The Carillon - Volume 65, Issue 10 - November 3, 2022

the carillon

the staff editor-in-chief holly funk editor@carillonregina.com business manager thomas czinkota business@carillonregina.com production manager shae sackman production@carillonregina.com advertising manager holden norrie ads@carillonregina.com

communications mehrnoush bahramimehr comms@carillonregina.com technical editor vacant tech@carillonregina.com multimedia/graphics editors multimedia@carillonregina.com safal gangwani graphics@carillonregina.com lee lim copy editor aurel dumont copyeditor@carillonregina.com news editor gillian massie news@carillonregina.com a&c editor vacant arts@carillonregina.com s&h editor vacant sports@carillonregina.com op-ed editor hammad ali op-ed@carillonregina.com distribution manager chandra wassill distribution@carillonregina.com staff writer amina salah staff writer victoria baht staff writer bodie robinson news writer josh king a&c writer jorah bright s&h writer sophia stevens

contributors navjot singh, will spencer board of directors holly funk, jacob nelson, and honourary members: shiva souri, jorah bright, hammad ali, shae sackman, amina salah and thomas czinkota

We’ve

the paper

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The Carillon is published no less than 11 times each semester during the fall and winter semesters and periodically throughout the sum mer. The Carillon is published by the Carillon Newspaper Inc., a non-profit organization.

land acknowledgement

The Carillon is written on treaty four territory. As such, the staff recognize that we are living, working, and telling stories on and of Indigenous lands. We recognize that we are on the traditional homelands of the Nakota, Lakota, and Dakota peoples, along with the homeland of the Métis nation. The Carillon understands that it is pointless to acknowledge the land on which we work without speaking to our commitment to telling stories and prioritizing voices that further the return of the land to its place sacred place in the cultures of those that live here.

the manifesto

In keeping with our reckless, devil-may-care image, our office has absolutely no concrete information on the Carillon’s formative years readily available. What follows is the story that’s been passed down from editor to editor for over sixty years.

In the late 1950s, the University of Regina planned the construction of several new buildings on the campus grounds. One of these pro posed buildlings was a beltower on the academic green. If you look out on the academic green today, the first thing you’ll notice is that it has absolutely nothing resembling a belltower.

The University never got a belltower, but what it did get was the Car illon, a newspaper that serves as a symbolic bell tower on campus, a loud and clear voice belonging to each and every student.

the people’s friend; the tyrant’s foe

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Regina homelessness advocates frustrated as first snow falls

gillian massie news editor

The first snowfall of the season means it is time to dig out winter clothing, book an appointment to put on the winter tires, and maybe make a snowman with wet, sticky snow before the first snowfall melts. For people on the streets, these are unimaginable ideas. The first snow day never consists of making snow angels or having snowball fights. Instead, it’s fig uring out how to secure winter

died.”

Kelsey Dumont, anoth er advocate with Rally Around Homelessness, said “Band-Aid” resources like donating blankets and clothing are only meant to support people temporarily until they can find them living condi tions.

“All I know is that as things stand right now, Regina does not have a 24-hour warm-up centre,” said Dumont, who explained it’s something Downtown and Heri tage areas direly need.

es dragged in to sleep on, and a small coal-burning fire is the re ality for people who are on the streets. Dumont said that there was lots of planning last year to set up Camp Hope in the park with the City of Regina emergen cy, police, and fire departments all being consulted. Dumont said after the community was moved to an indoor shelter, the City of Regina let them know that “un der no circumstances would they allow tents to be put up again.” Many people are still out on the

er, around 150 people spent the night outside.

Johnson works with a well-known Heritage area non-profit organi zation with many of these peo ple who are considered the most difficult to house. “In the context that I discuss homelessness I’m typically talking about people that are sleeping rough on the streets, getting cold and wet in the snow, right now.”

Shelters can be inaccessible for many people who experience homelessness. These issues are

minister help with any concerns that may have arisen. Dumont said this did not go unnoticed by emergency responders. “Both the police, EMS, and fire last year had noticed there was a reduction in 911 calls when Camp was up, because we were helping triage and navigate, you know, folks who needed healthcare or when peo ple were overdosing who needed healthcare.”

After writing a proposal in February 2022 and meeting with a member of the City of Regina,

clothes for the season and staying as dry and warm as possible.

Alysia Johnson, an advocate with Rally Around Homeless ness, has witnessed the struggles of homelessness in the commu nity. With many barriers in place to access sheltered housing and long-term action plans, Johnson said many people on the street will die.

“[It] is unfortunately worse than last year,” said Johnson, who is seeing more homelessness than ever. “It is a little bit more hidden and harder to detect, but it is cer tainly not better. I would argue the only things that have made it – and I hate to use the term better – is the fact that so many people

When tent city Camp Hope was pitched in Pepsi Park in Oc tober of 2021, Johnson and Du mont spent a large portion of time volunteering on the grounds.

One in five people who lived at Camp Hope have died. On Oc tober 25, the Regina Leader-Post reported a tent city set up out side in a back alley. Dumont said that she recognized many of the people when she went to drop off some supplies.

“It’s the same people, the people who are still alive from Camp Hope last year,” said Dumont.

“It’s the same group of people. They’re all just out there. They’re looking out for each other.”

Dumont said that tarps set up for privacy, a few tents, old couch

streets because they cannot get into shelters at night. Often, the head count for shelters is inac curate because many people do not have access to shelters. Many people cannot get into or access shelters for the night because they must pass a sobriety-for-service test. Dumont explained these head counts do not account for “rough homelessness.”

“There’s so many people who are homeless,” said Dumont. “There are so many people who experi ence ‘hidden homelessness.’”

People who are couch surfing or those who slept out on the street make up a large percentage of people who did not make the head count. Johnson said for the first night of sleeting weath

amplified even more for those who struggle with addictions.

Johnson explained that addictions are by no means the sole reason why many people experience homelessness, but they do need to address high overdose rates by funding harm reduction. Funding harm reduction would ultimately bring down healthcare costs for many people experiencing home lessness, according to Johnson. “From a cost benefit, it’s absurd not to do.”

Dumont echoes this and explains that she has been dropping off Narcan in the small tent com munity that has formed. A major benefit of Camp Hope was that there were attending healthcare professionals on standby to ad

Johnson still has not heard an up date from anyone if there is going to be developments for a 24-hour warm-up station. “It’s so import ant because we have neighbors in our community that are losing fingers and toes, and limbs, and hands,” said Johnson. “They are freezing, they are cold, they are wet.” Johnson said many cases of homelessness in the city are people who are “dying needless deaths.”

“In a city the size of Regi na,” said Johnson, “if we had an all hands on deck approach, and we really wanted to tackle this, we shouldn’t have 20 or more people at any given time that can’t find somewhere to go.”

Photo: ptrabattoni via Pixabay

“It’s so important because we have neighbors in our community that are losing fingers and toes, and limbs, and hands. They are freezing, they are cold, they are wet.”

– Alysia Johnson

There is a tent city, it’s just not in the middle of the park

news

APSS helps during HIV/AIDS crisis in Sask.

Options for testing, care, and information

victoria baht staff writer

Since 1985, AIDS Program South Saskatchewan (APSS) has been working within our community. Based on their website, they work to help men, women, and kids that live with HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C. HIV/AIDS is a hu man immunodeficiency virus that causes the human body to attack its own immune system. Compar atively, Hepatitis C is a liver infec tion that can cause an illness that is mild or long-term that can lead to long-term health problems. APSS works by providing good and supportive information and services to help individuals suffer ing from said illnesses. They also now offer harm reduction, needle exchange, naloxone training, and regular testing programs.

The Carillon met with Vidya Reddy, the education and infor mation specialist at APSS. This is a harm reduction non-profit organization located in Regi na. Part of his job is to work on sharing information about sexu ally transmitted and blood-borne infections. APSS does a lot of information outreach, and the objective is to prevent the spread of these infections and to work on education outreach on opioid overdose prevention.

Why is it important for one to get checked for an STI like HIV?

It is important for everybody to get tested because getting test ed is the only way to know your status, […] because there can be hardly any symptoms at all. Also, it is not possible to look at symp toms or signs and diagnose. […] It is also important to get tested because Saskatchewan has one of the highest numbers and rates of HIV compared to everywhere else in Canada. This is mainly driven by injection substance use, needle sharing, and unsafe sexual

practices.

Can you walk us through the steps of getting tested to hopefully help our commu nity feel more comfortable with the testing, and hope fully encourage them to get tested one day?

Anybody can get tested for STIs and all blood-borne infec tions by referral of their fam ily doctors to any of the labs in the city, or they can get tested at Planned Parenthood Regi na. Also, APSS offers testing on Tuesday afternoons for STIs and blood-borne infections. […]

There is as well an HIV self-test kit that is anonymous and con venient, and this information is available on the Saskatchewan Health Authority website as well.

You guys offer a variety of different types of training. Can you explain why training is highly important for peo ple to have in our communi ty?

As we have been reading in the media, opioid overdoes and substance overdoses have reached the crisis portion. […] We cannot change substance use, addiction, and independency overnight. Everybody has to be supported to find a pathway to recovery, but in the meantime, we can use harm-reduction interventions like Naloxone. For example, if every one knew how to use Naloxone and save a life then we can do that anywhere in the community, […] it is important for everyone to get trained and respond as a commu nity. […] It is as well important to reduce the stigma against people who use substances. This is a way we as a community can respond.

What are some benefits peo ple can gain from taking a few

We do education outreach in specific areas to help prevent the spread of these infections, to reduce the risk of these infec tions, how to get tested for this infection, how to get treated and how these infections are transmit ted in the first place and how to break the chain, […] and what is the outlook for each of these infections. […] The other is the opioid-overdose prevention plan. We do Naloxone training, we talk about the various substances, how to reduce the risk of and what are the risk factors of an overdose.

Can you explain your needle exchange program and what people should know about it?

Our needle exchange pro gram is a harm reduction service that we offer in partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Author ity. […] There is a risk for spread ing blood-borne infections. This can cost the community an enor mous amount to treat and care for. So, one of the ways to prevent this in the community is to have a harm reduction service where we provide the harm reduction supplies (clean cylinders, clean in jection equipment, and so on) to break the chain of transmission and prevent future treatment and costs to the community.

How do individuals get in volved with APSS and what can they look forward to par taking in?

Students can get involved with a practicum placement. […] We also have opportunities for vol unteers to get involved and they can fill out a form online based on the website, then be asked for a criminal record check and they can volunteer how many hours and schedule that works best for them. […] As well, if anyone is interested in harm reduction ser

APSS has valuable resourc es that are available and accessi blood-borne infections, STIs, how to get tested, or how to break

HIV Red Ribbon sits on a light purple background. Image: OpenClipart-Vectors via Pixabay, manipulated by Lee Lim

No signs of affordability relief through the throne speech

That $500 cheque is not going to fix the economy

bodie robinson staff writer

On Wednesday, October 26, Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty delivered the annual speech from the throne at the Saskatchewan Legislative Build ing. The throne speech opens a new session of the legislature, lay ing out the government’s agenda, including prominent policies and political objectives.

This year, the Saskatchewan Party opened the legislature re iterating all those usual issues:

sidering their poor record on consulting First Nations about resource and land development. In 2021, the Moe government opposed adopting legislation re lating to the United Nations Dec laration on the Rights of Indige nous Peoples because it claimed the legislation would harm the Saskatchewan economy. The Saskatchewan Party’s storied past with opposing federal carbon tax ation is also very well known.

The throne speech further claimed that the “roadblocks imposed by our own federal gov ernment are also greater than

News that natural resources are already under provincial juris diction. Consequently, in his view, this initiative to amend the constitution of Saskatchewan is just another symbolic gesture of resistance against the federal gov ernment’s carbon taxation and environmental regulations.

The Saskatchewan NDP criticized the throne speech as out-of-touch and tone deaf. Carla Beck, leader of the Saskatchewan NDP, stated in a press release ear lier this week that the “Throne Speech offered no new measures to combat the generational af

Nations University of Canada to deliver the Dene Teacher Educa tion Program.”

Additionally, the Moe gov ernment promises to provide scholarships for students study ing Indigenous languages: “My government will commit $50,000 a year to establish a new scholar ship for students studying Indige nous languages. The new scholar ship will support up to 25 students in their studies.”

Besides scholarships for In digenous language students at FNU, the speech doesn’t men tion post-secondary students at

tributed in November.

NDP finance critic Trent Woth erspoon calls the economic hard ships Saskatchewan residents are facing an “affordability cri sis.” During question period on Thursday, October 27, Wother spoon said the Saskatchewan Par ty’s affordability cheques are too little too late. Wotherspoon said that it has been “months since inflation and the war in Ukraine sent the cost of living through the roof for Saskatchewan fam ilies, all while sending revenues soaring for that government. But this tired Sask Party government

economy, resource development, and resisting federal carbon tax ation and environmental regula tions.

The throne speech’s first item was the Saskatchewan econ omy. The province’s population is growing at an unprecedent ed rate; it may reach 1.2 million by the end of 2022. Saskatche wan’s unemployment rate is also the lowest in Canada at 4.1 per cent. According to a report by the Conference Board of Canada, Saskatchewan is set to lead Can ada in economic growth this year. The report states that Saskatche wan’s GDP will grow 7.9 per cent in 2022. The speech also claimed that there is growing interest in Saskatchewan’s critical minerals and rare earth metals.

The Saskatchewan Party has always been a strong advocate of the province’s natural resource sector; perhaps too strong con

they have ever been.” The de tails about what these alleged impositions are remain vague and opaque. However, the throne speech made the bold accusation that the federal government has transgressed “Saskatchewan’s constitutional jurisdiction over natural resources under the guise of environmental regulation.”

In response to the federal gov ernment’s alleged overreach, the throne speech states that the Moe government “will amend the province’s Constitution to state –in no uncertain terms – that Sas katchewan continues to retain exclusive jurisdiction over its own natural resources.”

Jim Farney, a political sci ence professor at the University of Regina, stated in an interview with CTV News that this amend ment is unlikely to produce the desired results. Farney told CTV

fordability crisis. […] The ma jority of the measures announced in the speech are recycled an nouncements.”

Beck’s statement also claimed that the throne speech was full of symbolic gestures but little sub stance: “Saskatchewan has limit less potential and a great story to share. That’s the Saskatchewan story we’ll be selling to the world as Scott Moe’s out-of-touch gov ernment plays political games.”

About one page of the throne speech was dedicated to the topic of education. The Sas katchewan Party has made some effort in offsetting inflation by providing additional resources to the province’s elementary and high schools. Some funds have been allocated to FNU to develop its Dene language program: “In August, my government commit ted up to $255,000 to the First

all. The throne speech mentions inflation once, although the in flation rate in Canada is at its highest in 40 years. Saskatche wan’s minimum wage is now the lowest in Canada at $13 per hour. Manitoba’s minimum wage is the second lowest at $13.50. For the 2022-2023 school year, the University of Saskatchewan in creased tuition, on average, by 3.7 per cent. The University of Regi na increased tuition, on average, by 3.5 per cent.

Rising consumer prices cou pled with inflation and the lowest wages in Canada has Saskatche wan residents in serious econom ic hardship. Among other initia tives, the Saskatchewan Party is addressing this hardship by dis tributing “affordability cheques” to all Saskatchewan residents 18 and up. The Moe government has said the cheques will be dis

still hasn’t delivered affordability relief for families, denying them of the support they need and de serve.”

The Bank of Canada re leased a statement on October 26, 2022, that projected inflation would remain high until the end of 2023: “While inflation has come off its peak, it remains too high. […] The Bank [of Canada] expects inflation to fall to about 3 per cent in late 2023, then return to 2 per cent in 2024.”

It seems the “affordability crisis” will remain for the fore seeable future. Although Sas katchewan will lead the country in economic growth this year, Scott Moe’s government must still navigate this crisis with pru dence and forethought. The crisis requires more than one-time re lief cheques and political grand standing.

“Saskatchewan has limitless potential and a great story to share. That’s the Saskatchewan story we’ll be selling to the world as Scott Moe’s out-of-touch government plays political games.”

– Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck

Multi-planetary system discovered with five rocky planets

josh king news writer

What are solar systems other than our own like? Astronomers at the Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (Institute of Astro physics and Space Sciences) in Portugal furthered our knowledge of that question. Recently, they discovered three super-Earths and two super-Mercuries orbit ing a star, charmingly named HD 23472.

The five planets orbiting HD 23472 are only the most re cent discoveries in a long line of exoplanet discoveries since the 1990s. In fact, more than 5,000 exoplanets are currently known, and our sampling of the galaxy so far has led astronomers to con clude that there are more planets than stars in the Milky Way. Dis coveries have included everything ranging from hellscape worlds covered in lava and raining glass to planets so puffy they have the density of cotton candy. Aside from the few shocking discoveries, the most common planets discov ered around other stars are Nep tune-like planets and gas giants. So, what makes this most recent discovery of exoplanets stand out from the other 5,000?

To help me understand what the significance of these new planets is, I talked to the Univer sity of Regina’s own Dr. Saman tha Lawler, an astronomer at who works jointly with Campion Col lege and the U of R. Her recent work studying the Kuiper Belt has branched into studying de bris disks around other stars. She thinks finding a system with so many planets can help us answer whether or not it is completely unique or a more average solar system.

The planets in HD 23472 were discovered using the Eu ropean Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, which is based in Chile. For clarity, the Very Large Telescope is the name of the telescope, not just a descrip tion of its size, but it is also an apt description of its four 8.2 metre main mirrors. One part of the telescope is a piece of equipment nicknamed ESPRESSO, which is

This means that as planets go around a star, the star wobbles ever so slightly. Since the star is moving, the light will shift ever so slightly, which sensitive instru ments like ESPRESSO can pick up. The observations made in the most recent findings piggy-back off previous observations of two of the super-Earths in HD 23472 that used transit spectroscopy, a method where the light from a star that is reflected through the

41 authors from 20 different in stitutions who work in three dif ferent continents, showing how international collaboration is es sential for such discoveries. While a super-Earth sounds re markable, some projections es timate they could account for one-third of all exoplanets. The ‘super-’ prefix on these planets refers to the fact that they are at least twice as large as our own Earth or Mercury, but aren’t yet

Having so many rocky planets around a single star also teaches us something about our universe.

Dr. Lawler said, according to these findings, “it appears that it’s really easy to form lots of rocky planets close to stars.” A boon for those who are looking for Earthlike planets out there, though the five planets from this discovery in particular are too close to their sun to be a likely candidate for life.

On the other hand, we’ve also dis

at identifying life on other plan ets will have to wait. The James Webb is scheduled to take a clos er look at two other super-Earths and may one day take a closer look at the planets in HD 23472, though it isn’t scheduled to.

The suggested use of the James Webb Telescope comes shortly after the telescope made headlines this summer by finding water on an exoplanet. Although, while the James Webb can gath

an acronym for a special type of spectrograph that can measure very sensitive changes in the light coming from a star. ESPRESSO falls under the category of a radi al velocity technique for discover ing exoplanets, and according to NASA, radial velocity techniques have been used to discover over 1,000 planets.

The radial velocity technique relies on the fact that a planet is held in orbit by the pull of a star’s gravity; the planet pulls back.

planet’s atmosphere is observed. The authors hope that follow-up work will use the James Webb Space Telescope to look at the system using yet another method, direct imaging. Combining mul tiple methods can help to make results more accurate and can also give us information about

large enough to be put into a larger class, such as an ice-giant. What many find surprising about this discovery is actually the su per-Mercuries. Including the two from this discovery, only eight have been discovered so far.

Finding other Mercury-like objects out there can help us un

covered some ways in which our solar system is special. Previous findings show that super-Earths are common throughout the gal axy, but we don’t have any rocky planets that big in our own solar system. Why we don’t have one ourselves remains a mystery to be solved. Further mysteries, such

er useful data, it isn’t a telescope built for detecting signs of life, so it has a limited capability to do so. Currently, many astronomers are waiting on three ground-based telescopes specifically designed to look for biosignatures, set to finish construction later this de cade. Mirroring the aptly named

different aspects like size, mass, or composition, which can all be combined to give us a more com plete picture of these strange new worlds.

The addition of so many different data points by different teams highlights the collaborative nature of science. “One thing that’s really nice about astronomy as a science is a lot of our data is public,” said Dr. Lawler. As such, the published article consists of

ravel mysteries in our own solar system. For example, Mercury has a very thin mantle, unlike Earth, which has long baffled as tronomers. Some have proposed fluke events like a large asteroid impact that could rip away the mantle as an explanation. How ever, finding similar planets in other solar systems argues for an explanation that would be more common than unique events like collisions.

as how two Mercury-like planets were formed in the same system and the exact atmospheric com position of these planets, remain.

For those of you hoping to meet some friends in the final frontier, when asked about the possibility of alien life around HD 23472, Dr. Lawler replied “There could be some life forms, but still, Earth is the only place in the universe that we know for sure has life.” In fact, our next steps

Very Large Telescope, one of the three telescopes being built is the Extremely Large Telescope, and it will surpass its smaller sibling in exoplanet discovery in 2025. Clearly, we have much more exo planet news to look forward to in the years ahead.

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s super-Mercury!

Potential for human life? Undetermined.

Photo: NASA: John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory: Carnegie Insitution of Washington

“

One thing that’s really nice about astronomy as a science is a lot of our data is public.”

– Dr. Samantha Lawler

arts & culture

jorah bright a&c writer

A common archetype of male ce lebrity is “the wife guy.” This is a man who loves his wife so much that he doesn’t have a personality. One of the internet’s most wellknown wife guys was Ned Fulmer of the Try Guys.

The Try Guys started on BuzzFeed in 2014 with four mem bers: Fulmer, Eugene Lee Yang, Keith Habersberger, and Zach Kornfeld. In 2018, the four start ed their own company, 2nd Try LLC, and then continued to pro duce videos under the name Try Guys until this day.

It was announced on Sep tember 27, 2022, that Fulmer was no longer working with the company. This followed days of Reddit conversations speculating about Fulmer’s position within the company.

Fulmer is married to Ariel Fulmer (nee VandeVoorde), and together they have two sons and a dog. Everything Fulmer did on the channel related to his wife. The other three members of the Try Guys had their own shows: Yang had Rank King where he ranked different items, Habersberger had Eat the Menu where he ate every item off the menu of a restaurant, and Kornfeld had Candid Competi tion where he made random stores compete in challenges.

Fulmer had Date Night, which featured his wife. He also had Try DIY, which heavily featured his wife. Many of Fulmer’s jokes had to do with his wife. He constantly talked about his wife and his fam ily.

Maybe that’s why it was so shocking when it was revealed that Fulmer cheated on his wife. Not only did he cheat her, but he cheated on her with an employee.

The whole situation started online on September 3. A Red ditor on the Try Guys subreddit posted saying that “multiple peo ple have seen Ned around NYC this week making out with women at the local bars. It’s unfortunate for Ariel, his family, and the try team but this is true.” After this Redditor was called out for ‘ly ing,’ they sent an Instagram mes sage to that person showing a vid eo they had been sent by another person of two people making out, claiming that it was Fulmer and Alexandria Herring, a 2nd Try employee.

After the video was shared on the subreddit, people began

finding comparisons of the out fits the pair were wearing. People found different photos matching the outfits from the video. Shortly after this, starting on September 8, Fulmer stopped appearing in Instagram posts and their pod cast, the TryPod. On September 13, people began noticing that Fulmer was not in any of the merch ads that were being post ed, and that the original intro to the videos featuring all four guys had been changed to merch cam paigns excluding Fulmer.

Also on September 13, Ful mer’s wife stopped showing up in the Try Guys’s other podcast You Can Sit with Us, which features each of the Try Guys’s respective partners. On September 14, the video “Try Guys Ruin Chocolate Eclairs” was posted. There was evidence that Fulmer was edit ed out of the video before it was uploaded. Fulmer’s voice can be heard in the background briefly, despite him never showing up in the video.

On September 17, the vid eo “Keith Eats Everything at a Vegas Buffet” was uploaded. An Instagram post showed that every staff member was present for this

video except for Fulmer and Her ring. On September 24, another video was uploaded that showed even more clearly that Fulmer had been edited out. The video “Try Guys Try Stand-up Come dy” had small pieces where you could see a mystery person wear ing a shirt that Fulmer has been shown to own, a mystery laptop was seen with strange cropping, and a hand and knee appear suddenly next to Yang, as well as Fulmer’s voice being heard in the background again in this video.

On September 26, Herring’s fiance Will removed all the pho tos of Herring from his Instagram and unfollowed her. The same day, Herring and Fulmer unfol lowed each other on Instagram.

The Try Guys official state ment was released on September 27, stating that Fulmer was no longer part of the company. Ful mer uploaded his own statement on the same day, confirming that he had a “consensual workplace relationship.” The Try Guys’s next video was posted on Octo ber 3, and was called “what hap pened.” The video was another statement about the situation.

They revealed that they

learned about Fulmer’s affair over Labor Day weekend. Following the revelation, an investigation was started about Fulmer and he was removed from videos. Fulmer was suspended from work activ ities and was officially removed from 2nd Try LLC on September 16. The next big statement the Try Guys made was on the epi sode of their podcast called “ok, let’s talk about it.” The podcast featured Habersberger, Korn feld, and another employee, Miles Bonsignore.

The podcast episode was a deeper dive into everything that happened and what they knew. They found out through fans about the cheating, and they were completely shocked. Kornfeld stated that he had severe physical impact as a result of the situation, and he had to take on much of the company responsibilities as Habersberger was on tour with his comedy group, and Yang was busy on other projects.

They stated that even if the situation did not unfold over social media, the same actions would have been taken by the company. Habersberger also said that he be lieves Fulmer intentionally copied

the font from their statement post as their statements were not coor dinated, and that it was an act by Fulmer to make it appear so.

Another video was released on October 8 called “the try guys audition for a broadway musi cal” has Ned edited out, which was confirmed on the podcast by Kornfeld. On the same day, SNL included a skit about the Try Guys situation, which was received poorly. Many people, including Bonsignore, Alex Lewis (a part of Habersberger’s comedy group), Habersberger, Becky Habers berger (Keith’s wife), Kornfeld, Maggie Bustamante (Kornfeld’s fiancee), and more employees and friends of the company posted on social media about the SNL skit. People began investigating this, because in previous content Ful mer said that he had friends from university that wrote for SNL and wrote the skit according to IMDb.

Fulmer has not posted any thing else since his original state ment, and the Try Guys are en tering a new era without Fulmer.

Finally, a cheater who isn’t prospering The guys have been tried

We’re not mad, we’re just disappointed (and would rather not be seen with you from now on).

Illustration: Lee Lim

“Habersberger also said that he believes Fulmer intentionally copied the font from their state ment post as their statements were not coordinated, and that it was an act by Fulmer to make it appear so.”

Study spot review: Stone’s Throw

victoria baht staff writer

Now that classes are back in per son, are you looking for the perfect study space? Are you someone who just works better when you are not in your own home or liv ing room? Well, today we are go ing to be talking about a café that may be the perfect study space for you. This will be the start to a new series in the Carillon to help you find all the best study places in and around Regina.

For the moment, I will be talking about a coffee shop known as Stone’s Throw Coffee Collec tive, which is located conveniently close to the University of Regina. When you walk into the café, you are welcomed by a great number of things. They have a very wel coming vibe with lots of chatter due to customers and music in the background; it really welcomes you into the place. As you look around you can see plants that are hung up, pieces of art, cute quotes, and so much more. The little detail that is all around this place is really eye-catching.

Not only are all the differ ent decorations eye-catching, but they have all different types of seats for customers to choose from that can make you feel nice and comfortable. Whether you enjoy

sitting on a bar stool and letting your feet dangle, a chair and ta ble set up, or relaxing on a couch with a coffee table nearby, there are options for you.

Once you find the perfect spot for you, the next most im portant part is your choice of bev erage. By the looks of their menu, they have a great selection for you. Whether you enjoy drinks that include espresso or not, a hot drink or something on the rocks, they have options. I was here for a dine-in experience to give this review, and I tried the rocky road mocha – man was it good! It had the perfect chocolate-to-cof fee ratio, and it definitely helped smooth over all the bumps that I ran into throughout this week.

Not only do they have plenty of different beverages to choose from, they also have lots of food whether you want a bowl of soup, a tasty sandwich, or baked goods.

To give you the full review, I could not pass up enjoying some baked goods after catching up on hours of homework, so I enjoyed a slice of pumpkin cheesecake. Now, this may be only a temporary desert because of the fall season, so no guarantees it will be here on your next visit, but I have got to say it is not one you will want to miss out on. This piece of cheesecake was the perfect size, and the texture was great. Just delicious!

Not only do they have great seating and a great selection of beverages and baked goods, Stone’s Throw Coffee Collective has board games and books. I talked to a staff member named Henrique who let me know that the board games and books are there for the enjoyment of cus tomers during their stay.

So, this café has all the seat ing options, all the beverage op tions, very good baked goods, and some ways to entertain yourself while you are there. Now, the big question: is this café a good study space?

Personally, I have to say yes! While I was sitting there for about three hours I got a great deal of work done, and I would not have gotten nearly as much done at home. It felt like because the lo cation is so close to the university, a great deal of people know that you are studying or working, and they just let you do your thing –which is just perfect!

I hope this review encourage you to go and try out this loca tion and other coffee shops to get some work done as there are plen ty in and around Regina. Stay up to date with all the best places by following along with this series in the upcoming weeks.

Audacity Mural Project seeks artists and space

jorah bright a&c writer

When you put art in a city for all to see, it can brighten up the city. It can make it colourful and nice to look at. It can make it feel more welcoming and friendly; that’s what Audacity YQR is trying to do in Regina.

Audacity is an organization here in Regina that seeks to pro mote local entrepreneurs who will, in turn, make the community better. They seek to support Regi na locals in every way they can.

In the spring of 2022, Au dacity started a project they called the Audacity Mural Project, or AMP. The goal of the project is to create 25 murals and art instal lations before the end of 2025. As a way to promote local entrepre neurs in Regina, Audacity is al lowing them to create art in Regi na, for Regina. According to their website, the project is part of the Urban Renewal Project, and its goal is to “activate the walls and streets of Regina to celebrate and promote culture, community, and commerce.”

The project itself has five main goals, which are to “cele brate Regina’s audacious spirit and history, celebrate and pro mote inclusivity and diversity, promote creativity, innovation and commerce, create communi ty pride for all ages, and beautify our city.”

This summer included phase one of the Audacity Mural Proj

ect. During phase one, public art was created over 10,000 square feet in Regina. The first public mural was created by Carly Jaye Smith. Smith is a local artist from Moose Jaw. The mural went up on the side of Leopold’s Tav ern on Albert Street. The mural included a picture of a woman holding a spray can and the words “Dream Big” next to it.

According to Smith in an in terview with CTV, the mural was “kind of like an example of what we’re trying to do and then more people want to get involved and it grows from there.” This is not Smith’s first Regina mural. She created the Mary “Bonnie” Bak er mural in Regina Central Park. She believes that many people “can relate to a splash of colour on the wall or have it brighten their day just for a couple min utes,” and that “It’s the small things in life that matter and I think that kind of plays into that.” When talking to the Leader-Post, Smith said that the mural “tells a story of a girl, painting that mes sage [Dream Big], for everyone to hopefully follow suit.”

Other than Smith’s work, there are currently six additional murals up in Regina as part of this project. There are fish and other aquatic sea life at the Re gina Public Library on 12th Av enue. There’s a woman with blue and pink hair at the Cornwall Centre. The words “Be Auda cious” can be seen at the Lawson Aquatic Centre on Elphinstone

Street. Victoria’s Tavern Down town boasts the phrase “Let’s Do Epic Sh*t!” as part of this project. The Regina & District Chamber of Commerce on Albert Street reads “Come Together.” And fi nally, the Saigon by Night restau rant on Broad Street features a

tiger, a small dragon, and a beau tiful background of plants and waterfalls.

There are still over 15 mu rals left to go, so if you’re an artist and interested in painting a mu ral in Regina, let Audacity know! They’re looking for mural artists

on their website under the mural section. Submit your name, your social media, and your portfolio to get a chance to get your art up on Regina walls. The project is ongoing, so keep an eye out for new artwork on our walls and the murals that are already up!

This new series will keep you up to date on the hottest and floppest of Regina study spots

Make sure you drop in before they pump the brakes on pumpkin spice.

Photo: Victoria Baht

This push to brighten up Regina has started off strong, but needs continuing support to reach their 25 mural goal

Brightening up the place for blocks around.

Illustration: Lee Lim

Reboot series: nostalgia rush

The bittersweet reality of re-watching favourite childhood shows with an adult’s critical lens

amina salah staff writer

The 21st century represents the era of reboots. Many of us grew up with entertainment that was nostalgic. Whether you are a fan of The Vampire Diaries, Desperate Housewives, or Gilmore Girls, there was a wide array of television to consume. The reality is that most of us were much too young to be watching these shows. Adulting does not only involve growing

pains. It also involves re-watching a show you used to love as a teen ager with a grown-up perspective on a random Tuesday night.

This allows you to consume content you previously loved, now critically. Perhaps you grow up to re-watch Gossip Girl and realize that Serena van der Woodsen was actually a selfish person who was never there for her best friend.

Maybe you grow up to re-watch The Vampire Diaries only to final ly see Damon Salvatore for who he really is: an abuser. Or may

be you grow up to look back at Gilmore Girls only to see that Rory Gilmore was the poster child for entitlement and privilege. All of these feelings are absolutely valid.

As a die-hard fan of Sex and the City (SATC), I was over the moon when I heard that the show would be coming back with a re boot nearly 20 years after its first episode. I wondered how every thing would turn out, which char acters would be in it, and which characters would not. The reali ty is that SATC was a show that

pioneered and paved the way for dating politics and dialogues re volving around relationships.

Each episode would have a key topic and Carrie Bradshaw would write about her thoughts on the topic according to her experiences and beliefs, as well as those of her dearest friends: Charlotte York, Samantha Jones, and Miranda Hobbes. In 1998, the HBO sitcom hit TV screens, focusing on the lives and relation ships of four 30-something New York women. These were women

by 79 critics, followed by an au dience score of 29 per cent. The heading on the website reads “And Just Like That… fails to recapture Sex and the City’s head fizz, but like a fine wine, these characters have developed subtler depths with age.” The reality is that And Just Like That… does not seem to re flect the je ne sais quoi of SATC Instead of focusing on the char acters we loved thriving in their 50s and 60s, focusing on the re ality of aging and its nuances, all we received as viewers was a show

who were adjusting to life, navi gating relationships and careers. It gave us what we wanted: fash ion, couture, fun, and frill. Today, SATC is remembered for many of its iconic looks such as Car rie’s tutu skirt, her wedding dress, Charlotte’s Elizabeth Taylor in spired pink dress, and Miranda’s suits.

Carrie is a character that ap pears as the protagonist but, the more you watch the show, her flaws come to the surface and you realize that she is in fact the an tagonist. The SATC hive is filled with fans who love the show, but are deeply critical of Carrie and her choices. In fact, she represents a character who settled for an emotionally unavailable man with the hopes that perhaps one day, he would finally commit to her. Maybe one day he would finally appreciate her.

He never did. He strung her along for 10 years, only to settle for her and die in the reboot. The reboot meant that all of the view ers questions might be answered. I couldn’t help but wonder, is Carrie truly happy with Mr. Big? Does she love being married? What about her friends? How are they doing?

Sarah Jessica Parker (SJP) confirmed that a spin-off series would be on the way. SJP, Kris tin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon confirmed on January 11, 2021, through Instagram that the re boot would be called And Just Like That…. Shortly after, streaming service HBO Max stated in a press conference that viewers would be receiving 10 30-minute episodes each week. Ultimately the show drew in viewers, as it is a cult fa vourite. However, each week, the show dwindled in quality as the storylines were not up to the stan dards that I was expecting.

The show premiered on De cember 9, 2021, with a 48 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes

that is desperately trying to stay relevant, hip, and cool. “How do you do, fellow kids?” is the perfect representation of And Just Like That…

Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Li ars (PLL) are some of the other shows that have received reboots. Original Sin premiered on July 28, 2022 on HBO Max. The show had an 88 per cent score on Rot ten Tomatoes by 17 critics, as well as an audience score of 70 per cent. Original Sin is a show that was received better, however it strayed away from the iconic world of PLL and its juicy drama that we came to love and enjoy. Original Sin is a show that is laced with thrill and horror.

Starring Blake Lively as Ser ena van der Woodsen and Leigh ton Meester as the iconic Blair Waldorf, Gossip Girl is a show that focuses on the lives of New York teenagers living in the Upper East Side. HBO Max’s version of Gos sip Girl was cringe-worthy, boring, and fell flat. The issue was not that the focus of the show was on Gen Z; rather, it was the lazy writ ing and the struggle of relevance that was unattractive to me as a viewer.

To some, reboots represent a lack of originality, whilst to oth ers they are a way for people to enjoy old favourites. Where do we land on reboots as viewers if it seems that they stray away from the source material as Gossip Girl, PLL, and SATC have done? Show runners desperately want to relate to Gen Z and Millennial viewers. However, they are failing due to the simple reality that what is missing from Hollywood is hon est, gripping, unapologetic sto ry-telling that feels genuine and real; one that does not feel like having Thanksgiving dinner with your family and your weird uncle who is desperately trying to relate to you.

“Instead of focusing on the characters we loved thriving in their 50s and 60s, focusing on the reality of aging and its nuances, all we received as viewers was a show that is desperately try ing to stay relevant, hip, and cool. “How do you do, fellow kids?” is the perfect representation of And Just Like That….”

– Amina Salah

Horse Kicks: decadent and depraved

bodie robinson staff writer

Consider the average horse own er. In the United States, there are about 7.25 million horses (all sta tistics taken from horsesonly.com). About 1.6 million households in the US own horses. Out of all US households, only around 1.3 per cent own horses.

Over 60 per cent of horse owners work in managerial posi tions. The vast majority of horse owners, 92.6 per cent, are wom en. Most people keep horses for recreational purposes.

The majority of all horse owners in the US earn an annual income over $100,000. The aver age annual cost of owning a horse is about $7,896 USD. As of 2021, the average American horse own er owns six horses, and 73 per cent of horse owners expected to own the same number of horses in 2022.

Owning a horse is expensive as hell, and most horse owners own more than one. In the USA, most horses are kept for recre ational purposes. A large minority of the horses in the USA are show horses or racehorses. The cost of these horses is astronomical com pared to recreational horses.

In 1949, the French philoso pher George Bataille published a book called The Accursed Share: An Essay on General Economy. Bataille argues that living organ isms ordinarily receive more ener gy than they require to maintain

themselves. This excess energy manifests as “wealth.” The same goes for human economies.

Wealth is reinvested into the economy for it to grow even larger. But, Bataille says, “if the system can no longer grow, or if the excess cannot be completely absorbed in its growth, it must necessarily be lost without prof it; it must be spent, willingly or not, gloriously or catastrophi cally.” This excess wealth that is consumed with a reckless aban don Bataille calls the “accursed share.” In 21st-century North America, are horses and their pageantry not a part of this ac cursed share?

For 147 years, the Kentucky Derby has been held annually in Louisville. Each year, people from around the world attend and bet on the horse races. The Derby is notorious for its indulgent en tertainments. Hunter S. Thomp son reported on the Kentucky Derby in 1970. His essay “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved” is a carnivalesque re telling of his weekend at the Ken tucky Derby. The title does not mislead. The Kentucky Derby is rife with all manner of drunken debauchery and gambling.

To add to this conspicuous consumption, now horse owners can buy sneakers for their horses. Horse Kicks is a sneaker retailer that makes popular brand name sneakers for horses. The project is the work of Marcus Floyd, a shoe artist based in Lexington, Ken tucky. The debut collection of

Horse Kicks includes Court Pur ple Jordan 1, New Balance 650, and Yeezy Boost 350.

In an interview with CNET. com, Floyd wrote that Horse Kicks “are wearable art designed over a medical horse boot and covered with repurposed sneak ers.” He describes the project as one of his “craziest collaborations to date.” He went on to describe how he realized his concept: “It was a dope process trying to fig ure out what a horse sneaker would look like while using as much from the ‘REAL’ shoe as possible.”

Each sneaker’s starting price is $1,200 USD, and the debut collection will be sold at a blacktie event for charity. In an inter view with Sneaker Freaker, Floyd said: “The Sneaker Ball Lex is an upscale event where black-tie formality meets sneaker culture. This year’s ball invites 250 diverse young professionals, entrepre neurs, and creatives. The Horse Kicks collection will be donat ed and auctioned off during this year’s ball. The event benefits Lex Project Prom, a minority organi sation that helps under-resourced students go to prom, and the Sneakers with Everything Proj ect, Inc., a non-profit organisa tion that uses sneaker culture to provide support to underserved BIPOC students.”

Horse sneakers. No one can blame you for scratching your head, furrowing your brow, and, with a sigh, asking, “Why?” To which Hunter S. Thompson re

VR escape rooms at District 3

plies “Why not? Money is a good thing to have in these twisted times.”

Regarding horse sneakers,

several equestrians and horse veterinarians did not respond to requests for comment.

Escape rooms saw their initial rush of popularity half a decade to a decade ago. Some people were immediately won over by the idea of having to find clues,

solve puzzles following a storyline, and escape the locked room with in a set time frame. Others were immediately put off by one or all of those elements and resolved to avoid the opportunity at every op portunity.

I don’t have a ton of experi

ence with escape rooms. I’ve only attended two, and neither were successful escapes, but I thought it was special to be able to in teract so intimately with a story someone’s created. They’re also a great way to perk up your curiosi ty again if you’re finding it’s been low. So, whether you’re hitting writer’s block, burnout, or are just sick of the midterms slog, they’re helpful.

Just about the only way to make these stories more immer sive would be designing them for virtual reality (VR), and that’s ex actly what several game designers and publishers have been doing. My partner also had experience in escape rooms but neither of us had done one using VR, so I went online and booked us a room with District 3 Escape Rooms.

I should preface the game review by noting that District 3 provides much more to customers than just VR escape rooms. In ad dition to physical and VR escape rooms in their building at 2237 6th Avenue, they have a VR arcade, a board game cafe, thousands of games available for purchase, and escape rooms available online as well. District 3 is quite flexible in their hours of operation, allowing bookings from 10:30 a.m. to mid night. My partner and I booked our slot for 8 p.m., and appeared

to have the place to ourselves the whole evening.

We were greeted warmly when we arrived, then ushered into a large room containing five rolling chairs. We received thor ough instruction on all equipment and controls and were given the opportunity to get comfortable with everything before the escape room began and the clock start ed ticking. While the headset was mildly uncomfortable at times and I could see it being difficult to wear on top of glasses, the hand held remotes fit comfortably and I found the controls responded well; no glitches to report.

There are 30 VR escape rooms listed on District 3’s web site, sorted into three categories based on the amount of time you have to escape the room: 10, 30, or 60 minutes. There are a few options that appear geared towards classic family-friendly fun, and plenty of others in the areas of action, adventure, sci-fi, thriller, and horror. After peek ing through the trailers available for the games on the website, my partner and I had picked Sanc tum from Arvi VR developers, one of the horror options with a 60-minute goal.

I don’t want to spoil too much – it is, after all, an escape room – but the premise involves

going to an abandoned monas tery to rescue a detective friend named Anna who was investigat ing disappearances and has now disappeared herself. Seeing as the game was labeled ‘horror,’ my partner and I were each prepar ing for quite a scare what with the VR element, but overall we found the atmosphere and plot more spooky or eerie than horrifying. While there are no jump scares, there are things that will appear suddenly, so make sure you keep your eyes open and your wits about you.

Sanctum was difficult enough that we did have to ask for one hint during the game, but nor mally the next step in the prob lem solving was quick to find with a little trial and error, and I think the designers made it instinctive (but not simple) for players to sort clues and relevant information from storyline fluff and distrac tions. In the end we succeeded and escaped the abandoned mon astery, placing 13th out of every one who’s tried Sanctum so far. Whether you’re into VR or not, I’d recommend giving one of the VR escape rooms at District 3 a try, and definitely make sure you save some time to peek through their board game selection after you escape.

Designer sneakers for horses may be the new tiny dog in a purse

Lace ‘em and brace ‘em, we’re going racin’.

Photo: WFlore via Pixabay

If you think horror movies are intense, just wait until you experience the story through VR

VR and jump scares? What could go wrong?

Photo: Pexels via Pixabay

funk

sports & health

I was taught to cycle around age five by my dad, a longtime cyclist who for a time would commute to work on his bike through summer and winter. While I haven’t ven tured into winter cycling quite yet myself, his stories of all the layers he’d dress in and the chaos he’d navigate on the road always made me curious. For these reasons and more, I was excited to interview Bert Seidel, another longtime cy clist who works at Western Cycle Source for Sports in Regina at 1550 8th Avenue.

There are two floors to the store with the bike shop on the second. Walking in, I was over whelmed (in a kid-at-Christmas sort of way) by just how much equipment they’re able to orga nize in the space. I was strolling around their indoor riding track when Seidel came to join me for our interview, which was immedi ately (and delightfully) interrupt ed by someone entering the store, throwing their arms open, and yelling “Bert!” with the widest grin on their face as soon as they spotted him. I was feeling more excited than ever to pick Seidel’s brain. We wandered to a corner in the store, he grabbed us each a coffee, and we began talking.

In somewhere like Saskatch ewan where it gets to -50C with the wind, why do people choose to winter cycle?

I get to work in the morn ing – doesn’t matter if it’s win ter or summer – when I ride my bike, I’m in a good mood. [...]

In my youth, winter sport would mean that I would drive to the mountain and downhill ski, but there’s not a lot of downhill ski ing around here. Mission Ridge is cool, but again you have to drive somewhere, whereas fat biking, I can literally do that out of my house.

Could you explain a bit of the gap that fat bikes filled when they came out, that tech?

Yeah, so riding in the winter as a commuter, you’re mostly on

do sort of like mountain biking in the winter because they have the wider tires. They work great for commuting as well, and the wider tires – just like on a vehicle – they

be fat bike trails around the park where we go over there either with a mechanical groomer, sled-type groomer, or we just pull weight ed sleds behind us and compact

stay afloat, and that’s what the fat bikes allow you to do.

Some people use them for commuting and they’re great for that because of the extra stabili

trails or, if you want, you can also go out to Buffalo Pound or Was cana Trails and actually ride the mountain bike trails in the win ter. Buffalo Pound actually does a great job of grooming some of those trails so you’re not pushing your bike through like three feet of snow up the hill.

I heard that cycling really peaked right at the start of the pandemic. Do you think this was just people realizing how much they liked it and wanting to keep doing it?

Yeah, some of that, and then some people, like a lot of our customers, they were people that were already in the biking com munity, doing other things like road biking or mountain biking, and then they were like “Oh, maybe I should try this fat biking thing.” The thing in Regina, I mean, we have a pretty awesome cross-country ski system too, right? You can go to White Butte or within the parks, Kinsmen and whatnot, there’s usually big tracks. But you have to have snow for that, right, and you probably don’t want to do it at like, -20C and below. You can, but you’re not going to get very far. The snow is so sticky then. There might be some special wax that you can use, but I tried it once and it just sucks.

Whereas, on a fat bike, if you have snow, great. If you don’t, fine, you’re still riding your bike. [...] Last year the groomed trail network that we had was just the park around the lake all the way. I think the furthest trail we had of ours was out by the university, but that got blown in all the time so we abandoned that one. A full loop, if I remember correctly, was like 15 or 20km. Doing 20 kilo metres on a fat bike in the winter when it’s cold, on snow, you’re not going fast, right? So, that’s a good hour, hour and a half, two hours.

Would it be similar to try ing to bike through grass or sand, something like that?

Actually, sand is very compa rable, yeah. That’s why fat bikes are actually very popular in areas with beaches, may that be the

streets and roads and whatever, so anybody can do it. You probably want to have some studded tires, and that’s that. What fat bikes al low you to do, they allow you to

will give you more grip, and they will also give you some sort of float on the snow.

In the winter there’s gonna

the snow. [...] If you run on fresh snow you’re gonna sink in with your fat bike, but if the snow is compacted down a little bit, it’ll

ty and you can sort of like plow through the snow really easily, but it is also super fun to just ride them off-road on those fat bike

ocean or the Great Lakes or what ever, because same thing.

With the winter cycling season coming on fast, learn where you can ride safely and how to prepare Fat bike scene sees serious jump in Regina holly funk editor-in-chief

Bert’s ready to suit up cyclists for the season.

Photo: Holly Funk

“What fat bikes allow you to do, they allow you to do sort of like mountain biking in the winter because they have the wider tires. They work great for commuting as well, and the wider tires — just like on a vehicle — they will give you more grip, and they will also give you some sort of float on the snow.”

– Bert Seidel

Pathways and prices for winter cyclists

recommend for safety and for temperature?

There’s tons of talk in Regi na about how drivers don’t know the first thing to do with a cyclist in the road, and a lot of cyclists don’t know either. How does that play out in winter? Do you have safety tips for people?

There are people out there that want to commute, be that in the summer or the winter, and there is that fear of being in traf fic, which is justified. You know, you’re in a vulnerable position as a cyclist, you’re surrounded by tons of steel that goes way faster on the road than you are. [...] And this is my personal opinion af ter commuting since, well, grade three. I grew up originally in Ger many, so I was always on the bike and riding the bike to school, to work, to the university or to my job or whatever, and then I con tinued that here. I ride my bike like a vehicle in traffic, I’m a very defensive rider, driver, whatever, because I am in that vulnerable position as a cyclist.

I try to not be a dick on the road, and also try to anticipate what’s going to happen. If I do a left turn and there’s oncoming traffic, I’m gonna probably give them a little bit more room than I need to but, you know, the con sequences of not doing that could mean that I’m under a car, right? The other thing is I try to ride pretty predictably too so that oth er people, even if they don’t know what to do with a cyclist on the road – may that be in the summer or in the winter – hopefully they say “Oh, okay this guy is turning left, he’s got his left arm out.” [...] Let them see what’s happening, and I try to be visible. I personally don’t wear all this safety vests and whatnot because I don’t necessar ily want to look like a traffic cone, but I am wearing my helmet.

In the winter my helmet has reflective bits on it, and my bike has got to have lights on it. I’ll turn on the lights, like a white light at the front, red light in the rear, and I’m gonna turn them on during

With anything that moves, it needs regular maintenance. The big important thing? Make sure your brakes are working right. [...] If I ride my commuter bike, I have studded tires on it. Even in the middle of the winter here, if I’m riding on the road, there’s very little time that I’m only on snow. It’s usually a mix of asphalt, concrete, snow, and ice, and the studded tires help immensely. [...]

The other thing, the tire pres sure’s gonna be a little bit lower just to give me a bit more grip on the road. Which is gonna make it a little bit harder to ride, but I also ride a little bit slower in the winter.

I’m not gonna lean as far into the corner as I would in the summer, just because there might be a patch of ice there. My route changes slightly in the winter, so that’s mostly for commuting. Re gina is probably not the best city when it comes to snow removal. It is challenging – I understand that. I’m fortunate enough that my route takes me a little bit through the park.

Which park is it that you go through?

Wascana Park. Those path ways are usually cleared or, even if they’re not cleared, they’re usu ally packed down relatively quick ly, so that helps. I try to go on ma jor arteries where I know they’re going to have snow removed first, but you won’t find me on like Broad Street or Albert Street if I can avoid it, just because they’re so big and so busy.

But, like Dewdney Avenue for example. Before I lived where I live right now, I would ride on Dewdney Avenue. It’s a two-lane street, like two lanes on each side, with a big parking lane. I hate rid ing in the parking lane because it’s usually full with the brown sugar snow or just snow piled up, and you have to veer in and out of traffic, so I’m gonna ride in my lane just like a car.

Which, you know, is not great for a lot of drivers when they’re

either cleared relatively frequent ly or the bus is going to pack the snow down for you.

I try to stay on paths as much as possible, like bike lanes. There’s not a lot in Regina but there’s one that takes me down Lorne Street for example, there’s a painted bike lane. Which you don’t really see in the winter but, you know, at least it’s there.

Do you find the bike lanes are cleared alright in the winter, or do you have to rough it?

No, I don’t think any of the bike lanes in Regina – we don’t have a lot – but any of those are not actually cleared in the win ter. There’s the bike lane on that street that goes by the university, they actually push all the snow from the road into the bike lane, and you see this every winter. [...] They put a new bike lane in last year or the year before out on 14th Avenue that sort of goes to wards 13th Avenue and the dog park, and that one is actually sep arated by thingies that stand up to have some sort of physical barri ers between you and the cars.

Yeah, I mean it makes more sense that fat bikes had the jump they did if you can’t really use the bike lanes here in winter. People just need an option.

Yes, yeah, and that’s the nice thing about riding a fat bike, like the safety aspect of it in the winter. Even if you don’t put studded tires on a fat bike in the winter and you ride in traf fic, it’s so much more stable. We call it brown sugar snow, it’s like that browny, sugary snow that’s a mixture of whatever they put on the road, the dirt from the cars; it’s very weird. It almost feels like sand but slippery, so if that is on my lane that I’m riding on with my regular bike that has skinnier tires, doesn’t matter what kind of studded tires I have – it’s really dangerous to ride in that lane.

There’s just like one little hard section of that snow or sug ary snow and then I’m on my face, and it really hurts to crash in the winter. But, with a fat bike, you can literally ride through that stuff and feel very safe about it. If you add the studded tires to a fat

When it comes to the price difference between summer and winter cycling, what does that look like?

If you buy a fat bike, it’s com parable to a higher end mountain bike in the first place. You can get entry-level mountain bikes; well, they’ve all gotten pretty expen sive, but in our store they sell for $800 or so. I think you can still get something for around $500 that’s decent. For fat bikes, they start at like $2,000. And then when you look at that, like some of the stuff that you get there, the parts are the same on the $800 mountain bike.

The big expensive things on the fat bikes are the wheels and the tires because they’re not mass produced as much. [...] Studded tires on fat bikes especially, again they are super expensive, like you can get car tires cheaper than that. An average studded fat bike tire I think starts at like $200 and up. You could buy $400 fat bike tires, and that’s for one. Howev er, in my household for example, we do have a vehicle, we have one vehicle. I hardly ever drive the car

the day as well as when it’s dark just to be more visible. It makes a huge impact, like I’ve had people stop next to me at an intersection and be like “Hey man, I love your light, I could really see you from like, miles away, that’s awesome. That’s a big difference.” And that’s the reason I do that, right?

What other preparation equipment-wise would you

right behind me, but Dewdney is a great example because they can go into the next lane without going into the oncoming traffic to pass me, which is great. [...] So I try to go on roads where there’s a little bit more room but they’re not super busy, try to go on roads that have priority snow removal, or bus lanes are great. If you have a street where the bus goes down, you know that road is going to be

That was covered in like three feet, maybe not three feet, but like a foot of crusty snow the entire winter last year. So it was like, “Okay guys, you put the bike lane in, but then you don’t clear it. It’s kind of confusing.” [...] So yeah, bike lanes in the winter be come, often, useless. They’re not usable if you actually want to try and stay in them, which is sad.

bike too – which are super expen sive, stupid, but whatever – you’re gonna have a really great riding experience. You might have to work a little bit harder because they add weight, but it’s very, very safe.

I don’t recommend to ride after freezing rain. Maybe take the bus that day or walk, the studs won’t help you there, but any oth er day? Yep.

so I’m saving a ton on gas, I’m saving insurance for a second ve hicle, and maybe a little bit on my doctor’s bill because I’m out rid ing, exercising every day. [...] The initial buying the stuff? Yes it’s ex pensive, but you get a lot out of it and in the long run it is cheaper.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The interview with Western Cycle’s Bert Siedel, continued ...!

Who’s excited for some stunning morning pre-ride frost?

Photo: awest via Pixabay

“No, I don’t think any of the bike lanes in Regina — we don’t have a lot — but any of those are not actually cleared in the winter. There’s the bike lane on that street that goes by the university, they actually push all the snow from the road into the bike lane, and you see this every winter.”

– Bert Seidel

Football field size and chronic traumatic encephalopathy

Multiple instances of CTE plague NFL and CFL players alike, but one group reports more devastating end results

will spencer contributor

On September 25, 2022, during a game against the Buffalo Bills, a 22-year-old forward defenceman for the Miami Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa, was cleared to play after sustaining a concussion midgame. He was sent back onto the field, his hands visibly quaking, and appeared to be unsteady on his feet. The next game, against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tagov ailoa would be, again, supine on the ground; this time unrespon sive, leaving the field on a stretch er. How did it come to this? An answer: to win.

After Tagovailoa’s injuries, the NFL has been excoriated for failing to address the problem sooner (anyone remember the 2012 film Concussion starring Will Smith?), as these types of issues have been a regular occur rence through the NFL’s history. Phillip Adams, a former NFL player, had CTE – chronic trau matic encephalopathy – induced by his years of engagement with this vicious activity. He started playing tackle football at age sev en, and he played professionally in the NFL for six years.

On April 7, 2021, Adams

tragically murdered six people, ending with his own suicide. Ad ams’ frontal lobe was decimated by years of contusions, reducing his executive function, thereby es sentially changing who he was via brain function. Suppose someone had intervened, say in late high school or early in his professional career, and spoke to Adams about the perils of the game, or he had to sit through mandatory training that elucidated the myriad issues that may arise from sustained en gagement with such a belligerent sport. Who’s to say?

I could go on citing different instances of NFL players with CTE induced by years of playing that end tragically, either by sui cide or murder-suicide; however, one instance is potent enough. What is interesting is that if one attempts to do the same with the CFL, they cannot find nearly the same number of examples. This forces us to ask a particular ques tion: what is it about American football that is so pernicious?

It’s evident when you com pare the two groups: an NFL game consists of short rushes, the two defensive lines colliding near ly every play; a CFL game has a variety of plays, many where the two defensive lines are so spread out that they do not result in the

same vicious piles of bodies as their American counterpart.

This may be an environmen tal effect induced by the field di mensions. The NFL field is short and narrow, 100 yards by 55 and a third yards; the CFL field is long and wide, 110 yards by 65 yards. This space may be enough to de congest the central area of these accidents in the NFL, allowing for more variety in play (and less tragic headlines for the public to read). Returning to the excoria tion of the NFL: it has scant ef fect, as Tagovailoa is cleared to play.

This is anecdotal, but I suf fered a concussion a few years ago. It left me in the hospital for a week, wherein I lost thirty pounds and was left with a vestibular im balance that lasted roughly six months. I could barely spin on a skateboard during this time and did not feel comfortable without a helmet.

How is it that this person, after suffering two concussions within a matter of days – one of which left them unresponsive on the field – be fit to play? An an swer: they are not. Refer to the former answer given at the be ginning of this article as further explanation.

Smash Therapy nears second anniversary

While Saskatchewan has proven to be rough terrain for rage rooms in the past, Smash Therapy in

Saskatoon has seen much success and is nearing its second anniver sary. I interviewed the owner and founder of Smash Therapy, Ma gen Mercer, who said that they first opened back on November 18, 2020, and “by December 1 we had our first month’s commer cial rent, with like no advertising except for a Facebook post. It was just like a miracle through and through, the launch and the sup port that we’ve had.”

Mercer said that the inspira tion to open a rage room came after she had the chance to try one out herself. Noting traumat ic experiences in years prior, she said “I walked away from the sit uation feeling like a new woman, like I got my power back, which I’ve heard people say coming out of my rage room which is awe some. Anyways, I was laughing about it the next day, still on this high of just releasing so much of that crap I was dealing with, and I coined – told myself I coined –the term ‘smash therapy,’ because I felt like I had the best therapy session.”

“I knew it would be helpful,” Mercer said of her business, “but really the reviews are pretty as tounding. The reaction from peo ple and what they’re saying and how helpful it really is, so I would dare to call us a wacky wellness centre.”

In a rage room at Smash Therapy there are a host of items that customers can smash. Some customer favourites have been windshields, printers, and vases, though Mercer noted that

“People love keyboards because when you slam your hammer or bat down on it, or crowbar, the keys all fly up. They just pop up everywhere, and people always laugh about that.” A variety of booking packages are available at Smash Therapy depending on the size of the group attending, but Mercer said that regardless of a group’s size, “I include enough stuff to make it worth someone’s while. If I have a couple coming in, dropping $100 on a 40-minute appointment, they’re gonna leave sweaty and satisfied.”

Equipment with which to smash is also necessary for a rec reational activity like this, and common available options in clude golf clubs, baseball bats, and crowbars, along with the oc casional lamp post. “Frying pans people love,” Mercer added, “and thrift shops always have so many they can’t sell. So yeah, we throw frying pans in there, and all the moms are like, ‘Oh, it’s like that Rapunzel movie!’ Yes it is, Su zanne! Get in there girl!”

Mercer credited her success to perseverance in the face of setbacks, and quality partner ships made early on. “Electronics stores, a couple thrift shops that you know, they can’t sell a lot of their donations and are just pitch ing things in the bins all the time, so we’re sourcing that garbage. We’re like the middleman of all that garbage they see.”

Mercer said she received “hate mail” shortly after open ing from individuals assuming all items would go to waste after be

ing smashed. She noted, howev er, that even in the idea phase of this endeavor, she “wasn’t gonna start the business unless the waste could be handled properly.”

Mercer’s first partnership was made with the Electronic Recycle Association, and has re mained strong over the past two years. Thanks to this partnership, staff and volunteers are able to go through electronics that are donated and “sort all electronic recycle matter out. We actually prepare it before the customers smash it, so we’ll take out circuit boards, capacitors, ink cartridg es and toner bars, all that kind of crap from monitors, printers, TVs, and then people smash them and we still sort all that re cycling from the disaster room.”

Through the upcoming weeks, Mercer and staff will be battening the hatches as they gear up for their busy season. “Sum mers are dead. It’s beautiful, and lake season is really hard to compete with.” she noted. “Win ter? Slammed. Everyone’s bored, looking for something to do, and then Christmas parties, team building events, you know.”

If a rage room sounds up your alley and you can get to Saskatoon, it’s advised you book soon, as Mercer mentioned that for their last two winters in business, they were nearly fully booked for 14 consecutive week ends.

To some, a message from corporate; to others, life and death. Illustration: OpenClipart-Vectors via Pixabay, manipulated by Lee Lim

you heard? It’s all the rage…

holly funk editor-in-chief

A smashing experience for the whole crew. Illustration: OpenClipart-Vectors via Pixabay, manipulated by Lee Lim

op-ed

International student work restrictions eased International students no longer limited to 20 hours of off-campus work

amina salah staff writer

International students are a pillar of the Canadian economy. There are more than 500,000 interna tional students in the country, according to the Government of Canada. The journey to a for eign country on the other side of the globe is not an easy one. It involves being away from your friends, your family, and every thing you know. It involves many hard days trying to adjust to the culture of Canada.

Furthermore, it also involves navigating school, life, relation ships, and most importantly, the depressing weather during the winter months. The reality is that international students are driven, hard-working people who want to better themselves in the pur suit of knowledge. Whether you are an international student, and immigrant, or you were born in this country, there is one thing for sure: university is a way for many of us to level up in life, to get better jobs, and to thus better our circumstances. The pursuit of knowledge is certainly not cheap for locals; for international stu dents, it is ridiculously expensive.

Jobs are important as they ensure that international stu dents are able to make some extra money and maintain the many fees they have to pay. Ear

lier this month, Sean Fraser, the minister of Immigration, Refu gees, and Citizenship, stated that the 20-hour-per-week cap that is meant to regulate and monitor international students’ work off campus will be lifted between No vember 15, 2022, and December 31, 2023. This is a winning mo ment for international students as it offers new opportunities for them. It means they will be able to apply for internships, other jobs, apprenticeships, and more. It means that they will be able to acquire more skills and experi ences as they will now be able to apply for more jobs off-campus without the regulation in place.

I believe that this decision is a response to inflation and the ris ing costs of living. College educa tion does not cost what it used to even five years ago. According to Statistics Canada, international students for the 2022/2023 term will be paying $36,123 on aver age. This is around an 8 per cent increase from the previous years. In 2022/2023, international undergraduate students will be paying 429 per cent more than Canadian students, according to Statistics Canada, while interna tional graduate students will be paying 184 per cent more. These are insane figures. They represent the harsh realities of studying abroad.

Furthermore, a work-schoollife balance is extremely import

ant to the well-being of students. I wish I could say that nobody should work during school be cause the reality is that living ex penses add up on top of tuition. Students are forced to figure out ways to get by with little to no support. Many of my colleagues are relying on grants and student loans to get by as they are unable to find the time to work due to

their busy schedule and rigorous classes.

Students have to find time during the busy days to do their homework, study, catch up on readings, go to class, try to get some sleep, remember to eat, and submit assignments, among oth er things. When exactly are they supposed to find the time to work when most of their days involve

camping up in the library or pull ing all-nighters?

On the other side of the spec trum, the new ruling is important because it gives international stu dents the ability to take advantage of work opportunities available off campus. It is a great way for them to integrate themselves into Canadian work culture and econ omy.

In search of lost masks

As I stood in Montreal’s airport in mid-August, I was surrounded by masked people. Everywhere you looked, you would find an individual donning a mask, be it surgical or cloth. By the end of the month, the mandate requir ing masks would be lifted, and I would be waltzing into the uni versity for the first time in over two years.

I am a fervent mask wearer; cloth masks, usually. I understand there are benefits to be gained from KN95 masks, however I do not have ready access to one, and I have withstood this pandemic unscathed, despite being a sub stitute teacher who is required to travel to any and all schools that call.

Two weeks ago, I was told that a superspreading event oc curred at a staff meeting, which is why I was called in to substitute. It is situations like this that instill and affirm my continued mask use.

Yet, when I go into the uni versity, I would guess that less than five per cent of students and faculty are donning masks, which is alarming given the proximity

we find ourselves in. This is not me proselytizing to you; rather, this is an elucidation upon what I see and what I have experienced. For example, I have had kinder garteners ask me why I was wear ing a mask, whereupon I would explain to them that it was to pre vent me spreading or contracting COVID. “That’s over – my dad dy told me.” I bit my tongue and prompted them back to their co louring sheets.

How is it that something as simple as a mask could be so di visive, so difficult to wear? I heard numerous teachers proclaim that they would retire next year if they had to keep wearing masks. Why? Some cited comfort, others more ambiguous, pernicious thoughts.

Jeremy Bentham, the father of Utilitarianism, would invoke us to consider the benefits for all, not merely the individual.

After the SARS outbreak in 2002 and 2003, many Asian countries adopted mask wearing as a preventative measure. We do not see the same adherence with out mandates in North America. That may be due to the nature of the societal paradigms: North America tends to be individualis tic, supporting individual liberty and choice, whereas Asian cul

tures tend to be more collectivist, thus more willing to support a movement that benefits the entire populous. These tendencies have been borne out in numerous psy chological studies.

However, I understand the desire for normalcy: to see faces as we always have and are evolution arily programmed to view (patter nicity: when you espy faces and shapes in objects such as clouds because that’s how our meat ma

chines work). To hell with the people that demand smiling faces, but I empathize with the want to expose and see faces. They rep resent a large part of our identi ty, hence children drawing faces with more detail, the remainder mere lines in the beginning of their artistic journey.

Thus, I merely advise that you pay attention to the number of cases and act accordingly. As we head into winter, with less

time outside and a diminutive amount of fresh air, we will find cases rising. And need I mention the latent fear of the inscrutable long COVID, which allegedly af fects around one per cent of cases and has a bevy of symptoms that can manifest months after infec tion and become chronic. This is all to say that I can’t force you to do anything, I’m just elucidating upon my reality.

A simple official document, yet it represents the hopes and ambitions of thousands of interna tional students every year.

Photo: Hammad Ali, manipulated by Lee Lim

On campus and around the city, masked faces are ever rarer

I understand the person looking at shoes, and the one on their phone. But why are the other two in the store at all?

Photo: byronv2 via Flickr

Is Rishi Sunak really the poster child of immigrant success?

ali op-ed editor

The United Kingdom has been much in the news the past few months. The death of Queen Elizabeth II, the departure of Bo ris Johnson as leader of the Con servative Party and thus prime minister of the U.K., and Liz Truss taking over as prime minis ter and setting the record for the shortest tenure in U.K. history. All of that culminated two weeks back with the Conservative Party electing a new leader, Rishi Su nak, who by virtue of being party leader is now also the prime min ister of the U.K.

As most people who have been following the news would know, Sunak had long been a contender for the position. Sunak certainly has a very impressive re sume, having gone to Oxford for his undergraduate years and then getting an MBA from Stanford on a Fulbright scholarship. Before entering politics, he was also a successful investment banker with Goldman Sachs, and has worked in multiple hedge fund firms. All that to say, there is little room to doubt his credentials or qualifica tions for his most recent job.

In fact, many admirers have gone as far as to say that the only reason Rishi Sunak was not elected party leader and prime minister even earlier is that the party had to first make sure every White person had a shot at it be fore turning to Sunak, a person of South Asian descent and some one who looks, shall we say, visibly different than Winston Churchill. While it would be naïve of me to deny that racism exists and plays a significant role in politics, I am not too sure that was a factor. If anything, what may be closer to the truth is that Sunak has poli cy stances that the party was not willing to stomach until it had no other options. But more on that another day. The focus of this ar ticle is something else.

U.K. democracy that someone from a former colony rose to the highest office in the land.

I found both perspectives problematic, or at least too sim plistic. While the former often turned into ultranationalist rants about how the U.K. once ruled India and an Indian now rules the U.K., the latter seems too much like the oft-repeated and unhelp ful advice of “work hard and you can do anything” that does not take into account the substantial privileges Rishi Sunak enjoyed from an early age. Let us analyze each of these perspectives in turn.

Those who are claiming it is a huge victory for India and those of Indian descent that a man

is a far cry from when Barack Obama won a popular election in 2008 and convinced the youth of the United States, however briefly, that things were about to change. Sunak is not going to be “ruling” anyone. He will simply be leading a party and a government to the best of his abilities.

As already mentioned, given his credentials, there is reason to hope he can do a good job. While this is happening in the public life, in the business of gov ernment, and perhaps at a much larger scale, an argument can be made that so far, what Sunak has achieved is no different from when people like Satya Nadella or Sundar Pichai – also of Indian

tion here that unlike Sunak, both Nadella and Pichai grew up and went to college in India.

Personally, though, I am far more frustrated with those with the second perspective. These are the ones who are glorifying West ern democracy, or maybe even democracy in general, by pointing out how someone from a former colony is now the head of the gov ernment of the colonizing power.

First of all, I find it a little ridic ulous that Rishi Sunak, whose grandparents left present-day Pa kistan in the 1940s, whose parents were born in Kenya, and who himself was born in Southamp ton, is considered Indian. Sunak was born in the U.K., educated

never stayed in India for more than four weeks, is “Indian”.

Secondly, Sunak had the immense fortune of having two highly educated parents who were able to send him to the best schools, make sure he could focus on education without having to hold down three jobs and/or take on crushing student loan debt, and in general provide the sort of support that is simply not avail able to most people. It helps that all of this happened in one of the wealthiest nations in the world. It also helps that he is married to Akshatha Narayan Murthy, daughter of the Indian billionaire N.R. Narayana Murthy, which brings Sunak’s net worth to just

As soon as Rishi Sunak be came prime minister of the U.K., social media and official news channels began talking about how he is of Indian descent, one of those that the U.K. once colo nized. Depending on what source you were seeing this in, the rest of the commentary either went down a mildly disturbing jingois tic route or the mildly reduction ist route of how it is a triumph of

whose ancestors were colonized is now the prime minister, I almost have to wonder if they are miss ing the point of a parliamentary democracy. Rishi Sunak might be the prime minister, but not be cause he won some sort of direct election. The Conservative Party, in the midst of a leadership crisis, eventually turned to him to lead the party and take on the job of prime minister. This, for instance,

descent – were selected internally to become the CEO of Microsoft and Google respectively.

Someday, Sunak might go down as the greatest prime minis ter in the history of the U.K. and turn the country around from its recent troubles. So far, he has been selected internally for a top executive job. We can only hope he is equal to the challenge. As an aside, I cannot help but men

almost exclusively in the U.K. ex cept when he went to Stanford on a Fulbright scholarship, and even his parents were not born in In dia. As someone who is familiar with Indian politics, I have to let out a chuckle of frustration when the same people who claim Indi an Sikhs and Muslims – who are indigenous to India for over 400 years – are “foreigners” also claim Rishi Sunak, who has probably

under $800 million. At the end of the day, what has happened is that a man born to wealth, and himself the owner of substantial wealth, has been chosen to lead the party in power. Does it really matter so much that this time the man is not White? Do I, a South Asian immigrant, really have more in common with Rishi Su nak than I do with my neighbours and coworkers?

Ultranationalist rants and unhelpful advice abound in interpretations of this shift in leadership

Is it just me, or is it actually unnerving how Sunak’s smile does not quite reach to his eyes?

Photo: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Loval Govt via Flickr

“I find a little ridiculous that Rishi Sunak, whose grandparents left present-day Pakistan in the 1940s, whose parents were born in Kenya, and who himself was born in Southampton, is considered Indian.”

– Hammad Ali