Briefs

City in Brief

ASFA AGM
The Arts and Science Federation of Associations held its annual general meeting on Thursday. The faculty organization is Concordia’s largest, representing around 18,000 undergraduates on campus. ASFA has achieved something rare – their budget was fully audited and on target, said outgoing president and vice-president, finance Leah Del Vecchio. The meeting went smoothly in spite of the recent controversy, which saw two elected councillors removed from office for having broken election spending limits on posters. The group is under budget in almost all areas, and spent over $50,000 on social events throughout the year.

Gatti’s widow gets cash
Amanda Rodrigues, the widow of Montreal boxer Arturo Gatti, was given $100,000 from his estate by a Quebec Superior Court judge to offset the legal fees she incurred after his death, the Montreal Gazette reported. Gatti, who was famous for his trilogy of thrilling bouts with the American boxer Micky Ward (YouTube them!), died in Brazil while on vacation with his wife. His wife was initially a suspect in the murder but Gatti’s death was later ruled a suicide. Rodrigues and Gatti’s family are currently involved in a dispute over who has claim to his estate.

Bad blood on Good Friday
Catholics participating in a traditional Good Friday march in downtown Montreal were greeted by protesters decrying the Catholic church’s recent string of sex scandals. CBC reported over 100 protesters were at the entrance of the Notre Dame Basilica, where the march ended. The Church has been beleaguered recently by reports of sexual abuse and subsequent cover-ups by priests and high-ranking officials. The march happens every year and symbolizes Christ’s march with the cross on his way to be crucified.

Bal en Blanc stays squeaky clean

This year’s Bal en Blanc was a success on two fronts: one, the five-night party drew over 15,000 revellers, and two, only one person was arrested during the events, unlike last year’s weeklong party, which saw 12 people arrested. The party, thrown by Playground Productions, kicked off on April 1 and featured all-night parties at the Palais de Congrès where people dress in white and dance to electronic and techno music. Ecstasy, speed and cocaine are reported to be the most frequently used drugs at the parties.

Smelly long weekend

The rolling blue collar work stoppages created an unpleasant situation this weekend on many city streets. The union, which is involved in a labour dispute with the city, is refusing to work any overtime, meaning that trash piled up both Friday and Monday. The union has been without a contract since 2007.

Nation in Brief

“Shock doc” on the chopping block
A Canadian psychiatrist who reportedly used electrical shocks to “cure” gay military men in South Africa was arrested and charged last week after a 36-year-old man came forward with accusations of sexual assault. Dr. Aubrey Levin, 71, has since been released on bail, and was suspended from practice in Alberta as an investigation has commenced into similar claims of abuse from over 30 patients who have come forward since his arrest. In the last decade Levin has worked at the University of Calgary’s medical school and has testified in numerous court cases as a forensic psychiatry expert who assessed convicted criminals, prompting officials to look back at years of cases he was involved in.

Cat-aclysmic fire
British Columbia’s environment minister Barry Penner and his wife were celebrating Earth Hour with a candlelit dinner last week when their cat decided to join the festivities, by lighting himself on fire. In an unfortunate accident that is sure to be catalogued under the ironic category, the five-year-old feline, Ranger, brushed up against a candle in the kitchen, his fur catching fire for a short moment. The near catastrophe left the animal’s hair singed, but he did not sustain any real injury. Ranger was unavailable for comment.

Sorry for sumo
The Queen’s University Alma Mater Society issued a public apology last week after cancelling a “sumo showdown” fundraiser, dubbing it racist. The AMS found itself on the front page of the Globe and Mail after it decided to cancel the event, saying the plastic fat suits were “dehumanizing instruments of oppression” that turn the Japanese sport into a costume, devaluing its cultural meaning. The fundraiser was meant to raise money for the society’s food bank but reportedly garnered complaints from some of the university’s students.

A not so “beatiful” tattoo
A small claims court in Nova Scotia has ruled against a woman suing her tattoo artist after she misspelled a word in her tattoo. Amy Leigh Ullock lost her battle for redemption from tattoo artist Marie Reid who tattooed “You’re so beatiful” on her arm. The adjudicator at the trial said Ullock was “the author of her own misfortune” since she was shown an image of the tattoo on the computer and on the stencil before it was tattooed, but did not correct the spelling error.

Grim reaper mural meets its end
A mural on the back of a Vancouver fire hall depicting a grim reaper and a syringe is set to be removed after a complaint from the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, CBC has reported. The complaint was lodged because the association felt the image and the words “It’s not the end of the world, but we can see it from here,” were insensitive to some issues plaguing the east side of downtown Vancouver, specifically drug addiction. The association also noted that the reaper is probably not an appropriate mascot for a fire hall. The 15-year-old mural was covered for the Olympics, but will soon be removed completely.

World in Brief

NASA, spend less: NASA
A NASA report found that NASA is spending too much on snack foods at conferences. The report looked at a December 2008 conference in Baltimore, MD., where the space agency spent $66 USD per person per day for bagels, cookies, fruit and juice. In other words, NASA spent $62,611 for 317 conference attendees to nosh on snacks for three days.

Geronimo-oh-oh
A 30-year-old man died in hospital after his apparent suicide attempt initially failed. According to a student paper from the University of Illinois, the man jumped from the 18th floor of an apartment building, but landed on the roof of an adjoining four-storey building and survived. From there, the man jumped again, fell to the sidewalk and survived again. He was taken to hospital, where he died. The man’s given name was Jeronymo.

No bitch is worth it
After finding out his girlfriend was planning to marry another man, an Indonesian teenager cut off his penis and threw it down a well. The 19-year-old teenager had lost a lot of blood, and was in critical condition when he got to the hospital. The boy is lucky to be alive, the doctor who treated him said, offering this quote to Australian Associated Press: “Cutting off a penis can be fatal.” Villagers were not able to find the penis, so doctors were not able to reattach it. Bye bye girlfriend. Bye bye junk. Bye bye manhood.

An enjoyable diet
Harvard professor David Sinclair has finally come up with a diet that could be enjoyable to follow. Here’s the secret: you eat as much as you want, and you drink a ton of red wine. How much red wine? 1500 bottles a day. It might put a dent in your wallet, but Sinclair claims that reservatrol, a compound in the wine, helps keep you healthy and keep the pounds off. He’s going to try and isolate the compound and market it in a pill for those who don’t want to drink 1500 bottles a day, according to the Huffington Post. But where’s the fun it that?

Those crazy Christians
A man in Nigeria had a message from Jesus: drive his car through two security fences at an airport, and crash into an airplane. According to Reuters, the unnamed man crashed his car into an Arik airplane at Calabar international airport on Wednesday because he said Jesus Christ sent him. No one was injured in the incident and flights continued as scheduled. Well, so long as Jesus told him it’s OK.

10-year-old Tasered
Two police in Indiana said they had no choice but to use a Taser on a 10-year-old boy because he was out of control, according to a statement. When police responded to a call to Tender Teddie’s Day Care last week, they had to act in order to prevent the child from hurting other children, himself or staff members. The two police officers, whose names have not been released, have been suspended.

City in Brief

ASFA AGM
The Arts and Science Federation of Associations held its annual general meeting on Thursday. The faculty organization is Concordia’s largest, representing around 18,000 undergraduates on campus. ASFA has achieved something rare – their budget was fully audited and on target, said outgoing president and vice-president, finance Leah Del Vecchio. The meeting went smoothly in spite of the recent controversy, which saw two elected councillors removed from office for having broken election spending limits on posters. The group is under budget in almost all areas, and spent over $50,000 on social events throughout the year.

Gatti’s widow gets cash
Amanda Rodrigues, the widow of Montreal boxer Arturo Gatti, was given $100,000 from his estate by a Quebec Superior Court judge to offset the legal fees she incurred after his death, the Montreal Gazette reported. Gatti, who was famous for his trilogy of thrilling bouts with the American boxer Micky Ward (YouTube them!), died in Brazil while on vacation with his wife. His wife was initially a suspect in the murder but Gatti’s death was later ruled a suicide. Rodrigues and Gatti’s family are currently involved in a dispute over who has claim to his estate.

Bad blood on Good Friday
Catholics participating in a traditional Good Friday march in downtown Montreal were greeted by protesters decrying the Catholic church’s recent string of sex scandals. CBC reported over 100 protesters were at the entrance of the Notre Dame Basilica, where the march ended. The Church has been beleaguered recently by reports of sexual abuse and subsequent cover-ups by priests and high-ranking officials. The march happens every year and symbolizes Christ’s march with the cross on his way to be crucified.

Bal en Blanc stays squeaky clean

This year’s Bal en Blanc was a success on two fronts: one, the five-night party drew over 15,000 revellers, and two, only one person was arrested during the events, unlike last year’s weeklong party, which saw 12 people arrested. The party, thrown by Playground Productions, kicked off on April 1 and featured all-night parties at the Palais de Congrès where people dress in white and dance to electronic and techno music. Ecstasy, speed and cocaine are reported to be the most frequently used drugs at the parties.

Smelly long weekend

The rolling blue collar work stoppages created an unpleasant situation this weekend on many city streets. The union, which is involved in a labour dispute with the city, is refusing to work any overtime, meaning that trash piled up both Friday and Monday. The union has been without a contract since 2007.

Nation in Brief

“Shock doc” on the chopping block
A Canadian psychiatrist who reportedly used electrical shocks to “cure” gay military men in South Africa was arrested and charged last week after a 36-year-old man came forward with accusations of sexual assault. Dr. Aubrey Levin, 71, has since been released on bail, and was suspended from practice in Alberta as an investigation has commenced into similar claims of abuse from over 30 patients who have come forward since his arrest. In the last decade Levin has worked at the University of Calgary’s medical school and has testified in numerous court cases as a forensic psychiatry expert who assessed convicted criminals, prompting officials to look back at years of cases he was involved in.

Cat-aclysmic fire
British Columbia’s environment minister Barry Penner and his wife were celebrating Earth Hour with a candlelit dinner last week when their cat decided to join the festivities, by lighting himself on fire. In an unfortunate accident that is sure to be catalogued under the ironic category, the five-year-old feline, Ranger, brushed up against a candle in the kitchen, his fur catching fire for a short moment. The near catastrophe left the animal’s hair singed, but he did not sustain any real injury. Ranger was unavailable for comment.

Sorry for sumo
The Queen’s University Alma Mater Society issued a public apology last week after cancelling a “sumo showdown” fundraiser, dubbing it racist. The AMS found itself on the front page of the Globe and Mail after it decided to cancel the event, saying the plastic fat suits were “dehumanizing instruments of oppression” that turn the Japanese sport into a costume, devaluing its cultural meaning. The fundraiser was meant to raise money for the society’s food bank but reportedly garnered complaints from some of the university’s students.

A not so “beatiful” tattoo
A small claims court in Nova Scotia has ruled against a woman suing her tattoo artist after she misspelled a word in her tattoo. Amy Leigh Ullock lost her battle for redemption from tattoo artist Marie Reid who tattooed “You’re so beatiful” on her arm. The adjudicator at the trial said Ullock was “the author of her own misfortune” since she was shown an image of the tattoo on the computer and on the stencil before it was tattooed, but did not correct the spelling error.

Grim reaper mural meets its end
A mural on the back of a Vancouver fire hall depicting a grim reaper and a syringe is set to be removed after a complaint from the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, CBC has reported. The complaint was lodged because the association felt the image and the words “It’s not the end of the world, but we can see it from here,” were insensitive to some issues plaguing the east side of downtown Vancouver, specifically drug addiction. The association also noted that the reaper is probably not an appropriate mascot for a fire hall. The 15-year-old mural was covered for the Olympics, but will soon be removed completely.

World in Brief

NASA, spend less: NASA
A NASA report found that NASA is spending too much on snack foods at conferences. The report looked at a December 2008 conference in Baltimore, MD., where the space agency spent $66 USD per person per day for bagels, cookies, fruit and juice. In other words, NASA spent $62,611 for 317 conference attendees to nosh on snacks for three days.

Geronimo-oh-oh
A 30-year-old man died in hospital after his apparent suicide attempt initially failed. According to a student paper from the University of Illinois, the man jumped from the 18th floor of an apartment building, but landed on the roof of an adjoining four-storey building and survived. From there, the man jumped again, fell to the sidewalk and survived again. He was taken to hospital, where he died. The man’s given name was Jeronymo.

No bitch is worth it
After finding out his girlfriend was planning to marry another man, an Indonesian teenager cut off his penis and threw it down a well. The 19-year-old teenager had lost a lot of blood, and was in critical condition when he got to the hospital. The boy is lucky to be alive, the doctor who treated him said, offering this quote to Australian Associated Press: “Cutting off a penis can be fatal.” Villagers were not able to find the penis, so doctors were not able to reattach it. Bye bye girlfriend. Bye bye junk. Bye bye manhood.

An enjoyable diet
Harvard professor David Sinclair has finally come up with a diet that could be enjoyable to follow. Here’s the secret: you eat as much as you want, and you drink a ton of red wine. How much red wine? 1500 bottles a day. It might put a dent in your wallet, but Sinclair claims that reservatrol, a compound in the wine, helps keep you healthy and keep the pounds off. He’s going to try and isolate the compound and market it in a pill for those who don’t want to drink 1500 bottles a day, according to the Huffington Post. But where’s the fun it that?

Those crazy Christians
A man in Nigeria had a message from Jesus: drive his car through two security fences at an airport, and crash into an airplane. According to Reuters, the unnamed man crashed his car into an Arik airplane at Calabar international airport on Wednesday because he said Jesus Christ sent him. No one was injured in the incident and flights continued as scheduled. Well, so long as Jesus told him it’s OK.

10-year-old Tasered
Two police in Indiana said they had no choice but to use a Taser on a 10-year-old boy because he was out of control, according to a statement. When police responded to a call to Tender Teddie’s Day Care last week, they had to act in order to prevent the child from hurting other children, himself or staff members. The two police officers, whose names have not been released, have been suspended.

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