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June 16, 2014 · Volume 147, Issue 7
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CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2013
CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2014
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FIRST PEEK
When you look in the mirror, do you see a positive or negative image of yourself? The body is beautiful and amazing because it comes in all shapes, colours, and sizes. We are all built differently but many of us forget about that fact. We persistently suffer from the lack of perfection because we constantly compare our bodies to others’, looking for something we don’t have instead of being comfortable with what we do. This continuous negative judgment of our own bodies does not only prevent us from living happier lives, but it can also lead to more destructive medical conditions such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. When I was younger I used to have really low self-esteem because I was not satisfied with my physical appearance. I grew up as a scrawny little girl, and suddenly grew larger after I hit puberty. I hated my weight and always got made fun of for being
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shorter than the other girls. This kind of negative reinforcement pushed me to exercise excessively, so much so that I stopped listening to my body: I once blacked out while running on a treadmill. I became obsessed with getting rid of what others called “flaws” on my own body so that I could feel socially accepted, instead of appreciating and enriching the beauty of myself. My fascination with nudism or naturism started when I first started going to Wreck Beach, a clothing-optional beach, and one of Vancouver’s hidden gems. At first, the thought of going nude in public was terrifying, especially for someone not comfortable with their own body.
But having a safe and secluded space like Wreck Beach opened my eyes to how body image should be viewed. With a community that is comfortable enough to happily run or lay around naked in a public beach, anyone who is afraid to leave his or her comfort zone is
welcome. I found that stripping down to just my skin challenged my negative perceptions of my body, and made me embrace my “flaws” as a part of me, rather than something that defines me. There is no such thing as the perfect body: it is a social construct; it is not real. We have to forget about society’s idea of an ideal body because some people are born with eleven fingers, some people have inverted nipples, breast sizes are not always even, and stretch marks are natural. Whatever it is, shaming others for not having an ideal body is not acceptable. Accepting our own bodies is not easy because we encounter our bodies differently on a day-to-day basis. They change, they grow, they shrink and they become exhausted, but we have to learn not to feel inferior, no matter our appearance. Our goals should not be based on comparing ourselves to others but to work on ourselves. Develop a healthy lifestyle that is based on positive reinforcement. Celebrate your body; wear your bikini even if your stretch marks show, dress however you want, but never forget to be comfortable in your own skin.
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NEWS
June 16, 2014
news editor email / phone
Leah Bjornson associate news editor news@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560
Melissa Roach
On June 7, the first citizen festival called 100 in 1 Day was hosted at SFU Woodward’s. The event focused on raising awareness of social issues through acts of social change and was intended to motivate various leaders to re-evaluate old problems and issues. The event invited anyone interested to “come in with an idea or simply an open mind and a hunger for change. We’ll help you work that into an action plan and meet like minded people who might want to participate.”
Last Friday, the fifth issue of the Lyre magazine — a literary publication produced by world literature students — was launched at the Central City pub. Lyre accepts submissions from undergraduate students around the world, including places as far as India, Mexico, and Australia. “Fever” was the theme of this year’s magazine.
Ian McCarthy, Kate Dilworth and Jan Simon of the Beedie School of Business hosted an event on entrepreneurial leadership and innovation called EMerge! from June 9 to 12 at the Segal Graduate School. They hosted the day-long seminars to teach attendees from various organizations how to create value for people and communities, as well as how to start and launch new ventures to advance ideas for improving health and healthcare.
SFU’s Office of Francophone and Francophile Affairs (OFFA) has a new reason to celebrate it’s 10 year anniversary this fall. The federal government has announced that, through Heritage Canada, Official Languages, it will contribute $2 million a year to OFFA for the next five years. The funding will go to French programs in both the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Education. SFU is the only BC member of the Association of Universities of the Canadian Francophonie. In addition to organising complementary programs, such as the “printemps de la francophonie,” it has also created links with the community directly, and works with the government at the provincial and federal levels. “Our mandate is to maintain the new programs we have created,” Claire Trépanier, director of OFFA, told The Peak.
Trépanier spoke about the development of SFU’s French program, saying, “The French Cohort Program dates back from 2004. We had our first graduates in 2008. Programs change a lot, and our directive from the federal government is to maintain those programs, which is already significant. We had $8.3 million in total for the past five years. Our goal with the increased amount is to make sure we respond to the need.”
That need includes the growing demand for French immersion teachers in the province’s public school system, as well as post-secondary educational needs of BC’s francophone and francophile communities. “In June last year, we consulted with SFU directors, but also teachers, students and the community to understand the teachers’ needs,” said Trépanier. “We also met with the provincial government, which also is very aware of the growing needs of French language teaching but also of teaching in French.”
Trépanier is optimistic about the future of the French language in BC. With 70,000 francophones, 300,000 French speakers, and a large demand for immersion classes — 50,000 students as of today — interest in French is growing. “What is really extraordinary,” Trépanier stated, “is that those children often come from families where they already speak several languages. So I view the situation of French in BC positively, while keeping in mind the fact that there is always work to be done.” This “work to be done” is further exacerbated by increased francophone immigration to Canada, more and more of whom are settling in minority French communities outside of Quebec. Trépanier believes that “the more we offer this education in French from kindergarten to university, the more people will want to immigrate here, to be integrated in an education system in French.” One such system, offered mainly in French, is SFU’s French Cohort Program, which allows students to pursue studies in the French language and political science simultaneously. For John Craig, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, this program is one of SFU’s “gems.”
The program is “both intellectually worthwhile and politically worthwhile,” he stated. Craig noted that “without the official federal policy of bilingualism, you would find that local circumstances start dictating local policies. [As such, we would likely see] the rise of Mandarin or Punjabi here in the Lower Mainland.” Nevertheless, because the federal government is a bilingual operation, Craig feels “it’s very important that people access what they need to access in both official languages.” As funding is determined by a plan of action with specific initiatives, OFFA’s priority is to maintain existing classes in the departments of political science, history and French, as well as continue to offer the professional development program, the masters and PhD programs, and programs for inservice teachers. OFFA’s future projects include a partnership with the School of Criminology and the development of ILEAP, a program to improve elementary school teachers’ French. Trépanier hopes these programs will help to “celebrate the fact that [SFU’s] multilingual students choose to pursue post-secondary education in French in BC.”
NEWS
Metro Vancouver mayors voted in favour of a $7.5 billion regional transit improvement plan on Thursday, June 12, but a lack of provision for the Burnaby Mountain gondola project has spurred SFU groups to take action. On Thursday evening, Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS), the Graduate Student Society (GSS), and Sustainable SFU (SSFU) issued a press release regarding the exclusion of the Burnaby Mountain gondola from the proposed 10 year regional transit plan. Chardaye Bueckert, SFSS president, explained the groups’ reactions to The Peak: “We weren’t surprised, we weren’t overly shocked, but we were definitely disappointed, given that the project is such a high cost-benefit ratio.” Bueckert is one of several gondola proponents who has been advocating for the project’s construction since early 2010. The gondola — or, as SFU President Petter likes to refer to it, the Burnaby skybus — would run from Production Way - University Station directly to Burnaby Mountain. The project would cost just over $100 million dollars and would reduce noise as well as air pollution of up to 7,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases. Although a business case analysis by CH2M Hill found that the gondola would generate substantial benefits to
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commuters and the region, estimated at 3.6 times its cost in dollar terms, TransLink decided against it as the upfront cost would be $12 million more than continuing to run buses to SFU’s Burnaby campus over the next 25 years. Proposals that were included in the list of potential transit initiatives include a new tolled four-lane Pattullo Bridge, light rail transit lines in Surrey, an extension of the Millennium Line along the Broadway corridor to Arbutus, a 25 per cent increase in bus service, and maintenance and upgrades to the 2,300 kilometres of the region’s major road network.
Nevertheless, Bueckert feels that the gondola, in combination with plans to expand the B-lines, for instance, “would be very complementary proposals.” According to the SFU groups’ joint press release, the gondola would eliminate the need for the 135, 145, and 144, liberating 32 buses an hour at peak times. Combined with the expected $10 million bus upgrade that will be needed by 2020/21 due to increased demand for buses, Bueckert feels that “it’s a no-brainer to build this project.” Despite its exclusion from the plan, Bueckert is optimistic about the ability of the SFU community to move this project forward. She said, “We’re not deterred, and we’re committed to this and we’re going to keep pushing, however we do not want to wait 20 years for this project.”
For the past six summers, SFU has offered an introductory program in Muslim Studies at it’s Harbour Centre campus. Now entering its seventh year, the topic for this year’s two-week long program is mysticism and popular culture in Muslim societies and cultures. The course will cover both historical and contemporary ideas in Muslim culture and societies, exploring the more generally known Islamic fundamentalism, as well as the mystical interpretations in Muslim cultures that most people are unaware of.
“In essence, the program aims to provide participants — who include not only university students but also educators, community activists, health and legal professionals — with a grasp of the rich diversity of Muslim beliefs and practices,” said Amyn Sajoo, SFU scholar-in-residence and lecturer for the Centre for Comparative Studies of Muslim Societies and Cultures. Sajoo explained, “We tend to associate diversity with geographical and cultural variation, which is certainly true of Islam. But there is a pluralism in ways of being Muslim even within particular locales — what scholars call ‘communities of interpretation.’” The program will run from June 16 to 27; on June 25, a
lecture by guest scholar and professor Omid Safi from the University of North Carolina on the mystical poet, Rumi, will be open to the public at Harbour Centre. Although registration for this year’s summer course has closed, Safi’s lecture will provide students with an opportunity to experience a preview of what the program is like. The summer program is taught on the assumption of no prior knowledge of the “precepts, practices and cultures of the Muslim world,” Sajoo explained. The course includes everything from sessions on history, to legal and ethical frameworks, to key themes in Islam as a faith tradition, as well as its civilizational expressions and much more. “Participants may well be inspired by their brief encounter with a whole new world of Islam to consider developing a professional interest in various aspects of the subject — from anthropology to history, architecture, or law. Each of these, of course, can lead to an extremely rewarding career,” Sajoo added.
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In contemporary politics, the Middle East and Islamic societies are becoming increasingly relevant. “Religion, and especially Islam, is very much in the headlines, though often for the wrong reasons, and we certainly need qualified people to put matters in perspective. “Moreover, we have a substantial Muslim diaspora here in North America, and the engagement with Islam is no longer just a matter of relating to the Middle East, or Asia, or West Africa. So again, developing a career interest in, say, the sociology of Muslim identities in Canada or Britain is very much in the cards,” Sajoo said. Overall, Sajoo believes that the program will not only leave students with a better understanding of Muslim cultures overseas, but also within Canadian society. “The program will leave participants, at the end of the fortnight, with a far deeper understanding of the textures of faith and culture that make up Islam, not just in the Middle East, Asia and Africa but also in the Muslim diaspora here in North America,” Sajoo concluded.
Graduation Photos by Robin Wong
Emind Photo Studio.com
3580 East Hastings St, Vancouver (604) 618-8200 www.RobinWongPhotos.com
6 NEWS
The board voted to begin a large scale outreach project, tentatively named the “SFSS Consultation Project.” Discussed in detail at their retreat, the project will involve reaching out to the student body to provide more information about the SFSS as well as to elicit feedback. It is also one of the board’s main goals for the year. No dollar figure was attached to the motion, but it did task VP external relations Darwin Binesh to create a proposal regarding possible options for consultation to be put forward to the board of directors.
Board tasked at-large representative Jeremy Pearce to work with Build SFU general manager, Marc Fontaine, to begin discussions with Build SFU around the stadium project. Originally pitched as a project in conjunction with the Student Union Building (SUB), the stadium became a separate item when Build SFU decided not to build the SUB adjacent to Terry Fox Field. “[The project] is happening quicker than originally expected, so [Fontaine] has asked me to join. I have a great deal of familiarity with stadiums,” explained Pearce. Consultation and design work is set to take place in 2014 and 2015.
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Recent SFU graduate and international award-winning photographer, Connor Stefanison, gave a free workshop on wildlife photography as part of the City of Burnaby’s Environment Week earlier this month. The workshop was held on June 5 at the Piper Spit boardwalk at Burnaby Lake Regional Park, a location that the BBC wildlife photography award winner often visits for photo shoots. The workshop ran from 6:30 p.m. until around 10:00 p.m. Stefanison told The Peak that the City of Burnaby contacted him and asked if he wanted to do a talk or presentation as part of the week’s activities. He opted for a workshop because he felt hands-on learning would be most valuable for aspiring wildlife photographers. Participants were asked to bring their own cameras, a long and short lens — if they had both — and were encouraged to also bring a flash, a tripod, bird seed, and weather-appropriate clothing. “A lot of people showed up,” Stefanison recalled. “Between 30 and 40, [. . .] which was more than ideal for one person [. . .] I was only expecting like 10 people.”
VP finance Adam Potvin, VP university relations Moe Kopahi, and Fontaine were tasked by the board to negotiate with SFU for the surrender of the lease of SFSS MBC office space. Board has been discussing selling the MBC in light of the construction of the SUB because the new building will have ample space for SFSS offices. Potvin plans to add some of the money raised from the sale—expected to total $3 million—to the SFSS operating budget and restricted surplus.
A recent study conducted by Simon Fraser University researchers
He also noted that the age group was mostly adults. “Well, I’m an adult,” he said, laughing. “But 40s, 50s, probably.”
Due to the large number of attendees, Stefanison had to change his original plans of a more hands-on tutorial; however, he felt he was still able to communicate the basic techniques of wildlife photography.
He began by introducing himself, and then explained to the group how to use specific settings on their cameras, how each setting affects an image, how to approach an image with natural and artificial lighting, and how to use wireless remote photography. “Most of the people were beginners,” Stefanison said of the attendees. “[But] there were also intermediates, so everyone learned stuff.” He also talked to the group about the various bird species in the park and the spots where they were active and could be found during different times of the year. Stefanison was relieved by the positive feedback, telling The Peak: “Everyone seemed to like it,
which was good, because I was worried with all the people that I would leave people out.” However, he was encouraged by the attitudes of those in attendance, “Everyone was very enthusiastic about it, like everyone really wanted to learn. Everyone had a lot of good questions.” Stefanison felt the event was an overall success, even though he personally was unable to take many photos. “At the end we tried looking for an owl, but we didn’t get one,” Stefanison recalled. He admitted that during the entire evening, he only had time to take “five shots, just quick ones of people.”
found that exposure to flame retardants during pregnancy can lead to lower IQs and hyperactive behaviours in children. The birth cohort study was originally designed to test the impact that chemical exposures have on the developing brain. SFU health sciences professor Bruce Lanphear is part of a research team who study these effects; they hope results will lead to the creation of a systematic
approach in testing these chemicals by the federal government. Lanphear and his team conducted their study by examining the levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a type of flame retardant, in pregnant women. PBDEs are persistent organic pollutants that were withdrawn from the US market in 2004 due to concerns of toxicity. The team observed the levels of PBDEs in
expectant mothers who were 16 weeks pregnant, and subsequently monitored these levels over time until their children reached the age of five. The researchers reported that a tenfold increase in a woman’s exposure to flame retardants during pregnancy — routinely found in furniture, car seats, and
NEWS
June 16, 2014
During the SFSS elections earlier this year, the Society of Arts and Social Sciences (SASS) was officially recognized as the first Faculty Student Union (FSU) at SFU after a campus wide referendum. In the past, SFU students were represented by Departmental Student Unions (DSUs) only, making the introduction of an FSU a drastic change. According to newly elected SASS president, Dion Chong, this formalization will allow for better representation of arts students. However, the referendum passed by a narrow margin of only 12 votes over the required voter quota, raising questions and challenges for Chong and his team. When asked about the low overall voter turnout — 9.44 per cent — Chong replied, “For a young organization the positive result of the vote is pretty awesome. It is unfortunate that we had one of the lowest voter turnouts we’ve had yet, and it can be disheartening at times, but we needed to reach at least five per cent of our membership [to pass our referendum] and we did that.” “Everything we’ve been working on has led up to this point, and we hope to continue
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to grow,” said Chong. SASS members have been working towards official recognition since 2011, when they were first recognized by forum. “We were kind of in limbo for a while,” explained Chong, because the bylaws simply did not have a provision for FSUs to exist. Chong went on to explain the difficulties of reaching the many members of SASS; the FSU represents not only students who are majoring in arts and social sciences, but also any student who is pursuing a minor, a certificate, or is enrolled in just a single class. This makes SASS membership larger, as many students elect to take breadth courses in arts and social sciences, compared to other faculties. “If this had been a different union, the sciences for example, it would have been an easier vote. We would have had to reach less students, but as it is,
this vote and the turnout was no small task,” explained Chong. As an FSU, SASS now represents over 30 different DSUs, 14 of which are active, and has a bigger budget, more man power, and authority behind it.
“A big challenge in the arts is that students in the arts don’t necessarily stick in one department,” said Brady Wallace, arts and social sciences representative on the SFSS board of
directors. “They may not feel that they want to participate in a particular DSU or program that they’re only taking six courses in. Because there is that lack of attachment, there may be a lack of engagement.” Chong hopes to use the added level of legitimacy SASS has garnered through the vote to build bridges between departments, coordinate activities, begin a completely artscentric scholarly journal, and develop fun and representative learning opportunities which will help foster a sense of pride in arts and social science undergraduates. Despite the challenges such ventures will likely entail, Chong is optimistic about the future of SASS and what it stands for. He told The Peak that SASS represents “the value of the arts,” saying, “it instills a degree of pride. We have great courses, hilarious profs, and students who actually give a damn about making the world a better place. “I’m proud of that, and I’m proud that I represent a society which encapsulates that and cares enough to channel it into an even better future for the faculty,” concluded Chong.
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At the most recent SFU senate open session, President Andrew Petter addressed a question regarding the indoor air quality in the education building put forward by graduate student senator Ehsan Jozaghi. Jozaghi requested an update on the action taken by administration to address the issue of mould in the education building and Robert C. Brown hall, given that it is an ongoing issue affecting the health of students and faculty working in these buildings. Petter responded by saying that despite a lack of funding for deferred maintenance, the problem will be handled: “If there is a health issue, or a safety issue, we simply address it. We have to. That means funding has to be reallocated, as it has been from other areas in order to do so.” Chief safety officer Terry Waterhouse spoke to the efforts that have been made to communicate with the SFU community about this issue. He explained that the communication process has been a “two-way street.” The university has been hearing concerns “openly and thoroughly” from people working in the building by way of direct interviews and surveys. A user working group has been formed and town hall meetings have been held as well; full reports on the education building review and assessment are available online. Waterhouse stressed the importance of transparency in this matter. Petter concluded that the age of the buildings and lack of resources were at the heart of the matter: “Although we are investing in upgrades, and although we are dealing with safety concerns wherever they may arise, it’s still not enough to compensate for systematic underfunding.”
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OPINIONS
While I believe that Facebook and the Internet as a whole have improved many aspects of our lives, I also think that there is much room for improvement. A social network is just like politics: people tend not to pay much attention to what it is, or how it is changing, yet it would be in their best interests to do so. Facebook can be oppressive, as we have little control over what it exposes us to. Being so integral to the company’s success, we should demand more control over what happens within Facebook. Maybe you haven’t heard of the newest updates that Facebook is introducing. Who has, considering how often new additions are made to the service? One particularly frightening update is its use of device microphones at any point, supposedly in order to tell friends what you are listening to.
But with more than 1.23 billion active monthly users and a market capitalization of 165.61 billion US dollars — that’s about $134 per user — one cannot ignore the fact that Facebook is huge. As such, it’s no surprise that the company constantly innovates to try to stay on the cutting edge of social media technology, to meet its users’ rising expectations and face competition from rivals such as Twitter. Users don’t seem to be concerned with the use of their data, or the possibility that changes in the company’s policy are made without consultation. And that really should change. It brings to light the lack of control we have over our social media.
If the information we share on Facebook is worth $134 per user — or whatever the actual figure is — it is because, by constantly making up this elaborate
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picture of ourselves for our friends to see, we are very easy targets for companies that use Facebook’s ad services. Some people will argue that this is the price you pay for a free service. But I believe that there should be a way for users to have a say in the company’s policies — and not just by making petitions and sharing their outrage on that same social media. Rather, there could be an association of users, or some sort of union. It is about accountability, it is about involving users in the network they use, and it is about asking them to take part in improving that social media. In Facebook’s future, there are some serious changes that I’d like to see. I want fewer (to no) ads, since I consider this as just a way to use our brain time for a profit. It needs smarter algorithms to take away the possibility of missing friends’ really important posts. And it needs a better interface for users who speak a number of languages to be able to address their friends in the languages they understand. As users of social media, we’re almost employees. We create the income for the company. We should be asking for better working conditions.
opinions editor email / phone
Joel MacKenzie opinions@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560
OPINIONS
As summer sun soars on, girls across the country find comfort in tank tops and spaghetti straps. However, many of these young women are being punished at school for violating dress codes. It looks like such rules are a way to perpetuate systemic sexism, for both males and females. Recently, at Labrador City’s Menihek High School, approximately 30 students were sent home from school for wearing inappropriate clothing, including mostly females with exposed bra straps, and two males wearing sleeveless shirts. While the dress code appears to be non-gender biased, students have said otherwise. The Huffington Post quotes student Maddie Plynn saying that school officials said dress codes are in place to keep girls’ bodies from distracting boys. Some boys, she said, feel they are being made out to be “uncontrolled horny monsters.” Another student, Danielle Matias, says that she was told
At the trade deadline, both Stanley Cup finalists made what appeared to be questionable trades. Now, with both the LA Kings and the New York Rangers competing for the cup, those deals aren’t looking too bad. Let’s start with the Kings. They traded Matt Frattin, a prospect who saw fourth line minutes, a second round pick, and a conditional third round pick, to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Marion Gaborik. The return was not necessarily in question, as Gaborik
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girls can’t wear certain clothing, as “male students will take it the wrong way” These rules are clearly unfair for both sexes. While women often deal with the confrontational side of this issue, males surely have difficulties reconciling a rule that makes them out to be dogmatic. Recognizing that someone is attractive is natural and often uncontrollable. However, punishing a girl, either through embarrassment or sending her home, based on how she looks
is unacceptable. What the girl is wearing should not be the focus of the issue. Instead, the focus should be on the staff and students who feel the need to target women for their attire. Moreover, shaming young women for their bra straps is a destructive rule as it objectifies them and alienates them from their male counterparts. Perhaps not at this school, but certainly at others, and in general public, boys wear tanks, showing the exact same amount of skin as girls, yet
is supposed to be an elite goal scorer and, to my knowledge, Frattin is not touted as a huge prospect. A team can always use picks, so throwing them away is a bad idea. But LA is in the midst of a possible dynasty, and they have got to be in “win now” mode. However, Gaborik does not strike me as someone who would fit into the Kings’ defensive system. He was obviously added to give them some offensive firing power. The question was: could he also play a good defensive game? Gaborik clashed with John Tortorella on the Rangers due to his presumed inability to play Torts’ style of game (although, considering Torts, it may not have just been Gaborik’s game). Gaborik, whether it was right or not, came off
as offensively gifted, but one-dimensional. After his turbulent time with the Rangers, he was traded to the Blue Jackets which did not help matters. He posted only nine goals and played 34 games, over what was essentially one season. He appeared plagued with injuries, and was no longer the 40 goal scorer he once was.
However, after the trade he seemed to fit right in with the Kings. He went nearly a point per game after his trade, and in the post-season, he heated up. As of
never face similar punishment or criticism. Bras are a female-specific garment that provide comfort and support. Sending girls home from school because of visible bra straps sends a message that sexualization is their fault and it’s up to them to not lead men on with what they wear. Teaching kids to shame bra straps is proof of work yet to be done in regards to sexual objectification. Sadly, the explanations girls like Plynn and Matias receive regarding their summer attire
June 10, he has scored 13 goals and 21 points. This puts him on pace for over 40 goals in a season. It also seems likely that he will want to stick around for a few more years and sign a contract with the Kings, considering this new found revitalization. The LA sun probably doesn’t hurt either. The Rangers, Gaborik’s former team, also made a big and questionable move. They traded Ryan Callahan, a franchise guy, a 2015 first round pick, and a conditional second round pick, to the Tampa Bay Lightning, for Martin St. Louis. (Note that Callahan and St Louis are on the last years of their contracts, and will be unrestricted free agents next year.) St. Louis is 38 years old. Even though he is still skilled, he probably only has a few years left. Tampa Bay, though they
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are too commonly heard. Rather than a clothing crack-down, schools need more opportunities in place to educate both males and females about respecting the differences in their anatomies. School boards and staff have argued that schools are a workplace and students should be dressed professionally. Schools need to be treated as more than strictly professional, though. To kids, they’re so much more: they’re places of personal growth and socialization. It is in the best interest of schools to let students feel that a school is a safe place where they can express themselves freely without fear of judgment and humiliation. Perpetuating a taboo on bra straps does not serve society or schools well. Women should feel that how they present their bodies is up to them. The core of this issue is going by unnoticed. Everyone has a right to wear comfortable clothing on hot summer days. School boards should not dictate what young girls find comfortable. A girl showing her shoulders or bra straps is not trying to provoke any attention, but rather stay cool and comfortable on hot days. Teachers or parents sending girls home are out of line, and send damaging messages to children.
gave up their captain and are not guaranteed to re-sign Callahan, would have lost St. Louis to free agency anyways. Now they gain two high picks for the future, and a great player for their illfated playoff run. On the other hand, St. Louis will likely sign again with the Rangers, but it is likely that his production will decline as he approaches and passes 40. And Callahan seemed to be the face of the Rangers before being traded. However, the Rangers made the finals. And Martin St. Louis looks pretty darn good. I think it’s pretty easy to argue that without him, they wouldn’t have made it this far. Both teams made controversial decisions that paid off. Soon, one team is one cup ring richer, and the other will have come so close.
12 FEATURES
June 16, 2014
SFU contains a host of hidden wonders; one of them, in particular, is dear to my ear. As far back as I can remember, I have felt enamored by music of Scottish origin — in particular, the tradition of piping combined with drums. I stumbled upon SFU’s Pipe Band one day during a short stroll across Burnaby Mountain. Literally, all it took was walking by the Pipe Band practicing, and I was hooked. Without a second’s hesitation, I plunged head-first into the bagpiping, drumming goodness. For over 30 years, the SFU Pipe Band was organized, led, and conducted by Terry Lee. Recently, Lee stepped down and was replaced by Alan Bevan, a world class piper and member of the band since 1995. I had the opportunity to interview Alan about the SFU Pipe Band and his prior involvement with Terry and Jack Lee. “I started when I was seven and a half in Abbotsford in the local Pipe Band, eventually reaching Grade 1 and competing against the SFU Pipe Band,” Bevan remembers. “Grade 1” is a term connoting the highest level of performance within the world of piping. After facing off against SFU, Bevan soon joined the team’s ranks, and rose to become one of its most prominent pipers. Replacing Lee as SFU’s pipe major was a daunting task for Bevan, especially in light of the band’s six-time World Champion status under the former’s leadership. However, Bevan has a wealth of experience, both with piping and with the Lee family.
“I started taking lessons from Jack Lee [pipe sergeant of the SFU Pipe Band and Terry’s brother] as a young teenager. That was a turning point in my career. I did well in the amateur ranks, and I turned pro after studying under Jack for a year,” Bevan explained. He continued, “They [Terry and Jack Lee] are both excellent players. Terry was the first one to be asked to join the Pipe Band. Jack has been the number two guy in the pipe core. They have a symbiotic relationship.”
Despite leaving his grand legacy to Bevan, Terry Lee is still involved with the SFU Pipe Band; however, his level and degree of involvement has lessened, with Alan taking on many of Lee’s previous tasks. Though he has big shoes to fill, Bevan is confident in his level of expertise as a piper. Speaking to his experience at the highest level, Bevan said,“You can only win the gold medal once at each of those contests [which SFU Pipe Band competes in]. I’ve now won each of those gold medals.” But it’s not just Bevan raking in the medals. Besides meeting the pipe band’s exceptional leadership, I have also experienced first-hand the high-quality drummers and pipers that make up the band, each of whom is passionate about both the music and the team — living up to the impressive standard Bevan has set. “It’s a tough band to get into in the first place,” Bevan admitted, referring to the group’s high standards. “We have kids come up through the ranks of the Robert Malcolm Memorial Organization [and Pipe Band]. Not all of those guys get into SFU. A few have, they’re pretty fired up by the time they get there, obviously. “We have people come from all over the world to play in the band,” Bevan continued. The Pipe Band’s international and local performers throughout the last few decades have performed at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center in New York, the Salt Lake Tabernacle, and the Sydney Opera House. The pipe band has an unique way of preparing for a given season; it’s a process Bevan describes as the band’s way of always having something to work towards. Rather than focusing single-mindedly on one big performance at the World Championships, the band works towards other contests, while keeping their eventual goal of a championship in mind. This kind of preparation keeps the band’s spirits and motivation high throughout the year. In fact, it may be the secret to their world class success. Not many universities can claim to have a pipe band; even fewer can claim to have one as talented and successful as ours. As the band’s proud new pipe major, Alan Bevan has high hopes for the future — and with everything he has going for him, why shouldn’t he?
OPINIONS
preceded them, it’s also important to carry that progress forward, and not to forget. Tragedies perpetrated against First Peoples of Canada have separated families, banned traditions, displaced identities and all but eradicated entire ways of life, leaving many people marginalized and invisible to systems of governance that failed to value them. Instead of trying to learn and share, dominant society rejected and disenfranchised indigenous people. A lot of what went down is only now coming to light, through the courage of elders who shared at Truth and Reconciliation events (our own version of South Africa’s Reconciliation Days after apartheid) and in emerging books. Much was lost to all of us in the meantime, and we’re still recovering.
Many Aboriginal Albertans struggle with disadvantage, much more likely to be victims of violence and homicide compared to non-Aboriginal people. The proportion of First Nations identified people in Canada has steadily risen since 1996, to 4.3 per cent in the most recent census, and a lot of these new Canadians are young. Aboriginal youth are currently overrepresented and at higher risk
of death within the provincial child intervention system. Yet through all this, Aboriginal people in Canada have a lot to be proud of. With Aboriginal art, language, and leadership in resurgence, non-Aboriginals have a second shot at getting to know Aboriginal culture. When we know ourselves, we can move forward. When we know each other, we’re better neighbours, more equipped to watch out for one another. Community gatherings like those held on National Aboriginal Day help us to build the visibility, awareness, inclusion, respect, and mutual support that keep everyone in our communities safer. On the long road to redemption, freedom and friendship make light travel. Numerous up-and-coming Aboriginal youths bring with them boons to this country’s economy. Programs such as Indspire, which funds education through scholarships and bursaries for learning resources, provide greater access to tools for innovation. SiksikaTel, the Métis Settlements General Council, and the First Nations Development Fund exemplify just a few of the more renowned gains to Alberta alone. We should all, especially students, take the time to celebrate this National Aboriginal Day. How often is ending the erasure of history as easy to swallow as partaking in a bannock fry? Culture is built upon shared experience; go out and build some this June 21. Then, get a head start on next year. It’s going to take time, but we’ll get there, together.
Photo courtesy of Aaron May. Badassery courtesy of Graeme Achurch.
Canadians in the Northwest Territories enjoy a statutory holiday on June 21, but here in Alberta, we’re just lucky this one falls on a Saturday. That’s when Canada observes National Aboriginal Day, a hard-won day of recognition and solidarity (it took 14 years of campaigning — from 1982 to 1996, not to mention the long fight before that) for communities of First Nations, Inuit and Métis heritage to celebrate Aboriginal culture. National Aboriginal Day is a governor general sanctioned, Canada-wide opportunity to explore our individual and family identities, collaborate in the development of group identities and contemplate our Aboriginal and shared history. Recent years have seen solidarity marches, community picnics, gallery exhibitions, public dancing, drumming and prayer. These moments of triumph are a chance to unite around the great success Aboriginal Canadians have won in spite of adversity, and while it’s inspiring to see how far we’ve come since Residential Schools and the unspeakable acts that
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Across 1- Charts 5- Destined 10- Twice tetra14- The jig ___! 15- “Who’s there?” reply 16- Linguist Chomsky 17- Singer Vikki 18- One of the two equal sections of a cone 19- French 101 verb 20- Month of showers 22- Job change or marriage, psychologically speaking 24- Well-behaved 27- Abominable snowman 28- Knight of the Round Table 32- PC storage medium 36- Desire 37- Doctrine 39- Piles 40- Travel on 42- Transpire 44- Colored 45- Pointed arch 47- Acclaim 49- Lennon’s lady 50- Gastropod mollusk 51- When 53- Spent, as batteries
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sor 38- Oklahoma city 41- Proof 43- Coarse file, angry tone of voice 46- Gen. Robert ___ 48- Tailless amphibian 52- Threatening words 54- Astonish 55- Discourage 57- “Born Free” lion 58- Soaks (up) 59- Deuce topper 60- It’s outstanding 62- Cave dwellers 63- Mid-month times 64- Actress Daly 67- 100 square meters 68- ___ Tafari (Haile Selassie)
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To attend various music events? To have fun? Then CJSF radio is for you! Join CJSF 90.1 FM as a volunteer and take a 45-minute orientation tour WR OHDUQ PRUH DERXW LW 'URS LQ RQH RI WKHVH WLPHV WR ¿QG RXW ZKDW \RX can do and learn at your campus radio. (We’re in TC216 right over the Burnaby campus main entrance.) 1st Friday of the month at 3pm 2nd Tuesday at 4pm 3rd Thursday at 3 pm Hope to see you there! 4th Wednesday at 6:15 pm
ARTS
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June 16, 2014
Katey Hoffman and Cheyenne Mabberley star in The After After Party.
The Shift 1-Act Festival promises an eclectic mix of shows. From a play about a professional surrogate mother that is part cautionary tale, part memoir, and part stand up comedy routine, to a play by a group of SFU alumni that explores the works of Phillip K Dick, this festival has range. “There’s a good mix. You can find a little bit of everything,” artistic managing director Nick Sartore stated. “What we really wanted to do with the festival is give people a chance to see a lot of different kinds of works.” Sartore explained that the variety of shows will help draw not only those well versed in theatre, but people who may be new to theatre, and more hesitant to commit to one full length play. “Normally, you think okay, I’m going to the theatre to see this one show that’s going to run two and a half hours and hope I like it because I’ve invested $30 on a ticket.” He continued, “Whereas with this, [. . . it’s] a bunch of different stories so maybe some of them you like, some of them you don’t and hopefully you like more
than you don’t. But hey, that’s sort of the fun of it.” The plays are mostly performed by graduates of local theatre programs including SFU, UBC, Langara College, and Douglas College. The festival, which was extended by a day this year, gives these students of theatre a chance to showcase their works in front of an audience. “It can be hard sometimes for especially independent theatre to get an audience [. . .] so it’s really great we have such a fantastic audience.”
The seventh annual Shift 1-Act Festival features five plays, with four of them written by their presenters. An initially planned sixth show, The Oxford Letters was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts. Desire(e) contains both drama and comedy in a story about a professional surrogate mother who loses the ability to bear children before she has her own. Written by Scott Button and directed by Evan Frayne, the show explores dreams and what happens when they don’t come true.
Photo courtesy of Shift Theatre
Theatre group A Wake of Vultures, comprised of SFU graduates, looks at the works of Phillip K Dick in The PKD Workshop. “The show’s very academic, so it’s maybe something people haven’t seen before where it’s presented almost in a lecture style,” said Sartore, before describing the show as a “really awesome audiovisual experience.” The After After Party (Waiting for Gordo) is “an original comedic two-hander [. . .] about two best friends who totally deserve each other” written and performed by Katey Hoffman and Cheyenne Mabberley who play Fiona and Jules who wait for a guy, presumably named Gordo. The Merchant of Showboat is the only adapted play, originally written by Jason Sherman. SFU theatre graduate Kaylin Metchie directs this play which raises questions about race and culture. This Time I Get What I Want is a one woman show written and performed by Jennica Grienke, a graduate of the University of Winnipeg. It is described by Grienke as “a solo triumph of self in which the lead character (loosely based on me) confronts her hopes, dreams and desires on stage.” The lead character who shares the name “Jennica” is described as “single, depressed, unemployed and perhaps slightly alcoholic.”
Tessa Perkins arts@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560
I have three words to describe this film: short and sweet; any hopeless romantic who enjoys seeing their favourite characters go on new adventures would be satisfied with How To Train Your Dragon 2 . For some older audience members, the plot points will seem simple and perhaps predictable, but predictability is hardly a fault with a film intended for a younger audience. Beyond that, or perhaps in spite of it, the film moves at a reasonably fast pace and offers a fun, well-rounded story. It also displays a larger array of aerial manoeuvres by the dragon riders than in the previous film, and is similarly enhanced by the 3D feature. It’s almost a guilty pleasure — at the end of the day, what’s not to love about dragons and flying? Much as it was in the first installment, the script is cleverly written and filled with ample moments that balance the comedy and the action; the animation often utilizes foreground and background to balance the two. In one scene, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is having a conversation about something relatively serious, while Toothless (Randy Thom) is in the background being bombarded by tiny dragonet(te)s. The humorous dialogue is well portrayed by the returning cast, with the addition of Cate Blanchett, Kit Harington, and Djimon Hounsou, the latter being the latest villain. These voice actors engaged with the story and once again brought it to life.
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The film succeeds in expanding the world of Hiccup and Toothless. With the background laid down in the first film — and aside from probably the only major plot development that was surprising — the second film focuses instead on supplementing and enhancing the details. One focus centres on character development: Hiccup’s struggles with figuring out who he is, the person he wants to be, and his role in the world. Set five years after the first movie, the animators have altered the characters and setting to mark the difference. Some people have even commented that Hiccup and Astrid (America Ferrera) were rather “good looking.”
For those who haven’t seen the short film Gift of the Night Fury or the TV series, the biggest shift from the original is probably Hiccup’s relationship with his father Stoick, the Village of Berk, and Hiccup’s relationship with Astrid. The sequel also features the dragons’ growing personalities, along with the strengthened bonds between them and their riders. Not to worry though, despite any changes, the characters still maintain their fun, unique personalities! From time to time the film might feel like a side story. While it ends with a resolution, there is the hint of a possible continuation, and indeed, director Dean DeBlouis intends to continue with a third installment. Despite leaving some questions unanswered, the film was enjoyable, and if you are already a fan, this shouldn’t dissuade you in any way.
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ARTS
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Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort star in this emotional teen romance.
On the surface this film may seem like a typical teen romance full of clichés, but the story goes much deeper than that. Dealing with both love and death in profound ways, The Fault in Our Stars is full of wise words and emotional scenes. Shailene Woodley proves once again that she is a talented actress, and her Divergent brother Ansel Elgort shines as her love interest. Hazel Grace Lancaster (Woodley) is a normal 17-year old girl, except that she pulls an oxygen tank around with her and faces the threat of her impending death on a daily basis. Her strength of character, intelligence, and determination attract the attention of Augustus Waters (Elgort) during a cancer support group session. A former cancer patient with an amputated leg, Augustus is there to support his friend Isaac (Nat Wolff) who has lost one eye to cancer and will soon lose the other. Augustus has the kind of smile that makes you feel like he knows a secret about you, and his brazen confidence and charm attract Hazel right away.
The first conversation between Hazel and Augustus is beautifully written and sets the tone for their relationship. When Augustus pulls out a cigarette and puts it in his mouth, Hazel is disgusted and says that he’s ruined everything. He explains that he never lights the cigarette: “It’s a metaphor, you see. You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you never give it the power to do its killing.”
Hazel and Gus bond over Hazel’s favourite novel, An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten. The book doesn’t exist outside the film, but I hope someone decides to write something based on it because it sounds like it would be a compelling story. The protagonist of the novel also has cancer, and the book ends midsentence as she dies. Hazel and Gus relate to the book’s themes, and Gus loves to quote one of its lines: “That’s the thing about pain — it demands to be felt.” Just as the pain of their situations demands to be felt, the book demands that they seek out
Photo courtesy of James Bridges
answers to its ending. Gus manages to secure a meeting with the author in Amsterdam, and they embark on an adventure. While in Amsterdam, Hazel realizes how deeply she’s fallen in love and describes it beautifully: “I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly and then all at once.” Gus, never afraid of freely expressing his emotions, has a beautiful monologue where he declares his feelings: “I’m in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we’re all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we’ll ever have, and I am in love with you.” At times, it may seem like their relationship is unrealistic, but the characters are so endearing and played so well by Woodley and Elgort that the exaggeration doesn’t detract from the film. Focusing on the love between Hazel and Gus, this film manages to deal with what may seem like dark, depressing themes while remaining uplifting and humorous. One of my favourite scenes involves Hazel, Gus, and Isaac delivering revenge to Isaac’s ex-girlfriend in the form of an egging. Despite everything that these teenagers are going through, they are still teenagers who want to have a little fun.
For 38 years, Touchstone Theatre has been quintessential in showcasing West Coast playwrights. Since its launch in 2008, their Flying Start program has been giving voice to Canadians who have never been professionally produced. The program’s latest production is Briana Brown’s The Concessions. Brown’s play, a drama set in a small rural Canadian community, revolves around a precognitive woman named Fay (Emma Slipp) and the murder of someone close to her. This triggers her to question her abilities and consequently, the purpose of her life up until the tragic event. It’s a journey of exploring identity and relationships, as well as one’s duty not just to others, but to oneself. Taking firmly established, rounded characters portrayed by talented cast members and weaving them into a plot involving tarot card readings and chasing lightning, the play uses supernatural elements to explore follies that result from unexplainable events amongst good people. Slipp draws audiences in with nothing but tarot cards, two candles, and a bottle of alcohol as she begins her opening monologue seated at a table across from an “empty” seat on a dark stage. The foreboding demeanor with which Slipp opens the play is an intimidating presence as she flips through her tarot cards. At the same time it is entertainingly intriguing, as she is able to get some laughs out of the audience. Her versatility is further displayed once she begins interacting with other characters who are actually visible to us. Whether it is conflict with her husband John (Sebastien Kroon), or Sarah (Jillian Fargey), the town’s radio host, Slipp manages to hold her personas, while complimenting and even accentuating others’. Fargey’s character is a lovely addition to the story as you struggle with whether or not
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you should take her side. Despite her controversial status, she is able to provoke some laughter from the audience. That’s what The Concessions does well. It puts you in a state of limbo before arriving at concrete impressions. A drama, it nonetheless leaves room for some onpoint humour. The story revolves around a murder that has affected close relatives and friends of the victim, but once they start dropping one-liners, you can’t help but laugh, even though it is no laughing matter. Some of this surprisingly comes from emotional turmoil in the victim’s mother, Julie (Marilyn Norry). Norry perfectly embodies the character of a mother unwilling to move on; the maternal presence on stage probably even outshines roles such as Slipp’s, and the comic relief adds another dynamic to the character. Whether intentional or not, the laughter is a good and surprising juxtaposition against the heavy drama, as it speaks to Brown’s ability to intertwine tones in her playwriting.
The characters are well developed, their dialogue is strong, but The Concessions falls flat on the murder plot and resolution. It’s certainly a hook to get people interested in the story, but it eventually lands a bit stale. It may seem a huge issue to call the plot out as unsatisfying, but when there are such strongly written characters backed with great talent, the need for an event as drastic as a murder isn’t necessary. It’s not an essential catalyst for what the characters experience and find out about themselves and each other. With the creative liberty one could take with a character that can supposedly see the future, something like death isn’t a very unique problem for them to fail to foresee and prevent (it’s kind of a cliché, actually). Despite this, The Concessions is a wonderful production by the Flying Start program.
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HUMOUR
June 16, 2014
YOUR REGION — After careful thought and deliberation, a local man has decided to make a permanent mark in honour of his own ripped body by tattooing his family crest on his sweet, toned right bicep. The tat belongs to Tom McElroy, a 22-year old worker at a nearby factory, who says that he got the tattoo only a week after the death of his grandfather, when he finally reached his target weight of 215 pounds.
“It’s really something I’ve always wanted to do,” Tom explained, looking back (at himself in a full-length mirror). “There is nothing in this world that’s more important to me than my arms,
and I’m extremely proud that I could find a symbol that showcases just how wide they are.” Although Tom is sceptical about ever finding another tattoo design with as much
significance as this one, he does have plans for a detailed portrait of the crucifixion of Christ on his chest, as a constant reminder of how he is able to make his pecs dance.
humour editor email / phone
Brad McLeod humour@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560
HUMOUR
VANCOUVER — In an unforeseen development, Canada’s favourite millennialist restorationist Christian denomination has added a record amount of new members by forming a partnership with their number one door-to-door soliciting rivals. According to elders of a local Witness church, the idea to recruit the country’s girl guides came up during their weekly meeting after a tedious debate about the precise imminence of “the end.” “We were hearing a lot of complaints from members about more and more people closing the door on them,” explained Harry Smith, a local elder, “and with this whole peephole fad sticking around, it’s becoming
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increasingly difficult to get our message out to the public.” Instead of making any changes to their intrusive method of recruiting or ridiculous general belief system, Witnesses instead decided that their best course of action would be to bring in a new generation of more approachable, cuter members. “We’ve been competing with the Girl Guides for centuries and they’ve always beaten us,” continued Smith. “I mean, we can’t even give our literature away but they can come to your house unannounced and charge five dollars for what are, frankly, mediocre cookies.” While Smith admitted that he did enjoy the mint flavour, he believes salesmanship is the key and immediately reached out to obtain the Guides’ services, a task which was easier than he expected. According to sources, the girls were actually quite receptive to joining the religion (after they were explained the principle of eternal damnation, of course).
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Although the group is sometimes criticized for its cult-like practices, a conversion to the Jehovah’s Witness religion is not expected to change that aspect of the Girl Guides. As practicing Witnesses, the Guides will continue to partake in all their regular activities, with the only exceptions being any that are fun.
They will continue to go doorto-door, as they did before, but will now give out cookies only to those who have agreed to follow the sacred word of Jehovah and also have agreed that the act of accepting cookies is a sin.
According to elders, the project is already a huge success with a massive increase in their soliciting percentages, as the public
apparently does not have the heart to slam the door in the face of a little girl, no matter how imposing her ideology might be.
CALIFORNIA — Apple introduced a new application for the iPad this weekend which they believe will help put an end to those struggling with near terminal diseases ever having to interact with their pesky well-wishing friends and family again. According to Apple, their latest chemotherapy related app, iChemotherapy, not only reminds patients of important treatment dates and tracks blood cell counts, but it also takes up just enough
of someone’s time to make human interaction completely unnecessary. “It really is an amazing technological breakthrough,” explained radiation oncologist, Dr. Sanjay Atwal. “Ten years ago people said that finding a cure for cancer was impossible, and while that still might be true, now we have a cancer app for the iPad. I’m sure people didn’t see that coming either . . . I mean the iPad, isn’t it just like a big iPod?” While most people agree that the new app, like anything Apple sells, is great and wonderful and totally different than anything that came before it, there are some family members of cancer patients who are less than pleased. “Every time I go to the hospital to visit my mom, I feel like she isn’t actually listening to
me,” complained one woman who is afraid her mother will pass away before they ever truly make a connection. “I’ll be pouring my heart out to her and she’ll just nod and say ‘uhhuh’ because she’s too preoccupied with her iPad.” The woman says she has repeatedly tried to ask hospital staff to have the device removed but they have refused to interfere. “She doesn’t even have the chemo app on that thing,” pointed out one nurse at the hospital, “it’s not the iPad’s fault she’s not talking to her daughter, it’s her daughter’s own fault: she’s the one who put her in a home and has been ignoring her for years. Suddenly now that her mom’s on her last legs she wants to connect with her . . . ain’t gonna happen, he’s still only on the second level of Angry Birds.”
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For most of us in Canada, it’s difficult to understand the immense impact that the World Cup and soccer in general have on the rest of the world. Think of it this way: can you think of any other sport that’s played by over 250 million people, with over 3.5 billion fans, in almost 200 countries? I didn’t think so. Many around the world consider soccer — or football, if we want to be accurate — a sort of religion, with the World Cup as their holy month of worship. Every four years, millions gather around TVs and in stadiums to watch 32 different countries face off in a series of football matches. For an idea of the crowds these matches attract, look no further than the final World Cup match back in 2006, which garnered a TV audience of over 715 million people. To make a long story short, to a lot of people, football is a pretty big deal. But there are enough issues with this year’s World Cup tournament, which began last week in Brazil, to consider reevaluating whether the competition — and the organization behind it — are worth the trouble in the first place. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), established in 1904 as the international governing body of football, has been running World Cup tournaments every four years since 1930. They’re also probably the most corrupt, greedy, and generally detestable sports organization in the world — and that’s saying something. FIFA started out as a small committee with the aim of enforcing regulations, but quickly grew into the corporate juggernaut it is today. Today, FIFA maintains their status as a taxexempt not for profit organization, a title which saves them about $250 million a year in taxes. This is despite the fact that they’ve done little to hide their astronomical
features editor email / phone
Max Hill features@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560
earnings — most of which have come out of World Cup championships, where FIFA is routinely reported to earn much more than the host countries. The organization currently has over $1 billion in bank, which FIFA president Sepp Blatter described in an Al Jazeera interview as “a reserve.” At this point, FIFA’s tendency towards bribery, corruption, homophobia, sexism, and financial mismanagement is pretty much an open secret among football fans. Most recently, FIFA has struggled with controversy over their choice to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — a nation where working conditions have been described by the International Trade Union Confederation as “a system of modern slavery,” and where temperatures during games can reach upwards of 50 degrees Celsius.
Never has this been more clear than in the lead up to the 2014 World Cup, which has been plagued with mismanagement and corruption since the beginning. As of publication date, nine construction workers have died working in construction for the games, and as many as 250,000 impoverished people living in favelas — shanty towns around urban centres — are facing displacement in an attempt to make the Cup safer for tourists, and to free up room for construction. Over $15 billion has been spent in preparation for the tournament, and projections for the ultimate cost of the games have landed at around $30 billion, more than the last three Cups combined. Roughly $270 million of this budget has been spent on a new stadium in Manaus, a small city on the bed of the Amazon river. The stadium will be
Since the Qatar decision was announced back in 2010, FIFA has faced repeated allegations of bribery, notably from The Sunday Times and The New York Times. FIFA president Blatter even openly described the choice to host the Cup in Qatar as “a mistake,” before blaming racism as the main reason for the media’s scrutiny towards the organization and its decision. Like I said. FIFA — not so great.
used four times over the course of the World Cup, but given its remote location, the difficulty of transporting equipment there, and the lack of a large football team in Manaus, it’s unlikely to be used much afterward. To top it off, FIFA practically forced Brazil to temporarily repeal its law against drinking in stadiums, a law originally introduced for safety and security reasons, in order to appease one of its key corporate sponsors, Budweiser.
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As you might expect, Brazilians aren’t exactly pleased. In fact, the majority of Brazilian citizens (about 61 per cent) oppose the World Cup and FIFA, citing its potential damage to the economy, its negative effect on the country’s international image, and internal corruption as the main reasons. The results of the poll, conducted by Pew Research, came on the heels of widespread protests in May, in which over 10,000 Brazilians marched on the National Stadium in Brasilia, criticizing the games and the complicity of Brazil’s government. Of course, it isn’t just football that’s the issue here. Brazil’s economy has ground to a halt in the past few years, and issues which have long threatened the nation’s presence on the world stage — rising crime rates, high illiteracy rates, and an 85th-place ranking on the Human Development Index — have largely been set aside in anticipation for football’s biggest celebration. As much as the game is central to Brazil’s culture (many Brazilians even refer to their country as o País do Futebol, or “the country of football”), it’s easy to see why it isn’t the ideal time for the World Cup to be held in the country. And amidst seemingly endless controversies with FIFA — whose unpopularity has even led some of Europe’s football officials to call for president Blatter’s resignation — it seems as though the Cup, whether played in Brazil or not, will continue to attract negative attention. I’m not saying that you can’t enjoy the World Cup this year. You certainly won’t be alone in doing so. But whether you’re a casual football watcher or a die hard fan, it’s worth remembering that in these games, there’s a lot more at stake than just a trophy.