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editorial ® DECEMBER 03 2009

Editor-in-Chief: Cam Cotton-O’Brien 403-220-7752 [email protected]

News Editor: Katy Anderson 403-220-4318 [email protected] A note from the departed News Assistants: Noah Miller, Brent Constantin and Annalise Klingbeil

Entertainment: Jordyn Marcellus 403-220-4376 [email protected]

Sports: Jon Roe 403-220-2298 The queen is dead, long live the queen [email protected] Opinions: Ryan Pike 403-220-2298 [email protected]

Features: Sarelle Azuelos 403-220-4376 ood advice is worth re- help people get informed about [email protected]

peating twice — or more. the world they live in. Photography: Chris ‘Doc’ Pedersen 403-220-4376 When I fi rst got to uni- Being involved in the commu- [email protected] G Production: Ændrew Rininsland 403-220-2298 versity — aft er four and a half nity around you — on campus [email protected] years as a McManager, and a short that could be through the Stu- Illustrations: Jen Grond 403-220-2298 stint travelling — someone told dents’ Union, TriMedia or even [email protected] me that the best part of being a the Video Game Club — cre- Academic Probation: Brad Halasz 403-220-2298 student is that you’re allowed to ates empowerment to help [email protected] make mistakes. make the changes to the things Three Lines Free: Meagan Meiklejohn 403-220-2298 [email protected] From the $2,300 worth of we all complain about. As class sizes Business Manager: Evelyn Cone 403-220-7380 dropped classes to the countless grow and the province attempts to [email protected] published typos I’ve made (I’m backtrack on their promise that Advertising Manager: John Harbidge 403-220-7751 sorry dear, sweet readers) I’ve re- tuition would be linked to infl a- [email protected] Graphic Artist: Ken Clarke 403-220-7755 alized how true this is. If I hadn’t tion, students should take care [email protected] stumbled up those long stairs to to guard their quality of educa- Network Manager: Ben Li the Gauntlet offi ce as a disoriented tion. It’s not hard, pay attention to Contributors fi rst-year, I would never have got- your Students’ Union, who speaks Emily Ask • Isaac Azuelos • Trevor Bacque ten to where I am today — agoniz- for you to the government, watch Amy Badry • Laura Bardsley • Chris Blatch Allison Cully • Nicole Dionne • Allison Drinnan ing over what clichéd advice I can what administration says and then Jordan Fritz • Savannah Hall • Rhiannon Kirkland Cailynn Klingbeil • Richard Lam • Sierra Love impart as deadline creeps closer what they actually do and vote — Eric Mathison • Matt McGuigan • Ayla Musial Kim Nursall • Daniel Pagan • Carey Puglak and closer and getting ready to at the very least. Kimberley Richards • Rob Siewert • Alastair Starke quit (or “pause” as my mom pre- At risk of losing what little re- Sydney Stokoe • Chris Tait • Alicia Ward • Andy Williams fers me to say) school to work as spect you may have had for me, Golden Spatula Volunteer D, who is great. an overworked/underpaid jour- the young Aerosmith fan in me Furor Arma Ministrat nalist in a new city. (and the realization that as this is Room 319, MacEwan Students’ Centre But, seriously, university is the my last student “journalist” piece, University of Calgary 2500 University Drive NW time to try everything you can I’ll never get away with this many Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 General inquiries: 403-220-7750 think of, from how much Den beer ry about the mess you make later. adventures I’ve had are the ones clichés again) can’t help but say http://thegauntlet.ca you can drink while still standing And, what doesn’t kill you . . . that have popped up along the life’s a journey, not a destination. The Gauntlet is the offi cial student newspaper of the University of Calgary, published most Thursdays throughout the year by the to attempting that bazillion-page Having a plan is a great way to way. I never planned on being a Gauntlet Publications Society, an autonomous, incorporated body. Membership in the society is open to undergraduate students at the research paper on the thing that make sure you rise above your lazy writer, but as a poli-sci kid, the one Katy Anderson U of C, but all members of the university community are encouraged to contribute. Opinions contained herein are those of the individual interests you most — you can wor- self, at least for me, but the best thing I knew I wanted to do was News Editor writers, and do not necessarily represent the views of the entire Gauntlet staff. Editorials are chosen by the majority of the editorial board. The Gauntlet is a forum open to all U of C students but may refuse any submission judged to be racist, sexist, homophobic, libelous, or containing attacks of a strictly personal nature. We reserve the right to edit for brevity. Grievances regarding the Gauntlet Congrats to new News Editors Brent Constantin and Noah Miller! They’ll start in 2010! follow a three-step process which requires written decisions from the Editor, the GPS Board of Directors, and the Ombudsboard. The complete Grievance Policy is online at: http://thegauntlet.ca. The Gauntlet is printed on recycled paper and uses departure-based Farewell, Katy! The Gauntlet wishes you well in all your future endeavours! ink. We urge you to recycle/move the Gauntlet to Vancouver.

Letter Policy Letters must be typed, double-spaced and received by Monday at 4 p.m., and must include the author’s name, student ID number, telephone number and signature. Letters will not be printed if they include attacks of a strictly personal nature, statements that discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or sexual orientation, or libelous or defamatory material. All letters should be addressed to “Editor, the Gauntlet,” and be no longer contents than 300 words. The Gauntlet retains the right to edit submissions. Letters can be delivered or mailed to the Gauntlet offi ce, Room 319 cover MacEwan Students’ Centre, or sent by email to [email protected]. The Cover The holiday season is almost upon us! Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chuanukah, Tet, Photo by Chris Tait (below); design by Chris Pedersen Kwanzaa or any other holiday, the Gauntlet wishes you a great winter break. See you in 2010! news features opinions entertainment

News Editor Katy Ander- Alternative medicine isn’t all vi- Christmas shopping! Cine- Calgary’s all ages venue son’s last news section ever, tamin water and sweat lodges. matography! Islamophobia! crunch, the decade in review page 4. Nicole Dionne argues in fa- Google! By gosh, we got a and the Gauntlet’s gift guide. vour of increased regulations, lot of stuff here, page 13. Also, more CD reviews than page 11. you can shake a stick at start- ing on page 25.

Dinos lose Vanier Cup, Sports is on page 19. TLFs are on page 29. Comics are on page 30. Only 5 weeks until next issue! 4 DECEMBER 03.09 GAUNTLET Editor: Katy Anderson—[email protected] news Education needs to fi ght for its freedom Trevor Bacque and integrity continue to this day. Gauntlet News Anne Stalker, Th e University of Calgary Faculty Association president, says the heart n a world where misinformation, politi- of any university should be research and ex- cal corruption, war and other social prob- ploration. Ilems exist, the academy is seen in many “Research is about the thing itself, not the ways as a bastion of free speech and thought goal,” she said. — where unbiased research exists for its own Stalker feels universities are dogged by sake. many problems today, including a lack of Th us we enter into the world of academic government money for research. freedom and all its many facets. Th e scant government funding ushers pri- Academic freedom is the life-blood of vate companies into the fray. Th ese business- modern universities. It is the right to teach, es off er to bankroll research which has caused learn, study and publish free of orthodoxy or its fair share of moral dilemmas. threat of reprisal and/or discrimination. Th is “Researchers have had to scramble money Gauntlet fi le photo freedom includes the right to criticize the from wherever they can,” said John Baker, university and the right to participate in its Faculty Association president Anne Stalker says a lack of government research fund- CAUT treasurer and U of C philosophy pro- governance. Tenure provides a foundation for ing has pushed private companies into the fray, a fact that can lead to moral dilemmas. fessor. academic freedom by ensuring that academic Baker pointed the fi nger at pharmaceuti- staff cannot be dismissed without just cause His organization deals with issues on a a way of resolving disputes.” cals citing research funded by such compa- and rigourous due process, according to the case-by-case basis and most problems are re- CAUT currently has 65,000 members nies which have skewed results in the past. Canadian Association of University Teachers. solved before they reach his doorstep. amongst the 121 colleges and universities it “It’s a subtle interference.” CAUT executive director James Turk says “[Universities] have grievance arbitration represents across Canada, and it continues to While the interference may be hard to de- the organization is a defender of academic procedures [and] clear, concise language set grow. tect, it can a have massive impact, such was freedom. up as well to avoid these kinds of things.” Beginning in 1951, the organization saw the case with University of Toronto professor “Th e only way we make advances as a soci- Th e research heavy University of Calgary it’s fi rst case of academic freedom being im- Nancy Oliveri. ety is advancing knowledge and by being able impresses Turk with the steps it has taken to pinged in 1958 when Winnipeg’s United Col- Th e highly publicized case of Oliveri who, to question, criticize, evaluate, judge,” he says. ensure academic freedom is maintained. lege professor Harry Crowe was dismissed for aft er being funded by pharmaceutical compa- “Discussion is not to be shut down because “[Th e] University of Calgary’s Faculty As- comments made in a private letter to a col- ny Apotex, discovered that her sponsor had a it off ends somebody in power.” sociation is one of the strongest in the coun- league. drug which may be harmful to people. Th e former University of Toronto profes- try. Th ey have [a] good collective agreement CAUT consulted their southern counter- She wanted to make her fi ndings public, sor says this always creates problems and can and in the event it’s violated they have griev- parts, the American Association of University but Oliveri’s deal with the drug company alienate certain individuals or people groups. ance and arbitration procedures so they have Professors, and eff orts to preserve freedom see Freedom, page 8 Tuition hike to protect cap: minister SU governance change on track Brent Constantin for increases in tuition in order to at NAIT — well that ain’t happening.” Th e structure of the University of Cal- the SLC on Tue., Dec. 8. If the review passes News Assistant refl ect the real-world cost of off ering Tuition has been capped at annual gary Students’ Union is one step closer to a second reading, the balance of the break be- specifi c programs as well as recoup increases tied to infl ation since 2006 big change. Th e Students Legislative Council tween fall and winter semesters will be spent Students that got an unwelcome costs involved in many school’s in- in regulation not set to expire until voted overwhelmingly Tuesday in favour of a reviewing the SU’s existing bylaws and up- surprise two weeks ago when they creasing defi cits. 2016, but Horner said in order to motion restructuring the SU. dating them within the guidelines of the new heard the Alberta Government Soon aft er news came that the Uni- maintain the cost of the majority of Th e current SLC is comprised of the presi- structure. According to Brocke, the nature would be allowing post-secondary versity of Alberta was considering up programs tuition in certain faculties dent, four vice-presidents and 16 commis- of the bylaw updates will be determined by institutions to raise tuition are being to 60 per cent increases in some of may have to rise. sioners, each working for one of the four how much the new structure allows them to told their fears may be unfounded. their professional faculties and that “In my view, in order to protect VPs. Under the proposed new structure, the change — some sections will merely update Advanced Education and Technol- NAIT had proposed a 40 per cent in- the cap we need to make sure people SLC would instead eliminate commissioners wording, while more outdated portions may ogy minister Doug Horner said re- crease to all programs in their business aren’t coming at us and say[ing] ‘well, and replace them with a representative num- be subject to a larger rewrite. ports of huge tuition increases across plan, minister Horner said that, as of the whole thing was wrong, you didn’t ber of faculty representatives from across the Th e amended bylaws are expected to re- the board are the furthest thing from now, he has received no proposals for start from the right base,’ ” explained university. At present, faculty representatives ceive fi rst reading Tue., Jan. 12, and second his ministry’s mind and are the result hikes and that the numbers from the Horner. “If a strong argument can be are elected to the SU’s Student Academic As- reading Th u., Jan. 14, with the goal of having of the media. U of A are the result of students. made that we didn’t have it right in sembly, but do not have a vote at SLC. the new governance structure and bylaws fi - In mid-November the govern- “We’ve already turned some things 2004 [when tuition was frozen] we’re Vice-president operations and fi nance nalized prior to the annual general election ment announced they would allow away,” Horner said. “Th ere was dis- open to look at it, but that in no way Joey Brocke said the next step for the gov- in the spring. post-secondary institutions to apply cussion about 40 per cent increases is an approval.” ernance review is the second reading before ..Ryan Pike

What was the biggest issue Alberta Post-Secondary students faced in 2009? Why? campus quips

“Increased tuition “Swine fl u. It sucks “Money. Tuition is “Housing. Having to costs, probably.” when you’re sick. always going up and pay for housing and – Mike It’s hard to do well jobs are hard to get.” school . . . is a lot.” Montgomery, when you’re sick.” – Allison Miller, – Delphine second-year - Tyler Mcdonough, fi ft h-year Nzojibwami, chemistry fi rst-year biology humanities fi ft h-year linguistics

Interviews: Alicia Ward, Photographs: Rhiannon Kirkland GAUNTLET NEWS DECEMBER 03.09 5 TED breaks A student chance for a living wage ground in Calgary

In 1984, a conference was held bringing Cailynn Klingbeil together great thinkers from the areas of Gauntlet News technology, entertainment and design to talk about their work. wage subsidy program en- Since then TED has become a nonprofi t couraging students to pur- organization with the goal of giving a stage Asue career-related summer to “ideas worth spreading.” employment was incredibly well re- Conferences are now held all over the ceived, with 160 University of Cal- world and a number of other projects have gary students gaining support. been started, including TEDTalks, which dis- Th e Student Work Experience tribute many ground-breaking and inspira- Enrichment Program funded stu- tional presentations over the internet. Now dents working in an area related to TED has launched a new initiative called their studies this summer that paid TEDx that focuses on helping communities less than $15 an hour. organize their own independent confer- “I’m used to going and working ences. Calgary will be hosting its own ver- in construction for the summer,” sion called TEDxYYC on Feb. 26, 2010. As of said SWEEP recipient Matt McDon- yet, the list of speakers and the venue for the ald. “[SWEEP] made it more fi nan- event have not been announced. cially viable for me to just focus on For more info visit tedxyyc.com or ted. research.” com. SWEEP was introduced by the ..Nicole Dionne Students’ Union in February 2009 to allow students to pursue summer employment in the area of their ac- Marginalized ademic or career aspirations. Eligible students had to fi ll out Chris Pedersen/the Gauntlet caught in a cycle an application to receive the sub- Student Work Experience Enrichment Program recipient Matt McDonald credits the program with sidy, which provided a top-up to an helping him decide his future in mathematics. Provincial governments are looking at hourly wage of $15. ways to increase enrollment for people in McDonald, in his fi nal semester research, but many students can’t “I loved it, it was amazing,” Jovic “Th at’s fi ne, but it doesn’t give you society’s margins. of an applied math degree, credits pursue such opportunities because said. experience related to your studies.” Rural, aboriginal and disabled students his summer work experience with the compensation over the summer “If I hadn’t got [SWEEP funding] Kingston explained the SWEEP have a signifi cantly lower percentage of high- determining his future. is not enough to off set the cost of I would have got a job working program was incredibly well re- school graduates attending post-secondary “It’s ultimately why I decided to university during the year. something random just to pay the ceived and fi lled up fast. Applica- schools, according to Ontario’s Knowledge do a masters degree in what I’m go- “We hoped that by topping off bills, as I’ve done in previous years. tions stopped being accepted once Economy Report. ing to do it in, with who I’m going their pay that these academically “Th is makes it possible for stu- the funding limit had been reached. Th e report acknowledges the economic to be supervised by,” he said. desirable employment opportuni- dents to do the type of work that’s About $400,000 was spent on the impact of post-secondary education and “I was coming up to graduation ties would become fi nancially fea- going to help them in their ca- program, through the SU Quality urges the Ontario government to consider with so many looming questions. sible,” she said. reers.” Money Initiative. increasing funding for low-income students. But spending four months in that SWEEP recipient Mia Jovic spent McDonald echoed such senti- An application to continue the In Calgary, St. Mary’s University College, environment allowed me to answer her summer working for a doctor in ments, saying that most students funding has been submitted and Ambrose University College and the Univer- those questions.” the faculty of medicine at the Foot- he knows go to school for eight the SU will know in March if the sity of Calgary sponsor a program that off ers SU President Charlotte Kingston hills Medical Centre, setting up a months and then get an unrelated program will continue. Applica- free, university-level courses to low-income said the SU oft en advocates open- health nutrition program at a hos- job for four in order to make as tions will be accepted shortly aft er adult learners. ing positions for undergraduate pital in the Dominican Republic. much money as possible. if it does. ..Amy Badry 6 DECEMBER 03.09 GAUNTLET NEWS Crowd control device called ‘disturbing’ Emily Ask plans to use the LRAD for communication Gauntlet News purposes only. However, the BCCLA is still criticizing the VPD for purchasing a weapon he Vancouver Police Department pur- without consulting the Police Board. chased a Long Range Acoustic Device Yet while the BCCLA calls it a weapon, the Tjust in time for the 2010 Olympics. LRAD is marketed as a communication de- Many, including the British Columbia Civil vice, so it is unclear whether the VPD crossed Liberties Association, are concerned about any lines. police using the crowd control device as a McMullen acknowledged that crowd con- weapon on protesters. trol may be needed if a protest gets out of Th e American Technology Corporation de- hand, but thinks police may be too eager to veloped the LRAD in response to a request by try out their new high-tech purchase. the U.S. Navy aft er an attack in 2000 when al- “Our concern with the LRAD, as opposed to Qaida terrorists approached the USS Cole in a things like tear gas and rubber bullets, is that fi shing boat off the coast of Yemen and set off it might be seen as a gentler alternative and explosives, killing 17 American soldiers. Chris Pedersen/the Gauntlet used more readily by police — as we’ve seen Robert Putnam, Media and Investor Rela- The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association is concerned Vancouver police will use the with Tasers. tions for American Technology Corporation, Long Range Acoustic Device as a weapon during the 2010 Olympics. “[Police use Tasers] where you could nev- explained the LRAD can send clear communi- er imagine using a fi rearm . . . Where other cation up to three kilometres away by concen- Pittsburgh, it’s been used off the coast of So- China, France, Norway and many other Eu- crowd control [techniques] would not be trating sound waves into a 30–60 degree beam. malia to repel pirates, in Chechnya by Rus- ropean countries. Outside of the navy, the used, where you would never imagine shoot- Compared to the low quality sound of a blow- sian forces and . . . by China to repress pro- LRAD is used by the military, law enforcement ing off pepper spray or tear gas . . . people horn, which only reaches up to 20 yards, due to tests. We feel that though it could be used as and wildlife preservation, among other orga- would still use the LRAD . . . just because [it] sound dispersing in 360 degrees, this is a sig- an address system, it’s a weaponized system nizations. Its high-pitched tone can disperse may be slightly less risky.” nifi cant technological improvement, he said. and its ability to be used against protesters is large crowds and deter birds from windfarms, McMullen continued to say that, despite BCCLA spokesperson Greg McMullen is quite disturbing,” he said. tailings ponds and vineyards. the ATC’s claim, the BCCLA has received re- concerned about the concentrated sound- Putnam denied claims that the LRAD Putnam said he has not heard of any sig- ports of the LRAD causing blurred vision, dis- waves and high-pitched tones, and the LRAD’s caused blackouts or impaired vision, but did nifi cant problems with the device and that the orientation and vomiting — not to mention potential use as a weapon. say that proximity to the device and volume groups who have used the LRAD have report- the risk of permanent hearing damage. “Th ere are well documented cases of [the could play a role in hearing damage like any ed it to be effi cient for their purposes. Th e LRAD purchase increased the BCCLU’s LRAD] being used as a weapon. We’ve seen other public address system. Th e Vancouver Police Department an- concerns about the limiting of freedom of it used most recently at the G20 protests in Th e LRAD can be found in places like Chile, nounced that it has disabled the tone and see LRAD, page 8 GAUNTLET NEWS DECEMBER 03.09 7 U of C unveils STEALTH ski technology Kimberly Richards are pretty averse to trying new training. It’s very incremental,” he Gauntlet News things,” he said. said. STEALTH is exclusively for the Lachapelle stressed that a 100th top-secret gadget devel- Canadian ski team, but the research of a second or a centimetre or two oped at the University of group is thinking about making it could make all the diff erence in in- ACalgary’s Schulich School commercial. ternational competition. of Engineering has enhanced the “It’s a very limited market,” said Th is past weekend, Canadian training of the country’s best skiers Lachapelle. skier Manuel Osborne-Paradis won in preparation for the 2010 Olym- “It’s a matter of looking at other the opening World Cup Super G at pic Winter Games. implications, and other sports Lake Louise. Th e Sensor for the Training of where it could be useful.” Austrians Benjamin Raich and Elite Athletes, or STEALTH, is a GPS/ Lachapelle has other projects to Michael Walchhofer were second GLONASS-based system that helps assist the ski team that are still un- and third, while Canadians Erik alpine skiers perfect their technique der wraps. Guay and Robbie Dixon placed and route or line selection, to get He said the research team was fourth and fi ft h. down a slope in the fastest, most ef- always afraid that someone around It was believed to be the fi rst time fi cient manner. the world would beat them to it. He Canada has put three men into the “We are the only one who has noted that even if other countries top fi ve of a World Cup Super G this technology in the world,” re- Chris Pedersen/the Gauntlet reproduced STEALTH before the event. vealed Gérard Lachapelle, Canada Researchers, from right, Aiden Morrison, Gerard Lachapelle and Richard Olympics, it would now be too late. “We have a good team,” com- Research Chair/iCORE Chair in Ong show off their new secret ski technology developed at the U of C. “It’s not something you suddenly mented Lachappelle. “Canada has Wireless Connection, and head of have, and instantly improve. It re- an excellent chance to do very well the Position, Location and Naviga- training with it since 2007. very valuable for them, that’s not quires a great deal of testing and [at the Olympics].” tion Group at the Schulich School Th e agreement with Own the Po- an issue. With traditional meth- of Engineering. dium expired, and STEALTH went ods they use time coding systems Lachapelle, along with graduate public with the project last Th urs- so they can only measure at certain students Richard Ong and Aiden day. points, but this is continuous so Morrison, designed STEALTH. Th e system includes a small sen- they can get a much more refi ned STEALTH is a partnership be- sor worn on a skier’s belt which measurement of performance of tween the Schulich School of Engi- tracks the speed and position of the skis and skiers,” said Lachapelle. neering, Alpine Canada Alpin and athlete down the mountain. When Th e unit is only 280 grams, but Own the Podium, a winter sport the run is played back later on a the weight is still an issue. Morrison technical program designed to help monitor — using STEALTH’s Alpine is considering ways to reduce the Canada become the No. 1 nation in GNSS Graphics soft ware — coach- weight. total medal count at the 2010 Win- es and skiers are able to evaluate Th e biggest challenge is convinc- ter Olympics. where they can fi nd more speed on ing the coaches and the skiers that STEALTH has been in the works the course. trying new technology is worth- for three years. Th e Canadian “When the system works well, the while, said Ong. men’s alpine ski team have been type of continuous data they get is “Some of the skiers and coaches 8 DECEMBER 03.09 GAUNTLET NEWS LRAD, cont’d Freedom, continued from page 4 from page 6 included a clause which stated the legal action against her. costs, despite inevitable problems. While adding to his keen sense expression at the Olympics. Mc- results would be released to Apotex Th is is known as academic stalk- Th e U of C has had two high-pro- of academic justice, Turk makes Mullen said Vancouver police and for at least one year and the com- ing and such scandals have caused fi le inquiries of academic freedom it clear research must be shown various Olympic committees have pany threatened legal action. people to question who and what in its history, according to CAUT’s regardless of its outcome or reper- been given too much power and Oliveri, who worked at Toronto’s to believe anymore when private website. cussions, a reason why tenure ex- that many unnecessary bylaws have Hospital for Sick Children, was companies play such a leading role Dr. Aleksandra Vinogradov of ists. been passed. stripped of her responsibilities at in research. the civil engineering department Tenure appointments happen af- McMullen said many of the by- the hospital. Oliveri turned to the “Th at totally undercuts the idea and George Abouna of the faculty ter a six-year probationary period laws would not stand up against U of T — which was in negotiations of autonomy,” said Stalker, who adds of medicine both had rubs with ac- and, if accepted, individuals fi nd a challenge under the Charter of with Apotex for a multimillion dol- the distrust in science is growing. ademic freedom during their time themselves with a serious form of Rights and Freedoms, however they lar donation to the school — which “You see it coming out with these at the U of C. job security where they can only were passed so quickly that the BC- did not intervene. fl u vaccines, people start to ques- Abouna says he was unjustly be fi red if there are severe circum- CLA had no time to launch one be- CAUT was concerned that such tion whether it’s valid because they treated in regards to his contract stances. fore the Olympics. actions were in violation of aca- recognize there are vested interests non-renewal in 1978. “People have to demonstrate they “We’ve seen friends of people demic freedom and stepped in, ex- engaged.” Vinogradov’s case centred are very deserving of [tenure] be- planning protests getting visits from onerating her name and leading to Stalker fi rmly believes there have around her treatment as a candidate fore they get it,” says Turk. the Vancouver Integrated Security her eventual reinstatement. to be people without personal agen- to teach in the civil engineering de- You cannot be a functioning re- Unit teams to ask them, ‘What ex- To this day, according to Baker, das involved to ensure unbiased, partment and involved discrimina- searcher or professor unless you actly do your friends have planned every time Oliveri gives a speech free research. tion and misleading information. have academic freedom at the uni- for protests during the Olympics?’ an Apotex representative is pres- University autonomy is some- Both instances sparked caut in- versity level, according to Baker. We’ve just seen a lot of techniques ent and within a day the com- thing that organizations like TUCFA tervention, something Turk says the “Th is is why tenure is so impor- that don’t seem to line up with Can- pany will have again threatened and CAUT strive to preserve at all organization doesn’t hesitate to do tant.” ada’s democratic values, we’re not if necessary. His summation of academic free- setting the example that we should “People shouldn’t have to be dom includes seeking truth, under- be, and really it seems we’re follow- afraid,” he said. standing objectivity and being as ing the example of Beijing.” “Th e history of the university is free of bias as possible. McMullen said the BCCLU will a place where all things can be ex- “It’s very diffi cult to do that, but fi ght against any extension of the amined.” that’s the duty.” bylaws past the end of the Olympics. GAUNTLET NEWS DECEMBER 03.09 9 2009 Students’ Union midterm reviews President Charlotte Kingston

If the Students’ Union were com- — and aft er fi ve years covering the ment that Alberta’s post-secondary average student. prised of alcoholic beverages, they SU, that’s more than I can say for institutions can apply to raise tu- With VP academic Meg Martin, would be lucky to have a sophisti- past presidents. ition past the 1.5 per cent that the Kingston got the General Faculties cated, vintage glass of wine at their Kingston’s experience outside of province had promised, that dis- Council to realize they did not have helm. Like a good shiraz, president the University of Calgary’s SU — she cussion has changed and Kingston a teaching and learning document Charlotte Kingston is aged (experi- was the University of Lethbridge will largely be judged on how she included in their long-term plan, a enced), strong and has a kick. SU’s vice-president academic — has captures and represents the feeling win that can’t hurt teaching quality Kingston’s greatest strength is given her a refreshing outlook on of students — at least the ones that at our research-focused institution. her strong speaking skills. Th at, the role of a students’ union, and as are paying attention. In the new year the SU execu- paired with her intimate knowl- such she’s been a voice of reason in SU elected officials gave over- tive face the potential abolition edge of how Alberta’s post-sec- the SU’s governance review, a pro- whelmingly positive feedback of of the Quality Money initiative, a ondary system works, makes her posal that will drastically change Kingston’s tenure, pointing to her new incoming president and the a potent advocate for students. the organization’s structure. broad knowledge of the U of L fall out from class sizes — despite When media wants to hear what Kingston — who started off in and the University of Alberta as a faculty hiring freeze, a reported the U of C’s student body is think- the U of C’s SU as an external com- being an asset for the organiza- 1,500 extra students were admitted ing, they go to our SU president, missioner — and her execs got an tion. She is both supportive of her in September — with Kingston in and with Kingston in charge, early start on tuition consultation vice-presidents and accessible charge, students are in good hands. students can be comfortable that this year, beginning the discussion not only to commissioners and Pay attention. someone else is speaking for them in September. With the announce- faculty representatives, but to the ..Katy Anderson

VP academic Meg Martin

Megan Martin is a tall, so- project that has plagued the po- initiative, which will be shared members dropped out, CRAM phisticated Martini, defi nitely a sition for years, is slowly grow- shortly. Quality Money is one became eff ectively defunct. As little more stirred than shaken. ing in popularity. Aft er promis- of the few ways that the SU gets a national roundtable, it isn’t Students’ Union vice-president ing clubs that they wouldn’t lose fi nancial support from the uni- Martin’s personal responsibility academic Martin, clearly the their largest source of income, versity to better the quality of to keep it afl oat, but expensive original and always a classic, has and calming professors’ fears of student life. textbooks are a detriment to all had a lot thrown her way these exam security with a soft ware Martin works well with other students. past few months. purchase, the bank should fi nal- members of the SU and has ef- Overall, Martin has done a On top of trying to make sense ly open in January. fectively delegated projects. fantastic job at balancing her of the academic appeals process Martin’s achievements also However, Martin has dropped campaign promises and issues and representing students in the include holding her promise the ball on one important proj- that recently arose. How she upcoming learning plan that the to communicate more with the ect started last year. Th e Cana- handles the faculty of arts amal- university is putting together, Board of Governors. Martin dian Roundtable of Academic gamation will be a testament to Martin is polishing up projects and the SU president have put Materials lobbied on reducing her performance as VP academ- started by predecessors. together a presentation try- the high cost of textbooks across ic. Th e Online Exam Bank, a ing to save the Quality Money Canada, yet aft er some key ..Sarelle Azuelos

VP external Kay She

Kay She is the raspberry which has attracted hundreds increase the awareness of the dent Charlotte Kingston takes long island iced tea of the Stu- of letters directed towards the student body to the external point on many of the external dents’ Union executive; sum- government from U of C stu- issues that aff ect them, as well related areas. Th e SU is cur- mery, fun and occasionally dents in opposition to tuition as providing fodder for VP She rently planning for another seen in sororities. changes, have been success- when interacting with govern- awareness event at the end of Th e vice-president external ful, but it’s unclear the level of ment offi cials. January involving high-school has the unfortunate situation involvement She had in them Th e VP admits that second- students. I hope that She is of being in offi ce during the other than attending. ary suites in the city, another heavily involved in this proj- provincial government’s ero- Revamping the SU Tent City campaign area, are not moving ect, and pushes others on cam- sion of the tuition fee cap and, event, one of Kay’s platform along quite as fast as she would pus to energize students before despite her other initiatives, promises, has been a highpoint have liked, and she is still in the end of her term. Th e worth will be largely judged on her for her. Previously focused on the process of setting up meet- of She’s second semester will ability to represent student in- aff ordable housing (a holdover ings with aldermen. rest in being able to galvanize terests during this time. from the low vacancy rates She has been described as students on the issue of tuition Events like A Recession of the boom), She shift ed the not seeming as busy as other increases. Era Education, and the on- theme to student debt levels. members of the executive, ..Brent Constantin line letter writing campaign, Events like this are needed to and it seems that SU presi- 10 DECEMBER 03.09 GAUNTLET NEWS 2009 Students’ Union midterm reviews continued

VP events Kat Lord

If Kat Lord were a drink, has been a big focus for her. ers such as Gwynne Dyer and ers’ talents where they fi t best. she’d be Red Bull and Jag — While platform prom- new weekly events like Yoga Th is does have its drawbacks; she’s bold, brash and full of ises such as a chilli cook off in the Space. as one commissioner points energy. and an old school science Some events have failed out, the events commission Lord has had a busy year fair have yet to take place, to attract a wide crowd, and tends to work separately, and is responsible for a num- Lord says she’s focussed her Lord said certain shindigs rather than as a team. ber of fi rsts in her role as Stu- attention on what students haven’t seen the same success Lord has a bold speaking dents’ Union vice-president actually want and need on as last year. Lord says she’s at style and personality and ad- events — the events calendar campus. a loss for what more she can mits she’s outspoken and lacks made it into the student agen- Lord should be applauded do, as the events team is us- a political correctness moni- da, and this year’s Welcome for trying to host events that ing a variety of resources such tor. She’s been called intimi- Week targeted returning stu- appeal to a variety of stu- as social media to market dating and has a her-way-or- dents, not only new students. dents, not just the 18-to-24- events. the-high-way quality about Lord says collaboration with year-old crowd, evidenced Lord is skilled at delegating her. student groups on campus by the SU bringing in speak- tasks, and uses commission- ..Annalise Klingbeil

VP operations and fi nance Joey Brocke

If alcoholic beverages could mary goal and he is getting ’er project Brocke has also been work on improved communi- morph into Students’ Union done. Th e fi rst part of the year committed to other heavy tasks cation with clubs, he has at least executives, than a double Jack saw Brocke dive into the major such as the MacEwan Student maintained the status quo. ’n’ coke would likely become issues with planning, informa- Centre renovations, specifi cally Nevertheless, with his heavi- Joey Brocke. tion gathering and prelimi- the new clubs space, the inte- er projects coming to their cul- Strong, concentrated and nary discussions. As a result gration of the old CJSW space mination, Brocke will have the leagues diff erent than the com- you can really taste the Joey and a redesign of the outdated chance to water down his drink mon rum counterpart, Brocke Daniels in governance review. SU website. a bit and refocus on the other brings some serious can-do An almost overwhelming Th e only downfall to being facets of his job. powerhouse to the vice-pres- amount of his opinions have fi lled with so many heavy proj- Brocke’s work ethic mixed ident operations and fi nance been refl ected in the review, ects is that it leaves Brocke with with the sweet success his position. but if Tuesday’s fi rst vote was less room for some of the sweet projects are enjoying is some- Even if it isn’t the most deli- any indication, that isn’t nec- stuff , namely clubs and funding thing a lot of students could cious project to down, gover- essarily a bad thing. models. Th ough Brocke admits get used to liking. nance review has been his pri- Alongside this colossus of a he hasn’t had the chance to ..Noah Miller GAUNTLET DECEMBER 03.09 11 features Editor: Sarelle Azuelos—[email protected]

The use of Story: Nicole Dionne complementary and Photos: Geoff MacIntosh of menopause has been studied in alternative treatments. Echinacea research is pursued, whereas a pop- alternative medicine is clinical trials, however, preliminary extracts for colds, yoga for fatigue, ular whim can get funding almost studies by the Women’s Health Ini- shark cartilage for arthritis, ginkgo instantly. Th is vested public interest tiative ended earlier than planned in biloba for memory and hundreds also means that the results from such an increasingly popular, 2002 when it became apparent the of other claims were tested to see if studies are usually prone to being health risks out-weighed the ben- they truly had any eff ect. What did labeled as “inconclusive” when the but dangerous trend. efi ts. Further research showed es- they fi nd? Not much. Apparently, evidence suggests a placebo eff ect is trogen was helpful, but only in very ginger capsules may help with nau- the only reason for possible results. low dosages for short periods. Th e sea symptoms from chemotherapy A study published in Archives Alternative medicine consists thesia thanks to advances in conven- U.S. Food and Drug Administration while yoga, massage, meditation and of Internal Medicine in May tested of products or treatments used for tional medicine. Instead, people are states that bio-identical hormones other relaxation methods help with the effi cacy of acupuncture in 638 health benefi ts, but is not always now faced with occasional compli- have no safety advantages over ani- stress, soreness and fatigue. Every- adults. Each subject received one of evidence-based. It is oft en based cations from treatments and drugs. mal derived hormones, with many thing else appeared to be inconclu- four treatments: standard acupunc- on cultural and traditional health Furthermore, there are a number clinical trials to support this. sive at best. So why so much money ture, acupuncture with non-specifi c practices or more recent disproved of popular personalities endorsing Is there evidence that comple- on this project? placement of the needles, placebo theories that have remained popular alternate treatments. Oprah, one mentary and alternative treatments “Th ere’s very little basic science acupuncture using tooth picks that within certain fringe groups. Com- of the more infl uential celebrities, do work? In order for a drug or behind these things. Most of it be- did not penetrate the skin and stan- mon types include homeopathy, oft en supports uncommon treat- treatment to be considered con- gins with a tradition, or personal dard physiotherapy. Th e results? Th e acupuncture, herbalism and bio- ments on her talk show and invites ventional medicine, they must have testimony and people’s beliefs, even fi rst three treatments were signifi - identical hormone therapy. personalities to discuss dissenting proven effi cacy in clinical trials. as a fad. And then pressure comes, cantly more eff ective than physio- Generally speaking, complimen- views of conventional medicine. Since complementary and alterna- ‘It’s being popular, it’s being used, it therapy alone. tary medicine is less regulated, or Susanne Somers, an endorser of bio- tive medicine are separate entities, should be studied.’ It turns things However, there was no statisti- self-regulated, and should be re- identical hormones whose personal they are usually not supported by upside down,” said Dr. Edward cal diff erence between the three, quired to meet the same standards as health regimen has included inject- rigorous testing. Research conduct- Campion, a senior editor who re- meaning that manipulating energy conventional medicine. Despite little ing high doses of estrogen into her ed by medical institutions and even views alternative medicine research fl ow with ancient Chinese princi- evidence for alternative medicine, vagina for several years now, and organizations advocating alternative submitted to the New England Jour- ples, randomly sticking a needle in public support is growing. Jenny McCarthy, a playmate turned- treatments shows that homeopathy, nal of Medicine, in an interview with someone’s back or just poking them According to a study released by anti-vaccination advocate, are two of acupuncture and herbalism do not the Associated Press. with tooth picks are all equally eff ec- the U.S. Center for Disease Control the most infamous. However, other work — at least not any more than Public pressure to pursue research tive forms of treatment for chronic and Prevention in 2002, use of com- mainstream media and international placebos. into complementary and alterna- back pain. In most cases, this set of plementary and alternative medi- organizations have actively criticized Th e U.S. National Center for tive medicine sets a double stan- results would be considered a clear- cine increased substantially dur- alternative medicine and those who Complementary and Alternative dard between such treatments and cut, textbook placebo eff ect, show- ing the 1990s. Th e study estimated advocate it. Medicine recently released the re- conventional ones. Conventional ing that acupuncture is not a viable that the U.S. public spent between Newsweek ran an article this May sults of a $2.5 billion study carried medicine requires evidence or at treatment. However, the authors of $36 billion and $47 billion on alter- criticizing Oprah for endorsing un- out over 10 years on a number of least a plausible mechanism before continued on page 12 native therapies in 1997. To put that founded and sometimes dangerous in perspective, that’s more than the cure-alls on her talk-show. “Why U.S. public paid out-of-pocket for all Health Advice on ‘Oprah’ Could hospitalizations and about half that Make You Sick” explained that while paid for physician services that year. voicing these views is not danger- Why is the use of alternative ous, giving an unbalanced misrep- medicine growing? Few studies have resentation of health topics to the looked into the social parameters of 40 million viewers of her show and alternative therapy; however, grow- 2 million magazine readers who ing wait times for Canadian medical trust her is. treatments and fi nancial barriers to For example, Somers argues bio- care in the U.S. may be a possibility. identical hormones derived from Also, people are increasingly trusting plant sources instead of animal ones doctors and pharmaceutical compa- are inherently safer and can alleviate nies less — possibly a paradoxical aging, prevent diseases and post- result of the advent of evidence- pone symptoms of menopause. Such based medicine. Most people aren’t assertions go unquestioned on concerned with the fatality of minor Oprah, even though hormone ther- bacterial infections, the devastation apy can have dangerous side eff ects. of epidemics like measles or polio or Using hormones like estrogen and the agony of surgery without anes- progesterone to prevent symptoms 12 DECEMBER 03.09 GAUNTLET FEATURES the study decided that this was inconclusive “Th ose of us working with the most rural evidence. and impoverished people of the world already “It remains unclear whether acupuncture struggle to deliver the medical help that is or our simulated method of acupuncture pro- needed,” said the letter. “When homeopathy vide physiologically important stimulation or stands in place of eff ective treatment, lives are represent placebo or nonspecifi c eff ects,” con- lost.” cluded the study. Even in areas where evidence-based medi- Th ere are some exceptions, especially in the cine is widely available, eff ective treatments case of supplements like Vitamin C and stimu- are still occasionally passed up for alternative lants like caff eine, where suffi cient evidence medicine, leading to preventable deaths. On does exist for their inclusion in conventional May 5th 2009, the Sydney Morning Herald ran medicine. However, both are marketed as al- a story of a couple who stood trial for man- ternative treatments. slaughter by gross criminal negligence in con- Why would companies choose to market nection to the death of their infant daughter. something as a natural health product as op- Th omas Sam and his wife Manju Sam refused posed to a conventional treatment? Th ere are to send their daughter to a skin specialist for less regulations on testing the product, which her severe eczema even aft er they were ad- means fewer expensive studies, and fewer vised to do so by a nurse and doctor. Instead, regulations on labelling. You don’t have to the couple sought help from homeopaths and include a few minutes listing possible side ef- natural medicine practitioners, despite their fects like a TV drug ad if you are marketing a daughter’s skin bleeding when her clothes natural health product — that is unless seri- were changed. ous side eff ects are reported aft er you release All in all this example is a bit extreme, but it. Th e single down side for companies is that it should be noted that Th omas Sam was a ho- natural health products are only allowed to meopath and had strong feelings regarding the make vague claims like “this product may help potency of his own practice. However, it does boost your immune system” and are not al- take extreme cases for the public to take notice lowed to make assertions like “this product is of issues raised by alternative medicine. In a eff ective medicine for pain.” It’s a small price to CDC study, 28 per cent of adults surveyed who pay, though, because most consumers are not used complimentary and alternative medicine aware of this detail and are very much aware of in the U.S. did so because they believed con- uncomfortable adverse reactions. ventional medical treatments would not help If these treatments have no real eff ect, then them. It’s also apparent that some herbal prod- Who’s who? what’s the harm in people using them? Well ucts may have potentially fatal consequences Who? Homeopathy Who? Herbalism fi rst off , it is ethically void to sell a product or when taken in conjunction with pharmaceuti- What? Treatment is determined by the Law What? Based on traditional folk medicine, service to a person claiming it will help them cal drugs. Th is problem is compounded when of Similars, where substances that cause herbs are used in various ways to treat an array with their personal health when there is no patients don’t tell their doctors they are taking symptoms in a healthy person will be able to of issues. data to support such a claim. If people are un- herbal products and doctors aren’t familiar with cure a sick person of those symptoms if given What does it claim to cure? Depends who aware of diff erences between alternative and the eff ects of non-pharmaceutical remedies. in a micro-dose. you ask. Th ere is little consensus on the limits conventional medicine, there is the risk they In June 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Ad- What does it claim to cure? Everything. of herbalism. will opt out of eff ective treatments for options ministration issued a warning to consumers Why isn’t it accepted as conventional? Why isn’t it accepted as conventional? that will be eff ectively useless. regarding Zicam’s line of homeopathic nasal Th e micro-doses are so low that no active in- Some plants have components to them that are Th e World Health Organization, typically sprays supposed to reduce the duration and se- gredient could possibly be contained in the eff ective. For example, the active ingredient in very sensitive to traditional and regional me- verity of the common cold. Normally homeo- treatment you’re given. Essentially they are Aspirin is salicylic acid, a compound fi rst de- dicinal practices, condemned the use of ho- pathic treatments have such a small dilution passing out water. rived from white willow bark. However, just meopathy for treatment of HIV, tuberculosis, of the ingredients that an astronomically in- because something is natural does not mean malaria, infant diarrhoea and infl uenza. Ho- signifi cant amount is present. However, in the Who? Acupuncture that it is better. For example, Aspirin is rath- meopathy involves diluting active ingredients case of the Zicam sprays, the company did add What? According to the National Center for er symptomless, but white willow bark oft en to such a point that it is unlikely even trace an active ingredient to their product. Zinc was Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a causes upset stomach. amounts will be found. It’s practitioner’s claim present at a high enough concentration that it “vital energy or life force” regulates “spiritual, that when a substance that cause similar symp- caused some people to permanently lose their emotional, mental, and physical health.” Th is Who? Bio-Identical Hormones toms in a healthy person are administered to sense of smell. One-hundred and thirty cases energy can be blocked and acupuncture an What? According the alternative medicine an ill person in micro-doses, it can be an ef- were reported to the FDA. eff ective treatment. community, bio-identical hormones are pro- fective treatment. For example, homeopathic Even if you believe in the mantra “buyer be- What does it claim to cure? Many acu- duced from plants and are safer than their ani- sleeping pills contain extremely minute levels ware,” natural health products should not be puncturists treat back pain exclusively, but mal derived counterparts. of caff eine. less regulated than more conventional drugs. others promote it as a general cure-all. Th ere What does it claim to cure? Postpones ag- Th e WHO warning came aft er the Voice of Both are sold for the same intended purpose. are also acupuncturists who treat pets. ing and menopause. Young Science Network, a group of medics Proper regulation and clinical trials are neces- Why isn’t it accepted as conventional? Why isn’t it accepted as conventional? from the United Kingdom and Africa who sary to ensure the safety and eff ectiveness of all While this practice is an old tradition, there In 2008 the FDA made a statement that bio- advocate evidence-based medicine, sent an treatments, regardless of their origins or celeb- is no way to scientifi cally test the mechanism, identical hormones, which are less regulated, open letter listing their concerns. rity spokesperson. Qi. are not safer than other types of hormones. GAUNTLET DECEMBER 03.09 13 opinions Editor: Ryan Pike—[email protected] Spending shouldn’t be the reason for the season

ing to do their best to keep the cash fl owing, so dropping prices when they are basically promised a massive infl ux of customers is Sydney Stokoe a no brainer. Such is the economy we have Call me Crazy… built. Whether it’s right or wrong, that’s the way it is. It isn’t a death sentence, however. Just because everyone else is spending mind- nce again the time of year has come lessly doesn’t mean that you have to partake. when we dust off the Christmas Why not take this Christmas season and try Odecorations, break out the nog and to do something diff erent. apply for that extra credit card. Yes, ladies Social acceptance does not make it right and gentlemen, Black Friday has come and to mindlessly consume. We need to be smart passed and we have now entered into full- about how we are spending our money. fl edged Christmas shopping season. Black Th ink about what you are buying. Where is Friday, the last Friday in November, has it coming from? Is it necessary? Are you just become something of a holiday unto itself, being sucked into a marketing vortex? with pre-Christmas sales sweeping the na- Here’s an idea: buy little, buy local. Buying tion. little helps to take the strain off your wallet Canadian retailers have traditionally had a during the holiday season, but it also brings hard time combating the lower prices down us back to the more important meaning of south. As a result of the exchange rate, many the holiday — it’s a time to show people that Canadian shoppers cross into the states to you love them. Buying some mass-marketed do their Christmas shopping, enticed by the piece of junk does not show love. Spend- savings. With the ever-growing popularity ing time with someone, or taking the time of Internet shopping, many web sites have to make them something, that shows love. joined in the fray, off ering drastic price re- Most people don’t have the time to make ductions over the Black Friday weekend. something for everyone they know. But Sales upon sales pop up as Canadian busi- when you go to buy gift s, think about where in the community tends to stay in the com- plain about not getting another novelty tie. nesses do their best to keep consumers on they were made. Th ere are a great deal of lo- munity, so each dollar you spend has a direct Here’s a challenge for this Christmas, this side of the border. Internet purchases cally made gift s to be found, so take the time impact on the place you live. Not to mention cut your spending and spend a bit of time skyrocket and credit card debt balloons, all to fi nd them. that handmade things have a lot more soul taking stock of what is really important in in the name of holiday spirit. Local artisans have a direct impact on than something made in a factory. Buying life. Th ere’s more to Christmas than a shiny Material consumption has taken over our your community. Th e money trail is a lot imported goods from box stores feeds into new X-Box. Enjoy the season for the people modern society, and businesses know it bet- shorter, as a general rule you are handing the the pockets of the corporation. Not to men- around you and do your part to make this ter than anyone else. Of course they’re go- money straight to the creator. Money spent tion that your uncle probably won’t com- Christmas mean more than a Visa bill. Science? We don’t need no stinkin’ science!

As I realize my mock-letter the commons at its worst. above may be off ensive, I apologize Bizarre conspiracy theories to those of you who are off ended. about the world’s environmental- Sierra Love To show my sincerity I will explain ists and scientists aside, it is really Gauntlet Opinions where this dripping sarcasm comes tiring hearing people and groups from. First, let me say that while like the Friends of Science say that I understand there are legitimate we are all deluded alarmists. I have Dear beloved Friends of Science, concerns about what climate action looked at the issue of global warm- Perhaps you did not get the may do in certain areas of the econ- ing, or more accurately global cli- memo, but the rest of us “denial- omy, let me remind you that capi- mate destabilization, from every ists” have changed our tact and be- talism is supposedly about innova- angle I could think of: environ- come delayers. Th e main method tion and risk-taking. Which, by the mental, social, economic, political, by which we mean to do so is to way, is exactly what is happening. scientifi c and even a risk manage- tell everyone that climate change Meanwhile the “old boys clubs” are ment perspective. Who am I? I’m is harmless or in fact benefi cial. fi ghting tooth and nail to keep their nobody! My meager education Due to the warmer weather for towers of consolidated wealth from does not make me a science expert our comfort, increased carbon for toppling — although, as far as I can on climate. But aft er all my read- plant growth and all sorts of other tell, the smart companies are diver- ing and consideration, I’ve come wonderful things like that, we will sifying and preparing for change, to the conclusion that a) there is convince people to stick to the working with, and not against. I of people who would like the gov- government to interfere sometimes no debate among climate scientists comfortable and indulgent status would love to think that capitalism ernment to keep their noses out of, specifi cally because the “trickle- on the fact of man-made climate quo! Although I must give you ku- could solve all of our problems, but well, just about everything. If you down eff ect” does not work. Note change, and b) organizations with dos for creating further confusion, unfortunately, capitalism is based stop for a moment and think about the ever-widening gap between reputations at stake and organiza- which I suppose will help delay all on individual profi t. As much as it, that is a rather scary sentiment. rich and poor. Would it really be tions whose interests would prob- this alarmist behaviour that will re- Adam Smith would have liked it to Th e government represents the nice if the government just stood ably be served better by NOT lis- duce our, ah, interests! benefi t everyone, it does not work people, and, especially in Canada, back and said, “Have at ’er! Do tening to the scientists calling for Yours truly, out so well on a global or even na- we are incredibly lucky to have what you will!?” I think the conse- action. Other Greedy Folk tional scale. I know there are a lot such a government. We need the quences would be vast; tragedy of see science, page 15 14 DECEMBER 03.09 GAUNTLET OPINIONS Dear Hollywood, reality is not shaky An argument against hand-held cameras in cinema

But one thing happened that notably Dutch and German cin- threatened to bring the industry to ema, preceded an insurgence of its knees — shaky cam. European fi lmmakers into North Ryan Pike For the uninitiated, here’s a brief American cinema during this Opinions Editor explanation of shaky cam. Shaky past decade. Th e result? A notable cam is the stylistic choice to not tinge of realism in many fi lms of invest money in a dolly or any the period. Th e odd thing was ith the end of 2009 other instrument designed to keep that the infl uence wasn’t mere- rapidly approaching, the camera steady during shots. ly felt in independent produc- Wmany prognosticators Shaky camerawork has its roots in tions, but rather in many of the are looking back on the decade to realist and neorealist aesthetics — features made by transplant direc- decipher its trends. In the realm of the notion being that fi lm aims to tors for big studios. fi lm, the 2000s saw many things capture realism and since real life One prime example of the eff ect occur — comic book fare became is shaky, fi lms should be, too. of shaky cam is Paul Greengrass’ cool, horror movies became ge- Th e resurgence of realism in Bourne Identity and its sequels. neric and indie cinema reemerged. European cinema in the 1990s, Th e fi lms follow a bad-ass amne- siac spy throughout his struggles to fi nd his true identity. As a re- sult, this bad-ass spy engages in some impressive action se- quences, oft en pitting him against several adversaries in gunfi ghts, car chases and hand-to-hand combat. Th e only problem with this concept is the cinematogra- phy, as Oliver Wood elected to shoot every action sequence up cinematographer Michael Bon- United 93, chronicling the last close with no steady-cam. As a villain made liberal use of hand- hours of the passengers of United result, critics and audiences alike held cameras. Th e unfortunate Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. complained that it was terribly side eff ect was wide-spread nau- Th e technique was tremendously diffi cult at times to tell what was sea amongst audience members eff ective in creating the illusion going on. On the surface, the — a Google search yields nearly that audience members were on justifi cation of using hand-held 200,000 hits, some of which con- the plane with the fi lm’s charac- cameras — to immerse audienc- tain video evidence. ters. Th e rebooted James Bond se- es in the action — makes sense, Th at’s not to say that hand-held ries also used hand-held work in but when it gets in the way of camerawork is altogether bad. many scenes to great eff ect. the story, it’s a mistake. Much like other trends in Euro- Perhaps the lesson to take away Sadly, the Bourne fi lms aren’t pean cinema, shaky camerawork from the past decade’s usage of the worst example of shaky cam- became popular in part because hand-held camerawork is mod- erawork. No, that belongs to it was tremendously eff ective in eration — had w or Th e Bourne J.J. Abrams’ brainchild Cloverfi eld. some kinds of fi lms. While Paul Identity had fewer of these shots, Aiming to put audiences on the Greengrass’ choice to use so many the fi lms would have been more ground level of an alien invasion hand-held shots in the Bourne enjoyable. At the very least, fewer in a manner to similar to Abrams’ fi lms was ill-advised, he utilized people would have suff ered from television project LOST, Cloverfi eld the same tool to great eff ect in motion sickness. Letter: intramural violence

Editor, the Gauntlet, of aggression as a participant in this fall’s co-ed intramural soccer I recently witnessed a bench- league. Friends of mine who have clearing brawl during an intramural played in the U of C’s intramural basketball game in the Jack Simp- hockey leagues report that similar son Gymnasium. It took the poor incidents routinely occur. How ri- referees three tries to calm things diculous! Let’s all remember (and down. I had never seen anything remind our teammates) that these like it before in a lifetime of sports are intramural leagues that are just participation. Ironically, I had just for fun, leave our egos at home and been thinking that intramural bas- respect our fellow players and ref- ketball didn’t seem too aggressive. erees. Unfortunately, I also witnessed and experienced several fi ghts and acts Greg Lowan GAUNTLET OPINIONS DECEMBER 03.09 15 The Swiss aren’t neutral anymore Recent referendum banning minarets shocks many

it was put through with such en- dents. Citizens are worried that which liberal democracies give to tifi es banning towers from being thusiasm by a Western European their cultural values are being practice one’s religion (or to prac- built, nor is it the case that ban- nation. Th e Swiss voting system eroded; on top of the growing en- tice no religion) is a signifi cant ning them will accomplish any Eric Mathison is unique in some ways: a signifi - mity toward Muslims is the fear accomplishment in the history of of the outcomes desired by Swiss Fighting Words cantly higher number of issues are that the extreme Islamic groups humanity. We oft en forget how voters. If anything, it will add fuel put to referendum, where in most who blow up buildings (and them- delicate the right is and so feel jus- to a people who have been extir- other countries referenda are sel- selves) are representative of the en- tifi ed in limiting religions we don’t pated from their original country witzerland has long been dom used to settle issues. Canada, tire Islamic faith. agree with. Don’t confuse this with and then rejected by the place they known for its neutrality, but for instance, has only had three: on Sympathy isn’t completely de- giving respect for other religions ended up in. Sthe attitude Swiss citizens prohibition in 1898, on conscrip- served, however. In spite of the — freedom of speech is another But the deeper issue is why de- have recently taken toward Mus- tion in 1944 and regarding consti- atrocities that have occurred in precious right and included in that cisions regarding human rights lims is calling into question its tutional change in 1992. Europe (like the metro bombings is the right to criticise other views. should be put to popular vote. De- non-partisan reputation. On No- Th e voting system is one fac- in London) and that have been car- Respect means taking views seri- mocracy is not supposed to be the vember 29 Swiss voters chose to tor to consider, but it’s much ried out in response to European ously and the people who worry tyranny of the majority and there ban all minarets in Switzerland. more important to understand events (like the publication of the about the radical forms of Islam is no better way to spread tyran- Minarets are the tall spires con- the perception that many Euro- cartoons that appeared in the Dan- are justifi ed in their view. Th at’s ny than by allowing the majority nected to some mosques and are peans have of immigrant Mus- ish newspaper Jyllands-Posten), why “Islamophobia” is a stupid to decide what is permissible in used by the mosque’s leader to call lims. Canada has one of the there has been a lack of outrage word. A phobia is an irrational their country. As long as the mi- Muslims to prayer. Fift y-seven per highest immigrant acceptance from Muslim communities trying fear, but there are many good rea- nority opinion causes no harm, it cent of those who voted in the ref- rates in the world and the under- to prove their religion can indeed sons to worry about the spread of should be allowed. Th e Swiss ban erendum chose to ban any more standing of what it means to be be peaceful. Th e European mental- radical Islamic doctrine. of minarets is democracy gone minarets being built. Canadian is a fl uid concept. In ity has been disappointed to see so Because the freedom of religion wrong, as are the votes in Califor- Fift y-seven per cent is enough most countries in Europe — in- much support for terrorist events, is so valuable, placing unnecessary nia and Maine that have opposed to be considered a landslide win in cluding Switzerland — the in- instead of condemnation. restrictions upon those who wish same-sex marriage. Th e burden of any referendum, so now people are fl ux of millions of Muslims over In spite of this, there are some to practice diff erent versions of it proof should be on those who wish wondering how such a vote came the last decade has strained the obvious factors that need to be is simply something that must be to restrict freedoms to show where about in the fi rst place, and why tolerance levels of the prior resi- spelled out. First, the freedom avoided. Th ere’s nothing that jus- harm is being caused. Science, continued from page 13

So why are we even listening to these mys- crush if it wasn’t for the urge to simultane- our already over-allocated province. for their nation? Climate action is asking far teriously funded nobodies? I could probably ously shake the person and ask to see their Yes, the need for action is urgent and we less of us for the sake of the entire world. It laugh off their absurd advertisements, except climate science credentials. Perhaps it is re- may have to change the way we do some seems to me strange that there is so much I hear people repeating them, with whole- assuring to grab hold of the idea that it is things. Have we really become so steeped in resistance to climate action when the status hearted belief! Every time I hear someone all nonsense. I certainly don’t want to see our indulgent culture that the mere idea of quo and our level of comfort will change far taking these people seriously, I get a sick storms and droughts that begin by impact- something a bit diff erent terrifi es us? What more if we do nothing. Perhaps the joke is on feeling in my stomach, my mouth goes a ing poor nations hardest. Not that we will happened to the people who broke with ev- us all, and the Friends of Science are part of bit dry and my heart beats a little faster. I’d not face any impact, a global warming analy- erything they knew, melted their pots and a conspiracy by disruptive anarchists — no think I was experiencing a prepubescent sis of Alberta revealed droughts in store for sacrifi ced their fathers, brothers and sons off ense to the peaceful anarchists, of course. (QGRI WKH6HPHVWHU7KLQJV

So SU Me is provided by the Students’ Union and published without Gauntlet editorial revision. 16 DECEMBER 03.09 GAUNTLET OPINIONS Exploring the many facets of porn

shudder, but there is plenty more out there Sticking to the lighter that can entertain or titillate. side of porn, you can Ayla Musial and In August Newsweek declared “Porn also fi nd XXX versions Rob Siewert parody of TV sitcoms is adult entertain- of hit TV shows, from Campus Coitus ment’s ‘New Gold Rush’ ” and porn paro- Scrubs and Th e Of- dies can be a great place to start your sex- fi ce, to Th e Cosby Show ual adventures. Visit your local adult store and Th e Brady Bunch. ornography is one of those things that and pick up a copy of Pirates or Pirates 2, Th ese are advertised all many people enjoy, but are unwilling then get a group of good friends together, over the internet, and Pto talk about. It can be easier to get grab some snacks and prepare to laugh. Th e Offi ce XXX porn someone to fess up to the kinky things they Just be careful when you pick out the movie, parody was shown on did with that dirty random they picked up Pirates comes in both an R rated and XXX Spike TV earlier this at the bar last night than the kinds of dirty version and if you don’t go for XXX you’re year. Just as awkward; a fi lms they enjoy. Perhaps this is because selling yourself short. lot more nudity. porn is something people tend to enjoy on Th e plot involves a bumbling pirate hunt- If you want to move their own, but it doesn’t have to be that way. er racing against a nefarious pirate captain on to more traditional Everyone watches porn. If you say you don’t, and getting laid all at the same time. Th ere web fare there are sev- you are a dirty liar. Or very very conserva- are several female pirates introduced, along eral websites avail- tive and boring. Porn has gotten a bad rap with some of the greatest one-liners ever able which allow you from several sources, which talk about the written. And they can do this thing with to try before you buy, exploitation of women, sex addicts, vio- their tongues . . . and then there is the candle so you can decide if lence, unsafe sexual practices and fi nally scene . . . You just need to see it. We learned they’re to your taste unrealistic body representations. While it is that pirates can refer to each other as “bro” before you drop your Jen Grond/the Gauntlet true that there is porn out there that can be and that a blowjob is most effi cient when money on an expensive DVD. and the elusive Men in Black Men. But since incredibly off ensive, not all erotic entertain- the guy is grabbing onto the ceiling of a four We wish you happy exploring! Porn, be- Christmas is coming, you should also check ment should be dismissed. Aft er all, erotica post bed with his legs wrapped around the lieve it or not, is part of a healthy lifestyle out Miracle on 69th St. Give them a view, and is just porn that works for you. If you stum- head and neck of the gracious giver. Besides along with fi bre and a balanced breakfast. So give us a review! Fire us an email to let us ble across something that doesn’t work for the terrible acting and hilarious dialogue, Pi- while browsing your local Adult Source, pick know of your porn travels and help us rate you, don’t watch it. Th ere is stuff out there rates off ers a great laugh and fodder for scin- up an intriguing title like Th e Pooncock Saints, and review these excellent gems of movie that makes even your intrepid sex writers tillating conversation with all your friends. Bangbi, Indiana Bones in the Temple of Poon, making at [email protected]. GAUNTLET OPINIONS DECEMBER 03.09 17 Racism, Google and censorship Controversial image of First Lady rekindles debate

Logic, and not knee-jerk emotion- may serve an educational purpose shoulder. I would much rather be Perhaps the most interesting as- al reactions, prevailed. can also be unintentionally of- given the choice to fi lter certain pect of this uproar for stricter reg- Demanding censorship of the fensive. Can we really claim that images as opposed to being re- ulation of Google’s content is that Kim Nursall Internet is a terrible idea. Off en- an objective method of determin- stricted from the outset — it would there are thousands of pictures of My Mom Says I’m a Bigot sive content is regarded as such ing an image’s off ending potential be unacceptable not to be allowed non-black people being ridiculed due to its subjective nature, and exists? Additionally, Google has to view content simply because the with the same ape-like face when submitting to a populist outcry already encountered issues with gatekeepers at Google determine you search their names (George ast week, Googlers may have about one image opens the door its SafeSearch option accidentally that it is off ensive. Google is not Bush, Tony Blair, Bunker Brown, happened across an atypical for demands to fi lter others. Rac- censoring HIV awareness sites. there to sugar-coat the world and Nick Griffi n, Wayne Rooney, etc) Limage of Michelle Obama, ist images, sexist images and their SafeSearch may not be perfect, withhold subject matter that may — none of these photos have in- who is usually the very picture of ilk would all have to undergo the but Google is at least off ering the make some people uncomfortable; duced public outrage. It is conceiv- style and grace. Th is particular same scrutiny and suppression. option to fi lter out explicit images if it is a search engine, a consolidator able that our society has become representation depicted her face Furthermore, questionable or the user so chooses. If an individu- of already accessible information, so concerned with not appearing with ape-like features, eliciting a challenging images are not seen as al feels the need to put restrictions and nothing more. Th e picture of racist that our actions have the op- chorus of outcries for the image to unpleasant universally, and what on their search engine, then they Michelle Obama with the facial posite eff ect — we artifi cially cre- be removed and Google’s content one individual fi nds distasteful can are welcome to do so, but Google features of an ape may come across ate prejudices, and then attempt to to be better regulated. diff er quite dramatically from the should not be further required to as racist, but it is not Google’s role suppress them, even though they Th e picture was described by opinion of another. Photos which act as a parent over that person’s to police such images. do not actually exist. some in the media as racist — de- rogatory towards African-Ameri- cans and disrespectful to the First Lady. It was claimed that Google was condoning racial prejudices by allowing such content, and con- sequently should off er an apology and adjust the subject matter ac- cessible through its search engine. Th at’s right, cries for a censored Internet were heard across a coun- try whose citizens swear by the First Amendment. Fortunately, Google refused to off er an apology, remove the im- age — although the site which hosted the image did take it down — or alter its search en- gine algorithm. It clarifi ed that off ensive images can sometimes be found when using its services, and if users are concerned, there are al- ternative search options available.

GAUNTLET DECEMBER 03.09 19 sports Editor: Jon Roe—[email protected] Dinos come up short of national championship

Jon Roe down is a horrible feeling. It sucks.” Sports Editor Walter picked up 108 yards and one touchdown. Quebec City, Quebec “Th at’s the way the cookie crumbles, I guess,” said slot receiver Anthony Parker. “At the same ang. Fizzle. time . . . my heart is with the fi ft h-year guys. We Many of the Dinos football team had wanted to dedicate this game to them, so they Balready begun the long, cold walk to the could go out on top. Unfortunately, that didn’t locker room at PEPS stadium in Quebec City. happen here today.” Some waited behind, stopping to stare at the Parker led all Dinos receivers with 187 yards fi reworks that lit up the darkening sky, mark- and one touchdown. ing the end of the 2009 Vanier Cup. Fireworks “Not much you can say. It’s the worst feel- seemingly meant for them at halft ime. But a ing in the world,” said fi ft h-year defensive back surging Queen’s University Gaels squad, be- Matt Grohn. “Fift h-year guy, to go into half, to hind fi ft h-year quarterback Danny Brannagan, have a lead like that, and just let it slide. It’s ter- fought back to erase a 18-point defi cit, take rible. It’s something the team is going to learn over the lead in the fourth quarter and out- from. Unfortunately, I won’t be with it.” pace a listing Dinos squad. Th e game fi nished Grohn was third on the team with 5.5 tackles, 33–31 in favour of the Gaels and the red, gold including one tackle for a loss. and blue faithful rushed the fi eld, leaving the “It’s really tough, knowing the last game you Dinos with their march to the locker room, fi re- have played is going to be a loss,” said fi ft h-year works echoing behind them. linebacker Chase Moore. “It crosses your mind Bang. before the game happens, but we were confi - Kickoff . Th e two off ences misfi re on their dent going into this game and it just makes it opening attempts and it takes until the 10th all the more hurtful and crushing aft er you feel minute for the Dinos to score the fi rst points of so good going into the game. Everyone on the the game off a one-yard TD run by Matt Walter. team thought we had a good shot at winning Th e Gaels respond with a nine-yard Brannagan it. Th at said, you gotta hand it to Queen’s. Th ey to Scott Valberg hook-up to tie the game. In the came out in the second half and they wanted it.” second, it’s three straight Aaron Ifi eld fi eld goals Moore tied for the team lead with seven tack- for the Dinos, another one-yard TD run, this les. time by quarterback Erik Glavic, and a safety Finally, out walked fi ft h-year defensive line- conceded by Queen’s to make the game 25–7 man Andrew Obrecht. Th e last man to leave the heading into the locker room at the break. At locker room. He slowly removed his Dinos jer- halft ime, the Dinos had picked up nine more sey, for the last time, savouring a bitter ending to fi rst downs than the Gaels and had outgained a university sports career. them through the air by a count of 195 yards “It’s very diffi cult. It would’ve been even more to 61. Brannagan had only completed six of 14 diffi cult if I didn’t leave it all out on the fi eld,” he passes. Glavic, 13 of 18, securing another 31 said. “Yes, I am disappointed that we didn’t win yards along the ground. Th e outcome, like so the Vanier but I’ve got nothing left in me. Th is much of the Dinos season — the redemption in fi ve-and-a-half year, six-year road obviously Saskatoon, the return to Saint Mary’s, the resur- didn’t come to the outcome like I wanted it to. gence of Glavic — seemed preordained. But [I’m] moving on now.” Fizzle. back Marty Gordon takes three consecutive yards and one TD, against two interceptions and For two years in a row the Dinos will have Th e teams jogged out of the locker room handoff s 26 yards to the house. Gaels lead, one fumble. returned from Quebec disappointed. For some, and it didn’t take long for the Dinos to real- 33–25. Glavic, the 2007 and 2009 Hec Crigh- “I made mistakes. I made bad decisions,” he it’s the end. For others, the next step in rebuild- ize that the Gaels were still live and ready to ton winner, would drive the Dinos down for added. “I take a lot of the blame for this loss. ing a football powerhouse. Either way, the fi re- detonate their plans at the launch pad. Branna- a touchdown on their next possession, but I don’t really know. I don’t think it was – I just works weren’t for them today. gan, like he has throughout much of his career Walter would drop the two-point conversion have to play better and I didn’t.” at Queen’s, came up with a big play through and leave the Dinos that much shy of a tie. “Pretty diffi cult. It feels like shit,” said Walter. See thegauntlet.ca for a story about the Dinos award winners from their weekend in Quebec and look throughout the sports section the air: a 60-yard TD pass to Devan Sheahan, Receiver Richard Snyder would fumble the “So many people believe in you and you’re mak- for photos from the Vanier Cup, provided by the Queen’s University which put the Gaels to within 11. Th ree plays ball the next time the Dinos got their hands ing your school proud — to have everyone let Paper, the Queen’s Journal. later, the Dinos were forced to concede a safety on it, and aft er three Gaels fi rst downs, the rather than kick into a strong headwind. Score game was over. Taking a mid-season look at all the Dinos 25–16. Glavic fumbles the ball on the next Th ree Dinos turnovers in the second half Dino possession. Th e Gaels Dan Village con- sealed their fate. Jon Roe Th e Dinos had their best season in a de- verts the chip shot fi eld goal. 25–19. Th e Dinos Th e RCMP marched the Vanier Cup to the Sports Editor cade, came close to a playoff position and a drive 65 yards, then Ifi eld’s attempted fi eld goal victors and the fi reworks were ignited, echoing spot in the CIS fi nals tournament, missing out is blocked. Th eir next possession, the Dinos throughout the stadium as the Dinos walked to- It’s been one semester of competition for by one point. Th e team has turned around drive 48 yards and Glavic’s pass is intercepted wards the locker room. the University of Calgary’s sports teams and signifi cantly and the future looks bright, as in the endzone. Th e two teams exchange frivo- One by one, they were called upon to dissect championships have been won and lost, play- they carried only one player with more than lous off ensive sequences and the third quarter their season laid to waste once again at PEPS sta- off s have been made or missed and there have three years experience this season, graduat- ends. 25–19. dium and they marched out, faces red and eyes been both cheers and tears. Some seasons are ing forward Caelyn Barrie. Th e Gaels take over the ball at the start of bloodshot, not from the bitter Quebec wind over and some are just starting. Here’s a look “We are skilled, fi t and faster than all the the fourth and Brannagan concludes a six- which blew throughout the game, but from the at what’s happened for the Dinos in the fall teams in the country,” said head coach Jenn play, 51-yard drive with a 17-yard TD pass emotional toll of an expected victory turned semester. Swagar. “We just need to learn to compete, to to Valberg. Gaels lead, 26–25. Th e Dinos ac- narrow defeat. win the individual battles, to always assume complish nothing on their next possession “I feel like I’ve let down my team,” said Glavic, Field hockey the ball is yours. . . . We will keep improving, and Brannagan comes back with back-to- struggling to get the words out. Record: 3–8–1 (fourth in the conference, we will be fi tter, faster and more determined back passes of 19 and 29 yards before running He fi nished with 23 of 35 passing for 354 missed playoff s) see mid-season review, page 21 20 DECEMBER 03.09 GAUNTLET SPORTS Winter break NHL picks review Western Conference Eastern Conference Predicted standings: Actual standings: Predicted standings: Actual standings: 1. Detroit Red Wings 1. San Jose Sharks 1. Washington Capitals 1. Washington Capitals 2. San Jose Sharks 2. Chicago Blackhawks 2. Boston Bruins 2. Pittsburgh Penguins 3. Calgary Flames 3. Calgary Flames 3. Pittsburgh Penguins 3. Buff alo Sabres 4. Vancouver Canucks 4. Colorado Avalanche 4. Carolina Hurricanes 4. New Jersey Devils 5. Chicago Blackhawks 5. Los Angeles Kings 5. Philadelphia Flyers 5. Atlanta Th rashers 6. Anaheim Ducks 6. Nashville Predators 6. New Jersey Devils 6. Boston Bruins 7. St. Louis Blues 7. Phoenix Coyotes 7. Montreal Canadiens 7. Ottawa Senators 8. Los Angeles Kings 8. Columbus Blue Jackets 8. Toronto Maple Leafs 8. Tampa Bay Lightning

Th e west thanks to their young players re- off the Kings as also-rans, but this eading into the 2009–10 sponding to coach Joe Sacco, along year they might surprise down the National Hockey League with clutch goaltending from Craig stretch. Conversely, the Predators Hseason, there were a lot of Anderson. While the team has and Blue Jackets have both crept question marks. Would the Flames fallen back a bit from their initial into the playoff s in recent years but rebound under a new coach? torrid pace, the Avalanche have been crushed by a higher seed. It’s Would the Red Wings be any good? wildly exceeded expectations. Sur- refreshing to see new teams with Just how bad would Colorado and prisingly enough, so have the Phoe- new talent creep into the playoff Phoenix be? Over the past 25 or nix Coyotes. Oft -criticized during mix, along with seeing traditionally so games, many of these questions the off -season for having a sub-par good teams reinvent themselves in have been answered. team that nobody ever saw play, the an eff ort to maintain competitive- Th e Red Wings were not particu- Coyotes have found themselves in a ness. larly good. Th e reigning Western playoff position with a roster com- ..Ryan Pike Conference champions suff ered prised mostly of other teams’ cast- Th e east from the loss of key players and off s. Maybe cutting Wayne Gretzky Th e Penguins and Capitals have generally under-performed. In par- loose was a good idea aft er all. clicked along as expected, despite ticular, the less-than-stellar play of Outside of the group of teams that injuries to stars Evgeni Malkin goalie Chris Osgood stole games were already expected to be good and Alexander Ovechkin, respec- away from Detroit that they prob- — San Jose, Chicago and Calgary tively, but my other projected divi- ably deserved to win. Th e Vancou- — the rest of the playoff positions sion leader, the Boston Bruins, has ver Canucks, predicted to battle the have been fi lled, somewhat surpris- lagged behind. Th ey’re only one Calgary Flames for Northwest Di- ingly, by Los Angeles, Nashville, the point behind a somewhat surpris- Tyler Ball/The Queen’s Journal vision supremacy by many, instead aforementioned Coyotes and Co- ing Buff alo Sabres squad, though The Dinos and the Gaels football teams shake hands at centre languished in obscurity thanks to a lumbus. Los Angeles has long been the Sabres have two games in hand. slew of injuries. a team picked to break out due to With Ryan Miller playing the way fi eld after the Gaels won the Vanier Cup 33–31 on Saturday at On the opposite end of the spec- its excellent young core, but unlike he has for the Sabres, I think we’re PEPS Stadium at Laval Universite in Quebec City. It was the Gaels trum, the Colorado Avalanche the Chicago Blackhawks, it never looking at what will be a two-horse fourth Vanier Cup victory. surged to the top of the league has. As such, some had written race for the division lead the rest of the way. I wasn’t sure what to think of a Sabres squad that remained largely unchanged since the year be- fore, but it’s been nothing but posi- tives so far. As for the Bruins, once centre Marc Savard returns, their so-so off ence should pick up. Both see NHL Picks review, pg. 23 GAUNTLET SPORTS DECEMBER 03.09 21 Mid-season review, continued from page 19 than any other team.” squad his lived up to them aft er Eventual CIS champions the Uni- rolling through the fi rst half of their versity of British Columbia Th un- schedule. Th rough 10 games, they derbirds lost only two games all have outscored their opponents year, one of which was to the Dinos, by an average of nearly 16 points, who beat them 2–1 in Calgary on thanks to off ensive fi repower from Oct. 11. Th e Dinos other two victo- Ross Bekkering, 18.3 points per ries came over the University of Al- game, and Robbie Sihota, 17.3 berta Pandas. Despite winning only points per game, both in the top three games all year, they scored as 10 in scoring in Canada West. Bek- many goals as the second place Uni- kering is also second in rebounding versity of Victoria Vikes. with 9.6 per game, giving him near- Seventeen-year-old defender ly a double-double average. Point Carolina Romeo was named a sec- guard Jamie Mcleod, in his second ond-team All-Canadian and will year with the team, has averaged 5.1 enter into her third year next year. assists per game, tied for top spot in the conference. Men’s soccer “Th e strong leadership on and Record: 4–7–3 (fi ft h in confer- off the court from Ross Bekker- ence, missed playoff s) ing, Jamie McLeod and Robbie Th ey were in contention for a Sihota have contributed greatly to playoff spot up until the fi nal week the teams success,” said head coach of the season, albeit needing a lot Dan Vanhooren. “Changes as a re- of help, but still fi nished out of the sult in physical abilities from off playoff s in their fi rst season under season work have greatly improved new head coach Ken Price. Goal the squad, specifi cally the play of scoring was a problem again for the star guard Tyler Fidler. At 6’9”, play- Dinos, as they potted only 12 goals Carey Puglak/the Gauntlet ing on the perimeter, Tyler presents in eight games, a conference low. The women's soccer team missed the playoffs by a scant two points this season. match up nightmares for oppo- But that was off set slightly by the nents.” defence, which allowed 19 goals, Miller to lead the way off ensively ship. At least the Dinos have a team ing the Hardy Cup for the second Fidler has averaged 14.7 points the fi ft h least amount in the confer- for a team that fi nished in the mid- to measure themselves up to. year in a row, and a Uteck Bowl. per game, along with 6.6 rebounds, ence. dle of the pack in conference scor- Only one player on the squad this Th ey only lose four players due and sunk a team-high 14 three- Next year, barring unexpected ing. Th ey also fi nished in the mid- year had more than two years of to eligibility, defensive lineman pointers in the fi rst half of the sea- losses, will be a team of mainly dle of the pack in goals against, and eligibility, forward Alana McEvoy. Andrew Obrecht, linebacker Chase son. fourth and fi ft h years. Much like allowed eight more goals than they So we’ll call this fi rst year a learn- Moore, defensive back Matt Grohn For the second half, the Dinos the fi eld hockey team, men’s soccer scored. A tighter defence would go ing experience on the long ladder to and backup quarterback Deke Ju- have a six-game home stretch to only loses one from their squad due a long way to helping make the now success for a new team in Canada nior, and retain all of the key of- look forward to, including a massive to eligibility, fi ft h-year midfi elder tougher climb into the playoff s. West rugby. fensive cogs, barring unforeseen match-up against the Th underbirds David Bird, but will have a host Much like the other two fall departures, that made this Dinos on Jan. 23. Th e T-Birds knocked the of fi ft h-years next year. It’ll be the squads covered so far, women’s Football squad one of the best point-scoring Dinos out of the CIS Final 8 tourna- last kick at the can for goalkeeper soccer only loses one player due to Record: 7–1 (second in confer- teams in school history. ment in the semi-fi nal last year in J.P. Creszenci, defender Matt Reid, eligibility, graduating defender An- ence, lost in Vanier Cup fi nal) Th e loss stings, sure, as it should. Ottawa and currently sit on top of midfi elder Tanmeet Singh and for- drea Hayes, and, barring an early It was a season of high expecta- But the sun has only just begun the national rankings. ward Brian Delaney, if they choose departure, will bring back four tions and the Dinos did everything shining again on Dinos football. to come back. Th ey’re the last of a players in their fi ft h year: midfi eld- except take home the biggest prize. Women’s basketball group of Dinos to taste the post- er Lindsay Burrowes and forwards Last year, the team went all the way Cross-country Record: 6–4 (tied for second in season, back in 2006 when the Morena Ianniello, Blundell and Jo- to Quebec, the national semi-fi nal Finish: women: sixth nationally, Prairie Division) team lost in the Canada West fi nal. anna Ng. Much like on the men’s and a loss to Laval Universite. Th is fourth Canada West; men: fi ft h Th ere were only two players that Th ey’ll be in tough again, as the side, the Canada West conference year, it was Vanier Cup or bust. nationally, second Canada West. started the season this year for the Canada West conference features is always tough and features three Th ough they didn’t come away with Th e Dinos distance runners came Dinos with more than two years of three teams (UBC, the U of A and teams that have taken home CIS a Vanier Cup, it’d be hard to call into the season holding both Cana- experience under their belt: fourth- University of Victoria) that have championships in the last six years this season a bust. Th e Dinos hadn’t da West titles and walked away with year Ashley Hill and third-year Me- won it all in the last six years and (UBC, Trinity Western and U of V). been to the Vanier Cup since 1995 neither aft er failing to have a runner gan Lang, so the early season suc- one that has won four CIS medals in and they hadn’t had a player win place on the All-Canadian teams. cess (the Dinos enjoyed a short stint fi ve years (Trinity Western Univer- Women’s rugby the Hec Crighton award as national On the plus side, all of the team is on top of the division) has come as sity). Record: 0–4–0 (fi ft h in confer- MVP since then either. Quarterback eligible to return and they can build somewhat a surprise. Injuries have ence, missed playoff s) Erik Glavic took away that honour, on good runs by second-year Sam also hampered the squad, including Women’s soccer It was a tough opening season his second overall aft er winning his Dorosz, who fi nished 60th overall a torn ACL which has sidelined sec- Record: 7–7–0 (sixth in confer- for the women’s rugby squad. Not fi rst during his stint at Saint Mary’s, on the men’s side, and fi rst-year ond-year Esther Graff for the year, ence, missed playoff s) only did they not win a game, they and defensive lineman Linden Gay- Katie Fenton, who fi nished 45th but they have still found ways to Th e women’s soccer squad also were outscored 188–0. But no one dosh was named the rookie of the overall on the women’s side and was score, as they currently sit second in narrowly missed out on a playoff was expecting it to be easy, and the year to boot. named Canada West rookie of the the nation with an 83.1 points per spot, fi nishing just two points shy of team can take positives away from a Perhaps the way they lost in the year. game average. fourth place. Th is was the fi rst sea- tight 5–0 loss to the Vikes on Oct. 4. national fi nal will sting for some “We had some very eff ective team son that only four teams (instead of Th is is a conference dominated by years to come (an epic collapse aft er Men’s basketball building exercises in the off season six) made the playoff s in the Can- the University of Lethbridge Prong- leading 25–7 at halft ime), but this Record: 8–2 (fi rst in Prairie Divi- and our team chemistry was excep- ada West in women’s soccer. Th e horns, who shut out teams seven will be a successful program that sion, ranked fourth nationally) tional from the very beginning,” Dinos got seven goals from Katie times in 10 games on the way to will continue to haul away hardware Another team with high expec- said apprentice coach Jackson Park- Blundell and six goals from Tessa their third straight CIS champion- over the next few years aft er captur- tations, so far the men’s basketball see mid-season review, pg. 22 22 DECEMBER 03.09 GAUNTLET SPORTS Mid-season review, continued from page 21 er. “Unfortunately injuries were losing only 10 sets in eight matches. about a push towards the national (the Pandas, ranked fi ft h nationally; Spartans to fi ve sets, for inspiration. also with us from the beginning of Th ey’ve been consistently one of the championships. the University of Manitoba Bisons, the year. . . . Th ough despite all this top teams in the country, including Th at push will happen largely ranked third nationally; and the Men’s hockey adversity, it has been a very positive being ranked number one overall on the road, as they play only four Spartans, ranked sixth nationally) Record: 8–4–2 (fourth in Canada start to our season.” for the fi rst time since 1998 before home contests against six road and they face a similiarly tough West) Despite the high-scoring off ence, a loss to the Trinity Western Spar- matches in such exotic locales as schedule during the second half. At the start of the year, new head the Dinos currently only have one tans dropped them to their current Regina, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Aft er taking on the 1-9 University coach Mark Howell said the Dinos player in the top 10 in conference standing. Fift h-year middle Oleg of Saskatchewan Huskies at home, goal was to displace one of the Hus- scoring: Hill, fi ft h with a 17 points Podporin has been having a great Women’s volleyball they travel to face the Th under- kies or the Bears for a top-two spot per game average. Alex Cole is the season, sitting third in Canada West Record: 4–6 (seventh in Canada birds (9–0, ranked fi rst overall in in the conference, and they’re close next highest scoring Dino, sitting in both hitting percentage with a West, ranked tied for ninth na- the country) and the Cougars (6–2, heading into the fi nal two games 14th with 13.9 points per game. 0.417 and service aces, averaging tionally) ranked fourth). Th ey also have to before the winter break, sitting only Th e women’s squad face a similar 0.37 per game. He also sits second It’s been a season of twos so far take on Brandon University Bob- two points out of second, currently six-game home stretch as the men in blocks, averaging 1.2 per set. for the women’s side: win two, lose cats (6–2, ranked seventh) at home. occupied by the Bisons, and one next semester, but all six of those Assistant coach Kerry MacDon- two. Th ey started the season with Th ird-year setter Sarah Lacny is point back of the Huskies, who sit in games are against foes currently ald pointed to a Husky Dino Cup two losses to the Pandas in Edmon- third in the conference, averaging third. Th ey’ve done it by keeping it ranked nationally. win in the preseason, which includ- ton, and then followed that up with 9.53 assists per game, though the close to the vest: three of their wins ed a 3-0 sweep of the UCLA Bruins two wins, only to follow it up with Dinos don’t have a single player in have come in the shootout, with an- Men’s volleyball in the fi nal, and a 3-0 sweep of the two losses, and so on. Th is fl ip-fl op- the top 10 for kills. other two coming by just one goal. Record: 6–2 (fi rst in Canada West, defending national champions, the ping has the Dinos in the seventh For Jesse Knight and his young Th ey’ve also done it by winning at ranked 2nd nationally) U of A Golden Bears, as highlights and fi nal playoff spot in Canada Dinos squad, it’ll be a tough road in home, as they currently hold a 7–1–0 Few teams have been able to to the season so far. He added that West heading into the winter break. the second half, but they can look at record at Father David Bauer. On the stop this Dinos squad, as they’ve with everyone healthy in the sec- But all six of the Dinos losses so two of those fi rst-half losses, where fl ip side, they’ve only won one game blazed out to a 6–2 record while ond semester, the team is optimistic far have come against top teams they pushed the Pandas and the away from Calgary and have eight away games remaining, including the two this upcoming weekend to end the fi rst half schedule. Brock Nixon has led the way with 14 points so far for the Dinos, fol- lowed closely behind by Torrie Wheat and Reid Jorgensen, who both have 13. Second-year goalie Dustin Butler has been in between the pipes for all but one of the Di- nos wins, and holds a 2.75 GAA and 0.901 save percentage so far.

Women’s hockey Record: 1–11–0 (last in Canada West) Aft er a short-lived promising start, a 3–1 win over the Th un- derbirds to annouce their return to CIS hockey, the Dinos team has dropped 11 straight. Th ey’ve scored only 14 goals so far, the second low- est total in the conference, and have let in a conference high 46 goals. Only two of their losses have been by one goal, and they’ve been shut out four times, including three of their last four games heading into the winter break. “Th e Dino women’s hockey team is now half way through it’s fi rst sea- son in the CIS and although we got off to a good start in the pre-season our team began to struggle in the regular season,” said head coach Danielle Goyette. “Player injuries have shortened our bench quite drastically so now we are hoping with the holiday break coming up we will get some well deserved rest.” It’s been a season of hard knocks so far, but Goyette added that the team played well in their fi nal game against the Pandas, holding the score to a 0–0 tie until the fi nal pe- riod, before penalty troubles led to the Dinos dropping the game 2–0. GAUNTLET SPORTS DECEMBER 03.09 23 NHL picks review, continued from page 20

Tuukka Rask and Tim Th omas have amusingly, the Maple Leafs sent a fi lled the net admirably throughout lottery pick to Boston in that Phil the season, so there’s no reason to Kessel deal. I was obviously tremen- count them out of the division lead dously wrong, but am fairly happy at the end of the year. at the result. What to say about the Carolina As for the Canadiens, well, Hurricanes? Th ey went from an they’ve been bit by the injury bug, underachieving squad to a severely including right away on opening injured underachieving squad in night when they lost key defence- short order. It’s time to start moving man Andrei Markov. Carey Price, some high-salaried, veteran bodies aft er a lull, has improved his play, and look to next year. but there just doesn’t seem to be In their place, sitting second in enough scoring options on this the Southeast Division so far, are team. Th ey are 27th in scoring in Christine Blais/The Queen’s Journal the Atlanta Th rashers. Ilya Koval- the league, heading into Wednes- Fifth-year Dinos Matt Grohn and Chase Moore and fourth-year Steve Truzak surround a Gaels ball chuk is playing like somebody who day, and there isn’t much help on carrier in front of the massive crowd at PEPS Stadium in Quebec City. is either looking forward to the the horizon. I wouldn’t count them Olympics or getting the hell out of out, but they’re facing an uphill dodge at the end of the year, with climb for the playoff s. 15 goals in 18 games so far. Th ey’ve ..Jon Roe also gotten good goaltending from Ondrej Pavelec in place of the per- petually injured goalie of the future Kari Lehtonen, so it’s no wonder they’ve climbed up to where they are. New Jersey Devils have eas- ily stepped through the coaching change and with Zach Parise lead- ing the way, they should be set to make the playoff s again this year. At the bottom of the playoff picture, the Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning are currently holding the fort down. But really, between fi ft h and 13th in the east right now, the only diff erence is a few game slide or a sudden surge. Th ough the Florida Panthers are dropping off the map a bit, expect the race for the bottom four playoff spots to be highly contested until the end of the year. Th e Philadelphia Flyers and sus- pension-machine Chris Pronger currently sit out of the playoff s, but I doubt they’ll fi nish the year there with that roster. My other two choices for playoff spots, the Mon- treal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs, are out of the playoff picture and need to improve signifi - cantly to make their way back in. I wasn’t sure whether to be happy that the Maple Leafs are doing so poorly because it’s enjoyable to see the team and its fans suff er, or to be sad because my pick was so horribly off . I never really wanted to make the pick in the fi rst place, but was apparently drinking the same Kool- Aid as the rest of the Toronto sports media. It is highly unlikely they’ll turn it around, and it looks like,

GAUNTLET DECEMBER 03.09 25 entertainment Editor: Jordyn Marcellus—[email protected] The New Black and the all-ages venue crunch After closing down, New Black re-opens for bands across Calgary. Even then, there is still a critical lack of venues for adolescents to see music

Allison Drinnan “He has been very accessible and very awe- Gauntlet Entertainment some in off ering his time and talking with us and hearing us,” explains Ollinger. n order to relate to teenager’s lives, adults Having gained a following and reputation need to venture into the past and recap- for its intimate space, great sound and cre- Iture that specifi c mindset. Remember the ative atmosphere, bands are excited to play angst, the excitement and the curiosity about there and the New Black is happy to hold life? It’s still there in modern youths. their performances. Local metal group Teitan Recall walking around the neighbourhood were shocked by the initial news of the New with 15 of your friends when there is noth- Black’s brief closure. ing else to do, or riding around with the one Speaking before the zoning problems were friend no one really likes but who has their worked out, bassist Brett Whittingham ex- license. It’s at this age you start to notice dif- plained why the New Black was important to ferent forms of art — whether it be fashion, Calgary. fi lm or music. “Any place to play music or go see music Th is was when I started discovering local getting shut down sucks, whatever kind of music. Borrowing my parent’s car, meeting music it is,” he says. “But especially a place at the Roastery for coff ee surrounded by an that is down to house hard music, punk and intense haze of second hand smoke, I’d even- rock and metal.” tually head over to Carpenters’ Union Hall to Both Teitan and Ollinger stress the impor- catch bands like the Buzzing Bees, the Wolf- tance of youth being able to experience local note or the Fake Cops. Th is was the weekend, musicians from all diff erent genres. this was 17, this was Calgary and the show Th anks to Alderman Ceci’s help, the New was blowing my mind. I am who I am be- Black is back in business. While there is still cause of these nights of live music. an all-ages venue crunch in Calgary, at least courtesy Josh Sandulak All-ages venues have sporadically opened thanks to his assistance there’s one place for in Calgary but have struggled to achieved Local metal band Teitan playing in the New Black Center for Music and Art. The teenagers to discover live music — and hope- staying power or a sense of community. Enter venue was briefl y closed due to city zoning regulations. fully discover themselves. Darren Ollinger. Th e local punk performer “I’m glad we are almost back to normal and creative director of X92.9 has been trying Ollinger. “It wasn’t like people were standing turn that racket down, the voice of reckoning operations at the New Black,” writes Alder- to light up the Calgary scene with the New in line the very fi rst day to support this thing, came from below. man Ceci over e-mail. “In fact I saw a copy Black Center for Music and Art, catering to we had to do a lot of pounding of pavement Ultimately a complaint was lodged and the of their new business license today! Th ink- the all-ages scene and to arts in general. Act- and talking to people to do this and what not. live shows stopped for a time due to city zon- ing over what they or others like them need ing as a recording studio, jam space and live It was becoming a growing movement and ing regulations. to do in the future I’d say, that knowing what venue, the New Black is a glimmering light in still is.” As for local government assistance, there the zoning allows that they are locating in is the heart of Inglewood. Th e New Black has not always been ac- has been some communication with city hall. critical. Cultural venues like this (small, alter- “For the last 10 years all we’ve been hear- cepted by the neighbourhood, specifi cally Local Alderman Joe Ceci assisted the New native) should be allow[ed] in every zoning ing is people bitching about how Calgary the Inglewood resident located underneath Black in getting their business license back out there, within some limits (to size, level of needs this so we went out and did it,” explains their space. Like a parent telling their kids to and the zoning problems sorted out. activity etc.).” Twilight parody is a sparkling book of utmost quality

Meagan Mieklejohn the Harvard Lampoon, is an un- father, the town’s sports car driving ing her from a snowball, Belle con- likely going to come from Edwart, TLFs Editor believably comedic interpretation window-washer, and is given her cludes — with the help of her de- whose danger extends as far as his of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, with very own U-Haul to cruise around tective agency, “Belle Goose on the urge to break traffi c rules. Long live the days when wiz- a hint of its sequel New Moon. Not in. Loose” — that Edwart is a vampire. As a Twilight fan it is hard to ards and wands reigned, casting only does it poke fun at every detail At school, and in every other However, Belle fi nds that landing imagine enjoying any text explic- the hearts of innocent fans into an in her novel, its best parts feed off facet of her life, Belle is an outspo- a vampire boyfriend, and becoming itly making fun of Meyer’s novel, obsessive fi ctional abyss. Yet, like of Twilight’s artistic failure as a fi lm, ken, self-absorbed though loveable a vampire herself, is harder than she but this is an exception. It seems an overplayed magic trick, the in- Robert Pattinson’s inability to build character. Although she is con- thought. While she prepares herself that those who avoid all things Twi- visible cloak has been drawn over muscle and, in general, today’s ob- vinced that the entire male popula- for the big day, ensuring her blood light, except for critiquing it, have poor Harry Potter, dusting over session with the internet, text mes- tion of Switchblade, including the smells as much like grapefruit as it based their opinions upon two ter- the stormy trend of lightning bolt saging and sarcasm. persistent IRS agent who continues possibly can, Belle demands that rible fi lms. Th ose who have read the tattoos and circular glasses with Th e story begins as Belle Goose, to send her “love letters,” is madly Edwart stop pretending to be hu- book can expect Nightlight to be a shimmering body glitter and gold an out of place girl — though only in love with her, Edwart Mullen is man around her. laugh-and-a-half, understanding contacts. until she shift s in her seat, get it? the “vampire” of her eye. Th is com- “Th e magic verb form is impera- and appreciating the Harvard Lam- Th at’s right, a new fi ctional phe- — decides to escape the perils of puter-gaming, storm-chasing, Price tive. You don’t have to hide your poon’s sheer brilliance. Th ose who nomenon is in town — one that babysitting her childish mother and Elasticity venture-meteorologist natural inclination to boss me have not will still fi nd themselves fans can’t help but sink their false stepfather by exiling herself to the bachelor has got Belle on the edge around. I want you to feel comfort- falling over laughing as they absorb fangs into. small town of Switchblade, Oregon. of her seat. First refusing to eat his able. . . to the point of domination.” this quirky quick-read — it never Nightlight, a parody written by Once there, Belle reunites with her Tater Tots at lunch, and then sav- Such domination, however, is not lulls, only LOLS. 26 DECEMBER 03.09 GAUNTLET ENTERTAINMENT THE DECADE IN REVIEW FILM: SUPERHEROES AND FOX SEARCHLIGHT RULE

Ryan Pike success of Blade in the late ’90s kicked rate. Once development on Spider- Scorsese chased an Academy Award Opinions Editor off a gold rush within the entertain- Man fi nally got underway aft er 20 throughout three collaborations with ment community as studios fl ocked years of stops and starts, work also actor Leonardo Dicapiro, fi nally win- he past 10 years of cinema has to comic book publishers to buy began on Harry Potter and the long- ning for Th e Departed. Celebrated seen a great deal of progress movie rights to their characters. Th e awaited Lord of the Rings adaptation. auteur director Christopher Nolan Tand peculiarities. In the 2000s, result? Marvel Comics was dragged Lavish remakes of Hollywood classics made the jump from the critically for better or worse, a glut of fi lms have kicking and screaming from the verge also occurred, most notably big-bud- acclaimed Memento to mainstream been released. Some of them were of bankruptcy and a metric ton of su- get updates of King Kong and War of success with Batman Begins and Th e fl at-out awful. per-hero fi lms were produced. Luck- the Worlds. Dark Knight. Jim Carrey defi ed ex- Unfortunately, because of the sheer ily for fi lmgoers, a few of these fi lms Perhaps most importantly, the pectations in a stunning dramatic number of fi lms released during the were actually really good — Spider- 2000s will be marked as the death- turn in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless decade, a lot of bad fi lms saw the light Man 2, X-Men 2 and Iron Man in knell for traditional cel animation and Mind. Heck, the guys that made Th e of day — chiefl y among them: Eddie particular. Unfortunately, we also had the beginning of a computer anima- Big Lebowski and Trainspotting won Murphy’s Adventures of Pluto Nash, to suff er through Jennifer Garner’s tion renaissance at the hands of Pixar. Oscars for their latest work. the atrocious Ben Affl eck/Jennifer brain-numbing fl op, Elektra. While Pixar had a pretty good ’90s, One development that may Lopez vehicle Gigli and American Idol Th e comics gold rush also saw a the past decade has been simply phe- have eff ects for several years to spin-off From Justin To Kelly. few interesting side-eff ects. Literary nomenal. come may be the emergence of Th ere have also been a great deal properties suddenly became popu- Look at it this way: the weakest-per- Fox Searchlight as a major player. of good things occurring in fi lm. Th e lar as source material at an increased forming Pixar fi lm (both with critics Originally established in the mid- and at the box offi ce) was Cars, earn- ’90s as a way for Fox to get involved ing $461 million and a 75 per cent rat- in independent cinema, the branch ing on Rotten Tomatoes. Every other exceeded all expectations in the fi lm made at least $500 million and a 2000s, distributing at least one au- 95 per cent rating. Pixar fi lms earned dience darling or smash hit every roughly $4.1 billion worldwide and year. Without Searchlight, cine- won four Oscars. Not only that, the philes may not have experienced fi lms defi ed genre expectation — Th e Napoleon Dynamite, Bend It Like Incredibles lampooned and celebrated Beckham, Little Miss Sunshine or the super-hero fi lm, while Wall-E Juno. Only time will tell whether made audiences care about romance Searchlight will continue to fi nd lit- between two robots. tle-known gems and bring them to Th e decade will also be remem- a wider spotlight, or if it will even- bered for a bunch of really great tually become just another mecha- movies. Legendary director Martin nism of the Hollywood apparatus.

MUSIC: GAGA IS THE ’00S

Savannah Hall loading them to YouTube. Gauntlet Entertainment Digital technology, too, has of- fered a lot of change. Music is more It takes a lot to be a famous musi- accessible now thanks to services Jen Grond/the Gauntlet cian in the modern age. Gone are the like the iTunes store. Downloading The iTunes store has changed days when one could rely solely on makes it easier than ever to listen to the face of cultural consumption. talent to achieve success. music, and iTunes allows people to Mainstream music consum- hear music they may not have other- off ering more fl exibility than the ers require a visual dimension to wise thanks to the Genius function. usual guitars. their favourite musicians. Artists Musically, it seems the industry 2009 was a big year for visual in the past three decades have had is moving back to the late ’70s disco and avant garde musicians. One to produce music videos and in- era. Th e disco era ended when riots forerunner pushing the boundaries creasingly extravagant concerts. broke out against the popular genre comes as no surprise — Lady Gaga. With each new year, and new art- due to its affi liations with black and Her over the top costumes, sugges- ist, the envelope gets pushed a little gay culture. Now it’s back with songs tive dancing and blatant lyrics have further. from Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, caused a ruckus. Th is is the kind of Music videos are a relatively new Lights and Black Eyed Peas channel- ruckus consumers thrive on. way to promote music — starting in ling the decade, perhaps refl ecting a She is not the fi rst of the genus. the ’80s — but have proven to be a more accepting new generation. Madonna was, and is, fi rst woman valuable asset. Th e introduction of Synthesizers and auto-tune have of re-innovation. Her musical tal- YouTube has allowed established been used for the past few decades ent is commendable but not irre- and aspiring artists to post their vid- but have become increasingly more placeable, it’s her image that makes eos for the world to see. Consumers important in recent years, especially her successful. Like Madonna, Gaga can look at what they want when to artists like T-Pain. Th ey were fi rst continues to change, keeping the au- they want, off ering musician’s new used in the ’80s when new tech- dience and industry on their toes. promotion opportunities. Even with nologies came out such as the video So for the years to come, music the declining videos on MTV itself, games Pac-man, Space Invaders and lovers can expect reinventions of old artists are still producing expensive Asteroids. Now, 30 years later, syn- technologies, increasing novelty and music videos for their fans and up- thesizers are reemerging as a tool, a larger emphasis on visual spectacle. GAUNTLET ENTERTAINMENT DECEMBER 03.09 27 Gift cards suck: the Gauntlet gift guide Jordyn Marcellus great selection of records. You’ll probably Entertainment Editor spend around 100 bucks for one, so grab some cheap Christmas seven-inches to listen o one wants, nor needs, a manicure to when everything is all set up. set for Christmas. Th is is the peril For the nerd Nof the typical newspaper shopping Th e best thing to get that cuddly nerd guide — they suck because the gift recom- is something related to tabletop gaming. mendations are for old people. Words and Pictures, in the basement of Mac In the interests of keeping families together Hall, is one of the best places to check out this Christmas, the Gauntlet off ers these sug- for board games, RPG manuals and toys re- gestions. lated to all kinds of nerds, especially those For the artist who have a love aff air with dice. Prices vary, Head over to Nation, in the basement of so ask the extremely helpful staff to suggest Art Central, to pick up some sweet vinyl toys. something a little cheaper if your wallet is Th e store features beautifully painted Bambi’s light on cash. Th umper statues, spot-on Simpsons toys and For the fashion maven a whole bunch of gorgeous little fi gurines for 17th Avenue is the single best place to less than 15 bucks. Th ese are great decora- look for some unique fashion designs. Stores tions and conversation pieces. like Blame Betty and Divine off er great deals For the photographer on extremely fashionable items. If the pres- Give the gift of lomography this Christ- ent recipient is more interested in skate and mas. Go old-school with a toy camera like snowboarding culture, Mission Skate and the Diana or Holga, loving recreations of the Snow is another great store right along 17th famous cameras produced in the late ’60s. Ave. that has some great clothes from Circa, Th ese cameras are a touch expensive — usu- Burton, WESC and more. Expect to pay more ally costing around the $40 to $60 dollar for these clothes, but you have to suff er for mark at Th e Camera Store — but take gor- fashion. geous photos. While it may be hard to get For the shoe-lover the negatives processed, the gorgeous over- Th e one-stop shop for shoes in Calgary is saturated colours and always unique photos For the music geek crisp, warm tones are the reason why. Melo- Gravity Pope along 17th Ave. Th ey’ve got fan- are a great gift for someone who wants to get Th e best gift for the music fanatic in your diya Records has some of the best deals on cy shoes and fashionable sneakers, so head on back to basics in photography. life is a record player. Vinyl is back, and the new and used record players in town, and a down for some of the coolest shoes in Calgary. MORNING JAZZ ROOTS MIX AFTERNOON MIX LATE NIGHT MIX LATE 28 DECEMBER 03.09 GAUNTLET ENTERTAINMENT

ALBUM REVIEWS spun Norah Jones came in between, the feel of Th e Fall will be a shock. But those who enjoyed Th e Fall her last album will notice a similarity. Gratefully, the Tim Burton-esque (EMI) sounds have been limited on Fall, so it seems that Jones is settling in to her role as principle songwriter. Producer Jacquire King has done a good job ith each Norah Jones release, her sound changes enough picking up on Jones’ strengths as a songwriter and musician in their fi rst to “be new but not so much the listener feels like it’s a collaboration together. Wradical departure. Th is is a diffi cult thing to do, but Jones’ Jones’ strongest delivery is when the arrangement is kept simple, and fourth album, Th e Fall, builds off her previous eff orts familiar sounds when she uses her voice to convey a simple message full of emotion. and successfully integrates some unexpected twists. Th e third track on the album, “Light as a Feather,” is written with Ryan Th ere are new grooves on Th e Fall, partly resulting from the record’s Adams and is the fi rst point that the record begins to settle in. “Back to greater emphasis on guitar instead of piano. Th e album is also more syn- Manhattan” recalls the folk style Jones used on her second album Feels thesizer-dependent, which shift s the feeling toward rock. Like Home, and between these two feels the album carries itself nicely. To listeners of Jones’ fi rst album who haven’t heard the other two that ..Eric Mathison

Michael Bublé ing track “Cry me a River” which, with its op- jazz twist. He makes it his own, while keep- Crazy Love eratic instrumentals and lyrics, would not be ing everything that is good about the song. (143 Records) out of place as the opening song to a James Bublé also covers “Georgia on my Mind” by Bond movie. Ray Charles, which he adapts to his smooth Michael Bublé transports the music of jazz On “Haven’t Met You Yet” Bublé’s voice rings vocal style. lounges to a modern audience. On his fourth out confi dently, accented by guitar and piano in Crazy Love is one of Bublé’s most stylistically studio album Crazy Love Bublé — most known all the right places. varied albums so far. He demonstrates that he for his powerful voice and new twist on the old Crazy Love features a number of covers can handle diff erent styles, keep listeners en- big band style — proves that he deserves his alongside Bublé originals. One is a cover of gaged and show a playful side. It feels like Bublé reputation. the Eagles “Heartache Tonight.” Bublé takes is enjoying every note he sings. Some of the songs are dramatic, like open- this classic rock song and gives it a poppy ..Rhiannon Kirkland

Th e Heavy stomps and a myriad of other influences. closer “Stuck” eases peacefully into a string- Th e House Th at Dirt Built Th is is manly, swaggering music made by a driven ballad of relationship blues. (Counter Records) competent-as-hell band. Th e melody on “Six- Each song has its own identity, tastefully teen” borrows directly from “I Put a Spell On employing horns and interesting percussion English indie rock band The Heavy You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and makes it in ways that don’t distract from the music return with The House That Dirt Built, all their own, with a driving, animal force. itself. Kevin Swaby’s high, Prince-like voice their second album in two years. Having “Cause for Alarm” diverges furthest from the croons, barks, serenades and shouts. Th e garnered some attention from their first album’s sound, with female choruses, a har- House Th at Dirt Built is the most down-and- release on both sides of the Atlantic, this monium and reggae backdrop. But, much dirty sophomore release since the Black Keys’ follow-up further justifies their reputa- like the rest of the album, it just works. Aft er Th ickfreakness, and is damn near as good. tion with violent race car derby rock, soul the powerhouse of music preceding it, album ..Richard Lam

Bryan Lee ers the goods with gusto and charm. Most tar slinger Buddy Guy lays down an articu- My Lady Don’t Love My Lady notable are the soulful sax solos and David late and blistering solo. “Let Me Up I’ve Had (Justin Time) Maxwell’s lively piano playing, which add Enough” is a rollicking composition by Ken- the perfect balance to Lee’s Bourbon Street ny Wayne Shepherd who adds his own fi ery New Orleans-based bluesman Bryan Lee’s fl avoured guitar. Although a studio record- touches on guitar. 11th solo recording is a swinging mix of ing, My Lady Don’t Love My Lady has a live My Lady Don’t Love My Lady is an impres- original blues tunes and carefully chosen cov- performance feel. sive addition to Lee’s catalogue and should ers. Lee, known as ‘Th e Braille Blues Daddy,’ Lending their eff orts to the mix are two be welcomed by modern blues afi cionados proves his unique guitar and vocal prowess of Lee’s long-time friends. On Junior Well’s everywhere. are fully intact. His well rounded band deliv- “Early In Th e Morning,” Chicago blues gui- ..Ken Clarke three lines free GAUNTLET DECEMBER 03.09 29

SNOW!!! Who knows how long it will A poem from your friendly neighbour- Word-o’ the Week: German is SEXY! Studying German is Top 6 Pick Up Lines stay or how cold it will get, but enjoy hood Ski Club: Logorrhea: Pathologically excessive sexy! 1. Hi, who’s your friend? this snowman-making weather over What a pounding headache I have sit- and often incoherent talkativeness or – Fanofdeutsch 2. If I were to ask you for sex, would the holidays! Study hard, then party ting up in bed, man I need to pee. Why wordiness. your answer be the same as the an- hardy and have a well-deserved break! is there a condom stuck to my heel? Example: So... I meant to study for my Celibate serene swer to this question? Don’t forget to write down your TLFs And who the fuck was that next to me? exam last night, but a friend of mine Patriarchs ascent tartly 3. Do you believe in love at fi rst sight, for the fi rst issue next semester! Bring Where are my pants? I need some wa- called. She has logorrhea... which is Gruesomely gladly or do I have to walk by again? your TLF to MSC 319 or e-mail them to ter to drink. Something to wash away why I failed my exam. – The Genuine Haiku Generator 4. I’ve just moved you to the top of my [email protected]. All submissions the taste of jager, beers and ____ spit “to do” list. must include your name, ID number, from between my teeth. Did Cody ac- I went to a seafood disco last week... To the girl on the heavily packed train 5. Screw me if I am wrong, but haven’t phone number and signature. Sub- tually slap me out cold? And did Evan and pulled a mussel. who kept breathing in everyone’s face: we met before? missions judged to be racist, sexist, try to convince me I was a lap dancing Besides the fact that breath mints were 6. I lost my number... can I have yours? homophobic or attacks of a personal seat? What an amazing night it was, Congrats to all those moustache trend- invented to prevent bad breath, H1N1 nature will not be tolerated. now let’s go for a ski. The hill looks sters out there. You really cured pros- is on the loose! Don’t breath in peo- Copenhagen: Humanity’s milestone or amazing all covered in powder. Some- tate cancer this month. It’s so pathetic. ple’s faces!!! posterity’s infanticide? Dear Googly Eyed Busy Broad, thing, something, nothing rhymes Grow a real beard... – Classy Lads and Lassies I know you’ve always wanted a TLF with powder. My liver is aching my – Big Chief Beard Tree An Ode to Flannel in haiku form: about you, so merry x-mas, here it is! stomach still full of gin, I reach for a Dear mathematically inclined, Flannel is very warm Please be less busy and caramel mac- beer and feel a wave of panic set in. Since you mentioned that nobody “There is nothing to writing. All you do Wear it when there is a storm chiatos and ski lesson soon? I’m all out of brews surely I thought would ever write one of these for you, is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Or maybe Friday – Some Hoser we’d brought enough! My heart starts I decided to change that. And I fi gured – Ernest Hemingway – D. Levy to race! As I prepare to accept my de- I’d say, if the only good thing about Dear Andy, feated fate on the horizon I see a famil- taking this French class is becoming Two antennas met on a roof, fell in Get hot, get too close to the fl ame. Bread. iar face! It’s Alex and Dylan, Devin and friends with you, then... best French love and got married. The ceremony Wild, open space. Talk like an open Love, Jord Josh! They brought more beer and class ever? *boom* “mew!” Tea? wasn’t much, but the reception was book. Sign me up. Got no time to take they’re handing it out! I gulp one down excellent! a picture. I’ll remember someday all A welcome back bbq for the football and crush the can in my hand! “Viva la Fact-o’ the Week: the chances we took. We’re so close to team... Are you kidding me??! How Ski Club! You drunk bastards are back For those who are worried about gain- Things you should know: something better left unknown. I can about celebrating the varsity teams at it again!” ing a few pounds over the holiday sea- The strongest muscle in the body is feel it in my bones. Gimme sympathy. that actually do well on a consistent – Ski Club son, just sleep it off! You actually burn the tongue. – Metric basis? The Dinos make it to the cup more calories sleeping than you do for the fi rst time in 14 years and we’re [CHOWDER, LOUDER, PROUDER, ETC] watching TV! WRITE TLFS WRITE TLFS WRITE TLFS – Your TLF Editor <3 supposed to be overjoyed. – Actually-Good-Varsity-Athlete

Find out more about the energy-en- vironment-economy trio through IS- EEESA’s development program this winter semester! It will consist of four informative, yet fun, sessions that will reach beyond the classroom. Go to www.iseeesa.ca for more information. Only 40 spots are available, so don’t miss out on this great opportunity! – ISEEESA

Dear students, I understand you are, in fact, students but let me please remind you that al- though the point of Thursden is to get intoxicated and make out with that ran- dom, it is NOT OK to bodycheck your server while in your drunken state and lose all human integrity. Have some RESPECT for the staff that make it pos- sible for you to enjoy your Thursden while we work our asses off to pay for school. Tipping doesn’t hurt either. That is all.

WRITE TLFS WRITE TLFS WRITE TLFS 30 DECEMBER 03.09 GAUNTLET Editor: Jen Grond—[email protected] comics B By EMc AG Nu Fi Og La Kn

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