It can be the most dreaded part of the job search, but every job applicant knows that an interview can make or break your chances of being hired. Monster.ca dedicates a section of its website to advice and tips on making the most of a job interview. These are some of the things jobseekers are told to do or to avoid in order to increase their chances of being called back. (More …)
Last summer, Apple opened the App Store, a place where you can buy and download applications and games for the iPod Touch and the iPhone. Borrowing from the model that iTunes has used, the App Store allows developers – whether they be established or novice – a chance to make some money and a name for themselves on some of the most popular devices on the planet right now. (More …)
It’s that time of the year again. February is job-hunting season for many students and grads looking for internships or their first real jobs after graduation. Jill Andrew is an award winning journalist and former career /education columnist with Metro News She shared a few tips and advice on making a good impression at a new job. (More …)
Are these boots really made for walking?
UGG boots on the feet of women all over Centennial College campuses and even on celebrities, UGGs continue to be all the rage these days. However, cruel methods go into making these boots, say People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on their website. (More …)
13 Months of Sunshine is seen here as part of a gift basket after its screening December 19.
On Dec. 19, 2008, the Toronto-based Ethiopian youth group Eternal A.B.Y.S.S. (Always Bringing You Soulful Spirit) held a special screening of the Ethiopian-American film production 13 Months of Sunshine at the Bloor Cinema at 506 Bloor St. W.
The movie, directed by Ethiopian director Yehdego Abeselom, is an unconventional love story involving a green card and a coffee shop.
Solomon is an Ethiopian-born American citizen who works as a coffee barista and dreams of opening up his own traditional Ethiopian coffee house. Hanna comes to the United States from Ethiopia hoping to get a new start in life, but needs a green card to remain in the country. Their worlds intersect when Hanna’s family offers to pay Solomon US$20,000 to marry her. The immigration department requires them to remain married for a year and one month to prove the authenticity of the marriage before they issue her a green card.
What begins as a marriage of convenience quickly turns complicated as the beautiful Hanna goes into the world of modelling. Solomon finds himself becoming unexpectedly jealous of Hanna’s new agent, Morris.
The movie works as a celebration of Ethiopian culture and the traditions surrounding coffee, or ‘buna’ as it is known. In the movie, Hanna’s American agent is intrigued by the hybrid lives of Ethiopian immigrants, who integrate into the American lifestyle, yet stay close to their homeland through a strong sense of culture. This is mainly centred on coffee, which serves to unite the communities.
The filmmaker also effectively used a mix of traditional and contemporary Ethiopian music for the soundtrack.
The film drew large crowds of Ethiopian-Canadians, young and old. Hanna’s struggle to obtain American citizenship seemed to resonate with the immigrant experience of some of the audience members.
This film should also appeal to students at Centennial College, especially those who have immigrated from other countries, since they could identify with the joys and difficulties of the experience.
A scene from Jerry Springer - The Opera.
In its opening night performance at University of Toronto’s Hart House Theatre, one unexpected opera offers up adults dressed as babies, adulterers and vengeful strippers galore. All of this could only be found on one stage: that of TV’s king of guilty-pleasure smut, Jerry Springer.
From the opening of Jerry Springer – the Opera, running until Jan. 31, don’t expect Verdi or Wagner. In this Canadian premiere directed by Richard Ouzounian, the chorus line belts out typical Springer antics in an original and inviting score. Equally inviting is the special student price of $15, which creates a unique operatic experience that’s accessible on a budget. Sure to offend, the show delivers a multitude of wacky guests who divulge a kaleidoscope of sinful confessions.
Byron Rouse, who portrays the colourful TV veteran, offers a comical performance without being over the top. Periodically, Springer’s inner conscience emerges to offer advice, which he continually refuses, resulting in his descent into hell. He invites the audience to embrace the bizarre occurrences that grace the infamous Springer stage, which have transfixed followers of the notorious television show since its inception in 1991.
Surprisingly, Springer’s “guests” reveal an insight into the larger-than-life personas that frequent the television show. The audience is left to wonder whether the psyche of Jerry Springer is really so different from their own.
“The opera presents the controversy in a way that is really relatable to the audience,” said Ian Bender, who plays the roles of transsexual Tremont and Gabriel, the angel of death.
The performances by main actors and chorus are quite strong overall, despite moments of weakness. Greg Finney, in the unlikely roles of both God and Dwight the bisexual adulterer, proves a standout by showcasing his quirky one-liners in a resounding baritone that allows the audience to forgive his shameless antics.
Although the second act does not deliver as well as the first vocally, Springer’s “final thought” asks the audience to ponder the morality of the spectacle they’ve just witnessed. And as a potent mixture of high and low art, this new style of opera gives them plenty to think about.
Tickets are available by phone (416-978-8849) or online at http://www.uofttix.ca.
Centennial professor and artist Gary Greenwood's exhibit runs at the McLaughlin Gallery until March 8.
Moving through the gallery rooms, the shapes and colours bombard your senses. A sculpture piece in the centre of the room is familiar, yet you can’t remember where you’ve seen it before. That’s what Gary Greenwood wants: to make you step back and realize the connections are all around you.
These ideas are what Greenwood tries to convey with his new exhibit Tourist, on display at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa (72 Queen St.) until March 8. Greenwood, a Centennial College professor and artist for over 30 years, thanks Centennial for helping to make the exhibit possible.
“(The college) sent me to India for the program I work in,” said Greenwood at the exhibit’s Jan. 17 opening reception. “That was great because it opened up the whole process of going through places, and when you go around the world it tends to give you a whole new horizon to work with.”
Greenwood has been experimenting with perception and sense throughout his career. A graduate of Ryerson University, Greenwood has exhibited his works across Ontario, received numerous Ontario Arts Council grants and is a former curator for the exhibit Finding Camp X which was about the allies’ secret spy camp on the shores of Lake Ontario.
Greenwood’s art is unique; he creates it despite having a visual impairment called amblyopia (lazy eye) which increases his field of view while limiting his depth perception. From a book about his exhibit, Greenwood writes: “My work is rooted in a desire/need to figure out what I’m seeing, initially to determine depth but ultimately to understand where I am in the scene, in the world.”
In Tourist, Greenwood takes guests around the world as he shows similarities that come across only with time and thought. The exhibit consists of 27 pieces ranging from photos on mantles to large sculptures and even a video. Unlike other art exhibits where individual pieces stand alone, to fully enjoy Tourist you must view the pieces individually, while constantly thinking about what has come before it in the exhibit.
“The logic of (the exhibit) is like a matrix,” Greenwood said. “In other words, something over there connects to something here. That connects to something over there. So if it feels like it’s non-linear.”
For example, when first entering the second room of the exhibit, your eyes are drawn to a large orange sculpture. The piece, called “Sarcophagus Hazard,” is an incredible work by itself, but it is actually related to a photographic piece in the other room called “Sarcophagus-Secretariat” that shows similar structures Greenwood came across during his travels in Spain.
At a time when society wants everything handed to them with an explanation, Greenwood asks his audience to slow down, take a minute and enjoy the sights around us to appreciate the beauty in everyday things.
karen are discussing.
karen 4:30 pm on February 21, 2009 Permalink
i love it. that was the best article i read in a while. finally an animal activist here.