The Navigator Vol 48 Issue 12

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MARCH 8

MARCH 21

Vol 48

FREE

VANCOUVER ISLAND UNIVERSITY STUDENT PRESS

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Point of viu

I want to believe: New planets, new life?

talking to the diaspora: A review

Would you go to another planet? How do you think you’d fare with space travel?

“If we could find at least a signature of life on one of these worlds, that means that life could be everywhere.”

In an individualistic society, Maracle teaches us how to belong to the story of our people.

CONTENTS

NEWS

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Editorials

Images and text in war zones: The problems of representation --VIUSU on the CFS: Conflicting financial management

News in a Nutshell --VIU journalism student honoured in the world’s largest photography competition

VIU hosts inspirational speakers --City expands Cleaner Community Partnership Program --Campaign launched to mobilize youth vote

FEATURES

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Dirtyin’ The Nav: Tips to help you celebrate International Women’s Day

Point of VIU --A game of introspection: Celebrate the small things

The fight is over

Tips and tricks for trouble-free taxes --Bunnies and Stairs

I want to believe: New planets, new life?

ARTS

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15 minutes of infamy: Artist showcase --Burlesque and body positivity: An evening with Sweet Tooth Burlesque review

Coming soon: Arts events Nanaimo

Local Music Spotlight: Double feature The Stacks, Louis Patterson & Dane Letourneau

Riverdale reviewed --Talking to the Diaspora: A review

SPORTS & LIFESTYLE

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Mariners basketball take gold and bronze at provincials --Men’s volleyball: Mariners go to nationals with wildcard win

Celebrate our city all March long with Festival Nanaimo --Hometown Hockey gives small town vibe

Women’s volleyball: Mariners win provincial gold --Lettuce turnip the beet

How to be anxious

Leave your comfort zone

CONTENTS

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LETTERS

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CONTRIBUTORS Chris Adam Ahron Balatti Alex Berube-Robert Gordon Hak Brandon Kornelson Drew McLachlan

Michael Olson Phoebe Lo Patigdas Diana Pearson Chantelle Spicer Kelly Whiteside Rob Wilson Megan Wolfe

THE NAVIGATOR WELCOMES READER CONTRIbuTIONS To submit, visit <thenav.ca> or email <editor@thenav.ca>.

THE NAVIGATOR TEAM Molly Barrieau Editor-in-Chief

Jessica Pirson Graphic Designer

Avery Crosson Art Director

Zyre Hoskins Graphic Designer

Natalie Gates Associate Editor

Spenser Smith Web Editor

Cheryl Folland Arts Editor

Elissa Doerksen Social Media Sp.

Aislinn Cottell News Editor

Lynne Williams Bookkeeper

Cole Schisler Sports & Lifestyle Editor

Christine Franic Business Manager

Catherine Charlebois Production Manager

Sarah Torgerson Copy Editor

DESIGN WORK

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Jessica Pirson Cover

Avery Crosson Spread

900 Fifth St. Bldg. 193, rm. 217 Nanaimo, BC, V9R 5S5

T: 250-753-2225 F: 250-753-2257

All submissions must be original work of the author. Editors reserve the right to refuse submissions, and to edit for space or clarity.

Letters to the editor should be no more than 400 words in length.

The Navigator does not pay for letters. Opinions expressed in The Navigator are expressly those of the author and/or artist and do not reflect the views of The Navigator staff.

Correction: In our previous issue, the article “Youth employment centre closing” states that GT Hiring Solutions has cut funding to the Nanaimo Youth Services Association’s (NYSA) Youth Employment Centre because they don’t feel that the service is needed in addition to the Bladerunner program.

We would like to make a correction to this statement. According to Carolyn Yeager, Chief Operating Officer of GT Hiring Solutions, the importance of Nanaimo’s Youth Employment Centre has never been in question. In fact, on September 20, 2016, NYSA CEO Steve Arnett signed a two-year contract extension with GT Hiring Solutions to provide services until March 31, 2019.

The Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation (MSDSI) requires that GT Hiring Solutions review the invoicing data of all subcontractors, such as NYSA, to ensure that they are complying with the contract. Upon review of NYSA’s invoices, questions have been raised regarding certain fees invoiced to the Ministry. With no proper paperwork received from NYSA in response to their questions, Yeager stated that GT Hiring Solutions “is following the rules of responsible oversight under our primary contract with the Ministry and suspending further payments. We continue to urge NYSA to work with us so the matter can be resolved quickly, and the delivery of important services for youth in the Nanaimo area continue without interruption.”

However, NYSA CEO Steve Arnett feels they are being forced to shut their doors with the sudden halt of funds. Staff at the Employment Centre have been spreading the word that they will be closing at the end of this month. They have created a PSA featuring youth describing how the Employment Centre has helped them and what it means to them. The PSA can be viewed on the NYSA Facebook page.

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Letters

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EDITORIALS

Gimme some space

Molly Barrieau --Editor-in-Chief The Navigator

This issue, The Nav was inspired by NASA’s recent findings of exoplanets in another solar system. Thus we have decided to incorporate the extra-terrestrial into our stories. But what about Earth?

Here in the True North (Canada), we are fortunate to have one of the highest land mass per person ratio. According to <flowingdata. com>, who provided me with a snazzy infographic showing major countries and their land versus the population, compared to China and India, Canadians have almost three times as much space.

My sister moved to heavily-populated China last year to teach, unironically to pay off her unreasonable Canadian loans, and I was thinking about what it must be like to never feel alone.

It takes concentrated effort to seek solitude in a country so densely packed with people.

Canadians have driveways long enough to have several moments all to themselves.

In the last few years I’ve begun to really cherish my alone time, amidst usually being surrounded by roommates, friends or colleagues. As I never intend to leave Canada for too long, I like knowing I‘ll always be able to get away from the crowd.

I mean, just look at Nunavut, an amazing and vast snowy wonderland for wolves and polar bears, but humans can’t even get to it by road. Our country is so big, we can’t even access it all on foot. Hell, Churchill, Manitoba has one road into it, and a few ferries. Canada is foreign to Canadians.

I mean, we’re talking about getting off Earth to avoid the inevitable destroying factors of global warming and climate change, yet I haven’t even seen all of my own country.

And then NASA found those planets. At least three that could be habitable. How cool, to be all by yourself, on a planet, alone.

But would we really be? I mean, habitable

planets—could mean *uses quote fingers* Aliens.

Hey, if the planets have livable land, who says there aren’t new neighbours to hang out with.

So, if you feel out of place, unrelatable, or just plain different, maybe TRAPPIST 9 is the solar system for you. And as you’ll see on page 22, there could be a new frontier in space dating. Tinder might have a hard time getting your location, but we’ll get satellites there soon.

Look for our full coverage of the findings from NASA, including an interview with a VIU Astronomy professor, on page 12, written by our resident space expert, Aislinn Cottell.

Also, if you’ve made it to the bottom, look for our Call for Resumes, we will be hiring next year’s staff soon. If you have any questions, email me <editor@thenav.ca>.

Space, time, and social media

Natalie Gates --Associate Editor The Navigator

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editorials

Space and time are funny things. We’re always trying to get more of them or less of them. Trying to pass the time, skip through it—or grasping onto each second of the day, wishing there were more. Too much space and we get lonely, bored.

Not enough and we get claustrophobic, antsy, over-stimulated. It’s a constant push and pull.

But, as you might expect when you reach any “milestone”, I find myself dancing between the two extremes in my head more and more as graduation creeps closer. The options that used to seem like distant dreams become tangible possibilities. What do I really want to do with my time and space?

Here enters something that takes up a lot of our time these days—social media. More than a few friends have recently embarked on (or attempted to embark on) social media cleanses, declaring that it sucks up too much of their time, perhaps even intrudes on their personal space, or creates unwanted space in their personal relationships. It totally makes sense. If I were to take the time to add up the minutes I spend on social media, no matter how little I try to tell myself it is, I would probably find I could save a lot of time if it weren’t in my life. You know this.

But, personally, I still get everything I need done when it needs to be, even with the presence of social media (albeit with stretches

of unnecessary distractions). Often, it actually aids me in my work, providing inspiration and research. The real worry that has arisen for me around social media was how I am comparing my time and space to every other person’s time and space.

You’ve likely experienced this too. Seeing dozens, hundreds of friends appearing to have the time of their life each Friday night, endlessly socializing and celebrating. Hoards of people exploring each corner of the world, getting spectacular jobs, impressive achievements, and killer bods. You’ve probably taken part in “showcasing” your fun experiences or proud accomplishments too—I know I have.

And there’s nothing wrong with this. What is the everyday person’s social media really meant for other than to share what is going on in their life? If you are doing awesome things, and you have a Facebook or Instagram account, why not share it?

I definitely go through phases where a gross pang of jealousy hits when I see someone doing something with their time and space I wish I was. And there are many studies that show depression increases when people spend time on social media because of this. Sometimes it feels more like a slap in the face than a friendly share deserving of a “congrats! :)” Pretty twisted, huh?

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Eventually, I started to really try and browse through my newsfeeds with eyes for inspiration, instead of jealousy. When I see that person with the sick job, on an amazing trip, or at a crazy party—something that I want for myself—instead of thinking, “It’s not fair, I wish I had that,” I try to think “How can I do that?” And, of course, be genuinely happy for this person (who may or may not be your actual friend) and their accomplishments, as that’s what you would want yourself, right?

I’ve started messaging these people or commenting on their posts more often, asking for the details. “Where is this? How did you find that?” It’s not always easy when it’s someone you’re not close with, or a stranger on a public page, especially if you’re not particularly outgoing among people you don’t know well—more difficult than a passive “like” as you thumb through your news feed. Active searching, communicating, networking—wow, who woulda thunk social media was good for that? It sounds like an obvious discovery, but, it was to me, an important one.

When it comes down to it, we all only have a certain amount of time and space to work with.

How you fill your space and spend your time will only matter if you’re doing it for yourself, and not just for Insta. #YOLO #Blessed

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NEWS

Images and Text in War Zones: The Problems of Representation Gordon Hak On March 24, Dr. Debra Pentecost, Department --of Media Studies, will give an illustrated talk Contributor

beginning at 10 am in the Malaspina Theatre.

The presentation is entitled “Beyond the Boundaries of Image and Text: Telling Difficult Stories” and is part of VIU’s long-running Arts & Humanities Colloquium Series.

Pentecost has long been interested in the challenges encountered by photojournalists and documentary filmmakers when trying to represent experiences of war, conflict, and trauma, and the innovative forms utilized to deal with the challenges of visualization. Her dissertation, produced at Simon Fraser University, is entitled “War Photojournalism and Audiences: Making Meaning from Tragic Moments.”

In her thesis, Pentecost says, “[She] sought to explore the powers and limitations of war photojournalism to capture and convey, in still image form, the many experiences of living in war zones.” Since then, she has built on this base, investigating “creative and innovative approaches to the inherent limitations of the still and moving image, of the written text, and of spoken language.”

In telling difficult stories, photojournalists and documentary filmmakers face three challenges. “The first,” says Pentecost, “revolves around experiences difficult to represent, experiences thought to reside beyond the realms of representation, particularly in terms of renderings of extraordinary trauma.

A second challenge involves ethical boundaries and content considered difficult to represent due to its disturbing nature.

Third, there are challenges involved in giving visual expression to that which has been actively suppressed, often through political acts of erasure.”

In exploring these issues, Pentecost will look at the work of three people. Susan Meiselas is an American documentary photographer who has published several books of her own photographs, and edited and contributed to others. She received the Robert Capa Gold Medal in 1979, and in 2006 was awarded The Royal Photographic Society’s Centenary Medal and Honorary Fellowship. It was her 1997 book Kurdistan: In the Shadow of History, that attracted Pentecost’s attention, because here Mieselas draws “from a multitude of sources, including the words and images of missionaries, anthropologists, military personnel, Kurdish photographers, newspaper stories, and her own photojournalistic work, to provide a more textured portrait of the history of the Kurdish

people that visual imagery would be strained to convey.”

Israeli director Ari Folman is best known for his 2008 animated documentary film Waltz With Bashir. It is based on Folman’s memories of the aftermath of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, which took place when he was a 19-year-old soldier. The film follows his attempt to regain his memories of the war through therapy, as well as conversations with old friends and other Israelis who were present in Beirut around the time of the massacre.

Rithy Panh is an internationally- and critically-acclaimed Cambodian documentary film director and screen writer. The French-schooled director’s films focus on the aftermath of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. Rithy Panh’s works come from an authoritative viewpoint; his family was expelled

from Phnom Penh in 1975 by the Khmer Rouge. One after another, his father, mother, sisters, and nephews died of starvation or exhaustion, as they were held in a remote labour camp in rural Cambodia. What particularly intrigued Pentecost is Panh’s film The Missing Picture, because of “the innovative use of carved clay figurines set in elaborate tableaux to evoke visual expression of time and experiences that are no more.”

Debra Pentecost is the current Chair of the Department of Media Studies. She also teaches in the Department of Sociology at the University of British Columbia, served for several years on the Board of Directors and Screening Committee of the DOXA Documentary Film Festival in Vancouver, and is an involved member of the housing co-operative where she lives.

Dr. Debra Pentecost will discuss acclaimed Cambodian director Rithy Panh’s film The Missing Picture in her exploration of photojournalism and storytelling.

Dr. Debra Pentecost will discuss Israeli director Ari Folman’s film Waltz With Bashir in her exploration of photojournalism and storytelling.

VIUSU on the CFS: Conflicting financial management Phoebe Lo Patigdas This article is part two of a multi-part --exposé on the Canadian Federation Contributor

of Students (CFS) and the growing grassroots movement to leave it, written by VIUSU chairperson Phoebe Lo Patigdas.

The right to access financial records (particularly audited financial statements) is a pivotal right for members of a society.

Here at VIU, the Students’ Union presents its audited financial statements to members annually at its general meeting. Students can also sit down with staff or a director at any point in the year to review the statements if they wish.

It took nearly three years to get access to audits from the CFS.

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In November 2016, the CFS released an audit for the 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 years. The CFS has refused to disclose details about a large amount of money in the form of unexplained “bad debts” ($600K)—for example, nearly $300K in the form of legal fees.

Despite numerous and ongoing requests for basic financial information from VIUSU, other students’ unions, and even members of its own board of directors, these questions continue to go unanswered by the CFS. These requests are being put forward, in part, because of persistent rumours that student money is being used to subsidize the operations of student organizations in Ontario.

Audits are a standard annual process that provide the level of accountability and transparency students inherently expect of an

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organization like the CFS, which collects over $4.3M annually from students in membership fees alone—over $80K of which comes from VIU students. Those fees are meant to run services, campaigns, and the general operations of the organization overall. Without timely accountability by the national organization, students cannot determine precisely how money is spent, and there are no assurances that the interests of VIU students are being considered by the CFS. After years of unanswered questions, many students are wondering if perhaps it is better to stop sending their money to Ottawa, and instead focus on building a strong student movement in BC. Up next: Broken services are costing money.

NEWS

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News In a Nutshell Aislinn Cottell | The Navigator

WHAT

WHERE

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

On March 16, world-renowned primatologist Dr. Birute Galdikas will be giving a talk on her work with wild orangutans.

Nanaimo Campus Bldg. 356, rm. 109.

The event is a fundraiser for Dr. Galdikas’ non-profit organization Orangutan Foundation International, which spearheads the movement to save orangutans and their habitats from extinction.

7 – 10 pm Suggested donation: $10

WHAT

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On March 23, Michael Layland is presenting his book A Perfect Eden: Encounters by Early Explorers of Vancouver Island.

Nanaimo Campus Bldg. 355, rm. 203.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

7 pm

WHAT

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The City is now taking applications for 2017 downtown event funding.

Application forms can be found on the city website or at the Service and Resource Centre.

The book explores the important history of Vancouver Island and the relationship between settlers and the First Peoples.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

Deadline: March 31, 4 pm.

The program aims to give “ongoing and stable core funding to non-profit arts and cultural organizations to enable them to leverage funding from other sources.”

VIU journalism student honoured in the world’s largest photography competition Natalie Gates On February 28, the judges of the 2017 Sony World --Photography Awards honoured the work of Vancouver The Navigator

Island photographer Rob Wilson, whose image “Taft Point” is shortlisted as top 10 in the world in the awards’ Open Travel category.

The announcement came as quite the surprise for the VIU Digital Media and Journalism student who was in the midst of taking a year off of school to travel. He was sitting in a coffee shop in Dominical, Costa Rica, when he saw the confidential email.

“I was so stoked, but also couldn’t believe it because I’d kind of entered the contest a little bit on a whim ya’know?” Wilson said. “I really didn’t think I had a shot at being recognized like that. It also kind of sucked though because I couldn’t tell anyone yet.”

Over 227,000 images from 183 countries were submitted to the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards. Wilson is recognised alongside the other shortlisted photographers in the Open competition, as well as those in the Professional, Youth, and Student Focus competitions.

105,692 photos were submitted to the Open competition, where judges were looking for the best single images across 10 categories, representing the finest contemporary photography.

Wilson’s photo was taken in Yosemite National Park on Taft Point in California during a road trip with his girlfriend they did over about six months across the Americas.

“That’s my girlfriend, Danielle, standing at the edge—a 300 metre drop to the valley floor a few steps away,” he said. “It was October 2 when we were up there, and it’s over 2200 metre above sea level so it was cold—like shivering, can hardly press the shutter release cold. So after I snapped a few photos and the sun had set, we ran back to the vehicle in the dark absolutely blown away by how rad Taft Point and the experience was.”

Wilson will now compete to win the Open Travel category and the latest Sony digital imagery equipment; all 10 Open category winners will be announced March 28. From the category winners, the Open Photographer of the Year and recipient of the $5K cash prize will be revealed on April 20.

“I’m super stoked on it all and want to thank everyone who’s supported me,” said Wilson, who plans to return to VIU in the “nearish future”.

Produced by the World Photography Organisation, 2017 sees the 10th anniversary of the Sony World Photography Awards and a decade-long partnership with its headline sponsor, Sony. Wilson’s work will also be shown alongside the awards’ other shortlisted and winning images at the Sony World Photography Awards & Martin Parr–2017 Exhibition in London from April 21–May 7.

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Rob Wilson

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NEWS

VIU hosts inspirational speakers Aislinn Cottell In an age when the Internet offers—but also --condemns us to—a constant bombardment The Navigator

of often conflicting information, a certain kind of paralysis can occur. The seemingly endless fountain of facts, “alternative” facts, opinions, and ultimatums becomes an overwhelming cacophony, and sorting through the noise to some semblance of truth, let alone determining what action should be taken in response, can seem borderline impossible to attempt.

A crucial part of navigating this often confusing and seemingly contradictory landscape, however, is to not remain a passive receptor of whatever ideas are shouted the loudest. When fear and hate threaten to tear us apart, it is crucial to seek out other perspectives, broaden horizons, and fight ignorance with knowledge. Although no one person should be looked to for all the answers, listening to the experiences of those who have already fought, and are still fighting, for a more compassionate future, is a powerful way to arm yourself in a world where sanity can feel a little bit like it’s slipping away down the drain.

This semester, VIU is hosting a number of speakers who will share their stories, offer new outlooks, and perhaps provide some guidance on how to work past the deer-in-the-headlights syndrome and do some good. * Deborah Campbell is a Canadian journalist and professor known for combining literary journalism with immersive fieldwork abroad, in countries such as Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, and Russia. Her first book, A Disappearance in Damascus, was published last year and won the Hilary Weston Writer’s Trust Award, Canada’s largest literary award for nonfiction. It was named the best book of the year by the National Post, Chatelaine, CBC Books, The Walrus, and The Hill Times.

The piece is an account of Campbell’s trip to Damascus in 2007, where she reported undercover on the exodus of Iraqis people into the country following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. While there, she met and hired Ahlam, a refugee working as a “fixer” – an informant providing the Western media with information and

contacts to get news out of the country. The unofficial leader of the Iraqi refugee community in Damascus, Ahlam worked closely with Campbell until the morning she was seized from her home by the secret police. Having witnessed her abduction, Campbell spent the following months trying desperately to find her.

On March 20, Campbell will present A Disappearance in Damascus on campus, as well as discuss her work as an immersive journalist. Her talk will run from 11:30 am – 12:45 pm, in bldg.

355, rm. 211. This event is supported by VIUFA Professional Development Status of Women funds, and by VIU’s faculties of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, and International Education. * Eden Robinson is a Haisla novelist who grew up near Kitamaat Village, BC, with her brother and sister (CBC Newsworld’s Carla Robinson). She attended the University of Victoria to earn her Bachelor in Fine Arts, and later took her Masters in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. Her first book, Traplines, a collection of three short stories and a novella, was published in 1995 and won Britain’s Winifred Holtby Prize for best regional work by a Commonwealth writer.

Robinson’s first novel, Monkey Beach, won the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize in 2001, and was short-listed for both the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General’s Literary Award. Set in Kitamaat territory, the story follows a teenage girl’s search for answers concerning the disappearance of her brother, and has been described as “artfully constructed” by the Washington Post, and “intricately patterned” by the National Post. Critics in the US, the UK, and Canada were unanimous in their appreciation of the book, and of her next, Bloodsports (2006). She is currently touring with her newest novel, Son of a Trickster.

Robinson will be speaking and reading from Monkey Beach at VIU’s Shq’apthut: A Gathering Place from 1 – 2 pm on March 23.

This event is sponsored by VIU’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities, The Canada Council For the Arts, Aboriginal Education and Engagement, and A Gathering Place.

Courtesy of Deborah Campbell

Author Eden Robinson will speak and read from her award winning book Monkey Beach.

Red Works Photography

City expands Cleaner Community Partnership Program Aislinn Cottell Since 2002, Nanaimo’s Partners in a Cleaner --Community Program has been a yearly The Navigator

collaboration between the city and local non-profit organizations to keep Nanaimo a cleaner community, by providing aid and incentive for these groups to hit the streets and help clean up some of the accumulated litter.

This year, the City of Nanaimo is expanding the program. For the first time, they are admitting for-profit businesses applications, although they will not be given the $50/km donation allotted to the not-for-profits.

“We [are welcoming them] because several businesses who want to give back to their community got in touch with me and asked to join in,” said Charlotte Davis, Manager of Sanitation,

Campaign launched to mobilize youth vote

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Recycling and Public Works Administration. “It’s an excellent way to look after our community and, with Earth Day coming up on Saturday, April 22, it’s a great time to get involved. This program is about much more than litter. I look forward to receiving applications from all types of groups.”

A group of at least six people, aged 12 or older, must be appointed by each organization and be able to provide insurance, protective clothing, adult supervision, and transportation. Appointed supervisors will be required to attend a scheduled orientation and safety session provided by the City. Once approved, groups will then be offered opportunities to retrieve litter along community streets during two periods in 2017, once in the spring and once in the fall.

The City will provide safety vests, trash bags, gloves, road safety

signs, and collection and disposal of all litter collected. They will also be making signs for each organization and business participating, which will highlight their commitment to making Nanaimo a more environmentally friendly community.

“The Cleaner Community Partnership Program is an excellent example of what the City and the Community can achieve by working together,” said Davis. “The City’s streets are given a good spring clean, and in turn the valuable work of non-profit groups in our community is highlighted and supported.”

Application forms for both non- and for-profit groups are due

by March 24. They can be found by visiting <nanaimo.ca>, emailing <Public.WorksInfo@nanaimo.ca>, calling 250-758-5222, or dropping in at the Public Works Department at 2020 Labieux Rd.

Michael Olson Students at VIU have launched a campaign --titled “Students Are Voting” to mobilize

by having students pledge to vote and ensuring they know the essentials including where, when, and how to vote.

VIU students will join students at a dozen other institutions across the province in the Students Are Voting campaign. Because this election’s voting days fall just after the end of the semester, outreach to students is anticipated to be difficult. The campaign will utilize email and online communications to provide students with reminders of voting dates and locations, and other useful information.

“We want to empower VIU students to see how our vote matters,” said Bonner. “We are joining a movement of thousands of students who are already planning to vote.”

More information about the Students Are Voting campaign, and an online pledge to vote, can be found at <StudentsAreVoting.ca>.

Contributor

Vancouver Island University students to vote in the upcoming provincial election. This initiative, being implemented on campuses across the province, aims to educate and empower youth to get to the polls this May. “We know this election is going to be incredibly close, and that students’ votes can make a difference come May,” said Avery Bonner, Director of External Relations at the VIU Students’ Union.

“VIU students are joining a provincial movement of student voters.”

The 2015 Federal election saw a remarkable increase in youth voter engagement. In British Columbia, 24 percent more youth aged 18 to 24 voted than in the previous 2011 election. In fact, youth voter turnout in BC was the highest of any province. The Students Are Voting campaign aims to keep up this momentum

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FEATURES

Dirtyin' the Nav :

tips to Help you celebrate international women's day

Diana Pearson | Contributor

This Thursday, March 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD). Beginning in 1908, IWD is a day to acknowledge women’s struggles, and celebrate their successes in all walks of life. Women have fought for, and continue to fight for, the right to vote, the right to own property, to have reproductive freedom (birth control and abortion), to go to school, to participate in positions of leadership, and to be safe from violence and discrimination in many ways.

In Canada women are still prey to sexual and physical violence: One in four experience sexual assault in their lifetime, and an estimated one in six of these assaults are reported to police. Some women feel the impacts of gender oppression more strongly than others, including Indigenous, trans, and disabled women, as well as women of colour and women in low socio-economic positions.

First Nations, Inuit, and Metis women face sexual and physical violence in much higher proportions; at least 1200 (according to the RCMP) and as high as 4000 (as researched by the Native Women’s Association) Indigenous women have been murdered in Canada between 1980 and 2012. Trans women face verbal threats, discrimination, harassment, and violence, making them vulnerable to mental health struggles such as depression, anxiety, and suicide.

It is not all doom and gloom. There are lots of reasons to celebrate the success of the women in our lives. So, here’s a “to-do” list for International Women’s Day. Of course, these tasks can be done any day, not just on Women’s Day, but it’s a fun place to start.

In your personal life: • Write a card, a letter, or tell a woman in your life how much you appreciate them.

• Cook them their favourite meal or drop off a treat at their doorstep.

• “We can’t be what we can’t see,” so thank the female role

models in your life for being awesome.

• Set some time aside for intimate fun. If you have a female partner, pleasure her sexually or intimately in a way that they desire, when they desire it.

• Find a woman in your life who is of a different generation (mother, grandmother, aunt, friend) or geographic region from you, and compare your experiences of their upbringing. We can learn a lot from each other in this way, including hearing about how things have (or have not) changed.

• Take a mirror and look at your bits, and take time to “get to know” your vulva in all its uniqueness and beauty.

Patriarchal porn exposes us too often to “one” type of vulva (neat, hairless, bleached, trimmed), but in reality, vulvas are varied and diverse, and unique in their beauty.

• Take a day off (or plan ahead to take a day off when you can). Overexertion in our lives can exacerbate our hormones, stress us out, and wreak havoc on our lady bits.

Education: • The personal is political! Start a consciousness-raising circle—gather a group of women together to share your experiences as women, with the goal of raising awareness and addressing sex and gender-related oppression in your daily lives.

• Ask your professors to include more women-related material (cis and trans women) in their curriculum if they aren’t already doing so.

• If you’re a woman (cis, trans, and gender variant included), join VIUSU Women’s Collective. The Women’s Collective meets regularly, hosts speaker events, and provides support to women on campus. For more info, join their Facebook group or contact Chantelle Spicer at <women@viusu.ca>.

• Learn about the Positive Space Alliance (PSA) on campus; find out about film showings, orientations, events, and initiatives they’re doing to make VIU a more inclusive

campus for individuals who are LGBTQIA2+. Not sure what that acronym stands for? Attend an orientation and find out!

Off-campus: There are lots of ways to contribute to the well-being and safety of women in the Nanaimo community. Here are a few ways you can get involved: • Donate items to Nanaimo’s Haven House. Their wishlist varies, but you can always donate non-perishable food items, bus tickets, gift cards for grocery stores, and new toiletries (pads and tampons). Visit <havensociety.com/ donate-to-haven> for more info.

• Apply to volunteer with the Nanaimo Women’s Centre.

They welcome all sorts of help, including skills we as students are learning at VIU (Media Studies student?

Apply to host a photography workshop. Culinary Arts?

Host a nutrition workshop. Business student? Host a basic budgeting workshop, etc.). For more information, visit <nanaimowomen.com/volunteer-opportunities>.

• 24 percent of Canadian women cannot afford or access birth control. MP Irene Mathyssen is urging the Liberal Government to pass a motion to work with all provinces to ensure contraceptive costs are covered nation-wide. Write her to show your support. Write to Sheila Malcolmson (local MP) and Terry Lake (Minister of Health BC) to ask for their support in this as well.

Sheila Malcolmson 103-495 Dunsmuir Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 6B9 Sheila.Malcolmson@parl.gc.ca Terry Lake Minister of Health PO Box 9050 Stn Prov Govt Victoria, BC V8W 9E2

theMASTHEAD SATURDAYS 12-2 PM ON 101.7 FM CHLY

Podcasts available Sunday themastheadradio.wordpress.com #Mastheadradio

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Point of viu Cole Schisler | The Navigator

Would you go to another planet? How do you think you’d fare with space travel?

JESSE

AMANDA

CRYSTaL

callum & julianna

JAMES

“I would live on another planet if it were only good people, lots of animals, forests, and everybody got along. I think that space travel itself would be really cool.”

“I would travel to Pandora. It looks really beautiful, and I want to be in that forest, running with all the creatures. I like the idea of how the trees and the spirits are all connected, and they can access memories through the trees. I probably couldn’t do the space travel, but if there was a way to get around it and I could just beam over there, then I would.”

“I would. I like adventure and I think it’d be a cool experience going to another planet. I’d like to go somewhere that I could breathe without a spacesuit, but that also had cool wildlife, or maybe mountains that float upside down. I think I’d get really impatient with space travel. I’d probably just try to sleep it out.”

C: “I wouldn’t go to another planet, but I would go to earth from the past. If I could come back to Earth, I might visit Mars. But I don’t think so though. Earth is a pretty good place.”

“I’d do it! It’d be really cool to check out a planet with sentient life, and interesting environments that are different than what we have on Earth. I’d go to Mars if I had the option to come back, although I don’t know how I’d fare in space travel.”

J: “It’d be nice to live somewhere that’s not messed up environmentally.

I don’t know if I would live on another planet, but it would be cool to go and visit another planet. It’d be cool just to compare worlds, and maybe take some ideas back to our own planet.”

A game of introspection: Celebrate the small things Chantelle Spicer & Alex Berube-Robert ---

(Chantelle) I am not normally one for head games or overanalyzing, but there is one Contributors exception to this—what I like to informally call “The Game.” It’s rooted in that moment of recognition that you are really in that moment, in that place—an opportunity to be mindful and introspective of all the decisions in your life that have led you to the moment.

It’s a “game” I have played since first moving to Canada 12 years ago, which started due to my complete disbelief that I had just uprooted my whole life, knowledge base, and what I thought were my life goals to come to a new country where I knew not a soul and had no idea what I was doing… yet here I was! I was sitting on the shores of Lake Ontario, seeking rest and shade from a hot Canada Day sun. I could feel the dappled sun playing on my skin, hear children distantly playing in the water, a young man sat near me playing “Wheat Kings” on his guitar, and I was overwhelmed with the beauty of it all. This decision that everyone (including myself) thought was so rash was now playing out in the most beautiful way—and would continue to do so.

Since then, I have taken up this practice many times— when I moved to BC, learned how to scuba dive, and started university. Each event brought a new wonder that I never thought would be a part of my life—in fact, they are exponentially better than anything I could dream of planning. “The Game” gives me an opportunity to explore these moments not in the vacuum of that time, but to also honour many other prior moments and decisions, each accumulating into something grand.

I was recently at a pub with a friend and was incredibly delighted to find that he played exactly the same “game”.

(Alex) There is no goal in doing this. It’s an exercise,

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nothing more, nothing less. I’ve had one of those powerful and empowering experiences when I was conducting ethnographic research on the island of Gozo, in Malta.

To me, it was ‘exotic just enough’ so that I would believe I had a grasp on what I was doing while constantly being reminded about how much of a foreign territory I was in.

Malta is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and displays a blend of European, North African and Middle Eastern elements. I sat down on the limestone shore as the sun set. I closed my eyes and all I could feel was the waves crashing and the gentle caress of the wind with the fading warmth of the Sun’s last rays.

I started thinking about my grandfather, who was such an important character in my childhood and who passed away more than a decade ago now. I tried to imagine what his reaction would be if I could call him and explain where I was at that moment. Would he believe that this little kid, now somewhat grown up, reached Malta based on his very own determination? Being on an island made it easy for me to picture where I stood on Earth; I could get a mental image of where I was born and compare it to the location of Gozo. Who would’ve thought I’d end up in such a place?

It was one of those moments where you get so thankful for all the crazy decisions you’ve made that ultimately led you there. And thinking about them seemed to make the present so much greater. It was about taking the time to sit down and just ask yourself: “Seriously, did I really make it here?”

No matter where I would go in the future, I could now be certain that I would remember that, at that precise moment, I was sitting peacefully within a mundane Gozitan landscape. I wasn’t staring at the Eiffel tower or the Grand Canyon, I was staring into my own timeline with Gozo as my seat.

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(Chantelle) In recent years I have begun, as Alex had done in Malta, to apply this introspection to a story beyond mine—the stories of my family. Spawned from the Coast Salish understanding that to “know thyself” is the root from which we grow, I have spent the last two years doing extensive genealogical research—even recently getting a DNA test. As I poured over archival documents and spoke with the keepers of knowledge within my family, I was overwhelmed with the amount of stories and decisions that all of my ancestors have made that have ended in me. I reflected on my own grandmother, a descendant from Jewish Morocco who, at the beginning of WWII, married into the family of a recent German immigrant before he went to war. I imagined the decisions made by those first generations of immigrants from all over the world, making their own rash decisions and brave voyages to a life different from all they had ever known. I considered that we all have those moments of decisions made by our ancestors alive in us as we act out our own lives—all of a part of a timeline that we weave together.

As Alex and I discussed this shared idea, we spoke of how these moments of introspection improves the quality of the experience you are having, binding together all of your life into that moment. We thought about how, in the future, we can do this again in yet another moment of pleasant surprise, reflecting on decisions we are making right now, small though they may seem. We invite you, as we all head into summer time and relative freedom (at least from university) to honour your life and moments in the same way. Take time as you sit at the beach, by the river, on an airplane to a foreign destination. Collect all your decisions in your mind and follow the path of your life to now.

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The fight is over *contains mature content*

Ahron Balatti ---

A hard right hook explodes in my ribs. A wheezing grunt escapes my mouth as I Contributor stagger backwards under the fluorescent street light, a crowd of zit-faced teenagers cheering in the background.

I’m pretty much done.

T presses forward, charges, and tackles me to the ground. The best I can do is cover my face and see how long I can stand. But he decides he’s made his point and pulls me up. Much to the despair of my ribs, he lifts my arm in the air and all the kids cheer. We always had to fight first to break the ice.

To understand fight club, you have to understand me.

At 15, I was a curly-haired, overweight kid with man boobs—the walking embodiment of insecure. I was just waiting for something illicit to take over my life. Girls didn’t like me, my friends hardly liked me; I wasn’t anything you would remember. Tyson—or T, as I knew him—changed that.

T was everything I wasn’t. Football player, loud-mouth, and accepted. It was cool to like T. T fit in anywhere.

Naturally, I hated his fucking guts.

It wasn’t an entirely arbitrary hatred. I met him when I was 14 at a Halloween party. I knew he was something special before he even showed up. The group of half-cut 14 year olds wouldn’t shut up about how “Tyson is coming!”

The girls were flirting with just the thought of him and the guys were like kids on Christmas morning.

I was probably the only person at the party who didn’t know who he was. When he arrived, I couldn’t believe the sheer arrogance that radiated off of him. His swagger was obvious and in your face, his presence was impossible to overlook. After a couple steps, he stopped and yelled “What’s up, chicken fuckers!?” Everyone laughed. He walked passed me and, in a mocking tone, asked, “Who the fuck are you?” I just froze, then shrugged. T gave me a sideways look and walked away. I left a little after. He had made a life-long enemy.

At 15, I heard the same message again: “Tyson is coming!” He was transferring schools and about to become a huge pain in my ass. I was doing better socially—in that I somewhat had a social life, mostly with people who would just put up with me. I wasn’t funny, cool, or interesting, but I was harmless. Either way, I was pretty much a nothing doing nothing.

As soon as T showed up, I couldn’t avoid him. He was everywhere. Everyone wanted to be a part of his life. I was envious, and petty. Everyone knew him. It would be years later when I would learn he went to middle school with most of the kids at my high school and football had let him run into all the teachers beforehand. At the time, though, I basically thought the kid was magic.

The day everything changed was about a week after he showed up. My group of friends was walking to town, and saw T walking alone. Desperately, they invited him to come with us, even though I wanted nothing to do with the guy. We got into town, went to some local café, and sat down at one of the tables. They were all talking and when I opened my mouth to say something one of the kids said, “Honestly Ahron, no one cares, shut the fuck up.” I closed my mouth, shrugged, and accepted defeat—accepted that I was a nothing and would continue to be nothing.

T, on the other hand, slammed his hand on the table and yelled, “How bout you shut the fuck up and let him speak?!”

The table was silent. Everyone was shocked, I most of all. From then on out, I would’ve died for T. Everything changed. I don’t understand what happened, but being around T gave me what I needed to grow. I mouthed off guys way bigger than me, I picked fights, I partied, I got laid. It was like I was an entirely different person. I learned to be funny, I learned to fit in, I learned to not just be cool but not give a fuck about being cool.

It was pure magic. You couldn’t separate me from T. He supported nearly every stupid and aggressive decision I

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made. We sort of developed some sort of “be violent but moral” belief. Kick ass but don’t be the bad guy.

Fight club happened because of all this. Somehow, my friends and I agreed that we really ought to fight more. We were aggressive teenagers and figured that, if we made a little club, it would be a safer way to get that aggression out.

The night it happened, we were beside some BMX park in Qualicum. We fought in a dim parking lot. I fought around five times that night, with three people. Lost every single time. T was there, kicked my ass left and right. I went home cold and a bit chipped in different places, but it was the start of some sort of glory for me.

In less than a few months I went from being nothing to the loudest and proudest asshole anyone had ever met.

From zero to hero—from the bottom to the top. My Friday nights went from gaming and loneliness to breaking the law and being alive. It started to spiral out of control. Nothing could stop us.

Fight club basically took all the good and bad in me and made it aggressive. I became content with dying for any reason. It would be a few years later that I would learn that I was bipolar, but at the time I just felt like a ticking timebomb. If you said the wrong thing to me at a party I’d tell you exactly what I thought. If I heard about someone doing something shitty, I was more than willing to go become someone’s boogie man. I don’t want to glamorize this because, realistically, what I needed was medication, not a moral crusade. Fight club was the cherry on the cake for this. If you came to my club Friday night, you had to fight—no exceptions.

I had quiet 14 year old kids kicking the shit out of each other, grown men getting their anger out, and everything in between. I’d meet kids who only a few weeks earlier, couldn’t even look you in the eye. A couple Friday nights at fight club and suddenly they were more than willing to stand up to someone. T encouraged all of it—he ran it with me. He was there whenever I decided to show up on someone’s door step. I didn’t even like to party that much any more, I just wanted to be a dick to people I felt deserved it. Needless to say I did a lot of morally questionable shit.

This happened through all of high school—it would be nearly impossible to list everything that happened but,

eventually, I decided to stop being such a dick.

A little before grad, T and I decided to be a problem for someone who had smashed up a friend’s car. It was the usual shit: end up at his door step at midnight and ragdoll him a bit—not to beat the fuck out of him, but insult him and laugh at him. You didn’t really have to hit anyone; usually showing up was good enough. The only difference was this guy had his girlfriend over. So we manhandled the guy in front of her­—nothing special but questionable, for sure. Must have scared the shit out of her, I think. We left with the general message being, “Don’t fuck with us again.”

A little after grad, I started working at a Panago. The girlfriend happened to work there. I don’t know if she recognized me or not. She was short but not impolite with me. I closed the store with her one night, and, as she was cashing me out, I noticed the deep, consistent scars on her wrists. The cuts reminded me of my own girlfriend at the time.

That stayed with me. I’ve done a lot of questionable things, but never has it been so visual and in my face. I can’t imagine how afraid she must’ve been when we showed up and decided to mess with her boyfriend. I don’t know why I didn’t “get” that my actions had consequences before, but seeing a person suffering that I had directly influenced seemed to effect whatever type of tough guy I thought I was. Turns out life isn’t a comic book, and hurting others for fun is near sociopathic.

It didn’t happen overnight, but I spent a couple years cleaning my act up, getting myself together and figuring out who it was I wanted to be.

T and I are still good friends—he’s got his life together too with a nice girl and a stable job that seemed to calm him down. We both have that hostile side to us, but it’s saved for special occasions.

University has ended up being a big part of that person I want to be. I still do dumb shit, but these days it’s more funny and less violent. While I’m probably never going to be a “normal” person, I figure I can carve something out in the world for me. Fight club basically made a criminal out of me, and being a criminal made me into a person.

It’s hard to nail down where I go from here but I feel like I’m finally an alright guy with the world at my fingertips.

And, fuck, I have never felt more boring.

<pixabay.com>

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Tips and tricks for trouble-free taxes Aislinn Cottell It’s tax season and, for many students, --that may seem an intimidating The Navigator

task on top of all the other spring responsibilities—aka exams. But taxes are important to complete, not only because of the civic duty, but also because many lower income students are eligible for tax benefits returns. It may seem like a headache now, but those cheques can feel like a godsend when struggling to make ends meet in the middle of semester next year.

So, how do you do it?

First of all, know your due dates. For most Canadians, tax filings for income tax and benefits returns are due by April 30. For self-employed individuals and their spouses or common law partners, the due date is June 15.

Tax files can be sent by mail to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), or filed online using certified tax preparation software or a certified web application. The CRA has a list of certified tax preparation software on its website, including some that are free. To find out more, check out <cra.gc.ca/netfile>.

If you’re reading this and have absolutely no idea where to start, tax filing help is available through the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program, for those with a modest income and simple tax situation. To find a free, volunteer tax preparation clinic near you, use the MyCRA mobile app at <cra.gc.ca/mobileapps> or go to <cra.gc.ca/volunteer>.

Next, know what you can claim.

As a student, education costs can be used to balance against any income made during the tax year, and lower the tax amount owed. Each student should have received an email notifying that their official tax receipt, or a

Form T2202A (Tuition, Education, and Textbook Amounts Certificate), has become available through their online student record. This form details the total eligible fees associated with university which can be claimed for the tax year.

Full-time students (or part-time students who can claim the disability amount or have a certified mental or physical impairment), can claim $400 for each month enrolled in a qualifying educational program at a designated educational institution. Part-time students can claim $120 for each month enrolled. If a student can claim either of these, textbook costs can be claimed: $65 for each month of fulltime study, and $20 for each month of part-time.

International students study ing in Canada must determine residency status at <cra.gc.ca/ internationalstudents>. If a student is required to file a return, or are filing to claim a refund or credit, they must send their return to the CRA’s International and Ottawa Tax Services Office. Questions can be directed to the CRA’s international tax and non-resident enquiries line at 1-800959-8281.

Use of public transit can also be claimed. Keep all transit passes for local buses, streetcars, subways, commuter trains or buses, and local ferries, and enter the total public transit amount on line 364 of Schedule 1, Federal Tax. To find out if a transit pass is eligible and for more information, go to <cra.gc.ca/transitpass>.

Students with a low or modest income who are residents of Canada, and over 19-years-old, may be eligible for the goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) credit, as well as credits and benefits under related provincial

and territorial programs. Qualification for these credits is automatic: the CRA determines your eligibility when returns are filed, and will send a notice if a student qualifies.

Child care during work or school hours can be deducted, and parents of children under the age of 18 may be eligible for the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), a monthly, tax-free payment to help families with the cost of raising children, as well as related provincial and territorial programs.

If a student has moved locations to study full-time in a post-secondary program at a university, college, or other education institution, moving expenses may be claimed.

These costs can only be deducted from the scholarships, fellowships, bursaries, certain prizes, and research grants section of income. Moving expenses can also be claimed if a student has moved to work (including summer employment) or to run a business. These can only be deducted from the employment or self-employment income earned at the new work location, and to qualify, the new home must be at least 40 km closer to the student’s new school or work location.

Interest paid on student loans can be claimed if a student or family member made payments on their loan in 2016 for post-secondary education. Interest paid over the last five years can also be claimed if it hasn’t been already. Only interest paid on loans received under the Canada Student Loans Act, the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act, the Apprentice Loans Act, or similar provincial or territorial legislation for post-secondary education can be claimed.

Looking for more information? Check out <cra.gc.ca/ students>. As well, the CRA has informative videos just for students, at <cra.gc.ca/videogallery>.

Good luck, and happy filing!

Bunnies and Stairs The Navigator

Bunnies:

Stairs:

Bunny to our Protection Island readers— you make our day!

Stairs to the weather for changing every five minutes.

Please make up your mind.

The more the merrier! Submit your bunnies and stairs to The Nav by emailing <editor@thenav.ca> or Tweet us @theNavVIU. Bunny: Something nice, funny, positive, or sweet that happened in your life.

Stair: Something mean, annoying, negative, or gross that happened in your life.

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I want to believe: New planets, new life?

Aislinn Cottell ---

Astronomers are over the moon about a recent announcement that brings humanity The Navigator another step closer to answering the tantalizing question—are we alone in the universe?

Not too long ago, that inquiry may have been relegated to the tin-hat territory of X-Files fanatics. However, for the last decade, that question has become less of a spooky subject, particularly since the launch of the Keppler Spacecraft in 2009. Designed specifically to search for exoplanets—planets in star systems other than our own—the Keppler telescope was set to observe a single piece of sky near the constellation Cygnus. In only a few years, Keppler detected not a handful, but thousands of planetary systems in this small region of space.

The astounding success of Keppler illuminated an equally astounding fact: that planets in general are much more common than expected, with perhaps every star system sporting at least one.

“If you just look at the Milky Way, we have a hundred billion, to two hundred billion stars,” says Gregory Arkos, professor of Astronomy, Physics, and Engineering at VIU. “A crazy number— absolutely enormous number. Even if every one of those has a handful of planets, which seems likely, and if even a small fraction of those have rocky planets, and some of those rocky planets are in their habitable zones, even with small, small fractions—if one in ten has a rocky world, and one in a hundred of those is in the habitable zone, and one in however many of those has an atmosphere—what you end up with is non-trivial numbers of Earth-type worlds.”

The interesting thing is that the building blocks of life— organic molecules, minerals—have been found widely distributed throughout the universe. What we don’t know is how these elements come together to form the ‘spark’—a living organism that can evolve and reproduce on its own. We don’t know if it’s some miraculous set of circumstances, or a relatively common occurrence.

“If we could find at least a signature of life on one of these worlds, what that means is the potential is there that life could be everywhere,” says Arkos. “Then you flip the question—what is the likelihood that nothing would happen out there, given all those chances?”

Which brings us to today. On February 22, NASA announced the discovery of four new planets located within the constellation

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Aquarius, in a star system currently named TRAPPIST-1. The name comes from the Belgian TRAnsiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope, located in Chile, which first discovered the system in 2010. These new worlds are, in fact, only the most recent addition to the TRAPPIST-1 family; they join three other previously discovered planets orbiting the same star.

Now, seven planets, you may scoff—what’s so special about that? Our system boasts a whopping eight (nine, according to some). Well, yes, but let out the gas from your ego balloon a little—because that’s all that most of our celestial siblings are: gas. In the TRAPPIST-1 system, on the other hand, every single one of the seven are terrestrial.

What?

Terrestrial. As in terra—earth. According to estimates of the planet densities, every single one of the TRAPPIST-1 seven are rocky planets, made out of solid minerals and metals: the first qualification for a world to support life as it exists on Earth. It’s the largest number of terrestrial planets ever found in a single system. We ourselves only have four—Earth, Mercury, Venus, and Mars.

And, that’s not all. Three of the TRAPPIST-1 seven have been calculated to be orbiting in what is known as the “habitable” or “goldilocks” zone—the range of space around a star in which conditions are “just right” to support the formation of liquid water. The three—all seven, in fact—are close in diameter to Earth, ranging between three quarters to one times our size, and masses ranging from only 50 – 150 percent of ours.

According to Arkos, the TRAPPIST-1 system is like a wish come true for astronomers, something akin to a celestial goldmine.

“It’s like you were looking for life here and there, and then someone hands you a solar system that not only might have habitable worlds, but a whole bunch, in one place.”

Now, before you get too excited, existence within the habitable zone is only the second in a long list of qualities a planet must have in order to support life as we know it. In our own solar system, Venus and Mars also exist within the zone, along with Earth, and both are, as far as we know, completely barren.

There are already many differences between the TRAPPIST-1 seven and Earth.

One of the biggest differences is that the TRAPPIST-1 seven are “tidally locked”, meaning they don’t spin, and have a permanent

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day and night side. The side facing their sun would live in constant, scorching heat, whereas the side facing away would be in permanent icy darkness. The weather effects of these temperature extremes could possibly strip the planet of its water and collapse the atmosphere. Even if it didn’t, only around the equator is it theorized that a relatively balanced climate might exist, in a kind of perpetual twilight zone.

Life on a tidally locked world would have to be structured significantly different to that of Earth, but it’s still by no means impossible. Many forms of life have been found in extreme conditions that defy expectations of what is or isn’t “habitable”.

For example, deep sea creatures live at extreme depths and pressures where no daylight reaches, conditions which might resemble the “dark side” of a tidally locked planet.

“It’s so easy to find life everywhere on Earth; you turn over a rock in Antarctica and you find life, you find water bears that can survive these incredible things. You can put them in a vacuum, irradiate them, and they still survive—if life can do that, I find it really hard to imagine that if the chance is there, that somewhere else, it wouldn’t at least have a chance.”

Even if the presence of life there is still debatable, the TRAPPIST-1 system is a significant find, largely because we can observe it so easily. If there is life, we are much more likely to find it there than we might in other places.

Part of the reason for this is its relative proximity.

TRAPPIST-1 is only 39 light-years from Earth, so travelling at the speed of light it would take approximately 39 years to get there. Using current rocket technology, it would take around 11,250 years, but this is still much closer than many of the other exoplanet systems currently under study.

Secondly, the type of system is one of the best kinds for our instrumets to detect. The TRAPPIST-1 sun is a type of star known as a “red dwarf”, which are much smaller and dimmer than yellow dwarfs like our own sun. This star in particular is 12 times less massive than our sun and only slightly larger than Jupiter in size.

Red dwarf systems are valuable, research-wise, for a very simple reason—we can see them. Counterintuitively, perhaps, because red dwarfs burn at a much lower intensity and, therefore, give off much less light than other star types. However, the method that astronomers use to detect exoplanets is one that

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relies on both light and its absence. Called “transit photometry”, this method works by measuring the tiny change in light as a planet passes in front of its star. Consequently, for this to work the star needs to give off enough light that we can see it—but not too much light that it completely drowns out the small change caused by the transiting planet’s shadow.

As well as being easy to see, TRAPPIST-1 also has some very cool features. For one, the sun isn’t the only dwarf in the system. Although all seven planets are relatively close to Earth’s in size, the distance between them is much smaller than between us and our own planetary neighbours. In fact, the entire TRAPPIST-1 system is only 10 million km in length, and could fit easily within the 60 million km distance between Mercury and our own sun. The whole setup is actually closer in size to Jupiter and its moons than the entirety of our own far-flung family.

What this means is that for someone standing on one of the TRAPPIST-1 seven, the other planets could easily be seen with the naked eye, at two or three times the size of how the moon appears in our own sky. With a simple telescope, actual geological features could be observed. If life developed on one planet, it would be relatively easy for meteors to pass between them and populate the others. If intelligent life were achieved, interplanetary travel and/or colonization would be much easier than it is for us.

In addition, this cozy setup has resulted in an interesting effect on the planetary orbits. From our observations, the planets move in almost complete “resonance” with each other. That is, each of their orbits around their sun take a consistent fraction less time than the last. Astronomers theorize that this harmony resulted because the planetary bodies were so close when forming, and, with so many gravitational forces in play, they had a much higher chance and opportunity to ‘tug’ at each other and sync their orbits in the most favourable pattern.

Unfortunately, this closeness extends to the TRAPPIST-1 sun, as well—and that makes things a bit toasty, on a radioactive level. Because the star is a red dwarf, it can emit powerful bursts of X-ray and UV radiation, which could leave nearby planets too volatile to sustain life if their atmospheres aren’t thick enough to protect the surface below.

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An atmosphere like ours would be able to withstand the bursts, but it takes time for those gases to build up and, during that process, the close proximity to the star could cause this young atmosphere to be stripped away by violent solar flares.

However, there are other ways a planet could deal with the excess radiation. One possibility proposed is a world filled with corals, as here on Earth we know of some species which absorb UV light and emit it back at less harmful wavelengths.

Another is that volcanic activity, resulting in high amounts of hydrogen gas in the atmosphere, could keep a colder planet warm. This could cause the habitable zone of a system to be ‘artificially’ extended to include planets further away from the volatile star.

Arkos reminds that our ideas of what is and isn’t possible can be limited by our experiences here on Earth. The red dwarf systems are the closest we can find to Earthlike conditions—what if there is life out there that doesn’t conform at all to our definitions?

“We’re limited by our imaginations and what we see on Earth, but life is very diverse here, and this is just one way of doing it. I think it would be very arrogant of us to assume that this is the only way to do it.”

Perhaps creatures have evolved in the swirling atmospheres of gas planets, or are not bound to planets at all, but somehow eke out an existence in the endless void between stars.

“I think that if, and when we, find life, it’ll be different from what we can imagine, it’ll be completely different—it won’t be some bulbous head, dangly armed creature. We are bound by what we see and know, and that’s maybe a very poor representation of what’s possible out there.”

At the moment, all we know is that life on the TRAPPIST-1 worlds is theoretically possible according to our rules.

As for detecting it, well, the SETI Institute used the Allen Telescope Array to scan the system for radio signals that might indicate the presence of artificial communication, but none have been so far detected—so we probably won’t be making first contact any time soon, at least not from that direction.

But the future is bright. Next year, NASA is launching the brand-new James Webb Telescope, which will be able to probe the seven using what are called “spectral techniques”.

These rely on the way light from the system star interacts with certain molecules in the planet atmospheres, which then give off

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signals that astronomers can detect and identify—specifically, certain “fingerprint” molecules that would indicate life, or the possibility of life, such as oxygen or methane. If those are found, the probability of life existing there would increase significantly.

It may be on the TRAPPIST-1 seven, or in some other system, in a year, a decade, or a century, but as our technology advances, Arkos says the statistics for finding extraterrestrial life are only getting better.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if in our life-time, we not only find more earthlike worlds, but some more-than-a-hint of there being intelligent life somewhere—a signal, a sign in an atmosphere,” says Arkos.

As for those who might say these kinds of explorations are a waste of time, or money, Arkos says he thinks the benefits far outweigh the costs. For starters, in the future it could be intrinsic to our survival as a species. Whether due to changing conditions on Earth or the distant but inevitable expansion of our sun, spreading to other worlds could well be a matter of life or death to our descendants.

Arkos also believes that beyond mere necessity, it is part of human nature to push past the boundaries of our understanding, and that it’s an important part of how we cope with the sometimes overwhelming realities of our lives.

“The truth is, I think we are meant as a species to question, to push, and to boldly go. I think if we don’t do that, we do ourselves a disservice,” he contemplates. “The beauty and the majesty of everything that’s out there—there’s a lot of everyday ugliness in things that we see, but [astronomy] lets us remind ourselves that there is beauty in the universe, that there are things which transcend that. Even more so, it speaks to us as humans—at a core level, this need to be part of something bigger.”

“We really are connected to each other and this universe as a whole, in a very real way, and I think it behooves us to explore that and find our place.”

Who are we, and are we the only ones asking? It may be awhile before we know, but humanity has a well-documented history of bull-headed pursuit of our ambitions, for better or for worse.

In the meantime, keep looking up—the answer could be written in the stars.

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15 Minutes

of Infamy:

Artist showcase

Cheryl Folland For the past two years, 15 Minutes of --Infamy (15 Minutes), has provided

The Navigator local artists an intimate venue to share their work. 15 Minutes specializes in spoken word and song, including poetry, storytelling, and interactive word-based performance art. Sitting down with Carla Stein to chat about their history and upcoming show proved spoken word is making a comeback.

How did 15 Minutes get started?

How is the structure important?

C: The break in the middle provides much needed networking between local and visiting artists. We’ve had artists from all over the Island and some visit from Vancouver. The interlude is an essential place for people to connect with other artists, publishers, booking agents, promoters, and listen to critical responses to their work.

How would you characterize the audience?

Carla: Ian Cognito, founding member and co-producer [of 15 Minutes], started with the vision of giving people more room to move and work than a traditional open mic scenario. We started two years ago in Ladysmith, but it wasn’t drawing large numbers. The contract ended there in July 2016 and 15 Minutes made the move to The Nanaimo Bar October 2016, and we’ve been there since.

According to Facebook, 15 Minutes is not open mic; how is it different?

C: All shows are curated. It’s more of a cabaret style event.

Six or eight people with different talents from different genres perform based on submissions sent to us. We always start at 7 pm. A host or co-hosts introduce the performers for the evening and performances are broken down into two sets with a break in the middle.

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C: Over the last three shows, we have been nearly full. Our audience is there because they want to support [the literary community] and are members themselves. They are quite welcoming and respectful.

What’s new for 15 Minutes?

C: Short term, we have an upcoming show, March 15, at The Nanaimo Bar from 7 to 10 pm, featuring Kevin Parker, Pat Smekal, Ian Cognito, Bobbit Schram, and Judy Millar.

There’s a $5 cover charge.

Long term, we have been invited under the Umbrella of Wordstorm. They see the vision of being involved in shaping the contemporary scene and are already an incorporated society.

This allows us to offer a small honorarium to performers and hosts as well as opening us up to other funding and resources for future development.

To learn more about 15 Minutes of Infamy, or how to apply, visit their Facebook page at <facebook.com/ pg/15MinutesofInfamy>.

Cheryl Folland

Burlesque and body positivity: An evening with Sweet Tooth Burlesque review Cheryl Folland February 15, at The Queen’s—sequins --and hearts everywhere. The night’s The Navigator

theme was love. Titled “Get a Heart On”, all of the evening’s performers had created their own routines and costumes to inspire, speak to, and celebrate love, in all its forms. Skill level, body shape, gender, and experience varied from act to act. Sitting down with Betty Krueger, one of Sweet Tooth’s founders, it was clear burlesque has a major impact on her life.

Betty Krueger is a comedic, plus size burlesque dancer.

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Watching her perform routines, from sassy to serious, she proves that sexy is not limited to the confines of social norms.

“It’s all about body confidence and loving who you are,” Betty said. “We have performers from all walks of life and at all stages of fitness. Everybody is beautiful, and every body is beautiful.”

With high audience participation through Show Me How You Burlesque, and comedy performances with a healthy balance of old school sultry numbers, it’s easy to see how Sweet Tooth is garnering a following.

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Closing the show with a profound number, members of the troupe, as well as brave audience members, joined the stage and bared their bellies. Eyevanna Candygasm painted the letters spelling b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l, as a powerful statement of inclusivity.

They have shows once a month at the Queen’s. For more information, visit their Facebook Page at <facebook.com/ foryour.sweettooth>.

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Coming Soon: Arts events nanaimo Cheryl Folland | The Navigator

WHAT

WHERE

WHY BE THERE?

Festival Nanaimo, multi-faceted community festival running throughout Nanaimo.

The month of March, various venues.

Covering all avenues of art, performance, music, theatre, visual, dining, beer tastings and more, finishing with the third annual PirateFest taking place March 22-25. For more information on activities and ticketing information visit <festivalnanaimo.com>.

WHAT

WHERE

WHY BE THERE?

The Old City Laugh Lounge starring Patrick Maliha of Vancouver, BC, with special guests Andrew Mack, Riley Aquino, and more.

March 10, at Old City Station Pub, 150 Skinner St. Two shows at 7 pm and 9 pm. Tickets $10 per show, available at the The Old City Station Pub or online at <ticketzone.com>

Who doesn’t need a hearty laugh after a long winter?

Sit back, relax with friends, and laugh your heart out.

WHAT

WHERE

WHY BE THERE?

“Bringing Down the Wall”, a Pink Floyd Tribute Night

March 11 at The Port Theatre.

Performed by Our Project, a collective talent seeking to promote musical education,“Bringing Down The Wall” has been more than two years in the making.

Tickets are priced at $30 and are available at the box office or by contacting the Our Project Facebook Page. All proceeds will be donated to the NDSS music program.

WHAT

WHERE

WHY BE THERE?

A new Inuit film for Fringe Flicks: Maliglutit (Searchers).

March 12 at 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm, with another evening screening March 13 at 7 pm. Screenings are at Avalon Cinemas located in Woodgrove Mall.

The film was inspired by the classic John Ford western where a husband pursues the violent man who kidnapped his wife and destroyed their home.

Created by award winning filmmaker, Zacharias Kunuk, you won’t want to miss out on this piece of Canadiana.

WHAT

WHERE

WHY BE THERE?

15 Minutes of Infamy, a cabaret style evening, featuring local artists Kevin Parker, Pat Smekal, Ian Cognito, Bobbi Schram, and Judy Millar.

March 15, at 7 pm, at The Nanaimo Bar, cover $5.

Pat and Ian will share two sets of poetry in response to one another, sure to be a treat as neither artist has heard each other’s reflection.

WHAT

WHERE

WHY BE THERE?

Lion Bear Fox CD release launch party, with special guest: Wise Youngblood

March 25, doors 6:30 pm, show 7:30 pm at The Port Theatre.

Tickets are $22 plus s/c or $35 for VIP tickets (rows A-E), available online now at <porttheatre.com> or in person at the box office.

This amazing folk-rock group hails from Vancouver, BC. They were selected by BC’s Peak Performance Project as one of Canada’s top 20 unsigned bands.

Blending folk, rock, gospel and blues with original vocal styles, you don’t want to miss out.

theoxypub@outlook.com

Daily Drink and Food Specials Breakfast Specials Karaoke every Thursday and Friday Music Trivia every Saturday

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Local music spotlight: Double feature The Stacks, Louis Patterson & Dane Letourneau Cheryl Folland Louis Patterson & Dane Letourneau at --White Sails The Navigator

Engaging the whole audience from the first song, Louis Patterson proved his merit as an emerging folk artist. With deep growls and soulful soft tones, his lyrical poetry became smooth and sensual on the waves of folk guitar. Powerful lyrics from original pieces hung in the open room.

“I could drown myself in darkness, or I could breathe out the light.” This understated and humble guy, dressed in red flannel and jeans, told a relatable story with every song he played. “I had not seen just a vision, but myself in better light.”

With a contagious smile, Louis paid homage to the greats, adding his poignant lyrics to the conversation in a big way.

Halfway through the show, Louis invited Dane Letourneau to share the simple stage. Dane, a long established local musician, joined Louis and later played a solo set for the first time in months.

Audience members were ready for his return, and sang along to familiar acoustic hits from Gold and Shadow. His chill vibes and smooth vocals added to the raw aesthetic of White Sails.

Dane announced that this show would be the first in a Friday night series moving forward at White Sails, marrying Cask Fridays with acoustic local music.

Louis and Dane’s next show will be on March 3 at the Dinghy Dock Pub.

With a strong following in Nanaimo, attendees sang along to local hits, like “The Things I Do For Love” and “Cold Glass of Water”. With complicated licks and synchronized light show, The Stacks play like seasoned professionals.

Lovecoast closed out the night with their signature sound.

Folk collided with rock on the stage of The Queen’s, as the dance floor grew crowded. It was a treat for anyone who was a first time listener, and easy to see why Lovecoast snagged the headline at Hometown Hockey, February 25-26.

Louis Patterson playing for audience at White Sails.

Cheryl Folland

The Bad, Lovecoast, & The Stacks As patrons arrived, the diversity of the crowd increased.

At The Queen’s in Nanaimo, a full house awaited three Islandbased bands.

The Bad, based out of Victoria, BC, kicked off the show with hard hitting lyrics and slick rock riffs. They brought back big house classic rock to get the crowd’s energy up.

The Stacks had patrons on their feet. Before the first song was finished, the floor was so crowded there was little room for dancing.

From the first note, the audience was completely engaged.

Matt Lineker of The Stacks.

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Cheryl Folland

Dane Letourneau at White Sails.

Cheryl Folland

Chris Adam

Chris Adam

Ben Wengel of The Stacks.

The musicians shared the stage.

Cheryl Folland

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Riverdale reviewed Drew McLachlan This article contains spoilers.

--“Archie got hot—he has abs, now!”

Contributor

is a real line in the pilot episode of Riverdale. It may as well be the tagline of the series.

This observation, made by Kevin Keller (a 2010 addition to the comics), introduces the viewer to Archie Andrews: former All-American Everyboy, now Nouveau-American, Aspiring Sex Symbol.

Archie’s abs, like Chekhov’s gun, linger in the foreground throughout most of the key moments of the series.

When Archie first pursues an affair with Miss Grundy, he’s shirtless. When Archie texts Betty to console her, he’s shirtless. Archie sneaks out at night to jog across town and continue his secret romantic affair—shirtless.

It’s doubtful that anyone is watching a live-action adaptation of Archie Comics in order to ogle its title character— yet the CW seems intent on making the run-of-the-mill, good guy Archie of yesteryear, into a veritable Adonis.

Riverdale’s portrayal of the comic’s All-American Everytown is full of bizarre choices. Were you expecting a melodramatic teen soap? A series arch built on noir-style murder mystery? A heist to bring an end to slut shaming?

Closeted gay footballers tripping over dead bodies? Were you expecting Miss Grundy to be Archie’s main love interest?

Even Miss Grundy—significantly aged down—can’t avoid going to bed with the CW’s Archie (he has abs, now!). At 16, he’s already managed to become Riverdale’s Mister Darcy. He’s the school’s star quarterback. He’s an aspiring singer-songwriter. He’s set to inherit a successful business.

He campaigned for Riverdale’s first black, female mayor.

He has abs, now.

Any potential rivals to the affection of Riverdale High’s female students and faculty are written out—they’re either gay (Kevin and Moose), chauvinistic (Reggie and Chuck), or still emo in 2017 (Jughead).

In the third episode, when Veronica ventures out of the Archiesphere for a moment to go on a date with Chuck, she’s immediately made to regret her decision. By morning, Chuck has convinced the entire school that he not only slept with Veronica, but also spread syrup across her face afterwards, going as far as doctoring photos and spreading them across social media. His reported sexual conquest (including the “sticky maple”), we later learn, was for the purposes of a contest he and the other football players were taking part in.

The amount of effort the men of Riverdale will put into putting women off—and sending them back to Archie—is astounding.

The unattainably successful, young, creative, sensitive, wealthy, wise-beyond-his-years archetype wasn’t invented by the writers of Riverdale. It’s a staple in teen soaps, though it’s not a mould that one would think of placing the Archie-as-we-know-him in.

In Hollywood, adaptations, particularly adaptations of comic books, are the safest projects to pursue. Not only do they come with decades of characters and storylines, but also with name recognition and a pre-built fanbase.

Riverdale is the CW taking a page from Hollywood, as it has already done with Smallville and its other DC Comics adaptations. With Netflix (which distributed Riverdale outside of North America) and cable networks taking viewers away from broadcast television, the CW has found its safe project in Riverdale. It needs safe projects. It needs sex symbols.

The CW has a clear formula for these shows. By choosing such unfitting source material—Archie Comics—the ingredients of that formula are even clearer. It has what Archie Comics doesn’t. It has sex. It has intrigue. It has diversity. It has slut shaming. It has sex symbols. It has abs, now!

Talking to the Diaspora: A review Cheryl Folland A diaspora is “Any group that has --been dispersed outside its traditional The Navigator

homeland, especially involuntarily, as Africans during the Transatlantic slave trade, refugees of war, exiled peoples, and North America’s Indigenous,” according to <dictionary.com>. Since colonialism, the conversation around diaspora has been greatly limited and ignored.

Rarer, still, are the voices of Indigenous women telling the unedited version of history. Now, emergent Indigenous voices are leading the arts community into a deeper and broader understanding of what Post-Colonialism means today. Lee Maracle’s Talking to the Diaspora, was on Amazon’s “Top 100 Poets to Watch” list in 2016. The vast collection of poems, art, and photography, invites readers into the story of Canada’s First Peoples, and how they migrate through the fall out of past hurts and present obstacles.

A Vancouverite, Maracle is a part of the Sto: Loh nation, and is the Traditional Teacher for the First Nation’s House.

She has received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for promoting writing to Aboriginal Youth.

Maracle employs methods that work within the text, using prose and more traditional free verse styles. She pushes the norm with floating text, an almost mathematical use of white space, and gifts readers with storytelling that is as deep as it is concise. From the first poem, “Alpha’s Bets”, that showcases the power of the pen in the autonomy of the speaker, to the last poem, “Hedgebrook”, that speaks both metaphorically and physically to home being simultaneously a place and a state of being—Maracle takes the reader on a journey, discovering life and meaning by living on the edges.

Mixing the traditional language of her Sto: Loh heritage with her experience as a modern Canadian woman, Maracle explores new territories of the heart.

“I want communion with my daughters

granddaughters

to approach this dark woman called house

create a sanctuary where dreams are born” (“Songline of Night”, lines 4-6)

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In this poem, the audience is shown a heart that longs to identify with those coming after her. There’s a deep cry for the safety of her people, the women in her life, and the women yet to come. The poem goes on to describe symbols of strength and growth found in other Indigenous art, such as cedars, fire, green sea, sun, sky, all working in concert to achieve a cyclical harmony. She paints a picture of the sea and sky as lovers, and the ocean and the sun are personified in a scene of rolling waves, swallowing the orb of light on the horizon. This powerful imagery is used frequently throughout her work, but is not the overarching theme.

The theme uniting all pieces in this work is summed up in voices. Her poems capture the voices of thoughts, feelings, and people that are often ignored or dismissed. Some pieces contain direct quotes from dispersed and marginalized people, while others contain the speakers outcry against injustices and unnecessary pain they have witnessed. All of them resound the message: “I hear you” and “Your voice matters.”

In “After Listening to Doug Nepinak’s Death Song”, Maracle challenges the Western ideology of grief. In a culture where people are taught to suppress their emotions, she speaks of the deep pain of losing a loved one. It brings forward the notion of blood being more than a life force, but something that unites us to one another across miles, across time, and across man-made barriers. Though the subject of the poem is physically gone from this plane, his blood still calls to the speaker, because it is a shared blood. In response, hope is pumped into the veins of those who remain, mingled with their grief, enabling them to continue to push forward where “[their] blood floats old memories, my blood stills, barely pumps in the stillness memories speak, repeat, rehearse our past.” In listening to the pain of loss, and to the recounting of a life lived, “blood still bleed hope into mind, I braid this hope into the undercurrent of despair,” Maracle shows a holistic approach to experiencing emotions. Hope and grief are mingled, where they would otherwise be separate.

Bearing witness to this loss, others are remembered, and in remembering, new life is given to those who remain. In an individualistic society, Maracle teaches us how to belong to

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the story of our people. This truth crosses cultural boundaries for a generation that aches to belong. The prolific use of social media to gain followers and a social standing is in stark contrast to the solemnity of people standing united in grief, in history, in a soul-deep shared heritage. Our stories don’t have to end with our last breath—they go on in those who knew us, loved us, and are brought forth in those same people to new ears.

This theme of contrast can also be seen in “Paradimes”, in which Maracle speaks of “disempowered intellectuals seek[ing] social parallels.” She points out the crude irony of active ignorance needed to engage in intellectualism. If knowledge is power, then how are these people, ignoring the societal paradigm, powerless to understand the reality of an entire people? She contrasts two different concurring experiences, pointing out the painful truth that the educated ignore those different than them.

Ultimately, Maracle’s writings challenged me to reevaluate the version of history I’ve been told. With each page, I became increasingly convinced there is no us and them—only we.

Until I learn to listen to the blood song of the marginalized without dismissing their truth, without quieting their voices, I will be one of those disempowered intellectuals. No amount of university education or worldly experience can erase the mark colonialism has left, and is leaving, on this nation. Only by listening to, and amplifying, the voices of the diaspora, can healing begin and poets and storytellers like Maracle are invaluable catalysts for a necessary change in conversation.

Publications by Lee Maracle are available online through <amazon.ca> and <arpbooks.org> for under $20.

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Mariners basketball take gold and bronze at provincials Cole Schisler For the third consecutive year, the Mariners --Men’s team has won gold at the PACWEST The Navigator

provincial championships.

“Last night may have been the most special one,” Assistant Coach Avneet Brar said. “We have 10 new guys on our team this year that weren’t there last year, so to have that kind of success with a team is a real testament to how hard the guys have worked.”

In the gold medal match, the Mariners defeated the Capilano Blues 94-77. Usama Zaid paved the way toward victory, scoring 24 points in the matchup, which got him named tournament MVP. The Mariners battled back to overcome Capilano in the second half, outscoring them 32-16 in the third quarter.

“It was exciting to see the emotions of all the players on different levels,” Coach Brar said. “We have guys that are normally laid back, quiet guys who were cheering, and really excited. We also had guys that are pretty ramped up guys who calmed down

a bit to maintain their composure. I think it was good for us to be battle tested in that way.”

The Mariners will go on to play at the CCAA National Championships at Hollande University in Prince Edward Island.

The tournament takes place from March 15–18.

The women won in the bronze medal match over the Camosun Chargers. The Mariners won 79-57 over their Island rivals. The Mariners had the match well in hand, they led for the entirety of the match. Mariner Sienna Pollard was named the player of the game for the Mariners.

To follow the Mariners on their quest for national gold, follow them online at <gomariners.ca>, or visit <ccaa.ca>, for comprehensive stats, results, and live streams of the tournament games. Make sure to follow both the Mariners and the CCAA on twitter at , <twitter.com/VIUMariners>, and <twitter.com/ CCAAsportsACSC> so you don’t miss a second of the action.

Mariners celebrate championship win.

Vancouver Sports Pictures

Men’s volleyball: Mariners go to nationals with wildcard win Cole Schisler Despite taking silver in the championship --match against the Camosun Chargers, the The Navigator

Mariners secured their wildcard spot by beating the Douglas Royals in an exciting three-set match.

In their match against the Royals, the Mariners were charged up; fresh from their first-round bye, the Mariners had something to prove. The two teams battled in the first set, the teams traded points back and forth to tack the tally up to 31-29. The Mariners finished the match by taking the remaining sets 25-19.

“It seems like we’re peaking at the right time and it’s all coming together,” Mariners’ power hitter and PACWEST All-Star Zach Grigg said after the match. “Now that we just booked our ticket to nationals, the monkey’s off our back. We’ve got a really good group, and the guys are executing well.”

The Camosun Chargers defeated the Mariners 3-1 in the gold

medal match. The Mariners took the first set 25-17, the Chargers won the next three sets 26-24, 28-26, 25-16. The Mariners shined in the first set, then the Mariners blew their lead by missing serves, and making hitting errors, which the Chargers capitalized on to win.

Head Coach Abe Avender said that the Mariners made 30 errors in the last two sets, but he believes that the team is ready to compete.

“The good news for us is that the big pressure match was the semi final,” Coach Avender said. “There was still a ton of excitement this week in training; the thing with nationals is that you don’t need to motivate teams going to nationals. The guys have been ready to go all week.”

The Mariners will face the Mohawk College Mountaineers in the first round. The Mariners are ranked sixth in the tournament, and the Mountaineers are ranked third. After watching game film from the Mountaineers, Coach Avender found many similarities

between the Mountaineers, and the Mariners.

“They have a really good outside attack, they use the back row a little bit, like us,” he said. “Their middle and right side have moments in games, but on their left side is their big finish guys too.”

While the Mariners are focused, and looking forward to nationals, Coach Avender wants to thank all of the fans who came to watch the Mariners over the season and showed their support, especially at the provincial championship.

The CCAA National Championships are March 9-11 at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. To follow the Mariners as they battle it out at nationals, visit <ccaa.ca>, <gomariners.ca>, or follow the Mariners on twitter at <twitter.com/VIUMariners>, and <twitter. com/CCAAsportsACSC>.

Braydon Brouwer dives deep for the dig.

The Mariners front line jumps up to make a block.

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Courtesy of Northfield Photography

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Courtesy of Northfield Photography

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Celebrate our city all March long with Festival Nanaimo

Cole Schisler As we prepare to shift into the spring equinox --and finally free ourselves from winter, the city The Navigator

is making the most of March by putting on Festival Nanaimo, a month-long celebration of the city.

The festival will feature many events throughout March that showcase local art, music, food, and culture. While the city has yet to unveil what may be in store for the city for mid-March, Nanaimo will host eight signature events beginning March 17.

To kick things off on St. Patrick’s Day, Lucky Irish Spirit will be playing at the Port Theatre, accompanied by guest Rant Maggie Rant. Then, on March 18, Nanaimo blues legend David Gogo will be playing at the Port Theatre, while also celebrating his birthday.

Maffeo Sutton park will host the Hops & Hounds charity fundraiser on March 19 from 2 – 4 pm. Dog owners are encouraged to bring their furry friends down to the park to take part in what the organizers hope will be a world record-breaking photo of owners and their dogs. White Sails Brewing and the Longwood Brewery will be providing craft beer to taste during the event, tasting tokens are two dollars.

March 24 is Nanaimo Bar Day at Festival Nanaimo. There are

39 stops along the Nanaimo Bar Trail, with locations stretching from Lantzville to Cedar, and even out to Gabriola. Stop by your favourite local sweet shop and celebrate the Nanaimo Bar, or take the challenge and visit all 39 stops. A full trail map is available at <thenanaimobartrail.com>.

From March 22-24, the third annual Nanaimo Pirate Fest will be hosted at the Country Club Centre. Pirate Fest will feature pirate themed arts, crafts, costumes, games, prizes, and much more.

On March 25, Pirate Fest will swashbuckle its way to downtown Nanaimo. The festival will feature a sword and archery station, a pirate parade, scavenger hunt, pirate songs, and the Purple Pirate’s Magic Ship Show at the Port Theatre.

In the midst of all the pirate festivities, GeekCon Nanaimo will be at the Harbourfront Library from 10 am – 5 pm on March 25. GeekCon is free to attend, and is an ideal event for those who love comics, gaming, arts, and cosplay. GeekCon will host game tournaments, and a cosplay competition.

Other Festival Nanaimo events have yet to be announced, for updates, event times, ticket prices, and other information, be sure to check <festivalnanaimo.com> sometime this month.

Hometown Hockey gives small town vibe

Molly Barrieau

Cheryl Folland CBC’s Hometown Hockey event, February --25-26, was an excellent way to kick off The Navigator

Nanaimo’s spring and summer outdoor event season. Though the weather was a little chilly at the start, cold had no impact on community engagement. Many businesses had food and drink specials for the duration of the event.

There was a noticeable traffic increase, both on foot and vehicular, in Nanaimo’s downtown core. Pedestrians of all ages crowded the streets sporting their favourite hockey gear, ranging from Nanaimo’s own Clippers to NHL favourites.

The City of Nanaimo employees worked hard in the days prior, giving flower beds and beaches a much needed facelift.

Garbage, debris and litter were cleared away. New flowers were planted, sidewalks pressure washed, and zero waste stations set up. Nanaimo would be on television and needed to put its best foot forward, and it did.

The Nanaimo Food Bank, which brings food security to those who otherwise would have to choose between housing and food with its food recovery program, worked in conjunction with WildPlay sponsoring a zipline. The line was over an hour long as people young and old waited, with monetary or non-perishable food donation in hand, for a chance at the ride stretching across the water at Maffeo Sutton Park.

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During the event, Nanaimo’s own Lovecoast performed for the visitors.

Hometown Hockey brings local bands to play at the traveling events.

With multi-faceted events held on the Scotiabank mainstage, there was something for everyone over the weekend regardless of their level of passion for hockey. Live music by the Island’s own Lovecoast, interviews, children’s entertainers, contests, and games, the two days were jampacked with entertainment.

Children with painted faces donned their gear to play floor hockey on a makeshift rink, sponsored by McDonald’s McCafe. A pond sized ice rink was available for the week leading up to the event, and the duration of the weekend, for community skating. Quality Foods, an Island owned and operated grocery chain, sponsored the concession with affordable and delicious treats. Hometown Hockey brought the city together, making it connect with its small town roots.

Speaking with Shelby Milholm, of the Canucks Autism Network, it was obvious how events like these impact community spirit. “Everyone we’ve spoken with [this weekend] has been cheerful and curious about what we do,” Milholm said, “this is more engagement than we’ve had at any other community events in the past year.” The Canucks Autism Network, based out of Vancouver, BC, has programs available in Nanaimo, Duncun, Shawnigan Lake, and Victoria. For more information about programs and how to get involved, contact them at <canucksautismnetwork.ca/vancouverisland>.

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Molly Barrieau

Paz, former Cirque du Soleil acrobat, lights hockey sticks on fire for the eager audience. The Hockey Circus Show follows Hometown Hockey to the host cities, performing for hockey lovers.

Molly Barrieau

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Women’s volleyball:

Mariners win provincial gold

Courtesy of Northfield Photography.

The Mariners win VIU’s 16th school provincial championship.

Cole Schisler ---

The Mariners won the PACWEST Provincial Championship title with a clean sweep in The Navigator their home gym.

The Mariners faced the College of the Rockies Avalanche in their first round, and won the match in three sets, (25-22, 2517, 25-12). The gym was packed with proud Mariners fans, who loudly cheered as their home team scored point after point. The Mariners easily turned that energy into success.

“After we got the first few kills, we knew we had something going,” Mariners’ power hitter Mikayla Wagner said.

Wagner was named the tournament MVP for her performance at provincials, and she was also named PACWEST Player of the Week. In her third year as a Mariner, Wagner was calm and collected going into the championship match against the Douglas Royals.

“This is my third provincial final, so I know the feeling of a win and a loss,” she said. “It taught me a lot, and now I feel confident going into this year’s final.”

The Mariners swept the Royals in three straight sets, (25-21, 25-20, 25-17,) to win the Mariners’ 16th championship title. As they did against the Avalanche, the Mariners had early success

in the first set, which they translated to success in the second and third sets.

“I was telling the girls in the room that this is probably as good as what we would see in a national final,” Head Coach Shane Hyde said. “We’re looking at this as our first round at nationals.”

Coach Hyde holds an impressive record, with 253 career wins and only 37 losses. He now has seven provincial gold medals, and a host of medal performances at the national level. Coach Hyde thinks that the Mariners are in the right headspace to succeed at nationals.

The Mariners are the top ranked team going into the CCAA National Championship. The tournament is being held at Camosun College in Victoria BC, March 8-11. The Mariners will play against Cavaliers de Bois-de-Boulogne, who are the lowest ranked team at nationals.

For updates on the CCAA National Championships, follow the VIU Mariners on twitter, <twitter.com/VIUMariners> and the CCAA at <twitter.com/CCAAsportsACSC>. Or find them online at <gomariners.ca> and <ccaa.ca>.

Lettuce turnip the beet Catherine Charlebois If cooking tonight isn’t striking --your fancy, try this garden

• ¼ tsp dried thyme

medley. Full of vitamins to prep you for that final semester push, this quick and easy meal is cheap to make and filling to eat, with plenty of leftovers to boot. Sweet and savory, this meal goes great over a plate of rice.

• Fresh or dried parsley flakes (optional)

The Navigator

Ingredients: • 4 large carrots, diced

• 3 fresh beets, peeled and diced

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced • 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions: 1. Heat oven at 350˚ F. 2. In a baking pan, place carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, onions. Add water. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and thyme. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 mins or until cooked through.

3. Take out and stir veggies. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

• ½ cup water • 2 tsp salt

• ½ tsp pepper

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SPORTS & LIFESTYLE

How to be anxious Megan Wolfe It’s not easy being anxious. With anxiety comes --a multitude of symptoms that are draining Contributor

and time consuming, like staying up all night worrying about what will happen tomorrow, or that offhand comment you made in a casual conversation that will most likely be the last you ever have with that person, because those five words that left your mouth has left a bitter taste in theirs and they clearly no longer want anything to do with you. Obsessing over these thoughts cuts down on your available time to sleep, and then you have to cope with the fact that it’s morning and you have to wake up, leave your warm, comfy bed, and see people. Not only is it nearly impossible to do so and incredibly overwhelming, but going back to sleep for the rest of the day is sometimes the only acceptable response.

How do you get to this level of anxiety, where being a functioning person, let alone an adult, is nearly impossible? Here are five ways to be anxious: 1) Try to think about everything all at once.

Open the flood gates and literally think about everything. Think about the due dates on your assignments and how little time you have until they’re here. Think about the last time you left your house and that awkward interaction you had with your neighbour and how they think that you’re super weird and don’t really know if they’ll invite you to their next BBQ. Overload your brain with so many thoughts that the simple "just breathe" that you know is in there somewhere can’t be heard over the shouting of everything

else. For me, this usually happens right before I’m about to fall asleep and when I have something planned early the next morning.

2) Leave everything until the very last second.

That precious half hour before class is when I’m the most productive, scanning through the reading to get a gist of what I’ll eventually be asked to comment on, typing out that last sentence on a simple assignment that should have only taken 15 minutes, but was stretched out to be three days instead. When the dishes literally overtake the entire kitchen, until you don’t even have anywhere to wash them, so you order pizza because recycling a box is easier than washing a plate.

3) Do all the things.

Fill every single second of your waking hours with things to do. Offer to volunteer, make plans for coffee with that friend you occasionally see on the bus and when they decide to come to class, binge that new series on Netflix that came out four months ago that you’ve been meaning to watch, but never really found the time. There are so many ways to ensure that you never take a break and look after yourself during the day, that you forget that you’re even allowed to be tired.

4) Second guess yourself all the time.

Every word you say, every movement or gesture, question if it was too much, whether or not you were understood, did anyone even notice in the first place? From what I’ve heard, it’s uncommon to

be able to read minds, so knowing what whoever you’re interacting with is thinking is impossible, but that doesn’t stop you from trying.

Question whether you studied enough for the quiz you have today in class, whether you smell funny, if your hair looks weird. Question all of it, all the time, and you’re on your way to being anxious.

5) Just being alive.

There are uncertainties everywhere you go, knowing exactly what the future holds isn’t something that many people can claim, and being unsure about where life is taking you can make a person pretty anxious. Also, your brain might not be receiving the right amount of certain chemicals so you can stay calm and think clearly about what’s going on around you. Being a person is hard, and some days, it’s extra hard to be a person, though friends, family, counselling, and even medication can make it a whole lot easier.

According to the Mental Health Association of Canada, one in five Canadians will struggle with mental illness in their lifetime. Your situation is unique but you don’t have to face it alone, no matter if you’re struggling yourself, or are trying to help someone who is.

Reaching out is the best way to get support.

The Health & Wellness Centre in bldg. 200 is a great student resource. Appointments are available for booking by calling 250740-6416 from 8:30 am - 4 pm. If you need to speak to a counsellor right away, drop-in appointments are available.

fill a gap in your program

Athabasca University has over 850 courses for you to choose from to meet your needs. Monthly start dates of undergraduate courses fit into your schedule so that you can work at your own pace.

Fill the gap and save a semester.

go.athabascau.ca/online-courses open. online. everywhere.

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Brandon Kornelson is a Sociology and History student. He hopes to become a journalist.

Contact Brandon at <brandonkornelson@shaw.ca>.

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MARCH

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

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Science & Technology Lecture Series

Monia Mazigh: Hope Has Two Daughters

Bruce Springsteen Tribute Night

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Bldg. 310, Lobby, Malaspina Theatre

Dinghy Dock Pub, 8 Pirate Lane, Protection Island

Malaspina Theatre

Bldg. 355, rm. 203, Nanaimo Campus 7 – 8 pm FREE

1 – 2:15 pm FREE

Starts 7 pm $20 cost including ferry

Starts 7:30 pm Students $10, general $15

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Lions Free Skate

VIM Film Festival: Best of the Fest

OFFstage Lobby Theatre Series: “Village Ax”

Brian Aylward: Big Little BC Comedy Tour

Canada 150th: Centennial Stories

St Patrick’s Day Party

Open Mic Night

The Queen’s, 34 Victoria Cres.

Serious Coffee, 1275 Island Hwy.

The Port Theatre, 125 Front St.

The Queen’s Hotel, 34 Victoria Cres.

Starts 7 pm

3 – 6:30 pm

Starts 8 pm

9 pm – 12 am

$10

FREE

Students $15

$10

Frank Crane Arena, 2300 Bowen Rd. 12 – 1:30 pm FREE

Malaspina Theatre 6:30 – 9:15 pm Students $12.50

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Hops and Hounds Festival

A Disappearance in Damascus: Reading and Talk with Deborah Campbell

Antoinette Hérivel: Observation to Imagination

Maffeo Sutton Park, 50 Arena St. 2 – 4 pm FREE

Bldg. 355, rm. 211, Nanaimo Campus

The Hive Emporium, 575 North Rd., Gabriola Island

11:30 am – 12:45 pm

10 am – 5 pm

FREE

FREE

Nanaimo Museum 100 Museum Way 10 am – 5pm Students $1.75

Call for Resumes Before we hire everybody else, we need to replace the boss! Send in your resume and cover letter to <editor@thenav.ca>.

Deadline for submission is March 16.

Managing Editor Supervises and organizes the overall production of the newspaper from start to finish; writes one editorial per issue; approves final pages before they go to the printer; meets with the business manager to keep informed of the financial situation of paper and participates in financial planning; accepts responsibility, in consultation with the business manager, for any administrative duties that may come up in the general running of The Navigator office (letters, responses to phone calls, etc.); reports to the Board of Directors on production and personnel issues, and assists in the development of policies and procedures; participates in the Hiring Committee; and resolves conflicts that may arise in the office.

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