Argosy November 20, 2008

8/3/2019 Argosy November 20, 2008

1/28

November 20, 2008 Grating cheese on those abs since 1875 Vol. 138 Iss. 9

ArgosyThe

I n d e p e n d e n t S t u d e n t J o u r n a l o f M o u n t A l l i s o n U n i v e r s i t y

HIVs end?pp. 4 & 23

Jessica Emin

Policy change is needed to prevent

hypothermia amongst our youth,

someone shouted, dressed in old

clothes, handing out pamphlets.

Behind him, a fire burned steadily

in an old oil drum, and others poorly

dressed individuals huddled around

to keep warm.

Not a usual sight on Mount

Allisons campus by any means, this

was part of a demonstration that took

place last ursday to protest student

debt. is day of action, organized

by the SAC and spearheaded by VP

External Mark Brister, included

students dressing up as hobos andconstructing makeshift shanties.

According to a press release

circulated by the SAC, the striking

visuals of the event were meant to

connect the issues of student debt

and socioeconomic status to the

affordability of post-secondary

education (PSE). e day was was

designed to draw attention to the

failure of student financial aid in New

Brunswick.

e demonstration at Mt. A was

part of a larger day of action, with

events taking place on university

campuses across New Brunswick. e

New Brunswick Student Alliance

Zoe WilliamsArgosy Staff

(NBSA), a New Brunswick student

lobby group that is campaigning to

decrease student debt, held a press

conference on the same day.

Overall, the student reaction to the

protest was positive.

I think its a good idea, said

second-year student and off-campus

councilor Alex Mcdonald. I think

its great that all New Brunswick

universities are doing this, but we are

making it a lot more visual.

Fourth-year student Greg White

saw the issue as one that affects us

now and in the future. Student debt

is important to everyone. If you dont

have debt, your kids might.

High levels of student debt are a

concern for many students at Mt. A.

Im screwed. Were graduatingin six months and we have to start

paying it off. It makes me want to

throw up said fourth year student

Jessica Comeau. When asked if she

plans to attend graduate school, she

said she does not have a choice unless

I want to work at a call centre which

will of course lead to more debt.

According to the SAC press release,

39 per cent of students at Mt. A rely

on student loans, with the average

loan size being approximately $8,000.

e total amount of government loans

taken out last year by Mt. A students

was over $7 million.

Although students across the

country must deal with student loans,

New Brunswickers are particularly

hard-hit, carrying a student debt load

that is significantly higher than the

national average.

e use of the hobo visual however,

was problematic for some.

Im offended by it. I think equati ngmiddle class students choosing to

go to one of the most expensive

schools in the country to a homeless

person is offensive. Mt. A has one

of the best scholarship programs in

the country said third-year student

Chris Roberts.

According to the organizers, the

universitys administration has been

fully supportive of this student-led

event. Both university president Dr.

Robert Campbell, and VP Student

and International Affairs Ron Byrne,

stopped by the protest.

is is a really serious issue.

e capacity to access the Mt. A

experience is as important as any

other issue [to the administration]

said Campbell. On the one hand

we are working as hard as we can to

support students but its not enough.

e government has to step up. If its

a matter of government commitment,

it can be done.

Government commitment on this

issue, however, has been lacking.

We have been fighting this battle

for years and weve made incremental

progress said Brister, of the NBSA.

e government isnt willing to put

resources into making the tuition

freeze work properly.

e tuition freeze and the tax

breaks, policies of the government

of New Brunswick, are, according to

Brister, policies for the middle classand do not help students who are less

well off. erefore, the NBSA has

proposed a number of policies they

feel will go further to improve the

situation.

e first of these is a $6000 debt

cap, that would ensure that no student

graduates with more than $24,000

debt load. Also advocated is an

increase in access grants and outreach

programs, and a debt repayment

program that ensures students pay no

more than they can afford, based on

their income, in loan repayments.

According to Brister, given the

choice between a debt cap and these

Students dressed as hobos and sat on campus in a makeshift shanty town to protest and raise awareness on the high levels of debt graduating students face in New Brunswick

From Bachelors to bindles: protest advocates debt capNew Brunswick students face the largest debt in the country upon graduation

Im screwed. Weregraduating in six monthsand we have to start payingit off.

- Fourth year studentJessica Comeau

alternative policies, the debt cap is an

obvious choice.

Byrne echoed this statement. I

certainly feel that the approach of

moving away from tuition freezes

and trying to find ways to really drive

the funds to students who are truly

facing accessibility issues is absolutely

the right spirit and the right way to be

moving forward.

Brister emphasized that these

protests are coming at the end of

much negotiation with the provincial

government.

is protest is the culmination

of two years of negotiation with the

government, he explained. is is

definitely not radical... and we get the

same old trash. At this point we were

forced into this.Brister feels that the protest was

modestly successful. e NBSA has

scheduled a meeting with Minister

of Post-Secondary Education Donald

Arsenault, and the protests across

the province garnered some media

attention.

Most importantly, with this

province-wide campaign we have

shown that young people are capable

of mobilization to defend accessibility

and affordability of post-secondary

education, said Brister.

We must continue to insist upon

this political repercussion.


2/28

PAGE 2 THE ARGOSY NEWS NOVEMBER 20, 2008

w w w . a r g o s y . c a

Publisher

Argosy Publications Inc.

Editors-in-Chief Zoe Williams, ChrisDurrantProduction Manager Frances McGinnisManaging Editor Louisa Strain

EditorialNews Justine Galbraith

Features Darren MercerArts and Literature Julie StephensonSports Noah KowalskiScience and Technology StuartTownsendEntertainment William GregoryHumour Vivi Reich, Mark ComeauSubmissions Erin JemczykPhotography Jessica Emin

ProductionCopy Editors Juliet Manning, SarahRobinsonGraphic Design Vivi Reich

BusinessAdvertising Joselyn MacLellan

Argosy.caIT Manager Stuart Townsend

WritersEntertainment Neil Bonner

News Helena van TolArts Julie CruikshankFeatures Sacha Van KatwykGeneral Assignment Kelly OConnor

CirculationsRyan Esch

Publication BoardFaculty Dr. Michael Fox,Dr. Robert Lapp

The Argosy62A York Street, Sackville, NB

E4L 1H3(506)364-2236

e meeting began with SAC chair Greg White

outlining to the Council what are and arent

acceptable reasons to miss council meetings.

SAC president Mike Currie said he is going

to have a meeting with the university Board of

Regents about the Pub. Issues he is going to brin g

up included the pub being too bright, the lack of

a dance floor, and the bland walls. Off-campus

councilor Doug MacLean said the pool tables

were useless in such a small space and should

be taken out, and orton House rep Victoria

Munnoch added that there isnt a stage for bands

to play on.Notable during counselor concerns was

Campbell Hall rep Tim Lang voicing the

complaint that students on the unlimited meal

plan only receive three guest meals. Off-campus

councilor Sam Gregg-Wallace asked if there was

a list of student jobs available at Mount Allison

and VP External Mark Brister replied that the

government maintains a list of jobs available, but

he wasnt sure Mt. A uses it. VP Campus Life

Pat Barry added that there is not central list at

the school, so students should visit student life,

the Meighen Centre, and all the individual

departments, and ask whats available. Brister

then added that the government list is not useful

because all the hiring processes in Sackville

involve nepotism.

Barry and VP Communications Abigail

McGillivery then gave presentations on their

activities, which included tunnel tours to raise

money for Global Medical Brigades, Trick-

or-Eat, and SAC Awareness Week. Barry also

mentioned that campus security will now be

patrolling the King Street parking lot more,

and that eventually there will be video cameras

installed.

In Bristers report to council, he talked about

his meeting with Sackvil le mayor Pat Estabrooks.

He mentioned he was impressed with Sackv illes

commitment to the environment which has

included the newly implemented Share-a-Ride

program, hosting a sustainability conference, and

working on a carbon-inventory for the town.

Brister also mentioned that in the future there

will be a student representative on the towns

environmental committee. is was followed by a

lengthy discussion of his plans for a hobo-themed

protest of student debt in New Brunswick.

Question periods most memorable question

came from Science Senator Nathan Walker, whoasked if something could be done about the exit

signs in the students centre, because he frequently

hits his head on the one near the SAC office.

e meeting began with James Grady and

Nicole Belair introducing themselves as Service

Canada Ambassadors. ey described their role

on campus as helping give people information on

careers in the public service, as well as help filling

out related-forms.

During councilor concerns, off-campus

councilor Sam Gregg-Wallace complained

Chris DurrantArgosy Staff

Student politics and chocolate chipcookies were served on November 5

VP Acs first meeting accompaniedby ginger snaps, apples, and candybars on November 12

about bad tasting water fountains in the library.

Harper Hall rep Naomi Wheatley was concerned

that there are no philosophy professors with a

specialization in logic, and that neither gym has

a punching bag. Off-campus councilor Cejay

ORiley wished there was more advertising of

intramural deadlines.

In his maiden report to Council, VP Academic

Ryan Robski discussed the events of the last

university Senate meeting. He mentioned the

Senate had passed a resolution reaffirming

their academic independence in response to the

provinces report on post-secondary education.

He also said that Senate has created a temporary

committee on teaching evaluations, which will

included Robski and one other student.

Robski then described a meeting he had with

University Librarian Bru no Gnassi. Topics of the

meeting included the possibly of getting a self-

check out system, adding more comfortable chairs

to the library, the unadvertised changes in library

rules (such as food being permitted anywhere in

the library, and the thi rd floor and sub-basement

status as quiet floors). Additionally, Robskimentioned discussing library hours, and said that

Gnassi wants more input about when students

want the library to be open.

When questioned by SAC Ombudsman

Katherine Joyce about why the third floor of the

library was so loud, Robski said that librarians

have been told to enforce quiet on third floors,

but no signs will be put up because library staff

believe that the new quiet system will not work,

as noise from the first floor floats up to the third.

e meeting ended with VP Finance and

Operations Dan Wortman reminding council

that the deadline for clubs and societies funding

is November 21.

Justine Galbraith

For the second year in a row, Mount Allison

earned the top spot on Macleans annual university

rankings. is year, the university is no longer

sharing the honour with Acadia, which dropped

from first to third on the list.

Rounding out the top five rankings are the

University of Northern Britsh Colombia in second,

St. FX in fourth, and Wilfrid Laurier in fifth.e magazine bases its results on publicly

available information, and also publishes results

from student surveys, such as the National Survey

of Student Engagement (NSSE).

e rankings are divided into three

categories: medical doctoral university rankings,

comprehensive university rankings, and primarily

undergraduate university rankings. Mt. A is

included in the primarily undergraduate category,

and is judged on thirteen indicators concerning

students and classes, faculty, resources, student

support, library and reputation.

While the magazine has released its overall

rankings, the complete results in each category

will not be released until the November 24 issue of

Macleans hits the stands.

e bulk of the criteria categories deal with

a universitys resources, or inputs, said Mt. A

President Robert Campbell.

e Macleans report is a kind of inputs report,so its different from the Globe and Mail report

which is an outputs report.

Campbell believes that Mt. A does well in the

survey because the university is organized and

spends its money well in important areas.

It seems to me that what the Macleans rating

shows [...] is that were allocating our resources in

the right sort of way, said Campbell.

VP International and Student Affairs Ron

Byrne agrees.

I think that were consistently high [in the

rankings] because were very intentional about

what we do, he said.

ese surveys, explained Byrne, are aimed at

prospective students considering their options.

Mt. A maintains excellence: Macleans

We know that many prospective students

and parents pay particular attention [...] to the

Macleans survey, he said.

e Macleans rankings had a large influence

on fourth year student Isabel Gertlers decision

to come to Mt. A. In her home town of Toronto,

Maritime universities have low profiles, she

explained, and Macleans seems like the most

authoritative [source] to me.

Allison Carlson, another fourth year student,

agreed. If I hadnt know about [Mt. As spot in

the rankings], I wouldnt have come here.

e Macleans article also has an influence on

international students, who may not have other

sources of information on Canadian universities.

All we hear about are the rankings whenapplying towards colleges, said Kevin Geiger, a

second year student from New York.

Still, Geiger stated that the rank ings were not

the only factor in his decision.

To others, such as first year students Melanie

Richard and Sammy Lutes, the survey had no

effect at all on their decision to attend Mt. A.

I dont know what that is, said Lutes on the

rankings.

Still, many universities are concerned about the

methodology of the survey, and in the past some

have even refused to disclose information to the

magazine.

Both Byrne and Campbell believe that the

Macleans rankings focuses on just one aspect of

the university experience, and that other surveys

such as the Globe and Mail and NSSE offer

relevant information on student satisfaction.

Campbell believes that the input surveys need

to be considered in unison with output, or student

satisfaction, surveys to give a comprehensive view

of how the university is doing.

You can have the best inputs in the world and

be doing a lousy job, Campbell explained, and

you could have the worst inputs in the world and

have the greatest outputs.

I would rather have a good rating on the

output.

According to Byrne, the NSSE is becoming

a more relevant tool for prospective students as

Canadians become more familiar with it.More and more are paying attention to what

that one says, he explained, because thats

really talking about how students feel about their

experience at the campus.

Campbell believes that a main purpose of the

Macleans rankings is to validate the school to the

external world.

[ose who support us] want an accountability

check on if were doing as good of a job as we say

were doing.

He also said that the survey serves as validation

for those involved with the school, whether it be

alumni, faculty, staffor students.

I think that the biggest impact of the rankings

is on the moral of our community.

Justine GalbraithArgosy Staff

Mount Allison received top marks in Macleans survey of undergraduate universities


3/28


4/28

NATIONAL

TORONTO (CUP) A University

of Western Ontario researcher hasproduced an experimental HIV

vaccine that is approaching human

trials.

Using a technique similar to

Jonas Salks famous polio vaccine,

which is now verging on completely

eliminating that disease from the

world, Chil-Yong Kangs treatment

involves the injection of a kil led whole

HIV-1 into the recipient.

Kangs method differs from

previous attempts, which have only

utilized a portion of the HIV virus.

We have engineered a virus in such

a way that it can be produced in larger

quantities in shorter periods of time

and . . . doesnt cause the disease, he

told Canwest News.

We have tested animals and they

do respond to the vaccine and we nowhave to try it in humans.

HIV is the virus that leads to AIDS

by damaging the immune system. e

World Health Organization estimates

that there were 33.2 million people

living with HIV in 2007, and that 2.1

million died of AIDS.

On Kangs UWO website, he

Western announces HIV vaccine breakthroughUniversity bids on $88 million facility to produce vaccine

Joe HowellCUP Ontario Bureau Chief

describes his research as an attempt to

produce an effective vaccine to prevent

AIDS by creating pseudovirions

that produce protective immune

responses.

ese pseudovirions, carrying

many important regions of both

internal proteins and external

envelope proteins of AIDS virus, will

be used to generate the neutralizing

antibodies which will prevent the

virus infection and also generate

cytotoxic T lymphocytes, which are

designed to kill and destroy the AIDS

virus-infected cells in the body, readsthe site.

e HIV breakthrough is only days

away from the toxicology testing that

will determine if such clinical trials

are safe.

Kang expects results from these

tests within three months, meaning

the first stage of testing on HIV- Kangs experimental HIV vaccine is nearly ready for trial in humans.

Meaghan Walton/ the Fulcrum

EDMONTON (CUP) A new

study shows that Canada is losing

fewer graduates to the United States

than anticipated, but its the smarter

students who are taking off in search

of greener pastures.

e study by David Walters, an

associate professor in the Department

of Sociology and Anthropology at

the University of Guelph, examines

the current state of Canadas labour

market and whether or not graduate

trends have changed over time. e

purpose was to investigate labour-

market outcomes of post-secondary

graduates, and also to compare

Canadas most vital graduates drawn to U.S.Kirsten GorukCUP Alberta and Northern Bureau

Chief

graduates of Canada with the U.S., he

said. I think much of the inspiration

was [that] most of our knowledge was

guided by media reports, for example,

largely of medical doctors leaving for

the United States because theyd been

attracted by high wages.

With the most recent data dating

back to the mid 1990s, it was no

surprise when Walters discovered a

difference from todays graduates.

e good news that we found

is that graduates arent leaving, not

nearly as many of them as we had

anticipated before the actual study.

Based on the media reports, we found

that lot of what we were anticipating

had been sensationalized somewhat,

or that the labour market was different

before, he said.

But the downside is that Walters

realized Canada was losing some of

its brightest students to its southern

neighbour. e bad news is that of

those who are leaving, they generally

tend to be the better students. eyre

the ones who generally are more likely

to get scholarships, and if they get

scholarships, they re more likely to get

more money in terms of scholarships.

And they generally tend to be in the

fields that are considered vital to this

new knowledge-based economy, he

said.

While engineers, computer science

graduates, and those in help-related

fields are at the top of the list , Walters

also uncovered a noteworthy statistic

about those in the medical field.

What was interesting is that we

also found that of those help-fields

who are leaving, it wasnt the medical

doctors, it was the nurses, he said.

In fact, a Statistics Canada survey

of 6,700 graduates showed that about

6.9 per cent exported their labour to

the U.S., and very few were medical

doctors.

e study itself excluded those

from the survey who were graduates

of a trade program or a community

college, as well as those from social

sciences and arts programs, as theyve

been shown to remain in Canada for

their employment.

Despite the somewhat positive

results, Walters is adamant this

research could be used to influence the

role of employers and the government

when it comes to graduate retention.

He believes the government

might want to look into providing

tax incentives for particular types

of graduates, or making additional

efforts to keep them in Canada. He

also feels that businesses could profit

from this new information.

Businesses might want to consider,

for example, recruitment strategies to

keep the more qualified graduates in

the country. ey might also want to

consider providing competitive wage

rates or other incentives that may not

be related to wages, he said.

Regardless of what actions may or

may not be taken in light of the st udys

findings, Walters is confident the

knowledge will have an encouraging

effect. I think that the importance

of it is to be reassuring in the sense

that people are worried that the best

people in our country are leaving

and thats true but not as many of

them as we thought.

WATERLOO (CUP) is week,

the History Students Association

at Wilfrid Laurier University in

Waterloo, Ont. temporarily pulled

the sale of one of several t-shirts amid

controversy over its message.

e shirt depicted Josef Stalin, the

former leader of the Soviet Union,

with the text Got Purge?

e HSAs t-shirt intended to

satirize the Got Milk? series of

advertisements, as well as reference

the Great Purge that occurred in the

Soviet Union in the late 1930s.

Stalin t-shirts spark controversy at LaurierMorgan AlanThe Cord Weekly (Wilfrid Laurier

University)

Sale of the shirts led to complaints

directed towards the HSA, as well

as the Office for Student Diversity,

which has since intervened to mediate

the controversy.

e HSA has been selling t-shirts

since 2005 as means to offset club

costs and pay for events.

ough shirts with similar

messages have been sold in the past,

only this year have they faced serious

backlash.

e HSA argues that the shirts are

not intended to offend, but are meant

as a form of humourous satire.

Were not trying to be offensive,

said Stephen Arnold, the vice-

president of HSA administration.

We dont support Stalin; were

ridiculing him.

Its something humourous of

a historical event. Its not to de-

humanize the event, or to say we

support it.

Brian Bork, University Chaplain

for Laurier and the University of

Waterloo, has questioned the HSAs

defence.

e satire is a little out of

place, especially coming from very

comfortable, Western young people

who are 50 years removed from what

happened then, said Bork.

It concerns me that they are

making light of . . . one of the darkest

moments in human history, he

added.

e Office for Student Diversity

will hold an open meeting to attempt

to resolve the matter on Nov. 13.

Members of the Laurier community

who wish to voice their opinions about

the shirts are invited to attend.

Until this meeting, the HSA has

voluntarily agreed to remove the shirt

in question from public viewing.

Regardless of their stances on the

issue, many agree that to simply censor

the HSA is not a viable solution.

e Office for Student Diversity is

not big on censorship, but were big on

creating an inclusive environment,

said Student Diversity Co-ordinator

Adam Lawrence.

e open meeting can be a

learning experience so that people

can really express why they dont feel

the shirts should be there, and the

History Students Association can

explain why they have created these

shirts, said Lawrence.

Arnold agrees with Lawrences

sentiments, stating that a hopeful

resolution is one where were not being

censored, but were not offending

people.

Bork also agrees that the meeting is

a good solution to the issue.

Instead of shutting [the HSA]

down, have a discussion about how

we talk about history, how we do

historical inquiry, how we speak of

the horrors of the past i n a proper way.

I think thats a really constructive way

of going about it, he said.

We have tested animals andthey do respond to the vaccineand we now have to try it inhumans.

- UWO researcher Chil-YongKang

positive humans could potentially

begin in the spring.

e work will have to be done in the

U.S., however, because Canada lacks

the facilities necessary for such testing.

UWO is one of four organizationsbeing considered by the federal

government to receive $88 million to

build the countrys first Pilot Scale

HIV vaccine manufacturing facility,

according to a press release issued by

the university on Wednesday.

Ted Hewitt, UWOs VP of research

and international relations, seized

upon Kangs breakthrough to bolster

Westerns bid for this facility.

We have our work cut out for us,

as I am sure the competition will

be tough, but London and Western

have a great history of research

and manufacturing success. is is

exemplified by the leading research

of Dr. Yong Kang in developing an

HIV/AIDS vaccine, said Hewitt.

e other three organizations

under consideration have yet to beannounced, but UWO is the only

contender from Ontario.

London Mayor Anne Marie

DeCicco-Best said that her city now

has an opportunity to show that we

can play a key role in saving lives

around the world.

We are ready, said Best.


5/28

OPINIONS

Zoe WilliamsArgosy Staff

Elections bring out the worst in

people. Lying, stealing, racism, sex-

ism - the last few American elections

have had it all. is year, with Barack

Obamas less than overwhelming vic-

tory, has been no different. In fact,

with both a woman and an African

American in the race, the number of

inflamatory issues offensive attack ads

and deluded Fox News commentators

could address multiplied. From claims

that Obama is a Muslim married to

a Black Panther, and worries aboutClintons potential PMS-related mood

swings, it seemed that the civil rights

and feminist movements passed some

people by.

Luckily all this ire and idiocy lent

itself to some pretty hilarious pop cul-

ture; the SNL skit lampooning Sarah

Palins interview with Katie Couric

(almost as funny as the real thing) is

the obvious example. My favourites

though were the Get Your War Oncartoons, on the Left-leaning 236.

com

However, on the same website, there

are a series of fake ads mimicking the

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth cam-

paign, that played during 2004 elec-

tion. e Swift Boat ads were created

to oppose democrat John Kerrys bid

for president. ey featured men who

served with Kerry in Vietnam, claim-

ing that many of the statements Kerry

made about the war were false, and

that, therefore, he was not fit to lead

the country. e fake ads on 236.com

are called Swift Jews for Truth.

e Swift Jews for Truth ads consist

of four or five obviously Jewish seniors,

expressing their concern over O bamas

candidacy.ere are three videos, each

about a minute long. Solemn musicplays, and images of Obama, Muslims,

and African Americans flash by in

the background. is other one, this

Obama, what Im concerned about

not that its a terrible thing says one

woman against the backdrop of what

looks like a civil rights rally. Im

not judging, Im just saying says an-

other, with Obama in a turban in the

background. is is white, this is not

white. John McCain, Barack Obamasays a third woman, pointing to the

two sides of a black and white cookie

(of Seinfeld fame). John McCain is

white pronounces an old man.

is is supposed to be funny, and it

does lampoon Republican attacks ads,

which play upon peoples fears by us-

ing misrepresentation and outright lies

to skew an issue something I would

usually appreciate. But, this is an in-

accurate and offensive portrayal of the

attitude of American Jews towards

Obama. Most American Jews claimed

to support Obama during the election,

most Jews vote democrat, and Obama

has been staunch in his support for

Israel (never mind that being Jewish

does not automatically entail unwav-

ering support for Israel).

So why Swift Jews? As mentionedabove, 236.com is an obviously Left

-leaning website. ey are unabash-

edly partisan, lauding Obama while

skewering Republicans. Given this,

I cant imagine them using any other

ethnic group as the butt of this kind of

joke. But judging from the comments

on some other websites where these

ads are posted, a lot of people have

no problem with Swift Jews. Swift

Jews plays upon tired, offensive Jewish

stereotypes and presenting any ethnic

group, even as a joke, as an undiffer-

entiated whole, while placing them onthe wrong side of a popular issue is

irresponsible.e fact that this ad ap-

peared quite realistic, and was posted

out of context on other websites, makes

this all the more unsettling.

Racial Stereotypes: not just for conservativesSwift Jews exemplifies bigoted political parodies

Swift Jews is just a drop in the ocean

of offensive and bigoted material that

came out of this election. e sexist,

Islamophobic, and racist rants that

were given legitimacy during the last

year by the mainstream media are far

more worrying to me, overall, than

Swift Jews. Unfortunately, they all play

upon stereotypes and misinformationto achieve their goals whether it be

to get yet another white man elected

as president, or make some college stu-

dents laugh.

Katherine Boyle -B.O.D.I.E.S

My relationship with Cosmopolitan

(Cosmo) magazine has been a long

one. Age 12: surreptitiously checking

it out at the grocery store, knowing

that it was taboo because of the large

emblazoned word sex located multiple

times on the cover (Ive heard that

it appears four or five times on each

cover). Age 15: poring over it with

friends; the information on proper lip

gloss application was more relevant to

us at this point than the wide variety

of unmentionable things to do with

pearls, saran wrap, and ice but

everything was extremely interesting

nonetheless. Age 17: spending

countless days at the beach, using it as

a shield from the sun and covetously

checking out the models, clothing,

hot guys, and learning what I thought

were very useful relationship tips; dont

tell him you are mad, bake cookies if

you get in a fight, flowers and cards for

alloccasions should be expected.Im not sure what Cosmo and other

magazines of its ilk have that is so

enticing, but they always seem so thick

and full of pertinent life information

that it is hard to resist their charm.

ey are an easy read on a long flight,

and easy to slip in and out of while

trying to p ass ten minutes. But reading

Cosmo at age 20 is quite different

then reading it at age 15; I no longer

believe that everyone can solve their

relationship problems by slipping on a

sexy negligee and serving homemade

cookies. e advice is dated, stuck in

the fifties housewife mentality, and yet

this advice has its allure; it is so easy to

buy into. I wish that problems could

be solved with double chocolate chip,

and I think that sometimes everyone

e changingperspectives on Cosmo

wishes that the most difficult and

challenging aspect in their life would

be learning how to curl ones eyelashes

with a heated spoon, or having really

shiny, healthy hair. Its a cheap form of

escapism that draws on normal wishes

of young women but then magnifies

them into a grand proportion,

convincing me for a few minutes

every now and again that I absolutely

must invest in sparkly champagne eye

shadow or else my new years will be

absolutely horrible.

So at age 20 I still read Cosmo,

but somewhat ambivalently, knowing

that it is not the bible of life that Elle

Woods once told me it was. It is still an

enjoyable form of escapism, but now

more than ever I am often excited to

close Cosmo and return to real life,

where unsexy late-night Zoodle-dates

with friends and messy play-dates

with my dogs, not hunk of the month,

occur.

Vivi ReichArgosy Staff

On November 6 I went to the

B.O.D.I.E.S. Coffee house at Bridge

Street Cafe, pretty much just to support

a friend who was reading a poem (which

she did brilliantly). But I am actually

very glad I went, because I learned a

few things, especially something about

myself.

Because the theme of this coffee

house was violence against women,

one participant read an excerpt aboutblaming the [rape] victim from a

feminist book (I apologize, but I dont

remember the book name or author).

After describing the phenomenon of

blaming the victim in the case of rape,

she mentioned some cases that had

come before a court in Italy in recent

years I dont have the exact quote,

but the basic idea was that the court

claimed the woman who was raped

was not actually raped because she was

wearing jeans, and she would have had

to help the rapist take them off.at is

just one example. Another point that

was brought up during this reading, and

the one that really got me thinking, was

that if a prostitute were to be raped, and

if she were to take her problem to the

authorities, the person who raped her

Everyb.o.d.i.e.should thinkabout this

would probably never be charged and

the prostitute in turn would be blamed.

I started thinking: if I heard about a

case like this, what would I say? and

I realized that I would probably think

what everyone else would think: She

was a prostitute. Of course shes going

to be raped at some point.

As soon as I had that thought, I felt

ashamed, mostly because I am not the

kind of person who would have such

a thought, but also because I had the

thought at all, and also because I believe

that prostitution should be legal (which

would be a whole nother opinions

article, so I will stop there). I had

read the Sex Bomb article in the last

Argosy issue just a couple hours before,

in which a college students career as a

call girl was described. After reading

that article, I had thought, Yeah! Good

for her! She has made a choice to have

that career, power to her! But then I

had an opposite reaction to the thought

about a prostitute being raped.e point is: we need to look at

how we think about these things, and

whether or not we are agreeing with a

status quo that could (and does) alienate

people for their life choices. We need to

pay attention to whether or not we are

being hypocrites about, well, anything.

We are complicated human beings and

our emotions often contradict each

other, but when it starts to hurt other

people, or a race/group/class of people,

we need to stop and consider why we

are thinking that way. e problem of

alienation will not go away if we fall into

the habit of this thinking, and neither

will the problem of violence against

women they will only go away if we

stop judging and start understanding

and listening.

What does Cosmo mean to you?


6/28


7/28

ENTERTAINMENT

When they arent expanding minds

with art exhibitions and visual media

workshops, the good folks at Struts

Gallery like to kick back and put on

a rock show. On Saturday, November

15, Struts served up a pop feast with

locals Matt Lewis and e Skinks and

e John Wayne Cover Band, finishedby Cam Malcolm and e Owls of

Hamilton, Ontario.

Before I go on, allow me to be

serious for a moment. We here at the

Argosy are not immune to scheduling

mishaps. After stopping at the ATM

on the way to Struts around 9:00 pm,

a quick glance at a poster revealed that

the show had actually started at 8:00

pm.us I missed out on the opening

set from Matt Lewis and the Skinks.

Matt, Skinks sorry I missed you, but

judging by the quality of the rest of

the acts on the bill it was probably a

terrific set. Readers, check them out if

you have a chance. In the meantime,

enjoy these fun facts about skinks. Did

you know that skinks are the most

diverse of the lizard families, with

Neil BonnerArgosy Staff

close to 1,200 different species? Some

of the larger species, including the

Solomon Islands skink, can be as long

as 35 cm. Tell your friends! e John

Wayne Cover Band is a mysterious

bunch. ey are not, as their name

might suggest, a John Wayne tribute

act, nor are they a vehicle for the

songs of John Wayne Cover. Instead,

theyre a group of three Mount Allison

students, and theyre pretty good, too.

Joel Carrs vocals float over a soothingcrunch of guitar chords similar to

Neil Young or Sun Kill Moon. Its

road music an atmospheric, dreamy

blend of power-pop and country

music, the soundtrack to leaning

against a passenger seat window and

watching the passing landscapes. Carr

also played a song from his previous

band, Conduct Becoming veterans e

Financial Group.

Cam Malcolm is an Ontario-based

singer/songwriter who hit Sackville on

the last night of his East Coast tour.

Accompanying him was e Owls,

which as of August is his backing

band. He played material from his

addictive EP A Little Bit of History,

as well as some unheard material.

On record, Malcolms songs are a

laid-back take on classic power-pop,

tinged with folk rock and psychedelia.

Songs conjured memories of unsung

pop heroes like the Apples in Stereo,

Fountains of Wayne and Matthew

Sweet. eyre songs you can know

by heart before the first chorus is over,

but theyll still keep you coming back

for more. In the live setting,e Owls

flesh out Malcolms solo tunes, with

muscular support from drummer/

brother Frasier Malcolm, bassist AdamMelnick and guitarist James Taylor

(no, not that one), who added ripping

mini-solos. Sometimes it was too loud

for the confines of Struts, but even

though Malcolms guitar occasionally

overpowered Taylors, the hooks were

never completely submerged.

By all accounts, this was an excellent

concert with a slate of talented young

bands. Yet something troubled me

about it. e first part of the show

enjoyed a good-sized crowd, but

a large portion of the audience

disappeared before e Owls went on.

With shows of this caliber, we need all

the people we can get to come out to

these concerts, so keep your eyes on

strutsgallery.ca/calendar.htm for news

on upcoming shows. See you then.

Guy Davis warms up Georges Roadhouse

Locals and birds, oh my!Sackville students open up for Hamiltons Cam Malcolm

Preceding the legendary Guy Davis,

Georges Roadhouse welcomed a

much less known artist to the stage:

guitarist Graham Isaacson.

While not known widely, this

Maine-based acoustic player is not

without serious talent. Jokingly

pointing this out several times between

songs, Isaacson is predominantly a

sad-song artist. Having a bit of a

Damien-Rice-meets-rough-rocky-

Eels guitar sound and a heavy husky

voice, Isaacson certainly made good on

his warning of turning Georges into

a bit of a cry fest.

After you take a minute to get over

the hilarious image of a collection of

Roadhouse patrons bawling their eyes

out, Ill clarify that while I myself didnt

see any blubbering Sackville townies,

the mood was undoubtedly solemn.

Isaacsons sound is the kind of thing

youd love to listen to while looking out

the window at a rainy day when youvegot a heavy head or an even heavier

heart. Its not emo; dont think it s emo.

While I would agree that if one were

to read out his lyrics itd sound pretty

pathetically sentimental, Id retort

with the challenge to read some of the

Ramones or the Smiths stuff.

Once youve taken the time to recall

their lyrics itll become evident that

cool music has very little if anything

at all to do with whats being sung.

Getting past that, it must be point ed

out that there were a couple songs of

Isaacsons that were a bit more of a

rock and blues styling than his usual

work. His rough and low singing voice

(which is amusingly different from his

soft speaking voice), however, didnt

really mix well with a rock or even

particularly a blues style of playing.

While I wouldnt say that Graham

Isaacson has a future in blues, despite

the fact that the blues-loving audience

and Georges received his stuffwell, hecertainly has a sound of his own that

deserves some serious recognition and

perhaps a return tour to Sackville.

Isaacsons music is what I would

and now fully intend to listen

to on a depressing and lazy Sackville

afternoon when the sky is gray and

I cant see past the downpour of rain

at the window. Itd help too to have a

case of beer at my side, because even

on that particularly jubilant Friday

night, this guy had me feeling like a

beer is just what I need to get through

the moment. I mean that in the most

loving way.

ree out of five guitars by my

rating; come back again, Graham, and

I might bump that up with a preview

and an attendance to your gig.

Sasha van KatwykArgosy Staff

Jessica Emin

Graham Isaacson a good, but sad and somber affair

www.google.ca

Guy Davis played a long but extremely

well-executed set at Georges Fabulous

Roadhouse on Friday, proving that

blues are not anywhere near lifeless,

archaic or even a little limp. During an

expansive set that spanned almost two

and a half hours, Davis, who plays in

the East Coast Piedmont blues style

that incorporates a lot of fingerpicking

and a more minimalist approach, led

Tom LlewellinArgosy Correspondent

the audience through a wide variety

of blues standards, original material,

and Dick Cheney jokes.e New York

native, who taught himself to play

guitar on a train trip across America,

was touring to promote release of Guy

Davis On Air. His cover of Robert

Johnsons Walkin Blues turned heads,

and his thundering baritone shook the

room. Davis has an incredible prowess

on the harmonica, which he put to

good use on Joppatowne. His backing

band, with only an upright bass player

and keyboardist, lacked a drummer

but hardly needed one. e trio kept

a solid beat flowing through the set

virtually uninterrupted, and there were

plenty of catchy grooves that emitted

from his well-worn 12-string guitar,

coupled with impressive piano solos.

Davis and his band are clearly very

comfortable with the old-school 12-

bar blues formula, but they showed a

willingness to move beyond it in their

original material that characterized

them as outstanding. ere were a

total of three standing ovations - a first

for the venue. Jessica Emin

Davis pulls out all the stops ina two-hour marathon


8/28


9/28


10/28


11/28

FEATURES

Cindy CrossmanRegistered Nurse / Educator

We spend the majority of our day

working indoors with little or no bright

light and then rush home to spend more

time indoors to read, watch television,

use the computer, listen to music, or

exercise. Is this impacting our health?

According to an article from the /

International Journal of Risk & Safety in

Medicine (1998), the following are the

common signs that may indicate that you

may not be getting enough bright light

in the beneficial wavelengths: Depressed

Mood, Low Energy, Irritability,

Difficulty Concentrating, Carbohydrate

Cravings, Social Withdrawal, Reduced

Libido, and Trouble Sleeping.

As the days get shorter, many

individuals find that they begin to

experience the winter blues. We feel

down and lose interest in things that

we used to enjoy, have less energy,

and find it difficult to wake up in the

morning. When these feelings persist and

affect the persons ability to accomplish

simple daily tasks and performance

at school and at work, a person may

be suffering from something called

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

According to the Merrian Webster

medical dictionary, SAD is a medically

recognized sub-type of major

depression that tends to occur as the

days grow shorter in the fall and winter.

It is believed that affected persons react

adversely to the decreasing amountof light and the colder temperature

as autumn and winter progress.

Research into the causes of SAD is

ongoing. As yet, there is no confirmed

cause. However, SAD is thought to be

related to seasonal variations in light

a biological internal clock in the

brain regulates our circadian (daily)

rhythms. is biological clock responds

to changes in season, partly because of

the differences in the length of the day.

So how is SAD Treated?

According to the Mood disorders

Society of Canada, many people

with SAD respond well to

exposure to bright, artificial light.

Light therapy, which involves sitting

beside a special fluorescent light box

for several minutes day. A health care

professional should be consulted before

beginning light therapy. However,

the use of anti-depressant medication

and psychotherapy is also though

to provide beneficial results.

How does the light therapy work?

Light therapy involves exposure to bright

light of a particular spectrum. Specially

designed Light therapy boxes or visors

have been designed to treat SAD.

It is recommended that 30 minutes

of light exposure (if you have a box

with 10,0000 lux), and one hour (if you

have a box with 5,000 lux) particularly

in the morning, can have a positive

benefit to lifting mood and energy. If it

is effective, you should feel some relief

within two to four weeks of initiating

treatment. Treatment is usually

continued throughout the winter

period when symptoms are present.

Some people with predictable episodes

of SAD initiate treatment in advance

of experiencing symptoms as a way of

pre-emptying the onset of depression.

Research has proven the effectiveness

in treating SAD with fluorescent light

boxes in approximately 65% of cases.

e most common side effects of

light therapy reported are: eye strain or

visual disturbances, headache, agitation

or feeling wired, nausea, sweating and

sedation.ese side effects are generally

mild and subside with time or by reducing

the dose of light. Hypo mania and mania

have also been reported as uncommon

but serious side effects of light therapy.Please consult your health care

provider about the treatment and do

not start light treatment without an

accurate diagnosis by a trained clinician.

It is extremely important to let your

health care provider know if you are

considering light therapy because

exposure can cause severe reactions in

people with certain medical conditions,

like epilepsy, or with severe eye ailments

like glaucoma, cataracts or retinopathy

or if you are taking medication

which increase photosensitivity

before initiating treatment.

What is the procedure for light

therapy?

Light therapy for winter blues usually

consists of 15 to 60 minutes of bright

light every morning as early as possible

upon waking ideally before 8 AM.

Find a routine that works best

with your schedule. You may find it

easiest to get your light while eating

breakfast, exercising, applying makeup,

or while working at the computer.

Some people find a second exposure

of bright light in the middle of the

afternoon gives them an extra boost

of energy to make it through the day.

e Litebook should not be used in

the evening as it could interfere with

your normal sleep time. (there is an

exception for 50-plus adults desiring

to adjust their early sleep pattern)

Everyone is unique in their light

needs; you may have to try different

exposure times to find your best level.

Where is this light therapy available

on campus and how much does this

cost?

e litebook is available at the Wellness

Centre for all Mount Allison University

students to utilize. No appointment

is needed and there is no charge

for the utilization of this treatment.

General Usage Instructions of the

Litebook

Position the Litebook approximately

12 to 24 inches (30-60 cm) from your

face, and offset it to a 30 to 45 degree

angle, like sunlight coming in a window.

Direct the Litebooks light

beam at your eyes. Your eyes must

be open to achieve the benefit.

To provide benefit, the Litebookslight beam is very bright, like the

sun. As with the sun, you do not stare

at the Litebook, although it is not

harmful to glance at it occasionally.

Typically, you will know when

you have received sufficient light.

Most feel a sense of heightened

alertness, energy, and/or mood.

For people who are more severely

affected by SAD, counseling and

sometimes medications may also

be helpful for winter depression.

If you or someone you know

suffers from SAD and/or who is

interested in lite therapy please do

not hesitate to contact the Wellness

Centre at Mount Allison University

at 364-2163 to meet with the Nurse/

Educator or the Personal Counsellors.

New International Centre hopesto increase awareness on campus

How important is light?

Christina Ashley

Argosy Correspondent

Over the past six months therehave been numerous changes in

the international field at Mount

Allison. From the creation of the

International Centre in the new

Wallace McCain Student Center, to

the change in title of Ron Byrne to

Vice-President of International and

Student Affairs, Mount Allison has

attempted to enrich the international

experience for its staff and students.

e office of the new International

Centre now serves as a centralized

information point for all things

international. With the creation of

this office came a new title for Adam

Christie, now Manager of International

Affairs. In this role, he will work

towards creating an international

atmosphere across campus, to

allow every student at Mt. A. tohave an international experience.

I dont want people to think they have

to go far to reach international; I dont

want them to think it isnt accessible,

or that it is impossible, says Christie.

e international experience is

often seen as going on an exchange

or study-abroad program. e new

International Centre hopes to expand

this definition for students, promoting

the idea that an international experience

can simply be sitting down for coffee

with a student from Brazil and sharing

stories about life, past and present.

Ron Byrnes new title as VP of

International, as well as Student

Affairs, ideally positions him to

contribute to this idea of a new

student experience at Mt. A.

Our job is to facilitate the students,

to give them all the opportunities and

tools to have an international experience

at Mount Allison, said Byrne.

Assisting Christie in the

International Centre is Pronoti

Majithia, recently appointed to fill a

vacancy in the position of International

Student Advisor. In her position,

she aims to help students smoothly

transition towards internationality.

From incoming international students

to students who are looking for

study-abroad and exchange programs,

and all the way to just wanting to

get involved, she is there to help.

As in previous years, the

International Lounge represents a space

where students of any nationality or

background can go to enjoy themselves

and find stimulating conversation and a

worldly experience, right here at Mt. A.

In addition, the centre recently

held an International Mini Fair to

promote study abroad and exchange

programs. is is one of many events

the centre is planning to promotethe international experience, and

allow students to get involved.

e International Centre hopes to

increase attendance to these events.

When they see that [international]

heading, says Byrne,they automatically

assume that it is for international

students and only international

students. What we want to show is

that these events are for everyone and

that they are the perfect opportunity

to expand your horizons and enrich

your experience at Mount Allison.

Recently, discussions have been held

with students across campus to find

new and creative ways to promote the

international experience and to create

events that will bring the community

together. Some of the ideas have been

quite innovative. An internationalfood crawl, for example, is one idea

that sparked the imagination of many.

is entails going from house to house,

tasting international cuisine. As well,

finding a way to finance international

experiences such as studying abroad

or going on an exchange is part of

the programs initiatives; this includes

finding new scholarships and grants

within the academic community,

both inside and outside of Mt. A.

is week, for example, Mt. A has

been hosting a week of International

Education activities, along with other

university campuses. From Monday

to Friday, student presentations,

workshops, and foreign films have

been presented in the International

Lounge, between six and nine oclock,

exploring such diverse cultures

as Ghana, China, and Germany.

Even with these new initiatives,

the toughest of all challenges may

simply be increasing student interest.

I overheard a student ask why

international is important to Mount

Allison, said Majithia, and it struck

me that no matter what steps we

take to enrich the international

experience, none of it means anything

if the students are not behind

having an international experience.

International is a way of enriching

who you are as a person, comments

Byrne, so that you can go out into the

world and know that you have stepped

outside the prepared box of life and

are ready to experience every aspect

of life, not just that that is your own.

with files from Darren Mercer

Going international

A student takes advantage of the Wellness Centres free Litebook.

Jessica Emin

Free Litebook for use at the Wellness Centre

Jessica Emin


12/28


13/28


14/28


15/28


16/28


17/28


18/28


19/28


20/28

HUMOUR

Chemistry

Making fun of science since 2008

Artsvs. Science by the Enigmatic Doctor Thantos

H ow t o S p o t a S c i e n c e S t u d e n tWord s : T h e H um o u r E d i t o r s

P i c t u r e s : Ta n i t h Wa l l e b e c kMath

Biology

Theworst

pool

opponent

EVAR!

Physics

Calculates

the

probability

of

gettinglaid

Loudest

advocateon

campusfor

mould

preservation

Neverwants

toskipalab...

because

its

ameth

lab!

Cant we have one meeting that doesnt end with us digging up a corpse?


21/28


22/28

SACStudent Administrative Council Page

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?(your student senators)

Joni Fleck Andrews

Mount Allison SAC

Arts Senator

Hey folks, Im Joni and Imone of the Arts Senators

this year. Im a fourth

year student studyingPhilosophy, Environmental

Studies and Commerce. Ienjoy exploring the great

outdoors, sports, music,art and education. The

departments that Im

responsible for include:Philosophy, Fine Arts,

Classics, History, Drama,Canadian Studies and

American Studies. If

you have any questions,concerns or ideas that you

would like to share aboutany of these departments,

academics in general orthe SAC give me a shout!

I look forward to hearing

from you. Cheers!

Anna MacKinnonMount Allison SAC

Arts Senator

Hey! Im representing all

you fabulous people inArts! But no matter what

program youre in, feel free

to stop me on campus andlet me know any of yourconcerns, questions, or

ideas... Well getter done

for you!

Justin OakeMount Allison SAC

Science Senator

Heyyy Mount A! My namesJustin Oake and Im one of

your Science Senators for

the year! Im a third yearBio student pursuing an

honours and I hail fromthat beloved beautiful

rock, Newfoundland. Im

also a crazed Habs fanand a huge fan of Seinfeld

and The Office If any ofyou have any concerns or

questions please feel freeto contact me anytime. If

you wanna stop me for a

chat if you see me around,thatd be great! And

remember, Im not onlyhere for science students,

but for all students at

Mount A as well!

Gillian Fraser

Mount Allison SAC

Social Science Senator

HEYO! Im Gillian Fraser.Im in my fourth and final

year, working towards a

B.Comm. Im from Calgary,Alberta and love Mt A

with all my heart. Im superexcited to a part of the

SAC again this year andcant wait to hear from you

Erik JohnsonMount Allison SAC

Social Science Senator

Whats up friends? Im

a fourth year honorsEconomics student here

at Mt.A. In my sparetime I play ultimate

frisbee and go to model

UN conferences. I havebeen known to cook

(exceptionally well might

I add), read books, andgenerally appear to be

a little bit too excited.I am also one of two

exceptional social sciencesenators (although there

are six terrific student

senators in all). Its our jobto ensure that students

have a fair and meaningfulsay in the academic affairs

and academic future ofthis university. I am also

charged with the task of

helping to resolve studentacademic issues arising

from courses, about

professors, or anythingelse academic related

in the fields of PoliticalScience, Economics,

International Relations,and Sociology.

A student senator is anintegral part of Mount

Allison Universitys Student

Administrative Council.What are their duties?

As a SAC Senator, they

are required to meet

regularly with studentrepresentatives on

departmental committees;sit on two Senate

Committees and sit onthe SAC Academic Affairs

Committee. It is also their

responsibility to providetimely reports to the

SAC on the policies anddecisions of the Senate

and be responsible for

accurate and regularcommunication of SAC

policies and decisionsto the Senate. The most

important is that they beaware of the specific issues

that are important to

students, that may includebut are not limited too:

Senate, Academic Judicial,Academic Appeals,

Admissions, Research, and

Degree programs. Theirterm in office is from the

first of June to May 31.

There are three seriesof senators. Two that

represent each of the

faculty. There are twoSocial Science Senators,

two Science Senators,and two Arts Senators.

The senators are elected

to help you with youracademic concerns. They

are a valuable resourcethat the student body

should take advantage of.

Social

Science

Senators

Arts

Senators

Science

Senators

Nathan Walker

Mount Allison SACScience Senator

Be sure to

check out

the website,

sac.mta.ca,

or stop by

for more

information.

Pridhams studio are theofficial photographers for

the grad class of 2009. Callnow for your appointment

which will ensure your

photo is included in theYearbook and the

department composites.

Pridhams Studio

12 York Street

536-0401

Katie Eddy is this months

Allisonian of the Month.She is the organizer of

SMILE and also contributes

greatly to the MountAllison Community

through her participationin other events and

organizations. Her en-

thusiasm, approachabil-ity and fun loving spirit

make her an excellent

recipient of this monthsaward.

Congratulations Katie!

Allisonian of the Month


23/28

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

I earned my undergraduate degree.

Now, I want arewarding career*

*not just a job

business.humber.ca

In less than one year, Humberpostgraduate programs will helpyou launch your career in:

Building on your university degree,Humbers postgraduate programs offer aconcentrated curriculum, career-focusedcourses and practical field placements.Youll gain the real-world experience andskills that employers value most.

Get the career you want apply now.

anks to a bone marrow transplant,

a 42 year old American patient hasbeen declared functionally cured of a

decade-old infection of HIV. Since the

procedure 20 months ago, the patients

organs and blood have been clear

of both the HIV virus as well as the

leukemia he had been suffering from.

Identified only as an American

living in Berlin, German researchers

acknowledge this patients case is

an extremely rare one. Professor

Rodolf Tauber from the Berlin-based

Charite clinic explained the cautious

optimism surrounding the surprise

cure: is is an interesting case for

research. But to promise to millions of

people infected with HIV that there

is hope of a cure would not be right.

Professor Andrew Sewell, from the

Department of Medical Biochemistry

and Immunology at the University ofCardiff, highlighted that the problem

is most people with HIV live in sub-

Saharan Africa and this is hugely

expensive, you have to find a matched

donor, and its a pretty severe and

painful operation. So its going to be

an option for very few people. Paul

Ward, deputy chief executive of the

leading HIV and sexual health charity

Terrence Higgins Trust, elaborates on

these reservations: is case gives us

something to explore in future studies

but its certainly not a quick fix as gene

therapy is complex and expensive.

With no cure in sight, prevention

should be our number one pr iority.

e success of the operation hinges

on being able to find a compatible bone

marrow donor with a rare, inherited

genetic mutation which prevents HIV

from attaching to and destroying the

immune systems white cells. Alleles

for the mutation must be inherited

from both parents.Estimates place only about one

in 1 000 Europeans and Americans

with this HIV resistance, which was

discovered in the late 1990s. e

mutation effectively locks out the

HIV virus by modifying the shape

of the protein door handle (called

CCR5) which would normally allow

the virus to enter the cell. When

the American patient received a

bone marrow transplant to treat his

leukemia, doctors chose marrow from

a patient with the CCR5 mutation.

As the patients blood was slowly

regenerated, it was produced with the

CCR5 mutation which effectively shut

out the HIV virus.

Given the difficulty of repeating

this treatment on any meaningful large

scale, researchers are continuing their

search for other HIV treatments. A

recent study coming out of San Diego

based company Sangamo has shown

promising results with zinc-fingerproteins in mice. ese proteins act as

molecular scissors, effectively ruining

the CCR5 door handles of white

cells.

Another team of researchers at the

California Institute of Technology are

following the same line of thought

by using small interfering RNAs

(siRNAs) to disrupt the construction

of the CCR5 protein.

Ironically, there is concern that

these potential treatments could

spur the development of even more

resistant HIV strains. A second

door handle, known as CXCR4, is

sometimes used by HIV to bypass

the CCR5 protein to enter the cell.

Edward Berger, discoverer of the

CCR5-HIV connection, explains the

challenge: eres always a concern

that if you block CCR5, you favour

virus evolution.

Although humans are able to

do without the CCR5 protein,

experiments have shown that mice

lacking the CXCR4 protein often

die as embryos. It is not yet known if

humans also depend on the CXCR4

protein for survival.

Geek Chicof the Week

From the sysadmins Tokyoflash watch, looking like a prop from Back Toe Future, to the movie aficionados officialSwatch Bond Villian watch, proudly wearing Dr Nos official timepiece on his wrist, geeks do love their watches.Perhaps more importantly, geeks love their strangewatches.at said, the Cycle Life watch, which provides notonly a 24-hour readout of the t ime, but also which sedentary activity youre probably engaged in, might hit a little tooclose to home.

http://www.yankodesign.com/2008/11/14/welcome-to-the-glamourous-life-of-a-full-time-professional-designer-watch-yourself/

November 20, 2008:Cycle Life Watch

Kelly OConnorArgosy Staff

Bone marrow transplant leadsto functional cure for HIV

HIV cells interact with cell-surface receptors and molecules such as

CCR5 and CXCR4 to attach themselves and gain entry to white cells.

Internet users can look forward to a

decrease in their received amounts of

spam, thanks to a webhosting provider

that had its connection terminated

by its Internet Service Provider onNovember 12. McColo was shut

down after several reports, made by

the security research arms of famed

anti-virus providers McAfee and

TrendMicro, claimed that its users

were sending a significant amount of

spam.

McColo Corp., located in San

Jose, California, was an American

web hosting and colocation service,

meaning that it provided both the

hardware and the internet connection

for customers websites and Web

services, and allowed them to plug

their own systems into one of the

companys data centres. According

to the Washington Post, aggregate

estimates at the levels of spam traffic

flowing through McColo servers place

it at about 70 per cent of the worldstotal, making a significant decrease

likely.is flies in the face of continued

claims over the last decade by the

American internet security industry,

which point to Russia as the physical

source of much of the worlds spam.

e providers services were used by

groups with a wide array of ties to the

hacking/spamming community, as well

as organized crime, primarily overseas.

According to London Times figures,

the fact that only one out of every 12.5

million spam messages receives a reply

doesnt significantly impact profit.

Before McColos demise, estimates

put the number of spam messages sent

daily as high as 100 billion.is figure

is about 90 per cent of all email sent

daily.

It has been known for several years

that the majority of the worlds spam

is sent by a relatively tight-knit group

of spammers, numbering around 200

in six main organizations. Instead of

making significant investments in

infrastructure to send spam directly

through personally-owned systems,

like the ones that sat in McColo,

botnets are commonly employed.

rough this strategy, spammers

take control of systems employed by

Windows users across the world that

are inexperienced in the finer points

of properly protecting an Internet-

connected system, and direct their

computers to send email en masse.

UNIX-based systems, such as Linux

and Mac OS, are immune to all

known attacks. If a botnet is large

enough, there is virtually no limit tothe sheer volume of spam that can be

sent out from hundreds of thousands

of remotely-controlled distribution

points, or bots, often without their

owners knowledge. Americans can be

charged under new anti-spam laws if

their systems are part of a botnet, and

if their Internet provider places a cap

on the amount of bandwidth they use,

they can face hefty bills for spamming

their way past it. e servers that sat

in McColos data centre served only

to co-ordinate the vast botnets, so

once the plugs were pulled, the entire

network crumbled.

As McColo is only a hosting

provider much in the same way as

Canadian phone companies provide

us with phone lines without tapping

them or telling us what we may talkabout it only provides access to the

internet, and does not directly control

what its customers do. However, the

US Digital Millennium Copyright

Act has some of the broadest Internet

provider liability laws that do exist.

McColo may face charges if its users

were found to have disseminated either

child pornography or infringing

material that is, pirated software,

films or music. A TrendMicro report

fingered the companys customers as

distributors of child pornography, but

the company cannot be found liable

unless they know about the material

and neglect to take measures to remove

it.

Perhaps most importantly, can we

look forward to a permanent 70 per

cent decrease in spam? Probably not

spammers are an infinitely adaptable

bunch. Five days after McColos demise,

Rustock, a Russian organization

that had McColo-connected servers,

moved its control servers to a Russian

provider, as ITWorld reports. is

is a temporary reprieve, the London

Times quoted Nihesh Bandari of

IronPort as saying. We should enjoy

it while we can.

Tom LlewellinArgosy Staff

Spam subsidence

http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/

http://www.yankodesign.com/


24/28

SPORTS & FITNESS

Seven of Mount Allisons fall athletes were recently named AUS all-stars

for their outstanding individual

performances this season. Five

Football Mounties were awarded

with all-conference status, while

quarterback Kelly Hughes won

the AUS Conference MVP and

nominated for the Hec Creighton

award for the nations Most Valuable

Player. In additional, Soccer Mountie

Curtis Michaelis was awarded the

AUS Student-Athlete Community

Service Award, while Ian Kelly was

chosen as a first-team striker.

Hughes led the AUS in virtually

every passing statistic for the second

year in a row, passing for 1870 yards

and 11 touchdowns, while completing

a conference-best 54.6 per cent of his

passes. He also finished second in leaguerushing with 616 yards on 89 carries,

also scoring a pair of touchdowns on the

ground. He becomes the first Mountie

quarterback to win conference MVP,

and the first Mountie to win it since

running back Eric Lapointe in 1998.

Hughes was also named the AUS all-

star quarterback, becoming only the

second quarterback this century to be

an all-star not from Saint Marys.

Hughess main partner-in-crime,

Gary Ross, was a shoo-in for all-star

this season. Ross has now been named

all-star receiver, returner, and Special

Teams Player of the Year for the AUS

all three years he has been in the league.

In 2008 he caught a team record 47

passes, totaling 675 yards, and a pair

of touchdowns. Not only did he lead

the AUS in receptions and receiving

yards, but he also led the AUS with

488 punt return yards, including a 92-

yard touchdown return. e defendingCIS Special Teams Player of the Year

led the AUS in all-purpose yards with

1601, nearly 700 more than the next

player.

Receiver Adam Molnar gets his

first all-star nomination in his second

season with the Mounties. He finished

third in the AUS in receptions with

30 and receiving yards with 452. e

son of former CFL-er Steve Molnar

used his precise route-running and

great hands to earn this nomination,

and this will certainly not be his last

all-star season.

Defensively, the Mounties had a pair

of all-stars. Defensive lineman Scott

Sheffer is an all-star for the second

year in a row, while free safety Callan

Exeter gets his first nomination in his

sophomore season.

Sheffer led all AUS defensive

linemen with 34.5 tackles, and also

had 8.5 tackles for a loss and addedfive pass knockdowns. Sheffer spent

most of the season rotating between

defensive tackle and defensive end,

and his injury in the first quarter of the

AUS semi-final against St. FX really

sealed the Mounties fate.

Exeter had a superb season, leading

the country with 77.5 tackles in eight

games, a total that would have places

him sixth in the CFLs 18-game regular

season. He set an AUS single-game

record with 16 tackles in week three,

and also had games of 14 and 12.5

tackles. His season total smashed the

AUS record, and in only two seasons

has already moved into the AUS top

20 in all-time tackles, with 107.5. He

also had what may be the hit of the

season in the CIS, in week two against

Sherbrooke.

Michaelis was chosen for the

Community Service Award for his

outstanding soccer skills as well as hisacademic excellence and involvement

within the community. A two-time

All-Academic Canadian, Curtis is

a fourth year Deans List student

majoring in sociology and geography.

In addition to his academics, he

has diverse interests and generously

donates his time to a number of events

around campus and in the greater

community. An avid performer,

Michaelis has volunteered with many

groups such as, Relay for Life, Society

of All Nations, Eco-Action/Music as

a Cure, Free the Children, and Mount

Allisons Conduct Becoming project.

For the second straight year, Kelly

was named an AUS all-star, being

named a first-team striker for the

2008 season. Captain Intensity led

an improved Mountie squad with his

four goals and inspired play to several

wins over conference rivals. Kelly is

a former two-time ree Oaks HighSchool MVP, as well as the 2004-2005

Mt. A Rookie of the Year. He is a

fifth year Commerce student with an

honours major in economics.

With files from Sue Seaborn.

Seven Mounties receive AUS all-star recognitionKelly Hughes up for Hec Creighton Award

Wray Perkin and NoahKowalskiArgosy Staff

Sue Seaborn

Sue SeabornSue Seaborn

Sue Seaborn

Above: Mitchell Peters swims hard on Saturday. Peters led the Mounties with three first place

finishes as they took third place.

Below: Mountie swimmer Marisa Smith comes up for air. Smith had two first place finishes to

power to the Lady Monties to third place.

Below: Katie Tobin fights for the puck against SMU.

Above: Caila Henderson rises up for a spike against MSVU.

Sue Seaborn


25/28


26/28


27/28


28/28

Argosy Funders Meeting

Thursday November 27th

6:30 in the Argosy Office

Documents

Argosy November 20, 2008