gazette the Bar association aims for safe Richmond Row

thegazette
www.gazette.uwo.ca
Western’s Daily Student Newspaper • Est.1906
VOLUME 101, ISSUE 56 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2008
SPORTS
A&E
OPINIONS
MEN’S HOCKEY
LEEDS
LBEA
Mustangs disappoint... p.8
Tigerbombs rocks... p.5
Increased safety a good thing... p.4
Bar association aims for safe Richmond Row
Nineteen bars have
come together to
tackle perennial
problems: violence,
underage drinking
By Mike Hayes
Gazette Staff
A new association is making big
strides in London’s downtown;
nineteen separate bars have come
together to fix some of the problems Richmond Row faces.
Mark Serre, manager of GT’s and
chair of the London Bar and Entertainment Association (LBEA),
explained the creation of the group.
“We had a new liquor inspector
in London this summer, and she
suggested all the bars get together
and meet,” Serre said.
Some of the establishments
were concerned about the violence
associated with the bars, including
shootings at Club Phoenix in 2006,
explained Serre.
The association has tackled a
number of issues facing all bars in
London, including opening up better lines of communication with the
London Police Service and creating
a more efficient system for hiring
off-duty officers.
Currently, not all bars use offduty officers to assist with security
concerns.
Another issue the group plans
to tackle is transportation. With
the potential of over 10,000 people
flowing out onto Richmond Row
at closing time, getting the customers home safely is a priority,
Serre said.
“We’ve been talking [with the
city] about transportation out of
the downtown, and not just for the
Jon Purdy/Gazette
FRANKLY, YIELDING TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC IS OVERRATED. I’VE GOT GEICO INSURANCE. Bars and nightclubs around London have formed the
London Bar and Entertainment Association (LBEA) to improve the safety and smooth operation of London establishments.
students — for all bar patrons,”
Serre said.
Other issues include the creation of a standard dress code.
“A few bars didn’t have a dress
code,” Serre said. “Member bars
will not be allowing ‘gangster’ clothing anymore.”
The association, which has been
meeting on an average of twice a
month, has also been able to take
advantage of increased communication between bars.
“We’re moving towards a system
where, if you’re banned from one
establishment, you could be barred
from other establishments as well,”
Adam Campbell, manager of Jack’s
and Diesel, said.
“We’re trying to curb problem
issues — minors, people who are
starting fights,” Campbell added.
Most bar managers view the
LBEA as a positive association.
Matthew Pearson, the manager
of Joe Kool’s, said, “[Member bars]
recognize that we share a lot of
common goals, especially when it
comes to clientele and image in the
downtown area,” Pearson said.
He said his experience with the
association was “very positive.
“It’s neat to meet a lot of people
I never would have met before,”
Pearson said.
“Although we’re all competitors, it’s been really good to sit
around and talk about dealing
with some of the incidents we all
face,” Colin Tattersall, manager of
The Ceeps, said. “It’s nice to know
some of the good things and the
bad things are happening at other
bars too.”
One problem The Ceeps has
dealt with recently is minors trying
to get into the bar with fake IDs.
“Maybe it’s the fact that kids are
coming to university at a younger
age,” Tattersall said, “but we’ve
seen a lot more [fake IDs] in the
past few years.”
All bar managers stressed what
they felt was the most important
result of the association.
“We’re trying to foster the safest
environment possible,” Pearson
said. “It’s about keeping the good
people there and the bad people
out.”
Quickpay delay frustrates students Health Unit declares
By Jaela Bernstien
Gazette Staff
Students at Western have noticed
Tim Hortons Quickpay convenience cards are not very convenient.
Tim Hortons describes the
Quickpay card as the “convenient
and easy way to pay,” but this is not
the situation on Western’s campus.
Many are frustrated after learning their Quickpay Tim cards cannot be used on campus. None of
the franchises at Western accept the
Tim card.
One employee at the Centrespot
Tim Hortons has noticed students
trying to use the gift cards, but she
had no idea when that location
would be able to accept them.
“All Tim Hortons on campus
should be the same as every other
Tims in Canada,” James Whitta-
more, a second-year management
and organizational studies student,
said.
Justine Wright, a third-year
BMOS student, was surprised to
learn she could not use her Tim
card on campus. “It’s a franchise
just like any other one. How can
you accept it at one [location] and
not at another?” she added. “I’d
almost say it’s a form of discrimination.”
Rachel Douglas, director of public affairs for Tim Hortons, estimated approximately 2,100 of the 3,000
Tim Hortons franchises currently
accept the Quickpay cards.
“We’re not finished with the
installation,” Douglas explained.
Some stores, such as kiosks, will
never be able to accept the cards
since they do not have access to an
Internet line.
Douglas assured that all possible
locations will be prepared to accept
the gift cards within the first few
months of this year.
But that’s not enough for Travis
Hume, a second-year social science
student. “In a couple months we’re
going to be gone,” he pointed out.
Douglas urged students to wait
it out. “My advice to the students
would be to be a little patient. Our
goal is to get the Tim card wherever
possible.”
Reimbursements may be available for anyone who bought or
received the card before they knew
that they weren’t accepted on campus.
“I think we would probably have
to make arrangements somehow.
We’d have to check the balance on
the card, and then you’d make
arrangements to trade it for the
paper [gift certificates],” Douglas
explained.
salmonella outbreak over
By Sarah Berman
Gazette Staff
Pita lovers can now enjoy a salmonella-free meal at Centrespot
in the University Community
Centre since the outbreak was
declared officially over Dec. 11,
2007.
Dr. Bryna Warchawsky, associate medical officer of health at
the Middlesex London Health
Unit, said research is still being
done to pinpoint the source of
the bacteria.
The original outbreak began
Nov. 2, 2007, when several labconfirmed cases of salmonella
poisoning were linked to food
served at Pita Pit in UCC Centrespot. Later on, the MLHU discovered the contamination had
spread to other food preparation
areas in Centrespot during the
week of Nov. 6.
In total, 90 cases of salmonella were reported.
After an extensive sanitation
and investigation procedure
between Nov. 16 and 18, only
one additional case of salmonella poisoning was discovered. Dr. Warchawsky said the
Health Unit declared the threat
to be completely eliminated on
Dec. 11, 2007.
PLEASE SEE WESTERN P3
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news
theGazette • TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2008
Jan. 15
• Assessing Effectiveness Workshop
When: Tuesday, 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Where: The Great Hall (3335D of Somerville
House).
A CIPHER-MH workshop to build knowledge and
skills towards interprofessional collaboration
between the Health Sciences’ professions. Open
to Western faculty and students and Fanshawe
students in health related fields. For more information email [email protected].
•Last day to add a second-term half course or second-term full course
When: Tuesday
•Senior Alumni Program
When: Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m.
Where: University Community Centre, McKellar
Room.
Derrick Fraser MacFabe from the Kilee PatchellEvans Research Group lectures on Autism and the
multi-disciplinary methods used to study Autism
Spectrum Disorders.
•Campus Communicators, a Toastmasters club
When: Tuesday, noon.
Where: Stevenson-Lawson Building 330.
Develop and improve communications skills in a
supportive learning environment. Contact Mark
Phipps, [email protected], or Megan Popovic,
[email protected], for more information.
•Student2Business Networking Event
When: Tuesday, 3:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Where: London Convention Centre, 300 York St.
For more information: www.ledc.com/s2b.
•Softball Recruitment Begins
When: Until March
Players wanted for a co-ed league in London start-
ing in April. This is an established team with a few
openings for players. For more information: 519438-0444 or [email protected].
Jan. 16
• Financial Fitness Awareness Week
When: Begins Wednesday
Where: UCC Atrium.
An awareness week concerning issues with the
costs of a university education.
•La Tertulia — A Spanish Conversation Group
When: Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.
Where: University College 117.
The Department of Modern Languages and literatures presents La Tertulia. Anyone wishing to
speak Spanish and meet people from different
Spanish-speaking countries is welcome.
•Clinical Pharmacology Grand Rounds
When: Wednesday, 4 p.m.
Where: London Health Sciences Centre, Auditorium
C
Dr. Chris Brymer lectures on Psychoactive Drugs in
the Elderly
•Café Scientifique - “Getting sick in the hospital: It’s
a scourge, it’s a pain, it’s superbugs.”
When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Where: Masonville Library, Sifton Room.
Featuring David Heinrichs and Rob Lannigan from
the Department of Microbiology & Immunology.
•Meet Peer Guide Event
When: Wednesday, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Where: UCC, Room 200.
Western Idol Quarter Finals
When: Wednesday, 9 p.m.
Where: UCC, The Spoke.
NEWSBRIEFS
Cash money for Western
accounting club
Three Western business students
won first place at this year’s Battle
for CA$H, an annual Ontario competition held by the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Ontario.
The ICAO, a qualifying and regulatory body of Ontario’s 32,000
CAs and 4,000 CA students, held its
fourth annual Battle for CA$H Jan.
12, 2008. It has since attracted hundreds of aspiring CA students to
compete in chartered accounting
skills competitions such as teamwork, leadership, organizational
ability and time management.
Jonathan To, Cathy Cao and
Cindy Yip, members of Western’s
winning team, bested 17 other
university teams in the competition to win the $6,000 grand prize,
and an additional $2,000 for the
Western Accounting Club.
Cindy Yip described the competition as a fun and engaging
experience that confirmed her
aspirations to be a CA. “Meeting
the people there was probably the
best part,” she said.
Yip added, “[The event helped
her and others] break the stereotypes of accountants being introverted or withdrawn.”
She advises other accounting
students to take advantage of
opportunities such as the Battle
for CA$H.
For more information: www.
icao.on.ca or www.ca2b.biz.
—Kevin Yun
Friday night lights out
It was an early lights-out for many
Western students on Friday.
A blackout plunged much of
northwest London into darkness at
approximately 2:40 p.m., and affected most of the south part of campus.
Traffic signals were out on University Drive near Talbot College
and at intersections off campus,
creating headaches for drivers trying to leave campus.
“It was gridlock,” Elgin Austen,
director of Campus Community
Police, said.
Police service officers directed
traffic at some intersections without power while drivers treated
other intersections as four-way
stops, London Police media officer
Amy Phillipo said.
While power was restored at
Western at approximately 5:30 p.m.,
Brescia University College was
without power until about 7:30 p.m.
Steven Hajpel, Brescia Physical
Plant director, said.
Austen said classes were not
affected by the blackout since there
were no classes scheduled Friday
evening.
London Hydro could not be
reached for comment.
—Jay La Rochelle
3-day forecast
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Flurries
High -1C
Low -4C
Mainly sunny
High -1C
Low -7C
Light snow
High 0C
Low -4C
Weather
news ➤ P3
theGazette • TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2008
Western changes
Centrespot
practices
YOU COULD SMUGGLE COCAINE IN THOSE
CONTINUED FROM P1
Justin Wu/Gazette
DON’T DROP THE BALL — THESE GALS CERTAINLY AREN’T. Sara Grace Donally (pictured left) a third-year health science student and Lisa Kendrick, a first-year student at the Richard Ivey School of Business, spruce up a Charity Ball
banner in the UCC yesterday.
Thanks to 15,000 online survey respondents, the
MLHU has gathered detailed information about the
outbreak. These statistics will be thoroughly analyzed
over the next several months, Dr. Warshawsky
explained.
University administration has changed its serving
practices to prevent future health problems, vice-president housing and ancillary services Susan Grindrod
confirmed.
Part of the new protocol includes a daily shutdown
between 3 and 3:15 p.m. for additional sanitation and
re-organization. Grindrod explained these practices
have always been used in residence cafeterias, but has
just recently been applied to the UCC Centrespot.
“It gives staff a break ... a chance to reset,” Grindrod
said.
Second-year business management and organizational studies student Blake Bracalenti said he appreciated the new protocol.
“Since Pita Pit is such a big chain I figured they
wouldn’t let the problem persist,” he said, adding he
favours the chicken wraps served by the franchise.
Tess Mayne, a fourth-year health science student,
said she would continue to eat at Centrespot, but never
ordered food from Pita Pit anyway.
“I’ll stick to the smoothies,” she said.
Morton saves the Maple Loaves
By Mike Hayes
Gazette Staff
The Purple Onion is an entirely fictional feature intended to poke fun
at popular culture, politics, and
society. Please do not take anything
written below seriously as fact.
The Scarborough Maple Loaves
were in a slide. After dropping 11 of
the last 13 games, management
was desperate for new options.
Luckily, help has arrived in the
form of an old legend: former
Maple Loaves star Jim Morton has
returned from the dead to play.
Canadians will know Morton as the
namesake of a popular coffee
chain.
Morton led the team to its first
victory in weeks after slaughtering
rivals the Hull Congressmen.
During post-game interviews,
Morton only gave cryptic responses
to simple questions. When asked
how he felt after being dead for the
past 30 years, Morton replied,
“BRAAAAAAAINS [sic].”
One can only assume Morton
was referring to the hockey savvy of
Dick Pedal, head of Maple Loaves
and Sugar Entertainment (MLSE).
Insiders claim Morton’s reanimation originated at the University
of Minnesota, where experimental
new procedures have uncovered
startling results.
By injecting stem cells into the
heart of a dead rat, researchers were
able to revive the rodent. Unfortunately, the rat’s newfound control
over mortality created a “super-rat”
with an insatiable appetite for
human brains.
MLSE has been linked to the
university’s research.
Pedal made it clear Morton’s
success would result in the eventual reanimation of the entire 1962
Maple Loaves roster.
Fans will remember that team
winning three straight championships thanks to the efforts of players including Morton, Green Kelley,
John Bauer and Fred Mahovalick.
After the Loaves’ first win, Pedal
was smug.
“To all those who claimed that I
2nd Floor UCC
$
McKellar Room
couldn’t bring this team back from
the brink with one big move,”
Pedal said, “I think you owe me an
apology.”
As to whether the Loaves owes
its victory to Morton’s consumption
of the entire opposing team (and
most of the Loaves’ roster), Pedal
was non-committal.
“We won, they lost. That will be
all.”
24
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theGazette • TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2008
thegazette
Volume 101, issue 56
“Two-fifty for a hi-ball, and a buck and a half a beer.
Happy hour is here.”
—THE TRAGICALLY HIP
Allison Buchan-Terrell
Brice Hall
James Hayes
Editor-In-Chief
Deputy Editor
Managing Editor
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Managing - [email protected]
website at www.gazette.uwo.ca
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The Gazette is owned and published by the University Students’ Council.
Gauss takes on
more than most
could handle
Re: “Biased Gauss forcing his own views
on King’s”
Dec. 5, 2007
To the Editor:
I opened The Gazette on Dec. 5, 2007 for
my daily fix of Western news and oddly
enough I saw a letter discussing the
actions of Ryan Gauss.
While I am not a King’s student, I’ve
had the opportunity to get to know
Gauss over the past year, and I can tell
you the way he has been portrayed in
your paper is inappropriate.
As university students, we are obligated to take on an awful lot. With our
schoolwork and part-time jobs, it’s a
wonder some students are able to take
on more.
Gauss not only does the aforementioned; he also runs a family business in
the absence of his sick father, is president of the King’s University College Students’ Council and is active within the
London community.
We can’t afford
to repeat the
’80s’ mistakes
To the Editor:
In the 1980s and early 1990s, 1,100 people were infected with HIV and 20,000
were infected with Hepatitis C because
of a tainted blood supply. Two thousand
—Chris Bosh
Props to the Raptor, who looks like a raptor, for an entertaining and inventive campaign to be voted into the NBA AllStar game.
Bosh’s minute-long parody of used car dealership commercials gives fans something to laugh about while still reminding
them to fill in their all-star ballot.
The campaign is likely to work, too. The Chicago White
Sox’s 2006 “Punch A.J.” promotion employed similar tactics in
sending catcher A.J. Pierzynski to the Midsummer Classic.
Here’s hoping it works again to send CB-4 to New Orleans this
season.
News
Lauren Pelley
Mike Hayes
Sarah Berman
Jaela Bernstien
Arts & Entertainment
Desiree Gamotin
Kaitlin Martin
Michael Gregoris
Letters: Must include the contributor’s name, identification (ie. Economics II, Dean of Arts) and a telephone
number, and be typed double-spaced, submitted on disk
in Macintosh or IBM word-processing format, or be
emailed to [email protected]. Letters more than
300 words or judged by the Editor-In-Chief to be libellous, sexist or racist will not be published. The Gazette
reserves the right to edit letters and submissions and
makes no guarantees that a letter will be published.
Associate Editor
Dave Ward
Opinions
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Ravi Amarnath
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Shawn Foster
people died as a result. For those who
survived, most days it’s a struggle to get
by.
The mistakes that led to this tragedy
were based on politics and pressure
rather than science. King’s University
College Students’ Council is considering
a motion to ban Canadian Blood Services from King’s campus because of its
policy, which prevents men who have
had sex with men from donating blood.
I doubt many students are experts in
infectious disease. Scientific evidence
indicating the gay community is a population more prone to blood-borne
viruses has led CBS to make this one of
its many criteria for screening donors.
Furthermore, a boycott of CBS based
on oversimplification of the issue would
demonize CBS to potential lifelong
blood donors and in the long run jeopardize the blood supply.
Simply put, when there is not enough
blood, people die. When blood safety is
not ensured, people die.
Past mistakes cannot be forgotten.
We know too well that the gift of life can
become a death sentence.
Students must do their homework
before making up their minds on such
an important issue.
—Paul Wilton
Politics V
Barack Obama
“Why don’t you go on and get an all-star ballot right now, and
punch in my name. That’s right, it’s Chris Bosh. Best thing about
it is, you think it’s $20? No sir. You think it’s $10. No ma’am. Even
five? Nuh-uh. It is free, that is right. We don’t want your money
here, we just want your vote.”
Section Editors 2007-2008
• Please recycle this newspaper •
—Meghan Moody
School of Nursing IV
Chris Bosh
Editorials appearing under the ‘opinions’ heading are
decided upon by a majority of the editorial board and
are written by a member of the editorial board but are
not necessarily the expressed opinion of each editorial
board member. All other opinions are strictly those of the
author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the
USC, The Gazette, its editors or staff.
Graphics
Tony Smerek
Elena Iosef
While the Canadian Blood Services
issue is not in my purview, as I do not
know enough regarding the matter, I
wonder if that overzealous letter to the
editor has actual substance behind it.
Did [the author] contact Gauss or
anyone on the KUCSC before writing? Is
she involved in student politics? Is she
trying to make everyone happy?
Before someone attempts to have
their name printed at the expense of
someone else, maybe she should first
think about all the hard work a few
words can dismiss.
You rarely see ‘thank you’ letters printed — how come? Why must everything
put people on the defensive?
F-
Nineteen London bars have formed the London Bar and
Entertainment Association (LBEA), a conglomerate of
establishments that works together on improving safety
and enforcement measures for London’s nightlife.
The group will meet on a regular basis to share information on common problems and solutions and notify
one another of problem patrons ejected from the bars
and clubs.
The idea certainly has potential to improve the quality of safety on Richmond Row and throughout the city. In
addition to sharing information, the group could work
together to discuss possible lobbying techniques when
addressing problems with the municipal government.
As well, sharing information — notably on specific
problem patrons — could save customers and bar staff a
lot of trouble.
The benefits of sharing information and strategies
would not be limited to bar fights. Bar owners could convene on a number of other topics such as drug dealing,
rohypnol (the “date rape” drug) usage and appropriate
responses by bouncers and door staff themselves.
There is some concern that the association might lead
to smaller bars piggy-off of larger watering holes such as
the Ceeps, Jack’s and Jim Bob Ray’s. These bars take a lot
of pride in their security measures, and may not want to
share their resources with smaller bars when it is considered extra aggravation.
However, larger bars are more prone to problems such
as fighting — you are much more likely to see a dispute
come to fisticuffs at Jim Bob’s than at the Poacher’s Arms
— so maybe these bars would benefit most from crackdowns on violence and drug peddling.
Another concern is that the program will perpetuate a
self-policing culture currently in place downtown. The
attitude on Richmond Row seems to be that unsavoury
folk should be thrown out as quickly as possible, and may
not be dealt with properly by the authorities.
Hopefully, the LBEA will prevent such incidents,
thanks to increased communication with the London
Police Service. Also, the perpetuation of violence could be
thwarted by communication between bars concerning
the worst repeat offenders.
One upshot of the association is the increased presence of off-duty police officers in bars, which would help
ensure proper enforcement of rules and bylaws.
At the end of the day, there may be feasibility issues
surrounding the association: how will other bars recognize problem patrons without profiling, and whether or
not there is much information that can be shared.
Nonetheless, the program is a step in the right direction. London bar owners are right to try it out, and hopefully it works out as they plan.
Letters to the Editor
A+
Ensuring
bar safety
a good idea
“I wasn’t living large. I had an old, beat-up car, had a little, tiny
beat-up apartment. I was wearing raggedy, beat-up clothes. I got
holes in the shoes, had holes in my car. You all’ve been there. You
know what I’m talking about.”
—Barack Obama
I like Barack Obama, but it feels like a stretch to talk like he hasn’t come from privilege — he hasn’t exactly emerged from destitute poverty, nor has he had the toughest life.
While you can hardly criticize anybody for graduating from
Harvard Law, poor people don’t fork over that kind of tuition,
nor do they have parents who attended Harvard for their PhD
studies.
Especially in an election featuring fellow alleged working
men Mike Huckabee and John Edwards, Obama should be
campaigning based on the politics of the country, not on conjured claims of former poverty.
—Malcolm Aboud
Gazette Staff 2007-2008
News - [email protected]
Erik Adler, Erin Baker, Mary Ann Boateng, Dino Bratic, Steve Browne, Krystale
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Hurk, Matt Vens, Sheila Weekes, Matt Zerker
P5 TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2008
ArtsEntertainment
Brit rockers
shake up Leeds’
music scene
Tigerbombs explode
at The Library Pub
Matthew Baxter
By Gennelle Smith
Gazette Writer
Letters from Leeds is a feature by
Gazette writer, Gennelle Smith.
Smith is currently on exchange in
England, and will be dispatching
articles about the local music scene
to Canada.
Tigerbombs w/ Lemons & Limes and
Matthew Baxter
Jan. 9 @ The Library Pub
LEEDS, UK — The most striking
aspect of the Leeds music scene,
even amidst its many accolades, is
its remarkable consistency.
With unsigned acts constantly
performing at the city’s numerous
clubs, bars and concert spaces, it
would seem easier to find dozens of
brain-meltingly awful bands than
real talent. Instead, this year it is
proving difficult to find the terrible
amongst the inspired.
Opening the inaugural show for
student-haven The Library Pub’s
“Paint the Walls” band night was
acoustic singer-songwriter Matthew
Baxter, whose blues-tinged guitar
picking and suitably soulful wailing
belied his youth.
Baxter’s easy banter and natural
stage presence gave his songs, both
originals and covers, a lightness akin
to acoustic soul searchers like James
Morrison. His voice, however, raised
the bar: in songs like “Lost” and
“Look Away,” his was the sexiest
voice you’d hear this side of Morrison
and Ray LaMontagne’s love child.
The night’s next band, Leeds
hard-rocking duo Lemons & Limes,
proved that the biggest bands are
not necessarily the loudest. Guitarist
Daniel Hill provided pedal-driven
chords for drummer Aimee Robinson’s intense beats, producing an
impassioned mix that, while heavy,
never threatened to overwhelm.
Despite the inevitable comparisons to the White Stripes, the duo
demonstrated that quick-aslightning performances can set a
band apart as much as the quality
of its songs.
The real story, however, was
Robinson. Playing with fervour, all
eyes were on her for the duration of
songs like “Feed the Drummer” and
“I Want Never Gets,” despite guitarist Hill’s more-than-adequate gui-
tar and vocal performance. As Hill
said, with a touch of pride, “Aimee’s
actually 90 per cent of the band.”
The show got quirkier from
there as the final act of the night
handily proved.
Leeds native Tigerbombs, eclectic quartet of indie rockers, the last
act of the evening and played a
breezily unconventional set. The
band’s unassuming stage presence
quickly gave way to feel-good Britpop that manifested as an earthier,
subtler version of the Flaming Lips.
From the first time lead singer
and guitarist Dan Webster picked
up his trumpet, however, the night
only got better. Making use of the
xylophone, keyboard, acoustic and
electric guitar as well as a single
snare drum, the band’s multi-lay-
ered sound benefited from the
chances it took.
Tigerbombs’ standout tracks,
“Aphrodizzy Acrobat” and “Martian
Woman,” were upbeat enough to
induce the more adventurous
showgoers to spontaneous interpretative dance, and the more dour
bystanders to crack an appreciative
smile.
Though the crowd was small
and the space was intimate, the
night’s three acts, each with a different sound to call its own, were a
testament to the city’s robust cultural scene.
With a refreshingly light and
funny atmosphere, The Library’s
band night should grow to be a regular showcase of the best down-toearth, talent Leeds has to offer.
Tigerbombs
Present this coupon and get this great
We’re running out of
witty A&E volunteer ads.
So just come into UCC
Room 263 and help us
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P8 TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2008
Sports
ON DECK:
Women’s hockey results... Wednesday
Men’s Hockey
Mustangs slip in
loss to Ryerson
Team fails to hold 2-0 lead
By Tara Athar
Gazette Writer
After a 5-2 loss against the Ryerson
Rams on Thursday night, Mustangs
fans left Thompson Arena highly
disappointed.
Although Western has not officially faced the Rams during the
regular season, the two men’s hockey teams faced off at the York Invitational this September, where
Western came out on top with a 7-3
victory. On Thursday night, the Purple and Silver were expected to
emerge victorious again.
Before the game Western was
leading the Ontario University Athletics West division with 27 points
this season, and Ryerson was
dwelling at the bottom of the East
division with a mere 13 points.
Ryerson head coach Graham
Wise admitted his team felt nervous facing such a strong team.
“You have to convince your guys
that they put their equipment on
the same way as we do, and we just
have to bring it.”
The Rams provided the Mustangs
with a dose of humility — reminding
everyone that in the competitive
world of university hockey, you
always have to play your best.
Western started off slowly in
the first few minutes of the game,
but picked up speed after the
Rams earned themselves two
penalties, giving Western a twoman advantage. Assistant captain
Sal Peralta failed to capitalize on
the power play.
Soon after, Luc Martin scored
the first goal of the night, assisted
by linemates Adam Nemeth and
Jason Ertl.
Less than five minutes later,
another power play for Western
provided forward Kyle Piwowarczyk
with the opportunity to score the
team’s second goal.
“It was good support by my linemates [Jesse] Boucher and [Jeff ]
Martens,” Piwowarczyk said. “I felt
happy. I haven’t scored in a long
time so it was a weight off my
shoulders.”
The tally was Piwowarczyk’s
third goal of the season, but was
also Western’s last goal of the night.
Coming into the second stanza,
Peralta showed off his puck handling skills as he snuck past Rams
defenders. His puck movement was
stymied, however, as the Rams
started to get in gear. After their
shaky start in the first period, the
Rams surged and dumped a shot
Jonas Hrebeniuk/Gazette
HE CLEARLY PLAYED WITH A “SKIP-IT” AS A CHILD. While the Mustangs men’s hockey team effectively hurdled over bouncing pucks in last Thursday’s game against Ryerson, it was unable to hurdle over the weak visiting opponent, dropping the game 5-2.
past Mustangs goalie Brad Topping.
“We felt we had to get on them.
Our strategy was to just put the
puck on net,” Wise said. Ryerson,
now up to full speed, was successful
in scoring a second goal, which tied
the score at 2-2.
“I give a lot of credit to our players. We were down 2-0 and they
came back. They just kept chipping
away,” Wise added.
The rest of the second period left
fans on the edge of their seats as the
battle continued, but hopes were in
vain and the score remained tied.
Ryerson started off the third
period putting another shot past
Topping only one minute in. The
only thing Western earned was a
penalty, which enabled the Rams to
score again.
Head coach Clarke Singer pulled
Topping from the net, sending in
backup goalie Keyvan Hunt.
Now down by two, the Mustangs
came on strong, giving the Rams
defence a challenge, but to no avail.
“It was tough, we were digging
deep and we needed all four lines
going,” Piwowarczyk said.
With only 49 seconds left, Singer
pulled Hunt off the ice and added a
sixth player to the front line.
The plan backfired and the
empty net was an easy target for
Ryerson forward Sergei Frenkel,
who sent the puck sailing into the
net for the fifth time that night.
With only seven seconds left on
the clock, there was nothing left for
Western but the bitter taste of defeat.
“All I was thinking was offence,
offence, offence,” Piwowarczyk
said. “But we ran out of gas.”
Following the defeat, Western
got back on track Saturday, defeating the visiting University of Toronto Varsity Blues 3-2.
Hoopsters, women’s
hockey victorious
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Visit displays from each graduate program. Meet faculty and
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Program APPLICATION FEES WAIVED for all those who pre-register.
Pre-registered students eligible to win DOOR PRIZES. Free parking.
For more information, visit
www.schulich.uwo.ca/gradstudies
By Ravi Amarnath
Gazette Staff
Gradually working New Year’s
booze out of their system, Western’s
athletes were back in action this
past weekend.
The wrestling team travelled to
St. Catharines to take part in the
Brock Open Wrestling Tournament.
The team finished in third place
overall behind the Guelph
Gryphons and the host Badgers.
Laura Skopelianos was the only
Western athlete to win a gold medal
and captured the Outstanding
Female Wrestler of the Tournament
award. On the men’s side, captain
Jeff Werden placed second in the 54
kg category while teammates Phil
Medeiros and Chen Shen captured
bronze medals in their respective
weight divisions.
In women’s basketball action,
the Mustangs defeated the Waterloo Warriors 94-81. Forward Lauren
Parkes led the team with 17 points
and 13 rebounds. The team now sits
in second place in the Ontario University Athletics West division with
20 points.
Following a big victory versus
Guelph last week, the men’s basketball team won by a sizable margin again this week, defeating
Waterloo 95-70. Brad Smith had
another strong performance, finishing the game with 21 points and
six boards.
Whitney Weisshaar’s two-goal
performance
led
Western’s
women’s hockey team to a 4-3 overtime victory over the York Lions on
Saturday. Weisshaar scored with
1:22 left in the game to send it to the
extra frame and potted her second
goal in overtime to give the ’Stangs
the victory.
Ellie Seedhouse also had a pair of
goals for Western. The women’s
team now sits at 7-8-4 on the season.
The women’s volleyball team
had a successful weekend in
Kingston, defeating both the
Queen’s Golden Gaels and Royal
Military College Paladins. Andrea
Ruste had 20 digs, while teammates
Sara Farrell and Lauren Willoughby had 14 points apiece in a 3-2 win
over Queen’s. The team swept RMC
3-0, which put itself tied for second
in the OUA West division.
Jeff DeMeza’s 21 points and 17
kills weren’t enough to propel the
men’s volleyball team to victory on
Friday, as it lost to Queen’s in five
sets by scores of 21-25, 25-23, 25-22,
23-25, 17-19. The team rebounded
on Saturday, sweeping RMC 3-0 to
improve its record to 7-5 on the season. The volleyballers are currently
fifth place in the OUA West division.