volume 30, issue 7 • tuesday, september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca concordia’s independentnewspaper running outofsince1980’s since1980 Non-stop Pop • Special festival insert the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/news news 03 contents Petitions to leave CFS from sea to sea 4 news

Tortured, trapped and ignored: Student exodus threatens to break national organization Abdelrazik speaks • JUSTIN GIOVANNETTI of the defederation campaign at Carleton University, said that vol- After weeks of rumblings and unteers helping him organize a 10 features rumours, it’s official: students at petition have been harassed and 13 universities across Canada are threatened. Project Genesis reaches collecting signatures to break off “Former [Carleton University across borders from the Canadian Federation of Student Association] executives Students. have been following petitioners All told, nearly 167,000 of the around and calling them liars. national student lobby group’s They have also started their own 13 fringe arts 500,000 student members are at counter-petition,” said Tester. risk of leaving. “They have been making all kinds When blood and gore can be A petition campaign has been of wild accusations against us and really special active at Concordia University for personal attacks have been nearly two weeks, collecting sig- thrown at me and other volun- natures from both undergraduate teers. This is unfortunate and 14 literary arts and graduate students on two sad.” separate petitions. If both are Despite the opposition, Tester Canadian science fiction: signed by 10 per cent of stu- said the petition was “on the what a CON*CEPT dents—about 3,600 signatures— cusp” with 2,200 signatures the Concordia Student Union and already collected and only 50 left the Graduate Student Association to find. The campaign only lasted A map of the schools with active petition campaigns. GRAPHIC GINGER COONS 17 sports could face referendums to leave two weeks. the CFS next semester. “We have had enough of the education act. Student governments Greg Johannson, the presi- [CFS] and how they waste stu- Although she could not facing petitions: Men’s rugby victory marred by dent of the Canadian Federation dent money,” Tester said. “Their answer The Link's questions con- Concordia Student Union, Graduate bone-crushing injury of Students’ Quebec branch, is lobbying efforts are totally unsuc- cerning specifics about the act or Student Association of Concordia, faced with the possible demise of cessful. They have been running how it would be introduced, she Post-Graduate Student Society of his organization as all four mem- Drop Fee campaigns for 28 years did provide a report released by McGill, Dawson Student Union, 21 opinions ber schools in Quebec face peti- and tuition fees have gone up in the Canadian Association of Carleton University Students’ tions. Ontario every year since then. University Teachers in 2007. Association, Central Student “Our members have the right “In provinces where there has “This is part of a general call Association at U of Guelph, Arcan and Falardeau to re-examine their membership been a tuition freeze, the quality for increased post-secondary University of Windsor Students’ remembered as Quebec icons in our organization,” said of education has gone down and funding at the federal level,” Alliance, Trent Central Student Johannson. “There has been education has become less acces- Giroux-Bougard said. Association, Kwantlen Student some dissatisfaction with the sible,” he continued. When asked if the press Association, U of Victoria’s Student CONCORDIA’S INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER CFS-Q and CFS national. I take it Katherine Giroux-Bougard, release was related to the 13 peti- Society, Graduate Students’

Volume 30, Number 7 editorial: (514) 848-2424 that is why the petitions are being the national chairperson of the tions against the CFS, Giroux- Association of the University of Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009 ext. 7405 arts: (514) 848-2424 ext. organized.” CFS, disseminated a press release Bougard answered, “I am not Calgary, University of Regina Concordia University 5813 Hall Building, Room H-649 ads: (514) 848-2424 ext. Other petition campaigns have on Sept. 23—two weeks after the knowledgeable on that issue, but Students’ Union, Society of Graduate 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W. 8682 Montreal, Quebec H3G 1M8 fax: (514) 848-4540 seen more friction with student first CFS petition stories broke— I would recommend that you Students at the University of Western business: (514) 848-7406 government. Dean Tester, leader calling for a new post-secondary check your sources on that.” Ontario

editor-in-chief student press liaison TERRINE FRIDAY OPEN news editor photo editor JUSTIN GIOVANNETTI ELSA JABRE features editor graphics editor Tree lady talks LAURA BEESTON VIVIEN LEUNG ‘It was honourable to resist’ fringe arts editor managing editor MADELINE COLEMAN CLARE RASPOPOW literary arts editor layout manager Sovereigntist talks collaboration, remembers Falardeau CHRISTOPHER OLSON MATHIEU BIARD sports editor webmaster • TERRINE FRIDAY of UdeM’s sovereigntist student group (MÉSUM). OPEN OPEN opinions editor business manager For UdeM’s sovereignty “mega-week,” Laporte DIEGO PELAEZ-GAETZ RACHEL BOUCHER Students at the Université de Montréal gathered and his colleagues drew such names as Québec copy editor distribution OPEN ROBERT DESMARAIS on Sept. 28 to hear the words of journalist and Solidaire spokesperson Amir Khadir and former DAVID KAUFMANN Quebec nationalist Patrick Bourgeois as part of the Quebec premier Bernard Landry. Pauline Marois is

The Link is published every Tuesday during the university’s two-week Quebec sovereignty celebra- expected to wrap up the festivities with an Oct. 1 talk academic year by the Link Publication Society tion. entitled “Sovereign Governance and Energetic Inc. Content is independent of the University and student associations (ECA, CASA, ASFA, FASA, Bourgeois, editor-in-chief of the nationalist news- Independence.” CSU). Editorial policy is set by an elected board as provided for in The Link’s constitution. Any paper Le Québécois and president of the Réseau de Although Bourgeois touched on Falardeau’s con- student is welcome to work on The Link and résistance du Québécois—a fringe activist group for tributions to the sovereignty movement, his talk become a voting staff member. The Link is a member of Canadian University Press and Presse Quebec independence—took a moment before his focused around its title, “A Short History of Universitaire Indépendante du Québec. Material appearing in The Link may not be reproduced talk to praise the works of the late Pierre Falardeau. Collaborationism in Quebec.” Wangari Maathai. PHOTO ELSA JABRE without prior written permission from The Link. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters Known for his outspoken views on Quebec iden- “The first time [we] used the word ‘collaboration’ 400 words or less will be printed, space permit- tity and federal politics, Falardeau, 62, passed away was during the Second World War” to describe the • CHRISTOPHER OLSON ting. Letters deadline is Friday at 4 p.m. The Link reserves the right to edit letters for clarity on Sept. 25 from cancer. Having produced several collaborative efforts between the Allies at Vichy, and length and refuse those deemed racist, sex- ist, homophobic, xenophobic, libellous, or other- independent films—such as 15 février 1839 and the Bourgeois said. On Sept. 28, Wangari Maathai wise contrary to The Link’s statement of princi- award-winning Elvis Gratton trilogy—his strengths Although, he continued, collaboration hasn’t told Concordia’s H-110 auditorium ples. Board of Directors 2009-2010: Matthew Gore, as a filmmaker surpassed accusations of racism, always been the best alternative in the province’s his- that “trees are more valuable stand- Giuseppe Valiante, Ellis Steinberg, Shawna Satz, Jonathan Metcalfe, Matthew Brett; non- exclusion and ignorance. tory. ing than cut.” voting members: Rachel Boucher, Terrine Friday. Typesetting by The Link. Printing by “Thank you, Pierre, for all you’ve done,” “It was more honourable to resist,” Bourgeois The Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Transcontinental. Bourgeois said of the regular contributor to Le said of Quebec’s response to the British in the mid- winner was the first entry in this THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS Ali Ahmed, Joel Balsam, Esther Bernard, Marie-Ève Bourque, Frederic Québécois. “He never missed an edition, except for 18th century before its fall. year’s CSU speaker series. Bouin, Salim Bou Ziab, Matthew Brett, Sebastien Cadieux, Vihn Cao, Laura Cohen, ginger coons, Charlotte Cornfield, Travis Dandro, Alexander Davis, the one where he started getting sick.[…] Pierre gave According to Bourgeois, collaborative efforts to “Maathai is the first African to Jaime Eisen, Emilio Esteban, Ion Etxebarria, Nicolas Fafard, Elisabeth Faure, Natalie Gitt, Peter Haegheart, Aliseh Hoque, R. Brian Hastie, Les Honywill, Arshad Khan, Tristan LaPointe, Evan LePage, Tom Llewellin, a lot for his cause.” resist are today taking on new forms. speak at Concordia and as an Sophia Loffreda, James Lynch, Alex Manley, Steven Myers, Ashley Opheim, Jonas Pietsch, Mae Price, Lorne Roberts, Amanda Shure, Jesara Sinclair, “Falardeau was one of our spiritual fathers,” “Today, the real force of collaborationism is in the African I am proud,” said CSU Mireille Tarcha, Natasha Young, Jessica Vriend, Hiba Zayadeen, cover by Alexander Davis echoed Maxime Laporte, a law student and president media,” he said. President Amine Dabchy. 04 news the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/news

Abousfian Abdelrazik (left) sits in the crowd as his lawyer reads out of a 30-page document detailing his client’s treatment under the UN no-fly list. PHOTO ELSA JABRE Tortured in Africa Trapped by the United Nations Ignored by the Canadian government Abousfian Abdelrazik tells his story

• ARSHAD KHAN In 2003, Abdelrazik’s wife was diag- then I say give me a fair trial, even if in letter from his lawyer. The consul shouted nosed with terminal cancer. CSIS contin- Guantanamo Bay.” To this, one of them at Abdelrazik but, after calling Canada, The words “war on terror” have taken ued to torment her family and went to her replied, “Sudan is gonna be your was forced to give him refuge in the on a new meaning for Montrealer as she lay dying in her hospital bed. Guantanamo; you are not Canadian, you Embassy. Abousfian Abdelrazik. Abdelrazik said that they did not leave are Sudanese.” He assigned Abdelrazik the men’s toilet After a seven-year nightmare spent in until she threatened to call for help. She After his release, Abdelrazik as his room. the torture rooms of Sudan and the hall- passed away soon after. approached the Canadian embassy for “In the embassy, the consul put a lot of ways of the Canadian Embassy in That same year his mother in Sudan help. The staff gave him the run-around. pressure on me to leave. I became very, Khartoum, Sudan, Abdelrazik finally became gravely ill and he decided to go to In 2005, Abdelrazik was imprisoned for very sick,” Abdelrazik said. “Sometimes spoke to Montrealers on Sept. 24. Sudan to see her. CSIS again approached a second time in Sudan because the when I received a call from Mary Foster Speaking to the small crowd, him to inquire why he was headed to American Central Intelligence Agency [from the People’s Commission] and she Abdelrazik was a pleasant and mild-man- Sudan. Abdelrazik was surprised to see wanted to interrogate him. He told the told me about the support from people in nered man. With a great deal of dignity that CSIS knew his plans despite the fact audience about how he had been beaten, Canada, it gave me hope.” and calm, he recalled the torment he suf- that he had not told anyone about his trip. spat on, abused and his hands had been Abdelrazik spent 14 months at the fered during his forced exile from Canada. He called the police who then asked the tied up. Canadian Embassy in Khartoum. Even The following is a recount of Abousfian CSIS agents to leave. Before leaving, the though he has now returned to Canada, his Abdelrazik’s story, as told by him to his agents warned Abdelrazik, “we’re going to “Sudan is gonna be your name remains on the UN’s no-fly list. No audience in Montreal. see you.” Guantanamo; you are not one at CSIS or the federal government has After spending six months in Sudan Canadian, you are Sudanese.” so far been held responsible for the torture. Abousfian Abdelrazik’s story began in helping his mother through her recovery, Yavar Hameed, a member of the legal 1997 when he was first approached by the Abdelrazik booked a return flight to —CSIS agent interrogating Abdelrazik team representing Abdelrazik, spoke about Canadian Security and Intelligence Montreal. A day before his departure, the the UN’s no-fly list as well as the $27 mil- Service. Soon his friends told him that they Canadian embassy told him that he would “This is not forgettable. It is very scary. lion lawsuit pending against the Canadian had also been questioned by CSIS. This not be able to leave. His name had been I saw some people who lost their lives in government and Foreign Minister scared him immensely. Following that, placed on a United Nations no-fly list. that prison,” Abdelrazik recalled. “The Lawrence Cannon. CSIS came into his home through the back- In July 2004, Abdelrazik was arrested road was blocked for me to come back to “The whole [no-fly] process is secret door and demanded that he speak with by Sudanese intelligence. He described Canada. I was released under condition to and reminiscent of security certificates in them. He refused. being imprisoned for seven months, where go and sign at the security office every two Canada,” said Hameed. “Once a person is CSIS began questioning his wife’s fami- he was hung from a door frame, kicked, days. I was not allowed to go to missions, listed under [the no-fly list] they still retain ly. They started stalking him in the streets. abused and beaten. The nightmare was far hotels, the United Nations or embassies.” the right to return to their country of Abdelrazik said he could feel their pres- from over. During his stay in prison, Abdelrazik nationality. That is an option that the ence everywhere he went. CSIS came to interrogate him towards suffered from malaria, typhoid and severe Canadian government was never willing to After the attacks on Sept. 11, CSIS came the end of his imprisonment. The man who depression. Upon his release in July 2006, explore.” to his house and questioned him again, this had threatened him in Canada was one of Abdelrazik went straight to the Canadian Hosted by the People’s Commission— time about his links to the hijackers and the interrogators. They asked the same embassy and sought refuge. whose Project Fly Home initiative was the terrorist attacks. He told them he had questions he had answered many times. The Canadian consul general was out- instrumental in helping with Abdelrazik’s nothing to do with either. Despite a com- On the last day he told them, “Look I’m right hostile to Abdelrazik, telling him return—the talk was Abdelrazik’s official plete lack of evidence of any wrongdoing, Canadian and I need you to help me to get that the Embassy was “not a hotel.” At welcome home and inaugurated his 18- CSIS would not leave him alone. to Canada. If I have done something wrong that point, he presented the consul with a city speaking tour. the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/news news 05 Alternative Orientation Activism for Students 101 ‘Balance your schedule. Activism can dominate your life’

• ALI AHMED against oppression. “We should stop and reflect Activism for Students 101 might more critically on the so-called be the closest thing activists have to colonial heroes that are reflected in boot camp. the street names and monuments In the space of an hour, that surround us in Montreal,” said Concordia University’s branch of Singh. “They reflect a history that is the Quebec Public Interest racist and oppressive to indigenous Research Group spelled out the communities.” fight against tuition increases, water bottles and corporate food on “We should stop and campus as part of their first reflect [...] on the Alternative Orientation workshop. “This workshop is a gateway to colonial heroes that link your campus to your communi- are reflected in the ty,” said Jaggi Singh, QPIRG- street names [...].” Concordia’s working groups and —Jaggi Singh, programming coordinator. QPIRG-Concordia The dozen students in atten- dance came from across Canada, The workshop also introduced Tour members sit in the Hall building lobby, before security shooed them away. PHOTO MAE PRICE the United States, Europe and the those in attendance to concepts Middle East. None were from such as charity versus solidarity Montreal. and development versus self-deter- A walk on Concordia’s wild side The diverse crowd ranged from mination. those who had little experience in “Balance your schedule,” activism to one workshop attendant warned Singh. “Activism can domi- A tour of the university’s protest past and new culture of surveillance who spoke of armed clashes with nate your life.” the police. The workshop touched on • MAE PRICE “You know you aren’t supposed to be sitting there,” Singh turned to everyday issues of wider concern, including they said. symbols to remind his Quebec’s francophone workforce Did you know that the building that now houses the Since the controversial Netanyahu riots at audience of ongoing resistance and globalization. Simone de Beauvoir Institute—Concordia’s Women’s Concordia University in 2002, any public protest— Studies program—was a brothel and lesbian bar before even as simple as sitting on the ground—is forbidden the university bought it? in the Hall building lobby and second-floor mezzanine. That was one of the many interesting facts that However, Concordia’s Security Policy and Code of REVOLUCION!? made up the Alternative Orientation’s radical walking Rights and Responsibilities do not have clearly defined tour of the Sir George Williams campus. terms. A disappointing portrayal of Chavez’s Venezuela “Concordia has a strong history of progressive poli- According to Singh, the riot and clash with police tics and [the Quebec Public Interest Research Group] against a planned visit by then-Israeli Prime Minister • ARSHAD KHAN and impoverished. serves as a place where people can get involved with Benjamin Netanyahu was a “key moment in Concordia Meanwhile, the only real case the that,” said Jaggi Singh, QPIRG-Concordia’s working security history, a part of our history that the Alternative Orientation opened film seemed to be making was that groups and programming coordinator. Concordia administration doesn’t want to discuss.” on Sept. 21 with Cinema Politica’s Chavez might stay in power too long. The struggle for public space at Concordia was a A tour of Concordia’s Archives, located on the 10th first documentary, ¿¡Revolución!?, There was no mention of the fact prominent theme of the tour. floor of the Hall building, gave the tour a glimpse at by Montreal filmmaker Charles that the population can vote him out To illustrate the lack of public space, the dozen par- some of the major incidents in the university’s history, Gervais. because Venezuela is a democracy. ticipants of the walking tour were asked to sit in the including the 1969 Computer Riots against racism, The documentary was not as A real analysis and strong cri- Hall building’s lobby. during which 98 students were arrested. “balanced” as it purported to be. tique of Chavez and his regime never The layout of the main floor “is meant to funnel you Singh also presented Concordia’s past as a working Despite the fact that the came. The one opposition figure that into class or Tim Hortons,” explained Lex Gill, über- class university, designed to give people an education writer/director, cinematographer was followed throughout the film culture Concordia’s programming coordinator. “If you in the evening while still working full-time during the and editor were present to take turned out to be one of Chavez’s jilt- do anything other than that, you are probably in trou- day. questions after the screening, many ed ex-lovers: a fact that was never ble.” The tour included a look at Concordia’s founding people walked out of the theatre mentioned in the film but came up Within 60 seconds of the tour group’s sitting, as if location at the Montreal YMCA. Sir George Williams, after the screening. Perhaps they when the director was questioned on command, three Concordia security guards for whom Concordia’s downtown campus is named, were not expecting the film to be so about her. approached and told the group to stand up. was the founder of the YMCA. cutting in its criticism of Hugo Why this fact was not disclosed in Chavez and his leftist regime. the documentary is anybody’s guess. The film was well shot and edited During the discussion that fol- No battlefield, no enemies, just war and suited the director’s aim, which lowed, a young Venezuelan woman seems to have been to show Chavez complained how the film was not • MIREILLE TARCHA and activists as the front line lowed by a question about why as a fascist in the making. Low cam- anti-Chavez enough and that things moved through Mexico, South the war in Iraq was started. era angles made Chavez look com- are much worse now than they were The screening of The Fourth Africa, Argentina, Quebec City “To restore public confidence manding and dictatorial. The selec- in the past. She claimed that crime World War on Sept. 23 depicts and Genoa. in the airline industry,” tion of images from his weekly tele- had increased in Venezuela and that the popular resistance to glob- There was a moment of col- explained the narrator. vision address made him look like a no one can last a day without getting alization that has emerged in lective surprise in H-110—the “I had no idea all this monopolistic media mogul. robbed or killed. the years following the Cold room where the screening was was going on in the world, I Even the drab colour palette The film left the crowd with a War. held—as a slideshow of devas- especially did not suspect any seemed intended to show Chavez very negative impression of the The documentary follows the tating pictures of war and strug- problems in Mexico,” said a in a bleak light, with cold colours Bolivarian Revolution of Chavez conflict between governments gle flashed on the screen, fol- shocked spectator. that made Venezuela look bleak and its supporters. the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/news news 07 Briefs Alternative Orientation Liberals vote for CEGEP tuition Language is a virus Quebec Liberal Party dele- gates voted at a meeting last weekend to start charging tuition at CEGEPs, de-freeze Three authors tell Concordia Hydro rates and reintroduce tolls on eight highways— to resist through words including all those in the Montreal region. • JESARA SINCLAIR “In re-presenting play [to An increase to the excise tax adults], the world does not seem on alcohol was approved, as Oxford describes writing as “a so rigid,” said Kellough. “Social were new taxes on energy sequence of letters or symbols conventions do not seem so finite. drinks, chips, soft drinks and forming coherent words.” The rules that we have to abide by candy. New royalties on water On Sept. 22, three Montreal- on a daily basis do not seem so consumption were also pushed based writers argued that words imprisoning.” through. can be a powerful tool of resist- Coco drew upon the idea of ance. play, using it to segue into the idea Concordia racks up “Writing is one of the of always asking questions, but easiest ways of creating,” said Riot not necessarily looking for another prize Coco. “You just need a pen and answers. Concordia University man- you just need paper. Or you just “Questioning,” Coco said, “is aged to take home the Prix need to be on the beach and the also a kind of playing.” Québécois de l’entreprise sand.” Salah then read a short text she citoyenne last week. The prize Coco joined fellow writers Kaie had prepared about words and is awarded annually by Kellough and Trish Salah as part of how they are cemented into exis- Korn/Ferry International and the Writing and Resisting Panel, tence. L’Actualité magazine for inno- part of the Quebec Public Interest “Writing is creativity,” Salah vators in the field of sustainable Research Group’s Alternative said, “but writing moves towards business practices and ethics. Orientation at Concordia. thinking, writing can move This is the first time the univer- To set the tone for the evening, towards critique. I think writing sity has won this award. each of the writers read aloud a can move in the direction of sample of their work. reworking the obvious and the Another bullet train Kellough started the discus- taken for granted.” sion by saying that creating The question and answer proposal flies by comes from play. “Play can be period opened as Salah said, Federal Liberal leader very dangerous and very subver- “Sometimes, the word I want is Michael Ignatieff is calling for a sive,” he said, as adults are not fuck off. Sometimes I want the high-speed train to be built in Riot Coco, a genderqueer artist building community with art. PHOTO JESARA SINCLAIR supposed to play. whole history of fuck-offs.” the Windsor/Quebec City corri- dor, with a feasibility study to be released sometime in early 2010. Ignatieff is claiming that Switching into high gear the myriad number of job opportunities created by this would help the provinces of Montreal’s cyclists leave ‘cyclofrustrated’ past Quebec and Ontario. The proposal depends on • SALIM BOU ZIAB between $10 million and $15 mil- nearly $8 billion of American lion in cycling facilities each year.” funding allocated this year for Cyclists from across central This is a far cry from the high-speed trains. A high- Canada descended on Concordia on Montreal of 30 years ago, when the speed Amtrack link between Sept. 25 for the Vélo! Vélo! city refused to build any bike paths. Montreal and either Boston or Conference. Among them was In that vacuum, the activism of New York is also being serious- “Bicycle” Bob Silverman, a leg- “Bicycle” Silverman was born when ly considered. endary cycling advocate who found- he engaged in guerrilla urban plan- ed the modern cycling movement in ning and painted a white line down A month to go and Montreal. Henri-Bourassa Boulevard West. “When we started as cyclists, our “Encouraged by my Danish wife, the election is open grand fight was to change the bicy- I had rediscovered the bicycle while According to an Angus- cle into a real mean of transporta- studying in France in 1969,” recalled Reid/La Presse poll conducted tion,” said Société de transport de Silverman, talking to the assembled on Sept. 23 and 24, 35 per cent Montréal President Michel cyclists. “Back in Montreal, I bought of people polled think Vision Labrecque. “In the ‘70s it was a second-hand bicycle and began Montreal party leader Louise regarded as a toy for children. We enjoying cycling in the city but I Harel would be the better can- succeeded, becoming a community noticed there were no facilities for didate to win the mayor’s post. of 45,000 cyclists; by 1985, one of bikes.” Richard Bergeron of Project the biggest in the world.” Without access to any bicycle Montreal placed second with 22 Labrecque, a former president of parking, paths or bike-friendly per cent of people polled. Vélo Quebec who bikes to work, also bridges, Silverman said he became The bicycle is no longer a toy for children. GRAPHIC JONAS PIETSCH Bergeron’s party also saw its wrote Cocktail Transport, a book “cyclofrustrated.” support go up four percentage calling for an equal place for bicy- “Cyclists’ gains are inversely pro- us almost nothing.” “While the underdeveloped points from 16 per cent to 20 cles, cars and public transit. portional to cars’ needs for the same Silverman, pleased with the countries like India, China and per cent. “The city of Montreal has added facilities,” said Silverman. “That’s increasing importance given to Vietnam follow the road to ruin of Mayor Gérald Tremblay 200 kilometres of cycling paths in why we won bicycle paths along bicycles in Montreal, warned that motorcycles and cars, paradoxical- placed third, with 20 per cent of the last three years,” said river banks, canals and rail lines. the new generation of activists has ly, the overdeveloped ones advance people polled stating he is the Labrecque. “We are investing “Our car-reducing demands got work to be done. towards a bicycle culture.” ideal candidate for the job. the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/news news 09 A cathedral, a choir and a book launch? Atwood rents a pulpit to preach the end of the world

• AMANDA SHORE less flood” that will wipe out the human race. Along with the singing, three actors rep- The earnest readers sitting in the sold- resenting the main characters of the novel St. Brigid’s Cathedral in Ottawa was out pews were each given a pamphlet of read excerpts. Atwood did not reveal the filled with a different type of congregation hymns featured in the novel. On the stage, a ending but invited the audience to discover last week as hundreds paid homage to the man dressed in black gestured to the back it for themselves, provoking a chuckle from words of their literary saint, Margaret of the church. the literati. Atwood. Soft voices began filtering in and the After the performance, select audience The lofty cathedral was the backdrop to audience craned to watch the slow progres- members were given a chance to ask the Sept. 22 launch of Atwood’s latest novel, sion of a choir. Behind them, in a shrunken Atwood some questions. One audience The Year of the Flood. As part of her book posture, followed Atwood. member asked Atwood what she would put tour, Atwood will stop in seven Canadian “They all auditioned to be in the choir,” in her bomb shelter. cities. said choir conductor Mark Wilkinson. “We Atwood replied by quipping that she did Set in the not-too-distant future, had a week to prepare them.” not think there would be any survivors. the book follows a group of vegan god A new choir was recruited for each city After all, she said, there was no chance of Pope Atwood? GRAPHIC GINGER COONS worshippers as they prepare for the “water- on Atwood’s three-month tour. life surviving after “the big catastrophe.” In the presence of thine Molsons Use guerrilla diplomacy, not air strikes Concordia cuts the ribbon for its newest building ‘Keep talking until they send the executioner home’

• ALIZEH HAQUE murderer by telling a story. • JUSTIN GIOVANNETTI “What’s the moral of the story?” he With the Canadian government asked. “Keep talking and keep talking Twelve members of the Molson family spending $1 billion per year on the war in until they send the executioner home.” were on hand as Concordia University’s Afghanistan, Canadian political analyst Copeland failed to address whether newest building, the MB, was officially Daryl Copeland demanded more from sanctions are a peaceful diplomatic alter- opened on Sept. 22. Canadian diplomats at a talk at McGill native to military strikes, but encouraged Graced by a large red bow, the new home University on Sept. 22. diplomats to think outside the box. of the John Molson School of Business was Although the British and American Copeland praised the work of Ken teeming with students in maroon shirts that consulates general to Montreal were in Taylor, Canada’s former ambassador to read “Thank You Molson Family.” the audience, Copeland gave no apolo- Iran, and lauded him as a street-smart “We are proud to have this building bear gies as he blamed the anger that moti- diplomat. During the Iranian hostage cri- the name of our ancestor,” said Eric Molson. vates terrorists on the habits of western sis in 1979, Taylor acted quickly by issu- “Concordia’s business school now honours diplomats to “ram the military into ing fake Canadian passports to six his entrepreneurial legacy through its aca- Afghanistan and ram the military into Americans in order to save them. Among demic excellence and the contributions of Iraq.” diplomatic types, Copeland warned, the its alumni across the globe.” “It is about time that diplomats get Ken Taylors of the world are a rare—and The ceremony drew a crowd as out of the chancellery and onto the possibly extinct—species. Concordia President Judith Woodsworth streets,” said Copeland, a former “The average diplomat today is the was joined by Quebec’s Minister of Canadian diplomat. guy in the suit and top hat who is waiting Education, Recreation and Sports, Michelle Presenting his doctrine of guerrilla for instructions from headquarters while Courchesne. Look how big it is. PHOTO JUSTIN GIOVANNETTI diplomacy, Copeland called for balance sipping a cocktail with friends,” he said. “This building now proudly stands as a and recommended that diplomats use Copeland warned against the tenden- symbol of the excellence in research and ing has yet to be given any level of LEED the military to guard diplomatic negotia- cy of western governments to use air teaching that has earned the JMSB its repu- certification by the Canada Green Building tion. strikes as a replacement for negotiation. tation around the world,” said Woodsworth. Council. This is not uncommon for a newly- Copeland told the audience the “Air strikes fail to solve poverty and pan- Despite much talk at the event about the constructed building. Concordia has made a Persian folk tale of Scherezade, a Persian demic disease,” he said. “You can’t carry building’s green credentials, the MB build- request for certification. princess who outsmarted her potential out an air strike on climate change.” Senate gets down to business

• TERRINE FRIDAY “increased markedly” over the last the academic code. The memo includes information working on a plan to replace the academic year. Concordia’s office of the provost about the university’s emergency faulty escalators, but don’t hold Concordia University’s Senate David Graham, University states the “most common offense management team, how services your breath. welcomed the new dean of arts and Provost and Vice-President of [sic] under the Academic Code of will be maintained and how faculty “There’s a need to upgrade the science Brian Lewis at their first Academic Affairs, explained that Conduct is plagiarism.” Students should proceed academically in the equipment,” Côté said, but it won’t meeting of the academic year on although the number of incidents expelled from Concordia are nor- event of an upsurge in swine flu happen for at least two years. Sept. 18. has increased, the number of mally not readmitted. cases. It will be updated through- Côté explained that sometimes Lewis, a former communications charges has not. out the year. the escalators are stopped during department chair at Concordia, This probably means, Graham H1N1 Roger Côté, the university’s rush periods to decrease the bottle- started his five-year term last month said, that professors have a better A memorandum outlining how Associate Vice-President of neck at the top and bottom of the and takes over from interim-dean understanding of what constitutes to proceed during a possible H1N1 Enrolment and Student Services, escalators, ensuring student safety. Joanne Locke. plagiarism and other academic outbreak was sent out to Concordia pointed out, “one can only get John Molson School of Business offences as per the Code of faculty and staff on Sept. 18. H1N1 once”; a false medical state- lecturer Gordon Leonard ques- Academic integrity Conduct. The memo “contains sufficient ment is a chargeable offence under tioned whether the Hall building’s According to university Vice- Concordia Student Union information on how to take action the Academic Code of Conduct. planning and capacity could hinder President External Relations and President Amine Dabchy requested in the event of an outbreak of emergency evacuation. Côté said Secretary General Bram Freedman, training for international students severe and incapacitating swine Escalators the Hall building’s capacity has not cases of academic misconduct have to safeguard against charges under flu,” Graham told the Senate. Côté confirmed the university is been exceeded. 10 features the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/features Branching out

• HIBA ZAYADEEN ber on a piece of paper, grabbed Project Genesis community organizer the man’s arm and gently placed More than 30 years ago, a the crumpled paper in his hand. would-be philanthropist saw A couple of days later, the pro- reaches out to Montreal and the something brewing in the fessor received a call from the Montreal borough of Côte-des- local police who told him that two Neiges. or three times a month that same Middle East It was 1975 and a McGill pro- old man would run along Victoria fessor and a small army of stu- Avenue in the middle of the night, dents dedicated to social work stark naked. The man had given gathered to march down the them a piece of paper with a streets of one of Montreal’s poor- phone number and this name est neighbourhoods, in search of scrawled on it: James Torczyner. ways to battle poverty. Professor Torczyner decided to As they approached Victoria pay the man another visit, this Avenue, they knocked on the door time accompanied by a Polish- of a basement apartment. A pair speaking friend. As he spoke of his of hollow eyes belonging to a past life, the old man’s trembling tired-looking old man greeted voice carried them right back into them. He reluctantly let them in. the midst of the Treblinka concen- It took a couple of minutes for the tration camp in Poland; he was a visiting professor to adjust to the Holocaust survivor. darkness. The house was painted Now, 34 years later, Torczyner black from top to bottom. The sits in his spacious office at door, the windows, the walls, McGill. A wish tree stands against everything. the wall adorned with the words Compassion kicked in and he “freedom,” “justice” and “compas- knew this man needed help. There sion,” in English, Arabic and was one problem though: this Hebrew. He recalls how that one man spoke only Polish. The pro- act of humanity sparked the fessor wrote his name and num- beginning of his life’s work.

GRAPHIC EMILIO ESTEBAN the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/features features 11

Creating the Project profession in the first place. Eastern countries that gained accompanying a group of belly are central to his mission. “You Torczyner is the founder of Throughout his childhood, popularity in 1971. He quickly dancers across North Beach in can’t want those [land] rights for Project Genesis, a grass-roots Torczyner’s mother used to tell found himself getting wrapped up San Francisco. yourself unless you’re prepared to community organization based in him about her past, how she and in the politics. Once he earned his PhD in accept that everyone else has the Côte-des-Neiges he started in his father had escaped from Nazi After spending four years par- social work, Torczyner headed same rights too,” he said. 1978. Its aim is to help disadvan- concentration camps and headed ticipating in peace negotiations north to Montreal and joined The centres have become pop- taged citizens by offering them to New York to start a new life. between Israelis and Palestinians, McGill’s faculty. ular in their respective areas, both legal advice and assistance, “Never again, not to anybody,” he decided to apply to the in Montreal and abroad, as more informing them of their social she used to say to him, referring University of California, Berkeley. Taking the Project global and more citizens refer to them rights and providing both person- to the atrocities of the Holocaust. Instead of sending in the required In 1997, Torczyner helped cre- for help and advice. In Palestine, al and community-organized Torczyner said these words transcripts, he wrote a book on ate the McGill Middle East the eight centres created through services in the neighbourhood. come back to him every time he the organization of the American Program in Civil Society and MMEP have helped over 120,000 In 2007 and 2008, its store- thinks of the path he has chosen Black Panther Party and sent it Peace Building, where students low-income individuals annually, front drop-in centre performed to follow, serving him well in his with a note saying “Don’t judge a earn their degrees in social work but it won’t end there if Torczyner over 20,000 interventions. They work. book by its cover.” Berkeley at McGill and then head back to has anything to do with it. recently expanded their focus to accepted him, and Torczyner their own countries to manage As he sits in his office, health care and have been work- Activist in the making entered the next era of his life. and further develop the centres Torczyner looks at the mountain ing towards ending the three- As a young man, Torczyner At 23, Torczyner became both they establish. of work ahead of him. month waiting period new immi- wasn’t very interested in universi- a full-time university student and Torczyner often travels to the Documents, contracts and maps— grants endure before they are eli- ty; he didn’t care about his grades a single father. “It’s the most Middle East to check up on the also known as his building gible for health benefits. and it showed. He dreamt of trav- amazing thing that ever happened progress of the centres as well as blocks—cover his wooden desk. Torczyner’s motivations to elling to Israel to take part in the to me,” he said. his former students. Against the Ten years from now, he hopes to help others and his commitment Jewish nation’s re-building. Besides being a new daddy, odds, he has managed to get both add eight centres for a total of 75 to social work have been largely In 1963, 19-year-old Torczyner took on three very dif- Israeli and Palestinian universi- across the Middle East. shaped by his past. Torczyner packed his bags and ferent jobs. During the week he ties to work together towards “My job is to make this hap- Born and raised in New York went to live in Jerusalem. Once was Jim the community organiz- building organizations similar to pen,” he said, “just like I did with City, Torczyner’s youth helped there, he got involved with a er, on Sundays he became Mr. Project Genesis. Project Genesis.” him develop the street smarts that street gang now known as the James, principal of a small Jewish Torczyner is dedicating his life fine-tuned his skills in conflict Israeli Black Panthers, a protest school, and on Saturday nights he to enabling the peaceful co-exis- For more info about Project resolution. Street smarts, though, movement of second-generation played the oud, a Middle Eastern tence of Palestinians and Israelis. Genesis, or to volunteer, visit were not what got him into the Jewish immigrants from Middle instrument similar to a guitar, Sharing the land and the centres genese.qc.ca or call 514-738-2036. volume 30, issue 7 • tuesday, september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca O OTELFSIA HA SHEET CHEAT FESTIVAL MONTREAL POP 02 pop montreal the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/fringe

Getting the best outta the fest

• R. BRIAN HASTIE

To the uninitiated, Pop Montreal could seem like a vast, five-day whirlwind of expression, fun CJLO DJ Brian Hastie on how to maximize and sleeplessness, a giant labyrinth to be carefully navigated. Those who have been through this blur your Pop potential of activity understand that it’s important to be well-prepared for the forthcoming events in order to be able to see, hear and feel as much as possi- ble. If you’re new in town or simply new to the fes- tival, here are a few tips to help you get the most out of the experience.

1. Arm yourself with the appropriate tools. One of the benefits of Pop is that a lot of the shows take place within close proximity to one another. That said, concert-hop- ping is going to require trans- portation. Considering that cars 2. Take a chance. are too expensive, public transit is Have a Pop pass or some loose slow and no one seems to have the change in your pocket and a free money for a decent jet pack, you’re hour between sets you already going to need a bike with a lock. know you wanna see? Ride up and That way you can get to a lot of the down St-Laurent Boulevard and shows you want to see as quickly take your pick. Plant yourself in as possible with as little one of the street’s myriad venues hassle/dependency on others as and listen to a band you haven’t 3. It’s a lot more than just possible. Also, keep some money even considered yet for a very music. in hand in order to keep properly affordable price. The majority of hydrated as you spend your the shows at the festival don’t The festival’s about much more

evening galavanting around town. broach the $15 mark, meaning it than just going to shows and stay- GRAPHICS VIVIEN LEUNG BIXI is probably going to make a doesn’t cost much to be pleasantly ing up at all hours of the night, killing. surprised. Branch out and try imbibing and partaking in pseudo- 4. Keep your eyes and ears something new. Your iTunes illegal activities. It’s also about open. library will thank you later. checking out other forms of art. Some of the appeal of the festi- This year’s particularly strong val is in the potential for events Film Pop lineup is worth taking in, and gatherings that aren’t official- as well as the many exhibitions ly listed. Making some friends and listed under the Art Pop banner. some quick connections could The Pop Symposium is a great allow you to score an invite to a place to learn, discuss and feel val- loft party, a late-night jam session idated in your level of music snob- or simply a chance to share a beer bery/fanboy-ness. It’s also a great with a musician you admire in a place to meet like-minded individ- Plateau back alley. Play it by ear. uals so you won’t have to go to so many shows alone. R. Brian Hastie’s radio show “Countdown to Armageddon” can be heard every Thursday at 4 p.m. on CJLO (1690 AM) or online at cjlo.com. the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/fringe pop montreal 03

Roland Pemberton III, a.k.a Cadence Weapon, recently moved to Montreal from his hometown Edmonton. GRAPHIC JESSICA VRIEND The Weapon’s word is bond Cadence Weapon ‘wants to do anything with anybody’

• R. BRIAN HASTIE albums, already has two records (2005’s record I’m working on right now is all live to, like, 10 people,” said the amused Cadence Weapon is not a man who Breaking Kayfabe and 2008’s Afterparty instruments. So it’s gonna be a pretty Weapon, confiding that he would be dwells on the past. But that didn’t stop the Babies) and two mixtapes (2005’s major departure and I’m going to be doing revealing two new songs during his set, as Edmonton-born rapper from mining the Cadence Weapon Is the Black Hand and some singing on it. well as doing a special cover. annals of 16-bit video games for his latest this year’s pay-what-you-think-it’s-worth “I’m kind of setting a precedent with His stage set-up has also been switched album’s first single, “Sharks.” effort Separation Anxiety) to his name. every record that I put out, that it’s not up a bit. The song’s music video saw the word- When asked about current projects, gonna be the same shit every time,” he “We’re in transition,” he said. “I’m with smith—who was just named Edmonton’s Weapon heaved a heavy sigh before continued. “And people are learning to a different DJ right now. I started using poet laureate—hopping barrels and dodg- launching into what sounds like a well- expect the unexpected. I use Beck as an [a] Kaoss [touchpad sampler/effects ing pixels to the tune of bleeps and bloops rehearsed litany of plans. example of this.” processor] during the set, and there’s straight out of Nintendo. But Weapon “I’m working on a new album that’ll Weapon won’t be going it alone. After more of a performance aspect to the wants people to forget the gimmick; he can probably come out next summer, entitled collaborating on the show-stopping track music.” bring it in real life, too. Roquentin [named after the protagonist of “Benz” off Nova Scotian rapper Buck 65’s But Weapon wasn’t content to fall back “I hated being typecast with the video the Jean-Paul Sartre novel La Nausée],” 2007 LP Situation and joining Buck on the on the Cadence moniker to make some game thing,” said Weapon, whose legal he said. “I’m working on this weird jam subsequent tour, Weapon looked to his cheddar. The man has plans. documents bear the name Roland project with Jackson from Play Guitar, Maritimes-hailing friend for help. “I wanna do a lot more production for a Pemberton III. “I always get that, and Phil from The Girl Guides—a kind of a “Buck is gonna be on the new record,” lot more traditional artists, like Neil maybe I put it out there myself a bit, with mash-up of DJs—and also with anybody he confirmed. “We’ve had some idle chat Young or Leonard Cohen. I wanna get my that video game [-inspired music video]. I else I’ve ever met. It’s like a family jam.” about doing an album together, which Phil Spector on,” he said. “I wanna do any- thought it was funny. I still wanted to do Weapon said that although he strives to could be cool.” thing with anybody. I wanna branch out. it. I’m not a guy who has any regrets in my make every record different, the past few Cadence Weapon was clearly excited to Life’s too short.” life.” have all followed an electronic pattern. talk about his upcoming show at Pop Weapon doesn’t really have the time to “I feel like you can get a certain emo- Montreal. Cadence Weapon plays at Le Divan Orange dwell on anything these days. The rapper- tional range from certain electronic “It’s my fourth time [playing the festi- (4234 St-Laurent Blvd.) with The Cansecos, The cum-producer, who’s personally responsi- sounds that’s not naturally-occurring,” he val], but one of them was a really bad Silly Kissers and DVAS on Oct. 3. The show ble for most of what you hear on his explained. “Saying that, though, the show, the first time I played Pop. I played starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15. 04 pop montreal the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/fringe Taking the show on the road Travelling troubadour Mark Berube talks wanderlust

• NATASHA YOUNG

Mark Berube isn’t one to sit still for long. The lead singer of local band Mark Berube and The Patriotic Few has spent time studying clas- sical music in Swaziland, lived on both Canadian coasts and now plans to take North America and Europe’s respective indie folk scenes by storm in an upcoming whirlwind tour. That is, after they’re done headlining a show- case of local bands at Pop Montreal. Mark Berube and his loyal companions, The Patriotic Few. With a nomination for a cate from Vancouver to ble on What the Boat Gave the “That, and Paul Simon’s tour across Canada,” he said. Western Canada Music Award for Montreal—a move that may have River; the instrumentality shines Graceland.” “Then we’re off to Europe. We’re Outstanding Solo Roots influenced the second album for through with greater clarity. The In the subsequent years since playing in a few cities in Recording under their belts, the better. back-up harmonies lend an the release of their last album, Switzerland and then we’ve got a Berube and The Patriotic Few “It’s really the eclecticism, the undercurrent of complexity that Berube and The Patriotic Few couple of shows in Paris.” have been up to a lot since the overall vibe of the city,” he said of suggests the band’s musical matu- have been touring like mad, aver- release of What the River Gave Montreal’s positive effect on the rity. Stylistically, however, Berube aging one hundred shows a year Mark Berube and The Patriotic the Boat (2006) and its follow-up, band’s sound. “I think part of it is has stayed true to his roots. across Canada, the United States Few headline Indie Montreal’s local What the Boat Gave the River the geography. Being on an island, “I lived in Swaziland, in south- and Europe. It doesn’t seem like folk pop showcase at L'Astral (305 (2007). Berube, who plays guitar, there’s this high concentration—a ern Africa, in the ‘80s. Some of they’ll be stopping any time soon, Ste-Catherine St. W.) on Oct. 3 at 9 piano and accordion, also found sort of cultural density.” the a capella groups there influ- either. p.m. with Caroline Keating and David time in between records to relo- The change of scenery is audi- enced me a lot musically,” he said. “Pop Montreal kicks off our Martel. Tickets are $17. Black by popular demand

• TRISTAN LAPOINTE We’d make suggestions of having but doesn’t spare the listener a suf- fun and then just take it away.” focating, metallic heaviness. Black Feelings are bringing it The constant antagonism ulti- “Most of what I do is influenced inside. mately proved to be too much for by ‘80s punk and new wave,” said After playing a cold rooftop show Les Angles. Lawson. “I’ve always kind of been at last year’s Pop Montreal, the band “We were a bunch of brutally ripping off the guy from [lo-fi is excited to be headlining their own egotistical overlords,” he admitted. Washington band] Mount Eerie event this year. And it won’t just be “After a few years of constant fight- too.” any old gig: kraut rock legends Faust ing, we got really bad-drunk and After spending a year recording will be playing their first Canadian broke up while on tour in Raleigh, pop songs together, the band is show alongside the local band. North Carolina. But we’re all still working on another, much looser set “We seem to share a similar sense friends.” of recordings featuring 13 musicians of humour with these guys,” said After recovering from the shock and artists. drummer Owain Lawson. “I mean, of the breakup, Lawson started pick- “After we got together, I decided I they’re a bunch of old burnouts with ing up the pieces and playing with really wanted to try to write songs a laser light show and a fog bassist Brian Mitchell, eventually using tricks from the classic pop machine.” adding guitarist and former member song book,” said Lawson. “I think But hey, everybody loves a light of Les Angles Kyle Fostner. it’s cool to have music be accessible show and Black Feelings are ready More than just the lineup has and have a little more fun.” to give the people what they want. changed. Lawson said the antago- The band follows on the heels of Les nism of Les Angles Morts has been Black Feelings play with Faust at Angles Morts, a band Lawson thrown out in favour of friendlier the Ukrainian Federation (5213 described as a video art and noise sensibilities. The group’s self-titled Hutchison St.) on Oct. 3 at 8:30 project mostly concerned with album, due for release Oct. 13, is p.m. Tickets are $22 in advance and telling the audience to fuck off. more catchy than confrontational. $25 at the door. The release party for “What Les Angles Morts was all Black Feelings attempts to bridge a their new self-titled record goes down about was to intentionally make it gap between noise and pop music, at Lab Synthèse (435 Beaubien St. hard to listen to,” said the drummer. creating an expansive sound that W.) Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. Tickets are pay Black Feelings: contagious hooks and suffocating heaviness. “Like, ‘Here’s our band, fuck you.’ leaves room for contagious hooks what you can. the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/fringe pop montreal 05

Montreal’s Parlovr are all about the visual cues. PHOTO NATALIE GITT Acting out No business like show business for local band Parlovr

• JAMES LYNCH rock all over the country since ‘Archy and Mehitabel’ in which we mits us to do more weird stuff Canadian band.” MacCuish, Louis Jackson and play in a cockroach bar shrunken than if we had access to a 20-piece Despite wanting to limit their It seems like just yesterday that Alex Cooper got together in 2007. to their size,” said MacCuish. “We band and all the possibilities in show business eccentricities, The New York Times and Spin With one self-titled release under also shot one ourselves for ‘Pen to the world. So with a different set MacCuish admitted that if the magazine were hailing Montreal their belts, the band is currently the Paper.’ We went down to one of restrictions [for television and band could set up their dream gig, as 2005’s indie music hotspot. working on new songs to be fea- of Alex’s relatives’ cottage near film scores], we could do stuff like it would be hard not to be tempt- But as Montreal’s 15 minutes tured on their sophomore album the border and we filmed in this cues and moods. That would be ed by over-the-top Flaming Lips- fades into the past, local trio as well as an EP. crazy house with cats everywhere awesome.” style stage antics. Parlovr are here to stay. “We have a concept for the sec- and improvised.’’ Since the band will eventually “We currently have three traf- The secret to their success? ond album, which is going to have In addition to their exploration have to promote their next opus, fic lights up front on stage,” he They know how to put on a show. a more ‘60s, hippie and soul pop, of video art, the band said they MacCuish is already thinking said. “Maybe we could have gigan- “We’re thinking for our next indie rock and roll feel,” said would love to score a movie about the pitfalls of touring. tic versions of them and hide CD launch doing it with a theatre MacCuish. “We have other songs soundtrack and said they have “We got offered to play shows inside.” company named SideMart, open- that we love that don’t fit the started negotiating with a pub- in New York this October but ing up the show with a play album, so the EP is going to con- lishing company that would help we’re not sure we’ll do them,” he Parlovr plays at Notman House (51 instead of the traditional indie tain the extra tunes.” get their music featured in film said, concerned about the work Sherbrooke St. W.) Oct. 3 at 4 p.m. band,” said drummer Jeremy Parlovr also expects to release and television. MacCuish said that permits trans-American touring Admission is free. Later that night MacCuish. two music videos, one made by working within the framework of would require. “If you’re caught they play at La Place Ubisoft's Espace Parlovr (pronounced “par- the Montreal art collective Bueller a film would inspire creativity. lying at the border, you get Reunion (6600 Hutchison St.) at lour’’) have been playing their and Beans. “We like placing restrictions on deported for five years and that’s 11:45 p.m. Tickets are $10 in Pavement-meets-Wolf Parade “There’s this one for the song ourselves,” he explained. “It per- [the length of] your career for a advance and $12 at the door. 06 pop montreal the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/fringe Beyond pixels Montreal Nintendo Orkestar more sombre than serotonin

• TOM LLEWELLIN influences, such as Suicide, If the name “Montreal Klaus Schultz Nintendo Orkestar” brings to and Swans, the mind visions of virtual gorillas on Orkestar defy pixelated instruments, think categorization. again. The opening “We just try and confound track on their EP everybody’s expectations of what Dinosaur Sex, our music will be like,” said “Dr. Thomas Albérick, co-founder of the enig- Story Kirkbride,” matic electronic music duo. takes a chime Since the band’s spontaneous sound you inception last year at a concert by may recognize local outfit Wolf Eyes, Albérick from The and co-pilot Stephen Cibo have Legend of Zelda games and committed themselves to catching buries it underneath walls their listeners by surprise. With a of reverb and noise fuzz. minimalist set up—consisting of “We like to pile layers one Nintendo DS apiece and a slew upon layers,” Albérick of analogue equipment supplied in said. part by the band’s friend Étienne Every gig is more-or- Blythe—they combine industrial, less completely unpre- ambient and post-rock sounds into dictable, with the band per- a continuously evolving aural forming whatever they feel like stew. doing at the time, with whatever “It’s definitely not bleepy video equipment is close at hand. Every outfits. Cibo recalled a gig game music,” said Cibo. “We hate song starts only as a skeleton of where the room was “full that stuff.” written notes to keep the two on of 16-year-olds with Despite their name and the fact the same track during a perform- inverted crosses [on their that their main piece of perform- ance. foreheads].” Last winter, they Montreal Nintendo Orkestar: this ain’t no chiptunes. GRAPHIC JONAS PIETSCH ance equipment is a handheld con- “We definitely prefer the [live] opened for famed Japanese band sole, the two said their connec- approach,” said Albérick. “All the Mono and released Dinosaur Sex tions to video game music and the recordings on our releases are on local label walnut + locust. split with a yet-to-be-named artist. The Montreal Nintendo trendy 8-bit movement are virtual- done live, no overdubs.” The band is planning a collabo- Albérick said big plans were all Orkestar play with Cloudscapes ly non-existent. The Orkestar began by opening ration from spoken-word artist part of MNO’s MO. and Dora Bleu at Green Room “We’re 32-bit,” Cibo quipped. for other bands, from post-rockers Johnny Vane, an LP, a 3-inch and “We love keeping busy,” he (5386 St-Laurent Blvd.) on Sept. 30 Drawing on a wide range of to noise-rockers to black metal possibly another collaborative said. at 8 p.m.

‘We all share the same cultural mythology’ Oxen Talk on sex, ponchos and Canadian Americana

• ASHLEY OPHEIM “We all share the same cultural ing experience “very wonderful.” mythology,” added Lamont. The EP was released by Arbutus “The songs are actually extremely The band confides every song with Records, making the band label mates sexual if you listen close enough,” said haunting intimacy. The vocals soar like to groups like Sean Nicholas Savage, Bob Lamont. ships over the band’s melodies and Braids and TONSTARTSSBANDHT. Sex isn’t the first thing that comes to back-up vocals, the lyrics unravelling While this will be the band’s first mind when listening to gentlemanly into heartfelt stories, poems and senti- experience at Pop Montreal, Oxen Talk local band Oxen Talk, but then again, ments. Drawing on a variety of genres have already graced stages in New the quartet—which is rounded out by for inspiration, the mix is at once com- York, performed at local festival Suoni Adrian Levine, Luke Neima and Riley forting and unique. per il Popolo and broke it down at last Fleck—is nothing if not subtle. “Importing music from all sorts of summer’s Fourth of July warehouse The band blends bluegrass, folk, cultures gives our music a new con- party FREEDOM FEST. gospel, doo-wop and even splashes of text,” said Lamont. “We are biosynthe- “Every show is different,” said tropical flavour for a sound that seems sizing traditions and presenting it to a Fleck. “Bob wore a poncho at our last straight out of a simpler time. modern audience.” show.” “Our music is Americana made in Oxen Talk said their first full-length Canada,” said Fleck of the band’s aes- album, O Mores!, was recorded in a Oxen Talk play with Leif Vollebekk and Montreal’s Oxen Talk: a band of dapper gentlemen. thetic, which calls upon instruments closet at creative space Lab Synthèse, Elephant Stone at O Patro Vys (327 Mont- PHOTO ASHLEY OPHEIM ranging from clarinet to banjo to violin. though Neima called the entire record- Royal Ave. E.) on Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/fringe pop montreal 07

Jessica Campbell and Bridget Moser in their unnatural habitat. Appetite for destruction Concordia artists break it down at Art Pop

• JAIME EISEN AND NATALIE GITT The pair, who cite humour as their chief its impending doom. “Those visiting the show must decide inspiration, have filled a room with papier- “I want it to be destroyed,” she said. whether they will destroy the art they are con- Frustrated with the conventions and pre- mâché furniture, with couches and chairs ripe “There’s something inherently funny about fronted with or not,” said Campbell. tensions of the art world? Want to let go of for wrecking. Gallery-goers will have the spending so much time on something only to And if that’s not cool enough already, each those frustrations in a creative and productive opportunity to be a part of the art: the artists have it wrecked.” piece of furniture doubles as a giant piñata, manner? Welcome to what might be the want them to destroy the work in any manner The two artists typically dabble in separate filled with a variety of candies, cookies and biggest breakthrough in papier-mâché histo- they choose. mediums, but for this exhibition they allowed even Melba toast. ry—literally. This art project-cum-psychological their creative juices to flow into one delicious- What better way to satisfy your sweet tooth Concordia University alum Bridget experiment will allow viewers to question ly distinctive cocktail. By merging elements of while letting out some pent-up aggression? Moser and current fine arts student Jessica where the art lies: within the piece itself or Campbell’s paintings with Moser’s affinity for Campbell have created a unique Art Pop within the process of destruction. Though it installation, the duo have conceptualized a This Pop Montreal exhibit runs from Sept. project that will make you reassess your def- took many hours of hard work to create the multi-faceted exhibit that will engage its view- 30 to Oct. 4 at the Notman House (51 inition of art. installation, Campbell wasn’t doleful about ers and put them to the test. Sherbrooke St. W.). No cattiness on the catwalk Fashion Pop about encouragement, not competition

• SOPHIA LOFFREDA Montreal fashion. The finalists that includes a record sale, art include Emilie Brunet, Rachel exhibition and arguably the On Wednesday evening, Chan, Charlotte Eedson, Marie- hippest craft fair this side of Fashion Pop will mark three years Eve Emond, Angie Johnson and church bazaars. Guests will also of spotlighting the city’s budding Flavie Lechat. be able to check out Art Pop’s tastemakers. The walk-off will showcase vernissage before the competition The free event features six diverse collections that speak to begins. Montreal fashion designers, six many styles—from edgy to sensual “It’s all going to be a big event surprise judges from the fashion to styles reminiscent of Coco of madness!” said Cardinal. industry and, of course, a fierce Chanel to looks that are more Although Fashion Pop is tech- catwalk competition. Each design- androgynous and punk-inspired. nically a contest, you won’t find er will present a six-look mini-col- Last year’s event was certainly any cattiness here. The competi- lection that will parade down the a runaway (and runway) success. tors are not only eager to show off runway in hopes of wowing spec- The show, which took place at the their creations, but also to check tators and judges alike. now-defunct Club Coda, was liter- out the designs of others. The “There aren’t many local events ally overflowing with fashionistas; competition’s energy, fuelled by a for emerging Montreal designers,” the show was originally allotted love of art and fashion, is really said event coordinator Marilis only half of the club but organiz- one of encouragement. Cardinal. “Fashion Pop acknowl- ers were forced to delay the show edges this and gives them some- by half an hour and open up the Fashion Pop will take to the stage where to show.” second half due to overwhelming on Sept. 30 at La Place Ubisoft Cardinal and her team sifted attendance. (6600 Hutchison St.). Doors open at through more than 50 applicants This year, the event will also 7 p.m. It will be hosted by Montreal before choosing six finalists who act as the launch party for Puces comedian Peter Radomski with music they said best represented Pop, a division of the Pop festival by SHAYdakiss. Admission is free. Six local designers strut their stuff at Fashion Pop. GRAPHIC MARIE-EVE BOURQUE 08 pop montreal the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/fringe Movies to go From Game Boy to Blogotheque at this year’s Film Pop

Reformat the Planet Think back to the ‘90s: your platform boots, Uncle Jesse’s haircut and unforgivable musical trends. But what sticks out more than your fashion don’ts and Real World obsession may be the time you spent with your handheld best friend: your Game Boy. That reliable pal is back and better than ever in Reformat the Planet, a documentary exploring the latest intersection of gaming and music. GRAPHIC FRÉDÉRIC BOUIN Chiptunes is a recent underground craze based around using old video game hardware (like your beloved Game Boy) to create original sounds. The film follows the realization of New York’s first annual Blip Festival, a vibrant music fest where geeks have inherited the stage. Teeming with philosophy about the past, present and future of gaming, this film will have you ready to pump your fist and stomp your feet in the pulsing, strobe-lit 8-bit world. Recycle, Reuse, Remix Sometimes, execution is the most important part. The press release Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. at Cinema du Parc (3575 Parc Ave.) for Recycle, Reuse, Remix had me amped to see a wacky, experimental —Jaime Eisen & Natalie Gitt film dealing with the issues of the fragmentation of memory and nostal- gia. The filmmakers, Concordia’s Jawad Chaaban and Tamara Scherbak, used a technique called data-moshing to blend antique photos and home video footage. What I got was a barely coherent mash-up set to Requiem for a Dream music. Now, I understand that the film was probably supposed to go over the head of relative film neophytes like myself and I wasn’t looking for a happy ending or a transparent moral. Hell, I wasn’t even looking for a coherent narrative. However, I was hoping to at least be able to discern what exactly it was I was looking at. The film shows a sort of blue-green, amorphous algae swimming across each frame interspersed with barely visible photographs and video clips. While at certain points the haunting soundtrack blended well with the swirling darkness on screen, at other points I found myself won- dering whether I was looking at vomit. I can appreciate the occasional post-modern indulgence and the Vincent Moon theme of this film is really interesting; namely that memories become increasingly hard to hold on to with time and that the nature of memory Vincent Moon has brought live music to whole new levels: onto the is forever shifting. I just wish I hadn’t had to read the press release to streets and onto our computer screens. The Parisian indie filmmaker is understand that. the creator of La Blogotheque’s Take-Away Shows, a project that records musicians’ spontaneous live shows. Recycle, Reuse, Remix is part of the Making Music 3 program. It plays at Now, as part of Pop Montreal and the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, the Espace Reunion (6600 Hutchison St.) on Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. Moon brings us an exposé of raw footage from his field work with bands —Diego Pelaez Gaetz like Beirut, Arcade Fire, R.E.M., Mogwai, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Malajube and others. This selection of short films includes some previ- ously unreleased clips as well as the chance for music fans and filmmak- er hopefuls to listen to Moon talk about his experiences. Watch out for new take-away shows being filmed about the city dur- ing the festival!

Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. at the Espace Reunion (6600 Hutchison St.). Check out La Blogotheque at lablogotheque.com. —Natasha Young the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/fringe fringe arts 13 The KISS and makeup DOWN-LOW Montreal special effects expert brings gore to the foreground Event listings

• CHRISTOPHER OLSON Sept. 29-Oct. 5

It could have been the KISS album he got for his 11th birthday, or seeing Star Wars in MUSIC theatres for the first time, or catching Bride of Frankenstein on TV, but experiencing all The Youjsh three in one week was all it took to get Olivier With Bruce Peninsula Xavier into special effects. Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. Film special effects guru Xavier has seen Il Motore more blood, sweat and tears on more foam 179 Jean-Talon St. W. latex mannequins than most men have in a Tickets: $10 lifetime of watching movies. Next week he will be the Artist Guest of Honour at CON*CEPT Adam & The Amethysts 2009, Montreal’s annual science fiction and With Diamond Rings and Golden fantasy convention. Isles Xavier has come a long way since his first Friday, Oct. 2 at 9 p.m. stop-motion films, in which he tossed man- Green Room nequins from rooftops and captured it all on 5386 St-Laurent Blvd. his father’s Super 8 camera. He eventually enrolled at Concordia University with the BRAIDS hopes of becoming a filmmaker. With Mixylodian, Pick A Piper and “The other students were doing films about Bent By Elephants heavy subjects like suicide,” he said. “The Saturday, Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. thing is, when those guys were doing those Zoobizarre very deep movies that ended with someone 6388 St-Hubert St. killing themselves, they’d call me in to do the blood and gore.” FILM Xavier quit Concordia before completing his major when he had the opportunity to The BQE apprentice at Radio-Canada’s FX department. Musician Sufjan Stevens tries his He later studied under the tutelage of hand at filmmaking with a cine- Hollywood makeup artist Nick Smith, whose matic exploration of New York’s credits include The Exorcist. Xavier eventual- Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. ly created his own studio in Montreal, TEXA Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. FX. La Place Ubisoft: Espace Reunion Most of his special effects go by in a flash, 6600 Hutchison St. said Xavier. His work on the critically-panned Island of the Dead featured a $15,000 man- One of Olivier Xavier’s costume designs. GRAPHIC CHRISTOPHER OLSON P-Star Rising nequin designed to explode in gory fashion. Preteen rapper Priscilla Diaz tries to “It had a zillion [pieces of debris] flying out scripts for upcoming Hollywood productions, to watch as a kid.” fulfill her father’s hip hop dreams of it and [the directors] just—whoosh—panned Xavier decided to try his hand at writing his without losing her childhood to a right by it and you don’t see shit,” he recalled. own film script, a throwback to early science To view some of Olivier Xavier’s past work and world of adults. “The other thing is you can spend three fiction called The Allan Storm Chronicles. The to see his short film Punisher vs. Wolverine, visit Sunday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. hours doing makeup and they will always cast for the film has already been chosen. All texafx.com. CON*CEPT, Montreal’s annual sci- Cinema du Parc shoot the close-up at the end of a 15-hour he needs now is the funding. ence fiction and fantasy convention, will he held 3575 Parc Ave. day,” just when the makeup is starting to look “I’m not saying I’m going to be the next from Oct. 2 to 4 at the Days Hotel (1005 Guy worn out, he said. Lucas,” said Xavier of the Star Wars master- St.). For more information or to register for ART After reading dozens of bad-to-mediocre mind. “But it’s the kind of movie that I wanted CON*CEPT, visit conceptsff.ca. En Masse at Art Pop Montreal artists mentor 12 special- ly selected teenage artists in the spins creation of large-scale site-specific catharsis in favour of mild contentment. the first single off the new album. As it turns Amelia Curran marks her return to her native murals. Volcano Choir Granted, there are neat moments, like on out, that song was the exception rather than Newfoundland after spending 10 years as a Thursday, Oct. 1 to Oct. 31 Unmap majestic closer “Youlogy,” but none of them the rule. The album comprises the same sort struggling musician in Halifax. Riding on the Red Bird Studios Jagjaguwar are as visceral or viscous as Bon Iver’s mate- of mixture of emotional love ballads and alt success of her breakthrough 2006 album War 135 Van Horne Ave. rial. This volcano never quite erupts and what rock that made up their first album Don’t You Brides, the sparse, vaudeville-tinged instru- Free If Bon Iver’s first album For Emma, Forever we’re left with is a man settling back into Fake It. While I found the majority of tracks mental arrangements on Hunter Hunter push Ago was the battered cabin-dweller’s excava- tedium, diluting glimmers of fragile hope into unexceptional and predictable, the band is Curran’s smoky voice into the foreground. But Come play engineer/artist duo tion and the Blood Bank EP his first breath a sea of sterile satisfaction. effective within their particular brand of what really stands out is her strong, simple David Beaulieu and Christian after coma, Unmap seems to constitute a 3.5/5 mainstream quasi-emo. Singer Ronnie writing. “Bye Bye Montreal” is a poetic Pelletier’s room-sized theremin, an sobering return to life’s daily motions. —Vinh Cao Winter’s impressive vocal is the only highlight farewell to a youthful scene that once was, electric instrument that is played Volcano Choir is Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and on this very vanilla album. Red Jumpsuit fans while “Mad World, Outlive Me” is a painful without physical contact! friends Collections of Colonies of Bees. The Red Jumpsuit will enjoy it. For everyone else, I’d say leave it look at struggle. If there is a hit on this record, Wednesday, Sept. 30 from 5 p.m. to Unmap cultivates a cushy, pseudo-rock Apparatus on the rack. though, it’s “Wrecking Ball,” a loping folk 11 p.m. atmosphere that never alienates its audience Lonely Road 3/5 anthem where Curran sings that she “ran for La Place Ubisoft: Espace Reunion despite the otherworldly voice at the helm. Virgin Records —Evan LePage nothing like it’s everything.” Not many con- 6600 Hutchison St. Perhaps this stands as the album’s greatest temporary Canadian folkies can pull off a Free shortcoming; the Choir’s debut is too gra- Congratulations to The Red Jumpsuit Amelia Curran record of 12 strong songs, but Curran is a cut cious, too accommodating. For Emma, Apparatus! They successfully tricked me into Hunter Hunter above the rest. Hunter Hunter is a great Forever Ago endeared itself to listeners believing they’d evolved into a face-melting, Six Shooter album. through unapologetic explorations of despair. solo-destroying, vocal cord-exploding hard 4.5/5 — compiled by Vernon and his current company eschew rock band by releasing “You Better Pray” as The fifth album from maritime songwriter —Charlotte Cornfield Madeline Coleman 14 literary arts the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/lit Lalumière shines light on false idols Objects of Worship evades masturbatory super hero fantasy schmaltz

• R. BRIAN HASTIE happening in society and just real- instances, owes much to the vivid ly push that to its logical extreme art of 1960s comic book pioneers Objects of Worship, author and see what the consequences Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, a fact Claude Lalumière’s first collection are.” that he readily acknowledges. of short stories featuring elements The characters Lalumière cre- “People like Kirby and Ditko, of the fantastic, is an odd duck- ates run the gamut from ultra- what I find appealing about them ling. conservative Orthodox Jews to a is the fact that they can tell stories As much as one may argue that “black, omni-sexual mom.” A in a way that no one else can,” he the bulk of these stories are mere- major aspect of the collection is said. “They try to create a world, a ly genre-driven, the nuanced the variety of sexual orientations mood. I try to create an atmos- mood and sparse word choice the and interests of its characters. phere that, in every story, will be author uses suggest way more “[A lot of people think that] unique and create an atmosphere than just monsters in the night or automatically, if the story has [where] you feel you are being spaceship battles that take place queer characters, then the story told a story that no one else could on far-away planets. has to be about queer identity and have told you.” Lalumière’s trick is to make the I steer away from that,” he said. The collection is certainly an fantastic appear mundane (such Lalumière talks about using inventive take on an often tired as the gay zombie couple who science fiction to create empathet- genre, which raises and leaves adopt a wayward living boy in ic figures instead of merely shap- open many questions about the “The Ethical Treatment of Meat”) ing characters based upon our issues we as a society need to col- and then to amplify what one may own super-inflated egos. lectively discuss. consider mundane to fantastical “One of the things I abhor the proportions. The author manages most about writing is writers who Claude Lalumière will deliver a to push away some of the more use transparent doppelgangers of reading on Oct. 2 at Montreal’s annu- classical, space opera elements of themselves as protagonists,” he al science fiction and fantasy conven- science fiction in order to focus on Claude Lalumière poses in the shadow of a false idol. PHOTO NATALIE GITT said. “I think that’s lazy writing tion, CON*CEPT, at the Days Hotel the issue at hand, be it adoption or and I think that, when I write, (1005 Guy St.). the intensely private nature of that we keep having to ask our- what really drives me is what I call relationships. “Good or bad, that’s selves questions. a leap of empathy. It’s important For more info about CON*CEPT, “The best science fiction, I not the issue. The “To me, what science fiction for me to be able to picture the visit conceptsff.ca. think, is about transgression,” issue is that we keep and fantasy can do way better world from someone else’s point explained Lalumière. “And for me, than any other kind of fiction is of view, and if I don’t do that, then Objects of Worship that’s what all art should be like. having to ask push those boundaries,” said what’s the point? And then it’s Claude Lalumière There’s a status quo and it needs ourselves questions.” Lalumière. “You can postulate just masturbation, and that ChiZine Publications to be questioned. Good or bad, —Claude Lalumière, some scenarios that will extrapo- should stay private.” 280 pp that’s not the issue. The issue is author late upon one aspect of what’s Lalumière’s prose, in certain $18.95

Chimeris Sirus graphic styles, one explaining the drawing per page. Canadian culture. The Orrivicorne is origin of the planet Sirus, another something which is cutting Sirus off z exploring the life of Rok, their How long did you take to make from the rest of the world. Nothing world’s only survivor after a mass Chimeris Sirus? can pass through it, not even com- extermination campaign led by a It took me three years to do the munications. So, Sirus is like i shadowy elite organization called the drawings, but it usually depends on Quebec, the Orrivicorne represents “Federation.” the story. People say they have to the French-Canadian way of living read it two or three times to get every and the Federation is more like a car- n The Link: So let me get this straight. detail and to understand it fully. It icature of capitalism. But it can mean It’s about a giant alien monster that eats took me a lot of time to do it, so I a lot of things. e a planet... and then what? want people to read it several times. Adeline Lamarre: It’s the story of a And the sequel you’re writing now, planet called Sirus, but in fact it could Do you identify much with Rok, the will it also feature Rok? be our own planet Earth. It suffers an story’s heroine? Yes, but it’ll be completely differ- invasion from an extraterrestrial, and She’s a great part of me because ent because Chimeris Sirus is a sci- just one of them is enough to consti- she’s independent. And even though ence fiction story and the sequel will s tute an invasion. After it roots itself she’s manipulated by a lot of people, be fantasy. Towards the end of into the planet’s surface, people are she tries to find her way by herself. Chimeris Sirus you see that Rok c forced to go underground. But I won’t So maybe I see myself in Rok, but in lands on a planet that is like a fanta- say any more, people will have to fact I see myself as the comic book: sy world, like Lord of the Rings. I • CHRISTOPHER OLSON read it themselves. the story, the drawings, everything. don’t really have a preference when e it comes to science fiction or fantasy, Graphic artist Adeline Lamarre’s What was your biggest science fic- Still, what’s with that planet-eating but maybe I’ll go back to writing sci- first foray into science fiction, tion influence on the comic? monster? I mean, the Orrivicorne. ence fiction at some point. n Chimeris Sirus, is a French- I like Dune by Frank Herbert, and It’s a metaphor for all kinds of Canadian fanzine featuring a giant in the comic book world, Alejandro things. If you look closely, maybe you Copies of Chimeris Sirus can be e planet-sucking extraterrestrial called Jodorowsky, Philippe Druillet and saw the flag on the starship which found at Usine 106U (111 Roy St. E.) or an Orrivicorne, and a whole lot Moebius are great. I think having a resembles the Quebec flag. The story you can read it online at vaar.ca. more. strong story is important because it somewhat resembles the sovereignty Chimeris Sirus is split into sever- has to motivate me to do the illustra- question here in Quebec. In fact, the To follow Lamarre’s blog, visit lunar- al different stories with varying tions. It takes me maybe 20 hours of monster is more like French- ki.blogspot.com. the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/lit literary arts 15 The cream of consciousness quick reads The ‘dean of Canadian science fiction’ Fair Warning Distant Early has the globe caught in a world-wide net Warnings Edited by Robert J. Sawyer Robert J. Sawyer Books 314 pp $22.95

In Distant Early Warnings, an anthology of short Canadian science fiction stories released through Red Deer Press, the vast range of Canadian voices in the field of science fiction is laid bare. Robert J. Sawyer writes in the book’s introduction that the need to pad Canadian anthologies with fan- tasy, or the work of authors who once held ties to Canada, is no longer necessary. Author Paddy Forde uses a unique iteration of time travel to place a 9/11 conspirator at the scene of the crime in order to understand fully the implications of his jihad against the western world, and James Alan Gardner writes an unconventional romance using an alien ray gun in order to explore the implications of keeping secrets from the ones we love. The anthology concludes with a “lightning round” of six 800-word stories originally published in the scientific journal Nature—which tells you all you Author Robert J. Sawyer imagines a day when there are as many interconnections on the Internet as in an entire human brain. GRAPHIC VIVIEN LEUNG need to know about how “serious” these stories are about getting their science right. • CHRISTOPHER OLSON plot of Wake. Like the Internet in Sawyer’s 1999 book FlashForward, which is set in Distant Early Warnings, named after the radar novel, Clarke’s Dial F for Frankenstein 2009 and features a world-wide phenome- detection system which protected North America’s Whatever it is, chances are Canadian sci- depicted the International Global non in which every human being briefly borders in Canada’s frozen north against Soviet ence fiction author Robert J. Sawyer did it Telephone Exchange Network, the switch- experiences a minute or two of their lives 21 invasion, is both a reminder of the healthy state of first. ing system for international telephone calls, years from now. The two producers were so Canadian science fiction writing and a warning of “I started on the Internet before there becoming self-aware. struck by the concept that they approached the threats to come. was a World Wide Web,” said Sawyer, fit- “All of us in science fiction build on what the author to produce a television serial, tingly during a Skype interview. “When the previous writers have done in the field,” which premiered last week and now airs 4.5/5 web came into existence over a decade ago, explained Sawyer. “It is a genre that is con- Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC. —Christopher Olson I was the first science fiction writer and one stantly in dialogue with itself; we add to and Sawyer is a consultant on every episode of the first writers, period, to have a web expand from the visions of other writers and and will also be writing episode 16—if the page.” that’s the joy of it. Somebody else is going Nielsen gods smile on the show and the net- A stab in the dark that Sawyer’s body of work is largely devoted to, somewhere down the road, write work picks it up for a full season, that is. misses the mark to a scientific basis for the nature of con- responses to the things that I’ve written.” Sawyer is no foreigner to the television sciousness. In his new novel Wake, the first market and wrote the series bible for in his planned World Wide Web trilogy, he “The amount of data that Charlie Jade on the Space channel. Sawyer Monstrous Affections advances the idea of the Internet becoming is just as happy to consult on the show as David Nickle self-aware. comes out of even a 20-inch work on his next novel. ChiZine Publications “The notion that [the Internet] might monitor is nothing compared “I love to do research,” said Sawyer. “If I 296 pp develop consciousness, that it would soon to the full and immersive could find a way to be paid for just doing the $18.95 have as many interconnections as a human experience your eyes are research into things that interest me, with- brain, was a really appealing notion from a out having to bother writing the novels, I science fiction point of view,” he said. “It’s taking in all the time.” would be a truly happy man. Writing the an idea that’s been kicking around in the —Robert J. Sawyer, novels is how I feed my research habit.” People love to be scared, as long as they know it back of my head for years and I’ve finally author of Wake Sawyer doesn’t mind if his consulting won’t last long. That’s why short horror stories should gotten around to writing it.” work on FlashForward dips into his writing have such terrifying potential. David Nickle’s In the novel, Caitlin, an American girl Science fiction isn’t at risk of running out time. Monstrous Affections falls just short of the mark. transplanted to Toronto, receives an ocular of new ideas, said Sawyer. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Toronto writer’s collection of stories is classic implant to correct her blindness. This acci- “Science keeps changing and that means It’s the kind of thing that almost never hap- “Canadian gothic.” It treads the line between stark dentally results in her gaining the ability to there are always new things to write about,” pens to any writer and you’re not going to and ornate, burrowing into the black forests, rest see the Internet in three dimensions—a he said. “A lot of what I write about comes hear me grousing, ‘Oh, my life, it’s so diffi- stops and cottage country of Ontario and emerging technology which is bound to happen, inten- from breakthroughs in quantum physics cult, people are throwing money at me and with a rusty steak knife gripped between its teeth. tionally or not, in the future, said Sawyer. and that’s an ever-changing field as well. making me famous and building a big televi- Nickle seems to delight in the drawn-out build up, “The idea that you use a keyboard and a “I’ve got enough ideas to keep me going sion franchise based on my idea.’ It’s a won- but sometimes the payoff doesn’t quite satisfy. The mouse to navigate all of the world’s knowl- until the end of time,” he continued. “The derful thing and I feel blessed.” quick bouts of murder that close stories like “The edge, there’s no question that we’re going to problem is not coming up with ideas, it’s in Sloan Men” and “Janie and the Wind” feel abrupt, not have directed neural interfaces to the web, finding the time to flesh them all out into To check out Robert J. Sawyer’s web page, cathartic. Nickle’s richly descriptive writing some- and that only makes sense,” he said. “The books. People will often come to a profes- visit sfwriter.com. times manages to completely circumvent actually speed at which people type is way slower sional writer of any stripe, not just a science describing what the hell is going on. than the speed at which they think. The fiction writer, and say, ‘Here, I’ve got a great FlashForward airs on ABC Thursdays at The problem might be that, for all his poetic lan- amount of data that comes out of even a 20- idea. You write it. We’ll split the money.’ 8 p.m. guage and foggy imagery, Nickle’s stories lack the inch monitor is nothing compared to the full They don’t understand that the writing is clean knife edge that short horror fiction needs. and immersive experience your eyes are tak- the marketable skill. Coming up with ideas, Wake Monstrous Affections needs less mystery and more ing in all the time.” any chimpanzee can do that.” Robert J. Sawyer horror if it really wants to be nasty, brutish and short. Sawyer acknowledged Arthur C. Clarke Nevertheless, television producers David Viking Canada and his novella Dial F for Frankenstein as S. Goyer and Brannon Braga were enthusi- 360 pp 2.5/5 an influence on not only him, but also on the astic about the concept behind Sawyer’s $24.95 —Madeline Coleman the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/lit literary arts 16 Word to the Wise

• ELISABETH FAURE Stepanian. “He believed the recognition of the Armenian Genocide was important not Wiser Than Humans, the work of the late only for Armenians but for humanity, to author and scientist George Ter-Stepanian, ensure that the same crime will not happen was a book truly ahead of its time. Written in elsewhere again. the early 1980s and available now for the first “The book was inspired by his strong time in English, the fictional work foretells belief that the general public needs to be many of the environmental crises currently aware of our devastating ecological condi- affecting humanity. tions. That is why he decided to write a sci- Available in time for CON*CEPT, ence fiction novel, [which he thought] would Montreal’s annual science fiction convention, serve as a powerful and metaphorical vehicle the book is set in the year 2015 and opens at through which to share his concerns and a global environmental summit. The world is make a plea to his fellow citizens to take deci- on the brink of destruction because of the sive and necessary measures,” she continued. troubled state of the environment. Ter- But has the late Ter-Stepanian’s dire fore- Stepanian accurately predicted many events cast for humanity’s fate come too late to the that have already come to pass such as avian ears of the western world? So long as science flu and disastrous changes in the world’s cli- fiction writers continue to make bold new mate. predictions about the direction we as a A group of scientists leave the conference species are heading, it’ll never be too late. and fly home over the Bermuda triangle Armenian scientist George Ter-stepanian predicted such things as avian flu and super hurricanes Wiser Than Humans can be purchased where they are promptly kidnapped by a back in 1982. GRAPHIC VIVIEN LEUNG UFO. What happens next involves an inter- online at editionsantaeus.com. species effort to save the planet. Stepanian, who co-published the book with lated into English by Christine Mitchell. The life of the book’s author, who passed her sister, Anahit—both of whom now reside Armenia’s troubled national history is Montreal’s science fiction and fantasy con- away in 2006, was no less interesting than in Montreal. another recurring theme in Wiser Than vention, CON*CEPT, runs from Oct. 2 to 4 at those of his fictional creations. Born at the Ter-Stepanian was an internationally Humans. Several of the leading characters the Days Hotel (1005 Guy St.). For more info beginning of the 20th century in Armenia, recognized scientist, specializing in soil make reference to the Armenian Genocide at about CON*CEPT, visit conceptsff.ca. Ter-Stepanian lived to be 99 years old and mechanics and engineering geology and the hands of the Turks, an event which witnessed world-changing events. publishing over 300 scientific papers in remains unacknowledged by Turkey to this Wiser Than Humans “He lived through two world wars, two journals around the globe. He was also pas- day. George Ter-Stepanian revolutions, Lenin/Stalin and the KGB terror sionate about art and literature and spoke “My father was an eight-year-old boy in Éditions Antaeus regime, famine, and the ‘dark’ years in seven languages fluently. The book was 1915 when he first became aware of our 324 pp Armenia,” recalled his daughter, Karina Ter- originally written in Russian and then trans- [national] tragedy,” said Karina Ter- $24.99 Lit Writ Evasive Manoeuvres

• CHRISTOPHER OLSON stock. And they have several hundred cities now.” “Tell the fleet to assemble above every A glowing red banner that read “invade major Earth city within the next half-hour,” now” on the computer console continued to belted Commander Teeg at the busy bridge draw attention to itself with an ingratiating crew. noise that sounded like a kitchen appliance “Commander,” said a young lieutenant in announcing the waffles were ready. Teeg a scrawny uniform from the back of the fought the temptation to click the tab read- room, “there aren’t enough ships in our fleet ing “execute order.” to hover above every major metropolitan “That’s... disappointing,” Teeg said at last. area on the Earth.” “How close are we to destroying their cher- Caught off guard by the lieutenant for ished monuments? Such hubris for a species

speaking out of turn, Commander Teeg swiv- so young...” The combined alien fleet. GRAPHIC CHRISTOPHER OLSON elled in his chair to face the young officer. “That’s the thing,” said the lieutenant. “And why not?” he chortled. “There are literally tens of thousands of one of Earth’s supreme deities. “What’s the tinct nation states, each with its own hierar- “We barely have enough ships to cover monuments on Earth. You can’t find some- point of invading an entire planet if we can’t chical structure.” every major American city, let alone the thing these people don’t want encased in tip over a little architecture?” The silence again erupted. entire globe,” continued the lieutenant. “We bronze, or a public figure they haven’t The lieutenant raised an arm, though “Let’s just send them an e-mail and get can only muster enough forces to hover over already built a statue of.” obviously all eyes—or feelers—were already the shit out of here,” said the lieutenant. three, maybe four cities, tops.” “Just destroy that one tower that’s really at attention. Commander Teeg hung his head with a Commander Teeg’s temple turned a deep big,” said Teeg. “The willfull... wiffle... Eiffel “I think the point is to take their resources look of deep dissatisfaction. purple. Tower, is it?” as efficiently and quickly as possible, because “Think how glorious it might have been,” “I wasn’t aware Earth had more than Two admirals looked at each other con- we wasted all of our own.” the commander muttered morosely. “Our three cities,” he said. “I was under the spiratorially. Teeg invoked the supreme deity a second awesome firepower against their sharpened impression that their species’ young still “High Command has suggested we focus time. “Aren’t there, like, endless amounts of sticks.” consumed nutrition from their mothers’ our resources on targets of strategic value,” minerals on billions of lifeless planets The lieutenant raised a hand—albeit one breast milk.” said an admiral bedecked in war regalia. throughout the universe?” without fingers, but mandibles—before “Well,” continued the lieutenant, “in the “For instance, instead of destroying Mt. An awkward silence erupted. slowly lowering it until it was out of sight. last few thousand years they’ve developed a Rushmore, destroy Congress. In place of the “Get me on the line with the President of Better to just let this one be. kind of rubbery teat and the milk isn’t pro- Taj Mahal, vaporize the UN.” Earth. I’m going to announce our formal duced from the mother’s breasts anymore, Teeg went cross-eyed—that is if he could withdrawal,” said Commander Teeg. To submit your fiction or poetry to the but is now a compound made from soy, or be said to have eyes. “There’s no such thing,” said the lieu- Lit Writ column, e-mail them to lit@the- alternatively, from a common form of live- “Christ,” said Teeg, invoking the name of tenant. “Earth has approximately 200 dis- linknewspaper.ca. the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/sports sports 17 Spankings and spinal boards Highlights won’t Stingers crush the Vert et Or despite win the game opposing team’s violent play Women’s soccer team fights hard but loses to Rouge et Or

• JOEL BALSAM Concordia 1 Laval 2 Despite putting up their best effort of the season against the Université Laval Rouge et Or, the Concordia women’s soccer team fell 2-1 this past Sunday. The first half of the game was extremely well-matched as the ball flew from end to end with chances for both teams. Laval’s Caroline Vaillancourt opened the scoring, but was short- ly matched by an exhilarating strike from The women are starting to gel and nearly had it Stingers rookie Sarah Burge who received a this time. PHOTO PETER HAEGHEART near breakaway pass, made a quick juke and Looks like fun. Pretty sure that everything in rugby ends up with you being hurt, though. then put the ball past the keeper to tie the game. improvement of the team. She also gives credit PHOTO ESTHER BERNARD The goal was Concordia’s second in six to the players saying they’ve “been challenging • CHRISTOPHER CURTIS knocked his teeth out for that,” said games this season. each other to play better.” Biddle. “But when you play enough rugby “The last 10 minutes after we scored, the The Stingers will have a long way to go Concordia 29 you learn to let these types of things roll girls were just hungry,” said head coach Jorge before they hope to compete for a champi- Sherbrooke 8 off your back.” Sanchez after the game. onship. The Concordia Stingers improved their For his hit on Chung Lim, Sherbrooke’s Even with the valiant effort to pull out the The players and coaches are looking to take record to 3-0 Friday as they defeated the Guillaume Labelle was ejected from the win in the final minutes, an exceptional strike the positives from this game into the rest of the visiting Université de Sherbrooke Vert et game but the Vert et Or continued to play by Vaillancourt in the 26th minute put the season. Or for the second time in two weeks. And physically. Rouge et Or ahead for good. “We are trying to find our identity as a team though the 29-8 win will help Concordia In the second half, another Sherbrooke “Our chemistry off the field is finally starting and I think this is the kind of game that is going in their bid for a playoff run, many were player was ejected and a third was briefly to come on the field,” said fourth-year player to, maybe, be a trampoline to go forward to the left with a sour taste in their mouths. taken off the pitch for a separate infrac- and captain Fanny Berthiaume. “We are on the next one,” said Sanchez. “It was 40 minutes of good rugby and tion. The Vert et Or’s penalties put them at right track,” she continued. 40 minutes of shit show,” said the a three-man disadvantage. The Stingers Forward Sarah “Sully” Sullivan credits the The Stingers are back in action this week as Concordia men’s rugby team head coach capitalized when Biddle scored a try early coaches for her improvement and in the they take on the Citadins at UQAM on Oct. 2. Clive Gibson. Although the Stingers in the second half to put his team up 15-0. played a crisp first half, capitalizing on Sherbrooke responded with a drop goal their opponents’ penalties and missteps to from their captain, Jean-Baptiste Ricarte, lead the game 10-0, the match became making it 15-3. The Vert et Or fared well Giving everything rooted in violence rather than technique with two men down, often stuffing after an illegal tackle on Stinger Jeremy Concordia’s offence and even threatening Chung Lim seriously injured the second- to score on several occasions. and coming up year winger. After stagnating for most of the second half, Concordia’s offence exploded with two “It was 40 minutes of good spectacular plays. Biddle took the ball, short rugby and 40 minutes of faked a run to the outside, headed through the Vert’s defensive seam and rolled past Men’s soccer team shit show.” the try line for the score. —Clive Gibson, Minutes later, Biddle fooled his oppo- falls to Laval men’s rugby head coach nents again as he scrambled his way towards the inside of the pitch and clever- • JOEL BALSAM This was the only game where the Stingers were The tackle in question left Chung Lim ly passed the ball to Alec Montealegre, completely shut out. PHOTO PETER HAEGHEART face down and motionless at centre field. who cut around the defence to score Concordia 0 Medical staff from both teams rushed to his another Stingers try to push their lead to Laval 2 and complained heavily, but the referee aid with a spinal board and blankets. He lay 29-3. In an aggravating game for the Stingers, didn’t change his attitude. Most of the fouls unconscious for many tense minutes but The depleted Sherbrooke squad kept the Concordia men’s soccer team got shut were called when two players made contact began to show movement in his legs before pressing forward and pinned Concordia out for the first time this season on Sunday with each other while jumping for the ball. being placed on the spinal board. deep in their zone for the remaining min- in a 2-0 loss against the Laval Rouge et Or. “It’s part of the game,” said Barker, speak- Fans from both universities, who ini- utes of the game. With only a few seconds Laval’s Gabriel Moreau opened the scor- ing of the minor physicality in the game. tially exchanged profanities and threats, left, Sherbrooke’s Mathieu Coté scored a ing in the first half as he slid the ball past Ismail, a first-year goalkeeper, made grew silent as the situation’s gravity try to make the final score 29-8. Concordia goalkeeper Khalid Ismail. The solid saves to keep the game close, but dawned on them. “We were mad. We had our backs Rouge et Or scored again in the second half shrugged it off at the end of the game mod- After a half hour an ambulance arrived against the wall and we used it as motiva- with a well-timed header by Paul-Andre estly. Speaking about his team, Ismail said, on the scene. A team of paramedics placed tion,” said Vert et Or fly half Nicolas Vallée, just out of Ismail’s grasp to make “We’ve still got a lot of work to do. Chung Lim on a stretcher and took him off Maheu-Giroux. the final 2-0. However, I have a lot of confidence in the the field to the sound of encouragement “We played well with two men down, With a few good chances in the second guys.” from fans and players alike. and three men down at one point. The half, Concordia was just unable to put the Ismail attributes the losing record at Until this point, the Stingers remained Stingers have a good team and you can’t ball past Laval’s tall keeper. this point in the season to not being “used above the fray, opting to avenge make these kinds of mistakes against them, “It’s frustrating,” said head coach Lloyd to each other yet” and, at 0-3-1, the Sherbrooke’s bully tactics with quality but it gives us hope for the future,” said cap- Barker. “It’s not a lack of effort; the boys Stingers should start getting comfortable play instead of violence. At one point, the tain Ricarte. are giving what they have.” with one another soon if they hope to sal- Vert et Or’s David Bachand went so far as The game was filled with yellow cards, vage the season and make the playoffs. to clinch Stingers captain David Biddle The Stingers will try to keep the winning free kicks and a whistle-happy referee. and knee him in the stomach. Biddle streak going next Sunday at McGill, Oct. 4 “I think maybe the ref thought it was The men’s soccer team looks to put this frus- ignored the attack and continued playing. at 1 p.m. Jeremy Chung Lim is recovering physical, but it my mind it wasn’t physical trating game behind them as they face the UQAM “Maybe a few years ago I would have well after surgery. at all,” said Barker. The two teams bickered Citadins on the road on Oct. 2. 18 sports the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/sports X-Men leave Stingers powerless Homecoming comeback thwarted by missed opportunities

• SEBASTIEN CADIEUX defensive battle. Concordia missed out on a number of X-Men 19 good chances. Half-back Christian Stingers 17 Walcott had no idea the ball was headed The first half of Concordia’s home- his way on a play in the third quarter, as coming game didn’t look good for the he ran up the field before stopping as winless Stingers. the ball bounced past him. He was not Despite the efforts of players like the only one at fault as slotbacks Eli running back Cedric Ferdinand, ConU Aramouni and Corey Greenaway each had trouble holding onto any ground it let important passes slip through their gained from the St. Francis Xavier X- fingers. Men. The Stingers were plagued with X-Men linebacker Henoc Muamba flags and missed opportunities. managed a diving quarterback sack late With about a minute left in the sec- in the fourth quarter, which lost the ond quarter, the X-Men scored a touch- Stingers seven yards and ultimately down from struggling Concordia’s one- resulted in a turnover, putting the over- yard line. Then, as if to add insult to worked defensive team back on the injury, the kick was good. field. As the teams walked off the field for One of the Stingers’ saviours was the halftime celebration with the score wide receiver Arian Francois, who ran sitting at 19-3 for the X-Men, it seemed for 154 yards on 10 catches, including clear that this wasn’t going to be much one near the end of the fourth quarter of a homecoming for Concordia. which put his team within two yards of The Stingers came out strong in the a touchdown. That’s when quarterback third quarter, fighting the X-Men back Rob Mackay, who threw for 360 yards, from their 52-yard line. There was then took matters into his own hands and a seismic shift when slotback Cory managed to make the touchdown with Watson received a bombing pass that only 32.6 seconds left in the game. With put Concordia within one yard of their another good kick, Concordia brought first touchdown of the game. The their score within two points of the X- Stingers managed to push through the Men’s 19. St. F.X. defence and complete their kick Despite the difficult odds and only to get themselves back into the game. seconds left on the clock, Concordia still With renewed energy, the team mounted a valiant effort to regain pos- worked hard to earn the ball back from session of the ball off the onside kick, their opponents but their efforts didn’t but the X-Men’s coverage was too good pay off in what had become a tough for the attempt to work.

(Top left) 2,101 spectators saw this fantastic catch. (Bottom left) The Stingers came back in the second half pushing back the X-Men’s offensive rush. (Right) Cory Watson and Rene Paredes drive one X-Man into the ground. PHOTOS ION ETXEBARRIA the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/sports sports 19

Concordia women like to use their heads. PHOTO ESTHER BERNARD Questionable call leads to women’s rugby loss

• CHRISTOPHER CURTIS The Rouge opened scoring early in the first Rouge used superior speed to dominate the together a last-minute drive that would take half after an offside call gave them favourable second half. The Rouge tied the game when the game down to the wire. For what seemed Concordia 12 field position. Marie-Ève Brindamour- Karen Paquin completed an electric pass like hours, the Stingers pressed against the try Laval 19 Carignan spotted an opening and rushed into series for the try. 12-12. line while the Rouge held steady (as the men’s After outscoring their first two league the end zone for a try leaving the score 7-0 Laval’s Élie Papineau then picked up a rugby team prepared to take to the field for opponents by a combined score of 137-0, the Rouge. midfield turnover and flew past 70 yards their game, they stopped and yelled encourag- Concordia Stingers were dealt a 19-12 loss by The Stingers fired back when centre Kim worth of field turf for the try. 19-12 Rouge. ing words to their fellow Concordians). Université de Laval Rouge et Or last Friday. Whitty caught a pass from a throw-in and “I think we realized the level opposition we Finally there was a break in the line and The loss was not without controversy, as pumped her legs to drag a trio of defenders were facing and just got into it,” explained prop Lisa Hoffman dove into the try zone. A officials refused to award Concordia a last- past the try line—7-5 Rouge. Laval fly half Charlotte Vallères-Villeneuve. pile formed above her and when the referee minute try on the grounds that the ball was Both teams kept a fierce pace for the As play continued, post scrum mêlées got to the bottom of things, he did not judge never placed down in the try zone. The try and remainder of the half by exchanging offensive intensified. One Laval player claimed she had the ball to be downed properly. Game over: subsequent conversion would have tied the threats, moving the ball quickly and bearing been bitten, Stinger Laura Belvedere was rat- 19-12 Rouge et Or. game. down in their own zones. The game’s intensity tled with an elbow to the chin and as the rucks Despite an anticlimactic finish to an excit- “The ref made the decision based on what reached a new climax when Stinger Lori-Ann broke down there were always a few extra ing game, fans can expect these two teams to he saw,” said Stingers coach Graeme McDonald took the ball, ran into Laval territo- shoves with the occasional kick. meet again in the finals, hopefully in a more McGravie. “I just don’t think he had a good ry and levelled two would-be tacklers. “Having played each other in a few provin- conclusive fashion than last year’s 20-20 fin- angle to see the play but that’s how it goes. We After stealing a few scrums, Concordia cial finals, we’ve developed a good rivalry with ish. had three, four chances to cross the line on moved the play to the Rouge five-yard line these girls,” said Stingers centre Jackie Tittley. that play and we didn’t.” where flanker Hughanna Gaw drove around a “We respect each other, [...] but during the The women’s rugby team has an exhibition With the win, Laval remains undefeated ruck and through another one to get the try. game we try to annihilate each other.” match Sept. 29 at McGill and return to league this season, having scored over 160 points in 12-7 Stingers at half-time. After what looked like a tired performance play Oct. 2 when they host the University of just three games. While the physical play was pretty even, the for most of the second half, the Stingers put Ottawa. scoreboard schedule Home AwayAway Record1 Who When

Concordia 2 VS UQTR 3 Men’s Soccer 0-4-1 Sherbrooke Saturday Concordia 0 VS Laval 2 Cross country @ - Kelly-Ann Drummond Cup Tuesday 8 p.m. Men’s Rugby Concordia 29 VS Sherbrooke 8 3-0-0 Women’s Rugby VS Laval Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Concordia 2 VS Toronto 3 Men’s Rugby @ McGill Sunday, 1 p.m. Women’s Hockey Concordia 0 VS Etobicoke 2 0-0-0 Concordia 3 VS Robert Morris 2 @ UQAM Friday, 6:30 p.m. Concordia 0 VS UQTR 3 Women’s Soccer 0-6-0 VS UQAM Sunday, 1 p.m. Women’s Soccer Concordia 1 VS Laval 2 Men’s Hockey @ UQTR Wednesday, 7:15 p.m. Men’s Hockey Concordia 3 VS Waterloo 6 2-1-0 SHRINE BOWL Football Saturday, 1 p.m. Women’s Rugby Concordia 12 VS Laval 19 0-0-1 VS Sherbrooke @ UQAM Concordia 11 VS McGill 1 Men’s Soccer Friday, 8:30 p.m. Baseball Concordia 6/17 VS Carleton 5/1 10-3-0 VS UQAM Sunday, 3 p.m. Concordia 6/0 VS Ottawa 5/9 @ Queen’s Friday, 7 p.m. Basketball @ St. Lawrence Saturday, 1 p.m. Football Concordia17 VS St. Francis Xavier 19 0-4-0 @ RMC Saturday, 7 p.m. 20 sports the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/sports No mercy Stingers baseball rockets to the head of the division with a winning weekend

• STEVEN MYERS control of the game. On Saturday, Concordia visited Following a fly ball out, Carleton for a double header and The Stingers won four out of five Haberman walked Emilio Pampena thanks to Emmanuel Hamel- games this past week, improving and was replaced by reliever Carey’s double duty delivery as their record to 10-3 and giving Anthony Carbone. A steady drizzle both batter and pitcher, the them sole possession of the and a temperature dipping into sin- Stingers held on for a 6-5 win in the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball gle digits left Carbone in need of first and scored 10 first inning runs Association Northern division. more than eight warm-up pitches. in the second game en route to yet He plunked the first batter, another mercy win, 17-1. Thursday Eddie Evans, on the ankle and then Hamel-Carey tossed six-plus The match began as a tale of two proceeded to walk four of the next innings of gutsy baseball, struck out southpaws. For the first four six batters he faced. By the time any nine Ravens and nearly completed innings, both starting pitchers semblance of control was regained, the game. Team captain Jason Katz breezed through the opposition’s the damage had been done. There came in with the tying and go- lineup as if they were on cruise con- was only one hit in the inning, but ahead runs on base and recorded trol. Stinger Alex Gagnon gracefully six walks and a “hit by pitch” result- the final out for the save. retired one over the minimum, ed in seven runs. Hamel-Carey not only picked up allowing two singles and striking It came as little surprise when the win, but smacked a solid run- out five. McGill’s David Haberman clean-up hitter Bamba walked in scoring single in the fifth inning was nearly as effective, surrender- the bottom of the sixth inning, driv- providing a necessary cushion to ing two hits, one run and fanning ing in the winning run of ensure victory. three. After four innings, Concordia Concordia’s 11-1 mercy-ruled tri- In the second game, after rack- led 1-0 in a classic pitcher’s dual. umph over cross-town rival McGill. ing up the points in the first inning, Things were not to remain that the Stingers emptied their bench, way. Saturday letting reserves play. In the top of the fifth, after tying When rookie and urban plan- “This is the strength of our The opposition must feel pretty intimidated with such solid hitters on the the game 1-1, McGill nearly took the ning major Justin Spagnolo team,” said Schwartz. “The reserves Stingers squad. PHOTO NICOLAS FAFARD lead. Outfielder Ahmed Bamba launched a wind-blown, two-run are always ready to play their part. fielded a solid single cleanly and homer in the second game of a dou- We are a team that battles regard- two hits and scored three runs. And rainy skies at Trudeau Park, threw a strike to catcher Tyler bleheader Saturday at Carleton, the less of the score.” the Northern League’s current RBI Concordia split a doubleheader Jadah, who applied the tag, ending Concordia bench gave this year’s In addition to Spagnolo’s king, Ahmad Bamba, added three against Ottawa. the inning and McGill’s rally in a ribbing recipient the “silent treat- “silent” four bagger, Daniel more giving him 16 on the season. close play that brought fans to their ment.” Bromberg made a rare start and Marc-Olivier Paul threw five Next up for the Stingers is a visit feet. “No one said a word to him,” drove in three runs. innings of five-hit ball to earn the to Pierrefonds and a game against The sixth inning, however, was manager Howard Schwartz The sizzling bat of Evans showed win in a game completed after five John Abbott on Sept. 30. The one McGill would probably like to explained. “It’s a form of initiation no signs of cooling off. The all-pur- innings because of the mercy rule. Stingers return home Oct. 1 to battle forget. The Redbirds literally lost that brings us all closer together.” pose second-year player collected On Sunday afternoon under against cross-town rival McGill.

2009-2010 General by-elections

The following positions will Applications for the positions General by-elections be open: must be posted one week Copy editor before the election in The Link office, Hall building, room H- Oct. 9, 2009 Sports editor 649. Applicants must have 4 p.m. H-649 Webmaster contributed to at least four (4) Student Press Liaison issues this semester as of Oct. The following people have contributed to at least The following people need one more contribution 2 and must include a one-page four issues this semester and are eligible to vote to be eligible to vote: and run for a masthead position: Barbara Pavone, Steven Masuch, Natasha Young, letter of intent, as well as three Jacques Balayla, Laura Beeston, Mathieu Biard, Christopher Curtis, Tom Llewellin Matthew Brett, Sebastien Cadieux, Madeline (3) contribution samples. Coleman, ginger coons, Ion Etxebarria, Elisabeth Faure, Terrine Friday, Justin Giovannetti, R. Brian For more information email: Hastie, Les Honywill, Elsa Jabre, Tristan LaPointe, Vivien Leung, Alex Manley, Steven Myers, Christopher [email protected] or Olson, Diego Pelaez Gaetz, Clare Raspopow, Shawna call 514-848-2424 ext.7407. Satz, Jessica Vriend, Evan LePage the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/opinions opinions 21 The Internet will never be the same Formerly popular website Geocities closes up shop

• TOM LLEWELLIN pop-up ads, moves that rumbled with the indigestion of discontent When Yahoo! announced that it throughout the site’s community would close down Geocities, the of users. Over the next decade the lovable, lumbering dinosaur of the site began to steadily decline in Internet, on Oct. 26, CNet’s head- page views and active users until it line on the matter read “The End reached its current status as a Of An Era.” graveyard of fuzzy memories and Geocities defined what the web naff animated things. was about for many of us who hun- However, Yahoo!’s actions kered down in our parents’ base- were a stern reminder that the site ments, armed with dial-up had yet to turn a profit even after modems and our cutting (or so we four years and millions of pages. thought) wit. We crafted opinion Their spiritual successors, sites, fan sites and the increasing- Facebook and Twitter, have yet to ly-scarce personal site. Geocities figure out how to make money off was the first build-your-own-web- of their own operations. Yola, a page service to capitalize on the recent upstart build-your-own- sudden influx of users and opin- webpage service that bills itself as ions that filled a brand new and “Geocities 2.0,” is very much up in rapidly-expanding World Wide Geocities has gone the way of the dinosaur. GRAPHIC VIVIEN LEUNG the air and the jury is still out over Web. whether Google Pages can build The Internet had existed as a tion away from the many obvious ago,” waxed a nostalgic poster on It was the first real itself up into something with any- cohesive network for many years pitfalls in entrusting publishing the ArsTechnica.com forums. where near as commanding a before, but the World Wide Web— and design neophytes to present All you have to do to scoff at democratized platform presence. giving us the ability to find, navi- their garish ramblings to the entire Geocities now is look at the slick for free expression that The Web 2.0 social networking gate and produce a nearly infinite world—but therein lay its great- façades and sophisticated levels of the Internet knew, a revolution has shaped the variety of web pages—only started ness. interaction possible with its suc- proto-blog for the Internet more into something that in earnest outside of academic cir- It was the first real democra- cessors, the Facebooks and we interact with directly and con- cles around 1994 when Geocities tized platform for free expression Myspaces of the world. However, people. stantly (rather than just consume exploded into the void as a gaggle that the Internet knew, a proto- Geocities was the first viable serv- passively). This arguably means of imitators followed. blog for the people. Irrespective of ice that attempted to tame the Like almost anything tech- that the very idea of build-your- Geocities captured the spirit of any reckless aesthetic choices, it wilds of the fresh-faced World related in the ‘90s, Geocities even- own-webpage services are hope- the times. The page-building tools was the closest thing to push-but- Wide Web into a cohesive commu- tually became the victim of its own lessly antiquated. were crude, the results were often ton publishing that anyone had nity without resulting to the success. Coming into existence in Yes, it’s progress, but it doesn’t retina-destroying and surfing the ever experienced. insipid soccer-mom blandness of its storied form just shy of match the feeling of carving out a sites was ear-shattering (if you The announcement to shut contemporaries like AOL. Christmas 1995, it became the niche basically from scratch, a were roped into the late-‘90s trend Geocities down spurred a wave of Geocities “communities” were web’s fifth most popular site a blank canvas. Sure, the canvas of using synthesized background nostalgia that swept the Internet, far more varied, with the site year and a half later and was sold ended up getting covered with music on every page). Animated with people recounting how it was divided into a number of “cities,” to Yahoo! for US$3.6 billion of neon text on neon backgrounds, GIFs leered at you and fluorescent a valuable, formative experiment hence its moniker. Each user was plump dot-com stock in October but it was uniquely yours and you type spelled out eternal truths. in design and prose in the post- graced with a kitschy numerical 1999. could do whatever you wanted Like the early Internet itself, it was modern, post-paper zine era. “address,” giving Bob’s Backstreet Soon after, its new overlords with it, as lord and master of your imbued with a heavy sprinkling of “Geocities started me on my Boys fan site the lofty appellation fumbled with a series of attempts little corner of the Internet. gee-whiz novelty that drew atten- web developer journey 10 years of, say, 3357 Hollywood Blvd. to monetize it with banner and The end of an era indeed. From intellectual sexpot to sovereigntist dreamer Remembering Arcan and Falardeau’s contributions to Quebecois culture

• LORNE ROBERTS Even while friends, colleagues and fel- with a porn-addicted, coke-head journalist that will forever define the Quebecois low artists line up to praise them, legitimate in Folle, she brought readers into a dark- nationalist movement during its glory days It’s hard to imagine more different per- questions remain over what kind of legacy ness that lay behind the ultra-hip façade of and its possible decline. sonalities than those of Pierre Falardeau they have left. young Montreal, even while her work main- Sadly, I wonder what their real and and Nelly Arcan, two giant figures of While Falardeau certainly made his tained a sliver of hope, an endless belief in enduring legacies will be. With Arcan, will Quebec culture who passed away last week; mark with films like Pea Soup, 15 février something better. it simply be an impression on generations Arcan, at age 35, from a suspected suicide 1839 and the iconic Elvis Gratton trilogy, Yet underneath this was a woman who of young (and mostly female) artists that in her Plateau apartment and Falardeau, it’s likely that, with support for an inde- lived much of the despair she wrote about, self-abuse and suicide are somehow glam- 62, of cancer at the Hotel de Dieu hospital. pendent Quebec in stasis, his vitriolic (one who friends say was obsessed with suicide, orous (God knows Sylvia Plath has already In their own way, each of them created a might even say xenophobic) body of work terrified of aging, and whose fake breasts created enough of those)? With Falardeau new, wholly original body of work that may not find a place in an increasingly mul- and collagen lips often attracted more and his obsession of identifying everyone future artists and thinkers will draw from: ticultural province. Despite having an attention than her work. he saw as the enemy of an independent Arcan with her desperate search for love impish smirk while saying it, it’s difficult to But in each case, they have both created Quebec, will his only legacy be to further and acceptance, captured in her heart- admire a man whose comment on the death something that will long outlive them. the lingering divide between two cultural breaking autobiographical novels; and of Pierre Trudeau was “Good riddance.” With Arcan, it was a series of novels that groups who, like it or not, are stuck here Falardeau with his provocative and ultra- With Arcan, her novels featured life in may one day take their place alongside the together for good? nationalist filmmaking and journalism that modern French-speaking Montreal with an works of other sorrowful and talented In each case, now that they’ve left us, I was an equally desperate search for some- honesty and insight that few writers of any Quebecois dreamers like Emile Nelligan can only hope their public images, with all one to hate or someone to blame for what generation can match. Between her explo- and Felix Leclerc. With Falardeau, it was a their unfortunate connotations, will neither he saw as the ongoing colonization of ration of life as a sex-trade worker in Putain long list of enemies and an even longer list tarnish nor outlive their important bodies Quebec. and the loneliness of a humiliating affair of admirers, not to mention a body of film of work. 22 opinions the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/opinions

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No Jews for Jesus Again, I would like to recommend that Jews gather a sense of how students feel about for Jesus ads should never, under any circum- topics such as core skill requirements upon On page six of the Sept. 15, issue, there’s stances, be run again. They have caused admission and graduation from Concordia, an ad for Jews for Jesus. Personally, I many problems for people of the Jewish faith different university GPA grading schemes, was offended by that ad and I will explain and we can’t have them promoting their evil plagiarism and perhaps your opinion on the why. deeds in any form of the mass media. Thank different DNE and DISC dates, for instance. In Jews for Jesus is an organization that seeks you for hearing me out. addition, the CSU is working on the chance to convert Jews to Christianity. In other words, —Mark E. David, for students to be able to nominate their pro- they basically steal people away from the Journalism fessors for a teaching award! Jewish religion, which is beyond wrong. As a whole, there are many academic The Link’s letters and opinions policy: The deadline I know The Link and other news publica- issues that concern each and every student Census time Corrections for letters is 4 p.m. on Friday before the issue prints. tions generate revenue through ads, and that and as your CSU VP Academic & Policy The Link reserves the right to verify your identity via they try to give a voice to everyone, but these Hello fellow Concordians! Reform, I have been mandated to sit on vari- On pg. 3 of the Sept. 22 issue of The telephone or email. We reserve the right to refuse let- people should never be given a voice. What I would like to take this opportunity to ous committees to represent student rights Link, part two of a series on the ters that are libellous, sexist, homophobic, racist or they are doing is beyond wrong and is down- make a call for student opinions, especially and interests. I am honoured that reaching Montreal milk bottle was announced. xenophobic. The limit is 400 words. If your letter is right offensive to us Jews. I’m Jewish myself, with regards to academic affairs. Within the out to you is a large part of my portfolio. Now Promised information was not forth- longer, it won’t appear in the paper. Please include and I’ve heard of these people before. Terrible next few weeks, you may be selected at ran- have your voice heard and stay tuned! coming as of press time. your full name, weekend phone number, student ID stuff, I tell you. I am not anti-Christian by any dom and be asked to answer a short survey —Helen Downie, Follow us on twitter @thelinknews- number and program of study. The comments in the stretch, but it really angers me to see that on academic issues. Concordia Student Union paper for updates. letters and opinions section do not necessarily reflect such an organization exists. In the meantime, I would like to personally VP Academic & Policy Reform those of the editorial board. THE 12 TH FLOOR Harel a divisive figure for all the wrong reasons

• MATTHEW BRETT from Quebec’s Anglophone media bastion, but criticisms like these severely detract If there is a spike in voter turnout during from issues of far greater pertinence to all the Montreal municipal elections this Nov. Montrealers. Certainly, language should be 1, it will be for all the wrong reasons. an issue in this city, but by no means should Voters are fracturing deeply along lin- it determine the outcome of a municipal guistic and federalist/separatist lines at the election. expense of issues that truly require address- The CTV debacle was likely the last nail ing in municipal politics. in the coffin for Harel’s electoral hopes The entry of Louise Harel into the may- amongst a sizable portion of the oral race was the catalyst of these divisions. Anglophone community. With only six per Labelled as unilingual because of her poor cent support from Anglophone voters English—a title she seems keen to foster by according to an Angus Reid poll published avoiding English-language debates—Harel last week, Harel has little chance of winning also served under the Parti Québécois for English hearts and minds. Even running a some 30 years. Her language and her poli- high-profile candidate like Brenda Paris tics make for an explosive mix in Montreal. seems like a long shot for Harel at this The Gazette columnist Don MacPherson point, but she continues to vie for a morsel rightly predicted sparks would fly when of the Anglophone vote. Harel threw her name into the race earlier As for Harel’s political leanings, this is this summer, with the headline: not the first time a high-level provincial “Unilingual sovereignist [sic] wants to be politician has jumped into municipal poli- mayor of bilingual, federalist Montreal.” tics. Incumbent Mayor Gérald Tremblay His crystal ball was well polished. held a seat in the National Assembly under In some respects, Harel is a blessing for former Liberal premier Robert Bourassa for Vision Montreal mayoral candidate Louise Harel. GRAPHIC VIVIEN LEUNG democracy in Montreal. Never in recent six years before wading into Montreal poli- garnering sharp condemnation from Richard Bergeron’s Project Montreal, even memory have municipal politics been such tics. Anglophone communities and others who if Bergeron’s platform is more appealing to a hot-button issue. That said, what should Having a former PQ minister serve as feared for their autonomy. some. be an election about infrastructure and mayor would likely be no different from Partially because of Harel’s failed merg- A strategic vote would be understand- social programs is fast turning into another having a former Liberal minister like er, it is difficult to distinguish between able if the decision was of relevance to Quebec referendum to the detriment of fed- Tremblay in office. The 20-odd provincial Anglos who dislike her because of her municipal politics, but city hall is no place eralist and separatist Montrealers alike. ridings that fall within the Ville de Montreal unilingualism, her politics or the forced to debate the merits of Quebec sovereignty. While the entry of Harel into the may- are largely held by the Charest Liberals at mergers. It’s quite likely that they dislike Third parties, to their detriment, have oral race was indeed the primary reason for the moment, with only seven seats taken by her for all of the above. essentially been excluded from a debate these divisions, blame should be shared the PQ. This may cause some awkward And while Harel’s entry into Montreal that has nothing to do with municipal poli- equally among her opponents and the handshakes if Harel is elected, but it would politics has certainly revived the municipal tics. press. hardly bring the city to a grinding halt. merger debate leading up to the election, it The campaign is incredibly divisive, but The Gazette came out guns blazing when Harel may even afford Montreal greater continues to go ignored in favour of attacks for all the wrong reasons. With one month Harel declined to take part in an English- clout in Quebec City. on Harel’s former employer and her diffi- to go before the Nov. 1 election, focus language debate on CTV news last week. It is not so much an issue that Harel culty speaking English. This is perhaps the should return to issues of greater conse- Their editorial this past Saturday accused worked with the PQ for so long; it’s what greatest shame, as there are still real bones quence to the citizens of Montreal. Here’s Harel of prejudice against Anglos, claiming she did while in office that irks so many vot- to pick on the municipal merger files. hoping it does. she views English Montrealers as nothing ers. The municipal merger debacle reared Harel has also likely polarized voter more than an “irritation.” If elected, the edi- its head in 2001 during Harel’s stint as intentions to the detriment of third-party Matthew Brett has covered the political torial claims, Harel will have nothing to municipal affairs minister under the PQ. hopefuls. Voters concerned with a Harel beat in and around Montreal since 2006. He offer English voters. Harel merged all of the municipalities on victory are more likely to vote strategically is currently working on a master’s degree in One can expect such a hard-line stance the island of Montreal into one mega-city, for Tremblay’s Union Montreal party than political science. the link • september 29, 2009 • thelinknewspaper.ca/opinions opinions 23

THE POP MONTREAL EDITION editorial • R. BRIAN “I JUST REALLY WANTED TO pzzlol SEE SOME WINGER” HASTIE 1 2 If you live here, 3 4 make your voice heard

5 A friend of mine told me a disturbing story the other day. She had been sitting with a close friend of hers, 6 bitching to him that she had heard she was not eligible to 78 vote in the coming municipal election because she hadn’t been living in her apartment for more than six months.

91011My friend was misinformed. As long as you register before Sept. 30 and can present a piece of photo ID and a piece of registered mail bearing your name and address, you’re good to go. But that’s beside the point. 12 As she voiced her woes to her friend, he informed her

13 that he was not going to vote, even though he was eligible crswrd under the (erroneous) conditions. My friend was shocked. 14 She asked him why he didn’t want to have his say in the 15 coming election. His answer was simple: he was just a 16 student. As someone who had moved to Montreal for school, he had no idea whether he’d be in the city too much longer. 17 Despite the fact that he has been living in this province 18 and in this city for the past six or so years, he didn’t real- 19 ly feel compelled to have a say. Like her, I was shocked when I heard this. I know that ACROSS as a student your future is largely undecided. You might 20 1. Concordia-located student-run end up going to grad school. You might get a great job in radio station that is putting on five 12 another city. You might just decide that it’s high time for showcases at the festival wussy mythical creature. BATMAN you to find a new locale. Who knows? But since when is 4. Venerable Krautrock band 16. The girl from Broken Social A H that a good reason not to take an interest in the world (y’know, the one that isn’t Can) Scene that isn’t Emily Haines. She’s R R 34 5. White Stripes mainman, one of also in Stars. Will also fight you for S E E around you? 56 three guitarists featured in one of the your spare change. Beware. VAMP I RE L Concordia University has over 39,000 graduate and z 78 BUS L A I

Film Pop selections 17. One of the main faces of the n undergraduate students. McGill has over 33,000 stu-

7. Semi-famous band from “weird punk” scene. I don’t even o H B C E dents. When you add the people attending UQAM and i 9 Hoboken, New Jersey. More like Sup, understand what a “weird punk” is, t JASMINE W Université de Montréal, the number of students in this u Stop Making Boring Indie Rock, apart from the term being an oxy- l D N S I 10 11 12

issue 6 city is legion. The idea that all of these people are sitting amirite? moron, really. I mean, have you ever o UFO NORTHPOLE s dumb, or blindly ignoring what’s going on, is terrifying. 9. Montreal-based technical grind met any “normal punx?” I think not. W A W S 13 Mayor Gérald Tremblay is jockeying for another term, band that’s playing on Sunday night. This is definitely a case of labelling STREETWALKERS True story: It all kinda sounds similar, things just for the sake of labelling I S L promising to clean up his cabinet recently sullied by the O disastrous water scandal and pushing for infrastructure like I took a bunch of Napalm Death things. 14 and threw it into a blender. Half the 18. Montreal noise rock heroes MUGG I NG improvements. time I’m not even sure if the entire whose name is slightly offensive to Louise Harel, a stalwart supporter of the failed mega- band is playing the same song, and some, yet hilariously indicative of the surroundings. was a subgenre of music before city, has promised to rescue our metropolis from what she that’s just the sad truth. nature of urban legends to others. 2. One little word (“Pepper”) and meeting this X-men-rific band. sees as years of mismanagement. 12. Stage name for Swede Karin 19. Canadian indie rock band they suddenly become mainstream 10. Japanese band big on atmos- Dark horse Richard Bergeron of Project Montreal is Dreijer Andersson. whose five-city residency made artists. Oh, and they also stalked pherics. Think Sigur Ros or advocating a “wake-up call” for the city and winning fans 13. Badass funk brotha who is not headlines. Playing Bar St. Laurent II R.E.M. for a better part of the 1980s. Explosions In The Sky, but sexier. to be messed with. I got an e-mail on Oct. 2. 3. Montreal-based pop-accentuat- 11. He’s all about making albums like Justice John Gomery (of the Gomery Inquiry) with warning me not to mess with him or 20. Godzilla + robot = this band ed band formed from the ashes of based on every state in the continen- his efforts. he’d throw his 7” releases at me. His (one word). multiple bands, including Donkey tal United States. Also has a pen- Do you believe them? Do you support them? Well it back-up band The Expressions will Heart. chant for wearing wings on-stage. doesn’t matter if you don’t vote. DOWN also throw down when needed. 6. Vancouver-based chamber pop 15. This Montreal DJ is teaming up I hear you. I hear you standing in line at Java U, chat- 14. Toronto-based electropop 1. Smallman recording artists who collective, helmed by Dan Bejar. with the former rhythm section whose ting on escalators on your way to class. I know that you band. Their name reminds me of a care greatly about their Canadian 8. I didn’t even know Tropicalismo biggest hit consisted of “Woman.” care that our highways and roads are falling apart. I know that the corruption, the construction and the incompe- tence bother you. I can’t tell you who to vote for, which candidate will Read it and weep BY TRAVIS DANDRO solve this city’s problems, but I can tell you that if you qualify to vote and choose not to, you lose your right to complain... about any of it. “I’m just a student” is a bullshit excuse and you know it. If you live in a city, it’s your city. If it’s your city, then you determine who runs it (assuming you do qualify to vote). So go to the Election Montreal website and find out how to register. Show up on Nov. 1 and make your mark. And then you can complain all you want.

—Clare Raspopow, Managing Editor