The Greatest Debate in recent history “I guess It could be worse.”
UNBC student
Over The Edge
UNBC’s Independent Student Newspaper est. 1994
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Featuring fishmooney
Volume 21, Issue 4 13oct mon. Free th
ote-newspaper@unbc.ca overtheedgenewspaper.ca
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Next deadline: October 22, 2014
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Support is always needed and no experience is required; help make Over The Edge better. We want to hear from you! Call us at 250960-5633, tweet us @overtheedgeunbc, email us at ote-newspaper@unbc.ca and be sure to like us on facebook. For more information, please visit our redesigned website at www.overtheedgenewspaper.ca.
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Every year, we provide employment as editors, designers, and managers to students with a passion for journalism and are always looking for motivated individuals to work and volunteer in our collaborative environment. Over The Edge offers competitive advertising rates for space in our print publication as well as online.
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Over The Edge is the University of Northern British Columbia’s independent student newspaper. Our office is located on the 2nd floor of the NUSC building in room 6-350. We are an equal opportunity publication which represents students in the UNBC and Prince George community. Our publication supports student writing by welcoming news, arts, sports, culture and opinion articles, as well as photography, comics, and creative writing submissions.
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Over The Edge
first time, is always a shock. If you are from a place that makes it too difficult to travel home for every long weekend, I hope that you had an opportunity over this holiday to reflect upon what you are enjoying so far in Prince George and at UNBC, and that you are making some great plans for Halloween!
I also hope that these first few weeks at UNBC haven’t been too tough--being away from family and friends at home, especially for the
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Welcome to your first holiday weekend of the school year. For all of you who headed home for the weekend, I hope that you enjoyed getting stuffed with some high-calorie deliciousness by your adorable grandma, while doing that weird thing where you
can drink alcohol around your parents. For those of you who stuck around to catch up on sleep, I hope that you were able to enjoy an orphan-turkey with some good friends.
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Hey UNBC,
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UNBC
by-election October-November 2014
UNBC Life New from NUGSS Megan Price & Molly Fredeen NUGSS Ombudsman | VP Academic
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UGSS needs a VP Student Affairs, an Aboriginal Representative and an Associate Director of Communications, and so we are having a by-election. The nomination period begins October 15, and concludes October 28. This is followed by a campaign period that from October 29 to November 4. Speeches fall on November 3 at noon in the Wintergarden. Voting days are November 5
Club Spotlight: NHSS Drew Grosse President | NHSS
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he Northern Historical Student Society is an organization for students studying History at UNBC. Whether you are a History major, minor, or are just interested in the past, we welcome and encourage anyone to be a part of our glorious revolution-one where the people rise up to be active in fashioning a lasting, engaging, fun, and awesome club for students at UNBC to share their experiences and their love for the past. Come and join us throughout the year for amazing events, contests, movie nights, parties, study groups, seminars, luncheons, raids, pillages, adventures, imaginary cave spelunking, tomb raiding, sea voyaging and many other endless, parallel universe possibilities as we storm the gates of the past
to better interpret our future. Together, we practice the essential characteristics of the historian: empathy, imagination, and explosions. We, the proletariat, will make history this year and we hope you will rise with us! This could be the most interesting coup you will be a part of since the siege of Troy, the fall of Constantinople, the defenestration of Prague, or the Russian Revolution. Добро пожаловать на революции and long live the Motherland! UNBC Northern Historical Student Society @UNBC_NHSS.
(the day of NUGSS’ AGM) and November 6. Nomination packages can be picked up in the NUGSS office. If you want to know about what we’re doing, we have NUGSS talks in the Doug Little Lounge on Oct 15 from 1 to 3 pm, and in the Up Tempo Lounge on Oct 22 and 29 from 1-3.
UNBC Life
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Help Support OTE
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ow do you improve a student newspaper?
One way is to attend conferences specifically for student journalism. This is precisely why Over the Edge is intending to send six to eight students to NASH77, a national conference put on by Canadian University Press. This conference includes workshops in writing, design, and photography that help people involved in university publications hone
their skills. Successful journalists from major news sources speak about their careers and offer advice to students on how to make their newspapers the best that they can be. Noteworthy speakers include Chris Jones from Esquire, and Peter Mansbridge from CBC. Set to be held in Ottawa in January 2015, this year’s NASH conference is geared to be just as informative and valuable as previous years. The proximity to Canadian parliament and major news bureaus is likely to offer enriching possibilities that will help us make Over the Edge even better.
However, Ottawa offers its own hurdles. It is much farther away than Edmonton, last year’s host. This means that flights will cost far more than they did last year. To keep the cost for our writers as low as possible, we will be hosting several fundraisers, and have a ton of fun while doing so. We already have event nights lined up at LAMBDA Cabaret and Riley’s Bar & Grill. Come downtown to help send OTE to Ottawa and while checking
UNBC Student Life
Kelley Ware Multimedia Coordinator
out some great local talent! November 6 at LAMBDA Cabaret, we will be partnering with the UNBC Pride Centre to host a Gender Bender theme night. November 8 at Riley’s Bar and Grill will be hosting a variety show with live music from Whiskey Fingers, Impulse Control, and Bright City Heights. November 27 at LAMBDA Cabaret will have Seacides playing.
UNBC film festival Nahid Taheri Team Member
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nternational Education, in cooperation with UNBC’s history department and Student Life, is holding an International Film Festival during October.
On every Thursday, a free movie will be displayed for students to enjoy. Lisa Scheck from Student Life said that the idea of having such a festival came from Dr. Ben Bryce, of the history department, and Dr. Anna Aguilar from the women’s studies department. Both are involved in choosing movies, as well as introducing them and giving necessary background. The event is not set up like a lecture, but meant to entertain students. The partnership with International Education provides a fantastic environment to learn about history by inviting faculty members. Movies recommended by the two faculty members are checked for licensing with UNBC. Most movies will not be suitable for young children or families, because they contain adult contents, Scheck said. However, it is sure to be a great experience for the students at UNBC.
UNBC Life
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Does your resume open up a conversation? SuIn Lee Publisher
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r. Tracy Summerville, Professor of Political Science at UNBC, is aware of students’ worries and insecurities as they prepare to enter into the workforce after graduation. “Students should remember that the word ‘university’ is derived from the Latin ‘universitas’, meaning ‘a whole,” says Dr. Summerville. To be prepared, “students should spend time reading various works of literature, looking at what the modern expectations would be. Instead of thinking about a career end point, consider what you expect from our society, and what the problems are that you want to solve.” Dr. Summerville did not know
that she would grow to love political science when she first started her post-secondary career. In 1982, Dr. Summerville went to England to enroll at Drama Studio in London. “Theater is a living thing. It reminds you of life, because you had to be there and because it is ephemeral. But it was not the lifestyle I wanted for the rest of my life.” After a year studying drama in England, Dr. Summerville returned to Canada and began at the University of Western Ontario. It was there that she met her lifetime mentor, Dr. Doug Long. “Professor Doug Long’s political philosophy course opened up my eyes to a new style of teaching, and to a new subject. It was the beginning of my interest in political science. Eventually I decided to do my PhD with Dr. Long, and my research was focused on political climate in Quebec. I felt the need to learn the French language for comprehensive research to be done.” To experience learning French while staying close
to home, she decided to take an immersion program at Laval University in Quebec. “I had never spoken French before,” Dr. Summerville laughed. “I had to be an active learner to overcome my fear of being exposed to new language.” Dr. Tracy Summerville started to make a list of words she did not understand and organized them alphabetically. After a while, there were enough words to be compiled into a personalized dictionary. “I started making the dictionary in September semester. By January semester, my French had improved enough that I did not have to continue,” reminisced Dr. Summerville fondly, “the dictionary was special to me because it became a record of my progress showing my dedication in learning a new subject.” Without knowing it, Dr. Summerville was assembling skill sets that would eventually serve a bigger purpose. She stressed how paramount it is to build a life resume rather than just to think about a career end point. “Instead of just focusing on crafting the words on your resume, students
should also keep a record of their progress. For example, to expand on your involvement with a debate society, and have a videotaped copy of your debate competition speech.” After returning from Quebec, Dr. Summerville was still working on getting her PhD when Professor Doug Long suggested that she attend a conference in Prince George. It was to be held at an institution called the University of Northern British Columbia. “I felt unprepared, because I did not even have my PhD yet! My supervisor told me to present my paper at the conference, because they were looking for candidates to fill the faculty position.” Dr. Summerville’s life as a whole was evidence of how capable she was. Not restricted by her degree, she was able to present her resume as a narrative of who she was as a person. She has been teaching at UNBC ever since. “I love teaching, I really do. I really want my students to know that they do not have to come see me only when problems arise. There does not need to be a reason at all! Just come say hi. You can also ask them how they started their career, because they have somehow ended up where they are now. [There are] some interesting stories to be told.”
Tracy Summerville | UNBC
UNBC Life evanevans.com
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UNBC experiences studying abroad Kelley Ware Multimedia Coordinator
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NBC held its annual Study Abroad Fair from September 30 to October 2, helping connect prospective students with schools and countries in which they may be interested in spending a semester or two. The timing of an exchange program is perfect, because many consider their university years the prime time to travel outside of Canada. Conan Winkelmeyer, who spent a semester in Sweden and was the first UNBC student with a disability to travel abroad, spoke about the reasons he took a semester away. It was “the idea of going outside of Canada and having that level of independence for [himself] as a person with a disability” that got him interested. “I wanted to have that experience,” Winkelmeyer said. “Being exposed at a younger age is [better] to reframe your mindset of how things are. You have a better understanding of things when you are younger than when you are older. [When] you are not as open to certain ideas...My father said that he saw changes in me; I didn’t see any changes in me, but he saw [them]”. “Since then,” Conan continued, “I have travelled to Amsterdam, to Egypt. I wanted to experience different
cultures...I wanted to experience different areas--and not always safe areas. I didn’t want to do the touristy stuff; I wanted the experience of what the locals are doing.” Studying abroad comes with its own challenges and rewards. Adapting to a new teaching style can make for an interesting struggle. For instance, Winkelmeyer spoke about the system of intensive blocks through whick his Swedish university taught. Rather than having a four month semester with multiple courses, Swedish universities prefer to teach one course a month. It was also a pass-fail system, so grades had to be interpreted when Winkelmeyer returned to UNBC. There was a lot of freedom in the Swedish program, which lead to small challenges to Winkelmeyer’s transition back, much like coming back to UNBC after having a summer job. Diversity and size are another thing that can be interesting for Canadian students going abroad. Devon Flynn, a UNBC alumni who spent a semester in Scotland, spoke about realizing just how vast Canada is. “The first thing I noticed as an exchange student out of Canada was the diversity in students. Canada is big; the United States is big; and even Mexico is big! Any international students who come to UNBC, who aren’t from those counties have to travel a long distance,” Flynn said. “In Europe,
however, ‘international student’ seems to take on a different meaning. Because countries in Europe are geographically smaller and closer together, it wasn’t uncommon to meet students from Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, France, or other countries that you could potentially fly to for the weekend. It also reminded you of just how big Canada is, and how separated our provinces could sometimes be. You may not realize your ignorance of what goes in your own country until someone asks you a question about something you know nothing about, like a news-breaking event or scandal on the east coast, for example.” For any student thinking about spending a semester or two abroad, Flynn and Winkelmeyer have some advice. Both suggested to go abroad as early as possible, preferably in second or third year. By going earlier, it is easier to transfer courses, and it is easier to make the transition back and forth. Winkelmeyer also added that students should seek scholarships to help offset the cost of studying abroad. As well, receipts are important to keep for tax purposes, and can add to a tax return. Insurance can be incredibly important since the unexpected can always happen. When it comes to money, both guys said to budget for error because costs may not be what you expect. Above all, make sure to make the best of the experience!
Prince George boldly goes... Kelley Ware Multimedia Coordinator
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onths after announcing the creation of a Northern FanCon, the name of the first confirmed guest has been announced.
Over the summer, organizers of Northern FanCon brought both Kim Coates and Ron Perlman to Prince George for various events, adding to the hype of just who the big guest could be for the May 2015 convention. On October 5, months of anticipation were finally over. Prince George will get to see Captain James Tiberius Kirk himself. Northern FanCon’s first confirmed guest is the one and only William Shatner. Best known for his work in Star Trek, Shatner is a quintessential pop culture icon and household name. He is a convention staple who has been known to grace the stage at conventions in cities such as Calgary and Toronto.
With one announcement, any doubt about this being a serious convention has vanished. Their Facebook page is buzzing, and previous posts now seem less like wishful thinking and more like actual possibilities. Names such as Lena Headey, Steven Yeun, Sophie Turner, Jonathan Frakes, and Brent Spiner have been thrown around on the Northern FanCon page. The organizers of Northern FanCon are also making it clear that the announcement of William Shatner is only the beginning. More announcements will be coming our way. Until then, the fangirl in all of us can rest easy knowing tickets should be available this week.
Florida Theater
Culture
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G O T Colin Slark Team Member
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have watched the first two episodes of Fox’s new Batmanprequel show Gotham, and boy howdy, I will give it this much: it looks very pretty. The art and set design is spectacular, really helping the audience believe that they watching a real life Gotham City. Some of the acting is pretty good too, especially Donal Logue playing detective Harvey Bullock. Unfortunately, any suspension of disbelief the visual elements aid with are torn down by shameful and hamhanded writing, and a lot of other actors do nothing but gnaw scenery in an unappealing fashion. The big draw to the show is that you get to see the genesis of many of the Batman characters you know and love. However, what could have been a neat look into the motivations behind a regular person into becoming a costumed psychopath is ruined, because the writers frequently forget that a good degree of subtlety is required for foreshadowing to be effective.
H A M ?
Poison Ivy is straight up named “Ivy” What should be a sly wink to the audience is instead the equivalent of giant neon question marks pointing out to the audience that “This guy is going to be the Riddler! Look, he likes riddles!” This show obviously thinks that its viewers are unable to connect any dots. Maybe if you are not savvy about the Batman universe it would be fine, but as someone who has read many Batman books, I found it painful to experience. This leads to another problem. A lot of these future Batman antagonists are children, or just normal people. I am sure we’ll get some character development on this front, but what do you do until then? If the A-listers are decades away from being A-listers, you have to dredge deeper to find Batman-related villains that can
fight the protagonists. I really hope we get such stars as Crazy Quilt or Clock King appearing on the show.
Maybe you are thinking that the people making the show were shoehorned into putting these obvious cameos by characters in. If you were thinking that they would fare better if they were allowed to flex their creative muscles and write original content, you would be wrong, as they made an original gangster character named Fish Mooney. Fish Mooney! They named the supposedly baddest gangster in a crime filled cesspit Fish Mooney. I think a Batman TV show can be done right. The animated Batman series from the 90s was excellent. Gotham though, is a confusing mess that desperately wishes that it could use Batman instead of young Bruce Wayne. It is a show that does not think well of its audience and is undeserving of your time and attention. If you want to watch a comic book show, watch the excellent Agents of SHIELD instead.
One character blurts out to another “Has anyone ever told you that you look like a penguin when you walk?” A little girl prefers to be called “Cat.” The character who becomes
Selina Kyle | Fox
Fish Mooney | Fox
Oswald Cobblepot | Fox
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G O T H A M Brady Stark Team Member
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ne of the biggest hit shows of the new fall lineup is the crime drama Gotham. Gotham centers on a rookie detective, Jim Gordon, and his lazy (and often corrupt) partner as they investigate crimes that occur in fiction’s most infamous city. Despite the fact that this show has hit the ground running by putting up some of the best ratings that Fox has seen, some still try to find aspects of the show that they hate. In defense of this venture into the world of DC comics, I argue that Gotham is a strong step forward into putting DC Comics back on the map. The show’s finest aspect is that it blurs the line between being a high-octane cop-drama and a fantastical superhero show. TV Guide wrote in its preview of Gotham that the show
James Gordon | Fox
didn’t even need to have the elements of the Batman universe to become one of the best crime shows on television. The formula of having detectives Gordon and Bullock investigate a different crime every week is enough to draw audiences in.
The chemistry between all the characters throughout the show is something that seems to be very rare; this is testament to the great actors and actresses that creator Bruno Heller has managed to wrangle up. Gordon and Bullock seem to be polar opposites of one another but somehow still have a deeper understanding of each other that remains hidden to the rest of the characters. Gordon’s drive and passion for justice pushes the story along, while Bullock uses comic relief and corruptive behavior to help the team toe the line between fulfilling their duties as cops and not completely pissing off the villains and crime syndicates that rule the streets.
Among this core group of characters are two that stand out above the rest: Fish Mooney, and the Penguin. Fish Mooney is the only substantial character that has been created specifically for this show. Played by Jada PinkettSmith, Mooney is a mid-level crime boss who bridges the gap between the Gotham Police and the Carmine Falcone crime syndicate. Her involvement helps the story progress in a linear pace that new fans can appreciate. Despite the fact that some fans have dismissed her as a mere middle person for more iconic characters, she actually has been vital in the introduction and ongoing storyline of one of Batman’s most fierce rivals; the Penguin. Portrayed by Robin Lord Taylor, the Penguin is the most crucial and interesting reincarnations of this character that has been imagined.
Throughout the first few episodes of its inaugural season, Gotham has introduced its audience to a number of the notorious super villains that fans have come to expect. Critics have voiced their displeasure about how many characters have been shown so early on, and believe that it oversaturates the story and creates confusion within the plot. This could not be further from the truth. Gotham has introduced its core cast of characters, which is similar in size to many other shows on television.
I’m Batman | Fox
Harvey Bullock | Fox
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Culture
5 lesser-known comics to Help Stave Off Boredom Colin Slark Team Member
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here are some comics that almost everyone has heard of. They’ve been adapted into TV shows and movies, and are always at the front of the display in your favourite comic book store. However, some readers don’t realize how vast the comic book medium is. Reach past The Walking Dead or Batman, and you’ll find everything from slice-of-life stories to surreal satires of modern culture. Here are some lesser-known comic book stories for you to read, which have never been developed beyond their original medium. Daytripper (Vertigo) by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon: Each of the ten issues in this series features a different day in the life of Bras Domingos, a Brazilian journalist who writes obituaries. All of the issues take place in different years of Bras’ life, but they all have one thing in common: Bras always dies at the end of the issue. It seems like a strange basis for a story, but Daytripper uses it well to contemplate what time means to people. X-Statix (Marvel) by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred: Yes, this is technically an X-Men spinoff comic, but I guarantee you will never see a movie adaptation of it. The X-Statix are America’s favourite mutant superhero team, with all kinds of merchandise and a popular reality TV show that follows their exploits. When they go out to battle evildoers, cameras follow them and capture every exciting moment. The only thing is, it’s hard to know whether the danger is real, or cooked up by their manager in order to get better ratings. X-Statix is a searing critique of reality television and modern pop culture. Joe the Barbarian (Vertigo) by Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy: Joe is a teenage boy with diabetes. One day, his blood sugar drops too low, and he begins to hallucinate while suffering from hypoglycemia. Joe’s mind takes objects from around his house, and creates a fictional Lord of the Rings-esque scenario around his real world search for a blood sugar boosting soda. Joe the Barbarian is a fantastical story of determination and bravery in the face of death. Beanworld (Dark Horse) by Larry Marder: Beanworld is by far the strangest comic on this list. The Beans are a strange race of creatures that survive by travelling through the four realities beneath their world to capture Chow, a special substance that serves as their only source of food. The characters in Beanworld work together to defend their home against various threats that are allegorical to real world problems. Confused? Beanworld is hard to explain and needs to be read to be understood. Top 10 (America’s Best Comics) by Alan Moore and Gene Ha: Alan Moore is a big name in the comics industry, but some of his works are much less known than Watchmen or V for Vendetta. Top 10 is about a police precinct of the same name in a world where literally everyone, even the children and the pets, are superheroes or supervillains. Thankfully, the men and women in uniform of the city of Neopolis are more than capable of maintaining order. Nexus (Dark Horse) by Mike Baron and Steve Rude: Horatio Hellpop is a man who has been granted incredible power by an alien being known as “The Merk.” The catch is, in exchange for this power, Horatio has to go out into the universe and destroy the worst criminals in existence. If he doesn’t, he receives life-ruining nightmares. Part Star Trek and part Dexter, this space opera is grand in scale and is beautifully drawn.
Daytripper | Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon
Meaghan Trainor | Epic Records
Culture 11
Celebrities and female body issues: the booty Monita Ranu Contributor
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he term feminism is often synonymous with man-hating, or a concept completely independent of traditional “femininity.” However the face of feminism is so different for each individual that it is often unrecognizable from one person to the next. For this reason, celebrities who address feminist issues through news, music, or social media are often criticized for their own take on feminism. There is a recent trend in celebrity feminists addressing female body issues, from Nicki Minaj’s single “Anaconda” to Jennifer Lopez’s
new song “Booty.” Both artists feature their biggest asset: their booty. The songs seem to both empower and over-sexualize the female body, leaving listeners either delighted or outraged. Are these songs truly meant to encourage females to embrace their curvier side, or do they simply use the celebrity feminist wave to promote their songs? There is a lot of controversy regarding the message of these songs, but what about a song with a more direct message, such as Meaghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass.” Trainor’s music video is about loving your body in a more modest fashion, and there has been little backlash against its message. Oddly enough, Trainor does not associate herself or her song with feminism, whereas Jennifer
Lopez does consider herself a feminist. Although Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Lopez have taken a more sexual route to the proclamation of owning their body and sexuality, it does not discredit the message of loving your body. A lack of clothing does not restrict something to being oppressive or
insulting. In each case the women proclaim love for their figures and acceptance of their sexuality. These songs attempt to empower women rather than demean feminists. The message, although not necessarily outright feminist, is positive. It is up to the audience to use caution when identifying anything as oppressive or anti-feminist.
Poetry on Campus Andrew Kenway
droppin’
My hairline makes a run for it oh diggity, I mean dignity my face turns heel on my dime (can’t take a penny) drowned in sobriety and for 2/1/2/3 years, couldn’t look straight down up, or side to cyanide you can’t look down whew, just a tumour The phone has no hook to be off of You got to call it before someone else does
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Culture
Doctor Who halfway review Colin Slark Team Member
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eries eight of Doctor Who has just reached the midway point of its season. For those who have yet to jump into the twelfth Doctor’s adventures, here is a brief, spoiler-free review of the first seven episodes. The Good: The best thing about the new Doctor is that the show feels somewhat refreshed. The Matt Smith era started to feel a bit repetitive in its storytelling and the problem of the week seemed to always be solved by him yelling or stumbling into a deus ex machina. Peter Capaldi’s Doctor feels a bit more cerebral. You can see him trying to find solutions to problems and it feels like he’s more of a participant in his stories, rather than a bystander. His cranky attitude is also a nice change of pace after two Doctors who were super nice guys. There’s a little bit of moral ambiguity, and the show feels a little more adult.
The Bad: Unfortunately, if you didn’t like companion Clara in the previous series, you won’t find much difference here. She has had a couple good moments, but overall it seems like the writers don’t really know what to do with her after the resolution of her big mystery in series seven. The new Doctor is solid overall, but sometimes he feels a little too combative. Some of the situations that the Doctor and Clara encounter seem like they could have been solved much earlier if he wasn’t always trying to teach Clara a lesson. It could be an interesting character trait, but in many cases it just pads the episode’s running time. Overall: This season has been thoroughly average so far. There has only been one really bad episode, but in contrast there have been only two excellent episodes with the rest falling somewhere in the middle. If you’re already a Who fan, you can watch it safely without fear of something truly dreadful. If you’re a new watcher, it’s not the best introduction to the series
Six point weekend! Robert Murray Contributor
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he last game action at the NCSSL fields for the UNBC Timberwolves ended differently for the men’s and women’s soccer teams, though the future remains bright for both clubs. The men’s TWolves ended the home portion of their schedule with a pair of victories over the Trinity Western University Spartans, taking 5-3 and 1-0 decisions on the weekend to keep their name in the CWUAA playoff picture for the time being. On the other side of the ball, the women’s soccer team endured through another pair of weekend defeats, their fourth straight weekend witnessing the same result. This time, it was the Spartans doing the damage to the TWolves, earning 2-0 and 4-1 defeats over the home side. Men take pair from Spartans On saturday, a combination of the team’s desire to shake off a six-game losing streak and impress the home crowd in their final set of home games for the season paid off in a 5-3 victory for the club. The TWolves built a 3-1 lead early in the second half thanks to a goal from Brett Bobier before allowing two quick goals to tie the game up. Rookie forward Brandon Marshall led the way for the TWolves with a hat trick, including a well-timed header in the 73rd minute to put his team ahead of the Spartans for good. On sunday, the team’s defence took over the responsibility in earning the victory — their third of the season and a club record since the team join the CIS ahead of the 2012 season. Goalkeeper Ty Venhola made a season-high 15 saves and Francesco Bartolillo scored his second goal of the season in the 84th minute to give the TWolves their first weekend sweep in their history of Canada West play.
The victories put the TWolves three points back of the University of Fraser Valley Cascades for the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division of the Canada West Conference. Losing streak continues for women With their losing streak reaching eight games this past weekend, the women’s soccer TWolves will have to wait another season for a chance to earn their way into the post-season, but have some positives to drawn on heading into their final two games of the season. The club dropped the aforementioned 2-0 and 4-1 results to the Spartans on the weekend, the top team in the country and the second-best offence in the CanadaWest conference. The wins were an improvement on the TWolves’ play against the Spartans in the previous two years, which resulted in 4-0 and 7-0 losses. Allowing an average of 3.1 goals per game this season, the figure has risen from the 2.08 the club allowed a year ago, but is still on the right side of the 5.29 they allowed two years ago. While the team is lagging behind in several statistical categories from last season, including goals scored, goals allowed and opponents shot percentage, the team has a chance to make amends for them in their final two games of the season. In a league where overall points do the final talking for measuring a team’s success, the TWolves can set a new career high for points in a season with a win and a draw Thanksgiving weekend against the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack. Both TWolves clubs played their final regular season games this past weekend in a trip to Kamloops to face the WolfPack. Results for those games were not available as of press time.
Sports
Entering a New Ice Age Brady Stark Team Member
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ubbed “the New Ice Age”, the sale of the PG Cougars to a group led by Greg Pocock was the first step in changing the feelings around the town in regards to the team. For the past seven seasons, the team has been on a downward spiral. This led to ever-decreasing fan support; last year only saw about 1700 fans per game in an arena that holds roughly 6000. Since the new ownership began this past summer, there has been an excess of positive energy surrounding the team both on and off the ice, with a near sell out of the CN centre for the first regular season game in over a decade.
The new ownership brought in general manager Todd Harkins to boost energy on ice. Next, we have his son Jansen Harkins, a rumoured high draft pick, adding to the excitement even further. Pocock has spoken at length about the importance of identifing the issues that plagued the team, fans, and former ownership. Management is dedicated towards making the Cougars a desirable team to play for. Pocock sayd that he is eliminating the excuses. As the Cougars enter this New Ice Age, fans can only hope that their team is not left out in the cold again.
globalresearch.ca
News The Islamic State and Canadian perspective James Mangan Team Member
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n October 6, the House of Commons began their debate on Canada’s role against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. ISIS gained global recognition over the past few months after expanding out from the Syrian civil war and taking control of northern Iraqi cities. Their public relations department has released videos depicting crimes against human rights, including beheadings and other atrocities, to the horror of the civilized world. The major federal parties all agree that ISIS is a global threat, and action must be taken against this organization. However, even with Canada’s fighter jets already contributing to the effort, Canadians are divided over the exact contribution Canada should provide. Regardless of one’s stance on this issue, Canadians must resist the urge to give into cynicism or apathy. Inaction through cynicism and apathy, as opposed to reasonable debate, leaves Canadians without any legitimacy to hold their politicians responsible for their decisions. Before this article can continue, an important distinction must be made: this is
not another Iraq war. Past conflicts in Iraq have been waged against the state, ruled by the former dictator Saddam Hussein. After the US armed forces removed Hussein from government, Iraq descended into a civil war among the various warlords. The US was forced to remain in Iraq and rebuild the institutions of governance destroyed during this conflict. The term used to describe this situation is “quagmire.” ISIS is not recognized as a legitimate governing body, and therefore does not represent any recognizable state. War is being declared against an organization, not a nation. However, opponents of the military response to ISIS still fear that a coalition attack against ISIS in northern Iraq could result in another quagmire. The Conservative Party of Canada has supported the use of Canadian jets in Iraq to combat ISIS forces. On the day debate began in the House of Commons, Canada’s F-16s were already on their way to the middle east. The Conservatives have made their position clear: destroy ISIS before they become an imminent threat to Canada. In an attempt to show the west that Canada is still a major global actor, the Conservatives seem eager to participate in global defense.
The Conservatives have also attempted to brand themselves as the Canadian federal party willing to fight terror on a global scale. The opposition parties, on the other hand, are wary of devoting military-grade resources to the fight against ISIS. Both the Liberal Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party of Canada are in support of contributing to the struggle against ISIS, but Liberal leader, Justin Trudeau, has made it publicly clear that the Liberals do not support the deployment of any F-16 jets or Canadian troops for the purposes of combat missions. Rather, the Liberals support continued humanitarian relief to local communities defending themselves from ISIS, as well as allied Iraqi forces. The longer the NDP wait to hear the details concerning the Conservative’s intentions in Iraq, the more they are supporting humanitarian intervention over military intervention. Regardless of whether one agrees with a certain political party or advocates for non-intervention, there is one thing in which all Canadians agree: the need for discourse. This is the time for Canadians to ask themselves about Canada’s global presence and responsibilities. Should Canada
be engaging in airstrikes against a foreign organization? How many troops should be deployed in the Middle East to fight ISIS? Should we even be providing humanitarian aid to local groups fighting in either Iraq or Syria? Right now, every Canadian can contribute by having these discussions. Since the Conservatives hold a majority government, Canada will likely contribute military resources in the form of airstrikes, as well as contribute more ground troops for the purposes of advising Iraqi forces. Regardless, the discussions that Canadians are having right now will influence the future of this country. Despite what some people may think, politicians have to listen to the overwhelming voice of the electorate (their jobs depend on it), and one day Canadians will have to look back and consider whether they’ve advocated for the right decision. If cynicism towards past Iraqi conflicts results in Canada’s inaction, Canada will have failed to uphold its global responsibilities to peace and sovereignty. However, if apathy dictates what occurs in the middle east, Canadians will have lost any right to hold their politicians accountable. Right now in Canada, cynicism and apathy are much more dangerous than ISIS.
News 15
Free expression not so welcome at many universities Maryna Dakhno Team Member
T
he Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms has recently released the 2014 Campus Freedom Index. Every year, universities across Canada are graded based on how they support free expression amongst students, and whether or not they do what their policies state using a five tier scale: A, B, C, D, and F. Every campus receives four letter grades, for university policies, university practices, student union policies, and student union practices. This year, Canada’s universities and students’ unions only received five A’s among 208 grades awarded to 52 campus. Last year, among 180 letter grades given to 45 campuses, our universities, along with student unions, got six A’s. The numbers definitely show that 2013 was a bad
year for university students to peacefully practice free expression and exchange of ideas in Canada.
Ryerson University, Simon Fraser University, St. Thomas University, University of King’s College, and the University of Lethbridge.
Taxpayers pay the bill for university resources when administration attempts to shut down student speech or engage in court action. According to the Index, the 24 campuses earning at least one ‘F’ grade receive more than $6.5 billion annually from our government so they can live up to the goal of their policies and practices of free expression. It shows that these universities are failing to do so, and taxpayers should hold them accountable.
Impressively, Acadia Students’ Union improved their ‘C’ in practices from last year to an ‘A,’ for its defence of their student newspaper, The Athaenium. Their printing contractor refused to print an issue on female sexuality depicting a sketch of semi-nude woman on front cover. ASU worked harmoniously with both parties to reach a compromise, and offered to pay for an opaque cover to block the ‘graphic’ image. University of Regina hit the biggest landslide in its grades by moving down from ‘A’ for defending free speech in the face of public pressure to an ‘F’. On April 14, 2014, two peaceful protesters were arrested, handcuffed, and removed from campus for holding up signs expressing highly unpopular
UNBC and NUGSS were not amongst the ten worst for upholding free expression. According to the Campus Freedom Index, the best universities in the country for upholding the free exchange of ideas were:
views. One of the signs read “sodomy is a sin.” Students across Canada and JCCF are hoping to one day have every university and students union earn only A’s for their policies and practices. When censoring students’ creativity or shutting down displays that may or may not express views which are not favourable by others, universities are not only risking getting lower grades on the Campus Freedom Index, but are also violating Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Most of the violations happened against demonstrations of unpopular views concerning controversial subjects such as abortion, sexuality, or religion. This makes me question students’ ability to consider how their not-so-popular views will affect those around them.
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