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September 30th 2013

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CAPILANO north vancouver

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COURIER

MARY JANE GOES POLITICAL Justin Trudeau sparks up a national debate

CSU ELECTIONS

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RACISM + TIARAS

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SATIRICAL DEBT

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FASHION WEEK

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CAPILANO Courier

@capilanocourier

@capcourier

Capilanocourier.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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10

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News

Columns

features

calendar

A+C

opinions

caboose

HPV Havoc

Fallen Stars

Hitch 'N Bitch

Batdance

Balloon Girl

Sugar High

Wings + Doubt

Therese Guieb Features Editor

Andy Rice Arts + Culture Editor

The Staff

Scott Moraes Managing Editor

Kristi Alexandra Copy Editor

Katherine Gillard News Editor

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Leah Scheitel Editor-in-Chief

of this fat ass, cake-eating university newspaper

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Jeremy Hanlon Caboose Editor

Andrew Palmquist Production Manager

Cheryl Swan Art Director

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 Courier Publishing Society.

Faye Alexander Opinions Editor

Ricky Bao Business Manager

Carlo Javier Staff Writer

Lindsay Howe Marketing/Ads/Web Editor

WE'RE SORRY In last week’s issue, it was mistakenly reported that the student-led petition needed 25 per cent in order to validate a referendum on affiliation with the CFS – that number is actually 20 per cent. I also misspelled CSU chair Brandon Hofmarks’ name as Hoffmarks. Apologies to Brandon and the rest of the CSU for these errors. – Carlo Javier

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

on

Satire as an art

“Satire works best when it hews close to the line between the outlandish and the possible – and as that line continues to grow thinner, the satirist’s task becomes ever more difficult.”

Leah Scheitel × Editor-in-Chief

– Graydon Carter, Editor of Vanity Fair

A sense of humour is something I enjoy. Without trying to sound vain, I believe mine is one of my best attributes, and, like many people, is a crutch for me when life gets shitty. A prime example of how important a role humour plays in my life is the night I smashed my teeth out on a car side mirror. I called my brother at 4 a.m. and through muttered words said, “You have to make me laugh about this. You have to make this funny for me - it’s the only way I’m going to get through life without teeth. Nothing in my life is exempt from mockery, and please don’t tell Mom.” My brother says that he’s going to have that engraved on my tombstone.

Because of my constant desire for humour, some aspects in my life have been negatively affected by it – most notably my dating life, as I have mocked men, taking a joke far beyond what was funny. I make inappropriate jokes at times when sensitivity is needed, most often at my own expense. In the end, I’d rather take a chance with a joke and bring light to a situation, than to stay safe, shut up and let the opportunity wither. And though I know the harms of this, it is something I continue to do.

Satire is my favourite form of comedy. This is why I can’t have a conversation without mentioning Saturday Night Live, get my daily news from the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and have a massive crush on Bill Maher. I believe satire is a form of communication that can lead to real change, and expand our views. Chris Bliss gave a TED Talk in 2011 highlighting satire’s importance to political news. “If you think back on Tina Fey’s impersonations on Saturday Night Live of the newly-nominated vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, they were devastating,” Bliss explained in his TED Talk. “Fey demonstrated far more effectively than any political pundit the candidate’s lack of seriousness, cementing an impression that the majority of the American public still holds today.” Bliss went on to point out that the material for Fey’s impersonations weren’t scripted, but were almost verbatim from Palin’s own remarks at press junctions. This is satire in its purest form because it’s from a place of honesty, with little fabrication, and a focus on simple mockery.

A study conducted at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey suggests that satirical news source may be more informative than traditional sources. According to their 2012 findings, viewers of Fox News were less informed on international and domestic affairs than any other news outlet consumers; the most educated consumers – those who listened to NPR and regular views of the Daily Show. Jon Stewart’s ability to mock situations led to clearer communication, and thus more education on news issues.

Recently, I’ve questioned my faith in satire. A good friend of mine, Peter, who I drink whiskey and embark on philosophical conversations with, is applying to Columbia in New York, to study Irony, focusing on how we killed satire. After my third drink, I asked why he thought this is something worth studying at one of the more prestigious schools in the U.S., and he said simply, “We’ve killed it. We are too sensitive as a culture to let satire be effective. We block it before it can translate, and it’s detrimental to society as a whole.”

While I thought he was being extreme about his view, the next day, I received a letter about a joke I published in Issue Two - one that I thought was obviously satirical, and was not intended to mock anyone but the Courier staff for our own mistakes. Some of the readers didn’t see it from the same perspective, and I was slightly taken aback by this. When I told Peter about this, his face was overcome with a look of “I-told-youso” satisfaction, and he sipped his whiskey.

“Think the death of satire is a stupid study now?”

And more recently, this week’s “Deadbeat Grad” column by Carly Vandergriendt is intended to be a work of satire. When I asked her to be more sensitive about debt, as many students may not relate to this column, she openly said she was trying to mock it, by talking about it with humour. After I understood that, it made it easier to enjoy, and I left it that way for the sake of keeping satire alive.

My attempt at making a 30-word satirical joke in the paper didn’t translate as I had hoped, and for that I do apologize. While this will caution me on some of the jokes I will attempt, my desire for humour may seep through, and I cannot promise that this will be the last time I make a joke an inopportune time. Satire and smart comedy is an art, and I want to master that art. It stems from my love of humour. The best way to master anything is trial and error - that and to watch SNL with religious devotion.

× Cheryl Swan

THE VOICE BOX

I don't know what's up with those stickers. Maybe they're there as a reminder that we all have to pay our credit cards. That we're slaves to debt, that we own nothing. You opened up a can of worms. Happy now?

“Cap's chicken fingers are the best, don't you think?”

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Do you not know me at all? That shit is probably frozen, marginally better than Chicken McNuggets (which I haven't eaten since I was 12). Also, they charge you, what, $8 dollars for that? Campus food is worse than hospital food, worse than WWI trench food, worse than Spam sandwiches, worse than brussels sprouts.

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When it comes to movies, there's no right or wrong. Maybe you went to film school and you got told that Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God is the greatest film ever made (Nosferatu is way overrated), but if it's Twilight that lights up your heart, then that's the greatest film ever made. Never mind that. I didn't say that. It's pure shit. I try to be fair, but there's no topping Bergman, Fellini, Kurosawa, Kieslowski, and Truffaut. That's right, sucker. I went to film school, too. That makes me a sucker too, 'cause that was a total fraud of a program. And the greatest cinematic pairing ever is Billy Wilder/Jack Lemmon. By the way, Kristi Alexandra is real nice, so you should save your contempt for, well, Twilight fans.

“I see you guys have Visa and MasterCard stickers on your office door. What's that about? What kind of payments do you guys receive? Are you a money laundering operation? Can I write an investigative piece about it and publish it on the Courier?”

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The Voicebox is back, ready to humbly respond to your questions, concerns, and comments about anything Courier. To inquire, just send a text to 778 - 689 - 4642 to anonymously "express" and "voice" your "opinion" and "thoughts" on any "subject" or "issue". And, as long as it's not offensive, we will publish it here, right in the Voicebox. It's a win - win, or whine - whine - whatever way you look at it.

“Yo, Kristi Alexandra is wrong. Evil Dead 2 isn't so bad it's good. It's simply great and Campbell/Raimi are one of the greatest cinematic pairings since Leone/Eastwood, Wayne/ Ford, and Kinski/Herzog. Also, Leah Scheitel was a great choice for editor. Pass my congratulations to her and my utter contempt to Kristi.”

the capilano courier

WITH : SCOTT MORAES

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hit the ballot box

LINDSAY HOWE + LEAH SCHEITEL × NEWS TEAM ENSEMBLE

IT'S ELECTION TIME, MEET THE LINEUP The CSU Library Lounge will soon be transformed into a polling station. The election to fill vacant positions on the Capilano Students' Union (CSU) Board of Directors is taking place from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4.The CSU held an All Candidates Forum on Sept. 26 to hear the different candidates' platforms, and open up the floor to students who had questions prepared for the candidates. To vote, just go to the CSU library lounge, armed with your student card and affection for democracy. Polls are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 30 to Oct. 3 and 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 4.

At the Courier, we thought this forum would be a great opportunity to get to know the candidates and future leaders of our school a little better. We asked each nominee the same three questions:

(1) What qualifications/personal attributes do you have that will help you if elected to this position?

(2) What changes or plans for the future do you have for this collective if you are elected?

(3) Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.

Without further ado, we present to you the nominees running in this weeks election: × Cheryl Swan

(1) I am a student in the soon to be defunct Studio Art program at Capilano University. Since the announcement of the cuts to numerous programs at the university, I have been acting as student representative of the Studio Art program in concert with faculty to stop the closure of these fine programs and facilities. I am running for this position because I am dedicated and passionate about social justice, I am extremely diligent and I can promise that I will advocate for all students to the very best of my abilities. I have been a member of Amnesty International. In addition, I also started the animal rights club at my high school.

SOCIAL JUSTICE COORDINATOR The Social Justice Coordinator is responsible for advocating for justice and important causes on a local and global scale.

SOCIAL JUSTICE COORDINATOR

Jennifer O'Keeffe

Sacha Fabry

× Social Justice Coordinator

× Social Justice Coordinator

(2) To serve and be a voice to the students of Capilano University. I work for the students, not the administration. As a student union representative I will advocate on behalf of all students facing injustice, discrimination and unethical treatment within the university. If elected, I intend to continue to support the Social Justice Committee with organizing programs and fundraisers, I believe that everyone has a voice and that they have a right to be involved in the governance of the university and the Students Union. (We are here to support and serve the students).

(1) I've worked in administrative offices both in French and English. As such, I understand the dynamics of taking people's aspirations and goals and transferring them into agendas and event planning. I live and work in the Downtown Eastside and appreciate the work that committees such as S.J.C put in and their importance.

(2) My position for the future stands on the beliefs of those involved in S.J.C. I encourage everyone to come out and share their personal stories and passions, while helping them realize the importance of their opinions. I would like to contin-

SOCIAL JUSTICE COORDINATOR

ue to bring light on the importance of local work but again, it is not solely my opinion that directs the flow of S.J.C but the committee as a whole.

(3) I participated in one of Canada's youth volunteer programs, called Katimavik, before the budget cuts unfortunately led to its cancellation.

There, I did over 850 hours of volunteering in communities from Quebec to Prince George. In Quebec, I did work for an outdoors parks program and in Prince George, I worked at a high needs day care for children two to four years old.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES COORDINATOR The Environmental Issues Coordinator is responsible for planning campus events related to the environment, and advocating for environmental issues.

Spencer McMurray

Desiree Wallace

× Social Justice Coordinator

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× Environmental Issues Coordinator

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(1) I’m a Global Stewardship student and that gives me the unique perspective of learning how to effectively organize, and facilitate various events and campaigns relating to social justice issues. I’m also the type of guy to listen attentively to concerns of the entire committee, as opposed to the type to put forth my ideas and further my own goals. I also have had significant experience working at the CSU all of last year, and helped coordinate both the 5days4TheHomeless campaign and the Change Maker Challenge. I feel comfortable working in the organization and know the general rules of operation. This allows me to get started right away and put forward meaningful events and activities for the student body to become engaged with.

(2) I’m running on the basis of enlightening students about global social justice issues, and bringing to the forefront those things which affect us all. My goal is to get as many students involved and engaged in various campaigns relating to these issues here on campus, off campus, and places other than Facebook. Rather than focus on home-grown social justice issues, I will attempt to expand the student body’s awareness of issues,

which seem so far away, yet are so real and prevalent to everything we do and live with in today’s modern society. If you are wondering what these types of things could be, they can be issues dealing with the strength and influence corporate interests has on our everyday lives, understanding the issues associated to our consumer culture, or even as simple as bringing to light potential realities of the way our global economic system operates and the ramifications felt by billions of people worldwide as a result. I chose global issues as my focus because as our lives become so intermingled with others all across the globe, what happens in one part of the world is somehow linked to our own experience here, and vice versa. The more we know, the more we are able to handle it and become actively engaged in doing something about it.

(3) Well, I am an identical twin, grew up in Mexico, and recently worked in Israel at a not-for-profit radio station dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I had my own on-air program and broadcast to all of Israel and the West Bank ... [it] was a really cool peace building experience.

(1) I have acquired strong leadership skills in the areas of lobbying, direct action, civil disobedience, canvassing, phone-banking, community engagement, and event organizing through various positions I have held this past year. I served as the Environmental Issues Coordinator for the 2012/2013 school year and facilitated several interactive and entertaining events on campus that built an alliance amongst various environmentally concerned organizations in the internal and external community. This past summer, I was also the Community Engagement and Local Events Specialist for HOPE International Development Agency, in which I gained more expertise in those areas as well as administration. Most importantly, I have a deep-rooted passion for environmental justice and change-making at large.

(2) The Environmental Issues Committee now has the power to make tangible changes within the Capilano community because of the extensive network of established individuals and groups with parallel interests we’ve accrued in the last year. This year we will be focusing on food systems and sustainability on campus – implementing tangible changes to the physical structure of Capilano, a hiking and biking club, more action in regards to shifting our dependency on unsustainable development projects such as pipelines and tankers, and organizing a Concert4Change.

(3) When I laugh really hard, I inadvertently make a goose sound. I can also do the worm. I've never tried to do both simultaneously – a new challenge perhaps?

(1) I am already involved with the indigenizing of the Academy Committee. We organized the Truth and Reconciliation events that recently took place on campus. Also, last spring me and two other students organized an Idle No More information panel.

FIRST NATIONS LIAISON The First Nations Liaison represents First Nations students on campus and presenting their opinions to the CSU.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES’ LIAISON The Students with Disabilities’ Liaison is responsible for ensuring that students with disabilities have a voice on campus.

Mike Victor

Shaun Stewart

× First Nations Liaison

× Student With Disabilities Liaison

(2) I plan on continuing on with the events already in place. I feel that communicating with other students will help create plans for the future.

(3) I have a few years’ experience as Director of Operations for five Domino's Pizza restaurants in Washington.

(1) The first thing is I care a great deal about the position and have been doing it since 2005 and I think continuity is important. I have schizoaffective disorder and took a peer support course to help people with mental illness. I have learned a lot from students at Cap and will continue to work with them.

(2) I will continue to protest cuts to programs for people with disabilities, and students in general. I plan to work on Halloween and Christmas parties

(1) Not only am I reliable, dedicated, and experienced, I'm also from Winnipeg. Enough said.

(2) I plan to continue my work on advocating for post-secondary education issues and lobbying the provincial government, especially when it comes to increasing core funding to institutions. We have plans to host a follow-up to the Change Maker

(3) I own over 10 Superman shirts.

EDUCATIONAL ISSUES COORDINATOR The Educational Issues Coordinator is responsible for lobbying the government, fighting for issues important to students (i.e. budget cuts), and providing educational information to students.

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR The Social Activities Coordinator is responsible for putting on social events on campus, and promotes inclusion in our campus community

Brittany Barnes

Michaela Hanemaayer

× Educational Issues Coordinator

× Social Activities Coordinator

Challenge, work with the campus community on bringing attention to the program cuts, and host a series of open dialogues to engage students on what they would like to see us do.

(3) Aside from being from Winnipeg, I also play crib at the Legion on Tuesday nights. That makes me not only interesting, but probably a lot more awesome than most people you'll meet.

(1) I believe that my social qualities as Social Activities Coordinator will help me better interact with students and create tighter and stronger bonds.

(2) If I am elected I plan to make bigger and better activities to the point that I can take it off campus.

For example: a tournament night for students to

bring out their inner determination.

(3) An interesting fact about me is that I am a hard working artist trying to get through my studio arts program despite the fact that I won't be able to graduate. I am also dyslexic, and struggle with ADD.

WOMEN’S LIAISON The Women’s Liaison is responsible for advocating for women’s rights, and dealing with women’s issues on campus.

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR

Taylor Smith

Jenna Theny

× Women's Liaison

× Social Activities Coordinator

(3) Fun story! When Al Green, a famous Motown singer from the ‘70s, was in town a couple of years ago, my sisters and I hung out after the concert and were invited by his band to hop on the tour bus. Long story short, we spent the night hitting the town with Al Green's band and it was wicked.

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(2) At the last Social Activities meeting we were generating some really amazing ideas that if elected, I am dedicated to turning into reality. I'd

like to organize a colour run this spring that incorporates all of the collectives. Additionally, I've heard suggestions for other events like an outdoor movie night, a pub crawl, and an outdoor concert.

I see my role, if elected, as not simply generating projects myself, but rather in creating a welcoming environment where students can put forward their ideas, my job would then be to convert those ideas into awesome events.

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(3) I'm a diehard Rolling Stones fan. My favorite album is Exile on Main Street. I have seen them in concert, go to tribute shows, and listen to them every day. Someday, I would like to write a biography on the history of the band's music and politics.

(1) I believe that my prior experience with the CSU, open and friendly demeanour, and fun nature make me a great candidate for the position of Social Activities Coordinator. I have worked with the CSU in many capacities, including as staff, as a director, and as the Chair of the Services Committee, which has given me the knowledge and skills to succeed in this role. Further, I love to work in team environments, and I am very friendly and welcoming. I see the position of Social Activities Coordinator as being the "Director of Fun" and I take my fun very seriously!

×

(2) A big change I would like to see for the women's collective is more visibility, more attendance from women in meetings, and events that reach out to as many women as possible. I would like to create an environment for women that is safe, non-judgmental, and compassionate. Some events could be based on discussion, film, art, music, poetry, and much more. I'd love to work with other committees on women's events.

the capilano courier

(1) I do not have direct experience with the CSU, but nevertheless have been informally involved with union from a very young age. Union is very important to me. Union means we take the differences of others, and find commonalities. There are always dissenting voices and opinions in unions, but that is key in finding a common goal. In particular, women's unions are incredibly courageous and prove the strength of women’s minds and voices, as well as their resiliency. I do not have formal training on women's work. I have my mind, voice, and experiences to help educate women. I hope I can share that with women. I also encourage women to not be afraid of being "sassy." I love gals with sass.

as well as other social events to have accessible and fun activities that include people with disabilities.

I plan to have a discussion on music therapy and art therapy that can help people with disabilities. I plan to demonstration/talk about technology that helps people with disabilities. I am looking forward to the direction the students with disabilities in my committee will take. The students and the committee members are the most important thing.

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NEWS

NEWS EDITOR × KATHERINE GILLARD

NEWS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

going green NEW RECYCLING PROGRAM MAKES BC BUSINESSES ACCOUNTABLE Faye Alexander × Opinions Editor Many years ago, municipalities across B.C. adopted a new shift in attitude: recycling became a thing. Products like paper, glass, and cans were no longer welcome in garbage bags province wide, and instead established permanent residence in blue recycling bins. In May 2014, a new recycling program will be introduced as part of B.C.’s new sustainability regulation. The program will greatly expand on current extended producer responsibility in British Columbia to include all printed paper and packaging (PPP) material sold to residents.

Multi-Material BC is a non-profit organization, formed by an environmental industry to manage a PPP recycling system that will cost the industry approximately $110 million.

As manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of products and packaging sold into the marketplace in B.C., big business has stepped up to increase recycling alongside the government. Under strict regulations established by the province, and with more than 20 producer responsibility programs introduced over the last 20 years, B.C. businesses have been pushed in a direction to ultimately assume responsibility for the end-of-life management of certain recyclables. Materials such as beverage containers, electronics, paint, used oil, tires and batteries will now be carefully recycled appropriately. Businesses in B.C. have been strongly encouraged to be accountable for both recovering and recycling the products they supply to the B.C. marketplace.

Christy Clark used a simple example to explain the concept behind the new program. “The idea

is that the people who make the box will sell me the Kraft Dinner. I own the food, but they will continue to own the box. I give it to my local government, and the producer of the box continues to own the box and then it goes into recycling and they can reap the profit,” she said.

The new recycling program easily took shape, and not only because of environmental reasons – communities have demanded it. In many municipalities such as Terrace, Kelowna, and Port Moody, garbage and recycling are the number one issue raised by B.C. locals. After over two years of planning and consultation with local governments, Multi-Material BC (MMBC) submitted a stewardship plan to the provincial government and was approved in April 2013. The program will build on the existing collection system in place, while improving service and accessibility to residents.

MMBC is offering financial incentives to local governments to collect PPP on MMBC’s behalf.

These incentives have been calculated based on local government collection costs, and are intended to reflect reasonable payment for services.

Local governments will have the choice of how they would like to engage with the PPP program based on what will work best depending on the individual community. With MMBC’s financial incentives on the table, local governments will be able to continue to deliver service to their residents and will carry on being the first point of contact for any questions that may arise down the line.

In the past, local governments have largely led the way with recycling in B.C., and have sculpted

the effective programs presently in place. Some cities across the province are concerned that the program which intends to reduce waste will be more focused on cutting costs. The quality of current collection services could be adversely affected in the transition once MMBC’s new program takes hold. A number of local governments are asking to extend the consultation and negotiation process. If the new MMBC program were to fail, it is eventually going to be left to local governments to resolve the issues.

“Local governments are being asked to make a big decision that will have a serious effect on their communities,” said CUPE BC Secretary Treasurer Paul Faoro. “Recycling is something that is very important to British Columbians and we should be moving forward with programs, not taking steps back.”

Vancouver has recently launched the “green bin” program which is set to result in 2,300 tonnes of food scraps winding up in community gardens as opposed to the city dump. Although the new program has been slowly phased in since September of last year, it is beginning to take shape. Three neighborhoods involved in the program, which included a change in the waste collection schedule, show household participation is on the rise from 18 to 60 per cent in the past two months. The food scraps program is costing the city an estimated $5.4 million to develop, but residents involved have welcomed the program with enthusiasm. The “green bin” program looks to succeed in diverting organic waste away from landfills by 2015.

× Dominic Chan A new pilot project created by the City of Vancouver and Encorp Pacific is expanding as well.

Over $125,000 has been invested in the project which introduces special beverage recycling bins to high-traffic areas around the city. The pilot program, which has placed 60 recycling bins near beaches and popular pedestrian areas, has seen great success. An additional 100 recycling bins will soon be placed in Stanley Park. By making these bins more available on a larger scale, it ensures that there will be less recyclables winding up in garbage bags and finally landfills.

With the MMBC program, which will launch in Spring of 2014, hand in hand with the other recycling initiatives turning Vancouver green, Vancouver is moving one step closer towards the Greenest City goal which hopes to reduce the amount of waste heading to landfills by 50 per cent by 2020.

sexual health plan expanded HPV SHOT BECOMES FREE FOR WOMEN 26 + UNDER Katherine Gillard

the capilano courier

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× News Editor

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Beginning in 2008, the B.C. Ministry of Health sponsored a program to give free Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) immunizations to girls in grade six, as well as a three-year catch-up program. The Gardasil vaccine protects against two strains of the virus that cause about 70 per cent of cervical cancer and against two strains that cause nearly 100 per cent of genital warts. It protects against HPV types six and 11 and types 16 and 18, which are the strains that cause 70 per cent of cervical cancer.

In the spring of 2012, a catch-up program began for young women who were just beyond the age that the school-based program was targeting.

The program received one-time funding from the Ministry of Health and purchased 80,000 doses of a vaccine called Cervarix. Similar to Gardasil, it protects against the strain of HPV that cause cancers and genital warts. This vaccine program has been running just over a year and was expanded this spring to cover an additional three cohorts of girls. This means that any young women aged 26 and under who are beyond high school age and who haven't completed a series of HPV vaccine in the past are eligible. It’s also a three-dose program

and it will be running until that vaccine supply runs out or until the vaccine expires, which is August of 2015.

Dr. Monica Naus, the medical director of Immunization Programs and Vaccines of Preventable Diseases Service comments on the expansion of the program. “We thought that perhaps one-third of young women in that age group would come forward in the first year of the program, and fewer than that did. And because we had remaining inventory we thought that we could expand the program.”

The shot does help prevent against the strains of HPV and genital warts, but doesn’t prevent all STDs. “The most important thing about this vaccine is that you need to get it before you start being sexually active and that’s why our routine program is offered in grade six. Because that’s an age at which the vast majority of girls will never have had sexual exposure, certainly not consensual.

By the time girls get into high school a portion of them will have initiated sexual activity and will be at risk of being infected. You don’t need a large number of partners to be infected,” says Naus.

The shot is effective for women who are sexually active that have not been infected with HPV. The shots are available in a variety of settings, including drug stores, pharmacies, doctor’s offices, clinics and various university campuses including CapU. The free Cervarix immunization is available through health services, which is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Birch Building.

As for side effects, about nine out of 10 girls will have pain from the shot immediately, and one out of two will experience redness and swelling.

Fever, headaches, nausea or vomiting should be reported to a practitioner, however, they are rare.

Immunize B.C. has set up a webpage to help bust myths about the vaccine, including that girls are being used as guinea pigs for an unproven vaccine. According to Immunization B.C., during HPV vaccine trials, the women who had the HPV vaccine were compared with women who received placebo injections (injections of salt water). The rate of serious events was identical in both groups.

Reports of deaths from Guillian-Barre Syndrome were reported in the United States following trials.

× Vivian Liu GBS is a nervous system disorder, characterized by a breakdown of the automatic nervous system. Scientists have concluded, however, that there was no parallel between taking the vaccine and having the disorder. This means that the HPV vaccine causing GBS is a myth.

Currently, it’s unknown if girls will need a booster shot in the future. “Over time I think we’ll have better information on how long the protection will last but we know that it lasts at least 10 years and quite possibly longer than that. For many vaccines that are relatively new sometimes 20 years into programs we will discover that immunity does wane over time,” Naus says.

Columns

COLUMNS EDITOR

× LEAH SCHEITEL

EDITOR@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

from the arm chair

exotic intoxication

DOPES IN SPORTS

BEACH ROBBERS + CRAZY AMERICAN Mike Schwieder Columnist ×

Mike Schwieder once compared his infant cousin to the size of a football and mocked throwing it across the kitchen to his brother. His grandmother was not impressed. He has volunteered at three different Olympic Games, and coaches football for the UofC Dinos. He knows sports better than Don Cherry knows women, and that’s saying something.

given more money and fame and somebody offers them a chance to get to that level even if it costs them something substantial that weighs heavier than it will with most of the people in the general population.

I propose a simple blanket fix: while I know this would not be a 100 per cent fix, as most simple fixes aren’t, I would make the initial punishment a ban for life. Regardless of the sport, I would ban them from the hall of fame, from the sport for life and I would ban them from using team names and associating themselves with that level of sport for life.

The reason this would work is because it would hold everybody accountable. The players would not risk taking anything that they didn’t know was definitely approved. Olympic athletes know they can’t take Advil cold and sinus because it will show up in a sample. The same attentiveness will follow for professional athletes.

The tests will need to be conducted at random, and by an independent agency that has no association with the team, other than to produce the findings to the league and the public, if the public seeks it. If newspapers want to run a story it would help keep all leagues accountable.

A ban like this may seem extreme, considering that PEDs are already so prevalent in sports, but I think it’s the only way to get people’s attention that doping isn’t cool. Besides the harm it does to the human body, the message that we are sending to future athletic stars is skewed. By allowing doping, we are saying that you can get to the top by cheating, and having acne due to steroids as an adult. It’s time to question these values, and get sports back to the natural way, even if it makes the games a little less exciting.

Mirey Faema × Columnist

Mirey Faema likes to drink and travel, or travel while drinking. Her taste for booze and awkward situations have created the worst hangovers and some amazing stories. In this column, she will divulge her travel tales, and probably write while still plagued with a hangover. Check out her writings at Whereismymuse.com, and follow her on Twitter @ Mirey_Wimm. maintained hostel with winding stairs, impeccable views and a lack of toilet paper. Throughout the night we discovered that it did in fact belong to the mysterious “Crazy American” we had heard so much about yet never had the pleasure of meeting. He was apparently in the hospital that night dealing with an injury that had occurred while he was intoxicated the night before.

To ensure the two wasted white girls stumbling around in the dark would be safe, the boys equipped us with a headlamp and a machete. This is the point where I would like to make a public service announcement: don’t hand two wasted girls a machete unless you want it to end in a series of ridiculous photos and some minor injuries.

As we set off on our trek we discovered that the tide had come in and pealed off the path between our new friend’s place and ours. After almost walking directly off a rock and into the ocean that wasn’t normally there and experiencing some rather paranoid moments we finally climbed our way back to our own beach and eventually back into our beds.

What I learned in Nicaragua is that one out of every three random paths will lead you to an awesome adventure. So if you survive the first two shitty adventures, you should keep pushing your luck. One of those random paths will lead to something amazing and unforgettable.

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× Arin Ringwald

When you are walking along a beach in the second poorest country in the Northern Hemisphere, when you stumble across a mysterious path that leads through the jungle and up to a cliff, your gut instinct usually tells you to keep walking. There could be snakes, scorpions, crazy spiders or, even worse, a machete-wielding beach robber up that path. The possibilities for danger really are endless in Nicaragua My adventurous spirit causes me to think, “Oh wow, a path. I must know what is up there,” and before my friends can say “you are an idiot,” or “that looks dangerous,” I am running gleefully towards the top. This train of thought was why I constantly found myself in predicaments while travelling South America. On a trip to Marsella, a beach just outside of the tourist hub San Juan Del Sur, I led my friends into a deep pile of mud, where several flip-flops were lost. On another trip at Masaya, a volcano on the outskirts of Granada, I led my friends around a volcano crater on a closed, unmaintained trail. It was so terrifying that it caused one of my friends to suffer from an intense case of vertigo.

But during my time at Playa Maderas, a beach just outside of San Juan Del Sur, I actually found a path that led to an epic adventure. While taking a walk along the beach with my friend Jamie, we noticed a mysterious path that lead up the cliff overlooking the beach. Naturally, I wanted to find out where the trail went to, and managed to convince my friend to follow me.

As we headed up the path, Jamie and I joked about all of the different types of scenarios that we may have greet us at the top. There had been rumors about a crazy American who had been sailing and ended up stranded at Maderas and loved it so much that he stayed and built a surf school.

We began to assume that this path led towards his place yet had no way to confirm our suspicions.

While getting closer to the apex, feelings of apprehension began to stir, as we had no idea what we were going to find or if we were actually trespassing on someone's property. It was a surprise that neither of us had imagined.

It wasn’t a crazy American, it wasn’t a gang of beach robbers, nor was it a pit of poisonous animals. Instead we found the most random bunch of Canadian guys building a skate ramp on top of the cliff and chilling in what appeared to be a closed down hostel.

Due to my awkwardness around groups of new people, I was really grateful that my friend Jamie immediately broke the ice by walking over to the group, asking to borrow a skateboard and without so much as a sentence of conversation hit the ramp. Her gesture and ability to skateboard paved the way for instantaneous bonding, which naturally flowed into drinking in honour of adventures and new friendships.

Flor De Cana, Nicaragua’s signature rum, was flowing along with tall bottles of Tona, the local beer and as much shitty weed as we could smoke.

Within our presence we had an ex-pro skater, a cameraman, a guy who wrote for High Times magazine and a bunch of other travellers with equally a random careers. Having such an eclectic group of people with the same “go with the flow” kind of spirit created a fabulous evening.

Our night included sunset watching, skating, dance parties, deep talks and killing the biggest scorpion I had ever seen in my life with a machete.

We spent all afternoon, and into the evening, partying like a bunch of feral kids in the poorly

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There are a lot of problems with what drugs have been doing to sports, from the track athletes in the ’80s to the current players banned from the NFL, MLB and every other major competitive sport around the world. When athletes take them, it raises the level of expectations for their competitors around them. Athletes may use the drugs later in their careers to keep playing or may use them early in their career to get an edge until they learn how to play at the speed that everybody else is playing at.

The “Goldman Dilemma” explains that 50 per cent of elite athletes will take a drug that guarantees a gold medal, but will also kill them in five years. The thrill of winning, the success and the glory that accompanies a gold medal at the Olympics is worth certain death for half of the athletes out there. The British Journal of Sports Medicine polled everyday people if they would take certain death in five years while guaranteeing success and only 0.8 per cent of people said yes. Winning a gold medal at the Olympics only comes along every four years, so it carries a little more clout than playing baseball for a few more years, especially if it comes at the end of a long career. Once athletes accept the mentality that is needed to play at that level, taking Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs), becomes almost warranted.

Athletes are partly to blame; however, I’d like to point the finger at other sources. First would be the owners. Why have significant penalties for players when all you care about are profits? PEDs put a better product on the field, creating players that are faster, stronger and can jump higher than ever before. Fans pay extra for it and the athletes are willing to harm their body for the immediate payout.

The owners have had to look like they are taking a “stance” on PEDs because of backlash from politicians and fans. However the fans don’t skip games, and they buy into what the team is selling which is that they had no idea and would never encourage PEDs if they did know about them. All teams have a doctor on staff and a “doctor” that can’t recognize PED use is not worth paying. Bigger, faster, stronger players provide a better game with more exciting plays which make it onto highlight shows more often which, long term, earns the owners more money by growing their fan base.

Secondly, and maybe the root of the issue, would be the fans. PEDs make the game that much better. The athletes are better than years past, they produce more stats which help fantasy leagues, which bring joy to fans and let fans be competitive while not having to actually risk, or work for, anything.

It’s worth it, as an athlete, to get those last one to four years of pay cheques, and to be remembered as somebody who was a competitor, to go on the motivational speaking circuit or to be able to use your name as your resume, not on it, because you have no other skills due to your time in the big leagues. The risks aren’t high enough. Fans love you, and athletes naturally want to prolong that as long as possible. You have defined yourself, and have been defined by, your sport your entire life.

The fans encourage PEDs by elevating the big stars to such a higher height than the rest of the players on the team. When you have a group of highly competitive athletes and one of them is better than the others, or held in higher regard, or

× Crystal Lee

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dirty pop

deadbeat grad

INSIDE THE FAME CEMETARY

A FATE WORSE THAN DEBT

JJ Brewis

Around the time I made my grand entrance into the world, my parents had the foresight to set up an education savings plan, to prepare for my bright future. As they watched me grow from a helpless infant to a free-spirited young lady with ideas and dreams, they painstakingly stashed away their pennies. The whole process could easily serve as the plot for a hit TD Bank commercial. I would play the role of a gurgling baby, reaching out a chubby baby arm for a book sitting inconspicuously on the living room coffee table. Looking on, my parents smile and exchange knowing glances: it's time to start saving for my college education. Fast-forward 18 years and our young heroine is all grown up and waving goodbye to her aging parents as they drive away in their minivan after dropping her off at university.

That's pretty much how it went – I guess those stacks of pennies really added up to something in the end. Of course, it wasn't like my parents paid for absolutely everything and I had it easy. I got some scholarships here and there, and I still had to work part-time during the school year and fulltime every summer to take care of my rent and living expenses. Strangely enough, I actually came away from the whole thing with a small surplus of money – which I promptly blew on a year's worth of travels in India.

But the truth was that I always felt a little uncomfortable not having debt. When I was in university, everyone else around me had it. The sound of my classmates complaining about their student loans seemed a constant echo in my ears. I hid my debtless-ness as one might try to hide a weird birthmark or a third nipple, all the while wondering if there was something wrong with me. Why didn't I have debt, too?

After four and a half years, I had graduated and so had my friends. Some decided to get jobs.

Others traveled. Many moved back in with their parents. They still talked about what they owed, which in my eyes were vast, unthinkable sums. I had to do something to join this not-so-elite club.

But what?

I decided to go to India. I know what you're thinking – how can a person obtain debt in India, where a pack of "the good kind" of cigarettes sells for a mere 150 rupees - roughly $2.25? Where McDonald's will serve you up a totally appetizing McAloo Tikki™ meal for the equivalent of $1.50?

(Did I mention that's for the whole meal and

Columnist ×

JJ Brewis is a lover and analyst of all things pop culture. In this column, he will examine the inner workings of pop culture and its cause and effect on the rest of us who just live and love as celebrities at heart. Because that’s what JJ is all about. He’s never seen Breaking Bad, but he can tell you the lyrics to any song on Lindsay Lohan’s vanity albums.

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× Katie So

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“From the first time you saw Cory, he had a star quality and a genuine sweetness that made it impossible not to fall in love with him… All that warmth and that charm, that open hearted quality that we loved in Cory was no act. Cory was a beautiful soul.”

These words are part of a speech actress Jane Lynch gave during a tribute to her late Glee co-star Cory Monteith at the Emmy Awards last week.

Similarly, Sopranos star James Gandolfini was memorialized by his on-screen wife Edie Falco.

Despite not knowing or having even met either of those late actors, I found myself watching the clips and feeling moved by what the surviving co-stars had to say. I doubt that I felt touched merely on human compassion alone. I, like much of North America, feel compelled to care about these deceased stars. I feel saddened that they have passed, leaving a severed body of work that could have been more full, and a life just as unfinished.

I’m not entirely sure on what premise these connections are drawn, but I’m definitely not alone in feeling a loss of these human beings that haven’t personally impacted my life.

It’s without question that society holds celebrities on a pedestal. We idolize them even when they make poor choices, and we follow and root for them in their careers in personal life, all without having never even have been in the same room.

People caring about celebrities in a day-to-day manner is one thing, but the moment one of them dies, the entire world seems to collectively take a moment to freeze, think about that person and decide how much of a shit they give. And it seems that we as a society are even more willing to care about a famous person the moment they die.

While it’s pretty standard to mourn the loss of those we know personally, why do the rest of us care when a celebrity passes away? When a musician dies, their albums skyrocket. Mere weeks after soul-singer Amy Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning in 2011, her album Back to Black became the best-selling album Britain saw in the 21st century. The album would go on to sell 1.7 million copies in the 12 months after her death.

But it isn’t as if people aren’t influenced to care about these fallen idols. Graceland, Tennessee, the burial place of Elvis Presley, sees 600,000 visitors annually. While people may have flocked to Presley’s grave originally as a pilgrimage, it has since become a big business, with Graceland now operating as a full-blown tourist destination.

An essay by Nate Danger Geist of the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, titled “Why Do We Care When Celebrities Die?” examines the intricacies of why people invest so much into the life of somebody they’ve never even met, to the point of mourning that individual when they die.

“We are distraught by the amount of poten-

tial that is lost,” Geist writes. “Can you imagine how many classic comedies would be in existence today if Chris Farley and John Candy were still alive?” It seems then, that the mourning is that of a more selfish loss than genuine. We know that Amy Winehouse will never sing another song and Chris Farley won’t tell another joke — and we focus more on this than the fact that someone’s family member has personally suffered a loss.

It seems that the media tell us to focus on one celebrity loss more than others. In January of 2008, two Hollywood actors both passed away — Heath Ledger and Brad Renfro. Geist insists that the media push for Ledger’s mourning was intentional, and it did certainly help to score him a posthumous Oscar for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight.

“The media tells you to care. How much more did you care about Ledger’s death than you did Renfro’s?” Geist asks. “Similarly, how much media coverage did you hear about Ledger’s death as opposed to Renfro’s?”

But following celebrities in life and death is not always in affectionate or flattering manners. While some people may have went out to buy the Bodyguard soundtrack as their own way to remember Whitney Houston after she died, other people are little less tactful.

Some people go so far as to engage in “celebrity death pools” in which they bid and bet on which stars will die before the end of the year. Popular candidates include those who are aging, or younger stars in ill health or leading destructive lifestyles.

Deathlist.net has predicted the deaths of such notable famous people as Patrick Swayze, Elizabeth Taylor and Kim Jong-il. The site doesn’t just go so far as to predict which famous people will pass away - they pride themselves on when their predictions come to fruition.

In similar fashion, the death of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher evoked an unprecedented response. Daily Telegraph editor Tony Gallagher tweeted mere hours after Thatcher’s death: “Even our address to email tributes is filled with abuse,” commenting that every article on the site was filled with just as many hecklers as it was admirers. So much for that whole “don’t say ill will about the dead” thing.

When Michael Jackson died, the news temporarily crashed Twitter. Certainly, Jackson was a celebrity who had polarized opinions in every avenue. Whether the response was in memoriam or celebration, it just goes to show that people will always be fascinated not only with what makes someone famous, but what makes their star fall.

Carly Vandergriendt Columnist ×

School and ketchup are two of Carly Vandergriendt’s true loves. After taking a small break, she is continuing her education in a UBC Master’s program, while living and “working” in Montreal. Being a full-time student, she knows the intricacies of student life and the woes that accompany it. Check out some of her work at Carlyrosalie.com not just the burger!?) We're talking about chump change, here. If anything, after a year I should have still been in the black.

But I wasn't. I wanted debt so desperately that I managed to rack up a $2000 credit card bill frequenting the swanky nightclubs of Jaipur with my high-class Indian friends, who I envied for their personal servants, drivers, and cooks. I also charged a few flights between cities, went shopping at the mega-mall in New Delhi, and in my desperation for cheese, often splurged on imported Gouda. As I eyed my balance, I wondered, would this be enough? Was I finally in debt?

Unfortunately, it didn't last. I returned home, and after working for few months with next-tono living expenses at my parent's house, the debt had practically fizzled away. Disillusioned, I nearly resigned myself to the idea that I might never have debt. After all, I was planning on going tree planting in May – my bank account was bound to be fat by the end of the summer. In the fall, I would be starting my master's degree, but I fancied that I would make enough to cover the measly $3000-asemester tuition. I tried to ease the disappointment by telling myself that debt "wasn't for me" and I was "better off without it."

That could have been the end of the story – but for a happy mistake. When I was billed for my tuition in late August, I noticed the balance said $5000, not $3000! An extra two thousand dollars per semester – coupled with the expense of moving to Montreal, minimally furnishing my new apartment, and buying myself more clothes in order to "fit in" with the Mile End hipsters – it was enough to give me hope that I might be counting my coins to make ends meet. It seemed as though all of the stars had aligned perfectly to tell me that I had been completely unrealistic in thinking I could afford to pay for my master's, my rent, and my living expenses, and not work at the same time.

I took swift action and Googled "student loans". As a permanent resident of Ontario, it was inevitable that I landed on the Ontario Student Assitance Program (OSAP) website, revelling in the thought that my dream might finally come true. I bit my lip as I filled out the application form - but the odds were in my favour, with my income from the previous fiscal year amounting to absolutely nothing, thanks to the fact that I was mostly roaming around India. On paper, it looked like I really needed the money.

And I got it. Two days ago the government money fairy dumped $6000 into my bank account. Sure, I have to pay it back – but for now I will revel in my debt, and sweat at it, like the rest of the student loaners, when I have to pay it back.

× Shannon Elliot

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S P E C I A L F E AT U R E S . C A P C O U R I E R @ G M A I L . C O M

THUMBS UP! HITCHHIKING MAKES A MODERN STRIKE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION × Sydney Parent

Faye Alexander × Opinions Editor “Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose,” Janis Joplin croons in her iconic soul jam “Me and Bobby McGee”, a romantic portrait of hitchhiking in the groovy ‘60s. The image of a lone vagabond walking along the side of the highway with an outstretched arm, and a thumb stuck out, may seem like a faded ideal of a lifestyle near extinction, but the art of hitchhiking continues thrive in B.C. Hitchhiking outposts are sprinkled throughout places like the Gulf Islands and Sunshine Coast where the dark reputation of hitchhiking is overthrown by the practicality of ride sharing.

OFF TO PRISON YOU GO

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There are two types of hitching: long distance rides where it is preferable to source your driver online and meet in person to decide whether you’d like to travel 300 km with them, or the classic leap frog hitching where you leap from town to town.

details or statistics are available regarding the safety of hitching since it is so difficult to collect any data pertaining to this fringe mode of transit. From a young age, most of us are urged never to talk to strangers or get into any unmarked white vans. It goes against all the basic safety fundamentals that have been drilled into us through both the school system and parental guidance. The fears associated with hitchhiking is well-founded given that bad things can happen, but it’s good to keep in mind that millions of rides are successfully shared by total strangers.

“Smile, look clean, be confident, pack light, and hydrate,” says Pinchin. “Don’t arm yourself past your level of competence. If you have a knife but it gets taken away and suddenly your weapon is being used on you, won’t you feel silly?”

Hitching is a free ride, with cost sharing options, and given the sky rocketing gas prices, who wouldn’t want to avoid the cost of filling up a tank?

The idea of meeting strangers, telling stories, and taking the road less travelled is appealing to some but requires confidence and street smarts. Accompanied with caution and doing your research in advance can lead to safe travels and new pals. With new programs launching across Canada to make ride sharing a more safe and friendly experience, soon you may not even need to tap the inevitable Compass Card.

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THE ART OF HITCHHIKING

“Vancouver to Nelson I usually make in less than 12 hours with four ‘leaps’ in between, usually being Hope, Rockcreek, Midway, then Castlegar,” explains Sarah Pinchin, a six-year veteran of the art of hitchhiking.

There are a wide range of attitudes towards the art of hitching all around the world. In Cuba, picking up hitchhikers is mandatory by government vehicles if passenger space is readily available.

In fact, hitching in Cuba is encouraged due to the limited amount of cars on the island. In Poland, hitchhiking was legalized and formalized in the late 1950s. There, hitchhikers could buy booklets that included coupons from travel agencies. These coupons were given to drivers who picked up travelers, and by the end of each season drivers who collected the highest number of coupons could exchange them for prizes up until 1995 when the fun sadly came to an end.

Pinchin has been “professionally” hitching through Canada for the past six years, but began to thumb rides on the Sea to Sky highway at just 15. She offers some tips to those considering hitchhiking.

“Stand straight, face forward with assurance and a big smile, arm held out straight. Wear a clean white shirt. It's eye catching and it signifies you aren't dirty.” For those attempting a longer journey than just across the rural Gulf Islands of B.C., it pays to plan ahead and pack accordingly. “Keep your pack to half your body weight. Two lighters, two tarps, one good wool blanket, spare set of clothes, extra socks, and four litres of water, always.” There are greater risks associated with being a female hitcher facing the highways on your own, and Pinchin urges some clever tools to keep yourself safe. “Steel-toed boots are extra insurance to the cautious female hitchhiker. They’re not technically a weapon, but they do come in handy.”

You can’t really discuss hitchhiking without addressing the obvious dangers associated with it.

If you are looking to hitch a ride, it’s best to be equipped with awareness and caution. Very few

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Hitchhiking is still illegal under the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act and can land you a $109 fine. Not only is putting out your thumb in an attempt to obtain a lift illegal, but simply being on a roadway for the purpose of soliciting a ride is illegal.

In other words, just because a police officer does not see you with your dead giveaway thumb out, it does not mean that you will be able to escape conviction for hitchhiking. If you are standing beside your backpack on a highway onramp in the middle of nowhere, you’ll get dinged for attempting to solicit a ride despite whatever clever excuse you can conjure up. However, potential travelers have plenty of resources available to them that will keep their thumbing off the dangerous highways.

Websites such as PickUpPal, CraigsList, and Kijiji have become focal points to connect motorists with riders. Hitchhiking is not dying, it’s becoming more efficient.

A community-driven program on Bowen Island is one of several working to promote the art of hitchhiking as an environmentally friendly and practical way of getting to know your fellow locals.

Bowen LIFT (Linking Islanders through Friendly Transportation) combines a series of stops along the small island’s roads where those in need of a

ride can safely be spotted and picked up by drivers.

Transit services in these more rural areas most often offer limited hours and are challenged to cover the sparsely populated community. The formalized take on hitchhiking helps to counter the risks associated with getting in a car with a total stranger.

“We don’t see it as strangers jumping into cars with strangers. It’s really about neighbours connecting with neighbours,” says Bowen LIFT organizer, Rosemary Knight.

“On Saltspring Island, there are infrequent buses, and if you don't own a car, or have extremely obliging parents, you're stuck at home. The island is very long and spread out, and the distances between the villages, and even the houses, turn walking into a ridiculous affair. My only choice in high school if I wanted to get anywhere was to hitchhike,” explains former Saltspring resident, Paisley Conrad. The Gulf Islands are now starting to implement car stops, which is a lot like a bus stop but without the bus itself. The rules of the car stop are that a driver can pick up anyone waiting there by their own discretion, and the passenger can refuse a ride if they feel unsafe. “If I missed the bus to school, chances are one of my teachers would be driving past my home in the farming district of the island. I'd get rides from my friends’ parents as well, young hippies who understand the pain of not having a vehicle, and a lot of old ladies.

Sometimes the old ladies would drive me right to my door. Most of the time the conversation flowed, but occasionally you'd get into the car of someone who really did not want to talk to you at all, making for an awkward 20 minutes together.”

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S P E C I A L F E AT U R E S . C A P C O U R I E R @ G M A I L . C O M

DR U G S, B O N G S, P O LI T ICS × Mariko Whitley

WHY THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO GET EDUCATED ON TOKING

Leah Scheitel

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× Editor - in - Chief

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Justin Trudeau’s new reign as the leader of the Liberal Party is an interesting one. Not only is he the son of the beloved Prime Minster, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, and is Canada’s version of JFK Jr. but his leadership win is said to be the push that the Liberals need to gain back some popularity and bring an end to Stephen Harper’s Conservative era. According to the Globe and Mail, the Liberals have been more popular in the polls since Trudeau’s campaign win in April. “The Liberal lead in the polls has been remarkably consistent, with the party placing first in 19 consecutive national polls and every poll since Mr. Trudeau was named leader,” explained the article, penned by Eric Grenier.

On top of all of this, Trudeau caused a media stir by admitting that he has smoked weed after becoming a Member of Parliament. He even gave a 20-minute interview about his marijuana use and his position on legalizing the banned substance, in the interest of full transparency.

The legalization and use of marijuana has been a hot topic in politics. Cannabis (the medicinal name for marijuana) has proven to be beneficial

to many people suffering for diseases such as cancer and chronic illnesses. There are multiple studies to support that using marijuana or cannabis is no more dangerous than drinking, which the government has successfully regulated and taxed since the prohibition days. And with two States – Washington and Colorado – voting to legalize weed last November, it seems like there is pressure on Canadian politicians to start another conversation about the possibility of legalizing it in Canada – even if not many of them admit to trying it.

HIGH HONESTY Trudeau gave full disclosure to his history with weed, saying that “Sometimes throughout my life I’ve had a pull on it …Sometimes, I guess, I have gotten a buzz, but other times no. I’m not really crazy about it.”

But the same can’t be said for his opponents.

When asked to comment, Prime Minister Harper’s office said that he is unable to smoke substances of any kind due to asthma. NDP Leader, Thomas

Mulcair, admitted to trying weed, but refused to say when the last time he smoked was and how he procured the substance.

David Valentin is the vice-president of communications for the Young Liberals of Canada, and sees Trudeau’s honesty as “refreshing.” “Voters know if you ask Justin questions, he’s going to answer it and he’s going to be honest. Mr. Mulcair says that he smoked marijuana, but he won’t tell you when. I think it would be interesting to ask every single Member of Parliament if they’ve done it,” says Valentin. “I think if anything, people are going to be drawn to the fact that we are doing politics differently, we are being open, accountable, and transparent. Justin is not going to lie because it’s more convenient,” he says.

People outside of politics also echo this sentiment. Isaac Oommem works as communication outreach for the BC Compassion Club Society and he says that he isn’t deterred from Trudeau because he has admitted to getting high. “I would trust him more. It’s kind of a trend. Even in the U.S., you see people asking Obama about his usage as

well. It’s important to ask politicians that in the sense of where they are coming from,” Oommem explains. Oommem hopes that the public’s curiosity about legalizing cannabis will encourage more conversations and potentially lead to reforming some of the laws. “As more people talk about their use, I think it becomes more within the public domain of being able to talk about it, which will hopefully lead to reform in terms of the laws that are out there,” he continues. “There is a need for that to change and as politicians admit to use, that might lead to a change that its more open and out there and acceptable that people do this.”

Tim Schouls, law professor at Capilano University, says that Trudeau’s openness about the situation is making him less mysterious as a public figure. “I think that probably Justin Trudeau's admission to smoking marijuana draws attention to a couple of things. One is that he probably sees it as a relatively benign substance, one on par with that of alcohol consumption, provided that it is used responsibly, that this is something that he would like to draw to the public's attention. Also this sort of image

that we have of Justin Trudeau of being sort of young, and representing a constituency that is not of Stephen Harper or Tom Mulcair's generation also suggests that he wants to think about politics, and how politicians should conduct themselves a little differently - more like the people's man, as opposed to the aloofness and separateness of Mulcair and Harper.”

Schouls says that Trudeau may be so open about his marijuana use to show that he isn’t perfect, and this may make him attractive to a younger generation of voters.

“What he wants to do is suggest to us that he's a flawed individual - not that smoking marijuana indicates that you're flawed but that he is like any one of us, that has dabbled in probably excessive use of alcohol from time to time, who's dabbled in the use of some recreational narcotics or drugs, or in this case marijuana from time to time, and that needn't necessarily blemish his character or call his credentials as a politician and a leader into question.”

“My sense is probably that Trudeau is just trying to soften the public up in a way to maybe make all of us ready to engage in a discussion about this. I think that’s kind of what he’s after,” says Schouls.

REFORM THE LAWS, MAN

ON the Cover Mariko Whitley

There seems to be a strange paradox when it comes to marijuana laws, where the people who are making the laws surrounding marijuana use are the last ones who can try it because it is deemed by the government as an illegal activity. As soon as Trudeau made his admission to smoking weed, Prime Minister Harper pointed his finger at him, and said it was illegal for him to do that.

“This is one of the things that Stephen Harper did immediately, he said ‘well you know that's criminal activity to possess marijuana and to utilize it, and how can a law maker, and someone who aspires to be a law maker assume the reigns of power if he is a law breaker at the same time,’” explains Schouls. “I think sometimes when it comes to politicians, there may be a prejudice. In the case of the Conservative party, [they are] against decriminalizing because they regard the use of marijuana as an immoral activity, like it’s morally degenerative.

And that’s a prejudice of a certain kind, the others on the other side of the equation would like to challenge and break down.”

This is what the Sensible B.C. Campaign is trying to do. The petition, started on Sept. 9, has until Dec. 5 to get at least 10 per cent of signatures from every electoral district, roughly equating to 400,000 signatures. If successful, the petition will utilize B.C.’s Recall and Initiative Act, and lead to a province-wide referendum about marijuana reform. This is the same way that the Harmonize Sales Tax was brought to referendum through the Fight HST petition.

“What they are going to try and do is get that petition signed to a level that gets the legislation in Victoria to take a real hard look at our policies on marijuana. Now marijuana possession being prohibited under the Criminal Code falls under the jurisdiction of the federal government, but nevertheless, what the provincial government could do is ask the federal government for the opportunity to be, as it were, excused from those provisions, at least with respect to some areas,” says Schouls.

Public opinion may be the most effective way to get the government’s attention to this subject.

“I think that that’s ultimately the most effective

Conservative MPs, Andrew Saxton and David Wilks failed to respond to the Courier’s interview request before press deadline.

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Mariko Whitley is a pretty little lady.

She has diverse talent in both illustration and design. She is a recent graduate from the IDEA Program and currently works at Toolbox Design. Everything she does is cute.

Check out the skilled cuteness at Marikowhitley.com.

STONE YOUR MPS

campaign,” Schouls continues, “is try to democratize the issue, educate other people, and insist or enforce the politicians who seem to be prejudice against it, to take a good hard look at it, either through the kinds of initiatives undertake by Trudeau or parallel to that, initiative undertaken by us, insisting that marijuana has clear health benefits with respect to issue relating to illness.”

Another major factor in Canada looking at the marijuana laws is the two states – Colorado and Washington – voted last November to legalize marijuana, and it can now be legally bought.

“More than anything I think looking at a State neighbour that is so close to us – Washington legalizing, kind of gave people emphasis to kind of open up,” says Oommen.

Having two States legalize weed shows the Canadian government that it can be done without chaos ensuing, but, as Valentin says, the government can’t just adopt their policies. They are going to have to be made specifically for Canadians.

“I think the devil is in the details. We need to make sure that the approach we take is a made in Canada approach. It’s going to be different implementation up here. I’m really happy that Colorado and Washington wanted to legalize. You look at the results down there, it was a lot of older people supporting it,” Valentin says. “It could be funding so many different things than spending billions of dollars trying to enforce something that doesn’t work. We have different ways of administrating our programs.”

Although the debate is warming up, it is far from settled. Education is the first step to reform, but before we can educate, prejudices surrounding cannabis use have be to broken down. Politicians have to be willing and open to at least talking about it before the conversation can really start.

If Justin Trudeau has done anything, it’s shown people that even Canada’s golden child has enjoyed a puff every now and then.

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as you would for any food production or tobacco production. It can’t be laced with this, that, or the next thing.”

I

Reforming the laws surrounding marijuana is also something that Valentin, as a Young Liberal, is an advocate for. “I was there at [a Liberal] convention when we all voted on it, and I voted in favor of it.

One of the reasons I always talk about to people is we are a system that encourages drug dealers and criminals to make money for a drug that is not any more harmful than alcohol, which we already regulate and dispense ourselves. Why would we want to spend a billion dollars prosecuting and paying police officers, judges, crown attorneys, to enforce a system that doesn’t work, and why would we give up billions of dollars to organized crime?”

Schouls agrees that if marijuana were to be legalized and regulated, it would allow for larger government revenue because of taxation. “As soon as you decriminalize a substance like this and subject it to regulation, again as we do with alcohol, it’s subject to taxation as well, and it would be a fantastic tax grab.”

Education and regulation is something that, according to Valentin, could be funded with the

tax dollars earned from the sale of cannabis. “We could legalize marijuana, we could tax it so there is some money going back into the government that could go into programs to help people with addiction, but also we can control the quality of the marijuana, and ensure that it’s not going to kids. Look at the prohibition of alcohol way back, and the prohibition on alcohol didn’t work. It was a huge, costly, ineffective disaster and history is repeating itself.”

For Oommen, his major want for reformation of the strict marijuana laws is to increase education about cannabis and its health benefits as well as ensuring that the cannabis is of a certain quality. “For us specifically, for medical cannabis users, it needs to be cannabis that’s regulated so that it’s safe, it’s reliable, and that they have much easier access to it than what’s currently set out. Right now the system has a lot of barriers, so for us, regulation is far more important than legalization, although we are very pro legalization as well.” As Oommen points, legalizing and regulating cannabis is a necessity for medicinal purposes because using dirty drugs that has been mixed with something else could be hazardous to someone suffering from an illness. “What you get on the street, you don’t really know what’s in it. Some people call it Purple Kush, but they just call it that for whatever reason. It doesn’t really speak to the sympathetic effects of the cannabis will be, what the conditional effects of the cannabis will be either.”

“We try to make sure here, as the BC Compassion Club Society, that everything we have on the menu, as much as possible, we try to make sure that they are organic, that they are organically grown. You have people who are sick using the cannabis, and the last thing you want is their health to be further compromised by these strains,” he continues.

According to Schouls, regulation would help ensure a higher quality of the marijuana, as the government could set a standard for what would be suitable for sale.

“You could establish quality control mechanisms through policy,” he explains. “In some of these cases, it may be possible for [growers] to apply for the right to grow and to sell, and that it would be very clearly regulated again – how much would be permissible and under what conditions would it be sold, and there would probably be standard for growing strains of marijuana, just

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cap calendar Monday 30

Tuesday 1

Wednesday 2

Thursday 3

Friday 4

Artists For Conservation

Courier Goes On a Diet

Vegetarian Monday

VIFF : Leap 4 Your Life

Grouse Mountain All day $ free

Maple 122 All day $ - cost of Herbal Magic

Capilano Caferteria All day $ - probably more than you should pay

The Rio Theatre 8 pm $13

Artists for conservation 2013 A conservation-themed art exhibit of original nature and wildlife art, featuring art workshops for adults, youth, live painting demonstrations, films and guest lecturers. There’s also live music and other cultural performances in this weeklong soiree.

Man, have there been a lot of birthdays over here!

It seems like we’re wolfing down cake every week in honour of one of our staffers. Seriously, people need to stop getting older so we can stop getting fatter. Here’s an idea: stop by one of our weekly pitch meetings (Tuesdays at noon) and help cut our food intake by half.

In honour of our new diet plan, and Cap’s very bright idea that people are only vegetarians on Mondays, the cafeteria has chosen to feature meat-free food for the day. Whoopie! Something edible for the flesh-free herbivores, even if only temporary.

Leap 4 Your Life will be making its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival 2013! Locally written and produced, Leap 4 Your Life is a mock-umentary comedy about teenage dance competitions. “It’s fun, it’s fast...and it’s a little sexy…” says writer, producer and actor, Taylor Hill. Hilarity is sure to ensue.

Capturefest

Feast On 4th

A Night Of Spoken Word

BC Craft Beer Month

Launch party @ Museum of Vancouver 7:30 pm $ - free

West 4th Avenue, Vancouver All day, $ - varying prices

The Cellar 8 pm $10

Tap and Barrel - Olympic Village 5pm $ - cost of a pint or eight

Vancouver’s first annual city-wide photography festival launches today. Capture, a not-forprofit festival, is dedicated to celebrating local and international photography and lens-based art—public realm installations, and a series of community-based photo workshops, tours, artist talks, films, are among the events.

It’s the return of the West Side’s favourite food & drink celebration - West 4th’s FEAST OF 4TH restaurant & foodie promotion. Spotlighting daily special foodie events on West 4th, price-fixe dinners, intimate ticketed group dinners and special pairing menus, tastings, tours and more.

VanSlam presents a night of spoken word, where Vancouver writers share their most intimate and embarrassing moments in the sardonic way that only comedic writers do. There is also an open mic later on in the show, if you feel up to embarrassing yourself.

BC craft beer month kicks off with many stories about the people who make the local beer you love, written by Vancouver Is Awesome contributor, Liz Vossen. Taste these wacky wheat concoctions, like Spinnaker’s Brewpub’s Cucumber Mint and Parallel 49’s Lemon Grass Ginger Lager.

Hanson

Dave Robins Electric Band

Film And Television Forum

Free Art Party

Vogue Theatre 7 pm $36.50

Presentation House, 8 pm $10 and free tea & cookies

Vancity Theatre $35-285 2 pm

Seymour Art Gallery 7 p.m. $ - free

Remember these adorable little boys, who, when they first got famous by singing acapella in a mall somewhere, everyone thought they were cute little girls and gave them a recording contract?

See them play an intimate show at the Vogue as they Mmm-bop their way through their lengthy music career – as men.

Part of Capilano Jazz Program’s weekly series.

Skit, scat and bebop your way down to the Presentation House in North Van to support your local comrades. Have some tea and cookies while you’re at it. But the real nourishment is for the soul.

As a part of Vancouver International Film Festival, this event features four days of development for senior and emerging professionals – from financing and production to marketing and distribution to storytelling and engagement.

Not that you need a reason to support local art, but everything is more fun when it’s (mostly) free. To enjoy more art, there’s a fundraising exhibition featuring original artwork by more than 50 established and emerging local artists. May even include some live music - if we’re lucky.

Open Mic

Sweet Sip Thursdays

Gallery Tours

Really Rod!

Café Deux Soleils 8 pm $5, or free if you play

The Keefer Bar, 10 pm $10

Vancouver Art Gallery 11 am and 1 pm $ - free when you pay regular admission

The Bottleneck (870 Granville) 8 pm $ - free

Kudos to you if you have to balls to step up to the open mic this Thursday. You know who doesn’t have the balls, though? Café Deux Soleils’ open mic night sound tech guy stood up a Courier staff member for a date without a word.

Dude, this is the age of the internet. There are at least five different ways you could’ve said you weren’t going to show up. Come see us play a ‘90s-era angry fem song about it.

The Keefer Bar hosts “sultry and sophisticated burlesque” in an event called Sweet Sip Thursdays. Take a peek at this controversial show. Then practice your best Dita Von Teese in the mirror at home. Three shows in two hours. Have a vintage cocktail to go with your vintage burlesque.

In-gallery tours overview the current exhibition, with detail to social and historical context. This is where questions and conversation are encouraged — kind of like being in art history class, except paying for a fraction of it, and not getting graded. Tours are one-hour long.

So, Rod Stewart has done a lot more in his lifetime than just build a beautiful house, but can we talk about his house? Did you guys see that episode of Cribs where his daughter, Kim Stewart (who is, like, crazy hot by the way) shows us around her poppa’s house and her subsequent pool house? Holy crap. Anyways, Clay Owens does a tribute to the legendary rocker.

Superhero Ball

Rocky Horror Picture Show Debut

Gold & Youth

Gravity

Renaissance Hotel Harbourside 7 pm $30

Jericho Arts Centre 8 pm $20 preview, $30, $35

The Electric Owl 8 pm $8

A Theatre Near You Various times $ 12ish

In the theme of Cosplayers and Hallowe’en enthusiasts, this SuperHero Ball encourages you to come dressed as your favourite superhero for this fundraising event that includes costume prizes, cocktails and canapes, and a silent auction. Proceeds go to the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation. You’d be a jerk not to.

We’re trembling with antici…pation! That sweet transvestite and his motley crew did the time warp. This deliberately kitschy rock ‘n’ roll scifi gothic is more fun than ever. But please don’t bring your own props!

Former member of Lillix and the Blue Violets alongside 54/40 offspring, super-babe Louise Burns plays with her new band Gold & Youth.

This indie-electro quartet graces the Electric Owl, one of the priciest bars in Vancouver. Yay!

Honestly, who cares what this movie is about.

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are in a movie together. And it opens today. But in case you’re curious, Bullock plays a medical engineer and Clooney plays a seasoned astronaut, who are stuck together in a spacewalk gone awry.

Mariah Carey Tribute 90’s Dance Party

Venus In Fur

Pop Singer Tiffany Turns 41

Miley Cyrus Tongue Wags

The Cobalt 9: 30 pm $9

Arts Club Theatre Co. - Granville Island Stage 8 p.m. $49

Netflix All day $ - cost of Netflix

TV 11:24 p.m. $ - 8 taste buds

Who doesn’t secretly love Mariah? In my case, it’s not-so-much a secret but a glaring, rainbow-bright fact about my life. Not only is this a super fun dance party, but a drag competition, also featuring a dress-up booth! Winner takes home a $200 gift certificate for the fabulous vintage store, Burcu’s Angels. If only I could do drag.

You guys, this isn’t just a Velvet Underground song. This salacious new play based on the novel (and the song) of the same name is eroticallycharged, seductive and quick-witted. See for yourself if the play lives up to the erotic novel, or if you still prefer the song over anything else.

“I Think We’re Alone Now” singer, who got famous as a teen in 1987, turns 41. Holy crap. Also, did you guys ever see the documentary “I think we’re alone now”, about Tiffany’s crazed stalkers?

It’s a must watch. She’s really popular, you guys.

If you've seen your tongue, you're going to want to see this. Think of all the deliciours goodies Mileys's tongue has been on. Now it's on SNL.

Dave Chappelle

Knitting Club Soiree

America’s Funniest Home Videos

Call Your Girlfriend

Queen Elizabeth Theatre 6:30 pm $52

River District Centre 4 pm $ - free

ABC network 7 pm $ - cost of cable

From the heart Probably lunch time? $ cost of sincerity

You might not know it, but the first time you saw Dave Chapelle, he was doing ad-lib stand-up in the movie The Nutty Professor, and made Eddie Murphy laugh so hard that milk came out of his nose. Since then, you know him from his skitbased show, the Chapelle Show, and as the guy who yells “I’m Rick James, bitch!” Spoiler: he’s not actually Rick James. But they were friends.

It’s a swap-meet of sorts for seasoned and aspiring knitters. Have some unused or unwanted yarn, needles or pattern books lying around? Bring them to swap and trade among fellow fiber friends. There will be food, mingling and time to socialize. Everyone is welcome but an RSVP is required.

Since there’s no more Breaking Bad this Sunday – or, like, ever again – you’re going to have to fill the void with something. Why not fill the void with hilarious videos of dogs and cats, or people hurting themselves terribly? I mean, it’s no Breaking Bad. But it’ll do. We guess.

It's time you had the talk, give your reasons, say it's not her fault, but you just met somebody new.

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arts + Culture

A + C EDITOR ×

ANDY RICE

ARTS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

Passion for fashion VANCOUVER'S RUNWAY LIGHTS UP Katherine Gillard × News Editor

Carlo Javier × Staff Writer On a typical day, Vancouver is overflowing with VanCity hoodies and LuluLemon sweats, save for the occasional pair of cuffed chinos or the odd floral sundress. The good and the bad are apparent, the lack of a consistent fashion culture is evident, and a reputation for being lazy is not only wellknown, but also well-deserved.

But despite Vancouver’s notoriety for having a collectively lackadaisical approach to style, the city proved otherwise this year at Vancouver Fashion Week. Held from Sept. 16 to 21 at the Chinese Cultural Centre, the six-day runway show brought out both local and international talent to preview their spring/summer 2014 collections. The eclectic and hip were in the same room as the minimalists – chic, fab, and trendy were words that were volleyed from one end of the runway to the other.

And most importantly, not a single Ugg boot was seen. The runway was truly shining with creativity and state-of-the-art design.

Uwi Twins Fashion Label showed off their spring/summer 2014 lineup during the evening of Friday, Sept. 20. Previewing both men’s and women’s wear that was inspired by ’80s culture, U.T.F.L. combined aspects of modern street wear with the ever-advancing creativity of runway fashion. The twins prominently featured the year 1987 in the graphics of their shirts, signifying their birth year and acting as a symbol for their ’80s-inspired designs.

It was U.T.F.L.’s menswear line in particular that set them apart from the rest of the pack.

While ongoing trends point to fitted shirts as being the way to go, U.T.F.L. introduced longer, baggier t-shirts to the runway instead – an homage to the ’80s hip-hop movement.

The twin designers, Reuben and Levi, were born in Rwanda, where they experienced the infamous genocide in 1994. With their home country eviscerated by war, they fled to Vancouver at the age of seven with their mother. It was there that they spent the remainder of their childhood, working hard in acting, fashion, and music as their dreams began to manifest.

Despite having their early years marred by war, Reuben and Levi refused to let it traumatize them.

Instead, they made the experience a motivation.

Several of the U.T.F.L. pieces feature a childhood photograph of the twins, providing a powerful yet subtle image that represents their struggle and success. Undoubtedly the most poignant moment of the show was a hug shared between the twins with their mother. It was an unforgettable scene more profound than all of the lights and dresses put together.

In 2006, the Uwi twins created the brand R&U Styles with fellow designer Umberto Sadaka. The Hudson’s Bay Company picked up the line when the boys were only 19 years old. Even at a young age, they were trendsetters. “When we were in high school we always thought we were the freshest in school and I would have to say, you know... one time he (Levi) wore a pink shirt and no one ever tried a pink shirt and I swear to god, like

next week all the guys were wearing a pink shirt,” Reuben says.

The twins’ confidence certainly isn’t lacking, and neither is their taste for innovation. Fittingly enough, those qualities are almost prerequisites in the fashion industry. “That’s...how we knew we kind of had a little bit of the swagger naturally,” Reuben continues. “We just thought it was natural to go into fashion and you know, we don’t have like a professional training in fashion so we just do it off how we feel and what we’re inspired about and that’s how it worked out.”

Some may consider success in the fashion industry to be reliant on luck, but others preach persistence and dedication until opportunity starts to knock. “In a way you could say it’s a fluke but you know, when you do something you love and you’re good at it you should always just keep doing it,” he says.

Fashion Week’s closing night featured some of the weekend’s most eclectic designs, from Lava Woman’s bright and fiery collection to Celestial’s Caribbean-inspired dresses. Lava Woman’s lineup was arguably the crowd favourite that evening.

The models were given creative freedom to pose and play with the cameras and when Lava Woman herself hit the runway, a mini dance party ensued.

One of the night’s feel good stories was Singapore’s Rick Hung, who unveiled his Kurt Cobaininspired line, 2HB. 2HB prominently made use of aspects of the ’90s grunge social movement that was led by Nirvana’s iconic frontman. Long shaggy

hair and decorated guitar cases were mainstays in Hung’s lineup. Impressively, Hung is still relatively new to the industry, having only begun his work in early 2011. His first launch took place in April 2012 in Singapore.

Richard Savage was modeling for Hung’s 2HB at the closing gala. A lawyer by day and model by night, he was a last minute replacement. Savage reveals he stepped in “as a favour to the organizer. I guess one model was sick or whatever so they were short one person so I just said I would do it.” His outfit, an all-black ensemble that included kneehigh socks and a blazer with studs on the sleeves, made him a clear standout in the show. It was said to be Hung’s personal favourite as well. Savage’s attire also included a black guitar case graffitied with galaxy-like patterns and the American flag.

“I think [Vancouver Fashion Week] is very nascent, you know, but I came here for the last couple seasons and every time I’ve really enjoyed it,” continues Savage. “I mean, it’s not even fashion, it’s visual art. But it’s unbelievable. The quality of Vancouver Fashion Week has really improved in the last couple seasons.”

He adds, “it’s too bad that there’s not enough press coverage. You don’t read about it in the newspaper, you don’t know it’s going on. Then you come here and the talent is there.”

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Itala Testino cements floral's status at the top of the spring/ summer pattern hierarchy with this purple dress that can be worn either casually or semi-formally.

Angel Eye compliments white with gold to create a simple, yet elegant semi-formal dress. Consistency comes to mind when describing Angel Eye's lineup. The label unveiled an array of dresses that speaks both high fashion and fun.

47 issue N o . 04

Uwi Twins Fashion Label blends hip hop-influenced streetwear with house-influenced visual art fashion, with this v-neck and short combination, with black linings and patterned shoulders to boot! U.T.F.L. impressively found a middle ground with practical yet stylish designs and avantgarde runway wear.

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arts + Culture

A + C EDITOR ×

ANDY RICE

ARTS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

Vancouver: City of vice TOUR TELLS STORIES OF CHINATOWN'S COLOURFUL PAST Amber Bedard × Writer

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Vancouver’s evolution from an insignificant, offthe-map type community known as Gastown to the bustling metropolis that stands today simply cannot be explained without controversy and scandal. From its meager origins, Vancouver quickly blossomed into a hub for bawdy culture, bootlegging, brothels, and even crippling racial discrimination: a recipe for misbehavior and mishap.

Looking at present day Chinatown, with the busy activity of patrons intermingling with both modern and last-century architecture, it’s difficult to imagine what the place might have looked like in the days of yesteryear. The area was once known as the ultimate location for vice, particularly that of gambling, drugs, and selling sex. And in the period between the late 1800s and early 1900s, with the inclusion of the prohibition, vice was all but rampant, painting the picture of a roughand-tumble existence by Vancouver’s founding predecessors.

Sins of the City, a guided walking tour operated by the Vancouver Police Museum, takes curious crowds on a journey through the seedy side of Vancouver. Part history class and part adventure, only a few more tours remain before the project goes on hiatus for the winter.

The tour begins just outside the police museum on East Cordova, and then makes its way up a few blocks toward the boundary of Chinatown.

Meandering through the streets of the Downtown Eastside, it passes by 210 Keefer St., previously occupied as a bawdy house owned by the notoriously

risqué businessman, Joe Celona, friend of Vancouver’s questionable former mayor, L.D. Taylor.

Wil Rust, associate museum programmer at the Vancouver Police Museum, advocates why it’s important to highlight Chinatown’s history. “One of the reasons [why this tour is so important] is that Chinatown is slowing down a lot. We’d like people to keep it in mind and to explore it a little bit better… There is so much history.”

With many shop owners now moving to the much larger Golden Village business district in Richmond, Chinatown has reached a point of stagnation. The vitality of the previous economy has also dissipated, while crime in the neighbouring Downtown Eastside has done quite the opposite.

Not only is the Sins of the City tour packed with an abundance of historic information on the city’s illicit past, but it also relays valuable insight about immigration and its ramifications.

“There is so much to tell…not just [about] focusing on the vice and dice and opium dens, but there is a huge history that has a lot to do with immigration laws in Canada,” Rust continues. “We thought it was a good mixture [to explain] about the different communities, as well as the European settler community, how this whole area got to be this vice area.”

The racial discrimination of the time was undoubtedly a contributing factor. Most notable was the infamous anti-immigration rally of 1907 that erupted into a riot of violence and vandalism, ran-

sacking the Asian settlements of Chinatown and Japantown. One stop on the tour, an unremarkable shop by appearance, opens up to reveal a hidden courtyard. The area once served as a shelter from racial discrimination, where people flocked to save their lives from the 1907 riot. Mere feet away, an opium den stood in operation. “The riots of 1907 had a huge impact on the area for a lot of reasons,” says Rust, adding that many depleting immigration, freedom, and drug laws came into fruition as a result. “It’s all very much connected.”

Rust explains that everyone in the community had a connection one way or another to the controversial happenings of the time. “The mayor was involved, the higher ranked sergeants, detectives, investigators – there were payoff systems connected to the vice, gambling, looking away when people were minding their illegal businesses. It just includes the whole community.” Vancouver’s origin as a transient city has never fully dissipated; it still holds on to this notion, even over a century after its founding.

There are still some correlations to be found between modern day and the past, says Rust. And although it’s almost staggering for her to believe, a connection remains between historic prostitution rings and those found in the city today. “I’ve actually noticed that in some ways things haven’t changed,” she says. “It’s a different exposure, it is dealt with in a different way, but some things are still there.”

The tour winds down at Shanghai Alley, and

ends up at Gaoler’s Mews, another hidden gem that was once the town jail. The two-hour journey is a mediator of sorts for those who are interested in delving into Vancouver’s historic past. As raunchy or as lewd as it may appear, the tour highlights a critical part of Vancouver’s history with relevance to the present day.

“We want to give [tour-goers] a strong narrative of what we researched and what we found happened in those days,” says Rust, adding that “it’s [encouraged] to give your own interpretation of how it was and how [one] can connect themselves to the current situation. We don’t just want to give a history lesson, saying this is how it was, we want people to interpret [history] themselves, and see what they can get out of it.”

The Sins of the City tour meets at the Vancouver Police Museum, 240 East Cordova Street. Tours run until Oct. 23, on Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets are $16 for students and $20 for adults, including the cost of museum entry. Participants must be 18 or older and registration is required 24 hours in advance. For more details, interested readers may call 604-665-3346 or visit Vancouverpolicemuseum.ca.

challenge accepted CAP STUDENT STEALS THE SHOW AT PAX Carlo Javier × Staff Writer Emilie Chow is not one who shies away from a challenge. With just a little over a year of experience creating balloon sculptures, Chow, a jazz student at Capilano University, managed to steal the show at the Penny Arcade Expo, a popular annual gaming festival held in Seattle this past August.

“When people challenge me I can’t help it, because then I feel like I’m a failure if I don’t do it,” she says.

Using balloons, Chow built a replica of Bioshock’s iconic monster protagonist Big Daddy.

Bioshock, one of the more critically acclaimed games in recent years, is incredibly popular among gaming circles, and at PAX, Chow’s cosplay became an instant hit.

“The first thing that came to mind was Big Daddy, because they’re so cool. I love the game, I love the series,” she explains. To take it another notch more impressive, Chow also dressed herself up as a Little Sister, armed with the character’s ever-present syringe.

The preparation for Chow’s showcase was tasking, and the idea for it was born at another con-

vention. “I’ve thought about it since April,” she says. “April was Vancouver Fan Expo.” At the increasingly popular local festival, she brought out one of her special sculptures, one that started out as a dare and eventually went viral. “One of my first balloon sculptures was a big Slowbro balloon, which actually hit the front page of Reddit,” says Chow, “I brought that to the Fan Expo and people loved it.”

When it came time to create Big Daddy for PAX a few months later, Chow wasn’t alone in her work.

Once she decided to build the sculpture, she was determined to go the extra mile. Aside from the balloon, there were two other very important aspects to the cosplay: her costume as the Little Sister, and the syringe prop. “The syringe, my friend Brett and I, we put the prop together prior to the trip,” she explains. “My friend Kristi covered the costume and I covered the balloon.”

Complete commitment among them was an important factor in the outcome of the project.

“First thing we did, we went on eBay, we bought

the time,” she says. “My friends told me to up my game, so I started making bigger things and better things - then I finally I said, ‘that’s it, I’m gonna make a Pokemon.’”

Balloons seemed like a logical next step for an artistic hobby, given that Chow had long been expressing herself in other ways. “I’ve tried other mediums of art, and I’ve tried painting among other things. I’m in the music program, and I’ve always liked all sorts of mediums [sic],” she says.

In it primarily for the fun, Chow maintains that she isn’t likely to be pressured to create something that doesn’t fully capture her interest, even if that pressure comes from 2K Games themselves.

While she was at PAX, the company brought up the thought of building a ClapTrap sculpture, from their wildly popular shooter series Borderlands. But conventions and expos are filled with fans dressed up as characters from Borderlands, she explains, and she’s never been one to recycle ideas.

“I have a competitive nature,” Chow laughs. “I just love being challenged artistically.”

That’s a good thing, because trying to top Big Daddy at next year’s Penny Arcade Expo might just be her biggest challenge yet.

the capilano courier

[ o ] Carlo Javier

a rail gas pump from the 1920s and we bought everything we wanted and it got really pricey,” Chow begins. “We went to Home Depot at least 20 times, just to make sure we had all the right stuff, like the wiring. We put an LED in the syringe too so that it would glow. We worked on that a lot.”

However, the project did not move along as smoothly as they had envisioned. A zipper problem the morning before their departure for PAX caused a minor panic. “We had zipper problems, we were freaking out but we finally figured it out, and our Saturday afternoon was when we got it together.”

The hard work of Chow and her friends did not go unnoticed at PAX. Not only did she become a showstopper at the expo; she also scored an interview with 2K Games, the publishing company of Bioshock.

Quite possibly the most impressive aspect of Chow’s cosplay is how new she is to the art of balloon sculpting. Her involvement with balloons began as a job working with children, but soon she found the typical balloon animals to be boring and limiting. “The kids didn’t find it boring, but for me it was restricting to be making the same things all

× volume

47 issue N o . 04

15

OPINIONS

OPINIONS EDITOR ×

FAYE ALEXANDER

OPINIONS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

the problem with pageants

MISS AMERICA GETS BITCH SLAPPED Kristi Alexandra × Copy Editor When Nina Davuluri, American-Indian pageant contestant and former Miss New York was crowned Miss America on Sept. 15, the nation known for its red, white, and blue bikini-clad babes got a little uglier. Bigots and racists alike took to social media, namely Twitter, to voice their disgust[ing opinions] that – gasp – an IndianAmerican woman won the Miss America pageant.

Formerly Miss New York, Davuluri, a 24-year-old American woman of Indian descent, ugly-cried her way through the famous pageant’s acceptance.

Then, the hateful tweets came springing up: “Miss America right now or Miss Al Qaeda?”, “Miss America is a terrorist. Whatever. It’s fine”, and “The Arab wins Miss America. Classic”, were among the worst. While some of the tweeters, like @JAyres15 who wrote, “I swear I’m not racist but this is America”, come across as, in fact, pretty racist, is anyone actually surprised?

The Miss America organization – which is famed for reducing women’s worth to how good they look in a string bikini – isn’t quite a beacon for politically correct, socially upstanding and intelligent accomplishment. Ere go, the audience it draws isn’t in the same realm as the one you would expect from, say, the Nobel Peace Prize. So why are we acting like it should be?

Not too long ago, the a similar pageant organization – Miss Universe – was in hot water for

initially barring Jenna Talackova, a transgender female beauty queen, from competing in the pageant. Across Canada at least, you could hear the audible gasp from purveyors of the pageant and media sources alike saying “Gee golly! I just can’t believe that in 2012, we’re still not open-minded enough to let transgender beauty queens compete in the Miss Universe pageant.” Perhaps what they should have been saying, instead, was “Gee golly!

I just can’t believe that in 2012, beauty pageants are still a thing. At all.”

It’s not just those who don’t live on a diet of strictly soups and kale smoothies that may find the idea of beauty pageants, in general, pretty offensive. The idea that a woman can win a competition based on looking great in a bikini and in “evening wear”, share a basic talent (is being able to fit a whole cucumber in your mouth without gagging is a viable talent option?) and be able to speak well publicly, you will be awarded enough money to jump start a career is reinstating the sexist and antiquated ideas that you will only get ahead in life if you are objectively attractive; a message that seems to say “your achievements in life will be directly linked to your fuck-ability, so try hard to be as desirable as you can.” The fundamentals of the Miss America pageant belong where they started: in 1921.

It’s not that we should just get over it already,

but the backlash to the comments made after the Miss America win are almost as asinine as the comments themselves; media sources and their readers are acting like they’re appalled that anyone could speak so horribly about a totally upstanding, cultured and wonderful organization as Miss America.

Please.Former Miss Ohio and every Vancouverite’s favourite Real Housewife, Mary Zilba, also took to Twitter to say “I am so disturbed and angered by all the #RACIST comments being said about the new #MissAmerica because of her East Indian ethnicity! #shame”. Sweet of her to give her former glory a nod, but it’s also sad and kind of racist that she thinks there is a difference between Indians and East Indians. Because regular Indians were born here in North America, right Mary? Never mind the awful and erroneous tweets like “Miss America, more like Miss 7-11”, and “9/11 was four days ago, and she gets miss America?”

The faulty logic there is another issue, entirely.

People are often divided, as well, on racial humour.

When a few racial slurs about Aziz Ansari’s Indian heritage were thrown out during the Comedy Central’s Roast of James Franco, hardly anyone batted an eyelash, except for maybe Ansari himself when he got up to the podium to call out his fellow roasters. "I think it's so cool that some of you guys were able to travel back in time to 1995 for those Indian jokes that you did. That’s so cool,” he

× Mitra Kazemi exclaimed. But after that, no one in the Twittersphere and blogosphere said too much about it. It was much ado about racism where Miss America was concerned, though. Where North America is a veritable melting pot of cultures, religions and nationalities, it is appalling that blatant racism is alive and well amongst its civilians. What’s not-soshocking, and perhaps it should be, is that we’re still raising a culture and community rooted in vapidity. It’s a notion that even readers of Cosmopolitan would cringe at. Not to say Davuluri is a vapid twit, Miss America 2013 holds a bachelor’s degree in science and is, after all, hoping to pursue a career as a practitioner — but the culture of beauty pageantry is promoting a future of vapid twit-ness.

As much as we should be moving into a future where racism doesn’t have a place, that place should also start with eliminating sexism as a mainstay, which means putting an end to TV shows like Toddlers and Tiaras, and pageant culture as a whole.

the sweet Conundrum SUGAR GOES ON TRIAL Scott Moraes

the capilano courier

×

volume

47 issue N o . 04

× Managing Editor

16

Sugar has entered the line of fire as a potential toxin, or even a drug, according to some health experts. While sugar is definitely not an acute toxin and the scientific research is still inconclusive as to its negative effects, accusations of this sort about one of life's most perennial and indispensable staples is bound to create quite a stir.

Overconsumption of sugar has been stealthily heightened by processed foods producers and sanctioned by the lack of punitive actions by government. With obesity, diabetes and heart disease on a rampant rise, especially in the United States, the current indictment of sugar as a prime suspect is not only acceptable, but necessary if a solution to the crisis is honestly being sought.

The issue of wording and proportionality is a bit more complicated. Perhaps calling a cupcake a drug is not particularly useful to opening up the debate. Instead, it sounds like cheap fear-mongering, an unfortunate all-too-common method these days. Targeting “sugar” alone for a variety of ailments without considering other factors or the cultural choices that lead to its excessive consumption is not at all a productive strategy.

A huge part of the debate is the degree of interference government should have in controlling the use of the substance by the food industry, which is, by consensus, already excessive and showing no signs of slowing down. As far as political biases go

on this issue, the libertarian argument has until now outweighed the competition: government has no say on what people should or should not eat, or how much sugar they can put in their coffees.

Libertarianism's freedom from interference helps to explain why so many business magnates just happen to be so-called libertarians.

It is also no secret that food conglomerates hire scientists to target consumers (particularly children) by finding the “bliss point” – the perfect amount of additives to create “happiness” and craving – of any particular formula or recipe. If they can be proved guilty (as accused by some researchers) of using sugar as an additive not instead of, but because of its addicting psychotropic characteristics, they should be held accountable for it, and consumers should be made aware of the risks.

This out-of-control use of sugar has perhaps a parallel with MSG, one of the world's most notorious food additives. Once its use became widespread in households in Japan, where it was first developed, restaurants started to adopt it too.

People had become so accustomed to it that they found dishes without it bland, and businesses had no option but to meet customers' expectations.

The widespread and growing use of sugar as a food additive in processed foods causes the same kind of race to the bottom. Once the amount of sugar (or any other flavour-enhancing food additive for that matter) is upped on any formula, it is virtually impossible to cut back on it without consumers noticing the difference and being disappointed. As

a consequence, sodas, cereals, candies, and food in general today have a much larger proportion of sugar than they did decades ago. As far as processed foods go, even if something doesn't taste sweet, chances are it has sugar added to it to mask off flavours from other additives.

Putting the pressure of change onto consumers with little choice rather than controlling the harmful products themselves, while at the same time allowing pharmaceutical corporations to thrive on an ever-growing demand for medication is a disgraceful paradox of modern day America.

In fact, this domineering attitude is at the heart of the health crisis in the United States: throwing money at dealing with whatever problems arise, not at avoiding them in the first place. If an inordinate (and ever-growing) amount of sugar leads to exacerbated health issues (as it does), it should be regulated by a government elected to look after its citizens.

Most sources cite Americans as getting an average of 22 teaspoons of sugar a day. In excessive amounts, pretty much anything can be harmful.

Perhaps this is the key term in any diet-related debate these days: “excessive”. The bulk of the sugar crisis is in the free refills of 40 ounce sodas, in the Froot Loops and Oreos replacing children's actual lunches, not in the occasional home-made dessert.

A sugar-free diet could easily become the next big fad, and any negative consequences of avoiding sugar altogether might take time to arise. It's easy to decry corporations when their profit-seeking

works to the detriment of customers' health, but customers themselves have allowed themselves to be pushed into a corner with less information and less choices. A balanced and knowledgeable consumption of sugar should be viable outside of fad diet paranoia. As with cigarettes and MSG, only accurate labelling and consumer awareness can help turn back the sickening trend, and bring sugar back to its quiet historical greatness.

× Miles Chic

why can't we be friends?

VANCOUVER IS NOTORIOUS FOR BEING FROSTY Amber Bedard × Writer To many, Vancouver is known as a city of possibility and abundance. In spite of this, our bustling epicenter is unfortunately developing a sour reputation. In the midst of millions of people, newcomers are met with loneliness, isolation and a socio-economic divide, packed with enough punch to send many packing.

Globally, the Lower Mainland attracts a vast array of people, all of whom are drawn to the innate beauty and culture of the vibrant metropolis. For many newcomers, Vancouver offers the allure of prosperity, health, and happiness. I myself have fallen into the masses of people seeking to become a Vancouverite. As a born and bred Albertan, this city had that certain je ne sais quoi I was looking for. What I did not expect to find was an openminded city with a closed heart.

Christopher McKenna, a local musician, who’s bounced back and forth between Calgary and Vancouver in recent years, refers to the unfriendliness of the city as “a vicious cycle.” Chris further explains that it is the concept of “crowd mentality” that hinders people in Vancouver from making true, lasting connections. He uses his experience on public transit to highlight this inference.

“When I go on the bus, I’m going on the bus with the conscious fact that probably no one is going to talk to me. So I put my music in, and read my book. When you’re doing that, you’re closing people off, ‘cause I’m not going to interrupt somebody with a book – if they have music in I’m not going to talk to them; they’re not going to hear me. If everybody is doing that, then it’s just a general consensus that no one’s going to be open. So now when you move to this city, you’re not aware

× Camille Segur

of that environment. You’re going to think these people are all cold, they’re all assholes.”

You might say that’s just one example. Who says we Vancouverites can’t be a friendly bunch? Sure, we all know how to be cordial and offer “hellos” and “how-are-yous”, but when it comes to moving beyond the surface, does McKenna have a point?

Our city is diverse on many levels. It is filled with various races, ethnicities, and orientations – meshing dynamic groups of individuals is proven to be a more daunting task than anticipated. Many immigrants and various sub-cultures feel disconnected from the community in Vancouver, finding it difficult to fit in. Of course, if their needs are not met, one is likely going to carve out their own niche, which is precisely what has been happening. This only heightens the divide between people of this city, and a common mediator is becoming

harder and harder to find.

Local animator and technologically savvy individual, Jonathan Meret, shares his experience.

“When I first moved to Vancouver, the first thing I noticed was that no one looks you in the eyes as you’re walking down the street.” He continues, “It’s as if everyone is wearing those horse blinders – they’re just walking forward and not looking at anyone else.”

According to McKenna, “We’re all just plugged into our own lives.” Naturally, we are going to flock to whom and what is most comfortable.

“I have tons of acquaintances, but not many friends,” relays McKenna. ”You have your hiking friends, or your music friends, or your tennis friends… and these are the individual people you go do certain activities with,” which in his opinion, is an experience unique to Vancouver.

This is known as “compartmentalizing your friendships,” according to McKenna’s long time friend, and northern nature enthusiast, Daniel Brown-Hozjan.

Free time and friendships are penciled in because we’re all too busy focusing on our own lives to really care about others. But where did this aloofness start? Perhaps the abundance of privilege and wealth has something to do with it, or maybe it stems from our own dark, segregated past.

Whichever way you look at it, we are all just one in the sea of millions. It’s a dog-eat-dog world: if you’re not in it, you’re out. For the simple fact that Vancouver is perpetually cycling in thousands each year, inhabitants and tourists alike, it’s no wonder that people aren’t warming up. As the gap between the “haves” and “have nots” swells, the divide is so apparent. Society tells us that you can do what you want; you’re an individual. By doing so, the ramifications are clear – we are all going to lose our grasp on interpersonal connection.

So what is McKenna’s solution? “It’s a matter of individuals getting the desire to actually strike conversation, and make the place a bit warmer.”

It’s all about the small, manageable steps.

There has got to be something that keeps us all here, and personally, I can vouch for that. We’re always being told how spectacular this city is.

Somehow Vancouver continually shows up on the lists as one of the most liveable cities (graded by factors such as health care, safety, or education), and we certainly are not ashamed to tell others of our greatness and fortitude. We are a city of open minds, progressive and innovative, yet when it comes to personal connection, we are sorely lacking, as our hearts are perceivably closed.

So go on Vancouver, let’s get out of our comfort zone and initiate conversation.

#censored THE PROS + CONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ACCESS Katherine Gillard

Carlo Javier

× News Editor

× Staff Writer

In light of the recent governmental restrictions to social media in Iran and China, we ask “Is social networking a good thing?”

THE CONS

47 issue N o . 04

photograph of an Egyptian civilian, brutalized to death by the country’s police blew up on Facebook. As the shares, comments, and likes poured in, the nascent fire beneath the brewing Egyptian revolution was getting brighter. “Egypt” was also Twitter’s highest trending word for 2011, validating the effect Twitter had in spreading news to the entire world.

Occupy, the socioeconomic protest that began on Wall Street, wouldn’t have reached its unprecedented global scale had it not been for “#occupy.”

Iran’s restriction clearly prevents the voices of its people to be heard, as does China’s.

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to speak on the state they live in, some may despise Facebook and Twitter, but to others, a simple post or 140 characters provide the slightest chance of being heard.

volume

Some quest for attention, posting with the sole purpose of drawing as many likes as possible, tweets designed to be a magnet for favourites and re-tweets, others incite a discussion, share stories

× Tierney Milne

×

THE PROS

that deserve the attention of the masses, and most importantly, exercise the basic right of freedom of speech.

Iran has had strong restrictions on Facebook and Twitter since 2009, but on Sept. 16, the titans of social media became available – only to be taken away mere hours later. China, known for its heavy restrictions on many western websites, has also recently amplified its firewalls. A source close to the government of Iran told the New York Times that Monday’s opening of social media was a test to see what the public would do. But officials later said it was a “technical glitch” that temporarily liberated Iran of their social media firewall. Whatever it was, the government of Iran still deprives its people one of the biggest mediums for freedom of speech.

Facebook, Twitter, and basically the entirety of social media, has gotten knocked around for its supposed diluting and dumbing down of society.

It’s a time when chat acronyms such as “LOL” and “OMG!” are getting documented in the Oxford dictionary. Internet lingo like “meme” and “troll” are becoming regulars in the lexicon of every member of this supposed Generation F – the Facebook Generation.

But some seem to forget that it is through social media that people get their news in the most efficient way with the fastest delivery. It is often through social media that anyone from around the world can voice their opinion. In 2010, a jarring

the capilano courier

The recent censorship of social media in China is being frowned upon by Western society. Although many people are deeming the Chinese government to be repressive, it may be worth noting that social media isn’t always a positive tool.

Social media is a place where people are able to connect with family, friends, acquaintances, and even celebrities. These days, social networking sites are filled with young people, especially kids in elementary and high school. This makes websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram easy tools for connecting with peers, but also for bullying them. These websites are updated by teens daily. There is a constant feed of information, and the spread of smart phones and computers available to young people has made it convenient to be frequently checking media feeds. Anxiety fills young people with the pressure to be cool and accepted, while social networking sites amplify the need to look cool.

A survey done by Kids Help Phone in Canada surveyed 2,474 young people aged 13-15. The report said that 70 per cent of these teenagers had been cyber bullied, and 44 per cent admitted to having cyber bullied another young person. These

results are staggering, showing that the vast majority of young people are being bullied online.

In the past few years the stories of teen suicide caused by cyber bullying is becoming more common. Close to home, the suicide of Amanda Todd, and her viral YouTube video explaining her experiences have made the issue clear; but why does social networking continue to be a good thing?

Sure, seeing pictures of your old high school buddies and their kids can be cool, but is it worth the harm inflicted on the youth of today? Social media networking is capable of doing more harm than good, and has proved itself as being harmful by the damage it creates through cyber bullying.

Threats of violence, spreading demeaning photos and personal insults are the most common forms of cyber bullying. Avoiding these issues plagues parents and teachers every year when young people are forced to face these issues again and again. A simple way to deal with this issue is to remove the tool that is being used to bully. Without Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social networking sites, cyber bullying can’t thrive and therefore will die out.

17

staff editorial

EDITOR@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

birthday bomb IT'S ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE.... BUT THATS THE BEST PART Therese Guieb × Features Editor

× Cheryl Swan

"Couples were more than just busy with wrapping gifts over the

the capilano courier

×

volume

47 issue N o . 04

holiday season: they were also unwrapping their own..."

18

The thought of the colour pink makes me cringe.

This colour seems to dominate every single childhood memory I have, from clothing to accessories.

I can never really think of one celebration in my life without pink being in the colour scheme. But whenever this colour reveals itself to me it means one thing and one thing only - it’s finally my birthday.

Out of my 700 Facebook friends, 30 people celebrate their birthday in September. Ten of them are good friends of mine and five have the same birthday as I do. This month has always been the most hectic time of the year for me. As I have concluded many years ago, September is indeed the month of birthdays. Livescience.com says the two most popular birthday months are August and September. Between the years 1973-1999, these have been the months where most babies were born. This means that couples were more than just busy with wrapping gifts over the holiday season; they were also occupied with unwrapping their own early presents.

This year, I am celebrating the most awaited time in many teenagers’ lives – the age of legality.

But let’s be honest here, this beer I currently have

in my hand isn’t the first, but one of many. I’m sure that most teenagers would say the same thing.

There is only one difference with this drink – it’s my first legal alcoholic beverage. However, most teenagers only look forward to the fact that they will be able to purchase alcohol, lottery tickets, own a credit card, and go bar-hopping. Being “of age” gives teenagers a sense of freedom and power for they will no longer worry about coming home wasted and being scolded by their parents. Turning 19 for me is the scariest part of my life, for I am now seen as an adult in society. Luckily, my loving parents have not kicked me out of their home yet or else I would be a doomed 19 year old.

Birthdays mean celebrations and I would undoubtedly agree that the most memorable moments in my life so far are from my birthday parties. When I turned seven years old, I had a debut.

In the Filipino culture, the comings of age for females are seven and 18. A debut is the same idea as a ball, where the whole purpose is the formal introduction of a young woman in society. This is the case for an 18-year-old debut. However, for a seven year old, it is celebrated for the independence of a child going into grade school.

A fancy lit up clubhouse filled with 100 guests, catering service, tables covered in white cloths topped off with expensive floral arrangements, chairs decorated carefully to the last detail, a huge portrait of myself as the centerpiece, sparkly chandeliers, and a custom made Powerpuff Girls cake, all organized by a professional party planner. I still vividly remember where seven of my female cousins aged seven to 12 dressed in pastel-coloured, custom-made satin dresses danced a cotillion and the seven men who offered me a rose including my dad and my uncles who took their turns to dance with me to the famous Blue Danube song.

I even had seven candles where each woman who had held a candle said their wishes and speeches about me. It was a night made for a little princess with a tiara. In a pink ball gown with a built in petticoat that was as puffy as cotton candy. This was my seventh birthday.

I can modestly say that I have had a grand ball where I was treated like a princess for a night. I thought that that would be the only time I would have a celebration like that, I was wrong. During my 17th birthday, this certain guy took into account my obsession with the Harry Potter series.

Just like in the series, Harry Potter had to find seven “horcruxes”. Instead of searching for horcruxes, I had to look for seven bracelet charms. I was anonymously sent a letter from “Hogwarts” explaining the seven charms I had to obtain. I was given clues by close friends of mine that took me all over downtown Vancouver where this certain guy and I went on our past dates. Every charm was intelligently paired with a valuable memory that would lead me to the next charm until the very end to the most important one: him. The journey did not end there for when I arrived home; he surprised me with a birthday party where all of my closest friends were.

Birthdays are a reason to celebrate another year of adventures. No matter how crazy or simple your celebration is, don’t forget that it is a chance to be thankful for a new year. Let’s just hope that next year, mine won’t be pink-themed.

the caboose

CABOOSE EDITOR ×

JEREMY HANLON

CABOOSE.CAPCOURIER@GMAIL.COM

jump Jeremy Hanlon × Humour + Fiction Editor

× Jocelyn Wong

As I start fastening the wings to my arms, my head begins to spin, and the clouds of doubt milk over my eyes. The wings’ frame is sleek stained wood, with the smooth contours and light veneer of a true master’s work. The noiseless hinges, all oiled joints and burnished bronze, are so unlike the creaking knees and cracking elbows of their maker, popping with every step he takes. The most remarkable part, however, is the feathers.

Day and night he would lie in wait, stooped over intricate traps, sacrificing his meals to lure and ensnare the nearby gulls, and cast their plumage in hot wax. It took several months of this deliberate trapping and painstaking construction until the first pair had been completed, and weeks again for the second to achieve his critical approval. His pair is mottled and grey, with feathers of onyx and charcoal, dirty and unbefitting, like an irreparable blemish on a great artist’s drawing, marring its glorious perfection.

But mine is different. For mine he took greater care, choosing only the purest whites and glistening golds, assuring that I would look the very angel of deliverance he sees me to be. Having never seen the sun, my body is polished Parian marble, the wings brilliant gilded alabaster. Indeed, these must be the very wings that adorned Nike as she flew above the great Olympian wargrounds, playing her clarion of triumph for the victorious gods and heroes.

And yet uncertainty persists, for ingenious as he may be, my father must know men were not meant to soar. I envision myself approaching the precipice of the alcove where we’ve been imprisoned, my slender body afire with anticipation. I take three steps back, and with my arms outstretched I sprint toward the edge. As one leg crosses over the threshold between the infinite heavens and the bone splitting stones below, my naked foot feels the rough lip of the crag, and my sole caresses the

ground one last time as I leap, ascending higher and higher. Then, at the very apex of my elated elevation, I spread my wings, embracing the air and the sea breeze, and plummet, my entire being devoured by the jagged teeth of the ravenous sea, wake foaming white, gold, and red.

As the thought crosses my mind, my stomach starts to coil, writhing tense and serpentine through the cavities of my body and tingling through to my extremities. I have no death wish.

I know what fate awaits me should I fail to take flight at my departure. Though there may be glory and remembrance to be found, I do not desire to be remembered as the tragic hero, the boy who had the temerity to tempt the ever willing Fates, and dropped from the sky like a stone unwanted, forever relegated to the world of parable as an example of the follies of hubris.

And yet, is it better to live in the misery of imprisonment, taunted by the sight of rain and the

braying of sea lions? On nights when the wind blows right, I can reach out and just barely feel the drops caress my fingertips, longing to envelop me in their soft, glistening sheen. I am resolute. I must escape. I must overcome this serpent, this coiling hydra making mockery of my mettle.

The mind is an awesome foe. Where one fear is vanquished, two more doubts surface. But my father is Daedalus, the greatest mind ever to live, and I am his son. I must laugh at any thought that dares to doubt his brilliance. The reverence I hold for my father’s keen mind and tireless determination ignites a fierce flame of pride, which burns the stumps of slain doubt. I reject the hydra. I must escape this existence.

I peer over the the precipice at the crashing waves. I take three steps back, admiring the craft of my father. I take one look back at the squalor of our den, send a prayer to the gods, and with all my resolve, I dash to the verge.

And jump.

hatman and Falcon

THE MORE YOU KNOW the capilano courier

× volume

47 issue N o . 04

× Garth Phillips Liam Lazenby

19

the caboose

CABOOSE EDITOR ×

JEREMY HANLON

CABOOSE.CAPCOURIER@GMAIL.COM

SHOTGUN REVIEWS : THE YEAR WAS 2003

JUSTIFIED

THE RETURN OF THE KING

NEOPETS

WHEN WE LOST NEMO

Faye Alexander // Opinions Editor

Jesse Downie // Writer

Paisley Conrad // Writer

Carlo Javier // Staff Writer

Before Justin Timberlake was sporting suit and ties exclusively, he was hanging out front of 7/11 on low riders with Pharrel Williams and the rest of the N.E.R.D. gang. Let’s be super serious, “Cry me a River: is one of the best songs of all time. The fact it was likely about a pre-child-having Britney Spears makes it all the better. Who would have suspected that curly haired boy band member had so much flavour just waiting to simmer into sex symbol status – I didn’t. You can bet your bottom dollar, his new pal Jay-Z didn’t! He rocked your body. He cried rivers. He even kind of took a stab at being Spanish! In 2003, ain’t nobody loved you liked Justin loved you, you were a good girl and that’s what made Justin trust you (unless you were Spears, obviously – what a bitch). That was 10 years ago and that makes me feel suspiciously old.

The only real consolation is that I am sure the rest of N*Sync is probably feeling a lot worse and a lot older than me right now – especially Joey Fatone (his last name really says it all).

It was a phenomenon that united nations. For three hours per viewing fans casual and hardcore alike cast aside their wholly unremarkable jobs and lives to immerse themselves in the sprawling fantasy world of Middle Earth. The year 2003 brought with it the bittersweet conclusion to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy with the wide release of The Return of the King. From coast to coast, midnight screenings were attended by a mixed bag of cosplayers, patient spouses, caffeinated 12 year olds and Silmarillion referencing diehards. And what an ending it was. Closure of the magnitude that The Return of the King provided was previously considered unachievable. The fellowship’s quest left the world in a better state than when it had arrived. In the wake of 2012’s disappointing “The Hobbit” one can only hope that Peter Jackson can tap into the same magic that he once did to create the original trilogy.

In the year 2003, I didn't live in my parents' house. I didn't live in Canada. Heck, I didn't even live on Earth. In the year 2003, I was living on a beautiful, but treacherous planet called Neopia.

Though I had a cozy house on Light Faerie Place, in Faerieland, I would often adventure to the outer reaches of Mystery Island, Terror Mountain and the Haunted Woods to seek my fortune. I wasn't alone in this. I had my trusty Gelert LovelyAspen94 and my impulsive Kougra TanzaniaDream_ by my side. Together, we braved the Wheel of Misfortune, made a testy alliance with the evil dark faerie Jhudora and puzzled over strange haikus whispered to us in the jungle. When we weren't out exploring, I tended to my shop, which sold faerie book supplies exclusively. It wasn't the most lucrative trade, but I did what I could to put food on the table. In the evenings, LovelyAspen94, TanzaniaDream_ and I would play classic Neopia board games, our favourites being Pirate Caves and Meerca Chase II. I often find myself feeling nostalgic for those days, but then I stand up and realize that I spent my entire childhood staring at a computer screen.

2003 was a big year in terms of finding things.

The USA found Saddam Hussein, The Black Eyed Peas found their way to the top of the charts, and Aragorn found his way to his rightful throne in Gondor. SARS found people, around 60 million Americans and Canadians found no electricity in their homes in a mass blackout, and Michael Jordan finally found peace in retirement. But arguably the most important finding was when millions and millions of people around the world found the lost, little clownfish Nemo, who refused to listen to his overbearing father Marlin, and thus rightfully ended up in an aquarium. It’s a film that truly resonated with me, as a child who more than once lost sight of his parents and came to the deep, horrifying realization that he would probably be living at the mall for the rest of his life.

I hated Nemo.

W/ THE COURIER STAFF ONE NIGHT STAND I ACTUALLY NEED A NEW PIECE OF FURNITURE FAYE TRIED TO GIVE AWAY CONCERT TICKETS SHE CAN'T

the capilano courier

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volume

47 issue N o . 04

LET THEM EAT CAKE UNTIL WE CAN'T ZIP UP OUR PANTS

20

MEETING A LOVER'S PARENTS TOUGH CROWD FREE TIM HORTON'S NO, THANKS DOIN' IT TO MARIAH CAREY FLOODS MY BASEMENT IKEA MANUALS WHAT IS THIS, A GAME OF PICTIONARY? HANGOVERS YOU HAVEN'T HAD ONE UNTIL YOU'VE TURNED 25 WHEN IT GETS LATE IT COULD BE EARLY SLEEPING IN FOR WORK THEN WE WRITE THE HOT CHART FOR YOU × Katie So