is there guelph on mars?

EST. 1951
I S S U E N O. 1 80. 2
T H U R S DAY, M AY 26, 2016
IS THERE
GUELPH
ON MARS?
Graduate student presents lecture
on Guelph’s ventures into space
PAGE 8-9
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
3 | BIKE THEFTS ON CAMPUS
7 | AWARD-WINNING BEER
13 | GUELPH OLYMPIC ATHLETE
University and college campuses are prime targets for
bike thieves, especially during the summer. Campus
police advise community to be cautious and aware.
Local StoneHammer Brewery is recognized at the
Ontario Brewing Awards for their German Pilsner and
their Oatmeal Coffee Stout.
Competitive swimmer Evan Van Moerkerke takes time
out of his intensive training to discuss his journey to
representing Team Canada in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
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ON NEWSTANDS FOR 2 WEEKS!
SEPTEMBER 1 - 15
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VOLUNTEER WITH
US THIS SUMMER!
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on June 9 and June 23, followed by the Back-to-School guide on
September 1!
Come join us at our volunteer meetings, held every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in UC
room 264! The Ontarion’s editorial staff has a variety of exciting article ideas and
opportunities that they will pitch to you every week.
For more information, please contact [email protected]
NE WS
03
Bike theft a growing concern for avid cyclists on campus
Campus police
advise community
to be cautious and
aware
DANA B E LL AMY
Over the last six years, Nathan
Shami has routinely biked to
campus and locked his bike up at
the covered shelter beside the Science Complex. In March, there
was an unexpected snowstorm
that forced the chemistry MSc student to leave his two-year-old bike
locked up on campus overnight.
“I went back for it a day later and
it was gone,” said Shami, explaining that he was too ashamed about
leaving his bike overnight and too
stressed with school to report the
incident to the police at the time.
Unable to afford another bike
right away, Shami spent a few
weeks saving up for a new one.
“I took the opportunity to get a
nice new bike from Sport Chek,” he
explained. “There had been some
bad weather as soon as I’d bought
it, so I thought, I’m not going to
ride it in the rain, I’m not going
to ride it in weather where I might
have to leave it on campus.”
Shami purchased his new bike
on May 2. On May 9—the second
time Shami had ever rode the
bike—it was stolen.
“I rode it to campus at 10 a.m.,
locked it up in the same shelter outside of the Science Complex, and
did my research during the day. I
came out at the end of the day—
about 6 p.m.—the lock was cut and
hanging there and the bike was
gone,” Shami explained.
The theft happened during the
day, on a weekday, in a highly populated area on campus. This time
Shami reported the incident to the
Campus Community Police, where
a report was filed to a nationwide police database containing
the serial numbers of stolen bikes
across Canada.
Sgt. Elizabeth Bouchard, who
has been investigating bike thefts
on campus for over five years,
explained that knowing the serial
number for your bike is crucial
in being able to track it down in
the event it is stolen: “If any law
enforcement officer in Canada has
a reason to run that serial number,
they’ll know immediately that the
bike has been stolen and they’re
able to get it back to the owner.”
There were 61 bikes reported
stolen to Campus Community
Police in 2015 and 18 reports so far
in 2016. According to Bouchard,
the university campus is “a good
shopping spot for thieves” due to
the high concentration of bikes
being locked up on any given day.
So many bikes have been stolen
around Guelph that it is no longer
shocking to hear.
“I got unlucky,” said Shami, “but
as I tell this story to people, rather
than being shocked and sorry for
me, they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, I got my
bike stolen last week and my friend
got her bike stolen the week before
that.’”
Although Shami’s bike was
brand new, according to Bouchard,
the age and quality of the bike
does not necessarily mean it is not
a target for thieves.
“Thieves will steal inexpensive
bikes because they are accessible,”
said Bouchard, explaining that
campus police have been seeing
a trend where thieves will come
to campus and steal a bike that
With campus bike thefts on the rise, two locks are better than one. | Mido Melebari
is poorly locked up, then pretend
to lock it up at a bike rack while
attacking a lock on another, more
valuable bicycle.
Campus police ask members of
the community to help tackle bike
theft by always locking their bike,
by purchasing the best lock they
can afford, by locking their bike
to something solid like a bike rack,
and by using two locks: preferably
a “U” lock to secure the frame to
the rack and a cable lock to secure
the parts of the bike.
“No lock is infallible, so what
we’re trying to do is just make it
really difficult for [thieves] to steal,”
explained Bouchard.
Although Shami plans to get
another bike soon, he is hesitant to
spend as much money on both the
bike and the lock next time.
“At this point, I feel like if I got
a more expensive lock, [the thieves]
would have just cut that and I
would have lost even more money,”
he said. “I obviously thought the
campus was pretty safe […] but my
general impression is just shaken
a bit.”
In order to be prepared in the
event a bike does get stolen, campus
police have started the Bike ID
The lock was cut
and hanging
there and the
bike was gone.
Program designed to help members of the community keep track
of their bike’s information. According to Bouchard, officers will be set
up at different bike racks around
campus during the summer.
“We’ll take all the information
about the bike—what kind of bike
it is, the make, the model, the serial
number, how many speeds, any
kind of additional things that have
been added to the bicycle—we take
a picture of it, and then we’ll email
it to the owner of the bike so they
have that information in case their
bike gets stolen.”
Knowing that the number of
thefts is likely much higher than
what actually gets reported, campus
police also encourage everyone in
the community to report all incidents of theft and call immediately
if they notice anything suspicious.
Federal government proposes bill to protect transgender rights
Bill C-16 looks
to amend the
Canadian Human
Rights Act and
Criminal Code
ROB E RT JANE S
“Far too many people still face
harassment, discrimination, and
violence for being who they are.
This is unacceptable,” Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau included
in a statement on May 17, 2016
regarding Bill C-16, a bill proposed
to protect the rights of transgender
Canadians.
Bill C -16 w it nessed it s
second reading on the same
day, deemed International Day
Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. The bill
would act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and
the Criminal Code to include
gender identity and gender
expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination,
as well as hate speech.
“Our laws must reflect the
rich diversity and inclusiveness
which are among our greatest
strengths as Canadians,” Justice
Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould
said in a Reuters article. “We
believe this legislation would
ensure that everyone can live
according to their gender identity and express their gender as
they choose.”
It has taken 12 years and
multiple bills to include gender
identit y in the Canadian
Human Rights Act. The first
bill to give voice to this issue
was introduced in 2004 by now
former NDP MP Bill Siskay.
Although it was tabled at the
time Siskay reintroduced it
again in 2006, 2007, and 2009
before finally making progress
with Bill C-389 in 2010.
Upon Siskay’s retirement,
NDP MP Randall Garrison
began his private members Bill
C-279. Bill C-279 passed in the
House of Commons in 2013
with the help of a divided Conservative caucus—the final votes
read 149-137.
Before the bill passed in
2013, Conservative MP Rob
Anders motioned a petition
saying, These constituents feel
that it is the duty of the House
of Commons to protect and
safeguard our children from
any exposure and harm that
would come from giving a man
access to women’s public washroom facilities.”
On Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016,
Conservative Senator Don Plett
introduced three amendments
to the bill.
Garrison agreed to the first
two amendments to the bill,
but called the third amendment
“transphobic,” which exempts
places like prisons, crisis centres, public washrooms, and
change rooms from Bill C-279.
Prime Minister Trudeau
made the following statement
regarding this issue: “Everyone
deserves to live free of stigma,
persecution, and discrimination—no matter who they are
or whom they love. Today is
about ensuring that all people—
regardless of sexual orientation
or gender identity—feel safe and
secure, and empowered to freely
express themselves.”
04
N E WS
|
M AY 26, 2016
|
I S SU E 180. 2
Food trucks get a test drive in Guelph summer pilot project
Bylaws just got
delicious
Although it may
seem like food
vehicles are a lot
cheaper to
operate than
restaurants, the
cost of permits
and licensing is
comparable...
MIR ALI ALMAUL A
Guelphites were invited to attend
a food vehicle zoning bylaw review
open house at City Hall on Tuesday, May 17, 2016. This review is
part of a multi-departmental project
to allow food vehicles to operate in
Guelph. The project also includes
a review of the business licensing
bylaw and a downtown food truck
pilot project, Food Truck Summer.
A zoning bylaw sets rules for
a property including: the use of
the land; the location of buildings and structures; and parking
requirements.
Food vehicles are outdoor vehicles that are not permanently
affixed to the ground and can
be moved on a daily basis. Food
vehicles sell food that is intended
for immediate consumption. Some
food vehicles include a motorized
self-propelled vehicle such as food
trucks; some are not self-propelled
but can be towed such as food trailers; and some are moved by human
exertion such as food carts.
Currently, no food vehicles are
permitted in any zone. The draft
zoning bylaw seeks to define food
vehicles, allow food vehicles to
operate in some zones, and regulate the location of food vehicles
on a property. The zoning bylaw
review is currently in its community engagement phase and will
move to the formal statutory process from July 11, 2016 through
September 2016. The pilot project,
Sprinkle will be serving up sweet treats around the city this summer. | Mariah Bridgeman/The Ontarion
on the other hand, runs from June
1, 2016 to September 30, 2016.
Abby Watts, a policy planner for
this project, spoke to The Ontarion
about why the formal statutory
process is scheduled to begin after
Food Truck Summer.
“The pilot project is on the street
whereas the zoning bylaw is looking at private property: commercial,
industrial, and institutional lands,”
explained Watts.
Although it may seem like food
vehicles are a lot cheaper to operate
than restaurants, the cost of permits and licensing is comparable,
and can actually be much higher
for food vehicles. In Guelph, the
fees associated with licensing for
food premises for the first year is
$688 in comparison to $363 for
food vehicles. Food vehicles, however, need a $40 permit for each
day or a $20 permit for every halfday that they operate in Guelph.
Food vehicles must also obtain
licenses and permits for each city
that they wish to operate in.
Under the proposed bylaws,
food vehicles will not be permitted
downtown after 11 p.m. and will
only be able to operate on campus
or other properties if they are
invited onto the property. The two
locations for Food Truck Summer
are in downtown Guelph at Wyndham Street North and at Surrey
Street East. A variety of different
food vehicles will operate in those
two locations any time between 8
a.m. and 11 p.m. beginning June
1, 2016.
The Ontarion spoke with operators
from two such vehicles: Schmuck
Truck, a food truck that specializes
in North American comfort food;
and Sprinkle, a dessert food truck
that is an extension of Sweet Temptations Cupcakery.
Christine Mackay from Schmuck
Truck shared her thoughts with the
bylaw process.
“We’ve actually been really
encouraged at how supportive
and flexible the city council has
been with being able to update
the bylaws and really […] ask the
trucks what they’re looking for.
They’ve also […] asked a lot of the
business owners in the community,
‘What are you looking for from the
trucks?’ And they’re putting those
two things together and making
them a lot more accessible for both
the trucks and the businesses. And
that’s been huge for us here in
Guelph,” said Mackay.
The Ontarion asked Sweet Temptations owner Jakki Prince if she
had any concerns about her storefront due to competition from food
trucks.
“We chose to add it to our established storefront business […] to
have the food truck to be out in the
community. We’re a communityminded business; we need to be out
where the people are. We think it
adds another layer to the already
awesome culture and community
spirit of Guelph. Food trucks can
only just continue to make that pie
bigger. I don’t think it’s a division
of resources,” said Prince.
Montreal begins its one-year ban on horse-drawn carriages
Mayor hopes to
revise policy to
protect the horses
and the industry
K ATE LYNNE MACL ACHL AN
Mixed emotions have gathered
around the city of Montreal as
the long weekend marked the last
days leading up to the year-long
ban that Mayor Denis Coderre
has finalized on horse-drawn carriage rides.
Hor s e le d c a r r ia ge r ide s ,
authentica lly refer red t o a s
“calèches” in French, will no
longer be a staple on the city’s
streets as of Tuesday, May 24,
2016. Although the carriage rides
provide a nostalgic atmosphere
and historical romantic identity, Coderre remains unsatisfied
with the current treatment and
numerous incidents involving
collisions with the horses, which
have increased within the last few
months.
“We are going to take the time
to ensure we have a real policy
about horses in Montreal. We
have to protect them and ensure
they are being treated properly,”
Coderre told the National Post.
He believes that the ban will
serve as an educational learning
experience and will provide the
city with enough time to thoroughly examine the overall health
of the horses within a multidisciplinary spectrum, as well as the
entire calèche industry.
This has introduced a divide
among citizens, as calèche services
have been battled and scrutinized by animal activist groups
demanding closer supervision of
the horses, while simultaneously
the ban has triggered tremendous stress for individuals whose
livelihoods are dependent on this
service.
May through August are the
most profitable months for drivers within the calèche industry,
as Montreal is filled with tourists
traveling from all over the world.
These months are booming for
businesses and drivers who are
hoping to make a profit.
T he ow ner of L uc k y L uc
Calèches, Luc Desparois, owns
stables holding 90 per cent of
Montreal’s horses and employs
more than half of the calèche
workers. He is worried about
continuing to provide for the
horses, his workers who rely on
this income and will struggle to
find new jobs, and the business,
which may be unable to continue
once the year has finished.
M a ny o f t he i nd iv id u a l s
employed by Desparois will be
put out of work, including drivers, office workers, as well as the
contracts held by the company
with hotels, weddings, and special events.
“They’re killing us,” Desparois
told the National Post, explaining
that the ban is a cruel decision
not only for the workers but the
horses as well, as owners will no
longer be able to afford the adequate care they deserve.
Desparois has also dismissed
numerous complaints regarding mistreatment and brutality
towards his horses as acts of
jealousy from competitors in the
field.
“A carriage horse is a happy
horse because he has the company
of a driver too,” he commented to
the National Post.
On the other hand, animal
activists are pleased with the
ban, especially after the recent
accidents on the road resulting
in multiple horses being injured.
Ac tivists within the A ntiCalèche Defense Coalition acted
fast and have put in a lot of work
to ban the industry all together.
During this time, the coalition has worked on establishing
a refuge for the displacement of
the horses during the 12-month
ban so they can be looked after if
the calèche drivers are unable to
care for their horses.
Mirella Colalillo, the founder
and main spokesperson of the
coalition, told CBC News: “We’re
eager to get them out of their
hands. They are threatening to
send them to slaughter—you can
tell [calèche drivers] don’t really
care.”
The policy for calèche horses
will be up for review after one
year and will determine the fate
of the once booming industry in
Montreal.
ARTS & CULTURE
05
Guelph promoters host two retro shows in the month of May
It’s not the work of
time travel, but it
sure sounds like it
ROB E RT JANE S
[Disclaimer: this article contains coarse language.]
PA RT O N E : B O N N I E TR A S H ,
G E R M A P H O B E S ,
A N D
WOLFCOW
Local music promoters, FUCKPOP,
brought out three high-energy bands
to share the small stage at Jimmy
Jazz on Saturday, May 14, 2016.
The first band to take the spotlight was a two-piece Guelph band
consisting of the twin sisters,
Emmalia and Sarafina BortolonVettor, better known as Bonnie
Trash. With Sarafina on percussion and vocals, and Emmalia on
guitar, they played a set of grungepop that kept the heads in the
audience bobbing, even with a few
technical difficulties. Once they had
recovered from the minor technical
setback, Bonnie Trash fired up the
night with their raunchy pop.
As their set ended they introduced
the next band, Germaphobes, and
someone amongst the crowd yelled,
“Play a fuckin’ encore!” to which
they humbly declined.
Bonnie Trash dismantled their
gear while the Germaphobes
quickly took over the small stage of
Jimmy Jazz.
Germaphobes include Paul Erlichman on guitar and vocals, Lisa
Carson on keys and vocals, Neil
Rankan on bass and vocals, and
Aaron Mariash behind the drums.
The band delved into a set of
what could be best classified as
experimental psychedelic pop rock,
which sounded heavily influenced
by ’80s synth-rock.
The Toronto-based band harmonized very well together with
monotone vocals mixed with primal
screams, as well as feathery vocals
provided by Carson.
Before finishing off their set,
Germaphobes made sure that they
thanked everyone for the show.
“Thank you Bonnie Trash for
inviting us out here,” said Erlichman, “Thanks guys. Thanks
Jimmy Jazz.”
“Thanks for dancing,” Carson
added.
The last band of the night was
Wolfcow from Toronto. Greydyn
Wolfcow is the leader and vocalist
of the band. The other members of
the band are bassist Chris Worden,
drummer Ian Sequeira, and Brian
Shirk on keys.
Wolfcow have recovered an
energy that has seemed to be lurking in the shadows since the ’80s.
“This is our fucking hit song ‘Sick
Dead Resist.’ This will fucking kill
me one day,” Greydyn crooned.
Their music is chaotic and mysterious, and their lyrics are eerie.
For some of the people that gathered in the small bar, it was deja-vu
to a time of “Anarchy in the U.K.”
Others couldn’t keep their eyes off
of him for fear that they would miss
out on what he would do next.
As the music came to a halt,
Greydyn thanked everyone in
attendance before jumping off the
stage to mingle with the spirits of
the night.
PA R T T WO : N AT U R A L T H I R S T,
PAINTE D FRU ITS , AN D JOHN NY
DE COU RCY
FUCKPOP hosted a second night
of live music with bands from British Columbia on Friday, May 20.
The event was scheduled to start
at Jimmy Jazz at 10 p.m., however,
the first band, Natural Thirst, did
Wolfcow’s Brian Shirk on keys with mysterious frontman Greydyn on the mic. | Robert Janes
not play their first note until over
an hour later.
Natural Thirst is a band from
Guelph that includes Chris Worden
on guitar and vocals, Emmalia
Bortolon-Vettor on keyboards and
vocoder, and Sarafina BortolonVettor on percussion. All of the
musicians in Natural Thirst are
prominent musicians in the local
scene, being associated with such
acts as Bonnie Trash, Cold on Pluto,
The Folk, and Wolfcow.
The band provided the small
cluster of folk in Jimmy Jazz with
a short set of gothic pop, completely
immersing themselves into the
show.
The second band was Painted
Fruits, all the way from Victoria,
BC. Painted Fruits consists of Lime
Rikki and Jon Yelrav on guitar,
Noah Yelrav on bass, and Uber
Scheitz on the drums. All of the
frontmen harmonized throughout
their songs with enthusiastic, yet
monotone vocals. It’s as easy as toast
and butter, and just as warm on the
ears.
Everyone in attendance made
sure to get front-row seats for
Painted Fruits’ set, and for good
reason. Although it may not be
an original concept or sound, the
band provided a good show with an
easy-to-listen sound that remained
upbeat and danceable.
“We’ve got two more [songs] then
were gonna give it up to Johnny!”
said Rikki.
The band then crammed as
much glam rock into the ears of the
front-seaters as they could handle,
including a cover of Devo’s “Whip
It.”
When Painted Fruit got off the
stage they exited the bar and hopped
into their van to change attire for
their next act. As they came back
into the bar, they entered with more
top 10 album chart
Album of the Week
GERMAPHOBES
MAGIC EYE
confidence wearing blue lipstick,
neck collars, glittered clothing, and
black dresses. They gathered on the
stage to back up the closing act,
Johnny de Courcy.
De Courcy had a very strange yet
appealing look: shaved eyebrows,
blue lipstick, tight homemade shortshorts, a bonnet, and black and
white striped knee-high socks like
the Wicked Witch of the West.
De Courcy spoke about his last
visit to the Royal City, “Last time
that I came to Guelph was very special. We played at the church.”
De Courcy is not a completely
original act. He is retro—his sound
can send you cartwheeling into the
past to times of Ziggy Stardust and
Iggy Pop—but he looks different and
his lyrics are darker.
It appears that de Courcy has
found a way to mix both goth and
glam like a witch’s brew. The result
is completely spellbinding.
Magic Eye is the first EP by the Germaphobes and was released
by the band and Pleasence Records on November 27, 2015, in
the form of digital copies, cassette tapes, and vinyl.
All of the songs on Magic Eye were written by the duo of frontmen, Paul Erlichman and Neil Rankan, who started the band
and continue to write the material.
The entirety of Magic Eye is obscure pop that is upbeat and
catchy. It includes pristine guitar riffs, condensed vocals for
effect, shuffling drums, and beautiful harmonies between the
vocalists Erlichman, Rankan, and Lisa Carson throughout
the album. The song “Oil in a Jar” stands out from the rest
of the tracks, as it boasts gorgeous harmonizing choir vocals
by a score of an additional eight vocalists.
Each song on Magic Eye tells a surreal story that can send you
spiralling into the next song not knowing when the last one
ended or where the next one began.
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
L A B C OA S T *
Remember The Moon ( Wyatt Records)
SUPERMOON*
Playland (Mint)
RADIOHEAD
A Moon Shaped Pool ( XL Recordings)
ISLANDS*
Taste (Manque)
A N DY S H A U F
The Party ( Arts And Crafts)
DANI E L ROMANO*
Mosey (New West)
DOOMSQUAD*
Total Time (Hand Drawn Dracula)
PLANTS AND ANIMALS
Waltzed in from the Rumbling (Secret City)
K AY T R A N A D A*
99.9% ( XL Recordings)
JAMES BL AKE
The Colour in Anything (Universal )
* Canadian content
** Local content
www.CFRU.ca
06
A RT S & CU LTU R E
|
M AY 26, 2016
|
I S SU E 180. 2
TH E W E E K LY S C E N E :
Disney’s The Jungle Book (2016), directed by Jon Favreau
3.5
visually-stunningbut-narrativelylacking-spectacles
out of 4
SAME E R CHHAB R A
I enjoyed The Jungle Book, but it
should go without saying that a
21-year-old university graduate is
in no way the explicitly intended
aud ienc e for Jon Fav r eau’s
live-action remake of Disney’s
animated classic. Indeed, the very
fact that I so enjoyed the original
1967 film is, in many ways, a hindrance that prevents me from truly
encapsulating why this film is so
enjoyable.
Make no mistake, this is an
enjoyable film; as far as narrative
structure goes, however, it’s a tale
as old as time.
Favreau’s film is not a masterclass
piece of literature. The direct o r d o e s l it t le t o s h i f t t h e
narrative scope from the original
1967 Disney classic; other than
removing all but two musical
numbers—and revising the film’s
ending—Favreau’s The Jungle
Book follows the same narratological beats as the original film. Its
plot, its acting, and its voice acting
do nothing to “change the game,”
as it were.
The game, however, has very
much changed.
What Favreau and the teams at
Disney, Fairview, Moving Picture
Company, and Weta Digital have
done is create a visually stunning
film whose effects speak to the possibilities found within the current
generation’s effects capabilities. To
put it simply, the animals in this
film—until the precise moment
that they speak and perform in
manners that are unbecoming of
their individual species—are realistic in a mind-boggling capacity.
Furthermore, the film’s jungle
setting—which one must assume
is largely computer-generated—
never once appears to be anything
more than true reality.
It should come as no surprise
that modern special effects work
is capable of creating incredibly
realistic visual models—after all,
James Cameron proved that it was
possible to build an entirely new
universe through visual effects
in 2009. However, Favreau’s film
is actively convincing. That it is
difficult to discern between Neel
Sethi—the young actor who stars
as Mowgli—and the presumably
animated Bagheera and Baloo is
indicative of the level of quality
conveyed by this film.
Suffice it to say, children’s films
have no right to look so good—or
sound that good, for that matter.
Music by John Debney fills the
film’s every pore. Debney truly
succeeds by combining leitmotifs
from select compositions from the
original 1967 film in a contemporary way that not only mimics,
but transcends. Tracks from 1967,
like “The Bare Necessities,” are
remixed and revitalized in a soft
and subtle manner within this
film’s score, allowing Favreau’s
film to feel at once modern and
nostalgic. Debney’s score works
because Favreau’s vision of The
Jungle Book is one that points
towards the original film without
excessively appealing to nostalgia.
T he re is somet h i ng t o be
said about the film’s handling
of the complex themes of environmental destruction and the
interactions between humans and
their non-human animal counterparts. Mowgli, of course, lives
alongside the animals of the jungle,
and his true home is with none
other than a pack of wolves. Furthermore, unlike the novels upon
which both the 2016 and 1967 films
are based, Favreau chooses to revise
the story’s ending.
However, there is minimal time
spent on the balance between man
and nature—the film simply suggests that those willing to play
with fire must allow themselves a
moment to reflect on the possibility
of getting burned. If anything, The
Jungle Book is more a lesson on fire
safety than on the need for humans
and nature to co-exist.
Once again, Favreau’s film is not
a treatise on the fine line between
man’s place within nature. While
Disney films have always worked
towards achieving a balance
between meaningful moral message and sensational spectacle, The
Jungle Book is often not such a film.
Instead, it is an unadulterated concoction that serves as an example of
the power contained within modern
special effects.
I’ve yet to fully discern why
Disney is so insistent on remaking
their animated features in liveaction—something tells me it has to
do with property rights. However,
if the company insists on pumping out live-action remakes of their
animated classics, then they would
not be wrong in allowing subsequent production teams to emulate
Favreau’s aesthetic.
Praise to Disney for finding a
way to make effects-driven films
emotionally affecting. Give the
reins to a director who knows what
they’re doing, give them a team
with a proven record of success, and
allow them to prove that computergenerated images can be just as
captivating—if not more convincing—than traditional stage effects.
A long weekend art rock spectacle all the way from Alberta
Van Gogh’s Ear
presents Andy
Ferguson, Terra,
and Participation
L AVINIA LINDSAY
Beer on the tables of customers
and artificial flowers in the hair
of waitresses, Van Gogh’s Ear was
warm with anticipation on Sunday,
May 22 while their musical guests
carried equipment to the stage, all
the way from Alberta. Having spent
the past few weeks touring Canada,
Terra and Participation came ready
to lock into the downtown hotspot
an enticing night of entertainment.
On the stage of the restaurant/
bar illuminated with orange-red
lights, Guelph’s own Andy Ferguson
started off the evening, his blond
hair aglow in the light beneath his
black hat. With bright eyes, passersby and Van Gogh’s regulars
tuned in to enjoy his well-titled new
song, “Bright Eyes” which began his
set. Between Andy and his acoustic
guitar was an intimacy comparable to that of a hybrid 2008 Dallas
Green with Death Cab For Cutie.
Spilling into the air, his personal
lyrics about feelings shared between
people and the bonds we as humans
form with one another represented
passion, while succeeding in the
craft of storytelling.
Plugging in after Andy followed
Terra from Medicine Hat, Alberta,
playing all four songs from their
2014 EP Couldn’t Save This. Their
high energy lured more people in
while their comfort on stage and
with each other brought a pleasant sense of legitimacy to their set.
While each band member broke a
sweat, it was also impossible for
audience members not to move
along with their groove. Terra’s
music is undoubtedly indie rock,
with a hint of psychedelic rock
brought on by lead singer Chris Kessler’s voice, reminiscent and similar
in style to popular ’60s bands such
as The Who and The Doors. Many
tattoo-bearing fans later purchased
copies of their EP, which was on sale
after the show.
Finally, Participation of Lethbridge, Alberta stepped up to
conclude the night, turning the
atmosphere a full 180 degrees away
from the acoustic lyric-driven zone
Andy Ferguson had previously set
up. The group formally known as
Internet Love danced together and
rocked hard in an effortless manner,
right down to their final theatrical
collapse at the very end. During
their set, people in Van Gogh’s
stood and danced to the thrilling guitar slashes and drumbeats
amplified through the small space.
The orange-red back lights glowed
and flashed in the movement of their
guitars, creating a fitting light show
for the head banging riffs being spun
Alberta band Terra plays a high energy set for an engaged audience at Van Gogh’s Ear. | Mido Melebari
out. Participation is an experimental
punk band with rhythm breaks and
tune changes stylistically close to art
rock artist St. Vincent. Their explosion of sound has been described
by Electric Eye Music Festival as
being a “frantic guitar suicide with
splintering, interwoven rhythms and
shouted unison vocals.”
After the show, to enhance the
positivity generated within the
atmosphere these talented musician’s created, Participation singer
Rob Rice, having already spoken
to many remaining members of the
audience, came to thank me for supporting the show. His polite gesture
was a refreshing and delightful way
to end the night.
Victoria Day weekend cottagegoers and lake-swimmers certainly
missed a night of originality, genuine passion, and entertainment.
Terra and Participation’s Canadian
tour continues until the first week
of June, taking them through
northwestern Ontario, Saskatchewan, and ending home in Alberta.
It was also impossible for
audience members not to
move along with their groove.
LIFE & INNOVATION
07
StoneHammer Brewing wins big at the Ontario Brewing Awards
A pilsner and a
stout walk into a
bar...
MIR ALI ALMAUL A
On Thursday, April 28, StoneHammer won two medals at the
2016 Ontario Brewing Awards in
Toronto: their Pilsner won the Gold
Medal in the German Pilsner category, while their Oatmeal Coffee
Stout won a Bronze Medal in the
Stout category.
“They actually gave us the original judging notes from all the beers,
which is fantastic feedback to have,
to make us better, to know what
may or may not be up to par. […]
And I think there are four to five
judges per category,” said co-owner
and managing director of StoneHammer, Phil Woodhouse, about
the competition.
Over the Victoria Day longweekend, The Ontarion took a
tour of StoneHammer Brewing to
learn about these award-winning
beers and the brewery that produced them. When you first drive
into the plaza and see the sign for
StoneHammer’s beer store and
tours, you’ll probably wonder how
a whole brewery could fit inside that
tiny store. While StoneHammer
Brewing may look small on the outside, the size of the beer equipment
inside will definitely make you feel
small and impressed.
Woodhouse, who led the tour,
was modest about his beer expertise
but effortlessly rattled off more
interesting information about beer
than those on the tour could hope
for. Yeast, grains, hops, and water:
the four ingredients used to make
beer. Yeast can only feed on sugar,
not starch, so it’s important that the
grains used can be converted to
sugar. The amount of grain determines the amount of starch, which
then determines the amount of
sugar produced. More sugar production means that the beer will
have greater alcohol content.
Woodhouse also introduced the
group to StoneHammer’s head
brewer, Andrew Henry, who has
been in the industry for over twenty
years. For the duration of the tour
Henry could be seen working
away as he wiped off keg after keg.
Woodhouse explained that a huge
part of brewing is cleaning and sanitizing because the only thing that
should be alive and growing should
be the yeast.
While the yeast and grains are
essential to the fermentation process, hops produces flavour and
acts as a preservative. Woodhouse
explained the addition of hops into
a large copper brew kettle is an
authentic way to brew beer. Copper
is not frequently used because of the
cost of maintenance but is excellent
because it transfers heat quickly and
evenly. Hops added into the kettle
and boiled for one hour is for bittering, hops added in the last 15
minutes is for flavour, and hops
added at the end is for aroma.
Woodhouse also talked about the
difference hard and soft water can
play in brewing. Adding that since
Guelph’s water is so hard, it made
more sense to follow the recipe for
a German Pilsner than a Czech
Pilsner even though the water still
needs to be carefully controlled.
Finally, after three to five days of
fermentation, beer requires one
week to age in order for the flavours
to be cleaned up.
During the tour Woodhouse
poured samples for StoneHammer:
light, pale, pilsner, dark, and stout.
Jenny and Dale Quinn enjoyed
their tasting tour at StoneHammer,
thanks to a recommendation from
their daughter.
“I’m not a beer drinker, I drink
more wine, and I actually really like
the light one,” said Jenny.
“[The stout has] a very clean
finish but it’s got a very bold coffee
flavour and a sweetness to it,” said
Dale.
The Oatmeal Coffee Stout is definitely a Guelph coffee drinker’s
beer as it uses a single origin roast
called Café Femenino from Planet
Bean. Of course, the pilsner itself
was enjoyed by everyone.
“There’s no better time to be a
beer drinker in Ontario. There’s
so many new breweries out there,
so many fantastic beers,” said
Woodhouse.
Guelph is home to four breweries: Sleeman Brewery, Royal
City Brewing Company, Wellington Brewery, and StoneHammer
Brewing. While it may seem that
this would foster a great deal of
competition, Woodhouse spoke of
the other breweries very positively:
“Even though there are four breweries in town […] we all get along well
as breweries and help each other
out all the time.”
Photo 1: Phil Woodhouse, co-owner of StoneHammer Brewing, with his
gold and bronze medal beers. Photo 2: Andrew Henry, head brewer at
StoneHammer Brewing, has been in the industry for over 20 years. |
Mariah Bridgeman/The Ontarion
MAT TE R O F FAC TS:
Sometimes research can take a little bit longer to blossom
Flowering
discovery in peach
took a long route
to publication
JOANNE PE ARCE
SPARK WRITER
A protein found in peaches could offer
striking applications for agricultural
industries, as well as human health—
so why did it take almost seven years
to publish?
Dr. Sherif Sherif, a post-doctoral
researcher in plant agriculture, was
studying the role of a multi-step chemical reaction—called the jasmonic acid
pathway—in plant disease resistance as
a part of a PhD project seven years
ago when he made a startling finding.
Working alongside plant agriculture Prof. Jay Subramanian, Sherif
discovered a gene that changes into a
protein called JAZ1. While this protein has no evident function in disease
resistance, it does control a plant trait
called cleistogamy—when a flower
closes its petals and automatically
self-pollinates—which results in robust
production of fruits or vegetables, but
reduced pollen output.
“No one before us has shown that a
gene can control the process of closing
a flower, which is very exciting,” says
Subramanian.
For students interested in pursuing
a PhD or Master’s degree, Sherif and
Subramanian’s study shows just how
much time and work goes on behind
the scenes of publishing research in
journals.
“It was a very lengthy project for
several different reasons,” says Subramanian. “One being that peaches,
unlike other plants, flower only once
a year—and the window is barely a
week. So, if you miss that one, then
you miss the season and have to wait
for the next year.”
Introducing the JAZ1 gene into
tobacco plants—chosen as a model
system because they consistently crosspollinate—Sherif then found that the
gene could induce the tobacco plant to
close and self-pollinate. If researchers
are able to naturally cause plants like
canola or soybeans to undergo cleistogamy with the JAZ1 protein, they
could reduce the amount of pollen
released into the air. This action
could result in a reduction of genetically modified plant contamination,
as well as help allergy sufferers.
“We think every species has its
analog, its equivalent of the gene—
and how that gene interacts with
other genes will go on a crop by crop
basis,” says Subramanian.
Another reason for the length of
the project is something all researchers will know about: peer review.
Upon submission, journals told Sherif
and Subramanian they needed to also
do a quantification of the hormones.
Anticipating this, Sherif and Subramanian collaborated with individuals
at the University of Singapore for the
analysis of the hormones.
Yet even after completing the
additional studies, it took Sherif and
Subramanian another two years to get
their work published. Why? Because
they were working with peaches.
“We went to all the big journals
and most of them wouldn’t even look
at it. If it was a model plant or a crop
plant like rice or wheat, then the big
journals would want that. If it’s in
peaches, they aren’t as interested.”
says Subramanian.
Despite the challenges, Sherif and
Subramanian did end up getting their
work published in a general biology
journal as opposed to a plant science
journal. The response has been
enormous.
“We got an email from the journal
that published it afterwards saying
that the article had been accessed
something like 2700 times—within
four months or so.”
Now in the hands of other
researchers, Sherif and Subramanian’s work on this project is done.
Their next project? Continuing their
original research in disease resistance
and seeing what new peachy possibilities are there.
Collaborators on this research project included molecular and cellular
biology Prof. Jaideep Mathur, plant
agriculture Prof. Gopinadhan Paliyath,
former research associate Dr. Islam ElSharkawy and University of Singapore
researcher Dr. Prakash Kumar. This
research was funded by the Ministry
of Higher Education—Egypt, Ontario
Tender Fruit Producers’ Marketing
Board, and MITACS grants.
IS THERE
GUELPH
ON MARS?
Graduate student presents
lecture on Guelph’s
ventures into space
SUS HMA G . PUT TA SWAMAIAH
A
n unmanned vehicle continues its lone journey in an
unknown, unexplored land.
It takes landscape photos,
selfies, and panoramas when it finds
something new and interesting. It is
curious about its surrounding environment. It navigates rugged terrain,
crosses plateaus, and scoops up soil
samples to decipher their composition.
At the end of the day, it takes a nap to
recharge itself.
This vehicle is not a character from
popular science fiction. This vehicle is
a nine-foot-long, nine-foot-wide, sevenfoot-tall Mars rover, which is fittingly
named Curiosity.
Curiosity was launched aboard
NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory
Spacecraft (MSL) on Nov. 26, 2011 from
Cape Canaveral, Florida and landed on
the surface of Mars, on Gale Crater, on
Aug. 5, 2012.
Curiosity celebrated its second Martian birthday (approximately equal to
four Earth years) on May 11, 2016.
On May 18, 2016, the Department
of Physics at the University of Guelph
hosted a public lecture and observatory
tour to mark Curiosity’s Martian birthday and to acknowledge the fact that
Mars will be moving closer to Earth
than it has been in a decade. The
event also acknowledged the Canadian
Space Agency’s contribution to both the
Curiosity mission and the knowledge of
Mars the institution has provided the
world with.
The lecture was given by Scott Van
Bommel, a PhD candidate in the
Department of Physics at the University of Guelph. He explained Curiosity’s
mission on Mars during the lecture.
“Curiosity is essentially a thirdgeneration NASA Mars rover. The
previous missions’ twin rovers Spirit
and Opportunity, landed on opposite
sides of the planet, [and were sent ...]
to look for water. Curiosity was sent to
determine if Mars could have ever supported life,” said Van Bommel.
Curiosity has covered 1353 sol (solar
days on Mars) and 12.78 km since landing. It is powered by a nuclear power
source (Plutonium-238), which generates heat. Since the temperature on
Mars is cold (ranging between -100
C to -750 C), the difference in temperature generates an electric current
through a multi-mission radioisotope
thermoelectric generator (MMRTG) to
keep Curiosity functioning.
“They are planning to send humans
to Mars in a couple of decades,”
explained Van Bommel. “It is very
important to assess the dosage of radiation that an astronaut has to endorse.”
In addition to the radiation detector, Curiosity is equipped with many
self-calibrating instruments including a
weather station, cameras, and an Alpha
Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS).
T he A P X S is f u nde d by t he
Ca nad ia n Space A genc y a nd is
d e s i g ne d a nd m a n a g e d a t t he
University
of Guelph. Professor Ralf Gellert, the
principal investigator on both Curiosity
and Opportunity’s APXS technologies,
manages both rovers and stays involved
with all of the rovers’ operations on the
surface of Mars.
“We actually have an APXS in the
lab, in the basement of the physics
building, and we are constantly studying
new things and increasing [our] sample
library,” said Van Bommel about the
team’s work.
The APXS team is comprised of scientists and team members from four
Canadian universities: University of
Guelph, University of New Brunswick,
York University, and Brock University. The complexity of this technology
is emphasized upon realizing that the
APXS attached to the arm of the rover
is the size of a pop can.
“There are sources on the instrument, they emit radiation and charged
particles that interact with the surface
of Mars and the interaction causes the
atoms on the surface of Mars to emit
an X-ray that is characteristic to that
atom. […] From this we can determine
composition [...] with remarkable precision, without actually having to touch
rock or soil,” said Van Bommel during
the lecture.
In an interview with The Ontarion,
Van Bommel shared the team’s excitement about Curiosity’s current and
future work on Mars.
“We have made our way to the sand
dunes so far and we
have studied it thoroughly. Right now
we have reached the base of the mountain in the middle, and we are studying
and characterizing it. We are going to
slowly make our way up to the top of
the mountain to study different parts
of mountains. From orbit, there are
some signatures of different exciting
minerals and stuff all along the way.
We are hoping to drive far enough
so that we can study each of these
regions and really understand more
about the history and evolution of
Mars through a wide range of time
periods,” said Van Bommel.
“We are looking forward to getting a piece of Mars […], a Martian
Meteorite, coming to Guelph in the
future to study with it,” said Van
Bommel. “It is really cool to have a
piece of Mars here in Guelph.”
The Ontarion had the opportunity
to ask Van Bommel one of the most
exciting questions to ponder: could
Mars have ever supported life?
“The answer [to] that is yes,” Van
Bommel said. “We have tested many
different sites and this is not just
one spot at one time on Mars […]
this is over more than just really a
short period of time.”
The lecture was concluded with
an observatory tour where participants of all ages got an opportunity
to see Mars, Jupiter, and the moon
through the telescope from the University’s observatory deck, located
on the roof of MacNaughton.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
10
SPORTS & HE ALTH
Gryphon alumna inducted into the Guelph Sports Hall of Fame
Maria Gallo
continues to
inspire athletes
as head coach
of UBC women’s
rugby
RE B ECCA THOMPSON
On May 17, 2016, Guelph Gryphon alumna Maria Gallo was
inducted into the City of Guelph
Sports Hall of Fame. A Guelph
native and Gryphon Hall of Fame
inductee, Gallo continues to pave
the path for women’s rugby at the
university and national levels.
Gallo competed in rugby for the
Guelph Gryphons from 1996 to
2000. During her time at Guelph,
she helped lead the team to four
Ontario University Athletics
(OUA) provincial championships
and to CIAU national championship gold and silver medals; now
known as Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).
“When we won the very first
national championship in ’98,
that was the biggest highlight up
to that point,” said Gallo in an
interview with The Ontarion. “I
think my time at Guelph, [gave
me the foundation], not only
academically, but also as an athlete. You have to put in the hard
work, and the girls at Guelph,
we’re grinders. We were mentally
tough and we would grind out the
games and we were motivated in
that common goal.”
Gallo was also a member of the
national rugby team from 1999
to 2010, competing at the World
Cup twice and earning 55 caps for
Canada.
Gallo is a multi-faceted athlete,
having competed for both the
rugby and bobsled national teams.
Gallo also believes in a multisport
outlook for the athletes she now
coaches at the University of British Columbia.
“Bobsled and rugby are very
complementary sports, so all the
training done in the gym is going
to have benefits on the pitch. I’m
a huge fan of diversification. [...]
For me, the ABCs of athleticism
are agility, balance, coordination,
and speed. Any athlete that has
any of those four things is going
to be a great physical attribute to
whatever sport you are dedicated
to,” explained Gallo.
“Rugby is a very tight-knit community, but it would be awesome
to get those other talented athletes
that are playing other sports and
intrigue them towards rugby.”
According to Gallo, the sport
of rugby is moving away from
it s cur rent for mat of 1 5 s t o
sevens. Sevens rugby is a faster
paced game, played in only 14
minutes.
“15s will still have its roots…
But I think mainstream sport will
be more sevens. Right now there
is a push to structure the sevens
league [at the university level],”
The City of Guelph inducts rugby champion Maria Gallo into the Sports Hall of Fame. | Courtesy of Calver Photography
Gallo explained. “We’re going to
make an effort this coming year
to formalize the spring [sevens]
season a bit more.”
“Guelph does really great at 15s.
Sevens will likely be more attractive to smaller universities that
can’t quite roster a team. The big
universities will probably move
to have two teams, a 15s and a
sevens,” said Gallo.
Gallo is now a professor in the
Department of Kinesiology at
UBC, and the head coach of the
women’s rugby team. Her induction into the Guelph Hall of Fame
is a mark of an incredible career.
I’m grateful for the many great
moments I lived through
rugby. The sport has enriched
my life in countless ways.
“I’m honoured to be inducted
into the Guelph Hall of Fame. I’m
grateful for the many great moments
I lived through rugby. The sport has
enriched my life in countless ways:
unforgettable memories, several life
lessons, numerous lifelong great
friendships, and it even introduced
me to my two amazing sister-in-laws
and husband,” said Gallo.
Gallo’s sister-in-law, Colette
McAulay, is the current head coach
of the Guelph Gryphon women’s
rugby team.
When the summer cravings hit, snacking doesn’t have to be a sin
Five healthy foods
to crave during
the summer
JOANNE PE ARCE
Food cravings sometimes feel like
this indomitable figure behind
us that whispers into our ear
and tells us to grab that coffee,
or ice cream, or potato chips, and
with warm weather finally here,
these delicious foods seem all the
sweeter.
Avoiding these foods can be
hard, but remember that summer
is also an amazing time of the
year where fresh produce is plentiful and healthy summer options
come into season. To help guide
you through your cravings, here
is a list of five healthy summer
snacks.
WATERMELON
CORN
Staying hydrated and cool when
it’s hot outside can make eating
ice cream, slushies—or even ice
cubes—feel like the only way to
go. The problem with these cold
snacks is that they are either
high in sugar and calories, or can
damage your teeth. Besides drinking a nice cool glass of water, a
fa mou s su mmer snack t hat
could help deal with the heat is
watermelon.
Recent studies looking into highlycopene foods have watermelons
on their radar too. Lycopene is the
pigment that gives tomatoes and
pink grapefruit their red colour
(not strawberries, that is due to a
different compound). While more
studies are being conducted on
the benefits of lycopenes, some
evidence suggests that boosting
lycopene levels in our blood can
help reduce the risk of hardening arteries, which is common in
heart disease.
Corn seems to go hand-in-hand
with summer, and can be a great
addition to your plate. This crop
is a rich source of vitamins and
nutrients and is prebiotic, meaning
it promotes the growth of good bacteria in your gut.
“Lutein, zeaxanthin, and anthocyanins are bioactive compounds
which have shown several health
benefits for humans,” said Elsayed
Abdelaal, PhD and acting research
manager at the Guelph Food
Research Centre, in a TIME article
discussing the benefits of corn. Some
of the studies that Abdelaal speaks
of have linked corn to improving eye
health and preventing cataracts.
UNSWEETENED ICED TEA
Besides water, another cool drink
for the summer that could help
hydrate you is unsweetened iced tea.
According to The Harvard School
of Public Health, some health benefits of tea (iced or not) can include:
reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, protection from cancer, and
reduced risk of high blood pressure. The things to watch out for
with iced tea is weight-loss claims
and bottles bought in stores. Some
advertisements will claim “diet”
effects or have added sweeteners to
them. To fully enjoy the benefits of
an unsweetened tea, brew it at home
with friends and family.
SALAD
Fruit salad or green salad—both
are healthy and tasty options for
the summer. For a fruit salad, the
amount of calories that you consume
depends on the fruits that you use.
If you want to know more about
the health benefits of certain fruits,
looking up nutritional profiles can
help you decide.
While the words “green” and
“salad” may seem automatically
healthy, the benefits from eating
a green salad depend on what you
put on it. A couple of tricks to help
make your salad a little healthier
this summer include: using light
dressings like olive oil, adding a
protein, and choosing a variety of
vegetables to add more flavour and
provide an assortment of health
benefits.
CHICKEN KEBABS
You don’t have to go vegetarian for
the summer to be healthy. Dishes
like chicken kebabs can offer you
a great source of lean, low-fat protein and can be a great addition
to the summer barbeque. You can
even add the chicken to that salad
mentioned earlier. To keep the dish
healthy, try to avoid using heavy
creams or eating deep fried chicken.
Keeping a healthy diet is all
about balance, and fighting cravings
can be like walking a tightrope. To
help keep on track this summer,
make a list of your summer cravings to avoid and tack it up on your
fridge, and enlist friends to keep
you on track.
S P O RT S & H E A LTH
|
M AY 26, 2016
|
I S SU E 180. 2
11
Guelph Gryphon ready to represent Canada at the Olympics
Competitive
swimmer Evan
Van Moerkerke
discusses his
journey to Rio
CRYSTAL GONG
Fourth-year agricultural and
crop sciences student Evan Van
Moerkerke from Tillsonburg,
Ontario is one of 27 nominated athletes to represent Swimming Canada
at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The
2016 Games run from August 5 to
21 and bring together top athletes
from around the world. Specializing in the 100 metre freestyle, Van
Moerkerke is ready to become the
third Gryphon to represent Canada
on the international stage.
The Ontarion spoke with Van
Moerkerke about his outstanding
athletic achievement.
Crystal Gong: When did you
learn to swim and how did you
become involved in competitive
swimming at the national and international level?
Evan Van Moerkerke: I started
swimming right around the age of
seven or eight. I’m the youngest of
three athletic siblings, so it was more
that they were already swimming
and I was just put into it. It wasn’t
until I was in high school and after
I joined the club swim team in my
hometown, that I started swimming
competitively and competing at the
provincial, national, and international level.
CG: Did you always specialize
at the 100 metre freestyle? Did you
also have other events that you also
raced?
EVM: I used to do more backstroke, little bit of butterfly, but
currently freestyle and backstroke
have been my main events.
CG: Where does your drive and
motivation come from? Also, where
did you develop your work ethic for
swimming?
EVM: Swimming has really been
a self-motivating process. It’s been
a struggle to find that motivation
between seasons because of [balancing] school and swimming. The real
motivation for swimming comes
from driving myself and wanting to
see what I’m capable of [achieving].
My work ethic combines swimming
and training and trying to be the
best that I can be. I don’t want to
retire from this sport down the road
and wish I could’ve put in a little
bit more time or stuck with it a little
longer.
CG: How has your experience
swimming for the Guelph Gryphons
prepared you for the Olympic trials?
How do you think it will prepare
you for the Olympic Games?
EVM: I owe a lot of where I
am now to being at the University
of Guelph. It wasn’t until I came
here that I started improving a lot
more. I was good, but I wasn’t at the
level I should have been to compete
[at the national and international
levels]. Training at Guelph, the team,
and [the atmosphere of] it all have
really pushed me to race and this
has led me to where I am today. If
it weren’t for my team or my coach
Don [Burton] for pushing me, I don’t
think I would be where I am today.
CG: What’s the best piece of
advice given to you for your swimming career and has led to shaping
the person that you are today?
EVM: If you think you can do
something, just push towards that
goal. If you have the slightest idea
that you can do something, then go
for it. Through my university career,
I didn’t always think that I could do
it [or push through it], but my coach
Don believed I could, and that was
really motivational. You just have to
put in the [hard] work.
CG: Can you explain what a typical week consists of for you during
the year while you try to balance
academics and swimming?
EVM: A usual day would consist
of swim practice at 5:30 to 7:30 a.m.,
then my usual classes are grouped
in the morning slots. I would usually have swim practice from 1:00 to
3:00 p.m., and [afterwards] go home
to rest and complete homework. It’s
really [primarily] just time management and using every bit of free
time that you have to the fullest and
being the most efficient [with the
time that you have].
CG: Now that the academic
semester has finished for the year,
how many hours a day are you
dedicating to swim practice? How
has your training schedule changed
since qualifying for the Olympics?
EVM: Training has picked up a
little bit more [since qualifying for
the Olympics]. Even through the
school year, I have a pretty heavy
training schedule so it hasn’t picked
up too much. But I have put in a few
more hours throughout the week,
totalling to about 20 hours of training per week. The biggest [and most
important factors are] focusing on
the recovery and eating well to have
that professional athlete lifestyle.
CG: Do you have any race day
quirks that you’d like to share?
EVM: I don’t really do anything
[specific or have a regime] that I
go through for good luck. I’m more
of a person that enjoys being social
before races instead of isolating
myself by listening to music. Before
I race I enjoy talking to people and
think as little of the race as possible. I just let my body race. I let
my body mainly relax, swim, and
VOLUNTEER WITH US
We’re always looking for passionate &
creative volunteers to become part of a great
team and contribute to our upcoming issues!
For more information contact: [email protected]
Evan Van Moerkerke will be representing the University of Guelph and
Canada at the 2016 Olympics. | Courtesy of Swim Canada
have fun.
CG: Lastly, have you ever travelled to South America before?
What are you most excited to see
and experience in Rio, Brazil?
EVM: I’ve been to South America once in 2011, as I’d made the
World Junior team in Lima, Peru.
In looking forward to Rio, Brazil,
I’m most excited to experience
the excitement of the Olympics,
to meet people from all across the
world, and to experience the local
culture and the beauty of Brazil.
When you add all of the excitement together, the [combined]
experience is going to be the best
part.
Best of luck at the Olympic
Games, Evan!
12
OPINION
Learning to appreciate the beauty of an unmanicured lawn
A look at
gardening
from nature’s
perspective
S PE NCE R MCG REGOR
Why do people love to garden?
Is it the beauty of creating life
from seed, soil, and sun? The
satisfac tion of seeing others
enjoy a flower you planted? Or
is it the unconscious desire to
suppress nature and impose our
control over the natural world?
While the answer varies for
ever y p er son, t o o of t en t he
latter appears to be the case.
I don’t doubt that almost all
g a r dener s have go o d int entions; however, the actions of
many gardeners are questionable when viewed from nature’s
perspective.
Take the example of g rass
l a w n s — w h ic h m a ny p e o ple
strive to perfect. These areas
consist of dif ferent mixes of
non-native grasses and the goal
is to make them as tame and
uniform as possible. Weeds are
constantly removed, water is
applied generously throughout
the driest days of the year, and
lawnmowers are pushed back
and forth every few weeks to
suppress growth. It seems like a
wasteful use of many resources
for a patch of green grass. I’ve
seen someone go so far as to till
their lawn and bring in new sod
mats to meet their expectations
of a perfect lawn.
Furthermore, the habitat that
turf provides is minimal. From
the hundreds of species that are
found in forests to the dozen or
so potentially found in turf, the
reduction in biodiversity is evident. Pollinators like bees and
butterflies get no benefit from
lawns since there are no flowering plants from which to feed.
Overall, the trend of expansive
areas of grass yards seems to be
satisfying a human desire for
control at the expense of nature.
Similar problems stem from
other common gardening
prac t ices; a few non-nat ive,
or na ment a l species a re surrounded by thick layers of mulch
to create a visually-appealing,
naturally unattractive garden.
Driving down the streets of suburbia, grass, mulch, and stones
seem to be the main features
of the t y pical garden. Ever y
so often there is a yard that
is much more lush and lively.
Nu merous sp ecie s of nat ive
trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and
groundcovers connect to create
a vibrant ecosystem, an oasis
of nature in a desert of grass
lawns. These healthy, diverse,
natural gardens inspire me with
the possibilities of gardening.
Why has gardening become
a t ool for the oppression of
all things natural? Why can’t
g a rdening b e a c o op er at ion
bet ween nature and humans
that benefits both. Think for
a moment how much habitat
Are your thumbs as green as you think they are? | Mido Melebari
could be created by converting
grass lawns to a more natural
yard.
Turf has dominated all other
plant species in human areas;
we need to take action to restore
the balance of nature. Suburban
roadways could be lined with
pat hw ay s of int erc onnec t e d
ecosystems rather than barren
turf. There is so much potential to improve the practices
we employ while gardening :
using native species, planting
a variety of sizes and types of
plants, aiming to have flowers
in bloom all season long, leaving stems until spring so insects
can over winter in them, and
allowing leaves to stay on the
yard to build soil are all environmentally–friendly gardening
methods.
Protecting nature and allowing it to flourish should be the
aim of all environmentalists
and nature-lovers. Turning a
patch of grass into a pollinator
garden is an easy way to start,
so is planting a few trees along
a fence row, or putting shrubs
in an unused area. If everyone
that valued nature would naturalize habitat in their yard, or
in the surrounding community,
we could vastly improve the
condition of urban and suburban areas.
Why has
gardening
become a tool
for the
oppression of all
things natural?
Growing pains for a society obsessed with constant progress
Bigger doesn’t
always mean
better
CARLE IG H CATHCART
A few weeks ago, I picked up my
usual copy of the Toronto Star. The
newspaper was running a specialty
issue, branding it the “Innovation
Edition” (IE). Contained within
its many sections were articles that
argued for rapid progression in
areas varying from bionic bones
and urban apiaries to autonomous
vehicles and academic collaboration. The pieces were interesting,
informative, and thought-provoking. They were also, in many cases,
concerning.
In the majority of the IE articles, the word “growth” was present
multiple times. It was mentioned in
the context of scientific advancement and medical technologies; it
was implicated in reaching a cure
for our languishing economy; it
was touted as a solution to many of
Canada’s problems. The dominating
theme of growth in these articles
is not merely a reflection of the
Star’s political leanings; it reflects
an obsession of society as a whole.
It is certainly not out of character
for me to take on unconventional
opinions, so allow me to explain
why the expectations of constant
growth can be short-sighted.
As a science student, I have
spent many a lecture discussing the biological process of
uncontrolled growth. Even the
uninterested peers from my tenth
grade science class understood
that, left unchecked, constant cellular growth could lead to cancer.
Similarly, it is not difficult to comprehend that the parasitic activities
of one organism generally lead to
success at the detriment of another.
One need only observe the drastic
changes in our climate and destruction to the environment to see that
humans are metastasizing more
quickly than ever across planet
Earth.
This view is also relevant from
a mathematical perspective. Certainly, even linear growth can
cause problems. If our bodies grew
our whole lives at the rate they do
during childhood, we’d be some
mighty creatures. But humans
have well surpassed the linear
function—we now live in an exponential world. Our population has
grown exponentially. The amount
of information that exists, the
quantity of photos taken, the needs
and demands of those who exist;
all have grown exponentially. But
this is not, in my opinion, a good
thing—nor is it sustainable.
We all want jobs for ourselves
and for our children, and so we
favour large corporations to set
up superstores, only to ponder the
demise of small local businesses.
We quickly build cheap and ugly
houses to draw in new residents
at unprecedented numbers, then
bemoan traffic congestion and
strains on infrastructure. We view
bachelor degrees as the new high
school diploma, offering insecure
employment to one of 300 applicants, all of whom had longer
resumés by the age of 20 than any
of their parents would gather in a
lifetime.
Bigger, faster, stronger.
It has become impossible to separate one’s work and personal lives.
We demand others to be connected
to us at all times; by email, phone,
text, and social media. We expect
our youth to balance school, jobs,
relationships, extracurriculars,
sleep, fitness, and societal pressures, then question the growing
incidence of mental illness. We
want cars that are bigger, internet
that is faster, and drugs that are
stronger.
Our insatiable demand for constant improvement and convenience
is neither viable nor healthy. We
are so caught up in the excitement of the newest and greatest
thing that we appear to be blind
to the consequences of it all. We
are the perfect example of allowing
short-term idealism to eclipse true
acknowledgment of repercussions.
I have seen it happening already
in our beloved city. In the mere
five years since I fell in love with
Guelph, I’ve seen the city welcome an unnecessary number of
Starbucks cafés, beautiful fields
transformed into unsightly suburbias, and sensitive wetlands
become property transferrable to
the highest bidder. The allure of
growth is palpable, yet it deceives.
We cannot have our proverbial
cake and eat it too.
E DITORIAL
13
The Ontarion Inc.
University Centre
Room 264
University of Guelph
N1G 2W1
[email protected]
Phone
519-824-4120
General: x 58265
Editorial: x 58250
Advertising: x 58267
Accounts: x 53534
E DITORIAL STAFF
Editor-in-Chief
Dana Bellamy
Digital Content Editor
Mirali Almaula
Editorial Assistant
Robert Janes
Music nay be available at the touch of a button, but who ever said CDs are out of style? | Courtesy Photo
My CD player is a time machine—just press play
No plutonium
necessary
DANA B E LL AMY
Music has always been a part
of my daily routine. Growing
up, my family would often have
music playing throughout the
house during meals and chores.
My parents had a 300-disc rotating CD player—the original iPod
Shuff le—and would often test
my sister and I on the randomly
selected songs that came up. By
the age of four, I could tell you
if it was John, Paul, Ringo, or
George singing on any given
Beatles track. By seven, I knew
all the words to “Bohemian
Rhapsody.”
Of course, like any good ’90s
kid, I listened to my fair share of
girl power and boy bands, mostly
on my sister’s Walkman, which
was hooked up to some speakers in her bedroom. We always
had music on when we played
together—it created the right
mood for Beanie Babies and
Lego, and playing with Barbie
and Ken often turned into a
Broadway musical adventure.
W hen I t u r ned eight , my
uncle gave me my very own CD
player for my birthday. It was a
JVC FS-SD7 with a silver finish
and blue LCD screen that said
“Hello” and “Goodbye” to you as
you turned it on and off—with a
fancy remote control of course.
It was the coolest thing I had
ever seen. My household contained multiple music devices
already—everything from a turntable to a cassette deck—but this
one was mine. Much like getting
one’s first car, it would become
a vehicle of new discoveries and
fond memories.
T hough I don’t remember
the first CD I ever owned, I
remember my eight-year-old
self listening to a lot of Planet
Pop compilations while doing my
homework and playing Aqua’s
Aquarius album on repeat as I
came up with elaborate dance
routines in my bedroom.
A s I grew a bit older, pop
turned to pop-punk and I took
advantage o f that little volume
b ut t o n t o s a t i s f y wh a t e v er
unwarranted preteen angst I
may have had at the time.
Throughout high school, I
star ted taking music a little
more seriously. I went back to
the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s tunes
that my parents listened to and
found newer indie bands that I
totally listened to before they
were cool. Any time I was in my
room, my CD player was on—
morning, noon, and night.
This was also when I started
collecting CDs on a more regular and serious basis. Every time
I went into a music store (they
were a lot more common at the
time) I would scour the racks for
any Alice Cooper CDs I could
find. It took me a few years and
multiple birthdays and holidays
to finally collect all 26 studio
albums released between 1969
and 2011. The same CD player
that once played the entire Spice
Girls discography also played the
entire Cooper discography at one
point or another.
When I moved into residence
for universit y, there was no
question as to whether or not my
CD player was moving with me.
It was the last thing I packed
when I left home and the first
thing I unpacked when I got
to my dorm. Music was essential for the task of packing and
unpacking, and also necessary
for helping me feel at home in
my single room.
At the time, I was really into
some classic heavy metal stuff
and I wanted my hall mates to
know how cool I was by making
sure they could hear my music
playing—not too loud, but loud
enough to hear through the thin
walls. In hindsight, that probably did quite the opposite of
what I wanted.
W hen I d id st a r t ma k ing
friends in residence, they would
often come into my room and
see my collection of CDs and
that old JVC player occupying
valuable real estate on what
few shelves I had. Most people
would a sk what it wa s, not
because they had never seen a
CD player before, but rather to
signify that my choice in device
was outdated and obsolete in the
digital world.
I have never been a fan of
dow nloading music. For me,
music is one of the most valuable
things one could own. A record
or a CD is not just a couple
megabytes on a hard drive. It is
a physical piece of history and
a tangible way of showing your
appreciation of an artist or band.
Call me old-fashioned, but I still
love the feeling of going into a
music store, buying a CD, tearing off the plastic, popping the
disc into that old JVC FS-SD7,
and leafing through the insert
while listening to some new
tunes for the first time—then, of
course, listening to it on repeat
for weeks at a time.
As I went through university,
I would move to and from home
every summer, and despite the
effort of having to pack up several heavy boxes of CDs every
c ouple of mont hs , t hat CD
player came back and forth with
me every time.
Now that I have moved into
my ow n apar tment, 16 years
later, that very same CD player
that I got for my eighth birthday sits proudly in my kitchen.
Although I have lost the remote
somewhere along the way and
the blue display screen isn’t
quite as bright as it used to be,
I still use it every single day.
Though I am sure the CD
player itself is not worth much
these days, if it were to ever die
on me, I honestly think I would
be heartbroken. More than anything, that CD player has seen
my growth as a human through
music. It’s seen everything from
S Club 7 and Good Charlotte
to Anthrax and Tom Jones. I
couldn’t ask for a better time
machine.
A record or a CD is not just a couple megabytes
on a hard drive. It is a physical piece of history and
a tangible way of showing your appreciation of an
artist or band.
PRODUC TION STAFF
Photo & Graphics Editor
Mariah Bridgeman
Director of Layout & Design
Kylie Armishaw
OFFICE STAFF
Office Manager
Aaron Jacklin
Business Coordinator
Lorrie Taylor
Ad Manager
Al Ladha
Circulation Director
Salvador Moran
BOARD OF DIREC TORS
President
Alex Lefebvre
Chairperson
Patrick Sutherland
Treasurer
Patrice Manuel
Secretary
Zina Bibanovic
DIRECTORS
Melissa Chong Ah Yan
Shane Liquornik
Meghan Tennant
Emma Callon
Victoria Balog
Alexandra Grant
CONTRIBUTORS
Carleigh Cathcart
Sameer Chhabra
Crystal Gong
Lavinia Lindsay
Katelynne MacLachlan
Spencer McGregor
Mido Melebari
Joanne Pearce
Sushma G. Puttaswamaiah
Megan Scarth
Rebecca Thompson
The Ontarion is a non-profit organization governed by a Board
of Directors. Since the Ontarion undertakes the publishing of
student work, the opinions expressed in this publication do not
necessarily reflect those of the Ontarion Board of Directors. The
Ontarion reserves the right to edit or refuse all material deemed
sexist, racist, homophobic, or otherwise unfit for publication as
determined by the Editor-in-Chief. Material of any form appearing
in this newspaper is copyrighted 2015 and cannot be reprinted
without the approval of the Editor-in-Chief. The Ontarion
retains the right of first publication on all material. In the event
that an advertiser is not satisfied with an advertisement in the
newspaper, they must notify the Ontarion within four working
days of publication. The Ontarion will not be held responsible
for advertising mistakes beyond the cost of advertisement. The
Ontarion is printed by Hamilton Web.
FUN PAG E
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ACROSS
56–”___ She Lovely?”
21–Joie de vivre
1–Opposed
57–Sparkle
23–Cabinet dept.
5–Wand
60–Ready to hit
25–Greek portico
10–Word form for “ten”
64–James of “The Godfather
26–MetLife competitor
14–Mindy of The Facts of Life”
65–Gives a 9.8, say
28–TV horse
15–The end of ___
68–Red Muppet
29–Consumers
16–LAX guesstimates
69–Actress Merrill
30–Throat problem
17–Gillette product
70–This is only ___
31–Brit’s bottle measure
18–First-stringers
71–Muddy up
33–Foe
19–Tombstone name
72–Lodge members
34–Fluff, as bangs
20–Temporary stop
73–Dated
37–Physicist Enrico
22–Spire
74–Great quantity
39–Harpers Bazaar illustrator
24–Joy Adamson’s lioness
41–Musical instruments
27–___ keine Nachtmusik
43–Drains
28–Sweet wine
DOWN
46–Nautical speed unit
32–Principle
1–Put ___ on (limit)
48–It parallels a radius
35–They appear before U
2–___ chance!
51–Subordinate ruler
36–___ I can help it!
3–Drive–___
53–Furry swimmers
38–Actress Taylor
4–Momentarily
55–Gaucho’s rope
40–Elie! Saarinen’s son
5–Bleat of a sheep
57–Olympian Devers
42–Pays to play
6–Hill insect
58–Slender
44–Costly
7–Summer shirts
59–Hwys.
45–Garbage
8–Use a soapbox
61–Voting group
47–Pianist Claudio
9–Carte blanche offer
62–What ___ mind reader?
49–Colo. dock setting
10–Intensified
63–Tattled
50–Bridges
11–List-ending abbr.
64–Alphabet trio
52–Worker
12–Feel concern
66–Curvy letter
54–Surf sound
13–Egyptian cobra
67–Fr. holy woman
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On Stands for 2 Weeks!
December 2016
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Happy Holidays from
The Ontarion!
March 2017
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Book by August 15 th
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Advertising deadline: Mondays @ 4 p.m. prior to Thursday publication
Advertising Manager: Al Ladha, B. Comm
Office: 519 824 4120 ext. 58267
Cell: 519 760 2786
Email: [email protected]
www.theontarion.com/advertising
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Infection Testing
Feeling Better Now®
Is an online mental health program to assist students
in maintaining their wellbeing.
To access go to: www.feelingbetternow.com/
uoguelph and then enter the access code: uoguelph
Feeling better
begins with
understanding
you are not alone.