The Plant Volume 39 Issue 21

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Transcript of The Plant Volume 39 Issue 21

Page 1: The Plant Volume 39 Issue 21
Page 2: The Plant Volume 39 Issue 21

2CONTACT: [email protected]

VOL. 39 ISSUE 21 - Thursday, April 7, 2011

the plant

Editor-in-ChiefAAnnnnaa FFrreeyy

Managing EditorBBrriiaann LLaappuuzz

News EditorEElliissee FFaavviiss

International News Editor& CUP LiaisonDDaahhlliiaa BBeelliinnsskkyy

Arts & Culture EditorGGaabbrriieell GGiillkkeerr

Features EditorCCaarrll PPeerrkkss

Voices EditorMMaayyaa MMaallkkiinn

Sports EditorCChhrriissttoopphheerr PPiikkee

Graphics EditorSShhiirreell RReevvaahh

Comics EditorSShhiirreell RReevvaahh

Head Copy EditorEErriiccaa GGuutthh

Web EditorMMeelliinnaa GGuuiibbiillaarroo

Super Happy Crazy Fun PageMMeelliinnaa GGuuiibbiillaarroo

Photo EditorHHoommbbeelliinnee DDuummaass

Letter from the EditorDDaawwssoonn CCoolllleeggee33004400 SShheerrbbrrooookkee SSttrreeeett WWeessttWWeessttmmoouunntt,, QQCC,, HH33ZZ 11AA44

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Staff WritersCCiinnddyy AAnnttoonnaaccccii TTaarrddiiff,,CCaassaannddrraa DDee MMaassii,,

CChheellsseeaa HHaarrrriissssoonn,, JJeennnniiffeerr HHuugghheess,,NNaatthhaalliiee LLaaffllaammmmee,, SSaammaanntthhaa MMiilleettoo,,MMaarriiccaarr--KKrriissttiinnaa MMoonntteess,, OOlliivveerr NNaacceeyy,,

NNaaoommii SScchheecctteerr,, TToonnyy SSttaabbiillee,,ZZaacc SSttaarrkkee,, JJuulliiaann WWoollffee

Public RelationsMMeelliinnaa GGiiuubbiillaarroo

Business ManagersCChhrriiss PPiikkee

MMaayyaa MMaallkkiinn

Distribution BBrriiaann LLaappuuzz

Tech SupportVVAACCAANNTT

Copy EditorsAAnnnnaa FFrreeyy

CCaassaannddrraa DDee MMaassiiDDaahhlliiaa BBeelliinnsskkyyOOlliivveerr NNaacceeyy

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SSuuppppoorrtt SSttaaffff

ContributorsCCaatthheerriinnee DDuummoonntt,,

VViiccttoorr VVaarrggaass VViillllaa ffuueerrttee

NNaammee: ChachiPPrrooggrraamm: Graphic DesignPosition: Graphics and Comics EditorIIff yyoouu hhaadd ttoo ddeessccrriibbee BBrriiaann LLaappuuzz aass aa vveegg--eettaabbllee wwhhaatt wwoouulldd hhee bbee??: He’s like a limabean. He’s brown and squishy. Lima beansdon’t have appendixes. WWhhyy ddiidd yyoouu ssttoopp bbeeiinngg ggootthh??:: I’m allergicto black lipstick.WWhhyy aarree yyoouu ssuucchh aa bbiittcchh??:: Because EliseFavis pisses the shit out of me. She’s somean to everyone.HHooww mmaannyy ccaattss ddoo yyoouu lloovvee??:: One. Mentok.GGiivvee uuss sseevveenn wwoorrddss aabboouutt iiccee ccrreeaamm:: Re-ally? Ice cream. Um. Fuck. Shit. No. WWhhaatt ddoo yyoouu wweeaarr ttoo ggyymm ccllaassss??:: Tutus andwifebeaters.WWhhaatt’’ss iitt lliikkee lliivviinngg wwiitthh SSuunnsshhiinnee BBeeaarr??::Smells like daisies in the summertime whenour hair grows longer. It makes the sanjay’sall worth it. BBllaacckk llaaccee oorr rreedd??:: I’d say red. I don’t ownmuch black lace.

Editor of the Week

Dear sweet ‘n low Dawsonites,This week is all about spreads.

For instance, I’ve eaten peanut but-ter (crunchy, of course) andNutella sandwiches for breakfastevery morning so far. I’ve spreadmy arms for hugs more times thanI can count, and, in writing thislove note to you, I spread my heartand soul across the page. In fact, my friend Brian Lapuz

was supposed to have his wordsplastered here for you to read thisweek, but he is far too busy work-ing on two spreads of his own tomake time for you. How neglectful.Despite my current unhappiness

with his procrastinatory manners,he is doing some of the most im-portant work for the paper thisweek. It is a time of turmoil, myfriends, and we all need to makesome choices. Students from across the

province have chosen to rise upand spread out in defiance of re-cent budget news announcingmajor increases in tuition fees foruniversity students over the nextfew years. Brian was there at therally, along with some amazingphotographers, and you can seethe carnage on pages eight andnine. While rising tuition fees affect

many of us, there is another issueat hand that touches on every sin-gle one of us: upcoming electionsfor our student union. Get in-formed, it’s easy. Check the Lapuz-ian spread on pages six and sevenfor breakdowns of each of the can-didates.I know you’re busy. So am I. But if

I can manage to tear my eyes awayfrom the stud in my film class, orstop running through my theatrelines under my breath to decidewho ought to be running myschool, my province, my country? Ibelieve you can, too. And if you’re too busy to pore

through each NEWSFLASH aboutIggy or the Harp, including ourvery own “Canadian PoliticalScene,” the head to CBC and takethe VoteCompass quiz to learn ex-actly where different parties standon the issues that matter to you. And, because each of us deserves

to smile, I end this unusually seri-ous letter with a (true life) quote:“No, not really, crystal meth ain’tcool.”

Anna [email protected]

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Liberals promise student grants

On March 29, Canadian LiberalParty Leader Michael Ignatieff un-veiled the Learning Passport whichwould give students enrolled inCEGEP and University up to $4000 intax-free grants.Full-time students would receive

up to $4000 in four annual paymentsof $1000 to a Registered EducationSavings Plan (RESP) account. For stu-dents who come from low-incomefamilies, $6000 would be granted infour annual payments of $1500.Part-time students are also eligible

for the grant but will receive less.The annual cost of the program for

tax payers is the equivalent to one G8summit, which is about $1 billion intotal.For those who need more money,

the Liberals announced that studentswho engage in volunteer servicewould be entitled to an extra $1500

to pay off their debt.The entire education bundle in-

cludes aboriginal students who willalso reap the benefits of $200 millionworth of investments to make educa-tion accessible to aboriginal commu-nities.Students who finish their post-sec-

ondary education without spendingthe full $4000 will get to keep thebalance in their RESP account if theydesire to return to school.According to CBC, Liberal Leader

Michael Ignatieff announced, “I cansay without exaggeration that this isa real revolution in learning andtraining in Canada, and that will giveus the means of becoming the mostcompetitive society in the world.”Dawson Student Union (DSU)

Deputy Chairperson Amanda Arellasaid that the DSU currently have noposition on it. However, while Arellalikes the intention, she questions themethod."Personally, I think it's great that

the Liberals are making post-sec-ondary education an election issueand I’m happy to see that they'recommitting to increased funding,”Arella said.“However, I don't think simply giv-

ing students money significantlydeals with the issue that tuition feesare spiralling out of control. It alsodoesn't address the fact that geogra-phy is a barrier to accessing collegesand universities. One thousand dol-lars in Quebec goes a lot further to-wards paying fees than it does inOntario, for example," Arella ex-plained.“I think that if the government has

the power and money, and if it's pos-sible for them to do it, [then they]might as well do it. Give $4000 tostudents, yes!" Bruno Palacios, a sec-ond semester CALL student said.

Michael Ignatieff reveals in his partyʼs platform aneducation plan that would grant students up to$4000 annually

POLITICS

Dawson’s been fooled!Dawson student union and the Plant team upfor fake Rebecca Black event for April Fools

The Plant and the Dawson StudentUnion (DSU) collaborated last weekfor an April Fools prank on the Daw-son population, leading students tobelieve teen YouTube sensation, Re-becca Black, would be visiting thecollege.An article about the alleged visit

was published in last Thursday’sissue of the Plant, which featuredBlack and her friends on the cover.The spoof article spoke about Black’splan for the day at Dawson, conclud-ing with a performance in Oliver’s at1 p.m.The DSU created posters for the

event, putting them up Thursday af-ternoon. The news spread outside ofDawson and even reached the studioof Montreal’s Virgin Radio, with hostTony Stark mentioning the possibleappearance of the teen star at thecollege during his evening broadcast. On the morning of the event, DSU

Executive Director Mathieu Perronassembled a group of students to act

as performers in Black’s place: AaronCoffer, Mathieu Painson, ZackaryBourgeois, Annalou Emboscado andJoseph El Hage. “Matthew had the idea and I

thought it would be amazing,” saidMichaël Lessard, Treasurer of theDSU. Bourgeois, a second semester Com-

merce student, was originally inter-viewed for the Plant’s ‘Word in theHerd’. He initially believed therumor, but caught on once he readone of the names sourced in thespoof article. “Justina Belieber gaveit away,” he said.“I did some calculations,” Em-

boscado said. She did her research,realizing that Black’s location at thetime made it impossible for her to ar-rive in Montreal. Students eagerly lined up in front

of Oliver’s, which was closed in orderto keep up with the prank. Theychanted in line and passers-by joinedin. The doors opened at 1 p.m. and

the room quickly filled up. The 30students in line soon turned into al-

most 70 crammed into the smallroom.. “[I think] it was the only time in the

year that there were that many peo-ple in Oliver’s,” Lessard said.The audience grew rowdy, with the

students chanting “Friday, Friday!” Perron took to the stage to intro-

duce Black, asking the crowd to berespectful. Immediately after, thefive performers jumped on stage,with Emboscado on the guitar, andbelted out Black’s one and only sin-gle, “Friday.”The crowd participated and sang

along as the group parodied thesong.“I think it’s time we start to make

fun, small events like that a bit moreoften,” Lessard said, adding thatpranks like these should become atradition.It gave true meaning to Perron’s

words to the crowd after the per-formance, “There’s a little RebeccaBlack in all of us.”

APRIL FOOLS

Editor’s note: In last week’s issue of the Plant, there were spoof articles on the first page of news. The rest of the section was completely factual and real.

JULIAN WOLFESTAFF WRITER

CASANDRA DE MASISTAFF WRITER

www.flicr.comMichael

The masterminds of the black plague Photo Credit: Naomi Schecter

VOL. 39 ISSUE 21 - Thursday, April 7, 2011

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To live a healthy lifestyleSchool nurse Diem Truong and

counselor Peter Cooperman organ-ized a wellness fair, offering differ-ent booths on topics such ascounseling, smoking, nutrition, vac-cinations, exercise and sexuallytransmitted diseases in Conrod’s lastTuesday.Students were given passports, and

could receive a stamp at every kiosk.The more stamps students received,the more prizes they could win. Ifparticipants had four or morestamps, they were allowed a freechair massage, a Shirley temple, andtickets for a draw. The winners of thedraw won coupons to Future Shopand Cool Taxi.“We wanted to promote wellness,

which means a lot of things. It in-cludes diet, exercise, sexually trans-mitted diseases, cigarettes, and

things like drinking and driving,”Truong said. “I think that there’s information

for everyone. There’s a booth to helpyou quit smoking, a booth on food,and information on sexually trans-mitted diseases,” Britney Jackson, afourth semester Psychology studentwho represented the Student HealthServices booth, said.The Green Earth Club explained

which foods should be avoided, theimportance of recycling, and what adifference organic foods and hygieneproducts can make.“Students are unaware of just how

bad meat is for the environment, sothis way we can raise awareness,”Nicole Vitalez, a member of theGreen Earth Club and a fourth se-mester Environmental Studies stu-dent said.

The Clinique Santé-Voyage offeredinformation on vaccinations. Al-though they specialize in vaccina-tions related to traveling, they alsohad information on common vacci-nations.“Even if students do not have the

money or time to travel now, theycan still use this information whenthey do decide to travel,” MelinaLozzo, the Nurse speaking at thebooth, said.The counselors at Concordia Uni-

versity had a kiosk that offered in-formation on self-care, stress, andburnout. Chartwells, which provides the

food for the Dawson cafeteria, alsohad a booth. They offered a lot of in-formation on nutrition, like how tolose weight while still stayinghealthy, and how to make the right

decisions when purchasing fastfoods.“Don’t skip meals. When you do,

your body stores fat, which makesyou gain weight,” Denis Dubé, thefood service provider for Chartwells,said. Overall, the fair was quite popular.

Many students visited booths, andcould be seen drinking Shirley tem-ples.“I think there’s a lot of fairs hap-

pening, so students are getting tired.Still, I think the fair was a success.Students were definitely attracted byour prizes!” Truong said.“The booths were really interest-

ing, and the massage was great,” Ori-ane Malka, a second semesterCommerce student said.

Blooming for big bucksBeating the flowers to it, Dawson Il-

lustration and Design and Fine Artsstudents will be blooming nextThursday evening. The event starts at 6 p.m. when

spectators can watch Dawson Illus-tration and Design and Fine Arts stu-dents create works of art within atwo-hour time frame and then auc-tion off their works of art at 8 p.m.

“This is the fourteenth annualevent. It will take place in 3C.1 where25 students from the two programswill all be given a blank canvas andspectators from the community, likefriends, family, employees of the col-lege can all come and watch” Mary DiLiello, event coordinator said.The event is a fundraiser for The

Dawson College Foundation for stu-dents in need, organized by the BlueRing Society. All proceeds from thesold art will go to aiding differentstudents from all angles of the col-lege. The money will be used to help

sports teams, buy new art supplies,upgrade different facilities and justaid the student population in gen-eral.

“This is the first time the benefici-ary is Dawson. Usually we give theproceeds to medical institutions,” DiLiello said. Over the past 13 yearsArtists in Bloom has raised over$85,000 that has been donated to avariety of medical foundations suchas The St. Mary’s Hospital Founda-tion, ALS Foundation, and the Mon-treal General Trauma Foundation.At 8 p.m. Dawson alumnus Rob

Lurie from CTV News will auction offthe pieces. This will be the ninth yearin a row that he has acted as auc-tioneer for the event. The event usu-ally draws around 200-250 peoplefrom the community who gather towatch art come to life before theireyes. The event had to change its usual

location, 5B.16, the Multi-purposeroom, as it became evident last yearthat it would need a much largerspace with the amount of people whoshowed up. Tickets for the event are $10 and

can be bought in 2E.6 or at the thirdfloor cafeteria on the night of theshow.

Etcetera shows the love

FAIR

A bunch of paint tubes on the Artists in Bloom poster www.dawsoncollege.qc.ca

EVENT

EVENT

Dawson’s resident lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgendered and question-ing (LGBTQ) club, Etcetera, areaiming to get their message of ac-ceptance spread across the chests ofstudents at large.Shirts with pro-gay designs are

being ordered free of charge for anystudent who signs the sheet, with theapparel due to arrive in early May.Eight designs were available fromwhich to choose, most including vari-ations on the man/woman bathroomsymbols holding hands.“All of the people will be printed in

purple, because it’s the worldwide

gay-friendly colour,” President ofEtcetera Marlena Legault Montonsaid. One of the designs features a pink

triangle, “a pro-gay symbol. It’s atwist on the homosexual holocaustsymbol,” she explained. The onlyother pink image will be the heart onthe shirts that say “I <3 my (LGBTQ)friends.”“Homophobia is everywhere, even

at Dawson, and we want to raiseawareness that it is an issue,” VicePresident of Etcetera Kayla Ceronecommented. The funds for ordering the shirts

came straight from the Etceterabudget. “We had a lot of our budgetleft and we thought this would be agood way to spread awareness,”Monton said. “We didn’t think peo-ple should have to pay for somethingas important as this. It’ll encouragepeople to spread awareness a lotmore.”In addition to ordering the shirts,

students are encouraged to bring inplain tops of their own to be spray-painted with the design of theirchoice. “If they bring in their ownshirt they can have the official ver-sion a week later,” Monton said.

“I think it’s a good idea and a goodway to promote an anti-homophobicenvironment,” Matthew Mancini, Di-rector of Communications and Mediafor the Dawson Student Union said. Fifty people have already signed

up to receive shirts, and Etcetera isaccepting orders until Friday, thoughdue to their limited funds, it is on afirst-come first-served basis. Theywill be set up in the Atrium again allday today, but last-minute studentswill have to drop by their office in2D.1A to order on Friday.

NATHALIELAFLAMMESTAFF WRITER

GABE GILKERARTS & CULTUREEDITOR

DAHLIA BELINSKYINTERNATIONALNEWS EDITOR

ANNA FREYEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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On Monday, the Dawson StudentUnion (DSU) discussed various as-pects of the upcoming DSU elections,on-going and new projects, as well ascelebrated the rights of part-time stu-dents.

DSU Executive Director, MathieuMurphy-Peron announced the loca-tions of the poll booths for the up-coming elections, as well as a possibleshortage of poll clerks. Tables will be set up around Daw-

son and also in the Pepsi Forum.The DSU unanimously carried

through an appeal made by DeputyChairperson, Amanda Arella, to es-tablish an appeals committee to over-see that the elections run a smoothcourse.“For the first time in apparently a

long while, the DSU has a lot of peoplerunning in their election, which isawesome, but that also means thatthere’s a little bit more competition,

and this year’s decision might be con-tested by some of the candidates. Inthat case we thought it would be a re-ally good idea to have a committeewho looks at those appeals, and ruleson them,” Arella said.According to Chairperson Ariel

Charney, there are speakers con-firmed to present for SustainabilityWeek events taking place betweenApril 19 and 22, including environ-mental groups such as “Equiterre,Sierra Youth Coalition, Council ofCanadians, and Green Peace.”Charney also mentioned the possi-

bility of a booth being formed to in-form students on the pharmaceuticalindustry.Director of Communications and

Media Matthew Mancini announcedhis efforts for Anti-Oppression week,such as HEMA Quebec posters whichhave been posted around Montreal,and will soon be seen inside the walls

of Dawson. Collaborations withEtcetera for a booth concerning bloodmyths as well as preparations for Re-ligious Intolerance Day were also in-cluded in the plans. Mancini alsobrought forward the notion of aschool trip to Virginia Beach whichwould take place between May 21 and29, but after a heated debate amongstDSU members they resolved to discussthe matter more in-depth at a laterdate. Director of Internal Affairs andAdvocacy, Nadia Kanji, discussed theTask Force on Campus Racism whichis set to take place on April 28.Amanda Arella also announced a

victory in the long fought battle forpart-time student accreditation. “Wereceived the ramification of the stu-dent referendum results by the Min-ister of Education, and part-timestudents officially members of theDSU,” she said. The DSU savoured themoment as it was a long time coming.

A Dawson student has collaboratedwith The Benedict Labre House daycentre for the homeless in a project,urging Dawson students to donatemuch needed supplies for the home.The Hygiene for Hope campaign,

organized by second semester SocialServices student James Ormston, isasking students to donate items suchas deodorant, tooth brushes, toothpaste, razors, and new undergar-ments.

The Benedict Labre House was es-tablished in 1952 by Tony Walsh.Originally, the house served resi-dents of Griffintown, an Irish neigh-borhood. However, the house nowserves a diverse population, withmen and women from all differentwalks of life. Ormston learned of the home

through his stage for school. Whatstarted off as a personal project soonbecame a part of his studies. “I created it on the side and I

brought it to [the supervisor at thehome] as an option for fieldwork,” hesaid.“I had seen things down there

[lower atrium] around Christmastime, asking for canned food dona-tions and clothing donations. Ithought it would be a good idea totry it,” Ormston said.Dawson partakes in various

fundraisers, but there are limits asto what the college can do. “We onlyallow it on campus if it has to dosomething with their [a student’s]program or club,” Michelle Lee ofStudent Affairs said. According to Amanda Arella,

Deputy Chairperson of the DSU,fundraisers and campaigns like theseare usually well received and stu-

dents who are unable to donate usu-ally find other ways to help out.Since the beginning of the cam-

paign last Tuesday, donations havebeen slow and Ormston believes thelack of advertising may be a factor.“[I think it’s] because they don’tknow about it,” he said. “If I was ableto get the word out more then itwould be easier to get donations.”Students have mistaken the dona-

tion bin, which is located at the esca-lators on the metro level, for agarbage can. Ormstom has had toclean it out multiple times.“It looks like a garbage can, maybe

they are mistaking it because ofthat,” Ormston said. Ormston plans to create a large

flyer to hang over the atrium. “Hope-fully that turns out well and getsmore feedback for it,” he said. Ormston hopes to see more in-

volvement and generosity from thosestudents who have the means tohelp. “[The home] is always in need of

these supplies. They are constantlybeing used,” he said. “I want to getthem a substantial amount, if not alittle bit, to provide a little bit of easeto the people that go there.”

Hygiene for hopeStudent James Ormston collaborates with homeless shelter

Letter to the editor

In response to “Studentstabbed to death”:

To the Editor,

Joshua Williams was smart. Hewas soft spoken. He was curious.But like most people, he mademistakes. When I marked his lastResearch Methods test, I noticedhe hadn’t completed the lastpage. This was hurting his gradeand I figured he just never sawthose questions. So I wrote himan e-mail and asked him to meetduring the March Break.He did not know what his mis-

take was until we met; it took himfive minutes to answer the ques-tions and he got an A. We thentalked about the Caribbean, andhis home island of St.-Martin. Wetalked about the bleak winter,“Canada Goose” jackets (he didnot want one), and his neigh-bourhood, Ville Saint-Pierre. Wetalked about hockey. I suggestedhe buy himself a stick and signup to a ball-hockey league. Itmight help to make some friendsand learn the local lingo.Joshua made another mistake

last week and he paid for it withhis life.I am outraged by this murder.

We like to believe Montreal is asafe place, but we still have a lotto do to ensure our youth benefitfrom all the opportunities apeaceful, developed country canoffer. Why can’t we design neigh-

bourhoods that are safe? Why arethere no cameras in the parkinglot at the infamous Côte-des-Neiges Plaza? Why are streetgangs so prevalent in that neigh-bourhood?

- Charles-Albert RamsayEconomics & Methods Teacher

Biodiversity factsLast Thursday, March 31, Dr. David

Ainsworth, informant for the UnitedNations Convention on Biological Di-versity, explained to Dawson stu-dents what biodiversity is, its declineand what we can do to try and keepit alive. Biodiversity is the variety of life on

earth. In the Montreal area, the con-vention of Biological diversity hasabout 100 people working for them.In the last year, they were able toconstruct an important meeting andcame up with strategies, questionsand ways to raise awareness aboutbiodiversity. Ainsworth then went into detail

about the convention and what itsmain objectives are. The conventioncame to life December 21, 1993 andhas 193 parties following it to date.

Canada has not yet signed thebiosafety protocol for reasons notstated. The three main objectives that

were discussed were: conservation ofbiological diversity, sustainable useof its components and fair and equi-table sharing of the benefits arisingof the utilization of genetic re-sources. Although these terms mayhave sounded new to many attend-ing, Ainsworth properly explainedand integrated the audience with aseries of questions and imagery thathe put together with the use of hiscomputer. The next topic of discussion was

the methods of conservation. Someapproaches were protecting multipleareas, promotion of fair trade, keep-ing the knowledge of indigenous

lands alive and the financial re-sources. He also mentioned a wayanyone can help is by lowering theirconsumption. When asked why action should be

taken during this decade, Ainsworthwas quick on his feet. “We’re in quitea bad slate,” Ainsworth explained.“In the next decade or two, we willhave an effect on the several thou-sand years or we will suffer a tippingpoint.” The convention has a plan for

2011, which is to live in harmonywith nature. They want to take effec-tive and urgent action to halt the lossof biodiversity in order to ensurethat by 2020, ecosystems are re-silient and continue to provide es-sential services to secure the plants’variety of life.

Eyes on the DSU

PROJECT

SPEAKER

Photo Credit: Casandra De Masi

CASANDRADE MASISTAFFWRITER

CHELSEAHARRISSONSTAFF WRITER

ZAC STARKESTAFF WRITER

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news VOL. 39 ISSUE 21 - Thursday, April 7, 2011

Name: Michael Oberman

Desire position: Chairperson

Program of Study: Liberal Arts

Slate: Dawson United

How much time, realistically, do you have to dedicateto your desired position? I currently volunteer 6-8 hoursa week, and obviously the position of chairperson is of the

highest priority, so I can safely conclude at least 10 hours.However, that is also only a minimum estimate; when in-creased participation is required, I will be more than ableto meet the demands.

Do you have any previous experience with the DSU?If so, what is it? I first was introduced to the Dawson Stu-dent Union through the Washington Steward-Colbert rally,and each subsequent experience with the current DSUhas left me with the impression of a great organization.

Have you been involved in extra-curricular activitiesat Dawson? No.

What changes (if any) would you like to see in the waythe DSU functions? I would like to see more involvementfrom the average student at Dawson. The current DSUmaintains an impressive participation rate among Daw-son students like the club members, but I feel more proac-tive efforts are needed to seek out the students who arecurrently not involved. Efforts to go about achieving thisgoal would involve maintaining the stance against a rise intuition fees, spaces that the students themselves can con-trol, and resolving the discrepancy in rights between daystudents and part-time students. These kinds of platformswould go a long way towards showing students that theDSU exists for their benefit, and can only do more withtheir support.

What sets you apart from the other candidates? Asone can already tell from my program, my strengths lie inboth my dedication and my language skills. Adept in bothpublic speaking and writing, I feel I would be well suited to-wards representing the DSU. I am active politically in myspare time, and also academically, as I both do well in myprogram and help other Liberal Arts students. I hope totransfer this passion and dedication towards the DSU andimprove an already great organization.

Name: Audrey Deveault

Desired position: Chairperson

Program of study: Creative Arts, Litterature & Languages,Languages Profile

Slate: Revolution

How much time, realistically, do you have to dedicateto your desired position? I am ready to dedicate as

much time as my position requires, at least 25-30 hours aweek. During the current school year, I volunteered 15hours each week in my role as Executive Assistant to theDSU, so I am well aware of the time committment neededas Chairperson.

Do you have any previous experience with the DSU?If so, what is it? Have you been involved in extra-curric-ular activities at Dawson?: I got involved in the DSU as ofmy first day of school! I have been working to protect anddefend student rights at Dawson all year. I hope to begiven the opportunity to work with my team to fight to bringthis school back to its rightful owners: the students. I wasinvolved in the Yes Committee for the Part Time StudentAccreditation Drive, travelled to Québec City and Ottawafor rallies against tuition fee increases. I attended theCanadian Federation of Students National Meeting in Ot-tawa to meet with student unions from across the countryand build ties in the struggle for accessible education.Closer to home, I was named Executive Assistant to theDSU and assisted in building bridges with members of theFECQ (Fédération Étudiante Collégiale du Québec) &ASSÉ (Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudi-ante). I am also a member of the Québécois Franco Club.

What changes (if any) would you like to see in the waythe DSU functions? I will make the Dawson experiencemore than just the two years before university. I want stu-dents to feel a sense of community. I want to make stu-dents more aware of their rights, and continue to fight forthem. I am confident that my experience, along with mypassion for change and empowerment, will not only en-rich Dawson as a school, but every student in it.

What sets you apart from the other candidates? Myexperience working for and representing the Dawson Stu-dent Union sets me apart, as does my involvement in thedifferent facets of student life. I feel passionate about help-ing students make the most of their CÉGEP experience.

DDSSUU EExxeeccuuttiivvee CCaannddiiddaatteess

Name: Kenevin Parent

Desire position: Director of Communications & Mobi-lization.

Program of study: General Social Science

Slate: Focus

How much time, realistically, do you have to dedicateto your desired position?: I'm expecting to spendanywhere between 12-15 hours a week but I am will-ing and capable of working as much as necessary.I'm a workaholic.

Do you have any previous experience with the DSU?If so, what is it?: I've been Internal Vice-President ofThe Dawson Chill Club since September 2010, assuch I've spent plenty of times organizing events andbringing individuals together, I've also taken part inseveral rallies, mobilization and committees with theDSU. Including the part-time student accreditation,the Long Gun Rally and several rallies against tuitionfee increases.

Have you been involved in extra-curricular activitiesat Dawson?: Yes. As I mentioned above I've beenvery active in student life.

What changes (if any) would you like to see in theway the DSU functions?: Greater student involve-ment, greater mobilization resources and easier com-munications between DSU executives and thegeneral student body.

Name: Christian Palmer

Desire position: Treasurer

Program of study: Health Science

Slate: Dawson United

How much time, realistically, do you have to dedicateto your desiredposition?: 2-4 hours a week

Do you have any previous experience with the DSU?If so, what is it?: No

Have you been involved in extra-curricular activitiesat Dawson?: Dawson Rugby Team

What changes (if any) would you like to see in theway the DSU functions?: I find the way the DSU func-tions quite well if I can see what they are up to on aregular basis, but there can always be room im-provement. I do not know DSU functions well enoughto know how to improve it, so I can't say what I wouldchange.

THIS CANDIDATE ISCURRENTLY DISQUALIFIED.THE DECISION IS BEINGAPPEALED

Name: Tobias Atkin

Desired position: Deputy Chairperson

Program: Liberal Arts

Slate: Dawson United

How much time, realistically, do you have to dedicateto your desired position?: With respect to the timededicated to my studies and my job, I should have atleast seven.

What changes (if any) would you like to see in theway the DSU functions?: The DSU is an organizationseeing to represent the student population, amendingissues of policy that the students deem unsatisfac-tory. Thus, it is a body that should aim to make Daw-son more efficient, more egalitarian, and moreenvironmental, the whole while ensuring that stu-dents are not disenfranchised.

My name is adam omassi and i am running for DSUtreasurer and I am in Law, Justice & Society. I am partof a small team called FOCUS because we focus onthe solution. I have plenty of extra time that i can de-vote to my position and i have a degree of develop-ment within the DSU meetings, seeing as i haveattended most general assemblies and recent mobi-lization meetings. I am deeply involved in the Law,Justice and Society program and I am also head del-egate of the Dawson College Model United Nationteam going to New York. I have experience in eco-nomics and am more than familiar with monetary poli-cies. I would like to keep things at the DSU runningsmoothly the way they are and under budget, how-ever I will ensure that future campaigns and projectsare properly funded. What separates me from the restof the candidates is that am prepared to do what mustbe done at all appropriate costs and that I am expe-rienced and resourceful. Unlike other candidates I amnot running in a full slate but I am running withKenevin Parent. I am the man for the DSU treasuryand I will focus on the solution.

ADAM OMASSI FOR DSU TREASURER

VOTE FOCUS

Name: Mia Pearson

Desire position: Director of Communications & Mobi-lization.

Program of study: C.A.L.L, Literature

Slate: Revolution

How much time, realistically, do you have to dedicateto your desired position?: As much time as any campaign needs forit be a success! I will devote as many hours as I canto get the job done.

Do you have any previous experience with the DSU?If so, what is it?: I do, I went on the trip to Washing-ton the DSU planned to attend the Rally to RestoreSanity. I worked for the Student Union when trying to get part-time students accredited (which wesucceeded at doing). I helped out with signing peti-tions and making posters forvarious campaigns and I've participated in protestsagainst the raising of tuition fees.

Have you been involved in extra-curricular activitiesat Dawson?: Of course! I'm in the Dawson TheaterCollective, I'm a DJ for a rock/blues radio show atCIXS The Edge, and I'm an active participant at theJam Sessions.

What changes (if any) would you like to see in theway the DSU functions?: I would like to see more em-phasis on environmental issues.

Page 7: The Plant Volume 39 Issue 21

VOL. 39 ISSUE 21 - Thursday, April 7, 2011 7news

Candidate’sdebate on:

April 7 at 5:00 p.m.and

April 11 at 12:00 p.m.

Be sure to vote onApril 13 andApril 14, 2011

Name: Adam Abouaccar

Desire position: Director of Communica-tions & Mobilization.

Program of study: Cinema Video Commu-nications

Slate: Dawson United

How much time, realistically, do you haveto dedicate to your desired position?:Aside from keeping on top of my studies,directing communications will be my mainpriority next year. The fact of the matter isthat I spend the majority of my free timewith my fellow running mates as it is. I'mlooking forward to the opportunity to workwith them in this setting.

Do you have any previous experience withthe DSU? If so, what is it?:As a Dawson student, I've been part of theDSU for a year now. I've taken part in oneouting with the Dawson Student Union sofar, The Rally to Restore Sanity. It was ablast and we hope to see more trips likethis.

Have you been involved in extra-curricularactivities at Dawson?:As of now, no. That is part of the reasonwhy I'm getting involved with this election.

What changes (if any) would you like to seein the way the DSU functions?:I have yet to see the way the DSU func-tions. I have however seen the results andhope that as a team, Dawson United willmeet and exceed the standard set for us inour own platforms: More rights for part-timestudents, lower tuition fees, student advo-cacy, composting, and non club spacesavailable to all of us.

Name: Adam Caplin

Desire position: Director of Internal Affairs &Advocacy

Program of study: Pure and Applied Sci-ences

Slate: Dawson United

How much time, realistically, do you haveto dedicate to your desired position?: As ofnext semester, like many Dawson students,Iʼll be managing a seven subject courseload. The semester following that one, Iʼllhave a reduced course load, making extra-curricular activities much more feasible. Asignificant amount of my time will be dedi-cated to the DSU during hours before classand after school. If elected, fulfilling dutiesas Director of Internal Affairs and Advocacyis my number one priority.

Do you have any previous experience withthe DSU? If so, what is it?: Unfortunatelyno. Have you been involved in extra-curric-ular activities at Dawson?: My first semes-ter here at Dawson, I was fully dedicated tomy studies. Now that I have settled in toDawson, my home away from home for thenext 2 years, I plan on becoming more in-volved with the athletics department and ofcourse the DSU. As of now I volunteer atthe Jewish general in child psychiatry.

What changes (if any) would you like to seein the way the DSU functions?: First and formost, I believe that the DSU needs to facil-itate its services by increasing its legitimacyamong students and administrative figures.Secondly, an important aim is to establishequal rights between day students and con-tinuing education students. Finally, thereʼsnever a limit to what we can do in order tomake the school greener!

Name: Amanda Wilson

Desire position: Director of Clubs & Serv-ices

Program of Study: International Business

How much time, realistically, do you haveto dedicate to your desiredposition?: I realistically expect to dedicatemaximum 15 hours per week on my as-signed responsibilities. Each month I spenda number of hours doing volunteer work,which means that I know I have the time togive back to Dawson.

Do you have any previous experience withthe DSU? If so, what is it?: The only real ex-perience Iʼve had with the DSU has been toinquire about posting flyers around theschool for my friendʼs event. On the wholeall my questions were answered and I wasleft with a good impression.

Have you been involved in extra-curricularactivities at Dawson?: I have no previousinvolvement with the extra-curricular activ-ities at Dawson. However, I realized that Ispend all my time here and should get in-volved in the biggest priority of my life at themoment.

What changes (if any) would you like to seein the way the DSU functions?: Overall theDSU runs well, however I would like to seean increase in student involvement. I donʼtbelieve the student body takes advantageof what DSU has to offer. In turn, the DSUisnʼt involved as much as it could be withthe students. The connection between thetwo must be strengthened for everyone tobenefit.

Name: Zoe Worsnip

Desire position: Director of Student Life

Program of study: Liberal Arts

Slate: Revolution

How much time, realistically, do you haveto dedicate to your desired position?: So farI would say it has taken up most of my freetime, by choice of course! The peopleresently working at the DSU perpetually in-spire me to try and achieve as much aspossible and I can honestly say that I haveloved every minute of it. I am completelycommitted to DSU and am fully prepared todevote all the time that is needed to makestudent life the best it can be.

Do you have any previous experience with theDSU? If so, what is it?: I am an active memberof the End the Band campaign, which tookplace during the Dawson Blood Drive and hasnow expanded into a much bigger project, in-cluding many posters around Dawson. Thenext step is creating a website dedicated notonly to ending the ban, but various othercauses that affect the gay community.

Have you been involved in extra-curricular ac-tivities at Dawson?: I have volunteered bothfor Student Affairs and the DSU. In highschool, I was also Editor-in-chief of my studentnewspaper and Executive member of my Stu-dent Council.

What changes (if any) would you like to see inthe way the DSU functions?: The DSU alreadyaccomplished so much, but I am sure a freshnew perspective on things couldn't hurt! Mypersonal aim is to revive student life by creat-ing inventive events and improving the cover-age of ALL athletic teams in Dawson, fromBasketball to Volleyball to Rowing.

Name: Olivia Gilbey

Desire position: External Affairs

Program of study: Visual Arts

Team (indicate if you are independent):Dawson United

How much time, realistically, do you haveto dedicate to your desired position?: I will be able to dedicate twohours a day (possibly more) to the DSU.

Do you have any previous experience withthe DSU? If so, what is it?: I have yet hadthe chance to work with the DSU but wouldlove to in the future

Have you been involved in extra-curricularactivities at Dawson?: I havenʼt had thechance to take part in any activities at Daw-son but Iʼm looking forward to doing sosoon.

What changes (if any) would you like to seein the way the DSU functions?: There areno changes (so far) that I would like tomake since from what I see they are al-ready focused on making the school moregreen (which is something Iʼm very pas-sionate about).

Name: Mira Katz

Desired position: Deputy Chairperson

Program of study: First Choice Health Sci-ence

Slate: Revolution

How much time, realistically, do you haveto dedicate to your desired position?:Around 20-25 hours per week.

Do you have any previous experience withthe DSU? If so, what is it?: Yes I do. Istarted my own club, PACE, Promoting andAdvertising Clubs and Events. We havecollaborated on many campaigns such asProject Purple Power, End the Ban andmore. We also helped organize this year'sclub fair. As well, I was a poll clerk for thePart Time Student Accreditation. I also wentto Ottawa for a protest against tuition feehikes.

Have you been involved in extra-curricularactivities at Dawson?: Yes, my aforemen-tioned club.

What changes (if any) would you like to seein the way the DSU functions?: I want tomake the DSU the go-to place for studentlife. I think that Dawson has the more in-credible collection of people, and they couldmake this school something really special.I want to make school events "cool" again,because in the end, the two (or more) yearsthat we spend here are more than just astepping stone to university, they should bethe two most socially active years of ourlives. I want to collaborate with the studentbody and make the DSU involved in stu-dent life.

Name: Léonard "Lenny" Leprince

Desired position: Director of External Affairs

Program of study: Law, Justice and Society

Slate: Revolution

How much time, realistically, do you haveto dedicate to your desired position?: I haveat least up to 4 hours that I could dedicateevery day for my work. If I get elected asDirector of External Affairs and I'm ready togo away for several days at a time for meet-ings with CFS, FECQ, and ASSÉ.

Do you have any previous experience withthe DSU? If so, what is it?: I've been onsenate to represent Dawsonites since myfirst semester. I also worked on DawsonDinin' almost every Monday. I went to everyprotest and participated in almost all cam-paigns that I could get involved with. I alsohave a post on the Law, Justice and Soci-etyProfile Association as VP finance and wentrepresent Dawson to André Grasset'sModel UN as a Kenyan delegate.

What changes (if any) would you like to seein the way the DSU functions?: I would tryto make it even more accessible and visi-ble. I would also like to continue our strug-gle against tuition fees increases by makingthe fight a known thing for Dawsonites. Iwould make it even more known that weare working with both Canadian and Que-bec studentgroups.

I am Léo Fugazza, student in the Law, So-ciety & Justice profile; I am running withRevolution. My desired position is Directorof Internal Affairs & Advocacy

Even though my classes take up some ofmy time, I am deeply involved at Dawson. Iama member of Dawson College Model UnitedNations executive, as well as a member ofthe Law, Society & Justice Student Associ-ation. I am also a registered member ofClubQuébécois-Franco, and of Sci-Fi.

As a member of the DCMUN, I attendedtwo different French Model UN competi-tions,to improve Dawsonʼs representation atFrench CEGEPs; I also participated in itsmoneyraising campaign. I organized, with fellowmembers of the LS&JSA, a trip to Ottawa,tovisit Parliament and the Supreme Court.Recently, I helped organize, as a memberof LS&JSA, the CQF, and as a collaboratorofthe DSU, the historic visit of GillesDuceppes, Bloc Québécois leader, to Daw-son.

I am also involved in the DSU itself; I sit onthe Finance Committee, and helped thepresent executive by carrying research,corrections, translations, and other officework.I am not open about my involvement,though. I only went to two “big” events, andone ofthem was a General Assembly!

Name: Arthur Schiller

Desired Position: Director of Internal Affairs& Advocacy

Program of study: Pure and Applied Sci-ence

Slate: Dawson United

How much time, realistically, do you haveto dedicate to your desired position?: Although I am in a program that requiresmuch of my time, I am well organized andextremely efficient, getting my tasks donequickly to allow for time to participate in theDSU. Multitasking is my forte. Why rightnow I am also showering, doing physicshomework and learning Chinese!

Do you have any previous experience withthe DSU? If so, what is it?: If DSU stands for Dawson Student Unionthen the answer is no. But if DSU stands forDeep Space Unit on the other hand, the an-swer is also no.

Have you been involved in extra-curricularactivities at Dawson?:For the past two semesters I have beenparticipating in several curricular activitiesbut I was not told that I had to do anythingextra.

What changes (if any) would you like to seein the way the DSU functions?:As of now, the DSU is not formally recog-nized by the administration. This meansthat the work done by the DSU to give stu-dents more rights is not legally binding onthe administration. This is something thatDawson United wants to change.

Name: Ben Audet

Desired position: Director of Clubs & Serv-ices

Program of study: Part-Time IndependentStudentSlate: Revolution

How much time, realistically, do you haveto dedicate to your desired position?: Beinga part time student, I in fact have more freetime during the week the many of the othercandidates, so I would say anywhere be-tween 25-30.

Do you have any previous experience withthe DSU? If so, what is it?: I have been toseveral rallies and protest, and was Chair-person of the Yes committee during the Parttime Student Accreditation drive. I am alsoone of the cooks for Dawson Dining, andhave worked closely with the DSU execu-tive staff over the last two semesters in sev-eral other campaigns, offering my point ofview and helping in any way I could.

Have you been involved in extra-curricularactivities at Dawson?: I am a member ofseveral clubs, notably chill club and Sci-Fi.I am also on the Dawson badminton team,and frequent the gym and the rock climbingwall on Wednesday

What changes (if any) would you like to seein the way the DSU functions?: What I amlooking for mainly is a way to reduce the redtape that stops clubs short of their maxi-mum potential. I believe that the clubs arean untapped resource that the college un-dervalues, and it is my intention to revolu-tionize the way the college deals with clubs,and even how they are viewed in general. Photo Credits: Mathieu Perron

Page 8: The Plant Volume 39 Issue 21

Manifestation Nationale - March 31, 2011“$1,625 more per year for university, $4,875 for a bachelor’s degree. That is what the government is imposingon students, or at least for those who can still afford to be.” - Arnaud Therillat-Cloutier from Ultimatum Express,the newspaper of the Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante.

Photographs on page 8 and 9 from Catherine Dumont and Victor Vargas Villafuerte

8www.issuu.com/theplant

news VOL. 39 ISSUE 21 - Thursday, April 7, 2011

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Page 9: The Plant Volume 39 Issue 21

In anger against the rising tuitionfees, the Association pour une soli-darité syndicale étudiante (ASSÉ) or-ganized a peaceful march indowntown Montreal, nearly 3,000students rallied in front of the Cham-ber of Commerce at Victoria Square.Most demonstrators carried signs

or held banners condemning the uni-versity tuition hikes, the latestbudget of the Quebec Liberals, andsupporting free education.“I think that it’s important to speak

out against the hikes in tuition fees,”Nichola Gendreau Richer, a studentin Political Sciences at UQAM said. “Ifwe don’t do it, no one else will.”The very same day, over 50,000

students in universities and CEGEPswere on strike across the province.ASSÉ Spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois vowed that the student wouldnot back down from what they see asan attack.“Today is just the beginning of the

movement,” Nadeau-Dubois said, re-sponding to a CBC reporter’s ques-tion before the march. “Today is theface-off that has to end between thestudents and the government. Todayis just the first warning to the gov-ernment that, if they don’t take astep back, we will be more in the

streets and we will be louder”The reporter had initially brought

up the fact that Quebec has the low-est tuition fees. “You are completelyright, Quebec has the lowest tuitionfees in Canada, and we should beproud of it and not ashamed,”Nadeau-Dubois said. “That’s thepost-secondary education attendancerate is nine per cent higher [in Que-bec] than in the rest of Canada.”The Charest government claims

that the increase in tuition fees arenecessary due to the underfundingof institutions in the province andthat the students need to do theirfair share in paying for education.Marie Blais, the Vice-President of

the Fédération nationale des en-seignantes et des enseignants duQuébec, affiliated to the Confedera-tion of National Trade Unions(FNEEQ-CSN), was present to supportthe students demands on behalf ofthe teachers.“Just like all the members of the

table for partners, we are demandingto see the general finances of Que-bec’s universities to discuss accesi-bility,” Blais said. “We aren’t going tolet [the provincial budget] impose anelitist and neo-liberal vision on ouruniversities.”

Quebec studentsrave over tuitionfee increasesStudents say they will keep fightinguntil the government backs downon its decision to increase tuition feesBRIAN LAPUZMANAGING EDITOR

What the Dawson Student Union has to sayAMANDA ARELLA, DEPUTY CHAIR – DSU

BB..LL..:: HHooww ddoo yyoouu ffeeeell aabboouutt ttooddaayy''ssddeemmoonnssttrraattiioonn??A.A: We’re excited to be going and thereare going be a number of students join-ing us from Dawson. There should be alot of people there. I know that someCEGEP and university students have goneon strike for the day. So, I look forward tobeing there with other students to pres-sure the Charest government to rescindits tuition fee increases.

BB..LL..:: HHooww ddoo yyoouu ffeeeell aabboouutt AASSSSÉÉ??A.A.: I like them. We definitely haven’tworked closely with them over thecourse of the year. Despite the fact thatpeople may feel that their methods are abit extreme, I would say that it is neces-sary and that their dedication to studentsand student issues is admirable.

BB..LL..:: TThhiiss mmoorrnniinngg,, AASSSSÉÉ hhooiisstteedd aa ggiiaannttrreedd ssqquuaarree oonn tthhee ccrroossss oonn MMoouunntt--RRooyyaall..YYeesstteerrddaayy,, ssttuuddeennttss aatt UUQQAAMM mmaaddeeppaappeerr aaiirrppllaanneess oouutt ooff tthheeiirr sscchhooooll bbiillllssaanndd tthhrreeww tthheemm ddoowwnn tthhee AAggoorraa aatt tthheeJJuuddiitthh JJaassmmiinnee PPaavviilliioonn.. WWhhaatt ddoo yyoouuhhaavvee ttoo ssaayy aabboouutt tthheessee ggeessttuurreess??A.A.: These are really creative ways togenerate attention, given the fact thateveryone’s attention is on federal elec-tions and not so much on the provincialreality

MICHAEL LESSARD, TREASURER - DSU

BB..LL..:: II ssppookkee ttoo AAmmaannddaa AArreellllaa aabboouutt tthheemmoobbiilliizzaattiioonn ccoommmmiitttteeee aanndd hhooww iitt''sstthheerree eedduuccaattee tthhee ssttuuddeenntt aabboouutt tthhee iinn--ccrreeaassee iinn ttuuiittiioonn ffeeeess.. OOnn ttoopp ooff tthhee ssoo--cciiaall mmeeddiiaa ccaammppaaiiggnnss aanndd lliivvee aaccttiioonnccaammppaaiiggnnss tthhaatt tthhee ccoommmmiitttteeee iiss ppllaann--nniinngg,, ddoo wwoouulldd yyoouu hhaavvee aannyytthhiinngg ttoo aaddddttoo tthhaatt??M.L.: What I can say about the mobiliza-tion committee is that we're always look-ing for people who would be able toeducate the students about the truth thatthe government is hiding from us aboutthe whole aspect of tuition fees. It’s a veryhard task because we have 10,000 stu-dents to reach. As the years go by, we’regoing to do it.

BB..LL..:: II kknnooww tthhaatt yyoouu''vvee ggootttteenn iinn ttoouucchhwwiitthh FFEEUUQQ//FFEECCQQ aanndd AASSSSÉÉ,, wwoouulldd yyoouulliikkee ttoo ssppeeaakk aabbllee tthhee DDSSUU''ss rreellaattiioonnsshhiippwwiitthh eeiitthheerr ccaammpp??M.L.: To start off, FECQ and ASSÉ don’treally like each other, but we try to stayneutral and take the good from bothsides. Sometimes we go to ASSÉ rallies,other times we go to FECQ rallies, weretrying to figure out what’s best for theDawson students. We’re staying in touchwith them and we’re following theirplans of action, and on that were going tobuild our own actions.

BB..LL..:: WWhhaatt aarree yyoouu gguuyyss llooookkiinngg ffoorrwwaarrddttoo iinn tthhee ffaallll sseemmeesstteerr??M.L.: I think that, especially with the can-didates that we have in the DSU elections,the DSU is going to continue to fight theincrease in tuition fees.

BB..LL..:: IIss tthhaatt aa ggeenneerraall ccoonnsseennssuuss wwiitthh aalllltthhee ccaannddiiddaatteess??M.L.: I won’t say all the candidates, but Iwill say the majority of them, and I hopethat during the fall, the mobilizationcommittee will be able to educate the stu-dent about tuition fees, more than theydid this year. It’s only been our first year,but now that it’s settling in, it’s going tobe working to educate the students. Andin Francophone Cegeps, they started totalk about an unlimited general strike inthe winter semester. If in the fall we’reable to educate enough Dawson students,they will be able to make their decisionon whether or not they should go onstrike for the winter semester.

BB..LL..:: AAnndd tthhee ssttuuddeennttss wwhhoo wwaanntt ttoo ggoo oonnssttrriikkee aarree mmaaiinnllyy ffrroomm AASSSSÉÉ oorr iiss tthhee ccaasseetthhaatt ssoommee ssttuuddeenntt uunniioonnss uunnddeerr tthhee uumm--bbrreellllaa ooff FFEEUUQQ//FFEECCQQ aarree ggooiinngg ffuurrtthheerrtthhaann wwhhaatt tthheeiirr ffeeddeerraattiioonn iiss ssaayyiinngg??M.L.: Yes that happens, but since the lastbudget, FEUQ/FECQ started to get moreaggressive. I think that they will, at thevery least, have general assemblies intheir unions to talk about the possibilityof a strike and to vote about it.

VOL. 39 ISSUE 21 - Thursday, April 7, 2011 9newswww.issuu.com/theplant

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Page 10: The Plant Volume 39 Issue 21

MONTREAL (CUP) — “Smokedmeat: Can you write a play about it?”That’s what everyone in Montreal

has been asking themselves for thepast week while scratching theirheads in awe. It also happens to bethe opening remarks in Schwartz’s:The Musical.Schwartz’s is one of the most fa-

mous eateries in Montreal, worldrenowned for its smoked meat sand-wiches. Smoked meat is one of thecity’s gluttonous staples — alongwith poutine — but this past week itwas brought to a whole new level ofreverence as the sandwich made its

way to centre stage.“A lot of people were skeptical at

first, “said Holly Gauthier-Frankel,one of actresses in the show.Schwartz’s has been a local hotspot

since it opened in 1928. The Hebrewdelicatessen is known for servingsmoked meat on rye with a bit ofmustard, and a pickle and coleslawon the side. The no frills restaurant isalways crammed full, so much so thatpatrons are usually seated at tableswith complete strangers. With such a rich history, and

enough kooky customers to draw in-spiration, no wonder the delicatessenwas chosen as the subject for a full-fledged musical, reportedly costingnearly a quarter of a million dollarsto produce.

The musical is loosely based on aseries of short stories written by localnewspaper columnist Bill Brownstein.The short stories were then

adapted by musical-comedy duoBowser and Blue, who wrote 18 orig-inal songs, mostly dealing withsmoked meat, Montreal living andthe city’s everlasting competitionwith Toronto. For instance, there is acheerful Act 2 number called “LikeSmoke Meat and Rye” as well as acomparison song, “What’s TorontoGot?”The plot of the show is as simple as

they come. A business woman fromToronto is looking to buy the popu-lar Schwartz’s, hoping to make a niceturnover when she turns the jointinto a Canada-wide franchise. But be-fore finding out the secret to the de-licious meat, she succumbs to thecharm of the greasy spoon and its pa-trons. Not to mention a bit of a loveconnection with the head waiter.The real question is whether the

actors have been indulging in thereal thing?“It’s funny, I was a vegetarian for

years, but for medical reasons I’vebeen incorporating meat back in mydiet,” revealed Gauthier-Frankel, whoplays many characters within theshow. “The month before we startedrehearsal I started eating meat againand then suddenly we were beingtaken out to Schwartz’s all the time.So I nibbled a bit on smoked meat,and it was exactly how I rememberedit from when I was a kid.“But I’ve probably eaten my quota

for smoked meat.”Even though it’s only played a few

performances, the four-week run isnearly sold out and there is talk thata cast album is potentially in theworks.

MONTREAL (CUP) — Imagine theaverage yoga routine: Twisting,stretching and contorting into poses.Now, imagine doing this while sus-pended above ground using a singlehammock. Add some circus acrobat-ics and dance-inspired moves andyou have anti-gravity yoga.Created in New York City by world-

class gymnast and Broadway per-former Chris Harrison, the trendyworkout has recently made its way toMontreal. The concept has alreadyhad some exposure. Pink performedon a hammock at the 2010 Grammyawards, and even President BarackObama’s inauguration featured anti-gravity performers.I decided to find out what all the

hype was about by trying out an anti-gravity yoga class offered at the Mon-treal Athletic Association fitness club.I was the only newcomer in the class,but I began with high expectations. “Hanging upside down is actually

really de-stressing,” said CatherineGirouard, a devoted attendee to theweekly classes. “It’s different, and atthe same time there’s that circus-actfeeling that I like.”With no preconceived expectations,

I was blissfully unaware that within10 minutes my face would be dan-gling inches above the hardwoodfloor. At first I panicked, having un-derestimated this fear-factor style ofyoga. Moving into “monkey” posi-tion, with my head down and nolimbs touching the floor, I tried torelax. Soft classical piano musicplayed in the studio but all I couldthink about was the safety releaseform I had signed at the front desk

prior to the class.Instructor Suaad Ghadban effort-

lessly contorted into positions like“chandelier” and “hanging vampire.” “It gets so much better after your

first time,” Ghadban reassured me.“It’s hard to trust a piece of materialholding you up. But that fear is whatkeeps people paying attention todoing the moves properly.“I started becoming more conscious

of the strength of my legs as theyheld me up in the hammock. After afew easier moves like the “swing,”which is exactly what you wouldimagine it to be, I started to appreci-ate the adrenaline rush I was experi-encing. “It’s a really effective way to get a

workout,” said fellow classmateJoanne Fourneau.As we reached the relaxation seg-

ment towards the end of the class, Ifelt my muscles loosening up. Myheartbeat was finally settling back tonormal. When I stepped out of thehammock, I was surprised to feel amajor tension release in my back,similar to the feeling that occursafter a massage.“It’s an amazing decompression for

the spine. It’s perfect for anyone withback problems, especially for thosewho have problems with regularyoga because of the pressure it putson joints,” explained Ghadban. “An-other benefit is hanging upsidedown. It gets all the blood flowingupwards and it gets rid of stress.”A word of warning for anyone who

is interested in these sorts of classes:The routine is more comparable toboot camp than yoga. It was defi-nitely fun, but I would not necessar-ily consider it relaxing. For now Ithink I will stick to yoga on solidground.

MONTREAL (CUP) — Five peoplewere arrested after riot police shutdown an anti-tuition protest in Mon-treal on Thursday.One was person was injured after

protesters entered an office buildingdowntown, but police said thewoman was not a protester.The protest remained peaceful for

over three hours, as around 2,000demonstrators snaked their waythrough downtown Montreal.Protesters are upset with tuition in-

creases proposed in Quebec's provin-cial budget earlier this month.Protesters were also calling for freeuniversity education in Quebec.Throughout the march there was a

heavy police presence, with officerson horseback and a provincial policehelicopter overhead.Clashes with police began around

4 p.m. As the majority of protesterswere gathered outside premier JeanCharest’s Montreal office, a smallgroup of protesters entered thenearby offices of the Conference of

Rectors and Principals of Quebec Uni-versities. The group, which repre-sents administrators at alluniversities in the province, hascome out in favour of the increase.According to police, a woman who

works in the building housing theCREPUQ offices suffered a fracturedarm during a confrontation with pro-testers.Police also scuffled with protesters

in front of the building, with officersusing pepper spray.The main body of demonstrators

soon moved in front of the officebuilding.Around 4:20 p.m., police ordered

demonstrators to clear the street andmove west. When a large number ofprotesters didn’t move, riot policecharged the crowd. Police fired sev-eral stun grenades above the pro-testers. Police split the crowd intoseveral smaller groups within a mat-ter of minutes. At several points,large crowds of onlookers gatheredas riot police followed small groupsof protesters on busy downtownstreets. Riot police began leaving thearea before 5 p.m.Police spokesperson, Annie

Lemieux said those arrested will facecharges including assaulting a policeofficer and mischief. She said severalvehicles, including two police cars,were damaged during the protest.The protest was organized by the

Association pour une solidarité syn-dicale étudiante, a large Quebec stu-dent lobby group. The protestcoincided with a one-day studentstrike, also organized by ASSÉ, at sev-eral French-language universitiesand CEPGEPs across the province.The strike was endorsed by 21 stu-dent associations, which represent atotal of over 50,000 students.On March 17, Quebec’s finance

minister Raymond Bachand an-nounced that university tuition feeswould rise by $1,625, over the nextfive years, beginning in 2012. Que-bec currently has the lowest tuitionfees in the country.“Already, too many students drop

out for financial reasons. What thegovernment is proposing will aggra-vate this situation,” ASSÉ spokesper-son Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said inFrench. “This is unacceptable and wewill fight for everyone to have accessto education.”

tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntttthhee ppllaanntt Does anyone want to learn Quark from me? tthhee ppllaanntt So hungryyy wouldn’t mind some smoked meat tthhee ppllaanntt dont worry I promise my page to have sex on it next week. tthhee ppllaanntt whistles

Police break up protests

Defying gravity

JACOB SEREBRINCUP QUEBEC BUREAU CHIEF

RENEE MORRISONTHE CONCORDIAN

Healthy body image! Yay! Also, looks hard. Source: cupwire.ca

Still looks hard. Source: media.onsugar.com

Celebrating meatADAM AVRASHICUP ARTS BUREAU CHIEF

Looks so delicious...so hungry Source: joanna.briggs.ca

www.issuu.com/theplantEEDDIITTOORR:: DDaahhlliiaa BBeelliinnsskkii CCOONNTTAACCTT:: ddaahhlliiaabbeelliinnkksskkyy@@ggmmaaiill..ccoomm

10VOL. 39 ISSUE 21 - Thursday, April 7, 2011

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tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntttthhee ppllaanntt done done done! tthhee ppllaanntt I don’t really have anyhting to say tthhee ppllaanntt matt mancini said something mean and today. tthhee ppllaanntt per usual. he’s so mean ):tthhee ppllaanntt he thinks I have ugly blood

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the headof Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam party (JUI-F), survived two assassination at-tempts in two days last week innorthwest Pakistan.A man walked up to Rehman’s con-

voy and blew himself up as the politi-cian was headed to a rally in theKhyber Pakhtunkwa province lastThursday, authorities told CNN.Twelve people were killed, includingthree policemen and two women,and 16 others were wounded.Rehman himself was unharmed.Just a day earlier, a suicide bomber

on a motorcycle blew himself up at apolice checkpoint near a crowd whohad gathered along the street togreet Rehman, who was scheduled tospeak. Thirteen were killed, includ-ing two policemen, and at least 12were injured, reported CBC. Rehman, who had passed the

checkpoint minutes earlier, was once

again uninjured.The bomber detonated his explo-

sives just outside the checkpointwhen a policeman told him to halt,Saeed Khan, a police official in Pe-shawar, told BBC.BBC correspondents said a Wik-

ileaks cable showing Rehman appar-ently offering help to US officials inreturn for greater political power an-gered insurgent leaders, which mayhave caused the attacks.Rehman is unaware of who is try-

ing to kill him."I can't say who is behind these at-

tacks, but it’s definitely due to ourpolitical ideology." Rehman told BBC.The Thursday rally was the last in

a series to protest against un-Islamiclaws in the country, the influence ofthe United States and drone strikes,added Khan.

"My car was substantially dam-aged in the attack. There is bloodeverywhere... my clothes are coveredin blood," Rehman told BBC, "Thebodies were blown out of the car...We are trying to get the dead and in-

jured out of here and to hospitals.”"He is safe and the meeting has

been cancelled. We can't immedi-ately identify the attackers. We don'tknow who is involved. But we can saythe target appears to be the JUI lead-ership," party spokesman Jalil Jantold the news agency AFP.It is unknown whether the second

suicide bomber was targetingRehman himself or his supporters.Although Rehman is an outspokenAfghan Taliban supporter, some mil-itants in Pakistan have been knownto attack anyone connected to thegovernment, reported The Guardian.About a year ago, a suicide bomber

attacked a rally being held by theJamat-e-Islami party, another Is-lamist group that is sympathetic to-wards many of the goals of theTaliban and regularly criticizes armyoperations against them. The attackkilled more than 20 police and civil-ians, according to CBC.Police speculated that the target

that time may have been officerswatching over the rally.

NATHALIE LAFLAMMESTAFF WRITER

Anti-government protests contin-ued this past week after a blast at anammunitions factory left 150 deadon March 28 in southern Yemen.The blast occurred when residents

of the area were searching for am-munition left behind by Islamist mil-itants.The death toll was based on the

number of bodies found and thenumber of people still missing fol-lowing the incident, local officialstold BBC. Some of the bodies wereburnt beyond recognition.Government officials have blamed

al-Qaeda for the explosions. How-ever, the opposition accused Presi-dent Ali Abdullah Sahel of removinghis forces and allowing the area to beovertaken by militants as a ploy tocreate chaos if he leaves office.The protestors are trying to re-

move President Saleh from office andfrom the country immediately, aftera 33-year rule, due to their suspicionof corruption and Saleh’s misuse ofpower. The president has announced his

intentions to resign by January 2012.Meanwhile pro-Saleh citizens have

been in the streets with chants of,"people want Ali Abdullah Saleh,"and "with our soul and blood, wesupport you, Saleh," reported CNN.The calls for the president’s resig-

nation have increased significantlysince the revolutions in Egypt andTunsia in early 2011.“[The President and his family]

"have no immediate future in Yemen.They should leave power, theyshould leave the country for theirown safety,” Hamid al-Ahmar of theIslamist Islah party and a known fig-ure in tribal circles of Yemen toldBBC.Hamid al-Ahmar’s comments as

well as the latest protests againstSaleh come after the President’s pro-posal to remain in office until elec-tions are held and then transferpower to a caretaker government.The opposition wasted no time re-

jecting the offer, with a spokesmancalling it, "an attempt to prolong thesurvival of regime,” reported CNN.The United States and Saudi Arabia

have expressed concern over whocould succeed President Saleh. Ac-cording to Al Jazeera, they have longregarded him as a watchdog forYemen who can keep al-Qaeda fromextending its presence in an ArabianPeninsula country.On April 2, President Saleh

thanked the thousands of supportersthat had gathered near the presiden-tial palace for backing the constitu-tion reported CNN."I salute you for your heroic stand

and thank you for supporting consti-tutional legitimacy," Saleh told thecrowd, according to CNN.

TONY STABILESTAFF WRITER

Joseph Ntshongwan, formerAfrican Rugby star, has been arrestedand charged with the killing of threemen and attempted murder of an-other man with an axe. Ntshongwan’s motive was to

avenge his daughter, who had re-portedly been gang-raped by themen and became infected with HIV.However, there is no evidence yetthat his daughter was raped accord-ing to BBC.“If the allegations are true, it would

be shocking. He is someone of good

character,” Eric Sauls head coach atNtshongwana's former team the Ea-gles said, according to Daily Mail.“He is not the kind of person whowould want to have a run-in with thelaw.”Ntshongwan followed all three men

for a week before committing themurders.One of the victims was found de-

capitated and his head was close to amile away in a dustbin. The secondvictim’s head was still attached by asingle nerve police told BBC. No information about the third

man has yet to be released. Ntshongwan is being charged with

three counts of murder, assault, andone count of attempted murder.

“As the axe came down towards myhead, I ducked and it scratched mystomach," 27-year-old KhangelaniMdluli, who managed to escape, tolda South African newspaper accordingto BBC.Ntshongwan has played for both

South African clubs, the Blue Bullsand Eagles and is considered a star inhis country.According to Daily Mail, Nsthong-

wan’s lawyers claimed their clientwas not mentally fit to stand trial dueto the fact that Nsthongwan’s maysuffer from bipolar disorder.Nsthongwan is still in custody and

is scheduled to reappear in courtApril 7.

CHELSEA HARRISSONSTAFF WRITER

I will survive

Motorcycle after the second bombing Source: CNN.com

Rugby to Axe Murderer

Sacking Saleh

Protesting in the streets Source: CNN.com

Protesting in the capital of Yemen, Sanaa Source: aljazeera.net

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On March 31, Shaika Café was graced by thetalented Bearcubs group.The fantastic five, most of who are Dawson

students, took the stage for an hour and a half.Nothing but smiles were to be seen throughoutthe whole performance.Since the show was being held at Shaika, lo-

cated on Sherbrooke Street in N.D.G., the am-biance was comfortable and homey. It was a‘pay what you can’ type of event so even thebroke yet die-hard fans could come. Starting at9:30 p.m, the Bearcubs were superb.Brigitte Naggar, a fourth semester Arts & Cul-

ture student was on vocals, keyboard and gui-tar. The lovely lady did nothing but seduce theaudience with her stunning voice and genial at-titude. While switching from keyboard to guitarshe kept the audience entertained all throughtheir set. To give the Bearcubs a diverse and unique

sound, Alec Angle and Zachary Rosen, bothfourth semester Liberal Arts students, were onvocals as well. Both of these dexterous menwere accompanied with their guitar in hand thewhole night. Daniel Freder, a fourth semester Arts & Cul-

ture student, supplied the percussions anddrums for the night. Freder, never missing abeat, gave the Bearcubs that much more sparkduring their performance. Last but not least,Ben Palevsky took the stage away with his bassperformance, drawing musical influences from

Led Zeppelin.Bearcubs is “alternative and indie music. We

weren’t exactly going for any specific genre,but it just ended up being this type,” Naggarsaid. Bearcubs is a mix of Naggar’s EmilyHaines-like voice with a bit more flavor, andwith a team of extremely brilliant musicians theindie/alternative genre is taken to anotherlevel of greatness.“They were surprisingly good for a Shaika

show and in my opinion should play at realvenues,” fourth semester Commerce studentAlec Henderson said. The whole audience wascaptivated right through the whole Bearcubsperformance. These teens definitely made anexceptional impression on everyone present.Bearcubs have played shows at Burritoville,

which is located on Crescent. They play at par-ties on occasion, and they also played at theMarianopolis and Brebeuf battle of the bandscalled Brenopolis. The group will be performingat Katacombes on St-Laurent street on April 10.Bearcubs is a magnificent combination of

skill, of which those who have seen them per-form were lucky enough to hear. If you haven’tgotten your taste of Bearcubs yet, do not fear.You are able to check them out on theirYouTube channelhttp://www.youtube.com/user/dfreeds1

Bearcubs serenade ShaikaAlternative/Indie band shake up coffee houseNAOMI SCHECTERSTAFF WRITER

Born Ruffians fire-up RossaIntensify the cheer, the lust and the

desperation of their music ten-foldand that will sum up the Born Ruffi-ans’ stage performance, last Friday.Prior to that segment, the Owen

Sound native… let’s just say the On-tario native First Rate People openedto the (somehow) already warmed upyuppies, tall frat-boys, women in vin-tage inspired clothing, and overallyoungsters, cramming La Sala Rossa’sperformance hall.Touring with the Born Ruffians

since Peterborough, the indie pop actdid well in pleasing the crowd as theyrendered their sunny, tropical, disco-ish and, at other times, R&B sounds.Such was the live performance oftheir recently released song “FunnyGames,” which hinted at being dreampop, but lacked that flooding, seda-tive element to make it so.Nearly all of the six band members

had a chance to sing – even the drum-mer, who, from the band’s perspec-tive, seated on the left-hand side ofthe stage. To that, the visibly inebri-ated audience swayed and bounced,giving notice, to whoever it may haveconcerned, about their reaction to theBorn Ruffians taking the stage.And so, the First Rate People con-

cluded by giving their thanks andfarewell, and promoted their recordsand wear.

It was time for recess. Then theindie rock band checked their equip-ment. There was another recess.The band was welcomed to the

high-pitched cheering of the congre-gation and began their ambient andabstract introduction, and, as LukeLalonde began the emphatic guitarstrumming over the wavy sounds, theeventual blend of the music into arecognizable tune was marked. End-ing last year’s set at Il Motore with“Foxes Mate for Life,” they kicked offthis year with the same song.To those acquainted with their

music, it is truth that the vocal rangeabides in the higher register; guitaristand vocalist Lalonde proved that hewas human, as he displayed the diffi-culty in entering the comfort zone, ashis voice slightly cracked during thevery first lyrics sung during the act,“Make a point of having fun. It’ll helpyou get through life.” That in no waybrought down their performance,which was nothing short of great.Moving onto the chorus, the people

began to sing along. The hemp-ishfragrance began to creep in thesteaming wave pool of drunken musiclovers. The next song, “In a Mirror,”confirmed that the Born Ruffianswould be playing a number of songsfrom their 2007 album, Red, Yellow &Blue.

Half way in their set, the Toronto-based undoubtedly needed to catchtheir breath. Lalonde had alreadytaken off his blazer, lining his blackpolka dot shirt; bassist MitchDerosier, restless on stage, wasdrenched. “I look to the front andpeople are going crazy,” Lalonde said.“I look to the back and people aregoing crazy too.”They carried on with “Sole

Brother,” from their 2010 album, SayIt; the smooth song, with its tropicalriff and cool solo was a refreshingchange of pace.All in all, the show was quite the

amusement. It was near impossiblefor anyone to refrain from moving tothe music and singing along. Theirmusic is a careful mix of joy, anxietyand comfort.Leaving the stage, they already

knew they were coming back for anencore. To be fair, the Born Ruffiansgave the crowd a chance to request it.They played a variation on “Kurt

Vonnegut,” to which they added aheavier breakdown leading up to theintense closing chant, “Won’t youcome outside, love. Won’t you comeoutside. Won’t you please be mine,love. Won’t you come outside.”

Blue Skies Turn Black bring in B.R. for another superb nightBRIAN LAPUZMANAGING EDITOR

PHOTO CREDIT: Shirel Revah

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12VOL. 39 ISSUE 21 - Thursday, April 7, 2011

PHOTO CREDIT: Naomi Schecter

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Another season of Skins UK hascome and gone and as per traditionit was filled with drama, lies, chaosand great music.After the disaster that was season

four, many people were skepticalabout the fate of the show and thedirection it was taking. However, theproducers and writers started freshwith a brand new cast.The show kept to its original for-

mat; each character got an episode.What’s great is that the characterswere mainstreamed into each othersepisodes a lot more than in past sea-sons. It allowed for a lot of characterdevelopment as they all fed off ofeach other. A perfect example isNick and Alo. Nick became a lot lessof a jerk towards the end, and theaudience warmed up to him becausehe was paired up with the loveableAlo.The common dramatic need for

the characters this season was iden-tity. Every character had somethingto prove, or standards to adhere to.The story lines were great, but it

could have done without some ofthem. With only eight episodes, thewriters need to think of strong sto-rylines that happen simultaneously.There was the Grace and Rich re-

lationship, which was adorable andinnocent. Then we had Mini versusLiv, a friendship gone sour overcheating and lies. This was handledwell; it wasn’t rushed and as aviewer you actually wanted them tomake up.We also had the dreadful Liv,

Franky, and Matty love triangle. Itmanaged to make all three charac-ters unbearably annoying whenthey were together. When will thisshow learn that love triangles don’twork? They wasted two seasons onCook, Effy and Freddie.However, I liked the Nick and

Matty sibling relationship; so hischaracter is good for something.

Luckily, it seems the love trianglewas resolved in the final seconds ofthe last episode. What weren’t re-solved were Mini’s sudden romanticfeelings for Franky… next seasonperhaps?The Grace and Rich not-wedding

story line could have been an ab-solute disaster, but it wasn’t. Itmade for a fantastic last episode,with everyone working together toget to the “wedding” on time.The episode was filled with laughs

and eye-popping scenery. It gave allcharacters the chance to tie up theknots that were left untied duringthe season. And in the end, Graceand Rich realized how ridiculous themarriage idea was and decidedagainst it; teen stupidity.The writing was smart, with a lot

of hidden meaning in the peopleand objects the group encountered.As usual, the show’s soundtrack

was fantastic.There is always that moment

when a song gets stuck in your headand you rush to find out who singsit. That was the case at the end ofGrace’s Shakespeare themedepisode, when Rich proposed at herbedroom window and clumsilyclimbed up. Radical Face’s “Wel-come Home” played in the back-ground, and made an otherwisecheesy scene into a Skins scene.I might be in the minority declar-

ing this but they might be one of myfavorite generations; they are alljust so loveable. I miss Tony, Sid,Cassie, and Cook as much as anyother Skins fan, but the stories ingeneral were far more realistic thisseason than in the past. You couldeasily find a character to relate to.I give it four stars out of five; be-

cause Matty’s crazy eyes scare mebut Nick Levan is brilliant. Also,note to the writers: please don’t killoff any characters next season.That’s getting old.

Skins season five (UK)Better than generation 2

On March 29, Le Cagibi hosted theMardi Spaghetti marathon to cele-brate the third anniversary of theweekly series.The event included 25 artists, and

organizers Josh Zubot, Pierre-YvesMartel and Philippe Lauzier tookpart.Mardi Spaghetti is a chance for

people to explore a sound that isn’tdesigned. “It opens questions,” Ell-wood Epps, the main organizer andtrumpeter of the event said. Thisgenre of music is meant for curiousminds that want to explore some-thing new and vibrant.Epps said that he started the series

because he felt there was a “need tohave a home for improvised music inthe city. We were already playingregularly so we made it weekly.”People who listen to the music

would vibe to the varying instru-mental harmonics and random cre-ation of sounds that go with thefeeling of the various artists.While these sounds that have a

jazzy touch to them are experimen-tal, Epps explained that, “there is al-ways a meaning but it is impossibleto say.”“Like with any music, [the mean-

ing] is in the eyes of the beholder,”he said.The sounds generally don’t live in

controlled harmony. One would re-quire a taste for random sounds tobe able to appreciate it.Epps explained that people like the

undersigned element of the musicthat he organizes. He said, “there arenew discoveries every week, even asorganizers.”For those who are in stress-coping

programs or in some form a stress-releasing exercise, improvised musicmay be a useful tool to release curi-ous minds.The music isn’t fast paced like most

of today’s music and for first time lis-teners some parts may sound likefragments of an instrumental thatyou would hear in one of those oldinvestigative shows or movies.“My music is very personal. There

is always something that I am search-ing for that I guess I’ll never reach.”Epps said.Wanting his music to “express true

nature” but that it will “not be donein a lifetime, but that is where (I am) going, personally,” Epps hopesthat the recent successes of the serieswill continue, stating that 250 peoplehave performed - there are alwaysnew visitors and people who stop by.He said that he plans to stay thecourse and keep a home for impro-vised music in Montreal.Epps also organizes improvisation

music at L'Envers, which is located at185 Van Horne and encourages stu-dents to explore his music along withthe others who have left with morequestions than answers.

Ranking in as second “HeaviestLocal Act” by Mirror’s “Best of Mon-treal Reader Poll 2010,” The Catalystare finally releasing their first fulllength album tomorrow at Foufounes

Electriques at 6:00 p.m.The Montreal band composed of

Matt Bailie on vocals, G. Mcdonaghon Guitar, Teo Zamfir on drums andMike Marino on bass, who is also a

former Dawson student, will be show-casing their new CD called Origins.The CD has been two years in themaking so it will be sure not to dis-appoint any fans. The sound of theband covers a large area of metal.Mixing old-school roots, like Metal-lica and Megadeth, with some new-wave flair, the band creates aneclectic brand of their own music.The band is no stranger to Mon-

treal stages either, just last monththey opened for Apocalyptica at theMetropolis and have also sharedstages with heavy music gods likeThe Agonist, Cryptopsy, Kittie andEndast just to name a very select few.Upon listening to the CD, the open-

ing song “When The Sun Shall Rise”powers through your ears and nes-tles deep into your brain. The strongopening of the CD is carried out ex-ceptionally well throughout the restof the album. In songs such as “TheDay After” where Zamfir’s mastery ofthe drums is absolutely poundingand in “Anthem for the Fallen” whereyou can feel the new-wave inspira-tion there is no doubt in my ears ormind that this was well worth thetwo-year wait."We are all really excited to finally

be able to release our debut album

with a launch show and after-partyat Foufounes,” says Marino. “All ofthe opening bands are fantastic andguaranteed to keep you moving allnight, and we’ll even have a few sur-prises in store for the crowd!”Every attendee at Fouf’s tomorrow

will get a free copy of Origins withtheir $15.00 admission fee. Not tooshabby for a show/after party that issure to keep you on your toes allnight.Opening the show for The Catalyst

is Endast, Dissension, Dush, DarkCentury and Protocol. Sounds like apretty rip-roaring metal-palooza timeto me.Still not completely stoked about

the show? Well then let me just men-tion that the show is being thrown bythe masterminds behind DungeonWorks Productions, who just hostedthe Aggressor show on April 1. TheCD was produced by J-F Fortin, theman who also produced Neuraxisand was mastered by Alan Douches,the brain behind Hatebreed andChimera. You know you’ll be gettinggood quality from the boys tomor-row. Tickets are available at Boutique

Labyrinthe, X20, www.admission.comor at the door.

The CatalystThe Catalyst : defying: defyingcommon cadencecommon cadenceMontreal Metal band at Foufʼs tomorrow night.

Mardi Spaghettiat Le Cagibi

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CASANDRADE MASISTAFF WRITER

JULIAN WOLFESTAFF WRITER

GABE GILKERARTS&CULTUREEDITOR

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tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntttthhee ppllaanntt text text text text. tthhee ppllaanntt Pizza Partaytthhee ppllaanntt text text text text. tthhee ppllaanntt

BRANTFORD, Ont. (CUP) — Anawants to be your friend. She makesgreat promises: She will make youfeel good and she will give you peace.She will introduce you to her otherfriends, and she has many. You mayrecognize some of their names.They’re important people, she says,famous, well known, well liked.But not everyone likes Ana. They sayshe is dangerous — a thief, a mur-derer even.Typing “pro-ana,” short for “pro-anorexia,” into Google results in8,550,000 hits — the spelling mat-ters. Many of these sites treatanorexia not as a mental illness withseveral different causes, but as an ac-tual friend. Similarly, bulimia be-comes Mia. But this is not,necessarily, a unified cause. The termcan have several different meanings.Pro-anorexia websites provide userswith information about anorexia, andnot just medical information, al-though some do.Some claim to offer support. Theyalso provide tips about how one canbecome, and stay, anorexic.“Eat a piece of fruit — such as a sliceof apple or banana each morning,”one site advises. According to the au-thor, this prevents dizziness andfainting. But if that one slice of fruitisn’t enough, visitors can “just eatone piece of fruit [later in the day].Otherwise, don't eat anything.”Just a few mouse clicks away, usersare reminded this website’s purposeis entertainment, and they shouldseek medical help if they have an eat-ing disorder.Another site more generously en-courages individuals to eat a wholefruit a day. But only after they’ve cutit into portions, eating them at meal-times so the body thinks it’s had nu-merous meals.Many include photos, mostly ofcelebrities, to act as “thinspirations”— motivations to help lose weight.And then there are the slogans: “Askme to show you perfect and I willshow you a thin person. Starving isan example of excellent willpower,”reads the site that permits one to eata whole fruit daily. A few lines later,“An imperfect body reflects an im-perfect person.”These pages may be easily dismissedif they were simply collages ofcelebrity photos and individual tips.But they become communities. Manyprovide places where people discusstheir eating disorders. In some cases,

the sites claim these forums supportrecovery. Others say they aim simplyto support individuals with eatingdisorders, seeking recovery or not.Many see eating disorders not as amental illness, although they mayprovide personal details of their ownexperiences with such illnesses. In-stead they see it as a lifestyle choice.As Angela Ross, a former user ofthese sites from New Mexico who cur-rently lives in North Carolina, put itin an email, “People essentially givetheir lives for anorexia.”And now she and others are givingtheir lives to preventing the disease.Sharon Hodgson, an artist from NovaScotia, used pro-ana sites as a tool tolose weight, and learn “secret, hid-den knowledge.” The tips worked.“You can learn a lot of negativethings to do to yourself,” she said ina phone interview.Hodgson used several sites, and wasa moderator on different groups. Shemet individuals who would becomewell known for running pro-ana sites.She made friends and became awarethat these people she cared aboutwere “believing such terrible thingsabout themselves that I knew wasn’ttrue.”Hodgson, who had a predispositionto eating disorders from a young age,eventually left the sites. She’s neverreturned. In May 2006, she startedWe Bite Back, a website devoted tohelping individuals recover fromanorexia and other eating disorders.For her, starting the site was a way torecover, and provide a “networkwhere people are going to encourageeach other.”Since then, the site has grown to over4,000 members from 80 countries.Beyond the forum — Hodgson saysabout 600 computers log onto thesite a day, some staying for severalhours — it also holds essays about re-covery and links to several othersites.Hodgson believes communities likeWe Bite Back are crucial for helpingpeople recover. She funds the web-site entirely on her own, thoughsome members occasionally donate.But it’s that power of community thatmakes pro-ana sites so dangerous,and hard to control or monitor. Thesites encourage a group mentalitythat already reinforces what thosewith eating disorders may alreadybelieve to be true, continuing a vi-cious cycle. Many find homes on freethird-party sites, like Facebook or

Livejournal. Several pro-ana sites andblogs have been shut down.But, because as Hodson notes, thesesites are “network[s] based on peo-ple,” the sites will just pop up again,with new names but the same mes-sage that thinner is better.While eating disorders aren’t new,the Internet provides new ways of en-couraging the behaviour — and re-covery. Ross, now 21, was 14 whenshe first typed “anorexia” into aGoogle search bar. The first site thatcame up was pro-ana.Ross wanted to lose as much weightas possible in the shortest amount oftime. The sites helped. She became“immersed.” And eventually, shegrew to hate the sites.In November 2006, she started aFacebook group to encourage thoserecovering from eating disorders,and to raise awareness about thesites. It now boasts over 4,000 mem-bers.Ross sees pro-ana sites as “a new gen-eration’s version of anorexia.” Andwhile eating disorders pre-date theInternet, the medium makes it ap-pear different. Not only are there pic-tures like those in fashion magazines,there are step-by-step tutorials out-lining how to look like the models.And many websites, unlike maga-zines, aren’t explicitly selling any-thing. The creators actually wantpeople to look like the models be-cause they believe it’s good.As Sonya Lipczynska noted in theJournal of Mental Health, “What isclear is that the Internet ... has al-lowed a new subculture of eating dis-orders to develop, with its own rulesand creeds, its very own deities andlanguage, which allows devotees todisguise their conversations abouttheir disorders and perhaps feel partof a community which fully em-braces them and their choices.”Regardless of the medium, the basiclie — that one must look good to bevaluable — remains the same, as doesthe solution.“If you believe that you can recover,your brain will make a way for it tohappen,” said Hodgson. “If you be-lieve you can’t change, your brainwon’t bother.”And to do that, one needs real sup-port — whether online or in person.But just not with Ana.

DYING TO BE THINMeet Ana. And Ami.

IF YOU THINK YOUNEED HELP

Meagan GillmoreThe Sputnik

Students On The Spot

WE BIGHT BACKPost-Pro-ana has finally ar-rived. If you need to shiftyour online circle of

friends from destructive,starving, malnourishmententhusiasts to supportivehealthy individuals, look

no further.hhttttpp::////wwwwww..wweebbiitteebbaacckk..ccoomm//

NATIONAL EATINGDISORDER

ASSOCIATIONA free helpline for thosewho need someone to talkto. They also have a craftywebsite with helpful tips.

wwwwww..nnaattiioonnaalleeaattiinnggddiissoorrddeerrss..oorrgg11--880000--993311--22223377

ANNOUNCE

MEN

T The CALL festivalis coming upand

we are givingeveryone a

chance to partici-pate. Send us

short fiction (nolonger than 450

words), poetry orany kind of visual

art and we willgladly publish it if

it respects thecode of ethics

listed at the bot-tom of the first

page of thepaper. All submis-

sions must besent to

[email protected]

Should Pro-ana web-sites be sensored?

Martin Sonin4th Semester Indepen-

dant StudiesItʼs a shame that some-thing like this is avail-

able but anyoneaccessing it must havemade up their mind on

the subject already,whether itʼs anorexia or

another subject.

Kenevin Parent2nd Semester Social

ScienceI donʼt think sensorshipis ever the solution. Weneed to increase aware-

ness for positive lifechoices: healthy deci-

sions.

Kelly Lyne4th Semester Social

ScienceI believe sites of nega-

tive nature are accessedon the choice of a per-son. Outright banningthe sites would make it

harder to find those whoneed help.

Page 15: The Plant Volume 39 Issue 21

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15VOL. 39 ISSUE 21 - Thursday, April 7, 2011

What is with all these crazy musicvideos lately? You know, the onesyou can tell took a lot of money tomake, but are absolutely ridiculous.I’m sorry, just because your video isweird and completely unrelated toyour song, that doesn’t make it artis-tic. It’s just dumb.First, Lady Gaga comes out with

unicorns, fetuses and third eye ballsin her “Born this Way” video. ThenKe-dollarsign-ha decides to scrapethe bottom of the has-been TV starsbarrel and gets the guy from Daw-son’s Creek to star in her video,which also features unicorns. ButKe$ha’s unicorns are special, theydrink champagne. They’re classy likethat.Now, Katy Perry releases her much

awaited video for “E.T.” It is possiblythe weirdest of all three, because I

honestly have no idea what the hell itmeans.I actually like Katy Perry, her songs

are catchy! But I have a love/hate re-lationship with this single; some daysI like it and others I find it to be oneof her worst. It’s just not as upbeatand fun as her past hits.Back to the video. First we have

Kanye West. They managed to cramboth him and his gigantic ego in thislittle round ball, floating around inwhat I assume is a really cheap look-ing outer space.He does his whole guest rap thing,

which ruins the song. Then he disap-pears, probably off to crush someteenage girl’s dreams.Then we see Perry floating around

in space. She is completely madeover; blue face, creepy contacts, andugly hair. She is basically an alien.This doesn’t make sense, since she iscalling her love interest in the songan extraterrestrial…Perry floats around for a bit, and

for some reason we have flashes ofwild animals eating each other. Okay.Perry lands on a planet. We see a

little tin robot. Perry touches its bellyand BAM! A male with albinismemerges. At this point I have no ideawhat is happening. There is light ra-diating between them. I’m not sure ifthat is supposed to imply something,but even if it is, it’s awkward.All of a sudden, Perry pulls off the

bottom part of her dress and she hasthe hind legs of what seems to be adeer like animal. What?A deer-hind Perry and the albino

alien walk off into the sunset holdinghands. That’s it. It makes no sense.All I see is a pop star trying way toohard.Whatever happened to simple

music videos, the ones that you canwatch over and over again? U2’svideo for “Sweetest Thing” comes tomind. Oh Hollywood…

tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntttthhee ppllaanntt special thanks to dahlia tthhee ppllaanntt for giving my section tthhee ppllaanntt all that it deserves. tthhee ppllaanntt

Dawson’s Finest

Hey guys! I am back from EL DO-MINICANA and I am super bronzed.Not. I’m kinda tanned. For an ex-trememly white person. I now looklike I have a regular skin tone as ap-posed to the whitest girl you’ve everseen. HOWEVER, my vacation wasAMAZING! Everything was free, allthe food, all the drinks (alcohol aswell.. woah PARTAY) and the workerswere hilarious. There was a showevery night and 50-year-olds embar-rassing themselves at the karaoke barevery night as well (almost more en-

tertaining).I won this trip through a contest on

Facebook called the, “Ugly ChristmasSweater Competition.” So I justwanted to say a huge THANK YOU toeveryone who voted for Henry and Iover Facebook. I am extremely grate-ful and I can’t say it enough.If anyone ever needs me to vote or

a helping hand, ASK ME. I WILL RE-TURN THE FAVOUR! I LOVE YOU!!!

WWaanntt ttoo bbee mmaann ooff tthhee wweeeekk?? CCoonn--ttaacctt mmaayyaa..mmaallkkiinn@@hhoottmmaaiill..ccoomm

MAYA MALKIN NAOMI SCHECTER

Man of the Week

Name: Joe MunroProgram: Health Science First Choice (fourth semester)Hair: BrownEyes: GreenInterested in: Women

Dawsonites, this week’s Finest is here to save your life. Literatly. Joe Munro,a fourth semester First Choice Health Science student is everything you wantin a man. With early acceptances to Universite de Montreal, McGill, and noneother than Johns Hopkins University, all in pre-med, Munro will make you fallhead over heels for him. This stud is part of the rugby team, the McGill snow-boarding club, and a weekly volunteer at the Children’s Hospital. You couldsay that Munro is definitely boyfriend worthy. What can this god-like manpossibly want in a lady? “Thin… I guess she could have blonde hair. And adope ass,” he said. His favorite music includes: indie, rap, old black gospel andblues. Munro has a love for food, except for pizza. “I fucking hate pizza,” hesaid. This week’s Finest can be spotted in the Plateau, and during the summeryou can spot this hunk in Israel, taking part in the Birthright program. Munroloves being outside, “I’m down with the outdoors,” he stated. Next time youspot this dreamboat, try to faint in front of him, maybe he’ll catch you, oreven better a little CPR action.

Julee LeeBest scientest ever.

CASSIE DE MASISTAFF WRITER

The Shizz in the BizzGOSSIP

Used to be so hot Katy.... Source: eleven.com.au

Anonymous Letter

Dear readers of The Plant,

It has come to my attention thatyou, Dawsonites, are having an elec-tion for the Dawson Student Union(DSU) executive. I have looked uponthe Facebook pages of the candi-dates and something quite interest-ing about one candidate caught myattention. This particular candidateis Michael Oberman and he is run-ning for Chairperson against AudreyDeveault. Do you know what I foundparticularly interesting, Michael is aproud supporter of the ConservativeParty of Canada, I think that, beingThe Democratic Vigilante, I should

bring attention to you about this fact,and also questions which all Daw-sonites should ask themselves beforeeven thinking about voting aboutthis particular candidate.How does Oberman, with his now

known political affiliation, can claimthat he can fight against tuition feesincreases when he supports a partywhich is clearly for increases of tu-ition fees?How can he claim to be there for

students of the Lesbian Gay BisexualTransgender and Questioning(LGBTQ) community when the con-servatives are against same-sex mar-riages?

Is Micheal Oberman pro-life likemany Conservatives, if so, how canhe defend the rights of women ?How can, knowing Dawson’s his-

tory, Michael Oberman support aparty who wants to bring down thelong gun registry, is he in favour ofthis removal and if so, how can heclaim to represent Dawson’s valuesconcerning this issue?This is about making an enlight-

ened choice, not an attack againstthis candidate, but a deep down de-sire for truth in democracy.Democratically yours,

The Democratic Vigilante.

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16VOL. 39 IS

SUE 21 - Thursday

, April 7, 2011

voices

EEDDIITTOORR:: MMaayyaa MMaallkkiinn CCOONNTTAACCTT:: mmaayyaa..mmaallkkiinn@@hhoottmmaaiill..ccoomm

tthhee ppllaanntt I have RICKY LEW tthhee ppllaanntt YEW YEW YEW tthhee ppllaanntt BEWWWWWW tthhee ppllaanntt

Obituaries GABE GILKERARTS EDITOR

ANNA LISE FREY

November 1, 1991 - April 7, 2011

Anna “French” Frey passedaway yesterday morning in anunfortunate hummingbird attack. The kind blonde was at the

cemetary placing flowers on herrecently deceased boyfriendChris Pike’s tombstone when sheaccidentally swallowed a babyhummingbird. The Editor-in-Chief apparently was allergic anddied next to her boyfriend’sgrave. Bystanders did nothing tohelp and watched in awe as shechoked on the bird that weighsless than a post-it note. A flash-mob memorial service

will be held in the Atrium tomor-row at 1:00 p.m. There will be livemusic and dancers to com-memerate her death, followed bya live copy-editing session in thePlant office. Donations should be sent to

Gabe Gilker’s rent fund.

www.facebook.com

President Barack Obama has re-leased a video on his website ex-pressing his intention to run foranother term in 2012. He doesn'tappear in the video, but he has thevoice over "Ed" from North Carolinagiving his support amongst otherthings. I don't know who this Edcharacter is, but I don't trust him.Also, you better run PresidentObama or else your President will beSarah Palin. Is that what you want?

****

Small cracks have been found inthree Southwest Airline jets. Thecracks are similar to those that gen-erated a hole in the cabin of anotherplane mid-flight. There is no suchthing as a small crack in a metaltube flying over 34,400ft in the air.

****

American Apparel sales wentdown 8.9% in 2010. Obviously, hip-sters are becoming too poor to shopthere because having a job is justtoo mainstream. Hipster jokes aside,I've always been to poor too shopthere at least I know I'm not alonenow.

****Spain's unemployment hit an all

time high this month. According to

BBC, in February 20.5% of the pop-ulation was unemployed. Bullfight-ing just isn't as popular as it used tobe...(Yes, the only job in Spain isbullfighting according to me.)

****Researchers in France have found

that pigeons with darker feathersare healthier than those with lightcolored feathers. The darker pig-ment melanin gives them a strongerimmune system and they can fendoff parasites better. This seemsracist.

****

A teenage girl from Illnois wasfined a total of $150 in tickets forher not-so-funny April Fools pranklast Friday. The girl texted herfriend and cousin saying she hadbeen robbed and shot in the foot.She was given a $100 fine for disor-derly conducted and the other $50was for not being in school. I won-der, if she had been shot in the footwould she still have been fined $50for missing school?

****

Former police officer EdwardJustin LaPorte has pleaded notguilty for impersonating a massageparlor inspector. He received a free

30-minute back rub and he re-quested a frontal massage and$200. LaPorte left once the real in-spector showed up. Wait, massageparlor inspector is a real job? Whyis anyone even in school if thatcould be your source of income?

****

Lost Springs, a town in Wyoming,finally got their population correctfollowing an official census. Whatwas originally one person living inthe town has been changed to theappropriate four. We can count mil-lions of people in one city, but can'tcount to four.

****

On Sunday, women walkedthrough downtown Toronto dressedas "sluts." They were protesting apolice officer's comment that,"women should avoid dressing likesluts in order not to be victimized,"in reference to why some womenare victim to sexual assault. Finallyan effective protest that will getpeople’s attention. No sarcasm, Ijust hope girls who do dress likesluts don't use the excuse, "I'mprotesting."

News BitesDAHLIA “BELINSKI” BELINSKYINTERNATIONAL NEWS EDITOR

What are you looking for in the candidates for the DSU?

“Someone who could bringin decent vending machines

with cheaper prices”Jesse Seran

Professional TheatreSecond Semester

"Dependability,serendipity, and

creativity”Laurent Pitre

Professional TheatreSecond Semester

"Actual competence"Samuel SamiosIndustrial DesignFourth Semester

“Someone to actu-ally bring RebeccaBlack to Dawson"Robert ChabachiGeneral SocialSecond Semester

WORD IN THE HERD

"Iʼm looking for some-one who is looking atneeds, and open to

changes"Olivier LeblancCin/Vid/Com

Photographs taken by Casandra De Masi

"Someone who followsthrough on what they

say theyʼre going to do"Shayna Spivak

Professional TheatreSecond Semester

"Ben Audet"Tin White

AviationEigth Semester

“Swag to the max”Jade Parkinson Gayle

LiteratureSecond Semester

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pril 7, 2011

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/theplant

Students, if you think voting onMay 2 doesn’t involve you, it does.From the Liberal promise to aid stu-dents with their academic goals tothe Conservatives’ hand-picked re-moval of students in their rally be-cause her Facebook page had“Liberal ties,” there is plenty of rea-son to pay attention and most im-portantly: vote. In London, Ontario, Conservative

Party organizers threw a group ofstudents out of a Conservative rallyafter screening Facebook to find thatone of them posted a picture withMichael Ignatieff. "We were waiting for Harper and

then an official came by and said,‘We need to talk to you girls outside,"Awish Aslam, a second-year politicalscience student at the University ofWestern Ontario said according toCTV. “(The official) said, ‘You are nolonger welcome here." Aslam asked why she was being

banned from the event and was an-swered with, "We know you haveFacebook ties to the Liberal Party." Aslam defended herself saying, "It

was something to show off to ourfriends, we met Michael Ignatieff,that's cool." Essentially, the Conservatives

banned the student because she wasa normal Canadian who wanted toshare the fact that she had met animportant public figure. It provesthat the Conservatives have hiddenmotives and are not honest withCanadians – which is why we are inthis election. Harper broke parlia-mentary law, promised to make it im-possible for his opponents to be ableto fight back in future elections, setup a 13-meter barrier betweenHarper and the media while restrict-ing them to four questions per day. There are four alternatives to this

seemingly dictatorship regime, butthe only one that can make the nec-essary gains to win is the LiberalParty of Canada. They recently came

out with a great new plan for newstudents that will be transitioned toinclude us too. It should come as no surprise to

any of us that Liberal Leader MichaelIgnatieff came up with this sort ofplan. He was a professor at HarvardUniversity, one of the most impor-tant educational institutions in theworld, and taught students like youand me. He engaged in conversationswith students like you and me. Ig-natieff is everything you should ex-pect of a professor – a dedicated one. Now is not a time for Canada to go

out on multi-billion dollar spendingsprees for unneeded super prisons,fighter jets, and tax cuts for compa-nies who shift our wealth to bonusesand other countries overseas. Ignatieff wants to replace that

more than $50 billion worth of Con-servative waste with his $8 billionplatform that supports students, in-dividuals, and families – the trueheart of the economy. His plan wouldkill the deficit without any tax in-creases on the backs of everydayCanadians and students like what theConservatives imposed in their ma-jority government in the 1990’s. There are no reasons for why

Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals cannot betrusted. Harper’s ads lied and tookIgnatieff out of context. Harper liedthroughout his entire mandate – staytuned for the list. There are more than enough rea-

sons to distrust Harper. He recentlyproved that he cannot be open tonew audiences and will disregardyou if you are not his follower – thisis the act of a dictator. What outcome do you prefer, the

return of the uncaring, dishonest andanti-democratic Harper governmentor the creation of a new genuine, re-liable and trustworthy Ignatieff gov-ernment?

tthhee ppllaanntt double gym class... tthhee ppllaanntt is super fun... tthhee ppllaanntt ...you should try it... tthhee ppllaanntt

The CanadianPolitical Scene

thecanadianpoliticalscene.blogspot.com

JULIAN WOLFESTAFF WRITER

I SAW DEAD PEOPLE

This break I was introduced to twopeople. Two athletes who wouldshow me a side of life I had never re-ally considered. One that pertains toevery one of us. Mortality.Those athletes were Hank Gathers

and Drazen Petrović. They are in noway household names now, but intheir time they were consideredamongst the most talented basketballplayers in the world. Gathers tore upthe college scene while Petrović wasking of the European court and ris-ing in the NBA.There is one thing, however, that

links these men more than their phe-nomenal talent. Destiny chose themto lose it all before they could trulybloom. Gathers collapsed on thecourt and never got up, Petrović'sgirlfriend lost control on a slipperyroad and he never made it to his nextgame.

I am an avid sports fan. Heck,alongside Rebecca Black and McFlur-ries, sport is one of the things closestto my heart, but as I watched twodocumentaries, each telling of a guywith a knack for basketball whonever got to reach his potential, Icame to realise something deeperthan just the simple melancholy ofthese stories.Through the lens of sport, the av-

enue I know best, these short filmsshowed me that even the best amongus are subject to the hands of fate.We are all of the same flesh andbone. As cliché as it sounds I mean itin the most genuine way and their isno better time than the present forus all to realise it.Recently, the world has been

rocked by uprisings in the MiddleEast and disasters in Japan and Aus-tralasia. With the almost worldwide

disparity of today, what better a timeto acknowledge the similarities be-tween us? To unite and be the worldwe could work together to be, not theworld we fight each other over.This is not a call to arms, not com-

munist propaganda, but if VanessaHudgens taught me anything otherthan how ill-advised it is to get fa-mous and send naked pictures ofoneself over the internet, is that weare all in this together.The person in front of you at Tim

Horton's was created in the same wayand of the same stuff you were.Libyan President Muammar Gadhafitoo, and the population of the nationhe is oppressing.It took two tragic stories about

great basketball players for me to re-alise the fragility of my life and sub-sequently everyone else's. Simplybecause it struck a nerve. The best

basketball players, the cruelest ofdictators, even Charlie Sheen, are allmortal.We are all individuals, there's no

escaping that or Nicolas Cage's act-ing, but every piece of a puzzle is dif-ferent and together we are a bigamorphous blob of a society withthousands of people, each one just aslikely to die tomorrow as the next.Any one of us could have been inJapan when the tsunami hit. We justweren't.We are simply faces in a crowd,

some more recognisable than others,but just like Hank Gathers andDrazen Petrović we can all have ittaken away from us in an instant.That's what I learnt this break. I

didn't intend to, I didn't search for alife lesson, but I'm not regretful thatI did.

OLIVER NACEYSTAFF WRITER

Mortality is a bitch yall. www.worldproutassembly.org

Dear Lapin,I tend to get really relaxed when

my girlfriend and I are foolingaround. Unfortunately for me, thisrelaxation means that I break wind.Sometimes it’s silent and unscented,but sometimes it’s loud and couldmake a garbage man cry. How inGod’s name do I remedy this? I justwant to have sex with my girlfriendwithout stinking up the bedroom.

HAHAHAHAHA! Dude that is themost unfortunate thing I’ve everheard. Well, to be honest I haven’tthe slightest clue as to how to curethat. How old are you that you can’thold your farts? Separately, I thinkyou’re getting a little too comfort-able during intimacy my friend.Focus on the task at hand whichshould be fucking your girlfriend.

Dear Lapin,I remember last semester you

wrote articles about weed. Well, Iwas wondering if you can use mari-juana to your advantage in the bed-room?

It really depends what weed doesto her. If I makes her so high shepasses out, she isn’t much use toyou right? OR IS SHE YOU SICKFUCK! Just kidding. If she’s aneveryday blazer definitely get highwith her. Sharing a joint amongstpeople who really enjoy weed isamazing and often brings youcloser together. I always ask first ifthey want to smoke. Don’t ever as-sume it’s impolite.

Dear Lapin, Do you ever use pick-up lines?

Like do real ones even exist thataren’t meant to make people laugh?If so do they work?

Pick up lines are always a very,very, very risky scenario to bethrown into. I will rarely walk up toa strange female a throw in a pick-up line. However, something thatdoes work is once you’ve spottedyour target, make eye contact a fewtimes, maybe exchange a few smilesand cute looks. At that point youknow she thinks you’re interestingat the very least and whenever youthink the time is right walk up toher and say: “So I’ve been thinkingabout what I would say to you if Iwere to come speak to you and I stillhaven’t fully decided yet, but I’mworking on it.” If she isn’t a bitchand thinks you’re attractive she’lldig the shit out of that, probablylaugh and then you introduce your-self and land yourself some digits.I’ve done this five times now andonly once has it been awkward. It’sa good story though for your bud-dies though.

LAPIN CHAUDCONTRIBUTOR

Skanks

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VOL. 39 ISSUE 21 - Thursday, April 7, 2011

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www.issuu.com/theplant

tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntt tthhee ppllaanntttthhee ppllaanntt Baseball’s awesome. Amirite?tthhee ppllaanntt Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight. tthhee ppllaanntt I like rugs. tthhee ppllaanntt Word of the Week: Masseuse

SAMANTHA MILETOSTAFF WRITER

The Dawson Blues lost their semi-final game 4-0 to the Edouard Mont-petit Lynx on Saturday afternoon atCentre Étienne-Desmarteau arenaand penalties were the game’sbiggest story. Two minutes into the game, Daw-

son found themselves with thegame’s first power play opportunity.Despite the early chance to grab

the momentum, the Blues failed tocapitalize on the first man advan-tage. Instead, it was the Lynx who took

the lead at 14:18 of the first periodwhen Emilie Provencher’s heavy slap-shot from the point spiraled passed

Blue’s goalie Melanie Fournier. At 9:56, the Blues obtain another

power play, when Lynx CynthiaWhissel was sent to the box for cross-checking. The Blues best chance onthat man-advantage came twentyseconds later, when a Blue shot trick-led just wide of Lynx goaltenderAmélie Roy. Fournier bailed her teammates out

by making a blocker save when Ari-ane Barker deked both Blues de-fenseman before shooting late in thefirst period, keeping the score 1-0.Failing to covert on any of their

four first-period power plays provedto be the difference for the Blues be-cause they played much of the sec-ond-period on the penalty kill,preventing them from generating

any offense. While the Blues were still down 1-0,

the Lynx thought they had scored onthe power play on a scramble infront of Fournier, to move in front 2-0 at 7:04 of the second. However, thegoal was disallowed because the ref-eree had blown the whistle before thepuck was in the net. The refused goal didn’t seem to

phase the Lynx because at two min-utes later, with Dawson two mandown, Gabrielle Savoie pinched infrom the point and scored top-cornerto give her team the 2-0 lead. “I thought the [the refs] were really

good in the first period. [The Lynx]were hooking and holding so shecalled it properly. But in the secondperiod, she just nailed us. The 5-on-

3 power play, I can’t believe shecalled that. When I asked her about itat the end of the second period, Isaid ‘are you going to call it bothways?’ She said, ‘hey, I gave you fourpower plays in the first period,’”Blues Head Coach Scott Lambtonabout the refereeing during the firsttwo periods. The Lynx showed no sign of letting

down in the third period, despitehaving a 2-0 cushion. Thirty secondsin, Barker gave the Lynx a 3-0 lead. The Blues got some help from the

referees in the third for a possiblecomeback when they found them-selves on a 5-on-3 at 12:24. At 11:32,the Blues did manage to score, butthe goal was also waved off becausethe whistle was blown before it went

in. “We just threw pucks away. We

didn’t take our time, we weren’tbreathing properly,” Lambton said ofhis team’s dismal power play.With five minutes left, Blues de-

fenseman Mariane Allard was sent offfor hooking. Maude Gélinas scoredthe final goal for the Lynx on thatman-advantage to make it 4-0.Despite losing, the Blues have a lot

of motivation heading into theBronze medal game on Sunday, evenif they won’t be playing for Gold. “There are players that it’s their

last game tomorrow as a Dawson Blueand we want to work hard so we canat least win a medal for them,” saidforward Tracy-Ann Lavigne.

Blues blanked by Lynx

OLIVER NACEYSTAFF WRITER

The Dawson Blues Women’sHockey team’s season met a disap-pointing end last Sunday as they fellto the Limoilou Titans in the bronzemedal game of the provincial tour-nament by the score of 2-0.The game itself, however, was

tighter than the scoreline suggests asboth teams struggled to maintain of-fense due to pesky defence on bothsides.From the opening face-off it was

clear that both teams were ready tomake up for semi-final losses.The teams played at a quick pace

for the greater part of the first fiveminutes with neither team havingany real chances.

The first real scoring opportunitycame at the 4:39 mark as a Dawsonoffensive stand saw the puck slidejust wide of the Titans’ net.Dawson seemed to gain some con-

fidence from the chance and withconstant pokechecks and strongforechecking drew a tripping penaltyto bring the game’s first powerplay.The man advantage went unre-

warded however as the Blues couldnot muster a single shot on goal.The tempo slowed from that point

as the teams continued their tpughdefensive play.The Titans got a powerplay chance

of their own following a tripping callwith just over seven minutes remain-ing in the first period.Dawson managed to hold of the

Limoilou offense and the game re-verted to its rough, but fast nature.

Perhaps the play of the game camewith 3:52 remaining when DawsonKeeper Magalie Fournier made astunning diving save to keep thescores tied heading into the break.The second period was where

things unravelled for the Blues as theTitans came out strong and con-trolled the puck and the momentum.The deadlock was broken 5:50 into

the period as a helpless Fournier sawa wristshot fly past her left shoulderputting the Titans up 1-0.From then on the Dawson offense

appeared to be searching for the per-fect play leading to easy turnovers.The Titans doubled their advan-

tage with 7:10 remaining, but an un-sportsmanlike conduct penalty gavethe Blues a chance to respond.Dawson was unable to do so how-

ever and Limoilou began to play with

stifling confidence.The Blues did have opportunities

to score including a breakawaychance for Forward Katia Murray,but were unable to capitalise.The Titans headed into the second

intermission with the game and thebronze medal within their grasp, butwith 20 minutes to play the Blues’chances were not truly extinguished.“We played a tough game yester-

day,” said Dawson Head Coach ScottLambton. “So to come back from thatgame is tough.”A penalty 1:10 into the period put

the Blues down a man, but strong de-fence kept the Titans powerplay atbay.An unsuccessful three-on-one

break seemed to define Dawson’snight as another great chance wentbegging due to poor execution.

The game slowed down for thefinal part of the game as the Bluesappeared to run out of steam and theTitans were content to hold back anddefend.A scuffle in front of the Limoilou

net caused Dawson Assistant CaptainBianca Della Porta to be sent off andplaced multiple players in thepenalty box.As the Titans finished the game on

the powerplay the result was sealedand the Blues were sent home with-out a medal.“We just had to give more,” said

Dawson Forward Joanne Cagianos.”We gave all that we’ve got, we justhad to give more.”“I can’t believe how extremely

proud of these girls I am,” Lambtonsaid. “I’m in complete awe of them.”

No medal for Dawson at provincialsPhoto Credit: Corrado Borcus

Page 19: The Plant Volume 39 Issue 21

VOL. 39 ISSUE 21 - Thursday, April 7, 2011

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