Chronicle 34 12 Feb 2008 - Digilog at UOIT and DC - Dc

VOLUME XXXIV, Issue 12
february , 
Black History Month begins
By Dwayne Wynter
Chronicle Staff
It’s educational, inspiring and
uplifting.
With that in mind, the Caribbean and African Student Association, along with Durham College
and UOIT, kicked off Black History
Month Feb. 5.
Upstairs in the UB mezzanine,
clothing designer Desiree Marshall, publisher of the Ghanaian
News, Emmanuel Ayiku and actress Amanda Brugel, all came to
speak with students during the
CASA Entrepreneurship Seminar
in celebration of Black History
Month.
Each outlined their struggles
and perseverance they needed to
get them through, and suggested
key ideas to remember when trying to create your own business.
“I urge you to read marketing
books,” Brugel said.
“It’s really important to know
how to market yourself.”
She should know.
After attending York University
on a Fine Arts scholarship, Brugel went on to supporting roles
in films like Jason X and A Diva’s
Christmas Carol, and is now is a
regular cast member on CBC’s
MVP: The secret lives of hockey
wives.
“My goal is to compete against
all other actresses, not just black
actresses,” Brugel said.
However, the Montréal-born
actress does point out the struggles she’s had, and to some degree
continues to have today.
“I’ve said no to a lot of roles that
were portrayed in a negative way…
(Because I’m black) it’s a struggle
to be perceived as a leading lady in
Photo by Dwayne Wynter
CBC HIT SERIES: MVP star Amanda Brugel speaks with students during the
entrepreneurship seminar that kicked off Black History Month
a film,” she said.
“I was once told (by someone
in the industry) that most of the
time the audience will try to guess
what race I am…but I refuse to be
pigeon-holed because of my race.”
Though the professions may be
different, their aspirations of success are the same.
“Hustle, Hustle, Hustle,” Marshall said, encouraging the students to work hard.
“Thankfully I was laid off (from
her $45,000/year job) because it
gave me a chance to start my business.”
Created in 2006, Afrodelik is a
line of art hand-drawn on T-shirts.
She describes it as, “Not just artwork, but educational as well.”
She, like Brugel, spoke on how
important it is to research and
know an industry before jumping in full steam ahead, plus how
important it is to start with some
form of money readily available.
“I went from $45,000 a year to
nothing… I’ve had to ask for a lot of
favours, but never overuse them.”
Startup costs can be one thing
when creating art, but how about
when you’re the founder, publisher and editor of your own newspaper, without ever sitting in a journalism class?
Emmanuel Ayiku, with a back-
Auto excellence at UOIT
By Karen Le Blanc
Chronicle Staff
The new automotive research centre announced Feb.1 will play an important role for
UOIT’s engineering program.
Dr. Richard Marceau, provost for UOIT,
said the financial contributions “will play an
important role in ensuring that our students
and our researchers receive the necessary experience, and exposure to the leading-edge,
computer-aided engineering, manufacturing
and design. It will also ensure that we have
the best and brightest engineers working with
us to grow Canada’s competitive position in
the global market place.”
The Ontario government’s contribution of
$58 million, combined with General Motors
of Canada and Partners for the Advancement
of Collaborative Engineering Education’s
(PACE) contribution of $60 million will fund
the majority of the project.
GM President Arturo Elias said the com-
pany is proud of its relationship with the university.
“This is a key step towards developing a research environment where we can have our
best minds in Canada educated and working
towards (marketable) automotive technologies. That’s going to be the key to the future,”
said Elias.
“General Motors looks to Ontario to see
where their centres of excellence are,” said Pupatello. “Where are the best engineers coming from? That’s why it’s so important that we
link with the post-secondary institution.”
Upon its completion, expected to be in
late 2009, the facility will house state-of-theart research and development tools in the areas of vehicle dynamics, noise and vibration
and structural durability testing. A four-post
shaker system designed to test a vehicle’s ability to handle different road conditions, and
the crowning glory, a thermal climatic wind
tunnel, will also be featured.
“It’s the kind of technology that’s going to
drive what we drive,” said Pupatello.
ACE will be the focal point of a broader
Automotive Innovation Network, bringing together automotive engineers, auto suppliers
and selected universities in Ontario, Quebec
and British Columbia.
“Our vision has been to create a new advanced automotive technoogy cluster centred at UOIT that links together our best Canadian companies, universities, students and
engineers with companies in the Canadian
automotive supply chain,” said Elias.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and GM of Canada
will donate $1 million each over a five-year
period, in addition to UOIT’s contribution
of $250,000, to fund the Canada Chair in Innovative Design Engineering academic position, which has been awarded to Dr. Remon
Pop-Iliev, an associate professor at UOIT.
See UOIT page 2
ground in Architecture, moved to
Toronto in 1997 and recognized
a need within his own Ghanaian
community.
“I noticed there was no African
newspaper and there needed to
be one,” Ayiku said.
Over time discussions with two
friends would take place about
how to create such an idea and get
the money for it.
“You really have to work and
prepare… you have to have a plan.
We did so by researching other
mainstream media.”
Ayiku went out into the community to survey what they needed and eventually managed to get
the paper running, but there was
barely any money to count.
“In October of 1997 we had
12 pages in our paper… it took us
three years to get an office, but you
must constantly network yourself.
Without it you can’t survive,” he
said.
“You will face challenges all
the time, but you must have confidence in what you’re doing.”
Durham College/UOIT Diversity Officer Jon Sarpong couldn’t
agree more.
“It’s great to have positive role
models on our campus at any
time who help to encourage our
students.”
“I’m tired of the stereotypical
characters black people are portrayed as, like athletes and entertainers… this seminar shows you
can be anything,” CASA vice-president Sheila Emijjo said.
Third-year UOIT Health and Information Management student,
Emmanuel Anokye agreed.
“An event like this definitely
helps put goals in perspective.”
With such a successful event,
the goal is to have it annually.
Job fair
By Samantha Stewart
Chronicle Staff
Hired Career Services is hosting a Job Fair Wednesday, Feb. 13
from 11 to 3 in the gym.
The annual event showcases
potential careers and employment
options for students. Students are
encouraged to attend and network
with would-be employers.
Representatives from hiring
companies are there to answer
students’ questions and provide
insight into what opportunities are
available.
Hired Career Services urges
students to log onto their website
www.hired.mycampus.ca to check
out who will be in attendance and
customize resumes for companies of interest.
Dress is business casual. Prepare questions relevant to the employer and make eye contact during the conversation. Try to make
a good first impression.
2 The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
UOIT gets more money
Continued from page 1
The Ontario government’s
contribution of $58 million is
part of its $235-million auto strategy investment in General Motors’
$2.5-billion Beacon project, with
the federal government kicking in
an additional $200 million.
The Beacon project represents
the largest and most comprehensive investment in Canadian automotive history and will support
GM’s vehicle design and manufacturing capabilities at plants in Oshawa, St. Catharines and CAMI in
Ingersoll, in addition to ACE.
In total, the McGuinty government has committed $500 million
towards its Ontario automotive
investment strategy, which was
launched in 2004.
These funds will help ensure
ongoing investments in research
and innovation, skills training and
leading-edge technologies to keep
Ontario’s auto sector prosperous.
“By investing in know-how, we
are bolstering the long-term future
of our auto industry,” said Pupatello.
“Ontario’s investment is part
of our strategy to strengthen the
province’s research and development infrastructure and build the
network that is essential to making this province the best place to
create the products and jobs of the
future.”
Judy Rigby, business director
for ACE, said students will have
the unique advantage of working on projects that start out as
research and wind up being commercialized.
“It’s a phenomenal opportunity
for students,” said Rigby.
“We would be able to take our
student base and train them in
By Eric Laganis
Chronicle Staff
Photo by Karen Le Blanc
ACE FELLOWSHIP: GM President Arturo Elias, Dr. Richard Marceau and Dr. Ronald
Bordessa from UOIT, Minister Sandra Pupatello and MP Colin Carrie, at the announcement of UOIT’s automotive centre for excellence.
such a way that it’s meaningful
when they step out into industry.”
Dr. Ronald Bordessa, president
and vice-chancellor of UOIT, said,
“UOIT is honoured to have the
opportunity to create the GM of
Canada Automotive Centre of Excellence here on campus.”
“This partnership is very important strategically as it significantly
builds upon the foundation we
have developed at UOIT for educating Canada’s next-generation
automotive engineers, men and
women who will blend technical
knowledge and creative design
skills to greatly advance automotive research and design.”
Bordessa said that, as a result of
ACE and the university’s programs,
Canada’s next generation of auto
engineer graduates will have an
advantage over those from other
institutions.
Residence has new style
By Chris Jones
Chronicle Staff
In an attempt to help with student housing issues, Durham College and UOIT are building a new
residence west of the South Village
residence outside the L-wing.
However, the building will look
nothing like the current residences. They’re designed to look like
townhouses.
“This new residence being built
will look like townhouses. Each
unit will consist of three to six bedrooms,” said Ralph Aprile, vicepresident of Facilities and Ancillary. “It’s just going to be like renting a townhouse. Each student will
sign a lease for 12 months.”
A new residence for students
has been discussed for about a
year now, said Aprile. But due to
the combination of events that
have happened, Aprile believed it
was time to build another one.
“We are working with the same
people who built residential buildings for Guelph, Sarnia, and London,” he said.
The building company is called
Residence Developing Corporation and April said the college has
established a long-term relationship with them.
There are currently 1,300 stu-
Vacant
lot will
have new
stores
and office
space
Photo by Chris Jones
CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY: A new residence with a new style is coming to
Durham/UOIT, located near the new athletic centre, set to be opened with the
start of the new school year.
dents living in the residence on
campus, and with the talk of limiting students housing in the neigh-
bourhoods close to the school,
more students will need a place to
live while going to school.
Aprile said the residence will
be fully established in time for the
new school year.
The area around Durham College and UOIT is growing with the
addition of three new structures to
the neighbourhood.
Across from campus on Simcoe
Street North at the intersection
of Conlin Road West, a TD bank,
Shoppers Drug Mart and a threestorey building are being built in a
vacant lot, said David Trousdale, a
senior project manager at Taurus
Contracting, the group responsible for the construction.
The three-storey building will
have retail stores on the bottom
floor and commercial offices on
the top two floors.
Trousdale, who’s in charge of
the construction project, said Taurus Contracting is responsible for
building the shells of the structures.
Their involvement in the project began at the beginning of January and will end in May.
When Taurus has done its part,
the companies responsible for the
buildings will then bring in their
own people to work on the interior
of the structures, he said.
Trousdale said Shoppers Drug
Mart wants a store in the area because the presence of the college
and university makes for an ideal
location.
“They can sell stuff to students,”
he said.
Trousdale said he has not
heard of any complaints from DC
and UOIT students or residents
regarding noise or increased traffic in the area brought on by the
construction.
Laurie Bauer, a second-year
Marketing student, travels across
Simcoe and Conlin every day and
hasn’t had any problems with the
construction.
“I have no trouble with any traffic,” she said.
Before the lot was cleared for
construction, the Durham Regional Police ran a one-day training exercise on the property last fall.
This may have led some to believe that the City of Oshawa or
Durham Region owned the land
and let the police use it prior to
signing it off to be used for commercial use, but that isn’t the case.
Rhonda Keenan, a business development manager for Oshawa,
said the lot was under private ownership and the city never owned
the property.
Taurus Contracting builds
commercial and industrial structures around the GTA for companies such as Shoppers Drug Mart
and CIBC, said Trousdale.
CAMPUS NEWS
The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
3
New holiday a family affair
By Eric Laganis
Chronicle Staff
Family Day, a new statutory
holiday introduced by Premier
Dalton McGuinty shortly after his
Liberals won the provincial election last October, is around the
corner and many people are excited about it.
However, despite its emphasis
on family togetherness, many Durham College teachers and faculty
members see the Feb. 18 holiday
as a problem for their course planning because of the unexpected
arrival of the holiday.
The announcement of the Family Day holiday poses a problem
for teachers because the winter
term schedule was built last June
and there is no way to accommodate for the lost day the holiday
will cause, said Robin Pereira, the
dean of Communication Arts and
Design.
“We lost another day of teaching,” he said.
Jackie Bathe, the associate dean
of Business, shares Pereira’s sentiments that Family Day will cause
a problem for teachers and their
lesson plans.
Faculty plan out their schedule
so students aren’t overloaded, but
the surprise of Family Day will affect their planning, Bathe said.
Bathe does like the idea of Family Day because it gives students
and staff a break in the middle of
winter.
“People get depressed by the
end of January,” she said.
Wade Verdiel, a first-year Power
Engineering student, agrees that
Family Day is a good idea.
“It’s an extra day off. I can spend
time with family,” he said.
However, Bathe thinks Durham
College doesn’t really need a new
Photo by Eric Laganis
A FAMILY OF TEACHERS: Design professor Jo-Ann Jordan and her son Bryan, a parttime Communication Arts professor, pose for an impromptu family portrait. The new
holiday has received mixed reviews from students, faculty and staff.
holiday because reading week
occurs the week after Family Day
and Easter is early this year, happening on March 23.
Despite the lost teaching time
Family Day will create for many
Durham College teachers, there
are several ways they can work
around it.
One way is to make use of WebCT. By using WebCT, teachers
can send emails to their students
as well as lesson plans, said Bathe.
This not only applies to Family
Day, but any day a teacher can’t
make it to class. This is beneficial
to students because they can get
their lessons off WebCT and don’t
have to waste their time coming to
school if their teacher isn’t there.
Teachers might also try to work
around the holiday by condensing
the workload by giving out readings instead, she said.
Pereira suggests that some
teachers might try to make up for
the lost time by moving lessons up
or spreading them out over several weeks and doing a little bit at
a time.
Don Lovisa, the vice-president
of Academic, said some teachers
may need to add extra classes if
need be, but a lot of faculty do a
good job compensating for lost
time so that may not be neces-
sary.
Some teachers, such as Graphic Design professor Robert Aloe,
have projects due the week of
Family Day and also have a class
on the holiday. Aloe discussed
the problem of the lost day and
the due projects with his class and
came up with a solution.
“I will allow students to pick the
due date,” he said.
While there is a lot of talk about
what faculty members at Durham
College will do to make up for
lost time caused by Family Day,
UOIT staff don’t have that problem because the UOIT reading
week, which runs from Feb. 18 to
22, occurs during the week of the
new holiday. The Durham College
reading week is the week after,
from Feb. 25 to 29.
UOIT plans to absorb Family Day into its reading week and
won’t add an additional day off,
said Richard Levin, the vice-president of Enrolment at the Registrar’s
Office. Levin said UOIT wouldn’t
be adding an extra day off because
only students have reading week
off. Staff and faculty members of
both the college and university
don’t, so adding another off day
just for UOIT would be unfair to
Durham College staff.
This may seem unfair for UOIT
students because DC students will
essentially get six days off in February, reading week plus Family Day,
while UOIT students will only get
the five days off that reading week
gives.
However, Levin said this may
change in the future because the
UOIT reading week is always
planned for the seventh week in
the semester and depending on
when Family Day occurs in subsequent years, students may get
Family Day off in addition to reading week.
Take a new approach to V-day
By Courtney Born & Jenn Reid
Chronicle Staff
Holidays seem to change as we age.
Christmas was once a time for leaving cookies for
Santa and hoping you didn’t get coal. Now it’s more about
spending time with loved ones and seeing your family.
Valentine’s Day has taken the same shift from childhood innocence. No longer are we decorating boxes to
hang on our desk and making heart-shaped cards for everyone we know. Valentine’s has taken on a new meaning:
commercialism.
Stores display heart-shaped boxes of candy and stuffed
teddy bears, among other romantically-themed items.
Consumers are encouraged to buy cute gifts to show their
significant others that they love them.
“It was different when I was a kid,” said UOIT student
Kristen Pytlowana. “It was fun and everyone could enjoy
it. Now everything’s so commercial, and it’s all just for
couples.”
Valentine’s Day has always been about giving to those
you love. It originally started in Roman times when Valentine, a martyred saint from 200 A.D., sent his affection
to a young girl in a hand-written love letter. Hand-written
letters and poems eventually gave way to mass-produced
greeting cards, courtesy of Hallmark.
Hallmark is the scapegoat of Valentine’s Day resentment. Known as the company that put a price on love,
they are trying to change that image by putting a new spin
on century old traditions.
Jennifer Kinnon, Hallmark Canada’s brand marketing
manager, had some interesting thoughts when it comes to
commercialism on Feb. 14.
“The holiday is meant to make people happy, with
friendly gestures at a low cost and Hallmark is helping
with that,” said Kinnon. “Hallmark is passionate about our
products and we do our research in order to keep up with
social change.
As more couples are staying common-law we are offering fewer Valentine’s Day cards to married couples and
more options on every level of a relationship,” she said.
A card may not seem anything more than a piece of
thick paper with some pretty words, but Hallmark has
teamed up with Product Red, a charity that raises awareness and money for The Global Fund, and is focused on
sending help to women and children affected by HIV/
AIDS in Africa.
Product Red was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver
to help raise awareness, but has done a lot more than that.
When Product Red teams up with other popular brand
names like the GAP, Converse, Microsoft and Dell, consumers are purchasing more than just the physical product.
A portion of every red product sold by a Product Red
company will go to The Global Fund and will help a person affected by HIV in Africa.
“It’s all about finding that special connection, and by
building it with a gift that doesn’t have to leave you broke.
For only $2.50 someone can say I love you and save a
baby’s life from AIDS in Africa,” said Kinnon.
“Spend some time getting to know that person, find out
their hobbies and favourite things and instead of making
only one day a year special, expand it.
Plan out engagements ahead of time. There are plenty
of affordable gestures, like picnics, cuddling down to a
movie and popcorn at home. It’s about showing them you
care, and we can help you express those feelings but can’t
put a price on it,” said Kinnon.
These new products and ideas may help to reignite the
passion in Valentine’s Day to love-lost souls who have become jaded about the commercialism.
Even if you’re without that special someone, you could
do something good for others and spread the love.
But some still feel as if they are being left out on a day
devoted to making everyone feel loved.
“I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, it’s just another day
to me,” said Jessica Scea, a Durham College Graphic Design student. “It’s a Hallmark holiday, just made up to sell
stuff.”“I think you should avoid the commercialism,” said
Scea. “Just hang out and appreciate the person you’re
with.”
With the way stores push love down shoppers throats
and the attention Valentine’s Day gives to couples, it can
make those who are single on Feb. 14 feel pretty low.
“It’s Singles Awareness Day,” said Ryan Oliver of UOIT.
“I usually just sit at home and cry.”
Valentine’s Day may no longer have the innocence of
youth, or the sincerity of its past, but it does not mean that
you need to give into the commercialization and Hallmark
infusion of the holiday.
There are many alternative ways to express your affections without being completely corny.
Take some time this year and make sure that important
person in your life understands exactly how you feel about
them on Feb. 14.
4 The Chronicle
EDITORIAL
February 12, 2008
Durham College-UOIT Chronicle
Publisher: Robin Pereira
Editor-in-Chief: Gerald Rose
Ad Manager: Dawn Salter
TO CONTACT US
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Accessibility for all on campus
Long have people with disabilities had to fight for equal opportunities, and even such basic
rights as freedom of movement,
but times are looking up.
Society has changed significantly, moving towards making
life easier and more accessible for
disabled citizens, particularly after
the passing of the Accessibility for
Ontarians with Disabilities Act in
2005.
Not only are people with disabilities living better quality, more
equal lives, but South African Oscar Pistorius was recently banned
from competing in the 2008 Olympics because his two prosthetic
legs were found to give him an unfair advantage. While some may
see the ban as further discrimination or close mindedness, it’s interesting to see that a man whose legs
were amputated at 11 months old
has been hailed as having an unfair advantage against the world’s
top athletes.
More locally, Durham College
and UOIT have been leaders in
creating an accessible environment for all, and have been able
to host the Canadian Wheelchair
Basketball Championship and will
be, come spring, hosting the Special Olympics.
Awarding the Special Olympics to Durham and UOIT was, in
part, recognition of the work done
to improve the experience of disabled students at the school. This
has been accomplished through
removing existing barriers, and ensuring full accessibility to the new
recreation and wellness centre.
Beyond removing physical
barriers, the school has engaged in
such programs as awareness and
diversity initiatives, abilities week,
and has developed the Accessibility Advocate Award.
Special training and seminars
on accessibility have been provided for staff of both Durham
College and UOIT through the
efforts of Human Resources, the
Centre for Students with Disabilities, and the Innovation Centre.
For students, the Diversity Office
has been working to promote an
inclusive campus climate for all
people.
Abilities week is designed to
raise awareness among the school
community about people with
disabilities, and this year featured
an inspirational presentation by
Master Corporal Paul Franklin,
who lost both legs while fighting in
Afghanistan.
Durham College presented its
first Accessibility Advocate award
in 2006 to journalism graduate
John Draper. The award honours
those who have committed themselves to promoting accessibility
on campus.
Durham and UOIT continue
to move forwards, creating more
accessible, more accepting school
atmospheres every year, and look
forward to hosting the 2008 Special Olympics. The future is looking bright!
By Heather Abrey
The sad reality behind human suffering
Human suffering is a reality of life. It surrounds us, from the hardships of third world
countries, to war, to the ravages of vicious
diseases.
Despite the abundance of human suffering we still insist on creating the illusion of
pain and suffering for “entertainment” purposes.
I cannot understand how anyone can enjoy watching other humans being tortured
and killed, whether it is theatrics or not.
Granted, a few morbid movies have honest
educational value. Films about historical
events and mistakes serve to educate and
hopefully help prevent history repeating it-
self. Most horror movies, have nothing to do
with history or education but are merely a
disturbing look at the many ways a human
being can be
tortured.
I once heard
a teenage girl
Heather
discussing
with her friend
Abrey
a
particular
scene from the
movie Hostel,
in which a hostage is tortured and disfigured,
leaving her eye hanging from its socket. The
conversation was over the special effects
Editors: Heather Abrey, Courtney Born, Stephanie
Bossence, Colin Boucher, Allison Bryan, Chris Buttonshaw,
Ryan Chalmers, Craig Clark, Andrew Dalrymple, Amy England, Mike Flynn, Amy Gohr, Alyshia Higgins, Jennifer Hopf,
Chris Jones, Svea Keegan, Eric Laganis, Karen Le Blanc,
Alistair Lowe, Jenna-Lee Mainse, Kenny Mayhew, Rob McNab,
Mark Milner, Tyler Ohlew, Emily Palonen, Chelayne Pascoe,
Jenn Reid, Vanessa Reidt, Rachelle Savoie, Greg Snow, Mike
Stathopoulos, Courtney Ste-Croix, Samantha Stewart, Katie
Strachan, Brandon Terry, Rory Wilson, Dwayne Wynter
that went into the eye. She felt that it looked
fake, that it was practically laughable.
Perhaps I have delicate sensibilities, but
I have watched that movie and remember that particular scene. I was
too busy being emotionally scarred
to pick apart the realism of the dangling eye.
It’s disturbing to think that a
young teenage girl could watch that
with such nonchalance, and mock
the reality of it. While it’s positive that
she was able to separate reality from fiction,
the level of desensitization is profound.
It wasn’t long ago that I struck horror
movies from my list of watchable materials. After viewing Hostel and a couple of the
Saw movies, I questioned why I would want
to continue watching such movies when,
frankly, I don’t enjoy them. If anything, they
make me paranoid for some time afterwards.
Perhaps it’s my sensitive streak, or being a
little too empathetic, that gives me such distaste for gruesome horror movies. Enough
people have a morbid fascination to keep
horror movies in high demand.
The world is filled with enough pain and
suffering, why add to it?
A
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Governors. The Chronicle is a member of the Ontario Community Newspapers
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OPINION
The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
5
Cupid’s arrow costs you big dollars
Valentine’s
day is not
necessary to
show your
love for one
another
Flowers, cards, gifts, chocolates and a
million other nausea-inducing tokens of
affection – what do these things have to do
with Valentine’s Day?
Nothing, when you look at the actual history of the holiday.
And yet, every year myriads of people
waste time and money doting upon their
loved ones on Feb. 14. What’s so special
about this one day?
There are many stories about the origins
of Valentine’s Day.
All purportedly surround a martyr
named Saint Valentine (or Valentinus).
Hallmark for a piece of glorified construcAccording to the Catholic Encyclopedia, tion paper and sparkles.
Valentinus was possibly one of three men
Our society is one composed of consumwho lived in the late third century during ers, and by buying into the commercialized
the reign of Emperor Claudius II: a priest holiday mania, we’re only adding to this
in Rome, a bishop of Interamna (Terni) or a problem.
martyr in the Roman province of Africa.
Every day, people are subjected to adverIn the Legenda Aurea (The Golden Leg- tising that tells them what they have is not
end) by Jacobus de Voragine, compiled good enough or that by buying new prodcirca 1260, the brief account of St. Valentine ucts they’ll become happier.
claims that he refused to deny Christ before
This is the cornerstone of consumerism,
the Emperor.
and Valentine’s Day propaganda is no exPrior to his beheading,
ception.
Valentine restored sight
Why do we need to
and hearing to his jailer’s
buy someone a present to
Amy
show them that we care?
daughter.
We do it because it’s exThe second, and more
Gohr
pected – because advercommon tale of Valentine
tisers tell us we should.
contends that he was a
Shortly after World
priest sentenced to death
War II, the government
for performing marriages
(banned by the Emperor, who believed sin- began looking for ways to boost the economy.
gle men made better soldiers).
Victor Lebow, a retailing analyst concludWhile in prison, it is believed that he fell
in love with his jailor’s daughter. Before his ed, “Our enormously productive economy...
death, he wrote her a letter and signed it, demands that we make consumption our
way of life, that we convert the buying and
“From your Valentine.”
Neither of these tragic tales have any- use of goods into rituals, that we seek our
thing to do with modern Valentine’s Day spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in
consumption.”
customs.
Valentine’s Day is one of the many rituals
It could be contested that the second
variation spurred the advent of Valentine Lebow was referring to.
By making days of commemoration and
cards, but I doubt Valentinus spent $6.99 at
spiritual symbolism into materialistic holidays, we’re missing the whole point:
Valentine’s Day should be about spending time instead of money, and you certainly
don’t need a specific holiday to show people
that you care.
Think of where the most money goes
around Feb. 14: flowers, chocolates stuffed
animals and cards.
According to Hallmark’s website, assortments of Valentine’s Day roses and carnations cost between $66 and $109, stuffed
animals are $20 to $150 (depending on size),
boxes of chocolate cost anywhere from $20
to $45, and cards only $3 to $6.
And of course, all of these items are subject to taxes. If that’s the cost of showing
“how much you care”, I won’t be spending a
dime.
It appears the tradition of lavishing your
loved one with goodies on Feb. 14 remains
a constant in society.
As long as people continue being superficial, materialistic consumers, companies
will continue to give us the products we so
eagerly desire to waste our hard-earned
money on.
There are 365 days in a year.
That’s 365 opportunities to show your
significant other how you feel instead of
waiting for one day to come by every 12
months – and you don’t need to do it by
breaking the bank.
February means more than roses
Love is in the air this month and if you
inhale long enough you just may smell it.
Whether it’s men running to the local
flower or jewelry shop looking for the ultimate Valentine’s Day gift for that special
someone.
Or families looking to bond with one another during the inaugural Family Day, the
month of February is worth looking forward
to.
However, though both of those days are
highly anticipated in their own right,
February has a greater significance and
you don’t need a spouse or family to take
part in it.
For 29 days Black history and culture will
be celebrated for all to enjoy.
Unfortunately, with our televisions consistently fixed on American broadcast stations, it’s hard for many Canadians, espe-
cially blacks, to find a proper identity and
even a proper place in this great country.
Most of us have been fortunate to know
about the lives of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., or the courageous Rosa
Parks.
However black history, especially for
Canadians, is not limited to
famous historical speeches,
human rights movements or
a deliberate act that changed
a nation.
It also involves recognizing
and celebrating the significant
contributions made by many
black Canadians along with
black culture.
Every wonder where the term “The real
McCoy” came from?
It’s in reference to black Canadian inventor Elijah McCoy, born in 1843 to escaped
slave parents in Colchester, Ont. He created
the Steam Engine Lubricator, which enabled
engines to be lubricated without having to
be shut down.
He died in 1929 and was credited with
57 different patents.
Or for instance Mary Ann Shadd, who
through 1853-1857,
was this country’s
first female publisher of the Provincial
Dwayne
Freeman, a newspaper and created it in
Wynter
order to share her
views on anti-slavery.
Names like these
won’t necessarily come up in your everyday
classroom’s history books, but Black History
Month gives recognition to those who deserve it.
Sadly, whenever the past of black people
is examined, segregation, inequality and
slavery rear their ugly and evil heads.
We have come a long way from the days
of “coloured only” washrooms or segregated
schools in Ontario, though the last was just
in the 1950s.
But we still aren’t where we need to be.
We’d be naive to think otherwise.
Fortunately, within the borders of this
great country, as well as here on campus,
there are festivities and events to pay
tribute to black Canadians who’ve helped
contribute toward making Canada what it
is today.
Black History isn’t entirely meant to remind us of the inequality that one race endured for hundreds of years.
It’s a time to take pride in, learn and celebrate, whether you’re black, white or any
other race found in this multicultural and
diverse country.
Exercise is your key to happiness
So it’s another year, and another New
Year’s resolution, but that doesn’t mean it
has to be another broken promise to yourself.
If your resolution was to get more exercise you can still go for it. Something everyone always needs in their lives is exercise.
It’s time to look in the mirror with confidence.
Guys, it’s time to get rid of those beer bellies, and perhaps that little extra pudge you
have picked up over the winter so far.
Girls, it’s time to share your inner beauty
with your exterior. Introduce the two to
themselves. Believe it or not you have both.
That bikini that suits your personality can fit
your body too.
All of that aside, exercise isn’t just about
looking better, it’s preparing your body and
mind for a long-lasting, healthy life full of
energy.
Exercise isn’t about getting everyone
A lot of people realize that within a
down to a size four, or as buff as a profes- couple of weeks of working out they have
sional wrestler.
a lot more energy throughout the day, he
Every person can have a different goal said. “Excising reduces stress, and stabilizes
and be happy with their individual results. blood pressure. It’s a positive way to have an
Being happy and healthy should be the only outlet from stress,” said Hamilton.
goal that people share in common.
Everyone should exercise for at least 20
A bonus to that can
minutes a day three times a
be loss of weight and
week, said Hamilton.
added muscle definiYou can build exercise
Stephanie
tion, but it’s important
into regular activities, he
to take small steps so
said. Carrying a full laundry
Bossence
that you don’t discourbasket, up and down the
age yourself in the bestairs several times will help
ginning.
elevate your heart rate and
“It’s important to
keep you healthy.
exercise, because the hormones released in
Many people believe they should stretch
the body make you feel better about your- before exercising, however the truth is that
self. If you are not active you are also more they should warm up for five to 10 minutes
susceptible to diseases, arthritis, and heart first.
problems,” said Westford Hamilton, a perStretching while the body is cold can
sonal trainer for GoodLife Fitness.
cause muscle injuries.
You can even exercise while you are sitting at your desk, or driving in your car. All
you have to do is contract your abs or buttock several times, said Hamilton.
If girls aren’t comfortable enough with
their body to exercise with men, there are
all-female gyms they can join.
Take small steps to begin and large leaps
by the end of the year. Begin with a short
workout daily, and work your way up to
joining fitness classes.
It’s also a good idea to write down what
you do so that you can look back at the end
of the year to see your achievements.
This is also a good way to set your New
Year’s resolution for the following year. Don’t
just sit there, contract those abs, squeeze
that buttock.
Your 2008 New Year’s resolution to be
more fit is just one small step away.
CAMPUS NEWS
The great need for vitamin D
6 The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
By Karen Le Blanc
Chronicle Staff
Everybody’s familiar with
the alphabet, but the letter you
should be keeping in mind is “D”
– the vitamin!
Scientific evidence suggests
vitamin D deficiency is linked
to osteoporosis, bone fractures,
multiple sclerosis, as well as autoimmune and infectious diseases,
heart disease and some cancers.
Vitamin D is produced naturally in the body when exposed to
sunlight.
Due to Canada’s northern latitude, the suns rays for the majority of the year aren’t strong enough
for people to produce sufficient
vitamin D.
According to the Vitamin D Society of Canada, an estimated 97
per cent of Canadians are vitamin
D deficient during the winter.
Dr. Reinhold Veith, director
of the bone and mineral laboratory at Mount Sinai Hospital and
world expert on vitamin D.
Veith explained vitamin D
plays a key role in cell growth regulation and communication.
Without adequate amounts of
vitamin D, the body’s cells don’t
communicate as they should,
leaving people at risk of developing diseases.
“The Canadian Cancer Society is recommending 1,000 international units (UI) per day for
adults, based on a growing body
of evidence that it may reduce
the risk of colorectal, breast, prostrate, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
and multiple sclerosis,” said Patti
Payne, senior advisor prevention
for the Canadian Cancer Society.
She explained a balanced approach is necessary as exposure
to ultra-violet (UV) light increases
the risk of skin cancer.
“We believe that limited exposure could in fact then reduce the
risk of some other cancers. We’re
not suggesting that people over
expose themselves. We’re still
asking people to be careful in the
Photo by Karen Le Blanc
VITAMIN D: It’s more crucial for your body’s development than one would think. Taking supplements or getting
them naturally can prevent osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis and auto-immune diseases.
sun between the hours of 11a.m.
and 4 p.m.,” said Payne.
She added that appropriate
protection measures should be
taken, such as using sunscreen
and seeking shade when the UV
index is higher than three.
Michelle Albagli, executive director for the Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA) agrees
vitamin D is important, but says,
“The way to get it is a supplement
and usually 1,000 UI a day will do.
”While skin cancer is the most
common type of cancer in Canada
and exposure to UV rays increases
that risk.
Albagli further said, “It’s imprudent to risk getting one type of
cancer in the hopes of preventing
another type of cancer, when a
supplement that isn’t very expensive will do the same job.”
Basal and squamous cell cancers represent the majority of skin
cancers and are 100 per cent curable if treated.
Albagli stresses the importance
of checking your body for skin irregularities that include moles
that have changed or sores that
don’t heal.
Veith confirmed it doesn’t make
any difference at all how one gets
vitamin D, whether it’s from the
sun or from supplements.
Dermatologists tend to use
scare stories regarding skin cancers.
Although Veith pointed out
that even they won’t say to avoid
the sun.
“Melanoma is a relatively rare
cancer, the kind that kills you.
Statistically melanoma is far less
common than things like breast,
prostrate or colon cancer.
“You get a lot less deaths (from
breast, prostrate and colon cancer) with more UV light, but the
extra skin cancer deaths you get
with more UV light are not that
large,” said Veith, adding, “the
least of the evils is to take the vitamin D supplement.”
Veith recommends 7,000 IU
of vitamin D for adults, taken in
a weekly dose all year round and
adds that taking a multi-vitamin
daily is not sufficient.
Classified really rocked it out
By Vanessa Reidt
Chronicle Staff
Formerly opening up for prominent artists like Ludacris and Busta
Rhymes, hip- hop artist Classified
brought down the house at The
Dungeon in Oshawa on the night
of Jan. 31.
The night began with four opening acts, one of which included his
brother, Mike Boyd and other rappers on tour with Classified (Luke
Boyd) from Half-Life Records.
As everyone in the crowd
pushed their way to the front of the
stage, Classified came out, making the crowd go wild with lots of
loud cheering and jumping up and
down to the beats of the music.
Classified played a collaboration of old and new hits to promote his new CD While You Were
Sleeping.
“We’re bringing a lot more big-
ger acts to Oshawa and doing business with a lot of agents,” said Will
Neville, manager of The Dungeon.
Classified and his crew from
Half-Life records gave away many
prizes off stage, including free
skateboards and sweaters, all
of which had Half-Life Records
branded on them.
“It’s amazing how Classified is
actually playing at a small venue
like the Dungeon because he usually plays at the Cool Haus and
The Opera House in Toronto,” said
19-year-old Zack Arsenault.
Classified and Half-life Records
are touring across the country
playing shows to promote the new
CD, and is also nominated for two
East Coast Music awards.
“The best thing about being on
tour so far is having every show
sold out. We have played seven
shows so far and they have all
been packed wall to wall. It’s wicked,” said Classified.
Photo by Vanessa Reidt
AT THE DUNGEON: Hip hop artist Classified enticed the crowds with his energy and
talent.
CAMPUS NEWS
Even rats need a little loving
The Chronicle
By Jenna-Lee Mainse
Chronicle Staff
What started out as one pet rat for her son’s
ninth birthday soon grew into a love affair she
cannot live without.
Oshawa resident Rolanda Morin now provides
a safe home and haven for 19 rats, which she rescued from pet stores, unkempt homes and animal
shelters.
“If people could see me they’d think I was nuts,”
laughed Morin. “But this is my sanity.”
When her first set of rats (two male and two female) died, Morin was devastated and went a year
without getting new ones.
“I started dreaming about [rats], and just had to
have them,” said Morin, who started her rat sanctuary shortly after and hasn’t stopped since.
Observing 17 of the 19 rats run around Morin’s
living room, interacting with one anther, answering to their individual names and coming when
called — it is easy to see how you could fall in love
with their personalities and reject any previous
notions of long tales and beady eyes.
There’s Charlie, the momma’s boy; Lola, the diva
with an attitude; Dexie, the buck-toothed wonder;
and Charlotte, the curious toe-nipper. And sometimes, in the case of Gabel and Angel, even a love
affair can occur.
Gabel, Morin’s all-time favourite rat, and Angel
adored each other.
They slept in the same cage, played together
and became inseparable.
“When Angel died, I knew she was dying,” said
Morin.
Photo by Jenna-Lee Mainse
She then put Gabel in the cage to say good-bye
to Angel, and he laid on top of her for hours after
HUGS ALL AROUND: Morin gives a little, but gets a lot back.
she died.
February 12, 2008
7
“I knew then that Gabel wouldn’t last much
longer,” Morin said with glossy eyes. “And two
weeks to the day he died.”
The relationship Morin has with her rats was
no surprise to long-time friend Madeline Johnston.
“Ever since I’ve known her she’s been adopting strays,” said Johnston. “[Rolanda] is such a
kind soul, and [the rats] just give her so much
comfort.”
When she’s not with her rats, Morin handmakes accessories for her independent business,
Gemini Jewelry, and surprises her husband and
two teen-age sons with new strays on a sporadic
basis.
Few of Morin’s rats have lived love-filled and
happy lives before being rescued. Many were
bred for snake food, malnourished, kept in unsanitary surroundings or simply were wearing
down.
Cinnabun, who had a tumour, a blind eye and
bumble foot when she was rescued, lived seven
months with Morin before she died.
“I was holding her all day, and the last hour
before she died she looked up at me and gave
me a kiss on the lips,” said Morin. “Almost like a
thank-you.”
Over the past 12 years, Morin has housed 56
rats, which she memorializes through photo albums that contain pictures and stories of every
“rattie” who scampered through her front door.
And while Morin admits she doesn’t form a
strong bond with all the rats that board in her
house, she believes they all need a home.
“It’s like people. Some people you meet and
you just don’t like,” explained Morin. “And some
people in five minutes you know they’re going to
be your friend for life.”
8
The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
Be a hero for someone
I’ve never been a fan of needles,
but when I was told just one hour
of my time spent donating blood
could save up to three lives, my
fear turned to determination.
I wanted to be somebody’s
hero.
Durham College would be
holding a blood donation clinic in
its gymnasium, and I was going to
be there.
When I called Canadian Blood
Services to make my appointment,
I was told the entire process would
take about one hour.
I mistakenly believed I would
be hooked up to a machine and
bled for a whole hour.
Thank goodness I was wrong.
I arrived at the college’s gymnasium at 1 p.m., where I was instructed to read a blood donation
guidebook and to take a bottle of
water to drink.
“The more liquids you’ve got in
you, the easier you bleed,” said the
Photo by Emily Palonen
WHOOO ARE YOU?: Durham College Police Foundations student Neil Routledge
posing for a body outline at the CSI pub night at E.P. Taylor’s
CSI pub night at E.P.
Taylor’s a killer hit
By Emily Palonen
Chronicle Staff
Caution tape marked the
entrance as students entered
at their own risk onto the crime
scene at E.P. Taylor’s CSI pub
night on Thursday, Jan. 31.
“It turned out better [than expected],” said Shawn McLeish,
President of the UOIT Forensic
Student Society. “From what I
heard from all the people there,
everyone had a good time and
said it was successful.”
The all-ages event, accord-
ing to McLeish, was the first pub
night the Forensic Student Society has ever put on.
“Definitely next year we plan
to do it again and it’ll definitely
be bigger and better,” he said.
The dance floor was full and
the bar was crowded as CSI, the
popular television series, played
on the TVs in the background.
The motive behind the crime
was students just wanting to
have fun, win prizes, party and
dance the night away.
Some students, including
first-year forensics student Elias
Diab, opted to dress up in their
crime scene investigation attire
in the spirit of the CSI theme.
About 200 tickets were bought
on presale, and more students
purchased tickets at the door.
While it is more difficult to
get a large number of students to
come out for faculty-based pub
nights, there was no problem
here.
“Because forensics is so intertwined with other science programs…” said McLeish, “pretty
much everyone knew everyone.
We had a lot of business students
and other faculty students come
out too, so it was a good show.”
woman sitting next to me. “Takes
Once the barcode was affixed,
me less than five minutes now. she escorted me to a bed similar to
This is my 46th time!”
an elevated lawn chair.
This would be my first.
After tying a tourniquet around
Donors are first asked if they’ve my arm, she asked me to repeatleft the country or had surgery or edly squeeze and release a ball of
piercings in the past few months. If tissue.
the answer were yes, you’d be inAfter cleaning the skin above
eligible to donate.
my vein with alcohol, she rubbed
If not, donors are then required the spot with iodine.
to take a hemoglobin test to enAs I took a deep breath, the
sure the blood is fit for donating nurse plunged the needle into my
(if you’re anemic or have low iron, arm. The initial sting was a reacyou should not donate blood).
tion caused by the iodine.
The hemoglobin test requires
“If you can see it, it’s still worka small prick of the finger and a ing,” said the nurse.
small vial of blood.
Time seemed to pass slowly – it
My blood was having trouble felt like I was sitting in that cot for
inching its way up the vial, so I an eternity.
ended up having my cut squeezed
After seven minutes of squeezfive or six times, causing me to ing and releasing that tissue ball,
bleed all over
however, I was
my finger.
informed
by
After the disblood donor bag
Amy
turbing display
was full and that
at the hemoit was time to be
Gohr
globin table, I
unhooked and
was asked to
to relax.
confidentially
As directed,
fill out a form,
I applied presanswering questions like, “Have sure to the needle site.
you travelled outside the country
Nervous about the bleeding
in the past six months?” and, “Are not stopping, I decided to hold
you feeling well today?”
onto the cotton ball longer than
Then I was directed to a nurse’s necessary.
station where she completed the
The nurse, realizing it was my
last series of questions on the form first donation, decided to wrap a
and then tried to check my heart self-adhering bandage over the
rate by searching for my wrist’s gauze covering my needle “hole”
pulse.
to calm my nerves about the vein
I had no pulse.
and skin not repairing themselves
At least, none she could find in fast enough.
my wrist.
And then it was over.
An awkward three minutes
I was escorted to a table where
later, the nurse checked my jugu- I was given pizza, juice and Oreos,
lar pulse.
and could leave whenever I wantBecause I have acute white coat ed.
syndrome and was a little nervous,
The experience of giving blood
my blood pressure was a little high. seemed daunting at first, but
“That won’t stop you from donat- knowing that I helped saved lives
ing, though,” the nurse said.
was worth the momentary disAfter the form was completed comfort. So was the pizza.
and my blood pressure was reDurham College hosts blood
corded, the nurse left the booth donor clinics every couple of
for me to choose which barcode I months, and I urge everyone to
wanted affixed to my form.
donate.
If for any reason a person does
Alternatively, Canadian Blood
not want their blood donated (i.e. Services will be hosting a clinic on
disease, outside pressure from April 5 at the Oshawa Centre from
friends or family), they have the 12:30 to 7 p.m.
option of using a “do not use my
Just one hour of your time can
blood” barcode.
save up to three lives, and you can
There is no way to differentiate donate every two months.
between the “use my blood” barWho knows? You might be the
code and the other.
one in need of a hero some day.
CAMPUS NEWS
The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
9
Relax your eyes to improve vision
Stress,
poor
posture
affect sight
Stephanie Bossence
Chronicle Staff
Eye relaxation is one of the easiest and most effective ways to relax stressed eyes and help improve
vision. The best way to relax eyes
is a proper prescription glasses or
contacts if needed that reduce the
stress on eyes.
Or, there are simple yogic eye
techniques that, practitioners say,
can help relax and strengthen
eyes. There are several ways that
exercises can be done; yet it is important to remember that a proper
prescription for your individual
eyesight is best.
“If you have an eye that’s weak,
by correcting the optical correction, such as wearing glasses, and
by stimulating the eye you will
strengthen it and improve it,” said
Dr. David Black, an optometrist for
Vision Care Centre in Oshawa.
“You can have an impact by im-
proving your vision by using your
eye, possibly by wearing a patch or
doing vision therapy,” he said.
However, Black says that exercising your eyes to a point where
you no longer need glasses is a
stretch because of the length of
time needed to do the exercises in order to make a significant difference.
“Taking a break while
you’re reading will relax your
•
focus. If you do that periodically you can help yourself
•
work for long periods of
time,” said Black.
•
It’s important to have a
general eye exam to make
sure there are no health is•
sues, so that you can rule
them out, because if you
•
don’t take the time, then the
question is: are you missing
•
something that could impact the efficiency of your
eyes, he said.
“The message is, too, that
there is no harm to your eye by
doing a lot of vision work, for example using computers, reading
and studying. However, it is fatigue
that causes discomfort that causes
eye stress,” said Black. However, as
an alternative to always wearing
glasses, yogic eye techniques that
may help strengthen your eyes. According to S.B. Gogate, a writer for
Life Positive, Your Positive Guide
to Holistic Living, he freed himself
of wearing glasses after 14 years by
doing these exercises that he now
recommends to other people:
First, close both of your eyes
and with cupped hands gently
cover your eyes. Be sure not to
press on your eye because that
can cause more damage. While
there is a positive from all negatives and you can use the sun to
your eyes’ advantage.
Close your eyes while facing
the sun and move your head from
side to side.
This causes more blood flow to
the eyes, which relaxes
the nerves and optical
muscles.
6 Causes of Bad Vision
Every day particles
and fibers are trapped
Tension
in the eyes, so every
day you should flush
Recurring cough and cold
them out to make sure
no particles or fibers
Blocked sinuses
are causing irritation.
Simply splash your
eyes with cool water
Stiff neck and shoulder muscles
rapidly several times.
However, while doReading against the light
ing so it is also important to hold the same
Mental strain
temperature of water
in your mouth.
Doing so will cool
down the nerve ends of
your eyes are closed imagine the the eyes.
darkness getting darker and darker
Just like every other part of your
until it is the darkest shade of black body, you can exercise your eyes.
possible.
While in a comfortable position,
Another way is to stand in front whether standing or sitting, you
of a window, preferably with a lot can effectively exercise your eyes.
of landscape or different scenery.
While holding your head and
Stand with your feet at shoul- neck very still, look up and then
der width and your arms loose down as far as you can without
at your sides. Slowly rotate your straining your eyes, or moving
body from left to right.
your head.
Yes, looking at the sun directly
Repeat this several times. The
is proven to cause eye damage, but more your eyes relax the farther
you can see up and down. It is important that this exercise is done
very slowly without causing strain.
Next, do the same exercise only
from side to side in a slow motion
without moving your head or neck
until you feel as though you can
see the farthest from side to side
without strain.
Another exercise is to simply
rotate your eyes slowly counterclockwise and clockwise.
Take a minute to rest and begin
the exercise again. Sit where you
can see a distant object.
Look at it for a few seconds, and
then look at the tip of your nose.
Repeat this several times.
Take a break by allowing your
eyes to rest by closing them for a
few seconds, than you can open
them and begin the exercise
again.
All of these exercises and relaxation techniques should be done
10 minutes each, every day.
The human eyeball consists of
three layers, the sclerotic or the
outer layer, choroids or the middle
layer and retina or the inner layer.
All of the above exercises and
relaxation techniques help keep
all three layers healthy.
There are so many different yogic eye treatment techniques that
it is impossible to name each and
every one of them, however you
can simply find more information
by researching yoga eye care on
the Internet.
10 The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
11
Balanced diet still the key
Eating the
right foods
is crucial
By Stephanie Bossence
Chronicle Staff
It’s time that your mom got
credit for telling you to eat your
vegetables when you were growing up.
Have you ever thought about
why your mom was telling you to
eat them?
What vegetables contain is vital
to a healthy long life.
As far back as our mammal ancestors 65 million years ago, we
ate foliage, fruits, tree seeds, and
mixed vegetation.
Even gorillas and chimps that
are linked to human ancestral
lines eat foliage, stems, buds, roots,
and leaves.
Chimps prefer meat when it’s
available, like many humans, however vegetation still makes up 95
per cent of their diet.
So why are vegetables so important to the human body?
Vegetables contain important
antioxidants to help the human
body function.
Different vegetables contain
vitamins such as vitamin A, C, B1,
B2, B6 and folate (folic acid).
“Vitamin C must be obtained
from foods, it is completely dependent on your intake,” said Brad
Heyerdahl, a health consultant for
FeelGood Natural Health Store.
Vitamin A is an important antioxidant vital for healthy skin and
cell membrane growth, as well as
proper function of the immune
system.
Many green leafy vegetables
contain Omega-3, which is essential to the human body.
Omega-3 is crucial for brain development and natural growth.
It helps brain memory and performance as well as behavioural
functions.
“It is necessary for every cell
in your body. It’s part of the membrane structure in every cell of
your body. Your body can’t build
the Omega-3, therefore you need
to consume it in order to contain it
in your body,” said Heyerdahl.
“Without it, your body is constantly trying to make up for it,” he
said.
Symptoms for Omega-3 deficiency include tiredness, poor
memory, dry skin, heart problems,
mood swings or depression and
poor body circulation.
Many vegetables also contain
folic acid.
Some of the richest sources of
folic acid are wheat germ, bran
flakes, spinach and parsley.
“Folic acid works best when it
is combined with B12 and C,” said
Heyerdahl.
Deficiency of folic acid means
that the red blood cell production
in the human body is reduced, resulting in fatigue, while the white
blood cell production is slowed
down substantially, making the
body susceptible to infection.
“It is very key for nerve function, and extremely important in
pregnant women, and being deficient during pregnancy can cause
birth defects” said Heyerdahl.
An important note is that folate (folic acid) is water-soluble, so
boiling raw vegetables can reduce
the amount of folic acid intake.
For example, boiling cabbage
reduces the folic acid intake by
more than half.
“A multi-vitamin in this day and
age is one of the smartest and preventive things you can do. You are
making sure that all of your bases
are at least covered so that you are
not in deficiency,” said Heyerdahl.
“Not everyone will get optimum results from taking a multivitamin but at least you are not in
a deficient range, which can cause
you to be susceptible to disease,”
she continued.
A vitamin is meant to be a
supplement to an already good
diet, not just on its own said Heyerdahl.
The 411 on the 911:
important numbers
for cell phone users
The digits to
help you out
in a pinch
By Amy Gohr
Chronicle Staff
While many disregard e-mail forwards as
nothing but spam, sometimes there is a kernel of truth to the stories contained within.
Victims of e-mail forwards may be familiar with the urban legend of a young woman
named Lauren, who diligently followed her
mother’s advice by dialing *677 on her cell
phone when an unmarked police car appeared behind her on the highway.
In the story, the number connected Lauren to the police dispatch, whereupon she
discovered no unmarked police cars were
patrolling in her area.
Concerned, the dispatcher discouraged
the woman from pulling over, insisting she
wait for assistance.
Shortly thereafter, police appeared and
stopped the unmarked driver, who turned
out to be a convicted rapist wanted for several crimes.
While this story may or may not be factual, the information regarding *677 is accurate.
The number is that of the Ontario Pro-
vincial Police (OPP), one of many numbers
available to Bell Mobility cell phone users.
“We have many special numbers,” said
Alicia Rivett, a Bell Mobility customer service representative, “such as *677 for OPP
dispatch, *DROUGE if you want to report
drug trafficking, as well *222 for the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA).”
In addition to these numbers and 911,
also listed on the Bell Mobility website are
*687 for the Toronto Police Services, #RESCUE for Bell Mobility Roadside Assistance
subscribers, and #TAXI, which will connect
you with the first available taxi or the cab
company of your choice in your area ($1.25
per call).
Rogers Wireless also offers the #TAXI
number, as well as #AUTO to contact Auto
Roadside Access.
However, according to a Rogers customer
service representative, the special and emergency wireless numbers are limited.
“We have *FORD, for Ford roadside assistance, as well as *RCMP for the nearest station or dispatch, except in Ontario,” she said.
“We don’t have much else.”
Durham College students should also
keep in mind Campus Security numbers, including (905) 728-8700 for a Campus Safewalk escort, and the security desk at (905)
721-2000 ext. 2400.
Unless you specifically went looking for
this information in phone manuals and on
wireless service provider websites, it’s unlikely you’d know about these potentially
life-saving numbers.
“Who you gonna call?” Well, now you
know.
Photo by Stephanie Bossence
A HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE: Mike Di Passio showcases
one of the many healthy choices in the DC cafeteria.
12 The Chronicle
Feburary 12, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
Hype TV brings a new
form of communication
By Mark Milner
Chronicle Staff
It’s like a TV channel, but it’s produced in-house
at the residence. It’s like a bulletin board of upcoming events, but always up to date. It’s even like a voice
mail, but much less intrusive.
It’s the residence’s new closed-circuit TV channel,
Hype TV, and it’s the newest way for both of Durham
College’s residences to reach out to their residents.
Right now it’s in its first stage, a simple picture and
text format, using an RSS feed to get the latest news
headlines from CNN.
And while it’s only in the lobbies of the residences,
there are plans to expand it to each room in the resi-
Photo by Vanessa Reidt
STUDENTS NEEDED: Stephanie Thomson, recruitment
events co-ordinator, wants more students for ambassadors.
125 years of St. John service
By Allyson Brown
Chronicle Staff
Students are
needed as
ambassadors
By Vanessa Reidt
Durham Chronicle Staff
Making new friends, improving leadership skills and enhancing your co-curricular record are
some of the many things achieved
as a Student Ambassador on campus.
The Student Ambassador program gives students the opportunity to express pride in Durham
College. An ambassador is a volunteer position in the Admissions
and Recruitment office that either
Durham College students or graduates can apply for.
To be an ambassador you need
a GPA of 2.5 or higher. To apply,
students can drop off their resumes at the Registrars office.
“I believe the benefits of getting
involved in your school’s environment plays a key role in the future
development and success in your
life endeavours,” said Terry Rigby,
a Student Ambassador on campus.
“I would absolutely recommend all students that are attending Durham College to have a look
at joining the Ambassador program.
It gives you an even greater
sense of belonging to your school’s
environment and helps to develop
your skills in many ways.”
Some of the roles an Ambassador will have include things like
being a group tour leader, or customer service representative, and
helping the marketing department
with event set up and clean up.
In some instances a Student
Abassador may be paid for some
of the events they have helped coordinate.
“Ambassadors play a very important role in the recruitment of
new students; they are the voice of
the college, giving campus tours
and helping at college events,” said
Stephanie Thomson, recruitment
events co-ordinator.
Thomson says that the ideal
ambassador is one with strong
leadership skills, someone who
is enthusiastic, someone that is
comfortable speaking to various
groups and someone who can
work independently.
“Our present roster consists
of 15 full-time students and three
alumni,” said Thomson. “We can
never have too many ambassadors.”
dence.
“We’re very excited for what it can bring,” said Chris
Haze, manager of the South Village residence. “It’s far
beyond our expectations.”
Since its inception this winter, Hype TV is viewed
as a replacement for all the ways the residence currently communicates with residents: posters, mass
emails and voice mails.
It’ll help the residence provide information in a
more concise manner, explained Haze.
“When students want information,” said Haze,
“they will know where to go to find information, not
have it forced upon them.”
Hype TV is expected to be fully operational by late
February.
St. John Ambulance, as of this
year has been in Canada 125
years.
“We’ve been serving the Durham Region/Oshawa community for over 50 years,” said Tina
Basque, Oshawa branch manager.
A great example of St. John ambulance dedication to the community is how they generously donated
$500 to the athletics team at UOIT
to fund novice rowers.
St. John Ambulance has been
involved with the college and university for many years. One of the
things they offer is discount prices
on standard first aid training and
CPR courses.
“St. John Ambulance is close
and convenient for students to get
their required training for postsecondary requirements. For example, students who are going
into Early Childhood Education
often have to have a first aid and
CPR certificate either upon application to the college or before going out into field placement,” said
Basque.
Discounts are offered to students who need this training.
Courses can be arranged on campus or by going online.
St. John is also involved with the
(CERT) Campus Emergency Re-
sponse Team. This consists of student volunteers who are usually in
related courses such as paramedics, fire and police, or those who
are strongly interested in helping
others. While this is a volunteer
position, it is still a serious job with
the potential to save lives.
“We stress to all of our volunteers that it is still a job. We provide a valuable and serious service
on campus that has the potential
to save lives. It’s not a responsibility that we take lightly and we
want people to know that they can
count on us and that we are there
for them and have the knowledge
and abilities to help them,” said
Rob Nayer, founder of CERT.
Willie predicts an early spring
By Allyson Brown
Chronicle Staff
Wiarton Willie has spoken. Spring will be arriving
early this year.
Wiarton Willie is a famous Canadian groundhog
who lives in the small town of Wiarton, Ontario.
As per tradition, every Feb. 2, on Groundhog Day,
Willie graces hundreds of people with his presence to
let us know whether he predicts an early spring or, a
much dreaded, longer winter.
If the groundhog sees his shadow on Feb. 2, we
are supposedly in for six more weeks of winter. If not,
spring is predicted sooner. Townspeople gathered
around the stage anticipating the prediction.
“Dignitaries, me lads and ladies, get your shorts and
T-shirts too. Wiarton Willie’s annual task is through,
now the town crier proudly rings, Willie predicts it’s
an early spring,” said town crier Bruce Kruger.
Cheers rang through the crowd of those with the
winter blues.
CAMPUS NEWS
The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
13
Artist Den is here to help
Printing
studio
helps
students
By Emily Palonen
Chronicle Staff
It was Tuesday when I was informed I would be having an interview for an editorial internship at
my dream job on Thursday. With
less than two days to prepare,
naturally I was a stressed mess
and needed to get organized fast.
Wednesday afternoon amidst the
commotion, it dawned on me that
I hadn’t even put together a portfolio of my work to bring to the interview. At this point we had only
briefly discussed “the portfolio” in
class and I knew I needed to have
my newspaper clippings scanned,
some scaled down in size and
printed in black and white on
good quality paper. It was 4 p.m.
and I had to work at 5. I threw all
my school work into my bag and
hustled over to the Artist Den located on the second floor of the
student centre across from the
student association offices. There
stood the man who was about to
save the day.
Robert Pellegrino, the owner of
the Artist Den – one of two print
studios on campus – was already
overloaded with work to do. I
explained the situation and without hesitation he went straight to
work.
At first I was thrilled thinking I
was getting special treatment, but
it wasn’t long before I realized Pellegrino treats all students this way.
Perhaps it is because some years
ago he was a student of marketing
and advertising at Durham College himself, and just loves to help
Photo by Emily Palonen
THE PRINT MASTER: Artist Den owner Robert Pellegrino poses in his office on the
second floor of the student centre. Artist Den is one of two print shops on campus
which helps students and faculty with all their printing needs.
people.
“The interaction that I have with
all the people on campus, all the
students. I do a lot for students,”
said Pellegrino, referring to his
most satisfying aspect of the job.
It is obvious he chose the ideal environment to set up shop when he
opened his independent business
in 2005, replacing Wild FX Hair Sa-
lon, which had closed its doors.
“It was a business I always
wanted to get into,” said Pellegrino.
“I had to decide where to get the
most captive market. There’s no
other place like a college campus
where I can do this.” He said he
owes a great deal to the Student
Centre board and Student Association for being so supportive of
him and his business.
While the majority of his business comes from students, many
departments and faculties on campus also take advantage of his services, making posters and banners
for events and advertisements.
He offers full service printing in
black and white or colour, wide
format printing, finishing services,
scanning and media transfer, and
more.
Not only did my prints get
completed in next to no time, he
interrogated me with mock interview questions and gave me tips to
ensure a successful meeting. Pellegrino helped prepare me mentally for my interview, or at least
made me realize I was going to be
up late that night researching the
publication more in depth and going over interview skills.
At one point, he literally went
online and researched the media
group my publication was a part
of.
You don’t just do something like
that to get a tip, he genuinely cares
and goes beyond that extra mile to
be personable in his work and be
of excellent assistance to students
on campus.
“I like helping. It doesn’t make
me any money but it’s part of who
I am,” he said.
It also helps that Pellegrino has
a great deal of knowledge and an
extensive background in the business, and knows the software inside out.
“I have a great deal of experience in the industry. I work well
with applications that graphic design students use.”
His previous jobs include positions at Champlain Graphics and
Xerox, he was a Kraft Foods sales
representative, and he also studied business and political science
at York University.
The Artist Den is open from 9
to 5, Monday to Friday, however
if you need to make a special appointment outside hours Pellegrino lists his cell phone number
on his business card so he can be
reached at any time.
When I returned to interview
him, as he promised I could, Pellegrino was inte
rested in how my interview
went. That fact alone really sums
up why I was interested in trekking all the way from the L-Wing,
across campus, to the Artist Den
in the Student Centre, and why the
next time I need something printed, that’s exactly what I’ll do again.
14 The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
DC grad has a 24K career in music
Attempting
to boost
Durham
Region music
scene
By Jenna-Lee Mainse
Chronicle Staff
Behind the music, the parties,
the concerts and the rock stars…
there is 24KEntertainment.
Kris Dickerson is the brains and
voice behind 24KEntertainment, a
multi-faceted entertainment company that strives to generate interest in the Durham Region music
scene, giving local talent the recognition they deserve.
“I want to be rich but not famous,” said Dickerson, whose
company has professional ties
with local band Lower Back Tatti,
comedian and Journalism student Matt O’Brien and the Groove
Lounge.
Dickerson, a Durham College
graduate and former manager
of The Riot radio station, formed
24KEntertainment over a year
ago after volunteering at various
events and concerts.
Soon, the 26-year-old entrepreneur stopped volunteering his
time and talent and started getting
paid for it.
The company’s first official
concert, with headliners Hello
Beautiful and Lower Back Tatti,
attracted nearly 600 people. He
has also worked with artists such
as Playboy Playmate Jayde Nicole
and children’s characters Max and
Ruby.
“With 24K on our team our
networking and marketing has
exploded,” said Lower Back Tatti
guitarist Eoin McGuirk. “Anyone
who hasn’t heard of us, Kris is telling them as we speak.”
Both Dickerson and the boys of
Lower Back Tatti took a business
trip to Los Angeles before Christmas to showcase their talent and
break into the music scene there.
“I’m too old for this stuff already,” laughed Dickerson while
reminiscing on his taste of the
good life.
Networking in L.A. sent Dickerson back to Oshawa with business
contacts and memories of Epic
records, producers, limos, the Aria
nightclub and million dollar house
parties.
“We exposed our music to so
many people,” said Dickerson.
But locally, Dickerson spreads
the word about 24KEntertainment
the old fashioned way: Facebook
and making contacts.
“If you are searching for something and you know what you
want, you can always find someone to get it for you,” said Dickerson, describing his networking
base.
And while the business is currently being run, owned and operated solely by Dickerson, his clients have no cause for complaint.
“Kris has brought me a huge
step closer to achieving my goals
in comedy,” said O’Brien. “It re-
ally helps saying I have a manager,
someone to back me up, especially
when I’m trying to get new gigs at
new venues.”
Dickerson is able to provide
artists with management, photography, promotions and tour
management—or, as so elegantly
said on the company’s homepage,
“Serving the live music and event
entertainment scene.”
24KEntertainment may be the
company responsible for bringing
many artists to venues such as Le
Skratch, E.P. Taylor’s and Johnny
B’s, but Dickerson will use his networking skills to help out clients in
other areas as well.
“Anytime I’m at a bar with him I
tell chicks he’s my manager and it
gives me huge gain with the ladies,”
O’Brien said. “And by huge I mean
minor, but there’s some gain.”
Visit www.24kentertainment.
biz for information on upcoming
concerts and events.
HE’S THE MAN: Kris Dickerson (left) is a former
Durham College student
and also the former manager of Riot radio station.
He is the owner of 24KEntertainment. Their main
focus is promoting and
managing musical groups
and other sorts of entertainment. He and his company have set up shows
for local band Lower Back
Tatti, Hello Beautiful, and
current journalism student
Matt O’Brien, who is a comedian.
Photo By Jenna-Lee Mainse
The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
15
16 The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
17
18 The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
CAMPUS NEWS
Region to
crack down on
food violators
By Brandon Terry
Chronicle Staff
The Durham Health Department posts on its website a biannual report of food vendors
that have been charged with food
violations, but they now are in the
process of making the information
more available.
Food vendors need to comply
with regulations from the Ontario
food Premises Act. Inspectors review the cleanliness of restaurants
and post any infractions on their
website, but as it stands now restaurants don’t need to inform customers about them.
Durham Region Health department’s manager of the food and
safety program, Toni Moran, is
in the middle of a proposal that
would force vendors to place their
inspection notices on the door for
patrons to view and evaluate before they enter.
“This method is already in
place in Toronto and Peel, and it’s
worked pretty well so far,” said Moran.
Moran said she would like the
proposal to be launched and in effect as of September 20.
Although these inspection
cards are up in doorways and
windows in Toronto, they’re still
not very detailed, they’re simply
colour coded. A green card means
acceptable, yellow means there
are a few charges outstanding
that need to be fixed, and a red
card means the establishment has
been closed for hazardous health
reasons such as no running water
or a pest infestation.
“Right now, the public needs
more of an active effort getting information from us,” said Moran.
Right now information on infractions is only available if someone goes to the website or calls the
African
cuisine
coming
to campus
By Eric Laganis
Chronicle Staff
Durham College and UOIT are
going to celebrate Black History
Month with African and southern
delicacies.
During the week of Feb. 25,
Chartwells will be featuring dishes
from Africa and the southern United States at many of its food locations as part of Soul Week.
The Soul Week menu will be
offered in UB, Simcoe and Residence.
health department.
“We never really had an issue,
but the public has been asking for
it, and I think it’s time that we take
a more aggressive approach,” said
Moran.
The launch will be in two phases. The first will have the inspection reports on site and a full copy
report ready for customers on request. The second phase will be a
complete online report with full
disclosure of all incidents and repairs.
“We haven’t really been pushing this, it’s not like we have people
knocking on our door,” said Moran.
“We just didn’t have the resources
to do this kind of thing before, but
surveys from Toronto and Peel
said that the public really enjoyed
this.”
Over the years infractions have
decreased with the increase of
public curiosity about their favourite restaurants.
“Most places are willing to bend
over backwards now to have things
fixed before they lose customers,”
said Moran.
Food vendors are inspected
regularly depending on their risk
evaluation. A vendor’s risk assessment is based on the type of
food served, volume of food and
population they serve. A nursing
home with elderly people is more
susceptible to food hazards so it
would be considered high risk with
inspections three times a year.
A medium risk vendor is more
likely a pizza place or coffee shop
that must have a minimum of two
visits a year, and low risk vendors
are usually convenience stores
with pre-packaged foods and a
minimum inspection of once a
year.
Special occasions like Rib Fest
in Oshawa would also be in a highrisk category.
Park to be named after skater?
By Chris Jones
Chronicle Staff
On Monday Feb.11, Clarington Council will be looking to
name the soon-to-open Courtice skateboard park after the
fallen skater Rob Piontek, who
was killed by a hit and run driver
while walking home on the 401
Aug. 19, 2007.
Since Piontek died, there has
been talk of naming this skate
park after him. On Feb. 4, the
General Purpose and Administration Committee decided
that at the next Council meeting
they’ll propose the idea and see
if it will pass.
“We’ll ratify it on Monday.
Council will come to the conclusion of naming the park officially
after Rob or they can disallow it,”
said Tony Cannella, a member of
the committee.
There is a Facebook group
created by Piontek’s sister, Ra-
chel, telling all his friends to
come help support the cause of
naming the park after him.
“I think it would be amazing
if we all went, maybe that would
impact the vote,” she said on the
Facebook page. “I don’t know if
people know this, but this is kind
of legendary.”
Piontek, was a professional
skateboarder for Adidas Canada
and a sponsored Alcatraz Team
member for more than eight
years.
E
NTERTAINMENT
Grand PM comes to E.P. Taylor’s
The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
19
Durham College-UOIT Chronicle
With their
danceable
tunes,
Grand
PM made
a lasting
impression
By Craig Clark
Chronicle Staff
E.P. Taylor’s stayed nearly empty on Feb. 2 as one of Durham
Region’s most promising musical
acts, Grand PM, destroyed the pub
with their extremely danceable
tunes.
Grand PM brought their electronic pop rock sound to very few
people at the pub, playing the majority of their recently released CD,
Party In Your Basement.
They formed three or four years
ago out of Uxbridge and spent a lot
of time playing around Durham.
“We did some demos and gave
Photo by Craig Clark
PARTY AT E.P. TAYLOR’S: Singer and keyboardist of Grand PM rocked out at the
campus pub to their electronic pop rock sound.
them to our buddy Luther Mallory
from Crush Luther, who is now
our manager and got us on Curve
Music, which is a division of Universal,” said Dustin Wood, bassist
of Grand PM.
They have since played the
2007 New Year’s Eve in Nathan
Philips Square. The New Year’s Eve
show was the biggest thing Grand
PM have done to date, playing for
around 40,000 people.
“It’s different when you play in
front of 30 to 40 thousand people.
You’re about 30 feet away. It’s very
detached,” said Wood. “Whereas
tonight you’re still really close and
can interact and get a reaction
from people,”
Although their recent CD and
success has taken them far they
still play for small crowds every
once in a while. At the pub they
played popular songs God Save
The Scene and their first single
Basement.
“God Save The Scene is more
to do with the indie scene,” said
Wood. “ It’s not really a stab at it, it’s
more of a satire on it, talking about
how much of a religion it is to dress
and act a certain way,”
They have recently released a
video for their first single Basement, which is in regular rotation
at Much Music and has been a feature video on MySpace.
“Basement was actually the
song we had to really fight to get on
the album. It’s one of those songs
that’s different from all the other
songs on the record,” said Wood.
After the show in Oshawa,
Grand PM are releasing their record in the UK and Germany in
the next couple of weeks. They’re
hoping those releases will get
them bigger tours and festival
dates abroad and in Canada.
Oshawa firefighter
Avanti restaurant in
inspired by ‘70s
Oshawa: worth the visit rock band Rush
First of all I just wanted to say that I was wrong.
olive oil with hot peppers submerged within, which
After living in Oshawa last year for my first year gives it a spicy edge, and a very sharp balsamic vinof college, I had convinced myself that the city egar which was like a flavour orgasm in my mouth.
had absolutely nothing unique or appetizing to ofFor an appetizer I had a romaine salad ($6.95)
fer when it came to restaurants. It was always the with a creamy homemade garlic dressing, topped
same old chains I’d seen in dozens of other cities, with a generous amount of real parmigiano cheese,
or greasy spoons that offered dirt cheap wings and not the fake stuff in powder form one would find at
beer.
the grocery store. Other starter options range from
But it wasn’t until last week that a colleague samples of various Italian meats ($7.95) to calaof mine changed my mind completely when he mari ($9.95) and minestrone ($4.95).
helped me discover one of the most fabulous ItalMy main course involved a interesting kind of
ian restaurants I’d ever been to: Avanti Trattoria.
pasta I’d never heard of—Agnolotti di Gamberi—
When I first entered Avanti,
which are large half-moons
which opened in August 2007,
pasta shells, stuffed with shrimp,
I noticed a large, open kitchen
in a mellow but pleasing butColin
that was clean and organized.
ternut squash cream sauce with
The kitchen staff, who are led by
nutmeg and parmigiano cheese
Boucher
head chefs Mario Turco and Nick
($11.95).
Baldwin, were dressed profesOther main dishes offer alsionally in clean, white uniforms,
most every type of pasta imagall of which looked as if they had
inable, along with a long list of
just been freshly washed and ironed. There was a their various types of gourmet pizzas, one of their
gigantic, old-fashioned looking pizza oven that ap- specialties.
peared as if it has just received a fresh coat of white
In addition to selling a wide variety of primo Italpaint.
ian cuisine on the main menu, Avanti also sells the
Once we were seated, which not did take long, I previously mentioned bread toppings, along with
was equally impressed by the size and strength of several other flavours, plus pastas, spreads, and
their menu.
a variety of coffee. Patrons can purchase and use
Our fresh (and free) Italian bread came quickly, these in their own homes (Although none of them
along with our colas, which have unlimited refills— are made on-site).
an uncommon occurrence in a restaurant of its
Overall, I found that coming into Avanti was like
kind. Every table in Avanti comes complete with discovering an oasis of class and joy in the middle
three different types of toppings for your bread.
of the cold, heartless district that is downtown OsA virgin olive oil, which is smooth and delicious, hawa, and would definitely visit them again.
By Jenna-Lee Mainse
Chronicle Staff
A die-hard fan of the band Rush
can be seen fighting fires, riding
around in aerial trucks and operating the Jaws of Life.
Oshawa firefighter Warren
Lesser has seen the ‘70s rock band
in concert close to 25 times, and
while his co-workers call him a
rush fanatic, Lesser said he’s just
happy to be a Rush fan.
“I know he’s a Rush nut, but I
didn’t know he’s seen them that
many times,” said firefighter Dave
Rockbrune, when he overheard
how many Rush concerts Lesser
has attended.
But Lesser attributes his obsession with Rush to his love for music
and personal talent as a drummer.
“I think they are a band that
musicians like because they play
such complicated music,” said
Lesser, who praises the band’s instrumental expertise.
In fact, Rush drummer Neil
Peart inspired Lesser to improve
his drum skills shortly after he
started listening to the band at the
age of 14.
“I tried to play everything he
played,” said Lesser.
Since 1982, Lesser has seen
Rush play all local shows to date,
and owns every album they have
released.
Rush concerts have become a
ritual for Lesser, who attends concerts with the same high school
friends each show.
These tickets do not always
come easy for Lesser and his high
school pals though; they have to
fight with other Rush fans on TicketMaster and eBay for the best
seats possible.
The last set of concerts Lesser
saw, on Sept. 19 and 22 he paid
$250 per ticket, winning seats
three rows from the stage.
“But it’s money well spent,”
laughed Lesser.
Co-worker Steve Powers, and
other close firefighter friends
make fun of his Rush addiction,
stiffening his backbone.
“He’s a borderline stalker,” said
Powers with a wink. “It’s odd to the
point of questionable.”
Lesser doesn’t allow these remarks to lessen his love for Rush,
Peart, drums or his favourite song
Lime Light, though.
“Not many bands can stay together for 30 years and keep writing their own music, playing their
own music and touring as well as
they do,” gushed Lesser.
20 The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
The Chronicle
minutes on Facebook every day.
in every day.
February 12, 2008
sor and faculty expert in the Busi-
21
able to obtain personal informa-
Facebook’s taking away our privacy
By Svea Keegan
Chronicle Staff
“I saw one of your photo albums,
checked out some of the pictures
and I thought you were really hot.”
“Who are you?”
Finding a creepy message
like this in the inbox on Facebook from a stranger, who lives
in a different city, province or
country, is common and is an
example of invaded privacy.
The popular website, with more
than 54 million users, is a favourite
among students everywhere, but
the issue of invaded privacy has
been popping up in the media as
of last year. Most recently, 19-yearold Jiri Tlusty, a forward for the
Toronto Maple Leafs, had controversial pictures of himself leaked
out to other websites after posting
them on his Facebook profile. A
nude photograph that he took with
his cell phone was intended for a
girl he had met online and was discovered on Nov. 13, 2007 when the
media got a hold of the story.
Users spend on average of 20
While it has a lot of interesting
features for a social networking
fiend, safety can be an issue. Kate
Hobbs, a second-year Child and
Youth Worker student at Durham
College, recalled a time when a
strange man was harrassing her
on Facebook.
“One guy would just keep sending me messages telling me we
should meet and I would just ignore him,” she said. “[It got to the
point that] I changed my relationship status to say I was in a relationship just so he would leave me
alone.” Hobbs explained that after
changing her relationship status,
the man messaged her once more
to say how mad he was that she already had a man. That was the end
of the harrassment.
Facebook provides users with
multiple ways to limit, in detail,
how much or how little of their
personal profile, photo albums,
group affiliations, or contact information is available to friends, others in common networks, or to the
millions of general users that log-
Facebook’s Privacy Policy
states clearly in the first sentence
that it is a “social utility that connects people with friends and
others who work, study and live
around them.” If a user is listed in
the Toronto network on Facebook,
for example, there are over half a
million people in the Toronto network that could view content on
that users profile. Unless the steps
have been taken to deny people
within the same network access to
that users profile, there is no way
of telling who is creeping around.
Tina Carl, a second-year Dental Hygiene students at Durham
College, isn’t concerned about her
privacy on Facebook being too lenient.
“I don’t use any of the privacy
settings on Facebook,” she says. “I
think that if there is a picture or a
comment that you don’t want anyone else to see, then you shouldn’t
put it on the Internet to begin with.”
Carl admits she doesn’t know
how to set her privacy settings.
Patrick Hung, an Assistant Profes-
ness and Information Technology
program at UOIT, knows that understanding Internet privacy is fairly uncommon among young adults.
“[Facebook] will show an agreement, but no one will read the
agreement,” says Hung. “For
one, it is too long, and with all
of the political jargon they cannot understand what it means.
People just want to set up a profile and skip the agreement.”
When stories surrounding Facebook and how easy it is for people
to obtain personal information
come up, some will take action in
protecting themselves. Kristen Pytlowana, a second-year Mechanical Engineering student at UOIT,
explains how she started using
privacy settings.
“A few of my friends were telling me about stuff they had read
about how much of your information can get out,” she says. “I
changed mine so that other people who aren’t my friends can’t
see very much of my profile.”
It is not only random users being
tion from any unprotected profile,
but employers are now getting the
hang of Facebook, using it to read
further into the personal lives of
potential employees.
“To be safe, if you are going to
try to find a job, you better remove
your personal info from your Facebook,” says Hung. “You never know
what the employer will dislike.”
There can’t be a complete cry of
ignorance in this situation, though.
“Your first intention is to share
information of some kind when
you sign up for Facebook,” says
Hung. “It’s up to you what you
want to share and what you don’t
want to share. I think the key solution to this problem is education.”
Hung explains how it would be
beneficial to teach young people
earlier in life, such as at the beginning of high school, what information they should not share
on the Internet. He also believes
that teaching Facebook in school
would be something students
would embrace since so many
people enjoy using it.
Metal blade records Inc. Attention all
celebrates 25 years of rock musicians and
music lovers
By Rory Wilson
Chronicle Staff
For Metal Blade Records, 2007
was a successful year, offering
heavy metal fans top chart releases from some of the biggest names
in the genre. It marked the 25th anniversary for Metal Blade Records,
the widely recognized record label
with offices around the world.
In celebration of their 25th year
they released top albums from As
I Lay Dying, The Black Dahlia Murder, The Red Chord, Evergreen
Terrace, Job For a Cowboy, King
Diamond and more. All of these
albums appeared on billboard
charts. Top European death metal
act Amon Amarth received a gold
plaque for selling 5,000 copies of
their Wrath of Norseman DVD in
Canada.
For 2008 Metal Blade intends
on staying as consistent as previous years.
“I think this year we have just as
many priority releases as last year,”
says Sarah Lutz, a Metal Blade
representative from the Toronto
office.
In 2007 they had more priority releases than any other year in
the label’s history. They signed six
bands throughout the year, which
is above the average number
signed in one year.
“We don’t sign too many bands,
By Emily Palonen
Chronicle Staff
METAL BLADE RECORDS INC: Heavy metal music lable
celebrating their 25th Anniversery
so we can really focus on their careers and grow the music.”
Lutz said fans can expect more
DVD releases this year following
Gwar’s Phallus in Wonderland, the
label’s first DVD of the year that hit
stores Jan. 8. With the abundance
of music videos produced by some
of the label’s biggest names, the label released a compilation of all
the videos, titled Metal Blade 25th
Year in Video.
“It’s kind of a “best of” for that
specific year. As well, it was some-
thing to celebrate our 25th anniversary with.”
Several bands toured in celebration of the anniversary, including Cannibal Corpse, Black Dahlia
Murder and The Absence. Some of
these bands were part of the New
England Metal Fest in Worchester,
which was recorded and released
on DVD.
“Our Metal Blade 25th anniversary tour did so well, that we are
going to continue it into 2008,” said
Lutz.
Hedley comes to D.C.
By Rory Wilson
Chronicle Staff
Durham College welcomes
Vancouver-based pop group Hedley to E.P. Taylor’s on Friday, Feb.
15.
Hedley just finished touring
with Simple Plan, and will continue their tour of Canada. Some of
these concerts will feature bands
MXPX and Faber. Hedley was
nominated for two Juno awards
and their self-titled album has
gone platinum.
They will share the stage at E.P.
Taylor’s with Ajax’s ska-punk band
The Johnstones, whose video for
Gone for a Long Time remained
on the nation’s music stations for
over three months.
Attention musicians and
anyone who feels stuck in their
musical knowledge: Two new
music courses are being offered
at Durham College through
Continuing Education: blues
and jazz guitar, and music theory for the musician.
These two 10-week courses
have been offered at Durham
College since this past September and upon completion can
contribute to a Certificate of
Music.
“Both courses are ideal for
anyone wishing to get their skills
together as a musician and to be
able to play better and be more
versatile as a musician,” according to Paul Fair, the course instructor.
“Most students in the courses
either consider themselves parttime musicians… while some
are taking the courses as preparation for a post-secondary jazz
music program, like Humber
College,” where Fair attended in
1974.
Blues and jazz guitar includes
topics such as the jazz version
of playing the blues, chord progressions used in jazz, using
modes to improvise, chord melody playing and compiling and
learning standard jazz tunes.
Music theory for the musician covers construction of
scales and chords, chord progressions used in jazz, modulation, key centres, transposing
and ear training. The course enables students to advance their
performing skills on their in-
strument, including vocals, and
provides essential training for
aspiring jazz or contemporary
musicians.
“Both courses are taught using real information that professional musicians use every day,”
he said, noting that the emphasis is placed on realistic playing
and performing situations and
not abstract material that the
student would never actually
need to know.
Fair began his musical journey at the age of 12 when he
began playing guitar. Since then
he has studied with retired jazz
guitarist Paul “Streak” Konkle,
studied music at both Humber
College and Berklee College of
Music (the world’s largest independent music college), was
a production assistant at the
Ontario Place Forum for artists,
and has been teaching for the
past 35 years.
As well as at Durham College, Fair teaches guitar courses
at Sir Sandford Fleming College
and privately in his home studio. He plays in the jazz group
called Blue Jazz at Elmhurst Resort and various summer jazz
festivals.
Besides these two courses,
Durham College offers Guitar level one and two courses
through continuing education
and, according to Fair, will possibly be offering more musicrelated courses in the future,
including The Future of Music
and The Music Business, and
Promoting Yourself as a Musician.
Paul Fair can be contacted at
[email protected].
22 The Chronicle
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
February 12, 2008
No Country a rare quality thrill
By Andrew Dalrymple
Chronicle Staff
Every now and then, a film
comes along that grabs you right
by the throat and refuses to let go.
No Country for Old Men does just
that.
No Country takes place in a
small southern Texas town in the
1980s, with a cast and premise
that borders on perfection.
Llewelyn Moss, played by Josh
Brolin, is on one of his regular
hunting trips when he spots what
looks to be the aftermath of a drug
deal that went horribly wrong. He
stumbles across $2 million and
decides to keep it for himself and
his wife Carla Jean (Kelly Macdonald).
The only problem is that there’s
a ruthless man, Anton Chigurh
(Javier Bardem), looking to give
the money back to its rightful owner in order to save his own life.
Academy Award Winner Tommy Lee Jones plays the life-long
sheriff of the small town who in all
his time has never carried a gun.
It’s difficult to find a flaw in the
movie. Bardem, Brolin and Jones
all give performances that will not
be forgotten and the storyline never blinks for a second.
As Anton Chigurh, Bardem
sports a haircut and a demeanor
that fits the character perfectly.
He’s creepy, yet somehow cool. As
twisted as the character is, Bardem
gives the type of performance that
makes it hard not to root for him,
even if it makes you look insane.
He’s a demented, borderline
nut-job who wields a gun so powerful, words cannot describe it. His
performance should earn him his
first Oscar.
This film should also earn a
few awards for the Coen brothers.
As with their past work, the Coen
brothers make senseless violence
tasteful and create a film that has
uniqueness and class.
What you think will happen
doesn’t necessarily happen and
just when you think you’ve figured it out, they screw you into
the ground 10 times as hard. It’s
not your typical film, but the Coen
brothers are not your typical filmmakers either.
One thing that you notice most
throughout No Country is how
little music is played. It’s not in the
background or through any of the
nail-biting scenes. All you hear is
dialogue and the sound effects.
Some may say it makes the film
boring, but it adds a certain aura
that is rare in films.
The Coen brothers have created many films and this might just
be their best.
From the acting to the cinematography to the directing, this is a
two-hour joyride that refuses to
slow down.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
23
Fortress another Genies don’t represent
quality album
true Canadian cinema
By Craig Clark
Chronicle Staff
If it’s not broken then don’t fix it,
must have been Whitby’s Protest
The Hero’s thoughts while writing
and recording their new album
Fortress.
Released Jan. 29 Protest The
Hero’s sophomore album follows
the same form as their previous
release Kezia but with some improvements. Protest The Hero
stays with their technical power
metal sound but take it heavier.
Strong guitar riffs and solos
link each song together, bringing
them into a powerful guitar-driven
album. The strength of vocalist
Rody Walker’s voice has improved,
but it’s still high and fits perfectly
into the opening track Bloodmeat.
Also, Walker’s scream has devel-
oped into a unique growl that
makes each song more interesting
and intense.
Fortress is Protest The Hero’s
first release on Vagrant Records.
It has cemented them as Canada’s
most prestigious metal act. But
anyone who didn’t like Protest The
Hero before may not change their
opinion with this release.
The flow of this album and
technical skills have shown the
growth of Whitby’s wonder band.
They have transformed into a
mainstream metal act and have
left their mark in heavy music with
only two albums.
To shy away from the album
Fortress would be a mistake for
any avid music fan. If you enjoy
listening to talented and exquisite
technical skills this album is for
you from start to finish.
Lower Back Tatti
By Jenna-Lee Mainse
Chronicle Staff
Lower Back Tatti plans to make
waves at the Groove Lounge on
Feb. 15.
This 19-plus event will host performances by both Lower Back
Tatti and Blind Fire.
Doors open at 10 p.m. and tickets are $10 at the door.
For more information e-mail
[email protected].
By Mark Milner
Chronicle Staff
I want to get mad at the Genie Awards for overlooking the
movie Juno. I really do.
But I just can’t.
In what looks like a typical
case of preserving pseudo-Canadian culture, the kind that forces
radio stations to play Nickelback
songs and makes Da Kink In My
Hair get a primetime slot on TV,
Juno did not get a single nomination for the Genie awards.
And why not? It should have
been sufficiently Canadian for
their standards. It starred two
young Canadians (Michael Cera
and Ellen Page), was directed by
a Canadian (Jason Reitman) and
was even filmed in Canada (Vancouver, to be exact).
And yet Fox Searchlight didn’t
even bother to submit it, knowing
it would likely not meet the criteria of being Canadian enough.
At the same time, American
Viggo Mortensen has a nomination for best actor for his part in
Eastern Promises, a movie filmed
in London. Julie Christie, a British actress, is nominated for lead
actress for Away From Her.
While it feels like it should
bug me, it doesn’t at all.
The reason why I feel this way
is that the Genies are a joke.
Canadians rarely, if ever, celebrate their own cinema. The
highest grossing Canadian film
ever is one that starred mostly
Americans and was filmed in
the US: Porky’s. It wasn’t until the
release Bon Cop, Bad Cop that a
Canadian movie made a serious
run at surpassing it.
At the same time, Canadian’s
often succeed in Cinema, but
they always do in American
movies. Michael J Fox, for example, didn’t find much success
until he went to the U.S. and got
work there.
But awards like the Genies
ignore this. By sporting an image
that almost says “by Canadians,
for Canadians” they try and foster
a Canadian self-identity through
the movies they nominate.
But by nominating movies
shot in other countries, starring
people from other countries,
they only show what a sham they
are. They’re a self-congratulatory
award show that tries to present
an image that there is a vibrant
Canadian cinema scene that deserves awards to the people who
want to believe such a scene exists.
But there isn’t.
Juno, nominated for four Oscars, will not win a Genie. Eastern Promises, nominated for 12
Genies, is only nominated for
one Oscar.
With results like that, how can
the Genies really say they represent Canadian cinema?
24 The Chronicle
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
February 12, 2008
Travel into the Middle East
By Chris Buttonshaw
Chronicle Staff
Ubisoft, currently one of best
videogame developers, have released their new game Assassin’s
Creed and hope it will eliminate
the competition.
Assassin’s Creed is a thirdperson action-adventure game
that takes place during the Third
Crusade (1192 A.D.) in the Middle
East.
Gamers play as Altair, member
of a clan of assassins that travels to
the cities of the region and eliminates his master’s targets to regain
his rank and hounour amongst the
clan.
The cities in the game include
Damascus, Jerusalem, Acre, and
Masyaf; the last being the assassins’ village.
The game is sandbox style, al-
Shad
steps into
Oshawa
with beats
and flow
By Craig Clark
Chronicle Staff
Ontario’s underground hip-hop
has a new ambassador; London’s
Shad filled The Dungeon with flow
and class on Jan. 31 with down-toearth rhymes and addictive beats.
Shad opened for one of Canada’s most prestigious hip-hop acts
Classified on his Canadian tour
this winter. Shad’s progress to success was a slow step-by-step process.
“I started out just messing
around and having fun with music and then started writing full
songs, eventually recording a bit
and playing some shows,” said
Shad. “Then things got more and
more busy, which required more
organization and resulted in more
exposure.”
The Dungeon wasn’t his first
time in Oshawa. He has also played
a couple of Frosh week concerts at
Durham College.
Shad hopes to gain momentum
as his popularity snowballs.
“I got my first real break when I
won a radio contest that provided
the funds for me to record my first
album,” he said.
Shad released his first fulllength album The Old Prince and
single I Don’t Like To last year.
“I just hope to keep improving
and making music that’s meaningful and worthwhile,” he said.
His album The Old Prince has
tracks about everyday life and topics close to his heart. Since Shad is
from Rwanda he has some more
serious tracks about the political
situation there.
lowing the players to go wherever
and accomplish their tasks however they choose to.
While the main goal is to collect information on the target and
eliminate them, players can complete many additional objectives.
The objectives include climbing
towers to get view the surrounding
and discover the objectives, saving
citizens from corrupt city guards,
eavesdropping, pick pocketing,
interrogating public speakers, and
completing tasks for fellow assassins.
Over the course of the game
players gain new weapons and
abilities to make completing their
tasks easier.
The collection of weapons players carry include a sword, a short
dagger-like blade, throwing knifes,
and the hidden blade used for the
assassinations.
A complaint about the game is
that it’s repetitive but that can be
said about almost every game.
The one possibly negative thing
is that players can’t save the game
as they please, though the game
automatically saves after every
completed objective and therefore
saves quite regularly
Ubisoft is the company behind
the Prince of Persia series and
Assassin’s Creed appears to be a
perfected version of the climbing
and exploring part of that game
design.
Although Altair doesn’t have
the same number of fighting
moves as the Prince of Persia, he is
able to counter and quick-kill enemies, which makes up for the lack
of high-flying and wild combos.
Overall Assassin’s Creed is a
great game set in a time period
that has been mostly ignored until now. If you like Prince of Persia,
the Third Crusade Middle East, or
just being an assassin, then this
game is highly recommended.
1192 A.D: Set in a time period that has long been forgotten, players fight to regain their master’s honour.
S
PORTS
Canada’s future seen at DC/UOIT
The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
25
Durham College-UOIT Chronicle
Ken Babcock said.
“Despite that, the tournament
went off, with a little bit of adjustment on the Friday.
But through teams’ patience
and a lot of hard work by our staff
here and the convener, it managed
to turn out OK.”
Despite that cancellations Babcock was pleased with results.
“I was really excited about bring
back a top-flight high school tournament as we used to host the top
high school tournament probably
in the province, the Oshawa Times
Classic.”
Gordensky praised Babcock
and his staff for helping organize
the successful event and would
welcome having the tournament
here again next year.
“I would have no problem hosting it here…the facilities are unbelievable,” Gordensky said.
Babcock agreed.
“That’s the intent (having the
tournament held at the college)…
I think this should be considered
a long-term project. Tournaments
like these have always been used
as recruitment tools for student
coming to see our campus.”
#1 team in
Ontario
wins again
By Dwayne Wynter
Chronicle Staff
Twenty-four of Ontario’s best
basketball teams battled, but only
one was left standing as Durham
College and UOIT played host
to the inaugural Pickering High
School Classic Jan. 31-Feb. 2.
With a 40-2 record, headlining
the tournament was the province’s
number one-ranked Pickering
High Trojans and their star guard
Devoe Joseph, who just signed
with the NCAA’s Minnesota Golden Gophers.
They didn’t disappoint.
Winning the tournament by
crushing rivals Mother Teresa 8854, the province’s best team improved their tournament championship record to 9-2.
“It’s great (to have the top teams
here).
Obviously we were the number one team in the tournament,
and in Ontario and we deserve it
but that doesn’t mean they are not
teams out there that will give us a
run for our money,” head coach
Mike Gordensky said.
Taking over the ranks after
former head coach Ron Parfait
retired, Gordensky was also the
tournament organizer/convener.
“I tried to make the pools as
even as possible… I think the best
teams will prove themselves and
win their pools.”
“It has been a 16-team tournament (in the past), but this is the
first year that we’ve expanded to
24.”
With double-overtime games,
PICKERING CLASSIC
TOURNAMENT
ALL-STARS
ST. MIKES
BLUE RAIDERS
Nathan Palech
BEAL RAIDERS
Photo by Dwayne Wynter
Adam Jepherson
G0, GO, GO, JOSEPH: Canadian basketball phenom and National team member, Devoe Joseph waits to get past rival Mother Teresa Guard Ashton Khan (right). Joseph
recently signed to play for the NCAA’s Minnesota Golden Gophers.
MOTHER TERESA
TITANS
intense defences and tough physical play all around, not only did
the top teams like Mother Teresa,
London’s Beal and St. Mikes pre-
PICKERING TROJANS
vail, but they have the battle scars
to prove it.
However, with the snowstorm
that hit last Friday, coaches and
organizers were forced to cancel a
majority of games.
“Weather wreaked havoc for
a lot of events,” Athletic Director
Ashton Khan
Devoe and Cory Joseph
Lords aces help team improve to 13-2
By Chris Jones
Chronicle Staff
The Durham Lords volleyball
team is inching closer to the end of
the season.
But they have nothing to worry
about.
They added another win to
their 12-2 record against the Fleming Knights Jan. 31.
The 3-0 win marks their eighth
shutout of the season.
After losing their second game
of the season a week earlier against
the Cambrian Golden Shield, the
Lords were looking to bounce
back against the Knights, and they
did.
The Lords were in complete
control the majority of the game.
The first set was a blowout 25-12,
the second set 25-18, and the third
set went down to the final serves
28-25.
With the loss, the Knights fell
to a 3-10 record, not even close to
playoff contention in the East division.
Along with the win, Lords
team captain Karlene Risebrough
Barnes registered two aces, bringing her career total to 84.
She is now tied for fifth in OCAA
career aces.
She’s also leading the league
with 40 on the season.
Along with her two aces, she
led the team in points (eight kills
and two aces) with 10.
Stephanie Femia also had a
good game, capturing six kills, one
block and one ace in the win.
With the top spot in the Central
East division, the Lords are preparing for their 17th straight OCAA
championship in Fanshawe Feb.
21-23.
The Lords have one more
game remaining on Feb. 6. Results
weren’t available by press time.
OCAA SERVICE ACE
SEASON LEADERS
DURHAM
Karlene Risebrough Barnes
(40)
HUMBER
Landis Doyle
(39)
SAULT
Michela Szatanski
(33)
GEORGIAN
Carly Hubick
(32)
Photo by Chris Jones
RISING HIGH: Karlene Risebrough Barnes has her team
tops in their division with their eyes set for a strong
playoff run. Only four players have more career aces.
26 The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
The Chronicle
SPORTS NEWS
Lords keep playoff hopes alive
By Dwayne Wynter
Chronicle Staff
It’s not over till it’s over.
With their playoff hopes up in
the air, the Lords men’s basketball
team got what they desperately
needed after a tough loss… a win.
On the road in North York, the
Lords beat the Seneca Sting 67-61
on Feb. 5, keeping their playoff
hopes alive and improving their
record to 5-9.
They were hoping for another
big night from their top scorer Anthony Batchelor, the Lords guard,
saw double and triple teams all
night and managed to score only
nine points.
“They made a conscious effort
to stop him tonight, especially
after he scored 31 points against
them the last time we played,”
head coach Peter Gordon said.
However, Durham was able
to get solid contributions from
other players, most notably Evan
Browne, Liam McMorrow and
Courtney Small, who scored 21, 13
and 10 points respectively.
“Our guys really stepped up tonight… Evan has been our most
consistent outside shooter all year
long,” Gordon said.
He also praised first-year forward Nicolas Brown, whose strong
play has declined over recent
weeks.
“I had a nice long talk with Nick
to try and help reassure him and
help his confidence…he played
really well too,” Gordon said.
Unfortunately, a different day
saw a reoccurring result.
It’s funny how times change…
isn’t it?
In their first meeting, exactly
two months before their second,
the Durham Lords men’s basketball team and Fleming Knights
were 0-1 and 1-0 respectively, both
looking towards promising and rewarding seasons.
Since that Oct. 30 game, Fleming has gone on to a 10-3 record,
while the Lords have plummeted
to a 5-8 record.
“We just weren’t getting back in
transition,” Gordon said after their
88-74 loss to the Knights on Jan. 30
in Peterborough.
“The first six minutes really
went back and forth.”
Shooting was really what hurt
the Lords.
Browne had an unusually poor
shooting night, scoring 12 points
but shooting only 28 per cent from
the field and 3-point line.
Batchelor, struggled too, shooting 31 per cent for the game and
finishing with 19 in total.
“Neither of those guys shot the
ball well at all tonight… not sure
why either. The ball just didn’t
want to drop,” Gordon said.
However, one Lord was quite
hot while the others’ shots were
cold.
Small had one of his best performances all season, shooting
10-for-14 from the field, and scoring 21 points overall.
February 12, 2008
What makes it impressive?
All 21 came in the first half.
“Courtney was hot… everything
he shot went it,” Gordon said.
So it was unfortunate when he
picked up early foul trouble that
led him only to play 25 minutes
before eventually fouling out.
After giving up 49 points in the
first half, the Lords managed to
hold Fleming to 39 in the second.
But they still managed to shoot
just under 50 per cent from the
floor to Durham’s forgettable 29
per cent.
“Our defence was better in the
second half… but again, that’s just
one half,” Gordon said.
“Our first 10 games we were
holding teams to 61, 62 points…
now it’s anything 80-plus… some
players just are not playing well.”
With the playoff picture looking
grimmer as the games go by, Gordon is looking for more production
from his players and will continue
to remain optimistic.
“We aren’t getting consistent
27
play from our forwards on both
ends of the floor… the last five
games have been brutal,” he said.
“But I’m still optimistic… if we
can get to 10-10 we will have a
chance. All the games we have left
are winnable. It depends on what
teams shows up… It’s frustrating,
but it’s the truth.”
In their two meeting this year
Lords guard Courtney Small is
averaging 21 PPG against the second-place Fleming Knights.
With 28 points in his last two
games, Batchelor is just 28 points
from breaking the all-time scoring
record.
As a result of the snowstorm on
Feb.1 Durham’s games in Ottawa
against the Algonquin Thunder
and La Cite Coyotes were cancelled and rescheduled to Feb. 10
and 11 respectively.
Results for either game were
unavailable at press time.
Leafs are at a loss without McCabe
By Robert McNab
Chronicle Staff
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a
lot of things, but one thing they are
not is a good hockey team.
That being said, the Leafs would
be a whole lot better if a certain defenseman weren’t sidelined with
an injury.
That would be whipping boy
Bryan McCabe.
To some, that statement might
sound absurd. But it’s true.
There aren’t many defensemen
in the NHL who are as important
to their team as McCabe, who logs
more than 26 minutes of ice time
per game.
In fact, only five players play
more: Florida’s Jay Bouwmeester,
Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom, Anaheim’s Chris Pronger, Boston’s
Zdeno Chara and Calgary’s Dion
Phaneuf.
That’s pretty select company.
And they’re important minutes,
time spent on the power play and
penalty kill.
Toronto’s record, while anything
but great, is much worse when the
veteran defenceman is not in the
lineup. They’re just 10-14-3.
McCabe has scored at least
50 points in each of the last three
seasons. Only three other defense-
men have matched that production (Sergei Gonchar, Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger).
Robert
McNab
This season, McCabe has
missed time because of injury on
two separate occasions.
The first such instance was
when he missed six games in Oc-
tober with a groin injury. Then in
December, he was pinned against
the boards by Montreal’s Sergei
Kostitsyn, breaking his hand in six
places.
It was a devastating loss. Everyone on the Leafs knew it.
Why then, before a Jan. 10
game vs. Tampa Bay, was McCabe
booed when it was announced
that he was not in the lineup that
night?
To answer that question, one
has to go back to June of 2006,
when former General Manager
John Ferguson Jr. signed the then
31 year old to a 5-year/$28.75M
contract.
McCabe was overpaid. But
would Leafs fans be happier if the
team just let him walk away as a
free agent?
There would have been more of
an uproar had that happened than
there was for the subsequent contract he received.
If anyone is to blame it’s Ferguson, or upper management, who
forced Ferguson into the signing…
allegedly.
The thing is, who’s money did
the Leafs give to McCabe? Not
yours, not mine.
McCabe doesn’t deserve the
contract that he has, but nobody
but the Toronto Maple Leafs are
paying him, so who cares?
It’s the final stretch for The ladies are
these basketball heroines standing strong
The women’s
basketball
team prepares
for upcoming
playoff season
By Mark Milner
Chronicle Staff
The Durham Lords women’s
basketball team is gearing up for a
playoff run.
Playing three games on the
road in just under a week would
normally have its own troubles,
but the Lords are also playing for
a playoff spot.
And they’re up against some of
the best teams in the league. Like
By Mark Milner
an Algonquin team that beat them
74-41 last November and a Seneca team that beat them 63-28 last
month.
But they got off to a good start
by beating the Fleming Knights,
the team with the worst record in
their division, on Jan. 30 by a score
of 57-22. And after a loss to the
Seneca Sting on Feb. 5, the Lords
hold the sixth and final playoff
spot, ahead of George Brown and
Fleming, with a record of 4-6.
In the OCAA, the top six teams
from each division make the playoffs. The first- and second-ranked
teams get a bye, while the thirdand fourth-ranked teams host the
other division’s fifth- and sixthranked teams.
This means, if the standings
remain the way they are at press
time, Durham would play at St.
Clair in the first round of the playoffs.
With only three games left, it is
still possible that the Lords could
slip out of the playoffs, but not very
likely. Fleming would have to win
at least four of their last five games,
while Durham would have to lose
all six of theirs.
However, George Brown could
still sneak in. They upset the Georgian Grizzlies on Jan. 30, winning
60-51 and putting themselves in
playoff contention, only one win
behind the Lords. Their final game
of the season will be against the
Lords on Feb. 20 and it could end
up being a play-in for the playoffs.
And don’t count out Georgian,
either. As of press time, they are
ahead of the Lords, but the Lords
have two games in hand. With a
couple wins, the two teams could
easily trade places.
Either way, this final stretch
could end up being very important. The results from their game
against Algonquin were not available at press time.
Chronicle Staff
The weather outside was
frightful but the women’s basketball Lords were delightful on
the hardwood against the Fleming College Knights on Jan. 30,
easily winning 57-22.
The next two games, however, didn’t go as well for the
Lords.
Two Lords, rookie guard Erin
Emery and forward Kimberly
Slack, scored in double digits in
the win, and Slack also had eight
rebounds. Forward Ashley Visser had a good game, too, getting
six points and 10 rebounds.
However, their next game,
against the Algonquin Thunder,
was cancelled due to bad weather. It has been rescheduled for
Feb. 10 at Algonquin College.
Finally, on Feb. 5, the Lords
lost to the Seneca Sting by a
score of 70-47 on the road in
North York.
Against the Knights, the Lords
got ahead early and stayed there
for the duration of the game. At
halftime they led by 24. However, the team’s turnover woes
continued, as Fleming scored
11 points – half of their total –
off Durham turnovers.
This has not been a good
season for the Knights, who
have yet to win a game. It is also
the sixth game in a row that the
Lords have beaten them.
In North York, the Lords hung
in tough against an undefeated
Seneca team. Meaghan O’Reilly
led the Lords with 15 points and
14 rebounds, with Emery not far
behind with 11 points.
The Lords are still occupying the last playoff spot in their
division with a division record
of 4-6, giving them eight points,
and are 7-14 overall. Their next
home game will be on Feb. 15
against Loyalist.
28 The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
The Chronicle
SPORTS NEWS
February 12, 2008
29
Ridgebacks
defeat York 4-0
in home game
Loss ends
Lions’ six
game win
streak
By Michael Stathopoulos
Chronicle Staff
The UOIT Ridgebacks men’s
hockey team snapped the York Lions’ six-game winning streak with
authority on Feb. 2, with a convincing 4-0 win at the Campus Ice
Centre.
The win secured UOIT’s firstever shutout in school history.
Ridgeback goaltender Matt Mateja
was solid between the pipes, stopping all 40 shots thrown his way.
Mateja was not alone in delivering an outstanding effort. The
entire team played well in front
him, providing the defensive support needed to win.
“Matt didn’t have to make a lot
of second saves, our guys were
great around the net with rebounds,” said head coach Marlin
Muylaert.
“They got some fairly decent
first shots and Matt was square to
the puck and playing in between
the posts, so that makes the game
easier for a big goalie.”
Dustin Turner and Jordan
Freeland led the way up front with
Turner notching two goals while
Freeland had a goal and an assist.
Justin Allen rounded out the scoring with his first of the year into
the empty net.
While no Ridgeback is setting
the record books on fire, Turner
and Freeland have been as regular
contributors as they come for this
team.
“When you look at our roster, I
don’t think we have a 10-goal scorer yet,” said Muylaert.
“Dusty’s had a couple of twogoal games for us and if there is
‘
I think we did
such a good job
on the forecheck
and on the cycle
that we disrupted
York from having
any type of flow.
’
Marlin Muylaert
ever a regular scorer for us it’s Jordan.”
One of the more pleasing aspects of the game was the specialteams play of the Ridgebacks. The
power play went 3 for 8, while the
penalty-kill finished the game a
perfect 7 for 7.
With the power play struggling,
the coaching staff let it be known
that those who worked hard
would be a given chance and that
things could be changed around
at any time, putting pressure on
the team’s current first unit. The
players responded.
“Don’t ask me how we did it. All
we had done on the power play
leading up to the game that week
was tell them that we were going
to get more guys involved and if
guys had a good work ethic on the
power-play, they were going to get
a chance,” said Muylaert.
“I don’t know if that created a
little more hustle for loose pucks
or little more desire to get to the
net, but we got a few chances and
buried a few for a change.”
In the end, probably the most
important stat for the Ridgebacks
was their ability to keep both
Tyler Harrison and Chris Jones,
York’s top two scorers, off the
scoresheet.
“I think we did such a good job
on the forecheck and on the cycle
that we disrupted York from having any type of flow,” said Muylaert.
“They’re big guys, and when
you spend the first half of your
shift trying to get the puck out of
your end, it’s hard to get it going
offensively.”
Photo by Ryan Chalmers
WHAT A SAVE: Trevor Delpippo makes a sliding stop during practice. The team
hopes to enter a new tournament in March.
Snow storm cancels
Queen’s tournament
By Ryan Chalmers
Chronicle Staff
Due to inclement weather, the
Queen’s Tournament for indoor
soccer was cancelled on Feb.2.
The tournament was to be
the second of three exhibition
tournaments before the regional
playoffs on March 4.
The Lords hope that they will
be able to enter another tournament to make up the cancelled
games.
“I am hoping, because the
funding was there, that possibly
we can go to another one,” said
head coach Stan Bombino. “We
would like to attend the Brock
University Tournament, which is
some time in March.”
The team continues to practise and work on the fundamentals. Outdoor goalie Fabrice Kabongo has been helping coach
the team, especially their inexperienced goaltenders.
The team realizes that after a
poor showing at Centennial, they
still have a lot of work to do.
“I have been disappointed
with the calibre of play because
we can play better than what we
are doing,” said Bombino. “It’s
just a matter of getting them
to think more and work a little
harder.”
Next up is the Sheridan Tournament on Feb. 16 when the
team will play other colleges and
alumni teams.
“The game of soccer is all succession: if you have the ball, you
can do something with it, if you
don’t then the other team is going to come at you,” Bombino
said.
“When you make a pass, you
better make sure that it’s right
on.”
30 The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
SPORTS NEWS
Cardio tennis a great way to stay fit
By Eric Laganis
Chronicle Staff
Tennis with a twist.
Cardio tennis, an activity designed to let players of all skill
levels compete in a pressure-free,
fast-paced workout, is a hit at the
Campus Tennis Centre.
“I like being able to work on all
aspects of the game,” said cardio
tennis player Joe Cambareri.
Tennis Aerobics, as it is called
at the tennis centre, is a one-hour
workout session where players
receive no instruction from the
coach but instead run through
various drills, such as backhands,
forehands and volleys, in an effort
to have fun and stay in shape, said
Kane Easter, assistant coach of the
UOIT varsity tennis team.
Easter, who runs the Tennis
Aerobics sessions alongside varsity head coach Ken Crosina, said
the program is popular and it sells
out every time it’s offered.
“It’s a good way to get a good
workout and have fun at the same
time,” he said.
Cardio tennis, which is popular
in the United States, consists of
warm–up, cardio and cool down
portions and is more about having
fun and being active than hitting
great shots, according to the official Cardio Tennis Website.
Cardio tennis drills include
mid-court crusher, where players run the perimeter of the court
after crushing the ball, and tennis
volleyball, where players break off
into teams of three per side and
compete in a game of volleyball.
For tennis volleyball, players must
pass the ball to each other twice
before sending it back over the net
either as a volley or off a bounce.
The Tennis Aerobics program
has six players per class and consists of players from all skill levels,
Easter said. Since these are not
formal teaching lessons, players of
differing skill levels compete in the
same class.
About 10 classes are held per
week with morning and evening
classes on weekdays and back-toback sessions on weekends.
Players taking part in Tennis
Aerobics enjoy the program.
“It’s a great way to get back at
the game,” said Bob Phillips.
Phillips, who used to play tennis regularly before taking part in
Tennis Aerobics, said he likes the
program because people can get a
good cardio workout while working on shots and strokes.
Joe Cambareri, who plays competitive tennis, likes the program
because he can work on his game
and build up stamina.
People interested in participating in Tennis Aerobics can call or
email the tennis centre or arrive in
person, Easter said. The fee is $10
per session for members and $13
for non-members.
For information on how to join
the Tennis Aerobics program,
call the Campus Tennis Centre at
(905) 721-3122.
Photo by Eric Laganis
HE GOT GAME: Tennis aerobics player Joe Cambareri
executes a drop shot at the campus tennis centre.
Tickets available for sold-out Maple Leafs game
By Kenny Mayhew
Chronicle Staff
Attention all Toronto Maple
Leaf fans. If you weren’t fortunate
enough to draw one of the 45 tickets from the Student Association
to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs
take on the Buffalo Sabres, March
of Dimes Canada is your new
ticket.
March of Dimes Canada is giving you the chance to see Mats
Sundin and the rest of the beloved
blue and white in Toronto.
Included in a package for
$336.30 are two tickets to a soldout Leafs game, and four platinum seats for two Toronto Marlies
games.
Also, $25 of each package will
be donated to March of Dimes
Canada.
“This package is a great deal for
supporters of March of Dimes and
hockey fans,” said Ruth Kapelus,
public relations co-ordinator at
March of Dimes Canada.
“The best part is that $25 comes
back to March of Dimes to support
its program and services for children and adults with disabilities.”
Your Leafs Nation package
would include two tickets in the
purple section to either the Feb.
21 game against Buffalo, March
11 against Philadelphia, March
25 against Boston or April 1, once
again against Buffalo.
The Marlies games take place
Feb. 23 against the Binghamton
Senators, which is also Toronto
Raptors day at the Ricoh Coliseum, and April 12 against the Rochester Americans, also Duke the
Dog Bobble Head day.
Fans are encouraged to call
Darryl Silverstein at 416-263-3926
to purchase a package or for more
information.
The Chronicle
February 12, 2008
31
32 The Chronicle
February 12, 2008