Volume 100, Issue 22

November 22, 2010

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The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com
Super hospital butts heads with Westmount
McGill begins construction without a building permit
Henry Gass
The McGill Daily
C
onstruction on the McGill
University Health Centre
(MUHC) super hospital has
hit a snag after construction began
on a temporary parking lot in the
city of Westmount without a build-
ing permit.
“Last week they just started,” said
Peter Trent, mayor of Westmount.
“[Having a permit] is the first prin-
ciple of construction in any city
around the world.”
The 500-single-patient-room
medical facility, costing $1.34 billion,
is slated to open in 2014. While most
of the construction is taking place
in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, the con-
struction firms building the hospital
– Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin and
British company Innisfree Ltd. – are
building a temporary parking lot for
construction workers at the site of the
former Glen rail yards in Westmount,
near the Vendôme metro station.
Westmount is an independent
city surrounded by Montreal and
enforces its own standards and
regulations on construction proj-
ects in its municipality. Westmount,
the MUHC, and their partners have
been negotiating for a month, but
negotiations stalled over disagree-
ments relating to level of anti-noise
measures.
“They want to build a parking
lot…in Westmount territory,” said
Trent. “We want to make sure [con-
struction] doesn’t negatively affect
our residents.”
Munroe-Blum brings CREPUQ message to senate
Senators pose questions and receive canned responses
Rana Encol
The McGill Daily
A
t senate last Wednesday,
Principal Heather Munroe-
Blum announced that she had
met with the board of the organiza-
tion representing Quebec’s university
bosses – or CREPUQ – the previous
day to consolidate the message she
would be bringing to the Rencontres
des partenaires de l’éducation.
One-hundred-thirty to one-hun-
dred-forty groups and individuals will
participate in the day-long Rencontres,
an annual education policy meeting,
on December 6. Thirty people will sit
at a special table to deliberate on three
key themes: accessibility, performance
and funding.
The four major student lobbying
groups, various trade union repre-
sentatives, several private sector
representatives, and three MNAs
from the provincial opposition
parties – Parti Quebecois, Action
démocratique du Québec, and
Québec Solidaire – will be in atten-
Construction at the Glen yards
site was stopped when the com-
panies were issued a “stop-work
order” on Tuesday, according
to Trent. Julie Paquette, Head
of Communications for MUHC,
said that the full sound barrier
Westmount had wanted was both
unfeasible and unnecessary.
“It was unnecessary because
a study our partners produced
showed that the noise generated by
parking was lower than the ambi-
ent noise,” said Paquette. “There’s
no point building a sound barrier if
there’s no sound to be blocked.”
Residents around the Glen yards
site initially raised noise complaints
in early November, when construc-
tion workers began driving steel
poles, made to support the new
buildings, into the bedrock. The
pile driving, which starts at seven in
the morning and continues all day,
is expected to last until February.
The hospital set up a noise com-
plaint hotline two weeks ago to
address the complaints.
According to Paquette, the con-
sequences of not having a tempo-
rary parking lot would be more dis-
ruptive to the community than the
noise pollution.
“[A full] sound barrier would
have been very expensive,” said
Paquette. “It would have blocked
some parking spaces. Workers
would have had to park in residen-
tial spaces.”
Paquette voiced concerns that,
if a temporary parking lot was
not constructed, workers would
be forced to park throughout the
dance. (See Page 5)
Munroe-Blum will bring two col-
leagues from other universities with
her and stressed that she will not be
there to represent McGill’s point of
view.
“We will not be there as indi-
viduals or representing individual
institutions – we will be there to
represent the CREPUQ framework,”
she told Senate.
CREPUQ’s position is premised
on their assertion that the Quebec
university system is underfund-
ed and falling behind the rest of
Canada. According to Munroe-
Blum, Quebec is “dramatically
behind on high school graduation
rates and dramatically behind uni-
versity participation and degree
completion rates.”
A report released last week by
the Fédération étudiante univer-
sitaire de Québec (FEUQ) found
that nearly fifty per cent of full-
time undergraduates abandoned or
interrupted their studies for finan-
cial reasons. (See page 5)
The CREPUQ position thus
The mayor of Westmount has delayed McGill’s megahospital construction.
neighbouring residential areas.
Trent estimated that the parking lot
would hold between 800 and 900
vehicles.
“This is why we needed this to
go forward,” said Paquette. “Parking
needs to be there and installed. We
don’t want to have construction
workers going into residential areas
and parking in people’s places.”
Paquette said that Westmount
and the construction partnership
had agreed to a temporary anti-
noise measure, with panels of ply-
far has been increasing tuition
rates “while maintaining a strong
commitment to accessibility,” in
Munroe-Blum’s words.
“It would be a complete miss
if all groups didn’t come together
on a common front,” she said. The
administration has been “working
with student groups over the last
week to see if we can’t get a com-
mon message,” Munroe-Blum con-
tinued. On November 10, the prin-
cipal met with a handful of SSMU
executives to discuss the financing
of Quebec universities and tuition.
VP University Affairs Joshua Abaki
does not think that student groups
and the administration would agree
on the need for tuition increases, but
did point to some common ground.
“We are both opposed to Bill
100. We both definitely believe that
the federal and provincial govern-
ments need to invest more in post-
secondary education, and that uni-
versities should be able to keep a
greater share of the subsidies – of
the amount of money that they get
due to increased tuition, but then
wood being mounted around the
Glen yards site. The agreement
is currently under its technical
review, and she expects Westmount
to approve the measure and issue a
permit this week. Paquette said that
the conflict has not delayed con-
struction or put the project behind
schedule. Construction has contin-
ued in NDG throughout the nego-
tiations with Westmount.
“By next week we’ll give them
a permit and they can start work,”
said Trent. “It’s the normal practice
with a cap,” he said.
At Senate, Abaki asked McGill
administrators to reaffirm their com-
mitment to promises made in the
Principal’s Task Force on Excellence,
Diversity and Community,
Engagement (PTSFLL), a 2005 docu-
ment that appeals to the idea of a
“student-centred” university.
“There is no evidence to sup-
port observation that [Principal’s
Task Force] recommendations
have been dismissed,” said Provost
Anthony Masi.
Abaki said, however, that he was
“not entirely” satisfied with Masi’s
response.
“I think there’s been a lot of
recent decisions that didn’t exactly
live up to the promises made in
the document [such as] the deci-
sion made on the Arch Café, the
one made on the athletics board,
the ones regarding the exchange
fee, raising tuition for international
students taking French as a second
language courses,” he said.
“All these positions are made
without student consultation,”
News 3
Courtesy of MUHC
in any city.”
Trent has been attributing the
MUHC’s legal negligence to a possi-
ble superiority complex on the part
of the MUHC and their internation-
al partners, telling the CBC that the
partnership feel they “don’t have to
kowtow to anything as trivial…as a
building permit.”
“The same rule applies. No one’s
above the law, not even the MUHC,”
said Trent. “They just thought we’d
turn a blind eye. That’s not the way
we operate.”
Abaki added. “That’s contrary to
the promises that were made in
the PTFSLL, so we just wanted to
make sure that there is a reaffirma-
tion [from] the principal to that line
and that argument. We wanted to
make sure that while the principal
emphasizes being research-inten-
sive, that the undergraduate experi-
ence is at the top of the list.”
Management Senator Matt Reid
pointed out that certain courses,
especially first-year Science cours-
es, have been closed off to students
from other faculties, and asked
what was being done to address
overcapacity issues that have led to
registration restrictions.
According to Deputy Provost
(Student Life and Learning) Morton
Mendelson, students in a given pro-
gram take priority in registering for
those courses, adding that “courses
may be capped to enhance learning
experience, but the two main con-
straints are space and personnel.” A
Student Enrolment Management pro-
gram is underway and will be present-
ed to Senate in February.
 4 News
Redpath Cafeteria moving upstairs
Plans are still in their initial stages; Cyberthèque set to expand
Misha Schwartz
The McGill Daily
T
he Redpath Café, currently
located in the basement
of the McLennan-Redpath
Library complex, will be moving
upstairs to the first floor.
In a SSMU Legislative Council
meeting on November 11, VP
University Affairs Joshua Abaki
revealed this latest development
in the proposed expansion and
renovation of the Cyberthèque.
The move will be a collaboration
between the library and McGill
Food and Dining Services (MFDS).
“It’s part of the master plan and
we’ve been working over time to
figure out how to...move the food
services from downstairs, which
is grossly undersized,” said Diane
Koen, the Director of Libraries.
She pointed out that the move is
still in its initial planning stages and
that nothing is finalized yet. “I don’t
want to overpromise and under-
deliver,” she said.
The new cafe will most likely
take the space currently occupied
by the IT Customer Services (ICS)
lending centre. Funding permitting,
the move should be completed in
two years.
Galloway finally allowed to speak in Canada
Former British MP and anti-war activist appears at UQAM after 18-month legal battle
Emily Meikle
News Writer
G
eorge Galloway received ten
standing ovations during
his brief talk at UQAM last
Wednesday – a stark contrast from
being barred from the country, as
he was in March 2009. Wednesday’s
was the first lecture of a cross-coun-
try speaking tour he has planned in
support of the NGO Canadian Boat
to Gaza. After an 18-month legal
struggle, the controversial former
British MP has regained the ability
to enter Canada.
A long-time supporter of the
Palestinian political party Fatah,
Galloway became the subject of
media scrutiny in 2009 when he
sent an aid convoy to the Gaza
Strip, which is governed by Fatah
rival Hamas. Galloway also sent
a personal donation of £25,000
and several cars to prime minister
Ismail Haniyeh.
When he tried to visit Canada
for a lecture tour in March of that
year, he was denied entry to the
country by the Canadian Border
Service Agency. The Ministry of
Immigration later contested that
by dealing with Hamas, Galloway
had aided a terrorist organiza-
The Redpath Café is the most popular food outlet on campus.
After the cafe moves upstairs,
the Cyberthèque will expand to fill
the space, Abaki said.
According to Koen, the move will
increase the cafe’s accessibility and
tion.
Galloway was notified of the
decision by letter and was advised
that, should he attempt to come
to Canada, he would be detained.
As a result, he was forced to deliv-
er his talks via satellite from New
York. Only one other – Egypt –
has banned Galloway.
“The letter that was written to
Galloway said they believed he was
a member of a terrorist organiza-
tion because he had given money to
Hamas,” said Galloway’s Canadian
lawyer, Barbara Jackman. “The
purpose [of the aid] was that the
money be used to aid the Gazans.
And that’s what the [Hamas] min-
ister used. It’s really a perversion
of what Parliament intended. ...
Aid wasn’t being passed to Hamas
as Hamas; it was being passed
to Hamas as the government of
Gaza.”
On September 27, Justice
Richard Mosley ruled that Galloway
had been denied entry for illegiti-
mate political reasons, and the ban
was lifted.
“What makes George Galloway’s
case entirely different is that it
wasn’t even initiated by a civil ser-
vant,” said Jackman. “It came from
the minister’s office. They wanted
to keep the man out. ... This was a
foot traffic. An MFDS survey from
last year found that the Redpath
Café was the most popular food
outlet on campus, with 38 per cent
of respondents frequenting the cafe
misuse of the legislation, a misuse
of the ministerial power to induce
him [Galloway] not to come to
Canada to speak.”
Galloway now intends to sue the
Canadian government. “I believe
in freedom of speech, but with
some limitations. There must be
laws of libel and denigration,” he
told the audience at UQAM. “And
Mr. [Jason] Kenney [Minister of
Immigration], you’re going to find
out all about those laws in the legal
system in Canada.”
Galloway was also harshly criti-
cal of McGill’s recent partnership
with Tony Blair in his talk. During
his time as a British MP, Galloway
was renowned for his opposition to
the Iraq War, famously calling the
British government “Tony Blair’s lie
machine.” These opinions eventual-
ly got him thrown out of the Labour
Party in 2003.
Galloway’s ban from Canada,
and subsequent return, has stirred
up media coverage, and seems to
have increased public interest in his
situation. What was to be a five-city
tour has become a ten-city tour and,
according to Galloway, lecture halls
are selling out.
“I am not afraid of you,” said
Galloway of his opponents. “You
can’t intimidate me because I am
The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com
Victor Tangermann | The McGill Daily
more than once a month. In con-
trast, the SSMU food court and the
Engineering Café both had 21 per
cent of respondents eating at the
locations more than once a month.
not afraid. I am afraid only of God
and as long as God gives me breath,
I will continue to say the same
thing.”
Galloway’s saga has sparked a
debate in the Canadian press about
the role of freedom of speech.
“George Bush and Harper’s gov-
ernments are very similar in their
sort of neo-right-wing Christian
approach to things,” said Jackman.
“The United States has Obama. We
still have Jason Kenney and Stephen
Harper, who are intolerant to the
political views of others.”
Michael Taube, a columnist for
the Toronto Star and former speech
writer for prime minister Stephen
Harper, argued in a November 15
article that the decision to keep
Galloway out restricted his free-
dom of speech, “with questionable
intent.”
However, Mosley ruled that,
since Galloway had been allowed
to deliver his talks via satellite in
2009, there had been no serious
infringement of the latter’s right to
free speech.
Ehab Lotayef, a member of
Canadian Boat to Gaza, told The
Daily, “I applaud that decision [to
allow Galloway into Canada]. ... I
have seen over the past seven or
eight years how the misuse of the
The cafe was renovated just this
past summer to allow for increased
traffic, and students have asked
why the administration is spending
money on renovating a cafe when it
intends to completely move it.
“[MFDS] recognised that in
order to handle the flow and the
volume...that they needed to do
something. They saw that [the sum-
mer’s] improvement was not a long-
term upgrade,” said Koen.
In other words, they believed
that the congestion caused by the
former layout of the cafe was too
big a problem to put off for several
years until they moved to a new
location. Koen also said that “it
would not have been student money
that would have been behind that
renovation.”
The funding for the proposed
move is still being negotiated and
the budget has not been finalized.
MFDS declined to comment,
issuing a statement that it was “too
early to discuss tentative plans for
what may or may not happen to the
Redpath Café.”
Stefan Mitchell, a second-year
Engineering student, felt confident
about the move. “McGill lacks space
in everything, if [the move] gives
you more space then it’s worth it in
the end,” he said.
issue of terrorism brings down our
freedoms and limits our ability to
debate issues that are much bet-
ter being debated than just swept
under the carpet.”
Others are less pleased with
Galloway’s return, however. This
group includes conservative pun-
dit Ezra Levant, who has been an
outspoken opponent of letting
Galloway into the country, calling
the former MP “pro-terrorist” in a
March 20, 2009 blog post.
“George Galloway should be
legally inadmissible to Canada
because he has given money to a
terrorist organization, contrary to
section 37 of the Immigration and
Refugee Protection Act,” Levant
told The Daily. “It’s got nothing to
do with the fact that he’s an offen-
sive bigot. It’s got everything to do
with the fact that he gives money to
murderers, and that’s against the
law.”
The Daily was unable to reach
Kenney for comment.
Despite the opposition to
Galloway’s presence in Canada,
Jackman said it is unlikely that
any concrete action will be taken
to have him banned again. In his
talk at UQAM, Galloway said, “I’m
here to stay as a political factor in
Canadian politics.”
The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com
Students prepare to protest tuition meeting
Thousands expected to flood streets of Quebec City
Eric Andrew-Gee
The McGill Daily
O
n December 6, exactly two
weeks from today, college
and university classrooms
in Montreal will be empty and the
streets and squares of Quebec City
will be full. Student governments
representing 33,000 students,
mostly from UQAM and Montreal
CEGEPs, have voted in recent
weeks to strike on the day the pro-
vincial government is expected to
unveil its plans for tuition hikes.
Thousands more are expected
to march in the provincial capi-
tal under the banners of the three
major student lobbying groups, the
Fédération étudiante universitaire
du Québec (FEUQ), the Quebec
Student Roundtable (QSR), and the
Association pour une solidarité syn-
dicale étudiante (ASSÉ).
There have been fissures
between the groups all year, nota-
bly over whether Quebec universi-
ties are underfinanced or if their
funding is simply misappropriated.
But on December 6, at the year-
ly Rencontre des partenaires de
l’éducation, they say all differences
will be set aside.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, ASSÉ’s
director of communications, said in
French that he hoped the protests
in Quebec City would be “as big
as possible,” and that “people will
come, no matter what their organi-
zation.”
FEUQ president Louis-Philipe
Savoie echoed the sentiment: “The
56.5 per cent of full-time undergraduates in Quebec spend over a third of their income on housing.
more the merrier,” he said, of the
protest.
“I’m not going to go out and say
that, after December 6, suddenly all
the national associations will sud-
denly agree on every single political
point,” said Joël Pedneault, a U3 Arts
student at McGill and vice-secretary
general of QSR, of which SSMU
is a founding member. “However,
what I do think might come out of
December 6…is that there might be
a little more coordination between
the national unions.”
The protests of the three groups
are already coordinated to some
extent. Pedneault described how
the protests would unfold in an
interview with The Daily.
FEUQ and FECQ – its CEGEP
counterpart – will stage a rally in
front of Quebec City’s Hilton Hotel,
where the meetings are taking
place. Around the same time, ASSÉ
will lead a march, beginning in
front of the National Assembly and
heading towards the Hilton, where
ASSÉ and FEUQ will converge. The
QSR contingent will also join the
fray at this point.
Nadeau-Dubois said he thought
between 1,000 and 2,000 protest-
ers would take part in ASSÉ’s por-
tion of the protest. A number of the
group’s member associations will
be on strike that day, making a big
turnout more likely.
QSR’s numbers will likely be
smaller. “Since there probably won’t
be any strike vote in any of [QSR’s]
member association’s, you could
probably expect a little bit [fewer]
people to show up,” Pedneault said.
Source: FEUQ | Graphic by Sheehan Moore | The McGIll Daily
SSMU has plans to make a splash
at the protest, however. Before sit-
ting down with The Daily, SSMU VP
External Myriam Zaidi had to finish
a phone call with a T-shirt design-
er: “Take off the bracket – ‘not a
privilege’ – and leave ‘Education is
a right,’” she said. She was putting
in an order for a hundred T-shirts
to be worn by McGill undergrads at
the Rencontre, and debating what
message they should bear. They will
be dark blue, with yellow text.
The number of T-shirts Zaidi
is ordering synchs up with the
number of students she hopes
to squeeze into two fifty-person
buses bound for Quebec City on
December 6.
ASSÉ is the only invitee boy-
cotting the meeting, calling the
Rencontre “illegitimate.” None of
the major student groups have
much hope for the day-long event,
it seems.
Pedneault said that government
officials would be “making arbi-
trary decisions about what direc-
tion Quebec’s universities should
be going in one day…[giving] a
month’s notice to all the people
who are going to show up to the
meeting.” The date of the Rencontre
was announced in a press release
on November 4.
Savoie added that FEUQ has
tried to voice their positions to the
Ministry of Education, notably in an
early October meeting with edu-
cation minister Line Beauchamp.
Savoie said the meeting was unpro-
ductive and that Beauchamp “really
wasn’t in control of her issues.”
Throughout the year, the minis-
ter’s office has told The Daily that
Beauchamp was not yet familiar
enough with her portfolio to give
an interview after taking over dur-
ing the summer.
Despite their skepticism about
the meeting, some representa-
tives from FEUQ and QSR will be
inside – meeting with Minister
of Finance Raymond Bachand
and Beauchamp, among others
– while their colleagues protest
outside.
Savoie said he was not con-
cerned this tactical mix would
undermine FEUQ at the meeting.
Pedneault said he and the two
other QSR representatives who
will be in the Hilton might walk
out of the meeting if the govern-
ment announces that they will raise
tuition, which they are expected to
do. “Our response will be propor-
tionate to how scandalous their rev-
elations are,” he said.
Student leaders acknowledge,
however, that they are facing daunt-
ing obstacles in organizing a mass
protest on such short notice, and in
the thick of exams.
Savoie said the awkward timing
means students will have to work
harder to mobilize. “It just means
we have to wake up earlier and go
to sleep later,” he said.
The protests are unlikely to
match the scale of student demon-
strations in London and Dublin in
recent weeks. Pedneault offered
that the absence of concrete, immi-
nent plans for tuition hikes might be
holding the size of the planned pro-
How students
live in Quebec
FEUQ releases study on provincial shortcomings
Eric Andrew-Gee
The McGill Daily
T
he Fédération étudiante
universitaire du Québec
(FEUQ) thinks the pro-
vincial government has failed stu-
dents. That is how FEUQ president
Louis-Philipe Savoie put it, com-
menting on an extensive report
his organization released last
Thursday about life as lived by
Quebec students.
“It is the responsibility of the
Quebec government to ensure
support of our students,” Savoie
said in an interview Friday. “In
that regard, they [the government]
have failed.”
Among the report’s findings are
that just 22 per cent of full-time
Quebec undergraduates’ annual
income comes from their parents;
64.8 per cent live away from home;
and 33.7 per cent living on their
News 5
test in check. “People don’t feel that
urgency of mobilizing, even though
they feel the necessity of mobiliz-
ing,” he said. “You can mobilize a lot
more people when it’s urgent, when
it’s happening right now.”
Pedneault and Savoie are also
doubtful that student protesters will
clash with police on December 6, as
did in London earlier in the month.
Savoie said he hoped to lead
“protests that are in order, that are
safe for protesters.”
“We’re not here to breaks
things…or to riot. We’re not here to
scare the population,” he added.
Pedneault agreed, but with a
caveat. “I think I speak for all the
national associations when I say
we’ll distance ourselves from [ille-
gal] tactics. But we would under-
stand why they’re using them, you
know. They’re denouncing tuition
hikes [and] the illegitimacy of that
meeting,” he said.
ASSÉ’s Nadeau-Dubois said he
expects police to crack down on
the protests. “We know that more
and more police use force to break
political dissent,” he said, referring
in part to this summer’s G20 in
Toronto. ASSÉ provided financial
and logistical support to protestors
at the summit, where over 1,000
people were arrested.
“We know [the police] will try
to intimidate us,” Nadeau-Dubois
went on, adding, “We won’t fold in
the face of police repression.”
“We hope everything will go on
with order and calm. But we won’t
judge how people express their
anger.”
own receive loans and bursaries.
Additionally, 56.5 per cent of
full-time undergrads spend more
than a third of their income on
housing.
Savoie lamented that students
are “working at their limit, parents
don’t contribute, student aid can’t
make ends meet, so you have to
take out a student loan.”
The report also found that
roughly fifty per cent of part-time
undergrads have an income of less
than $12,200. Fifty per cent of full-
time undergrads have a food bud-
get of over $2,400, roughly the stu-
dent aid allocation for food.
FEUQ’s report was done in col-
laboration with Léger Marketing,
and 12,619 people responded to
the survey. The margin of error
for most of the findings is three
per cent.
Read FEUQ’s report at mcgilldaily.
com.
 6 News
Jaggi Singh appeals bail conditions
Activist says his Charter rights are being violated by Ontario court’s ruling
Erin Hale
The McGill Daily
A
three-day hearing to review
the restrictive bail con-
ditions placed on Jaggi
Singh, a prominent Montreal activ-
ist arrested at the G20 protest in
Toronto this June, has been pushed
back to November 30.
Singh launched a constitutional
challenge of his bail conditions ear-
lier this month, but the Crown pros-
ecution – the Ontario government’s
law team – has asked for more time
to prepare their case now that PEN
Canada will intervene on behalf of
a restriction placed on Singh’s free-
dom of expression.
Peter Rosenthal, Singh’s lawyer
and a University of Toronto profes-
sor, explained that many of the bail
conditions violate the Canadian
Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“We say it’s violating the freedom
of expression, the right to peaceful
assembly, freedom of association.
Also section 11(e) of the Charter is
that everyone has the right to reason-
able bail; we’re saying the conditions
he’s under are not, under the circum-
stances, reasonable bail,” he said.
As Singh awaits a possible trial
in 2012 on charges of criminal
conspiracy, mischief, conspiracy to
both assault and obstruct police,
and obstruction of justice, he can-
not hold a passport, use a wireless
device, participate in a public dem-
onstration, or associate with his co-
accused.
Singh, currently under house
arrest, is required to obtain a note
to be in the presence of other adults
for specific purposes if outside his
workplace or residence. If he vio-
lates any of these conditions, he
risks losing his $85,000 bail.
“The bail conditions are quite
repressive, include house arrest, and
that he cannot organize in any dem-
onstrations, which is something he
does quite a lot,” Rosenthal said.
Speaking from Toronto, where
he is required to stay in the home
of one of his three sureties – a legal
term signifying those responsible
for a person during their bail term –
Singh described these conditions as
punitive.
“If it goes to trial, it’s not incon-
ceivable at all that the charges get
dropped halfway through, that they
don’t stick, or that I win at trial.
What the bail conditions do is they
serve to be a form of punishment,
when I haven’t been tried or con-
victed,” Singh said.
“Bail is supposed to be about
making sure someone comes to
court, that people don’t recommit
criminal offenses, and that society
is protected. … If [the Crown does]
think that, they’re not going to pre-
vent any of that by preventing me
from demonstrating, [or] using a
cell phone,” he added. Singh and
Rosenthal are also not allowed to
publicly discuss any of the evidence
brought against him at the hearings.
Singh’s case has moved back into
the limelight as a variety of groups
have lined up to denounce his bail
conditions, from No One is Illegal
to Quebec’s Ligue des droits et
libertés. PEN Canada, a non-profit
group that defends writers’ free
speech, made media waves when
they announced on November 10
they had brought legal counsel on
board to intervene at the hearing.
Program coordinator Brendan
de Caires explained that PEN
Canada was specifically concerned
with the ban on Singh’s right to par-
ticipate in demonstrations.
“Section 2(b) of the Canadian
Charter of Rights and Freedoms
says that you have the freedom
of thought, belief, opinion, and
expression. We think it’s not consis-
tent with that to tell somebody he
can’t, as a condition of his bail, com-
municate with people. We think it’s
an abridgement of that right,” de
Caires said. “How does that make
a Canadian unsafe? ... Can you tell
someone, ‘You no longer have the
right to give opinion publicly’?”
Though over 1,000 protesters
were arrested at the G20 in June,
Ontario’s Crown Attorney singled out
Singh with 18 other individuals for
allegedly committing “conspiracy.”
They all face similar charges and bail
conditions, with some facing a curfew,
but Singh is the only one of the group
who has chosen to protest the restric-
tions in court.
Community organizer Alex
Hundert, who has also been
charged with conspiracy, made
news after he was arrested in
September for discussing the
G20 at a Ryerson University panel
– allegedly breaking the “no dem-
onstration” ban. Hundert was only
released after accepting more bail
restrictions.
Singh said that the harsh bail
conditions faced by him and oth-
ers were a reflection of the level of
repression at the G20.
“[The conditions] are not sur-
prising, because the G20 is about
excessive use of force on the streets,
abuse of authority by the police,
and the complicity of the Crown in
the repression and in that abuse, by
continuing with charges, by allow-
ing them to linger, and by not being
forthcoming with disclosure that
would reveal all of this,” said Singh.
The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com
Campus corporatization talk
at Concordia
Three speakers discuss the
changing role of universities
Zach Lewsen
The McGill Daily
O
n Wednesday, Free
Education Montreal and
Concordia’s Arts and
Science Federation of Associations
hosted three speakers who dis-
cussed the new role of the univer-
sity in the knowledge economy.
The speakers included Martin
Robert from the Association pour
une solidarité syndicale étudiante
(ASSÉ), Roddy Doucet, Advocacy
Manager of Concordia’s Graduate
Students Association (GSA), and
David Bernans, author and former
Concordia assistant professor.
Speakers discussed how Quebec
universities’ funding structure has
become more reliant on tuition
fees and private sponsorship than
on government funding. Robert
said that “tuition fees are increas-
ing, with the possibility of Quebec
tuition fees reaching the national
average.” He went on to say that the
increase would impact post-second-
ary accessibility in that it may “pre-
vent 22,000 people in Quebec from
going to university.”
In an interview with The Daily,
Robert discussed the effects of
shifting funding sources.
“The logic of a corporation is dif-
ferent to that of a public service …
A corporation’s first goal is to make
profit while a public service is to
make people healthier and more
educated,” he said.
GSA’s Doucet discussed how the
new funding structure has impact-
ed the student experience. “[The]
physical structures of universities
are changing in terms of building
new buildings that cost a lot but
don’t apply to a great number of
people in terms of student body,”
he said. “Universities see public
space as wasted space in terms of
revenues ... post-secondary institu-
tions’ general goal is to make sure
that all space on campus is used for
profit creation.”
Doucet added that the “role of
university is to create new labour-
ers to serve the universities’ private
partners ... Universities encourage
graduates to enter the workforce
through the heavy amount of debt
that people graduate with.”
Bernans, the keynote speaker,
addressed how corporatizaton is
affecting Concordia. He said that
“there is an ongoing battle between
those who want to make Concordia
work for private [interests] and
those who want to make it work for
public interests.”
Some university administrators
differ sharply from the assessments
of Wednesday’s speakers.
In the November 11 issue of
The Daily, McGill Principal Heather
Munroe-Blum was quoted as saying
in French to a Délit reporter, “I’m
not afraid of businesses, of corpora-
tions … I don’t think there’s a corpo-
ratization of universities, not at all.”
“There is room for us to have a
much more productive relationship
with the private sector,” she added.
The issue of private involve-
ment in post-secondary education
has also been discussed at McGill.
In a recent lecture, Rachel Kiddell-
Monroe, who co-teaches a course in
McGill’s International Development
department and is president of
Universities Allied for Essential
Medecines (UAEM), talked about
how pharmaceutical companies
dictate university research.
Kiddell-Monroe described an
incident with UAEM in 2001, in
which the NGO Médécins sans
frontières (MSF) wanted to gain
access to a cheap generic version of
the drug d4T for treating HIV/AIDS
in Africa. MSF asked Yale University
for a patent to produce these cheap
drugs. Yale refused because of a
$40-million patent license that the
university had with the pharma-
ceutical company Bristol-Meyers
Squibb. UAEM stepped in, and later
in 2001 Yale agreed to consult with
the pharmaceutical company and
let the cheaper generics be pro-
duced.
NEWS
@mcgilldaily.com
 Letters
You call this news?
Re: “Payday for SSMU clubs”
| November 18 | News
We would like to provide some
additional details on how SSMU
clubs apply for and are awarded
funding from SSMU’s Club Fund.
Firstly, The Daily’s article implied
that the funding awarded was
particularly newsworthy. While
we are always excited to fund the
activities of our clubs, the Funding
Committee has been awarding clubs
funds since early October and has
presented similar reports to Council
at each meeting since October 14.
Secondly, while we do our best
to allocate the available funds
in the fairest way possible, our
funds are unfortunately insuf-
ficient to fully fund all applicants.
Additionally, we have received
several requests from groups
that were for an amount greater
than their net loss (the amount of
money they would be short if they
received no funding from SSMU);
given our desire to fund as many
initiatives as possible, we do not
fund groups for more than their
net loss if they are already making
a profit from other sources, or if
the money would be spent directly
on donations to a third party.
Thirdly, the amount of funding
we allocate is not a reflection of
the worth of the group’s activities,
but rather whether the funding
requests meets SSMU’s criteria (and
the importance of SSMU’s contribu-
tion to the group’s financial well-
being). Often, when an insufficient
amount of funding is granted, it is
because the group’s budget was
incorrect, not sufficiently detailed,
and/or shows a surplus based on
hypothetical funding from SSMU
included in their revenues.
All groups can appeal our deci-
sions and are welcome to meet
with SSMU Funding Coordinator
Shyam Patel. We also welcome
you to come to the Clubs and
Services Representatives’ Office
Hours (every Tuesday, 1 to 2 p.m.,
SSMU Office), and we will be
happy to provide advice on fill-
ing out funding applications.
Maggie Knight
U3 Environment (Honours) and Economics
Max Zidel
U1 English and Political Science
Clubs and Services Representatives
to SSMU Council and SSMU
Funding Committee Members
Flotilla interview revealing
Re: “The Gaza flotilla raid, first
hand” | News | November 11
Ewa Jasiewicz’ interview with The
McGill Daily was truly revealing. Her
involvement with activism dates to
2003, six months after Operation
Defensive Shield. Seeing the brutal
acts of violence conducted by the
IDF against the Palestinians forged
her commitment to activism.
Dismissing Israeli claims that
IHH [a Turkish NGO] or some
members of the Freedom Flotilla
were linked to terrorist organiza-
tions, Jasiewicz argued that Israel
knew it wasn’t true because they
eventually “released everybody.”
Her description of the raid – she
was riding on Challenger 1, one of
the six boats of the Flotilla – viv-
idly depicts the brutality of the IDF
and reveals the “political decision”
of “terrorizing” the participants.
Using darkness as a means of
psychological intimidation and a
cover “to hide the actions of their
soldiers,” the IDF targeted activists,
journalists, photographers beating,
using tasers, handcuffing, hood-
ing, stomping before taking them
into custody. With no recourse
to legal council, the abuse of the
detainees continued while in Israeli
custody. Israeli claims that there
were weapons onboard are rightfully
dismissed: “Every single boat was
searched. There were absolutely no
weapons aboard any of the boats.”
Jasiewicz thinks Hamas – the
unacknowledged cause of the Gaza
blockade – “needs to be engaged
diplomatically.” Although, “legal-
izing” Hamas was not among the
objectives of the flotilla, the mas-
sacre of unarmed civilians aboard
the Mavi Marmara has raised
public awareness of the dehuman-
izing conditions in Gaza and stained
Israel’s relations with another NATO
country, “putting the spotlight on
condemning Israel” and lending
support to the BDS campaign.
Anait Keuchguerian
B. Mus. (Honours) in Theory 1996,
M.A. in Music Theory 1999
I do not hide the fact that I am a
member of Conservative McGill, nor
am I ashamed of my political beliefs
Spencer Burger U3 History and Political Science (Joint Honours), Arts Councillor to SSMU
Tories disregard democracy
while Liberals are MIA
There are two very impor-
tant problems with the recent
Senate overturn of Bill C-311, the
Climate Change Accountability
Act, this past Tuesday.
First, the Senate is supposed to
act in “sober second thought”. When
the Conservative-stacked Senate
killed Bill C-311 last Tuesday, it was
strictly following the orders of the
Prime Minister. Bill C-311 was a
very small step – but important –
toward mitigating climate change
domestically. It would have com-
mitted the Canadian government to
emissions reductions of 25 percent
below 1990 levels by 2020 – and
Prime Minister Harper has once
more eliminated this attempt that
falls among the least ambitious of
OECD countries. If he were really
concerned about Canadians, he
would respect the decisions made in
the democratically-elected House.
Second, politics in Canada is
a game: If you leave your players
at home, or if nearly half of them
(17/49) don’t show up, the opposi-
tion will call a surprise vote and
kill a bill that was democratically
passed in the House of Commons.
In short, if you don’t show up, the
other team wins. However, in this
case Canadians lose because Bill
C-311 was democratically passed in
our House of Commons in May.
The Conservatives did not
want this Bill to become law, and
they strategically called a surprise
vote, undermining the demo-
cratic process while the Liberals
were not even in Senate to vote.
Devon Paige Willis
U3 Political Science and Environmental
Member of the Canadian Youth
Delegation to COP15
Former Daily blogger
Kudos, Gass
Re: “What it means to be a war-
rior” | Features | November 15
I want to commend The Daily
for questioning Thomas Deer on
how the War on Terror has affected
the Mohawk community. It was
a creative and unexpected ques-
tion, and the answer was enlight-
ening. Very good interview.
Jay Alexander Brown
U3 World Religions
The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com
Re: “Council passes new SSMU equity policy” | News | November 13
Burger seeks apology
Re: “Council passes new SSMU equity
policy” | News | November 13
Dear Editors,
I note that in your coverage
of the vote on SSMU’s equity
policy, you elected to highlight
my non-SSMU activities by writing
that my two amendments to the
equity policy were “tacked on by
Arts councillor and Conservative
McGill member Spencer Burger.” I
do not see how my secondary affili-
ation with Conservative McGill and
my political views are at all relevant
to the SSMU debate over equity.
Furthermore, The McGill Daily’s
editorial board seems to be operat-
ing under a double standard: I do
not recall The McGill Daily referenc-
ing the political views of any other
SSMU councillors when discussing
SSMU-related issues, despite the fact
that a significant number of SSMU
councillors do have political affilia-
tions with political groups like NDP
McGill (including several council-
lors who opposed my amendments
in the equity debate). I do not
hide the fact that I am a member
of Conservative McGill, nor am I
ashamed of my political beliefs.
However, I can only see The Daily’s
labeling of my political affiliations,
while ignoring all others’ political
affiliations, as a deliberate ad homi-
nem attack on my credibility, in
order to frame my role in an impor-
tant SSMU debate as partisan, and
one that does not reflect the legiti-
mate aspirations of the constituents
who voted for me. It is an attempt
to encourage your readers to judge
my actions based on my political
affiliations, not based on the valid-
ity of the actions themselves.
I am looking forward to an apol-
ogy, as well as an explanation as to
why SSMU Councillors with certain
political leanings are treated differ-
ently by The Daily’s editorial staff.
Sincerely,
Spencer Burger
U3 History & Political Science (Joint Honours)
Arts Councillor to SSMU
We got too too too many letters this issue. The next batch will appear in the
next issue, if we can get some more. Otherwise, until next semester. Send your
correspondence to letters@mcgilldaily.com, keep them 300 words or less. No
hate: no anti-Semitism, racism, sexism, et cetera.
7
Inflammatory rhetoric
is discouraging
Re: “‘Israel, like South Africa, is an apartheid
state’” | Commentary | November 18
While Israel’s mistreatment of
Palestinians is an important issue,
to say that it amounts to apartheid
is just not true. The use of the word
apartheid suggests a systematic seg-
regation of citizens based on race.
The Palestinians of the West Bank
and Gaza are indeed segregated
from Israelis, but the difference
is that they aren’t Israeli citizens;
they are under an occupation. If
Jon Booth considers it apartheid
that Israel treats the residents of
its occupied territories differently
from its own citizens, I suppose
the United States is an apartheid
state, too, since Iraqis under
American occupation don’t enjoy
the same rights as U.S. citizens.
Arabs who are citizens of
Israel, on the other hand, are com-
pletely equal in the eyes of the law.
They are free to live where they
want, do what they want, and vote
how they want. This is nothing like
the apartheid of South Africa. In
fact, Israel is arguably the most
free and democratic place in the
Middle East for Arabs to live, given
the shameful state of human rights
in many Arab countries. If I were
a gay Arab, I would much rather
be in Israel, which legally protects
LGBT citizens from discrimination,
recognizes same-sex marriages,
and allows gay adoption, than in
of one of the many Arab countries
where homosexuality is punished
with years in prison or death.
I’ve been disappointed lately by
the level of hostility coming from
pro-Palestinian groups on campus.
It’s great that students at McGill
are passionate about the welfare
of Palestinians, but using inflam-
matory and inaccurate terms to
demonize Israel does their cause
more harm than good. If groups
like Tadamon! and QPIRG focused
less on Israel-bashing and more
on bringing people into a rea-
sonable discussion, maybe more
moderate students like me would
be encouraged to participate.
John Carroll
U3 Economics
 Commentary The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com
8

In which our columnist spars

Some notes on recent articles
Red star over Asia
Ted Sprague
ted.sprague@mcgilldaily.com
Vicky Tobianah, on the other
hand, in her latest piece (“Learning
to network,” the Tribune, Opinion,
November 15) is a typical repre-
sentative of a layer of youth that is
eager to be successful in society by

I
t’s near the end of the year, and
there are just so many good arti-
cles in the latest issues of The
Daily and the Tribune that I want to
comment on. So, instead of deliver-
ing full responses, I’ll opt for some
light jabs at some Daily and Tribune
columnists.
I always respect Brendan Steven,
the writer of “Right Minded.” He
never hides his politics and this
makes him a worthy political foe.
In his recent article (“In defence
of George W. Bush,” the Tribune,
Opinion, November 15), he defends
Bush even after many of his right-
wing colleagues have abandoned the
poor Texan – much like I still defend
Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Trotsky
even if this means going against the
stream even among leftists. However,
Stevens, we will never be “capable
of objectively assessing George W.
Bush’s presidency” because his pol-
icy is a class policy. It stood for one
class – the capitalist – and against
the other – the working class. He
will always be praised by the class he
represents, and reviled by the oppos-
ing class. This is a fact. I’m sure deep
down, you are very well aware of this
– that we live in a class society and
the two of us stand on opposite sides.
being in “a picture with politicians,”
by knowing how to “shake hands
and make small talk” with people
in power – in other words, by rub-
bing shoulders with the upper
class. It’s a sad society we’re living
in where the working principle
among the youth is: “If we can’t sell
ourselves, we won’t be even consid-
ered.” Tobianah, you don’t have to
sell yourself – your soul and your
mind – to the highest bidder. We
can choose not to be a commodity,
but this will require more perse-
verance, determination, and confi-
dence than we can even imagine if
we limit ourselves to the aforemen-
tioned sell-yourself principle.
I eat McDonalds. I drink Coca
Cola. I use Motorola. And I don’t
use Apple, just because I’m hooked
on Microsoft. With such criteria,
I’m one of the activists that causes
Adrian Kaats to “barf in [his] mouth Olivia Messer with Eric Andrew-Gee | The McGill Daily
a bit” (“Apple, Ikea, Motorola…”, nected directly or indirectly. The capitalism. They have to overthrow jobs, the owners shut down facto-
Commentary, November 15). I am problem is not consumption: the capitalism; which, in the last analy- ries. While people need roofs over
well aware of all those companies’ problem is production. sis, entails the expropriation of these their heads, houses are being fore-
exploitations – labour and envi- We cannot choose to boycott major companies and the banks by closed and left empty in the name of
ronmental. The problem isn’t that some companies, and it’s even more the workers. “Sacredness of private the sacredness of private property.
there’s a bad capitalist and there’s ridiculous to attempt to boycott cap- property!” cry the owners. Who can There go my jabs. I almost threw
a good capitalist. The problem is, italism altogether. Regular Joes and better guarantee the sacredness of a left hook there near the end, but
in this era of finance capital, that Janes, the workers who live hand- property other than its creators, the it was a feint. Watch out for my real
they’re all in the same boat, con- to-mouth, cannot afford to boycott working class? While people crave left hook next time. !

Managers clogging health care’s arteries

The proliferation of administrative staff in social services is causing unnecessary waste
The character tions she describes is nauseating. 2009 figures, is over ten per cent clusion was to order an assessment would you guess my mother reports
of community I’ve managed to subdue discomfort of the total cost of health care and of the patient’s home environment, to? In 1991, when she would come
with the idea that years of thankless social services in Quebec. a procedure inherent to the care home excited about the amount of
Adrian Kaats service have compounded her cyni- In the face of exploding waiting request submitted by the patient’s work she’d completed, she had one
adrian.kaats@mcgilldaily.com cism. The article on her desk says times for everything from emergen- clinicians weeks prior. That assess- boss. Today, when all my mother
otherwise. cy services to long-term care, the ment finally took place nearly two seems to do is express exasperation,

N
ews about Quebec politics
lately has focused on wide-
spread corruption at almost
every level of government, the kind
of corruption we’re used to seeing
in movies. I was tempted to add to
the outcry, but when I tried to write,
all I really had to say was, “Duh.”
Truth is, something rather more
disturbing has preoccupied me
since coming across an article that
has been sitting on the desk at my
mother’s place for quite some time.
My mother is a hospital social
worker. Like most front-line work-
ers, she’ll stupefy you with stories
about our health care system’s man-
agement. I’ve listened to these sto-
ries the better part of my life, but in
the past ten years they’ve become
increasingly difficult to stomach.
The substance of the transforma-
In September, an article in La
Presse reported statistics from the
Fédération des médecins spéciali-
stes du Québec explaining that
since 2000, the number of admin-
istrators of Quebec’s health care
system grew 52 per cent and the
number of managers grew thir-
ty per cent to a total of 100,000
employees. In the same period,
the number of caregivers (doctors,
nurses, orderlies, physiotherapists,
et cetera) grew by only six per cent
to 108,000. Administrators and
managers (A&M) accounted for 85
per cent of that 40,323 increase in
employees. For argument’s sake,
assume that additional A&M earn
a modest average $50,000 per year
(undoubtably an underestimate).
That’s two billion dollars, which,
according to Statistics Canada’s
A&M of our health care system have
proposed what exactly? More A&M.
I called my mother to enquire, and
what a timely call. She directed me
to an article in the Gazette describ-
ing a patient unable to return
home, which is both his wish and
the best option for his care. There
is no more funding for the approxi-
mately fifty dollars a day of home-
care he needs, so instead he’s stuck
in an acute care hospital bed cost-
ing our government almost $1,000
daily. It turns out, my mother is the
patient’s social worker. The whole
story is painful.
My mother described a one-hour
meeting that included herself, anoth-
er clinician, and five managers, con-
vened to “solve” this non-problem.
The whole scenario is like a Marx
Brothers film. The meeting’s con-
weeks after that meeting and report-
ed that the patient’s home requires
a standard piece of equipment. That
piece of equipment, which I found
used on Ebay for $100, deliverable in
a few business days, would take our
health care system at least another
two weeks to acquire.
Perhaps if all that new A&M
had instead been health care work-
ers and equipment, the assessment
wouldn’t have been needlessly
delayed, the equipment would have
been available, an unnecessary meet-
ing wouldn’t have occurred, and
there’d be plenty more coin in our
government’s coffers. The best part
is that when my mother expressed
how unacceptable her patient’s situ-
ation is, she was “questioned” by
yet another manager for expressing
frustration. How many managers
she’s reports to four bosses. If you
think this particular case is some
kind of exception, you are mistaken.
The state of affairs reminds me
of a FedEx commercial where an
employee in training is asked to
perform a basic task and says, “You
don’t understand... I have an MBA,”
to which his trainer replies, “Oh,
you have an MBA? In that case, I’ll
have to show you how.” To the work-
ers that actually provide care, these
types of “problems” are an absolute
no-brainer. Additional A&M, in a
variant of Parkinson’s law, doesn’t
solve care provision problems, it
often creates them – at an opportu-
nity cost of at least two billion dol-
lars – so that they can then be solved
by people who actually do the work:
that’s a triple whammy and every-
body is suffering. !
The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com
How to even the funds playing
field for women’s sports
Ted Smith
Hyde Park
Commentary 9
tunity for talented women to play
professionally. True, but it’s not
as though people haven’t tried
before. Defunct women’s leagues

I
am very glad to see The Daily
trying to take on the cul-
ture of apathy that’s become
entrenched in our campus. But I
fear that Katie Esmonde’s article
(“Martlets sing to empty seats,”
Sports, November 8) runs the
risk of being misinterpreted and
turning into another conflagra-
tion against institutional sexism.
Sexism has a lot to do with why
the stands are empty at Martlets
games. But the problem is not as
simple as a lack of funding or soci-
ety’s general attitude toward wom-
en’s sports.
Firstly, it should be known that
both Canadian Interuniversity
Sport and the National Collegiate
Athletic Association enforces a
“funding parity,” meaning that the
dollar amount put into any two
teams of the same sport has to be
the same for men’s and women’s.
The time spent on promoting
teams might be different, and pri-
ority on practice time and space is
usually given to men’s, but they are
Olivia Messer | The McGill Daily
financially equal. When people talk
in this country include the Central
Ontario Women’s Hockey League
and the Women’s National Hockey
League, and there is the still-extant
Canadian Women’s Hockey League.
How many of you reading even
knew that? My bet is few to none.
Is that because the leagues are not
advertising, or the networks don’t
show the games, or because you,
yourself, don’t even care?
People on campus already
know that women’s hockey games
happen, and they already know we
have the best team in the country.
The question is why they don’t
show. As Cathy Chartrand point-
ed out in her interview, the aver-
age sports fan “doesn’t buy into
it.” They want to see the speed,
the hitting, and the fighting. The
bottom line is, you will never be
able to convince the majority of
people who actually pay to watch
sports that women’s sports are as
exciting as men’s sports because
women’s sports don’t offer what
they are looking for. Is the average
sports fan an idiot? Yes. Is it rea-

Put some depth into the about the funding disparity, most
people either fail to mention or
fail to realize that a huge amount
of that money comes from private
sonable to expect someone (even
someone that stupid) to spend
their money on something they
don’t like? No.

conversation
alumni donations and proceeds This is where you come in. You
from ticket sales. are an educated person who reads
The facts are that in most cases, your school newspaper because
men’s sports generate income for you care about things on your cam-
the school, while women’s sports pus. You are thoughtful, so you
operate at a deficit. Administrators would notice the “technique, good
Campus Israel-Palestine debate is lacking are forced (whether they like it or plays, [and] finesse” of the wom-
not) to allocate their non-financial en’s game. You are reasonable, so
Lily Schwarzbaum years of turmoil. The only thing East, and to open the conversa- assets (i.e., facilities, and effort in you could be convinced that wom-
Hyde Park that is certain is how complex the tion to what a university should promoting games) to the teams that en’s sports are as exciting as men’s
conflict is. provide – a multitude of opinions. are most likely to generate a profit, sports. The point of the article
But the last couple of Daily We want everyone in this discus- or in McGill’s case, reduce the defi- was not that McGill Athletics and

M
cGill has served as quite
the weathered battle-
ground for Middle East-
related discourse. Catty, one-sided,
and disrespectful, the debate is
simultaneously both frustrat-
ing and boring to hear: the same
recycled arguments, the same fin-
ger pointing and accusations. The
on-campus skirmishes stretch way
back – from the heated GA resolu-
tion last year to this month’s pro-
test against the presence of IDF
soldiers on campus. Each new con-
troversy is characterized by a strict
divide between pro-Israel and pro-
Palestine camps, while everything
in between is unexpressed and
irrelevant.
Here’s a news flash: there is
absolutely nothing black and white
about the Middle East conflict.
There is violence from both
sides, accountability from both
sides – and massive loss on both
sides. To boil such a huge issue
down to a statement categorizing
all of the Israeli army as the perpe-
trators of genocide and apartheid,
or a similar statement categoriz-
ing all residents of Gaza and the
West Bank as part of a group of
Islamic terrorists whose sole aim
is to eradicate the Jewish popu-
lation, is insulting after so many
issues have briefly uncovered
glimpses of people who are unsat-
isfied with this kind of discussion.
The October 21 “Fuck This!” (“How
to write a Hyde Park about the
Arab-Israeli Conflict for The Daily”)
gave a biting look into the proper
way to write an article about the
conflict – “1. Before writing, incul-
cate yourself with the belief that
your perspective or argument is dis-
tinct, profound, and – most impor-
tantly – true.” In the November 8
issue (“Shame and confrontation,”
Commentary), Matthew Kassel con-
fided that, “I don’t like to talk about
Israel or Palestine because I can
only deal with so much cliché, so
much posturing.”
The call for complexity and dia-
logue is not a minority voice: it is
simply one that stands on uncer-
tain ground, drowned out by the
demand to choose one side or the
other. There must be room for
nuance, and there must be space
for students to express themselves
without completely alienating oth-
ers.
I’m part of a new group on
campus called Omeq. It stems
from the Hebrew and Arabic root
“o-m-q,” which means “depth.”
We aim to change the landscape
of dialogue regarding the Middle
sion, from Jews to Arabs, from
left-wing to right, from people
who fall in none of these catego-
ries but want to learn more to
those who feel overwhelmed by
how much it has impacted their
lives. We create this discussion
through a variety of events: multi-
opinionated speakers and public
debates, informal bi-weekly dis-
cussion sessions, and alternative
ways of expression on the conflict
through art and creative writing.
If you have identified with the
frustration of this article, you’re
entitled to express it. In a university
of educated students, where there
are undoubtedly thousands of per-
spectives, backgrounds, and educa-
tions, don’t you think we can admit
even the smallest level of complex-
ity in this debate? And maybe it
might be possible to discuss these
issues in a way that is respectful and
productive?
Lily Schwarzbaum, U1 International
Development Studies and Political
Science, is VP Communications
of Omeq. You can reach her at
temporarylinky@yahoo.com. For
more information about Omeq,
see their website (depththroughdi-
alogue.com) or write them at dep-
ththroughdialogue@gmail.com.
cit. sports fans are sexist and some-
The argument has been made body should do something about
that with a little extra effort spent them. It’s this: If you think wom-
on promotion, women’s sports en’s sports are important enough
could become more profitable, to deserve more funding, then
and thus worthy of more equal show up. Go to the stadium, buy a
attention from administrators. ticket, and cheer loud. If you don’t
Plausible, but it’s not likely that an do that, you are just supporting the
increase in advertising or spon- status quo through inaction.
sored events would make even
the most successful teams, like Ted Smith, B.A. 2009 English
our Martlets hockey team, an Literature, is a brigade leader
overnight cash-cow. emeritus of McGill Fight Band.
The article alludes to the sad Write him at teddysmith@hot-
fact that there isn’t much oppor- mail.co.jp.
Errata
Vicky Tobianah’s letter “Unless it examines Arab role, NGO not very
good” (November 15) claimed that Gamal Nasser signed Egypt’s peace
treaty with Israel. In fact, Anwar Sadat signed the treaty in 1979 – Nasser
had died nearly ten years previous.
Due to an editorial error, in “Rue Frontenac” (Features, November 18),
it was stated that “[Rue Frontenac’s] content is all original, and will be
entirely free of wire content and advertisements.” Rue Frontenac does in
fact feature advertisements, though not advertorials.
We misattributed a quote in the last issue. In the article “International
students struggle to remain legal” (News, November 18), the phrase begin-
ning “McGill’s the exact same way...” was uttered by Kristina Litvin, not
Meryl Draper.
The Daily regrets the errors.
10 Features
INSIDE THE CREDIT BUREAUS
Do you know how likely you are to buy a pair of pants if they’re
offered at thirty per cent off? These people do.
“I
NEVER DREAMT that they
were going to take my
Visa away from me. That
was a shock. I thought,
‘This year I’ll be good and
I’ll fix it.’ But they took my credit away
from me.”
Concordia student Brandi Goulding,
twenty, first began struggling with debt
after moving to Montreal. This month
her Visa card expired with a $500 debt
and no option for renewal. For Goulding,
repaying this debt, as well as several
student loans and a maxed-out $3,600
Future Shop customer credit card, has
been a major challenge.
Her relationship with credit began
shortly after her 18th birthday, when
she applied for her first Visa card. “One
of my best friends since growing up, her
birthday is two weeks before mine. She
got a Visa on her birthday. It was so easy.
by Jeffrey Bishku-Aykul
She walked in, she said she wanted one
and a week later she had one. And so I
decided, ‘Hey, if she can do that, I can do
that too,’” says Goulding.
“It was a novelty. It was something I
couldn’t do before and I wanted to do
then. I wanted a Visa. And you know
they’ve got the little shiny thing on
there!” continues Goulding, indicating
the holographs commonly found on
today’s credit cards.
Goulding received her Visa after a
short meeting with a TD representa-
tive; she filled out a form and was
asked several brief questions regarding
her employment status and income. Yet
there was no discussion of credit ratings.
Since then, Goulding has never request-
ed a credit report. “Having a credit rat-
ing has not affected me yet – I haven’t
hit that road yet. I’m really worried for
when it does. The second I try to get a
aily
G ill D
Mc
he
|T
m ann
ger
Tan
to r
V ic
bank loan or certain jobs they are going
to check my credit rating.”
Goulding is not alone. As consum-
ers, we are all affected by our credit rat-
ing, a statistic that determines what we
may buy, what phone plans are available
to us, what credit lines we can open
,and what maximums we may obtain
on our credit cards. Credit bureaus
have existed for more than a centu-
ry. However, as the market for credit
cards grows and companies obtain an
ever-increasing amount of information
about their customers, new concerns
are being raised about consumer pri-
vacy and the effect that these ratings
have on borrowers, particularly stu-
dents. Furthermore, these companies
are part and parcel of North America’s
credit economy, which critics blame for
a host of problems, including the cur-
rent economic downturn.

T I
RANSUNION AND EQUIFAX are by no means
household names. But these two companies are
Canada’s largest credit bureaus. Both companies
are multinational corporations with headquar-
ters in Atlanta and Chicago, respectively, and both are
publicly traded on Wall Street.
The calculation of credit ratings is a big business. In
2001 Equifax had an operating revenue of just over $1
billion USD; by 2009, it had increased to over $1.8 billion.
I dial a passcode to enter a conference call with
TransUnion Canada’s Director of Consumer Solutions
Tom Reid. On the line company spokesman Reid and a
PR consultant are discussing the previous night’s U.S.
midterm elections. The interview that followed read
like a crash course on industry lingo. In this man’s
world, words like “delinquency” describe the failure to
pay overdue payments and “leverage” morphs into a
verb describing the use of knowledge toward economic
ends.
Reid explains that his company offers a way for lenders
to understand the risk that various customers represent.
“The credit granting community doesn’t care what your
score is, per se. Your score is just a label that tells them
what the amount of risk you represent is,” he says.
The most important type of credit rating for consum-
ers is the Beacon Score, which is graded on a scale of 300
to 900 and represents your likelihood of repaying debts
to creditors. According to TransUnion’s statistics, nearly
two thirds of Canadians have what the industry considers
a “fair” to “very good” rating, ranging between 700 and
900. Companies like TransUnion additionally provide a
wide variety of scores to calculate your financial habits –
how likely you are to respond to a promotional offer, for
instance.
“Each organization uses fairly complex empirical data
and algorithms to determine the relationship between
the characteristics of a borrower and the likelihood of a
specific outcome,” says Reid.
These characteristics can be fairly wide-ranging. Certain
statistical indexes also create consumer profiles not simply
by referencing the sum-total of your shopping bills, but
also by accounting for what you buy.
Research in this area has been accelerating ever since
2002, when Canadian Tire – which operates its own line of
credit cards – began analyzing the relationship between
customers’ shopping habits and delinquency. The most
reliable credit users were found to have a penchant for
premium birdseed. Unreliable borrowers, on the other
hand, were more likely to buy chrome skull car acces-
sories, and to frequent a pool bar on Concordia’s campus
called Sharx.
Following studies like Canadian Tire’s, these kinds of
purchases can also influence your ability to access credit.
(If you want to avoid all this, deal in cash.)
“When a consumer makes a request for credit, that
organization wants to look at what the likelihood is that
the individual is going to become ninety days or worse
delinquent,” says Reid. “The organizations want to know
what the likelihood of delinquency is because that leads to
write-offs, and that is a cost to that organization. So they
are using tools from TransUnion to try and better identify
who the optimal customer is for that organization from
the perspective of risk.”
He explains that any time you apply for credit or
enter a contractual relationship with an institution, you
have allowed for your personal information – including
demographic information such as social insurance num-
bers, birthdays and addresses – to be accessed by credit
bureaus. Thus, a credit rating may reflect a large portion
of your monetary history, potentially including but not
limited to: the payment of utility bills, phone bills, medi-
cal fees, rent, car payments, mortgages, and credit card
interest.
“The credit reporting agencies collect data from all
of the credit granters throughout Canada. So we have
a very broad perspective on how any given individual is
performing with all of their credit obligations. We also
understand the characteristics that relate to each of
those individuals,” says Reid. He adds that the Beacon
Score is designed specifically to predict the probability
of delinquency. “What we try to do is identify specific
characteristics related to an outcome, in this particular
case [whether] that someone is going to miss three con-
secutive payments.”
The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com
N LATE OCTOBER of this year, Bank of Canada
Governor Mark Carney warned Canadians of the
country’s rising debt-to-income ratio.
In 2003, for the first time, Canadians accumulated
a collective debt greater than their income. The debt-
to-income ratio – which has hit an all time high – now
indicates that for each dollar the average Canadian earns,
they owe $1.47.
Sam Gindin is a professor of political science at York
University and the co-author of the recent In and Out of
Crisis, a critique of neoliberal economic policy and its role
in the current economic downturn.
Gindin argues that as worker benefits began to decrease
in the 1980s, more labourers began to work longer hours.
In the late 1990s this increase in work time began to level
off and consumers started turning to credit for their pur-
chases.
“In the sixties, when people were relatively secure,
they were pretty confident and they were raising their
wage demands,” he says. “And out of that, came a counter-
attack. That counter-attack was to discipline workers. It
was to let unemployment rise, clamp down on wages, and
speed up production. So one of the things that happens is
workers were defeated and they’re trying to maintain their
standard of living.”
According to Gindin, increasing consumer debts in the
U.S. and Canada are endemic to the global finance system.
Foreign investors from nations like China heavily finance
North American banks, which enjoy a reputation of sta-
bility. These infusions of cash, in addition to the Federal
Reserve’s current low interest rate, create an environment
more conducive to lending. Finally, advanced data systems
allow banks to analyze risk in an increasingly sophisticated
manner and thus, a variety of credit becomes available to
the consumer in the form of subprime mortgages and
shiny credit cards.
“There’s the global position of the U.S., which brings
money into North America,” says Gindin. “And the whole
financial system is competing to make money, and is there-
fore constantly trying to extend the boundaries of risk.”
He argues that this behaviour is reinforced by decades
of government economic policy.
“You have to remember that for a quarter of a century
[this system] hasn’t worked badly. So people figure there
will be a crisis, the government will bail us out, and it will
be contained. And even now if you take a look at the big
investment houses and the big banks, they’re going to
come out of this pretty well.”
A
S CONSUMER DEPENDENCE on credit increas-
es, so does the dependence of lenders on credit
scores. But this statistic does not always provide
a reliable reflection of a person’s or a company’s
financial standing.
Brenda Shanahan is a former banker now writing her
PhD at McGill on credit card companies. She also works
as a teacher of financial literacy to Canadian soldiers. She
explains that because lenders rely heavily on credit scores
to recognize low and high-risk borrowers, consumers with
good credit scores seeking loans are sometimes permitted
to accumulate debts they cannot afford to repay.
“Your credit score may be good,” says Shanahan, “but
just because you get the loan doesn’t necessarily mean
you have the cashflow to pay it back. Now, with easy access
to credit you have people who are able to obtain credit
cards from various sources and max them all out.”
Credit rating agencies also analyze the financial health
of major corporations. Because these companies are
accountable to shareholders and seek high ratings, their
credit bureau may experience conflicts of interest in
which issuing a low rating might harm their business,
whereas issuing a high rating may attract customers. This
phenomenon gained international attention following
the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008, when millions of
houses in the U.S. were foreclosed as a result of mortgage
delinquency. Bonds relying upon these payments that had
formerly been top rated were sent spiraling in value.
Last month, the Financial Stability Board – an interna-
tional organization established at the 2009 G20 London
Summit as a response to the credit crisis – publicly advo-
cated a decrease in the dependence of the financial com-
munity on credit rating agencies.
“[Credit bureaus] play this very important role in
assessing risk,” says Gindin. “Now, the trouble with it is
11
that they’re not independent from the companies they are
rating. If you’re getting paid for these ratings, you want to
be careful if you come down too tough on [a company].
So there’s this problem in the system: rating companies
themselves are compromised.”
And credit ratings have fueled the popularity of credit.
According to Shanahan, credit scores have allowed bank-
ers to analyze the risk that customers represent at a speed
like never before. As a result, banks have come to realize
that the mass marketing of credit represents a greater
profit than one-on-one decision making.
“Now, if your Beacon Score is good you get the loan,”
she says. “If you are declined, end of story. The employer
is not interested in employees spending two hours with
one client when you can approve ten Visa cards in ten
minutes.”
This ability to calculate risk based upon the informa-
tion that credit scores represent has led these same banks
and credit card companies to make offers to students and
young consumers that did not exist even twenty years ago.
Shanahan recalls that in the past, companies would
typically target students studying professions such as
medicine, law, and business. However, in recent years this
market has expanded to all students.
“The young adult in today’s society is still going
through some very important developmental stages, and
they’re not yet earning anything. Chances are you’re not
going to have your first full time job until [later]. But you
will have had access to credit since age 18. So you’re being
led down a path where credit becomes like cash,” she says.
“Somebody figured out that not only most students
would pay their credit cards, but that they wanted to buy
their loyalty at the beginning of their careers, because the
company that you tend to start dealing with, you tend to
stick with. And so they even factored that in; even if they
lost some money with students, the long-term market
share that they would gain would pay off in the end.”
B
ANKS SPEND MILLIONS every year market-
ing credit cards to young Canadians, particu-
larly university students. In 2005, the average
Canadian university graduate left school with
$18,000 of debt. Credit cards only exacerbate the problem.
According to Robert Manning, a professor of Finance at
the Rochester Institute of Technology and author of Credit
Card Nation, companies frequently forge lucrative deals
with universities so that they may solicit credit cards on
campus grounds.
“[Universities] should have been using a substantial
portion of that money to promote financial education,”
says Manning. “In the absence of that, what you have is
the banks are basically training young people to learn the
rules of the game that they want them to learn rather than
to actually learn how to use credit and debt to their best
advantage.”
Shanahan also worries that student debt will have
major repercussions for the adult lives of youth growing
up today.
“If a young person is leaving, as a graduate, with
$25,000 dollars in debt, this would serve to delay really
all their adult development and plans,” Shanahan says.
“Economically that means it delays home purchases. It
delays starting a family. If you lose your employment, then
you are at risk for bankruptcy. This is what the generation
coming up is facing: the chances of having periods of no
employment are greater than ever.”
Goulding has witnessed this phenomenon take place
at Concordia. According to her, the frequency with which
banks solicit credit cards on campus has increased over
the past year. “In Concordia’s library, every day there is a
BMO bank set up [offering credit cards]. And it’s right in
front of the stairs to go up into the library. So if you are
choosing to study in Concordia’s library, you have to say
no or listen to their spiel every time you walk by.”
Two years into school, Goulding has now accumulated
$20,000 of debt, a fifth of which she owes to Future Shop
and Visa. She says that she wishes that there had been a
greater effort on the part of the banks to inform young
consumers about credit.
“I think people need to be more aware as to what
they’re getting themselves into. The banks need to inform
people – just try to pay off what you can. I find banks to be
very intimidating. When you’re young and you’re trying to
figure things out that intimidation is a lot.”
 Sports
Mandatory masculinity
An examination of masculine hegemony in sports culture
Eric Wen
The McGill Daily
“C
ome on, play a man’s
sport.” That was what
my little league base-
ball coach told me to convince
me to join the team. “Play a man’s
sport.” What did that mean? I
didn’t know, but sure enough not
too long after I was awkwardly
standing in left field – the position
most often relegated to the worst
player on the team – embarking
on a short-lived career as a base-
ball player and a long career as a
sports fan.
But while that notion of “play-
ing a man’s sport” has stuck in my
mind for a while, baseball being a
man’s sport is probably, to some, a
dubious concept in our age of full-
contact sports and UFC. Maybe
my coach didn’t even believe it
was a “man’s sport;” he just knew
what is typically the most effective
course of action to get me to par-
ticipate: challenge my manhood.
Here I am now: 21 years old
and the Sports editor of a newspa-
per. I often wonder why I got into
sports when I was younger and
the key moments that I remem-
ber are that brief encounter with
my baseball coach and similar
childhood interactions. As a self-
conscious child, I wanted kids to
think I was cool and constantly
talking about the Millennium
Falcon instead of the Atlanta
Falcons wasn’t cutting it. When
you are a young boy, playing
sports or having some interest
in them is expected out of you;
otherwise you’re not “cool” – a
euphemism for “normal” in ado-
lescent-speak. The cooler kids
would talk about Mo Vaughn and
Drew Bledsoe, so I started to read
the Boston Globe’s sports page
to join the club. Sports were the
tools to gain acceptance into the
club and they are one of the first
institutions that create the gen-
der divisions we have in society.
Children from a young age are
divided up between boys’ and
girls’ leagues, as well as boys’
and girls’ sports and the soci-
etal expectation for men to be
tough is especially emphasized
in sports. “I don’t think that that
toughness is really innate,” said
Katie Esmonde, U4 Sociology and
Daily contributor, who is doing
her research project on gender
in sports. “I think it’s something
that you learn and you learn that
it’s expected of you. … I kind of
think that sports are a microcosm
of male culture. Everything about
masculinity is really exaggerated
Society creates a black and white division in youth sports.
within sports. Sports are explicit
about what it means to be a man
and what it means to not be a
man.”
Being interested in sports as
a child was part of performing
my gender. An interest in sports
wasn’t expected from girls. “From
childhood, differences between
boys and girls are really empha-
sized,” said Esmonde, “and in
emphasizing those differences,
they’re created.” At a young age,
whether we know it or not, sports
were used as a way to define our
gendered identities. In Canada,
The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com
Victor Tangermann | The McGill Daily
when you step out on the ice as
a child, you wear either hockey
skates or figure skates depend-
ing on whether you’re a boy or a
girl. And then sports become a
tool for men to prove themselves.
“Sports is a great way to prove
your masculinity,” said Esmonde.
12
“Patriarchy as an institution is
weakening. People aren’t going
out and working these really phys-
ical jobs – you’re not often going
to war in the same way [as they
did in the past]. … Masculinity is
about power and what does power
mean when everyone has access
to it?”
The way that sports is such
a major part of male culture
makes it an exclusive boys’ club
in a somewhat literal sense. “A
study asked boys and girls what
television they watched and the
number one was sports for boys,”
said Esmonde. “That just isn’t
an expectation for girls. I wasn’t
encouraged to be a fan as a girl.
… They do not expect that for
women and whenever I offer my
opinion on sports, people just
don’t take it seriously or they’re
surprised that I’m a fan. … When
I watch sports, with the commer-
cials that are involved, I always
get the feeling like I’m not sup-
posed to be here because it’s
often beer commercials that are
explicitly making fun of women
or [women] are simply there to
be sex objects.”
The only professional wom-
en’s league in North America is
the WNBA and they still have
trouble getting the public’s atten-
tion. Only 548,000 viewers tuned
in to the WNBA finals whereas
nearly ten million people watched
LeBron James choose which team
he was joining. Women don’t have
significant roles in our sports
culture. “Their contributions [in
sports] aren’t really respected,”
said Esmonde. “We don’t watch
them on television. They’re barely
even on the ticker at the bottom
of SportsCenter.” Their accom-
plishments are ignored because
from a young age, sports are such
a part of male culture that we view
women’s sports as inferior. A com-
mon insult thrown around on the
field is claiming that somebody is
“playing like a girl.” Moments like
that help create society’s percep-
tion of women’s sports being less
legitimate than men’s and rein-
force the idea that sports are a
male-dominated boys’ club.
Sports are deeply embedded
in masculine culture and are
used as a way to socialize kids
into gender binaries. Boys and
girls sports are segregated at a
young age and sports are often
what defines you and separates
you as a male. I care about sports
now because I was socially pres-
sured into following and caring
about sports when I was younger.
It was all about trying to be a man
– whatever that means.
The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com
Partial credibility
Emails raise doubt about the NHL’s chief disciplinarian
The foul line
Nader Fotouhi
naderfotouhi@mcgilldaily.com
T
he issue of hits to the head
has created a lot of buzz in
the hockey world. Last week,
the man whose responsibilities
include ruling on headshot inci-
dents as well as handing out fines
and suspensions came under fire. A
number of emails sent by NHL disci-
plinarian Colin Campbell between
2006 and 2007 reflect questionable
– at best – conduct on Campbell’s
part. The emails, analyzed by blog-
ger Tyler Dellow on mc79hockey.
com, were made public after their
use as evidence in a court hear-
ing regarding the termination of
former NHL referee Dean Warren.
These documents have raised ques-
tions about Campbell’s impartiality,
impulsiveness, and integrity regard-
ing the enforcement of rules put in
place to save players’ careers and
lives. In a vacuum, the emails look
bad; in context, Campbell looks like
a man unfit to be the league’s disci-
plinarian.
Long before Dellow’s breakdown
of the emails went public, many fans
and media members harboured
doubts about Campbell’s ability to
accurately judge suspension-worthy
offenses and were justified by his
unpredictable track record on sus-
pensions since. Boston Bruins’ play-
by-play announcer Jack Edwards
cites a lack of consistency when rul-
ing on incidents with similar criteria
and, more importantly, an utter fail-
ure to clarify for players what is and
is not allowed. Edwards has long
derided Campbell’s brand of disci-
pline as “dartboard justice.”
Pittsburgh Penguin Matt Cooke’s
elbow to the head of Bruin Marc
Savard in March 2010 is arguably
the most infamous incident under
Campbell’s watch. Cooke was not
suspended, while Savard missed
a month and a half with a grade-
two concussion. Savard returned
for seven games in the playoffs,
but has not played yet this year
due to post-concussion syndrome.
Even Cooke’s teammate Bill Guerin
said, “You [have] got to pay a price
for that. … I understand [Cooke]
is on my team but, hey, he’s in a
tough spot.” Indeed, fans and play-
ers league-wide were perplexed
by Campbell’s inaction. Constant
inconsistencies forced NHL general
managers to propose what is now
known as the “blind-side rule,” out-
lawing blows to the head on unsus-
pecting players.
In Campbell’s redacted emails
lies a reference to a “little fake
artist” he coached in New York,
and according to Dellow’s heady
research, the embellisher-in-ques-
tion is Marc Savard. Conspiracy
theories aside, is it in the league’s
best interests to have someone so
clearly biased against certain play-
ers be its judge, jury, and execution-
er? Observers such as the Boston
Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont have
called for a panel of representatives
from the league, the players’ asso-
ciation, and a referee to rule on sus-
pensions and fines – an alternative
that is looking very rosy compared
to the status quo.
Campbell’s impartiality doesn’t
stop at Savard or any other players
he’s coached; his son Gregory plays
in the NHL as well. The majority
of the emails were conversations
between Colin Campbell and then-
Director of Officiating, Stephen
Walkom. Dellow pins down multiple
instances of games during or after
which Campbell emailed Walkom
complaining about officiating, with
at least two instances involving a
penalty call going against Gregory
Campbell. After one of these cases,
the elder Campbell suggested that
Walkom “gas this shithead [ref-
eree].” When reached for com-
ment by TSN, Campbell shrugged
off the story. “It’s much ado about
nothing. … Stephen knows I’m a
(hockey) dad venting and both of
us [know] it wouldn’t go any further
than that.” Have you ever heard of
a hockey dad calling for a referee
to get gassed after a call against his
Sports 13
Do you want to be
The Daily’s
Sports editor?
Elections will be held in January.
Email
sports@mcgilldaily.com
Olivia Messer | The McGill Daily
for more
information.
kid?
Of course, it does go further
than that. In addition to having
the ear of the league’s Director
of Officiating, the emails contain
suggestions from Campbell to
Walkom with requests from gen-
eral managers for certain referees
to officiate their games. With NHL
officiating in poor regard as is, the
FOLLOW
public airing of Campbell’s dirty
Mark
little game of “favourites” has cast
the league’s referees in a crooked
light. The NHL, while starved for
attention south of the border,
doesn’t need this notoriety in the
least bit.
According to ex-referee Warren,
Walkom confessed privately, “Look,
if I gotta listen to Colin Campbell
anymore I’m going to slit my own
wrists.” Warren himself went on to
say “Mr. Campbell was certainly rul-
ing or making decisions on games Mark is checking out job prospects in the
involving Florida – his son’s team.”
Northwest Territories and sampling the
This frightening record of dishon-
est, borderline corrupt behaviour NWT lifestyle. He is in for some surprises!
from a supposedly unbiased league There are all kinds of jobs up here - and
official does not bode well for the
NHL. While Campbell is prohib- they pay well - so Mark’s student loan will
ited from ruling on any disciplinary vanish like an ice-castle in the spring.
issue involving his son, there is no
Graduate degree holders in the Northwest
question that his influence, posi-
tion, and rashness have altered the Territories can earn $25,000 more per year
outcome of NHL games. than the national average. Mark
In any event, Campbell will
likely remain in his current posi- can fast-track his career, make
tion for years to come, dictating his mark and fill his bank
punishments for league offenders
with clueless abandon. Hockey’s account all at the same
“old boys’ club” of former players time in the NWT.
has already come swooping in to
Campbell’s defence. Mainstream
MAKE YOUR MARK
media outlets (especially those
in Canada) have been asking the with Mark
obligatory, cupcake questions on Win a trip
the matter, without so much as a
to join Mark and check out
peep regarding Campbell’s egre-
Northwest Territories’
gious abuse of his office in lobbying
job opportunities.
for calls for his son. “Oh, he’s just
Enter at www.comemakeyourmark.ca
a hockey dad” doesn’t cut it when
Draw Date: November 28, 2010
league integrity and, above all, play-
ers’ safety are at stake. He’s shown
numerous times in the past that his
poor judgment can affect his per-
formance as league disciplinarian
and as an ambassador of hockey.
 Science+Technology
Drug dollars, spotty science
Research looks at sources of journal income
L
arge medical journals have
a uniquely prestigious role
in the biomedical commu-
nity: they’re considered to be reli-
able, impartial, and scientifically
rigorous sources of information
on new medical research – infor-
mation important to how doctors
treat patients, and information that
could, in some cases, mean life or
death.
A paper recently published in the
journal PLoS Medicine sheds light
on possible conflicts of interest that
could affect large journals, which,
despite filling an important role in
society, are also commercial enter-
prises. Publishing drug trials can
bring in money from drug compa-
nies through reprints: the worry is
that journals might overlook spotty
science in such a trial and publish it
anyway for financial reasons. The
Daily spoke with the lead research-
er, Andreas Lundh to learn more.
The McGill Daily: What are
reprints?
Andreas Lundh: A reprint is a
copy of a scientific paper, but it looks
a bit different because often it has
the company logo on it of the com-
pany that sponsored the project and
it might also have marked passages
– highlighting in a colour like yellow,
the conclusions or something else rel-
evant in the paper. Now, because of
copyright issues, it’s not possible for a
pharmaceutical company to just print
and hand out copies of their research
papers, that is, their [drug] trials. They
Fucking strings, how do they work?
The continuing search for a theory of everything, and math that requires more than four dimensions.
Prose Encounters of
the Nerd Kind
Andrew Komar
andrewkomar@mcgilldaiy.com
I
n the last 100 years, our under-
standing of the universe has
increased more than it has during
any other century in human history.
At the beginning of the 20th century
Einstein gave us relativity, which
describes the nature of the universe
on a large scale. He described pre-
cisely the way in which the universe
warps and bends at high speeds or
around lots of stuff, by understand-
ing that time itself is another dimen-
sion of reality–the fourth. Around the
same time, physicists began to devel-
op quantum mechanics: the charac-
terization of the bizarre and “swervy”
behaviour of the universe at the atom-
ic level. Both of these theories have
passed the most stringent experimen-
tal tests ever devised. However, there
is a glaring problem staring physicists
in the face: quantum mechanics and
relativity are mutually incompatible.
The quest for a “unified theory”
need to buy them from the journal
that published the trial, and these are
referred to as reprints.
MD: How do they affect journals
and how do they affect neutrality?
AL: In general, reprints are handed
out at conferences or when represen-
tatives of pharmaceutical companies
visit a physicians’ office. They’ll hand
out a reprint and say, “We have this
new drug, it works very well, it’s been
published in this very prestigious
journal.” So it’s used as an evidence
base to guide doctors. But reprints
cost money. It has been estimated
that on average they cost about one
dollar a reprint. Drug companies buy
a lot of reprints. One of the trials we
wrote about in our paper sold almost
one million reprints. So that’s a lot of
money.
MD: Why did you choose to do
this study?
AL: Well, there’s been a lot of
research done on conflicts of inter-
est – conflicts of interest between
scientists and drug companies, that is.
Many journals require that the authors
of scientific papers should disclose
their conflicts of interests in order to
increase transparency, so that you can
judge each paper and see whether the
author of the paper has any income
from the drug company that pro-
duces the drug that their research is
on. Similarly, it has been suggested
that journals, because they have this
relationship – they sell reprints – and
also because industry-funded trials
are often cited, which makes the jour-
has been taken up by the best and
the brightest, including Einstein,
who spent the last twenty years of
his life unsuccessfully attempting
to reconcile the two theories. The
seeds of a new theory were plant-
ed by following Einstein’s example
of rethinking the nature of reality.
Just as Einstein came to understand
gravity by mathematically includ-
ing the fourth dimension, math-
ematician Theodor Kaluza realized
that gravity and electromagnetism
could be understood by modify-
ing Einstein’s equations to include
a fifth dimension. Unfortunately,
the Kaluza-Klein theory ultimately
proved unsuccessful, but it was
this notion of adding extra spatial
dimensions beyond the familiar
three dimensions (plus the fourth
dimension of time) that is the basis
for modern day contender for the
unified theory: string theory.
The basic idea behind string
theory is straightforward: the most
fundamental thing in the universe
is a string. These strings are so small
that you could fit a billion billion
strings into the width of one atom.
nals more prestigious, this can create
conflicts of interests [between] medi-
cal journals and industry similar to
the conflict of interest that can exist
between researchers and industry.
But it has not really been investigated
empirically before, it’s just been said
there’s some sort of conflict of inter-
ests.
MD: And you found that reprints
can represent a very large percentage
of income for many journals.
AL: Yes.
MD: How should people be mak-
ing practical decisions based on what
you’ve been writing about?
AL: Well, that’s a very good ques-
tion. I think the first step is always to
disclose the information so people
can judge if there really is or isn’t a
problem...mainly, it’s just that you
as a reader of a scientific journal can
now examine the conflicts of inter-
ests individual researchers have, but
The strings can be open or closed
loops, but the important thing to
know is that they vibrate, just like a
guitar string. The specific “notes” at
which the string is vibrating corre-
spond to more familiar bits: quarks,
electrons, and the whole menagerie
of the subatomic world. If the theo-
ry is correct, then that means that
everything that exists is the product
of the harmony of universal strings.
The math behind this theory
requires that the universe has more
dimensions. If string theory is cor-
rect, then our universe actually has
ten spatial dimensions, not three.
To understand this idea, picture a
cube. The corner of the cube has
three lines (length, width, and
height) that make up the corner.
A ten dimensional universe would
have ten lines, all perpendicular to
each other, making up the same
corner! Confused? Don’t worry,
our monkey brains make pictur-
ing more than three dimensions
impossible.
So, you might ask, where the hell
are these seven extra dimensions?
String theory says that the other
The McGill Daily | Thursday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com
you’d also want to [be able] to see if a
particular trial sold a million reprints
and the journal made a million dollars.
Because that’d [add] to your knowl-
edge as you try and judge the scientific
merit of the study.
MD: Couldn’t a study still be scien-
tifically relevant regardless of [money
made off reprints?
AL: It could be scientifically rele-
vant, but it could be that the journal,–
due to this conflict of interest–maybe
they weren’t giving it the same kind of
rigorous peer review that they would
to a paper they didn’t get any reprint
income from. I’m not saying that they
do, but in order for an individual to
judge a paper I think this informa-
tion is necessary and very important.
There are examples of big industry tri-
als that have been published in presti-
gious medical journals that afterward
were found out to have many flaws. So
I think this information would help
seven dimensions are really, really
small (around the same size as the
strings themselves) and curled up
in fiendishly complicated ways. You
can picture these extra dimensions
by imagining an ant walking on a
cable. From far away, the cable looks
like a line, and the ant can only go
forward or backwards on the line.
But if you “zoom in” really close,
you can see the cable has a thick-
ness, so the ant can walk “around”
the cable without going forward or
back. The extra seven dimensions
of string theory are so small and so
curled up that we don’t even notice
they are there!
It gets more fiendishly compli-
cated: the specific way that those
extra dimensions are curled up
affects how the strings vibrate (and
therefore the properties of the
entire universe), but our mathemat-
ical understanding doesn’t tell us
which exact configuration our uni-
verse has. Unfortunately, due to the
smallness of the strings and extra
dimensions, there isn’t really any
way we could possibly experimen-
tally investigate them. For experi-
14
Lukas Thienhaus | The McGill Daily
readers to make their own individual
judgements.
MD: So this is a problem you
have noted yourself in your career,
and in reading journals?
AL: Yeah, for instance the big
VIGOR study of the drug rofecoxib
(Vioxx) sold one million reprints and
it was later found out that there were
many methodological problems with
it.
The drug marketed as Vioxx by
Merck was recalled several years ago
after having been found to cause an
unreasonably large increase in the
rate of heart attacks in patients. It’s
estimated that it caused between
88,000 and 136,000 extra heart
attacks over the period it was on the
market, bringing home why turning
a critical eye to medical journals is in
the best interest of us all.
—Compiled by Alexander Mehta
mental physicists, this effectively
means there is no way to directly
investigate string theory, either to
confirm or reject it.
As a scientific theory, it may not
ever gain the experimental success-
es of quantum theory or relativity.
Critics of string theory rightly point
out that this lack of experimental
verification makes string theory
more of a mathematical construct
than a proper scientific theory.
These critics fear that the current
research emphasis on string theory
is excluding development of other
possible unified theories. But cur-
rently, string theory is the best can-
didate for a theory of everything–it
offers physicists a mathematical
framework with which to explore
the universe, and everything with-
in. Stephen Hawking has even used
the theory to demonstrate that the
universe could be essentially self-
caused, answering long outstand-
ing questions like “why are we
here” with the elegant vibrations of
untold strings drifting through the
hidden dimensions of our wonder-
ful and strange universe.
 Culture
Out of the blue
New underground movie house Blue Sunshine a welcome alternative to the AMC
Oliver Lurz
The McGill Daily
A
pparently we’re living
through the demise of tra-
ditional movie-going as we
know it. Cineplexes across the land
are standing empty, their popcorn
going stale and their velvet seats
gathering dust. Cinema needs revi-
talizing. Well what better way is
there to do it than by changing loca-
tion and showing films in exciting,
“edgy” locations? Outdoors per-
haps, say in a car park up in Mile End
somewhere, or outside Cagibi. That
ought to spice things up. Because
everyone knows that what’s wrong
with most mainstream cinemas
isn’t the expensive tickets, endless
adverts, and poor showing of even
vaguely left-field films. The problem
is the comfortable seating and the
level of quality you get from seeing
a film in a setting designed for see-
ing films, right? Oh.
So with this in mind, Blue
Sunshine Cinema seems ideal. It
shows unusual and hard to find
films, but without resorting to the
gimmicks one would normally
expect of underground-type cin-
ema. First, they have a proper old
16mm projector coupled with a bril-
liant sound system. Secondly, it’s a
nice place to be for the length of a
film. In fact more than just “nice,”
it’s a wonderfully cozy, intimate
space; the owners, Kier-La Janisse
“Blue Sunshine is devoted
to the relentless enjoyment
of good, weird cinema”
David Bertrand Co-owner, Blue Sunshine
and David Bertrand, bought an
apartment then proceeded to fill it
with chairs, sofas and lamps. Really,
considering that they actually live
there, it’s kind of guaranteed to be
a nice space.
Sitting on their sofa last Saturday
I spoke to them about what exactly
Blue Sunshine is/does/wants to do.
Now in its fifth month, Janisse told
me that “the idea for the cinema
had been in the pipeline for years;
after being a programmer for vari-
ous cinemas I wanted more con-
trol.”
Originally Janisse was based in
Vancouver, and Bertrand in Toronto,
but for this venture they decided
to move east. “This place was the
first we looked at,” Bertrand said,
and they struck gold; the apart-
ment lends itself perfectly to being
a part-time cinema. The living room
is large enough to fit about forty
seats and a screen, with space at the
back for the projector. “Running the
cinema out of our apartment has its
pros and cons,” Bertrand told me.
“Obviously it saves a lot of money
not having to rent a separate prem-
ises, but there are still all sorts of
permits we’re required to have, and
the fact that you’re living at work can
sometimes suck.”
And there is indeed a lot of
work involved, continued Bertrand:
“Running Blue Sunshine isn’t sim-
ply a case of opening the doors
and pressing play, there’s a ton of
Smart for art’s sake.
mcgilldaily.com/culture
admin, nonstop emails, updating
the website, et cetera.” Currently
they show films three nights a week,
and organizing this is just about
taxing enough. Screenings occur
Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays,
and various other events are dot-
ted throughout the week. The aim
is to try to get a mixture of rare
music documentaries, cult seven-
ties and eighties horror, B-movies,
and occasionally more experimen-
tal and contemporary work. This
may seem like a disparate group of
genres, but as Bertrand said, “Blue
Sunshine is devoted to the relent-
less enjoyment of good, weird cin-
ema in all its forms.” Janisse adds,
“In the films we show we try to be
neither daunting and intimidating,
nor too crass and stupid, but some-
where in between.” I for one wish
more cinema programmers would
try to tread this line.
But Blue Sunshine is more
than just an alternative cinema. It
is a self-styled “Pyschotronic Film
Resource Centre.” The wonderfully
apt word “pyschotronic,” referring
to most forms of off-beat cinema,
was coined by Michael J. Weldon
who in 1989 started the eponymous
Pyschotronic Video, a film maga-
zine which absolutely deserves
The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com
checking out. Under the guise of
the “Miskatonic Insitute of Horror
Studies,” Janisse and Bertrand
organize courses on horror films,
through which “established horror
writers, directors and program-
mers/curators can offer their expe-
rience to a young generation of hor-
ror fans.”
On top of the regular program
of films and classes they also try to
arrange one-off special events. For
instance, Blue Sunshine recently
hosted a marathon showing of
David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, all thir-
ty-plus hours of it, complete with
cherry pie and coffee.
This brings me to one of my
favourite features of the place, the
refreshments. As Pulp Fiction’s
Vincent Vega put it, “Well, you
can walk into a movie theater in
Amsterdam and buy a beer. And
I don’t mean just like in no paper
cup, I’m talking about a glass of
beer.” Blue Sunshine, like those
mythic cinemas in Amsterdam,
enshrines a far more civilized cine-
ma going experience than drinking
beer from a paper cup. With a fridge
stocked full of Pabst Blue Ribbon
and wine for $2.50 a glass (the first
one is free) they certainly tick that
box, and it definitely beats the
15
Edna Chan | The McGill Daily
popcorn stand at Cinéma du Parc.
Also, should you get hungry during
one of the showings you can then
go to the kitchen and take advan-
tage of the all-you-can-eat breakfast
cereal buffet for only five dollars.
There’s even “Frankenberry” cere-
al, imported from the U.S., for the
fastidious cereal/horror fan.
When asked about the future of
Blue Sunshine, Bertrand replied,
“We’re still just trying to pay the
bills and maybe look toward
doing more collaborations, and
becoming involved with various
festivals.” At present they have
collaborated on screenings with
Cinema Québécoise, Ciné Club
Montréal, Teenbeat Takeover, and
Pop Montréal, acting as a venue and
bringing in guest curators.
Blue Sunshine’s message to
McGill students? “Join us on
Facebook, look at the calendar,
come down and see what we do.”
Upcoming films to catch include
the wildly goofy B-movie Death
In Small Doses, as well as a docu-
mentary about the krautrock band
Faust. On November 26 is the
Trash-esque, heart-stoppingly trag-
ic, screwed-up and also pretty beau-
tiful, The Panic In Needle Park.
Don’t miss it.
16Culture The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com

A measured adaptation
McGill Theatre gives Measure for Measure new life by setting Shakespeare’s play in modern-day Vienna
John Watson
The McGill Daily

L
auded by critics as one of
Shakespeare’s “problem
plays,” the tone and themes
of Measure for Measure are dif-
ficult to place into generic catego-
ries. The play certainly exhibits
traits common in Shakespeare’s
comedies: ridiculous characters,
eccentric subplots, trickery, and
of course, a happy ending. At the
same time, it deals with issues such
as sexual immorality, prostitution,
and male abuse of power. Luckily,
thanks to the tight direction of
Patrick Neilson and the solid acting
of the cast, the McGill University
Department of English Drama and
Theatre’s contemporary adaptation
of the play exhibits its troubling
themes in a way that neither sacri-
fices the laughs nor the drama.
Measure for Measure tells the
story of Isabella, a young nun who
attempts to convince the tyranni-
cal judge Angelo to lift her brother
Claudio’s death sentence, which he
rules in the absence of the Duke.
Angelo eventually agrees to spare
Claudio’s life on the condition that
the virgin Isabella sleeps with him.
Isabella is thus forced to choose
between keeping her virtue – and Victor Tangermann | The McGill Daily
preserving her soul in the eternal
world – and allowing her brother North America or Europe where sex array of promiscuous characters. Angelo with all of the malicious- and the secular.” Where religion has
to die. is treated rather aloofly. Straddling Neilson makes good use of the elab- ness and hypocrisy the character largely become the domain of the
Directing one of Shakespeare’s the line between two cultural belief orate two-tiered set, and the actors deserves. Spencer Malthouse, as private, sex has undeniably become
less widely-known works, Neilson systems, Neilson acknowledges the are convincingly immersed within both the Duke and the disguised a public issue, one that the church
does an excellent job of putting relevance of sexual politics today. multi-media displays in a way that Friar, succeeds in the play’s most is constantly decrying and attempt-
the play’s questions and issues into Neilson’s rendition of Measure doesn’t sacrifice narrative flow. challenging role with perfect comic ing to police. Measure for Measure
today’s context. Though originally for Measure juxtaposes modern The show’s greatest strength, timing as well as a commanding dramatizes these conflicts, and
set in Vienna, Neilson puts a mod- society with traditional belief sys- however, lies not in technical presence, and may I say, quite a reflects upon the nature of truth,
ern twist on the story by placing its tems in its ample use of multi-media or directorial skill, but in the knack for Shakespearean prose. mercy, and sexual morality. In the
characters in contemporary Austria, devices. Safe sex advertisements cast’s strong performances. Kate The central dilemmas in words of the play’s Escalus, “Some
“where the worlds of Islam and take on a ridiculous tone next to the Sketchley, who plays Isabella, Measure for Measure resound rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.”
Christian Europe collide and mor- lewd and highly sexualized dialogue makes up for some of the show’s strongly in our globalized com-
als from both sides are tested.” This between Lucio (traditionally a man’s more inane subplots in her convinc- munity. To quote queer theorist Measure for Measure is playing
choice avoids turning the play into a role but played stunningly by Thea ing portrayal of a morally conflicted Michael Warner, “Sex is used by the November 25-27 at 7:30 p.m. in
contemporary pastiche – inevitable Fitz-James, and proving that gender- woman, working logically through religious, now more than ever, as a Moyse Hall. Tickets are $5 for stu-
in a production set in today’s secular blind casting is worthwhile) and an her dilemma. Mike Ruderman plays defining frontier between their faith dents.

Ghosts of Hanoi
Camilla Gibb’s new novel The Beauty of Humanity Movement brings Vietnam’s past and present into focus
Anqi Zhang ing her one of “21 young female ry through disjointed memories. His entirely convincing. Hung’s character ity to balance these diverse issues
The McGill Daily
writers to watch.” Gibb writes with ph! shop in the 1940s catered to the is impeccably crafted, a perfect mix within the same book, and to do so
an empathy and sensitivity that is intellectuals and cultural dissidents of clarity and confusion, of the naive- fearlessly. Gibb is not afraid to evoke

W
riting about distant cul-
tures does not appear to
be daunting to Camilla
Gibb, and for good reason: her novel
Sweetness in the Belly, set in Ethiopia,
was a national bestseller, and short-
listed for the 2005 Giller Prize. Her
new novel, The Beauty of Humanity
Movement, takes on the challenge of
representing modern life in Hanoi. It
is easy to see from her work why this
British-born author, now living in
Canada, has been earning recogni-
tion and accolades since the begin-
ning of her writing career. She was
named to the Orange Futures List in
2001 after her debut novel Mouthing
the Words was published, designat-
remarkable considering she has nei-
ther lived through the same experi-
ences nor in the same environments
that emerge from her books.
The intersecting plots are the ini-
tial attraction of Beauty. Maggie, a
young Vietnamese woman who fled
to the United States with her mother
after the fall of Saigon, returns in
search of information regarding
her father’s fate. Tu is a Hanoi tour
guide who struggles with the way
that Western tourists expect him to
display his city. Old Man Hung, a pho
street vendor, is the center where
these storylines intersect. He ties
everything together, giving a poi-
gnant account of his personal histo-
of the time, those involved with
the Beauty of Humanity Movement
for which this book is named. One
of those, Hung’s best friend, is Tu’s
grandfather. Maggie hopes that her
disappeared father could also have
been one of these intellectuals.
Here is a book that does not rely
on its plot – which is moving certain-
ly, but predictable and meandering at
times – but rather, on its characters
and their interactions. It is through
these interactions that Gibb express-
es her perception of the beauty of
humanity. For all the book’s depen-
dence on interpersonal interactions,
however, Gibb’s characters, with the
exception of Old Man Hung, are not
te and wisdom that both come with
age. But the focus on Hung’s charac-
ter almost necessitates a focus on his
art – the making of the rice noodle-
based soup, pho. At times, the ph!"
becomes too central and the recipes,
though mouth-watering, are so over-
whelming as to cause the reader to
skim over segments of the text.
Gibb’s success in this book lies
partly in the strength of Hung’s
character and partly in the breadth
of themes dealt with. It would be
difficult for any author to address,
all within a single work, themes of
cultural divide, generational divide,
and the immigrant experience. Gibb
must be commended for her abil-
painful images and tell painful sto-
ries, but her writing style makes it
all bearable. Gibb’s tone is one of
perfectly balanced contradictions,
managing to be serious and respect-
ful while dryly humorous, bringing a
poignant human edge to what might
otherwise feel more akin to a histo-
ry lecture. The simple language and
structure brings to this story a sense
of humility that makes it so compel-
ling. Gibb does not try to assert that
she is some expert on Vietnamese
politics and history; rather, she takes
on the simple role of a storyteller,
and for a story based so heavily on
confronting atrocities of the past,
this works.
The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com Culture 17

Olivia Messer | The McGill Daily

Slamming poetry off the page

Speech offers a new dimension of expression through words
Cole Powers Emailing my editors and taking young Cornel West and his impec- state teams compete. Slam poetry Truth. Throw Poetry Collective
Culture Writer some notes calms my nerves, and cable suit and magnificent afro has earned a place at the Canadian (TPC), the group that organized
of course the beer helps as well. call the professor to mind. Festival of the Spoken Word where the night at Divan Orange, hosts
As the mostly-young crowd shares Once the eight contestants a competition comprising 18 teams a slam there on the last Sunday of

W
aiting for the north-
bound St. Laurent bus at
Sherbrooke on an early
Halloween evening, I encounter
Laura. Laura is busy memorizing
lines outside the bus shelter when
she stops to ask me when the next
bus is. I ask her what she’s memo-
rizing. She tells me she’s prepar-
ing a few poems she’s written for
a poetry slam at Le Divan Orange
and asks – would I like to come?
Laura possesses the casual man-
ner characteristic of most east-
coasters and I can’t refuse her
charm and hospitality.
I am not sure what to expect
when we get to the bar. I have
never attended a poetry slam
before and have only a vague idea
of what a slam even is: does the
best poet get to slam the other
one with insults? With aluminum
bats? Or is “slam” a figurative
term, like “jam” or “mash”? I get
my neurosis under control in time
for the beginning of the show,
which in classic Montreal fashion,
is 45 minutes behind schedule.
Laura’s invitation seems ser-
endipitous. Halfway through
the 45-minute wait, my curiosity
about slam poetry gets the best
of me and I get the bright idea of
writing an article about my night.
high-fives and beers at their
tables, eagerly awaiting something
they’ve come to love, I find myself
getting caught up in the excite-
ment.
My excitement is rewarded as
the MC, a girl dressed as a remark-
ably convincing Frida Kahlo,
begins the show. With infectious
energy and charisma, she begins
by introducing the rules of the
slam: a poetry slam is a spoken-
word poetry contest in which con-
testants are given three minutes
to perform in front of a panel of
five judges. Their performance
is given a score out of ten and in
tallying the five judges’ individual
scores, the lowest and the highest
score are both tossed.
Typically, poetry slams begin
with the introduction of a “sac-
rificial poet”, who though not
competing, is scored in order to
calibrate the judging for the eve-
ning. Ours tonight is one Xavier
LaPorte, a member of the spoken
word group “Club Déjeuner” (the
Breakfast Club). LaPorte is a black
Montrealer and his performance
in both French and English – a
truly virtuosic one – speaks to the
racism he encounters in Montreal
and his determination in the face
of it. He describes himself as the
have performed, I am left with
an idea of spoken-word poetry
that diverges significantly from
written or “page” poetry. Spoken
word poetry addresses a concrete
issue. For LaPorte, it is racism, for
Ryan, the third contestant, it is a
desire to love and be loved. For
rapper Rough Draft (a.k.a. Hadi
Abdullah, a.k.a. Bad Weather) it
is the difficulty and trials of the
creative process. He ends with the
memorable: “If this is boy meets
world / Then I’m just lookin’ for
my Topanga.” For Laura (who per-
forms seventh) it is the treatment
of people suffering from mental
illness. She identifies in her per-
formance a very striking tension
between the way we talk about
the mentally ill, and the way they
want to be spoken about: “Deep
inside it feels wrong to be lauded
/ For something that should be
expected.”
After meeting up with a few
performers from that night, I dis-
covered a Montreal community of
performance poets that, though
young, was vibrant and growing.
Slam poetry started as an American
phenomenon in 1984 in Chicago,
and has since grown to encom-
pass a national competition that
sees more than eighty regional and
from across the country is hosted.
The reasons poets perform
slam poetry rather than page
poetry become obvious over the
course of a couple of interviews
with performers from that night.
For Laura, its tendency toward
rewarding poets with a firm con-
trol of assonance, rhyme, and
rhythm meant that her work –
previously abstract, metaphorical
free verse – became something
that was more constrained by the
demands of the slam to be funny,
specific, and literal. “The rhythm
of spoken word was so important
to me after my illness,” she said,
speaking of how the genre helped
her out of a long battle with
schizophrenia.
In addition, I discovered that
Montreal’s own spoken word/slam
poetry community is pretty big.
Spit the Truth, a monthly non-com-
petitive spoken word event hosted
by Rough Draft, takes place every
second Thursday of the month.
Although the event only started
in March of 2010 with a regular
attendance of 15 to 25 people, it
now packs Brutopia’s cozy base-
ment with sometimes upward of
a hundred. Provided they sign up
beforehand, anyone can claim
15 minutes to perform at Spit the
every month and also loans some
of their senior members to the
Kalmunity Vibe Collective every
Tuesday also at Le Consulat. Their
slam at Le Divan Orange is always
an open-mic event, meaning that
anyone who signs up to perform
(and anyone can sign up) has their
admission ($7) waived and gets a
free drink ticket.
At its core though, slam or
spoken word poetry’s purpose is
to bring poetry out of the ivory
tower and into the community. A
poetry slam is an opportunity for
a group of like-minded people to
get together and appreciate good
entertainment, become aware of
social justice issues, and share in
either the competitive spirit of the
slam, or non-competitive spirit of
the get-together. Whatever the
case, the best part is that anyone
who wants to can perform: both
Spit the Truth and TPC are com-
pletely open to amateurs. All you
need to do is step up to the mic.
Throw Poetry Collective’s monthly
slam is next scheduled for Nov ember
28th at Le Divan Orange (4234 St.
Laurent). Spit the Truth takes place
at Brutopia (1219 Crescent) next on
December 16. Both groups can be
found on Facebook.
18 Culture
Students’ statements
Arts Lounge’s Fridge Door Gallery opens a new exhibition
Allison Friedman
The McGill Daily
D
r. Phil’s Life Law number
six states that, “There is
no reality, only percep-
tion,” echoing philosophy stretch-
ing from Plato to Merleau-Ponty.
He points out the dangers of a
blinkered worldview, and urges
his devotees to “identify the fil-
ters through which you view the
world.” The artists featured in this
year’s Fridge Door Gallery (FDG)
have taken the TV doctor’s pre-
scription to heart – not to over-
come personal perception, but
to celebrate it. The show’s theme
is “the (sur)real,” not to be con-
fused with capital-S Surrealism.
While there are one or two pieces
that would make Dalí proud, the
collection is a diverse catalogue of
“real life” as experienced by nine
artists.
The Fridge Door Gallery is
the only student-run gallery
on campus, and it’s definitely
a labour of love. FDG execu-
tive members sorted through
a pile of about 150 submis-
sions this year. Curator Amanda
Brownridge explained that they
“go through each image indi-
vidually, discuss it, and compare
it with other pieces,” eventually
putting each work to a majority
vote. This year, the group found
that the surreal theme simply
emerged during this process.
“We were noticing that a lot of
pieces dealt with everyday situa-
tions or moments in an interest-
ing way, while others were just
so surreal,” Brownridge said.
On the more traditionally
Inspiring an icon
Lou Reed branches out in new biopic
Christina Colizza
The McGill Daily
I
n Danny Boyle’s 1996 film
Trainspotting, two characters
debate in a park about a cer-
tain “phenomenon of life.” As the
character Sick Boy comments,
“Well, at one time, you’ve got it,
and then you lose it, and it’s gone
for ever. All walks of life: George
Best, for example, had it and lost
it, or David Bowie, or Lou Reed.”
The other character then defends
Reed’s later solo music, to which
Sick Boy responds, “No, it’s not
bad, but it’s not great either, is it?
And in your heart you kind of know
that although it sounds all right, it’s
actually just shit.” It was with this in
mind that I entered Cinémathèque
Québécoise for the Montreal pre-
Surrealist side of the spec-
trum are Amy Goh’s fanciful
ink-and-watercolour drawings.
Small and strikingly intricate,
drawn with an almost impos-
sibly steady hand, they beg for
a closer look. In “All Life’s a
Waking Dream,” a cat-eared girl
daintily spools a rainbow out of
her mouth with the finger of a
disembodied hand. “Whirpool
of darkness” features a similarly
delicate-looking girl melting into
an eerily cheerful fantasy world.
Goh’s statement explains that her
images are attempts to “articu-
late a language” that is capable of
expressing the dream landscape
and its relation to waking life.
Referencing the psychoanalytic
seeds of the Surrealist movement
as the inspiration for her art,
Goh’s work is most theoretically
at home in the collection.
But despite the suggestive-
ness of the show’s title, dreamy
conceptions of reality don’t
dominate the show – some of
its best pieces are photorealis-
tic. Choucri Behir’s photograph
“Comme sur des roulettes” pic-
tures a skateboarder poised
precariously on a metal pole,
stepping into what will either
be a smooth glide or an epic
faceplant. “Sweet Disposition”
frames a crowd lounging on a
wide set of outdoor steps, with
one mischievous kid caught
in the act of stealing ice cream
from a crowded snack cart. In
both photos, the play of light and
movement is suspended without
being f lattened; the result is a
moment of heightened percep-
tion, or hyper-reality.
One often experiences this
mier of Lou Reed’s new film Red
Shirley this past Monday.
As one can see from the dia-
logue in Trainspotting, even in 1996
Lou Reed was thought to be some-
what of a has-been. Unsure of who
Lou Reed is? If you listen to contem-
porary rock music, chances are he
is one of your favourite band’s big-
gest influences. A 1960s icon, Reed
fronted the Velvet Underground
until beginning a solo career in
1971. Unlike the Beatles’ tacit ref-
erences to drug use in “Lucy in the
Sky with Diamonds,” The Velvet
Underground’s single “Heroin”
skips pleasantries, emerging just as
real and raw as their sound.
Unlike the banging guitar
chords of the Velvet Underground,
Red Shirley shows a more refined,
understated side of Reed’s creativity
with the help of Ralph Gibson’s soft
The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com
kind of heightened perception
when travelling somewhere new,
so it seems fitting that a num-
ber of the show’s photos were
taken abroad. Timothy Lem-
Smith offers up immaculately
composed recollections of his
European wanderings, while
Jeffrey St. Aubin’s “Xe om” and
“Crosstown Traffic” cast a keen
eye on the lively streets of what
looks like Hanoi. St. Aubin’s best,
however, is “To conquer nature:”
a tall male figure stands with his
back to the camera in ankle-deep
water, naked save for a cowboy
hat and sunglasses, triumphantly
holding up a massive fish by the
tail. It’s a moment of pure, sun-
drenched glory.
Hard-pressed to pick a favourite
piece, Brownridge points to one
that set tongues wagging: Daily
staffer Lukas Thienhaus’s “Crunk
Snack” – a brightly-coloured
marker and pen portrait of a
woman giving a blowjob. Drawn
from a photo on an XXX website,
it asks the viewer to consider porn
in a creative context. “We had a
great debate about it in our selec-
tion meeting, and were excited
to see how people would react
to it,” Brownridge said. “We’re
pleased that it seems to have been
warmly received – I heard a lot of
students talking about it at last
night’s vernissage. Art that gets
people talking gets a high mark
Flora Dunster | The McGill Daily
in our books.” Judging by the by
the noise level at the vernissage,
it’s safe to say the grade for this
exhibit was pretty high.
The (sur)real can currently be
viewed in the Arts Lounge of the
Leacock Building.
cinematography. Sitting down for a photographs and the wrinkles of Shirley because I was just looking
tête-à-tête with his cousin Shirley Shirley’s face. Never once leaving at the architecture of her face and
on the eve of her 100th birthday, her West Chelsea apartment, the listening to the music of her words.”
Reed delves into her life. A Polish film remains focussed completely In awe of all of her astounding
immigrant to Montreal between on Shirley. Taking questions after accomplishments and hardships,
the two world wars, and later a the film, Reed abstained from any Reed asked Shirley how she man-
public voice against corruption questions about his life or other aged to do it all. “Ahh well…What
in New York City textile factories, work claiming, “I’m not the one to can ya do?” she responded. The
Shirley’s memoir embodies many judge it, this is about Shirley and question remains for Reed him-
20th century hardships. Leaving not me. … I’ll take a pass on the self. After a life of sex, drugs, Andy
Montreal with only two suitcases cheap psychology.” Warhol’s factory parties, solo work,
and a mandolin she taught herself However, Reed’s own input man- and photography, what more can he
to play, Shirley arrived in New York, ifests itself in the form of his latest do? In Red Shirley, we see that Reed
soon becoming a fiery social activ- musical experimentation “Metal still hasn’t lost his artistic touch.
ist. Her life story became a source Machine Trio.” The band provides Leaving the cheap psychology to
of great admiration for Reed – in the soundtrack for the film with those who doubt the longevity of
fact, Reed insists Red Shirley was dissonant electrical sounds, Reed’s Reed’s career, Red Shirley speaks for
specifically created as “an act of preference for a digital film. Reed’s itself. In Reed’s words, Shirley’s ini-
love” for Shirley, rather than to instrumental music and Gibson’s tial journey to America and “ferocity
shed light on crucial moments in combination still frames, shallow and passion” in fighting corruption
American history. Gibson’s cam- focus, and partial black and white is “the same blood that runs in my
erawork reflects this aim by deeply created, to quote Gibson, “a con- veins…luckily they have rock and
focusing on close-ups of old family tent balance that was perfect for roll for people like me.”
The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com
19
volume 100
number 22
EDITORIAL
editorial
3480 McTavish St., Rm. B-24 Galloway scores a point for free speech
Montreal, QC H3A 1X9
Speaking at UQAM last Wednesday, former British MP George Galloway
phone 514.398.6784
fax 514.398.8318 lambasted the Canadian government for past attempts to “muzzle” him
mcgilldaily.com by barring him from entering the country. Galloway has been a vocal
coordinating editor critic of the Canadian government’s 2009 decision to bar him entry
Emilio Comay del Junco on the basis of his political beliefs, even going so far as to threaten a
coordinating@mcgilldaily.com lawsuit against the Canadian government for its actions. Galloway is a
coordinating news editor long-time and controversial antiwar activist, infamous for having given a
Michael Lee-Murphy speech against the first Gulf War in Saddam Hussein’s palace and for his
news editors criticisms of Israel’s policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Eric Andrew-Gee The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom of
Rana Encol
Henry Gass expression “subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as
can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.” Though
features editor
Niko Block Galloway’s positions are polarizing, there is no justification for banning
him from the country. The Federal Court’s overturning that ban in
commentary&compendium! editor
William M. Burton September and Galloway’s present Canadian speaking tour indicate that the
government’s treatment of him has finally caught up with the Charter.
coordinating culture editor
Ian Beattie The current controversy began in January 2009, after Israel’s Operation
Cast Lead, which left nearly 1,500 dead and devastated the Gaza Strip’s
culture editors
Naomi Endicott infrastructure. Following the invasion, Galloway accompanied a convoy
Sarah Mortimer carrying over $1.2 million in supplies into Gaza, including twelve
science+technology editor
ambulances and a fire truck. The convoy was organized by Galloway’s
Shannon Palus Viva Palestina organization, and ended with his presentation of the aid to
health&education editor
Hamas, Gaza’s democratically elected government, which is classified as a
Joseph Henry terrorist group by Canada. He also made a personal pledge of three cars
sports editor
and £25,000 (over $45,000) to Gaza’s prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh.
Eric Wen Two months later, Galloway was denied entry to Canada by the Border
photo editor
Services Agency, who cited his associations with Hamas. This decision
Victor Tangermann was quickly appealed on the grounds that it violated freedoms of speech
illustrations editor
and association; a week later the Federal Court upheld the initial ruling,
0livia Messer officially banning Galloway from entering the country. Under Section 34(1)
production&design editors
of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Galloway was considered to
Sheehan Moore have provided material support to a terrorist group. Hamas’s classification
Joan Moses as such has been hotly contested, not least by Galloway, whose legal team
copy editor argued that the initial decision was a political one, rather than an issue
Courtney Graham of security. Indeed, Alykhan Velshi, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s
web editor Director of Communications, said Galloway was not welcome in Canada
Tom Acker shortly before Galloway attempted to enter the country in 2009. The Federal
cover design Court’s most recent ruling confirms the validity of this argument.
Victor Tangermann Speaking in Toronto last month, Galloway said, “My presence
le délit proves that Canada remains a country governed by laws, not by the
Éléna Choquette whims of ‘Here today, gone tomorrow’ politicians.” Whether or not
Mai Anh Tran-Ho
you agree with his politics shouldn’t matter: the decision to allow
rec@delitfrancais.com
Galloway to speak in our country is a victory for open discourse.
Contributors
Jeffrey Bishku-Aykul, Edna Chan, Christina Colizza,
Flora Ourom Dunster, Lyndon Entwhistle, Susannah
Feinstein, Nader Fotouhi, Allison Friedman, Erin Hale,
Adrian Kaats, Andrew Komar, Zach Lewsen, Jessica
Lukawiecki, Oliver Lurz, Alexander Mehta, Emily
Meikle, Pogo New, Cole Powers, Misha Schwartz,
Lily Schwartzbaum, Ted Smith, Ted Sprague*, Luke
Thienhaus, John Watson, Anqi Zhang
*Pseudonym

The Daily is published on most Mondays and Thursdays by the

Daily Publications Society, an autonomous, not-for-profit
organization whose membership includes all McGill
undergraduates and most graduate students.

3480 McTavish St., Rm. B-26

Montreal, QC H3A 1X9
phone 514.398.6790
fax 514.398.8318

advertising & general manager Boris Shedov

treasury & fiscal manager Pierre Bouillon
ad layout & design Geneviève Robert
Mathieu Ménard
dps board of directors
William M. Burton, Emilio Comay del Junco,
Humera Jabir, Whitney Mallett, Sana Saeed,
Mai Anh Tran-Ho, Will Vanderbilt, Aaron Vansintjan,
Sami Yasin (chair@dailypublications.org)

The Daily is proud to be a founding member

of the Canadian University Press. Olivia Messer | The McGill Daily

All contents © 2010 Daily Publications Society. All rights

reserved. The content of this newspaper is the responsibil-
ity of The McGill Daily and does not necessarily represent the
views of McGill University. Products or companies advertised
in this newspaper are not necessarily endorsed by Daily staff.
Printed by Imprimerie Transcontinental Transmag. Anjou, Quebec.
ISSN 1192-4608.
 COmPenDIUM! The McGill Daily | Monday, November 22, 2010 | mcgilldaily.com 20
Lies, half-truths, and this is my playpen

McGill is crazy ’bout its name

I N THE WEEKLY SCIENCE UNDERGRAD SOCIETY MASS EMAIL, ADVERtised WAS THE following EVENT. “SUS
Cre$t Competition!!...” While to most people, the contest – where you design a new crest for
SUS – might seem like a harmless idea (with a potential $500 prize), the reality is the McGill
community is relentlessly being pushed into the corner by the administration. The new logo
specifications dictate that it “must be distinct from that of the Univeristy,” and that it “may not
use marks or emblems of the University as they appear on the University crest.”
What the heck McGill! Really? Even the academic student societies are shunned from
your so-called honourable and reputable name? It may have seemed funny or witty to
change SSMU’s name, but in reality, the copyright train was probably coming for you too...

Fuck this! is an occasional anonymous rant column. Send your rants to fuckthis@mcgill-
daily.com.

Pogo New
Sugar dick daze
We ! our prof
D EAR PROFESSOR DUCLOS,
Thank you for giving us all an extra point on our test, just because you love us. That
was truly heartwarming. We love you, too. Can we suggest a class wide group hug on the last
day? That would also be heartwarming. Also thank you for being so well dressed. You have
the best sweaters. And we also really love your haircut. We’re all going to get our hair cut to
match! Thank you in general for being the best professor ever, THE BEST.
Sincerely,
Two admiring students
P.S.: Have a nice Christmas!

Fuck yeah! is an occasional anonymous LOVE column. Got something nice to share? Send it
to fuckthis@mcgilldaily.com.

Friendshiptastic girlfriend Across 60. Niagara River source lunch sandwich

1. ___-bodied 61. Ooze 35. Blue hue
The Crossword Fairies
5. Sleep on it 62. Part of an archipelago 37. Safari sight
10. 32-card game 63. Argued 38. 3-down’s love, maybe
14. When repeated, 64. Assumed name 39. Another curry spice
a cry of approval 65. Prepare to swallow 43. Quit
15. Slang for holler? 44. Jean-Luc’s frames
16. Place you can Down 45. Escort’s offering
never go back to 1. Start of a break-in 46. ___ throat
17. Like pie? 2. Suitor 47. Oyster’s prize
18. Corruption of “ergo” 3. A bonnie ___ 48. “Tomorrow” musical
19. Persia, now 4. Redness of the skin 49. Pie cuts, essentially
20. English sandwich 5. Lions of the sea 50. Unpleasant rehy-
23. Healthy backpacker 6. Unit of Mongols dration therapy
24. Order of the czar 7. “Pomp and Circumstance” 52. Tableland
25. Bagel and lox garnish composer 53. The ___ on the Floss
28. Does some tailoring 8. Distinctive flair 54. Sodium hydrosulfide
30. Cloth framework 9. Ratted 55. Game piece
31. Uniform shade 10. Avoids responsibility 56. Wiped out
33. Elmer, to Bugs 11. Divided land
36. Inappropriate 12. Accumulate Solution to “Now I know”
in Westminster 13. Perfect, e.g. O G R E S C U M D A R K
C O O K T A R O E B O N
40. Drone, e.g. 21. Balloon filler
T O B E O R K N O T T O B E
41. Synecdoche for sailors 22. Curry spice
R A D S B E E R E V E L
42. First synthesized 25. Association
E G G V I A S O O N E S T
organic chemical 26. Bang-up F O R G E T M E K N O T
43. Child pirate? 27. The Rape of U N I A T V E E P R E P
44. Unit of measurement the Lock author G A E L S T E W S C O A L
of milk or cigarettes 28. Easter main E L F S H U N A G O R A
46. 1982 World Cup site courses K N I T T Y G R I T T Y
49. To upgrade weapons 29. ___ out a living C A T N I P S O A T C H A
51. 1956 Charlton Heston flick 31. Giving O V O I D A D D D A I S
57. Malodorous 32. Hornswoggled L A R G E I N T E S T I N E
58. Downy duck 33. Blowgun ammo D I S H V I O L O C A S
59. Epitome of thinness 34. After- S L O T E L M S W E L T