Volume 150 Issue 8 April 5, 2017
Editorial Board
Editor-in-Chief - Adam Travis Business Manager - Nicholas Williams News - Stephanie Sirois Arts - Katie Kim Sports - Anne Ugabi Photo - Bradley Parker Production Manager - Book Sadprasid and Maria Araujo Copy - Jadrien Hong Multimedia - Camile Coulombe
Staff Advertising Manager - Pouria Poursaeid Delivery - Dan Gallagher Staff Reporters -David Bardwell, Nathalie Sturgeon, Kennedy Bowden-Welsh, Katie Morehouse
Contributors Justin Collett, Anna Jackson Kyle Lamkin, Caroline Mercier, Spencer Folkins, Kaitlin Forward, Ryan Cormier, Katie Morehouse and Stacey Taylor
About Us The Brunswickan, in its 150th year of publication, is Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication. We are an autonomous student publication owned and operated by Brunswickan Publishing Inc., a nonprofit, independent body. We are a founding member of Canadian University Press, and love it dearly. We are also members of CUPWire, a media exchange of university media throughout North America. We publish monthly during the academic year with a circulation of 4,000. We publish weekly, online at www.thebruns.ca.
Letters to the Editor Letters must be submitted by e-mail to editor@thebruns.ca including your name, as letters with pseudonyms will not be printed or posted online. Letters must be 500 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 publication 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 Editor-in-Chief.
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Table of Contents 4 Not only here: A look into the nights you can’t forget
7 Students inspired by speakers and topics at TEDxUNB Words by David Bardwell Photography by William Dang Photography and David Bardwell
Words by Katherine Morehouse Photography by Bradley Parker
11 Incoming Thoughts
12 Old Earth and Fresh Ideas
18 The Final Chapter
Words by Emma MacDonald Photography by Adam Travis
Words by Emma McPhee Photography by Bradley Parker
20 FLOURISH Festival back for another year Words by Kennedy BowdenWelsh Photography by Bradley Parker
Words and Photography by Adam Travis
24 Freddy’s Waffle station review
Words by Kaitlin Forward Photography submitted
9 CyberGirls sparking interest in young minds
Words by Natalie Sturgeon Photography by Adam Travis
26 In her own words: Grace Annear
Words by Emma McPhee Photography by Arthur Images
30 Nutrition Column Words by Anna Jackson
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NOT ONLY HERE: A look into the nights you can’t forget
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Words by Emma MacDonald Photography by Adam Travis
Trigger warning: This story contains text about sexual assault. This year has been a big one for conversation-starters around sexual violence on-campus. At the end of last year, UNB had just finished a round of deliberations surrounding the new Sexual Assault Policy and Procedures document before its release in May 2016. In September, Maggie Forsythe from the Fredericton Sexual Assault Center (FSAC) came to UNB as the new Campus Sexual Assault Support Advocate (CSASA). “When [the policy] came out, there was a position written into it that would be the point person in regards to receiving disclosures, for people who’ve been impacted by sexual violence,” Forsythe said about her appointment. Forsythe supports students from UNB, STU and NBCC, and works out of Counselling Services at CC Jones. Her jurisdiction covers crisis, support, therapy and advocacy. A sexual assault climate survey was conducted last year in an effort to discover more about sexual violence on-campus and the results were released to the public in late January. Katie Beers, vice-president external of the UNB Student Union, put together a campaign with the results of the survey and supportive statements from the policy. “First we were going to call it ‘It Happens Here,’ but that’s kind of a fear-inducing statement,” said Beers. Instead they decided to call it “Break the Silence.” “We wanted to work with something that was more inclusive, more supportive, more encouraging … that’s where Break the Silence came from.” The posters were put up all around campus and released on the UNBSU’s social media accounts in the third week of January. “[It’s] kind of a reminder when you’re walking around campus that this is the environment we’re living in,” Beers said. But what do the statistics shared on these posters actually translate to? Why is it important for conversation to be started around them? Four students spoke to the Brunswickan about their experiences with sexual violence to show others they’re not alone in their struggle and to tell one of the many stories behind the statistics: 62 per cent of students’ experiences of sexual violence occur in a home known to them. “I was in my second year. I went to Last Class Bash at S Club. It was my friend’s 20th birthday and one detail that always sticks out is that I decided to only drink blue drinks. We were just dancing and having a good time; a guy came up behind me … He was a little pushy, but nothing out of the ordinary. “We went back to my dorm room and things were kind of off, but
okay. But then I decided I just wasn’t into it. And so I got up and asked him to leave. He wasn’t really down with that plan. And then, I don’t really remember exactly what he said, he kept saying that he wanted to bang and that I should want to, too. “The next thing I remember is turning off the lights and lying back down while he did his deal. “I reported it to the police— not something that I would ever do again or advise anyone to do. I was told that because I didn’t fight back there wasn’t a ton they could do. “There are small discrepancies in my statements. Like when they ask me how long, I say 10 minutes, and then a bunch of questions later they ask me again, and I say 15. So because of those they couldn’t make him come in and get a statement, he had to come in voluntarily … so essentially my case was closed. “He got to move on with his life, I spent the summer after my second year of university putting my life back together. I switched degree programs — I was in arts taking a double major in sociology and gender studies. Then I just decided that I needed to change everything, which ended up working well for me. But just, lots of upheaval, a lot of loneliness.” — Marie Olson, fourth year of study at UNB Over 60 per cent of sexual assaults experienced by students were facilitated by alcohol. “Last year, it was my friend’s 19th birthday so we were going out to Klub Khrome. She got super drunk and we couldn’t find her. We all split into groups of two and we were trying to navigate our way through [the downstairs] because there were so many people. “There were these military dudes and they had been trying to dance with us all night … and then as I was trying to make my way through this one guy like grabbed me. One guy was behind me and he was holding my arms back, and then there was a guy in front of me and he was trying to kiss me and I was like, ‘No, please stop.’ “I had my phone in my hand and the guy behind me just threw it on the ground — and there were people around seeing everything that was happening and no one was doing anything and I was loudly being like, ‘Stop.’ “I was in shock at that moment and he was just doing stuff to me, which sucked. The other guy had my arms and they were like huge and massive so I couldn’t escape. “Another girl who was looking for my friend saw me and went over and got me away from the situation. I’m kind of like, blurry on that part because it was just so overwhelming. I went upstairs and I cried for a long time. I couldn’t sleep that night; I had people come over and stay the night. “It was hard, because I super appreciate how supportive everyone has been. But I’ve had a hard time accepting it myself so like when people are saying, ‘Oh, you were sexually assaulted.’ I was like, ‘No stop.’ Even though I knew I was, I didn’t want to say the words. “I was really upset when I saw the alcohol poster, because I found that the language was super misleading. I think a big problem with stuff like this is that they put the responsibility on the victims to change. “Like, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t be walking around campus late at night or 5
News you should be more careful.’ But like, you shouldn’t have to have that responsibility. You should just be able to do everything that everyone’s doing or whatever you need to do.” — Kelsey Benoit, second-year business administration student at UNB 1 in 5 students describe experiencing an incident of sexual assault since coming to UNB. “I had a friend who went to UNB — he still goes here — and we went and hung out in his dorm. And we started like, he started off with a massage and then he just continued and he like threw me around the bed. “I was too scared to say anything. I just lay there and he moved me around. It actually worked out really well because my boss called me like right then and was like, ‘Hey can you come in early?’ and I was like, ‘Definitely, be there as soon as I can.’ “I feel like consent is implied to some extent, [through] like body language and everything. Like if I’m lying there, not moving while you’re doing things to me, you probably might want to be like, ‘Hey, do you want to do this?’ And if I say no, well then stop. “I never took it anywhere because we’re so involved in the same community and if I did, I feel like everyone would look at me like, ‘He didn’t do this to you, why are you doing this to him?’ “But yeah, it was in his dorm room. He lived in McLeod. And so I hate McLeod now. I never go there.“ — Renaissance College student, second year of study at UNB 90 per cent of sexual assaults happen between two people who know each other. “I was in a committed relationship with this guy. I first met him New Year’s Eve 2015. It was a very physically abusive, sexually abusive and emotionally abusive relationship. The physical abuse started once we came to school … we came to university together, the two of us. “The sexual abuse started before that. It wasn’t like forceful, but it would be like if I didn’t want to participate in any sexual acts he would bully me, do it anyway. Or if I asked him to stop throughout he wouldn’t stop throughout. Like I’d be in tears, screaming for him to stop and he would not stop. “I was shocked. I felt like I had no feelings and I had no control over myself. I was just totally beaten and totally defeated all the time. I felt like nothing. “I didn’t think people would believe me. Everyone was like, ‘Well, why didn’t you just leave? Why didn’t you get out of there?’ But it was just like this total cycle of violence that you can’t get out of. “It was extremely embarrassing to talk about. It took me a long time to realize that it wasn’t my fault. Convincing myself was one of the biggest issues; I blamed myself for the longest time. You always feel like deep down there’s something that you could have done but really … you can’t.” — Jasmine Richard, second-year criminology major at STU Every statistic is built upon millions of individual experiences. And while these students’ stories are just four of many more, the courage it takes to tell this kind of story should not go overlooked. “Sexual violence is something that, in its very nature, is shrouded in secrecy and isolation,” explains Forsythe. “It creates a lot of shame, 6
self-blame, self-hatred, a lot of self-worth problems, and when we talk about anger, it’s usually pointed inward and that is really harmful to a person.” “If we can start talking about it and start breaking down the barriers about the myths and the shame, hopefully people will come forward and stop internalizing all of those things,” Forsythe said. It could happen to anyone. When we say it happens here, it’s not an attempt to induce fear, but to bring attention to the effects sexual violence has had on the lives of so many people, even those you might call a classmate or a close friend. A personal statement by the author: For a long time I didn’t think that I was raped because I didn’t try hard enough to not be raped. Sure I’d say no repeatedly, that I didn’t feel like it. I’d push away the hands, I’d roll over, display all of the signs of disinterest. I was sore. I was tired. But in the end it was never enough, and after those first few protests were ignored, it was happening anyway. Sometimes I would go silent, bury my head in the pillow to hide the pain from an act my body didn’t want, and just wait for it to be over. Other times I’d act into it. One time he said to me, “Babe, don’t make so many noises it makes me cum faster.” I always made sure to be loud as fuck after that. It’s funny because reading that now, I think to myself, “How could that be anything but rape?” But I was convinced. He was my boyfriend, my first time. We loved each other, sometimes I wanted to ... The idea that I might have been raped came to me years after the first time it happened, on Aug.15, 2011. Breaking the silence around sexual assault is more than just showing some scary statistics and telling some sad stories. It’s about creating an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their experiences, without being scared of judgement or disbelief. I didn’t feel like I had the right to claim rape. In a lot of ways I still don’t. It’s scary to talk about this thing—this big thing nobody talks about except to make some joke that trivializes the whole goddamn thing. But it helps to talk about it, it really does. And so while the Student Union campaign might be over, I encourage everyone to carry on with their conversations around sexual violence. And to anyone experiencing any type of issue surrounding sexual violence, here’s a message from CSASA Maggie Forsythe: “It takes a lot of courage to break the silence: to come forward and talk about your experience with sexual violence. So much we are worried about other people. So we don’t come forward. There’s that sentiment that we don’t want to ruin their lives. “But the most important thing is getting some support and knowing that you have choice and control in the situation, because you do, and so often we feel like we don’t. I encourage you to know that there’s a safe place, we’ll do everything we can to make you feel like you can continue here in a functional way, reach your goals that you came in here with.”
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Students inspired by speakers and topics at TEDxUNB
Words by David Bardwell Photography by William Dang Photography TEDxUNB came and went during March, but two of its speakers think the messages of their presentations should stick around in the minds of students. Hannah Martin, a student in the Indigenous studies masters’ program at McMaster University, spoke on some of her life experiences as a Mi’kmaq-Scottish woman, how that impacted her worldview and finding her indigenous identity. “I began to notice that our collective history as Indigenous and Cana-
dian people was rarely recognized or taught in society, and our cultural knowledge needed to be passed on.” Martin said the efforts by universities across Canada to recognize and accept the importance of indigenous content are positive but that there’s no uniform plan. “Universities must keep in mind that responses to these Calls to Action should be urgent, but implemented appropriately and with the careful advisory and leadership of local Indigenous peoples.” 7
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Photography by David Bardwell Martin said key to her presentation was the seventh-generation prophecy, which as her interest in indigenous issues evolved, she recognized herself as a part of. “I realized that I was actually part of the carrying-out of a prophecy that talks about how our generation are ones who will rebuild our nations and reclaim our power as Indigenous people, revitalizing identities for the seven generations to come.” Martin said speaking on these issues acted as a learning experience for herself. “I am definitely still learning how to be unapologetic about my story and the ideas that I want to share with others, especially surrounding Indigenous history, reconciliation and relationships,” said Martin. Preparing for and giving the presentation allowed Martin to unpack her thoughts, open herself up to critique and ultimately feel empowered. She said if those present at her speech were to take a lesson home, it’s that all people have a responsibility to listen and learn from one another. “This also means the harmony found through having relationships between all peoples in Canada, not just Indigenous and Canadian peoples. We have a lot of power to make these relationships happen, as individuals, which we don’t often acknowledge.” 8
Martin added that until indigenous content is mandated across universities, universities need to work on decolonizing and indigenizing their campuses as well as supporting indigenous students. She was impressed with the recent efforts made by UNB to create a commission based on the Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s call to action. Also speaking at TEDxUNB was Seshu Iyengar, a third-year UNB student studying biophysics and philosophy. Iyengar spoke on the merits of students and graduates allowing themselves to think outside of their specialties. He said it’s commonplace to have students who might be in an honours program in fields such as English say they could never participate in an upper-year course from a related field like history. “We live in this kind of bubble where we assume that knowledge is [only] good at analyzing English literature,” he said. Iyengar sees no reason for students to box themselves in, refraining from commenting or trying to learn about other fields of study. “I asked, ‘what’s the value of education?’ because my idea was if you get an education, it’s inherently valuable in analyzing the world around you,” he said. He argues that’s what education is intended to do, to allow a person to take a segment of the world and break it down. “What ended up motivating me to talk was I’m doing a concurrent degree in arts and science so I get a super exciting outlook on how this works,” said Iyengar. Iyengar said he finds it exciting to see similar themes emerge in both fields, but are interpreted in different ways. The interconnection of fields of study is clear according to Iyengar, if you look back at people like John Locke. “[Locke] studied under people like Isaac Newton, Robert Boyle and Robert Hooke; it blows my mind because those guys are physicists who are pushing atomism as a theory at the time … and he goes on to study the concept of political atomism.” Iyengar said the best works in any field don’t come from those insulated and isolated to a single field, but rather those who use several viewpoints. “The biggest ideas, the ones that stick, especially in physics and philosophy I find, are ones that are born out of exchanges.” However, there’s a growing trend to try and isolate thinkers, according to Iyengar — to box them in in a sense. “So you have a biologist who’s afraid to comment on political issues despite living in a political world … that’s terrible,” he said. Speaking at TEDxUNB allowed him to feel more positive about his ideas on cross-disciplinary study as several people approached him to let him know they agreed. “Many people said things like, ‘thank you for taking my emotions and putting them into your work.’ So it definitely gave me a new perspective on how other people are thinking … it definitely showed me this is something on people’s minds,” he said.
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CyberGirls sparking interest in young minds
Words by Katherine Morehouse Photography by Bradley Parker A new technology workshop from UNB’s computer science program is hoping to spark some interest from young girls. Leah Bidlake and Natalie Webber are computer science instructors at UNB who feel it’s important that more girls become involved and diversify the field. There are many possibilities about why there aren’t as many women involved in computer sciences. One reason, Bidlake believes, is that girls in middle and high schools may not see the many aspects of the field, or only see one or two that may not interest them, like gaming. “The scope of where they see technology be used is not as broad as what technology actually is, and what they can do with it,” said Bidlake. Another reason could be how some schools, like rural schools, don’t have the resources to teach students anything about computers. Bidlake grew up in a rural community and first became interested in computer sciences thanks to a teacher who saw how much technology was growing. Bidlake was taught to program computers and loved the problem solving aspect of it. In New Brunswick, it’s not mandatory for students to take a computer
science course or broad based technology (BBT) course in order to graduate, and some schools don’t offer computer classes at all. Bidlake believes that more computer classes should be created and offered in schools in order to expose students more to the field of computer sciences. “Definitely having some sort of curriculum that gives them a common exposure and experience to computer science I think would be very helpful,” said Bidlake. Dannie Collette was one of the students who helped plan the events for the workshop. Collette is a computer science major who became interested in computer sciences during her first year at UNB when her marks in sciences didn’t turn out as great as she had hoped at the end of the year. She heard about the faculty of computer science for the first time, and became interested. “So I signed up for computer science, and now I love it,” said Collette. Collette says she notices the imbalance of men to women ratio in her classes, and normally in a class of 50 students, only about 9
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Photography by Bradley Parker 10 are women. “Some classes there are only three or four [women]. It’s crazy,” said Collette. The Cyber Girls workshop is aimed at girls in middle school who might be interested in computers and technology. This year, they had 14 girls participate in the workshop. The workshop was divided into sessions. One session was on cyber security, which talks about everything from safety on the internet (like profile and password security) to encryption. The session was presented by research associate Arash Lashkari along with developer Amy Seo, grad student Samaneh Mahdavifar and post-doctoral fellow Min Chen. Another session was about Java Script programming, where the girls were able to use code and block programming. The girls also had an “unplugged activities” time where they went away from the computers and brainstormed ideas and things involved with computer science that they found interesting. They were also taught binary, which is how data is stored in computers. One of the most popular sessions was with robots. The girls were able to program a robot and watch as it did whatever they programmed it to do, like go through the mazes that were provided for them. Bidlake felt the session was a highlight for the girls. “It’s a very visual and fun thing to see your finished product,” she said. Although the main focus of recruitment is towards middle and high 10
school girls, women of all ages can join the computer science world, like PC Girls’ Kathy Ames did. Ames works for PC Girls as an IT technician. She is certified in Microsoft, CompTIA and Cisco. Ames was initially a dog groomer until the age of 35, when she began looking around for a career that would be easier on her body. “… I looked around at what interested me, and hit on computers,” said Ames. Ames then enrolled in a one year course on network administration in a school called Quantum Training, which later became the Centre for Arts and Technology. Ames said she loves her job for many reasons, one of them being the “constant need to keep up-to-date with the ever changing technology.” Ames thinks that more males gravitate towards computer science because games are a male dominated pastime and girls are more social creatures. “If you are in the middle of a game and your computer acts up, you tend to try to see if you can fix it yourself. You might talk to friends, online forums, etc. and that can lead further and further into the culture,” says Ames. In a world that’s 50 per cent male and 50 per cent female, Ames sees how important it is for girls and women to become more involved with computer science in our fast evolving world of technology. “No field of study can meet its potential without diversity. Women have a different perspective than men and if the two work together it allows more growth and opens up a broader world.”
Opinion
Incoming Thoughts
Words by Emma McPhee Photography by Bradley Parker The situation of journalism has appeared bleak as of late. To repeat what has now become a cliché, we are now in an era that is dominated by alternative facts and fake news. Through social media, we have the dangerous luxury of only seeing news stories that are specially curated to our own values, opinions and perceptions of the world. Ad revenues continue to decline and, with them, community newspapers—a vital tool to democracy and an informed public—are going out of business. I could go on, but it is all too easy to settle for pessimism. The Brunswickan is your community newspaper and it has been for 150 years. We, too, have experienced the struggles of declining ad revenue, the gradual demise of print and the difficulties in competing with the seemingly infinite amount of online news sources. But we have survived and have come out on the other side as a paper that both digs deeply into its roots and is equipped to be competitive in the digital age. We underwent a big change this year. Under the leadership of current EIC Adam Travis, the Brunswickan ceased to be a weekly print paper. Instead, we have shifted our focus to online publishing for the bulk of our content while also printing a monthly magazine that allows for longer, more in-depth features on topics that are less time-sensitive. The purpose was twofold: By favouring online publishing over a weekly periodical, we are free to publish breaking stories soon after they have occurred without the lengthy process of printing; and yet, the monthly magazine allows us to maintain our physical presence on campus and publish longer stories that offer deeper insight into the UNB community. Perhaps most importantly, the monthly magazine marks a return to our roots – a nod to our 150th anniversary. An early version of The Brunswickan had its tentative beginnings in 1867, and by 1882
the “University Monthly” became an established campus periodical, printing a journal that covered topics ranging from science and literature to discussions on academic reform. In 1922, the University Monthly finally became known as The Brunswickan, the self-declared “students’ magazine” of the University of New Brunswick. Once again the “students’ magazine,” our aim is to provide a resource that members of the university community can turn to for all things UNB related. Our online content will provide breaking stories and timely information in all things news, sports and arts. Next year in our magazine, we want to focus on bringing you investigative pieces, profiles on the unknown stories of the university’s news makers, artists and athletes, features on the lesser-known aspects of the local arts scene and stories about the universal language of sport – all with a unique UNB perspective. After 150 years, we want to break new ground. We may be Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication, but we’re just getting started. I wanted to end this introductory editorial on a more personal note. Three-hundred-and-fifty-nine days ago, I left the Bruns after four years of throwing my heart and soul into this paper. I thought that I had made my contribution and that I was finished with the campus press. I was also about to start a master’s degree and, How was I going to run the campus paper while also working on a MA? I’m about to find out. After spending a year away, I have realized how wrong I was. Leaving the Brunswickan left a giant hole in my life and I feel like I still have a lot to offer. So, I’m back. And I couldn’t be happier.
Emma McPhee is the incoming Editor-in-Chief of the Brunswickan 11
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Old earth and fresh ideas How a UNB don balances a life in academia with his family farm Words and Photography by Adam Travis With one look at the razor-sharp part in his hair and his perfectly groomed beard, you’d be forgiven for thinking Phil Taber is just another style-conscious 20-something walking around UNB Fredericton’s campus. However, the scarlet plaid wool jacket and rubber boots tell a different story: in addition to working as a librarian and serving as don of Harrison house, Taber is an active farmer, working the land that has been in his family since the 1870s. When you turn off the winding country road and crawl up the snowy drive to the nearly 150-year-old gingerbread-style farmhouse, it’s hard to believe that Saint John is only a half hour’s drive away. The house and farm buildings sit halfway up a steep hillside overlooking the Kennebecasis river and marshland to the South.
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I mean, things are always changing, but for now I’m happy with the balance that I’ve struck
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During a tour of the farm, Taber ducks from shed to barn to garage, explaining his plans for almost every item he comes across and every corner of the property: old lightning rods to install on the new barn, shoring up the floor in the livestock pens, how he’ll be clearing the woods downhill from the house, planting maple trees along the driveway so they can keep making maple syrup, how last weekend he and his dad cut timber to repair a barn down the hill. Small though it may be, compared to an industrial farm, the family property keeps Phil busy. Last year, the Taber farm was home to two pigs, four sheep and 25 chickens, in addition to a quarter-acre garden, oats and hay. In the spring, sugar maples drip sap for syrup and in the fall, currants are
turned into jam. Firewood for heat and timber for construction both come from the back lot of their 200-acre plot. Speaking passionately about rotating garden crops, maintaining fields and a seemingly endless schedule of renovations and improvements, Taber has come a long way from his youth. “When I was a kid, I hated the farm. I liked living there insofar as it’s a great place to play, excellent games of tag and great sliding, but I despised the farm work. Hated weeding the garden, hated going to the woods with dad on bitterly cold days in January, being sent out with a peanut butter sandwich and a bottle of water and some cookies.” Any resentment for cold January mornings or tedious chores has long since faded, and then some. Before returning from a ten-year stint in Halifax for school and work, Taber felt a tug known to many Maritimers — a deep longing for home, even when home is just the next province over. “I felt like I was exiled from my home, exiled from my family history, exiled from southern New Brunswick, which I deeply love. It felt like I’d been exiled and realized, only once I was away from it, this farm and this place and these activities are really integral to the way that I view myself as a person and the way that I want to be in the world.” Taber first felt the pull towards the end of his undergraduate degree, but thought that an academic career and a life on the farm were exclusive to one another. Reluctant to chalk up his desire to family obligation or a love of nature, Taber found justification for his return to the farm in the literature of Wendell Berry. “It seems silly, it seems tangential but discovering Wendell Berry’s poetry and his essays … it really gave me a theoretical underpinning for why the kind of farming I’d been brought up with, the kind of farming that I wanted to do that is to say the small, intentional, subsistence based farming, why it was important.” With full justification for his decision, Taber was fortunate enough to find a job at UNB’s Harriet Irving Library, only an hour and a half from the family homestead. As close to home as he may have been, balancing his love of 13
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the farm with the obligations of work and his role as don of Harrison proved to be challenging. While Taber has a passion for the land, his parents still live in the house, and his father is still the primary caretaker through the fall and winter. For Phil, the farm is largely a weekend project, and he makes the drive from Fredericton most weeks when he’s not occupied by responsibilities in residence. “As humans, we’re usually obliged to juggle things that are more or less convenient, that we like to greater and lesser degrees, but all of them are essential to either our livelihood or our happiness … I mean, things are always changing, but for now I’m happy with the balance that I’ve struck.” The Taber farm was not always a hobby; up until the mid-’50s, the farm had a commercial dairy operation. However, the quotas imposed by the new dairy board squeezed the small farm out of business. That’s not to say the farm will never return to a commercial operation, however. The food industry has seen a push away from the products of industrial farms half a continent away, toward locally-grown produce and meat. This, says Taber, is where the future of small farms comes into play. For example, industrial cattle farms work on a model
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Photography by Adam Travis
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of a fast turnaround and slim margins: get cows to gain weight fast eating grain, soy and corn, fetch a good price, and repeat as soon as possible. Contrast this with the grass-fed, free range model which requires more space per cow and more time, but commands a much higher price and in turn gives the farmer a better profit per animal. On top of a better profit, Taber believes there’s value in knowing where your food came from and how it was treated. “I think it’s a good thing for people to know where their chicken lived, where their beets were grown where their apples were picked and how those things were treated between the time they were a seed or an infant and the time they landed on the table.” Phil plans in years, not days. Ask him about next year’s harvest and he’ll haul out charts of the rotation of crops for the garden that year. About the future of the farm, and he’ll describe the delicate balance in which it sits: to fix up the buildings, he must first pay off his student loan. To expand his farmland, he’ll have to cut down the current sugar bush. If he wants to keep making maple syrup, he’ll have to plant the maples 25 years before he wants to tap them. Whether or not the farm becomes a commercial enterprise again doesn’t seem to faze Phil. He’s more concerned about keeping the farm going for his sake, and for his future family. “I want to do it sooner rather than later so I and my family can enjoy them. I’d like to have it underway by then. I have an unrealistic notion of strapping a baby to my back and going out into the fields, but there may be opportunities to do major bursts of work.” Baby on his back or not, for Taber the farm is more than a source of food, its traditions or a way of life — it’s what gives him a feeling of connection to the world. He points to a line in Wendell Berry’s “A Standing Ground” as a summary of how he feels: “Better than any argument is to rise at and dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in a cup.” “If I could pin my heart on something that I think is crucial to what it means to be human or maybe the challenge of being human, it is that. Everybody finds the activity that ground them and I just feel blessed to have found something that has such rich context.”
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The Final Chapter
Words by Nathalie Sturgeon Photography by Adam Travis Graduation season is a time for reflecting upon years of procrastination, long all-nighters and lingering anxieties about grades and midterms. It’s about the build-up, when thousands of students prepare for the challenges of landing a job, finding a home and establishing their future lives. It’s about how students prepare themselves for that long walk across the stage. Travis Daley, the president of the University of New Bruns18
wick Student Union, is excited to graduate, and his position makes it all the more special and bittersweet. “Bitter because I’m leaving the community that I care so much about, but also sweet because I’m confident that I’m leaving the Student Union in good hands,” said Daley. There are more memories than the dread of midterms and deadlines — fond recollections of nights at The Cellar Pub and the College Hill Social Club, and others when studying turned into a night filled with talking and McDonald’s trips.
Arts Daley has many memories that he looks back on and smiles. “There are things like the great times at The Cellar or going to Varsity Reds hockey games,” he said. “I also have great memories of speaking to first years at orientation and working with other students to make an impact at UNB.” Throughout university, students develop their personalities and careers. They form huge success and often face many losses and learn how to handle both. For Daley, that success came in the form of personal growth. “Comparing my current values and personality to the freshfaced 17-year-old that I was when I star ted at UNB makes me nostalgic,” said Daley. Everything from his position as Student Union president, to his academics and the relationships he’s built with friends have contributed to his sense of success. But there have been moments when he felt loss. Daley feels some loss of oppor tunity — passing up things he wished he could go back and try again. Despite that, losses in his university career have been few and far between. Daley is not alone in the way he feels. Mitchell Syvret-Caplin already feels nostalgic about graduation. He has less anxiety about moving forward in the job world. Syvret-Caplin has a job lined up for after his stroll across the big stage. “To contribute to the community … I want to give back as much as I can,” he said. The bonds he has made at university have made a world of difference. “I do love being able to connect with people,” he said. “I feel that some people who have made that lasting impression but, I feel like everybody as a whole has definitely what I’ve loved so much about being here.” Forging bonds is crucial to the overall university experience, but where you go when you leave friendships and classrooms behind matter just as much. Andrew DeMarco graduated from UNB in 2015 with a bachelor of science in computer engineering. Like many soon-to-be grads, he struggled to find a job upon
leaving university. “The only job I could find in Fredericton that were even remotely related relied more on my IT background as opposed to my new engineering degree,” he said. DeMarco had to make the decision to leave Fredericton and move to Ontario, but he looks back fondly on his time in university. “Some of my fondest memories are from first year when I lived in residence and my girlfriend and I would stay up late working on homework together,” said DeMarco. “She usually finished earlier than me, and no matter how hard she tried to stay awake until I finished she never quite made it.” While he was here, DeMarco founded a fraternity for post-secondary males living in Fredericton — a success he said he is most proud of. “We [he and his girlfriend] came up with our own organization rather than join an existing one,” he said. “We came up with our own symbols, patron, wrote our constitution, and planned our first rush, all with me still in Waterloo [Ontario] for the summer.” DeMarco advises those graduating soon to “look for work early and often.” “Even when you have your first job post-graduation, don’t stop looking for better oppor tunities. Be willing to relocate, be willing to try new experiences and your last year is not too late.” Graduation is the final page in the university chapter of your life. With the flip of a page begins a new chapter — a new adventure. As you take your final step towards graduation, there is the constant of uncer tainty and doubt. Doubt of self, doubt of character and doubt of the future. The bonds you’ve forged, the relationships you’ve lost, the failures, the triumphs — they should all be celebrated. There will be time for worry and panic — but now is the time to take your friends by the hand, accept your diploma and say, “I survived.”
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FLOURISH Festival back for another year Words by Kennedy Bowden-Welsh Photography by Bradley Parker Art, music and film will hit the streets of Fredericton this April from the 20 to the 23. FLOURISH Festival started three years ago as a leadership project by Jane Blanchard, a Renaissance College student at the University of New Brunswick. “We had to define a problem in our community and find a way to resolve it,” she said. “After talking to various people we realized there was a need for a spring event to showcase local talent.” 20
Thus, the FLOURISH Festival was born. The event brings together the local art and music scene. There will be music at venues all around Fredericton, such as the Capital Complex, Shiftwork Studio, Yoga Grow, and Read’s Newsstand & Cafe. On top of all music, there will be East Coast vendors selling handmade prints, pottery and vintage clothing. Art work will also be displayed. Visual artist like Amna Khurshid, Celine Gorham and Willow Cioppa will have their work featured this year. If all the art and entertainment isn’t enough to bring you out,
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why not grab a friend, a seat and a cold drink? Picaroons and Red Rover Cider will be flowing all day as part of their partnership with the festival. Blanchard said she can’t wait for the new additions to the festival this year. “There will be lots of new collaborations and visual artists. We are excited for the projects that our visual artists are undertaking,” she said. “We can guarantee that FLOURISH Festival will show you some of the best music you will see all year in one spot. We are super proud of our lineup this year … there is something for everyone.” This year’s line-up includes acts such as Ada Lea, the Hypochondriacs, Beard Springsteen, Beauts, Brookside Mall, Caribou Run, Carla Sagan, David Elliot and Future States. On top of everything, the event will feature short films. Sourworld was put together by Ryan O’Toole. His film tells the story of a shut-in who leaves her apartment, excited for a rare opportunity to reconnect with an old friend. After being ditched she finds herself wandering across her small Maritime city. Another film that will be presented is Et Tu, Dude?, directed and edited by Travis Welowszky. “Set against the backdrop of a fading, post-industrial London, Ontario, an uncelebrated underclass of Do-It-Yourself musicians stare down a bleak future while searching for meaning in their community. Et Tu, Dude? serves as an intimate documentation of small-town Canadian musicians creaming unheard into the void.” With all the art, food, music and film that the festival has to offer, Blanchard is confident that everyone will find something that they enjoy. “We can guarantee that FLOURISH Festival will show you some of the best music you will see all year in one spot. We are super proud of our lineup this year … there is something for everyone. “
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Freddy’s Waffle Station is the Fredericton restaurant you have been waiting for
Words by Kaitlin Forward Photography submitted On a typically frosty, Fredericton Friday, something amazing happened. I was on a mission to find a hot lunch that could get the chill out of my bones when the warm inviting aroma of cinnamon sugar and happiness drifted into my nose and carried me on a cloud to Freddy’s Waffle Station. I entered the restaurant, located in King’s Place mall but with access from York Street, and was immediately greeted by Francis Chang and Young-Gin Im, a South Korean couple who use their unique background to add a special twist to their waffles. Chang, a sushi chef in South Korea, moved to Fredericton to get away from the busy city life in Seoul. Realizing there are already a few sushi restaurants in town, the couple opted to mix things up by opening a waffle restaurant. I hopped in line and noticed that Freddy’s Waffle Station was clearly aimed at a young demographic. Folks aged 18-30 filled the petit restaurant, enjoying the upbeat pop music as they ordered from a vast variety of waffle options. The restaurant is just one room and yet even with all of the people, it did not feel too crowded. As I stood there, I could not help but admire the brightly colored décor, and the light fixtures hanging from the ceiling that looked like fuzzy tops of dandelions. 24
As the line moved, I was able to fully take in the menu. There are three main menus to choose from: Brussels, Savory Wafflewich, and Sweet Wafflewich. The Brussels menu is an open waffle with toppings and combinations that cover everything from simple berries and whipped cream to an entire breakfast put into waffle form. The Savory Wafflewich menu is for people who want more of a lunch, less of a dessert. Fresh ingredients like smoked salmon, guacamole, Korean BBQ beef, and eggs dominate this area of the menu. Choose one of these options and you will find the fixings stuffed into a folded waffle to make the sandwich of your dreams (hence the innovative name: Wafflewich). Things turn delightfully sinful with the Sweet Wafflewiches. Think of your favorite treat: they have a waffle for that. Your second favorite? They still have a waffle for it. We’re talking Nutella, bananas, strawberries, ice cream and crème brûlée as toppings. With this many incredible options, each meal must cost a fortune, right? Wrong. None of these decadent delights will break the bank. They do not even want you to pay a tip. After opting for the Sweet menu and ordering a Strawberry and Crème Brûlée Wafflewich, I chose a table to await my waffle oasis and took the time to examine the establishment. The eatery has all the bells and whistles of a sit-down restaurant but the speed and convenience of a food truck. Another bonus: they cater to nut allergies! The first thing I noticed as I sat down with my Wafflewich was the crackling sound of freshly broiled sugar dancing on the layer of crème brûlée. All of this sat between a folded waffle with a soft dusting of icing sugar as untouched as a first snow fall. The waffle itself had a crispy golden exterior, but as I sunk my knife in to take the first bite, the inside was as fluffy as a cloud. I tried to slow down and absorb the flavors as much as possible but before I knew it, my Wafflewich was gone. In case you have not guessed it, my ultimate assessment of Freddy’s Waffle Station is a good one. They have an extremely clean facility, friendly customer service, fantastic meals and even better prices. Their waffles are perfect for one of Fredericton’s freezing winter days but I will certainly be back to try more of their menu options throughout the summer as well. I can already see it now, Canada Day downtown Fredericton chowing down on a Freddy’s Waffle Station delicacy as the fireworks go off. Who needs sushi?
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QUENCH YOUR THIRST FOR LEARNING Take a course on campus, via distance, or online this summer! go.unb.ca/celsummer 25
Sports
In her own words: Grace Annear Words by Emma McPhee Photography by Arthur Images “When I have a good race, I feel like I take my heart and I put it onto the track. It’s like when you watch a dancer and it moves you to tears. That’s what I try to do when I race.” To UNB MA student Grace Annear, running is art – and it is an art that she excels at. The middle-distance runner is a NB record holder of the 600 and 800 metre races, a two-time silver medalist in the CIS nationals 600 metre race and a 9-time All Canadian. She was named the 2016 AUS Female Athlete of the Year and, last July, competed in the Olympic trials. Just to name a few. “Accomplished” is certainly one way to describe the 24-year-old NB resident. “Passionate,” “determined” and “resilient” might be better. In 2014, Grace walked away from track, going so far as to throw out her running shoes.
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But by July 2016, she had left retirement well behind her and ran in the Olympic trials as the strongest she’d ever been – both as an athlete and in her identity outside of the sport she loves. It took a long journey for the middle-distance runner to get to this place.
Then: Befriending Olympians Grace’s running career took off in high school where she won Atlantic and provincial titles, but she needed more than New Brunswick could offer to achieve her goals. “The pond isn’t very big on the East Coast. Just like a smaller population, track isn’t as big a deal back east so the competition wasn’t very stiff,” she said.
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Grace new that she wanted to go further and run faster in university so she chose to do her undergrad at the University of Victoria, a campus known for its strong track program. Soon the athlete from small-town NB, who’d never seen a foam roller before, found herself in a whole new world of sport. “Being a part of that really glamourous world showed a side of track that I didn’t know existed until I went out [west],” Grace said. “We attended high performance training camps at altitude, went to all these international meets up and down North America, raced against people who are a little bit faster than me and met and befriended Olympian and national team members.” However, the training was rigorous as well – Grace describes often running twice a day on top of her full course load – and when she fell short of her goal to make the NACAC Under 23 national team, burn-out set in. “I was also young and in that sense I guess I maybe needed to grow up a little bit more before I could handle the pressure I put on myself,” Grace said. “There were times when I would work way harder than I should have … but I had this mentality of wanting to be tough when I should have been wanting to be smart. And I obviously got worn down by that.” Grace also had some pretty big injuries, including a torn right hip and a herniated disk in her lower back. Mentally and physically
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exhausted, she retired from the sport. In 2014, Grace threw out her running shoes and tried to put track behind her. She lasted 18 months.
Run one minute, walk four “I spent about 18 months away from the sport and was completely sedentary. Like I didn’t go for hikes or walks or anything. My roommates still joke about how I just didn’t move for a year and a half,” Grace recollects of her brief retirement. During this time, Grace finished her undergrad at the University of Victoria. She then decided to return home to New Brunswick and do an MA in creative writing at UNB. Back at her roots, it soon became obvious that her track career wasn’t over. “My thesis changed,” she said. “The protagonist was a former athlete who retired and then the ending changed and she came out of retirement … so I think subconsciously l knew.” It was another four months before Grace started running again. She started walk-jogging – jogging for one minute and then walking for four. A slow start, perhaps, but a start nonetheless. “So, so simple, so easy, but it felt so hard and I remember very clearly the day I tried to run for two minutes and it was so
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painful,” Grace said. “I felt like a completely different person.” Grace then contacted local coach Greg Allan of the Fredericton Fast Tracks and slowly eased her way back into training. By Christmas 2015, she decided that she was going to run for UNB and start preparing for championship racing again.
Back on track Although UNB didn’t offer the high-performance environment that she’d been accustomed to in Victoria, her experience with the V-Reds ended up being just what Grace needed to make her comeback. “It was easier to come back because the only pressure that existed was pressure I put on myself and I was learning how to negate that. And no one was really expecting me to be anything but my best and since I was simultaneously learning how to do that, it just made it easier,” Grace said. She ended up having a stellar season, finishing with a silver medal in the 600 metre race in CIS nationals – the first medal ever for UNB in track. But it was the support Grace received from the university community that allowed her to make a personal breakthrough. “I think it was the amount of people that just seemed to believe in me from the get-go … Like professors in my department stopping me in the hallway and asking me how my races went or telling me that they thought what I was doing was amazing just went so far in helping me to believe in myself.”
person I’d ever been.” Although the Olympic trials didn’t go as she had hoped – she finished seventh in the finals – Grace had a new maturity and perspective that helped her come out on the other side with her identity still intact. Talking about it months later still makes her emotional.
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Olympic trials Going into Olympic trials in Edmonton last July, Grace was able to take from her experience at UNB. “I was so much more relaxed about things than I used to be. I had this perspective that I chose to be here. I fought to come back and I’m going to enjoy every single second of this,” she said. “I knew what it was like to not have [track] and I knew what it was like to be OK and happy without this, so my identity wasn’t dependent on performance anymore. Performing was just something I could enjoy.” Grace qualified for the finals in the Olympic trials. Surrounded by high-caliber athletes at the peak of their careers, Grace found the experience thrilling and intense, and entirely unlike anything she’d experienced before. “Walking into that track, I knew I was lining up against the best and there was almost like this intense artistry to it – how fine tuned and perfectly calibrated everyone was and how ready they were to perform at their best. And so I walked onto the track feeling like not only the best athlete I’d ever been, but the strongest
I chose to be here. I fought to come back and I’m going to enjoy every single second of this.
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“And there was this point on the back stretch where I was watching these very talented, strong women pull away from me and it was gray and rainy and I crossed the finish line feeling a lot of grief that not only my season was over and that I hadn’t accomplished my dream but that I had reached an end.” “But I think one of the most valuable things I took away from having walked away from sport, and from having gone back to it in the way that I did, was that I could walk away from such a big disappointment with relative ease … Even though I was in pain, and I had a sense of loss, I still knew who I was without [track].”
Now Currently Grace is working on her thesis off-campus. This past January, she joined Athletics Canada Next Gen, training out of the Athletics Canada West Hub. She’s back in Victoria, undergoing intense preparations for the upcoming outdoor season. This year Grace is working toward three goals: making Team Canada for the World Championships in London, competing in the World University Games and competing in the World Francophone games on the Ivory Coast, in which she already qualifies for Team New Brunswick. “I didn’t feel done with the sport,” Grace said of her decision to move back west. To many who know about her, Grace is an accomplished athlete; but in her own words, she is an artist. “When people ask me about athletics and track, I just find people start to look at me like a jock or like this super intense athlete who chugs protein powder and lifts. And yes, I drink protein powder, and yes, I work out at the gym, but I don’t really feel like I’m an athlete a lot of the time. I actually feel like an artist first. I find art in training and art in racing, and this athletic career just happens to be a sport. And it just happens to be something that I’m very passionate about.”
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Common Nutrition Myths Debunked
Words by Anna Jackson, RD Photography by Pexels Every day, we are exposed to contradicting nutrition advice on the internet, in the media, and by word of mouth. This can make healthy eating challenging and confusing. Here are four common food and nutrition myths debunked.
1 You should cleanse to remove toxins from
your body. Truth: Your body does the job for you! Your intestine, lungs, liver, and kidneys efficiently remove waste from your body every day. Cleansing diets often recommend use of laxatives, fasting or following a strict diet that eliminates major foods or food 30
groups. Following a cleansing diet can cause troublesome side effects like cramping, nausea, headaches and lack of energy. They can also cause more serious side effects, like electrolyte imbalances, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and low blood sugar. A well-balanced diet providing sufficient fibre and fluids will help you feel your best and stay healthy.
2 Carbohydrates are bad for you.
Truth: Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy, and provide a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and fibre. With that said, not all carbohydrates are the same. It is the type and quantity of
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carbohydrate in your diet that should be considered. Refined carbohydrates and added sugars are the types of carbs that should be limited in your diet. Pastries, muffins, pop and cakes all contain excess amounts of added sugar and provide little nutritional value. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and lentils provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals plus fibre. Create a balanced meal by pairing your carbs with a good source of protein (chicken, fish, tofu, etc.) and a small amount of healthy fat (olive oil, avocado, nuts, etc.).
3 Egg yolks raise cholesterol
Truth: Egg yolks do not raise your cholesterol, but do provide an abundance of vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, D, E, B12, riboflavin, folate, and iron. One whole egg contains 183 milligrams of cholesterol, which is about 60% of the daily recommended intake. It was once thought that cholesterol in foods raised the cholesterol level in your body. However, this is not the case. In reality, cholesterol in food has a much smaller effect on blood levels of total cholesterol and harmful LDL cholesterol than unhealthy fats in the diet. Limiting the amount of trans fat and saturated fat in your diet will reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease. Moderate egg consumption does not increase heart disease risk in healthy individuals. However, people who have diabetes and heart disease should limit egg consumption to no more than three yolks per week.
4 Eating at night will lead to weight gain.
Truth: Eating at night does not cause weight gain. Excess calorie intake causes weight gain. People have been led to believe through media messages that food consumed after 7 p.m. will turn to body fat. This is not true! Your body will store any extra calories as fat if you take in more calories than you burn in a day, regardless of the time of day in which you consume those excess calories. However, people who restrict calories during the day have a tendency to overeat at night. If you find that you’re starving at night, you probably aren’t eating enough throughout the day. Mindless eating is another contributor to weight gain. It is most common for people to snack at the end of day, in front of the computer or TV. Boredom, stress, and habit are all causes of mindless eating. People also tend to snack on sweets and chips at this time, which can lead to excess calorie intake, but this is unrelated to the time of day. For answers to your nutrition questions, book an appointment with the Student Health Centre Registered Dietitian. Call, or drop in to the Student Health Centre (506) 453-4837 to book an appointment. Dietitian services are FREE to all full-time UNB and STU students. No referral is needed.
YOUR CAMPUS & HOUSE MERCH SUPPLIER Contact James Wood 478-4337 31
One of these commutes will spike your blood sugar, increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease, make you prone to depression, and decrease your overall happiness and life satisfaction. You can probably guess which one.
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