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THE UBYSSEYVolume 82 Issue 30
The $34 000 ou • 1 I
CLASSIFIEDScc mmo a ion.
ACCOMMODATION AVAILABLE INTHE UBC SINGLE STUDENT RESI-DENCES JANUARY - APRIL 2001.Rooms are available in the UBC singlestudent residences for qualified womenand men applicants. Single and sharedrooms in both "room only" and "roomand board" residences are available.Vacancies can be rented for immediateoccupancy in the Walter H. Gage,Fairview Crescent, Totem Park, PlaceVanier, and Ritsumeikan - UBC HouseResidences (availability is limited forsome residence areas and room types).Applicants who take occupancy of a resi-dence room now are entitled to reappli-cation (returning student) privileges for a"guaranteed" housing assignment for the2001/2002 Winter Session. Please con-tact the UBC Housing Office in BrockHall for information on rates, availabilityand condition of application. The Hous-ing Office is open from 8:30am - 4:00pm weekdays, or call 822-2811 duringoffice hours.
it 1)1iilJ1ii
SUBMISSIONS WANTED! Wreckmagazine is looking for poetry, short tic-don, drama, art and Dho tograp hy byUBC students. Emai. [email protected]
0 I II ru II MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ACHILD'S LIFE: Become a LiteracyTutor! The Learning Disabilities Associa-tion Vancouver chapter is offering valu-able volunteer experience for individualsplanning a career working with children.Info session: JAN 31, 7PM, FirehallLibrary. For more information call theLDAV office @ 873-8139.MOTHERS WITH 2 SONS are neededfor a UBC study. Mothers get $20 andchildren a T-shirt. If interested call 822-9037.VIRTUAL REALITY TREATMENTSTUDY is recruiting volunteer researchparticipants who have severe drivingfears. Please call Jaye Wald, Ph.D. Cand.868-3890.
usmess p I or um yCONCERNS EVERYONE USINGTHE INTERNET. Join free. Not to bemissed! www.teamnetworth.gotoo.com
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN EXAM-INING THE IMPACT OF INTERNA-TIONAL VOLUNTEERISM? JoinWUSC - UBC Feb 9th to 11th at Inter-national House for our Symposium:International Volunteerism in Perspec-tive. Examine local and international vol-unteerism from different perspectives andwith a critical eye. Scheduled eventsspeakers will discuss such topics as Inter-national Volunteerism, Youth and Volun-teerism, and First Nations issues in BC.For more info, email us atwusc_ubc@ho trnail co m
SPARTACUS YOUTH CLUBFORUM: Defend the Palestinian People!Wed, Jan 31, 6:30pm Rm.330 Buch.B.Info: 687-0353 or [email protected]
AMNESTY UBC'S ANNUAL STU-DENT CONFERENCE on HumanRi ts, Voices in Activism. Saturday,Fe ruary 10th, gam-5:30pm, SUB. $10Registration Fee, $15 after Feb 1st(includes breakfast, lunch and snacks).Info: email [email protected] or221-7864.
isce a eo sSTART YOUR OWN FRATERNITY!Zeta Beta Tau is looking for men to starta new Chapter. If you are interested inacademic success, a chance to networkand an opportunity to make friends in anon-pledging Brotherhood, e-mail:[email protected] or call 800-431-9674.
To placean,yid
or Classified,call 822-1654or visit SUPdoom 245.
'TWEEN CLASSES• The UBC School of Journalism presents "Howthe European Press Meets the Challenges ofGlobalization;' a brown bag lunch with ThomasFerenczi, Deputy Managing Editor of Le Monde.Monday, January 29 from 12:30 .1:45 pm at theSchool Of Journalism.
• Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter isoffering training for . women interested in volun-teering on the 24-hour Crisis line and in the tran-sition house for battered women and, their chil-dren. Training sessions offered every Tuesdaynight For more information or for an interviewcall 872-8212.
• UBC Theatre presents a double-bill of one-actplays directed by its first-year. MFA directingcandidates. February 1 .3 at 7:30 pm in the TelusTheatre at the Chan Centre for the PerformingArts. Admission is free.
• Jean Vanier, recipient 'of the Order of Canada,will be speaking at the "Seeds of Hope" gather-,ing at Our Lady of Perpetual Hope School March2-4. Registration deadline is January 31. Formore information call 434-1933.
• Women in Print presents Shannon Cowan, read-ing from her new novel, Leaving Winter. Tuesday,February 6 at 7:30 pm, at 3566 W. 4th Ave.
'TWEEN CLASSES IS A PUBLICSERVICE OF THE UBYSSEY
nnouncemen , con21
Friday, January 26, 2001
CONCERT TICKETS FOR SALE -SOUL DECISION, Row 5, Dead Cen-ter. $100 obo. U2 era, call for info 221-0007.
B.C.'S COOLEST PARTY LINE!!!DIAL: 25-Party, Ads*JokeeStoriesMORE! Free Call!* 18+ "Try it NOW!!!
TUTORS NEEDED - All Grades, AllSubjects! $13.00-$17.00 p/h to Start. TollFree 1-866-888-8677.
LOOKING FOR HIGH TECHCAREERS? Visit TechnologyCanada.com
SUMMER CAMP COUNSELORS OnCampus Interviews For Premier Campsin Massachusetts. Positions available fortalented, energetic, and fun loving stu-dents as counselors in all team sportsincluding Roller Hockey and Lacrosse, allindividual sports such as Tennis & Golf,Waterfront and Pool ac tivities, and spe-cialty activities including art, dance, the-atre, gymnastics, newspaper, rocketry &radio. GREAT SALARIES, room, board,travel and US summer work visa. June16th - August 15th. Enjoy a great sum-mer that promises to be unforgettable.For more information and to apply:MAH-KEE-NAC www.campmkn.com(Boys) 1-800-735-9118, DANBEEwww.danbee.com (Girls) 1-800-392-3752. Interviewer will be on campusTuesday, March 6th - loam to 4:00pmin the Student Union Building (SUB) -Rooms 214 8c 216.
ACCOUNTING & TAX TUTORIALby experienced accountant: Beg & Inter-mediate acct. Personal & CorporateTaxes. Multi-student discounts. Call 831-5060.WANTED: ECONOMICS TUTOR tohelp internalize intermediate economicstheory to a single female who enjoyswalks on the beach and the sunset (justkidding). Rate negotiable. email [email protected]
fervlees"' Page Friday—the Ubyssey Magazine
VEGGIE LUNCHES, every Tuesday,12:30-2:30 pm in the Penthouse (3rdfloor) of the Grad Center, 6371 CrescentRd, vegetarian and vegan food, suggesteddonation: $4.00
3rd Annual Community Contribution Award
tt0 •
Are you a UBC student involved at UBC?Have you made a contribution to the UBC community?
If so you may be eligible to receive $3,000!Just get another UBC student to nominate you or nominate someone you feel is eligible.Within the nomination please include:• a resume of the nominee• details of their contribution to the UBC community
SUBMIT NOMINATIONS TO SUB 245 by FEBRUARY 28, 2001.For more information contact: Fernie Pereira @ 822-6681 [email protected] or Esther Abd-Elmessih [email protected]
SEARCHING THE SKY: Astronomy requires some pretty cool equipment, but UBC professor HarveyRicher gets to use the coolest equipment of all—Hubble—for his research. SARAH MORRISON PHOTO
Page Friday—the Uhyssey Magazine News Friday, January 26, 200113
Prof looks to the starsby Sarah Morrison
A UBC astronomy professor is lead-ing a team of researchers who hopeto fmd one of the "Holy Grails' ofcosmology after being granted alarge amount of observation time onthe Hubble Space Telescope.
UBC astronomy professor HarveyRicher, along with astronomers fromas far away as France and Australia,aims at using the observation time todetermine the age of the universe.
'It's one of the Holy Grails...ofmodern cosmology. One of the cor-nerstones of modern cosmology isto find out what the age of the uni-verse is, and that's what we're striv-ing for,' Richer said.
Typically, projects are allocated15 to 20 of the Hubble SpaceTelescope's orbits around earth.Richer's proposal received a muchhigher 123 orbits, and the telescopewill begin making observationsdirected by the team on January 30.
Richer's team will attempt todetermine the age of globular starclusters—massive, ancient clustersmade up of a million or more starsthat were formed soon after the bigbang.
After discovering the age of theclusters, Richer predicts it shouldonly be a mild extrapolation to dis-cover the age of the universe itself.
To determine the age of the clus-ter, Richer's team will be pointingHubble at white dwarf stars. Theseare ancient, extremely dense stars,the end product of the evolution of anormal star like the sun.
As they age, white dwarfs cooland change colour.
"They cool at a very, very pre-dictable rate,' explained Richer. "Soin a sense they're a tremendouslygood clock. Nature's provided uswith this wonderful chronometer
out there, whose temperature basi-cally tells us its age.'
'What we're trying to do is find thecoolest one of these, and that'll be anestimate of the age of the universe.'
By determining the age of theoldest white dwarf stars in the clus-ter, astronomers can hypothesisehow old the cluster is. But the proj-ect is difficult because the oldest starwill be very dim, explained Richer.
'It's...a risky proposal,' he admit-ted. "We have no guarantee thatwe're actually going to be able toimage things faint enough to see thevery, very coolest white dwarfs.
"The kind of thing we're lookingfor is about one-fifth as bright as atypical Christmas tree light sittingon the moon. That's the faintness ofthe thing. That's why we needHubble and that's why we need ahuge long exposure.'
Richer received the news that hisproposal had been accepted in lateDecember 1999, just before headingoff to Victoria to celebrate the new year.
After two previous proposals hadbeen rejected, Richer didn't wantthe possibility of a third rejection toruin his weekend. Sitting at his desk,Richer was reluctant to open thenew message in his e-mail inbox.
decided I wasn't going to look atit, so I walked out the door,' Richersaid. "I was halfway to my car, when Idecided, 'No I can't do that, that's notme.' So I came back and had a look atit, and almost fell off my chair. A col-league next door thought I was sick orsomething, I started screaming.'
Richer spent several monthswriting the proposal with MichaelRich, a professor at the University ofCalifornia Los Angeles and the USFinancial Principal Investigator forthe team.
'I think [Richer]'s very good atmanaging the complex relationships
that can occur in a group, and Ithink he also has a very broad visionof the subject in general,' said Rich,"Not just measuring the age of a par-ticular star cluster, but also measur-ing the age of the universe.'
Tom Tiedje, head of UBC's physicsand astronomy department, is alsooptimistic about Richer's work.
'I think it's wonderful,' saidTiedje. "This is a US telescope whichhas cost billions of dollars to make,
and the fact that they're willing togive observing time for this observ-ing plan that Harvey has devel-oped.. is a really strong vote of con-fidence in Harvey's plan.'
'I think it really makes us lookgood. It shows that the researcherswho work at UBC here in our depart-ment, astronomy, are doing world-class research.'
As for Richer, he says he's gettingrecognition for something he's been
interested in all of his life."This is going to sound like a
fairy tale but it's actually true,' saidRicher.
"When I was six or seven yearsold, someone...took me to a publiclecture by some astronomer. And hetalked about exploding stars, matterpopping out of nothing, expandinguniverse...so I think I knew when Iwas six or seven...that's what I want-ed to do. And I did.'
Online deal loomsCanadian schools may be signing with Thomson
recountelection
: recount: of this year's: Board, ofGovernors election,: whichbrought the margin between Tieg:Martin and Megan ,Cassidy downfrom:, difference of nine voles to:a difference: off five; a change oV.:1onlyro4ryotes,::::
McFetridge: also, cited historic.Ato':prece4e1:4;: noting :that, the
Margin between the : candirdates was higher than the stark dard ;One per cent in cases, whenballots are re-counted,:
Nagai said t4.4.110 riot sure if :4
he will appea but will likely make
decision on Friday,think about it I think the ,
elections administrator, before wefiled our: request, told : us therewasn't much chance of having arecount,' he said. 'A recount does-n't mean you're going to wineither way. It does mean you solid-ify things in your mind."
Provided there are noappeals, the AMS Council isexpected to ratify the electionsresults on February 7, '
by Alex Dimson
The Alma Mater .SoCipty (AMS)ElectionsCommittee has,:denieda requeSti to recount the: ballotscast for two AMS'ekeCntiv
stions, leaving the candidaiepsosi.decide if they will appeal thisdecision.
The committee denied therequest of defeated Students'Voice p.reideAtiAl.::.601.' 4idate,Rob
aril vice presidentNagai !aaa*":"dentio and university affairs cdidatd P Bowman haetahn4.e:::ballots for their:::positions:,:-ecounted Thursday
The contest for both ositions.was very; lostt°StudentS:',.; foi!:. StudentS. candidatErfan Kkeint by . 47 .: votes and:::,Bowrrian Lost::':. to Students:. forStudents.; candidate Evan Honeby 07:VOths '
WhileStudent4'. Voice felt thata: recount, may have tipped thecount :: the :: other .:.way, • AMSElections :Administrator JoMcFetridge disagreed, citing the
by Jaime Kirzner-RobertsThe McGill Daily
MONTREAL (CUP)—UBC could soonbe one of 18 universities involved inan online education project market-ed by Thomson Corporation, amedia conglomerate that ownsnewspapers across Canada.
Thomson is close to signing adeal with Universitas 21—a consor-tium of universities worldwide,including UBC and McGill, that havebanded together to forge private-sec-tor links and market their presti-gious names.
If the deal is completed,Thomson will market a new line ofweb-based university courses bear-ing the names of participating uni-versities. In return for the use oftheir names, universities willreceive royalties on all profits madeby Thomson from the initiative.
'We are in the midst of looking atthe material and trying to make adecision,' said McGill PrincipalBernard Shapiro last week. Heexpects a decision to be made in thecoming weeks.
However, Jim Turk, executivedirector of the Canadian Associationof University Teachers, said that hisorganisation is worried that such adeal paves the way for an increas-ingly corporate and low-quality edu-cation system.
'Universities like McGill aremoving towards a corporate model,where education becomes a com-modity which can be sold,' he said.
'You can also see that jurisdic-tion is being given to private corpo-rations that don't really have anystake or experience in undertakingthe vital role of providing publiceducation.'
But according to Chris Robinson, aprofessor at the University ofMelbourne and the chair of Universitas21, the consortium has found a majormarketing opportunity.
'Universities are getting less andless from the public purse and needmore revenue to keep up the qualityof what they do,' Robinson said.
Robinson believes that demandfor online education will quadrupleworldwide over the next ten yearsbecause of globalisation and the new"knowledge-based economy.'
If existing educational institu-tions want to maintain their qualityin the face of cutbacks, he says, theymust strive to meet the risingdemand by signing on to initiativessuch as the one Proposed withThomson,
'[Universitas 21] has set out toestablish a major global e-educationbusiness, and I believe that theThomson deal could bring us a sub-stantial share of the global market,'he said.
While Robinson would not com-ment on the exact amount universi-ties could receive if they sign on tothe deal, he did say that the deal'has the potential to be a significantsource of revenue.'
But Turk thinks that this attitudeis a dangerous one.
'When Universitas 21 courses goonline, what assurances are therefor quality?' he asked.
"What assurances are there thatuniversities will actually be writingthe course material, rather than justlending their names? What happenswhen curriculum doesn't fit into thevision of Thomson [Corporation]?'
The University of Toronto recent-ly announced that it would not besigning onto the Thomson deal.
Sheldon Levy, the university'svice-president of government andinstitutional relations, said that theuniversity was not ready to becomepart of any global web-learning ini-tiatives for the time being.
'We have not come to the conclu-sion that a partnership withThomson...is in the best interests ofour university. We did not want tobind ourselves in a formal contrac-tual way,' said Levy.
Universitas 21 pulled out of sim-ilar negotiations initiated last springwith Newscorp, owner of the FoxNetwork and major newspapersaround the globe. :•
"it Broadway.S
POET EXTRAORDINAIRE . Rantin'Ti m . Landar colours another UBCday with the sound of-MindiiaiihOW Merry do you feet when. you . have past him four times a day
and feel guilty each time because you're saving that,$1,50 : for a Napaimo, bar at the Deily?TOM PEACOCK PHOTO
:46
CAI) MP] Wz53
Philosophers' Café@ 99 Chairs
FOR ALL STUDENTS ASKING THEKIND OF QUESTIONS THAT MATTER
in a friendly discursive environment
Can God be KNOWN really?WHO on earth was Jesus?WHY do we feel out of synch?
STARTS JAN 30, 7:30 pm for five weeks'lead by seasoned thinkers
Good discussion is hard to find...
More info: [email protected] by the Choose Freedom Initiative @ UBC 222-3549
nd-up Wednesday here mid-week!Crank it up
etro Th_ursdav Dess up toWrM cool prizes:
Celebrate the end of the week at theWest Sides BEST DANCE PARTY,
.11.1.4
aturdayCOI VAIAAVAS
OcOltti' w eet the gang here and
0 Olt party bl the cows come home
fiday
asual Sunday Free pFcloPoPrritlarlfiGHT
r 1
THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA1111 Cecil & Ida Green Visiting Professorships of Green College
NATALIE ZEMON DAVISHISTORY, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
HISTORY AND COMPARATIVE LITERATUREU. TORONTO
The Trickster Travels of Leo AfricanusMonday, January 29th at 12:30pmBuchanan A-102
The Knot of Slavery: Stedman and Joanna in SurinamTuesday, January 30th, 2:30-4:00pmLasserre 104
Braided Histories: Jews, Africans and SlaverySaturday, February 3rd at 8:15pmWoodward IRC 2Vancouver Institute Lecture
Please Clipi awl Sure!
41Fridat January 26, 2001 News Page Friday—the Ubyssey Magazine
auditory Monday Having fun ismandstoryDance VI you rop!
4,,'Alberta pumps moremoney into education
Booney Tuesday roadrunner says "Cheap: Cheap:"Roadrunner, roadrunner,
by Christie TuckerAlberta Bureau Chief
EDMONTON (CUP)—After monthsof pleas from student representa-tives and administrators, theAlberta government has started toput money back into post-secondaryeducation.
Colleges and universities will begetting $25 million from the gov-ernment thanks to ten recommen-dations made by the provincialfunding review committee, whichhas been considering post-second-ary education funding since it wasestablished in March, 2000. LyleOberg, Alberta's Minister of HigherLearning, accepted all ten of thecommittee's recommendations.
Of the $25 million, approximate-ly $13 million is earmarked for fac-ulty retention and attraction. A por-tion of the remaining $12 millionmight be used to reduce tuition—which has risen by almost 210 percent in ten years —but the decision
of how much remains up to the insti-tutions.
At the University of Alberta (Uof A), where the school was givenapproximately $5.5 million, $1.8million went towards reducing thetuition hike from a proposed 3.7 percent to 3.2 per cent. The govern-ment is expected to announce exactfunding levels for other institutionsin the next few weeks.
Alberta Ministry of Learningspokesperson Randy Kilburn saidthat the government's main priori-ties are maintaining funding flexi-bility and responsibility.
However, Naomi Agard, vice-president external of the U of AStudents' Union, said that the fund-ing isn't enough.
"We don't have enough moneyin the system right now to addressproblems like infrastructure,tuition, and maintaining good facul-ty,' she said.
Agard still thinks that the fundingboost is a step in the right direction.
"It gives me hope. It's time forthis kind of funding. Students arestarting to voice their concern. Theheat is on. 1The government] is get-ting the word from everyone thatthis is the kind of money that uni-versities need.'
Rob Renner, chair of the fundingreview committee and a MedicineHat MLA, is happy that the govern-ment accepted the report.
"This is a very fair reflection ofwhat we heard in consultation. AndI think it goes a long way towardsensuring we have one of the bestpost-secondary systems in NorthAmerica,' he said.
The funding boost accompaniesthe recent government announce-ment of 1245 new full-time spacesin programs such as nursing, teach-ing, business, and information andcommunications technologies.
`Some might say that it's becauseit's an election year, but I'm glad tobe seeing any kind of fundingincrease,' said Agard.
Come to SUB Room 245 withthe answer to the questionbelow, and you may win 1 of 5copies of LIFEIIOUSE's debutalbum "NO NAME EWE"!
Question: On what Vancouver radio station can youhear LIFEMOUSE's single "flanging By Moment"?
Drawing comparisons to (reed and Matchbox Twenty, WOODS( ore Post becoming one of themost-talked about rock bonds with their hit single "Hanging By A Moment"
www.lifehousemusic.com
rwords
snap: under 1000 words
nonfictionessay: under 3000 wordssnap: under 1000 words
poetryunder 20 line's•
entry detailsSubmissions must be typed on 8.5' x 11" paper, with title on
upper right-hand corner. Do not include name on submission.Entries are judged anonymously.
eligibility.Free entry. You must be a UBC student whO did not opt out of
your Ubyssey fee. Students who have made more than one editorialcontribution to the Ubyssey since September 2000 are not eligible.
prizescash.books.publication
in rant. March 9th, 2001
judgesto be announced
call for submissions for the1.1byssey's literary supplement
adline:9th 2001
Page Friday—the Ubvssev Magazine News Friday, January 26, 200115
Olympic dreams uncertainSUB and Gage involved in bid plans
by Hywel Tuscan()
Working out the logistics of having the SUB as part of theOlympic Village and Gage Towers as a home for athletes areamong the issues facing Vancouver/Whistler's bid for the2010 Olympic Games.
While details are still being hammered out, UBC figuresprominently in the bid. Tentative plans call for UBC to hostcurling and speed skating events, with the SUB hosting a sec-tion of the athletes village and Gage Towers being accommo-dation for 1400 of the expected 2000 athletes.
UBC spokesperson Karen McDonald emphasised 'all plansare very tentative right now.
'Consultation continues between us and the BidCorporation, as we decide whether it would be worthwhile forthe school,' McDonald said. 'After consideration of what host-ing certain venues here will entail, we can still easily say 'No,this won't be worth it.'
The Canadian Olympic _Association (COA) selectedYancouver's bid over other domestic candidates inNovember 1998. An official Bid Corporation was formed inJune 1999 to determine finances and organisation ofVancouver's candidacy.
Having the Olympics on campus could bring very substan-tial benefits to the UBC, according to McDonald. Universitybuildings and athletic venues would be built or renovatedwith no financial cost to the university. An additional resi-dence may also be built to house the remaining athletes.
"We would essentially be refitting all of Gage Tower as itwould be repainted and recarpeted. As owners of the SUB,there should be some significant renovations left behind aslegacy,' she said.
It is estimated that hosting the Games could lead to a rev-enue of $1.2 billion for BC, as well as $258 million in tax rev-
enue. The games would create 25,000 jobs and a sports lega-cy worth $300-400 million.
The 2010 games are tentatively scheduled to run fromFebruary 5-21. This timing is a bonus for the university,McDonald noted, because the games would occur over theFebruary break, which would help to reduce the impact thatthe games would have on students.
The Bid Corporation will submit a formal report onVancouver/Whistler's plans, detailing everything from sport
_facilities to vendor contracts, to the International OlympicCommittee (IOC) this fall. The corporation still has to raise$10 million of the $21 million required to make an officialbid.
Meanwhile, consultation with campus groups continues. Aformal university committee of over ten departments, includ-ing the Alma Mater Society, is discussing the implications ofhosting part of the Olympics on campus.
Despite all of the preparation, the likelihood of success forVancouver's bid is far from certain.
Vancouver's chances hinge on the success of Toronto's bidto host the 2008 Games. Traditionally, the location of theOlympic Games rotates between European and NorthAmerican cities, slimming Vancouver's hopes if Torontowins. The IOC will decide in July who will host the Summergames.
If Toronto does win, Ian Tait, director of community rela-tions for the Bid Corportation, said that the corporation willput in a modified bid instead of a fully competitive one.
'This is not an east-west competition, the point of the mod-ified bid would be to point out that Canada is summer andwinter multi-sport capable, and can compete on the world-stage,' Tait said.
Chances become better for Vancouver to host the 2014Winter Games if Toronto wins its bid later this year. RENOVATE ME! A successful Vancouver bid could bring
renovations and buildings to campus. TARA WESTOVER PHOTO
Bus routes on the chopping blockby Sarah Morrison
With the future of TransLink's proposed $75 vehicle levy indoubt, UBC has gone from hoping for an expanded transporta-tion program to trying to salvage existing bus routes.
After the provincial government told TransLink that itwould not help collect any vehicle levy, the transport corpora-tion is preparing to cut services—possibly bus routes and fund-ing for municipal roads. - -
'We have a budget that we have to live within, and what'shappened is we'd gone ahead with expansions, because wehad...every indication that there was support for the levy tofund them,' explained TransLink spokesperson Russel Busche.
'It's a decision that the board's going to have to make, andso the board will ultimately be the ones who decide whatcourse of action will be taken in terms of what routes wherecould be affected.'
In a TransLink board meeting on November 9, the board
described two possible scenarios for cutting transit services.One option is to cut transit services uniformly across the
region, which would lead to an approximate 25 per cent reduc-tion in buses.
However, according to Busche, this may not be financiallyprudent.
"You might end up cutting services that are viable in one munic-ipality, and keeping routes in other municipalities that are not pro-ducing the kind of ridership required to keep costs reasonable.'
A second option is to cut transit routes based on performance.Routes with good ridership that can maintain their cost-effective-ness would stay, while poor-performing routes would go.
In the example given for both the uniform- andperformance-based options, TransLink would cut all bus servic.es after 1:00 am and night services after 9:00pm in certainareas. The plan would also decrease the regularity of peak peri-od and evening main routes, and would reduce mid-day serviceon major lines like Granville.
Graham Senft, Alma Mater Society (AMS) vice-president ofexternal affairs, has spent his term trying to implement a U-Pass plan at UBC, which would include a mandatory studentbus pass, car- and van-pool parking deals, and improved facili-ties for cyclists.
The AMS supported TransLink's controversial levy after itwas passed by the Greater Vancouver Regional District inNovember, but BC's refusal to collect the levy has brought theplan to a halt.
Now instead of trying to implement the U-Pass, Senft plansto lobby TransLink to ensure UBC will not be significantlyaffected by proposed reductions to transit
'Let's make sure they don't cut the routes to UBC,' Senftsaid at the AMS Council meeting Wednesday night.
TransLink's board will make the final decision on any cutsat a meeting next month.
—with files from Alex Dimson
Min's Hockey
The UBC men's hockey team is hosting theUniversity of Calgary Milos for two games thisweekend at the Thuderbird Winter Sports Centre.The puck drops at 7:30p m. Friday and Saturdaynight. The Birds are six points behind the Dinos inwhat's turning into a dose battle for the last•Canada West playoff spot,
SIDELINED: UBC's injured Charmene Adams watches her teammates practise Wednesday night. TARA WESTOVER PHOTO
BIRDdroppingsWomen s .Women's
Volleyball
HockeyThe UBC women's volleyball team, along with theswim team probably the school's best chance for achampionship, is hosting the University ofManitoba Bisons this weekend in War MemorialGym, Game times are 6:15pm tonight and 8pmSaturday, The Birds are currently in second placein the Canada West with their 14-3 record. TheBisons are 5-3 and sitting in first place in the GreatPlains division of the CIAU,
The UBC women's hockey team travels . toEdmonton this weekend for two tough gamesagainst the defending national championUniversity of Alberta Pandas. The Birds are 3-5 andsit in fifth place in the West. The Pandas are in sec-ond behind Regina.
Swimming
Sptirts Friday, January 26, 200117Page Friday—the Ubyssey Magazine
61Friday, January 26, 2001
bg Dirk Schouten
SOUTH AFRICAN VOLLEYBALL PLAYER RYAN GANDY HAS FOUND ALL. HE NEEDS AT UBC.
NOW HE'S JUST GOT TO GET USED TO THE CANADIAN GAME...AND THE COLD.
yan Gandy speaks four languages, has a Master's degree in geographic infor-mation systems, and is part owner of a high-tech company. He played vol-
leyball for South Africa's national team. And he just happens to be seven feet tall.Given the 26-year-old's credentials, more than a few people are thrilled thatGandy has come to UBC to do his PhD and play varsity volleyball.
Thunderbird men's volleyball coach Dale Ohman is probably the most excit-ed of all.
'He came up to me during the 1999 Thunderball tournament and told me hewas interested in playing in Canada,' said Ohman, whose smile has acquired abit more lustre since Gandy arrived in Vancouver on Christmas Day. 'It tooksome time for him to make it out here, but things have worked out.'
For Ohman, whose squad has teetered around .500 for most of the seasonand now faces slim chances of making the playoffs, Gandy was a welcome giftfrom Santa. The South African has a full five years of varsity eligibility left andintends to stay at UBC for the duration of his doctoral program. A talented offen-sive player, Gandy should improve under the tutelage of Ohman, a veteran coachof 23 years who is known for his technical expertise. The UBC team will likelynot make this year's national tournament but it has a promising future based ona group of talented first and second-year players, including the import fromPretoria.
Gandy is confident and self-assured, but he doesn't say much to add to thehype that surrounded his arrival. He wants to contribute to the team and adjustto North American volleyball, which he says puts more emphasis on defense.Although older than most of the undergraduates who make up the Thunderbirdsquad, Gandy has nothing but respect for his new teammates.
'Most of the guys on the team are very mature, so it's not an issue at all,' hesaid during a recent interview. Gandy was especially thrilled that theThunderbirds 'made a real effort to welcome' him to the. team. While his cur-rent priorities are to adjust to a new life, he doesn't hide his true aspiration–toearn a spot on an Olympic volleyball team,
'From next season on, I want to make a push...in the hope of eventually mak-ing an all-Canadian team,' he explains.
'I had basically peaked in South Africa. I started out playing club volleyball
and progressed until I made the national team. The only thing that was still tobe done was to make the Olympics, but our national team had to get better. So Ihad to make a decision between ending my career in South Africa and goingabroad.'
Gandy made the decision to leave his own country, but didn't think of Canadaas an option, at least at first. His first considerations were UCLA and Pepperdine,two schools in sunny California. But while visiting his girlfriend (herself a grad-uate student at UBC) over Christmas in. 1999, he rlised that by coming toVancouver he could kill three birds with 'one stone: reunite with his sweetheart,play volleyball, and earn another degree.
'While I was here in 1999, I did an investigation into the geographic infor-mation systems (GIS) program at UBC, and was very impressed. I came acrossDr. Michael Meitner, who's a GIS fanatic and knows about the environmentalside of this field.'
Gandy and his supervisors are still working out the specifics of his PhD pro-gram. In the meantime, he works as a teaching assistant in the Faculty ofForestry. 'Everything fell into place,' he said. 'It was more than enough reasonto put life on hold back at home and come out.'
andy, a graduate of the University of Pretoria, has plenty of ties back home.His family lives in South Africa, as do his business partners. Gandy is the
director and part owner of Innovative Geographic Information Systems Ltd., acompany in the GIS industry, His Master's degree thesis entailed 'developing aGIS-based system to implement the South African manual for outdoor advertis-ing control on the Pretorian metropolitan area.' In plain English, that meansthat he set up a satellite system that is able to monitor how much advertisingexists in a given part of the city. Gandy wants to complete his doctorate in threeyears and return to South Africa to expand his business.
In the meantime, the addition of Gandy to the front row of the UBC volleyballteam is a gift for Thunderbird players and fans. With his height and arm length,Gandy creates big problems–physically and psychologically–for most of hisopponents. And fans love the sight of a seven-footer who can smash the balldown on offense and block opponents 'effectively on defense
Gandy plays the 'middle' position, and with university volleyball's new'libero' position–which allows players to move about the court with more free-dom–Gandy can avoid playing in the back row, a position unsuitable for his longframe. Because he's 84 inches in height, it's difficult for him to bend over to digballs travelling in excess of 60 miles per hour.
Gandy is at his most dangerous at the net, where he seems to take up half itslength when he stands with his arms outstretched. Although not gifted withspeed, Gandy is adept at making the quick-set kill, an offensive play which, if exe-cuted properly, is next to impossible to stop. After cueing his setter, Gandyjumps. A split second later, the setter lobs the ball above the net. If the jump andset occur in sync, Gandy hits the high point of his jump at the same moment thatthe ball reaches its own. The obvious goal is to knock the ball downward, but thistakes tremendous concentration and finesse. Earlier this month, Gandy andUBC's starting setter, Kyle Recsky, completed a series of "quick-set' kills at thetail end of a hard-earned victory against the Trinity Western Spartans. 'As longas we set the ball high enough, Ryan won't have trouble,' Coach Ohman saidafter the victory. 'But we don't always do that.'
Gandy has to become a better blocker in order for the Birds to competeagainst Western powerhouses Alberta, Calgary and Saskatchewan next year. Buthe knows that he can improve, and is eager to learn. Ohman has Gandy workingon a new Jump-float' serve that will replace the traditional flat serve he broughtto Canada. This, Gandy admits, is a work in progress.
'It's a little shaky right now, but we're getting there,' he said of his new offer-ing from the service line.
Gandy's new serve is not the only thing that has to be determined. He still hasto work out how exactly he plans to play for Canada, particularly whether he willapply for Canadian citizenship. There's also the question of whether he's nation-al squad material. Answers to these questions are still tucked away in the future.
In the meantime, Gandy has no complaints. He's impressed by the civilityand friendliness of Canadians, as well as by Vancouver's beauty. Used to thebalmy weather of South Africa, however, he's still shocked by weather that canactually cause water to freeze.
'I know it's mild for Canada,' he said. 'But it's still blooming cold.'
COWER, LITTLE ONES: UBC's Ryan Gandy stands ready to send some trouble Trinity Western's way.TOM PEACOCK PHOTO
Men'sVolleyball
The UBC men's volleyball team, coining off twodisappointing losses last weekend againstSaskatchewan, will look to get two wins off theBisons this weekend War Memorial Gym. TheBirds are 7-10, and sit M fourth place in theCanada West Tonight's game starts at 8pm.
. ,
After cleaning up at the Canada WestChampionships in the UBC Aquatic Centre, somemembers of the team went straight to the airportand boarded a plain bound for a World Cup shortcourse event in Stockholm, Sweden. Former UBCswimmer Marianne Limpert • and currentThunderbird Kelly Stefanyshyn figured big in theevent the former winning gold in the women s200m IM and the latter winning gold in thewomen's 200m backstroke : Jessica . De auplaced seventh in the 200m freestyle and eighththe 100m butterfly. .+
by Tom Peacock
It's hardly believable. First Brandie Speers left the teamfor personal reasons. Then Lindsay Cox left the team formedical reasons. Then star point guard Julie Smuldersleft the team earlier this month for personal reasons unre-lated to the personal reasons Speers left the team for.Then Charmene Adams, Smulders' replacement at pointguard, sprained her ankle three weeks ago during a homegame against Trinity Western. Then Sheila Townsend,Adam's replacement at point guard, contracted the chick-en pox. The chicken poxf What are the chances!?
Adams will travel to Manitoba this weekend withthe other seven Birds but she's not expected to be ableto play the full two games against the University ofBrandon Bobcats. The ankle was feeling better duringthe two games in Winnipeg last weekend, but sheturned it over again earlier this week walking to class.
"Physio said that I can play about half. Half a game,or half a half. But he said it's not recommended, butsince they need me..." Adams said yesterday, beforeleaving for Brandon.
In Alberta last weekend, Adams played six minutesFriday, and thirty minutes Saturday. "[The ankle felt]good, but then I reinjured it on Monday just walking,so now I'm probably a little worse than I was before.'
Since she rehurt the ankle, Adams says, she candefinitely feel it on the court. UBC head coach DebHuband said the only reason she is letting Adams trav-el with the team is because, with the shortened roster,the team is desperate.
"She's travelling, and then we'll see what happens
when we get there...Under normal circumstances, ifwe had more depth, we Wouldn't even be thinkingabout playing her this weekend,' Huband said.
Huband explained that getting two wins inBrandon is key at this point in the season.
"The,/re very important games because they'reagainst a team that we should beat, we are supposedto beat, and getting wins on the road will help ussecure that play-off position."
Carrie Watson will sub in for Adams this weekendas UBC's fourth-string point guard. Townsend playedat point guard two Saturdays ago against TrinityWestern and shared the position with Adams lastweekend. Huband admits that the constant change-ups in the key position have shaken the team up.
'I think we're a little bit rattled right now...I thinkwe're a little bit shaken up and we need to settle,' thecoach said.
Townsend is expected to be back practising nextweek, and will likely play in the two games againstSimon Fraser University. After spending three days inher room, her health is slowly improving.
Townsend started to feel sick in Manitoba, but figuredit was just the flu. 'On Friday, I was feeling a bit flu-ish,but I was okay. I played. And then Saturday I was feelingworse. I was pretty achy and tired in the game, but I wasokay. Then afterwards I was pretty sick, and I just tried tosleep at the hotel The next morning I noticed a couple ofdots on me...I went to the hospital the following morningand they diagnosed me with chicken pox.'
The timing couldn't have been much worse.Townsend blazed up the court two weekends ago
against Trinity Western,but as the sicknesskicked in during theManitoba games, shewasn't able to turn in astandout performance.And while she struggledthrough the two games,her teammates didn'tdo much better, accord-ing to Huband.
'We were just nottaking care of the pos-session, not taking careof the balls. We had 26or 27 turnovers pergame, and that reallyhurt us. They scored alot of points off ourturnovers,' the coachsaid,
Huband is still confi-dent the Birds have achance; she's just frus-trated at all they havehad to go through.
It's been difficult When people make commit-ments to your team, from year to year, but also whenthey are recruited, you expect them to hold up to theircommitments. I think that losing Brandie earlier inthe year–because of personal issues she wasn't ableto continue with her commitment to the team–and
more recently with Julie...Obviously we're suffering alittle bit because of a couple of people not followingthrough their commitments until the end of the year.'
Travelling with eight players is a whole lot less funand a wliole lot more nerve-wracking than travelling witheleven, or even ten. The remaining Birds will have to getlots of pre-game rest, settle into their game, and get used
to spending most it on the court, not on the bench.'I told the players, 'Now's a time when nobody can
hide," Huband said. "We need everybody to do theirthing on the floor. Be a defensive stopper, do a greatjob on the boards, score sortie, poir4s, handle the ball.Whatever it is; people hivd to step up. Everybody hasto step up.– 0
t just gets worseThe UBC women's basketball team hasa pretty good record, but theThunderbirds also have pretty bad luck.
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8IFriday, January 26, 2001 Culture Page Friday—the Ubyssey Magazine
Nepal" Heather Conn takes us to aremote mountain village in Nepal.Conn's photo shows us the humanelement of this small village as an oldvillager stares at us with weary butcurious eyes. Anjali Nayar's 'Islam'is another example of travel photog-raphy that wouldn't look out of placein an issue of National Geographic.Nayar's photo is a beautifully framedshot of the Taj Mahal in Agra, Indiawith all the exoticism and romancethat the monument evokes. Equallycaptivating are Peter Kao's 'Writingon Stone, Alberta' and AnthonyMaw's 'Mount Rundle'—photos thatshow nature in all its stunning andbreath-taking magnificence.
There are also photos that forcedme look at the ordinary thingsaround me in a different way.'Softball Backstop' by CynthiaFisher shows a neglected and over-grown baseball diamond. In onephoto, Fis4r1 manages to capturethemes of irtdxence, the passing oftime, childhood, baseball, andmaybe even more. Norman Chan's'Destination?' is a skillfully con-structed photo of a road disappear-ing into the horizon. The photo'ssimplicity belies the sheer evocative-ness of the open road, of journeysand of course of destinations. Morepersonally, Conrad Chevalier's 'ThePaper' pays homage to that simplest
original songs just sound likeMetallica. They may start fairlymelodic, but by the second minuteof the song, the guitar-sounding dou-ble-bass is making it clear that this ismetal, not some kind of chambermusic. It fails to sound original any-more, especially given Metallica'srecent tour and album with the SanFrancisco Symphony Orchestra.
Even Apocalyptica's perform-
UBC PHOTO SOCIETY ANNUALEXHIBITat the Asian Centre Auditoriumuntil Feb. 2
I've always admired photography asan art form. A good photograph cando so much. It can capture history, itcan move you, open your eyes tothings that you didn't know existedand more. Photography is alsounique as an art form because of itsmass appeal.
Nonetheless, there's a huge dif-ference between your holiday snapsand the photos at this year'sPhotosoc exhibit I'm always inter-ested in seeing what other studentsdo in their sparetime, and when theresults are as varied and beautiful asthose shown here it's definitely atreat
There are photos that transportyou from a grey and dreary after-noon on the UBC campus to wherev-er the photographer decides to takeyou. Katherine Pettit's 'New YorkInterior,' is a photograph of theinside of an unnamed New York bar.It's a beautiful off-focus scene of thebig city. I've never been to NewYork, but the photo brought to mymind images of crowded subwaycars, grouchy cab drivers, andbustling Manhattan sidewalks.
With 'In an Annapurna Village,
APOCALYPTICACultUniversal
Cellos? What, you mayask, do cellos have to dowith a band calledApocalyptica? Well, justabout everything. Itseems that four cello stu-dents at the SibeliusAcademy in Finland gottogether and decided tomake an album. Theirmusic of choice—coversof songs by Metallica,arranged for their quar-tet No, I'm not kidding.
Apocalyptica's thirdalbum, Cult, adds somepercussion and a double-bass to the ensemble, andis made up of the arrange-ments and original com-positions of band mem-ber Eicca Toppinen. Thestyle imitates metal to acertain degree (it soundslike electric guitars) in itsrepeating bass line anddistortion, and some ofthe tracks are as monotonous asyour average Metallica instrumental.
The first few tracks have fairlysimilar themes, although 'Romance'begins with a haunting duet melodyand more classical accompani-ments, until the drums kick in andthen it's just more of the same. Theonly exception is 'Hope,' which hassome beautiful duet melodies.
The problem is that most of the
of objects, the daily newspaper. It issomething that most of us take forgranted, but it somehow struck achord with the newshound in me.
Another photo that captivated meis Shannon Salter's 'AmericanMuffins in Vienna.' It's a simpleshot of muffins decorated with littleAmerican flags. The photo is a greattongue in cheek statement aboutglobalisation and the pervasivenessof American culture. Bryan Nykon's'Salarymen' captures a trio ofJapanese businesspeople waiting fortheir train. The looks on their facesare like those of prisoners at aRussian gulag, showing utterdespair and defeat In one photo-graph Nykon has captured the mind-numbing drudgery felt by millionsof Japanese officeworkers everyday.
Everyone who comes to thisexhibit will walk away from it withdiffering oiinions. There are somiryt plitt s here of high artisticmerit that picking which ones towrite about in this review was atough task. I found it far too easy tojust sit and examine each photo-graph. I would recommend thisexhibit to any students as an easyescape from your classes, your read-ings and your work. Best of all, theexhibit is entirely free. •)
—Ron Nurwisah
ance of Grieg's 'In the Hall of theMountain King' and the one actualMetallica cover on this album, 'UntilIt Sleeps,' are just more of the same.Grieg's song, for example, just getsmore and more frantic, withoutdoing anything for the piece itself.Apocalyptica is something of acuriosity, but not much more. +
—Daniel Silverman
CAPTURED LIFEEyes opened by the exotic and the ordinary
BEHOLD, CELLO METAL
A SPICIER PRODUCTION: Norman Yeung (left), Fif Fernandes (centre) and Hanish Boyd right) believe thatthe stage should reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of society. MICHELLE MOSSOP PHOTO
Page Friday—the Ubyssey Magazine Culture Friday, January 26, 200119
olour blind theatreby Michelle Mossop
"Chutney is a condiment that addsflavour to your,. full meal. It's a mix=:tUre:Of. fruits and spices;": says the--atre Veteran Hanish Boyd, e)spIainang the origins of the name of hisproduction , company, ChutneyFrOdUCtiensi : 'In . way, it.::sents :adding zest to your meal oftlizatre
But :thkorigins of the companyruA:inuchdeeper than sugar andspio the production: company e.1,vhiclx formed along
.0,Willi:.`' fellow artists Fif Fernandes,:jiRussell Ferrier, Aliexkz. Murdock
Wei, and Alvin. Sanders—came tobeing for political reasons..:.
'We formed. ChutneyFrOchictions after getting togetherand realising:. that there wasn't thetheatre We- really wanted to seeexplains: Fernandes. "Theatre was-n't reflective of society.
"Everyone was white on stage,'Fernandes continues. 'And whenthere' was someone of colour'onstage, they were in productionsWith colour-specific roles: Ain tMisbehaving, Driving MissDaiSy ..:.the list goes on and on.'
So to shatter the paradigm oftraditional casting, Fernandes,Boyd,':'ind a few other artists wroteto the: Canada Council of 1113 Artsand the City of Vancouver for thefunding :necessary to start up their
production company, onewhich Would try to increase racialand. ethnic diversity in the arts. The
;;:.. ,funding came through and ChutneyProductions was incorporated injut*.
The : next step was to find ascripti.;
'.One of the scripts we looked at:tliatwe enjoyed was Filthy Rich., byGeorge F.:Welker,' says Fernandes..'Are,ChoSe it because it has a widerange of characters.. .we felt that thethemes in the play are reflective ofthemes that are in all cultures:greed, murder, mystery, corruptionin politics.' :
:: Donna. Spencer,r, artistic:director of the FirehallArts Centre, approachedFernandes about makingthe play a co-production. Sowith the theatre as a part-ner, Chutney Productionsposted audition notices attheatre schools and theCanadian Actors' EquityOffice. The response wasoverwhelming-204 peasple wanted a spot in theplay.
The auditions, accord-ing to Fernandes, were themost crucial part of thecompany's goal. The com-pany, wants to appeal to awide:... of actors. It:wants to practice whatis essentially a keycomponent of ChutneyProduction's mandate—colour-blind casting.
'Colour-blind castingis not e thni c-s pecific,'explains Boyd.. '1'm notplaying a Scottish soldier,Norman [Yeung] is notplaying a Chinese coolie,and she [Fernandes], as anactor, is not playing an EastIndian maid.'
This concept is quite new toBoyd, a theatre veteran who startedacting at the age of ten. But hefound colour-blind casting seappealing an idea that he returnedto the stage for Filthy Rich after a12-year hiatus.
'When I was in theatre school, itwas all white-bred, I was: one in asea of Anglo-Saxon actors,' explainsBoyd. 'These days it's a reallymixed culture and we need toreflect what is evident in society.'
But for Yeung, a recent gradfrom 1.3BC's BFA in Acting program,colour-blind casting isn't all thatnew—it was emphasised in theVancouver Little Theatre, of whichhe was a part at the age of 12.
'We were conscious of thisbecause we wanted the kids tothemselves as people living in adiverse community,' explains
e wag.However, Yeung soon realised
that in professional theatre, colour-blind casting is rare. So when heheard that Chutney Productions washolding auditions for Filthy Rich,Yeung jumped at the chance to playthe lead's sidekick Jamie McLean.
'I'm glad to have had the chanceto play this character, JamieMcLean—a part that was not writtenfor a Chinese person, specifically.*
Though the theatre communityis seeing more and more colour-blind casting, Fernandes thinks
that it will be some time before it ispracticed in every production.
She points to the recent ArtsClub production of Amadeus, inwhich Alvin Sanders, who playsTyrone M. Power in FilthyRich, wascast as Salieri.
'When Alvin got the part ofSalieri, it was a big deal. Peoplewere shocked.'
But Yeung thinks that colour-blind casting is becoming moreand more accepted in theatre, espe-cially in multicultural communitiesin North America.
'I hope there is more of it. Itseems as though we are at the cuspof this movement.'
So far, the response to the play
has been positive.. On openingnight, the play was sold out. But it isthe company's mandate that hasbeen getting the biggest praises.
'Outside the theatre community,when I talk to people on the street,they don't see themselves reflectedon the stage and, as a result, theydon't come to see plays.'
Chutney Productions doesn'twant to stick to theatre.. BothFernandes and Boyd come fromstrong film and television back-grounds.
'We're looking at some filmscripts,' says Boyd. 'You see, it'sChutney Productions because wedon't want to just concentrate ontheatre. We want to expand.' 4•
Cinematic anarchy washes the brain Hey, that's my house!:THE FILMS OF JENNIFER GENTILEat the Blinding LightJan. 20
Watching the short films of Los Angeles directorJennifer Gentile at times feels like watching someobscure kind of avant-garde propaganda. Vivid, distort-ed images flash rapid-fire, in an entrancing, rhythmicseries of disjointed jump-cuts. The mind races just tokeep up, let alone to uncover just what exactly is goingon.
But when the optical barrage ends, and the lights comeon, what becomes clear is that the Gentile experienceinvolves much more than mere art-house brainwashing.
Five of Gentile's renowned shorts, spanning theindie filmmaker's ten-year career, were screened lastSaturday in a retrospective at the Blinding Light.Presented chronologically, they included Corn Smut,One Eye Leads, Isabella Holding a Pot of Basil, MyPretty Little Girlfriend, and Gentile's most recent short,Life History of A Star.
The sampling of the director's films (none lastinglonger than 15 minutes} reflected the work of a daringfilmmaker, one dedicated to exploring an array ofunsavoury topics, ranging from rape and abuse tointense disillusionment. With unapologetic, no-holds-barred intensity, Gentile's shorts delve confidently infoterritory which most directors find anathema.
Her work covers a broad spectrum of subject matterand portrays it all through a distinctly macabre and dis-turbing lens. Corn Smut, for example, examines thedangerous relationship between flirtation, sexuality,and assault. Life History of A Star, which premiered atthe Sundance Film Festival in 1999, explores thedynamics of destruction in relationships and the dam:gers of delusional success.
Gentile's films are linked by an insatiable fascina-tion with the power of the optical. In Isabella Holding aPot of Basil, the audience watches a young girl, halfnaked and handcuffed, picking obsessively at her navel.Gentile's intent, it seems, is to burn a lasting string ofhaunting, vivid images into the mind of the viewer.
Though the films are open to charges of self-indul-gence and incoherence, her jarring style is entirely instep with the complex nature of the subject matter sheaddresses. Abuse, obsession, and disillusionment, sheinsists, are subjects that words cannot deal with ade-quately—so she creates on-screen mayhem to conveywrenching inner chaos.
Cinematic anarchy, however, doesn't always makegreat entertainment and Gentile's films are clearly notto everyone's taste. But if visual spectacle is your thing,and your stomach is strong, her films are worth track-ing down. •
—Ian Sonshine
NOROCat Tinseltown Theatresnow playing
Half the fun of watching locally-shotTV shows and movies is being ableto recognise local landmarks. Butunfortunately, that's the only reasonto watch Noroc.
Marc Retailleau's first featuretells the story of a Romanianimmigrant photographer, PetruMachescu, who is faced with depor-tation if he doesn't find a paying jobquickly. As luck has it, he gets thefirst job he sees advertised in thepaper and becomes a shipyard secu-rity guard.
The old shipyard is home to aninteresting community of artists,including a metal sculptor and apainter who like to piss on Petru'swork. Petru strikes up a relation-ship with the idealistic metalsculptor, Helina, who lovesPetru's intergrity—a personalitytrait he quickly sheds once hefinds out that he has to get a job in
his profession to stay in the coun-try.
Petru learns to comply withthe materialistic Canadian attitudetowards work and life. Although thestory is sketched out very vaguely(Petru has been in Canada for twoyears but is only now given his ulti-matum.) The film has incrediblestyle and form. Shot entirely digital-ly, the film adheres strictly to theDogma 95 manifesto, which forbidsartificial lighting, tripods or a pre-recorded soundtrack. Retailleauacknowledges his guiding principlesin a couple of painfully cheesy lineslike 'ever seen The Celebration ofthe Idiotsr referring to two found-ing Dogma films.
If you are interested in film tech-nology, it's worth going to see thefilm. Tinseltown is showing Norocin its original form, using a break-through digital projector. And ofcourse, there are always thoselandmarks.
Aisha Jamal
FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2001VOLUME 82 ISSUE 30
EDITORIAL BOARDCOORDINATING EDITOR
DaLich Merzaban
NEWS EDITORSAlex Dimson
Sarah Morrison
CULTURE EDITORMichelle Mossop
SPORTS EDITORTom Peacock
FEATURES EDITORNicholas Bradley
COPY/VOLUNTEERS EDITORTristan Winch
PHOTO EDITORTara Westover
PRODUCTION MANAGERHolland Gidney
COORDINATORSRESEARCH COORDINATOR
Graeme WorthyLETTERS COORDINATOR
Laura BlueWEB COORDINATOR
Ernie BeaudinThe Ubyssey is the official student newspaper of theUniversity of British Columbia. It is published everyTuesday and Friday by The Ubyssey Publications Society,We are an autonomous, democratically run student organ-isation, and al students are encouraged to participate.Editorials are chosen and written by the Ubyssey staff.They are the expressed opinion of the staff, and do notnecessarMy reflect the views of The Ubyssey PublicationsSociety or the University of British Columbia.The Ubyssey is a founding member of Canadian UniversityPress (CUP) and adheres to CUP's guiding principles.Al editorial content appearing in The Ubyssey is the prop-erty of The Ubyssey Publications Society. Stories, opin-ions, photographs and artwork contained herein cannotbe reproduced without the expressed, written permissionof The Ubyssey Publications Society.Letters to the editor must be under 300 words. Pleaseinclude your phone number, student number and signature(not for publication) as well as your year and faculty with alsubmissions. ID wit be checked when submissions aredropped off at the editorial office of The Ubyssey, other-wise verification mil be done by phone.Perspectives' are opinion pieces over 300 words butunder 750 words and are run according to space,"Freestyles" are opinion pieces written by Ubyssey staffmembers. Priority ma be given to letters and perspectivesover freestytes unless the latter is time sensitive. Opinionpieces will not be run anti the identity of the writer hasbeen verified.It is agreed by all persons placing display or classifiedadvertising that if the Ubyssey Publications Society fails topublish an advertisement or Ran error in the ad occurs theliability of the UPS will not be greater than the price paidfor the ad. The UPS shall not be responsible for slightchanges or typographical errors that do not lessen thevalue or the impact of the ad.
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Alex Dimson stood at the top of a bombed out apartmentbuilding with Sarah Morrison and Tom Peacock, staringout at the cold steel dawn. Michelle Mossop and DanielSilverman were about two miles west, searching for carparts with Graeme Worthy, the chief scavenger. HywelTuscan had tipped them off that there was a Buick inthe area—the parts wouldn't fit their Mazda, but DirkSchouten would make them fit Six stories down, at thebottom of the same building Carmen DesOrmeaux wascooking the sparse food that Nicholas 'the Strangler'Bradley had 'bought' from Ron Nurwisah a week earli-er, with some knives that Daliah Merzaban had made. Itwas cold, but getting warmer. Ian Sonshine was stayingout longer and longer, soon they'd head north to meetup with Aisha Jamal's group. • They'd split up inSeptember at Holland Gidney'e suggestion, she'd takenTristan Winch and Tara Westover and the rest to makea camp for the winter up by the near-legendary DuncanMcHugh's turf. They'd meet at the river near JuliaChristensen's cabin, where she lived with Helen Eadyand Regina Yung. Back at the apartment building AliciaMiller spotted a pidgeon, an auspicious sign. It lookedlike it was going to be a good day after all, but not forLisa Denton...
Canadian • -University
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HE UBYSSEY1 0f Friday, January 26, 2001 Op/Ed Page Friday—the Ubyssey Magazine
So Ion n yTwo weeks ago it looked like that the MolsonIndy was moving to Montreal because of devel-opment in the False Creek area. Now it's not sosure, but no matter. Even the slightest chancethat this hailed farce of an event is leaving towngot everyone up in arms.
The question is, do we care if the Indy moves?The answer is no.But a lot of other people freaked out, includ-
ing the Province, whose front page read; 'NoFun City, Again...We're losing the Indy.' Thisheadline was accompanied by the sulkingwords: 'First the fireworks leave Vancouver;now our top sporting event is moving toMontreal.'
Boo hoo.The announcement was reminiscent of the
recent death of another 'major cultural event'the Benson and Hedges Symphony of Fire.
In 1997, the House of Commons passed BillC-71, which stated that by 2003, all sponsorshipby tobacco companies must end. However, a sec-tion of the bill that demanded a drastic reduc-tion of the amount of advertising allowed fortobacco companies prompted an early with-drawal of Benson and Hedges from the event
Now it looks like we're not going to lose theIndy after all. That's too bad. When it looked likewe might, a lot of people said the loss of the Indywould be just another blow to Vancouver's econ-
omy and self-esteem. Now we'll never know.But since when does 'having fun' involve
tickets upwards of $100? And do we have to turnout by the tens of thousands, do we have to becrammed into tight spaces, surrounded bysweaty beefcake fiat boys, overcharged for beer,and with a bad seat for actually seeing what'sgoing on to have fun?
There are loads of festivals and eventsthroughout the year for all different tastes thatare just as fun, if not more fun, than watchingpeople driving around a track or watchingexpensive pyrotechnics explode as you squatbetween a family picnic and a garbage can in apark a quarter of a mile away from the action.
'No Fun City' should read 'Lazy City.' Ratherthan going out and finding their own fun, citi-zens of Vancouver prefer to be taken by the handand led to the beach or the track, there to bask inthe glow of over-hyped corporate sponsorship.
It's not our city that isn't fun. It's us. Fun, itseems, has become just another aspect of ourannual routine—like the Superbowl, or theOscars, or Christmas, or the Indy, or the fire-works: all overhyped, and entirely predictable.
What really happens at the Molson Indy any-way? People get injured, people's ears get blownoff. What happens at the Symphony of Fire?There were some fancy fireworks, people weredrunk, and some people got busted for drinking
on the streets because there were $310,850worth of cops roaming the streets. Fun.
For the rest of the city, those who prefer notto have their fun force-fed to them in a hail offire and a flurry of squealing tires, there wereother events going on that weekend. There weregreat exhibitions of local art hanging in the gal-leries. Art not your thing? Well then you couldhave strolled through Stanley Park and endedwith a picnic watching a game of cricket Cricketnot your thing? Well there was surely a greatgame of beachball needing a few more playersdown on Jericho. Or what about some mountainbiking up at Seymour.
And at night, if you weren't all funned out,you might have checked out a piece of local the-atre playing at the Firehall or some other smallvenue. Or maybe a band down at the Brickyard.Or a movie at the Blinding Light!, Or maybe toomuch beer down at the Cambie, or the Ivanhoe,where people will try to sell you stolen clothes,batteries, maybe a leg of lamb. But they will notcharge you six bucks for a beer, and it's notstanding room only.
But we're not here to dictate to you the dif-ference between high culture and low culture, orwhat to do with your Saturday night, or Sundayafternoon. We just don't appreciate it when thepowers that be try to tell us what's fun andwhat's not about this city. •
lettersLatimer sentence tooharsh, petitioner says
The harsh sentence handed downto Robert Latimer has greatly dis-turbed many Canadians. I would begrateful if the Ubyssey could helpspread the news of the petition to
the Government of Canada regard-ing Robert Latimer sponsored bythe Canadian Civil LibertiesAssociation, so that as many signa-tures from the UBC faculty, staffand students sympathetic toLatimer can be collected.
The petition calls upon theGovernment of Canada: a) to take
whatever steps are necessary togrant Robert Latimer executiveclemency so that his imprisonmentis substantially reduced and b) tointroduce legislation amending theCriminal Code as to abolish thosemandatory minimum sentencesthat permit no exception whatever,no matter how extenuating the cir-
cumstances.The petition can be downloaded
in PDF form from the web:http://www.robertlatimer.com
Thank you very much.
—William HsiehUBC Associate Professor
Earth and Ocean Sciences
UBYSSEY
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CHOOSE FREEDOMat the Regent College Lookout Galleryuntil January 27th
Choose Freedom is an art exhibit dedicat-ed to Biblical ideas of slavery and libera-tion. The artists each have a unique viewof what these concepts mean, and theyuse different media to communicate it.
Much of the artwork is contemplative."The Call,' a photograph by CarmenTome, shows a cross above breakingwaves. The seascape seems to move with-in the photograph, giving a nice counter-point to the stationary cross.
°Scars & Tears Wiped Away' by JimGladden is a stunning acrylic painting. Ituses teardrop shapes so vividly it's asthough their colour pops out of the can-vas. 'Equestrian,' on the other hand, isvery still but equally powerful. DavidRobinson's statuette is of a man, possibly
a prisoner, bound to a horse. He has alook of serenity despite beingN
Friday, January 26, 200011 1
clothed only in ropes—perhaps accept-ance, or quiet pride?
Some of the pieces are more apocalyp-tic in tone. 'A Plague of Frogs' by KateRose depicts hundreds of frogs overtak-ing an Egyptian hall of sculpted columns.The detail is intense and very precise,showing what the wrath of God reallylooks like.
"Dreaming of Lions—The Gates' byJames Tughan is a large painting depict-ing an invasion with fiery meteors fallingfrom the skies. The scene has been updat-ed, with signalmen and people with flash-lights laying siege to a city.
The last piece, "The Truth Will MakeYou Free' by Friedrich Peter, is the sim-plest: a beautifully-coloured calligraphy ofthe words "You will know the truth, andthe truth will make you free.' This for me,sums up the whole idea of the exhibit theartists are looking, as we all do, for free-dom from something in our lives. •:*
Page Friday—the Ubyssey Magazine Culture
Good return on tech stocks
Love libertyby Daniel Silverman
TAKING STOCK OF TECHNOLOGYDavid Rokeby Exhibitat the Presentation House Galleryuntil Feb. 18
Confusion. In a word, that was my first reac-tion to David Rokeby's current exhibit at thePresentation House Gallery—and it was proba-bly part of the point he's trying to make.
Bedraggled and cold from yet anotherrainy Vancouver afternoon, I was soothed bythe simple, white gallery walls of thePresentation House, with its subtle combina-tion of natural and track lighting in the mainroom. As I looked around to take stock of theplace, there was not much out in plain view.
I wandered over to a wall covered with acurious flow-chart concept-map. The chart iscomprised of qualitative opposites like 'satu-rated' and 'unsaturated,' connected to andbranching out from other words. At the bot-tom of the wall display are toy-like objects,such as pears and dinosaurs velcroed to the
wall. The chart was puzzling, though it wasapparent that there had to be some structurebehind the piece. Only later did I read theexplanation on the entry-way wall, whichinformed me that 'the wall display mimics thebinary process a computer might use to visu-ally identify objects.' Ahhl Of course!
I joined some of the other patrons in one ofthe two sequestered rooms in the gallery."Watch' is a dark, secluded room with two largeprojection screens producing mirror images ofa busy street corner. The right screen is areverse negative of the left screen. Every sooften, the right screen flashes, as though a pho-tograph is being taken. This is not a prerecord-ed video, but a live surveillance tape of thestreet corner just outside the gallery. Withoutknowing it, I had been under surveillance only15 minutes ago as I crossed the intersection,heading towards the gallery. Every five minutesor so, the cameras slowly change their focusfrom the streetcorner to the room in which theaudience watches. When this happened, there
was a small, nervous laughter as peoplerealised that they were suddenly on the spot. Afew daring individuals even played with thescreen's special effects by walking quicklyaround the room, to see their paths of motion.
Apart from an Orwellian reiteration of tech-nology's invasion of privacy through noncon-sensual surveillance, Rokeby may also be tryingto address the interactivity of technology withthis exhibit. As viewers, we become involved inthe art before we are even aware of it.
'Giver of Names,' another dark room, hasa computer monitor glowing, showing wordsgrouped together, seemingly by free-associa-tion. A three-foot platform stands in the mid-dle of the room with a camera and two lightsshining directly on top of it. Children's toysare strewn around the Platform, and justabove it hangs a two-foot square, free-hangingscreen.
Participants are supposed to place toysonto the pillar, and the objects' images areimmediately outlined and projected onto the
by Carmen DesOrmeaux
screen. Certain words become highlighted onthe monitor and the computer then constructssentences and, recites them.
When I placed a naked Mr. Potato Headface up on the pillar the computer said "Theunrhetorical circle that a select grey Afghansurrounds talked of these plentiful hornswhich a Fuji answered by up until a barely dis-agreeable passover (longing).' Makes sense—sort of. The computer came up with similarsentiments for everything that the audienceplaced on the pillar—more or less syntacticallycorrect but lexically nonsensical. The comput-er's voice software also had a tendency to mis-pronounce words.
Evidently, a substantial amount of sophisti-cated software went into this project. Theexhibit emphasises the theme of interactivity.Participants reacted in an immediate way withthe technology, altering the outcome of the art.Rokeby is trying to create an explicit aware-ness of how technology improves and impairs,but most certainly influences, our lives...)
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Thunderbird Hockey & VolleyballMen's Hockey vs Calgary
Fri & Sat, Jan 26 & 270..fr 7:30 pm Thunderbird
Winter Sports Centre
Women's & Men's VolleyballFri & Sat, Jan 26 & 27
6:15 pm & 8:00 pmWar Memorial Gym
24 Hr Scores & Info822-BIRD
athletics.ubc.ca
THE UBYSSEYMeeting times. Everyone welcome. Volunteers Needed.
VOLUNTEERS: Tuesdays 11:30NEWS: Tuesdays 12:30
CULTURE: Tuesdays 1:30PHOTOS: Tuesdays 2:30
STAFF: Wednesdays 12:30
.e■
THEUBYSSEY
WOMEN'SISSUE
MARCH 212001
Dream b nvest early.
For any womeninterested in con-tributing to the
Ubyssey's annualwomen's issue, therewill be a story meet-
ing at 1:30 pm onWednesday, January31, for writers, pho-
tographers, andartists.
For more informa-tion contact Julia at
[email protected] Daliah at 822-
- 2301
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