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Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

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The December 3rd, 2012 edition of the Interrobang looks at the top stories of 2012, plus top Christmas movies and tips on how to celebrate a stress free holiday season.

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Page 1: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

Page 2: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

NEWS 2Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

Emily Laur is in her first year ofFanshawe’s Child and YouthWorker program. She describedherself as being young and ener-getic, “which I have to be inorder to keep up with the kids Iwork with.” She added that sheloves watching and playingsports. “I enjoy them a lot.” 1. Why are you here?Fanshawe is by far the best schoolfor my program, so why would Igo anywhere else! 2. What was your life-changing

moment?Meeting my Grade 9 geographyteacher. She changed my life for-ever.3. What music are you currentlylistening to?“Big Poppa” by Notorious B.I.G. 4. What is the best piece ofadvice you’ve ever received?Don’t worry about what otherswant you to do. Follow yourdreams because in the end, thosewho are there with you are the onesthat matter most.

5. Who is your role model?Pink, the singer. She is so outspo-ken and is confident enough to beherself and not worry about whatothers think. 6. Where in the world have youtravelled?England, France, Greece, Turkey,Italy, Costa Rica, Panama,Cozumel, Mexico, Cuba and ofcourse the United States.7. What was your first job?Working at a bowling alley.8. What would your last mealbe?Homemade pizza9. What makes you uneasy?Walking alone at night. 10. What is your passion?Helping children!Do you want Fanshawe to know 10Things About You? Just head onover to fsu.ca/interrobang andclick on the 10 Things I KnowAbout You link at the top.

10 Things I Know About You...

Laur has passport to travel

CREDIT: SUBMITTED

Emily Laur is passionate about the kids.

CREDIT: ERIKA FAUST

The Siskind Gallery in H building was lit with a Christmas glow from November 26 to 30. Dozens of trees wereavailable in a silent auction to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. The event was planned and decorated bysecond-year Interior Decorating students.

sweet tweets of the week

@OhDearOOMFI say we skip the next three weeks

of school and start Christmas break.

#butthatsjustme

@FanshaweLibraryGet #research help from home! @

askOntario & @FanshaweLibrary

staff are online right now to help you

http://ow.ly/eWwqY #Fanshawe

@FSUPresident@mwickett Esports recognized at a

campus level is a dream of mine. I

would love to assist in that move-

ment. #Fanshawe could be the first!

@RobMcGarry1To all those people wanting

#joefontana to leave office or resign.

He won’t do it, he is stubborn, and he

showed that on Thursday. #ldnont

@EmerginglondonALL #Fanshawe & #WesternU stu-

dents get a free student membership

with us! Come build your contacts!

Register here: http://goo.gl/kdVQ3

@BrianGibson13I can’t state this enough. Asking the

mayor to step aside temporarily IS

NOT a presumption of guilt. Not at

all. #ldnont

@TammyLeeMarche@late2game I don’t want to watch

the citizens of #LdnOnt convict a per-

son before having the opportunity to

present their case in court.

@FanshaweLibraryStressed about finishing your as-

signments or exams? Check out the

iCopeu Mental Health guide for some

helpful resources...

@thekassmonsterValue village. You are amazing. #fan-

shawe pic.twitter.com/vF7Vf24u

@gypsyypanther#funshawe is full of some really dirty

moustaches!! #Movember

@Chelsea_317my first day of Christmas shopping &

im already broke #idc my friends are

worth it <3

@HIMYMQ“The holidays are a time when

people are lonely and desperate. Its

the most wonderful time of the year.”

#HIMYM

Rock, Paper, Scissors

First Run Film Killing Them Softly

Ugly ChristmasSweater Pub

Page 3: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

With increasing tuition costs anda difficult job market, the option ofgoing to post-secondary schoolthrough the Canadian Forces (CF)becomes more and more attractiveto prospective students. Enrollingin the CF through one of the subsi-dized education plans means freetuition, books and academic equip-ment in addition to a salary andbenefits while in school.

“Definitely not having to paytuition is a huge plus,” said second-year Paramedic student PeterMacTavish. In addition to havingyour schooling covered, the CFprovides a wage for students. Theaverage wage in the first year ofservice is approximately $32,000 –that number jumps to almost$55,000 in your fifth year.Corporal MacTavish was a CFInfantry soldier for just over fouryears, prior to coming to school. “Istarted in high school as aReservist, I did it part-time so forthe first year I was doing basictraining … I was working everyweekend and Thursday nights aswell, that was up in Barrie. Then Idid two years of college atFleming, before applying toFanshawe,” he said.

There are several programs atFanshawe that can be subsidizedthrough the military. Common pro-grams include the two-yearElectronic EngineeringTechnology (non-coop), the one-year Dental Assisting program(Levels I and II), the two-yearMedical Radiation Technologyprogram, and the two-yearParamedic program.

“All those programs have a con-tract for seven years, whichincludes your time at school,” saidSergeant Jamie Shewaga. Thismeans that after completing a two-year program, students wouldserve five years with the CF. Butthe contract is not as strict as somemay think. “Your contract is sevenyears, but if you’ve finished yourobligatory service – which is thefinancial portion – you can breakyour contract, as long as yourfinancial portion is paid for,” saidShewaga. The general rule is thatfor every month the military paysfor your schooling, you owe twomonths of obligatory services to“re-pay” them.

For many, having to make acommitment to the CF for severalyears can be discouraging, but forMacTavish it wasn’t a difficultdecision. “I had the bonus of hav-ing had done it for a number ofyears so I know what daily life islike better than most people. Iknew I enjoyed it enough to signon for that long.” He added thatmost of his work days as anInfantry soldier were 9 to 5 unlesshe was away on a course where 18-or 19-hour days were common. “Ifyou’re working in a clinic as a medtech, you’re going to be doing 9 to5. Sometimes you’ll go out on(one- or two-week long) exercis-es,” he pointed out. As a para-medic, you can also be sent on mis-sions overseas. “A lot of med techsin the Ontario area are part of theDART team, the DisasterAssistance Response Team, so forHurricane Katrina and stuff likethat they’d get sent out.”

Shewaga pointed out that sur-prisingly Fanshawe doesn’t havemany students who go throughschool with the military in mind.“The biggest problem is that they

don’t know about it,” he suggested.“It helps if they have one person inthe class (who’s going into the mil-itary) – that’s usually our bestspokesperson.”

MacTavish agreed, “Even hav-ing been in (The CF) for a fewyears, I didn’t really know that youcould get a full ride throughschool, so the awareness is defi-nitely something to work on.”

There continues to be new pro-grams and colleges that are jump-ing on board with the CanadianForces. For Fanshawe, allowingCF workers to go through theParamedic program is fairly new.“Fanshawe just got their CMAapproval for their Paramedic pro-gram; the Canadian MedicalAssociation approved Fanshawe,so all of our skills are at a nationallevel essentially,” said MacTavish.“This makes it easier to shiftbetween provinces, and the CFrequires CMA approval in order tosponsor you through the program.”

One of the biggest advantages ofgoing the military route is having aguaranteed full-time job right aftergraduation. Shewaga gave theexample of the Paramedic pro-gram. “Currently in the workforce,on average paramedics have towork part-time jobs, shift work forfive years, before they get a full-time job.” You may not always getstationed at a prime location, butyou do get to provide the militarywith your top three options andthey try to be as accommodating aspossible, depending on the needsof the CF. “A job as a paramedic,you can pretty much go to any basethat has a base hospital – there arelots in Canada. There are probablyat least 14 different places you canlive,” said Shewaga. This doesdepend on the nature of the job, forexample there are several AirForce- or Navy-specific careersthat would require someone to livein specific areas.

If you decide to leave the CFafter your contract or obligatoryservice is complete, a job in themilitary is a good resume builder,said Shewaga. “Anyone will hireyou because you have just com-

pleted more training, more experi-ence, more life skills on the tradethan anyone else would becauseoften you’re doing this job all overthe world.”

Many more university studentsacross Canada are taking the mili-tary route. According to Shewaga,you can take any degree programthat the military can fit into a job.“It’s 100 per cent paid education,

tuition, books, student fees andthey give you a salary to get yourdegree – it’s just like the collegeprogram,” he said. The CanadianForces takes on about 300 univer-sity students per year, making it amuch more difficult program to getaccepted for. “It’s a highly compet-itive program because university isvery expensive,” said Shewaga.

There are advantages and disad-

vantages of every job, but if moneyis something you are worriedabout, this is a good route to take.You will have no debt and a guar-anteed full-time job after gradua-tion. There are options to join theCanadian Forces after you havecompleted school. For more infor-mation about the Canadian Forces,visit forces.ca.

MELANIE ANDERSONINTERROBANG

Canadian Forces subsidize Fanshawe programs for recruits

NEWS 3Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

CREDIT: MELANIE ANDERSON

Second-year Paramedic students Peter MacTavish (left) and Adum Lund work on a mannequin during a class exercise.

Page 4: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

NEWS 4Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

For nearly 40 years, children inthe London area have explored,discovered and learned in TheChildren’s Museum. With theirApril 2013 signature event, TheBrush Off, the Museum aims toshare that sense of joy and wonderwith less fortunate children in ourcommunity.

Linda Leja, development officerfor The Children’s Museum,described The Brush Off as a livepainting competition. “Twentyartists will test their skills throughfour rounds of competition andguests will vote on who’s going tomake it through each round. Guestswill ultimately crown the night’sartist of the evening.”

Guests will watch as 38 works ofart are created live, right beforetheir eyes. “They’re going to watchthese artists in motion, doing theirthing, the artists expressing theirintense creativity – artistic expres-sion at its rawest,” described Leja.

All 20 artists will be given iden-tical kits that include acrylic tubepaints, a pencil, brushes, non-metalknives, paper towel, an easel and atable. Local artists who havealready signed up to participateinclude Val Sloggett, an abstractartist who graduated fromFanshawe College in IllustrationDesign, through the Graphic Artsprogram; her husband RossBishop, who is also an abstractartist; and Ryan Mahy, who createsgraffiti-style art. The Children’sMuseum is still looking for artists

– if you’d like to sign up to partic-ipate as an artist, contact Leja [email protected] cutoff date to apply to be anartist is January 18, 2013 and theselection committee will decide onthe 20 artists by February 1.

The Brush Off will have a “mixand mingle party atmosphere,” saidLeja, which will include cocktails,appetizers and a silent auction ofall the art created.

The Children’s Museum hasbeen a huge part of manyLondoners’ childhoods since 1975.“Children from infancy through(the age of) 12 explore and discov-er science, the arts and our heritagewithin nine permanent galleriesand through many special exhibits,events and programs,” explainedLeja. “Every year, we haveapproximately 100,000 visitorsparticipate in school education pro-grams, workshops, day camps,self-guided visits and more.”

The goal of The Brush Off is toraise $20,000, which will gotoward sharing the magic of theMuseum with some schools inneed in London. “In the city ofLondon, 26 schools have beenidentified as ‘priority schools,’meaning that they are schools thatreside in areas of profound povertyand are in need of time, resourcesand support,” explained Leja. Sheadded that many students come toschool hungry, as their families areunable to provide them with break-fast and lunch. “Cost and access isa barrier to almost everything thatthese schools try to do to enrich the

education and lives of the childrenliving in these neighbourhoods.”

Over the years, the Children’sMuseum has offered a subsidy totry to help with the cost associatedwith field trips, but the cost ofbussing is still a barrier, she said.“We have developed a programwhereby funds raised through thisevent will go toward supportingthese schools in London. For every$1,000 we raise, two classes – 60children and their chaperones –will have the opportunity to get ona big, yellow school bus, experi-ence a curriculum-connected edu-

cation program, receive a hot lunchand, most importantly, the right toplay.”

If you’d like to get involved inthe event, The Children’s Museumis currently seeking volunteers tohelp out. Leja said she envisionsvolunteers at the end of each roundof The Brush Off working like a pitcrew at a race. “These artist sta-tions will have to be cleaned upand prepped for the next round, so(volunteers) can be part of that pitcrew.” You can also volunteer tohelp set up for or clean up after theevent, or you can volunteer to be

an ambassador to take care of theguests throughout the evening. Ifyou’re a photographer or videogra-pher, you can capture all the fun ofthe event with your chosen medi-um.

Tickets for The Brush Off,which will take place on April 25,2013 at The Children’s Museum(21 Wharncliffe Rd. S.), are $50each. For more information on TheChildren’s Museum, go to london-childrensmuseum.ca. To getinvolved either as an artist or as avolunteer, contact Leja [email protected].

ERIKA FAUSTINTERROBANG

Artists brush up to support local schools

City of London residents locatedsouth of the 401 Highway are com-plaining about the foul smell com-ing from Orgaworld, a compostplant located on Wellington RoadSouth.

The plant is approved to hold150,000 tons of organic materials,which includes dirty diapers andfeminine hygiene products.Despite a state-of-the-art odourabatement system, members of thecommunity still complain that theodour of the plant is driving themfrom their homes. General Studiesstudent Argia “Mike” Bleyendaasaid, “I have several friends andfamily in the South Wellingtonarea. The smell seems to come inwaves. Sometimes I am just at afriend’s place, we open the win-dow, and all we can smell is thedisturbing presence of rotting com-post and ammonia.” The “offen-sive” smell is a problem on itsown; the other is the fact thatOrgaworld had promised “zeroodour.”

This problem has made it to CityHall, where council voted not totake action on a nuisance bylaw toenforce odour prevention to indus-tries that may produce a foulodour. Instead, council voted 13-0in favour of a motion that wouldincrease council’s involvementwith Orgaworld and the Ministryof Environment. This pertains tomore technical research, looking atwhat other municipalities aredoing in similar situations, requir-ing more frequent reports fromOrgaworld, and assisting withmore public outreach.

Orest Katolyk, bylaw officer for

the City of London, said it wouldbe difficult to have a charge underprovincial law for something thatsmells bad. “The Ministry ofEnvironment has a process in playwhere they have people in Ontariowho are educated and trained onodour; those 10 people smell it andrank it.” A ranking of 1 is a lowodour, and a 10 is high. Londoncity council wanted city staff toexplore doing the same thing undera municipal bylaw, but the endresult was that smell is too subjec-tive to enforce any sort of bylaw toregulate it.

At the public participation meet-ing held in the council chamberson November 13, the Planning andEnvironment Committee heardfrom just about everyone on theissue.

Orgaworld’s manager of opera-tions, Greg Mariotti, expressedtheir efforts, “We have investedmore than $5 million in odourabatement to improve odours. TheLondon facility is state-of-the-artfor a waste processing facility. Butwe are committed to continuousimprovement. We will not stopuntil the reasonable expectationsof our neighbours are fulfilled,however to expect zero odour froma waste processing facility is not areasonable expectation.”

Community member RobertScott told city council, “I lived atWestminster Drive, approximatelyone kilometre south of theOrgaworld plant, for 30 years. Ourquality of life has been seriouslyimpacted because of Orgaworld.We have made several complaintsabout the odour from the facility.Twice this summer we have turnedoff our air conditioner, only to be

awakened by the smell of theOrgaworld plant. We have beenforced off our back deck.”

Some were surprised that theMinistry of Environment did notshow up to the meeting. “I’mextremely disappointed,”Councillor Harold Usher said fol-lowing the meeting.

A frustrated Bud Polhill, chair ofthe Planning and EnvironmentCommittee, shared the same feel-ings towards the Ministry ofEnvironment. “The issue is withthem. They are the one who issuedthe certificates, they are the onewho is monitoring them(Orgaworld) and they didn’t showup.”

Confusion on whether or not theMinistry of Environment wasinvited to the meeting was put torest once their spokesperson, KateJordan, commented that theMinistry received no formal invita-tion to the meeting, although theywere aware of it. “We have haddiscussions with the City on themeeting. Committee meetings arenot meetings that the Ministry typ-ically attend.” Jordan added thatthe Ministry of Environment looksforward to working closely withthe City of London and residents toreduce and control the odours fromOrgaworld.

Many community members con-tinue to be irritated not only by thesmell, but lack of change in thecity. Many are sure the communi-cation triangle betweenOrgaworld, the Ministry ofEnvironment, City Council andLondoners will continue to cause astench in the city.

ROLAND PRISKE & RYAN SPRINGETTINTERROBANG

The big stink over Orgaworld

Understanding the charges- 2005: Joe Fontana, then a

Federal Labour Minister, allegedlyused two government cheques tocover the cost of his son’s weddingreception:

1. $1,700 room deposit to thevenue

2. $18,900 given to the venueseveral months later to cover thereception

- He was sworn in as Mayor ofLondon in 2010

- Fontana’s lawyer GordonCudmore confirmed the currentallegations are pertaining to a$1,700 room deposit

- The RCMP has said there is noevidence suggesting that MayorFontana issued an alleged $18,900cheque to the venue for the wed-ding reception

- Fontana is currently chargedwith three criminal offences by theRCMP:

1. Fraud under $5,0002. Breach of trust by a public

official3. Uttering forged documents- These charges have not been

proven in court- Some critics are citing the

December 2007 case of formerOttawa Mayor Larry O’Brien, whotemporarily stepped down whilefacing two criminal charges. Afterthe charges were dismissed incourt, O’Brien resumed his post asmayor

Impact- Fontana resigned from the

London Police Services board asrequired by the Police Services Act

- A symbolic motion to askMayor Fontana to step aside waspassed at the Finance andAdministrative ServicesCommittee meeting on November26 with a vote of 3-1

- The passed motion will betaken to Council for a final vote onDecember 11

- Fontana has said several timesthat he does not intend to stepdown and will plead not guilty inthe case

- City councillors have no legalauthority to force the mayor to stepdown

- Approximately 50 protestersfrom several local groups includ-ing Occupy London and CommonCause chanted outside ofFontana’s press conference onNovember 22 expressing their con-cerns with the Mayor

- Fontana is due in court onJanuary 8, 2013

MELANIE ANDERSONINTERROBANG

Fontana facts:Need to know

London Mayor Joe Fontana

CREDIT: LONDON CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

The London’s Children’s Museum is seeking volunteers for The Brush Off event in April 2013.

Page 5: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

NEWS 5Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

“Once upon a time” is the per-fect description of the WaverlyMansion’s rise to fame. Carly RaeJepson’s “Call Me Maybe” hashundreds of renditions and covers,but none quite as unique as theWaverly Mansion residents’ takeon the song.

Sarah Urquhart, recreation coor-dinator for local retirement resi-dence Waverly Mansion, pulled 25residents together to lip-synch thesong while making small gesturesto act out the lyrics. It wasn’t as ifUrquhart had to do much convinc-ing to put this together; the resi-dents came sprinting forward to bea part of the video.

“Sarah gets us all going, shekind of gets us all wound up, getsus going, keeps us busy,” accord-ing to Waverly resident RalphVoigt.

“These guys know I’m crazyand trust my instincts. I can usual-ly get a good group to participate,”said Urquhart. “A few didn’t,mainly because explaining thewhole concept of … making avideo to put on YouTube to some-one who knows nothing about thatis just not going to happen.”However, she added that now thatthey’ve seen how it’s done andthey’ve seen the popularity andexcitement of it all, other residentsmay want to get involved in thenext video.

The quest for fresh ideas andactivities was what led Urquhart todraft up the making of the video.“It was just something fun to do.Doing the recreation here, we haveabout five to seven different pro-grams every day, so to come upwith new ideas every month is achallenge. You have to stay onyour toes and be creative,” shesaid. “The residents here at theWaverly are so independent andthey’re still gung-ho zest for life soit was a perfect fit.”

The residents felt the same,including Edna Connolley. Shehad a great time with the video andrecounted her favourite part;“(That part of) the song was oneline. We had a piece of paper to goby but I still couldn’t remembermy lines. Sarah told me just tomake a noise, so I put both hands

together and made a loud noise. Imade too much for the rest ofthem.” Connolley said she felt likethe star of the show.

In fact, she still feels like a star.“I was at the Legion on Saturdaynight and they all stood up andclapped and said, ‘Here comes thecelebrity.’”

Voigt has had similar experi-ences since the release of thevideo. His part in the music videowas exchanging numbers with oneof the women starring as Carly RaeJepson. Now, he said, “Somehowher and I get recognized! Everytime I walk somewhere, (people)are like, ‘Did you call her yet?’”

Aside from bringing fame, thevideo brought closeness.Connolley said she has noticedmore interaction among the resi-dents. She said that even residentswho weren’t involved “chuckleand laugh now and they never didbefore. They were quiet before butnow they’ve really opened up.”

Even though the video helpedspur deeper relationships, Voigtsaid, “This place is like a familyanyway,” and the video was just anadded bonus.

Upon the video’s release onYouTube, Urquhart had no inten-tion of gaining this much populari-ty or any at all. “It was put onYouTube just so family memberswould have an easy way to accessit. They would go on and be able tosay, ‘Hey! Come look at Grandma,she’s in a video and that’s hilari-ous.’ But it got so popular and sopublic.”

The Waverly Mansion hasreceived calls from all over theworld with a simple message:“You just brought a smile to myface.” Calls have come in fromTexas, New York, New Orleansand South America and more. Thevideo has been viewed around halfa million times since its YouTubedebut on November 14.

Urquhart said the video has beensuch a success that they can’t stopthere. For the next video, she said,“We have to go with what the pub-lic wants. We’ve been posting allthe articles we can find and all theYouTube comments on our wallhere and keeping track of the tabs.The request is ‘Gangnam Style,’and it will be done.”

Dance lessons are underway andresidents are already coming for-ward to be a part of even the mostawkward of scenes. The famouselevator scene in the “GangnamStyle” music video with one per-son lying on the ground in the ele-vator and another dancing on topin a rodeo type gesture sparkedinterest by one resident in particu-lar. “One of our residents was like,‘I can get on the floor and someonecan get on top of me and dance. Noproblem!’” Urquhart laughed.

The Waverly Mansion story isfar from over. “It is a lot of work,but at the same time, I love thatthis is my job; I love that I get to dothis every day,” Urquhart said.

To check out the Waverly super-stars’ first release, check outt i n y u r l . c o m / y o u t u b e -callmemaybe2012.

PAIGE PARKERINTERROBANG

Local retirement residents findinternational fame on YouTube

CREDIT: WAVERLY MANSION

Residents of Waverly Mansion shot to international fame on YouTubewhen recreation coordinator Sarah Urquhart pulled residents together toshoot music video for Carly Rae Jepson’s “Call Me Maybe.”

If you’re a student in need offood, hygienic products, clothingor more, and your funds are dwin-dling, there is help on campus.

Located in B1050, the SharingShop is operated and run by stu-dent volunteers and supported bythe faculty, staff and administra-tion of Fanshawe College.

Many students find themselveswithout a job, waiting for theirnext bursary to come in, or theyfind themselves in a situationwhere they need a textbook theycannot afford. The Sharing Shopcan provide for them on a short-term basis. Students who findthemselves in need of long-termassistance are referred to the manyservices the city of London has tooffer.

Janet Ostrom, who works inCounselling and AccessibilityServices and runs the Shop,explained, “The Sharing Shop is afree store for students in temporaryneed. It was the brainchild of aSocial Service Worker studentback in 1998. She was a placementstudent in our office who found aneed for students in a temporaryfinancial situation. The shopopened its doors collecting cloth-ing, textbooks, supplies and foodfor students in need.”

The Sharing Shop is run entirelyby volunteers, and so its hours arebased on the availability of its vol-unteers. “We try to make it so theSharing Shop is open from 9 until

4, Monday to Friday.” In regards to whether or not they

get enough donations to providefor students in need, Ostrom said,“Sometimes we do, sometimes wedon’t. This year people have beenvery generous with financial dona-tions. The biggest problem withfinancial donations is that, becauseI am the only paid employee of theSharing Shop, I need to be able togo and do the shopping. In thatregard, we would be better with theactual physical donations. Manystudents do not know they canaccess the Sharing Shop, and theyalso do not know they can donateto it.”

Though the Shop can be a hugehelp for students in need, its serv-ices are not all that well knownaround campus, said Ostrom. “Ithink because when they actuallyhear about it, or when it is beingadvertised, maybe it’s when theydon’t really need it. Maybe it’s thestigma of never needing or havingto use that service. And we reallywish that students would under-stand, that’s what it’s there for.”

To make a donation to the Shop,look for the bins in the Library(L1003), General Studies Divisionoffice (E2035), Human ServicesDivision office (D3024),Counselling and AccessibilityServices (F2010), Student Unionoffice (SC2001) or at the SharingShop itself (B1050).

To volunteer with the SharingShop, contact Ostrom [email protected].

ROLAND PRISKE INTERROBANG

CREDIT: ROLAND PRISKE

The Sharing Shop located in B1050 is a free store on campus for stu-dents in temporary need.

Green energy is something theCity of London is jumping on, andunlike other green projects, theCity is not dragging their feet onthis one.

The Municipality of London isin the middle of a bidding processthat will see solar companies put-ting their panels on municipalproperty, making things a littlegreener here in the Forest City.

That green will also show upsomewhere else: in the City ofLondon’s wallet. Joe Swan, Chairof the Investment and EconomicProsperity Committee, said the$300,000 in leasing fees will be inthe City’s wallet if the project issuccessful. “The contribution backto the grid are significant; createjobs, provide more energy and paycontributions of taxes to the city.”

Only two companies are in thebidding process: London GermanSolar Corporation and Ameresco.The winner will be announcedearly in the new year.

The process passed the first hur-dle – waiting for the provincialgovernment to authorize the Cityof London to put the panels on topof municipal buildings – inSeptember 2012.

It was motioned in October bythe Investment and EconomicProsperity Committee to make theamendment to take out the word“buildings” and replace it with theword “property” to expand theCity’s options on where they canput these solar panels. It was wel-comed by those committee mem-bers.

Bud Polhill, London CityCouncillor for Ward One, said it’sa great project. “There is a lot of

money to be made and a lot of sav-ings to be had.” He said it’s allabout the green energy and eventhat goes into the City’s pocket.“Even if we made a nickel of thesolar panels and we saved generat-ing other energy, we are still aheadof the game.”

Polhill said he thinks just abouteveryone should think about get-ting solar panels – he’s even con-sidering it for his auto shop. “Ihave a couple of customers whoactually do this kind of stuff for aliving, and we’re just discussing(things) like roof structure. It’s upin the air right now, but I’m con-sidering it.”

The City of London seems opti-mistic about starting one or twopilot projects in the community inthe early months of 2013.

RYAN SPRINGETT INTERROBANG

Solar panels are coming soon

Campus Security Services andthe London Police Service areattempting to locate a vehiclebelieved to be involved in recentvehicle thefts from campus. Thevehicle is a white Pontiac GrandAm and was witnessed at the sceneof an attempted theft of a blackGM pick-up truck around 5 p.m.on November 26 at the east end ofLot 6 near the entry gate. A malesuspect, also believed to beinvolved in the attempted theft,was witnessed at the scene and,when confronted by the owner,fled in the white Grand Am. He isdescribed as male, Native, early to

mid-20s, stocky build, approxi-mately 220 lbs, and approximately5’10” tall wearing a white, blackand red plaid lumberjacket.

Members of the campus com-munity are urged to continue theirvigilance in and around campusparking lots and to report any sus-picious or unusual activity toCampus Security Services at 519-452-4242, extension 4242 fromany campus phone or by using anycampus emergency phone. Anyonewith information in relation to thisinvestigation is asked to callCampus Security Services, theLondon Police Service or anony-mously by calling Crimestoppersat 1-800-222-8477.

ROBERT EARLECAMPUS SECURITY

Suspicious vehicle sought

Sharing Shop servesstudents in need

Page 6: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012
Page 7: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

Losing weight can be a challenge formany people; managing the weight andkeeping it off is a different battle.

Losing weight can be simply defined:“You have to eat fewer calories than youburn, regardless of whether the caloriescome from carbs, protein or fat,” accordingto MedicineNet.com. This might soundscary or even impossible, but you can breakit down to be successful. Making lifestylechanges that suit you will make it easier tokeep the weight off. This can be as easy aslimiting the amount fat you consume everyday, or making small changes, such asswitching from whole milk to one or two percent.

After educating people about the waysyou can manage and lose weight, the taskitself may still be overwhelming. The idea of“keeping off the weight” can be brokendown further into three easy-to-follow steps:

1. Make a commitment. Making a com-mitment might be the most important step,due to the fact that keeping your lost poundsoff takes a lot of time and effort.

2. Find motivation. No one else can makeyou lose the weight. You must make lifestylechanges for yourself. Try making a list ofwhat is important to you and will keep youmotivated. Also make sure you can call uponyour motivation when you have moments oftemptation. It is also important to choosepeople in your life that can help positivelymotivate you. These people should not dis-courage your decision or cause you anyembarrassment. Lastly, if sharing your goalswith other people is not for you, try record-ing your results in a journal or book. Thiswill help remind you of the positive resultsyou are getting.

3. Set realistic goals. Make sure the goalsyou set are realistic for you. Set your goalsso that you have a chance of success. Startwith a simple goal of losing two pounds in aweek. If you have success with that, tryincreasing your goal to challenge yourself.

After educating and finding motivation,some people may still feel lost. Putting yourgoals into action can be the hardest part.Following some of these strategies can helpyou get started:

- Each meal, fill half your plate with fruits

and vegetables. The other half should beone-quarter starch and one-quarter protein.

- Enjoy broth-based soups, which havebeen shown to reduce food intake by 20 percent in some studies.

- Don’t drink your calories (some exerciseand vitamin drinks are loaded with calories).

- Swap low-calorie treats for higher calo-rie indulgences (e.g. a Fudgesicle instead ofa bowl of ice cream).

- Eat snacks earlier in the day.- Add a 15-minute walk to your day (in

addition to daily workouts).- Do not go to parties or grocery stores

when you’re hungry.So now that you know how to focus on

maintaining a healthy weight, what will yougain from doing this? There are lots of bene-fits that you gain from staying at a healthyweight:

Discomfort relief: When a person is car-rying extra body weight, it is more likely forthem to avoid exercise. The excess weightthat a person carries can put added stress onjoints and bones. This makes normal tasksharder than usual. “Less weight on these por-tions of the body will allow them to workmore efficiently and reduce damage,”according to fitday.com.

Healthier heart: The higher your weightis, the harder your heart has to work, evenwhen you are at rest. Even a small amount ofweight loss can increase the amount of bloodgoing to vital organs, while allowing theheart to work more efficiently. “Maintaininga healthy body weight places less strain onthe heart and reduces the risk of heart attack,high blood pressure and angina,” accordingto fitday.com.

Lower risk of diabetes: “It is well docu-mented that people who are overweight areat a greater risk to develop Type 2 diabetes,”explains an article on fitday.com. “If youhave been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes,losing weight may allow you to better con-trol the diabetes. In some cases, after losingweight, along with the other benefits ofmaintaining a healthy body weight, theDiabetes may be controllable through diet asdecided upon by your doctor.”

Lower risk of cancer: Losing weight willnot prevent you from developing cancer, butit can greatly reduce the possibility of devel-oping certain forms of cancer. Women whoare overweight are more likely to developuterine, gallbladder, ovary, breast, colon andcervical cancer. Men can also benefit bylowering the likelihood of developing

prostate, colon and rectal cancer.Losing weight can be simplified if you

just take a step back and access your goals.Follow a step-by-step process, record yourresults, stay motivated and you can achieveyour goals!

Mac Cassidy is a Fitness and HealthPromotion student at Fanshawe College.

It happens to us all. We live our fast-paced, ultrasonic lives with our high-defini-tion televisions, new cars, video game con-soles and cellular technology capable of sat-isfying our ever-growing requirement forinstant gratification. However, I am willingto place a wager of a Fanshawe “Keep Calmand Carry On” t-shirt that no one canremember the last time they truly sat back,reflected on what they have and enjoyedtheir lives without wanting more.

Have we really reached a point in lifewhere we read to our children on iPadsinstead of books? Taking them to violentand gory movies just so your son/daughtercan be cool and discuss how gruesome themovie was the next day on the playground?Buying them consoles and violent games togo with it, like the Call of Duty series or theGrand Theft Auto series, to name a few.There used to be a time where if one werecaught viewing such material, they wouldhave been taken out back, so to speak, butnow we live in a society where parents wantto be friends with their kids, and it is slowlygetting out of control.

I remember when I was young, my par-ents used to take me for picnics and walks in

the park and I enjoyed it. These days arealmost gone, and kids would rather stayinside and play video games, talking to theirfriends via instant messaging on theirphones or using voice communicationsthrough their respective gaming consolesrather than going for a bike ride down to theriver to skip rocks.

It sounds archaic and dated, but we mustunderstand that our desires are unyieldingwhereas the development of technology willeventually stagnate and we will still be hun-gry for more. For example, when was thelast time you went for a nice long walk in thecountry with your family followed up withsome ice cream? I bet those outings andlearning experiences and valuable familytime have been usurped by technology andour everlasting demand for instant gratifica-tion.

I am not a father myself, but I know if Ihad children, I would want to legitimatelyspend time with them. I would not want towaste my time trying to compete with boththe television and the cellphone for mychild’s attention and respect. There arereports that children as young as four or fiveyears old are now learning to use iPods andiPads in class. Why is this happening? Iknow the physical textbook is quickly going

the way of the Dodo bird, but we will loseourselves entirely if we do not embracephysical knowledge versus the knowledgeobtained using the Internet.

The day will come where we can nolonger satisfy our avaricious, egotisticalrequirements and we will have to lookinward for happiness and entertainment. Formany people this will not be an easy taskand it might even destroy people right downto their cores because they have not learnedhow to be happy with themselves and whatthey have to offer the world.

People, we need to realize and understandthat our lives are precious; we do not have aright to live, but the privilege to wake upevery day. When was the last time you sat inyour backyard with a bonfire burning andgazed at the stars with your family andfriends? I challenge each and every singleperson who reads this article to look up inthe sky for 15 minutes a night for a weekwith no cellphone, no computer, no TV, novideo games – nothing. Look up and listento the sounds of the night, this may provideyou with some insight as to what I am talk-ing about. Life is short, enjoy it while youcan.

DAKOTA THOMPSONINTERROBANG

OPINION LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [email protected] 7

Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

FSU Publications OfficeSC1012www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

Publications Manager John [email protected] • 519.453.3720 ext. 224

Editor Erika Faust [email protected] • 519.453.3720 ext. 247

Staff Reporter Melanie Anderson [email protected] • 519.453.3720 ext. 291

Creative Director Darby [email protected] • 519.453.3720 ext. 229

Advertising Sara [email protected] • 519.453.3720 ext. 230

Web Facilitator Allen [email protected] • 519.453.3720 ext. 250

Letters to the [email protected]

Graphic Design Contributors:Hannah Marshall, Bernie Quiring, Kayla WatsonPhotographers:Illustrator:Alyse GillingsContributors:Jessica Bice, Agnes Chick, Susan Coyne, Victor De Jong,Nauman Farooq, Bobby Foley, Allen Gaynor, Moira-Christelle Ghazal, Stuart Gooden, Eshaan Gupta, VictorKaisar, Amy Legge, Wendy Lycett, Suzie Mah, TaylorMarshall, Alison McGee, Rick Melo, Hai Ha NguyenPaige Parker, Roland Priske, Jeffrey Reed, Ryan Springett,Marty Thompson, Michael Veenema, Joshua WallerComics:Dustin Adrian, Laura Billson, Robert Catherwood,Charles Colling, Mischa Kavin, Chris Miszczak, DanielleSchnekenburger and Andres Silva

Cover Credit:BERNIE QUIRING

Editorial opinions or comments expressedin this newspaper reflect the views of thewriter and are not those of theInterrobang or the Fanshawe StudentUnion. All photographs are copyright 2011by Fanshawe Student Union. All rights

reserved. The Interrobang is published weekly by the FanshaweStudent Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., Room SC1012,London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through theFanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to edit-ing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied bycontact information. Letters can also be submitted online atwww.fsu.ca/interrobang/ by following the Interrobang links.

MAC CASSIDYSPECIAL TO INTERROBANG

CREDIT: STOCK IMAGES

Lose it and keep it off!

When was the last time youreally enjoyed a moment?

Page 8: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

OPINION LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [email protected] 8

Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

On November 26, 2012, the long-awaitedverdict in the case of Toronto Mayor RobFord was passed. The position of Torontomayor will be vacated on December 10,2012 unless Ford is able to win an appeal.Should that fail, there will be a by-election inwhich Ford has said he will run. The crux ofthe issue was the term “conflict of interest”and how it’s defined. Rob Ford voted againsta motion regarding whether he should repaymoney he improperly raised in violation ofthe Conflict of Interest Act.

In the last couple of years, there has beenlittle in the news about the positive changeshappening in Toronto. Taxation is down,expensing by city councillors was slashed byalmost half. In fact, if you look past his blun-dering persona and big mouth, Ford uses thesame tactics as the bigshots at the provinciallevel. When the transit workers were threat-ening to strike, he blocked the action, justlike the Air Canada pilot strike and the cur-rent provincial Bill C-115 blocking teachersfrom striking.

This leadership has been overshadowedby several run-ins with the media that unsur-prisingly brought overwhelming media con-demnation. When Ford called 9-1-1 uponfinding the This Hour Has 22 Minutes crewon his lawn, his behaviour was the topic ofconversation far more than his policies.While it can fairly be said that he overreact-ed, being met outside your home by televi-sion cameras early in the morning would tryeven the most patient of people, which Fordis not.

What remains to be seen is how the appealprocess will play out. Barring a dramaticreversal of his position, Ford will be seekingto file an appeal within the 14-day windowto stay in office but beyond that deadline hehas 30 days to appeal the decision againsthim. In the event that he loses the appeal, asmentioned before, Ford has declared thathe’ll be seeking re-election. The crucialthing to remember is that Ford was relievedof office not for raising those funds, but forvoting in council that he should not have torepay that money to the donors, creating aconflict of interest.

The decision passed down by JusticeCharles Hackland can be framed in primari-ly two ways. On one hand, Mayor Fordfailed to inform himself as to the responsi-bilities and limitations of his position andtherefore committed an unwitting error thatcost him his position. On the other, Fordpublicly admitted to using his status tofundraise a miniscule amount of money andredirect a few city resources for his footballteam.

In essence it will come down to whetherTorontonians believe in the principle or thepractice. Either they’ll understand that he’san uninformed, well-meaning everyman, orthey’ll decide that using an elected status toraise money – a tiny amount for a charity –is still intolerable. Whichever conclusionthey reach will be heavily affected by theportrayal of Ford in the media, and his abili-ty to keep his temper leading up to that hypo-thetical by-election.

Rob Fordand the ticking clock

Somewhere, squeezed in between BlackFriday and Boxing Week, sits Christmas,although with each passing year consumersplurging increasingly threatens to over-whelm both the Christ and the Mass ofChristmas. On the other hand, who doesn’twant a new tablet, gift cards from box stores,candy canes, a trip to Whistler, or NHL sea-son tickets for 2012/13 (going very cheap atthe moment for some reason)?

But mass binge buying is part of a PeterPan economy that is unreal and will not last.When economists and business leaders tellus that booming December retail sales are akey to economic health, we are in trouble.We become brain-dead slaves to the mega-army of shareholders who demand to makemoney in their sleep and hypnotize us withad campaigns to make it happen.Participants in our economy are seduced intobuying Christmas junk that is hardly neededwith money we barely have.

And here’s the punchline: the share-hold-ers, consumers and over-indebted workerdrones are one and the same. We day trade atwork or school, consume our brains out afterhours, and can’t stop worrying about howhard we’ll have to work to get out of debtwhile trying to get to sleep at night.

Okay, I admit this sounds a little pes-simistic and extreme. But I maintain mybasic point: thinking we will improve theeconomy with a fit of consumer indulgencethis Christmas season is pure bunk. If wecould spend our way to economic health,we’d all be rich by now.

Well, that’s not a problem I can resolve inthe next 200 words, so I’ll leave that for

now. I would need at least 250. But here’s the thing. With all the spending

that goes on at Christmas, assuming thatmost know that the holiday has something todo with the birth of Jesus Christ, one couldbe forgiven if he or she thought that beingborn was the most important thing Christdid. But it isn’t.

The most important came later, in hisadult years. Two things, actually. First, hisdeath somehow took care of human sin,yours and mine. To understand how, youhave to know something about the Jewishtraditions concerning sin and sacrifice thathad been in play for centuries before hisdeath. Jesus was a Jew who fulfilled thosetraditions and opened the way for the rest ofus to buy into them. Knowledge about thosetraditions comes from the Jewish Bible,these days often called the Old Testament.

The second thing was his resurrection,meaning that God brought him back to life.This astounding event also can’t be under-stood very well unless one understands theJewish tradition of, and hopes for, resurrec-tion that predates Jesus by quite some time.Again, the Old Testament is the source.

Of the three events – Christ’s birth, death andresurrection – his birth is the least important.

Nevertheless, it is still very important.Christmas is the celebration of the birth ofGod as a human being, Jesus who grew up inthe old Jewish village of Nazareth. It’s thestart to all the rest that happened. So maybea little spending is in order after all, alongwith some partying and celebrations inchurches and homes.

What will I do this Christmas? My daugh-ter said to the rest of our family that thisChristmas none of us should buy presents foreach other. We all totally agreed with her.And on December 25 she, and only she, isgoing to get presents from us.

After we have ruined her Christmas thisway, we’ll find a place where we can sing

and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with afew hundred other people. If all goes well,there will be moments in the celebrationwhen our hearts stop for the sheer beauty ofthe thought of God becoming a human beingand living next door, so to speak.

But even if you don’t get to a celebrationof that kind – which you will find in everyone of the hundreds of church buildings inand around London – you may still hear“Silent Night,” “O Holy Night” and manyother Christian pieces over the sound sys-tems of Walmart and McDonalds.

You may feel something stir. It might notbe an angina attack; it could a momentaryflutter of awareness that God did somethingbeautiful when his son was born 2,012 (giveor take) years ago.

VICTOR DE JONGINTERROBANG

NOTES FROM DAY SEVENMICHAEL [email protected]

Ruining a young woman’sChristmas with gifts

CREDIT: STOCK IMAGES

Michael Veenema’s daughter is in for a sur-prise when she’ll be the only one openingpresents this Christmas.

Rob Ford, Toronto Mayor... for how long?

Page 9: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

OPINION LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [email protected] 9

Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

EVERYTHING (and I mean everything)in life is governed by contracts. Whetherspoken or not, when we engage in interac-tions with each other, our responses andbehaviours that are deemed “appropriate”and/or “allowed” are determined by the cir-cumstances in which we find ourselves,along with the level of intimacy sharedbetween ourselves and the individual(s) withwhom we are communicating. In otherwords, how you relate to “Mommy dearest”versus a professor versus a police officerversus your best friend and so forth variessignificantly... and for good (and I hopeobvious) reason. As a female, perhaps themost relatable example from everyday life isseeing the difference in how your man actswhen he’s alone with you as opposed towhen he’s with his buddies. Age, too, obvi-ously plays a role in one’s interactionsbecause in North American society, at least,it commonly serves as a means of establish-ing authority (e.g. the younger demographicis to respect its elders).

In situations wherein the details of therelationship and expectations of each partyinvolved in a contract (social or otherwise)are clearly outlined (preferably in writing),there is (for obvious reasons) a lower likeli-hood of conflict. However, given the subjec-tive nature of “definitions,” having some-thing in writing is not always a failsafe tac-tic. Once again the melodrama of my lifeproves illustrative:

I recently solicited the services of a pho-tographer to take portraits of me for thecover art of my upcoming release. As part ofher contract, she was insistent on giving a goat editing the photos herself, despite the factthat I am thoroughly experienced in this vein(one of my many jobs in my varied and illus-trious career, thus far, was working at afuneral home reconstructing vintage imagesfor ‘In Memoriam’ packages). The contractclearly stated that she was to provide mewith the final shots no later than six weeksfollowing the photoshoot and that if she

were unable to fulfill my editing require-ments, I would be provided with the originalimages.

Because she has been a friend of mine forsome time (engaging in business with afriend was perhaps my first mistake!), I let itslide that it took nearly three months to getthe photos into my possession. When Ireceived them, I was shocked and appalled(to put it lightly) at the massacre job she didon my features. I don’t mean to sound ego-tistical but I’m not exactly a 500-pound 60-year-old trying to pass for a supermodel. Inother words, my editing requirements arebasic and minimalistic: soften any apparentwrinkles; remove the dark circles, if visible,under my eyes; and blur out any obviousscars. Nothing more. Nothing less.

When I approached her about retrievingthe original images, I did my best not to flat-out offend her, but I also needed to make itclear that I was highly dissatisfied with whatI had received. She tried to argue with me onnumerous accounts, taking the stance that itwas appropriate to pin the blame on meexclusively (excellent consumer-vendorrelations, don’t ya think?).

First off, she claimed that I had seen herpast work and therefore should have knownwhat to expect and that her edits were 100per cent in line with my requests. When thatdidn’t fly, she tried to pull the whole “it’sclearly a matter of personal taste” route, withthe caveat that a customer of hers cannotdemand original files nor a refund based onthat alone. Then, she decided I was appar-ently not clear enough in what I requested asfar as edits go. Finally, the icing on the cakewas that her photos represent her “brand”and that I paid for a service (the photoshoot),not a final product, so a refund would not beissued, even if the photos were rendered, inmy opinion, completely unusable.

So why am I telling you this story? Well,as much as I’m a proponent of listening toone’s heart for guidance (I am an artist, afterall), there are certain circumstances in life(moreover, certain “contractual relation-ships”) in which it is highly inappropriate toallow your emotions to get the better of you.Business exchanges, understandably, rank atthe top of this list; hence, many a friendshiphave been torn asunder when “business” and“pleasure” have met. In other words, money

changes everything AND everyone.It’s clear from my perspective that my

friend is highly attached to her work as anartist. This explains her immediate defensivestrategies and inability to see the shortcom-ings of her work. Now, I hate to sound cold,but individuals such as her frankly shouldn’tbe engaging in commerce exchangesbecause business, in its essence, comesdown to a very simple logical formulawherein emotion has no place:

1) Vendor renders a service or product toa consumer at an agreed-upon price

2) Consumer pays for service or productupon delivery

3) Vendor is to ensure consumer satisfac-tion and accommodate exchanges or refunds,if product or service falls short of fulfillingoutlined expectations, was faulty or defec-tive

Again, no more, no less. The rationalebehind this basic equation is of course so thatunderstandings between individuals can beupheld legally, when necessary.

While the photographer in my story, as Istated, is my friend, that relationship trulybears no relevance on the fact that I hired herfor a product and upon delivery, the productwas simply not up to par. I would feel thesame way about the photos if someone I justmet had edited them in a similar fashion. Ofcourse, she has convinced herself other-wise… but I digress.

In sum, when it comes to matters of theheart, please listen and listen intently to thelittle voices in your head and the butterfliesor sinking pits in your stomach, but when itcomes to matters of money or legalities, thepsychologically mature approach is tounderstand that emotions become BARRI-ERS to effective communication. I recom-mend adopting a strategy known as “zero-based thinking,” namesaked by serial entre-preneur and blogger behind PreneurMarketing, Pete Williams. In a nutshell,zero-based thinking is about stripping awayeverything irrelevant to the decision-makingprocess except for the cold, hard facts andapplying hindsight to establish whetheryou’re truly making the best and most posi-tive choices for your future and goals.Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Good old intro-spection in yet another form!

Beyond business, there are numerousother applications for “zero-based thinking.”Another example that comes to mind iswhen dealing with not-so-pleasant in-laws.There are only so many times you can try toconvince someone you’re “good enough” fortheir child before it becomes nothing morethan a waste of energy and a drain on yourown self-esteem. In other words, thismonth’s lesson: know when it’s worth crack-ing a smile, shedding a tear or letting outyour inner roar. More importantly, knowwhen it’s not!

PSYCH YOUR MINDROSE CORA PERRY www.rosecoraperry.com

You see it all the time: teenagers, peopleyour age or able-bodied strangers ignoringthose who require courtesy seating or priori-ty seating on the bus. What many peopleoverlook is this overwhelming gratitude thatthese people who need the seating havewhen someone gives up their seat for them.Why is it that they’re so grateful for some-thing that is common courtesy? It’s becauseit’s few and far between when someoneactually gives them the courtesy.

What drives this arrogance? Self-impor-tance, laziness, or perhaps the simple lack ofeducation about the issue. There are over200 buses in the fleet, and over 18 millionpassengers per year ride the London TransitCommission busses. Of these passengers,many are elderly, pregnant, are riding withyoung children or need assistance to movearound and require the courtesy and priorityseating far more than others.

Here are a few things that may changeyour mind when you’re considering remain-ing in your seats, and someone who needs itmost stands:

- It is YOUR responsibility to decide tomove. It is not the bus driver’s responsibili-ty to move you.

- If someone pregnant or elderly falls,they may be injured or worse.

- Just because there are an average of sixpriority seats and two courtesy seats on each

bus does not mean that the other seven peo-ple will stand up and do the right thing.

“Ride respectfully” is not a term thatshould be used lightly, and here are somerespectful tips:

- Take off your backpack when you enterthe bus. Many backpacks take room awayfrom those who could have potentiallyboarded the bus. Instead, place your back-pack at your feet.

- When you notice someone who mayneed your seat more than you do, regardlessof whether you are in priority or courtesyseating, please give up your seat.

- Pay special attention to pregnantwomen. Giving a pregnant woman a seatwill give her a rest and potentially preventinjury to the woman or her baby.

- Try to keep speaking at a normal vol-ume. Yelling can make the bus ride unpleas-ant for other riders.

- If you are intoxicated and you know youact out when you are, take a taxi.

- Understand that children cannot reachthe bars to stand up on the bus. You areprobably able to stand with more ease than achild can on the bus. Give up your seat tochildren.

The last piece of advice is that if youwould appreciate someone giving up theirseat when you need it, you must give thesame courtesy. Ride respectfully.

JESSICA BICEINTERROBANG

Dear Editor:Warning to all Fanshawe students:I purchased an ASUS laptop computer

(Model # G73JH –HST7) in January 2011.Price: $1,455 (plus applicable Canadiantaxes). Store: Best Buy – Wellington Street,London Ontario – Canada.

I did not purchase the extension warrantyat the cost of $369.99 for two years, believ-ing that nothing should go wrong withtoday’s advanced electronic technology.

The computer quit working three weeksago.

I took it back to the Best Buy store andpaid the required amount of $500 (up-frontservice fee) in the service department, whichsent it for repair to authorized ASUS service.

After more than three weeks of patientwaiting, a Best Buy service agent phoned meand stated that the computer could not befixed due to lack of spare parts for thismodel and that Best Buy will pay back the$500 service amount.

I asked for a diagnosis report. Accordingto Best Buy, the ‘no longer available’ partswere: VGA Board and motherboard.

Considering that the ‘age’ of the laptop isless than two years, it is hard to understandthat a product for which I paid a consider-ably large amount of money can becomeobsolete in such a short time.

I am a full-time student at FanshaweCollege, taking Computer Security,Networking, Active Directory and other

computer studies, and I need a high-per-formance laptop for my everyday classes.

This ASUS make was recommended tome by several classmates. Following theiradvice, I decided to buy the ASUS G73JHmodel with my hard-earned money from mypart-time job.

As mentioned above, my joy and pride didnot last long.

I feel that handing me a relatively newcomputer back unfixed after three weeks byBest Buy, and their statement that the defec-tive parts required are no longer available, isextremely inconsiderate – one may sayunbelievable – and definitely not good PRby both ASUS and Best Buy.

Since I am attending a computer program(a three and half year compressed combina-tion of computer courses) at FanshaweCollege with well over 60 other classmates,it will be hard for me not to bring up my dis-mal experience with Best Buy.

Through the Internet, I found authorizedASUS service based in Markham, Ontario –ASUS Service Canada – whose rep told meover the phone that the laptop was never sentto them by Best Buy and that they can fix itin two days for the amount of $347.

I highly recommend this company to fel-low students who purchased their electronicequipment at Best Buy and their warranty isexpired.

David SolarikFanshawe College student

Student blasts Best Buy

CREDIT: GET MILKED

Ride respectfully on the LTC

The rules of engagement

Page 10: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

I write about random things alot. I write a lot about randomthings. Now that December isfinally upon us, it feels like it’ssafe to talk about Christmas andthe coming break without annoy-ing anyone or making the time feellike an eternity.

It’s also finally safe to start talk-ing about the biggest and bestalbums released in the past year,and major magazines andtastemakers have begun to publishtheir year-end lists. And not unlikeelectoral primaries, some publica-tions even weighed in on the topicbefore the end of November,bringing a number of releases tofocus – or back to focus – for con-sideration.

Pitchfork, Paste and MOJOMagazines all weighed in early,and as they’re representing differ-ent regions in musical taste anddriven by different musical cli-mates, it’s interesting to notewhere they agree and disagree.

Although the AmericansPitchfork and Paste agreed on titleslike Fiona Apple’s The IdlerWheel..., Japandroids’ CelebrationRock and Beach House’s Bloom,the only release with enoughpower and appeal to break into theTop 10 of each (the Top 2, morespecifically) was Frank Ocean’sgenre-bending masterpieceChannel Orange.

A “very beautiful album aboutnot-so-beautiful people,” accord-ing to Paste – who placed the

record at number one – the albumwas released in July just after thosein the know released their Best OfSo Far lists back in June. ChannelOrange is Ocean’s first full-lengthrelease and features guest appear-ances by André 3000, John Mayer,Om’Mas Keith and more.

The album is unquestionablybeautiful, but what makes it socompelling a listen is its stark andpowerful themes of love, sex andthe highs and lows in between. Thestories and characters may or maynot reflect real people, but Ocean’smastery is in their unraveling emo-tion, like a director carefully guid-ing them to their full potential.Channel Orange has certainlyearned its place among the high-lights of the past year.

Speaking personally, however,there are a number of albums thathave meant a lot to me that maynot appear on many year-end lists.Writing this column for so long hasendeared me to a number of artistsand their albums, and this year wascertainly no exception; in case youmissed them, check out these greatalbums by artists that haveappeared in this column over theyear:

Cancer Bats, Dead Set OnLiving: Released in April, Cancer

Bats’ latest album delivered bigrock songs with the sort of powerand authority we needed to kickthe summer off right. Driven bythe singles “Old Blood” and “RoadSick” – part of which was filmedlate one night here in London –Dead Set On Living is a dynamichard rock album that deserves to beheard again and again.

John Mayer, Born And Raised:Released in May, John Mayer’slatest studio offering reveals a dif-ferent side of the singer, one whoseems far more introspective andpensive following years of hismore immediate lifestyle onlinevia Twitter and his blogs. Mayerdialed the digital lifestyle wayback and dove deep into himselfwhile recovering from vocal sur-gery, resulting in the kind of crafts-manship and vulnerability he dis-played on older releases like RoomFor Squares and Heavier Things.

The Balconies, Do It In TheDark: Although only a single andnot a full-length release, TheBalconies’ new recording reflects abig step for the band, whose hum-ble Ottawa beginnings must bestarting to seem in the distant past.The band recorded a popular videocover of Justin Bieber’s “Baby”with Toronto’s Hands & Teeth andjust recently toured across thecountry supporting Big Sugar, soprospects for a strong 2013 arelooking very good.

However, prospects for 2013 isanother topic for another column.For more on the latest in musicnews, views and anticipated releas-es, consider following this columnon Twitter @fsu_bobbyisms, andhave a wonderful holiday break!You’ve earned it. I’m out of words.

BOBBYISMSBOBBY FOLEY

Looking back at 2012 in music

LIFESTYLES10Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

It’s the most wonderful time ofthe year! Apple pies, gift-wrappingand an endless amount of lipstickkisses from Aunt Judy could onlymean one thing: you’re home forthe holidays.

There’s no denying that theChristmas season truly is magical,and it’s lovely to get to spend somequality time with family members,but three whole weeks of it? Afteryou’ve completed your exams, theexcitement of going home to Momand Dad will be at an all time high.Your necessities are packed intothe back of the minivan, and youwave goodbye to your dust bunny-infested student home (just me?).

The first week in your home-town is nothing but hot cocoa andboard games, and it’s not untilabout day eight that the noveltybegins to wear off. Your big broth-er will not give up the remote sothat you can watch your favouriteTLC shows, your parents are forc-ing you to clean your room, andyou’re really starting to miss KraftDinner. The final week is nothingbut a scene from NationalLampoon’s Christmas Vacation,and there’s nothing you want for

Christmas more than to get theheck out of there.

However, being home for theholidays doesn’t have to be all thatbad; it can actually be quite enjoy-able. Consider this your survivalguide:

- Be sure to take some time foryourself. Whether this means hav-ing to rent a hotel room, or maybejust going on a long walk or run, bealone every now and then to clearyour mind and stay as sane as pos-sible.

- Something else to keep in theback of your head is the realizationthat it is only three weeks; afterthat, you can go back to being themature, sophisticated student weall know you are when you’re atschool.

- Appreciate the time with yourfamily, especially extended familymembers who you might not get tosee all that often.

- Lastly, communication goes along way. Your parents probablystill see you as the eight-year-oldwho was ecstatic to receive anEasy-Bake Oven. Let them knowhow you’ve grown and what yournew interests are. This will preventany fake excitement on Christmasmorning.

If you’re still struggling to findany ounce of joy left during yourlast couple of days at home, thinkof all of that leftover turkey.

Happy Holidays!

MY SERIES OFUNFORTUNATEEVENTSJENNA WANT [email protected]

CHECK YOURGRADES onWEBADVISORGrades will be available on WebAdvisor December 19th after 6:00 pm.

(for programs ending December 14th)

It is important to check your grades and academic standing as soon as

possible in case you have failed pre-requisite courses for the Winter Term

and/or are required to reapply to your program.

If your academic standing is "Required to Reapply" you must contact your

Academic School before December 21, 2012 or the week of January 2, 2013.

Many of the Schools will have extended hours the first week of January to assist

students.

More information regarding grades, academic standing and registration for

the next term can be found on MyFanshawe under

Office of the Registrar, Student Records.

We wish you good luck on your exams and

final assignments.

We're here to help you succeed.

Your thoughts are probablyturning to the holiday break, butnow is the time to start thinkingpast December and into the yearahead. It may seem early, but nowis the time to start thinking aboutsummer jobs or careers after grad-uation and preparing for CareerWeek, which runs from February 4to 8.

Career Services’ Career Weekaims to get students thinking aheadto summer jobs and their futurecareers, and will feature a numberof speakers talking about a varietyof topics of interest to job seekers,including volunteering, preparingfor the job search and more.

One of the biggest events duringCareer Week is the Career andSummer Job Fair, which will takeplace in both J Gyms on February6.

This marks the 10th annualCareer Fair. “It’s not just for thegraduating students, it’s for all stu-dents,” said Christina Cook, theCareer Services representativewho is organizing Career Week.“If you are looking for a summerjob or if you’re looking for some-thing part-time while you’re inschool, there’s something foreverybody at the Career Fair.”

“We have a lot of differentemployers coming out from allover Canada,” she continued.“We’re going to have moreemployers than ever before.”

“It’s like a one-stop shop wherestudents can see which employersare hiring,” added LarissaCampbell, student services spe-

cialist at Career Services. “We’rehoping to have a wide variety ofemployers there,” and the Fairorganizers are aiming to haveemployers representing eachschool of study at Fanshawe.

Over the holiday break, studentscan do a few things to prepare forthe Career Fair, said Campbell.“They should get working on theirresumes right now so it’s at leastup to date. Maybe think aboutsome potential types of jobs theymight want to look into. Practice alittle bit with interviewing,because they could be having littlemini interviews right on the spot,depending on how the employersare approaching it.” Students canmeet one on one with a member ofthe Career Services staff to discussresumes, cover letters and inter-view techniques, or can attend oneof the workshops in the weeksleading up to the Fair.

A full list of employers who willattend the Fair will be available atwww.fanshawec.ca/careerservice-sand will include company profilesand the names of the representa-tives attending the Fair. Cook rec-ommended students check out thelist and make cover letters and tai-lored resumes for the companiesthey’re interested in working for.

Career Services already hassummer jobs posted, so check outtheir job site now for information –access the job postings throughFanshaweOnline. For more infor-mation and for updates on theCareer Fair, check out CareerServices on social media: face-book.com/FanshaweCS and onTwitter @FanshaweCS.

ERIKA FAUSTINTERROBANG

Thinking aheadto the Career Fair

Home for the holidays

Page 11: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

LIFESTYLES 11Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

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The holiday season is finallyhere, and that means it’s time to getdressed up for all those fun holidayparties ahead! Taking inspirationfrom snow and the icy palette ofwinter gives the outfit a festivetouch. This light pink straplessdress with silver sequins is sobeautiful and glamorous on itsown, but adding some complemen-tary accessories and a matchingsparkly silver pair of heels takesthe outfit to a whole new level. Thelight pink colour of the dress andpurse make for a sweet, girly ele-ment while the silver adds glam, abit of edge and drama.

1. Light Pink Sequined Dress:This is one of those dresses that isso great to have whenever youwant a glamorous look – it’s greatfor holiday celebrations, cocktail

parties and even New Year’s Eve!The strapless silhouette is so easyto wear and easy to accessorize.For this particular dress, avoid abig chunky necklace as that willtake away from the detailing of thedress. (Forever 21, $40)

2. Spike and RhinestoneBracelet: The desired look for thisoutfit is to keep it dressy, so a thickrhinestone bracelet is perfect. Toadd a nice little twist, two silverspike bracelets are added on eitherends of the bracelet. It looks like acompletely different bracelet andthe spikes add to the ‘icy’ look.(Thick Rhinestone Bracelet: AldoAccessories, $50; Spikes: AldoAccessories, $12)

3. Earrings: These amazinglydetailed earrings help bring togeth-er the silver in the dress withouttaking away from it. Since there isno necklace, you can choose a big-ger pair of earrings, these in partic-ular are made with a higher qualityStellux crystals so they sparkle andcatch the light. (Stellux Earrings:Aldo Accessories, $50)

4. Open-Toe Sparkle Shoes:These shoes are the perfect pair forthis dress because they comple-ment it without being too matchy-matchy. They’re a great open-toepair with a little heel, which makeswalking around the party a little biteasier. (Aldo, $80)

5. Bow Bag: This bag makes theoutfit look cute and the bow adds agirly detail to mirror the style ofthe dress. It has a long chain so youcan wear it cross-body and don’thave to carry it around the party.(This style is from a previous sea-son but this style of bag can befound many places such as Forever21 or Town Shoes)

The soft pink of the dress makesit wearable for so many occasions.It’s a great investment piece so youdon’t have to buy a new dress forevery single party. The sequins inthe dress add drama and open upmany possibilities for accessoriesthat can work for the dress andchange up the look. Whatever theoccasion may be, this look is aguaranteed showstopper!

Thinking icy pink for the holidaysCREDIT: HAI HA NGUYEN

It’s that time of the year again – theair is cool and crisp, there is frost onthe ground, Starbucks holidayflavours are back, the malls arecrowded, and people are stressingout. So take your Grande PeppermintMocha to go and explore some easygift ideas for fashion-forward friendsand relatives. These ideas are so goodyou might start to live by my gift-shopping mantra: one for you, one forme.

If anyone on your list is a cosmet-ics connoisseur, a trip to the closestShoppers (or Sephora or BeautySupply Outlet) will yield a variety ofdazzling results. While makeup isgenerally a personal preference, thereare some little items that suit anyoneon your list and make great gift items.Nails have never been more promi-nent in the fashion and beauty realmsas they are right now. Nail art, naildecorating and nail designs of everykind are extremely popular. Nail Artkits, which are already packaged foryou and include everything an ama-

teur aesthetician would need to glam-ourize her mani-pedi, are a great giftoption. If you prefer to shy awayfrom pre-packaged gift sets and wantto personalize the gift basket thatyour lucky friend is going to receive,consider these fashionable ideas:

- Deep wine reds are on trend, ele-gant and dramatic

- Chunky gold and silver glitterpolishes are both versatile enough towork with any polish colour, and areperfect for the holiday party seasonahead

- In keeping with the craze for nailart, there are many affordable brandsthat offer really unique and funkyeffects – check out magnetic nail pol-ish, nail polish strips (that stick on topof your natural nails and can staywithout chipping for up to 10 days!)and colours that change dependingon the lighting

- Another cosmetic option is to gofor a traditional holiday favourite,perfume (or cologne) and/or fragrantbody lotion sets. Treat a loved one togifts that will pamper and soothe.

Since buying clothing and shoesfor other people is sometimes diffi-cult, accessories are a great way togive a fashionable gift that you won’thave to worry about fitting or flatter-ing your recipient. Jewellery, cos-

tume or not (depending on yourbudget and how many dear friendsare on your list), is a wonderful giftthat can really personalize an outfitand amp up their style factor. Purses,clutches, cross-body bags and walletsare also a fantastic option. Not to beforgotten, scarves, hats, and gloves(beloved gifts of grandmothers theworld over) can take a stylish andmodern turn when you consider thewide range of styles and price pointsacross the market.

Another way to make accessorieswork for your shopping list is to con-sider your tech-savvy friends and rel-atives, from your cousin who neverputs down her iPhone long enoughfor the screen to lock to your dadwhose digital camera makes moreappearances at family gatheringsthan you do. Consider the stylish pos-sibilities to accessorize these techs.There is such a huge variety of styl-ish, functional and designer cases andaccessories that no electronic deviceshould go without chic coverage.

’Tis the season of giving, and as ifI need a valid excuse to go shopping,the holiday season reminds us thatsometimes shopping for others canbe just as exciting and rewarding asshopping for yourself. Sometimes.

Stylish gifts to give, receiveMAKE THE LOOKYOUR OWNAMY LEGGE

THE SHOPPING BAGHAI HA NGUYEN

CREDIT: LISE WATIER

Lise Watier’s Winter collection, Glamour Rose, incorporates beautiful redlips and metallic eye shadows.

The winter holidays are finallyhere, so it’s time to glam up yourmakeup look! The winter seasonalways has beautiful, glamoroustrends that are easily incorporatedinto your evening looks and can beeffortlessly added to your daymakeup routine. This holiday sea-son is full of reds, golds and silversthat can create a really sophisticatedyet glamorous look. Brands such asChanel, Dior, Lise Watier andClarins have added limited editionpieces to their line that are perfectthis holiday season.

If you prefer to wear more eyemakeup, then the golds and silversare what you want to add to yourlook to get that festive feel.Covering your entire eyelid with ametallic gold eye shadow and con-touring with a deep chocolatebrown will make a very sexy, ele-gant look that will make any eyecolour “pop.” Another way to incor-porate these metallics is by creatinga traditional smokey eye and lightlydusting gold pigment on top of theblack. This way the gold is subtlebut still transforms a smokey eyeinto a festive makeup look.

If you are someone who doesn’ttend to wear too much eye makeup,

dusting a gold or silver eye shadowover the eyelid will create a veryluminous look that can be comple-mented with a bold lip. Red lips areone of the most common trends forthe holiday season; so many cos-metic companies will release limit-ed edition lipsticks or even collec-tions that revolve around the red lip.Dior, Chanel and Lise Watier are alllines that launched beautiful red lip-sticks that vary in texture and shadeso that everyone can find their per-fect colour.

Adding a slight contour to yourcomplexion will make your makeuplook a little bit more sophisticatedand elegant. All you need to do isfind a dark, ashy shade that you caneasily blend into the hollows ofyour cheeks. Chanel recentlyreleased an exclusive contour shadethat is perfect for all skin tones.However, you can always use amatte eye shadow as a contourcolour such as MAC’s Wedge or amatte bronzer. The key is to avoidanything that is too warm-toned asit will lose its structured, elegantlook.

If you love wearing all sorts ofmakeup, then incorporate all themakeup trends for the holiday sea-son. Golden eyes, red lips, a con-toured complexion and false lasheswill beautifully accentuate yourown features and add a bit of a fes-tive flare to them! Will you dare toadd a bit of metallic sheen to yourevening look?

Holiday trends 2012

BEAUTY BOYJOSHUA R. [email protected]

Page 12: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

LIFESTYLES12Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

Registration for Winter is NOW Open

[email protected]/ce FanshaweCE

what CE can do for you

See

With Christmas comes a pictur-esque turkey dinner often filledwith mounds of mashed potatoes,gravy, stuffing and fresh rolls –and don’t forget Christmas cookiesand Grandma’s homemade pump-kin pie. One word comes to mindwhen thinking of all these deli-cious foods: carbs. With little timefor exercising and more time forChristmas parties and dinners, itcan be easy to lose track of ourbelly size over the break.

Before the festive meals evenbegin, we are bombarded by adver-tisements for new speciality holi-day drinks such as Tim Hortons’Candy Cane Hot Chocolate orStarbucks’ Eggnog Latte. Bothsound scrumptious, but accordingto registered dietician JenniferBroxterman, drinks can be one ofour biggest problems. “I thinkwhat sneaks away from people is alot of the alcohol and beveragecalories because they don’t registerthe same way that a solid foodcalorie does with the brain.”

Melissa Vandermeer, instructorin the Food and NutritionManagement program atFanshawe, said she was surprisedto find out how unhealthy one ofher favourite holiday beverages is.“I ordered a Caramel Brulée Latte(from Starbucks), with no whipand skim milk, and the Grande was

still over 300 calories. You look atabout 500 calories per meal andyou just consumed 300 caloriesjust for a beverage.” She added thatit’s important to treat these fancyholiday drinks as a treat and not asa beverage alongside a meal or asnack.

Along with the unhealthy drinkscome easily accessible treats andbaked goods. Whether it’s at homeor at the office, Broxtermanwarned that snacking becomesdangerous at this time of year. “It’sthe junk and cookies and choco-lates that sit around the house afterhosting a party or during that weekbetween Christmas and NewYear’s … Those kinds of things,they’re little temptations leftaround the house, and a bit here ora nibble there or a handful ofchocolate isn’t registering as howmany calories are really addingup.” Sticking to the “out of sight,out of mind” policy can really help,she added.

A break from school and workshouldn’t mean a break from exer-cising. Routines often get brokenover the holidays, which can meana decrease in physical activity andmissing regular work-outs. Thisalso contributes to weight gainover the Christmas season. “In thewinter months, people who tend torely on outdoor activities aren’tgetting out as much, so those peo-ple already aren’t getting as much

physical activity,” saidVandermeer. “Now withChristmas coming up and everyonebeing so busy, it becomes evenless.”

Many Christmas parties haveturned into pot-luck dinners orsnack fests, making them anotherprime location to put on thepounds. When it comes to attend-ing parties, Broxterman had threebig tips: avoid dips (such asspinach or artichoke dips) that arehigh in fat and calories; never go toa party hungry; and stick to the“two plate” rule. “If you’re at aparty that has finger food andyou’re picking at different items,make a rule for yourself that you’renever going to eat straight out of aserving bowl, but instead use thesmall plates or napkins available.Then tell yourself you can havetwo fillups of your plate, but youcan only stick to what you put onyour plate,” she suggested.

So you’ve kept up with yourworkout regiment, made it throughthe Christmas parties and tempta-tions at work, but now you have toface a number of family feasts.There are ways to watch your waistwhile enjoying a big holiday meal.Turkey, thank goodness, is a prettyhealthy Christmas meat (minus allof that gravy). White meat withoutskin is the healthiest choice.Vandermeer’s family has opted forhealthier options in the past. “With

the turkey we started removing theskin because that’s where you getthe saturated fats from. If you putlots of seasoning and vegetablesaround the turkey when you’reroasting, it gets enough flavour andjuice on its own.” When choosingvegetables, she suggested steamingthem and not adding butter. Shealso recommended squash as a sidebecause of its natural sugars andsweet taste.

When it comes to physically put-ting the food on your plate,Broxterman recommended watch-ing your portion sizes. “(On) ‘thehealthy plate,’ 50 per cent of theplate is veggies – it could be salad

or cooked green beans; a quarter ofthe plate would be a starchy food,which includes potatoes, stuffing,bread or rolls; and the remainingquarter would be the turkey or aprotein. One way to achieve this isby actually putting the vegetableson your plate first,” she suggested.

If you’re afraid of eating toomuch dessert, just remember thatit’s okay to indulge – just watchyour portions. “Anyone who triesto sacrifice too much ends up eat-ing more of it later on anyways,”said Vandermeer, “so it’s better totake smaller pieces and enjoy andsavour what you’re eating.”

Ho-ho-hone healthy holiday habitsMELANIE ANDERSON

INTERROBANG

CREDIT: TOOMUCHONHERPLATE.COM

The holiday season brings with it many sweet treats that can sabotageany diet. When attending holiday events make sure you go with a plannot to overindulge.

Page 13: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

COVER US WINNING ARTWORKWILL BE ON THE COVER OF THE JANUARY 14TH ISSUE

www.fsu.ca

CONTEST

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GRAND PRIZE$250 GIFT CERTIFICATE + YOUR PROFILE FEATURED IN THE INTERROBANG

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SUBMISSION DEADLINEFRIDAY DECEMBER 7THSubmission forms can be picked up in the Interrobang office [SC1012]

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Page 14: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012
Page 15: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

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LIFESTYLES 19Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

A Christmas Story 2(2012)

Millions groaned simultaneous-ly when it was announced earlierthis year that there would be adirect-to-video sequel to the 1983film A Christmas Story. And Ican’t say that I blame said groan-ers. As I explained in an articlepublished in Interrobang last yeartitled “A Christmas bore-y,” the1983 original film about parentswho buy a gun for their scheming10-year-old boy was an atrociouspiece of work that has sullied thefine holiday of Christmas for thepast three decades.

So I was none too eager to giveA Christmas Story 2 a look-see.However, Interrobang’s residentScrooge/Grinch, editor ErikaFaust, threatened to make me workon Christmas Eve and also revokemy Christmas bonus of a Jelly ofthe Month Club membership if Ididn’t produce a review of thefilm. My family relies on that jelly,so I knew what I had to do.

So I reluctantly slipped themovie into my VHS, and then intomy DVD player once that didn’twork. My expectations were quitelow, but like the birth of a certainbaby 2,000 years ago inBethlehem, a miracle occurred.Despite being based on a story bythe same author, and featuringmost of the same characters, AChristmas Story 2 succeeds inevery way that the original failed.

A Christmas Story 2 takes placefive years after the events of thefirst film. Much has changed, withmain character Ralphie developingan interest in girls and cars as

opposed to BB guns. But one thingthat hasn’t changed is the comicalcheapskate tendencies of Ralphie’sfather, simply known as The OldMan.

Daniel Stern (City Slickers,Home Alone) takes over the role ofRalphie’s dad, and is the best partof this spectacular movie. He con-tinues his battle with his archrival– the family’s faulty furnace – butalso develops a new obsession: icefishing. When a butcher has thegall to charge 40¢/pound for thefamily’s turkey dinner, The OldMan balks, and decides to spendday after day trying to catch thefamily an alternative feast.

Ralphie too is up to his oldtricks, trying to plant the seeds forhis parents to buy him his dreamcar for Christmas. But Ralphie’s

adoration of this car leads him todamaging it while it is still at thelot, and he must engage in a seriesof hilarious escapades in order toraise the astronomical sum of $85to pay off a cranky car dealer.

A Christmas Story 2 did not justgo straight to home video. It alsowent straight to my heart. I am sopleased that in a few years we willno longer be subjected to 24-hourmarathons of the wretched originalfilm, and instead families can gath-er around the tube on ChristmasDay, and spend their time not talk-ing to one another while theywatch this film and eat turkey. Orperhaps as The Old Man suggest-ed, they could eat fish. Cod blessus, everyone!

Cinema ConnoisseurALLEN GAYNORwww.cinemaconn.com

A Christmas miracle

CREDIT: WARNER PREMIERE, HOLLYWOOD MEDIA BRIDGE, TELVAN PRODUCTIONS

Red Dawn (2012)

The latest in the recent string ofHollywood remakes has come totheatres just in time for the holidayseason. That’s right, ladies andgentlemen, Red Dawn is backagain, reincarnated and re-imag-ined to give us a somewhat updat-ed – yet no more creative orthoughtful – look at what happenswhen communists attack America.

In 1984, Patrick Swayze, C.Thomas Howell and Charlie Sheentook action when, on the very cuspof the Second World War, Sovietforces invaded American soil.Now, in 2012, Chris Hemsworth,Josh Hutcherson and Josh Peckband together to save modern-dayAmerican soil from a NorthKorean invasion. Directed by DanBradley, a heavy hitter in the worldof Hollywood stuntmen, RedDawn speaks of both the freshnessof a new director’s debut as well asthe action-packed intensity of aproject being headed up by some-one who has done nearly everyfilm stunt out there.

The film’s plot follows the storyof Jed Eckert, a United StatesMarine who is paying a visit to hisfamily while on leave, and hisyounger brother Matt, who holds amighty grudge against Jed forleaving the family for the Armyafter their mother tragically passedaway. Soon after arriving, Jedawakens one morning to findNorth Korean paratroopers attack-

ing their town. When Jed and Mattflee for their lives to head to theirsafehouse in the woods, theyencounter a handful of teenagerswho are seeking refuge. Once safe-ly tucked away, Jed, Matt and thetwo boys who they saved along theway decide to take a stand andfight back in the name of freedomand America.

Chris Hemsworth takes the leadas Jed, and though this flick wasfilmed before the wild success andpopularity of Thor, he proves thathe has what it takes without a rep-utation to pull off an action-heavycharacter. Hemsworth gives it hisall in a physically demanding per-formance, bringing a strong senseof realism to the character.

Stepping in beside Hemsworthas Jed’s younger brother Matt isJosh Peck, in his transition fromthe small screen (Nickelodeon TV)to action flicks. Peck does animpressive job of holding his ownagainst heavyweight Hemsworth,and when it comes time for him toplay the gun-wielding soldier boy,he does a more than adequate job.

Josh Hutcherson, who fans willknow from his role of Peeta in TheHunger Games, and ConnorCruise, son of Tom Cruise, roundout the band of boys-turned-heroesas Robert and Daryl, respectively.Also of note in the cast are JeffreyDean Morgan as Marin Corps Sgt.Tanner, and Brett Cullen as Jed’sfather Tom.

Red Dawn is perhaps not thebest action movie out there, but itis also far from the worst. With somany remakes hitting screens as oflate, it is refreshing to find one thatwould be difficult to ruin anyway.

All in all, if you’re looking foran action packed good night at themovies, Red Dawn is not a badchoice at all.

CREDIT: LIONSGATE

Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson and Chris Hemsworth in Red Dawn.

REEL VIEWSALISON [email protected]

We awake toanother Red Dawn

What I remember most aboutChristmas Eve as a child was get-ting into my favourite snowflake-patterned pajamas after dinner,curling up on the couch beside myparents under a warm blanket andwatching, in order, Rudolph theRed-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty theSnowman and, saving the best forlast, The Muppet Christmas Carol.I did this every year, without fail,until I was old enough to move outinto my own place, but ever sincethen I have kept the tradition alive.

Now it’s Roots sweatpants, atumbler full of Baileys and my dogsitting next to me on the couch, andit’s A Christmas Story, LoveActually and The MuppetChristmas Carol. Even though I’molder, on my own and the movieshave changed, the way that watch-ing holiday movies on ChristmasEve makes me feel hasn’t changedone bit.

It’s the magic of the holiday sea-son right there on the screen, fillingmy living room with the hopeful

dreams of one young boy’s longingfor a Red Ryder BB Gun; theredemption of one angry, rich oldman; and of course the all-aroundhappy endings of one group ofBrits at Christmas.

The great thing about holidaymovies is that they can be aboutany holiday that you choose to cel-ebrate and still have the sameeffect. You might be watchingEight Crazy Nights on the thirdnight of Hanukkah instead of Elfon Boxing Day. You might bewatching movies that I’ve neverheard of before on the eve of holi-days that mean the world to youand your family.

It’s not the particular movie thatmakes it special – it’s not even theparticular holiday that you cele-brate – it’s having a day to cele-brate, whether it be Christmas,Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or somethingcompletely different, and gettingswept away by the magic of it. Thesights, the sounds, the entertain-ment; the atmosphere. It’s gettinglost in the magic of the movies aswell as the magic of the holidays.It’s watching a flick and relating sostrongly to one of the characters, orit’s realizing that you have somuch to be thankful for becauseyou’re not in Tiny Tim’s shoes.

It’s magical, pure and simple. Holiday movie traditions are a

big deal in my house. They let theChristmas spirit come alive justthat extra little bit. So this year, onyour holiday, grab a movie, a pip-ing hot cup of tea and let the magicof the season take over for a littlebit.

Happy Holidays.

McGee’s MovieMomentsALISON [email protected]

Holiday movie traditions

CREDIT: WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

The holidays wouldn’t be the samewithout The Muppet ChristmasCarol for Alison McGee.

Page 20: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

LIFESTYLES20Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

One afternoon, back in the early1990s and shortly into my career asa freelance journalist, I was outmowing my lawn during a week-day afternoon when a neighbourasked, “Are you looking for work?We’re hiring down at the plant.”This fellow could not wrap hishead around the fact I was able totackle household chores and stillmake a good living without punch-ing a clock.

A lot has changed since then interms of home-based businessesand freelancing. When I formedmy business in 1989, the phenom-enon of working from a homeoffice was new and greatly misun-derstood. Today, Statistics Canadareports that about eight per cent ofCanadians work out of their homes– and I am guessing that number issignificantly higher in certain sec-tors, including communications.The Internet, of course, can makethe home office as sophisticated asany cozy corner of a downtownivory tower.

In fact, many of my studentsover the years have observed howI’ve succeeded as a professionalwith a home-based headquarters,and thus have aspired to do thesame. My advice remains constant:it’s not for everyone. There are

sacrifices to make and rules toabide by if you wish to trade adaily commute from the suburbsfor a 10-second turn from thekitchen to the home office. But ifyou are disciplined, work in a com-patible business sector, enjoy theflexibility and freedom and, yes,make a solid wage, then workingfrom home may be the right choicefor you.

My first home office consistedof an old telephone, an answeringmachine, a kitchen table purchasedat a garage sale, a portable type-writer, a tape recorder and micro-phone, and a wall calendar to keeptrack of my appointments anddeadlines. It was a bare-bonesbusiness, but it all started with aprofessional image. Unless anyoneknocked on the door of my base-ment apartment, there was no waythey could tell my office apartfrom an office in a downtowntower.

That professionalism startedwith a well-designed business cardand a professional voicemail mes-sage. I had already established aprofessional wardrobe (profession-al for 1989 – remember, this wasthe ’80s), and I made sure the oilleak on my 1973 Chevrolet Novadidn’t totally destroy a client’sdriveway when I travelled formeetings.

Most of all, I did what I contin-ue to do today: try my best to out-work the competition. There’s nosubstitute for hard work – workhard and you’ll always give your-

self a chance to succeed. It’s a sim-ple rule that not everyone buys intowhen they establish a business.They want the glory, but they’renot willing to offer blood, sweatand tears.

The Internet, though, has madethe move from working outside thehome to working within a homeoffice a seamless transition. It hasforever changed the way we dobusiness. In 1993, when I wasresearching for my first book (pub-lished in 1994), I spent most of mywork weeks researching micro-fiche files at the London PublicLibrary. Back then, whenever Iresearched for an in-depth maga-zine article, again I spent countlesshours digging into library files fora needle in a haystack. Today, withInternet search engines andresources including Google andYouTube, I can complete researchfor a number of stories in less thanan hour.

There’s a downside to computertechnology, of course, and it’sspending most of your time staringat a screen and thus ignoring thefact you need to establish personalrelationships. No matter how wellwritten they are, email messagesare always impersonal – especiallyif you have never had a face-to-face meeting with the person at theother end. Today, no matter howbusy I am with assignments, Ialways make an effort to conductinterviews and meet with clientsface-to-face – even if a simplephone call would have completed

the task. Clients appreciate that –and they expect it if you wish tocontinue doing business together.

Today, I have two home offices,including one simply used for writ-ing and telephone interviews. Thisbright, quiet room, unlike my larg-er basement office, has a windowfacing my backyard where – youguessed it – I sometimes take abreak from my writing and mowthe lawn. I still have a neighbourwho wonders why I am home at 1p.m. on a Monday. But that’s okay:I enjoy our banter when he’s outwalking his dog and I am taking amental and physical break from sit-

ting in front of my screen.If working 9 to 5 is dogging you,

then you may consider freelancingfrom a home-based office. Justmake sure you’re prepared to makesacrifices before cashing that firstcheque.

Award-winning journalistJeffrey Reed is a FanshaweCollege professor with theCorporate Communication andPublic Relations post-graduateprogram and an instructor withFanshawe’s Continuing Educationdepartment. Email him [email protected].

THE REAL WORLDJeffrey [email protected]

With no intention of offendingChristians, as a first-generationChinese-Canadian and an agnostic,Christmas in my childhood wasstripped of all mystery right fromthe get-go. My parents told me andmy siblings quite matter-of-factlythere was no Santa Claus and theyprobably would’ve said there wasno Christ or God either if it hadoccurred to them.

We got money presents in redenvelopes, had a tinsel tree withfairly gaudy ornaments, and aterice and a turkey cooked Chinese-style and butchered into chopstick-ready pieces on Christmas Eve. Asan imaginative little girl, it was upto me to create my own Christmasexplanations, feelings and tradi-tions. So Christmas became aboutthe cartoons.

The Grinch Who StoleChristmas early on became mycomfort and joy during the holi-days. I didn’t get wrapped pres-ents, and it was comforting to mewhen the Whos didn’t let theGrinch get them down either whentheir presents were filched.

I still feel the sentiment when allthe Whos come together in thetown square, link hands and sing oflove and togetherness at the end.Christmas, I learned, was not aboutboasting about heaps of presents,but about being warm and cosywith your brothers and sisters oneither side of you on the couch andfeeling happy and safe with yourfamily.

A Charlie Brown Christmaspractically makes my own kidscross when they watch it. The paceof the story is too slow for them

and they don’t appreciate what ahero Charlie Brown is for takingsympathy on the smallest, worsttree in the lot and bringing it home.As a matter of fact, they don’t evenlike Charlie Brown and the wholePeanuts gang.

Since I was an almost-immi-grant with embarrassing parents, Icould sympathize with what a mis-fit poor Charlie Brown was. I likedthat that boy, who was so vulnera-ble to bullying and being made funof could nonetheless find the com-passion to like and befriend some-thing more vulnerable than him-self. Christmas, I learned, becamenot about being the shiniest and thebest (or the “coolest” kid, in otherwords) but about looking forintrinsic worth in yourself and oth-ers.

Finally, Rudolph the Red-NosedReindeer was my lesson in believ-ing in yourself and your own tal-ents. And knowing what truefriends are made of (not those turn-coat reindeer who let Rudolph intotheir reindeer games only afterSanta approved of him).

I did not ever have the kind ofChristmas my husband and I haveprovided for our own kids, but wehave the same cartoons. My kidsknow we have to watch TheGrinch Who Stole Christmas, ACharlie Brown Christmas, Frostythe Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and maybe a fewothers when they turn up annuallyon TV. They may groan now thatthey’re such cool teenagers, butthey’ll still sit down and watchthese old cartoons with me.

Because it’s Mom’s Christmas.Susie Mah is President of the

Fanshawe Adult Social Club,which will continue next termunder new leadership! Email Susieat [email protected] tobe put on our email list for events.

THE LONG VIEWSusie Mah

The spirit of Christmas

No doubt you have heard storiesabout people who have landedgreat jobs without ever applyingfor work, and never had the needfor a resume, either. Or maybe ittruly was a case of being in theright place at the right time. Evenif the stars are properly lined up,no doubt you will need more than alittle good luck to get to where youwant to be. Much like anyovernight success, it may takeyears to get there. So how can youget started on that road to success?

It has been stated that the hiddenjob market represents approxi-mately 80 per cent of the jobs thatnever get advertised, and that 100per cent of job seekers are applyingfor only 20 per cent of the jobs outthere. So, how do you get to that 80per cent? Well, you talk to peopleyou know who can help you out:family, friends, friends of friends,current or past employers, etc. Youchat with people at parties and coldcall people you’ve read or heardabout in the news. You conductinformational interviews with pro-fessionals in your chosen occupa-tional field. You cultivate an arse-nal of contacts… in short, you net-work.

If you are introverted, you reallymay not be enthralled with net-working, so why not make it moreof a personal challenge? Here aresome strategies for successful net-working, whether it’s online or in

person:1. Brainstorm for contacts:

Think of everyone who could pos-sibly serve as a contact. Don’t limityourself to people who couldclearly help as they have similaroccupations, include people inunrelated fields as well. Rememberpeople you may have met throughvolunteer activities or work.Include family friends, relatives,neighbours, professors, alumni,former employers, co-workers andso on.

2. Go to where your contactsare: Tried and true places to net-work include the local alumniassociation, Career Centre, classreunions, cocktail parties,fundraisers, conferences, profes-sional association meetings, socialnetworking sites such as LinkedInand Facebook and Twitter, volun-teer activities, career and job fairs.

3. Get organized, be prepared:You need to approach these net-working opportunities with a gameplan. Do your homework and try tofind out who will be there, or doyour best to think about who mightbe there and make a list of thosepeople who you really want tomeet. Once you’ve made your list,find out what you can about thecompanies they work for, theirbackgrounds, etc., and make upsome questions or conversationstarters that reflect your research.Above all, be professional. Try notto just generalize with questionslike, “Do you know of any jobsthat I might apply to?” as this mayput your contact into an over-whelming situation. Make it easyfor your contacts to help you.

4. Networking is limitless: You

never know when you will meetsomeone who could influence yourcareer path. Always be ready tonetwork, and don’t avoid peoplewho have no obvious connectionto your ambitions as they may beable to give you names and thecontact information of someonewho might.

5. Follow up and stay organized:After you meet a contact, it isabsolutely essential that you fol-low up with them. Thank them forthe advice they may have givenyou and keep in touch with them.Stay on their radar; they may thinkof you if an opportunity comes up.Develop a system of some sort tokeep organized.

6. It’s all about respect: Just likeyour mother said, if you want to betreated with respect, then you haveto give respect. If you want yourcalls and emails returned, then youneed to call and write back to thepeople who contact you. Don’t for-get to return the favour if you areable to help someone out. Startbuilding your professional reputa-tion as someone who is polite,respectful, kind and genuine. And,when you do get that new job, besure to keep them informed aboutthat too as we all like to hear goodnews.

Need assistance? Drop by theCareer Services office in D1063.The Career Services staff is avail-able to assist you on an individualbasis. Visit the office in D1063 toarrange an appointment with theconsultant responsible for yourprogram or call 519-452-4294.For Fanshawe student job listings,visit www.fanshaweonline.ca orwww.fanshawec.ca/careerservices.

Job networking tipsCAREER CORNER Susan CoyneCareer ServicesConsultant Fanshawe Career Services

CREDIT: WICKEDSTART.COM

Working from home can be a rewarding experience.

Would working from home work for you?

Page 21: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

LIFESTYLES 21Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

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THE TONIGHT SHOWwith Jay Leno

President Obama has wrapped uphis four-day, three-country trip toAsia. And insiders say the last 96hours were very productive. Thepresident said he may have found acountry in Asia that can makeTwinkies for us.

Mitt Romney was photographed ata gas station in San Diego filling uphis car, then he was spotted later inthe day at Disneyland. See, that'swhen you know you're rich – whenyou can afford to fill up your carwith gas and go to Disneyland on thesame day.

France says the U.S. hacked itsgovernment computers.Cyberwar is new to them.France has never surren-dered online before.

BEST IN LATE NIGHTCOMIC RELIEF

CONAN with Conan O’Brien

Arizona elected the first openlybisexual congresswoman. She’s alady promising to reach across theaisle and grab whatever’s there.

New research revealed that thecloser you live to a bar, the morelikely you are to become a heavydrinker. And the closer you live toDunkin’ Donuts, the more likely youare to become the governor of NewJersey.

A prison inmate in Oregon whoshot his own jaw off has demandedthe state pay for his surgery. At leastthat’s what I think he said.

There’s a new social network justfor senior citizens.Actually, we’re just send-ing them to MySpace andtelling them it’s new.

LATE NIGHT with Jimmy Fallon

NASA says the Mars rover hasmade a major discovery. Scientistshope it found signs of life there.Americans are just hoping it foundsome Twinkies.

Joe Biden made his birthday wishtoday. Right after blowing out thecandles he asked everyone, “Am Iinvisible yet?”

This David Patraeus scandal isinsane and has no signs of stopping.IN a weird twist today, a joggerrecently found the driver’s license ofPatraeus's mistress, Paula Broadwell,in a park. He knew it was her driver'slicense because under sex itsaid, “Lots with DavidPatraeus.”

THE LATE LATE SHOW with Craig Ferguson

I’m excited tonight because I’mgoing to Vegas to appear at TheVenetian. It’s the authentic Italianexperience — in Nevada.

When I was growing up I wantedto be a doctor but then I heard aboutthe studying, so I settled for pre-scribing myself medications on thestreet.

My favourite TV doctor is Dr.Phil. I admit he’s not a real doctor,but so what? In fact, if I got sick I’drather see Dr. Seuss.

British Airways gave the royalcouple a $300 voucher because theyweren’t able to watch movieson their flight home. Thankgoodness that wrong hasbeen righted.

THE LATE SHOW with David LettermanYou remember Paul Ryan? He

was Mitt Romney’s Gilligan, his lit-tle buddy. He wanted to be vice pres-ident but it didn’t work out. They didsome of those focus groups and itturns out people didn’t want a vicepresident with two first names.

The new iPhone is so advancedthat it even brags to your friends thatyou own a new iPhone.

Regis Philbin is here tonight. He’sbackstage right now being assembled.

Larry King is moving to New YorkCity. Last week, a real estate brokerbrought him to see Grant’s Tomb.

I went to lunch and hadcrab cakes. The waiter cameover and asked if I wantedleaded or unleaded. The tar-tar sauce was 80 per centtar.

JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE with Jimmy Kimmel

Facebook just launched a newapp. They teamed up with theDepartment of Labor to create whatthey call the social jobs app. You canbrowse through 2 million job list-ings. You know it's bad when evenFacebook thinks it's time for you toget a job.

Facebook also has an app that canhelp you lose your job. It’s calledFacebook.

Colorado and Washington justlegalized marijuana. If Hostess can’tfigure out a way to make money offof that, then maybe they shouldn’t bein the snack cake industry. I guessI’ll just have to take mybusiness to Little Debbie.

It’s almost here! You’re study-ing for your last few final examsand the holiday break is justaround the corner. You may havetwo or three weeks off, but it’simportant to remember that themore you “break,” the harder itwill be to get back into the swingof things come January. Now I’mnot recommending studying hardover the break, but there are someways to keep you from falling intothe lazy vacation mindset.

You may use the Christmasbreak as one long sleep-in, catch-ing up on as much shut-eye as pos-sible, but student success facilita-tor Cheryl Mills warned this maynot be the best idea. “Balance therelaxation portion of the holidays,but also be mindful of the bodyand how desperately it can get outof whack. So do your best to stickto some kind of schedule in termsof going to bed consistently at thesame time and getting up at a con-sistent time; it will serve you wellwhen you’re getting back into thenew semester.”

Mills also suggested picking upyour textbooks early. “If you haveyour textbook list available, I’d

really encourage you to purchaseyour textbooks now; at least ifyou’re not going to read them, youcan do a preview of the entire bookso that you have a sense as towhere this journey in your nextclass is going to be taking you.”

If you have any full-year cours-es, it can be easy to forget infor-mation learned in first semester.Mills recommended reviewingyour notes from first semester sothat content is fresh when you headinto the next phase of the course. Ifyou’re not into reading your text-books, Mills said it’s important toengage in some form of reading, atleast. “It’s hard on the mind to getback into the groove, so even if wechoose not to read textbooks, youmay choose to read a novel –something to keep your mindactively going.”

Your break can also serve as atime for reflection. Maybe youfailed one of your exams or forgotabout a presentation – take time tothink about how you can readjustwhat might not be working foryou. Mills said to ask yourself,“Were you trying to study in a waythat didn’t really match the waythat you prefer to learn? Werethere some things that you

could’ve done in a different fash-ion, for example reading the text-book before class instead of after-wards?” She also suggested look-ing into the amount of time youspent studying and whether or notthat time was used well. A newsemester can be a fresh start fornew study habits.

You should also take a look athow you were staying organizedover the course of the semester…or not! “Some students will takethe handbook that we give themand they’ll find that maybe it does-n’t suit their purposes through thefirst semester. If you don’t like thelayout of the handbook that wegive you, then choose somethingthat you do like: some want to lookat a day, some want to look at amonth, some don’t want the vol-ume of the handbook,” said Mills.She said the key is to choose some-thing that you like because you’llbe more apt to actually write in itand use it as a guide.

So while you’re home thisbreak, take the time to relax andhang with friends and family. Butdon’t completely erase schoolfrom your brain; be mindful of thesemester to come and get organ-ized while you have the time off.

Get organized this holiday breakMELANIE ANDERSON

INTERROBANG

The Library and Media Serviceson Fanshawe’s London campuswill once again offer 24/7 accessduring exam week.

The 24/7 Library access beginsat 8 a.m. on November 30 and runsuntil 4:15 p.m. on December 14.These extended hours will also

include access to the print collec-tions and photocopiers. Use yourFanshawe student ID to get in.

Please note that the LibraryStudent Research Lab hours won’tchange, because it’s already open24/7.

So head to the library and shhhh!Get studying!

HANNAH LECTER INTERROBANG

Library offers 24/7 accessduring exam week

Page 22: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

LIFESTYLES22Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

[email protected]

Twinkies: No longer the official food of the Zombie Apocalypse

Seriously? You’re gluten intolerant, you can’t even eat them.

They were the only thing that you could count on to never

change.

What are you doing Pwert?

Mourning the loss of the Twinkie.

Bus Stop

Nerds

Have you ever

wondered how Santa

Is able to travel to so

many houses in a

single night?

I have your answer

my friend:

Coffee, Lots

and lots of coffee.

Page 23: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

LIFESTYLESAcross1. Theme for this puzzle: FSU ___

a Family Campaign

6. Didn’t have enough

10. City on the Yamuna River

14. Sweetener

15. Comic strip “___ & Janis”

16. One of the locations: FSU ___

Office: (see 50 Across)

17. Authorization

19. “___ does it!”

20. Bernadette, e.g.: (abbr.)

21. Dart

22. Compound of gold

24. Jupiter, e.g.

25. Grannies

26. One of the locations:

Interrobang ___ (see 50 Across)

29. One of the locations: Out Back

___ (see 50 Across)

32. Unit of gold measurement

33. Religious image (var.)

34. One of the locations: ___

Booth (see 50 Across)

37. Choice words (3 words)

41. “Silent Night” adjective

42. Open wide

43. Undersides

44. Christmas songs

46. Most judicious

47. Jellied garnish

50. Bills, e.g.

51. Grew fond of

53. Top of the line (2 words)

54. Japanese sash

57. Others, in Latin

58. One of the locations:

Fanshawe ___ (see 50 Across)

61. Medical advice, often

62. Boxer Spinks

63. Big name in chips

64. “I had no ___!”

65. The “E” of B.P.O.E.

66. “The Gondoliers” girl

Down

1. Dangerous biters

2. The Everly Brothers, e.g.

3. Shrek, e.g.

4. “Polythene ___” (Beatles song)

5. Group of three related events

6. One of the locations: (see 50

Across)

7. Habeas corpus, e.g.

8. “Do Ya” rock group (abbr.)

9. Lady of Lisbon

10. Kind of station

11. Cartoonist Wilson

12. Calf catcher

13. Chips in

18. Pivot

23. The Tar Heels (abbr.)

24. Anthropologist Fossey

26. Approve

27. Burkina ___

28. Kukla, ___ and Ollie

29. Twists

30. Game ender, perhaps

31. Queen of England 1702 - 1714

33. Emphatic type (abbr.)

34. Digestion aid

35. “A Little Bitty Tear” singer,

1962

36. Energy

38. Alkaline liquid

39. Opinion opener (4 words)

40. Brit’s “Baloney!”

44. Premier Khrushchev

45. Autumn month (abbr.)

46. Magician’s tool

47. Pioneer in arcade games

48. Like a shoe

49. Aplomb

50. Nickels and dimes

52. Heraldic border

53. “Dilbert” intern

54. Fall months (abbr.)

55. Honey producers

56. ___ Mujeres, Mexico

59. Moray, e.g.

60. 22.5 degrees

Solution on page 26

1. The word Christmas is OldEnglish, a contraction ofChrist’s Mass.

2. The first president to deco-rate the white house Christmas

tree in the United States wasFranklin Pierce.

3. Electriclights for trees

were first used in1895.

4. The first Christmascards were vintage and

invented in 1843, theVictorian Era.

5. It’s a Wonderful Life appearson TV more often than any otherholiday movie.

6. Rudolph was actually createdby Montgomery Ward in the late

1930’s for a holiday promotion.The rest is history.

7. The Nutcracker is the mostfamous Christmas ballet.

8. Jingle Bells was first writtenfor Thanksgiving and thenbecame one of the most popularChristmas songs.

9. If you received all of thegifts in the song The Twelv eDays of Christmas, you wouldreceive 364 presents.

10. The poinsettia plant wasbrought into the United Statesfrom Mexico by Joel Poinsett inthe early 1800’s.

11. Holly berries are poison-ous.

12. Contrary to commonbelief, poinsettia plants are non-toxic.

13. In 1843, A ChristmasCarol was written by CharlesDickens in just six weeks.

14. Coca Cola was the firstbeverage company to use Santafor a winter promotion.

15. Clearing up a common mis-conception, in Greek, X meansChrist. That is where the word X-Mas comes from. Not becausesomeone took the Christ out ofChristmas.

16. Traditionally, Christmastrees are taken down afterEpiphany.

17. More diamonds are soldaround Christmas than any othertime of the year.

18. Christmas pudding wasfirst made as a kind of soup withraisins and wine in it.

19. The Christmas turkey wasimported to France by the Jesuitsand it is still known in someFrench dialects as a Jesuite.

20. Christmas Pudding origi-nates from an old, Celtic dishknown as frumenty.

Aries (March 21 - April 19)You are ready for a holiday. You

can begin to count the days. Jumpat the chance when someone elseoffers to pick up the slack.Consider the next step whether ornot you’re in a position to act.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20)Rhythms are seductive right

now. Cruising along on autopilot isa happy place to be. You might beso absorbed in your process thatyou fail to notice that you exceed-ed your expectations.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)The future is looking a lot closer

these days. Technology is themagic that fulfills wishes. Geminidoesn’t have to do it all at once,but the act of trying is both fun andeducational.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22)Cling to your basic values. You

believe in working for what youearn, no matter what kinds ofschemes are going on around you.Avoid excess. Stay healthy andcomfortable.

Leo (July 23 - August 22)No one can intimidate people

who are happy with themselves. Ifthere’s something that you don’twant to share, just take it off thetable. You love a good challenge,especially when there are no hardfeelings.

Virgo (August 23 - Sept. 22)Don’t confuse success with all

the standard symbols for it. Themachine of consumerism may beplaying on your emotions, attempt-ing to seduce you at every opportu-nity. Evaluate your situation ondeeper merits.

Libra (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22)You’re dreamy but clear-eyed.

Although you know the nuts andbolts that made this perfect state,it’s hard not to think of it as a mir-acle anyway. There’s a specialquality to Libra’s love these days.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21)You feel a strong urge to fix

something. Other people’s busi-ness is a tempting workshop, butyou might not know when to quit.As perfect as you undoubtedlyare, there’s always room for self-improvement.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21)Check with a new source to

challenge or reinforce yourinsight. An open mind only hurtsthose who fear their own mis-takes. You can be uncompromis-ing in your goals and still maintaina charitable attitude.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19)Feel free to experiment, know-

ing that you could fail. Withoutrisk, there would be no progress.Instead of judging others by yourown absolutes, see them in thecontext of their backgrounds.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)Obviously it’s Aquarius’s gift-

giving season. True sentimentdraws strangers closer together.You’re still far from a final or per-manent decision, but the momentis wonderful anyway.

Pisces (Feb. 18 - March 20)You’re in a state of suspense

about when the boredom will end.Exciting things are happening - yourturn can’t be that far off. Assembleall known clues into an early sketchof what’s really going on.

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 grid con-tains the digits 1 through 9. That means no number is repeated in any col-umn, row or box. Solution can be found on page 26.

Sudoku Puzzle

puzzle rating: medium

LIFESTYLES 23Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

NOV. 26 2012

KIOSK QUIZ ANSWERPEOPLE WHO ARE AFRAID OF SANTA CLAUS ARE CLAUSTROPHOBIC!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE WELCOME KIOSK.PRIZES SPONSORED BY CHARTWELLS

Word Search

SIGNS OF THE SEASON(Words in parentheses not in puzzle)

CardsCarolsFruit CakeGarlandJesus

HollyMistletoeOrnamentsPresentSanta

SnowTinselTreeTurkeyWreath

B

L

O

E

K

A

C

T

I

U

R

F

L

X

H

A W R E D D E H O L L Y A O

I N G N A C K Y S C I V C N

S R T E M A N R N A U A G E

L P U C N I H R O S R A E O

S D R A C K S C W O P I O T

E F K A N Y N D L C X O S E

T S E R E V F S U T M I N L

O T Y D E D A V N A V G I T

I N O N S H T A E R W K I S

R E N A B E P R E S E N T I

T M I L E A S T R O S V R M

A A E R I R T S A E U O S T

P N T A E G A N L S A Z L A

R R A G X Y A D A R F R A B

R O N O T I U S U S E J N G

Page 24: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

LIFESTYLES24Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat is veryupfront about what it contains, with its right-on-the-tin title.Written by snake expert and professor of psychology HalHerzog, Some We Love is essentially the beginner’s handbookto the field of anthrozoology, the study of animal-human rela-tionships, a newly emerging yet incredibly important field.

Some We Love isn’t all business, though. While a far cryfrom being a manual on how to improve your relationshipwith your Jack Russell terrier, the book nevertheless avoidsbeing overtly technical and flighty in describing the variouslevels of society’s relationships with animals, from sociologi-cal to biological, all with a rather nice touch of humour thatdefinitely avoids making this pop-sci book a chore to read.Why do we find otters cute, but salamanders disgusting? Howmuch of our perception of what an animal’s role is in our livesis based on socialization versus some sort of biological bond?And, of course, what does the field of anthrozoology reallyentail? Questions like these only barely scratch the surface ofthe book’s bulk. You’ll learn how animals play a larger role inour lives than just begging us for a second Milk-Bone.

Although the book does touch upon animals a lot, Some WeLove is really a book about human behaviour, and attempts toanalyze the reasons behind our differing attitudes towards ani-mals and the way they affect us. And by differing, I meanJapanese children adopting bugs (used for elaborate bug-fights) that would make the average North American child soilthemselves differing. The book truly shines in its discussion ofan impressively wide range of topics simply related to human-animal behaviours. Between finding out the truth behind the

long-existing debate of ‘dog people versus cat people,’ andwhether children who are abusive towards animals are poten-tial serial killers (and the people who propagate this state-ment), there’s just a lot of, well, stuff you’ll learn about theplacement of animals (which, you will learn, isn’t as simple as‘pet’ and ‘do NOT go near it’) in human society. Ever hear ofa ‘therapy dolphin’? Or perhaps a wolf dog shelter?Regardless of whether you have heard of the above, Some WeLove is guaranteed to introduce you to at least one or twothings about animals you probably never even thought of. Likehow our ability to ‘interpret’ what we would consider an ani-mal comprises a whole section of our brain’s neurologicalwiring.

While the book doesn’t give definite answers to the reasonsbehind our behaviours (then again, if it could, the field ofanthrozoology would cease to exist altogether), it at least goesinto the whys of our attitudes towards animals. The importantfactors behind human behaviour – neurobiology, culture,socialization and more – are all accounted for, addressedthrough the dissection of various experiments carried out byanthrozoologists over the years. Some We Love is meaty withexamples of our wavering sense of morality when it boilsdown to animals versus humans. My personal favourite exam-ple of this is the spin on the rather infamous moral conundrumof the Trolley Problem. Would it be morally acceptable topush a rather hefty innocent bystander into the path of an outof control trolley if it meant saving the lives of five people tiedto the tracks? Alright, now replace all the people with severalsmall chimps and one rather sizable chimp. The difference inhow people answered both conundrums is rather astounding,and is one of the many ways the book addresses the ratheruncomfortable topic of how the way we value animals differsfrom the way we value humans.

I really am not exaggerating when I say that the stuff I’vedescribed above only barely scratches the book’s surface.Some We Love charts in at around 250 pages of content (with

the rest being a fairly hefty recommended reading list) butcovers a truly impressive range of topics on the nature ofhuman-animal relationships. Some We Love, is a great spring-board to exploring the world of anthrozoology. I have com-pleted this review without the single use of an animal-relatedpun, and that’s just doggone impressive. Wait, does doggonecount?

Reading Between The Lines explores books that you mayhave missed out on that are worth your while. If you have abook to suggest, email Eshaan [email protected].

READING BETWEEN THE LINES ESHAAN [email protected]

There’s nothing like a hot cup ofcocoa, a good book, and a happy,warm pet cuddled in the nook ofyour arm. It’s that time of yearagain, a time to remember ’tis theseason of giving.

Rescue shelters are always look-ing for foster homes for stray pets.According to Animal Outreach, alocal cat, kitten and farm animal res-cue group, dozens of animals areeuthanized each week in order toavoid overcrowding in local shel-ters. Fortunately, animal lovers canvolunteer their time and open theirhomes to help. Fostering a homelessdog or cat would help this crowdingproblem immensely.

Kathy Stirrat, a receptionist atBeaver Creek Animal Hospital inSt. Thomas, is a long-time fosteranimal parent. “It’s a positive thingas a city to say that we have a no-killpound,” which is only possiblethrough the use of foster homes, shesaid. Not only would pounds be lesspacked, which in turn woulddecrease the amount of euthaniza-tions occurring each week, but itwould also change the life of an ani-mal that might not necessarily get

the chance of being loved otherwise.Foster care is extremely flexible.

Fostering a pet can last as long astwo years or as short as two weeks.The time period is dependent on thevolunteer and the animal itself. As astudent, fostering a cat or dog mayseem like a lot of extra responsibili-ty, given the life that you alreadydon’t have; however, the reward liesin the brush of a cat’s fluffy tail ashe winds through your legs purringin appreciation or in the wagging tailof an extremely happy dog when shesees you in the morning.“(Fostering) is very fulfilling,”Stirrat said. “It makes me feel sogood because there are so many(animals) that I’ve fostered that havebeen adopted. I see them come back(to the clinic) when they’re olderand it makes me feel good.”

Cats are extremely mellow, quiet,clean and low maintenance. As astudent, cats are a great pet to havefor company without dishing out toomuch money or too much time. As amember of Animal Outreach, MaryShepherd-Ennis said, “(Cats) wrapyou in the intricacies of their felineworld and find a place in your heartand fill it with happy and funnymoments.” Dogs, on the other hand,

are a bit more of a handful; howev-er, a little effort and time goes a longway. If you’re a more excitablecharacter, dogs make great, equallyexcitable companions.

The process to become a fosterparent is quite simple. Once youhave expressed your interest in fos-tering an animal, a volunteer willcome to check out your home, andafter explaining foster care in moredetail, they will have you sign a fos-ter home agreement. If a permanenthome is found while an animal is inyour care, they will be taken fromyou and placed in the permanenthome, unless you happen to fall inlove with your new pet before a per-manent home is found, wherebypermanent adoption can be anoption!

For more information on fostercare, contact a local animal rescuefoundation such as Animal Alert(animalert.ca) or Animal Outreach(animaloutreach.ca).

If you enjoy unconditional love,utmost gratitude, and wonderful –albeit possibly sloppy – displays ofappreciation and affection, withouttoo much of a commitment, foster-ing an animal is always an option.

MOIRA-CHRISTELLE GHAZALINTERROBANG

Furry, uncommitted love

If you like slapstick comedymixed with a serious case of mis-taken identity and a whole lot ofpuns and hilarious wordplaythrown in, then you’re the perfectaudience member for FanshaweTheatre Arts’ students productionof The Comedy of Errors byWilliam Shakespeare.

Directed by Charlotte Gowdy

and performed by 17 graduatingstudents in the Theatre Arts pro-gram, The Comedy of Errors tellsthe story of two sets of identicaltwins who were separated at birth.

“It’s very funny … it’s the funni-est Shakespeare play,” saidGowdy. “It’s totally accessible andunderstandable.”

The show features dancing, greatcostumes and sets, and lots oflaughs, she added. “The kids aredoing great work.

Catch The Comedy of Errors’preview show on December 5 at7:30 p.m.; evening shows onDecember 6, 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m.;and matinee shows on December 8and 9 at 2 p.m. The show takesplace at the downtown Fanshawecampus in CitiPlaza (the entranceat the corner of King and Clarence).To reserve seats, contact AlinaSubrt at [email protected] or519-434-2756 ext. 230. Admissionis $15 at the door (cash only).

ERIKA FAUSTINTERROBANG

Theatre Arts students getsilly with Shakespeare

CREDIT: HARPER COLLINS

An in-depth, well-packaged look at human-animal relationships

www.fsu.caWIN $$$$fsu.ca/contest

Page 25: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

SPORTS&LEISURE 25Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

One of the bestselling compactSUVs in the Canadian market hasbeen the Ford Escape, along withits old Mazda cousin, the Tribute.

However, since Ford and Mazdaare not as chummy as they oncewere, when time came to do theirnew small SUVs, they went theirseparate ways.

Mazda came out with the CX-5,which is a vehicle that handleswonderfully and is a practical, sen-sible vehicle for a small family.However, it is not fast. The CX-5’slack of speed ruins the whole vehi-cle for me because it feels like achore to keep it moving, especiallyon the highway. I hope Mazda willrectify this issue.

Ford, however, seems to havehad their thinking cap on when theydid the new Escape, especiallywhen it comes to power. Since Fordis offering three engines for thenew Escape, chances are you’ll findone that suits your needs.

The base engine is a normallyaspirated 2.5-litre, inline four-cylinder engine that produces 168hp. Next step up is a turbo-charged1.6-litre motor, also an inline four,and this unit produces 173 hp.Those who really like moving canopt for the turbo-charged 2.0-litre,inline four that produces 231 hp.

While the base engine comesonly in front-wheel drive layout,the other two motors can be had aseither front-wheel drive or with all-wheel drive.

Regardless of the engine youpick, the only transmission on offeris a six-speed automatic, which,while smooth, is not the quickestshifting automatic in the business.

In the last few months, I have

driven all the models of the newEscape, but have spent most timewith the 2.0-litre turbo model.

This is an impressive SUV todrive around in the city. It has plen-ty of get-up-and-go, and since I hadthe all-wheel drive model, the trac-tion was fantastic, regardless of theroad surface or what the weatherwas doing.

I really like the steering feel ofthe new Escape. It is the perfectblend of soft and firm and itencourages you to push the vehiclein the corners – not a common traitwith small SUVs.

So far so good then, but it is notperfect. While the new Escape is

wonderful for driving around in thecity, on the highway it is not great,and the main reason behind that isnoise. While Ford has doneadmirable work with soundproof-ing most of their vehicles, I find theEscape has a bit too much roadnoise and wind noise to make itcomfortable on a long highway run.It also drinks too much on the high-way, as on a straight highway run Ionly managed 10.0 litres/100 km,which is poor.

Also poor are the seats. Whilethey are fine for short drives, theyare not the greatest for when youhave to spend roughly two hours ata time in them.

The rest of the interior is justfine. There is plenty of space bothfront and back and it has a prettybig cargo area as well, which youcan access by just waving your footunder the rear bumper (providedyou have the key on you, ofcourse).

The layout of the dashboard is abit unusual, but it looks good andyou’ll get used to using it in notime.

Unusual is also a good word todescribe its styling. It is certainlydifferent when compared withwhat’s the norm in this segmentand I applaud Ford for that. Thisnew Escape looks good and it

seems that the buying public is tak-ing a liking to it as I’ve seen plentyof these new Escapes on the road.

Its wide range of pricing can alsobe an attractive factor. The basemodel is yours from $21,499, whilea fully loaded model with naviga-tion, leather seats and a panoramicsunroof can easily sticker at over$40,000.

So is the new Escape the bestvehicle in its category?

Not quite, but it is much betterthan a lot of its competition and ifyou’re shopping for a newSUV/CUV, the Escape is worth acloser look.

MOTORING NAUMAN [email protected]

Escape the ordinary with Ford SUV

CREDIT: FORD

Ford Escape is no ordinary SUV, which will keep drivers smiling.

As the 100th Grey Cup wasawarded in late November, wewere reminded of a humble leaguethat has made a great name forCanadian football. People are veryrarely reminded of a time when theleague was on the verge of folding,but now it’s flourishing on cabletelevision with TSN.

People are also very rarelyreminded that TSN has exclusiverights to the league. From theopener to the Grey Cup, ‘Canada’sSports Leader’ (their moniker isalso true as it’s the most popular)runs with the content. The thing is,TSN is making lots of moneydoing this. They bought the long-term rights for cheap, and have fac-tored it into the Canadian sportslandscape with their coverage of it.

It’s simple: what TSN doesgreatly affects what sports fans seeas important. CFL usually runs atthe top of their sportscasts in thesummer, but should we put itabove baseball or any other sport?

I’ll let you decide on that one,but the point is, TSN collected thistactic from their part owners in theU.S., ESPN. Now, this works forESPN much better, as they don’thave nearly as tough a media land-scape to beat out. ESPN did thiswith hockey not too long ago, andnow, without an ESPN/ABC deal,the sport is considered an after-thought in the States.

Recently, TSN picked up MajorLeague Soccer rights in this coun-try. It’s currently mostly playingon TSN 2, but it’s certainly a startto have that kind of coverage.

And right now, it makes sense.The MLS has a big enough fan

base to make it seem like it’s not acomplete wash, but it has a longway to go. The league has famous-ly been commenting on how greatthe network has been for themfrom past broadcasters, yetSportsnet – and even CBC –picked up Toronto FC games in2007 when it was hard to tell ifthey would have any fans at allshow up. But to the MLS, TSN hasbeen ‘great.’

Just as CFL was, the MLS was acheap pickup for the network.Even though there was competitionfrom others, a soccer league in this

country is never going to be tooexpensive a contract to sign.

However, foreign soccer is a dif-ferent story. The network signed amassive deal to share games in theEnglish Premier League withSportsnet. The price tag wasn’t

disclosed, but the new $250 mil-lion deal signed in the U.S. for thesame rights was, and that’s threetimes what it was before the turn ofthe decade.

TSN could be getting a bit for-eign to couple with their cheap

local content, or the other wayaround. Regardless, the leaguecould be pushed up in sportscastseverywhere.

The hype machine will benefit MLSFANSHAWE FCMARTY [email protected]: @martythompson_

CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS

TSN takes a bite into the MLS, with a move out of their old playbook, buying into the MLS and teams likeToronto FC.

Page 26: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

Throughout the first semester,we’ve discussed a few of the latesttrends in the fitness industry.Crossfit has seen a huge rise inpopularity over the last few years,while TRX seems to be the mosthyped up act of training as of late.Many of Fanshawe’s programs areup for review soon, and as weknow, many of them include featsof physical fitness that the studentsneed to accomplish. Paramedics,Police Foundations and Fitnessand Health Promotion studentsmake up the majority of thesephysically active students.

However, the Fitness and Healthstudents in particular happen to beon both ends of the fitness spec-trum. They have to learn how toperform it, and they have to teach itaccordingly. Personal training hasbeen at the forefront of the fitnessindustry for many decades.However, as time passes andadvances are made in training tech-niques and technology, we’ve real-ly had to re-think the game.

A good friend of mine made themove out west to Vancouver yearsback. When I asked him what hismain motivation was for doing so,his reply was quite simple. He saidhe had built a network ahead oftime in which he could train groupsof hockey athletes. He wasn’t even

a big hockey fan, but the fact thathe had a guaranteed clientele in bignumbers was enough to sell him onthe move. Lastly, his final reasonmade all the sense in the world:why train one person at a timewhen you can train 10 people at atime and make 10 times theamount of money?

And if you take a good look at itfor yourself, it seems to be where agood bulk of the industry is head-ed. Group training is everywhere.Crossfit and TRX, as mentioned,are based around a group trainingaspect. Walking groups, runninggroups and weight training groupsoften follow the same principle.Even personal training, which hasfollowed a one-on-one format fordecades, is now often sold in pack-ages, which can include fiveclients at a time.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see agroup focused training courseimplemented into the Fitness andHealth Promotion program or evenContinuing Education for that mat-ter. It’s one thing to learn the coreprinciples of training and become

effective at teaching it. However,how does one effectively teach anentire group of varying abilities?How do you effectively control anentire group and command theirrespect? And, above all else, howdo you effectively build rapportwith everyone involved so that thefoundation is laid down for anoverall positive experience?

These are qualities that you can-not put a price on. Leading a groupof aspiring athletes and traineestranscends the limits of the fitnessindustry. You build traits that lendthemselves to job promotions,being a competent teacher in aschool board, leading conferencesand having the ability to speak infront of large groups. The possibil-ities are endless.

One-on-one training will alwaysbe around. However, there is nodenying the massive appeal ofreaching more enthusiastic clientsin the same amount of time, wherecamaraderie plays a huge motiva-tional team factor. Not to mention,in terms of a business modelapproach, it makes absolute sense!

FUN AND FITNESSRICK [email protected]

The morality of the matter

FREDERICTON (CUP) – OwenKlassen, star basketball player forthe Acadia Axemen, was chargedwith two counts of assault causingbodily harm, in relation to inci-dents occurring on January 28, at ahome, and February 19, at aWolfville bar, the Anvil.

The morality of this situation isthat Klassen was suspended a meretwo games, and those two gameswere the final two of the regularseason against a team that finished1-19 in the Atlantic UniversitySport (AUS) Men's Basketballstandings. Klassen was back inuniform the following weekend forthe AUS playoffs.

The Acadia brass will say that heis innocent until proven guilty,which is an understandable argu-ment.

Klassen is a basketball star, par-ticipating in the World UniversityGames, Canada’s national devel-opment team, the Canadian PanAm Games team, as well as train-ing with the national senior men’steam this past summer.

So, you can understand why

Kevin Dickie, Acadia’s athleticdirector, and head coach SteveBaur, want – check that, need –Klassen in their lineup. SuspendingKlassen for meaningful gamesmeans you give up a CIS secondTeam All-Canadian and the reign-ing AUS Defensive Player of theYear. How can you give that up?

That’s an easy question toanswer: By swallowing your prideand doing the right thing. Acadiahad an opportunity to set an exam-ple of how athletes are not abovethe law, but being suspended onegame for each count of assault? Tome, that is an embarrassment. Wayto sacrifice, Acadia.

This all begs the question, if thathad been a player coming off thebench, and not Klassen, would therepercussions have been the same?I am going to go out on a limb andsay the expendable player wouldhave been done for the season, ifnot the rest of his days at Acadia.

It will be interesting to see howDickie and Baur move forward fol-lowing Klassen’s trial, which is setfor February 19, just before AUSplayoffs.

JOSH FLECKTHE BRUNSWICKAN

SPORTS&LEISURE 26Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

Taking care of yourbrain during exams

Q. How do I keep focused dur-ing exams?

A. The answer to keepingfocused in school during exams isthree-fold: sleep, exercise and eathealthy.

You want to make sure you’rereceiving six to eight hours ofsleep at night. By not receivingthis amount, you’re not givingyour brain time to rest and preparefor the next day, as well as replacethe chemicals used throughout theday. Generally over nine hours of

sleep would be considered toomuch, except for children or whenyou are ill.

Secondly, exercising relievesany built-up stress, as well asreleasing chemicals in the brainthat sharpen your ability to learnand think quickly. Exercise willactually increase your mental pro-cessing, potentially helping you toace that test!

Lastly, you want to eat a smallhealthy snack every two to threehours; by refueling your body youwill stay alert and give your brainand body enough energy to per-form your daily tasks!

Submitted by Jason McCarthy,Jason Doyle, Jake Unger andAndrea Lewis.

HEALTH HABIT OFTHE WEEK Fitness and HealthPromotion students

With snow finally falling and theholidays approaching, golf may notbe at the fore of many people’sminds.

LondonOntarioGolf.com, a web-site published and edited byFanshawe professor Jeffrey Reed,is aiming to change that and keeppeople thinking about golf yearround.

“It’s probably the most compre-hensive guide to Canadian golf thatI’ve ever seen on the Internet,”Reed described. He summed upLondon Ontario Golf as an onlinelifestyle magazine that featuresreviews and guides to local andinternational golf destinations,equipment reviews, a sectionspecifically for women golfers andmore. In short, he described it as a“digital version of any golf maga-zine you would find on a newsstandwith a London and Canadianflavour.”

In 2010 and ’11, London OntarioGolf was selected as best websitegolf feature from the GolfJournalists Association of Canada.“I beat the big guys in that contest,”he chuckled, including magazineshe used to write for. “It was nice tobe recognized by my peers.”

The site also has a charitablecause at its core; “Every (event) wedo is always going to be a fundrais-er with Heart and Stroke,” saidReed.

The website launched inSeptember 2005, after Reed was

searching for golf-related informa-tion on the Internet and couldn’tfind what he was looking for. “Idecided to offer that to visitors fromaround the world.”

Reed is currently a professor inFanshawe’s CorporateCommunication and PublicRelations program, and he alsodoes freelance writing for a varietyof publications. He is an award-winning writer with two booksunder his belt (and a third slated tobe released early 2013) and hasbeen a nationally recognized golfjournalist since 1990. He brings awide range of knowledge and a truelove of sports to the site.

The website is currently runningits first ever Best of London Golfcontest, which began in October.Site visitors can vote on 18 cate-gories, such as best private course,friendliest beverage cart staff, andbest charity golf tournament, tolaud the best courses in London andarea. Voters have the chance to winone of three prizes: a round of golffor four with cart from The FoxGolf Club; a hybrid from WilsonStaff; or a Clearball Putter fromInnovations Golf. Voting runs untilDecember 31. “Let’s keep golf inthe news all year long,” said Reed.“By the time we announce the win-ners, then people are getting readyfor (the next) golf season.”

Winners of the Best of LondonGolf contest will be announced onFebruary 8 at a special event at JoeKool’s. Tickets to the event are$10, and are a ballot into a draw to

win some great golf swag. Theevent will also be the official kick-off for a fundraising campaign forthe Heart and Stroke Foundation,which will take place atSunningdale Golf and CountryClub in June.

The February 8 event will also bewhere the winner of LondonOntario Golf’s 2013 Heart Awardwill be announced. “(The Award) isgiven to someone who gives backunselfishly to the game of golf,”explained Reed. The 2013 winnerwill join the ranks of other recipi-ents like Fred Kern (2012 winner)who ran the Junior Tyson Tour forover 30 years, and MikeOlizarevitch (2011 winner), whocreated North America’s first golfcourse specifically designed forphysically challenged players, theParkside Nine at Fanshawe GolfClub. The Heart Award winner willbe presented with the trophy at theJune fundraising event.

London Ontario Golf’s recentnews was that they launched theirYouTube channel, which you cancheck out at youtube.com/lon-donontariogolf. Their videosinclude reviews of golf equipmentand courses, interviews with golfpersonalities and special eventscoverage. It’s a way to connect withthe community beyond the site, saidReed.

For more information on LondonOntario Golf, to vote for the bestcourses in the city or to find outmore about fantastic local courses,check out LondonOntarioGolf.com.

ERIKA FAUSTINTERROBANG

Getting fit as a group

Connecting London’s golfcommunity online

Page 27: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012

Unless you’ve been livingunder a rock, you will have defi-nitely heard how Toronto sportsfans are going crazy after theArgonauts beat the CalgaryStampeders 35-22 in the 100thedition of the Grey Cup, whichwas held in Toronto. If you dig alittle deeper, you will have heardthat the Ivor Wynne Stadium inHamilton is being demolishedand rebuilt, causing theHamilton Tiger-Cats to tem-porarily relocate to Guelph.

So what does all this mean forfootball in Canada? Well, a lot.Football, more specifically theGrey Cup, is 100 years old,while football wasn’t in muchdemand… until recent years, thatis. The game at the RogersCentre drew over 53,000 fans forgame night. An average audienceof 5.5 million viewers saw thegame on TSN, making it themost-watched CFL champi-onship game ever recorded onEnglish-language television.And that is exactly what footballin Canada needs.

Two-time Grey Cup championBlake Marshall, who played forthe Edmonton Eskimos, said hebelieves that “once people watchCanadian football, they’ll bedrawn towards it more than theNFL.” And he’s got a validpoint. “I’ve played withAmerican players, as we’re thesame calibre. People just thinkthat everything American is bet-ter, but when they watch theCanadian game, they’ll realizethat it’s more exciting,” addedthe former Western Mustangrunning back.

It’s safe to say that Marshallmay be a bit biased towards theCanadian game, but you reallycan’t blame him all that much.Not that I’m saying that the NFLis not a good league. The NFL isby far the more popular leagueand will be for the foreseeablefuture. It’s also home to 32teams, four times more than itsCanadian counterpart. But thatdoesn’t mean the CFL can’timprove. And they appear to beimproving slowly.

There’s a new team starting inOttawa, the third attempt at start-ing a team in the capital. Futureexpansions are being planned

and considered for a number ofcities, most notably Halifax,Moncton, Quebec City, Londonand Windsor. Mark Cohon, theCFL commissioner, has his eyeset on expanding the league toAtlantic Canada, owing to theobvious football craze that existsin the region. The main chal-lenge for proponents of a CFLfranchise in the Atlanticprovinces is corporate support.Financial instability was themain reason the OttawaRenegades were dissolved afterjust four seasons of play in 2006.

Marshall is among other foot-ball fans in London who believethat the city would be able tosupport a CFL franchise. Andwho is to say the city won’t beable to? Look at the fan follow-ing the London Knights get atevery home game. The LondonLightning team is seeing atten-dance slowly rise. The WesternMustangs are a footballing pow-erhouse in the region and the TDWaterhouse Stadium is almostCFL ready, save for a few reno-vations and more seating spacefor fans.

London may not be the firstchoice for a CFL expansion justyet, and football-crazy AtlanticCanada needs a few franchisesfirst that would expand‘Canada’s League.’ Scenes inToronto prior to the Grey Cup in2012 are enough proof that theleague and the sport are notgoing anywhere. Football mayhave lost about a generation offans, but if recent trends are togo by, all that could soonchange.

After all, as the league’s mottogoes ‘Notre Ligue. NotreFootball’ or, translated intoEnglish: ‘This Is Our League.’

With 19 years of sport manage-ment and administration experi-ence, Nathan McFadden has landedhis next gig as Fanshawe’s newmanager of Athletics. McFaddenhas replaced Mike Lindsay, whoretired this year after 41 years withthe Falcons. “I’m really, reallyexcited; I’ve got lot of ideas goingthrough my head and I’m reallyready to get going,” McFaddenexclaimed.

He was selected from a nation-wide search, and Fanshawe isproud to have him on board. “Weare excited to welcome Nathan tobuild on our already strong pro-gram,” said Heather Cummings,Fanshawe College executive direc-tor of student success. “The searchto fill this position took us coast-to-

coast, and Nathan’s resume speaksfor itself. We are looking forwardto having him lead us into the nextstage of Fanshawe Athletics.”

With experience both at the pro-fessional and amateur levels,McFadden said he’s well preparedfor the role. “I’ve been very fortu-nate throughout my career to workin a number of different areas frommedia relations to marketing tohockey operations, which willtranslate well into the Athleticsdepartment … There’s a wholewhack of different areas I’ve beenexposed to so it’s something I thinkI’m well-rounded in.”

His resume is impressive with along list of reputable accomplish-ments. “With the Toronto MapleLeafs’ organization, probably thebiggest one (achievement) was the2007/08 season; we set the Maple

Leafs’ all-time record for an affili-ate with the most wins and points ina season,” McFadden said. Theyalso captured the Club’s first regu-lar season and playoff divisiontitles that season.

Prior to his career with the Leafsorganization, he spent six years atthe American Hockey League headoffice in Springfield,Massachusetts, as the League’smanager of hockey operations. “Iwas exposed to a lot of differentavenues and was able to make asolid imprint on what went on,”said McFadden. He directed theAHL Central Registry, whichincluded approving all player con-tracts, compiling contract informa-tion, and updating the AHLReserve List. He was also responsi-ble for the administration and com-pliance of the AHL Collective

Bargaining Agreement, AHLConstitution, By-Laws, Policies,and Procedures.

McFadden is a University ofNew Brunswick grad and workedas the director of sports informationthere for two years. McFaddenrecalled a great moment of successfrom his career at UNB, “I workedwith all of the teams, but probablya bit more with the hockey teamthere. We won the national CISHockey Championship, so that wasa great feeling.”

Originally from Fredericton,McFadden’s passion for sportsstarted at a young age. “I grew upplaying all kinds of sports: tennis,basketball, hockey, and baseball,golf … I’ve certainly had a lifelonglove of sport,” he said.

Despite all of the achievementson his resume, McFadden said it’s

the relationships that make it allworthwhile. “The biggest achieve-ment would probably be the num-ber of people I’ve been able towork with and learn from andbecome really good friends withover the years – that’s somethingthat you never lose even thoughtime moves on, you still stay incontact with those people and it’svery rewarding.”

He said he’s looking forward toworking with students once again,“I always find that the studentsthemselves bring so much energy.Just talking to them and seeing howthey develop as people, those aretwo things that really, really exciteme and continue to make me wantto do well for them and put them inpositions where they can succeed.”

McFadden began his new role onDecember 3.

MELANIE ANDERSONINTERROBANG

Fresh face in Fanshawe’s Athletics department

CREDIT: CFL.CA

SPORTS&LEISURE 27Volume 45 Issue No. 15 December 3, 2012 www.fsu.ca/interrobang/

VICTOR KAISARINTERROBANG

The future of football in Canada

CREDIT: FANSHAWE ATHLETICS

The Bangers beat the Jittery Jumblers to win the intramural flag footballchampionship.

Page 28: Interrobang issue for Monday, December 3rd, 2012