikileaks, from the people who brought you Wikipedia, exposes folders like these to people like you.
Internet Photo/inPhobe
Wikimedia Foundations Wikileaks changing the face of secrecy, one crazy revelation at a time
EDMONTON (CUP) - A University
of Alberta researcher is part of a
team that has identied the youngest
neutron star ever discovered out of the
remnants of a supernova.
e nding will give insight into
the structure of stellar explosions and
the development of neutron stars from
a young stage.
When a heavy star explodes a
phenomenon called a supernova
either a black hole is produced or
the stars core can collapse into a tiny
remnant called a neutron star.
When the Cassiopeia A supernova
occurred about 300 years ago, it left
behind what appeared to be a neutron
star, though the remnant was only
rst viewed in 1999 by a powerful
X-Ray telescope. While it was at
rst presumed to be a neutron star,
astronomers found that it did not
display characteristics typical of that
type of remnant.
e strange properties, it turns out,
are because of the neutron stars young
Alexandria Eldridge
CUP Alberta and
Northern Bureau Chief
age.
Craig Heinke, a professor of physics
at the University of Alberta, is one of
the researchers behind the ndings. He
explained that neutron stars are mostly
packed neutrons, with a matter-based
atmosphere about 10 centimetres thick;
this atmosphere modies the amount
of radiation that reaches earth. In all
other neutron stars that astronomers
have studied, this atmosphere has been
composed of hydrogen.
You expect to have hydrogen on
top, and [other researchers] tried tting
it with a hydrogen atmosphere model,
but [the size] was not large enough to
make it consistent with neutron star,
Heinke said.
Many researchers tried other
explanations or considered the
possibility that it was not a neutron
star at all, but no other theories t.
At this point, Heinke and his
colleague Wynn Ho, a researcher from
the Southampton University School
of Mathematics in the U.K., decided
to try and t the neutron star to other
atmospheric models.
e carbon atmosphere was both
a good t, and it predicted the size of
the neutron star to 20 or 22 kilometres,
Puzzling neutron star IDd as youngest ever
so suddenly everything fell into place.
is could be a neutron star; it just
has to have a surface layer of carbon,
Heinke said.
is led the researchers to consider
why this neutron star would have a
carbon-based atmosphere rather than
the usual hydrogen atmosphere.
We think that in the early few
hundred years of the neutron stars life,
the surface of the neutron star is so hot
that its actually able to [fuse] hydrogen
and helium to carbon, Heinke said.
e theory predicts that as the
neutron star ages, it cools o and its
atmosphere changes to hydrogen.
Material is still gently raining down
onto the neutron star; the neutron stars
accumulate a layer of hydrogen that is
no longer able to burn o, Heinke
explained.
Heinke said that this discovery
is signicant, because it gives them
understanding into the development
of neutron stars atmosphere, but it
also helps explain the composition of
the supernova that exploded and is still
raining down matter on the neutron
star.
ere has to be enough hydrogen in
there to be able to rain down onto the
neutron star and produce a hydrogen
atmosphere over time, and wed like
a better understanding of what the
interiors of supernovas are like these
being the things that produce all the
elements that make up the universe,
Heinke said.
e physicist also said that the
discovery could help researchers learn
more about the interior of neutron
stars by comparing them to other
objects with carbon atmospheres.
eres what you call a quark soup,
and thats a hypothesized state of
matter which has never been seen. Its
possible that that makes up part of the
interior of neutron stars, Heinke said.
Sonia Milbradt, president of the
Undergraduate Physics Society (UPS)
at the University of Alberta, said that
the discovery is just as exciting for
students as it is for scientists.
I think its really exciting because it
adds to the prestige of our department,
she said. It helps us to realize that
there is important research going
on in the department so it increases
department pride.
Heinke and Wynnes ndings were
published in the journal Nature earlier
this month.
Write Sci/Tech
Push Button
Recieve Bacon
24 THE AFCDSY - SCENCE AN0 TECHNDLDCY 0ECE|8EF J, 2009
is professional two-year graduate program oered by Dalhousie University in partnership with
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Orthoptists/ophthalmic medical technologists are allied health professionals who perform a wide
range of diagnostic and highly technical procedures and, in consultation with an ophthalmologist,
plan, implement and monitor treatment of a wide variety of ocular disorders, including disorders
of binocular vision and ocular motility. ey are engaged in a wide range of activities including
research into ocular motility, education of other eye care professionals, patient education and vision
screening.
e program involves 7.5 class credits, two extended practica and a thesis in an area of vision research.
Students are permitted to exit the program aer two years (prior to completing a Masters thesis) with
a Graduate Diploma in Orthoptics and Ophthalmic Medical Technology.
Applications for the MSc (Clinic Vision Science) program beginning in September 2010 are now being
accepted. Applicants must hold a four-year bachelors degree with a minimum B average (GPA 3.0),
with at least one undergraduate class in human anatomy and/or physiology, and a class in psychology
with a laboratory component. Exceptional students may be accepted without these prerequisites on
the condition that they are fullled either prior to or concurrent with the program. Work/volunteer
experience in the health care eld is considered an asset.
Students whose native language is not English must demonstrate the ability to participate in a graduate
program conducted in English prior to acceptance into the program. e minimum acceptable score
on the TOEFL test is 580 for the written test and 237 for the computer test.
Financial assistance may be available to qualied students.
Deadline for applications is March 1, 2010.
Further information is available from our website www.dal.ca/cvs or by contacting
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orthoptics@iwk.nshealth.ca
(902) 470-8959
Dalhousie University MSc Clinical Vision Science
with concurrent Graduate Diploma in Orthoptics
and
Ophthalmic Medical Technology
US Department of Defense orders 2300 PS3s, bolsters existing 336 PS3-strong supercomputer; PS3s processor good for crypto
the future, soon
ranting about christmas for
1.34157554 10^-4 millenia
Stuart Townsend
Argosy Staff
Welcome to the rst annual
(and probably last) Sci/Tech Geek
Gift Guide! I for one love the
spirit of Xmas - mostly the giving,
receiving, and eating. at said, I
hate bad gifts. Id honestly rather
get absolutely nothing than some
cheap plastic thingy that Aunt
Doesntlikeyouverymuch got at the
last minute. I think others might,
too. at said, this isnt a gift guide
for geeks, rather, its a list of cool gift
ideas that I personally, as a (Magic)
card-carrying geek, think deserve
broader recognition. Better gifting
through science, style of thing.
First o, we have gift certicates
to Solvate, a service dedicated to
solving problems. ey manage
everything from sales assistance
to personalized concierge service,
but the most interesting facet of
their services is their personalized
customer service haggling. Let
someone else strong-arm your phone
company into getting a better deal
for you! $25/hr, http://bit.ly/2JW
Next, how about guitar lessons?
Oh, your giftee already knows how?
Well, how about cooking lessons?
Math lessons? Anything lessons?!
e School of Everything is a service
that puts folks wanting to teach
something in contact with folks who
want to learn - and theres a dizzying
array of options. $?, http://bit.
ly/7xvHD2
Converse shoes, long-standing
stalwarts of indie folk, are now
emblematic of the evil empire of
Nike. If you or someone on your
list wants to recapture indie cred
without their shoes being made by
little hands, try Adbuster-approved
Blackspots, made guaranteed
sweatshop-free. $75-99, http://bit.
ly/1LyQK4
For those who love coee (which
is a more traditional realm of
geekery, but everyone loves coee,
cmon), you could drop $6000 on
a Clover coee machine, widely
reputed to create the nest cups of
joe known to man. ...Or, you could
drop $25 on the Aeropress Coee
Maker, an alternative created by
Aerobie, the guys who make those
clever ying discs! Seriously, folks,
coee snobs equate the two in terms
of the deliciousness of their coee,
and while Im no pundit, Ive tried it.
And I thought it was amazing. $25,
http://bit.ly/2J2cV4
Okay, I said that I wouldnt stray
into hardcore geekery, and at rst
glance, the idea of donating to
Wikipedia sounds like just that.
But honestly, think about what
your life as a student would be
like without Wikipedia. Plus, the
Omidyar Network - brainchild of
philanthropist and eBay founder
Pierre Omidyar - will match your
donation! $?, http://bit.ly/wlVJq
Well, thats about it. If my obeat
gift guide prevents even one o-
the-rack cheesy sweater from being
received, it will have been worth it.
Geek Chic
of the Week
All I can say is, wow. e tradition of taking a shot, post-toast, and throwing ones shot glass into a replace is an
absolutely awesome feeling. But the feeling of broken glass scything into your foot, as well as the feeling of losing
all of ones shot glasses, is less awesome. Celebrate Christmastime with this food-grade silicon shot glass mould,
capable of creating four perfectly formed shot glasses guaranteed to melt Real Soon Now. So drink up.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/stocking-stuers/986a/
December 3, 2009:
Cool Shooters Ice
Shot Glasses
New research from Brown University
hopes to put the bounce back in the
step of paralysis victims and suerers
of neurodegenerative diseases aecting
the motor cortex, including spinal cord
injuries, muscular dystrophy, brain
stem stroke, and ALS (Lou Gehrigs
disease).
Preliminary experiments for the
BrainGate Neural Interface System
have been very promising. Researchers
have successfully secured a small
electronic sensor, about the size of a
baby aspirin, to the motor cortex of four
victims of neuronal failure, including a
paralysis victim. e sensor allowed
the man, Matt Nagle, to manipulate
robotics through a computer receptor.
is research is based on a few
simple facts. Following paralysis, the
motor cortex (located on the outermost
region of the brain and responsible for
coordinating motor patterns) remains
intact, and the muscles involved in
movement of limbs are fully functional
as well. e problem is that neuronal
connection have been severed, leading
to a loss of motor ability. Biochemical
approaches to solving this disjunct
attempt to bridge the gap between
brain and muscle, while the BrainGate
uses a microelectronic strategy to send
the neural message on an alternate
route.
anks in part to a $4.25 million
grant from the U.S. Department of
Defense, research will be continuing.
Researchers are now searching for
fteen volunteers to partake in a
follow-up study that will fasten a
second sensor to the opposite side of
the motor cortex.
Each sensor here contains about
100 electrodes that are no wider than
a human hair. is intricate, precise
design earned the scientists the cover
spot of a 2006 issue of Nature.
e device has a secondary feature,
making it useful in other aspects of
medicine. It can record real-time
localized neural activity, meaning that
doctors may be able to look at very
specic areas of the brain to see whats
going on. is could help researchers
understand such anomalies as epilepsy
and suggest new ways of arresting
seizures.
Funding for this project has been
steady, so it may not be long before
patients with once-incurable motor
decits are up and running once more.
SciTechLink:
Matt Nagle using his
brain/computer link
to play games,
word process
http://bit.ly/IJuD6
Tech vs paralysis
Ross MacLean
Argosy Staff
Internet Graphic /
inkGeek
SPORTS & FITNESS
e Mount Allison hockey
Mounties lost two tough games
over the weekend, and now nd
themselves ve points out of a playo
spot heading into the Christmas
Mounties rst shot of the game to
give them the lead. Halfway through
the period the visitors would strike
on a powerplay of their own; ten
seconds into a boarding penalty
assessed to Lauren Oickle, Jaime
Lynn Donaldson took a slapshot
from the point that eluded Mounties
goaltender Meghan Corley-Byrne.
e Panthers took a 2-1 lead in an
exciting second period that saw a series
of breakaway chances by the Mounties
turned away by Toupin. Early in
the third, after a failure to clear the
zone on a couple of attempts by the
Mounties, Amanda Armstrong scored
on a questionable goal that appeared
to go into the net after the net came
o its moorings, but the goal stood,
giving the Panthers the two-goal lead.
at was the turning point, said
Mounties head coach Zach Ball
following the game. e puck got
stuck on the ice a couple of times
and we couldnt clear the zone,
and they scored the extra goal.
Corley-Byrne stopped 35 of 38 shots
in the loss while Toupin stopped 24 of 25.
Ball was impressed with the play
of Morton, who red a game-high
eight shots on net. Morton played a
great game, shooting lots and creating
chances. Andrea Switalski played a
good game, and Nicole Fraser played
very well, a solid game from her.
e Mounties controlled the puck
for most of the rst period, creating lots
of chances around the PEI goal. at
comes from unselsh play,commented
Ball. We had a good forecheck, we
were on it hard, and then it was all
about keeping possession, making sure
the puck stays with a Mt. A jersey with
good cycling and by being unselsh.
e next day the Mounties travelled
to Fredericton to take on Saint omas,
and came out with a 3-0 loss. e
Tommies scored a goal in each period,
the last two coming on powerplays,
and Julia Sharun stopped all 17
shots she faced en route to the win.
e Mounties took ve
penalties in a row in the rst and
second periods, leading to lots of
powerplay time for the Tommies.
Jenica Bastarache led the Mounties
with 4 shots, while Fraser and rookie
defencemen Alex Moore also played
strong games. Corley-Byrne stopped
27 of 30 shots, and sits third in the AUS
with a save percentage of .932 per cent.
e Mounties were without veterans
Jenna Briggs and Lisa Riley, who both
sat out with concussions. ey now have
until after Christmas to recuperate,
and will face the Panthers again in
a rematch in the rst game after the
break in Sackville on January 10.
Hockey Mounties lose pair of tough games
Five points out of playo spot at break
Wray Perkin
Argosy Staff
On Saturday, the Mount Allison
Womens Volleyball team travelled to
PEI to take on the Holland College
Hurricanes. e Mounties made quick
work of the Hurricanes, dismantling
them wit a quick 3-0 win with game
scores of 25-12, 25-18, and 25-16.
e Mounties attack was led by
second year middle Caila Henderson
with 13 kills, 3 aces, and 8 digs.
Backing up Hendersons play was
second year right side Vanessa Gray
(six kills, six aces, ve digs) and fth
year Laurie Marchbank (16 digs).
With the win, the Mounties are
sitting in second place in the ACAA
behind the undefeated UNB-
Saint John Seawolves who own an
impressive 9-0 record. e Mounties
slip out of top fteen rankings
nationally after spending consecutive
weeks sitting in the eleventh spot.
Immediately following the break,
the Mounties host the Seawolves
in a battle for ACAA domination
on January 8 at 8:00 pm and
again on January 9 at 2:00 pm.
With les from Sue Seaborn.
Mount Allison Mounties receiver
and returner Gary Ross has been
honoured as a rst team All-Canadian
at the receiver position and collected a
second-team All-Canadian award as a
returner for the second year in a row.
Trophy as the countrys best university
football player. at award went to
Calgary quarterback Erik Glavic.
Glavic, for the second time, won
MVP, but could not win the Vanier
Cup. Two years ago with Saint Marys
he watched from the sidelines as the
Manitoba Bisons doubled up the
Huskies 28-14, and on Saturday two
interceptions and a fumble by the
MVP helped Queens come back
from an 18-point halftime decit
to capture the Vanier Cup 33-31.
e Queens Gaels, led by Danny
Brannagan, trailed 25-7 at halftime,
but 220 second half passing yards
by the second leading passer in
CIS history willed the Gaels to
the comeback victory in what
some are calling one of the greatest
championship games of all time.
Glavic passed for 354 yards in
the game, 187 of which were to
explosive receiver Anthony Parker,
while Brannagan nished with 286
yards and three touchdowns, two
of which were to Scott Valberg.
Queens dominated the fourth
quarter, controlling the ball for over
nine minutes and grinding out the
clock with running back Marty
Gordon, who nished the game with
102 yards, and the game-winning
touchdown from 15 yards out with
just over nine minutes left to play.
Glavic was sacked three times
while trying to scramble away from
the pressure, for a total of a loss of
47 yards. Brannagan, primarily a
pocket passer, was sacked only once.
It was indeed an interesting battle
of who very dierent quarterbacks; on
one side there was Glavic, the two-
time MVP, known for his scrambling
and tendency to get excited after
big plays. In the other corner, theres
Brannagan, never an MVP, but the
second leading passer in history, a
pocket passer who rarely scrambles
and sometimes even stands still in
the pocket, always cool as a cucumber.
One completion in the third quarter
saw a Calgary defender holding onto
Brannagans foot in the pocket, but
the fth-year senior calmly loaded
and completed a bullet to his receiver.
Queens certainly didnt take the
easy road to the championship; in their
three playo games they surrendered
over 1200 passing yards and won
all three games by a combined nine
points. Against Western in the Yates
Cup (OUA Championship), they won
43-39 even allowing over 500 passing
yards to Michael Faulds. In the Mitchell
Bowl against Laval, Benoit Groulx
passed for over 460 yards but still
Queens won 33-30, and as mentioned
above Glavics 354 passing yards was
overshadowed by the three turnovers
in the narrow two-point victory.
Calgary kicker Aaron Ield had
a short eld goal bounce o one
of his blockers backs in the third
quarter, while Glavic failed to convert
on a two-point conversion late
that sealed the deal for the Dinos.
In other AUFC news, the
interlock schedule with the Quebec
conference has been renewed, with
one week of interlock play to occur
every year over the next three years.
Ross named All-Canadian
Queens comes back to win Vanier Cup
Volleyball wins again
Wray Perkin
Argosy Staff
Noah Kowalski
Argosy Staff
3
1
3
0
break, behind the UPEI Panthers.
e injury-plagued Mounties and
Panthers faced o in Sackville on
Saturday, and though the Mounties
pressed hard for most of the game, they
were unable to solve UPEI netminder
Bailey Toupin in the nal two periods
and a questionable goal early in the
third sealed the deal for the visitors.
Two and a half minutes into the
rst, Katelyn Morton red a laser
past Toupin on the powerplay on the
Lower half AUS Standings
6-4
6-5
3-8
1-12
Sue Seaborn
Ross led the nation
with 60 receptions this
season...a team and
conference record for the
single season.
is is the third year in a four-year
career that Ross has been honoured
as a rst-team All-Canadian, and the
second year that he has earned second-
team recognition as well. In 2007 Ross
was the rst-team returner, and last
year in 2008 he earned rst-team
receiver and second-team returner.
Ross led the nation with 60
receptions this season, which was
a team and conference record for a
single season. In the process Ross
also set career records for the Atlantic
University Football Conference; the
native of Windsor, Ontario has 172
receptions for 2582 yards, both of
which set new marks in the AUFC.
e twenty-seven year-old father
of three also set a new career mark for
all-purpose yards, with 5,990 yards
over his career; an average of 1,498
a season and roughly 187 per game.
Ross was also the AUS MVP
and nominee for the Hec Crighton
Callan Field
26 THE ARGOSY SPORTS & FITNESS DECEMBER 3, 2009
We have a great slang term for the
crowd at a football game. Its the
thirteenth man. A well educated,
football savvy crowd can make a ton
of noise that drowns out the opposing
quarterbacks play calls. e thirteenth
man is the essence of home eld
advantage, and that advantage was
with the Saskatchewan Roughriders
last Sunday at the Grey Cup. Most
of Calgary is from Saskatchewan, and
add to that all the stubble-jumpers who
shipped in on the bus or in the pickup
for the big game, and youve got a ton
of melonheads waiting to yell at that
Montreal Alouettes squad. Indeed,
before the game, my Saskatchewan
contacts were quick to say that the
thirteenth man was going to play a big
role in the game. How right they were,
and how much they wish to die now.
Of course, Montreal went into the
game heavily favoured, having the
best team with the best execution
and the wisest quarterback. Many
expected a clockwork dismantling
of the scrappy Roughriders by the
organized, determined Alouettes.
As the game progressed, though, a
dierent story was told. Anthony
Calvillo repeatedly led the Als to
two-and-outs, and the Roughriders
scored multiple points under the
calm leadership of Darian Durant.
However, in the fourth quarter
the sleeping Larks awoke and
pulled to within two points of the
Riders. And the story unfolded like
a nightmare for those of us who
hail from the Wheat Province.
e thirteenth man came back to
haunt us. With no time left on the
clock, Montreal attempted a eld goal
from the 43 yard line. Damon Duval
missed, sending the Roughriders
ying onto the eld in jubilation.
But something else was ying onto
the eld. Penalty ags from every ref
available. Procedure, Saskatchewan,
too many men on the eld.
Too many men on the eld? Yes, sir,
and thats ten yards, thank you very
much. e Alouettes tried their eld
goal again from the 33 yard line and
Duval made no mistake, which probably
saved him his job. With no time on the
clock, the Als won the Grey Cup by a
single point. Even the barren stalks of
winter wheat shivered in the cold last
Sunday night as a pulse of heartbreak
echoed across Saskatchewan.
In reality though, several plays were
responsible for the Alouettes victory,
including the inability of the Riders to
hold onto the ball with a minute to go,
the inability of the Riders defence to
prevent the Als from getting into eld
goal position, and of course the inability
of someone to count to thirteen. e
special teams coordinator for the Riders
refused to say who was responsible,
instead accepting full responsibility.
Several Riders players or coaches
lament that this will haunt them for
the rest of their lives. It probably
will, but time will heal their wounds,
just as time gave Anthony Calvillo
and Ben Cahoon a chance to prove
they doesnt always lose the big one.
As much as I wandered listlessly for
hours trying to reassess whether there
was meaning in my life after such a
disappointment, things look bright for
the CFL. e Grey Cup was watched
in full by 6.1 million Canadians, and
in part by over 14 million. 8.35 million
were watching as the nal eld goal
split the uprights. is makes the Grey
Cup the biggest television event of
the year here in Canada, bigger than
the Oscars, the Superbowl, and even
bigger than the World Figure Skating
Championships (I was shocked too).
e CFL is coming to Moncton next
year, its coming to Ottawa again
soon, and its still the most exciting
and quintessentially Canadian thing
out there. I said last week that the
most important part of the Grey
Cup is cheering for Canada, and I
really believe that. We have a great
nation, and sometimes all we like to
do is take shots at all the things that
are wrong about who we are. e
Grey Cup, and every day, provides an
opportunity to celebrate all thats right
about Canada: the friendship across
provincial borders, the diversity, the
hospitality, and the crazy watermelon
helmets. Dont let the man tell you that
our home and native land isnt worth
celebrating, because Canada is the
one place on earth where we all truly
belong. Until next year, so long, eh.
Larks dont always choke
Martin Wightman
Argosy Correspondent
During exam periods, students
sacrice many things in order to
devote as much time as possible to
studying. ese sacrices include
free time, social lives, and for most,
healthy eating habits. As tempting
as it may be to heat up that frozen
dinner in ve minutes, it is not
the best way to fuel your body and
brain. ese hectic weeks are the
time when you want to avoid brain-
zappers such as high-fat packaged
snacks, fried foods, and other
tempting calorie-laden choices.
Although these foods will ease your
hunger pains, they will actually end
up slowing you down mentally,
especially if eaten towards the end of
the day. Studies have actually shown
that fatty foods can bog down your
short-term memory, denitely not a
good thing if you are cramming for
an exam. ere are many foods that
actually help you stay sharp and
are aordable on a student budget.
Spinach and other leafy greens:
Leafy greens such as spinach and
romaine lettuce, as well as arugula,
kale and swiss chard are packed
with vitamin A, C, calcium and
iron. Eating three servings a day (a
serving is one cup raw, or half a cup
cooked) has been shown to increase
long-term memory in comparison
to those who eat one serving or less
a day. Spinach and romaine lettuce
make a great base to any salad.
Eggs: Eggs are cheap and one of
the top sources of protein. A benet
of protein is that it is digested at a
slower rate, keeping hunger at bay for
longer. Egg yolks are lled with iron
and heart-friendly omega-3 fats. Eggs
also contain the antioxidant choline.
is is the real brain booster as it has
been shown to play an important role
in your brains development, nerve
transmission, and memory. Eggs can
be eaten many ways. ey can be
boiled, scrambled, fried, or used in
omelets. Take your pick and eat up.
Salmon: Although most sh have
high health benets, salmon tops
the charts. It is another high source
of protein, and is low in mercury
compared to other types of sh. It
contains a very high quantity of omega-
3 fatty acids especially DHA. ese are
vital for brain boosting development,
increasing function and decreasing
inammation. Salmon tastes great just
wrapped in tin-foil with your favourite
spices and cooked for thirty minutes to
an hour depending on the portion size.
As a bonus it also tastes great reheated.
Berries: Whether frozen or fresh,
berries have been shown to improve
short-term memory. is goes for
strawberries, blueberries, raspberries,
and cherries. Frozen fruit is great
in smoothies, or just thawed
and sprinkled with a little sugar.
Water: When it comes to
hydrating yourself, water is the best
choice. Proper hydration is vital
because our brain is thirty percent
water. Sucient water in the brain
helps it work at optimum levels.
An additional benet is that at
least eighty ounces of water every
day will reduce stress hormones.
Coee: is may be surprising
but coee has actually been shown
to enhance short-term memory
performance. It proves to be the
ultimate brain fuel but like everything,
moderation is key, and too much
coee may skew your sleep schedule.
It is also important to not skip
breakfast since it is the most
important meal of the day. Sugar-
spikes should be avoided by skipping
highly processed foods such as sugary
cereals or pastries. Better options
would be oatmeal or whole-wheat
toast and peanut butter. ese tips
should keep your brain sharp and
enhance your memory recall skills.
As most of you know, Out of sight,
out of mind, so put there tips on
your fridge as a constant reminder
of how to properly fuel your body.
Samantha Scribner
Argosy Correspondent
Im probably one of the few people
who actually watched Shaq Vs when
it rst started airing this summer. For
those of you who missed out on this
fantastic hour long adventure, let me
summarize. Shaquille ONeal, the
giant 71, 325 pound centre for the
Cleveland Cavaliers challenged various
athletes to compete against him in
their own sports. He went up against
Ben Roethlisberger, the Super Bowl-
winning quarterback for the Steelers,
hit the beach with Misty May-Treanor
and Kerri Walsh, the gold medal-
winning volleyball duo, and jumped in
the pool with Michael Phelps. While
Shaq never actually won any of his
match-ups, it made for an entertaining
hour of TV and more importantly, it
gave me inspiration for Argosy Sports.
Heres the deal: Im throwing down
a challenge to all Mount Allison
varsity athletes: a Shaq-attack if you
will. I want to play you at your own
games. Now there will be a few kinks
to work out, but come on athletes,
now is your chance to showcase your
ability in a small student newspaper!
How about a three-point contest with
mens basketball? A doubles match
against the badminton team? ree
rounds of two-on-two volleyball? Im
game for anything. Ive even got a
partner in mind...but thats a secret for
now. Oh and this isnt limited to just
the athletes who play winter sports.
Short of seeing who can get tackled
more by the womens rugby team, Im
game for anything so send in your
challenges. Unless youre intimidated
by a 59 Asian who is legally blind...
If I get some challenges, well
publish the stories, as well as the
results, in the Argosy. Ill cover the
extensive exercise plan Ill undertake
prior to the match-up, as well as
making sure to throw in plenty of
coverage of the actual event. Maybe
there will even be some pictures to go
along with the articles. All I know is
that the glove has been slapped across
the face of varsity athletes. Will they
accept the duel? Only time will tell.
Noah Kowalski
Argosy Staff
From the Sports Desk...
Montreal QB Anthony Calvillo struggled during Sundays game.
Internet Photo/CBC
Fruits and vegetables are an important part of healthy eating and especially key during exam times.
Jessica Emin
27 THE ARGOSY SPORTS & FITNESS DECEMBER 3, 2009
Athlete of the Week
Kristen Atkins
Sponsored by Joeys Pizza and Pasta
Moncton, NB resident Kristen
Atkins has won Mountie Athlete
of the Week honours for her
outstanding play on the hard
court against Holland College last
Saturday. Kristen shot 60 per cent
from the oor, contributing 18
points, three rebounds, one blocked
shot, one steal, and an assist en
route to a 65-42 win over the
hometown Hurricanes.A former
basketball standout from Harrison
Trimble High School in Moncton,
Kristen was the Atlantic Colleges
Athletic Associations (ACAA)
most outstanding rst-year player
in 2006-2007. She also previously
played with the Basketball
New Brunswick U-17 team and
the NB Canada Games squad.
A Deans List student and
Academic All-Canadian Scholar,
Kristen has been the recipient of
numerous department awards over
the years including a 2009 John
Asimakos Printing Award, and
Crake Scholarships from 2007-
2010. She is currently enrolled in
fourth-year Fine Arts at Mount
Allison with future plans to continue
studying Fine Arts at a Masters level.
e other athlete of the week
nominees were: Vanessa Gray
(volleyball), Nicole Fraser (hockey),
and Akil Smith (basketball).
Traditionally, professional sports
including football, basketball and
hockey, have been thought of as sports
for big men: big games, big muscles,
big egos. roughout the twentieth
century, professional sports - places of
stereotypes and a certain amount of
discrimination - were not a place for
open homosexuals. Being openly gay
and a professional athlete just didnt
happen. Although discrimination
still exists, the perception is slowly
changing and, in last few years, a
handful of pro-athletes have come out.
Former Major League outelder
Billy Bean, NFLers Esera Tuaolo and
Roy Simmons, and NBA Centre John
Amaechi have all come out. However,
none of these athletes did so during their
professional career. e only athlete to
come out as an active player was major
leaguer Glenn Burke who played over
200 games in the late seventies before,
as he put it, prejudice just won out.
Amaechi also faced discrimination
following his decision to come out
in February 2007 when another
NBA player, Tim Hardaway, made
numerous public homophobic remarks.
Hockey has always had an
informal dont ask dont tell policy,
and to date no professional hockey
player, past or present, has come out.
However people in hockey maintain
that there are many closeted gay
men within the professional hockey
world: players, administrators and
team sta. However, this past week
gay hockey players, and athletes in
general. received a strong show of
support from the public and from the
world of the National Hockey League.
Brendan Burke, son of Toronto
Maple Leafs General Manager Brian
Burke, revealed to the public this week
that he is gay. He also revealed that he
quit hockey during his nal year of high
school because he was afraid that his
team mates would nd out. Brendan
rst told his family in December of
2007. He was at rst very nervous to
tell his father. Brian Burke is perceived
by many in the hockey world as the
embodiment of everything that is
rough, tough, and manly about hockey.
However, Brendan received nothing
but total support from his entire family.
Given the extremely positive reaction
from his family and later from the
players of the Miami University hockey
team in Oxford, Ohio, where Brendan
is a member of the coaching sta, he
felt comfortable coming out in public.
While a single individual coming
out is hardly newsworthy, the
extremely positive reaction from the
entire hockey world is. When asked
by TSNs James Duthie if hockey
is ready for openly gay players and
sta, Brian Burke responded that the
Toronto Maple Leafs are, and that
certainly many others organizations
around the league are as well. It is
hoped that this is the rst step in
sending the message to any closeted
players and sta in the NHL that they
dont need to keep themselves hidden.
Perhaps hockey can lead the way to
the end of prejudice of this kind in all
professional sports. All it could take
for the stereotypes to be destroyed is
for one successful player to come out,
much in the same way that Jackie
Robinson broke baseballs colour
barrier in the late forties, and Borje
Salming starting the European invasion
into the NHL in the mid-seventies.
NHL Insights
Ryan Esch
Argosy Correspondent
Mountie Sports Weekend
Saturday, December 5
Basketball vs STU; 2:00, 4:00 PM
vs
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C.
(CUP) One of the most inspiring
parts of the lead up to the Vancouver
2010 Winter Olympics has been the
Own the Podium program that
started back in 2005. Each year since
then, the federal government has
provided winter sports athletes with
greatly increased funding through
the program, providing tremendous
help in a wide variety of areas.
e Own the Podium funding
boost, which helps relieve the various
costs of training, travel, food and
medical bills for high-performance
athletes with Olympic aspirations,
is designed with the ambitious goal
of, as the name suggests, emerging as
the total medal count leader in 2010.
Own the Podium was created in
large part after several less than stellar
performances by Canadian athletes
during the 1976 Games in Montreal and
the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary,
where overburdened and under-
supported competitors were unable
to produce even a single gold medal
nish across the board on home soil.
e program calls for almost
athletes results over the past year.
During that span, Canada has stood
alone in terms of medals won at the
world championship levels of Olympic
events with twenty-nine medals, which
is two more than the United States. Of
course, the nal evaluation of Own the
Podiums legacy will be measured with
the conclusion of the 2010 Games, and
how good or bad Team Canada does.
Regardless of their eventual
Olympic nish though, what needs
to happen next is the continuation
of Own the Podium, and its summer
sport counterpart, Road to Excellence,
funding. As it stands, once the
Games are complete at the end
of February, funding is scheduled
to revert back to pre-2005 levels.
at would be a catastrophic set
back to Canadas future Olympic
and World Championship hopes.
Yes, the Games are in our own
backyard this time around and in 2014
theyll be held in Sochi, Russia, and
therefore wont be nearly as personal,
but Canadian athletics wont be nearly
as competitive in the future without
this money. Critics will say that Canada
is still in the midst of a recession and
that the benets of Olympic victory
wont be nearly as high in far o
places as they are here on home turf,
and therefore we should cut back on
funding and distribute it to other areas.
e benets of having a strong
Olympic program and high medal
hopes every two years goes beyond
advertising dollars and promotional
monies. e eect on amateur sport
is massive, and with big-time wins
at the Olympics, theres no doubt
that it encourages kids to get out
and participate, which over the
long run is a tremendous positive.
Just look at the famous 1980
Winter Games, where the U.S. mens
hockey team dethroned the Soviet
Union and won the gold medal,
largely as a result of greatly increased
funding. American participation
in hockey skyrocketed after that
and a large contingent of American
stars of this past generation started
playing the game as a result of 1980.
Own the Podium CEO Dr. Roger
Jackson is doing everything he can
to ensure high performance sports
funding continues after 2010 at the
very least similar levels to what it
is now. Anyone who cares about
sports and their benets should be
pulling for him every step of the way.
Sports funding needs to keep going after 2010
Own e Podium program has benets far outweighing costs
During that span,
Canada has stood alone
in terms of medals won at
the world championship
levevls of Olympic
events with twenty-nine
medals...two more than
the United States
$22 million of federal money
each year, continually building on
success. For example, no one can
say that Own the Podium hasnt
had a tangible eect after looking at
Garth McLennan
The Other Press (Douglas
College)
$22 million
Cost per year of the Own e
Podium program to taxpayers
e story of Brendan Burke
Internet Photo/e Advocate
Former NBA center John Amaechi faced discrimination when he came out in February 2007.
Jessica Emin