Issue 3, Vol 143, The Brunswickan

INTERNATIONAL // CHECK OUT OUR NEW SECTION>> NEW VOICES Volume 143 · Issue 3 • September 23, 2009

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brunswickan canada’s oldest official student publication.

HARVEST JAZZ AND BLUES FESTIVAL

Christian Hapgood / The Brunswickan

Christian Hapgood / The Brunswickan

Doug Estey / The Brunswickan

This past wekeend saw the annual Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival take Fredericton by storm. Music lovers young and old came out to party and enjoy the many varieties of music on offer. Above, from left to right: Kevin Shider of funk band Original P, Canadian chantreuse Jill Barber, and Tim Baker of Hey Rosetta!

A peek inside the Currie Center Lee Larrett The Brunswickan The summer months are a busy time for construction, and the site of UNB’s new Currie Center was no exception.

The $50 million facility is just reinforcing bars and concrete right now, but the target for completion in 2010 is quickly approaching and the building is taking shape.

Terry Haggerty, dean of Kinesiology, is excited for the new center to be completed. He detailed what the students can expect to see inside once the doors finally open.

“There are interior decorators [involved] so it’s not going to be red and black inside, we’ll get some nice earth tones, greens and browns, tiles and wood. It’s going to have wood trusses in the roof rather than steel... it won’t look like a Walmart, a block structure.”

The architectural firms involved are also responsible for the modern design, Haggerty said. The firms involved are B+H, one of Canada’s largest and longest established architectural firms based out of Toronto; Sasaki, another large firm based out of Boston and ADI, an Atlantic Canadian architectural and engineering firm with a head office in Fredericton.

In front of the center will be green

space and to the side of the center will be space for parking.

The center itself will be built into the hill. The bottom level will have a main door leading out to the green space and a new Beaverbrook St. entrance to campus. The second main door will lead out from the top level at the side of the building as an easy link to campus walkways. The whole front face of the building will be glass, so many rooms and exercise areas will take advantage of the view to the river valley.

The top level will house a performance gymnasium that seats 1,500 in a U shape, not in bleachers but in comfortable seats similar to lecture hall seating.

“When it’s used as a gym it’s a gym, but when it’s not a gym it won’t look like one,” Haggerty said. He explained that the room is meant to be flexible; it can serve as a performance gym, practice gym, a hall for convocation, or a large lecture hall if a major speaker comes to UNB. The basketball standards are portable and the score clock is a large digital display that can project either a score clock or video feed. There is a staging area at one end of the gym. When the divider is open it can serve as the stage for convocation, and when the divider is closed it can be an exercise room for pilates or a one on one training area for athletes and coaches.

When the bleachers roll away there is room enough for two practice courts, which gives athletics teams the space they need for practice so that other gymnasiums can be used solely for intramurals.

On the same level there will be a commons area with a nutrition cafe, a balcony, and a lots of seating. It’s meant to be a hub of activity and a meeting place for students.

The next level down houses a fitness and cardio area overlooking the river valley. Haggerty estimates that the space for the fitness area is five times the

SEE CURRIE PAGE 3

brunswickannews

2 • Sept. 23, 2009 • Issue 3 • Volume 143

Branching out - National Forestry Week Hilary Paige Smith The Brunswickan

Canadian forests are being celebrated nationwide this week, with a handful of events taking over New Brunswick’s capital city.

National Forest Week is observed every September in cities across the country, celebrating forests and informing Canadians about their importance as a natural resource. The event began in 1920 as Forest Fire Prevention Week and evolved into National Forest Week in 1967. This year’s theme is Canada’s Forests-Strong Roots, Green Shoots.

“It’s a chance for all Canadians to celebrate our forests, just to pause for a little bit.

The Canadian Forest Service, of course, wanted to do it’s bit and we always put on a couple events that try and highlight some aspect of what’s going on,” Bruce Pendrel, director of the science program at the Atlantic Forestry Centre with Canadian Forest Services, said of the week’s events.

Fredericton’s National Forest Week celebrations were highlighted on Monday

with a commemorative tree planting to celebrate the opening of Bliss Carman Middle School. The Atlantic Forestry Centre planted three maple trees for the school and presented a commemorative plaque.

The maple trees were selected in recognition of Bliss Carman’s poem An Autumn Song.

The tree planting ceremony was followed by a tour of the school’s science labs and a tree identification lesson for a grade six class at the school.

At 9:30 a.m. today at the Hugh John Flemming Forestry Centre’s K.C. Irving Theatre, Dr. Judy Loo, an ecological geneticist will be giving a presentation on forest genetics entitled Conserving Forest Genes: Why does it matter and who cares anyway?

“Two events, a different style of event.

One at a science level which will attract, we hope, an informed audience, an audience that would like to be informed and another one, you know, aimed at the school kids and just talking about trees,” Pendrel said.

The Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management at UNB used to hold events in commemoration of National Forest Week, however due to financial constraints they have not been able to in recent years.

“We had a little bit of extra money to do some work with school children up on

the UNB forest and we’re not going to be able to do that this year. We’ve kind of shifted our efforts now from working with students directly to working with teachers,” Don Floyd, interim dean of Forestry, said.

Floyd said that forestry has an image problem in Canada and it is critical to explain that there are differences in ways that landowners deal with forest management.

“Different landowners, different woodlot owners, different companies manage their forests in different ways and the public’s perception often is we’re out there cutting down trees and not doing anything about regenerating the next forest,” he said.

“Here at UNB, almost all of our effort focuses on ‘how do we restore the forests that we have? How do we regenerate?

Replant? Recreate?’”

Pendrel said that National Forest Week is a time for Canadians to think about and be reminded of how valuable forests are.

“At least one week of the year we need to celebrate our forests specifically…especially for Canadians. Canadians are the stewards of 10 per cent of the forests of the world.

That’s huge,” he said.

“It’s a major contribution to the environment. The very least we can do is take a pause and reflect upon our own forests and how they fit into the global scene.”

Book Buy & Sell, a bookworm’s paradise

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Approximately 2,600 used textbooks were part of this years Book Buy & Sell, 600 more than last year.

Hilary Paige Smith The Brunswickan

This year’s Book Buy and Sell was one of the most successful yet, bringing in 600 more used books than last year’s event.

The sale, an opportunity for students to make a profit from old textbooks, is held twice yearly in September and January through the UNB Student Union.

Shannon Carmont-McKinley, vicepresident academic for the SU, organized the event that sold almost two-thirds of the books brought in by students.

Around 2,600 books flooded the tables lining the ballroom in the Student Union Building last week, with drop offs on Monday and Tuesday, the sale midweek and unsold book pick ups on Friday.

McKinley said she thought holding the sale in the ballroom instead of the Blue Room was a factor in the event’s success. She said that the event volunteers have several theories about why so many more books were brought in and sold.

“With student employment being down over the summer, students are looking for a way to earn money and that would explain the extra books they

brought in. Students are also looking for ways to save money, which explains the extra books that were sold, and that is one theory that has been thrown around,” she said.

Friday was the last day to pick up unsold books, unless special arrangements were made with the Student Union.

Books that are not picked up become the property of the Student Union.

McKinley said the procedure for unsold, forgotten books is to contact residences who may need textbooks. She said she also plans to contact organizations overseas to donate books, however this effort was unsuccessful last semester. This year’s Buy and Sell also featured a $2 table of used books left over from previous years, a table that students can expect to see at the sale in January as well.

The Student Union VP Academic said the Buy and Sell is an important resource for students.

“It provides students an opportunity to buy books at a reduced cost from what they’ll be paying at the bookstore and reduced even from the used book price at the bookstore, which is very important when students are spending upwards of $500 sometimes on their books,” she said.

“It puts cash back in the hands of students.”

Next semester’s Book Buy and Sell takes place from January 11 to 15.

brunswickannews

Sept 23, 2009 • Issue 3 • Volume 143 • 3

What to expect for the Currie Center

Student Council meeting rundown Lee Larrett The Brunswickan

Submitted

An artists rendering of the fitness and cardio area shows exciting features of the facility that students can look forward to. The front wall will be glass, offering views of the river valley while students work out.

FROM CURRIE PAGE 1 size of the current facility in the Lady Beaverbrook Gym. There will be a fitness assessment center that can do testing for jobs requiring employees to have a certain physical fitness level. Testing will be done at a fee to help offset the costs of the Currie Center. There will be a Nutrition Center, and the Quartermain Sports Medicine Center with examining rooms for physicians and space for rehabilitation.

The bottom level has two recreational gyms and a walking/ jogging track, as well as the human performance lab.

The recreational gyms will be a huge improvement for students who currently share a gym with athletic teams, whose busy practice schedule leaves few hours for recreational sports. In the Currie Center the high performance gym will be strictly for athletic teams, and the recreational gyms will be used by campus recreation.

The human performance lab is another cause for excitement. Haggerty explained that, “It’s going to be among the best in North America, we’re only aware of ... maybe four in North America that can do what this will be able to do, and Nike has one.”

With the use of motion analysis cameras, markers that are placed on the subject, and force plates in the floor that can sense movement, this lab will produce an instantaneous 3D model of the subject’s movements.

“You can use that 3D model to analyze their gait with a normal gait, compared to their previous gait,” said Haggerty. The lab is equipped to analyze sports movements thanks to its 14 foot ceiling, so coaches can look at everything from setting in volleyball to golf swings. The lab opens up at either end to the walking/jogging track, so patients can be studied over longer distances than the length of a lab, allowing for fatigue to set in and be analyzed.

“It’s going to be a magnet we think for attracting post docs, researchers who would like to collect data on patients or athletes … it’s going to be a very active place for research,” Haggerty said.

Overall the Currie Center is expected to attract students to UNB, as many prospective students value good fitness facilities on campus.

When asked what the plans were for the Lady Beaverbrook Gymnasium (LBG) once the Currie Center opens, Haggerty explained that that will depend on what arrangements can be

made to provide adequate space for the Kinesiology program.

Currently, the Kinesiology academic program operates out of the LBG although the building doesn’t adequately meet the needs of the department.

“We have five staff in a trailer in the parking lot, there are only two small classrooms, there are no student commons area for our 500+ students, the building is not accessible, and the laboratories are too small,” Haggerty said.

If space can be found elsewhere, the LBG would be decommissioned (except for the pool) given the high cost to maintain such an old building. If space cannot be found then the Kinesiology program will remain in LBG. “The original plan was more comprehensive,” Haggerty said. “We had student health in [the Currie Center], Counseling Services, and Kinesiology academic programs here, and it would pull it all together-- Wellness Village it was referred to. That was going to be really expensive, 75 or 80 million based on estimates, so we said well, we better postpone, delay or come up with something else to do. Hopefully at some point in time...we can come up with a Kin building that would go [close by] and that would help tie everything together.”

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At the opening of this week’s Student Union meeting, a letter dated Sept. 17 from Kelly Flinn, Arts representative, was read. In it, Flinn tendered her resignation citing academic pressures as her reason for stepping down. The Chair commented that it was a loss as Flinn was a “valuable member of council last year.”

Along with the Reports to Council from the Executive, Ash Furrow, Computer Science representative, delivered a report about the Computer Science talks, the first of which happened Monday Sept. 21. The series of talks is put on using council funding which each faculty receives.

The Selections Committee delivered a report on the interviewing and selection of Chief Returning Officer and Deputy Returning Officer Candidates. The council unanimously ratified the motion to make Catrin Berghoff CRO and Laura Houghton DRO. VP External Ryan Brideau brought forward a motion to introduce a carpooling and ridesharing initiative. The 2009 Student Transportation Survey suggested that students are interested in such a service. The motion suggests that the UNBSU initiate a carpooling and ridesharing program that encourages partnerships with other groups (such as STU) in the community and that provides regular intercity commutes, is

free to users, is member only, and has the UNBSU free of liability. The costs for this program may go in the revised budget to be released at the end of this month, but Brideau estimated that the total cost (to be shared among members) would be $1,100 – 1,300 per year.

The next item on the agenda was the Governance Review. A committee is to be struck which will review the governance structure of the UNBSU, looking specifically at it’s effectiveness, representation, and comprehensiveness. The committee will submit a report on Nov. 23, 2009.

The committee is to be comprised of the UNBSU President, one Vice President, two councilors, one first year student, one ordinary member (a student of any year, not currently sitting on the council) and the Policy & Research officer as a non-voting member. Originally there were to be two first year students on the committee in place of one first year student and one normal member. Councilors discussed the need for upper year students who have seen how the Student Union has and has not worked for them to be part of the committee. An amendment was passed creating the breakdown described above.

Last week council postponed a motion to ratify RCMP Stetsons as a campus club. This week, after changing the motion from ratification to recognition, and with more information on the club they decided to defeat the motion to recognize the club. The RCMP Stetsons are affiliated with the RCMP and are involved in recruiting students to the RCMP. Council felt that giving them the benefits that come with recognition, including free room booking and advertising space on the Student Union website, was inappropriate and set a bad precedent.

brunswickannews

4 • Sept. 23, 2009 • Issue 3 • Volume 143

CHSR is “leaping forward into the 21st century” Sandy Chase The Brunswickan A wall covered in 45 rpm records is seen through the broadcast booth’s window at CHSR, Fredericton’s campus radio station, contrasting the new digital master board in the main studio.

Campus radio station CHSR is in the middle of a series of renovations meant to bring them fully into the technological age. Led by Tom Richmond, the station’s new program director, the upgrades will have a big impact on the station’s capability.

“The old board was probably 1015 years old, so it was a very old one.

The new board is all digital and very exciting. It has 16 inputs ... we’ve got a computer on one line and another for an iPod,” sa id R ichmond.

“We’ve been saving for six years to be able to afford it... and it will probably be serving us until about 2020.”

The CHSR programming committee has recently approved 15 new shows and will be releasing their new programming schedule shortly, with new shows expected to take to the air around Oct. 1.

Part of the new line -up includes a time slot for live bands to come into the studio and play for an hour.

“I’ve made sure that the renovation will include cables that run through to studio D, which is where the live bands will be playing...it goes straight to air, multiple genres, we’re not picky. We don’t care if it’s bluegrass or metal or whatever, as long as it’s appropriate for the time frame.”

The entire renovation cost about $50,000, but it also included another unseen benefit for the station. If the H1N1 virus causes a problem at the university, the SUB is one of the buildings that could be closed as a measure to prevent the spread of the flu.

Since the new system is now completely digital, it can all be controlled remotely in the event of a building shutdown.

“Because of the H1N1 thing, we jumped forward to the remote control age, so in case this building is shut down during an H1N1 outbreak we can remote control it from basically anywhere in the world.”

“It’s public radio for UNB, STU, and the whole community around and people should take advantage of it... come here where you can actually change what’s on or contribute to it. If you don’t like it, get involved, if you do like it get involved.”

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Examining Student Union Fees Vice-President Finance and Operations for the Student Union breaks down where a student’s SU fee goes Hilary Paige Smith The Brunswickan

When UNB students shell out their money for student fees throughout the year, 89 of those dollars support the operation of the Student Union (SU).

Lisa Solte, Vice-President Finance and Operations for the SU, said that student contributions to the organization each year total close to $500,000. This money funds activities like concerts, the Sexuality Centre, SafeRide, student agendas, clubs and societies, Drink Smart and the Legal Information Centre, among others.

Solte said she thinks most students value the services the annual fee supports.

“SafeRide’s heavily used. People love the Student Union Agenda.

We’ve had so many people come into the Welcome Centre looking for it…I think there’s a lot of students that don’t know what goes on with the Student Union and they might not focus themselves on that,” she said.

Student Union fees also support the operation of the union itself, paying the salaries of executive, part-time employees and staff. A preliminary budget for the year, approved by the council, shows that $170,000 of SU

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

It’s important that you understand how your $89 Student Union fee is used. revenue is devoted to salaries.

Enrolment is down this year at the university, 11.5 per cent from the 200506 term to last year. This has an impact on both tuition and Student Union fee revenue.

“It can be [a problem], because it effects our services greatly. There’s so much we offer to students that we can provide and, without those numbers, you can definitely see it in the budget,” Solte said.

Student Union revenue, apart from the $89 fee, comes from events at which admission is charged, like hypnotist shows or concerts for example. Solte said no events will be added to cover the funds lost from low enrolment, however, Yuk Yuks Comedy will be new to campus stages and X-Rated Hypnotist Tony Lee will also be returning.

Solte said that no significant changes will be made to the year’s entertainment schedule, but that they are still planning.

Solte, who held the same executive position last year, said that the SU budget

for the 2009-10 year is stable at this point.

Last year’s executive did not run a deficit and some surplus funds carried into this year. Surplus funds typically support one-time costs, rather than monthly allocations to clubs and societies. Solte used the new Student Union Welcome Centre and the Think Tank as examples.

The VP Finance said it is difficult deciding where money should be allocated in the budget and where costs should be cut.

“I work closely with the other executives on working out the budget in the summer and then I have a finance committee in the school year when the councilors are around and then it goes to council for two readings, so if they have any suggestions or if they bring it to students, I have open budget meetings as well,” she said. Solte added that these meetings should begin in early October.

The Student Union acts as a non-profit organization, aiming to end the school year without generating a profit or losing money.

brunswickanopinion

Sept. 23, 2009 • Issue 3 • Volume 143 • 5

editor@thebruns.ca

Say your prayers--at graduation?

The Looking Glass Sarah Ratchford I have a gigantic bone to pick with UNB. The fact that a prayer is said at our graduation ceremonies is hugely inappropriate for a variety of reasons, and I am of the opinion that it should stop immediately.

I realize that the prayer said at convocation ceremonies is said out of tradition.

Regardless of this, the prayer is out of place.

I attended UNB’s 180th Encaenia this past May. “Let us pray,” I was horrified to hear Chaplain Kevin Bourque say. “Creator.

Today we give thanks for each student...”

I was dumb struck. I, a person with my own ideas of spirituality, have spent my entire young life trying to escape the clutches of the church, and now here I am hearing its dogma in a public university?

The prayer continued with other addresses to a singular god, such as “Creator keep us ever mindful of our connection to you,”and “Holy one, today we are mindful of ..”

I simply could not believe it. These particular words were said at Ceremony C, the Law, Science, Engineering, Forestry & Environmental Management and Computer Science ceremony.

Let me just say that many students in those faculties hold scientific definitions of the origins of life, and not Christian ones.

The issue at hand is that this kind of talk simply does not apply to most university students.

UNB recently participated in a recruiting trip to India, and returned just a few weeks ago. The university wants international students to come and fill up extra spots at the school, paying their weight in “supplemental fees” to do so.

Approximately 80 per cent of Indians are Hindu. Hindu is not a monotheistic

Internet

Encaenia ceremonies are for everyone, local students and international students alike. Is a prayer really an appropriate thing to include? religion, and it does not have one single founder.

The term “creator” then, is totally inapplicable.

The same holds true for Buddhism and a host of other religions.

When those students graduate, then, they are force fed a talk about a god that has nothing to do with them. I think that this is an unfair, ungrateful way to say goodbye to our international students.

International students enrich the campus experience. They add new perspectives to debates and discussions that take place both inside and outside of the classroom.

letters to the editor.

Some “W’s” on transcripts are unfair I am a fifth- year student who was required to leave school and go home last year as a result of illness. I missed a full month of classes from the end of September until the end of October.

Upon my return to school at the end of October I consulted with all of my professors who had been informed all along of the reason behind my absence.

All of my teachers were more than willing to let me catch up, but some recommended that maybe I drop a course to provide more “catch up” time. Indeed

I did drop one course out of the 5 I was registered and had paid for. Consequently, I received a withdrawn (W) on my transcript. I took actions to try and have the infamous W removed from my permanent record but was unsuccessful, even though I provided a doctor’s note. I did not ask for reimbursement of any funds, only that the W be removed because I felt that the extenuating circumstances for my absence were excusable, and properly documented. The W remained.

What I failed to mention is that last year I had received a couple thousand dollars in scholarships which were basically the only reason I could afford to go to university at all. This year I did

Our ideas of politics, religion, culture and society are all challenged by the perspectives of these students.

International students should be respected when they come here, and part of that lies in acknowledging their traditions. A prayer to a single “creator” does not do this.

UNB claims to be proud of having “students from over 100 different countries.” The best way to show this supposed pride would be to have a closing ceremony that relates to those students. Frankly, I’m surprised that an institution like ours would indulge in such blatant hypocrisy.

It is not only people of religions outside not receive scholarships as a result of having a course which I “withdrew” from, at no fault of my own. Had the record been removed as I requested, I feel that my chances of receiving a scholarship would have been better.

Regardless of whether or not a student stands to receive a scholarship, the university should remove any “W’’s which are a result of a medically necessary absence. UNB would have nothing to lose by doing this, and the student has everything to gain.

Zack Cole

A special thanks Dear Editor,

the Christian tradition who might be offended by this kind of prayer. How about atheists? Not one of my good friends goes to church. Not one.

“Today we acknowledge you, author of life, the voice that binds us all together in spirit and in love,” Burke said at Ceremony B. “Be with our graduates, give them courage, hope, and vision to recreate this world anew. Dwell deep within them as the guide and compass for their ships.”

This was said at both Ceremony B and Ceremony C. I’m sorry, but I think it’s wrong to insinuate that all students at Encaenia “acknowledge” any “author of life”. I know for a fact that they don’t.

Further, I certainly don’t want any foreign spirit to “dwell” within me. I find that wording extremely intrusive.

Churches are becoming archaic institutions.

Does UNB want to be an archaic institution with traditions that simply do not apply to the students who pay to go there?

Spiritual ceremonies should not take place on the campus of a public university unless they are in the context of an event for a group of religious students-- a Christian club, for example.

There should not be any kind of spiritual send-off at Encaenia. The religious speech I heard when I attended Ceremony C in May made me sick, and I hope I don’t have to hear it at my own graduation ceremony this coming May. Amen.

Editor’s note: I do not mean to offend people of Christian or other monotheistic faiths. The prayer said at Encaenia may apply to those students and their families. However, I think it is more appropriate for those families to get a spiritual blessing at their church, where most priests/ministers/pastors will address events like graduation, and the people in the audience are choosing to sit and listen to a religious speech. That way, religious families still have a blessing for their son or daughter, and no one is offended.

T he Orga n izi ng C om m it tee for the 2009 Fredericton Terry Fox Run would like to take this oppor t u n it y to t ha n k The Brunswickan for your excellent cover age of t h i s ye a r ’s R u n.

The event attracted more than 40 0 pa r t icipa nts, ma ny of whom were U NB students. To d ate, over $19,0 0 0 ha s been col lected to help beat ca ncer, $ 6 0 0 0 m o r e t h a n l a s t ye a r.

The support from The Brunswickan is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely, Krista Wilkins, Fredericton Terry Fox Run Organizing Committee Chair (and Nursing professor)

the brunswickan

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief • Sarah Ratchford Managing • Alex Duncan News • Lee Larrett Arts • Doug Estey Sports • Colin McPhail Photo • Andrew Meade Copy •Nick Howard Production • Christian Hapgood Online • Alison Clack Staff Advertising Sales Rep • Bill Traer Delivery • Dan Gallagher Contributors Zaheer Abbas, Stephanie Allen, Chris Cameron, Kathryn Chase, Sandy Chase, Alison Clack, Maggie DeWolfe, Dave Evans, Sarah Farquhar, Josh Fleck, Kennie Gathuru, Dan Hagerman, Cody Jack, Jacques Landry, Simon Leslie, Brandon MacNeil, Cameron Mitchell, Matthew Murray, Nick Ouellette, Brian Savoie, Hilary Paige Smith, Ysabelle Vautour, Alex Wickwire & Valerie Woodman.

The Brunswickan relies primarily on a volunteer base to produce its issues every week. Volunteers can drop by room 35 of the SUB at any time to find out how they can get involved.

About Us The Brunswickan, in its 143rd year of publication, is Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication.

We are an autonomous student newspaper owned and operated

by Brunswickan Publishing Inc., a non-profit, independent body.

We are a founding member of the Canadian University Press, and love it so. We are also members of U-Wire, a media exchange of university media throughout North America.

We publish weekly during the academic year with a circulation of 6,000.

Letters Must be submitted by e-mail including your name, letters with pseudonymns will not be printed.

Letters must be 400 words at maximum. Deadline for letters is Friday at 5 p.m. before each issue.

Editorial Policy While we endeavour to provide an open forum for a variety of viewpoints and ideas, we may refuse any submission considered by the editorial board to be racist, sexist, libellous, or in any way discriminatory.

The opinions and views expressed in this newspaper are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Brunswickan, its Editorial Board, or its Board of Directors.

All editorial content appearing in The Brunswickan is the property of Brunswickan Publishing Inc. Stories, photographs, and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced without the express, written permission of the Editorin-Chief.

21 Pacey Drive, SUB Suite 35 Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3 main office • (506) 447-3388 advertising • (506) 452-6099 fax • (506) 453-5073 email • editor@thebruns.ca www.thebruns.ca

brunswickanopinion

6 • Sept. 23, 2009 • Issue 3 • Volume 143

Shout Red, Shout Black, Shout White Patronage in the name of democracy: revisited Stephanie Lord Union Update

Hey fans get up, this is our year! Hey fans get up, let’s hear you cheer…

So orientation week is over, there are no longer random couches on the roadside of Graham, and over the coming weeks you’ll notice fewer and fewer red Dixie cups spewed across campus. Welcome back or, in the case of roughly 950 fresh UNB students, welcome for the first time to the reality of university.

You will soon realize that your time spent here working towards your degree will differ from the raunchy campus life depicted in PG 13 American shows and movies. You’ll undoubtedly be as shocked as I was that the next eight months on campus aren’t filled with endless keggers, topless girls and nonstop parties but rather lectures, assignments, essays, and lots more essays.

Next week UNB Fredericton will, however, take a major step towards the American college experience as we welcome back collegiate football to UNB. Yes, that’s right; the Red Bombers Football Team will be back on campus after a 29 year hiatus. The players have been conditioning for the season and are ready to kick off the Reds’ spirit

with their first home game this Saturday, Sept. 26. Football’s return to UNB will be complete with a beer tent and cheerleaders.

What more could you ask for?

Many club and varsity teams have already kicked off their 2009-10 year. At UNB, there’s something athletic for everyone to observe or participate in, from programs offered by Campus Recreation, to house and faculty intramurals, to varsity and club teams.

With everyone’s pockets empty after the payment of tuition and the purchase of expensive textbooks, balancing your budget and finding that spare cash for entertainment will be rough. Sporting events for both the club and varsity teams are extremely accessible, with admittance cost for most events being little or nothing provided you have a valid UNB student ID. Beyond the low cost and the high entertainment value of UNB sporting events; your attendance as a student at the games, matches, or tournaments will truly show your support for these UNB athletes who have made it their priority to balance academic commitments with their passion for athletics.

This year, make club and varsity sports your way to unwind from academia. Pick up some poster paint, plaster the letters “UNB” on your body, and head out to cheer for your UNB Reds.

Cody Jack The Brunswickan Stephen Harper is a hypocrite. If a person says something is wrong and then does that very thing, he or she is a hypocrite.

Two weeks ago I, Mr. Cody Jack, wrote an article titled “Patronage in the name of Democracy”, a title I stand by. In the article, I described how the Right Honourable Prime Minister recently made new appointments to a variety of positions to a variety of governmental bodies, from the civil service to the senate. At least 20 of the Civil Service/ Crown Corporation positions went to past/present Conservative Party members, supporters or promoters. The nine senators who were appointed by Mr. Harper were also past/present party supporters.

This is a practice Stephen Harper has been against in the past. He disapproved openly in the House of Commons with the Liberal patronage while he was the leader of the opposition, something I am sure he was proud of at the time.

Thus, his recent actions can be fairly deemed hypocritical.

Last week, Mr. Dave Larrett objected to some of the points I made about the Conservative track record on various issues and my interpretation of the Senate appointments. I will now address the points made by Mr. Larrett.

Mr. Larrett felt that I was incorrect in my date of when a vote had occurred.

I was referring to the non-confidence vote that should have occurred in December had Parliament not been prorogued by the Governor General (GG) at the request of the Prime Minister. To prorogue Parliament means to close Parliament for a period of time, and only the GG has the power to do so.

His interpretation of the December’s events was grossly misinformed.

Whether I agree with those events is irrelevant; they were justified and democratic according the Canadian Parliamentary Tradition. The GG would have had two options in the event of a non-confidence vote: to dissolve Parliament and call an election, or to dissolve Parliament and ask the Leader of the Opposition to form a Government with the confidence of the other parties.

Either of these options is part of our parliamentary tradition and the latter would not be a “coup” as Mr. Larrett claims.

It is true, as Mr. Larrett points out, that the Conservatives technically did win the October federal election. They won 143 seats in the House of Commons. However, the opposition parties won a combined 165 seats. This, in Canadian Parliamentary Tradition, results in a Minority Government.

The Conservatives hold less than 50 per cent of the seats in parliament and, democratically speaking, do not represent “the will of the people”. If they did, they would have formed a Majority Government and hold over 50 per cent of the seats.

Let us now look at the economy, this being the one thing that Mr. Larrett felt I had incorrectly dubbed as a “fumble”. It is true that StatsCan did report that, at the end of June, our GDP was at 0.1 per cent, technically signalling an end to the recession. This however was not due to any actions by the Harper Government, whose “Economic Action Plan” is only now taking effect. We were praised by other G8 countries, the World Bank and the IMF for having a sturdy, well regulated banking system, which Harper had very little to do with.

When I referred to him fumbling the economy, I was referring to his lack of action in areas that matter. Jim Flaherty, Federal Finance Minister, announced that unemployment would continue to rise. There might have been 27 000 jobs created, but sadly most of these were part-time jobs.

These jobs are mainly in the customer service and wholesale industries, and do not make up for the manufacturing jobs lost since the beginning of the recession. Jobs like these pay less than their manufacturing counterparts. It is nice to offer re-education programs for those workers who are newly unemployed, but only if new jobs requiring education are created. No emphasis has been put on saving our manufacturing industry, no advanced planning of a new direction for the economy, and no real help for students.

I give praise where it is due, and Mr. Harper is not deserving.

Lastly, the Senate. I am glad that Mr. Larrett acknowledges that Mr. Harper has put forward, in the past and present, reforms to make Senators elected officials. This is a point I made as well. Harper wants elected officials in the Senate, so why not put them there? Why not put nine of his elected MPs into Senate positions?

This is what I was referring to when I mentioned “an elected individual”.

If he did appoint an MP, there would be an opening in that MP’s seat and a byelection would have to be called in order to replace that MP. I was pointing out that this would be a way for Mr. Harper to stick to his ideals, instead of being a hypocrite and appointing nine patrons of his own party. My mention of the NDP in reference to Mr. Trudeau and Mr. King was that they had appointed NDP Senators. It was in relation to having senators who represent the “will of the people”. That way the Senate would look similar to the House of Commons or recent polls.

It was said by Mr. Larrett that uninformed articles do a “disservice to the public” and that the writers of such articles should reconsider the information they’ve based their articles on. In this spirit, I feel I have served the public well and hope they have learned something from my writing.

brunswickanopinion

Enough with Casualties Jacques Landry The Brunswickan

Last week Canada‘s casualties reached 131 in the Afghan mission. While Canadian soldiers are making tremendous efforts to complete the mission, I cannot help but wonder why we at home keep judging the mission solely by the casualty number as opposed to the many successes that have been accomplished.

First, I need to set the record straight.

Canada is not at war with Afghanistan.

In fact, the last time Canada declared war was during the Second World War. The mission in Afghanistan was a UN mission. However, the UN does not possess the necessary resources to be able to accomplish the mandate it drafted. Therefore, the mandate was given to NATO, which is an alliance of 28 states. In other words, Afghanistan is a peace operation.

I know what you’re thinking: ‘How can this be a peace operation considering the disgusting amount of fighting happening 24/7?’ Actually, the fighting part of the mission has seen a significant decrease since Operation Medusa in 2006.

Further, a war implies that one side is trying to win. I can assure you that the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will never win against the Taliban.

It is impossible to defeat an enemy who blends in completely and grows faster than it can be defeated. The Afghan people are the ones who will defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, one needs to learn how to crawl before he can learn to walk.

When the international community intervened in Afghanistan, they found a country in ruins ruled by drug lords.

Taking the power out of the Taliban’s hands was the easy part. The hard part is what we have been working on for the past few years.

Stability and reconstruction are the two main objectives of the mission. Reconstruction is the interesting part. We are not building a westernized Afghanistan; ISAF is rebuilding Afghanistan for Afghanis. This is a difficult task, considering that aside from a few urban cities, the country is mainly rural villages governed by elders who don’t pay attention to national politics, but their village as a top priority. This is where the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) comes in.

CIDA, along with the National Solidarity Program and the Provincial Reconstruction Team, will go into a village with, say, $20,000 to put towards

infrastructure in the village, but with one string attached. The approval of the project has to be a unanimous decision among the leaders of the village. Not one shovel will touch the ground until this unanimous decision has been reached.

While this may sound trivial, in reality it helps to build a sense of community amongst the Afghan people, which is key to building a peaceful Afghanistan.

There is no sense in building a school or a hospital in a place where it is not needed by the people.

Another largely unknown yet major part of the mission is the OMLT (pronounced omelette). Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams are the ones taking Afghanistan one step closer to success. What they do is quite simple.

They train. For example, I am sure that many do not know that there is a significant number of RCMP officers in Afghanistan training the Afghan National Police. Let’s be honest here, building a national police force from scratch is not an easy task. You need the right people, a lot of training and a code of law. The latter will be worked out by the Afghan people.

The second important aspect of OMLT is training the Afghan National Army. Those are the people that will defend Afghanistan’s border and defeat the Taliban. ISAF is the training wheels on this one. Eventually the RCMP will leave, at which point the Afghan National Army and the Afghan Nation Police will be possess the skills and knowledge to serve and protect Afghan citizens.

At the time I was writing this, the death toll in Afghanistan for Canada was 131. Every single one makes the news, as they should, and we will never forget the sacrifice they made. However, the advances that the members of ISAF make, whether Canadian or any other nationality, always go unnoticed. Focusing on the failures, scandals and casualties instead of the accomplishments only hurts the ones who are doing one of the hardest jobs out there.

Last year UNB’s own Dr. Lee Windsor published Kandahar Tour, a book telling the story of the Afghan mission from the point of view of someone who actually spent time there. The book acts as a contrast to the stories in the media.

Dr. Windsor’s book is aimed towards telling the untold story. Give it a shot.

Sept. 23, 2009 • Issue 2 • Volume 143 • 7

the brunswickan presents

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brunswickanopinion

8 • Sept. 23, 2009 • Issue 3 • Volume 143

Student

Viewpoint.

Do you hope there is a federal election this fall?

Let everyone know whats on your mind.

“No, I’m happy with the way it is now.”

Aaron Forbes

Adam Thorton “Only if the rhinocerous party runs..”

Benjamin Hayward

Ash Furrow “Another election is excessive.”

“No, not looking forward to it.”

Justin Penney

Karlie Hanoski

“An election is not a good idea.”

“I don’t really care.”

Katie Murphy

“No, it’s what Canadians Wanted.”

“No...”

Sabeer Zaman

“It would be a good idea.”

Shelby Thompson

brunswickaninternational

UNB African SU holds first meeting

Sept 23, 2009 • Issue 3 • Volume 143 • 9

Truth: an abstract concept?

Speak Out Submitted

UNB’s African Student Union got together for the first time this past week.

The Union’s objective is to lend support to African students in Fredericton.

Danielle Bodie The Brunswickan

brunsinternational@gmail.com

Are you an international student and interested in writing for the internationa section? e-mail us!

The UNB African Student Union recently hosted its annual welcome back orientation for its new students. The event, which took place this past Friday, was meant to introduce the new students to others in the society and get them involved. The ASU is a collective of African students and other African people living in Fredericton. The association’s goal is to improve the welfare of people coming from abroad.

New student Kakai Mabonga is from Gaborone, Botswana . She first became interested in UNB when she started looking into Canadian universities. She then researched universities online and found UNB. Mabonga is excited about her upcoming years here.

“I still have to prepare for the winter because I’ve never experienced snow. I’m excited about the experience though,” says Mabonga. Upon her arrival she was surprised about the size of Fredericton-she thought it would be much bigger.

“Gaborone is about the same size or even a little bigger, so I thought Fredericton would’ve been a lot bigger. I was a little surprised.”As a new international student, Mabonga is very grateful for the African Society because it gives her a little taste of home. “ I am happy to have people from home and accents that I am familiar with, it is nice,” she says with a smile.

President of the African Student Union Samuel Josephson is in his final year of his masters in Environmental Management. He explained the ASU as a cultural organization that embraces students from St. Thomas and UNB. They organize cultural events such as African Night. In the past years, this event has had more than 2,000 people in attendance.

“We do our best to reach out to students from different countries in Africa, and we do our best to help out with student issues,” says Josephson. He offers words of encouragement for international students. “Fredericton is a beautiful place.

The atmosphere here is great for study. If you come here to study it’s a great choice.

“The university is good, the professors are nice and everyone is very helpful. We are happy to be here and I’m sure the new students are happy to be here as well.”

Ayat Abed Isaid In my free speech and free press class we came across an interesting word that sparked a discussion amongst my peers.

We all agreed that journalists are supposed to tell the truth – but the big question here is why ‘the truth’ is considered to be a confusing word in the world of journalism.

Plato, the famous philosopher once said,” Truth is an ideal, one that can be intellectually grasped. We can not actually know the truth in the real world; it exists only in the metaphysical world of ideal forms”.

So is telling the truth that difficult?

Well, we all agreed in class that absolute truth does not exist.

The journalist’s responsibility is to provide readers with the facts that they need.

It should be the journalist’s desire to be ethical and fair, to be able to discover the truth. An ultimate truth is not attainable, but possessing the desire to get as close as we can to the truth will create ethical journalism. We all know that people need information that is both true and meaningful. Journalists in today’s world should not rely merely on presenting the facts; they should also try to make sense of them.

Saying that every journalist should seek the truth and nothing else but the truth is easy. Practicing that is hard. When you live in a country where journalism is censored and strictly directed, the word ‘truth’ does

not exist in any journalist’s dictionary.

When you live in a country that has virtually no freedom of speech or freedom of the press, then the right to speak the truth is denied. Every society is entitled to have its own human rights, and telling the truth is a right that every journalist and every human being should exercise.

As a citizen of the Middle East, I have learned that we should always obey and not complain. The king for instance would say,” Who is not with me, is against me”.

From this position, our governments were never ready to tolerate the opinions of others. They fear that we would revolt against their political system; they

are concerned about their image. The government acknowledges the fact that their people have good minds and they think critically, and they know if their people start using their minds, the people will never accept the leader’s game. So, practicing that right of freedom and truth is hard to achieve.

So maybe “truth” is a very complex concept. Does a journalist have the ability to tell the truth in societies where that right is silenced? Can they provide the reader with the facts that they need? I think the answer is lies in the journalist’s hands, and he or she is the only one who can decide to seek out the truth.

brunswickanarts arts@thebruns.ca

Sept. 23, 2009 • Issue 3 • Volume 143 •10

TALL TALES OF JAZZ AND BLUES

Brody LeBlanc / The Brunswickan

Doug Estey / The Brunswickan

Slimming it all down Andrew Olsvik The Brunswickan

As Watermelon Slim surely knows, the blues is as much about the story as it is about the song.

Although he stood alone on the stage of the Bell Aliant Mojo Tent early Saturday evening, not only did he play with the proficiency expected of a legend, he spoke and educated the crowd on blues history, the political issues that have influenced his life, and Canada’s current situation in Afghanistan.

Born Bill Homans, he adopted his stage name as a result of his life as a watermelon farmer in Oklahoma - a position he finally settled upon after a long life of radically different careers from soldier to activist, truck driver to firewood salesman, collection agent to criminal and all the time a university student. Through it all, he managed to obtain two undergraduate degrees and Christian Hapgood / The Brunswickan

a Masters in History, not to mention his membership to Mensa.

To the audience last weekend this information was likely unknown, but it didn’t matter: his presence and performance were impressive enough. Slim played through a set made up of his own award winning material that made the Black Keys and Radio Moscow sound like mere imitations, as well as several covers of notable blues staples including songs by Taj Mahal and Sonny Boy Williamson.

There was no hesitation in the crowd when Slim requested that all hats be dropped for a performance of “Taps” that everyone in the tent, young and old, couldn’t help but be touched by, and although his between song banter often lasted longer than the songs themselves, it provided a greater understanding and appreciation of Slim’s music that would be unattainable otherwise.

Slim’s voice reached everyone in attendance and even those outside, not because of any gadgets or technology, but purely as a result of his unrivaled charm and intelligent, politically charged banter.

Christian Hapgood / The Brunswickan

Top left: Hey Rosetta!’s Erin Aurich at the Afterburner set on Saturday night.

Top right: Joel Plaskett played two shows at Harvest, one with the Emergency and one by himself.

Above: Local talent Babette Hayward performing at Wilser’s Room, part of the Capital Complex downtown.

Below: The Original ‘P’ certainly shed some light to their unique appearance and sound during the Mothership Returns show at the Budweiser Blues tent on Friday.

Canada’s sweetheart takes the stage at Harvest Alison Clack The Brunswickan

Jill Barber’s sweet voice and love songs reverberated through the Playhouse this weekend, holding her audience captive - twice.

The talented songstress played two Harvest Jazz and Blues shows on Saturday, the final evening of the festival.

The shows, which were also headlined

by Vancouver pianist Michael Kaeshammer, were two of the most popular at Harvest, selling out completely.

People here in Fredericton have a clear attraction to Miss Barber.

And what’s not to like? Her music captures a nostalgic piece of the past and when combined with her smooth, beautiful voice singing about the universal theme of love it’s hard to resist.

To top it all off, Barber is an incredible live performer. It’s hard not to see the enthusiasm she has for performing and her enjoyment is easily projected onto the audience.

This feeling could be seen particularly with her final song of her evening performance, ‘Oh, my, my.’ The singer led the audience through a huge sing-along before finishing to a standing ovation,

and cheers for an encore.

However, the love that so many Frederictonians seem to feel is not entirely one-sided. Barber stated through out the show how much she appreciated the audience, and all of the people in Fredericton she saw during Harvest.

It is not the first time that Jill Barber has shown Fredericton some appreciation. The Playhouse was the opening show on her tour last fall for the release of her CD, Chances. The tour had a select amount of stops, all of which had been handpicked by the singer-songwriter.

And Barber could have chosen to open her tour at any one of the cities she calls home. The Ontario born singer, who has spent the last several years calling the Maritimes home recently moved to Vancouver.

At her show, the singer said that her moves have caused some people difficulty with defining her style – whether she was East Coast or West. She laughed it off a bit and timidly stated how it would nice just to be called Canada’s sweetheart.

And a sweetheart she is. The endearing and modest entertainer is a refreshing breath of air compared to other international artists who have recently dominated the news.

Jill Barber may well be on her way to becoming Canada’s most loved female artist, but during the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival, she was definitely Fredericton’s sweetheart.

brunswickanarts

Sept. 23, 2009 • Issue 3 • Volume 143 • 11

Hey there, Newfoundland!

Forces of nature at Harvest Andrew Olsvik The Brunswickan

Doug Estey / The Brunswickan

Hey Rosetta! has never failed to disappoint in Fredericton, playing to a sold out Harvest Afterburner show downtown on Saturday.

Alison Clack The Brunswickan

twitter.com/brunsarts

The final evening of the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival could probably be described as a cold one - unless you asked anyone who attended the annual Afterburner event.

The show, which took place in the Budweiser Blues Tent, was a true cap off to the festival thanks to headlining band Hey Rosetta!.

The tent for the sold-out show was packed – which was quite the feat as its size even impressed the band. Tim Baker, (vocals/piano/guitar), awed at one point in the show about the tent’s size, saying it was the biggest tent the band had ever performed in.

Big screens around the tent helped those who weren’t so lucky to be close to the front see the faces of the musicians they’d come to hear.

But it was not the tent that people came out to see that night, and the band, who are well known for their electrifying live performances, easily scored the center

of attention.

L ive per for ma nces of Hey Rosetta!’s complex and passionate melodies repeatedly surpass their recorded versions, and their performance Saturday night was no different.

Crowd appreciation was high with nearly everyone in the crowd jumping and dancing around to the band’s music.

The festival spirit infected the crowd and some fans even thought to bring tambourines to dance and play along with the band.

The band’s energetic performance rippled through the crowd and during fan favourites, like ‘Red Heart’ and ‘New Goodbye’, the audience could be heard chanting along with impressive force.

The sea of listeners was engaged at every moment. Even between songs one could hear people excitedly guessing what song would be next based on a guitar being tuned or a drum roll.

The show, which started at 12:30 a.m., was a particularly long set with the concert finishing at just after 2:00 a.m.

The weather may have been frosty, but Hey Rosetta! left its audience to wander off into the night with warm, red hearts and smiling faces at the end of this year’s Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival.

Amongst the street performers, vendors and crowds of both the young and old Saturday night, there was something absolutely incredible coming from the PQA Barracks Tent.

Force Fields, formally known as The Fussy Part, were exploding on stage.

A quartet of voiceless head-bobbers, they combined the bursting crescendos of post rock with the aggressiveness of the post hardcore scene, yet maintained a consistently beautiful tone that had the young eyes and ears in the front rows fascinated.

Though they preferred sips of beer to audience interaction, their presence was felt through their amplifiers. An uncannily talented band, Force Fields’ music represents a largely unexplored genre in New Brunswick-- outside of a few legendary underground bands-- and one that should be fully supported.

Shortly following Force Fields, Fredericton’s nephews the Sleepless Nights took the stage to an ever- growing crowd and despite burnt lips and broken strings, rocked. A more unfortunate setback however was the absence of quasi member Philip Clark, whose performances with the band this summer raised the level of their live show just that much more.

Against all odds, the Sleepless Nights prevailed; sticking to the foundations of their tried and true set list, they threw in some new tunes including a song written for Andrew Sisk of Share and ultimately maintained their reputation as having some of the best songs to be heard live

this side of Montreal.

The real treat of the night, however, was not found in the local talent. The Juno nominated hip- hop artist Shad had the audience mesmerized. Supported by the 2008 Scribble Jam Champion DJ TLO and bassist Ian Koiter, Shad’s flow and rhymes were intelligent, inspiring, witty and simply enjoyable.

Not surprisingly, Shad chose to showcase the material that made up his 2008 Polaris Prize nominated album The Old

Prince for the majority of the set list, although he also broke into freestyle on a couple of occasions where he referenced everything from Suge Knight’s infamous balcony threats to the Lauryn Hill MTV fiasco, and even the Sleepless Nights.

Collectively the night was an eclectic clash of genres and despite the lack of jazz or blues, it was an explosive climax to the week’s events and represented the musical and cultural diversity that the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival is all about.

Christian Hapgood / The Brunswickan

Shad brought an element to the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival that to date has been seldom explored: hip-hop.

brunswickanarts

12 • Sept. 23, 2009 • Issue 3 • Volume 143

The mind of a butterfly

Hagerman’s biweekly horoscopes Aries

Taurus

(March 21st - April 19th)

(April 20th - May 20th)

You may feel that you’ve missed out on Talk Like a Pirate Day this year, dear Aries, but you’re wrong! Use your favourite pirate-y voice the next time you go to a bank to deposit a cheque, and try to convince yourself that they’re laughing with you and not at you! Your lucky space captain is anybody but Captain Archer.

When you grow up in a society where the history classes are drunk on European wars and monarchs, it’s sometimes easy to forget that there is an even older culture just a few thousand kilometres to the east. I could probably name half the major players in the French Revolution, but I would be hard pressed to name a single Chinese Dynasty, and I don’t think I’m alone.

Butterfly Mind is Patrick Brown’s autobiography of his explorations in the Soviet Union and China over the past

arts@thebruns.ca

Brian Savoie

last 20 years that is truly captivating. I was shocked to learn of the level of corruption that permeated every level of government and what kind of foolishness they have gotten themselves tangled up into; ranging from the denial of the existence of AIDS and alcoholism in China to the media’s extreme use of censorship at every turn.

Brown prefaces all of this by saying that standards are changing with the entire world now looking on in our “global village”. Stories of the government taking land it gave to its citizens fifty years ago to put up a few apartments aren’t as common, but they still happen.

This novel is a great read for anyone looking for a ground level perspective of more than 20 years of history in Asia. I would probably have more to say about it, but a certain arts editor is trying to keep this column short. So we’ll just say I give it 4 and a half corrupted officials out of 5.

Check us out the thebruns.ca for web exclusive content!

Brian Reads Books

thirty years. In one decade he saw and wrote about more war, death and uprisings than a dozen soldiers would see in their lifetimes. The novel is full of his encounters with everyday people, soldiers and significant governmental figures. He lived his life as a journalist at the time and had access to the most war -torn, unstable countries.

Oh, and he did it all while completely loaded.

The content of the novel itself is second to none. It’s full of first hand accounts of his experiences with communism in half a dozen countries during the ‘80’s and later on describes his experiences with China becoming a modern world power. He was quite open in the novel about his alcoholism and how it evolved from really hard drinking in 1983 to full blown drunk 24/7 by 1987.

It’s his observations on the Chinese government’s slow evolution during the

You may be feeling more musical this week, dear Taurus. You will write the best song ever written, however it will only be audible to dogs. On the plus side, the most prestigious of dog critics will give you howlingly good reviews and wag their tails. Your lucky documentaries usually involve penguins.

Gemini

Cancer

(May 21st - June 21st)

Resist the urge to be two-faced to your enemies this week, dear Gemini. However, if you must, be three- or four-faced instead. That way, if you’re going to be an awful person, at least you’ll be an awfully interesting person as well! Your lucky types of numbers are even.

(June 22nd- July 22nd) You will be feeling especially protective of your friends this week, dear Cancer. You should carry around excessive amounts of bubble wrap and foam so that you always have enough to protect your friends from any threats, real or imagined.

Your lucky sprinkles are anything other than rainbow sprinkles.

Leo

Virgo

(July 23rd - August 22nd)

(August 23rd - September 22nd)

You will have an uncontrollable urge to be overly theatrical this week, dear Leo. When you receive a midterm and discover that you performed below your expectations, launch into a tearful soliloquy about the sorrows of life. You will receive bonus marks if you can do it in iambic pentameter. Your lucky coloured traffic light is blinking green.

You will feel more oriented towards serving people this week, dear Virgo.

Holding open doors for people will come naturally to you. It may become too natural, as you will now be stuck holding open doors for eternity. Bring a book with you everywhere. A big one. Your lucky projectile weapon is an elastic band gun.

Libra

Scorpio

(September 23rd - October 23rd)

(October 24th - November 22nd)

You may feel your argumentative impulses on the rise this week, dear Libra. You will argue with things that even you had previously believed in. You will even start arguing with yourself, though you will usually end up losing. You will be unable to decide if this is a win-win situation or a loselose situation. Your lucky deodorant prevents sweat.

You will seem increasingly complex this week, dear Scorpio. Not only will your friends have a more difficult time understanding you, but you will also develop an increasingly large infatuation with trying to take the square root of negative one. Don’t worry; your efforts to seem like a deep person are purely imaginary. Your lucky socks are at the balls of your feet.

Sagittarius

Capricorn

(November 23rd - December 21st)

(December 22nd - January 20th)

You will be feeling especially philosophical this week, dear Sagittarius. You will begin to question not only reality, but also the lack of reality in Super Mario games. What if punching bricks actually destroyed them and gave you money? Or holding a feather could make you fly? The mind boggles. Your lucky speed is Mach 3, from Gilette.

Everything you do will make people highly suspicious of you this week, dear Capricorn. Whether it be walking to class, eating at a fancy restaurant, or wearing a William Shatner mask to work, people will find something off about you.

Ignore them and keep Shatnering it up. Your lucky disc in Final Fantasy X is the first one.

Aquarius

Pisces

(January 21st - February 18th)

(February 19th - March 20th)

Your friends will find you to be overly democratic this week, dear Aquarius.

Whether it be deciding on lunch or choosing what to wear, you must have more than 50 per cent of everybody around you telling you what to do.

If your other friends disagree with your choices, they can veto it with a two-thirds majority. Your lucky DVD format is DVD9.

You will be especially frugal this week, dear Pisces. You will discover that you don’t need light or heat in your room, as long as you have a really warm computer. Facebook will give you all the warmth you need, and Twitter will keep those around you warm. Your lucky slippers have Spongebob Squarepants on them.

brunswickanarts

Turning a new Page

Sept. 23, 2009 • Issue 3 • Volume 143 • 13

Size matters: What to do when it’s just too big Sex With Veronica Veronica

Van Haalen

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Steven Page has seen his share of challenges over the past year, and is now seeking redemption as a solo act.

Adam Toy The Projector On a quiet Sunday afternoon at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Steven Page took to the stage with tension hanging in the air. Sharing the spotlight with such folk heavyweights as Loudon Wainwright III, Arlo Guthrie, Tom House and Serena Ryder, Page’s muted onstage presence reflected his new struggle to win back his fans.

It had been only months since Page announced his departure from his former band, the Barenaked Ladies, and only a year since being caught with cocaine by Fayetteville, N.Y., police – a year that Page calls “hellish.”

“I feel like I’ve grown a lot and learned a lot,” Page reflects. “You find out what the most important things in your life are. It really forces you to prioritize. But, yeah, it’s been a hell of a year and I’m glad to see it gone.”

Many fans took Page’s departure from the Ladies as the loss of a family member, and Page sympathizes with those feelings.

“People are sad – people who identify with the band, whether it’s a piece of their past or a piece of their present,” he says. “A lot of the die-hard fans identify themselves first as Barenaked Ladies fans, and for them it shakes their foundation.”

“But it’s just change. And since people have been seeing me doing my show, people are getting it more and more,” he says.

In a time before the Internet and iTunes, people were introduced to the Barenaked Ladies through worn-out cassette tapes passed from friend to friend.

BNL won its way into Canadians’ hearts in the 1990s with songs like “If I Had $1,000,000,” “Brian Wilson,” and “The Old Apartment.”

During his time with the Ladies, Page had been involved in other projects, including writing music for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, lobbying with federal NDP leader Jack Layton, and other musical projects, which he continues to work on.

“I never identified myself as a Barenaked Lady first,” Page says. “When I did, it threw off all of the other relationships in my life.”

On stage, Page feels more naked now than ever.

“You’re definitely flying without a net underneath you, and part of that’s terrifying, but that’s part of the great thing about being on stage,” he says.

“I think you always should have a little bit of terror out there, and those nerves are what keep you fresh and what keep you exciting.”

Steven Page performs as part of The Art of Time ensemble at the Enwave Theatre (Harbourfront Centre) in Toronto, Sept. 26 and 27.

For some people, what happens in the bedroom stays in the bedroom. Privacy is a great thing, but when you encounter a problem in your sex life, asking someone else can be your best resource. Luckily, I have several experienced and uninhibited friends who are always there to provide entertaining and helpful advice, so for those of you who don’t have access to such a valuable resource, I’m here to share!

This past summer, I met my Mr. Big. So big, in fact, that I felt discomfort right into the next day. Any conversations I had ever had about size revolved around small penises and what could be done to improve the situation.

In my quest for an answer I found a ton of advice on what to do when it’s “too small,” but what I really needed to know was, what do you do when it’s too big? I had never dealt with a penis that I considered too large before, so I consulted my lady friends in hopes of finding some helpful advice on how to wrangle my Moby Dick.

Some girls said they’d never encountered such a problem, and had difficulty believing such a thing could ever be a problem. Luckily, others listened with a sympathetic ear and gave their sugges-

Christian Hapgood / The Brunswickan

Sometimes, it’s just too big. tions: Communication: You’re not getting through this one without a little bit of dialogue. Usually informing your sexual partner that things are not working in the bedroom can be a sensitive subject, but really, what male would be offended by being told that his penis is too large?

The most important thing to remember is that if you’re already naked, it’s way too late for shyness.

Lubrication: Lube is not just for old people and anal sex. Yes, most condoms come pre-lubricated, and yes, we have our own natural lubrication, but when you’re trying to shove something where it doesn’t fit, more lube can never hurt.

Positioning: This is where the communication really comes in. Try things out, see what works best for you, there’s no universal answer. Having said that, girl-ontop is highly effective because it allows you to be in control of how much goes in and at what angle, while also allowing you to have some control over speed and rhythm.

As I had hoped, telling my bedfellow that he was too well endowed was met with positive reception and he was more than happy to play the experimentation game. It’s all about having fun and feeling good, so ask for what you want, and it’ll totally pay off!

Questions, comments? sexwithveronica@gmail.com

brunswickansports

Sept. 23, 2009 • Issue 3 • Volume 143 • 14

sports@thebruns.ca

Varsity Reds pick up where they left off

Valerie Woodman The Brunswickan

The powerful Brock Badgers came to town this past weekend and were shutout in both games by the UNB Varsity Reds. The 2008-09 National Champions let the crowd know that they are not finished winning.

The UNB men’s hockey team swept the Badgers this weekend, winning 4-0 and 5-0. Travis Fullerton got the first shutout, saving 17 shots, while Derek Yeomans saved 12 shots on Saturday. While both goalies had perfect nights, the defence also helped by killing a five on three on Friday and defenseman Jonathan Harty scored two goals on Saturday while netting one the night before. Six out of the nine goals in both games were made by defenseman, Harty leading the way with his three.

“I think we’re off to a good start, we had three games in five days and that’s always tough,” said Head Coach Gardiner MacDougall. “We focused on having good practices, which is indeed what happened. Brock was a good test for us to start the year off. They are a team with good work ethic and to have two wins over them is always great to start the season off.”

In response to having six out of the nine goals from defensive players, MacDougall stated that “getting the defensive lines involved and creating an odd man situation is not only a great way to contribute to the games, but a confidence booster for the team as well.”

Over the summer, the Varsity Reds lost fan favourite veterans such as defenseman David Bowman and Jimmy Cuddihy, who had 40 points in 28 games last year, but after the last three

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

The Reds blew past Brock University this past weekend, outscoring them 9-0. After the first three games with this new look team are in the books, UNB has outscored their opponents 17-1. big wins, the team shouldn’t be too nervous. The Varsity Reds have seven new guys on the team this year, and MacDougall likes the direction they are going in. UNB shouldn’t worry too much concerning their new roster, since they still have some veterans on the team for the rookies to look up to. Coach MacDougall also said that his goal this year was to have a good work ethic over the season and also have the opportunity to improve on team moral.

Although on Friday the first period

ended with no score, Kyle Bailey, the team captain, came out in the second and scored within the first 45 seconds.

This was assisted by Lachlan MacIntosh, who had just exited the penalty box. Later in the period, Bailey assisted the goal that John Scott Dickson put past the Badgers’ goalie. The third period started with a power play goal from defenseman Jonathan Harty, which was assisted by MacIntosh and Bailey. Another defenseman, Ben Shutron, got the last goal of the game.

This was passed from Dion Campbell

the brunswickan presents

the panel voice your opinion

and Chris Culligan.

On Saturday, you could tell Brock wanted vengeance, yet they only got 12 shots on net and allowed five goals.

With almost five minutes left in the first period, defenseman Luke Gallant scored from forwards Chris Hodgson and Matt Fillier. With 45 seconds left in the first, Jonathan Harty scored on a breakaway for an interesting finish to the period. Late in the second, Harty, yet again, pulled the same trick and got another unassisted goal. Two minutes later Luke Lynes scored a power play

Will the men’s hockey team repeat as national champions?

Colin McPhail

Tony von Richter

Jon O’Kane

With a solid returning core, great new recruits and Coach Mac behind the bench, the Reds are surely front runner for the University Cup. I’m far too superstitious to make big predictions, so I won’t say it, but don’t be surprised to see UNB battling it out at Lakehead next March.

With one of, if not the best, recruiting classes in the nation and a strong group of returning veterans lead by scoring aces Kyle Bailey and Hunter Tremblay, the Reds have an excellent shot at once again hoisting the University Cup this March.

Hockey? What?! I thought we were talking about curling! All I know about hockey is that we have the best team in Canada!

YEE-HAW!

Sports Editor

goal from Hunter Tremblay and John Scott Dickson.

The third period ended with defenseman Ben Wright scoring. Tremblay and Dickson assisted on this goal as well. The shots on both nights were 23-13 and 30-12 both for UNB. Kyle Bailey got the Player of the Game award for Friday night’s game and Harty received it on Saturday.

The Varsity Reds will open up the 2009 Fall Classic as they host McGill this Friday and Saturday at the Aitken Centre at 7:00 p.m.

CUP Sports Bureau Chief

Sports Fan

Andy Cameron Varsity Red

The early indications are that they are very strong and the program is healthy and continues to grow positively. So, one would assume that they would be very competitive nationally and we hope to see another national champion.

brunswickansports

Sept. 23, 2009 • Issue 3 • Volume 143 • 15

Men’s soccer go undefeated on alumni weekend Alex Wickwire The Brunswickan

The Varsity Reds played a couple of hard fought matches on alumni weekend. The men tallied another four- point weekend with a draw and a win, while remaining atop the AUS. Saturday afternoon the Reds hosted the Dalhousie Tigers at Chapman field.

Wind and weather were a factor in this contest, affecting the ball each time it left the turf by changing the direction of long airborne passes. Dalhousie gained control of the match early and managed their first attempt at goal only 12 minutes into the match. Ross Hagen led the Tiger attack, forcing UNB’s Benjamin Law to commit an ugly giveaway that gave Dalhousie a chance, but UNB keeper Matt Lally made a routine save to preserve his clean sheet.

The first half closed with the Tigers

having clearly won the possession battle, and taking more shots on goal.

UNB’s kick and chase attack style made for an entertaining display each time they touched the ball, but they failed to put together any solid goal attempts. “It’s not like we played great or beautiful soccer,” commented Head Coach Miles Pinsent. The match ended as a 0-0 draw.

Sunday afternoon the Saint Mary’s University Huskies battled the VReds.

In the ninth minute, striker Galen Smith had a chance at goal in close,

but shot wide. UNB used their overall superior strength and speed against the Huskies, capitalizing on mistakes by their opponents rather than creating chances for themselves with tactics and fundamentals. During the 18th minute, team captain Ken Morrison was fouled approximately 40 yards from the goal. From the set play, Amir Razak redirected a free kick with a perfectly aimed header into the far bottom corner of the goal.

UNB carried the one goal lead late into the match until Saint Mary’s

midfielder Jhonattan Cordoba made a perfectly timed run onto a well placed pass from team-mate Declan O’Callaghan. Cordoba made a run at goal, failing to see striker Arnthor Johannsson square to his right. The UNB back four cleared the ball and the threat was averted. 1-0 was the final score.

“I’m pleased with how the team played defensively,” was the praise coach Pinsent had for his squad.

After the match on Sunday, Ken Morrison agreed with his coach that the team had not played in a “great” or “beautiful” way, but commented that “It’s all about getting the result.”

Next weekend the Reds take a road trip to Cape Breton for a game against CBU. “It’s a long trip, and they’re one of the best teams in the league,” said Morrison, regarding the upcoming match with the Capers.

This past weekend the University of New Brunswick soccer program honoured a former player who recently passed away. Dave Harding was an all- Canadian goalkeeper for the 1980 UNB Red Shirts National Championship team. To recognize his contributions to UNB soccer, two initiatives were taken: the establishment of a memorial game as part of Alumni weekend and a scholarship program titled “The UNB Reds Soccer Memorial Fund.”

Upcoming V-Reds Events Friday, September 25th Hockey McGill vs UNB fall classic 7:00 p.m. @ AUC Saturday, September 26th Women’s soccer UNB @ Cape Breton 3:00 p.m Men’s soccer UNB @ UCB 5:15 p.m.

Hockey McGill vs UNB fall classic 7:00 p.m. @ AUC Sunday, September 27th Women’s soccer UNB @ SMU 2:00 p.m.

Men’s soccer SMU vs DAL 4:15 p.m.

Saturday, October 3rd Women’s soccer MTA vs UNB 1:00 p.m. @ Chapman Field Men’s soccer MTA vs UNB 3:15 p.m. @ Chapman Field Hockey UNB @ UMASS-AMHERST 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 4th Women’s Soccer UNB @ UPEI 1:00 p.m.

Men’s Soccer UNB @ Cape Breton 3:15 p.m.

Hockey UNB @ VERMONT 4:00 p.m.

brunswickansports

16 • Sept. 23, 2009 • Issue 3 • Volume 143

Easy cardio for the easy going

The ABZzzz of sleep Sarah Farquhar The Brunswickan

Is getting your eight hours really that important? Is it absolutely essential to have dusk till dawn, uninterrupted unconscious quiet time? How much sleep can you miss before your brain melts into a liquid that vaguely resembles Tim Horton’s black coffee?

Good morning kids, today we’ll be talking about sleep. Let us not dabble on silly questions like ‘should you sleep at night?’ Yes, you moron. The world record for staying awake is eleven days. Lab rats deprived of sleep for any longer than a month have dropped dead- so don’t try it at home.

The general scientific consensus is that adults need 7-8 hours of sleep a night to function at their best in order to react quickly, form memories, and think clearly. How you get those hours, however, is completely up to you.

Uninterrupted sleep may not be the most efficient option; for example Leonardo DaVinci took 15- minute naps every three hours in a 24- hour cycle, and he seemed to turn out just fine.

It is common in South American hunter-gatherer societies to complete half an evening’s sleep, awaken for up to two hours to contemplate their dreams and what they mean, and then continue the rest of the sleep cycle.

Chiemi Sakai, a Japanese international student from Kiru, Gumma who attends St. Thomas University, is used to a slightly different way of sleeping. In her country, she says, beds are referred to as ‘futons’, (not to be confused with a futon couch),

Colin McPhail The Brunswickan

Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

Fitting in the right amount of sleep in your schedule is extremely important.

No matter how you do it, make sure to be rested in order to be alert. which are very thin mattresses that can be easily rolled up after use. Pillows are often much harder, and filled with beads or sand. Children also sleep in their parents’ bedroom until the age of 12 (each member of the family occupies their own mattress), at which point they would begin sleeping in their own room.

Chiemi says she prefers the Canadian way of sleeping.

Different cultures tend to have different sleeping traditions. However, the point remains the same: get your eight hours.

Haley Jones, a second- year UNB student, has discovered that her sleep per night has decreased three to four hours since moving away from home.

Her advice to students who wish to get

a good night’s sleep is to stay away from residence. If you can’t, earplugs come in handy.

As students, we face tough decisions every night. The question is not always ‘to sleep, or not to sleep‘, but rather, ‘to analyze this Shakespearean sonnet with my right hand, or to down this Jägerbomb with my left‘. Whichever the case, we don’t find ourselves getting Health Canada’s suggested eight hours as often as our mothers would like to hear.

The solution? Make an effort. Pull a DaVinci and nap as often as possible, or schedule your classes for late morning. An extra hour in the sack can make a huge and positive difference to the amount of information you retain from a class, as well as for your mood and energy.

One of the greatest ways to stay healthy and in shape is one of the oldest and simplest exercises there is: cardio. There are almost too many different ways to strengthen your heart. Playing sports, participating in different fitness classes, going for a bike ride and even a daily walk or run can all do wonders for your body and mind.

Different types of cardio training can produce different results depending on the effect you want to achieve. Here are four methods of simple cardiovascular exercises that are accessible on campus or at home.

Running: To be more precise, let’s say running to lose weight. Eating healthy is the obvious key, but that’s only half the battle. In order to really start losing weight you must do your best to stay active three to four times a week at least, if not every day.

Whether running on a treadmill or outside, incorporating interval training is an effective method to shed some pounds. Interval training, also known as speed work, burns large amounts of calories, gets your heart pumping and helps improve the flow of oxygen to your lungs. A common method for this type of training is to walk at a fast pace for two minutes, then break into a run for three minutes and repeat the cycle for the desired amount of time. This improves muscle mass and your resting metabolic rate.

The Lady Beaverbrook Gym has plenty of cardio equipment, but getting some fresh air isn’t a bad idea either.

Swimming: A full body workout and great cardiovascular exercise is available just at the bottom of campus. “It’s a whole-body exercise, so you’re getting some muscular strength and endurance as well,” says the University of Alberta’s Dr. Bob Haennel.

“If you have a problem with weight control, the pool is an appropriate place to start as it’s easier on the joints.”

Biking/spinning: Biking is a fantastic workout because you can easily control the level of intensity when you’re riding. You can challenge yourself by increasing the distance of the ride, the speed you’re going and even tackling Fredericton’s notorious upwards slope toward Prospect St. The LB gym has plenty of stationary bikes if a moving one isn’t available to you. Joining a spinning class is always a good choice as well.

If you do have a stationary bike at home, instead of just sitting on the couch you can get a workout while you watch TV. “Biking is an easy mode of transportation and it can be as intense or as easy as you want to make it,” says avid biker and UNB student Andrew Meade. “It’s useful for cardio and it’s environmentally friendly.”

Eliptical Trainer: If you’re tired of constant pain in your joints from high-impact activities, the elliptical trainer is for you. Also, by using one with arms you can create a more complete workout. These machines can also be found in the LB Gym’s cardio room.

These are just a few of the many ways to stay in shape, to keep a healthy heart and to add years on to your life.