The Athenaeum, issue 78.6

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Acadia’s Student Newspaper, since 1874 January 28th, 2016 Issue 78.6

EDITORIAL something new page 2

ARTS bow for bowie page 3

NEWS mlk vigil page 10

OPINIONS tidal series page 13


atheditorials The Athenaeum Acadia University’s Student Newspaper Issue 78.6 ASU Box 6002, Acadia University Wolfville, NS, Canada B4P 2R5 Editor-In-Chief: Andrew D. Haskett Email: eic@acadiau.ca SUB room 512 EIC Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 1:30-4:30 Advertising Inquiries: connell.finance@ acadiau.ca Business Inquiries: 116765m@acadiau.ca Section Editors Art: Adam Langille Creative: Rebekah Hutten Distractions: Thane Mullen Features: Hope Latta News: Hannah Hutchinson Opinions: Kody Crowell Science: Katie McCulloch Sports: Sam Gillis

Online:

Senewa Sena Management Production Manager Robin Lawson Photo Manager Anjuli Ripley Advertising Maager Theresa Connell Business Manager Robyn McMillan Copy Editor Tyler Nelson Editor-in-Chief Andrew Haskett

The Athenaeum is the official student newspaper of Acadia University and is published in print and online year-round at theath.ca. The opinions expressed herein do not represent the Acadia Students Union or the staff of the Athenaeum, they are held by the individuals who contribute to the Athenaeum as essential members of our completely student-run newspaper. We pride ourselves in publishing and participating in a diverse community, and we are more than eager to work with anyone, regardless of age, economic situation, race, creed, sexual orientation, or any other defining or diversive human trait. In the spirit of great debate we will argue with you and your opinions to the ends of the earth if we deem it necessary. Articles submitted will be published at the discretion of the editorial board. If there is content that we feel will not add to the philosophy, dialogue, or tone of our newspaper, it will not be published. We’re always looking for controversial and rowdy material that challenges society and its norms, but any material deemed offensive or hateful will be met with extreme scrutiny. That being said, all of our staff members look forward to working together with writers to improve their quality of writing, and to make sure the Athenaeum remains professional and well-rounded. The Athenaeum may accept submissions from any student or member of our campus, present and past, and is always looking for more writers and photographers. If you are looking for coverage of an event or story, would like to notify us of a complaint or correction, or would like to submit a letter to the editor, contact Andrew D. Haskett at eic@acadiau.ca There are open story meetings every Wednesday at 6pm in the Athenaeum office, room 512 in the SUB. Everyone is welcome, and we encourage you to join us! The Athenaeum, since 1874. Call it like you see it. T his issue’s cover art wa s created by Robin Lawson, who ate t he ent ire t hing.

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Kiss My Axe (Lounge)

An overview of the proposed axe lounge renovation Andrew Haskett Editor-in-Chief

Large numbers scare the shit out of people. Finance, business, math, and economics students can attest to this, and I bet a good few of them experience some euphoric schadenfreude when someone gasps and shivers at the thought of an immense lump sum payment. Worry not, for the price point coming here is a union endeavor, and as brothers and sisters of this fine institution we may pay it together and then drink a brew. With construction beginning in April, the Axe Lounge will be undergoing a major renovation, the first of its kind within the ASU in twenty-five years. The physical layout, the financial structure, and the types of services that the Axe Lounge currently offers will be bolstered. The aim of this project is to provide the students of Acadia University with a central “hub”, an on-campus lounge worthy of its name. An in-house kitchen with full amenities, along with the inclusion of a larger staff load (more jobs for the jobless), and longer hours represents a boost to the campus and student economy. The revenue gained through the added services will continue to fund the ASU and all of its internal and external services and organizations. Here’s where the spine-breaking number figures come into play. The renovations to the Axe Lounge and its services could accumulate to two-million dollars, with a seven-hundred thousand dollar contingency, which could lead to the total cost

of the project being as low as one million and three-hundred thousand dollars. Part of this cost will be incurred through ASU student union dues, at a rate of fifteen dollars per student per semester for the first five years of operation, and then changing to a total of twenty-five dollars per semester per student. Let’s do a little bit of math: construction is expected to finish the summer before the 2017/2018 academic year. All current students (minus those graduating before that calendar year) will be within the framework of the fifteen dollar persemester union fee. At the very least, depending on program, length of enrollment, etc., students would expect a thirty dollar per academic year charge, and at most a one hundred and twenty dollar fee charge (subtracted from tuition fees) through the course of their four year program. After the initial five year period all students will pay the twenty-five dollar fee (two hundred and fifty dollars for a four year stay), and all students of Acadia University, past and present, will have lifetime access to the Axe, whether or not they were present to pay the fee. Added to this is that all of these incurred fees will go towards improved accessibility within the Students’ Union Building, including a proposed elevator lift to the floor that the Safety and Security office is located. The referendum, with a campus wide voting campaign for this action (that is, the renovations), will be hosted on February 8th and 9th, and a collective vote of 30% of the student body is

needed for a passing grade. Put your money where your mouth is and vote for a bonafide Acadia University legacy. Otherwise you’ll probably spend it on some shitty Joe’s spaghetti. Below is a quick bullet summary of the ups, downs, and all-arounds of the project, and accompanying this article is a set of the proposed blueprints. New student “hub”: -Study spot/ group meeting spot -Food will be a full menu with operating hours from 10am-1am (all ages from 10am-7pm) -Improved layout for all Axe Lounge events- better bar and stage location. Plans put together by Harvey Architecture and MAC interior design -MAC interior design notables around Halifax- Il Mercado, Saege Bistro, Ela! Restaurant, Bicycle thief, Flip Burger Axe revenues have been declining in recent years, this will create a constant revenue stream for the next 20 years: -Increases in revenue will stem from: -Increasing attendance from better layout -Food sales -Longer hours The renovation will lead to to job creation in the form of servers, kitchen workers and additional attendance will lead to the need for added Axe workers on Wednesday and Friday nights.


atharts

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Oh! You Pretty Thing

Bowie at his best: a personal top five Keith Stratton Contributor

Since his recent and untimely death, there has been some debate within the music community about the merits of David Bowie’s musicianship. Many people argue that he was inept as an instrumentalist, and that his efforts as a guitarist and pianist were feeble to the point that he was required to hire superior musicians such as Mick Ronson and Rick Wakeman. Some even critique his vocal style, or the simplicity of his songwriting. I argue that Bowie was an incredibly formidable musician, but of a unique nature: his musicianship lies in his ability for being culturally attuned and responsive through several decades. Bowie’s many personas and fashions were so trend-setting because he had his ear to the ground. He was incredibly daring and unafraid to go out on a limb with new people, a new place, or new ideas. His collaborators’ careers were often propelled by working with him, as in the case of Brian Eno and Iggy Pop. It takes an extremely skilled ear to sound fresh and relevant after many decades in the business. Bowie’s networking abilities and relentless productivity made him just as adequate of a musician as any virtuosic instrumentalist. David Bowie’s discography has something in it for everyone. 60’s psychedelia, 70’s glam, American soul, ambient and electronica, 80’s dance pop, 90’s alternative, and beyond... since the late 60’s there has been few genres in the Western pop world that Bowie has not tried his hand at. Here are my personal top five albums in his canon. While they represent my individual taste, I believe they are all examples of Bowie at his objective best. If you are a newcomer to Bowie’s music I recommend starting here!

which his ambient soundscapes dominate Bowie’s compositions to create a suite of contemplative instrumentals. Robert Fripp was the lead guitarist for the notorious prog-rock ensemble King Crimson, but by the mid-70’s he was looking for new sounds and projects as well. Eno called him in to lay down some guitar tracks, and in only one day Fripp smothered “Heroes” with his signature style. You can hear Fripp’s work most prominently on the title track, in which in synth-sounding guitar lead provides the repetitive two-note hook. Along with the beautiful second side, the title track and ‘Sons of the Silent Age’ are my favourite tracks on here, with Bowie giving his all into the microphone and supported by a wall of sound created by his collaborators. If you like this, try: Another Green World by Brian Eno, 1975; Discipline by King Crimson, 1981. 4. Aladdin Sane, 1973 This album was Bowie’s first as an established superstar, released after the breakthrough success of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Similar in tone to Ziggy, this album distinguishes itself by featuring more American influence. Several tracks boast more of a traditional U.S. rock ‘n’ roll style, such as “Watch That Man”, “Cracked Actor”, and in particular “Panic in Detroit”, which features a classic Bo Diddley beat. Bowie’s raucous cover of The Rolling Stones’ hit “Let’s Spend the Night Together” adds to the greasy hard rock feel.

In a wonderfully sharp contrast to this, pianist Mike Garson gives this album a distinctive flair with his virtuosic playing. On the title track, Garson lets loose with a truly deranged piano solo that leaves the realm of rock ‘n’ roll into the avant-garde. It’s a breathtaking moment that signals Bowie’s departure into new sonic territories. My favou5. “Heroes”, 1977 rites include the title track, the retro Recorded in West Berlin during a peri- number “Drive-In Saturday”, and of od in which Bowie was recovering from course the hit single “The Jean Genie”. his hedonistic rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle in America, this album is atmospheric If you like this, try: Sticky Fingers by and moody. The dark and peculiar at- The Rolling Stones, 1971; Roxy Music mosphere owes everything to two no- by Roxy Music, 1972. table collaborators, Brian Eno and Rob- ert Fripp. Eno was originally a member 3. Hunky Dory, 1971 of glam- and art-rock outfit Roxy Music I like to think of this as Bowie’s ‘singerin the early 70’s, and soon departed to songwriter’ album. Compared to most make solo records, on which he experi- of his other releases, the instrumentamented extensively with keyboard syn- tion is much more sparse and exposed, thesizers and production technology. letting his voice and songwriting carry Upon Bowie’s move to Germany, Eno the tunes along. Bowie’s voice is at its was enlisted to produce his next set of most youthful and idiosyncratic here, records, resulting in a highly successful and he really establishes his sound and collaboration. Eno gives this album a style, both sonically and lyrically. The variety of electronic and synthetic tex- album launches off to a rocket start tures, particularly on the second side in with a triad of hit songs: “Changes”,

“Oh! You Pretty Things”, and “Life On Mars”. However it is the second side that boasts my favourites, “Andy Warhol” and “Queen Bitch”. The lyrics are sharp and critical of the fading optimism of the 1960’s and its biggest icons. If you prefer more cinematic, dramatic songs (as opposed to atmospheric jams), this may be the Bowie album for you. This album is also notable for featuring pianist Rick Wakeman, well-known for his years with the band Yes as well as his own ambitious progrock solo projects. Wakeman gives Bowie’s tunes a gentle flourish and his laidback elegance on the keys matches the vocal style. On a personal note, the slapback echo effect on the “Life on Mars?” drums is about as good as that early 70’s analog sound gets. If you like this, try: Ram by Paul and Linda McCartney, 1971; Elton John by Elton John, 1970. 2. Low, 1977 The first of the Bowie-Eno collaborations, this is probably the most experimental of Bowie’s catalog, at least until the release of 2016’s Blackstar. Like Heroes, the album consists of two parts. The first half contains a set of quirky pop songs, amplified by thick, processed drums and electronics galore. “Sound and Vision” shines as a standout here, with a killer vocal performance and an unforgettable hook. “Always Crashing in the Same Car” features some beautiful chord progressions and makes great use of the strange production as well. Things take a turn for the stranger on side 2, which features four lengthy tracks of primarily electronic instrumentation (with the exception of “Weeping Wall”). Aside from “Sound and Vision”, my favourites on the album are “Warszawa” and “Subterraneans”, both of which are simply gorgeous Eno soundscapes punctuated by some Bowie vocals at unexpected moments. To me, these

tracks represent the height of the artistic achievement within the Bowie-Eno collaboration. It is important to note that now in the 21st century, electronic composers and ambient music are very commonplace, but at the time of this album’s release, these tracks were truly groundbreaking and very futuristic. If you like this, try: Symphony No. 1 “Low” by Philip Glass, 1992; Before and After Science by Brian Eno, 1977 1. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, 1972 This is where it all comes together. Bowie made himself a superstar by playing the role of the ultimate superstar: Ziggy Stardust. If the plot of the concept album and the iconography make little sense to you, don’t worry. It’s not about that, it’s about the music, the fashion, the style, and the message of being yourself. But most importantly it’s about the music. The songs on this album are as diverse as they are consistently excellent, which is a very rare feat for any artist. The big hits, “Starman” and “Suffragette City”, are still catchy and exciting after endless listens. The deeper cuts are hardley worse though: “Soul Love”, “Moonage Daydream”, and “Lady Stardust” especially shine as equal candidates for potential hit singles. Bowie’s band is on point every beat of the way, and guitarist Mick Ronson delivers searing riff after riff. Ronson’s contribution to this album certainly equals Bowie’s, as his guitar riffs define each song. My favourite Bowie song of all time, “Ziggy Stardust”, is propelled by Ronson’s guitar and Bowie’s humorous and irresistible vocals to create a song that will last several lifetimes. This album has no weak moments – listen to it today. If you like this, try: Transformer by Lou Reed, 1972; Electric Warrior by T. Rex, 1971; Imagine by John Lennon, 1971.

Photo by: Keith Stratton

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Gamelan at Acadia

Take a seat and listen hear the music in larger waves now. India Gailey & Ken Shorley Student & Faculty Acadia School of Music India Gailey I first consciously listened to gamelan music in the fall of my first year at Acadia when Dr. Jeff Hennessy played some snippets for our Music and Society class. Soon after, I attended the Gamelan Ensemble concert and found it pretty overwhelming. The ringing overtones were flying around the auditorium and my ears and vibrating through my body. It was really entertaining to watch the different kinds of calmly wielded mallets dance like red eyes through dark space, and to watch Ken’s hair bouncing along as he manipulated the tempo on kendang (hand drums). I was slightly uncomfortable, yet relaxed and intrigued. I’m now a member of the Gamelan Ensemble, and the way I hear gamelan music has completely changed. The slightly-off intonation that used to sound harsh is now just a natural part of the gamelan sound-world. The music can be repetitive, and rarely has an arc or climax in the same way that Western music does; it is usually a consistent contrapuntal texture with different sections that vary in density, tempo, or the prominence of certain instruments. I can tune into a particular aspect based on how I’m feeling, maybe focusing on a rowdy peking (soprano keyboard) line, or a woodsy gambang accompaniment (xylophone type of instrument), or listen to the entire texture as a whole. I think I

Playing gamelan requires a special kind of concentration, a kind that I’m not so used to. The keyboard instruments often play a super fast interlocking line, and if one person falls off (usually me) it’s really hard to get back on track! Even the simpler parts can be difficult because it is easy to space out. But that’s the beauty of playing music; it’s a constant reminder to be present. And I do like hitting things to make interesting sounds, so I’m working on getting better at it. Ken Shorley “What is gamelan?” The word gamelan (GAH-muh-lahn) is a broad term that is used to describe a type of percussion orchestra from Indonesia, particularly from the islands of Java and Bali. Most gamelan ensembles are made up of hand-crafted bronze and wooden instruments, and usually include a combination of the following: large suspended gongs, sets of tuned gong-chimes, metallophones, xylophones, bamboo flutes, cymbals, and double-headed hand drums. Written records of gamelan activity in Java date back to the Hindu-Buddhist courts of the 12th century, although it is believed to have roots in even more ancient musical traditions. Today, the gamelan continues to play an important role in the cultural life of Indonesia. There are many different types of gamelan music, each appropriate to a particular event or oc-

Photo by: Kayla Westhaver-Covin casion. Gamelan is heard at wedding celebrations, birth rituals, funerals, festivals, and “latihan” (casual listening sessions in private homes), as well as providing accompaniment to dance and shadow puppet performances. Contemporary musicians (both in Indonesia and elsewhere) have also been enjoying the exploration of “fusion” styles that combine gamelan with pop, rock, jazz, hip-hop, avantgarde, and electronic music. The gamelan that has been in residence at the Acadia School of Music since 2008 is a Sundanese (West Javanese) Gamelan Degung. Compared with other gamelan, ours is almost an “apartment-sized” ensemble, which requires only eight people to perform.

The Acadia Gamelan Ensemble performs a wide variety of beautiful and exciting music, both traditional and contemporary, and has been proud to premiere new works by Canadian and Indonesian composers, including those written by our mentor and teacher Ade Suparman from Bandung, West Java. There are opportunities for Acadia students from all faculties to hear and play gamelan, including a very special summer gamelan course in June 2016 with visiting instructor, the multiinstrumentalist/composer Ade Suparman. If you would like more info about Gamelan at Acadia, please visit: http:// kenshorley.com/acadiagamelan.

Chia Pets vs. Neopets a battle for the ages Adam Langille Arts Editor

nasty characters Willie and Uncle Si. Chia Pets might seem a bit old school right now, but they’re keeping their Chia Pets take 2--3 weeks to grow, and heads in the game with all of these this wheel will probably take that long hip new additions to their line of to stop spinning. products. I bet their new Spiderman pet even has Andrew Garfield underCh-ch-ch Chia! Spread the seeds and neath. watch them grow! It’s like a metaphor for love and friendship, but with the Sorry old pets. I created a new acsimplest, catchiest five-syllable jincount, chiapetadmirer, on Neopets gle. Who wouldn’t want to watch the by connecting with Facebook (so seeds of love grow into Scooby Doo’s fresh). The first thing I did was take afro? Joseph Enterprises has even my little penguin “Pingruel” to grab been keen and innovative enough to a piece of that giant juicy omelette. introduce emoji Chia Pets (no eggplant While at the plateau, I stopped by emoji available). There’s also splendid the “Wheel of Monotony.” It costs selections for CNN enthusiasts in the 150 Neopoints to spin, and it takes Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich pets (not foooorrrreeeevvvveeeerrrr. Talk forgetting the “Freedom of Choice” about metaphors for life - this is a perBarack Obama pet). My favourites still fect example of monotonous delayed might be the chia beards on Duck Dy-

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gratification. After a few minutes, the wheel still hasn’t stopped spinning. It just keeps ticking away. Neopets doesn’t seem to have updated all that much since I was a prepre-teen, but I guess they didn’t have to. They already have a lot of things nailed down - I mean, my life is basically just living off of omelettes and waiting for the wheel of monotony to stop spinning. There’s other things to explore in Neopets and in life, but I’m just going to keep sitting here listening to the ticking of that wheel. Not because I necessarily want the award, but the bias of having already put in sizeable amounts of time and effort would make it feel like a waste to stop now.

The wheel is still ticking. Do kids have patience for this? Despite the ability of Chia Pets to be fresh with beards, they don’t make me as reflective as Neopets did within the first five minutes of logging in. I haven’t even played a game or leveled up little Pingruel at all yet, and I’m already stuck in some metaphorical treadmill. I guess you could call the game pretty captivating. I feel like I would forget about a Chia Pet, but the ticking of this wheel is much more persistent as it is driving itself into my brain. I guess if you want a bit less of a commitment, Chia Pets, or even actual pets, are better options than Neopets. However, if you’re looking for a dark void to gaze into, Neopets is for you.


atharts

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grozny three sisters, one play Zachary Craig Contributor We sit in t h e d ar k du s ty ba s em ent one p ar t icular fa culty m em b er loves to ca ll hom e. T h e ba s em ent of D enton ha ll is a cha m ele on, a sma ll ever cha nging creat u re ca p a ble of s om e ver y colou r f ul a pp eara nces – ju s t li ke it s resid ent s. O ver t h e year s it ha s b e en a hom e of vaud ev illia n French t h eat re, Middle Ea s ter n war z ones, a p o s t-a p oca lypt ic la nd s ca p e, a nd now t h e ca pit a l of t h e Ch e ch en Republic of Ru s sia, Groz ny. We are wa it ing to b egin one of t h e m o s t sub s t a nt ive shows of ou r young care er s. We are wa it ing for t h e Di re ctor. He touch e d d own f rom Tok yo a b ou t 4 hou r s ago, left in a car f rom t h e a i r p or t in Ha lifa x, a nd ar rive d in Wolf v ille in t im e to ma ke t h e cla s s h e wa s t ea ching at t h e end of t h e d ay. H is ar riva l in ou r At la nt ic St a nd ard Tim e wa s lat e at n ight, t hough for him it felt a s t hough it wa s tom orrow m or n ing b e cau s e of t h e prev iou s t im e z one. We f ig u re we ca n ke ep wa it ing for a m inu t e b efore we s t ar t t h e f i r s t read t h rough of t h e show. T his s em es t er t h e Acadia T h eat re Com p a ny pu t s on T h re e Sis t er s by A nton Ch ek hov. Ch ek hov is k nown for such wor k s a s T h e Seag ull a nd Uncle Va nya, a nd for wor k ing a longsid e a not h er t h eat rica l t it a n – t h e di re ctor St a n islavsk i. It is a b old s t at em ent w it hin t h e t h eat re com mun ity a nyt im e a na m e li ke Ch ek hov is u s e d; li ke Sha kesp eare or Wild e t h ey car r y w it h t h em resp on sibility a nd reverence. T h e Acadia T h eat re Com p a ny’s shows are grow ing b old er s t ill w it h it s reint er pret e d v ision for t his Ru ssia n cla s sic. Set in t h e m od er n d ay of smar t phones a nd cla s sic rock, it s t a nd s in such s t ar k opp o sit ion to D r. D ev ine’s s t rict ad h esion to ling uis t ic cont inuity a nd mult icult u ra l a ppro a ch es. P ronunciat ion s are key, w hich ha s prov id e d a f resh cha llenge to ma ny a ctor s in t h e t h eat re comp a ny. Chara ct er s w ho sp ea k t wo or m ore la ng uages are p ar t icularly diff icult to play. T h e prep arat ion t im e for a show nor ma lly t a kes

a b ou t 4 0 0 ma n-hou r s for a di re ctor: f rom b egin n ing t h e proces s t h rough to op en ing n ight. Som et im es t his ha pp en s rat h er sudd en ly a s in t h e ca s e t his s em est er, w it h t h e show b eing cha nge d m id-s em es t er in 2015 to it s cu rrent s ch e dule. T h e a br upt t im eline shift wa s a bit of a su r pris e to t h e s t ud ent s w it hin t h e com p a ny, bu t t h ey are a lways up for a cha llenge. Ma ny s e cond year s t ud ent s s t epp e d into leading roles for t h e f i r s t t im e. A m ong t h em are Kat ie Ch evel a nd St eph en Ro b er t s, w ho ea ch won t h e award of Bes t Actor in la s t year’s Min ifes t. Ch evel com es to Wolf v ille f rom t h e co a s t of Brit ish Colum bia a nd wa s given t h e role of Ma sha, t h e m oro s e m iddle sis t er. W h en a ske d w hy sh e cho s e Acadia, sh e s a id “I wa s supp o s e d to go to a n ar t s s chool in Va ncou ver, bu t my b es t f riend f rom k ind ergar t en s a id h e wa s com ing h ere to pu r sue t h eat re. We were b ot h involve d in t h eat re in high s chool. He conv ince d m e to follow my d rea m s a nd we b ot h went to Acadia toget h er.” Now sh e is s t ar ring a longsid e wom en f rom a cro s s t h e count r y, ea ch w it h t h e s a m e go a l. Ro b er t s com es to u s f rom t h e A n na p olis Va lley, play ing A nd rei t h e brot h er of t h e Sis t er s. He brings ent hu sia sm a nd char m to t h e chara ct er w ho is over r un by t h e wom en in his life. T his s em est er a ls o s e es t h e ret u r n of Ma lia Roger s. A lways eager to p er for m, sh e ha s ret u r ne d to a ct ing aft er relea sing h er re cent a lbum Nomad on iTunes. A few bu sines s s t ud ent s have a ls o found t h ei r way into Ru s sia n m ilit ar y gear t his s em es t er. T h ey are t a k ing adva nt age of t h e com p a ny’s cro s s fa culty a ppro a ch to ca s t ing.

year to b ot h lear n va lua ble sk ills a nd to prov id e for ot h er s t ud ent s. Wit h s o ma ny cont ribu t ion s coming f rom b ehind t h e cu r t a in s, it is im p or t a nt not to forget to highlight t h em. Two ver y d e dicat e d fou r t h year s, Ro by n Ga lla nt (s t age ma nager) a nd Ka s ey D eVries (s et a nd prop ma nager), prefer t h e ba ck s t age a s t h ei r que end om s. Ga lla nt ha s to b e read y for a b s olu t ely a nyt hing. Sh e is oft en s e en tot ing h er im pres sive k it w hich is ca p a ble of t hwar t ing a nyt hing t hat Mu r phy’s Law ca n t h row at h er. Sh e is ex p erience d in t h eat re f rom h er year s a s t e ch n ica l di re ctor of Sp ot light T h eat re Com p a ny in P rince Ed ward I sla nd. D eVries is in h er elem ent b ehind t h e d oor s of t h e ATC shop. Able to conju re up a ny prop or s et sh e’s b e en a ske d to d o for t h e p a s t 4 year s, h er exp eriences have given h er t h e a bility to d res s a s t ud ent in a t iger co s t um e w hile in sid e a n on s t age bat ht ub - w it hou t t h e audience s e eing a t hing.

T h e s t ud ent s w it hin t his du s ty ba s em ent are o b s es s e d. For year s, it s in ha bit a nt s have s t retch e d, a lt ere d, p a int e d, pla s t ere d, cu t a nd d em olish e d it, on ly to rebuild it aga in nex t s em es t er aft er it ha s b e en pu t ba ck in ord er. Ever y sma ll glow t a p e d cor ner of t h e ba s em ent ha s a magic to t h es e s t ra nge few. Som e have ju s t b eg un to ca ll it hom e, w hile ot h er s are gett ing read y to s ay good bye to it a s t hough it were a n old f riend. T h e Acadia D ra ma fa culty is a sma ll t ight k n it fa m ily rarely s e en away f rom t h e cor ner s of t h e BAC or D enton Ha ll. We are cont ent lear n ing a b ou t t h e phonet ics of Ru s sia n dia le ct a nd t h e philo s ophy of g un s, bu t we are eager to showca s e ou r wor k to you. Plea s e com e a nd supp or t t h e s t ud ent s a nd fa culty h ere by sp ending one n ight enjoy ing you r s elf at t h e Acadia T h eat re Com p a ny’s product ion of T h re e Sis t er s.

A ll shows at Acadia are built f rom t h e ground up to h elp e ducat e s t ud ent s in t h e t h eat re proces s. T h ey showca s e t h e ar t is t ic t a lent s of ma ny s t ud ent s b ehind t h e s cenes. Ta k ing t h e rein s of t h e t e ch n ica l sid e of product ion w ill b e Kat herine Jen k in s-Rya n, w ho ha s d esig ne d for t h e ATC in year s p a s t. Ja m ie Lough ead w ill a ls o b e cont ribu t ing in ma ny ways, a m ong t h em light ing d esig ner. T h e u s e of proje ct ion w it hin t his show a ls o highlight s a m od er n t a ke on a literar y cla s sic. St ud ent s f rom a cro s s fa cult ies are a s sis t ing aga in t his

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18: by Anonymous It’s your f irst day of school, and your teacher is really nice. She gives you a piece of pap er and tells you to w rite Ab out what you want to b e when you grow up. You don’t k now the answer, so you put “Ballerina” Just like ever yone else, and draw a prettier version of yourself In a t ut u, and a big smile on your face. Then in grade one, your teacher plays the clarinet And she asks you if you k now what you want to b e yet. This time you w rite “Singer,” b ecause that’s what made you happy… Singing when your parent s fought, and when you found out Your dad cheated on your mother, and t ried to ta ke your brother, So she punched him in the face. In fact, each year after that, they continue to ask you W hat it is you want to b e, and you can never decide but You k now you have to event ually, and your mom says You’re smart, so you can b e a doctor, law yer, a teacher Or anything you want. Then, in grade four, you have your f irst “love,” You t r y to ma ke friends, but they never really stay, You got used to your mom not b eing around, And your dad keeps forgetting your birthday. Ever y day, you go home to empty cupb oards, And a new babysitter, sure to leave Because your mom lost her job, and can’t pay the fee. She hides in her room, with some guy you had a bad feeling ab out, from the second he walked into your house. You lie to your brother and sister, “Mommy’s alright” But she’s losing weight fast, and you haven’t slept in night s And who are these p eople, always k nocking on the door? Asking if you’re home alone, and you k now they k now you’re lying but you don’t k now where your mom got those br uises, And why she’s always cr ying. After grade six, you’re at a new school, in a new place, And you no longer live with your mom, She ran away to b e with that guy, and you found out She smoked crack cocaine. No one will tell you what that is, You just k now it’s a bad thing, and the kids Keep calling you names, like slut, and whore. You’re bullied senselessly, and start to realize that thirteen Isn’t what you hop ed for any more. All through junior high, ever y one has something bad to say, The teachers are on your case, demanding you get good grades, You need to succeed but think, “how the hell is Pythagoras Gonna help me?” and ever y Thursday, you go to therapy Due to the thought s in your head, and that p o em you w rote Your teacher found, ab out how you wished you were dead, And you think that if only they would ask you now, W hat it is you want to b e, You’d say “Happy”. In high school, they don’t ask, just assume you have a plan. You need to have one in order to succeed, but it’s just as unclear As it was in grade three. You’ve got depression, an x iety, And you’re always r unning away from the shit you have to face,

Light-walker by India Yeshe Gailey All of the p eople at the librar y are b eautiful, reflecting the glow of Swedish architect ure and gentle care of alphab etization They exude the lush world of mind words feelings, revelations, t ranslated through time and out through their skin The jogging p eople glide on the sidewalk with pulsating sy nchronicity Their faces b ounce off of slow st rolling folk and shiny condo mirrors as they complete a lung dance on concrete.

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In the park p eople lay on the ground letting green earth villi energize their blood, t rees radiating sun concent rate The littlest ones putter round with delight, the big ones wish not to ret ur n to their plastic cub es And the crea k y old ones savour the colours that they may never see again.

Hoping it won’t catch up, you’re fast enough, and these sp ort s teams And committees are just a dist raction from reality b ecause Of all the things p eople say ma ke a difference in school, Is that what really matters compared to what you go home to? You haven’t seen your father in eight years, and he’s Threatening to put your mom in jail… she’s still with that guy you hate That started her on dr ugs when you were in the fourth grade, But she talks to you like nothing’s changed, and the thing is, You don’t care b ecause it’s b etter than when she wasn’t there And you’re still r unning. Your friends are getting worried, And you keep telling them you’re f ine, As you hide the scars on your w rist, And ever y one is dr unk, all the damn time, Because we all hurt from something, and it ta kes away The pain. In the mirror, you can’t recognize your face, and It’s such a disgrace, how you just don’t give a fuck Ab out growing up Because you already have fast enough. You aren’t daddy’s little girl, your mom t reat s you like a friend, So you get lost in your own world, dream of r unning away, or an end… W hy should you stay? You’ve hated yourself for the last nine years and found That no one can seem to f igure out what the fuck is w rong You’ve slit your w rist s up and down ever y night and They’re all still asking you what you want to b e when you grow up, Not if you’re alright, And the funny thing is, You don’t even k now, If you’ll ma ke it, That far. Now, you’ve made it out of grade 12… Do es anyone k now what they want to do? Not really, but you’re going to university, it’ll b e a good change, an escap e. And mom says you’re still smart, you’ll go far, and you realize You always have b een, so gold star, and sp ea king of your mom, She’s getting b etter, even if your father’s still a dead-b eat, no-go-getter, With t wo other kids, and an alcohol addiction, it do esn’t matter, You’re doing f ine on your own, and when you feel alone, you dance in the kitchen Like a ballerina in a t ut u, with a smile on your pretty face And at 2am when you can’t sleep, you w rite p o et r y, and you sing W hen you’re sad, and when you’re not, you sing even louder, And please, keep r unning. Because now, You wa ke up ever y mor ning, and get to k now the face in the mirror. You have a reason to b e alive: your brother, and your sister, You st rive to survive, and even on the hardest day, you force that damn smile, And remind yourself, how fucking b eautiful you really are Because you’ve made it this far And you will, Be happy.

Red Birds and Hazy Clouds by Sidharth Kondapuram

Pretty cerise bird why do you peck at my windows all day long? My wife is in the kitchen and she does not appreciate this perturbation. She undulates between the counters. Gliding with guile. Sometimes I feel like without you—cerise bird— she would stop undulating across the marble. There would be no love in the morning or in the night.

Times Old Roman by Sidharth Kondapuram I write when I’m sad, or angry, or anxious, or alone. I hope I find someone that makes me feel like not writing.


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Sudoku

crossword

Cloudy Daze Maze

Clue Bank ACROSS 1) Ros ebud f rom ‘Citizen Ka ne’ 5) Ab ove 9) Cont rols 11) Prover b 1 2) W hat T-Pa in wa nted to buy ‘Shaw ty’ 13) University _____ Da me 14) Coldplay song ‘____ La Vida’ 15) Less Fals e 16) Brew 17) Not Us 18) Abnor mal 20) Baby Sheep 22) Excrement 24) 9 0’s Alt Rock Ba nd 27) Smoking By-product 29) ____ f ide 30) Swe ep Away 31) Up to 33) Large A rter y 34) Locat ion

DOWN 1) Clap, for exa mple 2) Ins e ct Progeny 3) For m of Com munication 4) Mile High City 5) Cherish 6) Actor Cha nning 7) Sh rek, for exa mple 8) Equal 10) Music Style 11) Song 17) A mbush 19) Seward’s Folly 21) Ma nning or Elway 22) Peep 23) Unw ind s 25) Computer Key 26) August a’s Location 27) In A not her Dire ction 28) Foot Cont a iner 29) Greyhound, for exa mple 32) Cat A st rological Sign

January 28th, 2016

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Minimalist Thinking A Brief Overview of the Rainboot phenomena Hope Latta Features Editor Illness is a setback that most people embrace when they start to live in residence. Common colds spread like wildfire, and people are at risk when they live in such closed environments. Ever ything from shared bathrooms to meal hall utensil dispensers make it hard for students to avoid getting sick. The following are some ways to prevent the common cold: 1. Take vitamin supplements. Not only does this boost your overall health, it will also help you to maintain a good amount of vitamin C. It is often hard to eat healthy at University, especially if you go to meal hall. According to University City, multivitamins are essential for fighting sickness. These vitamins will help to supplement your body with nutrients that you might not be getting from

meal hall food. One a day is great for your health. They can be found at Shoppers Dr ug Mart on Main Street and also EOS Whole Foods. For just a small amount of effort, it is definitely a great alternative to heav y exercise. 2. Drink tea. In addition the vitamin and mineral benefits of tea, green tea contains many different beneficial properties for improved health. One of the main compounds of bioflavonoid catechin. Green tea can be found at our campus meal hall as well as in the BAC food court. A small amount of tea is helpful for staying healthy and can be fun to have as well. 3. Don’t share drinks, especially at parties. While it can be tempting to take a sip to see what something tastes like, it’s not a good idea to do this during December, Januar y, or Febr uar y. Winter months are known

Photo by: Anjuli Ripley for bringing illness and this sort of interaction is especially bad for spreading sickness. 4. Avoid junk foods. Since the winter months are so gr uelling, it is especially important that you don’t eat as

much food from the pizza and fast food sections of meal hall. While it’s fine to include these things in your diet, it’s also important to remember that sometimes those choices may lead to an increased vulnerability to wintertime sickness.

Keep Yourself From Getting Sick How to Stay on Top of Your Game Anonymous Contributor The Acadia campus ha s s een an uprising of rain b oot s a s a replacement for snow b oot s. T his new t rend is interesting for many rea sons. It highlight s a m inimalist attit ude towards fa shion t hat is ma king a comeback not only in t he entertainment indust r y, but also w it h t hings such a s off ice supplies, elect ronics, and many ot her concept ual designs. According to b ecom ingm inimalist.com, m inimalism is s een a s t he intentional promotion of t hings we value, and t he ta king away of anyt hing els e t hat do es not f it t hat description. It encourages p eople to own fewer t hings and to t r y to f ind more t han one us e for ever yt hing t hey have. Winter fa shion isn’t t he only t hing t hat repres ent s m inimalist t hinking, but t he fact t hat p eople are interested in a m inimalist approach is interesting. The approach is almost a statement of t he p eace t hat p eople f ind in hav ing less. W hat is it ab out fa shion t hat ma kes m inimalist t hinking so app ealing? Companies such a s Apple and Google have applied m inimalist t hinking in t he way t hat t hey st r uct ure t heir websites. If you were to look at an iPhone or look at t he homepage of Google, you would f ind ver y few t hings to look at. This

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approach ha s b ecome p opular in recent years, and is exp ected to continue grow ing in st rengt h. In ter ms of t he fa shion indust r y, m inimalist t hinking highlight s an uncluttered life and a conf idence in k now ing t hat t here is more to ever yt hing t han what you t hink.

The elect ronic indust r y ha s b een simplif y ing an average off ice desk for t he la st 4 0 years. Before, employees would have a calendar, address b ook, telephone, f ile folders, sp ea kers, CDs and DVDs and ot her stationar y items. Wit h t he ris e in computer usage, p eople have started to rely on one dev ice

to do a multit ude of t hings. There is much sp eculation t hat t he origin of m inimalist t hinking comes f rom elect ronic development s t hat have ta ken place. So what do es t his mean in relation to fa shion? Perhaps t he m inimalist approach t hat ha s happ ened w it h regard to computers is also happ ening w it h fa shion. Perhaps p eople have internalized a new way of t hinking. Suddenly hav ing a computer t hat can do multiple t hings at once is s een a s hav ing somet hing t hat is more valuable. This may b e where t he link b et ween m inimalism and value ha s originated.

The rain b oot phenomena may suggest t hat p eople have inter nalized a connection b et ween m inimalist orientation and wealt h. The less you own, t he more exp ensive your b elongings app ear. Value ha s ret ur ned to t he com mon rain b oot. Such a design would allow for many different f unctions, a s most p eople only a ssociate rain b oot s w it h rain. The us e of t he rain b oot w it h snow ha s achieved t he same effect a s a computer t hat can b ot h tell time and cla ssif y folders. Wealt h ha s b een a ssociated w it h a less is more attit ude. Perhaps p eople have b ecome affected by computers more t han t hey initially t hought p ossible.


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Ways to Stay in Touch your BFF misses you Morgan Ward Contributor After being free of classes for nearly a month and goofing around with all of your friends from high school, it can be pretty difficult to say goodbye. At the end of winter break we bid farewell to those people who knew us during our younger years and we promise to talk to them more often than the semester before. Here are some ways to make staying in contact a lot easier: 1. Write A Letter – I know it sounds absurd, but there’s a lot of cool things about putting pen to paper and sending your homie a real letter. You could use cursive writing or your favourite gel pens; or maybe you could train a raven to fly the letter to its destination like we live in Westeros. The options are truly endless. It’s a lot cooler than it sounds, and just imagine the surprise on their faces when your friend gets something in the mail that isn’t a power bill or coupons for McDonalds. 2. Video Chat – For those of you who aren’t into antiquated methods of communication, or who are too embarrassed to ask your friend what their postal code is, hit them up on Skype or FaceTime. It’s the second best thing

to seeing your friend in real life, and complimenting them on their hair over video chat is a step above leaving an emoji comment on their latest Instagram pic. 3. Texting – When it comes to simple ways to keep in touch, texting is by far the fastest. The easiest thing you can do is send your friend a quick text and ask them what’s going on. To amp it up a level, make a group chat with all of your old squad. If you do this you can send each other screenshots of stupid things that others in your graduating class are posting on Facebook. It provides hours of entertainment, and the fact that none of you are trying to become famous rappers will make you feel a lot better about your own lives. The ways in which we stay in touch with the people from our past have changed immensely with the introduction of new technology. Most of the people we know and love are merely a click away. This makes staying in touch with our friends who are far away a lot easier than it might have been for our parents and grandparents. With all of this technology at our disposal we can feel closer than ever to those who are the farthest away from us.

January 28th, 2016

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Martin Luther King Vigil and Panel Review remembering A legend Hannah Hutchinson News Editor Last week, in honour of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, the Faculty of A rt s hosted a candlelight vigil and a panel discussion. The vigil, held out side the SUB by Chaplain Tim McFarland, allowed st udent s, faculty, and community memb ers to listen to the Chaplain’s words honouring the spirit and memor y of King. The panel discussion aimed to address the imp ortance of service in society today, and evoked much discussion ab out many other dy namic asp ect s of the mixt ure of activism, academia, community, and the societal wo es that such actions work to address. To b egin the panel p ortion of the evening, Dr. Claudine Bonner of the Sociology Department reminded us of King’s activism,

emphasizing that his actions and involvement are not as far removed from our own lifetime as we may b elieve them to b e. Moderating the panel was graduate st udent Jessica Bundy, who p osed many thought provoking questions and quotations to the panel. The Panel consisted of four individuals: Fourth-year sociology honours st udent Reed Power-Grimm, Third year English and Women and Gender St udies st udent Saw yer Car negie, Ph.D Candidate and Faculty of School of Education st udent in the area of inclusive education and disability st udies Cy nthia Br uce, and professor in the Histor y Department Dr. Michael Dennis. The panel discussion, which lasted over an hour and a half, consisted of vibrant discussions and audience input. Although each panel memb er brought a unique approach and set of

ideals to the questions p osed, several common discourses emerged. One of these was the necessity for collective, inclusive action; activism that is not elitist, hierarchical, or exclusionar y. It was st ressed, as King preached out side of his t raditional “I have a dream” legacy, that we need to move away from “selfish individualism” and instead encourage individuals from all backgrounds and with diverse life exp eriences to take up the issues that matter most to them, to break the silence, and to disr upt the ex isting ideologies. The idea of social media was discussed in regards to using these plat for ms as p ower ful tools for organizing groups of p eople, again back to the notion of collective action. The concept of hop e, b oth how individuals maintain hop e in today’s society and it s p ower, was an addi-

tional emerging theme. Discussion revolved around King’s capacity to use words to engage the masses, to raise hop e, and how this was p ower ful enough to threaten p ower st r uct ures to make change. Hop e can ex ist through pushing dialogue, through engaging in conversation in all realms of life, not just within the exclusionar y confines of the university. Hop e was articulated to ex ist in many ways. Hop e in communication, in arguing, in sp eaking, thinking, and encouraging others to do the same; there is hop e in solidarity. Overall, the event was ver y successful and lead to some thought provoking questions and dialogue, leaving the imprint of King’s actions to b e rememb ered, and to encourage continuing his legacy of engagement to target social inequalities.

Faculty of Arts interviewing candidates: SOCI/WGS tenure-track position brings reNewed hope for intersectionality at acadia Rebekah Hutten Creative Editor The Faculty of Arts is undergoing a hiring process for the first of two tenuretrack positions. The first position is a cross-appointment for an Assistant Professor in Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies. Three candidates are being interviewed for this position. The first two candidates are Dr. Vannina Sztainbok and Dr. Claudine Bonner, each of whom have delivered their research talks last week. Dr. Poulter, Coordinator of Women’s and Gender Studies, has confirmed that following the interview of the third candidate, the hiring committee will convene very quickly to make a decision. Dr. Vannina Sztainbok delivered her research talk at Acadia on January 18th, speaking about her book “Black Femininity in Uruguay: The Conventil-

lo, the Carnival Vedette and the Laundress.” Dr. Sztainbok’s research lends fascinating insight to the fetishization of African-Uruguyan women’s bodies, drawing from a range of gender, race, and social literature as well as psychoanalysis. Dr. Sztainbok is currently based in Toronto, but expressed interest in teaching and doing research in Nova Scotia due to the province’s African-Canadian history, particularly Africville. Dr. Claudine Bonner delivered a research talk on January 21st. Dr. Bonner is an Assistant Professor at Acadia; she teaches a number of sociology courses, as well as a WGS course this year on Women of the African Diaspora. Dr. Bonner spoke on the topic “‘Our Island Home’ – Early 20th Century Race & Labour Migration to Cape Breton, NS.” In the early twen-

Mental Health Week 2016 mind, body, and spirit Mental Health Society Acadia University

Bell Let’s Talk day 2016 is Wednesday Januar y 27th. On this day, the Mental Health Society is hosting a “t witter party” in the SUB to encourage sharing #BellLet sTalk through text message, t weet s, and Faceb ook shares to raise money for Mental Health Initiatives.

Mental Health Week is all ab out making Acadia a fun and safe place for maintaining and b eing op en ab out your mental health. This week, on Monday Januar y 25th to Friday Januar y 29 th the Acadia Mental Health Society has arranged See our p oster on page 9 for more a week full of activities for st udent s. info

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tieth century, there was a substantial amount of Caribbean migration to Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Dr. Bonner explores the reasons behind Caribbean migration using Diaspora Theory, Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, Black Feminist Thought, and Black Masculinity theories, actively uncovering a history of Cape Breton and migration that is not wellknown. The third candidate will deliver a research talk and meet with students

on January 26th or 27th. Contact Dr. Poulter for information if you are interested in meeting the third candidate. Hiring two tenure-track professors in the field of Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies signifies an acknowledgement of the importance of WGS theories in university settings. The research areas of the first two candidates signifies that greater academic emphasis on intersectionality at Acadia will soon be taking place.


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Making Your Way How To Make The Most Of University And Life In General Kody Crowell Opinions Editor

thought it was the only way to be happy. I believed that I could only be the best What does university mean to you? Is I was if I committed to something and it just a series of classes you attend day conquered it completely. after day, or the notes you take in your books, or the letter grades printed on When I came to university, this mindyour blue transcript? I don’t think it set persevered. I spent most of my first should be. Strictly speaking, you are year in my room studying and finishnot only paying for an education, you ing assignments. I rarely went out. I saw are also paying for much more. It’s not almost no benefit to spending time in just the grades you get, or the career things that were not school-related. It you want/are training for – it’s about was a boring first year. Of course, as your development as a scholar, a com- with most young adults in university, munity member and a human being the shells that they lived in while they who exists on the planet Earth. Uni- were in grade school slowly begin to versity alone is not meant to simply be crack and split open, at which point new vocational training. It’s meant to be a ideas and aspirations pour in, and the place to experiment and to grow. I have old values and beliefs escape forever. learned since my first year not to derive My shell was on the brink of shattering my satisfaction solely from my grades, completely. Hesitant to open up to new but from the people I spend time with forms of change, it took a while. A lot and from the experiences I happen to of it depended on the development of throw myself into. Some people come self-confidence and acceptance. Putting to university having learned that lesson, myself in more positions of leadership others leave without learning anything helped with that quite a bit. at all. But some will learn it during their tenure at university, and the realisation It’s hard to look back at myself and understand what my motivations were in will change them forever. first year, and before that in high school. I graduated from IB in high school. Al- It’s almost like I’m thinking about anthough the program’s rigour gave me other person. I think this condition is certain studying habits and traits that universal. Since then, I have immersed I will always appreciate, I feel like it myself in several academic and commurobbed me of something important. nity initiatives – these are the things that Growing up in a middle class family and make my work more rewarding. Others surrounded by friends who constantly have done more impressive things than pushed themselves to succeed, I devel- I have. The bigger point that I am trying oped a sense of inadequacy, one where to illustrate is this: university experiencI was trapped within my own doubts. I es are molded much more poignantly by forced myself to work harder, because I the surroundings in which find for your-

self than by the courses you take. Every opportunity granted is an opportunity to learn and develop. It becomes a necessity for my well-being like painkillers for an addict. One final note: every holiday break, I try to watch one of my favourite Christmas movies: It’s a Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart. In the film, the protagonist George Bailey is constantly suffering from bouts of indecision: stay in his hometown of Bedford Falls and save it from financial and moral ruin by the ruthless Mr. Potter, or leave it behind and explore the world (a dream he holds in his youth that many students in university probably hold as well). He decides to stay, and it isn’t until the end of the movie that he realizes just how

important he is to others. The lesson in the movie is a potent reminder of our place in the community, and how the smallest, most selfless actions can change a place or person for the better. It also teaches us that changing our perspective about ourselves as active members of a larger population can actually change us for the better. This is what happens to George, renewing his individual motivation and passion for protecting those he loves around him. With any luck, university will give you this change of perspective early. You might not gain the recognition or the respect you deserve, but devoting yourself to those around you will make you a far happier person than you knew you could become.

Photo by: Jordan Mahaney

Senioritis four more years! Kaela Beaton Contributor

schools, and from applying for employment. Ultimately, students are applying to live in the real world while at the same time, motivations are likely wearing thin. The stress-free lifestyle of living in a small town and attending a small school, with little obligation, is nearly over.

Students who arrive on their first day at Acadia, (or any university for that matter), are likely to experience euphoric feelings of excitement, to unnerving feelings of fear and uncertainty. However, most new students do not arrive at Acadia thinking about their fourth and final year at Seems a little negative doesn’t it? The what is soon to be their favourite place eighth and final semester of one’s undergraduate degree is also one of the greaton earth. est. It is the time to check off items on On the contrary, students arrive back at your bucket list from first year that you Acadia after the holiday break for their never accomplished, it is the time to reeighth and final semester with the im- visit your first resident and resident aspending shadow of graduation upon sistants, and most importantly it is the them. The final semester is the last four time to share your last few moments with months to spend everyday with life-long those who have made your experience friends, and it is the last four months unforgettable. While buying graduation to experience the beautiful town of rings, booking graduation photos, and Wolfville for all that it has to offer, yet purchasing graduation weekend tickets it is also one of the most stressful se- may seem sad, it is simply a time to remesters a student will experience during flect back on your experience as an untheir undergraduate. Students experience dergraduate student.

fourth year students to do during your remaining time at Acadia: 1. Take in all the scenery the Valley has to offer: Walk to the Dykes, go hike Cape Split and maybe on your way, stop at the look-off. 2. Visit the Wolfville Farmers Market for breakfast or dinner – do yourself a favour and pick up some fresh apple juice, you

won’t regret it. 3. Take a risk: Sing karaoke at The Axe or go sledding at U-hall. 4. Get a picture with your friends on the Acadia sign (as appropriate or as inappropriate as you like). 5. Enjoy a Wolfville pub crawl (why not stop for some Scottskins at Joe’s, Lib Pub Manziers, and Paddy’s Blueberry beer).

high levels of stress from difficult, higherlevel courses, from applying to graduate Nevertheless, here are a few ideas for you

January 28th, 2016

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ArideLook at the Decaying State of Student-Run Media the airwave Alec Lajoie Contributor I’ve noticed one big fact about this school: not many people give a shit about the newspaper or radio station. In fact, many people don’t even know we have one. With freedomof-speech issues rampant across the world and mainstream news outlets turning to report on bigger, more glamorous events ever y day, small media is the only soap box we have to make known our issues. Studentdriven media is ver y important. So why aren’t people figuring that out? To tr y to figure it out myself, I phoned Brenda Grunau, station manager of CiTR, the University of British Columbia’s FM radio station. She’s been the manager since 2007, and a couple of years into her time there, CiTR was almost cut. “If an organization was going to be on the cutting block, we were a likely subject,” she said. Even though ever yone ended up with money in the end, CiTR realised that they had to do something so they wouldn’t be the one to go the next time the student union funds ran up short. “Our student members experienced frustration getting on the radio and felt like the process was too hard and intimidating, and they didn’t always feel like the station was a welcoming place. So we made some significant changes: we restructured our staff division and we made enabling volunteers and empowering our members key priorities,” Grunau said. Student members then increased dramatically from around 100 to 200-250, depending on the time of year. “We just keep increasing ever y year in terms of stu-

dent engagement.” So why can’t this be done at Acadia? Keeping in mind that UBC dwar fs us with a population of around 51,000 as opposed to 2,700, we ask ourselves: is a functioning radio station really that impossible? Unlike Acadia, student radio became a cultural priority at UBC and has remained so ever since. CiTR started offering training and development programs, including a summer internship. “We [had] to change the culture of the radio station, so we’re not just shitting on other people’s musical tastes. The place has to be diverse, it has to be inclusive, it has to be open.” When Brenda said that, it made sense to me. We have a radio station whose office is almost always empty, which can stem back to the fact that there is currently no station coordinator or programming coordinator (which I only found out after sending repeated emails). With a fraction of the people that UBC has doing radio shows (and with someone organizing, training, and encouraging), we could do something amazing with our radio. Other universities should be jealous of Axe Radio ( just like I’m jealous of CiTR).

in music and discovering new music, and now with the internet, you don’t have to mail a record to your friends,” said Grunau. I couldn’t agree more. Campus radio is a vital part of the community of Acadia University. Although it’s only been around since 2009, Axe Radio could be a major component of our school. It can be what students turn on to hear new music, to laugh at a new show, to get local news. The sad fact is that the only way to get your voice heard at this university is to stand on top of Tower and yell really loud. Or pirate

the radio station by somehow getting access to it on your student ID card. Actually, people already do this – it is not ver y hard to swipe in, turn on the machine and spit obscenities into the microphone. And as much as I can respect that, it’s still pretty embarrassing that it is allowed to happen. So this is my call to action, Acadia. This is well and truly the only thing I’ve ever given a shit about, and I’m not joking around on that. Let’s make Axe Radio the best student-run radio station in Atlantic Canada.

CiTR also goes out of their way to encourage local bands and singers. They have enough room for a live band to play, and the shows are played inside of UBC’s new student union building. The radio station has become a central part of being a student at UBC, and that’s incredibly inspiring. “I do feel like campus and community radio used to be a ver y vital part of the supply chain of being interested

Photo by: Andrew Haskett

Brew REview: Boxing Rock Sunken Ledge Porter quor store and just about lost my shit, because I love porters and I love BoxI’ll start by shooting straight; this is ing Rock. The illegitimate love child like my 5th beer of the night so my of these two things should make for a senses of taste and smell are slightly pretty good drink. impaired. Experienced beer reviewers/ hipsters say this is a bad idea for writ- This beer pours a dark blackish-brown ing a review, but if you have a problem with an almost nonexistent head. On with it then please take your concerns the nose, I’m getting notes of cocoa, to the comment section of any Pitch- coffee, and a touch of caramel, kinfork article about Aesop Rock. The da like an off-brand chocolate bar. beer for today is the new Boxing Rock Mouthfeel is smooth and inoffensive, Sunken Ledge Porter. I saw it in the li- and definitely passes through without

Jon Smith Booze Hound

12 January 28th, 2016

any trouble. Carbonation is kind of absent, but I don’t really miss it. The overall taste strongly reminds me of the good kind of chocolate - the kind I didn’t know existed until I was a functioning adult because I spent my developing years eating Coffee Crisp. There’s a faint hint of bitterness in the aftertaste, but it’s dominated overall by beautiful chocolatey goodness. The entire experience is permeated by a very mild scent of nuttiness, like standing outside a Five Guys.

This beer is a very pleasant experience. I wouldn’t use “extreme” as an adjective to describe it, but I passively enjoyed it, and I’d definitely recommend it. As a Boxing Rock beer, the price point is a little high, but it’s worth it if you missed out on your daily Cadbury and you still need to get drunk. Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I’m gonna move on to beer review #6. Cheers. Summary: Willy Wonka approved


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Tidal series The Economics of Tidal Energy Development in Nova Scotia Dr. Shelley MacDougall Contributor 1. Briefly describe your background as it pertains to the study tidal energy. I am a professor of finance in the School of Business. Since 2011, I have been researching the cost of tidal energy, the economic impact of developing a tidal energy industry in Nova Scotia, and investment timing. Questions of environmental, social, and economic sustainability are top of mind in my research, as they are for my fellow researchers at the Acadia Tidal Energy Institute. 2. How will the implementation of tidal power in the Bay of Fundy affect the economy, electricity prices and emissions in Nova Scotia? There will be benefits and costs to tidal power. My colleagues at the Acadia Tidal Energy Institute have either written or will write about the environmental and social aspects in this series. I will focus on the economic aspects. Unlike coal, oil, and natural gas-fired electricity, with tidal energy, the fuel is free. However, getting that energy out of the tides is expensive. Turbines tough enough to withstand the tidal currents, suspended sediment, semisubmerged ice, and salt water for 20 years must be large, precisely engineered and have sophisticated components. Turbine technology is still very new; some designs have not been built to full scale and some components are still in development. The turbines themselves cost millions of dollars. Beyond the turbines, there is equipment to monitor sea life and sediment, subsea connectors, and power and data cables. Once built, installing the equipment in the fastest waters in the world is a logistical challenge, often requiring specialized sea-going vessels. Once in place and operating, regular maintenance will be done, but at this stage, turbine reliability is still difficult to forecast. Unplanned maintenance can be very expensive - potentially much more than the revenue lost while the turbine is not generating electricity. The price of a kWh of electricity from the tides will be based on all of these costs, divided by the number of kWh of electricity delivered over the life of the asset. The longer the equipment’s life and the more of that time it operates, the cheaper each kWh will be to generate. As the global tidal energy industry develops, the cost of electricity from the tides will come down. Engineers will improve the designs and installation,

Photo by: Anjuli Ripley and operations and maintenance procedures will become more efficient. There will also be competition. Also important for bringing costs down will be the economies of scale: it is cheaper per turbine to operate 150 turbines than it is to operate 15. In short, it is conceivable the cost of tidal energy will be competitive with land-based wind energy and distributed solar energy but this will take time. Meanwhile, places with good tidal energy resources, like Nova Scotia, the UK and France, are deciding if and how they should support this new renewable energy until it is price-competitive. It can be supported through higher electricity prices and/or taxpayer support. Is it worth doing, though? A recently conducted study, called a value proposition, suggests it is. The value proposition estimates the economic spin-offs of developing a new tidal energy industry in Nova Scotia. If we were to build 150 2-MW turbines and install them in the Minas Passage, and 60-80% of the work was done locally, there would be an estimated 22,000 new full-time equivalent jobs and $1.7 billion of additional gross domestic product (GDP) over the 25-year forecast period. That could make quite a difference to a province of 950,000 people. Also, much of the work would be done in small, rural and coastal communities, such as Digby and Parrsboro. If Nova Scotia endeavored to be a leader in this new global industry, expertise and leading-edge technologies developed by our ocean technol-

ogy sector could be exported around the world. A conservative estimate of the value of the global industry is $900 billion by 2050. Even a 0.1% share of that market would have a big impact here. To support the early development of 300 MW, the value proposition estimates the provincial/federal government investment would need to be $813 million over the 25-year period. The governments would be able to get money back from the new economic activity through personal and business taxes. Other benefits of tidal energy development come from displacing fossil fuels in electricity generation. Presently, a lot of Nova Scotia’s electricity is generated by burning coal – imported coal, no less. The cost of coal is expected to rise in the future. Installing the 150 2-MW turbines would avoid emissions of an estimated 129,000 tonnes of SO2, 17,000 tonnes of N2O, and 9.6 million tonnes of CO2 over 25 years. There would be disruption, to be sure. There would be industrialization in areas that are now rural. Industries like

fishing and tourism will be affected. The costs and lost income to others have to be factored in. 3. Should Nova Scotia pursue tidal energy as an energy source? The province has set a goal to develop 300 MW of tidal energy, taking a staged and measured approach. Continued research will tell us if it is environmentally sustainable and testing turbines in our own waters will be key to learning this. There is a further choice: be an early entrant or wait for costs to come down. At this early stage of the technology’s development, the investment costs would be high and would need to be supported by government (read: taxpayers) if we want to build an industry here and garner the early-to-market advantages of innovation. Alternatively, we can wait and buy mature technologies later from companies abroad, as we have done with wind energy. Buying later would still require government support but it would be much less. As the UK and France move forward, Nova Scotia is considering its options.

January 28th, 2016 13


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Aa critique Pitchof theof“party a Problem for africa” Adwoa Nhyira Gyasi-Denteh Contributor “Party for Africa” was a fundraiser organized by the Acadia Rotaract club for the Kikima grannies, who supp ort the Kikima village in Kenya, East Africa. The title of the event is what initially caught my attention and after reading the Faceb ook page, I felt an urgency to voice my opinion, as I found the marketing strategy of the event to b e problematic. Although I can recognize the intent of the event, it do esn’t change the fact that the language used reified stereotyp es associated with Africa, and was quite offensive.

licited or not. However, the entire continent do es not need this; not all part s of a countr y in Africa need humanitarian aid. Mainstream media continually p er p etuates the p ortrayal of the African continent as an imp overished and distraught landscap e, which has inherently b een emb edded in our psyche to view all part s of the continent as such. W hen you think of Africa, what comes to mind is safaris, extreme p overty, child soldiers, civil wars etc. This is not to say that this is mythological, but I think it is imp erative to address these stereotyp es and recognize b oth moder n and traditional African communities for what they are today – innovative, resilient, and progressive.

each of us share the resp onsibility to educate one another and to sp eak up against pigeonhole stereotyp es and marginalizing comment s within our immediate community. It is unfortunate that within a highly esteemed lear ning community, issues like this are still prevalent. However, incident s like “Party for Africa” provide a plat for m for critical dialogue like this to take place, where we can build on our k nowledge of anti-racist strategies and further educate and encourage others to join the conversation. Necessar y critical dialogue helps to identif y productive ways of discussing race while developing resp ect ful and inclusive spaces in which they can occur.

that the theme “African Safari” and it s slogan, “from Africa for Africa,” was a strategic marketing approach to get a good tur nout despite it b eing problematic. This urges me to p ose the question: how do we as memb ers of an academic institution negotiate marketing strategies within our community, where we have to take into consideration the ethics that gover n us, and how do we compare them to commercialized marketing strategies to yield success? W hen is it ever acceptable that marketing takes precedence over stereotypical and racist remarks? I do not have the answers to these questions, however b eing aware of them and recognizing their impact in a community with ab out 40 0 inter national student s, is a good place to start.

fa s cis t tendencies in ever yt hing he do es a nd ma ke comparis ons to Naz ism a nd mock him a nd dism iss him a nd s o on. It’s a lmos t cert a in he won’t w in t he Republica n nominat ion, s o we ne e dn’t rea lly b e worrie d a b ou t t hat ( k nock on t he wood), bu t we ca n t a ke s eriously t he fact t hat he ha s a follow ing che ering on his racis t, s ex is t, v iciously fa ls e r hetoric a nd dis cre dit ing a ll me dia t hat ca lls him ou t on it. W hat we should resp ond to – rat her t ha n t he a nt ics of Tr ump – is t he fact t hat our p olit ica l condit ions have a llowe d for Tr ump to b e Tr ump.

of his ma ss es of supp orter s. P ract ica lly sp ea k ing, you ca n not k ill da ngerous idea s w it h g uns. Philos ophica lly sp ea k ing, p er haps, we should s t rive to not even ma ke t he attempt, a s t hos e idea s live insides t he head s of p e ople.

Africa is part of the global south, which carries with it a reputation Initially, when I confronted the orof receiving humanitarian aid from As a part of an academic institution, ganizers of the event, I was infor med develop ed countries whether so-

“The Donald” a look at the man behind the hair Genny Rowell Contributor T here’s a p olit ica l com ic s t rip f rom t he 80 s ca lle d Bloom County. My parent s us e d to have a colle ct ion of t hes e s t rips which I us e d to read in element ar y s chool, not under s t a nding t hem at a ll. I n one subplot, D ona ld Tr ump fell off a b oat a nd went into a coma, a nd t he doctor s t ra nspla nte d his bra in into t he b od y of a demente d, huma noid cat t hat had once r un for president. I like d t his part of t he com ic b e caus e I k new who Tr ump wa s: you could s e e his na me on his tower s a s you drove into Ma n hatt a n, which I occa siona lly did. He wa s prolif ic. I never watche d T he Apprent ice, bu t I k new a b ou t his ha ir a nd his a bility to b e a n a sshole. T he ent repreneur s in my fa m ily read his biography a nd embrace d a “you gott a resp e ct t he g uy” att it ude. He wa s a celebrity force to b e re ckone d w it h. Given what Tr ump is up to at t he moment, t hat com ic s e em s like a s cra mble d prophesy, a nd I hones t ly don’t t hin k I’d b e sur pris e d if his bra in event ua lly ende d up in a cat. It’s hard, at t his p oint, to s ay a nyt hing origina l or p oigna nt a b ou t his ca mpa ign to b e come president of a major world p ower. T here is no joke to b e made t hat’s

14 January 28th, 2016

more ex t reme t ha n t he a lar m ing, farcica l idea of him b e come t he POT US, s o we ca n a ll jus t sit back in shock a nd wonder how s eriously we should b e t a k ing him, or, rat her, how s eriously we should b e t a k ing t he cont ingency t hat supp ort s him. I n t he s a me way t hat Republica ns were t h reatening to fle e to Ca nada after Oba ma wa s ele cte d for a s e cond ter m ( ha), my D emocrat f riend s are now t we eting a b ou t cla im ing ref uge e s t at us in Ca nada if Tr ump get s ele cte d, a nd t hough none of t hat ha s or w ill rea lis t ica lly happ en, it’s refle ct ive of a ca lm pa nic over what p e ople fe el to b e a high-s t a kes sit uat ion. I g uess ma ny Ca nadia ns felt t hat s a me nervousness when it ca me t ime to t r y to k ick ou t Har p er. Some of my relat ives who live t he A merica n Mid wes t a nd whos e com munit ies have no pract ica l us e for left is t p olicy (or s o t hey fe el), genuinely b elieve t hat life under t he Great Dict ator Oba ma is horrible – t he s a me hell lib era ls fear liv ing under Tr ump. It’s a ll s omewhat relat ive. So t here are t he ques t ions of “what should we b e worrie d a b ou t?” a nd t hen “what should we do a b ou t it?” Bot h of t hes e queries we ca n only a ns wer tent at ively. O ne ca n look at Tr ump a nd s e e narcissis t ic,

Jeb Bush, a ls o v y ing for t he Republica n nom inat ion, wa s re cent ly a ske d whet her, given t he opp ort unity, he would go back in t ime a nd k ill new b or n Hit ler. “Hell yea h!” he replie d, ent husia s t ica lly imagining t ime t ravel a nd t he murder of a mus t ache d infa nt. O ne would t hin k t hat t he right-w ing Bible- devote e would not publica lly endor s e K ing Herod- es que problem s olv ing met hod s. Biblica lly, k illing a lot of ba bies wa s not a n effe ct ive way of s topping t he w ill of God; in t he s a me s ens e, pre empt ively gett ing rid of Hit ler would not have rid t he world of his bra nd of ev il, a nd pressuring D ona ld Tr ump into giving up would not cha nge t he m ind s

A s t here is no simple rou te to gett ing rid of idea s we don’t like – or t heir f ig urehead s – we mus t b eg pat ience of our s elves a nd cons t a nt ly re eva luate. I n a sk ing ours elves “how do we f i x t he Tr ump sit uat ion?” we a ls o a sk “how do we, a s a s ociety, progress in t he dire ct ion t hat is b es t for us?” T hat is t he ques t ion. We’re ar me d w it h s ome t radit iona l met hod s – e ducat ion, democracy, f re e ex pression – w it h which to go a b ou t problem-s olv ing. A s our f r us t rat ion/ desire to spit on Tr ump grows, we mus t rememb er t hat he isn’t rea lly t he problem. T he b es t we ca n do is breat he, not get a ngr y, not b e af ra id, a nd sp ea k intelligent ly to each ot her (a nd lis ten in t ur n). T here is no p oint in cy nica l resignat ion. A nd you, Ca nadia ns: when t he me dia cr uelly b ombard s you w it h images of Tr ump’s sinis ter face a nd dis t ur bing toup e e, t a ke comfort in rememb ering t hat your Head of St ate’s ha ir is rea lly, rea lly good. T hat’s got to count for s omet hing.


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How to Win a Snowball Fight Sun Tzu Style Sam Gillis Ice Queen/Sports Editor “What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease.” Before I begin, I’m going to answer that everyone has been asking. Yes, there is an art to snowball fights. A certain delicacy in which you must carry yourself with, throughout the course of the war. I’ve called upon the knowledge of Chinese general, author of Art of War, and personal mentor, Sun Tzu to guide me, in guiding you. Get your snow suits on. Snowball fights arise through many different situations, but in order to maximize your chance at success you must always have a say in your team. Whether that means calling captain role prior to the fight, or inviting all of your Facebook friends to try-out for the Wolfville Snow-Packers, in hopes to finalize your team for the first fight against your junior high neighbor and his buddies next Sunday. Hire great people, because weak, frustrated subordinates will cripple you. You hear that? Thank you Sun, exactly what I was trying to say. Even if she looks hot

in a snowsuit doesn’t mean she won’t be standing, mid-battlefield, absolutely dumb-founded that someone would smoke her in the face like that. Choose wisely. Once your team is all formulated you must begin Laying plans. Five fundamental factors of assessment and planning as identified by my boy Sun are; the way, seasons, terrain, leadership and management. I see no relevance to snowball fighting therefor I shall wing this one. Find high ground. Very important key to winning, to determine if you’ve found the ideal position you can do the weasel test. Weasel is also a very good warm up game to get some of the rust out of that cannon on your shoulder. There is only one weasel, most likely the last picked individual with the least relevant snow fighting skills. The weasel may see this is as being the team bitch, but if you give it a fancy title, they’ll be honored. So the Vice President of the Gathering & Storage Operations, or the weasel, must stand down hill and accept the fact that it will soon be a full snowball blitzkrieg. Throwers, you must yell derogatory sayings at the weasel constantly to remind yourself that you are

the best, the weasel may be a member of your team but do not hold back. Practice how you play. If the weasel did not get hit, find higher ground When the battle begins, remember, “Move swift as the Wind and closelyformed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.” I think what Mr. Tzu is trying to say is to stay cool, calm and composed in pressure situations. When you find yourself in dual situations, stand tall, find cover, throw two at once. Aim one slightly off to either side, then you’ll be able to pinpoint the movements to throw a tennis-balled size snowball right to the chest with the one you were hiding in your other hand. If you see an opportunity, gang up. Two versus one, hell, even three if you can get away with it, schoolyard bullies have traditionally won snowball fights using this tactic for decades. Everything is fair in love and war, and I love pretending horseplay is war. So while all of you soldiers reminisce upon your mean spirited snowball history I’ll go back to the most important role, the weasel.

the most important role of the team. Here are some tips to maximize your success. Grab snow near the base of trees, the trees give off warmth which in turn moistens the snow for ideal packing conditions. Have a transportable storage area, such as a sled or meal hall tray. “Thus the expert in battle moves the enemy, and is not moved by him.” Snowballs should also be made with a 2.6 to 2.8-inch diameter to allow for a decently weighted, concealable and overall deadly snowball. What makes the weasel so powerful is his ability to change the game as quickly as he weaseled into it. If you feel as if you have not been given the respect you deserve as a weasel, do not hesitate for a second to jump ship, join the other side, bring your snowball cache with you. An army with no weasel will be crushed instantly, the other side may even let you throw a snowball at your ex-teammates. This is a one-way ticket to a guaranteed victory. Another plus is you get to end this stupid snowball fight which you didn’t even want to participate in anyways. Oh yeah, don’t throw rocks or yellow snow.

The Vice President of the Gathering & Storage Operations is unquestionably

“History is written by victors”

cuddling, to a more in-depth discussion of the scene. If a mistake was made during the scene aftercare is crucial to making sure all parties walk away mentally and physically sound.

a simple position like lying down with your arms tied above your head. When tying restraints use the two-finger rule to make sure to avoid nerve damage or blood clots. To do this, always ensure that you can fit two fingers under the restraint. If sensation play is more your thing, you could try running a feather or ice cube along your partner’s body while they are blindfolded. If you want to try spanking start by using your hand, a hairbrush, wooden spoon, or belt. If spanking is your thing, always do your research on which body parts are safe to hit (e.g. buttocks, thighs) and which are not (e.g. kidneys, tailbone, hips, spine, neck, face).

BDSM Basics: Part I Thinking about Kink Anya K’nees Sex Columnist BDSM (bondage and discipline, domination and submission, sadism and masochism) has gained notoriety since the 2011 publication of Fifty Shades of Grey. BDSM, or kink, includes consensual yet unconventional sexual behaviours that allow participants to experience different roles and sensations. Although studies vary, an estimated 10% of North Americans have engaged in kink related activities. Whether you’re an active member of the kink community, or if this article is your introduction, there are some key terms worth knowing. Most prominent are the terms dominant (dom/domme) or “top,” the name for the individual in control, and submissive (sub) or “bottom” for the individual being controlled. Within kink relationships, a BDSM related encounter is often referred to as a scene. Scenes may or may not include penetrative intercourse, due to the ability of some scenes to produce satisfaction primarily through mental arousal. Odds are you’ve incorporated some element of kink play into the bedroom be-

fore, be it something as simple as adding a blindfold or some form of restraint into your lovemaking. What you may not have realized is that BDSM holds a variety of credos, from the traditional SSC (safe, sane, and consensual) to the newer RACK (risk aware consensual kink), and more humorously named PRICK (personal-responsibility informed consensual kink). Whichever you most associate with, take note that all credos involve consent. Despite widespread belief that BDSM involves assault and abuse, true consensual negotiated kink involves explicit consent, and is not abusive. Prior to engaging in any scene, all participants should lay down their hard and soft limits. Hard limits are things that you personally would never engage in, while soft limits are actions you are hesitant to engage in, but may be willing to try. No hard or soft limit is too small, too big, or too foolish. As in any good relationship there is constant communication before, during, and after a scene. An important and rarely considered aspect of BDSM is aftercare. Aftercare is the time after a scene where you recover and take care of each other’s needs while re-establishing your roles outside the scene. Aftercare can range from simply rehydrating and

Open discussion and aftercare is extremely important with BDSM, as body language can be hard to gauge during a scene. Oftentimes kinksters enjoy an element of pain, meaning their outward appearance could be one of distress, while internally they are completely satisfied. This disconnect may be the reason the kink community has such a big emphasis on communication. If you think kink may be for you it’s always a good idea to do further research. Consider what role suits you: Dominant, submissive, or switch (someone who can assume either position). Although there are pros and cons to each, you may find yourself strongly drawn to one particular position. If you want to experiment with BDSM, don’t rush out and purchase expensive toys for your first time. If you’re interested in bondage look around your room for scarves, stockings, ties, and belts as these can make excellent restraints and blindfolds. For bondage beginners try assuming

No matter what you try remember, BDSM is all about consent. Establish your hard and soft limits prior to any scene, and always have a safe word to stop a scene if needed. Just as some people’s kink may seem weird to you, yours may seem equally strange to them. Your kink is not my kink and that is ok, so be curious, not judgemental. This two part series will be continued in the next Ath article. Until then, keep it safe, sane, consensual, and fun.

January 28th, 2016 15


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Have you heard of elon musk? to infinity and beyond Katie McCulloch Science Editor Have you? W hat a b ou t Sp a ceX? Tesla Moto r s, Solar City? O r mayb e PayPa l? T hat la s t on e ha s to b e fa m iliar. Elon Mu sk wa s key to it s i n cept ion, a nd PayPa l it s elf wa s a buildi ng block lea di ng to t h e i ncept ion a nd su cces s of t h e ot h er t h r e e com p a n ies. I n 1995, Elon Mu sk en rol le d i n a Ph D progra m at St a nfo rd Un iver sity, s t ud y i ng high d en sity ca p a cito r s a s a n en ergy s to rage s olu t ion p ot ent ia l ly m o r e eff icient t ha n b att eries. O rig i na l ly f rom Sou t h Af rica, h e s aw Silicon Va l ley a s t h e P rom is e d L a nd a nd t ra n s fer r e d to a US u n iver sity a ft er i m m igrat i ng to Ca na d a. How did h e ma ke t h e d e cision to ent er su ch a progra m? Q uit e differ ent ly f rom m o s t of u s i n u n iver sity, a s it t u r n s ou t. I n s t ea d of d et er m i n i ng w hat it wa s t hat would ma ke you ha ppy, o r f ulf il l you, o r even ma ke you f i na n cia l ly s t a ble i n t h e f u t u r e, w hat if you nar rowe d d own you r go a ls b a s e d on w hat you t h ought would m o s t a ffe ct t h e f u t u r e of t h e hu ma n ra ce? W hat a b ou t t h e p ot ent ia l r eprogra m m i ng of t h e hu ma n gen et ic co d e, ar t if icia l i nt el ligen ce, sp a ce ex plo rat ion a nd s ett li ng, t h e i nt er n et, a nd su st a i na ble en ergy? T hat wa s his lis t, a nd t h e la s t on e ha d lea d hi m to t h e Ph D progra m. Two d ays i n, h e dit ch e d it. It wa s 1995, a ft er a l l, a nd w it h t h e i nt ern et blow i ng up t h e way it wa s, h e could n’t b e left b ehi nd. He wa sn’t. Aft er s t ar t i ng Z ip2 w it h his brot her, a n early com p a ny t a k i ng a sh ot at r epla ci ng t h e Yel low Pages, a nd s el li ng it fo r $307 m il lion, h e took s om e of his shar e a nd t rie d to s t ar t a n on li n e b a n k. T his

wa s a n i n s a n e n ot ion i n 1999, bu t t h ei r m on ey t ra n s fer s erv ice wa s i n d ema nd. T h ey t ea m e d up w it h a n ot h er m on ey t ra n s fer com p a ny i n t h e s a m e buildi ng a nd fo r m e d PayPa l. D espit e t u r m oil w it hi n com p a ny ma nagem ent, h e wa l ke d away w it h $18 0 m il lion w h en it wa s s old to eBay i n 20 02.

w h er e it su cces s f ul ly la nd e d - a his to ric f i r s t. Ever y lau n ch si n ce t h o s e f i r s t 3 ha s b e en su cces s f ul, a nd t his la ndi ng, d oubly s o. T his is a majo r s t ep toward s ma k i ng sp a ce t ravel a ffo rd a ble. T h ough t h e rocket s ca n’t b e di r e ct ly r eu s e d, a l l of t h ei r com p on ent s ar e r et u r n e d to ear t h i nt a ct, a nd ca n b e r e cycle d Even b efo r e t h e s a le, h e ha d b e en fo r t h e n ex t build. It is es t i mat e d t hi n k i ng a b ou t rocket s. Aft er it, to r e d u ce t h e co s t of sp a ce t ravel h e s t ar t e d Sp a ceX, w it h t h e i nt en- by a fa cto r of 10 0. t ion of r e d u ci ng t h e co s t of sp a ce t ravel to t h e p oi nt w h er e hu ma n s A longsid e t his, d espit e t h e pr ecould b e com e a mul t i- pla n et ar y dict ion s of fa ilu r e by ju s t a b ou t sp e cies. Two year s lat er h e s t ar t e d ever yon e fol low i ng t h e s tock marTesla, d espit e t h e fa ct t hat Sp a ceX ket, t h e Tesla Ro a d s t er wa s a r eha d yet to su cces s f ul ly lau n ch a s ou ndi ng su cces s, a nd r e ceive d rocket. To d ay t h es e t wo proje ct s t h e high es t ever s a fety rat i ng ar e his majo r cla i m to fa m e, a nd f rom t h e N HSA- a 5.4 /5. his majo r cont ribu t ion s to hu ma nity. Tesla is cu r r ent ly buildi ng a lit hiu m-ion b att er y fa cto r y i n Neva d a Tesla is a n ele ct ric car com p a ny, t hat sh ould d ouble t h e tot a l a ni nt endi ng to a ccelerat e ou r col- nua l GLOBA L pro d u ct ion. le ct ive progr es sion to a su s t a i na ble f u t u r e. He p er s ona l ly f u nd e d Solar City is t h e larges t s olar p a n el b ot h of t h es e com p a n ies. i n s t a l ler i n t h e US. He a ls o event ua l ly f u nd e d a s t ar tup w it h his cou si n s, Solar City, w hich a i m s to i n s t a l l s olar p a n els on t h e h om es of m il lion s, r e d u ci ng t h ei r d raw f rom t h e m o s t ly fo s sil-f u el p ower e d grid, a nd ul t imat ely i n cr ea si ng t h e a d o pt ion of su s t a i na ble en ergy.

T h e Tesla Mo d el 3 is slat e d to a pp ear at t h e Gen eva Moto r Sh ow i n March t his year. Bu t d espit e his a s tou ndi ng su cces s es i n ever y vent u r e h e’s att em pt e d, Elon Mu sk d o esn’t li ke it w h en p e o ple t a l k a b ou t Elon Mu sk. H is big con cer n s ar e t h e f u t u r e of ou r pla n et a nd hu ma nity, a nd h e’s t r y i ng to en cou rage dis cu s sion of su s t a i na ble t e ch n olog ies a nd en ergy; a s wel l a s sp a ce t ravel a nd colon i z at ion.

T hi ngs wer en’t awes om e right away, h owever. Sp a ceX ha d buil t t h r e e rocket s by 20 0 8, bu t t h ey ha d a l l ex plo d e d prio r to r ea chi ng o r bit. T h ey ha d t h e m on ey fo r a fou r t h a nd f i na l, w it h t h e ent i r e com p a ny d ep endi ng on it s su c- Have you ever h eard of t h e Fer m i ces s. Para d ox? It’s a litt le bit t er rif y i ng if you sit b a ck a nd cont em plat e it Slight ly m o r e t ha n a m ont h ago, a few d ri n k s i n. Sp a ceX lau n ch e d a rocket d eliveri ng 11 s at el lit es i nto o r bit, w hich O n t h e clear es t n ight s ou t on t h e t h en r et u r n e d t h rough Ear t h’s d y kes, w h en t h e light s of Wolf veat m o sp h er e to Ca p e Ca navera l ga s ar e di m i n t h e dis t a n ce, you

ca n look up a nd s e e ju s t a b ou t 1% of ou r M il k y Way ga la x y, w it h you r eyes u na id e d. B eyond w hat you ca n s e e, t h er e ar e s t ar s up on s t ar s a nd ga la x ies up on ga la x ies. A n u nfat h oma ble nu m b er. Som ew h er e b et we en 1022 a nd 1024 s t ar s. A r e 5% su nli ke, ca p a ble of supp o r t i ng life si m ilar to ou r s? A nd, may b e s ay, 22% of t h o s e ar e o r bit e d by a n ear t h-li ke pla n et? T hat leaves u s w it h a p ot ent ia l 10 0 ear t h-li ke pla n et s fo r ea ch a nd ever y gra i n of s a nd on ou r Ear t h. T h e Fer m i Para d ox is t his - w h er e is ever yon e? If 1% of 1% of t h o s e pla n et s d evelo p life t hat evolves to ou r level of i nt el ligen ce, we shar e t h e u n iver s e w it h 10 m il lion bil lion i nt elligent ly i n ha bit e d pla n et s. I n t h e M il k y Way, we sh ould have 10 0 0 0 0 n eighb o r s. T h e S earch fo r E x t ra-Ter r es t ria l Life (SET I) ha s yet to f i nd a ny ev id en ce of life b eyond t h e blu e d ot we have i n ha bit e d fo r t h e p a s t m il lion year s. So w hich is s carier – ar e we su rrou nd e d by life we ca n n ot o r have n ot d et e ct e d, o r we ar e a b s olu t ely a lon e i n a u n iver s e t hat is a b s olu t ely u nfat h oma bly en o r m ou s? If life is t hat rar e, t h en it is m o r e pr e ciou s t ha n we have ever r ea li ze d, a nd colon i z i ng ot h er pla n et s is a n e ces sity to en su r e t h e cont i nuat ion of ou r sp e cies. I b et t hat wa s n ever a d a ily wo r r y of you r s! T h e i nt ent ion of Sp a ceX’s fo ray i nto a ffo rd a ble sp a ce t ravel is to lea d to t h e colon i z at ion of Mar s w it h a m il lion p e o ple i n t h e n ex t 10 0 year s. T his rocket ha s b e en s t ep on e.

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16 January 28th, 2016


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