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By: Max Lightstone

Student number lost and found

If you’ve ever found someone’s student card but not know how to contact them, do not despair. E-mails sent to student#@mcmaster.ca will be delivered to the McMaster email account.

Costco gift card magic

It’s often believed that you need a membership to shop at Costco, but having a Costco gift card of any amount can get you the same access. On top of that, you can pay any excess with debit or credit.

Fiddes wholesale produce

This is the place to go if you want inexpensive groceries. They supply the grocery stores, but also open their warehouse to the community. They are found on 60 Ewen Road #4 and are open 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday.

Metro’s student discount

Another way to save money on groceries is to visit Metro. Students get 10 percent off on Tuesdays. Be sure to bring your student card.

Recipes made for your fridge

Have you ever looked at your kitchen and wondered what in the world you could make with all those ingredients? Supercook.com is a website that lets you enter what you have, and then tells you what you can make from it. You can even specify what you are in the mood for, and it’ll give you its best attempt.

The ultimate Mac app

MacSMS is a student-run app made to provide campus updates in real time. It is a great resource for finding how long the bus will be, what the weather’s like, and more. Check out www.macsms.me for more info.

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By: Daniella Porano

While the term “ethical fashion” can be ambiguous and individually defined, it really pertains to the process of clothing production and the subsequent advertising and retail used to sell products. I think it’s more useful to individually understand and define what dressing ethically means to you. Sweatshop free? Organic cotton? Fair trade? Animal-friendly textiles? How about corporate responsibility in all aspects of a business model, from advertisements to the retail stores? Each person has a different moral code when it comes to socially-conscious fashion

Take a moment to consider the ever-changing nature of the fashion industry and the implications of this constant evolution. Each season, retail chains rotate their entire stock and import new shipments of clothing in mass quantities. As the majority of the large retailers do not build clothes to last longer than a year – sometimes no longer than a handful of washes – the majority of “fast fashion” ends up in landfills as the trends fade.

The problem is the way we’re targeted as consumers. We’ve been groomed to accept that paying twenty dollars for a pair of jeans is normal, a steal even. If you think about the cost of materials, production, and payment to labourers both at the production and retail points, how can this be so? The answer is simple: it can’t – at least, not without exploitation on all levels of production, at the expense of labourers.

This leads to the next issue of sustainable and ethical fashion: the price. I’ve consistently found the constraints of availability and price to be the most problematic aspects when trying to find ethically-sourced fashion. While one of my favourite designers, Stella McCartney, has managed to champion animal-friendly clothing, her designs are completely unattainable to the average student. Aside from high end fashion houses with luxury production shops in France and Italy, where does labour-friendly fashion come from, and more importantly, how can we access it?

While being an ethically-minded consumer with a limited budget is certainly a challenge, it is not impossible. There are many ways to find quality and socially-conscious clothing.

Vintage and thrift stores are incredible; buying pre-loved is always the best option. Not only does it prevent clothes from being thrown out as waste, but it can also be a goldmine for fashion finds that would otherwise be inaccessible. I’ve found amazing clothes at thrift stores, including denim jackets made in Italy, cozy knits made in Britain, and my personal favourite, a vintage Nina Ricci bag. High quality brands of jackets and coats can also filter through thrift stores, an important concern for all of us as winter approaches.

Another important tip is to check labels. Within massive corporations, stores can have a wide range of outsourced labour from all over the world in the same retail location. While some sweaters are handmade in British shops, others may be made in horrendous sweatshop conditions in Bangladesh. Checking labels for where the item was made is important as it can assist in distinguishing fair-paid and quality pieces from exploitation. This does not mean that well-made fashion only comes from the Western world, but in a corporate-dominated capitalist society, the exploitation of developing nations is embedded in many major retailers’ clothing.

Other large stores that sell a variety of brands can be fantastic for ethical finds. For example, I’ve found plenty of American-made designer denim at Winners – always at a quarter of the original retail price. Additionally, there are many adorable small shops and specialty online stores that cater to selling locally produced, vegan, or fair trade products (sometimes all three). Online tools like The Guardian’s ethical fashion directory, the Ethical Consumer website, and the Ethical Fashion Forum help provide resources and in-depth information about ethics in corporations and socially-conscious alternatives. These sites reinforce the idea that you are making a choice every time you purchase an item of clothing, or in other terms, voting with your dollar.

The easiest way to create a formula for ethical shopping is by following the words of legendary designer Vivienne Westwood, “buy less, choose well, make it last.”

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The Ship - 4 out of 5

Order: The Hawaiian ($15.00)

McMaster has been ranked by Maclean’s as the fourth best cycling university in Canada. This is due to the city of Hamilton’s ongoing efforts to improve cycling infrastructure, and the ease of biking on McMaster’s spacious campus.

The cheepest generic viagra following infographic explores some of the facts and figures that influence the student biking experience, including an anecdote from a student who experienced a downside of cycling at McMaster.

Click here for an interactive Google Map with the locations of bike thefts on McMaster's campus from 2012-2013.

 

Every week, viagra order our LifeStyle editors find fashionable students on campus and ask them about where they get their clothes. Here's how it all comes together.

Rick Kanary
The Silhouette

If you haven’t had Pho before, you are missing out.  When the cooler weather starts creeping in, it’s definitely one of my favourite dishes. And the best part about Pho is that it is easy to make and highly customizable.

Pho is a Vietnamese style, noodle-based soup with a variety of proteins, topped with fresh, crunchy vegetables and peanuts.  The delicate melange of spices brings a wonderfully complex taste of the East to your evening.  Some cooks will adamantly claim that a full-flavoured Pho broth needs to take you hours.  I am happy to disagree.  With the right ingredients you can whip up this fabulous dish in very little time at all.

Whether you are looking for a warm and hearty soup for a cool autumn night, or you want to impress a date with your exotic taste and culinary abilities (and have fun assembling it together), then this recipe is a killer choice.

 

Undergraduate Pho in a Flash

Prep Time:  30 minutes (15 if you are good with a knife!)

Cook Time:  25 minutes (knife skills won’t help here)

Total Time:  55 minutes (Don’t quote me on that!)

Yield:  4 (leftovers!)

 

Ingredients

Broth

6 cups of Chicken Broth (low sodium!)

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp finely diced white onion

1 tbsp minced ginger

2 star anise

2 whole cloves

½ tsp fennel seeds

1 black cardamom pod

1 cinnamon stick

1 tbsp red chili flakes

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp fish sauce (optional)

1 tbsp sriracha sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

Cheese cloth (or a wire strainer or ‘spider’)

 

For Individual Bowl Assembly

1 to 2 lbs noodles (udon, egg noodles or ‘banh pho’)

250g beef (sirloin or outside round) very thinly sliced

12 black tiger shrimp, deveined and shelled

2 mild Italian pork sausages

1 cup of shredded Napa cabbage

1 cup of bean sprouts

½ cup of crushed peanuts

1 carrot, julienned

1 lime (cut into wedges)

½ cup shredded cilantro/mint/thai basil (your call!)

Method

Put a large pot of water on high heat to boil.

Place chicken broth, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, lime juice, fish sauce, sriracha, ginger, garlic, chili flakes, brown sugar and onions into a pot and place on high heat.  While you are waiting for the broth to boil, place spices (cardamom, cinnamon, star anise and fennel seeds) in a shallow pan and toast them on low heat, mixing often, until fragrant.

Both pots should be boiling.  Place the toasted spices in a cheesecloth (If you do not have cheesecloth or a wire strainer, feel free to use ground spices) and add to the boiling broth.  Turn the heat down on the broth to medium low, just above a simmer.

Place your noodles in the boiling water.  Cook for 3-4 minutes (most Asian-style noodles don’t take long to cook, and they all have different cook times so check the package first).  Once cooked, remove the noodles.  Add the sausage and shrimp to the boiling water.  The shrimp should only take a few minutes.  When the grey color has turned pink, they’re ready to be removed from the pot.  The sausages will take a little longer.

Now you have some time for your garnishes.  Finely shred the Napa cabbage and your herb-of-choice.  Julienned the carrot.  Cut the lime into wedges.

By this point, both your broth and sausages should be ready.  Remove the sausages and thinly slice them on a bias.  Arrange your proteins and garnishes each on a separate serving dish and place the noodles into individual bowls (about 1/3 to ¼ of the way).

Now comes the fun part.  Place some of the thinly sliced beef, shrimp, and sausage into the bowl.  Using a ladle, top your noodles and proteins with hot broth.

Garnish with shredded Napa cabbage, julienned carrot, bean sprouts, shredded herb-of-choice, lime wedge, and crushed peanuts.

Giggle and dance around the kitchen with your date (I assumed you have music playing!).

Julia Busatto
The Silhouette

If you’re a Mac student (which I assume most of you are), you’re either living at home, in residence, or off campus. Yet regardless of your living situation, there is one thing that is nearly impossible to avoid: your neighbors.
I find neighbors encompass one of three key categories: the good, the bad or the ugly. Let’s not be pessimists, and begin with the “good” neighbors with whom you should befriend.
How do you tell if you have good neighbors? Well for a start, they probably invite you to their parties, open their beer stocked fridges for you, and tell you to take whatever you’d like. Or how about the neighbors who don’t say anything when they see the girl from last night sneak down the hall the next morning.

The “good” neighbors turn a blind eye to things they just weren’t supposed to see, are generous with their possessions, direct the pizza guy right to your place, and maybe even act as a cuddle buddy from time to time (if that’s what you’re looking for).
On the opposite end of the spectrum are the “bad” neighbors, which can be separated into various degrees of nastiness dependent upon your discretion, and are best to avoid. They call the cops on your intoxicated friend who was just in the middle of her eerily realistic rendition of Wrecking Ball, watch everything you do with judging glares, and tell your parents the somewhat less notable stories about you when your monthly delivery of Kraft Dinner comes in.

The bad neighbors rightfully believe they own the whole block, the whole floor, and, essentially, your whole life. I’m sure we’ve all encountered them at some point, and they’re certainly not the angels they try to appear to be. They park in your parking space, steal your Wi-Fi and complain about even the slightest squeak of noise after 9 p.m. despite their own music has been seeping through the walls the whole time. In conclusion, it is definitely best to avoid these neighbors, because neither friendship nor mutual agreement is an option. Any friendly relation is a lost cause, so just abandon the ship now.
Last but not least are the “ugly” neighbors. The ugly neighbors are not esthetically ugly, but habitually ugly. When it comes to creatures of foul habit, it is best to proceed with caution. They tend to leave garbage sitting out for so long that the smell eventually wafts in through your window, and bang on your door at 5 a.m. to tell you about something they found really, really, *hiccup*, really, hilarious. Not to mention they invite themselves over way too often to be considered a spontaneous surprise. You don’t have the heart to tell them to leave your house, especially to stop coming over for their favourite “movie nights” where they happen to forget to bring the movie and treats each and every time.
The “ugly” neighbors play dubstep obnoxiously loud in the hopes to convert you to their superior music taste. They’re hopelessly inconsiderate, but blissfully unaware they’re doing anything wrong. After all, they’re just having fun, right? They ward off neighborhood wildlife with BB guns, thinking it’s objectively hilarious to torment squirrels. But no matter how riled up you may get with these folks, it is best to proceed with caution because you do not want to hurt their feelings. They may be so upset that they actually never end up leaving their house, stuck in a wallowing party that not even the loudest of dubstep music can revive them from, and consequently the old lettuce smell and ear-bleeding house music will become a permanent part of your life.
Whatever your neighbor situation is, remember these neighbor profiles. Good or bad neighbors can influence how you live, your experience here at McMaster, and your life beyond graduation too. Neighborly love is on the decline, with fewer street BBQ’s and friendly neighbor introductions. Most people tend to stick to themselves, as opposed to socializing with those that live around them. Ultimately, however you decide to proceed with your neighbors, just remember this note of optimism: everyone moves eventually, right?

The summer months lead to a sudden influx of heat waves, unwelcome flooding, and most importantly, quality television. And if after four months of converter cruising you find yourself longing for the plains of Westeros, the halls of Sterling-Cooper-Draper-Pryce, or the methamphetamines of Walter White, look no further than Primetime television.

Although the AMC’s and HBO’s of the world may provide for high-class entertainment in the warmer months, there’s something to be said for cable TV’s mid-evening programming.

DRAMA

For Breaking Bad (AMC) fans, check out Blacklist (CityTV). Apparently, the show is about a notorious fugitive who turns himself in- but only under the condition that he gets to FBI alongside a babe-alicious agent. Oooh. Drama.
For fans of Mad Men (AMC), check out The Crazy Ones. Although theoretically a comedy, this advertising show has the same creds as MM - but sub Jon Hamm for Robin Williams.

COMEDY/REALITY

If you’re one of the five people who watch Wilfred (FX) and need a new comedy for the season, check out Gravity Falls (Disney). Don’t led Disney mislead you, equally obscure, this children’s show is full of quirks and irony.
For TLC-addicts, trade in your Breaking Amish habit for the last season of What Not to Wear or Duck Dynasty (A&E). To each their own.

MISC.

Shark Week (Discovery) came and went, but nature still thrives. And by that, I mean Nature, the documentary series on PBS. If you need a description, you shouldn’t be in university.

If loafting in front of The Food Network became a daily habit, but your student house does not cater to specialty networks, tune into Masterchef Junior (CTV) for a guaranteed young-in shit show, with food.