charge the landlord sixty dollars for every hour that repairs go undone. If landlords are still noncompliant, the city will make the necessary repairs and recoup the cost from the building’s property tax. The mes-sage that the City of Toronto wants to convey is that landlords are better o� �xing problems themselves than having the city intervene.

If your roof is peeing on you and your landlord is ignoring you, you’ll be happy to know that ten-ants do not have to wait for an auditing team to arrive to �le complaints. Mobile o�ces will be set up where tenants can complain directly to the city about prob-lems in their respective buildings. Or, try calling 416-397-9200 to get your voice heard.

Calling out your landlordThe city will hear your voice THOMAS SHIFRER

City Events Bureau

Residents in poorly maintained build-ings can now breathe a sigh of relief: help is �nally on the way.

It’s no secret that we students are not the most �nancially prosperous demo-graphic of people. Between textbooks and tuition, meal plans and Metro-passes, most students can barely scrape together enough money to drown their sorrows at the local pub. Add to all this the volatile economy and living expenses which only continue to rise in downtown Toronto, and the result is that many students �nd themselves re-duced to the lowest standards of living, especially in terms of housing. This is accentuated by the fact that many of the buildings that students live in have gone without repair and due attention for years.

But there is now hope for those

Get pumped!

5 great reasons to sleep in

Keep your pants on

4

6

4

5

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University of Toronto’s community newspaper

Independent since 1978

January 22nd – 28th, 2009

Vol. XXXI, No: 16

1 Spadina Crescent, Suite 245, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A1Phone: 416 593 0552thenewspaper@thenewspaper.ca

Making Wavelengths

Origin of the Species beats out competition

the artsthe news

the newspaper

Photo: Sam Catalfamo

Français sans frontièresFrench Club dabbles in the arts HELENE GODERIS

Campus Clubs Bureau

One look around the U of T Art Centre Lounge - speckled with berets and black and white striped shirts - and you could see that the Francophile contingent was in full swing at Français sans Frontières.

Last Thursday’s gala art show was hosted by EFUT, U of T’s French Club. Led by President Antonin Mongeau, EFUT has proved itself highly active this year, and this show was yet another notch in their belt.

The night was a solid success. The richly varied pieces, curated by Rachel Jacobs, explored the relationship between language and art, playing with cultural cliches and ultimately revealing the dualities inherent in bilingualism.

Installation highlights include Courtney Kurysh’s piece, Lost in Transla-tion, featuring three versions of stories told by Francophones displayed beside each other - the story in its original language, a human translation and a computer-generated translation. This computer-translated version - a stilted, patchworky mutation - devoid of the human element, highlights exactly what can be “lost in the plot.”

Sara Berger’s Fil Rouge (The Red Thread) displayed �lm snapshots paired with photographic interpretations from the artist’s life; the common thread was the vibrant red color that jumped from the photographs.

In The Rues of Lafayette, Dimitri Artemenko poetically comments on that evocative French image of “roofs. The vast open spaces cut by narrow winding streets, the land of pigeons and the emotional escape of romantics.”

The show felicitously loosed France from its borders and brought it to U of T ground.

Although many of you missed out on the gala’s open bar, you don’t have to miss out on the artwork. Français sans Frontières runs through to January 31st at the U of T Art Centre Lounge, located at the north side of the UC quad.

Francophiles note: EFUT holds conver-sation clubs, free tutoring, movie nights and �eldtrips (including an upcoming Montreal trip). Visit the French Club at their 6th #oor o�ce at 21 Sussex Ave or email etudiants.francophones@uto-ronto.ca.

the newspaper

write between the lines

residents forced to deal with vermin, cockroaches, mould, leaks, and the like: the City of Toronto is planning to inspect 186 suspect buildings from now until December 1st, 2009, in 44 di�erent wards of the city. Buildings will be examined by a team of auditors from the Municipal Licensing and Standards Department who will focus on electri-city, hot water, heating systems, exterior grounds, elevators, balconies, roofs, and parking garages. Landlords will be noti-�ed of violations and will be expected to make necessary repairs.

Unlike past initiatives, this one will require landlords to take action that is not voluntary; the city is introducing harsh penalties against landlords who continue to neglect the condition of their buildings. Inspectors returning to the same building three times will

Curator Rachel Jacobs (right) stands in front of an installation with Francaise sans Frontieres artists.

The installation scene is at once lived in and yet roped o� from interaction. Photo: Helene Goderis

2 the newspaper January 22nd – 29th, 2009

the inside

the mission statementthe newspaper is proud to be University of Toronto’s ONLY independent

news source. We look to our readers and contributors to ensure we provide a

consistently superior product. Our purpose is to provide a voice for university

students, staff, faculty and U of T’s extended community.

This voice may at times be irreverent but it will never be irrelevant.

write between the lines

Administrative AssistantCaroline George

the newspaperPublisher

Matthew Pope

News EditorAshley Minuk

Arts EditorHelene Goderis

Copy EditorsElisabeth Bennett, Michelle Cassis

Tayyaba Jiwani

Layout & DesignJe!rey Spiers

Photo EditorSam Catalfamo

ContributorsJan Borkowski, Sandra De Grandis, Mathiaus Poe, D. Alexandre Portoraro,

Andy M. Potter, Miki Sato, Thomas Shifrer, Jake Steinmetz, Amina Stella

Editor-in-chiefAri Simha

Ads & MarketingPeter Josselyn

ads@thenewspaper.ca

Sometimes making it humourous isn’t funny.Then the joke’s on you.

Calling all writers, copy editors and artists!Have you ever wanted to work in journalism?

Would you like a chance to have you work published?

the newspaper is U of T’s ONLY independent newspaper, distributing across all 3 campuses as well as the surrounding community. This is an open call to all potential contributors. We want writers for politics, current events, sports, #nance, arts and more! We are looking for creators to submit %ash #ction, prose, poetry, photography, art, comics and anything else that falls out of your head. If you’d prefer to work behind the scene and help to edit and re#ne a weekly publication with 15,000 copies in circulation, then come see us.

One more important thing: we o!er free food! Yes! Come to our weekly open sta! meeting, EVERY Thursday @ 5pm in our o)ces. We will feed your face! Awesomeness!

We are on the South-West corner of St. George campus. Just North of College on Spadina.

We want YOU to write between the lines.

it’s a free-for-all!THE TABLE OF

CONTENTS

the front page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the jumbler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1

2

3

4,6

5,7

8

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the newspaper 3January 22nd – 29th, 2009

right and to take action against what you believe is wrong. I really do hope I piss you o!. I want to rouse you from your dogmatic slumber and compel you to act. Rage against me and while you’re at it, pick a few other targets. The media can be a two-way channel, provided you make the e!ort to actively engage it. Enough people said something to convince me to (at least temporarily) change the title of this column. That’s not an easy thing to do with me. So get your proverbial hamster back on the wheel and get your lazy ass o! the Xbox. The real battles are being fought here in the real world. If you’re not a combatant, you’re a casualty.

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THURSDAYS

TGIF! (Thank Guinness it’s Friday)

FRIDAYS

Live Music

SATURDAYS

Free Pool & Comedy

SUNDAYSPODCASTING AS HOGTOWNCOMEDYRADIO

(from our website)

All Day Breakfast and

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Game Room with plasma

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the editorial

the campus commentHELENE GODERIS

Conor Adami, 3rd year, Civil Engineering

“In Cameroon, my friends and I went hunting.

We ended up shooting and killing a small

monkey. Turns out it was Jeff’s pet monkey who

had escaped. We didn’t tell him.”

Daniel Leitch, 3rd year , Urban Studies

“It was my turn to take the 1st grade class

bunny home. I loved that goddamn bunny. But

after the first night, it got sick, and the next day

it started acting funny - hopping into things

and just acting fucked up. A couple hours

later it died a horrible death. It was shaking

and then it just flipped over. On Monday, I

had to tell the class that the bunny was dead.

AWKWARD.”

Biff

“I used to live with a chinchilla who took sexual

liberties with me when released from his cage.”

Michelle Cassis, 4th Year, Sociology

My cousins were playing with their Guinea

Pigs in the backyard when suddenly one went

missing. I looked up into a tree and saw a red

squirrel with the Pig in its mouth. Apparently

red squirrels are carnivorous - who knew?

Alexander Iliev, 3rd year, Industrial Engineering

“My mother would go to the butcher of our

Bulgarian village, Kichevo, and bring home a

bag of bones for the dog. She would boil them

until the smell emanated throughout the entire

house.” [spoken in thick, Bulgarian accent]

the newspaper asks students

to share their pet stories. Photos: Helene Goderis

Greetings to all, and welcome to “the column formerly known as ‘I hate People.’” After a considerable amount of deliberation, prompted by your feed-back, I’m experimenting with a name change. Apparently, there’s just some-thing about the phrase “I hate People” that leaves a bad taste in the mouths of, well, People. This is understandable and, to be honest, not unintentional. It is my sincere hope to inspire a visceral reac-tion in every one of my column’s readers.

You see, I really don’t need you to agree with me. It’s not that I don’t care which, for the record, I don’t. My primary objective is to incite widespread dissent and intellectual unrest. Get passionate, for or against me, regarding everything I write. THINK. To me, that is the ultimate purpose of journalism; to encourage people to think, to question the world around you. If you agree with everything you read in the newspaper (in any paper for that matter) then there is something seriously wrong with you.

True, we have an obligation to investi-gate and inform. But what is the ultimate purpose of that information? You’d be a gullible fool to simply believe everything you read. Journalists check their sources

PeopleLook: changeMATHIAUS POE

Opinion Column Bureau

and so should you. If you hear of some-thing you didn’t know before, do some reading to make sure the information is accurate. If you see something you don’t agree with, think about why.

Anyone who writes (who isn’t just jerking o!) is aiming to convince you of something, to bring you over to their side. Everyone has an angle, everyone has motives. Constantly question People on theirs, and re-check your own.

The work doesn’t stop there. You need to take action. If you disagree with someone or something, don’t just bitch to your friends, get it out there. Write a letter to the appropriate party, get in-volved in whatever cause you believe in. That is to say, engage in the debate. As long as you remain silent in the discus-sion, you contribute nothing and remain a passive observer.

So I challenge all of you reading this today to stand up for what you think is

4 the newspaper January 22nd – 29th, 2009

the news

ASHLEY MINUK

Community Concerns Bureau

Same old coldSo keep your snow-pants on

Spring is o!cially less than two months away – March 20th, to be exact – but it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to enjoy it any time soon. In case anyone has forgotten about last year, and the year before, and the year before that (as we tend to do), March and April are sorry excuses for “spring” in Toronto. So, it shouldn’t come as a shock that Environ-ment Canada predicts even more snow over the next two months.

Last weekend, some parts of To-ronto got more than 20 centimetres of snow, causing an increase in the number of tra!c accidents as motor-ists skidded down icy streets (I "nd that the toboggan is the most e!cient and crash-safe vehicle of the moment, fol-lowed closely by skis and ice skates).

While meteorologists expect blizzards to taper o# in the next few days (lucky us), Environment Canada warns us to gear up for an unusually snowy winter

(snow, really?). A monitoring station at Pearson International Airport has already measured nearly 115 centimetres of snow, which is about as much as we normally get over the entire season. By this time last year – the snowiest winter in 70 years – only 78 centimetres of snow had fallen. Forecasters say that this year, just like the last, we can expect lots of precipitation through the rest of January, February, and March.

So, once again, we can expect snow. Lots and lots of snow. Is anyone sur-prised? I don’t remember ever being warned of unusually sunny skies and mild temperatures; but who knows, perhaps some day global warming will rear its beautiful head in my back yard. Oh ya, in case I forgot to mention, this winter will also be unusually cold. I hadn’t even noticed.

Putting many at risk for an early death, our society is being pervaded by a silent epidemic. No, it is not a deadly virus wiping out whole cities at a time. Rather, the issue is the alarming increase in obesity rates in recent years. According to a CBC news report, 25% of Canadians aged 2-17 are overweight, and 20-50% of Canadian adults have a weight problem. While for some, the obesity problem is merely one of vanity, it more importantly concerns the fundamental health and well-being of individuals.

There are many complications that can arise from being overweight, the most severe involving heart attacks, strokes and diabetes. In many cases, people can signi"cantly reduce the risk of developing such complications by making the lifestyle changes necessary to achieve a reasonable body weight. But this isn’t an easy task, and many don’t know where to begin. Thus, education is a key factor in promoting preventative measures for obesity-re-lated health problems, a task soon to be undertaken by the University of Toronto Mini Health School.

The basic premise of the U of T Mini Health School is to provide people with knowledge for healthy living. From January 26th to March 29th, they will be conducting information lectures and sessions to inform the general community on how to kick-start and maintain a healthy lifestyle, including measures for reducing body fat. The lecture series will be given by various

speakers and "tness instructors, many of whom are U of T graduates from the Fac-ulties of Physical Education and Health, Kinesiology and Exercise Sciences, and other programs.

Many of the lectures and sessions will provide insight on how to make healthy eating and lifestyle part of our daily schedule. This should especially come in handy for students since our eating habits, which aren’t exactly the most re-"ned to begin with, are only made worse by hectic school (and perhaps work) schedules that tend to push health concerns aside. Other sessions will teach participants stress-management, injury prevention, age-appropriate nutrition, as well as the relationship between cardiovascular health and the brain.

Registration for U of T’s Mini Health School can be completed online and includes a discount for students and seniors, as well as a 20% discount if 4 or more people sign up together. What better way to start o# the New Year than by getting "t and informed at the same time? Still thinking about going to that keg party? Fine, but do keep in mind that beer contains major calories and calories equate to more weight gain. Beer bellies are not especially attractive, and neither is being just another statistic.

For more information and to register for the Mini Health School visit www.ac-fpeh.com/minihealth

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Campus Living Bureau

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Photo: Sam Catalfamo

Photo: Sam Catalfamo

Publisher Matthew Pope works out his journalistic guns on the old Globe and Mail layout and de-

sign desk in the newspaper o!ce. Without proper weights, he enlists the help of Arts Editor Helene

Goderis to get in a quick o!ce workout.

The newspaper sta# braves the frigid temperatures.

the newspaper 5January 22nd – 29th, 2009

Catch the WavelengthWeekly music showcase makes waves

the artsThe Wavelength reviewLanterns, Romo Roto and Steamboat

JAKE STEINMETZ

Musical Arts Bureau

Toronto has recently been recognized as a hot spot for new music, and if there is one Toronto event which reinforces this reputation, it’s Wavelength.

Wavelength is a weekly music series organized by Jonny Dovercourt and Ryan McLaren, held every Sunday at Sneaky Dee’s (southeast corner of College and Bathurst). At each event – referred to as “happenings” (more on that later) – three bands are featured, each with an unenforced set-time.

Currently, Wavelength has run for more than 446 shows, something which McLaren states is one of the organiza-tion’s greatest achievements. Ten years after its creation, Wavelength’s goal and purpose remains the same: “there are a bunch of separate little communities, little scenes that are going on, and what we try to do at Wavelength is to try to bring all those things together. We want to be the hub of all those things,” says McLaren. It is purely a community-based project, something that does not intend to “make a quick buck,” but rather to spread the music of varied bands.

When asked what makes a band a Wavelength band, McLaren e#ortlessly replies, “We’re more interested in people in bands that are in it because they’re trying to do something interesting, something cool. We’re not looking for people that are like, ‘well we’re trying to sound like this band because this band is popular.’ I mean, if you’re just trying to be on the radio, that might not $t with what we’re trying to do.” In other words, McLaren notes that although there is an audience for Jay-Z or Usher types, it doesn’t necessarily make a good $t for Wavelength.

Unlike other music events, Wave-length doesn’t consider its Sunday meetings as shows, but rather, as “hap-penings”. What’s the di#erence between a Wavelength show and a run-of-the-mill show? The answer can be found in McLaren’s own experience when he $rst started attending the weekly event. Having just moved to Toronto, McLaren got a job, but outside the people from his work, he wasn’t really meeting anyone new: “I was feeling claustro-phobic.” So one Sunday night, after randomly attending a Wavelength show, McLaren made it his goal to attend one every single week with the hope that he would meet friends through “osmosis”.

After being surrounded by people every Sunday, both familiar and new, McLaren soon found himself shaking hands with new people – one of which, needing a proofreader for the now-defunct Wavelength zine, led him to work for the organization. Eventually, McLaren found himself booking shows in the name of the event. If his experi-ence is to teach anything to newcomers, it’s that Wavelength is not only a show, but a “community hangout that you know is there,” an ongoing initiative that “represents the change in the city.”

By 2005, Wavelength had established itself in the Toronto music scene and organizers felt it possible to move in other directions, expanding to material beyond music. Wavelength began to involve art communities and put on satellite events such as the yearly All Ages Festival (which incorporates art video projections as well as dancers) and other events that have included Toronto organizations such as Leaf Toronto.

While Wavelength is based primarily at Sneaky Dee’s, its versatile roster of artists is heavily respected by the organizers and when certain artists might require di#erent venues, the organizers are more than compliant. For example, for Wavelengths more low-key acoustic shows, McLaren made it clear that he usually places them at the Music Gallery, a quieter venue, for the very simple reason that “a singer-songwriter wouldn’t really $t in at Sneaky Dee’s in front of packed crowd that’s drunk o# its ass.”

If there’s one thing that Wavelength can be credited for, it’s the sheer experi-ence of the entire event. Not only does it o#er great music, but it also o#ers a great sense of community. It is highly recommended that anyone reading this should check it out. Wavelength is every Sunday at Sneaky Dee’s, 19+, with a pay-what-you-can cover.

This Sunday, come listen to:

10PM: The Weirdies (garage rock party)

11PM: Adolf Glitter (dirty glitch hop)12AM: On No Forest Fires (cock pop)

To read a full transcript of the news-paper’s interview with Ryan McLaren, visit www.thenewspaper.ca. Pick up the

newspaper for our weekly Wavelength reviews and listings.

D. ALEXANDRE PORTORARO

Musical Arts Bureau

This past Sunday, Wavelength show-cased three strong and very distinct performances. Starting the night o# was the talented group Lanterns. Their end-ings were a little sloppy (the drummer frequently failed to recognize the end of a song), but their sound succeeded in lulling the audience with soft, groovy melodies accompanied by *uttering o#-key vocals.

While I didn’t get a chance to chat with Lanterns, I managed to sit down with bands Romo Roto and Steamboat to compare my thoughts on their music with their thoughts on making it – and scored some interesting insight into what makes their creative clocks tick.

Romo Roto, a Toronto-based duo comprised of two enraptured drum-mers (Alexandra MecKenzie and Tomas DelBalso), ground out catchy, tribal, pop-punk rhythms while the blood-curdling yelps of MecKenzie (which were nearly, but not quite, matched by boyfriend DelBalso) soared high above the earth-shattering beats and the noise-emitting cassette player. Although MecKenzie and DelBalso do not trace their style to any particular band, DelBalso admits being recently in*uenced by bands such as AIDS Wolf, Aerial Pig and Arab on Radar: “I was into hardcore, but once I listened to Arab on Radar… they stole my soul.”

Throughout their performance – one of pure head jarring entertainment – the cohesion enjoyed by Romo Roto was readily apparent. Feeding the some-times frenzied music is the energy in

their romance, and the pair feel that their songs are conceived through a process of idea exchange between the two. As DelBalso comments, their rela-tionship provides a de facto existence for the band’s musical outpourings: “We don’t talk about the relationship. It’s just a fact. It’s really just subconscious.”

The $nal band, Steamboat, elicited an incredibly warm response from the crowd, who showed their approval by *aring arms and twisting torsos to the sound of the blues and good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll. Leading the band, singer and pianist Matt McLaren paid homage to rock greats The Band and Doctor John, along with Southern-based piano songwriters the Meters, Randy Newman and Bi# Rose.

Although Steamboat has only been together since February 2008, McLaren emphasizes that all members of the band are self-taught in their respective instruments and have been playing music since their early teens. While no shows are currently scheduled, Steamboat frequently backs other Toronto-based artists, including jazz folk musician Sandro Perri, so be sure to keep an eye out.

Check these bands out on the fol-lowing websites:

Lanterns - radio3.cbc.ca/bands/LAN-TERNS/

Romo Roto - myspace.com/romorotoSteamboat - myspace.com/original-

steamboat

Writer Daniel Portoraro interviews Wavelength

organizer Ryan McLaren in the washroom stall,

far away from the noise of the crowd.

Photo: Helene Goderis

Romo Roto’s Alex MecKenzie and Tomas Del-

Balso

Steamboat members enjoy a $4 Grolsch after

their set.

Host Doc Pickles entertains the Sneaky Dee’s crowd while Lanterns prep.

Photos: Helene Goderis

6 the newspaper January 22nd – 29th, 2009

replicating.”For Canadians subjected to long,

grey winters, it’s di!cult to maintain proper levels of vitamin D. Even in the summer, the standard recommenda-tion of 10-15 minutes of UV exposure per day is not suitable for everyone, particularly those with dark skin that does not readily absorb sunlight. Certain foods such as cow’s milk and margarine tend to be forti$ed with vitamin D. They are inexpensive supplements and can help boost the body’s vitamin D levels, but you would have to consume huge amounts to get the recommended daily

intake (the value on the side of the carton does not comply with current recommendations).

The best way to get your daily dose of the sunshine vitamin is through over-the-counter supplements, which you can easily $nd in any drugstore. Researchers recommend that Canadians take 1000 International Units (IU) of D per day via supplements during the Fall and Winter months. Or, you can get your D $x from cod liver oil, which comes in both capsule and liquid form. I’d opt for the pills.

of Toronto, who specializes in Vitamin D, explains that many cells in the body use vitamin D to produce a signaling molecule that allows cells to communi-cate with each other. “Those signals help cells to di%erentiate and recognize what

kinds of cells they should be becoming … They can signal cells to stop prolif-erating,” she says. This is an important cancer-$ghting function; as Vieth notes further, “you want well-behaved cells and di%erentiation so cells don’t keep

the newscont’d

While most of us know that excess sun exposure can cause cancer, few are aware that modest amounts of sunlight can actually help to prevent it. Often referred to as “the sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D is a fat soluble molecule that gets synthesized in our bodies when UV light hits our skin. As its nickname implies, a lack of sunshine usually means a lack of this essential vitamin – yet an-other reason to celebrate life in the true north strong and D-free. Unfortunately, in northern countries like Canada, sunlight is not intense enough during the fall and winter months to trigger synthesis. Since vitamin D is found nat-urally in very few foods, many Canadians are at risk of being de$cient.

Vitamin D is what gets our muscles

and nerves to function smoothly, and it assists in the absorption of calcium. A lack of it has traditionally been associ-ated with bone diseases such as rickets, which leaves children with soft bones and skeletal deformities, and osteopor-osis, which leads to an increased risk of bone fractures. Over the past few years, however, a growing body of research has linked vitamin D to a wide range of health problems including many types of cancer, $bromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and weakened immune systems. Low vitamin D levels have also been found in patients lacking the ability to absorb dietary fat, such as those su%ering from Crohn’s disease, cystic $brosis or liver disease.

Dr. Reinhold Vieth of the University

AMINA STELLA

Literary Events Bureau

D is the new AWhere’s the sun when you need it?

MIKI SATO

Literary Events Bureau

Sleep: the new sexSleeping with science

5 great reasons to hit the snooze button

We’re a sleep-deprived nation. All of us have done it: the power-nap on the subway, the doze through a morning lecture, the siesta at lunch hour. Our lives are so busy that we often feel that there are simply not enough hours in the day to do all the things we have/want to do, and also get enough shut-eye. The majority of our adult population is short of sleep, with many of us running on empty. Sleep is the new sex, and here’s why we should indulge ourselves with some pleasure in bed:

You need your beauty sleep: 1. Getting more sleep improves your skin’s complexion, as the body heals and regenerates itself during slumber. Ever notice that when you get a good night’s sleep your skin has that natural glow the next day? Sleep – na-ture’s free beauty treatment.

You care about your health: 2. Research shows that those who manage to sleep a solid 8 hours a night as opposed to the average 5-6, have stronger immune sys-tems and are more likely to dodge cold and +u viruses. Not getting enough sleep increases your chances of developing heart dis-ease, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems, and is also associated with a deterioration of memory and cognitive abilities.

You can manage stress (repeat 3. $ve times): Those who don’t

get a good night’s sleep tend to be more irritable and prone to emotional responses when encountered with stressful situa-tions. Let’s face it - our society runs on a 9-5 clock. Bottom line: if you have to get up early, go to bed early!

You do your best work at night: 4. Many artists and creative types are universally acknowledged to be more active during the wee hours of the night while catching their Zs in the day. If your pro-ductivity peaks at 2am, roll with it – but only if you can a%ord to!

You’re a dreamer: Dreams typ-5. ically occur during REM sleep. Some believe that dreams are the brain’s way of organizing our memories and thoughts. Others believe that the mysterious state reveals our unconscious or taps into our sixth sense. In any case, dreams are entertaining and make for great cooler talk.

Don’t feel guilty about sleeping in until noon on weekends, since your body needs to catch up. However, British research has found that too much sleep can actually be just as harmful as too little. Though individual needs vary, you should try to get an average of seven hours a night so you’re not completely exhausted by the weekend. You’ll $nd that it improves your quality of life, both now and in the long run. So go bust out those teddy bears and +annels. Sweet dreams!

Photo: Sam Catalfamo

the newspaper 7January 22nd – 29th, 2009

the artscont’d

An original take on natural selectionNino Ricci’s The Origin of Species ANDY M. POTTER

Book Review Bureau

When Nino Ricci’s latest novel, The Origin of Species, was awarded the 2008 Governor General’s Fiction Award, I thought: good news, Ricci is back. I loved his "rst book, Lives of the Saints, which won the award in 1990. But his next three—In A Glass House, Where Has She Gone and Testament—were disappointing. I found their prose pedes-trian, their narrative arcs unengaging.

So, is Ricci back on track with The Origin of Species? Well, he is, and he isn’t.

Most captivating is the novel’s second section set in the Galapagos, wherein the main character, Alex, is catapulted from a mundane existence in Montreal to a life-and-death adventure. Ricci’s portrayal of the supporting cast and physical setting is masterful. We feel the desperation and duplicity of the region’s human cargo; we see and smell the harsh yet fascinating locale of Darwin’s seminal 1859 work, On The Origin of Species.

Sounds like a recipe for an excellent read. Unfortunately, the second section

is only one-"fth of the novel. Notwith-standing the Galapagos adventure, the story’s Darwinian connection is tenuous. Alex, a Ph.D. student in English at Concordia, wants to link evolutionary theory to theories of narrative but this potentially interesting symbiosis dies on the vine. The bulk of the novel revolves around a slice of Montreal life in the late 1980s. Ricci’s depiction of various demi-mondes—university politics, English teaching, Salvadoran refugees—is well-written yet often seems more of a sociological study than a story.

Should you read Ricci’s latest? Section Two is "rst-rate, so get to it before your required course readings pile up and it gets relegated to your summer reading list.

8 the newspaper January 22nd – 29th, 2009

BY STEPHEN NOTLEY

the endthe jumblerBY: ASHLEY MINUK

Answer for last week’s jumbler: “A sti! one”

Solution to THIS jumbler in next week’s the newspaper

Unscramble the letters to form common words.

Use the letters in the highlighted boxes to answer the riddle!

“___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___”