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Student Life

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: BAKERY-QUALITY BREAD

by Adam Levine on

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A harmless ice-breaker had suddenly gotten kind of awkward.

I was on a first-year residence council and I had tossed out the idea that we go around the circle and each list our name, our hometown, and our favourite food. But when we got to my friend Sarah, everything went a bit astray.

“Bread. I love when a good loaf of bread has a really crunchy, hard brown crust that gives way to a soft, tender, melt-in-your-mouth center…” Sarah gazed dreamily off into the distance, thinking of rustic French boules, fresh out of the oven. It was very reminiscent of the When Harry Met Sally pie scene. Nevertheless, I understood: the perfect slice of bread can be heaven.

Baking and eating bread has served as the cornerstone of numerous cultural practices for thousands of years. The ritual of bringing yeast to life, hand-kneeding dough, patiently letting it rise, and finally baking it and sharing it seems almost instinctual.

Baking bread can appear daunting to a lot of home cooks, but it’s much easier than it seems. I’ve baked challah and flat breads for years, but I recently found the ideal bread recipe: very little effort and prep-time with that exact food-passion inducing result. Best of all, the recipe only calls for flour, water, yeast, salt, and honey, which makes my goal of baking it every weekend as a way to relax seem like a delight instead of a challenge.

Mix one and a half tablespoons of active dry yeast and a tablespoon of honey into three cups of warm (not hot – you’ll kill the yeast) water. Walk away for 15 minutes. When you return, the yeast should have produced a fair amount of bubbles and foam at the top. If there is no foam, this means your yeast was dead (you might have killed it with boiling-hot water), so start over with new yeast.

Add one and a half tablespoons of salt, and slowly incorporate six and a half cups of flour – I use five and a half cups of all-purpose flour and one cup of whole-wheat flour. The resulting dough will be sticky and won’t form a ball, but don’t worry. Cover it, and allow it to rise for two hours in a warm and preferably humid spot, such as the laundry room with a dryer running.

With floured hands and a floured cutting board, divide the dough into two loaves. Roll each into round balls. Let them rest on the board for 40 minutes. Before baking, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Three tricks for bakery-quality bread

1. While you’re pre-heating the oven, place a roasting pan on the lowest rack of the oven. Also leave your baking sheet in the oven as it pre-heats.

2. For an artistic look, just before you place the loaves on the hot baking sheet, use a sharp knife to cut a few shallow stripes across the top of the loaf.

3. When you put the bread in the oven, pour one cup of hot water into the pre-heated roasting pan at the bottom of the oven. Shut the oven door, and do not open it for 30 minutes. The steam trapped in the oven will create a crunchy, hard brown crust with a soft, tender, melt-in-your-mouth centre – and an experience worth dreaming about.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

CD REVIEWS: Yeasayer: Odd Blood

by Alex Hamilton on

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If the African- and Middle Eastern-tinged flavour of Yeasayer’s 2007 debut All Hour Cymbals impressed you, get ready to be transported by their sophomore effort, Odd Blood. Yeasayer leaves the tribal aesthetic behind for an electronic vibe, with distorted vocals, synth, and pounding bass lines. It’s an ambitious switch-up, but the Brooklyn-based trio pull it off without looking like they’re trying too hard. They channel a bizarre mix of genres while maintaining a cohesive sound that fans will recognize from their first album.

The overall feeling of Odd Blood is hard to pin down. It touches on themes of love and relationships which are without a doubt more upbeat than All Hour Cymbals’ morose, near-apocalyptic feel. The album blurs the lines between genres in a way that is reminiscent of a number of bands, but it doesn’t remind you too much of any one in particular. On “I Remember,” the melodies could be straight from an Animal Collective song, while the opening drum beat in “Mondegreen” sounds like it’s been pulled straight from a MSTRKRFT track. The album’s two singles (“Ambling Alp” and “O.N.E.”) are both heady and uplifting, garnished with Yeasayer’s whimsical lyrics. Although Yeasayer may still have a ways to go before establishing themselves, they’ve shown us that they’re not predictable.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

CD REVIEWS: Beach House: Teen Dream

by Carolyn Gregoire on

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Since 2004, Beach House has been the leader of the dream-pop scene with slow, simple pop melodies layered over lush soundscapes to create achingly beautiful songs of love and longing. Vocalist Victoria Legrand and guitarist/keyboardist Alex Scally have crafted a winning sound that is completely their own, and with Teen Dream it seems they’ve truly perfected it. The third album from the Baltimore duo – whose sound has alternately been described as indie pop, baroque pop, electronic and experimental – can only be described as dreamy.

The first track “Zebra” is easily the most memorable on the album. Legrand’s sultry, breathy vocals draw you in, while her formal training in opera subtly shines through. Legrand’s voice is simply mesmerizing again on lo-fi track “Silver Soul,” while the more upbeat “Norway” has a strong driving rhythm with an infectious melody and poetic lyrics. “10 Mile Stereo” is another standout track which manages to capture a feeling of adolescent angst (“This push and pull is the force of a wave of time / In the heat of the night, we would cry, you are not mine.”) This powerful album will leave you nostalgic for your first love and the carefree summers of your youth. It’s Beach House’s best album to date, and arguably one of the best albums of 2010 so far.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

CD REVIEWS: Line Spectra: Maps & Directions

by Pamela Fillion on

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Line Spectra has finally released their first studio album. For the past couple years, you may have noticed this all-girl trio playing at staple venues around Montreal and even a few shows at OAP. These ladies wield their instruments with a fancy, sparkle and a twist. They have a wide-range of influences, from Metric to U2, Jimmy Eat World to Blondie, and The Clash to Dashboard Confessional. While these ladies are sweethearts, don’t mistake them for “just another girl band.” That being said, Montreal’s Diana Lalla (guitar & bass), Vanessa Morelli (vocals), and Kathy Perrilini (percussion) create a smooth and engaging type of rock throughout their debut Maps & Directions. Many of the band’s better-known tracks are unfortunately not on the album but this shouldn’t deter fans, since Maps & Directions is still strong. Some of the best songs on the album are “Darts,” “Elevators,” and “Old Charms.” This band is just getting stronger and their sound is getting sharper. Line Spectra are on the rise and catching the wave along their journey is the best part.

Arts & Entertainment, Music

CD REVIEWS: OK Go: Of the Blue Colour of the Sky

by Alex Knoll on

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You may know OK Go from their infamous viral videos on YouTube – including the treadmill dance routine in “Here it Goes Again” – from their previous album Oh No. Of the Blue Colour of the Sky is the latest album from the unique digital rock band.

The album starts out with a Prince-like track, appropriately titled “WTF?” OTBCOTS is a departure from their first two albums, with a funkier, dancier sound. The album’s tunes lack catchiness, but this is part of the attraction. Like Vampire Weekend, they pull off pop songs without falling into the dreaded mainstream, Top-40-type category.

The upbeat feel of the album is shown in songs “This Too Shall Pass” and “White Knuckles,” which show traces of Mika and Daft Punk, respectively. The more melancholy feel of the album is shown in “Skyscrapers,” “Last Leaf,” and “While You Were Asleep,” all of which show heartfelt lyrics, such as, “If you should be the last autumn leaf hanging from the tree / I’ll still be here waiting on the breeze to bring you down to me.”

Overall, OTBCOTS is an eclectic mix of different styles, stemming from a variety of influences from Prince to MGMT. It’s a fun album with surprising surges of energy, as well as refreshing displays of softness.

Arts & Entertainment, Film and TV

Everybody’s a terrorist in From Paris With Love

by Grace Glowicki on

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Pierre Morel’s new film From Paris With Love is exceptionally tasteless. Admittedly, action movies are meant to be vile concoctions of guns, cars, drugs, and racial/sexual stereotypes, but From Paris With Love is so strikingly problematic that it cannot be considered a harmless testosterone-fuelled fantasy. Paying homage to the 1963 film From Russia With Love, it parasitically links itself to the brilliant James Bond films which, though riddled with their own problems, have always been vigorously entertaining.

The lacklustre plot is familiar. James Reece (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is the personal aid to the American ambassador in France, and is armed with good looks, a gorgeous French girlfriend, and a perfectly cut suit. On the side, he runs small jobs for the CIA in hopes of eventually becoming an agent. They partner him up with bad boy special agent Charlie Wax (John Travolta), who’s been sent to Paris to derail a terrorist attack. Wax drags Reece on a killing spree of bad guys, chasing Chinese cocaine lords followed by Pakistani terrorists. The duo also discovers photographs of Reece covering the walls of a terrorist den – as it turns out, Reece’s lovely girlfriend is a suicide bomber using him to gain access to the embassy, where she shows up with a bomb strapped to her torso.

The most noticeable flaw is the film’s ruthless racial stereotyping. The bad guys in the first half of the film are Chinese cocaine lords. After shooting about 30 of them, Reece asks Wax how many are left, to which he responds, “According to the last census? About a billion.” From Paris With Love not only perpetrates the stereotype of the Asian drug ring, but also resorts to cheap jokes about it. However, these thugs are only an obstacle to get to the real bad guys who are, of course, the Pakistani terrorists. The film upholds the paranoid mentality that any Middle Eastern person could be a suicide bomber, no matter how innocent they may appear. This is most disturbingly exemplified when an enjoyable dinner party is interrupted by Wax abruptly shooting a gorgeous female guest in the head. Reece’s girlfriend shouts, “Just because she’s Pakistani doesn’t mean she’s a terrorist!” But every on-screen Pakistani in the film is, in fact, a terrorist.

From start to finish, the film has a whopping total of four female characters. The uninspiring roster includes: two beautiful and brainwashed terrorists, one prostitute, and one bitchy middle-aged politician. Reece, along with the rest of us, is forced to learn valuable lessons: love is false, women are evil, and all Milddle Easterners are terrorists.

Travolta’s performance is the only redeeming aspect of the film. Almost unrecognizable – wearing a goatee, chains and an impressive amount of bulk – Travolta is able to shed his celebrity identity, effortlessly donning the persona of a rule-breaking tough guy who snorts, shoots, and screws his way through a film which would have completely (instead of mostly) flopped without his powerful onscreen presence.

From Paris With Love predictably ends in the buddy movie/Casablanca fashion: two guys, no girls, airplanes, and a flirty conversation about being partners. We cannot help but think of the line, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” which makes the film’s last pathetic appropriation of something far greater than itself.

From Paris With Love is now playing at AMC Forum 22.

Letters to the Editor, Opinion

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Bianca Van Babbles

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Re: “Pop Rhetoric: Fist-pumping IQs away” by Bianca Van Bavel (02.02.10)

Dear Bianca Van Bavel, I’m writing in response to your article on Jersey Shore, MTV’s newest reality show. You seem to be upset that, as “young impressionable intellectuals,” we (speaking on behalf of non-closet Shore fans) have decided to spend some of our free time being entertained. Everybody needs a bit of comic relief here and there, and when you spend your days in lectures learning about genocide in this place, and war in that place, the absurdity of Jersey Shore provides a bit of a break. Maybe it’s just not your sense of humour, but most people have gotten a kick out of it. Were people upset with our parents when they laughed at Monty Python? I’m certainly not saying that John Cleese and Pauly D would be ‘bros,’ but they do share a tendency to be called ridiculous in the eyes of their respective viewers. Who knows, some people were probably frustrated in just the same way they are today.

I guess all I’m trying to say is that it’s entertainment. I laugh when I hear the words “The Situation” not because I’m praising a repectable figure in pop culture, but because it evokes the memory of something that I found hilarious. It’s just a show, and it will pass soon enough, but until that time comes, let us laugh together without judgment.

– Peter Coolican

Letters to the Editor, Opinion

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Dr. Cornett’s favourite play? Monty Python’s Spamalot

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The singular noun “transparency” can mean many things. The quality of being clear and transparent is the most important. But this quality depends on the material’s capacity for allowing electromagnetic radiation to be transmitted. Materials that allow transmission in the range of human visibility are called transparent. The material’s chemical composition and its absorption centers ultimately decide whether or not radiation in the range of visible light will pass through. The quality of translucency also allows visible light to pass through but only diffusely. Opacity prevents the transmission of electromagnetic radiation, especially in the range of human visibility, allowing it to be reflected, scattered or absorbed.

While the explanations above refer to the field of optics, the word “transparency” is also used to fight linguistic opacity. Advocates of linguistic transparency urge the avoidance of terms that deliberately mislead and misguide the public. The well-known “collateral damage” to describe the slaughter of innocent civilians and “illegal combatants” to circumvent Geneva Conventions concerning the protection of prisoners of war are a few cases in point. Classic cases of obfuscation were found in the Soviet media. The daily newspaper Isvestia (“report,” “news” in Russian) was the official voice of the Soviet Government, while Pravda (“truth” in Russian) was the mouthpiece of the Communist Party. No one challenged these newspapers during the Soviet period. Nevertheless, jokes about the opacity of these publications were common.

Transparency of our media in the form of freedom of speech needs our protection. The myth that there is no imminent danger to it in a democracy should be challenged through occasional testing of our level of tolerance towards controversial or unpopular ideas. One such idea relates to Obomsawin’s recent documentary on former McGill professor Norman Cornett. If our claims on transparency are justified then we will encourage a viewing of this documentary within our own campus, followed by a discussion with the filmmakers.

– Anait KeuchguerianU2 Theology

Opinion

COMMENTARY: Human rights and the GA

by Jamal Daoud on

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At Wednesday’s Students’ Society Winter General Assembly a motion entitled “The Defence of Human Rights, Social Justice, and Environmental Protection” will be presented. The core of this motion reiterates SSMU’s longstanding commitment to human rights. In addition, it calls for the expansion of the Financial Ethics Review Committee mandate, or the creation of a Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, in order to investigate any investments in corporations that operate outside international law and profit from human rights violations. (Full disclosure: I am the vice-president information and research for the McGill chapter of Soliarity for Palestinian Human Rights, the organization that authored this motion.)

As an example, the motion cites SSMU’s condemnation of PepsiCo in 1996, because of the company’s association with the Burmese military regime. The motion also refers to the investigation of McGill’s financial associations with parties that engage in unethical practices in regions that include, but are not limited to, the occupied Palestinian territories.

To an average mindset free from discrimination – one that values universal human rights principles – this motion appears to be one that every McGill student should wholeheartedly endorse. However, a sizable percentage of the student body at McGill has decided to turn this important and ethical motion into a matter of controversy. They claim that the motion unfairly singles out the occupied Palestinian territories, thus serving as a criticism of the State of Israel – whose name was not once mentioned in the motion.

Although it may be pointless to respond to this absurd claim, I feel compelled to address the issue in the hope of fostering a healthy environment on campus that is understanding of human rights issues. The critics of this motion have argued that unless one protests (presumably simultaneously) all the world’s injustices, one’s protest against any particular injustice is discriminatory. Therefore, this logic concludes that any matter of human rights violations, including the one in the occupied Palestinian territories, should not be addressed unless we simultaneously address all other injustices. This is unreasonable.

It’s important to consider an example such as the human rights violations incurred by the Palestinians in the occupied territories when drafting a motion that would reaffirm SSMU’s commitment to social justice. The occupation of Palestine is the longest occupation in modern times, and is a gross violation of international law and human rights – in defiance of all elements of the United Nations and almost all international law-making bodies. So it comes as no surprise that financial profit from this outright violation of human rights should be in the spotlight.

It disturbs me that some students on campus have decided to corrupt the meaning and true motive of this motion. Should we not protest the atrocities of Darfur unless we do so in unison with the Rwandan massacres, Tibetan occupation, Tamil oppression, and others? This motion does not discount these violations by not addressing them individually, rather it uses the occupied Palestinian territories to cast a light on worldwide atrocities as a whole.

I encourage the McGill student body to read the aforementioned motion online at ssmu.mcgill.ca/ga and attend the GA this Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the Shatner cafeteria.

Jamal Daoud is a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering and the VP information and research for the McGill chapter of SPHR.

Opinion

COMMENTARY: The GA for dummies

by Sarah Olle on

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Tomorrow’s Students’ Society Winter General Assembly is an opportunity for McGill undergraduate students to decide what we believe in and what policies SSMU should abide by. The GA is a venue to propose positions, in the form of resolutions, for our community to debate and decide on together. The rules of procedure can be used to ensure a constructive GA – if you know how to use them, that is.

The best advice that I can give in preparation for the GA is to get familiar with the basics of Robert’s Rules of Order (www.robertsrules.org). This will ensure that you will be able to follow what is happening and empower you with the technical knowledge to effectively carry out what you want. During the GA, a quick list of procedural rules will be listed on your placard for your reference. If you have a question about a procedural rule or are confused about what is happening, you may ask the Speaker for clarification.

Debate Procedure

At the GA, debate switches between pro and con speakers, who are lined up at the pro and con microphones. Debate will normally continue until there are no more speakers left. Here are a few common procedural motions that affect how debate is carried out:

1. Motion to Limit Debate: This is used to limit the time of debate. You can limit the total time allotted for debate on a resolution, or cap the number of speakers for each side. This motion requires a two-thirds majority to pass.

2. Motion to Extend Debate: The inverse of the previous motion. This motion can reverse or adjust a previous Motion to Limit Debate. This also requires a two-thirds majority to pass.

3. Move the Previous Question: This motion ends all debate and calls for an immediate vote on the resolution. This also requires a two-thirds majority to pass.

Resolution Procedure

Here are various ways to approach a resolution:

1. Debate and vote: In this approach, a resolution will be debated as written. The assembly will then vote on whether to adopt it as policy. A resolution requires a simple majority (more than 50 per cent of votes) to be adopted.

2. Amend a resolution: Amending a resolution can strengthen or weaken support for a resolution. You can delete a part that you don’t like, or add a word, sentence, or entire clause in order to develop a resolution more clearly. You can only amend the resolved clauses; whereas clauses are not amendable. Amendments require a simple majority to pass.

3. Defeat a resolution: A resolution can be defeated before it is voted upon through several different motions. These motions include Motion to Postpone Indefinitely, Motion to Refer to Committee, and Motion to Postpone to a Certain Time. These motions each require a simple majority to pass.

I hope you can use the information given here to help you accomplish your policy goals at the GA. If you have any questions about parliamentary procedure or about the GA, please don’t hesitate to email the Speaker at [email protected]. See you at the GA!

Sarah Olle is the SSMU vice-president clubs and services. You can contact her at [email protected].

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