The Cord WeeklyThe tie that binds since 1926 BAD LUCK PUCK CAMPUS BEST-OF JAL, WARCHILD Women's hockey team suffers their Laurier votes on their favourite campus Rapper and writer Emmanuel Jal stops by

...... first loss in 26 games ... PAGE 12 locales, profs and more PAGES 16-17 Waterloo's Princess Theatre PAGE 31

Volume 49 Issue 23 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2009 www.cordweekly.com Examining misconduct

The Cord talks to students for first-hand feedback on academic misconduct at Laurier

JEREMY TREMBLAY given a floppy disk on which to NEWS EDITOR save his work. Knowing that this would be the case ahead of time, According to a report presented he says he wrote an essay on a to senate by Laurier's Academic floppy disc and snuck it in. Integrity Committee Chair Mark When no one was looking, he Baetz, a professor in the School switched the disks and pasted of Business and Economics, 83 an essay he had written ahead of students have been caught and timeinto a new document. penalized for academic miscon- "They're very lenient for special duct since the beginning of Sep- needs. I took advantage of that," tember, 2007. he said. "I don't think [misconduct] Despite the fact that he happens very often," says one cheated on an exam, he doesn't Laurier alumn who admits to think cheating is a widespread having cheated on an exam. phenomenon. "I think it's very subjective," "It devalues my degree," he stat- says a current student. "I've only ed, explaining that he will always VUSUF KIDWAI I cheated one time in one class." know he cheated on an exam. Neither was caught for The current student says she misconduct. and a friend studied for an exam Opening Dialogues "Iknew one of the [exam] ques- together and ended up sharing tions," the alumnus explained. answers. The Cord previews this weekend's opera, Writing the exam with the ac- Dialogues of the Carmelites ... PAGE 27 cessible learning centre, he was SEE INTEGRITY, PAGE 4 Don't fear for Canada's jobs

cal, provincial and federal mucky- mucks are tearing their hair out trying to save whatever pet indus- tries send votes their way. JOSH SMYTH This tendency is even more THE EXAMINED LIFE pronounced south of the border. When the American congress The economic news is getting stuck "Buy American" provisions YUSUF KIDWAI more dire every day. onto their stimulus bill, it made FESTIVAL ORGANIZERS - Sara Conrad, Sasha Cocarla and Kate Klein, organizers of Imagyn Film Festival. It may be news-headline cliche, sense to many people that money but it's also quite true. With the spent to rescue a country's econo- parade of jobless figures, industry my should be spent exclusively on bailouts and apocalyptic rhetoric, local enterprises. Examining gendered violence shit creek is looking rather crowd- The Canadian government, ed of late. rightly, squawked. The thing is, If there's anything flowing fast- other than to a certain subset of JEREMY TREMBLAY violence inflicted upon the self and "She's just a very smart, savvy er than multi-billion-dollar loans the globalized business and gov- NEWS EDITOR peer pressure. woman and she was saying we to badly managed industries, it's ernment classes, the logic behind With help from film studies need to think outside the box." the steady rush of promises by this sort of law makes sense to Laurier students Kate Klein, Sasha professor Katherine Spring and Later, while having lunch, Con- politicians all over the world to do many Canadians. There's a sense Cocarla and Sara Conrad have tak- women's studies professor Helen rad and Cocarla came up with the something, anything, everything that we should take care of our en the Imagyn Film Festival on gen- Ramirez, about 20 short films will idea of having a film festival. to save their constituents. own first, that in tough times we dered violence from idea to reality. be screened at the beginning of "It was just a random thought," And it really is about saving should try and stop those darned The organizers hope that the March as part of the festival. said Cocarla. "Jane Doe's point their constituents. It's almost foreigners from taking our jobs. festival will help communicate to Conrad explained that she was is really applicable to what we're funny to watch the speed with people that gendered violence ex- initially inspired by a workshop by doing. which economic parochialism ists in multiple forms, including Jane Doe. SEE IMAGYN, PAGE 4 jumps forward in tough times. Lo- SEE JOBS, PAGE 24 2 News WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25,2009 ■ THE CORD WEEKLY

The Cord Weekly

- Tire tie thatbinds since 1926 phone: (519) 88-1-1970 ext. .3564 "Miss Laurier" pageant fax:(519)883-0873 email: [email protected] The Cord Weekly 75 University Avenue West Waterloo, cancelled due to controversy N2L 3C5 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2009 VOLUME 49 ISSUE 23 Organizers claim the event was meant to judge participants based on non-physical criteria; a Next Issue: March 4

QUOTE OF THE WEEK meeting will take place today between Letterman Athletes and individuals concerned with the event "Oh, it's boobless not boobies!"

- Sports Editor Lauren Millet, on grade- school calculator games MORGAN ALAN Laura McDonald, a volunteer WORD OF THE WEEK STAFF WRITER with the Women's Centre, object-

Subjugate - bring under dominationor control, especially ed to the "disconnect" between by conquest. Following criticism from several the intentions of the event and the CONTRIBUTORS on-campus groups, the "Miss Lau- method by which it was marketed. rier" pageant organized by the "My biggest question is, do [the Morgan Alan Kim Elworthy wSarah Murphy Ashley Bradimore Yusuf Kidwai Jamie Neugebauer Laurier Letterman Athletes was Letterman Athletes] realize the Shannon Busta Madhavi Ganju Alissa Ruetz Devon Butler Linda Givetash )osh Smyth cancelled earlier this week. implications of [the Amber Cordeiro NickLachance TrishStott pageant]?" Melissa Cupovic Will Main Alanna Wallace Natasha Dilkie Henji Milius The pageant, originally sched- said McDonald. Paula Millar Andrea Millet uled to be held on March 7 in the "I don't want to say that it's au- Turret, faced complaints over al- tomatically negative that they're WLUSP STAFF legations that the event's advertis- doing it, but it is problematic," she ing included imagery degrading to added. women. McDonald and several other Copy Editing Manager Meredith Barrett Copy Editors Caitlin Henderson The event's poster contained students brought the event to the Ariel Kroon Gina Macdonald silhouettes of two scantily-clad attention of Adam Lawrence, co- Natasja Pannecoucke while the Face- Emily Slofstra women, pageant's ordinator of the Office for Student Distribution Manager Nicole Weber book event included a picture of a Diversity. backlit woman in a bikini. "[The Office for Student Diversi- ALEX HAYTER According to Imran Ahmed, ty] was frustrated that an event like WLUSP ADMINISTRATION MISCOMMUNICATION - These event posters stirred up controversy. president of the Letterman Ath- this would even be planned ... and President Greg Sacks letes, the event was not intended that it had as far as a VP: Advertising Angela Foster gone poster VP: Brantford Holly Gibson as a beauty pageant. "Miss Lauri- campaign," saidLawrence. between the Letterman Athletes sion on the is pref- Chair of the Board Bryn Ossington controversy Vice Chair.. Janice Lee er" was to be chosen on standards According to Lawrence, the con- and those concerned with the erable to simply cancelling the Board of Directors Brendan McGill Luay Salmon not based on appearance, but on cerns of the complainants and the event to occur today. pageant. criteria such as extra-curricular Letterman Athletes were exacer- "The Diversity Office is not "The purpose of the meeting is ADVERTISING involvement and GPA. bated by a lack of communication about cancelling events or here to to understand where everyone is

"It's a great event ... but the between the two parties. control people's thinking. We're from.... If [the event] All advertising inquiries should be directed to coming just VP: AdvertisingAngela Foster at misperception of the whole thing In order to resolve the issue am- here to make things a learning ex- gets cancelled and swept under 884-0710, ext. 3560 or [email protected] was blown out of proportion," said icably, Lawrence and the Diversity perience," said Lawrence. the rug, nobody is benefitting," Ahmed. Office have organized a meeting Both sides agree that a discus- said McDonald. COLOPHON

The Cord Weekly is the official studentnewspaper of the WilfridLaurier University community. and Started as Cord, is an Full-time in 1926 the College The Cord Weekly faculty editorially independent newspaper published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. WTAJSP is governed by its www. board of directors.

. IWHfIMhuderjlffffl CORDWEEKLY wIuBTS university ratify agreement HITOI publications •COM

Opinions expressed within The Cord are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of theEditorial Board, The Cord, WLUSP, or CanWebPrinting Inc. All content appearing in The Cord bears the copyright expressly REBECCA VASLUIANU was not possible. professors had a four-course load of their creators) and may not be used without written consent. NEWS EDITOR "I think if anything we can say already, there were members - using running The Cordis created Macintosh computers OS X.3 not in arts - Now using Adobe Creative Suite 3 (InDesign, Photoshop, Acrobat, we've slid back." particularly the faculty of Distiller and Illustrator). Canon Rebel XT 8.0 megapixel digital cameras are used forprincipal photography. Last Tuesday, over 90 percent of VP: Finance and Administration who this will now affect. a to tweeting The Cord Weekly is a proud member of the 4 full-time faculty voted to ratify the JimButler, member ofthe univer- Faculty will also be able ap- Ontario Press Council since 2006. Any unsatisfied complaints can be sent tentative agreement reached on sity's negotiating team, explained ply for course-relief for additional to the Council at [email protected]. February 9. that the economy coloured the reductions in their course load if on The Cord's circulation for a normal Wednesday issue is 7,000 copies and enjoys areadership of over 10,000. Negotiations had been ongo- nature of negotiations from the they are conducting beneficial re- TWITTER.COM/CORDNEWS Cord subscription rates are $20.00 per term foraddresses within ing since the end of August after beginning, as the university is fac- search at the university. Canada. the university and faculty asso- ing budget cuts over the next three "The university is proposing that The Cord Weeklyis a proud member of theCanadian UniversityPress (CUP), ciation's collective agreement ex- years. we become a research-intensive since 2004. pired at the end of June. The new "It's expensive," he said. "We're university and in order to achieve Campus Plus is The Cord's national advertising agency. agreement will last for three years trying to figure out how to pay for that we believed it was necessary beginning July 1, 2008. it, but it's what you have to do in to reduce the amount of teach- Bargaining was dominated order to run a university. You have ing that was required for us," said Preamble to The Cord Constitution by the discussion of two issues - to pay fair wages." Bates. The Cord will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively,accuratelyand fairly. workload and compensation. Af- The new collective agreement Negotiations lasted nearly six The Cord believes in a balanced and impartial presentation ofall ter adding a third conciliation date grants a salary increase of three months in total, which Butler attri- relevant facts in a news report, and ofall substantialopinions in a matter of controversy. on February 8, both sides reached percent in 2009 and two-and-a- butes to the fact that the university The staff of The Cord shall uphold all commonly held ethical tentative in two was to pro- conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of a settlement at 3:30 the half percent the following waiting hear from the commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged prompdy. next morning. years. This is being supplemented vincial government on exemptions Ontario for When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or "I think the end result of the with an $1,800 system ad- payment on the university's an organization, we shall give those affected theopportunity to reply at the earliest time possible. agreement is that we remained justment in the first year, designed pension funds. As well, he notes

Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequendy in the same position we were in to ensure faculty are at least at that bargaining was a lengthy pro- conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff. before we started which was low par with other professors in the cess on whole due to the amount The only limits ofany newspaperare those of the world around relative to other faculty at other province. of issues to be discussed and time it, and so The Cord will attempt tocover its world with a special focus on Wilfrid Laurier University, and the community of universities," explained Judy Full-time faculty will also be limitations for bargaining dates. Kitchener-Waterloo, and with a special ear to the concerns of the students of Wilfrid Laurier University. Ultimately, 77je president of the Wilfrid Lau- given a $2,600 career development Bates explains that the delay Cord will be bound by neither philosophy, nor geography in Bates, its mandate. rier University Faculty Association increase each year. was unfortunate, but full-time fac- TheCord has an obligation to foster freedom of the press and Most however, is with the freedom of speech. This obligationis best fulfilledwhen debate (WLUFA). notably, faculty ulty ultimately pleased and dissentare encouraged,both in the internal workings of the paper, and through TheCord's contact with the studentbody. Bates said that faculty had will be given a drop in workload agreement.

"I relieved ... The Cord will always attempt to do what is right, with fear of hoped to move up in the rankings, requirements from five courses to think they're and neither repercussions, nor retaliation. The purpose of the student press is to act as an agent of social awareness, and so but due to the global economic four. I think they are pleased given the shall conduct the affairs of our newspaper. pressures facing the university it Bates explained thatwhile many particular circumstances." The Cord Weekly ■ Wednesday, February 25,2009 News 3

VOCAL CORD How do you feel about Turnitin.com as an anti- VP positions filled cipating system?

REBECCA VASLUIANU Laura Sheridan and current VP: Human Re- according to Sheridan, and while they do not NEWS EDITOR sources Dan Preston. begin their role officially until May 1, they will As a result of the Wilfrid Laurier University have two major tasks. The'students' union's 2009-2010 management Students' Union's restructuring project an- One is the hiring of Assistant VPs (AVPs), team has been chosen, after VP hiring ended nounced at the beginning of December, the and the other is the preparation of an interim on Monday, February 9. number of VPs has been reduced to five from budget for the summer, which will be given to Hiring for the positions took place the previ- the previous six. the new board for approval at their first official ous weekend, with a two-round interview pro- "We're a verywell-rounded team," explained meeting in May. "I'm surprised the school is still using cess deciding who would fill the positions. The Sheridan. "We come from a lot of different ar- The hiring of AVPs will take place this week- the system. Personally, think they I hiring committee was comprised of current eas atLaurier but we're very much united." end and will be completed by the beginning of could do better." president Colin Le Fevre, incoming president Training has already begun for the new VPs, next week. -Sunny Chan Second-year computer science VP structure and hirees

" I don't like it. When I used it, it didn't actually send the file and it wasn't signing me in properly."

- Rebecca Watson Second-year classical studies

Jason Verhoeve Odette Ansell Kory Preston Joel Robinson Monika Mistry "I don't mind it." PHOTOS BY RYAN STEWART AND LAURA TOMKINS, INFOGRAPH BY SYDNEY HELLAND

- Eric Kruger First-year biology Profiling the management team

Jason Verhoeve lar to the previous position of VP: from University Affairs it's really union isn't blocked off in any way. Position: VP: Clubs/Activities Student Services, will involve the allowed University Affairs to focus Another goal is to try and research Past/Present involvements: facilitation of diversity policy and on external advocacy." and understand what students Residence Life, A-Team, Depart- training, as well as the overseeing Preston plans to introduce gen- want," he explained, adding that ment of Student Activities of several committees such as the eral volunteers into the Univer- he will gather this information Ecohawks. sity Affairs department, which he from the website. Through the restructure, the de- Ansell told The Cord that she hopes will allow students to take partment of clubs and activities plans to make a conscious effort an active role in governance and Monika Mistry has changed to combine the de- to help oversee the department education. Position: VP: Administration partment of student activities and "I used it last year. think it's a good of services, in particular with the "A big theme for this year is Past/Present involvements: I campus clubs. system, I've had no bad experiences." changed made in the restructuring opening WLUSU up and the entire Student Leadership Centre, Two AVPs will work with Ver- process. campus up to all of the students Shinerama hoeve in the sections of first-year She - Drew Attridge hopes to increase the acces- and the entire community and experience and and Second-year business campus clubs sibility of services, stating "servic- beyond." Mistry's position has undoubtedly faculty associations. es aren't only for WLUSU people," seen one of the largest changes One of Verhoeve's biggest to goals and conduct market research JoelRobinson through the restructuring, expand- is to foster "consistent as into leaders," the demographic that is us- Position: VP: Public Affairs ing to encompass the former roles he feels there is a general decline ing each of WLUSU's services and Past/Present involvements: of VP: Finance and VP: Human in enthusiasm and activity by the make changes accordingly. O-Week, Campus Clubs, Hawk Resources. end of the year. Squad An AVP will work with her to He also plans to assess various Kory Preston help prepare financial reports for events within the department and VP: Position: University Affairs Robinson's role will encompass the board of directors and compile examine their merits, srtating, "We Past/Present involvements: the former position of VP: Market- data. can identify which eyents are suc- Laurier Musical Theatre, Ontario ing with many additional features. Mistry plans to address a variety cessful and why they're successful Undergraduate Students' Alliance, He will oversee market research of issues during her term, includ- and use that to further our other Board of Directors and communication, as well as the ing complaints of "I've used it a couple of times. always campus clubs I events." AVP: Advertising and Promotions. being frozen. feel uneasy though." While Preston's position was not The department will be divided "I'm going to be working with Ansell Odette dramatically altered in the restruc- into team leads who act as the go- the current - finance department to Marian DeCouto Position: VP: Services ture, he is pleased that many of to in different specialized sections see what kind of steps we can take Second-year global studies/ involvements: the Past/Present various committees under the of the public affairs department. moving forward to make sure that anthropology Winter Carnival, Residence Life, department moved have been out Robinson intends to increase anyone involved in campus clubs Foot Patrol of it. WLUSU's communication inter- can have the best experience Compiled by Mara Silvestri, pos- "By removing some of the more nally and externally. sible," Photos by JenniferRae. she said. Ansell's role, which will be simi- internaly focused committees "I want to make sure that the 4 News WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25,2009 ■ THE CORD WEEKLY Students discuss cheating

FROM INTEGRITY, COVER feel comfortable getting involved. of other student papers, academic "We want you engaged in con- works and Internet pages. When they arrived to write it, the versation about [misconduct], your The software, used by many lecture hall was so full people were feelings when you see your friends professors at Laurier, is effective sitting side-by-side. crossing the line," said Baetz. in detecting plagiarism, a form of "We decided beforehand if we He explained that faculty need misconduct that could have seri- didn't know the answer we'd just to acknowledge that students share ous implications on how Laurier peek at each other's paper," she virtually all information online to- degrees-are perceived. said, adding that they could even day. Online quizzes are directly However, plagiarism is one of the whisper without getting caught. affected by students' tendency to mostrecognized forms of academic "I told my friends," she says. share information. misconduct, and one that students student was None were offenSed or reported Another current explains did feel unacceptable. SPENCER CLERK her for misconduct. how she enlists a "research assis- "I would never plagiarize an es-

Neither said they felt guilty for tant" to help her search for answers say ... or take from'another source their actions, nor did they have on Google. and claim it as my own," said the Film festival to take friends that told themtheywere of- "I never considered it cheating student who had help with her on- fended or upset. or unethical until it was pointed line quizzes. "I've learned that students can out to me by another student," she Gail Forsyth, director of learning services, the March 6-8 be very frustrated when they see said. Even then, she didn't change stressed importance place things around that they don't ap- her actions, she said, adding that of academic integrity and pointed prove of, and the literature shows the detail in online quiz questions out that it applies far beyond the that about 50 percent of students tends to be so intricate that there classroom. FROM IMAGYN, COVER the idea of making oneself pretty cheat and about 50 percent don't," is no other way you could receive a "It's in everything that you do. has become a violent act. said Baetz. high mark. It's in the classroom, it's outside the Her big focus was we have to Cocarla emphasized that, "One To help promote discussion, She points out that Google is just classroom, it's in research, it's in make use of the fact that youth of our biggest goals might have mandatory student-led academic one of the tools available to search the business world, it's everywhere. these days have a lot of access to been to break who gets to give in- integrity sessions were introduced for information in everyday life. I think we think of academic integ- technology... why not use that as formation in society. It's usually in 2006 as part ofOrientation Week. Turnitin.com plays a "signifi- rity maybe justas a classroom envi- their means of expression," said adults telling youth ... our goal These sessions, described by Baetz cant role" in detecting academic ronment, yes that's one of the envi- Klein. was to reverse that information as "a major organizational innova- misconduct at Laurier. The service ronments we're certainly focusing Imagyn solicited short films [chain]." tion," are meant to send the mes- allows professors to have their stu- on, but it goes beyond that." from across Canada from high The organizers were also quick sage to students that the issue is dents submit their assignments on- school, college and university to point out that the festival isn't See PAGE 22 for editorial reaction to this story taken seriouslyand thatthey should line to be compared to a database students. Students were free to only for women. "If people jump interpret "gendered violence" immediately to conclusions, that freely. this is another feminist thing or Academic misconduct recorded since September 1,2007 Spencer Clerk, a Laurier stu- this is another women's nagging dent who chose to submit a film thing, I think it's important to (number ofstudents) penalty (4) resubmit for the festival, said that although question where these thoughts (53) a grade of zero on coursework (1) suspension he hadn't originally planned to are coming from," said Conrad. (26)105s of grade (1) warning on registry participate he realized that Imag- The Imagyn Film Festival takes (7) a grade of zero for the course (1) pending yn presented a "unique way to ex- place March 6 and 8 at the Senate press my feelings on the topic." and Board Chambers and March Clerk took the opportunity to 7 at the Princess, Cinema. Learn more about faculty and academic integrity in the next issue of The Cord express how society's norms and Board chair election unanimous

Incoming chair Saad Aslam will officially begin his role on May 1; until then he will work on making a meeting schedule and organizing training

REBECCA VASLUIANU was not running on the previous challenge. NEWS EDITOR weekend, but expressed interest in "I know it's going to be a steep the position again days later. learning curve for me but I'm In a unanimous decision, Direc- Aslam noted that he was slightly wholeheartedly looking forward to tor-electi Saad Aslam was chosen disappointed that he had no oppo- it and I'm so excited." as chair of the incoming board of nents, but he was pleased to see that Several meetings of the new

directors (BOD) that will officially he received unanimous support. . board will be held before May 1, begin work on May 1. "It was a nice show of solidarity," and Aslam is currently working The meeting, held on Wednes- he said. on creating a firm board schedule day, February 11, was the first According to Fryer, he decided and becoming acquainted with the meeting of the incoming Wilfrid not to run while counting ballots directors. Laurier University Students' Union the previous Sunday because he "We have a whole bunch of di- (WLUSU) BOD elected on Febru- wants to be able to run later in his verse directors; it's definitely going ary 5; the election of Aslam as chair director career. to be a board with a lot of different was the board's first decision. "It may be a selfish reason, but points of view," he said. "I'm excited to get the most out I think that if I'm chair this year, I Aslam plans to echo the exten- of the experience for them and my- cannot be chair next year and since sive training this year's board was self; I can't wait," said Aslam. it's only my second year I would put through at the beginning of The decision was uncontested; like to be on the board for most of their term. He also intends to in- however, Aslam's lack of opposi- my university career," he said. troduce regular one-on-one ses- tion came as a surprise to many in Fryer explained that he decided sions with directors to ensure they attendance. Fellow Director-elect not to tell ainyone about it to en- are knowledgeable about the issues Andrew Fryer had expressed public courage Aslam to put as much ef- being discussed and help them ac- interest in running for BOD chair fort as he could into his proposal, complish their own initiatives. since the WLUSU open forums, but stating "the impetus if you have no "One of my biggest goals this year he declined a nomination at the competition isn't as great." is to let the other directors achieve meeting. In an interview with The Cord what they want to do," he said. "I "I was completely shocked," said after the board meeting, Aslam will make every effort to facilitate Aslam. admitted that he has a lot to learn and support them and I want them RYAN STEWART "I had no idea," he explained, coming into his new role, but he to feel a sense of accomplishment INCOMING CHAIR - Saad Aslam presides over his first meeting. adding that Fryer had told him he is eagerly looking forward to the in achieving their goals." The Cord Weekly ■ Wednesday, February 25,2009 News 5 Brian Breckles no longer at Laurier As of last Thursday, the former director of alumni relations is no longer an employee

REBECCA VASLUIANU volves a confidentiality agree- NEWS EDITOR ment," he said. Breckles, who explained that he Following ameeting last Thursday has no plans for future employ- with WLU President Max Blouw, ment at this time, stated that he is Brian Breckles, who had been not "bitter or negative" about the director of alumni relations since decision. 2002, is no longer an employee of "It's like a professor giving you a the university. B when you think you deserve an RYAN STEWART Breckles had been at Laurier A," he said. "I'vereally enjoyed be- ever since he began his under- ing director of alumni relations.... graduate degree in 1985. After I'm surprised that it happened graduation he remained at Lau- but he made a decision and I re- The Cord's new Chief rier, working in various depart- spect his decision." ments such as athletics and Since VP: University Advance- MADHAVI GANJU year and the subsequent run-off editor for this academic year. development. ment Arthur Stephen's retirement STAFF WRITER election, in addition to the finan- Over the past year, Carlson has When asked about his de- in December, Breckles' depar- cial audit of the Onecard office, the used this role to cover areas of in- parture, Breckles told The Cord ture has been one of several "va- Long-time Cord volunteer Laura part-time strike last year and the terest that receive little coverage in that he. was not informed of the cancies" that have opened up at Carlson was appointed editor-in- negotiations between CAS and the other sections. reason. Alumni Hall, Blouw explained. chief of The Cord Weekly on Mon- administration. As such, Carlson carried out "I don't know,"he said. "All Dr. He noted that he will not be fill- day night. Waleed Hafeez, The Cord Week- an extensive project on the queer Blouw shared with me is that he'd ing the openings until Rob Donel- "My sole commitment will be ly's international editor during community at Laurier, speaking of like to take things in a new direc- son, the new VP: development this job," said Carlson, who will be the 2007-2008 academic year, de- its needs as well as interviewing tion in the alumni relations area." and alumni relations, starts his graduating this semester with a de- scribed Carlson as an extremely prominent LGBTQ-identified indi- WLU President Max Blouw ex- position on March 30. gree in communication studies. gifted writer who provided tremen- viduals around campus. plained that Breckles' employ- "It's a very short window until As of May 1, Carlson will be fo- dous support during his tenure at As editor-in-chief, Carlson's re- ment had come to a conclusion then," stated Blouw. cusing completely on the newspa- the publication. sponsibilities will entail the gen- last week due to reasons he can- University Secretary Jennifer per and is excited to bring a lot of "I'm so excited for her to take eral upkeep of the whole paper, not disclose. Casey will fill in the opening in the change to the publication. over the reins as EIC. Laura's so responding to any concerns people "It was a separation that in- interim. "I think that there are going to committed to The Cord and I know have regarding The Cord Weekly, be a lot of drastic changes that the she'll do an excellent job of making hiring a staff of editors and working readers will really notice in terms sure it maintains a level of excel- with all the members of her staff, of the design of the publication lence The Cord has become syn- including writers, photographers and the sections that are present, onymous with," said Hafeez. and general volunteers. the type of stories that are covered Carlson began her career at The Carlson will be working with a

... ahd of course cordweekly.com Cord Weekly as a staff writer in her team of 16 editors, including her- will be huge in bringing our vision second year at Laurier, when she self. As the special projects editor, across." wrote for the news, student life Carlson missed having a staff to Carlson has held several roles at and arts & entertainment sections work with and says she's excited to The Cord Weekly over the past three regularly. be able to work with volunteers and years. She has covered important She became news editor in her to put out a great paper as a team. events such as the elections last thirdyear and then special projects The Cord Weekly 1 is hiring ! j " *' U' ' . i / %« The Cord Weekly is hiring the following editorial board positions for the 2009-2010 academic year. gplf The positions are available: % following ' ' ' ' I / ' *% ■ ' * a ' <% / -i pjg News Editor (salaried) Lead Reporter ; W Local and National Editor : ** International Editor

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Opinion Editor

BRECKLES - Brian Breckles had been at Laurier for over 20 years. Sports Editor , 0

' In-Depth " Editor Jt< ' jPw X iww-4vi.'JN? S Life Editor Features Writer |i-Arts Editor - v Web Editor - \> Graphics Editor Your ad here! J- All positions outside of News Editor are honorarium based. [email protected] Applications can be picked up from the WLUSP office in the basement of Macdonald House residence. Applications are due Thursday March 12 at noon. Please direct all questions to [email protected] , 6 News WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25,2009 ■ THE CORD WEEKLY Tentative transit settlement reached between region, drivers

LINDA GIVETASH Brian Stortz said, "We have a mem- STAFF WRITER orandum of understanding with CAW local 4304 thatthere will be no Grand River Transit and the Ca- disruption during the period that nadian Auto Workers (CAW) local we are waiting for the ratification." 4304 reached a tentative agreement With 99 percent of union mem- Saturday night. CAW employees bers voting in favour of a strike if an have been without a contract since agreement had not been reached,

December 2008. this understanding - although ten- * ALEX HAYTER Had the agreement not been tative - will at least ensure riders the IN MOTION - River Transit buses will continue running as long as both parties ratify the agreement. reached, a strike would have dis- peace of mind that all transit facili- Grand rupted all transit operations. ties will continue to be accessible.

_ - - - - - transit . in , 40,000 daily riders ;

Kitchener-Waterloo would have & gt ||M ■a % d jOtF been left without transportation in Wk the event of a strike. This number would have included many WLU and UW students. Second-year sociology student Whitney Dale said, "I wouldn't be able to get to my volunteer place- ment," putting her grades for the course for which it's required at risk. Sarah Fleischhauer, a second- m year psychology student, relies on money back the GRT to get to her part-time job. "I wouldn't be able to get to work," which she explained pro- vides income she relies on to sup- wfc Kb port her daily expenses. Details of the tentative agree- ment will be released publicly once both parties have ratified it. When jtw ratification will take place is still unknown. "It's pretty dumb," said Adam Nerger, first-year political science student. "They should be releasing that so we can get a better understanding

... of what can happen" Nerger is a student living off-campus who re- lies on the GRT to get to and from campus daily. Corporate Communications Di- rector for the Region of Waterloo

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• Thousands of Satisfied Students The Cord Weekly ■ Wednesday, February 25,2009 News 7

NEWS IN BRIEF BAG O'CRIME THEFT UNDER $5000 ALARM GRAFFITI Reported: Feb 16 Reported: Feb 20 @ 17:15 Reported: Feb 22 @ 05:50 Special constables are investigat- Special constables attended an A special constable on patrol found Brick Brewery receives entrepreneurial award by WLU ing the theft of a wallet and a cell alarm in the Food Court. The area graffiti in a male washroom in the last May. phone from a common area in a was checked and there was no sign Arts Building. The graffiti was of government grant residence. The student was sleeping of any forced entry. The main door various types and markings and in another room when his property was locked and secured. The area seemed to make no sense. WATERLOO - Brick Brewery eel- Professor is arrested went missing. His cell phone was was re-secured and the alarm was ebrated its 25th anniversary on returned the next day by a student reset. THEFT UNDER $5000 February 11 with asl million grant after trespassing at who found it in the lobby of the Reported: Feb 22 @ 05:51 from the Ontario government as building. Investigation of the inci- PROPERTY DAMAGE Damage to a product dispenser in a recognition of their contribution dent is ongoing. Reported: Feb 21 @ 03:51 female washroom in the Arts Build- to Ontario's economy. A special constable discovered that ing was discovered by a special

The Ontario Craft Brewers Op- OTTAWA - Last month, Denis ALARM the rear door at 65 Lodge Street, constable on patrol. The dispenser portunity Fund, which is sup- Rancourt, a suspended tenured Reported: Feb 17 @ 15:30 Fine Arts Building, had been forced had been forced open and coins ported by tax dollars, is intended professor, was arrested atthe Uni- Special constables attended an open at the bottom. There were removed. No suspects and photo- to support local employment. versity of Ottawa for trespassing. alarm at the marketing office in the marks on the door from forced graphs have been taken. George Croft, Brick's president After various attempts at test- students' union offices. The alarm entry. ,told 570News that the money ing his academic freedom within was set off by a WLUSU volunteer THEFT UNDER $5000 will be directed towards their the university, Rancourt was sus- looking for the key to the Radio ALARM Reported: Feb 22 16:07 marketing. pended and banned from the Laurier booth. The alarm was reset Reported: Feb 21 @ 18:44 Special constables attended Wilf's Approximately 40 licenced craft school grounds in December by an officer. A student reported setting off the bar and carried out an investigation brewers across Ontario are eligible upon UofO's discovery that he alarm at the WLUSU Marketing into the theft of food from a fridge. for a portion of the government of had agreed to give all ofhis fourth- PROPERTY DAMAGE Office. She entered the room and Milk and cheese curds had been

Ontario's $8 million commitment year physics students an A+. Reported: Feb 18 @ 15:15 did not -have a code to disarm the stored in the fridge and were not to support small brewers. Rancourt told The Globe and Special constables investigated a alarm. A special constable attended there upon the manager's return Mail that "grades poison the edu- report from a residence life don that and reset the alarm. following Reading Week. cational environment." He con- two students had been disciplined Laurier student tinued, "We're training students to for throwing feces around the resi- ALARM ~lfyou have any information be obedient, and to try to read our dence. The two students have been Reported: Feb 21 @ 23:31 regarding these or any other please call Community accused of terrorist minds, rather than being a catalyst spoken to by Residence Life and Special constables attended a resi- incidents Safety & Security at 519-885- for learning." have been billed for the cleanup. dence in response to a fire alarm. 3333 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800- The area was checked by the Water- involvement faces trial 222-TIPS. You can also report a loo Fire Department and returned crime electronically through the normal. A decision will be made on March Concourse pancakes to Community Safety & Security 5 as to whether or not Suresh Sri- website. kandarajah, an alleged supporter cancelled The Bag O' Crime is submitted by of the Tamil Tigers, will proceed Community Safety and Security. on trial in the United States. Due to a lack of available volun- The 28-year-old MBA graduate teers, pancakes were not served in from Wilfrid Laurier University the Concourse this year. and engineering graduate fromthe "I know this is a tradition that's has been been going on for a long time," accused of money laundering and said Chaplain Brian Bork, who ex- purchasing military software. plained that a number of circum- The Record reported that Sri- stances combined to prevent the kandarajah has also been accused event from happening. of advising other students on how In the past, volunteers from to smuggle equipment into areas Habitat for Humanity helped of Sri Lanka that are controlled serve pancakes, but this year, the Looking for comfort) Slid clcflllllSCSS? by the Tamil Tigers. These accu- group returned from a building fun, sations have been made due to project late. the interception of his personal Borksaid thatthe event's cancel- e-mails. lation was a one-time occurrence. Of the 12 men arrested in Can- "There will be pancakes again." Your search is over, ada and the US, Srikandarajah and three other Canadians have -Compiled by Heather MacDonald allegedly conspired to purchase missiles and rifles at a value of $1 million. Despite such accusations, Sri- Incredible social events kandarajah was awarded a $5,000 Onsite laundry and maintenance And best of all, we are owned and operated by YOU. Who else can give you more of what you want? ON-CAMPUS jQ—, \ R * U « Applications are accepted year-round CHIROPRACTOR KW with seniority deadlines as follows: Covered bv WLI) Health Plan WLU HEALTH SERVICES 884-0710 Ext. 3146

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Russian injustice

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Anna Politkovskaya was killed two years ago in the midst of her career as a well-known journalist, often critical of The Kremlin

PAULA MILLAR and lost her life because of it. (2001) and Putin's Russia (2004). tradictory, puzzling and downright said, "that [any investigation] might STAFF WRITER Politkovskaya, an outspoken Seeminglyironic isPolitkovskaya's strange." reveal the whole chain of people, and widely publicized critic of The own writing about contract killings Dmitri Suslov, an expert with the right up to the one who ordered it." Never upset the status quo and Kremlin, devoted her life to bring- within Russia. In Putin's Russia, she independent Council on Foreign The last word belongs to Anna never draw too much attention to ing recognition to her choice cause writes, "Lynch law is the order of and Defense Policies in Moscow, Politkovskaya. In her 2004 book yourself. - Chechnya. Never one to shy away the day, both in people's minds and explained, "I realize this looks a bit Putin's Russia she appeared to be While North American news from putting her true feelings in in their actions. An eye for an eye, a bizarre from a Western perspective, foreshadowing her own fate. "Yes, agencies would never abide by print, she wrote extensively on Rus- tooth for a tooth." but it is in the nature of Russia's stability has come to Russia," she such conventions, these guidelines sian military human rights abuses On October 7,2006, Politkovskaya political regime these days to assert wrote. "It is a monstrous stability serve as fundamental rules of en- in the rebel-controlled territory. was discovered dead in the stair- that all things happen as a result of under which nobody seeks justice gagement for Russian journalists. Her decidedlyhard-hittingpieces well of her central Moscow apart- a particular political conspiracy." in law courts which flaunt their

While not the first - and likely were published in the independent ment building. The 48-year-old On February 19, a Moscow jury subservience and partisanship. No- * not the last - Anna Politkovskaya newspaper, Novaya Gazeta. Addi- mother of two was found in what acquitted all accused in Polit- body in his or her right mind seeks was a prominent Russian journal- tionally, Politkovskaya published BBC called "a murder that carried kovskaya's murder. However, the protection from the institutions ist who pushed the boundaries, two books in English, A Dirty War: all the hallmarks of a contract kill- "not guilty" verdict only fuelled entrusted with maintaining law disregarded government warnings A Russian Reporter in Chechnya ing." It has been widely rumoured feelings that any justice for Anna and order, because they are totally that at the time of her death, Polit- Politkovskaya had been denied. corrupt." kovskaya had a highly critical in- The BBC reported that even "pro- vestigative piece on Chechnya in Kremlin newspapers accused Rus- the works. sia's law enforcement agencies of SP-100 According to Reporters Without utter impotence in investigating Firefighting Borders, a worldwide advocacy the murder." Forest Course y group for press freedom, 20 jour- International reaction was swift to be held in nalists have been killed in connec- and one French Foreign Ministry Waterloo/Kitchener, ON X tion with their work in Russia since statement read, "The family of March 11-15,2009-^ » March 2000 - the year Vladimir Anna Politkovskaya and her col- S > W

/ > Putin came to power. In fact, Rus- leagues have a right to justice. The •- sia ranks among the most dan- Russian people have a right to the Registration limited to the first 32 applicants gerous countries in the world for truth." Despite protest from foreign journalists. outsiders, the Kremlin's deliberate Course will be held during evening It was clear from the beginning; "no comment" manner comes as hours during the week. the investigation of Politkovskaya's no surprise to people within the death and subsequent trial would country. To register, please call be no cut-and-dry matter. In fact, a man who once worked Wildfire Specialists Inc. Throughout the hearings, several for the Russian state prosecu- 2233 Radar Road, Suite 5, internationalpublications emerged tor's office recently revealed to Hanmer,oN P3POR4 as vocal critics, openly question- the BBC that "there is a very small Toll Free: 1-877-381-5849 ing the legitimacy of the trial. The chance" that contract killings like www.wildfirespecialist.ca Guardian called the murder trial's Politkovskaya's will ever be solved. N proceedings "chaotic, confused The insider elaborated further, "In and even farcical." Additionally, these sorts of cases, an order may Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Accredited the British paper termed much of come down from above not to in- No Guarantee ofEmployment the evidence brought forth "con- vestigate." There is always fear, he IXl*s] 880-1500 IgMign] CONTRIBUTED PHOTO PICK UP SPECIAL MOSCOW MURDER - Anna Politkovskaya was found dead in her apart- 1 ment stairwell while working on a critical investigation of Chechnya.

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' The Cord Weekly ■ Wednesday, February 25,2009 International 9 President Obama's first month in office

Barack Obama has been in office for just over one month and has already made numerous changes

HENJI MILIUS with considerable opposition from STAFF WRITER both the House of Representatives (on a 246-183 vote) and Senate Re- Since Barack Obama's inauguration publicans (60-38). last month as the 44th president of The stimulus plan was contro- the United States ofAmerica, a great versial in its Capacity because, "It's deal of pressure to change the last not perfect," said President Obama. eight years of Bush-economics and "Broadly speaking, it has the right foreign policies has been put on his priorities to create jobs that will shoulders to re-establish America jump-start our economy and trans- as the beacon of hope and oppor- form the economy of the 21st cen- tunity for all. Millions of people tury," he continued. in the US and around the world President Obama's efforts to craft have witnessed the unprecedented bipartisanship for the stimulus did swearing-in with much enthusi- not succeed in bringing in enough asm, fanfare and euphoria. Republicans. Only three members However, only his performance of the Senate approved the bill as US commander-in-chief will among 41 Republicans, reported determine how long his initial ap- CNN Deputy Political Director Paul CONTRIBUTED PHOTO proval ratings of over 60 percent Steinhauser. This failure forced him OBAMA'S EFFORTS - The newest resident of the White House has begun tackling complex initiatives. will last by the test of his leader- to get outside ofWashington's bick- ship, his judgement and his vision ering and partisanship culture to for America. sell his stimulus to the American the US with natural resources and importance for the sovereignty and to steal a glimpse of the president On his first day, Barack Obama people during two town hall meet- services such as trade ($560 billion the well-being of this country. He as he later shook hands with others became the first African-American ings in Elkhart, Indiana and Fort in 2007), electricity (major supplier also reminded reporters and jour- during an unscheduled visit to a to hold the highest office in the Myers, Florida. of clean and hydroelectric power to nalists during the joint news con- shop in Ottawa's ByWard Market. United States, breaking the line of Last week, in his first foreign trip New England, New York, the Up- ference that, in 1988, both coun- The meeting between Obama exclusively white male presidents to Canada as President, Obama met per Midwest, the Pacific Northwest tries signed the North American and Harper demonstrated a mutual that has continued since George with Governor General Michaelle and California), energy (17 percent Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) respect and appreciation for each Washington. Jean, Prime Minister Stephen of US oil imports and 18 percent of toward the end of the Cold War to other. They reiterated and vowed Soon after, he appointed 13 Harper, Leader of the Official Op- US natural gas demand) and cli- facilitate trade relations between to continue co-operation through nominees to fill his new admin- position Michael Ignatieff and US mate change (by participating in Canada, the US and Mexico. dialogue and the sharing of ideas istration's cabinet posts to tackle Embassy employees. His visit sent a the US-led International Carbon President Obama trumped Ste- that can only be economically and complex issues such as the housing message of the importance and in- Sequestration Leadership Forum), phen Harper on one thing: popular- politically beneficial to neighbour- crisis, the banking and auto bail- terests the US has in Canada as its according to the Department of ity. A crowd of about 2,500 cheering ing countries, as well as to the Can- out, healthcare, Guantanamo Bay international partner. Commerce of the USA. people gathered on Parliament Hill adian and American people. and Afghanistan. Hence, the purpose of Obama's On security, Harper stressed that Third, after three weeks in office, brisk visit to Parliament Hill was a threat to the US was a threat to he signed one of the biggest stimu- generally to strengthen Canada-US Canada and thatthe war against ter- lus bills ($789 billion) in US history relations where Canada provides rorism was still a matter of utmost YEARBOOKS Cats Ass Glass...it's the Cat's Ass!

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is left out of this epidemic. Nolen further explains why Sub- Saharan Africa has become sus- ALANNA WALLACE ceptible to the spread of HIV, but STAFF WRITER she never does so in a colonialist manner by separating "us" from Putting a human face upon Af- "them." Even Canadian humanitar- rica's HIV epidemic is what Steph- ian Stephen Lewis claims 28 Stories anie Nolen does best. Her work, is "the best book ever written about 28 Stories ofAIDS in Africa, is not AIDS." only strikingly informative but also Each of the stories of 28 individ- easy-to-read and inspiring. uals (among them, Nelson Man- Nolen, the Globe and Mail's cor- dela) represents the approximately respondent in Africa, paints a per- 28 million HIV-positive individuals ilous yet resilient picture of many on the African continent. Nolen men, women and children in their interviews each individual over struggle with HIV. the course of numerous years, and She does not sugar-coat or gloss all those interviewed tell their own over issues, but rather tackles them unique stories of struggle and often head-on in an attempt to rattle triumph over the odds. every reader into understanding Nolen travels with an HIV-posi- the harsh realities of HIV transmis- tive truck driver to investigate the sion, protection, new technologies flow of transmissions that eman- and even the politics behind the ates out of the trucking industry. epidemic. She investigates those working on CONTRIBUTED PHOTO 28 Stories begins with a com- new technologies for contracep- INVESTIGATIVE INSPIRATION - Stephen Lewis raves that this is "the best book ever written about AIDS." prehensive overview of HIV/AIDS, tives such as microbicides, as well how itwas transferred from primate as individuals working at grassroots stories of activist Zackie Achmat or times upheaval regarding rhetoric, the sticky issues of sex and drugs to human and how it has spread levels in places like Zimbabwe and sex worker Agnes Munyiva, who is Nolen's message proves astonish- and inequality," she explained. around the world throughout the Malawi, where the healthcare sys- immune to HIV. ingly important. It is this kind of language that en- late 20 th century. Nolen tracks its tems have failed to adequately ad- Nolen also provides information Nolen's journalistic style of Writ- gages readers and leaves them with proliferation from central Africa to dress the HIV epidemic. that many authors and journalists ing adds a special effect to the a better understanding not only of its rise as a stigmatizing "homosex- Despite the dismal nature of the do not. "The most valuable thing book. "AIDS is not an event, or a Africa's plight, but of 28 individuals ual" and drug-user infection and subject at hand, Nolen's 28 Stories you can do to fight the AIDS pan- series of them; it's a mirror held who give AIDS a human face and now as a global epidemic. leaves the reader feeling positive demic in Africa is talk about it," she up to the cultures and societies we a story, and provide a reason for Today, AIDS has been reported about Africa's future. Alongside said. In a year where Laurier has build. The pandemic, and how we why the world needs to tackle the in every country on earth - no one stories of despair and dismay are seen much discussion and some- respond to it, forces us to confront epidemic. WORLD IN BRIEF

Emergency rape law passed the termination of term limits while 45.1 and it is hoped that it will burn up in the federal stimulus bill. Period. But it has been percent voted for term limits to remain in atmosphere as it falls to earth. According taken as something else - as a depiction of effect. Prior to the vote, the president could to space debris experts, the possibility of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expres- Italy passed an emergency rape law on serve two six-year terms in office. Current such collisions has been on the rise as lit- sion of racism. This most certainly was not Friday, February 20 in an attempt to crack president Hugo Chavez has been in office ter in orbit, partiy caused by the disintegra- its intent; to those who were offended by down on illegal immigration and sexual as- for ten years meaning that, prior to the ref- tion of aged satellites, has amplified to such the image, we apologize." sault. It comes on the heels of national out- erendum, in 2012 he would not have been an extent that such litter is now the princi- rage as three high-profile rapes occurred able to run for re-election and would have pal threat to a space shuttle launched into consecutively within one weekend and were had to leave the presidency. space. Japan is now facing worst allegedly committed by foreigners. The law According to the BBC, the president According to the BBC, Nicholas Johnson, now establishes a mandatory life sentence claimed'that he needed to stay in office an orbital debris expert, said that approxi- economic crisis since WWII for the rape of minors and sexual violence past his second term so that he may suc- mately 17,000 manmade pieces of debris thatresults in the death of a victim. cessfully secure the socialist revolution in were orbiting Earth at the beginning of this According to Kaoru Yosano, Japan's eco- The BBC reported that the law, in addi- Venezuela. Consequently, he put forth a year. These pieces are currently monitored nomic minister, the country is currendy tion to expediting the trial process for sex referendum to the Venezuelan people. Of by the US Space Surveillance Network, facing its worst economic crisis since World offenders caught in the act, also outlines nearly 17 million eligible voters, II million which forwards information regarding their War 11. Japan has the world's second largest rules for an organization ofunarmed citizen cast a ballot in Sunday's referendum. Rep- location to spacecraft operators in order to economy and is experiencing a far steeper street patrols run by volunteers, removes the resentatives from Latin American nations, help avoid collisions. downturn than the rest of the world. De- prospect of house arrest, provides victims European Parliament deputies and Euro- mand for Japanese products is at an all-time with free legal assistance and enables law pean academics observed the election and low; consequently, exports of mainly elec- enforcement to hold immigrants in custody agreed that the ballot was free and fair. The The Post issues an apology tronics and cars have declined and produc- for six months while authorities attempt to opposition attributes the victory to vast gov- tion has been cut. Consumers, troubled by identify them and process their appeals for ernment funding and extensive state media The New York Post posted an apology on increasing'unemployment rates, have also asylum. coverage. Thursday, February 19 in an editorial on cut back on spending. The law, which has been subject to harsh their website for printing a cartoon that According to the BBC, Yosano said that, criticism, was passed by Italian Prime Min- could be interpreted as a parallel between "The Japanese economy, whose growth ister Silvio Berlusconi's government and is Satellites collide over Siberia President Barack Obama and Travis, a vio- is heavily dependent on exports of auto- to be enforced immediately. However, the lent and crazed chimpanzee. In the cartoon, mobiles, machinery and IT equipment, was law must obtain the approval ofboth houses A US commercial satellite and a decommis- one policeman shoots the chimpanzee literally battered by the global downturn." of parliament within 60 days. Critics argue sioned Russian military satellite collided in while the other says, "They'll have to find Japan's prime minister, Taro Aso, is said to that the law may legitimize or even permit space over Siberia on Tuesday, February someone else towrite the next stimulus bill." be considering a stimulus package worth vigilantism and xenophobia. 10. Readers interpreted the cartoon as racist 20 trillion yen. However, he is also dealing The collision resulted in debris being and claimed that it reiterated stereotypes with political disarray as Japanese parlia- launched into space, raising concerns that paralleled black people with monkeys. ment is currently divided and recent polls Venezuelans vote in favour of about the possibility of damaging the Inter- Initially, the editor-in-chief of 7he Post show that fewer than ten percent of people national Space Station and a shuttle which had refused to issue an apology arguing that support him. The situation is most likely to unlimited terms in office is to be launched later this month. However, it was simply a caricature of Washington take a turn for the worse as a UN report sug- the International Herald Tribune reports politics. However, a public outcry that in- gests that 7.2 million people in Asian coun- The Venezuelan people voted on Sunday, that the risk of such an occurrence is said to cluded two days of picketing and protests by tries are expected to lose their jobs this year

February 15 to remove limits on the num- be low - about 1 in 50 million, according to as many as 200 people outside ofthe paper's alone. ber of terms local governors, state polit- Iridium Satellite's Executive Vice President Manhattan offices pressured 7he Post to

icians and the president may serve in office. John Campbell. give in. The apology on their website reads, - Compiled by Melissa Cupovic The vote was close as 54.8 percent voted for The path of the debris is being monitored "It was meant to mock an inepdy written Weekly The Cord ■ Wednesday, February 25,2009 11

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Accelerate your studies through on-campus and distance education courses this summer. 12 Sports WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25,2009 > THE CORD WEEKLY Hawks no longer undefeated The women's hockey team broke a 26-game winning streak, falling 3-2 to the , losing their first regular season game since October 10,2007

LAUREN MILLET er they had won or lost that game. face. SPORTS EDITOR He also said that in recent games, "Brock brings six lines and four nerves about the streak was on a lot [defenders] that are all balanced," The Golden Hawks women's hock- of people's minds. said Osborne. "They play similar ey team is no longer perfect. After "We have won some ugly games to us where everybody contributes.

boasting a 26-game winning streak, down the stretch ... we always got. They've played some very close the Hawks dropped their last game real great goaltending or a hot line games this season. of the season last Saturday to the that would carry us through. Those "York, they're a little bit bigger, YorkLions in a 3-2 decision. things didn't step up on Saturday," so we really have to move the puck "It was a weird day," commented said Osborne. quick and use our speed to capital- Head Coach Rick Osborne. "It was Pushing thoughts of the loss ize on them." Reading Week and our practices out of their minds, the Hawks will Osborne added that while weren't very crisp or overly fo- be ingrained with a new message Queen's finished insixth place, they cused. York was pumped big time heading into the playoffs: go hard still have a likely shot of upsetting to try to put an end to [our record], or go home. Toronto and have always provided and I just think we were unchar- "It doesn't matter how skilled the Hawks with a tough challenge. acteristically slow on foot and our or how good we think we are, if we The loss did not affect the pro- puck movement." aren't willing to work our asses off vincial or national standings, as the Osborne was not overly con- from now till the end of the season Hawks remain securely in firstplace cerned about the loss, rather the [it won't matter]," commented Os- in the OUA and ranked second in means in which they lost the game. borne. "If we work hard, we'll get to the country and will receive a bye "The perfect season was second where we want to go." in the first round of the playoffs. to the way we played. Our energy Osborne has no preference as to They will face the lowest remain- level was not our normal selves," who his squad will face in the semi- ing seed from the winner of ei- versus said Osborne. finals, saying that while preparation ther RYAN STEWART - RLE PHOTO

Osborne continued saying that will be differentfor each team, they Queen's Gaels or CHASING DREAMS - The Hawks now seek a sixth straight OUA title. the team needs to refocus, wheth- will be ready for whoever they will versus York. Men face tough series in first match

Golden Hawks men's hockey may have their best team in years and will face gent fifth-year Chris Whitley, who Lakehead's attackers include the played both games in their first aforementioned McPherson, and the Lakehead Thunderwolves in their first playoff game after a bye round sweep of the Warriors and the sleek and speedy former Cal- a former Nashville Predators fifth- gary Flames fourth-round pick Kris round selection in sophomore Kyle Hogg, who is second on the team JAMIE NEUGEBAUER have to overcome in their quarter- than Lakehead's top point-produc- Moir. with 29 points in 28 games.

STAFF WRITER final best-of-three series that be- er - former OHL power forward "They play a more defensive Puck movement, positional in-

gins Wednesday in . Brock McPherson - with 33 points. style," Nobes added. "They've telligence and mobility charac- If there is one team in OUA men's "I expect it will be a very compet- The Hawks offence churned out a got some big bodies, and are real terize the majority of the Hawks' hockey that can match the Water- itive series," said Head Coach Kelly CIS-leading 139 goals in the regular stingy." defencemen, while the grit and ex- loo Warriors in terms of the bit- Nobes. season, while the Thunderwolves The Hawks meanwhile play a perience of former Saginaw Spirit terness of their rivalry with the The Hawks bring the nation's managed a meagre 102. strong up-tempo style with a vari- man Garrett Sinfield provides a Golden Hawks, it would have to be top-rated offence into the series Lakehead relies therefore on ety of quality weapons for Nobes to solid, stay-at-home counter-point. the Lakehead Thunderwolves. The against Lakehead's Ontario-best scoring by committee with a few send out. From the puck-control- WLU's goals against are also way Thunderwolves are an organiza- defence, and the match-up subse- talented snipers, high-quality spe- ling and smooth styles of Captain down from last season, giving up 23 tion that is unparalleled in Ontario quently provides a very interesting cial teams and stifling, trapping Nick Vergeer, to the heady, play- fewer goals this campaign - 96 last university hockey in fan support collision of styles. team defence. Indeed, they gave making capabilities of Voakes, the year versus 73 this season. and the advantage they hold over Laurier's top line of Mark Voakes up an OUA second-best 69 goals on explosiveness of team point-leader visiting teams when on home ice is (50 points) between Jean-Michel the year. Rizk, to the gritty, aggressive ap- virtually unrivalled. Rizk (54 points) and Luke Girard Their one-two punch in net in- proaches of Girard; WLU includes a SEE HAWKS, PAGE 13 It is this force that the Hawks will (35 points) each have more points cludes the big, strong and intelli- very well-rounded arsenal. w

helping Laurier students to look and -i see their best since 1995 SWO Ball Hockey Adult Women's League GpflHMK' SWO Ball Hockey Junior Division "A" League [Bpipira Weekday and weekend leagues available. lySCw Weekly game stats available on league website. i H OPTICgL FT Season runs April through July -16 game minimum, ntti r All games played in local facilities. All games officiated. eye exams available on site 255 King St. N. (King at University) 519-888-0411 www.opticalillusioninc.ca Weekly ■ Wednesday, February 25,2009 Sports The Cord 13 Update from Harbin,China

Laurier's athletes began their competition at the Universiade in Harbin; here is how they're doing

LAUREN MILLET experiencing the same success as SPORTS EDITOR their fellow Canadian curlers, as they dropped their third game in After a week of competition has a row on Monday, falling 7-4 to passed, our teams are finding out China. just how they compare to other They have a record of 3-4, and teams on a world stage. will wrap up round-robin play on The women's curling team Tuesday against the United States moved to an 8-0 record on Monday and Finland. when it defeated China 7-6 and The Canadian women's hockey Great Britain 9-3 later in the day. team are sitting on a 4-0 unde- Canada sits atop the standings and feated record, after picking up a 7-1 has already clinched top spot in the victory over China, as well as wins round-robin play. over Finland (5-0), Slovakia and The women played the Czech Re- 11-0 in the games opener against public on Tuesday, butresults were Great Britain. not available at press time. They take to the ice again on The men's curling team is not Tuesday against Japan. r Check out Holy Puck! the official NHL blog CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

CURLIN' - The WLU women's curling team is well on its way to success in China after the first week. from the team of Cord Sports writers.

Come In and Check Out your local Hawks Adult Movie dc Accessory Store seeking Week of February 10--15, 2009 OUA title

VV Curling 8 - Trent 2 fbM Curling 4 - Western 6 VV Curling 3 - Laurentian 6 ' :: ; - FROM HAWKS, PAGE 12 02.07.09 '(7 9

M 96 - 88 ; Mc.Ylaster ' The biggest issue in playing the VV Basketball 49 - MeMaster7S Thunderwolves, and a great con- VV Volleyball 3 - Windsor 1 Volleyball 3 - Windsor tributor to the fact that Lakehead M 1

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5 Western 3 ' M Curling ' * ' - . , Tl 4 - ' had not lost a home playoff game in VV Curling 7 - Laurentian 4 14years' til these same Hawks did it M Hockey 3 - Lakehead 1 three seasons ago, is their location. W Curling 5 - Western 9 W Curling 4 -Trent 6 Your Supply Shop for: As Lakehead is located in far-off - , g. M Curling 6 -frock 3 Thunder Bay, and is subsequently M Curling 5 - Queen's 3 • Novelty Joke Items isolated from the other schools in 'j> I • the league, certain officials only W Volleyball 3 - Western 1 Massage Oils/Lubricants work at Lakehead games and visit- M Volleyball 2 - Western 3 - 1 ing teams have often experienced M Hockey 3 Lakehead /■'V : an imbalance in that area. 02.05.09 As well, teams have to make two VV Hockey 2 - Guelph 0 V • plane flights - and back - 4:2(/smoking Supplies jB there 02.04.09 ' which contributes to their overall M Basketball 67 - Guelph 57 fatigue. VV Basketball 62 - Guelph 75 including Pipes, Bongs, Papers,

' ,i "We are going to have a lot of ad- i •» Blunts, Cuban Items and Much More versity to overcome, mostly with re- 02.11.09 gards to the officiating," mentioned W Basketball vs Waterloo Nobes. "But we are going to have to Athletic Complex, 6:00 p.m. Basketball vs Waterloo Ask About Our DVD Specials like Buy 2 Get 1 FREE! deal with it, and step it up a notch - M Athletic Complex, 8:00 p.m. that's what it is all about." The purple-and-gold won the 02.12.09 ■ 363 King season series versus the blue-and- St N. M Volleyball vs Guelph gold with a record of 3-1, while the overall goals tally was an even 10 apiece. (corner ofKing & Columbia to Tito's Pizza) Laurier took both games at the Jeff MacDougald Waterloo Recreational Complex, " Menu Hoi toy while earlier in the season in Thun- Whitney Rkh ~:M www.LoveShopOnline.ca der Bay they took one in a shootout Swimming and lost another. 20 % Off with Student ID In all, it should be a fascinating COME SUPPORT THE HAWKS! battle. , Waterloo 363 St. St. Brantford 190 Rd. www.laurieratliletks.com King N. Kitchener 280 Victoria N. King George London 458 Southdale Rd. 14 Sports WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25,2009 > THE CORD WEEKLY Passion in its purestform Travelling to England for Reading Week, two Cord staff members were exposed to a new form of religion: English Football

LAUREN MILLET port for their clubs have greatly solved the problem of hooliganism; SPORTS EDITOR evolved over time, physically and it has only forced it to search for emotionally changing the way they new outlets. ANDREA MILLET watch the game. "I know it sounds drastic, but the STAFF WRITER "Watching soccer had become a only way to deal with hooligans is to habit which people were ever more shoot them. That'll stop them," said Soccer in England is far more than willing to take up and ever less will- Bobby Roberts, Colchester United just a sport. For people across the ing to give up, even if that meant Manager from 1975-1982. country, it is a religion. going without other pleasures or At today's matches, all fans are Over reading week this year, The even neccessitiessaid historian D. seated to prevent injury, but the Cord had the pleasure of travel- Russel in the late 1800s. home and away fans' seats are sep- ing to England and witnessing this As the sport gained popular- arated into two sections, often by unwavering passion first hand. ity throughout the early 1900s, barriers and rows of security per- We attended a Manchester United fans gained recognition; however, sonnel. This is because soccer to game at Old Trafford and saw a sta- not all of it was positive. Acquiring them is not just a sport, but a way dium filled with over 75,000 fans nicknames, such as hooligans, sup- of life. And just as people fight for all chanting and singing the same porters were often associated with their countries and for their beliefs, songs at the same time. ruffianism and destructive behav- these fans will fight for their teams. Seated in the East Stand, we were iour towards other clubs and their Despite the fights on and off the

surrounded by fans - some intoxi- supporters. pitch and the heartbreak when only on it is cated some not - but all focused on The Scottish Athletic Journal one team finishes top, inthat one common thing: Manchester stated on 27 September 1887 that moment when a player lifts the cup, United. " is becoming or saves the ball, or drills a game From children no older than six notorious for scenes and disgrace- winning shot into the net and thou-

or seven waving massive flags to ful exhibitions of ruffianism ... that sands of fans scream and chant and middle-aged adults taunting the the rabble will soon make it impos- wave their scarves that you realize opposing fans, all were incredibly sible for law-abiding citizens to at- why it is such a big phenomenon. enthusiastic supporters. tend matches." When Paul Scholes scored The pub we went to before the Hooliganism reached a point the first goal against Fulham last match was also filled completely where steel barriers were placed Wednesday, the crowd erupted with United supporters; nobody between the stands and the pitch into a frenzy of deafening noise be- to the players. The breaking fore breaking out into arendition of was talking about anything other protect ANDREA MILLET than the team, from the treble year point, however, came on April 15, "Glory, Glory Man United" > HAIL HILLSBOROUGH - memorial remains outside of Anfield to com- in 1999 to a potential quintuple 1989, in what is known as Britain's At the hour mark, Wayne Rooney A memorate the 20th anniversary of those fans lost in the tragedy. year in 2009. worst-ever sporting disaster. began warming up on the sidelines, Earlier in the day, we took a trip 96 Liverpool FC supporters were ready to make his first appearance to the historic Anfield stadium, killed in a crowd stampede at an FA in weeks due-to injury. Before even home of Liverpool FC, and sat in Cup semi-final match against Not- taking to the pitch, fans roared at the famous Kop stands. tingham Forest in Hillsborough. the thought of Rooney entering the "It's not a badge, it's a fam- A few minutes before kick-off, game. ily crest," states a banner outside there was a rush of fans pushing to The passion displayed by the of Anfield, referring to the crests of get into the ground, crushing fans fans is what makes the sport what the respective clubs. already inside into the gate at the it is, for, without the fans, it would People are likely to leave work front ofthe already-full stands. simply be just another game. early on match days to prepare for The Hillsborough disaster "The noise of the crowd, the sing- and get to the venue where they will changed the nature of soccer fan- ing and the chanting, is the oxygen be watching their team; missing a dom and led to all Premiership we players breathe," said Danny game is simply out of the question. teams being called to eliminate Blancheflower, Tottenham Hotspur Their pre-match rituals are very standing room for all spectating in captain 1960-61. elaborate and almost always in- their stadiums within five years. The intensity of the fans' passion clude some pre-game pints, as well While this measure has reduced and dedication and thrill of the as parties in the streets and pubs the danger of overcrowding and moment are surely enough to make around the stadiums. has since prevented another inci- anyone fall in love with the lifestyle The stories of fans and their sup- dent like Hillsborough, it has not that is English football.

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ANDREA MILLET Fulham. WE LOVE UNITED! - Old Trafford gets over 75,000 fans for as simple a game as this one against The Cord Weekly - Wednesday, February 25,2009 15

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CGA Ontario E-mail Websites 416-322-6520 [email protected] www.nameyourneed.org or 1-800-668-1454 or www.cga-ontario.org ame our ee Hi cs^ 16.FEATURE WEDNESDAYFEBRUARY25, 2009 • THE (ORD WEEKLY THE CO

As the final stretch of the school year approaches, The Cordturns to the valued opinion of tr

KARl PRIT.CHARD FEATURES EDITOR Place students would most like to have (or ha~ campus: The library Scary as it may be, the end of the school year is approaching and it's time to With a winning 44 percent of the votes, the library takes thE critically examine the place where we study, eat and socialize: the Laurier desirable place to have sex on campus (if it hasn't already community. With lots of ups and downs to our campus and surrounding area, those dark study rooms or cozy cubbies on the upper floors let's get down to the nitty-gritty. Through a survey generated by The Cord, the the best place to make whoopee on campus. One lone stuc student body voiced their opinions on debateable topics like food, sex and to the wind, suggesting Alumni Field as their top choice for professors.

Best nightclub or pub for students in Kitchener-Waterloo: Best spot to study: The library Fox and Fiddle Not only is the library the best place to get it on at Laurier, Students' answers varied as to their favourite K-W venues for partying, but the the opposite end of the spectrum as students' choice spot Fox came out on top. With a family-friendly daytime environment to enjoy a of space on each floor and the choice of studying in a lowe meal or a few drinks, the Fox also becomes a popular place for partying dur­ higher, quieter floor, the library has something for everybod~ ing the night. Featuring live music, a cheap wing night and a spacious venue, sex, you can buckle down and hit the books . ~ it's no wonder the Fox is one of students' top choices for best pub in Waterloo.

Favourite professor: Loren King and Jim McCu This school year's best live performance on campus: Bedouin A question producing a smorgasbord of results, it's clear ~ 'Soundclash plethora of good professors. Hailing from all departments As a yearly returning Laurier favourite, Bedouin Soundclash is the students' professors aren't hard to find at Laurier. Political science pn choice for favourite performance. A high-energy group who are students them­ and economics and business professor Jim McCutcheon w selves, the music of Bedouin Soundclash resonates professionally in their live peated in the results, taking them to first place. performances. In second place was Last Band Standing, showing the support of student bands by the student body. Best looking professor: Peter Kuling Professor of English and Film Studies Peter Kuling has been· Best meal on campus: Pita Shack Chicken Caesar pita prof, beating out second-place business professor Laura Al With fierce competition from several mentioned items from the Wilf's delec­ that "it's flattering;' to be picked as best-looking professor. table menu, the Chicken Caesar pita from Pita Shack stole first place. Caesar that flirtation ... is part of the education process;' said Kulir dressing, chicken, croutons, cheese and your choice of veggies mixed in new with the stuff that you're teaching and make· it sort of fun an stainless steel bowls makes for a mouth-watering pita that students love lates weU:' to consume. For less than seven dollars you can have a famous Chicken Caesar pita of your very own. Best Golden Hawks team to watch: Football Claiming 53 percent of the votes, Laurier football takes firs1 exciting sport to watch on campus. With an entire stadium ' Best place to grab a coffee: Star­ Laurier Golden Hawks football team was a shoo-in for nur bucks at King & University left Laurier's other sports in the dust, beating its nearest Conveniently located just off campus and percent. near plenty of student housing, students have chosen Starbucks at the busy King and Univer­ sity intersection as their favourite place to get Best place to live off-campus: a five-minute rae their caffeine fix. While Starbucks came in first, That's right, Laurier students love gettin' their exercise. De students don't seem too picky as to where they dynamic scenes of uptown Waterloo and downtown Kitd get their coffee, as the Second Cup in the Con­ dents take pride in convenience. As Laurier students are us1 course and the Tim Hortons in the SBE came in of campus, it's no wonder that 70 percent of students who tc at a close second. fer to be able to roll out of bed and onto campus.

0

PHOTOS AND GRAPH ICS BY (CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT): JULIE MARION, RYAN STEWART, SYDNEY HELLAND, TRISH STOTI, RYAN STEWART, JULIE MARION, RYAN STEWART, LAURA TOMKINS, JULIE MARION. ..,.-.; THE CORD WEEKLY • WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 25,2009 fEATURE.17

valued opinion of the students in order to explore the best and worst features of Laurier

110st like to have (or have had) sex on Worst washrooms on campus: beside the OneCard office Computer of choice at university: laptop PC The washrooms beside the OneCard office are a definite standout when it Despite the fact that Macbooks are advertised as the hip choice in computer the votes, the library takes the cake for the most comes to poor washroom quality. They are abnormally hot and stinky, and you technologies, the laptop PC powered ahead of the Macbook by 26 percent. 1 campus (if it hasn't already been done). With can always bet on at least one of the toilets having not been flushed. Despite all Although desktop computers still got some representation, it is clear that the ry cubbies on the upper floors, the library seems the negative qualities of these washrooms, they always seem to have a line. laptop in general is most popular a¢ongst university students at Laurier.

•ee on campus. One lone student threw caution ~---::-- 1i Field as their top choice for fornicating. Favourite classes: Communication studies Best day of the academic week: Friday Generating results from all departments, one class in particular cannot be It may seem like a no-brainer, bu\ students named Friday the best day of the library deemed the best here at Laurier. The communication studies department had academic week. Thursday gave Friday a run for its money, but with many stu­ t place to get it on at Laurier, it also registers on the most classes listed, such as CS208, CS315 or CS402. Close behind CS was dents having no class and the fact that Friday means the weekend, Friday re­ rum as students' choice spot to study. With lots English and (surprisingly) business, listing classes like EN201 or EN345 and mains on top. Sadly, poor Monday received no votes and is looking for support ~ choice of studying in a lower, louder floor or a BU121 or BU231. amongst students. y has something for everybody. After some kinky hit the books. Worst class: BU255 Favourite famous Laurier alum/ student: Shad K Although students do like some of their business classes, the school of busi­ As a hip-hop artist making a name with his inventive, unique ren King and Jim McCutcheon ness and economics class Managerial Statistics was rated as worst class. With lyrics and mad guitar skills, Shad K receives gold when it rgasbord of results, it's clear that Laurier has a such thrilling topics as probability distributions, simple and multiple regres­ comes to being a famous Laurier alum. Although Shad may Hailing from all departments, apparently good sion, analysis of variance, chi-square tests and non-parametric statistics, en­ not be as famous as MuchMusic VJ Matte Babel, Laurier 1t Laurier. Political science professor Loren King rollment in the class would be questionable if it wasn't mandatory. can decipher the great from the mediocre, crowning Shad professor Jim McCutcheon were two names re­ as their number one. tem to first place. Biggest sports rival: Western Western may not be Laurier's biggest rival for all sports played here, but stu­ Peter Kuling dents certainly feel they pose a threat to many of our teams. Although the Wa­ /tudies Peter Kuling has been voted best-looking terloo Warriors are just down the street, they came in second to Western. With ~ business professor Laura Allan. Kuling admits a whopping 68 percent of votes, the Golden Hawks better start sharpening ,ed as best-looking professor. "I've always joked their talons when the trot into town. \") ~ ducation process," said Kuling. "When you flirt ting and make it sort of fun and exciting, it trans- .. Best place to sleep on campus: the 24 Lounge Taking 65 percent of the popular vote, the 24 Lounge easily takes first place as best place to sleep on campus. With tons of comfy couches and chairs 111 to watch: Football to lounge on, the 24 Lounge is a great place for students to put their feet up. tes, Laurier football takes first place as the most Whether you're stopping in for a nap between classes or taking advantage ofits 1pus. With an entire stadium dedicated to it, the 24-hour availability, the 24 Lounge is the choice place to catch some Zs. ll team was a shoo-in for number one. Football the dust, beating its nearest competitor by 34 Best event celebrated during the school year: Orientation Week Whether you're being ushered into your first year of university, breaking some npus: a five-minute radius ice for some first years or just a regular student, Orientation Week= party time. [ove gettin' their exercise. Despite the busy and With a full week of nothing to do before classes, raging hormones, a love for raterloo and downtown Kitchener, Laurier stu- alcohol and the use of recreational drugs are brought together for a week of ;e. As Laurier students are used to the small size madness before life at Laurier begins. 70 percent of students who took the survey pre- and onto campus.

.,. Camut, the bmrage r~ 1181· •bout to enjoy is e.wtlllf tllfl A11~ntiqn.-l.a boisson que v:Ude. ~qqrer "t elCtremement 18 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2009 - THE CORD WEEKLY

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Offer ends March 31,2009. Available with compatible deviceswithin Bell Mobility high speed mobile network coverage areas. Weeknights Mon-Thu, 6pm-7am; Weekends Fri 6pm-Mon 7am. Other monthly fees, i.e., e9-M (75e), system access (not a government fee) ($8.95), and one-time device activation ($35) apply. Long distance and roaming charges (including foreign taxes) may apply outside your local area. Upon early termination, price adjustment charges apply. Subject to change without notice; not combinable with other offers. Taxes extra. Other conditions apply. (1) With newactivation on a 3-yr. term. (2) Received messages include local, international, roaming and service related messages from Bell and exclude premium, alerts and dial-up messages. Sent messages include local messages and exclude international, roaming, alerts, premium messages and messages sent withan instant messaging application. (3) Applies to airtime for calls in your local calling area. (4) Bonus minutes apply during the initial contract term. (5) Simultaneous use of airtime. (6) With new activation on a post-paid voice plan and a data feature with a total min. value of $45/mo. (7) With new activation on a post-paid voice plan. (8) With new activation on a post-paid voice plan and a data feature with a total min. value of $35/ mo. Blackßerry® and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In MotionLimited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. Rumour is a trademark of LG Electronics Inc. Samsung Cleo is a trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., and itsrelated entities. The Cord Weekly ■ Wednesday, February 25,2009 Student Life 19 Laurier student fees at work

LAURA TOMKINS NATASHA DILKIE Aside from tuition, money from student fees continues to fund many student-run and enjoyable activities on Laurier's campus

ASHLEY BRADIMORE WLU's students' union plays a man resources (volunteer appre- tions and general structural main- fairs, explained that "coursepacks CORD STUDENT LIFE large role in this decision-making ciation, recruitment and hiring), tenance. This is where you see your were introduced as a less expensive process as they collect the majority student activities (A-team, Winter building fee utilized. alternative to textbooks since they A quick glance over your WLU bill- of these ancillary fees directly and Carnival and Fashion 'N Motion), "Up keep of places like the were just photocopied pages from ing statement tells you that you're then budget accordingly. marketing groups (public relations, FNCC, Wilf's and the Turret are a texts." paying for a lot more than just Essentially this leaves the student video productions and Radio Lau- part of our operating agreement However, as most of us know, tuition. body responsible for its own money rier) and of course Brantford op- with the university," explained Hu- we pay copyright fees every time

Besides the standard fee for be- management and gives us - the stu- erations, which need to operate all sein. "If anything structural needs we purchase a coursepack. This is ing an undergrad or graduate stu- dents - a greater power in choosing the similar services and activities to be done, WLUSU goes half-and- partially why they have become so dent, there is a long list of "mis- how our money is spent. we have here in Waterloo. half with the University. However, expensive in past years. cellaneous" items that many of us Vice President of finance Shad- Each club needs to prove its anything internal - like the Terrace Mayoh argues that if the library pay without question, yet we lack a dy Husein is an integral part of worth. Every year, club adminis- renovations we did in the past few and a coursepack offer the same clear understanding of where these WLUSU. The VP: Finance must trators submit a plan for budget to years - have come out of WLUSU's material, then the student is essen- dollars are going. work long hours behind the scenes WLUSU with a detailed breakdown operating budget." tially being doubly charged. Various fees include the en- to ensure that our money is maxi- and a clear justification for their fi- Other campus improvements "[The copyright fee] should be hancement of life levy, student mized to benefit the WLU student nancial request. WLUSU staff like - like Alumni Field - are funded covering the copyright cost and our publications fee, WLUSU faculty- experience. Husein then look over their bud- through the Enhancement of Life coursepack should be less expen- based fee, students' union building He explains, "WLUSU gets about get and decide what's feasible and Levy. This fee acts like a reserve sive," argued Mayoh. It is a problem fee, copyright agreement fee; we one million dollars in student fees, what's not. fund, utilized for specific projects being tackled by larger groups like pay each of these and more every nearly all of which are put back into Some groups, like the A-Team, deemed to benefit the majority of the Canadian Roundtable on Aca- semester and though most of them wages for employees at the Turret, get sizeable financial support sim- students. demic Materials and was debated are relatively small amounts (rang- students' union, Terrace and Wilf's. ply because they're big generators Despite the big money we spend in a recent student leader confer- ing from $1.65 - $40.48), these an- Providing part-time jobs for stu- of revenue. on tuition and fees, smaller costs, ence at Edge Canada. cillary fees accumulate into a sub- dents is one way we give back to the Last year alone, A-Team was es- such as the $1.65 we pay each se- Quite clearly, this small fee has stantial amount after four years of student body. Essentially, our goal timated to have pulled in nearly mester as a copyright fee, often go garnered enough attention across education. is never to increase student fees but $85,000. Other groups like Fashion by unnoticed. many campuses to reach national So, how do we see our money at to become self-sustaining." 'N Motion have become self-sus- About the equivalent to an extra- debate. work? The short answer: the major- WLUSU budgeted roughly 1.3 taining and manage to break even large coffee at Tim Hortons, this In these unstable economic ity of it is re-distributed back into million dollars this past year for between expenses and ticket sales. semi-annual copyright fee gives us times, the Laurier student body is the student body, realized in sala- student departments. This included Besides student services and the ability to photocopy and use not the only entity questioning ev- ries, campus clubs, infrastructural student services (Foot Patrol, BAC- clubs, a large portion of our fees the materials of the library. ery fee - down to the last penny. improvementswilf'sand the like. CHUS, and the Peer Helpcountry goes Line), hu- go into operating costs, renova- Trevor Mayoh, VP: student af- 20 Student Life WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25,2009 > THE CORD WEEKLY

Campus Club Profile #4: "Handcuffs don't cure addiction"

The Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy discuss their goals and mission as a student-run campus club at Laurier

AMBER CORDEIRO to take action. Coming across the sue in the nation they wanted fixed, that have been proven to be inef- policy we can all agree on that pro- CORD STUDENT LIFE CSSDP website, he found a kit to and by an astounding 7,000 votes fective in deterring adolescents vides a better solution than the one get started. over the other issues it was the le- from experimenting with drugs. we currently have." The controversy surrounding drugs The organization is concerned galization of marijuana. "The club is important because a CSSDP was enacted as a means in Canada raises many different with educating members about However, CSSDP does not push lot of students do not know their of educating and raising aware- opinions and speculation as to drugs so that you can make con- drug use but is informing members rights in terms of drugs. ness about howthe current policies whether the implemented policies scious, informed and responsible to question the severity of the cur- "We are aware that we do not could affect you if you were ever are effective in eliminating drug decisions, whether you are consid- rent laws surrounding drugs and know what a sensible drug policy caught in a situation. use, or whether a new constitution ering trying drugs or are already us- the educational programs such as actually entails yet, but we are hop- As Jim Cavill puts it, "Handcuffs should be created that treats sub- ing them. VIP and Race Against Drugs that ing through discourse at meetings, don't cure addiction." stance use as a public health con- The first meeting, which will are taught in elementary schools, we can come up with some sort of cern rather than a criminal justice take place Wednesday, February issue. 25 at 7-9 p.m. in Arts 2C3, is open Jim Cavill and Matty Rivers- to anyone who agrees with the con- Moore, two students who decided stitution drafted by Cavill which to take action against the current basically states, "As long as you system by forming the Wilfrid Lau- share the view that the current drug rier University chapter of Canadian policy needs reforming, you are Students for Sensible Drug Policy granted membership." (CSSDP), hold the latter view. The meeting will be a meet-and- Cavill explained that the grass- greet, a place for input and the dis- roots organization actually started cussion of future events such as the in the United States as a reaction screening of the film How to Know to the Higher Education Act, which Your Shrooms, which will be near stated that if you were ever con- the end of March at a cost of $2. victed of a drug charge you would For students, CSSDP is a means never be entitled to government of engaging in public discourse funding for school. with other students and commu- "The government was targeting nity members about the negative students in their drug war," said encounters you or someone you Cavill, "so they thought, 'Well, let's know has experienced as a result of rise up.'" Five years, later CSSDP the current substance use policies. was formed. As well, it is a way to gain an The idea to start a chapter at understanding of the opinions WLU came to Cavill when he was others have about the effects of in attendance at a speech by Dana drugs in terms of health and social Larsen, an NDP candidate in West repercussions. Vancouver. For instance, me Cavill informed CONTIBUTED PHOTO "I charge you....Get involved, stir that when Obama came into office something up," were the words spo- he put a poll on his website asking SENSIBLE STUDENTS - Members of the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy group aim to change justice to public health in the ken by Larsen that inspired Cavill citizens what the number-one is- the image of addiction from a criminal issue a concern eyes of Canadians. Winning for a good cause

Roll up the rim and donate your winning tab to the homeless this winter

MICHELLE CALDARONI Out of the Cold currently runs in want to do is wander the streets," STUDENT LIFE EDITOR churches around Waterloo, includ- said Joyal. She explained that the ing St. Lewis parish on Alice Street. tabs allow the homeless to enjoy a Collecting winning Roll up the Rim The homeless are invited to come free snack as well as stay out of the

tabs is somewhat of a tradition at in to the church - each church winter cold.

Laurier, owing to the existence of takes on one day of the week - and While the donation of a winning multiple Tim Hortons cafes across are given dinner, a place to sleep tab may seem insignificant to some campus. and breakfast in the morning. people, Joyal explained that to oth- Now, thanks to the efforts of a ers it could mean a lot. Laurier staff member, a simple but "If a donut or a free "If a donut or a free muffin effective charity exists that makes muffin doesn't mean use of the annual contest by donat- doesn't mean much to you, much to you, it could ing prizes to Waterloo's homeless mean a meal for a IT COULD MEAN A MEAL FOR A citizens. homeless person. If Wilfrid Laurier University gradu- HOMELESS PERSON." you want to donate ate and current Development Of- your rim, drop it off at

ficer: Individual and Legacy Giving - Cec Joyal, Development Officer: In- the Centre Spot." Cec loyal came up with an idea to dividual and Legacy Giving Winning tabs further assist the homeless in Wa- can be brought to a terloo as an addition to the Out of drop box at the C-Spot, the Cold program that has already In the past four years, Joyal has for the duration ofthe Tim Hortons been in place for ten years. been responsible for giving out a contest which began on Monday, Joyal explained, "About three or few winning Roll up the Rim tabs February 23. four years ago Ithought, 'Why don't to each homeless,person leaving at Joyal hopes that the tab drive, I start collecting the rims from Roll eight on Monday morning during which ends in April, will go well. up the Rim to give to the homeless?' the Tim Hortons contest. "If we collect tons and tons of rims, RYAN STEWART The first few years we did very well; "They're leaving the church at I'll be sure to distribute them to the CHARITY CUPS - Winning rims can be brought to a box at the C-Spot. we got over two hundred tabs [per eight in the morning, and on those other churches as well," she said. year] cold mornings the last thing they The Cord Weekly ■ Wednesday, February 25,2009 Student Life 21 Toning muscles, relieving stress

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ALISSA RUETZ for an annual membership. Abso- CORD STUDENT LIFE lute Fitness also offers kick-box- ing, cardio and personal training The anxiety level of university stu- sessions. dents escalates with inevitable The Laurier Recreation centre midterms, papers and finals. With offers over 14 different yoga and the progression of the semester, it pilates classes, ensuring that every is essential to find time to unwind student will be able to find a class and replenish your mind before that best suits their needs. stress gets the better ofyou. Whether you are interested in Both yoga and pilates will de- working on your breathing strate- crease the inevitable stress levels gies, toning your body or both, the that encompass university stu- Laurier Recreation Centre offers a ) dents' lives. Yoga consists of over variety of options including power landfills?j( 200 different postures designed to yoga, cycle and yoga, cycle and pi- synchronize your mind and body. lates and rock and roll yoga as well Yoga primarily focuses on breath- as sessions on breathing. /Waste Change? ing, meditation, stretches and • Classes are offered at a variety J endurance. Pilates, on the other of times Monday to Friday as well hand, focuses on muscle strength, as Sundays. Classes are $65 per se- improves posture and stabilizes the mester for both yoga and pilates. spine. Both yoga and pilates help For some, the very notion of go- focus on breathing and prevent ing to a scheduled yoga class can stress. create even more stress; who has Pharwaceutica^^^Jj^^ A 2008 study from the Medical the money or the time? News Today found thatyoga reduc- For those who would rather stay es fatigue and stress for up to two at home and save some money, hours. Research suggests thatyoga there are many at-home workout and meditation transform the body routines available. into a state ofrest, which is capable The only basic materials required of changing the overall functioning are a yoga mat and a quiet room. of the body. For basic instructions it may be Some students may benefit from helpful to use a DVD. taking yoga classes with an instruc- Some popular choices include: tor. Within the Kitchener-Waterloo Shiva Rea Yoga Shakati ($12.00) or area there are many outlets avail- Yoga for Beginners Barbara Benagh able for taking yoga and pilate's ($10.49), available online or at local are to questions? classes. Wal-Mart stores. Where the answers YOUR Absolute Health, located at 258 Whether you prefer yoga or pi- King St. North (519-886-1568), lates, staying home or taking sched- offers a variety of Yoga classes; uled classes, it is essential to take students receive a 50 percent dis- care of your mind and body in the count on all yoga packages offered. midst of this stressful time of year. The online resource for information on legislation, regulation and Student prices for yoga classes are Take some down time to unroll discussion of today's most pressing environmental issues. $7.50 per session, $65 per 10 ses- your yoga matt and unwind your sions, $110 per 20 sessions or $425 mind. 22 Opinion WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2009 • THE CORD WEEKLY Change cheating culture

Itis no secret thatacademic miscon- asked to be moral regarding their duct can be too easy to commit. own work, yet betray their friends' Nearly every student has had the confidence. opportunity to cheat, no matter However, it is not unreasonable how minor the offence, and many for students to report the ways in have. which cheating is possible, thus al- There is a general sentiment lowing administrators the opportu- among the student body that cheat- nity to improve upon the academic ing is morally permissible. system. Students need to re-think their This is the kind of co-operation attitudes toward cheating. Doing that a change in student culture so lowers the value of your own de- could produce. gree as well as the degree of every But while we may be able to student that follows the guidelines. change the way we think about Of course, this won't sway a cheating, we will never be able to cheater to confess. What is needed, change the fact that some students, though, is a change in student cul- when given the opportunity, will ture that discourages peers from cheat. academic misconduct. Given this, the student body University administrators ac- should communicate to professors knowledge that some students do and administrators about where not feel guilty for cheating. They theirfocus should be placed. believe a dialogue needs to occur The student body, having direct between the two groups. knowledge of how and why aca- Administrators must realize demic misconducts occur, has the that it is unreasonable to expect capacity toreduce their frequency. students to report their friends for Students should realize that their GRAPHIC BY JULIE MARION cheating. co-operation in curbing academic Asking this of students presents misconduct can be in their own a paradox. Students cannot be best interests. Canadians should re-think Academicfreedom important

The current controversy surrounding University of Ottawa professor Denis thefamily unit a Rancourt's actions raises number of questions about academic freedom . here at WLU. Rancourt was suspended from his teaching duties recently after he Decreasing biological births and encouraging adoptions improves society declared that every student in one of his fourth-year courses would get an A+, allowing them to think rather than being forced to regurgitate information. Despite the widespread nega- ing children desperately wait for Certainly nothing that extreme has happened at Laurier. However, this tive associations with China's one- welcoming homes and families. does not mean professors do not abuse their tenured positions. child policy, maybe it isn't such a It would make more sense put- Some professors have been known to show up for hand bad idea after at least some money from late classes, SYDNEY HELLAND all.. ting back assignments late and use teaching material that is years out of date. PRINT PRODUCTION The world's population is swell- programs such as CCTB into more MANAGER Every student has likely felt short-changed by a professor's conduct at ing at such an unsustainable rate, supportive adoption and foster some point in their academic career. it is quickly becoming obvious that parenting programs, while in- Restraining academic freedom can be dangerous. Overall, it should be In 1979, the Chinese government the earth's natural resources sim- creasing awareness of the options highly valued. Allowing tenured professors the freedom to question norms introduced a policy to address the ply cannot handle more people. available to couples looking to and conventions is essential to the university experience: it is how students social, economic and environ- With this population crisis in grow their families. become inspired by academia. mental strains resulting from the mind, Canada really ought to Although it's only natural for If the fallout from Rancourt's actions can teach us anything, it's that unsustainably massive population know better. some folks to want siblings for not all rule-bending constitutes academic freedom. Professors should re- of the People's Republic of China. On top of the greater problem their children (along with all the member that they are granted tenure so that they can best serve students The officially translated "fam- of the earth's increasing number joys and trials that come with par- and the community, not themselves. ily planning policy," better known of inhabitants, Canada seems to enting), it seems that few people Students do not benefit from professors that arrive to class late or cancel as the "one-child policy," restricts forget that despite being one of today can appreciate non-biolog- lectures frequently. (with exceptions) the number of the wealthiest nations, 11.7 per- ical families, even as non-nuclear Some professors tell students that a course syllabus is like a contract. If children born to married couples cent of Canadian children under families become more and more students are expected to commit to these documents, professors should as to one. 18 live below the poverty line, accepted. well. This policy, made law in the meanwhile, over 76,000 children It's definitely an innate quality At the very least, the Rancourt controversy can teach administrators at -year 2000 has been met with remain in the care of child welfare of humans to desire reproduction, WLU that they should proactively assess they way we think about academ- much criticism and controversy. organizations across Canada. and I'm sure it's pretty neat doing ic freedom before something similar occurs. Although the policy has produced Why, then, is the Canadian gov- so, too. certain benefits such as improved ernment so baby-happy? Yes, the So, individuals or couples want- These unsigned editorials were agreed upon by at least two-thirds of The health care and economic growth, Canadian population isn't nearly ing a biological child can go right Cord's editorial board and do not necessarily reflect the views o/The Cord's it is still criticized for its perceived as substantial as the Chinese ahead, but after that, parents need volunteers, staffor WLUSP. violations of basic human rights. one, but the problem here isn't not worry. By having one child, However, in harsh contrast to childless families, it's family-less your DNA has already been suc- China's extreme form of popula- children. cessfully guaranteed for another The Cord Weekly tion control, Canada seems to be To clarify, I'm not suggesting generation. So why not consider a that Editorial Board 2008-2009 desperate for population growth, that Canada suddenly implement giving your child sibling strongly encouraging multiple a one-child policy as extreme as may not have the same luxury? Editor-in-Chief Special Projects Editor Graphics Editor are too Alex Hayter Laura Carlson Julie Marion children per couple. China's, which would essentially Family dynamics far [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Various programs such as the force couples wanting large fami- complex for making umbrella rec- (519) 884-0710 ext. 3563 Features Editor Web Editor Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) lies to absorb Canada's orphaned ommendations, especially when News Editors Kari Pritchard Dan Polischutt' two Jeremy Tremblay [email protected] [email protected] and Children's Special Allow- youth or pay heavy fines for having comparing countries on sepa- [email protected] ances (CSA) actually provide sig- more than one biological child. rate continents with significant Student Life Editor Photography Managers Rebecca Vasluianu Michelle Caldaroni Ryan Stewart nificant financial incentives to But there are certainly ways by cultural differences. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] of (519) 884 0710 ext. 3564 eligible families and institutions which the government can help But this is a time when much Arts & Entertainment Editor Laura Tomkins that support a growing Canadian support alternative family plan- the world is anticipating positive Sports Editor Daniel Joseph [email protected] Lauren Millet [email protected] population. ning that is not necessarily tied to change, and this could very well [email protected] Print Production Manager of Opinion Editor Sydney Helland On one side of the globe, Can- blood. be a small step in the direction International Editor Dave Shore [email protected] ada is showering fertile couples It certainly seems counterpro- changing our current social struc- Heather MacDonald [email protected] [email protected] with hard cash; on the flip side, ductive in tough economic times ture to be more inclusive of a di- China seems just short of putting to be paying for couples to bring versified definition of "family." The Cord Weekly is published byWilfrid Laurier University Student Publications. corks up the uteri of its female new children into a society that Contact: Greg Sacks, 75 University Ave. W, Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5 population. cannot sustain them, while exist- letters@cordweekly. com Weekly February Opinion . The Cord ■ Wednesday, 25,2009 23 Technology isolates usfrom reality Devon Butler fears that communicating via texting and instant messaging is becoming more important than real conversations

courage. vices, however, hold a candle to the of endless frustrations. The whole tumours leading to cancer. In addi- This is the root cause for online power of Facebook. concept is trivial, yet I admit I have tion, chemicals in cell phones as bullying, as consequences appear We've become a generation of given in to the power of Facebook, well as laptops decrease and dam- nonexistent. This is nothing more slaves to an online social network- wondering what activities and age sperm. DEVON BUTLER than a process of dehumanization. ing site. It affects the way we dress interests define me as a person. Though technology has provided HYDE PARK CORNER As opposed to in-person inter- (because we can't have too many Though I can only project so much us with knowledge and opportun- action, conversations via instant pictures tagged of us in the same of myself, I've finally realized Face- ities, it has also created a world full I often fantasize about a simpler messaging or texting are subject outfit), it affects the way we enjoy book cannot capture the essence of of people more preoccupied with time. These fantasies usually ac- to misunderstandings, leading to time with our friends (because we a human being. how many friends they have on company watching Pride and Preju- disputes and the demises of friend- are often preoccupied with getting Beyond the social implications, Facebook than the world around dice, after which I dream of a Mr. ships and relationships. the perfect profile picture). More technologies have raised serious them. Darcy who sends me a hand-writ- Your words are also preserved seriously, it affects our friendships health concerns. According to Though we cannot revert back ten letter instead of a text message. in text. Once you type an instant and relationships with others. Health Canada, use of cell phones to simpler times completely, some Unfortunately, I suppose this is the message, your words can be copied A friend recendy "de-friended" can damage a body's genetic ma- time away from technology can't era in which we live, where You've and pasted to other conversations, me on Facebook because some terial and can change brain wave hurt. Got Mail is much more relevant to saved and manipulated. of my pictures were not up to his activity. It affects memory, learning what our social interactions have With this in mind, these forms standards; this has been the cause ability, movement and can cause letters@cordweekly. com become. of communication have crippling Cell phones, Blackberries, in- effects on social behaviour. It is a stant messaging and Facebook have basic human element to require become so commonplace that we social interactions, as they attribute often fail to see the negativity they to our overall mental and physical bring to our lives, our society and health. ourselves. The time we spend on the In- The irony of communication de- ternet could be spent engaging in vices is that their creation was to something more productive or by connect people, yet what they most hanging out with friends instead of often do is cut people off from the talking to them online; to live a real world and isolate individuals. life, as part of the real world. Firstly, it must be said that these Recently, I went out with a groUp devices undoubtedly serve a posi- of old friends; instead of catching tive purpose: to keep people in up they spent the evening eagerly touch with each other. However, clicking away on their phones. This the negative effects outweigh the situation can be seen everywhere positive. from the dinner table to class- Services such as MSN Messenger rooms. Cell phones shouldn't be allow people to engage in instan- used as a means of escape from the taneous correspondence, welcom- conversation at hand. ing you into an alternative world Not to mention how these (fom- separate from reality. Since this munication devices have de- online world feels disconnected teriorated the English language, from the real one, it is easy to spew they've also created a weight of hatred and lies as opposed to dur- dependency. ing face-to-face interactions. We begin to feel so attached to

Your computer screen acts as a these technologies thatthey change RYAN STEWART wall, severing you from the person our behaviour and ways in which PHONE PHRENZY - These little devices play a large role in our every day lives. you talk to, creating a false sense of we live our lives. None of these de- Sex education curricula must be inclusive

American society, though this is likely a adolescents would serve to increase toler- Information, however, is not enough. low estimate (on account of those who are ance, leading to improved aggregated social Counselling must be made more easily ac- not public about their sexuality or are still freedom. cessible for all students experiencing new confused). The omission of such material from sex sexual feelings, particularly those who may WILL MAIN Sex education for adolescents needs to education curricula is tantamount to an ex- be experiencing confusion or find them- BEYOND THE MAINSTREAM begin presenting alternative sexualities as ercise in hate and instils in our children a selves being subjugated as a minority. equally viable alternatives to heterosexuality subtle homophobic attitude. Thus, the cycle Classroom information maynot be enough There has been substantial progress in the and providing the same information on these of oppression is renewed. for younger students experiencing sexual quality of sex education provided to adoles- topics which heterosexual topics receive. Arguments against the inclusion of LGBT confusion to help comprehend or articulate cents in recent decades. The omission of this information presents issues are often constructed upon a reluc- their feelings. We have seen the emphasis of sex educa- serious risks to the general health and emo- tance to "promote homosexuality." It must be noted that this struggle for im- tion moved away from inferior, but previ- tional well-being of a large number of our We need to work to redefine this repulsive proved information is not merely an attempt ously dominant, abstinence-based curricula children. and ignorant social norm; that heterosexual- to raise the bar in education alone; the so- towards more effective and comprehensive Aside from the obvious physical risks that ity is somehow to be preferred. cial impact of this issue is far more wide- ones. insufficient sexual education can prompt, None of this means to suggest that sexual reaching. However, though this progress has seen the with a young minority like LGBT, there is a education is still not ideally conducted by Through the promotion of an education added inclusion of many important topics dramatically increased probability of emo- parents at home before it is instructed in a system which continually excludes a particu- and issues facing adolescents, it has unforgiv- tional or social struggling. public environment: it absolutely should be. lar group based on superficial differences, ably neglected the education of a substantial LGBT adolescents who are not properly However, this forms the basis of another we perpetuate the machines of oppression demographic of our society: the lesbian, gay, informed or made to feel accepted are at common argument against the inclusion of which have for too long held too many in bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community. particular risk of becoming depressed, with- these topics; that they are the sorts of things chains. Current sex education curricula present drawn, confused and sadly, even suicidal. that should be taught at home by parents. By instituting oppression within the minds information about sexuality, protection and But the inclusion ofLGBT topics in sexual The plain truth is that a significant propor- ofour young, we place it somewhere that our physical and emotional health issues from an education would produce benefits far be- tion of parents already fails to provide their laws and court rulings can never fully reach. exclusively heterosexual perspective. yond the direct assistance it would provide to children basic heterosexual information. To realize true liberation for all people, we It must be realized that these practices LGBT adolescents. It should be easily predicted that the infor- must first reconstruct an education system overlook the educational requirements of a People are always more likely to feel irked mation provided on LGBT issues by hetero- that fraudulently forges a distinctionbetween substantial proportion of society. or threatened by that which they don't prop- sexual parents will be inadequate, especially "the normal" and"the other." Most estimates nowadays indicate that erly understand. In this respect, the provision given how uneducated and reluctant to dis- LGBT people represent ten percent of North of information of this sort to heterosexual cuss these topics parents are themselves. [email protected] 24 ■ Opinion WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25,2009 > THE CORD WEEKLY

Downturn should be viewed globally now, this suddenly becomes a huge things I could say about how we've problem. organized global capitalism, the re-

- FROM JOBS, COVER gre EI benefits or a nasty temp job. of the rest of the world has to cope Billions of people around the ality is that economiclinks between But when an Indonesian fac- their whole lives. world still depend on the rich coun- the rich and poor worlds have been That argument is crap, from top tory worker loses the same job, it When times are good, there's a tries as economic engines. Hun- responsible for a bigger increase to bottom. Not only is it bad eco- might mean returning home to sense that the rising tide is lifting dreds of millions have achieved in human welfare than simple aid nomics, it's also bad ethics. If we break her back in the fields, with no all boats, and we can afford not to something like middle-class status, could ever have sustained. think about the crisis from a global more chance of sending the kids to discuss this all too loudly. with huge positive consequences So what am I asking? For Cana- perspective, the best thing we can school. There's just no comparison. When we do, though, the thread for their local politics. dians to put our money where our hope for is that every single auto- Maybe it's just me, but I fail to see is the same; perhaps we worry At the beginning of the crisis, mouths are. industry job in Ontario (for exam- how any policy that protects a sin- about our high-tech jobs being out- some optimists thought that do- Ifwe believe, as most ofus would ple) jumps overseas faster than you gle well-paid Canadian job at the sourced to India. mestic demand in emerging mar- insist, that people are equally hu- can say "off-shoring." expense of several jobs elsewhere Again, quite frankly, if buddy in kets might pick up the burden; no man all around the world, then we Why? Simply put, workers over- is at all morally defensible. Bangalore can do the same job as such luck. It's still on us. should act like it. seas need the jobs more. When a Even the worst-off Canadians me for less money and provide a We shouldn't romanticize here. This doesn't mean mailing factory worker in Canada loses his (except for our Aboriginal peoples) new life for his family with it, he can The jobs we create overseas are our hard-earned tax dollars to job, it's certainly nothing pleasant. will never face the kinds of material have it. quite often awful work, in awful Bangladesh. The choice is often between mea-. circumstances with which much When times are bad, like they are conditions, for awful pay, with a It means not using the financial commensurately terrible environ- crisis as an excuse to waste time mental footprint. and money defending jobs that Letters to the Editor The unfortunate truth, though, is shouldn't be here in the first place. that the alternatives for many peo- ple overseas are even worse. LSPIRG provides opportunities Campus Conservatives, you would students to tie academic work to Regardless of all the many angry letters@cordweekly. com use the opportunity to utilize the promote social change were rare. for all political system to make change Today LSPIRG offers students the when appropriate and be a leader chance to use their research and I am writing in response to Eric on campus. I would say that you apply it to a broader community. Merkley's letter to the Cord in are using our campus to push your Students can create something which he refers to the Laurier Stu- ideologically extreme, right-wing called a "working group" through dents' Public Interest Research agenda, but you aren't because all LSPIRG by filling out a one- page Group as promoting an "ideologi- you seem to do is bring in speakers application. As long as it is consis-

• cally extreme, left-wing agenda that promote privatization. If you tent with LSPIRG's values - educa- on campus" I feel that this state- were really a political club, you tion, empowerment, innovation, ment grossly misrepresents what would have had your members in- social justice, environmentalism, LSPIRG and its staff, its working volved in the democratic process. accountability, community, volun-

groups and its dedicated volun- I had the opportunity to work on teerism and fun - the application teers are actually about. LSPIRG the sustainability office campaign will receive some support. This ap- provides opportunities for its and be an observer in the planning proach is meant to encourage the members to be agents of change. process, which has been inclusive development of a wide variety of This sort of change can fall on the and transparent for everyone from ideas. left or the right wing of the spec- day one. I am very happy that we For example, a Development trum. We merely want students to finally have the tools at our dispos- Through Free Trade Working become actively involved and en- al to make Laurier sustainable. Group and an Anti -Globalization gaged in their communities. I in- A quick Facebook search inyour Working Group would both be vite Mr. Merkley to form a working group would also show that one of welcome in LSPIRG. LSPIRG isnon group researching and advocating your prominent Campus Conser- -partisan, and support is open to for the use of school vouchers in vative members ran for WLUSU working groups from anywhere on Canada, or the benefits of Nucle- president and sought to bring a the political spectrum. Since there ar Energy. So long as a potential sustainability office on campus. are other PIRGs who do work from working group's objectives and He supported our efforts through- an ideological perspective some values fall within the broad man- out the campaign just as our group students have not been aware of CONTRIBUTED RHOTO date of LSPIRG, they are welcome supported him at the voting booth. this opportunity and it seems Er- JOBS AT RISK - Auto-industry jobs are being cut all over the world. to form a working group that has We also had the support of mem- ic's case fits this description. access to LSPIRG's funding and re- bers ofLSPIRG. The need for a sus- Last year, as an employee of sources. We accept working groups tainability office has united stu- LSPIRG, I met with Eric when I that are pro-life as well as those dents from across the left-to-right learned that the campus Conser- that are pro-choice. We welcome spectrum, even if it seems loosely vatives had some concerns about groups that are pro-Israel as well planned. the organization and was excited as those that are pro-Palestine. I Really, whythe bellyaching now? to learn of Eric's interest in a cam- think ifMr. Merkley were to actual- For the next election I suggest you paign to promote school vouchers. ly take the time and find out what get up and do something about I strongly encouraged him to start LSPIRG actually was, he wouldn't it if you don't like fees, otherwise a working group around this issue, be so quick to criticize it in such a keep the hot air inside your head. and also suggested that he could way, and perhaps might even find The students certainly feel that our provide a valuable perspective a place for his views within the fees are put to good use, even ifwe if he ran for the LSPIRG Board of

organization. have to fund the laughably unin- Directors. . volved Campus Conservatives. While Eric did not run for the -John Clements board, there is still time to create LSPIRG Director '-Reyn O'Born a school voucher working group. I hope he sees that this opportunity Don't debate fees now LSPIRG is not partisan is still present and takes full ad- Business Administration vantage of it this year. Master of In response to Eric Merkley's let- Eric Merkley's letter to the edi-

" ter on the new student fees: Mr. tor in last week's Cord may have -Anthony Piscitelli Put your career on the fast track!" Check out Merkley, I appreciate your interest mistakenly left some readers with Niagara University's AACSB accredited MBA program at in the referendum campaigns on the impression that the Laurier Letters Policy: niagara.edu/mba campus. I understand that you ve- Students' Public Interest Research Experience the quality.of a full time MBA with flexibility and All letters to the editor must be signed and hemendy oppose new fees, which Group (LSPIRG) has an ideologi- submitted with the author's name, student convenience of Saturday and evening classes. identification number, and telephone number. is well and good as you are entided cal agenda. I fear this discourages It's unbeatable - you as little as Letters must be received by 12:00 pm (noon) and can finish your degree in to have that opinion. some readers from taking advan- Monday via email [email protected] 16 months. So don't- put your career on hold, apply now! or through our website at www.cordweekly. I feel it is tage ofLSPIRG's services - services However, that impor- com. Letters must not exceed 350 words. Check out our new Health Care Administration classes tant that you properly time your ti- open to all students, including Eric The Cord reserves the right to edit any letter for Call 1.800.462.1111 or apply today at niagara.edu/mba. rades. The election was before you - and I would like to clarify what brevity and clarity. The Cord reserves the right Email: [email protected] wrote your letter! If you felt that these services include. to reject any letter, in whole or in part. The Cord reserves the right to not publish material that strongly in opposition, why didn't In the past, many undergraduate is deemed to be libelous or in contravention you do anything about it dur- students tried to complete projects with the Cord's -Code of Ethics or journalistic standards. University ing the campaign? I feel as being outside of the classroom but were Niagara!!! lack president of a politically affiliated frustrated by a of support Education That Makes a Difference campus club such as the Laurier and training. Opportunities for letters@cordweekly. com Niagara University, NY 14109-2011 " The Cord Weekly ■ Wednesday, February 25,2009 Opinion 25 Gold diggers need comeback Forget marriage based on "love;" start picking your partners for their money to letting oneself go. This in turn society. leads to staying with your "loved Children have been brought up one" just because there is simply in divorced homes, the economy KIMBERLY no way anyone else would find you is in pieces; modernity offers little ELWORTHY remotely attractive at that point. stability or reassurance for the UNDER THE RADAR Not to mention the added stress romantic. of having to deal with petty issues The fact of the matter is that both It was Kanye West, a mere four years like juggling a family withyour full- partners in a marriage, if not emo- ago, who lamented, "Now I ain't time career in order to keep up to tionally satisfied, can at least appear sayin' she a gold digga, but she ain't par. to have the things in life that truly messin' with no broke [explitive]." Years from now, when we in- make them happy, like designer The gold digger, as defined by the evitably find ourselves burdened clothes, flashy cars, multiple hous- Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a with the menial tasks of everyday es (to escape that pesky spouse), person who uses charm to extract life and then fall asleep next to the frequent vacations and invitations money or gifts from others. His- chubby, droopy version of the lover to illustrious social events. torically, this has been the general we once knew, it will be time to ask There is a huge demographic of strategy used by young women, that hard question. What's so bad wealthy, older men and women whilst husband-hunting, who are about being a gold digger? looking to replace that worn-in cutting through all that "love" crock Our ancestors got it right the spouse for something newer, faster and making rational, objective first time around. Marriage, for all and better. decisions. intents and purposes, is a business You may sacrifice the thrills of More current trends have contract. An agreement between lust, but there is always that love directed folks into finding their two people who can each provide that grows over time from respect true love, their one-and-only, often something sought after by the and, of course, a countless number called the "soul mate." Romantics other. of affairs. flock to the cinemas or sift through These, things tend to include Gold digging is a life choice that endless magazines, imagining their money, elite status, intelligence, is long overdue for a comeback. It own soul mate experience. beauty, property and important so- can offer a promising future with The perfect first date, the perfect cial connections. little effort. sex, the perfect wedding, with the Gold digging doesn't have to be So next time you're contemplat- perfect children, the perfect retire- limited to a woman's realm as it ing law school or a sought-after ment, etc. has been before; men are quickly internship, just remember: you can We all expect that Hollywood jumping on the gold-digging train get to the same end with far less ending and eternal happiness, yet with little, if any, shame. effort as long as you're willing to we all know this is the exception Pop culture icons such as K-Fed, make one little compromise. and not the norm. Guy Richie, Anna Nicole Smith and The short-lived passion of mar- Heather Mills are ideal models for riages based on "love" only leads the lost youth of contemporary [email protected] GRAPHIC BY TRISH STOTT

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The Cord talks to director Graham Cozzubbo of the Dialogues of the Carmelites opera, which is showing in the TA Friday, Saturday and Sunday

DANIEL JOSEPH cal beliefs. So it's kind of a serious Aird building, with the entire set, A&E EDITOR play. orchestra, cast and technical crew Faculty of Music voice professor being put together by and made up As far as proverbs go, '"Till the fat Kimberly Barber, who has been af- of students. Cozzubbo praises this lady sings" is one of those timeless fectionately named "Opera Mom," dedication to their art, saying that, ones - or at least it feels that way. says that the story of Dialogues is "The student's here have a great cu- We might even be led to believe "about freedom of speech, freedom riosity and drive that I don't see in that all operas consist of a woman of religion, about being able to ex- a lot of post-secondary institutions. wearing a Viking helmet on a hill, press who you are. Those are ideas Here there's a real appetite, a real singing - Why? I'm not sure. Maybe that resonate with us today. All of creative and intellectual curios- Bugs Bunny that did this to us. them performed within an envi- ity that's really a pleasure to work Is this all there is to opera, ronment that is extremely simple with." though? and straightforward." Laurier's ambition really shines Well, one opera at least, because Directing Dialogues is the nation- in the eyes of Barber, too. It's not the phrase is based on the opera ally recognized Graham Cozzubbo, often that undergraduate programs Der Ring des Nibelungen, by the fa- who describes Dialogues as some- offer their students the chance to mous (or infamous) composer Wil- thing that is accessible for people perform in opera. "It's a pretty ex- helm Wagner. At the end there is a less experienced with opera. traordinary thing that we do at Lau- fat lady singing. She most likely has "What's most interesting about rier, because Opera is an extraordi- YUSUF KIDWAI a spear. [Dialogues] is that its musical lan- narily expensive art form and we do NUNNERY - Opera singers rehearsed at a performance on Monday. But all opera isn't necessarily guage is pretty conservative, pretty it on areally shoestring budget." some obtuse collection of Nordic accessible. If people like their 19th That melds into Laurier's next mythology; it's an ongoing conver- century opera - well this isn't it. Its step for opera beyond Dialogues: tant brand for Laurier to develop. it's Slovakia it's in Slovak. If it's an sation of music, theatre and cre- musical language echoes that but branding. Both Barber and Coz- That it should "think about being at English-speaking country, put it in . ativity that continues to live and it's an unusual opera because all zubbo stressed Laurier's chance the forefront of a new movement of English.' I think that immediacy of breathe to this day. they do is talk. It's a story of very to do something special with their making the artsrelevant in this eco- experiencing that sung language Laurier's Faculty of Music con- specific and subtle human relation- productions. Cozzubbo described nomic climate.... Instead of apolo- in your own language is always tinues to contribute to this tradi- ships moving through time under a it as "Southern Ontario's best-kept gizing for our lack of resources, we fantastic." tion by bringing Poulenc's opera period of duress," said Cozzubbo. secret." are saying 'we don't need all that So once again, there are no Vi-

Dialogues of the Carmelites to the While starting slow to introduce Dialogues features a sparse hullabaloo.'" king hats, and no spears - just Theatre Auditorium this Friday, the variety of characters and re- set (a few chairs, a table or two) And if nothing else should catch the French Revolution and nuns. Saturday and Sunday. lationships in the first act, it soon and focuses more on the lighting your ear, it's that Dialogues is in Sounds like a party. Dialogues follows the story of the picks up action with the French (planned by world-famous light English. Cozzubbo said that, "nine Dialogues of the Carmelites will Carmalite order of nuns in France Revolution and the customary em- designer Robert Thompson) and out of ten times composers insist be playing Friday and Saturday at

during the French Revolution - ployment of France's most endur- performance. The set is intimate, that 'audiences receive what I've 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tick- all of whom were executed at the ing piece of cutlery: the guillotine. with the audience sitting right up to created in a language they under- ets are $10 for adults and $5 for hands of the revolutionary govern- Dialogues also shows offLaurier's the front of the stage. stand directly.' As Poulenc himself students. ment for their religious and politi- creative talents that lurk in the John Barber says this style is an impor- wrote, 'when you do this opera, if Fighting for your money Street Fighter IV proves to be more of the same for the age-old series

MORGAN ALAN franchise for over a decade, until pointless. Matches are now won STAFF WRITER last week's release of Street Fighter not on the basis of skill, but on who IV. can charge their Ultra Combo the When I was four years old, my I disliked SF 111 because, at the fastest. parents relented to my tantrums end ofthe day, it was SFII with shin- My criticism of Ultra Combos and allowed me to use my sister's ier graphics and a few new charac- brings up another point of con- Super Nintendo. This privilege ters. In SF IV, Capcom proves that tention - the difficulty of SF IV is came with the right to play one of (gaming) history is forever doomed very unforgiving, especially for nice to see the Street Fighter team the greatest games on that console to repeat itself - though I may love new players. Unless you're a pro, of characters back in action. Be-

- Street Fighter 11. When I booted up the Street Fighter franchise, SF IV you're going to be playing on "easi- fore my first match playing as my SFII for the first time, I never could is the same damn game I've been est" mode for some time to come. favourite Chun-Li, the high-kicking have known thatI'd still be an active playing for the past two decades. The difficulty is aggravated by the Interpol agent, I rather enjoyed player of the game nearly fifteen The plot, unchanged from pre- fact that the console version of SF hearing a re-mastered edition of years later. SF II is a true gaming vious iterations, is typical of a late IV is a port of the arcade version. her classic theme song. classic, remaining unsurpassed by '80s/early '90s bad action movie. You're playing with an imprecise I also appreciated the addition of its sequels, remakes and arguably The best fighters of various geo- and clunky controller, not an ar- anime cut-scenes explaining indi- other fighting series. graphic regions face off to claim the cade deck designed specifically for vidual character histories - though The timelessness of SF II begs a title ofstrongest in the world, all the the game (unless you've bought a the production values of these question - why is Capcom even at- while working to bring down the custom pad). scenes were a tad cheap, they were tempting to improve on perfection evil Shadaloo crime syndicate. The game's online mode, though a pleasant addition to a game that in its sequel, Street Fighter IV? The plot really isn't a point of thankfully bug-free, is a lost cause was previously essentially plotless.. Let me give you a quick history criticism - I've always been en- for most. You're either going to This brings me back to my origi- lesson. Though the original Street deared to Street Fighter's over-the- face new players who you'll use as nal question - why does this game Fighter went largely unnoticed top campiness. punching bags, or seasoned vet- even exist in the first place? New when it was released in 1987, it In terms of game mechanics, erans who will take you down be- players will be turned off by the was Street Fighter II in 1991 that SF IV is nearly identical to its pre- fore you even get a punch in. And steep difficulty curve and the com- spawned the smash hit we know decessors; the strings of intricate like most online modes for fighting plicated fighting system, while fans today. button inputs required to perform games, you're going to be facing the of the series will feel unsatisfied by Remakes and improved ports of an attack are the same as they've same two or three characters over the lack of new content. Call me the classic were made until 1997, always been. Unfortunately, the and over again. nostalgic, but I'm going to be stick- which saw the release of the me- major addition to gameplay - the Criticism aside, there were a few ing to good ol' Street Fighter II for a diocre and largely forgettable Street Ultra Combo, a super-powerful at- aspects of SF IV that did please me. long time to come.

Fighter 111. Capcom discarded the tack - is game-breaking and largely After a decade-long hiatus, it was The Cord Weekly ■ Wednesday, February 25,2009 A&E 29 Global Glaswegianrockers

Scot-rockers talk with The Cord about their recent tour and "honest" musical quality

ALEX HAYTER get drunk every day." CORD EDITOR-IN-CHEIF "What's not to enjoy?" he asked with a laugh. Selling out shows across Europe With bands like the Arctic Mon- and headlining the annual New keys, The Enemy and The Mystery Musical Express (NME) awards Jets popping out of nowhere before tour, Glasgow's Glasvegas are the you can say "Oasis," you'd be for- hottest ticket in the UK right now - given for thinking that Glasvegas and they're set to bring their brand are simply another act to grab the of moody Scot-rock to North Amer- fleeting attention of Britain's pop- ica next month. sawy masses. A quartet of brooding, black-clad But this band's fame didn't come knights of Glaswegia, Glasvegas with their hands behind their grew up on the eastern side of Scot- backs. It took over a year of touring land's largest city. Tightly tied to before they received a record deal that identity, lead guitarist Rab Al- from Columbia - and by then they lan says that success has meant that were already selling out tours. the band's world has been speedily "It wasn't an overnight thing," expanding outside of the streets of said Allan. "We sold out 200-capac-

Glasgow - appealing to folks from ity venues every night." CONTRIBUTED IMAGE "It was like a freight a all parts of the globe. train, just ALL IN BLACK - Glasvegas hail from the working class 'hoods of Glasgow, where black blends in. "I'd like to say that we're a 'peo- tank... going veryfast and knocking ple' band," said Allan with a laugh. everything over in its way." Glasgow is also home to popular Allan isn't worried that this train Despite having just these four "Because Caroline only plays two pull together their sophomore al- exports Franz Ferdinand and Belle will run out of steam. That's mostly members, Glasvegas is capable of drums, we had to fill in the gap," he bum in January 2010. If there's one

- and Sebastian - but Allan is quick thanks to his conductor brother producing that ever-popular but explained instead. themethat Glasvegas is sure to stick to point out that such acts come singer and songwriter James Allan frequently elusive "wall of sound" "We wanted the guitars to be to, it's keeping their music "honest," from the opposite side of the city. -who pens all lyrics and instrumen- that we've heard in bands like Echo like an orchestra. The whole band said Allan. The west end, a vibrantly bohemi- tal parts entirely by himself. and the Bunnymen and The Jesus should be like an orchestra." "I know when I'm busting.out an university district, offers a stark "James just started writing the and Mary Chain. But Allan is quick Glasvegas brings their orchestral some music I like it to be real, I like contrast to the working-class east second album," he said. "Of the to dismiss such distinct avenues of rock to a sold-out Mod Club in To- it to be honest. Not to be contrived, end that the members of Glasvegas songs that I've heard they're the influences. ronto on April 3. Though Allan says not to be put together in a certain call home. best ones that he's ever wrote." "I wouldn't say we meant to there was pressure to move to a big- way for a certain movie - like some

"No other band's come from Glasvegas' strengthin touring has sound like that. ... I think it's quite ger venue, the band wanted to keep pop band to sell records." there before," drawled Allan in a brought much success in the states a natural thing." their audience smaller and "more With that in mind, be sure to grab thick but eloquent Glaswegian and this will be the second time In fact, the band had never even natural." - a copy of their debut album before accent. they return to our shores: appear- listened to The Jesus and Mary After a sorely deserved hiatus you hear "Geraldine" blazing an Having finished a tour of Eng- ances on U.S. television (including Chain until Scottish music icon from touring, the band hopes to outro on Gossip Girl or The Hills. land, with sold-out shows every the Letterman show) bought them Alan McGee introduced them to produce a demo this fall and then Here's praying that never happens. night, the band is set to take on the the spotlight a new band needs - their songs, said Allan. set up in a Los Angeles studio to rest of Europe and, following that, and also an opportunity to show off

North America. Unlike most bands their unique character. * that allow smaller acts from their One television appearance in v J Laurier Students' Public Interest Research Group label to piggyback on their success, particular makes Allan chortle with m # and Career Development Centre Present... Glasvegas are distinctly nomadic in laughter. their approach to gigging. "The record company phoned up "We're quite uptight in that way; and said 'Can you ask the band to yr LAURIER we don't really do things with other be in costume?"' LSPIRG Career Development Centre bands," saidAllan. "Our tour manager was like: www.lspirg.cawww.wlu.ca/career Last week's NME tour proved 'What do you mean, in costume? to be an exception to the rule as That's what they actually wear!"' Glasvegas performed an updated The band's trademark black cover of Elvis Presley's "Suspicious jeans, t-shirts and quiffed hair isn't Minds" with fellow up-and-comers so much an effort to stand out; Florence and the Machine. rather, it's just Glasvegas showing Sold-out tours, headlining the us who theyreally are. top awards show in the country... "That's just a natural thing," said Glasvegas' popularity has indeed Allan, explaining that growing up sky-rocketed since releasing their on the east end, he and friends debut self-titled album in Septem- would wear black to avoid getting ber 2008. noticed. So much success in such a short The guitarist describes Glasgow span of time would be enough to as an exciting but divided place - make anyone dizzy - but Allan and and a home that he'll never leave. the band try to maintain a focus on "It's quite an electric city; it's doing what they do best: making quite on edge. It reminds me a lot music. of New York." In Social "We try not to think of things that One historic source of division crazy," he in the is over the country's fa- Careers much because we'd go city said. vourite pastime: soccer. While Al- & "We signed a record deal a year lan and-bassist Paul Donahue are Fair ago today. So lots has happened in Rangers fans, his brother James Change that year." and drummer Caroline McKay are & been Wine Allan has certainly enjoy- fans ofrivals Celtic Football Club. Hr March 10th Cheese ing ayear in the life of arock 'n' roll "If we don't talk about it and we G star. don't watch it together, then every- Paul Martin Centre a OK. we start speaking "To be honest, I've not had bad thing's When nn -

- 5:00 pm 7:00 pm day in months," said Allan. "We.get about it and we watch it together, 2:00 pm 5:00 pm to travel about, we go to America that's when things don't go so well," and Europe, we get paid to do it, we he laughed. 30 A&E WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2009 > THE CORD WEEKLY Morrisey still here, Years later

Smiths former frontman Morrisey makes a big comeback with his new album Years ofRefusal, which bucks the trend and proves a good listen

SARAH MURPHY to "steel and stone" for acceptance. CORD A&E This ode to rejection, however, is far from being the most melancholic He's traded in his bouquets of tune on the album. Track number gladioli for tailored suits, but Mor- four, "That's How People Grow Up" CONTRIBUTED IMAGE and claims meticulously-crafted quiff wallows in self-pity, - rissey's QUIFF'D - Morissey is still rocking his age-old quiff some things just never change. more or less remains atop his head that trying to fall in love is a waste and his trademark whiney-without- of time that leaves one coping with from the mid- sounding-too-annoying eloquence disappointment, ending up with tell by the instrumentation alone. old Finn died mere months after abysmal solo efforts completion of Years '9os. Not that Moz has always been continues with his ninth solo effort the discouraging conclusion ex- "When I Last Spoke to Carol" de- the of Refusal, it as the closing chapter in an extremely optimistic fellow, but Years ofRefusal. pressed in the title. picts a conversation in which a dy- leaving career. for the rest of us, there's still hope. Morrissey has never shied away "Sorry Doesn't Help" makes it ing woman admits to having flirted his production his loveable from his abundant criticism of blatantly obvious that Morrissey with the idea of death all through Morrissey is at most a hyperbolic activist with a the United States, complaining on isn't the most forgiving indie icon her life and having gone through being relationship towards the his 2004 track "America is Not the out there, as he spends four min- life with a fake smile, and impa- love/hate towards, World," that "The president is never utes rejecting an apology that may- tiently awaits the end. press, and his sarcasm constantly gets him in black, female or gay and until that be isn't so heartfelt. He scathingly Depressing, I know. But, the jan- journalists is - press's criticism day you've got nothing to say to belittles the apologizer "You lied gly pop guitar and experimental trouble. But the me." about the lies that you told, which horn section is rather reminiscent often warranted - Morrissey's solo are cohesive, or so So what does he have to say these is the full extent ofwhat being you is of The Smiths, as is the yelping/ efforts either not

- it's difficult days, with Obama in office, Hilary all about" and remains miserable yodelling expelling itself from Mor- extremely uniform that Clinton's democratic leadership while doing so. Perhaps the wittiest rissey's vocal chords. The subject to differentiate between songs. a campaign still fresh in the minds of track on the album, "It's Not Your matter and the sound create one of But after taking seven-year are the America and a movie like Milk(that Birthday Anymore" exploits the hu- the most interesting juxtapositions break before 2004's You seems to be highlights the career of the USA's man race's tendency to be ridicu- on Years ofRefusal. Quarry, Morrissey on first openly gay senator) winning lously insincere towards people on "Mama Lay Softly on the River- top of his game with or without the multiple Oscars? their birthdays. bed" "One Day Goodbye Will Be legacy of The Smiths. His follow-up Tor- Well, it seems that Moz has re- The more he goes on throughout Farewell" and "You Were Good in 2006 release, Ringleader of the comeback turned to his roots and filled this the song, the guiltier I feel about Your Time" are also explicitly about mentors, proved that his with Years album with songs of loneliness, un- leaving "Happy Birthday"s on the the dead and dying. This sinister fo- wasn't a fluke. And now, 50-year-old requited love and a morbid fascina- Facebook walls of people I never cus is familiar to Morrissey's work, of Refusal, a nearly his mu- tion with death. actually talk to. though the unexpected death of Morrissey is set to continue Throughout the CD's first single, The theme of the record is dif- producer Jerry Finn adds an ad- sic career knowing that if he car- there's "I'm Throwing My Arms Around ficult to pinpoint. It definitely has ditional layer of eeriness to the ries on in a similar fashion, Paris" Morrissey laments the lack of something to do with death and CD. Best known for his work with a chance critics and fans might some more reciprocated love in his life, turning dying, but you wouldn't be able to Blink 182 and Green Day, 39-year- completely forget of his

: C i Winners from each category will face off in a final battle

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formore details I R1 by recruitment committee email The Cord Weekly - Wednesday, February 25,2009 A&E 31 A child ofconflict Sudanese former child soldier, current musican and activist Emmanuel Jal visited Waterloo last Thursday with his message of hope for Africa

SHANNON BUSTA last Thursday, Jal was struggling one rapper specifically. His song A&E CORD through his 78th day living on 1/3 "50 Cent" is not by any means a the food that he normally con- hateful attack on the rapper. It is, Emmanuel Jal thinks he is about sumes. Jal started this fast of sorts however, a powerful and focused 29 years old. Born into a war-torn to raise awareness for his charity critique of the messages and life- world in Sudan, Africa, Jal is not Gua-Africa. styles that 50 glorifies. sure of his exact date of birth. While I had the pleasure of sip- Later that day, after the interview This is actually not all that un- ping on tea, Jal simply sipped on had time to settle in my mind, Jal common for those born in the warm water. "I'm feeling weak to- hosted a screening of his documen- 1980s, a time of civil war, violence day, I normally have energy, which tary at The Princess Twin, where he and chaos in southern Sudan. I save to use for important things," also signed copies of his memoir. Growing up in the centre of conflict he said, explaining that he has now Jal, clearly fatigued from his lack has left him with one hell of a story lost 13 kilograms since beginning. of nutrients, introduced the packed to tell. Currently, he is trying to raise theatre to his film very simply, This fact is unavoidable when funds to build a school in his home- suggesting everything we would CONTRIBUTED IMAGE - one realizes Jal is currently touring town in Sudan. Despite the head- need to know about it would soon HOW OLD? Emmanuel Jal doesn't even know his own age. to promote his album, book and aches and weakness, Jal insisted on be unveiled. Sniffles from people all which documentary, of share talking with me about his various choking back tears filled The Twin. dier was shared with us at the end nently for the better. "When you are the title WARchild. projects in the hopes that this arti- Jal, who returned home to his vil- of the night when he performed not educating people, there will al- Africa, music was as a cle "In used will help spread the word about lage in Sudan for the first time in the last song from his album, called ways be conflict," he told the eager way of recording history," the hip- his cause. over 15 years for the making of the "Emma" This high-energy perfor- audience who assembled to see his hop star told The Cord in a recent Jal's third album WARchild is a documentary, brings us with him mance made irrelevant the fact that docuantary. He continued, argu- interview. decisively personal artwork, with as he relives the trauma of his past, Jal hadn't eaten a solid meal in the ing, "The reason Europe is what it is Jal has carried this tradition with unmistakable political and spiritu- and confronts the injustice that still last 24 hours, demonstrating the now, is because of education." him to London, England and now al overtones. This work ofart serves weighs heavily on his mind. man's passion for music in spite of Passion and love when trans- uses his hip-hop to record his own to remind us that hip-hop is about On the topic of his book, Jal suffering. lated into education and awareness history. music, expression and art. Not sex, warned future readers of the detail Ultimately, the WARchild triplets can change the lives of many, and Stopping only for a night in Wa- "bling" and glorified violence. that went into it. He admitted to the offer us a chance to educate our- Jal hopes to be living proof of this. terloo, Jal still managed to fit in a Jal expresses frustration over the audience that the release of such selves about a part ofthe world that If you are interested in buying a screening of his documentary, a true loss of hip-hop. "It's the image painful memories actually induced is all too often ignored. Jal hopes brick for $3 to help Emmanuel Jal short musical and a that performance has been built by the system ... nosebleeds for him for a month that educating the West about those build Emma Academy in Sudan, book signing. sex and violence sells." straight. suffering in Africa will in turn bring you can visit www.Gua-Africa.org, Impressed? Now imagine do- He manages to use his art to Jal's love for the woman who education to Africans. or www.emmaacademyproject. ing all of that on one only meal a convey this message to the North rescued him from the atrocious, He feels that education can pre- com. day. to Sitting down discuss his life American rap scene, focusing on revenge-driven life of a child sol- vent war and change Africa perma-

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