By contributor Reid Eccles.
Saturday, January 9: The Nanaimo Clippers downed the Powell River Kings 3-2. Clippers and British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) leading scorer Sheldon Rempal scored twice, including his 17th power play goal of the season. Clippers goaltender Evan Johnson shut the door in the final minutes to maintain the Clipper lead.
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With the semester off to a snowy start, signing up for Campus Rec activities might not seem as enticing as when the sun is shining on a balmy spring day. Though the weather might seem undecided lately, bad weather shouldn’t have to mean compromising your New Year’s resolution to get healthy. The spring 2016 Campus Rec calendar is chock full of activities that will inspire anyone to remain active through this mishmash weather.
Campus Rec offers four core options for the aspiring individual—daily activities with the Outdoor Recreation Program, weekly classes for the more ...
So you may have indulged a little during the holidays and enjoyed the sugar high while it lasted. Saying farewell to sweets might be a bitter goodbye, but it doesn’t have to be. Quick, easy, filling, and with almost no utensils necessary, this family recipe seeks to satisfy sugar’s lingering call in a healthy, alternative way. Word to the wise; it doesn’t take more than one to get that fix.
Recipe makes 18 carob balls.
Ingredients:
¼ cup of carob powder*
½ cup honey
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup coconut (shredded)
* To substitute the ...
By contributor Zoe Lauckner
The holidays have ended and it’s back to school for the spring semester. For some, this season is relaxing and uplifting, but for others, Christmas is a time of financial hardship and straining family dynamic—or is it just me? Regardless of the quality of your holiday season, the beginning of term is a good time for self-care reminders. This issue’s column outlines a few ways to help kickstart your term and maintain your sanity.
You’re probably not feeling overwhelmed with homework yet, but it’s only the second week of the term. I know from experience ...
You wouldn’t think that hockey and mental health go together, but with lots of time spent on the road and away from family, those in the sport don’t have it easy. Myles Mattila, 16-year-old Okanagan Rockets right wing and mental health advocate, challenges those preconceptions.
Signs of mental health issues aren’t always apparent— something Mattila can attest to. After noticing a change in his teammate’s mood during the hockey season, a bit of probing revealed that his friend was struggling with depression. Wanting to be there for him, Mattila wishes he had known about ...
This February, The Sheepdogs will begin their Canadian tour in Vancouver. Making a stop in Nanaimo on February 21, the band is riding high after releasing their new album, Future Nostalgia, last October.
The Sheepdogs are known for their vintage-style video for “I Don’t Know,” a nod to Woodstock in 1969. The band followed with a self-titled album in 2012, receiving high praise, and comparisons to classic rock legends like Creedance Clearwater Revival, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and The Guess Who.
“Some bands try to emulate one type of band,” Gullen says. “We don’t try to do that.” Gullen says the ...
There’s simply no denying that the Star Wars franchise is one of the biggest science fiction film series in the history of film or science fiction. According to StatisticBrain.com, the films alone have grossed more than $4 billion—add that to over $1 billion in DVD and VHS sales, plus the billions made from toys, books, video games, and licensing. It’s easy to see why the series is ubiquitous, and while it could be argued that there are more important or better-executed science fiction films out there, surely none are quite as universal as this one.
Even at its worst, Star Wars has ...
2016 will have arrived by the time this makes it to print, but at the time of writing it is still the past; how cool is that? The year ahead promises to be full of great things, so here are 10 things (in no particular order) that I am wildly excited for, and you should be too. Not included in this list are The Revenant and The Hateful Eight, which were easily the best movies from the first week of 2016.
Movies:
The Witch
A horror movie about witches that did exceptionally well at Sundance festival, The Witch is definitely something to get excited about. The trailer is dark, brutal, ...
Above: It Follows art poster courtesy of Radius and Northern Lights Films
2015 has come and gone, and what better way to celebrate its passing than by taking a look at the best things about the year behind us—provided that you watch movies, play video games, or enjoy the other sampling of things that I have included here. It’s also worth saying that I did not see every movie, nor play every game in the last year, so it’s possible that your favourite thing isn’t here, or that it’s terrible.
Movies:
The Martian
One of the most engaging and thrilling movies in recent memory, The ...
Within a single block radius of my house there are at least two dozen sets of Christmas lights still dangling from gutters. I question the logistics of calling them “Christmas lights” when they hang from the end of November through to mid-January. Really, they’re just winter lights—a much-needed paint during a desaturated season. One house has a string of lights tangled like yarn in their barren deciduous tree, because nothing is more festive than strapping a party hat to a corpse.
It was just past eight on the night of December 31 when my girlfriend, Jess, and I walked through the ...
By contributor Rob Wilson.
Last March, Saanich Police pulled over 42-year-old veteran Shanon Fenske as he was heading northbound along the Trans-Canada Highway, doing 70 km/h in a 50 zone.
As Fenske rolled down the window of his 2009 Kia Sportage, the pungent smell of marijuana flooded out and into the nostrils of the officers. In the back of the Sportage, stuffed into a backpack, was 10 grams of marijuana.
Although the possession of marijuana is illegal under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, Fenske was sent on his way after some questioning by the officers—without even a ...
Above: Whiffin spit in Sooke is a remarkable place to observe the blending of science and spirituality.
By contributor Chantelle Spicer.
It is a fine line that one must walk to see the natural world through both scientific and spiritual realities. Being enculturated into a western-minded society, it is incredibly difficult to find such a balance without thinking of myself or being labelled as hypocritical. I constantly question the validity of each realm while also deeply believing in both.
It is a widely held understanding that there is an irreconcilable rift between the ...
Above: Edgewood treatment facility via edgewood.ca
"You must be Spenser,” says a wide-smiled receptionist. “You’re here for Bill, right? He’ll be up in a minute. Take a seat.”
Bill Caldwell arrives and we walk to the coffee shop, Rascals, inside Edgewood, a residential treatment centre for addiction. Bill orders his coffee, and then asks me if I want anything. I don’t drink coffee, and order a small hot chocolate instead.
“Small hot chocolate?” he says. “Someone offers you a free drink and that’s what you order?
“I don’t have as much humility as you,” he laughs.
We walk to ...
Sometimes it’s hard to get out of bed after a nice long holiday and trudge through the rain and snow to class. But the VIUSU is there to make your return to campus more exciting. The VIUSU offers free events and services for students, including Frost events, a variety of clubs, an international discount card, a smartphone app, and advocacy.
Every January, the VIUSU welcomes students back to school with a series of (mostly) free events called VIUSU Frost. On January 13 Straight Outta Compton will be playing at the VIU gym at 7:30 p.m. On January 14, from 8 to 11 a.m., there will be a ...
Above: Doug White via dougwhiteforchief.com
By contributor Chantelle Spicer
The idea of reconciliation between First Nations and non-Indigenous peoples was heavy in the minds of many people this year, and it’s one which will continue to profoundly shape our social, political, and legal worlds for years to come. After many events concerning reconciliation in the fall of 2015 here at VIU, as well as the release of findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), my mind reeled with how we as citizens are to proceed. Following the mindset of the Indigenous epistemic ...
Maybe you thought we were being attacked, a gas leak exploded, a car ran into your house, or you were tripping out. Maybe you were shaken awake or maybe you were away for the break and missed out.
Either way, the magnitude 4.9 earthquake on December 29 sprouted 20 km north of Victoria rattled houses and resulted in a flooding of frantic status updates on Facebook feeds. It was felt throughout the southwest coast of Vancouver Island and well into the Vancouver area, inspiring a reminder to many that our homes are situated in an earthquake-prone zone.
Earthquakes are a common occurrence ...
It’s two weeks into the New Year. How are your resolutions coming along? Maybe you’re going strong (yay you!), maybe you’ve slipped up, or maybe you just haven’t made any. The thing is, just because we’ve turned a new year on our calendar doesn’t mean everyone is feeling the drive to change themselves or start something new come January 1. Change and new beginnings will come at different times throughout the year for different people. Yet, there’s something to be said about the thoughts that may go through your head as you first begin to accustom yourself to saying 2016.
2015 brought ...
By contributor Gordon Hak
In its six-year history, the Arts and Humanities Colloquium Lecture Series has pushed limits, encouraging us to think about new things as well as old things in new ways. The upcoming presentation promises again to stretch boundaries. The talk and show, entitled “Meridian.is: Collaborative Performance Research,” brings together four faculty members from three departments.
The collective features Robin Davies (electronic music), Kevin Mazutinec (digital video and animation), Justin McGrail (spoken word), and Marian van der Zon (instruments). As a foursome, they ...
VIU’s Let’s Get Consensual Campaign is paving the road for progress in combating sexual assault.
In September, VIUSU’s Women’s Representative Connie Graham announced she wanted to follow in the footsteps of the UVic campaign and build a stronger presence of informative actions on the reality of sexual assault on campus. Now, through the VIU Women’s Collective, Graham is planning several opportunities for VIU students and staff to educate themselves on strategies for combating this issue.
“In early December, VIUSU had representatives from UVic do a detailed presentation of the campaign ...
If you have made a New Year’s resolution to gain more professional experience or showcase your hard work, VIU’s CREATE Conference might be just the thing you need.
With the intention to represent the diversity of student work, the annual VIU CREATE Conference gives students of all programs the opportunity to showcase their major projects. On March 30, students are invited to present displays and participate in oral presentations to highlight their efforts and accomplishments.
The event aims to give students a chance to earn experience; credentials; networking opportunities with ...
Campus Rec has you covered when it comes to keeping those New Year’s Resolutions this semester. Chock full of activities that will inspire anyone to remain active through this rough patch of snow, the Spring 2016 calendar classes are filling up fast.
Programs like Outdoor Recreation, with caving at Horne Lake, snow shoeing and Tofino surfing day-trips are cheap, convenient and tons of fun for students wanting to remain active this semester, without having to be bound by weekly classes. Though cancelling is an option, the class itself will run regardless of weather conditions which ...
There’s no better way of saying hello to the new year than taking all the money you received at Christmas and using it to buy textbooks, right? But even all the money you received won’t cover the cost of your textbooks—those babies are expensive. Don’t worry, though, because we’ve got you covered. And by that I mean we can help you find cheaper textbooks; we won’t buy them for you (sorry).
Hands down, the best way to buy textbooks is online. There are a multitude of websites that sell textbooks new or used, and some that even rent textbooks. There are also websites that will do all ...
by philip gordon
i’m continually baffled in a mostly passive way
by the way in which ‘normal’ people have conversations.
two guys sitting next to me in starbucks are talking
and guy one (big ears, black leather jacket, blue shirt, scruffy black
facial hair, high-ish voice) has been talking
for like five minutes about basically just irrelevant things
people he knows have done recently and guy
two (white/grey hair, grey/green sweater, playing with his
iphone in a blue case they’re both wearing blue
jeans did i mention that) is smiling and
resting his chin in ...
By contributor Farida El Sheshing
Back home, my family and I have always celebrated Christmas. I never asked why, but I often wondered. We would buy a foldable, plastic Christmas tree and spend days decorating it with whatever we came across, along with many colourful lights. After years of storing and reusing it, we would replace the tree just to keep it looking as decent as any Christian would want it to look. Growing up as a Muslim, my parents taught me to respect others, regardless of their identity. There is a popular verse in the Qur’an in Islam that says, “You have your ...