Vol.25, Issue 4

KELOHA MUSIC FEST

Photos and Interviews - Page 12

UBCO’s Student Newspaper

Corie Waugh artist profile » Page 2 School of Social Work to cancel Bachelor’s degree » Page 6 Obamacare Feature » Page 14

October 15th, 2012 | Vol. 24 Issue 4

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News • OFF International film fest hit

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News Editor: Dave Nixon

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with death threats and eventually cancelled over Donkey Love doc UBCO to cancel BSW degree

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Arts • • • •

JK Rowling’s new book review Thanksgiving concert recap Restaurant Review: Bike Shop UBCO Visiting Authors series

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and how does it play into the upcoming federal election?

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intern@thephoenixnews.com Contributors: Amy Stetzl, Corie Waugh, Gordon Hawkes, TP Mazembe, Lucas Glenn, Sonya Mollema, Alex WIlliams, Dale Abbey, Ron Hole Cover Photo: Artwork by Corie Waugh. Photo provided by the artist.

The Phoenix is the UBC-O students’ free press. Editorial content is separate from the Student’s Governing Body (UBCSUO) and from the institution at large.

The editorial staff encourages everyone to submit material to the Phoenix but reserves the right to withdraw submissions from publication for any reason. “Any reason” could be material deemed to be sexist, racist, homophobic, or of poor taste or quality.

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will not publish materials which condone, promote, or express actions which are illegal under current laws.

This does not include articles which provide an in-depth examination of both sides of a controversial subject (e.g. legalising marijuana).

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Corie Waugh: how to make it as an artist in downtown Kelowna

www.cup.ca

Corie Waugh has been making quite the splash lately at the local downtown scene, from exhibiting her paintings at the Habitat’s first Jailbird artist residency this summer to being one-fourth of Studio One11’s Zine at the Alternator Centre. I recently sat down with the 21-yearold Visual arts student to discuss her current works.

Hanss Lujan: What brought you to UBC Okanagan?

CW: Well when I was in the good old high school I didn’t know that Kelowna really existed, So I just thought oh I am going to apply to two different campuses at UBC and I just thought I would end up at UBC – I had no idea of any geography in BC- but then I decided to accept it because I got accepted. It took a while actually; I just wanted to get out of Ontario for a while, needed to leave the nest.

HL: let’s talk a bit about your work then, what do you categorize yourself as, or if you had to categorize yourself what would your primary medium be?

CW: I hate labeling myself – because I am so young I should just consider myself an artist, but for a couple of months there all of last year I thought of myself a painter, as I am surrounded by paintings, but really I like to just be considered an artist. I am still branching out, having a more sculptural aspect in my fourth year

work and some conceptual work.

HL: what medium do you relate to the most?

CW: Words. I find that a lot of people planning out their first draft, you know they draw it out, or sketch it out. I write it down, I use words. Sometimes words that people don’t understand because it doesn’t make sense, but I find that when I have an idea, and like, my ideas come and go. I’m not in that stage of my life where I am constantly creative, it’s more like BAM you’re hit with this idea and you have to write it down, if you don’t write it down it will be gone, it will leave, so I use words and now it’s like words which are like lines, because letters are just lines put together, and now I’m doing all this line work, It’s just like… I’m a fucking poet.

HL: What do you categorize your work to be about?

CW: I could say that it’s like archiving life- it’s my way of archiving life. I would say my work is to archive time but more so feeling and mood- it’s like taking temperature of this certain time- with visuals.

HL: How do you feel about the Kelowna art scene?

CW: I think we have some weird niche thing happening for sure. I just wish some of the pretention would stop – because you have the high art, and then you have

the subculture which is very filled with art and some grimy kind of art that’s happening and its really fun and there’s so much potential, but so many people are stuck in this old traditional perception of high art- Kelowna needs a lot of work, and I wish my year was more into the art scene in Kelowna, and I think there’s still a lot of separation between Kelowna and the university.

HL: How did you get so into the downtown scene- I think some people are more reserved or not necessarily know how to approach and be involved.

CW: Just be present, go to things. There are things happening in Kelowna, rarely sometimes but whatever, just go. Be there.

You have a hundred million excuses not to go to an art opening or a music show or a coffee shop, whatever- just go.

(Coming from a big city) I’m so used to having options. Here it’s much more confined, but […] I do things regularly, and people do recognize me by my appearance, or my hair- people pick that up, they eat it up actually, they love it- just show your true selves in town and just be interested in being here. Kelowna’s not a bad place. I think I got lucky, it’s not like I was an instantaneous hit or anythingI was just present- things just fall into place. We’re all young and being young is so powerful.

A photograph of Corie Waugh (page 2) and samples of her work.

Photos provided by Corie Waugh

News

news@thephoenixnews.com

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News the morning of Friday the 12th, when the CBC Daybreak story mentioned a quote on the OFF Facebook page naming Kelowna

“a town of small-minded conservative rednecks running the most unprogressive city in all of Canada, trying to stop artistic expression and education.”

The statement was made by a filmmaker who asked to remain anonymous, as the Facebook page stated and as Daybreak’s interviewee Leo Bartels clarified, but some interpreted the statement as coming from OFF and Heynen met with substantial backlash, much of it from friends and supporters.

“literally, the trailer shows the worst parts of the film.”

Donkey

Love is a documentary film about men in a remote area of Colombia who have sex with donkeys. It’s received ten official selections and three awards from film festivals. And this October it led to the cancellation of Kelowna’s international film festival.

That festival was OFF international, originally scheduled to run from October 11th to 14th. The controversy around the event began on October 4th when an article about Donkey Love’s inclusion appeared on local news website Castanet. The article did explain that the film is a documentary and does not show anything graphic, but it ran under the title “Bestiality film to be shown in Kelowna” and its first line was “warning graphic content” (it also, in a Freudian turn, misspelled festival director Jeremy Heynen’s name as “Heymen” throughout).

Reader response tallies at the bottom of the article indicated 50.1% of respondents felt “Angry” after reading the story (the later Castanet article on the film’s cancellation, “Death threats doom donkey debut”, met with a response of 44.3% “Happy”).

Information (and misinformation) about the showing traveled fast, and Heynen and Donkey Love filmmakers Daryl Stoneage and Tyler Chandler began receiving angry e-mails, then mysterious and threatening phone calls. Heynen replied to some of the less-aggressive e-mails to explain exactly why the film was chosen to screen, and told us the responses were understanding

and conciliatory. News stories on the festival emphasized that the film was a documentary and featured interviews with Heynen clarifying that neither the festival nor the film supports bestiality.

“The message has been perverted just because of the subject matter,”

Heynen told CHBC News on the 11th.

After stories were published mentioning that death threats had been sent, the attacks started to die down.

“The only people who seem to be getting upset about the film are people who haven’t seen it,” Stoneage said to us. “The people who’ve seen the film understand that it’s a documentary and that this happens in Colombia every single day… Our job is that of a journalist, so we report, we bring back the information.”

“If people are really that upset with what’s going on in Columbia they should do something about it.

Getting upset with us is completely counterproductive. It’s not doing anything. You’re basically shooting the messenger.”

OFF began after Heynen, Adam Scorgie of marijuana documentary The Union, and Leo Bartels of Leo’s Video on Pandosy got together hoping to replace

the existing Okanagan Film Festival with a more competitive festival. The rebranded OFF was named the most competitive international film festival of 2011, and interest flooded in from filmmakers and local volunteers. After Scogie left and Bartels took on a dialled-back role, Heynen became the main organizer.

Much of the initial volunteer interest dried up after applicants were told they needed to take on jobs besides screening films, and most of the festival responsibilities fell to Heynen. On October 1st, Heynen posted from the OFF Facebook page that he had not slept properly since July and his health had steeply declined.

The post also said that one of the main films had dropped out and that “Landmark Cinemas is asking for more money than we could possibly hope to generate in ticket sales”.

Heynen told us that there was a verbal agreement in place with Landmark Cinemas that OFF would be allowed time to raise money and only had to provide half of the rental a week in advance of the festival. OFF planned a fundraiser for that pre-festival weekend to bring in more money if necessary. According to Heynen, the friendly relationship OFF had with Landmark’s Film and Entertainment Director turned around on Thursday the 4th, a week before the festival, when the company gave OFF 24 hours to submit all the funds. On Friday, the Director called to say that he had seen the Donkey Love article on Castanet and that it was unaccept-

able and their relationship with the festival was done. Heynen said he then tried to talk to the Paramount theatre owner to explain things but was met with a similar response (the owner had just seen the Castanet story as well) and told that the theatre would throw OFF under the bus to keep its relationship from being tarnished in the community and that it could do so because there was never any agreement in writing.

“People have said [I’m] dumb for not getting anything in writing,” Heynen said, “[but] we never had a contract last year. I didn’t sign anything last year. I’m not a business guy, I’m a filmmaker trying to bring some films here.”

On the 12th, Leo Bartels told CBC Daybreak that these informal agreements happen often, and while a cancellation could have been absorbed in past (multi-venue) years, this year the festival had focussed on getting just one main centralized venue.

The “Death threats doom donkey debut” Castanet article stated that: “Because ‘Donkey Love’ and other films were not rated, Landmark, by policy, could not show the unrated films and will not host the festival.”

Landmark Cinemas CEO Neil Campbell told CHBC on Thursday the 11th that the Don-

key Love controversy “was the cherry on top of it […] we didn’t have a deal, you weren’t coming through with the things we needed, and when we found out that he had neglected to tell us this things until it hit the media – pardon me, you missed that part of it too? We’re done.”

“It’s 2012. It’s not like we’re showing a porno in Kelowna.

It’s an actual documentary that’s won awards all over the world.”

Daryl Stoneage, Donkey Love director

There was talk of the festival moving to UBCO, but the move fell through due to the short timetable. UBCO’s Theatre 26 had approached OFF about screening one movie on campus and after the Paramount dropped out the festival asked 26 about doing the whole festival on campus. However, the institution could not allow the booking on such short notice, without time to complete the proper application process and arrange the necessary support services.

Heynen says that the situation became most intense for him on

Jeremy Heynen, OFF Program Director

October 15th, 2012

Around the same time, Heyen discovered that an animal activism blog posted his personal information including his address, and at that point he “started getting freaked out”.

We found one animal rights site calling for protest against Donkey Love’s showing: savingdinah.com, which posted the blog entry “Bestiality film to be shown in Kelowna – please speak out for the donkeys” on October 1st.

When we looked at the page on Friday evening, Heynen’s phone and e-mail information was listed but not his home address. The post includes the original Castanet article and encourages readers to contact Heynen (cont’d) and petition against the screening, saying “[t]his film supports the exploitation of innocent animals who cannot fight back.” The animal rights outcry against OFF is somewhat ironic given that the first film screened at the festival was A.L.F., a French drama about animal liberation activists.

Early Friday afternoon, we contacted Heynen via e-mail hoping to set up an interview and he responded saying that he was lying low due to increased threats and was hesitant to trust interviews over internet or phone.

We agreed to meet Heynen in

person, and he invited us to the private screening of OFF’s Friday lineup. Around 7pm that night, our News Editor Dave Nixon and I walked into The Chippy Winger, a small sports bar in the Sunplex multi-sport facility downtown. About a dozen filmmakers, volunteers, and friends of the organizers were seated in the small restaurant. We signed the festival release form and sat down to interview Heynen.

At 8pm on Friday the 12th, OFF International screened its first film on a 42-inch TV and a tinny sound system while the Chippy Winger’s small bar kitchen droned in the background and beer-leaguers took slapshots on the other side of the glass.

With

the financial issues, it’s possible that OFF would have fallen apart anyway. But both sides agree that Donkey Love’s inclusion was the key issue. And this situation isn’t a big story because OFF was dropped by its venue. It’s a big story because OFF was showing a documentary about men having sex with donkeys, and people made death threats because of that, and then OFF was dropped by its venue.

The theatre cancellation is, as Landmark’s CEO might say, the

“cherry on top” of the controversy. Many people in Kelowna didn’t want Donkey Love to play in the city, and some were willing to go to extreme lengths to try to prevent it being shown. The film willingly courted controversy, and found it in spades here in the Okanagan.

“It’s really put this in perspective for me and Daryl and Tyler,” Heynen said.

“These two white guys go to Colombia and this region that has never seen outsiders.

They were embraced by loving, open arms… but they come back to their own country with a documentary and are attacked and [receive] death threats.”

“It just seems like the voices of a few outnumbered all of us.”

In the Daybreak interview, Bartels said that there is a possibility that the festival will show publicly later this year.

“I’ve seen bad things like this happen in the past,” Heynen said to us on the Chippy Winger patio, “you see that after a week it

| The Phoenix

5

all kind of blows over. So what I’m hoping is that that fire can be put out and people will be able to move on and that there is hope still.”

“It’s not my job to educate people on what documentaries are; it’s my job to make documentaries.”

Daryl Stoneage, Donkey Love director

Note: While we conducted an extensive interview with Heynen and looked thoroughly into media available about the controversy, we did not have time to contact and interview every party involved in the story before going to print.

We will continue to investigate and update this article online at thephoenixnews.com.

Dave Nixon

Interim News Editor

Club Training

Creation Speaker

Ironman Runs Away

Research New Heights

Managing Deans

On Saturday October 13th the SU hosted the first ever Club training day. The day long event took club leaders through regulatory issues, governance, leadership/followership, goal setting, transition, and encouraged collaboration among clubs.

The consensus was that the information was very valuable, and it created a more coherent community for clubs all over campus. Club representatives complained of the length of the training, as attendance dropped from ~75 to ~30 by the afternoon sessions, but overall the mood was positive.

The training day represents a significant reversal from the normal dynamic of clubs reaching out o the SU. With the SU reaching out to the clubs, they are not only more engaged, but it creates a more inclusive forum for input from other leaders on campus.

Former NASA Computer Specialist and creationist Da Coppedge will be here to speak about: You guessed it, Creationism. He speaks on “Evidences for a Young Solar System” October 29th, 11:30AM in Arts 206, and later on “The Art and Science of Baloney Detecting!” at 7pm in Fipke 204. These talks are sponsored by the UBCO Creation Club.

Kelowna hopefuls look on in dismay as Whistler recently won the bid war to be an official host city for the Ironman Canada Triathlon. Penticton recently chose to drop Ironman in favor of another triathlon: Challenge. So far the reasons for this decision are only speculative.

For now Kelowna will stick to the Apple Triathlon for the foreseeable future.

UBCO students recently returned from partaking in a successful research project conducted on Everest to study the effects of oxygen deprivation and blood flow to the brain. The project is a significant addition to UBC’s research, provided valuable experience for students involved, and even fostered interest in high school students from a live video chat done with Grade 12 students.

YLW Expands

Be an Entrepreneur!

UBCO Toastmasters Speak Out

Our neighboring airport has expanded due to the forecast of a .2 million increase in passengers by 2015 to a total of 1.6 million.

This expansion includes a new International Arrivals Facility with a cultural “rammed earth wall” that depicts the Okanagans colors and names of all the Okanagan communities. A bigger airport indicates a bigger Kelowna!

For any potential entrepreneurs out there, The Next 36, a renowned Canadian Entreprenurial Leadership Initiative, is accepting applications until October 22nd.

“I have learned more in the last six months with The Next 36 than I did in four years at university,” said Steve Buzinski, a former Management student at UBCO. Look it up at www.thenext36.ca

Club Executive Sarah Dow competed in an area contest for impromptu speeches against contestants from other local clubs.

She did not progress to regionals but gave a very impressive performance in a difficult, stressful competition. Moya Webb, the Area Governor, echoed this and was inspired by the quality of meetings hosted on campus.

The Faculty of Managment (FoM) recently appointed a new Dean - Roger Sugden, who will assume his role October 22nd This shift is especially meaningful in the context of UBCO’s FoM. It means a step out from Sauder’s shadow, UBC Vancouver’s Business School. Prior to Mr. Sugden’s hiring, the dean of the Sauder School of Business, Dan Muzyka, had been overseeing both schools. Many students feared what this might mean: they been comforted by the reputable Sauder name, while the UBCO name is so new and untested. Proponents of the shift say that it was a disservice to a rapidly growing faculty to have a Dean by correspondence, and that it would be impossible for the Faculty to garner a name for itself without the independence and focus from a deveoted dean of its own.

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The Phoenix |

News

October 15th, 2012

School of Social Work moves to end Bachelor’s degree Dave Nixon

Interim News Editor

“Quality university degrees do not devaluate simply because programs within the academy change.”

-Dr. Edward Taylor gram is becoming irrelevant in BC, and she will need a Master’s in order to pursue job prospects in the field of social work. This means another loan and more uncertainty since there is no guarantee that she will be accepted into the Masters program.

Dr. Edward Taylor, Photo from www.ubc.ca Associate Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Development.

Students of the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program were recently shocked and dismayed to find out that the program they are enrolled in may no longer exist. We spoke with a sample of students from various years of the program as well as Dr. Edward Taylor (Associate Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Development and Director of the School of Social Work) to get a full picture on the controversial issue.

The students preferred to remain anonymous; we will refer to them by their program and year.

“I feel I have been completely screwed over in my education.”

-BSW student In an email from Dr. Taylor, students were informed that a proposal has been made to remove the BSW program from the school curriculum to allow faculty to focus on the Master’s of Social Work (MSW) program. Dr. Taylor says this is not an official notice, though he wants to keep students up to date as things progress. “It is possible that our restructuring proposal could be turned down at the university level. However, we have received a preliminary positive review from the UBC Administration, and therefore anticipate that our plan will be successful.”

There appears to be a trend in schools towards focusing on a Masters program. A quote from the University of Toronto’s MSW webpage shows this focus is not isolated to UBC: “Generic social work is a necessary, but no longer sufficient preparation for practice.” ‘General social work’ refers to programs such as the BSW at UBC Okanagan. This statement also implies that a BSW may not have the same value that students may have hoped, a message echoed by Dr. Taylor in his email.

Students of the program are not being abandoned, however. Anyone currently in third or fourth year will complete the program no matter what happens. First and second year students who have taken social work courses required for the program will be assistedin using those credits as electives in other programs. Despite this, many students are still upset over the uncertainty that this announcement has created.

“I feel I have been completely screwed over in my education” said one third year BSW student. “I was actually accepted to Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, but I turned it down for UBCO and now I am really regretting that. If I had some warning I would have chosen a different school that had the [means] to support the program.”

This same student is also concerned about her debt. Most students are in a difficult position with looming loans to repay, but now she is being told that her pro-

A fourth year BSW student commented that there has been a lot of confusion lately, even before the announcement, caused by staff turnover and hectic practicum placement procedures. “I just hope that knowledge of the program’s end does not equate to a lack of enthusiasm and caring for the students who are still here,” she said.

UBC publishes its values online for all to see. Its value statement on integrity is as follows: “The University acts with integrity, fulfilling promises and ensuring open, respectful relationships.”

Students responded with mixed reactions when asked whether or not the Social Work Program is living up to the University’s statement of integrity To those inside of the program, the department is beginning to feel like it lacks transparency. Students feel that some warning of the frail state of the program was warranted for those who were facing the decision of going into

their third year, as they deserved to know all the facts around the program when they were making such a significant life decision.

Many students, regardless of their own situation, agreed that more should be done for those students who had focused their first two years towards being accepted into the BSW program and may no longer have the chance to apply should the proposal be accepted. Assistance in using social work credits as electives for other degrees may not be sufficient.

Some students would not have elected to attend UBC Okanagan

Work, Psychology, and the School of Nursing will in November or December open an on campus Interprofessional Clinic … As programs such as this continue to grow the School of Social Work will gain a much higher profile.

“The status of the School will greatly benefit all of our alumni regardless of the degree they hold.

Keep in mind that the alumni graduated from an accredited UBC degree. Quality university degrees do not devaluate simply because programs within the academy change.”

if they had known this would happen. If they want to continue in a BSW program, they will have to do so elsewhere. Will the University assist them in applying to other schools of social work?

There is strong evidence that the Faculty is making the right choice based on its resources available and the job climate in BC. Therefore, it is likely that this proposal will go through by the end of October. Regardless of the reasons behind it, some students stand to be hurt by the removal of the program and have lost confidence that the University has their best interests at heart. Two students show what it means to be caught in this position: “I am not happy with the program [and] should have went to Dalhousie instead.” “It has affected my current setting in the sense that I am no longer motivated. I am only discouraged.”

When the situation is zoomed out of the focus on individuals, this is a positive thing for the Master’s program at UBC Okanagan.

Dr. Taylor described the future of the program and what it means for anyone holding a BSW or MSW from UBC: “We are in the process of building a unique clinical and practice MSW program. An example of our distinctiveness is that Social

News

October 15th, 2012

| The Phoenix

7

Liberal Leadership Spotlight Deborah Coyne visits campus and impresses Dave Nixon

Interim News Editor

Rick Mercer’s Spread the Net campaign UBCO runs fundraiser to help prevent the spread of Malaria Dave Nixon

Interim News Editor

Last year our campus showed its spirit of community and generosity by jumping into the race for charity and raising over $2,000 towards providing Bed Nets for families in Africa in Rick Mercer’s “Spread the Net Campaign” to stop the spread of Malaria. The annual competition is a contest between Universities and Elementary schools to raise the most money, and therefore the most bed nets, towards the cause. Bed nets are nets treated with insecticide to kill mosquitoes on contact, and provide a physical barrier to the bugs.

They are the most effective and inexpensive way to accomplish this goal.

Last year the team, led by James Beaton, hosted the movie Blood Diamond in Fipke and provided popcorn and pop while still managing to raise an incredible sum of money by charging only $5 at the door.

This year the movement is growing and will include two major events, one of which will be a mirror of last year’s successful movie fundraiser. Look for dates and descriptions fo these events in our upcoming issues.

Photo from www.wikipedia.org

Vital Stats Birthdate: February 24, 1955 Education: Law Degree from York University’s Osgoode HallMasters in Philosophy in International Relations from Oxford University Home: Toronto Family: One daughter, Sarah Elisabeth, and one son, Matthew.

Since divorced from Canadian journalist Michael Valpy.

Editor’s Note: The Phoenix will be shining the spotlight on each candidate for the National Liberal Leadership as the campaigns draw closer to the vote in April 2013.

We interviewed Deborah Coyne about her campaign for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada when she visited campus on Wednesday October 10, 2012 for a roundtable discussion.

“Most of our members left with a verypositive opinion,” said Young Liberals President Tim Krupa, “Deborah was not afraid to discuss policies in depth with the students, which was refreshing as many candidates prefer vague rhetoric. I commend her for running. We need more wellrounded, educated women like her in this race.”

Key Message: One Canada with a unified goal

focused on issues distinctive in Canadians’ minds Rebuilding the Liberal Party: “I plan to run a grassroots campaign and rebuild the Liberal Party riding by riding towards a coherent national image” Domestic policy: Deborah thinks it is important to focus on more centralized decision making. She contrasts current Harper policies that are becoming more detached, with the importance of a clear role for Federal Government in Canadians’ lives.

Student Issues: Feels that there is little accountability on the money being funneled from the Federal Government to the Provincial Government, and that Education should be more unified across Provinces.

She also commented on the fact that the lion’s share of it is going towards Research at post-secondary institutions.

3 Major Issues: 1. National Academy of Science to protect the interest of researchers in Canada 2. Focus on National Healthcare 3. Infrastructure History: Dated Pierre Elliot Trudeau, and is mother to his only daughter.

This intriguing family situation means that she is running against her daughter’s half brother.

Some of her policies are reminiscent of Pierre Trudeau’s emphasis on centralized government and decision-making.

She began her political career opposing the Meech Lake and Charlottetown accords. -a

Events & Games

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Laura Sciarpelletti

events@thephoenixnews.com

OCT. 15th - OCT.28Th

squarecircle

Live After 5 – Jazz Jam by lucas Every Thursday (Except Oct 25), 5-7 PM Atrium at the Rotary Centre for the so i talked triangle Arts into trying a tastefree!

Free drop-in sessions...for tomorrow

glenn Accoustic Jam Night

Men’s Heat Soccer Game Oct 20-21, 3 PM & 2 PM UBCO Nonis Field The Heat versus VIU Mariners and Capilano.

FCCS Visiting Authors Series Oct 21, 3 PM Okanagan Regional Library BC-born author and journalist Deni Y. Bechard reads from his memoir Cures for Hunger.

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Oct 16, 9 PM The Blue Gator Come jam with local guitarists and show off a bit. No amplifiers pleeeaaase.

Grimskunk Concert Oct 18 Doc Willoughby’s Pub that that Montreal world punk rock band that that ha, tryforsaying known integrating numerous that that that ten times languages into their lyrics.that that really fast that that Global Fest 2012 Oct 23, 8 AM-8 PM UBCO Campus Experience the foods, sounds, traditions, and peoples of different global cultures.

Comedy Bloodsport 4 Oct 19, 8 PM The Streaming Cafe Local comedians duking it out.

Feel free to bring tomatoes.

Women’s Heat Soccer Game Oct 20-21, 1 PM & 12 PM UBCO Nonis Field UBCO Heat versus VIU Mariners and Capilano Blues. Let’s kick some ass. fuck yourself.

James Keelaghan Oct 25, 2 PM Mary Irwin Theatre at the Rotary Centre for the Arts Candian singer/songwriter. Preshow by Blue City. Students: $10

Jimmy Leguilloux Band Oct 26, 9:30 PM O’Flannigan’s Pub Okanagan band featuring one of BC’s most talented guitarists. You decide if that’s true or not. lucas glenn

by lucas glenn

thanks for the back massage

but you have this huge knot in your back

it’s no problem

that’s just my corner

gross.

lucas glenn

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by lucas glenn

thank you i think i am getting fat

problem solved

DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER

For all travellers squarecircle

A comfortable, safe and affordable place to stay at the heart of downtown Vancouver’s art and entertainment scene.

by lucas glenn • • • • • •

hello

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lucas glenn

Rooms to suit your needs - single to quint A/C & mini fridges in all rooms Guest kitchens and lounges Wireless Internet available Laundry facility Coffee bar

733 Beatty Street, Vancouver BC tel 1 800 663 1424 ywcahotel.com Your stay supports YWCA community programs.

sorry, we don’t serve your kind here.

$

because that would be cannibalism

i sure hope not

$

lucas glenn

i have a name you know

by lucas glenn

“Tanya”

so i’ve been into.

Worth checking thinking

$

because you are a square and and we are both inside of a square

Photography by TP Mazembe

what about?

are we not inside a hugely sized you?

Arts

Janelle Sheppard

arts@thephoenixnews.com

|9

music ▼

A Very Indie Thanksgiving concert recap Local all-star lineup delivers big-time show despite small-town turnout Cameron Welch Editor-in-chief

On October 5th our Issue 3 cover stars JoyfulDoor teamed up with Van Damsel, Windmills, and FOX Seeds winners Fields of Green for the A Very Indie Thanksgiving show at Kelowna Community Theatre.

While the turnout of around 150 was solid for a regular Kelowna show, it couldn’t help but look small in the 850-seat Community Theatre. Nobody expected the whole Theatre to be filled, but there was still a conspicuous lack of the early20s crowd that usually frequent shows (in fairness, though, all three openers have played a ton of gigs in the past few months).

As a rare local all-ages show, the concert attracted a lot of teenyboppers, interspersed with some late-20s crews who knew the musicians.

But in the words of Gob Bluth: “Young, old, it doesn’t matter – in the dark.” The sparse audience may have looked underwhelming in the sea of red KCT seats during intermissions, but once the venue dimmed to black the bands literally took centre stage. With the full theatre lightshow behind them, all four acts looked and sounded the part of big-

time bands. Given that it was a sit-down concert, the audience as a whole didn’t matter as much as the relationship between the performers and each individual listener, and each group delivered with polished performances.

The openers were all working with half-hour sets, resulting in concise and polished doses of Windmills, JoyfulDoor, and Van Damsel. While the setting and equipment made the performers seem more big-time, the smaller crowd made them casual and relaxed. Windmills’ Cory Myraas let the crowd vote on what cover he’d play for his second-last track, and they overwhelmingly picked Frank Ocean ‘s “Thinking About You” (not surprising – tumblr kids love that track more than pattern backpacks and Supreme stickers). Joyful Door debuted some tracks from their upcoming EP. Van Damsel busted out into a semi-tongue-in-cheek, semi-honest cover of Calvin Harris’s ubiquitous electronic pop hit “Force Field”.

Headliners Fields of Green haven’t played Kelowna much this year, but when the West Kelowna band hit the stage

they immediately established why they’ve been away at music competitions so much. Their live shows have always been harder-rocking than their recorded tracks, but the October 5th show upped the intensity of their set even further. The fairly straightforwad indie rock of early Fields had been fleshed out with prog rock elements (as in 70s prog rock, not just Radiohead), and fuzzed-out garage rock, even veering into radioready hard rock (especially in the case of new single “The DoNothings”). Besides the bulkier sound and changes to some songs, FOG’s growth was also evident in their approach: the boys attacked the stage with the intensity of a fully-fledged touring rock and roll band.

After seeing FOG tear through a closing set like seasoned pros and the other bands deliver polished opening sets backed by theatre-quality light and sound systems, it became less important whether the venue was full or not. The ticket didn’t fill the whole 850-seat community theatre –nobody really thought it would– but the bands delivered a show that sounded like it did.

“New songs, old songs, dreamy romantic serenades, and free corn dogs. Windmills keep moving.” - Cory Myraas (Windmills) Photo by Valaura

Dragonette says “hello” to BC concert-goers The Canadian electro-pop band made one of the first stops of their Body Parts tour in Kamloops on October 2nd Laura Sciarpelletti Events Editor

Ever since the end of the summer, I have been to numerous concerts, both for myself and in pursuit of a newspaper story.

I have been continuously impressed at the quality of the live performances, and Dragonette was no exception. The bandperformed to a packed house at Cactus Jack’s in Kamloops on Tuesday, October 2 nd, opening with the song “I Get Around” from their first album Galore.

Fellow Canadian groups Data Romance and Young Empires opened for them, and were phenomenal in their own rights. All three bands are combinations of electro pop, world beat and new wave, providing clear vocals and making a Tuesday school evening feel like a Friday night.

The evening was a haze of flailing pink wrist-banded arms and enthusiastic screams. The events of the evening left many in my group with ringing ears and coarse throats, which is usually the sign of a successful night.

Dragonette consists of lead singer Martina Sorbara, bassist Dan Kurtz, and drummer Joel Stouffer. The band, while Canadian, relocated to London, England after being signed by Mercury Records. Their first two albums were released in 2007 and 2009, and their newest album Body Parts was released on September 22 of this year.

The album is very strong with energetic singles like “Let It Go” and “Live in This City,” which the band performed live to a

thrilled audience. Sorbara is fun to watch, playing guitar in one song and belting out the band’s set with the voice that has become more and more common on the airwaves. Her hair, while usually cut short, was shoulder length and wavy. Sorbara’s new look is certainly softer than what fans are used to, which was notoriously French punk glam, but her performance has not softened one bit. The thirty-three year-old singer’s unique voice is exactly how it sounds on the recordings, and the band’s instrumentals are even more energetic live.

About three quarters through the show, my friend and I left for a quick break, and after a few minutes heard the audience

start screaming “Hello-o-o-o!”

We immediately rushed back to the crowd, avoiding stabbing elbows and dancing university students, and joined in as Sorbara performed “Hello,” a hit by French electronic music DJ Martin Solveig for which she provided the vocals. She did not say much throughout the duration of the set, but she didn’t have to. Sorbara, Kurtz, and Stouffer have a rather eclectic way about them and very obviously love the music they perform. The crowd certainly loved what they heard, although I narrowly missed an elbow in the eye and my friend left with a battle scar on her neck from who-knowswho.

I am ashamed to say that up

until this semester, the majority of concerts I attended were American or British, with a very rare Canadian performance. I intend to make up for it this year and so far think I’ve done a top-notch job stomping out my ignorance and seeing, or rather hearing, what the talent of our country has to offer. Venues selling the tickets sold out and eager concert-goers showed up hours before to buy them at the door, standing out in the cold for as long as necessary. The fact that the show was so popular and packed made it that much more enjoyable. Driving to Kamloops in the middle of the week with exams looming ahead was worth it, and Dragonette is definitely a must see.

10

The Phoenix |

Arts

October 15th, 2012

Literature ▼

The Casual Vacancy This ain’t Hogwarts anymore - welcome to JK Rowling’s savage England Rumnique Nannar Features Editor

JK Rowling’s first book outside of the Harry Potter universe amassed over a million pre-orders for her first adult fiction novel The Casual Vacancy. After Harry Potter, will a generation of adults be convinced by her casual writing style and precise attention to detail in a Muggle world? I am going to evade allusions to Harry Potter, because Rowling seems determined to distance herself away from the 15 years of invisibility cloaks and magic. This book should be judged fairly, yet most reviewers cannot get past the fact that this is same author that is broaching sensitive topics of rape, incest, sex, self-harm, and abundance more.

The book opens in Pagford with the death of councillor Barry Fairbrother, whose passing leaves an empty seat that initiates a comedy of manners that devolves into a serious implosion by the end. The cast of caricatures and characters is 34 adults and teens navigating this anxious upheaval in their town. Pagford seems like the perfect English idyll, a seemingly ancient little village that hides its shambling treatment of the working class in its rundown housing estate. Rowling is a keen observer of the class warfare within small towns like Pagford where the working-class

Rumnique’s reaction to Rowling’s new novel. characters are left lying in their own filth while the middle class councillors throw dinner parties of extravagance. This small word is broadly written and Rowling seems to enjoy the characters like the Mollisons who embody the stuffy and smug values of the Dursley family gone to seed.

The initial introductions to these families are comical and thoroughly acidic. Rowling appears

to be unleashing all that sex, swearing, and venom that were denied during the Potter years.

The novel is such a change of form for Rowling as she offers up such detailed realism in the descriptions of the hopelessness and despair of the residents of the Fields, a nearby estate. There is the harrowing and bleak treatment of Weddon family of drugaddicts, prostitutes, and sex

Photo by Janelle Sheppard (The Phoenix)

addicts. There is a lot of misery within each family in the novel, which Rowling layers throughout the novel. Rowling presents the underbelly of the classicism that reigns rampant in a deteriorating England and the particularly grim disparities between the classes. This is not the precocious England of Austen and Hornby, the grimness and miserable fate of the characters feels

like a Dickensian overview of dirty Britain.

The novel does feel more at home with its teenage characters like Krystal Weddon, Sukhvinder Jawanda, and Paul Price. Each are dealing tough home lives, yet still engage in that playground gossip and joshing friendships. It’s often that the range of teenagers are the most multi-faceted characters than adults who are mainly unlikable and awful. Yet, it is this savageness of the writing style that makes Rowling a talented writer to earn our sympathies and laughs along this brutal novel. The novel does feel gratuitous towards the end, with an extremely heavy-handed ending that feels out of place and didactic. Rowling seems pile on the unpleasantness in the final act to a startling and vitriolic way which hampers the book overall.

The Casual Vacancy is going to be one of the most polarizing books this year, especially coming from such an esteemed writer as JK Rowling. The book is certainly worth a read, because it exposes an England that is so rarely showcased these days.

It’s unapologetic and harsh, but JK Rowling has proved herself a worthy fighter outside of Harry Potter and his chums.

Food ▼

Restaurant review: The Bike Shop Cafe A rustic atmosphere and a local, delicious alternative to Starbucks

Amy Stetzl Contributor

Looking for the next great café downtown? Well I’ve got it for you: The Bike Shop Café. Being across the street from the public library and only a handful of blocks from the Queensway station, this unique shop is in the perfect location for your studying and appetite’s needs.

The Bike Shop Café is a little niche that has a great selection to fill whatever mood your stomach is in at the time. Donairs, burgers, sandwiches, soups, espresso blenders, coffees, blended lemonades; everything is handmade and prepared with the love and care that you want every dish to be made with.

Some people have little clichéd sayings like “just the way mom made

it”, but this place makes it the way you always thought it should be made and when it comes down to it there is nothing better than something made especially for you in a enjoyable building with an eclectic twist in the atmosphere.

Upon entrance The Bike Shop Café almost looks as though it is the outside version of a rustic antiques shop: old world lanterns and rusted bicycles decorate the walls, while reused wood creates benches for tables throughout the room. It may be a slightly smaller building, but this location could not be better suited for a café of this style.

It is just enough room to mosey around, accommodate any lines, eat, and even study. Although the

atmosphere is what initially welcomed me into the building the food is just as good.

My personal favorite, above all the other options, are the “Blender Buzzers.” These are essentially blended coffees that do not taste like coffee and use espresso instead. Think of Starbucks fraps and take it to the next level. The other day I went out on a limb and tried one of the Monkeys Gone Bananas with two shots of espresso rather than the usual one and the flavor of chocolate and bananas with the hint of espresso was phenomenal.

So long fraps, and hello blender buzzers – and for the same cost, why not go for a local shop instead?

Their best deal? Soup and Sand-

wich combo for under $10: take a nice cup of soup with a hearty sandwich on the side and not only do you have the perfect reason to escape campus but also a cheap alternative to your meal card.

Best bet? The Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies hold readings downtown at the library for their

Photo by Amy Stetzl

Visiting Author Series every now and then. Grab a friend – or a few - and stop in for dinner before taking in a reading and meet and greet with an author? For a full listing check out the FCSS website, and for more info on The Bike Shop Café check out their spot on the web! Bike Shop is my fuel.

Arts

October 15th, 2012

| The Phoenix

11

film ▼

The Master A film that challenges and mesmerizes

Screenshot from The Master film

Rumnique Nannar Features Editor

Paul Thomas Anderson’s sixth feature, The Master is an unusual breed, a film that does not invite “reviewing” per se but a more critical approach to make sense of it. Across the board, most critics have mentioned that the film is incredibly subtle and ambiguous which does invite a rewatch to comprehend it. Yet at the heart of the film is a relationship so toxic and overwhelming between Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) an L.Ron Hubbard type religious charlatan and his “guinea pig and protégé” drifter Freddy Quell (Joaquin Phoenix).

Despite the hype around the film to incite Scientologists to riot, the film uses the earlier years of Hubbard’s burgeoning pseudo-religion, which he names the Cause, to explore a portrait of masculinity in its extreme. These allusions trickle off during the course of the movie, as Anderson delves into the electrifying father-son dynamic between Dodd and Quell, who seem mutually geared towards self-destruction. These fatherson dynamics crop up in each Anderson film from Sydney and John of Hard Eight, Dirk Diggler and his Jack Horner of Boogie Nights, Daniel Plainview and HW of There Will Be Blood, none has been more twisted and combative as Quell and Dodd.

We meet Freddy Quell on the beaches during WWII, where he is creating his heady concoction of coconut juice and chemical fluid. Throughout the film, he nurses his enveloping demons

with various mixes of torpedo fluid, photo chemicals, and Lysol. Haunted by visions of his teenage sweetheart, and his turbulent family history, Freddy has a raging libido that has him mount a sand mermaid earlier on and imagine Dodd dancing with naked female disciples.

Freddy is a complete animal and a lost cause. When he stows away on Dodd’s ship, he soon becomes a fervent enforcer and bane in the Cause’s existence.

Is it any wonder that he poses a perfect case for Dodd and his Dianetics-esque methods of past lives and processing?

The film is rich with perplexing characterizations of Dodd and Quell, as Anderson has said that he cut away any extraneous material that did not pertain to their complex relationship.

Perhaps a fuller and balanced portrait may have aided the narrative in giving more context to Freddy’s crazy behavior.

In spite of this, the movie is a mesmerizing experience, one that makes you ponder about these two men much after the film has ended. I admit to seeing this twice, but the film does not necessarily invite a rewatch despite the protestations of critics. The film envelopes you and hypnotizes with the brilliant and precise performances of Hoffman and Phoenix. It did not feel overly opaque or obtuse, despite its jumpy narrative and incoherent gaps; it’s just something to be savoured.

The narrative is plenty clear, but

it’s the two lead characters that refuse and resist being pinned down and remain enigmatic despite the 137-minute length. The central question of the narrative is who are you? When Freddy asks Master, he recites (a rehearsed answer that he’s surely delivered many times before) “I’m a writer, a doctor, a nuclear physicist, a theoretical philosopher, but above all, I’m a man, a hopelessly inquisitive man, just like you.” Lancaster Dodd feels a sense of pity towards this “horrible animal” who perhaps reminds of himself before his fame, a man without a true master who

can drift through life much like his past lives. It feels like a grand love story between two men, especially in the final meeting where Dodd serenades Freddy with “I want to get you on a slow boat to China, all alone. They are so inextricably drawn to each other, but destroy themselves together in their master-slave relationship.

The film is full of brilliant performances by Amy Adams, as Dodd’s steely and ambitious wife that controls his empire with an iron will, and the ethereal Madisen Beaty as Quell’s teenage girlfriend. The film is prime Oscar

Philip Seymour Hoffman stars in The Master.

bait with its splendid cinematography and excellent performances by Hoffman and Phoenix who could very well contend for the same Best Actor nod. Anderson’s latter films are geared around one compellingly over-the-top method performance by Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood, and now Joaquin Phoenix in The Master. His mouth in a constant sneer and mumbling out his lines like a deranged Marlon Brando, Phoenix makes the best comeback after his shambolic piece of performance art in the hoax documentary I’m Still Here. His prison meltdown of smashing a toilet seat, and banging against the steel bunk beds is miles away from Robert De Niro’s climactic scene in Raging Bull. Hoffman matches his competitor by infusing Dodd with a snaky and captivating charm that makes him a father figure from Oedipal hell.

His swift rages and burgeoning paranoia throughout the film portray a man who perhaps once knew all the answers to life, but makes it up as he drifts through his life of fame and zealotry.

The Master is arguably one of the best films of the year because of the simple folly of being so divisive and challenging for the audience. It may invite a rewatch, but it certainly resists any type of plain reviewing. Anderson has a film that will continue to be debated much after its exit, because it gives us two of the most competitive and indelible figures in a constant battle of masculinity and one-upmanship.

12

The Phoenix |

Arts

October 15th, 2012

Television ▼

The Mindy Project has arrived FOX’s new program brings in promising ratings and recognition for multitalented Mindy Kaling Laura Sciarpelletti Events Editor

Last year I wrote an article of The Office actress Mindy Kaling’s novel Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? Kaling has been on the rise for some time now, proving herself to be creatively flexible with a long list of credits in producing, directing, writing, and acting. Now, with the last season of The Office kicked off, Kaling is doing her own thing. Her television show The Mindy Project premiered on FOX September 25th.

Kaling plays an OB/GYN physician who struggles to balance her demanding career with her messy love life. There is a nicesized supporting cast, but actor Chris Messina really stands out as Mindy’s co-worker Danny Castellano. I can see their “frienemy” relationship being a continuous strong part of the show as Mindy navigates through her sexual relationships and romantic blunders.

The character of Dr. Mindy Lahiri is very flawed. It may be that Kaling wanted to make a not quite likeable character, sort of like what she did with The Office’s Kelly Kapoor. The two characters are extremely different, but they are not really role models. Mindy

is confused, scatterbrained, and often times selfish. However, it is characters like that that really get a chance to grow and change as seasons progress.

The pilot was quite strong, with cameo performances by Kaling’s former Office cast mate Ed Helms, and SNL cast member Bill Hader. The actress is quite at ease as the star of the show, taking inspiration from her mother’s life and some from her own. Kaling’s love of glamour, nightlife and romantic comedies crosses over to the show and yet is not overly girly.

The Mindy Project is a show that I can see being around for quite sometime as it is fresh and quirky. It helps that it is part of the Tuesday evening lineup which includes other highly enjoyable comedy programs like the new Ben & Kate and Zooey Deschanel’s hit New Girl.

According to The LA Times, The Mindy Project opened to a 2.4 million rating, beating out NBC’s new sitcom New Normal in the adults 18 to 49 category.

New Girl premiered to 2.8 million viewers. Since the latter is such a hit, comparisons are be-

ing made and The Mindy Project has therefore gotten off to a very strong start.

These Tuesday lineup shows are not big rating powerhouses compared to The Voice or American Idol, but they are well liked by many critics.

“Mindy is determined to be more punctual, spend less money, lose weight and read more books - all in pursuit of becoming a well-rounded perfect woman...who can meet and date the perfect guy,” the description on the show’s website reads.

Now that sounds rather familiar and true of the general female population.

The Mindy Project is trying to play off of romantic comedies, with the lead character being successful, but unlucky in love and without her ‘prince,’ and her role models being romantic comedy types like Meg Ryan.

“Mindy gets sufficiently quirky that no one will confuse her with previous thirty-something sitcom women—like, say, Mary Tyler Moore,” said David Hinckley for the New York Daily News. “But she too could make it after all.”

Mindy Kaling, best known for her role in The Office, now stars in her own show on FOX network.

Photo by NoHoDamon (flickr)

lifestyle ▼

DIY Project: Autumn Pumpkin Flower Vase A simple decorating idea to make your home more festive Laura Sciarpelletti Events Editor

One weekend last October I got a sudden burst of creative energy. I started making collages like a madwoman and forcing myself to be festive by listening to nothing but Halloween music. After ten or so replays of “This Is Halloween” and a viewing of “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” I decided it was time to go out and buy a few pumpkins. I frequent home style and do-it-yourself websites, always on the hunt for some inspiration. And I figured that I had already exhausted the holiday martini recipe route. Pumpkins can be used for a lot more than just pie and jack-o-lanterns. A popular DIY idea lately has been to make vases out of pumpkins. The result is festive and beautiful, allowing the creator to brag about his or her home styling skills. In actuality, fall pumpkin vases are quick and easy to make.

You Will Need: -One pumpkin, preferably as round as possible and clear of large blemishes.

-Pumpkin carving tools (A small carving knife and a scoop).

-A small plastic flowerpot and flowers. You can use whatever you want, but I preferto use arrangements with fall colors such as marigolds and sunflowers.

Photo by Jfinkas (flickr)

When carving the pumpkin, make sure it is as clean and whittled down as possible. This delays rotting and allows more space to place the flowerpot in. I do not suggest using loose flowers in a small vase, as they tend to be messier, harder to water, and last for a shorter amount of time. This is a very simple DIY project, but it brightens up a living room instantly. Of course the pumpkin will eventually need to be thrown out. I personally suggest throwing it off a roof or balcony and watching it splatter on pavement. It’s rather satisfying.

Arts

October 15th, 2012

| The Phoenix

13

2012/2013 Visiting Author Series begins with a full house Nancy Homes and Anne Fleming launch their books with in enthusiastic audience

Far Left: The authors’ book table, Middle: Nancy Holmes. Far Right: Anne Fleming.

Photo by Laura Sciarpelletti

Laura Sciarpelletti Events Editor

The Visiting Authors series kicked off at the downtown public library on October 4. UBCO creative writing professors Nancy Holmes and Anne Fleming launched their books The Flicker Tree and Gay Dwarves of America to a full and even overflowing house. Holmes is a poet whose new book of poetry passionately focuses on nature.

Fleming’s book is a collection of humorous and sometimes heartbreaking short fiction stories. Holmes’ poetry is obviously lovingly written and her public reading skills drew in the audience deriving laughter and appreciation for her style. Fleming opened and closed her portion of the evening with audience participation pieces, which included an actual musical number. Her eccentric writing style and intriguing characters made for a very enjoyable read. After both authors read from their books,

the audience had a chance to ask the writers some questions.

Audience Member: I’m wondering where you are when a poem happens.

Nancy Holmes: I suppose I’m a little Wordsworthian. I go out for a walk and just look with out anything with me. I don’t do journals and I don’t record in any way and I rarely take pictures. I try to remember things. I think also we have a constant daily walk you get imprinted by the place and it happens over and other again season by season. You get to know the flowers that come up, and the birds that come back at certain times of the year. You get to write those rhythms as your walking. It’s very meditative I guess; not really scientific observing.

A: Do you set out to be humorous, or is that just the way you see the world?

Anne Fleming: Actually usually

if I’m trying too hard to be funny I almost always fail, and it’s bad.

I could never do stand up. I’ve tried. I tried to write a routine when I was nineteen and it was so not funny. I love reading stories that make you laugh and then kind of sock you in the gut. That’s kind of my ideal reading experience, so I guess it’s my ideal writing experience too.

A: Could you both comment on how teaching influences your own work?

NH: I know that what happened over the past ten years with my poetics is that the students have taught me a lot. And what they’ve taught me often has to do with changes in poetics. They’re doing a lot of spoken word, there’s a lot of rap and they brought that to the classroom. I’m just a total sonnetwriting bookworm nerd and I just had no idea. I don’t like rap or anything, but they really did influence me and made me think a

lot about the oral nature of poetry and performance. And that was a real gift to me I think.

AF: I think it’s just another community of writers. I feel the distinction of instructor and student sort of disappears in a good workshop. And in most of them at one point or another it’s gone cause we’re just talking about the writing in progress and each piece represents its own puzzle. It’s exciting to talk about what might be possible, and also a reminder that there are many ways to do things.

That’s kind of the most exciting thing for me as a teacher.

A: Where do your ideas come from?

AF: It changes. Sometimes it just starts with a line in my head. Some of it is based on my own experience, or a combination of different things that have happened in mylife.

A: What are your working procedures? Are there specifics or is it

just when the muse is upon you?

AF: If I did it when the muse was upon me I’d get nothing done. So no, when I’m teaching I try to set aside time.

NH: For many years I would get up at five in the morning and write for an hour. You’re still kind of in that dream world and half awake. Wow, it’s just a really great time to write.

The Visiting Authors series continues on October 21 with a reading by Deni Y. Bechard. Each evening of the series features an opening reading by a fourth year UBCO creative writing student.

Many different people from the Kelowna community come out for the events, some being students, arts supporters, professors, and fans of the writers. All visiting authors are Canadian, and the admission is free. Come down to the Okanagan Regional Library and enjoy the various styles of some of the best.

Features

Rumnique Nannar

features@thephoenixnews.com

| 14

October 15th, 2012

| The Phoenix

15

What’s the big deal with Obamacare?

The precedent set by the controversial Obamacare act divides a nation

Brandon Taylor Staff Writer

Obama signing the Affordable Care Act in March 2010.

In the recent presidential debates there

was a lot of discussion about “Obamacare”, President Barack Obama’s signature overhaul of the convoluted American medical system. Mitt Romney has insisted that he will repeal Obamacare (although his plan upholds many controversial features of the President’s approach). Obama has defended his program, saying that “it is important for us to make sure [my plan] is deficit neutral, without tricks. I said I wouldn’t sign a bill that didn’t meet that criteria.” In Canada, we’re used to universal health care but in the United States the issue has become a major point of contention for both parties. As we move closer and closer to the November election, we’re going to be hearing even more about Obamacare and its intricacies. So we should probably get things straight: what exactly is Obamacare and why does it matter?

In late June 2012 something monumental happened in American politics: the Supreme Court upheld one of President Barack Obama’s major programs, labeled Obamacare, and deemed it constitutional.

This decision exacerbated the divide between Republicans and Democrats. Contentious political rhetoric has exploded

on both sides ever since the court’s ruling.

The key point of controversy is the precedent that an even semi-social health care program creates.

Canadians have enjoyed the benefits of social health for decades and, so far as we can tell, it is not going anywhere. The simplicity of universal health care is clear but the costs are not so simple. A major part of our taxes are funneled into health care and that makes the government fiscally responsible for our well-being, something clearly not true in the United States. If observant citizens pay close attention to some regions South of the border, it is essentially a survivalist, every-person-forthemselves attitude. Despite President Obama’s constitutional reform program, some states are resisting the transition.

A few of the opposing arguments are valid but they are almost entirely void of compassion.

Making the government fiscally responsible for its citizens’ health is a huge overhead cost, yes, but it also sets an interesting precedent. It ensures that the government is enforcing most federal or provincial programs that are beneficial to our condition. A healthy citizen is easier to afford than an individual who is dreadfully ill, and chronically in the hospital. It

Above: photo by Alter+Care

“Making the government fiscally responsible for its citizens’ health is a huge overhead cost, yes, but it also sets an interesting precedent. It ensures that the government is enforcing programs that are beneficial to our condition. A healthy citizen is easier to afford than an individual who is dreadfully ill, and chronically in the hospital.”

also props up the Foucaultian concept of ‘biopower’, wherein a person’s health is managed by the state and is directly related with their ability to produce, manufacture, or meaningfully contribute to society in some way.

One of the key issues in American health care is long-term treatment for terminal illnesses as well as inflating, uncontrollable premium costs. If an individual is diagnosed with cancer and happens to be covered by their workplace, typically they are perfectly fine. Although most people, who either cannot afford health care or are already in poor physical condition and are not approved by insurance companies are left twisting in the wind.

Obama’s plan is meant to force every single person in the country to get health insurance or face increased taxes as a sort of loophole fine, which is how Obamacare made it through the Supreme Court.

Rising costs are a result of a lot of factors, of course, and cannot be boiled down to a simple chronological order.

Hospitals charge certain fees and, due to wage inflation and increased costs, have to raise their prices to remain profitable.

Meanwhile, insurance companies, faced with these rising costs are forced to raise their premiums for the same reason. Two opposing parties are faced with having to be profitable as well as affordable and the loser in all of this is the paying customer.

This situation has been exacerbated in Vancouver, BC recently with the Cambie

Romney signing his unprecedented healthcare bill in 2006 during his years as Massachusetts Governor.

Clinic. It has essentially billed customers twice for the same services, filing once with the government and issuing bills to the patients at the same time. The government has tried to halt these acts, which are classified as illegal, and Dr. Brian Day, the man in charge of both clinics, has responded with his own challenge to the law. It very clearly illustrates how a ‘forprofit’ health care system creates small loopholes that are exploited for the sake of profit over patient health.

For example, in the American system, there is a complex insurance claim coding system that all practitioners must participate with. The codes are so complex that it requires, at times, at least two to three people to file claims at even the smallest private clinics. Those additional costs are, again, passed onto the customer. The Canadian system has streamlined this process where the doctor files the claim directly and there is no need for a third party. That means there are some healthy Canadians who are left to foot the bill for the unhealthy. It is a small price to pay for the comfort of knowing that the hospital will always be open to the average citizen, who will not be burdened with medical bills that can easily climb to $100,000

in America.

Harvard University did a study in 2010 that indicated the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States was due to medical bills. Medical bills made uo 62% of most personal bankruptcies, which is an alarming figure. It also noted that up to 78% of the individuals who filed for bankruptcy already had health insurance. Savings for college funds, retirement accounts, and home equity are often wiped away after the hundreds of thousands paid out for medical bills. It must be terrifying to live in a place where one fears financial catastrophe if they happen to contract some type of terminal disease or illness.

The American opposition has turned to the idea that Obama’s plan is a sign of a growing government that is intruding upon people’s lives and freedom of choice. Perhaps that is true. Obamacare is indeed forcing people to buy health care. Yet it is well known that, in some emergency situations, those who are not insured are covered by those who are and it continues to drive up rates.

There is no perfect solution to this conundrum. Some countries have devel-

oped an intelligent and profitable social system. Sweden’s health care is privately insured, but all of the insurance companies divide their profits equally. So there is no need to gouge customers and there is still a sense of free market competition and pricing. The current Canadian system

“Obamacare is indeed forcing people to buy health care. Yet it is well known that, in some emergency situations, those who are not insured are covered by those who are and it continues to drive up rates.”

is starting to accrue more costs as health care becomes more sophisticated and costly, as well as shouldering the burden of an aging population.

In a way, the current Canadian system may not make complete business sense, but it sets a tone and creates a model of

photo from BostonGlobe.com

cooperation. The life of every single Canadian is valuable and we pay for it together with our taxes. It isn’t always fair, but it is humane. In America, that doesn’t seem to be their priority and it is part of the reason why, what was initially their greatest strength—fierce competition and privatization—is now their greatest weakness.

The very controversial concept of fiscal austerity requires teamwork and participation from all sides. Republicans and Democrats must wade through the haze of rhetoric and cut to the root of the matter. Mitt Romney’s recent comment on the October 03, 2012 presidential debate has further stoked the fire on repealing Obamacare. There must be a unifying front from politicians for the citizen’s benefit.

Social health care is part of Canada’s identity and is a factor in our national unity. The United States will have to make a decision on its basic principles.

It must decide whether or not to relentlessly pursue individualism at the cost of those less fortunate or, perhaps, choose that sharing might be favorable to everyone’s health.

Sports

Jesse Shopa

sports@thephoenixnews.com

| 16

Heat women break back into the win column Earn victories versus Douglas College and Kwantlen Polytechnic Jesse Shopa Sports Editor

The past two weekends have been neither good nor bad for the Heat, as the team has played to a 1-1 draw in four consecutive games versus PACWEST opponents.

While a point per draw is better than no points, a tight playoff race had the Heat feeling urgent heading into their weekend series versus Douglas College and Kwantlen Polytechnic University. A desperate Heat team secured victories in both their games, defeating Kwantlen 1-0 and Douglas 4-0.

The first weekend game versus Kwantlen was much of the same for the Heat, who left the scoring until the 89th minute to defeat the Eagles. Third-year defender Kira Byers tallied the lone goal for the Heat, moving from defender to forward for the final 15 minutes of the match. The move by head coach Claire Paterson proved to be the spark the Heat offense needed, who were not without offensive chances throughout the game. Chances are one thing, and goals are another; the Heat were fortunate the escape Newton with the victory.

The following day, the Heat travelled to Coquitlam to challenge the Douglas College Royals, a squad the Heat beat 3-0 in their meeting on September 9th in Kelowna.

Capitalizing on a shaky Royals defense early was second-year forward Kirsten Dodds, who put in a great header past the Royal keeper in the 6th minute. Madeleine Greig added the second goal for the Heat in the 34th minute, while first-year midfielder Alana Hazell and first-year forward Mairi Horth added the third and fourth goals in the second half to round out the scoring at four goals to zero for the Heat.

“The four goals that we scored today were quality and we had numerous other chances,” Heat head coach Claire Paterson

Kirsten Dodds continues to be a playmaker for the Heat this season. reflected. “We are starting to get the bounces which is nice,” she added, referencing the numerous chances her team has had in the previous weeks.

With only four games left to play the Heat’s record is four wins, one loss, and five draws and puts them in a good position to lock up one of the four playoff spots

in the last two weekends of league play.

The last two games for the Heat will be held at Nonis Field in Kelowna on October 20th and 21st. The Heat will host Vancouver Island University Saturday, in a game that should have massive playoff implications for both teams. Sunday, the 21st, the Heat will host the Capilano University

Photo by Dale Abbey

Blues. Satruday’s game versus the Mariners is scheduled for a 1:00 pm start, while Sunday’s game versus Capilano is scheduled for a 12 pm start. Come out to Nonis Field and cheer on your UBC Okanagan Heat women’s soccer team in their last regular season games of the year in preparation for the PACWEST Provincial Playoffs.

Heat get huge up front Bolster their front line with recruits McCrea and Wilson Jesse Shopa Sports Editor

Some unusually early commitments have benefitted the men’s volleyball program, as recruits Chris Wilson and Kris McCrea have signed their letters of intent to play for the UBC Okanagan Heat next season.

Wilson, at 6’7”, will add much needed size to the middle position, and may be pushed to outside hitter as the Heat add additional size to their roster. Head coach Greg Poitras sees a huge upside in Wilson, who commands a strong swing from both the attack line and the service line. More importantly, the Heat coaching staff have been impressed with Wilson’s work ethic both on and off the court.

“Chris is our earliest commitment we’ve

ever had in the program,” remarked Poitras. “We are extremely excited that after weighing all the options that he decided to become a member of the Heat. At 6’7” [he] has huge upside.”

When asked about his decision to commit to UBC Okanagan, Wilson explained: “UBCO is an up and coming team in the CIS league. Being only added to the league last year, the school has gained a lot of popularity among high school players, as well as respect from other CIS teams. They managed to make it into the CIS play-offs in their first year, which is something that has never been achieved before. I believe that the Heat team has a lot of promise, potential and dedication.”

Heat recruit Kris McCrea is also looking to make an impact for the men’s squad. A 6’5” outside hitter from Dr. Charles Best Secondary in the Fraser Valley, McCrae will be add insurance to the outside hitter position with the departure of Nate Speijer and Riley McFarland following this season, and with Greg Niemantsverdriet entering his final season next year.

“At 6’5’’, he is definitely in the physical range we are looking for in the wing position as we go forward,” commented coach Poitras. “Kris is a very good jumper and is already showing signs of being an impact blocker at the CIS level.”

A decorated athlete during his high school career, McCrea is hopeful he can

continue to improve his craft in Kelowna.

“I chose UBCO because the Heat volleyball program offers the style of coaching that I believe will work best for me,” said McCrea. “The team offers a good mix of skill and character that will help me develop as a player and a person. I’m looking forward to learning and contributing to a solid volleyball program.”

Look for these recruit to make an impact in the 2013/2014 season. As for this season, the men’s volleyball team begins the Canada West regular season with a home-and-home series versus Thompson Rivers University. The Heat will open up at home on the 27th of October versus the WolfPack from Thompson Rivers.

Sports

October 15th, 2012

| The Phoenix

17

Heat men’s struggles continue Falter versus Kwantlen Polytechnic and Douglas College Jesse Shopa Sports Editor

Dustin Luck will be lacing up for the Heat for the final time on October 28th It’s been a tough season for the men’s soccer team from UBC Okanagan, and the struggles continue heading into the final quarter of the PACWEST regular season. Needing two big wins versus Kwantlen Polytechnic University and Douglas College, the Heat were unable to secure a victory and fell 3-2 to the Eagles and 4-0 to the Royals.

The weekend series started well for the Heat, who scored first in their game versus Kwantlen;

third-year midfielder Austin Jones was the goal-scorer early in the first half. Defensive miscues in the backend cost the Heat the next goal, with Kwantlen scoring the tying goal just before halftime. A quick second goal at the beginning of the second half put Kwantlen up 2-1. The Eagles added an additional goal to go up 3-1.

However, the Heat continued to battle and were rewarded for their efforts. Second-year defender Dylan Abbott scored the Heat’s

second goal, but the team was unable to complete the comeback.

The disappointment from the Kwantlen game seemed to carry over into the match versus Douglas College, as the Heat were bullied in a 5-0 loss to the 5th ranked team in the nation.

The Royals took the lead early and poured on the scoring throughout the match, showing why their team is extremely deadly heading into the PACWEST provincial playoffs.

Photo by UBC Athletics

Despite the weekend result, the Heat are not eliminated from securing the fourth and final playoff position, although the road became a whole lot tougher for the Heat squad. With four games remaining, the Heat would need to win out if the team has any chance of making the playoffs for a second straight season.

Two tough losses led to a disappointed head coach, who tried to bring a positive out of the weekend series.

“The guys worked hard and stayed positive,” noted head coach Dante Zanatta. “We saw what we need to play like to get to the next level.”

The Heat will wrap up the 2012 PACWEST regular season at home on October 27th and 28th, taking on the Vancouver Island University Mariners and the Capilano University Blues.

Game time is scheduled for 3:00 pm on the 27th; 2:00 pm on the 28th.

UBC Okanagan setting a strong pace Cross-country teams impress at PLU Invitational Jesse Shopa Sports Editor

After winning both the men’s and women’s team titles in the first race of the season on September 22nd, the Heat returned to the field on September 29th, taking part in the Pacific Lutheran University Invitational. Held in Tacoma, Washington, the Heat were the lone Canadian representatives, and put on a strong showing in their second race of the season.

An eight kilometer race for the men saw Jeff Kerkovius of UBC Okanagan secure the fastest time for the Heat, finishing the race

in 28:18:01; good for 12th place.

Roger Sherwood finished 19th for the Heat, with a time of 28:52:97, just five seconds ahead of Garrett Anstett, who finished 20th with a time of 28:57:11. Their scores, combined with times from Carlos Capela, Jared Kesteven, and Layne Richardson, vaulted the Heat into a fourth place finish in the Invitational.

Coach Nathan Reiter saw great things from the men’s team in their race, and is hopeful for what the future holds for the men’s cross- country squad.

“The men showed some good improvement from last year’s performances,” Reiter pointed out. “I am very excited to field our full roster in the weeks to come.”

The women, in a six kilometer race, put on a strong showing as well. All female Heat runners finished in the top ten, and the team finished second overall. Michelle Blackburn led the Heat surge, finishing with a time of 24:24:56; good for second place individually. Ashley Yip finished 6th in the race, with a time of 25:18:20. Tri-

sha Metro and Alea Stockton rode the coattails of Yip, finishing 7th and 8th respectively with times of 25:29:20 and 25:57:04. Shayla Millan rounded out the strong performance by the Heat, finishing 10th with a time of 26:21:24.

“Coach Nikki [Reiter] and I were extremely pleased with the women’s performance. It was tough to lose the team title by only one point. However, the girls learned a valuable lesson that will prepare them for future races,” said Reiter.

This weekend also marked the release of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association’s national rankings for cross-country.

The Heat women are currently ranked third in the nation, while the men sit tenth in the country.

The season continues for both cross-country teams on October 13th, as both teams will travel to Seattle University to compete in the Emerald City Open. October 27th will see the Heat travel to Abbotsford, BC to compete in the BC Athletics XC Championships

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The Phoenix |

Sports

October 15th, 2012

Nate Speijer lead the Heat attack versus Canada West rival Trinity Western University.

Photo by Ron Hole

Heat put the finishing touches on exhibition season Win two out of three games Jesse Shopa Sports Editor

In the final exhibition series of the season, the men’s volleyball team travelled to the west coast in a weekend that saw the Heat play Trinity Western University, the University of British Columbia, and Fudan University from Shanghai, China.

The Heat’s first game pitted the team against Fudan University. The Chinese squad, composed mainly of athletes that compete on China’s Universaide team, brought a veteran approach to the match and made the Heat pay on numerous mistakes committed by the men’s squad.

However, the Heat remained resilient and fought back to take the match in straight

sets, earning a 3-0 victory (25-21, 25-22, 2520). 5th year outside hitter Nate Speijer led the Heat attack, notching 11 kills on 22 attempts. Greg Niemantsverdriet provided additional offense with 10 kills of his own.

The following day, the Heat continued to fuel the intercampus rivalry versus the Thunderbirds from UBC stemming from last season. Both teams came out firing, and played a close first set that saw the Heat emerge victorious 27-25. The second set wasmuch the same, as the set extended into extra points. The Heat were unfortunate to drop the set 26-24 to the TBirds, but the men from UBC Okanagan refused

to falter and crushed UBC in the final two sets to win the match 3-1(25-27, 26-24, 2516, 25-17).

The Heats final exhibition match of both the weekend and the preseason put UBC Okanagan and Trinity Western University on the court of the Langley Events Center in Langley, BC. The two-time defending CIS champion Spartans made quick work of the young Heat squad, winning in straight sets 3-0 (25-18, 25-11, 25-16). Overall, head coach Greg Poitras was satisfied with his team’s three day performance.

“All in all this was a positive tour for our squad,” said Poitras. “We had highs and

lows that go along with competing this time of year. We will take positives from all three matches.”

“The season is right around the corner and we have a lot of work to do in preparation. We are much more healthy than we were a few weeks ago and so the training has been very competitive as of late.”

The Heat will use the next few weekends to prepare and rest up for their season-opening home-and-home series versus the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack on October 26th and 27th. The 27th will see the Heat open up at home to begin the 2012/2013 Canada West volleyball season.

Men’s rugby team places third Battle in Palouse Sevens Invitational Jesse Shopa Sports Editor

October 6th saw the Heat send their 7s squad to Washington State University to compete in the annual Palouse 7s Invitational Tournament. A 16 team, one-day event, the tournament attracted teams from all across Washington State, including powerhouse clubs from Central Washington University and Western Washington University.

The only Canadian club to compete in the tournament, the Heat proved to be a formidable foe versus their yankee opponents, placing third in the tournament.

The Heat’s first game pitted the squad

against Pacific. What was thought to be a relatively close game ended up in a Heat blowout, with the squad from Kelowna taking the game 40-0.

The Heat then took on Central Washington University; the favourites to win the invitational. Having to play back-to-back games hurt the Heat, who fought valiantly in a 31-0 loss. Had the schedule not played out this way, things could have been quite different for the Heat.

However, the Heat continued pool play against Boise State University, trouncing the Broncos 35-0 to vault the Heat into the

playoff bracket.

In the quarterfinals, the Heat dismantled the University of Washington 29-7. In the Cup semifinals, the Heat met Western Washington University. A back-and-forth affair led to a WWU win, 19-17.

With third place being all that was left for the Heat, the men’s 7s team from Kelowna took it to Eastern Washington University, crushing the Reds 24-0.

“We should have won that game versus WWU,” explained head coach Rob O’Brien.

“They scored a late try and made a great kick from the side to put themselves up”

However, coach O’Brien was extremely pleased with how his team performed at tournament, and reiterated that his team continues to improve.

“Our sevens teams are defnitely better this year than last,” remarked O’Brien.

“You can see the improvement, which is encouraging. We win games mostly due to our stamina and ability to keep the same pace throughout the game”.

The Heat will retire the 7s team in favour of a full squad for October 27th and 28th, when the Heat will compete in the Hindson Cup.

Opinions

Matt Lauzon

opinions@thephoenixnews.com

| 19

Don’t abort our rights Why one man’s backward beliefs pose a significant threat to Canadians’ lives.

Matthew Lauzon Opinions Editor

Stephen Woodworth wants to change abortion rights and convert homosexuals .

Photo courtesy of Vancouver Sun

A human life is defined--under the Criminal Code--as when a baby emerges alive from the womb.

Stephen Woodworth, Conservative MP for the Kitchener, Ontario riding, wants to change that. He is the author of Motion 312, which would have made the House of Commons study the definition of a human being, and when a fetus is considered a life separate of its mother.

Though the motion was defeated last Wednesday, the implications it would have posed would surely warrant cause to reopen the abortion debate. While Woodworth claims the effort was not to make abortion illegal, but to bring science to the issue and inform the public, it is impossible to avoid the fact that if a human is defined anywhere between birth and conception, abortion may suffer being outlawed.

It becomes obvious why the bill was voted: the house of commons does not want to disturb the status quo regarding abortion. In Canada, abortion is legal and left to the discretion of whoever wants to, or needs to have the procedure done.

While controversial, the choice is ultimately left to the mother to decide; if a mother is unfit to raise a child, it is only logical to save the life. Rather than bring a child into a life of poverty, sickness, neglect, abortion offers options and considers the wellbeing of all parties involved; abortion allows a high quality of life for one, rather than a life of poverty of two.

In a free country such as Canada, having options like these are not only a privilege, they are expected. For years, people have fled other tyrannical countries to live a tolerated life with options such as gay marriage, abortion, and speech. Stephen Woodworth believes otherwise. Woodworth believes, for some reason or other, that you should not be allowed to make the choices you are entitled to; he--a man of 58 years--believes he should govern the rights of women.

The matter of bringing up the abortion is ludicrous. For years, the debate has been argued, struck down, and argued

some more. Since 1988, law against abortion has been views as constitutionally invalid; there are nearly 30 abortions per 100 births. Because of this, not only would reenacting law against abortion be heavily opposed, the demand for the treatment would still be as high as ever. Stephen Woodworth is beating a dead horse as he tries to infringe on the rights that many Canadians and outsiders revere. This is not the only controversy associated with Woodworth, however.

“Your Life, Your Choice”, is a Quebecois organization that promotes therapy for people “with an undesired attraction toward people of the same sex.” Coincidentally, Michel Lizotte, a journalist and spokesman for “Your Life, Your Choice,” personally invited MP Stephen Woodworth to lend his support during a Campaign Life Quebec event.

Your Life, Your Choice touts having changed the minds of those who wrongfully believe they are homosexual, and aims to enlighten the remaining homosexuals, and both Michel

Lizotte and Stephen Woodworth believe in them. Not only is an organization such as this morally impermissible, it shows Woodworth’s idealogy: to keep Canada a straight, body-controlling country.

Canadians have enjoyed the freedom of choice in all aspects; Woodworth cringes at the fact.

Blinded by the power his riding has given him, he believes that he can make choices that affect all Canadians, and can set precedents to make our country worse off. To Woodworth and other likeminded politicians and residents alike: why should you care? In what form do the choices of others and their bodies have an effect on you? Canada is renown for its freedoms and tolerance of race, choice, and belief.

For some reason a man believes he has the freedom to oppose members of opposite sex, control the minds of differently minded individuals, and thinks he can decide that others should have their life’s actions, beliefs, and desires predetermined.

Woodworth has absolutely no

place in Canadian government in 2012. His beliefs reflect those of ages gone by, and are aimed to change the hearts of citizens throughout the country. Woodworth is an old man bent on changing publicly held beliefs to the point of challenging multiple decades old constitutional law.

Not only does he sound like a preacher calling for impending debunked threats, he is actually making progress in gaining support from other conservative party members.

Woodworth’s beliefs are his own, let that be said. We should not judge one another’s beliefs, however that is exactly what Woodworth is doing. While I disagree with his positions on public policy, I see no reason to hate the man. Rather I leave the blame on the people of Kitchener, Ontario, who have re-elected the man since 2008. While you might assume he is the right man for the job in your riding, he is seriously challenging the rights of Canadians across the country. Do not allow this man of 1960’s ideology a place in modern day politics.

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Opinions

October 15th, 2012

Actually, it IS about the charity Complaining about the little things is a huge detriment Alex Williams Contributor

A rebuttal to Logan Saunders’s Issue 3 Opinions article ”It’s not about the charity: Five reasons why grade school made me hate Terry Fox”.

So you had a crappy time in elementary school, and you choose to blame a charity?

That’s disgusting.

In elementary school, there were loads of silly things that kids didn’t like, if you go by ‘childlife-problems’ standards anyway.

Yeah, we all thought it was boring to stand for the national anthem every day, that it was annoying to have to ask to go to the washroom, and of course we all got nervous about our annual speech competitions. But to say that the small things in life made you lose complete appreciation for a legacy that has raised millions of dollars towards cancer research is entirely ignorant and selfish.

Overall, you’ve explained that you hated the Terry Fox Run because 1: you had to watch a video; 2: there was a narrow path for the run; 3: people passed you on the

run; 4: Terry made you self-conscious; 5: it cut into your Mario Kart time.

Let’s look at those in reverse order, shall we?

5: If you didn’t realize that contributing to cancer research was more important than your gaming time, you’re either just dense or your school didn’t tell you anything about the importance of the run.

4: You’re upset that Terry Fox, a man battling cancer, ran over 5000 km with one leg. You’re upset that this is apparently being shoved in your face, making you feel uncomfortable, and self-conscious because you can’t even finish the 5 km allotted to the run. I’m sorry you feel that way, but it sounds like you’ve got massive confidence issues, so the reality is you’re going to have to deal with other people being better than you for the rest of your life. Funny that you have to chose a national hero as a scapegoat to console you in your personal shortcomings.

3: Get over it.

2: You’re not running, so why are you worried about a passing lane? You sprained your ankle “mindlessly” walking?

Pay attention.

1: Kids friggin’ loved video time in elementary school. Not only were they terribly cheesy, they were funny and allowed people to bond because of how ridiculous they were.

Also, let’s remember that while the Terry Fox Run is titled as such, it has always provided the opportunity for participants to run, walk, bike, and rollerblade at the event. The ‘run’ is just a detail. You must not have been listening when ‘participation’ and ‘support’ were emphasized.

So it looks like you just really didn’t like physical activity, were a gaming blob and had confidence issues. Welcome to most of the elementary school population, suck it up and learn to care.

In elementary school, most kids thought it was a nuisance to have to sit through Remem-

brance Day ceremonies, fire safety assemblies... heck, most people thought school itself was the biggest inconvenience.

But at the end of the day, we always learned, and appreciated the bases of these things.

We understood why we ran the Terry Fox Run, what we were contributing to, and most kids really enjoyed having more time outside with their friends, rather than being in a classroom for another afternoon.

Really, you can’t blame elementary school for stripping your enjoyment of this charity event. You can only blame yourself.

Terry Fox ran across Canada for hope, hope that one day, what he started would get the world closer to finding a cure for cancer. He didn’t run for himself, he ran for those individuals affected by cancer, their family and friends. I’m sure he hoped that children in elementary school would learn about the importance of supporting your com-

munity, supporting his cause, and supporting your own personal network, because chances are, all of us will be affected by cancer at some point in our lives.

It is about the charity. It is about the community. It is about progressing research and hoping for a cure.

See you at the Run next September.

Editor’s note: Logan Saunders’s article last issue was a tongue-in-cheek piece meant to describe his negative experiences with the Terry Fox Run during his grade school years and explain how the school event (not the charity) turned kids off. The pickiness anf triviality of his complaints over a beloved charity event was part of the point, and Saunders did reiterate that the end of his piece that outside the atmosphere of grade school, he enjoys and supports the Terry Fox Run and is excited for next year’s Run.

Amid praise, inexperience Justin Trudeau’s hype and famous last name greatly overshadow his current accomplishments Sonya Mollema Contributor

Justin Trudeau announced he would be running for the Liberal Leadership of Canada, October 2nd. This marks a new chapter for the Liberal Party after its humiliation last election by losing its position as the official opposition party. Trudeau spoke in British Columbia, October 3rd at the Radisson Hotel in Richmond just 48 hours after he announced his candidacy in his Papineau Constituency.

He addressed British Columbians eager for a glimpse of the potential future of the Liberal Party. Trudeau promised Canadians that if entrusted with the privilege of leadership, the country would once again flourish under the Liberal ideal. He strongly believes the “conservatives are taking Canada down a road that most Canadians don’t want to go.” Trudeau went on to say that he wants “to lead a movement of Canadians that seeks to build, not rebuild; to create, not recreate.”

Justin, son of former Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, is up against huge expectations,

and is undergoing enormous hype. Justin is intending to be viewed as a non-conformist; he is determined to chart his own path while avoiding the preconceived notions that come with being his father’s son. He firmly believes that it is “the middle class, not the political class which unifies Canada.” Justin is well on his way of becoming a household name, and will play upon his charismatic youthful zeal--a trait both Stephan Dion and Michael Ignatieff lacked--to charm voters and snag the young vote across Canada. He is utilizing his youthfulness to be socially savvy and appeal to a new generation of Canadians through numerous internet platforms. Justin’s lack of experience serving in government, however, and not having held many critical roles, is subject to debate among those who view him to be unfit as leader.

Justin’s critics prey upon his lack of experience, and worry for the liberal future, as he will be pitted against the Conservative machinery headed by Stephen

Harper. In the trans-Canadian political arena, Justin might find that the waters in Ottawa run too deep, and experience firsthand the trials and tribulations of a potential leader in power. He has been vocal, however, and has not played on the hype of his name alone. Trudeau has spoken on immigration and environmental concerns as well as serving as a critic for youth.

Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae has announced that he will not run. Trudeau will bid against Deborah Coyne, a Toronto lawyer, amidst speculation that former astronaut Mark Garneau and New Brunswick MP and close friend of Trudeau, Dominic LeBlanc, will throw their names in the hat for Liberal Leadership. Justin will have to do more than depend on the youth and Quebecois vote if he is to succeed.

The future status of the Liberal party of Canada will depend on the Liberal election in April 2013, as its former glorious pedigree has been marred by its embarrassing defeat in the last election after

Ignatieff’s departure left the party in a disastrous state. The Liberal party is in need of a revival: Justin’s presence as leader could serve as the youthful injection the Liberal party needs; however he will soon have to reveal what he has planned for his platform. Voters who have concerns about his experience, will not be swayed by his hype alone, and need to see what direction he plans to take the party. Inversely, many Liberal voters are pleasantly excited at the renewed hope for the party, and the charisma of Trudeau may inspire a plethora of young voters who have never seen reason to go to the polls. The Liberal Party’s future depends on the caliber of their next leader; the party may once again represent the interests of its Liberal Members, and of many Canadians country wide.

The Liberal party’s leadership has the momentous task of either welding up the fractures of the previous defeat, or facilitating the rebirth of the party aided by the vigor of youth. Trudeau’s shoulders hold the future of the

Liberal party, as he needs to show his worth as a scion of a political legacy. His hype and name greatly overshadow his current accomplishments, he has a long road ahead of him. The question remains whether he can unite his party, and usher in a new era of Canadian government.

Opinions

October 15th, 2012

| The Phoenix

21

(Boy, you’re gonna) carry that weight Don’t hang around and let your exam troubles surround you.

Gordon Hawkes Contributor

It’s the time of year when you’re probably starting to feel the Weight. If you’re a freshman, perhaps you’re not familiar with it yet. But you soon will be.

The Weight is the large, dull pressure on your mind, which gets heavier and heavier with each passing day of the semester. Every new assignment, every essay that’s due, every midterm on your schedule, every class you have to go to, every group project--stacks itself on you until you start to feel crushed by the Weight. It’s like the story of the Princess and the pea, only you’re the pea, and the huge pile of mattresses is on top of you. How are you going to get it all done? How are you going to make it through?

Not knowing how makes the Weight even heavier.

The symptoms of the Weight

vary from person to person. It might manifest itself as the aching in your stomach, the slight headache that won’t go away, the shortness of breath that comes on you when you think of how much you have to get done and how little time you have to do it in. It might reveal itself when you stare blankly at your dayplanner, wondering how you’re going to fit hours of work into the minutes of spare time. But there’s no denying the Weight pressing down on all of us.

In the end, there are only three ways to respond to the Weight: you ignore it, you succumb to it, or you deal with it.

We all try to ignore the Weight.

(That’s what you’re doing right now, isn’t it? Reading the newspaper when you’ve got that …. thing to get done?) The ways of

That pencil gets mighty heavy if you don’t take the time to lift that weight.

Photo by albertogp123 (flickr)

ignoring the Weight are familiar to everyone. Some distract themselves—“I’ll just quickly check Facebook before starting my research”…. “Maybe I’ll watch a movie now and work later.” Others clean their room, or suddenly find the energy to go exercise. Phone calls that have been put off for months suddenly become urgent.

Some, of a certain temperament, are tempted to succumb to the Weight, to allow it to crush them. They want to give up. I’ve been there many times myself.

The Weight becomes so much to bear, you think that if you just lie still in your bed, doing nothing, then eventually the Weight will have to disappear. But it doesn’t.

The dark cloud of ThingsLeft-Undone continues to cast its shadow.

The only way to make the Weight disappear is to do the work. That’s the only option; the work is unavoidable. The shortest, least painful way to get the work done is to throw yourself into it and get it done right away.

One day at a time. One essay at a time. One sentence at a time.

Maybe the Weight seems too heavy to lift—but try! Don’t give up! The longer you ignore the Weight, the heavier it’ll get. It’s unavoidable that you have to do your work, so why make it more painful than it needs to be? Get out your books and get ‘er done.

Once you do try to lift the Weight, a curious thing will happen. It will be lighter than you thought. It might still be heavy, but not impossibly heavy. And the harder you try to lift it, the stronger you’ll get. I don’t mean

to say you won’t fail. We all fail sometimes. But the trying makes you stronger, and you’ll never succeed if you don’t try.

Some tips for lifting the weight:

Get out of your room. Go study elsewhere. A change of scenery can really change your perspective on your work.

Go for a walk. That fresh autumn air is a great change from the musty air of the library, or your dorm. It’ll clear your head and lower your stress.

Exercise. Regardless of the work load, you still need that hour of exercise per day.

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The Phoenix |

October 15th, 2012

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