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inside - The Uniter
2006/12/07 13 I SSUE VOLUME 61 inside News Comments Diversions Features Arts & Culture Listings Sports The university of Winnipeg student weekly DEC 07, 2006 vol. 61 Issue 12 e-mail » [email protected] on the web » uniter.ca 02 07 09 11 13 17 21 04 Smear Campaign or Corruption? 11 Violence against Women Remembered 14 Local art for Christmas this year National Student Union Struggles to clear its name Womyn’s Centre commemorates Dec. 6 with blood art aceartinc’s Winter Warmer has something for everyone 21 Making the Grade wesmen interim review ♼ December 7, 2006 0 The Uniter contact: uniter @ uniter.ca NEWS UNITER STAFF Managing Editor Jo Snyder [email protected] » Business Manager James D. Patterson » [email protected] NEWS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR Richard Liebrecht [email protected] » News Production Editor Whitney Light [email protected] » COMMENTS EDITOR Ben Wood [email protected] » Diversions EDITOR Matt Cohen [email protected] » News » LISTINGS Coordinator Nick Weigeldt [email protected] » SPORTS EDITOR Mike Pyl [email protected] » COPY & STYLE EDITOR Brendan Johns [email protected] » PHOTO EDITOR Natasha Peterson SENIOR REPORTER Derek Leschasin » [email protected] » [email protected] STAFF Reporter Kenton Smith » [email protected] Ksenia Prints News Editor: Whitney Light E-mail: [email protected] prestigious scholarship Jenette Martens ing for the Rhodes scholarship. She had a variety of pride. She had recently become a yoga teacher and Volunteer Staff reasons not to. For one, she didn’t want to move to found that the experience changed her perspective England. At the urging of her grandparents and pro- on her achievements. It was an activity done simply fessors, however, she investigated the program and for the joy of it. “I’m most proud of my achievement realized its advantages. of not thinking so much about my achievements,” O she joked. able to Prairie students recently went to To apply, she collected six reference letters and the University of Winnipeg’s Alana Lejoie- wrote a 900 word paper on her interests. She also re- Lejoie-O’Malley’s achievements do not end O’Malley. Next fall she will travel to Oxford University ceived a letter of recommendation from the presi- with SUNSET and yoga. Prior to the award, she had to study physics and philosophy. dent of the University, Lloyd Axworthy, and submit- completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the U of “I was excited, but it was still kind of like, ‘Gee, ted a résumé. After attending several events with W and only had a few more electives to finish before how come me and not somebody else?’” said Lejoie- other applicants, as well as taking part in interviews, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science. She at- O’Malley. Lejoie-O’Malley was told she had won. tended the U of W collegiate, where she won many To be a Rhodes scholar, one must show literary A major factor in Lejoie-O’Malley’s success awards and scholarships. She was also heavily in- and scholastic achievement, energy to develop one’s was her work with SUNSET (Sustainable University volved in extracurricular activities. Lejoie-O’Malley talents, devotion to duty, desire to protect the weak, Now, Sustainable Earth Tomorrow) at the University speaks both English and French fluently, and has unselfishness, moral force of character, and the abil- of Winnipeg. SUNSET works to make the University worked as a tutor, researcher and teaching assistant. ity to lead and take an interest in one’s fellow beings. more socially and economically responsible. “I think Asked if she would recommend that others The scholarship is seen as one of the most prestigious (my work with SUNSET) is basically why I’m going, apply for the Rhodes scholarship, Alana cautioned in the world. Past recipients include leaders from sev- but there are so many other people who have done students to remember that even though it is presti- eral countries, for example, Bill Clinton, the former amazing work in that area and aren’t getting any rec- gious, it is still just a scholarship to study at a univer- president of the United States. The cost of studying at ognition,” said Lejoie-O’Malley. sity. Students should research Oxford and decide for Oxford is completely covered for two years, including travel and living expenses. Initially Lejoie-O’Malley didn’t consider apply- Beat Reporter Senior Reporter: Derek Leschasin E-mail: [email protected] U of W Student wins ne of three Rhodes scholarships avail- ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Mike Lewis [email protected] News Editor: Richard Liebrecht E-mail: [email protected] Surprisingly, though Lejoie-O’Malley enjoyed themselves if it has the programs that they want to her work on environmental issues, her many achieve- study, she said. For Lejoie-O’Malley, Oxford isn’t the ments in that field were not her greatest source of end of the road — she has a lot of studying ahead. » [email protected] Beat Reporter Michelle Dobrovolny » [email protected] PRODUCTION MANAGER & GRAPHICS EDITOR Sarah Sangster [email protected] » Family will remain in “benevolent prison,” says Minister this week’s contributors est, are Canadian-born citizens. Hassan Raza, Michael Banias, Sam McLean, Jenette Martens, Cameron Maclean, Renee Lilley, Kelly Ross, Brooke Dmytriw, Aaron Epp, Erin McIntyre, Matt Urban, Daniel Falloon, Micheal Silicz , Josh Boulding The Uniter is the official student newspaper of the University of Winnipeg and is published by Mouseland Press Inc. Mouseland Press Inc. is a membership based organization in which students and community members are invited to participate. For more information on how to become a member go to www.uniter.ca, or call the office at 786-9790. The Uniter is a member of the Canadian University Press and Campus Plus Media Services. SUBMISSION OF ARTICLES, LETTERS, GRAPHICS AND PHOTOS ARE WELCOME. Articles must be submitted in text (.rtf) or Microsoft Word (.doc) format to [email protected], or the relevant section editor. Deadline for submissions is 6:00 p.m. Thursday, one week before publication. Deadline for advertisements is noon Friday, six days prior to publication. The Uniter reserves the right to refuse to print submitted material. The Uniter will not print submissions that are homophobic, misogynistic, racist, or libellous. We also reserve the right to edit for length and/or style. » CONTACT US General Inquiries: 204.786.9790 Advertising: 204.786.9779 Editors: 204.786.9497 Fax: 204.783.7080 Email: [email protected] » LOCATION Room ORM14 University of Winnipeg 515 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 Cover Image Ksenia Prints Beat reporter the family’s father, fears what awaits the westernized children in a country they have never known. “Maybe my problems can be solved… But my daughter, she has a future here,” he says. F our months ago the Raza family arrived at the Crescent Fort Rouge United Church (CFRUC) looking for sanctuary from deportation. On Nov. 26 the federal Immigration Department denied their appeal to leave sanctuary until the review of their refugee status applications. For now the family will remain at CFRUC. The appeal was based on an alleged failure to account for the well being of the family’s children. The six children, ages one to thirteen, were not all born in Pakistan, and most do not speak Urdu, the regional language. Sima and Massim, the young- “[The appeal] was turned down, no reason given,” says Rev. barb janes of the CFRUC, angered by the decision. The Razas themselves are “very upset” and disappointed, and state that returning to Pakistan is not an option. They escaped the country in 1998, victims of sectorial violence. While in sanctuary, the family is unable to step beyond church boundaries. Volunteers attend to their needs and the children are homeschooled, separated from any peer contact. “Being in sanctuary, like this family, is basically like (being in) a benevolent prison,” said Rev. janes in a previous Uniter interview. The family now faces two options: await a NATASHA PETERSON The Raza family children, living in sanctuary at Crescent Fort Rouge United Church, are homeschooled. decision on their humanitarian and compassionate application; or hope for a compassionate intervention by Monte Solberg, minister of citizenship and immigration. “We continue to lobby Monte Solberg. We have the postcard campaign, and we continue to look for any other options available,” says Rev. janes. The postcard campaign is a country-wide effort through the United Church’s website. People can purchase and send postcards to ART CITY CHRISTMAS! (Photo: Natasha Peterson) minister Solberg, urging him to take action on the family’s situation. “We’ve reassured [the Razas] that we’re not giving up on them, we’re continuing to work as hard as we can to let them stay in Canada,” says Rev. janes. But the process could take several more months — it doesn’t look like happy holidays are in store for the Razas. contact: uniter @ uniter.ca The Uniter December 7, 2006 NEWS EU barriers to GMOs lose strength Canadian producers speculate trade changes Cameron Maclean Volunteer Staff T he European Union has opened the door to genetically modified organisms. A World Trade Organization panel ruled in favour of countries protesting the EUs previously GMO-restricting import regulations, and has ordered the EU to resume product approval proceedings. The EU has announced that it will not appeal the decision. Earlier this year, the WTO panel found that the EU and its member states had effectively put a moratorium on GMOs and other biotech products between Oct. 1998 and Aug. 29, 2003 (the date the panel was established). During this time, the EU imposed strict regulations and standards on products approved for sale, and approval proceedings often dragged on for years. The Canadian government, as well as the United States and Argentina, complained that this amounted to an unjustified barrier to trade, and violated international agreements that require such procedures to be completed without undue delay. News of the panel’s decision was greeted with enthusiasm by Canadian government officials. “This ruling is a big win for the Canadian agriculture industry, and in particular the biotechnology sector,” Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Chuck Strahl said in a media release Nov. 22. Minister of International Trade David Emerson agreed. “This ruling will enable Canadian producers to access European markets and effectively market their products,” he said. Government officials in Manitoba are also pleased with the WTO ruling. “I would see it as a win,” said Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Initiatives Rosann Wowchuk. “(Farmers) have been lobbying for a long time, indicating that this was an unfair practice being put on by the European Union and, of course, that was a market that was cut off to our producers.” The WTO ruling should come as especially good news to canola producers in Manitoba. According to Dr. Ryan Cardwell of the Department of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics at the University of Manitoba, almost all of the canola grown in Manitoba is genetically modified and thus was affected by the trade ban. The ruling from the WTO, however, has the potential to open up a huge new market in genetically modified energy crops, such as canola seeds, which are used in the production of ethanol and bio-diesel. “With the increase in bio-diesel production in Europe, they do not produce enough oil seeds to meet their bio-diesel demands, and that will open up a new market for our canola seeds to go into the EU market,” Wowchuk said. However, the WTO ruling is not good news for everyone. According to Janine Gibson of the Organic Food Council of Manitoba, a chapter of Canadian Organic Growers, there are about 0 240 certified organic producers in Manitoba. They represent only about one percent of the total agricultural production of the province, but agricultural producers are working hard to increase that number. Many organic producers are concerned about their industry’s chances of survival in a market which is increasingly dominated by GMOs, where modified genes may crossbreed with other non-modified crops in the wild. What is more, according to Gibson, there are serious concerns over the potential environmental and health impacts of genetic modification. “There has not been enough research done. There’s not a single study, not one single peer-reviewed study, on the impacts, say, of genetically modified wheat on human health. So, in organics, we say, ‘Don’t use a method until you know it’s safe.’” In the end, however, the WTO ruling may change very little. “All the WTO ruling did was condemn the manner in which the EU was going through the approval process for GM products,” Dr. Cardwell said. “All they said was the procedure you (the EU) used to regulate them in the past took too long. They didn’t tell the EU that they had to lift any existing bans or that they’re not allowed to implement bans in the future.” Local rally protests violence in Palestinian territories Renee Lilley T he International Day of Action for Gaza was held Dec. 2. Co-sponsored by local groups, a rally met at the Manitoba Legislature in support of the Emergency Resolution to Call for a Stop to the Attacks on Gaza. Approximately 50 people attended. Coinciding with the Legislature’s annual open house, their message was heard by many Winnipegers. Recently in the occupied Palestinian territories, there have been numerous attacks on civilians, including a tank shelling of the town Beit Hanoun. Eighteen people were killed, eight of them sleeping children. These attacks have prompted Israeli human rights organizations to reach out to the international community. The Peace Alliance Winnipeg and the Canada Palestine Support Network, with the Jews For Just Peace Organization, gathered in solidarity to bring awareness of the Emergency Resolution to government in hopes of peace in the Middle East. Howard Davidson, an associate professor at the U of M, spoke at the rally. He had been in West Bank working with Palestinian, Israeli and international educators in the struggle against the occupation. He said the real issues Israel must face are the Middle East’s poverty, corruption, and racism. Dr. Mark Etkin, a psychiatrist and member of Jews for Just Peace, also spoke on his travel experience. He said that he witnessed the imprisonment of Palestinian people, who hoped he would communicate their situation to international communities. In North America we must decry the violence, he said, and push the Emergency Resolution towards government in order to make change. Palestinian-born peace activist Bassam Hozaima spoke about the rights of his country’s people. Critical of Israel’s military, he suggested that their policy appears to be “when there is no force, use more force.” He explained, “The more you push people, the more they will push back.” The fact that the Palestinians are still fighting back is a “testament of survival instincts, the strength of conviction, and the love of the land.” Asked if he thought Gaza will find relief any time soon, Hozaima said, “Unless leadership changes, it will continue.” Renee Lilley Protestors against violence in Gaza rally at the Legislature on Dec. 2. December 7, 2006 0 The Uniter News Editor: Whitney Light E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 786-9497 Fax: 783-7080 contact: uniter @ uniter.ca NEWS Canadian CFS combats charges of corruption & World News BriefS T she says. “The national office was open and upfront. I think it was dealt with in an appropriate manner.” Michelle Dobrovolny Beat Reporter of students. We all hold each other accountable,” “That payment was to ensure that students However, another issue raised in the Global at Douglas Students’ Union wouldn’t get cut off report was the integrity of the CFS executive from their health plan,” says Azziz. “CFS-Services board, particularly Link, who supposedly signed had no choice but to cover the premiums.” the $276,000 advance payment to Green Shield. he Canadian Federation of Students is But the Douglas Students’ Union has itself Link’s checkered history includes two convictions under fire following the broadcast of a been accused of financial mismanagement. on mischief charges in 1986 and 1989, as well as TV news report that alleges the national The Global TV report also questions a $20,000 an assault conviction in 1989. In 1997, he was student advocacy group is corrupt and misman- loan made to a Union board member, allegedly again tried on assault charges, this time for alleg- aging funds. The story, which aired Nov. 15 on to make a down-payment on a new house. If edly attacking a female CFS executive, though he NEW DELHI—The Clinton Foundation Global TV’s BC affiliate, charges that CFS-Services the charges are true, then CFS-Services had no was acquitted. HIV/AIDS Initiative and two leading Indian pharma- executive director Philip Link improperly loaned choice but to cover the costs of a corrupt student ceutical companies will cooperate to lower the prices $276,000 to the Douglas Students’ Union in British union board. of antiretroviral drugs for children worldwide. The Columbia. CFS denies all charges of wrongdoing. In a statement released to media, CFS- ment on Philip’s past,” she says. “Anyway, it’s irrel- Clinton Foundation announced that the companies “Global has a different version of events,” Services claims that its health network broker will evant because [the reporter] didn’t get the story agreed to former US President Bill Clinton’s pro- says CFS national chairperson Amanda Azziz. reimburse money when and if it is recovered from right and it has nothing to do with anything.” posal to provide AIDS infected children with drugs According to Azziz, CFS-Services made the pay- the Douglas Students’ Union. for a cost of 16 cents a day, working out to less than ment to Green Shield Canada, not the Douglas UWSA president Kate Sjoberg says she fensive after what Azziz describes as a “vicious $60 a year for treatment. The Associated Press re- Students’ Union, to cover premiums owed for doesn’t feel concerned that CFS or CFS-Services attack” by the Global reporter. Manitoba’s na- ported that the prices of nineteen formulas would health coverage. CFS-Services is technically a CFS is mishandling money, including funds gathered tional CFS representative, Rachel Gotthilf, would be cut by 45 per cent, helping millions of children subsidiary, and oversees programs such as Travel from member unions like the UWSA. not comment on CFS’s response to the Global in the developing world receive HIV/AIDS treatment CUTS and students’ health insurance. Compiled by Brooke Dmytriw Azziz withheld comment on Link’s employment at CFS. “It’s not appropriate for me to com- Nonetheless, the CFS is clearly on the de- “It’s a bunch of students working for a bunch news story. as soon as the new year. Under the agreement, Cipla Ltd. and Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd., with financing from France, Brazil, Great Britain, Chile, Norway and the Clinton Foundation, will supply Craigslist scam reveals problems with privacy laws “The culpability of a website like Craigslist is drugs to 62 countries. Public health and preventa- often minimal and we will not know for sure until it tive programs will distribute the drugs. Earlier this is brought to court.” year Bill Clinton and several Indian firms collabo- It is also important to note that a person is rated on the price reduction of rapid HIV tests and subject to the laws of the website’s country, added antiretroviral drugs for adult treatment. Rosenberg. OTTAWA—Twelve Status of Women Craigslist officials did not reply to the Ubyssey’s offices will be closed by early spring. The request for an interview by press time. Conservative government is trying to cut costs in Gloria, a third-year arts student who requested the agency, removing $5 million form the agen- that her last name not be used, questioned the re- cy’s $23 million annual budget. The agency, which sponsibility a website like Craigslist might have in a works to improve women’s economic and social situation like this. equality and combats violence again women, will “It really opens your eyes to the holes in the see the loss of funding over the next two years. system, how helpless you are when it comes to pri- The Canadian Press reported that Heritage Canada vacy issues on the Internet and how [websites like Minister Bev Oda announced that 12 of 16 national Craigslist] can do little to truly protect you,” she said, offices would be shut down. Ottawa, Edmonton, adding that though she has never used online perCUP FILE Montreal and Moncton will remain open. The House of Commons Status of Women committee will meet this month to discuss the closures and their possible avoidance. sonals, she has bought items through Craigslist’s classifieds. According to Ara Norenzayan, a UBC psychol- When using the internet, is your personal information safe? ogy professor, it is difficult to determine what moti- LUANDA—Angola is making a bid to join vates people to place fake ads. OPEC. The sub-Saharan country will apply to join The controversy has raised concerns over the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Victor Liang of which it is currently an associate member. An- The Ubyssey (University of British Columbia) Internet privacy laws and safety. Laws guarding privacy on the Internet are “It could be a variety of motives, someone could just be adventurous or have a grudge against people . . . what he is definitely doing is hurting gola has become Africa’s second largest oil pro- either poorly defined or nonexistent and there is little ducing country after Nigeria and its government is legal recourse for victims in these cases, according to Norenzayan added that online interaction is Richard Rosenberg, a University of British Columbia such a recent phenomenon that experts have had computer science professor and privacy expert. little time to study it properly. pursuing full membership into OPEC because of its VANCOUVER (CUP) – Internet privacy experts growing role as China’s largest supplier. The ma- are concerned after fake “casual encounters” ads jority of Angola’s crude is produced from rigs off have been posted on popular website Craigslist. the coast. The country produces 1.4 million barrels In early September it was reported that indi- of oil a day and that number is expected to increase viduals were placing ads with false identities and to 2 million by April 2007, reported the Associated posting the personal information of respondents on Press. Gabon was the last African state to join the public websites. He said “you are taking your chances” with personal information supplied voluntarily to social network sites like Craigslist, MySpace or Facebook. “The law is no factor there because once you [have] posted information about yourself what pro- people,” he said. “Our knowledge of it is very much behind the reality of it.” Rosenberg warns that people need to be more conscientious of the information they make available over the Internet. monopoly in 1975 and later withdrew in the 1990s. Seattle web designer Jason Fortuny received tection you have depends on the terms of agree- “There are no easy solutions with the interna- Nigeria joined OPEC in 1971 and has remained the over a hundred responses to his fake ad – which had ment with the website on which you posted,” he tional nature of the Internet,” he said. “People need sole African member. Fortuny posing as a women seeking “ruff” sex – in said. “These websites have very loose control of how to know it is a jungle out there. You need to know VANCOUVER—A pay-as-you-go emer- one day. Fortuny then revealed the identities of the things are done because they want their clients to that you are putting yourself out there and that pres- gency clinic opened in Vancouver and may face respondents – many of whom were married or in interact, communicate and work out their relation- ently there is very little protection for you once you prosecution for violating the Canada Health lifestyles that they intended to keep private. ships on their own.” do that.” Act. The Urgent Care Centre opened its doors despite a flurry of controversy. B.C. Health Minister George Abbott has been speaking out about the clinic, and seeking advice from the province’s Attorney-General. The provincial government man- Who or what, in your opinion, was the newsmaker of 2006? aged to pass a cabinet order allowing provincial auditors to enter the clinic and review its activities. Under the Canada Health Act, private clinics and doctors cannot charge patients for medical services that are deemed necessary and covered by public health insurance. The centre is charging patients $199 for an evaluation, and additional tests and treatments can run $20 for vaccinations, $70 for casts and $75 for x-rays, according to CanWest News Service. The centre has 24 emergency doctors from greater Vancouver hospitals contributing shifts at the clinic. It runs 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week, providing patients with four chairs and ten beds. Catherine Molina – Third year, Sociology — The big issue for Canada was the war in Afghanistan and the fact our soldiers are dying there. From what I understood in the media — I’m not impressed with our Prime Minister. He thinks that if we get involved with the American government it will be a good thing. But it will be a bad thing because then Canada is put in the line of fire from other countries. Monica Hancharyk – Third year, Chemistry The Dawson College shooting. I remember it because my father was watching the news about it on the French CBC and he wanted to know what was happening. It was a shock. It was scary. Lynnette Navarro – Third year, Arts — Saddam Hussein being sentenced to hanging. I think he kind of deserved it. A life sentence would be too easy…That’s harsh, but it’s reality. Nathan Sawatzky – Third year, IDS — The Pope’s speech that outraged Muslims. It happened when he was lecturing students at his alma mater about a month and a half ago. contact: uniter @ uniter.ca The Uniter December 7, 2006 NEWS “… and put up a parking lot.” City Councillor opposes renovating Winnipeg’s Heritage Sites NATASHA PETERSON Kenton Smith Staff Reporter Campus & Community Briefs A plan to redevelop an historical local property has enflamed debate at City Hall over what the correct approach should be in renovating Winnipeg’s heritage sites. “Let me give you the big picture,” says Ken Zaifman, a Winnipeg lawyer who has put forth a plan to redevelop the St. Charles Hotel, which he owns. The hotel, he says, was “pretty run down” when he first bought it a little over a year ago, and his long-term goal was originally to develop the hotel as a youth hostel and student housing facility. Zaifman’s plan now is to develop the property as a boutique hotel along the lines of the Drake Hotel in Toronto. In the short term, he explains, he wants to upgrade the property as a first step in redeveloping the site. This would involve demolishing two business fronts—adjoined as a single structure—located next to the St. Charles. The purpose is to create space for a patio alongside the hotel—but also, and more controversially, to expand an existing parking lot behind the neighbouring building, which would involve a curb cut to allow for vehicular access off Albert Street. Opposing this plan is Jenny Gerbasi, Councillor for Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry and chairperson of the Historical Buildings Committee, who says that “it goes against development principles in a heritage area to allow a surface parking lot at all.” In order to prevent Zaifman’s proposed lot expansion, Gerbasi wants the business block targeted for demolition—38-44 ½ Albert Street—to be placed on the Buildings Conservation List as a Grade III Historical Building. In support of this recommendation, Gerbasi cites historical research done by the HBC that identifies portions of the complex as part of a residential building dating back to 1878, making it the second oldest building in downtown Winnipeg after Upper Fort Garry. The HBC’s research also cites this structure as the sole surviving example from the period of residential housing along Albert Street. Zaifman insists that there is absolutely no way that his vision for the St. Charles can be realized without the curb cut and proposed parking lot expansion. Gerbasi says that Zaifman is attempting “to portray this as all about trying to save the St. Charles Hotel,” when in fact “a boutique hotel could be developed without adding a surface parking lot.” “Just because someone says they need [a surface parking lot], it doesn’t mean they need one,” Gerbasi argues. “It’s not like they don’t have any other options.” Zaifman says that he would like to know just what “other options” Gerbasi is thinking of. Gerbasi’s response is that “there are resources that the city has available for private developers to utilize through CentreVenture to develop a heritage property.” She also says that there are reports that haven’t been made public which explore other options. CentreVenture Development Corporation is a City of Winnipeg agency charged with facilitating economic, physical, and social development in the city’s downtown area. Zaifman says that there has been some misunderstanding about just what it is that he wants to demolish. As Gerbasi’s research points out, the structure that makes up 3844 ½ Albert Street consists of two parts: the nineteenth-century house, and a commercial addition constructed in the mid-1920s. 0 Compiled by WHITNEY LIGHT A bomb of an issue The Manitoba Campaign to Ban Landmines is calling for the Canadian government to move on the international push to legislate against cluster munitions. Discussion of these air-dropped bombs, which release anywhere from three to 2000 submuntions over a wide area, took centre stage at the Third Review Conference of the Convention on Conventional Weapons, held Nov. 6 to 17 in Geneva. Norway put a moratorium on cluster munition use and committed to beginning work on Ken Zaifman would like to demolish parts of 38-44 ½ Albert Street as part of the redevelopment of the St. Charles Hotel. a treaty to ban them. Thirty other countries are coming together on the issue, said Darryl Toews of the MBCBL, but Canada is not one of them. “The current government’s priorities are being es- Zaifman says that it his intention only to demolish the later addition, which is situated in front of the actual historic residence. Gerbasi says she is unaware of this part of Zaifman’s plan, but responds that the proposed curb cut would still mean that the integrity of the façade would be compromised, and the continuity of the streetscape be destroyed. This, argues Gerbasi, would detract from the character of the Exchange and damage the “visual expanse” that makes the Our point of view is, we’re trying to do what’s best for the real estate.” –Richard Morantz Globe General Agencies area attractive to prospective film productions. “The surface parking lot and the curb cut is the problem,” she says. For his part, Zaifman characterizes the proposed curb cut as “not drastic,” and “only enough to get a car through.” As for preserving visual continuity, Zaifman says that he is willing to address this in his redevelopment plan. “We’re not averse to saying, ‘We’ll recreate the façade in some way,’” Zaifman says, explaining that the proposed courtyard would, in such a scenario, be located behind the façade in a courtyard-type setting. He said that this option first came up in discussions with Heritage Winnipeg and that the organization is looking into whether this scenario is feasible. Gerbasi says that still would make a gaping hole out of one third of the property front, and maintains that the “whole business block” should be designated an historic site. The HBC recommendation states that the “designation of the Exchange District by the Government of Canada as a National Historic Site in 1996 places a responsibility on the City to try to keep all significant and contributing structures protected and intact for all Canadians.” “We’ve made a commitment to preserving the area,” Gerbasi says. She adds that one of her major concerns is that, if success- ful, Zaifman’s project could set a precedent that would see further damage done to other areas of the Exchange. The existing parking lot in question, located behind 44 Albert Street, is managed by Imperial Parking on behalf of the lot’s owner, says Richard Wishnowski, City Manager of Imperial Parking Winnipeg. Wishnowski says that he is not at liberty to disclose the owner’s name, but did say that Imperial has been consulting with Zaifman with regard to how the lot could conceivably be redeveloped. Wishnowski also says that Impark presently has no other kind of partnership with Zaifman, but that the company will retain management of the lot if Zaifman’s development plan is realized. Richard Morantz of Globe General Agencies, which represents the group that actually owns 44 Albert Street, says that his company also has no partnership with Impark, but confirms that Globe has a “conditional arrangement” with Zaifman wherein the company will go along with his plan if he gets past city hall. As to who makes up the ownership group behind 44 Albert Street, Morantz says that he cannot comment. At this point in time, Zaifman can boast some success: the HBC’s recommendation, as put forward by Gerbasi to the Lord SelkirkWest Kildonan Community Committee on Nov. 21, was voted down by Councillors Mike Pagtakhan and Harry Lazarenko. Councillor Mike O’ Shaughnessy was the only one to support the historical designation. Pagtakhan’s position was that the property’s deteriorated state doesn’t warrant an historical designation. Lazarenko could not be reached for comment by the time of print. Gerbasi may yet forestall the proposed demolition, however; the Property and Development Committee will consider the issue at its Jan. 9th meeting at City Hall, and a recommendation to save the Albert Street property go from there to City Council. A vote on any such recommendation could result in a reconsideration of the earlier Community Committee decision. Gerbasi has strongly encouraged anyone with concerns about the Albert Street property to contact the members of the committee, Councillors Justin Swandel, Russ Wyatt, Dan Vandal, and Scott Fielding. For its part, Morantz says that Globe is aware of the larger debate regarding heritage buildings and that they are “willing to allow that debate to take place” first. “Our point of view is, we’re trying to do what’s best for the real estate,” he says. tablished and we’re trying to point out that this is not a particular party’s issue, it’s a Canadian issue.” Cluster munitions are targeted by activists against landmines because of their similar impact on civilian populations. According to Handicap International, 98 percent of cluster munitions victims are civilians. Dud submunitions become buried in fields where they were dropped to create a minefield effect. Day to day activities like gardening, farming, and herding are made dangerous, the remnants of war causing victims even thirty years later. Canadians have, in recent years, been prominent in international steps to eliminate use of landmines. Although the cause has died down to some degree, Toews believes it is still an issue Canadians identify with and that the threat posed by cluster munitions should inspire similar activism. Some countries have suggested creating weapons standards to improve the safety of cluster munitions use. The US, for example, is working on a ‘smart-mine’ that self-destructs. But as Toews points out, no mine is a safe mine. Duds are inevitable and “once in the ground, it’s a dumb weapon.” Dire states Manitoba’s branch of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released its 2006 State of the Inner City Report on Nov. 30. The neighbourhoods of West Broadway and North Point Douglas are its focus. Both, according to the report, are facing concerns about gentrification, poverty, and rapid change. Both, however, also have strengths. “Most of those interviewed love the neighbourhood,” states the report on West Broadway. Residents have seen a significant visual improvement due to housing initiatives. In North Point Douglas a core group of people are working for the betterment of the area. The report points out the impact of groups such as the North Point Douglas Women’s Centre, Resident’s Committee, and the North End Housing Project. Also featured in the report were the experiences of inner city refugee women and the oft-felt divide between community and police. Refugee women were interviewed and their needs and difficulties in adapting to Canadian lifestyles outlined. A common problem for women refugees was interacting with social assistance workers who are insensitive to the strain and isolation of being in a foreign place. The first recommendation of the report was for the province to develop a more holistic service delivery model. On policing, interviewees from Spence, Centennial, and William Whyte neighbourhoods raised community-building initiatives as important to promoting safety. The report suggested framing crime problems in these areas by their “symptoms” — drugs, gangs, and violence — and working towards deeper solutions than “fighting crime.” Finally, the report looked at the effectiveness of community-based organizations. The full report can be downloaded at www.policyalternatives.ca. December 7, 2006 0 The Uniter contact: uniter @ uniter.ca NEWS Afghanistan service pays off students’ debt Reservists say overseas tours stressful, challenging CUP FILE Reservists at evening training, Ottawa. Nadya Bell sity and college administrators across Canada are CUP Ottawa Bureau Chief signing on to a declaration of support for their students and staff in the reserve forces. The universities agree to defer exams that OTTAWA (CUP) – Cpl. Anwar Massoud is a conflict with the training schedules of student re- film student, a reservist, and like a number of other servists, and re-admit students to their programs if young Canadians, has served overseas to pay off his they take a year off to participate in overseas op- student debt. erations. In his third year of studies, Massoud had a $20,000 student loan. He left for a seven-month tour Massoud said as an arts student it was not difficult to get time off school for his service. of duty in Afghanistan, earning $6,000 a month. But Lamy, currently taking a nursing program “There was no way that I would be able to at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, Ont., said sup- pay for my debt without a grand sum of money like port from her university will be important if she is that,” Massoud, 25, said in an interview at Ottawa’s to return to Afghanistan. Carleton University. “In terms of career progres- “Ever since I came back I’ve wanted to go back sion, a tour is really inevitable, and I’m committed to Afghanistan,” Lamy said. “I came back with a dif- to the military.” ferent perspective . . . not sweating the small stuff.” Massoud did a tour of duty in Afghanistan “Yes, there was a bit of anxiety on my part, from February 2005 to August 2005, before the but I felt confident with our training and our weap- Canadian Forces moved from Kabul into the more ons.” dangerous Kandahar area. As a woman in the forces, one of Lamy’s He was the orderly room clerk at the na- duties was to search females at checkpoints. tional command element – administration unit – Understanding the cultural context was an impor- in Kabul, working with the chief of command staff tant part of the operations, she said. and the brigadier-general. “Because we are conscious of the Muslim re- Although there were no casualties during ligion, I would search women, but not the men, she his service, Massoud said it was difficult and dirty said. “The women are very psychologically strong, work. He said life in the base was a constant state even though they may not appear it.” of alert, making it difficult to tell when the threat was most dire. Lamy said she found the tour was emotionally challenging. “When you get there, hell, you really can’t call it. We had drills all the time,” he said. “Everyone knows what they’re in for – it’s not hidden from you in basic training that you might get killed.” “One day I worked 21 hours on a convoy . . . you do get homesick and you do miss your bed,” she said. “It can happen that if you’re in a convoy you may run into a mine, but you know how to deal Massoud said the four-month pre-deployment training included what happens if someone with it. You’re anxious and you’re a bit scared, but all that training helps prepare you.” gets injured or killed in an attack on a convoy, and helped prepare him mentally for the mission. “Yes, I feared for my own safety, but I knew what I was getting into,” he said. Master Cpl. Katherine Lamy was in Afghanistan at the same time as Massoud. She said serving overseas was important for her career, as well as a way to pay off student loans. Students make up 40 per cent of Canada’s reserve forces. Currently, 2,300 troops are serving in the NATO mission in Afghanistan, including 300 reservists. Rotating troops are overlapped, and the base can have up to 4,000 people at a time. Reservists are regularly asked to volunteer for Canada’s overseas mission in Afghanistan, but the service is not mandatory. With the higher manpower requirements for the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, univer- CUP FILE Anwar Massoud finishes his evening shift at a reserve base in Ottawa. Comments Editor: Ben Wood E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 786-9497 Fax: 783-7080 contact: uniter @ uniter.ca He won the race MANAGING Editor L iberal party members met appropriately in Montreal last weekend to select their leader. Where else would their leader come from? Nevertheless, Stephan Dion, who won on the fourth ballot, is an interesting choice for the Liberal party. His biggest task? Charming the pants off Canadians. What does Dion’s Canada look like? On the upside, he’s a devout environmentalist. The former environment minister promises to make sustainability a priority, a strong and necessary move considering our rapidly changing climate and our culture’s fascination with earth politics. Another progressive position for Dion is his opposition to reopening the debate on same sex marriage — an issue he’ll have to fight the conservatives on right up until election day. But does Dion have what it takes to captivate the collective Canadian consciousness? We are won over by politicians with strong per- But Dion’s battle has just begun President, UWSA I wanted to take some time to respond to Jo Snyder’s editorial “A Speech to Set Your Watch to” to clarify a couple of points about the 60 per cent education tax rebate program announced by the provincial government, and make clear that we believe the program to be flawed in both it’s approach and focus. One in five Manitobans live in poverty, which includes one in five children. Simply put, Manitoba can’t afford to wait five years to start lowering student debt loads. Manitoba’s youth population is growing fastest in northern and rural communities where many young people don’t finish high school. Retaining youth in Manitoba means giving young people the ability to access higher quality, better paying jobs, which means making post-secondary education accessible to a much larger group of people. With finances remaining the main barrier to accessing a university or college education, the province needs to address the up-front needs of disenfranchised young people. The reality is that if you come from a marginalized background or minority community, you are more likely, as a result of systemic discrimination to borrow significantly more than your middle- and upper-class counterparts. Not only are members of ethnic and cultural minorities, newcomers, women and other marginalized populations forced to work longer and borrow more to finance their education, but they also earn less after graduation. Lower earnings means that those with the highest debt levels pay back their loans over longer periods, and thus pay more interest on their loans. In effect, those who can least afford education pay Shorts & Clichés Documenting the Land of Political Punditry sonalities; there are those we love, like Pierre Trudeau, and those we love to hate, like Ralph Klein, and for some, Jean Chrétien. And, as a former member of Chretien’s cabinet, Dion will have plenty of hurdles to jump. Can he avoid showing his sponsorship scandal scars? (Though, truly, there’s nothing sexier than a scar.) How will he reassure Canadians that the Liberal party can once again run the country? There is little time for him to figure it out as we anticipate a spring election. There’s no doubt the integrity of the party will once again be under attack during the election. It’s going to get dirty. Putting a fresh face on the Liberal Party wog n’t help Canadians to forget about its rocky history. However, Dion also has a lot of ammo. Recently Harper has not only pushed reopening the debate on same sex marriage, he’s also cut funding to women’s organizations across the country, and he’s pushing to abolish the single desk of the Canadian Wheat Board, not a smart move for the farmer’s favourite. Unfortunately, Dion will have a lot more work to do than point out Harper’s shortcomings. We don’t know who he is. He was one of the quieter ministers, and for some, an unlikely successor to Paul Martin. His win was, frankly, a surprise. His federalism will alienate Québécois nationalists, and his less-thaneloquent English will alienate those who care about that sort thing, and there are a surprising number of voters who do. Recently, at Carleton University in Ottawa, Justin Trudeau was fending off the strong push from the audience for him to get involved in federal politics. “You have to run,” the audience yelled. Trudeau, like his father, has the charm and wit, the youth and, frankly, the sex appeal (let’s be honest) that people look for in a candidate to bring a teetering party back to an upright position. However, the young Trudeau is not a politician, not yet. Emulating some of these attribute will be precisely Dion’s challenge. For those worried that the choosing of the new Liberal leader implies the end of the dramatic soap opera that has become characteristic of Canadian governmental politics, rest assured, while Dion may be a fresh new leader, we can still look forward to an ugly election. The Devil is in the Details Kate Sjoberg 0 Managing Editor: Jo Snyder E-mail: [email protected] Letter to the Editor 60 per cent tuition fee reduction a good idea, IF it were done right December 7, 2006 EDITORIALS Editorials Jo SNYDER The Uniter much more for it. The 60 per cent rebate will inevitably provide a larger benefit to those who earn more after graduation. Consider the fact that many of the students who need the help most, and would therefore be most likely to stay in Manitoba to receive the benefit, make use of student loans. The reality is that an average $19,000 student loan becomes $29,504 to repay when you factor in interest. Thus, students who borrow to finance their education, who earn less after graduation and who are forced to pay their debt off over a longer period of time will end up paying $10,502 in interest. For lower income students, the 60 per cent tax rebate will not even cover the interest payments a low-income student will be forced to make on their student loan. It’s a shame to provide more public money to the banks in the form of interest payments. Why not reduce student debt before it starts, by reducing tuition fees and thus eliminating some of the need to borrow in the first place? And we don’t need to look far for a better model. Already, the Doer government offers a small-scale version of the 60 per cent tuition fee reduction programme for medical students. Instead of providing “aid” through the tax system, students enter into an agreement with the province to practice in rural and northern Manitoba for a number of years in exchange for an up-front grant. This up-front model of tuition fee relief was chosen because medical school is already priced out of reach for too many potential doctors. If the up-front model works for doctors–perhaps Manitoba’s most-needed professionals–why not make the new 60 per cent rebate available to all students at the time of registration? There are thousands of households in Manitoba living in poverty: these young people also need some support. There is no need to wait 5 years. In the November 16, 2006 edition of the Winnipeg Free Press, Premier Doer is quoted as stating that “The quicker the [student] debt is removed or managed the quicker people can put Read something you don’t agree with? Have something to say? Write a letter to the editor! Please send your witty remarks and scathing rejoinders to [email protected] roots in the community, buy houses and have a quality of life that is not so dependent on the debt levels when they come out of university.” We agree—and isn’t preventing debt in the first place the quickest way of all? James Patterson Business Manager Skinning the Cat From a peripheral level, politics has always been about the art of managing public perception. For a government this means trumpeting their vision and making their agendas happen. For the opposition, it means criticism and “gutter politics” against the government until the shit finally sticks in the public’s mind. But the real high stakes battles, displaying true political acumen, revolve around how politicians manage issues and their adversaries outside this public perception. This measure of political skill was evident in the federal Conservative party this week. It started with the Canadian Wheat Board, when the Federal Conservatives continued to make moves to deregulate the public seller of grains. It started with changes to the board of directors, this time giving a seat to former Manitoba Tory MP Glen Findlay. Then Chuck Strahl, federal Agriculture Minister, informed the CEO of the Wheat Board of a possible dismissal. This was prompted, no-doubt, from the increasing pressure of the Manitoba and Saskatchewan government’s request for a plebiscite on deregulation of Barley, involving all wheat board members. Obviously, when democracy is not the optimal way achieve a desirable outcome, there are other way to achieve the preferred outcome and the conservatives know this. The politics continued with the realization that the Conservatives leaked disinformation to the press about their most feared and formidable liberal leadership candidate. The fake internal party memo, released in October, suggested they were most afraid of Michael Ignatieff—and most anxious to face Rae. The press ate it up. The rouse was lifted after Rae’s ousting that it was in-fact the exact opposite. Rae was the most feared candidate. You may question the ethics of these moves and the perception that they create, but there is no denying the suggestion that the Conservatives are organized, possess a whole lot of political savvy, and are playing to win. The opportunity for doing mischief is found a hundred times a day, and of doing good once in a year. -Voltaire The Blogisphere feels Angry It was reported in late October by a small website project called “We Feel Fine” that Winnipeg is one angry city. The company’s methodology categorizes the feelings of these regions by analyzing sentences in blogs which contain the phrase “I feel…”., According to their results Winnipeg ranks fifth on the planet in the “most angry” department. Although it would be a stretch to say that this data is by any means scientific or statistically valid about the feelings of Winnipeggers, it may give an indication of how many political and media oriented blogs there are in this city. After all, if your personal or political party’s message is not getting out in the press, blogging can at least make that unspun message accessible to the public realm while giving you the opportunity to take a couple of shots at the supposed liberal biased media. In fact, the calls against the liberal biased media have reached such a fevered pitch that the Social Conservatives of Canada (you know, the people who supposedly have a direct line to the PMO’s office) are holding a contest to find the most blatant example of liberal bias in the media. Despite the cries of political injustice from the Winnipeg blogging community, few actual tidbits of news worthy information have been broken via the blogging community, suggesting it is still in its infancy, or, as Maisonneuve magazine put it, they may be a bunch of pussies compared to their US counterparts. A caveat: PROPAGANDA is a soft weapon; hold it in your hands too long, and it will move about like a snake, and strike the other way. - Jean Anouilh December 7, 2006 0 The Uniter contact: uniter @ uniter.ca COMMENTS Comments Comments Editor : Ben Wood E-mail: [email protected] In Praise of Harper... Sort Of Derek Leschasin most human rights and labour advocacy groups charge the rights of workers in China. This may in fact be easier It would indeed be hypocritical not to offer some that they are poorly enforced. Child labour, forced to accomplish than attempting to change the way the praise Harper’s way. He’s hardly a vocal crusader for labour, low wages, safety issues and discrimination “communists” run their government. human rights, but his comments in recent months are still issues in the Chinese workplace. So long as in- At this stage, it probably isn’t feasible to refuse to t seems that as of late, the left has some reason to surely seem like a step in the right direction. The ques- vestment flows in and restive workers can be neutral- trade with China over their neglect of worker’s rights. commend Prime Minister Harper. The national tion is, are Harper’s comments all sound and fury, or will ized, the Chinese government has little reason to enact But neither is it acceptable to seek out investment op- (and international) press has been full of head- we see meaningful action that might actually influence substantive change especially when corporations from portunities blindly, and allow companies to make a kill- lines laden with words like “human rights”, “China”, the Chinese government to change the way it treats countries like Canada can continue to stuff their pock- ing off the backs of mostly impoverished people. This and “Canadian Prime Minister.” Harper has even been Chinese citizens? Talk is, as they say, cheap—no matter ets with extra dollars made from some of the cheapest seems to have been the policy of past governments, quoted as saying that Canada will not “sell out” its what Chamber of Commerce types might have you be- labour around. both Liberal and Conservative. The Prime Minister can, values for the sake of “the almighty dollar” when deal- lieve about the repercussions of speaking up for human ing with China. That’s not something you might expect rights in the face of important trade relationships. Senior Reporter I to hear from the leader of one of Canada’s ‘pro-business’ parties. Harper’s recent criticisms of China revolve around severe human rights abuses. Meanwhile, thanks to this cozy arrangement, at the very least, encourage investors to push for an en- some of the best blue-collar jobs in Canada are being forcement of minimum labour standards in overseas It also seems to me that in the talk of religious lost. According to UNITE, a union representing clothing factories. There are multilateral alternatives as well, in and political rights, an important third concern is being and textile workers in Canada, employment in the gar- which Canada could become a leader. The WTO, for ex- sidelined: the rights of workers. ment industry here has decreased by 25 per cent since ample, has the potential to be used to sanction countries that don’t enforce even basic rights for workers. the case of Huseyincan Celil, a member of a repressed China and Canada are becoming ever more quotas limiting increases in Chinese imports were lifted Muslim ethnic minority in China’s Xinjiang region and, closely linked through international trade. China is by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2004. That’s Along with political and religious freedoms, pro- since 2001, a Canadian citizen. On a trip to Uzbekistan Canada’s fourth-largest export market, and second- just one example, and to that we can add the pressure tection for workers is surely among the ‘Canadian this spring, Celil was arrested and extradited to China, largest import market. As foreign investment from the from industry to ‘modernize’ regulations in order to values’ that Stephen Harper purports to be represent- where he is accused of being a terrorist—charges that developed world has poured into China over recent de- compete with countries like China. Essentially those ing in his criticisms of China. If we believe the Chinese his friends and family as well as Amnesty International cades, the country is becoming an economic power- demands mean scaling back the gains made in social people should be entitled to the first two rights, just as allege to be fabricated. The only thing exceptional about house. justice and environmental policies. Canadians are, then the third should follow as well. It this case is that Celil is a citizen here—anyone familiar And why not invest in China? The rights of work- In light of all this, it is fortunate that Prime will be interesting if such concerns become an issue with the behaviour of China’s so-called ‘Communist’ ers barely exist, at least in the way we think of them in Minister Harper has begun to take an interest in human for the Federal government in its approach to foreign government acknowledges that this is just another item Canada. Free trade unions are not permitted, and while rights in China. In addition to advocating political and policy, but I’m not holding my breath. to add to the list of arbitrary detentions and even more on paper there do exist some protections for workers, religious rights, the Prime Minister should advocate for A Stable Ground for Critique Ben Wood Comments Editor L forefront. I really do love the intentions of our University constantly new masses of students, impressed with this to be an integral part of the community and a welcom- “free space” that was ignored in other aspects of life, that ing space for all ideas, however I expect that it may forget the quality of education keeps being ignored. can understand how there needs to be a proper ratio be- its main purpose. Our green initiatives and revitalization At this time, students are overwhelmed with tween them and the students. of a crumbling downtown are all great aspects of this course and professor evaluations and while it may be While this issue is important it really highlights a institution but what about a limited number of classes assumed that our one attempt to provide feedback problem within universities. It is not so much about this being offered in a department due to lack of professors? goes unanswered, if a real problem exists complaints particular lack of teaching assistants as it is about these Is there too much money being spent on address- shouldn’t stop here. Maybe it needs to be clarified that it ate last month a group of students from the institutions being able to critique all other institutions in ing all the needs of students outside the classroom that is our right to protest for a better learning experience at University of Ottawa filed a case against their society but is hesitant to admit its own faults. there is little left to spend on professors, teaching assis- the same time as any social issue on our mind. school claiming that their class was not pro- Universities are very good at responding to stu- tants, or anything else effective to the learning process; The case filed against the University of Ottawa vided with an adequate number of teaching assistants dents in all areas of life outside the classroom. Here at too much money spent on being a stable ground where provides inspiration in that not all become so con- despite letters from the professor of the class to the de- the University of Winnipeg there are countless move- students can criticize all other institutions except the tent with this “free space” that they ignore the quality partment dean, the vice-president and the president of ments that attempt to bring attention to any number of one that lacks the adequacy to provide the means for a of teaching; that they went beyond a verbal complaint the University. Their request was for a partial reimburse- marginalized group or issue and while these are incred- proper education? among friends and had the courage to face the daunting ment of their tuition for the course. ibly important it seems easy to forget the primary func- It may be or it may become that the function of tion of the University. Or maybe its primary function has the University is changing, if not changed already. The It is important to remind universities, such as been replaced? University may be becoming too much of a commu- these students in Ottawa did, that this “free space” might A lack of teaching assistants may not seem like it would hold the ability to disrupt the proper functioning bureaucracy of a University. of a class however in many large classes, ones that are The University as the ultimate “free space” for new nity and less of a school. “Professional” students aside, be used to criticize them, to remind them of their forgot- in limited number here at the University of Winnipeg, I ideas or movements seems to have been brought to the most are not here longer than 4 or 5 years so there are ten function. uation in the first place. term, it is about a career prospects in the long term; and Laughing All the Way to the Bank By interfering with the supply and demand of the labour market via governmental incentives, the NDP there are very few career opportunities for graduates in Manitoba. A tax rebate to grads will never change that. keeping graduates in the province. Caught between the will ultimately fail to reach its goal of retaining students. Yet as futile as this plan is, it is still great news sprawling metropolis around Toronto to the east, and When governments try to outplay market forces, gov- for those of us who will nonetheless remain here in the rapidly expanding economy in Alberta to the west, ernments far more often than not lose. The simple re- the province. And on behalf of those of us who will be most graduates are drawn out of province simply out of ality is that any job, from burger flipping to the practice enduring Manitoba’s long, cold, NHL-teamless win- he provincial NDP government recently an- economic necessity. The commendable goal of the pro- of medicine, pays far more out east or west. A grad in ters, I say thank you Mr. Doer. Thank you for once put- nounced an initiative that should make any posed plan is to attract students to Manitoba and retain either Ontario or Alberta working full time over the same ting me—a needy, hungry, student—at the front of the student planning to stay in Manitoba happy— them as graduates. Yet even with a higher cost of living, period as their tax claim would make far more money trough of poorly spent tax dollars. a tuition rebate program. In the NDP’s throne speech, the same jobs pay far more out west or east than they working out of province than they would receive back Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard promised a tuition do here in Manitoba. As such, retaining educated and from this proposed rebate. rebate plan for U of M grads based on a similar pro- productive graduates is vital to improving the province’s Worse, the most economically potent graduates problem—a poor economic sector that is not utilizing gram founded in New Brunswick. If successfully imple- woeful economic situation. Thus, Gary Doer’s plan to that this provinces needs the most—those with ad- its comparative advantages—instead of trying to band- mented next year, the Manitoba plan would give gradu- entice graduates to stay is simple: offer cash-strapped vanced training with master, doctoral, medicine, law, aid the aforementioned problem’s consequences of de- ates a tax rebate of up to 50per cent of their university tu- students a tax break following their graduation, and they and business degrees—are going to be the ones who parting grads. This plan will not entice people to stay in ition, up to a maximum value of $10 000. A graduate will will stay. If only the problem were that simple. are the least effected by the program. Is $10 000 over Manitoba. In the end, all this program will do is pay back Michael Silicz T The New Democrats should spend the absurd amount of money this plan will cost on fixing the real be able to deduct up to a maximum of $2 000 per year off Unfortunately, the proposed plan is counter- five years really going to persuade a doctor to practice in those of us who were going to stay in Manitoba anyways. their taxes over five years. Alternatively, a graduate will productive and misdiagnoses the real problem behind Manitoba when he or she could make double the salary And for that, Mr. Doer, I’ll be laughing all the way to have up to 20 years to claim the full benefits of half their Manitoba’s economic dilemma. Thus, the plan will ulti- east, west, or south of the province? the bank. tuition costs depending on their tax bracket. If all goes mately fail at its goal of keeping graduates in the prov- Ultimately, a tax rebate is not going to entice grads according to plan, if a graduate stays in Manitoba, he or ince. First, the plan attempts to interfere with the market to stay here, because only a strong, vibrant, and inno- Michael Silicz is a first year law student at the she will receive half of their money back. forces that entice educated workers to other parts of the vative economy can do that. What is the point of earn- University of Manitoba, with a B.A(hons) in political But therein lies the problem— staying in Manitoba. country. Consequent to this, the proposal misses the ing a Bachelor degree when Manitoba has virtually no studies & history and a M.A. in political studies. It is no secret that Manitoba is having a difficult time very reason why students leave the province after grad- jobs tailored for one? It is not about money in the short contact: uniter @ uniter.ca The Uniter December 7, 2006 DIVERSIONS Comments 0 Diversions Editor : Matt Cohen E-mail: [email protected] Wine On A Dime Michael Banias method”. The wine is bottled, yeast is added, and the bottle is sealed and placed in a cellar for a second fermentation. The bottles get ro- Why are some wines called tated every once in a while to promote the Champaign and some sparkling fermentation, and you have sparkling wine. wine? It’s a question asked a lot this All Champaign is made in this way, and any time of year. Champaign is really sparkling wine that has “traditional method” expensive. Starting around $40 a or “Champaign method” on the label is made bottle and ranging to several thou- this way as well. sand. Champaign comes from the Champaign region in France The Only One STUDENTS HELPING STUDENTS UofW Peer Support My father recently passed away and I can’t get past this numb feeling. I just want to stay in bed all day. Where can I go for help? The first step is to talk to someone about your feelings. You need support at a time like this. Isolating yourself will not help. The process of mourning and grieving will be different for everyone. It takes most people one to two years to fully recover from a major loss in their family or close a friend. So give your self time to heal and process your emotions. You won’t feel better overnight or after one session with a counselor, but day by day, you will feel stronger and life will go on. Remember… you’re not the only one. If you have any questions you need help with please email us at: [email protected] of the same name. If it does not Chamdeville Blanc de Blanc Brut - come from Champaign France, ($12.99 private wine shops) – This is a great it is sparkling wine. Sorry, Baby Canadian crisp sparkling wine from France. It has great Champaign is not Champaign, sorry to burst undertones of green apple, with a toasty your bubble. mineral flavour. This is nice and dry, and Sparkling wine is just like regular stable great before dinner, or popping at midnight wine, except it is carbonated. However, not all January 1st. It also comes in 3 pre-portioned sparkle is the same. The least expensive is the 200ml bottle packs for $11 and change. sparkling wine that is literally carbonated like Jacob’s Creek Pinot Noir/Chardonnay a soft drink. Basically, they make wine, put it in Sparkling Wine – (about $14 at MLCC and pri- a big vat, and pump it full of CO2. This is how vate shops) – This is a Pinot Noir Chardonnay Baby Duck and Baby Canadian Champagne blend sparkling wine made in the traditional are made. Next, and perhaps a little more method. This is as close to real Champaign as common, is the “charmalat” method. The you can get in this price range. It is a very well wine is placed in a giant vat with yeast to made wine with chalky apple, pear, and citrus begin a second fermentation. This second flavours. fermentation is what creates the bubbles, and then the sparkling wine is bottled. This Questions or comments? is how Henkell Trocken is made. Finally, the [email protected] most expensive method is the “Champaign Mr. Smart Sam McLean H ave you ever been in a social situation dance, avoid placing nails or sharp implements where you wish you had some com- in the punch bowl in an attempt to “spike it.” prehensive guide on what to say and Also, yelling “Food Fight” and hurling your do? Ask no further. Here are three simple steps plate at fellow students will not rekindle old to social etiquette success. friendships. When walking through a rough neighbor- When seated in a crowded hospital wait- hood at a late hour, stay clear of loudly pro- ing room, do not scratch your neck and arms claiming your yearly earnings, denouncing the asking, “has anyone here heard of Ebola?” And toughness of local gangs, or lighting yourself on of course, lying face down on the floor and re- fire to frighten off pursuers. maining very still will only attract the wrong When attending your high-school grad kind of attention. Here are a few great sparklers that are much more reasonable to celebrate with: December 7, 2006 10 The Uniter contact: uniter @ uniter.ca DIVERSIONS Crossword puzzles provided by www.BestCrosswords.com. Used with permission. LAST PUZZLE'S SOLUTIONS Across 1- African antelope 5- Sudden pains 10- Member of a largely Middle Eastern people 14- Ireland 15- Belief involving sorcery 16- Roundish projection 17- Tirade 18- Collection of Hindu aphorisms 19- Small yeast cake 20- Run-down theater 22- To embroider 24- It may be picked 25- Play on words 26- Big 29- Tree syrup 32- Excursions 36- Opaque gemstone 37- Throughout the duration of 39- Monetary unit of Afghanistan 40- Informally 43- Driving peg 44- Tooth covering 45- Ship stabilizer 46- Hindu ascetic 48- Vulgar, ill-bred fellow 49- Courageous 50- Viper 52- Indian dish 53- Of that 57- Erased 61- Unit of language 62- Yacht 64- Bell-shaped flower 65- First-class 66- Off-limits 67- Scottish Gaelic 68- Type of gun 69- Garment worn by women 70- Tournament favorite Down 1- Saw cut 2- Russian range 3- Take a meal 4- Unsnarl 5- Postulate 6- Adjoin 7- Open mesh fabric 8- Clothes 9- Acute 10- Deficiency in pigmentation 11- Highway 12- French clergyman 13- Endure 21- Filled pastry crust 23- Money paid 26- Awkward boors 27- Suspension of breathing 28- Ran swiftly 29- Shrub of the cashew family 30- Fragrance 31- Longed 33- Overturn 34- Governs 35- With cunning 37- Lair, often for wild animals 38- Naught 41- Employ again 42- Small guitars 47- Make hard 49- Guy’s partner 51- Mails 52- Storage center 53- “____ the night before Christmas ...” 54- Shout in derision 55- Sea eagle 56- Antiaircraft fire 57- Entrance 58- Air-filled rubber hoop, become fatigued 59- Otherwise 60- Colored 63- Japanese sash Volunteer for The Uniter Tired of having other people write the news? Come on out to our News Storyboard meetings every Monday at 12:30 p.m. in The Uniter office, room ORM14 on the mezzanine in the Bulman Centre. Think you’re friggin’ funny, eh funny (non-gender specific) guy? Come on out to our Diversions meetings every Friday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. in The Uniter office, room ORM14 on the mezzanine in the Bulman Centre. Like sports but don’t totally feel like playing them? Come on out to our Sports meetings every Monday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. in The Uniter office, room ORM14 on the mezzanine in the Bulman Centre. You know who the hottest non-mainstream band in Canada is? Come on out to our Arts & Culture meetings every Wednesday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. in The Uniter office, room ORM14 on the mezzanine in the Bulman Centre. contact: uniter @ uniter.ca The Uniter December 7, 2006 FEATURES 11 Features Shedding Blood, Shedding Violence Menstrual art raises awareness about the Montreal Massacre one where I can feel proud and excited about When menstruating people become the Department of Political Studies at the aware of their moontime, as it is called in University of Winnipeg, has done extensive Indigenous traditions, they become more research on the way that the state and news- aware of their bodies and the world around papers cover sexual assault crimes. “Most them. Blood makes us real. Menstrual art often,” Sampert explains, “the state contin- allows women to make healthy connections ues rape myths.” The papers often “throw with their body, connections that our con- [rape] off as random, instead of a societal sumerist culture tries to remove with hy- problem. We need to dissect patriarchy.” giene products like too-small-to-see tam- Currently, the consequences of society’s pons and sanitary wipes. By utilizing blood unawareness of sexual assault crimes and to make art, menstruators honor that what other forms of violence against women has makes them unique. Menstrual blood be- manifested in the form of cutbacks to Status comes an artistic tool, as opposed to a dirty of Women Canada (SWC), a federal govern- inconvenience. ment agency that promotes equity and pro- And that is just the way women have vides support to women’s centers. Shelters been taught to perceive their menstruation: and women’s resource centers around the a dirty inconvenience—unhygienic, unsani- province are busy and crowded, and several tary and embarrassing. have relied on funding from this agency. Women are taught to feel the same Photo: Natasha Peterson Womyn’s Centre displays menstral art to raise awareness about violence against women. Kelly Ross Blood as Art As most would assume, menstrual art, up on these stories. Shannon Sampert, a professor in what it is capable of.” On November 29, the Minister way about their vulvas. The media portrays Responsible for the Status of Women, Bev women, or segmented parts of women, such Oda, announced that twelve of the six- as their vulvas, lips, legs, breasts and bum, as teen regional offices for the SWC are being objects. The objectification of women is dan- shutdown, and 50 per cent of its workforce gerous because it legitimizes violence against is being laid off. According to statusreport. women. It is easier to hurt an object, which is ca, a website set up to monitor the cuts to emotionless and unintelligent, than to be vi- SWC, the closures include the Winnipeg olent towards another human, a living being office. To replace the regional offices, four with ideas, emotions and blood. centers are being established, responsible Empowered women are less likely to be for larger regions of Canada. Winnipeg, for victimized by sexist violence. Empowered example, is now included in the office lo- women think of themselves as subjects, and cated in Edmonton, which will serve all four demand that those around them treat them Western Canadian provinces, the Northwest as such. Territories and the Yukon. “It’s awesome”, says a University of whereby artists use their blood as a creative The Gallery of Empowerment (and The Montreal branch will serve Quebec Winnipeg student as she takes in The Gallery instrument, is not a very common medium. Menstrual Art) “is a declaration of empow- and Nunavut. The rates of sexual assault in of Empowerment (and Menstrual Art) just Vanessa Tiegs, is one of the pioneer of men- erment”, says one member of the Womyn’s Nunavut are astronomical, especially in com- after the artists erected the artwork. Presented strual art. Live Journal hosts a community Centre. That is why “Menstrual Art” is in- parison to other provinces and territories in by the university’s Womyn’s Centre, the gal- for menstrual artists and those interested cased in quotations; the blood is an after- Canada. In a Statistics Canada report pub- lery, which showcases the menstrual blood in the art form for which Tiegs is the mod- thought. More important than the blood art lished last month, funded by SWC, Nunavut of collective members, went up November erator. Based on posts to the community, the in the glass case is the sheet that underscores reported 982 sexual assault offences per 25 to raise awareness about the Montreal University of Winnipeg is the second post- statistics about violence against women in 100000 residents in 2004. Manitoba, to com- Massacre and violence against women. secondary institution to present blood art Canada, and the message behind the art: pare, is still high in relation to other prov- which this year. Sarah Lawrence College in New “the only blood that a women should shed is inces, reporting 136 offences per 100000 took place on December 6, 1989 at École York presented menstrual art at the begin- her menstrual blood.” people. Polytechnique de Montreal, a post-second- ning of November to coincide with their ary engineering school, is Canada’s most Gender Fuck Symposium. The Montreal Massacre, deadly school shooting, whereby any-and- On campus, The Marika Olynyk, the Status of Women director for the University of Winnipeg Gallery of all women were targeted. Lepine, the 25- Empowerment (and Menstrual Art) contains year-old male shooter, entered a classroom, fifteen pieces of blood art. Fourteen of the and declared “I want the women”, forcing the Violence Against Women in Canada Student’s Association says, “Cutbacks to Status of Women Canada highlight the of Conservative government’s ignorance and fifteen frames are dedicated to the fourteen Empowerment (and Menstrual Art), there is a lack of commitment to issues of sexist vio- male students out at gunpoint. He continued women that were murdered in the Montreal sign that reads “Disgusted? I guess that makes lence in the country.” SWC funds reports on to roam the halls and other rooms in the col- Massacre. Their names are attached to these two of us:…” and goes on to list some facts violence against women and supports crisis lege, killing 14 women and injuring 13 other pieces. A fifteen, as a sign in the gallery ex- about the rate of violence against womyn in shelters. Without money, SWC cannot re- people in the school. plains, “is dedicated to all other women who Canada. One of the facts, as documented by search rates of sexist violence, and there- are victims of sexist violence”. Statistics Canada’s “Violence Against Women fore, cannot legitimize their existence with The massacre is the most well-known In the centre of the Gallery instance of gendercide to take place on The names of the artists do not appear Survey”, reads, “51% of women in Canada hard statistics. The cutbacks discount seri- Canadian soil. In 1991, Canadian Parliament in the gallery. The artists, the majority of have experienced violence.” The statistics ous problems that exist within the border. selected December 6 as the National Day whom are Womyn’s Centre members, de- are also posted around the U of W campus. of Remembrance and Action on Violence cided to remain anonymous so to not draw Despite the dominant perception, vi- Against Women. The date is commemorated attention away from their message: “the only olence against women is still quite promi- on nearly all college and university campuses blood that a women should shed is her men- nent; sexist violence did not begin and end Representatives from unions and wom- across the country. strual blood.” with the Montreal Massacre. The reason why en’s centers across Manitoba are holding a On December 8, Liberal and New Democratic MPs will be speaking in the House against these cutbacks. This year, the University of Winnipeg In a discussion with the Womyn’s Centre it may appear as though misogyny is a fig- funeral for SWC on December 10. The tenth Womyn’s Centre staged a die-in and held members, it became quite evident that the ment of the feminist imagination is because of this month marks the 25th anniversary of a ceremony in Centennial Hall to remem- artists feel a great sense of accomplishment the vast majority of violence against women Canada’s ratification of the United Nations ber the victims of the Montreal Massacre and empowerment. One artist and active occurs in a domestic setting by someone that Convention on the Elimination of all forms and other victims of sexist violence, such as member of the campus Womyn’s Centre, the women knows, such as a family member, of Discrimination against Women. “Instead the young people that were murdered in the who asked to remain unnamed said, “partic- lover or friend. A 1999 statistic, posted on the of Celebrating this historic milestone”, says Amish community last autumn. ipating in this art project had a really posi- Sexual Assault Care Centre website and on a rallying publication from an ad hoc group tive effect on me and how I anticipated my the fact sheet in the Gallery of Empowerment called womenactionfemmes, “we will be mo- cycle. I found myself looking forward to my says, “80% of sexual assaults occur in the bilizing to ensure that Prime Minister Harper period, which is somewhat new to me. The home.” respects his own election commitment to The gallery of blood art was erected nearly two weeks before December 6. whole experience was inspiring and it helped Often, instances of domestic violence create a healthy perspective about my body, go unreported, and the media does not pick uphold women’s equality and human rights in Canada.” December 7, 2006 12 The Uniter contact: uniter @ uniter.ca ARTS & CULTURE The Daily Show anOmoly Conrad Mulcahy Kevin Fitzsimons Jon Stewart is changing the way we watch news Jon Stewart with Senator John Kerry Stewart with Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James they’re not getting the news from us; they’re nificant growth in prime-time programming – coming to us to find out what the funny is on it. when the channels are oriented toward showing If we stopped being funny, they’d stop watching features – than they did for daytime, which is ori- the next day.” ented to tracking the news. Unfortunately for cable news networks, the In a Canadian University Press story in success of “The Daily Show” highlights the failure October, Eric Szeto pointed out the emergent of the press to reach the younger audience that problem of cable news supplementing its pro- Stewart has captured. Stewart laments his suc- gramming with video news releases (VNRs). cesses as symptoms of the erosion of the press. VNRs are pre-recorded press-release segments “The news media on television has become designed by public relations companies and rep- me, an entertainer, and that’s where we’ve lost resented by the stations that broadcast them as something.” actual news stories. Local television news and network news rat- The popularity of VNRs among the net- ings have been in steady decline for a few years works is evidence of the strong corporate ties that now, according to the Nielsen ratings. Cable news, they hold with their sponsors. The patent conflict on the other hand, enjoyed a steady increase in of interest presented by VNRs is not impressed on viewership from 2004 to 2005, rising 2.5 per cent. the viewers because they are broadcast without Of the three main cable news networks in the States – CNN, MSNBC and Fox News – only one was responsible for that growth: Fox News. The ratings of the other two networks suffered. NORMAN JEAN ROY The most dramatic change is occurring in prime time, with Fox’s ratings increasing by nine any disclaimer alongside actual stories produced by the network. Biased, unsourced and unaccountable, VNRs do not meet even the barest standards of journalism, and yet they are presented to the public as examples of such. Lars Bohr ibustering sources who talk their way around the per cent, MSNBC decreasing by two per cent and To remedy such problems, Jon Stewart has Excalibur (York University) issue they are supposed to be discussing. CNN decreasing by 11 per cent. Less dramatic is suggested “that [the press] remove themselves The focus of mainstream television news the change in daytime viewership, with Fox’s rat- from the symbiotic relationship that they have has shifted away from comprehensive, con- ings increasing by five per cent, MSNBC increas- developed with the power structures created by TORONTO (CUP) – Faux news is no longer densed news coverage so radically that programs ing by three per cent and CNN decreasing by the corporations and the political bodies,” and faux. Jon Stewart, nine-time Emmy winning like “The Daily Show” have adjusted their format seven per cent. he stresses that “mostly what I’m talking about American comedian, satirist and author, has been in response, and have begun siphoning viewers called the “Walter Cronkite for a younger gener- from the networks. The agenda for each channel appeared to be is television, and the print media is much better approximately the same, and it says in the report at providing context, but providing it a week later Many of Stewart’s viewers watch his program that “immediacy seems to be the criterion of im- and by then everybody’s moved on.” His “fake news” program, “The Daily Show”, to the exclusion of network broadcasts like CNN. portance above all others.” But why is there a dis- has won Peabody Awards for its coverage of the Yet this is not to say that his viewers rely on him as crepancy in ratings if they are all so similar? last two presidential elections. The show never their sole source of information, and Stewart him- could have won these awards, the oldest in the self stresses that this is not the case. ation.” field of journalism, without its merits as a legitimate news source. A content analysis showed Fox’s presenta- As an alternative to revamping the television news media, Stewart advocates the networking of the blogosphere. tion of the news to be faster paced, better stylized “People that care about the truth, you know In an interview the morning after the 2004 and more opinionated. But over a 24-hour period, them, I know them. . . . You’ve got people on blogs presidential debate between Bush and Kerry, it presented the same basic information as the fact-checking as things happen. Now some of other two channels. those people are conspiracy theorists; some are The show is remarkable for its levity and its Stewart was asked by Jenny Anderson of the New gravity, but most of all for its density. In less than York Post, “You’ve frequently commented on how CNN did come out ahead in the ratings really smart. Have somebody at the centre of it half an hour, Stewart packs in much of the hard scary it is that a growing number of young people survey in one respect: It had a higher number of who can be an arbiter of what’s real and what’s news that the major cable news networks stretch get their news from you. Now that you know that unique viewers watching, if only for short periods not. Have a network . . . that’s reactive to the game out over a span of 24 hours, and serves it up with for a fact, do you look at your responsibility any of time. Fox had more viewers watching longer, of strategy that’s being played in Washington.” his own brand of social criticism. This format more seriously?” but CNN watchers were still checking in for the thrives on Comedy Central. A 2006 Indiana University report entitled “No,” Stewart replied. “We do not instruct [viewers], and we assume a knowledge base… The irony of Stewart’s situation, which has not been lost on him, is that his show thrives on headlines. Ratings across the board showed a more sig- material generated by a laughably incompetent “The State of the News” found the show’s cov- administration and laughably inadequate televi- erage of the 2004 election to contain as much sion news coverage, neither of which should be a actual news as network evening news broadcasts. laughing matter. Stewart, expressly a comedian and not a reporter, In recent years, his comedy has taken on has become one of the most trusted names in some grim undertones as he is shunted into a news in America. leadership role. With an increase in his show’s The recognition of “The Daily Show” as a popularity comes an increase in Stewart’s respon- legitimate news source raises serious questions sibility to the public discourse. about the legitimacy of the established television According to Nielsen Media Research, the news media. average American home now has more televi- Be it through the rise of programs like “The sion sets than people, with the average number of Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” or the de- people standing at 2.55 and the average number cline of the mainstream press, the television news of television sets at 2.73. The invention of flat media in the United States seem to be settling at screen sets has furthered the ubiquity of televi- the qualitative level of “infotainment.” sion, which can now be found in many public “We should probably be concerned about spaces. both because neither one is particularly substan- With the steadily increasing pervasiveness tive,” said Julia Fog, author of “The State of the of television, there may be a real – if intangible News”. Kevin Fitzsimons Another report, “The State of the News Media 2006” from the Project for Excellence in Journalism, found cable news to be sparsely reported, highly opinionated and permissive of fil- Jon Stewart and correspondent Samantha Bee Indecision 2006 – “Battlefield Ohio: ‘The Daily Show’s’ Midwest Midterm Midtacular” – danger in allowing the cable news networks to purport themselves to their viewers as comprehensive, explorative objective news sources – which they are plainly not. contact: uniter @ uniter.ca The Uniter December 7, 2006 ARTS & CULTURE Arts & Culture Arts & Culture: Mike Lewis E-mail: [email protected] 13 Staff Reporter: Kenton Smith E-mail: [email protected] ElementSircus IX Ringing in the Winter Solstice Aaron Epp W hile many people dread the winter season, Winnipeg experimental/ambient trio The Absent Sound celebrate it. ElementSircus, the bi-annual extravaganza organized by the band and Ragpickers Anti-Fashion Emporium & Books, takes place at the Pyramid Cabaret on Friday, Dec. 22. This month’s event, which coincides with the winter solstice, features music by the aforementioned Absent Sound (with special guests Fubuki Daiko), as well Mahogany Frog, Ham and Sortie Real. In addition to the music, there will be films, dance, fire artists, games, theatrics, art, a trader’s post, and the now-infamous piñata smash. The festival is not derived from a hippie mentality, but instead goes way beyond that, says Absent Sound member Dave Fort (guitars, keyboards, chants). “We didn’t want to restrict the event to just a ‘hippie’ thing when we started ElementSircus,” he says. “That’s not to say we’re better than hippies, but the root of the event is to bring people from all walks of life together for this celebration.” This is the ninth ElementSircus Fort and bandmates Rob Menard (guitars, samples, loops, keyboards, chants) and Jim Demos (drums, keyboards, chants) have helped organize. Other celebrations occur during summer solstice, and two have been held in Saskatoon to celebrate fall equinox. Highlights from past events have included celebrating this past summer solstice in Old Market Square, as well as one that took place at the Monastery Ruins in St. Norbert. Says Fort of that event, “By the time we got on stage, the sun was coming up. That was fun.” The press release describes ElementSircus as “a costume-encouraged event.” In the past, says Menard, people have dressed up in everything from Halloween costumes to more elemental, solstice-inspired attire. Wizards, moneys and belly dancers are a few of the costumes the band has seen, but the one that sticks out most for them is one worn by a man calling himself Poor Andy. “He’s based on Charlie Chaplin, and he has a similar suit, hat and moustache,” says Menard. “He’s always carrying around a guitar or banjo, playing skiffle music.” The Absent Sound encourages people to be creative with their costumes. People who need a little bit of help coming up with something can head to Ragpickers where you will get 50% off the rental of a vintage costume when you purchase a ticket for ElementSircus. Photo: LAURA MILES With all of the different things going on at ElementSircus and the emphasis on wearing a costume, do Menard and Fort think that audiences long to participate more at concerts? “I was actually thinking about this the other day,” says Fort. “It’s kind of like when you’re at a club and there’s music. At first there’s no one dancing, and you need that first group of girls to start dancing. That then gives everyone else a sort of permission to start dancing. “It’s an evolution of participation where, say, the first 100 people at an event will do something, thereby giving the other 400 people who are there permission to do it as well.” Menard admits that while some people who attend ElementSircus prefer to simply ART CITY CHRISTMAS PhotoS: NATASHA PETERSON blend it with the rest of the crowd, for many others the night is a chance for them to showcase what they have to offer. Fort agrees. “It’s inherently in us to want to participate,” he says. “It’s like when you’re a 7year-old kid wanting to perform for your grandma at a Christmas family gathering. ElementSircus is an event people can come to and say, ‘I can have a good time, I can wear a costume, I can stand out here, and it’s accepted. It’s cool.’” ElementSircus takes place at the Pyramid Cabaret on Friday, December 22. Tickets are $10 with a costume or in advance (at Ragpickers and Into the Music) and $12 at the door without a costume. For more information, log on to www.myspace.com/elementsircus. December 7, 2006 14 The Uniter contact: uniter @ uniter.ca ARTS & CULTURE From Rags to Riches Selling Artwork without Commission Fresh Prey, an unusual and disturbing collection of canned “delicacies” that would embarrass even the most dedicated carnivores. Two other outstanding trios are Dinubuque Rey’s Fire (I,II,III) and Josh Dudych’s multicoloured forest. Rey delivers the fantastic progress of a building caught on fire, while Dudych’s representations play with nature’s hues in ways even Mother Nature could not imagine. Betlino Assa’s untitled work could just as easily be a painting of the fields of Amsterdam rather than of Manitoba’s wheat paradise. His scenery would undoubtedly make Van Gogh tear, or at least bleed from the ear. Ksenia Prints Beat reporters A t times, exhibitions that show anyone who is willing are the best places to go scout for talent. Whether potential art buyers, enthusiasts, or beginners, acerartinc’s Winter Warmer has something for everyone. In this annual members show, all proceeds go to the artists, but the gallery reaps all the fame. Aceartinc is a non-profit, artists run gallery. “All members and staff are usually artists, and we get a lot of artists who become members to show their artwork,” says Liz Garlicki, the gallery’s assistant. The gallery is financed through various donations, government grants and memberships, which cost a meagre 10-25 dollars a year. The membership earns Winnipeg’s aspiring Michelangelos and Pollocks access to a resource centre, a library, and help with artist resumes. An additional workshop area is being planned. To some, the biggest benefit of a membership is the unique opportunity of showcasing work without any commission at the yearly Winter Warmer. “It’s an open member show—if you’re a member, you can show” says Garkicki. “In [this show], 100 per cent goes to the artists—we are just the facilitators,” she proudly adds. There were no judging criteria employed for choosing the displayed works, nor a limit on the amount of submissions per artist. Throughout the rest of the year artwork is juried. As expected, all styles and forms can be found in Winter Warmer. From Jean Bachynsky’s beautifully plump statues to peculiar doodles on paper, there is no shortage of mediums either. Lina Pearce’s fabric applications of legs would make any foot-fetishist break out in cold sweat. But if Juan Zavaletz was aiming for shock value in his haunted charcoal representation of The Angel of Death Masturbating Herself with Paul the Apostle’s Head, the work falls short—it provokes embarrassment, but only for the artist’s attempt. Simon Hughes has the cutest fishermen you’ll ever see, in a trio of Inuit-featuring collages. Another animal inspired work is As for photography, Veronica Prewedo’s church signs stand out not for being works of stunning photography, but for the simple smile they can bring to a person’s lips. In another joy-filling work, Aston Coles takes viewers back to childhood days, when we’d draw illustrations in the corners of notebook pages. Only difference is, his flipbook of Box Animation is amazingly original and polished. Winter Warmer runs at the aceartinc gallery, located on the second floor of 290 McDermot, Dec 2-9. 95.9 FM CKUW Campus/Community Radio Top 10 CD – Albums NOVEMBER 27 – December 3, 2006 ! = Local content * = Canadian Content RE=Re Entry NE = New Entry LW TW Artist RecordingLabel 1 1 *Various Artists Radio 3 Sessions 2 2 !Nathan 4 3 Decemberists 8 4 9 5 Tom Waits 7 6 3 7 Ivan Hrvatska Seasons of Love Party All Year Coconut Dreams 5 8 *Kinnie Star Anything 10 9 !Romi Mayes Sweet Something Steady 6 10 *The Dears Gang of Losers Casserole Last Man Standing Orphans Mint Nettwerk The Crane Wife Jerry Lee Lewis EMI K2 Anti *Be Good Tanyas Hello Love Nettwerk Violet Inch/Maple Music Independent Maple Music Arts & Culture Editor: Mike Lewis E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 786-9497 Fax: 783-7080 contact: uniter @ uniter.ca A Southern Manitoba Murder of Crows C12, 2006 Winnipeg’s own Red Blanket are a fourpiece instrumental band who are sure to start turning heads soon, if they haven’t already. Their new release, A Southern Manitoba Murder of Crows, should help. Red Blanket play something like thrashy mathmetal with a few different elements thrown in, along with some surprises. Comparisons with fellow locals Electro Quarterstaff are can be made, but Red Blanket tend to diverge somewhat from the straight-ahead headbanger metal that EQ do so well. Instrumental music can falter through repetition, but the musicianship on this record keeps the listener hanging - the instruments sing as well as any vocalist ever could. The eleven lengthy tracks, with titles like “Explanation Renders the Exotic Mundane”, and “The Mutants of 2031 AD”, fit together well like an extended jam session, yet without becoming tedious. A great listen for anyone wanting to check out something from Winnipeg’s innovative music scene. www.myspace.com/redblanket December 7, 2006 ARTS & CULTURE cd REviews Red Blanket The Uniter 15 BOOK REview Sarah Slean Orphan Music Warner Music, 2006 At a time of year when record companies flood music stores with “Greatest Hits” CDs and other packages of previously released material, it’s kind of hard not to be cynical about Orphan Music. The CD is a collection of 13 previously released songs, stripped down of their original studio flourishes and reworked live and in the studio to focus on Slean’s voice and piano playing (augmented on a few tracks by a string quartet). It sucks paying for all of the same songs again, but the CD does capture the spirit of a Sarah Slean show as well as showcase her immense talent. (Two b-sides are part of the collection as well.) Long-time fans may be left wondering about the song selection (did Slean really need to include two versions of both “Lucky Me” and “Pilgrim”?), but this CD should serve as an excellent introduction for people listening to her for the first time. This Christmas, your ears could do a lot worse than adopt this orphan music. www.sarahslean.com Big Trouble in Little China Diamond Cutter No List Records, 2006 I’ve always wanted to start a rock band and write a song called “God Bless the Zoo (and the Royal Albert Too).” I think that if I ever got around to forming this band, we would sound a lot like Big Trouble in Little China. BTILC mix rock, punk and just a little bit of metal to create 8 songs that are raw, gritty, short, and to the point. Sometimes shouting, sometimes growling, and sometimes la-la-la-ing along with the guitar parts, George McKinnon’s vocals fit the music that this band makes perfectly. Standout tracks are “La Llorona,” which you can hear on the band’s MySpace webpage, and “Piss Proud,” a song that starts out slow (and surprisingly emotional) and ends up thrashing just as hard as the other 7. This is the perfect CD to listen to when you’re pre-gaming it at your buddy’s house before going to the Albert on a Saturday night. High art Diamond Cutter is not, but if you’re looking for mindless fun, you can find it here. www.wearebtilc.com -Aaron Epp -Aaron Epp -Derek Leschasin Bitter Chocolate: Investigating the Dark Side of the World’s Most Seductive Sweet – Carol Off Random House Canada (336 pages) Reviewed By Derek Leschasin There’s an old half-joke sometimes, spouted about how people on the left like to ‘ruin everything for the rest of us’. Cigarettes, brand-name clothing, military coups—you name it. That’s why I write this review with some degree of trepidation. Who doesn’t like chocolate? It tastes delicious, makes you feel good, and it’s a no-brainer gift. It’s great. But as is the case with so many other things that consumers consume, we really don’t know much about where our chocolate comes from, prior to it being formed into bars, chips, sauces, etc etc. Veteran CBC journalist Carol Off sets out to change that in her insightful and wide-ranging look into the ‘dark side’ of something that is as natural as a cup of coffee in the morning. Off takes us on a review through the surprisinglyfascinating history of chocolate, and the cocoa plant from whence it comes. The story originates with the indige- TEDIOUS MINUTIAE nous civilizations of South America, who used cocoa beans Or: Ineffectively Detailing One’s Cultural Consumption for the Uncaring Installment 2.13 Europeans recognized the potential of cocoa, and enslaved to make a frothy drink that both fascinated and repulsed the Spanish Conquistadors. It wouldn’t take long before first South Americans, then Africans (once the plants were introduced to Africa) for the task of harvesting and process- On painful labours and cutting the proverbial cord ing what would become a precious commodity the world over. Essentially, the story of the path to developing what we know of as ‘chocolate’ has a parallel narrative of exploitation and brutality. Happy Valentine’s Day! Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson [email protected] injected into the spine, if you can believe it), because when the pain gets bad and the mother stalwart he must have been in the delivery room. is begging for pain relief, there won’t be any So the first week of pre-natal classes has come and gone, and overall it’s been a really good options left on the table other than the goodwill of your partner. begins to falter in chronicling the convoluted world of the modern chocolate industry—at times teetering on the edge of losing her focus. She charts the rise of “Big Chocolate” Anyhow, the Grits have got some damn ugly, (Hershey, Mars, etc) and its eventual close ties to Cote whiny babies on their hands that wallow in the d’Ivoire, a war-torn country on the west coast of Africa stench of their own storied diapers. Yet somehow experience. I wore a 35 pound backpack on the Off’s writing is accessible and fast-paced, but she school, and can only imagine what an emotional and one of the world’s biggest suppliers of cocoa. Once an African ‘miracle’ for its strong economy based almost front of my body for a bit, which offered insight It’s taking me a while to write this week’s all of this kind of political posturing is irresist- into the difficulty of walking around with all the installment for a couple of reasons. First of all, ible to me. It wouldn’t matter what party was try became a basket case when prices tumbled. With Big extra weight of pregnancy. I bounced around a bit I don’t want to come across as giving advice involved—I’d be all over it. Chocolate only willing to pay the minimum market price for on a fucking birthing ball for a bit, and contem- to potential parents. Secondly, I don’t want to plated whether or not I’ll cut the umbilical cord. misrepresent my partner when talking about our But where was I? Oh yeah. Pre-natal classes. I’m thinking since there will be trained medical experiences. Thirdly, wrap-up coverage of the You’d think in a room full of pregnant people there folk on hand, I’ll take a pass. Best that I’m not near first ballot of the Liberal party leadership is on TV would be some comfortable chairs available. No scissors as I try to refrain from passing out. in the background, so it’s hard to concentrate. dice… but really, that’s my only complaint—I exclusively on the high value of cocoa beans, the coun- the beans, cocoa plantations in Cote d”Ivoire take on child figure the more preparation a dolt like me can labourers from other countries who eventually become slaves—children who were looking for ways to lift themselves out of poverty. From West Africa to Central America, Off introduces us to a wide array of vividly human characters. Some are immersed in the corruption and exploitation of the industry, others are fighting against it. Their interviews are backed It’s suggested prospective parents complete Talk about a painful birthing process. The have for something as huge as childbirth is up by her research involving an extensive list of sources. a birth plan before heading to the hospital—that Liberal party has been in labour for the better part probably a good thing. From the hand-knit It’s really Off’s personal skills as a writer and journalist that way, there’s no chance of something happening of a few months now—I’m not sure if it’s painful replica of the uterus to the doll with the snap-on during the process that may go against your for them, but it sure is painful for me. It just seems umbilical cord, it just got me more excited for wishes. Having said that, the variables involved in to go on and on, and no one potential leader has the real event! childbirth are such that many birth plans quickly emerged that can seem to pose a credible oppo- go out the window. It’s probably not prudent to nent to Prime Minister Steven Harper. I think back E: [email protected] strictly rule out an epidural (a numbing agent to him shaking his kids’ hands as they leave for W: tediousminutiae.blogspot.com make Bitter Chocolate an intelligent and enjoyable read, despite her occasional meanderings. In the hands of a less talented journalist or an academic, a fascinating and disturbing story could be rendered boring, sensationalist, or trivial. Perhaps unfortunately, like any good journalist, Off offers no answers to the issues she confronts. Clearly the market has failed many people yet again, and yet again we’re all complicit to some extent. Christmas cake is chocolate-free, right? December 7, 2006 16 The Uniter contact: uniter @ uniter.ca ARTS & CULTURE Blood diamonds and DiCaprio Movie’s political message overshadows action elements Sana Shahram The Ubyssey (University of British Columbia) VANCOUVER (CUP) – “Blood Diamond” is set against the backdrop of the 1990’s civil war in Sierra Leone and follows two men, Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Solomon Mandy (Dijmon Hounsou), as their lives become intertwined in respective attempts to locate a rare diamond that can save both of their lives. Solomon, a Mende fisherman, needs the diamond to save his son’s life while Archer, an ex-mercenary from Zimbabwe, sees the diamond as his ticket out of Africa. Maddy Brown ( Jennifer Connelly), an idealistic American journalist, comes to Sierra Leone hoping to expose the illegal diamond trade and instead finds herself on an adventure with the two men. This would be the formula for a conventional action-packed blockbuster except for a number of major differences. The film’s depiction of the diamond trade, a problem that still plagues many regions of Africa today, is so central to the film that the adventurous elements become secondary to the movie’s message. The film’s Hollywood clout acts to magnify its politically volatile message. “First and foremost, [Dijmon and I] both realized that the movie had to be emotionally moving and it had to be a good story and there had to be compelling characters,” DiCaprio said in a phone interview. “Otherwise, [just being] a political film doesn’t translate to create any type of tangible change amongst people who watch the movie.” The film’s representation of issues surrounding diamonds has already sparked action from advocates on both sides of the conflict. The World Diamond Council has apparently committed up to $15 million to a worldwide advertising campaign attempting to refute claims about the foreign practices of diamond companies. Director Edward Zwick recognizes the need for industries to protect their interests, but argues that the potential to hurt someone’s reputation is no reason to shelve a film. “That’s like saying that movies depicting the Holocaust shouldn’t be made because Germany is now our ally,” he said. Zwick’s film has also attracted the support of Amnesty International, which is carrying out a campaign to sell rubber bracelets with the film’s title written across them. It is rare for a major Hollywood film studio to fund such a socially conscious and controversial production. Hounsou recognizes this and is extremely grateful for the support from Warner Bros. “It’s very commendable, certainly, to have Warner Bros. backing us up and spending whatever money we needed to spend to see the story told accurately,” he said. DiCaprio adds, “[It’s] not often times when films like this are financed within the studio system, so we both jumped at this opportunity.” The cast and crew spent approximately four months in harsh conditions in Mozambique, as well as in South Africa before and during the shoot. “It’s one thing where, certainly I’d known the statistics and I had travelled to Africa even before,” Connelly said. “It’s another thing to live on a daily basis for about four months in the places like Maputo and in South Africa that we were in.” She added that she was very grateful for the opportunity to bring her family along to educate her children FILE PHOTO DiCaprio as Danny Archer in politics action flick, Blood Diamond on the poverty faced by the people of Mozambique. The shoot affected DiCaprio in a similar fashion. “Doing a movie like this, you can’t help but be affected in many different ways,” he said. “Going to an orphanage, for example, in the middle of Mozambique which has a horrific AIDS rate and people living in poverty, and to see the actual tangible contributions that are put into effect, it makes you want to come back home and give back.” Unlike the Western companies depicted in the film, the cast and crew of “Blood Diamond” made sure to give back. According to Zwick, “everyone among the cast and crew contributed some money and created a fund to try to deal with the specific local issues in some of those villages where people had been exceedingly generous and gracious to us.” DiCaprio explains further that in addition to the fund, everyone became involved with Amnesty International and Global Witness to help effect positive change. “We didn’t feel right going to shoot there without giving something back.” Hounsou hopes that the film will be “used as an instrument to teach, and certainly educate, people around the world about the unfair trade rules of diamonds and other minerals and oil and so forth.” Connelly shares his hopes: “I’m a huge advocate of human-rights education for children in the hopes that we could foster a more politicized, conscientious generation.” Although the film may educate its audience regarding the conflict, the filmmakers say that it does not provide audiences with ways to help relieve African nations from such a violent conflict. “To have awareness that the things we buy come from someplace and that the people in those places aren’t necessarily benefiting from them is an important thing to begin to think about,” Zwick said. “By becoming an informed consumer you can literally help strengthen a process that needs to be strengthened that might prevent such things that have happened from happening there again.” Listings Coordinator: Nick Weigeldt E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 786-9497 Fax: 783-7080 December 7 ONWARDS ON CAMPUS ONGOING ENGLISH LANGUAGE PARTNERS needed in the Language Partner Program, U of W Continuing Education Campus, 294 William Avenue. Language partners are native (or fluent) English speaking volunteers who give ESL (English as a Second Language ) students an opportunity to practice speaking English outside of the classroom and to learn more about the Canadian way of life. The day and time partners meet is flexible. The time commitment is 1-2 hrs./week. Contact Rina Monchka, 982-1151; [email protected]. UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG TOASTMASTERS Meetings are held regularly on Friday mornings at 7:15 a.m. with the first meeting of the year to take place Friday, Sept. 8 in the UWSA Boardroom in the Bulman Centre. Students, faculty, and members of the community are welcome. It’s an opportunity to improve confidence in public speaking and writing, share your creativity, meet a diverse group of people, and become a leader. Come and be our guest! For more info call 284-5081. EVENTS VIRTUOSI CONCERTS presents “Classical & Latin* with Papa Mambo and Alma Petchersky, piano. Dec. 9, 8 p.m. EckhardtGramatté Hall, University of Winnipeg. Tickets: $29 adults / $27 seniors / $17 students. Contact 786-9000 or www.virtuosi.mb.ca. Free Parking available in the CBC Lot, accessed via Young Street. CAROLING FOR CANS Come Christmas Caroling for an hour or two to support Winnipeg Harvest. Dec. 10, 6 – 8 p.m. in Wolseley. Did you know 1 in 5 children in Manitoba live in poverty? Help fight hunger in Manitoba and spread a little holiday cheer by going Christmas Caroling to gain donations of food for Winnipeg Harvest. Sponsored by AIESEC, the group will meet in Wolseley (location TBA) and then get together after caroling for hot chocolate. UWMSSA BINGO BOWL Dec. 15, 7p.m. – 9 p.m. at Academy Lanes. $10 per person covers shoe rental and pizza. Everyone interested must sign up (by e-mailing [email protected], or signing the sheet located on the 6th floor Lockhart Hall) before Wednesday November 29th. Payments can be made to Julie in the math/stats department office. VIRTUOSI CONCERTS presents “Delicacy & Drama” with Li Wang, piano. Jan. 6, 8 p.m. EckhardtGramatté Hall, University of Winnipeg. Tickets: $29 adults / $27 seniors / $17 students. Contact 786-9000 or www.virtuosi.mb.ca. Free Parking available in the CBC Lot, accessed via Young Street. Want to submit your listing to Uniter Listings? Email your listings to [email protected] Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, eight days before the issue you’d like your listing to first appear in. The Uniter publishes on Thursdays, 25 times a year. WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS MATH / STATS STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION MATH PROBLEM-SOLVING WORKSHOPS by Dr. J. Currie. Every Monday, 1:30-2:20 p.m. in room 3C29. For students planning to try either of the upcoming math competitions or for students simply interested in learning some techniques for solving interesting math problems. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS CLASS At Elim Chapel (546 Portage Ave at Spence Street). Enter from the rear parking lot. Sundays 12 noon – 1:30 p.m. Improve your English by conversing, speaking & reading and learn about Jesus and Christianity; meet new Canadian friends. For information call Val & Veda Chacko – 257-1670. COUNSELLING AND CAREER SERVICES The University of Winnipeg Career Services is offering a series of Free Career Workshops, open to all students at the University of Winnipeg and the Collegiate. The workshops will be held in the Career Resource Centre (0GM09). To sign up, stop by the Counselling Services office (0GM06), email [email protected], or phone 786-9231. SUMMER JOB FAIR 2007 Many organizations will complete their Summer 2007 hiring from Dec. 2006 to Feb. 2007. If you haven’t started your summer job search yet, the Summer Job Fair is the time to start! Join us at the Summer Job Fair on Thursday, Jan. 18, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the Duckworth Centre. Speak with reps from dozens of organizations and learn about a wide range of summer opportunities! APPLICATION OPPORTUNITIES: The Ultrasound Training Program at the Health Sciences Centre is a 12 month full-time post-diploma program to train in the exciting field of diagnostic medical sonography. The program starts at the end of August. Current intake is limited to 10 students. Applicant selection begins in Jan.. Program details are available in the program information booklet (.pdf file) by visiting http://www. hsc.mb.ca/ultrasound/training_ program.htm. An application form can be obtained from the program office, phone (204) 787-7846. ANNOUNCEMENTS DO YOU LIKE WORKING WITH NEWCOMER CHILDREN? Do you believe you can change our community? If so, consider volunteering with some of our programs. The Citizenship Council of Manitoba Inc. International Centre is looking for student volunteers to help new arrivals to Canada learn English and feel welcome in our country. Opportunities exist for volunteers to give their time and support to the Centre’s Immigrant Children and Youth Programs including Sports Activities for Newcomer Kids, Empowerment for Newcomer Youth, Newcomer Buddy Welcome Program and our After Class Education Program. If you’d like to help out, contact Si-il Park at 943-9158 ext 285 or 688-1941. KAPATID IN-SCHOOL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM Partnering university students with Filipino new comer high school students as in-school mentors. Weekly Mondays to Thursdays from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Learn how to become eligible for the UWFSA Bursary. To volunteer email the University of Winnipeg Filipino Students’ Association at [email protected] for more information. WII CHIIWAAKANAK LEARNING CENTRE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Do you need volunteer hours on your resume? Do you need volunteer hours for a class? Come and volunteer in the Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre. The Community Learning Commons is located at 509-511 Ellice Ave. Please submit your resume to: Christine Boyes, RBC Community Learning Commons Coordinator, Wii Chiiwaakanak Learning Centre, The University of Winnipeg. Phone: 789-1431; Fax: 786-7803; Email: [email protected]. THE WRITERS’ COLLECTIVE is always looking for contributions for our bimonthly journal, The Collective Consciousness. We publish poetry, short fiction, short non-fiction, screenplays, plays, articles, interviews, book reviews, and more. All submissions should include a brief (roughly 3 lines) personal biography. We prefer email submissions to avoid inaccuracies in retyping text for the journal. Submissions should be emailed to writerscollective@uwinnipeg. ca with “Collective Consciousness submission” in the subject line. By mail: mark as Collective Consciousness submissions, and sent to: The Writers’ Collective, 4th Floor Library, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9. ART HISTORY STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION All students are welcome at our meetings, Thursdays at 12 p.m. Meet in the History Common, Room 3rd Floor Ashdown. If you want to discuss arts & culture and meet new friends, check us out! It’s also a great opportunity to get involved in student projects, from arts writing to campus socials. JUICE JOURNAL The deadline for creative writing submissions for Juice 7, a University of Winnipeg creative writing journal is Jan. 15, 2007. Send us your fiction & creative non-fiction: 10 double-spaced pages maximum; poetry: 6 poems maximum,; and drama: 20 script page maximum. To be considered, all submissions must include: your name, U of W student #, complete mailing address, phone number and email address. All submissions must be in 8 1/2 x 11 format, numbered & include the author’s name on every page. Submissions must be in.doc, .rtf, or .txt file format. NO EXCEPTIONS. Drama submissions must be in script format. Email you submissions as digital attachments to [email protected]. PLEASE NOTE: we only accept submissions as digital attachments via email. AROUND TOWN ELEMENTSIRCUS Dec. 22 Pyramid Cabaret. A Sonic Multi-Media Winter Solstice Celebration featuring Absent Sound, Mahogany Frog, Sortie Real, Ham and many more performers TBA. This is a costumed event, so please make up a cool costume or rent one from Ragpickers for 50% off with the purchase of an ElementSircus ticket. Tickets are $10 costumed/or in advance and $12 without, available at Ragpickers, Into The Music, TBA. THE HIDDEN CAMERAS Dec. 8 Collective Cabaret, 9 p.m. With The Born Ruffians. Tickets $12 at Music Trader and Into the Music. MOMENTS OF BRILLIANCE CD RELEASE W/ THE ALIBI, FAME Dec. 8 West End Cultural Centre, 8 p.m. Tickets $7 or $10 with a CD. CINEMATHEQUE ‘The US vs. John Lennon’ profiles the singer’s transformation from musician to antiwar activist. Catch it at Cinematheque from Dec. 15 - 21 at 7 p.m. ELLICE CAFÉ & THEATRE 585 Ellice St 975-0800 Neighbourhood theatre and restaurant. Free movie nights Monday – Wednesday. Dec. 16: Free movie A Christmas Story, 3 p.m. PARK THEATRE 698 Osborne St 478-7275 Neighbourhood theatre and venue. Monday nights: Monday Night Football. Fridays at 5:30 p.m. Riverview Family Night, with movie TBA. Dec. 21: Park Monthly Japanese Animation Night, 7 p.m. THEATRE, DANCE & MUSICAL PERFORMANCE ELEMENTSIRCUS Mahogany Frog kicks winter in to gear with Absent Sound, Sortie Real, Ham and others at Elementsircus on Dec. 22 at the Pyramid. COMEDY TOAD IN THE HOLE / THE CAVERN 112 Osborne St – Comedy at the Cavern. Every second Wednesday. Dec. 13: Stand up. Dec. 27: Stand up. THE KING’S HEAD PUB 120 King St – King’s Head Happy Hour Weekly Comedy Night, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Dec. 12: Improv. Dec. 19: Stand Up. IMPROV SHOW Dec. 9 at Pulford Improv Palace (109 Pulford St.) Comedium performs at 8:30 p.m. and Outside Joke performs at 10 p.m. Cover $5. LAUGH RIOT Local comics take a crack at breaking the ever-cynical crowd at Mondragon. THE CROSSEYED RASCALS Present: Baba’s Fruitcake – clean improvisational comedy fundraiser, with musical guests Secondhandpants. Dec. 9, with two shows at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at PTE’s Mainstage (Third floor Portage Place). Admission is free with a donation to Habitat for Humanity and/or a nonperishable food item for Winnipeg Harvest. Tickets available at Hull’s Family Bookstore (372 Graham Ave) – 947-1365 or by contacting [email protected]. CINEMATHEQUE 100 Arthur St. Dec. 8, 7 p.m.: Food and the movies: Like Water For Chocolate, $15 includes reception. Dec. 8-14, 9 p.m.: Bujalski’s Mutual Appreciation, 2006. Dec. 9-14, 7 p.m.: Glatzer and Wastmoreland’s Quinceanera, 2006. Dec. 15-21, 7 & 9 p.m.: Leaf and Scheinfeld’s The US vs. John Lennon, 2006. Dec. 22-23, Dec. 26-Jan. 4, 7 p.m.: Yimou’s Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, 2005. December 7, 2006 17 WINNIPEG SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Concerts almost weekly during the fall. Dec. 8 – 10: Holiday Express. Dec. 15 – 16: An Innocent Man (Music of Billy Joel). Dec. 17: A Flicker of Light on a Holiday Night, a family concert. Call 949-3999 or visit the WSO box office at 555 Main Street. LITERARY KWAGALA FOUNDATION BENEFIT CONCERT Dec. 17 West End Cultural Centre, 8 p.m. Featuring The Paperbacks, Sheena Grobb, more. Tickets $10/12 at WECC and the U of Winnipeg Info Booth. MADRIGAIA HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Dec. 20 West End Cultural Centre, 8 p.m. With Twilight Hotel. Tickets $17 in advance at Ticketmaster, WECC, A La Page and Zoma. The Uniter LISTINGS @ uniter.ca RON SEXSMITH WITH JILL BARBER Dec. 9 West End Cultural Centre, 8 p.m. Tickets $27.50 at Ticketmaster and WECC. FILM CONCERTS contact: uniter @ uniter.ca THE GRIND First Thursday of the month at Ellice Café & Theatre (585 Ellice Ave) The Grind, a venue to encourage and develop performers and their ideas through the presentation of scenes, sketches, monologues, spoken word, short film, stand-up and music in front of a live audience. 7p.m., $4. CERCLE MOLIÈRE 340 Provencher Blvd.Tickets available at 233-8053 or visit www. cerclemoliere.com. Until Dec. 9: ‘La Boutique au coin de la rue’. MANITOBA THEATRE CENTRE 174 Market Ave. Tickets available at 942-6537. Until Dec. 16: ‘Orpheus Descending’. MANITOBA THEATRE CENTRE WAREHOUSE 140 Rupert St. Tickets available at 942-6537. PRAIRIE THEATRE EXCHANGE Third floor, Portage Place. Call 942-5483 or visit www. pte.mb.ca. MANITOBA CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Call MCO at 783-7377 or pick up tickets at McNally Robinson or Ticketmaster. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. at Westminster United Church. Next concert is on Jan. 17. VIRTUOSI CONCERTS presents “Classical & Latin* with Papa Mambo and Alma Petchersky, piano. Dec. 9, 8 p.m. EckhardtGramatté Hall, University of Winnipeg. Tickets: $29 adults / $27 seniors / $17 students. Contact 786-9000 or www.virtuosi.mb.ca. Free Parking available in the CBC Lot, accessed via Young Street. VIRTUOSI CONCERTS presents “Delicacy & Drama” with Li Wang, piano. Jan. 6, 8 p.m. EckhardtGramatté Hall, University of Winnipeg. Tickets: $29 adults / $27 seniors / $17 students. Contact 786-9000 or www.virtuosi.mb.ca. Free Parking available in the CBC Lot, accessed via Young Street. THE WINNIPEG SINGERS Call 989-6030ext1 or visit www. winnipegsingers.com. Next concert is Dec. 19 at Westminster United Church. McNALLY ROBINSON GRANT PARK Dec. 7, 7 p.m.: Robert Taylor signing Manitoba: Seasons of Beauty. Dec. 7, 8 p.m.: John Dankas & Richard Brignell launch Small Town Glory. MCNALLY ROBINSON PORTAGE PLACE Dec. 7, 7 p.m.: Launch of Naturescape Manitoba, a collaborative initiative of Manitoba conservation groups and agencies. Dec. 8, 11:30 a.m.: Russ Gourluck signing Going Downtown: A History of Winnipeg’s Portage Avenue. Dec. 14, 1 p.m.: Henry Cullihal signing After the Fall. SPEAKING CROW OPEN-MIC POETRY First Tuesday of the month at Academy Bar & Eatery. AQUA BOOKS 89 Princess St The Stone Soup Storytellers’ Circle, veteran Winnipeg storytellers, meets for storytelling once a month on Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Next get together is on Dec. 9. All are welcome. ideaExchange: Aqua Books, in conjunction with St. Benedict’s Table, is pleased to present our award-winning monthly conversation series dealing with issues of faith, life, theology and pop culture. OUT LOUD is an open mic opportunity for you to give your words voice. Every two weeks a special guest will kick off the evening after which the mic is open for your words of any genre in five minutes or less. Third Thursday of the month at the Millennium Library at 251 Donald. Sign up is at 7 p.m. Open mic at 7:50 p.m. Free. AD LIB is an evening of improvestyle word games. Every night is guaranteed to be different and full of laughs. From round stories to fridge magnet poetry, from opening lines to creating new endings, there’s no limit to the places these games – or your writing – can go. First Thursday of the month at the Millennium Library at 251 Donald at 7:30 p.m. Free. THE LIBRARY’S WRITERS CIRCLE at the Millennium Library presents ‘Candles in Winter’, and evening of poetry to bring you in from the cold. Featured readers include Sandy Stechisen, Brenda Sciberras and Ron Romanowski. Carol Shields Auditorium, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. GALLERIES & EXHIBITIONS IN PLAIN VIEW Winnipeg Studio Tour 2006 A group of Winnipeg artists have organized two weekend self-guided studio and gallery tours to take place on the weekend of Dec. 2 & 3 from 12 noon to 6 p.m on these days. Visit www.inplainviewwinnipeg.com for info. ACE ART INC. 290 McDermot St 944-9763 Tues-Sat 12-5. Until Dec. 9: ‘Crumpled Darkness’ Haraldur Jónsson and Steingrímur Eyfjörð. Curated / Organised by Hannes Larusen and Birna Bjarnadóttir. Until Dec. 9: 2nd annual Winter Warmer, an event that encourages the community to buy their work at a fair price for all. Contact gallery@ aceart.org for info. LDecember istings Coordinator: Nick Weigeldt 7, 2006 The Uniter 18 contact: uniter @ uniter.ca E-mail: [email protected] LISTINGS @ uniter.ca Phone: 786-9497 ADELAIDE MCDERMOT GALLERY 318 McDermot Ave 987-3514. URBAN SHAMAN 203-290 McDermot Ave 942-2674. Contemporary Aboriginal art. Until Jan. 6: 50 to 500, annual members’ exhibition and sale. THE ANNEX GALLERY 594 Main St 284-0673 Tues-Sat 12-5. Contemporary art. ARTBEAT STUDIO INC. 4-62 Albert St 943-5194. Communitybased contemporary art. ART CITY 616 Broadway Ave 775-9856 Mon 5-8 ,Tues-Fri 4-8, Sat 12-4. Featuring high quality artistic programming for kids and adults. THE EDGE ARTIST VILLAGE AND GALLERY 611 Main St. Dec. 8 – 15: First studio membership group show – ‘Have you Seen? Hear W Are!’ including a performance by Rik Leaf. FLEET GALLERIES 62 Albert St 942-8026 Mon-Thur 8:30-5:30, Fri 8:30-5, Sat 9:30-4:30. On now: A holiday exhibition of original paintings by Ed Becenko, Mary Anne Rudy, Sandi Caputo, Jason Cyr, Bill Lobchuk, Joanne Smoley and others. GALLERY 1C03 Centennial Hall, University of Winnipeg 515 Portage Ave 786-9253 Mon-Fri 12-4, Sat 14. The Gallery provides the campus community and general public with opportunities to learn about visual art, thereby reinforcing and emphasizing the educational mandate of the University. GALLERY 803 - 803 Erin St 4890872 Local artists featured. Until Jan. 4: Recent works by Winnipeggers Craig Love and Cliff Eyland. GALLERY LACOSSE 169 Lilac St 284-0726 Tues-Fri 10-6, Sat 105. Small neighbourhood gallery. Until Dec. 13: ‘Re-collection’, a new series of prints exploring legacies by printmaker Terry Vatrt. GALLERY ONE ONE ONE Main Floor Fitzgerald Building, School of Art U of Manitoba 474-9322. Showing and collecting contemporary and historical art at the U of M. Until Jan. 5: Exhibition featuring works by local artists Eleanor Bond, Aganetha Dyck, Wanda Koop and Diana Thorneycroft. GRAFFITI GALLERY 109 Higgins Ave 667-9960. A not-for-profit community youth art center, using art as a tool for community, social, economic and individual growth. Until Jan. 12: In conjunction with Label Gallery, ‘‘Good Ol’ Hockey Game: A look at the Canadian Pasttime’. HIGH OCTANE GALLERY, OSBORNE VILLAGE CULTURAL CENTRE 445 River @ Osborne St 284-9477. Local community art gallery. KEEPSAKES GALLERY 264 McDermot Ave 943-2446. A nonprofit gallery promoting handmade art, crafts, pottery, cards and more. KEN SEGAL GALLERY 4-433 River Ave 477-4527 Tues-Fri 106, Sat 10-5. Showcase of original contemporary art. Until Dec. 22: ‘Gardening the Planet’ by Richard Holden. LA GALERIE at the CENTRE CULTUREL FRANCO-MANITOBAIN 340 Provencher Blvd 233-8972 Mon-Fri 8am-10 p.m. Sat-Sun 12 p.m. - 10 p.m. Until Jan. 21: Brigitte Dion, ‘Virage’. Want to submit your listing to Uniter Listings? Email your listings to [email protected] Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, eight days before the issue you’d like your listing to first appear in. The Uniter publishes on Thursdays, 25 times a year. LA GALERIE Enjoy Brigitte Dion’s exhibition ‘Virage’ at La Galerie at the Centre culturel franco-manitobain over the holidays. LA MAISON DES ARTISTES 219 Provencher 237-5964 Mon-Fri 9-5. Until Jan. 16: ‘Mouvance’, a collaborative art project by two Quebecois, Gilles Prince and Yvon LaFontain, and two Manitobans, Michel Saint Hilaire and Nathalie Dupont. LABEL GALLERY 510 Portage Ave 772-5165 Tues-Sat 12-5. Volunteer artist-run non-profit art centre showcasing works of community artists. On now: Annual Photography Show. Holidaze Craft Sale 2: Dec. 15 (7 p.m. – 11 p.m.), Dec. 16 & 17 (11 a.m. – 6 p.m.), showcasing Winnipeg’s eclectic array of fine handmade gifts. Opening night with Spatula. MANITOBA CRAFTS COUNCIL EXHIBITION GALLERY 214 McDermot Ave 487-6114 Tues-Fri 11-5, Sat 11-4. Contemporary arts and crafts. MARTHA STREET STUDIO 11 Martha St 772-6253 Mon-Fri 10-5. Showcasing the fine art of printmaking. Until Dec. 25: ‘Umbrage’ by Patrick Neufeld. MEDEA GALLERY 132 Osborne St 453-1115 Mon-Sat 10:30-5, Sun 1-4. Until Dec. 16: ‘Midnight in the Garden’ by Ainslie Davis. MAWA - MENTORING ARTISTS FOR WOMEN’S ART 611 Main St 949-9490. Supporting women artists at their new home on Main Street. OUTWORKS GALLERY 3rd Floor 290 McDermot Ave 949-0274. Artist-run studio and exhibition space in the Exchange. Until Dec. 15: ‘Innuendo’, new ceramic masks and wall sculptures by Monica de Jong. OSEREDOK GALLERY 184 Alexander Ave E. 942-0218. Annual Christmas Craft Sale on Dec. 9, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. and Dec. 10, 1-4 p.m. Until Feb.: ‘Simply Serendipity’ – Carolers, Madonnas, landscapes and other eclectic chefs-d’oeuvre from Oseredok’s collections. PLATFORM (CENTRE FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC AND DIGITAL ARTS) 121-100 Arthur St 942-8183 Tues-Sat 12-5. Photobased media. Until Dec. 8: ‘Pripyat Floors’ by David McMillan. Dec. 13 – 15: Triple Exposure: A Fundraiser of Multiples. Viewing on the 13-15, auction on Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. PLUG-IN ICA 286 McDermot Ave 942-1043. Until Feb. 17: Sarinder Dhaliwal’s ‘Record Keeping’. SEMAI GALLERY Basement Corridor, 264 McDermot Ave 9432446. Until Dec. 16: Before-Xmas Exhibition, a collection of works by Winnipeg artists. UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG’S ARCHIVES AND HAMILTON GALLERIA 4th and 5th Floors, Centennial Hall, University of Winnipeg. Until Jan. 26: Photographer Tyrrell Mendis captures the history of places of worship in his solo exhibit ‘Testaments of Faith: Manitoba’s Pioneer Churches’. VIDEO POOL MEDIA ARTS CENTRE 300-100 Arthur St 949-9134. Contemporary media art. Until Dec. 8: Reasonable and Senseless: The Technical Disaster by Donna Szoke. On display in Jazz Winnipeg’s Arthur St. window space at 100 Arthur St. WAH-SA GALLERY 302 Fort St 942-5121. Aboriginal artwork. WAYNE ARTHUR GALLERY 186 Provencher Blvd 477-5249. Gallery for Manitoba-based artists. Until Dec. 30: ‘The Big Show & The Small Show’, annual group show. WINNIPEG ART GALLERY 300 Memorial Blvd 786-6641. Wednesdays: Art for Lunch. 12:10 p.m. – 1 p.m. Until Dec. 30: Exhibition of Sculptures by Auguste Rodin. Until Jan. 7: Exhibition of the works of Christopher Pratt. Until Jan. 21: Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana: Vast New Lands – Canada’s Northwest. Until March 25: Mammatus – An Installation by Max Streicher. WOODLANDS GALLERY 535 Academy Rd 947-0700. Until Dec. 16: ‘Couleurs de la Belle Province’ featuring five artists from Quebec. BARS, CAFES & VENUES ACADEMY BAR & EATERY 414 Academy Rd. Dec. 7: Mike Gavrailoff. Dec. 8: MB Songwriters Circle. Dec. 9: Johnny Broadway. Dec. 14: Shouting Ground. Dec. 15: Rob Langdon. Dec. 16: The Haste. Dec. 20: Delaney Barber. Dec. 22: Glenn Buhr. Dec. 23: Paul Bergman. Dec. 29: Monty Yanks. THE CAVERN / TOAD IN THE HOLE 108 Osborne St. Tuesdays: 3pm w/ Pat Wright, Spyder, Steve Broadhurst. Second Wednesday of the month: Comedy at the Cavern. Sundays: Debra Lyn Neufeld and Gord Kidder. Dec. 7: Groove Port. Dec. 8: The Wind-Ups. Dec. 9: The Morning After. Dec. 16: Andrew Neville & The Poor Choices. Dec. 20: SHAM. Dec. 23: The Upsides. Dec. 28: Night Safari. Dec. 29: American Flamewhip, Hot Live Guys. Dec. 31: Novillero and The Perpetrators. CENTRE CULTUREL FRANCOMANITOBAIN 340 Provencher Blvd. Tuesdays: Le Mârdi Jazz. Until Dec. 22: Le Village du Père Noël. COLLECTIVE CABARET / DIE MASCHINE CABARET 108 Osborne St. Thursdays: Good Form, Indie Club Night, $3. Hosted by DJ Font Crimes and Rob Vilar. Fridays: Punk/Hardcore Night w/ Fat Mat & Scott Wade. Saturdays: Goth/Industrial Night. Dec. 8: The Hidden Cameras, Born Ruffians, All Of Your Friends. Dec. 9: Asado, Reynolds Pond. Dec. 15: Third Wave Productions event. Dec. 16: Infraction, Lynchpin, AMF, Angelic Sorrows, Nocturnal Divinity. Dec. 22: Fabulous Kildonans, Crackdown, Savants. ELEPHANT & CASTLE PUB 350 St Mary Ave. Thursdays at 8p.m.: PubStumpers. Sundays: Student night with live entertainment. ELLICE CAFÉ & THEATRE 587 Ellice Ave. Neighbourhood café and theatre showing films and showcasing local talent. Dec. 8: CD Release FINN’S PUB 210-25 Forks Market Rd, Johnson Terminal. Tuesdays: Ego Spank, 10:30 p.m. Wednesdays: Guy Abraham Band. FOLK EXCHANGE 211 Bannatyne Ave. Traditional Singers’ Circle (third Monday of each month, $2 at the door). Drumming Circle (fourth Monday of each month, $2 at the door. Folk Club (first Monday of each month, $4.99 at the door). Tickets for all Folk Exchange concerts are available at the Festival Music Store (231-1377), or at the door. Dec. 8: Stony Point, $10/$12. GIO’S 155 Smith St. Wednesdays: Karaoke. Thursdays: Bump n’ Grynd. Fridays: DJ daNNo dance party. First Saturday of the month: Womyn’s night. Q-Pages Book Club, 5 p.m. Dec. 9: Prairie Pride Fashion Freedom, 9:30 p.m.. Dec. 10: Annual General Meeting, 2 p.m. Dec. 10: Love, Sex and Innuendo, 9 p.m. Dec. 16: Leather Circus, 9 p.m. Dec. 24: Christmas Eve at Gio’s. HEMP ROCK CAFÉ 302 Notre Dame Ave. Local and touring acoustic and punk shows. KEEPSAKES GALLERY 264 McDermot Ave. Musical Keepsakes: Live music every Saturday evening. KING’S HEAD PUB 100 King St. Tuesdays: The Original Comedy of the Kings Head. See Comedy for details. Sundays: All The Kings Men. Dec. 8: The Black Aces. Dec. 9: The Nods & Alverstone. Dec. 15: JP Hoe & The Truly Richards w/ J.D. Edwards. Dec. 16: Guy Abraham Band. Dec. 21: Serena Postel & Jody Glenham. Dec. 22: The Perpetrators. Dec. 23: Rubbersoul. Dec. 29: Mr. Pine CD Release w/ Sortie Real & The Pantymelters. Dec. 30: All The Kings Men pre-New Year’s Bash. Dec. 31: New Year’s Eve with JFK & The Conspirators, The Windups. $7 in advance. MONDRAGON BOOKSTORE AND COFFEEHOUSE 91 Albert St. Political bookstore and vegan restaurant hosting readings, speakers and concerts. Wednesdays: Wobbly Wednesdays. OSBORNE FREEHOUSE 437 Osborne St. Mondays: The Cool Monday Night Hang, 8 p.m. First set followed by a jam session. Acoustic Night every Tuesday and Thursday evening beginning at 8 p.m. Dec. 7: The Nods. Dec. 9: Paper Moon. Dec. 12: Myles Palmquist. Dec. 13: Groovy Moustache. Dec. 16: Salsa Party with Papa Mambo. THE PARK THEATRE 698 Osborne St. Mondays: Monday Night Football on the big-screen, free admission. Fridays: Riverview Family Night. Dec. 16: Big Johnson Railroad live on stage with Entropy, 7 p.m. Dec. 17: A Christmas Belly Dance Party, 7 p.m. Disco Lights, Bookie Nights, Studio 54 at The Park Theatre at 8 p.m. – 4 a.m. Tickets $24.99 and available at [email protected] or by calling 478-7275. PYRAMID CABARET 176 Fort St. Thursdays: The Mod Club. Dec. 9: Icqrl (Ofield) with guests, $10. REGAL BEAGLE 331 Smith St. Tuesdays: Hatfield McCoy. Wednesdays: Open Mic Nite. Weekends: Blues. ROYAL ALBERT ARMS 48 Albert St. Dec. 9: The Crackdown. Dec. 15: The Get Down, Hot Live Guys, The Lonely Vulcans. Dec. 16: Sidelined Productions Anniversary with Asado, The Crackdown, The Afterbeat, The Rock Band. Dec. 21: Boat, The Paperbacks. Dec. 23: Xmas Metal Bash with Port Amoral, Damascus, Dia Dolor. SALSA BAR & GRILL 500 Portage Ave. Thursdays: Urban Hip Hop. Fridays: Salsa/Top 40. Saturdays: Salsa. Sundays: Reggae and Calypso. SHANNON’S IRISH PUB 175 Carlton St. Sundays: Nate Bryski. Mondays: Jeremy Williamez. Thursdays: 80s Night. Dec. 8: Juniper Drive. Dec. 9: The Attics. Dec. 15-16: Dust Rhinos. Dec. 31: Sub City Dwellers & The Afterbeat. TIMES CHANGE(D) HIGH AND LONESOME CLUB Main St @ St. Mary Ave. Sundays: Blues Jam with Big Dave McLean. No cover charge. Dec. 7: Tom Waits birthday party hosted by Matt Allen and guests. Dec. 8 & 9: The Perpetrators. Dec. 15: Little Miss Higgins. Dec. 16: Stonypoint. Dec. 21: Luke Doucet and The D. Rangers. Dec. 22: Big Dave McLean. Dec. 31: Nathan, Andrew Neville and the Poor Choices. WEST END CULTURAL CENTRE Ellice Ave @ Sherbrook St. See Concerts for details. Dec. 2: That 1 Guy. Dec. 8: Moments of Brilliance CD Release. Dec. 9: Ron Sexsmith w/ Jill Barber. Dec. 15: Port Amoral, Subcity Dwellers, Sick City, 8 p.m. Dec. 16: Dreadnaut, Coda, Lucid. Dec. 17: Kwagala Foundation Benefit Concert. Dec. 20: Madrigaia with Twilight Hotel. Dec. 21: Blue Sky Addicts, The Playing Cards, Perse. Dec. 22: Quinzy, House of Doc. PORT AMORAL Port Amoral takes the stage with Subcity Dwellers and Sick City at the West End on Dec. 15. Tickets are $8 at Sk8, Into the Music and Salon Venator. WINDSOR HOTEL 187 Garry St. Tuesdays: Jam with Ragdoll Blues. Wednesdays: Jam with Big Dave McLean. Dec. 7-9: Terry Barnett. Dec. 14-16: Suzanna Martini Band. Dec. 21-23: Brent Parkin. Dec. 2830: Inside Out Band. WOODBINE HOTEL 466 Main St. Historic downtown hotel bar. Dec. Dec. 8-9: Fat Chance. Dec. 15-16: Bull’s Eye. Dec. 22-23: Marc Conroy Band. Dec. 29-31: Billy Joe Green. THE ZOO / OSBORNE VILLAGE INN 160 Osborne St. Thursdays: New Band Showcase – No Cover. Dec. 7: Dearly Beloved. Dec. 8: Godsize. Dec. 9: River City Hum, Spread Ego, Killdare. Dec. 15: Grindfest Presents: Metal Night. Dec. 16: The Paul Stanleys “Kissmas Show” with Entertainment Death. Dec. 22-23: Zooyear’s Eve with The Maroons. Dec. 31: Dreadnaut, Damascus and more, $10. COMMUNITY EVENTS (see also On-Campus Events) SKYWALK CONCERTS & LECTURES 2006/07 Wednesday Lectures: Leading teachers and researchers from the University of Winnipeg will inform, engage and challenge you on topics of broad historical, political and scientific interest. Thursday Concerts: We present a showcase for some of Manitoba’s finest musicians - from jazz to folk and classical to contemporary. Free admission, Carol Shields Auditorium, 2nd Floor Millennium Library downtown, 12:1012:50 p.m. GAS STATION THEATRE Annual General Meeting on Dec. 9 at the theatre. Doors will be open to renewing members at 12 p.m. with the meeting being called to order at 2 p.m. For further information please contact the theatre at 2849477. After the meeting there will be an informal gathering in the lobby hosted by the Board and featuring live entertainment by theatre members. COURTNEY SIEBRING ‘URGENCY’ An introduction to physical theatre techniques and style. Courtney Siebring is an American-born actor/creator and a graduate of Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre. She recently toured her contemporary commedia one woman show on the Canadian Fringe Circuit and was hailed throughout as a “five star performer.” On ‘Urgency’: Our pain and our passions originate at our core. We are visceral beings and should therefore be visceral actors. This two day workshop will explore the expression of urgency in all that we do on stage. It begins in the body…and resounds out from our core. Dec. 9 & 10, 1 – 4 p.m. To register contact Loc Lu at 298-1980 or email [email protected]. THIRD ANNUAL ‘A VILLAGE CHRISTMAS’ Free coffee, hot chocolate, cartoons, carols, and cookies on Dec. 21 – 23 from 4 – 9 p.m. Visit the miniature village, warm yourself by an open fire and take a minute to tell Santa what you would like under your tree. THE GAS STATION THEATRE declares the Winnipeg party scene “a practical zone” and safely suggests you Bundle, Walk, (then) Unzip & Dip for our New Year’s Eve Party. Prizes for best bundled before (arrival) and unbundled after (arrival) looks. Hot food carried over from the Village Fish Cafe. Live entertainment provided by Young Lungs Dance Company, CRUMBS, and the Rep Company. Reasonable spirit prices, complimentary champagne to toast, and the DJ’d stage becomes our dance floor after midnight! ANNOUNCEMENTS & OPPORTUNITIES DO YOU LIKE WORKING WITH NEWCOMER CHILDREN? Do you believe you can change our community? If you said yes, consider volunteering with some of our programs. The Citizenship Council of Manitoba Inc. International Centre is looking for student volunteers to help new arrivals to Canada learn English and feel welcome in our country. Opportunities exist for volunteers to give their time and support to the Centre’s Immigrant Children and Youth Programs including Sports Activities for Newcomer Kids, Empowerment with the Girl Guides, Newcomer Buddy Welcome Program and our After Class Education Program. If you’d like to help out, contact Si-il Park at 943-9158ext 285 or 688-1941. THE HEART AND STROKE FOUNDATION OF MANITOBA needs 6,300 volunteers for its annual door-to-door campaign during Heart Month in Feb., 2007. HSFM hopes to raise almost $800,000 and warm hearts all over Manitoba during the month-long event. Much of the funding HSFM receives comes from volunteer-based events like Door-to-Door. Ninety percent of funds raised stay in Manitoba to support the Foundations mission “to improve the health of Manitobans by preventing and reducing disability and death from heart disease and stroke through research, health promotion and advocacy.” To volunteer for the door-to-door Listings Coordinator: Nick Weigeldt E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 786-9497 Fax: 783-7080 campaign, or any other Heart and Stroke Foundation event, visit www.heartandstroke.mb.ca/ or call toll free 1-888-473-4636. THE LATE LUNCH SHOW Attention independent artists and producers! Beginning September 15, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. Arts and Cultural Industries Manitoba (ACI) presents the Late Lunch Show, a series of 9 fabulous workshops designed specifically for the selfemployed. With topics ranging from Healing Through the Arts to Financial Management, each hourlong session provides an opportunity to connect with professionals, network with other independent artists/producers, and gain valuable knowledge about the cultural industry. Registration is $5.00 and includes a delicious lunch, so call 927-2787 to reserves your spot today. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN A CAREER IN FILM? Manitoba¹s growing film industry is looking for people who are hard working, selfmotivated, and have strong communication skills to become members of Manitoba¹s film crew. To learn more about working in Manitoba¹s expanding film industry, attend a free Monthly Information Session the first Wednesday of every month from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Film Training Manitoba, 100-62 Albert Street. For more information call 989.9669 or visit www.filmtraining.mb.ca. WITH ART, a community-based program for collaborative art projects between community groups and artists in Winnipeg. The program is based on the belief that WITH ART communities can explore issues, express identity and create dialogue by working with professional artists on a shared goal. Artists will be matched with community groups to create a project plan with an emphasis on the art-making process. WITH ART is interested in artists working in all art forms such as visual, performing and literary arts. Deadline for receipt of expressions of interest is Dec. 15, 2006. Criteria, requirements and selection process available at www.winnipegarts.ca or call 943-7668. PLAN YOUR WINNIPEG: Get together with your class, your friends or on your own, and come up with the next best concept that will forever change the city. If your idea is selected, we’ll help you finalize it with all the bells and whistles including blueprints and those cool scale models if needed! The winner of each category will get $1000, with $500 for second place. The deadline for initial submissions is Dec. 16. Visit http://plan-your-winnipeg.uwinnipeg.ca. MANITOBA WRITERS’ GUILD INC. Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the MWG, ‘Friends: A Contest for Writers’ Tell us what it means to you to be a friend. Your original, unpublished writing should demonstrate the importance of friends. Fiction and non-fiction: max 5000 words. Poetry: max 25 lines. Submission forms may be downloaded, and more information obtained, from www.mbwriter. mb.ca. $15 entry fee; Deadline: Dec. 31, 2006. Mail entries to 206100 Arthur St, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 1H3. Want to submit your listing to Uniter Listings? Email your listings to [email protected] Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, eight days before the issue you’d like your listing to first appear in. The Uniter publishes on Thursdays, 25 times a year. contact: uniter @ uniter.ca The Uniter December 7, 2006 LISTINGS @ uniter.ca 19 AWARDS & FINANCIAL AID: INFORMATION UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG INTERNAL AWARDS: UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG INTERNATIONAL STUDENT BURSARY: International students who are attending The University of Winnipeg and who have financial need may apply for bursary assistance. The value of the award is $1000 - $3000 per term. Maximum of $5000 over the Sept.-July academic year. Criteria includes: • be an international student attending the University of Winnipeg on a Student Authorization • have documented financial need • registered on a full-time basis: minimum 60% course load (18 credit hours) for Fall/ Winter academic year or 9 credit hours for a single term • show satisfactory academic progress: successfully complete at least a 60% course load • maintain satisfactory academic standing: maintain regular status or a "C" average (2.0 GPA) Interested students should complete the International Student Bursay application form which includes a financial need assessment form. Applications are available at the Awards office located in Graham Hall, Student Central located in Centennial Hall, and the International Office at 311 Balmoral Ave. Deadline: Dec. 20, 2006. UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG BURSARY APPLICATIONS: Application forms are now available in the Awards office located in Graham Hall or at Student Central in Centennial Hall. Bursaries are small, supplementary financial assistance awards, normally $300 - $750 in value. In order to be considered, you must prove financial need and you must be making satisfactory academic progress (i.e. maintaining a “C” average). Because funds are limited, not everyone who qualifies will receive a bursary. Many of our University of Winnipeg bursaries are available to our students in any year of their program. Return completed applications to the Awards office in Graham Hall. Deadline date: Jan. 31, 2007. EXTERNAL AWARDS: SOROPTIMIST WOMEN’S OPPORTUNITY AWARDS: Do you find yourself going back to school later in life? Do you ned financial assistant to complete your education? Women’s Opportunity Awards are cash awards that assist women in obtaining the skills and education they need to improve their employment status. Recipients may use the awards for any expenses related to their educational pursuits. To be eligible you must meet the following criteria: • be a female head of household (single or married, with the primary responsibility of supporting yourself and your dependents) • attend an undergraduate degree program or a vocational/skills training program. • have financial need. If you have further questions, contact Heather Menzies, 1204 - One Evergreen Place, Winnipeg MB, R3L 0E9 or phone 475-2526. Applications are available in the Awards office located in Graham Hall. Deadline: Dec. 15, 2006 DELTA KAPPA GAMMA SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL WORLD FELLOWSHIP (for International Women): Delta Kappa Gamma is a professional honorary society of women educators. To be eligible, you must be a women, in the research field of education. Value of the award is $4000 USD, tenable at a University located outside your country. Applications are available by contacting the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Manitoba. More information can be found at www.deltakappagamma.org. Applications should be submitted to: Vicki Norris, 557 Queenston Street, Winnipeg MB, R3N 0X4. Deadline: Dec. 15, 2006. THE SITRIX FUND: Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders. The Sitrix Fund’s grants can make the difference – providing deserving students the financial tools they need to excel and prosper during university and after graduation. This year, registrations will be accepted until Dec. 31st 2006 for the 2007-2008 academic year applications. Go on-line to www.sitrix.org to register. Deadline date: Dec. 31, 2006. MANITOBA EDUCATION AND TRAINING: YOUTH SERVES PROGRAM: Youth Serves Manitoba (YSM) encourages post-secondary students to engage in meaningful, part-time community service with incorporated non-profit or registered charitable organizations. Upon successful completion of at least 100 hours or service, approved students will receive a $500 bursary towards tuition or student loans. For more information and an application form, contact [email protected] or 1-800-282-8069 ext3560. Deadline: Jan. 9, 2007. SHASTRI INSTITUTE MOUNT ALLISON UNIVERSITY SUMMER PROGRAMME: The Shastri Institute and Mount Allison University are pleased to announce the Summer Programme in India. Students who have completed two years of undergraduate study and have completed a substantial component of India Studies coursework, or have a particular academic interest in Indian Studies may apply. The total cost of this programme is $5945 which includes application fees, tuition, airfare, room and board, materials, health and field trip costs. Provide a statement of purpose no longer than 300 words outlining how this programme will benefit you, an official transcript of all post-secondary studies and a complete application form. Applications are available by visiting our website www.sici.org. Deadline: Jan. 15, 2007. SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL OF THE AMERICAS FELLOWSHIP AWARD: The Fellowship Award may be awarded to any women who: •Resides in the Northwest Region of Soroptimist International of the Americas •Is established in business or one of the professions. • Conducts her business or practices her profession •Holds a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university. • Presents a plan of worthwhile post graduate study at an accredited college or university leading to an advanced degree or to enhanced standing or competence in her business or profession. • Provides such other information as the Fellowship Committee may deem necessary. •Soroptimist members and their immediate families are not eligible for any Soroptimist monetary awards available to the public. Applications are available in the Awards office located in Graham Hall. Deadline: Jan. 15, 2007. CANADIAN BUREAU FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION (CBIE): Export Development Canada International Business Scholarships (EDC) created these scholarships through its Education and Youth Employment Strategy, because international trade is critical to Canada’s economic prosperity. EDC will offer 25 scholarships to undergraduate students enrolled in Canadian universities. Selected applicants will receive a $3000 cash award and a possible fourmonth work term with mentoring from leading industry experts at EDC’s head office in Ottawa, worth approximately $10,000. To be eligible: • be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident • enrolled in full-time studies at a Canadian university • be in 2nd or 3rd year of an undergraduate business or economics program • returning to full-time undergraduate studies in business or economics for the 2007-2008 academic year • keenly interested in international business and considering a career in this field. • evidence of leadership potential, competency in teamwork and academic achievement. Complete the on-line application. Go to www.edc.ca/cbie. Deadline date: Jan. 22, 2007. SOROPTIMIST FOUNDATION OF CANADA GRANTS FOR GRADUATE STUDIES The Soroptimist Foundation of Canada annually offers several $7,500 grants to female graduate students in Canada to assist them with university studies that will qualify them for careers that will improve the quality of women’s lives. Examples include but are not limited to: proving medical services, providing legal counseling and assistance, counseling mature women entering or re-entering the labour market, counseling women in crisis, counseling and training women for non-traditional employment, and positions in women’s centres. To be eligible you must meet the following criteria: •A female • Canadian citizen or landed immigrant •Accepted registrant in a graduate studies program (Masters or PhD) or professional program at a similar level (medicine, law) in an accredited Canadian University, at the time of the application deadline (Jan. 31). •Nancy Goodhue Lynch scholarships – for outstanding undergraduate students majoring in Information Technology related curriculum programs at eligible Datatel client institutions. Application Process: •Spring May 14-June 15, 2007 1. A student attending an eligible Datatel client institution may apply via the online application form between September 1, 2006 and Jan. 31, 2007. (NOTE: applicants must submit their completed application with two letters of recommendation by Jan. 31, 2007 in order to be considered for nomination.) You qualify if you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and enrolled as a fulltime student (minimum 60% course load). 2. The scholarship administrator from each participating Datatel client institution reviews, evaluates, and nominates applicants between Feb. 1, 2006 & Feb. 15, 2006. 3. Nominated student applications are forwarded to the Datatel Scholars Foundation review committee for final evaluation and award determination in the spring. For more information go to their website or email scholars@datatel. Deadline: submit online at www.datatel.com/dsf by Jan. 31, 2007. MARITIME DAIRY INDUSTRY SCHOLARSHIP Students who have completed at least two years of post-secondary education and are currently enrolled in a program that has application to the dairy industry are eligible to make application for this scholarship. Two scholarships of $2000.00 will be awarded. For more information email mroy@dfc-plc. ca. Applications are available on-line at www.dairygoodness.ca. Deadline: Jan. 31, 2007. CANADIAN HARD OF HEARING ASSOCIATION: The purpose of this award is to offer financial assistance and recognition to hard of hearing and deafened students registered in a full time program at a recognized Canadian college or university, in any area of study, with the ultimate goal of obtaining a diploma or degree. Two awards of $2000 each will be granted. Applicants are requested to read the criteria for eligibility and to provide all the information required to complete the application. Applications are available either in the U of W Awards Office located in Graham Hall, or on-line at www.chha.ca/. Deadline: Jan. 31, 2007. ROYAL BANK ABORIGINAL STUDENT AWARDS: Value: Five students will receive $4,000 for education expenses to a maximum of four years at university. Eligibility: •Intending to spend a minimum of two years in such a career in Canada. • a status Indian, Non-status Indian, Inuit or Metis •Intending to use the award for academic studies in the academic year following receipt of it. • you are a permanent resident/citizen of Canada •Needing financial assistance. Applicants may apply in either English or French. Applications are available in the Awards office located in Graham Hall. For more information contact Heather Menzies, 1204 – One Evergreen Place, Winnipeg MB, R3L 0E9. Deadline: Jan. 31, 2007. THE DATATEL SCHOLARS FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS: The University of Winnipeg is a new Datatel client institution and as such, Datatel is offering unique scholarships ranging in value from $1,000 to $2500 to students from our institution. • Datatel Scholars Foundation Scholarships – for outstanding students currently attending eligible Datatel client instituitions. •Returning Student scholarships – for outstanding students currently attending eligible Datatel client institutions, who have returned to higher education after an absence of five years or more. Come to Trois-Pistoles French Immersion School and receive a credit in French from The University of Western Ontario. Choose between one of two five-week sessions: The Datatel Scholars Foundation online scholarship application process is as follows. • Pursuing a course of studies which will lead to a career mainly of service to women. • Contributing to your community through volunteer service. EXPLORE BURSARY TO STUDY FRENCH: • you can provide proof of acceptance (with transcript of marks)or are already attending a university or college listed in the Directory of Canadian Universities, in a discipline relevant to the banking industry (e.g. business, economics, computer science) • you maintain a full course workload leading to a recognized degree, certificate or diploma • you are in need of financial assistance to pursue your education Process: An independent committee of aboriginal academics reviews all applications and makes its final selections based on each individual’s financial need. In addition, recipients who indicate an interest in pursuing a banking career are considered for summer and postgraduate employment at RBC. Apply on-line at www.rbc.com and send your documentation to: RBC ROYAL BANK ABORIGINAL STUDENT AWARDS RBC Royal Bank 330 Front Street West, 10th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5V 3B5 Fax: (416) 348-6455 Deadline: Jan. 31st 2007. •Summer: July 9 – August 10, 2007 Applications available on the web at www. myexplore.ca. More information can be found at [email protected] or by phoning 519-661-3637. Deadline: Feb. 28, 2007. THE ROBIN COSGROVE PRIZE FOR INNOVATIVE IDEAS FOR ETHICS IN FINANCE: This prize worth $20,000USD is open to young people, aged 35 years or younger, from throughout the world. It will be awarded for creative papers setting out projects or proposals for innovative ways to promote ethics in finance and banking, especially in emerging markets. Entries for the competition for the Prize are invited to address the subject of Innovation Ideas for Ethics in Finance. Submit your paper electronically in English or French. Further details can be found a www.robincosgroveprize.org. Deadline Feb. 28, 2007. Surfing for more Dollars?: Try these websites for more possibilities! These two sites will lead you through Canadian based scholarship searches. www.studentawards.com www.scholarshipscanada.com MANITOBA STUDENT AID PROGRAM (MSAP): Manitoba Student Loan staff will be on campus to accept completed loan documents •Place: Bulman Centre •Date: Jan. 2 & 3, 2007 •Time: 8:30a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Bring one piece of ID with your signature, and your complete bank account information (void cheque or bank transit, institution code and account numbers) with you. Confirmation of Enrollment: This will be done electronically in the Awards & Financial Aid Office, and an authorized loan document will be mailed to you by the MSAP office in late Dec. Missing Information: If any documentation requested by the MSAP, such as summer income verification, has not yet been submitted, electronic confirmation of your loan document will not occur and your loan funds will not be in place at the beginning of the Winter Term. Revision to your needs assessment: You should be aware that new information, such as verification of your summer income, may increase or decrease your MSAP needs assessment and the resulting loan amounts you are eligible to receive. Similarly, if your current course load is different from that on your Notice of Assistance letter, the amount of loan you are eligible to receive may change. Feel free to contact Awards Office staff Kathy Frankow (786-9458) or Tanis Kolisnyk (786-9984) if you have any questions on any of these items. DO YOU KNOW… you can check the status of your student aid application, find out what documentation is still outstanding, update your address information and much more on line? Go to www.studentaid.gov.mb.ca. Link to MySAO to log into your existing account. DO YOU KNOW… Manitoba Student Aid staff can be on campus on Fridays from 1 – 4 p.m. To meet with a representative, you need to set up an appointment time. Come to Student Services to book an appointment or phone Tanis Kolisnyk at 786-9984. December 7, 2006 20 The Uniter contact: uniter @ uniter.ca contact: uniter @ uniter.ca Sports GP Brandon Wesmen Regina Manitoba Women’s Basketball (6-4, 1st in Great Plains, unranked) CANADA WEST Great Plains Division W 10 10 10 10 For students, December means one thing: putting aside visions of presents and pine trees aside for a few weeks for some good exam time cramming. With the school year now half over, the threat of evaluation and grading hangs in the air. If there’s any bright side, however, it’s that there are still three months remaining to salvage any potential academic disaster. With their seasons half over, the Wesmen teams find themselves in a comparable position. We’ve gotten a taste of what each of them can do and what they can do to improve. The Uniter doles out our official grades to the two basketball teams: CIS Coaches' Poll Top Ten 1. McMaster 2. UBC 3. Simon Fraser 4. Saskatchewan 5. Alberta 6. Brock 7. Cape Breton 8. York 9. Laval 10. Manitoba CANADA WEST Great Plains Division L 8 4 4 3 PTS 2 6 6 7 16 8 8 6 Interim Report: After coming into the season with high hopes with rookie Nick Lother coming into an alreadydeep fold, the season opening loss to cellar-dwelling Manitoba, en route to a 4-6 record, is disappointing for the Wesmen. However, the team has been bitten by the injury bug, with Josh Sjoberg and Matt Opalko on the mend. Also, the first half saw the Wesmen deal with games against undefeated UBC (a slim 80-78 loss), 101 Victoria, and 8-2 Brandon. “We’re surviving,” said head coach Dave Crook. “We thought we would have a fourth-year kid (Matt Opalko) and a third-year kid (Josh Sjoberg) playing a lot, and they’re not playing at all (due to injury), so we’re playing with first-year kids. It’s difficult to win with first year kids, unless they’re exceptional players. They’re getting better, and the key is, when we need them, they’re going to be ready to play.” Syllabus for Second Term: The second term presents the Wesmen with a bit of an easier time. After the Wesmen Classic, the squad gets a re-match with the Bisons, as well as weaker squads in Thompson Rivers, Fraser Valley, Lethbridge and Calgary. “[We’ll] try and get back to playing good basketball. We’re not going to make a lot of changes in terms of systems, because I think what we’re doing is the stuff we want to do. We’ve got to continue to fine-tune and hopefully we’ll be ready to play,” said Crook. “I hope we’re going to win a lot of games, and put ourselves in a position to host a game or two in the playoffs, and get a chance to get to the Canada West Final Four.” Team Grade: B GP Wesmen Manitoba Regina Brandon CIS Coaches' Poll Top Ten 1. Manitoba 2. Calgary 3. Alberta 4. Montreal 5. Laval 6. Trinity Western 7(T). Toronto 7(T). UBC 9. Regina 10. Sherbrooke Men’s Volleyball (4-3, 6th in Canada West, no. 4 CIS Coaches’ Poll) CIS Coaches' Poll Top Ten 1. Alberta 2. Trinity Western 3. Dalhousie 4. Wesmen 5. Ryerson 6(T). Manitoba 6(T). UBC 8. Queens 9. Laval 10. McMaster CANADA WEST GP W 10 10 10 10 Women’s Volleyball (1-10, 11th in Canada West, unranked) L 6 6 3 0 4 4 7 10 PTS 12 12 6 0 Interim Report: Head coach Tanya McKay’s team has been plagued with inconsistency thus far. While many (including us) felt the Wesmen would be right in the hunt among the country’s best teams, they currently sit with a lacklustre 6-4 record. They also recently fell out of the Coaches’ Poll after finding themselves as high as no. 7. It is possible the first weekend of the season set the tone for the rest of the half. Opening night at home, they easily handled an unspectacular Manitoba Bisons squad 85-65. Two nights later, they fell 72-70. “Very average,” said McKay when asked to describe her team’s first ten games. “We’re not at our best right now, and we’re definitely underachieving. We’re not all on the same page right now. We’re not playing well as a team. And until we get to that point, we’re not going to win big games.” Uzo Asagwara is doing her thing, averaging a CISbest 24.8 ppg, including 38 points in a win over Victoria, and 37 points in the Manitoba loss. Syllabus for Second Term: On paper, it seems like there should be all the pieces here. However, it hasn’t translated into the expected results. This points to the team chemistry issue McKay noted. She plans to instigate, “lots of stuff off the court” during the Wesmen’s Christmas break. “We’ve got to do team-building activities,” said McKay. “Do activities that foster trust in each other. We’ll have a week together where we’ll train and do different activities. We’re also going to Newfoundland (for a Memorial University tournament). When we go, we’re there for five days; we’ll do a lot of stuff as a team, plus we’ll play more.” Calgary Alberta Trinity Western Manitoba UBC Simon Fraser Thompson Rivers Regina Saskatchewan Brandon Wesmen W 10 10 8 7 10 10 10 8 10 8 11 L 8 8 8 7 5 4 3 3 2 2 1 2 2 0 0 5 6 7 5 8 6 10 PTS 16 16 16 14 10 8 6 6 4 4 2 Interim Report: What more can I say? Unfortunately, the term “rebuilding” has become even more literal than intended this year. Not only is Diane Scott “re-building” her team after losing four, count them (Caitlyn Jackson, Kristin Brisebois, Lee Hrenchuk and Christa Desrochers), starters from last year, but now she has to find another new left side to replace the injured Marlee Bragg, who was last year’s conference rookie of the year. After leaving their third game of the season (against Manitoba) with a torn ACL, Bragg has, and will have, nothing to do but sit on the bench and take notes during games for the next 12 months, give or take. And we’re only taking if a miracle occurs. We feel bad for Nicola Dirks, who had a tough job leading a relatively young team in the CIS league in September and is now faced with trying to hold a team together with about a third of their scoring potential gone. It wasn’t that Bragg was scoring all the points, but more so that the loss of such a player has hit home mentally as well as missing the physical presence on the court. Syllabus for Second Term: It’s not fair to judge a team that was ousted from the running before their third game was done. So we’ll leave it at that - re-building. Hopefully this house can stay up for a little while longer, at least long enough to recruit some noticeable change. CANADA WEST GP Alberta UBC Trinity Western Saskatchewan Thompson Rivers Manitoba Wesmen Brandon Calgary Regina Grade: C Involuntary Withdrawal: Marlee Bragg -Dan Falloon Grade: Incomplete - Josh Boulding L 9 7 5 4 4 4 4 2 1 0 0 3 1 6 4 4 3 6 5 8 PTS 18 14 10 8 8 8 8 4 2 0 Syllabus for Second Term: With the difficulty of the run that the men’s volleyball has had to contend with, they deserve at least an extra letter grade this term. Finals will be tough enough without having to worry about trying to play a tough team before the end of January. With the Toronto Invitational coming up in the first week, it will be a good chance to test what head coach Larry McKay has learned from his own experiences in Japan, where he will be serving as an assistant with the national team. Look for an easier semester in the first few months of 2007. But watch out, as the finals will be killer once the playoffs come around. - Josh Boulding - Mike Pyl W 9 10 6 10 8 8 7 8 6 8 Interim Report: At least the Wesmen can do something right. The men’s volleyball team started off this season strong. Really strong, in fact, as they demolished one of last season’s ranking finishers, the UBC Thunderbirds in two matches of three straight sets. Their control slipped the week after winning a challenge against our southern Winnipeg rivals, the Manitoba Bisons. Falling quickly to the Alberta Golden Bears twice, left the Wesmen seemingly uneasy as they could only pull off a split in the next week against the then-number one ranked Trinity Western. The Spartans had to fight hard against the Wesmen to hold them to only five of the ten games on that weekend. Grade: B+ Grade for Erfan Nasajpour: A (whose 45-point game against Simon Fraser tops a long list of first-half highlights for the country’s leading scorer). 21 Sports Editor: Mike Pyl E-mail: [email protected] Wesmen Midterm Review CIS Coaches' Poll Top Ten 1. Carleton 2. UBC 3. Victoria 4. St. F Xavier 5. Ottawa 6. Windsor 7. Concordia 8. Brandon 9. Brock 10. Cape Breton December 7, 2006 sports Making the Grade? Men’s Basketball (4-6, 2nd in Great Plains, unranked) The Uniter December 7, 2006 22 The Uniter contact: uniter @ uniter.ca Sports Wesmen quarterback Nasajpour strikes once, but not twice Bobcats win catch-and-release game to avoid home-and-home sweep Daniel Falloon yappari.co.uk Volunteer Staff The World’s Fastest Man can pray all he wants. With or without Gatlin, the Texans will still suck. World’s fastest man impresses in NFL workout Seldom do midseason NFL workouts consist of anything more than an anonymous cast of castoffs and former NCAA Division II hopefuls. Even less frequently do they workout world champions. The Houston Texans worked out Justin Gatlin last week, who holds the world record for running the 100 meters in 9.76 seconds. Texans coach Gary Kubiak described him as “very impressive”. “I’m sure it would be a big step for him to step up and start playing football,” Kubiak said. “But that looks like it’s something that he’s interested in.” Gatlin last played football in the 10th grade. He ran track at the University of Tennessee, winning six NCAA sprint titles. The six-foot-one, 180-pound 24-year-old became interested in football after accepting an eight-year ban from track and field last April for testing positive for the banned substance testosterone. “It was positive,” Kubiak said of the workout. “He did a good job. Some of our people who were over there watching him were amazed at how fast he ran. I don’t even know if he was full speed at that time. But he did catch the ball pretty good.” (ESPN.com) Detroit boxing mecca closes for good After years of wear and tear, one of boxing’s most hallowed grounds could not get up off the mat. Detroit’s Kronk Gym, whose former clientele included Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Oscar De La Hoya, and Thomas Hearns, closed when its owner, Emanuel Steward, could not keep up with a budget shortfall. The centre had been particularly struggling since September, when thieves broke in a stole copper piping, robbing the gym of running water. The ultimate cost of replacing the plumbing, among other repairs, made it fiscally unsustainable. “It’s the oldest rec center in the city. It has lived a useful life,” said the deputy director of Detroit’s Recreation Department, Lawrence Hemingway. The inner-city institution, originally established as a place of refuge in one of North America’s most decayed cities, has produced 50 amateur boxing champions, 30 world champions and three Olympic gold medalists since it first opened its doors in 1970 (ESPN.com). Goodell leaves Toronto swooning The hottest reoccuring Toronto sports rumour has been reignited. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, at a Reuters Media Summit in New York City, admitted a new, non-American franchise beginning operations within the next decade was a real possibility. The two candidates implicit in the announcement are Toronto or Mexico City. “We can envision that,” Goodell said when a reporter asked him about growth beyond U.S. borders. “I don’t know if it will become a reality, but it is certainly a possibility.” This speculation left Toronto Blue Jays president Paul Godfrey, long the cause’s main advocate, understandably giddy. “I have a plan if an NFL team comes to Toronto that would help the Argonauts,” Godfrey said in regards to the potential conflict with the presence of the Canadian Football League. “I’m not prepared to reveal details of that. I’m a strong supporter of a strong CFL. The city is big enough and if the leagues don’t completely overlap on top of each other, they both could co-exist in the city.” Godfrey heads a group of potential owners which includes Rogers Communications owner Ted Rogers, and the chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Larry Tanenbaum. Toronto mayor David Miller assured the ciy would rapidly embrace a team, who are already crazy for the Buffalo Bills. “We would welcome the NFL to Toronto with open arms,” said mayor David Miller in 2003, “except if the Cardinals wanted to move here of course. They suck.” (WinnipegSun.com, Canada. com, HoosierGazette.com). Wesmen guard Erfan Nasajpour’s big game heroics and last second Hail Marys have him receiving honours outside of the university, with possibly more to come. Nasajpour’s 20 points and 10 assists helped lead the Wesmen past the Brandon Bobcats in the Wheat City Thursday evening; however, he found himself on the losing end of a 74-69 decision at home on Saturday, despite a 21 point, 11 assist effort. Nasajpour took home both Wesmen and Canada West Male Athlete of the Week honours after his 45 point performance against Simon Fraser on November 25. Come season’s end, Nasajpour may be up for more hardware at the season’s end. One game that should be taken into consideration is Thursday night’s in Brandon, where Nasajpour hit the winning points with 2.5 seconds left to upset the eighthranked Bobcats. “He’s so good. Teams have to spend so much energy trying to stop him, and it just allows other kids to be successful in different jobs,” said head coach Dave Crook of Nasajpour’s ability to get teammates to rally around him. This season, Nasajpour has averaged 31.5 points in Wesmen wins, compared with a season average of 22.5 points. “I think they do rally around me. It shouldn’t be that way, though. They should put out their best effort [regard less],” said Nasajpour. “There’s no question. He’s always led by example, but now he’s leading in other areas, too. He’s playing so well. You can’t fault anything he’s doing,” added Crook. In Saturday night’s game, Nasajpour displayed leadership becoming of a fourth-year player, and while he is no Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, showed that he is, quite literally, the quarterback of the Wesmen attack. On several instances, Nasajpour displayed his mobility, instructing teammates where he wanted them to be, all the while concentrating on his own options to pass or search for his own shot. Another weapon in Nasajpour’s arsenal was the long bomb to proven scorers Ryan Roper and Dan Shynkaryk, though missed shots and the strong Bobcat defence prevented the play from reaching its full potential. After catching a delightful taste of victory Thursday night, the Wesmen hoped to land the big one Saturday to sweep the division-leading Bobcats. However, the Wesmen fell short in a catch-and-release derby that was often close, and frequently tied, but where the home team could take the lead only on a couple occasions. “I think we’re as good as Brandon, so for me it’s not a confidence booster. They’re a good team and have a lot of talent. If we were healthier, I think we would be better off,” said Crook, referring to the injuries of Matt Opalko and Josh Sjoberg. In addition to Nasajpour, Ivan Saric also stood out for the Wesmen, with 18 points and an astonishing 14 rebounds. “He finished some shots and got some good rebounds. He’s a little inconsistent, and we knew that he would be inconsistent, because he hasn’t played in over two years,” said Crook. “It’s tough for a guy who hasn’t played ball in so long to give a consistent result. His effort is good, but he’s a little out of sorts… His consistency of results are getting better, so hopefully by the end of the season, he’ll be ready to go.” Dan Shynkaryk, another Wesmen key, was frustrated in the early going, racking up four of both points and fouls before hitting the bench due to those foul concerns. He reentered the game in the second half and got hot, finishing with 12 points before picking up his fifth. “He’s such an important part of what we do. When he was on the bench, it was difficult for us, but he got back in, and I thought he played really well. He was only on the floor for nineteen minutes, but he put in a pretty decent effort,” said Crook. Brandon’s Adam Hartman led all scorers with 25 points to go with 10 rebounds. Dany Charlery pitched in 21 points, and Yuri Whyms and Chad Jacobson added 10 apiece in the victory. Fostering an Olympian: Aspiring Bobsledders Take Their First Steps But is only three and a half years enough? Josh Boulding Manitoba Regional testing through the Volunteer Staff Canadian Sports Centre. “We’re trying to identify current athletes who have the potential to crossover Vancouver 2010. The hopes and dreams of so many ama- from either any other sport or their nat- teur athletes that perform their sports on snow and ice lie in the ural training to bobsleigh and skeleton,” next Winter Olympics. In Beijing in the summer of 2008, those said Hurrie. From the six parameters tested, folks who participate in summer sports will compete for their three stayed on the track and three were chance at an Olympic gold. And counting down the days are the down in the weight room. athletes who are in the here and now, training to make the mark and cut-offs that will say who stays and who goes. Running through a 60-meter sprint, a 20-meter resisted sled pull and five double Most athletes have their ‘sport’. The one sport that they legged bounds for distance were the three have invested years of their life training and competing, winning tests that Hurrie and his team looked at in and losing at all levels. Many sports are old, ancient even, dating the athletes. The other three tests were to back centuries in the history of humankind. Since the first games test the maximum strength of the athletes in Athens more than a millennia ago, these competitions, all vary- through lifting weights in various tech- ing in size and accolades have occurred. More than a century ago niques. Using only one single rep, Hurrie the first Olympic Games were held in Athens and from that time was able to test that maximum load of the on, the world has come to play at many cities in Canada, North athletes’ bench presses, power cleans (a America and the rest of the world. lift from the floor) and front squats. Since the 19th century, men (and women) have risked their lives in one of the fastest human powered sports in the world. Each sport requires subtle differences in the athletes. Bobsleigh athletes From an athlete’s perspective, perhaps one of the most are generally slightly larger than their enticing goals of an amateur career is to see competition at the skeleton counterparts, requiring more Olympic Games. For Dave Lipchen and Geoff Rosenbum, this is power and strength to push the sled in the one of their forerunning thoughts. Both are exceptional athletes initial 50 meter run that begins each race. in their own sports, with Lipchen having competed provincially, Both men and women can compete in the two nationally and internationally in triathlon and Rosembum being person categories for in both sports, while a combined events athlete for the University of Manitoba track the four person bobsled is only open to men. and field team. cbc.ca Olympic skeleton athletes like Jeff Pain began their careers in other sports. “There‘s a broad spectrum of athletes,” said Hurrie. “We as early identifiers, which require a lot of time and training at an early age to be successful. Both young men have proven themselves in their own had a draw from recreational to elite level. I think there are some So if the athletes even make this first set of standards, sports multiple times and have had success there. So why are people who have the attributes that we are looking for…[those which have been set by Bobsleigh Skeleton Canada, the national they looking to submit themselves to tests for recognition as bob- people] are at a very elite level.” organizational body, they still have to be ready for the Olympics sleigh or skeleton material? “To better myself,” says Rosenbum. The Canadian Sports Centre carded athlete is off to the side in the Grotto of the “Are [those athletes] deficient in some areas?” asked in less than four years. Hurrie. “Perhaps. I won’t know anything for certain until after the That isn’t a lot of time. analysis is done.” “It is enough time if the athlete meets the parameter stan- University of Manitoba’s Frank Kennedy Centre as other athletes This type of tryouts has never really happened in Manitoba dards and is coming in a trained state,” said Hurrie, in relation to take their turns attempting to lift their maximum weight (one recently, if ever. For such an open call to be placed, it requires a whether or not these athletes can possibly be at Olympic level by press) in the bench press technique. certain type of sport with a very low type of specificity in the train- the time the 2010 Olympics come around. Both Lipchen and Rosenbum are out to test their skills at ing and abilities of the athletes. Because of the style of the sports There is a steep learning curve for any athlete who meets an open call this past fall, curious as to what might come out of a of bobsleigh and skeleton, says Hurrie, there is the possibility of those parameters that are sought by the CSC sport scientists. chance at the Canadian National Bobsleigh team. crossover from other athletic disciplines that are at least in some Once the few are picked from the seed pools from around the way similar parts of the crossover sport. nation, they are offered to travel to Calgary to go through further But this isn’t the only place that men and women are trying their best to run 60 meters, pull a weighted bobsleigh and “Weight is placed mostly on the sprint disciplines,” said lift weights in three ways to qualify to train in Calgary at their Hurrie. “The 60 meter sprint is the most similar to [bobsleigh Stephanie Outhwaite, a former CIS track and field athlete, tracks and facilities. From Alberta came a call to the Canadian and skeleton] and follows through with the resisted sled pull. The who has been out for almost five years, was one of the athletes Sports Centre representatives in all regions of Canada to test for weights have some bearing, but not as much.” who came out to try the event. athletes of any sport who might be willing to compete in bobsleigh and/or skeleton. In fact, most of the athletes who compete in these sports originally came from other sports. “There’s always hope of longevity,” said Hurrie. “There is still a chance of 2010…2014 is still in our minds.” testing on actual tracks and in the sport’s surroundings. “I enjoyed the running part better, because I’m better at it,” she said. “It was fun to do something competitive again.” “This is more a ‘late maturation’ sport. You need time to “I’d be there [in Calgary],” says Outhwaite. “I’ve got my With only three and a half years until the 2010 Vancouver develop the muscle mass…sprinting abilities and neurological kids, a family…[but] I’d be there at the Olympics [if I got the Olympics, many would it’s simply too late to start a new sport. abilities,” says Hurrie about bobsledding and skeleton as a whole. chance]. Who wouldn’t?” Not true, according to Daryl Hurrie, the man who’s behind the Conversely, sports such as swimming or skating could be seen Sports Editor: Mike Pyl E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 786-9497 Fax: 783-7080 contact: uniter @ uniter.ca Dustin Addison-Schneider is the starting setter for the Wesmen men’s volleyball team. fans spend hours scrutinizing the week’s most pivotal matchups. They scour web- Thomas Asselin is co-host of the University of Winnipeg’s only sports radio talk show, the Ultra Mega Sports Show, broadcasting every Monday at 4:30 p.m. on CKUW 95.9 FM. sites, watch the sports networks’ tickers Mike Pyl is The Uniter's Sports Editor and founder of the paper’s NFL Picks. at the bottom of the screen, dial pricey 1- Kalen Qually is a regular contributor to Uniter Sports, and NFL Picks defending champion. 900 numbers, all in search of the particu- Dan Verville is a columnist with Red River’s Projector, as well as a regular voice on the Call-Ups, which can be heard Wednesdays at 7pm on 92.9 Kick FM. Nick Weigeldt is The Uniter’s very own Listings Coordinator. payday. Well, look no further. Each week we preview five of the league’s juiciest matchups of the week. team of analysts will show you the way. Game #2: Indianapolis @ Jacksonville (As to which way is anybody’s “Simply put, will a Peyton Manning-led team go four games with only one win? No. Sorry Jacksonville, your hopes at snaring that division title are going down in Week 13. Better luck next year.” – Nick Weigeldt Addison-Schneider says: Indianapolis Asselin says: Indianapolis Pyl says: Indianapolis Qually says: Jacksonville Verville says: Indianapolis Weigeldt says: Indianapolis Game #3: New Orleans @ Dallas Addison-Schneider says: Kansas City Asselin says: Baltimore Pyl says: Kansas City Qually says: Kansas City Verville says: Baltimore Weigeldt says: Kansas City Men’s Basketball (4-6, 2nd in Great Plains, unranked) “Dallas has been my darkhorse all year. And it’s not just because of T.O. or Tony Romo or Bill Parcells. They’ve finally come full circle and are a force to be reckoned with. Expect Dallas to continue their NFC East dominance over the Saints.” – Dan Verville Addison-Schneider says: Dallas Asselin says: New Orleans Pyl says: New Orleans Qually says: Dallas Verville says: Dallas Weigeldt says: Dallas Game #4: NY Giants @ Carolina “The Giants did what no one expected them to do this past week: play as a team against Dallas. The end result was the same as most predicted - a win for the Cowboys and another loss for the Giants. The Giants will be going against a team that has been in an odd little funk the last few weeks, with Brandon 75 Saturday, December 2 Brandon 74 Wesmen 69 Uniter Sports will be your Bible. Our crack “This game boasts one of the league’s most dominant defences against one of the league’s best rushers, Larry Johnson. I have to go advantage KC in this game due to their stinginess at home, as well as their need to win in order to make a charge towards the playoffs. In a low scoring battle the Chiefs will pull it out.” – Dustin Addison-Schneider The Score Thursday, November 30 Wesmen 76 If NFL football is your Sunday religion, Game #1: Baltimore @ Kansas City 23 THE PANELISTS Every week hundreds of thousands of guess.) December 7, 2006 SPORTS NFL Picks lar insight that will guarantee them a big The Uniter Monday night results of Carolina-Philly still pending at deadline. I expect Jake Delhomme to come back to form against the Eagles and be more than ready to defeat a Giants team that will likely face another controversy between last week and this week’s game (watch for some fireworks between Strahan and Burris). Panthers make a push for a playoff spot.” – Thomas Asselin Addison-Schneider says: Carolina Asselin says: Carolina Pyl says: NY Giants Qually says: NY Giants Verville says: NY Giants Weigeldt says: NY Giants Game #5: Denver @ San Diego “With the return of All-Pro linebacker Shawne Merriman (2 forced fumbles last week), the San Diego Chargers (10-2) are quickly becoming the team to beat in the AFC. To prove their worth they’ll have to topple another of the AFC’s elite, the Denver Broncos. The Chargers hold two distinctive advantages in this matchup: 1) They’re facing rookie quarterback Jay Cutler in only his second career start, and 2) They’re not playing at Mile High.Also, there’s 2 b) They have LaDainian Tomlinson. They’ll run it hard and often while making Cutler look like the rookie quarterback he is.” – Kalen Qually Addison-Schneider says: San Diego Asselin says: San Diego Pyl says: San Diego Qually says: San Diego Verville says: San Diego Weigeldt says: San Diego Women’s Basketball (6-4, 1st in Great Plains, unranked) Thursday, November 30 Wesmen 86 Brandon 55 Saturday, December 2 Wesmen 61 Brandon 49 Women’s Volleyball (1-10, 11th in Canada West, unranked) Friday, December 1 Trinity Western 3 Wesmen 0 (25-11, 25-12, 25-18) Saturday, December 2 Trinity Western 3 Wesmen 0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-15) Men’s Volleyball (4-3, 6th in Canada West, no. 4 CIS Coaches’ Poll) COMING UP Christmas Tournaments MEN’S BASKETBALL Home – Wesmen Classic – Dec. 27-30 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Away – University of Memorial Tournament – Dec. 27-30 WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL Away – University of Toronto Invitational – Jan. 5 Underwhelming performance still good enough against Brandon Ezirim swipes an incredible 12 steals the Wesmen break with four or five of an unbelievable, gamehigh 12 steals in only 25 minutes of playing time. Both teams Mike Pyl could have, either. Head coach Tanya McKay admitted there may ized on this opportunity to install and test drive a new motion of- Sports Editor have been a bit of complacency, given the Bobcats 0-10 record fence. and Winnipeg’s convincing win two nights earlier. played out the fourth with the outcome never in doubt. Ezirim was the only Wesmen to score in double figures, “It’s totally different concepts than what they’re used to,” notching 14, with others rounding out a balanced box score. Of “I could probably come up with a number of excuses,” she said when describing the adjustment. “We wanted to get a note was the play of rookie 6-foot-4 post Alex MacIver who, in The Brandon Bobcats are considered little more than the said McKay, whose team upped their record to 6-4 heading into new offence in before the second half of the season. It’s more of her first ever taste of CIS action, dropped six points and grabbed Free Space on the Canada West women’s basketball bingo card. the Christmas break. “They knew they were going to beat them, a motion offence, more of a freelance where you’re reading the two boards. The Winnipeg Wesmen certainly seemed to treat them they knew Brandon would play hard, but we also knew we were defence. I thought the kids made some good adjustments over as such, coasting to two easy wins, 86-55 in Brandon Thursday a better team. Were they complacent? They could have been. the two games, but it’s still raw.” night followed by a 61-49 victory in the rubber match Saturday Probably the older players, yes. But for the younger players, they at the Duckworth Centre. The Wesmen’s doubleheader with the were excited to play and they played a lot.” This weekend’s games also marked the first time fourth year guard Nina Adusei faced off against her old team. The Saturday night’s game started out slow, with McKay pla- former Bobcat team MVP, who joined the Wesmen this season tooning substitutions in groups of two or three every few min- since transferring from BU in 2005, found playing against her old Bobcats was characterized by average-to-underwhelming effort, “It’s a win, it’s over with. We’re on break now.” utes. At the half, the Wesmen led 29-20, with both teams strug- teammates “exciting”. Happy in Winnipeg, she admitted there vastly superior athletic talent, and an opportunity for reserve (continued from previous page) gling to get their shots dropping. were several problems holding the Brandon program back. players to gain some experience. The team set out to accomplish a number of objectives Saturday’s game in particular will certainly not be a clas- that the back-to-back dates with Brandon afforded them. The third quarter saw much of the same, with Winnipeg en- “The money and trying to keep their players,” said Adusei suring its ten-point cushion was never breached by the scrappy, of two prominent factors. “It was kind of frustrating because it sic by any means. Although the outcome was never in doubt, the “For us, our approach is to go in and play halfcourt and work on hard-working Bobcats. The game finally broke open towards the was such a rookie (dominated) team. A lot of players give it a Wesmen did not assert their undeniable dominance like they things we need to work on,” said McKay. The Wesmen capital- end of the period, as third-year point guard Jenny Ezirim ignited year, but the recruiting process… it’s just hard.” December 7, 2006 24 The Uniter contact: uniter @ uniter.ca