Reading Time: 2 minutesDISSATISFIED WITH HOW production companies overlook student films in favour of working with more established artists, Walkmycampus.com founder Amir Kendic chose to take matters into his own hands. Through his website, which aims to create an online community for post-secondary students, Kendic founded the stuFF Student Film Festival to showcase and reward the work of …
Arts
Reading Time: 2 minutesWITH MIDTERMS OVER and final papers looming, it’s the time of year when students begin looking forward to summer break. While some choose to work, study, or volunteer, others opt for a season of travel. The task of setting up a travel schedule in a new place may seem daunting, but it is definitely manageable …
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAS STUDENTS, WE all know the hardships that come with budgeting. Food, rent, tuition, books, and many more necessities eat away at our hard-earned money, so much so that when it comes to our four-month vacation, most of us are thinking of getting full-time jobs instead of travelling. Despite these obstacles, Anna Starostinetskaya—cofounder and editor-in-chief …
Reading Time: 2 minutesWHEN I ARRIVED at the Mercury Lounge, it looked just like it would any night of the week, except for the circle of folding chairs in front of the stage. They were set up for the spoken word poetry workshop that was about to get started with Ian Keteku, an Ottawa-based World Slam Poetry champion. …
Reading Time: 3 minutesTulip Festival uproots and leaves the National Capital Commission’s parks OTTAWA—THE CANDIAN TULIP Festival is switching venues for its 60th anniversary. The festival, which attracts over 500,000 visitors each year, will be put on in community sites around the city, instead of on the National Capital Commission’s (NCC) property, like Major Hills Park and Commissioner’s …
Reading Time: 3 minutesMOVE ASIDE STEPHENIE Meyers, there’s a new vampire novelist in town. Patricia McCarthy, an Ottawa-based writer, has penned her fifth novel in the Crimson vampire series. The romance-esque novel is about blood-sucking monsters living in the nation’s capital and it’s due out later this year. The Fulcrum recently sat down and spoke to the local …
Reading Time: 4 minutes Graffiti6 | Colours N.W. Free Music 3/5 THE TERM “POP” originated in the 1960s with pop art, a movement defined by taking popular, everyday images and experimenting with them in conventional media to make a new, approachable type of fine art—think Warhol’s “Campbell Soup Cans” or Oldenburg’s “Dropped Cone”. In some ways, calling Graffiti6’s …
Reading Time: 2 minutesZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX, THE self-proclaimed “bar at the end of the universe,” sits quietly in the heart of the ByWard Market—yet on the inside it is anything but quiet as the iconic bar is gearing up to celebrate its 20th birthday. Having seen the rise of grunge, hip-hop, boy bands, and recently dubstep, owner Eugene Haslam …
Reading Time: 2 minutesAZARI & III EIGHTIES HOUSE MUSIC is seeing a revival in the form of Azari & III, a Toronto-based quartet specialising in club music. The urban and gritty neighbourhood of Parkdale served as the background in which the group was formed in 2008. What was born deep in the recesses of downtown Toronto by Dinamo …
Reading Time: 2 minutesOTTAWA IS PERHAPS considered a less creative city than most—known better for its bureaucrats, frigid winters, and poutine than its artistic community. The Ottawa Creative Collective (OCC), founded by two local designers, aims to change that image. “We want to be known as the organization that nudges Ottawa into the realm of good design—to be …
Reading Time: 3 minutesFROM AN EARLY age, the importance of women being able to defend themselves against would-be attackers is stressed. With news coverage of violence against women, stranger danger talks with parents, and the self-defence courses offered in high schools, young girls are taught they need to know how to protect themselves. The U of O is …
Reading Time: 2 minutesLOCAL MUSIC ARTISTS trying to get their start have few options when it comes to venues in Ottawa. Many require bands to pay rental fees, and if they don’t draw a crowd, the already struggling band is out a hefty sum. Despite this, there are a few great spots for performers looking to play their …
Reading Time: 2 minutesLIVE ENTERTAINMENT IN the city can be expensive. Whether it’s seeing a band perform at Zaphods or watching the latest play at the Great Canadian Theatre Company, hitting the town can take a toll on your finances. That’s where Ottawa native Mike Matheson comes into the mix. The local entrepreneur recently started the website iPricedit.com, …
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe Woman in Black 4/5 The Woman in Black is the first lead role for Daniel Radcliffe since he shed his Harry Potter glasses for the last time. He plays Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer sent to the English countryside to settle the accounts of a recently deceased woman. The woman in question owned a …
Reading Time: 2 minutesIT’S NO SECRET Ottawa is home to some wicked artistic talent, but what’s often said to be lacking is a culture that celebrates and promotes talent. Enter Vinyl Tap, a local music and arts collective founded in 2003. While Vinyl Tap releases albums, founder and manager Devin Atherton explains the collective is different from most …
Reading Time: 2 minutesFEBRUARY, THE SHORTEST and coldest month of the year, is home to Winterlude, Valentine’s Day, and—most importantly—Black History Month (BHM). Started by American Carter Woodsen in 1926, BHM was then known as Negro Week during the second week of February. Many years later we find ourselves celebrating significant people and events pertaining to the black …
Reading Time: 2 minutesÈva Morin | Fulcrum Contributor LIVING AND MAINTAINING a student lifestyle is no easy task. Between juggling endless readings, essays, and work, some students must also take care of chores waiting for them at their apartment. While living away from home seems like the ideal scenario for many students, it often implies skimping out on …
Reading Time: 2 minutesDIAMOND RINGS TORONTO NATIVE DIAMOND Rings, known as John O by his friends, is no stranger to success. Having received glowing reviews from the likes of Spin, Pitchfork, and NME magazines, it’s no wonder Diamond Rings is taking the dance scene by storm. His stage name may imply otherwise, but Diamond Rings is a one-man …
Reading Time: 2 minutesWHAT STARTED OUT as a collection of files on Claude Marquis’ laptop is well on its way to becoming one of the most exciting fixtures in the Ottawa’s music scene. With one album of the year award from the Ottawa Citizen under their belt, the 10-person musical collective The PepTides are making some waves on …
Reading Time: 3 minutesWatching TV on a laptop OTTAWA—LAPTOPS, TABLETS, AND smart phones are radically overtaking television. A new wave of computer products have changed the way we view the small screen. Viewing exactly what you want, when you want, was unfathomable in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but the rise of online and on-demand viewing has given individuals …
Reading Time: 3 minutesI ARRIVED TO the beginner-level lesson put on by the University of Ottawa Tango Club 10 minutes early, hoping to watch a bit of the intermediate students’ lesson. Swaying to the music while I watched pairs spin together around the University Centre terminus, I was a little intimidated and a lot excited for my first-ever …
Reading Time: 5 minutesAsk the Oracle | Ask the Oracle Resonant 0/5 I CAN USUALLY decide whether I like a song within the first five seconds of hearing it. When I popped Ask the Oracle in to my computer, with all the hope and excitement of a child about to unwrap a gift from Santa, I knew I …
Reading Time: 2 minutesTHE COST OF living has gone up and we’re now feeling the pinch at the dinner table. According to the Toronto Star, the National Post, and Maclean’s online, Toronto’s tipping customs have been rocked and customers are now expected to pay a 20 per cent tip for services instead of the usual 15. “Eighteen to …
Reading Time: 2 minutesARMED WITH PRESS passes, a camera, and the unshakeable feeling we were about to step back into 1997, we made our way to the Bronson Centre to see Hanson live in concert on Feb 8. Much to our surprise, security was tight—it was only after three failed attempts to enter the building that we were …
Reading Time: 2 minutesFOR THE FIFTH year in a row, Ottawans were ready to mingle with vendors, shop, and get dirty at this year’s Sexapalooza at the Ottawa Convention Centre, Feb. 10–12. While some may think of Ottawa as a conservative city, the attendance at the event told a different story with thousands looking to see what Sexapalooza …
