A couple notes today — one from the pros and two from close to home.

Jose Bautista

Well this has worked out well, now hasn’t it.

Acquired by former Blue Jays general manager JP Ricciardi in 2008 for a player to be named later — the player turned out to be switch-hitting catcher Robinson Diaz, who is now a minor leaguer treading water in the Detroit Tigers organization — Jose Bautista can’t be labeled as anything less than a smashing success.

Currently leading the league in home runs on Wednesday morning  with 30 — he’s probably smacking a couple more right now as I write this — Bautista has the most dingers of any professional baseball player since last September. More than Ryan Howard. More  than Mark Teixeira. More than Alex Rodriguez. You get the point.

That’s why the Blue Jays have to get rid of him. Soon.

If Jose Bautista is still on the Blue Jays roster after the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline, the Jays will have made a huge mistake.

Look, by all accounts Bautista is a really good guy and a fantastic comeback story, but everyone and their escaped boa constrictor knows that the guy is hitting way over his head. Eventually, his production will slow down and return to his career norms. Remember, he’s never hit more than 24 home runs — he did it in 2oo5 in double-A — in any season at any level in his career. The time to cash in on Bautista’s inflated value is now when his stock is through the roof — before it comes crashing back down to earth.

Bautista turns 30 this year, which is typically the age where power number decline. The exceptions to that rule come, of course,  during the steroids era when, well, you know how that story goes.

No matter what any of the mouth-breathers who phone radio call-in shows say, the Blue Jays are not going to contend this year or next. If Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos is savvy, he’ll trade Bautista now for quality young ball players who can help the team down the road when it’s ready to challenge for a playoff spot.

Noteworthy Mustangs

Aa always, your Western Mustangs are hard at work over the summer, training for their upcoming seasons and participating in events around the continent.

Unfortunately we only had one summer issue this year — sorry, I couldn’t stop the frisbee thing — so we weren’t able to shine as much light on their goings-on as we have in the past, but here’s a couple stories you should check out.

Jacqueline Rennebohm, a visually-impaired Mustangs track and field athlete, set a Canadian record in the 200m at a track meet in Windsor earlier this month with a time of 28.6 seconds, besting the previous record by more than two milliseconds.

The second-year social sciences major — whose eyes can only detect colour and motion from objects five feet away — works with a running guide and competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a paralympic swimmer.

Taylor Stewart, a London native, won a bronze medal at the 2010 IAAF Track and Field World Junior Championships last week.

The 19-year-old, entering his first year at Western, lept 7.63 metres to secure the medal.

I’ve been hearing about Stewart around London for some time now and everyone who sees him compete thinks he’s going to be a star. He’s one to watch this year.

E-mail Arden at arden@westerngazette.ca . You can also follow him on twitter at @ArdenAtGazette

Guacamole is a healthy snack that can be eaten with chips or put on sandwiches or wraps. Another bonus is that avocados have many nutritional benefits, including minerals like potassium, calcium, vitamin C and K, folic acid, sodium and dietary fibers. Delicious and nutritious!

Ingredients:

- 4 avocados

- Bunch of cilantro

- 1 lime

- Salt

* Make sure to wash the first three ingredients before using them.

Directions:

1. Cut avocados in half around the pit. Twist both sides of the avocado slightly then pull apart. Remove pit.

2. Scoop avocado out of the skin and into a bowl.

3. Mash the avocados with a fork or potato masher until smooth.

4. Using a citrus press or your hands, squeeze lime juices into the bowl. Mix well with avocados.

5. After you have washed and finely chopped the cilantro (see pictures of preparing cilantro here), combine with other ingredients.

6. Add salt to taste (about 1 ts.).

7. Pour guacamole into a serving bowl then push a pit into the centre. Cover the pit up with guacamole (Note: the pit helps to prevent the guacamole from turning brown).

Serve with chips on its own, or with salsa, a jicama cucumber snack and a watermelon chiller. Enjoy!

Said the Whale

I was really excited for Said the Whale.  It was the first band I saw Friday night at Dundas Square and they definitely met all my expectations. The vocals were impeccable and the indie band had great on-stage chemistry. If you haven’t already listened to their most recent album Islands Disappear, you should. A trip to their MySpace is all it will take to get you hooked.

http://www.myspace.com/saidthewhale

Wavves*

I don’t know what it was. Maybe the fact that I was running on four hours sleep, or that I compared them heavily the act that followed, but Wavves* were not my cup of tea.  Their performance at Lee’s Palace Friday night sounded screechy and the music itself reminds me of the type of cliché noise-punk band that I would have pretended to enjoy in high school. Not to mention, they dragged out their introduction for much too long. When they did finally start to play, I quickly realized their musical and lyrical quality just wasn’t up to par with the rest of the bands I saw.

http://www.myspace.com/wavves

Japandroids

Next on our list was the highly anticipated Japandroids. What blew me away most was how this two-man band managed to make it sound as though there were five members on stage.  All they had was a guitar and a drum kit, but this Vancouver band maintained the crowd’s full attention and they sounded awesome. The mosh pit that formed during their first song was in full force for most of the set.

http://www.myspace.com/japandroids

DD/MM/YYY

These guys are no strangers to NXNE, so, naturally, I was looking forward to hearing them play.  But I wasn’t entirely impressed — actually, I wasn’t even a little bit impressed.  Their mid-day performance on Saturday was mediocre and boring enough to make me ditch the stage and go shopping. Enough said.

http://www.myspace.com/ddmmyyyy

Hot Hot Heat

We dodged the festivities in Little Italy to get to the Mod Club Friday night to see Hot Hot Heat — a band that has perfected the art of performing. You might remember the catchy tracks like “Goodnight Goodnight” and “Middle of Nowhere” off their earlier albums.  Although music of their latest album Future Breeds is not quite as upbeat as previous albums, their main riffs in their new songs like “21@12” are still quite catchy and well-produced. Their performance was highly energetic — even though lead singer Steve Bays admitted to being extremely hungover from the night before. This was definitely my favourite set of the festival.

http://www.myspace.com/hothotheat

Jane Vain

If you are looking for something that has an electric-indie feel to add to your iPod, I’ve found the band for you. This wasn’t one of the bands I originally planned on seeing and to be honest I had never listened to them prior to NXNE, but I was impressed by how good they sounded live. This Montreal-based band interacted with the audience and the lead female vocal was full of angst and defined the term indie rock — without the use of words.

http://www.myspace.com/janevainsmusic

Overall, I was satisfied with my NXNE experience. I was fortunate enough to see some well-formed musical acts, and although I didn’t catch some of the major headliners like K-OS or Iggy and the Stooges, there was no shortage of talent in most of the bands I did see. There was definitely too much to cover in a short amount of time, but, nonetheless, well done NXNE.

Correction: This was changed from “The Wavves.” 07/11/10

1. Find all the bands you want to see. Then cross half of them off.
You can’t understand the size of NXNE until you’re standing in a bar you’ve never heard of and your favourite band is playing on the other side of Toronto. The size of the festival combined with the crowds makes it impossible to see half the bands you want. But that’s not so bad. Some shows have more than eight bands playing, sometimes from mismatched genres, making any single venue a hodgepodge of pretty good music.

2. Triple the price of the wristband.
A wristband for the whole festival costs you $50. Transportation, food, drinks, more drinks, merchandise, cab rides home and after-bar food cost three times that much. If you take out some cash on your first right you can try to budget. But staring at your favourite band at 1 a.m. in a dark bar makes you mighty thirsty, so don’t be surprised if your budget dissolves faster than your sense of responsibility.

3. Sleep in.
Some shows keep the music blasting past 2 am. Luckily for you and your friends, shows don’t really begin until 8 p.m. Make the best of the break and sleep the entire time.

4. Grab free stuff.
Younge and Dundas square is half music, half promotion. Last year an energy drink company set up shop and handed out samples of its putrid, sugary-sweet caffeine fix. I filled right up. It was free, what do you expect? There are also some conferences that you’ve technically paid for with your wristband but wouldn’t otherwise attend if I didn’t tell you to. Some are even worth checking out, especially if you’re into the industry side of the music scene.

5. Arrive very, very early.
Once you pick your favourite bands, make sure you actually get to see them. You’ve bought a wristband, but that’s worth pretty much squat if the venue fills up before you arrive. Media and VIP pass-holders get priority, so bouncers might leave some breathing room to let these special folks in. There’s nothing worse than waiting in line for an hour and seeing Jian Ghomeshi waltz right in. When this happened to me, my friends and I sulked quietly and fled to nearby bar where some lesser-known bands played to a spotty, dejected crowd. Ah, NXNE.

Ingredients:

- 4 tomatoes

- 2 small onions or one large onion

- 4 small limes or 3 large limes

- 1 jalapeño

- bunch of cilantro

* Make sure to wash all of the ingredients really well before preparing them.

Directions:

1. Chop onions into finely diced pieces

2. Cut jalapeño in half and remove seeds (Note: be careful not to get the juices under your fingernails because it burns and can irritate your skin. Some people use gloves when chopping up jalapeno)

3. Cut the jalapeño lengthwise then chop into tiny pieces. Mix with onions.

4. Cut limes in half. Using a citrus press (or your hand) squeeze limes over onions and jalapeño

5. Mix all ingredients well and make sure that all of the onions and jalapeño pieces are covered in the lime juice. Put the bowl in the fridge for 20 minutes so the ingredients can soak up the lime juice.

6. Meanwhile, wash the cilantro, break off stems, and spin dry or dry with paper towel.

7. Chop the cilantro into fine pieces

8. Dice the tomatoes

9. Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Pour into a serving bowl. Serve with chips, guacamole, and watermelon chiller. Enjoy!

Then it occurred to me. Students just want to sell their books. No fuss, no markups, no commission, no middleman. They just want a fair price for something they probably barely used. Unfortunately, the market on this kind of service was small. The Book Store at Western has its own student-to-student book sale service, but I challenge you to find it on their website. (Okay, I’ll save you the 20 minutes and give you this link.) Kijiji, Amazon and Facebook have their own markets, but it’s not always easy to find something in your area. These sites cater to the world (or your city) so you’re not always sure it’s a student you’re buying from.

So it’s with great joy that the Gazette launches its own solution to this problem:

books.westerngazette.ca

There’s not much to it, really. It’s a free site where you can post your books and share them with students. You’ll get free advertising for your books, in a way, because we’ll publicize the website in our print version and online. It’s also localized (through advertising) to Western students, so you can meet up at the Spoke to exchange books for cash instead of somewhere south of Dundas Street.

This is a much-needed service for students and one that could really benefit the student population. So get started. Post a book, buy a book, share a book. Whatever. We’ll keep it running on our servers for as long as students want it there. It’s just another way we’re transforming the Gazette to be more useful for your everyday life.

Got feedback? Let me know at stuart@westerngazette.ca or westerngazette.ca/contact

Diane Birch – Valentino

Everything about Diane Birch harkens back to another era. Her sultry voice is capable of belting out a husky ballad as effortlessly as a light and airy uptempo pop song. And auto-tune? Not for this American songwriter, if her powerful live performances are any indication.

“Valentino” is one of the more uptempo melodies off Birch’s piano-driven 2009 debut album Bible Belt. Critics have compared the 27-year-old to ’70s vets like Carly Simon and Carole King, but Birch didn’t hear too much of those classics in her youth – she was more influenced by church hymns than pop music thanks to her conservative upbringing as the child of Christian missionaries. Whatever the case, Birch definitely has soul, and I’m praying we’ll hear more soon from this timeless talent.

– Lauren Pelley

Lissie – Little Lovin

If every record store had a “hidden gems” section, Lissie’s debut album Catching a Tiger would be there.

The songstress’ soul-infused, smoky vocals stick to her romanticized lyrics like glue and her two guitarists are all that she needs to make it happen. Although borderline pop, Lissie’s vocal talent showcased in “Little Lovin”  outshines anything new I’ve heard recently.

The country twang mixed with a bit of what I like to call “indie intention” is quite catchy — and in the least annoying way possible.  The song progresses towards its upbeat chorus and ends with a toe-tapping, hand-clapping production, as most of her songs do.

She credits cigarettes, pie, and waiting in line, among other things for inspiration according to her MySpace. And it seems to be working, so listen up!

– Nicole Gibillini

Regina Spektor – Dance Anthem of the 80s

From belting out sporadic Russian melodies to delivering lengthy choruses of dolphin noises, Regina Spektor has made quite an impression on the East Village music scene.

The songstress flaunts her signature quirky, upbeat vocals on her latest album, Far, while stamping out eclectic tunes on the ivories about prostitutes and Blockbuster cards. Spektor’s song Dance Anthem of the 80s is a particular standout from the bunch. Her ode to the metaphorical meat market strikes a perfect balance between fluff and fable — offering listeners a catchy tune while ominous lyrics sculpt out a moral narrative.

Check out this song along with other tracks off the album at www.myspace.com/reginaspektor.

– Gloria Dickie

Bruno Mars – The Other Side

Bruno Mars is an under-appreciated musical genius. So when he features two other amazing artists, Cee Lo and B.o.B, in his super new album, the result is absolute magic with explosions. Intergalactic planetary, planetary intergalactic.

The album is called “It’s Better if You Don’t Understand” and, sadly, features only four songs.  The quality makes up for the quantity, though, especially in the second song, which I truly cannot get out of my head. It’s called “The Other Side.”

It’s the perfect harmonizing of alternative hip-hop, soul, space rock, and pop music. The interesting varieties of sounds are sweet and hypnotic, but on the other hand, the beat is so fresh that I can’t help but dance and sing/rap along. Trust me, neither will you.

This makes for the perfect summer song and I can’t wait for Mars to come out with more magic for the ears.

– Amani Elrofaie

This is the perfect drink for days on the patio. For part two of our Mexican themed recipe series (here’s part one) we have a sweet two ingredient mix for a tasty frozen blended beverage. It’s refreshing, delicious, and there’s no added sugar!

Ingredients:

- Half of 1 small/medium watermelon (make sure you wash it before you cut into it)

- Approximately 1 cup of Absolut Vanilla vodka (I use Absolut because there is only natural flavouring added and no sugar)

Directions:

1. Cut watermelon in half.

2. Cut the watermelon into smaller pieces.

3. Peel the watermelon.

4. Cut the watermelon into cubes.

5. Place the watermelon pieces into a plastic container that has a lid, and pour 1 cup of vodka over the pieces.

6. Place the container in the freezer for about 4 hours.

7. When the watermelon is frozen, remove it from the freezer and shake the container.

8. Pour the contents into a blender and blend at high speed until smooth.

Pour contents into small glasses, garnish with a cucumber and serve immediately. If you use half of a watermelon it should make four-six servings. If you’re not going to serve it all immediately, blend only a portion of the mix and put the remainder back in the freezer.

The drinks paired with a jicama cucumber snack are a great combination for a sunny day.

In case you’re unaware, Greyson Chance invaded the pop scene after his amazing rendition of Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi received over 20 million hits on YouTube — 16 of which have come thanks to me.

Since then, Greyson emerged onto the world stage, including two appearances on the Ellen DeGeneres show. In fact, Ellen DeGeneres recently announced that the 12-year old singing phenom is the first artist signed to her new record label eleveneleven. Greyson also secured Guy Oseary and Troy Carter, the high-powered team who manage Madonna and Lady Gaga respectively.

I was ready to take a chance on him until I realized Greyson is stepping on our turf (well, Justin Bieber’s turf).

I’ll admit the similarities between them are overwhelming. Perhaps it’s his school-boy good looks, the side-swept hair or the way girls under the age of 16 instantly fall in love with him.

I know that not everyone is a fan of Bieber or Greyson. But this is bigger than a rivalry between teen heartthrobs. This is a classic Canada versus the United States of America, all-out, no holds barred battle. Canada has come under a serious threat of losing our greatest pop export, and it is time for Canadians everywhere — whether you like it or not — to set aside their Bieber-hate and band together as one. It’s a matter of Canadian pride. These are the stakes.

I’m not the only one who senses the clash. Greyson even took to his recently created Twitter account in hopes to dispel those rumours, tweeting: “I’m hearing the rumours.. Not true.. I think Justin Bieber is a great artist.. And hope that he takes me on tour one day..” On behalf of Justin Bieber and all of Canada, I’d like to say we’re not buying it Greyson. Challenged accepted.

I love a little fair and healthy competition just as much as the next person, but fair is the last word I’d use to describe the brewing teen rivalry. Greyson is stealing all our moves! The whole “uploading a home video and being discovered on YouTube” thing. Sorry Greyson, it’s been done. Next thing you know, “Bieber Fever” will no longer be a world-wide epidemic and girls everywhere will instead be “Chasin’ Greyson.”

Justin Bieber is not the greatest singer in history. I realize that unless you’re a pre-pubescent girl (or me), you’ve probably never listened to his music. But right now Justin is on top of the manufactured music world and it would be un-Canadian to not support him.

I’m not asking anyone to buy the latest Justin Bieber album, or even listen to his songs, but we’ve been challenged to an international pop music duel. Canada will always be at the top of the hockey world, we will always brew the best beer and our maple syrup will taste good on anything. But it’s finally our time for something larger, Canada. We won’t be polite. We won’t step aside and apologize for being in your way. With the entire nation beside Justin Bieber, Canada will reign atop the pop music universe. It’s going to take a lot more than a 12-year-old Lady Gaga impersonator to take us down!

So America — what else do you got?

Jicama and cucumber is a refreshing snack that can be enjoyed on the beach, by the pool, or, if you’re like us, around the sprinkler. Stay tuned for a delicious watermelon blended drink, salsa fresca, and guacamole! Here comes summer time!

About jicama

Part of the legume family, jicama contains a high amount of vitamin C, is low in sodium, and has no fat. It’s sweet to taste and has a crunchy, juicy texture. When purchasing jicama, make sure it’s firm, unblemished and not bruised. You can store jicama for up to 2-3 weeks in in a cool, dry place.

Ingredients:

- 1 jicama (found in the veggie section of the grocery store)

- 1 cucumber

- chili powder

- salt

- 2 small limes or one large lime

Directions:

1. Wash the jicama and cut it in half

2. Peel the jicama — it’s important to get the thin white layer that is right beneath the brown peel.

3. Chop the jicama into long, rectangular shapes.

4. Wash the cucumber then cut it into long wedges.

5. Arrange the jicama and cucumber in a bowl.

6. Wash and cut the limes in half and remove any seeds.

7. Squeeze the limes, sprinkling the juice evenly over the jicama and cucumber slices.

8. Sprinkle salt all over, carefully moving wedges around to get the hidden pieces. Then, using your fingers, evenly sprinkle chili powder over the slices.

Enjoy this delicious snack with a watermelon chiller or some iced passion fruit tea and soak up the sun!