October 30, 2008 Hating on music since 1875 Vol. 138 Iss. 7

ArgosyThe

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 M o u n t A l l i s o n U n i v e r s i t y

“It’s one more example of how the commerce department has outstretched themselves, taking away from numerous other departments,” said one Mt. A student, choosing to remain anonymous. A second student, upon overhearing the comment, said “it’s one more thing to attract commerce students to Mt. A and provide some extra services to all the departments based in Avard-Dixon.”

!ese students are referring to the new lounge in the building. Replacing a space formerly used as one of two Avard-Dixon computer labs, the new lounge was built for the Commerce Department. According to the second student, a commerce major, the lounge is to be used for commerce students in prepping for presentations and group work, though this hasn’t been confirmed by the department.

As the unveiling on Monday announced, the lounge was part of a $5 million sole donation by Ron

Commerce department sitting prettyFive million dollar donation leads to conversion of computer lab into lounge

Jessica Emin

Sasha Van KatwykArgosy Staff

Joyce, co-founder of the Tim Horton’s chain, to the commerce department. And according to Paul Berry, head of the commerce department, the rest of the funds not put into the lounge will go towards funding events and activities for the Centre of Business Studies.

!e philanthropic gesture was

certainly welcomed by the university and Berry pointed out in an interview “the funds have helped the program gain accreditation with the Society of Management Accountants (CMA), and we have been able to attract a visiting scholar this term.”

In fact, the commerce department has a great deal to be proud of right now. Early this week, the department

was awarded “Best Overall Research Performance” at the Atlantic Schools of Business Conference. Berry attributed this to “our commitment to research as well as collaborative e"orts with schools in the region.”

!e recent successes of the commerce department, however, have raised some hesitant concerns by those in other departments as to their own abilities to succeed with fewer resources at their disposal. Ronald Beattie, head of the computer sciences department described the loss of the computer lab to the new lounge as “definitely losing something we thought was extremely valuable.”

“!at lab was [...] relatively large for us, and the loss of any resource is a setback,” Beattie said. “[It] would be better if we could replace it with some smaller labs to allow us to distribute more classes, but for now that doesn’t seem to be in the works.”

Berry pointed out that “a few years ago a student lounge and library of sorts [and two small o#ces] were changed to a computer classroom. !e

building needs and uses are constantly evolving.”

In response to a question about how some students saw this as taking away from other departments, Berry implied that students need to take more into consideration.

“Looking at one change in isolation can lead to erroneous conclusions.”

“It goes beyond just this lounge,” the first student, an anthropology major, argues. She and other students interviewed assert that the commerce department gets too much attention from the administration. Possible evidence of this is that the JUMP Campaign last year had five major issues that they believed were the most relevant to be discussed in relation to the functioning of Mt. A. One of them was “Academic Departments”. Another was the Commerce Department itself.

“It certainly seems the administration’s intent is to expand the role of the commerce department,” said Beattie.

However, he also pointed out that

!e success of certain departments aids other departments, as students are exposed to all the programmes while studying here.

- Stephen McClatchie

“

”

it’s the administration’s role to decide how it chooses to market the school. “Obviously they thought it was more important to have that space to enhance the commerce department, and in this case we su"ered a loss.”

Provost and VP Academic Stephen McClatchie attributed the attention and resources being given to the commerce department to “the fact that the department has the advantage of being very easy to raise money for.”

“We try to focus our campaign priorities on where Mt. A can most easily raise funds,” Dr. McClatchie explained, “there is certainly an element at a school like Mt. A that the success of certain departments aids other departments […] as students are exposed to all the programmes while studying here.”

!e administration also attempts to support departments in a variety of fashions that are often not as visible to students as major donations might be, McClatchie stated.

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PAGE 2 • THE ARGOSY • NEWS • OCTOBER 30, 2008

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The Argosy62A York Street, Sackville, NB

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Co"ee houses and open-mic events are common at Mount Allison, but not so common are ones featuring a subliminally political German duo and Scottish bagpipes. !ese acts and more were featured at Society of All Nations (SAN) Co"ee House on October 22 at the New Café.

Leah Wofsy, SAN Co-President, says the club really tries “to hold events where Canadian students and international students can come together and have fun,” as well as showcasing Canadian culture to international students.

Wofsy, along with co-president Nakita Knowles, expressed that the focus of the Society is to bridge the gap between cultural stereotypes of the world. Sally Ng, SAN Social Chair, added that the co"ee house is meant to welcome the talents and cultural expressions from all students, not only those coming from outside of Canada, and “[this year’s] turnout really showed that.”

Wofsy estimates 90 to 95 people came out Wednesday night to appreciate the talents of Mt. A’s student body, though “we never know how it will go until the night of, because we don’t sell tickets.” !e society received a total of $78 from the one dollar cover charge at the door.

!e SAN executive hadn’t planned on the numbers that turned out, and they had to put out more chairs as people continued to spill in. !e New Café proved to be a good location for the event, Ng explained, because the stage against the inside wall was in a really accessible spot for performers, and comfortable viewing for the audience. !e ramp o" to the side worked well for latecomers because they were able to sneak in without disturbing the performers.

Co!ee House a sensation for All NationsJudi Keefe Argosy Contributor

Knowles was dumbfounded when she came in more than halfway into the show, and saw how many were present. “I walked in and was like, ‘Oh wow! !ere are tons of people here.’ ”

Each year the show represents the diversity of ethnicities on campus, and SAN hopes this will allow everyone to share in an evening of cultural appreciation.

!e set of performers this year was diverse. Bonnie Laing sang in Chinese with piano. !e Mount Allison Christian Fellowship band performed. Chris Hirata showcased his beatboxing, Curtis Michaelis shared spoken word, and Ian Luddington played bagpipes. Simon Behranes and Marcus Schra"ranca sang with both guitar and a cappella. Lucy Collins, Kailea Switzer, Graeme Bousada, Emma McMullin, and Horace Karnes Jr. all sang with guitar.

!e Christian Fellowship, Karnes Jr., and Luddington are all repeat performers, having played at last year’s co"ee house; this was the third year for Michaelis’ original spoken word reflections of society. !e first-timers were well received by the audience, and were also appreciative of the opportunity to perform original compositions for friends and peers.

As far as Wofsy can remember, there have been two previous Co"ee Houses in SAN history. Last year, a large group of Pakistani students put together a traditional dance and the campus’ salsa club performed as well. Although the setting, in the mezzanine level of Jennings, wasn’t ideal, the previous years’ turnout of audience members and performers was diverse.

!e Society of All Nations is a SAC club, and although there are no regular meetings to attend, they do host two gatherings a month. !e executive encourages everyone to attend and become involved. A membership fee of $12

is accepted, and although optional, it allows for discounts to SAN events throughout the year.

Upcoming events hosted the Society include Pumpkin Carving on October 31, American !anksgiving on November 28, a bonfire in collaboration with the Mt. A Christian Fellowship, “!e Welcome Back” Potluck in January, a field trip to a sugar farm, and the SAN Banquet in March.

The SAN Coffee House featured various acts, including bagpiper Ian Luddington, pictured above. A large number of people came out to see the event, held in the New Café.

Society of All Nations

Society of All Nations

!e meeting began with a member expressing his frustration at the lack of appointments of students at large. Mike Currie, SAC President, agreed to look into the situation.

Sandy MacKay then gave an update on SAC Entertainment at the Pub. Attendance changes depending on who’s playing and on mid-terms, he explained. He also said that sound might be improved if the drums were on a movable riser covered in carpet. He encouraged students to attend shows, as every Wednesday night for the rest of the year is booked.

!e next issue was the by-election for SAC VP Academic and Science Senator, headed by Kyra O’Hanley, Chief Returning O#cer. It was suggested to shift the supper poll at Jennings to a later time to get more students to vote.

Sarah Smith, Secretary of the Union, was concerned about the lack of by-laws for the by-election, and thought that there would be more of a chance for students to contest the results. Currie stated that after this election, the SAC will have to write by-laws.

Reg Ferguson, O"-campus Rep, along with International Councillor Nakita Knowles, expressed their dislike for how quickly the elections were moving, because of the seriousness of the positions as well as the lack of time to get to know the candidates.

Ryan Robski brought up his concern about Senator applications late in the year, suggesting that nominations should be open for all disciplines in order to encourage more interest

from experienced candidates. Science Senator Nathan Walker felt it was

important to have someone in sciences as they will better understand the problems in the department. !e issue was shelved to be later discussed when the operations committee creates by-laws for by-elections.

Next on the agenda was a visit by David Stewart, Mt. A’s VP Administrations. He was invited to the SAC meeting to address concerns over the ‘master plan’ for the university.

Robski wants to see the website updated to reflect where Mt. A is currently in the master plan. Stewart then detailed the changes that have been made, such as building Campbell Hall instead of a residence by the King St. parking lot. !e next step is the conversion of the old STUD into a Fine and Performing Arts Studio, but this will not occur for years.

Victoria Munnoch, !ornton House Rep, brought up the issues in her residence associated with temporary rooms, including furniture not being removed promptly, and emotional considerations of students living in the rooms.

Stewart explained that the residence system changes with need. While some would prefer satellite buildings beinging reopened, Stewart said that the administration is trying to keep costs as low as possible, and that opening satellites is an added expense to students. Also, any extra money coming from those in temporary rooms will stay in the system.

Currie expressed his desire to have a bar services cooler in the new Student Centre, but Stewart explained that the planned storage space in the building isn’t there anymore.

Mark Brister, VP External, said that the loss of venues could cause security problems. O"-campus parties are not as safe due to less security measures by the university, he said. However, Stewart insisted that there hasn’t been a big change in viable spaces on-campus.

Stewart then left the meeting and the floor was turned over to Dan Wortman, who addressed

last week’s concerns. He explained that Michelle Strain was looking into the couches in Bennett’s lounges, and will get more if needed.

Wortman will look into house representatives distributing yearbooks in residences. Also, the funding for clubs and societies was extended to Monday, October 27 at 7pm.

Next on the agenda was Councilor Concerns. !e possibility of having the gym’s side entrance reopened was brought up, and VP Student Life Pat Barry explained that the alarm has been reactivated, but he’ll look into it.

Rachel Betuik, Bigelow House rep, wanted to know which house had the biggest election turnout, and Brister said that the SAC was still tallying the votes, but Bennett was in the lead.

Walker asked that the bookspace under desks in Barclay 02 be taken out for more leg room.

Doug MacLean, O"-campus rep, was interested in having more information about grad schools available, possibly in the form of a grad fair.

Following this was the VP Communications’ report. Abigail McGillvery wants to improve the SAC website, to increase communication with students. She addressed the changes in the SAC page in the Argosy, and discussed her plans for SAC awareness week.

!e last item on the agenda was the VP External’s report. Brister talked about the NB Student Alliance, saying that they were against the tuition freeze for various reasons and were looking into a debt cap for NB.

Brister then spoke about the recent Sackville Town Meeting. !e Sackville share-a-ride program is about to launch, expanding on the Mt. A Carpool. Merrill Fullerton, Sackville Councillor, will not support another extension on noise by-laws. Also, Sackville has signed a new waste management contract.

Brister finished with his hope that the number of students that voted in residence in the federal election will be enough to ensure another campus poll.

!e happenings of student politics: October 22Justine GalbraithArgosy Staff

NOCTOBER 30, 2008 • NEWS • THE ARGOSY • PAGE 3

Oil drops to half of its July price

In midday commodities trading on Friday, the cost for a barrel of crude oil dropped to $64.15, which represents a 57 per cent drop from the high-water mark of $147.27 this July.

!e Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) which regulates exports from most of the world’s oil producers announced a 1.5 million barrel per day cut in the amount of exported oil in hopes of steadying prices. However, fears that the economic slowdown in the developed world would severely reduce the demand for oil overwhelmed such a move, according to the CBC.

In September in China, the rate of oil demand rose by only 2 per cent, the lowest rate of increase in ten months. Rallies to increase the demand for oil artificially and temporarily have largely been unsuccessful. However, the American stock markets did surprisingly well, posting slight gains at the end of last week while the major overseas markets dropped by between two and six per cent, with Japan’s Nikkei index shedding nine points.

US bombs Syrian border town, killing eight

In a further expansion of the

"is week in the worldA weekly miscellany compiled by Tom Llewellin

American-led anti-terrorism operations past the o#cially-sanctioned borders of Iraq and Afghanistan, the American air force on Friday bombed a village within the borders of Syria, killing eight civilians, according to the BBC.

Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moallem warned of possible military action against the US if such an action was repeated. Washington refused to o#cially confirm or deny the reports that it crossed into Syria, but tacitly confirmed this by saying that the area bombed was “used as a starting point for cross-border raids”, the BBC reported. !e aircraft travelled eight miles (13 km) into the country, they said, before dropping their bombs.

According to the Syrian foreign ministry, those killed include three children and their father, and a family of farm guards, all in the town of Abu Jamal.

“In international law, this is terrorist aggression,” the ministry warned.

!e US maintained however, that the raid resulted in the death of Abu Ghadiya, a former lieutenant of Al-Qaeda heavyweight Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, and from their perspective was a successful military operation.

“He had a knowledge of many of the ‘rat lines’ or smuggling networks,” said a military spokesman, and

predicted that the assasination would “have a delibilitating e"ect on the foreign fighter network”.

In recent months, the numbers of fighters pouring into Iraq from nearby countries, especially Iran and Syria, has intensified.

Ukraine, Iceland bailed out by IMF

!e International Monetary Fund gave out a series of major bailouts over the weekend, including a $16.5 billion US dollars to the Ukraine, and $2.1 billion for Iceland. !ese countries’ economy crashed completely, with stock trading having been halted since the middle of the month. Both loans need final regulatory approval from both countries’ authorities, but are expected to pass without problems, reported Der Spiegel. !e Ukrainian economy has been devastated after a collapse in world commodity prices, particularly steel, and Russia and Canada, which own the two largest foreign stakes in the country respectively, have been selling o" Ukrainian assets rapidly. IMF loans are very controversial, since approval depends on the countries changing their policies to what the fund sees as more cost-e"ective, resulting in massive cuts in government spending. When the IMF

bailed out Bolivia in 1995, the country was required to dismantle virtually all of its government infrastructure. !is sparked the Cochabamba Riots two years later after residents revolted against the extremely high water prices charged by the American utility to which the government had sold the city’s water services.

US Senator Ted Stevens found guilty

!e longest-serving member of the US Senate, 84 year-old Ted Stevens, was found guilty on Monday of perjury for lying about $250 000 US of gifts he received from an oil company executive in return for favourable policies. Bill Allen, the founder of Veco Oil, also paid for contractors to work in Stevens’ vacation home in Girdwood, Alaska, and was found guilty of bribery in 2007.

Prosecutors didn’t believe Stevens’ argument that most of the gifts were “loans”, with lead prosecutor Joseph

Bottini lambasting his defense of a massage chair, stating “Are we really supposed to believe [this chair] was a loan? It’s been in his home for seven years!”

Stevens, a figure with what the New York Times terms as “outsize influence over federal spending”, has long been one of the most powerful figures in the Senate, and Alaska’s primary mover and shaker. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, he is influential in bringing government money into the state, and played a role in a recent tendered contract for a pipeline into BC and Alberta being awarded, allegedly improperly, to Calgary-based TransCanada Pipelines.

Stevens is currently up for election for another term in the Senate, and as of Monday was neck-and-neck with his opponent, a Democrat.

!e campus climate challenge, or C3, is starting early this year, e"ective Saturday, November 1. !e event, organized by the Mount Allison environmental group “Eco-action”, will be held to see how well students on-campus can reduce their environmental impact.

For those students who are unfamiliar with the challenge, C3 is a competition between on-campus buildings to see who can reduce their electricity, heating, and water use by the greatest amount at the end of the month-long period. !e House that reduces their carbon footprint by the greatest percentage will receive an as-yet unrevealed prize from Eco-action.

!is is the third year for the

C3 kick-o! to kick out the carbonsJennifer MusgraveArgosy Correspondent

for continued awareness on climate change throughout the year.”

David Lieske, a geography professor at Mt. A, likes the idea of the challenge but felt that it has the potential to be a touchy issue.

“It does raise the question of whether we are imposing on other people and making them feel that we are controlling their lives or eliminating their personal freedom, which could raise some people’s hackles,” he said.

He believes that what is really needed is a critical mass of people who think this way so that it becomes a part of the culture.

“!e idea that you can expect that people are going to spontaneously do things [like look after the environment] is naïve,” commented Lieske. “By building a culture that always reduces, it creates a mindset that believes it’s bad to waste.”

Lieske believes that C3 has a valid goal of instilling environmental habits into the minds of the students. He thought that having an incentive, like competition, to motivate people into being conscious about the environment was a wonderful idea and should be done on a large scale, similar to the proposed carbon tax.

!e last two years’ winners of the challenge, Windsor and Hunton, were able to reduce their carbon emissions by 24% and 26% respectively. Eco-action member Stephen Middleton commented the group is “hoping to build on this success to ensure that this year’s C3 is the best yet.”

Eco-action is also looking into the possibility of holding a second C3 challenge in February. !is

event will be an Atlantic region wide competition between universities to see who can be the greenest school.

!is year, as well, C3 is going to have a wet/dry concert on Saturday, November 1 at the New Café. Eco-action and Music as a Cure are working together to present “music in action”, a collaborative of local bands to play at the concert. Tickets are being sold in advance at Jennings for $5 each.

!is event will be a fundraiser for

Campus-wide challenge encourages students to reduce emissions

By building a culture that always reduces, it creates a mindset that believes it’s bad to waste.

- David Lieske

“”

challenge, which is usually held later on in the year. However, this time Eco-action decided to host it in November so that students may learn to adopt healthy environmental habits sooner.

“November is a chance for all of our residents to get their climate change game face on,” says Natalie Gerum, one of eco-actions lead members. “We hope that this will set a precedent

November is a chance for all of our residents to get their climate challenge game face on. We hope that this will set a precedent for continued awareness on climate change throughout the year.

- Natalie Gerum

“

”Eco-action, but also aims to raise environmental awareness among the students. Hannah MacDonald, another member of Eco-action, commented that this concert “will be a fun way to raise money for Music as a Cure’s Malawi charity and to get everyone excited for this year’s C3.”

Music as a Cure is a group that is currently raising money for the “Malawi girls on the move” charity, which helps to provide funding for Malawi girls to go to school and achieve self-su#ciency through education. By organizing music concerts and events they are able to help in contributing to this Canadian/Malawi organization.

!is past Saturday, Mount Allison’s Team Fox put on its third pancake breakfast to raise money and awareness for Parkinson’s research; an event which put Team Fox o" to a great start in their fundraising.

“We broke our record this breakfast, in that we made almost $400 more than last time which is excellent,” said Team Fox co-president Amy Kitchen. “We also had almost 200 people come and eat breakfast.”

Last year, Team Fox had set a goal to raise $1000, and in the end ended up raising $2000. !is year, the group hopes to match and exceed the previous total. !e pancake breakfast got them $1200 closer to their goal.

!e breakfast began early in the morning, at 7am, when the group began making pancakes and preparing various toppings. Many in the Mt. A and Sackville community attended the breakfast, including those from SMILE.

“We went through a ridiculous

A ‘Flippin’ Good Time’ had by all

Team Fox earned more than half its total goal at the pancake breakfast. Team members also had fun making and decorating the pancakes.

Cejay RileyArgosy Correspondent

amount of food,” said Kitchen. “[One team member] cut up almost 100 bananas, we went through almost ten bags of berries, five bags of apples, [about] five bags of ten pound pancake mix, four containers of cool whip, 100 cups of co"ee, 15 orange juice and 20 pitchers of apple juice.”

Some of Team Fox’s members even got a little creative with their pancake making and produced pancakes of various shapes, such as stars, squiggly lines, spirals, a witch’s hat, and even some smiley faces to the delight of customers.

“Even though most of our committee has mostly new members this year we worked really well together as a team,” said Kitchen. !e group was joined by Owens intern Kerri George, and recent graduate and Team Fox veteran Melissa Wells.

Team Fox is part of the Michael J. Fox Foundation. It is an international organization dedicated to finding creative ways to raise money in support of Parkinson’s research. In its first two years, Team Fox has raised over $3 million for the cause and hopes to find a cure within the decade.

Cejay Riley

NATIONAL

The Drop Fees campaign called on Ontario’s provincial government to reduce tuition fees and convert a portion of all student loans to grants.

Riley McLeod, Ryerson Free Press

HAMILTON (CUP) – Students rolled out thousands of petitions onto the lawn of Ontario’s legislature in Toronto, and presented tens of thousands to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty’s constituency o#ce in Ottawa.

Increased tuition fees, insu#cient funding, and the current economic crisis have motivated over 50,000 students to send in signatures.

“Reaching Higher,” McGuinty’s post-secondary framework, was one of the topics addressed in the petition.

!e provincial government has increased funding for post-secondary education, but many students and lobby groups say this isn’t enough.

“No one would deny that the Ontario government has sunk more money into post-secondary education,” said Shelley Melanson, Ontario chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students, Canada’s largest student lobby group.

But, tuition rates continue to rise, and students are graduating with more debt than ever before.

!e petitions delivered on Oct. 22 call on the government to reduce tuition and ancillary fees for all students in the province. !ey also ask that a portion of all student loans be converted into grants.

“We knew the government was

Students deliver 50,000 petitions to Ontario governmentNathan SwyersThe Satellite (Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology)

going to be making an announcement on the state of the economy and giving an update on the budget,” said Melanson.

“Like many places in the world, Ontario is facing an economic downturn. What we are trying to argue is that one of the best ways to alleviate a poor economy and to strengthen it is to invest in post-secondary education.”

Statistics Canada released a report in early October that said tuition fees in Ontario increased at the highest dollar amount in Canada. !is has pushed Ontario’s tuition fees for an undergraduate degree to the second highest in the country, after Nova Scotia.

She says federal and provincial funding was cut during the 1990s, and tuition fees have gone up by 350 per cent since 1991, four times the rate of inflation.

Melanson says the biggest issue with McGuinty’s “Reaching Higher” plan is increased tuition fees along with increased loan limits.

“I guess the theory the government has is that by increasing loan limits, you’re increasing access, because people have the ability to cover the new cost of education,” she said.

“!e problem is [the plan] creates a significant graduation debt. For most students, the average debt for a four-year degree is quickly approaching $28,000.”

She says Canada is experiencing enormous job losses within the

manufacturing industry and a shift toward a knowledge-based economy. Most new listed jobs in Canada require some form of post-secondary education.

While fees go up, class sizes are increasing as well, says McMaster University professor Richard Day, an expert in the quality of undergraduate education.

“We have much larger classes in most institutions now. We haven’t had the amount of funding from the

government that would allow us to do faculty renewal,” said Day.

He says that while more funding is needed, the quality of education hasn’t changed.

“If you look at what a quality education means, it is always dependant on the e"ort the student puts in to learn things, and I don’t think that has changed over the years at all,” said Day.

On Nov. 5, the Canadian Federation of Students will be hosting

an Ontario-wide Day of Action to call for accessible post-secondary education. Marches and rallies will take place across the province.

“Students are going to continue to escalate until we see our demands met,” said Melanson. “It’s really important for us that we take this opportunity now to address these issues before they get completely out of control.”

WINNIPEG (CUP) – !e economic cycle is moving into a recession, which spells trouble for students about to graduate.

“We are seeing a short-term slowdown in a long-term growth pattern,” said Hugh Grant, a professor of economics at the University of Winnipeg who specializes in labour economics.

Grant says the time when a student

Students graduate into an economic slowdownRecession impacts students’ job prospects, says profJoe KornelsenThe Uniter (University of Winnipeg)

enters the labour market can have an impact on their long-term earnings.

“Enter a bad labour market – and here I mean a prolonged recession – you may get a job, but a lousy job,” he said. “When the labour market improves five years later and jobs open up in your field, you find yourself competing with fresh graduates.”

According to Grant, studies show that this “economic scarring” can be reflected in a worker’s wages throughout their life.

Russell Plett remembers well the recession in the eighties. He was

shingling roofs in the early years of the decade and remembers the di#culty finding work.

“We didn’t get to shop for jobs,” he said. “I don’t know that I ever turned a job down.”

By 1983, Plett decided he would rather be in school than face the elements on rooftops throughout the seasons. He graduated with a degree in education in 1988 and began teaching in northern Manitoba.

Today he spends his days writing.“Keep your human capital up to

date,” said Plett. “It’s about keeping

your education credentials fresh.”Economies naturally cycle through

periods of growth and decline. Decline happens when an economy shows two consecutive quarters of negative growth.

Some recessions can be short and shallow like in 2001, or they can be much longer and deeper like in the early 1980s.

Stephanie Barke graduated from the University of Winnipeg last April with a bachelor of arts, and although she didn’t find a job in her field, by June she was working with a

company developing information and communications software.

Barke recently received an e-mail from the president of her company about the current financial trouble, saying that things will continue as normal, but that it’s hard to predict the next six months.

“I’m not worried too much right now,” she said. “[But] the phones aren’t ringing o" the hook like they were in July.”

ST. JOHN’S (CUP) – !e kegs of free and cheap beer slowed to a drip as administration at Memorial University ended residence dependency on sponsorship and donations from breweries in St. John’s, N.L.

Christine Burke, director of Housing, Food, and Conference Services at Memorial, says that the decision came after a review of similar sponsorships at other Canadian campuses across the nation, which found that no other university allowed endorsements by alcohol companies.

Due to changes to residence

Memorial University bans beer sponsorshipKenny SharpeThe Muse (Memorial University of Newfoundland)

eligibility requirements implemented last year, as of this September, 64 per cent of those students living on campus were underage. Burke indicated that this information, combined with a number of behavioural reports, acted as the basis for the ban.

“Last year we saw significant changes with regards to behaviour of our first-year students in residence that could be attributed to drinking. As a result, we put our heads together to determine the best way to deal with this,” said Burke.

“We changed the ratio of first-year and senior students last year. With that, we had challenges last year that we didn’t have before. We had people who had behaviours that were not acceptable.”

Burke acknowledges the fact that campus residences benefit in other ways from brewery endorsements.

Noting that sponsors sometimes o"ered money or other monetary mechanisms for house events or charity fundraisers, she suggests that Housing’s contribution to on-campus life should cover all residence needs.

She also says that each house on campus receives $1,000 per term, and another $1,000 for a damage deposit refund. Also, Housing has a fund for each house to make major purchases, like big screen TVs, gaming consoles, and lounging sets.

In addition to this, Burke notes that this year Housing paid 50 per cent of what it cost each house to make their orientation house shirts, and have

also increased resident assistant and proctor spending to $100 per house event.

Burke says the beer company sponsors didn’t like the idea, but they understood Housing’s reasoning given that so many students are now underage.

“I met with the district managers and VPs from the breweries. I can’t say they liked the idea, however, they realized that we were being too diligent, and given that the ratio had changed so much in just a year . . . technically their sponsorship should only pertain to the 30 odd per cent who are actually of age.”

Mishelle LeClerc, a first-year student living on campus, disagrees with the move.

“[Housing] knows that college students or university students are on a budget, they’re not all rich, and that the all love to party. It’s just a given. And then [Housing] goes and takes away stu" like a dollar a beer. !at deal is awesome for someone who doesn’t have $15, you know?” said LeClerc.

“Now we have to go o" and get a taxi, go all the way to the liquor store, and spend a whole bunch of money on alcohol when they could have gotten it for half price. Students are still going to drink, it’s just going to cost us a lot more.”

Burke says that there will be repercussions for any house found dealing with alcohol sponsorships under the new guidelines.

SACThe Student Administrative Council Page

The S.A.C’s

Mission

Statement

The Mount Allison Students’ Union aims to foster a community where the quality of student life (education, social, and personal) is constantly improving.

The Students’ Administrative Council will promote high-quality student learning. It will advocate student interests, as well as those of Mount Allison University and post-secondary education as a whole. The council will provide its members with

diverse opportunities to become exceptional leaders. It will be flexible enough to accommodate a changing world.

The S.A.C.’s priorities will be determined by its members. The Council will foster communication both internally and externally, in order to be democratic, fair, accountable to and accessible to its members. It will provide services students want and can use. It will cultivate unity and good will among its members, but will respect differing views of all members. It will solve problems with the best interest of students in mind at all times.

What does the S.A.C. represent?

S.A.C. Awareness WeekOctober 27-31

Congratulations to Bennett on winning the

residence voting competition!

S.A.C. Bingo @ the Pub

Your Student

Administrative Council

presents S.A.C. Bingo

at the PUB Thursday

The draw has been open all week. The ballots will be collected at 4:30 pm on Friday. To submit a ballot for the draw, you simply need to stop by the S.A.C. office and fill one out. As an added bonus, you will receive a bubble-gum filled sucker. The “Garnet and Gold” themed draw basket is filled with:20 Dollar Gift Certificate for the Olive Branch10 Dollar Gift Certificate for Joey’sA Rickards’ Baseball CapA Garnet Knit HatA Enviro-Mug A Enviro-BagA Triangular Mount Allison BannerPopcornTwo Chocolate BarsTwo Packages of GumA package of red licoriceToothpasteToothbrushHand SanitizerS, A, and C Shaped Sticky Notes

S.A.C “Garnet and Gold” themed draw basket

(tonight)! It will begin at

10:00 pm and continue

into the night. The prizes

will be drinking tickets.

Come out and show

us how loud you can

scream, “BINGO!” Dan

Wortman will be your

host of the evening. The

PUB will be hopping so

be sure to come out and

win!

The S.A.C. will be among the best student associations of Canada.

The S.A.C’s

Mandate

The mandate of the S.A.C. is to improve student life and protect student interests. The Mount Allison Students’ Union aims to foster a community where the quality of student life (educational, social, and personal) is constantly improving. The Students’ Union is governed by the Student Administrative Council where all students

are members and have voting privileges. The Council has two major responsibilities: to be a political representation and to provide services for the students. There are various political committees where students are represented.

The S.A.C.’s

Background

The Union is run by six executive members and elected representatives from both off campus and on campus ridings. The six executive consist of the President, Vice President

of Academic Affairs, Vice President of External Affairs, Vice President of Campus Life, Vice President of Finance and Operations, and Vice President of Communications. The Council has representatives from each residence on campus, one representative for every one hundred and three (103) off campus, as well as one representative for the international students. There are also two support staff who work full time in the office, the Office Manager and the Office Administrator. There are also several other appointments who work for the union and provide various services.

ENTERTAINMENT

Jocelyn TurnerArgosy Correspondent

Sackville welcomed the musical stylings of Cape Breton’s Gordie Sampson and Winnipeg’s Chantal Kreviazuk as part of the Songs on Stage festival last !ursday, October 23. !e musicians were met with a nearly full Convocation Hall.

Gordie Sampson kicked o" the show. After telling the crowd a little about himself, he quickly got down to business heating up the crowd with a few of his hits such as “Sunburn,” “Sorry,” “Davey Jones,” and “Fear of Flying.”

Before the majority of his songs, he took a minute to explain where each came along. He explained the “Fear of Flying” was written in the point of view of a young woman who was fooling around with a committed man who would not leave the other woman for her, and implored the audience to imagine him as a sexy blonde woman. Sampson introduced “Davey Jones” by saying that he probably never would have written it had he seen the Pirates of the Caribbean movies first, most likely because his descriptions were put to death by the movie’s computer-generated Davy Jones.

When addressing the crowd, he portrayed a definite Maritimer quality that helped to form a connection between audience and artist. In comparison to Kreviazuk, I found that he was more in tune with the audience, and was able to connect with them on a personal and regional level.

Sampson’s performance was absolutely worth it. Although I was unfamiliar with him before the show, I was in awe of his talent, creativity, and captivation of the audience. His songs were down to earth and easy to connect to and easy to dream in. !eir tone was subtle, and yet had an indescribable eagerness to them that encouraged a sheer desire to hear more.

Chantal Kreviazuk’s performance was less engaging. It consisted

Good and bad performances give evening an uneven feel

mostly of banter between herself and the audience, where she frequently recounted stories. For example, she told a story about the day she gave birth to her third son as an introduction for “Feels Like Home.” She also asked for there to be light on the audience so she could see who she was singing to, which seemed to give her an intimate feel with the audience, much in the same way that Sampson did when he had the audience participate in the singing of one of his ballads.

During one of her compositions, Kreviazuk stopped in the middle of it and demonstrated what she usually did when playing. Apparently, she felt the need to show o" the ri"s and frills she usually performed, and add that she had a pretty bad cold.

Honestly, I feel that the night, once Kreviazuk started to play, seemed to drag on and on. I almost cried out of utter disgust when she came back on for an encore.

Even with a cold, her voice was wonderful to listen to, when she was singing of course. I found that she ruined her half of the evening by talking continuously about things that were either quite disgusting or had no relevant point to the songs she was introducing - I can o#cially say that I

Beauty and the beast

Anastasia LlewellynArgosy Correspondent

!e show was set to begin at 8:00, but by 7:30 the front half of Convocation Hall was nearly full, and people continued to stream in, chattering expectantly.

!e show began with an acoustic set by Nova Scotia indie rocker Joel Plaskett, accompanied by his father, Bill, who played guitar and provided backup vocals. !e younger Plaskett won six 2008 East Coast Music Awards with his group, the Joel Plaskett Emergency, for the album Ashtray Rock. !roughout the set, Joel and Bill Plaskett, both dressed in sweater vests, played songs from previous albums as well as from their upcoming triple

Joel Plaskett and Ron Sexsmith headline final Songs on Stage showalbum. Between songs, Joel Plaskett interacted with the crowd, showing his sense of humour through the banter with the audience. Joel Plaskett’s clear, pure voice was soulful and echoed the emotions of the lyrics. !e younger Plaskett, who played guitar for all but one song, moved with the music, gently shu$ing back and forth, stomping his feet to the beat. For one song, to which the crowd clapped along, he played a little keyboard which he claimed to have purchased at Value Village. His attention to detail further endeared him to the audience. Partway through the set, the elder Plaskett left the stage, leaving the spotlight on his son. While alone onstage, Plaskett played “Face of the Earth” from latest album Ashtray Rock. He lent powerful emotion to the song, nearly shouting the lyrics, yet in

a very melodic way. After two more songs, and a successful attempt at getting the audience to sing along, his father once more joined him onstage. At the end of their performance, the Plasketts received an immediate standing ovation from the crowd, which was clearly moved. !e applause persisted long after their exit from the stage, prompting them to return for an encore, of “Natural Disaster”. During the intermission, they were in the lobby, signing autographs and interacting with fans.

After the intermission, Ron Sexsmith and his band took over the stage. Dressed in a gold jacket, Sexsmith appeared almost comical following the unpretentious presentation of the previous act. Sexsmith was accompanied by a drummer, a guitarist

and a bassist, who also provided some backup vocals. Like Plaskett, Sexsmith tried to add humour to his interaction with the crowd, but whereas it seemed very natural coming from the former, here it seemed rather contrived. Sexsmith played guitar on most songs, but took a break in the middle of the set to sit at the piano. After playing a couple of songs with the full band, the songwriter remained alone at the piano to sing “Tomorrow in Her Eyes”, which he dedicated to his sweetheart back home, creating the only real emotional moment in his set. Overall, while obviously a talented musician, Sexsmith paled in comparison to Plaskett, sounding downright whiny, as opposed to plaintive, and sometimes quite unclear. While Sexsmith and his band also received a standing ovation,

Closing the books and the town

most of the audience left right after, missing the three-song encore.

While Ron Sexsmith may have been the bigger name on Saturday night, Joel and Bill Plaskett made a more lasting impression.

Graeme BousadaArgosy Contributor

Another !ursday night and Sackville is up to nothing again. Sure, Chantal Kreviazuk was lighting up Convocation Hall and Keith’s Crew ensured many a drunk-a-lunks would be crawling out of ‘Club L’, but down in the little artist run gallery on Lorne, Kelp Records artists showed up ready to bust out.

Down at Struts Gallery last !ursday, October 24, Kelp Records showed o" three of their artists to a small, but responsive crowd. Andrew Vincent, Andy Swan and Hilotrons played their hearts out to the collage covered walls in Struts. !e independent record label based out of Ottawa (right on Bank Street mothapufas!) showed o" some of the great talent that the nation’s capital

has to o"er, while keeping their price to a reasonable five dollars.

By far the greats of the evening were the Ottawa’s Hilotrons, an alternative, “new pop” band. !e quintet melded sticky retro melodies with reggaeton influenced bass lines, well versed harmonies with slick drumbeats. Showing a little umph, the band played with awesome energy, most notably the lead singer, Michael John Dubue. I have never seen a singer who has so much fun on stage, toying with

Kelp Records reviewthe microphone to create the sounds that were just right. Extraordinarily expressive, his style ranged from ambient yells to operatic singing to funky falsetto, keeping one constantly guessing as to what was coming next.

Essential to the band’s sound was keyboard/synthesizer player Mike Schultz who through his digital soundboard melded 8-bit sounding melodies behind Paul Michael Hogan’s sticky guitar, phat basslines from Damian Sawka and solid drumming from Philip Shaw Bova. All in all, I was very impressed with the bands performance and happy they remembered Sackville on their way to the rock the Halifax Pop Explosion. !ey’re new album Happymatic can be bought online.

Other featured artists were Andrew Vincent and Andy Swan, two Torontonian artists signed to Kelp

Records. Merging with members from Hilotrons, Andrew Vincent played a solid show, mostly consisting of covers. By far the hit was his “Boys of Summer” cover, done with several members of Hilotrons.

Andy Swan, roommate and close friend of Andrew Vincent, melded folk guitar with jazz drums. Teamed up with an elusive figure on

drums, whose name deviously escapes me, Andy Swan played a solid set.

!ough neither Andrew Vincent nor Andy Swan disappointed the crowd, they were no match for the energy and power that Hilotrons showcased to conclude the evening.

Kelp Records showcased solid talent to a meagre crowd at Struts. Come out and support Canadian music and take advantage of the great name Sackville has for attracting artists from across the country.

know how many centimeters Chantal Kreviazuk was dilated when she started screaming for the drugs during labour.

It seems as though her attempts at being humorous was greatly inspired by Sampson’s automatic uniqueness and the laughter he inspired during his set. Sampson had a relatively easy time at being funny as his sense of humor seemed genuine and less forced, whereas hers was very dull and done through the telling of unneeded stories that were rather inappropriate and done through large amounts of foul language, even though she made it known that she was aware that there were young children present.

As for her musical talent, it was outstanding. Her fingers moving on the piano keys were amazing. Her music and her lyrics were just awesome. !ey inspired these feelings that move you, for lack of a better explanation. Her creative writing ability is amazing.

In comparison however, it was Gordie Sampson won me over. I enjoyed his performance so much more than Kreviazuk’s because he wasn’t trying to be funny; he was naturally entertaining. I even enjoyed his music, even though I’m not a Celtic folk music fan of any sort.

Hardly washed up

Jocelyn Turner

www.gctc.ca

EOCTOBER 30, 2008 • ENTERTAINMENT • THE ARGOSY• PAGE 13

Betty LiangArgosy Correspondent

!e Stone Angel (2007, Canada. Starring Ellen Burstyn, Christine Horne; Directed by Kari Skogland)

!e Stone Angel, by Margaret Laurence is a literary classic in Canada.

After taken on and o" the banned books list for being blasphemous and somewhat risque, !e Stone Angel has finally been adapted into a feature film where the school boards can’t get it. Alas, I am ashamed to say that I’ve yet to read this book and I surely would’ve had it not been for time-consuming tasks such as studying for midterms. However,I know the basics of the book: an aging Hagar Shipley is struggling with her independence after her son Marvin tries to put her in a retirement home. !rough vignettes of her past, we see Hagar with all her faults and virtues as history repeats itself.

Sadly, these vignettes weren’t enough for me. frequently during the film, I felt as if there was more to the story than what I was seeing on the screen, as if I were missing out on some little secret everyone knows about but me. – which is probably the case considering

Stone Angel a rigid a!airthe print to film transition that had to be made. Of course, this is a fairly common problem with a lot of film adaptations of novels and although the overall e"ect of !e Stone Angel wasn’t hindered completely, I would have loved a bit more elaboration. Insight into certain characters or events would have enhanced the movie, but I suppose one could always read the novel and supplement the information in that fashion.

Perhaps my own opinion of the film would have been better formed had I read the book before hand and if I hadn’t heard the opinions of those who had already seen the movie in theatres. It seems to me that those who have read the book prefer the book for the exact reason that I’ve mentioned above while those who haven’t read the novel found !e Stone Angel powerful enough to bring them to tears.

Even though I didn’t cry while watching it, I must admit that if !e Stone Angel does accomplish one thing and one thing only, it’s that it has the ability to be utterly depressing. I know I walked out of that theatre a little less cheery than I was earlier in the evening, brooding over all that’d happened on the movie screen.

!e premise of the film dredges up

questions about society and how we’re able to blindly cast away the people in our life. It shows us our treatment of each other and especially the treatment, or rather mistreatment, of the elderly.

Ellen Burstyn did a more than wonderful job portraying the elderly, but perpetually stubborn and feisty Hagar who is nearing the end of her life. !ere’s a beautiful frailty about Burstyn’s appearance (which one would expect from a woman Hagar’s age) while still being able to maintain a roughness in her voice and actions, which are definitive of Hagar’s character.

Paired with the equally as fiery and beautiful Christine Horne as the young Hagar, they make the perfect duo. !e two depict Hagar in a way that I’m sure readers of the book will fully appreciate and in the end, that is what the whole film comes down to.

Being the tragic story of one women’s blind ambitions, !e Stone Angel isn’t exactly a pick-me-up, but it’s a story that shouldn’t be missed. You’ll fall in love with Hagar and hate her at the same time and perhaps come out of the movie a better person, learning from Hagar’s mistakes.

Justine GalbraithArgosy Staff

Last week’s show at the Pub started an hour late, but the audience didn’t mind as they were treated to a fun show, and a surprise bonus guest performer between the sets.

Coming to the stage in trendy glasses and decked out in red and black, Gianna Lauren began the night with a voice and guitar combo. She has a beautiful, soft voice which was complimented nicely with the hard sound of her (red) electric guitar.

Each of Lauren’s songs was unique and pretty, but I found them slightly one-dimensional with little guitar variation within a song. However, she was a great performer, and anyone who encourages crowd clapping is fine in my books.

Next to the stage was an individual who I initially thought was doing the sound-check for the main act. One song in, I realized my mistake as I enjoyed the Kalimba stylings of Toronto’s Laura Barrett.

Barrett really caught my eye with her instrument, which just looked like a small box with buttons, but filled the room with sound. She only played a few songs, and the crowd enjoyed the impromptu interruption.

Finally, the headliners - !e

Kings of Leon: Only by the Night

!e Tennessee rock group, Kings of Leon, has just released their fourth album in just less than five years, to the delight of their many international fans. !eir unique style has grabbed attention from critics across the world and has built them a huge fan base which has been begging for more since the release of 2007’s Because of the Time. Critics have compared this rath-er up and coming band to such greats as !e Chili Peppers and !e Killers. !e hit single “Sex on Fire” is an in-stant hit, perfect for blasting down the halls, or at any party. !e album meets standards set by previous albums, but just barely manages to surpass them. With an identical style, the album feels like an extension on their previ-ous albums. However, being just a bit better than amazing is nothing to be ashamed of; take !e Dark Knight for example. When it’s all said and done this album is a must have for any rock lover’s library. Only by the Night can be purchased in stores, or from iTunes.

Erik FraserArgosy Contributor

Joshua Radin: Simple Times

It takes me little hesitation to name Joshua Radin’s most recent album, Simple Times, as one of the top undiscovered albums of the year. !e album consistently turns out fantastic lyrics and impressive tracks from start to finish. !e fast paced, yet easy listening style is perfect for hanging out in residence with friends, as background music to do your homework to, or to lift you up after a long day of classes. !e album’s single, “I’d rather be with you,” is two minutes and forty-eight seconds of greatness. It is his first song to break the top 50 on iTunes most downloaded. Although relatively unheard of, Joshua Radin’s compelling voice and guitar playing will appeal to Damien Rice, Jack Johnson, and Coldplay fans. Work from his previous album, First Between !ird and Fourth, will be recognized by frequent viewers of Scrubs and Grey’s Anatomy. Simple Times receives my highest recommendation and is a definite must listen.

Takes on new discsTwo gems that should be bought

Alexandra TherouxArgosy Correspondent

!e newest album from the southern rock family band from Tennessee is definitely one of their best. With the popular release of the single “Sex on Fire,” and an appearance on Saturday Night Live before the release of the al-bum, the Kings were pretty much set to have a good reception for their lat-est work.

In this album, the band seems to have done a lot more stepping out of their carefully established comfort

Kings of LeonOnly By the NightRCA Records Label

zone as seen in the previous albums (Youth and Young Manhood, Ah Ha Shake Heartbreak, and Because of the Times). Each song features a little more of Jared Followill’s keyboard stylings and Matthew Followill’s guitar solos, which stand out in comparison to the other albums. As for the lyrics, the songs are without a doubt Kings of Leon songs, filled with gritty rhythm and lyrics which can almost all be describing sex in some way (although not in an explicit, vulgar way). Caleb Followill, who in Youth & Young Manhood almost had Bob Dylan beat for mumbled lyrics, has shown how far he’s come, which in turn helps us see how far the entire band has come.

Songs to watch out for: “Crawl,” “Sex on Fire,” “Revelry,” and “I Want You.”

Judi Keefe Argosy Contributor

I have to admit that I was apprehensive in pushing play on my stereo to begin listening and forming a review of Sylvie. I had no expectations for the music: I had never even heard of the band, or their songs before, and the “fishy” cover art further alluded to an obscure assembly of sounds.

However, I was initially drawn to the acoustic punk sound, and enticingly powerful lyrics of this Saskatchewan

SylvieTrees and Shade are our Only Fences

band’s third brain-child. Sylvie has a definite spunk and personality to their music that isn’t altogether “pretty,” but it’s entrancing.

My favourite songs include five of the twelve: “Please Make it Home,” “Listen Up,” “Satellites,” “Dark Ages,” and “Notes On Counters,” Although much of the album sounds relatively similar, these are tracks with memorable vocals and playful guitar ri"s set over a steady drumbeat, which is relatively unchanging through the entire album.

Overall, I was impressed by the composition of the album. It has a great mood to it, and the songs are tantalizing and provide perfect “white noise” for studying.

!ree out of four stars.

Meligrove Band - took the stage, with Jason Nunes on keyboard and vocals, Darcy Rego on drums, and Michael Small on bass. !ey seemed to really enjoy performing, and it came across in their music.

I can only describe their songs as epic - it seemed that, at least for a little while, they had a main ri" and then would go o" into variations, come back to the ri", and then go in a di"erent direction altogether. !e keyboard favoured the lower range, the bass player favoured the higher range,

Melin-groovesSurprise guest takes stage at Pub

Music in Action, benefit

concert organized by

Eco-Action and Music as

a Cure. All proceeds go to

Malawi Gir ls on the Move

(www.igirlsonthemove.

com) devoted to providing

scholarships and building

a school for girls in rural

Literary adaptation good, but will leave fans wanting more

Upcoming this weekend!

and throughout, Rego added his vocals to the mix.

In the second half of their set, Nunes switched to guitar, and their sound adapted to favour this. !ere were always distinct melodies in their instruments, and near the end, the audience got up to dance. !e Meligrove Band was enjoyable, catchy, but with a fun edge that sets them apart from others in their genre.

Overall, it was an fun show with sweet, unexpected, danceable and interesting acts.

Gianna Lauren opened the show

Compact Discs!

Malawi. Also devoted to

raising awareness about

C3, the Campus Climate

Challenge occurring during

the month of November

Featuring Mount Allison

artists, Graeme Bousada,

Small Town City and Corey

Isenor and Haligonian

Rich Aucoin.

10pm - 1am, New Student

Cafe, $5 at the door.

Wear green to support

the environment!

E PAGE 14 • THE ARGOSY • ENTERTAINMENT• OCTOBER 30, 2008

William GregoryArgosy Staff

!e Halifax Pop Explosion is now a seasoned festival, able to attract prominent names from Atlantic Canada, recognizable acts from Ontario, Quebec and the rest of Canada, and obscure acts from around the globe. Time constraints and overlapping billing meant that out of the approximately 125 bands playing this year’s festival, I managed to take in a paltry fraction of what was available.

!ursday Scarce headlined at the Seahorse, while Polaris nominees Holy Fuck were rocking !e Marquee and their drab and dour sound did little for me. Hailing from Boston, the trio

Neil BonnerArgosy Staff

THURSDAY: !e big show tonight is Holy Fuck at the Marquee Club, but on the trusted recommendation of my friend Chris I decide to check out the Coconut Grove on Grafton St. It’s a cozy little club located up from street level, with a rooftop patio where one can sit in a plastic deck chair and watch drunk Dal students mill about the pizzerias below. Regrettably, I arrived just as Boxer the Horse was reaching the end of their set. I don’t think I can fairly judge them based on a couple of songs, but su#ce it to say I wanted to hear more. !e Rural Alberta Advantage have a devoted following at Mount Allison after a February gig at the Pub, but scatterbrain that I am, I missed out on it. Turns out the raves were well deserved. !e band has found an intersection between the heart-tugging, anthemic power of indie rock and the detail and clarity of western roots music, and it makes for instantly memorable songs. !e dual percussion and surging acoustic electric propel the songwriting forward while synth organ casts a sepia-toned glow.

I’ve never been to see a Flaming Lips show, but Rich Aucoin somehow crammed the experience into the loft of the Coconut Grove. Dressed in white from his shirt to his kicks, Rich tossed

HALIFAX EXPLODES FOR A 17TH TIME

confetti and balloons into the crowd, made shadow puppets against projections of old cartoons and black-and-white films while bringing the crowd together with his heart-on-sleeve synthpop tunes. !e sound was slightly bottom-heavy, but there’s no denying the quirky power of Aucoin’s live show. Speaking of quirky, it would be tempting to write o" Halifax’s Ghost Bees with that one word. !eir stage setup consisted of a tablecloth and doily over the RAA’s drum, ceramic masks on their mics and costumes that seemed tailor-made for a ghost at the Overlook Hotel. !eir lyrics deal with tea-leaf reading, ancestry, war, and blood. But these twin sisters make it work, with genuinely enchanting arrangements and startlingly clear vocals that surpass likeminded artists Joanna Newsom and CocoRosie. Plus – they had their own personal blend of “dream tea” for sale at the merch table.

!ey were a perfect preface to the night’s headliner, Laura Barrett. A sometimes-member of the Hidden Cameras, Laura’s solo show involves her voice and a box of kalimbas – thumb pianos with a bewitching, music-box like sound. Her voice has the perfectly-toned flexibility of a jazz singer coupled with the unpredictable swoops of Bjork. By this point, much of the crowd had dispersed, turning the Grove into an intimate little music hall, allowing Barrett to step into the crowd and predict people’s

futures through song - according to her, I will be a virtuous academic. What better way to end the first show?

FRIDAY Halifax has seen an influx of

big hip hop acts lately, from Naughty by Nature to Nas. In keeping with that tradition, the HPX organizers invited the GZA, an original member of the Wu-Tang Clan, to perform his legendary 1995 album, Liquid Swords. I arrived early at the Marquee expecting a huge crowd, but the club was still pretty vacant, so I nursed a Rickard’s while Ghostface Killah played over the loudspeakers. After a while, I headed down to Hell’s Kitchen – directly below the Marquee – to check out some local hip hop. Truro’s Joe Buck opened, and he faced the unenviable task of psyching up a crowd of about 15 with an energetic performance and fresh beats. True, here was nothing earth-shattering about his rhymes – his hometown, his skills and the ladies came up often – but it was strangely thrilling having these lyrics applied to Nova Scotia. !e next act, J Gutta, spit nothing but cliché – though technically competent – thug-posturing over undercooked beats. A tip: if you’re going to rap about being “the shit,” make damn sure you have the skills to back it up. I headed back upstairs to see DJ Cosmo, Halifax’s DJ

champion for the past two years. He darted back and forth between decks, cutting classic and modern hip-hop from KRS One, TI and Busta Rhymes. He stayed on stage as one of three DJs for renowned Halifax MC Ghettosocks. Socks’ funny-but-not-jokey verses about Wal-Mart and Voltron were backed by confidently old-school beats – an upbeat cocktail of scratches, samples and breakbeats – from Cosmo and crew. I have profound respect for anyone who incorporates Reading Rainbow theme into their set. !e block-party-like atmosphere brought the crowd together for the main event. After a long setup, GZA took the stage to the ominous samurai-movie intro of “Liquid Swords.” He made it through most of that seminal album as well as some recent solo work and classic Wu-Tang (he did “Clan in Da Front”!!). It was one of the more interactive shows of the weekend, with GZA

could be best described as a moody, goth band with a gloomy sound. !e Maynards are known for an upbeat and enthusiastic show, which they delivered with their Seahorse set. !eir energetic brand of pop/punk was accentuated by a contest for an attractive red jacket, awarded to the audience member deemed the best dancer by the band. !e ruby allure of the jacket attracted a sizable contingent to the dance floor, who swayed and bashed their way to glory. Bloodsport played an uninspired set, to an uninspired crowd. Although I missed the first two openers, Electrolyte and American Epic, the Seahorse’s atmosphere was rather sedate, with only !e Maynards proving successful in energizing the venue.

!e flagship show Friday night was the hyped hiphop show headlined by GZA (or the

Genius). He was the highest profile artist at this year’s explosion. From what I saw, GZA’s smooth and calm delivery is awe inspiring, although the acoustics in !e Marquee made his lyrics unintelligible at times. Moreover, his tendency to hand vocals over to the audience to finish lines detracted from the overall performance.

Saturday was a busy day with of several daytime shows in addition to the standard docket of late night entertainment. Daytime, all ages shows typically lack the energy of late night venues since a lack of alcohol and an excess of sunlight usually depress the amount of energy. !e Pavilion, an uninspiring gra#ti-ridden

concrete block of a building, housed one of the few all ages shows at this year’s pop explosion. Headlining the Marquee eight hours later, Sebastian Grainger and Islands did their best for the small crowds. One of the openers, !undrah employed considerable amounts of distortion,

all photos by Jessica Emin

EOCTOBER 30, 2008 • ENTERTAINMENT • THE ARGOSY• PAGE 15

HALIFAX EXPLODES FOR A 17TH TIME

dropping the ends of verses for the audience to fill in, signing merch onstage and bantering back and forth with the crowd. He even jumped into the teeming mass of Haligonian hip hop heads to perform a track, transforming the audience into a security-driven mosh pit. True, it was hard to make out some of the verses, and I sometimes wished he would finish the lyrics himself, but the loose, fun atmosphere and the thrill of singing along to “Duel of the Iron Mic” with a giddy crowd proved once again that Wu-Tang is for the children.

SATURDAY !e Pavillion is the city’s all-ages venue, conveniently located next to the skate park and the sports field. Little more than a utilitarian concrete room with card tables for merch and a drink fridge at the back, it was the site of my first real rock show at the 2005 Pop Explosion (Ted Leo and the Pharmacists).

!e afternoon show was a preview of the evening’s big Marquee club show, but with di"erent openers. !e first band, Greenbelt Collective, seemed to embody every cliché about indie rock, from the eleven-member roster to the carefully-styled thrift store wardrobe and twee lyrics. But they managed to win me over with genuinely catchy hooks and unexpectedly beautiful instrumentation (their ‘Mountain Song’ was a highlight). Montreal’s Special

Noise played an intense, headbang-friendly set that combined the force of Death from Above 1979 with the prog-rock proficiency of !e Mars Volta. Special mention should go to the godly rocking of drummer Jef Simmons, who needed a new hi-hat after the first song. !e afternoon’s most bizarre moment came at the end of their set when a member of Greenbelt raised the microphone to the ceiling, shouted “THIS SONG IS CALLED BANANA” and jumped around screaming into the mic while the band played. !undrah, another Montreal band, played a tedious set of atmospheric, loop-heavy hardcore. !e afternoon’s first headliner, ex-Death From Above 1979-er Sebastien Grainger brought his new project, the Mountains, to the stage. If DFA was the aural equivalent of drunken, uninhibited moshing in a cramped, sweaty bar, the Mountains are equal to drunken, uninhibited waving

of lighters at an arena rock show. Grainger’s passionate vocals remain, though they’re given more room to breathe against his band’s muscular and catchy rock ‘n roll. !e hooks didn’t quite come through onstage, however – largely due to the sound which melded together Grainger’s songs. Overall, this is an intriguing and rewarding new direction for Grainger. !e main act, Islands, beautifully translated their baroque pop stylings to the Pavillion. !e violins were balanced nicely with the rest of the band as they played songs from Arm’s Way and Return to the Sea. Some technical di#culties reduced the length of their set, but they ended on a high note with the epic “Swans (Life After Death).” Singer/guitarist Nick !orburn o"ered to sing in the parking lot or play basketball after the show, but we left before we could check out his jump shot.

Fittingly, my Pop Explosion ended where it began, in the comfy cofines of the Coconut Grove. !e evening showcased the Fuzzy Logic Records roster, and it wrapped up the Pop Explosion with an evening of good vibrations and diverse talent. We’re Scared began the proceedings with striking, catchy acoustic pop. !ey’re very new – their first show was early in 2007 – but their forthcoming debut album is one to watch for. Township Expansion not only played a great set, but provided the best stage banter of the weekend when they tried to talk the sound man into

turning on the lasers to accompany their fluid 90s style alternative. !e Bicycles came onstage with dragon masks fashioned from cardboard boxes, introducing themselves as “the new GWAR” before laying into a fun, handclap-friendly set of addictive, sugary rock. Fuzzy Logic’s resident beat maestro Peter Project laid down a set of electro-hip-hop tracks replete with vintage film samples, dextrous scratching and an infectious sense of fun. Montreal MC More or Les joined him on several tracks, rapping about brunch, repetitive stress injuries and his accountant, in one of my favorite sets of the weekend. Hamilton’s Young Rival played what initially sounded like wiry postmillenial indie reminiscent of the Hives. As their set progressed, they revealed a deeper kinship with lo-fi sixties garage rock, one that became perfectly clear when lead singer Aron D’Alesio pulled out his harmonica for the last song. Hopefully you checked them out at the Pub yesterday. Finally, those purveyors of hot ‘n heavy electro club bangers Woodhands played to a moshing crowd (and a rather confused birthday pubcrawl that just happened to stop by). I didn’t get to stay for the whole thing, but I did see the band bring out More or Les for a rather awkward freestyle, while singer Dan Werb reinterpreted Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” as an angry electronic tantrum. And so I headed home; tired, sweaty, pop-exploded and happy.

reverb and echos during their set, creating a bit of a drugged out atmosphere. However, it seems that the distortion was the point of the set, blurring distinctions between instruments, which were frequently changed and making their sound unintelligible. More or less, !undrah treated the

crowd to a fuzzy, amorphous sound that while initially intriguing left something to be desired after an entire set. Sebastian Grainger, formerly of Montreal icons Death from Above 1979, played a great set backed by the Mountains. Compared to the hyped up sound of DFA, Grainger and

the Mountains had a muscular and robust sound that featured the same hectic vocals that characterized DFA. Powerful basslines formed the backbone of the set making for a welcome change from the usually anemic compositions of most indie bands. Islands started late, experienced delays and finished on time, making for a quick and rushed set. Nevertheless, Islands’ set was excellent, featuring stirring string arrangements, and relatively crisp

sound (considering the venue). !e songs were mostly of the pop/rock variety, with themes like love or lack thereof but they pulled them of in an engaging manner.

!e Coconut Grove’s cozy atmosphere was a great setting for the warm pop of the Bicycles, Peter Project’s fresh beats, Young Rival’s tough industrial sound, finishing with Woodhands all playing in the Fuzzy Logic Records Showcase. !e Bicycles are touring in support of a new disc Oh No, It’s Love, which dominated their set. However, they played some old favorites too. Peter Project’s long set was my personal favorite of the night. Employing a DJ, his sound was reminiscent of !e Avalanches in his sampling of random speech and the use of a wide variety of instruments. When joined by Montreal rapper

More or Les, the experimentation diminished in favour of more conventional hip hop - (when I say doctor you say Sanchez) or (not breakfast not lunch the name of this song is brunch) More or Les provided the best advice I heard over the weekend - when you get a rash, get it checked out right away. Words to live by. Young Rival played tough and industrial, influenced 1960s garage rock. Woodhands finished o" the night with their unique style of electronic rock, that makes use of live synthesizers and prerecorded material. Woodhands’ energy certainly was not lacking and the increased crowd (including a lost looking birthday pub crawl) crowded the tiny bar giving the Coconut Grove a frenzied atmosphere. Overall, the final show was the best one since with each act proving stellar in their own right.

E PAGE 16 • THE ARGOSY • ENTERTAINMENT• OCTOBER 30, 2008

Neil BonnerArgosy Staff

After winning the inaugural Polaris Music Prize for 2006’s He Poos Clouds, violin virtuoso Final Fantasy (aka Owen Pallett) won many new fans who have been eagerly awaiting his followup LP, Heartland. To tide listeners over, Pallet has released two brand new EPs to tide fans over. A set of “fake field recordings,” Spectrum, 14th Century explores the history, and culture of a fictional kingdom called Spectrum, populated by lovelorn farmers, penitent bishops, and even Pallet himself. Unlike previous Final Fantasy records, Spectrum is a collaboration with members of Beirut, a critically adored band who play baroque pop with Balkan, and French influences. As a result, Pallet’s compositions are beautifully fleshed

Julie CruikshankArgosy Staff

If you think that Keane is just a more emo Coldplay, chances are you haven’t really listened to them. True, both are British alternative rock bands formed in 1998, and both are known for their mellow, piano-heavy melodies. However, Keane is a band with a feel all their own. !ey are probably best known for featuring the piano as their lead instrument, instead of the guitar. !eir latest album, Perfect Symmetry, shows a maturation of their sound that has been evolving since their first studio album, Hopes and Fears, was released in 2004.

!e first thing I noticed about Perfect Symmetry was its solidity. In previous albums, the band (consisting of lead singer Tom Chaplin, bassist, composer, and pianist Tim Rice-Oxley, guitarist and backing vocalist Jesse Quin, and drummer Richard

Final FantasySpectrum 14th CenturyBlocks Recoding Club

out: album highlight “Blue Imelda” is carried by an improbably gorgeous steel drum, backed by spare percussion, and a lone tuba, until an ethereal trumpet solo pushes Pallet’s voice into the stratosphere. Elsewhere, Final Fantasy flirts with unexpected forms: hip-hop on “Cockatrice,” the minimal pulse at the core of “!e Butcher,” reminiscent of modern “classical” artists like Steve Reich, and Philip Glass.

For readers who are hitherto unfamiliar with Final Fantasy, this might sound extremely pretentious. But Pallet’s lyrics are too strange, too witty; a blend of the ornate, and the bawdy filled with unexpected humor and self-deprecation. “Blue Imelda,” he laments in a thin, stately voice, “she’s the saddest bitch in all of Spectrum.” Overall, this is an impish, proudly odd EP that shows real growth from one of Canada’s unexpected talents.

Keane Perfect SymmetryInterscope

Hughes) has been characterized by their dreamy, slightly ethereal sound. Several of the tracks on Hopes and Fears, and 2006’s Under the Iron Sea, have an almost experimental feel. Perfect Symmetry sounds like the result of that experimentation. !e songs have a more polished, upbeat feel than some of their earlier fare. !is music is slightly harder and edgier; tracks like “Again and Again,” and “Pretend that You’re Alone,” are positively bouncy compared with the band’s earliest material. !e album begins with the high-tempo “Spiralling,” followed by “!e Lovers are Losing” – both solid, well-realized tracks.

One thing made evident in Perfect Symmetry is a positive evolution in the band’s songwriting abilities; their lyrics in particular have come a long way since Hopes and Fears. And their old nemesis, the seemingly endless, synthesizer-heavy bridge, has at last been e"ectively conquered - a particularly refreshing move. It’s still

Erin JemczykArgosy Staff

Saturday at the Main Street Baptist Church about sixty people, mostly in the over-forty crowd, sat attentively in their pews facing the altar. However this wasn’t your typical afternoon at church: with their heads bopping in time to the music, the audience erupted in applause after every song Hot Toddy and Rob Lutes performed as part of Sackville’s Songs on Stage.

!e audience seemed to enjoy Lutes’ hour-long set filled with tunes about love, life lessons, hurt, and stories including “Marie” - a “feminist road song” inspired by a friend of his who said “fuck it” and went on a journey of self discovery.

His songs were punctuated with anecdotes about his family, including his trip to Dollywood with his daughter and the birth of a new son. Despite sharing details of his life Lutes emphasized that his song writing was not inspired by his children so much as the “path of discovery about (his) own life.”

!e stripped-down set featuring acoustic guitar, harmonica, slide guitar, and Lutes’ raspy voice suited a Saturday afternoon, however the intimate nature of the performance would have suited a co"ee house much better than a church.

Many of Lutes’ quieter songs with rhyming lyrics ran together, with the highlights surely being some of his up-tempo pieces, including “Keep a Man Down,” and “If the Blues don’t shake you than you’re dead.” Lutes got the audience clapping along with his adept finger-picking and strength in his vocals.

!e tempo Lutes finished on was maintained by Fredricton’s Hot Toddy, an award-winning acoustic roots and blues trio who recently produced their seventh album, “Trio,” which acoustic bassist Tom Easley described as filled

there, but less obviously so, blending in with, and complementing the other instruments, instead of overpowering them. !ey’ve also added the banjo to their instrumental repertoire, making an interesting appearance in “Better !an !is.” “Perfect Symmetry,” the title track, is a characteristic Keane-ballad in the same vein as “Bedshaped.” Ballads have always been Keane’s forte, and the title song is one of the strongest on the album. Like “Bedshaped,” it makes extremely e"ective use of piano as the band’s lead instrument, blending it seamlessly with a powerful percussive tempo. !e song also showcases Chaplin’s vocals to their greatest advantage.

Like both of Keane’s previous albums, Perfect Symmetry definitely has its stronger and weaker tracks. Although “Spiralling,” “!e Lovers are Losing,” “Perfect Symmetry,” and “Pretend !at You’re Alone” are all strong, distinctive songs with well-conceived lyrics, and an e"ective blending of vocals and instruments; some of the “filler” tracks are less memorable. “Better !an !is,” “Playing Along,” and “Love is the End” are bland, and have a tendency to fade into the background of the album. One shortcoming of Keane’s trademark piano/synth sound is that it sometimes overpowers the individual songs.

Perfect Symmetry isn’t quite as perfect as its title suggests, but it’s pretty darn good. Keane are obviously maturing in their sound and songwriting abilities, and the album has more solid tracks than mediocre ones. If you have the first two albums, I strongly recommend buying this one to keep them company. Unlike earlier e"orts (which are good), this won’t give your iPod the emos.

Anastasia LlewellynArgosy Correspondent

2007, Anton Corbijn, Starring Sam Riley, Samantha Morton, Alexandra Maria Lara

Anton Corbijn made a wise decision when he opted to film his biopic of post-punk musician Ian Curtis entirely in black and white. !e e"ect perfectly captures the tragic tone of the Joy Division frontman’s short life. As an independent British film, Control had a small theatrical release in North America, but the film is now widely available on DVD. It is an account of Ian Curtis’s troubled life, from his rise to the top of the British music scene in the late 1970s, to his self-inflicted death at the age of 23. !e events depicted in the film took place over a short, but very intense, period of time. !e title refers to the Joy Division song “She’s Lost Control,” about an epileptic girl Curtis met at work, who later died during a seizure. Curtis’s own seizures, as well as his di#cult marriage

and a"air with a Belgian journalist are all believed to have contributed to his eventual suicide, just prior to Joy Division’s tour of America.

!e film was based on the book Touching from a Distance by Ian Curtis’s widow Deborah, who also played a part in the production. Director Corbijn, who worked as a photographer with Joy Division during their rise to fame, attempts to produce a fair portrayal of all involved, allowing for nuances in the points of view. Rather than being criticized for his mistreatment of those close to him, Curtis is presented as a victim. Sam Riley powerfully incarnates Curtis’s persona, showcasing the multiple facets of his ephemeral life, and the overwhelming success he encountered. Samantha Morton is heartbreaking as the wife whose husband gradually drifts away to his new lover, and away from his young family. Screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh, who won a BAFTA for Best Newcomer, used words sparingly. Many of the film’s more poignant moments are created by silence, and

little music is used in the background. Live segments of Joy Division’s music, of which there are plenty in this film, were recorded live by Riley and the actors playing Curtis’s bandmates, all of whom deliver an incredible performance. In brief, Control is a beautiful tribute to Ian Curtis, and an insightful vision into a troubled soul.

with challenging new pieces that “took a year to work out.”

Hot Toddy fused instrumental pieces and with vocals, maintaining a high degree of intensity throughout their short set. “Longtemps” cleverly combined French and English lyrics, singing in an e"ective harmony. !eir three voices along with Joel Leblanc on electric guitar and harmonica, !om Swift on acoustic guitar, and Easley on acoustic bass provided richness and depth to each song.

Although each musician is involved in other projects, which Easley noted “brings new experiences in the group” Hot Toddy is the trio’s main band - and it shows. Every solo they performed was improvised, which according to Easley takes work and time. “Nobody spontaneously improvises without thinking about it.” Every time they perform tunes like “Spaceman” is unique. Easly commented that “Wonderfuel,” a rocking number written for world-renound bagpiper Andy Rogers, “has di"erent parameters every night.”

!e band alternated high tempo tunes with some mellow melodies, including “Far From Home,” a soulful song about the disappearing prostitutes from Gastown British Columbia. “Charlie,” an instrumental piece dedicated to bassist Charlie Haden is reminiscent of Haden and Pat Metheny’s “Beyond the Missouri Sky,” which Easley remarked he was constantly listening to when he wrote it.

In between songs the trio told stories of their inspirations, children, and a debate emerged about whether or not one could say “bum” in church. Swift quipped “God’s got a bum, everybody’s got a bum. !e consensus is you can say bum.” !e levity continued as Hot Toddy finished with a high energy shu$e, leaving the audience of the Main Street Baptist Church tapping their toes in the pews.

More than whiskeyHot Toddy rock the church

Control is a good portrayal of Ian CurtisLost promise

blogs.villagepost.com

electricityandlust.files.wordpress.com

HUMOUR

Tanith Wallebeck

Suddenly Bertha realized she had forgotten to put on

underwear that morning...

HORRORscopesBy Madame Starbeam - represent!

ARIES (March 21-April 20) — The only things getting me through this week are hard liquor, Flogging Molly, Sean Connery, and British television programming. Help me Aries. Irish Car bombs at the pub tonight?

-tradictions, Taurus.

GEMINI (May 22-June 21) — Have you ever had a shower, and found this weird dry scaly patch of skin on your upper thigh that kinda looks like Abe Lincoln, tried scrubbing it off and found that it just got bigger? And after a while it started to itch like crazy and kinda started to smell like cheese? No? Just me?

CANCER (June 22-July 22) — I’ve always wanted to be able to grow a beard. It’s just one of those things that I’ve always wanted to be able to do. I think it’d be killer to grow a beard or Mutton Chops - now those are so sexy on men and women. Keep that in mind Cancer.

LEO (July 23-August 23) — Feelin’ a little emo this week Leo? Listen to No Children by the Mountain Goats. It won’t make you feel better, but it’s catchy.

VIRGO (August 24-September 22) — Papers are coming. I hate papers. You should become President of the World and make writing papers illegal. I’d vote for you. If I ever become a prof (don’t laugh, it could happen) I’d grade my papers by how far they go when crumpled into a ball.

LIBRA (September 23-October 23) — Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night thinking someone’s trying to chase you and then you realize that it was just a dream but you still feel pretty freaked out and it takes you a while to go back to sleep? I have a class like that.

SCORPIO (October 24-November 22) — If I ruled the world I’d make it illegal to wear a mullet. I’m sorry, but if you EVER grow a mullet I’ll never speak to you again. We can have sex occasionally but no talking.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23-December 21) — Saggie, you smell amazing! What is it that you’re wearing? I really like it. My birthday is coming up. You should buy me some for my birthday.

CAPRICORN (December 22-January 20) — do not ask a woman if she’s pregnant. It is not wise. I’m still trying to pick the glass out of my face.

AQUARIUS (January 21-February 18) — I want ice cream! Remember the ghost popsicles that you could get from the ice cream man? With the bubblegum eyes? I want one of those right now.

PISCES (February 19-March 20) — Grow a set.

Hey ladies...Is that a bone in my pocket or am I just happy to see you?

Ted hoped the Viagra would do something against his baldness, too...

truthfultreachery.deviantart.com

HPAGE 22 • THE ARGOSY • HUMOUR • OCTOBER 30, 2008 This year I’ve invested in pumpkins.

They’ve been going up the whole month of October and I got a feeling they’re going to peak right around January.Serious (footnote 1) Answers to Serious (footnote 2) Questions

Hey Mount A! Do you have a serious (footnote 3) question and a burning desire to have it answered by real (footnote 4) Argosy editors (footnote 5)? Drop your question in the folder on the Argosy’s door or send it to argosy@mta.ca, and get real(footnote 6), honest (footnote 7) answers! We’re to help you (footnote 8)!

Question: I keep trying to go trick-or-treating, but no one answers the door. What am I doing wrong?

Noah: Have you ever thought that YOU might be the problem? I’ve never had people run away from me (I’m pretty damn attractive, even in a ghost cos- tume), but I have friends who have had some pretty interesting costumes that they thought would attract people, but ended up netting them no candy. One friend, let’s call him Phillip, thought it would be fun to trick-or-treat in the nude. He walked up to each house, wearing the Emperor’s new

clothes, and just rocked out. He even no-handed the doorbell,if you get my drift. Now, Phillip did not get one piece of candy that Halloween,

they suck so much. What’s the moral here? Being naked isn’t a costume, it’s a felony.

Stuart: Have you checked the date? I myself obtained a piezoelectric calendar and implanted it in the skin of my left wrist for this very purpose after a caroling incident in June; friends opined that I ought to have inferred the season from the weather, but I hold that dramatic temperature swings are simply a part of post- climate change reality, and thus prevent precipita- tion-related recognizance of the time of year. Er, where was I? Ah yes; the installation of said calendar is quite simple, given a topical anesthetic and a steady hand.

use a paper calendar, but given the unusual lack of automatic updates I don’t recommend it.

Footnote 1: Not serious at allFootnote 2: I guess they could be seriousFootnote 3: You could submit a real question, I guessFootnote 4: “Real” is such a harsh word; think “caricatures of”Footnote 5: Well, sort ofFootnote 6: Seriously, they aren’t real, come on now have you even read them?Footnote 7: Hey they might be honest, nobody’s stopping ‘emFootnote 8: Please don’t really take our advice...We won’t be held re-sponsible if you do, though.

YOU SHOULD BLOODY WELL KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS BY NOW! IN OTHER NEWS: EMAIL ARGOSY@MTA.CA WITH YOUR SUBMISSIONS OF THINGS YOU OR

OTHERS FIND MORBIDLY FUNNY!

SPORTS & FITNESS

With just a little over a year remaining until the Winter Olympics kick o! in Vancouver, construction is still underway on venues needed for events and to house the athletes and volunteers. Around this time last year, it looked like the Vancouver Olympic Committee seemed to be in a good position, construction was progressing smoothly, and they were running a surplus of approximately $60.9 million; however that was last year. While construction is still progressing and many venues are completed with only “minor construction activity remaining” according to organizers, the committee is now experiencing a deficit of $48.1 million as of July 31, 2008. With venue costs rising, the organizing committee maintains that they are in a strong financial position.

Apparently fluctuating between deficits and surpluses is to be expected from organizing committees, due to the fact that money doesn’t always come in at the same time when it needs to go out. According to John Furlong, the Chief Executive O"cer of the Organizing Committee, “#rough a steady, disciplined focus on cost management and new revenue generation across the organization

we’ve managed to maintain a positive financial position and met our ambitious budget targets for the year….As we quickly transition out of venue construction into a year focused largely on operations, we continue to exercise a strong internal cost control focus with a view to delivering great Games and leaving both positive financial and enduring sport legacies.”

#e Games were planned around a budget of $1.6 billion, with the rising costs of venue construction being covered by a dwindling contingency fund, which is now around $13 million. #e $1.6 billion is only what the organizers themselves are spending;

the venue construction costs are being shared by both provincial and federal governments with approximately $580 million, according to a statement released last #ursday, this number remains firm. #is however doesn’t take into account the rising cost of venues and other related buildings that are being covered by the cities of Vancouver, Richmond, and Whistler, B.C. #e athlete’s village in Vancouver was budgeted for $315 million for its construction, while the price of

the actual construction is around $1 billion, and they’re already $65 million over that. Another example is in Surrey, B.C., where construction has not begun on a $10.5 million Games preparation centre.

While organizers maintain their position that even with a $48.1 million deficit, they are in a strong position, the budget for the Games doesn’t even include the overall security cost, or the money the cities around the venues are spending on related activities. Organizers also state that there will be an increase in spending next year as they start buying things needed to run the Games, like fuel, food, and everything in between. #ey say that they expect to pour about $1 billion into the local economy.

According to John McLaughlin, the Chief Financial O"cer for the Organizing Committee: “Looking ahead, we anticipate an increase in procurement as the organizing committee ramps up operations in preparation for hosting the Games…..With a significant level of activity in the next fiscal year, we remain confident in our financial position in spite of a turbulent global economy.”

One has to wonder with the rising costs of construction and more spending ahead, despite the organizing committee’s confidence, will Canada have another Montreal on its hands?

Will Canada have another Montreal on its hands?

2010 Olympics running a deficitCejay RileyArgosy Correspondent

#e Edmonton Oilers, who got o! to a flying start, have cooled o! considerably. #ey have dropped three straight games and fallen to the

middle of the Western Conference. #e Oilers were defeated by the Vancouver Canucks 6-3 on Saturday.

An eastern road trip appears to have been just what the doctor ordered for the Anaheim Ducks. Struggling early, the Ducks appear to have

found their form with away victories against Toronto, Ottawa, and a 6-4 victory over the red hot Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

#e Ottawa Senators, seen as a solid playo! team at the start of season, have fallen back in to the form they have carried

since about Christmas last season. #is fall by the Senators early in the season, who sit in 29th place in the NHL, has brought back many of the questions that sounded them last season, their goaltending. #e early season woes hit were evident on Saturday night following a loss to rival the Toronto Maple Leafs.

#e New York Rangers continue to lead the NHL, partly due to having played at least two more games than any other team, and show no signs of

slowing down. Detroit had a rocky start to the season, but now appear to have gotten their train rolling with four straight victories to jump to the top of the Central Division.

#e Calgary Flames also appear to be overcoming a slow start with three straight wins, and are now just two points out of top spot in the

Northwest Division. Flames winger Todd Bertuzzi has continued his rejuvenated play, and is one of Calgary’s biggest surprises so far.

Ryan EschArgosy Correspondent

NHL Roundup

With midterm season starting to wrap up, many students on campus are probably singing the praises of Red Bull and other energy drinks. Why not? #ey keep you awake, give you the jolt you need walking into a midterm that you were studying for all night. Where’s the harm? According to energy drink researchers, there is actually quite a bit of potential harm, and it isn’t nearly well enough advertised by energy drink manufacturers.

While there are energy drinks that have the same amount of ca!eine as your average cup of co!ee (around 80 milligrams), there are also energy drinks that have over six times that much, and the label isn’t likely to tell you the di!erence between the two. Ca!eine pills with 100 milligrams of ca!eine are regulated by the US Food and Drug Association (FDA), and carry warning such as “the recommended dose of this product contains about as much ca!eine as a cup of co!ee. Limit use of ca!eine containing medications, foods, or beverages while taking this product because too much ca!eine may cause nervousness, irritability, sleeplessness, and occasionally, rapid heart beat.” It’s a long warning for a relatively small

amount of ca!eine when you consider that an energy drink like Fixx, with 500 mg of ca!eine, doesn’t need a warning label at all.

#e researchers from Johns Hopkins University want the FDA to require energy drinks to carry warnings about the health risks associated with ca!eine. Ca!eine intoxication, substance dependence syndrome, hypertension, anxiety, headaches, and interrupted sleep patterns are only a few of the problems faced by those who drink energy drinks excessively.

Youth, mainly young men, are the target of energy drink advertising campaigns. As researchers point out however, younger people don’t have the same ca!eine tolerance as people who have been drinking co!ee for years; massive ca!eine consumption will a!ect them far more than it would an adult. Additionally, there are the other additives whose long term e!ects are unknown.

In Canada, energy drinks are a much newer product, and they are more strictly regulated than in the United States. Canadian energy drinks are required to carry labels that warn against consuming more than 500 mililitres in a day, mixing with alcohol and consumption by children and pregnant women. France, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden however have banned energy drinks altogether

because they were linked to several deaths.

Energy drinks are just starting to cause a buzz in Canada, but unlike the 29 per cent of university students who experience the post-energy drink crash weekly, energy drink sales look to be in no danger of crashing any time soon. With all its associated risks, maybe now is the time for the Canadian government to step up and make more regulations for the labeling of energy drinks, before they become as popular here as they are in the US.

Since we live in a society where even your co!ee cup has a label of “Warning Contents May Be Hot,” it seems like maybe our energy drinks should have at the very least an equally as informative warning on them.

Susan RogersArgosy Correspondent

“”

Mountie striker Jules Alie controls the ball in the visitors’ box. The men’s soccer team beat UPEI 3-2 in a home game on Friday, while the women’s soccer team suffered a loss to UPEI 3-0 the same night.

Buzz on energy drinksResearchers want warning labels

Cejay Riley

SOCTOBER 30, 2008 • SPORTS & FITNESS • THE ARGOSY • PAGE 25

&F

#ere are very few experiences in life that can rival stepping onto the field of play with your season on the line, needing a win to keep playing, to justify the months of conditioning, long hours of practice and all the missed events.#is past Sunday, the MTA Rugby Clubs hosted the ACAA Semi-final game, looking to prolong their undefeated campaigns and have the opportunity to host the finals next weekend. #e women’s club, fresh o! winning the Maritime Challenge Cup against UNB two weeks ago, were able to run their plays whim on the visitors from Saint #omas University. #e Mounties, who had defeated STU at home 31-0 in the opening game of the season, did not allow the visitors threaten once throughout the entire game.#e play of the women’s backs was supported by a strong showing from the forwards, who brought the ball

strong into contact, o$oading well to keep cycling down the field. Jess Frenette scored a beautiful try on a well-timed pass that sprung her free from half. Ultimately, the women’s defence won the game, refusing to surrender a score for the third time this season. #e final resulted saw the women leave the field with a 24-0 victory and a home championship game. #e Men’s team was coming o! a long

three week break, having finished their season with a di"cult game against the same opponent that they faced on Sunday’s game. NSAC came into the game confident that they could compete with the regular season champions but the Mounties opened strong, scoring a try in the opening minutes. However, on the ensuing kicko!, a series of undisciplined penalties allowed the visiting side to march the

field and after being given multiple scrums from five yards out, STU touched the ball down to tie the game. However, any delusions of an upset victory where quickly put to the rest, as the forwards played their best rugby of the season. Having had di"culty countering the size of the opponent’s scrums all season, the pack controlled the scrum and rucks all game. #e backs were able to play their usual dominate style, swinging the ball

The women’s team fights for the ball Sunday against STU. The women defeated STU 31-0 and moved on to the finals next weekend.

Mountie rugby teams triumphBoth men and women advance to the finalsWill RussellArgosy Correspondent

wide at leisure and scoring easily. #e highlight of the game was the try of fourth-year flanker Tag #omson, who dove in to score after a maul brought the ball right to the line. It was the first time that #ompson had scored in his MTA career. #e final score was a lopsided 39-5 win, giving the Men’s side confidence heading into the final weekend. #e two other games of the weekend to decide who faced Mount Allison in the finals were played between NSAC and Kings on the women’s side, and STU and Kings for the men. #e woman’s side from NSAC was racked up the score, winning 36-12, while Kings easily defeated STU 22-5. With the stage now set for the finals, both teams enter their last week of practices prepared to complete their undefeated seasons. One can only hope that on Halloween weekend, there are no tricks in store for the teams!

A moment of silence was observed before the Men’s game in honour of Cole Ryder, a promising young athlete, who tragically passed away last week. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Ryder family.

#e Mount Allison Mounties football squad hosted the Acadia Axemen on Saturday, and lost a hard-fought matchup 28-25. #e Mounties finished the regular season 2-6, and in third place in the competitive AUS.

#e game did not get o! to a good start for the Mounties. #e first play from scrimmage was a 106-yard catch-and-run touchdown for the Axemen.

Quarterback Kelly Hughes orchestrated an excellent drive to answer back for Mt. A. Receptions by Ben Stehr and Adam Molnar, for gains of 13 and ten respectively, 24 yards on the ground by Hughes, and a 17-yard run by Colin Weldon put the Mounties inside the ten yard-line. Matt Pickett ran it in from there to tie the game up.

Minutes later, after a field goal by Acadia, the Mounties drove the field again, helped largely by a 22-yard completion to Weldon, Pickett ran it in again, from five yards out, to put the Mounties ahead.

#e second quarter ended with the score 14-13 for the home team, and saw many good o!ensive plays for the Mounties lead to nothing on the scoreboard.

#e third quarter began much the same as the first, unfortunately for the Mounties. Hughes was stripped of the ball, and the fumble was returned for a touchdown, putting the Axemen up by six.

Just as before, Hughes put together an impressive drive to answer an Axemen score, marching the Mounties down to the Acadia 31. From there Hughes found Molnar on a short

route over the middle, and the son of former CFL-er Steve Molnar did the rest, finding paydirt for the second time this season.

Acadia would concede a safety to round out the scoring in the third quarter, which saw Jake Maxwell come in at quarterback in relief of Hughes.

After a 35-yard kicko! return by Pickett, Maxwell drove the Mounties all the way down to the 14, and Olivier Eddie kicked a 21-yard field goal, giving him the scoring title for the AUS this season.

Around midway through the fourth quarter, the Axemen recovered on a Mountie fumble, and scored the winning points on the resulting drive.

#e final play of the game gave some fans a minor heart attack; Acadia had third down and would punt to Elliot ‘Pick’ Hicks of the Mounties. #e snap was high, and the Axemen punter had to climb the ladder to bring the ball down. Also, the punt was almost blocked by a pair of Mounties, and finally, Hicks picked up a few nice blocks and looked for a moment as if he was going to take it to the house, on a 36-yard return to the Acadia 44.

In just over a half of work, Hughes passed for 164 yards, completing 12-of-18 passes and a touchdown to Molnar. He also was the game’s leading rusher with 92 yards on seven carries.

Pickett had a career day on the ground, carrying the ball 13 times for 78 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Nick ‘Barra’ Cuda also impressed, with 11 carries for 43 yards.

#e Mounties played the game without arguably their best player, Gary Ross, who sat out in order to rest up for the playo!s next week. Receiving-wise, three players each had three catches; Molnar totaled 76 yards,

Jarrett King had 31 yards, and Stehr had 27 on their catches. James ‘Mad Puppy’ Halpern made his first career CIS catch, a 21-yard gain late in the fourth quarter.

Defensively, safety Callan Exeter continued his superb play, with 14 tackles and an interception to his credit this game. He finishes the season leading the AUS in tackles by a ridiculous margin; Exeter has an AUS record 77.5 tackles, easily eclipsing the second-place tackler who sits with 40.5. Exeter also led the country in tackles this regular season, with 4.5 more than the next tackler.

Scott She!er had 5.5 tackles on Saturday, Ise Savory had four, and

Halpern and Jermaine Oram each had three for the Mounties. Hicks and Luke ‘African #under’ Ekoh each had pass breakups to their credit.

Hughes finishes the regular season leading the AUS in virtually every passing statistic, with 1870 yards on 137 completions to go with 11 touchdowns through the air. His 1870 yards put him eighth in the country. He also finished second in AUS rushing with 616 yards and two touchdowns on 89 attempts, also good enough for eleventh in the nation in rushing yards.

Ross, even though not playing in the final game, finished first in the AUS in receptions with 47, a team record, and

also in receiving yards with 675. #ose stats put him ninth in the CIS for yards and fifth in receptions. Molnar finished third in yards with 452 and receptions with 30.

Olivier ‘Steady’ Eddie, the pride of Dieppe, finished the season leading the AUS in points with 75, and eighth in the CIS. He also led the conference in field goals, going 16-of-21.

#e race for several conference awards include several Mountie players; Hughes and Ross are expected to be one of three people considered for MVP. Exeter will likely be considered for Defensive MVP, and She!er is expected to be a favourite for Lineman of the Year. Many also believe that due to the life he leads on and o! the field, Ross would be a great candidate for the Russ Jackson award, awarded to someone who excels on the field, as well as o! the field, in the classroom and community.

Six Mounties played in their final home games on Saturday, and will be graduating this year. Defensive linemen Scott She!er and Andrew Blencowe, linebackers Sean Riley and Mike Glover, o!ensive lineman Josh Hamilton, and receiver/running back Colin Weldon all move on following the season.

Head Coach Je!rey and the Mounties follow the warpath to Antigonish this weekend to play the AUS Semi-Final against the St FX X-Men. #e winner will travel to Halifax the following week, where the Saint Mary’s Huskies await in the AUS championship.

Mounties playo!-boundLose final regular season game against AcadiaWray PerkinArgosy Staff

Sue Seaborn

Left: Matt Pickett runs the ball in for the Mounties. On Saturday, they head to St. FX for the AUS Semi-Final game.Cejay Riley

S PAGE 26 • THE ARGOSY • SPORTS & FITNESS • OCTOBER 30, 2008

&F

It’s 3 pm, and your stomach is crying for food. It hates you right now, and you have the sudden urge to run towards the snack section of the grocery store or meal hall. Your hands reach out for the most appetizing thing you can find, four chewy M&M cookies. STOP! Don’t do it! Snacks are bad! Well ok, maybe we went a bit over the top there, but that type of snacking will definitely send you straight to the “freshman fifteen.” Snacking isn’t completely wrong, in fact it is encouraged; eating small amounts continuously throughout the day actually speeds your metabolism. However snacking on junk food all day can work against you. #is is where smart snacking comes in. What the heck is smart snacking, and how does it work? Smart snacking is simply what it says, being smart about choosing your snacks and the amount of snacking you do.

Why is it so hard to choose smart snacks? Most often when our bodies are craving food we tend to head for what looks most appetizing and most filling. What can we eat the most of? More often than not, we don’t think

to ourselves, “ Hey look! An apple! I am sure that will fill me up!” Instead, our stomach says “COOKIES!” simply because they seem to be the more filling of the two. So, how do we train our stomach to crave healthy snacks? Simple, grab a healthy snack that is filling; granted, apples are a great snack, but they don’t always fill you up the way you need them to. A great snack to tide you over between lunch and dinner is half a whole grain bagel and peanut butter. It is easy to make, and you can find it at meal hall even between serving times. Another option (for those of you who are anti-carb!) is

the classic veggies and dip. A plate full of the three C’s, celery, cucumbers and carrots, with a tiny bowl of Catalina dressing is a healthy way to hold your hunger, and fills you to the brim. #ese two options not only fill you up and quiet your rumbling stomach they are also energy foods; foods that give you a burst of long lasting energy to get you through the final hours of class before you can fill up at diner.

M&M cookies are not the only demon snack issues out there. Aside from choosing the right kind of snacks, there is choosing the right portion. You can always overdo snacking, which can

For most, winter is not the best time for mountain biking, and a company in Cleveland, Ohio, USA has heard and responded to this lament of those enthusiasts who wish to keep their limbs and avoid concussions during the snowy months. Ray's MTB Indoor Park opened in 2004 and is the world's first multi-terrain indoor bike park. Indoor skateparks have existed for skateboarding and BMX, but this is the first indoor park to feature an experience mimicking terrain that can be found in nature.

With 103,000 square feet of space, the facility has room for three levels of di"culty. Beginners start by riding through a course to become familiar with the arena's rules and terrain, riding over logs and rocks. #ey can then head to the next room where the terrain becomes more di"cult, and can practice jumps by landing at first in a foam pit, then gradually working their way to a % pipe and then a & pipe. When they are then comfortable with jumps, they enter the expert room, where the terrain is the most di"cult, and can even follow paths into the rafters of the facility, high above the rest of those who have chosen to stay grounded. #e paths are made from natural and manmade materials, and feature sliding bridges, wooden ramps, banked turns, and pivoting teeter-totters, raising riders vertically and dropping them down again to land haphazardly on thin tracks to zoom on to the next challenge.

#e owner and the facility's namesake, Ray, was once a skilled carpenter and built his indoor park by night. He says he had no business plan, and he “just did it.” He is proud of his livelihood, and says about his undertaking, “I feel like the funnel that the mountain bike gods ran this through.” #e arena is sponsored by big companies, like Subaru and Fox Head, who contacted Ray and o!ered their sponsorship. His business has

attracted customers from all over the United States and Canada, and from as far away as England, Germany, and Japan. “#is is still the only one in the world that's designed for mountain bikes and is set up the way it is set up,” says Ray. Visitors can pay $150 USD for one 3-hour skill session to become oriented with the course and learn tips to make it through in one piece. Otherwise, visitors can buy a season pass (the season runs from October

to April) for $299 USD (cheaper than a season pass at most ski resorts); non-members can pay $18 USD on weekdays and $21 USD on weekends for a whole day, and weekend passes are available. Ray makes sure the fridge is stocked with soft drinks and snacks to keep energies and stamina high.

#e response from customers is positive: “this is our second time here, we really enjoy it” say two customers, and another comments, “it keeps you

young.” #ey agree that the obstacle course keeps them in training while they are unable to ride due to the snow and cold. #e format of this enterprise, now that it has been proven to work, may act as a template for others who wish to open similar businesses – more parks like this may therefore spring up in other corners of the world. For now, those interested can find more information at www.raysmtb.com

Smart snackingChristina AshleyArgosy Correspondent

Vivi ReichArgosy Staff

Indoor mountain biking facility ramps up excitement

lead to packing on the snack pounds. #is happens when you are so hungry that you hoover down your first plate of veggies, and do not allow them to fill you up the way they should. A plate full of veggies is all you really need, not two or three. To not take more than you need, take your time eating, and then relax for five minutes after you eat. #is allows your body time to process the amount of food you have just consumed. If you take your time then you not only enjoy the food, but you feel it filling you up. Don’t let your hunger get the best of you. Snacks aren’t the devil, but they can often take on that disguise when we let out stomachs and cravings get the best of us. Snacking can be a healthy way to keep up your energy and speed your metabolism, as long as you don’t let your stomach take control. Choose healthy snacks, take your time eating them, and don’t take more than you need. Dorm room snack list: Nature Valley Granola Bars BananasFour whole wheat crackers and bruschetta mix Four whole wheat crackers and peanut butter

Jessica Emin

File photo by Anna TraversGood luck to the volleyball team this weekend!

Internet photo

SOCTOBER 30, 2008 • SPORTS & FITNESS • THE ARGOSY • PAGE 27

&F

Athlete of the Week

Midfielder Kohei Yamashita of the men’s soccer team has been honoured as Mount Allison’s Athlete of the Week for his play in the last two regular season games against UPEI (3-2 win), and the UNB Reds in Fredericton (1-0 loss).

In the Mountie’s 3-2 victory over the visiting Panthers, Yamashita topped a season of amazing skills with a goal full of his audacious talent, when he volleyed home from 47 metres. Twenty-five minutes into the game, the ball arrived at Kohei’s feet — his first touch lifted the ball o! the ground — his second, as he swivelled, was volleyed into the roof of the net, leaving the Panther goal keeper a spectator and the fans going wild.

#is was only part of his all-round display in the game against PEI — a quality of performance he maintained in the tough Sunday

loss to regular-season champions UNB. Since his sudden arrival, Kohei has delighted team members and supporters alike with a range of skills normally not seen at this level of soccer. He has a technical ability that is matched by his enjoyment of the game.

A Mt. A MASSIE student (Mount Allison Sophomore Semester in English), Kohei is a 5’7” resident of Osaka Minoh, Japan. He is a former midfielder with both Kwansei Gakuin High School and University in Japan, and is currently at Mt. A, taking second-year policy studies, he hopes to pursue a career in advertising.

Other Athlete of the Week nominees were: Jenna Munden (soccer), Matt Pickett (football), Alison Heard (hockey), and Caila Henderson (volleyball).

Kohei YamashitaSue Seaborn

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Darren MercerArgosy Staff

I have to make a couple confessions. I like the earth, I actually think it’s kind of awesome. I think we, as a civilization, have been irresponsible stewards of this planet, and have abused it to a level which, in some ways, may be irreversible. I think, as a society, our unwillingness to all agree to admit these mistakes we’ve made is a sad statement about the nature of humankind. I also think that it should be one of our foremost goals to attempt to preserve what remains of our environment, and repair what damage we have caused.

I have one more confession to make, however. I think Mount Allison’s Campus Climate Challenge is absurd.Mt. A’s Campus Climate Challenge,

set to begin this Saturday, November 1, is a contest in which the residences on campus are issued a challenge to reduce their energy usage over the course of one month, which, in the case of this year’s challenge, will be November. Energy usage is monitored by Facilities Management, and compared with statistics from last year, allowing the residence that shows the greatest percentage decrease year-to-year to be declared the “winner,” and given all prizes and pride that achievement entails.

I’m sure the environmentalists at Eco-Action, the society behind the event, had only the best intentions when implementing the contest, and a belief that it truly would increase awareness of the many ways students can decrease their environmental impact while living in residence. Somewhere during its implementation, however, the competitive nature of the project has perverted this goal, turning the contest into a curious oddity.

!e contest now represents an environmental absurdity in most residences, as students are encouraged,

Environmental bulimia plagues Mt. A!e unsustainable campus climate challenge returns for a new year

by a various assortment of residential executives, eco-reps, and ambitious housemates, to use a wide variety of unsustainable practices to quickly diminish energy usage for one specific month.

In the area of laundry, for example, students are encouraged to use a wide range of methods to limit energy usage. Some of the focus is placed on reasonable ways to reduce energy, such as encouraging the usage of cold water in washers, and drying clothing by hanging rather than using the driers.Disappointingly, though, much of the focus is actually placed on methods which, while decreasing the energy usage in that specific residence for the month-long period, actually do nothing to decrease a student’s true environmental impact. Students, for example, are encouraged to do all their laundry on October 30 and 31, so that they will be able to avoid this for as long as possible during November.

Even more hypocritically, students are encouraged to, when possible, avoid using the residence facilities for tasks such as laundry, or showering. It

is sometimes suggested that students do their laundry at the new student centre, or a town laundromat, shower at the athletics centre, or not at all, or even do these tasks at the house of a friend living o"-campus.

While these practices will be very e"ective at reducing the perceived energy usage in one residence for a single month, few of these will actually do anything to truly reduce the environmental impact of a student, as energy is simply used at another building rather than their own residence.

Even more disappointing is that many of these practices are unsustainable. While a student may agree to stop showering for a week, to temporarily and drastically reduce their energy usage for that month, is this a practice which that student will continue later in their life? It would have been more e"ective to train that student in a sustainable practice, such as staggered showers, which they would have then continued past the end of the month-long contest.

!e Campus Climate Challenge,

in its current form, represents the environmental equivalent of “crash dieting.” By analyzing only one month of an academic year, it encourages students to use unsustainable practices to decrease short-term energy usage. !is problem needs to be remedied for the contest to be truly e"ective in encouraging awareness of sustainable practices.

!e contest needs to be transformed from a month-long challenge to a year long event, where the energy usage of each residence is compared September to April. By doing so, residences will be forced to practice sustainable, long-term methods for decreasing their environmental impact, such as staggered showers, cold-water laundry, and turning o" unnecessary lights.No longer will residences be able to focus on unsustainable, “crash diet” methods to have an impact. Instead, students will be encouraged to develop sustainable, e"ective, and long-term habits to reduce their environmental impact, habits that they will continue long after they leave residence.

Is using the washers in the Student Centre (left) more environmentally friendly than using the ones in Edward’s House (right)?

Darren Mercer Erin Jemczyk

Jeffrey ParkerCaution to readers: !is article directly discusses specific event in the film !ere Will Be Blood. If you would not like anything “spoiled” for you, then you shouldn’t read this.

In last weeks issue of !e Argosy, Dylan Cunningham wrote an article entitled “Oscar’s Pick Should Be Trashed,” imploring readers to avoid P.T. Anderson’s award winning and critically acclaimed 2007 film, !ere Will Be Blood. Cunningham tells us that the film, “is an o"ense to cinematic enjoyment.” However, by not o"ering su#cient objective evidence, he fails to prove that said movie is unworthy of the acclaim it has earned. !ough he claims, quite legitimately, that he did not like !ere Will Be Blood, he errs by trying to deter others from watching the film. It seems as if Cunningham has mistaken opinion from critic.

Examining Cunningham’s article, one cannot help but notice that he comments on many positive aspects of the film. He makes specific reference to how the film is “well shot,” and of

its “technical prowess,” not to mention awarding Daniel Day-Lewis a “great big plaque reading ‘Best Actor Ever or at Least in the Top Ten.’” It seems fair to assume that Cunningham would at least assert that !ere Will Be Blood is a well-made film. Why then, are we discouraged from watching P.T. Anderson’s film? He does o"er a few reasons, the validity of which shall be considered here.

He asserts that there are significant problems with Day-Lewis’ character. His claim is that “no real psychological profiling” of Daniel Plainview is possible, and that the character is inconsistent. Plainview, however, is a realistic character in a realistic movie. Real people are not consistent, and don’t fit comfortably into psychological profiles. !ough admittedly Plainview’s actions may seem inconsistent with his character on a surface level, what must be recognized is that the motivations behind those actions are consistent ones. For example, it may seem inconsistent that Plainview abandons his adopted son, alone on a train only to send for his return later. Consider Plainview’s introduction of his son at

the beginning of the movie. Plainview is proposing at a town meeting to drill oil in the small community, he says, ”I am a family man. I run a family business. !is is my son and business partner H.W. Plainview. We o"er you the bond of family that very few oil men can understand.” However H.W. is not Plainview’s son at all, so what then is the relationship between the two? First and foremost it is a business relationship. When H.W. is rendered deaf his use to Daniel is over. Plus, he no longer needs H.W. in order to maintain the pretext of running a “family business” since his assumed brother Henry has arrived on the scene. Once Henry’s real identity becomes known and Daniel kills him, he once again needs H.W. In addition, he must save face after Eli Sunday publicly makes him admit to abandoning his child. How do we know that Daniel is not acting out of love for the boy? H.W.’s return is not filmed in a close up showing the emotional response of either character, but instead we view the reunion in one continuous long shot representative of the emotional distance.

Cunningham is not so kind in his analysis of Paul Dano’s performance, which he did not like. He writes, “[Dano] makes an uncomfortable and even irritating spectacle in his big scenes as young Eli Sunday.” !is statement actually serves itself better as a positive review of Dano’s performance, for who is Eli Sunday, if not uncomfortable, irritating, and loud? A realistic playing out of dramatic situations characterizes !ere Will Be Blood, and may be why Cunningham claims the movie lacks story and seems directionless. Certainly it doesn’t follow the three-act structure that dominates contemporary cinema, however, plot is not the primary concern of !ere Will Be Blood. Instead, it is a character study, similar to films like Raging Bull, or Serpico. It is more of a “literary” film in the sense that the events and characters function to develop the films themes and ideas, as opposed to pushing the story forward.

!e claim in the article that is the most disconcerting is one mentioned above, that !ere Will Be Blood is “an o"ense to cinematic enjoyment.” He goes on to describe the tone as “one of

discomfort for the viewer.” Statements such as this pose not a critical response to a film, but a subjective one. If we are to consider film as an art form, and not simply empty escapism, then we must allow for the art to be disturbing, and not write it o" when it pushes our comfort levels, or fails to conform to our idea’s of what the film should be. !is is not to suggest that the viewer’s response to a piece of art is invalid, however a critical response relies on objective evaluation and knowledge of what works cinematically and what does not. Neither of which were su#ciently present in Cunningham’s article.

Finally, !ere Will Be Blood, beyond being a well-made film, is an important film. In a time of a global fuel crisis, a story of the greed, corruption, and money that said industry is built upon has profound implications into our modern world. To guide people away from such a film is a mistake. Cunningham didn’t enjoy !ere Will Be Blood, and that’s fine, however, o"ering his opinion as if it were a critic is simply irresponsible.

In defense of !ere Will Be Blood

OPAGE 6 • THE ARGOSY • OPINIONS • OCTOBER 30, 2008

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As B.O.D.I.E.S kicks o" its two-month anti-violence campaign, it is important to realize that violence against women is still a prevalent issue within Canada and worldwide, and one that is widespread enough to merit everyone’s involvement in putting an end to it. According to numbers provided by Statistics Canada from the 2004 census, 198 women were murdered in 2004, of this number 75 were killed by their partners; mainly husbands, but also boyfriends, and on average 182 women are killed each year. While these numbers alone are shocking it is important to realize that these are only the cases of abuse that escalated to murder; this does not include the number of women who have been physically abused, raped, and stalked each year. It is also interesting to note that these are just the reported numbers; there are definitely many more women who have not reported cases of abuse. So these numbers, while still terrifyingly high, do not in

any sense truly encapsulate the reality of the situation.

It is easy to read these numbers and be shocked and horrified for a few minutes, but then to put them down and return to one’s daily life and activities. After all, they are just numbers, and many people can ignore them and think that they themselves are not at risk. However it is interesting to look at what many women do each day, without thinking, to stay safe and to lessen the chances of having violence occur to them. Many women do not feel secure to walk alone after dark; if they have to, many often keep their cell phones handy, even open and ready to dial for help. Many women have probably at some point in their life been told to keep their keys in their hand as it could serve as a make-shift weapon if attacked. !ere are several other stay-safe techniques that women do knowingly, and some that are so ingrained that they are done without thinking. While it is smart for women to take precautions, it is also sad that these precautions have to be taken and are so ingrained and such an

Not just numberseveryday part of our world. So while the large, scary statistics are definitely horrifying, it is also the little everyday safety habits that are truly saddening.

As mentioned before, when faced with an issue of this scale, a common reaction is to feel empathetic towards these women for a few moments, but then to turn a blind eye and continue on with life. !ese issues seem too huge and pervasive for one person to make a di"erence; but there are many things that people can do to help the fight against violence without being overwhelmed. On the most basic level men and women need to be supportive of victims who come forward. !is seems so basic, but many women do not report abuse because they feel that they will be viewed negatively, or feel that people will be able to justify the abuse against them, and that somehow the situation will be seen as their fault. Some options for helping to fight violence against women include joining a human rights advocacy group such as Amnesty International, which is involved with major campaigns worldwide to stop violence against women and girls. Supporting women’s shelters monetarily or through volunteer time is also an excellent option; having the resource of a shelter is especially important for women who have experienced domestic violence and need a place to stay away from their abuser. Even just becoming more aware of violence against women is a start; education about its existence, causes, outcomes and prevention, as well as helping victims, is extremely important. If anyone is interested in becoming involved with the anti-violence campaign at Mt. A, come to a B.O.D.I.E.S meeting, or take part in the Take Back the Night walk which is coming up soon.

Sam Gregg-Wallace

!is past weekend Sackville was blessed with some of the best Canadian artists. !is issue of the Argosy will, I’m sure, lay them all out on the table. But there is one instance in particular that I would like to bring to the attention of the student body as an example of much appreciation I have for this community

!e concert at Convocation Hall on Saturday night featured the talented Joel Plaskett with his ever-supportive father Bill, opening for the magnificent Ron Sexsmith. After the show had finished and the crowds disbursed, I approached the stage and asked Ron and the band for an autograph, assuming this would end a great evening of Canada’s finest music.

Who’s in your kitchen?

Chris DurrantArgosy Staff

It seemed as if he had no idea there were any other victims in the Holocaust than Jews. !at was my impression this weekend after hearing a short presentation given by a fourth year political science major at another university. !is student was given ten minutes to talk about his experiences with the March of Remembrance and Hope, a non-profit group that takes university students on tours of concentration camps and related sites.

!roughout his talk, he described the chilling experience of touring concentration camps. My problem with his descriptions however, was that he used the word Jew in the sentences that applied to all the victims of the concentration camps, such as “when the Jews entered the camp, their

One step towards “never again” !e critical role the Holocaust’s other victims

heads were shaved.” !roughout his presentation, he never once made a reference to any of the other victims of the Holocaust.

All groups that were sent to the concentration camps su"ered immeasurable cruelty. Nothing should ever be done to diminish the memory of the six million Jewish people who died in the camps. It is imperative however, that the other victims be remembered with equal vigor. !e lives of Roma, Communists, Free Masons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, Poles, criminals, and those with disabilities must all be remembered.

A discussion of the Holocaust that only mentions Jewish victims is less challenging to the audience. Listeners need only reflect on their views and actions towards religious minorities. !e challenge increases the more groups that are mentioned. When Communists are mentioned, it is encouragement to reflect on the humanity of those who hold di"erent political views than the mainstream. When Jehovah’s Witnesses are mentioned, it is a call to think about the value of the lives of people who may seem to separate themselves from mainstream society. When criminals are mentioned, we are reminded of the limits to what people who have

done wrong should be subjected to in return.

!e fact that this student was able to go on a week long tour in Poland and Germany, and not understand the role of the other victims raises questions. What is being talked about during the March of Remembrance and Hope? Naturally all organizations have their graduates who ignore or misunderstand the lessons they’ve been taught. However, this student provides good reason to ask questions about the program’s curriculum, and about the language and approaches we use when we talk about the Holocaust.

If we are to pursue the goal of “never again,” we can’t be sloppy. When we talk about the Holocaust, we need to approach it not as a tragedy that happened to a certain group or groups of people, but as one of many instances in human history where people who were perceived as “others” or opposed a conformist project, were vilified and then had their human rights violated.

!e more we understand that the Holocaust and similar events as final outcomes of the vilification of di"erence, the better we can guard against the behaviours that are the initials steps towards these atrocities.

Oh, how wrong I was.Skipping a few precursory details,

Ron Sexsmith and his band found themselves immersed in the culture of a cultural capital, in my kitchen. For a couple hours Ron and company sat around my kitchen table eating, drinking, and playing music. As we listened to old Dylan and Zevon records, the band spoke of being welcomed into people’s homes, drank too much homemade wine, and sang songs.

All good things, of course, must come to an end. !e band departed and I was left with a kitchen full of empty wine bottles and a stupid grin on my face. I’m not sure if Ron will come back to Sackville, but I hope he feels welcome. Victims of violence are people

usatoday.com

Erin Jemczyk

Ron Sexsmith had a great time with Sam.

FEATURES

Sasha Van KatwykArgosy Staff

In the same week that Catalyst presented their series of queer puns for awareness week, another Positive Space campaign made their presence o!cially known. Campbell Hall held their Positive Space Campaign kicko", making it the first residence to have a Positive Space program. “While Catalyst focuses mostly on issues of sexuality, we wanted Positive Space in Campbell to be broader to address all forms of discrimination a resident might feel,” says Mike Minard, Campbell’s Positive Space coordinator, and this year’s Assistant Don. To send this message to those attending the kicko", Minard and the campaign’s student facilitators had couch stations at which di"erent issues were discussed in terms of how one might feel unaccepted by their peers. #e issues were ethnicity, religion, sexuality, “social awkwardness,” and disabilities. #e idea to have a campaign in residence arose at a seminar organized by Catalyst last year, where the club presented to house execs and RAs the idea of in-residence campaigns. “I think that residence is the place where a large majority of Mt. A students begin their life here,” said Catalyst president, Katie Saulnier, “and by educating students early on about…issues in residence, those students will then go on to take those lessons of inclusivity with them in their upper years to the rest of campus.” Some students interviewed about the house’s campaign thought it was unnecessary. “It seems pointless to have people running up and down the halls screaming, “this is a positive space,” like we’re living in Care Bear land,” said one student. “We don’t have serious discrimination issues and of course I’m not against it, but being told that we do discriminate and having posters of multi-coloured geckos (the house

animal) on the walls seems like a waste.” Indeed, there were those around campus who, upon being told of Campbell Hall’s Positive Space Campaign responded with a mix of humour and annoyance, the consensus being that it was a waste of time. One student said “Only in Campbell…” “I don’t think discrimination is widespread,” says Campbell Hall’s Don, Robin MacDonald, “it’s more subtle in how it occurs…people might not realise when they’re saying or doing something that’s o"ensive or hurtful to those around them, and I think that’s the reason why Positive Space is important here.” Without question, the large majority of Mt. A students interviewed believe that Positive Space in residence is a good idea. #e question for many of them, however, was how the campaign goes beyond what and RA is already supposed to be doing with regards to issues of discrimination.

Mike Minard made it clear at the kick o" that Positive Space is not an activist body meant to weed out discrimination. Instead it’s a forum for student concerns and issues that, through the facilitators and discussion around the house, can raise awareness. “We’re trying to bring ideas out and opening people’s minds,” Minard points out, “to allow more open discussion about these issues, and for people to feel more comfortable about how they feel and what they think.” In a group interview with students, there was a question of, at what point is something no longer debate, and instead discriminatory? #e example used was a hypothetical situation involving a full blown scientologist sharing their beliefs with non-believing peers. One student presented this question: “Now if one of them says to the scientologist, ‘isn’t the idea of aliens setting o" nukes in our volcanoes releasing spirit devils into the world that we expel

Positive space campaign in residence raises debatesWhat happens when a gecko goes rainbow?

A rainbow coloured gecko. (It was rainbow coloured, before it was converted to greyscale. Trust us on this.)

whenever we sneeze or crap kind of ridiculous?’ Is that discrimination?” “#ese are the kinds of questions we want asked,” says Minard, when told of the hypothetical encounter in an interview. “We’re not trying to stifle debate. I think it’s good to be open enough to talk about things like that in a respectful way with others to find out for yourself what’s acceptable and what isn’t.” As for his take on the possible discrimination towards the hypothetical scientologist, Minard pointed out that it was purely situational, as many alleged acts of discrimination turn out to be. Campbell Hall’s Positive Space kick o" showed that there are certainly many students open to these kinds of discussions, with approximately 65 residents showing up to hear about the campaign, “an impressive amount for this kind of event,” according to Minard. #ere was support for the event outside the house as well, with a

Christina FreeArgosy Contributor

In 1990, Aung San Suu Kyi ran for o!ce as the leader of the National League for Democracy when the military junta held a general election in Burma. Although she won decisively, and would have assumed role as prime minister, the military nullified her victory and placed her under house arrest despite both local and international outcry. Since then, she has become an international symbol for peaceful resistance in the face of oppression, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. She said “#e struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma is a struggle for life and dignity. It is a struggle that encompasses our political, social, and economic aspirations.” #e repression regime of the military junta in Burma continues to commit human rights violations today while Aung San Suu Kyi perseveres as a spokesperson

for the average Burmese citizen. #is humanitarian crisis has been playing out for over 20 years, and under the harsh military regime, thousands upon thousands have been brutally slaughtered, even more have been detained, forced into slave labour, and displaced from their homes. Burmese women and girls have been raped and sexually violated, and many have been tra!cked into #ailand and forced into prostitution. Amnesty International has commented that “torture has become an institution in Burma,” and the United Nations have repeatedly detailed the aforementioned crimes against humanity. #ere are over 1,300 political prisoners who were detained without fair trial. In 2002, the military committed over 173 incidents of rape and other forms of sexual violence involving 625 girls and women in the Shan state, and these numbers are most likely a conservative estimate. Rape is condoned as a “weapon

of war” by the military junta to control ethnic minorities within the Burmese borders, and 25 per cent of all rapes have resulted in death. On May 3, 2008, Cyclone Nargis brought new su"ering to the people of Burma. A su"ering made worse by the military regime’s adamant refusal to accept the international community’s o"ers of humanitarian assistance. #e list goes on and on, and the global community has heard the cries of the Burmese and have recognized their agony. “Panties for Peace” is one such organization that has recognized the need for change in Burma, and has taken action against the military generals in a most creative way. Established by the Lanna Action for Burma, a woman’s organization based on the Burma-#ailand border, the group plays on the regime leaders’ superstitious fear that contact with a woman’s underpants will rob them of their power. “#e horrible aftermath of Cyclone Nargis has helped remind us all of

Panties for peace. Boxers for Burma. the military regime’s corruption and tyranny,” says Lanna Action for Burma. “#e regime is now in a weakened state and we must use every power at our disposal to see it toppled once and for all.” #e Rights and Democracy Chapter of Mount Allison University has recognized Lanna Action for Burma’s cry for help, to speak out against the actions of the military generals in Burma. #e group is one of many all over the world that is running a “Panties for Peace” campaign on campus to raise awareness of the travesties faced by Burmese women every day, and also to send their panties as a clear message to the military junta that their actions will not be tolerated. For the rest of the week, the group has set up a collection box in the library for students and faculty to donate their panties (paper or real) and boxers which will be sent to the representatives of the military junta in Canada. Mika Levesque, the Asia Regional

O!cer with Rights and Democracy will be coming to speak at Mount Allison University on Monday, November 3 at 8 pm at the Wu Centre. #e Rights and Democracy Chapter encourage all students to participate in the campaign to show solidarity with the women of Burma and condemn the actions of the military government. #e Lanna Action for Burma cry out to the world for support: “We women of Burma need the support of women around the world. Your commitment to endorse this important and therapeutic campaign on our behalf gives hope, courage, and triumph to the women of Burma at the time when we need it most.” Challenges that will be faced, mainly that not everyone necessarily wants to be involved in res, or is willing to consider changing their way of thinking about issues of inclusivity. #is is a universal issue though, and I think that the more people see others being accepting, the more they will be inclined to do so themselves.”

Internet Photo

few administrative o!cials passing through to see the campaign, and even take part in some of the discussion, and Aramark Foods donated an estimated $300 worth of food and beverages as a gesture of support for the campaign. “What we’re hoping for is not only for this to catch on in Campbell, but for other houses to create their own Positive Space campaigns based on what their residents think is important to be discussed,” says Minard. “I think it’s really great Campbell Hall wants to expand this endeavour,” Catalyst’s Saulnier said in an interview, “there are all sorts of challenges that will be faced, mainly that not everyone necessarily wants to be involved in res, or is willing to consider changing their way of thinking about issues of inclusivity. #is is a universal issue though, and I think that the more people see others being accepting, the more they will be inclined to do so themselves.”

F PAGE 8 • THE ARGOSY • FEATURES • OCTOBER 30, 2008

Rev. John C. PerkinUniversity Chaplain

#e conservative Christian group in the United States, Focus on the Family, is trying to rally the evangelical wing of Christian America into support for John McCain for President. He is, they argue, the candidate who represents their interests and biblical values. #ey describe the possible dire consequences of electing Barack Obama, Democratic candidate, to the American Presidency; in a “letter from 2012,” an imagined future is filled with suggestions of fear, including terrorist strikes on four American cities, Russia invading Eastern Europe, and Israel being hit by a nuclear bomb. #e Focus on the Family makes Republican values – principally promotion of Christian interests in the public sphere – equivalent to Christian values. Focus on the Family wants a return to strong Christian and biblical values of the kind that it specifically endorses. One wonders about some of these purportedly Christian and biblical values that Focus on the Family stands behind, such as gun ownership, increased drilling for oil, making it more di!cult for unions to organize, barring homosexuals from jobs, such as teaching, and the military. What

are the biblical values in this current election? What are biblical or Christian values generally? Perhaps we might begin by first turning to the Bible, and the opening book, Genesis. We read there a story not about how the world was made, as is often assumed, but rather a story about God’s love for creation. #e emphasis is on the goodness of creation. It is, at heart, an environmental story. Why is the environment not an issue for the evangelical churches? Why do they seek, as a response to fears over oil shortages, to encourage more consumption, more drilling, more exploration, more carbon gas emissions? Why is the evangelical chorus “drill, baby, drill,” not “conserve, conserve, conserve?” Poverty needs to be mentioned, although it is conspicuously absent from the Focus on the Family letter of fear. Of the thirty thousand plus verses in the Bible, over two thousand of them touch on the issue of poverty, with the injunction that poverty must be eradicated, the poor defended and supported, that justice – meaning a more equitable balance of wealth and food – be done. In the United States, over thirty million people, including twelve million children, live below the poverty line. When one examines poverty level on racial lines, it doubles among African Americans.

!rough stained glass

Argosy Staff

Death of a “Great” kingAlfred the Great died on Oct. 26, ca. 899. Although the cause of his death is unknown, historians speculate that it may have been related to a painful illness, most likely Crohn’s Disease. #e only king in the history of the English monarchy to take on the epithet “the Great,” Alfred came to the throne of Wessex after the death of his brother, Aethelred, in 871. He is particularly known for his defence of his kingdom against the invading Vikings, until 886, when he captured London, eventually becoming recognized by Saxons and Danes alike as their king. He was also the first king to hold the title of “King of the English.” Because of his deep interest in learning and religion, he encouraged education, and worked to improve the law system of his kingdom. He founded court schools to educate nobles and he encouraged the great scholars of the time to come to England. He is also famous for making English the o!cial written language of Britain, he himself used English to translate several religious texts, which, prior to this change, had all been written in Latin.

She just wanted to kill the mostOn Oct. 29, 1901, Jane Toppan (born Honora Kelley) was arrested for the murder of the Davis family of Boston, killed by an overdose of morphine.

Shortly after her arrest, Toppan confessed to have killed almost 31 people, and was reported to have said that her ambition was to kill “more people – helpless people – than any other man or woman who ever lived.” Born in Massachusetts, her family had a history of mental illness, and at a young age she and her sister were put in an orphanage by their father. She was later adopted by Ann Toppan, but not o!cially, although she gave the child her last name. Her adopted mother was reportedly abusive, and Toppan resented her, but remained with her foster family. In 1885, she began training to be a nurse at Cambridge Hospital; all the while using her patients as test subjects, using them to see how the nervous system would react to di"erent doses of morphine and atropine. Although she killed several people during her experiments, no one ever suspected foul play. In 1889, she was recommended to the reputable Massachusetts General Hospital, where she killed several more patients before being fired the next year. She returned to Cambridge Hospital, but was dismissed later; she then began to work as a private nurse. In 1895, she began a killing spree, first by killing her landlords and then killing her foster sister, who she had hated due to the family’s favouritism of the sister. In 1901, Toppan was hired by the Davis family to care for Alden Davis, after the death of his wife (at the hands of Toppan). Within mere weeks of moving in with the Davis

family, Toppan managed to kill Davis and two of his daughters. Afterwards, she began to date her (now dead) foster sister’s husband, then killed his sister, and poisoned him, so she could prove herself by nursing him back to health. She even went as far as to poison herself to evoke his sympathy, but all it got her was out of his house. By the time she had been kicked out of his house, the remaining members of the Davis family had ordered toxicology test on Davis’ youngest daughter; the results came back saying that she had been poisoned. #e Davis’ called the police and gave them Toppan’s description. #ey promptly arrested her for murder. Even though she confessed to killing 31 people, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity at her trial, and was sentenced to be imprisoned at an asylum for life.

Martians are invadingOn October 30, 1938, Orson Welles directed and narrated a radio adaptation of H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, performed as a Halloween special episode, creating panic among those who heard it, believing the “news bulletins” to be real. #e first part of the hour-long broadcast consisted of false news bulletins and reports, suggesting to listeners that there was actually a Martian invasion in process. Adding to the dramatic e"ect was the fact that the radio show ran completely free of radio commercials. #e radio

A weekly compilation by Sarah RobinsonThis week in history

show company used a contemporary documentary-style newscast to retell the main events of Wells’ novel. Some listeners, however, had only heard parts of the broadcast, and with the anxiety leading up to World War II, mistook the show for an actual news broadcast. Newspapers reported that the broadcast caused sensational terror, making people flee their homes, thinking they could smell poisonous gases or believing that they could see flashing lights in the sky. However, research studies have shown that although spooked, listeners were not scared enough to leave their houses.

Also this week:Oct. 26, 1776: Benjamin Franklin leaves America to travel to France, in search of French support for the American RevolutionOct. 26, 1905: Norway becomes independent from SwedenOct. 26, 1965: #e Beatles are appointed Members of the Order of the British EmpireOct. 27, 1904: the first underground NYC subway line opensOct. 27, 1914: birth of Welsh poet Dylan #omasOct. 28, 1848: the first railroad in Spain opens, running between Barcelona and MataróOct. 28, 1929: Black Monday, a day in the Wall Street Crash of 1929Oct. 29, 1390: first witchcraft trial in ParisOct. 29, 1618: adventurer and writer Sir Walter Raleigh is beheaded for allegedly conspiring against James I of

EnglandOct. 30, 1485: Henry VII is crowned king of EnglandOct. 30, 1821: Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky is bornOct. 30, 1922: Benito Mussolini is made Prime Minister of ItalyOct. 30, 1960: Michael Woodru" completes the first successful kidney transplant in the UKOct. 31, 1517: Martin Luther posts his 95 #eses on the door of a church in Wittenberg, GermanyOct. 31, 1795: English poet John Keats is bornOct. 31, 1892: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle publishes #e Adventures of Sherlock HolmesOct. 31, 1926: death of magician/escapist Harry HoudiniOct. 31, 1961: Joseph Stalin’s body is removed from Lenin’s Tomb in RussiaOct. 31, 1984: Indian Prime Minister Indira Ghandi is assassinated by two Sikh security guardsNov. 1, 1512: the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, is shown to the public for the first timeNov. 1, 1604: first showing of William Shakespeare’s tragedy OthelloNov. 1, 1611: first showing of William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy #e TempestNov. 1, 1894: Nicholas II becomes Tsar of RussiaNov. 1, 1911: first dropping of a bomb from a plane in combatNov. 1, 1939: first rabbit born after artificial insemination is exhibited to the world

Why is this not the dominant thrust of a group concerned with biblical values? It seems that committed Christians should be concerned first with the eradication of poverty, as the key concern enunciated by the prophets and by Jesus. What happened to the war on poverty? And mentioning war, the cost of the war in Iraq has now run up to half a trillion dollars, and continues to climb in lives. Over four thousand American soldiers have been killed, and over thirty thousand wounded. #is takes nothing into account of the incredible damage to Iraq in infrastructure, in health, in lives lost including many civilian lives. #e evangelical organization, Focus on the Family, is concerned that Obama will seek to bring American troops home, to end this conflict that seems to have no definition. #ere is in the bible, running from the prophets through the prophetic teachings of Jesus, a consistent message of peace, of standing against war, of doing the things that make for peace. #e familiar words of Micah come to mind, “they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks.” #e words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, “blessed are the peacemakers,” seem to suggest that an approach other than armed conflict is to be desired by people of faith. #e Hebrew prophet Isaiah spoke of security, not in terms of armed defence,

but in terms of a peace that comes from justice: he envisioned a world in which each would have “their own vine and fig tree, so no one can make them afraid.” Why not implore church members to vote for the candidate who wants to mediate, to enter into diplomacy, to seek other solutions than armed conflict. #e biblical injunction against war, for justice, is based on a premise of the sanctity of life, the need to choose life, to preserve life. All life. It is holding a consistent ethic for life. #e Judeo-Christian tradition from the prophets to Jesus addresses threats to life, and seeks to redeem life. #is is not a plea for the anti-abortion platform. #e biblical ethic did not take abortion into account. A consistent ethic for life means reflecting on all issues. Guarding life, in all forms, and not seeking vengeance through execution, not permitting genocide to take place, seeing all life as equal. In the 1970s, American President Jimmy Carter – a committed Christian who stood at odds with many of his evangelical colleagues – once asked how many African children it took to equal one American child as a way of calling attention to the need to respond to humanitarian crises in Africa. His response, of course, was only one. In matters of life and the sanctity of life, there are no easy simple formulas

by which to judge all issues. Faith and politics cannot be reduced to saying no, or yes, to abortion, and yes, or no, to capital punishment. In matters of life and the sanctity of life, war is an issue. Genocide is an issue. Health care is an issue. End of life ethics is an issue. Stem cell research is an issue. #e treatment of prisoners, including prisoners of war, is an issue. #ese are issues that are not resolved by revisiting old laws and turning back the clock, but by working to ensure that the deeper matters are raised and understood, and that life is valued in a just society. Every human being bears the image of God, so issues must be resolved through seeking to protect and preserve human rights and human dignity. #e biblical injunction is to see the image of God in all people, to welcome the stranger, to uphold the dispossessed, to love even the unlovable. #e list could go on. Focus on the Family has decided to focus on a very narrow definition of family - as the white and the privileged - and has made that the standard for biblical ethics. It is a significant voting bloc in the American election. It will be interesting to see if evangelical Christians are able to look beyond their own self-interests to really see the Christian biblical ethic, and if that will make a di"erence on election day.

FOCTOBER 30, 2008 • FEATURES • THE ARGOSY • PAGE 9

by Vision in Blue

I was at a sex store in Moncton last Friday, getting some gummy boobs (fruity and edible!), among other things, and noticed this energy drink claiming to increase sexual performance. #e only ingredient on the list that actually looked promising was ca"eine, meaning the $10 drink was most likely merely just redbull with blue dye.

To the sex industry, performance enhancing supplements are a huge industry. While popping Viagra may be enjoyable, however, here’s a list of some natural aphrodisiacs which you may be interested in trying: Chocolate: It’s got antioxidants, and is wonderfully tasty, but what you really want to take note of is that it releases one of the same neuropeptides than your body does after sex, endorphins (which resemble opiates). While the level of release isn’t the same as an orgasm, a Hershey bar isn’t gonna make you cream, if you stick to the dark chocolate variety, and make sure it’s good quality (like Dolfin, Callebaut, or Green&Black), you might just get a very enjoyable experience out of it. Oysters: #ese are especially good for men, as they boost zinc levels, which, in addition to helping your immune system, increases your body’s production of testosterone. Oysters are also full of rare amino acids, which increase sex hormones. Champagne party, anyone? Chili: I’m East Indian, I like a little spice in my food. My country is also responsible for writing the Kama Sutra. Do you see the connection? Add a bit of spice to your food, or eat chili peppers straight out of the fridge. Whatever your method, it’ll probably make you all hot and bothered. (Note that with the chilies, wash your hands thoroughly before sticking fingers near genitalia, as the burning sensation that will result won’t be pleasant.)

Poison: I don’t recommend this one, mostly because too much can cause you to die, which would suck. However, it is said that rat poison, in small quantities, can cause intense, yet pleasurable pain to one’s genitals. Instead, I’d suggest visiting a sex store, as there are many creams that cause anything from tingling to pain down there (and there’s no risk of death). Check out names like Tickle Her Pink or Tickle Her Like A Virgin. I’m sure there’s stu" for guys as well, inquire at the counter. Avocado: If you look at the way these grow on trees, you’ll notice they grow in dangling pairs, kind of like certain male body parts. #e Aztecs called the avocado tree Ahuacatl, which roughly translates to “testicle tree.” Asparagus: I’m not sure if this is because of the phallic shape or not, but note that the tips of this veggie are particularly important. Other Aphrodisiacs: For more fun, try Co"ee, Garlic, Lobster, Unagi, Yeast and Wine. Just a note on that last one, excess alcohol has a negative e"ect on sexual performance. It’s called Whiskey Dick for a reason, but there’s also Rum Dick, Vodka Dick, Beer Dick, and the list goes on. And if you still want to go the Viagra route, 23 million males (and counting!) have been prescribed the drug since it first came out.

Corey Isenor andJames GoddardArgosy Correspondents

Save Easy75 Main St.

Most of you have probably been to the Save Easy before to pick up some exam period snacks or get that missing ingredient for your pot-luck dish, but have you ever noticed the deli section? Grocery stores are commonly thought of as places to go for raw foods, but value-added products do exist. #e local grocery store o"ers prepared options such as wraps and sandwiches; lettuce, spinach and various other kinds of salads; as well as deep fried chicken of many kinds and potato wedges. You can find the deli counter by turning right upon entering the Save Easy, and walking past the cashiers and the real (beyond a student budget) cheese fridge. #ey keep the wedges and fries under a heat lamp beside the rotisserie chicken, the sandwiches and salads are kept in a refrigerated shelving unit next to that. #ey o"er several lunch deals mostly involving di"erent combinations of fried chicken and wedges. Corey decided to go with a variation on one of these options, instead of the

common 3 chicken strips and wedges he got a few more (five specifically) and a small serving of potato wedges. #e total came too $5.30, a very reasonable price for the amount of food he got. Also interestingly enough, a little cheaper than the 3 pieces of chicken and wedges. James took a di"erent root and opted for a Chicken Caesar wrap accompanied by a bag of chips and a Fruitopia. His total was a little more than Corey’s, but still only $6.00. One thing that the Save Easy certainly has going for it is its price. It is rare that you can get a full meal for under $8.00, even at lunchtime in this town. #e service was also quite good. Grocery store workers undergo some pretty serious training regimes, I am told, and this seems to pay o". In James’ case he was able to simply pick his sandwich up o" the shelf and go, while Corey had to be served. #e food, however, does come in a great deal of plastic and cardboard packaging, which given the storage conditions is understandable but all the same regrettable. #ere are also many vegetarian options, an abundance of pre-made salads are available. As this is a grocery store, those feeling more adventurous can get a little creative. Beyond the deli the Save-Easy o"ers a wide-variety of

ready-to-eat foodstu"s. Looking for something to chew on during class? Why not pick up some hummus and bread. Need a quick sugar boost? Try a box of donuts. Although these options may be convenient we warn you that they for the most part are not the healthiest of choices. #ere is nowhere to eat at the Save-Easy, so we returned to campus and ate in the new café lounge. If it had been a nicer day the bandstand down and across the street would have been a pretty good place to eat. #e food was of a decent quality, edible without being particularly good. #e chicken was fresh and juicy while the wedges were a bit on the dry-side. #e chicken Caesar wrap was an interesting interpretation of the classic; it featured a little too much Caesar dressing and didn’t really hold together very well. We would like to add that James’ Fruitopia seemed to have spent a little too long on the shelf in the fridge, and all of the sugar had turned to sediment. Corey found that his meal didn’t end up sitting too well for the rest of the day; he wasn’t sick but it was digestively troubling. All in all we give the Save-Easy one thumb up. It certainly ranks highly for a"ordability and convenience, but it isn’t necessarily the best place to grab lunch for you or the environment.

Corey and James eat out

Emily Bird Argosy Correspondent #e warm months embrace a deconstruction of architecture with flowy fabrics, but the cool seasons swayed designers to place the notion of shape at centre stage. Curves, nips, and tucks are the primary components of jackets, skirts, and dresses in this

seasons’ closet. #e eighties made a reappearance in all of Fashion Week’s collections, whether it was subtle hints or complete reincarnations of the cropped shoulder padded jackets and the famous mini skirt. #e artistry displayed this fall has defined the power of shape and how it directs fashion’s character. Curves both subtle and extreme are the primary look of modern

fashion visionaries. Breathless spectators automatically associate this season’s boxy jackets, ru"ed tails, and cinched waists with the imperial and pronounced eighties, however these shapely ideals originated in the 19th century. Originally, this construction of a short overskirt, the peplum, was not attached to the jacket, but was simply a!xed to the waist where it dropped down. In the 19th century, this fixture extended much beyond the waist, serving as an extended overskirt. #e hour-glass figure, a shape evoking sensuality, was first achieved through tof cinched corsets constructed out of whale bone. #is epitomized figure distinguishes itself with a proclaimed narrowed waist, and redistributed weight above and below the waistline. Such designers as Christian Dior took the peplum form and created lavished gowns that defined romantic femininity; go back and dwell upon sti" ballroom fabrications. Others, such as Graeme Black took a slightly more architecturally based approach, giving simplicity to this season’s shapely trend. Every woman should be excited about accentuating the natural feminine form this season. Keep in mind the following key pieces to acquire this cold season’s runway look: shoulder pads, cinched waists, and ru"ed tails - invariably keep volume in mind. According to John Galliano, this season evokes the “optimism and opulence” of the sixties. Volume is the foreground of this season’s painting of trends, rather than flimsy sheaths of spring and summer. One can take a hold of this shapely trend in either the masses ordainty quantities. Whether it be an o!ce ensemble or a statement look for an event, this trend is adaptable

Shapely love

Internet PhotoA piece from the Christian Dior ready-to-wear Fall 2008 collection.

to any occasion at any time of the day. If the o!ce is your venue, make your day upbeat in one of this season’s skirts. Whether it is be a bubble, tulip, or mini skirt, the collective variety can be worn casually with a simple fitted t-shirt, or with the sophistication of an elegant blouse. Top o" the ensemble by sporting a fitted cropped jacket with padded shoulders, and accentuate the waist even more evidently with a wide belt. Your collaboration of specific fall trends is sure to turn heads within the dull o!ce space. Going out to an exceptionally smashing event? Exhibit your “mode” of choice and hourglass figure in one of this season’s short bubble dresses. Peruse the collections are trendsetting designers such as Christian Dior, John Galliano, and Donatella Versace. #e eighties lampshade and bubble dresses were esteemed “magnifique” by international audiences. If you’re one who is easily intimidated by abstract fashion, do not worry that you will be left out from this season’s parade of hips, shoulders, and waists. #ere is a colour, length, and shape for every one

and their figure. If simplicity is a key ideal, envelope yourself in a streamlined take on the little black dress as modeled at Balenciaga’s show. Nicolas Ghesquière, designer at Balenciaga, evoked both tech-y and sexy in his curved molded dresses. Strong heels continued their reign on the catwalks in multitudes of geometric shapes, patterns, and bright colours. #is season’s theme of exaggerated proportions perpetrated all the way down to the shoes as models paraded in unimaginable wedges, t-strap heels, vampy Mary Janes, bright platforms, and above the knee high boots. Achievement of this fall’s exaggerated voluminous looks is quite a simple endeavour. #e di!culty arises from the multitude of thematic options evoked on the runways in Paris, New York, and Milan. From Stella McCartney’s friendly eco-conscious dressing, to Jean Paul Gaultier’s animal kingdom, and Riccardo Tisci’s mix of rocker-gypsy, the moods for fall are ideal fantasies. Let nothing hold back you back from fall’s fantastic visions.

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F PAGE 10 • THE ARGOSY • FEATURES • OCTOBER 30, 2008

Rebecca Anne DixonArgosy Correspondent

“Welcome to the city of legends!” #e 80 or so university students arriving in St. John’s Newfoundland for the Millennium Excellence Awards Atlantic Regional Conference may have felt deceived by this greeting, as the mysterious mists of St. John’s Harbour were strangely absent this past weekend. Meanwhile, the gathering of young people with big ideas about how to impact their communities and the world may indeed have laid the foundations for some new legends. #e conference was appropriately themed “Moving Forward”. According to Mount Allison student and Millennium Scholarship Laureate Alexandra McLennan, it stayed true to this title. “#e conference wasn’t about saying “we’re so great” but about challenging us to think about what comes next” she said. #is was done through student-led workshops, discussions and most importantly, all the in-between

Millenium Scholarship Foundation’s time draws to an endScholarship of legends!

SAC President Mike Currie spoke with prospective student’s at last week’s Open House. Organizers expected over 400 guests to visit.

Sasha Van KatwykArgosy Staff

“If you want to save Africa don’t give us aid or government council,” Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former finance minister of Nigeria said, “invest in our businesses.” Development strategy in the global south, most markedly in Africa, has become an ad hoc collection of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations programs, and national government attempts at advancement despite pervasive inexperience in many o!ces and enormous debt to developed states. “It’s reached a point where everyone is grasping for straws,” remarks well known economist Je"ery Sachs, “we have the knowledge and understanding of the issues facing the people, but fail to be able to address them properly.” One of the newer strategies however, takes Okonjo-Iweala’s request to heart. Micro-finance banking organizations such as BlueOrchard and Grameen Bank—the Bangladeshi-based originator of the micro-financing approach established by Nobel prize winner Prof. Muhammad Yunus—have created major waves in both the international development realm and the banking industry. #e fundamental idea behind the micro-financing business is that the Micro-Financing Institutions (MFIs) provide loans of $1,000 (USD) or less, to poor families overlooked by commercial banks at under five per cent interest—rather than the five to ten per cent standard banks charge. #e loans mostly go towards creating household businesses most often run by women. #e policy of most MFI’s is to loan chiefly to women to ensure greater security for their investment. #e interest allows for profits by the banks, irking some development workers who believe money being put into the developing world should be given on philanthropic grounds alone. As Alexandre de Lesseps, co-owner of BlueOrchard Finance in Geneva, points out “you’re not going to get rich investing in microfinance…[but] you also get the satisfaction of knowing that your money is doing good for people in the world.” Indeed, micro-financing does seem to work. In the 32 years since Grameen Bank was established, Bangladesh’s rural poor have seen an enormous increase in living standards, particularly in the last decade, in communities where Grameen customers live. #e results can be seen wherever MFIs have succeeded. MFIs around the world, the likes of which include ACLEDA Bank in Cambodia, Bandhan Bank in India, Partner Bank in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and FINCA – ECU in Ecuador, have all had enormous success in providing opportunities for poor families in their communities through investment. Banking industries have taken note of the potential two billion customers

that such investments could provide. An important factor in the success of MFI strategy has been the high pay-o" rate - 95 per cent of those given loans by Grameen Bank have paid them back on time, according to Grameen’s spokesperson. De Lesseps of BlueOrchard has insisted that high rates of return are common in poor communities, as it is “a matter of pride” to those being given a first chance at something more. Skeptics have noted that administrative costs for making small loans can be 25 cents to the dollar, making it di!cult for MFIs to maintain their investments without charging exorbitant interest rates. MFI leaders have responded that while the microfinance business is about free trade investments and therefore about profits, they’re willing to take losses in this particular market to have greater gains later. While MFIs have become a beacon for development experts because they actively address poverty while keeping within the confines of a free market system, the strategy has not caught on yet in Africa. “Africa is a development worker’s hell,” to once again quote Sach’s, “from war and disease to corruption and unforgiving poverty…Africa’s separate states each face a combination of barriers [that are] not only immense in scale but di"er from place to place.” Africa has a history of, as economist thinker Amartya Sen put it, “tearing out the crux of a development strategy by the slightest fracture in implementation.” Indeed, MFIs have found it di!cult to establish themselves in much of Africa for a combination of reasons, ranging from corruption of the institutions and infrastructure restrictions to inexperienced bank employees that have wrung out the social capital potential of communities looking for loans. Microfinance is not a development strategy in itself, however. It’s an investment stratagem designed to tap into and expand markets that have plausible potential for profit for the investors. Its real place in the development process is one aspect of as the United Nations calls it, “a multi-pronged approach for development.” Investment is not the sole answer to alleviating poverty, but it has clearly presented itself as an e"ective piece of the puzzle. BlueOrchard’s de Lesseps believes MFI’s play a crucial role in one particular way as well; “for me the only way to make a di"erence is to make sure the money going to poor countries is properly managed and not just thrown away.” #e free trader would argue there’s no better way to avoid ine!ciency than to let the market do its thing. And while MFIs have certainly provided credence to this argument, it has also allowed those leading the institutions to show that sometimes absorbing early losses is necessary to tap into the long term benefits, and those benefits go far beyond just the profits of a few investors.

How microfinance banks fit intoalleviating global poverty

!e poor man’s banker

St John’s: city of legends, host of the Millennium Atlantic Regional Conference

Rebecca Anne Dixon

Mt. A’s first open house of the year

Jessica Emin Save The Argosy from Trapped Whitespace

Write Features

socializing that allowed students to be inspired and encouraged by one another. #e Millennium Foundation was created in 1998 by the federal government as a private organization, with the mandate to improve the access of post-secondary education to all students in Canada. #ere are many misconceptions about the actual role of the Foundation, and about its approaching end. #e Foundation has three main sections but the Scholarship Program is the best known, and probably the one with the worst press as its awards are based on academic excellence and community leadership rather than need. #e other two parts, the Research Program and the Bursary Program, have received less recognition. #e Research Program began in 2001. One of its strengths, says Millennium Sta" Policy O!cer Chad Lubelsky, is that it examined education on a national level in a country where education is a provincial responsibility. It studied access to post-secondary education, especially for members of the First Nations and first generation

immigrants. Furthermore, it analysed the impact of the policies instituted to deal with these issues, hoping to impact public policy across the country. #e Bursary Program helps fund the education of students in financial need. #is actually accounts for 95 per cent of the money given out by the Foundation. Critics of the Foundation focus on the amount of money that it spends on the Millennium Excellence Scholarship and conferences such as the one in St. John’s (as expenses are paid, by the foundation, for the participants). In response, the foundation counters that this represents only five per cent of the money given to the Millennium Foundation years ago and has increased only through independent investing. #e Newfoundland chapter “worked to the extremes” planning this conference, said Coady Bustin, one of the main student organizers. #ere was a tangible feeling of openness and genuine interest, and this “enthusiasm made the conference a huge success” he concluded. Andrew Woodall, director of the Award Program, refers to the formal and informal discussions at these conferences as “courageous conversations” about leadership, ideas and concrete ways of implementing them. He hopes that laureates will spread these conversations outside of the conference circle, leading to personal development and a “stronger and more resilient Canada”. #is is especially important in light of the Foundation’s closing. It has had a finite date from the beginning, so this is not unexpected. #ough there was question of renewing its mandate, Chad Lubelsky reports that this has been o!cially abandoned. He pointed out that this time restriction has encouraged the Foundation to be proactive in using its resources as e!ciently as possible on programs having the greatest impact. Still, many regret the loss of enrichment programs like the Research Program and the conferences. “I am very disappointed that the Foundation is closing,” says Alexandra. “I think it was very good at what it did, at reaching people all over the country, even in small communities like mine in Cape Breton.” In its final year, the Foundation plans to “go out with a bang” with a full slate of conferences and programs. If the enthusiasm displayed for networking at the St. John’s conference is any indication, Laureates will carry forward the links formed by the Millennium Foundation as they persist in their projects.

ARTS & LITERATURE

Last week in Sackville one of the highlights of the “You even called me friend” art symposium, was a round table discussion of seven of the artists. Moderated by Jane Dryden, the discussion was entitled, “Performing Sackville.” In his opening remarks, John Murchie spoke about his reasoning for the title. Mentioning the link between the name Virgil Hammock gave his own event, “Sculpture Sackville,” the Struts coordinator explained that he hoped the panel would focus on the subject the name hinted at – performing and creating in Sackville.

!e roundtable – the set up in an oval; the artists facing the audience – consisted of seven artists. Pam Hall and Margaret Dragu have spent the month of October in residence at

Struts – the long time artistic partners brought a brash wit to the event that seemed similar to their work. While Dragu was the quieter of the two, she was vocal when the moment arose and not soft in her expressions. Hall – who is based out of Newfoundland – presented some of the evening’s most intriguing points, even going so far as to question her own presence in the world, and why she does the things she does.

Ed Pien gave several other talks over the course of the week, as well as visiting several art classes and holding private workshops. !e Toronto based artist made a note of introducing himself as a “drawer,” a term that seems to encompass his art ideals about his work. Mario Doucette – a Moncton based artist – along with Pien, seemed content to let the others lead the discussion. !e two did insert their opinions and observations, but

far more seldom than their colleagues.Felicity Tayler is a Montreal based

artist, and one of the co-founders of Centre de recherché urbaine de Montreal (CRUM). Although almost every artist on the panel has an interdisciplinary background, Tayler’s contributions to the discussion were

laced with ideas originating from her history with Library and Informational studies. All the artists brought a unique mix of disciplines to the discussion.

jake moore - an artist who uses any form of media to express her ideas – had a slightly earthy vibe to her as she participated in the discussion. Paulina

Abarca-Cantin – the current director of Studio XX – contributed a slightly media heavy perspective on the panel’s discussion. Both moore and Abarca-Cantin added opposite approaches – earthy versus technological – and yet were based in similar ideas.

One of the recurring topics was the idea of dispelling labels and the idea of “same.” !e group discussed at length the relation of geographical impact on performances and creation – constantly coming back to the idea of worth of the artist, and whether a space requires an artist or an artist requires a space.

!e language used by the group ran from gentle to blunt. In response to the idea that an artist is integral to advancing small or rural areas, the exclamation “that’s crap,” was easily thrown out. Hall was perhaps the most vocal, even going as far as to describe St. John’s Newfoundland as “a little piece of shit on the edge of the

“Performing Sackville”A recollection of a discussion on presence and thoughtJulie StephensonArgosy Staff

world.” Her comment was loving, but filled blunt honesty about the place of smaller arts communities in Canada.

!e group brought up several intriguing ideas giving the audience many things to think about. In our current climates – political, social, and environmental – are artists truly receiving or being received? Where do expectations of artists lie? Where is the importance in residences and exhibitions…which plays the more important role? Is society romanticizing rural small town Canada? Are there negative a"ects to that?

While the turn-out to the roundtable was sparse the ideas were abundant. Perhaps the next art symposium might have the artists act upon the ideas discussed this time around. Perhaps “Performing Sackville” was a performance all on its own.

“...to describe St. John’s, Newfoundland as a ‘little piece of shit on the edge of the world’...

Animals don’t send each other text messages. !ey don’t call each other on their cell phones. !ey most assuredly don’t have BlackBerries, although some of them probably eat blackberries. In short, animals don’t own a million electronic gadgets that are supposed to help them communicate with each other, but really just deepen the divide.

!is was one of the points raised by Tom Sherman, a New York based artist, professor in the department of Transmedia at Syracuse University, and last Friday’s keynote speaker. His talk focused on the evolution of art in the information age, and the ways in which our perception and experience of art is being e"ected by the electronic, transmission-heavy world in which we live. As he explains it, animals aren’t encumbered by electronic transmissions or an information deluge at all times the way we are today. For

them, life is reasonably simple: find some good turf, tell everyone it’s yours, and start soliciting sex.

Sherman himself is something of a pioneer in electronic and video-based art. He is also the founding head of the Media Arts section of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Nowadays, he works primarily in video installation, radio, and performance. He is interested in the impact of the information age on how art is produced and experienced. In a time when we all expect to be instantly gratified, it takes a lot to hold our interest. If a video on YouTube isn’t really cool after about three seconds, how many of us will close the window? With this immediate-entertainment mentality, it is obvious that the way we experience and perceive art has changed.

An interesting aspect of Sherman’s address was his discussion of people as transceivers. Most of us are constantly sending and receiving information from our handheld devices, in some cases sending and receiving messages

simultaneously. !is, Sherman argues, has a"ected our consciousness and our ability to have deep experiences. !is apparent lambasting of electronic media is interesting coming from an artist who works in video art. But his is more of an attitude of accommodation: it is important, he argues, to establish artistic di"erence, and to make electronic media spaces social. Electronic art can function as a way of returning social interaction to the digital world – for instance, an act of live performance art can at the same time be broadcast and translated into media, bringing people together in their experiencing of it despite di"ering physical locations.

!e phenomenon of physical distance has led to a dichotomy in society and the arts between those who are super-mediated, and those who are super-physical. !e avant-garde, Sherman explains, has now turned to dysfunctional communication and exclusivity in art, rather than instantly accessible work. And yet this widespread and immediate access to resources and,

most importantly, to tools, has also in its own way revolutionized the art world by rendering the art-making and art-viewing processes more universal and easier to access.

As a speaker, Sherman is poised and eloquent. He keeps his audience’s attention using wit and humour, and a disarming sense of casualness. It is clear that he is a master communicator at home in his medium. And in the

Art in the age of technologyJulie CruikshankArgosy Staff

spirit of reconnection in the electronic age, Sherman opened up the floor for discussion in the second half of his talk. For him, communication seems to be the key. !e best way to achieve it is to allow and promote people to communicate with each other, whether electronically or physically, in a way that is deeper and more profound than a simple text message.

!is past Saturday night the Sackville Curling Club played host to the final event of the 13th Annual Symposium of Art. !e White Noise Performance Cabaret was an opportunity for artists, aspiring artists and brave souls to, in some cases, bare all in the name of art. Co-organized by the Owens Art Gallery and Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre, this year’s symposium brought together local, national and international artists in a week-long series of artist talks, panel discussions, gallery openings, radio shows, workshops, film screenings and performance pieces. Titled “You Even Called Me Friend”, the symposium featured, among others, artists Valerie D. Walker and Jake Moore from Studio XX (a feminist art centre for technological creation and critique in Montreal);

CRUM (the Centre de recherche urbaine de Montreal) was represented by Felicity Tayler, drawer Ed Pien, and video artist/theorist Tom Shermam. Hosted by Halifax-based artist/musician Mitchell Wiebe, produced by Faucet Manager Paul Henderson, and organised by Owens Intern Kerri George, the Cabaret began with the Anne Murray song “You Needed Me,” which includes lines that have been used as titles for previous symposiums. Sackville artist and Fine Arts professor Leah Garnett opemed the night with a telepathic piece that included former co-host of CHMA show “Drawing on Air,” Lianne Zannier, on the phone from Montreal, attempting to guess a card whose suit and face value were being thought of by the audience. Participants were also invited to draw their impressions of telepathy. Clare Halpine’s “Why is my dance card empty?” combined an energetic Rhianna-inspired dance routine that referenced the more genteel

courtship process of yesteryear. Tom Sherman’s magical plumber-related life experiences reminded us all of the importance of learning a trade. Struts’ own Amanda Dawn Christie performed “What a Beautiful Piece of Heartache.” Sackville musician Luke Patterson followed a bell curve as he used his drums to interact with the white noise of two out-of-tune televisions. Felicity Tayler joined myself and recent Mount Allison graduate Julia Chan in inviting participants outside during the intermission to perform “I.A.D. Improvised Artistic Devices” which included over two-hundred sparklers. Artist and Struts Co-ordinator John Murchie’s “Hell or Even Vancouver” recounted a recent performance trip to western Canada. Sandi Hartling’s untitled work manifested a visceral sense of white noise as she walked blindfolded back and forth along a side wall of the event space, humming as she increased speed and faded into the background.

W.L. Altman’s “musical number,” a performance of Anne Murray’s’ “You Needed Me” accompanied by a striptease, humorously revealed the true source of white noise. Adriana Kuiper and Ryan Suter reprised their traditional Cabaret theme-related performance with this year’s “White Russian.” Participants won a ‘caucasian’ for answering “!e Big Lebowski” trivia. Mathieu Lefevre gave an interpretative artist talk as he used contemporary dance to communicate his art practice. Lianne Zannier submitted an informative video titled “It came Free with the Fridge?,” in which she explored the evolution of the fridge while examining the interior of her own. Capping the night of festivities, DJ Jon Cleveland spun a groovy late-night dance party as this year’s Cabaret and Symposium came to an end with the traditional popping of decorative balloons. It was the Owens Gallery, Struts Gallery, Volunteer Co-ordinator

Modulated FrequenciesA review of the White Noise Performance CabaretChris RickettsArgosy Correspondent

Paula Cowan, and all the volunteers who made the Cabaret possible. !e Sackville Curling Club, !e New Brunswick Arts Board and !e Canada Council for the Arts should also gave their support for this unique annual event that gives amateurs the opportunity to perform alongside established artists. It was a very special night and I would encourage you all to start thinking about your performances for next year.

The I.A.D. Improvised Artistic Devices Performance.

Jessica Emin

”

Julie Cruikshank

AOCTOBER 30, 2008 • ARTS & LITERATURE • THE ARGOSY • PAGE 19

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If, like me, you still sometimes get that uncontrollable urge to let out some creative self expression all over the walls, then you may have found your outlet last week at Struts, when the annual 12-hour drawing marathon (part of the performance symposium) took place.

!e symposium began in the mid nineties, when then Fine Arts professor and artist Rita McKeough gave her students an assignment that had them make “performing objects” – sculptures that did something. !is fostered an interest in performance that grew into the symposium, now it its 13th year. Performance work involves people working in a visual art tradition, but doing so in a live, performative way. A sculptor or painter who creates work in front of an audience, for example, could be considered performative.

According to John Murchie, the coordinator at Struts and Fawcett, the drawing marathon is in itself a performance. It was initiated by students four or five years ago, and strongly supported by both Struts and the Owens. Basically, you show up, there’s food and, and a lot of free art supplies, and you draw on the walls for twelve hours. So, in essence it’s the most fun you can have while pulling an all-nighter. Murchie stresses that the marathon is a collaborative, social event that isn’t just about making pictures. He explains that the marathon, and the symposium, are about broadening people’s definitions of what art and performance are. “I’m a big believer myself in that you keep doing these things and they become part of life,” he says.

Working on the walls has a sort of cathartic appeal – there’s something very liberating about smearing paint haphazardly on a white wall and letting it drip. In previous years, Struts has covered the walls with white paper, but this year the drawings were done right on the bare surface. As the evening progresses, people tend to temporarily abandon their own work and move into others, resulting in a huge collaborative drawing that fills the room. !ere is no animosity about this appropriation of others’ work: it’s all part of the spirit of the performance. And the results can be quite astonishing. An interesting inclusion to this year’s marathon was the presence of visiting artist Ed Pien, who taped pencils together to form a long rod which he then used to make marks on the wall from a distance. !ere are no rules or boundaries – it’s a creative free-for-all.

!e drawing marathon is open to anyone, and it is as much about social camaraderie and a sense of community, as it is about people (not just artists) coming together in a creative space and collaborating on a work of art. It happens annually as part of the performance symposium, so if you missed it this year, there are still plenty more chances. It’s a great way to express yourself with others, to broaden your horizons, and perhaps most importantly, to experience a unique creative environment that loosens the boundaries about what art and performance can be.

Drawing tillthe cows come homeJulie CruikshankArgosy Staff

Jessica Emin

Jessica Emin

Jessica Emin

Jessica Emin

Jessica Emin

Jessica Emin

Jessica Emin

Remembering John !ompsonPreview of Saturday poetry gatherings around Sackville

Chris DurrantArgosy Sta!

A Mount Allison professor for his whole career, John !ompson died at the age of 38 in his apartment on Bridge Street. !ompson was a dark horse on the Canadian poetry scene, acclaimed by poets like Margaret Attwood and Michael Odaatje but overall overlooked by the Canadian literary scene and even by Mount Allison. !is is the impression you get talking to Janna Graham, a Mount Allison graduate.

It was a desire to honour !ompson that led Graham to organize “White Salt Mountain: A Gathering of Poet for John !ompson.” !e tribute will take place on November 1, and consist of events throughout the day honouring !ompson.

More than simply being a talented poet, !ompson is considered something of a pioneer in terms of the introduction of the ghazal to Canadian literature. Not a particularly common form of poetry, the ghazal is a form of poetry that involves five to twelve couplets, which don’t have to have any obvious or narrative connection.

!omson’s second and posthumously published book Stilt Jack consists of thirty-eight ghazals.

!ompson’s poetry and the ghazal itself are not for everyone. Poet Amanda Jernigan, one of the poets taking part in the November first activities, admits that it took her a long time to warm up to !ompson’s work. When first introduced to his work by Mount Allison English department professor Deborah Wills, Jernigan was skeptical. It was only years later, when she gave !ompson poetry - which can seem drunken - a second chance.

“He’s a much more careful writer than I gave him credit for… He has a deeply intensive, allusive quality to his work.” Indeed, his work draws from a wide variety of sources. !e ghazal itself is a Persian form of poetry. !e title of the gathering White Salt Gathering is taken from a line in one of !ompson’s poems, which he took from the poems of the Chinese poet Du Fu.

For Graham, the gathering goes beyond honouring !ompson however. “!ere are so many crazy stories about him, people don’t often look at his poems critically.” According to poet Amanda Jernigan, one of the poets reading at the festival, it looks as if the

gathering will correct that problem. According to her, what Graham has done is chosen poets who both seek to “imitate and pay homage to !ompson”, as well as others who’s work is more critical, and “talk backs” to !ompson’s.

“I’m amazed that !ompson has never formally been honoured by Mount A” Graham says. !ompson was thought to have an acrimonious relationship with the university’s administration at the time of his death, and stories surrounding is time at Mount Allison include showing up at Cranewood drunk, and shooting the clock in front of Town Hall with a rifle. Old acrimony aside, Mount Allison has helped with the tribute, both the Centre for Canadian Studies and the Department of English Literature contributed. !e event is also sponsored by the Sackville Cultural Capital celebration, appropriate considering that !ompson’s poetry was deeply influenced by the Tantramar marshes.

!e events of tribute include an informal talk and workshop with poet Rob Winger at the President’s Cottage at 10am, a two pm poetry reading at the Bridge Street Café by Harry !urston, Peter Sanger, and Arc Poetry magazine

editor Anita Lahey. Returning at five pm, !ompson-biographer Peter Sanger will give a talk at the Owen’s Art gallery. Finishing the day will be a low-light speak-easy at Struts Gallery with performances by Rob Winger, Amanda Jernigan and Allan Cooper.

!irty-two years after the poets mysterious and sudden death, it appears the poet is being well feted in the town the inspired much of his poetry.

Tim CrawfordThompson once shot Sackville’s town hall clock.

Ed Pien participates in the 12-hour drawing marathon at Struts Gallery.

Students and community members covered the walls of Struts with a myriad of drawings.

Pam Hall and Margaret Dragu’s exhibit at Start/Struts Gallery.

Revangeline by Francois Gaudet at the Owens Art Gallery.

Passe Recompose by Maryse Arsenault at the Owens Art Gallery.

La Derniere Expo by Jean Denis Boudreau at Owens Art Gallery.

Autobiographies-Lamort de l’ours by Hermenegilde Chiasson at the Owens Art Gallery.

A PAGE 20 • THE ARGOSY • ARTS & LITERATURE• OCTOBER 30, 2008

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Until they are old enough to question the beliefs of their families, most people seem to ascribe to a faith almost blindly. Once a person reaches the age at which they begin to question the world around them, they either a#rm the beliefs their parents taught them or change their beliefs. In Guy Harrison’s case, as hard as he tried to be a believer in God, the did not possess the required faith. Instead, Harrison became fascinated with other’s faith and fascination with religion and the God they ascribe to.

In his book, Fifty Reasons People Give for Believing in a God, Harrison

endeavours to discover why people believe in God and why their beliefs hold such resonance for them. Harrison often recalls his own youth when he struggled to truly believe in the God his parents and friends put their faith in. It is from this struggle that the book eventually came about. After years of studying history and anthropology and working as a journalist, Harrison began to travel, seeking out various people of all faiths, beliefs, nationalities, age, and race. From numerous interviews about belief in religion and God, came the book Harrison now hopes will inspire more critical thought surrounding religion.

In his pitch to younger audiences, Harrison promotes the book as relevant for university students as he believes them to be engaged thinkers – the exact demographic the book aims at. Although Harrison also mentioned that many students find university to be a time of exploration – to test limits, create new ones, and to challenge what was previously thought verified. Harrison is sure that the book remains respectful of each person interviewed, and of each faith discussed. As he states, “I don’t argue…I just share my ideas and show that there is plenty of room for doubt regarding the most popular justifications for belief in a god or gods.”

Harrison is not idealistic about the impact of Fifty Reasons. He maintains the book is primarily for raising

What are your reasons for believing in a God?An interview with Guy Harrison, author of Fifty Reasons People Give for Believing in a GodJulie StephensonArgosy Staff

thought and provoking discussion. When asked about the hoped e"ects of the book Harrison replies, “I’m not trying to convert readers…What they conclude in the end is up to them and I wouldn’t want it any other way.” In a world that is constantly changing, Harrison merely seems to be trying to inject a little reason and critical thinking.

Top on his list of things people often tend to misconstrue is the meaning of the word “atheist.” A self proclaimed atheist himself, Harrison believes people often perceive atheists as individuals who hate religion and God. Instead, Harrison says, they are individuals who simply do not believe God exists as they have been shown no proof to indicate otherwise, “I can’t hate someone who I’m not convinced even exists.” Harrison also hopes that people see the lack of negativity in his book – he maintains that he has no ill will against any God, that he is only challenging their reasons for believing.

Harrison has travelled across the world, visiting such sacred places at Jerusalem, !e Vatican, Giza, Umayyad Mosque, and others. He has spoken with all types of people. He has experienced powerful emotional connections to the people in these places, and continually acknowledges the pull and emotions that others feel in such sacred places. However, Harrison mentioned that he has still

not encountered a response to change his own beliefs. Despite this, Harrison does admit that if a good enough reason came along, he would not hesitate to label himself a believer and begin a life that matched that label.

So far says Harrison, all feedback has been extremely positive. “I have heard from Christians, Muslims, and one Hindu, so far, who said they enjoyed the book and it gave them plenty to think about.” Along with the good reviews, Harrison has also received o"ers of conversion from the many people of faith he speaks with. To him, it always originates out of the best intentions – people often believe he will su"er for his thinking, and hope to save him from torment – but the o"ers are always politely refused. “I don’t have a problem with every aspect of every religion… However, when religious belief lead people to segregate themselves, hate, kill…that’s when I have a serious problem with it,” says Harrison as he explains his views on the varying degrees of religion.

Perhaps a question with many answers across the world is if we will ever live in a world without religion. Harrison’s first reaction is “Yes!” He goes on to explain that in his view our world seems to have several communities with high infant mortality rates, violence, human rights issues, and various other problems that have high populations of “intensely religious” people. !is is in comparison

to more progressive communities that Harrison examines in his book – communities with lower populations of highly religious groups. While Harrison believes these are signs for a possible world without religion, the exact answer to that question can only truly be answered in time.

Guy Harrison’s book, Fifty Reasons People Give for Believing in a God, will be a unique experience for each reader. !e beauty in our world tends to lie in the idea of peoples’ di"erences from one another, including the way we think. In that light, it is a good idea to consider all aspects of an issue when deciding your stance on it. So, perhaps picking up a copy of a book that challenges, discusses, and promotes critical thinking might just be a good idea.

Considering that Halloween is coming up, I figured a comprehensive guide to decomposition was in order. Mary Roach’s book, Sti!: the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, is quite possibly one of the most engrossing and informative reads out there. Covering everything from body-snatching in the early years of dissection and anatomy studies, all the way up to crash-test cadavers, Roach went all over doing things which would give most people nightmares, all in the name of scientific discovery and entertainment.

Her book reads like an instruction manual for all of the di"erent ways to deal with your body. She went to a cosmetic surgery seminar, which took place in a giant room with about 20 or 30 tables each holding a human head in a turkey pan.

...with about 20 or 30 tables each holding a human head in a turkey pan.

Gross you say? Um, yea, but Roach adds her own brand of wit and insight to the situations she encounters, in order to allow the reader to focus on the material without throwing up.

With chapter names such as “A Head is a Terrible !ing to Waste,” and “How to Know if You’re Dead,” she grabs your attention and holds it while taking you on a thrill ride of information and laughter.

One would think that with all the laughter she would cross the line into disrespect at least once or twice, but Roach explains that while her humour may be unexpected, it is the only way to deal with some of the things she sees and she doesn’t cross the line once.

If you like this one try her other books:

Spook: Science Tackles the AfterlifeBonk: "e Curious Coupling of Science

and Sex

Sti": !e Curious Lives of Human CadaversAll the things your body can do when you leave it behind

Alexandra TherouxArgosy Correspondent

“With what can I start?”

Knowledge is found and lost ever faster than I can think.I will not know truth’s cost.

Doomed in ignorance to sink.

My eyes opened,gazing ‘pon beach and brilliant ocean,

glittering in million points of life’s light.Promise on horizon.

But shift so,do the sands ‘twixt my bleeding toes,

and call me deeper into the dark mire.Cold, thoughtless.Promise sinks so,

‘hind life’s shifting drowning expanse,ever deeper and nothing worth to know.

I, silent, scream.

“With the exception of all those reading this…”

I’ve been brooding and getting pissed,that in speculation we’re finding bliss,with no formed thoughts no finesse,

preferring bastard-banter and a guess,to a clear-cut conscience.

But distress overwhelms our weary minds.We fall with the swishing dregs of the dead,

thought-starved,mind-fucked,

un-fed-miserable people.

So with our inflated heads,we hold convictions with no edgeto cut or create a-new this placewe suck dry to bone and deface.

Before we know any better, we disgrace.

Poetry by Scribbles...THE ARTS ARE SEXY.

WRITE ARTS. WRITE ARTS.

G. Harrison

“”

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

On October 15, Microsoft China made a low-key annoucement that, beginning on Oct 21, they would begin releasing software updates designed to sni! out pirated Chinese copies of their Windows XP operating system.

"ese ‘Windows Genuine Advantage’ updates, downloaded by XP’s Windows Update service, change a pirated system’s desktop background to a black screen and deploy a popup in the lower right hand corner alerting the user that their operating system is not legitimate. "is move, termed the ‘Black Screen of Death’ after Windows’ infamous ‘Blue Screen of Death’ error message, has been met with worry and confusion from the Chinese public, with many calling for Microsoft’s ‘hacking attack’ to immediately cease.

Microsoft claims the ‘Black Screen of Death’ does not a!ect the performance of a!ected computers, nor does it report any information about the user of a pirated system.

Dong Zhengwei, a Beijing lawyer, lodged a formal complaint with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security,

It’s o#cial, ladies and gentlemen: the weirdest gnome in the world is no longer the traveling garden gnome from the movie Amelie. As it turns out, the title has now gone to the one that appears to be terrorizing a town in Argentina.

Earlier this year, a group of teenage boys in General Güemes, Argentina, caught the gnome on film using a phone camera. Other people from the town have since come forward claiming that the gnome has been terrorising their town for twenty years, and that they are afraid to walk the streets at night.

How exactly the gnome’s reign of terror is a!ecting the Argentinean town is a bit vague. "ere is without a doubt a short, creepy, side stepping, bearded, and pointy hat wearing creature walking the streets of the town. What it does other than scare the locals by, well, being a creepy, sidestepping, bearded, and pointy hat wearing creature that barks like a dog, is a mystery as well. Locals are terrified nonetheless; one of the boys in the group that recorded the gnome was reportedly so afraid that he had to be taken to the hospital.

China accuses Microsoft of ‘massive hacking’Stuart TownsendArgosy Staff

Chinese Windows XP users seeing red over black screen

Geek Chic of the Week

Tired of looking for a good, cheap stun gun to tote about as an active deterrent to Sackville’s criminal element? Well, according to some of the Internet’s fiercer gun nuts, this isn’t it. "at said, this humble compiler of Geek Chic of the Week fails to understand how 200,000 volts for $13USD won’t incapacitate (or at least impress) your would-be assailant.

http://www.surpluscomputers.com/"under_Stun_200_000_Volt_Stun/

Know a useful/nerdy/awesome program/toy/gadget? Email us at argosy@mta.ca and share your find!

October 30, 2008:Thunder Stun Gun

claiming Microsoft’s move was tantamount to “invading personal computers without user permission or judicial authorization”. His complaint has become a rallying point for fearful and angry Chinese computer users. Microsoft countered with a statement reiterating that they were not collecting any data from computers running counterfeit software and were helping protect unaware users against risks traditionally associated with pirated operating systems, such as identity theft.

To many pundits, Chinese and otherwise, the move comes as no surprise. China has become notorious for developing new and innovative ways to pirate Microsoft’s products, in large part due to said products’ Chinese pricing.

A genuine copy of Windows costs over 1000RMB, which is about the monthly GDP per person; the pirated copies available on the street corners of any Chinese metropolis cost approximately 5RMB. Unsurprisingly, it is estimated that over 85% of all Microsoft software currently in use in China is pirated.

Despite all the uproar surrounding the ‘Black Screen of Death’, it’s very

Some experts who looked at the film have said that it is credible. "en again, the same has been said of footage of the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, the Yeti, and others. Strangely enough, the police described the gnome as the newest Bigfoot. "e obvious irony of comparing a pointy hat wearing creature of less than four feet to the massive, hairy Bigfoot aside, the police have a point; this gnome is the latest in an ongoing series of cryptozoological mysteries that may very well just turn out to be a very short man who enjoys dressing up and scaring his neighbours.

"ere is little that makes this story sound much di!erent from more famous cryptozoology cases, though. A crazed gnome running the streets of Argentina, leaving behind no evidence except very fuzzy camera footage and some scared teenagers, prompting a full scale police investigation, brings to mind the many years (and occasional hysteria) of people hunting for Nessie at Loch Ness.

People cling to fuzzy film footage and blurry photos as proof that the Loch Ness Monster exists - it took 60 years to discover that the Surgeon’s Photo, one of the most famous photos of Nessie, was not the monster at all, but a head attached to a toy submarine.

Susan RogersArgosy Correspondant

Calling all cryptozoologists...

A breakthrough announcement made recently by a team of researches at La Trobe University in Australia, indicates that antibodies from shark blood could be the next leap forward in cancer treatment. Dr. Stewart Nuttall, one of the lead research scientists for the project, explains it this way: “We’re initially interested in sharks because they play a pivotal role in immune evolution. If you look at a shark, anything below them in an invertebrate scale doesn’t have an immune system. Sharks and everything above it has an immune system very much like humans. But they also have this unusual type of antibodies.”

Shark antibodies are somewhat unusual because of their ability to withstand extreme temperatures, pH levels, and their tiny size; researchers are excited about this because it opens up the possibility of having a pill treatment for cancer rather than having to rely on injections.

"us far, the major stumbling block with developing an oral treatment for cancer has been the harsh environment of the digestive system. Mick Foley, associate professor of molecular biology at La Trobe University and co-lead researcher, describes the di#culties: “"e first step in being able to get an orally available antibody, which really is a bit of a holy grail in therapeutics, is to at least survive the gut. And then you have to get it taken up. And so these molecules seem to be extremely stable in the gut. And therefore there is a good chance that we have at least have got past first base.”

If the antibody survives the inhospitable environment of the digestive system, it then binds on to the surface of the target cancer cells and prevents them from growing. "ere have already been some promising results from the lab, where the researchers have been testing the e#cacy of the shark antibody treatment on breast cancer cells. Dr. Foley describes the results: “In the wells that we’ve added the shark

Sharks versus cancerHow Jaws could lend a hand in the fight against human cancersKelly O’ConnorArgosy Staff

antibodies you can see that the cells are actually growing less than in the wells where we don’t add a shark antibody or we add a completely irrelevant shark antibody. So this indicates the shark antibody that we have is binding to those cancer cells and for some reason causing them to grow more slowly and perhaps even killing them.”

In order to produce such antibodies, the traditional approach has been to inject sharks with an antigen and wait for a su#cient immune response to develop. Instead, these Australian researchers take genes from the sharks, and modify them in the lab by adding random proteins to cause random mutations in a process which closely mimics how the human immune system works. "is enables the researchers to develop a “library” of antibodies capable of responding to a vast array of diseases and conditions, including malaria and rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Foley explains: “"e aim is to use these shark antibodies as a way of finding high-a#nity binding agents to bind to anything we want – such as a molecule on cancer cells, or inflammatory proteins that you could then use in therapy.” "rough a slow process of trial and error, the researchers expose antibodies to various target molecules (such as cancer cells), and see if there is any reaction.

"e advantages (and potential payout) of successfully developing an oral-based antibody treatment for cancer are huge. For patients who must be subjected to constant injections, taking pills would be a dramatic improvement. Antibody-based treatments are also much more specific than the current methods. Although there are already other similar treatments in development, they are all in their early stages with none available for patient use as of yet. "is leaves a market potentially worth billions of dollars wide open.

So next time you see a shark, try to look past those vicious teeth and occasional man-eating tendencies and just appreciate the irony; one of the newest advances in cancer treatment could come from one of the ocean’s most ancient predators.

similar to Microsoft’s anti-piracy measures employed elsewhere in the world. Windows Genuine Advantage, as it exists in North America, shares most features with its Chinese counterpart, such as denial of further Windows updates and a popup box alerting the user that their copy is pirated.

"e ‘Black Screen of Death’ is the only unique feature of the Chinese version and is in fact slated to be included in every region’s Windows Genuine Advantage update within two months. "at said, for WGA to be downloaded to a user’s computer, that user must have Windows Update enabled. "us, whether in China or Sackville, a user of a pirate copy of XP is safe as long as they don’t mind missing out on the latest XP security patches.

Some, however, see this as just another event in the endless arms race between software crackers and software developers. Many Chinese commentators report that pirates have already subverted this new measure - and they expect the newly pirated version to sell quite well.

As the case for many cryptozoological entities, experts may decide that the “proof ” that exists is doctored, but that doesn’t stop many who refuse to believe scientific evidence over their gut feelings.

Whether it is in fact a gnome that is wandering the streets of General Güemes, a more than twenty year-long hoax, or simply a very misunderstood midget, is something that likely only time will tell. In any case, until local cryptozoologists triumphantly uncover evidence of a monster in the Waterfowl Park or vampire swans in the swan pond, we probably don’t have to worry about gnomes taking over the world anytime soon.

http://www.surpluscomputers.com/

SACThe Student Administrative Council Page

The S.A.C’s

Mission

Statement

The Mount Allison Students’ Union aims to foster a community where the quality of student life (education, social, and personal) is constantly improving.

The Students’ Administrative Council will promote high-quality student learning. It will advocate student interests, as well as those of Mount Allison University and post-secondary education as a whole. The council will provide its members with

diverse opportunities to become exceptional leaders. It will be flexible enough to accommodate a changing world.

The S.A.C.’s priorities will be determined by its members. The Council will foster communication both internally and externally, in order to be democratic, fair, accountable to and accessible to its members. It will provide services students want and can use. It will cultivate unity and good will among its members, but will respect differing views of all members. It will solve problems with the best interest of students in mind at all times.

What does the S.A.C. represent?

S.A.C. Awareness WeekOctober 27-31

Congratulations to Bennett on winning the

residence voting competition!

S.A.C. Bingo @ the Pub

Your Student

Administrative Council

presents S.A.C. Bingo

at the PUB Thursday

The draw has been open all week. The ballots will be collected at 4:30 pm on Friday. To submit a ballot for the draw, you simply need to stop by the S.A.C. office and fill one out. As an added bonus, you will receive a bubble-gum filled sucker. The “Garnet and Gold” themed draw basket is filled with:20 Dollar Gift Certificate for the Olive Branch10 Dollar Gift Certificate for Joey’sA Rickards’ Baseball CapA Garnet Knit HatA Enviro-Mug A Enviro-BagA Triangular Mount Allison BannerPopcornTwo Chocolate BarsTwo Packages of GumA package of red licoriceToothpasteToothbrushHand SanitizerS, A, and C Shaped Sticky Notes

S.A.C “Garnet and Gold” themed draw basket

(tonight)! It will begin at

10:00 pm and continue

into the night. The prizes

will be drinking tickets.

Come out and show

us how loud you can

scream, “BINGO!” Dan

Wortman will be your

host of the evening. The

PUB will be hopping so

be sure to come out and

win!

The S.A.C. will be among the best student associations of Canada.

The S.A.C’s

Mandate

The mandate of the S.A.C. is to improve student life and protect student interests. The Mount Allison Students’ Union aims to foster a community where the quality of student life (educational, social, and personal) is constantly improving. The Students’ Union is governed by the Student Administrative Council where all students

are members and have voting privileges. The Council has two major responsibilities: to be a political representation and to provide services for the students. There are various political committees where students are represented.

The S.A.C.’s

Background

The Union is run by six executive members and elected representatives from both off campus and on campus ridings. The six executive consist of the President, Vice President

of Academic Affairs, Vice President of External Affairs, Vice President of Campus Life, Vice President of Finance and Operations, and Vice President of Communications. The Council has representatives from each residence on campus, one representative for every one hundred and three (103) off campus, as well as one representative for the international students. There are also two support staff who work full time in the office, the Office Manager and the Office Administrator. There are also several other appointments who work for the union and provide various services.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

On October 15, Microsoft China made a low-key annoucement that, beginning on Oct 21, they would begin releasing software updates designed to sni! out pirated Chinese copies of their Windows XP operating system.

"ese ‘Windows Genuine Advantage’ updates, downloaded by XP’s Windows Update service, change a pirated system’s desktop background to a black screen and deploy a popup in the lower right hand corner alerting the user that their operating system is not legitimate. "is move, termed the ‘Black Screen of Death’ after Windows’ infamous ‘Blue Screen of Death’ error message, has been met with worry and confusion from the Chinese public, with many calling for Microsoft’s ‘hacking attack’ to immediately cease.

Microsoft claims the ‘Black Screen of Death’ does not a!ect the performance of a!ected computers, nor does it report any information about the user of a pirated system.

Dong Zhengwei, a Beijing lawyer, lodged a formal complaint with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security,

It’s o#cial, ladies and gentlemen: the weirdest gnome in the world is no longer the traveling garden gnome from the movie Amelie. As it turns out, the title has now gone to the one that appears to be terrorizing a town in Argentina.

Earlier this year, a group of teenage boys in General Güemes, Argentina, caught the gnome on film using a phone camera. Other people from the town have since come forward claiming that the gnome has been terrorising their town for twenty years, and that they are afraid to walk the streets at night.

How exactly the gnome’s reign of terror is a!ecting the Argentinean town is a bit vague. "ere is without a doubt a short, creepy, side stepping, bearded, and pointy hat wearing creature walking the streets of the town. What it does other than scare the locals by, well, being a creepy, sidestepping, bearded, and pointy hat wearing creature that barks like a dog, is a mystery as well. Locals are terrified nonetheless; one of the boys in the group that recorded the gnome was reportedly so afraid that he had to be taken to the hospital.

China accuses Microsoft of ‘massive hacking’Stuart TownsendArgosy Staff

Chinese Windows XP users seeing red over black screen

Geek Chic of the Week

Tired of looking for a good, cheap stun gun to tote about as an active deterrent to Sackville’s criminal element? Well, according to some of the Internet’s fiercer gun nuts, this isn’t it. "at said, this humble compiler of Geek Chic of the Week fails to understand how 200,000 volts for $13USD won’t incapacitate (or at least impress) your would-be assailant.

http://www.surpluscomputers.com/"under_Stun_200_000_Volt_Stun/

Know a useful/nerdy/awesome program/toy/gadget? Email us at argosy@mta.ca and share your find!

October 30, 2008:Thunder Stun Gun

claiming Microsoft’s move was tantamount to “invading personal computers without user permission or judicial authorization”. His complaint has become a rallying point for fearful and angry Chinese computer users. Microsoft countered with a statement reiterating that they were not collecting any data from computers running counterfeit software and were helping protect unaware users against risks traditionally associated with pirated operating systems, such as identity theft.

To many pundits, Chinese and otherwise, the move comes as no surprise. China has become notorious for developing new and innovative ways to pirate Microsoft’s products, in large part due to said products’ Chinese pricing.

A genuine copy of Windows costs over 1000RMB, which is about the monthly GDP per person; the pirated copies available on the street corners of any Chinese metropolis cost approximately 5RMB. Unsurprisingly, it is estimated that over 85% of all Microsoft software currently in use in China is pirated.

Despite all the uproar surrounding the ‘Black Screen of Death’, it’s very

Some experts who looked at the film have said that it is credible. "en again, the same has been said of footage of the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, the Yeti, and others. Strangely enough, the police described the gnome as the newest Bigfoot. "e obvious irony of comparing a pointy hat wearing creature of less than four feet to the massive, hairy Bigfoot aside, the police have a point; this gnome is the latest in an ongoing series of cryptozoological mysteries that may very well just turn out to be a very short man who enjoys dressing up and scaring his neighbours.

"ere is little that makes this story sound much di!erent from more famous cryptozoology cases, though. A crazed gnome running the streets of Argentina, leaving behind no evidence except very fuzzy camera footage and some scared teenagers, prompting a full scale police investigation, brings to mind the many years (and occasional hysteria) of people hunting for Nessie at Loch Ness.

People cling to fuzzy film footage and blurry photos as proof that the Loch Ness Monster exists - it took 60 years to discover that the Surgeon’s Photo, one of the most famous photos of Nessie, was not the monster at all, but a head attached to a toy submarine.

Susan RogersArgosy Correspondant

Calling all cryptozoologists...

A breakthrough announcement made recently by a team of researches at La Trobe University in Australia, indicates that antibodies from shark blood could be the next leap forward in cancer treatment. Dr. Stewart Nuttall, one of the lead research scientists for the project, explains it this way: “We’re initially interested in sharks because they play a pivotal role in immune evolution. If you look at a shark, anything below them in an invertebrate scale doesn’t have an immune system. Sharks and everything above it has an immune system very much like humans. But they also have this unusual type of antibodies.”

Shark antibodies are somewhat unusual because of their ability to withstand extreme temperatures, pH levels, and their tiny size; researchers are excited about this because it opens up the possibility of having a pill treatment for cancer rather than having to rely on injections.

"us far, the major stumbling block with developing an oral treatment for cancer has been the harsh environment of the digestive system. Mick Foley, associate professor of molecular biology at La Trobe University and co-lead researcher, describes the di#culties: “"e first step in being able to get an orally available antibody, which really is a bit of a holy grail in therapeutics, is to at least survive the gut. And then you have to get it taken up. And so these molecules seem to be extremely stable in the gut. And therefore there is a good chance that we have at least have got past first base.”

If the antibody survives the inhospitable environment of the digestive system, it then binds on to the surface of the target cancer cells and prevents them from growing. "ere have already been some promising results from the lab, where the researchers have been testing the e#cacy of the shark antibody treatment on breast cancer cells. Dr. Foley describes the results: “In the wells that we’ve added the shark

Sharks versus cancerHow Jaws could lend a hand in the fight against human cancersKelly O’ConnorArgosy Staff

antibodies you can see that the cells are actually growing less than in the wells where we don’t add a shark antibody or we add a completely irrelevant shark antibody. So this indicates the shark antibody that we have is binding to those cancer cells and for some reason causing them to grow more slowly and perhaps even killing them.”

In order to produce such antibodies, the traditional approach has been to inject sharks with an antigen and wait for a su#cient immune response to develop. Instead, these Australian researchers take genes from the sharks, and modify them in the lab by adding random proteins to cause random mutations in a process which closely mimics how the human immune system works. "is enables the researchers to develop a “library” of antibodies capable of responding to a vast array of diseases and conditions, including malaria and rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Foley explains: “"e aim is to use these shark antibodies as a way of finding high-a#nity binding agents to bind to anything we want – such as a molecule on cancer cells, or inflammatory proteins that you could then use in therapy.” "rough a slow process of trial and error, the researchers expose antibodies to various target molecules (such as cancer cells), and see if there is any reaction.

"e advantages (and potential payout) of successfully developing an oral-based antibody treatment for cancer are huge. For patients who must be subjected to constant injections, taking pills would be a dramatic improvement. Antibody-based treatments are also much more specific than the current methods. Although there are already other similar treatments in development, they are all in their early stages with none available for patient use as of yet. "is leaves a market potentially worth billions of dollars wide open.

So next time you see a shark, try to look past those vicious teeth and occasional man-eating tendencies and just appreciate the irony; one of the newest advances in cancer treatment could come from one of the ocean’s most ancient predators.

similar to Microsoft’s anti-piracy measures employed elsewhere in the world. Windows Genuine Advantage, as it exists in North America, shares most features with its Chinese counterpart, such as denial of further Windows updates and a popup box alerting the user that their copy is pirated.

"e ‘Black Screen of Death’ is the only unique feature of the Chinese version and is in fact slated to be included in every region’s Windows Genuine Advantage update within two months. "at said, for WGA to be downloaded to a user’s computer, that user must have Windows Update enabled. "us, whether in China or Sackville, a user of a pirate copy of XP is safe as long as they don’t mind missing out on the latest XP security patches.

Some, however, see this as just another event in the endless arms race between software crackers and software developers. Many Chinese commentators report that pirates have already subverted this new measure - and they expect the newly pirated version to sell quite well.

As the case for many cryptozoological entities, experts may decide that the “proof ” that exists is doctored, but that doesn’t stop many who refuse to believe scientific evidence over their gut feelings.

Whether it is in fact a gnome that is wandering the streets of General Güemes, a more than 20 year-long hoax, or simply a very misunderstood midget, is something that likely only time will tell. In any case, until local cryptozoologists triumphantly uncover evidence of a monster in the Waterfowl Park or vampire swans in the swan pond, we probably don’t have to worry about gnomes taking over the world anytime soon.

http://www.surpluscomputers.com/