The Beautiful Poetry of Donald Trump by Robert Sears
Sears takes Donald Trump’s tweets and transcripts and rearranges them into thoughtful and sensitive verse poems. This is a fun method of found poetry and I want to own a copy so very, very badly—everyone knows I want to own a copy!
2017-2018 Moleskine 18 Month Softcover Weekly XL Notebook Diary/Planner
This journal has changed my weekly planning game immensely. I love that it’s softcover so it lays flat while open on the table. Every week has a weekly calendar page on one side and a blank lined page on the other, which allows ...
The kettle whistled on the kitchen stove. Alice took the tea towel that was hanging on the handle of the oven door and wrapped it loosely around her hand. She lifted the steaming kettle from the ring. On her mug were a dozen or so cat-faces. They stared up at her as she dropped a single tea bag into the mug; Lapsung Sencha Jade Nirvana. She poured the water. Usually, she preferred plain black tea, but she had run out. It had been several days since she had been to the store. She wasn’t ready to face the world. This was her first taste of the “special” green tea, purchased from the tea ...
Each of the following films and TV shows examine the issues at the root of the intensely racist climate modern culture has inherited from the abuses and trials of its forefathers. Three extremely different time periods are covered, all dealing with different prejudices and violence against ethnic groups. If you’re open to broadening your view of historical events, though not without bias, any of these is a good place to start.
Mudbound, Feature Film, Netflix 2017, Directed by Dee Rees.
Set in the late 1930s and ’40s, Mudbound chronicles the stories of two families; one that owns ...
You may have noticed a lot of pictures of artsy planners floating around the internet lately. I’m here to tell you that this isn’t just your imagination, because the Bullet Journal trend has exploded recently. Bullet journaling, though unique for everyone, combines elements of a journal, sketchpad, and a planner with a bit of graphic design all rolled into one notebook. They are wholly creative, practical, and negate lugging around a bunch of notepads for different things. If you’re like me and thrive on organization, or just want to try your hand at journaling, this is for you. Some ...
For those who believe games aren’t just for children; these holiday-themed activities are perfect for get-togethers and small parties.
Guess How Many Ornaments on the Christmas Tree
This is a great icebreaker to use while waiting for guests to arrive. If you don’t have a Christmas tree, you can have people guess the number of candies in a bowl, or whatever strikes your fancy.
Gingerbread Decorating Contest
This is one of the most intensely competitive holiday games in existence. Even those who claim that they can’t draw/paint/decorate cookies enjoy this game (and often win). ...
Even in a time when Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell sold out in London and Hamilton broke out of Broadway to become a cultural sensation, it has been questioned whether theatre is still relevant. People these days spend a lot of time watching movies and television. The entertainment industry keeps pace with technology, yet theatre still exists.
No matter what medium, people become attached to characters and feel connected to them in some way. With live theatre, it’s not just watching the story but experiencing it, seeing the characters come alive right in front of you. Seeing something ...
These are like a spicy, chocolatey version of snickerdoodles; perfect for those who like their cookies with a bit of a bite.
Ingredients
½ cup vegan butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
¼ cup vegan milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour (can be gluten-free)
2 tsp baking powder
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cayenne
⅛ tsp ground black pepper
pinch salt
⅓ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp cayenne
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 °C. Cream together vegan butter/margarine and 1 cup sugar. Mix in vegan milk and vanilla. Add next seven ...
The following are some methods I’ve found helpful for relieving my own stress. Since everyone is different, they may not all work for you, and that’s okay—but give ‘em a try.
Break Things into Steps
When a stressful event appears on my horizon I find it helpful to, if possible, break it into steps. I find this especially helpful for social events. Instead of concentrating on all the things I need to do to prepare, which can be overwhelming, I dissect it. On the day of the event, say, I would tell myself that all I need to do is to get out of the house by a certain time, and try to ...
The BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) Inquiry into Site C was long overdue. Its final report is based on an independent review of contradictory evidence, expert testimony, and public and First Nations’ input.
The inquiry process was completed on time and provides compelling information in support of cancelling this project.
We urge you to resist the temptation now to re-test the evidence in the court of public opinion, with lobbyists and the project proponent. The latter groups have already provided their input to the Commission, as have a range of experts and those opposed to the ...
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
Was he pushed or did he jump?
Thus began the murder hunt.
Little Miss Muffet had been nearby.
They found traces of curds and whey,
Incy Wincy Spider had sat down beside her
and seen her going away.
Three blind mice had threatened Hump twice,
But it certainly wasn’t them.
They’d been up the clock with Dickory Doc,
Their alibi was a gem.
The Inquiry was stumped,
When it turned out Hump jumped,
In a fit of doom and gloom.
He’d never more kiss, with the women he missed.
’Cos his dish ran away with a spoon.
I was sweaty.
The sun pressed into my pale neck as I dragged my way to my friend’s house. As usual, I was overdressed, wearing multiple layers despite the heat. It was a habit I had indulged in for years. I was the kid in July wearing jeans, a t-shirt, a button-up, and possibly a cardigan. My shirt felt like it was melting across my shoulders as I trudged the clean sidewalks of quiet suburbia.
My small circle of St. Albert friends usually convened at Ryan Brodney’s house. His divorced mother had given him the entire basement, and it’d become a chamber of wasted youth. The walls ...
Complete the following list, then insert the answers into the paragraph below.
Adjective: _____________________
Adjective: _____________________
Noun: _____________________
Place name: _____________________
Word that starts with V: _____________________
Word that starts with I: _____________________
Word that starts with U: _____________________
Year number: _____________________
Person’s name: _____________________
Adjective: _____________________
Type of animal, plural: _____________________
Type of food, plural: _____________________
Adjective: ...
The VIU Mariners men’s hockey club has continued its inaugural season with some great play as of late. While closing out the month with an even record, there are reasons to be enthusiastic about the young club. Great performances from the likes of Gage Colpron, who was named the BCIHL Player of the Week, show a glimpse of the talent level this team has.
November was a rough start for the Mariners as they dropped a 4-3 game to the shot-heavy Trinity Western University Spartans on November 4. The following weekend the boys saw themselves get blown out by Simon Fraser University 8-1 at ...
Fish farming is a young industry on the BC coast. It started originally with ‘mom and pop’ run farms in the 1970s, to supplement the market demand. Since then, the industry has become a cornerstone of BC’s agricultural exports, but with that have come a lot of negative associations.
In regions along BC’s coast and Vancouver Island, activists and indigenous groups have protested the active use of fish farms in traditional waters. Protesters are concerned with what they perceive as a threat against wild salmon populations.
In 2007, a study published in Science Magazine predicted that ...
I love a good murder mystery, a chilling cold case, or an old-fashioned whodunit tale. With winter break on quick approach, what better way to fill all those habitually sleepless nights than with a brand new must listen list? In no particular ranking order, here is enjoyable ear candy for those in the crowd tired of Let it Go and It’s a Wonderful Life.
Alice Isn’t Dead - From the creators of Welcome to Nightvale, Alice Isn’t Dead is an audio diary of a truck driver travelling across America to find her wife. In her quest, she comes across a conspiracy far greater than her missing ...
Running on the treadmill at Vancouver Island University’s gym, listening to a playlist of old ’90s rap, “Shook Ones” by Mobb Deep begins playing. It triggers a landslide of memories. The day David Lacroix took a stand for me, a kid he barely knew, floods my mind and I have to decline my speed to think straight. The girl on the treadmill next to me glances over, then goes back to the video on her phone. A bead of sweat collides with my welling tear duct, stinging my eye as the two liquids mesh.
David Lacroix. I had only heard stories about him from the different crowds at Sequim ...
The twenty-six-year streak is over. For the first time in my life, I won’t be spending Christmas with my family.
I moved to Nanaimo from Regina in 2013, but I’ve always made the trip back home during the holidays. This Christmas, though, my parents and several of my five siblings will be vacationing in Jamaica.
The highlight of Christmas when I was younger was, of course, receiving presents. On Christmas Eve, I could never fall asleep at a reasonable time. I’d stay awake, squirming with anticipation, dreaming of Nintendo 64 games and Pokémon cards. My parents have a photo of my ...
On Wednesday, November 22, the Philosophers' Café held a public debate at the Nanaimo Regional Library. The topic was "How Far is Too Far" when deciding how to handle individual life and when to decide that a potentially life-saving procedure costs too much.
The topic was raised because of Valery Spiridonov, a 31-year-old man working as a software developer in Vladimir, Russia. Spiridonov has a rare disease called Werdnig-Hoffmann disease, a genetic disorder that affects muscles and kills motor neurons. Spiridonov was interested in being the first person to have their head ...
What impression do these shoes give? They are worn, they are old, they are torn, they have holes, they are covered in dirt. At first glance these shoes look like they have a sad story. Yet, these shoes belonged to someone. These shoes carry much more than the places they have been. These are the shoes that brought a student to Vancouver Island University. These shoes tell us a story.
As the Peer Support Navigator for Vancouver Island University’s Post-Care tuition waiver program, I first came across the student wearing these shoes in September 2017. They were seeking support to find ...
The culture behind beer is evident in the lives of many people, from going for a beer with friends after a day of work, to being personally involved in the brewing process. People typically include craft beer as a part of their definition of popular culture. I first found myself being roped into the craft beer industry when I was 19, after a friend got me a job as a bartender in a busy downtown restaurant in Calgary, Alberta.
The restaurant, called Beer Revolution, was well known for having staff with extensive knowledge of each of the 24 rotating beers they poured. I had to learn ...
Fred Wah, a quintessential Canadian poet, read at an informal poetry reading and discussion at VIU October 25. Wah endeavored to explain his lifelong project, Music at the Heart of Thinking, which is comprised of several volumes. In describing its original conception, Wah said “music at the heart of thinking started at an intersection in Winnipeg in 1980. The radio was playing Doug and the Slugs. I misheard the title ‘music for the hard of hearing’ as ‘music at the heart of thinking.’” Wah continued his humour-laced, down-to-earth talk to inspire students to take an idea and run with it. ...
I don’t know about you guys, but I definitely needed some pump-up music this month to help get through midterms and the neverending essays. Fortunately, November pulled through with some catchy beats to lift my spirits. Unfortunately, I listen to these songs and break into spontaneous kitchen dance parties, and now I’m not really getting any homework done at all.
N.E.R.D. ft. Rihanna - “Lemon”
First on the list, for good reasons. N.E.R.D. is making a HUGE comeback with this song (their first released in seven years), and Rihanna rapping gives me life. I hope N.E.R.D. continues to make ...
In Bodymap, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha examines the intersection of the body’s internal realities with the effects of the outside world. Described by Annah Anti-Palindrome as “a cartographer’s worst nightmare”, Bodymap plots points in the ideascapes of transformative love and queer desire, both blood and forged familial relations, resiliency among persons of colour, surviving marginalization, finding a loving home within one’s body, and the disabled body existing in an ableist culture.
Piepzna-Samarasinha is a Toronto and Oakland-based writer who has authored Dirty River: A ...
Weekday winter mornings were frantic in my household as a fourth-grader. There was only one shower between me and my four siblings, and we all needed to be properly dressed before walking to school in the cold. Naturally, we fought over the best winter clothing. Our ages varied from five to sixteen, so we each had our own jackets, ski pants, and boots fit for our respective sizes. For everything else, however, the policy was first come, first served. There were two plastic containers on the top shelf in the hallway closet: one stuffed with toques and facemasks, the other with mittens and ...
