Volume 98, Issue 26

January 12, 2009

McGill
THE

DAILY
Same great taste since 1911
 LSAT MCAT
GMAT GRE
Preparation Seminars

• Complete 30-Hour Seminars

• Convenient Weekend Schedule
• Proven Test-Taking Strategies
• Experienced Course Instructors
• Comprehensive Study Materials
• Simulated Practice Exams
• Limited Class Size

College ofEnseignants
Collège des Teachers • Free Repeat Policy
• Personal Tutoring Available
• Thousands of Satisfied Students
Teaching
Diplôme Diploma:
d’enseignement en :
v Anglais,
• English, FrenchFrançais ou Espagnol
& Spanish
OXFORD SEMINARS
v Diplômes : TESOL,
• TESOL, TFSOL & TSSOL DiplomaTFSOL et TSSOL
v Science
• Science en Diploma
Teaching Biologie,inChimie,
Biology,Maths
Physics,&Chemistry
Physiques& Math 1-800-269-6719
416-924-3240
• Artsv &
Les Arts,Teaching
Music La Danse & La Musique
Diploma www.oxfordseminars.ca
v Éducation
• Teaching Physique
Phys. Ed. et Aérobic
& Aerobics
v Entraînement
• Sports de Sports
Coaching Diploma / Dancing Instructor
v Traduction
• Translation Diplomaet Enseignement de Langues
New Year’s
Simply having your Arts & Science
Avoir votreor
degrees, Bacbeing
ou Maîtrise en Science,
an expert in
Resolutions:
Arts, Musique
Music ou Sports
& Sports, ne veut
does not pas
qualify
dire as
you queavous pouvez enseigner!
Teacher. 1. Move out of the
You
Venezcan now earn
apprendre your
comment McGill Ghetto
teaching diploma toward
enseigner maintenant! 2. Stop eating at Tiki Ming
a rewarding career.
50 heures de formation incluant la
3. Start writing for the
This is a 50 hour program that Daily News section
théorie et l’entraînement.
includes Theory & Programme
Practice.
au soir ou
Evening and à la fin de semaine.
week-end programs
are also available. News meetings are every
Monday at 5:30 p.m. in
(514)
(514) 935-8787
935-8787 Métro Guy the Shatner 2nd floor cafe-
1500 de Maisonneuve O. #404 taria. You should come.
Métro Guy, 1500 de Maisonneuve O. #404
wwww.educationcanadacollege.com
w w. e d u ca t i o n ca n a d a co ll e g e . c o m

Daily Staff can vote for new

Editorial positions tomorrow
6 p.m. in The Daily office.

To vote, you must attend the candidate

rundown today 6 p.m. in QPIRG.

Interested in a career as Marketing Analyst? *

Consider the MSc in Administration
• work as part of a team of creative people with diverse
backgrounds and education
• help to develop the look, feel and essence of the company’s
products and services
• suggest communication approaches to promote the
company’s products
• help in guiding the development and creation of new products
*Just one of the many career opportunities open to
MSc in Administration graduates.
No matter what your undergraduate background, combine your
knowledge with one of our specializations.
Learn more at one of our upcoming informations sessions:
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 12:00 p.m. GM 407-1
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 5:30 p.m. GM 409-1
Thursday, January 29, 2009 12:00 p.m. GM 407-1

For more information: johnmolson.concordia.ca/msc

514-848-2424 ext. 4149
The McGill Daily, Monday, January 12, 2009 News 3

Principal talks tuition, research

Munroe-Blum takes positive attitude towards contentious campus issues
To start off the semester, Principal
Heather Munroe-Blum sat down with
The Daily, our sister publication Le
Délit, and The McGill Tribune to talk
about tuition, teaching assistants
(TAs), and First Nations at McGill.

McGill Daily: The Charest

Government has allowed Quebec
universities to increase tuition, often
by very large amounts in short peri-
ods of time, and you’ve largely wel-
comed this. Do you think a university
should have the right to set tuition at
whatever price the market can bear?
Heather Munroe-Blum: I don’t
see any evidence of huge changes,
they’ve been extremely modest
on every account. From the time
I’ve come to McGill, I’ve argued on
every account for a different policy
on tuition, which is one that would
essentially be characterized as re-
regulation, not deregulation.
I actually don’t believe in driving
costs as high as they can go – I don’t
think that funds [determine] either
accessibility or quality in a university,
but I do believe our tuition is too low,
I believe our funding overall is too
low – that’s empirically supportable.
The policy that I asked the [Board
of Governors] to approve in my first
year, which they did, is that we be able
to, within the legislative possibilities Stephen Davis / The McGill Daily

of Quebec, raise tuition within the
normal range, so you could even use
the Canadian average or Canadian
plus the public American average.
MD: What about international
student fees?
HMB: It’s hardly a dramatic step
that [Premier Jean] Charest has made.
Re-regulation would mean that we
would have the flexibility of fees that
would be approved by the [Board of
Governors], but with a notion...that
30 cents of every dollar go to student
aid.... What I hope to say while I’m
Principal is that no qualified student
will be refused, or be unable to come
to McGill because they don’t have the
financial means to come. We still don’t
have enough financial aid through
McGill or through Quebec.... If you
compare us to the other research-
intensive universities in Canada,
we lack about $100-million a year
that would normally come in from
tuition. If you look at the universities
outside Quebec, no government pays
for international students, so they
are completely cost-driven fees – and
the same in the public universities in
the U.S. with which we associate our-
selves. We like international students
as part of the richness of McGill,
not as a moneymaker. Deregulation
means you can charge whatever you
want. Re-regulation means you have
principles that would govern the way
you raise fees.
McGill Tribune:* [There are]
new travel restrictions that prevent
students and professors from certain
areas because of travel warnings that
the Canadian government have....
Were you happy with the way that
process was implemented, and do you
Principal Heather Munroe-Blum discusses her ideas for “re-regulation” of tuition fees.
feel that that might adversely affect
students who work in areas that natu-
rally deal with conflict or strife?
HMB: Of course we’re not happy
when things don’t get communi-
cated smoothly and effectively, and
I don’t think anybody would say
they were. I’m not going to pretend
they were, and I don’t think Provost
[Morton] Mendelson would say they
were either. I think the process that
has evolved subsequently is a good
one...that is a small group working
with the Deputy Provost that iterate
on the regulations for international
travel. So those will be coming back
to Senate for discussion, and they’re
well developed, and there’s been a
wide consultation process.
Look, our goals are we’re a deeply
internationalized university, we’re
proud of it, it’s part of our essential
character. The goals are to support
student mobility in every way we can
while being prudent on safety. We’ve
lost three collegues as you know in
the developing world in the last six
months.
MD: McGill’s pow-wow tries to
attract First Nations high school
students to the University, but the
First Nations House tells us little
has changed in the number of First
Nations students enrolled at the
school. We wonder if the lack of a
First Nations Studies program has
anything to do with the low enroll-
ment. Do you agree?
HMB: We don’t know how many
aboriginal students we have because
we don’t register students in that way.
You have to identify as aboriginal in
order to qualify for any special ser-
vices or support. That being said, we
have a number of initiatives to reach
out to aboriginal communities and to
support aboriginal students to par-
ticipate in the academic programs of
McGill. The Deputy Provost is leading
an initiative looking at, for example,
not only at Native Studies, but how
to offer educational programs that
will be accessible and of interest to
aboriginal students. And then, how do
we support aboriginal students when
they come in to be able to succeed in
their studies – and especially those
who come from remote communi-
ties. It’s an area we have as a priority
for fundraising as well, in [Campaign
McGill], not just review and planning,
but implentation as well.
“The tuition increases
have been extremely
modest on every account.”
Heather Munroe-Blum McGill Principal and Vice-Chancellor
MD: How should the University
determine who owns the rights to
content produced here. How much
should the source of funding of
research, the facilities used, and the
amount of contribution between
students and professors affect this
determination?
HMB: The intellectual property
[IP] ownership should be determined
through policy. We have policies that
govern IP, and those policies are set
in this case by Senate.
MD: There has been presence
of corporate and military research
on campus. We’re curious about the
involvement McGill might have in
their research.
HMB: Our normal policies per-
tain to grants of any kind, whether
a foundation, a not-for-profit, a cor-
poration, or government. A contract,
whether it’s with [a] government, has
different ways of looking at intellec-
tual property and that’s determined
again by our policy on a case-by-case
basis. A lot of these questions then
become philosophical: Who do you
take money from? Well we don’t take
illegal money. We then take a whole
lot of money from a range of public
sources – the majority of our money
by far comes from public sources
and the one example of so-called
military research sponsored by the
Department of Defense was for pros-
thetic research.
For better or worse, it’s unfor-
tunate that the countries who have
put the most into military research
– the U.S., Singapore, Israel – have
had more breakthroughs in science
because so much basic science gets
funded out of that. The fact is that
governments spend an enormous
amount of normal basic science
research or applied science research
– prosthetics would be an example
– that has a broad human benefit
or knowledge benefit. We look very
much at what is the content of the
research that’s being done here. Is it
being used to benefit the quality of
education here?
MD: Considering how much
power TAs have on undergraduate
marks, especially in large classes,
do you think the amount of train-
ing they receive is sufficient? How
would you change the way TAs are
trained at McGill?
HMB: Dean Martin Kreiswirth –
Dean of Graduate Students – works
very closely with the faculties in giv-
ing full support to the orientation
of graduate students and preparing
them to teach. In any event [it] is a
priority and progress is being made
on that. This is an issue that could
be expressed in a number of ways.
Graduate students want preparation
and high quality supervision and
undergraduate students want TAs
who are well prepared and do what
they do. The close working relation-
ship between professors and TAs is
a key part of that. The Provost has
overall responsibility for this, and has
this as a high priority.
– compiled by Erin Hale
*The Tribune asked a question
The Daily planned to ask, so rather
than ask the same question again,
we are reporting the question and
answer that occurred during the
interview.
 Mondays only, upon presentation of your student card at participating stores. *Excluding tobacco, alcohol, lottery and medication. Offer valid until June 30, 2009. Cannot be combined with any other offer.

WE GUESSED
YOUR THURSDAYS
WERE ALREADY
TAKEN.
STUDENT OFFER
10% rebate with every purchase of $50 or more*.
Delivery service also available.

Find your Provigo food stores here:

3421 du Parc Ave 1953 Sainte-Catherine St West 50 du Mont-Royal Ave West

514-281-0488 514-932-3756 514-849-8028
8 am – midnight, every day 8 am – 2 am, every day 8 am – 11 pm, every day
02422C
The McGill Daily, Monday, January 12, 2009
MUNACA, McGill prepare for strike
Nearly two-thirds of MUNACA members support pressure tactics
Ethan Feldman
News Writer
U
nion members within
the McGill University
Non-Academic Certified
Association (MUNACA) say they’re
prepared to strike if collective agree-
ment negotiations with the University
continue to stall.
MUNACA President Maria Ruocco
explained that the union – which
represents over 1,800 non-academic
workers at McGill – and the University
are still at odds about salary increas-
es.
“The University is not budging,
salary is the only outstanding issue,”
said Ruocco, adding that shift premi-
ums and job security measures are
some of the other issues resolved
during negotiation.
During a General Assembly (GA)
held December 4, 65 per cent of GA
attendees voted to give MUNACA the
mandate to use pressure tactics, up
to and including a general strike. The
union has been in contract negotia-
tions for 13 months, and held a series
of demonstrations last semester.
The strike mandate followed a
motion where 68 per cent of mem-
bers rejected McGill’s December 1
salary offer. In October, MUNACA
also rejected McGill’s proposed 12
per cent salary increase over four
AMUSE puts its chips in
Undergraduate union collects enough signatures for accreditation
Henry Gass
The McGill Daily
A
union for undergraduate
on-campus student work-
ers appears to be one step
closer to realization, thanks to the
recent acquisition of 50 per cent of
undergraduate student workers’ sig-
natures.
With them, the Association of
McGill Undergraduate Student
Employees (AMUSE) has a sufficient
number of signatures as required
by Quebec labour law to apply for
accreditation with the Quebec Labour
Relations Board – which means it can
become an official union.
“We’re waiting right now [for
accreditation],” said Max Silverman,
former SSMU VP External Affairs and
current AMUSE organizer. “It could
come in the next couple of weeks or
at the end of the semester; we’re not
really sure.”
This hurdle has been a relief
to organizers, who were forced to
work without a list of the approxi-
mately 3,000 undergraduate students
employed at McGill after the admin-
istration refused to provide them
with a list of undergraduate student
workers.
Deputy Provost Morton Mendelson
defended McGill’s actions in an email
to The Daily.
years, saying they would not accept
an offer below 13 per cent over the
same time frame. Negotiations are
now considering shorter time frames.
Currently, MUNACA is requesting ten
per cent over three years, with scale
and progression, while McGill is pres-
ently offering a paltry 8.5 per cent.
Ruocco said MUNACA was not
being unreasonable in their pay
demands.
“I don’t think we’re being outra-
geously demanding, compared to
other universities. Our thing is ‘Why
is our work not worth the same as at
“The University is not budging,
salary is the only
outstanding issue.”
Maria Ruocco MUNACA President
other universities?’” she said, point-
ing to a similar union at Concordia
which was offered a 20 per cent pay
increase over four years. “We’re here
to contribute to the University and
we want them to recognize what
we’re doing.”
In the event of a general strike –
which MUNACA hopes to avoid, and
publicly explained in full page ads
placed in the December 20 editions
of The Gazette, Le Devoir, and La
Presse – Ruocco was uncertain about
“The University takes its obliga-
tion to maintain the confidentiality
of students very seriously. A group
such as AMUSE did not have the right
to see lists of students employed at
McGill,” he wrote. “Unless obliged by
law, the University could not, in fact,
provide such information to a third
party about a student, without the
written consent of the student.”
As a result of McGill’s initiatives,
AMUSE turned to enlisting students’
signatures one by one around campus.
“On the one hand, it was time
consuming, and on the other hand it
was really irritating,” said Silverman.
“We felt bad having to walk up to
people.”
Despite the tediousness of the
operation, AMUSE was eventually
succesful.
“[The strategy to acquire signa-
tures] has been really effective,” said
Silverman. “Students have responded
really well.”
But the arrival of a new union at
McGill could mean even more labour
disputes for McGill – in the past year
the University has faced a strike by
the Association of Graduate Students
Employed at McGill (AGSEM) and
a strike by the McGill University
Non-Academic Certified Assocation
(MUNACA) seems likely.
Despite McGill’s current lack of
cooperation with AMUSE, Mendelson
anticipated a warm relationship
News 5
what it could mean for life at McGill. tions and played down what effects a “McGill is very much underfund-
“Students will suffer in the end. I strike could have. ed. There is a lack of investment,
don’t believe management can keep “The administration has taken especially on the public side. McGill
up with the same work at the level steps to keep the University func- wants to keep prominent faculty
they do it now,” she said, highlight- tioning in the event of a strike or [in members, and the public intellec-
ing the role MUNACA workers play at the event] other pressure tactics are tuals on staff, and they do want to
the University. “Professors are aided employed, but we continue to work take care of them. They treat sup-
in everything they do: course mate- to arrive at a settlement, as we have port staff, like TAs as more expend-
rials, exams, timetabling for classes, all along,” Gervais explained. able. It’s here that McGill tries to save
timetables for exams, also techni- Ruocco claimed that MUNACA costs. McGill has tried to get unions
cians who help researchers.... Nurses has not heard from McGill since its to back down, rather than have hon-
would not be able to help or substi- members rejected McGill’s offer in est discussions.”
tute doctors when students come in early December, and worried that Gervais instead pointed to mul-
and they’re not healthy.” they were being treated with the tiple negotiations with unions, and
SSMU VP External Devin Alfaro same attitude McGill commanded in didn’t state that underfunding affect-
their dispute with AGSEM, the gradu- ed salary shifts.
ate students’ union, during the teach-
ing assistant (TA) strike.
“We have had two somewhat dif-
ficult negotiation processes this year
“We are very worried about scab
workers,” said Ruocco. “The issue
because of the coincidence of con-
tract expirations, but we don’t feel
is in the hands of our lawyers, and this represents any particular pattern
they’re looking in to it. If it means or is out of the ordinary.”
sending inspectors like the TAs had She referenced how McGill was
to, then we must.” named one of Canada’s Top 100
predicted that in the case of a general Alfaro added that McGill’s attitude employers and that recent contract
strike, schedules would be shortened toward unions has led to continual disputes are an anomaly.
and certain services may be limited, impasses in negotiations. “We feel our relationships with the
although many would keep operat- “In general, McGill has a very unions that represent McGill workers
ing at some level. heavy handed way of dealing with are good in general,” Gervais said.
“Not everyone who works in a lab unions on campus. This has led to Ruocco was hopeful that negotia-
or library is MUNACA. Only the tech- reoccurring problems with labour tions would soon end.
nicians would strike, so basic tasks disputes because of the general atti- “Basically, the McGill popula-
could still be done,” Alfaro said. tude that the McGill administration tion should know that MUNACA,
In an email sent to The Daily, takes,” Alfaro said. MUNACA executives, and the negoti-
Associate Vice-Principal (Human He suspected that this attitude ating committee just want a fair deal
Resources) Lynne Gervais wrote that stems from a shrinking budget and for our members and our share of
she could not legally discuss negotia- mistaken priorities. what is owed to us,” she said.
Inter-faculty Internship
between McGill and AMUSE, should
Information Session
they become an official union.
“If AMUSE is indeed certified
under the Quebec Labour Code, the
Thursday, January 22, 2009
University will fulfill its obligations
under the Code,” said Mendelson.
“McGill’s labour relations are, indeed, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
very good; most labour contracts
have been settled without disrup-
tions over the past several decades.”
Leacock
Leacoc
LLeac
Lea
eac
acoc
acock
aco
ccoc
co
oock Building,
occk Bu
u room 232
Given the ambiguity surrounding
AMUSE’s potential accreditation, a
specific date has not been assigned Learn
Lear
earn
arnn about
aab
bout internship
in
iinte
nter
nte
nt
n tter
te
er
er opportunities
as to when the union could be up- for
ffo
or returnin
returning
inng
gM McGill students
and-running. They have, however,
been able to clearly state their func-
Hear
Hea
He
H e past stud student
de
den
e nt interns share
n
tions.
“We will do representational work, thei
their
eiirr int
eir inte
iin
interns
internship
nter
nte
nt
nterrn
r ssh
hip
hi
hiip
p experiences
like grievances and harassment in the
workplace,” Silverman said. “And we’ll Receive
Rec
Re
Rece
R ecei
eceiv
ec
e cce
eiiv information
informmaatt
m on how to
also have a collective agreement, a ffind interns
fi nssh
hip in your field
hip
h
internships
contract that involves everyone in the
union, that will handle [things like]
working hours, wages, and benefits.” Alll Studen
Al
A Students
dent
dents
den
ents
nts
ts Welcome
ts Wel
W
Welco
eelco
el
lcom
lc
com
me - Reception to follow
m
Silverman also said that until a
collective agreement is signed and RSVP
RSV
RS
R VPP to ion@mcgill.ca
students start receiving benefits, they
won’t have to pay union dues.
For the moment, however, the Tel: 514-398-2916 | Email: ion@mcgill.ca
future of AMUSE remains in limbo. Leacock Building Room 307 | www.mcgill.ca/internships
A hearing regarding its application
is scheduled at the Quebec Labour
mcgilldaily.com
Relations Board on February 2.
“Everything’s up in the air right
now,” Silverman said. “But there
will be some movement within the redisgned this Thursday
semester.”
 6 News
What’s the haps
Speaking out on
the environment
Tuesday, January 13, 5 p.m.
Thomson House Restaurant, 3650
McTavish
As part of PGSS Green
month, listen to Dr. Joe
Schwartz, Director of McGill’s
Office for Science and
Society, speak on “Chemicals
in the Environment.” All wel-
come to this free event.
Green Cleaning Workshop
Tuesday, January 13, 6 p.m.
Thomson House Restaurant, 3650
McTavish
Celebrate PGSS Green
month by making your
own greener, cheaper, and
healthier home cleaners.
Registration required at
the PGSS office by Tuesday,
January 13, at 4 p.m. Cost is
$10.
René Cassin and Gaza: A
Judaism of Human Rights
Wednesday, January 14, 6:30 p.m.
Leacock 219, 855 Sherbrooke O.
Israeli peace activist Jeff
Halper will discuss non-
violent strategies to solve
the Israel-Palestine conflict,
focusing on the ideas of
Nobel Peace laureate René
Cassin.
V-Day McGill Annual Burlesque
and Comedy Show
Thursday, January 15, 8:30 p.m.
La Sala Rossa, 4848 St. Laurent
V-Day McGill is holding
their annual Burlesque &
Comedy Show, including per-
formances by Deanne Smith
and the Dead Doll Dancers.
Tickets are $8 for students
and seniors and $10 for adults.
All proceeds from the show
will go to carefully selected
Montreal charities that fight
gender-based violence.
An Evening for the Elizabeth
House Foundation!
Saturday, January 18, 7 p.m.
4897 St. Laurent
The McGill Rotaract Club
would like to invite you to a
cocktail party at the beauti-
ful art studio Mosaik Art.
There will be live music
from LineSpectra, Simon
Honeyman, and Tara Hall, a
silent auction, hors d’oeuvres,
and drink specials! All pro-
ceeds go to the Elizabeth
House Foundation, in sup-
port of young families in
need. Tickets are $15. Email
mcgill.rotaract@gmail.com,
call Sean at (514)-972-8904
for tickets, or buy them at the
door.
Why Liberals and Feminists
Should Defend the Unborn
Monday, January 19, 6 p.m.
Leacock 232
Choose Life is hosting
Mary Meehan, a veteran pro-
life writer and public speaker
from Maryland, who will be
giving a talk about the com-
patibility of pro-life and liber-
al and feminist philosophies.
A question period will follow
this free event.
Small numbers of loud voices protest Gaza
Concordia a shadow of larger weekend demonstrations
Erin Hale
The McGill Daily
A
few dozen protesters decried
Israel’s military offensive on
Gaza amidst Wednesday’s
lunchtime crowd in a Concordia caf-
eteria, a small version of larger rallies
that have taken place across the city.
Wednesday’s event was organized
by Quebec Public Interest Research
Group (QPIRG) Concordia and social
justice collective Tadamon! focused
on attacks aimed at Gaza schools.
“Our basic demands are that the
University’s administration condemn
the fact the Israeli military is bombing
schools in Gaza,” explained QPIRG
Concordia member Aaron Lakoff.
“We also demand the University
immediately cut its ties with all Israeli
academic institutions.”
Lakoff explained that both groups
felt Israeli universities were complicit
in Isreael’s actions as none have spo-
ken out against them.
QPIRG and Tandamon! also called
for students to boycott companies
that supported Israel: Starbucks,
McDonald’s, Chapters, and Indigo
Books.
Both groups also joined the ranks
of community and civil society orga-
nizations at a protest downtown on
Sunday that drew a crowd of between
5,000 and 10,000.
“There was a very palatable, vis-
ceral anger in the streets,” Lakoff
said.
A six-month cease-fire between
the two countries expired on
December 19, as Hamas stated Israel
had not lifted the blockade into Gaza
Indyclass takes off
Students seek greater role in their own education
Pamela Fillion
The McGill Daily
S
tudents can expect to see the
second edition of Indyclass:
Student movements this winter.
The student-run course brings
together undergraduates taking inde-
pendent research reading courses to
collaborate and discuss themes relat-
ing to their topics.
Joel Pedneault, the current coor-
dinator of Indyclass, said the class
allows people to study topics usually
not discussed at McGill.
“The idea of this Indyclass is to
act not just as an academic forum for
discussion, but also as a more open
type of seminar,” said Pedneault.
“Indyclass gives an opportunity to
break out of that mould.”
The course intends to bring
together the different perspectives
of students performing similar work,
though in different faculties. This
semester’s theme will focus on stu-
dent politics and more effective activ-
ism.
“[Indyclass gives] a new spin on
QPIRG and Tadamon! brave the cold to protest Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
except for limited humanitarian aid.
Israel, incensed at the 500 rocket and
mortar attacks launched into Israel
thus far during December, launched
a military operation against Hamas in
Gaza on December 27. At press time
13 Israelis and about 800 Gazans
have been killed from air strikes and
a ground offensive, while 137 Israelis
and about 3,300 Gazans have been
wounded, although exact numbers
vary and are impossible to obtain.
Laith Marouf, another QPIRG
member and Concordia chapter coor-
dinator of Solidarity for Palestinian
Human Rights, a national student-run
non-profit, explained that Sunday’s
how student politics and education
are done at McGill,” said Pedneault.
“[It] will hopefully lead to more
focused activism.”
Indyclass founder and U3
Sociology and International
Development Studies student Cleve
Higgins, heard about a program at
the University of California, Berkeley
called Democratic Education at CAL
(DECAL), which consists of approxi-
mately 100 student-run courses.
Higgins found that there was a
large overlap between the work done
by students for social movements
both in and out of McGill.
“[I thought] about the different
research and knowledge production
that people here at McGill do outside
of school for activist groups,” he said.
“There was a need for creating more
space for people to be able to pursue
those type of activities, like academic
research and knowledge activities
that they are interested in...that are
relevant to them within a space at
school and within the academic con-
text.”
When asked about the success of
the first Indyclass – prisons – Higgins
The McGill Daily, Monday, January 12, 2009
objectives varied slightly from the
Concrodia protest: while student
groups have called for academic boy-
cotts, Sunday’s protest called on the
Canadian government to use diplo-
matic means in pressuring Israel to
end the offensive. Sunday’s protest
also had one violent instance where
an Israeli flag was burned whereas
Wednesday’s was peaceful.
A second Montreal protest was
organized for Saturday – but this time
community and civil society organiza-
tions will be joined by labour unions,
including the Montreal branch of
the Confédération des Syndicats
Nationaux (CSN-Montreal).
said that although part of its mandate
relates to the redistribution of the
research back toward activists and
organizations working on prison jus-
tice, it was difficult to achieve.
“The main advantage, the biggest
success we had with Indyclass, was
having a class that was only students
and therefore that could really end
up coinciding with our needs, our
interests, and what we wanted to do,”
said Higgins.
Professor of Sociology Marcos
Ancelovici, who supervised five of
the students last semester, thought
the class was a useful resource for
students.
“I think it’s great if students have
the initiative to come up with an
idea, and if they can organize, get
together, and select a topic they are
all interested in,” Ancelovici said. “It’s
a great initiative.”
Ancelovici addded that the proj-
ect would help develop independent
thinking.
“I think it’s good in terms of fos-
tering autonomy, allowing students
to study something they are really
interested in, and fostering self-
Stephen Davis / The McGill Daily
“Yesterday we adopted a propo-
sition that says we will support the
Palestinian people in Gaza, and we
invited all our members to partici-
pate in the march,” said Dominique
Daigneault, the second vice president
of CSN-Montreal.
Montrealers are not alone in con-
demning the attacks, with protests
being held around the world. The
United Nations Security Council
adopted Resolution 1860, which
called for “an immediate, durable,
and fully respected ceasefire,” among
other things, but both Israel and
Hamas rejected the resolution and
the ceasefire.
management as a way to empower
students to have more control over
the educational process, as opposed
to just doing what the professor tells
them to do,” he said.
The professor found the project
interesting, but it was somewhat
difficult to reconcile his responsi-
bility as advisor with the students’
freedom. He added that professors
might be reluctant to take on stu-
dents in another Indyclass due to the
increased workload, but he hoped
they would.
Higgins agreed.
“I would encourage people to
start their own Indyclass. Find some-
thing that’s interesting to them and/
or people they know and/or an orga-
nization they are working with and
start one,” Higgins said. “It’s not
something that requires any special
knowledge. None of us knew about
prisons before we did the prison edi-
tion.”
Indyclass is also open to students who
are not undertaking an independent
study course. For more information
consult indyclass.wordpress.com.
The McGill Daily, Monday, January 12, 2009 News 7
Better brews could improve SnowAP News the eighties and early nineties, the
media with a capital T. This is not the

brief
case anymore. We are facing chang-
This year’s big white tent hopes to make a financial turnaround ing readership habits,” Dessurault
said. “We need to invest more money
to make sure that we still have our
place in the media environment.”
Sam Reisler was successful. says they will collaborate with facul- Journal de Montréal However, the union’s secretary,
News Writer
“It was full at 2:30 p.m.,” she said. ties and interest groups. The McGill Pascal Filotto, believed that the chal-
While the supplementary financial Environment Student Society was
workers fight for contract lenges Journal de Montréal faces

S
now Air Pub (SnowAP) organiz-
ers are banking that this year’s
big white tent will attract more
revenue than last year’s financial
flop, but some think that an alter-
native beer contract could help its
future performance.
“Last year was a really hard year,”
said SSMU President Kay Turner, who
organized the event last year as VP
Internal. She explained that last-min-
ute costs changes put an early dent in
last year’s budget – like the price of
the tent doubling a month before the
start of the event.
SnowAP, now in its 13th year, has
operated at a loss before, and often
fares worse than its counterpart
Open Air Pub, held in the beginning
of September.
Turner hoped that with the better
scheduling and budgeting, the event
will be more successful and profit-
able than last year’s disappointing
returns.
Despite an early obstacle on
Wednesday when heavy snowfall led
the Fire Prevention Office to close
SnowAP early, she said the first day
difficulties confronting SnowAP this
year seem to have been addressed,
some students think that the solution
is to switch from Boréale to another
beer.
“A better beer is more likely to
attract more people,” said U1 Nursing
student Rebecca Saunders.
U1 Arts student Spencer Hill
conceded that the taste of the beer
served at SnowAP was not spectacu-
lar, but its prices were attractive.
“It was very cheap, and on par
with cheap college beer,” Hill said.
SSMU’s three-year contract with
Boréale – which limits the beers that
SSMU and the faculties can sell to
students – will expire this year.
According to current VP Internal
Julia Webster Boréale was selected
because the company contributes to
the Campus Life Fund and fits envi-
ronmental requirements of being
a local provider. Additionally, since
SSMU collaborated with a majority of
faculty associations to obtain a con-
tract, the prices were cheaper.
As SSMU shops around for a
potential new provider, Webster
involved in the process of develop-
ing proposals sent to several beer
companies including Molson – which
held the previous contract – Boréale,
Sleeman, Unibrpue, and others.
“[SSMU] met with all of the facul-
ties and Gert’s to discuss and come
up with a proposal,” Webster said.
Interested companies will submit
pitches to SSMU – which will select
the best offer with faculty represen-
tatives.
Webster also explained that SSMU
needs to consider affiliations between
beer companies and Montreal bars
in order to plan pub crawls during
events like Frosh.
Evan Newton / The McGill Daily
Abating fears of a lockout after
two months of stalled talks, employ-
ees of the Journal de Montréal
– represented by the the Syndicat
des travailleurs de l’information
du Journal de Montréal (STIJM)
– began a new round of moder-
ated negotiations Wednesday with
Quebecor Media, the publication’s
parent company.
The moderator has been appoint-
ed by the Quebec Ministry of Labour,
following an official complaint made
by the union.
For employees who currently
work 30 hours a week, Quebecor
Media hopes to increase the number
to 37 without increasing pay, while
the STIJM is vying for an annual 2.5
per cent pay increase and extra vaca-
tion pay.
Isabelle Dessurault, Vice-President
of Public Affairs at Quebecor Media,
said a new business model is needed.
She saw the change in hours less
as wage cutting and more as saving
valuable money.
“The newspaper industry was, in
as a part of the newspaper industry
were being overused to justify fewer
employee benefits. His union sees
the potential change as a 20-25 per
cent wage cut.
“The situation with French papers
in Quebec is not the same as in the
U.S. or Canada. The readership is
pretty stable as far as the printed edi-
tions,” Filotto said. “We understand
that the business is at a crossroads,
but it felt from the beginning that they
were trying to use the ‘world context’
[of journalism] to take everything we
had away.”
The contract between the STIJM
and management was supposed to
be renewed by the end of last month,
as the old one expires at the end of
this month. Although negotiations
regarding contract renewal began
on October 28, they were halted on
November 18.
Both groups have agreed to keep
a tight lip on any progress until their
negotiations conclude on January
23.
– Jeff Bishku-Aykul

LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM

Leadership Skills Development Workshops
If you are a student
involved in campus
activities as an executive,
organizer or event
planner, you qualify for
the Leadership Training
Program’s FREE Skills Development Workshops.
Develop and build your leadership skills. Attend a minimum
of five workshops throughout 08/09 academic year and
receive a certificate of completion.
This January, check out...
Diversity Amongst Students
Wednesday, January 21, 5:30-7:30pm
What does it mean to truly be aware of diversity issues?
Is your club, service or organization being as inclusive as it
can be? Come identify things that you can do to make your
organization more welcoming.

Troubleshooting Communication Breakdowns

Thursday, January 29, 5:30-7:30pm
Become a better communicator and leader by making
the messages you send and receive clearer. You’ll see the
difference it makes in your volunteer positions and in your
career!

Registration for workshops: In person, one week in

advance, on a first-come, first-served basis, in the First-Year
Office.

For more info, drop by the First-Year Office in the Brown

Building, Suite 2100, or call 514-398-6913
 THE DEPARTMENT OF JEWISH STUDIES

Call for Submissions

Blacher and Glasrot Families
Memorial Award for Holocaust Research
Established in 2000 by Mr. and Mrs. Josef Glasrot, survivors of the Holocaust
and residents of Montreal. Open to any student at McGill University, the award
is presented for excellence in research in Holocaust and related studies, and
particularly on the history of the ghettos of Warsaw and Kovno [Kaunas]. Essays
prepared in any course or independent research may be considered. The award is
administered by the Department of Jewish Studies in cooperation with the Jewish
Community Foundation. The award will be presented during the Closing Exercises
of the Department of Jewish Studies in May, 2009. The value of the Blacher and
Glasrot Families Memorial Award is $1000.

• The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate

students at McGill University.
• Students must submit 2 typed copies of their essays together
with full contact information.
• Essays can be based on primary or secondary materials and
work in all related disciplines will be considered.
• Essay submissions must reach the Dept. of Jewish Studies
Office, 3438 McTavish Street, no later than April 10, 2009.

University of Ottawa

��������������������
Graduate Studies
���������������������
�����������������������������������������������
�
• ���������������������������������������
• �����������������������������������
�����������
*U
TUBSUT
here.
• ����������������������������
• ������������������� Discover the wide variety of programs offered at
• ������������������������������������
���������
the Faculty of Arts
• ���������������������� $BOBEJBO
4UVEJFT
t
$MBTTJDBM
4UVEJFT
t
$PNNVOJDBUJPO
t
$POGFSFODF
*OUFSQSFUJOH
t

• ���������������������������
• ����������������������������������������������������
&OHMJTI
t
(FPHSBQIZ
t
)JTUPSZ
t
*OGPSNBUJPO
4UVEJFT
t
Lettres françaises
t

�������������� -JOHVJTUJDT
t
.FEJFWBM
BOE
3FOBJTTBODF
4UVEJFT
t
.VTJD
t
0SDIFTUSBM
4UVEJFT
t

0SHBOJ[BUJPOBM
$PNNVOJDBUJPO
t
1IJMPTPQIZ
t
1JBOP
1FEBHPHZ
3FTFBSDI
t

�����������������������������������������������������������
���������������������������������������������������������
3FMJHJPVT
4UVEJFT
t
4QBOJTI
t
5IFBUSF
t
5SBOTMBUJPO
4UVEJFT
t
7JTVBM
"SUT

�
�

� �
�

��������������������������������
������������������������������ �����������������������
�������������������������
������������������������� ��������� ����������� 
4VCKFDU
UP
BQQSPWBM
CZ
UIF
6OJWFSTJUZ
PG
0UUBXB
4FOBUF
�����
������������������������
������������������������ ����������������������
� ���������������
����������������������������������
��������������������������������
���������������������
���������������������������������
�������������������������������
�����������������������������������������������������������
���������������������������������������������������������

��������������������������������������������������� � ������������ � � Find out about our generous

������������������������
����������������������� scholarship programs.
��������������������

Information
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������
613-562-5439 | www.arts.uOttawa.ca
 Science+Technology
Family matters
Researchers find family rejection a predictor of negative health outcomes in LGB youth
Nikki Bozinoff
The McGill Daily
F
amily support may be more
important than previously
thought for the health and
well-being of lesbian, gay, and bisex-
ual (LGB) youth. A study, published
in the January 1 issue of Pediatrics,
found that higher rates of family
rejection were associated with poor-
er health outcomes. LGB youth who
reported higher rates of family rejec-
tion were 8.4 times more likely to
report having attempted suicide, 3.4
times more likely to use illegal drugs,
and 3.4 times more likely to report
having engaged in unprotected sex-
ual intercourse compared with their
peers who reported no or low levels
of family rejection.
Based on in-depth interviews
with families or caregivers and
their LGB children, the researchers
identified 106 specific behaviours
that parents use to express rejec-
tion or acceptance. Some “rejecting
behaviours” identified were verbally
expressing shame, blocking access
to gay friends, or pressuring a child
to change their sexual orientation
or gender identity. The researchers
then administered a survey to 224
white and Latino self-identified LGB
youth aged 21-25. They assessed an
individual’s level of rejection based
on the frequency of having experi-
enced specific rejecting behaviours.
To submit applications, or for more information, email scitech@mcgilldaily.com.
The survey also assessed nine nega-
tive health outcomes among the par-
ticipants such as depression, life-time
suicide attempts, sexual-risk behav-
iour, and substance abuse.
Caitlin Ryan, the paper’s lead
author and a clinical social worker,
explained that though it is difficult to
generalize, low self-esteem as a result
of rejection by parents or caregivers
may be partly responsible for poor
health outcomes.
“For a child who only hears nega-
tive messages about who they are,
who is punished or excluded from
the family…you could see how their
sense of the future is more limited,”
she said. “Those are the kinds of
experiences that could lead a per-
son to really live in the present. You
know, ‘Why should I bother to use a
condom,’ or ‘Why should I bother to
use a seatbelt, what difference does
it make?’”
Common sense?
Although the link between family
rejection and poor health outcomes
may seem evident, Ryan explained
that parents are generally surprised
by the results.
“For more than two years we’ve
actually been sharing these find-
ings with very ethnically diverse
families…and we find that they are
shocked. First of all, they’re shocked
because they didn’t realize that these
very specific behaviours had conse-
quences…. Secondly, they’re shocked
The Sci+Tech section is looking for a bi-weekly columnist.
Think you can weave words? Have a verbose vision? To apply, submit three writing samples
(two of which must be sample columns, 500 words each) as well as a brief vision statement.
by the very high risk related to those
behaviours,” she said.
Stephanie Brill, co-founder
and Director of Gender Spectrum
Education and Training – a Seattle-
based organization that supports
parents and caregivers of lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and transgender
(LGBT) children through support
groups and an annual conference –
explained that families are largely
unaware of the effects of their reject-
ing behaviours because a lot of these
behaviours are a result of the parents’
desire to protect their children.
“When parents parent an LGBT
child in isolation, frequently with-
out support or other resources, of
course they do their best, but their
best often unknowingly happens to
be the worst. In other words, as they
try to get their children to change,
perhaps to ensure their safety, they
unknowingly are rejecting their child
which then leads to all these now
well-researched potential outcomes
that are negative,” Brill said.
Ryan agreed that parents’ reac-
tions are often motivated by good
intentions.
“What we saw was that these spe-
cific behaviours of trying to change
them [LGBT youth], or prevent them
from being who they were, came
from love and concern. They wanted
their children to have a good life, to
fit in, to be happy. And when they
learned that their child experienced
these behaviours as rejection, as very
The McGill Daily, Monday, January 12, 2009
hurtful, as a very deep kind of wound,
they were shocked,” Ryan said.
Staying positive
Though the paper focused largely
on negative, rejecting behaviours,
Ryan also hopes that this information
will help promote positive behav-
iours among parents. Specifically, she
stressed that the project is less about
parents’ personal beliefs, and more
about how they interact with their
children.
“We have not done this work to
change families’ deeply held beliefs,
we are really working with them as
an ally to decrease their children’s
risk. There are a lot of behaviours
that we’ve identified on the positive
end that parents can do to support
their children and a very neutral one
for parents that are rejecting and
conflicted is just to sit with their child
and talk with them,” Ryan said.
Brill agreed that education about
what appropriate and ideal parenting
behaviour might be for parents or
caregivers of LGBT youth, would go a
long way in helping them cope.
“I think the most important thing
is for each and every parent to recog-
nize that where they are now, where
they’re starting from is perfectly fine,
but that the goal is to grow, step by
step incrementally toward greater
acceptance,” Brill said.
The next step
This research is part of a much
9
Sasha Plotnikova / The McGill Daily
bigger project that has consumed
the better part of the past seven
years for Ryan. She and her team
will now work to develop inter-
ventions and a new family-related
approach to help families help their
LGBT children.
“I think part of what we’re able to
do here is to create a bridge between
parent and child, to help the parent
understand that there are very spe-
cific empirically identified behav-
iours that can help their children,
and others that put them at great
risk,” Ryan said.
Brill was enthusiastic about the
results of the study and hoped that
they will help parents of LGBT chil-
dren better understand their role in
their LGBT child’s life.
“Frequently by the time a parent
starts parenting a preteen or a teen-
ager they often feel like their role is
no longer so significant and what this
study shows us, is absolutely that it
is untrue, that the parent or caregiv-
er’s role is actually the most critical
in terms of future longterm health,
well-being, and resiliency of LGBT
children,” Brill said.
In Ryan’s words, “We have a great
sense of hope because we’re building
on something very, very deep, which
is the bond that families have with
[their children]. Underneath what-
ever disappointment or anger that
may emerge when a parent finds out
that a child is LGBT...underneath all
of that, is love.”
10 Features
A game of chance
Students’ gambling addictions compromise
academics, social lives, relationships
Lily Panamsky
The Silhouette (CUP)
I
t’s Friday, and some students are thinking of
taking a risk tonight. They’re grabbing their
money, heading to the nearest casino, and
letting their chips fall where they may.
Gambling opportunities and venues are
nearly ubiquitous: Lotteries, scratch cards, and
online poker are easily accessible to everyone
of age, including students. And of course, the
traditional dimly-lit casinos, havens for gam-
blers, are scattered throughout cities.
Given the many forms of gambling, it’s not
surprising that the total profit from gambling
operations in Canada is high. CTV News esti-
mated the net revenue from government-run
lotteries, video lottery terminals, and casinos at
$13.3-billion in 2006.
Although millions of Canadians dabble in
risky gambling, and the Responsible Gambling
Council reported that 332,000 people in Canada
experience gambling problems, it is university-
aged students (18-24) that are most likely to
actually develop problems.
In fact, the rate at which students find them-
selves playing toss-up with their money is dou-
ble that of people over 24.
McGill did a review of 23 postsecondary
gambling studies in 1999 and found that gam-
bling problems were prevalent in seven per
cent of postsecondary students, compared to
3.4 per cent of adults.
The Responsible Gambling Council states
that in 2005, 6.7 per cent of students had a
moderate or severe gambling problem.
When asked why students are at the high-
est risk for developing an addiction, Nathan
Cooper, a psychologist for the Centre for
Student Development at McMaster University
in Hamilton, says the historical context of gam-
bling plays an important role in its current sta-
tus.
“If we look historically at when gambling
was introduced, when it became legalized, and
how it’s emerged culturally, students in particu-
lar within the past ten and 20 years are the first
generation that have grown up in a culture that
has accepted and legalized gambling activity.
So that is a particular susceptibility in terms
of overall general attitudes toward it,” Cooper
says.
He nonetheless claims that a university
environment does not necessarily increase the
frequency of gambling. It is usually the market
outside of a postsecondary setting that targets
students through online pop-ups and good
deals on casino nights.
Third-year McMaster Engineering student
Jonathen Suriyakumar gambles recreationally
with friends once or twice a week and attends
casinos every few months.
Suriyakumar says he gambles “for the money
and the feeling you get when you win.”
“It’s like a rush of adrenaline,” he explains.
“It’s like giving a little kid sugar.”
Suriyakumar confesses to having steadily
increased his allotted spending amount.
“[I] started going to the casino in February
only willing to spend $100, now I am willing to
go as much as $600 and lose it without think-
ing of it.”
Cooper says increasing your spending limit
or breaking your set amount is a sign of a poten-
tial gambling problem.
Suriyakumar explains that his interest in
casinos and gambling lies in the promptness of
it all.
“It’s like a quick investment. You put down a
certain amount of money and you can double-
up or even get more [than] what you invested.
There is the obvious risk of losing it, but I’ve
gambled enough to be pretty confident that
I will win, hence making it, in the end, not a
waste of money.”
An overconfident attitude, especially after a
few wins, is common among students unfamil-
iar with the probabilities of gambling. Cooper
says gambling has particular psychological
aspects.
“Basically, it’s a series of superstitious behav-
iours: the ability to recall wins versus the ability
to recall losses,” he says.
“People are making judgments, they actually
feel that they can beat the odds, when in reality,
the house always wins.”
After a little beginner’s luck, gamblers may
find themselves quickly losing their money,
causing them to panic and continue playing to
regain their losses.
Chasing one’s losses, Cooper says, is the
most common way to get stuck in the gambling
whirlpool.
Imagining himself in a gambler’s shoes, he
explains the thought process: “I get into the
hole [of] $2,000-3,000, there’s really no other
way I can think of to generate that amount of
income within a short amount of time.”
Getting caught in the gambling spiral can
have devastating financial and social results.
“Cash flow issues; credit problems – maybe
that’s not an early sign but it [can lead to] a lot
of white collar crimes; preoccupation with it;
starting to interfere with personal and social
functioning. That’s how a lot of things are diag-
nosed about pathological gambling,” Cooper
says.
“This is interfering with ability to do your
schoolwork successfully and it’s also starting
to negatively affect your relationships. People
really don’t want you around a poker table any-
more. Other close friends may be noticing a
change in your behaviour if you seem a little
more agitated, or they simply haven’t seen you
if you’re sitting behind a computer screen the
whole time, playing blackjack or poker,” he con-
tinues.
The direct risks involved with gambling
are fairly evident, including losses in cash and
other assets; and feelings of restlessness, anxi-
ety, and depression. But there are also many
indirect risks.
Gamblers may adopt risky attitudes in the
daily sectors of their lives, including their jobs.
They may find themselves riding emotional
rollercoasters and feeling isolated from their
peers, their friends, and their families.
Suriyakumar has a few friends whose lives
have been affected by their parents’ gambling
problems, leading to social and familial compli-
cations.
“One resulted in a divorce, another [in the
parents not speaking] to each other anymore,
[and the] last one resulted in a separation, but
the father worked out his gambling problems
and hasn’t gambled ever since,” he says.
Like any addiction, recognizing and admit-
ting the problem is the first step to recovery.
Unfortunately, many people remain in denial
until it is too late to turn back.
“Most people that are drinking, doing drugs,
or gambling are pretty happy with themselves.
They really have to scrape the bottom of the
barrel – they have to be out cash, out a job,
lose a house – before they say: ‘You know what,
everybody told me, but I finally get it. This is a
problem and I want to do something about it,’”
Cooper says.
Some biological traits particularly increase
the likelihood of an addiction, like impaired
impulse control or hypersensitivity to endor-
phin-based stimulation.
Although Cooper declares bingo and lot-
teries to be the most addictive gambling
activities, they yield smaller losses than other
engagements, like games played in casinos or
betting.
Addictions associated with online gambling
are also gaining prevalence.
Online gaming is currently the fastest
rising sector in the gambling industry. The
games are very private – communication with
other players is limited to networking – and
if played excessively, begin to hinder social
stimulation.
While most forms of gambling have more
cons than pros, card games can at least help
develop rational skills and provide a forum for
social engagement.
Online gaming removes that forum; par-
ticipants can spend hours upon hours huddled
behind a computer screen without any physical
interaction with others.
Overindulging in any type of gambling, how-
ever, can be seriously detrimental and should
be addressed.
“It’s disturbing to hear about somebody
who’s wearing a Depends diaper so that they
can sit at a slot machine [or] sit at a computer,”
Cooper says. “[When] they don’t want to miss a
round of poker [that badly], it’s problematic.”
The McGill Daily, Monday, January 12, 2009 11

Sasha Plotnikova / The McGill Daily

12 Commentary
Tadamon! is no paragon
Piñata diplomacy
Ricky Kreitner
“Allah will sooner or later pun-
ish those who transgress the rights of
innocents.”
– Turkish PM Recep Erdogan
I
did not closely follow the debate
in these pages a few months
ago over the QPIRG funding of
Tadamon!, the Montreal artists “activ-
ist” collective whose name means
“solidarity” in Arabic. Apparently the
debate revolved around a certain
Isaac Blinkovitz not wanting to vote
for a QPIRG fee increase because he
disapproved of their association with
the Tadamon! collective. In light of
the recent events in Gaza, I decided
to go back and look at the debate,
and at Tadamon! to see what all the
fuss was about.
After minimal research, I've come
to the conclusion that Tadamon!
represents exactly what I can't
stand about human beings: we're so
damned opportunistic.
One thing that opportunists do
is take undeniably horrible circum-
stances and use them to their own
advantage. And not in a good way
like that Hilary Swank movie where
her young husband dies so she goes
on a long vacation that he had previ-
ously planned out for her. Poignant.
Rather, think of 9/11, which George
Bush used to pass the Patriot Act and
the New York Yankees used to finally
This year, read beyond the bearded cover
Life
Lines
Johanu Botha
“In the course of history, men
with facial hair have been ascribed
various attributes such as wisdom
and knowledge, sexual virility, or
high social status...”
T
he above is taken from one
of today’s most popular, most
approachable, and most wide-
ly circulated sources (Wikipedia)
and thus should be given its due
attention. It goes on to name the
number of great figures who have
sported this epitome of manhood,
notable ones including Aristotle,
ban spectators from bringing their
own food and drinks to the stadium.
(My dad's rants about the Yankee
Stadium policy were surely formative
in shaping my political philosophy.)
Tadamon!'s bulletin is updated
several times a day, and seems to be
barely trying to convince even itself
of seriousness. One of these posts on
January 5 read: “Demonstrations in
Montreal also targeted the Canadian
government support for Israeli mili-
tary actions in Gaza which have
heavily targeted civilians and civilian
infrastructure in Gaza.”
So, let’s review the situation.
Under threat of untimely death,
Hamas forces Gazan civilians to
allow their homes to be used as
terrorist bases to launch rockets at
Israeli civilians. Israel warns those
Gazans to expel either themselves
or the intruders from their homes.
But the mustachioed guy with the
Uzi at the door doesn't like either of
those options. Israel, because it (jus-
tifiably, and unlike Hamas) ranks
the protection of its own citizens as
its first priority, bombs the home,
killing the captives with the captors.
And Tadamon! says that Israel has
“heavily targeted civilians?”
Let's lower the rhetoric decrying
Israel’s “disproportionate response.”
The American cartoonist Chip Bok
had an excellent cartoon last week-
Leonardo da Vinci, and Brad Pitt.
Although the online encyclopedia
fails to mention it, I too have joined
the ranks. For the past month or so I
have not touched a razor to my face,
growing this remarkable thing they
call the beard (which, in case you for-
got, is said to represent sexual viril-
ity). Wikipedia continues and talks
about the converse effect, something
about how beards can be related to
filthiness, crudeness, and an eccen-
tric disposition. But we all know how
fickle the Internet can be and since
a beard – which I happen to have –
A whole new set of terms are under scrutiny with the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
end depicting an Israeli soldier, in
the first panel saying, “The UN is
calling for a proportional response.”
In the next frame, the soldier is light-
ing a fuse and says, “Random rockets
aimed at civilians.”
Those who raise the dispropor-
tionality issue fail to convince me that
Hamas’s ineptitude and inefficient
weaponry somehow relieve them of
the moral responsibility for trying.
Furthermore, high Palestinian
deaths hurt the public relations cause
of the Israelis more than it hurts
the political cause of Hamas, and
Hamas knows it. Israel knows it too.
What does Tadamon! think is Israel’s
typifies sexual virility there is no way
it could mean such things.
Tongue-in-the-cheek aside, I have
been continually surprised at the dif-
ferent reactions to the new addition
to my face. Yes, I now have a fiery red
(non-patched) collection of hair that
deems my neck invisible. Yes, I have
a mustache, which I have to smooth
to the side to stop it from filtering any
liquids I take in. But it seems that,
according to those strangers who
don’t know me well, I also have an
added feature to my character.
Sure I crack more “I just shaved
this morning” jokes than normal,
and now and then, I pretend that I’ve
converted to one of the many reli-
gions that endorse beards but in gen-
eral I’m still the same person I was a
month ago. Yet judging by the differ-
ent way I’m treated by air hostesses,
waiters, casual acquittances, and
the like, you would think I had had
a total personality makeover. I was
asked for three ID’s at the airport as
opposed to the usual one. It is harder
to make small talk with a waiter after
The McGill Daily, Monday, January 12, 2009
reason for “targeting civilians?”
Spreading the blood of non-Jews on
their heads for Passover, as one com-
mentator sarcastically offered?
Let me make this clear: If
Israeli soldiers die, Hamas wins. If
Israeli civilians die, Hamas wins. If
Palestinian civilians die, Hamas wins.
The only way for Israel to win is to
kill Hamas soldiers, but that’s hard
when they hide behind the horribly
literal skirts of Gazan civilians.
But do not consider my defense of
Israel an absolute one. Israel needs to
publicly define its goals. Those goals
need to be reachable. Are you taking
out the tunnels or are you taking out
I’ve ordered, and frankly, I am having
a lot less eye sex in the hallways.
Now it’s not as if my beard is hor-
ribly upsetting. Throw me an email
and I’ll prove it. But it’s big and very
much there. And it has led to my
fascination with how much people,
It’s harder to make small talk
with a waiter, and I’m having a
lot less eye sex in the hallways.
quite possibly subconsciously, treat
other people on mere face value.
Now I know it has been said a million
times. In fact calling it a cliché is in
itself a cliché, but nevertheless, let’s
try not to judge books by their covers
in 2009.
This is not an attempt to get more
waitresses to talk to me, I’m actually
enjoying observing this change in
people’s behaviour and am blessed
Nadja Popovich / The McGill Daily
Hamas? I sympathize with the need
to keep this information away from
Hamas, but I resent being asked to
continue to support a military effort
the intended results of which I have
not yet been fully informed.
Yes, Israel has made mistakes,
both moral and political. But let us
not oversimplify. More importantly,
let us (if I may be so bold as to say
there is an us) never allow the nihil-
ists to use our own morality against
us.
Ricky’s column appears every
Monday. Send your literal skirst to
pinatadiplomacy@mcgilldaily.com.
with wonderful friends who might
love me even more with the beard.
This is merely a shout out to all of
us, including me, to continue to be
aware of the human behind the veil.
For me, it has been an amusing expe-
rience; for others it could very well
be frustrating to know that the per-
ception of their true personality is
undermined by some physical factor.
In 2009, let’s read our books
through before making our minds
up about them.
Johanu’s column appears every
Monday. Send him your non-patched
collection of hairs and shaving jokes
to lifelines@mcgilldaily.com.
The McGill Daily, Monday, January 12, 2009
HYDE PARK
Israel’s moral high ground
Nasser Mohieddin Abukhdeir
I
t has been two years since 1.5-mil-
lion-plus residents of Gaza have
been under siege. With points of
entry by land, air, and sea blocked by
Israel and Egypt, Gazans have been
reduced to “smuggling” in bare neces-
sities of food and fuel through tunnels
under the Egypt-Palestine border.
All facets of life for the Gazans
have degraded to deplorable states.
Parents cannot feed their children;
more than one in four Gazan chil-
dren are malnourished, almost 50
per cent under age two are anemic
due to the denial of basic medi-
cal supplies. Gazans suffering from
chronic illnesses are denied ade-
quate care and are rarely allowed to
travel for life-saving medical treat-
ment. Those who are allowed out
of Gaza suffer interrogation and
coercion to collaborate against their
community by the Israeli military
before given treatment. Tragically,
most never receive treatment; 245 of
these patients have died in the past
12 months alone.
Without the ability to obtain
necessary raw materials, the Gazan
economy has been decimated such
that there is no way to earn a wage,
and scarce amounts of food and
HYDE PARK
Tell SSMU what you want
Devin Alfaro
I
n the past, McGill has seen many
heated debates about the issues
facing students and society. So
far this year, campus has been qui-
eter than it has been for the past
few years. As a whole, last semester
was marked by disappointingly low
political participation among McGill
students.
The SSMU General Assembly (GA)
just met quorum, but the online rati-
fication vote that followed did not.
Moreover, not enough people voted
in the fall elections for their results
to be valid. These elections were all
the more impressive because for the
first time in McGill history, students
had the chance to vote on University
ancillary fees and choose whether
they were willing to pay more for
certain services. Despite this unique
opportunity, there was little debate
and anemic participation.
In a place like McGill, it can often
be hard for the average student to get
their voice heard and to feel that they
can make a difference when it comes to
what happens on campus. Taking part
fuel to buy. As a result, nearly half
of Gazan households are below the
poverty line, according to the United
Nations Relief and Works Agency.
Electrical utilities require fuel, so
basic services such as water and
sewage pumps sit idle. This is only a
small sample of the deplorable con-
ditions that Gazans have been put
through in the past two years. This
is on top of the four-decade long
Israeli military occupation that pre-
ceded this current siege.
The quality of life that I have
described up to now was what life
was like for Gazans before Israel’s
massive bombing campaign began
just a few weeks ago and ground
invasion which started only a few
days ago. Since then, hundreds
of Palestinian civilians have been
murdered by every flavor of mod-
ern weaponry, which Israel can buy
with over $3-billion of military aid
it receives annually from the U.S.
This includes one-ton (2000-pound)
bombs, Hellfire rockets, medium
artillery, heavy machine guns, and
possibly chemical and depleted
uranium munitions, which Israel
has used in the past in Gaza and
Lebanon.
The Israeli government claims to
be at war on Hamas which, by some
stretch of the moral compass, includes
in the decision making of the SSMU
is one important place for students to
voice their opinions and affect change.
SSMU is your student union. It is
there both to represent you and to
provide services that give you a bet-
ter university experience. However, it
can only do these things effectively
if people show up, have a healthy
debate, and help set the priorities
and policies of the organization.
This year’s SSMU executive is
committed to working for students,
and we take the mandates that we’ve
been given seriously. One tangible
example is the work we’ve done
standing up for students who are
also parents. In the Fall 2007 GA,
SSMU was given a mandate to work
on making the University a better
place for student parents. SSMU got
the message and looked for ways to
make progress on the issue.
Next month, we expect to open
a new nursery with spaces for eight
children of undergraduate students.
A group of students who cared about
the issue proposed a GA motion, other
students got behind it and made it
policy, and now there’s a new service
that will make a world of a difference
Ben Peck / The McGill Daily
targeting bureaucrats, police, rescue
workers, and recently UN-run school
and aid convoys. Attacks on UN-run
schools, which are being used to
shelter thousands of Palestinian civil-
ians from Israeli attacks, have killed
43 and wounded 100 – all refugees
desperately seeking safety.
So, what exactly is Israel’s moral
high ground? Isn’t it obvious? A small
minority of the starved, bombed,
shelled, and desperate Gazan com-
munity is firing make-shift rockets
into Israeli towns. These rockets
have killed five Israelis during these
most recent hostilities.
Over the same time period, the
Israeli military has ended the lives
of almost 763 Palestinians, over 200
of them children, and wounded
over 3,121. This includes at least
four paramedics who were killed by
Israel’s bomb-wait-bomb tactic that
targets rescue personnel. The obvi-
ous conclusion is that Israel has no
moral high ground; it is a regime that
continually commits terrorist acts, no
better than the “terrorists” they claim
to be fighting...although unarguably
more effective.
Nasser Mohieddin Abukhdeir is a
PhD4 Chemical Engineering stu-
dent. You can reach him at nasser.
abukhdeir@mcgill.ca.
for students in need of child care.
When we are given political man-
dates, like fighting tuition increases
or supporting our teaching assistants,
we speak out and make sure that stu-
dents have their say. The more peo-
ple who participate, the more rep-
resentative our policies are, and the
stronger we can make a stand.
This semester, take part and make
sure your voice is heard. Everyone has
an opinion on what they’d like to see
done differently on campus. McGill is
a better place when we students take
ownership of our campus and work
to change it. One important aspect of
this is through taking part in setting
the policies of your student union,
SSMU. Engaging in SSMU’s decision
making process is one of the few plac-
es your opinion counts and decisions
made have to be implemented. We
take representing students seriously,
but in order to do that you need to tell
us what you want.
Devin Alfaro is the SSMU VP External
and a U3 Geography (Urban Systems)
and Sociology student. Say what the
SSMU exec can do for you at exter-
nal@ssmu.ca.
HYDE PARK
CUPE boycott brings
bigotry to academia
Mookie Kideckel
M
eet Sid Ryan, the firecracker
leader of the Ontario wing of
the Canadian Union of Public
Employees (CUPE). He has used this
role as a bully pulpit to rant and roar
not just about labour issues, but also
about his native Ireland, and, for some
reason, Israel. Through his activism,
Ryan has impressed many by accom-
plishing the seemingly impossible feat
of convincing cynical non-believers
like me that obsessive criticism of
Israel is, in fact, anti-Semitism.
Let’s start in 2006, when he led
CUPE in adopting a resolution calling
for boycotts, divestment, and sanc-
tions against Israel. The Canadian
Arab Federation was so impressed
that they gave him their Social Justice
Award for 2006. The National Post
was so impressed they gave him the
title “disgrace and embarrassment.”
After Lebanon, the Middle East
stayed fairly quiet and so, impres-
sively, did Ryan. But, in case you just
crawled out of the womb and the
doctor didn’t tell you, the rivalry in
the region heated up this winter as
Israel responded to Hamas rockets
with an air and ground incursion
into Gaza. So on January 5, appar-
ently concerned that not enough
people were making fools of them-
selves, Ryan boldly declared that,
“In response to an appeal from the
Palestinian Federation of Unions of
University Professors and Employees,
we are ready to say Israeli academ-
ics should not be on our campuses
unless they explicitly condemn the
University bombing and the assault
on Gaza in general.”
I don’t have enough space to detail
everything wrong with this proposal,
so let’s run through the basics. Ryan
claims it is in response to the bomb-
ing of the Islamic University in Gaza,
which Israel alleges was being used
by Hamas. Yet no matter your view
on the act itself, and the war in gener-
Opinions aren’t
meant to be caged.
Set them free in The Daily.
Ask how at commentary@mcgilldaily.com.
Commentary 13
al, there are some things that should
go without saying: Israeli academics
don’t set policy, so the ban makes no
sense; it hurts academia to limit the
free exchange of ideas and speech;
and it sets a dangerous precedent to
declare that university hiring will be
based on explicitly expressed politi-
cal views.
But let’s pretend for a minute
we’re in some alternate dimension
where Ryan’s proposal is actually rea-
sonable. In that case, he is guilty of
prejudice. He claims he is respond-
ing to a war. But American-led forces
were responsible for more than 9,000
civilians deaths in the first two years
of the Iraq war. Where is the ban on
their academics? What about a ban
on scholars from the Sudan, whose
president is committing genocide. Or
Iran, whose president would like to?
No, Mr. Ryan is not concerned with
states at war; he is concerned with
the Jewish state at war.
I know, I know – not all Israeli aca-
demics are Jewish, so how can this
be called bigotry against Jews? For
one thing, since Ryan is convinced
Israel is a Nazi-like state – though he
did apologize for revealing this view
in public – which confines its non-
Jewish inhabitants to only the low-
est echelons of society, I’m not sure
if he even knows there are non-Jew-
ish academics. And if he does, he
likely views them as collateral dam-
age. Israel is, inescapably, a Jewish
state. And applying an unfair double
standard to Israel, consciously or
not, by punishing its academics for
actions that other states have com-
mitted, often to a greater extent, is
anti-Semitic.
Ryan’s proposal goes beyond the
absurd, and into the realm of bigotry.
The situation would be hilarious – if
it wasn’t so incredibly frightening.
Mookie Kideckel is a U1 Political
Science and History student. Send all
your thoughts on Semitism to mook-
ie.kideckel@mail.mcgill.ca.
 Letters The McGill Daily, Monday, January 12, 2009
14
18 Culture The McGill Daily, Monday, November 24, 2008

Laying down the law

Loving the Police is not a crime

Stuck
on Shuffle
Zachary Shuster

M
y roommates and I recently threw
our first chili cook-off. It was a mas-
sive success for a number of rea-
sons, primarily because lots of people brought
chili to my house. As I often do before social
gatherings, I had positioned my DVD of the
Police’s Synchronicity Concert on top of the
television. It functions as a highly effective
conversation piece, and I can usually channel
the conversation into a public viewing, and
then, well, I’m typically set for the evening.
the topic of tantric sex for up to 14 hours,
leaving the interviewer thoroughly, tran-
scendently informed.
Reason 2: Fadeouts
The Police know they rock. They write
songs that rock so hard that they don’t feel
the need to write endings for them, because
ending a song means admitting it needs
to end. The Police don’t play your game.

Re: “Laying down the law” | Commentary | November 24

As it happened on this particular Sunday,
one attendee noticed the DVD as things
were winding down, and I quickly swooped
in, grinning broadly and claiming ownership.
Our conversation was as follows:
That’s why almost every Police song ends
with a fadeout, implying that it’s still play-
ing somewhere. You see, the fadeout is the
rock song equivalent of awkwardly leaving a
boring conversation at a house party. When

“So Lonely” is indeed the best of the Police’s

Curious chili lover: Yeah...man, I love the
Police, but I’m usually too embarrassed to
say that out loud.
Zach Shuster: Really? Last year I spent the
bulk of my accumulated summer earnings
to fly from my home in Honolulu, Hawaii
to Manchester, Tennessee to see a Police
“Walking on the Moon” is “finished” on your
iPod, and “On Any Other Day” starts playing,
that doesn’t mean the song is actually over; it
just means it’s done with you, and it’s gone to
do something better with itself. It’s probably
made its way over to my iPod, where it will
be appreciated by someone who’s willing to

oeuvre, as anyone with respectable taste

reunion concert.
My dominant fandom thus established,
I was suddenly shocked to see that most
people in the room were grimacing. I came
to a terrible realization: Being a really huge
Police fan might not be cool. For the sake of
eat nothing but buttered pasta for weeks just
so he can stand in a dirty field in the Deep
South to see Sting from a distance.
Reason 3: A hundred million bottles

will agree. Thanks for increasing awareness

addressing this unfortunate social reality, I Jokes aside, the Police have written some
hereby pres- of the most enduring pop songs of the last
ent to McGill 40 years. (Which by itself is no big deal –
Daily readers, even Journey cranked one out.) What sets
skeptics, and them apart is the fact that most, if not all, of
believers alike, their most celebrated tunes deal with alien-
three reasons why ation, and not just in the “sexy people won’t

of the insidious oppression of Police fans.

the Police are the
greatest rock band ever –
past, present, or future.
Reason 1: Tantric Sting
talk to me” sense, but the “I always feel like
I’m stranded on a desert island” sense, the
“You don’t love me anymore so I’ll probably
kill myself” sense, and, most popularly, the
“I’m constantly watching you through your
bedroom window because you’re my prop-

The struggle to appreciate earnest, occa-

The lead singer of the Police is Sting.
Sting is proficient in a number of areas:
he can play the bass (can you play the
bass?), he has golden vocal chords, and
he is a celebrated practitioner of tantric
sex. In fact, he is frequently the subject of
erty...and God only knows what I’m up to in
this tree” sense. (That’s “Every Breath You
Take,” I’m afraid, and depending on how old
you are, there’s a good chance it was played
at your parents’ wedding.)
There’s something at work here that I

sionally overproduced rock songs unridi-

parody due to the candor with which he
discusses his sex practices. What many
people don’t know is that Sting is also a
world-renowned practitioner of what I like
to call “tantric conversation.” Allow me
to explain: most interviews of music per-
sonalities delve only briefly into intimate
happen to think is brilliant: Imagine tens of
thousands of people in their eighties best,
packed in arenas around the world; huge
crowds of folks standing shoulder to shoul-
der, singing along about how lame they are,
and how wretched it feels to be alone. The
Police’s best jam, “So Lonely,” can be found

culed can now begin–well, in earnest.

discussions of personal sexuality. Clinical
findings suggest that the subject occupies
perhaps seven to 13 minutes (on average)
of overall interview time, before reaching
a climax and trailing off into a refractory
period of variable length (this is usually
when the celebrity professes a dedication
to preserving the environment). Sting,
by employing an arsenal of synchronized
on the 1978 album Outlandos d’Amour.
Next time you’re feeling particularly shitty, I
suggest you throw it on. It’s a buoyant pop/
reggae number of the best variety, with lyr-
ics about melancholic hang-ups against a
backdrop of new-wave sunshine. Before
you know it, you’ll be beaming along with
a proud tradition of Police fans through the
years who’ve known the value of translating

Myles Gaulin U1 English and Psychology

breathing techniques and refusing to break the worst human preoccupations into radio
Sasha Plotnikova / The McGill Daily
eye-contact, can maintain a discussion on rock staples. So lonely, indeed.

Let’s talk about The Daily, baby
Re: “Addressing the Public Editor...” &
“Addressing The Daily’s uniform con-
tent...” | Commentary | Dec. 1 & Nov. 20
I applaud Marc Selles’s assess-
ment of The Daily’s content,
but am disappointed by the
dismissive response that it has
received. Stylistic concerns aside,
the issue of The Daily’s exclusiv-
ity and uniformity of opinion
demands further dialogue. Ted
Sprague’s letter in the December
1 edition is very troubling, as it
seems to suggest that such dia-
logue will not be forthcoming.
The words “radical,” “progres-
sive,” and indeed “alternative” have
come to define an increasingly rigid
set of political and social views – a
codification that should be evident
to a regular reader of this publica-
tion, or to any hapless soul who
reveals himself or herself to have
“conservative” views within the walls
of our campus. I am appalled by the
single-mindedness that prevails at
an institution like ours, where dif-
ference of opinion should be viewed
as a prime opportunity for conversa-
tion and learning, and regret that
The Daily has come to reflect it.
To dissect issues and assess the
value of different views is the charge
of The Daily as a newspaper and as
a representative of the University;
to propagate a particular set of
“marginalized” views as the only
reasonable positions (or, much more
shockingly, as the only “human”
ones), is tantamount to the silenc-
ing of intellectual discourse in what
should be a forum for just that, and
indicates that other opinions are
now the victims of marginalization.
The solution to the “prejudice
perpetuated by the current main-
stream media” that Mr. Sprague so
forcefully decries is not the creation
of a nearly identical system of intel-
lectual prejudice within the media at
McGill. The Daily belongs to all of
us, not simply to the massive, over-
bearing clique of the like-mindedly
“alternative.” I hope that the McGill
community will not abandon it to
the fate that it seems bound for.
Mike Prebil
U1 History
Why do we value the lives of
Canadians above others?
Re: “Praying for friends killed in Mumbai”
| Commentary | December 1
Let me begin by expressing my
horror at the recent violence in
Mumbai; opening fire on civilians
was truly a heinous act. I read Mr.
Holzman’s piece in your previous
issue. I cannot convey my sorrow
at such senseless loss of life.
However, one rather unique facet
of these attacks has captured my
interest: its coverage in the Western
media. It is fascinating to me that
this event, while tragic and appall-
ing, has garnered such interest
amongst our beloved broadcasters.
In the last few days of November,
the BBC has produced myriad
headlining stories detailing the bel-
ligerents’ every move. These stories
have also portrayed a mutilated
city in dire straits; symbols of its
previous glory tattered. I challenge
these sentiments. I wonder as to
the significance of the “historic” Taj
Hotel in the life of a slum-dwelling
Mumbaiker. With a population
near 20-million, Greater Mumbai
is an exceedingly huge metropolis.
Furthermore, this city is hardly
naïve: in 2006, 190 people were
killed in train bombings. I believe
Mumbai will flourish once more.
In fact, the only reason this
tragedy has elicited such a strong
response is due to the deaths of
Western nationals. My conviction
comes from our large ignorance
of other major world events. We
rarely hear of the 10,000-30,000
Afghans slaughtered this decade;
neither of at least 150,000 inno-
cent Iraqis murdered in the name
of democracy. There has even
been scanty coverage of a sec-
tarian riot that caused over 300
deaths in Nigeria only last week.
So I ask: why do we value the
lives of our countrymen above oth-
ers? Are we not all human beings?
It seems to me that we are not.
Rohith Bhargavan
U2 Microbiology and Immunology
Education isn’t a right,
it’s a commodity
Re: “PGSS stabbed us in the back...”
| Commentary | November 24
I read with dismay Ted Sprague’s
article about the $10 graduate tuition
fee hike. Sprague succumbs to the
popular notion that education is a
right, not a privilege. Nowhere does
it say we have a right to a university
education. UN declarations refer to
a minimum level of education, and
are focused on developing nations.
In a first-world country like Canada,
education is a commodity available
only to those who can afford it.
If you think the government
should pay for you, fair enough,
but why? What, other than a faulty
rights rhetoric, is this based on?
Yes, there are societal benefits to
an educated public, but maybe we
should focus on fixing our primary
and secondary education systems
first. You don’t need an undergradu-
ate degree. You are just told that
you do and you don’t know what
else to do with your life. A univer-
sity education is largely superflu-
ous. It’s a privilege and a bonus.
But some students know what
they want. So should they not be
funded? Okay, but who should pay
for them? Why not have corporations
pay? Well, they already do, to an
extent, but the same student “activ-
ists” who decry moving the financial
burden of postsecondary education
onto the students themselves refuse
to accept this potential solution.
A novel solution would be to
make universities elite, not in a
financial sense, but academically:
raise the entrance requirements and
take only the true best and bright-
est. Let the rest find jobs – a good
three year CEGEP program will
help you out with that. That way,
the government could afford to put
more money into education at all
levels, they’d be getting a higher
quality product, and there would be
more money for student services.
Treat your time here as a privi-
lege,
not a right.
John Lofranco
Law II
Why I changed my name dad perform songs with a Stewart
to Andy Summers Copeland-esque percussive-tilt,
Re: “Laying down the law” and Sting’s vocal range. Listening
| Commentary | November 24 to the Police for me, now, is like
hearing my dad sing to me when I
My dad (Ed) has been an was a little boy. Zachary Shuster’s
Orlando, Florida support-my-family- article (on how the Police are too
with-my-earnings musician since often derided as lame and how
the 1970s, playing popular tunes to they are actually super-cool) was
tourists in and around my home- awesome. Nice job, Zachary. From
town many hotels, bars, lounges, etc. someone else who cares, thanks a
Whatever his disdain for the music lot. I mean, shit, I’ve even changed
he played to bring home the bacon, my name to Andy Summers.
he played it regardless, because
cash is cash. He did, however, like Andy Summers (White)
the Police, especially the music of U2 Sociology & Geography
their guitarist Andy Summers. I (Urban Systems)
grew up watching and hearing my
In defense of cats, and
run nature of Liquid Nutrition,
offense on Mendelson the Shatner food court, Caferama,
Re: “McGill centralizing food services” and the beloved but independent
& “Enough with the cats” | News & Al-Taib. Just pointing that out.
Commentary | December 1 2) Allison McNeely, I demand
that you apologize to the feline
1) People of earth! Ignore Morton population of Montreal for your
Mendelson’s sugar-coated promises! distinctly anti-cat rhetoric. As some-
Recognize that by “centralizing food one who will likely end up living in
services” and “making things more a dark musky basement with only
efficient” he actually means “unilat- the company of dozens of cats, I
erally taking over all campus food resent your implication that limiting
providers.” He has made it clear that the number of cats per household
he does not want to introduce new in a certain neighbourhood is not
student-run food services. If central- newsworthy. I, for one, was grate-
izing McGill food services actually ful to The McGill Daily for making
made it more effiicient, he would it clear which neighbourhoods I
have no reason to fear a little healthy should boycott. By claiming that
competition from students. His dia- cats are not front-page worthy, you
logue is blatantly anti-student auton- marginalize the feline experience.
omy, though, when he says “We’re And more seriously, the over-
not contemplating handing any more population of stray cats is a seri-
locations over to students.” What ous problem that won’t be solved
do you mean handing any more by limiting the number of cats
locations to students? You didn’t per household. People, please
hand Architecture Café to students, spay and/or neuter your pets.
you took it away from students and Also, I find it laughable
annexed it under campus food ser- that you accuse the article of
vices. And the idea of taking over being a front-page article when
the SSMU food court is laughable. the front page of The Daily is
Students need at least one space clearly reserved for graphics.
where student-run food is a priority. Meow,
That said, I’m not sure SSMU
actually prioritizes student-run food Iris Erdile
as much as they say they do, con- U3 Education English & History
sidering the distinctly un-student
Please send your letters from your McGill email to letters@mcgilldaily.
com, and try to keep them to about 300 words. The Daily does not print let-
ters that are sexist, racist, homophobic, or otherwise hateful.
 Culture The McGill Daily, Monday, January 12, 2009
15

Get lost
in a good
bookstore
Lesya Nakoneczny’s guide to finding
books with personality in Montreal

A used and unique copy of a book has a cer-

tain romantic appeal. Used book stores offer a unique
and vast selection of books that larger chains can’t
provide, for a fair price. If that doesn’t have you
convinced, remember that by buying used you are
(hear the mantra) saving money, supporting local
businesses, and supporting sustainable industries.
There are many used book stores in Montreal,
each with its own cut and jibe. More than a place of
commerce, there is definitely a community aspect to
these stores. Hopefully this guide will be of some use
to those of us who find a moment to read something
besides a textbook or course pack this semester.

For book requests and more informa-

tion on used bookstores in Montreal and
other cities, visit usedbookcircle.com.

Ethan Landy for The McGill Daily

The Librairie Henri-Julien boasts a wide collection of philosophy and classic texts.

Odyssey Books Librairie Henri-Julien S.W. Welch Pages

1439 Stanley, Metro Peel
Sandwiched between “Phat City” and
a luxury apartment building, Odyssey
Books could easily go unnoticed, but it
does not – and with good reason. After 28
years of business, this store has no doubt
seen some great novels grace its shelves.
Organized by category for non-fiction,
and alphabetically for fiction in the literature
section, this place has a wealth of interest-
ing titles on a variety of topics. For book
collectors, this may be a good place to visit
– finds like a first edition copy of William
Faulkner’s The Town have even turned up
here. A quiet reprieve from the busy streets
of the downtown core, this warm place has
a couple chairs to sit in, records for sale,
and of course a bargain book section.
The owner, Bernard “Bernie” Wolff,
prides himself on the selection – this is
not one of those books stores that sells
whatever it finds. Odyssey boasts their col-
lection of “select second-hand books,”
including those that are “scholarly, general,
[or] rare.” They make house calls, but I sug-
gest you check this one out in person.
4800 Henri-Julien, Metro Mont-Royal
In the Plateau for 20 years, Librairie
Henri-Julien is a book collector’s dream.
Not surprisingly, most of the clientele at this
used bookstore are hobbyists. The major-
ity of the titles are in French but there is a
good spattering of those in English. If you’re
interested in French authors, classics, books
on the Second World War, armaments, or
philosophy, visit Librairie Henri-Julien.
The oldest book in the store is a 17th-
century Dutch hardback on the history of
Amsterdam, engravings included. The walls
are covered, floor to ceiling, with books of all
kinds; one can barely make out the baby-pink
paint on the walls. Every nook and cranny
has been utilized. Like something out of a
movie, with opera music playing, a rocking
chair, and a friendly owner, Librairie Henri-
Julien is the quintessential used bookstore.
225 Saint-Viateur O., Parc 80 bus
Owned and managed by S.W. Welch, this
eponymous store mainly features books in
English. The owner is attracted to an assort-
ment of literary objects, including books
with unique covers, ones he has never seen
before, and uncommon versions of classics.
Well-stocked and great for casual browsing,
this Mile End bookstore is frequented mainly
by regulars – maybe you should consider
becoming one too. Sections are indicated
by animated drawings throughout the store.
With its comfortable chairs, leather couch, and
bright lighting, S. W. Welch is well-organized
while still maintaining a large selection.
The film section is worth mentioning –
when I went, it even contained a published
copy of the Ghost World screenplay. While
the layout is reminiscent of more commercial
stores, S.W. Welch caters to many tastes.
3255 St. Jacques, Metro Lionel-Groulx
With its store name in bright yellow let-
ters on a red storefront, Pages certainly
catches one’s attention. Venture inside
and you find a store with personality.
Relatively new, the philosophy at Pages is
relaxed and welcoming – you can trade
used books for store credit, and the owner,
Tim O’Melia, is not one to discriminate.
Anything worth reading has a home here.
This place has also taken on a different role
than other, more traditional bookstores: it
serves as a community space, featuring fairly
regular shows and occasional poetry read-
ings. Thursday nights host a philosophical
discussion group, and tea and coffee available
every day. Pages is filled with found objects
that add to its unique character – a model
of an 18th-century Spanish frigate sits on a
wooden trellis suspended over the cash, and
the art on display is for sale. The mismatched
furniture is cozy, and the conversation is good.
A charming place with a friendly owner.
16 Culture The McGill Daily, Monday, January 12, 2009

Classifieds
To place an ad,
via email:
ads@dailypublications.org
The perks of being a pariah
phone: 514-398-6790
fax: 514-398-8318
Surviving high school is no mean feat in Mariko Tamaki’s Skim
Cost:
McGill Students & Staff: $6,70/day; $6.20/day Maeve Clougherty Skim’s own social life takes an inter- with a teacher [and there was never] though the book is probably most
for 3 or more days. General public: $8.10/day; Culture Writer esting turn when she finds herself a suicide at school. I draw on my own pertinent to teenagers.
$6.95/day for 3 or more days. 150 character romantically involved with her teach- experiences to create a potential his-
limit. There will be a $6.00 charge per contract
er, Ms. Archer. As a social pariah with tory for the characters. The challenge MD: How would you explain the

R
for any characters over the limit. Prices include
taxes. MINIMUM ORDER $40.50/ 5 ads. emember high school? Most
of us are fairly nostalgic about
our adolescent years; proms,
Housing parties, and other forms of teenage
APARTMENTS FOR RENT mischief dominate popular memory.
However, after reading the graphic
CITADELLE novel Skim, I realized that those
2125 St-Marc
1 ½, 2 ½, 3 ½ RENOVATED heated, electricity, years often seem better in hindsight.
fridge/stove. Roof terrace, indoor pool, sauna & The story follows a young, ang-
squash. 5 minutes from Concordia & McGill. Guy/ sty teen named Kimberly Keiko
Concordia metro. Cameron – known to her friends as
(514) 935-4673
Skim – as she suffers through ado-
lescence at an all-girls private school.
REDFERN-KENSINGTON The story documents her woeful
216 Redfern - 225 Kensington
4 ½, 6 ½ RENOVATED sunny, quaint, heated, HDW attempt to survive her teen years
floors, high ceilings, nice environment. Close to without any major psychological
Dawson College & St-Catherine St. damage. Though at first glance Skim
(514) 938-9419 seems like an emo tribute to adoles-
cent torment, the story is actually a
CHATEL touching and thoughtful homage to
1625 De Maisonneuve West the protagonist’s formative years.
2 ½, 3 ½, 4 ½ RENOVATED large apartment w/ A/C.
All included, pool & sauna. 24 hr janitor. Services and
Author Mariko Tamaki, who collabo-
restos on GF. 2 steps from Concordia & McGill. In front of rated with her cousin Jillian Tamaki
Guy/Concordia metro. for illustrations, received national
(514) 931-8821 acclaim for Skim, earning a nomi-
nation for the Governor General’s
PLACE ELGIN Literary Awards. Though she did
1100 Dr. Penfield not win the award in the Children’s
3 ½, 4 ½ RENOVATED downtown view, hot water,
Literature category, the recognition
electricity, 24 hr convenience store, Subway resto,
24 hr doorman, indoor pool and more. 2 minutes was well-deserved.
from McGill. For those of us who made it
(514) 286-9191 through high school relatively
unscathed, Skim is a powerful
Brooklyn-Belle ÉPOQUE reminder of the brutality of adoles-
McGill ghetto cence. As an overweight, potentially
RENOVATED apartment to rent, fridge & oven.
lesbian Asian girl with few friends
(514) 499-3455
www.cogir.net and an interest in witchcraft, Skim
isn’t exactly prom queen material. In
fact, she’s more like a fusion of com-
Movers / Storage mon teenage insecurities that brand
her a social outcast.
ANBER MOVERS
Moving / Storage. Closed van or trucks. Local + The plot of the story is set in
Long distance. OTT-TOR-NY-BOSTON-FLA. Low Rates motion when Skim’s schoolmate
Steve • (514) 735-8148 loses her boyfriend to suicide, spur-
ring the school into a frenzy of thrill
Employment and sympathy. As a clique of popular
girls use the event as an opportunity
Master School of Bartending to create the anti-suicide club, Girls
Bartending and table service courses Celebrate Life!, Skim is repulsed
Student rebate by the spectacle and remains con-
Job reference service temptuous of her peers. Meanwhile,
• 514-849-2828
www.Bartend.ca
(on line registration possible)
an unrequited love affair, Skim learns was to figure out, if such an event message of Skim?
that growing up requires a thick skin happened, how would the characters MT: Skim has the opposite mes-
and a bit of faith in the future. react? sage of something like Romeo and
I caught up with Skim’s author, Juliet; it’s a book about survival. Just
Mariko Tamaki, in late December to MD: Who would you recommend because everything is not going your
get her perspective on the novel. this book for? way doesn’t mean you have to give
MT: The book is listed as children’s up and kill yourself. If you best friend
McGill Daily: What was your literature, but it would be an amazing decides she hates you and if you fall
inspiration for Skim? book for people who remember what in love with someone you’re not sup-
Mariko Tamaki: I’ve always high school was like and would like posed to, it’s not the end of your
been a fan of stories about high to reminisce. Ultimately, everyone life.... It’s a part of the bigger picture.
school, like Degrassi and other pop- relates to the adolescent experience, Life goes on after high school.
ular shows. I originally had the idea
that it would be really cool to draw
in the classic Lolita story with a mod-
ern twist on it by adapting the per-
spective to a queer character, which
I thought could be empowering for
women. I also wanted to draw on
the daily boringness of high school;
in popular movies and TV shows the
lives of the teenagers are so dramatic
and unrealistic. I wanted to portray
high school as it really was for most
of us – a series of boring events you
have to suffer through.
MD: What made you decide to
write a graphic novel?
MT: I was on the Perpetual Motion
road tour, which is basically a bunch
of artists driving across the East or
West coast. The editor of Kiss maga-
zine was with us, and she gave the
writers and illustrators a chance to
collaborate to write graphic novels. I
knew my cousin was a talented illus-
trator, and I though it would be a cool
idea to work with her on a graphic
novel. I essentially wrote Skim as a
theatre script with basic narration
and dialogue, then sent the whole
thing off to Jillian to illustrate.
MD: Are there elements of your
own life that influenced this book?
MT: Skim isn’t completely
divorced from my past. I went to an
all-girls private school and the char-
acter is similar to me, but specifically,
I never had a clandestine relationship Courtesy of Groundwood Books

Have you had a “LAZY EYE” since childhood?

McGill Vision Research is looking for study participants.
Infallible tests for year-end bests
Please call Dr. Davar Nikneshan at 514-934-1934 ext.
35307 or email mcgillvisionresearch@gmail.com Top album lists, music-mag behemoths, and folky goodness
for further information.

Bilingual Industrial Engineer, student part-

time to work from home. Interesting work filing
“Invention Patents” & communicating with interesting
companies with interesting products. Can lead to
junior partnership with a start-up organisation.
Contact inventor directly for further details,
Max Halparin disappointment – yet it was also the Radio’s Dear Science as the year’s what it was talking about. And boy
The McGill Daily 12th best album of the year. What I’d best album. Fair enough, it’s damn you can guess what happened when
like to tell Rolling Stone in this piece good, with soothing layers of fuzz, the two albums weren’t included!
they’ll never read is: just because the acoustic and electric drum beats (The source didn’t know what it was

A
514-351-5859 nother year, another ten thou-
sand year-end best-album
Lessons / Courses lists. They’re great and all, but
they probably offer more insight into
BELLYDANCE WITH VENUS the publication than the music.
Classes start Jan. 15. Studio Bizz. 15% off for McGill
students. venusbellydance.com 514-288-4989
Take Rolling Stone, the once-rel-
evant music and lefty politico mag,
which seems to have felt obligated to
include other former heavyweights
Want to write for the Metallica, Guns ‘N Roses, and AC/DC
Culture section? in their best album list as an homage
to 1987. Strangely, in the same issue,
Email culture@mcgilldaily.com Axl Rose’s Chinese Democracy was
for details. rightly described as an overproduced
favourites of yesteryear release new
albums doesn’t mean you have to
care.
The real purpose of year-end lists
may be to distinguish all-too-similar
media outlets. After reformatting to
a smaller page size, Rolling Stone
now looks remarkably similar to
SPIN, but it goes one step further by
offering the same subpar content in
its few dozen pages that reads like
what the guy in sales knows the
text-messaging kids want these days.
Also like SPIN, RS chose TV on the
that can be DAF (dancy-as-fuck), and
bold vocals that could give MJ “satis-
faction” when they shift to falsetto.
(The older, born-white MJ.)
But that’s beside the point. When
I was in a rush and trying to quickly
determine if a publication knew what
it was talking about regarding music
this year, I used the statistically sig-
nificant Bearded Folk (BF) test. It’s
a little complicated, but the gist is, if
a list included Bon Iver’s For Emma,
Forever Ago, and Fleet Foxes’ self-
titled album in their top ranks, it knew
talking about.) It turned into a simple
exercise with which many are famil-
iar: scanning print and online pages
for your personal favourites to read
more about what you already know.
But goddamn those two albums were
so good.
Turns out the BF test isn’t fool-
proof, as some who passed it sadly
only pretend to know what they’re
talking about – RS being one of them.
Hopefully it’ll focus on its political
musings, which are at least vaguely
original.
The McGill Daily, Monday, January 12, 2009
Slice-of-life, served cold
Dave Lapp’s detached vignettes lack direction
Camille Holden
Culture Writer
L
et me start out by saying that I
am not a connoisseur of graphic
novels. And that I have trouble
writing bad reviews. I hold this odd
belief, as a bibliophile, that all books
and printed materials are in some
way or another sacred. And since
someone has taken the trouble to
print it, it must be of value. But per-
haps, this one time, I have to say it: I
just don’t think this is a great book. I
keep trying to find ways to redeem it
in my mind, but I can’t seem to do it.
I picked up Drop-In with great
interest because I had recently read
and loved Persepolis and I wanted
to learn more about the genre. But
I found that the label of “graphic
novel” may be misleading, because
Dave Lapp’s book doesn’t have a
plotline or a clearly defined begin-
ning, middle, and end. As the pub-
lishers more accurately described it,
it is a “collection of stories about his
work as an art teacher in an inner city
Toronto youth drop-in centre.”
A complete pharmacy in the
middle of your Provigo!
Pierre-Marc Gervais
pharmacist owner
affiliated to the banner
In this roughly 150-page book
(I’m guessing, since there are no page
numbers), Lapp creates a world in and
around the youth centre, in which he
is confronted with all the issues inher-
ent in that world – poverty, mental ill-
ness, racism, etc. And though the sub-
ject matter is captivating, I spent most
of the time waiting for something to
happen.
The most frustrating thing about
Drop-In is that there doesn’t seem
to be a message. Lapp doesn’t really
say anything. He doesn’t take a stand
or make a statement about anything.
Only twice in the book did I find a
clear message – in the first and last
pages. The first image is that of a little
plant growing up from the drain in the
art room. And the last scene depicts a
troubled black kid bumping fists with
Lapp, giving him props. But even these
images are cliché and uninspiring.
Lapp intentionally places himself
in the position of the confused or
fearful spectator in most scenes. And
I find this frustrating because the
entire time I am silently urging him
to do something, say something, or
just freak out. To his credit, I believe
“It’s convenient having a pharmacy
right where you do your groceries!
You can save time, save a trip and get
personalized health tips. It will be a
pleasure meeting you!”
- Pierre-Marc Gervais
Pharmacist owner
Culture 17
he does this intentionally in order In the end it feels
not to cast judgment on the people in like Lapp is handing
his stories. And that would be great if us this book of memo-
his characters unraveled themselves ries while raising his eye-
or went through some sort of trans- brows and shrugging, as if
formation. But they remain relatively to say “Beats me!” or “Here,
flat and Lapp remains the confused you deal with this.”
middle-class-white-guy observer. No thanks.
An expert might say, Camille,
shush, you just don’t get it. And it’s
true: I am not well-versed in graphic
novels. And I am also unfamiliar with
the milieu Lapp writes about. I have
never experienced an urban youth
centre and perhaps I lack the social
compass that could guide me through
these vignettes. So if I’m missing the
point here, let me know.
I agree with most of what the
reviewers on the back of the book
say: It’s true that Lapp offers an
unblinkingly frank portrayal of what
Sasha Plotnikova / The McGill Daily
he experienced at the youth centre.
And yes, “There’s tension in these
small slice-of-life pieces but also a
dreamlike quality, and that combi-
nation somehow captures life’s odd-
ness.” But I can’t help but ask, So
what? Unlike this reviewer, I didn’t
laugh and I didn’t cry.
Complete services
7 days a week
s0RESCRIPTIONSRENEWALFROMEVERYWHERE
in Canada
s0RESCRIPTIONSTRANSFERSFROMEVERYWHERE
in Canada
s%MERGENCYCONTRACEPTIONPILLSAND
PREGNANCYTEST
s0RIVATECONSULTATIONROOM
Located in the Provigo :
3421, avenue Du Parc, Montréal
Open 7 days a week
Monday to Friday: 9AM to 9PM
514 788-3656 Saturday-Sunday: 9AM to 5PM
Free delivery
 Compendium!
Lies, half-truths, and some ads
The McGill Daily, Monday, January 12, 2009
18

The Bush years Across

1. One way to be taken
6. Get out, in Baghdad?
66. Palm type
67. Like The X-Files
68. Card catalog abbr.
39. Colourful salamander
41. Indian princess
43. Bigwig
10. Wood sorrels 69. Long look 46. Then’s predecessor
Arnie Foreman 14. Pass on 70. Threefold 49. Lost liquid
15. High spots 71. Convince 52. Scruffs
16. Castle, e.g. 72. “ only” 53. Pontificate
17. Geo model 73. Canadian insult 54. Ear part
18. Crude group? 55. Break down
19. At liberty Down 57. Choppers, so to speak
20. Underarmour, eg 1. Kind of race 60. Discomfit
22. Fill 2. Page 61. “My ”
23. Mozart’s “L’ del Cairo” 3. A chorus line 62. Pupil’s locale
24. Sound effect 4. Author John Dickson 63. Opening time, maybe
26. Bricklayers’ equipment 5. Former capital of Japan 64. Big game
30. Control 6. Freighthoppers
32. Good for nothing 7. Bill Clinton’s birthplace
33. Biblical shepherd 8. Companion of Artemis Solution to “Examania”
34. New Mexico art community 9. Type of account
36. Sixties protest 10. Children
40. Jeep type 11. Reef material
42. Catch 12. Stop, in Nice
44. Old Roman port 13. Have the helm
45. Part of the Hindu trinity 21. TP type
47. Radiate 25. Hail Mary, e.g.
48. African antelope 26. Dead headwear
50. Presidents’ Day mo. 27. Kimono sashes
51. Mailed 28. Balance sheet item
52. See (59) 29. Santa’s signal
56. “ a chance” 31. Negative
58. Kuwaiti, e.g. 35. Disco time
59. Where you can get a shot 37. A fisherman may spin one
65. French door part 38. “Pumping ”

Comics
comics
bo-bonics,
no-nano-
nano-
nomonics
...COMICS!
The Daily wants
your comics.

compendium@
mcgilldaily.com
The McGill Daily, Monday, January 12, 2009 19
volume 98 EDITORS’ NOTE

We’re back, with a new look

number 26

editorial
3480 McTavish St., Rm. B-24 After a relaxing break, The Daily is back. Athough we’ve been
Montreal QC, H3A 1X9 on our annual hiatus for the past month, we’ve been busy
phone 514.398.6784 planning for the redesigned paper you’re holding in your
fax 514.398.8318 hands. If you’ve made it to this page, you may have noticed
mcgilldaily.com
some big changes. Aside from a general refreshment of fonts
coordinating editor and basic design elements, we’ve decided to clean up the
Jennifer Markowitz Commentary section to give more space to your letters and
coordinating@mcgilldaily.com opinion pieces. We’ve always published every (non-hateful)
coordinating news editor letter we’ve received, and now we’re giving them an entire
Shannon Kiely page to themselves, so that your voices have a consistent, dis-
tinct place in the paper. We’ve also added a separate page for
news editors
Erin Hale our masthead and editorial, along with a new feature that will
Nicholas Smith hopefully offer a fun and interesting look into how The Daily
Alison Withers is made. For a more complete description of our new design
features editor
standards, you can check out our design guide at mcgilldaily.
Claire Caldwell com. The Daily is always evolving, and we welcome your
comments and suggestions, at design@mcgilldaily.com.
commentary&compendium editor
Max Halparin
coordinating culture editor
Braden Goyette
culture editors
Joshua Frank
Lisa Cuddy
science+technology editor
Nikki Bozinoff
mind&body editor
Nadja Popovich
photo editor
Stephen Davis
graphics editor
James Wilson MAKING THE DAILY a look behind the headlines
production & design editors
Will Vanderbilt
Aaron Vansintjan

1
web editor
Ian Beattie
5:30 a.m. – Five daily
copy editor editors board a plane
Whitney Mallett to Toronto, which is
cover design delayed due to a minor
Ben Peck maintence problem.
le délit
They miss their con-
Maysa Phares nection to Saskatoon
redaction@delitfrancais.com by five minutes.
Contributors
Nasser Mohieddin Abukhdeir, Devin Alfaro,
Jeff Bishku-Aykul, Johanu Botha, Angel Chen,
Maeve Clougherty, Ethan Feldman, Pamela Fillion,
Henry Gass, Camille Holden, Mookie Kideckel,
Ricky Kreitner, Ethan Landy, Lesya Nakoneczny,
Evan Newton, Lily Panamsky, Sasha Plotnikova,
Ben Peck, Sam Reisler, Aquil Virani, Arie Voorman

Saskatoon

Montreal

4
The Daily is published on most Mondays and Thursdays by the The flight to Saskatoon
Daily Publications Society, an autonomous, not-for-profit is delayed by three
organization whose membership includes all McGill
hours, and finally

3
undergraduates and most graduate students.

3480 McTavish St., Rm. B-26

leaves at 11:30 p.m. Toronto 6 p.m. – The edi-
Montreal QC, H3A 1X9
The editors arrive in tors begrudgingly

2
phone 514.398.6790
Saskatoon at 3:30 board their second
fax 514.398.8318 a.m., the same time Air Canada re-routes flight of the day from
they left for the airport the editors on a direct Montreal to Toronto.
advertising & general manager Boris Shedov the morning before. flight to Saskatoon,
treasury & fiscal manager Pierre Bouillon through Montreal. They
ad layout & design Geneviève Robert board the delayed
dps board of directors Every January, a handful of Daily editors are sent to some corner flight back to their
Angel Chen, Ana Gray Richardson-Bachand,
Braden Goyette, Lauren Chang MacLean,
of the country for the Canadian University Press’s national student starting point at 4 p.m.
Jennifer Markowitz, Lawrence Monoson, journalism conference. After 24 hours at the mercy of Air Canada They miss their con-
Maysa Phares, Perrin Valli, Eric Van
Eyken (chair@dailyproductions.org)
last Wednesday, five of us touched down in Saskatoon, exhausted nection there, and are
and dishevelled but excited to spend five days schmoozing with rebooked on the last
other campus papers and attending panels on everything from flight to Saskatoon of
investigative reporting and activist journalism to layout and design the day – from Toronto.
tips. This year, the conference theme was “Upgrade”: speak-
ers from many different backgrounds offered their insight into
the shifting face of journalism in the country, spurred by the
The Daily is proud to be a founding member
of the Canadian University Press. decline of the newspaper industry, the rise of Web 2.0, and the
All contents © 2009 Daily Publications Society. All rights troubled economy. The outlook seems scary, but the message
reserved. The content of this newspaper is the responsibil- we’ve taken home – as proven by the sheer number of smart,
ity of The McGill Daily and does not necessarily represent the
views of McGill University. Products or companies advertised passionate aspiring journalists at the conference – is that journal-
in this newspaper are not necessarily endorsed by Daily staff. ism is as important as ever, and will continue to thrive as long
Printed by Imprimerie Transcontinental Transmag. Anjou, Quebec. as there is news to cover and diligent reporters to unpack it.
ISSN 1192-4608.