Monday, September 20, 2010 Volume 37, Issue 3

22° 14° 24° 11° 19°11° 25°9° 18° 16° 15°19° 12° 17°

Wade Diarc/The Medium

TThhee MMuusslliimm SSttuuddeennttss AAssssoocciiaattiioonn rreeccrruuiittss nneeww mmeemmbbeerrss dduurriinngg tthhee aannnnuuaall cclluubbss wweeeekk..

Students rush to clubs week

The annual Clubs Week featuredsocieties and clubs from the arts, ath-letics, charity/volunteer work, reli-gions, polit ics, sciences,local/national issues, and other fields.Current club members spoke withcurious students about the nature oftheir club and the club’s plannedevents for the academic year, and toprovide answers to students’ ques-tions.Throughout the week, academic

societies and clubs assembledexhibits in and around the StudentCentre to inform and recruit poten-tial members. Colourful posters andenticing music attracted numerousstudents to get involved in the cam-pus community.“I love English,” expressed English

and Drama Student Society (EDSS)executive member, Ellise Ramos.“English is a small program, and Ifeel we have more of a sense of com-munity as opposed to other pro-grams. I want to bring English out tothe UTM community.” In regards towhat the society offers, presidentTrevor Abes replied, “Poetry slams.We’ll have a major writer as a guestspeaker, and essay workshops forfirst-year students,” as well as pub-

lishing a third EDSS anthology. “It’sto share our love of literature.”Other arts-oriented organizations,

such as the UTM Music Club, alsowanted to give students the opportu-nity to participate in a commoninterest. “We want musicians andartists to come together to bringmusic to the UTM campus,” saidpresident Umar Syed. “Whether youplay well or not, it’s all about themusic. We’ll be hosting open micnights, jam sessions, music lunchhours, talent shows, and a charitydinner.”A variety of athletic organizations

also hoped to bring something newto UTM. “I love soccer,” declaredSabiha Sumra, UTM Soccer Clubevents co-ordinator, . “I want toinform more people about soccerculture, which is dead at UTM.”Alongside soccer recruiting and com-petitions, the club intends to screensoccer documentaries to provide stu-dents with a better understanding ofsoccer culture around the world.“We noticed there wasn’t a club

for students in terms of tennis,” saidAnita Tewari, VP External of theTennis Players Association, a newclub on campus. “We’re a club thatallows people of all skill levels to playtennis—a great way to get into thesport if you’ve never played before,and a great way for players to meet

other players.”Other athletic clubs are tailored to

seasonal sports. Meeting co-ordina-tor Lynn Tran of the University ofToronto Ski and Snowboard Clubsaid that the club “is a great opportu-nity to meet other students at theUniversity of Toronto and to makefriends with people who share mypassion for winter sports.” The cluboffers eight trips to Blue Mountain

over an eight-week period betweenJanuary and March (available tothose who purchase a ClubMembership). “It’s a way for me toimprove my snowboarding skillsbecause I am able to make progressby going consecutively.”There were also charity organiza-

tions. The Erindale College SpecialResponse Team, affiliated with St.John’s Ambulance, is one. “We’re the

medical first-responders on campus,”said Kirushanth Gnanachandran.“We train all our members and pro-vide standard first-aid courses at adiscount rate.”Other clubs included the “Style

and Profyle” fashion and danceshow. “It’s a fundraiser for differentcharities throughout the world,”explained vice president LenitaAbraham. “We focus on providingeducation to children and universitystudents who want to study but don’thave the means to.” This year’s Styleand Profyle theme is “Love andLust”.“Last year we sponsored a univer-

sity student to come to UTM fromSomalia, whose refugee camp was inKenya,” added vice president LahiruW. “He’s currently studying atUTM.”A sponsored student’s first-year

costs are paid for in full. In secondyear, the Student Refugee Program,subsidizes costs and helps the studentfind employment.Nourah Irfan, PR Officer of the

Student Refugee Program, added thatWUSC (World University Service ofCanada) “sends profiles of refugeestudents to our committee, and welook at which student is the mostsuitable for UTM.”

SSTTEEPPHHAANNIIEE VVEEGGAA

Campus roadclosures blockinner circle

This Wednesday and Thursday UTMstudents, especially those that use theUPASS, will have to reroute theirusual commute to campus. TheMiddle Entrance and Inner CircleRoad will be blocked to trafficbetween the hours of7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The reason behind the road

closures is related to the renovationproject taking place beside theStudent Centre. Workers will betransporting 18 prefabricated units tothe construction site that will be thenew Academic Annex. The construc-tion began late last semester.Parking in the Inner Circle will be

restricted to only those with anAccessible Parking Permit.For students that drive to campus,

either the North Entrance (closest toBurnhamthorpe Road) or theCollegeway Entrance (closest toDundas Road) can be accessed. For students that are normally pickedup at the South Building,

be sure to let yourride know to wait somewhere else.The UTM Shuttle Bus will arrive

and depart only from the NorthBuilding stop.For students that depend on

Mississauga Transit, the routes havechanged enough to cause possible latearrivals to lectures, tutorials, and sem-inars.Students are advised to plan their

routes to and from the UTM campuswith the closure in mind.

Off-Campus HousingPAGE 2

Textbook RentalPAGE 3

A Farewell to TIFFPAGE 7

Debt ManagementPAGE 8

Stanley Cup ChampsPAGE 11

www.mediumonline.ca

SSTTEEFFAANNIIEE MMAARROOTTTTAAASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

RRooaadd cclloossuurree continued on ppaaggee 22

CClluubbss continued on ppaaggee 22

“We’ll be hostingopen mic nights, jamsessions, music lunchhours, talent shows,and a charity dinner.”

—Umar Syed, presidentof the UTM Music Club

BYLAWS CROWD CAMPUSNEWSMONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 20102 THE MEDIUM

Xneed GET EXPERIENCE FAIR

Wed. Sept. 22 10:30 am - 1:30 pmRAWC Gym Valid TCard required

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Featured Experiences:

www.utm.utoronto.ca/careers

Campus Police Weekly SummariesSeptember 9 to September 16, 2010

September 9, 2:45 p.m.Motor Vehicle AccidentReport of a motor vehicle accidentinvolving two vehicles in a UTMpark ing lo t . Campus Po l i c ea t t ended and inves t i ga t ed . Noinjuries to report.

September 9, 11:55 p.m.Noise ComplaintReport of a noise complaint froma res idence . Campus Po l i c eattended and spoke with the ten-ants of the unit. The tenants wereins t ruc t ed to keep the no i selevel down.

September 10, 2:17 a.m.Noise ComplaintReport of a noise complaint froma res idence . Campus Po l i c eattended and spoke with the ten-ants of the unit and instructedthem to keep the no i selevels down.

September 10, 1:45 a.m.Liquor Licence ActCampus Po l i ce inves t i ga t ed afemale for a Liquor Licence Actv io la t ion . Pee l Regional Pol icea t t ended and as s i s t ed wi ththe occurrence.

September 10, 12:35 p.m.Disruptive BehaviourCampus Police investigated a dis-ruptive male inside a charteredbus on a campus road. The stu-dent was cautioned in regards tohis behaviour.

September 11, 12:41 a.m.AssaultCampus Police were contacted inregards to an off-campus assaultcomplaint and are investigatingthe incident.

September 13, 10:54 a.m.Motor Vehicle AccidentCampus Police investigated a motorvehicle accident in a UTM parking lot.Incident reported as failure to remain;the investigation continues.

September 13, 6:55 p.m.Theft Under $5,000Campus Police were contacted inregards to a pe t ty the f t tha toccurred in the HMALC. CampusPolice are investigating the inci-dent.

September 14, 9:45 a.m.Driving OffencesCampus Police investigated adriving complaint near theStudent Centre.

September 14, 11:26 a.m.By-Law OffencesCampus Police were contacted inregards to an injured animal out-side a UTM building. MississaugaAnima l Cont ro l Se rv i ce s werecontacted; they attended the sceneand retrieved the animal.

September 14, 7:42 p.m.Theft Under $ 5,000Campus Police are investigatingan petty theft complaint (submit-ted online). The item was last seenin the Student Centre.

September 15,1:11 p.m.Theft Under $5,000Campus Po l i c e inves t i ga t ed apetty theft report from the UTMBooks tore . Campus Po l i c e i sinvestigating the incident.

September 15, 7:00 p.m.Information Request from AnotherEmergency ServiceCampus Police were requested toassist Mississauga TransitEnforcement in regards to acomplaint involving fraudulent use ofa U-Pass.

CClluubbss continued from ccoovveerr

“It’s a lot of fun,” expressed the direc-tor of Sisters of Substance, VeronicaMarchuk regarding the charityorgani-zation Continental Rescue Africa. “Wedo a lot of work in Ghana andUganda. We take children througheducational, social, and self-esteemprograms.”The week also showcased many

clubs that focus on other studentinterests. President Suvrat Barar of theUTM Debating Club explained thatthe club is “a forum for University ofToronto students to come out anddebate.” One of the group’s goals thisyear is to organize a professor debate.“We’ll get professors to debate about atopic they’re interested in and inviteothers to watch,” said Barar.The UTM Gaming Club was also

popular. “I joined because it’s a fun wayto have social activities on campusinvolving games,” said MichaelHansen, the club’s social co-ordinator.“There’s a good community behind it.”Vice president Megan Gallagher added,“We play all kinds of games ... we playcasual games and video games.”For a full list of academic societies

and clubs at UTM, as well as informa-tion on how to register a club, pleasevisit the UTMSU Clubs websiteat www.utmsu.ca.

New bylaws for off-campus living

With the fall semester in full swing, manystudents have left home to live on theirown, either in residence on campus orrenting a place near it. Residence housinggives students guidelines and is probablynot as stressful as living off-campus; it alsoallows students to be in the heart of thecampus. Many first-years living in resi-dence are able to better learn about thecampus, including its facilities, buildings,and overall campus life.The UTM website recently posted a list

of new bylaws for residential rental-accommodation licensing for studentsrenting off-campus in Mississauga.Lodging houses are one of the focuses inthe new licensing bylaws. (These bylawsdo not affect houses with three or fewerrental units.)For students renting a room in a house

with four or more renters, their landlordmust have a renting license. If the landlorddoes not have a license, the business maybe illegal. Students are encouraged to con-tact their landlord and ensure that theyhave their license. Landlords who refuse toobtain their license may have their lodginghouses closed, forcing the students to findother arrangements.A license does not affect the cost of

rent. Rent is set by the lease and theOntario Landlord and Tenant Act.Also in the licensing bylaws, lodging

houses cannot use the basement as arental space. Lodging houses are requiredto have a fire escape plan and will beinspected annually for fire safety. Thisincludes ensuring that fire and smoke

alarms are installed properly and areworking, and that no rooms have refriger-ators, cooking appliances, or washingmachines. Many upper-year students choose to

live off-campus, and will be living on theirown. One option is renting one room in alodging house (a house that rents four ormore rooms to students), or renting ahouse with a group of friends. Withoutparental supervision the temptation forstudents to set their own house rules isattractive, but living off-campus doesn’tmean that you shouldn’t act like rulesdon’t matter.The Mississauga Good Neighbours

Guide for University Students, apamphlet produced by the City ofMississauga working with UTM, isdesigned to give students living off-campus tips on how to be a goodneighbour. They include beingfriendly, considerate, and respectful,contributing to safety, followinggarbage schedules, planning safe par-ties, and following a safety checklist(which includes ensuring that fireand smoke alarms work, that a fireextinguisher is present, and that stu-dents have an emergency kit handywith a flashlight, batteries, water,food, and blankets).Students are advised to see the

Student Off-CampusAccommodation website atplaces4students.com to find a placeto rent. Information about theOntario Landlord and Tenant Actcan be found at www.ltb.gov.on.ca.For questions about l icensing

bylaws or specific rental properties,students should contact the City ofMississauga’s Compliance andLicensing Enforcement Section byphone at 905-896-5558 or email atbylaw.enforcement@mississauga.ca.

Road closure bus route changes

ROUTE 1C Eastbound buses will not enter

campus. Patrons willboard/disembark at Stop #0984 onMississauga Road, north of the

UTM entrance.Westbound buses will not entercampus but will turn directly left

onto The Collegeway fromMississauga Road. A temporarystop will be located on the northside of The Collegeway, just west

of Mississauga Road.

ROUTE 44Northbound buses will not enter

campus. Patrons willboard/disembark at the temporarystop on Mississauga Rd. at the

UTM entrance.Southbound buseswill not enter campu but will con�tinue south on Mississauga Rd.Patrons will board/disembark atStop #0984 on Mississauga Road,

north of the UTM entrance.

ROUTE 101Eastbound buses will turn left on

to Erin Mills Parkway fromDundas, right on to theCollegeway, right onto

Mississauga Road, and left backonto Dundas Street. Eastboundpatrons will be directed to Stop

#1038 on Erin Mills,north of Dundas.

Westbound buses will turn righton to Mississauga Road from

Dundas, left on to the Collegeway,left onto Erin Mills Parkway, andright onto Dundas Street again.Westbound patrons will be direct�ed to a temporary stop on ErinMills at Dundas (northwest cor�

ner). A temporary stop will also belocated on The Collegeway, west

of Mississauga Road.The regular 101 stops (#0535 and#1037) on Dundas at Erin Mills

will not be serviced.

ROUTE 110Northbound buses will not entercampus. They will turn directly left

onto the Collegeway fromMississauga Road. A temporarystop will be located on the northside of The Collegeway, just west

of Mississauga Road.Southbound buses will turn left onto Erin Mills Parkway from the

Collegeway, right ontoBurnhamthorpe Road, right ontoMississauga Road, and right ontothe Collegeway. Patrons will

board/disembark at Stop #0984 onMississauga Road, north of the

UTM entrance.

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Here are the temporary route alterations, provided by theuniversity administration.

NEWSMONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 THE MEDIUM 33

Tomorrow’s Professionals Apply Today!

Apply Online!OMSAS www.ouac.on.ca/omsas/Ontario Medical School Application ServiceSeptember 15, 2010: Last day to create an account for the online applicationOctober 1, 2010: Application deadline

OLSAS www.ouac.on.ca/olsas/Ontario Law School Application Service

November 1, 2010: Application deadline for first-year English programsMay 1, 2011: Application deadline for upper-year programs

TEAS www.ouac.on.ca/teas/Teacher Education Application ServiceDecember 1, 2010: Application deadline for English programsMarch 1, 2011: Application deadline for French programs

ORPAS www.ouac.on.ca/orpas/Ontario Rehabilitation Sciences Programs Application Service

(Audiology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy/Physiotherapy, Speech-Language Pathology)January 7, 2011: Application deadline

170 Research LaneGuelph ON N1G 5E2

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Tomorrow’s Professionals Apply Today!

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U of T salary gap between genders

The University of Toronto rankedas having the widest salary gap ofdegree-grant ing inst i tut ions inCanada. Although women oftenhave the same qual i f icat ions astheir male counterparts, the salarygap between genders is apparent.A recent study from Statistics

Canada reported a $20,158 salarygap between male and female pro-fe s sor s a t the Univer s i ty o fToronto, in favour of males. Thereport , which was based on the2008-2009 academic year, includesfull-time teaching staff under a 12-month (or more) contract, and of

all disciplines and levels in theircareers , exc luding medica l anddental faculty.Univers i ty of f ic ia ls of fer two

explanations for the salary gap.Senior faculty—which earn morethan junior faculty—are mainlymen , because they were h i redunder the practices of 30 years agowhen women were not earn ingPhDs. The survey also does notconsider factors such as differentdisciplines, age, and market salary.Officials say that comparing thesalaries of women and men whoare of the same rank and the sameacademic d i sc ip l ine would notshow a g rea t d i f f e rence . A l so ,

U o f T has a w ider range o f disciplines than most universities,which broadens the spectrum of higher-paid vs. lower-paid disci-plines, further widening the gap.Sa lar ie s t end to be h igher in

male-dominated disciplines, suchas business, engineering, and law.Disc ip l ines tha t r ece ive lowersa la r i e s , such a s educa t ion ,humanities, and social sciences,a re more o f t en occupied bywomen. These f indings suggestthat if a woman chooses the rightdiscipline, she earns as much as ormore than a man. However, it maya l so make us a sk why the disciplines more often staffed bywomen are the same ones that arepaid less.Another exp lana t ion i s tha t

women work f ewer hours thanmen, since they are more likely tobe careg ivers to the i r fami l ies ,spend time with aging parents, andbalance their work and social lives.This is a simple trade, less workfor less pay. But if these additionalresponsibilities are unavoidable,perhaps they deserve compensa-tion for not being able to work.The good news is the historic

salary gap has not remained staticthroughout the years and appearsto be narrowing.The numbers show that there is

less of a gap than before. In 1991,women in their 20s earned 20%less than men and in 2001, earnedabout 18% l e s s than men .Hopefully later studies will showeven more improvement . Thepresence o f women i s s t ead i l yincreasing in academia, regardlesso f outda ted soc ia l norms andexpectations. U of T also offersparenta l l eave and ch i ld-carepo l i c i e s , and boas t s a f ami ly care office, which makes it moreconvenient for women to work on campus.

LLAARRIISSSSAA HHOO

A recent studyfrom Statistics

Canada reported a$20,158 salary gapbetween male andfemale professors at

the U of T

Textbook rental programnow available at bookstores

In a s tudent survey done inSeptember 2009, 66% of studentstold the U of T Bookstore that theywere interested in renting text-books . In response , in May theBookstore became the first majoruniversity bookstore in Canada tolaunch a textbook rental program.The program currently supports100 titles, including 28 titles avail-able at UTM.The renta l proces s beg ins a t

www.uoftbookstore.com. Studentsselect their rentals, read and agreeto the terms, and complete pay-ment online. Once the books areready, students are able to pickthem up in the store, with identifi-cation.The students can then use the

textbooks for the term. Normalamounts of highlighting and note-taking are allowed. The same rulesthat apply when the Bookstore

buys back a book apply to rentals.Finally, students will receive two

reminder emails at the end of theterm, and they simply return thebook by the return due date. Fromthere, the Bookstore works withwholesa l e r s , who purchase theused books back from them.According to Chad Saunders ,

VP Retail, response to the programhas been quite positive from stu-dent s and f acu l ty on campus .”Students win, as they can still geta new book but save quite a bit ofmoney and not have to worryabout what they can se l l the i rbooks for at the end of the term,”said Saunders.The Bookstore has also recently

added more used books to i t sshelves, and doubled the numberof cash registers during the busiesttimes at UTM. “This is really thetheme that you can expect fromthe Bookstore ,” Saunders com-mented. “We ask students whatthey want; l isten, and innovate,then start the cycle all over again.”

RROOHHIITT MMEEHHTTAA

100 new titles now available for rent at UTMand U of T bookstores

Photos from First PubSALARY FOR TEXTBOOK RENTALS

As Clubs Week wrapped up, hundreds of students happily joined a new soci-ety or club, and I was reminded that we students do want to be involved and areenthusiastic about joining clubs and meeting new people. There’s something real-ly exciting about Clubs Week: it’s an opportunity to become a member of agroup, find a new (and social) hobby, or just soak in the information and atmos-phere. It’s great to have people to be with and places to hang out between class.For me, that’s The Medium’s office, where I hang out with my editors during theweek and every Sunday as we put together the paper. This week, the opinion pagehas a common theme: be engaged.

This week, I received three letters: one from Amir Ahmed, the Features Editorhere at The Medium, one from Vickita Bhatt, president of UTMSU, and onefrom Peter Buczkowksi, a UTMSU director. Mr. Ahmed asked for your thoughtson our paper—what you like about The Medium and what we can change so thatyou’ll want to pick it up and read it. When he personally handed out copies ofThe Medium to students waiting in line for the U-Pass, and he was surprised tofind that some people weren’t even interested. Maybe they thought he was push-ing an agenda or trying to annoy them, but he was actually just trying to give peo-ple something to read while they wait—a paper made by students for students.

Then there are students like Mr. Buczkowski, who writes me a letter everyweek because he cares about what happens on campus, and even asks you forsuggestions, faithfully listing his e-mail address each week. How many peopleactually bother to write in? But we all do have things we want improved, we all dohave things we’re grateful for. Each year thousands of students line up and gettheir U-Pass—which the student union lobbied for and won, at the request ofstudents. Is sending them a line or two now and then that much harder?

What’s stopping you? Maybe you feel that nothing will change, or that nothingbad has happened lately, so “if it ain’t broke...”? Maybe the student politics sceneturns you off, or maybe you don’t think the student union actually can change orimprove your university career.

On the other hand, Ms. Bhatt says the student union will listen. Both she andMr. Buczkowski invite you to the Commission meeting this Thursday, where youcan share your input directly with the student union.

It’s the responsibility of The Medium to keep you informed, but also to keepyou engaged. We’d like every student to be in the loop and know how to takepart. For example, you could get your opinion heard by writing for us like Mr.Ahmed; you could help keep the union in check like Mr. Buczkowski; or youcould run for office like Ms. Bhatt—but I’d be happy if you just picked up thepaper again next week.

OPINIONMONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 201044 THE MEDIUM

3359 Mississauga Road, Room 200,Student Centre, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6Phone: 905.828.5260 Fax: 905.828.5402 Advertising: 905.828.5379

EEDDIITTOORR��IINN��CCHHIIEEFFSaaliha Malikeditor@mediumonline.ca

NNEEWWSS EEDDIITTOORRKatherine Luczynskinews@mediumonline.ca

AASSSSIISSTTAANNTT NNEEWWSSStefanie Marotta

AA&&EE EEDDIITTOORRNives Hajdinarts@mediumonline.ca

AASSSSIISSTTAANNTT AA&&EE Colleen Munro

FFEEAATTUURREESS EEDDIITTOORRAmir Ahmedfeatures@mediumonline.ca

AASSSSIISSTTAANNTT FFEEAATTUURREESSMariana Comito

SSPPOORRTTSS EEDDIITTOORRWilliam Robertsonsports@mediumonline.ca

CCOOPPYY EEDDIITTOORRLuke Sawczak

PPHHOOTTOOGGRRAAPPHHYY EEDDIITTOORREdward Caiphotos@mediumonline.ca

DDEESSIIGGNN EEDDIITTOORRBrent Hartford

WWEEBBMMAASSTTEERRGary Li

DDIISSTTRRIIBBUUTTIIOONN MMAANNAAGGEERRTBA

BBUUSSIINNEESSSS MMAANNAAGGEERRRomano Bergic

BBOOAARRDD OOFF DDIIRREECCTTOORRSSTBA

CCOOMMPPLLAAIINNTTSS

Comments, concerns or com�plaints about The Medium ’scontent should be directed tothe Editor�in�Chief who can belocated at the email addressabove.

CCOOPPYYRRIIGGHHTT

Al l content pr inted in TheMedium is the sole property ofits creators, and cannot beused with out written con�sent.

DDIISSCCLLAAIIMMEERR

Opin ions expressed in thepages of The Medium areexclusively of the author anddo not necessar i ly ref lectthose of The Medium.Addi t iona l ly , the op in ionsexpressed in advertisementsappearing in The Medium arethose of advertisers and notof The Medium.

LLEETTTTEERRSS TTOO TTHHEE EEDDIITTOORR

Letters to the editor will beedited for spelling, grammar,style, and coherence. Letterswill not exceed 900 words inprint. Letters that incite hatredor violence, and letters thatare racist, homophobic, sexistor libelous, will not be pub�lished. Anonymous letters willnot be published.

Saaliha MalikYours,

Dear Editor,We are now starting the third

week of school, and so far it’s been aphenomenal time. During the firstweek of school, we had UTMSUFrosh: The Sequel, where we saw1,000 UTM students go downtown,cheer-off against the rest of U of T,and then lead the parade throughthe streets of Toronto. After that,students chil led out l istening toamazing local artists like Chromeoand Zeus, before heading toGuvernment to party with all of Uof T.

The second week was ClubsWeek, where we saw various clubson campus showcasing themselves,so that students could get moreinvolved with things they feel pas-sionate about. The Student Centrewas jam-packed throughout theweek with students looking for theclubs they love, or discovering newones.

Finally, on September 16, we hadFirst Pub, which sold out. The partystarted at 10 p.m., the mus was live,and nobody wanted to leave till thevery end. I would like to personallythank every student who showed up.

However, I would also l ike topoint out something here. All threeof these events—in fact, every eventthat UTMSU hosts—are only a suc-cess because people get involved andcome out. And it’s not only aboutparties . For the past two weeks,UTMSU has been tabling all overcampus, talking to hundreds of stu-dents about the various services weoffer and issues we tackle . Thisweek, there are two very important

ways that you can take another stepin getting involved and can con-tribute to making this campus a bet-ter place.

This week, the nominations openfor Erindale College Council, whichis the highest decision-making bodyat UTM. ECC decides on residence,meal plan, and parking fees. Thereare 50 seats for full-time studentsand 14 seats for part-time students.If you have concerns about any ofthese fees, then you can run forthese seats and have your voiceheard at ECC meetings. If you haveany questions about the process,please come by the UTMSU office(Student Centre room 100) and wewill find the answer for you.

Also, this Wednesday (Sept. 22) at5 p.m., UTMSU is hosting its firstCommission Meeting of the acade-mic year in the Student Centre. TheUTMSU Commission is the firststep in making a positive change oncampus. Each student has a vote atthis body. It’s a great way provideinput about the direction that youwant YOUR Students ’ Union totake. If you have an issue you’re pas-sionate about , come out to theCommission Meeting to make yourvoice heard.

If you want to know more aboutour events, join our Facebook group“UTM Students’ Union (UTMSU)”and fol low us on Twitter at“myUTMSU”.

Don’t forget to come into theUTMSU office at any time, becausewe’re always there for you.

In student solidarity, Vickita Bhatt

My name is Amir Ahmed; I edit theMedium’s Features section. A funny thingthat happened last Tuesday, something thatprompted me to emerge from the pit of self-loathing that is my life, and write this op-ed.

I was in The Medium office with PhotoEditor Edward Cai, Sports Editor WilliamRobertson, and our Editor-in-Chief SaalihaMalik. The U-Pass distribution was goingon downstairs in the student centre.

The first floor was packed with a tightline-up of people, moving slowly and justgrowing larger.We reasoned that these peo-ple were probably bored, who wouldn’t be?I’d just seen someone move about threemetres in three minutes, with a long way togo. What could we do to alleviate theirboredom and show loyalty to our reader-ship?

And then we realized – newspapers! Wehad copies of our first September issue lyingaround. Edward and I reasoned that if weeach took a stack, we could supply somepeople waiting in line downstairs withpapers. There were at least two hundredstudents down there, so even accounting forthe ones on their phones or talking withfriends, there had to be some people who’dappreciate a break in the monotony of thelineup. I went down with Edward, ready tobond with the students and spread the goodword of The Medium.

I found in that sea of bored humanity, themajority of students passed on taking a copyof The Medium, maybe they thought wewere trying to sell it to them?

I don’t understand how the majority ofstudents would rather stare at the floor thanread their campus paper. As a casualobserver of human behaviour, I can onlyask: what the hell?

Maybe it was just me and my rictus

grin that scared people off, but somethingtells me that even if I’d been suave man-godAamir Khan instead of pasty, awkwardAmir Ahmed, I’d have done no better. Thismeans something far scarier is going onthan me and my Charles Manson smile.

Now, here’s the thing: all the section edi-tors of the paper really want people interest-ed in our articles. We want to make youlaugh. We want to make you think. Wewant to show you things that you hadn’tseen before. We brainstorm article ideas, wecome up with distribution plans, and wespend our Sundays from noon to midnightlaying this paper out, all to get you guysreading. But if all we produce at the end isgoing to lie on the stands bleaching in thesunlight, then what’s the point? I might aswell put graphic descriptions of my dailybowel movements on my section’s frontpage every day.

That’s why I’m going to ask you – yesyou – that breed of student who reads thepaper – to do us a favour.

Comment on the website and email theeditors. If you see an article that you dis-agree with, send a letter. If you see an articlethat you like, tell us so we can try to do moreof that. I can’t promise we’ll be able to followevery suggestion (we have to follow rulesand conventions just like any other newspa-per), but maybe we can start to understandwhat it is that’ll get people taking papers offthe stands, instead of using the stands toadjust their backpacks and purses (yeah, wesaw that too – we see everything).

This is the only newspaper by and forUTM students. I personally would love it ifyou to read, and enjoyed it.

Yours,Amir Ahmed

Dear Editor, I am sure most of us received about

300 Facebook messages last week. Alarge chunk of those messages were infact about the Commission Meeting.The first few said it was last week butthe second wave said it was this week.I’m willing to bet that about 75% of stu-dents that received these messageseither ignored them or didn’t knowwhat the Commission is. So I decidedto delve into what the Commission isand why it should be important to you(mostly because the word “delve” is underused).

The Commission is a big meetingwhere every student has a vote. Thismight sound basic, unimportant, andsilly, but it really isn’t. The purpose ofthe Student Union is to represent yourvoice. You elected members to listen toyou and represent you. Unfortunately,because most of those representativesare only human (except Rufus, thedog), they can’t read your minds. So itis very important to come out to theCommission Meeting if you want to be heard.

During the Commission meetingyou will also be briefed on what theUnion is doing. Don’t like what we’re isdoing? Tell us. If you think we shouldbe focussing our efforts on finding outwhat services work and what servicesdon’t, tell us. If you think we should berunning a campaign to buy a parcel ofland on the moon, tell us. If you have asweet new idea or perspective on anissue, or want to bring up an issue, tell us.

Last year, voter turnout was at an all-time high at UTM. With such a largevoter turnout, and such a contentiouselection, it would be a shame to let allthat energy die out. In our society, peo-ple say that we need a strong unitedvoice—but united in what? And howdoes that voice gain volume? If you dis-agree with what it’s saying, how do youget it to listen to you? How canUTMSU be the voice that representsagreement and disagreement in allaspects of your student life? TheCommission Meeting is a great way totest the UTMSU, to see if they can takecriticism and adapt to that criticism tomake UTMSU a better service for students.

Don’t just be involved in theCommission Meeting, though. There

are many ways to get involved at vari-ous levels. We have a board of directors(such as myself) which was elected withthe executives, and most of us take ourjobs seriously. As in, if you have a con-cern, we will act on your behalf. If youwant to know why your club receivedthe amount of funding it did, contact aboard member. If you think that theUnion stinks and is a corrupt cesspool,contact a board member with yourideas for better transparency andaccountability. If you love the Unionand think that it’s the best thing sincesliced bread, tell a board member. Ourjob is to reflect your views in the sec-ond-highest decision-making body ofthe Union. (The highest is the member-ship at the Annual General Meeting(AGM), but I’ll talk about that closer towhen it comes up.)

However, I leave you with somethingto consider about why you should getinvolved with the CommissionMeeting. It’s an amazing apparatus thatwe are very lucky to have: theCommission allows the everyday stu-dent that wants change to suggest it. Itallows for criticism and praise on everyaspect of the Union. But alas, the lastone, held on July 28, had 18 out of 23members being current or former elect-ed representatives or employees of theunion. This leads me to believe thatmost of the ideas that were brought upat that meeting were already more orless on the table. How can the Union doanything new or different if the onlystudents that show up are already a partof it?

Let me get to the point. TheCommission is the voice of the stu-dents. Electing people to speak in yourname is only half of making your voiceheard—you can also give them direc-tion. Sure, UTMSU does some amazingthings, but it’s hard to be critical of anyorganization you’re heavily involved in;we need your input and theCommission Meeting is the place to doit. Don’t let elected officials and thepeople they hire use YOUR money andsupport without YOU telling themhow, where, and for what. Come out tothe meeting on Wednesday, Sept 22 at 6p.m., and have YOUR voice heard. Ifyou have any questions or concernsemail me at Peter@utmsu.ca.

Yours, Peter Buczkowski

www.mediumonline.ca

EDITORIAL

Nives Hajdin, Editor | arts@mediumonline.ca

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 THE MEDIUM 5

Farewell, TIFFAs week two came to a close, we review some more of the festival’s best films that opened in the Oscars pool

As the Toronto International FilmFestival made its dazzling debut lessthan two weeks ago, so too did it makeits regrettable departure. Yesterday’sawards reception at theIntercontinental Hotel officially closedthis year’s festival, one that really left aresounding effect on moviegoers andindustry reps alike. A number of filmsreceived incredibly strong support fromaudiences, including The Conspirator,Sarah’s Key, and Potiche, all of whichwent on to secure film distribution inthe United States. One of the festival’smain themes was the sweeping influ-ence of French cinema, including theaformentioned Sarah’s Key and Potiche,as well the equally popular Little WhiteLies (Les Petits Mouchoirs), all of whichwere Gala Presentations and receivedstanding ovations. In addition to pro-ducing all kinds of Oscars buzz, TIFFmanaged to provide some of the bestcustomer service in the hard work andhelp of thousands of festival volunteersand staff. Going out with a bang, here’sweek two of TIFF in review.

PoticheWomen continue to take the busi-

ness world by storm and if you’re notcareful, Catherine Deneuve might justtake your job too. In François Ozon’sforeign comedy, Deneuve playsSuzanne Pujol, the wife of an egotisti-cal, sexist, and adulterous umbrella fac-tory owner (Fabrice Luchini), and hasno responsibilities except for domesticaffairs—until her husband suffers aheart attack. She seeks the advice of aformer flame, Maurice (GérardDepardieu), who advises her to run thecompany until her husband recovers.With the help of Maurice and her chil-dren (Judith Godrèche and JérémieRenier), Suzanne reconfigures opera-tions at the factory following a strikeagainst her husband’s dictatorial meth-ods, and becomes the first upliftingboss the company has seen in a longtime. But when it’s time for her to hangup the umbrella, she instead challengesher husband for the position and won’tgo down without a fight. Furthermore,she begins to spend more time withMaurice; and, though the effects of areal-life affair can be widespread anddevastating, Ozon manages to infusethe plot with tasteful and side-splittingFrench humour from beginning to end.Deneuve’s legendary class and regali-

ty mixed with her wit and bold person-ality make her the perfect actress for therole, while Depardieu’s cool and jovialdemeanour provides a nice contrast tothe despicable, yet entertaining anticsskilfully portrayed by Luchini. Thestory is light yet poignant, and hilariousyet cruel, but most of all, even thoughthe film takes place in the 70s, thesame situations and relationships stillresonate strongly. For that, Potiche isa winner in 2010★★★½

The ConspiratorLegendary actor and director Robert

Redford delves into the time of theAmerican Civil War, as tensions flarebetween the Union and theConfederacy. As the northern states seea victory in their sights over the south-ern rebels, the nation’s hope is shat-tered when President Abraham Lincolnis assassinated by the crazed stage actorJohn Wilkes Booth. He and the otherconspirators flee the scene, with someapprehended, one who gets away, andone shot dead: Booth (sorry for ruiningthe surprise, but it’s history, after all!).The authorities soon arrest another sus-pect, this time a woman, who is themother of the escaped man. MarySurratt (Robin Wright), a devout

mother from the south, is accused ofwelcoming the conspirators into herboarding house and providing themwith a location to discuss their plan tomurder the president. Which she did—her son John is one of them. A trialensues, even though the military tri-bunal’s preconceived contempt for thewoman almost ensures she’ll be provedguilty.The southern senator (Tom

Wilkinson) defending her realizes hecan’t influence the Union into givingher a fair hearing, so he pushes hisyoung northern protégé FrederickAiken (James MacAvoy), a lawyer andmilitary hero, to take on the case. Aikenis strongly opposed to defending awoman whose rebel countrymen henearly fought to the death, but hismoral obligation to the law forces himto represent Mary and as he gets furtherinto the case, he discovers she may infact be innocent. He soon becomesaware that these men of law have noregard for justice whatsoever, rejectingevery claim he makes and turning everyone of his witnesses against him. He isshunned from high society and loses allhis colleagues’ previous respect. Herealizes that he can’t emerge victoriousfrom the case either way: if he loses he’llseem like too inexperienced a lawyer,and if he wins he’ll be seen as a traitor.Aiken’s last hope is to have Mary’sdaughter Anna (Evan Rachel Wood)give testimony to her brother’s guilt inorder to prove her mother’s innocence.Everyone around Aiken condemns himfor supposedly wavering loyalty, but hefeels he must do what is right by theconstitution, by justice, and by hisheart, even if it means losing every-thing.MacAvoy gives a wonderful perfor-

mance as a reputable war captain, andcommands the screen as he infuses hischaracter with bravery, compassion,and the desire to seek justice at all costs.He masterfully manages to evoke a ner-vousness in Aiken, who is clearly lack-ing in legal experience, yet transformsthe character with perception and con-fidence, shocking both the fictional juryand the real-life audience.Robin Wright instils every ounce of

pain and suffering into her batteredcharacter, and is quite spectacular towatch, even when her character issilenced by the gravity of her situation.The conviction she delivers as a motherprotecting her guilty son is so genuinelyand effortlessly conveyed, as many ofher past performances have been. Thecast also includes the various talents ofKevin Kline, Justin Long, AlexisBledel, Evan Rachel Wood, StevenRoot, and Jonathan Groff, all of whommake up an American dream-team ofactors and actresses.★★★★

BuriedRodrigo Cortés’ claustrophobic

thriller Buried was perhaps the onlyfilm of its kind at this year’s festival.With a cast of one, Ryan Reynolds lit-erally commanded the screen for 94minutes as the action never leaves theconfines of the wooden box in whichtruck driver Paul Conroy is buriedalive. The only items available to himare his cell, a Zippo lighter, and a smallflask of water, all of which are slowlybecoming less and less useful. Thoughone might expect the film to becomedull within the first 20 minutes (really,how much can be done in the samescene for an hour and a half?) youcould not be in for more of a shock.Just when you think there’s nothing leftto explore, an entirely new elementmanifests itself and makes the audiencegasp and squeeze their eyes closed. Weare along for the ride with Reynoldsand feel just as trapped as he does inevery single moment; we feel his pain ashe struggles to move around, as well ashis frustration at the ineptitude ofemergency phone line operators.Cortés’ real skill is in the way he adjusts

the camera around Reynolds, so as toshow the fear in his eyes or the beads ofsweat trickling down his throat. Theuse of lighting and colour is also a keyfeature of the film; when Reynolds’character is bathed in a green light, itseems to calm both him and the audi-ence; when the regular white light is on,it reassures us that he is buying himselfmore time; and when the red light fillsthe space, an uneasiness creeps in andsends chills through your veins. Thereis a definite psychological element atplay which is reminiscent of AlfredHitchcock, and even moreso of theunknown, as we are left guessing rightup to the film’s final moments.★★★★

Black SwanEvery year, the festival has a

favourite film that people don’t want tostop talking about, and DarrenAronofsky’s Black Swan could verywell be this year’s “it” movie. WhenNina (Natalie Portman), a New YorkCity ballerina, gets the part of the SwanQueen in Swan Lake, she pushes herselfeven harder to be able to nail the otherhalf of the performance as the BlackSwan. She is perfect for the WhiteSwan, but is too innocent and notimpulsive enough to play the darkside...yet. As she begins to spend timewith Lily (Mila Kunis), a new dancerand a less-than-ideal influence on her,Nina begins to transform into some-thing visceral, both in a mental andphysical sense. Her impulses becomenervous ticks, and she becomesexposed to a world that didn’t existbefore. Her desire to be perfect in herpursuit of becoming the Swan Queenoverrides everything else, and her deci-sions converge into a dramatic climaxfrom which there is no going back.Portman’s portrayal is quite simply oneof the most invested and impressivefemale performances of any of thisyear’s films: she transforms from asweet, timid girl into a dangerous, disil-lusioned fanatic with a fiery passion

and a disturbing mindset, which isunlike any of her previous cinematicroles. Nothing is off-limits for Portmanwhen it comes to acting, and the level ofcomfortableness she projects in difficultsituations is incredibly admirable.Kunis emerges as a contender for thesupporting actress role, as she too com-pletely invests herself in whatever isexpected of her, and examines the com-plexity of her character by portrayingvarious different emotions and states ofmind. Aronofsky’s shadowed cornersand eerie encounters between charac-ters do an incredible job of creatingspooky moments, as does the musicthroughout the entire film. It infuses alife of its own into the plot, and sendsgoosebumps along your arms as yourmind adjusts itself to the peculiar sur-roundings. Black Swan is shocking,provocative, agonizing—and complete-ly mesmerizing.★★★★★

Little White LiesGuillaume Canet’s film will disap-

point those expecting ruthless scandalsand cold-hard confrontations, butpleasantly surprise those that like somecomedy in a serious film. Funnier thanits title suggests, Canet’s film examinesa group of friends on vacation togetherin the countryside of France, but in theback of their minds is the thought oftheir friend lying unconscious in a Parishospital after a motorcycle accident.They try to make the most of their tripby boating and bonding, but when cer-tain secrets start revealing themselves,everyone is on edge, trying to cope withthe news they receive. However, withsituations like a 35-year-old man tryingto decipher a woman’s text messages,Marion Cottilard on a raft on the openwater, and a man’s pant leg gettingstuck in the mud and causing him tofreak out, the film is absolutely chock-full of laughs—none of which are lost intranslation, but even enhanced by auniquely French humour. Nevertheless,the film’s ultimate sense of gravity isnot lost, and the humour is tastefully

done in order to provide a perfect bal-ance of both ends of the emotionalspectrum. ★★★★

Sarah’s KeyGilles Pacquet Brenner’s emotional

tale of a Jewish family’s separation dur-ingWorld War II is the focus of Sarah’sKey. Sarah locks her little brother in acloset to hide him from the police whentheir house is raided., and promises toreturn for him, but is taken to theFrench camps and separated from herparents. Rather than depicting only thetraditional brutality and inhumanity ofofficers during the war, Brenner show-cases a glimpse of mercy that may havebeen more common at the time thanwe expect.One officer looks into Sarah’s eyes,

and helps her escape under the barbedwire before any of the others notice.This scene is one of many emotionally-charged moments in Sarah’s life, as theaudience is taken back and forthbetween the time of the war and pre-sent day. In the latter, a woman(Kristen Scott-Thomas) is working ona magazine feature about the Jews dur-ing the war, and is looking to uncoverthe truth about what happened to Sarahand her brother all those years ago.Scott-Thomas gives a strong

performance as a characterstriving to lay some demons to rest,both her own and those of Sarah’sfamily. Aiden Quinn, though onlyplaying a small role as Sarah’s son,manages to convey an absolutely gen-uine revelation when he finally discov-ers some of his mother’s true history40 years later. Though the film touch-es you deeply at many points, therecould have been a lot more develop-ment for Sarah’s character (as well asthe subplot with her brother); instead,most of the film focuses on the presentsearch of answers in retrospect, and socreates somewhat of a disconnectbetween the real experiences of Sarahand the stories that were simplyrecounted.★★½

FAC E B O O K . C O M / A L L I A N C E F I L M S YO U T U B E . C O M / A L L I A N C E F I L M S

THERE’S MORE KILLER SUSPENSE IN THIS

ONE-OF-A-KIND FILM than you’ll find in a dozen thrillers. You’ll be talking about this spellbinder

for weeks. It pushes every button. Don’t let anyone spoil this story.Peter Travers

STARTS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 AMC THEATRES

YONGE & DUNDAS 24 10 DUNDAS ST. E. 416-977-2262

POWERFULPowerful and startling work. Jaw-dropping,

suspenseful and touching.Steven Zeitchik

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human drama.John Lopez

Text FILMS to 777888 to get the latest buzz on all our movies and exclusive VIP offers. Standard messaging rates may apply.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTMONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 201066 THE MEDIUM

Hurley - Weezer

After a low point in their career,Weezer offers hope for fans with anunlikely album.Pop-punk mainstays Weezer saw

more than a few raised eyebrows whenthey unveiled the name and ratherstriking cover image of their eighth stu-dio album, Hurley. And after theirrecent string of dubiously-receivedalbums, it would be easy to accuse theband of resorting to gimmicky marketing. But the goodnews is that Hurley has more workingin its favour than just the smiling faceof cover model/actor Jorge Garcia(who portrayed the album’snamesake on the TV series Lost).Fans and critics who are waiting for

Weezer to recapture the freshness ofthe band’s first two albums, 1994’sWeezer (The Blue Album) and 1996’sPinkerton, are unlikely ever to be satis-fied. Yet that doesn’t seem to stop themfrom welcoming each new Weezerrelease with a well-rested sense of hos-tility. (Was 2005’sMake Believe reallyso offensive?)However, if listeners keep an open

mind, this latest effort may actuallyreignite some hope in those who’ve allbut given up on the band. Hurley iscertainly not Pinkerton 2.0, but it is oneof Weezer’s strongest recent efforts.One of the reasons why Hurley suc-

ceeds is that it’s succinct. Weezer rarelybenefits from having a track run overfour minutes, and everything aboutHurley is breezy. As a whole, it playsmuch quicker than their previouseffort, Raditude. That album was only34 minutes, but it felt twice as long.

Hurley doesn’t offer any hits as obvi-ous as “(If You’re Wondering if I WantYou To) I Want You To” (fromRaditude) or “Perfect Situation” (fromMake Believe). However, the bandseems content to trade hits for consis-tency, and the album is stronger for it.There aren’t any glaring low points onthe album (though the lead single,“Memories”, suffers from a bagpipeaccompaniment and lack of a tune),and everything works nicely togetheron Hurley. It wouldn’t be a Weezeralbum without some camp, but theirwinking angst feels less contrived anddoesn’t overpower the album.A few songs stand out as strong

additions to the Weezer catalogue.“Unspoken” goes in an unexpecteddirection by starting as an acoustic bal-lad (and features some raw vocals fromfrontman Rivers Cuomo). It’s one ofthe rare tracks that harks back to theirearlier work before bursting into amassive chorus, complete with strings.

“Run Away” covers the standardtopic of lost love. But rather than start-ing with a bang and never relenting, asmany of the band’s songs do, it takes itstime to build up to an enjoyablyunhinged peak.That said, Weezer isn’t reinventing

their sound on Hurley, and that’s fine.“Ruling Me” may be typical Weezer inthe sense that it offers self-deprecatinglyrics and a massive chorus, but itavoids feeling tedious thanks to its joy-ful “ooh” and “ahh” backing vocals. Aswell, “Hang On” has an anthem-likequality that feels meant for a stadium,and it sits comfortably in the midst ofthe album’s other hook-filled offerings.In their past couple of albums, it

sometimes seems like Weezer tried todumb down their music for a wideraudience with easier-to-grasp and pol-ished melodies, and lyrics that vergedon self-mockery. Hurley feels muchsimpler than anything they’ve releasedin the past nine years, but ironically itworks better. There are moments (likethe closing track, “Time Flies”) that feelrefreshingly uncalculated, and the bandseems to have stripped away some ofthe artifice that put people off.Some critics complain that the band

has lost its touch, but while Weezer’sprevious greatness may still be out ofreach, Hurley stands well on its own. Ithas enough hooks to invite newfans, while older onesmay be surprised byhow much there isto like.

Flamingo -Brandon Flowers

The Killers’ front-man BrandonFlowers is backwith a solo effort,

the heavily LasVegas-inspiredFlamingo. Afterfour discs withhis glam-rockband, Flowersbrings himselfeven more tothe front, butonly shows usmore of whatwe havealready heardbefore. WithFlamingo, thesinger / song-writer focusseson his home-town to showus the kind ofman he is; butThe Killers’s e c o n dalbum, Sam’sTown, hadthe sameidea, soF lamingo ’ snew songsdon’t soundquite so original. The open-

ing track, “Welcome to Fabulous LasVegas”, has good intentions, though itfeels like the opening song to a videogame. It isn’t as “fabulous” as the titlesuggests, but it gives you a good idea ofthe rest of the album. “Only the Young”, the second

single, is the strongest song here, bothmusically and lyrically. It has a verycatchy chorus, a strong refrain (“Onlythe young can break away”), and apowerful beat, all of which stay true toThe Killers’ signature synth style.“Hard Enough”, the third track, is a

collaboration with alternative-countrysweetheart, Jenny Lewis. Flowers andLewis co-wrote the song, but with thesetwo talents working together, oneexpects something better. Lewis barely

sings at all on the track, which is disap-pointing because her powerful voicecould have lent so much to it.The fourth track, “Jilted Lovers &

Broken Hearts”, is a very Las Vegas-like version of a break-up song. Withlyrics like “Why did you roll your dice,show your cards, jilted lovers and bro-ken hearts?”, Flowers compares love tocasino gambling. While the song isdecent musically, the lyrics try a littletoo hard and almost end up clichéd.“Playing with Fire” is very mellow

and rich in guitar, and has a strong atmosphere to it. Lyrically, however,despite its strong idea, it feels likeFlowers is throwing in different linesthat don’t necessarily fit together.“Was It Something that I Said?” is a

strange song that has the same feel as“The Ballad of Michael Valentine”(from the compilation album Sawdust),except not as memorable. It has moreof a country-rock vibe and sticks outlike a sore thumb on the album.“Magdalena”, Flowers’ self-pro-

claimed “proudest track” on Flamingo,doesn’t spark the way Flowers thoughtit would It gets better as it goes, buteven a powerful key change can’t makeit fit in with the rest of the album. The album’s lead single, “Crossfire”,

is one of the stronger songs in this col-lection, being both musically promi-

nent and lyrically wise. Flowers’falsetto voice works well onthis track as well, andthough instrumentallyit’s very reminiscent ofTheKillers’ work, it stilldistinguishes Flowersmusically from therest of the group.

“On the Floor”starts out as an emo-tional ballad, withstrong lyrics and agreat mellow feel.However, the intro-duction of a gospelchoir doesn’t domuch to to enhancethe melody, andthough it isn’t toooverwhelming, thesong would proba-bly be better with-out it.“Swallow It” is

an interestingchoice for the clos-ing track on thealbum, but in a wayit sums up thethemes ofFlamingo. It hasintelligent lyricsand makes gooduse of layeringharmonies ofFlowers’ voice, andis therefore arather strong trackon an overall weakalbum.For fans who

plan to go for thedeluxe version,save your five dol-lars. It’s four extratracks whicharen’t much bet-

ter than the album’s original ten, per-haps with the exception of “I CameHere to Get Over You”.All in all, Flamingo is an “effort” at

best, but is pretty disappointing for bigfans of The Killers. Flowers uses thesignature style and sound of his band,but it comes off a lot weaker withoutthe three other band members. Forthose who love the album, don’t forget

to see Brandon Flowers in concert at

The Sound Academy on December 4.

Drawing Down the Moon - Azure RayThe American duo Orenda Fink andMaria Taylor have broken their six-year silence to offer their latest AzureRay album, Drawing Down the Moon.This album offers the kind of soundyou would want in your ears whenyour soul feels cold and hungry. It’s awhispering giant that nurtures you andassure you that good music still exists.The aptly titled opening track,

“Wake Up, Sleepyhead”, is a shortnumber with soft vocals and a cradlingmelody that invites you to grab a warmblanket and snuggle up to this record.It opens with a glorious harp line andsounds a lot like something you’d hearen route to the pearly gates.Another stand-out track is “Don’t

Leave My Mind”. It’s a melodic depar-ture from the opening track, with aprominent bass line and the sound ofdistant bongos. The double-trackedvocals also complement the track. Thevoices are strong and the lyrics tell abeautiful story.The harmonies in “Walking in

Circles”, paired with the fairytalemusic, make the track charming andstrangely familial. Larraine steals theshow lyrically and the whole song has a“story-time” vibe.The musicianship on this album is

actually something to admire. Fromtwinkly piano lines to strategic inter-vals of twangy guitar, it keeps yourappetite whetted and your eardrumssatisfied. No two songs sound alike,and lyrically the album spans a fairrange of topics, mostly in the form ofstories, which makes them feel likememories.In my opinion, this album kisses the

ears. Its composition and productionare powerful but not overwhelming. Itsatisfies all the senses—yes, eventaste!—thanks to its tangible imagery.The melodies are both gently and care-fully crafted, and it’s surprising howwhole and full the songs sound.“Simplicity” is sometimes a synonymfor “hollowness”, but Drawing Downthe Moon is certainly not hollow.

Albums of the week TThhee MMeeddiiuumm takes a look at the latest efforts of Weezer, Brandon Flowers, and Azure RayCCOOLLLLEEEENN MMUUNNRROOASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

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From fist-pumping guidos to crazyguidettes, the party never stops at theJersey Shore—or, in this season,Miami Beach. With catchy words like“chode”, “juicehead”, “grenade”, and“landmine”, the Jersey Shore cast hasinvented new vocabulary that hasbecome universally recognized. Thefirst season became a hit on MTV asthousands of viewers tuned in towatch a reality show about eightItalian-American “original guids”.

The cast consists of a unique set ofpeople, each with different personali-ties that bring humour and surpriseto each episode. Mike “TheSituation” turned heads with histoned six-pack. How did he get hisnickname, you might ask? Well, it’s astory he tells repeatedly: a youngguidette looked at his body and said,“Well, now, that’s a situation!”… andthe rest is history. His buddy, DJPauly D, is known for his “blowout”hairdo and his brand new track,“Beat that Beat”. In every episode, thetwo rebels are trying to hook up withany girl who walks their way.Two BFFLs in the house are Jenny

“JWoww”, and Nicole aka “Snooki”.JWoww is known as a man-eater:she’s a girl with zero self-control, fakebreasts, and an aggressive attitude.Everyone knows not to mess withthis bombshell.Her sidekick Snooki is the shortest

and cutest of them all. With her fivefoot frame—including her toweringpoof—Snooki loves disturbing thepeace with her antics. The ultimateguidette, Snooki loves to “smush”and enjoys dating “ ’roided, juice-head guidos”.Vinny, the youngest cast member,

is a low key, easygoing guy. He comesfrom the typical big Italian familyand is a true mamma’s boy. He loveshis pasta, and his family appears in acouple episodes. His rival, Angelinais back (after leaving during seasonone), speaking her mind and not car-ing who she offends. This outcast isknown for talking smack about herroommates and being a double agent.Her excessive drinking gets her intotrouble, and has resulted in manynight hook-ups.Sammy “Sweetheart” is probably

the most oblivious girl in the world.With a deep love for Ronnie, she’sclearly being taken for a ride. She wassingle at the start of season one, butshe and Ronnie have been on-and-offtogether for both seasons. She lovesto cuddle and hates hardcore parties,but Ronnie loves to party and getwasted. During his “Single-RonnieDays”, he gets into four-way kissingand drinking to the point of no recol-lection. If you’re in a brawl and needsome help, Ronnie is the man to call.With his huge muscles and shorttemper, he’s always ready for a fight.Entering season one, his golden rulewas to never fall in love at JerseyShore— but it seems he’s under aspell.This summer, the second season

aired and filming of the third seasonis currently underway. Although thecast has a huge fan base, not everyoneis a supporter. Unico National, thelargest Italian-American service orga-nization in the US, has claimed thatmany outraged Italians called andrequested that the show be cancelled.Similarly, some advertisers havepulled their commercial ads from theshow. However, MTV continues tostand by the hit, claiming that theyare not stereotyping Italians, but are“depicting just one aspect ofyouth culture”.If you enjoy reality shows like the

Real World and The Hills, and are noteasily offended, then this show is def-initely for you! With their late-nightpartying, drinking habits, and loudantics, the Jersey Shore cast will makeyou laugh and sometimes cry. Watchthe second season, Jersey Shore:Miami, Thursdays at 10 p.m.—andlearn how to fist pumpthe night away.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTMONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 THE MEDIUM 77

Extra TIFF coverage: Ben Affleck’s The Town

Chaos. That’s how I would describe thered-carpet world premiere of The Town,Ben Affleck’s second directorial ven-ture, at the Toronto International FilmFestival on Saturday, September 11.Don’t get me wrong—the film wasgreat. (More on that in a second.) But,boy! did I ever witness a completely newside of human behavior that day! Peopleshoving, yelling, crying, screaming,extending their cameras to catch a snap-shot of their favourite star, telling you to“watch it” because your arm is in theirwife’s way (yes, I actually got that one).Oh TIFF, how I love thee.Screening at the festival’s largest

venue, the elegant Roy Thompson Hall,The Town was considered one of thefestival’s most anticipated films rightfrom the start. Just take one look at thestellar cast, and you’ll see why. For thoseof you out of the loop, the film stars BenAffleck (director of Gone Baby Gone),Jon Hamm (Mad Men), JeremyRenner (The Hurt Locker), Blake Lively(Gossip Girl), and Rebecca Hall

(The Prestige).Debuting in theatres this past Friday,

The Town is set in the neighborhoods ofBoston and tells the story of a band ofbank robbers who go around stealingmillions of dollars, all the while dressedup in eerie Halloween-style costumes(evil nuns, anyone?). All pretty genericso far, right? Well, things start to shakeup when Doug MacRay (Affleck), thelead planner of the bank robberies, fallsin love with one of his hostages (Hall).Although she is let go and is unaware ofthe identities of her abductors, she is lefttraumatized by her near-death experi-ence. But she doesn’t realize she’s beingpursued by Doug, who’s becomingattracted to her. The two develop a rela-tionship, which doesn’t sit too well witheither James (Renner), Doug’s hot-headed best friend and partner-in-crime, or his ex-girlfriend Krista(Lively). Doug wants to leave the worldof crime behind and settle down withhis love, but how can he when his bestfriend, ex-girlfriend, the FBI (led byHamm’s character), and the crime lordsof Boston are standing in his way?It may sound a bit procedural and

straightforward (and to be honest, it

mostly is), but there’s something to beadmired in Affleck’s skilled directionand character development. As with hisdirectorial debut, Gone Baby Gone,Affleck has a gift for conveying the grit-tiness and harshness of reality in hisdepiction of crime, justice, and lawenforcement. For example, the chasescenes in this film will keep you on theedge of your seat, not only because thecamerawork and background music areamazing, but as an audience memberyou feel like there are real consequencesand outcomes involved for the charac-ters in the film. Affleck’s characters areso deep and complex that they seem tohave emerged straight out of real life(and in fact, the film is based on a truestory). Affleck’s performance as Doug isparticularly noteworthy because he suc-cessfully conveys the character’s painand suffering, even if you only watch hiseyes and body language.The Town is the definition of a well-

made film; everything from the cine-matography to the acting is top-notch.Again, it’s nothing we haven’t seenbefore, but watch it for the tremendousartistic skill on display. Trust me on thisone: it’s worth it.

Becoming an original guidoMeet the cast of JJeerrsseeyy SShhoorree and join the fan clubMMAARRIIAANNAA CCOOMMIITTOOASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

RRAAVVII GGAABBBBLLEE

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 20108 THE MEDIUM

Amir Ahmed, Editor | features@mediumonline.ca

Master of Management& Professional AccountingMMPA

day, 2 , 20 11: 0 am – 1: 0 pmRoom , , University of T sday, October , 20 1 : 0 am – 1 : 0 pmRoom , , University of

sday, 20 11: 0 am – 1: 0 pmRoom , , University of www.utoronto.ca/mmpa

If you’re looking for tips on howto be more of a ladies ’ man, orwork on your pickup lines, I ’vealready misled you with this arti-cle’s title. I’m talking about videogames. From the D-Pad to the joy-s t i ck to mot ion-sensors , v ideogames have on ly become moreimmersive, giving players an easi-er way to suspend reality. But whydo guys love it so much? And whyi s go ing home and turn ing onyour P lays t a t ion 3 sucha ”guy thing”?I’m not saying that there are no

women who like to go home andunwind by playing some Madden’11; I’ve had my ass handed to mea few t imes by g i r l s p l ay ingonline. However, gaming is cer-tainly usually marketed to boysand men, so it’s no wonder thatthe t e s tos t e rone-dr iven hobbydoesn’t appeal to a lot of females.The consensus among the girls I

spoke to about men playing videogames was a collective sigh; it wasthe sound of disappointment inthe opposite sex, a reaction thatwould make any man feel the needto hide his love of gaming. I was-n’t surprised—I have a Playstation3 and a girlfriend, and I know thatwhen I’m playing with one, I can’tplay with the other. Still, I saw itas my responsibility to find outwhy women fee l so nega t i ve l yabout guys that play video games.No matter who I talked to or whatI r ead , i t a l l c ame down toa few things.Most video games are marketed

for men . No b ig surpr i s e ; bu twhen 99% of the advertising and

games are geared toward shooting,explosives, or sports, do we reallyexpect anyone who’s not blindedby absurd amounts of testosteroneto real ly care? And there aren’tmany games that specifically tar-get women as the audience.Let’s take it a bit further. Video

game companies typically targettwo groups: one is men, as I men-tioned already, and the other ischildren. Every girl I spoke to saidthey thought men who play videogames were immature ; whetherit’s a Playstation or a NES, they’restill considered toys. One studentrelated a man playing video gamesto a woman playing with dolls. Iagree that if I found a woman who

still played with or even owned aBarbie collection, I’d think theyweren’t all that grown up—or sta-ble. But is this really the case forgames? Are video games childish?As somebody who owns and playsthem, I beg to say no. More thanhalf of all games these days have18+ ratings and are NOT made fork ids , bu t i t doesn ’ t s eemto matter.More important than the associ-

ation with immaturity, or a possi-ble misunderstanding of gaming,is the “typical” image of a gamer.Thanks to a small group of “hard-core” gamers , the ent i re wor ldv i ews v ideo game p layer s a s“losers” and “geeks”. Most people

be l ieve that the only ones whoplay games are the ones who feellike they have nothing good hap-pening for them in reality. Now,don ’ t ge t me wrong . There aremany out there who fully immersethemselves in the games they play,discarding all of their real friendsfor peop le they on ly know byonl ine nicknames—but that ’ s aminor i t y ! Of the three g i r l s Ispoke to in preparation for thisart ic le , none of them thought Iwas somebody who played videogames regular ly . That sugges tstha t there ’ s s t i l l an inaccura testereotype of the typical gamerand it’s a turn-off.So, for the guys out there who

are look ing for love , bu t havea l ready found the i r pass ion ingaming, I offer a “strategy guide”to juggling both.

1.Try to defect from the stereotyp-ical gamer look as much as possi-b l e ; don ’ t wear v ideo –game-themed c lo th ing , don ’ t t a lk“gamer speak” with her (“Hi, I’mSteve and I’d love to be your noobboyfriend”), and don’t bring upyour love of gaming.2.If she brings it up, downplay it.Te l l he r you p lay when you ’ r ebored, or just occasionally, even ifyour current game of Madden ’11i s paused a t home whi l eyou’re at school.3.Don’t hide your system(s); I’vefound that girls don’t really mindif we play video games, as long aswe don’t do it when they’re withus, and we don’t start showing thesigns of becoming what they thinkis a hardcore gamer. At the sametime, don’t start showing up ondates with the portable systemslike the PSP; she won’t mind see-ing i t at home, but she doesn’ twant i t to be a f i x ture inyour relationship.4 .Make her the pr ior i ty . I f sheneeds you, the games shouldn’tmat t e r . You may ge t in f in i t echances in the game , bu tnot with her.

I think if you stick to all that, youshould be successful in both facetsof your life; and maybe do yourpart in changing the stigma asso-ciated with gaming. Oh, and if youdo find a woman who happens tobe into gaming as much as youare, hold on tight, because you’reon the winn ing end of aglitch in the system.

DERIC VARCOE

Many young adults have never beentaught the structure of credit, interest,tax, and debt that can trap people in acycle of wasted income and wastedtime. It wasn’t taught in high school,and we aren’t necessarily taught it athome. Even financially-aware parentsmay not have shared their wisdomwith their young high school gradu-ates yet.According to the website cana-

da.creditcards.com, Canadians had$73.9 billion in outstanding creditcard debts in 2009. With most cardsaccruing interest at a rate of 20-30%per annum, we’re looking at about a$15-20-billion profit for the creditcard companies—and for doing what?Lending you money that they collect-ed on other people’s debts.Collegestudentcreditcard.com hassome interesting statistics specificallyregarding student debt. According totheir database, students have an aver-age of 2.8 credit cards, and $885 aver-

age balance owed. Only 55% of stu-dents pay off their credit card debtevery month. Interestingly, the sitealso claims that more students dropout of school because of financial dif-ficulties (8.5%) than because of acade-mic inability (6%).

Student life isn’t often luxurious.With tuition, books, phone bills, goingout, and perhaps parking passes andcar insurance, it isn’t rare for a studentto count their pennies. But without adisposable income, there isn’t anysense in spending money you don’thave.If you can’t pay right away, you’ll

soon be facing high interest charges

on your debt. The longer you take topay, the more your payments go topaying off interest, rather than yourinitial loan. Now those extra dollarsyou’ve been sweating for are essential-ly being thrown away. This system ofcredit, debt, interest, and tax has somany people today stuck in theproverbial “rat race,” and it only getsworse as your income increases. Applythe same principles to nicer, fastercars, bigger houses, and the costs ofraising children. Instead of a $500 stu-dent credit card debt accumulatinginterest, you’ve got a debt of hundredsof thousands of dollars, known asyour mortgage. So don’t be surprisedif the revenue agency comes afteryour house!Of course, everyone has the right to

spend their money and credit howeverthey wish. But think twice before youswipe that Visa when your debit cardcan’t cut it. The creditors may saythey’re lending you that bit “so youcan get what you want now”, butremember that they’re more interestedin your money than your well-being.

What it means to be a player

dailyonce.files.wordpress.com

YYoouu ccaann’’tt hhaavvee hhiimm aanndd hheerr aatt tthhee ssaammee ttiimmee.. AAlltthhoouugghh tthhaatt wwoouulldd bbee aawweessoommee..

The dangers of debtCCHHRRIISS AALLII SSAARRVVGGHHAADDII

“Students have an aver�age of 2.8 credit cards,and $885 average bal�

ance owed. Only 55% ofstudents pay off theircredit card debt every

month.”

FEATURESMONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 THE MEDIUM 99

ERINDALE COLLEGE COUNCIL University of Toronto Mississauga

The Council of Erindale College, also known as the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), exercises its powers and duties under the University of Toronto Act, 1971, as amended.

NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN FOR THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS:

Full-time undergraduate students 50 positions available Part-time undergraduate students 14 positions available Administrative Staff (non-academic staff other than department heads) 8 positions available

Nominations may be submitted through the Council website: www.utm.utoronto.ca/council/

Questions about the nominations? Contact: 905-828-5233 / t.breukelman@utoronto.ca

NOMINATION PERIOD for Erindale College Council Membership: September 16, 2010 - 9:00am to September 30, 2010 - 12:00 Noon

Elections*: October 7, 2010 - 9:00am-5:00pm

Nomination Period for Standing Committee membership for students:

October 15, 2010 - 9:00am October 22, 2010 - 12 Noon. Elections if necessary*: October 27, 2010 - 9:00am 5:00pm. *If the number of nominations exceed the number of available positions

Dinosaurs may not be the only onesto see a huge asteroid coming theirway. Luckily, humans can developmethods to predict and destroyasteroids before they destroy us.The Associat ion of Space

Explorers , headed by Canadianastronaut Chris Hadfield, submitteda proposal to the United Nationssuggesting plans to detect and han-dle any incoming asteroids thatcould cause widespread destruction.An example of such an impending

threat is Apophis, a 320-metre aster-oid that is predicted to have a 1 in37 chance of colliding with Earth onApril 13, 2029. If it misses, there’dbe another potential impact in 2036What effect would this asteroid

have? To give you an idea, Siberiasuffered a 45-metre-wide spaceboulder crashing into a forested areain 1908. About 2,000 square

kilometres of trees were obliterated.Fortunately, the area was uninhabit-ed—but, Hadfield says, we can’talways be so lucky.Every day about 3,000 meteors,

smaller, broken pieces of asteroidsand comets, hit the earth. Most areunnoticeable because they are sosmall. The famous asteroid that sup-posedly annihilated most of thedinosaurs when it collided into theearth around 65 million years agomeasured 15 km in diameter.Asteroids that big rarely hit Earth.The proposed asteroid detection

plan involves a powerful telescopecalled NEOSSat (Near Earth ObjectSurveillance Satellite). This $15-mil-lion technology will circle 700 kmabove the Earth and scan for incom-ing asteroids. Scientists hope tolaunch it in March 2011. RussellSchweikart, former US astronautand chair of a 2008 report on aster-oid threats, says new telescopes willincrease our current knowledge of

7,000 space objects to more than 1,000,000.Currently , the UN and the

Association of Space Explorers areholding workshops to brainstormways of averting an asteroid impact.One idea involves shooting a space-craft into the asteroid to blow it upor throw it off course. Another ideainvolves a spacecraft called a “gravi-ty tractor” that would hold its posi-tion near the incoming asteroid anduse gravitational pull to tug theasteroid off course. Offsetting theasteroid could take days (and hun-dreds of millions of dollars) depend-ing on its size.However, asteroids sometimes

offers unique opportunit ies . InApril, US President Barack Obamaset a goal for NASA astronauts tovisit a 500-metre wide astronaut by2025. The astronauts are supposedto ride the asteroid, named “1999-RQ36”, past Earth for two weeks.Forget the moon, Armstrong.

Humans will be flying by it on aster-oids.Until that time comes, the UN

and its affiliates in space explorationwill continue developing sophisti-cated technologies aimed at the skies.Meanwhile, more attention may

be paid to these developments withthe recent talk of the Mayan calen-dar predict ions. The Maya, anancient Mesoamerican civilization,created a calendar which suggeststhat they prophesized the end of theworld in late 2012. The cause is not indicated.As it happens, Chris Hadfield will

lead the International Space Stationin a mission to observe asteroids upclose, geared for late 2012.Coincidence? Perhaps. But with sci-entists predicting that about 300asteroids could col l ide with theearth in the next 100 years, one canonly hope that the stars are in our favour.

EEMMIILLYY AACCHHEESSOONN

Avoiding an Armageddon

eso.org

FEATURESMONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 20101100 THE MEDIUM

After a breakup we can do some prettyirrational things. I went around cam-pus last week and asked people theirbest tips about what NOT to do after abreakup. Mostly, people tended toagree on one thing: don’t make a foolof yourself trying to bring it back “justlike that”. Here are a few tips that willhopefully help to keep your sanity andavoid future humiliation.

DON’T Become DesperateThe whole “they broke up with me outof the blue” speech is pure BS.Whether you noticed or not, chancesare your ex saw the demise of yourrelationship well before you did. Beingdesperate will only make it worse;despite what you may think, despera-tion is never hot! Wipe the tears andsnot off your face and walk away withsome dignity!

DON’T “LOL” it offJust because you can call, text, BBM,IM, and e-mail anyone at any timethese days doesn’t mean you’ve gotthe green light to do it to your ex.Texting him or her to say “I was justthinking of you” will no longer beromantic or sweet—instead it’s stalk-er-esque. Do yourself a favour andavoid using your phone or computerwhen thoughts of your ex start bubbling over.

NO Computer LoveI don’t know how many times I’veheard the following: “I was readingtheir status on Facebook today andthey said such-and-such. They’re sotalking about me.” There’s a good

chance that you’re off the mark or justparanoid. Reading too much intosomeone’s status will just make youcrazy, and monitoring someone’severy move can not only be exhaust-ing, but torturous. If they’re having agood day, you’ll feel slighted; if youfeel they’re referencing you, you’llgain false hope. Whichever way youspin it, it’s not good.

NO Breakup SexWe all know there’s a window timeafter a breakup where sex with your exis acceptable (cue the Ne -yo music).It’s only natural for you to still want tobe physical with someone you’veestablished a bond with; however, atsome point, the loving becomes a real-ly, really bad idea. I hate to tell to you,but your “long history” does not makeyou immune to booty-call status.

NO Social Stalking“Oh my God, I didn’t know you weregoing to be here!” Lies!—you’ve beenwith your ex for two years and canrecite their daily routine in your sleep.Now you’re surprised to find them atthe bar they visit at Happy Hour?Awkward encounters with your exaren’t cool, they’re just awkward. Plus,your ex won’t be nearly as excited tosee you. To avoid looking crazy, trynot to show up where you probablywon’t be wanted or invited.

DON’T Friendly FireYou can’t be friends with your ex ifyou’re still in love with them! Toomany poor souls have tried to be aguy’s girl friend right after being hisgirlfriend or a girl’s boy friend rightafter being her boyfriend, but forcingyourself to see someone platonically

when they still have your heart is alost cause. You’re only setting yourselfup for heartache when the reality hitsthat they doesn’t see you the same wayanymore. It’s best to get over the per-son completely before consideringfriendship with them.

Ex-NayFor the people who choose to ignoremy previous rule (because I knowthere will be plenty) and are deter-mined to be friends with your ex,avoid asking them about their newdating/sex life. You do not want toknow how many people they’ve sleptwith since you two broke up lastmonth, let alone find out they’re seeing someone new. Trust me, itwon’t stop at one question, and youdefinitely won’t like the answers.Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.

DON’T “Can We Talk?”They haven’t answered your calls,texts, or e-mails, so you have this brilliant idea to surprise them at theirplace to talk. What are you thinking?If they don’t want to talk to you whatmakes you think they would want tosee you? They’re avoiding you for areason, so you should avoid making afool of yourself. It will most likely leadto a verbal blowup and having it allout again that they don’t want to bewith you. Do you really want to hearthat again?

Creative Corner

As I lie in bed, I look at the man beside me

And he doesn't even have one tenth of my lover's

greatness

That lover who was snatched from me

I would happily have been his mistress

What life is there in life without him?

The man who loved me, true to the core,

Without him my vigor is running thin

Without him I don't want to live anymore

My mother is the one who led me to this

consequence.

Her prestige to her meant more than my happiness

She wanted me to live within the white picket fence

With a man who just wants me to wear a smile

and a dress

Every day I spend in his memories to see

That lover with whom I found happiness

As I lie in bed, I look at the man beside me

And he doesn't even have one tenth of my lover's

greatness

There she sits and sighs, and waits to meether love, and contemplates the colour

red. Red like the dress that quivers by her feet,red like the lipstick that colours her lips,

red like the leaves that flutter down the street,red like the petals of flowers stained with

blood or the poem that remains never written.

There she sits and sighs, and waits to meether fate, and contemplates the colour

blue. Blue like the river that flows by her feet,blue like the colour of a drowning man’s lips,blue like the toy ball that rolls down the street

when the child loses balance and falls.

There she sits and sighs, and waits to meether end, and contemplates the colour

pink. Pink like the little shoe on the newborn’s feet,pink like the smile on her little, pouty lips,

pink like the stroller that rolls down the streetwhen her mama loses balance and falls.

RedLLUUCCYY ZZEEMMLLJJIICC

MMUURRRRIIUUMM ZZAAHHEEEERR

As I Lie in BedLLYYSSAANN SSEEQQUUEEIIRRAA

How not to handle a breakup

After four Super Bowl losses and ahistory of heartbreak, pessimismhas been common among BuffaloBills fans. The Bills disappointedagain last season, which led to asearch for new direction this off-season. The coaching sta f f wascomplete ly overhauled; inter imhead coach Perry Fewell and hiscoaching sta f f were replacedwith fresh faces.To football fans, new faces mean

hope. With change, fans embrace anew regime promising the possibil-ity of a brighter future. They beginciting buzzwords, l ike “rebuild”and claim that the team has theright plan in place to win. Will wesee fulfilled expectations of a revi-tal ized Buffalo franchise that iscapable of competing again?Whether or not the Bills succeed

will depend on Chan Gailey, theirnew head coach. If history and theexternal factors working againsthim are any indication, the answerto that question is a resounding no.It could be a short stay in Buffalofor Gailey as he takes over a teamthat is talent-starved and lacks skillin key positions. Most notably, theBil ls have holes at quarterback,wide rece iver , and along theoffence line. A switch in defenceschemes could only complicate thesituation further. As they’re com-peting in one of the best divisionsin footba l l , i t would be near lyimpossible for even a great coach totransform the Bi l l s intoa winning team.Gai ley l ike ly ended up in his

gloomy situation not by choice, butbecause it was the best positionavailable given his résumé. In fact,Gailey may be one of the most sig-nificant factors undermining theBills’ chances of success.The Bills hired Gailey because of

his experience as an offence coordi-nator. The team hopes he’ll add aspark to an offence that has beenanemic in recent years. His bodyof work as an offence coach sug-ges ts this wi l l not be the case .Gaileys reputation is largely tied tohis two seasons in Dallas in 1998and 1999, where he took theCowboys to playoff appearancesbut didn’t win any playoff games.S ince being f i red in Dal las ,

Gailey has consistently failed toduplicate the powerful offence thathe had with the Cowboys. In histwo NFL positions since that time,with the Chiefs and Dolphins, hisoffences ranked 26th and 24th intotal yards. With Kansas City in2008 , Chiefs head coach ToddHaley was so disappointed withGailey’s offence that he revoked hisplay-ca l l ing responsib i l i t iesin the pre-season.I t wasn’ t the f i rs t t ime that

Gailey made headlines for his inef-fec t iveness . He was f i red fromGeorgia Tech, with a $1-millioncontract buyout , after s ix yearswithout a top 25 finish. Last year hewas out of football: no NFL teamsof fered him a posi t ionas coordinator.Does Gailey have what it takes to

give Bills fans something to cheerabout? Consider ing his trackrecord and the challenges the teamfaces, his odds seem slim at best.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 THE MEDIUM 11

William Robertson , Editor | sports@mediumonline.ca

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n h ahighlight

Stanley Cup champs retool

Hockey season is just around thecorner, which means that the play-ers are gearing up and preparingfor the pre-season. For those ofyou who haven’t been reading thenews or following your favouriteteam over the summer, their ros-t e r may look a l i t t l e d i f f e ren tthanyou remembered it, especiallyif you’re a Blackhawks fan.On June 23 , Chicago genera l

manager Stan Bowman manoeu-vred a mass ive t rade wi th theAt l an ta Thrasher s tha t sawAtlanta give Chicago a 2010 first-round pick, a 2010 second-roundpick, Jeremy Morin, and veteranforward Mar ty Reasoner inexchange for Dust in Byfugl ien,Ben Eager , Bren t Sope l , andprospect Akum Aliv. The cap sav-ings from this deal are around $5mi l l ion for the Hawks . TheThrashers came away with the bet-ter part in this trade, since DustinByfuglien alone scored 17 goalsand 17 assists in the regular sea-son and added 11 more goals inthe playof f s . Ben Eager had 16points in the regular season, whileBrent Sope l had e ight . At lanta

may have given away a first-rounddraft pick, but they had anotherfrom the Ilya Kovalchuk trade toNew Jersey. They retained theirown draft pick, which lets themchoose eighth in the upcomingdraft.The same day, in a trade that

d idn ’ t ge t a s much pub l i c i t y ,Bowman traded cent re Co l inFraser (seven goals, 12 assists) tothe Edmonton Oilers in exchangefor a 2010 sixth-round draft pick.Just seven days later, Chicago

traded winger Kris Versteeg andprospect Bill Sweatt to Toronto inexchange for forwards Vik torStalberg, Chris DiDomenico, andPhilippe Paradis. Versteeg, age 24,scored 44 points in the 2009—2010 season with the Hawks, aswell as six goals and 14 points inthe 22 playof f games he playedthis year. Viktor Stalberg, also 24,had nine goals and 14 points in 40regu la r sea son games wi th theLeafs. This trade occurred becauseBowman s t i l l had to t r imthe payroll.Finally, on July 1, Chicago trad-

ed left-winger Andrew Ladd to theAtlanta Thrashers in exchange fordefenceman Ivan Vishnevskiy anda 2011 second-round pick.

According to Bowman, all thesetrades were made to keep the teamunder i ts sa lary cap, which hasbeen tightening more and more.By t rad ing some of the b iggernames (and there fore l a rgersalaries), Chicago can stay belowtheir salary cap and maybe rebuilda solid team.This team will be built around

Patr ick Kane , Jonathan Toews ,Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook,and Patrick Sharp. Former goal-tender Antti Niemi filed for arbi-tration over the summer and wasawarded $2.75 mill ion. Chicagowalked away from the deal andinstead signed veteran goaltenderMar ty Turco f rom Dal l a sfor $1.3 million.Now all that’s left is to see how

all these trades affect the ChicagoBlackhawks. Wil l Kane, Toews,Ke i th , Seabrook , and Sharp beable to adapt to new teammatesfast enough to allow them to con-tend for the Cup again this year?Or wi l l the t eam fa l l apar t , a ssome of the more pes s imi s t i cHawks fans are worr ied about?Only time wil l tel l , but it looksl ike a rebu i ld ing year for theHawks, since they were forced totrade away many key players.

MMIICCHHEELLLLEE DDUUKKLLAASS

blackhawkup.com

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SPORTSMONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 20101122 THE MEDIUM

WIND StoresCentral (Toronto)Holt Renfrew Centre Yonge Eglinton CentreQueen WestColossus Shopping Centre

Queen’s Quay TerminalYorkdale Shopping Centre Times Square MallDundas SquareShops at Don Mills Woodside Square

NorthBridlewood Mall550 Highway 7 Woodbine CentreRioCan MarketplacePromenade

EastPickering Town CentreOshawa Centre Scarborough Town CentreWestBramalea City Centre

Lime Ridge MallMeadowvale Town CentreEastgate SquareJackson’s SquareOakville Smart Centre

BLOCKBUSTER® kiosksCentral (Toronto)

75 Hanna Ave. 5825 Yonge St.2432 Eglinton Ave. E 2940 Finch Ave. E

North8750 Bayview Ave.East1360 Kingston Rd.1615 Dundas St. E310 Harwood Ave. N

837 Danforth Ave.West1151 Dundas St. W1289 Marlborough Crt.1629 Lakeshore Rd. W320 Main St. N

450 Appleby Line125 The Queensway

WINDmobile.ca1-877-WIND-403

Always Shout$45/month

UnlimitedCanada-wide calling from any WIND Zone

UnlimitedIncoming/Outgoing Texts (CA/US) inany WIND Zone

Call Control

UnlimitedInternet data for USB data sticks from any WIND Zone. Subject to our Fair Usage Policy.

NOW$25

month

Infinite Laptop$45/month

NOW$25

month

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Offer exclusively for any student with a valid student card ’til Sept. 30th at any WIND store, kiosk or dealer. No contracts and absolutely no hidden fees.

$20 rebate

HuaweiU1250

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Right now, get a $20 rebate on ANY WIND device plus an extra $20 rebate on a Huawei U7519. Available

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY. LEARN MORE AT WINDMOBILE.CA. WIND PHONE REBATE AVAILABLE UNTIL SEPT. 30, 2010. HUAWEI U7519 REBATE AVAILABLE WHILE QUANTITIES LAST. WIND and WIND MOBILE are trademarks of Wind Telecommunicazioni S.p.A. and are used under license in Canada by Globalive Wireless Management Corp. THE POWER OF CONVERSATION is a trademark of Globalive Wireless Management Corporation. ©2010 WIND Mobile. BlackBerry® and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster Inc. © 2010 Blockbuster Inc. All rights reserved. Nokia is a registered trademark of Nokia Corporation. © 2010 Nokia. Portions of this imagery are reproduced from work created and shared by Google according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0. Attribution License.

Student Exclusive: $25/month Unlimited Talk-and-Text or Surfi ng for one year.Parents, BFs, BFFs, and FBFFs: Rejoice.