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Recipes, Student Life

Cider

by Monique Evans on

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Monique Evans

With the first real snowfall of the year, it’s officially time for warm holiday drinks. One of my favourites is hot mulled cider. The other night, I added peach juice to my regular recipe and it was oh-so-delicious. The proportions in this recipe are rough, so feel free to experiment. However, be selective with the apple juice: choose one that isn’t too sweet and doesn’t have much sediment. This allows for a richer and more complex apple flavour.

Ingredients:

1 litre peach cocktail

1 litre apple juice

1 one-inch chunk of fresh ginger, grated or thinly sliced

1 navel orange, thinly sliced

2 cinnamon sticks

Cloves, to taste

A few dried bay leaves, broken up

Brandy to taste (optional)

Peach schnapps, to taste (optional)

Directions

Put all of the ingredients except for brandy and schnapps in a big pot and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.

Pour some brandy and schnapps in a mug, and add the cider.

Garnish the glass with a cinnamon stick and an orange.

Opinion

Three’s a crowd

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Student #1:

In addressing this popular topic, I don’t intend to touch on the classic male fantasy involving two women simultaneously fulfilling his deepest desires. Such a situation is more fantasy than reality, and I find it rather disrespectful towards women. Keep in mind, respect is the golden rule when exploring new frontiers. Encounters usually begin with an open-minded couple inviting someone with whom they feel comfortable into the bedroom. Generally, the additional party to the couple is someone quite close. So given this dynamic, how can we ensure that everything goes right and no feelings are hurt?

I find myself to be pretty open minded when it comes to sharing lovers. I’m as far from the jealous type as it gets. However, this is not true for everyone. Both the couple and those joining them need to be incredibly cautious when it comes to each individual’s boundaries and comfort level. Communication is key! I can’t stress this point enough. Without knowing what each person is willing to engage in, disaster can strike. Threesomes might sound like fun and games, but you would be surprised at how quickly the Hindenburg burns. Watching your special other give attention to someone else can be startling even for those who are most open-minded.

During my life, I’ve enjoyed the great pleasure of engaging in several such expeditions. My various experiences include being invited to join a couple, having a girl join me and my girlfriend at the time, as well as having two couples switch partners half way through, moving from homo to heterosexual.

There are a few key points of advice I feel I can impart upon my interested readers. First, having someone take charge can help put everyone at ease. Envision a sexual ringleader of sorts. Second, be sure to include everyone. This is an extremely sensitive situation. Finally, relax. It’s just sex. Let your inhibitions go. Over-thinking the situation can only limit your fun. Most sex involving more than two has at least some sort of homosexual overtone. So let yourself or your partner indulge, and be sure to make the best of your special evening.

 

Student #2:

A threesome was something I saw as a right of passage to bidding my college years adieu. It was something I knew I wanted to experiment with, and I saw these years as the platform to do so. However, the proposed threesome snuck up on me in a way I never planned.

My friend, Alexandra, and I wandered our way down St. Laurent Boulevard to our default late night prowling location: Biftek. I wouldn’t exactly describe this as a place where dreams come true, but we were desperate to sit down. Immediately we struck up a conversation with a man who was standing near the door when we walked in. An hour later the man had wedged his way in between Alexandra and me and we were all drinking and laughing.

Fast-forward to two hours later when we were in a cab heading back to the man’s house and all settled down on the living room floor. I closed my eyes and tried to take in Blonde Redhead’s haunting voice, but it only added to my apprehension. The man began kissing Alexandra as I sat a couple of feet away, but then pulled my hand in and involved me in the situation. Then he began kissing me as Alexandra’s hand lay on my leg. I wanted to want it but there was nothing about the situation that was turning me on.

While the flow was genuine and natural, the problem lay in the man himself. I curled myself up in a ball as I watched the man and Alexandra continue to kiss. Then it happened—after four years of friendship, Alexandra kissed me. Surprisingly, that was the only act of the night that made me feel something other than doubt. Perhaps it was the familiarity of warmth and her smell or maybe I just found her more attractive than the man. It was in this moment that I felt what I was lacking with the other partner, and I urged Alexandra to call a cab so we could leave.

I wasn’t willing to push myself in a situation that felt so fundamentally unsettling. I would like to believe that I am capable of such an act, but perhaps it’s just not for me. After much reflection I thought that the problem was the foreignness of all the elements involved. If I were to try it again, I would do it with two people that I knew.

If you’re experimenting, I urge you to take all the necessary steps to make sure that you’re as comfortable as possible. It’s already quite an exotic act, requiring boundary pushing and personal release, so make sure you take the doubt out of the other key elements.

Joke

The Rules of the Library

by Shannon Kimball & Iain Macdonald on

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1. The first rule of the library is you do not talk in the library.

2. The second rule of the library is you do not talk in the library.

3. If someone talks on their phone, reserves a desk with a sheet of paper, has a nervous breakdown, or falls asleep, their study spot is forfeited.

4. Only one desk to a person.

5. One cup of coffee at a time.

6. Yes to shirts. Yes to shoes.

7. The night will go on as long as it has to.

8. If this is your first night in the library, you’re screwed.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

Montreal’s Stars shine bright

by Matt Essert on

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youarestars.com

Celebrating their 10th birthday, Canadian indie-pop act Stars are proving that their success hasn’t been a fluke. Currently based in Montreal, Stars—a four-man, one-woman act—recently released their fifth full-length album, The Five Ghosts, the band’s first release on its own label, Soft Revolution. After a summer-long tour testing and eventually promoting the new songs, Stars is getting ready for a tour-ending show in Montreal this Saturday.

Stars albums have frequently been marked with very emotional lyrics on love and death. Evan Cranley, the band’s bassist and guitarist, explains that while past albums have also dealt with these kinds of lyrical themes, their newest release is especially rooted in personal expression.

“I think that all five of us have been through a lot personally and spiritually over the last two years, three years in our lives,” Cranley says. “What the music sounds like and talks about is definitely personal experiences. The last two or three years have been the biggest kind of growth in a sense as people.”

Though past successes—2004’s Set Yourself on Fire and 2007’s In Our Bedroom After the War dealt with similar ideas, Cranley feels that there’s a stronger connection to the lyrical themes on The Five Ghosts.

“The older you get, you tend to reflect more and maybe relate more with your personal experiences,” he says. “I think we’ve just gotten deeper in touch with the subject matter we’ve always talked about.”

Similarly, the band’s sound can be tracked over time and the newest album demonstrates some key aural transitions in Stars. Cranley says that In Our Bedroom After the War was more of a “celebratory rock record,” while the band tried to use more synthesizers on the new record to achieve a somewhat darker feeling.

“It might seem like small differences to people who have listened to our catalogue, but I mean I always try to push something that hasn’t been pushed before,” Cranley says. “I think this time it was important that we push the synths a little bit more, and it was almost an intent to be a little colder.

Cranley feels that the band was able to push themselves to new areas of creativity by surrounding themselves with less familiar equipment.

“I think [unfamiliarity] really offsets the lyrical content as well with the synths,” he says. “So it was all very on purpose; we tend to be quite calculated in how we do things.”

With this being the first album released on Stars’ own label, Cranley says that a lot of their friends and peers have been impressed by the band’s initiative to launch themselves, but not much has changed in the way the band produces music.

“We just kind of curated this home for ourselves and hopefully it’s a place where we can keep putting out Stars records for a long time,” Cranley says. “Its purely a business decision and also kind of an aesthetic imprint as well. I think Stars records—they way they sound, the way they look, they way they’re performed live—will only happen on the imprint that we made.”

As former members of the Toronto supergroup Broken Social Scene, Stars are no strangers to working with their friends on projects and invited Apostle of Hustle’s frontman  Andrew Whiteman to work on what is his second Stars album.-

“Inviting Andrew Whiteman to play was really a no-brainer, because the five of us are tremendous fans of how he approaches the instrument,” Cranley says. “I just think he added little flavours here and there that really brought the songs to another level.”

“As far as musical community is concerned,” Cranley says, “I’m friends with a lot of musicians here and I find that community in music is really important because it helps to push one another creatively, and maybe business wise, because it’s nice to have a support system of people that are doing the same things that you do.”

Further considering the effects of personal lives on music, Cranley and singer/guitarist Amy Millan are expecting a baby and says the arrival will definitely change the way the band operates and the sound of their music.

“I think just your whole outlook on life will change, so it has to musically,” he says. “I don’t know how it will change yet. I suspect I’ll take things a lot more seriously …  or maybe I won’t, I don’t know. The roads are going to change, physically—there’ll have to be nannies and different ways of travelling, but you can’t stop doing what you love, and I think that’s important.”

“And artistically who knows,” he adds. “It will definitely influence what we do on the next record, which we’ll hopefully start doing early in the new year.”

For the last show of the tour, Cranley is very excited to be playing in Montreal.

“I’ve always used the city as a texture and an inspiring place to fuel me and I know other people in the band really like to write and create here, it’s a special place,” he says.

Cranley added that unlike previous shows showcasing the new album, he expects this Saturday’s performance to be a “real celebration of our catalogue and the last 10, 11 years of the band.”

“It’s my favourite place to play in the world,” he says. “I can’t wait.”  

Stars plays Metropolis Saturday, December 4. Tickets are $28.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

The Fake Shore

by Kyle Carpenter on

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It would be easy to list the reasons why the Toronto knockoff of Jersey Shore—with the face palm worthy title Lake Shore—is an awful idea. So here goes.

First, I think we can all agree that we’re sick of Jersey Shore. The flare-up cultural phenomenon’s success is based on its novelty. However, when it’s stretched out into a second and third (and God forbid, fourth) season, viewers are no longer tuning in to see the show for themselves and have a couple cheap laughs: the show actually has to be interesting enough to keep people watching. However, after an entire season of what was basically a prolonged fight between Sammi and Ronnie with some obligatory catchphrase spewing peppered in, it’s time to say enough is enough. (Seriously, I think you can count on one hand the amount of words Pauly D said last season.)  

But the problem with Jersey Shore isn’t that it destroyed itself, but that for a time it had ruined our creativity as well. The show is so recognizable that it was only a matter of time before the producers realized its memetic value. Phrases like “GTL” became common in everyday conversations, while Snooki and Situation Halloween costumes were outnumbered only by Heath Ledger’s Joker and dead Micheal Jacksons. And there’s a good chance you were invited to a Shore theme party at some point in the past year.

The world doesn’t need more Jersey Shore. So I would say that the idea of making a cheap knockoff set in Toronto would be the last thing we need, except that the Toronto version is going to be so far from the original that it’s a terrible idea for its own reasons. The main difference between Jersey Shore and Lake Shore—originality, budget, and try-hard little brother mentality aside—is that each character on Lake Shore is from a different background; in addition to nicknames, the characters are also referred to as “The Turk,” or “The Jew.” While Jersey Shore certainly doesn’t shy away from the commoditization of ethnic identity, it didn’t make it the focal point of the show, either.     

But Lake Shore is all about drama; it won’t shut up about it. It’s being marketed with that manufactured “attitude” that’s often used to sell sports drinks to children, and has made the lofty claim that it will be the edgiest show Canada has ever seen. Fine. Even if Lake Shore is as controversial as it is contrived, that’s nothing to be proud of. Jersey Shore worked as a social experiment; it was a look into a subculture taken to such an extreme that most people didn’t know genuinely existed. Lake Shore is more like Fear Factor, running an episode where the challenge is “What are you willing to do to become famous?” Canada AM host Seamus O’Regan said it best in an interview with the show’s creators (who ignored the gravity of the question): “They want to be heard, but what do they have to say?”

McGill, News

University considers cutting semesters from 13 weeks to 12

by Maria Flores and Theo Meyer on

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The McGill administration is currently considering a number of changes to the university’s academic calendar, including a proposal to shorten the lengths of the fall and winter semesters by reducing the number of hours students are in contact with their professors.

Standard McGill classes currently give students three hours of contact with instructors per week for 13 weeks, for a total of 39 hours per semester. The proposal, which is being considered by the Working Group on Calendars and Dates, a subgroup of McGill Senate’s Committee on Enrolment and Student Affairs, would reduce the required number of contact hours to 36 per semester.

Students’ Society Vice-President University Affairs Joshua Abaki has pushed for the changes, arguing that McGill students must work harder than their peers at other universities. According to Abaki, McGill is the only member of the G-13—a group of research-focused universities in Canada—that requires 39 hours.

“Our students are actually putting in way more time than students at other universities,” Abaki said.

According to Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Morton Mendelson, however, the length of a semester actually varies more considerably. Some universities in the United States, he said, require 42 or 45 contact hours per semester.

While discussions of the proposed changes are still in the preliminary stages, the working group is considering a number of options, Abaki said.

“Students have asked for different things. One of the possibilities is [to] introduce a reading week during the fall semester, [which] would probably coincide with Thanksgiving break,” he said. “The other possibility is [to] increase the number of days between the last day of classes and the beginning of exams for both semesters.”

A third proposal is to lengthen McGill’s December break, which Abaki said would benefit international students who travel long distances to go home.

“Compared to other Canadian and G-13 universities, our exam period is way longer,” Abaki said. “Most universities complete their exams within two weeks, and ours normally stretches to almost three weeks.”

Such changes create tradeoffs, however. Shortening the exam period might mean students would have to take evening or weekend exams.

Any effort to reduce the number of contact hours would require extensive consultation between the administration and the university’s many departments and faculties. “There are many problems with reducing the semester to 36 contact hours,” Mendelson said, “not the least of which are concerns that some of the faculties have with accreditation.”

The Faculties of Engineering, Law, and Medicine are each accredited by various professional organizations, which require them to teach certain material. Changes to the academic calendar could force professors to pack the required information into a shorter period of time.

Because of these problems, Mendelson thought it was unlikely that the working group would recommend major changes.

“I haven’t received a final report from the work group,” he said, “but I would be very surprised if it would actually make a firm recommendation to go to fewer contact hours.”

If changes are implemented, said Annie Ma, a student senator  from the Faculty of Science and a member of the working group, they will probably not occur until several years from now—possibly not until 2014-15.

Abaki, however, stressed his optimism that the working group will move forward with the changes, even though more student consultation will be required.

“They are definitely considering it seriously,” he said.

Arts & Entertainment

Ice ice baby: dancing and singing away the winter blues

by Bianca Van Bavel on

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Sara Traore Photography

One of McGill’s dance crews, hip-hop group Urban Groove is hosting the university’s first ever winter performance showcasing many disciplines of the performing arts. From assorted dance styles to harmonic a cappella ensembles, the show will feature performances from Mosaica Dance Company, Inertia Dance Collective, Effusion, Tonal Ecstasy, and the McGill B-Boys.  Though the groups themselves will perform separately, the show is a collaborative endeavour. The goal of this initiative is to encourage the integration of various artistic disciplines while engaging the support of the McGill community.

Urban Groove began as a small recreational hip-hop dance club in 2003. Over the last few years, the group has expanded its efforts, growing not only in number but also in style and magnitude. Comprised of 32 members, the group holds rehearsals once a week and performs both on and off campus, including an annual spring show, various charity events, and guest appearances alongside other clubs. This past summer, Urban Groove hit the stage at Tonic Club Lounge, opening for Girlicious. Urban Groove offers an innovative approach to their performances, appealing to a wide range of dancers from all backgrounds and skill levels.

“We really value the diversity of our dancers and what each individual has to bring to the table,” says Bea Britneff, one of the event’s co-ordinators. “You can really see how a group like Urban Groove allows someone to develop a sense of confidence and team building skills that carry over into other aspects of your life.”  

Although the event is hosted by Urban Groove, the intention is to feature the full range of abilities of all the performing groups.  

“We don’t want it to be all about us,” says Anna Lermer, a facilitating member of the group. “It really is a group effort. What the audience will see is only a small portion of the time and commitment that has gone into putting this show together.”

Each group has co-ordinated their own numbers, and in some cases even mixed their own music.Add in all the organization that goes into lighting, costume design, and personal flare, in Lermer’s words, “the sheer quality of each performance will blow your mind!”

With all the effort that goes into rehearsing and making these shows accessible to students, it’s important to encourage the support of these clubs and the performing arts. “The challenge is getting enough exposure,” Britneff says. “I think providing people with a visual is the easiest way to get our name out there and convey what we’re all about.”

Urban Groove will be performing December 3 at 7 p.m. in the Shatner Ballroom. Tickets are $7 at the door or $5 in advance in Leacock on November 30 (10 a.m.-5 p.m.), December 1 (10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.), and December 2 (10 a.m.-3 p.m.). Proceeds from ticket sales go towards AIDS Community Care Montreal.

Sports

American Football Conference – South

by Jon Rubenstein on

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Indianapolis Colts: Expect the Colts to return to the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season with Peyton Manning at the helm. The emergence of wideouts Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie, combined with Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, and a now-healthy Anthony Gonzalez rounds out the most dangerous passing attack in the league. The Colts will need to be on their game in one of the NFL’s toughest divisions to avoid a post-Super Bowl hangover.

Houston Texans: The Houston Texans have assembled enough talent to get over the hump and reach the playoffs for the first time in team history. A punishing defence led by linebacker DeMeco Ryans, defensive end Mario Williams, and reigning NFL Defensive Rookie-of-the-Year Brian Cushing will cause headaches for opposing teams all season long. On offence, the Texans have implemented a successful pass-first system with the dynamic tandem of quarterback Matt Schaub and wide receiver Andre Johnson. Houston should make some noise in the post-season and will pounce on any team that takes them lightly.

Tennessee Titans: The Titans have arguably the most potent rushing attack in the league with the likes of workhorse Chris Johnson in the backfield. With opposing teams focusing on stopping the run, Vince Young will need to step up a so-so passing game in order for the Titans to have any success this year. Tennessee, which has one of the toughest schedules in the NFL, could still sneak into the playoffs if Johnson has another career year.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars feature a middle-of-the-road offence and a sub-par defence that will not be enough to get them out of the AFC South cellar. Maurice Jones-Drew has evolved into one of the premier running backs in the game while Mike Sims-Walker has shown promise in the flanks. On the defensive side of the ball, the Jaguars sport a weak secondary and no real firepower up front to stop the run. Expect Jacksonville to finish at the bottom of the division for the third consecutive year.

Sports

American Football Conference – West

by Gabe Pulver on

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San Diego Chargers: It must be hard to be a fan of a team that’s terrific every single regular season but can’t get it together in the playoffs. Phillip Rivers, for all his success in the regular season, isn’t the guy to change things. Evidently, he lacks the fortitude to take his team to the next level. They also have an aging defence: former studs Shawne Merriman and Quintin Jammer have both lost a step. Nevertheless, they smartly ditched headcase Antonio Cromartie. Defence aside, the team is good enough on offence to gun their way to 10 or 11 wins.

Denver Broncos: A tough stretch of opponents in weeks 3-6 (Colts, Titans, Ravens, Jets) will really test this team’s resilience. Based on the outspokenness of coach Josh McDaniels and drafting of noted good-boy Tim Tebow, the team is built on character. His coaching ability and the team’s commitment to competing will be on trial during that stretch. If QB Kyle Orton can go 2-2 against those wicked defences, they will be fired up and dangerous down the stretch and could even challenge for a wild-card spot.

Oakland Raiders: For the first time in eight years, the Raiders may win more than five games. Lazy, entitled locker-room cancer JaMarcus Russell is finally gone. New QB Kyle Boller might gel with young guns RB Darren Mcfadden and WR Darrius Heyward-Bey. The defence looks to be solid with studs Nnamdi Asomugha and Quentin Groves. Talented youth and low expectations can combine could make them spoilers, but they’re probably a year away from the playoffs.

 Kansas City Chiefs: It’s gonna be a long season in KC. QB Matt Cassell and RB Thomas Jones are someone else’s expensive castoffs, and outside of rookie Eric Berry and LB Mike Vrabel, their defence is anonymous. The Chiefs don’t have much to look forward to other than first pick in April’s draft. Welcome to Kansas City, Mark Ingram

 

Sports

Soccer teams primed for success

by John Hui on

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Redmen aim to take next step

The McGill Redmen intend to improve upon last year’s sensational season when they return to the field on Friday. Playing at the Old Four Tournament at Queen’s last week, the Redmen didn’t miss a beat as they captured top spot by a score of 2-1 against the hosts for the second time in three years. Freshman Sebastian Munro fired home a rocket at the 85th minute to seal the victory. The goal was Munro’s second game- winner in two games, the first one at the 25th minute of the game against Western.

Head Coach David Simon has an incredible core to work with, led by goalkeeper Jean-Lou Gosselin and dynamic midfielder Yohann Capolungo. Capolungo is the heart of the Redmen’s offensive machine.  A two-time QSSF conference all-star, he possesses an uncanny ability to penetrate any defensive formation with his great speed and the ability to bury his chances. Gosselin, meanwhile, was very steady in goal last season. A more experienced defence should improve his play even further this year.  

The Redmen are a little green at forward. Thankfully however, should freshmen Munro, Alex King, or junior Peter Valente fail to produce, Capolungo can jump-start the role. Being ranked second in the first CIS rankings of 2010 is no easy feat, and obstacles increase on the way to the top, but there are still good reasons to believe the Redmen might get there.

Martlets ready for new season

It didn’t take long for this young team to raise expectations.  Last year, the Martlets had exactly one fourth-year player on their team, with the roster mostly composed of 19 first and second year players.  Many had low expectations, hoping the team would mature and break out in two to three years time. But these youngplayers were anything but ordinary. Led by defensive stalwart Katherine Green of Richmond Hill, Ontario, McGill players held six out of 11 spots on the Quebec Student Sports Federation’s first team.  As an eighth seed, the team made it all the way to the QSSF final before falling to theUniversité de Montreal.

The roster’s depth was evident in the team’s winning record.  Coached by Marc Mounicot, the young Marlets team finished the regular season with a 10-3-1 record and placed second at Nationals. New recruits like midfielder Hannah Rivkin, who had experience at the national level last season, are impressing early.

So far, the team’s commitment has translated into a sweep at the Old Four Tournament and a subsequent 6-1-1 record in preseason play. This team has a chance to win it all. Hopefully, last year’s playoff experience will have taught them valuable lessons.  

The soccer teams will be some of McGill’s best this fall.  Their first matches are Friday against Sherbrooke at Molson Stadium

, with women at 6 p.m. and men at 8 p.m.

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