Capilano Courier Vol. 45 Issue 12

“Pushing buttons since 1968�

Volume 45

N O R T H V A N C O U V E R / / N ove m b er 2 8 , 2 0 1 1

Issue N o. 12

with Laying pipe // Amnesty International Film Fest // gender defender // and so much more ...

TABle of contents Vol. Fourty-Five | Issue 12

Pushing buttons since 1968

N ews 4

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TUESDAYS at NOON in MAPLE 122 Caveat lector

The Capilano Courier is an autonomous, democratically run student newspaper. Literary and visual submissions are welcomed. All submissions are subject to editing for brevity, taste, and legality.

The Capilano Courier will not publish material deemed by the collective to exhibit sexism, racism, or homophobia. The views expressed by the contributing writers are not necessarily those of the Capilano Publishing Society.

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JJ Brewis

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C olumns 15 O pinions 17 C a boose 19

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the cove

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Kira Campbell Kira Campbell is a gem in an organic garden. www.kcworks.tumblr.com

Retraction!

Last week's PopCourt column was written by JJ Brewis, not Kevin Murray. Sorry!

{ WORLD* } This

WEEK in the

What’s got us all riled up in the office this week?

Pizza now a vegetable!!!

Pizza now a vegetable!!!

Pakistani man rapes stepdaughter.

Pakistani man killed, dismembered, and cooked by his wife. Neighbours complain of bad smell …

Peacefully protesting UC Davis students pepper-sprayed by police.

Photoshopped images all over Facebook!

Amazon sells prints! Justice!

from the editor //

Hear no evil “Protect me from knowing what I don't need to know. Protect me from even knowing that there are things to know that I don't know.

Protect me from knowing that I decided not to know about the things that I decided not to know about. Amen.”

—Douglas Adams

W

regards to future environmental improvements, whereas the better informed students had a more realistic view. While “ignorance is bliss” may be cliche, it’s becoming the increasingly alarming mantra for Western society.

The biggest step in becoming an aware member of society is recognizing our individual responsibility for ourselves and our world. As children, we are taught to believe that adults have everything under control, and any example of instability impacts and terrifies us deeply.

As we age, we begin to realize that we are the adults, that society is based entirely on abstract concepts, and not everything turns out OK in the end – it’s scary, and often easier to block out than process and confront. With the cost of living in Vancouver being so high, wages so low and tuition getting higher and higher every year, it’s especially difficult to grow up and face reality as an adult. Life is busy and stressful even on a micro, day-to-day level.

Although our lives are extremely structured and regimented, the APA study underlines our ever-present fear of the unknown. We are so busy pretending that our lives are “under control” that any information that could potentially threaten our illusion of security is simply avoided. Yes, staying ignorant is easy, but it’s also safer.

Of course, the only way to overcome the fear of the unknown is to eliminate the unknown: to learn. Ignoring news articles because we don’t feel confident that we know enough about the issue is backwards. Avoiding negative information about products we’ve bought is self-detrimental. Believing that everything is OK when it isn’t is deluded. We know all this.

What we have to do is take an active role in our own lives: get over our collective inferiority complex and embrace the negative along with the positive. Nothing is one-sided, even your new pair of headphones or your favourite politician. Once we accept a more realistic view of life, we can take a more active role in how things are run. While it may not be blissful, it’s a lot more empowered and dignified than blindly doing what we’re told.

hat would you like to be reading about right now? Do you want to learn, or read about something you already know about? Would you prefer to read about a topic that’s more removed from your reality, like pop culture, or would you rather read about current events or politics?

According to the American Psychological Association, “The less people know about important complex issues such as the economy, energy consumption and the environment, the more they want to avoid becoming well-informed,” as reported by Science Daily.

They found that people avoided information that questioned the government’s ability to handle things like the economy, though they did not avoid positive news. The more complex the issue, the more people relied on the government to take care of it, rather than understanding it themselves, thereby emphasizing their dependence on the government. The more serious the issue, the less likely participants in the study wanted to understand it.

According to the authors, “Educators may want to consider explaining issues in ways that make them easily digestible and understandable, with a clear emphasis on local, individual-level causes.” Otherwise the topics seem too scary, and we don’t want to know about them at all.

A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research in 2008 showed that before buying a product, people want to know all the information they can about it. After purchasing, however, they want to feel positive about their purchase, therefore vague product information is more reassuring in the long-run. To avoid buyer’s remorse, we keep ourselves unaware of any potential drawbacks to our purchases; once we’ve eaten the french fries, we really don’t want to know the nutritional information.

— Sarah Vitet Another study of over 400,000 students in 2009 showed that those // editor-in-chief least-informed about the environment were the most optimistic in

The Voicebox

with JJ Brewis

Colin Firth doesn’t know how to speak and Helena Bonham has bird nest hair. I guess that could be any movie these days, though.

Shit's going down in Egypt!

Look for the Voicebox on Tuesday afternoons in the Birch cafeteria, to anonymously “voice” your “opinion” on any “topic.” Introverted alternatives include emailing your opinion to voicebox@capilanocourier.com, or texting (778) 886-5070.

Oh snap! Brazil suspends Chevron's drilling rights after offshore oil spill!

“Someone stole my phone! I am texting from my friend’s phone so that you can put a thing in the paper that says someone stole my phone! Can you?”

I do! It’s called 'Jamie Oliver’s mulled wine.” His recipe is online, and it calls for clementines, but I would highly recommend the seasonal mandarin option instead. You could also choose to replace nutmeg with a gingerbread latte. As long as you put some damn pine needles around the rim of the glass, you’ve got it made. I guess that it’s basically like sangria, but more ~*~*~FeStIvE~*~*~. Kind of like how Santa Claus is just the festive version of Mickey Rourke.

Uh, I guess so?

Indonesia football game turns into stampede. Fans die! Lion King style!

Three astronauts spend six months in space! They return to homeland Russia!

In a space capsule! What were they even doing out there?

“I don’t like eating broken candy canes. They’re gross.”

While they do technically taste the same, wait … do they? No. You’re right! It’s so unsatisfying. Plus, what if I cut my mouth on that? Could I sue Santa? Or the Grinch? Maybe Vince Vaughn? Come to think of it, Vince is probably he responsible. He ruined my last four christmases, if you hear me.

* According to Adelie

“Someone returned my phone! I had sent a bunch of angry messages to my own phone saying ‘Give me my phone back! My name’s Serena and I want my phone! So return it to me.’ Then when I was looking for my keys, I found it in my own bag. By ‘someone returned it’ I meant myself.”

Mischief managed.

“Thoughts on Alexandra Stan?”

She’s the Russian lovechild of Rebecca Black and Taylor Swift. That cop video is pretty lol, but I am more a fan of her early work. I like that video where she’s dancing in clothes from Dare To Wear in front of a black piece of poster board with the word “HOT?” flashing overtop of her. I won’t ruin the surprise and tell you what happens when she unties her suspenders, though. (Okay, I will. Spoiler alert: HOT? keeps flashing.)

“How do you celebrate Jesus’ Birthday?”

54 year old man curb stomped on Walmart floor by police in Arizona.

Video game rampage what!

“Do you have a good recipe for an alcoholic seasonal beverage?”

I don’t know who that is, but I’ll tell you how I celebrated my last birthday.

I slept for 13 hours, woke up, and had to cook my own dinner because nobody in my house offered to make me my requested meal of vegan enchiladas and key lime pie. We ended up seeing that dumb movie where

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EDIT OR // Gurpreet Kambo // ne w s @ c api l ano c o uri e r. c o m

Pipe Dreams Keystone XL pipeline causes political tension, could put pressure on BC

By Luke Warkentin // Writer

the capilano courier | vol. 45 issue 12

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he cowboy capitals of both Canada and the U.S. could be inseparably linked – by crude. If completed, Calgary-based TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL pipeline expansion would have the capacity to transport 1.1 million barrels of dilbit from Alberta to Texas every day.

Dilbit (from “diluted bitumen”) is formed by mixing bitumen, mined from Alberta's Tar Sands, and natural gas liquid condensate. It can be transported like conventional crude, but must be further processed for final use.

TransCanada experienced a setback with the US Department of State's Nov. 10 press release: “Since 2008, the Department has been conducting a … review of TransCanada's application for the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline project.

As a result of this process, particularly given the concentration of concerns regarding the environmental sensitivities of the current proposed route through the Sand Hills area of Nebraska, the Department has determined it needs to undertake an in-depth assessment of potential alternative routes in Nebraska.” The final decision “could be completed as early as the first quarter of 2013.”

In an interview with the Calgary Herald, Alberta Premier Alison Redford expressed concern over the delay. “Our position has always been clear that we respect and understand that approval of the pipeline is a US domestic matter, but the fact remains that Keystone XL is a key piece of infrastructure for our province.

I sincerely hope that the State Department made this decision based on science and evidence and not rhetoric and hyperbole from very well-organized interest groups.”

Ben West, the Healthy Communities Campaigner for the Wilderness Committee, comments, “What seems pretty clear to me is that Obama doesn't want to deal with it during the election. Ultimately he has to sign off on it. I think that we're going to be looking at a decision on it sometime just after the election.” The Wilderness Committee is a non-governmental organization working to protect Canadian wilderness and educate the public.

From their website: “TransCanada believes Keystone XL will ultimately be approved, as it is too important to the US economy and its national interest.”

On Nov. 22, the Nebraska Legislature gave final approval to legislation that provides a framework to site pipelines through the state and study the potential effects of proposed pipelines. The Major Oil Pipeline Siting Act provides a means for rerouting the Keystone XL around the Sand Hills region of Nebraska.

This area contains 1.3 million acres of wetland, from which water flows into the approximately 450,000 square kilometre Ogallala aquifer. Included in the latest revision of the bill is the commitment from Nebraska to pay for the Environmental Impact Study, which will assess the risks posed by the pipeline.

“TransCanada's made it pretty clear that if the pipeline was delayed that long then a lot of the contracts that people were looking to buy up from them would probably end up

going somewhere else,” said West. “So just the economics of it alone, I think, could kill the Keystone pipeline expansion.”

The Perryman Group, an economic and financial analysis firm, published a business impact assessment of the Keystone XL project. The report (commissioned by TransCanada according to the Huffington Post and other news sources) states that the project will directly create 20,000 manufacturing and construction jobs.

However, these benefits are disputed by others. A Cornell University Global Labour Institute document says that the conclusion of the Perryman report “is not substantiated” and that “the project will create no more than 2,500 – 4,650 temporary direct construction jobs for two years, according to TransCanada's own data supplied to the State Department.”

West laments that “with almost every environmental campaign, there's always this sort of framing that it's jobs versus the environment. I think it's pretty disingenuous really, because for the companies, they're in it to make money, they're not in it to employ people. If they can do it employing less people they'd be happy too … That's definitely been a big part of the Keystone campaign.”

The delay of approval means that Albertan firms may need to find more sources for their bitumen if they want to expand production.

Alternatives include several other local pipeline projects, some of which have also aroused controversy.

Enbridge Inc. is seeking approval for the Northern Gateway pipeline which goes from

// Caitlyn Neufeld Edmonton, AB to Kitimat, BC, and Kinder Morgan operates the existing Trans Mountain Pipeline System, which moves 300,000 barrels of crude from Edmonton to various locations on the West coast, including a Burnaby Chevron refinery and a tanker dock in Burrard Inlet. Kinder Morgan is pursuing the expansion of this pipeline, and West thinks that they have a better chance of success than Enbridge does with their proposed project.

“They've got an existing pipeline and an existing tanker traffic route. [The pipeline] burst in '07 in Burnaby, [but] little did most people know they actually expanded the pipeline by about 50,000 barrels … six months after the pipeline burst. And now they want to go up to 700,000 barrels a day through that pipeline. In 2005, twenty tankers took crude out of the inlet … If they get the expansion through that they want to do they could get up to … 300 tankers [per year],” explains West.

Keystone's delay will help Enbridge and Kinder Morgan make stronger cases for their projects as alternative shipping routes out of Alberta. West explains, “They can say … ‘We're the only game in town.’ … The flip side of it is that seeing the success in stopping or massively delaying a pipeline I think also emboldens the activists and the First Nations.”

West says that limiting the supply of oil is only half of the equation. “What I'd really like to see Obama do, and what really would make the biggest difference in it, is really talking about what needs to be done to decrease our demand for oil.”

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Santa visits Cap for Xmas dry run

NEws Brie f s

Claus worried about future, reputation

CSU GENERAL MEETING DISSOLVES IN QUESTIONS OF QUORUM

By Samantha Thompson // editor-in-chief

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// JJ Brewis excursions, explained Claus, which happen more frequently the closer the team gets to December.

“I really hope this journey had a positive impact on students,” he said. “I really want students to see me as a real person, who is more than just a red suit.”

But despite all of the fame and fortune, Claus is as worried as anyone about the future.

“I just hope that Christmas, and consequently my job, don’t get phased out over the next couple centuries with the creation of new technology and other gizmos,” said Claus. “I hear the job market is really tough these days, and I don’t have a lot of what they call ‘employable skills’. No one really wants to hire an old man who spent his evenings watching people and dedicated a whole day every year to breaking into people’s houses to eat their cookies and drink their milk.

A lot of people get creeped out by that.”

Santa's Faves Beverage: Hot chocolate with Bailey’s and marshmallows Snack: chocolate chip cookies, obviously Reindeer: Blitzen (don’t tell Rudolph, but Santa says he’s “always been a fan of the under-deer.”)

Colour: Jell-O Red (“There’s a reason my belly shakes like a bowlful of jelly.”)

T.V. show: Heartland (“So much drama, with horses! It doesn’t make sense but Canada is closer to the North Pole than the US so it’s cool.”)

Christmas song: Bieber’s “Mistletoe” (“It always makes me think of when the missus and I were in our younger years at Christmas.”)

By Samantha Thompson // Editor-in-Chief

the capilano courier | vol. 45 issue 12

tudents at Capilano were given an early Christmas surprise last week when an unexpected visitor stopped by the campus for what some are calling a “historic visit”.

Evidence of the presence of a celebrity became clear when one student stepped on some feces that were later identified as belonging to a deer-like creature.

“What is this shit doing here,” the student exclaimed as she wiped her boot on a wall. “This is such bullshit!”

A passerby then corrected her, pointing out that the shit actually belonged to what he believed to be a reindeer.

Following this escapade, nine reindeer were spotted in the library square, chewing on grass or the leftover lunches that braver students were feeding them. Although nine reindeer are typically accompanied by a sleigh and a jolly old man in a red suit, neither were seen in the immediate vicinity of the animals.

The screaming of hundreds of people, however, quickly located the reindeer’s owner. Santa Claus was found hidden behind a pole, trying to escape the duress of loud, obnoxious fans.

“Somebody help me!” he yelled, looking at an editor of the Courier as he did so. Realizing this was the “somebody” he was referring to, she jumped into action.

The Courier editor hustled Claus away from the madness into the privacy of their office on the North end of campus. “I feel so at home,” Claus said with relief as he jumped onto the couch. “I always feel calmer the closer I am to the North Pole.”

Claus said he had made the special visit to Capilano because he was worried that students had been prioritizing studying over deciding on what they wanted for Christmas – and, he

pointed out, the deadline was coming up fast.

He added that he is quite fond of the new hole in the fence above the Maple building, due to it saving him time.

With the final exam season looming over students like an abandoned New Year’s resolution, students are struggling to finalize Christmas wish lists to ensure they’re ready for Santa Claus by Dec. 24. While some students are too preoccupied to participate in the childhood tradition, some of Capilano’s head honchos have it all figured out.

“For Christmas, I asked for a puppy, a new car … oh, and I also asked that the film building be completed by Christmas,” said Kris Bulcroft, Capilano University president. Her Christmas wish list wasn’t the only one with that sentiment – Claus reported that nearly 76 per cent of students asked him to use magic to complete the building.

“Of course I can make it happen,” said Claus, “I just wish that instead of asking for a building these kids could ask for something classic, like an Xbox 360 or a pink pony.” Claus added that he wasn’t certain if he would be able to provide the film building for Christmas this year, until he had cross-referenced the wishes with the Naughty and Nice List.

As concerned as he is about Christmas wishes, life outside of the 9-5 job cycle isn’t easy. “Dec. 24 is by far my longest work day,” he said “So, I make sure I always have the house set up just the way I like it for when I return. Hot chocolate ready, fire blazing, and Rudolph ready for bed – he can only sleep if he’s curled up at my feet.”

Although Christmas Eve is his longest day, the job for Santa Claus is not restricted to the month of December. The elves work year round, and the reindeer are constantly being submitted to training to ensure they keep their strength up for long journeys around the globe. The journey to North Vancouver was one of their brief training

The CSU’s Special General Meeting (SGM) saw plenty of debate, though not on the motions that were meant to be discussed. The meeting, which occurred on Nov. 24, had been called as a result of unfinished business at the Annual General Meeting that took place in October.

However, the SGM still only made it through part of its agenda before losing quorum and adjourning.

The first motion to be discussed was related to the dollar value of contracts that the executive committee has the power to enter into without additional approval from the student membership. The amount was increased from $1,000 to $25,000.

The next item for discussion was a series of budget amendments. In error, the CSU had budgeted twice for one of their items, and in fixing that mistake, they had additional funds to reallocate. All of the budget amendments passed, which included money allocated to purchasing a new games table, more money to send delegates to meetings of the Canadian Federation of Students, and an increase in legal fees from $2,000 to $22,000. All of the budget amendments passed without discussion.

The third item was in mainly regard to remuneration of the executives for portfolio positions such as policy and finance. The monthly remuneration would be increased from $100 to $250. In addition, the remuneration for Staff Relations Officer would be increased from $100 to $400.

However, there were concerns raised about members of the executive voting on a resolution that would increase how much they were paid, because there was a conflict of interest bylaw that was recently amended at a general meeting. It was determined that the conflict of interest bylaw policy only has an effect on executives at executive meetings. A motion was moved requesting that the executives did not vote on the remuneration resolution; however, the motion failed.

At this time, quorum was called, and the chair ruled that quorum had been lost. It was pointed out that several members had stepped outside for a smoke break, and there was extensive debate over whether or not the meeting could continue, and whether or not the students outside were part of quorum. After much discussion, the meeting resumed with quorum and the motion regarding remuneration passed, with executives also voting on the motion.

Quorum was called again and this time could not be regained, and thus the meeting was adjourned. What will happen with the remaining agenda items remains to be determined, although unless they are resubmitted to a future general meeting, their existence will have died upon conclusion of the CSU’s Special General Meeting.

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news

Controversial BC post-secondary bill delayed Would allow university boards to eject elected members with 2/3 majority

By Arshy Mann // Cup western bureau chief

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ANCOUVER (CUP) – Bill 18, which had brought the provincial government into conflict with faculty, staff and student associations, will not become law – at least for now.

The bill, which sought to amend numerous acts related to post-secondary education in BC, was pulled before second reading by the Liberal government, and won't be back until the spring legislative session.

However, it was only a handful of the 57 proposed amendments that stirred controversy.

Five of these, which would affect the province's University Act and the College and Institutes Act, would allow the boards of governors of post-secondary institutions to expel elected faculty, student, or staff representatives if they had a two-thirds majority.

They would also bar elected members from serving as chair on these boards and prohibit faculty or staff representatives from sitting on the executives of organizations engaged in collective bargaining or dispute resolution with the institution.

"Nobody seems to quite know where this has come from," said Michelle Mungall, the BC NDP's critic for advanced education. "I think it's just unreal that they have included these sections that are inherently anti-democratic [and] completely inappropriate, and destabilize a century of tradition."

Organizations representing faculty and staff at post-secondary institutions, such as the Fed-

eration of Post-Secondary Educators (FPSE), the BC Government and Service Employee Union (BCGSE) and the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), have strongly opposed the amendments. They've encouraged their membership to send letters to the ministry, which has received over 1,000 of these in the past two weeks.

FPSE president Cindy Oliver stated in a press release that they would be willing to fight the bill all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.

"If this legislation passes, [BC Premier] Christy Clark will effectively be dictating to our members who they can and can't elect as their representative on the Board of Governors," she wrote. "It is more than just an affront to our democratic rights; it's a full-on attack of our freedom of association rights that are spelled out in the Charter."

Naomi Yamamoto, the minister for advanced education, believes that the opposition to the bill is a result of miscommunication and that the bill itself would in no way dilute the rights of elected board members.

"Bill 18 absolutely values, and [the] government values, the participation of students and staff and faculty on the boards," she said. "We are only preventing or making it ineligible for an elected member to serve on the board if that person is involved in negotiating terms of their contract or the terms of their service on behalf of their association.

“Right now, there's no way of removing an elected member if the person is in a conflict of interest or their conduct is not considered professional.”

Yamamoto said that the amendments weren't a result of any specific incidents, but did note that "there have been some circumstances that have caused us concerns, especially when that board member has shown really poor judgment in a criminal matter and there was no way for the board to remove that member."

She also stressed that nothing in this bill gives the provincial government the right to remove elected members, unless two-thirds of a board recommended it.

However, provincial appointees make up the majority of many university boards. And when their votes are combined with those of a university's president and chancellor, they often have the two-thirds majority required to eject an elected member — with UBC being a notable exception.

Mungall believes that this would give the province an unprecedented say in who can represent students, faculty, and staff at postsecondary institutions.

"The only people who should be able to remove somebody who is elected are those who elected them," said she said. "And students should be very concerned about that. Do they think government appointees ought to have the right to remove their representative?"

Yamamoto said delaying the bill will "give me an opportunity to further discuss [the bill] with some of these organizations that are concerned," and added that she already met with CAUT last week.

"I just want to say that I have been on a college board and served as board chair, and that was Capilano College at the time. And I can tell you

// Katie So that the participation of the education council or the faculty and the staff or students is absolutely valued [and] I am in no way trying to diminish that."

Mungall believes that the Liberal government should drop the controversial amendments and move forward with the rest of the bill.

"This is just another frustrating point about this bill … there are sections in this bill that are desperately needed right now. And to put in something controversial with something that the rest of the house agrees with is just bad governance."

Capilano Students Start New Non-Profit Organization to offer overseas volunteer opportunites for Cap students

By Calvin DeGroot // Writer

the capilano courier | vol. 45 issue 12

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he Christmas season is one in which many people’s charitable or altruistic impulses are aroused. In this spirit, a group of Capilano students have been working feverishly to provide a home-grown opportunity for Capilano students to volunteer overseas.

The organization providing this opportunity, Capilano Alliance of Students Abroad (CASA), is a federally incorporated non-profit created by five Capilano students in 2010.

Tess Gregory, one of the founders of the organisation, says, “The driving values when we first came up with the concept of CASA were to create a program that provided overseas volunteering opportunities for Capilano students, while also providing local opportunities where students can gain practical experience in their field of study.”

The CASA project will send six to ten students will travel to a rural village in southern Uganda, Ibanda and partner with local organizations working on existing projects.

Projects involve building internal library structures such as check-in systems and library cards; teaching computer literacy and internet workshops; developing an income-generating project for a microfinance group so they can lend money to their members; working with local high school teachers in specific areas of study such as fine arts or science; and documenting and producing website profiles for CASA’s partners.

The cost of the trip is $3695; this includes flights, transportation, orientation, accommodation, meals, insurance, and in-country support. Not included are vaccinations, visa, and spending money. Participants will pay in four instalments between December and March.

While all the pieces are in place, the path to becoming a fully operational non-profit was not always smooth. Initially, the group wanted to hold a referendum similar to Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec where students pay a mandatory fee per credit that supports the University’s student volunteer program. The money was never intended to fund the travel of the student volunteers, and would go directly to development work.

However, Gregory says, “the CSU felt like CASA wasn’t a service that would benefit enough students to have everyone pay for it,” and the idea never really took off.

Furthermore, troubles with the CSU continued when CASA applied and was granted club status, but had it taken away from them because of a by-law stating clubs cannot receive external funding. This was a problem because non-profits run on external funding.

Things began to look up when the CSU decided instead to endorse CASA as an external organisation. Gregory explains, “Now we have a working partnership, which is awesome.”

However, overseas aidwork may not be as simple as it seems, and for many is a hot-button

topic which people feel strongly about on both sides. Such volunteer trips and organisations have, in some cases, been accused of causing more harm than good, and being more for the feel-good benefits the westerners receive, rather than truly aiding the people they purport to help.

Ed Lavalle, professor of Political Studies at Capilano, argues that most of the problems that these organisations aim to address “really, ultimately can only be resolved inside a particular state or country. [Volunteer] trips are great, but we have to understand that it is the people in the area that have to build structures of support that are long-term institutions for care,” he says.

However, he adds that for the volunteers coming from Western countries, these programs “are absolutely transformative.”

Lavalle also warns against creating dependency, noting that this can be very harmful: “It is much better to assist somebody to make their own goods and services than to make them elsewhere and hand them out.”

He also states that bringing about positive change is “extremely complex” and depends on “the cultural, political and social realities of where you are trying to do it.”

He agrees that there are some areas regarding social change that the West can and should offer, and it comes in areas such as capital, women empowerment, and technological advancement.

However, when foreigners seek to “interfere with the internal issues, try to shape politics, and

change their culture, that is over-stepping your boundary,” he says.

Gregory echoes many of these criticisms, and argues that the worst cases are when Westerners create development projects from their own perspectives and backgrounds, and are disinterested in involving locals, resulting in programs that are not sustainable or beneficial.

“CASA has taken these issues very seriously and designed a program to hopefully prevent them from happening,” she says. “All of our initiatives have been worked on by our community partners, our Ugandan program manager, and professionals who work in the field to ensure they are what the community wants and needs, and also that our community partners will have ownership over the projects”.

Another co-founder of CASA, Jess McElroy, who went on a preparatory trip to Uganda last year, says, “It was an amazing experience; we grew personally, and the organization definitely grew with what we saw.”

Lavalle, speaking from his personal experience in Afghanistan working on gender issues, warns, “If you are going to do it, you better to it right. First so you do not hurt the people, and second so you don’t get yourself killed.” He also adds that participants should recognize the trip will benefit them more than anyone else they serve.

The CASA project will run from May to June of 2012. McElroy adds, “This will be our first group of volunteers [and] they will really be able to contribute to building how the project works.”

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CHRISTMAS AHHHHHHHHHHH I'M OPENING MY STOCKING I'M WATCHING THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS MOVIE I'M EATING TURKEY I'M EATING GRAVY I'M LISTENING TO JUSTIN BIEBER'S CHRISTMAS ALBUM THIS IS SO AWESOME AND I WANT THIS DAY TO LAST FOREVER

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BLIM MARKET (CHRISTMAS EDITION?) Check out local artists, craftspeople, and other things like that at this monthly event!

12 – 5 PM. Chinese Cultural Centre. Free!

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8TH ANNUAL SANTA CLAUS PARADE Yes! Yes! Yes! This parade will “feature marching bands, dance troupes, festive floats and community groups” just celebrating the joy of Christmas!

Sing some carols, break out your Santa hat, and bring some non-perishable goods, as volunteers will be gathering donations for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. Yay, Christmas!

1 PM. Downtown Vancouver. Free!

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KWANZAA/BOXING DAY Your choice, depending on your personal beliefs!

Alternately, you can choose to fuck it all and go to the Tye Dye Workshop hosted by Blim. Learn to tye dye from seasoned expert Gaile Addison! Call 604-872-8180 or email info@blim.ca to book your spot; only $65 to learn an ancient and beautiful art!

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A VERY COURIER CHRISTMAS PARTY/ HANNUKAH EVE Hahahaha we're all going to party so hard! Even though you aren't invited, you can still celebrate today, because today is the sacred holiday of Hannukah Eve; 'twas the night before Hannukah and all through the shtetl, not a creature was stirring, not even a … latka.

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COLLAGE BUTTON WORKSHOP Want to make all of your friends cute, unique gifts for one low price? This is your workshop! At this self-described “all you can make collage buffet”, you can make as many cute pins as you want, with all the materials being provided!

6 – 9 PM. Chinese Cultural Centre (50 E. Pender St.). $20.

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THE PATRON SAINT OF STANLEY PARK From JJ: Arts Club presents a return of the fated fable of a "scruffy vagabond" who saves Christmas. Sounds like a 50s holiday special. Would this ever happen? I suppose there's only one way to find out!

Running Dec. 1 – 24. Granville Island Revue Stage. See Artsclub.ca for more info.

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POETRY BREAK ANSWER Remember last week when I did poetry break but nobody sent in the answer? Remember that, my avid calendar readers? Well here's the answer: it

by Richard Brautigan and entitled “Map Shower”, from his collection The Pill vs. the Springhill Mine Disaster. Seeing as none of you knew who it was, you should check it out because he's a little weird but he's good.

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IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS Such a great musical! I saw this last year with my sister and my mom; we found it to be delightful.

And let's be honest with ourselves: who isn't dreaming of a white Christmas? Man, if nothing else, at least get the movie from the library; Bing Crosby is my one true love I think maybe.

Dec. 2 – 28. The Stanley Theatre. See artsclub. com for ticket info.

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A RUSSIAN CHRISTMAS What better way to ring in the Christmas season than with music from the coldest, snowiest place on earth? This concert features “hauntingly beautiful melodies of Alfred Reed's Russian Christmas Music, the timeless music from the Nutcracker Ballet, the sprightly Midnight Sleighride” and more! 8 PM. North Shore Credit Union Centre for the Performing Arts. $15/10/5.

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ROMEO AND JULIET : THE OPERA Romance! Passion! What better way to get excited about Christmas than to see this tragic play performed in opera, the most tragic medium? Romeo and Juliet's passion can be compared to the passion felt by Joseph and Mary, tragically unable to do it until Mary gives birth to Jesus. I think that's how it worked. 7:30 PM. Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

See vancouveropera.ca for ticket info.

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LAST DAY OF HANNUKAH Twas the last day of Hannukah and all through the menorah, not a creature was stirring not even a … fedora.

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REJOICE: CHOR LEONI MEN'S CHOIR CONCERT What's jollier than a bunch of men singing choral music? Santa Claus wins only by a hair! Chor Leoni is a Vancouver-based choir, and this show that will feature Pinkham’s beloved Christmas Cantata, as well as works by Whitacre, Sweelinck, Zwozdesky, and more.

7:30 – 9:30 PM. St. Andrew's Wesley (1012 Nelson St.). $30/25/15.

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STUART MCLEAN @ THE ORPHEUM What more Canadian way to celebrate the middle of Christmonth than seeing CBC superstar Stuart McLean tell his adorable, wacky, heartwarming stories in that dry, plaintive voice of his? Sigh! Oh, to live a life like that of Morley and Dave.

7:30 PM. The Orpheum. $53.50 – $63.50.

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JINGLE THOSE BELLS How cute is this! “Make bells and other sparkling decorations to put up at your house for Christmas and add beads and ribbons to gingerbread boys and girls to hang on your tree.” If you don't wanna go all the way to Surrey Museum, just spend today making Christmas cookies and a gingerbread house! Yum yum yum!

4 – 6 PM. Surrey Museum. $8.50.

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MOTHER MOTHER I used to be super into Mother Mother, but then I saw them play a free show at the Jazz Fest a few years ago, and they played for like three hours and it made me feel insane.

8 PM. Commodore Ballroom.

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FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS DAY I have chosen this day arbitrarily; the Festival of Lights at the VanDusen Gardens is open from Dec. 9 – Jan. 2, excluding Dec. 25. So pretty! Seriously, perfect date – I personally guarantee you will get at least to second base if you take your crush to this.

4:30 – 9 PM. VanDusen Gardens. $13.50/10/7.50

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THE SOUND OF MUSIC AT GATEWAY THEATRE What better way to celebrate the month of Hamonthkah than to go see this classic musical on the stage? You know what a few of my favourite things are? The eight candles of the menorah.

Runs Dec. 8 – 31. Gateway Theatre. See gatewaytheatre.com for more info.

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ONE OF A KIND Craft fair! Find a unique gift for that special little lady (aka me) and support local talent at the same time! If anyone is wondering I would like the baby pictured on their website wearing the bib with a rabbit on it please. Runs until Dec. 11.

10 AM – 9 PM. Vancouver Convention Centre West.

See website for ticket deets.

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JEFFREY LEWIS AND THE JUNKYARDS Jeffrey Lewis is so so so so cooool! Omg. Not only is he an awesome lo-fi weirdo punk folk music maker, he also writes and illustrates gritty awesome comics. I saw him a few years ago when he and his band played at the Media Club; it was completely fun. Emperor X will also be playing, but I dunno who they are.

8 PM. Biltmore Cabaret. $10.

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SECOND LAST DAY OF THE YEAR Time to start working on your rough draft for new year's resolutions! Here are some suggestions : buy a puppy; eat an entire cake in one sitting; write a novel with the theme of “feminism”; kick the person you hate and realize how you feel about it; stop relying so much on spellcheck. Just a few suggestions!

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LMFAO @ PNE STADIUM What better way to celebrate Christmas Eve Eve than getting wasted and going to a Stadium concert and doing the “shuffle”? I'm pretty sure that Joseph and Mary shuffled their way to Bethlehem. Baby Jesus in Mary's womb; every day he's shufflin'. The Three Wise Men: you know they were. You KNOW it.

7 PM. Pacific Coliseum. $41.25 – $59.25

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A CHRISTMAS CHILD IN WALES I saw this one year as well! This is such a lovely story. This event will feature Russell Roberts of Bard on the Beach reading it, accompanied by Vancouver Chamber Choir. So fundamentally Christmas-y. If you're busy today, there will be additional shows on Dec. 17 and 18.

8 PM. Ryerson United Church (2195 W. 45th Ave.). $32.75.

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NEW YEARS EVE – POSSIBLE END OF THE WORLD EVE??

WHEN IT'S TIME TO PARTY WE WILL PARTY HARD!!!!!!!!!!! Do whatever constitutes as partying for you, because next year, the world might explode! PARTY UNTIL YOU START SCREAMING! Party town, Partyville. Party Central. Party o'Clock.

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CHRISTMAS EVE It's coming …

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KANYE WEST, JAY-Z, AND “CADDY DA DON” LOL WHO'S THAT If you are an avid follower of my calendar, you may remember a few months ago when I mistakenly thought this event was a few months ago. Spoiler alert: it wasn't! But it is now. And yeah, who is Caddy Da Don? 7:30 PM. Rogers Arena. $96.90 – $350.

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BATHS WITH TEEN DAZE From JJ: LA- and Vancouver-based electronic musicians co-headline a night of bleeps and bloops that will mellow you the hell out from all of those holiday stresses. Chill, ladies and gentlemen.

Doors 8, show 9:30 PM. Electric Owl. Price unlisted.

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MOZART'S MASS IN C MINOR The Capilano University Singers, Festival Chorus, and Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra will thrill audiences with this “brilliant but rarely heard Great Mass,” along with a potpourri of popular opera choruses. Don't miss out! They will also be a matinee performance on Dec. 4 at 3 PM. 8 PM. North Shore Credit Union Centre for the Performing Arts. $20/15/10.

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25TH ANNIVERSARY OF CBC'S FOOD BANK DAY Meet Gloria Macarenko! Hang out with George Stroumboulopoulos! Hear exciting surprise guest performers like Randy Bachman of The Guess Who and Hannah Georges! The CBC is having a party and they invited all their best friends, and also you, you lucky Canadian!

8 – 6 PM. CBC Vancouver Broadcast Centre (700 Hamilton St.). Free!

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EDIT OR // Ad él ie Houl e- Lachance // s pe c i al fe ature s . c apc o uri e r@ gmai l . c o m

100 BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL How to brew one, take one down, pass it around …

// Tyler Hughes

By Kyle Brown // The sputnik (Wilfrid Laurier University Brantford)

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trifugal force. The wort is then passed through the heat exchanger, which lowers the temperature.

The wort is then moved to a fermenter, where it stays for ten to 15 days and the sugar is converted to alcohol. Lastly, the beer is filtered to remove any leftover yeast and proteins and is bottled.

Tremaine appears most excited at this last part, as he beams while talking about the new bottling machine the brewery just picked up. “We can now bottle in one hour what we could only do in a day before,” he says gleefully.

AMBRIDGE, Ont. (CUP) – The Grand River Brewing Company’s brewery does not look like much from the outside; it looks more like something of an old factory.

Indeed, it was the old home of the Galt Knife Factory. Although remnants of the old factory still remain both outside and on the interior, significant changes have been made to sway the THE RETURN OF CRAFT BEERS focus of production inside the building to one thing: beer.

Just four years young, Grand River Brewing is one of many craft breweries on the Ontario scene. In HOW IT'S MADE fact, among students, there appears to be a reZac Tremaine, the assistant brewmaster with naissance for craft beers. More and more, local Grand River, explained the process in which and obscure beers are popping up in bars, pubs, the delicious beverage known as beer is and restaurants, offering the public more choice actually made. in what they drink.

The first stage of the brewing process is to “We are about 25 or 30 years behind the prepare the malt, or as Tremaine called it, the States. They had their brewing renaissance in “backbone of your beer.” Depending on the the ‘80s, and then ours was about ten years ago,” style of beer being created, such as a lager or Tremaine explains. “There is now a resurgence ale, different amounts and types of grain are of craft breweries, there seems to be more loaded into a machine called a mill. Bright yel- every day.” low and resembling a wood chipper, the mill Bob Hanenberg, owner and president of crushes the grains. There is usually one con- Grand River Brewing Company, acknowledged stant grain that provides most of the founda- the changing tastes in the consumers demand for tion for all beers, with specialty grains added the return of craft beers. to specific recipes to create different flavours “More people are looking to expand their hoand colourations. rizons and expand their tastes,” says Hanenberg.

The rollers of the mill open the husks of the “I think that beer can help people expand their grain, but leave the body intact. The grains are horizons – they can do pairings [with food], have then augured into a mash tun and mixed with different types of beer for different times of the warm water. Once the proper temperature year, and who wants to drink Labatt Blue all their is reached, the grains sit for an hour to attain life? There’s more to life than drinking the same starch conversion. thing all the time.”

After the hour is up, something called wort has When asked why he felt that investing in craft formed at the bottom of the mash tun. Tremaine beers was the proper retirement hobby for him, defines wort as “the sweet and malty liquid that and how he knew it would be successful, he forms the foundation of beer in your glass.” The points to comparisons between the craft beer wort is circulated to the top, and then the brew- industry and the wine industry: “I could see that masters “lauter” the beer, meaning they separate the craft industry was at its infancy in Ontario – the wort from the grains and move it to a kettle. probably about the same stage as the Ontario The wort is placed in a kettle where it is then wine industry was 25 years ago – so it looked brought to a boil. Once the boiling begins, bitter like it had nothing but growth potential for the hops are added to give the beer its hoppy flavour next few years.” and add its bitterness. Once the boil ends, aroma Whether you’re a beer-geek who brews in your hops are added to the beer to give it its scent. basement or a person who goes with the regular After the wort is boiled, it is then whirlpooled order of one of the beer giants, there is a range of so as to separate it from the hop pile through cen- craft beers for you to try.

THE VANCOUVER VERSION

By Adélie Houle-Lachance // Features Editor

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hile Ontario may have a now-booming local beer brewing industry, and Montréal's production has been renowned for years, Vancouver also has some hops to brag about. The province is home to approximately 35 microbreweries, according to bcbeer.ca, most of which are located in the Lower Mainland, on Vancouver Island, and the Interior, including the Kootenays.

“I brew and love doing it because I like being able to produce something real, and that people of all stripes appreciate,” explains Andrew Tape, brewer for R&B in Vancouver.

The warehouse where R&B produces their beer is located close to the downtown core,

by Ontario and Broadway. “Drinking craft beer made locally has a lot of upsides, from building local culture and economy, to just providing people with flavourful choices instead of bland, mainstream lagers,” says Tape.

By buying locally-made beer from microbreweries, you are not only assured better quality and variety than large mainstream brands, but you are also keeping your money circulating in the local economy.

However, it is not always possible to stay local. Granville Island Brewing, the first founded microbrewery in Vancouver in 1984, sold the company to Molson Coors in 2009. Has their quality changed since? Are you one of those people who stash Hoarders-proportion cases of Winter Ale in their cellars for the out of season months to come? Do you have a time machine? If so, email me! In the meanwhile, here is a brief list of all the microbreweries in Vancouver, and some in the surrounding area:

Dead Frog Brewery Aldergrove

R&B Brewing Co. Vancouver

Granville Island Brewing Vancouver

Red Truck Beer Company North Vancouver

Gulf Islands Brewing Co. Salt Spring Island

Russell Brewing Company Surrey

Horseshoe Bay Brewing Vancouver

Storm Brewing Vancouver

Hoyne Brewing Co. Victoria

Tin Whistle Brewing Co. Penticton

Nelson Brewing Co. Nelson

Tofino Brewing Company Tofino

Old Yale Brewing Co. Chilliwack

“… ‘Cause while Molson gives people a way to get drunk, craft brewers give people a way to drink beer,” says Tape.

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THE CHRISTMAS SHOPPER'S DILEMmA Green? Red? White? Walmart?

By Lindsay Flynn // writer

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rom the practical (socks), to the not so practical (personalized finger puppets), to the ridiculous disguised as practical (think Shamwow), there are a myriad of ways one could go about choosing Christmas gifts for loved ones.

Perhaps you want to jump on the green wagon and buy sustainable, eco-friendly gifts for your family. But what does that mean? The question of what an ethical shopper is has its problems.

Is it best to buy from a local source? How about the materials that an item is made out of? What about its carbon footprint? Workers rights? Fair trade? Organic? The list goes on …

SHOPPING LOCALLY

WORKING FOR PEANUTS Shopping locally is a good alternative to buying imported products from big companies that have a large carbon footprint. But beyond the impact on the environment, there are also the realities of the working conditions of the people who make imported items. By shopping locally, or buying directly from the designer, consumers can ensure their purchase was produced in humane working conditions.

However, there are many organizations, such

HINDU “GREAT GODDESS” NOW IN CHINA But here on the West Coast, once-upon-atime start-up companies are now finding ways to expand their business, and tackle the issues that come with importing their finished projects.

Maha Devi (mahadevidesign.com) is a Vancouver-based label founded in 2007 by local artists Freyja Skye and Julie Emmerson.

They design and produce clothing made out of sustainable fibres like bamboo, organic cotton, and hemp. Initially producing their product in Vancouver, they have recently outsourced production to China.

“It's very important to us to be as sustainable as possible” says Emmerson. “We've tried to order fabrics from Canada that are sustainable, but we find that they don't have the lasting quality that the fabric supplier overseas has … Eventually when you get to a certain point you have to outsource it.”

Emmerson doesn't see producing Maha Devi clothing locally as an option any longer, simply stating, “It's not possible. We would need to have our own factory. The cost would have to go up. People would have to pay much more for our product. Because it's a global industry, and

over 12,000 years. The website goes on to state that there are over 25,000 uses for hemp, from clothing to bio-diesel. Hemp fuel burns clean and does not destroy the ozone layer or cause acid rain as fuel derived from oil does. The list of ethical and logical benefits to hemp goes on, and according to the website, apparently even the American declaration of independence was signed on hemp. Up until the earliest decades of the last century, hemp was known as a cash crop, which is a crop produced in industrial quantities for its commercial value and use, like coffee and cotton.

Between 1916 and 1937, William Randolph Hearst and Pierre DuPont succeeded in their campaign to outlaw hemp in America by drawing a correlation in the minds of the public to hemp's evil cousin marijuana. Under this prohibition, many of the products that were previously made from hemp needed to be made from trees and synthetic materials. Interestingly, Hearst was a major investor in lumber and paper mills; DuPont in synthetic fibres and petroleum.

While China is the leading world producer of hemp in 2011, it remains illegal in the United States, whereas the Canadian ban was lifted in // Alexandra Gordeyeva May of 1998. It is at this time, according to Health because big companies like Lululemon, just as an Canada, that the Canadian government began isexample, are having their stuff made [overseas], suing its first licenses for the growth of industrial we can't compete with the prices.” hemp for commercial use.

But there is good news – they are happily supNOMADS WALK IN STYLE porting a factory in China that is well on its way to being certified fair trade. It's a small factory, Louis Seguin, one of the co-founders of Nomads but the eco-friendly material provided is some of Hemp Wear (nomadshempwear.com), laughs off the best Emmerson has ever worked with. “Un- the notion that hemp has hurt their product: “The like other suppliers, the material lasted [much fact that our clothing is green and [made out of] longer]. Buying sustainable clothing is great, but hemp is just a bonus.” if it falls apart, then you have to buy three times Selling his products to certain smoke shops, as much sustainable clothing, and that's not such as Puff, he acknowledges he does come sustainable either.” with certain biases, but the Nomads line is inEmmerson feels confident in the direction of creasingly finding a home in eco-shops where her company while acknowledging the concerns the hemp factor is getting attention for its sustainshe and her partner believe their clientele has. ability rather than its association with marijuana.

“The place that we have that makes our fabric in “Hemp clothing is probably the oldest clothing China is doing all of our sewing, and also our tags that's been around. It hit the mainstream market and everything else, so in a strange way our car- again 15, 20 years ago, and that was when it was bon footprint is actually going to be a bit smaller, really rough. It's merged with new technology, and we're going to be more effective streamlin- which is helping, because now we have really ing, bringing our cost down for our customers nice fabrics,” Seguin says. and making things a little more accessible.”

On the subject of environmental impact, SeAfter five years, Maha Devi continues to grow, guin encourages people to take the eco aspects and their values and commitment to ethical and environmental impact of Nomads for grantclothing is resonating with their customers. “We ed: “We want you to like the style. We're focusmake it personal. Our clothing is who we are … ing much more on the design and the fabric. It people can relate to us. We're not just there for has to be comfortable, and people have to like sport, it's a lifestyle choice. And I think when it. People want to buy something that's green, people wear our clothes they know there's some- but they want to buy something that they like thing special and different … that's often our first of all. [People] will buy something not bebiggest compliment, that we're different. I think cause it's green, but because they look good in that's because we continue to make things from it. As we started we wanted to be green, but as our hearts. It really is a reflection of what we want we move along we're keeping these values but to wear and what we want to see in our clothes.” things evolve.”

From shopping locally, to buying sustainable ROLL ONE, SMOKE ONE, WEAR ONE? fabrics or Fair Trade Certified products, there There appears to be a prevalent bias against are dozens of concerns shoppers can bring to hemp clothing as being made for hippies by hip- the table. It is not simple enough to accept that pies. On Oct. 5, 2011, Jon Stewart suggested on because something is labeled organic, it is going The Daily Show that the credibility of Occupy to be more ethical than other products. As the Wall Street protesters was in question as many world moves towards more sustainable practicof them “smoke and wear pants made out of pot.” es, it is important to always ask questions along Stewart is a funny guy, but since hemp and mari- the way. One thing to remember is that consumjuana are not the same plant, the question has ers drive change – just look at the organics secto be asked: where did this bias against hemp tion in Walmart – and that social media is powercome from? ful for a reason. Making your desires known will According to the website www.hemp.com, deliver results that last long after your Christmas hemp has been cultivated by civilizations for list has been crossed off.

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In Vancouver, there is a prevalent community participating in creating alternatives to the traditional shopping mall trip. In the buildup to Christmas, there are a number of events happening around the Greater Vancouver Area, such as the One of a Kind Show Vancouver, happening December 8-11 at the New Vancouver Convention Centre, and the Portebello West Fashion and Art Market at the Creekside Community Recreation Centre, November 26 & 27 and December 10 & 11.

A quick Google search reveals that there are dozens more different craft shows happening in Vancouver, with literally thousands of artists and designers featuring their work. The importance of these markets are that they give many designers the chance to get their start at building a client base, while allowing shoppers to explore the culture of locally-made fashion and handicrafts.

“Oftentimes, artisans and designers are focused on making their art and don't have the time or finances to really reach a vast audience of shoppers,” says Ally Day, show director of One of A Kind Vancouver. “Since many don’t often have the means for a retail space this is a wonderful avenue for them to explore and meet their customers face-to-face. One of the most rewarding parts of our job is promoting our artist's work to the rest of the country.”

Day believes in the integrity that goes along with shopping locally, and acknowledges that some of her artists have no desire to expand. “[The] quality of work gets lessened with the more people that get involved. We recently had an extremely talented ceramics artists turn down a considerable commission for a very well established hotel chain because she didn't want to lose the authenticity of her work being handmade.”

Despite this, Day believes that local artisans are open to fixing and replacing defective products – one of the benefits of big business offers. “[The artists] take great pride in their work, so if it is damaged they are passionate about not only repairing the piece, but also repairing the experience the consumer has had.”

as the International Labour Organization, Oxfam, and China Labor Watch, that are involved in monitoring and advocating for ethical working conditions in countries across the globe. According to the International Labour Organization, more than 215 million children work full-time around the globe, most of whom are doing so in questionable conditions.

China Labor Watch, founded in 2000, is a nonprofit organization that collaborates with unions, trade organizations, and the media to investigate working conditions for Chinese suppliers of everything from bikes and books to clothing and electronics for larger US based companies. According to CLW's website, they “create reports from these investigations, educate the international community on supply chain labor issues, and pressure corporations to improve conditions for workers.” In addition to that, they work locally in China to help educate workers about collective bargaining and legal rights. They have successfully been reviewing and bringing attention to the labour practices of companies such as Adidas, Timberland, and Puma.

A 2008 report on the Dongguan Surpassing Shoe Co. Ltd, where Puma shoes are produced, described devastating conditions. The online report states, “Workers are forced to work overtime, working about 12 hours a day on weekdays, [and] at least 11.5 hours and sometimes even overnight on Saturdays. Workers are paid 64 cents an hour for each regular hour. Excessive fines are in place; workers could be fired and given a $43.35 USD fine if they refuse to work overtime up to three times.”

Despite the appalling business practices of some large companies, brand name products still dominate the fashion world. In the digital age, bloggers are often given samples of new products, with the opportunity to try them, review them , and create buzz on the web.

“Larger companies have larger marketing budgets – they can afford to reach out to the tastemakers of media and get their products pushed,” says fashion blogger Kathryn Anne Flynn of ellegentsia.com. “That's not to say those products [from larger companies] are unethical, they've just got more money behind them.”

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‘DUMPING’ THE LOAD OFF OUR MINDS The inadequacies of donating to charities

By Evelyn Cranston // staff writer

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apitalism encourages us to acquire as much as possible, and if we were a colony of robots, this wouldn’t be a problem.

As humans, however, examining global disparity leaves us with a moral imperative to act for the good of others.

Because we in the privileged West have so much and others in the world seem to have so little, it may appear that sending our material excesses overseas to the poverty-stricken is a winwin situation. We feel good about minimizing our possessions, while the “poor others” get the items they need.

Reality differs slightly, however; the recipients of our well-intentioned donations often do not receive neither what they need nor want, but rather what we perceive will materialistically better their lives. We are thus using foreign countries and their citizens as outlets to unload our guilt and dump off what we no longer want, leaving us turning a blind eye to the consequences.

This process is known as "dumping", and although not every charitable organization is guilty of this, the ones that are may be doing more harm than good.

Dambisa Moyo, PhD in economics and author of Dead Aid, explains, “The aid model is couched in the sense that Africans are not capable of doing it themselves.” As a Zambian, she understands firsthand the damage that well-intentioned aid can do to a country.

Dead Aid focuses mainly on analyses of largescale international government aid programs, but Moyo advises a critical approach to aid of any sort. She directly links overseas humanitarian aid to rising rates of poverty, showing that aid fosters dependence from the receiving country to the one that is giving, thus perpetuating the cycle of poverty instead of solving the problems at their root.

She continues, “The American society does sponsored child, creating the impression of a not operate by sitting around and waiting for personal connection. However, Schimmelpfenhandouts, why should we as Africans?” nig points out a major possible flaw with these programs – when someone sponsors a child, MONEY TALKS an inexpensive money wiring and bank transfer Saundra Schimmelpfennig is the author a blog program is set up to that child, but what has hapcalled Good Intentions Are Not Enough who pened in the past is that “the less honest princiworked in a non-governmental organization pals [of the child’s school] would either get the (NGO) co-ordinating office in Thailand after the child’s bank account set up to their name, and get 2004 tsunami. the money transferred to the school or himself She states, “What we saw was a lot of aid that instead of the child, or they’d open up bank acleft people no better off than if they hadn’t re- counts in multiple banks, taking each non-profit ceived it, or sometimes even worse off … I’m pos- to a new bank and the bank wouldn’t tip the nonitive that nobody set out to make things worse, profit off that the kid had already got a sponsorbut good intentions are not enough, it takes more ship somewhere else,” she explains. than that.”

What could end up happening is one child getTo ensure donors were making wise choices, ting five or six sponsorships, principals receiving she developed a current events blog and an edu- misdirected money, and the neediest children cational Charity Rater tool. The first dimension getting overlooked. of the Charity Rater examines the finances of When choosing an NGO to donate to, another an NGO. aspect to consider is their financial processes Schimmelpfennig says, “I try to immediately and internal structure. Schimmelpfennig says, dispel the myth that administrative costs are “There’s a lot of embezzling that can happen if what you should be looking for.” She explains that there are not the same checks and balances that when choosing a project or group to donate to, a company might have in place.” many look at the administrative costs and judge NGOs should have annual audit reports availthat the higher the proportion, the less effective able to the public, to ensure accountability. As their donation will be: “Low admin cost is abso- well, she advises that the governing board should lutely zero indicator of how effective a non-profit be made up of at least five members who all is … Non-profits have learned to manipulate it.” come from a diverse background, and are not High administration costs can also be linked closely related to the senior management. to fair staff wages, a positive aspect of an NGO, Greg Mortenson, founder of the Central Asia especially if the positions are creating jobs for the Institute and author of Three Cups of Tea, has relocal economy. cently come under fire for accusations of fraud.

With the holidays around the corner, many The book had gained enormous popularity, with thoughtfully see sponsoring a child in another millions of well-meaning dollars funnelled into country as a conscious alternative to a physical the Institute; books went flying off the shelves as present. The administrative costs of these pro- Christmas presents. When put in the spotlight, grams are exceptionally low, making them look however, the Institute was exposed to show very cost-effective, and because getting matched up little accomplishments, and the book proved to with a sponsor child is quick and easy, fulfillment have fabricated elements. comes fast.

These issues could have been predicted, acIn most cases, the company will provide the cording to Schimmelpfennig: “The governing donor with a photo and small write-up of the board only had three people on it, and one of

those three people was Greg Mortenson (also senior director and founder). There was no separation of power, and not enough other voices to counter balance or outvote him.” Saundra also highlights the irony of “having a governing board of all wealthy white males in the US, doing activities for poor females of a minority population in a developing country.”

ISN’T IT IRONIC? How either an NGO or an individual chooses to donate is extremely important. There’s evidence that donating physical goods to developing countries is not only ineffectual and essentially useless, but actually detrimental to the well-being of local economies, and undermines efforts of cultural preservation.

Charitable marketing is a tool employed by Ethos water at Starbucks, Pink Ribbon products, TOMS Shoes or The Gap’s product (RED) line, among many others. The idea is that people will buy bottled water, socks, shoes, and t-shirts anyway, so with the money spent going towards a “good cause”, these purchases will increase the total amount of funds raised for that cause.

It is also believed that this model alleviates the consumer’s feelings of personal guilt and responsibility that may arise when shopping. While gift shopping, it can be tempting to purchase items that have the added bonus of “giving back”.

Aradhna Krishna of the University of Michigan published a study in the Journal of Consumer Psychology that challenged assumptions surrounding charitable marketing. She found that this buying pattern decreases total donations, because people substitute charitable consumption for direct donations.

Sending physical goods overseas can also harm industries in recipient countries. Garth Frazer published in the Economic Journal that, as reported in Foreign Policy Magazine, usedclothing donations cut employment in the apparel industry in Africa by half from 1981 to 2000.

Schimmelpfennig states that because of job loss,

f e atu r e s “you’re actually increasing the number of people who need assistance, rather than decreasing it.”

Phil from the blog Phil in the Blank states, “Our flawed perception of Africa has done such a good job stripping Africans of agency that we find it hard to believe that Africans can start and run their own enterprises.”

Children overseas sport Tim Hortons' summer camp shirts and tattered ADIDAS shorts, while local textile industries flounder and fail. Ironically, many of these donated garments were originally produced within that country, so the products are coming full circle. When donating excess or used clothing, local merchants who produce authentic, symbolic, and cultural garments, often using locally sourced fabrics and dyes, lose their economic stability.

Instead of prosperous artists and workers expressing culture through clothing, what’s left is a failing local economy and residents bearing the products and brands of Western culture. In addition, the costs of collecting, shipping, and distributing donations to remote areas far outweigh the cost of buying the same product within a community.

Schimmelpfennig recalls a story about working in post-disaster Thailand, saying, “Far more clothing was donated than was wanted. Clothes would become these enormous heaps in the middle of the temporary camps … Children were playing on them, they were attempting to burn the clothing for fuel. Suddenly, the temporary camps couldn’t take any more clothing. So when these truckloads of clothing would show up, they’d turn them away. The trucks would go from camp to camp and no one would accept more clothing. The truck drivers however, were paid to deliver the goods. They got to the point where they were dumping the clothing beside the road, so they could return with an empty truck. What would happen was that the livestock that were out grazing were getting into the clothing and choking on it. Some people had to stop the relief effort to clean up the clothing so people weren’t losing their livelihoods.”

She visited an NGO office one year after the disaster to find a seven-car parking lot filled with head-height crates storing excess clothing donations.

Where does our desire to throw our castoff clothing at other people come from? Schimmelpfennig’s theory is that it is partly related to the environmental movement: we’ve become more aware of the trash we produce and the consequences it has on ecosystems. However, she explains, “We don’t realize that very often, it just becomes trash in another country. We’re sending a mass amount of unusable goods to someone else’s garbage dump.”

BAND-AID SOLUTIONS

ing the lives of consumers, rather than recipients.

If someone was truly concerned about soil-transmitted diseases, or a child not being able to attend school because they don’t have shoes, they could donate money to fund sustainable, local initiatives that would ensure the children’s families make enough to pay for locally-produced and lasting footwear.

Food is another arena of inappropriate giving.

Economist Amartya Sen, in her book Poverty and Famines, shows conclusive proof that people do not die of starvation because there is no food

nations. Our goal is for 100,000 children to have their physical and spiritual needs met by (one of our) programs.”

Feed the Hungry distributes food bought with donation dollars, with a side serving of faith. The Canadian branch website states, “With each distribution we ensure that people have the opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While physical food will only last for a short time, the people are also given the Bread of Life that will last for eternity.”

The faith aspect of Feed the Hungry is not unique, but is unfortunately reminiscent of widespread Christianization in Africa during the colonial period. Feed the Hungry is built on a foundation of giving, again ignoring that cyclic poverty, not scarcity, leaves empty bellies.

Not only does their organizational framework hold food hostage for acceptance of bible literalism, it fails to grasp a basic understanding of sustainable development.

Engineers without Borders – University of Calgary Branch founder David Damberger believes that we need to embrace and accept development failure. At a Tedx event, he discussed a clean water project where eager engineering students constructed gravity fed water systems in Malawi.

Returning to the project site one year later, they found that 80 per cent of the taps were broken and unusable. As well, they noticed defunct taps from a previous NGO undertaking. He states, “Even though the infrastructure was built, there was no thinking about who was going to maintain the system.”

Building empty projects that lack a structure for sustainability is a pattern we avert our eyes to in development.

Damberger says, “It feels a lot better when your money goes to something tangible, like a well, or a school, or giving a family a goat. It’s not as sexy or easy to tell your friends that you helped fund a water committee or paid for teacher’s salaries.” Ignoring failures in development leaves us in a predictable routine of constructing short term projects, watching them fail, and then rebuilding.

DIGNITY IN CHOICE

to “children in need”, as per their website. As of September 2010, one million pairs had been distributed. Their motivation is the prevalence of diseases transmitted by soil, through open wounds on bare feet, as well as rounding off the necessary uniform requirements for a child to attend school.

These are indeed problems, but donating TOMS Shoes is not a viable and effective means of ending them. Their website states, “Giving is what fuels us, giving is our future.” Giving is the operational word that the company is founded upon, but giving is the root problem. The company has created the misconception that there are no shoes available in the countries they donate to, when in fact there is no shortage of shoes, people willing to make shoes, or materials to construct them.

The shoes donated by Tom’s are expected to last approximately one year, likely less with heavy usage, before they wear out. This is a feel good, pseudo-development initiative, aimed at improv-

// Illustrations by Kira Campbell available in their country; people starve to death because they can’t afford to buy food. Food may be plentiful, but is unequally distributed.

Even during crises, such as drought, Charles Kenny, a senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development, writes in an article for Foreign Policy Magazine, “Shipping US food abroad in response to humanitarian disasters is so cumbersome it takes four to six months to get there after the crisis begins. Buying food locally, the US Government Accountability Office has found, would be 25 per cent cheaper and considerably faster, too.”

It’s true that richer countries have a responsibility to assist other countries, but critical analysis is required to determine if development actions are supportive, or detrimental to progress.

LeSEA Global Feed the Hungry is a registered charity based around preventing death due to malnutrition. One program initiative aims to “supply nutritious, daily meals to vulnerable children living in the world's least developed

This season is the time of giving, but it’s clear that donations of physical goods, food, or projects are not effective means of development.

What’s a well-meaning well off individual to do? Schimmelpfennig advises, “Money. Always donate money instead. Even locally, money is a better donation.”

She notes that many people feel like giving money is crass, whereas the physical acts of gathering, packaging, and shipping donated goods show more consideration and care. However, money presents a choice – and as she puts it, “there’s dignity in choice.”

As research done at the University of Oslo states, “Poverty does not only entail material hardship, but [it] also humiliates. Poverty wreaks psychological havoc, in addition to and connected with material misery.”

Asking for help, aid or assistance can be a humiliating process and dignity is not a small matter. Stripping dignity from someone by dumping unneeded products into their country or cornering them into situations without choices is the last thing a person in dire straits needs.

When choosing an organization to donate to, or participating in charitable consumption, it’s to everyone’s benefit to analyze the situation wholly. Ask yourself if the donation will maintain the dignity of the recipient people and if it will be effective and sustainable. With careful, considerate actions, everyone can enjoy the season of giving.

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World Vision recently accepted over 100,000 pre-printed NFL Super Bowl loser team products. World Vision states, “[We] identify countries and communities in need overseas who will benefit from the gear. This year’s unused Super Bowl merchandise will make its way to Zambia, Armenia, Nicaragua, and Romania in the months to come. On average, this equates to … $2 million worth of product that, instead of being destroyed, will help children and adults in need.”

Are children and adults in developing countries really in need of t-shirts when, according to UNICEF, preventable diseases claim an average of 21 children per minute? World Vision and the NFL are constructing positive reputations, rather than providing essential products. They’re using recipient countries as self-serving, romanticized, glorified landfills.

The blog Tales from the Hood covers “rants, raves, and a few confessions about humanitar-

ian aid work.” In early 2010, they produced the SWEDOW (Stuff We Don’t Want) award list.

Knickers 4 Africa, now non-operational, took first place. Their mission was to donate, according to the blog, “gently used knickers [underwear] … to a knicker-less woman in the country of ‘Africa’.”

Runners-up included Little Dresses for Africa (donating dresses sewn from pillowcases) and Soles 4 Souls (distributing plastic sandals).

TOMS Shoes, ubiquitous on campus and overseas, follows a model that for every pair of shoes bought, the company donates one pair

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EDIT OR // Cl aire Vul l iamy // arts @ c api l ano c o uri e r. c o m

OUT OF THE SPEAKERS New albums come alive

Arts Sh ort s

Terra Madre Day W2 Media Café – Nov. 19, 2011

beautiful voice flies miles above the drum and

By JJ Brewis synth heavy sounds her bandmates create. Out// Art director fitted in a showy glittered cape, she was only s the year rounds to a close, touring given a run for her money by her male keyboardbands head home to spend time with ists' scandalously short-shorts and the backup their families. With the roads too dan- singer's Cleopatra-channelling beaded bra. gerous to tread from city to city, the end of fall Stelmanis was certainly in her zone, performing also coincides with a lack of live concerts. Luckily, interpretive hand motions the entire set. Near the before they packed it in, a handful of the artists end of the night, the group invited an attentionwho released some of the best new music in 2011 seeking pal on-stage to perform a dance that mostopped through Vancouver to give us a taste of mentarily captured the audience just out of sheer their live material. confusion. But in the end, Stelmanis and her voice really made everyone question if Austra is YOU, APPEARING actually a band, or just an expanded solo project.

M83 CACTUS IN THE VALLEY For French indie electro pop, it doesn’t come any Lights better than M83, the five-piece group named after a nearby galaxy, whose foundation is vocalist At a modest 24 years old, Canadian radio favouand writer Anthony Gonzales. On the heels of rite Lights has already traveled the world with their recent double album, the acclaimed 2011 both of her albums, and she certainly gave her Hurry Up I'm Dreaming, the group are seeing a young fans at The Vogue their money's worth. wave of popularity after being featured in a string The former Valerie Poxleitner humbly thanked of ad spots, including Victoria’s Secret. the crowd, including her parents who live in Gonzalez gave the crowd exactly what they town, expressing a genuine gratitude for where were looking for, and used the rest of his stage she is today. time to wail about freely in guitar solos and exWith her recent sophomore Siberia cutting tended versions of instrumental tracks, such as a more mature cloth for the singer, the slightly closer "Couleurs", which singularly took up a crunchier tracks made a more layered set list, quarter of the band's set. Fittingly opening with including a pair of songs that saw guest-starring "Intro" from Dreaming, it was clear that these rapper Shad join her on stage. Straddling halfsongs are meant to be heard live. On breakout way between alternative pop and stadium capasingle "Kim and Jessie", the synths and keys did bilities, she seems perfectly comfortable at these all the heavy lifting, only moments before moving medium sized venues, making her way around into "Year One, One UFO", which had the group the stage from a cappella piano ballads like pounding heavily on percussion.

"Pretend" to the synth and keytar-driven tracks Gonzalez began the evening by entering the like newest single "Toes". But when she leaves her stage wearing the monster mask seen on the instruments behind, like on set closer "The Last cover of their sample-heavy single, "Midnight Thing On Your Mind" she works the crowd with City”, lifting his arms triumphantly, as the crowd high-fives and Avril-style energy. stood snapping photos of the spectacle. As he Multi-faceted as she is as a performer, Lights re-emerged with his band sans mask, it was has a great batch of pop tunes, and it's fair to see hard not to question if the performance was why her fans show up in droves. Between-song Gonzales' way of personifying the creature with- banter had the chanteuse sharing inside jokes in the album's melancholy. with the crowd, creating a friendly back-andforth that will have her fans tweeting for days.

DARKEN HER HORSE Austra WE BROS WU LYF (World Unite Lucifer Youth Promoting their debut album Let It Break, Foundation) Toronto act Austra gave their fans a lot to take in during a late show at The Electric Owl. The group, In one of the strangest live music experiences named after lead singer Katie Stelmanis' middle of the season, Manchester, England's WU LYF name, proved both their musical chops and dra- made a chaotic Vancouver debut at The Electric matic eccentricities early on.

Owl. Sporting only a pair of too-big dress pants Like a detached lovechild of Kate Bush and and a too-tight torn denim jacket with the band's Peter Gabriel, Stelmanis lets her classically logo across the back, singer Elle Jaie (Ellery trained pipes literally do all the talking, as her Roberts) made an impression right away.

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// Stefan Tosheff Halfway through the band's opening track, he started replacing lyrics with messages to the sound mixer. "I would really appreciate it if I could hear myself in my mother fucking monitor," he sang, while his band marched off without batting an eyelash.

The rest of the set was much of the same. With Roberts' snide attitude flying off the walls, the crowd soon became a massive shirtless, sweaty mess, with a literal fist fight breaking out halfway, glasses breaking, and crowd members pushed onto stage knocking over and unplugging the electrical equipment.

It's hard to discern between passion and indignance, yet when the raspy singer slapped down his microphone stand, it seemed out of sheer spontaneity in the moment, not a preconceived move of rebellion. The group, well known for their lack of press appearances, are in a way saying "fuck you" to the industry, just as much as Roberts did to the people in the front row who asked for a fist bump and got a middle finger.

When he does hunker down, Roberts and his group make a great blend of loud indie pop, but onstage, his wild approach distracts from the music.

MAKE IT GOLD Ohbijou As a polar opposite, Toronto orchestral pop ensemble Ohbijou warmed the hearts of a packed Biltmore, with a crowd so thick it was hard to see the string section sitting down with their instruments. Vocalist Casey Mecija holds all of the endearing charm necessary to front such a large group, telling road stories in between tracks, such as the innocent tale of confusing a sack of vegetables for a "bag of green" across the US border.

In action, every band member looked completely enraptured with their own performance, as if part of a bar-sized symphony, complete with cello and violin. The interesting facet in their set is how each song tells a different story musically, showing that they're not really content staying in one place too long in terms of tone.

The mellow tracks feel unexpectedly emotional, with so many interweaving threads combining together to one feeling. When Mecija sings "Give me some loving, 'cause I've been thinking about dying under heavy snow" from "Thunderlove", it's easy to see everyone in the room tearing at the seams as much as she was when she wrote it. The entire show felt like the perfect precursor to the first day of snow, blending comforting melodies with the feeling of a change in season.

“Good, clean and fair food” was the slogan seen around W2 last Saturday as local farmers, small garden growers, and ecoand health-conscious citizens gathered to take part in Terra Madre Day. Excited and knowledgeable vendors from all different sectors of the food industry lined the atrium of W2 and handed out a variety of goodies including free organic soups, tasters of delicious organic breads, wild boar paté, apple jam, brown carrots, and various other intriguing and sustainable foods. Information on local community farms as well as how-tos on jarring, bread making, and gardening were also available amongst the vendors.

The event was put on by Slowfood Vancouver, and they describe it as a place where the community can come together to meet, support, and learn from “small-scale farmers, producers, cooks, students, and members [who are] using their creativity and knowledge to build a better food future.”

The theme of the event was “The Joy of Preserving” and focus was placed on traditional ways of preserving food as a way to create better food and agricultural sustainability. By learning food preservation techniques, people are better able to save food that might not otherwise last, and consume less as a result. Also, by eating fresh fruits and vegetables only when they are in season, and preserving them for the other parts of the year when they are not, means people can buy more locally and greatly reduce the carbon footprint of what they eat. Various seminars took place throughout the evening that focused on traditional food preserving techniques, and were geared toward helping people make conscious dietary choices.

Each seminar was packed, with eager participants ready to learn about how to make paneer with Meerhu Dahlwala of Vij’s and Rangoli, or sausage making tips and tricks with Mark Brand of Save On Meats. Other demos included “Make your own hazelnut body rub”; “Reducing waste”; “Wind drying salmon”; and “Lacto Fermented Cabbage Juice.”

The crowd at Terra Madre Day left with a full belly and a better understanding of what can be done to create greater food sustainability.

By Leanne Kriz // Writer

A r ts

A Toast to Freedom Amnesty International Film Festival comes to Vancouver understated but nonetheless an enjoyable and informative piece. Though Magnitsky’s case has provoked international outcry, there might easily be countless others like it that go completely unsaid and without justice.

By Jonty Davies // Ad + Events manager

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years ago Amnesty International lit its first candle for freedom; now the struggle for human rights lights up the cinema screen.

Over the weekend of Nov. 17-20, the Amnesty International Film Festival came to SFU Harbor Centre in Downtown Vancouver, and with it brought a stark reality check. The festival is an effective incarnation of the organization behind it, Amnesty International, a non-profit concerned with with exposing human rights violations throughout the world. It also promotes ways the conscious public can contribute to ending it – be it writing to a Social Policy Minster in Serbia or participating in a candlelight vigil in Portugal.

The film festival was a showcase of just a few of the many international abuses of basic rights and at the same time a call to action. Though the films rarely shared subject matter, they were all consistent in their message: freedom is a beautiful right, but it is too widely unattained, often due to unspeakable brutality.

Blood in the Mobile by Frank Piasecki Poulsen (Germany/Denmark)

Kimjongilia by N.C. Heikin (USA/France/South Korea)

For more on how to help visit http://www.northkoreanrefugees.com/ and http://www.helpinghandskorea.org/.

The Price of Sex by Mimi Chakarova (USA) Oppression takes many forms, but few are quite as physically violating and psychologically imprisoning as the forced sex trade. Mimi Chakarova’s exploration of the Eastern European trade is very tough. She follows the stories of survivors who were taken from their homes in the northern Soviet Bloc only to be sold and

// Camille Segur blackmailed as they are moved south.

Filming undercover, Chakarova dives directly into the heart of darkness in the terminus stations of sex traffic in Europe and the Middle East. Chakarova is a photojournalist by trade and much of her imagery is very well composed.

The sexual slums she visits are dark and intimidating places, and while her undercover filming never really produces anything too tangible, the oppression of the sex trade is clear to the viewer.

Sexual slavery is a reality for many young girls in Eastern Europe, but there is something to be said about its often unheralded existence in the rest of the world, including Vancouver.

The Medellin poetry festival in Columbia; monk revolution in Burma; street artists in Iran; the rehabilitation of child soldiers in Liberia; photographers in the slums of Brazil; hip-hoppers amidst the Palestine/Israel conflict. All are part of the collage featured in Cultures of Resistance, an exploration of dedicated subversion. The film shows groups around the world who use art and voice to expose injustice, and present constructive alternatives.

Cultures provided an eloquent summary of the festival as its lack of cohesive narrative creates a more generalized approach to addressing the many issues Amnesty International itself deals with. This element of the festival makes a point to reveal these issues not to depress us or guilt us but to inspire us.

The films featured in the festival show us that while most of us enjoy the freedoms inherent in basic human rights, there are too many that do not. There’s much that can be done to make a difference even in the smallest ways, and there are people out there who dedicate themselves earnestly to this.

From the gulags of North Korea, to the jungles of the Congo, to our homes, we all deserve a world of freedom, understanding and justice.

For more on Congolese conflict minerals and For more information of the activity of refugees go to http://www.warchild.org.uk and Amnesty International visit www.amnesty.ca or http://www.refugeesinternational.org/ and call 1-800-AMNESTY (1-800-266-3789). http://www.friendsofthecongo.org/.

great upcoming event! Musical Volunteers Needed!

Vancouver groups fighting human trafficking are http://justiceeducation.ca/ and http://wecanbc. ca/.

Justice for Sergei by Hans Hermans and Martin Maat (Netherlands) Until the 18th century, official corruption in Russia was technically legal. Things had gotten so good under the infrastructural development of Peter the Great that during his reign, bribery began to outsource salary as the main source of income for officials.

Though this was eventually outlawed, flash forward to the 21st century: Russian president Vladimir Putin’s maneuvering of the legalities of power has assured him an almost unchallenged rule over the nation and its industry. Though such maneuvers are very difficult to follow or certainly expose, Russia is a nation where governmental corruption is a very real thing.

Sergei Magnitsky of Justice for Sergei was simply a tax lawyer at an affluent firm that stumbled upon the largest tax fraud in Russian history: a $230 million fraudulent reclamation committed by government officials. Upon trying to expose it with pure intentions of citizenship, he was incarcerated without trial and died shortly afterwards in prison under questionable circumstances.

Justice is a unique film in that using almost exclusively talking heads, it weaves a rather potent tale of political and corporate espionage. The film is

the capilano courier | vol. 45 issue 12

North Korea is a nation of 24 million and it exists in a state of Orwellian nightmare. With 20 per cent of its male population in the armed forces, it stands as the most militarized country in the world. Its extreme isolation from the rest of the world and elaborate cult of personality around its leader Kim Jong-il have made it both a bizarre question mark and a grave concern.

Named for the flower honouring the “Dear Leader”, Kimjongilia follows the stories of escapees of the country’s oppressive state. Delivered mainly through talking heads, terrible stories of famine and unjust imprisonment color the grey panorama of a failed industrial wasteland.

The decrepit national economy is built in part on the forced labor of prison camps. Indefinite incarceration comes quickly and unpredictably, and the slightest of offences is punishable by immediate execution. Escape is difficult, the only hope being a treacherous passage through China guided by brave expatriates.

We meet several of these refugees, and from them, we learn some of the truths about one of the world’s most secretive nations. Byeon OkSoon tells us how she was forced to watch her mother and brother executed over a false accusation of salt theft, and Shin Dong-hyuk was born in a prison camp and raised to be a slave.

With no knowledge of the outside, world he made a bid for escape with a friend. His friend didn’t make it past the electrified fence, but Shin Dong-hyuk did – to finally start his life at the age of 24. Though the film isn’t crafted too well, the stories are powerful.

As consumers, we influence the world around us through what we buy. Blood in the Mobile explores the horrific circumstances surrounding the mining of Coltan and Tantulum – minerals present in every cell phone – in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The film shows Danish director Frank Poulsen’s crusade to expose mobile phone giant Nokia’s exploitation of mineral mining in the DRC, which is characterized by slave labor and ultraviolent conflict.

The first half of the film sees Poulsen being led to a mine in the depths of the dangerous Congolese wilderness by the 16-year-old sole survivor of a recent massacre. The terror is palpable throughout the entire trek and reaches a fever pitch inside the mine. The second half features Poulsen on a Michael Moore-esque campaign through the offices of Nokia full of vapid rhetoric from the company’s social responsibility representatives.

Cultures of Resistance by Iara Lee (USA)

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The Future of Bikes is Bright and Loud So if someone hits you, it’s totally their fault

// Britta Bachus

By Katherine Alpen // writer

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hen people love bikes, they really, really love bikes. As well as being the most fuel-efficient vehicle on earth, they have a lot to offer their riders apart from economic advantages. They are conduits of the rider’s personality, and are much easier to decorate than cars, though there are local standouts such as the boxy white car entirely covered with alphabetical fridge magnets and the VW Bug buried under knick-knacks. And, while you probably can’t fit as many plastic toys on your bike as on the VW Bug, there are a new breed of cyclists that think of the two-wheeled contraptions as having aesthetic purposes as well as practical ones.

It's interesting to wonder whether the next new reality show coming up might be Pimp My Bike; just add speakers.

But we’re not talking tassels and baskets, as lovely as they might be; this new age has more flare. Just take a look at scraper bikes: the practice involves decorating the wheels of bikes, mainly the spokes, with coloured tape or spray painted aluminum. It’s reminiscent of the little bead noisemakers that were popular on 90’s kid bikes, but this time around, it’s involving an older crowd. Supposedly started by Tyrone “Baby Champ” Stevenson, the craze is mostly concentrated in Oakland, California, but the YouTube video created by scraper enthusiasts is already passing 3 million views, and DIY scraper tutorials are popping up everywhere.

Vancouver Hack Space is a community centre where engineers and other creative builder types hook up to consult, construct, and bounce the latest circuitry models off one another. Their output extends to business: they offer a glow-bike kit called the cycEL, which gives the cyclist the equipment to turn their bike into a rolling light sabre. The kit is available for order through their website, along with a nine-page manual for assembly. They also offer sound activated drivers for a bit of extra cash, which makes a perfect mate for a bike radio. The safety benefits are also admirable, considering you’d have to be a bat wearing a blindfold to miss one of these decked-out bikes crossing a dark intersection.

Similar to the cycEL, MonkeyLectric is a company that offers LED decorations for cyclists.

Their most popular light is called the Monkeylight, and creates colourful patterns when the bike wheels are in motion.

Lauren Rains, who works with MonkeyLectric, explains, “Though theft remains an important factor preventing people from investing more in their commuting bicycle, as more people choose cycling as a mode of transportation, more people are investing in making their ride look good.”

When considering safety benefits, customers have not been mute: “The feedback that we receive regarding our Monkey Lights is almost always regarding the increased visibility that cyclists feel.”

Stylish cyclists are interested in more than just accessories. Jett Grrl, a full service bike studio offering custom bike assembly, repairs, tune-ups, and classes on bike mechanics, is thriving off the interest in custom bikes, with demand of about one custom bike per week.

The studio also has a focus on women in biking: before moving out west, the company originated from a group called Wenches with Wrenches from Toronto.

Tracy Myerson, the one-woman operator and bike mechanic of the shop, says that primarily, these custom bikes are meant to get you where you want to go. “They are all meant to be used daily … All of my customers want their bike to function perfectly, for a long time, and then they want them to express their personal taste.”

That personal taste can be rather colourful: “The oddest, most fun bike I’ve done recently

was candy apple-red with sparkles in the paint, one orange wheel, and one celeste-green [on the] other wheel, with all orange and celestegreen accents.”

The Jet Grrl bike gallery also boasts many other creations, including an entirely pink fixie bike with flower-patterned rim tape and a baby blue chain. Many of the studio’s custom bikes are fixies, or fixed-gear bicycles, the ultimate in fashion bikes.

The fixie bike trend peaked a while ago, but shows no sign of slowing down. Then again, it’s pretty hard to slow down on a fixie bike: with no brakes, the only way to stop is to resist on the pedals, but the real catch is that the pedals have to be constantly in motion in order for the bike to move forward.

Brent Hillier, a mountain bike guide for Endless Biking in North Vancouver, had this to say on the topic: “Fixie bikes are the original bike, as simple as it gets, pretty much.

They started in velodrome track racing, and how they got brought into the urban environment was by couriers, because no one steals fixie bikes.”

So whether it be a glow bike or a fixie, a common theme with custom rides is that more people are looking to cycling being a part of their daily lives. It might be for safety reasons, or it might be for style; either way, it bodes well for our air. It also speaks well for the next wave of consumers having a conscience when it comes to how they move around in the world. And hey, you might as well look good doing it.

Where there’s smoked meat, there’s fire Biting into Montreal’s most distinctive delicacy

By Angus Sharpe // The mcgill daily (mcgill university)

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ONTREAL (CUP) – Smoked meat is a bit of a cult, if you ask me. On my first morning here in Montreal, I walked past these tiny stores with line-ups snaking out the door. This didn’t seem too odd at first, but when they hadn’t subsided a week later, I decided to ask someone about them. The response: a sermon about the supernatural qualities of the “original smoked meat sandwich” which left me skeptical.

However, after the inevitable curiosity visit, and my anointment in an uber-meaty and underbreaded baptism, I prostrated myself at the foot of its altar, and bathed in the mustardy glow. To stretch this metaphor way too far, I committed myself to the clergy, preaching forth to the unenlightened, “You’re coming to Montreal? You must try the smoked meat. It’s divine!”

This most macho of delicacies is so symbolic of Montreal that its oldest surviving and most sanctified exponent, Schwartz’s on Saint-Laurent, takes a place of honour in our city’s Lonely Planet guidebook. Yes – it’s the first image to greet your gaze upon turning page one.

The very first part of Montreal that some tourists will see is not, say, an aerial panorama of Place Des Arts, swarming with tiny revellers bathed in the lights from some world renowned Jazz Festival; it’s not the Bell Centre, a sold-out crowd erupting while some bearded bruiser starts throwing fists; it’s not even a gleaming,

glistening, coronary-baiting zoom shot of a La Banquise poutine.

No, what we have is the inside of Schwartz’s Hebrew Deli. More accurately, it’s lots of old-fashioned folks – 'cause smoked meat is so damn old – sitting on stools, backs to the camera hunched over something … nope, can’t tell you what exactly. Whatever it is though, they are totally into it.

So, what is all this? And where did it come from? Some say one Herman Rees Roth came over from New York in 1908 and opened his British American Delicatessen Store. Other sources point to Romanian migrant Aaron Sanft, who braved the Atlantic in 1884 and founded Montreal’s first kosher butcher shop.

Better known is the tale of Ben Kravitz. He reached Montreal in 1899 “with $15 and a bullet wound in his heel courtesy of a Polish border guard” and initially sold smoked meat, prepared in the style of farmers from his native Lithuania, from his wife’s fruit stand.

The whole shtick is a heavily romanticized elaboration on the basic facts: smoked meat is a turn-of-the-20th-century Euro-Jewish thing, probably Romanian. It’s also supposed to be a family affair – a small diner with crowded chrome booths and menus on the wall, next to photos of the storefront changing over time. For many slightly older Montrealers, Ben’s De Luxe Delicatessen & Restaurant was, and will always be, the archetype. Founded by the aforementioned Mr. Kravitz, Ben’s closed in 2006, two years short of its centenary under the owner-

ship of his grandson, Eliot. It was a rather sad end, awash with union disputes and a waning fan base disillusioned by rising prices and shrinking portions – while across town, the enemy that was Schwartz’s seemed evergreen.

But the very fact that smoked meat is so renowned means one thing: it’s been widely successful. And with success comes expansion from the family business blueprint, not to mention a predictable local backlash. So, over a century on from its vague genesis, where does the Montreal smoked meat restaurant stand today?

For the less enchanting examples, head downtown, where Dunn’s Famous has one of its six Quebec branches – with a seventh coming soon to Vancouver. Moved from its legendary spot on Ste. Catherine to the current haunt on Metcalfe,

the focus has slipped quietly away from smoked meat to the more homogenized feel of a North American steakhouse. But it’s not the Hard Rock Cafe by any stretch of your cynical imagination.

Indeed, it’s still owned by the founding family, though the all-singing, all-dancing website – complete with TV spots featuring CGI mascot “Dillon Dunn” the dill pickle cowboy – is a far cry from the ideal, and is wholly geared toward the dreaded F-word: franchise.

Admittedly, it’s very easy, and pretty bitchy, to complain about a family business done well. But then, just think about the scene inside Schwartz’s.

It’s so fantastically functional, isn’t it? There’s no need for any glossy trimmings, and most people don’t even look at the menu anyway.

If the masses of tourists and inflated reputation put you off, however, then head up to Outremont and the sleepier Lester’s Deli. Another pillar of the old school, Lester’s has been a mere 60 years at its current address on Bernard. It maintains all of the comfy charm and warm hospitality that my nostalgic mind impresses upon those pioneering restaurants of the early 20th century. Plus, it features a near-offensive amount of meat on display to satisfy those carnivorous founding fathers, Messieurs Roth, Sanft, and Kravitz.

There are few things more Montreal than smoked meat – and how brilliant, if a little wishful, would it be for that to remain the case?

So, if you know of a small smoked meat place near you, then go along and support that little bit of meaty Montreal culture. Here ends my well// Tiaré Jung seasoned sermon for today. Amen.

columns

ED I TO R S / / Samant ha Thompson + Sarah Vit et // e di to r@ c api l ano c o uri e r. c o m

Records, Rain & Recreation

Top Albums of 2011

With Colin Spensley // Columnist

the online music community and it delivered tenfold. When Real Estate garnered attention in 2009 with their first self-titled release, it did seem as though they, too, would fade away, a one trick pony with a niche sound that couldn’t stand the test of time.

Luckily for fans past and present, Days delivers with a vibe that takes you off the beach and puts you into that sunny gazebo with a chilled beer in your hand. The songwriting and production value of Days has drastically improved from their first record, and that signature beachy sound remains to compliment songs like “Green Aisles” and “All The Same”. Bassist Alex Bleeker steps up to the plate and takes the vocalist role on one track entitled “Wonder Years”, which may just be the most solid song on the entire record.

Listen if you like: Smoking weed and walking through suburban sprawl or drinking coffee at the beach.

Charles Bradley – No Time For Dreams

Wu Lyf – Go Tell Fire To The Mountain Wu Lyf is an anagram, not a reference to the Wu Tang Clan; sorry to disappoint. World United Lucifer Youth Foundation is an enigmatic group of Manchester youth who want you to pay attention to them, but don’t often tell you why.

Their website and personal branding is rampant with revolution, violence, passion, and anarchist undertones.

The imagery and aggression is only overstated by their lack of giving fans any sort of hints as to what Wu Lyf is up to. For about a year, they had about three MP3s floating around the Internet, a few reverb-blasted Tupac remixes, and a seveninch record cut onto porcelain, which is now fetching $500 on Ebay. That’s a lot of hype for such little content.

However, if you’d heard the song “Heavy Pop” (pretty much the only real song they had released until now), it was pretty obvious the huge amount of potential harboured in the hearts of Wu Lyf. Go Tell Fire To The Mountain is an insane mix of huge, bombastic indie, slow ambient instrumentals, and chant-inducing incomprehensible lyrical drawl. Ellery Roberts, the lead singer of Wu Lyf, probably has the thickest and growliest English accent ever, but that doesn’t stop him from yelping every single line like a Manchester teenage Tom Waits, and that’s what pushes Wu Lyf past any other current indie act. It’s one of the most original-sounding records of the year.

Listen if you like: Beating the dirty pavement with your jean jacket on while reciting Chaucer through a megaphone.

Shabazz Palaces – Black up Every music journalist writing for a music blog seems desperate to find the “saviours of hip hop” or find an artist who is “the future of hip hop.” Shabazz Palaces have had both titles pinned to their chests more times then can be counted, but they don’t need the hype to prove their worth.

Shabazz Palaces have managed to forge an eclectic mix of obscure trip-hop, or “art rap”. With frontman Palaceer Lazaro’s to-the-point vocal delivery and enigmatic lyrical style, every song on Black Up sounds different from the one before it. From glitch-looped vocals used as beats or minimalistic synth swells with no beat at all, the feelings of tracks range from stark cold beats, to chilled back-lounge grooves. Somehow they manage to make the entire album coherent.

Black Up is a sophisticated and abstract take on hip-hop as well as jazz, pop, and ambient music. This may confuse listeners at first, but after a few listens, the album becomes not only infectious and catchy, but bewitching and mindexpanding. Upper level hip-hop for people that think Lil’ Wayne is a heathen and Gucci Mane is a pretentious hack.

Listen if you like: Drinking codeine cough syrup at the Emily Carr grad show.

Colin is a music journalist who is, put simply, Tom Wolfe without all the acid. After spending a summer in an isolated mountain valley he feels like getting back in touch with reality through writing.

the capilano courier | vol. 45 issue 12

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ecember is the time of year to look back on all the great or tragic things that may or may not have happened to you. For most music nerds/snobs, it’s also the time of year to hand out metaphorical gold stars and first prize medals to artists they felt really “captured” the sound of the year.

Indie rock moves so quickly in this modern age that a group you may have loved only a year ago has already faded into obscurity and been replaced by another act. Not only has there not been a heck of a lot of good, relevant, and catchy downloadable singles this year, the ones that are great don’t seem to have solid albums to back them up. Many writers in the musical blogosphere have started to refer to 2011 as “the year of the MP3 dry spell.”

For example, highly acclaimed artists James Blake and Bon Iver combined efforts to release one of the worst songs of the year, “Fall Creek Choir Boys”. What seemed like a good idea prior to first listen turned into a boring incoherent

Motown music is often called the “golden age” of modern music. From its conception in 1959 by Smokey Robinson through the wonder years of the ‘60s, to its cocaine-fueled downfall in the ‘80s via James Brown, Motown may just be the best thing to ever happen to pop music.

The only trouble is that if, like me, you’re a white kid from the 1990s whose parents raised you on a steady diet of Credence Clear Water Revival, it’s pretty hard to dive into a genre with about 30,000 different bands playing one song on a dusty 45 record you could never get your hands on. So let’s bring it back, right!

Enter Charles Bradley. He’s the working man’s James Brown; a gnarled and wizened Detroit native who finally got his big break in 2011; a modern Motown hero. In No Time For Dreams, Charles Bradley has created a masterpiece, or at least has made an album that sounds like it was pulled from the vaults of James Brown’s Motown Mansion. Bradley oozes soul; he tugs at your heartstrings and pulls you down into his world, only to make it all right again.

No Time For Dreams has received great reviews from Spin, Rolling Stone, and Paste magazines. As one Spin review of the album states, “This 62-year-old Brooklynite isn't making a comeback; he's just touching down.” // Arin Ringwald Listen if you like: Dancing to The Jackson 5 or mess of vocodered Bon Iver and random un- making out to Marvin Gaye. nerving owl hoot samples, not what you’d expect Adam & The Amethysts from artists who both had critically acclaimed – Flickering Flashlight albums last year. But all is not lost; your favourite Capilano music writer is here to cure those Adam Waito and his band The Amethysts are indie blues. a couple of Montreal vagrants who make literary indie-folk music that sounds like honey.

Real Estate – Days The tones are thick and sweet and Adams’ lyriWhen did everything become so “beachy”? It’s a cal prose is deep and engaging. As Adam & The word that both sums up and alienates the genre Amethysts steadily gain notoriety across the of music it was created to represent. Bands like country from tastemakers like Exclaim and CBC Beach House and Beach Fossils have both taken Radio 3, they seem to only shroud themselves in beachy and incorporated the term into their more mystique. name as well as their music, and both of those Listening to Flickering Flashlight, one does acts had hugely successful years in 2010. not feel like Adam & The Amethysts should be However, no band has been able to put a solid playing to you across the radio or internet; their face to beachy indie rock like New Jersey’s Real music sounds more like it should be heard in Estate, who incorporate soft and fuzzy guitar a dimly-lit occult book store as the musicians music drenched in a wash of reverb and catchy softly play their guitars surrounded by crystals, melodies that often leave a warm feeling in your candles, incense, and witchcraft. With Adam chest when you listen to it. The early fall release of Waito as the sole songwriter, Flickering Flashtheir album Days was highly anticipated across light is a window into his mind, and it’s a pretty

surreal place to hang out.

Listen if you like: Casting love spells on your crush or listening to The Beach Boys on mescaline.

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Columns World of violence

The forgetfulness of Remembrance Day

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ccording to Karl Marx, “History repeats itself … first as tragedy, then as farce.”

Marx is wrong; some things are tragic during their second time around.

On Nov. 11, the Globe and Mail ran the silhouette of a lone soldier solemnly looking to the ground, with the word “remember” in block letters superimposed on the soldier, on their cover.

The image and accompanying caption communicated the meaning of Remembrance Day appropriately: it is a day of reflecting on those who served in those terrible world wars of the 20th century. But after flipping through the pages, it becomes apparent that the lessons of those tragic times have fallen on deaf ears. This is an ignorance we can hardly afford.

Only a few pages in from the cover, we are informed of America’s announcement of their plans for a massive bomb sale to the Gulf states.

The Pentagon’s sale of 5000 “bunker-buster” bombs and other munitions to the United Arab Emirates are a part of a larger effort by the Obama administration to counter Iran’s influence in the region. Last year, the administration signed off on the largest bilateral weapons sale in history when $67 billion worth of fighter jets and helicopters was sold to their ally, Saudi Arabia.

The total weapons sales to the entire region in the

With Dexter Fergie // Columnist

previous year of 2009 amounted to an estimated $123 billion.

Along with weapons exports, the US has invested heavily into building up the regional coalition, the Gulf Cooperation Council. The coalition, predominantly comprised of illiberal absolute monarchies, functions as a unified counterweight to Iran. The US will leave 40,000 troops stationed in the Gulf as the war in Iraq comes to a close.

A few days later, and in another faraway place, Barack Obama introduced similar plans for the Asia-Pacific region. Speaking to the Australian parliament, Obama declared the mobilization of US marines and material to the Australian military base in Darwin.

Under the arrangement with Australia, the US will have greater access to the military base, particularly the airfields, drawing the US military closer to the Indian Ocean. This is an expansion of America’s military capacities in the region, adding to the concentration of US troops in Japan, South Korea, and Guam. Not unlike their dealings in the Gulf, the US is projecting power, this time on China.

Even more bullish, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a press conference that, as there are challenges in Asia that demand “America’s

the capilano courier | vol. 45 issue 12

c o o l Adv e r t i s e m e n t

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leadership,” the 21st century will be “America's Pacific century.” The Chinese press has repeatedly called for the need for a partnership in the region, not for a self-described leader.

It is difficult to read about such aggression and militarization on the very day we “remember”. It is particularly difficult when the belligerent behaviour echoes the origins of the First World War. Consider: Contrary to popular wisdom, the First World War did not occur because of the political assassination of the Archduke of Austria.

Rather, its origins lie in the many years leading up to 1914 when governments were setting the conditions for war. And once the conditions were set (arms races, troop mobilizations, etc.), it was too late to turn back. Gabriel Kolko, a preeminent historian on 20th century conflict, describes it as “a combination of devotion to their allies and a widespread need to take assertive positions to retain their image of their readiness to defend national interests … caused the major European countries to embark on the first massive bloodletting of this century.”

Lest we forget, indeed.

Perhaps this ignorance – our ignorance - is to be found in Remembrance Day’s very injunction: “remember”. If we were to truly honour those who died in the First World War, we would not merely celebrate them as heroes and dedicate two minutes to their sacrifices. No, if we, the living, were to ensure that they, the fallen, did not

// Sarah Taylor die in vain, we would – and we should – move beyond remembrance, and begin to question.

Out of respect we should question their deaths and the war that killed them. We should investigate and emphasize its origins and the number of passed opportunities we had to prevent it, shorten it, lessen it, and end it. Only with this can we dispel the myths that security means militarization, and peace means divisive alliances.

Across the country, Canadian Lt. Col. John McCrae’s poem is read during the Remembrance Day ceremonies. In the third stanza, McCrae, speaking from the perspective of the fallen soldier, advises us to, Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high.

Our foe is no longer a foreign enemy. The true foe was, and still is, war itself. And if the torch is to be held high, we must take action to prevent it from recurring.

Let us honour those fallen soldiers by promising to never send our youths to kill each other again.

Dexter Fergie is a previous Cap student, now studying at UBC. His insights into current events and politics have been gracing the pages of the Courier for two years. In his column this term he is exploring the various forms that violence takes within our world.`

Opi n i o n s

Edi tor // Marco Ferreira // o pi ni o ns @ c api l ano c o uri e r. c o m

A Debate on Gender Equality Or... MIKE VS. CLAIRE!

By Claire Vulliamy and Mike Bastien // writers

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laire V. – Globally, Canada is a pretty decent place to be a woman, ranking 17th in the list of top 20 countries in terms of gender equality, according to the Global Gender Gap Index report put out by the World Economic Forum. The index measures discrepancies between genders in availability of resources and opportunities, such as labour force participation, equal pay for equal work, literacy rate, educational enrolment, life expectancy, participation in politics, and more.

However, not even the number one spot on the list has achieved total balance. Based on the findings of the report, no one can argue accurately that there isn’t a status difference between women and men in Canada.

Mike B. – While that is true, it's also important to focus on our society's successes when striving for equality. Consider the implementation of political correctness. Using “man” or “he” as an encompassing term for all people is no longer commonplace. Sexist and demeaning terminology leads to the notion that sexist behaviour is also OK. Although perceivable as catalysing minimal change, efforts like these help snuff out minority discrimination by taking oppressive terms out of

the common lexicon, in turn allowing perception and military, but no mainstream sect will operand openness to evolve. ate against the status quo.

As for women in the workplace, at least where Claire V. – These efforts will do little to address middle class white women are concerned, progthe real and current issue at the root of the gender ress is being made as well. World War II played imbalance, our societal structure. For example, a significant role in the battle for equality as it working women of today exist within a system forced many women to work out of necessity. The that was designed, primarily, by men. When amount of women in the work force has steadily women participate, there is pressure to liken increased in Canada over the past 20 years. It is themselves to masculine archetypes. Otherwise, now common to see females in jobs that were in professions that are typically an older “boys once considered only for men, such as military club”, such as the police force, the dynamics be- personnel, professors, and politicians. come divided severely along gender lines.

As married women are receiving higher paying For example, in light of the Pickton case, re- jobs, men are afforded the option of filling differports have been coming out from female mem- ent roles, such as staying home and looking after bers of the RCMP speaking of a culture of misog- children. These “stay at home” fathers are graduyny. As reported in Macleans magazine, former ally increasing in numbers and accessing parentmember of the RCMP Bonnie Reilly Schmidt ing benefits, communities and services formerly testified, “'There was everything from mild sexual targeted toward mothers. Gender equality goes comments or jokes about your breasts to overt both ways, and these advancements are both resexual touching.’ Shaking it off was part of proving cent and substantial. you were tough enough to be a cop.”

Claire V. – It is true that the amount of women in Mike B. – If we can agree that as a society we are the workforce in Canada is up ten per cent since advocating for tolerance, although it may take 1976; however, these improvements have trigtime, personal efforts to be more politically cor- gered backlashes. Some regard the rising power rect will change the global community's view of of women as a threat, claiming that the tables what is acceptable from our institutions. It will have already turned – for the worse. take longer to make inroads into traditionally Recent surveys of university students in North male-dominated professions such as policing America show that in the majority of cases, less

// Katie So than 50 per cent of those queried identify as feminist. The lack of young women who identify with the title, based on the stereotypes of feminist women, are disowning the movement before it even reaches its apex. In truth, feminism represents a huge spectrum of ideologies that concern themselves with the status of women and gender equality. So, if you’re a woman or a man who believes that your gender should not limit your position in life, you are participating in feminist thought. Despite our recent successes, no idea lasts without people to support it.

The Results Aren’t In Opinion polls skew voter perception

By Jonty Davies // Advertising + events manager

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// Stefan Tosheff unsolicited cell phone calls are limited and even unlawful to a certain degree. Many people today use cell phones exclusively and according to data compiled by the Centre for Disease Control, this usually applies to minorities and young voters in metropolitan areas, effectively hindering their voice and influence on any poll.

Perceived results can also be affected by response bias, which is characterized by the failure of polled individuals to accurately respond respective to their own beliefs. This is usually in a bid to alleviate social pressure on their true views which often involve racism, sexism, homophobia, and other archaic or unpopular axioms.

This is known as the “Bradley Effect”. Named for Tom Bradley, the long-time Los Angeles mayor who failed in a bid for the Governorship of

California in 1982 (despite considerable opinion polling to suggest otherwise), the Bradley Effect is a theory that ties the inaccuracy of certain polling to the phenomenon of social desirability bias.

That is, when Bradley (a black man) was defeated

by George Deukmejian (a white man), the voting public feigned surprise at the unexpected but socially-comforting result, though they themselves had influenced the polls’ misrepresentation of support with their reticence to share their true views with the (anonymous) pollsters.

However, there is a much greater and harder to inherently prove issue: the ideological biases of the reporting bodies. A UCLA Political Science study published in 2005 delved into the realities of media institutions and their politics tying many major programs and publications

the capilano courier | vol. 45 issue 12

ohn McCain was going to win the 2008 United States Presidential election.

According to a USA Today public opinion poll published in September of 2008 (two months before the election), McCain carried 54 per cent of the vote, a considerable 10 points over his Democratic rival, current President Barack Obama. And if democracy in practice is just a big opinion poll then such speculations should be pretty accurate, right? Wrong.

As we should all know, you mustn’t believe everything you hear. Sadly such advice pertains not just to gossip columns and used car salesmen but also to the published and widely-circulated results of political public opinion polling. This polling is often seen as infallible, a reflection of how the public feels about potential leaders and more importantly, who gets elected.

As it is, the published results should be considered nothing more than unrealistic. Clear-cut, representative opinion polling is hindered by many simple realities: many groups aren't taken into account, and without universal standards, large media outlets creating the polls curb results to serve their own interests.

There are logistical considerations of a telephone-based system of polling centered around exclusion, and they apply to the notion of coverage error, meaning that a process is earning its results from a sample group rather than a population. For example, since a person may be charged for just answering a call to their mobile,

to spectrum leanings. Outside affirming general political partiality, the study does little to reveal the deeper nature and intentions of publicized opinion polling.

Elections on any level are a hugely financial endeavour. Media relations with parties and candidates during election time are highly lucrative and stand to offer great levels of influence upon the voting public. It is asserted that opinion polls actually act as an instrument of manipulating public opinion. In our developed world of democracy we consider it a great blessing that we are entitled to shaping our world and leadership in our own way. Though many want to exercise this right, people often approach elections without proper education. To look at an opinion poll and be instantly educated is a very convenient insiders’ treatment.

The flaw and manipulation of public opinion polling reaches even deeper than that, though.

At its heart, the question really becomes pertinent to who’s operating it: research costs money. Questions for the pollsters need to be drafted by someone. How is that person going to word their question? Even subconsciously, everyone maintains some sort of socio-political ideological persuasion, and it can be that such inclinations seep out into our outward states of mind whether we’re being asked questions or answering them.

So, be sure to be conscious and cautious of what you read, how it’s written, what you’re asked, and how it’s delivered. Most of all, when you’re giving your answers, be sure to always ask questions of your own.

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opinions

Drunken Teens + Transit - security = Bad Distancing drivers from authority positions a necessary policy change

By Colin Spensley // writer

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veryone knows public transit can be a bit risky. Images of muggings and violence on subways and buses have been widely portrayed in films and television. However, it’s not the shady guy hanging in the back you need to worry about anymore: it’s the intoxicated teens hanging out at Phibbs bus loop at 1am when you’re tired, full of pizza, and just want to go to bed.

If you’re a bus driver currently working for Translink, the last bus you want to be driving is one many Cap students take daily. The 210 Lynn Valley and several West Vancouver bus routes have seen a string of recent driver assaults by drunken teens, and Translink's new security measures are doing little to protect their drivers or the people who ride these buses.

One could argue that they are just kids who want get home, but after ingesting half a two-six of Smirnoff vodka, they may also want to get a little rowdy, and obviously the last thing those teens are willing to do is spend $2.50 to get onboard a bus.

Many of Vancouver's bus drivers seem to have a strange complex with authority. Some of them are nice people who just want to give you a safe ride home; however, there are also the ones who would rather you stand in the freezing cold all night than waive the transit fare.

This string of incidents involving bus drivers refusing teens rides, due to their intoxication or lack of pocket change, causing the kids to lash out violently, seems to be seeded in Translink's lack of security measures. The role that drivers should not be playing is that of the enforcer or authority figure.

On Nov. 12, a bus driver was assaulted by two West Vancouver teens after an incident just after 1am on Marine Drive. Suspecting intoxication, the driver refused entry to the two teens. The assailants became infuriated and beat the driver, who suffered a broken nose and other facial injuries. It is hard to say if the driver brought on the attack by stepping into an authority role instead of just allowing the teens to do their own thing, which probably would have ended with them stumbling home in a drunken haze.

This incident echoes a similar one just over one year ago in which a driver was beaten and left for dead just off Mountain High Way and Lynn Valley Road by three teenagers.

In 2007, Translink announced that within the next few years, all buses would install video cameras as a deterrent to violence and crime on buses.

However, as Micheal Vonn, policy director for the BC Civil Liberties Association, states in an interview with the Province, "There are studies that show the cameras do not deter crime," she said. "It is a concern that cameras are proliferating. Quite often the idea is CCTV is a quick fix.

What happens is we get technologically driven, which doesn't end up being the solution at all."

It does seem a bit counter-productive to install cameras as a security measure when they can only serve to protect you after the crime has been committed. In 2006, there were 241 assaults against Translink bus drivers, which triggered the security measures implemented by Translink.

Being a bus driver can be a pretty thankless job. People generally treat you poorly, and Translink leaves it up to the driver whether or not to allow intoxicated people or passengers without fares onto the bus. Drunken teens and fare-less people make up a large part of the postmidnight bus population, and it’s quite common to see a driver loose their cool over some arrogant passenger.

In many major cities, plastic barriers have been installed to separate the driver from aggravated passengers who may want to cause them physical harm. This security measure does seem pretty logical; the last thing a driver needs while driving a bus full of people down the road is some

// Tiaré Jung asshole punching them in the face for making them pay a fare.

Cameras and plexiglass barriers aside, what Translink really needs to do in order to ensure the safety of driver and passengers is to add a security presence on late night and “dangerous” routes. Transit police are able to strike fear into the heart of anyone riding the skytrain without a paid fare, and having a presence on late night bus routes would likely deter any drunken angry teen from getting violent.

Transit police also have the authority to refuse transit and issue tickets to unruly passengers.

Taking the power and responsibility from drivers would allow them to do what they have been hired to do: drive the god-damned bus and get us all home on time.

With the prices of monthly bus passes continuing to rise, it would seem that Translink could dip into their deep coffers and protect its valued customers and employees.

Europe must federalize The economic crisis demands unification

By J.D.R. Brown // The Cascade (University of Fraser Valley)

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BBOTSFORD, B.C. (CUP) — There is only one proper remedy to what ails Europe, and it is certainly not tripling tuition fees and cutting pensions, as David Cameron has done in the UK. No, it is full fiscal and political union: federalism.

The crisis in Europe has entered even more troubling waters. Silvio Berlusconi, the former Prime Minister of Italy, recently agreed to step aside on the condition that the government adopt more austerity measures. These reforms were deemed necessary by the myriad of interests in the European Central Bank, the European Commission, and the governments of “core Europe” (read: Germany et al.) after the interest rates on Italian government bonds raced toward seven per cent – an incredibly high number for a country that is still solvent. A technocratic government, led by the unelected Mario Monti, a former European Commissioner, has been formed.

Various European and North American media float the idea that this new interim government will calm the markets and allow Italy to continue to borrow as rates decline, thereby holding off complete catastrophe. I am not convinced.

Greece has announced its own government of national unity which will also be led by a technocrat rather than an elected politician. The bond vigilantes continue to circle as a complete sovereign default and exit from the Eurozone looms.

Europe now stands at a crossroads. The

post-war project of European integration has been, up until this point, a resounding success.

Despite the spectre of war between the Warsaw Pact and NATO during the Cold War, Western Europe has been without a major conflict since the end of the Second World War, and that is perhaps the greatest evidence in favour of the ongoing European project. But the series of concentric circles that has, up until now, characterized the European Union are beginning to collapse into one another. Europe has been unable to effectively deal with the series of fiscal calamities that has come its way.

The various solutions that have been proposed up until now have been small potatoes in the

very worst way. Bailouts by Germany and further commitments to back-stop Greece, Portugal, Ireland, and others have done nothing to solve the crises in any of these countries, and have generally exacerbated the economic calamities that ordinary persons have to deal with – especially unemployment. What we are witnessing right now is the failure of otherwise rational actors to move beyond their petty jealousies and save not just the euro, but the future of the entire European Project. Some European elites have begun to float this idea of federal integration, including the former German foreign minister; however, much more political will is needed for such a drastic – and necessary – solution.

At least amongst the countries of the Eurozone, a federal government with the powers of taxation and a democratic mandate would be able to save all of the countries now under threat from the bond markets. It would be able to set up sane financial institutions, or at least modify the existing financial institutions to become sane. It could make the European Central Bank a lender of last resort.

Europe remains at a turning point. We will see very quickly whether the politicians and technocrats will be able to stave off economic Armageddon, and in the process, we may witness the birth of a truly federal Europe.

// Stefan Tosheff

Ca b o o s e F e at u r e d F i c t i o n

Edi tor // KEvin Murray // c abo o s e . c apc o uri e r@ gmai l . c o m

Love and long winters

Brendan’s Poem

Press go

sex

Katherine Alpen

Scott Barnes

Haley Whishaw

Light colours, cool pillows, bright sunlight glancing Soft wine, gentle sheets, mismatched pillows blending Abandoned guitar strings hum Your melodies

D thinks his 3D TV dotcoms are being gagged by the CRTC D drinks coffee in a small cup with lots of cream

That’s that thing people in love do Right?

You are my everyday summer dusk left resting; Small, cold ice cream sweets slowly: ever melting Lull my senses, show no restraint; for space The seconds between brushed kisses Is as precious as the touch itself Shamelessly addicted You are a primary colour-based algorithm An Italian mosaic The salt of my earth A spoken concern Compassion embodied A hammock of affection To and fro, a chord progresses and I learn As we in this world understand so little Looking up becomes our curiosity But don’t ever forget the down Rest, hold the earth But who is to say stars don’t fall in love?

They are masses of life; a peace of the dove A gazer to a star Separated by nothing Alike in light

D is friendly, then agonizes restlessly about the media, and 3D points to headlines The CRTC conference, a conspiracy “no one wants to talk about 3d tv!” He knew about wikileaks, told the police Facebook twitter seachengines occupy corp & me He’s running 3D TV overlapping pictures are 3D, going to auction off his dotcoms temporarily free Can’t find them on CNN “As bad as Quaddafi!”

He talks like text 3dtelevisionchannel3dsportschannel3dfashionchannel you can’t argue with d, spending all this money on these dotcoms he believes in you can’t argue with him ranting he’ll keep talking if you turn away d will keep talking until he gets so hopeless excited but his dotcoms are copyright and he’s being gagged because no one wants to talk about 3dtv not even me

It isn’t done when you’re fourteen your parents are out and your stronger-than-you boyfriend tells you that it is the mandatory requirement for a girl. while you’re pressed up against your white sheets You can’t help but wonder if the mandatory nature of it isn’t about the experience but learning that you aren’t as strong as you thought you were and that Prince Charming isn’t so charming with his pants off It isn’t done when you’re seventeen alone and craving a heartbeat so you follow his hands into the basement and realize that becoming a woman does not follow the same requirements as becoming a man It isn’t done when you’re twenty and he bbms you that you should drive twenty more after you’re finished closing at work so he can get his masculinity out of the way and interrogate you about sleeping with other boys and you go because he says he likes your hip bones and he sometimes cuddles afterwards but only if you ask Sex That’s that thing people in love do Right?

Sure Sweetie

// Thomas Ward

the capilano courier | vol. 45 issue 12

// Sarah Taylor

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Caboose

Winter Holidays of the future

n u g t o ! s Sh w e i Rev

Winter Solstice Luke Warkentin

Kwanzaa Katherine Alpen

Christmas Kevin Murray

Hanukkah Kevin Murray

Yesterday, my team found an archaic recording from Dec. 22, 2013: “Let's go get hammered and celebrate the solstice, guys! … I'll bring the shrooms and booze! Ya, let's go watch the sun set! … We'll stay up all night til it rises again, like a phoenix reborn out of the longest night of the year … MAGICAL!” It seems these ignorant revellers were attempting to celebrate what my colleagues think is the oldest holiday, originally celebrating week-long orgies in Rome, where a slave was elected as a mock-king for a week, and then murdered. As a result, a Buddha was born, apparently, and then rocks were dragged hundreds of miles just to mark the place where the sun sets. Those Romans were probably happy they hadn't starved yet. After all, it's in the middle of the damn winter! Now, far in the future, my team and I celebrate the solstice in a modern, practical way: we go rent season 2000 of Gossip Girl and order pizza. What could be more sacred than that?

Through we know very little from the few files recovered after the great archive fire of 2147, and even less after the infamous internet collapse of 2164, we are fairly certain that Kwanzaa (pronounced qua-ain-zay) was a tradition celebrated by only a select few families of Asian descent in the southern region of Poland from the 1960s to 2005. The ceremony involved the celebration of the winter harvest through the skewering of fresh “fruit” onto an apparatus of nine metal posts. There has been some controversy over the proof of the “fruit” being burned over the course of seven days; however, most respected scientists deem it impossible, because carbon dating has placed the era of the celebrations as being within the time of forbidden interior burning practices as put in place by the Court of Universal Law of 1945. Also, through several dependable sources, considerable research, and considerable restorative work from renowned scientists, “fruit” has been proven as a natural substance only capable of burning for three days at maximum.

The ancient records are somewhat unclear, but judging from ancient television recordings, it appears as if devotees during Christmas ceremonies were required to spend exorbitant amounts of their currency on gingerbread – a kind of edible mortar – so they could build elaborate mock-ups of animal mangers. These little sugar houses were believed to satisfy divine sacrificial demands for a “proper barnyard ho-down”, thereby magically producing a “santa clause”; a type of mystical contract between the devotees and the god who was said to live in the gingerbread manger. As evidenced in the few religious records remaining, entitled “Amateur Night at the Apollo”, the clause states: “Anyone caught peeking at the presence under the god-damn tree will get a big black boot all up in yo’ ass!” Modern anthropology is unclear as to what this “presence” refers to, but it is clear that the ancient god was a vengeful, bad-ass, magical mofo with a bad attitude and multiple penises, which he kept warm in colourful, symbolic stockings that were hung around the fireplace. The black boot was considered to be at the heart of the Christmas blessing.

For eight days of winter, ancient Jewish people celebrated Hanukkah, a time of feasting and tiny hat wearing. In fact, the entire ritual was originally born from an elaborate attempt to get children to wear fried potatoes on their head so they would look silly, thereby offering mirthful opportunities to the elders. This tradition evolved over the centuries to become a sacred ritual in which children competed; each tried to sport the tiniest, most delicately designed potato hat. The hat that best pleased the elders’ tastes would be offered to the Jewish god with ketchup. Candles were then placed on the heads of the adults and lighting ceremonies followed. The wax which dripped on the heads of the faithful was then sculpted by the children into amusing animal shapes. When completed, the children would run away, and the parents would chase them, pretending that the waxy animal sculptures were hungry, and that they most desperately desired to eat the children’s potato hats. A good time was had by all, but the one child who had pleased the god the most was not allowed to participate in the game, as his hat was symbolically reserved. Usually, this child would cry, and the rest would laugh, thereby renewing the tradition of celebrating spiritual suffering among the faithful.

Multicultural crossword

the capilano courier | vol. 45 issue 12

// Kevin Murray

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