Dear Editor,
I think it was Premier Mike Harcourt who once said that the NDP are “guests in power” in B.C. This is an accurate reflection of the political climate in the province as the right of centre parties usually have the media, business, and big money behind them to hold onto power indefinitely.
Below are three wishes for the New Year that a future NDP government can legislate to help level the electoral landscape.
Wish #1: Lower the voting age to 15. If youth are old enough to work and pay taxes, they should be entitled to vote. Youth are also a huge disenfranchised ...
“Israel is a terrorist state, and its acts are terrorist acts.” —Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey.
Erdogan said this in reaction to the treatment of Gaza citizens, especially children, during the latest standoff between Israel and Palestine. And I have to agree with him.
In reaction to the killing of a Hamas military leader, Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip began firing rockets towards Israel. Israel responded by bombing the Gaza strip, amassing troops on the border, and threatening a land invasion. Rockets and bombs were launched on both sides for several days. Palestinian ...
There’s no doubt about it, although the shuttle program has ended and the space program is in jeopardy, we’re living through a Renaissance of Out-of-This-World discoveries and exploration of the universe.
Earlier this year, here on Earth, the Higgs boson was found—a theory since the 1960s, the Higgs is the carrying particle of the field that gives mass to everything in the universe, and one of the most basic mechanisms that allows for us to exist. Big news? For physicists it was monumental. And for about thirty seconds the world was interested, but the vast majority of reactions tend ...
It’s time to replace the Indian Act
Dear Editor,
Hundreds of thousands First Nations people live in Canada and they deserve better than to be shackled by the failed colonial and paternalistic policies of the Indian Act, which has helped deny them their rights, fair share in resources, and fostered mistrust and created systemic barriers to self-determination and success. First Nations have been adamant that we need to move beyond it, yet the government has so far refused to get the ball rolling.
The Indian Act is more than 136 years old and touches every aspect of life of First ...
On Nov. 9, Yves Engler spoke to students and community members at VIU to promote his seventh book, The Ugly Canadian: Stephen Harper’s Foreign Policy.
Engler opened his talk by mentioning the World Statesman of the Year award Harper received in Sept., issued by the Appeal of Conscience Foundation. There was irony in Engler’s voice, and he said he and his colleagues also wanted to present Harper with the Richard Nixon Prize, for “steadfastly protecting the rich and powerful.”
Engler is also the author of The Black Book of Canadian Foreign Policy, to which he did his research using ...
Local music engineer, producer, and instructor Jim Blair’s “Reaper Course” has gained international recognition.
Reaper is a Digital Audio Workstation and is used to record musical instruments directly onto a computer. Blair, a former VIU student, began teaching the course at Arbutus Music Education Centre in Jan.
Recently his class has been adopted by the Kailua Music School in Hawaii, and The Audities Foundation in Calgary. There has also been interest shown by music schools in both Texas and Costa Rica.
Blair has been a professional producer, engineer, and instructor for over ...
BURNABY (CUP)—On Nov. 6, both the states of Colorado and Washington passed ballots legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, raising interest from advocates about the possible impact of the decision in British Columbia, in Washington, 55 percent of voters approved Initiative 502, legalizing the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by anyone over the age of 21.
The question of pot legalization has been a longstanding dispute in B.C., and this change in policy down south has strengthened the cry for similar action here in Canada. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s reaction to the ...
Yasmin Freeman is hoping to be the next premier of B.C. The 48-year-old Ladysmith woman and self-described “university of life” graduate is leading the Citizens Party of British Columbia, a socially driven party, which aims at reducing the poverty gap and giving all citizens a voice in political matters.
Freeman is also hoping to have her name on the ballot next May. Although she leads a fledgling party, Freeman describes herself as apolitical. She says that politics should be universal and allow greater participation from citizens while operating publically so that citizens will be ...
“Strike for fairness,” placards of members of Local 1858 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) read as they picketed VIU’s Nanaimo campus. Classes were cancelled at all four VIU campuses as a reaction of the job action.
Deborah Hopper, President of CUPE Local 1858, says that the support workers at VIU are asking for equal-wage increases as UBC, UVIC, UNBC, and TRU which have all been offered wage increases of zero percent, zero percent, two percent, two percent. “When our proposal was placed on the table, we didn’t ask for any more than [what] had already been given to ...
On Nov. 21, two trained therapy dogs and their handlers visited VIU to help students in residence relieve stress and fears over an impending strike.
The event was originally scheduled to take place in bldg. 193 but was moved to the VIU residence Cedar Centre instead.
The canine ambassadors are part of the St. John Ambulance’s Therapy Dog Program, a program wherein compassionate dogs and handlers visit people in hospitals and long-term care facilities to provide comfort and reduce feelings of stress and loneliness.
Sandra Gaspardone, a volunteer with the St. John’s Ambulance ...
The Vancouver Island University Students’ Union (VIUSU) isn’t wasting any time in preparation for the next B.C. provincial election. Although the election is scheduled six months from now, VIUSU launched their youth voting campaign on Nov. 14.
Very few eligible voters between the ages of 18-24 vote in B.C. provincial elections. According to Elections B.C., in the 2005 General Election, only 35 percent of people aged 18 to 24 voted, a lower rate than any other demographic.
To combat this statistic, VIUSU is participating in Rock the Vote B.C., a province wide initiative of the B.C. ...
“Horse.” It was a single word but it exploded out of the silence from the back seat of the car.
My son Gabriel has autism. I don’t let this diagnosis define him, but that’s not to say “it” doesn’t shape his (our) days. When most mothers were delighting in their child’s first words, I watched my son locked in a silent world. When he wanted a cookie, he took my hand and led me to the kitchen. When he wanted to watch a video, he led me to the TV. Behaviour was his communication: if he had a screaming meltdown at Real Canadian Superstore he wasn’t misbehaving, as the stares of judgmental ...
If you’re tired of the same old scrambled eggs for breakfast, (or let’s face it: soggy bowl of cardboard-corn-pellets,) try this recipe to class it up a bit. This quiche recipe contains Swiss cheese and ham, but possibilities are endless once you have mastered the custard. Make it for dinner and have the leftovers for breakfast or lunch, or get out your pipe and monocle and have it for brunch.
A note about Swiss cheese: if the label says “Swiss cheese,” it’s probably from Canada. Authentic Swiss cheese is usually labeled “Emmenthal” or “Gruyère.”
Crust:
1 cup – ...
“Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not the fish they are after”
—Henry David Thoreau
My dad doesn’t go to church. “The great outdoors is my church, honey,” he’d say as he packed his truck full of fishing gear every Sunday morning, before climbing in with his thermos of hot tea. Every Sunday of my childhood there would be an impasse: my mother would plead with my dad to come to church with us, he would decline, and then there would be war. Inevitably, my sister and I were asked to pray for his salvation, and we did, fervently. If there was a Heaven, we ...
A trip to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) online is an adventure into an immense cabinet of lexiconical wonders. More than just a reference source, the OED is a playground for linguaphiles. The beauty of the OED lies in its search for the historical record of words—each entry features the earliest known usage of each word and as well as several other examples that note how the word has been used over time.
Lexicon: A word-book or dictionary.
As long as the English language has been around, it has changed and adapted to suit cultural needs. And as long as it has done so, there ...
It can be dangerous to admit you love Christmas songs, but at the same time nobody can claim to completely hate them either. Truth be told, the prospect of Mariah Carrey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” being played over and over (and over and over and over) again is enough to dread Dec. However, there are multiple tracks that can save the holiday spirit with Rudolph-like reverence. We at the Navigator have compiled a list of some of our favourite whimsical, nostalgic, and damn-sexy-Dutch numbers that might help to kick-start your Christmas spirit. Or else drive you to your ...
Everyone knows about It’s A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and A Christmas Carol. These are the traditional classics of a traditional holiday. Even A Christmas Story has become an oft-repeated favourite, and most families have their annual film choice already made.
But if you’re looking to try something new, allow me to suggest that this season you take advantage of some of these less-traditional holiday films:
Die Hard
Set on Christmas Eve, this heartwarming story follows John McClane as he comes to LA to visit his wife and prove his devotion to his family, but a ...
Taylor Bates, who is in his first year in the Theatre diploma program at VIU, says “I have been doing shows for years so I knew when I heard there was a play going on I had to be a part of it in one way or another.” However, when he auditioned as a mandatory part of his acting class, he didn’t know he would end up playing one of the two main roles in Leon Potter’s production of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
The 1966 comedy is based on the story of two minor characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, childhood friends of the title tormented prince named Rosencrantz and ...
This holiday season why not consider buying local art?
On Wednesday, Dec. 5 the Art and Design department will be holding its annual Student Art Sale, a one-day-only event not to be missed.
A range of artists with different styles and techniques can be found on our very own campus, with paintings, drawings, prints, ceramics, cards, and much more made by students in all years of the Visual Arts, Graphic Design, and Interior Design programs.
“It’s a terrific bargain,” says painting and drawing professor Jane Cole. “Art pieces will range from around $5 to $500, so there’s something ...
On Friday, Nov. 16, five days after honouring the memory of soldiers on Remembrance Day, VIU students, faculty, and members of the community filled the Malaspina Theatre to listen to History professor Dr. Stephen Davies’ lecture, “Voices Through Time: Letters of The Great War.” In the presentation, which was the third installment in the Fall 2012 Arts & Humanities Colloquium Series, Dr. Davies made use of his online archive, The Canadian Letters and Images Project (CLIP), to discuss what he refers to as “the culture of the letter” and to remind us of the Canadian soldiers who ...
Sean Connery. George Lazenby. Roger Moore. Timothy Dalton. Pierce Brosnan. Now Daniel Craig. Casino Royale introduced us to Craig as “The New Bond.” Quantum of Solace may have stumbled, but he was still “A Bond.” Now Skyfall shows us that Craig is “The Bond.” Perhaps it is because Craig is more actor than movie star; perhaps it is because he has, in Sam Mendes, been given a great drama director rather than just a great action director; or maybe it is because Skyfall has combined some of the best Bond story elements with a touch of The Dark Knight. No matter which reason is cited most, it ...
Six young men from Southern California make up heavy metal band At The Skylines. They have combined their diverse musical influences, from jazz to classic rock, to create their first album, The Secrets of Life.
There is a definite heavy energy throughout the record that is consistent with the expectations of metal music. However, it is not limited to distorted guitars and consistent rumbling of drums. At some point in every song the storm breaks a little and the style softens enough for simple tempo and rhythm to be recognized. In these parts it becomes evident that At The Skylines is ...
The Nanaimo Buccaneers have enjoyed a successful first half of their debut season, thanks in large part to their goaltending. Nanaimo has two strong netminders, one of which is 20-year-old Cameron Large, who is happy to be playing his final year in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) in his home town of Nanaimo.
Large started his VIJHL career with the Comox Valley Glacier Kings, where after a half season he was called up to play Junior A with the Prince George Spruce Kings. He returned to the VIJHL as a strong starting goaltender for the Gladier Kings, and this year he ...
Mount Washington ski resort announced it will open on Friday, Nov. 30, one week earlier than previously scheduled. It is the fourth consecutive year the resort will begin its winter schedule early.
The exact lifts and terrain to be opened will be announced soon, and ski lifts will start running at 9 a.m. Friday morning.
A recent dump of 80cm of fresh snow made the early opening possible, and more snow is expected leading up to this weekend.
Mount Washington is offering an early bird special on 6ixPak lift tickets before Dec.1, saving adults $43 off the winter rate. 6ixPak ...
