Issue 11, Vol 143, The Brunswickan

behind the red // get to know reds up close and personal >> pG. 11 Volume 143 · Issue 11 • November 18, 2009

thebruns.ca

brunswickan canada’s oldest official student publication.

More change for Acadian

IGNATIEFF VISITS; GRAHAM TALKS POWER

Sandy Chase The Brunswickan If Acadian Coach Lines has their way, many UNB students could be facing difficulties getting home in the new year.

In a document submitted to the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board, Acadian requested a hearing to discuss proposed changes to their current operating schedule. These changes include the proposed elimination of the Fredericton Miramichi route and the St John - Bangor route, which could leave a lot of students searching for other ways to get home.

“That’s not only mildly inconvenient, it’s unbelievably inconvenient... I take at least 6 buses a year, and that’s just on a regular basis, that’s not counting if there’s an emergency or if there’s a meeting or an interview that I have to go to,” said Tyson Belliveau, a third year Arts student at UNB. Belliveau added that he didn’t understand why they wanted to shut down the route.

“There’s always about half the bus filled and then a couple people here and there, so most of the time you have to double up with someone.”

“I’d rather it not change, it’s really convenient as it is... even if they put the ticket prices up a little I don’t think I’d mind that much cause it’s still dirt cheap, and it’s not like a plane ticket or a train ticket where you have to know when you’re coming back. You get your tickets and you use it when you need it.”

In the document, Acadian cites a loss in customer frequency and a much greater distance traveled per customer in New Brunswick, compared to Nova Scotia and Quebec, for the reasons of the planned reduction in service.

Acadian could not be reached for comment, but stated in a press release that “We do not take changes to our service lightly and we wish to work within the New Brunswick regulatory framework to ensure changes, if any, are done after full discussion with the regulatory body.”

Acadian is also proposing an increase

SEE ACADIAN PAGE 2

This past weekend saw the Liberal Biennial Convention here in Fredericton. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff paid a visit to his supporters, and Premier Shawn Graham addressed the NB Power issue. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan Sarah Ratchford The Brunswickan The Liberal Biennial Convention was held at the Fredericton Inn this past weekend, and the hot topic of the convention was the sale of NB Power.

Michael Ignatieff, Official Leader of the Opposition, paid a visit to the Maritimes to attend the event. When asked about the deal at a media scrum on the first day of the biennial, Ignatieff responded that it wasn’t his issue.

“That’s a provincial matter,” he responded. “Shawn Graham doesn’t get asked about Afghanistan, and I don’t get asked about provincial matters.

“It’s important that New Brunswickers have their say, that the details come out and there’s a full public debate,” he added.

On Saturday, Nov. 14, the NB Power discussion and General Accountability talk took place. Microphones were set up in the audience, and the province’s Liberals were given an opportunity to pose their ques-

tions to Premier Shawn Graham.

Graham pre-ambled the question and answer period with a speech outlining his thoughts on the MOU between New Brunswick’s utility and Hydro Quebec, which, contingent on legislation, stipulates that NB Power will be sold for $4.75 billion.

“By making this debt payment,” he said, “we are releasing future generations of New Brunswickers from debt.”

The Premier then related a situation where a young single mother approached him and told him not to drop the deal for the sake of people in situations like hers.

A number of questions were asked on topics ranging from Point Lepreau to energy efficiency.

Answers largely reiterated Graham’s belief that debt would be eliminated and rates lowered if the deal goes through.

A few things were cleared up, however.

Energy Minister Jack Keir said that the province “will not be giving up energy policy decisions to Quebec.“

Plans for more wind power are also in the works, and it was said that these plans will be a “transparent process.”

One audience member brought up the projected $5 billion in rate savings expected for the next five years after the deal goes through. Instead of rate cuts, the young man posited, which are not the same thing as energy efficiency, how about focusing more attention on initiatives like retrofitting houses?

Graham responded by saying that other provinces have sold their utilities, and wrapped up by saying that “we’re the only political party offering the option to fix rates and debt going up.”

The man who asked the question responded that his question had not been answered.

Another man questioned the value being put on the utility, saying we’re selling Lepreau for less than it’s worth, and that Quebec is then obtaining the rest of the assets essentially for free. He wanted to know if a fresh appraisal of the assets was

conducted, why or why not, and if so, why the info has not been made available.

Keir responded that that the total evaluation for NB Power is $3.3-$4.1 billion, and that he has been briefed on that by the Department of Finance prior to the weekend.

This deal, he said, has taken many months to work out, and was not “a weekend thing over a beverage.”

“There will be a full transparency process when the deal is finalized,” he said.

“We weren’t going to start a debate until we had a deal to debate,” Graham said.

Graham also addressed Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams’ comments against the deal.

“Williams is using the province of New Brunswick as an opportunity to get a better deal for himself with Quebec,” he said.

After several other questions, the subject was changed from NB Power concerns to the Liberals’ poverty reduction initiative.

The tone of the convention changed, and the MPs, MLAs and Premier were all congratulated by the audience.

brunswickannews

2 • Nov. 18, 2009 • Issue 11 • Volume 143

Jazzy Wine and Cheese for CHSR Lee Larrett The Brunswickan Campus radio station CHSR is hosting the ‘Jazzy Wine & Cheese’ event on Nov. 26 to fundraise for the station and help generate a closer relationship with the community.

The event will be black tie and feature local musicians including jazz group The Joel Leblanc Trio. Local artists will be exhibiting their work, some of which has been donated to the silent auction. Close to 25 community sponsors have donated items for the silent auction and to be used as door prizes.

This event is true to its name. The ticket price includes five tastings of wine or local beer from Pumphouse, and cheese from Moulders. Wine and beer expert Jean-Charles will be on hand to add to the experience, instructing on tasting technique and assisting tasters in detecting the different flavours.

Tim Rayne of CHSR said that most black tie events are expensive but tickets to the Jazzy Wine and Cheese only cost $30. CHSR is hoping that students and young professionals in Fredericton will

take part in the event, which Rayne said is a great opportunity to “get dressed up and have a night on the town.”

The evening is meant to educate people about public access media and encourage the community to support CHSR. Rayne said CHSR wants to get the “community to sponsor local radio in a fun way.” Local access media is in a battle for its life as local TV and broadcasters are asking the public to “support local TV” or “stop TV tax now.” The CHSR faces challenges as a local station, and is using this event to reinforce their place in the community.

Rayne said that local media, including radio stations such as the CHSR, are important because, “without them we could easily lose our voice.” Mainstream media airtime can be prohibitively expensive for many groups. It is local media that supports non-profit organizations, charities, human rights issues, environmental or sexuality based causes, as well as other groups who don’t have a voice in mainstream broadcasting, Rayne said. “CHSR prides itself on covering and running that content,” said Rayne.

Instead of increasing the student radio fee, the CHSR wanted to fundraise and gain support from the community to ensure the station can continue to broadcast in the community. CHSR will benefit from the funds raised in the silent auction, and they have more events planned for the future to continue raising money.

Rayne said that this event is about reinforcing the mutually beneficial relationship between local media and the community.

“The community can support radio and vice versa,” he said.

It’s all about CHSR working with the community for this event. CHSR wants to feature local talent and stores, and has received support from others. The event is sponsored by local shops, features local artists and local musicians, and attendees will taste local beer and locally made cheese. CHSR hopes that in return the students and community will come out for a fun night and donate some funds!

The Wine and Cheese Tickets can be purchased at the door or by contacting CHSR at 452-6050. The evening begins at 7 p.m. at the Charlotte Street Arts Center.

Slam poetry benefits RAWA Hilary Paige Smith The Brunswickan Politics. Love. Sexuality. Oppression.

These were the recurring themes in Andrea Gibson’s slam poetry performance last Thursday evening.

Gibson is one of the world’s most wellknown slam poets. The poet/activist won the 2008 Women of the World Poetry Slam competition, as well as the Do It Yourself Poetry Book of the Year with her first book, Pole Dancing Gospel Hymns.

Slam poetry is a variation on spoken word poetry. The poet employs techniques like shifts in tone, emotion and volume to get their point across. The poet can also integrate background music, instruments and choreography to convey their meaning.

Her performance, played before a nearly full house, was a benefit event for the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA).

RAWA is an independent political and social organization of Afghans devoted to achieving peace, freedom and democracy.

All of the ticket sales and donations from the evening supported RAWA. The evening’s event was coordinated by the Fredericton Peace Coalition, the Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre, the NB rebELLEs, the New Brunswick Public Interest Research Group, the University Women’s Centre, the UNB Sexuality Centre and Broken Jaw Press.

The evening opened with an elaborate gumbooting dance performance by the New Brunswick rebELLEe’s gumbooting troupe. Kaylee Hopkins, a singer and songwriter based out of Fredericton, was the second opening act, sharing her own brand of acoustic covers and original songs. The evening was MC’d by Jenn Gorham, program coordinator of at the Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre.

“Andrea has travelled from Boulder, Colorado to be with us tonight and I did want to mention that she has waived her honorarium and has travelled here out of pocket,” Jenn Gorham said to the crowd.

Her statement was met by thunderous

applause.

“I think if you really pay attention to her poetry this evening and to her words you’ll see her passion for activist work.”

The performance was Gibson’s first in Atlantic Canada and coincidentally the closest she has performed to the town of her childhood, Calais, Maine. Gibson, now based out of Colorado, was continuing on to a performance in Halifax following the benefit.

“I have been looking forward to this show for months. Tracy Glynn (of the Fredericton Peace Coalition) was contacting my manager about this show and all of the energy coming our way from you all here in Fredericton, I am just so excited to be here,” Gibson opened.

The poet spoke personably to the crowd, jokingly warning the crowd after a mellow opening poem that it would likely be the last poem in which she doesn’t scream. Gibson’s poetry covered a range of topics, everything from the war in Iraq to the issue of “queer marriage,” as Gibson prefers to call it.

“No senators’ sons are being sent out to slaughter. No presidents’ daughters are licking ashes from their lips; or dreaming up ropes to wrap around their necks in case they ever make it home alive. Our eyes are closed, America. There are souls in the boots of the soldiers, America.

Fuck your yellow ribbon. You wanna support our troops. Bring them home.

And hold them tight when they get here,” Gibson read passionately from her anti-war poem “For Eli.” The crowd was enthusiastic, enraptured by Gibson as she “slammed” and erupting into applause at the close of each poem. There were smiles, tears and laughter on the faces in the crowd throughout the performance.

“When you’re performing with an audience, it’s like the audience does half the work for you by the energy they give, so thank you so much,” Gibson said to the crowd, adding a special thank you to Tracy Glynn who took on the arrangements for Gibson’s appearance.

To check out Andrea Gibson’s poetry visit www.andreagibson.org.

Route reductions for Acadian bus lines FROM ACADIAN PAGE 1 in service between what they refer to as the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia cores. These consist of the routes between Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John and Halifax. Acadian’s action plan consists of four buses daily between each of the three New Brunswick cities, with two trips daily being run as direct express routes.

“The express route thing is sweet. It’s a good thing because it will make getting home over the holidays a lot easier,” said Hessel Altenburg from Halifax. Altenburg added that although it may not be fair to students in Miramichi, Acadien is a privately owned company, “So it’s up to them how they want to run it.”

Cutting the service from Fredericton to Miramichi would leave most of the communities along Highway 8 unserviced, something

that Belliveau doesn’t think is fair.

“It’s the most practical way to get around, but if they screw the routes up they’re going to make it impractical,” Belliveau said, “I’m definitely looking into other alternatives [if they change routes] but if worse comes to worse, if you have to take it you have to take it.”

The Energy and Utilities Board will make an initial decision on the proposal, after which there will be a public hearing.

“The board always wants to deal with these matters as quick as possible, but we do have to coordinate with [the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board].” said Dave Young, a spokesperson for the board.

When asked if the decision would affect students traveling at Christmas, Young said he wasn’t sure if it would be decided before the new year, “But it will take some time, and we are in the middle of November.”

brunswickannews

Nov. 18, 2009 • Issue 11 • Volume 143 • 3

Broken Cenotaph breaks hearts

2degreesC founder addresses climate change Hilary Paige Smith The Brunswickan

Vandals destroyed the Cenotaph in downtown Fredericton. As a show of support a record number of Fredericton residents attended the Remembrance Day Ceremony. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan News Department The Brunswickan Days before the Nov. 11 Remembrance Day Ceremony, vandals destroyed part of the provincial cenotaph, the site of the ceremony. A three-metre high granite cross featuring a soldier’s helmet and gun was knocked to the ground and smashed into pieces.

“My heart is broken,” Jean-Guy Perrault, president of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 4, told the Daily Gleaner.

“This is a time when veterans, legion members and families are supposed to stand around the cenotaph to honour those

who sacrificed their lives for this country.”

“The cost of repair doesn’t concern us as much as the timing and seriousness of it,” Harold Boone, the city’s coordinator of trails and projects told the Times & Transcript. “It’s a really disrespectful act.

It’s awful, especially right around Remembrance Day.” Const. Ralph Currie of the Fredericton Police Force told the Times & Transcript that there was a metal rod installed in the base of the cross two years ago, to ensure it wouldn’t fall and couldn’t be pushed down.

“The suspect or suspects would’ve had to use a considerable amount of force to knock it down,” Currie said. “It will likely take several thousand dollars to repair.”

On Remembrance Day the people of Fredericton turned out in record number to show their support and respect for our Veterans.

“I was really upset. I didn’t sleep for two days,” Perrault told the CBC on Remembrance Day. “But today, what the people of Fredericton did, it’s amazing, it’s amazing. They showed their support and I thank them again.”

Fredericton MP Keith Ashfield and Mayor Brad Woodside have both committed to support the repair of the Cenotaph.

Local mason company Jones Masonry has offered to restore the broken piece free of charge, other costs of repair are being assessed.

These lasers aren’t attached to sharks Alex Kress The Brunswickan The University of New Brunswick’s Geology Department is in for quite a treat: a facelift in the form of a brand new, state-ofthe-art laser lab.

According to Dr. Chris McFarlane, a professorofgeologyatUNB,thelaserdoesn’t mind what it’s given to analyze. It is capable of analyzing water chemistry when fluids are introduced, working out seasonal changes in the chemistry of tree rings, and analyzing woodartefacts.TheCanadianRiversInstitute uses a laser to analyze parts of a fish to figure out if it has been in fresh water or sea water at a specific time during its life cycle.

Thereareampleopportunitiesforresearch withthistechnology. Exploration in forestry, environmental monitoring, cultural analysis, and even medical applications, McFarlane says.

“Simply put, there are often minerals in rocks that comprise the crust of the planet, and in some cases those minerals hold a very detailed record of the origin of the rocks. So they have a memory of the processes that formed them,” explains McFarlane.

“That memory is in the form of chemical signatures or the age of the mineral. What we want to do is be able to measure those at the mineral scale. Traditionally, until the advent of these lasers, there was no efficient way to do that,” McFarlane explains.

This laser technology has existed for approximately 15 years, and its fundamental purpose is to reconstruct how the earth’s crust has evolved over time. Its applications encompass dating the rocks, seeking their origins, and measuring the chemistry of the minerals which helps explain the process that formed them.

“What is actually happening is we use a laser that operates in a wavelength that is just a visible light. This laser operates in the deep UV region in very short wavelengths, and at those wavelengths the laser light interacts very strongly with matter. What we’re doing is adding energy to matter via

this laser, causing it to break bonds and we add energy which creates a vapour or an aerosol (very tiny particles). We can do that at scales as small as .005 mm. It is the process of converting matter from solid to particles. So that’s really what the laser does for us - and does it at a very, very small scale.”

“People have used the same facility to generate maps of arsenic in rat brains”, says McFarlane.

“Initially, we need to focus on our side of things, the geological side of things. But obviously it will be open to anybody to collaborate with us and do some cool stuff.”

The new laboratory will replace an existing room in the Geology building that will undergo special renovations, including the creation of windows. There will be a lot of money invested in ensuring the ideal environmental conditions for the instruments, as they are very sensitive and require no temperature fluctuations.

Much of the funding for the project has been provided by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) through the Leaders Opportunity Fund, who provided up to 40 per cent of the project costs. The CFI is then willing to provide $327,000 of an initial $820,000 budget.

“Because the CFI is only able to provide us with 40 per cent, we must find the other 60 per cent, and several other organizations have stepped up.”

One such organization is the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, contributing $165,000. Other generous con-

tributions have been made by Xstrata Zinc who is contributing $100,000, and UMOE Solar who has also made a large commitment to the project. UNB, the Geology Department and other smaller companies have promised the additional funding.

“We have a strong collaborative link with Government of New Brunswick and Industry New Brunswick. My colleague, Dave Lentz, is a co-investigator on the grant. He has been working in mineral exploration for many years, and he’s really going to be the driving force to enhance that collaboration.”

This is going to be the first facility of its kind in New Brunswick; there are none like it in Nova Scotia or PEI. Previously UNB had to rely on others for this technology, and most other provinces have the laser technology.

“It allows us to focus or put our sights on mineral exploration in New Brunswick, whether to help with a provincial geological survey, or to help companies expedite their in-house research.”

The technology was pioneered at Australian National University (ANU) where Dr. McFarlane did his post-doctorate. His ANU background proved instrumental in attaining the grant because he knows the technique.

“We need to thank them in a big way,” Dr. McFarlane stresses. He and the Geology Department are immensely grateful for the funding they have received and are very eager to have such a useful facility to call their own.

David Noble, founder of 2degreesC, spoke before a crowd of Fredericton community members recently, stressing the importance of caring for our environment.

2degreesC was founded in 2003. The organization specializes in institutional change initiatives regarding climate change. Their work includes starting initiatives like a community energy planning group, working extensively with the international youth climate movement and youth activists on climate change.

Noble, a Fredericton native and currently a resident of Guelph, Ontario, embarked on a speaking tour across the country in early October. Noble has shared his organization’s work and his thoughts on climate change action with members of the academic and professional worlds, as well as university students and students of all grade levels.

The 2degreesC founder has trained with Al Gore has worked in 20 countries on six continents around the world.

Noble specializes in community engagement and a percentage of his talk focused on his involvement with climate change initiatives. Noble passed out cue cards and pencils at the beginning of the lecture and throughout it encouraged the crowd to write their thoughts on climate change.

The speaker was introduced by interim dean of Forestry and Environmental Management Don Floyd. Floyd called Noble a “human catalyst” adding that “this is a guy who takes a good idea and makes it go.”

“I’m going to talk about citizenship,” Noble said, shortly after engaging the audience in a sing-a-long. “And the need for all of us to be very active citizens in response to climate change. If you’ve heard Al Gore you’ve heard this message before. You need to be very active

citizens in our democracies. It’s really important to change the light bulbs.

It’s even more important to change the laws, but it goes even beyond that. We need to change our culture and be very active citizens in changing our culture.”

Noble’s presentation was highlighted by quotes from influential figures like Barack Obama and Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire about climate change and social action.

“The root of the climate crisis is a relationship issue between how 7 billion of us live on the planet, but really it’s 2 billion of us, the richest people, who are having the biggest impact,” he said, reflecting on the planet’s capacity to sustain human life. “There’s lots of things that influence that relationship, like laws and policies and technologies.

When we think about solutions to climate change, that’s typically what we think of.”

Noble spoke about the things that influence people in their daily lives, saying that our beliefs, values and aspirations need to be altered to reflect a resolution to climate change.

“A ll of those things could be changed, all of those things need to be changed and we all need to be very active citizens in achieving changes,” he said.

Noble travelled to Disko Bay in Greenland in Fall of 2008 with a crew of artists, photographers, musicians and activists, including Vanessa Carlton, Martha Wainwright and KT Tunstall.

The “Cape Farewell” expedition was an opportunity to witness the effects of climate change firsthand and engage in a dialogue about climate change.

Noble’s presentation included a slideshow of stark and beautiful images from the glacial landscape, including a photo of expedition goers standing on a glacier that shrinks by 34 metres per day.

For more information about David Noble and the organization, visit 2degreesC.com.

brunswickanopinion

Nov. 18, 2009 • Issue 11 • Volume 143 • 4

editor@thebruns.ca

Students need to raise their political voices The Looking Glass Sarah Ratchford

This past weekend I attended the Liberal Biennial Convention here in Fredericton.

The entire convention was held up the street at the Fredericton Inn, and guess who showed up to speak on Friday evening? Michael “Iggy” Ignatieff, Official Leader of the Opposition.

What struck me the most about the evening, however, was not Ignatieff’s presence. As I walked into the room, I couldn’t help but notice that the heads seated in the majority of the chairs filling the room were white, grey, or balding.

Don’t get me wrong. People of all ages are entitled to have their say when it comes to politics. Actually, that is the crux of the issue at hand. We have a right to vote here in Canada, and we should be grateful for that instead of spurning the opportunity.

The night I saw Ignatieff speak, I ran into four other students. They were all student leaders in some capacity, and most were involved with the Student Union here at UNB. Of course they care about what’s going on; they’re the politicians and decision makers of tomorrow. But what about the average Joe and Jane?

Let me tell you, guys. If you don’t start paying attention to this stuff now, at least a little bit, and making your voices heard, you’re never going to. Thus, politics will continue to be something you bitch about, or remain ignorant to, and not something you get involved in and change.

What is with our generation? Why do we not care if our voices are heard?

There were microphones set up on the Saturday of the convention, and anyone who wanted to could get up and ask Shawn Graham a question or make a statement. I feel as though it would have been quite striking for our Premier to have heard the concerns of eighteen

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, Danielle Bodie, Chris Cameron, Kathryn Chase, Sandy Chase, Alison Clack, Maggie DeWolfe, Dave Evans, Sarah Farquhar, Josh Fleck, Kennie Gathuru, Dan Hagerman, Ayat Abed Isiad, Cody Jack, Jacques Landry, Brandon MacNeil, Cameron Mitchell, Matthew Murray, Sam Perlmutter, Jon Salmon, 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.

Premier Shawn Graham addressed supporters on Saturday. Where were UNB’s students? I didn’t see any, tut tut. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan and nineteen year olds. He says he’s concerned for future generations, at least when it comes to abolishing debt with the sale of NB Power, so why not see if he’s concerned about other things as well?

There were plenty of things I would have liked to ask, but alas, I have the silent cross of journalism to bear.

The apathy of our generation is quite disturbing to me. I have asked friends to come and vote with me before, and they responded “Nah,” as they watched TV instead. Really? You can’t take a five second break from Family Guy to check off a name on a ballot that represents your interests?

I hear students bashing politicians and the general state of things in our community, and our country, on a constant

basis. This would have been the perfect opportunity to go and say something, yet no one did.

Part of the problem is that an alarmingly high number of students don’t know the first thing about any political party. A lot of my own friends and acquaintances, even, get confused when I mention the name of a federal leader as though it’s common knowledge—which it should be, shouldn’t it?

I’m not suggesting you drop your degree and start studying political science here, folks. I’m just saying that you should take half an hour the next time you have a chance and read up on each of the parties. Find out who the leaders are, what the party’s policies are on education and other pertinent issues. If you find some-

thing you don’t like—or something you do-- send a letter.

Failing to go and have a say in the way our world is run is the stupidest thing our generation could do. It’s like setting sail on a ship without a skipper, or spilling red wine all over a white cashmere sweater that you know is going to be passed on to you.

The big question here is ‘Why do we not care?’ Is it because we think politicians are scumbags? Is it because we play too many video games, or just plain have too many other things going on?

Whatever the answer, we need to figure it out quick. If we neglect to do this, it may be too late to turn things in our favour when we finally grow up enough to care.

I’ll be home for Christmas...or not, thanks to Acadian Ryan Brideau The Brunswickan Recently Acadian Bus Lines has applied to the Energy and Utilities Board to have routes between Miramichi and Fredericton, Saint John and Bangor, and the Kentville-Digby corridor in Nova Scotia ended, in favour of more express routes between the major cities in the Atlantic region. This not only represents a threat to the large number of people from North-Eastern New Brunswick, and those travelling to the United States and parts of Nova Scotia,

the brunswickan

but also to anybody who acknowledges the importance of an affordable, reliable transportation system in our province.

This issue is a prime example of the failure of private enterprise to meet the needs of the general public. Private companies like Acadian, particularly when they have total dominance over transportation in the region, are accountable only to their bottom line, whether or not it is in the public’s best interest. This issue becomes critical when dealing with an essential service

such as inter-city transportation.

The issue is not entirely systemic, however. What Acadian fails to realize is that the economic feasibility of their bus lines in New Brunswick has less to do with the population densities of the regions to which they travel, and more to do with the respect (or lack thereof) that they give their customers. The concept is simple: if you want people to use your service, don’t treat them as if they are expendable.

Over the past five years, I have been a frequent user of the bus line. During that same period of time, I have also been subject to the most ignorant, rude, uncaring customer service I have ever experienced. Unfortunately for me, the company can get away with this kind of behaviour as there currently is no affordable, reliable alternative.

Through my role as VP External for the UNBSU, I have discovered that this attitude permeates other levels of the organization. Ever since Acadian Lines decided that it was going to move the bus terminal in Fredericton, I have extended the olive branch multiple times, offering to help make the move more convenient for students, yet I received nothing but silence in return. After being told by an Acad-

ian representative that they would not be running a shuttle for those who unknowingly went to the wrong bus terminal on Thanksgiving weekend contrary to their public claims - the Student Union stepped in and organized SafeRide to act as the shuttle. It turned out that what they told us was false-- in fact, they had two shuttles -- and as a result much of our executives’ and our SafeRide coordinator’s time was wasted.

The bottom line when it comes to Acadian Bus Lines is that something needs to change, but it isn’t their routes. And although this issue may not affect you directly, it is important for you to acknowledge those it does affect, and that it truly represents a threat to a system intended to serve the public good. These route changes need to be prevented, and in order for that to happen, you can’t sit idly by; reading this article is not enough to keep it from happening. We need to write statements to the Energy and Utilities Board, to the Minister of Transportation and to Acadian themselves, and let them know that this isn’t something we will support. If you need any direction on how to do so, send me an e-mail and I would be more than happy to help.

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

Nov. 18, 2009 • Issue 11 • Volume 143 • 5

letters to the editor.

UNB parking = blood pressure meds Stop smoking UNB

Think smoking makes you look cool? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t, but the fact of the matter is it ain’t good for you. Flickr CC Hello,

UNB’s parking situation is less than desirable.Too many parking passes are available, and too few spaces exist. It’s not a pretty scene, in case you haven’t noticed. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan Lee Larrett The Brunswickan As I cruised through the SUB parking lot the other day I felt my blood pressure rise. My eyes darted from my clock to the rows of cars as I scanned for just one sacred empty space.

On some mornings I get lucky and find a space. And by “get lucky” I mean benefit from crazed driving and unreasonable persistence. I drive along the rows countless times and head off other drivers, speeding and swerving into the precious empty spaces that open up.

When I’m not so lucky I drive on to the Chapman “dirt lot.” Usually this is where my temper flares.

My first introduction to the dirt lot was on a busy morning where the only empty space was right next to the field and had a soccer ball resting in the middle of it.

My car is my most prized possession and I have enough of a problem parking it in lots full of suspension damaging potholes. Often I spend my day imagining various sports equipment flying over the fence and into my beautiful windshield, or dent-able fender.

My reason to complain doesn’t end there. Another morning I drove into the lot to find not one, not two, but three rows of parked cars going down the center aisle of the dirt lot. That’s right. A full row of cars was trapped on either side by desperate students who had run out of space. I parked my car behind some poor soul, excusing myself only because there was no one on the other side of them (yet), and I had class in five minutes.

The moment I stepped out of my car I was less than politely hollered at by one

of Security and Traffic’s finest.

“Is that your car?” she yelled. Well no shit, I just stepped out of it didn’t I? Not wanting to be too confrontational, I yelled back that there’s no adequate parking, so until this lot is paved and marked I’m parking my car where I need to. The ticket writer became sympathetic and said that she also felt that the lot should be paved, and is hoping that writing tickets will keep those without passes out of the lot to reduce congestion. I agree that students who don’t buy passes but still use the spaces are part of the problem, but can I blame them for not shelling out $80 for a pass when there’s not adequate parking?

Is the ticket writing for a noble cause, or a money grab on the part of UNB? I was slightly heartened when I drove up into the lot the next day and found a team of Security and Traffic people directing cars into spaces. “Finally, progress,” I thought. Sadly, I haven’t seen them back.

I’ve informally raised my concerns with members of our Student Union.

Their response was that they’ve circulated student surveys and identified that many students are upset with the sub-par parking. One of their initiatives to correct this is a ride-sharing program. I think our SU does a great job on so many issues, but ride sharing won’t work for the majority of students who have different schedules and come from across the region.

Dr. Eddy Campbell made an appearance at Student Council recently, and one of our councilors asked what he planned to do about student parking, especially when NBCC joins us on campus. Dr. Campbell did a song and dance about paving a new space for every space NBCC will take up.

Then he hid behind environmentalism, saying that

UNB must consider if building a parking garage would wrongly encourage students to drive to school when they should consider the greener options of the bus, or biking. The bus system is laughable, as is biking in -40 degree weather.

If UNB is so concerned about environmentalism, why does is make parking passes available in the first place? Money.

UNB is facing a $3 million deficit; they’re going to cut corners and claw money from students whenever possible.

Don’t get me wrong, I am appreciative that the parking pass is so inexpensive. At McMaster, the daily parking rate was $20, and a parking pass could run upwards of $100 a month. The saddest part was that the student parking lots were so far from campus you had to use a shuttle bus to get to your car. By comparison, UNB isn’t doing so bad. But then again, UNB is servicing 9,000 students. Compared to McMaster’s 20,000; I think the standards should be slightly different.

My anger isn’t over the price of the pass; I would gladly pay more if that would give UNB the budget to provide an adequate number and location for spaces, thus guaranteeing me a space. The sub-par parking that is currently available should be free, and should come with a coupon for the alignment your car will need after parking between trench sized potholes.

There is so much the university could be doing to improve the quantity and quality of spaces, but they are doing nothing, and students aren’t holding anyone accountable. Get angry! And then make your voice heard. Head out to the strategic planning sessions and give Dr. Campbell and his team an ear-full. They claim to want our input on how to shape our UNB. Let’s see if they really mean it.

I don’t go to UNB, but this past week I was on campus, walking around while waiting for my sister to finish her class so I could bring her home for the weekend. I was alarmed at how many people smoked. I did my undergrad degree at Memorial University, and there were always a few smokers. They mainly smoked around one area of the St. John’s campus of about 15,000. But at UNB there were smokers left, right and centre, including people I knew from high school who I never expected to pick up smoking.

It seemed to me like it’s a fad, like it’s cool. I don’t know, but there are a lot of good reasons not to smoke such as: its expensive (especially for a student who doesn’t have a lot to come and

go on), and it’s bad for your health.

My grandmother was a smoker but she gave it up and died of lung cancer.

It’s difficult to quit… cigarettes have nicotine in them, which is addictive and addictions are difficult to break off.

If you are looking for a way to spend your free time or just to chill out from your studies, there are other things to do. Read a book or maybe the Brunswickan, or revert to something that we did at lunch hour when we were youngers, like play pogs or trade hockey cards (I found some of those in my basement last week). There are other things to do in that period of time when you could be taking a smoke.

Be cool and stop smoking.

Jon Dykeman

brunswickanopinion

6 • Nov. 18, 2009 • Issue 11 • Volume 143

Student

Viewpoint.

What do you think of banning bottled water on campuses?

Let everyone know whats on your mind.

“It’s a good idea.”

Anna Trippel

David McSwain

“It’s a step in the right direction.”

Kale Guay

Jessica Colford

“Why would they do that?”

“I’m fine with it.”

Marion Fernandes

Kristen Brown

“If they have fountains.”

“It’s fine by me.”

“It’s stupid.”

Megan Wilcox

“People wouldn’t drink it if it were not in bottles.”

“It’s ridiculous.”

Munachi Benson

Ryan O’Donnel

brunswickaninternational

Nov. 18, 2009 • Issue 11 • Volume 143 • 7

The Sound of Freedom is the Jingling of Keys

Citizens of Prague have been getting their celebration on to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of their freedom: the Velvet revolution. Internet Nick Howard The Brunswickan Prague, Czech Republic: Though it is three days until the anniversary of the fall of communism in the Czech Republic, the streets of Prague already ring with the sounds of celebration.

Cheering groups of Czech natives, accompanied by musical instruments, are getting a head start on the planned celebrations by demonstrating the difference 20 years of freedom have made.

November 17th, 1989 marked the beginning of the Velvet Revolution in Prague.

20 years ago a peaceful student protest was suppressed by Communist riot police.

The number of demonstrations following November 17th increased until November 20th, when a demonstration involving 500,000 people was held in Prague. On November 27th a country-wide general strike was organized by students and for two hours Czechoslovakia and its Com-

munist oppressors stood still. These acts took power away from the Communist regime and placed it in the hands of the Czech people, who celebrate the 20th anniversary of these acts this week. The Sametová Revoluce, the Gentle or Velvet Revolution, is described as one of the most successful, peaceful revolutions in history.

Vaclav Havel, the last president of Czechoslovakia, the first president of the democratic Czech Republic and leader of the Velvet Revolution, spoke to an audience of International Leaders last week to accept an International Leadership Award for his work and sacrifice for the people of the Czech Republic. This is just one of the many honours received by Havel; he is also a recipient of Canada’s most prestigious award, the Order of Canada.

Havel, healthy and still very active at 73, addressed the international conference by video from Brussels where he will urge the European Parliament, on the eve of the Velvet Revolution’s 20th anniversary, to

make a commitment to people and places in the world still struggling with problems similar to the communist oppression he helped end in Czechoslovakia. Educated as a playwright, Havel’s view of his own leadership in the Czech Republic is humble; “I think leaders are pushed by circumstance and necessity into their roles; I was simply open to it,” he said.

The celebrations in Prague will be spectacular, a representation of 20 years of freedom; however, celebration is not the only purpose of this anniversary. Monica Pajerova, President of Yes For Europe! and a student who helped organize the demonstrations in 1989, talked about the need for Czech people to commemorate as well as celebrate the revolution. “The anniversary will be meaningless with just celebration. We must reflect on the change and the spirit of the revolution in 1989; it was a vindication of values”, she said. She highlighted the necessity of commemoration by talking about reflection on the past,

Different country, different attitude Culture Shock Danielle Bodie

It’s funny how when a person isn’t at home they tend to change some things about themselves. They change their diet, their way of life and maybe even who they associate themselves with. In most countries I’m sure there is a rhetoric that clearly states ‘We are better than the rest.’

Or maybe it is said that one province of that country is better than the rest. This is a topic that has come up in many conversations between international students.

Most international students seem to feel that their country is better in some

way, shape or form when they are at home. In Asia, for example, the Chinese or Japanese may find themselves to be superior to most Asian countries because of the technology and power their fast paced cities have. But when Chinese or Japanese students come to Fredericton, most of them mingle with other Asian students and find their commonalities.

In the Middle East the hierarchy also exists; wealthy countries may look down on other countries who may not share in their wealth. In Dubai they have man made islands and buildings made with gold, and the wealth is abundant.

However, the superiority is non- existent here in Fredericton because in a foreign place, people just look for the similarities in people, not differences.

The same thing holds true with Caribbean countries. I find that most Carib-

bean students brag on their country’s beauty and wealth. Everyone argues that their country has the clearest water, or the best food or nicest beaches or maybe even the best music. But when it all comes down to it, we’re all one. We all have the same background we all say ‘yes ma’am’ and ‘no ma’am” to older people. We all can’t help saying ‘Good morning’ and ‘Good afternoon’ to people on the street, even though most of them don’t answer.

We are all one people and being here in Fredericton helps us realize that.

Going to a foreign country for university truly broadens your horizons.

It allows you to appreciate your own culture while you appreciate others. The hierarchy of countries disappears when you realize that when you are in a foreign country, you are all the same. That is how some of the best friendships are made.

Corrections: FOCUS: Last week in this section, there were two articles labeled as editorials. The piece about NB Power was an editorial from the Bruns ed board, while the touching piece about Remembrance Day was submitted by Jacques Landry. Sorry Jacques! Also, the news story about the Scouts commissioner was written by Sandy Chase, not Lee Larrett. Sorry Sandy <3

present and future.

Among these reflections, Pajerova called attention to the “power of the powerless”, the title of a book by Havel. “Normally, we do not think of a revolution as people writing statements, reading books, giving speeches or having discussions. But, these are the people who ran the Velvet Revolution”, she said, drawing attention to the ways in which revolutionaries chipped away at the power of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia.

For many Czech people, memories of the Communist era of oppression are still very vivid. Pajerova recalled a personal experience when she was very young about the death of a student named Jan Palak who burned himself alive in demonstration: “I always wondered why, in pictures of my Aunt and Uncle’s wedding, no one was smiling. I now understand that it was the same day as Palak’s funeral. Some people were even wearing black armbands in commemoration”.

Pajerova also highlighted the fundamental importance of students to the revolution, and their importance today in dealing with problems of oppression around the world.

“Not many groups are given less power than students. We had to take it, sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice. Students are passionate and able, they are capable of incredible things, as we saw in the Sametová Revoluce; students organized the first demonstration in the Velvet Revolution“.

In peaceful protest during the Revolution, huge numbers of people flooded Wenceslas Square in Prague’s old city and jingled their keys to represent the unlocking of doors. This week, think about the present and future of freedom in the world and the importance students played in creating a great revolution which ended in the fall of an oppressive regime. Take some time , join your fellow students in the Czech Republic and jingle your keys to commemorate and celebrate one of the most successful revolutions of all time.

brunswickanarts arts@thebruns.ca

Nov. 18, 2009 • Issue 11 • Volume 143 • 8

Gamers: Making geekiness a good thing

Shawn O’Hara The Nexus Some people have never heard the phrases “roll for initiative” or “attack of opportunity” before, and they’d probably be confused if someone asked how many ranks they had in Spot.

For others, phrases like this make up a vocabulary they know all too well – one that’s been part of what they do, and also a part of how they keep themselves sane when the trials and tribulations of everyday life come a-knockin’. They’re gamers. More specifically, they’re role-playing gamers.

Role-playing games (RPGs) allow players to each control a single character, made using the game’s rules. They speak for them, describe their actions and roll dice to determine their outcome. Another player, called the game master (GM), controls the setting and support characters, as well as villains and enemies, describing the events of the fantasy world.

Gamers come from all walks of life, and many get into the hobby by accident.

“It’s something I found in a bookstore on vacation when I was younger,” says Jesse Cowell, a writing and theatre student at the University of Victoria (UVic). Cowell was drawn to gaming as an outlet for his interest in storytelling. “I’d sort of been making stuff up for a long time,” he says.

Despite an interest and passion for gaming, a lot of players are reluctant

to bring up their hobby with friends and family, for fear of ridicule and embarrassment. Cowell recalls a time in acting class when the subject came up.

“All but one or two people laughed.

No one likes to feel like that. No one likes that feeling of derision,” he says.

Carson Upton, a graduate of Victoria-based Camosun College’s computer engineering program, found his RPG hobby was met with disapproval from his family.

“My parents both used to be pretty conservative Christians,” recalls Upton. “There was a time when [RPG Dungeons & Dragons] had a bad reputation, and my parents were being told that it was somehow evil, and would lead to things like Satan worship. They never really tried to stop me, but they didn’t approve. They’re okay with it now, though I doubt they’d ever give it a try or anything.”

Despite the criticism they find along the way, neither Cowell nor Upton regret what they do.

“It’s my hobby. I sort of make a point of it,” says Cowell. “When I make friends, I say, ‘I’m a gamer. Is there gonna be a thing with that?’”

Upton says he’s “always sort of reveled in the geekiness” of gaming.

Like most hobbies, real-life gaming isn’t free. With rulebooks costing upwards of $30 or $40 a pop, it can start to add up. Upton says over the course of his gaming career he’s probably spent around $1000 on books, as well as thousands more on trips to various

A stormtrooper engages in a game of Magic:The Gathering with a fellow geek. Tristan Gray/Submitted gaming conventions.

Similarly, Cowell, over the course of the last six or seven years, says he’s spent close to $10,000 on rulebooks and other gaming paraphernalia.

“Let me put it this way. I don’t drink, and I don’t have a car,” says Cowell.

“This is where I spend a lot of my money. Sometimes I’ll buy a game to read it, even though I know I’ll never play it.”

For a lot of gamers, RPGs are an

easy and enjoyable way of spending time with their friends.

“When enough people hang out and do this it becomes the default social activity,’ says Cowell. “You can spend eight hours gaming, but not all of it’s [for the game]. A lot of it is other social interaction, like hanging out and eating.”

Despite the social stigma attached to gaming, such communities continue to grow. Upton co-founded the Vancou-

ver Island Gaming Guild in 2003 with a group of friends as a way of helping gamers network.

“Geeks accept other geeks,” says Upton.

Once the reputations, myths, and misconceptions are stripped away, role-playing games are just that: games.

“RPGs are my social activity of choice,” says Upton. “They let me get together with my friends and we work together to create a story.”

Kitchen partying at the Capital with Elliott Brood Alison Clack The Brunswickan Feet were stomping, hands were clapping, and heads were nodding.

This was the scene at the Capital this past week when Elliott Brood passed through town as a part of their most recent Canadian tour, and a large number of Frederictonians appreciated the Polaris-prize nominated band’s visit

to town.

The self-defined ‘death-country’ band played a sold-out show at the Capital this past week.

The Capital was packed wall-to-wall with a crowd who seemed to be completely engrossed in the trio’s upbeat folk music.

The size of the show is a testament to the band’s showmanship and musical talent. When the band played

at the Capital last spring the crowd’s size was decidedly smaller. However, many people who attended the spring show said they fell in love with the band.

After several months of word-of-mouth advertisement, it’s easy to see how their popularity has grown.

It was apparent during the show that the band felt the audience’s love; the drummer, Stephen Pitkin, felt the need to reciprocate and express his love of the Maritimes.

Maybe it’s the band’s fondness for the Maritimes that made them pass around pans and wooden spoons to the audience, so that we could play along to their songs.

The act, which was reminiscent of a good ole Maritime kitchen party, had the audience immersed in the music until the very end.

The audience was left wanting more, but only in the best way possible.

Even as the band finished their encore and the house lights came up in the

Capital in the early morning hours, the audience was calling for more.

Considering that the show sold out a few days before the day of, the next time Elliott Brood comes to town people are going to have to run to get tickets.

This band puts on a great show so don’t miss out.

Elliott Brood played November 10 at the Capital. Their Polaris prize and Juno nominated album, Mountain Meadows was released in June 2008.

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TANNING SPECIALS

The Mercury Program – Chez Viking Leave it to the Mercury Program to release one of the best albums of the decade at the last second. One of the most anticipated albums in post rock, Chez Viking, although recorded in 2006, will finally be released next week - seven years after the band’s previous album A Data Learn The Language. Purely instrumental, the Mercury Program wisely refrain from participating in the clichés of traditional post rock music, specifically crescendos, and place the focus on complex, intertwined melodies which, thanks in part to Whit Travisano’s vibraphone, stand apart from practically everything else in the genre. Chez Viking is a landmark album that showcases not only incredible talent and musicianship, but also pure dedication to the art of music.

The Twilight Sad – Forget the Night Ahead While the Scottish indie rockers The Twilight Sad sprawled onto the scene with their shoegaze influenced debut album Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters in 2007, they have in some ways moved on. The delayed and effect laden guitar tones are gone, replaced with natural yet dark, krautrock influenced tones and recording effects. Lyrically, Forget the Night Ahead reflects the music well. Written shortly after a close family member of singer James Graham passed away, lyrics like “You are the bearer of a womb without love” are prominent. A prolific band, Forget the Night Ahead only adds to the already impressive catalogue of albums, EPs and singles by the Twilight Sad.

brunswickanarts

Nov. 18, 2009 • Issue 11 • Volume 143 • 9

Dos and Don’ts for Holiday decorating Alison Clack The Brunswickan Christmas time holds wonderful memories for many people.

Some of those memories might involve cozying up by a fire, spending time with the family, and opening presents under the Christmas tree.

I used to remember driving at night and being amazed by all of the beautiful decorations on people’s houses.

The winter holiday season has a certain kind of elegance in its decorations: glistening snow, the smell of apple cider, evergreens, mistletoe, and gigantic inflatable Santas.

Not quite.

Over the past few years, fairy lights and wreaths seem to have been replaced by illuminated, plastic reindeer on the roof and houses covered in more lights than snow.

The Christmas holiday season can be elegant; there are just a few guidelines people should follow if they do not want to blind their neighbours with some serious light pollution.

Everybody likes Christmas lights in moderation; nobody likes being blinded by a life-sized gingerbread house.

Remember that when it comes to outdoor Christmas lights, less is more.

A house is going to look ten times better during the holiday season if it has one or two simple, well placed wreaths and a few lights along the eaves than it would with strings of multi-coloured lights wrapped around every surface available.

Wreaths also present a nice alternative for students who want to add a little of the Christmas spirit to their houses without breaking the bank.

While plastic reindeer and snowman might be cheap, they’re ugly. Enough said.

Besides, it is way more fun to go out and build a snowman yourself than it is to pile

It’s easy to go a little overboard with Christmas mini-lights. It requires a calculated plan to come up with something that annoys the shit out of your neighbours, friends and family. Flickr CC into a car, drive to Canadian Tire, and buy one of the ugly, plastic marshmallow-men for $35.99.

This particular category of lawn tack also includes inflatable penguins, light-up reindeer, and big, fake candy canes.

Just avoid making your yard look like Candy Land threw up all over it and you’ll be fine.

Timing is also important. Lights do not need to go up as soon as Halloween is over; it’s nice to have at least a short break between holidays.

Hold off on putting up the Christmas lights until the beginning of December.

Timing on taking down your lights is also important. Having lights around New Year’s Day is a festive way to ring in the year, so by all means keep them up for at least that long. However, if Valentine’s Day rolls around and your lights are still burning then you’re probably just lazy. And probably have a really unnecessarily high power bill.

In the end, putting up holiday decorations should be easy. Less is more. Your neighbours will thank you.

brunswickansports

Nov. 18, 2009 • Issue 11 • Volume 143 • 10

sports@thebruns.ca

REDS ROLL OVER TIGERS AND X-MEN

Hunter Tremblay (above) was looking for a third goal on the weekend late in Saturday’s contest as he lurked in front of the Dalhousie net. Sandy Chase / The Brunswickan Christopher Cameron The Brunswickan Going into last weekend UNB was ranked number one in the CIS and they left none questioning why.

The Reds played host to the StFX Xmen Friday night in front of 2,600 fans at the Aitken Centre. Entering the game, the X-men sat three points back of UNB in second place in the AUS, looking to make a move up the standings.

After opening up a 3-0 lead, UNB took multiple penalties late in the second. StFX capitalized; popping two power play goals in the back of the net and finding themselves back in the game. That was the closest StFX came

to taking the lead as UNB stepped up play in the remaining time in the second, keeping momentum going into the third en route to a 9-3 final.

Captain Kyle Bailey knows, although they are undefeated, struggling on the penalty kill like they did shows they still have parts of their game to work on.

“We have to stay on the task of continually improving,” said Bailey. “I really, truly feel that if we play the same calibre we are now in February and March, I don’t think we’re going to beat StFX and Saint Mary’s the same way we’re beating them. We’d probably have to get lucky to win. So we’ve got to keep getting better. February hockey in the AUS is very difficult, so we have to

keep building towards that.”

Travis Fullerton picked up his seventh win this season in a 22 save performance.

Saturday night the Dalhousie Tigers were in town looking for back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

The Tigers were able to hold UNB to one goal in the first period as Hunter Trembley scored his tenth in ten games.

UNB opened up their lead in the second with goals from Daine Todd, Jordan Clendenning, Dion Campbell, John Scott Dickson and Matt Fillier, his first as a V-Red. UNB took a 6-1 lead into the third, Todd scoring once more as the Reds walked over Dalhousie 7-1.

Derek Yeomans allowed only one

the brunswickan presents

the panel voice your opinion

goal on 15 shots to win his third game of the season.

Leading the Reds this weekend on offence were Daine Todd with three goals and three assists, Hunter Trembley with two goals and four assists, and Jordan Clendenning with two goals and four assists.

Saturday was Clendenning’s fourth game back after major knee surgery and with a stellar performance last weekend looks to be back to his top form.

“I’m feeling great out there and I think my confidence is where it needs to be,” said Clendenning. “My speed and my strength are where they need to be and playing with guys like Daine Todd and Nick Layton our chemistry

How long will the men’s hockey team remain undefeated?

Colin McPhail

Tony von Richter

Lee Folkins

I have to give it to them. They have blown away the competition so far. However, they are definitely not invincible. A couple of overtime games could have easily gone the other way, but if they keep up their intensity they could easily prolong this streak into 2010.

It’s hard to say as injuries or even a couple of bad bounces could end the undefeated streak at any time, but based on their play they could stay undefeated. If the streak ends I think it’ll be due to a couple of bad bounces sometime in January or February.

Nobody’s going to be able to beat them. Nobody’s beat them yet.

Nobody’s going to beat the rest of the season.

Sports Editor

is working really well together which makes it easier out there.”

Clendenning felt that even after the big win against St. FX Friday the team came out just as prepared Saturday for the lower ranked Tigers team.

“We may be undefeated at this point, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to stop pushing forward,” said Clendenning. “We want to be a better team every time we step on the ice. That’s what we focus on. I think we showed tonight that, no matter who we play we’re going to come out and play at the top of our game.”

The Reds are on the road this weekend for a Friday night game against the UPEI Panthers.

CUP Sports Bureau Chief

Sports Fan

Brian von Richter Sports Fan

They will stay undefeated until Gardiner shaves his Flanders moustache.

brunswickansports

Nov. 18, 2009 • Issue 11 • Volume 143 • 11

Behind the Red: Sandy Chase Colin McPhail The Brunswickan In the first installment of ‘Behind the Red’, The Brunswickan chose a member of its writing family to profile, only to find out he’s a member of several families. Twenty -year old Halifax native Sandy Chase is not only a writer and photographer for The Brunswickan, but is an important asset to the UNB residence community, a member of Scouts Canada, and is in his second year of a Mechanical Engineering Degree. However, what we’re interested in is Chase’s membership on the Varsity Reds swim team.

The Brunswickan was able to sit down with Chase and talk about his journey into UNB, the swimming program and a number of other things he belongs to.

Brunswickan: How did you get involved in swimming?

Sandy Chase: I’ve been swimming for eleven years now. This is my twelfth now. My parents signed me up for it when I was a little kid and I’ve always just kind of stuck with it because I loved it. I’ve always been fairly involved. I was involved in soccer, sailing, surfing, and swimming – obviously.

B: Why did you choose UNB? SC: Basically I wanted to stay in the Maritimes. So, my choices for swim teams were Dalhousie, Memorial or UNB. Dal – I would have had to live at home.

So, that was scratched off the list. So it was between Memorial and UNB and, I guess, UNB makes it easier to go home on the weekends and they have a bigger travel

team for swimming, and Memorial doesn’t travel as much because it costs so much to fly. I guess that was really the reason for it.

B: How did you get involved with Varsity Reds swimming?

SC: I tried out and prayed like hell that I would make the team. I swam before, so I figured I had a reasonably good shot. I went to all the practices and I was half terrified that I wasn’t going to make the team just ‘cause I didn’t think I was that fast at the time. I was initially put in a probationary spot. As long as I made all the practices, then I’d get on the team. So, I made all the practices except I was almost an hour late for my first practice because I slept through my alarm. I still made it down the hill and showed up for practice, as soon as everyone was finishing up.

B: Was there someone to help you along the way or was this more of a solo effort?

SC: You do it as a team, but most of it is an independent sport. You’re racing against yourself most of the time. You are racing other people, but you’re racing your times as well.

B: How do you push yourself through the all the training?

SC: Ultimately, when it comes down to swimming, if you want to go to the practices, you’re the only who’s going to get yourself out of bed at 5:30 in the morning and drag your ass down the hill in the middle of winter and go to practice.

B: What is your future plan for swimming?

SC: I plan to swim for the next three years and hopefully make CIS’s.

B: What are some other things you’re

Sandy Chase (above) has become an important member of the Varsity Reds swim team, where his specialty swim is sprint butterfly. Gary Manning / The Brunswickan involved in?

SC: I’m the Vice President in McLeod house and an alternate proctor. In Scouts, I’m a rover. For the Brunswickan, I sit on the board of directors and am a volunteer writer and photographer.

B: How do you push yourself to be a part of so many groups?

SC: Good question. It’s fun. I don’t know, I’d be bored if I was sitting on my

the brunswickan presents

notgettingsick.

10 tricks and tips to stay healthy this winter by Nancy Ward 1) Wash your hands – this one is common sense. Germs are all over the place. Anything and everything you come in contact most likely has germs on it. Washing your hands does not mean go overboard on hand sanitizer. Warm soap and water is great substitute.

2) Eat properly - another given way of keeping yourself healthy for most. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, or V8’s, keeps your immune system working well.

3) Sleep – the proper amount of sleep keeps your body in good condition. However, too much sleep can be a bad thing, if you are sick. You can avoid the gym but changing your routine for more sleep can make the situation worse.

4) Stay warm and dry - your mom always told you to bundle up when you were going out and she was right. Being cold and or wet prevents your body from concentrating on protecting your immune system.

5) Avoid sick people - you are more likely to catch a cold virus if you are around people who are sick. If this is not an option avoid sharing anything and wash your hands after being in contact with them.

6) Multivitamin - if you think your diet is not covering all of what you need it is a good idea to take vitamins. Even if you are not sick, vitamins is an important to keep your body in good form in case a cold virus comes your way.

7) Keep stress levels low - the less stress a person has on them the healthier they are. If you are healthy your chances of catching a full blown cold are lower.

8) Cut back on sweets - high amounts of sugar usually increase stress levels which is not good for colds. If you are sick, high amounts of sugar can make your nose run more which is not what you want.

9) Exercise - sticking to a regular routine will make viruses and colds less effective on your system, since exercise is a stress reducer. Exercise also helps keep your lungs strong, which limits the chances of coughs and or bronchitis.

10) Don’t touch your face- germs are everywhere and can transfer from your hands to your mouth and face. If you need to blow your nose, make sure you wash your hands before touching your face again.

ass doing nothing.

B: Why did you want to get involved in residence?

SC: I went for a proctor position because I was a camp counselor in the summer. So, my job was basically to counsel kids and teach them about leadership.

In a similar way, a proctor helps students adapt to UNB, adapt to university life with programming. Orientation week was a hell of lot like a week at camp. It’s a fun job and I like helping people.

B: You seem to be a leader in several groups. How do you fall into that roll?

SC: It just kind of happens. I guess can attribute it to Scouts. A lot of the stuff I learned when I was younger was about how to be a leader. Scouts is really a great program for stuff like that and learning leadership roles. I never really thought

about it that much, but it follows you through your life.

B: Is there anybody you’d like to thank for your successes?

SC: All my friends, especially the people at camp. My parents of course make a big difference. Mostly friends for the support.

B: Is there anything you like to say to aspiring V-Reds?

SC: You’ve got to find the balance, that’s key. In grade 12, I was overburdened by doing too much at one time and I stopped and approached everything carefully. It’s ok to say no when people ask you to do stuff sometimes. Don’t worry about the small stuff too. The four best words in the world – “don’t worry about it.” If there’s a small issue that’s bothering you, just look at the big picture.

brunswickanhealth

12 • Nov. 18, 2009 • Issue 11 • Volume 143

Dehydrate, Hydrate, Repeat We live in an era where almost everything seems dangerous in some way. Some say microwaves aren’t safe, there are health scares around issues as small as product packaging, and the swine flu pandemic has changed the everyday conduct of an entire university campus.

What else can we be scared of? It seems like we, as a society, can’t get much worse. However, we still haven’t tackled the issue of dehydration.

It’s common knowledge that the human body is 75 per cent water. That figure has allowed people to think up thousands of strange theories about health and behavior ranging from how we act during full moons to bad Kevin Costner movies where humans evolve and grow gills.

Dehydration occurs when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than the amount being taken in. Routine loss of water each day oc-

curs when breathing, sweating or using the restroom. Everyday tasks are never a cause for concern when dealing with the issue of keeping the body hydrated, however it is very surprising to consider the effects of physical activity.

Outdoor exercise season has basically ended, aside from on the random positive temperature days we have in November. Most runners have moved indoors to treadmills or pickup basketball courts. Indoor forms of exercise in heated rooms are a growing trend, and without “Purell” lifestyle we are sure to find issues of health to be concerned with.

Indoor aerobics and new age workouts like hot yoga make sure their participants sweat out a few pounds of water during each session, but anyone taking part in these cardio classes must mind the threat of dehydration. Medical web articles say that the body can lose over 2.5 litres per hour while exercising in increased temperatures. Fever, vomiting and self-imposed starvation are three

huge contributors to critical health issues brought on by dehydration. Exercise is rarely bad for the body, but anybody experiencing muscle cramps, nausea, or their own eyes refusing to make tears should flat out stop and find some clean drinking water as fast as possible.

AllExperts.com gives this handy advice concerning dehydration.

“A useful rule of thumb for avoiding dehydration in hot or humid environments or during strenuous activity involves monitoring the frequency and character of urination. If one develops a full bladder at least every 3-5 hours and the urine is only lightly colored or colorless, chances are that dehydration is not occurring; if urine is deeply colored, or urination occurs only after many hours or not at all, water intake may not be adequate to maintain proper hydration.”

It isn’t a big issue yet, but who knows at the rate out society is going. Did you ever think you’d see hand sanitizer in the library? Just wait until proper hydration becomes a big deal. It’s coming.

Make sure water is always in reach because you are constantly being dehydrated throughout the day. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan

V-Reds Results Friday, November 13th Women’s basketball SMU 93 - UNB 73 @SMU Men’s basketball SMU 84 - UNB 64 @ SMU Men’s volleyball Dal 3 - UNB 1 @ Dal Hockey UNB 9 - StFX 3 @ AUC Saturday, November 7th Women’s basketbal SMU 78 - UNB 67 @ SMU Men’s basketball SMU 90 - UNB 74 @ SMU Men’s volleyball Dal 3 - UNB 0 @ SMU Hockey UNB 7 - Dal 1 @ AUC

thebruns.ca

Alex Wickwire The Brunswickan