In a sombre and respectful ceremonyin front of the South Building lastTuesday, the University of TorontoMississauga (UTM) paid respect tothose who have fallen while indefence of their country. Just beforethe eleventh hour, the Canadian flagwas lowered to half-mast – tradition-ally done to indicate the death of asoldier – while the Last Post trumpetechoed across the pond. At precisely11a.m., the assembly fell silent fortwo minutes, a ritual that has beenobserved since the First Great War.Student Union President Wasah

Malik performed a rea----ding of “InFlander's Field,” written by a FirstWorld War surgeon named JohnMcCrae. His internationally recog-nized poem was written at a basehospital near the front in Belgium(Flanders) shortly before he died.One line from the poem in particularstands out on this occasion: “if yebreak faith with us who die/We shall

not sleep, though poppies grow/InFlander's Field.”This is the ninetieth anniversary of

Remembrance Day, the date andtime of which relates to the Treaty ofVersailles, signed on the eleventhhour on November 11, 1918, offi-cially bringing the First World Warto an end. Following the Great War,as it was called at the time because itwas known as “the war to end allwars,” communities throughoutEurope and North America builtmemorials and cenotaphs to honourthe fallen soldiers from that conflict.After the Second World War,Remembrance Day came to includecasualties from all wars, includingthe 97 Canadian troops killed inAfghanistan.“An important thing to always

remember on Remembrance Day iswhy we celebrate it: The soldiers,both past and present. Whateverone’s views are about war in general,and particularly the war inAfghanistan, all of that is irrelevanton this day,” commented UTMSUVice-President External Dhananjai(DJ) Kohli. Kohli went on to addthat the day is not about celebratingwar, but rather remembering the painof senseless death.Ian Orchard, Principal and Vice-

President of UTM, also spoke tothose gathered, along with the hon-

our guard commander, PoliceServices Manager Len Paris.Campus security staff and theErindale College Special ResponseTeam (ECSPERT) were in atten-dance, and oversaw the lowering of

the flag. After the bagpipes playedthe “Lament,” the flag was raised upthe pole again, bringing the obser-vance of the ceremony to a close.Similar such ceremonies were held

across the country simultaneously,

including the St. George campus,where there is a majestic gothictower next to an intricately-engravedwall listing all the U of T studentswho have died in war throughoutCanada’s history.

9Monday, November 17, 2008 Volume 35, Issue 11 www.mediumonline.ca

5 11

Remembering the fallen

photo/Matthew Filipowich

Blue covenant: Maude Barlow on the global water crisis

Recently appointed as the UnitedNations’ f i rs t Commissioner ofWater Access, Maude Barlow spoketo a large audience last Friday in theGreat Hall of Hart House about thecurrent global water crisis.All over the world “we are seeing

life and death struggles over accessto clean water, and many of thesecan be related to the privatization ofwater and water sources,” observedBarlow, who went on to note thatTurkey and Chile have recentlyannounced plans to sell off entirerivers, disregarding the people wholive near those waterways anddepend on them for survival.Since nearly half the world’s pop-

ulation lacks access to clean water –and glacial sources in theHimalayas that supply billions ofpeople in China and India are rapid-ly vanishing – the issue of controlover global water suppl ies isalready critical. With too many peo-ple competing for too little water, itis not surprising that private enter-prise sees this as an opportunity tomake money. “However,” warnedBarlow, “this is not an issue of sim-ple economics, but rather one ofhuman life, dignity, and rights.”“Here in Canada we think that

our water supply will never runout,” added Barlow, noting thatnearly twenty per cent of all freshwater on earth is located here. Withsuch a tremendous surplus of freshwater, Canada is in a unique posi-tion to play a leading role in the

fight against global poverty, diseaseand suffering. However, Barlowpoints out that “there is no decentlegislation [regarding water rights]at the federal level in this country,”and even those laws that do existare routinely disobeyed. For exam-ple, mining operations and papermills draw huge amounts of waterfrom public reservoirs, and replaceit with polluted byproducts, oftenviolating federal environmentallaws which are only weaklyenforced.The Alberta tar sands are high on

her list of offenders, apparently tak-ing three million barrels of waterper day from what little water existsin northern Alberta, mixing it withoil-sand.

ANDREW HAMILTON-SMITHFEATURES EDITOR

ANDREW HAMILTON-SMITHFEATURES EDITOR

continued on page 2

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventhmonth each year, we share one moment of silence outof respect for those who have died in the cause ofdefending this nation.

Amidst flags and ceremony, UTM paid solemn tribute on Tuesday to those who have fallen in defence of Canada.

photo/Dan Rios - courtesy of The Varsity

The waste from this brew then getspumped into huge “trailing ponds”of dangerous and cancerousbyproducts, some of which findtheir way back into the local watertable. Surrounding communities,including First Nations reserves,have reported drastically increasedcancer and terminal illness ratessince the tar sands began operating– yet another example , Bar lownoted, of corporate interests com-promising public good.It is important to realize that

water is “not Canadian water orAmerican water .” It is a globalproduct and does not recognizenational borders. “We collectivelypump over four trillion liters perday out of the Great Lakes; farmore than we can ever put back,”said Barlow. Undoubtedly, thispractice would result in ecologicaland environmental damage here inNorth America, as well as aroundthe world.Despite the obvious impossibility

of “owning” water, a number ofmajor initiatives exist to do justthat. Under NAFTA’s Section 11(which allows private companies tosue governments for lost profits)

and the Security and ProsperityPartnership (SAPP), which wasnegotiated with corporate interestsand signed by North Americanleaders behind closed doors inMarch 2006, there is some legalprecedent in North America for theprivate ownership of water. This isespecially alarming considering thelack of precedents regarding publicaccess to water, which essentiallymeans that corporate interests havean advantage over the rights ofhuman beings.

This is one of Barlow’s biggestfears, and she explained how, asformer Chairperson of the Councilof Canadians, she routinely lobbiedthe federal government to protectthe rights of human access to drink-able water. “No one has the right toappropriate [water] when peopleare dying and suffering,” she insist-ed.In effect , the government or

United Nations would be responsi-

ble for protecting water supplies –in trust, not ownership – in order toensure that everyone has access toi t . Af ter a l l , water is l ike ai r :humans need it to live. To put aprice on such a thing is to sign adeath warrant for those who cannotafford it.Barlow’s answer, and perhaps the

reason the UN is asking her todevelop global policy in this area,is to “have a discussion about whatto do with surplus water” in orderto find solutions that are sustain-able, and that make life and living apriority over profits.Barlow has also published a book

on the subject , “Too Close forComfort:Canada's Future withinFortress North America” which sheread from at the end of her presen-ta t ion. To f ind out more aboutMaude Barlow, visit www. canadi-ans.org.

After opposing York’s offer of a 9.25per cent pay increase over the nextthree years, the Canadian Union ofPublic Employees (CUPE) Local3903 at York University has been onstrike since midnight on Thursday,November 6. This was voted on bythe thousands of faculty members,teaching assistants and graduate assis-tants who are represented by theunion, which is looking for an 11 percent increase in pay over the next twoyears, as well as more benefits interms of job security.Now entering its second full week,

the strike has affected everyone atYork, causing the closure of most ofthe undergraduate school and a fewgraduate programs.Students are the unfortunate vic-

tims of a struggle between theirteachers and school administration.Domenico Labile, a first year studentat York’s Glendon campus, is out-raged by the way the York adminis-tration and CUPE is handling the con-flict: “The Teaching Assistants atYork make almost $18,000, and arethe highest paid in Canada. Theywork ten hours a week, and get paid avery large salary. Since when isbeing a Teaching Assistant a full time

job?” he explains. “I work more thanten hours a week, and make nowhereeven close to $18,000, so I believethat in order to make a decent living,they will need to find another part-time job. The union only cares aboutitself, and doesn’t take into considera-tion that the university is offering9.25 per cent which is reasonable anda respectful offer.”Students at Seneca are also affected

by the cancellation of classes. Manyof these students are enrolled in jointprograms offered by both schools andare effectively blocked from theircampuses because of the picketerswho have been parading outside theschool property, stalling the numberof cars entering the campus.This delay in classes may affect the

eligibility of some students to gradu-ate this year, which raises the ques-tion of what will happen if the strikedrags on for weeks or months. It isnot clear how students will be com-pensated by the university – how theywill receive credit for the classes theyare presently missing – if the strike isnot resolved quickly.Several students feel that the York

Federation of Students, whichmotioned three weeks ago that theywould support the strike, is lookingout for the interests of the studentswho are related with CUPE at theexpense of the regular students.

Monday, November 17, 20082 THE MEDIUMNNEEWWSS

TO REGISTER FOR EMPLOYER EVENTS, WORKSHOPS AND MORE, visit www.utm.utoronto.ca/careers UTMCAREER CENTRE

Our Career Counsellors can help you make sense of your future.Book an appointment today to discuss your career options, how to gain related

experience, or questions about graduate school.

Just have a quick job search question? No problem!Drop by SE 3094 anytime from 2 pm - 3 pm, Monday - Friday to speak with a

Career Counsellor or Employment Advisor.

Give us a call at 905-828-5451 or visit us in SE 3094 to get started!

Find DIRECTION for your QUESTIONSWhat Can I Do With My Degree? (for Psychology Students)Wednesday, November 1912 pm - 2 pmCouncil Chambers, SE3130

Wondering where Psychology can take you? This workshop will help you better understand the many options available and gain the skills and knowledge to develop your own career focus. Register online via our Events Calendar!

Medium 2.0 is a multimedia version

of The Medium.

Composed of a series of weekly

newscasts, Medium 2.0 represents the

future of information sharing.

email ali at editor@mediumonline.ca or visit our office in the student centre

““WWhhaatt ddooeess RReemmeemmbbrraannccee DDaayy mmeeaann ttoo yyoouu??””

“It is sad that so many peopledied in these wars, and it rep-resents the mistakes thathumans make.”

- Daria Taiakina2nd year biology specialist

“The sacrifice that the individ-uals in my family madebrought freedom and happi-ness to everyone else.”

- Trevor Coote1st year life sciences

“I’m wearing my poppybecause I want to show that Isupport the fallen soldiers forwhat they did.”

- Karan Desai2nd year commerce

Global water crisis unfolding: Barlow

CUPE stops York’s classes

Continued from front page

KAITLYN WARNE

Want to write for News?We are seeking dedicatedjournalists to investigate

stories on campus.Contact Andrew at

news@mediumonline.ca

To put a price on such athing is to sign a deathwarrant for those who

cannot afford it.

After being cut off from Food Path,which supplied UTM students withcanned goods and non-perishablefood unti l earl ier this year, theUTMSU decided to create their ownfood bank.As Food Bank coordinator Rahul

D'Cunha noted, the operation hasencountered more than a few obsta-cles along the way. Faced with hav-ing to raise and store their own fooddonations, the UTMSU has arrangedto use a space in the North Buildingformerly used by EPUS, which ranthe campus food bank service untilits merger with UTMSU last year.“We were supposed to open inOctober,” said D’Cunha, but the uni-versity never cleaned up the space.The Food Bank is a new organiza-

tion, starting up only this year, but isfilling a gap left by other providersthat no longer provide food bankservices on campus. After the merg-er of EPUS with UTMSU, the mainsupplier, Food Path, changed frombeing a supplier and distributor, tojust a distributor because of financialand donation limitations. As a result,at the beginning of the year no groupwas responsible for or even supply-ing the food bank.The result is that the Food Bank

operates out of a tiny club office inthe Student Centre, run directly bythe UTMSU, and must store every-thing they collect within thatrestr icted space. Metal shelvesstacked with rice, pasta, canned veg-etables and fruits, along with a gen-erous amount of Kraft Dinner towerover the doorway, leaving lit t leroom to work.On October 31, the Food Bank

worked together with the UTM MealExchange to organize the “Trick-or-Eat” event. “Although the MealExchange is currently providingfood to us, this arrangement is not

permanent, and we are looking atother partnerships that we can buildin the future,” explains D’Cunha.This cooperative venture resulted inmuch of the donated goods whichnow sit in the Food Bank office, andalthough it was a success, it is notclear whether this arrangement willbe repeated again next year.

The Food Bank is finding innova-tive ways to distribute food to needystudents by developing an on-lineordering system. Students are able toplace an order on the internet, usinga special code, and that order is then

placed in a reserved locker in theNorth Building to be picked up atthe student’s convenience. “This ismore anonymous,” D’Cunha said,“so that students feel more comfort-able using the Food Bank if theyhave to.”At the moment, the Food Bank is

taking five to six orders per week.Despite only recently opening theiroffices and advertising their ser-vices, D’Cunha expects to see anincrease in those numbers soon:“The Meal Plan does not alwayscover students, and some studentsrun over their limit before the end ofthe month.” Such students arethought to be the most frequent usersof the Food Bank. In addition, thereare a number of students with fami-lies living on campus, and these stu-dents live on very tight budgets andare likely use the Food Bank as well.The office is open to the public onWednesdays from noon until 2 p.m.For more information, please visitwww. utmsu.ca/foodbank.

Monday, November 17, 2008 3THE MEDIUMNNEEWWSS

November 5, 2008, at 6:00 p.m.Theft Under $5000University Police received a call froma student who reported his backpackwas stolen from Kaneff Centre lecturehall. University Police investigatedthe theft. Total value of the backpackcontents was $1300.

November 6, 2008, at 6:55 a.m.Concerned Parent A concerned mother requested assis-tance from University Police in locat-ing her son.

November 6, 2008, at 7:26 p.m. Motor Vehicle AccidentUniversity Police investigated amotor vehicle accident on OuterCircle Rd.

November 6, 2008, at 3:00 p.m.Theft Under $5000University Police investigated thetheft of a wallet from one of the daylockers in Oscar Peterson Hall cafete-ria. Total value of the wallet contentsincluding the wallet was $119.

November 7, 2008, at 3:55 p.m.Trespassing/Misuse of student cardUniversity Police received a call froma staff member at the Recreation,Athletics & Wellness Centre(RAWC) in regards to trespassers.University Police interviewed andcautioned two students for misusing astudent card to gain entry into theRAWC.

November 7, 2008, at 8:30 p.m. Careless Driving/SpeedingA vehicle was reported speeding onResidence Road. University Policeinvestigated the incident and cau-tioned the driver.

November 7, 2008, at 8:18 p.m.Assault/UnconfirmedUniversity Police were advised by theWalksafer team that a femaleapproached them and reported tothem that her boyfriend assaulted her.She left the area immediately andcould not be located by Universitypolice for a follow-up investigation.

November 7, 2008, at 4:00 p.m.Theft Under $5000University Police investigated thetheft of a student’s laptop from the

Hazel McCallion Library.

November 8, 2008, at 12:28 a.m.Intoxicated FemaleUniversity Police investigated anintoxicated female. She was trans-ported to hospital by ambulance.

November 8, 2008, at 1:33 a.m.Unauthorized ActivityUniversity Police received a com-plaint in regards to someone smokinginside their residence: investigatedand cautioned the student.

November 10, 2008, at 1:32 a.m.Fire Alarm ActivationUniversity Police investigated a firealarm at the CCT Bldg.

November 11, 2008 at 2:30 a.m.Causing Disturbance University Police investigated a com-plaint of an intoxicated male causinga disturbance in a CCT Building com-puter lab. The male left before offi-cers arrived.

November 11, 2008 at 10:19 a.m.Unauthorized Activity University Police received a report ofsomeone soliciting spa treatments.University Police identified the indi-vidual and cautioned the solicitor .

November 12, 2008 at 2:12 p.m.Vehicle Tow/Fraudulent Pay &Display Parking PassUniversity Police received a call inregards to someone displaying afraudulent permit. The driver wassubsequently investigated byUniversity Police.

November 12, 2008 at 9:45 a.m.Theft Under $ 5000A student attended the UniversityPolice office and reported that hislaptop was stolen from the CCTBuilding, while he left his laptopunattended in a bag 1st level mainentrance on a couch. UniversityPolice investigated the theft.

November 12, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. Theft Under $ 5000A female student reported her walletstolen from her purse from the secondfloor common area of the CCTBuilding. University Police investi-gated the theft.

Campus food bank opensANDREW HAMILTON-SMITHFEATURES EDITOR

UTM students Je-Hyeong (Jay) Hong and William Min offerfree hugs on Wednesday outside the student centre, “toshow people who think they aren’t loveable that they are.”

photo/Lara Matiisen

“The Meal Plan does notalways cover students,and some students runover their limit before theend of the month.”

- Rahul D’Cunha

Campus police reports

Monday, November 17, 20084 THE MEDIUM

My editorial board raised an interesting argument this week with regardsto Dhananjai Kohli’s intention to write an article on tuition fees for theFeatures section (re: “Tuition fees: the debate wages on,” on page 9). In ref-erence to last week’s article by Alain Latour on the same issue, they asked ifit made sense for a newspaper to print an opinion one week and a directopposite view the following week. “You wouldn’t see the Toronto Star orThe Globe do that. It’s a little inconsistent,” they added.My response was that we weren’t a publication like The Star and The

Globe. We’re a campus newspaper. We don’t have a full staff of writers whocontribute to each and every word in the paper. Instead, we have volunteers,in its most random and diverse form. As well, if we are the “voice of the stu-dents,” as our mandate stipulates, then we need to express and demonstratethat voice for what it is – full of contrasting opinions and perspectives.The issue wasn’t quite resolved however, as it was then raised that if a

reader had a conflicting view toward something we printed, he or she wouldusually deliver their response in the form of a “Letter to the Editor,” notanother article in return. This made sense of course.I turned to Mr Kohli immediately after this, and insisted that he abstained

from making any direct reference to Mr Latour’s article from the previousweek. He agreed, citing that he only wanted to construct an article from thealternative view using facts and figures, much like Mr Latour had done.Earlier in the week, a professor asked me what my intentions and goals for

the paper were this year. I replied, “To generate and publish as many per-spectives as possible on any topic.” Considering how the ongoing and seem-ingly never-ending debate over tuition fees has filled our pages during thepast month, I’d say that I have, to an extent, been able to satisfy just that.Fittingly, the very next day saw a letter from James Joseph Walker arrive

in my inbox (re: this week’s Letter to the Editor). In it, he postulates a ratherpopular opinion on the subject of tuition fees, i.e. not all of us agree with thenotion of dropping fees. Though I have heard this very stance from numerousother students through word-of-mouth, this is the first example I have of it inprint.Despite his criticism of my editorial three weeks ago, where I “casually

stated that it's hardly arguable students would benefit from higher fees,” I’mthrilled that someone spoke up, regardless of his contrasting opinion.For the record, I stand by my statement that tuition fees are currently high

enough, and that the bar need not be raised any further, lest we disregard thelevel of student debt that is prevalent today. However, I have never arguedfor complete abolishment of tuition fees altogether. I, like Mr Walker, agreethat it’s important we have fees, that to some extent, we do get what we paidfor, and that the solution cannot simply rest upon the “government coveringmore.” At the same time, the issues that will arise from the deregulation offees must not be overlooked either. Hence, my general stance – yes, dropfees. If I’m standing on middle ground here, is that entirely wrong? This isafter all, a rather contentious issue.This brings me around full circle, and back to how “consistent” we need to

be. Should The Medium even have a stance on any matter if it’s supposed torepresent (voice) student opinion? Well, yes. Subjectivity is inevitable – it’simpossible not to have some sort of opinion. But how far should this stancetake us? Do we choose not to publish a contrasting perspective unless it is inthe form of a letter? Just how far can we be subjective or objective?For now, let’s just say that whatever the issue, as long as it is within the

stipulated guidelines (nothing which incites blatant discrimination or libel), ifyou write, we’ll publish.

LLeetttteerrss ttoo tthhee eeddiittoorr wwiillll bbee eeddiitteedd ffoorr ssppeelllliinngg,, ggrraammmmaarr,, ssttyyllee,, aanndd ccoohheerreennccee.. LLeetttteerrss wwiillll nnoott eexxcceeeedd 550000 wwoorrddss iinn pprriinntt..LLeetttteerrss tthhaatt iinncciittee hhaattrreedd,, vviioolleennccee oorr lleetttteerrss tthhaatt aarree rraacciisstt,, hhoommoopphhoobbiicc,, sseexxiisstt,, oorr lliibbeelloouuss wwiillll nnoott bbee ppuubblliisshheedd..AAnnoonnyymmoouuss lleetttteerrss wwiillll nnoott bbee ppuubblliisshheedd.. LLeetttteerrss aanndd aanndd ootthheerr eeddiittoorriiaall mmaatteerriiaallss rreefflleecctt ooppiinniioonnss ooff tthhee aauutthhoorrss,, aanndd ddoonnoott nneecceessssaarriillyy rreefflleecctt tthhee ooppiinniioonnss ooff tthhee eeddiittoorrss,, ssttaaffff,, vvoolluunntteeeerrss,, oorr BBooaarrdd ooff DDiirreeccttoorrss ooff TThhee MMeeddiiuumm.. IInn ootthheerr wwoorrddss,,jjuusstt bbeeccaauussee wwee pprriinntt iitt ddooeessnn’’tt nneecceessssaarriillyy mmeeaann wwee aaggrreeee wwiitthh iitt.. SSuubbmmiissssiioonn ddooeess nnoott gguuaarraanntteeee ppuubblliiccaattiioonn..SSuubbmmiissssiioonn ooff mmaatteerriiaallss ttoo TThhee MMeeddiiuumm pprreessuummeess tthhee wwrriitteerr hhaass rreeaadd,, aanndd aaggrreeeess wwiitthh,, tthhiiss ppoolliiccyy..

3359 Mississauga Road, Room 200, Student Centre, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6

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MEDIUMTHE

EEDDIITTOORRIIAALL Please write to:editor@mediumonline.ca

Board of DirectorsChristine Capewell, Jane Ngobia, Isa Cunanan, Raji Aujla, Laura Gaspini,

Umeimah Bastaki, Bhagyashri Bhandakkar, Julie Tyios

Editor-in-Chief Ali Kasim

News EditorTBA

Features EditorAndrew Hamilton-Smith

Arts & Entertainment EditorMichael Di Leo

Sports Editor Christopher Sa’d

Photography Editor Matthew Filipowich

Composite EditorMatthew Filipowich

Copy EditorShelley Bahorie

Distribution Manager Ali Kasim

Business ManagerRomano Bergic

WebmasterVerisha Khanam

Assistant Features EditorAlain Latour

AAllii KKaassiimm,, EEDDIITTOORR--IINN--CCHHIIEEFF || eeddiittoorr@@mmeeddiiuummoonnlliinnee..ccaawwwwww..mmeeddiiuummoonnlliinnee..ccaa

Ali KasimYours,

EEDDIITTOORRIIAALL

Hello members of the UTMCommunity,

The fifth of November has comeand gone. Almost 920 of you cameout in support of dropping fees, andI would like to thank all of you,because without you, this campaignwould have been nothing. For thosewho didn’t come out, I'm sure youall had good reasons. Some of youhad prior commitments. Some ofyou disagreed with the campaignitself. And some of you had com-plaints with cer ta in aspects of“Dropping Fees.” And that is some-thing that I would like to discusshere. The 3 most common com-plaints I heard were: “This seemslike a lot of propaganda.” “This istoo vulgar.” “This isn’t going to doanything.”For the first complaint, I would

like to respectful ly disagree. Ahandful of people came up to mecomplaining about how when peo-ple were asked about their presenceat the rally, the usual response wasbecause they were in support ofdropping fees. However, on furtherquestioning of why fees should bedropped, there were no responses.This lack of knowledge was attrib-uted to UTMSU’s lack of educating.

I disagree with this because I don'tsee dropping fees to be a really con-tentious issue. Sure, it would begreat if everybody knew everythingabout tuition fees, but the lack ofthat knowledge doesn’t in anywaydeter somebody from being passion-ate about the issue. I feel that theonus instead lies on the party thatrespectfully disagrees to providereasons as to why tui t ion feesshould stay high, not on us to justi-fy why we want lower tuition fees.For the second complaint, all I

can do is apologize. And I do trulymean i t . All our materials wereapproved by a coalition of regularstudents, and we tried to get asmuch input into the matter as possi-ble. I am referring to the white T-shirts produced for this campaign.However, I would like to point outthat even though a group of almost40 students voted unanimously infavor of the T-shirt design, we onlyproduced those T-shirts in a limitednumber, to be worn by volunteerswho wanted to wear them, ratherthan mass produce them for every-body.As for the third complaint, there

is nothing more I can do than dis-agree. There have been countlessincidents of how students have won

numerous victor ies because ofactions like these. There is an abun-dance of examples from over theyears of how students have affectedchange through calls to action. Andif you would like to hear some ofthem, please, do come and ask me.But as for now, all I will say is thatno victory in the history of theworld – from lowering parking feesto gaining independence of a coun-try – was handed to anybody on asilver platter. It was fought for.Finally, for all those out there

who are wondering, the Drop Feescampaign did not end on November5. It has only just begun. A loudvoice once in a while is easy toignore, but a consistent scream thatmakes the ears bleed simply cannotbe turned a deaf ear to. The studentswill not give up. The students havejust begun to fight.

In solidarity,

Dhananjai KohliVP External UTMSU

The Medium is looking foraassssiissttaanntt eeddiittoorrss for allfour sections - News,Features, Arts, Sports. Ifyou have been writing forus the past few months,and want to be part of theteam, let us know. Emailyour section editors or theeditor-in-chief with yourcover letter, resume, andsome writing samples.

LLeetttteerrss to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I was pleased and surprised toread Alain Latour's feature in theNov 10 edi t ion of The Mediumentitled “Eliminating tuition fees:not such a great idea.” I have seenfar too much press in favour ofreducing tuition fees, without anythought as to the effects such areduction would have on the qualityof the education we receive.In the Nov 3 edi t ion of The

Medium, I was amused to find ref-erence to the idea that 93 per centof s tudents supported reducedtuition fees. Where did that statisticcome from? On the same page, theeditor-in-chief, Ali Kasim, casuallystated that, “It's hardly arguable thatstudents would benefit from higherfees.” I almost choked on my cof-fee. Is it really true that ninety-threepercent of students haven't stoppedto think about this issue?When a student makes the argu-

ment to lower tuition fees, it sug-gests to me that they are ei therdemonstrating an astounding level

of benightedness for someone sup-posedly engaged in higher educa-tion, or they are possessed with thatoverwhelming sense of entitlementthat seems to typify our generation.Or both.The bottom line is that you get

what you pay for. I would ratherhave top notch professors, excellentfaci l i t ies and equipment , and astrong administrative support com-munity than get free education fromincompetent, underpaid professorsin an underfunded, understaffedinstitution. It is easy to suggest that"the government" cover more of oureducation, but in saying that you'reforgetting that WE are the govern-ment and the money comes directlyfrom our taxes. Did you vote, by theway?And no, not everyone is entitled

to go to university. You have to besmarter than the average person andyou have to work hard. I have atough time sympathizing with stu-dents who whine about not havingenough money to pay for university.Throughout my undergraduate

degree, I took OSAP, UTAPS,OSOG, CMS, emergency grants andloans, student lines of credit, and atone point worked three jobs. Iappl ied for every scholarship Icould, and no, I didn't get most ofthem. I put myself through highschool without my parents and Iwould be damned if I couldn't putmyself through university as well. Ifinished an undergraduate, a mas-ters, and am now working on a doc-torate, all at U of T. I shudder whenI think that my hard-earned degreesmight one day be devalued by low-ered tuition fees and a mass-influxof indifferent students. Stop com-plaining, appreciate what you have,and work to make it better.

Sincerely,

James Joseph Walker

5THE MEDIUMMonday, November 17, 2008

Michael Di Leo, Editor | arts@mediumonline.ca

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Murderous WomenGuilty of monotony in the first degree

Based on the novel of the same nameby author Frank Jones, UTM’sTheatre Erindale began its run ofMurderous Women last Thursday. Thecrime drama would be an obvious pageturner filled with suspense, intrigue andmystery, but when mounted for thestage, bears far too much room for errorin its two-and-a-half hour production.The play begins with the entire cast

taking to the stage to perform analmost-in-unison series of tableauswhile also reciting an almost-in-unisonchant about murder. With such a largecast, this set up in a studio-style theatremade the already small space feel muchmore cramped.

Murderous Women documents thestories of five women murderers in his-tory, Clara Ford (played by JuelHughes), Margeurite Fahmy (MelanieHrymak), Betty Jones (SydneyDunitz), Myra Hindley (SophiaFabiilli) and Jean Harris (JocelynPerry). The first half allows the audi-ence a chance to see what led to themurders while the second half delivers

the sentences for each woman.However, the play does more than

that. It raises questions as to why we associety judge women murderers so dif-ferently from men. As well, it forces usto look closely at the oppression ofwomen by not only men, but otherwomen as well, as exemplified by theroles credited as “The Society,” threetown gossips played by KelseyGoldberg, My Anh Tran and ClareBlackwood. While doubling as thecomic relief, these roles were designedspecially to stress the questions ofequality, gender and race. AsBlackwood’s character comments, hergreatest fear realized is a Negro with ahand-gun.It is common practice in theatre that if

the actor cannot master the accentasked for in the script, he or she shouldnot attempt one. This cast must havemissed this memo. Accents called forranged from Scottish to Arabic andeven a little New Yorker. And with theexception of Hrymak (French) andMark Johnson (Scottish), the accentssimply failed to hit the mark, resultingin an often disconcerting tone to thedialogues.In what may be a Theatre Erindale

first, Murderous Women exercised theuse of videos in the background in vari-ous scenes to show flashbacks andmemories by characters on stage.However, poor sound quality and tim-ing with the actors on stage made for asloppy effort, which often dislodged theviewer from getting into the play.There were several salvaging points

of course. Of the murderous women,the stand-out is Perry’s portrayal ofJean Harris, a former headmistressaccused of killing the writer and creatorof the Scarsdale Diet. Perry is the onlyone of the murderous women who actu-ally takes over the character. With eachof the other women, it was alwaysobvious that they were acting a role.With each of the murderous women,

the audience is the last jury member,forced to make a decision on whatshould happen to these women after allof the information is presented. Perry isthe only one who evokes enough sym-pathy from the audience as her charac-ter does from the judge.Special mention must also go to

Rachelle Magil, who skips onto thestage at the introduction of each of thewomen to recite appropriately themednursery rhymes about each of them.

Donning pig-tails and a huge cuckoo-like smile, Magil’s portrayal wasalmost perfect – never off tone, or over-done.

Murderous Women had an ampleamount of potential. The story fromFrank Jones’ novel features a greatcrime story that evokes several deep

and relevant themes. Unfortunately, afailed attempt at multi-modality, a cou-ple of dropped lines, the lack of coordi-nation in the numerous tableau scenes,and most of all, the lack of genuineemotion and depth from “the murder-ous women” meant that the play simplymisses its target – by a mile.

SAMANTHA BERGER

photo/Jim Smagata

The case of Marguerite and Egyptian Prince Ali Fahmy Bey at the Savoy in 1923:Melanie Hrymak and Ramon Vitug.

Liquor is quicker,but wine is fine

During one of his stand-up acts,comedian Katt Williams came to theconclusion that “people don’t careabout what they drink.” While thismay hold some ground at the localfrat or house party, how should weact when we are in a more profes-sional-type setting?Generally speaking, wine is the

drink of choice for the sophisticat-ed. Its many varieties and subtledifferences play an important role inaccentuating food, and its pairing ofwhich is considered a culinary art.On top of that, the aptitude to selectthe perfect wine to fit a situation isa skill which conveys class. Thatbeing said, how can we as non-con-noisseurs learn about this skill anddemonstrate it in a practical setting?The answer can be found at one ofHart House’s educational evenings,part of this year’s wine series.The Hart House Wine Series is a

string of four evenings dedicated to“discovering more about the fasci-nating & intriguing world of wine.”Taking place in Hart House’s

famous Music Room, the events aremarked by esteemed guest speakers,all of whom are well-established inthe world of wine. Each sessionconsists of the presenter discussingtheir wine selections (laid out infront of you) and in the process,explaining different aspects of thewines and wine culture in general.Last week, Konrad Ejbich , a

wine-connoisseur publicly knownfor his appearances on CBC Radioand his Guide to Ontario Wines,discussed the subtleties betweenwine’s f lavors and the ageingprocess. To illustrate his points, hebrought along a selection of winesranging from Chiantis to Chablis.Ejbich opened the event with a

discussion on the tasting processand a demonstration of the propertasting method – consisting basical-ly of gargling the wine so that itreaches every nook of your mouth,and then sucking in air (as if youwere slurping a spoonful of soup) inorder to accentuate the aromas.While the procedure seemed a tad

silly it did make an incredible dif-ference, and at once you were ableto distinguish between the qualitiesof each wine. For example, theChablis “Vieille Vignes,” producedby La Chablisienne in Burgundyhad a slight acidity to it, which wasnicely counter-balanced by a sweethint of honey and summer fruits.The “FuZion” Shiraz-Malbec, pro-

duced by Famil ia Zuccardi inArgentina had an immediate effect;one could easily tell the freshness ofthe grapes used and its easy-drink-ing quality.From there, Konrad went on to

explain how the ageing processaffects the taste of the wines, andhow certain wines fare better intime than others. To do so, he com-pared the same wines from differentyears. We began with a RieslingSpatlese from 2006 and 1991, bothfrom Mosel, Germany. After thetasting we noticed how the 2006had a brighter, fresher fruity tonewhile the 1991 had a subdued butsweeter quality. Ejbich explainedhow by ageing wines you are in factperforming a similar process tocaramelizing or cooking the wine’saromas. He went on to show howstrong, well-balanced wines canbecome better with age, while other,less stable wines (such as the afore-mentioned FuZion) would turn intovinegar with time.To say that the entire evening was

strictly educational would be anoverstatement. Platters of deliciousfood were served and more signifi-cantly, there was a very laid-backatmosphere at hand.The session seemed to exemplify

what drinking wine is all about:re laxing and social iz ing withfriends, and having a good time. Allthis while learning something new.

MICHAEL DI LEOA&E EDITOR

Monday, November 17, 20086 THE MEDIUMAARRTTSS

Paul Wong vs. The ManThe Vancouver-based video artist takes Toronto and UTM by storm in honour of the Reel AsianFilm Festival.

On November 10, Vancouver-basedvideo artist Paul Wong sat down atUTM’s very own MiST theatre foran intimate talk with an audience ofUTM students and faculty. Arrivingon the “Wong Mo-Bile-A-Go-Go,” afew commuting audience membersgot to see a video specially tailoredfrom the ill-lit corridors and tinyscreens of their coach bus.

The special visit to UTM was aresult of a collective effort from theBlackwood Gallery , the City ofMississauga, V-Tape , and ReelAsian Film Festival. The festivalitself kicked off on November 12,and included a collection of Wong’sfilms which were shown throughoutthe five-day event. With his latestwork East Van: John showing at V-Tape and his 2005 GovernorGeneral’s Award in Visual andMedia Arts, Wong has been anextremely successful and busy artistof late.Wong’s career hasn’t always been

as applauded as it is now. For thepast thirty years he has been fightingan uphill battle with bureaucracy.Seeing as controversy and ambiva-lence are the underlying themes andnature of his work, it isn’t surprisingthat authoritarian powers have bothpraised and abased him. The most

visible of these fights with the“man” was between him and theVancouver Art Gallery (VAG) inthe 80s over his work, ConfusedSexual Views. The piece was deemed“not art” by the gallery’s director atthe time. Ironically, Wong had thework eventually shown at the VAGin 2002.Wong’s video work seems to strad-

dle the line between art and film-making, putting the artist in a realmof ambiguity that makes his piecesas fascinating as they are controver-sial. While speaking to the audienceat the MiST theatre, he described hislove for video as a medium, callingit “the bastard child of film, televi-sion, advertisement and art.” As agay Chinese artist l iving inVancouver, Wong considers himselfan outsider, and has always been onthe cutting edge of technology andthe art of gender, race and sexualpolitics.

His latest film East Van: John ispart of a portrait series depicting theEast Vancouver neighbourhoodWong grew up in. The video docu-ments an articulate schizophrenicmill ionaire crack addict l ivingamongst the ruins of his burnt house.It is a visually fascinating depictionof a truth stranger than fiction thatshould not be missed.

Amid the humdrum of the audi-ence’s laughs and praise, TheMedium was able to speak with the

outgoing artist about media arts,technology and his video wall in theCCIT building:

The Medium : Why do you thinkthere is such ambivalence withinmedia arts, such as video art, audioart and developing technological art?

Paul Wong: Do you think there isambivalence?

M: Well, I do believe there is a realquickness to disregard it as art.

W: First of all, I think that so muchof the stuff being done currently asdigital art ignores the history of theequivalent art being done in analog.And so much of what I see, personal-ly, comes out of too much theoreticaland academic framing. I don’t carehow that noise is made; is that noisepleasant? Does that noise have agood rhythm? Does it speak to me?Is it accessible? So, I think it’s a pro-liferation of stuff. I mean, quitefrankly I’m bored by most of it; notto say that I’ve seen all of it andhave been all over. A lot of it is aone trick pony. A lot of work I actu-ally see in exhibition doesn’t haveenough layers for me.

M: They’re kind of one-liners?

W : Yes, I do think the CulturalRevolution, or cultural evolution, is

really in a rudimentary stage. I thinkthat technology is still so primitive.It’s not very smart, it breaks down, itdoesn’t think fast enough, it’s notintuitive to me. So, in that sense, Ithink a lot of that work is the samething, because they are relying onthose tools which I think are primi-tive; so how can those works besophisticated if they are the works ofprimitive tools?

M: I gathered from your talk that youfeel the best art is intuitive and notbased so much in theoreticalthought, but is more something thatfeels right to you.

W: Yes and no. A lot of that workcan be well thought out, but if youare working with rudimentary toolsthat are not very intuit ive thenmaybe you’re working against theinequalities of the medium as it isright now. You’re not talking about asquare hole and a round peg. Often, Ifind that things feel very forced.Again, it’s in the early stages ofdevelopment.

M: So, do you think art goes throughcycles, in which the technologycatches up with it or the people dis-cover the new technology?

W: There is so much distraction, thatto make people go from there (ges-tures to door) to listen to [Running

in a Maze] (gestures to Video Wall),they’re not willing and don’t knowhow or can’t figure out how to adaptto listen to this (gestures to VideoWall again). So, a lot of times workis contextualized or supported bywhere it is placed.

M: Do you think a lot of art workcan only be appreciated in retro-spect?

W: No, I think: location, location,context – proper placement of thatwork, and not necessarily playing tothe right audience. I think [Runningin a Maze] is entirely successfulhere. I wasn’t trying to force some-thing that didn’t fit into the space,like [East Van: John] that is fortyminutes long and requires sound.

The video wall in question is a threeminute loop called Running in aMaze , featuring young men andwomen playfully running in a mazeconstructed by Charles Rea, and canbe viewed from November 3 to

MICHELLE JOHNSON

Reel Asian Film Fest hits Toronto

The twelfth Annual Reel AsianInternational Film Festival startedoff with a bang. The Bloor Cinemawas temporarily transformed into apremiere event, with photographersand media stationed along a red carpeton Bloor Street. Granted a great recep-tion by the community and city at-large, this growing festival (voted bestsmall film festival by �ow Magazine)is not only about movies; it alsoencourages filmmakers in variousstages of their career to gain perspec-tive on a diverse group of films, usingnot only short films and feature presen-tations, but also industry panels andvideo art installations. Running from November 12-16, the

opening gala film, The Drummer, gavethe festival’s planners the idea toarrange a live drumming show to startoff the festival. Audiences were treatedwith an intense performance of tradi-tional drumming by a dazzling groupof strong Asian women. With such apositive start, there were great expecta-tions for this year’s films, and theseexpectations were fully met by the filmon opening night.

Opening Gala: The Drummer

Kenneth Bi’s The Drummer delivers adramatic film of self-discovery in afusion of serenity, criminals, and Zendrumming.Hailed as the “Critics’ Pick” at the

Sundance Film Festival, this film hasalready garnered attracted muchacclaim and attention before its pre-miere at the Reel Asian – Top FiveAudience Favourites, Seattle

International Film Festival, FavouriteDramatic Film, Locarno InternationalFilm Festival. The Hong Kong-born, Canadian-

raised director’s third feature film wasa perfect and safe choice for the open-ing of the film festival as there was ageneral consensus to its relatability,despite its characters living in a societyhalf way across the world.The Drummer begins in Hong Kong,

introducing audiences to the frenziedsights and sounds of the popular Asiancity as well as Sid (Jaycee Chan, sonof famed action star Jackie Chan), areckless rock band drummer andspoiled son of a high-profiled gangster.A rebellious playboy, Sid finds himselfin trouble with a powerful mafia bossand is sent off to Taiwan by his fatherKwan (Tony Leung Ka Fai) as ameans to placate the dangerous situa-tion. In the shadows of the lush Taiwanese

mountains, seemingly a world awayfrom the busy city life, the tranquilityand simplicity of traditional tribal-likedrumming is contagious. It is therewhere he joins the drumming groupand learns lessons that will eventuallytransform him forever.Jaycee Chan gives a realistic portray-

al of a reformed young man growinginto his identity. He also shines earlyon as a naïve and immature drummerwho doesn’t care for anything andwhose only reason to do things is toinfuriate and disrespect others. Inmany moments throughout the film,Chan resembles (literally and figura-tively) a younger version of his father.He is no doubt ready to hold his ownand make a name for himself in thecompetitive Hong Kong cinema world.Though a relative newcomer, he main-tains standing with veteran actor Tony

Leung without ever being overshad-owed.

Leung’s performance as Sid’sfather, a brutal and tough gangsterwho is as harsh and rough with hiskids as he is with opposing tribes, israw and authentic. No surprise thathis performance in the film earnedhim the Best Supporting Actor hon-our from the Taipei Golden HorseAwards. On top of the strong and talented act-

ing, the cinematography captures thecalmness and natural beauty of therural mountains and countryside, whilemaintaining a sense of hazy confusionthat not only exists in the main charac-ter’s sensibility, but also in the heartsof urban audiences viewing theserarely seen landscapes. Reminiscent of the Karate Kid, the

universal theme of self-discovery isemphasized with touching moments ofunderstanding and focus. The mix offast-paced action in the city and thepeaceful clarity in the country is han-dled well; instead of a confusing mish-mash, it delivers an inspiring storywhich transcends cultures.Music is a vital characteristic in the

movie especially with its inclusion ofthe world-renowned Zen drumminggroup U-Theatre. The scenes withthese drummers are genuine as we geta glimpse into how they live their liveswith utmost dedication and commit-ment to their music. One of the earlyencounters between Sid and the drum-ming ensemble is reminiscent of themany battles in Drumline, but in amore refined and sophisticated form.Showing in a limited number of festi-

vals this year, this cinematic gem maybe hard to track down. But for thosewho may get the chance, I suggest youdon’t pass this magnificent tale up.

Empty Orchestra Exhibition

Taking a break from the movies, a fea-ture on the festival’s schedule alsoincluded an exhibition at Hart House’sJustina M. Barnicke Gallery. EmptyOrchestra (Candace Breitz, WangGongxin, Christian Jankowski,Karen Tam, and Iichiro Tanaka) ismass tribute to karaoke, a symbolicrepresentation of contemporaryJapanese culture. The exhibitionranged from artists planning a “karaokelounge” where visitors can actuallysing songs, to video installations ofpeople singing. American disco ballsand Japanese music filled the air in aquick-tempo multi-lighted room and isjuxtaposed next to a serene Moroccan-style haven for karaoke.

Candace Breitz’s installation simplytitled “Karaoke” is note-worthy withher clever use of ten television setsplaced in a circle facing each otherwhile playing different people singingthe love ballad “Killing Me Softly” ona loop. Seemingly “weird,” at first, theinstallation is actually overwhelmingwhen one stands in the center of thecircle and only sees the bright screensall around in a completely dark room. These artistic installations are not

about understanding their meaning orwhat the artist strived to achieve, butrather, to be able to experience it foryourself. What’s significant in thisexhibition is the creativity these artistshave demonstrated in showing thefacets of a pop culture craze that hasovertaken Japan and the world.

ODILIA YIM

Paul Wong’sEast Van: John isnow on at V- Tape

and will be showinguntil November 22.

photo/reelasian.com

The Drummer continues its stellar run at the twelfth annual Reel Asian FilmFestival.

Monday, November 17, 2008 7THE MEDIUMAARRTTSS

Banana Boys show true coloursBanana Boys: an expression refer-r ing to Chinese-Canadian boysdeemed to be yellow on the outside,and white on the inside. The playtoo, is divided – an insubstantialscript with an excellent production.Great on the outside, but very badon the inside.

Banana Boys , a play by LeonAureus and adapted from the novelby Terry Woo explores the lives offive Chinese-Canadian friends dur-ing the year after their graduation.All five exemplify one of the stereo-types associated with typicalChinese-Canadians. Rick (JeffYung), the Chinese yuppie trying torise into the new class of Chinesebusinessmen, Shel (DarrelGamotin) , the unassert ive andromantically unlucky guy, Mike(Christian Feliciano), the pressuredwould-be medical student, Dave(Karl Ang), the computer geek whosees racism wherever he goes, andLuke (Byron Abalos), the flightyguy with no “real” prospects. The play begins with Rick’s death,

and then follows a series of non-lin-ear sequences delineating the events(and non-events) that got themthere. It deals with the many aspectsof being Canadian-Chinese, somefunny, such as bad luck withwomen, and others not as funny,including discrimination and assimi-lation into the dominant culture.

Director �ina Lee Aquino does afantastic job with a script that isoften dry. The set is minimalist, andyet brilliantly does the trick – ascreen, a gurney, four chairs, and

four tubelights creating scenes rang-ing from a nightclub to a bedroom toa bank.

The scenes are fluid and incredi-bly dynamic, creating a sense ofmanic intensity that keeps the pacewhen the script tends to fall flat.Some scenes are executed excellent-ly: Mike’s faux-surgery, the scenewhere Chinese-Canadians’ bad luckwith women is portrayed as a mock-battle, and the mother-sumo wrestlerfighting with Mike to get him tosuccumb to becoming a doctor .Indeed, the play is a hilarious tributeto the well-known and identifiablestereotypes of Asian males.

The play veers between reality anddream sequences, and the latter isfar more effective. For example,Mike, who wants to fol low hisdream of becoming a writer is pres-sured by his family to become a sur-geon instead. The scenes where he isdreaming of surgery are far moreeffective than his friends’ discussionof his dilemma. The surgeries aresuccessively performed upon him-self, his book, and Rick. His night-mares illustrate the point more effi-ciently and are much more entertain-ing. On the other hand, Rick’smonologues, pre and post death,drag on and do not seem more thanjust angsty gibberish.

Christian Feliciano as Mike andJeff Yung as Rick stand out for theirperformances. Both are given themeatiest characters, and the depthand struggle of their characters isreally felt. Darrel Gamotin as Shel,however, deserves special mentionfor bringing to life a character thatisn’t much more than a simplesketch. His rendering of Shel, whospends most of the play on thephone with his girlfriend in Ottawa,leapt off the stage and identifiedwith most, if not all, of the males inthe audience.

The second act, which focuses onRick’s death, is where the playbegins to reveal his cracks. Rickhimself is an excellently drawncharacter, and the dream sequencesdealing with him are one of the mostnotable ones in the play. However,the real-life events in Rick’s life aregiven too much attention, and theaudience’s attention began to wan-der during the second half.

The problem with Banana Boysbecomes obvious in this portion: ouremotional relat ionship with thecharacters, which has to be strong ina play like this, is never really builtup for us to feel their distress.Though playwright Leon Aureuswrites that the play is “a story aboutcourage, self discovery, and accep-tance,” these themes are rarely com-municated clearly enough for theaudience to feel connected andinvested in the characters. Thus, wenever really understand their dilem-mas. At the end of the day however, the

cast and crew of Banana Boys atHart House do an very decent job byputting an excellent skin on an oth-erwise very hollow banana.

SHAREEN PATHAK

The scenes are fluid andincredibly dynamic, creat-ing a sense of manic inten-

sity that keeps the pacewhen the script tends to fall

flat.

photos/Daniel DiMarco

Top: The four friends look over Mike’s dead body.Left to Right – Jeff Yung as Rick, Christian Feliciano as Mike, Karl Ang as Dave,Byron Abalos as Luke, and Darrel Gamotin as Shel.Bottom: The five friends share a nostalgic moment.Left to Right - Jeff Yung as Rick, Christian Feliciano as Mike, Byron Abalos asLuke, Karl Ang as Dave, and Darrel Gamotin as Shel.

Monday, November 17, 20088 THE MEDIUM

www.athabascau.ca/standout

Andrew Hamilton-Smith, Editor | features@mediumonline.ca

I’ve been good friends with thisguy for three years. In the begin-ning we had a thing for each otherbut it never worked out. We go todifferent schools now but we stilltalk to each other a lot and ourmutual friends think that weshould date. He kept asking meout until about a year ago butsome of my friends have told methat he’s a player and that he hasother girls. The problem is thatnow I’m starting to like him a lotand I don’t know if I should tellhim. And I’m not sure if he wouldgive up other girls just to be withsomeone who lives two hoursaway.

So let me get this straight. Youused to have a thing for this guy butit didn’t work out and now thatyou’re at different schools you’redeveloping feelings for him. I thinkI might have a few theories:

1) Have you ever heard the saying“distance makes the heart growfonder?” It’s likely that distance isat least in part to blame for thisemotional confusion. The more timeyou spend with someone, the moretheir f laws become noticeable.Distance glosses over most of theimperfection and over time, youbegin to forget about the problems.

2) You might be missing hisattention. You mentioned that heasked you out repeatedly after yourcrush fizzled out and that he stoppedabout a year ago. It’s flatteringbeing chased and when it goes awayit makes you want that attentionback.

3 ) If you aren’t currently in arelationship it’s possible that youjust miss being in one. Sometimeswhen we’re single we reconsidersome of our discards and try to min-imize their negative qualities to seeif there was some way that we couldhave worked it out.

If you tell him, what’s the worstthat could happen? He could say nobut you’re two hours away so youdon’t even have to experience theawkwardness of running into him allthe time. Or he could say yes andyou guys could give it another shotand see what comes of it.If you don’t tell him then you

might dwell on your feelings forhim, which might intensify beforefading, but later on, you could meetsomeone else who’s a little bit clos-er to you.These are things that you need to

weigh in your mind for yourself.With regards to the “other girls,”that might be a part of his personali-ty. If he is someone who is naturally

flirtatious, your jealousy of the othergirls will be heightened in a long-distance relat ionship with him.Whether he would give up the othergirls to be in a long-distance rela-tionship with you is not a questionthat I can answer; it’s different foreveryone. On the one hand, lots ofpeople are in relationships with part-ners that live much further away. Onthe other hand, I’ve got friendswho’ve ended relationships withtheir partners because they lived indifferent cities. Either way, makesure you think this through a littlebit more before you make your finaldecision.

Good luck.

SEC

If you have any questionsthat you want answered in

our sex column,send them to

sex.column@utmsec.ca.Please note that

this column is intendedfor entertainment

purposes.

In war-stricken Sudan, any reportof an immediate and unconditionalceasefire between the armed forcesand warring factions should comeas great news. Yet President Omaral -Bashi r ’s announcement las tweek, where he announced a cease-fire, failed to inspire much hope.One likely reason for this skepti-cism stems from the fact that hewas following recommendationsmade by his own state-sponsoredforum - the Sudan People’s Forum(which was created to give the illu-sion of tolerating dissent) after theInternational Criminal Court soughtto have him arrested for crimesagainst humanity this past July.A recent BBC news report elabo-

rates on President Omar al-Bashir’scrimes: in addition to ordering thekilling of the Zaghawa, Masalit,and Fur ethnic groups, he has beencharged with torture, rape, forcedrelocations, extermination, murder,pillaging, and attacking civilians.The BBC also notes that more thantwo million people have becomerefugees s ince 2003 and up to300,000 people have died.

The situation isn’t getting anybetter. In October, Human RightsWatch noted the following aboutthe current s i tua t ion in Sudan:“According to local sources, gov-ernment-backed "Janjaweed" mili-tias attacked more than 13 villagesand settlements around Muhajariya,eighty kilometers east of Nyala, thecapital of South Darfur, kil l ingmore than forty civilians, burninghomes , and s tea l ing l ives tock.Witnesses to ld Human RightsWatch that armed Janjaweed onhorses and camels surrounded vil-lages and were followed by govern-ment forces in vehicles mountedwith weapons.”Can a government who commits

these sorts of atrocities be trustedto bring justice to its own people?According to Eric Reeves, a pro-

fessor at Smith Col lege and anexper t on Darfur , the genocidestarted in February 2003 and thevictims are not limited to the non-Arab or African tribal groups ofDarfur, as reported by the BBC, butalso include the Dajo, the Birgid,and the Tunjur, along with others.These groups have been economi-cally and politically disadvantagedfor years, and this has been com-pounded by the National IslamicFront regime endorsing Arab mili-tias, such as the Janjaweed, to raidvillages in Darfur. Access to land

and water has also been a key issuein the conflict.Even more disturbing is evidence

of the involvement of Westernbusinesses in maintaining this bru-tal status quo. According to a 2003report f rom the India ResourceCenter, an organization that chal-lenges social injustice, oil compa-nies like the Swedish Lundin OilAB and the Canadian Tal ismanEnergy Inc. have been found guiltyof building transportation routes tohelp the government attack civil-ians in Unity state (Western UpperNile). After being chided by humanrights groups for their act ions ,Talisman pulled out in late 2002,followed by Lundin in June 2003.Foreign involvement is not limit-

ed to private companies. In July,the Damanga Coal i t ion forFreedom and Democracy, an orga-nization representing the exiledMassaleit from Darfur, reportedthat Belarus sent a shipment ofRussian-made MIG-29 combat jetsto Sudan, violating UN SecurityCouncil Resolution 1591 that out-laws the sale of weapons to Sudan.Morever, Syria, India, Germany,Iran, Switzerland, and China havebeen found guilty of sending morethan $25 million worth of armouredcombat vehicles and tanks to East-African nation. It would seem thatany progress towards the imple-mentation of international law hassimply vanished when it comes tothe genocide in Darfur.

Collusionin SudanKAREN AKHTAR

South Sudan, Palotaka Boys Schoolduring an air raid drill.

photo/www.mtholyoke.edu

Features wantsYou!

This is your chance to getpublished. ContactAlain at features@mediumonline.ca

to have your short stories,articles, or poems printed in

The Medium.

Can a government whocommits these sorts ofatrocities be trusted tobring justice to its own

people?

The fifth of November is a day thatwill not be soon forgotten. On thisday, thousands of students fromacross the GTA rose up againstincreasing tuition fees. Studentsstood up, believing that education isa right, not a privilege, and called onthe government to restore fundingfor post-secondary education.However, there were and are oppos-ing voices that argue tuition feesshould exist, for a multitude of rea-sons, from “We are making aninvestment in ourselves” to “We willhave to pay higher taxes”.Education is a right. However, I

would like to make clear that thatassertion does not mean that the roleof academic qualifications should bediscounted. Rather, what is referredto as a “right” is the recognition ofthe goals and benefits of post-sec-ondary education, and the right ofcitizenry to equal access to society’score services.The alternative vision is that edu-

cation is a privilege. And as such, itmatters not that there be equality ofaccess, nor, i t could be argued,should it be subsidized by the gov-ernment. As with most privileges,the marketplace can determineaccess to education. From this per-spective, it is necessary to determinewho has access to this dispensableservice.Canadians know intuitively, and

statisticians know empirically, thatthere are substantial benefits to post-secondary education. Perhaps to thedismay of some economists, theanswer to the question “who shouldpay?” cannot be solved by one com-plicated formula. Rather, the degreeof adequate public funding for socialprograms is firmly rooted in subjec-tive political perspectives.In 2006, a thorough review of the

literature on positive social and per-sonal outcomes related to variouseducation levels was conducted.Among the more noteworthy find-ings are that university graduates notonly contribute more to the tax basethan those without a degree, butgraduates are also far less likely todraw on public transfers to individu-als, such as social assistance. Highereducation levels are also correlatedwith higher civic participation, suchas voting and following currentevents.Although university and college

education is virtually a pre-requisitefor meaningful participation in thelabor force, some organizations haveattempted to exaggerate the privaterate of return on post-secondary edu-cation as justification to raise tuitionfees. One common refrain amonguniversity presidents is that degreeholders earn, on average, one mil-lion dollars more over their lifetimethan non-degree holders. However, acloser examination suggests that oneshould be skeptical of this figure.First of all, it is an average inflat-

ed by the inclusion of a compoundinterest element. In other words,when inflation is factored out, the“net present value” or “additional

potential earnings” of a universityeducation is only $148,000.However, it is an average of theincreased earnings for universitydegree holders. The vast majority ofpost-secondary graduates are aver-age income earners.The “one million dollar” commu-

nications tactic attempts to place anoverly narrow frame on the discus-sion on how to best pay for publicpost-secondary education. There areboth private and public returns tohigh levels of participation in uni-versity and college, but the “onemillion dollar” tactic draws attentionto a false glut of individual futureearnings on which to raise fundsfrom the student, ignoring suchinstruments as the progressiveincome tax system.The weakness of this claim is

evinced by economist HughMacKenzie, who demonstrates howvariable the personal “investment”in post-secondary education can be.MacKenzie found that for one-quar-ter of all university graduates, thenet value of a degree is negative.That is, for 25 per cent of all univer-sity graduates, annual earnings areless than that of the average earningsof those with only a high-schooldiploma. The myth of the wealthygraduate who can pay more tuitionfees is clearly not supported by thefacts. Hence, the idea that decreasedtuition fees will decrease quality isan absolute untruth.

Universities operate from twomajor sets of revenue. One comesdirectly from us, the students, in theform of tuition fees. The other isgovernment funding in the form ofsubsidies for each student. In theyear 1987-88, tuition fees made up19.1 per cent of the universitiesoperating budget. 80.9 per cent camefrom the provincial government.Fast forward to 2004-05, and we seetuition fees now comprising 44 percent of the operating budget, withthe provincial government only con-tributing 56 per cent.Following the Second World War,

the federal government began direct-ly funding universities. By the mid-1960s, nearly all funding forCanada’s universities was providedby the federal and provincial gov-ernments. This allowed for tuitionfees to be reduced to a tokenamount. Not surprisingly, post-sec-ondary education enrollment explod-ed, with Canadians from all back-grounds gaining access to highereducation for the first time. This erarepresented a time when Canadiangovernments not only recognized thesocial and economic value of masspost-secondary education but alsoinvested public funds to reflect thatcommitment. In 1976, the Canadiangovernment signed on to the UnitedNations’ Covenant on Economic,Social, and Cultural Rights, promis-ing to gradually introduce free edu-cation at all levels.In the early 1980s, a value shift

began to take root in governments inCanada and most other westerncountries , as most jurisdictionsbegan cutting funding for publicprograms. Post-secondary education

was an easy target for these fundingcuts. Because universities and col-leges were funded through a combi-nation of both federal and provincialgrants plus user fees, governmentswere able to cut funding by forcingstudents and their families to subsi-dize the difference. Between theearly 1980s and the early 1990s,average tuition fees at Canadian uni-versities more than doubled.In 1995, the federal Liberal gov-

ernment announced a further cut of$7 bil l ion in public funding toprovincial programs, including post-secondary education, health-care,housing, and social assistance. Thesepost-secondary education cuts weredirectly passed on to students,resulting in the largest tuition feeincrease in Canadian history.Today’s high tuit ion fees are

symptomatic of the significant cutsto funding for post-secondary educa-tion that were made by theGovernment of Ontario and theGovernment of Canada during thelast decade and a half. If they hadrisen only by the rate of inflationsince 1990-1991, average undergrad-uate tuition fees in Ontario would be$2,490, less than half the currentcost. It would take 40 years, up untilthe academic year 2048-2049, forinflation to catch up to the averageundergraduate tuition.

So when we are asking for a dropin tuition fees, we are not asking fora reduction in the quality of educa-tion. Rather, we are demanding thatthe government take back theresponsibility of funding post-sec-ondary education. 76 per cent ofjobs available today require someform of post secondary certification.It could even be argued that univer-sities and colleges are the new highschool.If I were to ever have kids, I

would hope that they live in a soci-ety where their abil i ty to gainknowledge, vital knowledge, is not

measured by their cheque books, butrather their academic qualifications.That’s where we seem to be heading– a society where one goes to uni-versity not because they deserve it,but rather if they can afford it.

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Canadian Tuition Fees, 1994 - 2004

photo/Matthew Filipowich

He’s the “next big thing”, the newUltimate Fighting Championshipheavyweight champion, and thebiggest man in his weight class.This past Saturday at the MGMGrand in Las Vegas, Brock Lesnaroverpowered Randy “The Natural”Couture in front of thousands.“He’s one of the most exciting

fighters to enter the UFC... ever!”UFC President Dana White said ofLesnar during a pre-fight segment.UFC 91 was filled with blood and

pure adrenalin-fused entertainment.Along with the Lesnar-Couturefinal bout, another notable match-up was between lightweight KennyFlorian (12-3 win-loss record) and

Joe “Daddy” Stevenson (34-8) .Florian, who called out lightweightChampion BJ Penn sitting at ring-side during the match, proved toomuch for Stevenson, and the lattersubmitted in only the first roundafter a chokehold from behind.

During the post-fight interview,Florian pointed out Penn and thechampionship title as his next steptoward MMA supremacy. But first,Penn has to find a way past UFCwelterweight champion Georges St.Pierre on January 31, a bout manycritics have billed as the “fight of2009.”

But, first the “fight of 2008,”David versus Goliath, the new ver-sus the old, Lesnar versus Couture.During the first round of the main

event , Lesnar and Coutureunleashed on each other in a tug-of-war for strength. Couture tried topush the fight on the floor with agame plan to expose Lesnar’s sus-ceptibility to submission moves.The plan never materialized thoughwith Lesnar ‘s 6-foot-3 and 265-pound frame proving too much forCouture.Lesnar f inal ly caught “The

Natural” with a punch to the headin the second round as Coutureimmediate ly col lapsed to theground with his legs up, trying toblock Lesnar from a ground andpound, but that didn’t stop Lesnarfrom unleashing a fury of hammerpunches to the side of Couture’shead. Moments later, the refereecalled Couture out of the match.“I can’t believe it,” said Lesnar

after being awarded the champi-onship belt. “I just believe in hardwork and it pays off.”

The road to Lesnar’s title-win didnot go without controversy. Lesnarjumped into the Championship fightwith a 2-1 win-loss record, numberswhich hardly resemble a worthycontender. Meanwhile Couture,who holds a 16-8 record, made pub-lic his desire for a fight with “themost dangerous man” FedorEmelianenko who constantly bragsabout his 26-1 record in the ring. Sohow did Lesnar land a title shot soeasily and quickly? Many speculatethat this has much to do with therift between White and Couture.Ever since their dispute over a con-tract renewal, it’s been no secretthat UFC President White has had itin for Couture and since Lesnar isalready a star, why not raise someeyebrows from the wealthy viewers.Emelianenko fought most of his

career in the Pride Fight ingChampionships (now a partner withUFC). After a failed attempt to signEmelianenko, UFC’s higher powerthen paired up Couture with Lesnar,who White believes to be a betterfigure and representative for UFC.With Lesnar’s World Wrestling

Entertainment stardom, pure busi-ness-sense pushed him up the lad-der. There is more money at stakewith Lesnar in the octagon than vet-eran Emelianenko attempting toretain his title and respect in thering. It seems UFC is following intoWWE’s footsteps as an organiza-tion concerned mostly with profit

and worldwide recognition—a roadyou wouldn’t expect such a sport tofollow.With Lesnar as the new face of

UFC, the quest ion of whetherEmelianenko will ever be coming tothe UFC still remains. Everyoneknows that White wants to but ishaving trouble signing the fearedfighter. If the signing does happen,it will be interesting to see if Lesnarwill be able to handle the fire fromthe Russian bear—well after hiscontract with Affliction is finishedor cease to exist.Emelianenko took down former

UFC heavyweight Champion TimSylvia in twenty-six seconds andbeat former Interim UFC heavy-weight Champion AntonioNoguiera twice in the past decade.Clearly, he’s not a man to be reck-oned with.Lesnar is slow to react with open

opportunities when his opponentsare down – he’s lucky to have apunch that can rat t le a skul l .Emelianenko on the other hand, isquicker, agile, smarter, more expe-rienced than and arguably as strongas Lesnar . While Lesnar wouldprobably think a f ight withEmelianenko as a “dream match,”many would argue that he isn’tready for it and his trainers proba-bly think the same way. Whiteprobably knows this, and will morethan l ikely wai t i t out a whilebefore pairing his new championwith someone deadlier and moreconsistent than Couture. Let himride the glory train a little longer.Meanwhile, there are also several

quest ions surrounding Couture.With two more fights on his con-tract, it’s anyone’s guess who he’llf ight next . Is White going todestroy Couture’s credibility andrespect with two undercards? We’llsee what happens.The Lesnar and Couture fight has

shown a new face and direction forUFC. Compet i t ion is growingbetween fighting affiliates with anew generation of fighters “cuttingthe line” (a la Lesnar) for the bigbout and the culture of MMA cor-rupting in front of our eyes. It’s notabout style anymore; i t ’s aboutpower and size. Back to old UFChabits?

Monday, November 17, 200810 THE MEDIUM

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Interested students must pick up an application at The Medium office, room 200, Student Centre, and return it no later than December 1 2008, at 5 pm.

The Medium is also hiring an assistant copy editor for the upcoming winter semester. Interested students must send a resume and cover letter to Ali at editor@mediumonline.ca no later than December 12, 2008.

Christopher Sa’d, Editor | sports@mediumonline.ca

David versus GoliathEx-WWE star prematurely finds his way up the ladder into his first championship bout

CHRISTOPHER SA’DSPORTS EDITOR

photo/ufc.ca

Lesnar pounding on Couture duringthe second round.

“I can’t believe it... I justbelieve in hard work and it

pays off.”

- Brock Lesnar, UFCHeavyweight champion

photo/cagepotato.comCoutre (left) and Emelianenko: The fight that would probably never happen, butat least they had a photo shoot together.

Monday, November 17, 2008 11THE MEDIUM

photopop is a new weekly section curated byThe Medium’s Photography Editor Matthew Filipowich.An assemblage of weekly photographs, photo + collaborate is your take on weekly life, seen through your eyes.

comments: photos@mediumonline.casubmissions: www.mediumonline.ca/photopop

SSPPOORRTTSS

Champions at lastUTM Women’s Soccer breaks 13-year jinx with a well-deserved win

On Sunday November 9 the UTMEagles Women’s Soccer team raisedthe cup with a 2-1 victory over theirrivals the UTSC Raccoons in theDivision 1 final. The championship also marked

UTM’s first women’s soccer champi-onship since 1995. The powerhouseteam, led by new coaches Rob Brownand Rafiq Hakim, stirred up the cham-pionship game with a forceful and con-fident winning recipe – be the first tothe ball, go in hard, and shoot at net,always shoot at the net. And of course,everything went according to plan.At the fifteenth minute mark, Lloyd

received a give-and-go pass from mid-fielder Sarah Bruno that allowed Lloydto blaze past the UTSC defenders,pulling them far into the corner andreleasing a left-footed shot that curvedinto the net. Soon after, the Raccoons were

awarded a free kick just outside UTM’s18-yard box. UTM goalie, ChristieDesRoches, leapt to make an almostimpossible save to keep her side’s one-goal lead intact. But the game began to nose dive for

UTM after that with some questionablecalls from the referees and a fortuitousequalizer from the Raccoons. Earning acorner kick off a counter attack, UTSCtied the game when the kick from thecorner flag somehow snuck into the net.

Ironically, after the goal, UTSC lostall momentum in their attempts to pro-duce any offence, allowing the Eaglesto grow in confidence in defense. Throughout the rest of the half,

Larissa Viel and veterans RochellePerera and Jaimee Ogilvie fused theirtalents with newcomers Erin Doane,Mikaela Logdberg and Dina El Kadi tocontrol UTM’s D-zone with no shotson net allowed. This defensive solidity led to the

winning goal from Lloyd, her second ofthe game, with a strike that whipped bythe goalie in the seventieth minute. From this point, there was nothing to

stop UTM from finishing the match aschampions. Solid midfield perfor-mances from rookies BrittanyMcNamee, Amanda Giatti and SarahBruno and veterans Diane Fric andNicole Frankovic prevented UTSC

from providing any threat in theirattacking half. Meanwhile, returning forward

Nicole Dinardo allied with first-yearsRashmi Benawra and Lisa Spring todeliver suspenseful breakaways andrack up UTM’s shot count, making it arestless game for the Raccoons goal-tender.The play of the game fell to UTM

defender Ogilvie’s sensational slidetackle which prevented a golden oppor-tunity to equalize late in the game. “I never slide tackle,” said Ogilvie,

showing the bloody scrape on her knee.“But it was well worth it, especially forour team’s victory.” “My job becomes pretty easy with

such a solid team in front of me,” saidgoalkeeper DesRoches after the game.“The team dominated Scarborough,giving them very few chances on net.

We had a great season and definitelydeserved the win."“I was showing off the (champions)

t-shirt on Monday when I got back toschool,” said Brown. “I’m proud of allthe girls and what they’ve accom-

plished this season.”In order to keep the same winning

record for next season, UTM also hopesto keep the same team. Let’s hope itdoesn’t take UTM another thirteenyears to win another championship.

SARAH BRUNO

photo/Jack Krist

UTM Ball Hockey Champions...

Ron Vogl Dream Team

Congratulations by winning your UTM Championship t-shirts

Monday, November 17, 200812 THE MEDIUM

Wednesday, November 26th, 08.5pm- 7pm at Council ChambersSE3130. Refreshments will be

provided.