Wednesday, November 13th, 2013 | Fall 2013, Issue 5

Te Vanier Insider
Making outsiders, Insiders | November 13th, 2013
MMLP2 - p.8 Veronica Estevao
Physician Assisted Suicide Accepted in Quebec - p.6 Salsabil Zayed
Velocity of a Cheetah - p.9 Mitch Scalia
Cancer Awareness Week
During the week of the 18th of November, a colour shall be designated
on each day to raise awareness for the various types of cancer. On the
18th, orange symbolises leukemia, and white on the 19th for lung can-
cer. Te 20th has no colour, and raises awareness to all cancers. We don
ourselves with pink for breast cancer on the 21st and green for lym-
phoma on the 22nd. On the 23rd of November, the VCSAs Beat Cancer
Party will be held at Jet Nightclub. More details will be announced. On
the 27th of November, comedian Joey Elias will be in the D-cafeteria,
and a Movember event will be held in Jakes Mall. For more informa-
tion, make sure to speak to Shannon Wilson, the VCSAs Special Events
Ofcer located in room C-214.
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Wednesday, November 13th, 2013 | Fall 2013, Issue 5
Te leaves have fallen from the trees, and the cycle of life has already begun to transition to decay. We
enter the school with the sun weakly peeking through the horizon and leave the establishment with the sun
already set. Fortunately, just as Mother Nature turns to take her leave, so does the school semester; with
days passing faster than as the night grows longer, the approaching winter break serves as a solace to the
sufering of the fnal bombardment of assignments and essays, their due dates slowly approaching.
An issue brought up by Miriam Lafontaine is privacy and video surveillance. Living in a world sur-
rounded by crime, surveillance cameras serve to deter or assist in identifying the perpetrators of felonies.
Despite this added security measure, where do we draw the line on the location of cameras, and have we
already crossed that fne line?
Another topic of interest is our food review of MTL Star, masterfully penned by Jeremy De Cola David.
As students, fnding decently priced meals around the college can be rather daunting; with the help of our
resident food critic, eating out is made easier and much more afordable.
As the monkeys of the Vanier Insider type at their keyboards, in our ofce located in D-168, we aim to
keep students up to date with whats going on, both on and of campus. We are always available to be ap-
proached with comments, suggestions or even articles.
Keep it up, the semester is almost up!
Marco George Carriero
Editor-in-Chief
Nelly Srandour-Amar
Assistant Editor-in-Chief
Marco George Carriero
Layout Editor
Varvara Kameneva
Copy Editors
Gabii Harris-Blanco
David Mihai Chira
Nicole Genova
Thomas Lima
Cassiea Sim
Despina Xanthoudakis
Daria Zaplatina
Writers
Alex Aloisi
Alaric Antos
Keiran Arscott
Seeba Chaachouh
Jeremy De Cola-David
Michael DItri
Veronica Estevao
Melinda Hanna
Miriam Lafontaine
Jon Lioumbas
Yasmin Merhi
Franca Mignacca
Patrick Mocella
Suraj Rajwans
Mitch Scalia
Hajar Shalabi
Denzel Ryan Stephens
Taylor Yankowski
Salsabil Zayed
Editors Note & Staff
www.facebook.com/Vanier.Insider @VanierInsider
@VanierInsider
Near The End
www.vanierinsider.blogspot.com
3
Wednesday, November 13th, 2013 | Fall 2013, Issue 5
Are You Addicted?
Jeremy De Cola-David
Everyone has their bad habits, consuming rolled
greens or maybe just taking in the smell. You have
your place and I have mine; we know whom to turn
to if were looking for 1lb of the stuf or maybe just
a few grams. Its nice to have coke thrown in the lot
even if youre not a regular client. But lets face it;
whether your fx is baked or cooked, some places
supply you with stuf that just doesnt live up to ex-
pectations. If you want a euphoric experience that
is sure to leave you satisfed then MTLStar is the
sandwich shop for you. Teir hamburgers are so
good you could probably buy one and sell pieces
of it to your friends for a proft. Whats convenient
about this joint is that its located right next to Cos-
mix (comic book store) on Dcarie.
MTLStar gives of a pretty good impression
as soon as you walk in the place looks spotless
and has a very modern feel to it. A few selections
I personally recommend out of the hefy variety of
choices they ofer are the Classique (8.95$ + 1.00$:
trio) , the Tacos (7.50$ + 3.00$: trio) and the leg-
endary Radical (9.40$ + 1.00$: trio). If you chose
the trio option, your sandwich comes with a side of
fries or a salad as well as a soda can of your choice.
Te Classique is essentially composed of marinated
chicken strips with tomato, salad, onions, cheese
and MTLStars special mayonnaise. Te chicken
strip Tacos is more or less the same thing except
its a wrap and has peppers instead of tomatoes.
Finally, the Radical is two burger patties and two
pieces of fried chicken tucked in with some let-
tuce and tomato and their special mayonnaise all
wrapped together in a sof tortilla shell.
What makes all of their sandwiches and wraps
outstanding is their mayonnaise; you get to
choose how spicy you want it to be. Teir sauce
is packed with favour and has a very pleasant
kick to it. Te prices are very fair for the quality
and quantity of food that you are receiving and
the service is out of the ordinary. Afer placing
my order, I was asked to be seated and told that I
would be called when my order is ready. Expect
to at least wait 10 minutes for your order to be
ready, which is reasonable seeing as everything
is made fresh. Another plus is that their food has
received the Halal certifcation. If youre looking
for something diferent that puts your average
fast food chain to shame and you have a break
afer 11:30 (weekday opening hour) then give
MTLStar a try, you wont regret it!
Fun Fact:
John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich,
was the man who was responsible for the cre-
ation of the frst sandwich. Being the avid gam-
bler that he was, he found himself incapable of
even taking time away from games to eat so he
ordered one of his maids to put meat between
two loafs of bread that way he could eat his sup-
per and keep gambling at the same time.
MTLStar:
Service:
Taste:
Rating out of 10 Rastafarian Beanies:
Charismatic Performance
Franca G. Mignacca
Vanier has an endless amount of
clubs keeping the school fun and en-
tertaining. Tere is one in particular
though, that never ceases to amaze
members of the student body with their
incredible renditions of challenging
plays every single year. Upon entering
their club room, it becomes clear that
they are a friendly, welcoming and en-
thusiastic group of people that are full
of talent and charisma. Tis year, they
will be performing the hit Broadway
play Rent, and, as current executive
member Antigoni pointed out, have
even higher expectations put on their
performance this year since last years
play was such a hit.
Tey are a bit more behind than
usual, due to the fact that Vaniers Club
Day was so late in the semester. More-
over, having to take care of some other
activities early on in the semester as
well as having to compete with other
clubs wasnt particularly benefcial ei-
ther. Tey also had to deal with every
directors nightmare; a lack of audi-
tions, which made casting that much
harder. In spite of all this, they believe
that they are very capable of meeting
their very high expectations. Firstly,
the cast and crew that they have as-
sembled have shown exceptional dedi-
cation throughout all tasks. Although
their casts have always been exception-
ally good, this year promises to be even
richer and more diversifed in talent
than previous years. Tey have gath-
ered up a troop of phenomenal sing-
ers and actors, as well as a new vocal
coach. Tey have a large cast despite all
of their setbacks, which is pretty much
equal to the number of people who
have performed in previous years.
Like any other club in the school,
they had to face the very difcult issue
of budget cuts and higher auditorium
fees this year. Tey remain optimistic
and resilient however, as they choose
to work even harder so that they can
raise enough funds to put on a play, and
must therefore work just as hard as any
of the other clubs in the school. Aside
from the amazing performers, the play
promises to be incredible in yet anoth-
er respect as the costumes are sure to
be even better this year. Not only will
it be easier to make them look amaz-
ing since the play is set in a diferent
era, but they might be getting night
students from LaSalle College to make
them for the play (though that is not
a 100% sure fact just yet, its just very
likely to happen).
When being asked if there was any-
thing that the Teatre Troupe would
like the student body to know about
them, Antigoni proudly said that they
are all a family, and that they are a
group of open, charismatic individu-
als, and encourages all students to just
drop in to their ofce anytime just to
say hello, because they are always fun.
Make sure to go see the play to support
your fellow students. And to the Te-
atre Troupe, break a leg!
Atmosphere:
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Wednesday, November 13th, 2013 | Fall 2013, Issue 5
Sex Stuff: Debunking STI Myths
Ms. X
1. If I had a Sexually Transmit-
ted Infection, I would know about it.
We have all heard about the STIs
that can cause symptoms such as warts
and rashes, turning people into social
pariahs. Usually, this is what we picture
when we consider what an STI is. Te
truth is, there are a number of types of
them which show no visible symptoms.
On average, 20 million people get diag-
nosed with this type of infection every
year in the U.S., and the majority is un-
aware that they are even infected. And
when people are unaware, they dont
get treated, enabling the infection to
spread even further. See the problem?
2. I wont get an STI if I dont
have intercourse, or if I only have oral
sex or anal sex.
Te fact is that almost all STIs that
can be passed on through unprotect-
ed vaginal sex can also be passed on
through unprotected skin-on-skin
contact, oral and anal sex. Tere is less
risk of contracting an infection from
oral sex compared to vaginal or anal
sex, but there is always a risk if the sex
is unprotected. Tis being said, anal
sex is riskier than oral or vaginal sex.
Condoms and dental dams are highly
efective in preventing the possibility of
spreading STIs.
3. You can only get herpes when
your partner is having an outbreak
that you can see.
False! First of all, many people have
herpes and dont even know it. Tere
are not always visible symptoms, which
means that you can get herpes from
somebody who feels healthy. Out of the
almost 70 million people afected by
genital herpes, 80 percent have no signs
or cant recognize them. Second of all,
even when theres no visible outbreak,
the infection can be transmitted. It is
highly recommended using a condom
or dental dam with a partner who has
herpes, even when they are between
outbreaks.
4. Only sluts or players get
STIs.
As much as wed like to think we
are all pure and clean, were probably
not. traight-A students get STIs, aver-
age students get STIs, failing students
get STIs; even teachers get STIs. People
who have never had sex, people who
have only had one partner, or people
who have had dozens of partners can
all get STIs. Nobody needs to get them.
We all know that the only surefre
way to avoid infections is to abstain
from any sexual contact. While some
people are fne with this, others would
like to enjoy sex regardless. In this case,
condoms or dental dams are encour-
aged to be used at all times, and regular
testing is mandatory.
It is only benefcial to get tested.
Student Services, located in C- 203, of-
fers health services for Vanier students
to prevent and treat Sexually Transmit-
ted Infections, amongst others. All ap-
pointments made strictly confdential.
Modern Lit
Keiran Arscott and Gabii Harris-Blanco
From Wednesday October 31st to Fri-
day November 1st we had the English Sym-
posium here at Vanier. Te Symposium was
flled with talks by teachers, poets, writers
and many more, who discussed and ques-
tioned how the English language and litera-
ture are seen in todays modern world and
how they infuence us.
On November 1st at 10:00 am, Katia
Grubisic and Jason Camlot presented and
discussed their views on the evolution of
literature in the Digital Age. Grubisic an es-
sayist, poet, editor and writer for the Globe
and Mail, claims she is devotedly behind
the times. She spoke about her love of
books and why we should keep the tradi-
tion of books around.
She mentions briefy Nicholas Car and
his book How Is Te Internet Afect-
ing Our Minds His book examines what
is happening to our brains and manner of
thinking as a result of new technology. He
says in an interview with Westword, Early
technologies, like the printed page, were
very good at encouraging us to focus on
one thing at the sacrifce of all others. But
the computer screenparticularly the net-
connected computer screenencourages
us to divided our attention.
Grubisic agrees, saying we read far
less well onscreen than of screen. Even
what she calls Digital Natives, the children
born into this era of surrounding technol-
ogy, have difculties following electronic
texts as opposed to texts on paper. She also
throws in that power browsing eliminates
90% of the information your search up. Not
particularly useful, is it?
So far, these are all the solid backups for
why we should stay true to good old fash-
ioned books, but what about the rest?
She describes the feeling of chance
when searching for a book in her personal
library. How much she loves the mystery of
fnding something to read on her shelves,
but that with ereaders, she doesnt get to ex-
perience that.
Teres something to be said for the
feeling you get from choosing and reading
a book. Much more plays in than just the
story. Teres the size of the book, 500 or
1000 pages? And the cover, is it hardcover
or paperback? Will you have ink stains on
your fngers reminding you of the won-
derful story, hours afer reading it? Te
element of surprise or discovery is under-
mined When choosing a book from an
ereader or Kindle. You have your list of
books but you can only search one section,
as in one letter of the alphabet, at a time.
Te beautiful thing about literature
is its capacity to absorb the reader into a
completely diferent world than their own.
Flip the cover of Nineteen-Eighty-Four and
youre thrown into a fearful dystopian fu-
ture with the tyrannical Big Brother watch-
ing your every move. Te people you meet,
the adventures you experience, difer from
novel to novel. You escape from your ev-
eryday identity into any the author wants
you to be. In his presentation Unbound
Textual Engagement: Before, During, and
Afer the Book Professor Jason Camlot of
Concordia University uses the term bib-
liomania to describe the folly generations
have for print books. And it wont last for-
ever.
Te point of literature, as well as art, is
to make you see from another point of view.
People may get ofended when hundreds
and thousands of books are combined into
a sculpture. Camlot speaks about how a
scrapbook album is a form of an interactive
print book. Camlot believes a scrapbook al-
bum is a repository to create books. Tey
turn ideas into another idea.
Generally, the focus in literature is a
comment from the author. Whether it be
about society, relationships, or emotions,
the author wants to relay information to
the viewer. When several books are turned
from their conventional front-cover to
back-cover layout, into an intricate piece
of art, the message is changing into some-
thing else.
Camlot uses the example of Jaap Blonk,
an avant-garde performance artist attempt-
ing to provoke a response from his audi-
ence. Afecting the audience is what mat-
ters. Te medium by which the message
is transmitted only counts if it afects the
overall meaning. As Camlot argues, lit-
erature has been around for centuries.
Literature has been read on tablets, cylin-
ders, and even codexes. But who says it has
anything to do with art, or meaning? Why
cant it be about education? Gutenberg rev-
olutionized western civilization through
the creation of the printing press. When
literature had previously been reserved for
higher-class individuals, information be-
came more widespread. Now, were living
in a society where knowledge is at our fn-
ger tips through electronic gadgets. We no
longer have to walk to a library, or search
through our limited bookshelves. If we
have a question we can fnd the answer al-
most as quickly as we thought the question.
Te medium of how people educate them-
selves doesnt matter as long as it works.
For generations now, weve all read our
favourite books the same way. Te frst nov-
el you ever picked up as a kid, which served
as a gateway to a wonderful world of magic
where words come to life and characters
live forever, gives you this longing feeling
of nostalgia when you refect on it now. Or
a philosophical book that led to a journey
making you re-evaluate your life. Tats dy-
ing. Sure, you can still pick up books from
the library; but thats not what the current
generation is doing. Newspapers, the way
weve been spreading news for centuries,
are fghting to hold onto dwindling read-
ership. Teres a feeling of dread knowing
the way weve been spreading ideas and
communicating is drastically changing.
Not only that, but it seems to be afecting
education. Reading for hours or end on an
electronic device strains your eyes. Read-
ing information on a computer has certain
people glancing over important informa-
tion they would otherwise catch when in-
formation is read in print form. However,
its the idea that matters. Its difcult to see
the medium in which you took your frst
steps disappear; but what counts is the
idea the author is trying to convey. Books
are too powerful of a medium to be lost
through a change in the way they are read.
Why should reading be confned to
words in our head? Why not take advan-
tage of technology to expand want we want
to share with the world? Our forms of com-
munication have twisted and changed a
million times over the past millennia. Per-
haps this is just the next step.
5
Wednesday, November 13th, 2013 | Fall 2013, Issue 5
Child-traffcking in Greece: Maria the blond angel
Hajar Shalabi
A young girl was accidently
found in a Roma gypsy camp in
Greece by officers who were con-
ducting a routine search of weap-
ons and drugs in that area. The of-
ficers noticed that Maria did not
resemble the parents taking care of
her at all, so they suspected them
of child abduction. Eleftheria Di-
mopoulou, 40, and husband Hris-
tos Salis, 39, stated they were her
biological parents until DNA test
results proved them wrong. They
are now detained and charged with
abducting a minor.
A charity agency in Greece called
Smile of the Child, now taking care
of Maria, launched a search for her
biological parents. Seven days lat-
er, on October 24, her birth par-
ents were found; Sashka and Ata-
nas Rusev of Bulgaria announced
that they are her biological par-
ents, and DNA results proved them
right. The mother then said that
she wants her child back.
Despite her request, she is un-
der investigation for allegedly sell-
ing her baby, although she denies
she took any money for giving the
baby away. She claims, that four
years ago, she was working as an
olive picker for the Greek couple,
and she had no choice but to give
them her baby, being too poor to
care for her. And now she wants
her back.
Rusev has nine other children
between the ages of 2 and 20 years
old. Social workers visited her
house and found them living in
horrible conditions; they were liv-
ing under an broken roof, sleeping
on a muddy floor and wearing dirty
clothes. They took away seven of
her children; the two others were
over 18 years of age, and therefore
were not under state protection.
Since the Maria incident, three
other cases of Greek couples were
found and charged with buying ba-
bies from Roma couples.
Greece has long been in the cen-
ter of child trafficking, and since
the economic crisis, the trade has
become worse. This is seen espe-
cially in underdeveloped and poor
areas such as this Roma communi-
ty in which Maria was found.
Children that are brought into
this inhumane trade are usually
subject to sex trafficking, forced
labor or sold illegally for adoption.
Greek law prohibits sex traffick-
ing and forced labor giving pun-
ishments of approximately 10 years
of imprisonment to criminals with
penalties between $14, 000 to $70,
000. Though, there seems to be
many holes in the judicial system
since many cases go unseen and
documentation fraud of false birth
certificates have become very pop-
ular with no serious consequences.
In order to prevent further
child trafficking, the government
has launched several campaigns of
public awareness by encouraging
victims of these criminal acts to
seek help and to be aware of their
individual rights that can help
them.
Privacy in Our World Today
Miriam Lafontaine
Te United States of America spends
more money on war than any other
country in the world; currently, the U.S.
military budget accounts for approxi-
mately 40% of arms spent worldwide.
Te U.S., knowing that they can no
longer aford this, has increasingly re-
sorted to using unmanned aerial vehi-
cles, more commonly known as drones.
What exactly is a drone? It is an aircraf
without a pilot that can fy for days at
a time. Te U.S. uses them mostly for
flming and for missile attacks against
suspected terrorist locations. Drones
are preprogramed to their destination
and everything planned is done via
computers in the U.S. Tis is ideal for
the U.S. because they can still bomb
the Middle East without having to em-
ploy as many pilots, and can watch
and protect people in the Middle East
without having to send as many troops
overseas.
Te biggest dilemma with these
drones is the threat that they pose
against citizens. Since 2002, drone at-
tacks have killed over 800 civilians in
just Yeman alone. In Pakistan, there
have been roughly 3600 civilians killed
by drone attacks since 2004. Recent-
ly, in late October, surviving citizens
of drone attacks from Pakistan have
come to Congress to fnd answers
from the attacks. Why were their peers
and grandmothers targeted by these
drones? Why was this necessary? Am-
nesty International and Human Rights
Watch are concerned about the legiti-
mate need of these of these drones and
argue that they should be made illegal
because they go against international
laws. Te U.S. know that these drones
pose a large threat against civilians but
still they feel they are entitled to use
them because they decrease the death
of innocent lives (U.S. soldiers),
and because they help fght terrorism.
Fighting terrorism saves lives accord-
ing to Obama.
Tese drones also raise the issue of
privacy. Is it really necessary for the
U.S. to flm countries in the Middle
East just so they can survey potential
terrorists? Tey havent experienced a
terrorist attack since 9/11, which was
over ten years ago. Is their presence
just ensuring public safety or is it ac-
tually an invasion of privacy? Not only
is the National Security Agency (NSA)
spying on the Middle East, but they
were recently caught spying on phone
calls between Cardinals in the Vatican
right before the conclave to elect the
new Pope. Not only this, but the NSA
spies on citizens as well; in the U.S. to-
day the NSA has an internet and tele-
phone monitoring program in place
which monitors not just those in ofce
settings, but citizens as well. In the eyes
of the NSA, it does not matter if they
are invading peoples privacy because
innocent civilians should have nothing
to worry about. Tis information was
leaked by Edward Snowdon, a former
member of the NSA; it was not intend-
ed to be known to the U.S. public at all.
Snowdon was charged with espionage
for doing this, but who are the actual
spies? If you think that privacy inva-
sion in the States is corrupt, just know
that the NSA does not plan on cutting
back. It is estimated that by 2030 there
will be 30,000 drones fying over U.S.
skies.
How much privacy do Canadians
have in comparison? Of course, we
have much more; our government has
not been proven to spy on its citizens
or on other countries, but we can see
an increasing decline in the concept
of privacy. In Montreal, most schools
have cameras, which are ideal for the
surveillance and protection of students.
Tis being said, is it really necessary to
place cameras inside of Vaniers chang-
ing rooms? Is it really necessary to have
approximately four cameras for each
6
Wednesday, November 13th, 2013 | Fall 2013, Issue 5
Gravity
Keiran Arscott
Gravity isnt just a movie its an expe-
rience. Its being immersed into space and
living the experience of an astronaut as
though you were really there. With mov-
ies being made in Hollywood that are ei-
ther sequels or so tidy you wonder where
everything went, its both spectacular and
refreshing to see this level of cinema fnally
STM bus? In cases like these, do cam-
eras protect us or do they just fuel pri-
vacy intrusion? Why are there cameras
in buses but not metros? Cameras in
buses are there for public safety but
are it possible to watch every single one
of these cameras with all the buses that
we have?
Although we can argue that cam-
eras invade our privacy, what should
be emphasized is that Facebook poses
far more of a threat. It could be debat-
ed that Facebook is destroying peoples
concepts of privacy. Progressively, users
have forgotten the meaning of privacy
through the use of Facebook; we have
abandoned this concept in a desper-
ate search for attention from our peers.
Are you depressed? Cutting yourself?
Hate yourself? Lonely? Do not forget to
tell all of your 600+ Facebook friends
by posting a status about it!
We hear, Well, its only my Face-
book friends who can see it, but that is
only true if you put precise privacy set-
tings on your profle. Even then, people
who are not your Facebook friends can
still see what you comment on other
pages. Without specifc privacy settings
on your Facebook, anyone with an ac-
count can see your photos, videos, sta-
tus updates and even your high scores
on Candy Crush. Facebook creates an
environment where you can search
several people, add them, and spy on
them. Te best part is that it is social-
ly acceptable. We also must not forget
that employers use Facebook to do re-
search on their applicants before they
accept them.
Facebook even has facial recogni-
tion technology this is not just tag-
ging. Tis coding is created based on
a collection of tagged photos of every
user. Everyones face now has a specifc
coding to it, even in photos that have
not been tagged. Facebook recognises
your face because it has a code based
on algorithms that identify specifc
facial features, such as eye shape, jaw
structure, and nose shape.
Do not feel encouraged to complete-
ly get rid of your Facebook; just know
what you are signing up for. What is
the point of the government investing
in espionage when they can just search
citizens on Facebook with the click of
a mouse?
re-entering the space. Watching Gravity,
you feel an emotional attachment to the
characters. Te special efects, the editing,
the cinematography, as well as the screen-
play all make you feel connected. Gravity
is a dazzling theatrical experience that will
make you re-evaluate yourself and your be-
liefs. Directed, co-written (with help from
his eldest son Jonas), and co-produced
by Alfonso Cuarn, Gravity follows Ryan
Stone; a female astronaut played by Sandra
Bullock on her frst space shuttle mission.
Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) is a veter-
an astronaut that lends years of experience
to Ryan Stone afer their mission is abrupt-
ly interrupted when Houston warns the
Physician Assisted Suicide Accepted in Quebec
Salsabil Zayed
Tis province has been through a
lot. Many controversial issues stumble
upon its people such as the laws on
abortion, gay marriages, and very re-
cently, physician assisted suicide. At-
tempting to please the majority of
Quebec citizens, this issue of physi-
cian assisted suicide has been a topic of
debate since 1992. When brought up
again in the Quebec panel last winter,
January 2013, it was agreed upon that
the physicians of Quebec should be the
ones with authority on this issue.
Sue Rodriguezs case was the start
of this controversy in Canada in 1992,
when she requested to die with the as-
sistance of a doctor. She sufered from
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, one of the
most common motor neuron diseases,
causing a gradual and lethal weaken-
ing of her muscles. She did not want to
be remembered by her kids, family and
husband as terribly ill and paralyzed
and thus was determined to die with
dignity. Te woman lived in British
Colombia and took her case all the
way to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Nonetheless, euthanasia and assisted
suicide are still illegal, under the crimi-
nal code in Canada.
Quebec was the frst province of
Canada to allow abortion, and may be
the frst to accept physician assisted
suicide as well. Veronique Hivon tabled
Bill 52 on medically assisted death in
Quebec on June 12. She says, I believe
we are capable of holding this debate at
this time. Society is ready for it. Te
Quebec National Assembly acknowl-
edged the bill in late October. However,
the Euthanasia Prevention Coalitions
Executive Director, Schadenberg, ar-
gues, Tis is far from done. Te gov-
ernment might amend the bill. Hivon
explains that the conditions for assisted
suicide here will be more rigid than in
the United States. Te patient would
have to possess a provincial Medicare
card. Tey must be an adult whom is
compos mentis, or in other words,
conscious and capable of making ra-
tional decisions. Also, they must have
gone through fairly advanced stages
of terminal illness. If such conditions
are met, the patient would then be re-
quired to fll an application for end-of-
life treatment and the physician must
have discussed the issue with the im-
mediate family as well as with another
health care professional.
Although this issue in fact illegal
under the federal Criminal Code, Que-
bec has successfully argued that it falls
into the provincial jurisdiction as being
a health care procedure. Philippe Bru-
net, a professor in the Chemistry de-
partment of Vanier College, expressed
his opinion on this issue: I am abso-
lutely in favor of this law. Were talk-
ing about conditions where people
are sufering from incurable illness.
For example, they are in pain or they
sufer from not being able to do any-
thing with their lives. Naturally, it [as-
sisted suicide] should be done in a very
well controlled way by the authori-
ties. When asked whether he would be
comfortable with his son, an emergen-
cy doctor in his frst year of practice,
assisting patients to die with dignity, he
replied, Yes.
Martha Bernstein, a professor in the
Humanities department of Vanier Col-
lege, expresses support for this law as
well. Although she understands that
some may counter physician assisted
suicide because of the traditional role
of a doctor being to prolong rather
than to end life, she strongly holds onto
her belief that this law is designed to
beneft people who have no hope of
regaining their health and for whom
there is no chance of improvement
or cure. Her rationale for this law is
as follows: Te main idea is that it is
the right of the individual to die with
dignity in a calm, dignifed way and
without pain. Te U. S. Supreme Court
ruled on Quinlan that it is the right of
the individual under the U. S. Consti-
tution to decide his own destiny. She
also argues that a humane government
has the responsibility to help those in
need and to provide help. Quebec has
led the way on a number of medical is-
sues including the right to abortion and
gay marriage. It is only a matter of time
until medical marijuana becomes legal
for those in medical need. PAS will lead
the way in providing the precedent for
future help laws.
Te consequences of Quebecs ac-
ceptance to this law are yet to be seen in
the upcoming years of its application.
How will the government amend it
and what impact will it have on the up-
coming generations? Tese are ques-
tions yet to be answered as the new law
goes.
7
Wednesday, November 13th, 2013 | Fall 2013, Issue 5
HOMESTAY
FAMILIES
NEEDED
TO HOST DANISH AND GERMAN
STUDENTS IN APRIL 2014
Make lasting friends with
students from Europe.
Get involved at the College
in a unique way and make a
valuable contribution to
student life.
And make some extra money
$800.00!
FIND OUT ABOUT THIS GREAT
OPPORTUNITY FOR THE VANIER
COMMUNITY!
Please come to the Language School
office in Room B-228 and pick up a
Homestay Guide and Application Form.
Visit www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/ls
and click on Homestay for details
Bombay Bicycle Club Carry Me
After a two-year hiatus, Bombay Bicycle Club has
announced a new album due to be released in Febru-
ary 2014. The group has released a track off the new
album that is already available to buy: Carry Me. The
new track retains much of the bands old sound while
still being distinguished by a more explosive and en-
ergetic rhythm. The single was released along with
a neat interactive music videoyou can change the
angle of the camera during playback. Its worth check-
ing out, even if only to understand what I mean by
interactive.
COIN Honey
This band has only released three songs so far, but
they are all very fun. Time Machine is the groups
most popular song so far, according to their Sound-
Cloud page. They sound like a mix between Two Door
Cinema Club and Walk the Moon; they describe their
music as swirly indie party pop, and I dont think
many will disagree with them. Their songs will al-
most always turn your frown upside down when you
need them to, [COIN] decided that everything was
too serious; so they started a new project. All three
of their currently available songs are downloadable in
exchange for a like on their Facebook page.
Shuffe
David de Vries
Man Man Head On (Hold On to Your heart)
This amazing song was released along with Man
Mans fifth album On Oni Pond in September of this
year. I skipped classes to listen to itthis song will
make you dance and see things from a different per-
spective if youre feeling down. The video for this
song is more of a visualette with lyrics and some peo-
ple might find it disturbing because it features scenes
of people getting killed from different horror movies
(some ridiculous, some blood-curdling). The song
will not lose its interesting qualities, even after youve
listened to it for a while. Make your friends listen to
it, just make sure they wont skip classes because of it!
Do you have any suggestions for the next issues
Shuffle? E-mail them to vaniershuffle@gmail.com!
Upcoming Movies
Varvara Kameneva
team of impending space debris emanating from a Russian
missile strike. Te mission is quickly aborted and not long
afer, the astronauts lose all communication with Houston.
I watched the movie with my dad, and we had radically
diferent interpretations of it: I saw the movie as a religious
manifesto, which really surprised my dad.
Me: Space is this dark, unexplored, scary place. Its very
easy to lose yourself and forget the sights you set out for.
But if you choose to accept God, he will send a guiding
light and liberate you from darkness. When George Cloo-
ney comes as an apparition, afer Bullock prays to God and
accepts him, and afer noticing a Buddha statuette, God is
sending an angel to Sandra Bullock. Sandra Bullocks char-
acter is letting herself die but God wont accept that.
My dad: I didnt see it like that. Afer all that she had
been through, and then the disappointment of fnding the
escape capsule had no fuel, she had a collapse of will. She
could not go on and lay down to die. But as she starts to
sleep her subconscious survival programming kicks in and
presents her with a solution in a kind of dream. Te movie
is all about survival both of Sandra as an individual and of
all of us as a species down on the tiny planet below. Te last
scenes of the movie have Sandra in an unknown, primordi-
al-looking part of the planet making the gesture so funda-
mental to our evolution and survival, as if for the frst time:
standing up on two legs.
Despite our difering understandings of the flm, my
dad and I agree that this is a great movie you will be think-
ing and talking about long afer seeing it.
Te Best Man Holiday
Date: Nov.15 Genre: Comedy
Cast: Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut
Every Christmas season, a plethora of Christmas-
themed movies come out. Tis year is no exception. Te
Best Man Holiday is one of them. It is a sequel to the
1999 movie Te Best Man. It is a family-friendly flm that
talks about the lives of college friends who have not seen
each other for more than 10 years: their last memories
together are the wedding of their best friend. When they
are reunited, all their old rivalries and friendships resur-
face and its up to them to make their trip the holiday of
their lives.
Te Book Tief
Date: Nov.15 Genre: Drama
Cast: Geofrey Rush, Emily Watson, Sophie Nlisse,
Ben Schnetzer
Tis is an adaptation of a novel that takes place dur-
ing the Second World War. It is set in Germany, where
people are persecuted for having anything to do with Jews
or being Jewish. An older family adopts a young girl who
loves books. One day she comes back from school to fnd
her parents hiding a teenage Jewish boy who loves books
as much as she does. Te connection that develops be-
tween these two teenagers and the rest of the girls family
in this notorious setting is simply astonishing. Teir fght
for survival will develop their friendship and love. Tis is
a must-see for anyone who fancies novels.
Te Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Date: Nov.22 Genre: Action, Drama
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hem-
sworth
Another adaptation of a book and another sequel on
this list. Tis time Katniss and Peeta, winners of 74th An-
nual Hunger Games, are touring the districts, while Presi-
dent Snow is getting ready for the 75th year of games.
Katniss feels that the rebellion against the games is grow-
ing stronger and it is up to her now to save the people
she loves. If you havent read Te Hunger Games or you
havent seen this flms prequel, but you would love to go
and see the sequel with your signifcant other, you should
watch the frst installment to be able to understand whats
going on in Catching Fire.
8
Wednesday, November 13th, 2013 | Fall 2013, Issue 5
MMLP2
Eminems highly anticipated
eighth studio album, The Marshall
Mathers LP 2, was released on Tues-
day, November 5th 2013. In it, Emi-
nem explores different aspects of his
life and older songs. The recent re-
lease has been the subject of many
reviews from critics, most of which
have been positive. Aside from his
singles, Bad Guy and Headlights
are the two songs from MMLP2 that
have generated the most buzz on so-
cial medias.
Bad Guy, the first song on the
LP, is seven minutes long. It serves
as a sequel to Stan (The Marshall
Mathers LP, 2000). In the song, Stans
little brother, Matthew, kidnaps Emi-
nem, ties him up and throws him in
the trunk of his car. Eminem killed
by Eminem, Matthew Mitchell, raps
Eminem, playing the role of his own
killer. In a recent Q&A on his Face-
book page, Eminem was asked by a
fan why Dido, who was featured in
Stan, was not a part of MMLP2.
Eminem replied that [he] thought it
would give it away.
Headlights, the other publically
acclaimed song on this album, is an
apology letter to his mother in which
a rarely shown softer and more ma-
ture side of Eminem comes out. Be-
sides apologizing for his past songs
which mention her, he retells the
story of him and his brother Nathan
seeing their mom after countless
years. With them is one of Eminems
daughters (the rapper doesnt specify
whether it is Hailie, Whitney or Alai-
na) meeting her grandmother for the
first time in her life.
Eminem has developed as a rap-
per throughout his long and success-
ful career. It has been thirteen years
since The Marshall Mathers LP and
its evident that Eminem has grown
and is now rapping from the point of
view of a 41 year-old, though some of
his immaturity lingers. Songs such as
Just Lose It and Without Me cir-
cle around Eminems humorous side,
though what made these songs and
what continues to make his songs
popular is the pace of his rapping
and the way in which Eminem tells a
story in just a few minutes.
Veronica Estevao
The track titled Rap God on
MMLP2 is a prime example of Emi-
nems talent: on it, he raps 97 words
in just 15 seconds. Eminem never
ceases to amaze his fans and cri-
tiques. The sheer speed of his rap-
ping is nothing less than remarkable
and it continues to take the music in-
dustry by storm. Despite the minor
changes to this album, the raw talent
is there for fans to hear. With one of
the largest fanbases in the world, this
latest album is the hot topic among
critics, music fans and those in the
music industry.
From collaborations with Rihan-
na, Nate Ruess and Kendrick Lamar
to rapping at supersonic speed, this
album has proved something his fans
knew all along: Eminem has still got
it and, unlike many rappers, he be-
comes more passionate and talented
as the years go on. The quality of the
work put into each song can be ap-
preciated by any fan of rap music
who takes some time to actively lis-
ten to the album.
Martial Arts With A New Kick
Patrick Mocella
When people think of martial arts,
they usually have pre-established
ideas of what its all about. Fighters
clad in robes chopping through bricks,
screaming a high-pitched shout and
immediately retaining a stoic expres-
sion on their faces. Te Vanier Col-
lege Martial Arts Club however does
things a little bit diferently.
Nicolas Champagne, a student at
Vanier, has dabbled in various martial
arts for the past few years but has truly
found his calling in the form of mar-
tial arts tricking. Martial Arts Tricking
is a style that incorporates techniques
from disciplines like karate, tae-kwon
do and gymnastics. Tis combination
of kicks and fips was just what the
Martial Arts Club member was look-
ing for. As soon as I started tricking,
I got hooked, its a diferent mentality.
I feel as if Im apart from the average
person and thats why I push myself
to try new things he says. Cham-
pagne also commented that this new
Martial Arts Tricking was developed
from Capoeira, a Brazilian martial
art and dance which begun out of a
necessity for African slaves living in
Brazil around the 16th century. Te
slaves couldnt practice fghting tech-
niques, and so they disguised their
martial art with a musical rhythm so
that their owners would assume it was
merely dancing. Martial Arts Tricking
is a natural evolution of Capoeira, ex-
panding its move set to include tech-
niques from other martial arts and ac-
robatics.
Tis new style of Tricking opens
the doors of martial arts to everyone,
even Roy Khoury, a student at Vani-
er College and a break-dancer. Afer
sufering an elbow injury in break-
dancing, Khoury wanted something
to train in that wouldnt afect his el-
bow, and Tricking was the perfect ft:
My lower body gets trained very well.
Im still training while Im healing my
elbow. Martial Arts Tricking allows
even those who would have never
thought about martial arts a chance to
experience it in a whole new way.
All these acrobatic maneuvers
arent just for show. Brandon Joseph,
another member of the club, feels
that there are extra benefts: Its a
way for me to pass my aggressiveness
and calm myself. Its fun for me and I
hope to build a career out of it. Vani-
er student and club member Siamak
Samie shares the same sentiments as
Joseph: Capoeira is a game. Its some-
thing you play with another person.
Its almost like a conversation. I plan
on doing it for the rest of my life. Its
long been documented that exercise
is one of the best stress relievers for
any person no matter what their age
or gender may be. Te members of
the Vanier College Martial Arts Club
keep their bodies and minds in top
shape by fying gracefully through the
air like birds. Remember guys, the la-
dies love it, just ask Samie: It drives
them crazy. Its probably 50 percent of
the reason why I do this.
If any of you are interested to see
this special martial art, Te Martial
Art Club meets Tuesdays 6-8 P.M,
Wednesdays 12-2 (UB) and Fridays
2-4 P.M in G-157.
9
Wednesday, November 13th, 2013 | Fall 2013, Issue 5
Velocity of a Cheetah
Mitch Scalia
With Halloween come and gone, its time for things to
go back to normal. Its time to take down the decorations,
hang up the costumes, and eat all the candy before you
need to get rid of the consequential cavities. However, on
November 1st, those who stayed around at the Vanier au-
ditorium on a very windy night got to witness some thrills
and excitement. Te Cheetahs basket-ball team took on
the Montmorency Nomades in a double-header that fea-
tured the men and women teams. When it comes to jun-
gle cats, the cheetah is an amazing specimen. Once locked
onto its target, it accelerates at top speeds and doesnt stop
until the job is done. At Vanier, our student athletes are
true cheetahs that represent us proudly with hard work
and success.
Game 1
Te frst game of the double-header was the women
Cheetahs and the women Nomades, who are the defending
national champions. Te Cheetahs started the season 1-1
and were trying to rebound from a loss courtesy of Cham-
plain St.Lambert. Te game started of and the Cheetahs
seemed to be competitive. However, just as the game start-
ed of tied 4-4, things got out of hand fast; the Nomades
scored 11 straight points without any response. Cheetahs
head coach Ruby Viray decided to call a timeout to calm
the team and give a pep talk. Unfortunately, it proved to be
inefective as the Cheetahs ended the frst quarter losing
26-8. Te second quarter continued where the frst ended
of as the Cheetahs gave up 12 straight points without get-
ting one. Te frst half ended with a 60-26 gap.
However, with the game seeming to be out of reach,
it was the second half where the Cheetahs fnally put up a
competitive efort. Tey were only outscored 13-10 in the
third quarter and 15-13 in the 4th quarter. Te game end-
ed with the Nomades winning 75-39. Te leading scorer
for the Cheetahs was Ruth Tshikudi Tshila, a Social Sci-
ence student from Laval, with 10 points. Clear faws of the
womens team were the abundance of turnovers, the poor
defense, and not being able to score points when needed.
Tis is a team that still needs to work on its chemistry as its
full of frst years. Losing is rough but as Serena Williams
once said; If anything, you know, I think losing makes me
even more motivated.
Game 2
Hoping to avenge the womens loss, the men take the
court for their matchup with the Nomades. Te mens team
is on quite a roll, started the season with a 3-0 record and
they were hoping to keep the winning streak intact. Afer
some impressive pre-game dunking and the introduction
of starting lineups, the game began. Te Nomades actu-
ally started of with a 4-0 lead. However, once the Cheetahs
scored 5 points to take the lead, they would never lose it.
Tey fnished the frst half with a 24-14 lead.
One player in particular that was very impressive was
Justin Kinnear, a Computer Science Tech. student from
Montreal. One of the most memorable highlights of the
game was when he stole the ball from the opposing player
and put down a dunk that got his teammates and the crowd
going. Being the tallest player on the team, he comment-
ed, I already have that edge on everyone when it comes
to grabbing rebounds or making goals. Kinnear fnished
with 8 points in the frst quarter and 7 points in the second
quarter as the Cheetahs lead 51-31.
Kinnear ended his night with 4 more points in the
third quarter and was benched for the rest of the game (to
avoiding injuries so he can attend a college trip in Florida).
His teammate Max Joseph, a Social Science student from
Montreal, took over the role. By the end of the game, both
Kinnear and Joseph fnished with 19 points as the Chee-
tahs won easily 100-73. With a 4-0 record, the Cheetahs
seemed like they could be provincial and even national
champions. Kinnear playfully gloated; We look to be the
best team in our league, so you can always bet on win when
you come to watch us play.
While this double-header ended with mixed results,
the skys the limit for the basketball team. Tis was only the
start of the season and things are going to be picking up.
Its time for the students to get more involved and cheer for
their teams. Justin Kinnear commented, Te game atmo-
sphere changes when students come to our games and we
love seeing a full crowd and our intensity is always higher
with a full house.
GO CHEETAHS GO!
Stupid Civics
Pehn Von Namm
Walking by a school parking lot and
hearing a modified Honda Civic being
revved is one thing. Worst case scenar-
io, youre a little annoyed at first; you
thought it was an angry bumblebee, but
you were wrong. Witnessing the same
driver slamming down the front end of
their civic into the asphalt, while driv-
ing out the petrol station, is on a whole
new level of incompetence. Not only has
the car become utter rubbish after being
riced up, the driver doesnt have enough
common sense to drive it suitably.
I have some respect for Hondas, may
they be civics or anything else; frankly,
they are nice little reliable, economi-
cal and safe cars. However, lets face
it: safety was the last thing on a ricers
mind when they bought their car. Then
again, neither performance nor sound
are exactly the Civics forte - the DVD
player on my computer from the early
2000s sounds better when its buffer-
ing than the Civics 4-pot engine, and
it probably has a similar torque output
as well. This brings me to wonder, why
do so many youngsters choose to buy a
brand new, 2013 Civic, SI, V-tec - what-
ever this weeks coffee grinder is called?
Honestly, I dont care; but for Gods
sake, dont tune it. If youre looking for
a decent car for transportation, leave it
stock. If youre looking for a track car,
buy an Evo. If you want a tuner, buy a
Supra. If you want to drag, buy a chassis
with a V8 strapped on. If you dont have
the money - tune your bicycle, BUT
PLEASE DONT MODIFY YOUR CIV-
IC. You give normal drivers a bad name.
And a headache.
Now, I probably wouldnt have such a
problem with rice-blowing Civics if the
tuning was done properly. However, you
would be right to guess that on most of
them, it isnt. By proper tuning I mean
no useless changes that may damage the
vehicle. For example, those big low pro-
file wheels that ricers love to put on their
cars sure do look good; they are used to
provide more space for bigger brakes
and less weight on track cars because
you might want to have decent brakes
when youre approaching a hairpin at
100 mph. Forget the fact that Civics
dont need these kinds of brakes because
they are not supposed to go that fast
on public roads (assuming they could),
what do you suppose happens when you
hit a pothole? We all know that potholes
arent exactly scarce on the roads of
Quebec; the rims will break. However,
if you have a proper suspension and a
good feel for the car you could get away
with having low pros.
You would be right to guess that
most riced civics do NOT have a prop-
erly adjusted suspension. A common
view would be a civic with a suspension
so low, that its almost underground. In
racing, theres a very small gap left be-
tween the car and the track because this
helps produce down-force. Down-force
pushes the car against the ground. First
of all, for this gap to be effective, you
need to be going at very high speeds,
therefore, its absolutely useless on an
everyday car; second of all, what do you
suppose happens when you hit a pot-
hole? It doesnt stop there. Some even
add on a body kit which is supposed to
provide more down force and help with
aerodynamics.
Then again, you would be right to
guess that it doesnt. To say that very
few ricers have a degree in aerodynamic
engineering wouldnt be too ambitious.
Hence, the body kits you see are prob-
ably producing more drag than anything
else. While Im enumerating the use-
less things that Ive seen on Civics, lets
talk about mufflers that make your cof-
fee grinder sound good, sound systems
that imitate a spooling turbocharger and
huge decals with absolutely no meaning:
A huge sticker on the windshield of your
Honda saying TRD might sound cool at
first, but you would prefer having IDI-
OT tattooed on your forehead when you
learn it stands for TOYOTA RACING
DIVISION. Genius.
The fact of the matter is: the Honda
Civic wasnt built to be a performance
car so performance tuning it is usually
useless. Sound improvements arent ex-
actly a success either. Morale of the sto-
ry: if you drive a Civic, you should keep
it stock. This way, it stays safe, economi-
cal, reliable and good looking.
Well, look-able.
10
Wednesday, November 13th, 2013 | Fall 2013, Issue 5
Arts
Talk to Me, Tara
Tara
Hello Tara,
My issue is that Im not sure where to apply for
university. Im having difculties with deciding. What
should I do?
Dear reader,
Tis is an incredibly heavy decision to make and
in this case I have to tell you to shoot for the stars.
You will only go to university once and it will be
more than an education, it will be a unique oppor-
tunity to gain life experiences. Dont be afraid to go
abroad there are many exchange programs and op-
portunities around the world. Tis might be one of
your only chances to make this kind of move. Also
if the issue is being in school with friends there will
always be new ones. Go to as many open houses as
you can, apply to as many schools as you can, then
weigh out the pros and cons. Tere are many re-
sources on the internet (course lists), or you can
even set up meetings to take a tour of the schools
youre interested in joining.
Dont let anything hold you back,
Tara
Dear Tara,
My ex-boyfriend always seems to reappear in my
life when I start pursuing someone new. What should
I do? I dont have feelings for him but Im afraid I cant
fully let go if hes always there.
Dear reader,
I think you pretty much answered your own
question. If there are no more feelings involved,
then there is no need to keep him around. If he
keeps contacting you, just explain how you feel ex-
actly the way you wrote it to me; he will most likely
understand. As for being afraid of letting go, dont
be! He keeps reappearing because there was obvi-
ously something good between you guys, so just
consider him as a distant friend that will always be
there for you when youre in need of a friend. Tere
is no need to fully let go but defnitely keep him out
of sight and out of mind for the majority of the time;
allow yourself to fnd someone new. Te most im-
portant thing is to not start questioning your feel-
ings about him, because you could be stuck in this
emotional confusion for a long time.
Get your game on,
Tara
Time; time is everything. It plays a big role in
our lives. We cant feel it or see it, but its there and
we wont notice it, until its too late.
Right timing is everything. First baby steps,
frst words, frst day in school, frst kiss. Tere are
so many of those frst things that we forget to truly
live through those moments. Time passes so fast
that one day you realize that you cant go back.
Time
Varvara Kameneva
You cant stop time. And some of us just forget to
really enjoy life - we let it pass.
Remember as kids we wanted to grow up,
because for us being adults was easier and you
could do anything. Im 21. I was a kid just a few
years ago, but I already dont remember being a
child and I want to go back because life was so
much better. I had so much time to do anything
I wanted, but now I need to think about future. I
need to make plans. As much as I want to live a
one-day life, with no regrets - I cant. One of my
friends asked me another day - when you were
17, what stupid things did you do that you regret
doing? and I didnt know what to say because
I dont remember anything. Nothing stood out.
Time just passed.
Sometimes, I get this feeling that I dont re-
member what I did yesterday. And its not be-
cause I have memory problems. No. Its just
because I forget to enjoy my life. And when I
do, it creates drama. We are watching so much
TV, that we want our lives to be like it. But time
passes. My brother, who is 10 years older than
me, forgets about my birthdays, not because he
doesnt care, but because time fies.
Why cant we stop this process? Just for one
day, to make so many memories? To enjoy ev-
erything we have? But Time is unstoppable. So
what do we do with it? We cant forget its there.
Because when the time comes, we have to leave
something behind, something that will remain
in the world. Or why should we live if were just
living through life until death. Take your time
to think about your time and enjoy every sec-
ond that you have on this planet, because I will
make sure that I will.
11
Wednesday, November 13th, 2013 | Fall 2013, Issue 5
Ruby Embers, Chapter 1
Alaric Antos
Give it to me straight doc,
am I dying?, is what I wanted
to say. I swiveled restlessly from
side to side on my seat, fiddling
with a paperclip. I could almost
feel the air brushing my scalp as
a volley of proverbial bomb shells
skimmed across the top of my
head.
Fortunately, years on the emo-
tional rollercoaster can make
a master of deceit out of any.
Amongst some of my finer skills:
manipulation, professional lying,
and admittedly, a short attention
span- but nothing a straight face
cant fix. So I stared intently, nod-
ding my head, adding in the occa-
sional grunt (for emphasis) while
my mind wandered. The whole
room radiated with intrusiveness,
with its whitewashed walls, tacky
decor, right down to every pen,
paper, and paperweight. Staring
right through me like cellophane.
Cellophane, Rain, drain, pain,
gain. Im thirsty, I thought.
Tom...Tom! Are you listening to
me?
A firm jerk of the collar yanked
me out of dreamland. Hm? Yeah
sure, I replied vacantly, reaching
for the half empty glass. Sounds
like youve hooked another life
sucker. Thats not the only thing
she sucks, I thought, grinning.
Her name, Katy. We met at
some bar on open mic night. She
played bass for an alternative rock
band, or something of the like.
Granted, I was smashed and had
no recollection of the night prior
to waking, except for a strangers
text message on my phone: Hey
its Katy from last night, cant wait
to see you again ;) So I ran with
it. Its like a wise man once said:
Every good relationship starts
and ends with booze. It was all
smooth sailing for the first couple
of weeks, until she asked to move
in between bouts of heavy breath-
ing and moans during a particu-
larly steamy lovemaking session.
Now, under normal circumstanc-
es, I would have carefully weighed
out the pros and cons of the situ-
ation, but hey, what can I say?
Its hard to think rationally when
youre being vigorously straddled
by a demonic nymphomaniac.
So my response may or may
not have been swayed by post-
coetal impulse- plus a few add-
ed drinks to douse any remain-
ing doubt. Every night after that
was like bullfighting with an all-
too cunning matador, waving her
cape tauntingly, always picking
a fight. The sex was good, so I
wasnt complaining. I guess I just
have a fondness for the color red.
So? He lightly tapped his fin-
gers on the hardwood desk, keep-
ing a steady gaze with sunken
eyes.
Well, I could always lightly
nudge her off the balcony. Save
my breath.
This landed me a disapproving
look from under thick spectacles.
Ding, wrong answer.
So what do you suggest I do
then? Youre either an emotion-
al masochist, or a sexual martyr;
either way, the fuse is lit
So...what?
You leave her, or go out with a
bang. I, for one, would hate to see
you scattered on the pavement-
bad for business.
Pft, and you have a Masters
degree. Ive gotten better advice
from a fortune cookie.
Delivery or takeout? He
grinned, waving a pamphlet
for some dingy Chinese place.
Youre a riot.
I lifted myself up from the
chair. Clock it, Im done.
Same time next week?
Yeah, whatever. And with
that, I left feeling a couple of
inches shorter.
His name, Virgil. My pain-
in-the-ass therapist. I guess you
could say we share a love/hate
relationship: he Loves preaching
truth, and I hated receiving it. I
cant say Im not grateful though,
what with my timeless history of
sociopaths and nymphs alike- all
with mountains of baggage, nat-
urally. I stepped out into the un-
pleasantly cool mid-fall weather,
and proceeded down the side-
walk, covered in a thick canopy of
damp leaves. The way ahead was a
narrow corridor of red and yellow
flames, clustered on sturdy trunks
like rows of flickering torches. A
light breeze had crept up from
behind, so I dug my hands into
my pockets and continued with
my chin tucked under my scarf. I
wasnt dressed for the occasion -
the weather had been deceivingly
pleasant this morning. Luckily I
lived only a block away.
A whining creak sounded as
the door flung open. The air was
stuffy, and the atmosphere, sur-
prisingly quiet. Strange , I thought.
The lights were on. Babe, Im
home! No answer. I placed my
coat on the rack and went to the
kitchen. The place was a mess-
just how I left it. I grabbed a beer
and collapsed on the living room
couch. A few empty bottles later,
and I was fast asleep, lulled by the
soothing sound of TV static.
...
I awoke with a jolt to a violent
headache and the pungent smell
of soot. I took a sharp breath and
blinked, squinting as my eyes ad-
justed to the near pitch dark of my
surroundings. The floor was cool
and damp, and the air carried the
unmistakable odor of decay. My
feet and arms were bound, caus-
ing a surge of panic as I squirmed
and thrashed about, like a help-
less insect caught in a spiders
web. A door shut some distance
away, followed by the clip-clop
of hooves on stone. I stopped
and squinted down the dark
hallway. Rows of torches flick-
ered alight with violet flames
as a ladylike silhouette grew in-
creasingly vivid. My eyes wid-
ened. Ka...Katy, is that you?
She half-smirked, clearly
satisfied with her dramatic en-
trance as she walked taunting-
ly, inches away from the bars
of the holding cell while trail-
ing the hilt of a sinister look-
ing whip against the cold steel.
It was Katy alright, except that
her complexion was of a dark
crimson. she sported hooves
for feet and two ivory white
appendages above her brow.
Needless to say, it suited her.
Hello sweetie She said.
Where the hell am I? I re-
plied panic stricken.
Why in Hell of course, She
replied matter-of-factly, paus-
ing to pick at her canines with
pointed fingertips. I really did
enjoy our time together, but
you know what they say, all
good things must come to an
end. She let these words slow-
ly roll off the tip of her pointed
tongue.
Besides, your soul will sell
for quite a pretty penny on the
Black Trade...
(To be continued)
*
Melissa Mancino
*
Too much time is spent waiting
uselessly.
Waiting for someone to arrive,
to meet you.
Waiting for someone to change
for the better.
Waiting for someone to love,
love you endlessly.
Waiting for someone to understand,
understand what theyve done to you.
If I could get back all the time
I spent on waiting
on you
Id be able to crawl
to the moon and back.
And that would be pretty cool,
but upon my return
Id still be left
without you.
12
Wednesday, November 13th, 2013 | Fall 2013, Issue 5
Horoscopes
Virgo (Aug.24-Sept. 22): Youre quite a
reserved type of person. Keeping this in
mind, try not to seem completely unap-
proachable, because in the next couple of
weeks youre going to meet someone who
will be of interest.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Youre not a
possessive person, which is good, but can
also mean you let good things slip through
your fngers. Try to keep an eye out for what
you should let go and what you should keep
around.
Libra (Sept.23-Oct. 22): Te weight of
school and work has been pressing you
to the point of bursting. Teres no way to
avoid it, so youll just have to push through.
Te good thing is that afer youre done,
youll have the well-earned time to relax
and focus on projects you enjoy.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 21): Checking
your old fles could help bring up new ideas
and inspiration for whatever you have go-
ing on right now. Make the old new and see
what happens.
Pisces (Feb. 22- Mar. 21): Something youre
doing or will do will help another in ways
you cannot imagine. You can be quite self-
less and its making an impact. Dont think
its not.
Gemini (May.22-Jun.21): Your observa-
tional nature has you on top of everything.
Gathering information is your forte, but
focusing on details is not. Concentrate on
them and youll fnd your life to be a whole
lot clearer.
Aries (Mar. 22-Apr. 21): You like change.
It keeps things exciting, which is good for
you because you get bored easily. Try turn-
ing everything in your life upside down,
right now and watch what happens.
Cancer (Jun.22-Jul.23): You understand
family relationships in a way others dont.
You can use this quality to bring out the
good in a family issue youve been experi-
encing. Also dont be surprised if a sibling
or parent comes to confde in you. Tey
can see youre trustworthy.
Scorpio (Oct.23-Nov. 21): When you have
something good, you hold on tight. Try not
to sufocate whatever it is you dont want
to let go, because it might just make it run
away faster.
Aquarius (Jan. 22-Feb. 21): Everythings
been going greater than you couldve have
imagined, at least in some areas of your life.
Seeing you do so well is inspiring others to
make changes in their lives.
Taurus (Apr. 22-May 21): Your coming of
quite strong and turning people of. Bring
it down or youre going to piss some people
of.
Leo (Jul.24-Aug.23): Youve been having
quite an ego boost lately. Tats good and
all, but be careful with how far you take it.
Te higher you are, the farther you fall.