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CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2013
FIRST PEEK
May 21, 2013
her Victoria-Beacon Hill riding. Adrian Dix is the only one who managed to hang on to his Vancouver-Kingsway seat. Maybe it’s a case of people voting for their riding, not their province. Maybe Liberal supporters have been keeping quiet, slowly biding their time. Maybe polling doesn’t work. Well guys, we blew it. Not all of us, mind you. I’m talking about the people who have been eagerly touting change in BC for the past month, waving AntiClark flags, or even those who said Adrian Dix was simply the lesser of two evils. The Liberals will be governing us again, and as a majority government. True, we didn’t see this one coming. The Liberals were trailing the NDP by as much as 20 points in the polls before campaigning began. Dissatisfaction appeared to be high. Many openly declared themselves to be not huge fans of “MILF,” Christy Clark. The NDP were described as heavily favoured, but in the election lost three seats to the Liberals. So what happened? Clark herself lost her Vancouver-Point Grey riding to her NDP rival David Eby by 785 votes, and she wasn’t the only leader to lose. Conservative party leader John Cummins lost in Langley to the Liberal incumbent. BC Green leader Jane Sterk also failed to oust incumbent NDP Carole James from
What matters is that this election also had one of the lowest voter turnouts in history, at a meager 48 per cent. I’m not so great at math, but even I know that’s not even half. While my Facebook feed was clogged with happy proclamations of having “just voted!” and Instagrammed pictures of the stickers they gave out at the polling stations, only 48 per cent of British Columbians voted. One of my roommates, another 20-something student, didn’t make it out to the polls. She explained that she would have voted Green, but
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she thought that was pointless. At this moment, another roommate openly wondered what would happen if every eligible voter who said that actually went out and voted. The BC Green Party did manage to capture its first ever provincial seat, with Andrew Weaver — a climate change scientist — winning by a huge margin in Oak Bay-Gordon Head. It’s discouraging to see a province so full of ennui, one that doesn’t even trust its political party leaders enough to elect them in their own neighbourhoods. The Conservative party, supposedly one of the big four, didn’t win a single seat in the entire province. When you look at the map of the provincial ridings, the coast and Vancouver Island are overwhelmingly orange, with another splash of orange near the easternmost tip of the province. The huge bulk of red is right down the middle of the interior. So Clark will be the face for our province once again, emerging from the flames with her helmet-like hairdo intact. I have it on good authority that she’s the type of person who tries to use her cell-phone on a plane, and right after take off too (source: I’m a flight attendant), but this is who we voted for. Overall, the election seems to be saying that BC doesn’t care much about change; or rather, that we don’t care much about any of this.
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NEWS
The ballad of the unpaid intern is far from new, but is one that is starting to be sung a little louder. Unpaid internships in British Columbia are prevalent and undertaken by many BC graduates to gain experiences in their fields of choice, despite being technically illegal in the province. One Vancouver-based company came under fire recently for offering unpaid internships. The digital media company HootSuite earlier this year received much online criticism for doing so and has since promised to provide full payment and interest to unpaid interns working from October 2012 to April 2013. The company is not unique in offering such positions: they are common in many employment sectors, prominently in journalism for local newspapers and radio stations, in marketing, and even in organic farming. Nationally, the University of Toronto Students’ Union recently called on Ontario’s Minister of Labour to end unpaid internships, stating that 300,000 Canadians are “illegally misclassified” as interns, trainees, and non-employees, according to The Huffington Post. However, not all unpaid internships violate the BC Employment Standards Act — such as strictly educational internships — illegal internships are defined as involving an employee, or a person completing labour or services performed for an employer, and not being paid at least the BC minimum wage. Practicums are separated from internships in the act, as they may be unpaid, and involve practical training that is part of the formal education process completed for school credit. Many are torn by the idea of unpaid internships. David Lindskoog, a career advisor for SFU’s Surrey campus, believes that there’s not really an easy answer either way. “From a student’s perspective there are
May 21, 2013
compelling reasons to do one if you can . . . I think a lot of students out there are . . . in a situation in which any experience is better than no experience.”
Lindskoog continued, “From a systemic perspective . . . personally I think there’s kind of a fundamental problem with unpaid internships in that, not
news editor email / phone
everyone can afford to work for free . . . If your life situation is such that you can afford to take that hit, then you’re gaining an advantage on others who don’t have that opportunity.” Douglas College student Eric Wilkins disagrees with what he calls the “slave labour” of unpaid internships. It is wrong for an intern to have to complete “work that would ordinarily have to be done by someone else” without being compensated, he says. “For many students already burdened with loans, a full-time unpaid internship can be a daunting, if not impossible prospect.” Wilkins explains, “The line between practicums and internships . . . has to be erased. Practicums are internships; the fact that practicums are mandatory for completion of certain credentials doesn’t change the work that students have to do.” Liam Britten on the other hand, a Douglas graduate and
Alison Roach associate news editor news@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560
current SFU student, finds internships to be “an accepted part of many career trajectories.” In his personal experience with two unpaid internships in the past, he received “invaluable . . . guidance and practical instruction from working professionals,” and was allowed the “opportunity to make mistakes and grow from them, [which] obviously wouldn’t be tolerated from a paid, full-time employee.”
Britten sees internships as a stepping stone, and explained how “Regular staff always have a soft spot for someone who will do
[work] for free, especially if you show a good attitude in the process. It brings respect.” Lindskoog offers this advice to students who are considering completing an unpaid internship: “Make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons . . . make sure that you’re aware of your rights in the Employment Standards Act, [that] there’s actually a training or educational component to the internship, and that it’s not just you going in and doing the same thing that a paid employee would be doing anyways.” Lindskoog does suggest that it is important to remain in touch with the people you meet during an internship, to keep up those connections. “You’re going to take some things out of that,” he said, “You’re going to learn more about yourself [and] about the industry you’re working in, about what’s actually out there and whether you like or dislike these things at all.”
NEWS
May 21, 2013
SFU, and work on the business she and partner Sonam Swarup founded, Fusion Kitchen.
Chantelle Buffie, a SFU Beedie School of Business student, was named the 2013 HSBC Woman Leader of Tomorrow at the Enactus Canada national competition in Toronto last week. Enactus Canada is a group of student, academic, and business leaders with chapters throughout the country, including one at SFU. Buffie spent a week in Toronto, first at the Enactus conference, and then networking with Telus team members — where she currently holds a job back in Surrey as a business analyst. She also continues to take part time classes at
All these accomplishments led to Buffie being awarded the regional, and then the national title. “I went to Toronto just to support the [Enactus SFU] national competition team that was going, and to see if I won the national award,” said Buffie. “I was against a lot of accomplished females as well, so I was quite surprised that I won.” The title comes with a $2,500 prize to be used by the Enactus SFU chapter to start a program
that targets helping women develop socially and professionally, a concept that Buffie is no stranger to. Fusion Kitchen, which celebrates its second birthday at the end of this month, is a startup social enterprise that offers cultural cooking classes in Vancouver, taught by immigrant women. Buffie explained that her and Swarup’s backgrounds led them to come up with the idea for Fusion Kitchen, as a way to ease the transition of women who are newcomers to Canada. “Her parents are from Fiji and my mother comes from the Phillipines,” said Buffie. “We really wanted to ease the transition of immigrant women, or males as well, coming into Canada. A lot of the time they come from very educational backgrounds; a lot of the women we see have masters and PhDs, and it’s sad to see that they’re not getting into the areas they want to get into.” She continued, “We want to break that cycle, and offer them a work experience that other
employers might not provide.” Initially, Buffie and Swarup intended to focus on recent immigrants, people who had been in the country for less than two years, but found that many applicants to teach the classes were not that new to the country, but still having difficulty transitioning into Canadian life. The two women Buffie and Swarup are currently working with have been in the country for about five years or so.
Fusion Kitchen initially began as a simple school project for a social entrepreneurship class Buffie took in fall 2011, but
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quickly blossomed into something larger with the support the girls found. “We got a lot of positive feedback from Shawn Smith [a Beedie lecturer], and the SFU Beedie community,” said Buffie. Fusion Kitchen won the first top prize of the Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator program and awarded $2,500 to go towards the business. Fusion Kitchen has now offered six classes, but is having some venue issues now that their previous venue, Save-OnMeats, is currently under renovations. Buffie and Swarup are currently focusing on looking for a suitable space to continue the program. Once classes are up and running again, the team hopes to target more corporate groups who want to do social teambuilding events through the classes. For now, Buffie continues to divide her attention. “My focus right now is Fusion Kitchen, building up my experience at Telus, and school,” she said with a laugh, “Finishing up school!”
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The European Parliament has invited SFU professor Mark Jaccard to Brussels to debate the merits of the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD), a policy that would classify global fuel sources by the emissions caused by their production and transportation. The FQD would single out crude from Canada’s oil sands as the most harmful to the planet’s climate. Jaccard, a professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at SFU, argued for an end of the expansion of the Alberta oilsands. The FQD is part of the European Union’s commitment
May 21, 2013
to reduce carbon emissions from transportation by 20 per cent between now and 2020. Its policies aim to help European countries reach greenhouse gas emission targets by classifying global fuel sources by their level of emissions and encouraging the use of cleaner and lowercarbon fuels. Different fuels are produced from different raw materials, and depending on extraction, refining processes and associated energy needs, these materials can differ greatly in their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. The FQD distinguishes between these by labeling them as conventional oil (less dense or less viscous crude oils), gasto-liquid, or natural bitumen (more dense, in a sense heavier, and more viscous), shale oil, and coal-to-liquid. Natural bitumen, like the oil sands, emits greater amounts of carbon dioxide per megajoule of energy used to transport them than conventional oil.
According to Jaccard, Canada is not on a path to meet the 2020 target, and points to oil sands as the reason: “Sadly, Canada’s oil sands continue to make a name for our country, for all the wrong reasons.” In a study commissioned by the government of Alberta, it was found that oil extracted from the oil sands emitted 12 percent more emissions than oil produced in Europe, with some studies estimating that the oil sands pollute up to 23 per cent more than other sources. The Canadian government has been engaged in a lobbying campaign to stop the EU from adopting these fuel standards, which they claim could hurt oil sands exports to Europe. The FQD has been opposed by the Canadian government, who are concerned that if the oil sands were labelled ‘dirty’, this designation could greatly impact future markets for Canada’s oil sands products. “By treating oil sands crude as a unique high GHG-intensive
‘feedstock,’ it is effectively shutting oil sands crude, and products derived therefrom, out of the EU market,” reads the Natural Resources Canada website. “Canada will not hesitate to defend its interests should FQD single out oil sands crude in a disproportionate, arbitrary, and unscientific way.”
Canadian officials are also worried that if the FQD is passed, Canada’s largest oil sands importer, the US, might quickly follow suit. With this in mind, Natural Resource Minister Joe Oliver recently said in Brussels that Canada would consider filing
a complaint with the World Trade Organization if the EU goes ahead with the directive. Jaccard’s role in deciding the fate of the FQD is to share his economic and environmental insights to the European Parliament. Also a member of the 2007 Nobel Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Jaccard and climatologist James Hansen, from NASA’s Goddard Institute, will make presentations in Brussels, at The Hague in the Netherlands, and at a public event at the London School of Economics. “Dr. Hansen and I are honoured to be asked to provide guidance to the European Union on such a critical policy decision.” said Jaccard. “We hope to provide clarity not only on the current detrimental impacts and implications of allowing oil sands growth to continue unchecked, but how continuing to say yes, regardless of geography to our country’s dirty, energy-intensive products will have global implications for others, long-term.”
NEWS
In some rural African villages, children are underfed and have little access to safe water and clean toilets, resulting in thousands of fatalities caused by infantile diarrhea. Such fatalities can reach nearly 2,000 per day on the continent, according to a Water Aid estimate. Once infected, two main options remain: multiple treatments with antibiotics administered based on a doctor’s recommendation, or no treatment at all. Both will usually result in death. Working towards a solution to this crisis, SFU engineering professor Ash Parameswaran is developing new technology in the hopes of facilitating the process of diagnosis and treatment. Parameswaran plans to take the lab tests needed for correct antibiotic prescriptions and condense them into mobile phone accessories that are inexpensive, userfriendly, and accessible to those living in remote areas. Six years ago, Parameswaran travelled to India to speak to a group about technology development, and in that process he received queries from researchers wishing to develop discrete on-location testing for infections like infantile diarrhea — an infection usually caused by E. coli. “That’s when the group in India and the group here at SFU decided to put our heads together and see how this could be done,” said Parameswaran. “In developing areas of Africa and India, doctors will administer one antibiotic and then wait two
May 21, 2013
or three days to see what happens to their patient. If it doesn’t cure the disease, they’ll try another drug,” continued Parameswaran. “Sometimes this kind of testing is fatal for newborn infants because their bodies can’t handle the drugs. This is why it’s crucial we determine which antibiotic should be administered quickly and correctly.” His team now consists of two SFU graduate students, four SFU undergraduate students, and two graduate students from India with expertise in microbiology and electrochemistry. The team is also supplemented by the expertise of Dr. Peter Unrau from SFU’s Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and Dr. Craig Scratchley from the School of Engineering Science. Traditionally, the textbook technique for determining the correct antibiotics for a bacterial disease is a long process: it involves taking a feces sample from a patient, sending it to a lab for analysis, finding a suitable antibiotic or making an antibiotic cocktail, and sending the results back to the patient’s general practitioner. This takes several days — long enough for an infected individual to succumb to the disease in some of the cases.
Parameswaran’s first step was to see if this process could be done on a smaller scale. “Initially, we built a small chip to see whether this textbook technique could be implemented on a chip.
That was successful, and we were able to publish that work,” he said. His team’s next move was to brainstorm the steps necessary to turn this technology into an easily usable Android phone accessory. “If a person has to be trained in a laboratory for a number of years to use this technology, it isn’t applicable in a rural setting,” said Parameswaran. “We chose to develop an Android app because Android phones are the most common in India or Africa.” With this proposal, Parameswaran’s team approached Grand Challenges Canada, a federally-funded organization that awards $10.9 million annually to projects aiming to better healthcare. Grand Challenges accepted their plan and granted them $100,000 in seed money to develop a
systematic electrochemical test for their gadget. For phase one of their research, Parameswaran estimates that it will take roughly one year to create a validatable prototype that can eventually be streamlined into their final product. The accessory will produce an antibiogram that will identify the correct antibiotic to prescribe. “Of course, it won’t look very compact or elegant at first. It’ll probably occupy a tabletop, but we will be able to show it works,” said Parameswaran. “If Grand Challenges is convinced by our work, they will take us to phase two, which is when industries will become involved.” Most importantly, correct drug prescription and use will slow down the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains. When the wrong antibiotics are used,
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the bug within a patient will not be killed; rather, they will adapt to the antibiotic and become resistant. “Bugs are intelligent — maybe even more intelligent than we are. A bug will understand the mechanism of an antibiotic and then develop immunity to it,” said Parameswaran. “If the physician doesn’t make the right initial diagnosis, the bug in the child will develop multi-strain resistance. That will actually cause even more damage, which is why the first diagnosis and prescription should be done correctly.” Parameswaran now awaits the two Indian graduate students who are travelling to work at SFU laboratories in June. “We’re looking forward to having those students come and work with us, and really excited about launching this project,” he concluded.
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OPINIONS
May 21, 2013
opinions editor email / phone
Tara Nykyforiak opinions@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560
Dear editor, Re: “Forum a better choice for SFU politics”
Derek Jenkins, wants Target to be a competitive store: “We want to make sure that we are competitive in the Canadian market.”
Descending the staircase at Commercial Skytrain station this week, my eyes were met with a bright red and white display of a Target ad plastered on the wall. When it clicked in my head what I was looking at, I was reminded why I do not embrace Target’s move to Canada. I’ve been reading about what Target will bring when they come here, and it doesn’t sound like all that much. Sure they will bring a larger selection of brands and products to Canadian consumers, but not at the level of savings that one might expect. A recent article from CBC’s website explains how Target’s vicepresident of external relations,
What does this look like? A comparison of American vs. Canadian prices reveals significant differences in the prices of some major products. For example, 400g of Cheerios is $4.99 at Target stores in Canada, while for only .2g less, American Targets charge almost half at $2.84. Similarly, the Silver Linings Playbook DVD is $23.99 in Canadian stores, but only $16.99 in American stores. Extending this comparison further, I will take a quick look at
pricing found at Walmart stores in Canada. The same 400g of Cheerios is $4.97 when bought at Walmart, and the Silver Linings Playbook DVD is $24.97. So while the Cheerios are only marginally cheaper at Canadian Walmarts, and the DVD is just under a dollar more, I’m left wondering what real benefit Target will bring that Walmart and Zellers (which Target bought out) cannot and could not provide. A recent survey conducted by The Globe and Mail concludes that there is no significant savings being offered by Target to its Canadian consumers. In fact, prices are, on average, 0.2 per cent higher than their Canadian Walmart counterparts. Funny enough, before opening its doors here, promotion and marketing efforts centred on the low prices that Canadian shoppers would be able to enjoy. Coming from an American company taking away business from Canadian retailers, low should definitely mean less than the
Last week, former SFSS board member Kyle Acierno wrote a piece entitled “Forum a better choice for SFU politics.” In the article he bemoaned the current state of affairs within the SFSS executive board, specifically what he sees as a lack of accountability. This lack of accountability, as Acierno sees it, has led to the BuildSFU project as well as last year’s staff lockout being pushed through without enough student input. Perhaps Acierno has been gone from SFU for long enough that he has forgotten his own support for the lockout, or the two hour Forum meetings where what type of chairs to purchase took up a significant portion of time. If it takes the members of Forum — most of whom sit on the council for one semester and then vanish — that long to come to a decision about chairs, how does Acierno expect them to deal with real problems like labour disputes and student union buildings? If Acierno still believes that the lockout was necessary, as he has stated in this publication, I wonder how he would feel about taking that vote to a largely
status quo. As it stands price wise, Target fails to justify their move into Canada.
Target has faced backlash because of this, and attempts have been made by them to defend their prices. It states the cost of doing business in Canada as a factor (i.e. higher real estate costs and higher minimum wages), and the president of Target’s Canadian division has encouraged consumers to continue to do cross-border shopping. So let me get this straight. Target comes into our country
disorganized, uninformed body like Forum, and not only try to explain to them the different problems the university faces, but also seek useful input on the matters. I understand that it is not a popular opinion, but anyone who has sat through a Forum meeting knows that this is the reality of the situation. Forum delegates are more often than not appointed from a small cadre of students in each department, arrive to the meetings with no knowledge of what is going on, and then proceed to vocalize that ignorance for what seems like forever. They are the ones who drown out or overpower any reasonable, rational, and experienced Forum members. Acierno has the great boon of situational distance, where his recommendations will have no personal repercussions, and is no doubt chuckling away to himself with visions of longer and longer and more and more useless Forum meetings dancing in his head. And as funny as that would be, it’s not exactly practical, Kyle.
Sincerely, Dave Dyck Peak Associate
and takes over Canadian business and then tells us to keep spending money in the US? This definitely does not bode well with their ad’s message of “CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU NEIGHBOUR.” We really have to think about what they mean when they say “neighbour.” They are taking over our space by “moving in” and are trying to undermine this through the façade of being warm and inviting. But why then are they not offering anything new? The Target by my house opened up this past week, and I have no plans of stopping by and meeting my “new neighbour.” My city is not for the taking, and I will continue to stand by my loathing of American stores invading our country under false pretences.
OPINIONS
Those who choose not to participate in an election, because they equate voting for their preferred candidate to wasting their vote, are easily worse than those who vote for whichever party is currently the most hated. In 2009 I participated in Student Vote BC — an official mock election for elementary and secondary schools across the province. It yielded 47 seats for the BC NDP, 24 for the BC Liberals, and 12 seats for the Green Party of BC. These “votes” were the voice of a new generation and reflected the issues that future voters cared about. The media talked about our mock election and about what the changing political landscape would need to reflect as we came of age. We voted because we wanted our voices heard and believed that, even though it would not directly affect the results of the election, it was important. I am 20 now and I still believe in the importance of voting, whether in a mock Student Vote election or the real thing. I voted for the Green Party because they represent several issues that I care about. I do not consider this to be a wasted vote like I have heard many of my peers refer to it as. Hell, the Green Party of BC won their first seat, which is pretty significant. Before I receive hate for not voting NDP in an election where it might have made a difference, my electoral district was called
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as NDP almost immediately after it appeared as the 85th to report.
Each vote is a word, and when you add them together at the end of the election, a story emerges.
That’s right, you got all the pins down! Bowling your first strike is like acing your spelling test in the third grade — the feeling of absolute triumph will never be forgotten, and for some it may never be achieved again. It’s one of those moments in life that reinforces your sense of ability, and makes you believe that nothing is impossible. Whether
Though one vote for the BC Conservatives or Green Party of BC might not seem to matter in isolation, it does when added up. Abstaining on the grounds that your vote will not make a difference sends a message, too. A generation that does not vote is a generation that political parties will not have to worry about trying to please. Through the majority of the campaign period, I heard my peers complain about the lack of attention to post-secondary
education on the party platforms. We should not be surprised about this, given that the youngest demographic of voters generally has the lowest turnout. CTV is saying that the youth vote is virtually non-existent. This is a problem. Why should the election platforms focus on the issues important to a group that does not care enough to take five minutes to place a vote? Many are also expressing disdain over social media for those who chose to vote for a candidate
or not it was your aim to knock down all the pins isn’t what’s important; you grabbed the ball by the horns and carried out the perfect follow through. You got up there and made it look easy, and that really is what life is about. Such form, such grace, such style. Maybe it was pure luck, but you’re walking away like a pro. Feel proud!
All eyes are on you and you don’t like it. Maybe you know you’re about to fail, maybe you don’t. But what you do know is that you’re feeling the pressure to perform. Why do the pins have to be so far away? I mean really, how do they expect anyone to be able to aim from this distance? You take a step forward and let the ball go,
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who was not affiliated with one of the main parties. Instead of directing anger at those who opted to vote for one of the smaller parties, blame should be rightfully placed on the shoulders of those who elected not to cast a ballot. If I had a vote for every time I heard someone under 25 say their vote doesn’t matter, the election results would tell a markedly different story. This election proves that. If more people voted, I doubt we would have a Liberal majority.
hoping for the best. Too late — it’s going, going, gone, all the way to the side and into the gutter. You wish you had had something helping you out, but you’re no longer a child and gutter guards would only add to the embarrassment. Everyone knows that you suck at this game, so why not just give it up and save face?
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There is one change in particular in the new version of the DSM that, above all, fuelled controversy surrounding vested interests and conflicts of interest within the psychiatric industry. This was the removal of bereavement exclusion in major depressive disorder. Until now, the diagnosis of depression could not be given to patients that had lost a loved one in the last two months. It is argued — and logically so — that the depression that an individual experiences after a loss is simply natural grief, not a mental disorder to be diagnosed and medicated. Granted, this change will include a caveat in the checklist criteria for major depression that notes that some of these symptoms are, in fact, just natural responses to circumstance; this being said, it is now easier to diagnose depression and thus
easier to prescribe medication for something that can just be a natural response. Unfortunately, this is not a new concern. A 2006 study at the University of Massachusetts, found that 95 of the 170 DSM panel members (in other words 56 per cent) — who are in charge of discussing the changes made — had one or more financial association with pharmaceutical companies, most often in research funding. The panels dealing with “Mood Disorders” and “Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders” were made up of pharmaceuticallinked members. This has led to an increased transparency on the panels, with members of the DSM-V Task Force and Work Groups agreeing to receive no “remuneration for their services with the exception of the DSM-V Task Force Chair,” as well
as having a limit on the amount of money they can receive from pharmaceutical companies, and how many stocks they can hold in those companies. Despite an increase in transparency, studies found that, in 2011, 69 per cent of the task force members associated with the DSM-V had ties with pharmaceutical companies, an increase in the past several years. What these studies have noted is that the efforts at transparency — while good first steps — do not adequately mitigate the bias that these financial ties bring to the planning table. The criticism lies in that the focus should be what is best for those suffering from the mental illnesses that are being diagnosed, not what is best for companies that may or may not benefit from the treatment of these illnesses.
We live in a society that seems to be over-medicated and over-diagnosed; however, it is also clear that mental health somehow still remains an under-funded and stigmatized issue. One of the biggest concerns about the newest version of the DSM is that it is medicalizing everyday behaviours and making them disorders when they are not. This takes attention and funding away from individuals whose disorders are legitimately detrimental to their functioning. The DSM is important to us all because it holds many of the structural guidelines that are used to diagnose and treat mental illness. By making certain changes — such as that to Gender Identity Disorder — we can work to remove the stigma from some marginalized groups, and from some behaviours that are “wrong” only by social construct.
Furthermore, it is notoriously difficult to access mental health resources without the necessary support and documentation. The nuances of diagnosis are important, because they balance between providing individuals who are suffering from mental health issues with relief, while also not further marginalizing them. This is once
again where the DSM and the practitioners who use it come in: they have the resources and power to make or break an individual’s mental health. There are many controversies surrounding psychiatry, but in a helping profession such as psychology, the goal should always be to assist those who need it as much as possible.
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12 OPINIONS
It always astounds me that, in this day and age, the majority of people — including welleducated members of society — don’t seem to understand what the word “if” means. The concept of implication is a subtle one I hope to clarify in this column. Suppose I say the following: “If there are unicorns, then you will hear hoofbeats.” What evidence would you need to determine whether or not this statement is true? There are two ways to go about doing this. The first, most obvious way to do it, would be to search the entire universe for unicorns, and
where there are unicorns, listen for hoofbeats. If you always hear hoofbeats when unicorns are present, the statement is true. But if, even once, there are unicorns but no hoofbeats, the statement is false. There is another, less obvious way to verify the statement. The sentence, “if there are unicorns, then you will hear hoofbeats,” means the same as, “if you do not hear hoofbeats, then there are no unicorns” (its contrapositive). Stare at those sentences until you’re convinced that they mean the same thing. This gives us another way of checking whether the statement is true. Simply search the entire universe for places where you do not hear hoofbeats. If, in every one of those places, there are no unicorns present, the statement is true. But if even one case occurs where the absence of hoofbeats is accompanied by a unicorn, the statement is false.
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Here’s where it gets tricky: Assume our statement about unicorns is true. Suppose that you’re in the middle of a field, and you hear hoofbeats. What do you conclude? Intuitively, one’s first instinct might be to conclude that there is a unicorn nearby. One would be wrong. The hoofbeats could just as easily be coming from a horse, a zebra, a centaur, or a hallucination generated by your own mind. Implication is a oneway street — unicorns imply hoofbeats, but hoofbeats don’t necessarily imply unicorns. An interesting thing is, in any statement insisting, “if A, then B” in which we know that B is always true, the statement is true whatever A is. For example, the statement, “if the moon is made of cheese, then one plus one is two” is technically true. Unfortunately, this means that you can pair any statement you want with a true
statement to make an argument that might convince an unwary listener. For instance, start with the sentence, “if climate change is a hoax, then it will sometimes snow.” This is true as long as snow exists somewhere. But if the speaker concludes that, since snow exists, climate change is a hoax, their conclusion is unjustified. To make this valid, they would first have to establish the less obvious converse, “if it sometimes snows, then climate change is a hoax.” This would require actual work, so you can understand why people often skip this step. This fallacy is sometimes referred to as “affirming the consequent” and is just one of the many errors people make with the word “if.” For a simple two-letter word, it can do a lot of damage. Perhaps someday, we will move past this error and be able to think with more clarity. If only, if only.
ARTS
May 21, 2013
We all knew this was bound to happen, 2013 seems to be the year of the comeback: so far Justin Timberlake, David Bowie and even My Bloody Valentine have emerged from prolonged hiatuses to critical and popular acclaim. Later on in the year, Queens of the Stone Age and Boards of Canada are expected to do the same, but not all of these rebounds could have been successful. Cue Random Access Memories, Daft Punk’s first proper album since 2005 and easily their most bloated and uninteresting. The French duo have exchanged their house music roots in favour of an extended tribute to the music of the seventies and eighties. Disco, funk and jazz fusion are all attempted here, along with several other rarely revisited genres. But despite these forays into
Jeff Mangum is a force of nature. His lyrics are kaleidoscopic and
uncharted territory, very little of the material on Random Access Memories feels like a risk taken or a boundary pushed. The majority of the album’s 13 tracks, which stretch out over an astounding 74 minutes, are either cheesy slow jams or meandering electro-funk. Each track seems to overstay its welcome by at least two minutes, and might feel more at home in an elevator ride than a modern club. The duo’s over-reliance on vocoder and uninspired guest performances — never have Julian Casablancas and Panda Bear sounded less committed or present — give the tracks an emotional detachment that completely kills any attempt at drawing the listener in. Even album highlights “Giorgio by Moroder” and “Contact,” which both attempt to inject a little energy into this beached whale of an album, are instantly forgettable and only hint at the vitality of the band’s earlier hits. Whereas many absentee artists have taken 2013 as an opportunity to prove they’ve still got it, with Random Access Memories Daft Punk seem to have inadvertently proven the opposite. The album’s superficiality and lack of character seem to suggest that the duo might have been better off quitting while they were ahead.
unapologetically awkward. His voice is broken, but he reaches for the high notes anyway. His band, bushily bearded and draped in hand-knitted sweaters, accompany him on horns, accordions, seesaws and fuzzed-out electric guitars. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is what it sounds like inside Mangum’s head, populated with two-headed boys in beakers, boys who play flaming pianos and communist daughters. The album is remarkably strange, disarmingly honest and completely, uncommonly brilliant. Drawing from influences as varied as Eastern European folk music and The Velvet Underground-style psychedelia, Neutral Milk Hotel’s sound is all their own, and despite their unusual instrumentation In the Aeroplane Over the Sea sounds as though it couldn’t have been put together any other way. From the carnivalesque march of “The Fool” to the acoustic guitar-propelled “TwoHeaded Boy,” each note on the album
arts editor email / phone
Daryn Wright arts@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560
Trouble Will Find Me, the latest album by Brooklyn foursome The National, is a lot like their last three albums. The band found their musical niche early on in their career and have been reaping the benefits ever since: a tightly wound rhythm section, measured guitars and lead vocalist Matt Beringer’s smoky, low-register croon have served them well in the past, and the sound they bring to their newest LP is no different. A natural, effortless mix of propulsive barn burners and piano bar ballads make Trouble Will Find Me another in a consistent stream of highly enjoyable albums by the band. Each song seems to stand on its own, leaving the album feeling less cohesive but more accessible than those that have come before it. One of the reasons that Trouble Will
feels completely natural and effortless. Mangum’s performance has to be heard to be believed: his conviction and energy rival the likes of Freddie Mercury and Mick Jagger in their heydays. It’s no surprise he suffered a nervous breakdown in the aftermath of the album’s recording. His lyrics are revealing, but what they’re revealing is harder to pin down: his contorted accounts of sexual encounters and domestic violence seem to mix autobiography with childlike imagination, resulting in a completely unique worldview that sets In the Aeroplane Over the Sea apart from its contemporaries. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is at once an incredibly personal statement from one of the most eccentric men ever to pick up an acoustic guitar and a universal expression of growing pains, sexual awkwardness, and misremembered nostalgia. If there’s one album you decide to listen to for the first time this week, make it this one.
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Find Me, and the band’s approach in general, has yet to become tiresome is the subtle variations to keep their sound fresh and inventive. Beringer’s vocals here seem less effortless and more fragile, which contributes to the emotional gut punch of tracks like “Heavenfaced” and “I Need My Girl.” Guest vocalists Sharon Von Etten and St. Vincent are used sparingly on tracks like “This Is the Last Time” and “Hard to Find,” never distracting from the album’s tone and atmosphere. Beringer’s lyrics are as evocative and multi-layered as always, and his authentic delivery gives emphasis to his more obscure lines: “I am secretly in love with/ Everyone that I grew up with,” he sings on the early single “Demons,” an admission that’s somehow equally funny and heartbreaking. This album probably won’t change anyone’s life, and that’s okay. The National have made great albums before, and they’ll make great albums again. In the meantime, Trouble Will Find Me is an enjoyable LP, and more than enough to tide the band’s listeners over until they record their next Boxer. (We can dream).
14 ARTS
Long-standing Main St. fixture Habit has permanently closed its doors as of April 14th, reopening as Charlie’s Little Italian by the same owners. The new joint has just opened its doors, bringing an old school Italian vibe to the neighbourhood. Charlie’s is an affordable pasta place, reinvigorating that old-timey feeling of family dinners. You can expect traditional pasta dishes, antipasti, hand-tossed garlic breads, a small and cozy wine list, as well as Italian sodas, cocktails, and espresso. And for those regulars lamenting the end to their brunch service: don’t worry, it’s not going anywhere.
May 21, 2013
May 24th and 25th will see the 9th Annual International Jondo Flamenco Festival, co-presented by SFU Woodwards. The first night will be “Zyryab”, for a night of “soul, artistry and passion,” combining Persian and Flamenco song, dance and music traditions. Happening on the second night is “Camino Real,” featuring flamenco dancer from Madrid, Antonio Arrebola, joined by singers Cristo Cortes and Pirouz de Caspio. Guitarist Ricardo Diaz will also be joining the performance. If you’re looking for something lively and different, why not check out the festival and get your flamenco on this weekend?
If you’ve ever wanted to see a fusion of burlesque and musical theatre, this one’s for you. Grimm Girls: Once Upon a Tease is the third production by Concrete Vertigo, combining classic Grimm Brothers fables with the sexy stylings of burlesque performance. Expect to see a whole new side of Cinderella, Snow White, Red Riding Hood and the Evil Queen. Running until May 25th, you’ve got a few chances to partake in this one. There will be a cash bar and most certainly some nudity.
The Audain Gallery at SFU Woodwards is exhibiting The Biography of Images: Parallel Biographies from May 9–August 17. As part of a series of photography exhibitions from the Austrian Federal Photography Collection, this exhibit brings together artists from Vienna and Vancouver. Each photograph carries with it a story of production: what was the process of creating it? What kind of decisions were made? What kind of relationship is there between creator and photograph? By considering these processes, the viewer is then able to imagine a “biography” of the work itself, tying together art and artist.
If you’ve got a Saturday afternoon free, consider checking out the Trout Lake Farmers Market. Local produce and other goodies offer plenty to choose from, and if you’re looking for something a little hands-on and good for families, check out Aloe Designs DIY station. On May 25, check out the Mason Bee Houses station, where you’ll be able to assemble your own Mason bee house out of reclaimed wood to take home. These little bees are great for creating biodiversity in the garden, and it’s a fun activity for little ones as well.
ARTS
In Ethiopia, one in 27 women die from childbirth-related causes. In Cambodia, it’s one in 48 women that die from childbirth-related causes, while in Haiti, it’s one in 44. Canada’s rate in the past several years on the other hand, has been 7.8 maternal deaths per 100,000 births. This is the topic that Brenda Davis tackles in Sister, a documentary that follows the dedicated and resilient health care workers in three different third world countries. The film follows Goitom Berhane, a health officer in a small rural hospital in Ethiopia; midwife Pum Mach in Cambodia; and Haitian Madam Bwa, who provides contraceptives
May 21, 2013
and health care for women, despite having received no formal training. The film seems to follow several thematic threads that manage to pull at the heartstrings of the audience with shocking strength: the resilience of these women and those that work with them; the absolute necessity of the health care workers in mitigating the tragic barriers
they face; and the juxtaposition and dissonance that we see between our own health care and that of the third world. The women and individuals documented in this film face immense difficulties and barriers, including devastating poverty and lack of resources. The health care workers have varying levels of
education and training, but they all have one common goal: to help these women. “Whenever a dying mother survives, this is what enlightens you, this is what makes you happy and gives you meaning and sense to your life, that you are living a meaningful life,” explains Goitom Berhane in an interview.
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Brenda Davis, the director and producer, was the last of eight children all born by an emergency cesarean section — in Canada, a relatively common and rarely fatal operation. In third world countries, however, the differences between the childbirth process and its results are strikingly different. The health care workers seen in this film are single-handedly responsible for the life that does survive the devastating conditions of countries like Cambodia. Their sacrifices — things such as walking for eight hours to reach a remote town — are mind-blowing for an audience that is presented with resources like ambulance services and pre-natal yoga. We are collectively reminded of the unequal distribution of resources across the globe — something that we are aware of, but often forget. The film leaves you simultaneously devastated and inspired to do anything you can to make a difference, and that kind of reaction is a marker of a successful social justice documentary.
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Forget Me Not is a stunning and complex exploration of Alzheimer’s disease and the effects it has on individuals and their families. Filmmaker David Sieveking goes home to visit his parents, only to find that his mother — once a robust and fiery individual — is slowly losing her memory and abilities. She is soon diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and his father, Molte, is left to take care of his deteriorating wife as the formerly independent woman becomes more and more reliant and childlike. The more time David spends with his mother Gretel, however, the more he learns about his parents’ history through Gretel’s diaries and photo albums. He goes
through the physical memories that his mother no longer has and learns more of his mother’s radical political activism during the 60s, her feminist involvement, and his parents’ open marriage. Molte, too, learns about his wife through this process, realizing years too late that their open marriage was really cause of emotional strain on Gretel. Watching as Gretel deteriorates and the family deals with slowly losing her is devastating. It shows the dark and terrifying side of Alzheimer’s and other dementia disorders; on the other hand, however, the audience watches as the family grows closer, and as they learn more about one another. Once fierce and proud, Gretel softens and begins to tell Molte she loves him for the first time in their 40 year marriage; he, too, becomes more protective and caring of her than he ever was. David goes back to Gretel’s childhood and realizes things about her that she can no longer explain. The film is simultaneously
a heart-wrenching and torturing experience, and a humbling reminder to never fear getting to know the people in your life. Usually, there is shuffling and exiting as soon as the film finishes; however, as the credits rolled at the end of Forget Me Not, the audience remained motionless in their seats. I looked around in the dark at the faces surrounding me, and saw people staring rapt at the screen, some sniffling, some wiping their eyes. Forget Me Not is a humbling reminder of how fragile the human mind is, and of how complex and vast the concepts of memory and cognition continue to be, exhibiting the resilience of family. Gretel is no longer the woman that her family once knew, but in the process of coming to terms with this, her family discovers a woman they had never known.
SUSHI CAT?????
16 DIVERSIONS / ETC
May 21, 2013
HUMOUR
May 21, 2013
humour editor email / phone
Brad McLeod humour@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560
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18 HUMOUR
TORONTO — Despite having returned to earth nearly a week ago, a bewildered Chris Hadfield, unsure of what to do with himself with all this gravity and convenience, has continued to post instructional videos of everything he does in his day-today life as if they are amazing accomplishments. According to YouTube subscribers of the former “coolest man in space” and current 100-millionth coolest man on earth, Hadfield has not ceased to release videos of mundane activities that he does and seems to be unaware that they were only interesting because he was doing them in zero gravity. His latest video, released on Saturday and entitled “How Astronauts Shave (When they are at home in Ontario)” was essentially just footage of how any man would shave except for the fact that Hadfield kept dropping his razor forgetting that it wouldn’t float in mid-air. “It’s kind of sad to watch” explained John Druken, one of Hadfield’s biggest fans. He seems so lost being on earth, it’s heartbreaking to see him acting so delusional as if he thinks he’ actually an Earth celebrity.” While Hadfield’s videos are
May 21, 2013
almost identical to those he produced for the Canadian Space Agency during his time away from earth, having them set in his kitchen in Ontario as opposed to the International Space Station has had a significant impact on their popularity. “I thought it was really cool how he made those videos in space and played guitar in space but now that I think about it, it’s got nothing to do with him, space is just really, really cool” described one recent unfollower of Hadfield’s Twitter account. “Even something as terrible and boring as shaving is great in space, shaving in Ontario on the other hand, not so much.”
Although many people believe that Hadfield will soon realize that the cache behind his videos is gone since he’s on earth and will soon stop making them, there are others who believe that Hadfield will never be able to let go of his brief time as the cool space guy. “I mean, it must be awful for him to have to come back to Earth” psychologist Melanie Stevens told the Peak “On Earth he’s not really special, everything was better up there for him, well except having to eat awful food
and not being able to do pretty much anything, ever.” The idea that Hadfield is not ready to start living a normal life on earth has also been supported by Hadfield’s family who say that since his return, the astronaut has continued living as if he is still in space. “He still sleeps in a pod, he drinks nothing but Tang and constantly attempts to glide
across the room” his exasperated wife explained. “The only time he seems to even acknowledge he isn’t still in space is when he’s updating his Twitter and complains about how spotty the reception is way down here, it’s incredibly frustrating.” While a new video of Hadfield drinking a glass of water in his living room is supposed to come out tomorrow, there are
a lot of online fans urging their hero to just go back to being the regular guy he probably never really was. “It’s enough already, it was fun, but it’s time to move” urged Druken, still one of his biggest supporters. “I’m not sure what he should do though, now that he’s on earth he has less free time than ever . . . maybe lose a few hobbies?”
HUMOUR
VANCOUVER — Amidst the recent backlash against unpaid internships in BC, local corporation Hamtrax, announced on their website last week that all future internships will be “full pay with benefits,” a move that they have since blamed on one of their incompetent interns. While the announcement has certainly made them hugely popular with university students looking to gain work experience while also eating and living indoors, Hamtrax has not been pleased with their nowpaid interns.
May 21, 2013
“We gave him one thing to do, one thing” explained Hamtrax’s frustrated CEO Dave Klimchuck, “We just told him to put a message up on the website that we we’re hiring interns, that’s it, and he had to go and include all this information about fair pay and benefits, and now we have to pay him for it!” Although the individual in question, Ryan the Intern, has been in some hot water over the “this isn’t free labour” slip-up of the new internship program write-up, Hamtrax has not been able to have him fired thanks to the conditions Ryan accidently included in the new intern agreement. “I can see messing up and writing that we pay interns, that’s a mistake anybody could’ve made, but this asshole accidently included all sorts of rights and proper conducts for
termination for interns” continued an exasperated Klimchuk “God, these interns are a pain in the ass . . . and thanks to their fuck-up they’re now some of the highest paid employees at this company!”
According to the terms written by the clueless intern, not only do interns have to be a paid, but they have to receive minimum wage which is more
than he says he deserves after his blunder. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen” Ryan the intern told The Peak apologetically. “I just looked up the proper legal requirements for internships in BC when I put it up on the website, I know they didn’t ask me to do it, it was just an honest mistake, I swear!” The mistake has now cost Ryan his unpaid internship and forced him to start receiving financial compensation for his labour. He will also now be joined by plenty of other foolish young hardworking, careerdriven students. “This never would have happened if we just had interns who didn’t try to actually work and just slacked off all the time like young people are supposed to,” complained one of Hamtrax’s hundred vice-presidents,
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Mike Steele. He explains, “We only got into this mess because Ryan showed initiative; hopefully giving them some money can make them complacent enough to stop trying and just be like everyone else who works here.” Even though they might not be happy with their new internship program, Hamtrax now has no choice but to follow through on it but rumours have swirled that despite the pay it won’t be the happiest place to work. “Apparently the company is so mad about what Ryan did that they’re going to make interning there into the least fun time they can” explained Matt, the prospective future intern. “I’ve heard it’s going to be long hours, irrational bosses, uncomfortable co-worker relations, I mean, what kind of work experience is that?”
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With two weeks of decent weather behind us, we can expect to know the hem length and type of sandals someone wore based on the patchwork quilt of skin the sun will have left behind. For those taking classes or trapped in offices working 9-5, it can be hard to get a tan in. Many will opt for a trip to the tanning bed so they, too, can look like they have enough free time to spend days sprawled out in the sun, reading Noam Chomsky, playing the guitar and slacklining. This choice shouldn’t be taken lightly, though. In the US, May is national melanoma awareness month. We should take a moment to pause and heed our neighbours to the south’s warnings, before the UV index reaches its annual highs. Skin cancer statistics get more dismal as time goes on, and unless something changes, it’s only going to get more grim. One in every three cancers diagnosed is a form of skin cancer. Right now, skin cancers are the second most common cancer in young adults aged 15-34. Every year, worldwide, there are more diagnosed cases of skin cancer than breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers combined.
There are three different forms of skin cancer, affecting the three different types of skin cells: basal cell, squamous cell and malignant melanoma. Each is more dangerous than the last. Basal cell carcinoma affects the outer layer of skin cells. If caught early, it is the easiest to treat, often with just the removal of the
features editor email / phone
Rachel Braeuer features@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560
affected area. Squamous cell carcinoma is more serious, affecting cells deeper in the epidermis (skin) with more potential to metastasize and spread. Malignant melanoma, as the name suggests, is the most dangerous with almost one-fifth of diagnosed cases resulting in death. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of cancer, which fortunately translates to skin cancer having a much higher survival rate than other cancers, with 970 deaths per year as compared to lung cancer’s over 20,000. However, the sheer number of cases takes a huge toll on our healthcare system. Each melanoma case costs the Canadian healthcare system over $6,000 dollars, with all skin cancers costing an estimated $531,750,000, or over half a billion dollars. Indoor tanning in particular becomes a suspect choice. Those who fake-andbake before age 35 have an increased risk of developing malignant melanoma (the deadly one) by 75 per cent. Despite all of this, it can be hard to resist the urge to get a beautiful tan at any cost. If you’re reading this and feeling like an idiot, don’t worry. I’m no better. About a month ago, I decided I’d try out tanning. I’ve always hated how blindingly pale I am. I figured instead of sitting on a beach for five-or-more hour stints with little to no sunscreen with the sole purpose of getting a burn that would turn into a tan, getting into a sun-coffin for a few minutes a couple of times a week was a relatively responsible choice. Plus it was included in my gym membership fee, and I hate waste. If you’ve never gone before, my advice is this: don’t. It’s a waste of time, unless you’re wholly committed to toasting yourself, or you’re ok with very minimal results. A reason some give for continuing to tan despite medical evidence suggesting to stop right fucking now, is that it just makes them feel generally happier and better about themselves. All it made me do was question my life choices, namely why an educated woman such as myself would willingly hang around naked in a cancer tube. The
first time I went, the attendant convinced me to try out a sample of some sun enhancer, which is basically just moisturizer that makes you smell like a 12-yearold girl who discovered Calgon for the first time. It came in a little foil tube, like the shampoo samples that sometimes come with free newspapers.
When you get into the room where the melanoma tardis is located, you have three minutes to take your clothes off and put on whatever lotion you’ve brought before the UV lights come on. Forget the giant red balls, trying to squeeze greasy shit out of a little packet and evenly coat your body in it in three minutes and then build your tanning goggles (surprise! You have to thread the elastic through them yourself) should be a segment on Wipeout. Once I actually got into the booth, which looks a lot like a torture chamber, I discovered that a fan blows air up at you to keep you cool while you literally bake yourself. If you’ve never had a fan blowing air up between your naked legs
May 21, 2013
after an intense cardio session, be glad. There is nothing to do in a tanning booth except be alone with your thoughts (well, that or develop cataracts from staring into the lights). For me, it went something like this: “Jesus Christ, this fan is ridiculous! I hope the person before me didn’t have some weird foot fungus, particulates of which are now blowing on my crotch. Can you get Athlete’s Foot on not-your-feet? What if the grate busted and I fell into the fan! Does the fan have an automatic shut off? Do I really want to be the girl who got skin cancer and had her feet cut off in a freak tanning-booth accident? Jesus it’s hot in here, thank god for that fan. UV lights make nipples look weird — OH FUCK, has that mole always been on my shoulder?” “Well at least you got a decent tan out of it,” you may be thinking at this point, but that’s the real kicker: you couldn’t even tell. I mentioned at the office that I had gone tanning. One coworker took a look at my blindingly white legs and asked “Are you sure?” That about sums it up. I noticed some difference on my face where the goggles went, but largely I looked about the same. Frustrated, I rummaged through my extensive crapcupboard under the bathroom sink and found three different sunless tanning lotions. After a week of using those, a different coworker remarked on how tanned I looked. Save your skin, time, and money, and go buy some cheap sunless tanner if you must. Better yet, just deal with the skin you’re in. You’re not going to have it for very long if you can’t anyway.