the dialog science & technology issue

Jan. 21–Feb. 3, 2014

GBC iPad loans put high-tech learning at your fingertips P.7

Polar vortex: A traveller’s nightmare P.4

Shoot videos like a pro with your iPhone P.9

Essential apps for GBC students P.6

GBC Student Newspaper • Founded 1982

THE

ISSUE

2 The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca

THE DIALOG IS...Managing EditorMick Sweetman

News EditorPreeteesh Peetabh Singh

Art Director/IllustratorSamantha Bullis

Multimedia ReporterDanilo Barba

Staff ReportersAlena KhabibullinaTina Todaro

ContributorsJason Miller

Follow us on Social Media!Facebook.com/thedialogonlineTwitter: @thedialogonline

Drop by or contact The Dialog at:Room E122 - Casa Loma142 Kendal AvenueToronto, ON M5R 1M3www.dialog.studentassociation.caTel: 416-415-5000 ext. 2764Fax: [email protected]

The Dialog newspaper is published by The Dialog Collective under the auspices of the Student As-sociation of George Brown College. The collective is responsible for the overall vi-sion and direction of The Dialog newspaper, as it coincides with the larger vision of mission of the Student Association. The cost of producing a monthly newspaper is

in part defrayed by advertising revenue and largely subsidized by the Student Association. Occasionally, some advertisers, products and services do not reflect the policies of the Student Association. Opinions expressed in The Dialog are not necessarily those of The Dialog Collective, the Student Association of George Brown College, or its editorial staff. The Dialog will not publish any material that attempts to incite violence or hatred against individuals or groups, particularly based on race, national origin, ethnicity, colour, gender, sexual ori-entation, age or disability. Contributions to The Dialog are always welcome. We request that articles be submitted as digital copies in plain-text (TXT) or rich- text (RTF) format. Letters to the editor can be sent in an email message to [email protected]. Images should be in EPS format as vector images or TIF format (Mac or PC).

The Dialog is a member of CUP, the Canadian University Press

The Dialog is published by the Student Association of George Brown College

NEWSJanuary 21–February 3, 2014

MICK SWEETMANMANAGING EDITOR

Are you a student looking for something to do next summer? Brad Duguid, Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU), has a plan for students. They can volunteer at the 2015 Pan Am Games and have their pre-study OSAP contribution waived or have the province pay the interest on their student loans for a year after graduating. Tanya Blazina, a spokesperson for MCTU, says it could amount to $2,800 in relief for an estimated 3,500 returning students. For another 1,000 student volunteers who graduate in 2015 the government will pay the interest on their OSAP loans for one year. According to the Labour Force Survey, in 2013 Ontario had a summer unemployment rate of 22.3 per cent for full-time students

OSAP break for Pan Am games volunteering ‘a little bit ridiculous’aged 17-19 and 15.1 per cent for students aged 20-24. For students with jobs, only 54 per cent found part-time work last summer. “The issue isn’t that students don’t have the experience to get ahead in the labour market, the issue is that there’s not enough jobs for them,” said Alastair Woods, the chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students – Ontario (CFS-O). Dugiud says student volunteers would work, “probably very long shifts. When you volunteer for the games you’re volunteering to work pretty close to full-time on them, if not full-time,” for the six-week period during the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games. “We want to make sure that students can’t qualify for the break by simply putting in a couple of hours of time and then not show-ing up anymore,” said Duguid. “They’ll be a very stringent record kept of volunteers and the hours they put in.”

The ministry estimates a graduating student with $20,000 in student loans could save up to $1,400 by having one year’s interest waived. According to Balzina, student volunteers who want to qualify for the OSAP break will be required to work 12 shifts during the Pan Am games and six shifts during the Parapan Am Games. An exact number of required hours was not provided. “I think the plan is a little bit ridiculous. I actually don’t think that it’s going to provide significant support to students that need it the most,” said Woods. “It follows this piecemeal approach to financial assistance where rather than create a comprehensive system of non-repayable grants they’ve turned financial assis-tance into an episode of Extreme Couponing.” There are 18 venues for the games skirt-ing Lake Ontario from Welland to Oshawa. The venue furthest north is the Caledon Equestrian Park, just south of Highway 9

between Newmarket and Orangeville. According to Woods, students from outside the GTA voiced their concerns to MCTU Deputy Minister Deborah Newman at the CFS-O Annual General Meeting in Toronto on the weekend. “Many of our members from Northern Ontario said, ‘How is this going to help us? Are we going to be expected to fly down to Toronto and stay in a hotel just for an oppor-tunity to not work and volunteer for almost a month?’ I think there’s a geographic dispar-ity there and I don’t think the government thought it through very well,” said Woods. Duguid said, “students outside the GTA that want to volunteer are absolutely wel-come to, but they’ll have to find ways to get down to the Toronto area or some of the other venues that are north of Toronto.” Students who want to volunteer can fill out a form on www.toronto2015.org.

Canadians killed in the Korean War. That’s greater than the capacity of the

360 Restaurant at the top of the

CN Tower.

516

68,800Canadians killed in World War I. That’s 3.5 times the

capacity of the Air Canada Centre.

47,000Canadians killed in World

War II. That’s roughly the capacity of the

Rogers Centre.

6DATA FROM: VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA, FORCES.CA, COSTS OF WAR PROJECT, & SYRIAN OBSERVATORY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. FIGURES ABOVE ARE ROUNDED.

The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca INFOGRAPHIC: SAMANTHA BULLIS/THE DIALOG

110,000Total death toll in Syria to

present. That’s equivalent to the number of passenger trips taken daily to and from Union Station.

138Number of Canadians killed in action in Afghanistan as of the end of 2012. That’s the capacity

of two full streetcars.

CANADIAN MILITARY SERVICE

9,900Currently living

Korean War Veterans

26,791 Number of Canadians that served in the Korean War

0Currently living World

War I Veterans

650,000Number of Canadians that

served in World War I

91,400Currently living World

War II Veterans

1,000,000Number of Canadians that

served in World War II

Number of Iraqis that are currently internally displaced or the have left Iraq. That’s

roughly equivalent to the entire population of Toronto.

In a country as peaceful as ours, it’s often hard to wrap one’s head around the realities of conflict. Therefore, we’ve put together this infographic to help put the facts and figures in a less abstract and more uniquely Torontonian context.

MICK SWEETMANMANAGING EDITOR

The Dialog’s Art Director/Illustrator Sa-mantha Bullis won the prestigious John H. McDonald (JHM) award for excellence in student journalism the layout and design cat-egory for her infographic “War & Conflict a Torontonian Perspective.” Bullis, a student in George Brown College’s graphic design program, was also a finalist in the comics and best front page categories. “I’m thrilled to have been shortlisted and am ecstatic to have won.” said Bullis. “Our new staff has put the paper on an upward trajectory and I’m excited to see where we’ll take it in the future.” The Dialog’s news editor Preeteesh Peetabh Singh was a finalist in the sports writing category. According to the website for the national conference of Canadian University Press (CUP), the JHM awards were envisioned to be similar in character to the National Newspaper Awards started by the Toronto Press Club in 1949. There was a total of 570 entries for this year’s JHM awards in 21 categories. The full list of JHM award finalists can be viewed on the CUP website.

The Dialog’s Samantha Bullis wins JHM award for layout and design

CORRECTION In our Jan. 7 issue, a photo in the article “Big Brothers and Sisters at GBC men-tor high school students” credited a photo to Alena Khabibullina. The photo was in fact supplied by the GBC Community Partnerships office. The Dialog regrets the error.

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

DAILY CHECK UP

3The Dialog • dialog.studentassociation.ca

Toronto Design Offsite Festival Various times, Jan. 20–26 Various locations across the city; see todesignoffsite.com

Interior Design ShowVarious times, Jan. 23–26 Metro Convention Centre North Building, 255 Front St. W. interiordesignshow.com

Women’s Basketball 6 p.m.Alex Barbier Gym, St, James

Men’s Basketball 8 p.m.Alex Barbier Gym, St, James

Women’s Basketball 6 p.m.Alex Barbier Gym, St, James

Men’s Basketball 8 p.m.Alex Barbier Gym, St, James

Women’s Volleyball 6 p.m.Alex Barbier Gym, St, James

Men’s Volleyball 8 p.m.Alex Barbier Gym, St, James

Defining Greatness: Steven Spielberg7 p.m.750 Spadina Avenue. $11, $6 for students. Shlomo Schwartzberg discusses Spielberg’s work.

The StreetKnit Project7 p.m.Annette Library (145 Annette), Free.

WinterliciousJan. 31–Feb. 13, various times Various locations. See toronto.ca/winterlicious for details.

Bees, Pollinators and Insect Wonders6:30 p.m. OCAD U, 230 Richmond West. Free lecture.

Can we afford FORD more years?7 p.m.612 Markham. Free dicussion.

Last day to withdraw from a course or from an entire program (Winter 2014 Term)

PLAR submission deadline for Spring 2014 term

Women’s Volleyball 1 p.m.Alex Barbier Gym, St, James

Men’s Volleyball 3 p.m.Alex Barbier Gym, St, James

GBC Comedy Fest7 p.m.St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts$14.50 for GBC students and $40 for non-GBC students

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January 21–February 3, 2014

Make your voice heard and see your work published in print and online in The Dialog! We are looking for both paid staff and volunteers to fill the following roles:

• Staff Reporter• Sports Reporter• News Contributors• Arts & Life Contributors• Opinion & Humour Contributors• Photo & Video Contributors• Distribution Staff• Have another idea? Pitch it to us!

For more information on these opportunities and moreabout how you can get involved with The Dialog, check out dialog.studentassociation.ca.


Don't hate the media, become the media. -Jello Biafra


NEWS

TINA TODAROSTAFF REPORTER

When you travel you never know what to expect. Travelling in Canada during the win-ter can bring about possible thoughts of piercing cold air hitting your face. Or on the brighter side, the thrill of speed when you hit the slopes. But thoughts of learning and information went through my head this year as I prepared myself for a trip to Ed-monton for the Canadian University Press’ (CUP) National Conference. My patience was tested on Jan. 8 as well as that of my colleague Danilo Barba, as our anticipated flight to Edmonton was cancelled. What happened next will always be remembered and will most likely make me rethink the choice of airline, the next time I travel. According to Environment Canada me-teorologist Geoff Coulson, “Jan. 7 was one of Toronto’s most bone-chilling tempera-tures since Jan. 21, 2005,” which caused major problems at Pearson. After scrambling to find another flight, the next morning I received an email from West Jet about an available flight to Ed-monton, and eventually we were rebooked. Arriving at the airport the next day

around noon we went through the nor-mal airport routine. Check-in and security check went smoothly, but then came the four hour wait till boarding time, as our flight had been delayed till after 4 p.m. Pearson was full of people travelling to various places, but at gate 66, getting around people was difficult as “470 guests,” were waiting to board flight 3017 to Cal-gary, according to Robert Palmer, manager of media and public relations for West Jet. We stopped at various shops during our wait and even went for a drink at an airport bar in a desperate effort to kill time. Around 4 p.m. the plane rented from the U.S.A. finally arrived, massive to say the least. We became aware of just how in-convenient this situation was, not only for us but for all the other guests as well. Ready to board, airport personnel in-formed about the crew members’ man-datory custom routine after crossing the boarder – which was normal and fine with us. Not too long after, they came on the in-tercom again, this time to inform us all that customs checks were a success but unfortu-nately work permits had not been issued to the American crew on board. Another delay. “You have got to be kidding me!” I said to Danilo, as my facial expression turned form

obvious excitement to definite frustration. After spending nine hours at the airport, waiting, we were finally on board and ready for take-off. Sharing our row in the aircraft, a lady from Calgary named Alisha had been anx-iously waiting for her flight for 12 hours after being stuck in Toronto the day before after her flight was cancelled. Although she said she was frustrated waiting all day, she was grateful to now be on her way home. A kind soul, she made our flight much more bearable. She was not only a fellow passenger throughout the flight, but became a friend as well. Words and jokes were exchanged for the next three hours - and I must say, she may have been the only passenger in my two previous times flying, that I have had en-joyed sitting beside. Upon arriving in Calgary, we said our goodbyes and headed into the airport in an attempt to find our luggage. But our bag-gage was nowhere to be found, being one of 1,100 bags according to Palmer, and no one could give us a straight answer as to where it could’ve possibly been. We then hopped on a bus outside the airport on route to Edmonton airport, where we were hoping we’d find our luggage. Fortunately our exhaustion allowed us to

sleep just after we left the Calgary airport, and when we woke up we were entering Edmonton. I should probably mention that initially we were supposed to take a con-necting flight from Calgary to Edmonton, but had to take a bus because there were no more flights; so we were offered a taxi voucher to get us to our hotel. We hurried off the bus with feelings of utter grumpiness and headed into the Ed-monton airport. About five minutes later we realized that no one had not told us where to pick up the taxi voucher, so we started walking around the airport looking for West Jet personnel. From baggage services, to the taxi, and back to baggage services, we were finally told to go to a counter where travellers could receive their vouchers - what a mess! We grabbed the voucher, hopped in the taxi and thankfully arrived at the hotel. When we got to the hotel, to our sur-prise, I had been registered for a room but for some reason Danilo had not been - what more could happen! We ended up finding a place to sleep and were so excited to hit the pillow. Once in bed, we were at ease, until the symphony of snores began from the room-mate in the next bed.


A TRAVELLER’S

NIGHTMAREPHOTO: SHAWN SIROIS/LE COLLECTIF


Sports Score Updates

SPORTS

Men’s basketball team aiming for the nationalsPREETEESH PEETABH SINGHNEWS EDITOR

The Huskies men’s basketball team came back strongly after their loss to Durham in the last game to beat Centennial (92-74) in their league match on Jan. 15 at the Alex Barbier Gym. Maintaining their lead in the first three quarters with scores of 26-13, 20-12 and 28-23, George Brown College (GBC) looked in prime form. A spring in the stride for the Colts who lead the last quarter 26-18 was not enough to tip the game. The Colts missed easy scoring chances throughout the game which cost them the game. Centennial Colts player Kendell Wilson ex-pressed his disappointment on the loss “They were all over us. They knew exactly what they were doing and it was really hard for us to get back into the game.” The capacity crowd anticipated a tough game as two top-seeded teams met for the second time in their league matches. Last time they met, Centennial won 101-84.

“We didn’t do anything different for Centennial, we had the same game plan as last time,” said GBC men’s basketball coach Jonathan Smith. “Our biggest problem for the whole year has been consistent effort for 40 minutes. Our practice session involves lot of running, taking charges, not being afraid to take charges, diving on the floor. We are very talented team but we still have to work hard to hopefully get to the provincials and the nationals,” said Smith. Joseph Wani was the top scorer for the Colts with 33 points but Huskies’ Vadim Halimov stole the show with 40 points followed by Ted Johnson’s 11 and Akai Nettey’s eight. “Right now every game is crucial. If we play hard, we are going to compete,” said Nettey. The Huskies followed this game with an-other tight win against Canadore (91-87) on Jan 19. They stand second in the east division with 10 wins and three losses. The women’s basketball team has a lot of catching up to do as they trail behind in sixth place following two back to back losses to Dur-


ham (64-47) and Centennial (60-49). GBC men’s volleyball team faced a heartbreaking loss to Fleming (3-2) but fol-lowed up with two wins, thrashing Trent (3-0) and La Cite (3-1). Shaun Lassla im-pressed with 14 kills and 5 digs against Trent, whereas John Luu was the top scorer against La Cite with 12 kills and 14 digs. With nine wins and three losses, the men’s volleyball team are currently in the third position. The women’s volleyball team secured a win against Fleming (3-2), lost the next one to Trent (3-0) but followed up with a win against La Cite (3-0). Patricia Niengue ended up as the top scorer in all three games with 12 kills and 14 digs against Fleming, 7 kills and 7 digs against Trent and 11 kills and 8 digs against La Cite. The women’s volleyball squad is currently in seventh position with six wins and six losses.

PHOTO: PREETEESH PEETABH SINGH/THE DIALOG

GBC Huskies gave a hard time to the Centennial Colts throughout the game, beating them 92-74.

Women’s BasketballRegular Season GamesDurham 64 George Brown 47Centennial 60 George Brown 49Huskies 6th in OCAA East Men’s BasketballRegular Season GamesDurham 81 George Brown 73George Brown 94 Centennial 74 George Brown 91 Canadore 87Huskies 2nd in OCAA East Women’s VolleyballRegular Season GamesGeorge Brown 3 Fleming 2 Trent 3 George Brown 0George Brown 3 La Cite 0Huskies 7th in OCAA East Men’s VolleyballRegular Season GamesGeorge Brown 2 Fleming 3 George Brown 3 Trent 0 George Brown 3 La Cite 1 Huskies 3rd in OCAA East

CULINARY ARTS...................................................................................................

MyMetro AppThis free app isn’t just a recipe book. It also allows users to make interactive grocery lists and check out food coupons and flyers. Free (iOS)

How to Cook EverythingHow to Cook Everything contains thou-sands of recipes and detailed instruction. It also includes a timer in the app itself to ensure a perfect cooking time. $9.99 (iOS)

DANCE...................................................................................................

8CountsAn app that allows you to organize and make notes on choreography on the go.$0.99 (iOS)

GRAPHIC DESIGN...................................................................................................

Brief BuddyInvaluable assistance on working with some-times challenging creative briefs.$2.99 (iOS) & $3.07 (Android)

Behance Creative PortfolioDownload your Behance work to your de-vice to show it off even when offline.Free (iOS)

PaperA beautiful basic sketching application.Free, in-app purchases available (iOS)

BUSINESS..........................................................................................

iCurrency PadA currency converter with a wide range of extra features and a professional, visually ap-pealing interface design.$0.99 (iOS)

BloombergYour one-stop shop for business news from the massive Bloomberg network. Free (iOS, Android, Blackberry, Samsung, Windows Phone, Nokia)

CONSTRUCTION...................................................................................................

FingerCADA tool for technical drawing on the go.$5.99 (iOS)

Architect’s FormulatorTons of formulas and calculation tools for plan-ning materials, structure, and more. $9.99 (iOS)

FASHION..........................................................................................

ShopstyleSearch for different clothing items from hun-dreds of fashion site.Free (iOS)

StylebookAdd photos of your clothing or designs to plan outfits from your device.$3.99 (iOS)

Dropbox/Google DriveNever forget an important file at home again: keep your files on the cloud. Free (iOS & Android)

LinkedInNetwork with colleagues and look for job postings tailored to your skills.Free (iOS & Android)

CalenMobSync your Google Calendar to your device.Free (iOS)

PocketFound an article you like but have no time to read it? Save it to Pocket for later enjoyment. Free (iOS & Android)

EvernoteTake notes, make checklists, then sync them across your devices for maximum productivity. Free (iOS & Android)

Adobe ReaderOpen up PDFs on the go. Free (iOS & Android)

Official George Brown AppThis app is great for navigating the school, accessing secure login schedules and grades, important contact information, social media, and library services.Free (iOS & Android)

Catchup‘CATCHUP’ is a new location-based alumni networking and recruitment platform being developed by a GBC student. It aims to help students and young graduates in finding refer-ral jobs, internships and business opportuni-ties through their school network. CATCHUP is in private testing mode. Follow its launch at @lets_catchup.

NURSING...........................................................................................

NurseTabs: FundamentalsIncluded in this app are step-by-step instructions on a wide variety of standard nursing procedures. $9.99 (iOS & Android)

Nursing CentralAccess to information from a database of thousands of drugs, a medical dictionary, and the MEDLINE/PubMed database. Free (iOS, Android & Blackberry)

PERSONAL TRAINER (NM).........................................................................................

Bit TimerA simple interval timer with an easy-to-use, appealing interface.$0.99 (iOS)

Instant Heart RateUse your device to measure your clients’ heart rates. Amazing!Free (iOS, Android)

THEATRE.........................................................................................

iPerformKeep track of auditions and contacts, as well as related finances and bookings.Free (iOS & Android)

ASL (CHECK NAME)..........................................................................................

ASL Video FlashcardsWhile it is useful primarily for beginners, this app does a good job of teaching es-sential words and phrases to communi-cate with deaf family and friends.$1.99 (iOS) $2.99 (Android)

DENTIST (NAME)..........................................................................................

Dentistry ProConsultDesigned for students, this app is intended to be used for review of dental procedures.Free (iOS & Android)

PHYSICAL THERAPY..........................................................................................

Muscle and Bone Anatomy 3DThis 3D tool will allow you to show your cli-ents exactly where their injuries are.

$4.99 (iOS & Android)

ESL..........................................................................................

BusuuA language-learning app equipped with thousands of words.Free (iOS & Android)

SpeakingPal English TutorThis app focuses on improving speech by using the device’s microphone. Free (iOS & Android)

VoxyGames and quizzes make this app a fun way to work on English. Free (iOS & Android)

PROGRAM-SPECIFIC APPS

GREAT APPS FOR STUDENTS

We’ve assembled this list to help you load up your mobile device with apps designed to help support

your learning, whether it be for your specific program or for keeping all of your work

together and on-track.

INFOGRAPHIC: SAMANTHA BULLIS/THE DIALOG


SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FEATURE

PREETEESH PEETABH SINGHNEWS EDITOR

How many of you know that you can borrow an iPad from the college library? As of September, the George Brown Col-lege (GBC) library now loans iPads to students on a three-day term. Edwin Cooke, user service representative at the Library Learning Commons (LLC) said, “Students requested for something lighter and little more accessible in comparison to a lap-top. So we got iPads.” “Like laptops, if you loan an iPad for eight hours, it gives you enough time to put on the applications that you may need and maybe go to class. But if you have it overnight, you are able to download any recordings that you have done and you are able to transfer any materials needed,” said Cooke. The process of lending an iPad is simple. If it’s your first time borrowing, you need to sign an agreement saying that you are respon-sible for the equipment. A student ID is good enough to borrow it thereafter. Currently St. James campus has 10 iPads; Casa Loma, 15; and Waterfront, 10. LLC is trying to get this number up to 32 in each campus in the next few months. “I was not aware of this service but now that I do, definitely I will be using it,” said aca-demic upgrade program student, Shelley Bee. Cooke said, “That’s one of the things we

are trying to figure out. How we make students aware? Especially for students who started in January, they get bombarded with so much in-formation. There is a newsletter going to every student once a week, so we put it in that. Word of mouth also works.” Shalom Lamanilao, completing his degree in financial services program said, “I am aware of the service, because one of my classmates borrowed an iPad and I saw him use it in the classroom. He uses the iPad to download the lecture instead of borrowing a laptop which is heavier. I think it is a good alternative to a laptop. In our program we are mandated to have our own laptop, but in case I forget my laptop, I can borrow an iPad from the library.” Not everyone is easily willing to borrow the iPad, Saad Ibrahim, academic upgrading program, was curious to know what happens if it gets damaged, misplaced or stolen during the loan tenure? The loan agreement states that students are required to assume responsibility and pay fines up to a maximum of $2000 for all repair or replacement costs in the event of loss, theft or damage to the equipment. A late fee of $25 per day is applicable if the iPad is not returned in time. GBC library also lends out AV equip-ment, projectors, digital cameras, voice recorders, presentation pointers, computer mice, portable DVD players, laptops and even mobile chargers.

GBC iPad loans put high-tech learning at your fingertips


WINNERS MAY RECEIVE UP TO $2,500, AND HAVE THEIR WORK INCLUDED IN AN EXHIBITION AT THE DESIGN EXCHANGE IN TORONTO!

DEADLINE: APRIL 15, 2014 DX.ORG/CONNECT

CALL FOR ENTRIES

CONNECT:ENABLING CHANGEPOST-SECONDARY DESIGNCOMPETITION 2013 – 14

CONNECT: ENABLING CHANGE IS A PROVINCIAL, POST-SECONDARY DESIGN

COMPETITION EXPLORING DESIGN THAT

IS ACCESSIBLE TO THE GREATEST NUMBER OF

PEOPLE, TO THE LARGEST EXTENT POSSIBLE,

REGARDLESS OF THEIR AGE OR ABILITY,

ACROSS ALL DESIGN DISCIPLINES.

OPEN TO ALL ONTARIO UNDERGRADUATE AND

GRADUATE STUDENTS IN ALL DESIGN FIELDS.

PRESENTED BY

User service representative Delmi Arbizu (left) hands an iPad to Shelley Bee (right). Bee was not aware of the iPad service, but she went to borrow one from the St. James library as soon as she got to know.

PHOTO: PREETEESH PEETABH SINGH/THE DIALOG


OPINIONJanuary 21–February 3, 2014

Monsanto: An unethical, tyrannical, biotechnological monster

ALENA KHABIBULLINA

Heavily criticized American multinational chemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto is pushing hard to restore its reputation after all of the ques-tionable businesses they have been doing over the last 100 years. One question comes up with multiple pro-tests against the company’s activity and prod-ucts: do they deserve our trust? Founded in 1901 by a self-educated U.S. chemist who brought the first artificial sweet-ener from Germany to the North American market. Monsanto became one of the four leading manufacturers of basic industrial chemicals in the 1940s. Following global industry trends, the com-pany has been always leading its corporate strategy towards higher market demands result-ing in profitability and strong business relation-ships with the government. 1947 was marked as one of the major disas-ters in the chemical industry – a French cargo boat carrying ammonium nitrate fertilizer to the Monsanto plant, blew up at its dock locat-ed in Texas, killing more than 500 people. In the late 1980s polystyrene that was produced mostly by Monsanto at that time, was listed as one of the ecologically hazardous chemicals by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In the late 1940s many complaints from the staff working on the company’s West Virginia plant got public attention due to high dioxin contamination which resulted in severe health problems, including cancer. Extremely toxic herbicides, including a dioxin called Agent Orange was sprayed over rainforest in Vietnam by the U.S. Army Chemical Corps. The Vietnamese government estimates about 400,000 people were killed or maimed; the next generation of kids were born with birth defects. Trying to minimize their responsibility, Monsanto lead a series of studies denying the plant’s pollution and the company’s participation in the Ranch Hand operation during the Vietnam War. In 1984 Monsanto paid more than $80 mil-lion as a main defendant in the lawsuit brought by war veterans suffering health disorders. Lat-er on most of the veterans were complaining about the lawyers’ betrayal and their exclusion from other health state benefits. The world’s central production of polychlo-rinated biphenyls (PCBs), widely used in electri-cal equipment industry was another Monsan-to’s plant in Illinois. This chemical was banned

in the U.S. in 1976 as a very toxic element that left a big ecological footprint. According to all studies, PCBs leave a high concentration of chemicals in the blood that causes immune sys-tem and reproductive abnormalities in wildlife including ocean life, animals and humans. An incident at the Times Beach in 1982 took the lives of domestic animals and left sev-eral kids with brain dysfunction and other im-mune disorders, due to spraying the dirt roads with waste dioxin sludge instead of waste oil. The Times Beach case reached the Reagan administration, but Monsanto claims they had no connection. During the same time period the company’s executives had a strong relation-ship with the EPA having regular lunch and dinner meetings with its representatives accord-ing to the Philadelphia Inquirer. One of the new generation herbicides; Roundup, widely promoted as an environ-mentally friendly chemical spray for general usage to prevent growth of leaf seedlings and bushes was banned in Vermont being very toxic to fauna, flora and human health. Monsanto paid multiple fines for violation of health stan-dards of its workers and many more penalties for unethical products’ promotion and compa-ny’s activity: $225,000 in 1998 for mislabeling Roundup containers, $108 million in 1986 for the leukemia death of a Texas employee, $1 million for a 200,000 gallon acid spill in 1991 in Massachusetts. Transforming its business to get into more profitable food industry Monsanto invented biotechnology products, Roundup Ready soybeans and other crops and seeds which were insect-resistant. Purchasing other seed companies, Mon-santo is definitely eliminate competition to its monopoly: the giant owns 85 per cent of U.S. cotton seed market. Moreover, one of the biggest achievements was bringing onto the company’s board Mickey Kantor, the for-mer U.S. secretary of commerce under the Clinton administration. History proves that this biotechnological monster is getting everything in its basket: sig-nificant monopoly, millions of dollars spent on advertising campaigns all over the world, gov-ernment support and labeling regulations. It leaves a North American customer unaware if what they eat is genetically modified or not. Total control of food and human’s health! This former Agent Orange producer is now feeding the world, leading an unethical and tyrannical business replacing the natural world with biotechnologies, leaving many people sick and local farmers bankrupt. I fear the next fuel war will be fought over food not oil.

PHOTOS: ALENA KHABIBULLINA/THE DIALOG

Above: Torontonian Giusi Gurl at the March Against Monsanto, Oct. 12, 2013 in Queen’s Park.

Left: MC Julie Daniluk, author, TV show host, nutritionist at the March Against Monsanto, Oct. 12, 2013, Queen’s Park, Toronto


SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FEATUREJanuary 21–February 3, 2014

DANILO BARBAMULTIMEDIA REPORTER

During the 76th national conference in Edmonton held by Canadian University Press (CUP), the Edmonton Journal’s photo-journalist Ryan Jackson showed us how to enhance our video skills without having to go through an entire school program. Do you have an iPhone in your pocket? Then you are now only eight steps away from making some purchasable shots.

1. Make sure you double-tap the screenFor iPhone 4G users, be aware that by de-fault your mobile phone only shows a 4:3 video image even though it is recording 16:9. All you have to do is just double-tap the screen to see the full 16:9 video im-age. Many people are not aware that their phones have this option. This tool can surely be essential for the success of your video.

2. Get a Dropbox if you don’t have one yetRecommended by Jackson during his workshop at the conference, the Dropbox App is nothing but a cloud storage free service that lets you put together your photos, documents, and videos and share them easily. You don’t have to keep all your pictures, videos and files in a pen-drive or in your phone, as you will get to the point of not being able to take more photos or record a moment because you are out of memory! Make your life easier by downloading this free App and getting rid of old stuff.

3. Choose Precorder App if you want to record the past

Precorder is a very useful video recording App that records the past. Whenever you need to record something that just happened, you hit the “Record” button on the App and it will start saving the video from 10 seconds ago. This can definitely save your time.

4. Get a microphone, lens adapters and a tripod for your InterviewsTo have a better and more professional au-dio in your videos you can get a microphone and an adaptor in one of these e-commerce websites, such as Ebay, Amazon or Best Buy. They are cheap and can bring you better results. And remember, the closer the mic, the better. To stabilize your phone and make sure your videos are not shaking, you can help yourself by acquiring a tripod for mobile phones. Then, you can record your videos with no disruptions. No tripod? A good trick is to hold your device horizontally using the palm of the hand while you support your el-bow with the other arm. Trust me, that really can change the game! Moreover, if you go to a press conference and lack of good lens to zoom in the image you are capturing or recording, you can just grab a lens adapter and connect to your cell phone. All this can help you feel more com-fortable in case you suddenly need to record a moment and you don’t have enough time to prepare yourself.

5. Keep it steadyAccording to Jackson, to produce a good video you have to keep the camera steady. No matter how steady you think you are

holding the camera, it will look shaky be-cause of the shutter speed and CMOS sen-sor. To make sure you are doing it properly, record dozens of varying angles and se-quences to keep the visual content of your video high. Another crucial tip is while ed-iting use the fast-paced editing to make the video interesting.

6. Think before you shootJackson claims that mindlessly shooting random video of everything that happens around is not that smart. Plan yourself in advance for a big occasion or scene. Go over different possibilities on your assignment. “Think before you hit record button, Is this boring? How can I make it not boring?”

7. Get multiple angles from the objectOnly grandma shoots at 45 degree angles, so no lazy 45’s if you really want people to like your video. Choose multiple close-ups and as much perspectives as you can. Three seconds per clip and around 20 shots within 60 seconds is considered good.

8. Shh! I’m taping that!The sensitivity of your iPhone works as a bubble, and you need your subject to be in-side that bubble. To do that with your built-in mic (which are terrible, but can save you in hard times) remember to stand as close as possible. Tie-clip mics or shotgun mics are incredibly handy and you will be surprised by how the quality of audio gives a fine detail to your production.

TINA TODAROSTAFF REPORTER

Acknowledged for his work as a physi-cian and continued advocacy for the To-urette Syndrome Foundation of Canada (TSFC), Dr. Morton Doran is being hon-oured, as he receives an appointment to the Order of Canada. A current professor at the University of Calgary, he teaches Anatomy while continuing to promote and raise aware-ness about Tourette Syndrome through the TSFC located in Malton, Ontario. Dr. Doran was diagnosed at the age of 35, after graduating medical school. “It was very frustrating and irritating, but it was easier to give into it than fight it,” said Dr. Doran. “I wasted a lot of time doing these ritualistic behaviours and I tried to hide it as best I could, once I heard about it and after reading books about it, then it was a lot easier because I could say to everybody that I had an explanation for the tics and all these other things.” Referring to the scrutiny diagnosed people receive while trying to accept their disorder, Dr. Doran explains that “In this day in age Tourette’s is pretty well known, people have heard a lot about it. So the advice that I would give whether you are on medications or not, is to ac-cept it in the same way as you would ac-cept someone with diabetes for instance – you wouldn’t make fun of someone for that. It is other people’s problems that they don’t accept it, not your problem. Accept it and move on.” In the way of education, Dr. Doran believes that the educational system is doing what they can, but it is up to the person who has Tourette’s to educate and inform others. Teachers should be made aware of the child’s diagnosis and to also educate their classes. The Order of Canada has recog-nized Dr. Doran’s accomplishments while having Tourette’s. “I don’t know if I qualify in my own eye, I don’t know for sure but it is a big honour – a big thing for people, I am very honoured to be thought of as worthy to receive this award,” said Doran. Through his advocacy work, Dr. Doran wants to continue to raise awareness of this disorder, inspiring others throughout their personal journeys with Tourette Syndrome.

Dr. Morton Doran appointed to Order of Canada

ILLUSTRATION: SAMANTHA BULLIS/THE DIALOG

Eight tips to record videos like a pro with an iPhone


Next Stage 2013 introduces the next generation of performers

ALENA KHABIBULLINASTAFF REPORTER

A team of George Brown College (GBC) choreographers, directors, instructors, work-ing artists, production and wardrobe interns showcased its talent in the annual event, Next Stage 2013 in December. “The performers consist of the gradu-ating class from George Brown commercial dance program,” said associate director of George Brown dance and director and pro-ducer of Next Stage 2013, Derek Sangster. “The class learns to work as an ensemble within the creative process, structured as any professional working company.” Being one of “Canada’s most sought-after dance instructors”, Sangster has a tremen-dous experience in various educational insti-tutions, at the Stratford and Charlottetown

ARTS & LIFE

festivals and even on different TV shows. “Next Stage is a culmination of all things learnt throughout a students’ time within the commercial dance program: work ethic, atten-tion to detail, performer responsibility, clarity, professionalism,” said Sangster. “It is hopefully the students’ window into the real world of producing and performing in a show.” Being the only college program in On-tario, commercial dance studies introduces the next generation of performers every year at the grand concert that students prepare in their study period. “Preparation begins within the final term of the three term program. All skills are tested throughout this final term and during performance preparation,” said Sangster. Hours of work and rehearsals under the guidance of faculty and artists like Derek Sang-ster, Dana Bondy, Nicola Pantin and many oth-

ers make the program really demanding. Program dancer Rena Berriault said, “This program was one of the most chal-lenging years of my life both physically and mentally. Hours and hours of practice, hard work and dedication.” “Our whole year of training lead to this performance, but I think in some cases like mine, my whole life lead up to this. I was actually accomplishing my dream sharing the stage with my P103 family,” said Berriault. “Having such supportive teachers and fam-ily members in the audience watching me, I became more myself than I had ever been. It is the greatest feeling of accomplishment and pride that I have ever felt.” Success on the stage would not be so sweet if it was not accompanied by difficulties behind the scenes: the group’s feelings towards each other turned stronger when one of the partici-

pants got injured the day before the show. “The most challenging part of the pro-duction process was when Alex Pearce, P103 student got injured during rehearsal,” said Lindsay Aquin, scholarship student and dancer. “It was hard to see our friend in pain who worked so hard for this moment all year. We had to re-block the show to accommodate the injury. When it initially happened, the stress level was high but we pulled together as a group and made it work.” Being able to focus at the task in hand; to make the least amount of changes possible but keep the quality of the show, the dance team delivered a brilliant show and are al-ready preparing for Unleashed 2014, April 16 and 17 at the Betty Oliphant Theatre.

Our whole year of training lead to this performance, but I think in some cases like mine, my whole life lead up to this.

–Rena Berriault, Commercial Dance program

PHOTO: JOHNNY VONG



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