Partying or Studying?

bandersnatch
Importing immigrants since 1971
Partying or Studying?
In This Issue
New club on campus
Page 2
Socialism is a term that many on both
sides of the political spectrum use and often abuse. Most recently, President Barack
Obama was and has been denounced by
members of the Republican Party as a
“socialist”, despite his lack of leftist conviction. It was used as a pejorative to scare the
common American into complacency, for
there are few things more misunderstood
and feared in the United States than an
ideology which does not preach systemic
exploitation and rampant consumerist
philosophy.
Swallow This!
Page 7
The event started when the
delightful MC announced that
anyone who came to the show
to judge those brave men should
leave.
Wasn’t I surprised when, in the
first five minutes, one of the contestants, “Swallow” as he called
himself, upon his introduction announced that he, “Would not put
on some pussy voice, as I ...
Fear Alma again
Page 8
While a strong, well-rounded shooter
is a good thing, what makes F.E.A.R. 2
great is the polish and shine put into the
horror aspects of the game. Alma, the
psychic villain from the first game, returns
in full force in the sequel, and her presence
is never forgotten. From flickering lights to
hallucinations to out and out inexplicable
monstrosities, F.E.A.R. 2 makes you jump
in a way that is shockingly unique from
other horror games.
Sections
Campus Life................. 1
News ............................ 3
Entertainment ............ 4
Opinions....................... 6
Games ......................... 8
Arts .............................. 10
Sports........................... 11
Megan Benjamin
Contributor
Reading week, which is more commonly
known to students as spring break, is quickly
approaching. There are only a few days left
of studying for tests, preparing for presentations, and writing papers until everyone gets
some well-deserved time off. As the name
implies, this week should be designated for
schoolwork, and therefore, teachers do not
hesitate to hand out massive amounts of it.
How many students actually stay at home
during this week off and focus on school?
Probably not many.
With five weeks of school already
completed and university applications out
of the way and submitted, not very many
students want to think about a full week of
homework. In fact, it’s probably going to be
the last thing on their minds. When given the
choice between studying and going out for a
day with friends, almost no one will choose
to study. The probability of students leaving
their work for the last minute or not doing
Textbook pricing
Miranda Ross
Campus Life Editor
At the beginning of a new semester the
scramble to get all your textbooks begins. My
first semester I was so scared that my teachers
would get mad at me if I didn’t have my books
on the first day of classes I got all my books
right away from the bookstore, charging it all
on my debit card, draining the summer funds
I had collected. I quickly picked up that even
though there are 400 pages in a book, there is
a good chance you will only glance at about ten
of those pages throughout the course. The next
semester I was prepared to wait it out; I didn’t
buy any of my books until the second or third
week of school, making sure I could judge just
how much the teacher intended to use the book
for the course. Many of the books I bought
were second hand and saved me at least half the
cost of buying the book. I choose to ignore the
suggestion to buy the newest edition from my
teachers and found that there are very minor
it at all until school resumes in the second
week of March is very high. This is due to
procrastination and the unfortunate study
habits of students. There are other activities,
such as, jobs, sports, and social lives that take
up a lot of time, meaning that homework is
not high on the list of priorities.
Teachers can tell by the quality of work
whether or not a student has put many hours
of work into a paper or assignment, or
differences between the
book editions.
I don’t dislike the
John Abbott Bookstore,
it’s just the opposite,
they have the best candy
and if I drive to school
half asleep forgetting
my whole pencil case
when I have an exam
I can just drop in and
pick up whatever I
need. I just don’t enjoy
the thought of using my
money on textbooks.
I want to spend my
money on a concert,
new shoes, anything but
textbooks! My friends
echo the same complaints, they find textbooks expensive and are deeply annoyed when
the teacher doesn’t even use them.
Debbie Job, the Bookstore Manager at
John Abbott explained that the Bookstore
uses the publisher’s list price. The teachers
are responsible for choosing the books. They
meet with the representatives and negotiate
the price and what’s to be included. Often
the publishers will absorb the cost of including study guide, or access codes (for online
study guides) in a package with the textbook.
It seems that some teachers choose books
without knowing just how expensive they are.
Once the bookstore is given the price of the
book the teacher chose for their course, the
bookstore contacts the teacher to tell them
the price. Some teachers switch to a cheaper
book, others do not. In courses that are more
specialized like anthropology, there usually
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
Volume 38, Issue 10
whether they completed it at three o’clock in
the morning the day it was due. So wouldn’t
it be better if teachers didn’t give any work
over the break? That way they wouldn’t have
to read sloppy papers, correct tests that
students didn’t study for, or listen to oral
presentation that are unrehearsed. Students
would also be able to enjoy their free time,
and not have the stress of homework hanging over their heads. They would be able to
enjoy their break without having to pretend
to be concerned about the large pile of work
that they have to get through.
Once students enter Cegep and university, there are no longer days off for teacher
conferences, half days, or even snow days. In
fact the only official break that students get
between the Christmas holidays and summer vacation is reading week. So, it should
be expected that students are going to take
this time to enjoy themselves. Whether they
spend their time partying every night, leaving
Montreal for a week to warmer climates, or
simply enjoy their time at home, it seems
safe to say that very little work will get done
during reading week.
aren’t very many options so the teacher is stuck
with the book no matter what.
I have friends and even a couple of teachers
who have mentioned using Amazon and Ebay
as alternatives because they usually price their
books lower than the bookstore. Turns out that
you don’t always get an amazing deal on the
internet. There is the cost of shipping and handling and often the book is the wrong edition
and not even in stock at the “supersaving” price
it’s listed at. The John Abbott Bookstore profit
margin on textbooks is between 20-25%.
I will continue trying to buy second hand as
much as I can but I do have a bit more appreciation for the Bookstore. In my last semester
I’m getting used to the prices for textbooks.
I’m not as sour paying them because next year
in university I’m sure it’s going to be more
expensive.
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Campus Life
When missionary becomes mundane
tine. For some people, it’s great and let’s them keep
a constant, but other people may want variety. Talk
to your partner and compare what you want and
what you can live without. Help each other know
what feels good where. You know your body best,
and it’s up to you to let your partner know how to
make you feel good.
Keeping in shape is never a bad thing, but it
can be a great influence in the bedroom. If you’re
minutes to spare do 25
sit-ups or ten push-ups, take the stairs rather than
the elevator…little things go a long way.
If you like to keep it simple, there are always
variations of the classic positions that will add to
the familiarity without a drastic change. Better yet,
experiment with your partner. Although it might
be slightly embarrassing at first, you both know
yourselves and each other and so it will be less
embarrassing.
If you’re too shy or
simply too comfortable
with your routine to try
something different, try
adding in little edible things
that will spice it up a bit. All
depending on your tastes,
you may want to try chocolate covered strawberries,
cinnamon hearts, grapes,
chocolate sauce or anything
you like. You may want to
New club on campus!
Matthew Crawford
Contributor
If there is something that is nearly
ubiquitous about contemporary youth,
it is the apathy many feel towards politics and the impact it has on the world.
Those of us who have studied western
civilization will probably be aware of
politics’ etymolog y – a Greek word
meaning that which belongs to the polis,
or city. Since the time of the Ancient
Greeks, the polis has expanded, from
city-state, to empire, to the countries
that make up the political scene. We are
now all part of a global polis, and politics has everything to do with the world
around us. Though we may be satisfied
with the world around us, neglecting
politics will only compound these issues until it will be impossible for us to
solve them. Enter JACSA – John Abbott
College Socialist Alliance.
JACSA is a new group of students
dedicated to fostering an interest in
politics, and how one may approach
them from the socialist perspective.
Though today the very notion of real
political partisanship (taking a position
outside of two moderate political perspectives) is frowned upon by both the
common Man and the forces that dictate
his mindset, JACSA firmly holds the
conviction that only drastic steps and
ideas will bring us closer to an ultimate
• Wednesday February 25th, 2009
objective of helping to solve the problems of our global polis.
Socialism is a ter m that many on
both sides of the political spectrum
use and often abuse. Most recently,
President Barack Obama was and has
been denounced by members of the
Republican Party as a “socialist”, despite
his lack of leftist conviction. It was used
as a pejorative to scare the common
American into complacency, for there
are few things more misunderstood and
feared in the United States than an ideology which does not preach systemic
exploitation and rampant consumerist
philosophy. Socialism is not something
to be feared, but an economic theory
which seeks to correct the errors of the
current system.
The philosophy of JACSA, and of
all socialists, hinges on the idea that all
people should be born into the same
equality of condition, rather than that
of opportunity. The West has often
preached that all people are born with
the same capacity to aspire to whatever
they dream, and that with a mere show
of effort anyone can become rich. Like
most liberal democratic theory, it rests
heavily on the notion that
it is only one’s experience
and personal choice that
d i c t a t e s t h e i r l ive s, n o t
the nature of one’s initial
circumstance (i.e.: genetic
predisposition, economic
soda? If you know
your reaction to certain foods, be careful what
you eat. Besides, eating healthy food in moderate
portions (for your body type of course) can never
be a bad thing.
Although this does not apply to everyone,
romance is important when it comes to getting in
the mood. Everyone likes to hear how loved and
appreciated they are, how much they mean to you,
that they are important etc. Remember that old
spark you had when you first started dating? That
feeling you got the first time you held each others
hand, kissed for the first time? Remember that first
time you said you love each other? It’s always good
to revisit that old feeling.
Hopefully this will help those who were looking for a little something to spruce things up.
If you have any questions or comments,
please don’t hesitate to contact me at :
[email protected]
Play safe!
Will Attar
Editor-in-Chief
Matt Guité
Assistant Editor-in-Chief
Megan Chan
News Editor
Miranda Ross
Campus Life Editor
Stephanie Hunziker
Entertainment Editor
Morgan Lang
Arts Editor
David Anderson Esq.
Opinions Editor
Dave Leroux
Games Page Editor
status, social standing, etc.).
Rather than tell a lie that everyone
can be rich while millions starve, lose
their jobs, or live in abject poverty as
they are forced into dead-end jobs,
socialism believes that by elevating
people of misfortune with the fruits
of those who have prospered, we can
make a society in which we are all truly
equals. The redistribution of wealth,
the common ownership of the means
of production, and strong pride in the
advancement of society all contribute
to perpetual progress and a new golden
age of humanity.
JACSA will not solve the problems
of the world, or bring about any great
shifts on its own. However, through
meaningful discussion and the dissemination of information, perhaps we
can get people excited about looking at
what really matters, and approaching
them with a point of view we dismiss
without knowledge – without question.
Our meetings are Tuesdays at 4:30 PM
in H-033A, and we welcome members
and non-members to discuss the issues
that matter.
Andrew Hachey
Sports Editor
Sarah Giancola
Production Manager
Danielle Taillon
Office Manager
Open
Webmaster
Bandersnatch is the student-run Alternative Press
at John Abbott College. It is published every two
weeks and is partially funded by the Student Activities
Commitee and by advertising solicited members.
Submissions are welcome and become property of
Bandersnatch. Submissions must be sent via E-mail to
[email protected] and must be in Plain
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telephone number of the contributor, as well as the
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the contributor to correct them. Submissions should be
dropped off at the Bandersnatch office, located in the
basement of Herzberg, room H-041 (across from the
hallway entrance of The Oval).
Bandersnatch Campus Life
Australia holds on during tough times
Lance Bui
Production Staff
On Sunday February 22, Melbourne was the
host of a memorial service in remembrance of the
victims of the recent Australian bushfires.
Attended by hundreds of survivors, Princess
Anne on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, and
thousands of supporters, this day united a nation
in mourning of its losses since the first fire of
2009 hit its land.
Together for Victoria began with the ringing of
the local church bells as sorrow swept the crowd.
Victoria Premier John Brumby expressed his
gratitude, “The loss of life, the loss of property
and the pain has been immense but at the same
time the extraordinary generosity and support of
the Australian people... has provided support and
hope to these people.”
For many weeks now, these wildfires have
claimed nearly 200 lives and the toll is expected to
increase. Brought on both by natural causes and by
SUJAC Update
Hi Student Body!
The last few weeks were pretty busy at
school with the John Abbott Open House
where High School students and upset parents
were asking tons of questions, JAC’s 1st Alumni
Event that brought back former students and
staff members, the JAC Winter Carnival and
the SUJAC-Club Day! All those who tied the
knot at the SUJAC Marriage Booth, the photos
will be e-mailed to you soon! Congratulations
to the Muslim Student Association (MSA) who
won the Best Booth Award for their attentioncatching display! To all the volunteers who took
part in these different events, thank you! Your
help was really appreciated.
The weeks have passed by, the first exams
are behind us and mid-terms are coming up
soon, but Spring Break is just around the corner!
Different events are planned in The Agora this
week to make sure that you will have a safe Spring
Break! Go take a look!
If you have any questions, feel free to drop
in to your Student Union in P-101! The SUJAC
Executives look forward to meeting you and
answering your questions!
Have a nice Spring Break, and remember
don’t drink and drive!
Visuals
from the Editor
This photograph shows the hands of
two visually impaired men during a protest
in New Delhi last, February 20, 2009.
The Indian Joint Organisation of the
Blind held a dharna (a peaceful demonstration) in order to obtain their demands.
Job reservation in public and private sectors, increase in old age pension, shelter
home, and free travel in public transport
were among the thirty-five demands
listed.
Bandersnatch News
the work of arsonists, these fires occurred in many
regions at the same time, some more than 60 miles
long. The raging fires injured 500, left nearly 5000
homeless, destroyed thousands of homes and
razed close to 400,000 hectares of land.
What was most tragic about these incidents was
the suddenness of all this. “We have people that left
their homes, drove, got trapped, left their vehicles;
pedestrians were picked up by other motorists trying to escape this tragedy and were killed in cars,”
Mr. Moloney said in Melbourne.
Officials were criticized on their slowness at
evacuating regions at risk of being struck by the
fires. The Premier and fire officials responded defensively by saying that no one could have predicted
the “ferocity of Saturday’s fire”.
On another note, firefighters still have their
hands tied across the nation with approximately 20
fires that have yet to be under control.
Environmentalists blame global warming for
this disaster. The increase in temperature made
Australia susceptible to all that has happened
this year, in comparison to bushfire statistics of
News oddities
Will Attar
Editor -in -Chief
Flying Gizi nabbed
A 83-year-old woman was finally caught
by the police. Known as Flying Gizi, Kosztor
Sandorne would steal what she wanted, then
flee by taking commercial flights. She was caught
entering a
house in a town
north-west of
Hungary. She
went in with the
goal of finding
new and cheaper lodging. She also travels by rail now instead
of plane due to the free transportation for pensioners. So far, she has been convicted 20 times
since the 1950s, and it is still unsure if she will
be charged for this new offence.
775 times failed
A 63-year-old South Korean woman has
failed her driver’s exam 775 times, but she has
not yet given up hope. Cha Sa-soon has been
trying since 2005 to get her license in hopes of
2002-2003 where the number of fatalities only
reached 7.
The 21st century has been one of many climatic catastrophes in not even a decade. In 2005,
everyone will remember the ravages caused by
Hurricane Katrina in the south-eastern regions of
the United States. There were also the four major
tsunamis in South Asia in 2004, 2006 and 2007.
Environmentalists worldwide are having a field
day demonstrating the consequences of human
inaction vis-à-vis the deteriorating state of our
environment.
As for the mourning Australians in Melbourne,
the ceremony lasted an hour and a half, ending
with a minute of silence. The fight is not over
but all left that day knowing they were not alone
in this battle.
owning a truck so that she could go into business. She’s been trying to get passed the writing
portion, but has failed to get the necessary 60
percent to pass.
She optimistically says, “I’ve looked up some
guidebooks to get a driver’s license, and they were
saying it takes at most five years to get this. It’s
already been four years, so I might pass the test
next time. That’s what I hope for.”
She remains confident after having spent
10 million won ($6,800) on test applications. “I
believe you can achieve your goal if you persistently pursue it,” she says. “So don’t give up your
dream, like me. Be strong and do your best.”
No bright clothes in China
Dentist fined for teeth grabbing
A dentist in Germany is being charged with
assault after forcibly extracting a womans dentures. The woman had failed to pay a 700 Euro ($
1,114.24) bill, so the
dentist went to her
home and took her
false teeth. The dentist was fined 6,000
Euro ($9,550.66).
New city regulations of Zhengzhou state
that public servants are prohibited from having
unnatural hair styles or wearing clothes that are
too colourful. From now on, they must all wear
matching, uncolourful clothes.
No specific problem provoked the new
law.
Expensive sexy time
In Bellevue,
Nebraska, when
an 86-year-old
wo m a n wa s
charged $1,000
in phone sex
calls. Her family suspected
identity theft.
The credit card bill was addressed to Arlene
Hald’s husband, Sylvester, who had died 20
years prior.
They called the company to clear everything
up and then thought it was all over with, until
they were charged $70 to him again. After one
more call, the company agreed to never charge
him again.
This photograph shows a look at nanobristles
cupping a polystyrene sphere. Harvard scientists
have found a way to grow nanobristles into these
little helical structures.
“We demonstrated a fascinating phenomenon:
How a nanobristle immersed in an evaporating
liquid self-assembles into an ordered array of helical bundles. This is akin to the way wet, curly hair
clumps together and coils to form dreadlocks—but
on a scale 1000 times smaller,” said one of the lead
authors, Joanna Aizenberg.
Potential applications are: energy and information storage, adhesion, capture and release
systems, etc.
Wednesday February 25th, 2009• Entertainment
The Fray: new album release
Megan K. Chan
News Editor
The four-piece rock band, from Denver
Colorado, best known for the songs, “How To
Save A Life” and “Over My Head (Cable Car)”
have announced a tour to promote their new
album, The Fray. With a strong fan base from the
success of their debut album, and being nominated
in the past for a Grammy, The Fray is ready to make
another mark in their young musical career with
some new tunes.
After their debut album in 2005, The Fray have
finally released their self-titled album on February
3, 2009. Although the gap between albums has
been quite the wait, The Fray remains just as true
to the band’s sound as when they first released
How To Save A Life.
The album manages to keep that melodic piano, and sweet voice that Isaac Slade has previously
delivered, and he doesn’t disappoint the listener.
Each track just screams out the band’s unique
sound though the rock/pop band decided to start
all the songs slower at first, unlike past works. So,
for all of those who enjoy when Slade belts out the
vocals and pounds the keys on that beautiful piano
of his, don’t despair, keep on listening.
First single off the album, “You Found Me”,
has the typically sincere lyrics that encompass any-
thing The Fray seem to write. Being radio worthy,
the music is really easy to listen to, yet, for those
looking for a deeper meaning, it’s there as well.
All the tracks create an album with a little
of something for everyone. For those who fell
in love with the first album, “Where The Story
Ends” can be a good tie to one of their previous
singles, “Over My Head (Cable Car)”. First time
listeners, don’t feel obliged to buy the previous
album to fully understand the music, but if you
love this album, pick up How To Save A Life for
another music fix.
The album, itself, manages to be pieced together nicely as the tracks
move from one mood to
another without giving
off a sense of nauseating mood swings that a
poorly made album can
do. With the trademark
piano, and the stories of
love, hope, tough times,
and heartbreak, the purchase of the album will
not make you wish you
bought just one track.
Listening to Joe King
taking the lead vocals
for “Ungodly Hour” is
also an enjoyable change
Brown attacks Rhianna
Andrew Brooks
Contributor
Fans were shocked as the rumors
spread about Rihanna and Chris Brown
a few weeks ago. Both Brown, 19 and
Rihanna, 20 were expected to perform
at the 51 st annual Grammy awards, but
when neither of them showed up, the
news spread. It was alleged that Brown
and Rihanna had been fighting about
Brown receiving text messages and flirting with another woman. This resulted
in Chris Brown apparently attacking
Rihanna, leaving her in the hospital, and
him in jail. But my question is, if you’re
• Wednesday February 25th, 2009
with a woman like Rihanna, beautiful
and successful and whose legs are insured for one million dollars; why would
you even look at anyone else?
The “Disturbia” singer had been
admitted to the hospital while Brown
had been released from L.A jail at the
high price of fifty thousand dollar bail.
The woman who had called the police
is still unknown, police say, but she accused Brown of “hurting her”. It was
clear when the pictures were released of
Rihanna, what he had exactly done to
her; there were contusions on her face,
swollen eyes, cut lip, bloody nose, bite
marks on fingers and arm. From all this,
a battery charge is a done deal.
in the album and was worth going through the
album to find my own favourite song as opposed
to relying on the radio’s song selection.
An easy sound, genuine and emotional lyrics,
along with a loveable band, this album is worth
a listen for those who are of the curious variety.
After a listen or two, if you really enjoy the songs,
if you just enjoyed their first album, or just looking
for a good time with good music, The Fray will be
playing in Montreal, at the Metropolis on April 14,
2009. Witness their music first-hand. Maybe then
you’ll choose whether or not to buy the album.
New Releases
In Theaters
Fired Up
Confessions of a Shopaholic
The Reader
Taken
Slumdog Millionare
CDs
Chris Isaak
Mr. Lucky
Lamb of God
Wrath
Tom Rush
What I know
DVDs
Body of Lies
Changeling
Australia
I Served the King of England
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
Upcoming Releases
In Theaters
After the entire ordeal and after
being released from jail, Chris Brown
gives a public statement reportingly
apologizing, saying he is “sorry and
saddened”. Shortly after releasing this
statement, rumour has it that Rihanna
did not accept his public and seemingly
scripted apology.
After the release of the gruesome
picture of the young singer’s terrible
injuries, she allegedly confessed that
not only was this not the first time
that Brown was abusive, but as their
relationship persued, he became more
and more abusive towards her. Since the
recent event, Chris Brown’s campaign
ad featuring him as a spokesman for
“Doublemint Gum” has been dropped
completely; no surprise there, but at
least he’s not getting any special treatment, unlike some cases in the past.
Now that all of Brown’s current advertising has been either dropped or put
on hold, what is Chris to do but regret
what he did.
Were those twenty minutes of aggressive release towards Rihanna worth
his entire career? We can only hope that
Rihanna doesn’t make the same mistake
twice and escapes their abusive relationship once and for all. I guess this backs
up the saying that “we should never
judge a book by its cover” because we
never truly know what is going through
the mind of even the people we think
are the kindest.
The Trouble with Romance
February 27
Crossing Over
February 27
Sherman’s Way
March 6
Watchmen
March 6
CDs
U2 - No Line On The Horizon
March 3
Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever
Wanted
March 10
New Found Glory - Not Without
a Fight
March 10
Taylor Hicks - The Distance
March 10
DVDs
Milk
March 10
Role Models
March 10
Boy in the Striped Pajamas
March 10
Transporter 3
March 10
Upcoming Events
Britney Spears
March 20
Fleetwood Mac
March 25
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
April 2
Bandersnatch Entertainment
Will the real J.K please
stand up
five and forward do not exist, otherwise this
Lance Bui
Production Staff
So apparently, I was wrong in claiming
that I have read all the Harry Potter books. I
deeply apologize. This is because Jim Katz, a
John Abbott psychology teacher, wrote a fan
fiction entitled Harry Potter Book 4 and 3/4
Hermione’s Magic Flute.
Let me remind you that he himself called
this piece of writing a book and so, appropriately, it shall be reviewed like any other book.
In all fairness, I shall also pretend that books
article will be filled with nothing but contradictions with Rowling’s version of the saga.
So let the fun begin!
At first, I have to admit I was a bit sceptical. I did not know what to expect. Not to
mention that I was caught off guard with this
incident. So I picked up the stack of printed
paper stapled together and began reading the
amateurishly formatted text. The storyline
was enjoyable. It brought about a different
aspect of the wizarding world that is quite
charming in itself. Many passages had me
laughing – which takes a lot in my case when
it comes to books.
However, reading the
story became very annoying
for a number of reasons.
There are a lot of mistakes
I did not expect of something claimed to be a book.
The story feels different, as
if it was “Americanized”.
The dialogue was nothing
short of being tiresome,
something one would ex-
pect in the first instalment of the series, not used a telephone before the second book,
book 4 and 3/4. Not only that, but it feels seems to be quite familiar with the camera
like the characters have different personali- and alarm system of a museum. Mrs. Weasley
ties. The author is trying too hard to make it baked chocolate chip cookies instead of… I
seem like a Rowling book when it obviously don’t know… pumpkin pasties. What’s up
isn’t. For example, Harry and Ron chorused with that? The three protagonists are organiza line together three
ing a musical performtimes. How do I
ance instead of worryIn essence, I believe ing about the return of
remember that?
Because it feels that to call this short piece Lord Voldemort. They
so out of place, it of writing a book would would normally set
stood out and cuts be an insult to the Harry their homework aside
the reader’s connecto uncover the latest
Potter legacy.
tion with the plot.
Hogwarts conspiracy,
Another thing
but now that the Dark
Katz did in ‘his’ Harry Potter adventure was Lord has returned, they would rather waste
to use various elements mentioned in the both energy and time on an opera. Does
previous books such as the whole elf rights anyone else notice anything wrong with this
debacle, floo-powder, and Ollivander’s wand statement?
shop. It was entertaining at first to see how he
In essence, I believe that to call this short
brought many of these things back to front piece of writing a book would be an insult
of my mind, but I could not stand it anymore to the Harry Potter legacy. All around, it was
after a few pages. Even Rowling didn’t men- entertaining but disappointing. And so my
tion so much in one breath.
verdict is that this shall be from here on out
There are also a few inconsistencies I called fan fiction, nothing more and nothwould like to point out. Ron, who has never ing less.
Bands rock Club Soda, but Soda doesn’t rock
quality took away from the show. Let’s
get on to how the bands played.
As I said, Shades of Dusk and A
Dead Motion weren’t too great. They
Whitby, Ontario band Protest the were your typical Death Metal bands,
Hero played at Club Soda Thursday, loud with choppy or galloping palm
Fe b r u a r y 1 9 a l o n g w i t h G o d Fa l l , muting. The singing was your everyday
Shades of Dusk, and A Dead Motion. growl and scream. Musically speaking,
Presented by Extensive
they were not
Enterprises and sponoo great. In
“...the sound quality tterms
sored by Jagermeister,
of showProtest the Hero and of Club Soda was so m a n s h i p, t h e y
th ei r j o i n i n g b a n d s bad, it was hard to tell d i d r o c k o u t
played g reat sets…I what was going on...”
on stage and
think. What I mean
g ot the crowd
by this is that the sound quality of Club moshing.
Soda was so bad, it was hard to tell what
God Falls might be the new In
was going on. To be fair, Shades of Flames. With a sound that is similar to
Dusk and A Dead Motion weren’t that the Swedish metal band, they separated
great even on their myspace, but I prob- themselves from the two starting bands
ably would have enjoyed them more if and showed the crowd that they had the
the sound had been equalized properly. musical skill needed to make it. With the
It sounded as if the sound tech had put rare female guitarist occasionally taking
all the mid tones on high and dropped the lead, they played well while jumpthe bass and treble. Perhaps I’m just ing around on stage in what seemed to
being picky, but I did feel the lack of be a well thought out choreographed
Will Attar
Editor-in-Chief
Bandersnatch Entertainment
way. Look in future issues
of Bandersnatch for an
article all about this rising
Montreal metal band.
After God Falls left the
stage, Jager meister took
over the show. They played
pop music and had some
random guys dance on the
stage. While metal heads
d i d n’t mu ch a p p r e c i a t e
this, their girlfriends, who
came along and pretended
to love the metal, did sing
along and dance. At this
point, Arif Mirabdolbaghi,
the bassist of Protest the
Hero, walked around in
the crowd having small talk
with fans. When we asked
if we could interview them,
he declined saying that he
had many more fans to attend to but said we could
meet them at Fouf ’s later.
Protest the Hero finally
took the
stage and was also heavily hit by the low sound
quality of the cursed
venue. For a band that
has so much lead and
so many melodies, they
were hard to catch at
times, which was a bit
sad. They began strong
and in between songs,
the singer, Rody Walker,
would joke around
with the audience.
Unfortunately, this was
the only real stage presence they showed. They
didn’t rock out nearly as hard as God
Falls (although the crowd was moshing
way more and going insane) and failed
to live up to their reputation.
Their strongest songs were Sequoia
Throne and Blindfolds Aside. When
this came on, the band came to life and
interacted with the crowd a lot. Walker
even gave the audience to sing instead
of him in several parts. However, after
these two songs passed, it seems they
went back into their calm tired selves.
Overall, the show was a definite
great time if you wanted to mosh like
mad and have a crazy night, but for the
music enthusiast, it seemed to be lacking. This seemed mainly to be due to
the venue.
Wednesday February 25th, 2009 • Ignorance isn’t bliss
Will Attar
Editor-in-Chief
Mark Slouka wrote an ar ticle in
Har per’s Magazine titled “A Quibble”.
The article begins by explaining that we
should all be pleased with ourselves that
we have finally put someone who – if
he doesn’t get bronzed within his first
hundred days – may succeed in correcting the course of the empire.
He explains how he would like to be-
lieve that things will be different, but actual human beings keep mucking things
up. The rest of the article talks about the
ignorance that has become widespread
among Americans, and how they are
either proud of it or simply unaware of
it. Seeing as how he backs everything up,
this is a disturbing realization.
He points out that our priorities are
mixed up, and that people constantly
voice an opinion about something they
know nothing about. When did ignorance become a point of view? He finished his article by
asking the question,
“How did we come
to this pass?”
Although he is
mainly talking about
Americans, people
seriously need to
read this article. It
could just as easily
apply to Canada.
I t ’s a w h o l e n e w
wakeup call. People
may say, “Bah, we
already know all of
this”, but I refuse
to believe that they
understand it and
a r e t r u l y awa r e o f t h e p r o b l e m i t
imposes.
We live in a world where a man actually said, “If English was good enough
for Jesus Christ, it’s good enough for
us”. That’s just wrong. We all know it’s
wrong and we laugh it off and say, “Oh
that idiot”. What we don’t think is,
“Wait a minute… does he actually think
that? How many others do as well? Why
do they think this? Who taught them
this?”
Here are some facts that Mark Slouka
brought to attention. About 25% of
Americans believe in reincar nation.
That’s 75.9 million people in a country that is supposedly secular, but god
forbid that the President isn’t a good
old American Christian. Roughly 44%
of Americans believe in ghosts; 71% in
angels. 40% of Americans believe that
god created all things within the last
10,000 years.
Roughly the same number of people
are functionally illiterate. This means
that they can read, but have no idea what
it is they’re reading. A shocking 20% of
Americans think that the sun revolves
around the ear th. Even the ancient
Greeks knew that was wrong, although
the majority of the world may not have
agreed with them.
In New York City, the parents of a
high school kid wrote to Laura Bush
about having the book The Curious
Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
removed from high school libraries.
They claimed that the book taught kids
how to curse, commit adulter y, and
kill dogs. They had gone through the
book and highlighted each instance of
the words “crap”, “shit”, and “damn”.
They haven’t read the book by the way.
Apparently, they don’t really go in for
reading themselves. Of course, they did
receive a supportive letter from Laura
Bush.
Slouka says that we have an, “Everdeepening ignorance (of politics, of
foreign languages, of history, of science, of current affairs, of pretty much
everything) and not just our ignorance
but our complacency in the face of it,
our growing fondness for it.”
People don’t like being told that they
are wrong or stupid, but they need to be
told. People need to check all the facts
before they choose to hate something
or someone. People need to stop smiling while others are panicking, odds are
they’re smiling because they don’t know
the full situation.
Where’s the duct tape?
David Leroux
Games Editor
I’ve wanted to write this for a while now,
because I just can’t take it any longer. For the
past couple of weeks I’ve overheard and been
told that this writer is crap, this section’s crap, that
the paper is slipping into a rut. The thing about
these conversations that always pisses me off is
the fact that when asked, “Why don’t you write
something then?” there’s always some strong
aversive response.
These people are the ones who complain
and never have anything constructive to say.
They just wait for change to happen, expecting
others to do the work for them. I happen to
know someone who gave a perfect example of
this kind of behaviour.
It took place when I was at a Super Bowl
party this year. We were all at a friend’s house
and this guy I’ve known for a while, we’ll call
him “Thomas”, came down with a 12 case of
Bud and, during the commercials, he began to
talk about Bandersnatch.
He said that he didn’t agree with one writer’s
opinion article and started going on that he could
crap better articles than the aforementioned
writer. Being the only Banderite in the room,
I took it upon myself to take arms against this
surprise attack, and started by asking, “Why
don’t you write something for us, if you think
you could do better?”.
Rather than taking this challenge, he went
on about how pointless it was and that there
wasn’t anytime in his busy schedule to do it,
• Wednesday February 25th, 2009
later followed by his new rant about how stupid
godaddy.com commercials are.
I didn’t push the subject, I felt I had held
the lines against another bombardment of bull.
But this really made me think of how I can’t
stand people who whine about something that
they don’t like and do nothing to get the result
they want.
There have been others like “Thomas”. I
have run into people who don’t like what is said
in this paper and bitch and moan, expecting
Bandersnatch to change its content or drop the
section or writer. I’m sorry, last time I checked
the editors choose what goes in the section,
not the few who disagree with an article two
issues ago.
Another example of this behaviour was at
my old high school. People would tend to just
leave their trash lying on the ground and never
pick it up. It always made me laugh because one
of my friends, “Mark”, would always rant about
how the school was dirty and gross, that nobody
kept it clean. Right after that speech he took his
empty Ziploc bag and threw it on the ground and
watched it roll and drift with the wind.
I know that some of you are probably angry
right now and are adding me to your list of things
to complain about, but it’s the way I feel, it’s my
opinion, and I think I’m doing something that
you whiners will never do. I wrote about what
pisses me off, I didn’t just talk about it for weeks
to anyone who would listen. I hope this article
has gotten you thinking or at least pissed you
“Thomases” off enough to make you write a
response to this article, because I can’t stand to
sit in a room and hear you complain anymore.
Do you want to learn how to think critically?
Do you want to be part of a community, instead of just attending classes?
Then maybe it’s time for you to join
Liberal Arts College
Small classrooms create a
real sense of community,
and individual attention from
professors enables you to
sharpen your verbal, critical
and writing skills.
Our unique Great Books Core
Curriculum provides a flexible,
multidisciplinary program that
educates you while enriching
your life.
Excellent preparation for graduate
and professional studies.
http://artsandscience.concordia.ca/liberal_arts_college/
For more information, call Lina D’Iorio at 848-2424 ext.2565,
or e-mail [email protected]
LAC 30th Anniversary 1978-79 to 2008-09
Bandersnatch Opinions
A8177
Bandersna
insert: 02/
5” x 7”
Metaphorgotten
David Anderson Esq.
Opinions Editor
Ever since the invention of books in
the 1920s by Armenian gymnist and croquet-enthusiast Drastamat Silikyan, people
have been writing thing down in fancy ways.
Originally people just wrote down the truth,
and that was all well and good for a while,
but then they discovered that lying was much
more fun.
This is, in fact, the origin of literature
because you’ll notice that you can’t spell
“literature” without “lie”. Well the letters are
kind of broken up, but they’re all in there.
And so the idea of fiction burst forth like
something that does quite a bit of bursting
and is really pretty good at it. But there was
still something missing. They were lying, but
they were lying in such a straightforward,
literal way.
This problem was solved in 1931 by a
team of top Dutch scientists operating in
strict truth-proof conditions. They devised
an ingenious method wherein a lie would be
presented to a dupe, the dupe would recognize the lie and from it extract the truth and
then, and this is the important part, praise the
liar for crafting such a transparent lie.
The invention was named after the team’s
mascot Snapper Metaphor, a plucky little
crocodile that one day managed to wander
into their lab and into their hearts. Six team
members died before their mascot was subdued by animal control. And so in May of
Swallow THIS!
Katie Oakland
Contributor
On Thursday of Carnival week, I sat
down in the Agora to enjoy what I hoped
would be an hour of brave men taking
a chance and dressing up and acting as
“women” for our entertainment – and
the 150$ cash prize. The event started
when the delightful MC announced that
anyone who came to the show to judge
those brave men should leave.
Wasn’t I surprised when, in the first
five minutes, one of the contestants,
“Swallow” as he called himself, upon his
introduction announced that he, “Would
Bandersnatch Opinions
1931, with minimal casualties and very few
woundings, the metaphor was released into
the world.
The problem solved by metaphors was
basically unsolved in 1941 by a team of janitors who worked in various scientific institutions, led by a man who looked quite a lot
like William Shakespeare, if you turned your
head and squinted a bit. The team designed
what became known as a similie, a less lietastic literary device. They decided to add
“like” or “as” in front of a regular metaphor
so people wouldn’t think you were trying to
deceive them.
The literary community was pretty pissed.
The similie won the team the Noble Prize For
Doing Pretty Good that year and again in 1942
and then again, posthumously, in 1993.
But to truly understand metaphors we
must look deeper, just as a fisherman must
study a trout before he may catch one. But
how can he study one if he has not caught
one to study? There’s the rub. It’s called a
catch 22, because he will have to catch and
examine 22 other kinds of fish before having
the general ichthyological background to be
able to catch a trout.
And so to understand a metaphor you
must write out 22 other literary devices.
Alternatively you can just find someone
else’s metaphor and read that. But that would
involve sharing knowledge with other people
and expecting them to do your work, like some
kind of commie.
Well guess what buddy, metaphors aren’t
the gas from some dude’s tractor. You can’t
just give somebody a big ole bag of potatos
and expect to be able to use their car for the
day, because then you get stranded before you
even get to the city because it turns out they
traded their gas for a bunch of chickens and
you can’t run a car on chickens.
How would you even try? Would you drop
the car on top of a mass of chickens and
expect them to carry you? Shove the chickens
into the gas can? Strap the chickens to the roof
and expect them to fly you around? Stop being
ridiculous, chickens can’t even fly. At least not
in MY America. Also known as Canada.
Now I know you may think that that
last paragraph was just a bunch of rambling
nonsense, and that’s where you’re wrong.
Instead of taking it literally, look deeper and
not put on some pussy voice, as I am not
a faggot”.
I can’t remember if he used the
words “Fucking faggot” or not, but the
intention was clear. He was a man who
liked women, and everyone else up there
was worthy of his disgust and we’d better not forget it! The M-C was visibly
unimpressed. Unfortunately he did not
immediately disqualify “Swallow” from
the contest. That, in my mind, would
have been the appropriate response to
his blatant display of homophobia, not
to mention his own sexual insecurity.
I don’t know about the rest of you
straight girls out there, but I think it is
HOT, SEXY and a full-on TURN-ON
when a man has the confidence to
dress up as woman. Effectively, he
is saying that he is so secure, so
sure of himself, that he can put on
a dress, do a little show and still
feel like a man. The guy who won
the contest, won my heart when
he hip-rolled his plaid-skirted ass
around his lap dance partner and
then licked the guy’s face. Is he
gay? Straight? Bi? Who cares? He
is who he is, and that is HOT.
Swallow belongs to a visible
minority himself, so he should
know first-hand the effects of discrimination, prejudice and hatred.
Why do we denounce Michael
Richards for using the word nigger in stand-up comedy?
We even completely remove and almost criminalize
words like “Spic, Jap, Kaffir,
Pepper, Sand Nigger, Chink,
Flip, Wop”. Yet we put on a
pleasant smile or even laugh
when guys in the Munch Box
try to affirm their masculinity
by calling each other homos,
fags and pussies?
And speaking of the
Munch Box, last year I was
there when two guys walked
by holding hands, only to be
chased through the hall and
down the stairs by some jocks
yelling that they would, “Kick
their pussy asses” when they
caught them.
I wonder if they know
that homophobic comments
are considered sexual harassment according to JAC’s
Sexual Harassment policy.
I wonder if they know that
every time they say the word
faggot, people wonder why they care so
much. What are they hiding? When are
these wanna-be macho guys going to get
it that homophobia is UGLY and offensive, not just to gay and bisexual men and
women, but to everyone.
And instead of making him look
more like a man, he seems less of a
man. His pathetic intolerance only serves
to display his own insecurity with his
you will find that the whole thing is a brilliant
representation of metaphors. It shows how
a metaphor can, at first glance, appear to
make no sense but once we successfuly force
words into the author’s mouth we can make
it say anything. Was I really talking about how
chickens are inadequate propulsion materials
or was it the problems with communism or
was it a metaphor about metaphors? Who
knows, I certainly don’t.
And so our metaphorical journey comes
to an end. Valuable lessons, chock-a-block
with metaphors that certainly aren’t lies,
have been learned by all. And that’s the end
of this chapter. If you could see me right
now I’d be dusting my hands off in a very
dramatic way.
sexuality to everyone. People who are
afraid of heights, as it turns out, are not
actually afraid of falling from that tall
building. They are afraid of JUMPING.
Think about it.
Swallow THIS, “Swallow” and all you
other homophobic creeps: You are part
of a shrinking minority. You disgust a
significant majority of us. Let’s keep this
moving in the right direction.
Wednesday February 25th, 2009 • R
D
@L
(
VHSG%@UD-DQNTW
Fear Alma again with F.E.A.R. 2
Matt Guite
Assistant Editor-in-Chief
Horror games and shooter games have been
mingling a lot these days, and to great success. Just
look at Bioshock, Dead Space, or the Condemned series.
Continuing the trend of strong, well-mixed shooter/horror gameplay is F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin.
The sequel to the 2005 hit F.E.A.R., F.E.A.R. 2
picks up the story a short time before the ending
of the first game. This time around you play as
Michael Becket, a member of Delta Force, sent in
to retrieve some woman for a bunch of reasons
I’m not going to get into.
Let me be really blunt for a minute: everybody
knows that the story in a shooter is usually as important or well crafted as the story in a porno film.
It’s sad, but true. That having been said, the story in
F.E.A.R. 2 is really something amazing. It continues
the story of the first game (and you’ll benefit if you
know the story of the prequel, I should add) and
actually makes the pacing much better in general.
While you remain somewhat in the dark for much
of the game, information is much easier to come
across in the game if you look for special collectible
data pads or notes.
The shooter portion of F.E.A.R. 2 is simply
stellar. The variety of weapons is standard but still
very solid, and the use of slow-motion is as fun as
it was in the first game. The shooter element of
the game is probably one of the best there is, on
par with the Half-Life series in terms of balance,
weapon pacing, enemy AI and controls. In fact the
enemy AI in F.E.A.R. 2 is possibly the best there is
in video games at the moment. I often found my
enemies making much better use of cover than I
ever did, and their constant attempts at flanking,
their use of grenades to flush the player out from
cover, and their disturbingly human reactions
quickly convinced me that much of the game
would be carried on their intelligence and the very
real danger they represent to the player.
While a strong, well-rounded shooter is a
good thing, what makes F.E.A.R. 2 great is the
polish and shine put into the horror aspects of
the game. Alma, the psychic villain from the first
game, returns in full force in the sequel, and her
presence is never forgotten. From flickering lights
to hallucinations to out and out inexplicable monstrosities, F.E.A.R. 2 makes you jump in a way that
Strategise with Master Chief
Matt Horne
Staff Writer
2009 seems to be the year of evolution for
the Halo franchise. Halo Wars and Halo ODST
are coming out on March 3 and autumn 2009,
respectively. Since 2001, Microsoft has enjoyed
huge success with the story of Master Chief and
his fight against the Covenant, grossing over 300
million dollars in the first week of the release of
Halo 3. Earlier this month, Ensemble Studios, the
creators of Halo Wars, released the demo of the
game. Once again the Halo franchise has scored
another apparent victory, with over 2 million downloads of the demo in just 5 days. There is no doubt
Halo Wars is supposed to take the Halo experience
in a different direction; the question is whether it’s
a direction worth following.
With the release of the demo, Ensemble gave
a slight taste of the single player and what it has
to offer. The game itself takes place twenty years
before the events of the first game. Harvest, the
first human colony to come into contact with the
Covenant, has been plunged into a five year battle
for the planet. The demo introduces you to the
game where the Covenant are looking for something on the planet. Throughout the two missions,
• Wednesday February 25th, 2009
you rally troops, build a base and stop the covenant
from destroying an ancient alien structure.
One noteworthy aspect of the game that
hit me right off the bat were the visuals and
graphics, both in gameplay and cinematics.
The opening video in the single player campaign was quite well done, and brings you up
to speed on the story in an explosive manner.
In game, the graphics are quite detailed as
well. The camera doesn’t go down to ground
level, but can be lowered or raised a decent
amount. The buildings and landscapes are
quite detailed as well. Ensemble also did a
good job emulating the physics of the vehicles, with the Warthogs fishtailing and hitting
jumps just like in previous Halo games.
Now onto what I consider the most important aspect of any game, gameplay. It seems
that Ensemble has taken into account that Halo
fans might be noobs when it comes to the RTS
genre after controlling Master Chief for eight years.
Simply put, Halo Wars is an extremely simple RTS,
built for the simple minded FPS fan who just likes
to blow stuff up.
One of the major concerns over the game
is how the control layout would be. RTS is traditionally a PC genre, where micromanagement
with keyboard and mouse is essential. With the
Xbox 360, the controller complicates things.
Essentially, Halo Wars has a simple control
scheme. Movement is done with the two thumbsticks. To select units, you can hold the A button
down for paintbrush style selection, tap A to
select one unit, and double tap a unit to select
every unit of that type. The right bumper allows
you to select all visible units, and the left bumper
selects every unit you have. To attack and move,
New Releases
is shockingly unique from other horror games. The
cheap scares many games rely on are gone, and in
their place is a constant sense of dread, a sense of
fear brought on by the knowledge that you have
no idea where the next scare might come from, or
how real the danger might be.
The environments of the game are half of the
scare at times, with shockingly realistic representations of a post-apocalyptic city, abandoned office
buildings, and even an elementary school bathed
in blood. The pacing of the entire game has been
refined to an art form, and nothing ever seems to
drag on or overstay it’s welcome.
In the gaming market today, there is no room
for half-assed attempts. To stand out and be recognized, you need to be the best, and F.E.A.R.
2 delivers just that. This series is easily the best
combination of intense shooter gameplay with
nail-biting terror, and for now F.E.A.R. 2 is simply
the best there is.
Verdict: Buy
Available on:
PS3
Xbox 360
PC
use the X button. One nice feature I liked is that
most units come with a secondary attack, which
you press Y to use.
As for base building, an IQ of 15 is all you’ll
need to figure it out. Bases are in fixed locations,
and buildings can only be built in specific slots.
Each base you have has a limited number of
buildings (seven) that can be built. So instead of
deciding where to build, you have to decide what
buildings you need and which you don’t. Compared
to games like C&C 3, this game is lacking in the
controls department. For people who are used to
strategy games, the game might be frustratingly
simple for you.
Overall, I have to say that Halo Wars is not a
bad game, but it’s definitely nothing special either.
It does provide a nice new way to play Halo, and
may lead to sequels that’ll be even better. Ensemble
has proven that an RTS of Halo can be made, but
the fact remains that Halo Wars could be better.
Some key elements of RTS gaming are missing
from the game, and so if you’re an RTS freak,
you may be disappointed. If you’re a fan of Halo,
and all things Halo, I definitely recommend that
you get this game, as it will undoubtedly provide
some more insight into the Halo universe for you.
However, if you haven’t already hopped onto the
Halo bandwagon, I recommend you try the demo
out first, and decide for yourself whether it’s worth
your hard earned money.
Verdict: Buy
Available on:
Xbox 360
Dead Rising: Chop Till You
Drop
[Wii]
Killzone 2
[PS3]
ShellShock 2: Blood Trail
[360,PS3,PC]
Tom Clancy’s EndWar
[PC]
Stoked
[360]
Eat Lead: The Return of Matt
Hazard
[PS3,360]
Upcoming Releases
Xbox 360
Tom Clancy’s HAWX
March 3
Resident Evil 5
March 13
Wii
Sonic and the Black Knight
March 3
Wii Ski & Snowboard
March 3
Grey’s Anatomy
March 4
MadWorld
March 10
My Sims Party
March 10
PC
Empire: Total War
March 3
MLB 2K9
March 3
Codenamee Panzers: Cold War
March 10
Tom Clancy’s HAWX
March 10
PS3
MLB 09: The Show
March 3
SBK: Superbike World Championship
March 3
Resident Evil 5
March 10
PSP
Phantasy Star Portable
March 3
Samurai Showdown Anthology
March 10
DS
Little Pet Shop: Spring
March 3
Monster Band
March 4
Jake Power: Handyman
March 11
Bandersnatch Games Page
Games News
Sarah Giancola
Production Manager
Lost Planet found in jungle?
Capcom announced February 23 the
release of Lost Planet 2, which will feature
climate change (melting snow seen in the
trailer) and yes, jungles. The game will also
feature co-op play and a Gears of War style
cover system. The trailer has been available
on Xbox live since February 23.
DSi
This April will mark the North American
launch of the famed DSi which has already
taken over Japan. As stated by the Nintendo
representative, the DSi is meant to be , “More
of a personal tool to enrich our daily lives”,
hence the ‘I’ part of it. It is also in part a
reference to the two cameras said to give the
handheld an ‘eye’ on things.
Resurrecting Alice
On February 19 a sequel to the PC
adventure game American McGee’s Alice was
announced by EA CEO John Riccitiello. It
is said to be in development for Xbox 360,
PlayStation 3 and PC. No release date has
been given as of yet. Alice will be developed
by EA, under the supervision of McGee.
Three times the Overlord
On February 19, Codemasters had their
first gamer’s day, where they presented various upcoming videogames, including three
versions of Overlord. They are all scheduled
to be released on the same day this June,
although the exact date isn’t announced
just yet.
Dirt 2
The original Dirt has set a standard that
Codemasters is hard at work trying to match
in its sequel: Dirt 2. The game will include off
road racing and an extreme sports attitude.
A teaser video has been released featuring
a sneak-peak at the player’s RV, the control
point of your career exploits and half-naked
women, grime and a good time.
last GOW installments. There are, obviously,
new attacks, new grabs and other improved
characteristics also based on the feedback
they received from the last GOW’s. Safe to
say, they are well on their way to exceeding
the expectations
God of War 3
The third installment in the God of War
series has a certain expectation to meet, and
it looks like it will. One of the gameplay elements is the ability to mount your enemies,
which is to your advantage. There is also a
new weapon system where the team will ensure the same feel as the favorites from the
New Sony Machine
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan
has placed a job listing asking for “evaluator/assessor” to test a ‘new game machine’,
said to be a member of the PlayStation/PSP
angle. It is being speculated that it is a new
PSP, as isn’t likely that a PS3 successor would
surface so soon. The ad also states the hire
will, “Be part of an advisory staff that will
play PlayStation series software on this new
machine and check its functionality”. They
also said that, “Test game machines not yet
released or new functionality of PS3 peripherals before they are released”.
Leisure Suit Larry
Leisure Suit Lar r y was dropped in
July of 2008 when Activision became
Activision Blizzard, but is being picked up by
Codemasters. The plan is to publish the game
in April for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the
PC. The game follows the nephew of the
original Leisure Larry and the mystery behind
how a rival movie studio always knows what
his uncle’s movie studio is doing. It is said
to have parodies of movies such as “Beefcake
Mountain”, “Horror Coffin” and “Bycanic”.
Two million for Street Fighter
By March 31, Street Fighter IV is expected
to sell 1.7 million copies. To date, two million
have been shipped world-wide. Although
we don’t know how many of those have
actually been bought, the fact that so many
have been shipped says something about the
demand for the game. Also, a version for the
PC will be available later on this year. The
last Street Fighter game was released over a
decade ago.
Bandersnatch Games Page
Wednesday February 25th, 2009 • With Morgan Lang
Wallflower
By: Caitlin Marceau
Contributor
This is Now
By: Lindsay Waldron
Contributor
A strange warmth
Circulating from within me
From the tips of my toes
To the top of my head
So outstanding
I can barely breathe
There’s no such thing as cold
I see past winter to spring
Days merge together
An endless stretch of time
I’m so lost in this
Warmth
Let it ease me
From past mistakes of yesteryear
Let it soothe me
From guilt- ridden times
Backyard Flowers
Morgan Lang • Arts Editor
I can feel you wondering about
me,
Wondering about you.
Lashes veil peeking eyes,
Curious smiles hidden behind
glass bottles.
Stop looking up
Or you’ll notice I’m staring.
Quiet laughter drowned out by
loud shouts,
Anxious movement blends in
with ecstatic dancing.
Maybe if the world was quiet,
Maybe if the stars went out,
Maybe then you’d see me and not
her,
But for now I’ll just watch you
from across the room,
Wondering… wishing.
Hurt has no place here
Only bliss is felt
Supreme joy is known
Accompanied by not another
sentiment
So much has been given
So much has been lost
But now, in this moment
None of the gains and loses
matter
The world floats away
Left together in a region of space
Tickled by stardust
Caressed by the tail of a comet
So gentle, the words flow
From his lips
So calm and peaceful
I’m deaf to all else
I am blind to all injustice
To all suffering and despair
I know not of pain
When he is near
The meeting of eyes inspires
A longing to be held
A desire to reach out
Encased by a warmth
That only he can bring.
Marilyn Manson
Rebecca Proppe • Contributor
10 • Wednesday February 25th, 2009
Bandersnatch Arts
Sports
with Andrew Hachey
Athlete Idols
Ben Brasnett
Contributor
There was a time when the life of a
professional athlete was centered solely on
their sport, and did not extend to many
other areas. Athletes used to practice and
play games, then go home to their families.
They did not have to think about much
else in life.
Today, professional sports have changed
dramatically. Being a professional athlete
comes with so many responsibilities, all of
which must be considered before making
big decisions. The life of a pro athlete is
not as simple as it once was.
With the media keeping close tabs on
everything that goes on in pro athletes’ lives
and the internet that spreads news across
the world faster than ever before, athletes
must be careful of everything they say and
do that might go public. Making even the
smallest mistake during an interview can
hurt an athlete’s image, and change many
people’s opinions about them.
Professional athletes today must also
realize that children around the world idolize them tremendously. Many children play
sports with dreams of someday becoming
Kovy! Kovy! Kovy!
Andrew Hachey
Sports Editor
Congratulations to Bob Gainey on discovering a new way to push players to perform better .
This was seen with his decision to sit all-star Alex
Kovalev on the bench for the last two games of
the Habs abysmal six game road trip. During
this road trip, the Habs went a grand 1-4-1, with
Kovalev having zero shots in the last two games
before his “break”. This led Gainey to his decision, hoping Kovy would take the time to re-think
his play, and hopefully gain some confidence.
Many people questioned this decision, seeing as how the Habs were struggling already, and
now they would have to compete without one of
their all-stars and leaders. There was constant talk
around the league as well on sport networks and
in newspapers, if this would be the last time fans
would see Kovalev in a Canadiens jersey. Well,
the rumors were false. Kovalev took Gainey’s
decision to heart, and seriously thought about
what he could do to regain his confidence and
help the team as he did in the 07-08 season, being
the leading scorer.
Gainey and Carbonneau chose to re-insert
Kovy into the lineup for Saturday’s afternoon
game against the Ottawa Senators. Before the
game, I knew Kovalev would play this important
game with his bag of tricks wide open. I was not
the only one. During the warm up and before
the start of the game, Kovalev was praised by
fans with constant chanting of “Kovy! Kovy!
Kovy!”
If having 20,000 fans chant your name
Bandersnatch Sports
just like their favourite
player. They do everything
they can to imitate their
idol. This is why it is extremely important for professionals to give a good
image of themselves, and
therefore to be good role
models. There are commercials on TV in which
professional athletes promote hard work, helping
around the community,
and doing what they can
to make the world a better
place. This is the kind of
image that will encourage today’s youth to
do what is right, and be good to themselves
as well as everyone around them. If children
see their idols doing good things, then they
will be much more likely to do the same.
Unfortunately, children are also aware
of all the negative things that happen in
their idols’ lives. Athletes must be extremely
careful of what they do while playing their
sport because there are always so many
people watching, including children who
idolize them.
The behaviour of athletes outside of
sports can also affect others. Professionals
must realize that even when they are not
playing their sport, they
must protect their image
because the media will
spread any news about
them extremely quickly.
Young athletes have a
right to live their lives
when they are not competing, but they must always
maintain a certain code of
conduct. Their young fans
will see and hear about any
incidents that may occur,
and it may change their
view of their idols.
To be a professional
athlete is an extraordinary privilege, and it
must be treated as such. Athletes live lives
that are idolized by so many people around
the world, but there are limitations. It is
unacceptable for any athlete to be involved
in any illegal activity, or be associated with
criminals. If a pro athlete is willing to make
the commitment to play their sport for a
living and make millions of dollars yearly,
then they are also making the commitment
to stay clean in their life outside of sports.
There is too much at stake for the sport’s
reputation, and for the impact that it will
have on today’s youth.
doesn’t get you going, I don’t know what will.
At about 2:23 into the first period, Kovalev
made a beautiful saucer pass to a wide open
Plekanek, to create the Canadiens first goal of the
outing. But it didn’t stop there. 3:15 after the first
goal, Kovalev caught Ottawa sleeping by pushing
hard on the forecheck. He stole the puck from
Kuba and charged the net to score an un-assisted
goal. He would end the day with three points,
adding another assist on Brisebois’ power play
goal early in the second period.
While he played like a man possessed on
offence, he played with heart and determination
on defence as well. On a penalty kill, he waited
near the blue line while Ottawa was setting up
their power play. He anticipated a pass to the
right point, and dove to push the puck out of
the zone.
For me, there were three reasons as to why
the Canadiens won this game with a final score
of 5-3: Great goaltending by Halak, the veteran
leadership and skill given by Schneider to better
our powerplay and Kovalev’s outstanding play.
It was no shock to see Kovalev as the first star
of the game; he brought life back to the team.
Gainey’s decision to sit Kovalev ended well for
the team and even gave other teams the idea.
Detroit decided to sit their number one goalie
Chris Osgood for ten games, hoping the break
will have the same effect it did on Kovalev.
February Monster Sale
Discounts up to 70% off
Skateboard, snowboard
and surf apparel and
accessories!
Students!
Show your ID card and receive 20% off regular priced
merchandise
89, Rue Ste-Anne, St. Anne-de-Bellevue H9X 1L9
Press Release
Volleyball
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
QUA L I F I E S F O R R E G I O N A L
CHAMPIONSHIP
With a 6-4 record in their last regular
season tournament, the women’s volleyball team has qualified for the regional
championship which will be held on
March 15th, at Édouard-Montpetit.
During their tournament, the Lady
Islanders defeated in straight sets AndreGrasset (25-21, 25-22) and Dawson
College (25-12, 25-23). They split sets
with Valleyfield (19-25, 25-17) and MarieVictorin (25-17, 21-25) while losing both
sets to Vieux-Montreal (18-25, 20-25).
Hockey
WOMEN’S HOCKEY LOSES
A PAIR BUT QUALIFIES FOR
PLAYOFFS
Friday night, the women’s hockey
team (8-14-1) travelled to St-Laurent
and lost 4-2. Shannon Orr and Leslie
Oles provided a goal each for the Lady
Islanders that let a weaker team beat
them.
Sunday afternoon, the Lady Islanders
were back on the ice as they faced undefeated Dawson College and lost 6-2. The
Lady Islanders played much better than
Friday night and ended up being down
by only one goal after the first period.
Unfortunately, Dawson scored four goals
(2 on power play) during the second period while Leslie Oles the only goal Abbott
in the period.
Basketball
MEN’S BASKETBALL AA LOSES
TO DAWSON
Sunday afternoon, the men’s AA
basketball team (7-7) travelled to Dawson
College and lost 82-59. The Blues opened
the game with great intensity and they
quickly built an 8-0 lead. By the end
of the first quarter, the Islanders were
down 20-8 and despite trying everything
to shake off the bad start; the Islanders
couldn’t find ways to stop Dawson’s best
players.
M E N ’ S A A A BA S K E T BA L L
LOSES TO VANIER
In a must win situation to remain
eligible for the Provincial Championship,
the Men’s AAA basketball team (4-10)
travelled to Vanier college last Thursday
and lost 78-62. With the loss, the Islanders
have been officially eliminated from this
year’s playoffs.
TEL #: 514-457-8989
Wednesday February 25th, 2009 • 11
Clydes
Presents…
Every Friday:
Cheap
$tudent Night!
Every Tuesday is 2 for 1 Fajita Night
Every Wednesday is 25 cent Wing Night
Bands every Thursday, Friday, & Saturday
All Canadiens games on our Big screens! GO HABS GO!
clydespub.com
12 • Wednesday February 25nd, 2009