This is the second in a contributor series by Stephanie Brown. You can read the first here. Check back next issue for the next chapter of The Long Commute.
When studying abroad, I recommend exploring the country and traveling around early for a few reasons. First, because you will still have money. Second, to give the jet lag time to wear off before orientation and registration week starts. Third, traveling is just plain awesome. Helpful hint: When traveling into England, get your passport stamped. An obvious statement, I know. Who has ever gone through an airport where they did not ...
By contributor James Mackinnon
Bugs rule the world, and the sooner we realize this the better. But let’s clarify that. What many of us usually refer to as “bugs” probably fall into the phylum Arthropoda (Latin for sectioned-legs), a group that includes spiders, mosquitos, crabs, butterflies, and more than a million other invertebrates who live in different environments around the globe. Together, Arthropods make up more than 90 percent of all species on the planet. Many have been around since before the dinosaurs. They’re the honeybees that pollinate our crops and the blackflies that ...
The Kitasoo community school is raising money to send students on a trip to visit universities in Vancouver and Nanaimo.
The school is sending 11 of its 40 students on the trip to gain experience of what a BC university is like. In May, the group is scheduled to visit UBC, SFU, and VIU over a nine-day trip.
Junior high school teacher Kathryn Ovenell-Carter said the students are really excited. “Living somewhere so remote, this is a great opportunity for the kids to experience things others take for granted.”
“Kids in small communities have extra barriers when it comes to ...
By contributor Marilyn Assaf
VIU graduate Breanne Quist is in the running for a national honour: the Ernest C. Manning Innovation Award, dubbed the most prestigious innovation award in Canada.
Quist has been nominated for her work creating The Privacy Compass, a website designed to help BC teachers, parents, and schools navigate privacy issues when selecting and using learning management systems and social media tools like Twitter, Pinterest, and other blogs.
Nominees are Canadians who have demonstrated recent innovative talent in developing and successfully marketing a new ...
Dr. Marc Trudel of Nanaimo’s Pacific Biological Station delivers a free public lecture January 21 at VIU’s Nanaimo campus about the migration patterns of the Pacific salmon.
By contributor Marilyn Assaf.
Everything from astronomy, to glaciation, to human nutritional needs will be discussed by expert scientists during VIU’s free Science & Technology lecture series.
The weekly lecture series is open to the public Wednesday nights at VIU’s Nanaimo campus until April. Each lecture is delivered by a local scientist or visiting scientist from as far away as Prince Edward ...
It was an up-and-down few weeks for the Mariners’ men’s basketball team as they suffered their first loss of the season on the road, then returned home to pick up their biggest win of the season.
On January 16, the Mariners traveled to Vancouver to take on the Langara Falcons in a rematch of last year’s PacWest Championship game. The Mariners got off to a strong start, taking a 17-13 lead after the first quarter. But in the second quarter the Falcons came out strong, taking a 36-29 lead going into halftime. The Mariners responded well in the third quarter, trimming the Falcon lead to ...
With only eight games left before the VIJHL playoffs, the Nanaimo Buccaneers are fighting for home ice advantage, sitting two points behind the Comox Valley Glacier Kings for second place in the North division standings.
Nanaimo has struggled recently, winning just two of their last 10 games. But the team has shown an ability to beat the league’s best teams, including a convincing 7-4 victory over the visiting Campbell River Storm on January 17 at the Nanaimo Ice Centre. The team’s last two victories have come against the Campbell River Storm who exacted revenge on home ice with a ...
Students in Dover Bay Secondary School’s knitting club recently donated handmade items to the 7-10 Club. Above, from left to right: Megha Chauhan; Gordon Fuller, Chair of the Board, 7 to 10 Club; William Sanderson; Alycia Patenaude; Shannon Busby, teacher; Hayley Farenholtz; and Katie Lundman. Busby started the knitting club as a community action project for an Anthropology of Homelessness class she took at VIU.
By contributor Marilyn Assaf.
“A small act of kindness when multiplied by millions of people can transform the world.”
Those words spoken by Toronto street nurse ...
As the provincial championships get closer, the Mariners’ play keeps getting better. The team split their two games this past weekend, but had won six in a row coming into the weekend.
The Mariners traveled to Abbotsford for games against the Fraser Valley University Cascades on January 23 and 24.
The Cascades took an early lead in the first match between the two teams, winning the first two sets to take a commanding lead. But they battled back, winning the third set before evening the match by winning the fourth set in a tie breaker 27-25. The Mariners looked to complete the ...
The Nanaimo Clippers have shown that they are one of the best JR hockey teams in Canada. The team has been around the national rankings all season, ranking as high as 11 in the country at one point. Now, as the BCHL season enters its final month, the Clippers have a commanding hold on first place in the Island division.
The Clippers’ last game was at home against the visiting Cowichan Valley Capitals on January 23 in the eighth and final meeting between the two teams. The Clippers dominated the opening period, outshooting the Capitals 20-9 and taking a 1-0 lead on a goal by Cole ...
Bad customer service is like an insect, the kind that burrows beneath your skin, laying eggs of resentment, and feeding until you’re left with a festering pus pocket. It may not actually hurt, but the experience stays with you, itchy, just enough to annoy you.
On the receiving end of bad customer service it’s fair to ask yourself, “Was I the asshole?” Working in the service industry is tough, and I make a point of being pleasant to service staff. So let’s be clear—it’s not my fault and I don’t ask for it. We’ll drop the blame-the-victim mentality.
Consumers have a lot of choice ...
The VIU Mariners are once again proving to be the class of the PacWest, no matter the sport. Consistent success in the standings across every sport makes the Mariners a perennial threat to win the league’s yearly aggregate trophy, which is awarded to the institution which accumulates the most points in league-play across all sports.
The Mariners’ quest for another aggregate trophy, an award they have seemingly become the annual winner of, got off to a strong start with both the men’s and women’s soccer teams finishing first place in the standings.
The Mariners’ men’s and women’s ...
Since the prevalence of camera-phone technology, we’ve all sort of become hobby multimedia journalists, mostly reporting on our own lives, but also mixed in with some good ol’ citizen journalism. As a byproduct of my formal photojournalism training, I think I’ve also learned some good camera-phone photography etiquette. I’d like to use this editorial to share it.
When to put your camera-phone away:
1. A little kid is swearing like a mothertrucker.
Maybe this is a bit crotchety of me, but I hate hearing little kids swear. I’d even go as far as saying that finding humour in children ...
As the PacWest volleyball season enters its final four weeks, the battle for position in the standings will be more crucial than ever. The VIU Mariners’ men’s volleyball team has had a strong season so far and have found themselves in the midst of a battle for second place in the standings.
After the first 16 games of the season, the Mariners and their Island rival the Camosun Chargers both have identical 11-5 records, tying them for second place in the standings. Whichever team can capture second place will receive a big boost in the provincial championships, as the first and second ...
The Mariners’ women’s basketball team played their first home game of the year on January 23 against the Capilano Blues. The Mariners sent their fans home happy with a thrilling 48-46 comeback victory.
The game was one of the closest of the year for both teams, as neither team managed to take control of the game. The Mariners trailed the Blues 24-22 as the game entered halftime. The Mariners tried to mount a comeback, but the Blues expanded their lead in the third quarter, jumping out to a 40-33 lead at the end of the third quarter. The Mariners played one of their strongest quarters ...
Unfortunately, New Year’s resolutions and peak fruit season don’t really match up. Therefore, those looking to add some brightness to their breakfast could be only left with in-season winter apples and squash. Here are some tips that I use to ensure I’m packing my smoothies with long-lasting, all-day-in-the-library nutrients.
Freeze your spinach and berries: These two are my favourite to add to a smoothie, and they both freeze really well. Lay any berry in one even layer on a tray (they won’t get mushy this way), freeze level, in a few hours; pour the frozen berries into a ...
Now, we know that everyone has their own take on chili, the slow-cooked Mexican staple; The VIU Students’ Union dished up their own recipe this week for students on campus. However, due to “New Year, New You” mantras and gym membership increases, The Nav has decided to add a few happy-stomach veggies to recipe below. Feel free to swap out the beef for any other meat (spicy sausage is a fun twist) or eliminate meat entirely if vegetarian is more your pace. And remember: the longer it simmers, the better it tastes.
Chunky Chili (yields at least 12 servings)
Ingredients:
1 lb ...
This month, theatre and creative writing students gather on campus together to share their craft at the Malaspina Theatre from January 27 to 30. The VIU One Act Festival, held each spring semester, is a 4-night event, showcasing a collection of short plays written by students.
This year, the festival features four plays:
The Dance by Jennifer Cox
This Is Acting by Brigette MacDougall
What’s All the Kissing about Anyways? By Jessie Smith
The Party Monologues by Paige Mader
The Satyr Players, a club formed by VIU students, has held the event annually, and hopes this year ...
Up-and-coming model Amy Lynn Grace and photographer Mike Thompson of Impact Digital Photography
shoot a set of edgy, rocker-themed photos for her portfolio. A variety of backdrops, lighting, costumes, and
props help create a look worthy of a Rolling Stone magazine cover. Over a gruelling eight hours and hundreds
of shots, model and photographer collaborate to realize their shared vision, territory they hadn’t explored
before. The process is intense, exhilarating, and exhausting for both.
Photos by Brennan Hinchsliff unless noted otherwise.
Model: Amy Lynn Grace
...
On Friday, January 2, 18 Indonesian and Canadian exchange students threw a community farewell party at St. Paul’s Anglican Church for the program’s host families, volunteer work placement partners, and other supporters of CWY. Don't forget to check out Voices from Canada World Youth: Indonesia and Canada.
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By contributor Spencer Wilson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YZHlU8dd18
Many of the films seen in today’s theatres can be a sensory overload. Everything is kept in motion to try and salvage the interest of less engaged audience members. There is little value placed in composing a shot so well that the camera does not need to move, and thus the camera is almost always moving. With that in mind, today’s cinema-goers would have a hard time knowing what to make of Yasujirō Ozu, a director whose name is synonymous with the cinematic image of Tokyo, the same as Federico Fellini is ...
By contributor Spencer Wilson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GKlo2xWvuI
When creating a docudrama, the purpose is to show the audience why it was necessary to create one instead of a straight documentary. A great docudrama will offer a unique perspective and sometimes—with elegant subtlety—the director’s personal opinion on the persons or events depicted. If the only interesting part of the film was the historical information, then the docudrama fails to argue its existence. Despite Benedict Cumberbatch’s moving performance in director Morten Tyldum’s The Imitation Game (2014), ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_iDzcUbXvg
By contributor John Gardiner
14 films have been chosen for screening at the 10th annual Vancouver Island Short Film Festival (VISFF) on February 6 and 7. The event will be held at the Malaspina Theatre on Nanaimo’s campus.
This year the VISFF organizers received 65 films to choose from that thoroughly impressed the selection committee. The final selection includes:
Alice and Kevin, by Sam Vint;
At Death’s Door, by Todd Jones;
Craven, by Devon Kuziw;
Crazy Love, by Mathieu Charest;
The Dreamer, by Laurence Fortin Gagnon;
Fingers Cutting Glass, by Evan ...
