I’m a nice bee, not a slutty bee! since 1918
Our Afghanistan blog can be read at ubyssey.ca/ afghanistan. Read an excerpt on page 11.
ubc women’s volleyball aim for a fourth consecutive CIS championship. page 5
the ubyssey Pie cin gi tt og et he r
•Downtown bike lanes step on business toes •Where will UBC fit into the bike network? •How does Vancouver stand up to other bike-friendly cities? •How UBC plans to get you biking
Pages 6 & 7
NOVEMBER 01, 2010 • volume 92, number xvii • room 24, student union building • published monday and thursday • feedback@ubyssey.ca
2 / u b y s s e y. c a / e v e n t s / 2 0 1 0 . 11 . 0 1 november 01, 2010 volume xcii, no xvii editorial
events
coordinating editor
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news editor
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tuesday, nov. 2
culture editors
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sports editor Vacant
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Man Ray, African Art, and the Modernist Lens Man Ray, African Art, and the Modernist Lens brings to light photographs of African objects by American artist Man Ray (18901976) produced over a period of almost 20 years. The exhibition raises questions concerning the representation, reception and perception of African art as mediated by the camera lens. • 10am–5pm, Museum of Anthropology, $14 adult, $12 student/senior, free for UBC staff, students and faculty.
Purple and Yellow Work Party Volunteers help maintain the fleet of community bikes. No experience is necessary and new volunteers will learn how to do repairs by being paired with more experienced volunteers. Pizza is provided. Wear something that can get dirty. • 6 – 9pm, Bike Kitchen, north side of the SUB, go to ams.ubc. ca/clubs/bikecoop/p&y.htm for more information.
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spartacus youth club class series
UBC Film Society Screening: inception
The Spartacus Youth Club intervenes in social struggles armed with the revolutionary internationalist program of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky. They are hosting their third class of the year, The Russian Revolution: How the Working Class Took Power. • 6:30pm, Room 212, SUB, e-mail trotskyist_vancouver@shawcable. com or call (604) 687-0353 for more information.
The UBC Film Society will be showing Inception, the blockbuster hit directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date. • Runs until Nov. 7, 9–11pm, Norm Theatre, SUB, $2.50 members, $5 nonmembers.
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Fernie Pereira : business@ubyssey.ca
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thursday, nov. 4
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UBC Film Society Screening: despicable me
Introduction to Adobe InDesign
contributors
The UBC Film Society will be showing Despicable Me, featuring the voices of Steve Carrell and Julie Andrews. When a criminal mastermind uses a trio of orphan girls as pawns for a grand scheme, he finds himself profoundly changed by the growing love between them. • Runs until Oct. 7, 7–9pm, Norm Theatre, SUB, $2.50 members, $5 non-members.
In this course, you get the opportunity to design a print project of your own, with hands-on instruction in the use of this powerful layout program. At the completion of this course, you will have gained an understanding of the basics of colour management, font usage and print production, as well as a working knowledge of the layout and design tools available in InDesign. • Nov. 4–Dec. 9, 6:30pm, UBC Robson Square, go to tech.ubc.ca for more information.
Marie Vondracek Kait Bolongaro Karina Palmitesta Kelly Han Fabrizio Stendardo Brian Platt Micki Cowan Jon Chiang Tim Blonk Michael Thibault Jenica Kim Yu Chuahiock Afghanistan front cover photo courtesy of US Air Force/flickr
legal The Ubyssey is the official student newspaper of the University of British Columbia. It is published every Monday and Thursday by The Ubyssey Publications Society. We are an autonomous, democratically run student organization, and all students are encouraged to participate. Editorials are chosen and written by the Ubyssey staff. They are the expressed opinion of the staff, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Ubyssey Publications Society or the University of British Columbia. All editorial content appearing in The Ubyssey is the property of The Ubyssey Publications Society. Stories, opinions, photographs and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced without the expressed, written permission of The Ubyssey Publications Society. The Ubyssey is a founding member of Canadian University Press (CUP) and adheres to CUP’s guiding principles. Letters to the editor must be under 300 words. Please include your phone number, student number and signature (not for publication) as well as your year and faculty with all submissions. ID will be checked when submissions are dropped off at the editorial office of The Ubyssey; otherwise verification will be done by phone. “Perspectives” are opinion pieces over 300 words but under 750 words and are run according to space. “Freestyles” are opinion pieces written by Ubyssey staff members. Priority will be given to letters and perspectives over freestyles unless the latter is time sensitive. Opinion pieces will not be run until the identity of the writer has been verified. The Ubyssey reserves the right to edit submissions for length and clarity. All letters must be received by 12 noon the day before intended publication. Letters received after this point will be published in the following issue unless there is an urgent time restriction or other matter deemed relevant by the Ubyssey staff. It is agreed by all persons placing display or classified advertising that if the Ubyssey Publications Society fails to publish an advertisement or if an error in the ad occurs the liability of the UPS will not be greater than the price paid for the ad. The UPS shall not be responsible for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value or the impact of the ad.
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News
editor ARSHY MANN » news@ubyssey.ca associate SALLY CRAMPTON » associate.news@ubyssey.ca
Finklestein pushes for a Palestinian state
NEWS BRIEFS
IAC criticizes his “junk political science” Fabrizio Stendardo Contributor “Just be reasonable,” was what Norman Fin k lestein told a crowd of about 400 people at UBC’s Hebb Theatre on Saturday night. “If you are reasonable with Palestinians, you can reach a reasonable settlement.” Finklestein is an American political scientist and the son of two Holocaust survivors. One of the most controversial speakers on the university lecture circuit, he has often been criticized for his scathing remarks towards Israel, which his critics claim are anti-Semitic. He was in Vancouver to promote his new book, This Time We Went Too Far. During his speech, Finklestein was brusque and unapologetic. Asking the audience, “How many people are familiar with the excuse that Hamas was using human shields? If you haven’t, you are either suffering from a massive brain deficit or are extensively using mind-altering drugs.” With regards to the future, Finklestein views the peace process as “a meaning less sideshow.” He remained positive, however, saying, “Jewish minds are changing,” citing that 80 per cent of Jewish people voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential elections. Yet Finklestein believes public opinion is not enough to resolve the conflict and instead, it “must be turned into a political force that goes beyond watching television.”
Norm Finklestein speaks to students. Photo courtesy of garvin lim
Rael Katz, president of the Israeli Awareness Club at UBC, said that speakers like Finklestein do more harm than good by creating divisions. “These kinds of events don’t do anything to bring mutual respect [between Israelis and Palestinians].” He also believes that “university administration should
be condemning hate speech,” which he believes would include Finklestein’s lectures and “junk political science” ideas. “He abuses the memory of the Holocaust by equating Israelis to Nazis,” said Katz. In an interview with The Ubyssey, Finklestein said that reduced tensions at post-secondary
institutions are evidence of a change in public opinion. “The battle on college campuses has been lost by Israel or has been won by those who are trying to show what’s been done to the Palestinians is wrong.” Omar Shaban, president of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights, who organized the event in collaboration with Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) was critical of Finklestein’s ideas for a resolution. “As a Palestinian refugee, it wouldn’t make sense to accept a two-state solution because my grandma and my dad and I would like to return to our homeland, which is now Israel.” Justin Guimong, a fourth-year student, thought Finklestein’s ideas were grounded in sound reasoning. “I thought his opinions were rational and solid. Public opinion seems to be what affected him most in terms of gains, but he also talks on the level of reaching a political solution and reaching a political solution doesn’t just come from public opinion.” Ajab Khan, a third-year political science student at UBC, was also impressed by Finklestein’s analysis. “The overall mindset that we shouldn’t just think of it as Israel and Palestine, two against each other…he emphasized law. He emphasized that it’s not Zionism, it’s no ideology we are against, it’s what’s good and what’s wrong, what’s reasonable and just against what’s unjust.” U
Scientists deploy underwater robot to Antarctica Frozen continent an ideal environment to study effects of climate change
Micki Cowan mcowan@ubyssey.ca UBC has sent a robot to Antarctica. And although it may sound a little like the Battle of Hoth, the enemy is climate change, not the Galactic Empire. The UBC-Gavia, an underwater robot intended to gather information on climate change, was deployed by the UBC Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and Fluid Mechanics research group. UBC civil engineering PhD student Andrew Hamilton is currently in New Zealand helping coordinate AUV’s deployment in Antarctica. He said that UBC-Gavia is modeled specifically to the unique conditions in Antarctica. “Traditional oceanography is conducted from ships that can cover a large area to collect data. In polar oceanography, however, the presence of 2 metre-thick sea ice and 100 metrethick floating ice shelves severely limit our ability to study the ocean over an area. But because UBC-Gavia is small and portable, a small team based on an
ice camp can lower her through an ice hole and she can survey a large area under the ice, something that is not feasible by any other means,” he said. However, despite the high functionalit y of UBC-Gavia, there are still concerns with this project. Hamilton said as this was the first time UBC-Gavia was being deployed in a region with strong currents, the research team would have to be ready to make adjustments “on the fly” for Antarctica’s unique conditions. “We have had some challenges with the ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) that acoustically measures current velocities, as the water is very clear with no algae or suspended sediment, so there is very little to backscatter the sound pulses. But we are working on optimizing these settings.” Hamilton believes that despite tricky conditions, Antarctica is truly the most suitable place to study climate change. “The climate system is changing bot h due to natural cycles and as a result of human
photo courtesy of dan mckechnie
Dean suspends Alberta fraternity EDMONTON (CUP) — The Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity chapter at the University of Alberta had its status as a student group suspended Thursday afternoon following allegations of hazing made in a Gateway article published Oct. 21. Dean of Students Frank Robinson stated at a press conference that the suspension is effective immediately and would last until further notice. He added that it is being implemented because of a concern for the well-being of students. The suspension of DKE’s student group status means that they lose the privileges that come with student group registration, which includes the ability to book space at the university, rent university equipment or use the university name and insignia. This suspension has no impact on individuals within the fraternity. Innocence Project running out of funding The Innocence Project, a UBC group that investigates claims of wrongful convictions, is in danger of disbanding because of lack of funding. There are currently 10 students and 24 lawyers working on around 30 cases, but fundraising has been challenging because of the labour-intensive nature of the job and misconceptions about the group’s intentions. Tamara Levy explained to News 1130, “The way I think people see it is we’re trying to get convicted murderers out of jail, which is not the case. We’re trying to establish whether there are convicted murderers that are actually innocent.” President Toope presents international law book
The UBC-Gavia takes off. Photo courtesy of andrew hamilton
interference. The polar regions tend to respond quickest and most dramatically to climate change due to the ice-related positive feedback mechanisms, [but] these feedback mechanisms are complicated and not fully understood,” he said. “Projects such as ours are trying to better understand what
role the ocean plays in glacier and ice shelf dynamics so that we can better understand how the whole system will react to climate change.” The team will be working in Antarctica until November 12, and will continue to analyze the collected data on their return to Vancouver. U
Prof Stephen Toope, along with Dr Jutta Brunnee, Law professor at the University of Toronto, presented their new book, Legitimacy and Legality in International Law, at the Liu Institute for Global Studies at UBC. Toope indicated that the book provides a unique new theory of the creation and sustainability of the international obligation, revealing that in both treaty and customary law a continuing practice of legality is extremely essential.
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DEMOGRAPHIC
DILEMMA University enrolment is predicted to drop due to plunging birth rates since 1992. Are we ready?
Lee Richardson The Eyeopener (Ryerson University) TORONTO (CUP) — Enrolment rates are expected to drop off in Canada and unless universities find a way to fill the gap, there may be a lot more empty seats in class. “Around about now we’re at the maximum capacity in post-secondary enrolments, and over the next two, three, four years the number of enrolments will start to decline throughout the system,” said University of Toronto economics professor and author of Boom Bust and Echo David Foot. The baby decline While many universities are looking to expand their campuses and programs, the idea of universities dealing with maxedout capacity comes from the large number of children that were born out of the baby boom generation. Also known as Generation Y or the echo boomers, these children were born beginning in 1980. The echo generation is thought to have ended in 2001. The peak of echo births happened in 1991, meaning that since 1992 there has been a gradual decline in the number of natural births in Canada. Those peak births are now aged 19, which means that the rate of enrolment will drop to coincide with the gradual decline in birthrates that occurred during the 1990s. Meanwhile, a majority of universities are preparing to deal with an expected growth in enrolment figures. But some argue that the
editor ARSHY MANN » news@ubyssey.ca associate SALLY CRAMPTON » associate.news@ubyssey.ca
overall post-secondary sector, and not just the sector outside of major cities such as Montreal and Toronto, should be preparing for a drop in enrolment instead of an increase. Such a drop is already developing in eastern Canada, where the demographic age is around five years ahead of the rest of the country. Following an audit carried out by the federal group of the superintendent of financial institutions, a 2008 summary report shows that enrolment figures for both colleges and universities are expected to decline by 216,000 over the next 15 years. “Demographic trends are long-term trends, so it’s very easy to ignore them in the short term,” said Foot. “If you’re looking just to the next year, then demographics aren’t going to be terribly important. The longer you look at the time and the longer you plan, the more important demographic trends become.” Border crossing One way that universities may be able to balance the numbers is to recruit outwards in order to find international students. These students could bring additional benefit by bringing a revenue of up to three times that of the average Canadian undergraduate student. “[Ontario] in their last budget has asked all universities to look at increasing international enrolments by as much as 50 per cent, and we are looking to increase our number as well,” said Levy. “We would plan somewhere around a 15 to 20 per cent increase over the [next] few years.”
While international students could bring a boost in income to universities, attracting recently landed immigrants may be difficult because immigrants now tend to be older and more experienced. Canada reformed its immigration policy in the late 1980s in an effort to reestablish itself as an education-based knowledge economy. Those immigrants, who are established enough to make it through the immigration points system, which rewards career and life experience, generally already have a higher level of education. “No amount of immigration will compensate for this,” said Foot. “Immigrants now are predominantly in their 30s with kids and they’re not settling in the cities anymore.” This is due to the urban–non-urban divide, which essentially states that the inner cities of urban Canada generally attract younger people than the non-urban suburbs and rural areas. He added that immigrants are now being drawn to smaller cities like London, Guelph and Kingston, Ontario. “Immigrants are not going to bail out the universities anymore,” said Foot. Such demographics could mean that universities may have to look to cutting programs or increasingly rely on non-tenured teaching staff. “It’s the outsourcing model that businesses have run for the last decade to keep costs under control,” said Foot. “They’ve outsourced to temporary faculty, which I don’t think is a good way to run post-secondary education, but this is the way it’s being run now.”
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sports
editor VACANT
Plumb the ultimate handyman for T-Birds kelly han Contributor At 6’3” and 210 pounds, Doug Plumb is this year’s newest addition to the UBC men’s basketball team. Not only is he already a member of the starting line up, Plumb is commanding attention by averaging 14 points and 23.6 minutes per game. Thunderbirds head coach Kevin Hanson described Plumb as “a tough and versatile player.” “He is extremely athletic and makes things happen on both sides of the ball. We knew he was very solid offensively but it’s his dedication to defense that is making him so valuable to our team,” he added. What makes Plumb stand out from the other additions is his experience. Originally from Pitt Meadows, Plumb moved to Minnesota after his Grade 9 year to improve his game and gain exposure. He played three years for Hastings High School before playing for Minnesota State University. “Playing down in the States benefited me immensely as an athlete. The level of competition and the coaching was far superior to anything I had previously experienced in Canada, which hugely helped my game,” he said. However, Plumb was not getting the playing time in the NCAA he wanted. At 18, he returned to BC and immediately decided to play for the University of Fraser Valley. In his first
CIS season, he lead the Cascades with an average of 16 points and 30.8 minutes per game. Unfortunately, he was only able to play in four games the next year due to a torn quadricep, which resulted in continual issues with his knee. He sat out the rest of that season and the next as well. “Last year I rehabbed religiously and trained on my own; I really tried to work on my athleticism and to be productive with the year off.” While rehabbing, Plumb’s daily routine included 45 minutes of shooting hoops and drills every morning, followed by either weights, speed or agility training. On the weekends he attended open gyms, and scrimmaged in a men’s basketball league. “People doubted me. I went from being in the forefront to an afterthought. That was my drive and motivation—to prove that I can get back to and deserve to be at that level,” Plumb explains. With winning in mind, Plumb joined forces with the Thunderbirds and began practicing with the team in September. Fitting in was never an issue, as he played on the provincial U-15 team with fellow ‘Birds Alex Murphy and Brent Malish and already knew most of the other guys from prior basketball tournaments. “Ever yone is welcoming, there’s no underlying ulterior motives, no egos; we genuinely have each other’s backs on and off the court,” he said.
one up, one down weekend for women’s hockey
tim blonk Photo/The Ubyssey
Plumb in action earlier this year. jon chiang Photo/The Ubyssey
Despite the lack of ego amongst the team, Plumb looks forward to a season of proving that he and UBC are more than capable of being contenders in the Canada West conference.
“We walk the line of arrogance and confidence. Hard work breeds confidence. When you know other people aren’t working as hard as you are, you just kind of get that confidence in you.” U
Can UBC connect for a fourth straight title?
UBC celebrates during last weekend’s game against TWU. jon chiang Photo/The Ubyssey
marie vondracek Contributor It’s hard to win, but even harder to stay at the top. Despite that, the UBC’s women’s volleyball team has proven capable of living up to that challenge year after year. Friday night saw their third consecutive CIS championship banner raised to the rafters of War Memorial Gym, as the team began its 2010–2011 regular season looking for a fourth straight national championship. The CIS banner for last year has an updated, modern desi g n— one that validates the Thunderbirds’ transformation
i nto a modern day w i n n i n g tradition. “Seeing the banners up in the rafters does indeed remind us that we are part of a legacy,” said fifth-year captain Lauren Whitehead after Saturday’s game against the Trinity Western Spartans. After the weekend series, the three banners were put away and out of sight of those inside War Memorial Gym, but the image— and the challenge it represents— will not leave the minds of the players.“We’ll meet as a team and establish a pyramid for success,” Whitehead said. “At t he pea k we will put our goal of another national
bird droppings
championship and at the base we’ll have the key basics. The little things like confidence, the importance of workouts, discipline, taking care of injuries, knowing that everyone has a role to contribute to another win all the time. Whether on the bench or on the floor, everyone has to know that they are an important part to the process.” The Thunderbirds will see the return of many stars, including third year outside hitter Shanice Marcelle, who led the T-Birds this weekend with 26 kills in two games. But Whitehead knows all members of the team will take on a large role in this year’s pursuit for another banner.
“It’s all in the preparation, and that’s the way that we’re going to get there,” she said. “We have such amazing first and second-years. They really showed it out there this weekend, just how skilled they really are. Now we have to put it all together by focusing on the process, being there for each other and supporting one another on and off the floor.” The T-Birds dropped both weekend games three sets to one to TWU. Though there were flashes of truly brilliant play and flow from UBC, they just couldn’t keep the momentum through the whole match. Head coach Doug Reimer kept the early-season loss in perspective. “It’s just early in the season and with a lot of new players on the court, those are the growing pains you’re going to go through,” he said. The growing pains will continue, as UBC will be without Kyla Richey and Jen Hinze, both 2010 All-Canadians, for another three weeks, as they will be representing Canada at the World Championships in Japan. The team is hoping their absence will allow the youngsters to develop their own confidence and experience. But as the T-Birds prepare for this weekend’s games against the University of Alberta Pandas, Whitehead and the team know that adversity is part of the journey to gold. “A championship title is all in the process,” she said. U
A season-long trend continued for UBC women’s hockey this weekend against the Regina Cougars, as the Thunderbirds came out flying to win 4–3 Friday only to lose by the same score Saturday. While it wasn’t a blowout, as was the case the past two weeks, it marked the third straight time the T-Birds had lost the second half of a double header. Friday’s game, UBC’s home opener, went into overtime after a top-shelf snipe from Chelsea Laing with eight minutes to go. The game continued to a shootout where an injured Melinda Choy, who was put in midway through the second, stopped ten straight Regina players before the Cougars scored—their only goal of the shootout. However, fifth-year assistant captain Kirsten Mihalcheon responded with a shootout goal of her own,and then potted a second one immediately after for the win. UBC continued to play well on Saturday, entering the third period up 3–0 and playing, in the words of head coach Nancy Wilson, “some of the best hockey we’ve played all year.” However, Regina came out ready for the final period, scoring three goals on nine shots and forcing the game into overtime, where Paige Wheeler scored her fourth goal of the year for Regina, sending the T-Birds to the loss. Basketball teams sweep Spartans Both the UBC men’s and women’s basketball teams swept Trinity Western University in Langley over the weekend. Friday night saw the lady Thunderbirds finally figure out the formula to earn their first win of the season. They jumped to an early 15-6 lead and used their speed and athleticism to hold a 44-30 lead at halftime. Continuing to hit many longrange shots, they extended their lead to 63-42 at the end of the third, eventually winning 7867. On Saturday they built on the momentum, jumping to a 33-21 lead by halftime and not slowing down in a 74-45 blowout. UBC hit 5 of 14 three point attempts, lead by Zara Huntley, who ended the weekend with 21 points. The men’s team responded to last weekend’s loss to Saskatchewan with a 91-63 victory on Friday. They were led by veteran Josh Whyte, who put in 23 points, and Kamar Burke, who had 18 points in just 16 minutes of action. Saturday was no different, with UBC making 52.5 per cent of their shots in a 90-77 victory.
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According to the Vancouver Sun, Robertson’s aim is to reduce t he cit y’s carbon footprint from 7 hectares per person to 1.8 by 2020. This would mean that 50 per cent of all trips in Vancouver wou ld ta ke place through walking, cycling or using public transportation in the next ten years. The city council has been pushing cycling as a transportation priority since 1997, when a network of downtown bike lanes was first proposed. In July of 2009, the first of these lanes opened on the Burrard Bridge. Since then, separated bike lanes have opened along Dunsmuir Street and the Dunsmuir Viaduct. The next piece of this puzzle is a proposed lane along Hornby to connect Dunsmuir and Burrard. Jerry Dobrovolny, a city engineer, says the Dunsmuir project cost around $1 million and has gone a long way to promote cycling in the downtown core. “On Dunsmuir, it went from under 500 cyclists a day to over 2000,” said Dobrovolny. He added, however, that this does not necessarily mean the increase was all new trips. Some cyclists moved over from adjacent lanes. The Burrard Bridge is more indicative of new riders, he said, because there was no parallel prior to its implementation. That project indicates that cycling into downtown has increased by roughly 26 per cent since the bike lanes were introduced. These projects are still in the pilot stage. The city has faced some opposition to this plan, especially from business owners who fear the loss of parking along Dunsmuir will equal a loss of business. The city has relocated much of this parking several blocks away, but many in the business community have been vehemently opposed to the lanes. On October 4, the website of the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition (VACC), a cycling advocacy group, was hacked. According to The Province, on the eve of a vote on whether to extend the lane on Hornby, cyber vandals hit vacc.bc.ca, causing the website to go down for several hours. Some suspected business owners along Hornby of the vandalism. According to the article, “Many shop owners along Hornby are upset that the trial [bike lanes] will eliminate about 158 parking
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“Hedge trimming” The designated bikeways that parallel Broadway link UBC into this bike network. These “Off Broadway” routes are not hugely popular among planners and cyclists. “[The routes are] better than nothing,” said Villagomez, but “[They have a] fair share of conflicts in terms of just overall safety.” “There’s three main problems that I see and they’re all related to visibility,” said Eric Drewes, a UBC student and bicycle commuter. He said that large hedges and parked cars often block visibility, and that neither motorists nor cyclists use roundabouts correctly. The bikeways are also unattractive topographically. “A lot of the main streets are the best to bike on because they’re the flattest,” said Villagomez. “There’s almost a conflict of interest there—the ideal routes are the busiest car routes. They’re not that safe.” Drewes, who lives around Ontario Street, also said the offBroadway routes are slower. “If I bike on Broadway, it takes me 35 to 40 minutes. If I bike on 10th [Avenue], it takes an hour.” According to Erin O’Mellin, a project manager with VACC, safety is the second largest issue keeping people from switching to bikes (next to weather). The VACC organizes the bi-annual Bike to Work Week and collects this information from first-time cyclists involved in the program. “It’s generally just that [cyclists] don’t feel that cars see them or respect them,” said O’Mellin.
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planter boxes and bike parking. These lanes are wider than onstreet lanes, and are generally seen as much safer. They account for only 12 kilometres of Vancouver’s total network. The majority of Vancouver’s system is made up of neighbourhood bikeways, according to Dobrovolny. These bikeways are the major artery linking UBC into the bike network, but poor visibility, steep grades and parked cars have led many to see them as less than ideal. Copenhagen’s status as the pinnacle of green transportation is due to the focus on these lanes. “There’s something relatively simplistic about planning stuff,” Villagomez said. “If people feel safe [biking], they’ll use it more.” The city also has some lofty goals. “In the next five years they want half of their population on bikes,” said Villagomez.
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It’s been one year since Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson announced the city’s ambitious plan to make Vancouver the “greenest city” in the world. Some said this plan, aimed at reducing the city’s overall carbon footprint by 2020, was overly ambitious. Promoting cycling is one of the key components of this plan, but when the mayor announced the plan in October 2009, the city’s only step toward building world-class bike infrastructure was two lanes across the Burrard Bridge. Since then, lanes have gone in along Dunsmuir and the viaduct, and bike trips in the downtown core have gone up substantially. But for UBC commuters and the majority of residents outside of the downtown core, cycling is no more appealing than it was a year ago. How much closer is Vancouver to becoming a bike capital? Where do we go from here? And where does UBC fit into these grand ambitions? Today, The Ubyssey takes a comprehensive look at cycling in Vancouver.
Expanding the network— and a UBC bike lane?
geoff lister photos/the ubyssey
spaces on the east side of the one-way street. They say those parking spaces are quite popular with their customers and that they expect their businesses will suffer if the separated bike lanes are approved.” Days after the implementation of bike lanes along Dunsmuir, graffiti labelling the lane partitions “the mayor’s political gravestone” appeared, according to a report by News 1130. Copenhagen as a model? Copenhagen is often cited as the ideal city for cycling. Their investment in bike infrastructure has resulted in an impressive percentage of pedal pushers: about 36 per cent of Copenhagen’s commuting population
goes by bike. Only 3.6 per cent of Vancouverites bike to work. “They are definitely a model,” said Erick Villagomez, a faculty member with the UBC School of Landscape Architecture. “They’ve taken a whole bunch of steps towards increasing bike mode share.” The city is roughly comparable in terms of population, climate and area. But Copenhagen differs from Vancouver in several key areas. “Copenhagen is a lot denser,” said Villagomez, going on to explain that denser cities are a major reason that biking is more popular in Europe. Europe’s bike culture in turn has bred motorists who are familiar with sharing the road. “There’s that kind of critical
mass [when motorists begin to understand how to drive near bikes],” said Villagomez. According to Villagomez, the Copenhagen bike lanes cover about 100 kilometres. Jerry Dobrovolny, a transportation engineer with the city, said Vancouver’s network covers 400 lane kilometres. If you look just at numbers, it would appear that Vancouver’s system is much stronger, but it’s the type of lanes available that make cycling much more appealing in Copenhagen. “Their bike paths are more often than not separated,” said Villagomez. Separated bike lanes are partitioned from traffic by some kind of barrier. Parts of the most recent addition to Vancouver’s network, along Dunsmuir, use
How should Vancouver go about expanding its network? And where could a possible connection to UBC fit in? Villagomez proposes a tight network of separated bike lanes stemming from the Skytrain stations. He calls this plan HOTBOD, or ‘hop-on transit, bicycleoriented development.’ “What the research found is that people aren’t willing to go beyond 200 and 400 metres out of their way to get to a bikeway,” he said. A bike network that is spaced out more than 500 metres will not increase bike mode share very effectively. Cyclists need to be able to get to a bikeway within five minutes of biking, which is about two kilometres. “You would have [rapid transit and cycling] working in tandem. Within those two kilometre nodes, you would increase the network, spacing it out approximately every 500 metres.” What would a fast, safe and effective bike lane to UBC look
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like? “If we’re going to aspire to creating more incentives, I imagine one is going to be somehow trying to integrate [the network] along these main lines [like Broadway],” said Villagomez. “The nature of the topography and their linkages make them that much more attractive for people to ride on.” The Trek office is committed to working for such a connection, but no plan to do so exists at this time, said Cooper. “We’re constantly looking for those opportunities. It really depends when pockets of funding open up. There’s not always a consistent funding program from the province on bike infrastructure.” He added that a line to UBC would require working with both the City of Vancouver and the Ministry of Transportation, because the roads from Blanca to Wesbrook are not part of Vancouver. “There is a gap in the bike network,” said Dobrovolny. He
said that the City will update its transportation master plan next year, when new priorities and projects will be identified. “You’ve got a fixed amount of road space, and you have many different users competing for the space,” he said. O’Mellin said that advocating for the network of separated bike lanes is a high priority for the VACC. “It’s kind of like a gateway into other cycling for transportation,” she said. “There’s lots of people that have thought about cycling, but they’re just too nervous. The barrier that separated lanes provide gets them out there.” Villagomez imagines that it is only a matter of time until UBC is brought into the network. “As long as there’s the political will and backing to do [a lane], it can happen,” he said. “There are a lot of people that do bike in and around UBC, and I imagine something like that would be brilliant to do.” U
How does Vancouver compare to Copenhagen?
Vancouver
Copenhagen
Annual Rainfall 610 mm (24 inches)
1117 mm (41 inches)
Population (city) 531,199
578,041 Density 5335 people/ km
2
6019.3 people/km2
Bike network distance 400 lane km
100 lane km
Percentage of cyclist communters 3.6 per cent
36 per cent
A network for UBC According to a 2009 study by Campus and Community Planning, trips by bicyclists account for one per cent of the total commuter trips to UBC. The university will update its transportation plan this year, and a campus cycling plan is one of the proposed initiatives. “We can’t wave our wands and have a lot more buses on campus,” said Adam Cooper, program coordinator at the UBC Trek office, which is in charge of campus transportation. “Cycling is somewhere we can make a real impact.” The overall goal of this proposed plan is to reduce the number of single-occupant vehicle trips to campus, which currently account for 32 per cent of all trips. They plan on doing this through investment in bike infrastructure—lanes, signage and storage. Under this plan, Trek will invest $187,500 to increase the number of bike parking spaces from 6600 to 9500. The plan also calls for 28 kilometres of either separated or mixed -use bike lanes around campus. Villagomez says this plan is a step in the right direction, but he has some reservations. “Overall, the plan looks good insofar that the aim seems to be to create a bike network across the entire campus that connects to the new UBC residential neighbourhood in the south, as well as the existing City of Vancouver bike network.” The parking plan, where many of the new racks are concentrated around residences and other campus hubs, is less than ideal. “It’s great to have [parking] in locations such as the parkades, but people want to ride their bikes directly to the doors of the buildings where their classes are being held.”
Illustration Courtesy of Campus and Community Planning
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Yann Martel, the meditating sloth
FOOD WITH KAIT BOLONGARO
Life of Pi writer wants Stephen Harper to read his books
Chard Times: Eating Local in November
JENICA KIM YU CHUAHIOCK Contributor “I don’t consider writing a career. It’s not a career the way accounting or dentistry is a career. Things can disappear, your career can vanish. To me, it’s more a way of thinking about life, and it expresses itself in writing.” Those are the words of one of Canada’s most renowned authors, Yann Martel. The author of the Man Booker Prize-winning novel, Life of Pi, and most recently, Beatrice & Virgil, was featured in this year’s Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival. Born in Salamanca, Spain in 1963, Yann Martel became a full-time writer at 27 years-old. But way before his literary success, he began like any typical university student. “I started writing in my late teens, when I was in university,” said Martel. “I studied anthropolog y in my first year, then I switched to philosophy, and I wasn’t really happy doing that. I didn’t know why I was there and I was losing interest in what I was studying. To deal with the tensions of what I should do, I just started writing.”
Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi and Beatrice & Virgil. Michael Thibault Photo/The Ubyssey
After graduating, Martel had to try a series of odd jobs, like tree planter, dishwasher and security guard, before realizing his true passion was for writing. “It just struck me as more meaningful doing that than anything else,” he said. “Eventually I had short stories published. I won a prize, then got an agent, and slowly, suddenly, I was a writer.” International acclaim came in 2002, when Life of Pi won the Man Booker Prize. “It was wonderful for the book, and for me,” said Martel. “It brought the book to a greater audience and it made my life a lot busier, with lots of opportunities, festivals and book launches.” A Life of Pi movie is set to be released by 2012, with multiaward-winning director Ang Lee. It took eight years for Martel to publish another book, and by April 2010 the highly anticipated Beatrice & Virgil finally hit the bookstores. Martel also has an ongoing campaign to get prime minister Stephen Harper to read books. He started a website called What is Stephen Harper Reading? in 2007, when he and 49 other
Canadian artists were given a poor reception at the House of Commons. It was the Canada Council for Arts’ 50th anniversary, yet Harper deliberately gave no acknowledgement to Canada’s leading artists. “There’s no doubt that he sounds and governs like one who cares little for the arts,” Martel wrote on his website. “For as long as Stephen Harper is prime minister of Canada, I vow to send him every two weeks, mailed on a Monday, a book that has been known to expand stillness. That book will be inscribed and will be accompanied by a letter I will have written.” To date, Martel has sent 92 books and letters to the prime minister, but has not yet received a direct reply. “If I stopped now that would be admitting defeat,” said Martel. “I think the novel is one of the best ways to explore the human condition. It’s one of the most thoughtful products of human civilization. Do we want a leadership that never delves into that? So what kind of society do we want? That’s why I ask, and that’s why I’ve been doing this.” The letters from What is Stephen Harper Reading? have also
been published as a book of the same title. Martel’s stories, books and ideology show that he clearly values thought and contemplation above all else. “In Life of Pi, there is one autobiographical character: it’s the sloth,” said Martel. “It has very peculiar habits. Instead of rushing around madly like some animals and like many, many human beings, it is like t h i s med itat ing mon k t hat just sits up in a tree. Eating little, doing little, just thinking, exactly like a Buddhist monk meditating.” Martel offered some words of wisdom to any aspiring writers. “The big lesson is persist but also let go—have passion but be detached. Be reasonable, get a job, but don’t give to that entirely, and take your time. It’s a very, very long process. It’s never too late. Right now read, read, read and write, write, write. If nothing happens, if you’re not published right away, then don’t worry. Maybe you’d be published in your late 20s and early 30s, and it’s never too late to go back to it either. After all, it just has to work, and when it does it will be worthwhile.” U
Although eating local is convenient and easy during growing season, it can become quite a challenge in the winter months when the summer’s variety evolves into basically three choices: leeks, kale and swiss chard. For most, attempting to cook with these three obscure vegetables can be a culinary challenge. First, the leek. A long tubular vegetable that resembles a green onion on steroids, it tastes like a cross between onion and celery. Leeks are usually used in creambased soups, often with potatoes. But since soup can become monotonous after a whole winter season, Gokhan Himmetoglu, a culinary expert in residence, recommends trying risotto,—a northern Italian rice dish. “Leek risotto is an ideal dish because the leek’s subtle taste comes through,” he says. “It is also great for winter, because risotto is warm and filling.” Next is a bitter green called kale. Being a type of cabbage, it is an anti-oxidant superhero, packing more iron than spinach. However, it can be difficult to cook. Kale chips are an almost no-fail method. Bake bite-sized pieces with salt and olive oil for 12 minutes at 350 degrees F. The result is a light green, almost opaque chip—a great side for sandwiches. However, beware of overcooking kale as it can quickly turn into a most unappetizing vegetable. Finally, the swiss chard, whose edible stems range in colour from orange to hot pink. Although it can be eaten raw in a salad if fresh, it needs some serious cooking to get rid of its bitter taste after a few days in the fridge. ‘Aged’ chard is best sautéed and is a nice addition to any pasta dish. It has a less obvious taste than cooked spinach and is more palatable. So this is what it comes down to when eating local in November— not much variety in terms of produce. However, by incorporating these seemingly odd vegetables into recipes, you may find that you have created not only edible but appetizing, healthy dishes. U
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editorial for a higher discourse on cannabis On November 2, Californians of legal voting age will be given the option to legalize the possession of cannabis in their state. Should Proposition 19—the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010—pass with a simple majority, it will become legal on a state level to possess up to 28.5 grams for personal consumption and devote up to 2.3 square metres for cultivation. The sale of marijuana to non-medical users won’t change on the state level, but the proposition would give local governments the power to individually legalize, regulate and tax distributors. The bill sets stiff penalties for those who sell or transport pot to people under the age of 21 and maintains current laws against driving under the influence. Consumption will be limited to private residences or licensed establishments. The federal government does not support the bill and will continue to prosecute marijuana users regardless of the state’s laws. But it is unclear whether they will have the resources to do so. It is high time—pun intended—that a government in North America brought this issue to the table. From Henry J Anslinger’s racially-charged crusade against the plant in the 1930s through the scare tactics of the American Drug War in the 1980s, the debate over marijuana has been muddied by paranoia, disinformation and corporate interests. Level-headed discussion of legalization’s pros and cons in the media is a relatively recent development. An Angus Reid poll showed the majority (52 per cent) of Canadians support the legalization of cannabis. So do we. Analysis of the numbers involved—of incarceration rates, organized crime revenue and annual expenditures on the “War on Drugs”—leads us to believe that regulation and taxation are the best methods of dealing with this intoxicant on a broad scale. A survey of literature on the subject, from government-funded studies in the 60s and 70s to recent films like Reefer Madness and The Union, should be enough convince most rational citizens that legalization is the best option. But what will the results of the November 2 vote mean to us here in British Columbia and Canada as a whole? If pot is legalized in California, what gives us cause to celebrate? Prop 19 has the power to set a precedent in other states. If a legal pot market in California does what proponents suggest it will—create jobs, produce tax revenue, reduce the incomes of organized crime groups and take pressure off the nation’s jam-packed prisons—it will make a strong case for legalization in other locales, domestically and abroad. Critics of Canadian legalization have argued that conflict with the USA’s prohibition would create tension and require increased security at the border. This argument loses strength when the prospect of widespread legalization state-side becomes a realistic possibility. California may serve as a model pot economy. As an oasis from prohibition, the state could be the site of a budding marijuana tourism industry. Visitors flock every year to California’s wine growing regions. Cannabis could have a similar draw, especially if the right steps are taken to attract visitors and showcase the product. The era of organic cannabis farm tours and yearly growers’ festivals may not be far off. Canada’s drug policy is decided on a federal level, and the Harper government hasn’t shown any sign of budging when it comes to marijuana. In fact, Bill S-10, introduced in May, aims to increase mandatory sentencing for production and distribution of illicit substances, including cannabis. Would successful implementation of Prop 19 in California be enough to push our elected members towards a more enlightened pot policy in Canada? Regardless of whether it passes or not, the debate has served as the means to a valuable end. By bringing serious discussion of marijuana legalization into the mainstream media, it has laid bare the absurdities and injustices of prohibition to the public. With the planting of these seeds of truth, we can look forward to more change flowering in the United States—and, eventually, at home. U
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Afghans truly appreciate educational advances brian platt Contributor On my second morning here, my traveling partner Lauryn Oates, myself, and a 19-year-old Afghan girl named Angela piled into the car. Angela is from an extremely poor family in the Bamiyan province, and the fact that her parents gave her that name is only the first amazing thing about her. Angela managed to get herself a very good education, is fluently bilingual, and studies at a place called the “School of Leadership Afghanistan” (I’m meeting with its founder tomorrow). She’s hoping to get a scholarship to a North American university. Angela’s a beautiful person in every way; she filled the car with lively conversation and laughter. Today, she was going to be our translator. Walid, our driver, took the northeastern road out of Kabul. If we followed it all the way, it would take us to Angela’s birthplace and then eventually to Mazar-e-Sharif and Balkh. It is kind of refreshing to get out of Kabul and into the clean air of the countryside. However, in Afghanistan you never really leave the poverty and trash-strewn ditches. Or the helicopters.
Finally we made it to our destination, a small rural school. We were greeted heartily by a few Afghans standing outside. “Salaam alaikum!” we call out; “Alaikum assalam,” comes the response. This school was the recipient of a teacher training program administered by Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. All of the teachers had already been instructing classes for years, but had never had any formal training. Today they were going to receive their official teaching certificates, recognized by the Afghanistan Ministry of Education. The principal told Lauryn, who has worked tirelessly for advocacy groups in Afghanistan for nearly a deacde, “Thank you so much for what you’ve done. Thank you. Thank you. Please keep doing this. We need more of this program.” It’s important to remember that this is a school in a tiny rural district. These are supposed to be the backward Afghans, according to the Western media. But there are posters, in Dari language, of world geography and astronomy. Before a couple of years ago, nothing like these were seen in village schools. I saw teachers getting their official certificates. In an
extraordinary moment, which I wish I had pictures of but it felt inappropriate to pull out my camera, one man stood up and spoke for a few minutes. Angela translated for us. “Thank you for this. We thank all Canadians for this. You need to continue this program. Education means peace for our country. It is the most important thing.” And at least five times over the length of the speech, he exhorted us: “We need physics and chemistry books! Please get us physics and chemistry!” Lauryn laughed. She’s heard this from so many Afghans. The school has no heat. Students and teachers alike work in every weather condition, cold or hot, to get their studies done. As if it needs to be said, the school has no plumbing. There is no question in my mind: Afghans value their education way more than the vast majority of Canadians do. We’ve come to take it for granted. It’s embarrassing. After turning down countless requests that we stay for lunch, we got back into the car and returned to the dusty, crowded streets of Kabul. U Platt is in the middle of a ten-day trip to Afghanistan and is blogging at ubyssey.ca/afghanistan during his travels.
letter Dear editor: I was disappointed with The Ubyssey’s editorial, “PETA protest leaves a bad taste in our mouths.” Until publication of your editorial, The Ubyssey had done an admirable job covering what is clearly a hot-button issue. Your reporting has been largely accurate and I commend the newspaper for its professionalism. That is why I was perplexed by the paper’s mischaracterization of our recent action. First, you failed to mention that our demonstration at the Vancouver Art Gallery included both men and women. Second, the male and female activists were body painted to depict animals in a UBC laboratory, animals who are subjected to painful, invasive, and ultimately lethal procedures. We
creatively used body painting, an ancient, revered art form, to raise awareness about the plight of animals at the university. Furthermore, you neglected to note that the body art was the work of a respected local artist who has created very similar body art for a number of clients, including Toyota, Telus, REMAX, CBC TV, Vancouver Aquarium, Science World and many more. Obviously, our event was highly successful since it was covered by CBC, City, and Global TV, CBC, CKNW, News1130 radio, The Province, Vancouver Sun, and other news outlets. As a result, we were able to educate a large audience about UBC’s experiments on animals. Your misrepresentation of our demonstration does a disservice to Stop UBC Animal Research and to those
concerned about UBC’s use of taxpayer dollars to systematically experiment on tens of thousands of animals every year. Rest assured, as long as UBC researchers continue to cut open the backs of cats, force saline solution into the lungs of newborn piglets to induce respiratory failure, administer electroconvulsive shocks to monkeys, decapitate wild songbirds and expose mice to cigarette smoke, Stop UBC Animal Research will keep sounding the alarm. Sincerely, Brian Vincent, Stop UBC Animal Research Have an opinion? Send us a letter at feedback@ubyssey.ca.
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A Message to Students Gordon Campbell, MLA Vancouver – Point Grey
Dear Students: By now you have had a chance to settle into the new school-year, finding your classes, meeting new people and making new friends. I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome all of you back to school. Whether you are a first year student taking uncharted steps into an unfamiliar and exciting new world or a PhD candidate readying to lead in your field; what each new-year brings, is a chance to start fresh and expand your horizons. Filled with the promise of anticipation, knowledge and growth, you as students are maturing into the next generation of leaders - not just in British Columbia, but in Canada and around the world. As I look back on my years at Simon Fraser University and at Dartmouth College, I realize it was those formative years that prepared me for life in so many ways. Whether as a teacher in Africa, as the mayor of Vancouver, as the Leader of the Official Opposition or as the Premier of this great province; the lessons I learned in university, along with the friends that I made and the life experiences I gained helped to solidify my career path and the choices that I made. Undoubtedly, many of you were here to witness the excitement of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. While the Games were an unmatched success, where Canadian athletes took a record haul of 14 gold medals (including the unforgettable men’s hockey gold on home-ice), the legacy and momentum of the Games continues to push our great province in new and exciting directions. For the first time in our history, we had three billion sets of eyes on our province, to witness our talents, creativity, passion and excitement. Three billion sets of eyes were also given a chance to explore what else defines British Columbia and what its people have to offer to the world. Make no mistake -- you are a part of that! Hosting a number of events at the brand new Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Arena helped to promote UBC as a premium destination for students, faculty and staff – as is evident by the record number of international students attending UBC this year. Furthermore, investments made in the province today will sow the employment seeds for tomorrow. As you work your way through this amazing time in your life, know that as a government we continue to work as hard as we can to ensure the jobs you have trained for, will be ready for when you graduate. Since 2001, this government has created well over 400,000 net new jobs and a part of our success has been our investment in you, as well as the post-secondary institutions and facilities in B.C. With 7 new universities, we have added over 36,000 new seats to our colleges, universities, institutes and training schools, providing more students with more opportunities to learn in their own communities and work in their chosen field of study. As the first province in Canada to establish a transit pass for all students, and with the fourth lowest tuition in Canada, we also continue to strive toward keeping education affordable for our students in every region of B.C. However, I do recognize students will often leave university with some debt built up. If you are someone who is looking for help with your student loans, I encourage you to contact the Ministry of Science and Universities to inquire about the student loan forgiveness program for which you may be eligible. This province also implemented the Pacific Leaders program, a program that offers loan forgiveness as an incentive for individuals such as you to join the BC Public Service. If this is something that interests you, I encourage you to visit http://employment.gov.bc.ca/index.php?p=Pacific–– Leaders. Finally, as your MLA for Vancouver – Point Grey, it is my job to represent you and your interests. I appreciate hearing the views of students, faculty and staff from UBC on the issues that are important to you. If you ever have a question or a concern, my constituency office is always willing to help. Staff can be reached at 604-660-3202. I wish you all the best in the year ahead. I hope you each find success and enlightenment as you pursue your dreams and ambitions.