Issue Six - Volume 53 - November 25, 2014
Kelly Lui
Fridge Festival in Review
(as Presented by Lionheart Productions Coeur de Lion) Ashley Moniz Arts & Entertainment Editor
November 7th and 8th marked the beginning of the student productions and performances at Theatre Glendon this year with the annual Fridge Festival. This is a fun event put on by Glendon’s theatre group, Lionheart Productions Coeur de Lion, which features plays that have been written, directed and performed by students. The festival was directed by Brandon Goncalves and Marika Kunnas. It was a fun night that had its ups and downs, but on closing night, it managed to entertain an audience that seemed to
have a really good time. The first play was Karalina Lovkina’s “A New Kind of Tea Party”, a modern coffee-shop spin on Alice in Wonderland. While the show is most enjoyed by those who could catch the references to the classic tale and risks falling flat for anyone who is not familiar with it, the play managed to stay true to much of the quirk and poeticism found in Lewis Carroll’s classic. The meaning of the play, if any, was a bit difficult to find, and some of the playfulness in the dialogue was lost in its delivery. However, each of the performers was well-cast and did a stellar job of bringing their character to life. Estela Williams’ “Impro-wrestling” followed. This was a very risky show in that a script about improv can either have great moments or come off as bad acting. Fortunately, “Impro-wrestling” produced arguably the biggest
reaction from the crowd. The performers each gave their best effort and some funny skits. On top of that, Estela’s side quips throughout the show as the MC were perfectly delivered and tied the show together well. Carla Texeira’s “The Drunken Reflection” showed the stress and toll that alcoholism can take on a family. Despite the heavy subject matter, the actors maintained a humourous tone throughout the show in their over-the-top drunken mishaps and/or reactions to them. This particular play could have used less swearing and more back story as a means of defining the characters. That being said, the performers all seemed to capture the essence of their characters and the show had, at its core, a heartfelt and meaningful undertone to it. (Continued on page 8...)
Pro Tem
Editor in Chief | Rédactrice en chef Natasha Faroogh editor@protemglendon.com Assistant English Editor | Rédactrice adjointe (anglais) Stephanie Settle assistanteng@protemglendon.com Assistant French Editor | Rédactrice adjointe (français) Gervanne Bourquin assistantfr@protemglendon.com Section Editors | Les rédactrices de sections Campus Life | Vie de Campus Erika Desjardins campuslife@protemglendon.com Issues and Ideas | Enjeux et idées Lindsey Drury issuesideas@protemglendon.com Health and Wellness | Bien-être et santé Samantha Kacaba healthwellness@protemglendon.com Metropolis | Métropole Neya Abdi metropolis@protemglendon.com Arts and Entertainment | Arts et divertissement Ashley Moniz artsentertainment@protemglendon.com Expressions Sienna Warecki expressions@protemglendon.com Communications Officer | Agente de communications Victoria Ramsay communications@protemglendon.com Design and Layout | Maquettiste Megan Armstrong
Pro Tem est le journal étudiant du collège Glendon. Publié pour la première fois en 1962, c'est la plus ancienne publication de l'Université York. We strive to act as an agent of social change, and will not print copy deemed racist, sexist, homophobic or otherwise oppressive. Please respond to what you read in the pages of Pro Tem/ n'hésitez pas à réagir à ce que vouz avez lu dans Pro Tem. Contact us/ Contactez-nous: protem@glendon.yorku.ca The Pro Tem Office D114 Hilliard Residence, Glendon College 2275 Bayview Avenue North York, ON M4N 3M6 The office is open by appointment only. Le bureau est ouvert sur rendez-vous seulement. Les lettres adressées au journal peuvent être éditées au niveau de la clarté ou de contenu. All copy appearing in Pro Tem is at the discretion of the editorial team. Opinions published in Pro Tem are the thoughts of individual writers, and not the publication as a whole.
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Letter from the Editor
Dear Glendonites, #GLENDONGIVESBACK What does “giving” mean to you? Does it mean going Christmas shopping, volunteering at a local shelter, or giving time to your family? For everybody, “giving” means something slightly different. However, Glendon has been holding several events through various student groups on campus that really give back to our local and global community. Recently, the GCSU partnered with GLmetowe to run a clothing and food drive from November 10-20. #glendongivesback was the tagline of the event. Other groups on campus also work extremely hard to give back to the community. In campus life you’ll find articles about the various organizations such as DEEDS, Unicef Glendon, and Glendon Roots & Shoots, just to name a few. As the semester winds down to a close, I wish you and your loved ones a very happy holiday. Whatever holi-
What Causes are important to you? And how do you go about giving back to them? I would be interested in volunteering at homeless shelters and soup kitchens over the holidays. -Szilvia P I recently started fostering a cat with my housemates. -Victoria M My mom and I donate food and clothing to the local women's shelter. -Corisa McKee The causes that speak the most to me is community-centred conservation, education for all, animal rights, humanitarian efforts and sustainability development. As such I am the ambassador for Jane Goodall Institute, a community panda for the World Wildlife Fund, a sponsor of a impoverished child through Plan Canada, a teacher at a private school and lastly I co-lead Glendon Roots and Shoots and UNICEF Glendon at school. I like to walk the talk. - Colvin Chan As an environmental studies student, I like to volunteer my time to the Brampton Clean Up each year. -Anna Bandyk Some causes are more important to me than others. I'm a vegetarian and not just because I don't like meat. I can't stand the idea that we torture animals throughout their lives and then choose to kill them just for their meat that by the time they die is filled with bacteria and disease. It's important to me to let people know what they are eating and where it is coming from. Social issues such as same sex marriage and equalization of the sexes (or feminism if you prefer) are what interest me as well. That saying such as "that's so gay" or "don't be a girl" are seen as legitimate insults repels me. Our world should open their eyes a little bit more and see that social issues are everywhere, and that we might not even notice when we are spewing sexist garbage. And that is why it matters to me. -Haley stenzel Disability advocacy is very important to me. The ignorance of professors around accede if academic is astounding. -Lothlorien Farley
day you celebrate, or whether you don’t celebrate anything at all, I hope this break away from school is a chance to meet friendly faces and unwind. You’re almost at the end of the semester Glendonites! You can get through it! Best wishes! And if you have some extra time during the holidays to write, email us your article, poetry, art, or photography submissions for our January issues! Looking forward to hearing from you! Yours Truly, Natasha Faroogh
Yours truly, Natasha Faroogh editor@protemglendon.com
Health is a very important factor to me because, a diseased free world promotes prosperity and peace. -Lydie Matu The causes that are most important to me are any that involve a minority . The slightest awareness and help can make a world of difference to those that do not receive attention otherwise due to stigma. This includes mental illnesses, LGBTQ, street youth etc. -Shpresa Kajmolli Wealth and consumerism is an important cause to me. Living in the world we do today where we constantly want more money and the next better thing, I find that we are losing what is most important: being comfortable with the things we have. Your iPhone may not be the 5, or even the 6, but let's be honest, the 4 is just as good. Don't be sad, be happy. :) -Michelle Breeze The cause that are most important to us is abortion and women's rights. A way that we would be able to give back is volunteer with organizations and helping people who have been in these types of situations and need aid. -Natalie Ilczyszyn & Natalia Torres & Natasha Zelko A cause that we are interested in is homelessness. On Saturdays, we get a group of friends together to travel downtown in order to give out hot meals to the homeless individuals that we see on the street and spend time with them as we enjoy a meal together and keep one another company. - Becky El-Geries, Jackie Bajinski & Agnes Wasinski I am passionate about mental health. To help this cause, I volunteer for a crisis hotline to help people through difficult situations. IMAlive is an online crisis chat line available to anyone in need. - Catherine Kircos
Vie de Campus Jennifer Schweiri
“Trick or Eat” with Glendon Roots and Shoots Colvin Chan Co-Chair of GRAS What better way to give back to the local community than hosting a food drive on Halloween and donating all of the collected non-perishable food items to the local food bank? It is fun since everyone gets to dress up, and often times there will be generous folks who will give both canned goods and candies on the side. Our 4th annual Trick or Eat Halloween Food Drive at Glendon, which happened on Friday, October 31st from 6:30pm to 9:30pm, was a complete and utter triumph as our team of 25 people in total collected an estimated of over 700 food items, breaking previous records. In the span of 3 hours, we split up into 5 separate groups for the delegation and collection of food from previously mapped out and assigned routes. We had prepared and delivered flyers with letters of support from Student Affairs to all houses within our routes a week in advance and instructions were clearly typed up and given out on paper to each group. Each group had their own cart to carry and transport all of the collected items on their respective route, which were all borrowed from the nearby Metro located on Bayview and Lawrence. Since we asked for their help 3 years in a row already, the management was expecting us and were more than happy to support us. Without the carts from Metro, the collection of food would have been quite difficult. Glendon Roots and Shoots (GRAS) would like to thank all 30 people who donated their time, from making and delivering flyers to residences, to pushing the carts from Metro to Glendon and around the neighbourhoods,
and to everyone who stayed even though it was raining to help us collect all that food. As of Friday, November 7th, all of the non-perishable food items have been picked up and donated to the North York Harvest Food Bank, which also supplies our very own Glendon Women and Trans Centre/ Centre des femmes et des Trans de Glendon. We will definitely be back on Halloween next year. Missed out on Trick or Eat? Have no fear; the season of giving has just begun for GRAS. We have weekly meetings on Thursday from 1:00pm-2:30pm in C202 and we will be needing volunteers for our Holiday Charity Gala early bird ticket tabling from Monday, November 24th to Thursday, November 27th 11:00am to 4:00pm in the Breezeway’s Kitchenette. The Holiday Charity Gala itself, which is in collaboration with UNICEF Glendon, will be happening on Wednesday, December 17th from 7pm to 11pm in the Manor’s Ballroom. Volunteers and performers are especially needed for the gala! Please email gl.roots. shoots@gmail.com for more information if interested. All proceeds from the event will be split donated to the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada’s community-centred conservation and UNICEF Canada’s emergency fund, so remember to save the date.
Christmas Concert:
Presented by Glendon Musical Ensemble and Peace by Peace GME Executives GME and Peace by Peace are happy to present a fun and relaxing concert event to kick off the holiday season. The Glendon Musical Ensemble will be performing its annual Christmas Concert on Thursday, December 4th. The GME has worked hard to prepare a few Christmas songs to per-
form and will also lead a group carol sing-along. You can look forward to hearing Christmas classics such as Carol of the Bells and Believe. As an added bonus, some wonderful desserts and hot beverages will be provided, thanks to the generous efforts of the crew at Peace by Peace. Being the last week of classes, it is the perfect event to both wind down before exams and get into the Christmas spirit. The concert will be held on Thursday, December 4th in Lunik. Tickets will be on sale outside of the cafeteria from November 24-26 between the hours of noon and 4pm. They cost $3 in advance and $5 at the door. Doors open at Lunik at 7:00 and the performance will begin around 7:30. For more information, you can send an email to gme.glendon@gmail.com.
Merci Glendon! Reeda Tariq Contributor Thank you to everyone who came to WUSC's annual Bike for AIDS event on the fourth of November. We managed to raise 119 dollars, which will be going to help build bicycle ambulances in rural Malawi. We hope everyone had a great time participating in all the events we had: Selfie with Santa, decorating the gingerbread men (and eating them, of course) and our other competitions and bake sale from the earliest holiday party ever. And now let the countdown begin for WUSC Glendon's next event.
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Campus Life
“National UNICEF Day!” Glendonites Unite for Children! Colvin Chan Co-President of UNICEF Glendon To celebrate UNICEF Canada’s birthday this past October 31st, UNICEF Glendon wanted to fundraise money for soccer balls, in the hopes of bringing joy to the world’s children. The gift of sport and play may seem trivial, but it teaches teamwork, helps heal the effects of trauma, and give countless children the opportunity to enjoy what little childhood they have. To engage the Glendon community in helping us do just that, we ran a photo campaign called #Hand2Hand on Monday, October 27th and Tuesday, October 28th from 11am-4pm at the Breezeway’s Kitchenette. We encouraged students to participate in this event by writing a brief comment or word on a piece of paper shaped as a hand about UNICEF, so that we can place all the hands together on a billboard to emphasize the notion that we can all come together to help make a lasting impact around the globe. It is important to get involved with UNICEF Glendon, because as a UNICEF club on campus, we are a part of a recognizable charity that has helped many nations around the world. Just like UNICEF, we strive to enhance the lives of children who suffer on a daily basis. More outstandingly, we support the national division, UNICEF Canada, to stretch its aid to reach the needs and interests of many groups through modes of health, food, security, protection of rights, emergency relief aid, survival gifts, many more. 4 and Thanks to the support from the Glendon com-
munity, our #Hand2Hand photo campaign was a complete success. We had over 100 Glendonites’ support, roughly 80 photos of hands with their unique messages, and $72 collected. We were able to raise funds for 10 soccer balls for children around the world to play with, and in return, we gave every participant candy. If any students are interested in getting involved or have any additional questions about the future event or the club in general, please email us at unicef.glendon@gmail.com and we would be more than happy to get back to you. Our major event for this semester is none other than our Holiday Charity Gala on Wednesday, December 17th, in collaboration with Glendon Roots and Shoots! Save the date for it will be a soirée in the hopes of giving back to society by providing a sustainable future for generations to come! Early bird ticket sales will be sold the week of Monday, November 24th to Thursday, November 27th in the Breezeway’s Kitchenette! For more information on UNICEF in Canada, visit unicef.ca.
Let Every Day Be Christmas Michelle Breeze Contributor “Christmas is forever, not for just one day, for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf. The good you do for others is good you do yourself.” – Norman W. Brooks This Christmas, why don’t you pay your love forward by volunteering at a soup kitchens? There are many churches and organizations in the Glendon area that do homeless outreach programs such as “Out of the Cold”,
“Community Meal”, and “Deedz”, which run not only throughout the Christmas season, but all year long. “Out of the Cold” is a program found at most churches in Toronto that aims to provide a safe and warm place to eat two meals (breakfast and dinner), enjoy fellowship with one another, and a place to lay their head for the night. Volunteers are always needed and ALWAYS welcomed. Its nearest location is Blythwood Road Baptist Church. “Community Meal” is found at the Salvation Army’s Bloor Central Church located at Bloor and Ossington. Bloor Central sees this program as an opportunity to share fellowship, to ease people’s load by offering a delicious three-course meal, as well as a place to warm up in the winter. “Community Meal” is always welcoming volunteers. If you are interested, please feel free to contact Erin Hardman at churchatglendon@gmail.com. “Deedz” is a York University student-run organization that strives to not only provide a warm cup of cocoa, but to engage in a friendly conversation with those at the Toronto Shelters downtown at Queen and Sherbourne. “Deedz” is an opportunity to engage in conversation, share in fellowship, and to give back time to the members in this wonderful city of Toronto. For more information about Deedz, visit deedz.ca. *Note: These programs run all year long!* Let this Christmas be a time to do good to those around you. Give your time back to those around you for “[n]o one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another” – Charles Dickens. Have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!
Glendon Abroad Jennifer Coté
Tulip Tales!
‘Ello There, Ben! Jennifer Coté Contributor
Jennifer Coté
Jennifer Coté
I had the pleasure of taking off from UCR a few weeks ago to go visit a place I’ve dreamed about visiting for a long time: Jolly Ol’ London! I am a big fan of British history, my intrigue was first sparked through my British heritage and it has grown as I’ve learned about Tudor history. King Henry VIII is one hell of a historical figure. If you don’t know who he is, he’s the king with all the wives. Visiting England for me was more than just a vacation; I was going to see where my mom was born and visit some seriously important historical places. So, a month before my trip, I planned, paid for, and packed to head off to my mother’s Mother Land! I was flying with Ryanair and was absolutely terrified that my bag would be too big. I’ve heard so many horror stories about the airline; I know friends who had too much baggage and ended up putting on layers after layers of their clothing to make their bag smaller. I was visiting for 11 days so packing everything into a carry-on took some serious minimizing of my luggage. But I did it! It all fit, plus I had extra room for shopping. They didn’t end up checking my bag anyways, but it was good to know I was capable of it all. The girl at the bus station who told me the walk would be about 15 minutes from where it would drop me off to Big Ben, which was right by my hostel, lied. I walked about 5 hours. But it was okay because I got to see London for the first time by the light of the moon! Actually, it was raining, but you know what I mean. The next 11 days were filled with adventure, fish n’ chips, history, and British accents —pretty much all of my favourite things. I spent a day visiting Bath, Stonehenge and Windsor castle, a day in Dover, and 6 days on the London Pass. The London Pass is kind of like an all access pass which gets you into a bunch of museums and activities for a set amount. I saved almost 100 pounds - about $200 – by using it. I visited Kensington palace, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, London Dungeons, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms, and so much more. Seeing Big Ben in person is really something you can’t describe. It’s incredibly impressive. My feet were killing me by the end of each day from walking so much. The Queen was actually at Buckingham Palace when I was in London. I was going to pop in to see her for a cup of tea, but I was very busy. This was the first trip I’ve ever done by myself, and I decided to go big with it! I spent 11 days in London, and let me tell you, it was glorious being in a big city again. I had Starbucks for the first time in 3 months. Ironically, I asked for a London Fog and they had no idea what it was. I enjoyed the city life, the lights and the sounds, and got to do it all on my own schedule. After the first day, I felt completely at ease. Returning to UCR, I felt rejuvenated; my travel bug was in a frenzy, and I can’t wait for my next adventure. To read more about London and my adventures since, check out my blog at: www.jennifercgl.wordpress.com
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Issues and Ideas Has Christmas Time Gift Giving Become Tainted by Consumerism? Carolyn White Contributor According to a recent survey done by TD Canada Trust, around one third of Canadians choose to buy gifts that they are unable to afford during the holiday period, as stated in Krystal Yee’s article, “How much does Christmas cost Canadians”, in Canadian Living magazine. In the Globe and Mail, a similar article by Bertrand Marotte called “Holiday Shoppers plan to spend more this year”, says that during the 2011 holiday season, the typical Canadian spent $1,397 on Christmas gifts according to a study conducted by the Bank of Montreal’s Holiday Spending Outlook. It is considerably probable that the majority of post-secondary students do not spend as excessively compared to the average Canadian during the holidays. However, there are certain pressures exerted on us by society to spend a lot, often more than we can afford. As outlined in a survey conducted by the journalists at Huffington Post, youth aged 16-29 plan on spending more this holiday season and of those, fifty percent will have to make a dent in their savings in order to purchase gifts for their loved ones. The journalists even go far enough to say that “Students who understand the realities of their budget and are budgeting for tuition and other early-term expenses are the ones who keep a strict budget around the holidays. The rest of us need a reality check.” My question is this: at what point did the holiday season become more about constant buying and less about the value of time and traditions spent with family and friends? Based on data provided by Statistics Canada, the year of 2003 showed “a moderate 2.0 growth from the previous year” and within December alone, nearly $32 billion in sales of goods were purchased and consumed. Since 2003, excessive spending has continued to increase and the holidays seem to be more about shopping and scouting the best deals. With that, Canadian debt loads appear to be on the rise as well. Thomas Higgens, TransUnion's vice president of analytics and decision services warns consumers that “debt loads have increased 400 per cent more than the rate of inflation” and that is within the last five years alone. "Debt's outpacing us and continues to outpace us, so at some point in time there's going to be a reconciliation," says Higgens in an interview with CBC. So, what does this mean for students? With the cost of rising tuition, and the price of living away from home for many of us, the urge to splurge during the holiday season is unreasonable. However, I think that our financial situations are less of a burden and more of a blessing during the holidays. We should be giving our loved ones gifts within reason, but most of all, we should be giving them more of our time. We don't often spend time with them during the school year due to our strenuous studies, extra curricular involvement, part-time jobs, and social obligations. This holiday season, think about who you really want to spend it with and make it memorable. Enjoy the outdoors, go skating, bake cookies with your grandparents, spend time volunteering at a soup kitchen; the options are endless. I think that it is important to internalize that it is not the heftiness of your pockets that will impress your loved ones, it is the value of your time shared together. Let us restore this holiday season to its original values of love, compassion and a time well spent.
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The Sex Ed Debate: To Teach or Not To Teach
Samantha Kacaba Health & Wellness Editor If you were to ask the average person to describe Canada, the word “progressive” would probably be tossed around. Despite being a society that prides itself on being relatively liberal, the topic of sex is still considered a taboo. Not to the extent that it had been in the past, of course—one can turn a television to any given channel and be greeted with programs featuring glaringly sexual themes. Sex is in our music, in our art, and needless to say, all over the Internet. Where sex becomes taboo is ironically where it needs to be discussed the most: the education system. In my own experience with sexual education throughout elementary and high school, there were a lot of topics that were never discussed properly. Among other things, I was never taught how to properly put on a condom. Nor was I ever told what a dental dam was or how to use one. Things that should have been big-ticket items were barely given a second thought. Even the most crucial element of any sexual encounter, consent, was never touched upon. In hindsight, I can see that this lack of knowledge could have left me vulnerable growing up. And given the fact that Ontario is the farthest behind of all the provinces when it comes to sexual education, I’m certain that I’m not the only one. The sexual education curriculum that is currently being taught was introduced in 1998, and as such does not address certain realities that affect sexuality today. The prevalence of Internet pornography and the phenomenon of “sexting” are issues that have only recently arisen within the last 10-15 years. On top of that, rates of sexually transmitted diseases in young people are rising; with more than two-thirds of chlamydia cases in Canada occurring among those aged fifteen to twenty-four years, as described on the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health website. The provincial government under Kathleen Wynne is looking to remedy this with updates to sexual education that they hope to implement in September of 2015. In a press release published at the end of October, the goals for the new curriculum and the research behind it were laid out. Of the updates to the curriculum, it read, “An updated curriculum will be current, relevant and age-appropriate and will provide students with the skills and information they need to make informed decisions about their health and well-being.” According to the press release, the Ministry of Education has in mind “a more inclusive approach, broadened to reflect the needs of all students”. Topics such as homosexuality and gender identity will be touched upon starting in the third grade and masturbation as well as anal and oral sex have been named as possible topics for upper year children. Though I am referring to the curriculum as “new”, it is anything but. The provincial government had previously sought to make this update to the curriculum in 2010, but was unable to do so due to backlash from concerned parent groups and religious leaders. Controversy is again surrounding the proposed changes, as groups such as Parents As First Educators claim that there has not been enough input from parents and Ontarians at large in the potential changes. Other groups, such as The Campaign Life Coalition claim that the new curriculum is too graphic to be presented to children and that it is inappropriate to “normalize homosexual family structures without regard for the religious/moral beliefs of families”. Some maintain that sexual education should be left more to parents than educators, while others believe that a progressive and formal education standardized by the Ministry of Education is necessary for children to receive the information they
Enjeux et idées
need. Regardless of whether the provincial government pushes through with these changes, Kathleen Wynne may cost the liberal party reelection as she makes waves with this reintroduction. Only time will tell, but I would like to hope that those that have been placed into a position of power will put aside their qualms and make a decision that will have a positive impact on the youth of Ontario.
Happy Holidays to Toronto's Homeless Lindsey Drury Issues & Ideas Editor I regret the length of time it took to realize that my parents are not always right. As a child and even as a young adult, it is often assumed that parental figures are somehow all-knowing; that they have special abilities to fix problems and answer questions in ways that you never seem to believe you are able to. It wasn't until recently that it began to dawn on me that my parents are as flawed as any of us— and can sometimes be terribly wrong. I grew up in a small city where the homeless population was small and nearly invisible. I was never exposed to being asked for spare change when walking down the street, as is a common occurrence in Toronto. This was part of the problem, as when I was finally introduced to this phenomenon as an impressionable kid, I was frightened and confused. To this day, I remember seeing my mother walk by these people with no acknowledgement. When asking her why we couldn't do anything to help, she explained to me that, to paraphrase, “you never know what they might spend it on”— “it” being the loonie or toonie I had in my pocket. I was taught that many homeless people become homeless because of addictions and dependencies, and that any money I give them will be spent in self-destructive ways. Unfortunately, this is the perspective I was ingrained with for much of my life. Perceivably, it is common for someone to think that giving money to the homeless is a bad idea because once donated, we have no control over how the person will spend the money, or if they'll spend it the “right” way.
Think of it like this: when you tip a server, cab driver, or pizza delivery person, you also have no control over how they spend the money. Have you ever thought to yourself that they may possibly also spend your tip in self-destructive ways? Is it any of your business? For a more related metaphor, when you donate to a charity, you still have no control over how they direct your money. That said, if you truly feel uncomfortable giving money to the homeless, there are so many other options. Instead, you could give gift cards for food establishments. You could buy dog food for their pet, give them old clothing, or even simple toiletries. By visiting this blog created by a young Torontonian, you can see a comprehensive breakdown of how to make care packages yourself, what items should be included, and even the kinds of things you should say before you offer them: http://thedovetheserpent.tumblr.com then look for the post “A Guide to Organizing a Homeless Care Package Run”. Above all, if you cannot donate anything tangible, you can begin making efforts to acknowledge the homeless as human beings, make eye contact, and smile. It is a tragedy that the majority of homeless individuals are harassed constantly and ignored every day, left treated as sub-humans by the rest of the public. The homeless stereotype is a grueling one. Many of us may view this group as lazy, unmotivated, addicted, and degenerate. It is necessary to be aware that there are many reasons homelessness arises, beyond any fault of the victim's own. Consider this: The San Diego Gay & Lesbian News reported in an article titled “America's Shame: 40% of homeless youth are LGBT kids” published in July of 2012 stated that “according to a comprehensive report on LGBT youth homelessness . . . nearly seven in ten (68%) respondents indicated that family rejection was a major factor” and “more than half (54%) of respondents indicated that abuse in their family was another important factor”. This statistic alone is enough to banish the idea that the homeless population somehow deserves what they’re getting. As the holiday season approaches, try to focus some attention on those around you, and what your perceptions about them may be. Are your perceptions fair? Are they your own? It is never too late to start giving back, and changing your treatment of Toronto's homeless is a great place to start.
GCSU - Glendon Gives Back
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Fridge Festival Fridege Festival in Review (Continued from cover)... The night ended with Elaine Cabildo’s “The Deadly 7”, another dark comedy piece, this time where actors played physical embodiments of the seven deadly sins at Gluttony’s funeral. Another general favourite of the night, the script allowed the characters to develop in the sin that they represented. One noteworthy performance in this show was that of Czeska Sion, who played Envy and embodied the character perfectly. The show overall had a pleasant pace, strong characters and an unexpected, but fitting conclusion, which marked a suitable end to the program. As per tradition, there were a few acts that performed between the plays, known as Freezers. Freezers are a fun little break between the plays that allow the audience to refresh their minds and the stagehands to set up between plays. The freezers on closing night were Gillian Murphy, Ceilidh Harrison and alumna Kendel Deonarine. Each of the talented freezers performed a song, the first doing hers as a monologue and song in one. All three performances were successful in their own way, since because they were so different, neither could be compared to another and all brought out the best in each performer. The beauty of the Fridge Festival is that it gives student playwrights and directors a platform on which to present their art. This year’s show introduced us to a somewhat new generation at Glendon that managed to put together a really entertaining show. Some really bright work comes from students who gain more experience writing and directing and it will be interesting to see how those who were involved this year continue to grow in their dramatic endeavours.
All photos on pages 8 and 9 by Kelly Lui
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Issues and Ideas The Art of Giving Effortlessly Sienna Warecki Expressions Editor As human beings, we are all contractually bound to the wellbeing of our planet, our ecosystems, our fellow humans—we are tied together, more than any of us realize on a day to day basis, and if we have the ability to help alleviate the suffering of another, we should do it. Unfortunately, many of the ways we are told we can help involve donating time or money we don’t feel we can part with. We are students struggling to balance our own bank accounts and timetables, and there are days (or indeed months) where we simply don’t think we can spare much. However, there are ways to hack your life so that you’re able to contribute to the world without needing to “do” much. They may seem quaint or insignificant at a glance, but the things that feel effortless are usually the ones we keep coming back to, and if we’re able to better our world with the click of a mouse button, why not? For your viewing pleasure, here are several ways you can streamline your everyday activities to help give back: 1. Ecosia. Now I like the convenience of Google’s search engine just as much as the next student (even though the company keeps literally all of your information and search history to sell to businesses looking to advertise to you online), but there are some pretty cool alternative search engines out there. Ecosia is one I only just found out about: every time you use it, you help to plant a tree in the rainforest. Ecosia.org is paired with the Nature Conservancy, part of the United Nations Environment Programme, and with every dollar raised through clicks on the search engine, a tree is planted in the Brazillian Rainforest. On November 7th it was released that Ecosia has officially planted one million trees—and what’s more ambitious, by 2020 they plan to have planted one billion more. Who knew research-
Shivaani Babuta
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Metropolis ing for projects (or looking up pictures of baby animals) could be so helpful in the long run? Head to www.ecosia. org to install the search engine to your internet browser. 2. Tab for a Cause. A stunningly simple internet browser app that allows you to raise money for your favourite charities just by surfing the web, Tab for a Cause uses somewhat the same method as Ecosia—that is, banner ads that show up each time you open a new tab on your browser, which TfaC is paid for. They then sieve that money off to a number of charities. In the past, TfaC has helped conserve 182 acres of forest through Conservation International, and given 5688 people a year of access to clean water through the water.org program (another thing to check out!). All of their finances are up on the website for you to see, so transparency is ensured! Go to www.tabforacause.org to install the app and get tabbing. 3. Freerice. This one requires slightly more effort than the other two, but is also more fun. I’ve used Freerice for a long time—it’s great for fifteen-minute study breaks, when you want to stop thinking so hard and just do something easy and entertaining. Freerice is an educational quiz game of sorts, with trivia questions about English vocabulary being the most popular subject (although Freerice now has subjects ranging from mathematics to geography to art history, and more!) It uses an algorithm which tracks how many questions you get right, and adjusts your level to your own unique knowledge base, so there are custom-made levels fit for people of all ages and backgrounds, from freshmen to professors! And here’s the best part: with each question you get right, Freerice donates ten grains of rice through the UN World Food Programme. It’s run entirely for free and is a great educational resource alongside being a tangible contribution to the world, (and it helps feed the healthy competitive side to all of us, as there are scoreboards you can make it onto if you make an account!) So the next time you’ve got five minutes and want the same sort of quick fix your iPhone games might give you, go to www.freerice. com and play away!
Helping Others from Scarborough to Etobicoke Neya Abdi Metropolis Editor The holidays are marked by abundance, and with abundance comes an obligation to give back. No matter what you’re celebrating, whether it’s Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah, you would probably agree that love, charity, and an appreciation of family is a common denominator. Well, unless you’re celebrating Festivus, in which case an appreciation of your loved ones would hopefully come after the Airing of Grievances and the Feats of Strength, assuming you survive. In an increasingly commercialized world, these much more wholesome values have been appropriated by advertisers who equate the holiday season with whatever they are selling. And although a shiny new electronic, leather boots, or a gift card to your favourite store may give you the warm fuzzies, let’s not forgetting that feeling good, in its purest form, comes from doing good. According to numbers provided by the City of Toronto, 1 in 5 households live in residences that are in bad shape or that the residents simply can’t afford. 32% of adults who received meals from food banks were forced to sacrifice meals to pay the rent, and in 2012, 946,000 people used food banks while 5,086 people were homeless. The City of Toronto statistics, which were last updated in March 2013, showed that there were 4,343 supportive housing homes for people with mental illness and that an additional 3,195 were on the waiting list (“Poverty, Housing, and Homelessness in Toronto”, City of Toronto). This is just a glimpse into the situation of some of Toronto’s most poverty-stricken and marginalized individuals. There are a number of charities and organizations throughout the GTA that provide specific services and work to improve the lives of their fellow Torontonians. And although working to make your community a better place should be a year-round goal, it’s only natural that during a time of such heightened festivities, the desire to spread goodwill will be stronger, and whatever the cynics may have to say, it would be best to act upon it. Visible Toronto institutions use the season to encourage giving with famous examples being the Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund and the CP24 CHUM Christmas Wish program. Initiatives such as Holiday Helpers aim to directly make the holidays of lower-income families a little more festive by delivering gifts, decorations, and food vouchers. If you would rather give time as opposed to money, Holiday Helpers relies on the help of volunteers to package presents, wrap gifts, and deliver the goods. In 2013, Holiday Helpers managed to deliver holiday packages to 355 families with the help of over 500 volunteers (“About Us”, HolidayHelpers.org). Though Christmas-related events and fundraisers are the most visible due to Christmas’ easy translation to a theme what with its traditional decorations, well-known songs, and of course, Santa Claus, those looking to give back this holiday season can always think outside the box. Looking locally is one of the best ways to become familiar with the benefits of volunteering since the effects are more visible and you can feel the satisfaction of helping with the improvement of your community. And naturally, there are year-round programs and organizations always looking for volunteers to share the load. Take the opportunity to find meaningful causes and be proactive. The number of charities can be overwhelming so check out sites like toronto-charities.ca, charityvillage.com, and volunteertoronto. ca to get you started. That fancy holiday party downtown that you’re looking forward to is fleeting. But helping others? That, dear city dweller, is forever.
Métropole
Natasha Faroogh
On a Toronto Needle Hunt Natasha Faroogh
BAM! Youth Slam Finals Glendonite Makes the Team Natasha Faroogh Editor in Chief On Wednesday November 12, BAM! Toronto’s Monthly Youth Slam held its Finals Night at The Central Bar at Bathurst and Markham Street. This night was dedicated to qualified slammers who competed to make the BAM! team. The night also featured Dwayne Morgan, a Canadian spoken word artist who has made poetry his career for the past 21 years. The bar was packed, not a single seat was empty, and at the back it was standing room only, yet the entire audience held onto every word these young artists spoke, spit, rhymed, or sang. The poetry moved the audience to snap, clap, cheer, laugh and even cry. The small bar was warm—not just from the number of people in the place, but from the open and welcoming atmosphere created by the poets, the audience, and the organizers of the event. Perhaps most exciting for the Glendonites in the audience was seeing our very own Lindsey Drury perform and tie in second place along with another competitor. If you would like to read some of Lindsey’s work, check out the “Expressions” section in Pro Tem. This night proved that poetry is not dead—it’s alive, kicking, screaming, and breathing. If sitting in a cozy bar with words moving you to feel things you didn’t know you could feel seems like your thing, make sure to like “BAM! The (Toronto) Youth Slam” on Facebook for updates on future events.
Samantha Kacaba Health & Wellness Editor Body modification can be a tricky business. Pick the wrong artist, and instead of a piercing you’ll be paying for a heinous blemish. Complications can range from simple bacterial infections and hypergranulation tissue to abscessing and hypertrophic scarring. As someone new to Toronto, I was nervous about finding a piercer. With so many options, it would be easy to make a wrong choice, and it certainly wouldn’t be my first time doing so. I got my navel pierced on a whim to celebrate my graduation from high school and the experience was awful. I’ll own up to the fact that it was partially my own fault; I didn’t do any research on the place I was going to and made my choice solely based on a friend’s recommendation. Upon entering the dimly lit and dingy looking studio, I should have turned back. Instead, I kept with it. I had taken the time to drive there and the prices were oh-so-cheap! I didn’t see the sake in just walking out and going home. That was a mistake I definitely paid for. The piercer was apathetic, unfriendly and didn’t explain anything to me, to the point where I didn’t even know what gauge of jewelry to wear in my piercing. I was given very little instruction on aftercare and was left with a disgusting, infected wound in the middle of my stomach. Naturally, after this experience, I did a lot of research into where I should go for my next piercing. Websites such as Yelp became my best friend in this search, as I was able to go through numerous reviews on each potential studio. After much reading, I decided upon Exotix Studios. Located just off the intersection of Spadina Avenue and Queen Street West, it boasted rave reviews online on both its piercing and tattooing services and sported polished portfolios of work on its website. These portfolios featured everything from simple cartilage and nasal piercings to genital piercings, scarification, dermal punching, and scalpel work. I myself was only going for a simple tragus piercing, but
“better safe than sorry” had been a lesson learned the hard way for me, and the diverse scope of work featured gave me confidence in the artist’s ability. I emailed the owner of the studio, Six, for an appointment, and thus began the waiting game. When it finally came down to the big day, I made my way up to the second floor suite and was greeted with a clean, well-lit, professional looking studio. I sat down on the couch, as Six was occupied elsewhere, and was offered a drink by one of the tattoo artists. I was attended to not too long after this. Six presented me with a variety of different jewelry options and had answers for any and all questions I could come up with. Upon asking why the studio was so empty (the only clientele there were myself and two others who had come in for a tattoo) he told me that he works solely by appointment, so that he has time to run everything by the client without being rushed. According to him, some of the busier studios in Toronto leave the job of aftercare instruction to counter staff, which can lead to discrepancies in the quality of instruction given. Despite losing potential walk-in business, he says he still manages to keep his appointment book filled. The piercing itself was a pinch! Six took his time with the procedure and all of the jewelry and tools were properly sterilized. I won’t say there was no pain, but it definitely wasn’t as bad as I had thought it would be. As I write this article, any pain and swelling I had has completely faded away, but the piercing did leave my ear a little tender for a week or so. Given the placement of the jewelry, I’ve had to give up wearing earphones for the time being, which has been a struggle in and of itself. All and all I’m completely satisfied with the experience I had at Exotix Studios. Six has definitely got a returning customer in me; he was a pleasure to work with, both incredibly friendly and professional. In fact, I have an appointment booked with him for a septum piercing that’s coming up quick! I’d recommend this studio in a heartbeat to anyone seeking out any sort of body modification in Toronto.
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Health and Wellness An Inquiry About Coffee Gulsvert Dela Cruz Contributor Many of us know coffee simply for what it is – a dark, smooth liquid to wake us up in those early mornings or keep us company on those cool, airy nights. A typical notion about post-secondary life is that if you’re not drinking beer, then you’re drinking coffee (or both). I admit I love coffee, but as a freshman have yet to rely on either… only time will tell. Anyways, we often drink such a wonderful beverage without thinking about what makes it so special. Well yes, caffeine and warmth obviously play large roles in that, but there is much more to it. Coffee has a rich history, one as rich as its brew. The drink was an invention of the Old World, specifically the Southern Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia, where coffee beans had been cultivated for centuries before people knew how to make a drink out of it. Ethiopian farmers started chewing the beans after seeing the stimulating effect it had on livestock. They eventually discovered how to brew it, calling the beverage “banu”. While we don’t know exactly when it became a brewed drink (an Arabic document shows somewhere as early as 900 CE), by the 1200’s numerous kahveh kahnes, or early versions of coffee-houses, had sprung up all over the Arabian Peninsula and North-
ern Africa. It was famous enough that by the 17th century Dutch traders and Indian merchants such as Baba Budan both smuggled their own seeds back home to grow the crop. Over the centuries, the precious crop switched hands and jumped continents, allowing for the establishment of vast plantations (sadly coinciding with plantation slavery during the colonial era) across the tropics of Asia, Africa, and America. By the 21st century, coffee had become a worldwide sensation. (Nzegwu, 2010) We all know that coffee has tons of health benefits, but what do we know exactly? Some interesting health facts about coffee and/or caffeine that you might not have known: - Not only does caffeine perk you up, but it also wakes up your fat cells, making them burn body fat faster. - Coffee contains several important minerals including Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Manganese, Potassium, Magnesium and Niacin. - Coffee has been shown to reduce the risk of Type-2 Diabetes from 23% up to 50%. (Just don’t overdo the sugar please) - Coffee has shown to decrease the chance of getting Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia by up to 65% and of getting Parkinson’s by up to 60%. - As a stimulant, coffee helps counter depression. - As an antioxidant, it slightly lowers the risk of stroke. However, it’s best to avoid too much coffee if you have high blood pressure – it’ll have a reverse effect. (Kirkpatrick,
2013) (Gunnars, n.d.) As we stack up all the facts, one might ask, as many have had in the past: How much coffee is too much coffee? Research has turned up different numbers, ranging from 1 to as much as 7 cups daily. One has to gauge, among a number of health factors, diet and blood pressure into the equation. Even with the many positive effects attached, the idea that “too much of a good thing is bad” spares not even this wonder drink; for one, too much coffee can cause your circadian rhythm (fancy jargon for body clock) to be disrupted, affecting your sleep and digestion, among other things. Overconsumption can also hamper your kidneys’ ability to absorb minerals like zinc, a vital mineral in maintaining the immune system, and calcium, which is important to bone health and strength. (Dillan, 2013) So whenever you take that cup of espresso or cappuccino, take it in moderation. At the same time, reminisce upon it’s rich history and soak in those numerous health benefits with that rich taste. Dillan, J. (2013, May 4). “7 Negative Effects of Coffee”. Retrieved from: <http://www.healthambition.com> Gunnars, K. (n.d.) “13 Proven Health Benefits of Coffee”. Retrieved from: <http://authoritynutrition.com> Kirkpatrick, K. (2013, April 4). “9 Amazing Benefits of Coffee”. Retrieved from: <www.huffingtonpost.com/kristin-kirkpatrick> Nzegwu, N. (2010, Jan 10). “Ethiopia: The Origin of Coffee”. Retrieved from: <www.africaresource.com>
costing almost $400.00. 2. Monthly birth control pills are also readily available to young women and are much cheaper than an IUD, costing somewhere around $30.00 for a monthly supply. There are many different brands of oral contraceptives so speak with your doctor about which brand is best for you. You must take the pill daily in order for it to be effective. If you are a forgetful person, then this may not be the best option for you. It is also important to know that you must begin taking the pill a full month before you begin having unprotected sex to ensure infertility. You may encounter times when you do not have a steady sexual partner, even if you are having sex sporadically you must continue to take the pill every day.
Dear Amrita, I am currently in a long term relationship with my boyfriend and we want to try other means of birth control. What is the most effective birth control method? Thanks -L Hey L, While I am glad that you are entering this stage of your relationship, I would advise you to continue using condoms as they do protect against pregnancy and STI’s. If you are sure that you are in a monogamous relationship, then there are three potential options. 1. The IUD (intrauterine device) is very popular among young unmarried females and is extremely effective. It is a small t-shaped device that is inserted into the vagina by your doctor and depending on the type that you purchase it can be left inside the body for up to five years to ensure infertility. Another great thing about the IUD is that it can be taken out at any time by your physician. If one day you decide you would like to get pregnant, you can have the device removed and begin trying immediately. The downside of an IUD is that the device is very costly,
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3. Diaphragms are small cup-shaped devices that you insert into the vagina before sexual intercourse. Your doctor will fit you for your diaphragm and depending on which brand you purchase, a diaphragm can be used for many years. Hope these options helped! Good Luck! Have a question? Write to me at stictlysex.gl@gmail.com OR drop your question off anonymously in the drop box outside of the GWTC, located in Hilliard D-124. Disclaimer: By writing into Strictly Sex, you are giving Pro Tem permission to publish your question in print and various other publication forms. Questions are chosen by Amrita hence there is no guarantee all questions will be answered. Advice administered in the Strictly Sex should not replace any professional medical, or legal advice given to you otherwise. Responses are the expressed opinions of Amrita and are not intended to diagnose or to be used as treatment. By writing in, you agree to use their advice at your own discretion taking complete responsibility for whatever consequences ensue.
Have opinions? Like to write? Like to take pictures? Like to draw comics? Email us: editor@protemglendon.com
Campus Spirit
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Arts et divertissements “Honour Your Word” Excerpt and Review Colvin Chan Contributor One of Glendon Roots and Shoots’s annual traditions is to watch a documentary as a club in support of the Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival at York University. This happened from November 6th-9th this year. Based on popular votes, we decided to watch “Honour Your Word” by York University’s very own Director of Environmental Studies, Professor Martha Steigman on Friday, Nov. 7th, 3:00pm at the Nat Taylor Cinema located in the Keele campus. “Honour Your Word” is an intimate portrait of life behind the barricades for the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, an inspiring First Nations community whose dignity and courage contrast sharply with the political injustice they face. The title refers to their campaign slogan demanding that Canada and Quebec honour a precedent-setting conservation deal signed in 1991. Director Martha Stiegman spent four years shooting this poetic, heartfelt documentary that challenges stereotypes of “angry Indians”. “Honour Your Word” juxtaposes starkly contrasting landscapes— the majesty of the bush, a dramatic highway stand-off against a riot squad, daily life within the confines of the reserve—to reveal the spirit of a people for whom blockading has become a part of their way of life, a life rooted in the forest that they are defending. The documentary was absolutely riveting and brought light to the overexploitation of natural resources from corporations, the laissez-faire administration from the federal government, the long cultural struggles the Aboriginals of Barriere Lake have to face for their rights and their sheer resilience and refusal to lose their traditional way of life. Here are the thoughts from GRAS members about the contents of the documentary. Tia McNeil said, “I thought it was very eye opening. This is an issue that lies right under our nose in our own country and it's ignored by many. I feel like if we don't do something to help these people, their culture and their entire way of living will be forgotten. Many of us seem to forget that First Nations were originally the inhabitants of Canada. Since colonialism, they've been pushed out of their land and forced to live in worse conditions. I think it's time they were given a voice. I would like to be that voice and do whatever I can to inform myself on the issue so that I act accordingly.” Stephanie Mak said, “I personally feel that the government needs to recognize the land rights signed in the agreement with the Natives. To be honest, the protests seen in the film reminded me of the Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong right now. Selon moi, il faut que le gouvernement québécois reconnaisse les droits des autochtones. Ce qu'ils veulent, c'est leur culture et leur identité, pas les ressources.” Sergey Mostovshchikov said, “In the documentary, I noticed that the Aboriginals relied on diesel as their primary source of fuel beside firewood; I think that it would be more environmentally-friendly for them to use hydropower or install solar panels instead since they are both renewable alternate energy sources that would fit well with their holistic worldviews. The federal government, on the other hand, should respect the Aboriginal title to their land and extract natural resources from elsewhere. . . The aboriginals of Barrie Lake have a serious legal case. They say that they don't have money, however, a similar aboriginal group was able to raise the money needed. So why can't the Barrie Lake Aboriginals do that also?”
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Penny Black is Here:
An Interview with Jubilee Riots’ Brian Buchanan Sienna Warecki Expressions Editor After over fifteen years of writing and performing music— and just as long forging connections with fans all across the world—Northern Roots Rock band Jubilee Riots has put out their newest album, Penny Black. Though it is full to the brim with raw energy, this record is more than a collection of catchy tunes. After the success of their last studio album, The Modest Revolution, which was written based entirely on the news stories in a single issue of The Globe and Mail, the band decided to write an album with inspiration drawn somewhat closer to home. After years of building a die-hard fanbase, they decided to reach out to those fans for their stories—from the dark and depressing to the lighthearted and laughter-filled—to use as fodder for their songwriting fires. The catch was, you had to write your story down on paper and snail-mail it! The band received around 900 pages of letters from all across the world, from here to Japan to Australia, and got to work converting them into a ten-song album with a fully human heart at its centre. After a show here in Toronto, I got to catch up with multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Brian Buchanan, talking about the album, its challenges and triumphs, and the band’s music in general. Sienna Warecki: Introduce yourself to us! Your instruments of choice, favourite book, and the occupation that you would have taken if you weren’t a musician. Brian Buchanan: I play fiddle—well, until recently I played fiddle and keyboard and some guitar, and now I play all the electric guitar in the band for some reason so that’s what I do now. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby just about killed me, but in a good way; it's incredibly good, but more so because of who I am and what I do. It was one of those books where I empathized with every character but just loved and hated the protagonist because he was exactly what I'm afraid of looking in the mirror one day and seeing. As for occupation, if I hadn’t joined the band I was expecting to go to film school. I don’t know what end of the film industry I would’ve wound up in—everybody wanted to be a director but I would have probably wound up being an editor or a cinematographer. But nowadays I don’t know—if the band fell apart and I had to get a real job I’d be sorely unqualified for anything besides what I do. [laughs] SW: If I had to introduce a few people to Jubilee Riots, what are two or three of the songs that you’d want people to take in as a first impression? BB: I would say the first couple of songs on the record—“Trying Times”, “Two Bare Hands”—are two that show some of the scope of the band. I don’t know. It’s a tough record to sort of call that way. I think “Two Bare Hands” is—it’s got, you know, the banjo and accordion in there but it’s also got this synth-y thing and the dance rock element and, good lyrical imagery and cool ideas, so if I had to play somebody a new song for the very first time and say “that’s kind of what my band does” that’d probably be the one. SW: It seems like the world is shifting in terms of artist-audience connection; it used to be you got a couple of people on a pedestal and everybody looking up at them and now it’s kind of equalized. Penny Black is cool because of the
fact that, from the songs themselves to the financing behind the recording of the songs, none of it could have actually happened without the fanbase. Where did the idea for Penny Black come from? Where was the inception? BB: It came out of the concept for the Modest Revolution, because the idea behind Modest Revolution was that every newspaper is full of these stories and every issue of a newspaper has enough good stories to write an entire album around. But then as we were doing it we realized that we were looking even further away than we needed to because every person that we meet at a show has at least one story worth telling. Some of them are great stories that don’t make good songs and some of them are stories that just sort of spark the inspiration for us and then became songs but, you know, there’s no greater resource for us than the people we’ve met over the last fifteen years. There’s fodder for songs in every aspect of the human experience. SW: I just want to say thank you for giving us that opportunity to help you. BB: You know, it’s amazing how many people have said that to us and it always makes me smile to see that that gratitude really does really go both ways—because for us we feel so blessed that we have so many people in the world who trust us to do what we want to do and that they’re going to like the product that comes out. We financed this record a year before it came out, and that’s a lot of trust from a lot of people that’re like, “I trust that a year from now you’re going to have spent my money in a way that I’m going to be happy with the result.” Everyone always says “what’s your advice to new bands who want to crowdfund a record?” and it’s like, okay, what you want to do is spend ten years getting to know every fan by their first name and shaking every hand and looking people in the eye and having a real appreciation for their time and their interest in you. After years of a successful musical career as Enter The Haggis, the band has rebranded and come out swinging, electric new album in tow. Head over to their Facebook page, or to www.jubileeriots.com for more information and free streaming of all of Penny Black!
Metal Music and Sexuality: How Do They Correlate?
Samantha Kacaba Health & Wellness Editor The history of metal music is much more storied and diverse than one would think. Its lineage can be traced from the pre-metal rock of the 1950s, through the psychedelic era of the 1960s, until we finally find ourselves in the 1970s as quintessential early metal bands such as Black Sabbath and Judas Priest begin to make their mark. From there, the genre continued to evolve and branch out. From doom metal and black metal to progressive metal and even Christian metal, there are more sub-genres than one could even begin to imagine. Despite the many differences in metal and its various offshoots, there are certain qualities that seem to remain the same no matter what. Metal as a whole can be easily defined by hyper-masculinity. From the outside looking in, it seems to be unequivocally a straight man’s game. Obviously, in such a macho environment, there can be lack of queer visibility. Anyone who peruses sites pertaining to metal music and news has undoubtedly come across forums and comment sections littered with hateful commentary regarding the LGBTQ+ community. Despite this, and as ironic as it may seem, queer subcultures and metal music have intersected
Arts and Entertainment in the past and continue to intersect today. For some, when the phrase “queer music” is written, images of The Village People or Elton John come to mind. Yet there can be found a number of metal acts with openly queer members, even when we look all the way back to when metal first started hitting the radio waves. A notable example of queer influence can be found in the front man of the band Judas Priest, Rob Halford. Judas Priest has been a prominent figure on the metal scene since 1969, when their debut album Rocka Rolla was released. Save for a hiatus from 1992-1996, they’ve been releasing albums relatively consistently ever since, their music made distinct by Halford’s remarkable vocal range and operatic high notes. In 1998, he stepped out of the closet as a gay man, in an interview done for MTV News. For some, Halford’s announcement came as a shock, but for anyone in the know, it wouldn’t have been much of a surprise. His on-stage attire of leather and studs is typical of the gay male leather subculture of the 1970s. Halford himself has named this as an influence on his music and aesthetic, which can be seen in some less than subtle song titles such as 1976’s Island of Domination and 1978’s Hell Bent for Leather. Of his sexuality he has said, “I think that most people know that I’ve been a gay man all of my life, and that it’s only been in recent times that it’s an issue that I feel comfortable to address, and an issue that has been with me ever since recognizing my own sexuality.” (“Rob Halford Discusses Sexuality Publicly For The First Time.” MTV News. MTV, 5 Feb. 1998) In such a male-dominated genre, female artists can be hard to find, let alone queer female artists. Nevertheless, the band Otep has been on the scene since the early 2000s, falling into the subcategory of “nu metal”. To date they’ve released 6 studio albums, with a 7th having been announced at the start of 2014. For their 4th album, Smash the Control Machine, Otep was nominated for GLAAD Media Award. Otep’s front woman, Otep Shamaya, openly identifies as a lesbian. In an interview done for the website AfterEllen.com, she stated that she had never really been in the closet, as it had “never crossed her mind to hide it”. In said interview, she spoke about the perception of lesbians within popular culture, saying, “I think the lesbian community is just now showing all of itself, all of its faces. Where as before, people might have a certain idea of what a lesbian is. The more exposure people get to any community I think is good.” (Marti, Kris Scott. "Interview with Otep Shamaya." AfterEllen.com. 31 Jan. 2005.) Throughout various other niches that exist under the heavy metal umbrella there can be found no small amount of queer performers. Though I find it interesting from a personal standpoint, I don’t really think the fact that metal has a queer presence should be all that shocking. As with anything else, there’s always more than meets the eye. I think that the fact that the presence of queer people in the metal community is seen as unusual says a lot. It speaks to changes that need to take place in both how we as a society perceive LGBTQ+ people and how the metal community conducts itself. As we continue to consume media portraying queer folk in a narrow scope, we begin to see people as tropes rather than individuals. This is an issue that transcends any specific genre or medium. As for the metal community, just as any other community, it will have to move forward to keep with the times.
L’hiver Paula Lancuba Contributor L'hiver est comme les pages de mon livre I thought, they pass by quickly and become yellow to die in one read I look over the window, the wind is fierce and pushes away the warmth of the previous season. As l'hiver takes place I get ahead on my essays. Two degrees under zero, the radio said. I will have to dress warmer I thought, as I pour a hot chocolate in my mug. Tout à coup, je pense positif. Certainly, there is nothing like seeing the winter, and another school year pass by. Soon, I will finish the semester nightmare, but in the meantime I can't stop thinking of the yellow pages that overwhelm me. The yellow pages, the yellow pages, that get stuck in my head Luckily, I have just a few readings left. This thought comes as a ray of light, and my brain gets lighted up.
The Busiest Street Around Tina Vlahos Contributor She sits on the side of the busiest street around, curled against a subway vent for warmth. Her hands have gone black with cold and her movements are lethargic as her body begins to shut down. She barely moves, she rarely eats. Her teeth are nearly rotten and her skin is crusted with grime and soot. It hurts to breathe. Her chest contracts with the pain of swollen muscles and frozen bones. Her lips bleed from cracking skin and her eyes yellow from infection. She is stepped on, stepped around, stared at and pitied. She is laughed at, mocked, spat on and avoided. There is no difference between the aggressive and the passive, neither lends a hand. Neither opens their bursting wallets to curl a few dollars of their thousands into her brittle and misshapen hands. Neither breaks their bread, buys an extra meal or sacrifices half their coffee so she might have a taste of nourishment. They all walk on by. She has nothing but a coat and the clothes on her back to her name, and her smile begins to falter. The chill crawls up her legs and purples her once-alabaster skin. She returns to her spot in the corner of the busiest street around, waving to the gentlemen curled against a subway vent. The edge of her mouth quirks, knowing she can help this man, knowing that she can still give to the world. She pats his shoulder and he turns his face, wrinkled with age, eyes filled with knowledge from a life before his children turned their backs and his injury lost him his job. Her smile returns and she removes her last form of defense. Her coat is around his shoulders and her smile becomes his, baring teeth nearly rotten and lips bleeding from cracked skin. His yellow eyes gleam only slightly, the spirit of the holidays renewed for those few minutes with her. He gestures to his spot on the vent and she gladly takes her place, embracing the warmth that blows there as the man walks away, holding the jacket close, knowing she needs that vent more than he will. Her mouth is inches away from the crunch of a warm sandwich. Saliva fills her mouth, anticipating the first meal in days. The little money she allows herself to keep being scraped together for this very moment. Her stomach is louder than the radio that plays in the dingy café and the pounding in her head takes up the base. She
Expressions chances a glance out the window and sees a small face, alone and longing with hunger. The sandwich inches from her mouth, she stands, and leaves the café, heading straight for the child outside. She breaks her bread, wishing she had the money for an extra meal, or a coffee to share. He inhales the sandwich, smiling with only the innocence a child can have, holding his stomach like a feast had just befallen him. He skips away to a pile curled against a subway vent and rouses the figure there, pointing to the woman who has given him his first meal in over a week. She nods and walks down the street, slowly savouring the rest of her own meal. She walks down one of the busiest streets around, her newly purchased parka warming her as her heels click along, announcing her presence to all. Her nose is high, her posture straight, her teeth whitened to perfection. If it were not for the gust of wind that stole her hat, she may not have seen the woman curled against a subway vent. Her hands black with cold and her movements lethargic as her body began to shut down. Her teeth nearly rotten and her skin crusted with grime and soot. Removing her jacket to drape across the woman, she opens her wallet to curl a few dollars into the older woman’s brittle and misshapen hands. The older woman whispers blessings of the season on the young woman who bought her her life and curls back against the subway vent. Knowing the spirit of giving has not yet died on the busiest street around.
Biographie langagière Tristan Castro-Pozo Contributeur Je crois être un homme multilingue parce que je parle et j’écris correctement l’espagnol, le portugais et l’anglais. Mais pour moi, apprendre une nouvelle langue n'est pas facile, j'avais essayé aussi d'étudier le chinois et le français pendant plusieurs années. À l'école, j'ai étudié l'anglais et le chinois pendant dix ans. Mais, maintenant je ne me souviens même pas d’un mot de chinois, j'ai oublié tous les idéogrammes du mandarin et du cantonais. Je me rappelle seulement de la façon d’écrire mon nom. Il y a longtemps, dans un restaurant chinois, un garçon m’a dit que j’ai encore un très bon accent chinois. Chez nous, nous parlons en espagnol et rarement en anglais. Ma mère est enseignante d’espagnol retraitée et mon père est journaliste et critique d'art. Quand j’étais enfant, j’ai vu beaucoup pièces de théâtre classique. J’ai également regardé mon père jouer quelques scènes des comédies espagnoles. J'ai étudié la communication et le multimédia à l'université de São Paulo au Brésil, et ensuite j’ai appris à parler le portugais, qui, en fait, n’est pas aussi proche de l’espagnol que beaucoup de gens le pense. J’avais une copine qui m’a aidé à corriger mes fautes en portugais avec beaucoup d’humour et de patience. Avant d’immigrer au Canada, j’ai habité à New York pendant trois ans, où j’ai appris des techniques de théâtre et de l’art de l’acteur. Alors j’ai vécu dans le quartier du Bronx de la Big Apple, où j’entendais quotidiennement l’accent afro-américain, ainsi que la manière de parler « spanglish » des deux groupes plus connus de l’Amérique latine ; les chicanos d’origine mexicaine et les boricuas d’origine portoricaine. Actuellement, j’étudie le français parce que j’aimerais lire les œuvres de mes auteurs préférés comme Jean Baudrillard, Jacques Lacan, et Samuel Beckett dans leurs versions originales. Egalement, j’apprécie l’art français et son influence sur la vie intellectuelle et les autres formes artistiques.
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Expressions Biographie langagière Crystal Ulluoa-Lopez Contributrice Je m'appelle Crystal et je parle anglais, espagnol, et un peu français. Bien que j'aie grandi avec l'espagnol, ma langue maternelle est l'anglais. Quand j'étais petite, je ne connaissais aucun mot en anglais. Mes parents et ma famille me parlaient seulement en espagnol donc c'était la seule langue que j'ai su. Ce n'est que quand j'ai commencé l'école que j'ai appris l'anglais. Ainsi, je suis devenue avancée en anglais. Malheureusement, quand j'ai commencé à apprendre l'anglais, j'ai décidé de parler en anglais tout les temps. Par conséquent, après des années et des années de ne pas pratiquer l'espagnol mon niveau maintenant est entre avancé et intermédiaire. Je peux comprendre l'espagnol parfaitement, mais c'est un grand défi d'écrire. Je n'ai jamais pris de cours d'espagnol avant de commancer
à Glendon. J'avais la mauvaise habitude de parler en espagnol seulement quand c'était nécessaire. Pourtant, j'ai réalisé que l'espagnol faisait partie de mon identité, de ma culture. Maintenant je parle l'espagnol chaque fois qu'il y a des opportunités. Je suis une guide pour un voyagiste donc je pense que, chaque jour que je travaille, je parle en espagnol ou en français. J'aime le français. Je pense que c’est une langue merveilleuse et qu’il est important d’apprendre parce que c'est l'autre langue officielle du Canada. Pour cette raison, j'ai choisi d'aller à Glendon. J'aime qu’il y a des occasions de pratiquer mon français sur le campus et qu’il fait de la publicité pour les programmes à l'extérieur de l'école. Cet été passé, j'ai habité au Québec pour 5 semaines grâce au programme Explore. J'habitais dans une petite ville où 97% des gens sont francophones. Ainsi, j'ai appris comment parler à l'extérieur de la classe avec confiance. J'habite à Toronto, donc je n'ai pas beaucoup de chances de pratiquer le français que j'ai appris dans l'école en dehors de l'école. Mon environnement à Jonquiere était
complètement en français, la musique, les médias, les personnes, les magasins. C'était formidable! Quand je suis retournée à Toronto, j'étais surpris d’entendre à nouveau de l’anglais! Maintenant, quand je regarde la télévision ou des films, j'essaye de regarder les films en français ou de mettre les sous-titres en français ou espagnol car c'est mon habitude. Aussi, j'ai acheté livres en français et j'écoute la musique en français. Je sens que je suis forte à l'oral mais faible à l'écrit. Je prends les cours en français pour renforcer mes capacités et travailler à mes faiblesses. Donc, je suis entre les niveaux débutant et intermédiaire. S’il faut que je m'identifie comme unilingue, bilingue, ou plurilingue, c'est un peu difficile. Je suis à l’aise en anglais mais manque de confiance avec mon français et l'espagnol. Je sais que je peux parler en français et espagnol mais seulement les bases. Je peux présenter mes opinions et idées mais je fais des fautes de grammaire. L'écrit est une autre partie qu'il faut que je pratique parce que c'est faible dans les deux langues.
All fashion photos by Wendi Yuan
Fashion on Campus
Lindsey D. On others’ judgements regarding her fashion: Column by Wendi Yuan “It’s not just what I wear, but also my piercings . . . if I’m wearing something like what I wore here, something with www.youtube.com/WenWearWhat lots of colours, sometimes I get stared at. As a child, I gave in to what people thought so much. When I turned sixteen, Whitney V. I slowly realized that life’s short and you should just live On body image: “The whole body movement in the fashion industry is how you want to. So now, when it comes to appearance, I great. I see that now (with retail stores) incorporating more literally don’t care.” body types and shapes, and it’s really important now especially for the younger generations look at fashion and can Wendi says: I’m sure we’ve all been insecure about our appearances at say ‘I don’t have to look a certain way’.” some point, maybe even right now. But I believe that the insecurity is a reflection of self-judgement rather than others’, Wendi says: We’ve still got a long way to go in terms of diversity in the and if others are judging you, it’s more likely a reflection of fashion industry, but like Whitney said, changes are slowly their insecurities. Glendon is a great place where everyone taking place here and there. I think it’s important to always can just relax a bit and express ourselves fearlessly. remain critical and understand what’s the motive/reasoning behind the marketing strategies, and whether or not they’ll be effective and efficient in the long run.
Eugene L. Sur la mode pour les hommes: « J’aime bien la mode parce qu’elle change en fonction du temps, ce n’est jamais la même chose et il y a toujours une évolution. On peut mettre de la personnalité dans les vêtements. Les gens, particulièrement les hommes pensent que suivre la mode est juste un effet de groupe, mais quand tout le monde fait un projet commun, ensemble, c’est comme un mouvement. » Wendi dit : J’étais vraiment surprise par la surprise d’Eugene. Je suis très contente quand je vois les hommes qui aiment la mode et qui sont aussi très conscients de l’industrie de la mode. Pour les gars qui veulent trouver des inspirations, je vous recommande les blogs de Street Etiquette (http://inspiration.streetetiquette.com), Contemporary Standard (http:// www.contemporarystandard.com/en), The Hundreds (http://thehundreds.com), et Gentlemen's Brim (http:// www.gentlemensbrim.blogspot.ca).