Monday, October 19, 2009 Volume 36, Issue 6Monday, October 19, 2009Monday, October 19, 2009 Volume 36, Issue 6

Professor Dax Urbszat

opens up about life and teaching

in our new regular feature

page 8

Students shave to save

TThhee sseeccoonndd ffuunnddrraaiisseerr ffoorr tthhee CCaannaaddiiaann CCaanncceerr SSoocciieettyy ffeeaattuurreedd hheeaadd sshhaavviinngg,, hheennnnaa ttaattttooooss,, ppiiee tthhrroowwiinngg aannddlleegg wwaaxxiinngg..

On October 15, students gathered atthe Blind Duck Pub from 12 to 3 p.m.to raise funds for the Canadian CancerSociety. The fundraiser, dubbed theFair for Hope, was led by fourth-yearstudent Sunil Shah and kicked off atnoon with performances by studentLoral Decoy and the Music Club. Students volunteered to have their

heads shaved on stage as the audiencebid on the volunteers. The highest bid went to Shah, who

had previously announced that hewould cut more hair off for every $50donated. (His bid soared to $200) AllShah has left to keep his head warmare two scraggly bangs and a mess ofuneven hair at the back of his head.The highlight of the event

occurred when a first-year studentvolunteered to have herhair completely shaved off. Other

female students who donated theirhair had it styled later in an impromp-tu appearance by Out@UTM’s AfiBrowne. Students volunteered to pose as

targets for the event’s pie-throwingauction while other attendees bid tothrow pies at their colleagues’ faces.Bids ranged from $5 to $75. The sole$75 bid was placed when UTMSUPresident Joey Santiago volunteeredto be a target. Because three studentsmade the combined bid, three piesheaded Santiago’s way. Asked how hefelt afterwards, Santiago replied usingthe favoured frosh cheer, “Oh, I feelso good!” The Fair for Hope received sup-

port from UTMSU as well as UTMacademic societies and clubs. TheErindale Gaming Organization set upan Xbox and a Nintendo Wii on atelevision in the Student Centre pre-sentation room and a donation to theCanadian Cancer Society allowed

students to play Halo and Brawl.Draws for raffle prizes were held

throughout the duration of the fair,which included tickets to Screamersand Halloween pub and TorontoArgonaut tickets. UTMSU, theUndergraduate Commerce Societyand the Forensics Society providedthe prizes. “Everyone knows someone who

has been affected by cancer. TheCanadian Canter Society is such animportant organization. We’re sothankful for everyone that came out;the response from UTM was amaz-ing,” said Rand Abdulnour, a Fair forHope organizer. Last year, the CSS raised nearly

$200 million for cancer research andsupport. It is estimated that about150 thousand people are diagnosedwith cancer each year, making theorganization and the individuals and groups who contribute to it a necessity.

SSTTEEFFAANNIIEE MMAARROOTTTTAA

Best bang for your buck

Matthew Filipowich/The Medium

SSiimmrraann DDhhaalliiwwaall aanndd aa sslleeddggeehhaammmmeerr ggeett ssoommee aaiirr oouuttssiiddee tthhee SSttuuddeennttCCeennttrree llaasstt TThhuurrssddaayy.. AArrttiiccllee oonn ppaaggee 22..

Supplied photo

Students visit professional schools fair

The Career Centre recently organizedthe Professional School’s Fair at theRAWC. The fair was attended by overa thousand students and 93 schoolsfrom across Canada, the US, Europeand Asia and covered academic disci-plines such as business, law, health,teaching, graduate studies and collegeprograms. According to Clair Westgate, the

centre’s external events and employerservices coordinator, the purpose ofthe fair was to “connect admissionrepresentatives from professionalschools with students who are inter-

ested in exploring options for furthereducational opportunities.”Various school representatives

echoed the success of the centre’s ini-tiative to connect the students withschools. Elaine Brothwick, admissionsdirector for the Faculty of Law at theUniversity of British Columbia, saidthat “The student turn-out was great.All of the students were asking theright questions and had done theirhome-work.” The MBET programrepresentative from the University ofWaterloo expressed a similarly posi-tive experience. Andrea Tulett, who tended the pre-

sentation booth for UTM’s Masters ofManagement in Innovation program

offered by the faculty of medicine,was satisfied with the fair. “Overallthe fair was good. It provided us agreat opportunity to answer questionsand help the students make importantdecision about their future careergoals.”Although the fair was a success for

most, some students believed that thefair should be held more than once,since the fair often conflicted with thestudents’ schedules. Westgateacknowledged the concern andreplied that the timing for theProfessional School’s Fair, like anyother campus event, is challengingbecause students have classes everyday of the week. “We do our best to

pick a time that we know studentswill be on campus and have a break.We would love to organize the fair atother times but the attending organi-zations won’t attend on weekends dueto their preference for regular busi-ness hours.” The Professional School’s Fair was

the second fair of the year organizedby the Career Centre to help studentsplan their careers. Some of theupcoming events for the centreinclude the Career Expo on October27, which will allow students to meetemployers from major corporationssuch as the Royal Bank of Canada,Wells Fargo, Investor Groups andReckitt Benckiser.

OOVVAAIISS SSHHAAHH

INSIDEThe E�Bike gets to UTMPPAAGGEE 22

Widows, reviewedPPAAGGEE 55

African Student Aid,PPAAGGEE 99

Ultimate Frisbee at UTMPPAAGGEE 1111

TWO WHEELS, FOUR WHEELSNEWS

XE PooCAREERMore than 40 di�erent organizations,

ready to network with you.

Are you ready?* Speak to reps from various �elds! * Expand your network of contacts * Ask questions & get valuable information from industry insiders

October 27th, 200910:30-1:30PMThe RAWCValid T-Cardrequired for entry

Participants include: TD Canada Trust, Ontario Public Service, Celestica, Loblaw Companies Ltd, and many more!View the entire list at www.utm.utoronto.ca/careers/expo.html

Prepare for the fair -- Attend a Success at Expo Prep Session!Oct. 21 and 22 | Sign up online at www.utm.utoronto.ca/careers

Take a peek into the future...

Extern job shadowing program

Feb ‘10

edition! Sign up for an orientation at www.utm.utoronto.ca/careers and get started!

Orientation dates: Oct. 16th | Oct. 22nd | Oct. 28th

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 200922 THE MEDIUM

As students made their way tomorning classes last Thursday, manypaused to consider the commotionin front of the Student Centre. Thearea typically functions as a walkwayfor students but was transformed asstudents gathered to watch theircomrades release their frustration bypounding on a black Ford. Cheersand screams filled the air at eachswing of a sledgehammer and eachblow of a steel bat. A stereo playedMariah Carey songs from under alarge tent, where members of theUTM Meal Exchange received stu-dent donations in exchange for a goat the car, which was donated byLyons Auto Body. Within the firsthour, the Ford’s back lights weresmashed, the bumper mashed, thewindows dented and the mufflerhung off the car. “Who else wouldlike to take a shot? All proceeds willgo to charity!” shouted a member ofthe UTM Meal Exchange. Anthony Simone, an executive

member of UTM Meal Exchange,explained the history of their non-profit organization. “Meal Exchangeis a national charity with 40 chaptersacross Canada. Our mission is tofight food security issues in localcommunities.” Statistics on the MealExchange website show that 753,458people use a food bank per month,about 35% of food banks have diffi-

culty to meet demands and 41% offood bank clients are children. UTM Meal Exchange was initially

reluctant to implement the Bang fora Buck fundraiser. After askingUTMSU and Campus Police, theywere directed to meet with Dean ofStudent Affairs Mark Overton. DeanOverton approved their idea, so theywere able to move ahead. UTM MealExchange took safety measures suchas providing goggles and gloves andeven required participants to sign awaiver form. Members of the UTM Meal

Exchange expressed how happy theywere to see the appreciation of stu-dents around campus for Bang for aBuck. “When you see the campusgetting involved, you feel appreciat-ed. Also, i t ’s a lot of fun,” saidSimone. One student said, “This isone of the smartest fundraisers I’veseen on campus.” Meal Exchange promises more

events this year that will raise fundsand awareness for hunger. The nextevent is Trick of Eat: volunteersalong with the UTM Meal Exchangewil l go door to door in variousneighbourhoods dressed in cos-tumes to collect food items for theMississauga Food Bank. Last year,UTM Meal Exchange was able tofundraise 800 pounds of food in fourhours, which were donated to theUTM Food Bank. If you would liketo get involved, you can register forthe event at www.trickoreat.ca.

A buck goes a long way

UTM BikeShare , a s tudent-runorganization that loans bikes forpersonal use in collaboration withthe UTM New Democratic Partyc lub , in t roduced the e -b ike onOctober 15. In conjunction withthe launch, BikeShare allowed stu-dents to test drive the new motor-equipped bikes. The E-bike shouldbring attention to problems suchas the environment, sustainabilityand economic e f f i c i ency , s a idUTM NDP Pre s iden t AndrewHamilton-Smith.Sean King, a representative of

Ce l t i cB ike s . com, the companyresponsible for the manufacturingof these electric bikes, said thatthe E-bike is for “anybody whoalready rides a bike or who maynot r ide one because o f age orother fitness issues.” The electricbike is equipped with a durable250W motor and is powered by aremovable lightweight 36V lithi-um ion ba t t e ry tha t c an becharged approximately 500 times,

averaging 40 to 50 kilometres percharge. The E-bike can also reacha top speed of approximately 30kilometers per hour.

The E-b ike comes equ ippedwith three modes of functionality.Users can choose to pedal and usethe E-bike as a normal bike withthe s ix speed Shamino gears orthey can use the “pedal with assis-tance from the motor” mode tohelp them along your journey. Thethird mode of the E-bike allowsfor full use of the throttle withoutany pedaling. Mark Vas, a coordinator for the

BikeShare Program at UTM, saidthat the E-bike is “excellent forpeople who are new to bikes or for

those with no energy left at theend of a long day.”Students took the E-bike for a

test drive on Thursday in front ofthe S tudent Cent re and mos tenjoyed the experience. “The E-b ike i s p re t t y g rea t because i tr equ i re s no peda l ing . Too badthey s t a r t in the spr ing , ” s a idSalman Salat, a first-year life sci-ences student. Even though the E-b ike i s

motorized, King pointed out thatit is treated as a normal bicycle bythe Transport Ministry of Ontarioand thus requires no l icense orinsurance. The E-b ike i s up fo r $1 ,650

from regular dealers. UTM stu-dents can purchase i t for $999.Those who are interested in buy-ing an E-bike or want to knowmore about it can contact Vas atthe BikeShare office in front of theStudent Centre.

Environmentally friendly E-bike now available at UTM

GGUURRPPIINNDDEERR GGAAHHEEEERR

Campus police weekly summariesOctober 7, 2009 to October 14, 2009

October 7FireCampus Police and Mississauga FireDepartment attended to a fire alarm inthe CCIT Building. The area waschecked and all was in order.

October 8Trespass to Property ActA female student attempted to useanother person’s identification to gainaccess into the RAWC. The female wasbanned from the RAWC until furthernotice.

October 9Noise ComplaintCampus Police responded to a noisecomplaint in a residence unit. The ten-ants were spoken to and advised to shutdown the party and the tenants com-plied.

October 9Vehicle TowCampus Police and MississaugaParking Enforcement towed a vehicleoff campus due it being a habitualoffender.

October 9Theft Under $5000Report of a stolen iPod touch. The esti-mated value of the stolen property is$230.00.

October 11Theft Under $5,000Report of stolen personal belongingsinside a residence unit. The estimatedvalue of the stolen property is $20.

October 12Property DamageReport of property damage inside the

North Building. The area was checkedand repairs were completed. Estimatedvalue of damage is $50.00.

October 13Trespass to Property ActCampus Police investigated twofemales selling spa packages while onthe UTM Campus. The females wereverbally trespassed from the UTMCampus and they were escorted off theproperty.

October 13Motor Vehicle AccidentReport of vehicle damage in parking lot8. Campus Police investigated the inci-dent and the estimated value of damageto the vehicle is $600.00.

October 13Noise Complaint

Report of a noise complaint inside theCCT Building. Campus Police attend-ed the area and spoke with several stu-dents and they were advised to turn themusic off in the building. The studentscomplied and left the area without inci-dent.

October 13Missing PersonCampus Police investigated a possiblemissing student. Further investigationby Campus Police found the studentwas safe and not considered a missingperson.

October 13Theft Under $5000.00Theft of a wallet from the Library. Theestimated value of the stolen property is$60.00.

October 13Library Code of ConductCampus Police investigated a male whorefused to leave the Library as directedto do so. The male was escorted out ofthe Library by Campus Police.

October 14Noise ComplaintReport of a noise complaint from a resi-dence. Campus Police attended the areaand spoke with several males and theywere advised to keep the noise down.The males complied and went insidethe residence.

October 14Motor Vehicle AccidentReport of damage to a vehicle parked inthe CCT Garage. Estimated value ofdamage is $400.00.

E�bikes can now share the road with cars, pedestrians andother traffic throughout Ontario

MMAAYYAA SSHHAAHHIIDD

“The E�bike is prettygreat because it

requires no pedaling.Too bad they start in

the spring.”

�Salman Salat

For more informationvisit ebikes.ca

TURKEY AND FLIESNEWSMONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2009 THE MEDIUM 33

Environment week brings‘a breath of fresh air’

With the tagline “A breath of freshair,” Environment Week was heldfrom October 5 to October 8. Thethree-day long event was organizedby the UTMSU Ministry ofEnvironment and started in theCCT Atrium with a display of infor-mation and brochures about theMinistry of Environment and thecampaigns it runs. Later in the day, a farmers market

was set up in front of the StudentCentre. There was also a corn roastbarbeque, which was especia l lypopular among the students . Inorder to emphasize the local foodcampaign, a l l the food that wasserved was grown locally in Miltonfarms. On Tuesday, the Ministry gave

out free candy apples from Miltonapple factories. The apples wereorganic, local grown fruits. The dayfinished with an anti-litter event,followed by cleaning up litter oncampus. A Lug-a-Mug event took place in

the Student Centre on Wednesday.

Starbucks donated coffee that camewith the mugs. Approximately 50students part ic ipated in a tree-planting event that was followed bya nature-walking session and morelitter cleaning. Impressed by thesuccess of the Lug-a-Mug event, theMinistry plans to hold another onein the future. On Thursday, volunteers promot-

ed alternative transportation ideas,such as riding a bicycle, taking pub-lic transportation or carpooling.Students who used one of suchmethods to commute to the campusreceived free breakfast at theSpiegel Hall between 8:30 and 11a.m. and about 50 students tookadvantage of this offer. Later in theday, UTM BikeShare gave threebike tours around Mississauga andorganized nature trails.Throughout the Environment

Week, UTMSU showed daily pre-sentations and films on environ-ment related subjects to furthereducate the public on current issuesThe Ministry of Environment

seeks to raise environmental aware-ness among the UTM community.Their campaigns promote environ-

mentally friendly transportationand encourage students to switch tomultiuse bottles rather than single-use plastic water bottles. (A singlebottle may take 20 years to decom-pose in nature and is not very suit-able for recycling.) The Ministry ofEnvironment i s current ly cam-paigning for the overall banning ofplastic bottles throughout campus. The Ministry also hopes to mini-

mize trash on campus by means ofsustainable and efficient waste man-agement. It promotes locally grownfood and raises awareness about theenvironment in order to decreasethe human impact on nature andreduce further pollution. Publicawareness of these issues, believeMinistry representatives, is the keyto achieving the goal of environ-mental sustainability. The Ministry of Environment

considered the event a success.Many students volunteered tobecome members and to take partin further events. Donations collected throughout

the event will be given to a charitychosen by the Ministry ofEnvironment.

EEMMIILL JJAABBBBAARRLLII

A taste of turkey forinternational students

Although midterms and essays arearound the corner for most universitystudents, Thanksgiving is a time of theyear when many get a day off fromschool to put their books aside andrelax with loved ones. While many UTM students

enjoyed Thanksgiving with turkeyand cranberry sauce at home, othersusually those who come from abroad– are unable to make it home. This iswhy a group of student volunteersfrom the International StudentResource Centre organized a turkeydinner for international students.“Thanksgiving is a fundamental partof Canadian culture; it is one of thosesecular festivals when people of allreligions and cultures of Canada gettogether and give thanks for the closeof the harvest season,” said organizerVeronica Vasquez.In the spirit of the multicultural

nature of the festival, a group of inter-national students and their friendsgathered to discuss the importance ofThanksgiving and its place inCanadian culture. The students alsoshared instances of similar festivalsakin to Thanksgiving that are cele-brated in their home country, such asVaisakhi in India, Punjab in Pakistanand the Mid-Autumn Festival inChina and other regions of Asia.After the discussion, the students

indulged in a scrumptious dinner ofturkey that was offered at a discount-ed rate, courtesy of Food Services. In the past, the Thanksgiving get-

together was offered as a sponsorprogram whereby faculty, studentsand staff members at UTM sponsoredinternational students and took themhome for a Thanksgiving dinner. Thisyear, the ISRC decided to take a newapproach and make it a collectivedinner where international studentsand local students can have a multi-cultural exchange of ideas in a biggroup. Vasquez remarked that “it was an

ideal opportunity to teach and learnabout cultures. The students wereexcited and loved the event.” CharlieMao, one of the attendees at theevent, deemed it as a success and anideal opportunity to interact withother students.

Let’s Talk Turkey is just one of theprograms the centre has planned forthe year. Aiming to connect interna-tional students and local Canadianstudents via activities, programs andevent, it is but one of the many ser-vices offered by UTM Student Affairsfor the student body. Other upcoming events from the

centre are the Global Café sessionsand a buddy get-together that aims toprovide international and local stu-dents with a support-system and anopportunity to learn about Canadianand international cultures.

OOVVAAIISS SSHHAAHH

Last Thursday, a UTM researchteam led by Professor Joel Levinerevealed that by genetically tweak-ing pheromones emitted by fruitflies, they were able to produce bugsthat were irresistible to each other.The study, published in the sci-

ence journal Nature, looked at howfruit f l ies recognized sex andspecies . By el iminating certainpheromones, the researchers wereable to breed flies that did not havethe capacity to distinguish and clas-sify each other, thus rendering them

sexually irresistible to their species.“Lacking these chemical signals

el iminated barriers to mating,”Professor Levine said, referring tothe fact that male flies attempted tomate with pheromone-free males,even though sometimes they were ofa different species altogether,Professor Levine admitted that

the f indings are of l i t t le conse-quence to human attraction. “Wemay rely more on the visual systemand we may have a more complexway of assessing other individuals,classifying them and determininghow we’re going to relate to themthan a fly does.”

Fly mating at U of T

MMiinniissttrryy ooff EEnnvviirroonnmmeenntt mmeemmbbeerrss aatt tthhee llooccaall ffoooodd mmaarrkkeett llaasstt MMoonnddaayy..

RAW presents ‘Live likea refugee’

During September 28 through toOctober 2, the World UniversityService of Canada committee at UTMheld Refugee Awareness Week.UTMSU VP External Henry Ssali andother committee members set up atable in the CCT building to informstudents about the program, encour-age volunteerism and raise money.On Wednesday, students were

encouraged to “Eat like a Refugee” for24 hours. At noon, participants weregiven a small meal of rice and salad,resembling the food that would beprovided at a refugee camp. Other fundraising initiatives includ-

ed a bake sale at the Student Centre,where cupcakes were sold for 50 centsonwards and portraits drawn byfourth-year art history student SteveKhan were sold for $5. Students also had the opportunity to

sign up and camp out on campus to

support the cause. On Wednesdaynight, Ssali and a few supporters set uptents for the “Live like a Refugee”event. Seven students braved two chillynights next to the Kaneff Building toraise awareness on the living condi-tions of refugees. Some onlookers were sceptical

about how camping out in a tent for anight benefited refugees. Others dis-agreed. “It seems like a small thing tosit in a tent for a night, but everythingaccumulates when many people cometogether. We achieve big results,” saidfirst-year student Stephen Wright. Refugee Awareness Week raised

$850 during the week. Ssali wasthrilled with the response from stu-dents. “The Refugee Awareness Weekhas been awesome as far as educatingUTM students on the various issuesthat refugees face. Such actions ofcompassion from students are so hum-bling and they make me continue toserve my fellow students with passion,” Ssali said.

SSTTEEFFAANNIIEE MMAARROOTTTTAA

MMIICCHHAAEELL DDII LLEEOO

This newspaper aims to inform us about UTM. It’s right there in thenameplate – “The Voice of University of Toronto Mississauga.” That,more than ever before, is our focus this year. We’ve concentrated oncampus news as opposed to national and international news. We’vewritten about the RAWC. We’ve published student prose, featuredECSPERT and the CCIT Council, and lent many students a space inthese pages – just look at the amount of contributors in every week’smasthead.We have, in other words, written plenty about students, for stu-

dents. Unfortunately, that’s not all we have done. Forgetting that UTMis not just about students, we’ve treated UTM staff as if it were com-posed of faceless, robotic bureaucrats. They are most certainly not.There’s Douglas Leeies at the Registrar’s office, who helps student

after student with a patience and generosity that never fail to amazeme. There’s that polite grinning lady serving coffee in the CCT build-ing, who once told me that I had something to do with horses in a pre-vious life. There’s that gentleman of a shuttle bus driver – I won’tmention his name – whom I overheard last week on the cell phone. Hewas talking to someone, possibly a relative who was ill, and his voicewas full of concern. Yet many students who climbed onto that busignored his greeting. And there’s Stephanie Sullivan with her charm-ing accent out of a British movie, who accommodates professionalwriting students’ requests with ease, perfect manners and effective-ness.Then, there are professors. Some, perhaps many, are boring. Others

are just plain awful. (A certain Philosophy professor in the NorthBuilding was so rude and mean and produced such unfair tests thatmany of us dreaded that class, despite being seasoned third andfourth-year veterans.)On the other hand, many UTM professors are excellent. Three of

them changed my life. Others made me think, made me want to learnbeyond what they offered in class. They all made me a better man.I can’t be alone in this. I know there must be students out there who

admire and respect some of their professors. Yet we have never inter-viewed any of them at The Medium. Or rather, we never had. Not untiltwo weeks ago, when we sat down with one professor to discuss hislikes and dislikes, about what he wants to instill in students, aboutDexter and Nazi Germany and jiu jitsu and how to teach kids to lovebroccoli.There are quite a few reasons why we never did it before. First, we

never thought it’d be possible to persuade a professor to share person-al beliefs. Second, professors seem reluctant to approach us, let alonewrite for us – I still remember how surprised we were last year whenPhilosophy Professor Paul Franks sent a letter to the then-editor. (Bythe way, Professor Franks, thank you).I’ve often scratched my head, wondering what the reasons were

behind this reluctance. A general bias against media? A mistrusttoward a student (read, amateur) newspaper? A fear that students willtake too many liberties with whichever professor decided to step for-ward into the spotlight?Only one way to find out. This is why I sat at my desk two weeks ago

and wrote Professor Dax Urbszat a lengthy email, one in which I triedto anticipate every possible reason why he might say no to an inter-view and countered it with assurances that we’d be professional andwouldn't compromise his private life and on and on.His quick reply? A simple “Why not?”I first met Professor Urbszat in my first year, when I took PSY100.

The course was fascinating, not just because the subject itself was fas-cinating, but because he made it alive and relevant and fun. So muchfun, in fact, that I enrolled in a psychology as a major the next year.My admiration and gratitude are not uncommon. Professor Urbszat

is possibly the only professor ever to have a student-created Facebookgroup pronouncing him a superhero. (Seriously). Ask any psychologystudent about him and they will tell you they love him. They will tellyou he’s great. They will tell you he teaches in a practical way (he likesthe term “holistic”) and that he tries to make you see how you canapply it in your day-to-day life.As for the interview itself, we decided to lay it out in a novel way,

eliminating the questions themselves. Typical Q & A formats tend tobore readers. This way, I hope, will seem more interesting.So, before you turn to page 8, let me ask you this: do you know any

professor or cleaning person or UTM official or TA who, in your opin-ion, is doing an outstanding job? If you do, then let us know. We willdo our best to profile him or her, much like we did with ProfessorUrbszat, so that we can all learn about staff and professors as humanbeings, about what drives them to come to work every day and make adifference.Here’s hoping that this will be the first of a long series of professor

profiles.

OPINIONMONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 200944 THE MEDIUM

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Comments, concerns or com�plaints about The Medium’s con�tent should be directed to theEditor�in�Chief who can be locat�ed at the email address above.

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Letters to the EditorDouble standard?Dear Editor,

I am writing to you today after read-ing the article on the front page lastweek. I am glad that students statedwhat they liked about UTM andwhat needs improving (I didn'tknow it was happening) but that isbeside the point. What I find inter-esting is that the student govern-ment – UTMSU – brought studentsin to complain about what theydon't like on this campus and whatthey want to see in the next princi-pal. Though I appreciate the effortsmade by the student government togive students a chance to speak, Iwould like to ask why they don’t askstudents what they want from thestudent union. I have personallynever met or seen any of these peo-ple. Asking the Principal to comemeet students in the meeting placewhen the president of the studentunion has never shown his face is

not reasonable. What I am trying to say is that I

don't want to be friends with theprincipal or my professors. I thinkthe student government should hosta town hall so that students can statewhat they want out of the UTMSU’svice president and president. I can appreciate the efforts the

student government makes aboutthe campaign to drop tuition fees,but like the University Presidentasked, what services would you cutif you don't want to pay to keep ser-vices running?If UTMSU thinks services can

exist without students paying thenwhy do we have pay to UTMSU?Why aren't their services free?All I'm saying is I'd like to know

our President and execs as much asthey seem to want to know the prin-cipal.

Daniyal Beg

Is Mississauga Transit notkeeping their end of the bargain?Dear Editor,

Over the month that we have been insession, I have noticed a disturbingtrend on the Mississauga Transit busesserving this campus. Every day that Ihave boarded any route either leavingor coming to UTM, I have witnessedovercrowding to the point that stu-dents are being turned away, unable toboard.When the UPass was put into place,

Mississauga Transit took on a respon-sibility to ensure adequate service wasput into place to satisfy demand. Inexchange for almost $1,000,000 inguaranteed yearly funding, we the stu-dents would receive the necessary reli-able service needed to attend our class-es. Instead, we are seeing students leftwaiting on the curb becauseMississauga Transit hasn't held uptheir end of the deal, and I just can'thelp but feel that they'd be doing moreto get those students on the bus if theydidn't already have our money.The UPass is a fantastic deal for stu-

dents, but only if the service is broughtup to match. Any student who is notboarding a UTM-bound route at itsbeginning has no way of knowing ifthey will actually be able to get on thebus that will take them to class, or ifthey will be turned away. The onlychange Mississauga transit made this

year is changing the frequency of the110 from 20 minutes to 17 minutesduring rush periods. Unfortunately, ifall students are boarding to arrive onthe hour because that is when we haveclasses, an extra bus every two hoursisn't going to help anyone. The prob-lem is capacity, not frequency.There is a solution: Mississauga

Transit needs to employ double-lengthbuses to UTM routes during high-capacity periods. It would not be hardto determine what times those are: thedrivers would certainly be able toinform their employers when they arebeing forced to constantly turn peopleaway, despite their best efforts.Unfortunately, it seems that Transit isnot willing to take this step on theirown. As our money is already in theirpocket, why change?And so, the task falls onto our stu-

dent union to speak with them, andremind them that we had a deal. Thecontract for the UPass won't last forev-er, and our money is not guaranteed.Before we resign for another three ormore years, we need to tell our unionthat they need to play some hardball.Paying for unlimited transit doesn't dous much good if we can't even get onthe bus.

Jonathan M. Scott(Third year philosophy student)

UTM not a racetrackDear Editor,

La te ly I have become i r r i t a t edwith how incredibly fast peoplehave been dr iv ing on inner campusroads. It is extremely dangerousand it is coming to the point where peo-ple cross the road not when thesignal commands them to, butrather when they feel safe in doingso. Motorists should be taking pre-

cautions to drive safely becausemany of our roads curve and havetrees that obstruct our view, whichmakes it difficult to see pedestri-ans and oncoming vehicles. This isalso a major issue because this is

a campus shared not only amongUTM students, but it’s also usedby many young children and othercommunity members, so driversshould be responsible enough tohonor campus road s i gns andspeed l imi t s fo r the s a f e ty o feveryone. Lastly, our campus is ahome to many other beautiful ani-mals including birds, squirrels,raccoons, and deer. These animalsare constantly getting hit by carsand dying needlessly at the faultof reckless drivers. Obvious ly we a l l have some-

where to get to, but nothing is soimportant that you cannot takethe time to do it safely.

Sam Ouellette

Michael Di Leo, Editor | arts@mediumonline.ca

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2009 THE MEDIUM 55

What would you do if your lovedones were suddenly taken fromyou w i thout any exp lana t ion?Who wou ld you turn to fo ranswers? How would you copewith the uncertainty of whether ornot they are even alive? This is the severe hardship expe-

r ienced by the women in Arie lDorfman ’ s Widows , a raw ta l etha t examines the se women ’ squest for the truth and their undy-ing defiance against the atrocitiesof human nature. Directed by BillLane , Widows made its TheatreErindale debut at last Friday, anddespite its lengthy running time ofalmost three hours, the adaptationwas close to flawless.The story takes place in a South

American river village in the 20thcentury, where the women patient-ly await the return of their hus-bands, father, and sons, all of whomhave mysteriously vanished. Thearrival of the military sparks thehope of promising news, but whenbodies start surfacing in the river,the widows’ situation becomes allthe more grave.The “Women o f the Va l l ey”

begin b laming the e lder widowSofia Fuentes (Rachelle Migel),who has stopped working in thevillage to sit by the river and awaitthe return of her men. The wid-ows believe that Sofia is directlylinked to the strange behaviour ofthe water , and tha t she shouldresume her role in providing forthe vi l lage. When Sofia refuses,the Capta in (Darren Turner )intervenes and pleas with her toleave her spot at the river, promis-

ing her that the men will return ifthe women behave. While the Captain attempts to

smooth over the tension that isforming, the Lieutenant (KevinOwen) has other plans. Althoughthe Captain is in command, theLieutenant is the one who pullsthe strings; he wreaks havoc onthe lives of the widows, tauntingthem if they “misbehave,” and thenaive Captain soon realizes thatthe new reg ime i s cor rupt andnever going to change. Althoughhe in i t i a l l y advoca te s pos i t i vechange, he ends up falling victimto the underlying political agendaof the junta, abandoning his ideasand good intentions in order toretain his position. While Sofia’sstubborn nature gets her mixed upin dangerous situations with themilitary, she stands admirably byher beliefs and her strong will is atestament of the courage that theCaptain lacks.

The women stand together intheir search for justice, and whiletheir s trength i s h ighl ighted atvarious points, few remain unal-tered by the events that unfold.Their desire to claim any corpsethat washes up as their own stemsfrom their longing to receive clo-sure regarding the fate of their

men, and while the junta wish toconceal the truth by burning bod-ies without a proper inquest, thewidows continue to “ask questionswhich cannot easily be ignored.”

Made up o f the 2009/2010Theatre and Drama Studies gradu-a t ing c l a s s , the ca s t de l i ve r s apowerful and emotionally-drivenperformance, depicting the real-life trauma and suffering of a war-a f f e c t ed communi ty . Rache l l eMagil gives an utterly incredibleperformance as Sofia Fuentes, asher hunched walk, scraggly voice,e lde r l y manner i sms and agedappearance only graze the surfaceo f he r deep ly roo ted t a l en t s .Completely immersed in the char-acter, one would actually believethat a 60-year-old was cast for therole instead of a fourth-year uni-versity student. Under the spot-light, the play’s detached momentsbetween Sofia and her grandchil-dren Fidelia (Juel Hughes) andAlex i s (Ramon Vi tug ) a r eex t r eme ly hear t f e l t and theyauthentically suggest their love foreach other, despite Sofia’s toughexterior. Hughes and Vi tug g ive such

s t rong and in sp i r ing pe r fo r -mances, bringing forth a childlikewonder to the plot and remindingthe audience of the ir f ra i l ty asthey try to understand the terrorof a war-torn area. Kelsey Goldberggives a convincing performance asthe initially strong woman and, inthe end , the broken mother o fF ide l i a and A lex i s , and t ru lyencapsulates the heartache only amother could experience. AndrewTribe plays a dual role as both thepriest and Sofia’s returning son,Alonso; he gives a vulnerable por-trayal of a fearful priest, forced by

the mi l i t a ry to ac t aga ins t h i smorals , as well as the shatteredsoul of a tortured man who willnever be the same.

Mark Johnston and MelanieHrymak play the lovers Emmanueland Cecilia, who are plagued bythe constant worry that Cecilia’shusband will return to the village.The two have great chemistry, anddesp i te h i s re la t ionship wi th amarried woman, Johnston ironi-cally gives a charmingly innocentper formance a s the Order l y .Furthermore, Hrymak subtly con-veys the d i l emma o f a youngwoman who is torn between theprospect of a new l i fe wi th herlover and the uncertain situationwith her missing husband. A particularly noteworthy scene

between Teresa Salas (VictoriaHalper) and the Captain depictsthe two characters going head tohead, with Teresa pleading for thebody she believes to be her hus-band so tha t she may g ive i t aproper bur ia l and f ina l ly be a tpeace with herself. Halper conveysthe urgency of a woman who has-n ’ t s e en her husband in s evenmonths and br ing to l i gh t theCapta in ’ s immora l i t y in anenlightening and compelling way.Turner captures the i r re so lu tenature of the Captain as he is tornbetween doing good and savinghis own skin, and ultimately thelatter decision prevails. Turner and Johnston portray the

instantaneous sway of judgementa so ld i e r may undergo whenplaced in extreme conditions well,and the ruthless nature of militarybehaviour emerges within them atthe end. It is highly probable thatsuch vile conduct takes form as aresult of the Lieutenant’s actionsand threats , a s br i l l i ant ly por-trayed by Kevin Owen. He por-t r ay s the de sp i cab l e na ture o fmany army officials perfectly; hisarrogant speech, sinister grin anddisturbing desires form a haunting

portrayal that is all too real. Owenbrings something magical to thestage, and any scene in which hepartakes is sure to make a lastingimpression. Though the p lay ’ s success i s

largely attributed to the phenome-nal acting, it is enhanced even fur-ther through the frequent use ofaudio effects. During every scene,actors and actresses who were noton s t age took turns bea t ingdrums , r a t t l ing symbo l s andscreeching violins to a rhythmicbeat that followed the pace of thecharacters ’ speech and act ions .The impact was so profound that,when necessary, it created a trulyalarming atmosphere within thetheatre . S imilar ly , Hrymak andClare Blackwood ’ s use of theirsoprano registers greatly enhancedmoments of nostalgia within thep lay , and the i r s ing ing evokedsuch a deep level of emotion thatthe effect was spine-tingling. Theuse of lighting to create the rippleeffect of water was both enchanti-ng and ominous, making it evenmore r ea l i s t i c by AdamCresswell‘s writhing body acrossthe floor, suggesting the floatingof a corpse with the tide. Theatre Erindale’s adaption of

Widows is wonderfully astute inits attempt to shed l ight on thec rue l t y tha t s t i l l ex i s t s in thewor ld , how peop le r eac t whenthey are pushed to their limit andhow some people wi l l sacr i f i ceany th ing in the name o f the i rbeliefs. Widows runs this entireweek, with i t s c los ing night onSaturday, October 24.

NNIIVVEESS HHAAJJDDIINNASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

Bodies on the riverbankTheatre Erindale opens their 2009/10 season with Widows, a powerful tale of a group ofwomen and their quest for the truth

Jim Smagata/Theatre Erindale

TThhee rruulliinngg KKaassttoorriiaa ffaammiillyy ssppiieess ggrroowwiinngg ssiiggnnss ooff rreessiissttaannccee iinn tthhee vviillllaaggee ((KKeevviinn OOwweenn,, PPhhiilliippppee JJuulllliiaann,, SSoopphhiiaaFFaabbiiiillllii,, MMiicchhaaeell TTwwyymmaann,, MMaarrkk JJoohhnnssttoonn))..

Jim Smagata/Theatre Erindale

TThhee mmaattrriiaarrcchh SSooffiiaa iiss aaccccuusseedd ooff eennddaannggeerriinngg tthhee vviillllaaggee ((sseeaatteeddRRaacchheellllee MMaaggiill wwiitthh SSoopphhiiaa FFaabbiiiillllii aanndd eennsseemmbbllee))..

“The cast delivers a powerful and

emotionally�driven performance, depictingthe real�life trauma and suffering of a

war�affected community”

For more information, contactthe Theatre Erindale BoxOffice at 905�569�4369, or

visit their website atwww.theatreerindale.com.

MUSIC AND COMEDY. MOMEDY. BRING YOUR MOM.ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTMONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 200966 THE MEDIUM

Bold, brash and brazenTaking a look at one of the freshest faces in comedy, the inimitable LLoouuiiss CC..KK..

I was in New York three years agoand I tried to see a The WhitestKids You Know show at Caroline’scomedy c lub . A t tha t po in tTWKYK were developing a showfor the Spike network and wouldnot be seen that night. Instead,they were replaced by a headliningact I’d never heard of. His namewas Louis C.K. On came this mid-dle-aged bald guy, who describedhimself as “a fat faggot” and con-templated the tangibility of liter-ally “sucking a bag of dicks.” I fellfor him right away. My accidentalpatronage turned me into a long-time fanboy.The only comedian I ’ve seen

control a room in the same way asLouis is Dave Chapelle. He’s thesame sort of fearless storyteller.C.K. offers his opinion withoutapology and audiences accept itwithout blame. I t ’s a discipl inecu l t iva ted over decades o f l i veper formance , and the e f f ec t i s

phenomenal. It is mind bogglingto watch him get away with themost salacious, offensive, terribleshit while actively telling his audi-ence to fuck of f , and come outsmelling like roses.

He despises anything that does-n’t immediately benefit him andhe makes no i l l u s ion o f i t . Headmits to fantasizing about punt-ing h i s baby o r w i sh ing i l l onstrangers for no reason. He had a

bit that involved shouting “N****rbaby ! ” more than once , wh i l eexperimenting with the inflectingand thereby contemplat ing themean ing o f the phra se .Meanwhi le , the ent i re ty o f thesold out Winter Garden Theatregiggled their asses off. He delivershis jokes with a self-deprecatingBoston charm and, outside of itbeing hilarious, you’re really leftwith the feeling that he is, in fact,a good guy. I think C.K. is proba-bly the best standup going rightnow.Louis has been professionally

wri t ing comedy s ince the ear lyn inet ie s for the l ikes o f D a v i dLetterman, SNL, Conan O’Brianand Chris Rock. He has since col-laborated with Rock to bring forthcomedy “c l a s s i c s ” l i ke “Poot i eTang” wh ich he wro te and “ IThink I Love my Wife” which heco-wrote wi th Rock . Af ter twodecades on the s tandup c i rcui tand writing other people’s jokes,C .K . ha s ju s t r e cen t l y ha s hefound himself in the prime timespo t l i gh t . He can be s een on

NBC’s Parks and Recreation andRicky Gervais ’ new comedy fea-ture , The Invention of Lying . Arecen t appearance on ConanO’Brian where C.K. champions anage of incredible innovation whilechas t i s ing a generat ion of l azyingrates exploded on YouTube. Ifyou haven’t seen i t yet , I real lyrecommend it. Just google it, youlazy ingrate.This tour will give way to his

th i rd Tour DVD, Lou i s C .K . :Hilarious. The last two, Shamelessand Chewed Up can be purchasedon h i s webs i t e , l ou i s ck .ne t o rstolen off the internet. I guaranteei f you do youtube him, be pre-pared to spend at least a half hourgoing through his stuff. It’s good.Go.

KKJJAARRTTAANN HHEEWWIITTTT

wikimedia.orgLLoouuiiss CC..KK.. ppeerrffoorrmmss aa ssttaanndduupp rroouuttiinnee iinnvvoollvviinngg bbooddyy iimmaaggee..

Taking it slow

Let’s face it – the CD is dead.Okay, maybe it’s not exactly push-

ing daisies as a music medium justyet, but there is no disputing that it’swell beyond its prime. From 2006 to2009, North American CD sales havefallen about 35%, while MP3 saleshave more than doubled during thatsame period. Ever since the release ofNapster in 1999 and the subsequentdevelopment of peer-to-peer filesharing technologies, MP3 playermanufacturers like Apple Inc. havebeen reaping the rewards of themusic distribution revolution. Using downloadable audio files as a

vehicle, Apple Inc. has become a topplunderer of this new market with itsflagship MP3 player, the iPod, whichallows you to seamlessly transferdownloaded or ripped-from-CDsongs to the iPod hard drive and playthem more intuitively on an sleek,complex, incomparably convenientdevice – why would anyone want tolug around a Walkman if they couldpractically pick up chicks with thisthing? “In the end, the dominant format is

always the most convenient format,”said Greg Davis, owner ofSoundscapes, a small, indie-friendlyrecord store located on CollegeStreet. “What format someone choos-es depends where they lie on thepackaging/sound quality/conveniencecontinuum. Downloads have theworst packaging (in my opinion), theworst sound quality, but by far thebest convenience.” The downloadable music industry

had made profitable leaps and mar-ketable bounds in the past decadebecause of its high accessibility andease-of-use but surprisingly enoughits not the only medium that has

experienced growth in the industry.Over the years forms of audio medialike the 8-Track or, more recently,the Cassette Tape have been ren-dered obsolete due to the release ofnewer, higher quality, and more con-venient audio formats. However, inthis dog-eat-dog word of audio hier-archy, one format has made a come-back – the relatively inconvenient12’’ vinyl record.

From 2006 to 2008, vinyl recordsales have experienced a highergrowth than any other form of musicmedia. This is highly unusual; neverhas the industry seen the revival ofsuch a primitive mass-media device,especially one that slows peopledown in a world where time ismoney. What could the reasoning tothis be?Audiophiles will tell you that the

12’’ vinyl has never left the scene andthat it has been a popular, albeitalmost unspoken favourite over theyears. Though the rotation-per-minute analog sound quality of vinylrecords doesn’t meet contemporarydigital kilobyte-per-second standards(even though most audio buffs preferthe sound quality of LPs), vinylrecords are full of nuances that willnever burn out or fade away. For one, the difference of sound is

immense – digital music offers aclean, sharp, produced sound while

vinyl offers warmer tones and a moreearthy quality to the music. Asidefrom good-ol’-day sound quality,records come packaged in appealingcovers, often containing lyrics andother bonus materials inside.“We know from consumer research

we’ve conducted, that when peoplelike an artist, oftentimes they want tohave the physical product from thatartist , including packaging andlyrics,” says Isabel Collie, representa-tive of HMV Group International.“The [vinyl] LP is the ultimate mani-festation of this physical product,due to its size and graphic impres-sion.”So fans don’t just buy vinyl records

just for the music, they buy them toachieve a greater level of connectivityto the artist they admire. LPs offer amore tangible link to the originalartistic direction which may havebeen lost in the process of digital re-mastery. But the nostalgic sound andscribbles on the inside of the albumpackaging cannot be the only reasonthat causes many people to forgotheir valuable time and convenienceto listen to the entire B-side of BobDylan’s Highway 61 Revisited, canit?The answer to this is no. But it is

somewhat more paradoxical thanthat. It turns out that most peoplefind that listening to a record is anexperience that, although somewhatinconvenient and time consuming,allows people to take a break fromthe hustle and bustle of their every-day lives to stop and smell the roses.“You have to place the needle on

the record, turn over the record,often listening to an entire side,”adds Davis. “In a world of immediateaccess, short attention spans, andunparalleled abundance, sometimesits nice to have a return to simplicity.”

Why vinyl is making a comeback in the digital age

www.mediumonline.ca

AADDRRIIAANN KKLLIISSZZ

For more informationabout Louis C.K. andother articles visit our

website atwww.mediumonline.ca

“The [vinyl] LP is the ultimate manifestation

of this physical product, due to its size and graphic impression.”

- Isabel Collie

READ AND PREY ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTMONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2009 THE MEDIUM 77

Dave Grohl was the first to moveonstage. He walked to the edge ofthe p la t form at the SoundAcademy and stared down at thecrowd wi th a you-don’ t -know-what-you’re- in- for look on h isface. He was spot-on. Followed byJosh Homme and John Paul Jones,Grohl got into place as the otherspicked up their instruments. Heplayed relentlessly the f irst few

beats and the o ther membersjo ined in unison on the fourthcount – the sold-out crowd wasjarred by the sheer intensity andvolume of this new sound. Thus began this 80-minute ride.Them Crooked Vultures pound-

ed out their first song, “Elephants,”a moody metal-infused blues num-ber driven by insanely hard drums,sturdy bass-lines, screeching guitarriffs and Homme’s eerie falsetto. Itwas like no other song I’ve heardbefore and I, along with the rest ofthe crowd, loved it. When it wasover and while the audience wasstill in awe, Homme moved casual-ly to the microphone to le t theaudience know that he was “havin’a good time. Are you havin’ a goodt ime? We should do th is everyweek.”

They played a couple more high-energy numbers: “Scumbag Blues,”“New Fang ,” “Gunman” and“Nobody Loves Me (And NeitherDo I).” The drums shuddered withsuch force it was as if the cameraset up behind the band was pro-jecting earthquake footage. Each ofthese songs was haunted wi thHomme’s voice and insane guitarparts. Not surprisingly, the spiritof Zeppelin was undeniably pre-sent in the band’s music. Therewas a constant push-pull dynamicagainst Jones’ classic blues-rockinfluences and the others’ contem-porary rock sounds. In fact, therewas a moment where I thought Iwas l i s ten ing to Zeppe l in ’ s“Immigrant Song.” It was actually“Warsaw,” a love song, accordingto Homme.

There was only one questionablemoment during the show: whenHomme put down his guitar andJones p icked up a keytar . Theyended up playing an interlude thatseemed antithetical to the theme ofthe rest of the show. It was muchcalmer than the rest of their songs,almost l ike a 50s R&B/flamencomutation.After this anti-climax, Homme

introduced the band, moving fromAlain Johannes (their l ive gui-tarist) to Grohl. When he got tothe bass player, a man who needsno introduct ion , Homme jus tpointed to h im and remaineds i l ent . The crowd broke into achant. “John Paul Jones! John PaulJones!” Once the fans settled down,Homme added ha l f - jok ing ly ,“Yeah, me and Dave did that too.”

At the end of the ride, the fanswere left wanting more and withno encore, some left somewhat dis-gruntled. This is perhaps a goodindicator of the band’s musicalin tegr i ty . The beauty o f ThemCrooked Vultures’ music is that it’snot just a recycling of the roots ofeach member; it’s a completely newdynamic , a new invent ion withbeats and riffs that jive togetherlike bread and butter, an inventionthat gets your heart beating.There are a f ew more North

American tour leg dates and noth-ing planned for the band after that.Online speculation says that theirdebut album will be out by the endof October, or the end of the yearat the latest. I’ll be waiting in line to pick up

my copy.

AADDRRIIAANN KKLLIISSZZ

Them Crooked Vultures land in TorontoRock supergroupvisits Toronto in hopesof testing out theirnew material

Douglas Adam’s The Hitchhiker’sGuide to the Galaxy first charmedreaders in 1997, when its quirkyhumour and approach to sciencef ic t ion – then d iv ided betweenhard science and space opera –postulated that the genre could befun. The story followed an earth-ling named Arthur Dent and hisalcoholic, hedonistic friend FordPrefect (actually an alien researcher)as they travelled the galaxy after theEarth’s destruction. In Hitchhiker’sand the books tha t fo l lowed ,Arthur and friends found the ulti-mate answer to life, the universe,and everything, saved the galaxyfrom an ultimate evil, experiencedfine dining amidst the apocalypse,read the last message of God to hisc rea t ion , and in genera l had apret ty froody t ime ( froody, forthose that don’t know, is definedby the Hitchhiker’s Guide as ‘beingl ike a f rood ’ ) . Th i s f rood ines sended when Ar thur and Fordfound themse lve s back on analternate reality of Earth, whichwas in the midst of being detonat-ed again.Needless to say, the fifth book

ended on a rather bleak note.Douglas Adams attributed the

g loomines s o f h i s f i f th nove lM o s t l y H a r m l e s s ( r e l ea sed in1992) to h is own personal l i fe ,which had gone through a roughpatch at the time. As he began tofeel better, he planned to eventu-ally write a sixth, jauntier book,ending on a slightly sweeter, lessapocalyptic note. Unfortunately, ahappy end ing for Ar thur Dentbecame unlikely as a happy endingfor Adams. In 2001, Adams suf-fered a heart attack and died. TheHitchhiker’s series lay adored byfans but forgotten by publishers

for over a decade.Eoin Colfer , an author most

f amous fo r h i s A r t e m i s F o w ls e r i e s , w i th the pe rmis s ion o fAdam’s estate , has completed as i x th book o f the t r i l ogy A n dAnother Thing. Colfer shares somesuper f i c i a l s imi l a r i t i e s w i thAdams: they’re both British andwork with humour and the fantas-tic as a medium for their work.And although diehard fans maydoubt Colfer’s ability to carry onAdams’ writing, Colfer producesan incredibly accurate simulation.

And Another Thing takes o f fwhere M o s t l y H a r m l e s s ended :with the Earth’s second destruc-tion. Colfer faces a difficult task ofextr icat ing the characters f romwhat Adams originally intended tobe certain doom, but he carries itoff using the usual Hitchhiker’stechnique of a deus ex machina, inthis case, one in the form of animmortal al ien who has made amission of insulting all sentientl i f e in Galaxy . Whi le the ear thmay be gone – again – some hoperemains for the small colony ofhumans dwelling on the planetoidNano. Arthur , h i s f r i ends , andtheir saviour spend the rest of thebook try ing to save th is p lanetfrom the same demolit ion crewthat destroyed the Earth.Ironically, Colfer’s f idelity to

Adam’s s ty le causes one of thema in f au l t s o f the book . A n dAnother Thing represents the bestand worst of Adams’ technique.The humour is there, but so is thetenuous chain of cause and effect;the characters are there, but so arethe flat descriptions of emotion.That being said, the book com-bines access ibi l i ty for fans andnew reader s , some genu ine lyfunny moments, and a conclusionthat ends like a symphony – tyingin every loose end, wrapping everytheme , and f in i sh ing w i th beautiful logic.

Sixth of threeEoin Colfer’s new book wraps upthe longest trilogy in the world

AAMMIIRR AAHHMMEEDDFEATURES EDITOR

Thoughts about this article? To post a comment visit www.mediumonline.ca

Dr. Dax Urbszat began his post-sec-ondary education by attaining aBachelor of Science from the Universityof Toronto with a Specialist inPsychology and a Major in Crime andDeviance. This undergraduate trainingled to a law degree from Osgoode HallLaw School followed by a Master's andDoctoral degree in Psychology from theUniversity of Toronto. ProfessorUrbszat is currently a lecturer at theUniversity of Toronto and can be foundteaching the Introduction to Psychologycourse at both the downtown andMississauga campuses. Other courses heteaaches are Social Psychology,Psychology and Law, and ForensicPsychology. Last year he was nominat-ed to the Top 20 in the TVO's BestLecturer Competition. (Adapted fromutm.toronto.ca)

● Much of the information aboutmy family was lost in World War II.My father, who was born and raised inGermany, was the youngest of sevensiblings. His father, my grandfatherwho I never met, was a manager at asteel mill, and of course the mill wastaken over to make ammunition forthe war. And my grandma wasJehovah’s witness, which of coursemeant she was to be taken to the deathcamps. So they had to get rid of themost of the information.

● There is no cultural heritage toDax. It was the name of a character in

a book – “The Adventurer,” I believe –that my mother read and really liked.His name was Derek Alexander Xavierand they called him Dax.

● My dad lost most of his German.He didn’t speak the language from theage of 18 until he was late in his 40s.Obviously he had some issues with hiscountry.

● I didn’t know about that Facebookgroup, “Dax is secretly a superhero,”for at least a couple of years. Then astudent showed it to me. I will admit Iwas creeped out a little bit, just by notknowing about it while people talkedabout it. Of course, in the end I’mnothing but flattered.

● When I took Social Psych withProfessor Pliner, who’s retiring now, Igot hooked. I got hooked about under-standing myself and people and whywe do all these crazy things.

● I like what I do. And when peoplesee that, it’s contagious, it’s infectious,to have someone talk about thingsthey’re fascinated by.

● Common sense will take youabout a third of the way when trying tounderstand people and why we do allthe crazy things we do. The other thirdof the way, common sense isn’t goingto help. And for the last third of theway, common sense will lead youdown the wrong path. That was inspir-ing to me.

● I was for sure a daydreamer.● I would like to see a removal of the

adversarial system of learning. In thesystem of speed learning, or what theycall mastery learning, every studentworks at that subject until they are at a

proficiency, so those who are reallygood get to the A level quickly. Andthen when they’re done, they helpother students get to a higher level.The benefit to the students who arefaster is that teaching is the best way oflearning and that they learn a new setof skills. The benefit to the studentswho aren’t as good is that they don’thave to go through life being C stu-dents. Right now, our system is basedon competition. Now, I understandthat if everyone has an A, who wouldyou pick for the program? Well, we’djust have to come up with differentand more effective ways to decide whogoes where that aren’t just based onmarks.

● My girlfriend, who I was livingwith at the time, now my wife, shecould see that law wasn’t really what Iwanted to do. She is a psychologist andshe suggested that I see a friend of herswho does forensic psychology – psy-chology and law. I said okay. The nextthing I knew, I was writing my GREsand got accepted in.

● Martial arts made me a calm per-son. When I was younger, I was cer-tainly a little more hyper, a little morequick to say something, a little morequick to get a laugh at someone’sexpense, which a lot of people findvery funny and will make you verypopular. But that isn’t the kind ofhumour I prefer anymore. Martial artstaught me respect.

● I practiced judo as a kid. And itreally turned me on martial arts. In myearly 20s, I began practicing kung fu, atraditional Shaolin kung fu, and I prac-

ticed that for about ten years.Currently I train in muay thai, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu.

● I’d like to see things like medita-tion and focused breathing taughtfrom kindergarten on. That should bepart of five minutes in every class forevery kid. I would like to see empathytraining being done with children. Iwould like to see creativity training inschools.

● I always read the course evalua-tions from students.

● Jordan Peterson, who still teacheshere at U of T, was a huge influence onme how you can impart knowledge ina practical way and how you can teachin a holistic way.

● I don’t follow any particular reli-gion. I’m really eclectic in nature andtry to take the best from any system.

● Just ‘cause they said it in the newsdoesn’t mean the newscaster knowsabout it. There’s a critical differencebetween what someone tells you in thenews and what you read in a scientificjournal.

● I do a lot of three-hour classes. Iknow that’s not the popular way ofdoing things. I like it much better thisway and I believe the learning out-comes are much better. There are cer-tainly studies that suggest this.

● Not everyone has a curiosity orthirst for knowledge – many peopledon’t. But you can instill it.

● Kindling passion in psychology –that’s my job.

● A former student once told methat the thing he got out of PSY100was that people don’t know themselves

very well at all. I thought that was veryastute.

● I had never thought about being apsychologist. That wasn’t even on myradar. I didn't want to be a teacher. Ididn't want to be a professor. I wantedto get out of university.

● I was a student for most of my life.Whether it’s for academics or formusic or for martial arts, I’ve been inso many testing situations, on and onand on, so I understand it’s hard andit’s stressful and I understand that peo-ple are trying to do well and what bar-riers get in the way. So as a professor,most of the time I’m doing things thatI wish others had done for me when Iwas in that situation.

● I want to instill in students a thirstfor knowledge, a want to not justaccept things easily, to not just take thecognitively easy way out, to not takethe simple “A causes B” explanation. Iwant people to be critical thinkers, tobe analytical thinkers – to be open-minded, but cautiously open-minded.

● The bureaucracy of the education-al system is astounding. Trying toeffect any type of real change, especial-ly in the face of budget restrictions, is adaunting task.

● I run a strict classroom. But Imake it clear what I expect of every-body and I make it clear that therespect isn't something that I think Ideserve automatically or demand fromothers. It’s the respect for other stu-dents that’s important.

● In Taoism there is an overarchingprinciple that one should practicethree main ideas as a way to find con-tentment. One of these ideas is com-passion. The other is gratitude, to seethat the cup is half full. And the last isto have humility – not to have to shoutfrom the rooftops how good you are.When I was younger, I was out toimpress. Martial arts taught me thatthose who are out to impress don’t feel100 per cent good about who they are.They aren’t confident that people willaccept them at face value, so they makean extra effort to impress others.

● I wasn’t much of a student. I was-n’t very keen, I didn’t sit at the front, Iskipped lots of classes, I didn’t takemany notes, I fell asleep in class quite abit – I was such a night owl. I regretmost of that.

● I had a dream at one point that Iwould start a record label.

● I read this article and they askedthese four prominent lawyers whatthey do in their spare time for hobbiesand all of them said, they don’t haveany. Don’t have any spare time. Don’thave any hobbies. Law is all they do.And if that’s your passion, then goodfor you. But Lord forbid, if you’redoing it because you thought it wasprestigious or because it was a lot ofmoney or because that’s what momand dad wanted you to do, you’ll bevery unhappy very quickly.

● It wasn’t until I started teachingthat I said, “Wow. There’s something Ireally like about this.”

● You get a decent wage doing thisjob. If you’re in front of people educat-ing them, you certainly owe themenough to at least be engagingfor them.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 200988 THE MEDIUM

Amir Ahmed, Editor | features@mediumonline.ca

A talk with Professor Dax Urbszat

AALLAAIINN LLAATTOOUURREDITOR�IN�CHIEF

Psychology Professor Urbszat speaks about life and his approach to teaching

Matthey Fillipowich/The Medium

“All who have meditated on the artof governing mankind have beenconvinced that the fate of empiresdepends on the educa t ion ofyouth.”

The quota t ion comes f romAristotle, but applies to contempo-rary political theory as much as itd id when he f i r s t u t t e red thewords. In an era when informationis commodi t i zed , the educatedmass keep countr ies stable andeconomica l l y succes s fu l . Thereverse is true for countries wherethe knowledge infrastructure iseither developing or only accessi-ble to the upper classes.

The Afr i can Student AidProgram have stepped in to pro-mote grassroots change in Africa’sknowledge infrastructure. ASAPsent ten students in Somalia toHarge i sa Univers i ty l a s t year .ASAP’s three executives, AhmedYonis , J e s s iva Zi ta and GuledAbdullahi have already gatheredsufficient funds to send ten morethis year, but hope to gain enoughmoney over the months to sendtwenty.

ASAP was founded by Yonis, anethnic Somali UTM political sci-ence s tudent who was born inWest Africa. It began as a pilotproject of the Somali Student ’sAssociation in 2007. The pilot pro-ject aimed to send three Somalistudents to university, and suc-ceeded easily. From that point, theidea of making a greater impactwith more resources seemed lessl ike a poss ib i l i t y and more

an eventuality.“So far we’ve had nothing but

success ,” said Zita , who creditsreasonable goals and a strong, cen-tralised management with ASAP’ssucces s fu l fundra i s ing . “And Ithink that we have a definite foun-dation to draw from at UTM. It’simportant for UTM students torealise they can make a differenceon campus. The student popula-tion here has a lot of drive but fewoutlets for it, especially political-ly.”

ASAP’s ethos doesn’t just focuson helping the individual students,but their entire community. Yonisstresses the importance of educat-ing students in their native coun-t ies . “Everything changes overhere . When peop le come here ,they want to live here because ofthe increased opportunities. Butwe want people to benefit theirnation as well as themselves.”

This attitude offers an unexpect-ed advantage with an issue stu-dents wor ldwide su f f e r f rom:tuition fees. Education in Somaliai s cheaper than the equiva lentcourses in developed nations suchas Canada. The cost of a half-cred-it course in Somalia amounts toroughly C$150, as opposed to thegovernment-subsidized C$700 thatan average Canadian s tudentwould have to pay.

This gap in course fees allowsASAP to do more with the moneyavailable to them. The tuition fees

for in terna t iona l s tudents areastronomically higher than nativeCanadians’ and ASAP is able tosend roughly ten students to uni-versity in Somalia for every onethey would be able to bring here.“People need to understand howmuch they can help with just asmal l amount o f money , ” sa idYonis. “A dollar here – that willbuy you a cof fee . A do l l a r inSomalia – you can eat for a day.”

So far ASAP has worked byga ther ing donat ions f rom theSomali and UN community, butare now going through the paper-work to become a recognized non-profit organization by the Ontariogovernment. They plan to focus onwhat Zita refers to as the basics:establishing themselves in terms oforganization, approachability andpublici ty . Although Yonis , Zitaand Abdullahi are the only currentmembers and execut ives , theyhope to introduce volunteers andnon-executives into the organiza-tion as soon as possible. The threehope to eventua l l y es tab l i shfundraising events both within andwithout the UTM campus.

Accord ing to Yonis , ASAPbegan by funding university edu-ca t ion in Somal ia because“Somalia doesn’t get a lot of mediaattention aside from piracy, and alot of people don’t know about theconflicts going on there.” In thefuture, ASAP hopes to cycle itsfunds around all of Africa annual-ly. Yonis hopes that this invest-ment in education will promote achain of benefits for the Africancontinent both economically andsocially.

“A lot of the insurgents you seeon television are twenty, twenty-one, our age,” saidYonis. “Gettingthese people educated is key tostopping conflict.”

Most academic societies operatewithin a narrow sphere, mainly byreaching out to students in theirprogram and try ing to benef i tthem.

The Undergraduate EconomicsCounci l has a dif ferent plan: i twants to push economics furtherinto the everyday culture of UTM.

Founded in 2006, the council didnot so much emerge as re-emerge:although an academic society foreconomics students had existedbefore 2006, the group fel l intoobscurity for years. Three yearsago, it was final ly restructured,instigating an invigorated attemptto not only attend to the needs ofthe vast population of economicsstudents, but to reach out to otheracademic disciplines.

The council’s primary objectiveis to create a strong connectionbetween the economics faculty ,adminis trat ion and students atUTM. Due to the success of lastyear’s “meet the professors” night,the counci l hopes to organise asimilar event for meeting profes-sors and TAs on November 4. Theyalso hope to host a meet-the-alum-ni night to inform students aboutwhat awaits them after graduation.

UEC president Lavan Puvaneswaran

hopes to go further. He imaginesseminars held by the council – withthe help of the UTM Career Centre– featuring professors and profes-s iona ls as keynote speakers tocover topics such as research in thefield, current events in the eco-nomic community and investmentbanking sessions. Lavan noted thatthe faculty’s support and encour-agement of student-faculty interac-tion have been very helpful.

UEC hopes to take advantage ofcampus resources such as the LeeKoon Chun Financial Centre toprepare students for the workplace.

“I think that the centre will be alot of help in the future. We wantto run a currency trading work-shop, perhaps a s tock tradingworkshop,” said Lavan. The finan-cial centre is well-equipped withsophisticated financial analysis andst imulat ion sof tware , l ive datafeeds from the financial communi-ty and more than thirty work sta-tions.

The UEC faces its share of prob-lems, such as the task of accommo-dating the needs of students withvarious backgrounds. Economicsspecialists, for example, obtain adegree in science while economicsmajors get a degree in arts. Thismakes it difficult to accommodateeach student’s career goals.

The UEC wants to reach out to

all students outside of the econom-ics field. “Everyone needs a bit ofeconomics information. Everyoneneeds to know about concepts likesupply and demand, they’re every-where. It ’s just part of everydaylife,” said Lavan, who envisionsseminars in which students study-ing both environment science oreconomics can exchange opinionsand inform themselves of each oth-er’s perspective.

Some may say that economicgrowth and environmental stabilityis a dream shared by people whodon’t know enough about eitherfield. Lavan disagrees. “I saw DavidSuzuki speak last year and what hehad to say makes a lot of sense. Hesaid that we have to support oureconomy, but in a sustainable way.We need to have both if we want tosucceed in the future. There’s noother option.”

The UEC encourages new mem-bers or volunteers. Check out theirwebsite at http://www.uecutm.ca ordrop by their office in 1146B in theSouth Building.

FEATURESMONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2009 THE MEDIUM 99

MAKING THE MOST OF MONEY

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATESFOR REWARDING CAREERS

business.humber.ca

FINANCIAL PLANNINGGLOBAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENTHUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENTINTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTINTERNATIONAL MARKETINGMARKETING MANAGEMENTPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Educating students worldwideThis year the African Student Aid Program hopes to send twenty Somali students to university

AMIR AHMEDFEATURES EDITOR

Das Kapital...ismMMAARRYY DDYYTTYYNNIIAAKK

CORRECTION NOTICE:In UUTTMM DDeebbaatteess, printed inthe previous issue, SuvratBarar is mistakenly referredto as ‘her.’

TToopp:: YYoonniiss,, ZZiittaa,, aanndd AAbbdduullllaahhii ddiissccuussss AASSAAPP..BBoottttoomm:: SSttuuddeennttss ggrraadduuaattiinngg ffrroomm HHaarrggeeiissaa UUnniivveerrssiittyy..

Top:Jessica Zita/The Medium. Bottom: Picasaweb.com

“[ASAP] hopes to eventually establish

fundraising events bothwithin and without the

UTM campus.”

FEATURES POETRY AND PROSE

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 20091100 THE MEDIUM

Favorview Garden, a housing estate onthe edge of Guangzhou, China, cateredto expatriates and the rich. There was aguardhouse and a gate. Buses, privatecars and taxis crossed to enter the estategrounds. The guard wore a stiff, crispblue uniform. His polished black shoesclacked on the sidewalk as he left to calla taxi for us.Stephanie and I stood at opposite

ends of our group. The four of us wentto Charlene’s house to get ready for thewinter dance our school, the AmericanInternational School of Guangzhou,held. Two months ago, Stephanie,Charlene, Monthinee and I were insepa-rable. Now, four months into 10thgrade, Steph and I were no longerfriends and there were two meters and aworld between us.“Where’s the taxi?” Charlene asked.

She checked her small silver watch andshivered. The wind blew the asymmetri-cal edge of her black skirt. “We’re goingto be late.” “We’re forty minutes early,”

Monthinee said in her calm, quiet voice.“Don’t worry.”Stephanie lived two apartment blocks

away from Charlene. She took the taxiwith us because her parents didn’t wanther traveling alone. Taxi drivers liked tocheat foreigners. Our fancy westerndresses made it obvious we weren’t localChinese girls. The steady rrr-rrr-grrrrr of an engine

and the glare of headlights told us ourride had arrived. We were four princess-es attending a ball and our carriage wasa battered red taxi, its hood grimy withdust and its windows half rolled down.Monthinee climbed into the front

seat. She drew the seat belt across herblue Thai silk dress. With a glance atSteph and me, Charlene clambered intothe backseat and left the taxi door gap-ping. Stephanie crossed her arms andstared at the block one apartmentobscuring the sunset. Her red dressswayed in the wind. She wore her hairgathered in a complicated knot at theback of her head: a bun with spiralingshoots. The hairdo resembled a blackflower. “Get in the taxi, Steph,” I said. Steph swept past me. I climbed in

after her and slammed the taxi door. “Steph, can you tell the taxi driver

where we’re going? I don’t know thename of the restaurant,” Charlene saidinto the silence. “Backstreet Restaurant, Er Sha

Island,” Stephanie said in Cantonese.The driver glanced at us through therearview mirror, let in the clutch andstepped on the gas. Tall concrete buildings framed the

roads we sped along. Large roundcolumns sprouted upward, supportingthe highway. Guangzhou’s road systemis a maze of flyovers, tunnels andbridges. Express highways, long andunbroken, snake throughout the city,running parallel to the older roadstwenty-five meters below them.Twenty minutes into the taxi ride,

Monthinee said, “Guys?” Her voice star-tled me after the engine’s constant humand the crackle of gravel under the taxiwheels.“Do you guys know where we are?”

Monthinee said. She gazed ahead, headtilted. “Because this driver’s route is alittle strange. Er Sha’s in the middle ofGuangzhou.” We passed under a street lamp and

orange light flooded the taxi. Just beforewe flashed back into darkness, I read thetaxi meter. Thirty-two renminbi, themeter said in a steady red glow. In most

other countries, thirty-two renminbiwas a paltry sum. In Guangzhou, it waspricey. Charlene pressed her face close to the

window, her hair flying around her facein the gritty air. “Monthinee’s right. Idon’t recognize any of these buildings.Don’t you think it’s a bit dark out there?There’s hardly anyone around.” “We’re at thirty-two RMB right

now,” I said. “How much does it usuallycost to get to Er Sha from your place?” “About thirty-five. We should be

there by now. We took a different routebecause of traffic, that’s what the driversaid,” Stephanie replied. “Do you guyssee anything familiar?” Monthinee leaned to her right.

Charlene and I hunted for street signs orthe neon company names many largebuildings had tacked onto their sides.Orange light flashed over our faces, ourjackets and our fancy dresses. The taximeter beeped and ticked up anotherrenminbi. A signboard towered over the roads

as the taxi swerved into a fork, one roadleading straight ahead, another up to aflyover and a highway. I couldn’t makeout the white Chinese characters. “Wait.I don’t think that sign said anythingabout Guangzhou Da Dou or Er Sha.”“I don’t think so either,” Charlene

said.“I think we’re heading for the express

highway out of Guangzhou,” Steph saidin a strangled voice. Charlene stared at us, her eyes wide.

Monthinee pulled forward and strug-gled against her seat belt. The stiff blackmaterial swished as it wove in and out ofthe buckle. I gripped the plastic coveredseat. My dress felt two sizes too small,my jacket stifling. The taxi zoomed up a turn that led to

the flyover highway. The four of usscreamed in a mix of Mandarin andCantonese. Monthinee stayed calm, but her

steady stream of perfectly pronouncedMandarin rang like bells. “Where areyou taking us?” she said to the driver.“Don’t try to trick us.” “This is nowhere near Er Sha Island!”

Charlene said. “Stop the car right now!” Steph and I

screeched, she in Cantonese, I inMandarin. The taxi skidded to a halt atthe point where the road meet the high-way. The tenth floor of a buildingloomed over the roadside barriers. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Steph demanded. She clutched at themetal bars that separated the front seatfrom the backseat. The bars preventedpassengers from robbing the drivers oftheir hard-earned money. The metalbarrier looked like prison bars to me. “Itold you Er Sha Island!” The taxi driver looked at the rearview

mirror. His dark, narrow eyes met mine,then flashed away. “Er Sha Island? Youneed to be clearer next time,” he said. “Turn back right now,” I said. My

parents often told me tales of younggirls who were kidnapped and drivenoff in taxis to be sold in the countryside.“You’re a young girl and this isn’t yourhome country. In a country this large,the police will never find you,” Dadwould say, shaking his head. “If theyeven bothered searching,” Mom wouldadd. The taxi driver turned his head and

addressed us through the bars. “Littlemiss, there’s no way I can turn back.We’re on the main highway.”“How far along this highway would

we have to travel before we hit the nextexit?” I muttered softly in English. I did-n’t want an answer. “I don’t care,” Steph said. “Reverse.

There’re no cars coming up from

behind. You reverse the car, and youtake us to Er Sha Island. That’s in theheart of Guangzhou, do you hear me?” The taxi driver and Steph waged a

war of stares. The taxi meter chimedand jumped up another renmenbi. Ishifted in my seat so the taxi drivercould see me and added my stare. Myshoulder brushed against Steph’s. Wedidn’t move and we didn’t say a word. The driver shifted into reverse. He

peered around and muttered. The taxidriver spoke a sharp-toned Chinesedialect. I couldn’t understand a word hesaid. The taxi shot backwards.“Guangzhou Da Dou,” I said to the

taxi driver as we rolled back down theramp with the engine shrieking. Thetaxi curved into a sharp U-turn belowthe flyover. “We’re heading towards ErSha Island,” I said.“Which is smack in the middle of the

Pearl River. Got it?” Steph said. Her eyesfollowed the driver’s every move. Thelocals listened when someone spoke inCantonese. Cantonese speakers werelikely to be city folk or from HongKong. Mandarin speakers, on the otherhand, were often from the countryside. Ileaned back and left Stephanie to herjob. She spoke perfect Cantonese – therest of us didn’t. “Are you guys okay? Monthinee? Are

you okay?” I asked. “I’m fine,” Monthinee replied. “Ask

that question again when we reach therestaurant.” “I’m okay, too,” Charlene said.

Something glowed in her hand. I peeredcloser and recognized the sleek blacksides of her cell phone. I touched myfingers to my purse, reassured by thehard edge of my phone. “There’s no way we’re going to pay

him,” I said. I gritted my teeth at the taxidriver. I knew he couldn’t understandour English conversation. “Even if hewasn’t trying to drive us off to Shenzhenor something, it’s still a bloody rip off.” Charlene leaned back against the car

seat so she could see me behind Steph’sback. “I don’t care how much we haveto pay him as long as we get to Er Sha inone piece,” Charlene said. “I’m going to make sure he gets us

there,” Steph said with teeth in herwords. “Yeah,” I said. “I know you will.” Twenty-five minutes later, the taxi

rumbled onto Er Sha Island. The arc ofthe Xing Hai Concert Hall and the lightsshining on the island’s edge were reas-suring sights. We jerked to a halt in front of the

Backstreet Restaurant’s sleek, chicentrance. Through the glass windowswe saw our school mates, dancing, eat-ing, chatting. The numbers 64:00 glowed at the taxi

meter. I shoved a fifty renminbi billthrough the bars. Charlene donated acrumpled ten renminbi note. We’dworry about splitting the fee properlylater. “We’re only paying you sixty renmin-

bi,” I told the taxi driver. I kicked thetaxi door open and scrambled out. The four of us huddled outside the

Backstreet Restaurant’s glass and metalentrance. Charlene shoved at the cardoor and slammed it shut. We watchedthe taxi speed off. The white light atopthe car blinked on. Stephanie glanced atCharlene and at Monthinee. She lookedat me and then away. “I’ll talk to youguys later,” she said, and strode off.Music blasted as Steph pushed the doorsopened. I stared at Steph’s back.“Come on,” Charlene said. She took

our arms and the three of us passedthough the doors and joined the crowdwithin.

Creative Corner

The highway out

The Silent Face,The Active Life,

The Lack of Grace, The Lack of Light, The Endless Phase, Of a Turbulent Flight

Hard to Phrase, But Simple to Cite...Frustrations as Base,Aggressions at Fright...Running low on Will,But High in Might...Life seems a Blur,

Everything seems White,Lost in each Direction,

Can't tell wrong from Right...Seem lost during the Day,

And in the darkness of the Night...My virtues now Low,

Used to be at their Height...I begin to feel Numb,As I bear every Bite...Within my own self now,I start to pick a Fight...I feel I can't breathe,

The walls seem so Tight...I think I just Fainted,

Lost every ray of Light...Then I wake up each morning,Hopin' the day will be Bright...

Dissapointed yet Again,I stare as far as my Sight...

Then I say to myself, One day it'll all be awriiiite...

SSUU LLYYNN LLIIEEWWCOPY EDITOR

Face of LifeANAM ALI

His sympathy was as wasted away as his ambition,

He seemed to have no mission.

He had words he wanted to say; but gave them no voice,

He made this his own personal choice.

He felt he had the liberty to take a life that did not belong to him,

. . . The light of his world began to dim. . .

He could ruin the life of another with force,

Felt hate, but no remorse.

But the journey of life led him elsewhere.

A place where emotions meant power – not shame.

A place where he learned to control his temper,

And his character was not determined by his name.

He learned to respect, not to intimidate.

He learned it just wasn’t the answer.

His tears did not mean that he failed.

He learned how to defeat this moral cancer.

ALESSANDRA BATTISTELLA

Cancer

For the mixed martial arts fan, UFC 104on October 24 will be the dawn of a newera, as Lyoto “The Dragon” Machidaputs his undefeated record and UFCLight Heavyweight title on the lineagainst former Pride Grand Prix champi-onMauricio “Shogun” Rua.With the Staples Centre in Los

Angeles playing host to the Octobershowcase of the Ultimate FightingChampionship’s best and brightest tal-ents, this card promises to be an excitingand entertaining round of fights. But fora fan of both MMA and UFC, it is themain event which is themost anticipated.With fighting styles such Brazilian Jiu

Jitsu, kickboxing and boxing reigningsupreme amongst the sports elite, it is theunorthodox and unfamiliar technique ofkarate which will finally garner the spot-light it has coveted for years. And forMachida, putting his belt and record onthe line will not only be added inspira-tion for his personal fulfillment, but alsoserve as the inspiration of a traditionalmartial arts style often criticized by fansaround theworld.Seen as the base of his unrelenting

style, the advantages in practicing the tra-ditional techniques of karate have helpedthe Brazilian native frustrate his oppo-nents with his precision, speed and tim-ing, This makes it nearly impossible to

find a sparing partner to emulate theDragon’s style, which is a cause for con-cern for his opponent that night in LosAngeles.“I think people call Lyoto Machida a

puzzle because he’s a very different kindof fighter – he fights in a different stylethan most people,” Rua said. “It’s verydifficult to find sparring partners andtrain with sparring partners who willemulate his style so you can get used toit.”

The co-main event features twoheavyweights who will collide as new-comer and former International FightLeague standout “Big” Ben Rothwelltakes on up and coming star CainVelasquez. Seen as one the most danger-ous fighters in the heavyweight division,Velasquez will have his hands full withthe very experienced, explosive and exu-berant Rothwell who will be making hisUFCdebut that night.While the fans will be anticipating

these two fights with a vested interest, theunder card at these UFC showcases pro-vides a glimpse at the talent beingdeveloped and nurtured in the sport.For fans of the UFC reality show,The Ultimate Fighter, the under cardwill provide them with a chance toget another look at season eight win-ner, Ryan “Darth” Bader, who looks to

UUFFCCContinued on PPaaggee 1122

DDAAVVEE EESSPPOOSSTTOO

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2009 THE MEDIUM 1111

Andrew Tysiak , Editor | sports@mediumonline.ca

Ultimate Frisbee club establishespresence at UTM

The general public tends to favortraditional sports such as soccerand hockey, so other sports areoften set aside despite the enter-t a inment and exc i t ement theyoffer. To share their passion andhelp promote the underappreciat-ed sport to UTM students , s tu-dents Grace Yuen, Katrina Lumand Kenny Xiao established a newultimate Frisbee club in combina-tion with their already successfulintramural team. The Ultimate Frisbee Club is a

unique experience that no otherathletic and recreation-based cluba t UTM can recrea te . I t o f f e r splenty of var ie ty to a l l part ic i -pants: Not only do students playthe game itself, but they also par-take in many fun-filled events anddevelop a healthy lifestyle. Xiao

be l ieves that the c lub ’ s uniqueabi l i ty to combine e lements o ffun, competition and exercise iswhat separates the club from oth-ers at UTM, many of which tendto hold few events throughout theyear. “Students should expect to be

very active throughout the year,once o r tw ice a week . Bo thKatrina and I are out there on thefield rain or shine,” said Xiao. “Aslong as you’re interested in com-ing ou t , we w i l l be the re .Par t ic ipants should expect noton ly a c lub bu t a compet i t i veleague that plays weekly againstother teams at U of T.”Since the club’s induction, the

intramural team has become dedi-cated to incorporating fun activi-t ies into their weekly regime toencourage new students to join.Th i s a l so g i ve s newcomers achance to meet others and makenew friends. On October 19, the club hopes

to host the first ever glow-in-the-dark ultimate Frisbee game specif-ically for students within the club.

And on October 31, the team willplay a Halloween match at 11:30a.m., where both players and fansalike will dress up in Halloweencostumes . UFC organizers a l sohope to o rgan i ze a Chr i s tmasparty to show their appreciationto those who have helped solidifythe club’s existence at UTM. C lub Pre s iden t Grace Yuen

specifically wants to reach out tostudents who have no experience,p rev ious knowledge o r in i t i a lappreciation for the sport so stu-dents do not feel discouraged orembarra s sed to j o in the c lub .Yuen admits that she has not beenin the sport for very long. “A lo t o f peop le don ’ t r ea l l y

know what ultimate Frisbee is ,”said Yuen. The sport is not shownon TV, so “we wanted to promotethe sport here at our school. It’sactually really fun and you don’thave to be really good to play withus. In fact, I never played ultimateFrisbee until I joined the team thisyear.”The team has been very success-

fu l de sp i t e the c lub ’ s r e l axed

approach to the game. In the win-ter term of the 2008/2009 academ-ic school year, the team won thed iv i s ion 2 championship . Thi syear , the t eam cont inued the i rsuccessful ways, winning both oftheir games thus far with the scoreof 15-5 in game 1 and 15-13 ingame 2. Its next game is againstthe sk i l l ed School o f GraduateStudies team—likely a very tightmatch. Although many students may

not know the premise of the game,coach Katrina Kim insists that thegame is simple and easy to pickup.“There are seven people on each

team ( four men and threewomen) . The goa l i s t o s corepoints by pass ing the d isc to ateammate in the oppos ing endzone. You can’t run with the disc,”said Kim. The game begins with one team

tossing the Frisbee to the others ide , s imi la r to the k i ck o f f infootbal l . Once someone catchesthe disc, the player must come toa s top and p l an t one foo t a s a

pivot until they throw the disc toanother player. The player has tenseconds to pass the disc and this“stall” count must be announcedand counted down by a defensiveplayer within ten feet of the offen-sive player in possession of thed i sc . I f the t en seconds exp i rewithout passing the disc, posses-sion transfers to the other team.The same occurs when the disc isthrown out-of-bounds, droppedon reception or during possession,or i f the pass is e i ther blocked,intercepted or not caught. Many feel the best part of ulti-

mate Frisbee is that the game isself-governed. No referees or offi-cials are required and the playersare able to compete freely. For more information on the

club and intramural team, contactGrace Yuen at grayce@utmsu.ca.If you’re interested on followingthe team’s progress , scores andschedu le s can be found a t uoftintramurals.ca/sports. Meeting times for the club are on

Mondays and Thursdays from 6:00to 7:30 p.m. at the South Field.

Club President Grace Yuen hopes that UTM students will embrace the underappreciated sport

ANDREW TYSIAKSPORTS EDITOR

Drenched Eagles reign supreme

As sheets of rain drowned the NorthField on October 4, the UTM division1 women’s soccer team faced offagainst Victoria College. The Eaglessecured a 4 – 0 victory after two halvesof action-packed soccer. The game started at 1:15 p.m. with

Victoria College winning the toss.Although the weather made the gamedaunting, the Eagles managed to pressthe opposition, working the goalie inthe very infancy of the game. As thehalfway mark approached, the rainbegan to ease up and VictoriaCollege’s activities in the Eagles’ zoneincreased. Their optimism, however, was

unmatched by the Eagles’, especiallywith Nadia Piotto, one of UTM’s rag-ing forwards, on the field. Piotto’sdesire to put the net in the ball was ful-filled when she headed the ball cleanlyinto the net. The remainder of the firsthalf continued with the Eagles’ hot onVictoria College’s heel. The whistleblew in the latter team’s zone and thefirst half ended with UTM leading 1 –0. The second half of the game started

on a positive note, with the sunreemerging. UTM gained possessionof the ball. Just moments after an Eaglewas roughed in Victoria’s zone, DianeFric, number 3, knocked the ball injust beyond the goalie’s reach, makingthe score 2 – 0 to UTM. Victoria retali-

ated by pressing in on the home team’szone and taking yet another fruitless shot on goal. The final quarter of the game tran-

spired in whirlwind fashion. After tak-ing what appeared to be the third cor-ner kick in the game, the Eagles gavetheir devotees a run for their money.Narrowing in on the net, the Eaglessweated the opposition’s goalkeeperuntil Nicole Dinardo nudged the ballinto the net beyond the frazzled goalie.UTM maintained their lead, 3 – 0. The final 15 minutes of play kept

the opposition on their toes as theEagles maintained the ball in VictoriaCollege’s end of the field. After athrow in, the Eagles flaunted theirexquisite offensive skills as Piotto onceagain tapped the ball into the net, with

the assistance of number 16, ArianaLloyd. UTM lead 4 – 0.After the fourth goal of the game,

following a dispute with the refereeabout an offside call, the team’s coach,Robert Brown, was asked to leave thefield. Although he was forced to watchthe end of the girls’ game from afar,Brown was proud of his team. “I thought they played very well,”

said Brown. “They were very solid intheir defence and their ball movementwas exceptional. I am especially proudof how well they came out in the sec-ond half. I challenged them to put thegame out of reach and they did itbeautifully.”For upcoming home and away

games, check the UTM Department ofPhysical Education website.

Sarah Malagerio�Bruno/The Medium

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UFC 104: Machida vsShogun

the new mediumonline.ca is here

SPORTS HOCKEY AND MMA

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 20091122 THE MEDIUM

Machida’s successdue to unorthodoxfighting style

continue his impressive winning streakagainst Eric “Red” Schafer. Also featuring on the main card that

night is another Ultimate Fighter alumin welterweight, Joe “Daddy” Stevenson,the winner of season two. Noted for hiseffective use of the Guillotine and RearNaked Choke, Stevenson is expected toutilize mix of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and col-legiate wrestling to his advantage as helooks for the victory against tough, hard-hitting southpaw Spencer “The King”Fisher. While no fight will attract the atten-

tion of fans more than Machida andRua, the bout between Anthony“Rumble” Johnson and Yoshiyuki“Zenko” Yoshida should prove enter-taining. Explosive and quick, Johnsonwill be riding a two-fight win streak as heprepares to face 35-year-old Yoshida,who is coming off a successful first-round submission victory over BrandonWolff at UFC 98. To check out the pre-liminary bouts, tune in to SpikeTV asthey will air them live before the

Pay-Per-View event. UFC 104 promises to be one of the

most exciting mixed martial arts eventsof the year. But as many await the titlebout between Machida and Shogun, itwill be the celebration of a less-than cele-brated style of fighting which will finallybe recognized. If Machida can success-fully defend his title, karate will truly andofficially become the fighting style of thefuture for many UFC and MMA practi-tioners.

transphusionenergy.blogspot.com

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NHL Western Conference predictionsWWIILLLLIIAAMM RROOBBEERRTTSSOONN

The ever-exciting Western Conferencewill be no different this year withstronger teams vying for a playoff berth. Stanley Cup finalist Detroit Red

Wings should finish first in the West astheir offence, lead by Henrik Zetterbergand Pavel Datsyuk, is always exception-al. The powerplay will be outstanding,with Tomas Holmstrom expected toscore numerous powerplay goals. TheRed Wing’s defence is solid every yearand this year is no exception. Onlyminimal shots will make it through thedefence to reach the goaltender. The only unknown this season is the

Red Wings’ back up goalie situation.Chris Osgood can’t play every gameand Jimmy Howard has yet to provehimself as a quality backup.The San Jose Sharks made major

changes in the off-season. Theyacquired Dany Heatley, who adds aboost of offence with new line mate JoeThornton. Together, the two will haveone-hundred point seasons. The Sharkshave a potent offence and an outstand-ing defensive core with veteran RobBlake leading the way on the back end.Evgeni Nabokov, one of the league’s topgoalies, will be the goaltender for theSharks again this year and he shouldlead the league in GAA. With their well-rounded team, the

Sharks should finish second rightbehind Detroit.Another close race will occur in the

Northwest division. The CalgaryFlames will fend off the VancouverCanucks for the division win and thirdseed in the West. In the off-season, theyacquired highly sought-after defense-man Jay Bouwmeester, who will bejoined on the blue line by DionPhaneuf, an all-star defenseman.WithMiikka Kiprusoff backstopping theFlames and a great defence, they shouldrarely allow more than two goals in agame. The team should encounter noproblems with Jarome Iginla and OlliJokinen on offence. These two will be

one of the best duos in the league thisseason and will lead the Flames to thethird seed. Another great duo will be the young

guns of the Chicago Blackhawks.Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kaneshould provide offensive booststhroughout the season and be support-ed by Dustin Byfuglien on the power-play. Newly acquired offensive super-star Marian Hossa will be anotheroffensive threat. On the back end, thedefence proved to critics that they areone of the best in the league last seasonas Brian Campbell and Brent Seabrookwill try to help Antti Niemi andCristobal Huet keep the puck out of thenet. Expect Niemi to take over thenumber one goalie spot by mid-seasonand lead the Blackhawks to the fourthseed. The ever-reliable Roberto Luongo

will be outstanding in goal for theVancouver Canucks and bail out themediocre defence. The offence is head-ed by the Sedin brothers, who areexpected to have at least seventy-pointseasons again and will evenly distributeoffence so everyone can score on theteam. With a solid offence and RobertoLuongo on board, the Canucks will fin-ish in fifth.The Anaheim Ducks are a team that

has young talent and veteran know-how to guide them into the playoffs. Inthe off-season, they obtained SakuKoivu, who not only brings clutch scor-ing but also a veteran presence to aidthe younger players such as BobbyRyan and Corey Perry. They havealready established themselves as offen-sive stars, but Koivu will make thembetter. Another veteran who brings play-off experience is Scott Niedermayer. Heand Nick Boynton will lead the Ducksdefence and win the team the sixth spotin the playoffs. The St. Louis Blues is another team

with veteran leadership. The veteransadd much needed leadership to theiryoung defensive core, which consists ofnineteen year-old Alex Pietrangelo andtwenty-one year-old Erik Johnson.

They will soon be one of the best defen-sive pairings in the game as they arecomposed and hard-hitting which willhelp goaltender Chris Mason. The vet-erans and the young stars of St. Louisshould make the playoffs this year asthe seventh seed. The race for eighth seed will be a

close one and will come down to thefinal week of the season. The DallasStars have solid goaltending in MartyTurco but a weak defence with onlyStephane Robidas leading the way onthe blue line. Offense veterans MikeModano and Brad Richards are expect-ed to lead in points on the team.However, they will allow more goalsthrough than they score and will ulti-mately falter down the stretch. This will leave the door wide open

for the Edmonton Oilers who narrowlymissed the post-season last year. Newgoaltender Nikolai Khabibulin is sureto add a boost to the team’s confidence.Their defence also looks better than lastyear with Sheldon Souray anticipated totally the most minutes along with SteveStaios. On offence, the Oilers havemore depth this season with the addi-tion of Patrick O’Sullivan and a settledSam Gagner. The Oilers are a well-rounded team and have no goalie con-troversy this season, which will helpthem secure the eighth spot in theWest. Out of the playoffs are the Phoenix

Coyotes. The off-ice team politics willbe a distraction and hindrance to theirperformance. The Minnesota Wild lostsniper Marian Gaborik and the BlueJackets’ lack of offensive threat willcause both teams to miss the playoffs.Further, the Los Angeles Kings are stillin a rebuilding stage and will not comeclose to the eighth spot in the West. In the off-season, Joe Sakic’s retire-

ment resulted in the ColoradoAvalanche losing clutch scoring andleadership, causing them to miss thepost-season. Finally, the NashvillePredators have a mediocre defence andvery little scoring prowess and will missthe playoffs again this year.

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Martin Brodeur made 26 saves and moved within one shutout of tyingTerry Sawchuk's NHL career record in leading the New Jersey Devils toa 2�0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.(The Associated Press)

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The NBA fined Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy $35,000 onFriday for publicly criticizing referees this week.(TSN)

UUFFCCContinued from PPaaggee 1111