New online tutoring! - John Abbott College

bandersnatch
Interrupting award ceremonies since 1971
New online tutoring!
In This Issue
The Healthy Choice
Page 2
The Healthy Choice is a new
segment focusing on physical and
mental wellness. These food choices
and everyday activities can help you
shed unwanted weight and take care
of stress all to help you through your
every day student life.
Cure for colour blindness?
Page 5
A team of US researches at the
University of Washington have been
successful in curing adult monkeys
from colour-blindness using gene
therapy. These monkeys were unable to differentiate between red and
green before receiving the treatment.
Although more studies are required,
some experts believe that this method
may be useful in the treatment of
humans with this disease.
Band of poor marketing
Page 8
On September 10, John Abbott
College was treated to a performance from the British alternative
blues band, Band of Skulls. They
played a 30 minute (tops) performance in the Agora. Besides
the poor attendance, (which is
understandable since most people
are in class at that time) the show
itself was marketed very poorly.
I don’t know if it was marketed
by the band/band representatives
or by the school, but whoever it
was really dropped the ball.
Sections
Campus Life...................... 1
News . ................................ 4
Entertainment . ................ 6
Opinions............................. 8
Arts .................................... 9
Games . ............................. 10
Sports................................. 11
Sacha BaikiePedneault &
Emilie Gagnon
Hajek
Contributors
I f yo u a r e o n e
of the many students at John Abbott
College struggling with
English, there is help
for you! If you need
help with g rammar,
structure, or overall
essay writing, drop by
the Writing Center in
the basement of the
library. There you can
seek help for one or all
of your writing assignments regardless of
the course. Whether
Photo by Will Attar
you need a hand with
getting your ideas sorted out for an essay,
you don’t understand an assignment, or you
simply want practice speaking English, our
writing tutors are always willing to help!
You can make an appointment in advance
by dropping by the English Department
lobby (P-138) where there is a white binder
on the table in which you can sign up for
a particular tutor, or simply drop by the
writing center.
A new feature for the writing center
Bander Puzzle
Nathan Wong
Puzzle Master
Riddle:
A woman shoots her husband.
Then she holds him under water for over 5 minutes.
Finally, she hangs him.
But 5 minutes later they both
go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together.
How can this be?
this semester is online tutoring! The best
part about it is that it’s FREE and available
to all John Abbott students. These services
are for any students who require help in
English. To sign up for online tutoring,
check out the Writing Center Community
in your JAC Portal. If you can’t find it,
then look for it in the community directory.
From there you can find the online tutoring
under “Student Success” where you can
find all the help you want and need! If you
Student Poll
Do you find the poster in the
“Controversal Poster” (page 3)
article to be too offensive to
be posted around the halls of
John Abbott College?
89% No
11% Yes
YES
Send your answer to
[email protected]
to be entered in a draw for a prize.
Set the subject as:
“Riddle Answer Issue 2”
The answer will appear in the
next issue!
Stay Tuned!
NO
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Volume 39, Issue 2
would rather have
face-to-face tutoring, the Grand
Opening of the
writing center
w a s M o n d a y,
September 21.
Our tutors are
t h e r e t o h e l p.
Each tutor has
been instructed
o n h ow t o g o
about helping
o th er studen ts
with their essays.
They have also excelled in English
and are prepared
t o a n s we r a n y
questions that
may stump you!
However you
must remember
writing tutors are
here to help you, not to write your papers
for you! Make sure you come in prepared
with some ideas and the information
your teacher has given to you for your
assignment(s). Ideally, come to the writing
center with a rough copy of an essay so
you can continue on from there. We are
confident that after a few sessions with us
you will start to build more confidence in
your writing skills and you will be able to
see a difference in your writing abilities!
Letter from the
Editor
This week I’d like to use my letter to
remind everyone of a few things about
Bandersnatch.
First of all, as a student newspaper
we are always accepting articles from
student contributors, no matter their
journalistic experience or writing talent.
Secondly, the Opinions section of
our paper is not subject to the same
fact-checking that our other sections are
because we are not willing to change an
opinions article sent to us regardless of
its factual accuracy or inaccuracy.
Thirdly, we remind all our readers
that the opinions expressed in our
Opinions section are those of their
author(s), and are not meant to represent Bandersnatch.
The Editor-in-Chief,
Matt Guité
If you would like to voice your opinion about this matter, send us an email at
[email protected]
Wednesday September 23rd, 2009 • 1
With Will Attar
Campus Life
Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus
K
Sex Columnist
They’re your first thought in the morning,
your first smile of the day, the first face you look
for in a crowd, and more often than not the reason you wash your gym clothes. Ah, what could
be sweeter than the fruits of young love or more
powerful than its overzealously applied perfume/
cologne reeking essence? I think you’d agree that
nothing compares…well, except maybe for the
shock you’re about to experience when I tell you
that you are in fact in love or in lust with an alien.
Well you are at least according to author
John Gray in his Men are from Mars, Women are
from Venus book published in 1992. I think, ladies
and gentlemen (or should I say, Martians and
Venusians) that he may be on to something. In
contrast with those who wish to emphasize the
similarities between the sexes, John Gray’s book
aims to retain focus on that which differentiates
men from women and women from men. Now
I must warn you that some feminists have found
his book to be sexist and patronizing, and it
probably is. However, it has some value if you
are able to pick and choose from it that which
you feel you can relate to. What I found most
striking about this book is its capacity to serve as
a simple blatant reminder that we are different.
(Equal! But different.) Our differences stem from
a variety of things from the obvious biological
aspects to our social conditioning. We are raised
from birth to grow up to fulfill the roles of our
assigned gender, thus we are taught to internalize different rules and habits, even beliefs and
values in order to live up to some elusive idealized icon of our designated gender. Fortunately
we’ve come a long way from the “50’s housewife
and bring-home-the-bacon-man” cookie cutter
expectations to embrace a much wider range of
human expression, which will one day hopefully
eliminate the gender role constraints that remain.
However it is probable that we will always embody different characteristics of our sex and this
may cause some things to get lost in translation.
That aside, lets get back to that special alien
someone of yours. It is likely that while delving
into the process of creating a relationship, you’ve
hit some rough patches, and it’s very likely you
may have even hit some extraterrestrial types,
which is understandable. We’ve grown up in different worlds, speak different languages, and wear
very different types of underwear; communication with such barriers between you can be (to say
the least) very difficult! If you want a relationship
to last beyond a night, a month, or that blissful
honeymoon period, then you better get yourself
set on learning how to overcome the barriers
of communication. For starters communicate
about communicating! A good way to learn each
other’s style is to just to talk frankly about it. Try
to establish ways in which you can be aware and
be receptive to how you are communicating. Try
to pinpoint what is productive (especially when
arguing) and what is counter-productive; and
when it is counter-productive, to find solutions
together to solve your communication hangups. (Counseling? Online and library resources?
Advice from veteran couples??) Remember if
you feel suppressed, overwhelmed, ignored or
threatened by your partner when trying to voice
concerns regarding any aspect of the relationship
it could be an indication that the relationship is
unhealthy and in need of some readjusting. Don’t
be a afraid to talk to someone about it regardless
of what planet you’re from.
If this sounds like work, that’s because it is!
Especially between the sheets, all that communicating and practicing, voicing what you want, how
bad you want it, and where you want it can be
exhausting! However, in the end, communication
will help you establish what you need and want
from a relationship and will endure throughout
the relationship. You have a voice, let it be heard
loud and clear!
Any questions, concerns or topics you would
like addressed don’t hesitate to email [email protected] for more information.
Best of luck!
-K.
BANDERSNATCH
John Abbott College
21275 Lakeshore Road
P.O. Box 2000
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue,
Quebec, Canada H9X 3L9
Phone: (514) 457-6610 ext. 5389
Fax:
(514) 457-6091
Office: H-041
Web:
http://www.bandersnatch.ca/
E-mail: [email protected]
Matt Guité
Editor-in-Chief
Stephanie Hunziker
Assistant Editor-in-Chief
Lance Bui
News Editor
Will Attar
Campus Life Editor
Dominique Daoust
Entertainment Editor
Patricia Fitzgibbon
Arts Editor
François Dumouchel
Opinions Editor
Andrew Hachey
Games Page Editor
Free the Children or Free the Club-room
Amanda Gallo
Lance Bui
News Editor
David Alexander
If one were to walk down to the
clubs small “hallway” and look at what
for merly was the Free the Children
clubroom, one would be disgusted. In
front of the door are garbage cans and
an accumulation of various pieces of
trash over the last few weeks.
O ve r t h e y e a r s, t h i s o n c e ve r y
Photo by Will Attar
2 • Wednesday September 23rd, 2009
big student org anization dwindled to what
is nowadays an empty
clubroom that has become a storage room to
its neighbouring clubs.
Only two options are
left: the first is to somehow revive Free the
Children with Abbott’s
new students of the Fall
2009 semester or to “free
the clubroom”
and make place
for an up-andcoming club.
Several clubs
have already ex- Photo by Will Attar
pressed interest
a new club therefore will be an arduous
in obtaining a room of their one, due to reluctance in the first place
own. The process, though quite to move Free the Children from its cursimple, demands proper justifica- rent location.
tions. Among other things, clubs
Furthermore, a member of Student
must show that they need a room Activities expressed that the angle from
more than simply to have a place which the Club committee will approach
to hang out and relax. They must a demand for a clubroom will be to see
also be in existence for at least whether the club deserves a room as opone year.
posed to whether a room is available.
When asked about the matter,
If anyone feels they need a clubroom,
a member of SUJAC talked about they can make a quick run to Student
how Free the Children made large Activities in H-159 for more information.
contributions in the past to helpBetter yet, if anyone is interested in
ing the children of Third World joining Free the Children, more informacountries by organizing events tion can be found in Student Activities
at John Abbott College. The as well.
task of obtaining their room for
Sports Editor
Production Manager
Alex Callard
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
Text format (.txt) or Microsoft Word Document format
(.doc). All submissions must include the full name and
telephone number of the contributor, as well as the
e-mail address if applicable. Bandersnatch reserves the
right to reject submissions or to edit any submissions
for length, legality, or clarity. Submissions should be
a maximum of 500 words but may be printed if they
are worthwhile. Spelling and grammar will not be
corrected on submissions as it is the responsibility of
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
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might
Campus Life
The Healthy Choice: Yogurt
mercials promoting the ‘Probiotic cultures’ in
their product. Well, I’m here to debunk a little
on what is behind those terms, and why yogurt
is this week’s healthy choice.
Some Yogurts contain Probiotic cultures [specifically, active or live bacteria]
that have properties that aid in the breaking
wonder that yogurt has been eaten in cultural
dishes and desserts for over 4000 years, and that
to this date we still make it a part of our dips,
snacks and desserts.
When looking for the right yogurt, go
for a brand with low sugar, low fat and no
added sweeteners. If that taste is too bland
for you, try adding your own flavours to the
mix. Blueberries and strawberries make great
toppings.
The best part is that yogurt can come in
small packages for when you’re on the go. You
can even find it in our school’s cafeteria.
If this hasn’t convinced you, I strongly suggest you do further research on yogurt, because
the health benefits don’t stop there.
Breakdown: Yogurt is good for digestion, a viable source of calcium & protein
supplement, and it is positively delicious.
Recommended brand(s): Astro: Biobest Vitalite,
Activia.
If you would like to suggest a topic that you
would like to learn more about, send an MIO
to David Alexander, or if you would like to
publish your own ‘Healthy Choice’ article, send
it to [email protected]
Hard Rock on Campus
Sarah Giancola
Contributor
Though the dark promotional posters
and mildly morbid band name suggested a
metal or a more somber hard rock genre,
the British Alternative Rock trio Band of
Skulls showed John Abbott College just
what they are made of.
The trio met in college in Southampton,
England and found that musically, they
worked well together. With two singers
(both doubling with instruments), a drummer and all three of them songwriting,
the creative potential was endless, and so
they began their musical journey together
as Fleeing New York.
The band, composed of Emma
Richardson (bass/vocals), Matt Hayward
Photo by Mohamad Al Labade
Bandersnatch Campus Life
(drums) and Russell Marsden (guitar/
vocals) worked on demos in November
2008 at Courtyard Studios in Oxfordshire,
where they came across an international
collective which had stations in Montreal,
LA and London. They soon changed their
name to Band of Skulls and so their debut
album, Baby Darling Doll Face Honey
was recorded and polished between
January and March 2009, and released on
September 1, 2009.
Their short set list was just enough to
show us their array of influences and individual styles that define Band of Skulls
while leaving us wanting more. They
kicked off with a funky-bluesy, mostly
instrumental introduction. At this point,
it was clear that the posters had misinterpreted the essence of the band and that
although some might be disappointed that
it wasn’t a metal
band playing
at John Abbott
College, many
were surprised
at the nonspecific sounds
coming from
this act.
Amongst
their more upbeat tracks, “I
Know What I
Am” was my favourite of the
s e t . T h e 9 0 ’s
Controversial posters torn down
and the other which simply contained various
sayings used to justify religious violence over the
years. Fifteen copies of each poster were printed
and posted on various billboards, often right next
to each other. Within hours, however, thirteen out
of the original fifteen posters depicting Hitler had
been torn down. No copies of the other poster
were harmed, despite being right beside the ones
that were removed.
Yves Saint-Pierre, the teacher who printed
and put up the posters, was shocked to see such
a strong reaction over the subject matter. “They
were meant to be provocative, but I hadn’t anticipated that some people would react strongly to
the image without taking in the whole meaning.
The text plays off the image, of course. It does
not support it.”
All posters put up around the school must
be given to Student Activities to be reviewed
before being posted, so I spoke with Jill Gowdey,
chairperson of Student Activities. She told me
that in the past posters have been vandalised or
torn, but rarely so quickly and rarely in such a
way that denied the chance for discussion over
the potentially offensive material.
When I began asking around the college, some
students expressed concern over posting such
controversial posters in light of the numerous
students attending John Abbott from Germany.
Though none wished to be named, several people
felt that the imagery was insensitive to the exchange
students that have made the effort to study at this
college.
For his part, Mr. Saint-Pierre is not willing to be
silenced so easily. Though he is disappointed with
the reaction to his posters, he has not given up on
this attempt to build interest in Peace Studies. “I
can only hope this is the work of a single person,
that most of our students are discerning enough
to take in the whole message, not just its most
shocking element.”
The poster that was taken down
garage rock/
foot stomping folk sound
makes for an interesting sound
and a genuinely
good time. The
track has been
picked up by
MUCH MUSIC
and
MTV
Canada, and in
April 2009 has
made the iTunes
Singles of the
W e e k W o r l d Photo by Mohamad Al Labade
Wide listing with
by looking at each other. They struck me
322 000 downloads in the US, and 33 000 as a pretty personable group of people,
in Canada. The song has also been getting which their lyrics and interaction with the
airtime by various radio stations around audience portrays clearly.
the world.
Another element of the show I
A solid tune with quite the rhythmic thought was a good move on the band’s
feel and a moody frame, “Blood” was one part was that they handed out free raffle
of the more somber tracks on the set list, tickets when people took a seat for band
but also one of the most liked.
merchandise, which they would draw at
Though classified as alternative rock, the end of the show. Not only did this
their overall sound is pretty raw, often encourage people to stay and see what
quite bluesy and garage-rock oriented. the band is all about, it was a good step
Hearing them play makes it evident for promotional reasons.
why they are often related to Oasis, The
All in all, judging by the reaction of
Redwalls, Blondie, Flea, Kings of Leon the audience, I’d say Band of Skulls was a
and The White Stripes with a hint of hit at John Abbott College. I for one enJimi Hendrix.
joyed them, and I’m glad those who were
The band seems to be a pretty tightly skeptical went nonetheless. I’m sure many
knit group of people, which really shines people were impressed by the band and
through when they communicate simply will be looking forward to hearing more.
Wednesday September 23rd, 2009 • 3
NDP loves Conservatives
Tim Gale
Staff Writer
The NDP is siding with the Conservative
party to help pass a plan that would see an
extension in employment insurance for long
time workers It’s possible that this move
would also mean no election anytime soon.
However, NDP leader Jack Layton says
that “[they’re] going to take things on a case
by case basis”. So that doesn’t necessarily
mean that they’ll back them up for everything now on, right?
Keep reading. Deputy Leader of the
NDP party Thomas Mulcair hinted on
Wednesday (September 16, 2009) that they
might support the Conservative party past
the September 18 vote, if the government
keeps its promises to expand its benefits for
employment insurance.
The NDP is not alone in supporting
the Conservative party on this, the Bloc
Quebecois is also supporting the plan.
Can you guess who isn’t? Why, the Liberal
Party of course! They won’t support the
Conservatives in any vote, or anything really.
Liberal Dominic LeBlanc had this to
say about NDP’s recent support of the
Conservative party: “I think frankly the
NDP were so desperate to show their confidence in Mr. Harper, that they allowed
themselves to be bought for what is in fact
a very modest initiative.”
Considering that the NDP voted against
the Conservatives 79 times, it’s no wonder
that LeBlanc is using fightin’ words.
Visuals
from the editor
“Cart coming through. Yup! Watch
yourself, please!” Terry Jones yells at the
Amazon facility.
After fifteen years of being recognized as a leading online bookstore, which
also seels movies and music products,
Amazon will be enlarging its horizons
with the sales of other merchandise on
its website.
The transition had already been
made this year in North America. With
this “upgrade”, it now competes alongside
eBay and Wal-Mart, among many others. This
expansion has helped Amazon overcome the
recession, even though its media business had
hit a dry spell.
However, offering a wider selection of
goods, Amazon is soon to be considered one
of the biggest online retailers nowadays.
Terry Jones drives a cart at the Amazon facility
Talks of tax increases alongside a new
health care plan have been at the heart of
many concerns in the United States.
On Sunday September 20th, President
Barack Obama gave five back-to-back television interviews in order to assure sceptics
that his plans would not affect taxes on the
middle class. “[If] you can’t afford health
insurance, you certainly shouldn’t be
punished for that.” says President
Obama during his interview with
ABC.
“For us to say that you’ve got to
take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase.
What it’s saying is that we’re not going
to have other people carrying your
burdens for you anymore.” he added.
Obama speaks about health care
News Oddities
Will Attar
Campus Life Editor
What are the odds?
Bulgaria’s national lottery had the
same six winning number draw twice in
a row. What are the odds? One in over
4 million.
This occur rence caused a lot of
suspicion amongst many people, including Sports Minister Svilen Neikov who
ordered an immediate investigation.
In the end, it turned out it was only a
coincidence.
T h e l o t t e r y o r g a n i z e r s s ay i t i s
impossible to tamper with the lottery
machine and the draws are done in the
presence of a special committee and
on live television which guarantees no
cheating.
Eighteen people guessed all six numbers and each won 10, 164 levs ($7,700).
Not dying in vein
C o nv i c t e d r a p i s t a n d mu r d e r e r
Romell Broom had his execution date
delayed for one week because his executioners could not find a suitable vein
to use as an access point for the lethal
injection. Prison officials in Ohio have
never had this problem before.
By law, the execution must be done
by lethal injection, but officials must
now consult several people about how
4 • Wednesday September 23rd, 2009
to go about doing so. The only other
problem they have experienced with lethal injection is when a prisoner couldn’t
be sedated. A prisoner must be sedated
before he or she receives the lethal injection. With Broom, they couldn’t even
get that far.
Train misses drunken teen
A young French teen, who had just
attended the Saint Nolff music festival
and was piss drunk, fell asleep face down
on a railway track and kept on sleeping
as a train roared over him.
The 19 year old was spotted on the
tracks by the driver, who immediately
slammed on the brakes. Unfortunately,
the train was only able to stop a few
hundred meters further on. When police
and firefighters arrived at the scene, the
teen promptly gave officials the “one
fingered salute” for having been awoken,
and turned over to fall back asleep.
“It was his unconscious state that
saved him really, as he lay there completely still like a dead body,” said a
spokesman for the local police force,
adding that the clearance under the train
is only around 20 centimetres.
The teen went to the hospital where
he was only treated for his alcohol binge.
The only marks he has from the train
incident are grease marks on his jacket.
“He’s not really aware of what happened,” said the police spokesman.
SUJAC UPDATE
Greetings JAC-lings!
This is your second SUJAC Update so far.
We certainly hope that all your classes are going
well and that you are happy with your classes and
teachers (because that’s what’s most important!).
As far as SUJAC-related upcoming events are
concerned, there’s one BIG one coming up! Yes
folks…it’s the SUJAC-Club Day! SUJAC-Club
Day is an event that will be taking place in The
Agora on Wednesday, September 30, from 10:00
am to 3:00 pm. This event showcases all the
interesting and cool clubs and student organizations that John Abbott students have to offer.
You’ve got to come and check out the theme
for this year’s SUJAC-Club Day! The student
groups will jump into a Time Warp and take you
back in History. Come and see how each group
decorates their booth according to a specific Time
period (e.g., Pop Culture of the 70’s, Renaissance,
etc.). Also, CSKY will be there, playing live, you’ll
have a chance to meet some of the Bandersnatch
staff, and, of course, your SUJAC Executives and
Congress student reps will be there to meet you
and answer any of your questions. There are
games to play, and prizes to be won and some free
munchies! So come on down and join in on the
fun! SUJAC is presently looking for volunteers
who could help set up and take down and/or
decorate the SUJAC booth. If you’re interested,
drop by the SUJAC Office at Penfield-101 and
give your name to Barb, the SUJAC Coordinator.
One of the highlights for SUJAC is to be able
to congratulate all your new Congress members
for 2009-2010 academic year! They are: ERIC
GRASSO, SARANSH GUPTA,MARIE-CHANTAL
HALWAGI, LARA HAMELIN, ARAD MOJTAHEDI,
MAXYM MALYNOWSKY, AMELIA MOUNSEY,
ANDREANNE OSTIGUY-BRUNET, ANGELI
PATEL, KAITLIN PATTERSON, LEIA PENGELLEY,
RYAN PATTON, IGOR QUINTERO, ANDRIA
SABA, MATTHEW STORMS, BUSHRA SULTANA,
VERONICA TIBBLES, ALEXANDRA VALENCAK,
QING-QING YANG. Welcome aboard guys!
Also, one of the current issues SUJAC is
handling is the parking problems faced by Abbott
students. Come by the SUJAC Office at P-101
and sign up to participate in a brainstorming/
feedback session to look at possible options to
these parking problems.
With respect to student issues, keep in mind
that SUJAC’s VP Academic Steven Chen, is
here to help you with any problems you might
have regarding your teachers, grades or anything
related to academics. Please come by the SUJAC
office (P-101) if ever you have an instructor or
academic-related problem.
Finally, a little bit about the role of the
Executives here at SUJAC. As you know, we
have a President, VP Internal, VP Academic, VP
Finance and VP External. All of these student
representatives are here for you, and each of them
have a role in protecting your rights. Again, if
you have any questions, concerns or suggestions
about student life at John Abbott, please feel free
to come by the SUJAC Office at Penfield 101.
We’re always here to help! Or you could email
us [email protected].
Hope the semester is a jolly one so far!
BELLEFROID, ALEXANDRA CASTATOR, DAVID
D’ARIENZO, ANDREW FRANCIS, BRANDON
Bandersnatch News
Potential colour blindness cure
Hopes of repairing the spinal cord
Andrew Francis
Staff Writer
Lance Bui
News Editor
A team of US researches at the University
of Washington have been successful in curing adult monkeys of colour-blindness using
gene therapy. These monkeys were unable to
differentiate between red and green before
receiving the treatment. Although more studies are required, some experts believe that
this method may be useful in the treatment
of humans with this disease.
In the past, it was commonly agreed upon
in the scientific community that it was not
possible to alter an adult brain in this manner.
Adding visual receptors, which is required
for full-colour vision, was only possible in
the youngest couple of years of life because
the brain is suppler. However, Professor
Jay Neitz has transferred therapeutic genes
into cells at the back of the eye of an adult
squirrel monkey. This monkey lacked a visual
pigment called L-opsin which is the cause
of the red/green deficiency since birth. The
Bandersnatch News
genes transferred were equipped with the
DNA necessary for the light-sensing cells
to differentiate between red and green. The
results revealed that this process had been
completed successfully and the male monkeys
now had the correct photopigments to see all
colours. The monkeys were then able to tell
the colours red and green apart in a computer
screen test. The gene therapy was done two
years ago and the monkeys that were treated
have been able to see all colours ever since,
demonstrating the stability of the method.
In humans there are several varieties of
colour-blindness. The most common red/
green blindness is inherited through a faulty
gene on the X-chromosome. Therefore
this affects mainly males who possess only
one X-chromosome. Females have two of
these chromosomes so if one is defective
the other can balance the deficiency. Colourblindness can also be caused by damage to the
retina or side effects from some medications.
Winfried Amoaku, an expert in the field at
the University of Nottingham, believes that
this research could eventually benefit 7% of
males and 1% of females born with
genetic colour disorders.
In order to perform this gene
therapy on humans, Neitz admitted he must prove the safety of
the method on humans. Although
more research is required before this
method can even be tested on humans Neitz’s team says “It provides
a positive outlook for the potential
of gene therapy to cure adult vision
disorders.”
In the September 20 edition of Nature
Neuroscience, scientists reported an approach to treating spinal cord injuries that
showed results. Paralyzed rats were able
to walk without receiving signals from
the brain.
Paralysis occurs when the nerve fibers that carry information all around the
body are damaged or severed. So far, most
researchers have been looking for ways
to regenerate the lost nerve cells, which
have shown limited results and even less
success.
In this new study, paralyzed rats received a combination of drugs, electrical
stimulation of the spinal cord and locomotor training. All of
this enabled the rats to
walk almost at a normal speed when put
on a treadmill. What
is peculiar is that the
rats’ muscles were not
receiving signals from
the brain.
D r . V. R e g g i e
Edgerton, a professor of physiological
sciences and neurobiology at the UCLA,
said, “The study
demonstrates that the
lower spinal cord has
circuitry that is sufficient to support virtually normal, weight-bearing locomotion.”
“The thing that’s very exciting about
this is that for the first time, they actually
showed they can get these rats, with no
input from the brain, to step near normally,” said Susan Howley, executive vice
president of research for the Christopher
& Dana Reeve Foundation. “That’s a remarkable achievement.”
Though this treatment is still several
years away, the study demonstrates a potential of using neuropathic devices to
active spinal cord rhythmic circuitry. A
team lead by Gregoire Courtine, a professor in the department of neurology at
the University of Zurich in Switzerland,
is working on a device they hope will
undergo small clinical trials in three to
four years.
Wednesday September 23rd, 2009 • 5
Words were simply not enough
Lance Bui
News Editor
The Artemis Fowl series is a fantasy series
which first hit stores in 2001. Irish author
Eoin Colfer’s teenage criminal mastermind,
Artemis Fowl II, was very well accepted when
the young boy made his debut, receiving
many awards including the Garden State
Teen Book Award in 2004. August 18 of
this year, another masterpiece from this
series found its place on bookstore shelves:
Artemis Fowl The Arctic Incident Graphic Novel.
Firstly, this piece of work maintained the
essence of the Artemis Fowl universe. The
plot, adapted by Eoin Colfer and Andrew
Donkin, is very similar to the original novel.
Artemis Jr. receives an e-mail that shows
his very-much-alive father that went M.I.A.
many years ago. Simultaneously, the fairies
underground face a goblin rebellion with
contraband weapons. For the very first time,
the two sides must unite in order to achieve
their respective goals.
The main difference from the novels is
the absence of extensive descriptions, which
were appropriately replaced by pictures.
A round of applause is due to Giovanni
Rigano and Paolo Lamanna for the beautiful
illustrations. The story was brought to life
in the hundred or so pages.
The characters are well represented. For
those who missed the graphic novel for the
first instalment of the series, the characters
are really close to what a lot of fans had
initially imagined while reading the books.
One thing I noted though is that the fairies
are practically human-sized, and not the tiny
pests most stories portray them to be. Apart
from that, young Artemis Fowl does look
threatening despite his little size; Butler is
the definition of danger itself; etc.
In terms of the dialogue, the ironic and
“pun-ny” feel of the text was kept. In addition to these two elements, the use of dry
sarcasm was exquisitely done in this graphic
novelization. Where it would have been
extremely hard to do in a novel, the use of
pictures complements the text and makes
it even more enjoyable. Each character had
their individual vocabulary and style, which
is more than what I, personally, would expect from children’s books.
An interesting addition, which is typical
of graphic novels and comics in general,
is the multiple points of views. Instead of
having a third anonymous party telling the
story, the narration was shared between
a variety of characters including Artemis
Fowl, Holly Short, Mulch Diggums, and a
few more.
Close to a perfect 10
Matt Guité
Editor-in-Chief
Certain genres of films are often thought of
as being for certain people. The “chick flick”, the
action film, the documentary, and so on. Computer
animated films are also subject to this kind of treatment in that they are almost always seen as “kid’s
movies”. Unfortunately, this is usually right. Films
such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Up and many others
are marketed towards children in the same way that
animated films in the 90s were. However, as was the
case with my review of District 9, this movie review
will also analyze a film that tries to break the mold: 9.
9 is a film directed by Shane Acker and produced by Tim Burton, and is based on a short
film of the same name that Acker created almost
single-handedly in 2005. The film follows a small
group of ragdolls (known as stitchpunks outside of
the film) numbered 1 through 9. The film begins
with the awakening of 9, who is confused and alone
until he stumbles across another stitchpunk, 2. He
tells 9 that there are others like them, but before he
is finished, he is captured by a large creature made
of bone and metal known as the Cat Beast. 9 is
determined to save 2, and with the help of some
of the other stitchpunks he sets out to do just that.
The film as a whole has a very Tim Burton
feel to it, and carries with it a number of wonderful
voice actors such as Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly,
and Jennifer Connelly. Each of the stitchpunks has
a very distinct personality and appearance, despite
all of them being ragdolls, and each of them is
surprisingly deep considering their personalities
can often be summed up in less than five words.
6 • Wednesday September 23rd, 2009
9 is different from other CGI films in a lot of
ways, and it benefits from all of them. For one, 9
is probably one of the only computer animated
films that doesn’t strive for humour whatsoever.
The story is dark and the world it’s set in is darker,
often giving the viewer only tiny glimpses into what
could have been a straight-up horror film had the
director taken a different approach. As well, the
plot of the movie was incredibly interesting, and
was much deeper than this writer ever expected.
Though many might see this film as another CGI
kid’s movie, it’s anything but. The theatre I saw it in
must have been almost half-full with parents and
their young children, but by the end of the film it
seemed like every child in the theatre was either
too scared to look or too bored to care. This is
absolutely a film for adults, not children.
Aside from the mature story, 9 also sports some
truly amazing work on it’s setting and atmospshere.
As I mentioned before, the world of 9 is a very dark
place, and the viewer is
only treated to it from
the eyes of very small
people, so much of it is
left unseen, unexplored,
and unanswered. The
post-apocalyptic setting is fleshed out just
enough to be realistic,
but is also left in the dark
just enough to remain
mysterious.
For all the praise I
might heap on 9, it isn’t
without its faults. The
plot of the film, though
Overall, it was a much appreciated break
from school to have this book in my hands.
Though a really short read, it did not disappoint one of its greatest fans. I realize I cannot speak for all the Artemis Fowl fanatics
out there, but trust me when I say that it will
not be a waste of your time. Entertaining,
smart, witty, and now beautifully illustrated,
“Artemis Fowl The Artic Incident Graphic
Novel” is worth every single penny. And on
that note, I bid you all, “Happy reading”.
New Releases
In Theaters
Jennifer’s Body
The Informant
Love Happens
Sorority Row
Whiteout
CDs
Billy Talent
Billy Talent III
David Gray
Draw The Line
Sean Kingston
Tomorrow
DVDs
Albino Farm
Clive Barker’s Book of BloodBattle for Terra
Anna Nicole Smith Story
Sugisball
Adam Resurrected
Upcoming Releases
In Theaters
interesting, is very predictable, and doesn’t seem
to take many risks. On a number of occassions
I thought the film would go in one direction, but
instead took the more boring predictable one, much
to my disappointment. The film touches on the
subject of artificial intelligence, the nature of the
soul, and even totalitarian corruption, but it fails to
do much more than scratch the surface on any of
these things. Maybe this is because of it’s short run
time (no more than 90 minutes at most) or maybe
the film just isn’t trying as hard as I’d like.
All in all, 9 is easily the best CGI film I’ve seen
in ages. The quality is amazing, the film strives to be
different, and anybody going in not expecting Toy
Story with ragdolls will be very pleased with what
they find. I would have liked to see a bit more from
the film over all, but I can hardly fault one of the
most interesting films of the year just because it’s
a bit on the short side.
Bright Star
September 25
The Invention of Lying
October 2
Whip It
October 2
Zombieland
October 2
CDs
Breaking Benjamin-Dear
Agony
September 29
Mariah Carey-Memoirs of an
Imperfect Angel
September 29
La Roux-La Roux
September 29
Swell Season-Strict Joy
September 29
DVDs
Monsters vs. Aliens
September 29
Flood
September 29
My Life in Ruins
October 6
Year One
October 6
Upcoming Events
She Wants Revenge
September 26
Janet Jackson
September 28
Sufjan Stevens
October 2
Bandersnatch Entertainment
Mediocrity at its finest
Tricia Fitz
Arts Editor
On Friday, September 18 2009, Snow
Patrol and Plain White T’s played in
Montreal’s Metropolis venue. As a fan
of both groups, I found myself lining
up at 3:30 in the afternoon, being that
the doors would only open at 6:30p.m.
To my surprise, at the time the doors
were opened there were no more than 50
people waiting outside and by the time
the show began the place was half full.
Thinking on the bright side of
things, I was able to grab a spot right
in front of the stage without being
squashed by a mob of crazy fans and
saw everything clearly and calmly. The
public was of an older age, so there
were no posers or high pitched screaming (although at one point there was a
fan who hysterically cried her eyes out
during Snow Patrol’s “Run”, but Gary
Lightbody did an excellent job executing
the song so I won’t judge her) and that
made the show much more enjoyable.
Overall, the two
bands did a g reat job
at entertaining for the
night. Everybody sang
during the Plain White
T’s “Hey There Delilah”,
which was sung acoust i c a l l y, a n d t h e b a n d
played a new song called
“Boomerang” which
I found to be pretty
catchy. Snow Patrol had
a ve r y p l e a s a n t l i g h t
show and had the crowd
memorizing the lyrics
to “Shut your eyes”
(after making us sing
it 30 times, there was
no way to
NOT know
the lyrics)
and after
singing their
hit “Open
Your Eyes”
they came
back for an
encore and
played four
more songs,
which made
it seem like
the concer t
was never
going to end.
If you’d like to watch
a decent enough performance without people pushing you around,
then Plain White T’s and
Snow Patrol are definitely a good way to go.
1984: A Love Story by Muse
Tim Gale
Staff Writer
When it comes to a new Muse album,
there are big expectations. Could they do better
than their last output; 2006’s Black Holes and
Revelations? After listening to Muse’s new album
The Resistance, you hear that they’ve evolved
their sound.
Muse not only does progressive rock, but
they squeeze in some pretty R&B songs about
love and even a symphony for the last three
tracks (Exogenesis). I’ll get back to that later, but
let’s look down the track list. The album starts
with the aptly titled ‘Uprising’. The song sounds
like a mix of Radiohead and Green Day oddly
enough. The lyrics are anti-government, which is
the common theme of the album. It seems Muse
were reading ‘1984’ obsessively while making this
record. ‘Uprising’ is very catchy, which makes it
appealing. It has a good beat and it’s easy to sing
along to. The following track entitled ‘Resistance’
deals with love being the only way to resist the
oppression forced upon us. The chorus can be
either annoying or catchy. The next song is called
Bandersnatch Entertainment
date
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SEPT. 28 & 29
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place
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GIANT-SIZED POSTERS
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MUSIC
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‘Undisclosed Desires’, which is one of those
pretty love songs that I mentioned earlier. It has
a R&B feel and some pop as well. With lyrics like
“I want to reconcile the violence in your heart”,
you can see that Muse are their cheesiest here,
but it works.
Track four ‘United States of Eurasia
(+Collateral Damage)’ is a rip off of Queen.
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Especially at the climaxing of the song: “EuraSIA!, Eura-SIA!”. The second half of this song
is a piece by Chopin, so it does give the track
some redemption. ‘Guiding Light’ is next, which
sounds like something you’ll hear on the radio
in the middle of an eight hour car ride to your
uncle’s house. It’s very plain and boring, and
doesn’t deserve too much attention. ‘Unnatural
Selection’ is the longest song on the
album, at almost seven minutes. It’s
a good song, but too long. It will remind some of Muse’s older albums
(Absolution, Origins of Symmetry).
The lyrics continue the theme of
anti-establishment with chants of
“I want the truth!”. Again, corny
but the song still works. It’s the most
progressive on the album.
The seventh track, ‘MK Ultra’
sounds like something you’d expect
from this band. It’s very riff oriented
and progressive like the track before.
Now, this bring us to ‘I Belong to
You (+Mon Coeur S’ouvre a Ta
Voix). Two words: clarinet solo.
Besides the strange, quirky beat, you
get to hear what Matthew Bellamy sounds like
when he sings in French. Never again should he
be allowed to do that.
After the ups and downs of this album,
we find ourselves at the final three tracks.
Exogenesis Symphony Parts 1-3 (Overture,
Cross-Pollination, Redemption), serve as the
epic closure. Matthew Bellamy has sporadically been composing a classical arrangement
throughout the last couple of years and he has
put it into fruition here. The moment Bellamy’s
voice comes through on Part 1; you know you’re
in for a treat. Part 2 starts off with a beautiful
piano solo, which reminds you how good of a
musician Bellamy really is. When the guitars and
drums combined with Bellamy’s vocals kick in,
the epic gets turned up to 11, but soon returns
to his piano wizardry. Part 3 is the very classical
sounding ending. It’s very sombre and the lyrics
suggests we find another planet, so that we can
start over and maybe get it right this time.
Overall this is a very strong record. With
arrogantly catchy winners and an epic three part
closer; The Resistance is yet another impressive
addition to Muse’s discography.
Wednesday September 23rd, 2009 • 7
Band of poor marketing
Ever Wondered?
Tim Gale
Staff Writer
François Dumouchel
Opinons Editor
On Se ptember 10, John Abbott
Colleg e was treated to a perfor mance from the British alternative blues
band, Band of Skulls. They played a 30
minute (tops) performance in the Agora.
Besides the poor attendance (which is
understandable since most people are
in class at that time), the show itself
was marketed very poorly. I don’t know
if it was marketed by the band/band
representatives or by the school but
whoever it was, really dropped the ball.
On the advertisement posters, that were
up throughout the school, they read how
they were to appear on Late Night with
David Letterman and that they are going to
be on the ‘New Moon’ soundtrack. Now,
when someone looks for a band to get
into, it doesn’t really matter that they’ll
be on a soundtrack for a movie or on a
late night talk show. It’s more important
to know something about the band. Why
not have snippets of reviews on their
album, for example? Wouldn’t a review
say more about them? Or why not compare them to an existing band? Maybe
there will be someone who reads it and
says: “Sounds like The White Stripes?
Oh hell yeah, bro!”. Instead, we pretty
much have: “Hey! They’re on the new
Twilight soundtrack! They must be good!
Go check them out!” Now, I know what
you’re saying: “But Tim! Twilight
is awesome! Thus everything including the soundtrack is awesome
as well!”. Well first off, Twilight
sucks. Secondly, the band being
on a soundtrack and on television
doesn’t tell me anything about the
band. It’s like calling a band ‘independant’. Next time that there’s
a musical act playing, I’d like to
know about what they sound like,
not what media they’re currently in.
I’mma let you finish but...
Mitch Torrens
Staff Writer
Last Sunday, Kanye West decided
that his opinion on the results of the
Video Music Awards (VMAs) should be
known to everybody, at the expense of
Taylor Swift. During Swift’s acceptance
speech for Best Female Music Video,
West jumped up on stage and grabbed
the microphone from her hand and said:
“Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you,
Imma let you finish, but Beyoncé had
one of the best videos of all time!” Swift
was unable to finish her speech over the
chorus of booing aimed at West, who
just shrugged and moved offstage.
Kanye West, the famous rap star
who has been unwilling to comment
formally as of yet, was seen prior to the
presentation of the awards exchanging
heavy swigs from a bottle of Hennessy
with his follically-challenged girlfriend,
and seemed to be in the mood for some
entertainment. Obviously, he was at
the wrong place for this (the VMAs are
hopelessly long and lacking in content),
and must have taken it upon himself to
create some drama.
So what was the point of creating
such a scene? Is Kanye West so bent on
sticking up for and impressing fellow
artist Beyoncé? Not likely, although he
might attest to as much (to the disappointment of his shiny-scalped compan8 • Wednesday September 23rd, 2009
ion). Does he really have such strong
feelings about Taylor Swift’s apparent
incompetence? Perhaps-but again-not
likely, why then would he make such a
fool of himself ?
The answer is pretty plain. West
didn’t win any of the three awards
he was nominated for, wasn’t getting
his face time despite his efforts, and
decided to make himself the topic of
discussion for a couple of days. It
worked too – you are reading this after
all, aren’t you? By entering the scene
so intrusively, he stole both Swift’s and
Beyoncé’s thunder and got some valued
exposure.
Overall, it was mission-accomplished
for Kanye. That doesn’t take away from
the crudeness of his actions though.
He cut off Taylor Swift’s speech and
put Beyoncé in an awkward position,
especially considering her video Single
Ladies went on to win Video of the Year
(ironically besting West’s Love Lockdown,
which was also nominated). One might
argue in favour of his actions, saying
that he should have the freedom of
speech to say whatever he wants whenever he wants, but this is pretty hollow.
Had West won an award or contributed
to any video that had, he may have had
the right to voice his opinions, but he
didn’t, and therefore didn’t have the
floor. Next time you feel the need to
subject us to your ideas, Kanye, make a
better video first.
Picture this: It’s a beautiful summer
day. The sun is shining and a refreshing
breeze is softly caressing your visage
as you walk through the neighborhood
park. Every dog catches a Frisbee,
every sandcastle becomes a fortress in
the sandbox, every smiling child gets a
swing, and Bambi’s mother never dies.
Sadly, this joyous scene just doesn’t
apply to every child. One of these
children, a little girl, with a magnifying glass as her tool, an anthill as her
victim and the sun as her source of
godlike wrath, decides that she would
much rather enjoy the music of seared
exoskeletons cracking open to embrace
the sweet relief of death after witnessing similar fates for the entire colony.
Now, fast-forward a decade or two, after
this death-ray wielding child has grown
up and gone on to fulfill the urge to
cause pain through her preferred field
of work and you’ve got yourself this
issue’s topic. Ever wondered what it
would be like to be my dental hygienist?
Just a week ago, I arrived at the
dentist’s office for the usual check up.
Not even three steps into the office
and I hear my name being called from a
dark hallway behind the secretary’s desk.
She greets and points me towards an
uncomfortable, plastic covered, leather
chair. She tells me she needs to get ready
and she’ll be back in about twenty minutes. She then turns on a television on
the ceiling, reaches for DVD and puts
on a movie for me to watch. Now, I’m
convinced that she did all of this only
to aggravate me for three reasons: she
never reclined the seat so I could actually watch the movie, she didn’t turn up
the sound or turn on the subtitles and
finally, the movie was The Spiderwick
Chronicles.
During her absence, I begin to imagine the worst as I picture her in a poorly
lit room, putting on lipstick and getting
ready to dance, half naked with a silk
cape like the serial killer in Silence of the
Lambs. The rooms beside me, echoing in
haunting bursts of high-powered drills
provide the soundtrack to my dental
horror show.
Once returned, she lays out a set of
shiny torture devices which still resonate the screams of previous victims.
With a forced smile and a twitching
left eye she starts giving me the typical
“Chit-Chat Questionnaire.” You know,
questions like: “So, are you still in
school?”, “Do you work?” and “Do
you know how many pints of blood
the human body can fill?” If these are
surprisingly hard to answer when wincing in pain and partially choking from
my own bleeding gums. I would have
loved to converse politely with her, over
a cup of coffee, telling her: “Yes, I do
go to school and I enjoy it very much.
However, I’m finding it difficult to
juggle both school and work. Um, five
pints I guess?” But instead, I could only
say: “arhhgwagwayekrrrrkrrr.” She then,
started to speak to me in very condescending ways about how I should floss
more often. I’m starting to doubt that
she can even tell whether or not I floss.
I’m pretty sure that she just throws that
in to bring down my self worth.
With the procedure now coming to
an end and all of her frustration from
(I assume) her marital problems taken
out on me, I realize that she has become
a post-snapped Jack Nicholson from The
Shining as her eyes slowly look up to meet
mine. A complimentary toothbrush held
out with one hand-daring me to take it-she
pulls down her mask with the other. Proud
of another day’s work, she says, under her
breath: “I’ll see you soon.” At this point, I
could hear John Carpenter’s Halloween theme
following me, all the way back to my car. Or
maybe, I just imagined it. Either way, does
anyone know of a good dental hygienist?
At least, one who won’t turn my gums into
special effects for a George A. Romero film.
Bandersnatch Opinions
“Behind The Lyrics”
Tricia Fitz
Arts Editor
“A window of many generations”
By Stephanie Hunziker - Assistant Editor-in-chief
Why are all these images spinning through my mind?
Will they Ever stop?
In The Right Corner of my eye?
Frame By Frame,
A Different Image passes by.
Can’t let them by.
It is obvious that “love” is the subject
chosen for most songs, because it is what
causes the largest amount of impact on us
when it comes to feelings. One of the most
common types of love is the one that goes
through the lives of almost everybody, and that is the inevitable “platonic love”.
I find it difficult to act against that “little voice” and often catch myself debating
my own personal rules, and that is what came to mind as I wrote my latest composition,
“My Daily Dose Of You”. I feel as if platonic love can be compared to drinking alcohol,
being as admiring someone from a distance can somewhat become an addiction. Not
only that, but whenever we are around them, we have a tendency to say stupid things or
feel slightly light-headed (like when drunk), but because sometimes it is possible to feel
not up to level to the one that holds our attention, we can come to think that taking a
shot at romance could just lead to a big painful “No”, or “I don’t see you that way.” So
I guess at times having the outsider’s view isn’t so bad.
Taking chances is always risky, and we’ll always change our minds a million
times before deciding to either walk away or let the person know how we feel. Yet, how
will we know if expressing our true feelings will be the best decision of our lives if we
never do it in the first place?
It’s been chases over chases in record time
Until I change my mind
Then everyone around turns slowly
Tastings over tastings for the perfect wine
- Anonymous
Why do I waste my time?
So now I’ll just drink through
My daily dose of you
“Prom Scare”
Short story by Emily Sweer
Contributer
It was prom night and Johnny was feeling
nervous. He had nothing to be nervous about but
he still felt insecure about the whole concept of
prom. He had a girlfriend named Jenna and they
were going to look amazing together! He, Jenna
and his closest friends had a limo they were renting from 4:00 to 8:00 and they would be having
their prom in a hotel. Johnny kept thinking about
the great things that might happen tonight and
couldn’t help but feel concerned. But he didn’t
know why…
At 2:30, Johnny started getting ready
with the help of his parents.
“Mom, stop! You’re hurting me!” Johnny said
to his mother who was helping him put on his suit.
The suit was clearly too tight for him. It had been
his father’s prom suit and he felt proud to wear it
even if it would hurt all night.
“Honey, just hold still!” his Mom replied.
“I still don’t think Prom is the best idea.
Something always goes wrong, Mom.”
At 3:45 the limo pulled up to the side of
the curb outside of his house. “Make everyone get
out of the limo! I want a picture of my baby with
all of his friends!” his mom said excitedly.
After the pictures, everyone bid their
goodbyes to Johnny’s parents and the limo driver
Bandersnatch Arts
took off to the location of their prom. When they
got to Bayview Hotel, everyone hopped out of the
limo, took their bags and checked into their rooms.
Johnny had a room especially for him and Jenna.
Everyone ate their dinner, danced and
laughed about their years of high school. There
was a slideshow of the best pictures of the year
and then the Prom King and Queen were announced. No one really cared about that unless
you were a cheerleader or a football player.
At 9:30, Prom was over and everyone
went back to their rooms to either ‘party it up’ or
‘sleep it down.’ Johnny and Jenna made their way
to the second floor where there was lots of noise.
They swiped the gold card through the machine
to open the door.
“It’s beautiful!” said Jenna, overthrown with
excitement.
“Yeah, it’s nice,” Johnny responded. “I’m
pretty sure they only gave us one card…I may
want one of my own. You wait here and I’ll go
downstairs to ask to clerk for another one.”
“Sure,” said Jenna.
By the time Johnny got back upstairs to the
room, the hallway was empty and not a noise
was heard. He swiped the new card through the
slot and opened the door. The door creaked as it
opened and Johnny stepped inside, hoping to find
his girlfriend Jenna.
“Jenna?” All was dark in the room. “Babe,
where are you?” he asked. Not a sound was
made and as he moved into the room he saw
her…lying on the bed…in an awkward
position.
“What are you doing? Come on…I thought
we had better things to do tonight than to just
sleep!” He moved her arm over to the right and
then saw her face. She wasn’t sleeping. She was
dead. Shot right through the chest.
Johnny didn’t know what to do. He was so
emotional he started to cry and tried to shake
her. “Wake up! Wake up!” He knew it would do
no good.
He ran out of the room and yelled for help
but no one answered his calls. He banged on
doors. Screamed and yelled as loud as he could
until he saw a guy in black pass the corner. The
guy in black opened a door and shot two girls and
a boy. Johnny witnessed it all. Johnny backed away
and started to look through windows and doors.
Everyone was dead! Everyone was shot.
Johnny ran down the stairs to the first floor
and rang the bell to the clerk…but he was dead
too. There was no one left alive but Johnny. He ran
outside and called for a taxi but no taxi came. He
ran to the nearest payphone to call his mom and
started crying into the phone, “Mom! The whole
hotel is a disaster. Everyone is dead. Everyone!
What do I do?”
His mom was at the hotel in 20 minutes to
pick Johnny up. He got in the car and just cried.
He sat there and cried while his mom drove them
both home. Johnny would need some therapy in
the next years to come.
Wednesday September 23rd, 2009 • 9
NHL 09 Oops 10
Scott Brereton
Staff Writer
NHL 10 is the 18th iteration of the
ever popular hockey game series produced by EA Canada and published
by EA Sports. Supposedly packed with
new and exciting features, NHL 10 hit
stores on September 15, 2009.
Win
Best Hockey Game- NHL 10 is
an amazing hockey game and knocks
the competition clean out of the park;
although it is similar to last year’s edition, which is not necessarily a bad
thing, per se. NHL 09 was a first class
game and because of this NHL 10 is a
great game, and it includes a few new
features.
Board Play- Everyone who has
ever watched a hockey game knows
that a good portion of the game is
won and lost on the boards. NHL 10
finally delivers this integral feature to
game consoles everywhere. Using only
one button press, a player is able to pin
an opponent to the boards in order to
help gain possession of the puck.
EA Spor ts Hockey Lea gueOnline play is always a welcome
addition to any game, and NHL 10
is no exception. However, NHL 10
goes above and beyond the call of
duty with its excellent online mode.
Largely unchanged from NHL 09, the
EA Sports Hockey League returns for
another year of multiplayer hockey.
Unlike other sports games, NHL 10
allows for complete human control
of every player on the ice resulting in
some exhilarating matches.
Lose
Same Game- It would make more
sense to title this game NHL 09.1,
the reason being a severe lack of innovation. Many reviewers will pass
this game off with an excellent review
because it’s a great game. I do not deny
that NHL 10 is a brilliant game, but it
includes nothing that can really differentiate itself from NHL 09. While
the graphics do not look horrible, the
engine which powers them has not
been updated since NHL 08. The presentation of the game has also remained
largely the same, including rehashed
commentators who actually know what
the hell they are talking about. One of
the selling points of the game is new
crowd animations, but the only major
change is that the crowd now towel
twirls in the playoffs.
Bugs- During three days of extensive play testing, NHL 10 froze/
crashed for this reviewer a total of 5
times. Also, the menu systems would
frequently lockup and take up to a
minute to load incredibly basic things
such as ‘Settings’, ‘Rosters’, etc.
“After-the-Whistle-Blows”- In
NHL 10, a new feature was introduced
entitled “Post-Whistle Action,” and it
is one of the worst things in the entire game. For some ungodly reason,
someone decided that it would be fun
to make a player wait up to 10 seconds
after a play is called so that they can
push the other team around. Now do
not get me wrong, I enjoy beating up
the other team just as much as the next
guy, but this feature becomes extremely
annoying.
When you consider the line-up of socalled “puzzle games” for the Nintendo
DS, you may find yourself surprised by
the fact that so very few of them actually
present the player with puzzles. Many of
them, such as Meteos and Puzzle Quest,
are simply games of colour-matching
with a few interesting elements thrown
in. While both these games are great fun,
I think we can safely say that as Puzzle
games, neither of them can compare to
the Professor Layton series.
The first game of the series, Professor
Layton and the Curious Village,
was released in February of 2008
to a great deal of success from
consumers and critics alike.
With 120 puzzles to solve, from
sliding puzzles to logic puzzles,
the game was truly unique in
that it really was a game focused
around puzzles. Now the sequel
has been released, and continues
the Professor Layton tradition
by including 150 brand-new
puzzles.
The sequel, Professor Layton
and the Diabolical Box, was
released in late August of this
year. It continues the story of
the titular character and his
assistant, Luke, as they try to
10 • Wednesday September 23rd, 2009
mysterious box, said to kill any and all
who open it. Some characters from the
first game, such as Flora and Professor
Chelmey, make appearances in this game
as well. Also returning from the last
game is the amazing art that the series
uses incredibly well. The game contains
a number of animated sequences, even
more voice-over work than the first
game, and does a good job of introducing new characters into the mix as well
as old ones.
Much of the gameplay from the first
game is intact, with the stylus being used
to move from area to area, hunt for
Hint Coins, and find puzzles. Much of
Command & Conquer: Red
Alert 3 -- Commander’s
Challenge
[360 Arcade]
The Warriors: Street Brawl
[360 Arcade]
Zombie Apocalypse
[PC,PS3,360 Arcade]
Upcoming Releases
Bass Pro Shops: The Strike
[PC,360,Wii]
Cabela’s Big Game Hunter
2010
[PS3,360,Wii]
Fable II -- Game Episodes:
Chapter 1
[360 Arcade]
Tornado Outbreak
[PS3,360,Wii]
Football Genius: The Ultimate
Quiz
[360 Arcade]
Professor Passesunravel
Puzzles
Perfectly
a new mystery in the form of a the game has been stream-lined, such as
Matt Guité
Editor-in-Chief
New Releases
the inclusion of a memo feature which
allows players to write down notes as
much as they please while trying to solve
a puzzle. Hidden puzzles are much less
common this time around, which can be
a good or bad thing depending on how
you felt about the abundance of them
in the first game.
In the end, there isn’t much to be
said about this game that hasn’t already
been said about the first, but if you find
yourself in a conumdrum over whether
or not to buy this game, consider this. If
you’re a fan of puzzles, pick this game up
ASAP, and the first game as well. It has
everything you could ever need. If you’re
not, consider letting this one slide, as
every single aspect of the game is focused on testing the brain in a variety
of fun, interesting ways. That having
been said, I recommend this game to
everybody who owns a DS because if
there’s one thing we all need, it’s more
games that are as unique and as expertly
made as this one.
Indianapolis 500 Evolution
[360]
Military Madness
[PS3,360,Wii]
Peggle Nights
[PC,360 Arcade]
Tropico 3
[PC,360]
Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgement
[PS3,360]
Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures, Episode 2: The Last
Resort
[PC,360]
NBA 2K10
[PC,PS3,PS2,360,Wii,PSP]
NBA Live 10
[PS3,360,iPhone,PSP]
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon
Rising
[PC,PS3,360]
Saw: The Videogame
[PC,PS3,360]
Star Wars: The Clone Wars -Republic Heroes
[PC,PS3,PS2,360,Wii,DS,PSP]
Bandersnatch Games Page
Sports
Rugby and lacrosse
But are they French enough?
Amanda Gallo
Sports Editor
David Alexander
Production Manager
Not only was the
weather perfect on
September 20th, but the
rugby and lacrosse teams
seemed to do no wrong.
There were at least 150200 fans out to watch
the men’s and women’s
rugby games, including
the lacrosse game and
I have to say that none
were disappointed by the
energy and strength of
the teams. The women’s
rugby team walked away
from their games against
Vanier Sunday morning with a win of 75-0. “The
score is the final result, but our aim is how we
achieve that result,” said player Caroline Suchorski,
who scored 4 trys and 2 conversions during the
game. “There was a lot of sportsmanship between
us and the other team,” she said. Fellow player Kim
Carriére agreed, adding that “[Vanier] were great to
play against. It was a great way to start the season.”
Both girls are looking forward to playing Dawson,
stating that this year they will be champions; no
second place for them.
Immediately following the women’s rugby
game was the men’s rugby game against Vanier.
Coming out of their 15th straight year as regional
champions, the team did not disappoint with a final
score of 46-10. Though the team
this year is smaller than previous
years, it didn’t stop them from
playing like the champs they are.
“Good coaches, good players,
everyone did their job and we
came away with the win” said
team member Shawn Fontaine.
Fontaine scored 1 try and 2 conversions, along with team mates
Josh Blair (1 try), Mather Warsame
(2 trys), Hayden Thomassin (1 try,
1 conversion), Mackenzie Nichols
(1 try) and Andrew Jamieson (2
trys) contributed to the score of
the game.
Finally, in between both the men’s and the
women’s rugby games was the lacrosse game who
also walked away with a win against Montmorency,
14-8. Overall, Sunday seemed to bring out the
best for the John Abbott teams, starting the rugby
season off on a high note and keeping the lacrosse
team at a 2-0 lead. The next lacrosse game will be
Sunday September 27th; 3:00pm at Brébeuf and
the next rugby games will be at home against St.
Lambert Sunday September 27th, women’s
at 1:00pm and men’s at 3:00pm.
The stars are among us.
Stephanie Hunziker
Assistant-Editor-in-Chief
T w e l v e
practices in one
week. Seven
mornings that
look like night.
Four hours of
homework, and
only one hour
to do it. Three
parties to attend to, none
of which she’s able to attend. Two practices a day. One sport, one passion, and
one girl. A highly competitive swimmer,
Chelsea Rolin is a living example of what
it means to be solely dedicated to a sport.
When Rolin was 12 years old, she
began swimming with the Beaconsfield
Bluefins, one of the most competitive
swim teams in the province. She has a
natural talent for the sport, but as the
years progressed, she became a fierce,
and dedicated swimmer. Since starting
at Abbott last fall, she has also been
swimming for the John Abbott swim
team, and has not only contributed to
the overall success of the team, but has
brought forth a great deal of energy,
motivation and fun. At only 18 years old,
this young woman has accomplished a
great deal, and has learnt what it means
to be one of the best.
Bandersnatch Sports
Since swimming takes up most of her
life, Rolin faces challenges of balancing
her academics, social life, and love life
with her swimming. Since she practices
12 times a week, there’s hardly room
for anything else. This athlete, as most
others, was quick to learn what it means
to be productive with time. “It’s all
about time management and of course
school comes first, so in order to keep
up my swimming I’m forced to do well
in school.” Though a life outside of the
swimming world sometimes doesn’t really seem to exist, she has a very downto-earth approach, and has a very supportive family and encouraging friends.
Besides how to perfect a stroke, improve her time, and to always strive for
excellence, swimming has taught this girl
a lot more. It taught her to be passionate. “When you are so passionate and
love something so much, it can’t help
but bring out the best in you and teach
you about yourself. Swimming has really
made me believe in myself and realize
everything I am capable of achieving,”
says Rolin. From her coaches, she learnt
what it means to fight. If things in life
come easily, they’re probably not worth
it. Since she was 12 years old, she hasn’t
known any other way but to fight.
Some of her most recent stepping
stones have been participating in the
trials for Rome 2009, where she made
“B” finals, and achieved some of her
best results. Also, what she considers to
Imagine this; you’re a high school,
maybe college graduate who has worked
hard and made his way into the NHL,
coming from Russia/Finland/Czech/
U.S or otherwise to possibly be named
the next captain of a historic team.
Now here’s a textbook, bonne chance.
The importance of building a good
team shouldn’t lie entirely within
the language skills [let alone second
language] of a professional athlete.
H owe ve r, t h e r e i s a
law in place and a conduct that must be followed. In order to fill
a position with high
responsibility such as
captain, there should
be a promptness to
lead by example. The
captain speaks for the
team on a daily basis, and in a province
where the majority of
the fans speak French,
and would like to talk
to the captain and get
be one of the greatest competitions yet
is the Canada Games in P.E.I. “I don’t
really see anything as a ‘greatest accomplishment’ yet, I’ve been on the podium
numerous times, had some amazing
experiences and met some incredible
people, but honestly I look at all my
races and all my experiences as learning lessons and stepping stones that
will eventually bring me to something
greater that will hopefully be my greatest accomplishment,” claims Rolin.
After having made the Quebec Swim
Team, Rolin trained the entire summer,
without holiday in order to prepare
herself for the event that was to come
at the end of the summer. Quebec was
a highly competitive team this year, and
had some of the fastest swimmers. The
competition this year was extremely
high, and so were the expectations of
the athletes. With Ontario winning
first, and British Columbia second, the
Quebec team came in third out of all
the provinces in Canada. Though it is
not first, it is a huge success and something all the athletes should celebrate.
For those few moments spent in the
water, comes a countless amount of
hours spent training, missed birthdays,
parties, dances, boyfriends/girlfriends,
and family events. Chelsea Rolin has
had to sacrifice a normal teenage life
and a normal academic life, but what
she got instead, is probably worth it.
his feelings about the day’s game, there
is an utter impor tance for cultural
pride to be speaking the same language.
Following Koivu, someone who has taken the French language laws with a grain
of sand, should there be a new, more
responsible and fan-pleasing leader?
Quebec would not like to see rotatingcaptaincy, and the choice for the big C
cannot lie in new-coming foreign talents
(Gomez, Gionta, Cammalleri) nor can
it be attached to an uncharismatic yet
professional talent (Markov). So the
question is who is the next captain, and
are they French enough?
JAC Sports
Press Release
MEN’S SOCCER : On Friday night, the
Isles travelled to the south shore and beat
Champlain St-Lambert 2-0 for their second
win of the season. Sunday afternoon, the
Islanders (2-1) travelled to Quebec City and
suffered a 3-1 loss to Collège FX Garneau.
FOOTBALL: The Islander football
team (2-2) travelled to Collège St-Jean on
Sunday afternoon and lost 16-1.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY: The Lady
Islanders packed up their bags Thursday
evening to head off to Hamilton, to play
six games (3 wins – 3 losses) in 3 days at the
Stoney Creek Sabres hockey tournament.
WOMEN’S SOCCER: With many injured players sitting out, the Lady Islanders
lost a 2-1 close game to Champlain College
on Friday night.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL: On Sunday,
the men’s volleyball team participated
in a pre-season tournament at Collège
Édouard-Montpetit and the Isles went 2-1
in round robin play
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL: On
Sunday, the women’s volleyball team participated in a pre-season tournament at
Collège Édouard-Montpetit and the Lady
Islanders went 1-2 in round robin play
CROSS-COUNTRY RUNNING:
Saturday afternoon, the Cross-Country
team participated in their first meet of the
year at McGill University and the men’s and
women’s teams placed 3rd and 4th overall
respectively.
Wednesday September 23rd, 2009 • 11
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12 • Wednesday September 23rd, 2009
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