Students Say NO to Build SFU Loan

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Each week, one of The Peak ’s editors must write an Editor’s Voice — a column where we say something profound, or muse about the world around us in a way not often encouraged in our own sections.

These articles usually give advice on how you should live your life, with the help of our many years of great experience.

Well, I don’t have much of that stuff. I’m sure I could spin you a yarn about joining some clubs, writing for the sports section — you know, one about getting out and doing things.

But that would be boring, with a capital B. Instead, I will expound my philosophies on milk, as it’s a great drink. But milk doesn’t get the respect that it deserves.

Sure, most of us drink milk with dinner, we have milk in our cereals, but do we ever appreciate how good it actually tastes?

Firstly, milk just tastes awesome. Milk is a superb drink just to consume on its own, like pop or other tasty, sugary beverages. I think milk often gets lumped in with boring drinks like water, but really, that’s unfair. Water is tasteless, and unless I’m going to bed or I’m in the hot sun, it’s not something I really want to drink. There’s just something to milk that’s not there in water.

Milk enhances the flavours of every meal; it seems to add so much to food — just like how wine apparently brings out all the flavours in some foods (or something like that, I don’t

spend all day hanging with wine connoisseurs).

Some meals, such as spaghetti, or pizza seem incomplete without a glass of milk or two, or three, or more. Without milk, one of my favourite dishes becomes just another silly ol’ meal.

And who decided to start drinking milk, anyway? Who went up to a cow and grabbed its udder, and said, ‘hey, we should drink this?’ Good on them, but can you imagine? Just going up to a cow, grabbing its teets, and drinking the nefarious result. Probably some cave-dude too. Thank you, you wonderful cow pervert.

(I sure hope I did not subconsciously take this riff from some stand up comedian. If I did, I’m udderly sorry.)

You’re now probably wondering, ‘what should I get out of this most informative column?’ Appreciate your milk! Gulp it down with pride. Stuff yourself until you’re the kind of full that only milk can make you. And remember, milk is better than water — all the cool kids drink it.

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NEWS

Following Metro Vancouver’s recent ban on organic waste in landfills, SFU is gearing up to push for better recycling habits within the university community.

The ban went into effect on Jan. 1, 2015, imposing a new year’s resolution on the region’s 21 municipalities.

The goal is to have everyone sort out all of their organic waste from their trash. In order to aid the transition, Metro Vancouver has allotted the next six months as an “education period,” and will not be administering fines until July.

Carrie Hightower, Metro Vancouver’s technical advisor for Zero Waste implementation, noted the harm that comes from leaving organic waste in landfills.

January 26, 2015

“When this goes into a landfill it produces methane gas, which is a greenhouse gas.”

“Every time we throw something away, we’re throwing away everything that went into producing that food,” she continued.

The SFU Sustainability Office and Facilities Services have taken a leadership role in reducing waste at the university, launching a Zero Waste campaign at SFU just last year. Zero Waste coordinator Rachel Telling explained that, with this new policy in place, the Sustainability Office will be increasing their education efforts — a full-time job, as Telling pointed out that SFU has “a constantly changing population, with new students all the time.”

Part of this effort will include streamlined signage and clarification on how to sort waste on the front end — when waste is transferred from the consumer to the bin — as well as how recycling is handled behind the scenes. The Sustainability Office will offer training to food waste handlers on campus to help them adjust.

Telling also emphasized that she hopes that students take the message with them off-campus as well. “It’s our role to educate

news editor email

beyond what just happens here [at SFU],” she said.

Individual households will not feel the effects of the ban immediately, though Metro Vancouver encourages citizens to begin sorting out organic waste more thoroughly.

Larger institutions, like SFU, and food service providers are expected to clean up their recycling process during the education period.

Seeing as Metro Vancouver only takes care of the “end of life” handling for solid waste, the fines can only be placed on waste collectors who bring in organics, who will

Leah Bjornson associate news editor news@the-peak.ca

then pass these on to their clients who have generated the waste.

Waste will be inspected as it is brought in, and checked for a composition limit of 25 per cent or less organics. This limit will be reduced to 10 per cent in 2016, and five per cent in 2017.

SFU Dining Services has also been working to support the Zero Waste movement. General manager Mebs Lalani stated, “We’ve been separating our compost from our regular waste for over a year.”

He went on to say that all packaging used in SFU Dining Services

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establishments is eco-friendly, from their fettuccine pasta stir sticks to utensils made from sugar cane.

Lalani also mentioned that introducing clear bins “turned the program around,” since it made it easy for staff to see whether or not recycling procedures were being followed.

He echoed the sentiment of others that, even if things improve systemically, it ultimately comes down to individuals sorting their waste properly.

“Always, the greatest challenge is breaking habits.”

NEWS

Undergraduate students denied the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) board of directors the right to pursue a loan concerning the Build SFU Student Union Building (SUB) and Stadium projects at their Special General Meeting (SGM) last Wednesday.

The SGM was held after students complained that the SFSS’ last Annual General Meeting (AGM), held on October 22, 2014, did not accommodate all SFU students who wanted to attend and vote on the motions related to the projects.

As such, the SFSS held an SGM on Jan 21 to ask students to approve the Society’s pursuit of a loan — also known as a debenture — to fund the Build SFU SUB and Stadium.

The special resolution to approve the projects generated a lively debate, with students from both sides of the issue voicing their opinions.

Members of NoToBuildSFU, a group advocating against the projects, were particularly vocal.

One of the core members, Colin Woodbury, motioned that the issue be taken to referendum in order to allow all SFU students to vote. A slight majority of students rejected this idea, with 251 in favour of postponing and 261 opposed.

Other students were concerned with the amount of outreach done by Build SFU and the SFSS. When SFSS at-large representative Rebecca Langmead responded that the Build SFU street team had undertaken over 4,800 hours of outreach, several members of the crowd began to heckle her.

Yvette Rancourt, an SFU student, took to the microphone next to speak to the financial pressures the levy that funds the building puts on students. “As

January 26, 2015

students, we can always find a place to sleep, a place to study, a place to play video games, but one thing that is a lot harder for some of us is to find money,” she said.

She continued, saying she took issue with how the meeting itself was conducted. “I would feel a lot more comfortable [. . .] if we had an actual physical record of the votes cast that wasn’t being counted by members of the SFSS,” she said.

Adrienne Marino, president of the SFU concert orchestra, advocated for students to vote on the project at the SGM. “If this becomes a referendum, it’s a waste of my money, it’s a waste of your money,” she said. “The

project is still approved, so even if we push back the loan, it’s going to cost us more money in the end.”

She continued, “This is huge.

This is for us. It’s our community.”

After almost an hour and a half of discussion, Nicholas Chapman, a student senator, moved to end the discussion and vote on the motion, stating, “I don’t know about you guys, but I kind of want to leave, so I make a motion to call the question.”

The special resolution ultimately failed, with only 65 per cent of votes in favour of approving the debenture. The motion required 75 per cent to pass.

Soon after, a related motion to ensure that future SFSS boards cannot decide to cancel the student levy also failed to pass.

Woodbury was pleased to see so many students participating in the debate: “Now that

many more students are really paying attention to the project, we have a chance to reform it or end it altogether.”

After the Build SFU motions failed, a large percentage of attendees exited the West Gym, despite the two additional non-binding questions on the agenda. Remaining students voted in favour of both the existence of Greek letter organisations on campus and retaining ownership of the SFSS Food and Beverage Services.

Following the meeting, SFSS VP student services Zied

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Masmoudi shared his thoughts on the outcome, saying, “I’m really glad to see people participating in the decision-making process and really glad to see people get involved, no matter what the results of the vote are.”

Nevertheless, the ‘no’ vote does mean that the Build SFU SUB project will be significantly delayed. Masmoudi explained, “It’s going to cause major delays for the project. We don’t know at this point how much that is going to cost us, nor how long that will be.”

When asked what the opposition at the meeting means for the society, Masmoudi replied, “I think it is time for us to probably take a step back and see what we can change about it.”

For now, the SFSS board of directors and the Build SFU project staff will work together on what their next steps will be.

6 NEWS

The university has begun relocating residents of the Louis Riel residence building after concerns regarding mould in residence were raised once again at the SFSS Council meeting late last year.

The living condition of Louis Riel building has been persistent problem, and remains a constant topic of discussion for the SFSS Advocacy Committee.

Safety and Risk Services (SRS) at SFU told The Peak that they have been working on improving the Louis Riel building since they first started to receive complaints from students and staff.

January 26, 2015

The department is using “dynamic assessment” to address the problem promptly.

According to Terry Waterhouse, SRS Chief Safety Officer,

the dynamic assessment process involves relocation of the occupants in the damaged unit as staff undergo assessment of each suite to ensure that no one is in a compromised space.

So far, SRS has relocated 35 residents in Louis Riel to other suites that are not in damaged condition.

Some students relocated themselves by finding off-campus housing, while others have moved to different units within the same building.

However, Devon Cass, coordinating and external relations

officer for the Graduate Student Society (GSS), claimed that there are more “important health concerns for those living in a residence with so much mould, even if some suites have been shut down.

“Due to the mould, there are fewer and fewer places graduate students can live on campus,” continued Cass. “This is a substantial problem for incoming students who are not familiar with Burnaby and Vancouver.”

One of the major sources of mould in the building is water

accumulation, according to Waterhouse. This usually results from open windows during rain, leaks from the building perimeter, and leaky pipes.

Aside from water accumulation, another potential cause of the problem is the buildup of condensation in units that are not fully ventilated.

“Having a very long shower, cooking, and boiling water in a unit that has poor ventilating quality can actually lead to mould accumulations,” said Waterhouse.

The mould in Louis Riel building

interact with students or those who are in a leadership role.

The Support Over Suicide workshops were developed in addition to the pre-existing workshop called Supporting Students in Distress, which provides participants with the tools to respond to students who are stressed and may be experiencing mental health issues. The team also launched the Hi FIVE initiative in 2013, which aims to eliminate stigma towards those who are experiencing mental health distress or illness.

“All this work that we do within mental health is all centred around the elimination of stigma,” said Mroz. “We want to have a community that is free of stigma, connected, and informed.”

At SFU, 11 per cent of students have contemplated committing suicide at some point, according to surveys conducted

by the National College Health Assessment in 2007.

“Suicide is the most preventable death,” said Erika Horwitz, the associate director of Health and Counseling. “It is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”

If you believe that a friend may be considering committing suicide, what should you do?

SFU Health and Counseling Services is making new efforts to help people tackle this very issue The department is offering a series of three-hour workshops to raise awareness of the issues surrounding suicide, as well as to provide participants with the skills to effectively communicate with somebody who is considering taking their own life.

Workshop activities will include teaching participants how to ask if someone is suicidal by using a direct question, determining the severity of their intent to commit suicide, and how to effectively refer a person to the appropriate resources for their situation.

“What people will get out of this workshop is the development of some confidence and being more knowledgeable about how to manage this situation,” said Martin Mroz, director of SFU Health and Counselling Services.

There is also a component on understanding the experience of being in crisis, as well as relating to the person who may be suicidal.

The workshops are open to all SFU students, staff, and faculty, and are particularly geared towards those who regularly

The two explained that the process of direct and early intervention could save many lives. “When you finish taking this workshop,” Horwitz noted, “you will be able to identify when someone is not coping, and is starting to consider ending their lives.”

could have been due to a variety of causes of moisture buildup.

The parts of the building that need improvement will be determined after the formal assessment has been issued, explained Waterhouse.

“We have completed the assessments for each of the rooms, just putting together the final report on it now, and we are expecting to receive that formally in about two weeks,” he said.

With the report that is coming within two weeks, SRS will make a decision about what to do with the entire building, instead of looking at individual units.

At that point, SRS and the university administration will decide whether they should vacate the entire building or not. The completion of repair should be expected when the formal assessment is finalized.

In the end, Waterhouse said, “Louis Riel will be phased out as student residence as other facilities are developed, regardless of anything else.”

Meanwhile, SRS has been communicating directly with the students and staff who have been affected to address concerns.

“We have been responding in a very thorough way,” he assured, “but if there are outstanding concerns for students living in the Louis Riel, [. . .] they should definitely tell residence and housing.”

“That is when you intervene,” she stressed. “By intervening early, we can prevent someone from potentially attempting suicide, which is traumatic [in itself], and also from completing it.”

Horwitz stressed that those who are contemplating suicide but decide not to follow through with it should not be afraid to seek professional help to deal with their stress and burdens.

“A lot of people will refuse to access counselling because of stigma, or because they do not know what counselling is about,” Horwitz said. “Going to a counselor does not mean that you are crazy or you have a mental illness. We are trained to help average human beings.”

The first Support Over Suicide workshop will take place this week on January 30 at 11:30 a.m. at the Surrey campus.

NEWS

January 26, 2015

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SFU welcomed 42 computing science students from across the nation to its 2015 Undergraduate Capstone Open Source Projects (UCOSP) code sprint on January 15–18. Five students from SFU participated, working with mentors on open-source software projects in teams of two to four.

SFU graduates and twin brothers Nelson and Graham Talbot have been chosen as finalists in the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl Competition, for which the grand prize is $1 million and a year-long employment contract with Universal Pictures.

If successful, the twins will also have their TV spot aired to an audience of well over 100 million people during this year’s Super Bowl on February 1.

This is the Talbot twins’ second time participating in the competition; in fact, they were semi-finalists last year. Their previous commercial was decidedly “darker” than their current entry; the 30-second spot showed a mermaid seemingly seducing two fisherman until the camera cuts to a shot of her on the wall, hung like a trophy catch.

The twins have learned from last years’ experience. Graham acknowledged that they “just came up with a funny idea, and didn’t think much about the branding of Doritos and their history and the rest of their commercials.”

The new approach, explained Nelson, “plays it a little safer with clean, all-American humour that has a pretty wide audience.” The new ad features an adorable little boy on a farm who is told he can have a Dorito “when pigs fly.” The boy sets his mind to creating rockets, which he uses to launch a pig into the sky. He then triumphantly eats his Doritos.

Nelson told The Peak , “We knew what we wanted. We wanted a kid and an animal.

Then it was just sitting down together and brainstorming and pounding out a couple hundred ideas until we found one we really grabbed a hold of.”

The twins feel that their advertisement has a competitive edge over the other entries.

“Ours has a super bold atmosphere to it,” said Graham, “It’s got a kid that is on a mission to accomplish something.”

In keeping with the lessons learned from the previous year, the twins wanted the commercial to have wide appeal. “The people that will enjoy it [is] anyone from a small child to full grown adults, both women and men.”

The two acknowledge that considering the diverse audience of the Super Bowl, they aimed for a down to earth look, right down to the farm setting. Graham laughed about how “in football,

they throw around the pigskin, and we’ve got a flying pig.”

The budget for their ad was $1200 — money out of their own pockets, as well as contributed by their parents. “Even if you don’t win, hopefully it’s a good enough investment in your career,” explained Nelson.

“It’s worth spending that little bit of money for the risk and reward.” When speaking about the budget, Graham noted, “Super Bowl commercials tend to have a high production value and ours looks a hell of a lot more expensive than 1200 bucks.”

The twins who both graduated from the Contemporary Arts Program at SFU in 2011 and describe themselves as “struggling filmmakers” ever since.

They said they hope that winning the prize will solidify the career path they’ve chosen and hopefully get them more work in the future.

Nelson noted that they intend to pay those who helped

with the video, such as the actors, visual effects supervisor, and co-producer, but admitted that the cash prize is “going to be a big help no matter what.”

The winner will be announced at the end of January.

Adel Iskandar, SFU assistant professor of global communication, gave a talk last Thursday titled “From Immolation to Preservation: The Self & Identity Politics since the Arab Uprisings.”

The talk centered around the question of faltering regime change in Arab countries and the part that identity politics — Islamist, secularist, nationalist, etc.

— have played in the uprisings’ aftermath.

8 NEWS

A group of SFU researchers have collaborated with colleagues internationally to provide insight into the “mutational landscape” of a rare type of fatal liver cancer, which may allow them to identify its cause and improve its diagnosis and treatment.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) or intrahepatic bile duct cancer, while only observed in five to 10 per cent of those with primary liver cancer, is very dangerous for those affected.

This is because it is based in the bile duct, where it is unlikely to be detected.

A lack of diagnostic tools make it difficult to form a conclusive diagnosis in the early stages of the ailment. Therefore, it is usually detected at advanced stages when it is too late to be successfully treated.

Jack Chen, SFU associate professor in the department of molecular biology and

January 26, 2015

biochemistry, worked closely with a research group at SFU, including postdoctoral fellow Jiarui Li, doctoral graduate Christian Frech, and master’s student Xinyin Zhao.

By understanding the nature of the mutations that are associated with ICC, Chen suggested that one can potentially learn more about the cancer’s cause.

That way, “information could be imprinted in the mutation profile,” creating what is known as the “mutational landscape.”

As a group, they collaborated with researchers from Shanghai.

The clinical and molecular biology components of the study took place there, while the sequencing technology and computational power were provided at SFU. ICC is most commonly diagnosed in individuals who live in

Athletic program brings inner-city kids to UBC Through the program “I’m Going to UBC,” currently in its seventh year, elementary students from East Vancouver got to drop by UBC’s basketball courts for a taste of university life.

“It opens their eyes up to what is possible, where they could be in less than 10 years,” said Andrea Wilks, a participating teacher from Admiral Seymour Elementary.

Participants had the opportunity to speak with UBC athletes and learn about the potential of a university education, as well as how they balance academics and sports.

Southeast Asia. Chen explained that this is ”likely due to environments and the type of mutagens they are exposed to.” For example, ICC is diagnosed at an incidence 100 times higher in Thailand than the worldwide average.

Further research into this type of cancer is becoming increasingly important, as the incidence rates have risen globally from 0.32 to 0.85 per 100,000 people — a 165 per cent increase.

The study involved 103 ICC patients who underwent surgical removal of the tumour. Chen explained, “We sequenced the tumour genome and we also sequenced the normal genome from the same person, so that we can compare the genomes to identify differences — in other words, mutations that are specific to the tumour sample.”

With these findings, Chen and his colleagues will be able to understand more about the

U of T Professor to plead guilty to child exploitation charges University of Toronto professor Benjamin Levin’s lawyer has confirmed that Levin will plead guilty to a number of the child pornography charges he faces.

His offences include accessing, possessing, writing, and distributing child pornography, counseling someone to commit sexual assault, and arranging with a police officer to commit sexual assault.

Levin was arrested at his Toronto home in July 2013, and has been granted bail with strict conditions of release. He is not to access the Internet, and is required to live with his brother in the meantime. “There will not be a trial,” his lawyer also stated.

With files from UBC News With files from Toronto Star

sorts of mutagens that are causing these harmful mutations, the types of mutations in the genes themselves, and finally, the types of cellular pathways that will be affected as an end result.

In the future, this information could be used to develop the tools necessary to increase diagnostic accuracy and hopefully improve ICC patient prognoses, giving patients more time to receive potentially lifesaving treatments.

Ex-McGill hospital director to be extradited back to Canada It has been confirmed that Arthur Porter, McGill’s former hospital director, is to be extradited to Canada from Panama, according to CBC News.

If successfully extradited, Arthur Porter will face fraud-related charges connected to a $1.3 billion super-hospital contract at McGill. His wife, Pamela Porter, has already pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering.

The date of Porter’s arrival in Canada has not yet been set.

With files from CBC

OPINIONS

January 26, 2015

opinions editor email / phone

Adam Van der Zwan opinions@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

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Sensible suggestions to your sticky student situations Are you an SFU student or faculty member who needs some relationship, student, or SFU-related advice? In 150 words or less, send your issues anonymously by visiting the-peak.ca/ professorpeak. Your entry could be published in our next issue, along with some helpful advice from Professor Peak!

Help! I want to avoid avoid a high school aquiantance who has moved to town and wants to hang out!

My boyfriend and I are struggling and I’m having trouble avoiding him in the Residence we both live in!

DEAR PROFESSOR PEAK: I’m a student and I moved here from another province a few years ago. After doing so, I was fairly selective with who I stayed in touch with from back home. I still talk to a lot of my friends but I slowly drifted from acquaintances. Now one of those acquaintances lives in Vancouver and she’s keen to hang out but I’m not interested. (It’s not that I actively dislike her or want to totally burn bridges between us; we’re just completely different people now.) — LONE WOLF

DEAR PROFESSOR PEAK: I’m living in a co-ed floor on Residence, and my boyfriend lives down the hall from me. Recently we’ve been in disagreement with each other and our relationship has struggled because of it. This has been super awkward for me whenever I bump into him in the hallways of our residence building. What makes me especially anxious is when we meet up with each other in our floor’s communal kitchen, where we make our meals.

Sometimes I wait for him to leave, but this can take forever and it completely throws off my busy schedule. Help? — ANXIOUS & AWKWARD

DEAR LONE: Oof, that social awkwardness. Honestly, I think how you handle this depends on how nice you want to be. If you’re really keen to avoid her, you can actively blow her off until she realizes that “Sorry, too busy to hang out” actually means “I have more important/enjoyable things I can be doing.” Or, if you’re willing to put some more time and social grace into the situation, you could meet up with her in a noncommittal situation (coffee, anyone?) and let the differences between you two become painfully obvious over the course of your friend-date. Either way, I think this situation will fade. She’s probably eager to meet up with you right now because it’s hard to be new in a strange city, but as she becomes more comfortable she’ll likely gravitate to her new, more kindred-spirited friends.

DEAR ANXIOUS: Yikes. Having lived — and dated — in residence for multiple years, I’m gonna drop some truth on you: no matter how hard you try, you’re not going to be able to avoid each other. Between the communal kitchen, the communal bathroom, and the one walkway to get to class, you’re going to run into each other, a lot. Because of Murphy’s Law, you’ll probably end up bumping into him more than anyone else. Seriously, Murphy is an asshole. My advice would be to try to make some sort of peace, however tenuous and however temporary. If you can get to a point where you’re okay with seeing each other, even if the underlying problem isn’t fixed, you’ll both be much happier for it. You may not resolve your argument, and you shouldn’t force a solution, but having an honest conversation about the very real situation of still having to share space in the meantime is incredibly necessary. I mean, who wants to feel uncomfortable and anxious in their own home? Try waving the temporary white flag, hard as that may be.

While the Charlie Hebdo team were targeted for exercising their right to freedom of speech, there remains far more inflammatory and derogatory expression on Facebook and social media that goes unchecked.

What often flies under the radar is the pervasive hate speech that is more or less ubiquitous on the web, alongside cat videos and Tumblr blogs, choking Internet forums and clogging YouTube comment sections.

In a very real way, the presence of hate speech online has far more toxic and worrying ramifications, many of them below the threshold of awareness.

As a fundamental right, freedom of speech is protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in Canada. The right allows and protects the independent voicing of opinion, without fear of censorship or punishment. Under this protection, the West is lauded for its diversity, culture, and fair forum for equal and respectable discussion. It is this freedom that allows for Seth Rogen’s The Interview, Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, and satirical cartoon publications such as Charlie Hebdo.

Not coincidentally, freedom of speech is also one of the most

theatrically abused freedoms in the West, next to the United States’ Second Amendment.

Whereas Charlie Hebdo had a legitimate claim to be protected by freedom of speech — the pieces in question being satirical cartoons — the usage of the phrase online is more often a blatant excuse than a reason.

Besides infantile homophobic and racist comments under YouTube videos, tasteless sexist jokes on 4chan forums, and religious-bashing flamers on Twitter, hate groups and speech on Facebook have become a serious problem, promoting and encouraging intolerable behaviour online.

Though these sites promise safety, fairness, and freedom for their users, a considerable chunk of provocative hate slander and ignorant bashing goes unregulated, unfiltered, and becomes normalized through time. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen “fag,” or “slut” framed casually in a comment, alongside supportive statements or scathing replies.

It is that same casualness elicited in comments and posts that is equally potent and dangerous to the hate groups formed

on Facebook. Groups such as “Jewish Ritual Murder” on Facebook promote false and bigoted information and bias, disseminated, which hurts and affects communities, and the ubiquity of racist, sexist, and homophobic slurs in online colloquial settings even further damage.

They do damage not only in their offhand manner, but in their naturalization and acceptance of prejudice. Is this really a safe society for everyone, where a hashtag like #KillAllMuslims trends online, or where rape culture chants from the comments section of pictures are the norm?

I’m not reframing the broken windows theory when it comes to what makes an unsafe society, but the naturalization and advancement of bigotry does lead to acceptance, and possibly encouragement, of this sort of behaviour. The Internet is no less subject to this ideological propagation than the natural world. The Internet gives a voice to people, but ultimately, it is the voice of the human condition in its idealism and squalor: both the best and the worst aspects of humanity are online.

Freedom of speech becomes a problem when groups and communities begin to feel physically threatened and powerless.

Whether it be casual or personal, hatred and bigotry has no place in democratic societies, and especially not online. Social media needs to smarten up and learn the difference between respectful speech and bigotry or discrimination when it comes to “free speech” on their platforms.

10 OPINIONS

Imagine a product that could save you, your friends, and your family from having to suffer through the illness and potential death of a loved one due to tobacco smoke.

Imagine that this product is safe for everyone to use. Wouldn’t we be foolish not to implement and promote it? While there’s no law against smoking electronic cigarettes in Canada, the device has, surprisingly, been met with animosity by politicians and consumers alike.

Last October, the City of Vancouver voted to restrict the use of ecigarettes in public spaces. Following suit, the Ontario government passed a law in November to treat e-cigarettes like tobacco cigarettes.

At this rate, it won’t be long before this product is restricted throughout the rest of the country. But these governments should withdraw their

Alan Dutton, an organizer for Burnaby Residents Opposed to Kinder Morgan Expansion (BROKE), will not settle in the $5.6 million lawsuit brought against him by Kinder Morgan. The lawsuit targets five protesters for conspiring to intimidate the survey crews on Burnaby Mountain.

While four of the defendants have settled, Dutton refuses to do so, on the basis that the lawsuit is meant to suppress the right to protest.

The BC Supreme Court has ruled that the suit is a justifiable exercise of Kinder Morgan’s legal rights (by suing ordinary people for $5.6 million). However, the consequences of the actions of

laws that ban public e-cigarette use, and should instead promote them as a safer, and even therapeutic, alternative to tobacco cigarettes.

While the medical community remains inconclusive on the safety of e-cigarettes due to a lack of evidence, a study published by scholars Zachary Cahn and Michael Siegel in 2011 states that e-cigarettes contain far fewer carcinogenic agents compared to their tobacco counterpart. The study also showed that few chemicals, if any at all, contained in e-cigarettes are a cause for serious health concerns.

A similar study published by Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos and his colleagues in 2013 noted that 42 per cent of participants quit their smoking habits during their first month of using an e-cigarette. With this in mind, anyone with an ounce of sense should promote this

Kinder Morgan and the Supreme Court are clear. Not only do they suppress the right to protest, but they also completely misunderstand the nature of civil disobedience.

This lawsuit is an archetypal example of what is commonly referred to as a SLAPP suit, or Strategic Lawsuit against Public Participation. This is when the threat of a lawsuit is used to intimidate those who wish to protest. SLAPPs abuse a supposedly egalitarian legal system. Corporations with deep pockets can launch malicious but legally acceptable suits against protesters and demand conditions for a settlement, which essentially silence these individuals.

These actions are coercive and exploitative because very few grassroots protest movements have the resources to effectively combat such lawsuits. Quebec and the majority of US states have legislation against SLAPPs. British Columbia once had such a law in

January 26, 2015

device as one that can help people drop the tobacco. As more smokers turn to e-cigarettes, more are likely to eventually quit their smoking habits altogether.

Since they lack the harmful chemicals in tobacco cigarettes, e-cigs will also benefit those who wish to smoke in public. Because smoking is often a group activity that facilitates social connection, the e-cigarette, as a form of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), would allow the user to remain connected to their peers during social gatherings, and to smoke in a way that would not disrupt the health and comfort of passersby.

Having friends who’ve tried several NRTs, all of them preferred the e-cigarette because of their ability to easily control their nicotine intake. Nicotine is the psychoactive substance sought out by most e-cigarette users. The Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies notes that NRTs, such as gum and the patch, vary in nicotine content, and their effectiveness in relieving withdrawal symptoms will depend on the users’ smoking history.

Thus, the amount of nicotine contained in a patch or in

the books, which was promptly removed by the Liberal government when they took power in 2001.

SLAPP suits water down our constitutionally enshrined freedoms of expression and assembly to very narrow interpretations.

We are encouraged to protest only when it is convenient and comfortable for the entities we protest against; if Kinder Morgan begins to feel “threatened” or “unsafe,” it becomes the burden of protestors to tone it down and speak softer.

Moreover, such legal actions essentially reframe the narrative

the gum may be too much for some smokers and too little for others — unlike other NRTs, ecigarettes allow users to better mediate their nicotine dosage to a level that is just right for them.

Additionally, a February 5 article in Discover magazine cites research on nicotine which suggest the drug may have many positive effects, such as memory enhancement, improved focus, and resistance to diseases such as Alzheimer’s. With further research,

nicotine’s negative effects may soon become overshadowed by its beneficial traits.

Given the current scientific evidence, one can confidently argue that e-cigarettes are far less harmful than regular ones.

With this in mind, the city of Vancouver and other Canadian government bodies must consider retracting their legislative concerns, and should instead openly promote a product that has the potential to prevent the illness and death of millions.

of the entire protest movement as one in which large corporations has the moral high ground.

It becomes a matter of protesters encroaching on Kinder Morgan’s legal right to survey the land, whereas back on planet Earth, Kinder Morgan is in fact violating numerous city bylaws and moving forward with a project that local and First Nations communities are vehemently opposed to.

Kinder Morgan charges the defendants in this lawsuit with intimidation, but protest is by its very nature intimidating and challenging. When African-American civil rights activists marched from Selma to Montgomery in 1965, no doubt they were intimidating the majority white populations who stood to lose from African-Americans gaining political and civil liberties.

Seldom does non-violent civil disobedience originate from an uncontroversial movement. Protest should aim to challenge the status quo, and if it intimidates

those in power or those who commit injustices then congratulations, we’re doing it right.

Such legal actions can have chilling effects across all spheres of public activity. SLAPPs can lead individuals to resist exercising their civil liberties. After all, the fear of having a multimillion dollar lawsuit launched against for carrying a picket sign is a serious deterrent against public protest.

Examples like the Kinder Morgan lawsuit demonstrate that SLAPP suits can only be justified under the shakiest of factual foundations, and it quickly becomes unclear whether any form of protest is truly within one’s “rights.” So long as the provincial government and court system remains complacent about SLAPPs and complicit in the suppression of civil liberties, silence in the face injustices may soon become the norm.

OPINIONS

“Is today a black day or something?” asked a cashier at a downtown convenience store. The man directed the question to my girlfriend and I as we checked out our items one summer day. It was hard to hide the disbelief from our faces as he casually let the words flow freely.

What could be better than a meat-filled tube on a hot summer day? No afternoon at the fair is complete without one of these bad boys, doused in mustard and nestled in a gluten-rich bun.

A hot dog — with its questionable mystery meat

January 26, 2015

Why would he ask such a question? Well, he mentioned that he had noticed a number of black people that day, so there had to be a reason why. Because black people don’t just walk around Vancouver unless it’s a special occasion, right?

As an African international student, racially charged interactions are not new to me, and only reinforce how far away I am from home. Vancouver is often celebrated as a universally inclusive place — however, in reality this is not always the case. After

and enticingly cheap price tag — is meant to be enjoyed with no questions asked. If you’re worried about what it’s made of or how many nitrates is too many nitrates, then you’re not living life to the fullest!

numerous other troubling encounters, I have accepted that it may not be the perfect bubble of unity many believe it to be.

I remember during my first year, I explained to a Canadian coworker of mine that I intended to transfer from college to university in Vancouver. His advice to me was that I should avoid certain schools, due to their high Chinese population. As a then-newcomer to Vancouver, I sobered up to the possibility of ethnic prejudice even in beautiful British Columbia.

Browsing web forums, the title of a certain thread jumped out at me: “Too many Asians in Vancouver!” Beneath it, various responses proceed, with prejudiced remarks such as “Canada should stop catering to foreigners (for what? for some foreign cash? for stupidity?)” Numerous other threads like this exist online, and add to the deadly fire that is unfounded prejudice. The issue may not seem prevalent, because it is usually not as overt as it was during the colonial era; however, I am here to tell you that it does exist.

In a country built on colonial rule and the efforts of generations of immigrants, it is utterly asinine for people to denigrate others based on their ethnicity. It is highly regressive, especially in Canada, to hold these prejudices, yet many still do.

The diversity of Vancouver is often celebrated, but often this is used as a safety net that allows people to ignore the possibility of prejudice. Some may say, “Look at how many immigrants there are; we are so accepting of foreigners!”

Sorry to burst your bubble, but no. It means your government is open to the foreign

11

investment, and you have to deal with the consequences.

However, we can still work towards fostering a genuine community where we truly accept each other even if we are uncomfortable at first.

We need to face this issue head-on instead of hiding behind the notion of “tolerance” in an attempt to seem agreeable. I feel as though “tolerance” maintains that we don’t like the idea, but will put on a smile and fake it. In my view, all this does is provide an excuse to further dodge the problem.

It may be naive to believe we can do better as a society, but there is surely space for us to build a more inclusive community in Vancouver, rather than a complacent population full of hidden tensions.

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The temperature is creeping up to the high 20s and Fido just can’t take it anymore. His tongue is hanging out of his mouth and he’s panting like it’s nobody’s business. Sure, you cracked the car window when you popped into the store for a bag of ice, but

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12 OPINIONS

With easily-accessed food sources, corn starch, and the rise of the fast food industry, it’s safe to say that humans are getting fatter. Before the 20th century, obesity was immensely rare. Nowadays, obesity has become so widespread that the World Health Organization formally recognized it as a global epidemic back in 1997.

This may all change however, in the future. Saxenda, a new injectable medication for obesity, is in the process of being reviewed by Health Canada for usage in our country.

It has already won approval from the United States from the Food and Drug Administration, which means our southern neighbours can already use the drug legally. The chemicals in the drug are taken from the saliva of the Gila monster, a venomous lizard from the southwestern United States.

In 2010, Stephen Harper took the stage at the Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Antisemitism conference in Ottawa and pledged, in no uncertain terms, Canada’s unshakable support for Israel: “the easy thing to do is simply to just go along [. . .] with this anti-Israel rhetoric. [. . .] There are, after all, a lot more votes [. . .] in being anti-Israeli than taking a stand. But, as long as I am Prime Minister, [. . .] Canada will take that stand, whatever the cost.”

Consistent with the self-aggrandizing nature of his comments, Harper’s foreign and domestic policies have been rooted in a political and moral certainty

January 26, 2015

While the purpose of the drug is to help people who suffer from chronic cases of obesity, I can’t help but envision it becoming an easy ‘get slim’ medication if the drug is approved. Because people are always looking for easier ways to become thin without enduring the ‘hardships’ of exercising or eating healthy, the potential for such a drug will be easy to abuse. This, in turn, will promote unhealthy lifestyles; people will be tempted to take drugs to lose weight instead of actually improving their lifestyle.

As with any medication, side effects and health risks are always a possibility. Considering its recent approval, there could be undiscovered long-term negative effects, and there is no guarantee the intended effects of this particular miracle drug

that he has never bothered to substantiate. While opacity from this government is nothing new, it is dangerous when used to prop up an increasingly inflexible backbone that reduces incredible complexities to a series of black and white puppet shows.

Exercising pragmatism has been abandoned by the Tories in favour of a frankly fundamentalist approach to government.

Harper’s policy in the Middle East is threatening to completely erode decades of Canada’s carefully cultivated persona in global politics as a humanitarian, independent, and neutral arbiter of political and moral crises. John Baird’s comments in Jerusalem reiterated this stance, claiming that the Palestinian Authority (PA) had made a “huge mistake” by attempting to bring allegations of Israeli war crimes to the International Criminal Court, an organization Canada played a key role in founding.

will work for everyone. These downsides could very much negate the whole purpose of using the drug, and may even make it dangerous to inject.

In spite of my cynical musings, such a drug does have the potential to change the world.

The health risks caused by obesity could become much less prominent, and since the drug

consumes sugar in the blood, the lives of diabetics and pre-diabetics could be saved — all with the power of lizard spit. In the hands of professional doctors who have researched and understand their patients’ conditions, this drug has potential as a life-saving tool.

But like any tool, it could also be as dangerous as a revved-up chainsaw in the hands of a toddler

if not taken properly. Should people choose to use the drug as an excuse not to exercise or maintain a healthy diet, basements all the world over could flood with people.

All in all, between possible negative side effects and the unhealthy lifestyle a drug like this may promote, I’d rather work off those pounds than rely on a reptilian oral fluids.

Israel’s history has been scoured by acts of Arab aggression, which have fuelled its hawkish foreign policies. So while we criticize Israel, it is impossible to divorce the country’s collective trauma from its current-day politics.

regional hatred towards Israel has much to do with its apartheid policies directed towards the Palestinian people.

It would be exhausting to list the ways in which Israel actively persecutes Palestinians on a daily basis, but it is stunning, and only serves to stoke the fires of regional discord. Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest ploy has been to, once again, freeze the delivery of taxes collected on behalf of the PA, an act that the PA ambassador to the UN labeled “blatant theft.” The action was further denounced by the Israeli president and US State Department. Yet Canada remains unmoved.

Our stated international agenda is in support of Israel’s right to live in peace with its neighbours within “secure boundaries,” while recognizing Israel’s right to assure its own security by way of “necessary measures.” Within this position, the Conservative

government officially acknowledges the Palestinian right to self-determination within a territorially contiguous state.

However, Israel continues to rapidly build settlements on disputed territory, diminishing Palestinian attempts at creating a state — a war crime, according to the Rome Statute that Canada signed in 2000. According to Baird, such actions are not unilateral or detrimental to peace. Instead, attempts by the PA to bring such actions to the world’s attention, while opening up Hamas to prosecution over war crimes (who are, as noted, an enemy of Israel) cross a “red line.”

It is utterly embarrassing that Canada is represented by asinine claims to absolute morality while sporting an abhorrent human rights record. We cannot pretend to be independent arbiters, nor can we play any meaningful role in the Middle East if we take two steps back for every step history takes forward.

Who would trust that record?

At the same time, Baird’s assertion that “the great struggle of our generation is terrorism — one that Israel faces on the front lines” isn’t so simple. The greatest threat Israel faces today is from a crippled Hamas, Iran, and Hezbollah, all of whom are currently preoccupied with combating ISIS forces. However, a large part of the enduring

January 26, 2015

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ARTS

Diane Brown, artistic director of Ruby Slippers Theatre, has been producing French Canadian plays in English translation for Vancouver audiences for over 25 years. Making these plays accessible to Englishspeaking audiences allows them to learn from these stories and from the Quebecois way of creating theatre. Brown explained that French Canadians place great value in the arts, and theatre is a large part of their culture. “English Canadians don’t have the same relationship to art,” she said.

Presenting new voices in Quebecois theatre, Ruby Slippers has commissioned English translations of Christian Bégin’s Après Moi and Jennifer Tremblay’s The

arts editor email / phone

January 26, 2015

List, and both plays will premiere later this month.

Translation is not a simple task, and it can be difficult to make sure the original meaning and subtlety of the writing is not lost, but Brown is confident in these adaptations. “The translator and playwright worked very hard to get the right nuances,” she said.

According to Brown, the way French Canadian plays are written and performed is very different from the way they’re done in English speaking Canada. “How things evolve is much different than here,” she said. “Rehearsals can go on for months and there can be new versions of the play and lots of changes.

We rehearse for three weeks.”

While Vancouverites can see French Canadian theatre at Théâtre la Seizième, sometimes the subtitles above the stage are not enough to give Anglophones the full experience of the play. Théâtre la Seizième hosted a production of Après Moi last year, but this new iteration of the play will arguably be more accessible to English speaking audiences.

The two plays are very personal and emotionally engaging. Brown

described them as “a spectacle of intimacy,” explaining that French Canadian plays are generally more character than plot driven.

“They’re very emotionally evolved in their work, in their writing — they’re not beating you over the head,” she said.

French Canadian playwrights tend to take a more poetic, circuitous route through a narrative and their treatment of personal stories is more sophisticated and nuanced.

While there is less action in the traditional sense, things are unfolding and evolving as the characters grow during the play.

“Both of these plays examine isolation and people disconnected from their community — they’re about connecting with ‘the other’ in a world that is increasingly alienating,” said Brown, referencing to the isolating effects of our increasingly digital world.

The plays have dark humour, concise dialogue, compassion, and offer a perspective into the rich personal lives of their characters. “We take these things for granted and we think the larger world is more important,” Brown said. “They deal with more personal issues.”

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roles instead of those typically assigned to them.

Brown also thinks it’s incredibly important to share French Canadian stories with Vancouver. “They [Vancouverites] get enough English Canadian plays,” she said. “We really need a revolution. We need to start telling different stories.”

Vive la revolution.

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An alumna of the SFU Theatre program, Brown began Ruby Slippers soon after graduation. Her goal was to present a diversity of voices in the works that she put on stage, and the company continues to produce plays that allow different, often unheard, perspectives to be shared.

She emphasized the fact that less than 30 per cent of the artistic directors and less than 20 per cent of the playwrights in Canada are women. Brown is proud to note that the majority of the playwrights in Ruby Slippers’ season are women, and that they are playing complex

ANY ME DI U

16

ARTS

The Rap Guide to Wilderness is the latest album by SFU alumnus and hip-hop artist Baba Brinkman. Now residing in New York City, the multi-talented rapper, playwright, and environmental activist’s most recent work was commissioned by the WILD Foundation, with 50 per cent of net profits going towards wilderness conservation programs.

The album itself is an interesting exercise in the joining of environmental topics and music, which collide together to create a thought-provoking piece. Its artwork is eye-catching and features human and animal profiles laid overtop one another.

Much like his previous works, such as Religion Evolves and The Rap Guide to Evolution, Brinkman’s most recent album takes a complex academic topic and brings it into the public forum.

The subject matter of The Rap Guide to Wilderness is both a warning and a celebration. The songs are not meant for entertainment value alone, as the album explores the connection between humans and nature. Difficult, sometimes controversial topics, including human encroachment on wild land, mass extinctions

January 26, 2015

caused by humans, and the interrelation of all life on earth are discussed throughout the album’s runtime. Brinkman’s clever lyrics and academic allusions bring a level of sophistication to the work, while still remaining accessible to listeners.

His songs are generally not ones to dance to; they are pieces to listen to and ponder. However, tracks like “Tranquility Bank” featuring Aaron Nazrul and “Party of Life” featuring Tia Brazda seem to break this trend. In “Tranquility Bank,” Nazrul’s voice lends a smooth edge to the track, while “Party of Life” has a more upbeat rhythm, enlightened by Brazda’s sweet vocal interludes.

The use of documentary-style voiceover in the introduction and conclusion to “Never Cry Wolf” lend a unique and interesting vibe to the song, while concluding track “Seed Pod” has an interesting rhythm, almost reminiscent of polka and other traditional folk music.

However, I did notice there were some problems with his references. For example, on the track “Bottleneck,” Brinkman addresses the extinction of megafauna in the Americas. His lyrics blame the extinction event on the Clovis peoples, a highly controversial and disputed theory in archaeology.

Overall, though, this is an interesting, thought-provoking album, whose proceeds will benefit a good cause. Brinkman’s accessible, clever lyrics help to make the discussion of environmental issues more accessible to the general public.

Can a slob and a neat freak live together in harmony? Will true friendship prevail, or will living together put an end to their relationship? The iconic duo of mismatched roommates Felix Ungar (Robert Maloney) and Oscar Madison (Mike Wasko) returns to the stage in the Arts Club’s production of The Odd Couple.

Oscar’s lonely eight-room apartment serves as the weekly poker hangout for him and his friends, but one night Felix doesn’t show up and the gang gets worried. Felix hasn’t missed a game in years, and he’s not the type to change his routine. Through perfectly timed friendly banter, they discuss what they should do.

When Felix eventually shows up, the news that his wife has left him prompts Oscar to ask him to move in. Oscar is used to sitting on a laundry-covered couch while eating TV dinners, but Felix won’t stand for even the slightest

17

bit of dirt or untidiness, and when he moves in, the TV dinners move out.

Felix cooks, cleans, and even saves them money in the process, but Oscar becomes increasingly annoyed by his obsessive tendencies.

Oscar decides that they need some female company, and they invite their neighbours, British twins Gwendolyn and Cecily Pigeon (Sasa Brown and Kate Dion-Richard) over for dinner.

Brown and Dion-Richard give hilarious performances, with their high-pitched fits of giggles and falsetto accents. Maloney also impresses, as Felix bumbles around the stage weak-kneed. The audience can’t help but fall for him, as do the Pigeon sisters.

Not unlike that of a studio sitcom, this production has spot-on comedic timing and features outstanding performances from the entire cast. By the end, you feel you’re a part of Oscar and Felix’s world.

18 ARTS

January 26, 2015

CINEPHILIA

Life’s a Breeze is a quirky glimpse into the lives of a family struggling through hard times in Ireland, where long lineups at the unemployment office reflect the nationwide recession.

For Emma, a young girl living in Dublin, sitting in class during lunch with nothing but a piece of bread and a banana is not only embarrassing — it has become a daily occurrence.

The film opens with Emma’s mother, Margaret, who orders the reluctant girl to check in on her grandmother, Nan, every day. At first, Emma is hesitant, saying that “she’s old and weird, and only ever wants to argue about things.” Eventually, through a series of events in which Emma becomes an observer, she begins to view her Nan in a new light.

Ultimately, the two end up understanding each other better than anyone else in the family, as Emma is considered a child, and Nan is often suspected of being senile and treated like a child as well.

Margaret seems to be the only one in the family with a relatively stable income, as her siblings continually ask her to cover their expenses. Emma’s aunt works as a dog groomer, but her hours are cut and she is left lining up for assistance, alongside her recently laidoff brother with two children and their live-at-home brother Colm.

The well-meaning family refurbishes Nan’s house and clears out their mother’s “junk,” as Colm calls it. The whole time Emma has acted as a decoy in order to her Nan on a day trip and get her out of the house. But Nan is not amused when she returns to find most of her possessions either dumped or sold without her knowledge. Their plan to help their mother dissolves when she reveals that the her old mattress contained her life savings: one million Euros.

This causes the family to scramble about the streets of Dublin, trying to find the old mattress. The chase leads them across town, to remote locations on the side of the road, and down into the dirtiest landfill sites. The situation forces the family to come together in a way they hadn’t done in years.

While the film is a mostlyrealistic portrayal of family life, some moments verge on the ridiculous, and show how little Colm and his siblings seem to understand their mother, such

as the scene during Nan’s birthday when they hire a firefighter stripper for entertainment.

While everyone desperately deliberates on how to find the mattress, Emma works together with her Nan. As the film develops, Nan and Emma develop a strong bond. She warms up to Emma, and though the family may think that Emma is watching over Nan, their relationship works both ways.

During her day as a decoy, Nan gives Emma a knitted hat with two dog ears. At first she only wears it in the presence of her Nan, but takes it off when she gets to her school. By the end, she is seen wearing it all the time.

The words ‘life’s a breeze’ are found on deodorizers that were placed around Nan’s refurnished house. As Colm tells her, “life’s a breeze, to keep the stink away.”

The name says it all. A combination of simple storytelling with a fun and light-hearted score makes the film a beautiful portrait of a family experiencing daily life together, and working towards a common goal — in this case, finding a missing mattress.

Life’s a Breeze is funny and heartwarming, with a memorable cast of characters.

If one enjoys watching a simple, light-hearted film about a family fumbling through life and doing their best with each other, then this charming film will live up to your expectations.

Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Leviathan is a harsh clandestine critique of modern Russia under the rule of Vladimir Putin and the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church. The covertness, in order to slip past Russian censors to acquire funding from the Russian Ministry of Culture, points to the very corruption the film attempts to bring to light.

The film, which is nominated for best foreign language film at the Oscars, is an allegory wherein characters represent facets of government in a town that epitomizes Russia. The mayor represents Putin, and the plot centers on a family that enters a legal battle with the government over expropriating their home and land. For all its depth, Zvyagintsev has managed to make his drama accessible to casual viewers.

Leviathan is a reference to Thomas Hobbes’ famous book of the same title, the Biblical book of Job, and a theological problem of evil.

Job is described as a blameless m an who quickly loses his wealth, children, and health. Despite all these bad things, he remains loyal to God. Why does a blameless man suffer such atrocities?

Kolya, the film’s protagonist, sees his life collapse around him, but unlike Job, he is not blameless — bad things happen to him for obvious reasons. The irony is that the church facilitates the same evil that it strictly preaches against. They and everyone else in the culture are bringing

it upon themselves; “the war of men against men” is the cause of evil for which Kolya blames God. “The future is now,” says a poster hanging in Kolya’s son’s room, in contrast with the remainder of the house that is filled with pictures of ancestry and milestones.

This generational home is now being threatened by the town’s mayor, who wants to develop prime real-estate near the water. Kolya hires an old army friend who is now a lawyer to take the mayor to court. Corruption is evident everywhere in this legal battle: judges, police, elected officials, the church, the hired lawyer, and even this seemingly moral family.

This is precisely Hobbes’ point. He argued that the natural condition of mankind is to fight to garner everything that one believes is necessary to preserve their life (“every man against every man”). This is a natural right and within the state of nature there is no definitive law or injustice. Hobbes asserted that it was only through the imposition of an absolute sovereign government that civil war and “the war of all against all” could be avoided.

For all its moments of harsh realism, Leviathan also indulges in grand moments of symbolic and metaphorical value. A portrait of Vladimir Putin hangs over the mayor’s head in his office (demonstrating the relation between the two), and the old burnt down church where the depressed go to drink vodka contrasts with the extravagant new church that is the building block for all of the new developments in the town (the entirety of Russia).

Everything in Leviathan feels lived in: rooted in a haunting past yet progressing towards an even more macabre future.

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Collage madness

Create a topical roundtable, interview a community member, produce news, record events and edited audio for broadcast! What could be more fun? Stop by CJSF 90.1 FM and lend your voice to a worthy cause. Join the CJSF Spoken Word department! Email cjsfpa@sfu.ca

Do you love music? Of course you do! Lend a hand in the CJSF music department where you’ll find your favourite artists and some hidden melodic gems. There is a variety of tasks you can help with including: library inventory, listening to new releases, and converting old albums into digital files for our digital music library.

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January 26, 2015

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20 ARTS

January 26, 2015

FOOD FINDS

I’m sure that most of us have heard of the belief that the loss of one of the five senses can heighten the ability of the others.

While this is an interesting concept, most of us will not get the chance to experience it — that is, unless you’re willing to visit Dark Table, a Kitsilano restaurant that offers a unique dining experience in complete and utter darkness.

Now, to be clear: when I say complete and utter darkness, I don’t mean that it’s just really dark. I mean that I took my glasses off because not only were they not helping me, I couldn’t even see them. Dark Table accomplishes this with a ban on light-producing technologies allowed in the dining

room, including flashlights, cell phones, or luminous watches.

Your order is taken outside in a heated and lit area before you are escorted to your table.

Some of you may panic about the idea of going without your cell phone for the length of a meal, but let me assure you that you will soon get over it. One of the first things I noticed upon entering the restaurant was its sense of calm; when the overwhelming bombardment of visual stimuli coming from everyone’s devices was taken away, I immediately felt more relaxed. In such a serene environment, one cannot help overhearing some of the conversations of the other diners, and it was amazing to hear how open and honest they became when they could no longer hide behind their technology.

On to the food. For $39, Dark Table offers a three-course meal, including a starter, entrée, and dessert. While there is an excellent selection of entrees, both starters and desserts are listed as surprise dishes, which is also an entrée

option. Though the listed options all sounded excellent, I chose the surprise entrée, simply to add to the experience by trying to determine what I was eating.

Your servers reveal the meal to you once you emerge from a curtain to a dimly lit area to pay, but I forgot. To this day, I have no idea what my dinner was, but I do know that it was excellent.

Don’t worry about trying to operate a fork and knife in total darkness: they pre-cut your meal in the kitchen for you so you don’t end up stabbing yourself.

Maybe the most interesting and inspiring thing about Dark Table is that they offer the blind and visually impaired — a group with a high unemployment rate — the chance to share how they experience the world

with the rest of us, as all the servers are visually impaired in some way or another. Dining here means not only an excellent dinner, but a taste of what it is like to be blind.

From being escorted to and from your table by one of the servers to feeling around for your drink and hoping you don’t spill it, Dark Table truly offers a dining experience like no other.

Tackling the extremely relatable topic of mother in the modern age with dark humour and wit, Motherload promises to be a smash hit.

According to the show’s producer and star, Emelia Symington Fedy, the play “talks about all the dark stuff that moms go through that’s not very sexy to talk about. A lot of it is embarrassing.”

Inspired by the seminal play Mom’s the Word, which debuted in 1995, Motherload is a production for the next generation. “Mom’s the Word was a collective of female artists that, 20 years ago, got together and wrote a play about what it was like to be a mom,” said Fedy. “It was a great hit, and it toured the world.”

Fedy was inspired by the original production to create her own group called the Motherload Collective, based in Vancouver. For

Fedy, the period after giving birth to her first child “was a very isolated, lonely time. So just for my own sake, I thought, ‘let’s get this group of women together, like a play group, except we can talk about it and turn it into art.’”

Motherload, was a collective creation with unorthodox beginnings. “We all had our hands in the script at all times,” Fedy said. This is likely because the play is based on the experience of its writers: “All the actresses on stage are moms. They are all moms to two or more kids.”

Fedy explained that the play’s scenes began as improvisation, and were written down as a script afterwards.

The play is an exercise in brutal honesty, Fedy admitted.

“We are really taking everything from our real personal lives. It shows all the intimacies of our lives.” However, for Fedy and the collective, “it’s a really fine line of making good art where you are being really honest, but there is this professionalism that makes the audience feel safe all the time.

“We are all actresses we are all comfortable being straight

up with the truth, so that is what we do.”

Motherload deals with difficult topics, like death in the family and sleep deprivation.

“It gets really dark really fast,” said Fedy. But, she was quick to note that the play is also about “laughing at the darkness [. . .] sitting in the show and thinking,

‘holy shit, I think the same thing, thank God, thank God I’m not a bad mom.’”

Ultimately, the play aims to open up the conversation about motherhood from within a feminist context. “Every single person in the [production] would identify as feminist,” Fedy said. “That’s the root of why we are doing the show. [It] lets

us put our dark story, our fears and vulnerabilities, on stage so that the women in the audience can feel like they are not alone. That, to me, is a feminist act.”

SPORTS

Which sport do you follow? Is it hockey, soccer, or basketball? Most likely, you like whichever sport is your favourite because of the environment in which you were raised.

Considering you spend most of your formative years with your family, there’s a good chance they have something to do with your sport of choice.

For Josh Kim, the family sport wasn’t soccer, or hockey, or even baseball. It was wrestling. With a father who is a certified national wrestling coach, the choice seems obvious — but was it?

“I got started in wrestling when I was nine years old because my dad was a national level coach,” says Josh. “[But] I really only started taking it seriously after grade nine.”

Initially, he was more interested in other sports like hockey rather than his household’s penchant for wrestling.

So what drew Josh further into the family passion?

sports editor email / phone

January 26, 2015

“The feeling of having full control over the situation and having just yourself to rely on,” explains Josh. “And the feeling of [having] your hand raised at the end of the match [is] an addition.”

For Josh, wrestling is full of highs and lows. “[It’s] a sport full of hard moments. You’re constantly pushing yourself to your mental and physical breaking point, whether it is in practice or competition, and it can be difficult to pushing past the mental aspect of the sport can be more difficult than the physical side. But, wrestling also provides you with lasting memories.”

His favourite memory, he says, “has to be winning the Junior National Championships last year and making my first Canadian national team.”

Even after becoming a national team member in 2014, Josh is not content to sit around and boast about his accomplishments — he recognizes that the sport of wrestling is about growth and continuously setting goals, both for the current season and the future.

“My goal for this season is to qualify for the NCAA national tournament, and become an AllAmerican,” he proclaims. “For the future, I want to take the sport as far as I can, becoming an NCAA Champion, and making more [Canadian] national teams.”

With these goals in mind, Josh find inspiration from two wrestlers who have competed in weight-classes similar to the one he wrestles in. It doesn’t hurt that he knows these role-models personally. One is his friend, Russianborn Canadian Olympian Khetag Pliev; and the other his varsity coach, Justin Abdou, who not only represented Canada at the 2000 Olympics but was also an SFU

Austin Cozicar sports@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

athlete himself — two strong and determined forces on the mat.

Josh also doesn’t have to look too far out of the household for inspiration. His father, Kimin Kim, coached Josh throughout his high school career, and continues to do so during his summer training at home in Toronto.

“Having my father as a coach is great. He knows me better than anyone,” Josh says. “There is no way I would be where I am today without him.”

Although the sport of wrestling is very important to Josh, he finds it just as important to achieve a high quality post-secondary education. For him the choice to come to SFU instead of a school closer to his hometown of Toronto was an easy one.

21

“I knew [in high school] that I wanted to study criminology, and SFU has an extremely strong criminology program and department,” he explains.

“Having known this about SFU and knowing how strong the wrestling program was — the best in Canada — deciding to come here became an easy decision.”

While he works towards his eventual degree, Josh still has two more seasons to wrestle for the Clan. And as his final season wearing SFU’s red and blue approaches, Josh shows no signs of slowing down. Bringing SFU to victory at the Boxer Open in Forest Grove, OR, just last week, he remains a force (in the ring) to be reckoned with.

22 SPORTS

Eight seniors from the Clan football team were invited to the CFL combines, SFU Football announced via a tweet January 13, where they will get the chance to prove themselves worthy of becoming a draft pick in the 2015 CFL Draft or being picked up as a free agent.

The players invited were wide receiver Lemar Durant, running back/defensive back Chris Tolbert, wide receiver Bobby Pospischil, defensive back Matt Isherwood, wide receiver Kyle Kawamoto, defensive lineman Kristian Lawrence, running back Cole Tudor, and wide receiver Bibake Uppal.

Of the eight, two — Durant and Isherwood — were directly invited to the national combine, hosted in Toronto, ON between March 27–29, where they will be

When it comes to the world’s most popular sport, the likelihood of attaining professional status is slim to none for soccer enthusiasts. Far more unlikely is the chance to play the beautiful game in your own hometown where the dream first started. For SFU’s own Jovan Blagojevic, this fantasy has become a reality.

January 26, 2015

gunning for the attention of CFL teams scouting staffs.

The other six players will instead head to Edmonton, AB on March 23, where the regional combine will be hosted. Here, they will have to make an impression to qualify for the national combine.

Tolbert, one of the players headed to Edmonton this year, knows his work will be cut out for him. Having spoken with some Clan graduates who have gone through the process, he has an idea of what it will take to make the CFL. “It’s pretty exciting,” he said.

“I’m working every day, seven days a week. You get only one opportunity and you have to make the most of it.”

However, Tolbert faces a unique challenge, being American. This makes him ineligible for the actual CFL draft; teams that are interested in him will instead have to sign him as a free agent. The fact that he was invited to the combine at all is, according to him, a “rare occurrence.”

However, for now, his focus is on preparing for the combine.

Though initially recruited as a defensive back, Tolbert played the running back position for much of his college career. At the combine, he will once again

The Coquitlam resident was selected by the Vancouver Whitecaps in the third round of the 2015 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft (54th overall), in what could only be described as a perfect situation by the 23-year-old.

“It’s been unbelievable, like I’m living a dream come true,” Blagojevic told The Peak. “I always wished it would have been Vancouver; it’s amazing to play professionally and stay home with my family. It’s great to have the comfort of people that I love around me [. . .] you couldn’t write a better story.”

The midfielder/striker modestly recalled wanting to finish his senior season with the Clan on a high point, and he did exactly that.

With a win against the Western Oregon Wolves on Saturday, January 17, Bruce Langford became the all-time winningest coach of the women’s basketball team with a record of 364– 89 — surpassing his predecessor, Allison McNeill. “[McNeill] left a program with pride, expectations of excellence, and a closeness that seemed more like a family,” Langford told SFU Athletics. “I have tried my best to carry that tradition forward over the years.”

try to prove himself as a defensive back.

Last year, three SFU football players were invited to the national combine, while two — Dylan Roper and Tore Corrado — were invited to regionals. Roper and Corrado

In his 18 matches, he notched 18 goals, earning honours as the 2014 West Region Player of the Year and Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Year.

The Serbian-born attacker made his mark on all his matches with the Clan, whether creating goals from nothing or poaching goals in all areas of the pitch with the support of his teammates.

Blagojevic credits much of the development in his attacking qualities and leadership to the Clan coaching staff.

“When I came to SFU I was still a work in progress, and had some tweaking to do,” he said.

“Coach Alan [Koch] taught me to be very direct in my play, and to always contribute to the flow of the game and to our team.

“When I was named captain that was also a great honour. I took it upon myself to lead the guys and do my best so that helped me have the season that I did,” he added.

Clan head coach Alan Koch expressed his congratulations for Blagojevic following the selection by the Whitecaps.

“It’s pretty cool for somebody who’s from Vancouver to be

managed to make an impression, and were subsequently invited to the national combine.

All five Clan players invited last year were eventually drafted by a CFL team. However, only the three who were initially invited to the national combine — Matthias Goossen, Casey Chin, and Derek Jones — made the cut for their respective teams.

Tolbert and his seven teammates — including Durant, who has also declared for the NFL draft, and if picked in the NFL would be the first SFU alumnus to make it — are all working towards their dream of a pro career. Should last year be any indication, they’ve

drafted by the hometown team, so it makes it pretty special,” said the coach. “He’s worked incredibly hard to get himself where he is and he deserves the opportunity.”

Apart from the skills Blagojevic brought as a player, Koch mentioned some of the mental qualities that contributed to his successes with the Clan.

“He absorbs information, is very self-reflective, and addresses his limitations. His hunger, his drive, and his passion, that’s what allows him to be good in big games,” he noted.

Fittingly, Blagojevic becomes the first player drafted into MLS from SFU, and he will continue to ply his trade in the blue and white of the Whitecaps.

On Thursday night, the women’s basketball team earned Langford his 365th win with the team against the Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks. Erin Chambers led the team to a 78–70 victory, scoring 30 points of her own. The win puts SFU tied for second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), with a 6–2 SFU Athletics announced January 16 that the women’s basketball team has signed Argyle Secondary School forward Sophie Swant. “Her intensity and competitiveness are unrivaled,” Langford said in an SFU Athletics press release of the 5’11” forward, who will be eligible to play next season.

“Her rebounding is outstanding, and in the competitive GNAC league that will stand her in good stead.”

Men’s basketball continued their seven-game losing streak at home against the GNAC leaders the Western Oregon Wolves on Thursday.

At 114–75, it was their lowest-scoring game yet. The Clan have yet to win a game in the new year.

SFU Football is holding open tryouts for both SFU students and high school students on Saturday, January 31 at Terry Fox Field. SFU students are required be taking at least 12 credit hours to try out, as well as pay a $30 registration fee.

Registration will be held the same day in the VIP lounge at the top of the West Gym, and will require a completed medical and tryout consent form (found on the SFU Athletics website). All participants are recommended to contact defensive coordinator Abe Elimimian in advance.

SPORTS

January 26, 2015

tonight, and they capitalized on special teams.”

Trinity Western went two for four on the power play, and SFU had a hard time clearing the puck out of their zone.

Clan forward Tyler Basham opened up the scoring just over a minute into the second period.

Midway through their game against the Trinity Western Spartans on Thursday night, the Clan were up 1–0; the same score, against the same team, in the same building as the previous week. And just like that game, they wound up losing — this time, by score of 5–3.

Facing the Spartans in their home rink, the Langley Event Center, it was really a case of deja vu for SFU’s men’s hockey team. Though heavily outshooting the competition — by margin of 44–29 — the Clan just could not find the back of the net enough.

“I thought we played well,” said head coach Mark Coletta. “I mean, anytime you get 44 shots on net, you should get a better result.

But our penalty kill wasn’t the best

The Spartans, however, responded with two goals of their own less than 30 seconds between each other to take the lead — the first on a power play. And with under two minutes left in the second, they extended their lead to 3–1.

Perhaps a growing dislike of each other from facing off two weeks in a row led to SFU’s first fight of the regular season. Spartan

defenceman Jacob Mills appeared to have the upper hand in the tussle with Clan forward Saylor Preston.

The Clan brought the game within one point with a buzzerbeater at the end of the second, with a shot from Basham going in just as the Spartan goalie began to make his way to the bench.

But this positive momentum did not last long. SFU took a tripping penalty 45 seconds into the second period, and the Spartans took no time scoring their fourth point — the game-winner — with a mere 13 seconds left.

In a last-ditch effort to make a comeback, the Clan pulled goalie Andrew Parent with 2:40 left in the game. The effort was fruitless, though, as the team was unable to muster up much zone time. Defenceman Matthew Berry-Lamontagna made some nifty saves to keep the Spartans to five goals.

“I thought we outplayed them again,” concluded coach Coletta, “but sometimes you get some bad breaks before you get the wins and this is what we’re dealing with now.”

TRACK & FIELD

Track teams looking for individual championships Athletic Conference (GNAC) and the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association athlete of the week awards.

Last year, only one SFU athlete qualified for the indoor track and field national championship — senior Sarah Sawatzky, who is not eligible this year.

So when head coach Brit Townsend stated after one event that the team should have an even better result, it came as a surprise. “We’re off to a good start,” she told The Peak. “We had only one person qualify for the NCAA indoors last year, and I’m convinced we have two after [our first event].”

The Clan put on a dominant performance at their first indoor event — the University of Washington Preview held on January 17. Senior Lindsey Butterworth led the team, and the NCAA, with a time of 4:44.80. This feat earned her both the Great Northwest

The team’s performance was good enough to earn nine athletes provisional standards — the minimum time for a runner to be ranked. Many Clan athletes put up GNAC top five performances. “We had lots of personal best performances,” explained Townsend.

Most notably, the teams that the Clan faced consisted of both NCAA Division I and II talent.

The relatively short indoor track season will continue until February 21, when the indoor national championship wraps up. Then the outdoor season begins, with the UBC

Open held March 28, and continues until late May. The Clan’s goals for the outdoor track season are the same as indoors: to get more athletes to qualify for the national championship. Last season, two runners made the cut — Sawatzky, and then-freshman Oliver Jorgensen.

“I’m looking to improve on both of those stats this year,” Townsend noted. “We have to progress slowly and keep improving, and I’m confident we’ll have more than that — in both categories.”

The focus of the Clan will be more on the aforementioned individual titles. The nature of track and field allows teams to send an unlimited amount of qualified athletes into competition, meaning that teams with a higher quantity of national championship-qualifying team members will win. As relatively new members of the NCAA, having sent only one athlete indoors and two outdoors, the Clan could not compete as a team last year.

“My goal is that we will have a national champion indoors — an individual championship,” she said.

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1- Go it alone 5- That girl 8- Storage shelter 12- Purple fruit 13- Fable 15- Stiff bristle 16- Give the eye 17- Command 18- Swedish auto 19- Capital of Florida 22- “Treasure Island” monogram 23- Before, once 24- Abrupt 26- Spuds 29- In danger 31- Involuntary muscular contraction 32- Chairs 34- Portents 36- Per 38- Songs for two 40- First king of Israel 41- Pay for 43- ___-foot oil 45- Eye infection, pig house 46- Respiration disorder LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

January 26, 2015

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48- Baby’s sock 50- Antitoxins 51- Fannie ___ 52- Clay, today 54- Indescribable 61- Choir attire 63- Of a pelvic bone 64- German river 65- Electric fish 66- Refinement 67- Send out 68- Assist, often in a criminal act 69- Conductor ___-Pekka Salonen 70- “The Sweetest Taboo” singer Down 1- Small blemish 2- Gymnast Korbut 3- Soothe

4- Beaten egg dish 5- Circle dance 6- Terminates 7- Numbered rds.

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dents, other academia, and industry reps. Grad students are strongly encouraged to present their research at this fun event! To attend/ present please visit: http://www.sfu. ca/conferences/toxtalks.html/ f5 CJSF Radio is seeking a MEMBER EXPERIENCE COORDINATOR to research and develop new and improved volunteer processes. Parttime, 10 months, 18/hour. More Info: http://www.cjsf.ca/volunteer/ work.php CJSF Radio is seeking a PUBLIC RELATIONS COORDINATOR. A great opportunity to gain career related experience. This a is a volunteer position that includes a monthly honorarium. More Info: http://www. cjsf.ca/volunteer/work.php Are you Gay, Bi-sexual or just not sure? Need a safe place to talk?

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CLASSIFIEDS@ THE-PEAK.CA

HUMOUR

I thank you. Thank you for reading this.

There! Wasn’t that simple and, most importantly, sensible?

Thanking each other for every little small act has been the norm for years. But now, these have become two of the most forgotten words in our communities.

In the past, this was once considered the only decent way of expressing gratitude to someone: “I thank you.” But somewhere along the way, we decided to throw away the first part, because we are lazy verbal sloths.

Now, there is literally no “I” in “I thank you.”

So then we were left with “thank you,” which really wasn’t all that bad. Multi-talented musicians like Led Zeppelin, Boyz II Men, and Jay-Z used their blessed voices to bring us songs titled “Thank You,” while some decided to use homonyms, like Alanis Morissette and Ayumi Hamasaki. These two decided to substitute the phonetically taxing “you” with “U,” resulting in songs both called “Thank U.” Who do these Canadians and Japanese think they are?

Too cool for two extra letters?

And then we lost it. We decided to completely throw away the subject of our already degenerating gratitude “U,” and we were left with “thank.”

I don’t know what a “thank” is. Someone struggling to learn English might assume is the equivalent of thanks; I don’t blame them for it, since English is the silliest language

humour editor email / phone

January 26, 2015

on the planet. Thank you, British colonialism!

And now, as a society, we are heading towards oblivion. We are left trying to make sense of the word “thank.” We’ve tried being clever and adding “s” at the end, but Shakespeare beat us to it.

So, in an attempt to surpass this method of appreciation, we have tried to become pseudofuturistic about it by combining “k” and “s” and replacing the amalgam with “x.” But “thanx” is not actually a polite way to show gratitude. It is lazy and a slippery slope to — and I can’t believe I am saying this — “ty.”

Apparently, in this textingsaturated world, we have tried to bring back the “you” after the “thank,” resulting in “ty,” a short-form for “thank you.”

This is not the same. Rather, saying “ty” is inconsiderate verbal insensitivity for not even taking the time to send a proper expression of gratitude.

If you do use “ty,” please stop. You are a beautiful human being and you’re not in junior high anymore, so who are you trying to impress with your cool new slang?

This is an abomination of the simple, old-fashioned decency of thanking another human being. Not some autocorrect, curated, nitrate-rich fertilizer you thought of while standing in line to buy your Uggs.

Heck, not even the rudest panhandler is gonna tell you “táy” — which is how “ty” is pronounced — after accepting your reluctant quarters and safety pins.

And since you have read this far, I want to bring you up to date with the thanking trends: “T” is the new shortform for thanks. I just made it up and I will use it from this moment onwards. Until next time, T for reading this.

“You had me at stuffed crust.”

Jacey Gibb humour@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

it’s Christmas and at Christmas you tell the truth — to me, cheese melted on top of bread is perfect. And my wasted heart will love pizza. Until it looks like this [picture of a not-so-tasty looking pizza]. Merry Christmas.”

“Here’s looking at you, Pizza Garden.”

“But for now, let me say — without hope or agenda, just because

before I go to sleep at night.

And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with a certain food, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

“I think I’d miss pizza even if we never met.”

“Don’t forget: I’m just a girl, standing in front of a ham and pineapple pizza, asking it to love her.”

“So it’s not gonna be easy.

It’s gonna be really hard. We’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want pizza. I want all of the pizza, forever, me and it, every day. Will you do something for me, please?

Just picture your life for me?

Thirty years from now, 40 years from now. What’s it look like? If it’s without pizza, go. Go! I lost pizza once, I think I can do it again, if I thought that’s what you really wanted. But don’t you take the easy way out.”

25

“I would rather share one container of ranch with you than face all the dippable sauces of this world alone.”

“We’ll always have pepperoni.”

“I love that pizza gets cold when it’s 71 degrees out. I love that it takes me an hour and a half to decide which kind to order. I love that pizza gets a little bubble in the crust when it’s not baked just right. I love that after I spend the day with pizza, I can still smell its sauce on my clothes. And I love that it’s the last food I want to eat

“If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: pizza has bewitched me, body and soul, and I love. . . I love. . . I love pizza. I never wish to be parted from pizza from this day on.”

“I wish I knew how to quit you, pizza.”

“Death cannot stop true pizza. All it can do is delay it for a while.”

“No, I don’t think I will eat pizza, although pizza needs eating badly. That’s what’s wrong with pizza. You should be eaten and often, and by someone who knows how.”

26 HUMOUR

join a club, get active in student politics, or help fund student advice columnists. (Note that that last one is your best option.)

Sam Lobsowicz Advice Columnist “Life is what you make of it,” said some philosopher or other advice columnist at some point in all likelihood. They’re probably right, I guess.

You should make the most out of life and get out and do stuff, like be active in the community or some other crap like that. Maybe

Since the tragic shootings in Paris revolving around comics published by the French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo, many people on the Internet have tried to show solidarity with the victims and their families by prominently making posts with the hashtag “#jesuischarlie” — in English, “I am Charlie.”

While I sympathise with the sentiments expressed by these people and I feel terrible for the victims and their families, I’m afraid I cannot, in good conscience, use this hashtag. The fact is that I, Benjamin Buckley, am not Charlie. I have verified this by a brief glance at my birth certificate: my name is “Benjamin Nicholas Roland Buckley.” It is the name my parents gave me, and I have become rather attached to it.

In theory, it might be possible to legally change my name to “Charlie.” However, in British Columbia, this requires filling out a long form and paying a $137 fee, plus $25 for a criminal record check and fingerprinting. It would

These kinds of things bring overwhelming self-satisfaction to who you are as an individual. They are valuable life

be unreasonable to expect me, let alone every member of our society, to go through such an inconvenient expense just to make a point about freedom of speech.

Even more troubling are the broad social consequences of a society in which every person is named “Charlie.” On the surface, living in such a society might seem more convenient. For one thing, it would be easier to remember everyone’s name. But it’s easy to forget that the reason we have names is so that we can tell each other apart. If, as these activists propose, we all call ourselves “Charlie,” then we will be left without a quick, simple way to identify ourselves. Even if we use variants like “Chuck,” “Charles,” and “C-Dawg,” it will be of little help.

I want to emphasize that I hold no ill will against people who are named Charlie. If you are named Charlie, that’s perfectly fine. Just keep it to yourself and don’t force your name down the rest of our throats. A tragedy, even one so symbolic of the fight for freedom of speech as the Paris shootings, is no reason to rob the world of all the diverse names it has to offer.

A person can believe in freedom without having to change their name to Charlie. It’s time for these online activists to wake up and realize that.

January 26, 2015

experiences — notably that charitable donation to your friendly neighbourhood budding advice columnist. You need that kind of stuff to achieve a successful career and, of course, that stuff about being a complete person.

This is the sort of self-improvement that helps you meet people.

I think. It hasn’t happened to me yet, aside from that time I showed up to a random club meeting for free pizza. But I hated everyone there — except the pizza.

But that doesn’t mean it can’t work for you! You should definitely do that stuff; it makes you

Proving yet again that just because something’s a “required reading” doesn’t mean you actually have to read it, a teaching assistant in SFU’s English department coasted through last Monday’s 8:30 a.m. seminar to a somewhat satisfying degree.

“It’s really not that hard,” TA Janet Ellis, 28, told The Peak after the harrowing venture took place.

“I just listen to what the students are saying and then mash a few of their answers together to make my own response. I can’t believe none of them have noticed yet.”

While Ellis says that she tries to keep up with all of the course materials on her syllabus, she admits to regularly pulling information off of Wikipedia and browsing SparkNotes summaries to help maintain her knowledgeability. Ellis cites her busy work schedule and course load this semester as the main reasons why she’s already behind in most of her classes.

“I’d like to do all of the readings every week but there’s just so much of it,” claims Ellis. “I don’t know how my students expect me to keep up with this substantive workload I’ve assigned.”

Ellis also confessed that she’s been behind in readings since the

feel better about yourself. (Again, I don’t feel better about myself, but I read in a book somewhere that that’s what’s supposed to happen.)

Or don’t. Sitting on the couch and watching television is pretty good, too. Actually, that’s probably what you should do. I mean, you don’t get to feel like a complete person from watching terrible TV shows, but who cares? I feel great about myself and I only cry myself to sleep half as much as I used to. Who needs life experience? The only life you need is Life. . . time

start of the semester, when she asked students to come on day one having read all of SlaughterhouseFive, as well as two hefty secondary readings: “I work incredibly hard during the semester so I take it easy over the break. Do my students really think I’m going to spend part of my time off trying to get ahead on

readings? Let’s be realistic here.”

In addition to Wikipedia and SparkNotes, other strategies that Ellis swears by include avoiding direct eye contact whenever a student proposes a question to the class and

specials ruining the images of now-dead celebrities.

But while you’re sitting on the couch, watching television, you should be sending your bank account information and PIN number or otherwise wiring me money. That will make you feel complete. It always helps me.

Well, that’s about all of the inspirational advice I have for this week. I think I’ll go take an earlymorning nap to recharge my creative batteries. Think about what I’ve said here today. This counts as an advice column, right? When do I get paid?

giving answers that are really just cleverly disguised questions.

“I’m sure the students don’t notice how uninformed or evident it is when I haven’t done the readings,” says Ellis.

However, complaints from students of the ENGL 1919 seminar have already reached SFU administration, with claims that Ellis’ shortcomings are becoming more and more obvious.

“It doesn’t really affect me if she does the readings or not,” said Travis Burt, a first-year English major and one of the many who complained about Ellis.

“You get out of a course what you put into it, so it’s her loss if she wants to just keep coasting.

We’ll see how she does though come instructor evaluation time at the end of semester.”

In response to the recent accusations, Ellis is confident they’re unfounded, claiming the students are “being totally unfair” and are “just out to get” her.

HUMOUR

January 26, 2015

27

28 LAST WORD

features editor email / phone

Brad McLeod features@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

January 26, 2015

here is no way to justify the actions of the four men who savagely murdered 12 innocent people in Paris.

Any reasonable human being — whatever their denomination — can and should condemn such violence as pointless acts of terror.

However, distinguishing Muslims from fanatics is too subtle a line for some pundits, regardless of their politics, to negotiate. In the aftermath of the massacre, business magnate Rupert Murdoch condemned all Muslims as culpable for standing aside while a lunatic minority poisons the well. Bill Maher, who has a history of vilifying Islam, continued his campaign of misinformation by alleging that “the terrorists and the mainstream share a lot of [. . .] bad ideas.”

As a Muslim, it is deeply injurious to me and my faith to be lumped together with radicals who embrace violence as a negotiating tool while horrifically misinterpreting Islam. If you truly believe all Muslims spinelessly bow their heads in the face of extremist badgering or silently believe their actions are noble, then you are really not paying attention.

In the wake of the murders, prominent Muslim leadership groups in France, Britain, and North America immediately and vociferously denounced the killers. Even Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the head of a Lebanese Hezbollah group, condemned the Parisian attack “in the name of all Muslims,” and ac-

“

cused extremists of doing more harm to Islam than “anyone else in history.”

Though I am a moderate Muslim living in Canada, I am continually asked to speak for the action of fascistic killers whose line of thinking is alien to mainstream Islam. While some media sources, such as Vox and The Huffington Post, have decried the inanity of such racially motivated thinking, there is a deep-seated belief in the Western world that Muslims are not doing enough to voice our opposition to terrorism.

In The New York Observer last year, Nina Burleigh fired at Muslims while discussing our response to ISIS (despite, you

know, Muslim countries actively fighting it): “Muslims might actually want to, if not apologize for, at least renounce, loudly and frequently, what’s being done in the name of their religion. Yet [. . .] to say that is to risk being accused of Islamophobia and much, much worse.”

Here’s the thing: while Islamist radicalism has raged destructively for years, assuming that Islam promulgates violence is completely wrong. The murders at Charlie Hebdo weren’t because radicals were upset about offensive illustrations of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) — the cartoons were the tinder in a growing bonfire of sectarian and religious discord.

Let’s talk about the drawings for a second, because they are key to the current argument. In Christianity, Jesus has risen to the lofty perch of a divine being; every aspect of his life — from birth to death — is mythologized. In Islam, the Prophet took pains during his life to ensure that he would not be accorded divinity. He insisted that he was a normal man who happened to be contacted by God. This narrative has become part of Islam’s core, despite the schisms that began to arise in the religion less than 50 years after the Prophet’s death. It has become a central tenet of Islam that glorifying the Prophet as anything more than a man is akin to idol worship; therefore, illustrations of him (whether in criticism, comedy, or praise) violate that tenet and

deeply offend Muslims. It is an offense to us that carries the same weight as suggesting to devout Christians that Jesus was not divine.

This is where all the folks carrying “Je Suis Charlie” billboards while demanding wholesale apologies from Muslims completely miss the point. The murders were not an attempt to repress freedom of speech or the press. This assumption simplifies Muslims as humourless fanatics who respond to pencils with swords.

Islamic radicalism is connected to the Western societies that have bought into grossly distorted perceptions of Islam that reduce the humanity of Muslims.

In France, which has one of the largest Muslim populations in Europe, resentment has been bubbling for decades. In 1990, Le Monde reported that 76 per cent of French polled said that there were too many Arabs and Berbers in France. The hijab, a key element of the religious identity of female Muslims, was banned in France in 2010, resulting in insulting ‘security checks’ that incited multiple riots in 2014.

In 2010, the Telegraph reported that 28 per cent of the French population believed that Arabs were more likely to commit a crime than other ethnic groups. During the 2012 presidential election, the Front National Party — on a platform including harsh immigration policies and strict definitions of nationalism — captured 18 per cent of the vote. As of 2013, Muslims composed 10 percent of the French population but more than half of the prison population.

Young Muslims who have been reduced in French society and are hostile towards the majority are now easy prey for Jihadists and Islamist recruiters. They do not preach Islam. Not the Islam that I know, that my parents, grandparents and their parents practice and have practiced.

Jihadists preach hate, and use alienation as the millstone for their sword.

The only way to ensure religious harmony is to address the root of the

discord, which becomes difficult to do when tone deaf media outlets and populist politicians jump on outbursts of violence as a justification for the continually negative representation of Muslims and repressive policy-making.

This trend was starkly demonstrated in France just two days after the Charlie Hebdo attack, when pro-Palestinian demonstrations were outlawed.

Such actions give fundamentalists further stock to recruit youth in a country that they feel has rejected them. When their national identity is stripped away by the nation itself, the adrift look to Islam — their only remaining identity — as a justification for revenge.

I condemn the violence of Muslim extremists without reservation. I condemn so-called religious leaders who manipulate lost youth with messages of hate. I condemn enemies of freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of association and the freedom to a dignified and peaceful life.

But I do not have the authority to speak for all Muslims. I do not know them, I cannot speak for them, and denouncing them on an endless loop to satisfy loaded questions from people like Nina Burleigh, Rupert Murdoch, and Bill Maher has no value.

Yet so it goes.