2011.02.10

Pouring tabasco sauce down our pants since 1918

Egyptian students at UBC reflect on the situation in their homeland.

U page 3

rock blocked what can the ams afford for this year’s block party?

the ubyssey

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FEBRUARY 10, 2011 volume 92, number xxxix room 24, student union building published mondays and thursdays feedback@ubyssey.ca

the most fun you’ll have with your pants on.

oh boy! it’s our

SEX supplement

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2 / u b y s s e y. c a / e v e n t s / 2 0 11 . 0 2 . 1 0 february 10, 2011 volume xcii, no xxxix editorial

events

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contributors Kait Bolongaro Gordon Katic Conrad Compagna Ashwini Manohar Melanie Van Soeren Paul Bucci

Catherine Guan Kathy Yan Li Mike Dickson Oana Sandu Brian Platt Caroline Vierke

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.

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us create this baby! Learn about layout and editing. Expect to be fed. • Every Sunday and Wednesday, 2pm.

resource groups • Are you working on a progressive project, but need funding? Do you have an idea, but can’t get it off the ground? Apply to the Resource Groups for funding! Come in, pitch your idea to us and we will consider fully or partially funding your project. • Every Monday, 11am in SUB 245 (second floor, north-east corner). For more info email resourcegroups.ams@ gmail.com.

Ilsoo Kyung McLaurin art exhibit: The Beauty of Nature • With

references to the tradition of landscape painting that captures the beauty of the land and trees, Kyung’s art pieces have a surrounding landscape that serves as a backdrop to her daily life within her adopted homeland of Canada. However, through her works, she also illustrates the darker side of the landscape, confronting the troubling aspects of environmental pollution that threatens nature. • Runs until Feb. 26, artwork featured in Irving K Barber foyer and Ike’s Cafe gallery.

thursday, feb. 10 date search • UBC Canadian Liver Foundation presents their fundraiser event, Date Search.

Guys and girls will be auctioning themselves off as dates for the night. All donations and money raised will go to the Canadian Liver Foundation of BC and Yukon for liver research and for helping liver disease patients.

• 9pm–1am, Pit Pub, email ubc.clf@gmail.com for more information.

Clyde Hertzman: early child development lecture • The

UBC School of Population & Public Health (SPPH) presents a free public lecture by Dr. Clyde Hertzman, “Simple stats & sad stories: early child survival and development in Canada.”

• 4:3 0 pm, Michael Smith Laboratories. A reception will follow at 5:30pm.

Double Double Foil and Fumble •

Double Double Foil and Fumble

is a joint production between UBC Theatre and Creative Writing faculties. It follows the story of five university-aged friends as they get together to weave some magic; only none of them know what they’re doing, half of them don’t believe in magic and some of them have ulterior motives. • Runs until Feb. 12, Dorothy Somerset Studios, tickets by donation, proceeds go to Pride UBC. HMS pinafore • The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of UBC returns to the newly renovated UBC Old Auditorium with HMS Pinafore, a lively and anachronistic staging of one of the best-known operettas in the English language. Join the high-kicking sailor crew and their gaggle of giggling schoolgirls. • Runs until Feb. 11, 8pm, Feb. 12, 2pm, $15, $10 for students, email info@gsubc.com for reservations. valentine’s day fair • Don’t

know what to get your special someone for Valentine’s Day? Come by the AMS Sweet Valentine’s Fair and choose from jewelry, clothing, gifts and so much more! • Runs until Feb. 11, 10am–5:30pm, SUB Main Concourse.

ubc film society screening: a clockwork orange • The UBC

Film Society will be showing A Clockwork Orange, the celebrated film from director Stanley Kubrick. In future Britain, charismatic delinquent Alex DeLarge is jailed and volunteers for an experimental aversion therapy developed by the government in an effort to solve society’s crime problem... but not all goes according to plan. • Runs until Feb. 14, 9:30–11:30pm, Norm Theatre, $5 non-members, $2.50 members.

friday, feb. 11 ams annual general meeting •

The AMS AGM is an opportunity to show your support for your student union, find ways to get involved and get a glimpse of its direction for the year to come. Meet your outgoing and incoming AMS executives and other students over free food and refreshments. Get informed about your student union and recognize the dedication and contribution that student leaders have made to the campus

community. • 12–2pm, Room 214/216, SUB. the crash: a copacetic cabaret • Cabaret Dinner and Dance to

celebrate the end of the 1920’s and the end of Pride UBC’s Outweek! This is a semi-formal dance—go with the jazz theme. • 6:30–11:45pm, dinner at 7pm, SUB Ballroom, $12.50, go to prideubc.com for morei nformation.

sunday, feb. 13 UBC Brewing Club Brewing Session • Stuck in Vancouver for

the first part of Spring Break?

Get up to the top floor of the SUB, where we will teach you to make cheap, cheap brews.

All you need is $5 to be a member, and you can come to all our brewing sessions for free!

You might even be able to bring back a little “something something.” No experience needed.

Be prepared to be hands-on.

• 1– 4pm, AMS Servery, $5, $10 non-UBC students, free for members.

tuesday, feb. 15 [title of show] • [title of show] is Broadway’s newest, hilarious cult hit musical and is making its Western Canadian premiere in Vancouver musical. Best friends Hunter and Jeff decide to write a musical starring themselves and their wacky and sassy ladyfriends Heidi and Susan. • Feb. 15–26, Mon.–Fri. 8pm, Sat. 2pm and 8pm, Arts Club Revue Stage, 1585 Johnston St, Granville Island. $25, call (604) 6298849 or go to vancouvertix.com to reserve. citr radio prof talk: dr carlos ventura • Every second Tues-

day, Prof Talk on 101.9FM features interviews with professors from a variety of disciplines. This week, host Farha Khan will talk with Dr Carlos Ventura from the department of Civil Engineering about his role as Director of the Earthquake Engineering Research facility at UBC as well as some of the recent seismic trends in structural engineering. • 3pm, live programming at citr.ca.

wednesday, feb. 16 a r t s tor workshop • Want to learn how to find and use

images? Then come to one of UBC Library’s ARTstor workshops. ARTstor is a digital library of more than one million images licensed for educational use at UBC, covering the areas of art, architecture, the humanities and the social sciences. In this workshop, you will learn how to effectively search the ARTstor database as well as interact with its many features— such as saving and downloading images, and using the offline presentation software. • 10:30am–12pm, Room 318, Irving K Barber, register at elred. library.ubc.ca/libs/dashboard/ view/1787.

thursday, feb. 17 Laughter on the 23rd Floor • The annual medical school play will be Laughter on the 23rd Floor by Neil Simon. Inspired by Simon’s early career as a junior writer for a variety comedy show, it portrays the manic antics of a group of comedy writers as they struggle with their show’s inevitable cancellation. • Feb. 17–19 and Feb. 23–25, 8–11pm, Medical Student and Alumni Centre, 2750 Heather St. $12 students, $15 non-students, e-mail medplaytickets@gmail. com to purchase. film screening: danton • This 19 8 3 French language film depicts the last months of Georges Danton, one of the leaders of the French Revolution. The film draws parallels between the Reign of Terror after the French Revolution and the situation in contemporary Poland, in which the Solidarity movement struggled against the oppression of the Sovietbacked Polish government.

D irec ted by A ndr zej Waj da, it won six major awards in the year of its release. • 8–10pm, Piano House,Graham Lounge, Green College, email gc.events@ubc.ca or go to greencollege.ubc.ca for more information.

saturday. feb. 19 Mehfil 2011 • The UBC Indian Students’ Association presents a night of entertainment that includes an all-time favorite photo-booth service, top notch performances on stage, a delicious three-course Indian dinner from Sarvana Bhavan and featuring DJ XL spinning the hottest Bollywood & Bhangra tunes to end the night! All new for this year, there will be a Mumbai-inspired lounge next door for you to relax in and take a break from the dance floor!

Note: anyone who wishes to the enter the lounge must display 2 pieces of ID. • 7pm, SUB Ballroom, $10 members, $15 nonmembers, $18 at the door. Call (778) 960-9362, (778) 668-3967 or (778) 320-1851 to buy tickets.

wednesday, feb. 23 the pillowman • UBC Players’ Club presents The Pillowman.

Katurian, a writer in an unidentified authoritarian state, becomes the prime suspect of a series of child murders when the police notice similarities between his violent stories and the deaths they are investigating. The Pillowman takes a look at violence, abuse and the influence of art in the modern world without trepidation. • Feb. 23– 26, 7:30pm, Dorothy Somerset Studios. $5 members, $8 students, $10 non-students, tickets can be reserved by emailing productions@ubcplayersclub. com or at the door 30 mins before the show.

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News

editor ARSHY MANN » news@ubyssey.ca assistant editor KALYEENA MAKORTOFF » kmakortoff@ubyssey.ca SENIOR WRITER MICKI COWAN » mcowan@ubyssey.ca

Egyptian students look on revolution from afar

On the ground at the protests in Cairo, Egypt. photo Courtesy of Maggie osama/flickr

Conrad Compagna & arshy Mann news@ubyssey.ca As revolution sweeps through Egypt, many Canadians have been transfixed by the coverage of protracted street battles in Cairo. But none are watching more intently than EgyptianCanadians, many of whom have relatives back home.

Ibrahim Gadala, a graduate student of Engineering at UBC, is one of them. His family lives in a suburb of Cairo close to Tahrir square, which has seen both the largest crowds and the heaviest fighting since the unrest began.

He said that they took to the streets to defend their neighbourhoods from looters after the protestors drove all uniformed aut horit y from t he

streets, plunging the capital into chaos.

“They would get anything— sticks, kitchen knives, whatever they could find—and they would make a checkpoint at the beginning of the street,” he said.

Gadala, whose parents moved to Canada in the 1970s, said that he did not believe the clashes were the beginning of a downward spiral that could end in sectarian bloodshed, a view often hinted at by Egyptian state television.

“Egyptians are civilized. The nation is educated. They know that certain actions will not be beneficial in the future,” he said.

“They want to live in a modern society.”

In fact he, like many other Egyptians, accused the government of hiring the looters and pro-government t hugs, who

descended in concerted waves upon Tahrir square last week in an attempt to disperse the protesters, using everything from cobblestones to camel charges.

“For the government to get down to the despicable level of renting thugs and trying to present to the people that this is Egyptian society is very disappointing,” he said.

“Egyptians are not the type of people to go into civil war. This kind of fear is the type of thing the government wants to instill in people so they don’t continue to protest.”

To Gadala, the way young people have banded together to defend their neighbourhoods is not a warning sign but a testament to their newfound sense of civil spirit.

“When the government hired thugs and looters to try and

wreak havoc in the cities, the people got together and they’re the ones who protected their homes and their shops and the street,” he said.

Ahmed Bahgat, who recently graduated with a political science degree from UBC, said he first found out about the protests in Egypt from the media’s coverage.

“I called my family in Egypt and we told them to stock up on food and water because we knew there was a going to be a revolution,” he said.

Bahgat came to Canada to attend university and his parents followed shortly after him. The rest of his family still lives in his hometown of Cairo.

“When it first happened, everyone was a bit scared, terrified. [That] shows you the fear the regime puts in you.

“Now there’s been a reverse effect. Before, the people used to fear the President; he used to speak whatever is on his mind.

Now it’s the opposite. The President has lost his power because he fears the people, he has to be careful with his words. So there’s no more fear.”

Bahgat said that he has mixed feelings about being in Canada while events in Egypt are unfolding.

“Sometimes you’re happy that Canada’s a peaceful, stable country. You feel like it’s a blessing.

But at the same time you wish you were among the protesters with your people in Tahrir square. “[But] I think every Egyptian can say nowadays that they’re proud to be Egyptian because of what’s happening,” he said. U

UBC student to journey to the Hermit Kingdom Pyongyang Project sends students to Chinese, South and North Korean universities Mike DiCkson Contributor What do Palestine, North Korea and UBC have in common?

Altay Otun.

The first year political science student is venturing to North Korea in June as part of a multinational initiative called the Pyongyang Project.

Begun by two US graduate students with ties to North Korean officials in 2006, a team of professors and students from Nort h America, Europe and Australia are sent over to meet with teams of their North Korean, South Korean and Chinese counterparts.

The purpose of the talks, held in North Korea, South Korea and China, is to facilitate dialogue on how to achieve peace in the Korean Peninsula. Having already witnessed close-quarter tensions in an earlier trip to Palestine, Otun will draw on those experiences as he enters a situation that has escalated since North Korea shelled a South Korean island in December.

“When I was in t he West Ban k and Gaza, I saw ver y caring people trying to get by,

Altay Otun is North Korea-bound. Geoff Lister Photo/The Ubyssey

whereas in the media it’s Palestinians firing AK47s and wearing ‘Free Palestine’ scarves,” Otun said. “I had a shock in Palestine and will probably have the same shock when I go to North Korea.”

The project will release a 2050 page memo of recommendations for building peace based on their experiences with students and professors from the

three countries. The report, which will circulate through various think-tanks, government offices and academia, has more relevance in official circles than one might think.

“At t h is d i f f ic u lt t i me, I think it’s important we find any possible form of dialogue with North Korea,” said Dr Paul Evans, who ran 28 bilateral and multilateral meetings with

North Korean leadership from 1990-2002.

“Because of the nuclear problem, it’s been very hard to construct official dialogues through government channels. With students, while there’s an element of propaganda embedded in the regime and its people, sometimes there are more honest discussions than when more senior people are present, like officials and businessmen.”

With talks at the official level at a virtual standstill, it is more important than ever that we seek to understand the uniqueness and isolation of the highly communist North to have success at the grassroots level.

“We can only do so much,” Otun said. “We’re there to be diplomats, create solutions and pass knowledge on to people who can affect real change.

We’re not there to press an ideology; we’re there to listen and to learn.”

“Students can facilitate the opening of North Korea to the outside world,” said Evans. “It’s not a direct way to solve diplomatic problems, but it’s a necessary part of a long-term solution.” U

news briefs University of Manitoba bans party buses WINNIPEG (CUP) — The University of Manitoba has banned party buses from entering campus as a response to safety concerns.

On Jan. 12, a memo was sent to student groups across campus asking them to stop using bus convoys to transport students to and from the bar, stating that the university is in the midst of revising its alcohol policy “in light of recent incidents that have been the direct result of bus trips organized by local nightclubs.”

As an interim step, the university will charge such buses that come onto campus property with trespassing.

Unclaimed cheques languish at UBC As students complain about rising tuition, many thousands of dollars remain unclaimed.

According to Joel Kobylka, supervisor at Enrolment Services, students who have cheques to pick up have five months to do so from the time they receive an email notification. However, many of these cheques, which have a six-month expiry date, go uncollected.

Stephanie Oldford, manager of Financial Support Initiatives, assured that the University does not hold any staledated cheques. “The amount that would’ve been owing on the cheque just goes back to your tuition account,” she said.

Tuition credit is only given for scholarships and awards. “Bursaries are awarded on the assumption that the student has financial need, so if they’re not coming to pick up the cheque through the time that they have a claim...we cancel the bursary,” Oldford explained.

T here are other options available for students unable to collect cheques. “They are always welcome to phone us,” Kobylka pointed out. There is also a special cheque forwarding service for co-op or exchange students outside of the Lower Mainland. The cheques are mailed to these students’ banks or home addresses after the necessary forms are filled out.

When asked if students were just too lazy to pick up cheques, Kobylka disagreed.

“Oftentimes students just forget,” he said. “Students are having to deal with studying and exams and everything else in their life. So I don’t think just not coming to pick up a cheque would make them lazy,” Oldford added.

Ali Majzadeh, a first-year student, agreed. “I just keep forgetting,” he said, before declaring he would go collect his cheque this week. Benj Israel, whose father is a professor at UBC, gets tuition waivers and remembered picking up his cheque the day after getting an email in his first year.

“Yeah, I wanted the money!” he said, grinning. U —By Ashwini Manohar

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culture

editorS BRYCE WARNES & JONNY WAKEFIELD » culture@ubyssey.ca SENIOR WRITER GINNY MONACO » gmonaco@ubyssey.ca ILLUSTRATOR INDIANA JOEL » ijoel@ubyssey.ca

Pussy Posse spreads V-Day love

theatre

Annual Vagina Monologues a UBC institution

The ethics of chocolate

Mike Dickson Contributor If you’ve been around the SUB at all in the past week or two, odds are that at some point you saw a vagina walking around. You probably paused and looked again.

Make that a tall, gyrating, dancing vagina.

UBC V-Day has been getting into full swing this week with two performances of Eve Ensler’s renowned play The Vagina Monologues. Since 2000, the piece has been one of the driving forces of the V-Day Movement at UBC, a global campaign to benefit female and transgendered victims of sexual violence and raise public awareness about the issue.

The play features largely the same monologues performed in the past, with one ‘spotlight’ segment that changes most years a nd h i g h l i g ht s t he pl i g ht s of women in various regions around the world. This year the spotlight piece, “Myriam,” focuses on the situations women have endured in hurricane-ravaged Haiti.

Myriam cast member Miriam Thom feels The Vagina Monologues is experienced both individually and as an overarching theme to all women.

“It’s about bringing the woman into her new power, her new sexuality and finally having the space to talk about it,” Thom said. “It also gets people out of their comfort box.”

Performers take the stage in “A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant and a Prayer.” Geoff lister Photo/the ubyssey

Thom is also in Moans, a monologue in which she reenacts no less than 24 different orgasms for the audience.

This year’s performance also features the piece “A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant and a Prayer,” a compilation of monologues from Ensler, Mia Angelou, Alice Walker and other notable women.

The wide variety of skits and visuals of labias doing the limbo all have the same goal of facilitating discussion about sexual violence.

“We’re trying to encourage dialogue about sexual violence in everyday life,” said V-Day co-coordinator Nour Kachouh. “Hopefully these performances will open people’s eyes to see that it is real and happening in the community.”

Co-coordinator Sophia Bengall encourages people to come out to other V-Day events as well.

“The Pussy Posse meets every Tuesday, and we’ve got things like workshops, dance parties, potlucks and just a cool safe space

where people can come hang out,” Bengall said.

Ten per cent of V-Day profits go toward the women of Haiti mentioned in the spotlight monologue, and the other 90 per cent will go to the UBC Sexual Assault Support Centre and organizations like Vancouver Status for Women. U The Vagina Monologues opened February 8, and runs again on February 10 and 12. Tickets can be purchased at the SUB or at brownpapertickets.com.

AstroLogical dropping stellar beats

music

The mixing booth is local multi-instrumentalist’s weapon of choice Caroline Vierke Contributor If the concept behind a piece of music or a work of art is truly great, then the means used to communicate the concept are only secondary to the ideas themselves. That is the philosophy of young Kitsilano hip-hop artist and producer Nate Drobner, aka AstroLogical, who has been producing lush, moody beats with his minimalist basement setup since he was 17 years old. Drawing inspiration from one of his icons, Drobner practices what he preaches.

“Moka Only… always talks about how you should forget about equipment,” he said over a cup of coffee in early February. “Just put yourself in it.”

A dedicated student of musical theory, he admits that his knowledge can have a tendency to block the creative process when playing guitar, bass or piano. Beat making, on the other hand, allows him to escape from theory and come up with the totally unexpected every time. “With hiphop stuff, I’ve been able to paint with my feet,” he said. “I can’t do everything I want to do [with

AstroLogical takes it to the bridge. Photo courtesy Astrological

samples], but it allows me to be more free, in a way.”

Drobner’s experiences collaborating and releasing tracks over the last three years has helped him develop a rich signature

sound. His only full-length release to date, Living Fossils (2010), is an album heavily rooted in sexy, old-school beats that harken back to the glory days of A Tribe Called Quest as much as

food with kait bolongaro

they pay homage to the psychedelic dreamscapes of Pink Floyd.

Far Far Away, Drobner’s second solo release, is scheduled to drop February 6 via Bubblectro.com and should offer up many moods reminiscent of Living Fossils. If track titles like “Kudzu Vine,” “Sundrips” and “Lemon Tree Bath” are any indication, Far Far Away will provide another step into the realm of colourful vibes that define AstroLogical’s sound.

In addition to his solo material, you can find AstroLogical’s beats underpinning his project Elekwent Folk, a group collaboration with friends A-Ro, Slippery Elm and Free-D-ohm. Their upcoming release Northern Lights is an album to watch for. Drobner said that the near-finished product is the closest thing to perfection he has ever produced.

With two albums about to be released, one might expect to find Drobner seeking refuge from his years of hard work, but this is not the case. Ever the prolific artist, Drobner truly enjoys what he does.

“I just can’t wait to start working on the next one.” U

As February 14 approaches, chocolate sales will increase due to intense marketing campaigns by companies who have convinced Canadian consumers that Valentine’s Day and their chocolates are inseparable.

It’s becoming clear, however, that chocolate corporations aren’t being truthful about how the cost of cheap chocolates are being passed on to third-world cocoa producers.

The cocoa bean industry is built on forced child labour in developing nations such as Ivory Coast, said Dr Michael Byers, a professor in the political science department. “As a result of that greed and geographic location next to poorer countries such as Mali, people have exploited people who are desperate for jobs and money,” he said.

Children are sent to work at large plantations and, while they do make a small wage, they are charged for accommodation and food which exceeds their wages, making them indentured to plantation owners. “In the current system, multinational chocolate companies can play the market and use [their] economic power to drive down prices,” said Byers. “There is no fair price for cocoa beans. Economic pressure causes this nastiness and exploitation to creep into the industry.”

While most low-cost chocolate in Canada comes from these types of plantations, there are smaller companies that are ensuring producers are paid a fair premium price, allowing them to adhere to global labour practices and improve the lives of their families and communities. One of these companies, La Siembra Cooperative, markets the brand Camino, certified fair trade by Transfair Canada and organic in Canada. “[Paying the premium price] empowers our producers,” said Mélanie Broguet, Marketing Project Manager for La Siembra. “They do what they want with the profit. The cooperative structure ensures that decisions are made democratically. They can put [income] to work for a community-based project, or can reinvest in building more production capacity.”

While AMS food outlets proudly display fair trade coffee stickers, vending machines in the SUB contain mostly low-cost non-fair trade chocolate.

“I would like to see students put pressure on the AMS to insist that only fair trade chocolate be sold on campus and to raise awareness to students why this is the case,” said Byers. “Students are a major force when they organize.”

“As awareness grows,” said Larocque, “consumers are educated about the industry and will demand fair trade chocolate like [consumers] did with fair trade coffee.”

Fair trade chocolates are available on campus at Sprouts in the SUB and the UBC Bookstore.

*

Prices vary depending on size of venue, travel costs and shrewd negotiation. Take with a lot of salt.

$18,500

How far will our Block Party dollar go?

Hey Ocean ~$3000—7000

Said the Whale, Hey Ocean ~$3000—5000

$25,500

to book bands.

Brasstronaut ~$2500—3000

$5000

Free

$115,000 to (Welcome Back BBQ)

Shad ~$5000—7000

$10,000

Indicates a price range

to just

The Sadies ~$7500

Cost (CND)

*

Since Block Party 2010, the talent budget for oncampus concerts has gone from

KEY

Fucked Up ~$10,000

$15,000

campus life

Das Racist ~$5000—7500

$18,500

Mother Mother ~$15,000+

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Our student union celebrated the end of the 2009-10 school year with a concert by the Barenaked Ladies. The total talent budget for all the acts hired was $115,000 and, at the end of the day, the AMS lost $103,000 putting on the event. Don’t expect your dad’s favourite rock band to show up this year, though. The 2011 Block Party budget is just $92,767, with a total talent budget of $18,500.

That’s about a sixth of last year’s.

AMS Events will have to be shrewd when it comes time to pick a headliner. What artist will draw the most students? Which opening acts will get them there early, so the beer garden will be well-attended and make a profit? And once the Block Party line-up is confirmed, how do we know whether they’ve made the right choice?

Most touring artists don’t have a fixed booking fee. Booking agents use esoteric criteria to determine the price for a

band’s performance, factoring in variables like travelling distance, time of year and the size of the venue. We’ve contacted agents who work for contemporary artists in Canada and the USA, as well as some here in Vancouver. Few of them were able—or willing—to give exact numbers for their clients. But we were able to find out how much it might cost to have an artist come play at MacInnes field in March and whether the artist in question is Black Mountain or Explosions in the Sky. This is not a comprehensive list of potential performers, but it should show you how much it really costs to bring in a band for Block Party. And it should make clear just how little the people planning the event have to work with. U —Compiled by Bryce Warnes, Jonny Wakefield and Ginny Monaco

Artist

58 per cent floppier hair than other sections.

We get free stuff. If you want some, write for us.

It’s true. jonny wakefield culture@ubyssey.ca

bryce warnes | culture@ubyssey.ca

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sex Choosing your contraception Kait Bolongaro kbolongaro@ubyssey.ca Contraceptives reduce the risk of pregnancy from sexual activity. There is a wide array of contraceptives, from condoms and birth control pills to the sponge, which provide many options to practice safe sex. Choosing which contraception is right for your body and personal relationship can be challenging.

First, what makes an ideal contraceptive? “You want it to be 100 per cent effective and forgettable. This is important,” said Dr Judith Soon, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. “You want [birth control] to be convenient, reversible and inexpensive.” Contraceptives can also have beneficial side effects such as improving acne, causing predictable or lighter periods and lessening premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms.

Oral Contraceptive The most popular method for women is the use of an oral contraceptive.

“Oral contraceptives generally have a low dose of 20-30 micrograms of estrogen, which causes fewer side effects than the higher doses in the past,” said Soon. Despite these lower doses, smoking when taking birth control pills can increase the risk of serious adverse effects on the heart and blood vessels, particularly in women over 35 years of age. Birth control pills are usually taken for 21 days, with 7 days off for menstruation, but some products, such as Seasonale, can be taken for 84 consecutive days, limiting the menstrual period to about once every three months.

Currently only available with a prescription, ‘the pill’ is an inexpensive option if covered by a medical plan. “It is also almost 99 per cent effective if taken at the same time every day,” explained Soon, “But if forgotten, this can lead to ovulation and pregnancy.” As birth control pills don’t protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), it is best to combine oral contraceptive use with a condom.

Condoms For men, the most commonly used form of birth control is a condom. Condoms are a barrier method to prevent pregnancy as well as STIs. “We have eight different condoms available for sale,” said Anita Chung, a student volunteer at the Wellness Centre in the SUB. “Six are latex condoms, which are 25 cents

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Nuvaring The NuvaRing, which uses low-dose hormones like the pill but does not need to be remembered every day, is a convenient method rising in popularity.

“The ring is a two-inch circle inserted into the vagina and stays in for three weeks, emitting a low dose of estrogen and progestin,” explained Soon. “It has the same side effects as oral contraceptives.” It is also up to 99 per cent effective if used properly and costs about 20 dollars per month.

Depo-Provera injection A similar method of birth control is the Depo-Provera birth control injection, which contains only progestin and is administered by a doctor every 12 weeks, causing menstruation every three months. It can be 99 per cent effective if used properly. However, not everyone is an ideal candidate for the shot. According to Options for Sexual Health BC, there can be harmful side effects: some women experience irregular bleeding throughout the first year of use or loss of bone density. DepoProvera carries about the same cost as oral contraceptives on a monthly basis.

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Plan B What if a person has had unprotected sex and is at risk of becoming pregnant? Enter emergency contraceptives

Geoff Lister Photo/the ubyssey

such as Plan B, which have the potential to prevent pregnancy if taken up to five days after unprotected sex. But act fast—the sooner taken, the better.

“Emergency contraception acts by inhibiting ovulation and increasing the mucus in the vaginal area,” said Soon.

However, if you are already pregnant, this pill won’t terminate the pregnancy.

It’s been made relatively accessible in Canada and is available over the counter in most pharmacies. For AMS-GSS Health Plan members, it costs less than ten dollars. The most common side effect is nausea, which can be reduced by taking it with products such as Gravol. If a woman’s next period is absent or surprisingly light, she should visit a medical clinic.

Geoff Lister Photo/the ubyssey

Welcome to the Sex Issue Kai Green copy@ubyssey.ca In case the graphics on this page didn’t tip you off, this is our sex issue. In past years, we’ve focused on more titillating material. But this year’s theme is a little less rah-rah and a little more oh-no.

Yes, we’re taking you back to sex ed.

In this issue, we have articles on how STI testing works and what tests you need to get; a run-down of what I like to call the “New Age Feminist

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Melanie van Contributor

each, but we also have Avanti condoms, which contain no latex, as well as female condoms for two dollars.” Condoms are inexpensive, convenient and are 85 to 98 per cent effective in preventing pregnancy; however, they can tear or even burst if used incorrectly.

For more long-term birth control, women have the option of an intrauterine device (IUD). Small, horseshoe-shaped devices, “IUDs are inserted into the uterus by a physician and prevent pregnancy for up to five years,” said Soon.

“It is also forgettable because once it’s inserted, contraception is ongoing.”

IUDs are the most effective form of contraception and can also be helpful to decrease heavy menstrual bleeding.

They come in two forms: copper IUDs or the hormonal Mirena. “While IUDs can be considered expensive initially, as it lasts for five years, it works out to around five to six dollars per month,” explained Soon.

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Both Soon and Nurse on Campus Zoé Menge agree: one form of contraception is often not enough. “To have nearly 100 per cent effectiveness against pregnancy and STIs, partners need to be using a combination of hormonal and barrier methods, such as the pill and a male condom,” said Menge.

Soon also recommends getting to know your pharmacist. “Pharmacists are very well trained in all aspects of drug therapy and can provide helpful advice about the best way to take your medications and minimize side effects,” said Soon. “You don’t need an appointment. Pharmacists are more accessible than doctors, and you can ask pharmacists questions about which contraceptive options could be right for you.” U

Need more contraception help?

Hand Mirror Exercise”; some truly fascinating and need-to-know info about t hings t hat can (and probably will) go wrong with your vagina; and a brief guide to emergency lubrication.

There’s a lot to take in over the next few pages, and at first it may seem daunting. Some of this stuff is prett y long , and it may be hard to get through it all. I feel, though, that with perseverance and a willing attitude, you’ll get a lot of satisfaction out of it— and maybe even learn something. U

For more information about contraception, visit the Nurses on Campus, the Wellness Centre or your local pharmacy.

Web resources: students.ubc.ca/livewelllearnwell/events-and-workshops/ nurse-on-campus optionsforsexualhealth.org

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editor TREVOR RECORD » features@ubyssey.ca GUEST EDITOR KAI GREEN » copy@ubyssey.ca

urns! It itches! Am I going to die?

and bladder infections painful but curable

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a vagina, chances are one of these. They make urns when we pee and re’s that lovely cottage discharge to look forwell. Yeast and bladder although totally unrehe common causes of e most painful and irnsations down there. a bit more about these y infections, I went to ealth Services, located Hospital, to have a chat rector, Dr Patricia Mirfirst topic of conversainfections. ing , burn ing , swel lto-sit-and-move, and of icky discharge all hapesult of an overgrowth t that’s normally found ina.

mated that n four women ve at least one r lifetimes.

ts people most at risk a yeast infection? “Hava!” quipped Mirwaldt. nally partners can give forth to each other, but sually what we see. We many people who have d who haven’t had sex st infection.” ng to panic about. The xualityandu.ca (run by y of Obstetricians and

Gynaecologists of Canada and highly recommended for any nagging sexual quandaries) tells us that yeast infections are a normal part of women’s lives. It’s estimated that three in four women will have at least one in their lifetimes. Often, these infections don’t even need to be treated. Mirwaldt recommended waiting at least three days before you do anything about an infection because frequently your body will take care of it.

If it lasts any longer, there are two options: an over-the-counter treatment such as a tablet or suppository that is inserted into the vagina or prescription medication in the form of a pill that is swallowed.

Both take about a week to kick in.

These treatments are anti-fungals and serve to reduce the amount of yeast. Creams and ointments can also be purchased to help soothe the infected area.

How do you avoid getting yeast infections? For those ladies out there who are sexually active, Mirwaldt suggests avoiding the use of oil-based lubricants.

“Once it’s on, it’s coated on and hard to get off, so you can get bacteria or fungus underneath it.”

Also, as a general rule, never put anything in your vagina that has not been washed well with soap and rinsed. And avoid douching— rinsing the vagina changes the flora and in most cases it is not very effective.

There are similarly painful infections of the urethral variety. Infections of the urinary tract and bladder make you feel like you have a never-ending source of urine, yet when you try to leak, very little comes out. Urination, when it happens, hurts like hell, smells

funky and looks cloudy. You might also have some pain in your abdomen, fever, chills and nausea—oh joy! In some cases it can lead to hospitalization, so treatment is important.

T h i s t y pe of i n fec t ion i s caused by bacteria from your skin getting into your urinary tract and possibly working its way into your bladder.

The two main reasons for this type of infection, acc or d i n g t o M i r w a l d t— holding in your pee and not peeing right away after sex.

“Any time you have any sexual contact, whether it be fingers, penis, other parts of the body; go pee as soon as it’s over, and I mean as soon as it’s over. This drops the likelihood of a bladder infection down by 90 per cent.”

So, ladies, before settling into an oxytocin-induced cuddle session with your partner, take a whiz!

A nt ibiot ics are used to t reat t hese infections. Mirwaldt also suggested drinking cranberry juice when you feel an infection coming on, as pure cranberry juice alkalizes the urine and can stop the bacteria from multiplying, in some cases even killing the bacterial infection.

Like yeast infections, UTIs and bladder infections are common and minor—so minor, they’re not reported and few statistics exist about their (likely very high) frequency. Yet although these pesky microbes may make you want to rip out your reproductive or excretory organs temporarily, if you take the proper measures to treat them, they won’t be around for long. U

elf-guided tour of my vagina

Li ssey.ca

eat things came from tar Wars, “Bohem ia n platform-soled shoes— ndless. Another great came from the 70s was ’s health bible, Our Bodves (OBO). Covering evrom periods to masOBO became the go-to women. rcise made famous by ginal self-examination nderstand your body, the parts you can’t see mirror. I took on a mishis out. Going into the he only vaginas that I’d those in pornography: irless and kinda pretty, ng hanging out. I never d what my vagina looked is why I never underedures like labiaplashed myself before, so I w what my vagina feels d never looked at it face ght say.

You will need a mirror and a f lashlight for this exercise (and some privacy would be good). Drop your knickers and shine the flashlight onto your vagina. If you can’t find your vagina, or don’t know where it is, it’s the space between your legs, ladies. Lean back or sit somewhere comfortable and put the mirror between your legs. Look at your vagina winking at you in the mirror! The exercise guides you through identifying different parts of your vagina, vulva, inner and outer labia, the clitoris and the three holes. It explains how t hings work and t heir purpose.

Unfortunately, most explanations don’t come accompanied with a diagram, which is way more helpful than elaborate descriptions as to where all these parts are.

Having looked at my vagina, I wasn’t too impressed. It’s a vagina. I have all my girly parts intact and everything looked fine.

Most people our age have already seen vaginas, thanks to the internet. So it’s not anything I haven’t seen. Also, my vagina looks like

vaginas in porn, so it wasn’t anything new. I was hoping to have a different vagina, maybe have larger labia or something. I guess I’d have a different experience if my vagina didn’t look like those in the magazines and porn videos. I did wish that I had done this before having sex because I would like to see what my hymen had looked like. Oh wait, never mind, I’ve got the Internet.

I think in our age of technology, resources are out there for us to realize that the vaginas in pornography aren’t the only vaginas. Vaginas, like faces, come in all shapes and sizes. This whole mirror to the vagina thing is kind of obsolete.

Although, now I know that if I ever want to go into pornography, I have t he photo-perfect vagina for it. U For more information about vaginas, hand mirrors and combinations thereof, the Our Bodies, Ourselves website offers a self-guided tour at ourbodiesourselves.org/book/companion. asp?id=13&compID=37.nt.

Geoff Lister Photo/the ubyssey

odies, Ourselves suggests a hand mirror-guided exploration

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STI testing for sexual health Let’s talk about Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

A large number of infections can be sexually transmitted.

Some can cause discomfort but are curable with medication, some can have no symptoms in some carriers but cause great damage and some are life-long conditions.

What should someone expect when going to get tested for STIs? The doctor will ask some quest ions about a person’s symptoms and sexual practices as a risk assessment. The usefulness of testing for different STIs depends on how sexually active a person is and their medical status. A full screen includes a physical exam to check for lumps on the testes or breasts; a blood test for syphilis, HIV and hepatitis; genital swabs; and taking a sample from any lesions. Women get a gynecological exam, possibly a Pap smear of their cervix and a swab to test for gonorrhea, chlamydia, bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis and yeast. Men would get a urine test for gonorrhea and chlamydia.

We asked registered nurse James Tigchelaar, outreach educator for the BC Centre for Disease Control HIV/STI division, about the recommended frequency for STI tests. We list here some common misconceptions on STIs in the population that he identified.

Q: I have one partner and I’ve practiced safe sex in the past, and don’t have any symptoms… do I need to get tested?

A: Well, yes. Tigchelaar recommends testing in between partners. In any new relationship, once you’ve been exclusive and

indiana joel illustration/the ubyssey

Oana Sandu Contributor

practicing safe sex for two to three months, you should both get a check-up. Safe sex is advisable if you’ve had previous partners because the incubation period for some STIs can be up to three months.

Q: I’m sexually active and my sex partners vary, but I’ve never had any symptoms. When do I need to get tested?

A: Regular testing is recommended, every t hree to six months according to Tigchelaar. For several STIs, you can get an infection and not notice any symptoms.

Q: As a woman, I get an annual Pap test. That’s all I need the testing I need, right?

A: While many clinics in BC test for the most common STIs during a regular pap smear, sometimes all that’s tested for is abnormal cells caused by HPV and no other STIs. So women

need to ask their doctor what they’re tested for and may need to ask to get a comprehensive screen, one that includes a blood test.

Q: Can I get STIs if I use condoms every time?

A: Yes, condoms can break, and even when they don’t, they don’t offer 100 per cent protection. When Tigchelaar asks people if they’re practicing safe sex, people usually say yes thinking all it takes is using condoms for intercourse. But to the follow up question of whether they use barriers for oral, many answer no—oral sex is not risky, right? Alas, most STIs can be transmitted through oral sex as well, according to the CDC. Syphilis, herpes and HPV transmission only require skin-toskin contact, so condoms won’t keep these nasties at bay. And by the way, herpes and HPV

are hard to diagnose and are not a part of the standard spectrum of regular STI checking.

You should watch for lesions or genital warts and see a doctor if and when you notice them.

More STI FActs According to the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) 2009 annual surveillance report, easily-diagnosed STIs include chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV—some of which, like HIV, are often diagnosed years after infection. Other STIs are harder to diagnose. The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common STI according to the UBC Health Centre— more than half of adults get infected with it at some point in t heir lives. Confusingly, the HPV family encompasses many different strains, from

the benign, to those that cause warts, to some that cause cervical cancer.

In t he past, men were thought to be asymptomatic for HPV, but the latest research associates HPV with other types of cancer, some of which can affect men. Testing for different strains of HPV is difficult and because of the high incidence it’s not routine. The Pap smear in women, a common screening test used to detect abnormal cells on the cervix, can test for HPV in two different ways. According to the UBC Health Centre, the test done in BC clinics, though it diagnoses the presence of pre-cancerous cells which are sometimes caused by HPV, usually does so years after the infection. The second test looks for the presence of the virus in the cells.

Herpes is another STI that is common and difficult to diagnose. The most common strains of the herpes virus are HSV1 and HSV2. They can cause cold sores on the mouth or genitals, though many people that are infected don’t notice any symptoms. Herpes can be transmitted very easily, through something as simple as sharing drinks. Fluid from cold sores can be tested for the virus. While there are also herpes blood tests, they are not routine. Tigchelaar estimates that 75 per cent of the population has had some exposure to HSV1, so the test is not useful in controlling the spread of the virus, and in addition the test for HSV2 is rather expensive.

Hepatitis refers to inflammation of the liver and is caused by v iruses. The st rain t hat can be reliably transmitted through sex is Hepatitis B, and hepatitis is usually only tested in people who haven’t been immunized. U

The Penis FAQs: Tips and phalluses Trevor Record features@ubyssey.ca Penis owners: do you think that your sex drive isn’t up to snuff?

Are you watching internet pornography and getting worried about how your abilities compare? According to Dr Patricia Mirwaldt, Director of Health Services at the UBC hospital, the “big two” issues for males are STIs and anxiety over sexual drive and performance.

“I would say the most common health concern [for young men] is ‘Am I normal?’” said Mirwaldt.

Usually, it isn’t anything to worry about, she said. Even for college age men, there is a wide range of normal sexual function.

What’s a normal sex drive?

“There’s a lot of myths about sexual function,” said Mirwaldt.

“For men, it’s that they should be able to perform at any time, anywhere and several times in a 24 hour period. That isn’t true, and every man will have some difficulty with sexual function in their life. And that difficulty can range from getting an erection but losing it before orgasm, or just not feeling like having sex and not getting an erection.”

Communication about the issue can go far in allaying fears.

Mirwaldt said that most men at some point will experience a time where they are unable to orgasm or have an erection. The range of how often this happens can vary wildly between indiviuals. Some people won’t experience these for years and only have it happen once or twice, she

Drinking and smoking affects sexual health. Paul Bucci graphic/the ubyssey

explained, while others will experience these problems once a week or month since they first start sexual contact.

The recovery phase for when a male can achieve an erection between orgasms can vary between individuals as well, according to Mirwaldt.

“It could be an hour or so for some people, and for other people it can be a couple of minutes.

And it can vary for the individual over time. You could have one time where you had a couple of minutes between erections, and another time where it takes a couple of days.”

On the other side of the coin, premature ejaculation also worries many men. Sexualityandu. ca, a sexual health resource web site run by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, classifies ejaculation which occurs before intercourse or immediately after stimulation as “premature.” It lists the

average length of intercourse as four to seven minutes. For individuals who are hoping to delay ejaculation, the site suggests undergoing a “stop-start” masturbation technique, to help “recognize the stage of ejaculatory inevitability and reduce the amount of stimulation to remain below this threshold.”

What can improve sexual function?

Sex drive can be affected by mental health and illness. Sexualityandu.ca lists diabetes, stress, depression and heart problems amongst male sexual health dysfunction. However, Mirwaldt said that for most younger men, these issues are usually not linked to disease.

She listed fatigue, lack of sleep, alcohol and drugs as some of the largest factors affecting sexual functioning for young men. Just an adjustment to habits and a

conversation about their issues can often be enough, she said.

For students staying up late studying, not getting enough sleep can decrease sex drive.

Mirwaldt said that seven to nine hours of sleep a night will ensure better sexual performance than three or four. Drinking less, or at least keeping the number of beers you’re downing to a reasonable number, can also help improve sexual performance.

“Alcohol is an interesting case,” said Mirwaldt. “When you initially take alcohol it reduces your inhibitions so you start feeling more sexual, but as you drink more alcohol you reduce your penis’s ability to become erect. While it can increase your interest, it will reduce your abilities, so keeping alcohol at a low to moderate rate should be very reasonable.”

Monitoring the other substances you are taking can improve your sexual performance as well. Drugs from marijuana to speed can “play havoc with your erection,” according to Mirwaldt. Prescription medications can also reduce your sex drive.

For instance, antidepressants have been found to reduce sexual function in one in five men who take them. Smoking can also eventually make it difficult to achieve an erection, because it decreases the number of small blood vessels in your penis.

Is there any danger in masturbating too often?

From blindness to hairy palms, there is an array of rumours about the physical dangers of

frequent masturbation. Are they true? Mirwaldt said it’s unlikely.

“Physically, there’s no difficulty in orgasming several times.

So it is a bit of a myth that there is a problem with masturbation.”

There are also myths that masturbation will reduce sexual desire. Quite the contrary, Sexualityandu.ca claims: some studies show masturbation can help increase desire in both males and females. However, Mirwaldt said masturbation can become an issue if it is being overindulged to the exclusion of other activities.

“If your masturbation gets in the way of your regular life, so that you’re concentrating on it so much that you forget to go to class or things like that, that is a problem.”

Blue balls?

Blue balls is an affliction that some men will claim occurs when t heir part ner doesn’t want to have sex with them. It’s a decreasingly common complaint, but it still is brought up by some men who feel as though they aren’t getting enough action. Do men have difficulty with their penis or their testicles because of a lack of sex?

Perhaps, but it shouldn’t be a particularly hard problem to deal with.

“You will get some discomfort if you’ve had an erection for a long period of time,” said Mirwaldt. “But there is a simple way to manage that, and it’s to masturbate. So there’s no reason you need to have sex with someone if they don’t want to.” U

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Sex on the brain: UBC sex research

Sex research combines psychology, biology and palmistry Catherine Guan Contributor It is no secret that university students have sex on the brain.

Usually, this serves as a distraction from a droning lecture or a looming deadline. For a group of lucky students, thinking about sex is their highest priority.

One of those fortunate few is UBC student and sex researcher Morag Yule.

“Nearly everyone finds sex interesting, whether they want to do it or they don’t want to do it, or everything is working properly, or things aren’t working properly,” said Yule. “It’s a topic that people find relevant to their lives.”

Currently pursuing her Master’s degree in clinical psychology, Yule has worked with Dr Lori Brotto at the UBC Sexual Health Lab.

“I usually tell people I’m a research coordinator.”

Yvonne Erskine UBC Sexual Health Lab Studies coordinator

So how does someone become a sex researcher? According to the lab’s studies coordinator Yvonne Erskine, “They come out from all different directions, but we get our volunteers mainly through the department of psychology at the university.”

As for Yule, she became interested in the field after taking a course on human sexuality during her undergraduate studies (PSYC 360).

Science may be decades away from rodent-sized test people. Indiana Joel Illustration/The Ubyssey

“I always had an interest in biology as well as psychology, and not only is sex research the perfect combination of the two, it’s fascinating!”

Fascinating is just the right word for a study she recently completed: “Sexual Orientation, Handedness, Asexuality

and Digit Ratio in Women.” Yule looked into the correlation between hands and sexual orientation. Could it be that palmistry has some merits after all?

“Handedness has been linked to sexual orientation, and is thought to be an indicator of prenatal development,” said Yule.

“We found that asexuals are more likely to be non-right-handed [lefthanded or ambidextrous] than heterosexual individuals.”

Results for digit ratios, on t he ot her hand—pardon t he pun—were inconclusive. Added Yule, “Studies have provided evidence that there is some

relationship between digit ratios and sexual orientation for men, but not for women.”

Nevertheless, Yule is glad to shed some light on asexuality. “It’s amazing that asexua lit y has been overlooked for so long… and is very often misunderstood.”

Sex researchers, too, are a misunderstood bunch. Even decades after the Kinsey report, some stigma remains. Yvonne Erskine, who also works for the UBC Sexual Health Lab, admitted she is reluctant to tell new acquaintances about her occupation.

“I usually tell people I’m a research coordinator.”

The lab has ongoing studies about the benefit of pyschoeducation as a treatment for sexual difficulties, which involves educating participants about their condition. The theory is the better they understand it, the better they can deal with their dysfunction. “[Some participants] think they are the only ones in the universe who feel that way,” lamented Erskine. “We only talk about it if it’s good.”

She emphasized the importance of being in a group setting for people experiencing conditions like Provoked Vestibulodynia (PVD, pain in the vaginal vestibule), sexual arousal difficulties for women and sexual difficulties for cancer survivors.

The lab is currently looking for volunteers to participate in an online survey of sexual desire.

The study examines the motivation of men and women in established relationships (minimum five years of cohabitation) to either initiate or be receptive to advances for sexual activity with their partner. U

No, you cannot use that as lube An investigation into a decidedly slippery subject Mike Dickson Contributor It’s 1:30 in the morning. Things are about to get hot and horizontal in your room, so you rifle through your medicine cabinet for protection and a little lubrication. The condoms are there. The lube is not.

After your partner makes it abundantly clear you’re not getting any tonight without greasing the wheels, you storm into the kitchen and return to your chamber with a jug of Crisco, a travel bottle of hair conditioner and a jar of Tiger Balm you haven’t used since bantam hockey.

All right. Let’s do this.

When push comes to shove, the most important thing is finding a lube that works for you. As sexpert Stephanie Sersli elaborated, body chemistry and personal preference are the biggest factors.

“Ever yone’s body reac t s differently to different lubricants,” said Sersli, co-director of the downtown Options for Sexual Health clinic. “The two most common ones are either water or silicone-based;

we recommend trying out a pillow case (small tester pack which has a wide variety) of lubes and seeing which is the best fit.”

Water-based lubes are preferred by many, but some experience irritation with these, which does not occur with the chemically inert silicone-based products. However, silicone lubes can react with silicone toys, causing them to break down—so if you’re doubling up on silicone, protect the toy with a condom.

“People will typically use anything they can for lube.”

Stephanie sersli Op t ions f or Se x ua l He a lt h co-director

Practices to be avoided include using oil-based lubricants, like olive oil, Crisco or

margarine with latex condoms as these can cause the condom to break down in literally seconds.

Although lubrication is important to keep vaginal sex from becoming uncomfortable or painful, it is particularly necessary for anal sex, as a lubeless encounter can cause microscopic tears in delicate rectal tissue.

On the lighter side, there’s no shortage of alternatives to traditional lubricating substances.

“People will typically use anything they can for lube,” Sersli said. She cited non-flavoured yogurt as a conventional substitute, preferred by many women as lube since the natural pH of yogurt is very similar to that of female bodily fluids. Substances with sugar, however, should be avoided, as they can cause yeast infections.

She also cited Tiger Balm as a somewhat less conventional substitute for t he adventurous bordering on masochistic.

If you don’t know what Tiger Balm feels like in a bedroom setting, dunking your junk in Tabasco sauce should give a pretty good indication of how that’s gonna play out. U

Again, we do not advocate the use of Tabasco as lube. We also do not suggest the use of dish soap or yogurt. Geoff Lister photo/The Ubyssey

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Marefat: A school defining Afghanistan’s struggle Brian Platt Contributor This is a story about two buildings run by two men who could not be more different. One is a hero, the other is a villain. The villain is wealthy; the hero has to constantly scramble to get by.

There is a climactic clash between the two sides. We do not know how this battle will end yet—but more about that later.

On the side of the just and the good is Marefat School and its principal, Aziz Royesh. Marefat is located in one of the sprawling slums on the outskirts of Kabul, Daste Bachi. It took me an hour in a local taxi to get there.

The lanes are narrow, full of ruts and rubble. When I stood on the roof of the school, there were small one-level huts for as far as the eye could see.

Marefat is a lso a Hazara school and if you’ve read The Kite Runner, you’ve heard of the Hazaras. The protagonist’s friend is a Hazara child, and because of that he is persecuted by all other groups of Afghans. Hazaras have Mongolian heritage and are quite possibly direct descendents of the army of Genghis Khan, although this has yet to be proven. They are also Shia Muslims, as opposed to the vast majority of Afghan people, who are Sunni.

As with so many schools in Afghanistan today, Marefat was originally founded in a refugee community in Pakistan during the tumultuous 1990s. After the fall of the Taliban, the school moved back to Kabul. It is funded today through contributions from the local community and international donations. Elementary school students pay $120 for a year’s tuition; high school students pay $170. If a family is too poor to afford tuition, they can apply to an assistance fund. A board of trustees oversees all of the operations of the school.

Students at the Marefat school. brian platt Photo/The Ubyssey

Meanwhile, across town, a brand new complex is being constructed to house the side of darkness and repression. This is the mosque and university for Sheikh Asif Mohseni, a Shiite ayatollah from a Pashtun background. This uncommon blend of ethnicity and religion gives him a unique level of crosscultural influence in Afghanistan. During the 1980s, he was bankrolled by the Iranian government to run an anti-Soviet mujahedin organization. Since then he has had a rocky relationship with the ayatollahs in Tehran, but today has re-established himself in Kabul in a big way. He is building a private media empire and his Khatam-al-Nabyeen mosque preaches a harsh, ancient, and violent form of Islam.

Two years ago, the Shia Personal Status Law was signed in by Afghan President Hamid Karzai. This horribly regressive law, which became known as the “rape law” for denying Shia women the ability to refuse sex to their husbands, was written by Mohseni, who enjoys status as one of Karzai’s “religious

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advisors.” It was this action that led to the direct standoff between the forces of Mohseni and the students at Marefat.

When I visited Marefat, I was shown around the school by its proud students and staff. On the whole, Hazara culture in Afghanistan is known as being moderate and even progressive.

In the school’s boardroom, there are student-painted portraits of Einstein, Descartes, Voltaire, Spinoza and many other intellectuals from all over the world.

When Marefat was operating completely independently as a private school, boys and girls attended classes together and courses in anthropology, human rights, economics, and political science were offered.

However, in order to take a university entrance exam in Afghanistan, you are required to graduate from a school officially recognized by the Ministry of Education. In order for Marefat to qualify, certain restrictions were placed on them. Classes had to be gender-segregated.

Only courses in the hard math and sciences were allowed in

the official curriculum. This is just one of the many examples of how Afghanistan’s government actively hinders the progress towards a modern, democratic society.

I visited one class of male students who were preparing to take the university entrance exam, which takes five hours to write.

They were studying physics when I walked in, and at first I was unsure of what to say. I didn’t even know if they spoke English. So I just waved hello. Then one guy shouted out from the back, “Well, aren’t you going to introduce yourself?” I laughed; as it turned out, everyone in this room was perfectly fluent in English, and after a while we were chatting in same way you would in any classroom in Canada.

Later I visited a group of younger girls, about 14, who were studying English. As I watched them writing out sentences on the board and helping each other with pronunciation and grammar, I suddenly realized that I didn’t want to leave. I could have spent all day in this school, hanging out in

the classrooms, helping these students learn.

Shortly after the Shia Personal Status Law was made public, street protests were organized by the Shia community—particularly by outraged women.

Marefat also set about responding to the law, outlining all the ways in which it violated their community values. On April 15, 2009, the school was attacked by a mob sent from Mohseni’s mosque, furious at the school’s opposition to his words.

Royesh went outside to try and calm the men, but they refused to listen. Interviewed by a French newspaper afterwards, Haraza’s principal said he went back inside the school and eventually escaped through a window. “Luckily they didn’t know who I was, because later they were screaming that they had come to kill me.”

Since 2001, major battles have been waged in every ethnic and religious group in Afghanistan for control. In the Shia community, it is largely between the moderate Hazara leaders and the angry, reactionary forces of Sheikh Mohseni’s faction.

Thanks to the protests organized against the law and pressure from the international community, the Shia Personal Status Law was eventually amended to be more palatable. But the fight between these groups is really just beginning.

If t his stor y was fict ion, we could feel fairly sure that the plucky underdog students at Marefat would eventually emerge victorious. The prospect of Mohseni’s men gaining control over Afghanistan is too depressing to contemplate. But this is real life, and there are no guarantees how this will turn out. That’s why it’s so important for the people at Marefat to feel our support, to hear that we’re on their side, and to know that we aren’t going to abandon them in this struggle. U

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editorial the queen of strange quasi-private public trusts

People who live on islands are the equal of anyone else in British Columbia. Except when they want to move around, and they have to take the ferries, which cost lots of money. And now, they’re about to pay a lot more.

Last week, BC Ferries said it would be forced to raise fees on all routes by 25 to 100 per cent over the next five years. Given that a) this proportionally affects one group more than the other, and b) fees for vehicles are already eleventy billion dollars, many people are angry.

Lost in this cavalcade of controversy is the fact that, according to the Ferry Advisory Committee Chairs, an impartial body, the provincial government annual subsidy has stayed constant at $92 million since 2003. Meaning inflation has raised the price of fuel, goods and salary, but money has remained static.

This would be a lot easier to swallow if BC Ferry executives hadn’t given themselves massive raises over the last five years (CEO David Hahn makes nearly a million dollars, for example), and that for thousands of people, the ferries operate as a highway, not part of a vacation. Regardless of need, the optics certainly aren’t good for BC Ferries.

The good that comes out of this brewing storm is that it underlies the absurdity of the current governance model of BC Ferries. It has a degree of public control so it serves the people first—but we have little say over how it’s run. It’s private to ensure a lack of waste—but it means an integral part of our transportation system is outside of the government’s purview.

Admittedly, there was a practical reason for the change last decade—mismanagement and overspending in the 90’s had turned a basic public service into a political nightmare. Those days have passed though, which means that whoever is elected as the next Premier later this month should revisit how BC Ferries operates. People who depend on a transportation system’s basic functioning shouldn’t be held hostage by one that is fundamentally confusing. of olympics and cogntive biases Just like you, we’ll be taking next week off for “reading” break, returning on February 21. It’s a blessed break we at The Ubyssey didn’t get last year, for reasons we can’t immediately recall. Something was happening—something big—except the media isn’t talking about it at all right now.

We kid, of course. You’d have to be living under a rock the size of the billion-dollar Vancouver Convention Centre to ignore the anniversary of the Olympics. According to a new Ipsos Reid poll, 81 per cent thought they were a success, while 60 per cent thought they were worth it. And while we too enjoyed the games, headlines like “Olympics still a hit one year later” are definitely an exercise in rosy retrospection.

But that’s what time does—it glosses over details, puts a nice sheen on the most treasured memories and reduces events to amazing crowds down Granville and Sidney Crosby scoring a goal that will live forever. It seemed like a historic event when it was happening, there was the happiest ending imaginable, so it’s easy to naturally conclude, based on memory, that Olympics=awesome.

Still, for real, tangible examples of what the Olympic Legacy is, you can take our fancy new Canada Line down to the Olympic Village, which will be costing Vancouver taxpayers millions for decades. Then, cross the Cambie bridge and notice how there’s still thousands of homeless whose lives haven’t been changed because of the games, contrary to promises made when we made our bid. Then head back to campus, to the $47.8 million Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, which can’t hold concerts, hosts hockey games with attendance in the low hundreds and is fast becoming a white elephant.

Despite all of that, the Olympics were more than just an awesome party. It was an event worth celebrating in retrospect. But celebrations can have mixed feelings. These Olympics should be remembered with an objective, critical eye if only so the next time we as a nation decide to embark on a great project, the risks are fully understood. U

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Concerning the resource groups...

Gordon Katic Columnist I have a confession to make. It’s 5:12am and I’m still not done my column. I was writing our new president a letter advising him which direction to take the AMS (hint: left), but I realized you probably don’t care. Instead, I’d like to share with you my existential crisis.

I had hoped the UBC campus would be a bastion of critical thought, filled with vibrant minds of passion and conviction. However, I quickly realized that the students are largely indifferent. A stifling cynicism pervades, as the docile and obedient from this school seek nothing more than a degree. The hope of student activism and the promise of an engaged community are tossed aside, relegating UBC to merely another step on the ladder of meaningless career advancement. I’m not entirely sure what I’d like to see from my university, but I’m almost certain this isn’t it.

Yet I resist condescendingly charging all my classmates with apathy.

Everyday, I see flashes of life. I’m inspired by the work of the many who

thanklessly pursue causes of social justice when it seems most futile. For no reason but the force of conscience, students stand up for the causes that are important to them. Nonetheless, I ask myself if such pursuits are worth the effort. In my experiences, taking a stand on these contentious issues brings one tremendous amounts of stress with little tangible benefit.

The ‘Gaza-gate’ fiasco is a perfect example. In this case, the Social Justice Centre (SJC) and Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) were attacked for sponsoring a talk by controversial war-critic George Galloway, and a subsequent $700 donation to a Gaza-bound flotilla. Without rehashing too many of the details, it’s enough to say that anti-Palestinian groups on campus resorted to the most sordid of personal attacks and legal intimidations to block that $700 donation.

At the end of this mess (it was only resolved last Council meeting, after months of debate), the donation passed and the SJC and SPHR were vindicated by AMS Council and the court of public opinion. There was a tremendous mobilization of campus

and community support around the donation, including an endorsement from Noam Chomsky. After seeing the passion on this issue—even from the side of the opposition—I could no longer discount students for being apathetic and indifferent.

I think the evidence suggests that the average student is no less concerned than I am, only they’ve learned to feel powerless with respect to creating social change. They fail to appreciate the tremendous resources around them: other students. The six AMS Resource Groups (located in the top floor of the SUB, these activist groups deal with issues of gender, sexuality, racism, the environment and economic inequality) are radically under-utilized. I’d like to conclude that these progressive causes resonate with most students, but these groups simply aren’t well known.

I’m not exactly sure how we achieve the vibrant campus community I’d like to see, or what that would even look like. But I think the first step is to realize that there are plenty of others who want something better, and you need not venture far to find them. U

deceitful rhetorical trick that plays on old stereotypes of Jewish power and actually illuminates the SJC’s and SPHR’s detachment from the idea of actual free expression.

In fact, because the Israel Awareness Club contested their efforts to use student fees to support an illegal attempt to break the legal blockade of Gaza, the entire university population had the opportunity to consider the issue.

At no point in the entire process did we even imply that we sought to “silence” their right of expression. The very concept of “silencing” is an invented construction used by anti-Israel groups to turn the bullies into the victims.

When they say they want free expression, SPHR, the SJC and their kind really mean they want the right to make outrageous assertions and libels against Israel without being

challenged. We stood up with two reasonable positions—Israel has the right to prevent weapons intended to kill Israeli civilians from entering the Hamas-run terrorist state of Gaza; and UBC student fees should not be funding illegal attempts to contest that right—and the perpetrators come back with the hysterical libel that we are trying to “silence” them.

Free expression sometimes means having to hear opinions that differ from yours. That doesn’t mean you are being silenced. It means you are living in a pluralist, democratic society. If members of the SJC and SPHR heard voices trying to silence them, perhaps they were the tiny, meek remnants of their own consciences telling them there is something deeply troubled in their worldview.

letter The Social Justice Centre (SJC) and Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) are holding a travelling road show this weekend alleging attempts to “silence” them when they tried to “speak up for Palestinian rights.”

First, in my four years at UBC, I have never observed either of these groups standing up for the rights of Palestinian women, gays, trade unionists or what remains of religious and ethnic minorities in Palestine. I would maintain that they have never stood up to the real repressors of the people of Gaza (Hamas) or of the West Bank (Fatah). Social justice? Human rights? All either group has demonstrated in this case is a hatred for Israel and an insouciance to the security of its civilians.

But that, ultimately, is an aside.

Their allegation that attempts were made to silence them is part of a

—Rael Katz President, UBC Israel Awareness

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