Vol. 1 Issue 6 by The Runner

inside: canucks meet udo! terminator

News and Culture Magazine for the students of Kwantlen Polytechnic University

News & Politics

vol. 1 issue 6 | May 19, 2009 | page two

New grade exposes academic dishonesty at SFU BY KENDRA WONG THE PEAK (SFU)

VANCOUVER (CUP) – Students who think receiving an ‘F’ in a course is bad, think again. Simon Fraser University is the first of many schools across North America that has added another grade to the education system. Instead of receiving an ‘F’ in a course, which was previously considered the lowest grade possible, students can now receive an ‘FD’ – failed for academic dishonesty. This grade, along with other reforms, was developed over the past three and a half years by

SFU’s Senate Committee on Acament heads, not professors and commit acts of academic dishondemic Integrity in Student Learnesty as defined in the S10 Student teaching assistants, will remain ing and Evaluation. They were on a student’s transcript for their Conduct and Discipline policies. also developed in consultation entire education while at SFU “The ‘FD’ grade is but a with the university community, and for two years following their small part of a much larger set and undergraduate and graduate of reforms aimed at updating graduation. After two years, and improving the university’s student representatives. the grade will automatically be response to academic integrity It was created to toughen the changed to an ‘F.’ university’s The grade and policies on S10 policies “If students continue to plagiarize, they should be other academic were approved by dishonesty the Senate and the punished for it.” and student Board of GoverWILL MORABI, 3RD YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR, SFU misconduct. nors after a conThese resultation with the forms state the ‘FD’ grade is only affected stakeholders, including issues,” stated Rob Gordon, the to be given out in egregious cases SCAISLE chair. the Simon Fraser Student Society, of academic dishonesty or in the Effective May 1, the grade, which the General Social Survey, and case of students who continue to can only be given out by departthe SFU Faculty Association.

“I think it’s a fair system,” claimed Will Morabi, a 3rd-year English major. “If students continue to plagiarize they should be punished for it. This way seems fair for other students who don’t cheat.” Changes to the S10 policies also include provisions prohibiting “hazing, bullying, the lodging of malicious complaints, impersonation of faculty, and the possession of firearms on campus.” SCAISLE was created in 2005 in response to a series of academic dishonesty incidents in a number of different faculties.

BADLY-DRAWN BUNNIES

By: Maxine Wong (Excal)

Iranian Students’ Association pull out of multicultural week BY CARL HIEHN EXCALIBUR (YORK UNIVERSITY)

TORONTO (CUP) – A series of flag mishaps during multicultural week festivities at York University in April caused one student group to pull out of the event entirely. The Iranian Students’ Association at York University (ISAYU), outraged that the green, white and red Iranian flag was accidentally flown upside down at York Lanes, posted a letter on their door detailing their withdrawal from the event, which took place from April 27 to 30. ISAYU president Aras Dariush said he understood that the flag’s arrangement was an accident, but he was still offended. He said he has received numerous emails from Iranian students upset about the issue. “We are extremely, extremely disappointed with the staff, who are supposed to be looking over this stuff, [and with] York University,” Dariush said. A series of flags celebrating the diverse ethnic backgrounds of students at York University are flown every year as part of multicultural week. Both multicultural

week director Nicole AzuagaGabriel and event organizer and York is U co-ordinator Saba Rafiq apologized in person to Dariush and promised a written apology from York is U after the week’s events wrap up. York is U is the school’s student alumni program. Rafiq said York is U couldn’t rearrange the flag because the lift used to raise them to the rafters of York Lanes broke down. Rafiq said no one from York is U is officially allowed to climb a ladder and change the flag because of liability issues. Dariush said the club’s decision to pull out of multicultural week was symbolic of their disappointment with the week’s organizers. On May 4, York is U sent an official letter of apology to ISAYU. “We care immensely about multicultural week and, as our largest event of the year, would never purposely attempt to detract from the spirit of the event or offend any of its participants,” said the letter signed by Rob Coutts, chair of York is U. This and other problems that occurred at this year’s flag display have caused the York is U

event organizer to consider putting an end to the practice. “It is unfortunate because the gesture [of putting up the flags] is of good will. York is U doesn’t want anyone to be offended and we have realized the complications of the flags and so we are strongly rethinking the flags for next year,” Rafiq said.

“[...]It’s a shame that a week celebrating differences and commonalities resulted in people being discriminated against.”” Keith Marnoch, York’s associate director of media relations, also said the flag display will most likely be removed from next year’s festivities due to the issues that came up this year. “Multicultural week is supposed to be a celebration. Unfortunately, the flag situation is going to be reviewed and discontinued next year because it is taking away from what this event is about,” he said. The Iranian flag mishap wasn’t the only problem that arose. Second-year linguistics student Eli Weinstein pointed

out that certain flags such as the rainbow flag representing the queer community were not flown this year. Catherine Tsouvaltsidis, external coordinator for Trans Bisexual Lesbian Gay & Allies at York (TBLGAY), confirmed that the group was not invited to put up a pride flag. The flag of Tamil Eelam, however, which isn’t officially recognized as a nation-state by any country in the world, was. Rafiq said that all flags purchased for the event were based on what student clubs existed seven years ago during the inaugural multicultural week. Each year, York is U purchases new flags based on their budget to better represent the growing student clubs on campus. Hillel at York president Daniel Ferman believes that if York is U wants to put up flags for multicultural week then they must have one for every country in the world, even if no one of that origin is a student at York. Weinstein said that flags represent a lot and the event may not have addressed these issues. “I think the multicultural [week] coordinators have underestimated the power of the flag,” Weinstein

said. Issues were further complicated by the fact 15 flags were stolen from the event. Rafiq said that in past years it was common for one or two flags to go missing, but this is the first year that so many flags have been stolen. Among the flags stolen was the Israeli flag, which was quickly replaced with one donated by Hillel at York. However, not all of the flags could be replaced because the lift used to raise them to the rafters of York Lanes broke down. Ferman said that he didn’t believe the theft of the Israeli flag was malicious, but said the fact that any flag was stolen during the week was an insult to what the week represented. “This event has never been touched by politics and it’s a shame that a week celebrating differences and commonalities resulted in people being discriminated against,” said Ferman.

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News & Politics

vol. 1 issue 6 | May 19, 2009 | page three

Election night at a glance

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT KWANTLEN: The Runnerʼs Annual General Meeting Where: Surrey Campus When: May 19, 2:00 p.m. What: Come run for the PIPS Board of Governors, have your say and get involved in Kwantlenʼs student newspaper.

Kwantlen Mini Job Fair Where: Surrey Campus Courtyard When: May 20, 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. What: Many high profile employers including VANOC, Jet Set Sports and SODEXO will be in attendance at the Job fair. Premier Gordon Campbell shakes hands with supporters at the Liberal election party following his third-term re-election. Student Leadership Dialogues: Conflict Management Where: Richmond Campus - Room 1320 When: May 21, Time - TBA

Former West Vancouver police chief Kash Heed (right) celebrates winning the Vancouver-Fairview riding after running as a Liberal candidate.

Eagles Athletics - New StudentAlthlete Info Session Where: Surrey Campus - Conference Room G1205A When: May 23, 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. What: Open to all first-year Eagles student-athletes attending Kwantlen in the fall, the information session will cover topics such as student awards, academic advising, and financial assistance.

Green Party candidate and former Kwantlen student Stephen Kronstein at Kentizen Fusion Lounge. Kronstein acknowledged the difficulties that came along with running against Gordon Campbell in the Vancouver-Point Grey riding, but said he felt he needed to have his name on the ballot to give Green Party supporters the option of voting Green.

Kwantlen Music Information Session Where: Langley Campus When: May 27, 6 p.m. What: Come learn about Kwantlenʼs music programs. To register for the session contact 604.599.3315 or music@kwantlen.ca

Celebrating Kwantlen Music Alumni Where: Langley Campus When: May 29, Time - TBA What: Free event open to all Kwantlen faculty, staﬀ as students as well as the general public, this concert will feature successful graduates of Kwantlenʼs music program.

The Runnerʼs General Contributor Meeting Where: The Runner Oﬃce When: May 27, 10:00 a.m.

News & Politics

vol. 1 issue 6 | May 19, 2009 | page four

How to become a global citizen

Opinion: Bookstore proﬁts off of starving students BY THOMAS MILLER CONTRIBUTOR

Kassandra Linklater / The Runner

Corinna Chan, co-chair of executive committee for Zenith 2009 shares her thoughts on youth social activism, being an active member of oneʼs comittee, and how Kwantlen could combat student apathy through the connectivity of technology. BY KASSANDRA LINKLATER NEWS EDITOR

On May 14 over 200 high school and university students from across the lower mainlandfilled the halls of G building on Kwantlen’s Surrey Campus for the second annual Zenith Global Citizenship Conference. Zenith translates into ‘the peak,’ thus the aim of the conference: “to inspire youth to unleash their potential and reach new heights in their philanthropic career.” The conference offered participants the opportunity to expand their knowledge of global issues through eight different workshops on four different themes: world peace, environmentalism, international development and human rights. The conference kicked off with a keynote by Shawn Smith, cofounder of Education Generation and President of Global Agents for Change. When asked about the goals of the conference, Corinna Chan, co-chair of the executive commit-

tee, stated that “the conference is designed to provide delegates, who are between the ages 15-25 the knowledge to build on to their skills as leaders. We focus on things that are not generally covered in traditional academic basis. We tend to expand on themes like international development and global citizenship, to expand their view of the world.” “It is a great opportunity to meet new people, and from that you learn about new opportunities that can open doors not only know but down the road.” “One of the challenges was reaching our audience, the lower mainland especially are composed of quite diverse communities, and each city is quite unique in itself. To reach out to the youth in these areas we have to get in there and get to know them inorder to convey why it is important to get particpate,” Chan stated in regards to putting on a conference of this size and magnitude. When asked why they decided to move the venue to Kwantlen, Chan replied, “Kwantlen is a very suitable venue because the

Runner opt-outs available now Available Monday - Friday 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at The Runner’s Surrey office. #205 - 12877 76 Ave. Questions? 778.565.3801 Remember to bring your proof of registration!

campus is quite new and the facilities work well with our speakers who require multimedia equipment. As well as the rooms are designed to fit groups of various size for great group interaction.” Zenith also featured a volunteerism fair where participants would had the opportunity to learn about different non-profits and volunteer experiences that they could embark on. “We invite non-profit organizations around the lower mainland and we would like them to showcase opportunities they have for youth to volunteer and to get involved and to build on their leadership skills and areas they are interested in.” When asked what Kwantlen can learn from Zenith about combating student apathy, Chan stated, “We have focused on using technology.” “As you know people are always on the internet, facebook, and e-mails, it has been a great way to get connected to spread our message,” she said. “So even when people are physically quite far apart, having people use technology is a great platform to connect people across campuses.” One participant “it was very well organized, and I really liked the presenters and the depth they went in to,” when asked about their experience. Another stated, “I like the atmosphere, its really relaxed. Usually the schedules are really rushed from one speaker to another and I had a chance to talk to all of the presenters and fellow delegates.” When asked what they would like to see changed for next year, both participants stated in unison, “the lunch.”

Every semester you receive a list of required textbooks for your course load at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. After signing away the last of your finances to the Kwantlen bookstore, you might find yourself conducting a séance to bring your bank account back to life. Kwantlen students spent $6.3 million at the bookstore during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2008, according to financial statements on Kwantlen’s finance and administration webpage. That’s down from $6.4 million during 2007. After factoring in the prices Kwantlen had to pay for those books, and deducting salaries and bonuses for the bookstore’s employees, the net profit the bookstore made this past fiscal year was $472,950, an increase from the previous year’s $301,909. The increase was made possible because Kwantlen paid less to buy their books, $4.5 million as opposed to $4.8 million. Big swings in profits and costs from year to year aren’t unusual according to bookstore operations manager Amanda Welton. Fluctuating factors such as shipping costs and the rate of the Canadian dollar, as Kwantlen orders many books from the United States, must be taken into account. With a decrease in costs, the bookstore was able to pay out almost $20,000 more to their employees than they had in the previous year and still increase net profit by more than $171,000. Costs were cut by over $400,000 and yet sales fell by only $112,000. One potential explanation for these massive numbers is the book buyback program that the bookstore runs at the end of every semester. Many of you have dragged a bag full of books to the buyback

station only to be told that the school won’t need that textbook this semester because the professor hasn’t committed to using it or a new edition of the book has been released. Those of you lucky enough to receive compensation for your used books might have been given enough to buy a pizza pretzel at the cafeteria. For an $80 textbook, you might get lunch money in return. Kwantlen turns around and sells it for $60 the next semester, a potential $50 profit. While the buyback program is helpful for students who don’t mind buying used books, for students trying to offload textbooks that they never used in the first place, it’s like returning full beer cans to the recycling depot for the five cent deposit. Currently, most of the profits from bookstore, parking and food sales at Kwantlen are funneled to the school’s operating and capital revenue and the ancillary operations balance. Last year only $25,000 was given to the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Foundation, which gives out scholarships and bursaries to students who can’t afford to attend Kwantlen. Compared to the combined net profit of the bookstore, parking and food sales of $1.755 million, $25,000 pocket change. It’s barely enough to put one student through a bachelor’s degree program. Just 1.4 per cent of profits went to the foundation last year. According to Welton, used sales hover around 10 per cent of the bookstore’s total sales annually. If 10 per cent the net profit (between the bookstore, parking and food sales) went to the foundation it would have a far greater impact for students in need. Then, at the very least, students would be paying to help each other.

York faculty union divided over new contract BY SCOTT MCLEAN EXCALIBUR (YORK UNIVERSITY)

TORONTO (CUP) – As students sat outside of their classrooms during the three month-long strike, members of CUPE 3903 sat out in the cold holding out for a much cozier deal – but after finally settling their contract woes with the university, the result is sending shivers deep into union ranks. The details of the settlement were released after the union ratified the terms of the new agreement on April 27. With the aid of a mediatorarbitrator, the two parties hammered out a deal that looks a lot like the one the university was proposing when they forced the union to vote on the contract in January.

This has raised the ire of some union members who disagreed with the principle of reaching a negotiated settlement after being legislated back to work. “There’s nothing really overtly significant that’s changed since we were legislated back to work, and I think the fact that this is the contract that we ended up with and the process that got us there is really frustrating to a lot of our members,” said Christina Rousseau, who served as union chair over the course of the strike and is now chief steward unit one. A mere 18 per cent of union members turned out to vote – 67 per cent in favour of ratification, compared to the strong majority of members who turned out in droves to reject the university’s offer during the forced ratification vote.

Editorial/Opinion

vol. 1 issue 6 | May 19, 2009 | page five

A GUIDE TO AVOID BECOMING A BUM

BY DENNY HOLLICK CONTRIBUTOR

Want a quick way to make a million bucks? Or travel the world? Maybe you’re a simple person and just want to live a happy life with rainbows and butterflies. We all expect so much to come to us, but few of us actually reach out to seize it. Even I’m guilty of passing up opportunity, as the prospect of watching a movie while eating ketchup potato chips seems to take priority on some days. Generally speaking, humans are lazy, and resistant to change. The idea of stepping out of our comfort zones and trying new things sets us back. But the reward that comes with such risk is so much greater than the enjoyment of catching that new action flick from Blockbuster. Good things come to those that try. It’s a simple but flattering concept. About a year ago, I received an email from a friend telling me about a university program that took place at sea while you travelled the world. Students would attend classes on this mega cruise liner, while visiting countries around the world

and making memories that would survive beyond their lifetimes. My friend told me I could have all this for only one easy payment of $33,000. I laughed at the plausibility of me coming up with that kind of money in the two months before the deadline, but entertained him by saying I would apply for the program. Little would I know that just making an effort to join the program would feed into me actually participating in it, and it becoming one of the greatest experiences of my life. I submitted my application with little hope – but I still made an effort to come up with the money. I had saved up about $12,000 from the summer, and started asking family and friends if they would come up with the rest. My family loves me – but not the kind of love where they hand over $20,000 to go study on a luxury cruise around the world. So I went to those who ran the program and asked if they would be able to help, and they did! All I had to do was ask – make a small effort in trying, and they granted me a $10,000 scholarship. And so, I asked a bunch of other groups and people – Rotary, Kwantlen, and elected officials – and they all came through; all because I asked and made an effort towards a goal. Six months later, I have seen 26 different countries, made amazing friends, done service projects in countries around the world and lived stories that you only read about in magazines. Looking back on this experience now, I know that had I not made the effort, I would have made a grave mistake. While I was staying

in a hostel in Switzerland, on the wall another random traveller wrote: “You will regret 100 per cent of the things you don’t try, and only learn from that you do.” Had I not gone on this trip, I would have regretted my laziness, and fear of the unknown for the rest of my life. And so as a result, today I live my life very differently that what I had once before. If I see an opportunity, I take it. If there is something I want to achieve, I do it. And if there is something I fear, I try it. I do this because, I know that one day, I will be sitting on my deathbed thinking, “Why did I never try Japanese food? I know I missed out on something good.” And I never want to come to the stark realization that I regret not trying something because I was once afraid. So with this, I pose a question: When you’re sitting on your deathbed at the old age of 93, what will you wish you had once done, but never tried? Was it the fact that you never tried to acquire all the treasure of the world? Or maybe you never kissed that guy or gal because you were afraid that they might reject you? Perhaps you never once left Vancouver on a trip? Or maybe you never went for your dream job as the Prime Minister because it seemed unrealistic. Fact is, you’ll never know, because you never tried. That for me is a much greater fear, than the fear itself, and I hope that one day, you too may come to that realization.

Relax, get a grip and don’t trade Luongo

BY CAM TUCKER CONTRIBUTOR

Well, it’s been a week since the Vancouver Canucks were knocked out of the NHL playoffs by the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference semifinal, and it the never-ending autopsy still isnít over. Since last Monday’s 7-5 thrilling loss in Game 6 to a much younger Chicago team, the hockey pundits, who know anything and everything about how the Canucks can win a Stanley Cup, have done nothing but spaz out and and throw out some of the most asinine suggestions on how to fix the problem with a team that no one figured would even make the playoffs this year. The most notable suggestion came last week when a Province sports columnist stated Roberto Luongo should be traded. When I read this, I almost fell out of my chair in shock that someone would actually throw that option out there. Understandably, Luongo’s value is high and the idea of trading him for a prospect seems like a good idea, but remember the good, old days before the workhorse netminder called Vancouver home? We had the likes of Dan Cloutier, who let in a slap shot from the other side of Canada in a first-round playoff game in 2002 against the Detroit Red Wings that can be stapled as the turning point in that series. Vancouver went on to lose four straight games to the Wings after going up 2-0 to start the best-of-

seven series and was eliminated from those playoffs. Since then, Cloutier has since eliminated himself from ever stopping pucks in the NHL again after his shattered confidence finally smashed itself to piece on the floor of the minor leagues. So, you go from Cloutier who couldnít be counted to stop a beach ball shot by Runner contributor Scott McKenzie to a goalie that single handedly took the Canucks on his back in 20062007 and won us a playoff round and gave his team every glimmer of hope in the second round against the Ducks like Luongo did that year. This year, after missing six weeks of the NHL season with a groin injury, the Canucks struggled to stay above water, and would not have made the playoffs had Luongo not stepped up in February, March and April. After dropping to 10th in the NHL Western Conference at the end of January, the goalie from Montreal, Que., was outstanding down the stretch. He’ll admit that in Game 6 against Chicago, he didnít have his best stuff. But if it werenít for Luongo in the first 10 minutes of that game, it could have been 3-0 Chicago before many of us cracked open our first beer. And you want to trade this guy? Thank God for the media of Vancouver who cover this team, because theyíre responsible for creating this monster. In ‘07, the term ‘messiah’ was used to describe Luongo. This year, one Province columnist alluded to Luongoís play as having proved he is the best goalie in Canada and the sure starter for Team Canada at the 2010 Olympic games in Vancouver. A few weeks later, the same people that began to over hype Luongo ñ even though he is an outstanding goalie - want to see their creation sent away to far off lands, leaving Canucks fans with about as much to look forward to as Toronto Maple Leafs fans. That’s just not acceptable.

Quote of the Week Peace is that state in which fear of any kind is unknown. - John Buchan

The Runner is student-owned-andoperated by Kwantlen Polytechnic University students, published under Poytechnic Ink Publishing Society

EDITORIAL DIVISION:

Vol. 1, Issue no. 6 May 19, 2009 ISSN# 1916-8241

NEWS EDITOR Kassandra Linklater (interim) news@runnerrag.ca

#205-12877 76 Ave. Surrey, B.C. V3W 1E6 www.runnerrag.ca

CO-ORDINATING EDITOR Stephen Smysnuik (interim) editor@runnerrag.ca

CULTURE EDITOR Melissa Fraser (interim) culture@runnerrag.ca

MEDIA EDITOR Chris Poon (interim) media@runnerrag.ca PRODUCTION EDITOR Cat Yelizarov (interim) production@runnerrag.ca IN THIS ISSUE Melanie Friesen, Denny Hollick, Thomas Miller, Jessica Rolli, Cam Tucker

BUSINESS DIVISION: OPERATIONS MANAGER DJ Lam ops@runnerrag.ca ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Mat Huﬀ ads@runnerrag.ca DISTRIBUTION CO-ORDINATOR (Vacant) The Runner welcomes signed letters at letters@runnerrag.ca

Culture

vol. 1 issue 6 | May 19, 2009 | page six

Peace-monger says world peace is within

Dr. Udo Erasmus says that world peace is not a concept but a feeling. BY MELISSA FRASER CULTURE EDITOR

Imagine a woman gets raped. Even during the horrible act, life is taking perfect care of that woman. She is still a breathing, moving being. But, the focus is on the rape, not on the life. Then that event becomes the defining moment in that woman’s life. The moment that she will live her life around. Dr. Udo Erasmus spoke on World Peace at Zenith 2009,

YAY BY KASSANDRA LINKLATER NEWS EDITOR

World peace, a utopian concept, states that all nations and people should aim for an idealized state of peace, freedom, and understanding. Many argue that world peace is not in our human nature, as humans we are destructive beings, self-serving and in a constant need to be “top-dog.” Obviously, this results in a situation where there are winners and losers, hence world peace is unattainable. What is important to understand when discussing world peace is that, although it is utopian and the chances are quite slim that the notion will ever be realized, it is the discussion that’s so direly important. For when we start discussing the notion of peace, we are forced to examine what that would mean and in turn we would have to analyse our own personal actions. In my mind, peace is not a granola-eating, hemp-wearing, 60’s revival-ing lifestyle. Peace is simply an inner mindset; a realization that inside of us is a fear, a fear of the unknown, a fear that we won’t be liked, a fear that we will fail or worse of all, a fear that our life will be wasted. This fear causes us to do things such as not say “hi” as we walk

a conference promoting social activism that took place at Kwantlen in May. His workshop was titled “A Fresh Look at World Peace.” He didn’t lecture the classroom full of 20-somethings about stopping wars and feeding children. He didn’t lecture them about protesting outside government buildings and joining the United Nations. In fact, he disregarded peace as a concept altogether. Instead, he talked about peace as an inner feeling.

Kassandra Linklater/The Runner

He talked about world peace as a consequence of enough people finding their inner peace. “I’ve met tons of people who are not interested in peace as a head trip [or concept] because people are pretty clear that all the shit we’ve talked about around peace, it’s all just talk,” says Erasmus. “World peace is the symptom in action of many people, individually living from the peace and the core of their being.”

Erasmus has examined every aspect of peace, and has taken part in peace forums around the world. He has spoken on peace to the UN and has given hundreds of talks on the subject in cities all over the world. Today, he is sitting in the conference centre at Kwantlen. He’s eating a sandwich discussing his notion of inner peace and being content. “The biggest drive in human beings is to feel taken care of, or to feel at peace, or to feel content, feel loved and our life loves us so unbelievable well,” says Erasmus. “All I had to do was wolf down that sandwich, everything else life has taken care of. That molecule of folic acid that my toe down here needs, life takes care of that. It’s set up a whole system for all of that.” Even in world of wars and pain, Erasmus says one can find peace in their own world, no matter what is going on in the world, because having inner peace is being able to take external factors and see them as that - things that are external to your sense of peace. He uses the rape case as an example: “What [she] really needs to do is to live [her] life around life. Bad things happen to everybody. I’m not saying it’s right, I’m not saying any of that, but even in the midst of all of that we get taken care of. If we remember we were taken care of and didn’t give our life to the trauma, it’d be a lot better life. In the end, taking the focus off the beauty of our life, no

World Peace

by someone on the street or to be exclusionary of other cultures that are ‘foreign’ from our own. Once we realize that we have this fear, do we continue to isolate ourselves or do we put our selves out there and take that risk? Gandhi lead a huge campaign in the fight for world peace through non-violence. He would not have been able to do this if he had not overcome his own personal fears of failure. According to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal” King led the fight for peace through equality through the personal pursuit of peace. The biggest issue with world peace is that it is constantly examined on a global scale. How do we solve the issues of the world such as poverty and war? We look within ourselves.

BY STEVE SMYSNUIK CO-ORDINATING EDITOR

Humanity’s essence has always rested on conflict. Life is fueled by drama – drama between nations, between neighbours, between siblings. The belief that we’ll all one day get along is absurd. It’s not natural. Unless we program all newborns to eradicate jealousy, hostility, prejudice and the mother of all negativity, fear, from the cerebellum, we’ll be coveting thy neighbour’s wife and getting even for it for-basically-ever. Even “peaceful” nations such as Canada can’t maintain a dispute-less order. Quebec has a been a constant thorn in the sides of legislators trying to develop a sense of unity and national pride – or, as the Quebecois see it, anglophone Canada has been a prick in their ass at developing their national identity. Our nation

was built on this conflict. Just as Europe’s foundation was built on one tribe tackling another. We’re slaves not only to our genetics, but to our history as well. It will take something cataclysmic – like a race of superior alien beings threatening a nuclear strike – for us all to buck up, set aside our differences and work together to overcome this new obstacle facing us all on planet Earth, just like in the Watchmen. Not the movie, the book. Read it! And read Bertrand Russell as well. He knows the score. In any case, as it stands now, this pettiness we’re dealing with in racism and xenophobia and on and on and on is just sibling squabbling on a very large scale. Humans (men especially) have a difficult time letting their influences, biases and pride subside to see the larger picture. We’ve developed in a particular way that doesn’t allow for us to take the

matter what we focus it on, takes away from the quality of our life. That’s why we do it, not because we want to forgive the guy and we want to be friends with the bastard who did that, but because we wreck our own life by dwelling.” Erasmus was born in Germany during the Second World War. His mother abandoned him while the family was fleeing the country and he didn’t have a positive relationship with his father. He says was angry for a long time before he stopped blaming external circumstances for his internal happiness. “I don’t want to make some cosmic thing out of it, but the fact is my life, through everything, always taken perfect care of me.” And, yes, Erasmus says he’s not the only one looking for peace. He says that it’s human nature to want to feel fulfilled. “There’s a longing for peace, and if they have a measure of peace there is a longing to have a greater measure. There’s something about us, we’re like addicted to it.” Erasmus points out inner peace as a feeling is not a topic of conversation. We don’t talk about it because we don’t know anything about it, and we don’t like talking about things we don’t know. It seems peace has been turned into an unattainable concept too complex to even talk about, when in fact it is an individual feeling too simple to understand.

NAY Other into account. What is different is to be feared, and what is to be feared is to be overthrown, subdued or destroyed. The bottom line is that humanity probably isn’t capable of harmony. On top of that, world peace would be boring. The arts would be banal. Sport wouldn’t exist. Journalism would be nonexistent. Anything breeding conflict would be outlawed, which is exactly why it wouldn’t work. The act of outlawing anything is an act of conflict in and of itself. As Bertrand Russell once wrote: “[…]Evolution progressed to the point at which it has generated Neros, Genghis Khans, and Hitlers. This, however, I believe is a passing nightmare; in time the earth will become again incapable of supporting life, and peace will return.” And maybe he’s right. World peace is possible as long as we’re not around.

Culture

vol. 1 issue 6 | May 19, 2009 | page seven

Six Degrees of Separation: Terminator to Up

PEACE MAKERS VS. HELL RAISERS

BY KYLE SLAVIN CONTRIBUTOR

Terminator: Salvation In Theaters May 22 When I go to see the new Terminator movie, I’ll probably be focusing on Christian Bale’s foul-mouthed tirade directed at the g to film’s director of photography. So, I’m not sure if I’m going see this one. It’ll be cool, no doubt, but I lost all interest in the sehines. ries about 10 seconds before walking out of Rise of the Machines. The angry Bale stars alongside Sam Worthington and Bryce ce Dallas Howard in the McG-directed film. I hope Bale does the series justice, or he should at least do his gruff Batman voice to keep me interested.

VS Gandhi vs. the British Empire G H History has it that Gandhi technically won by peaceful civil disobedieence, but when it comes down to it, the British could have taken a gun to his little bald head. Good thing they didn’t because that would have been mean. b

Winner: Tie W

The Village Bryce Dallas Howard, the daughter of Ron (Ritchie Cunningham) Howard is probably best known for her role as the blind girl from The Village. I don’t understand why M. Night Shyamalan still makes movies, they’ve gotten progressively worse since The Sixth Sense. The Village was such an uneventful bore of a film though, that my mind wandered so much I predicted the “twist” ending by trying to figure out the stupidest way to end the movie. This is one that I’m sure Joaquin Phoenix and Adrian Brody don’t want on their resumes.

Ladder 49 All I know about Ladder 49 is that it’s about firefighters, and it stars John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix. There must be a plot somewhere, because it has a middle-of-the-road rating on IMDb, and a lot of people seemed to like it. It’s supposed to be a very emotional movie though, complete with realistic characters and an intriguing story. I’m inclined to check this out when I get a chance. I’m not a huge fan of either actor, but I figure Battlefield Earth makes everything else in Travolta’s career look as good as Pulp Fiction.

VS John Lennon vs. Ozzy Osbourne In a one on one match between the “Give Peace a Chance” singer and the “Hellraiser” groaner, it would be a tough call. Had they fought in 1969 when the former song was written, Lennon was lazing about on giant mattresses in flowing white robes made of satin while Osbourne was snortin’ crank by the tub full. At the time of the latter’s release in 1991, Lennon had ceased to exist in the physcial realm but Osbourne’s mental state was that of a 170-year-old man. One was a legend, one was elderly at 43. Hmmmm....

Winner: Ozzy

VS Superman vs. Pinhead Superman is invincible good and the Hellraiser monster is invincible bad. One is from Krypton, the other is from Hell. One has a perfect haircut, the other has pins. One is sexy, the other is, uh, Superman.

Pulp Fiction Of all the great movies from the 90s, I argue that Pulp Fiction is the best, maybe second only to Shawshank Redemption. Quentin Tarantino melded a perfect story with a perfect cast to create a damn near perfect movie. Even those who haven’t seen Pulp Fiction undoubtedly know the infamous scene where Samuel L. Jackson talks to Travolta about McDonald’s Royale with Cheese. There is an honest balance of wondrous complexity and beautiful simplicity to this film, which makes it such a great movie experience. If you haven’t seen it already, I really don’t know what you’re waiting for.

The Incredibles I guess the best way to capitalize on the superhero trend in theatres is to create a movie that’s simply about superheroes. And Pixar did just that with The Incredibles. To see the improvements that have been made in computer animation since Toy Story is astounding. That said, I think The Incredibles is the weakest of the Pixar films. The story wasn’t as engaging as all their others, and despite a talented cast (including Samuel L. Jackson, Craig T. Nelson, Jason Lee and John Ratzenberger), it didn’t have the same appeal as animated toys or an emotive robot does.

Up – In Theaters May 29 There’s a really cool scene during the end credits for Cars when Mack the Truck is watching clips from previous Pixar films and he comments, “Hey... they’re just using the same actor over and over. What kind of cut-rate production is this?” Ratzenberger who voiced Mack, has been a part of every Pixar film since Toy Story. And Up Is no different. But I don’t know what Up is about. From the trailers, I’ve learned there’s an old man, a boy scout and a bunch of helium-filled balloons lifting a house. I don’t care that this movie is marketed for children though; Pixar writes some of the best films out there, so I will definitely see this next week.

Winner: Pinhead

VS Hulk Hogan vs. The Hell Raisers Hulk Hogan was a symbol for all that was red-blooded American in his day, stamping out the evil-doers with his hefty leather boot. He got violent, sure, but dammit, it was in the name of civic pride! It was about Nationalism! It was about taking your vitamins and kicking in the faces of evil scum! The Hell Raisers were a Tag-Team duo who no one seemed to care about very much.

Winner: Hulk Hogan

VS Hippies vs. Neo-nazis They both look moronic and both listen to silly music. Hippy men look like primitive women on the African plains and neo-nazi men look like lesbians. Hippies were a dominant cultural force, using peace, psychedlia and art as a means to shape the individuals personal and spiritial growth. Neo-nazis kill people.

Winner: Hippies

Have anything swell to submit to our Culture section? Perhaps you’d like to argue why the Transformers movies are blasphemous when compared to the 80’s cartoon, or why video game movies all suck. Email us at culture@runnerrag.ca and let us know!

Procrastinate

vol. 1 issue 6 | May 19, 2009 | page eight

SKETCHY CREATED BY: Melanie Friesen www.studiosketchy.com

AQUARIUS

You have memories of eating oranges in kindergarten. Buy some oranges and some finger paint.

GEMINI

TAURUS If you know anyone that will let you kick them in the stomach, do it. If no one will let you, it’s best not to.

Only nice people go to cafes. If you are feeling mean it is best to stay away from coffee altogether.

LIBRA

If you play hopscotch with a Sagittarius or a Leo try to keep the hopping to a minimum.

LEO

You’ll have to get some glasses and a German accent if you want to be a psychiatrist.

CANCER

Buy a new pair of jogging pants and wear them on your trip to the moon next weekend.

SAGITTARIUS

People like that you are the best around at hopscotch. Don’t let a Libra take that away.

PISCES

The Dutch couple still likes to rent your house abroad. Whatever that’s supposed to mean.

VIRGO

CAPRICORN

Make sure everyone you talk to knows about your love for making mud pies. It’s your best quality.

If you are afraid of ghosts it’s best not to leave your house. They’re everywhere out there.

SCORPIO

ARIES

Go on a vacation with your parents and their friends. Get to know everyone. Each person is a gem.

Don’t open any top drawers for the rest of the month. There are things in there you shouldn’t see.

Sudoku Medium #25 Special to Canadian University Press By Jennifer Zhou CUP Graphics Bureau Chief

INTERESTING FACT

Yeah, we dig that Kwantlenʼs finally serving booze, but $6 for a single brew? Thatʼs triple the mark-up from BC Liquor stores. Youʼre stealing from students. Thatʼs a sin, guys. A sin. Do you want to go to hell?

Love to surf? You have to visit Brazil to surf the longest wave on the planet Earth called Pororoca. Between February and March Atlantic ocean tides generate waves up to 12 feet high which can last for over half an hour. Pororoca in indigenous Tupi language means \”great destructive noise\” and it destroys everything in its path with the speed of 16 to 24 km per hour. Source: http://www.interestingfacts.org/?page=category&id=3