Nexus Issue 19-10 Final

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DaviD vs goliatHs Lone student starts anti-Aramark Facebook group and seeks salvation in food quality on campus. noisE aDDict Rock bands with the word Black in their names usually include dudes with gnarly Jesus beards. Fact! Volume 19 Issue 10 January 21, 2009 caMpus—5 aRts—11 Camosun’s Student Voice Since 1990 WoRtH tHE tRip Food critics Guy Alaimo and Donald Kennedy praise the merits of tasty sandwiches and pretty girls. coluMns—14 Filming the harsh realities of Israel’s divided city PAGES 8-9 PHoto:MutHANA AL-QADI

Transcript of Nexus Issue 19-10 Final

DaviD vs goliatHsLone student starts anti-Aramark Facebook group and seeks salvation in food quality on campus.

noisE aDDictRock bands with the word Black in their names usually include dudes with gnarly Jesus beards. Fact!

Volume 19 Issue 10January 21, 2009

caMpus—5 aRts—11

Camosun’s Student Voice Since 1990

WoRtH tHE tRipFood critics Guy Alaimo and Donald Kennedy praise the merits of tasty sandwiches and pretty girls.

coluMns—14

Eye of the stormFilming the harsh realities of Israel’s divided cityPAGES 8-9

PHot

o:M

utH

ANA

AL-Q

ADI

January 21, 20092

Next publication date: Feb. 4, 2009

Deadline: noon Jan. 28, 2009

Address: 3100 Foul Bay Rd., Victoria, BC, V8P 5J2

Location: Lansdowne Richmond House 201

Phone: 250-370-3591

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.nexusnewspaper.com

Publisher: Nexus Publishing Society

NE XUS PUBLISHING SOCIET Y

STU DE NT BOARD M E MBE RS

Kyla FernsKelly MarionLiz McArthurAndrea MoirJason MotzChris PalMiriam Putters

MANAGI NG EDITO R Jason Schreurs

L AYOUT EDITO R

Laila Brown

STU DE NT EDITO R

Tessa Cogman

COPY EDITO R

Alan Piffer

EDITO R IAL A SS ISTANT

Kait Cavers

STAF F WR ITE RS

Guy AlaimoBrendan Kergin

STAF F PHOTOG RAPH E R

Courtney Broughton

ADVE RTIS I NG SALE S

Breanna CareyJason Schreurs250-370-3593Campus Plus NATIONAL1-800-265-5372

DISTR I BUTION

Adrian BinakajAshley Moore

CONTR I BUTO RS:Guy AlaimoAdrian BinakajMichael BrarCourtney BroughtonBreanna CareyKait Cavers Tessa CogmanZan ComerfordShannon GrahamMaelina de GrasseSamantha DoneyMichael DuncanChristopher GillespieToya GrieveBrendan KerginDonald KennedyKeltie LarterKelly MarionChloe MarkgrafJason MotzShane Scott-TravisRhea SmilowskiAlan PifferNathan StamJoel Witherington

the views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors, not of the Nexus Publishing Society. one copy of Nexus is available per issue, per person. Nexus is printed on a mixture of 100 and 40 percent recycled paper. Please recycle your copy. thanks!

Editorial meetingsCome out to our weekly Nexus editorial meetings, where all Camosun students can get involved in their student newspaper. Meetings take place every tuesday at 11:30 am in the Nexus offi ce, richmond House 201, Lansdowne. Call 370-3591 or e-mail [email protected] for more information.

Send a letterNexus prints letters that are 250 words or less in response to previous stories. Nexus reserves the right to refuse publication of letters. Letters must include full name and student number (not printed). Nexus accepts all letters by e-mail to [email protected]

VIEWS

open Space accepts submissions from Camosun students. Submissions to open Space should be 400 words or less. responses to previous articles in Nexus should be 250 words or less.

E-mail submissions to [email protected] and include your name and student number.Open Space

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tEssa cogManStAFF WrItEr

Are you aware that Canadians have the most knowledge about the weather and talk about it more frequently than any other country? Seriously, stop going on dates and asking the person across the table,

“So how aboot this weather, eh?” It’s getting annoying.

Islanders are the worst. Not only do we talk about the weather too much, but the entire island also shuts down at a mere glance of the fl uffy white stuff.

This winter was a brutal one, but I’ve seen students walk to school in four feet of snow in Grande Prairie, Alberta with more snowballs than us. In Victoria the cab companies put their busy tones on instantly, and most family-run restaurants go on vacation.

There’s nowhere to go for food, pizza boys go on strike, buses refuse to drive, and people call in sick to work because they have all-season tires and no snow shovel in sight.

Stop the whining and be prepared! We look like pansies. We’re supposed to live in igloos, remember?

On the other hand, I know a lot of snowboard enthusiasts in Victoria, and this winter acted as a goldmine up at Mount Washington. There was more powder up there than up Hunter S. Thompson’s nose.

The City of Victoria needs to look at this winter as a warning. We need more money put towards our snow budget—we’re the capital city, for Pete’s sake. Some major roads weren’t even plowed and volunteers with bags of salt were seen everywhere. At least we’re a city that has a lot of nice folks with bags of salt.

We’re going to look pretty silly if 10 centimeters of snow shuts down Vancouver during the Winter Olympics. If New Brunswick was hosting the games, it would fi nd a way to keep traffi c moving even if

10 times that amount fell.Yes, far too much emphasis is

put on the weather, and I realize I’m being a hypocrite by writing about it, but if we all complain to

the city to put aside some more time and effort, and buy some bet-ter tires for ourselves, then maybe we won’t have to dig ourselves out next year.

Vancouver Island closed for maintenance

We look like pansies. We’re supposed to live in igloos, remember?

DrAWINg: ADrIAN bINAkAJ

JoEl WitHERingtonCoNtrIbutINg WrItEr

Our world is fi lled with conven-iences. Almost any object we desire is available to us after a quick trip to the shopping mall or corner store.

Globalization has given us cheap products from all over the world. And it’s not hard to get a source of income to buy these cheap goods; student loans, bursaries, rich relatives, and employment on and off campus are available to those who want to spend a bit of time applying, searching, or begging.

But do all the latest gadgets, new clothing, and silly accessories

really give us that much pleasure or happiness? How long does it take before you get tired of your new cell phone, pair of shoes, or latest video game?

Is all the work you put in to get your latest object of desire really worth it? In most cases, it’s not.

Normally the fun and novelty of something new quickly goes away and we’re left with a desire for something else. Start the process over again and go shopping.

Desiring objects can be like an addiction, and feeding this desire just leads to a stronger addiction. It seems the Buddhists were right—the more you have, the more you’ll

desire, while the less you have, the less you’ll desire.

If this weren’t true, then people with the most stuff would be the

happiest in the world, while people who live a life of moderation would be the unhappiest. In my experience, this isn’t the case.

I recommend a life of simple pleasures. We’re surrounded by them on Vancouver Island. We’re blessed to live in a place with beauti-ful scenery to enjoy and interesting people from all different back-grounds to socialize with.

By enjoying the simpler pleas-ures in life, we can stop our desires for object acquisition. That way, we won’t have to work as much to afford all these things, leaving us more time to fi nd other things to make us smile.

Find happiness by rejecting consumerism

Do all the latest gadgets, new clothing, and silly accessories

really give us that much pleasure or

happiness?

MicHaEl BRaRCoNtrIbutINg WrItEr

By the time exam week rolls around each quarter/semester, most of us are either totally out of gas or are barely hanging on for that last, painful fi nal.

I, most assuredly, am no ex-ception. Our coping techniques are all quite different, but noth-ing works better for me than an hour or two in the gym.With four out of five exams yet to be written last quarter, I found myself wandering blearily around the Pacific Institute for Sport Ex-cellence (PISE) at 8 am searching desperately for some motivation. At 8:30 am, I found it.

The Canad i an Na t iona l Men’s Rugby Team had joined me in the empty weight room for a training session, and I was absolutely blown away by their god-like strength and ability.

And that was neither the first nor the last time I was lucky enough to watch world-class athletes train at PISE.

At least once a week, I am treated to the workouts of elite rowers, volleyball players, body builders, soccer players, and seemingly everyone in between.Which begs the question, why is it always empty in there?The PISE prides itself on being the best athletic training facility in the city, and I am inclined to agree. Three state-of-the-art weight rooms, a world-class gymnasium, and two turf soccer pitches are the backbone of the institution, and yet their locker rooms sit empty most of the time.

To be fair, PISE isn’t the type of place you would go to slowly walk on a treadmill for 45 minutes while watching Paris Hilton’s My New BFF; it’s the type of place where

committed men and women come to train and talk shop with other, similarly minded individuals.

Victoria has no shortage of people like this, and yet I spend most of my time there training in silence with no one around to talk to other than the friendly PISE staff and the occasional Olympic-level athlete.

PISE is an under-appreciated gem located right next to Interurban Campus.

The combination of fair mem-bership rates (students pay $5/day, $91/four months, or $173/school year), excellent trainers, and the aforementioned facilities add up to an unbeatable package that not nearly enough people have taken advantage of.

If you’re still unsure about where you should go to fulfill your new year’s resolution, give PISE a chance.

PISE facility the temple of sport Help build our team

nexus needs student

volunteersNexus is looking for a few good students to join our team. If you would like to write, take photos, or just want to help out with the newspaper, get in touch with us asap!

250.370.3591

[email protected]

www.nexusnewspaper.com

Richmond House 201,

Lansdowne

[email protected] �NEWS

By Keltie Larter

Jay Ellis

I would make government duty like jury duty and everyone would have to spend time making the “big” decisions.

DaviD KJollEsDal

I would make the military-industrial complex utilize their resources for constructive rather than destructive harmonious projects.

RainEy BEcKER

I’d just blow it all up and save us all plenty of grief!

HilaRy RussEll

End world hunger!

ElisE MccaugHERty

I’d make it so everyone wasn’t so oblivious to the fact that we are destroying our world!

If you could rule the world for one day, what would you change?

Zan coMERfoRDCoNtrIbutINg WrItEr

The good news is a new trial policy at Camosun will make select programs at the college more ac-cessible for students who are 23 or older. The only drawback? Younger students will now be referred to as

“mature students.”“It’s better than immature stu-

dent,” jokes Lansdowne student Miles Patterson, who is now classi-fied as a mature student under the developing policy.

In the past, the college didn’t have a mature student policy and prerequisites were required for students of all ages. The new policy, presented at a recent Camosun Education Council meeting, will be more accommodating than policies at other institutions, according to Vice-President of Education and Student Services Baldev Pooni.

“We are hoping to develop a

more flexible approach in that if a ‘mature’ student gains access to a program, then there would not be the need to meet individual course requirements,” says Pooni.

The policy will enable the col-lege to allow admission to programs based on an individual assessment process, where both life and work experience are valued, instead of traditional entrance require-ments.

While many other post-second-ary institutions have had mature student policies for some time, students usually still have to fulfill prerequisites in order to access programs.

“We are looking to offer some-thing more substantial [than other institutions] which needs to be modeled with a pilot,” says Pooni.

The pilot programs that will introduce the policy include Crim-inal Justice, Electronics and Com-

puter Engineering Technology, Applied Business Technology, Sport

Management, Exercise and Well-ness, and Community Support and Educational Assistant, some of which are still in development themselves.

Christopher Gillepsie, external

affairs executive for Camosun Col-lege Student Society, predicts the policy will attract more students and help the college avoid drop offs in enrolment.

“I suspect the pilot programs were chosen based on their levels of provincial funding to ensure rep-resentation from Camosun’s variety of schools,” says Gillepsie.

A committee of chairs and deans will carefully monitor the policy to ensure academic standards and student participation levels are maintained.

The committee will be meeting regularly over the next academic year to design a framework for the policy and eventually create a standardized procedure for the expansion of the policy into further programs.

Maybe being called a “mature student” does have its benefits after all.

Iggy lays out Canadian foreign policy

Mature student policy increases college accessibility

A committee of chairs and deans will

carefully monitor the policy to ensure

academic standards and student

participation levels are maintained.

250.370.3591

[email protected]

www.nexusnewspaper.com

Richmond House 201,

Lansdowne

MiKE BanDy anD tiffany ButtlER

Mike: I’d make people trade in their cars for bicycles—no more cars on the roads!tiffany: I’d organize a massive potluck so, for one day, no one in the whole world would go hungry. And it’d be a sweet party!

NEWS BRIEFSBy Kait cavERs

Bored? GAMES!If you’re interested in col-

lectable miniatures, trading cards, role-playing games, board games, video games, demon-strations, contests, information sessions, vendors, or anything else related to games, gaming, nerdy stuff, or having fun, then you need to check out gottacon. the three-day conven-tion, which takes place at the Pearkes recreation Centre Feb. 6–8, promises to deliver a high-quality and exciting environ-ment that will mark gottacon as an annual destination for all gaming enthusiasts. If you’re one of the many gamers who agree Vancouver Island has a huge void where quality gaming should exist, then this conven-tion was developed specifically for you. get gaming!

The polar opposite of ecstasy

He thought he was making a super stellar drug deal, but what an 18-year-old Victoria university student actually received was a court date from Saanich Police. on Jan.7, an undercover officer made a purchase from a student who was selling the psycho-tropic drug thylenedioxymeth-amphetamine, which is more commonly known as MDMA, Ecstasy, X, E, or caps. the student was arrested without incident and taken directly to the Saanich Police Department, where after being printed, photographed, and interviewed, he was released on a “Promise to Appear” for a court date in early February. In the student’s defense, he claims to have been selling a pure substance in a drug market that has recently seen a wave of substances cut with chemicals potent enough to send users to the emergency room with symptoms similar to an overdose or, worse, death (real good argument there, buddy). Play it safe and avoid the whole scene.

What’s 10 grand plus 40 grand?

Any accounting student can tell you it’s the amount raised for the Certified general Accountants Program here at the college. When account-ing students, business faculty,

Continued on page 4

By saM noRRistHE PEAk (SIMoN FrASEr uNIVErSIty)

VANCOUVER (CUP)—In a recent appearance before sup-porters in Vancouver, new Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff laid out a muscular vision for Canadian foreign policy.

“It’s unfamiliar for Canadians to understand how powerful the oil sands make us,” he told the crowd. “We don’t like to play the power card, but it’s very important with the United States, even with a Democratic administration, to be as tough as hell.”

Ignatieff cited sovereignty over the Northwest Passage and the re-negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement as two situa-tions where its role as the largest supplier of energy to the United States would increase Canada’s clout at the bargaining table.

“[The oil sands] changes every-thing about our economic future; it changes everything about Canada’s importance in the world,” he said.

Although Ignatieff called for increased effort towards cleaning up oil sands projects, which have been criticized by environmental groups for their high carbon emis-sions, water use, and environmental despoliation, he ruled out either shutting them down or adopting a carbon tax, which could potentially

make oil sands projects unprofit-able and slow development.

“We got killed at the doorstep

with the Green Shift. It was a good idea . . . [but] we couldn’t get it through,” said Ignatieff. “Every-body who ran a tractor, everybody who ran a boat, everybody who drove a truck for a living, said there’s only one thing I understand about this—’You’ve just added to my cost of living.’”

But Ignatieff vowed not to jetti-son former Liberal leader Stéphane Dion’s environmental sensibilities from the platform. Liberals are expected to adopt a cap-and-trade system as part of their platform.

Ignatieff also warned the audi-ence of the national unity implica-tions of oil sand policy.

“The dumbest thing you can do—and no Liberal must ever do it—is run against Alberta, make Alberta the enemy, isolate Alberta,” he said, perhaps referring to the discontent spawned in the prov-ince by former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s National Energy Program.

The program legislated a below-market price for Canadian oil and funneled oil dollars into federal coffers, both primarily at Alberta’s expense.

The most contentious subject of the night, however, was Ignatieff’s position on the recent fighting in Gaza.

Upon arrival, anti-war pro-

testors greeted the Liberal leader, banging pots and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans.

Ignatieff, who told reporters last week “Canada has to support the right of a democratic country to de-fend itself,” was asked to denounce Israel’s attack on Gaza.

Instead, he maintained “there are no military solutions here,” and reiterated his support for the two-state solution, with Canadian humanitarian assistance and a pos-sible United Nations peacekeeping force.

“The rocket attacks on Sderot and Ashkelon and Ashdod have to stop; they’ve just got to stop,” he said.

“Israeli civilians have been killed, Israel has a right to take actions in self-defense,” he later told the crowd inside.

When pressed for clarification after the event, Ignatieff said it wasn’t the Canadian government’s

“place” to say whether or not Israel’s response to Hamas had been pro-portional, but that Canada should concentrate on providing humani-tarian and medical aid.

The BC Young Liberals-spon-sored event, which was Ignatieff’s first youth event since becoming Liberal leader, was so well attended that an overflow room had to be opened.

“the dumbest thing you can do—and no Liberal must ever do

it—is run against Alberta, make Alberta

the enemy, isolate Alberta.”

MicHaEl ignatiEffLIbErAL LEADEr

January 21, 20094

alan piffERStAFF WrItEr

We all see the doom-and-gloom headlines about the global eco-nomic crisis in the news. You know, big financial companies going broke and government bailouts in the trillions of dollars. But what do all these numbers and fi gures really mean to students? What are we going to see happen in the long run, and how will it affect us in our day-to-day lives?

Whatever does happen, we’ll probably be knee-deep in it for a while.

“There are [economists] who think we’re probably going to see the worst of it in the next six months or so, and then after that, we’re going to go into a recovery,” says Camosun Economics professor Yolina Denchev. “When it comes to how the recovery is going to unfold, there are analysts who think it’s going to be a long one—it might take a few years for the economy to get back on track.”

And, says Denchev, since we have such strong economic ties to the US, Canadians will certainly feel a lot of the strain of the economic situation.

“The volume of trade between Canada and the US is actually the largest volume of trade between any two countries in the world,” says Denchev. “We will be affected with demand in the US going down; our exports will suffer.”

As for our local economy, Denchev notes Victoria is better situated than a lot of other parts of the country, but won’t escape the economic mess unscathed.

“The labour market in Victoria is probably still better than the aver-age for the country, but I think that the unemployment rate is growing,” says Denchev. “We will see less and less job creation in the next few months.”

So are we going to see those long lineups for soup kitchens and hobos riding the rails cross-country in search of work like those old photographs from our history books?

According to Denchev, gov-ernments have learned from the mistakes made which led to the depression in the 1930s.

“We have had, already, a lot of government economic policy directed to deal with the economic situation, and this is the differ-ence we did not have during the great depression,” says Denchev.

“Governments now have a lot more experience with using monetary and fiscal policy to stabilize the economy.”

Much of our current system of social programs is another key difference from what was around in the 1930s.

“We have the employment in-surance system, we have the social safety net, we have many govern-

ment programs that are in place, and they work automatically to help stabilize the economy,” says Denchev. “There was no Bank of Canada during the Great Depres-sion. It was established in response to the Depression because it was felt that we need a central bank to deal with situations like that.”

But while many job prospects may be drying up, a massive demo-graphic shift is taking place which may provide relief to younger job-seekers. With the baby boom generation now retiring, job op-portunities are opening up for new generations to fi ll. This may help to balance out the job losses brought by the current recession.

“On one hand, because of the

economic crisis, there’s not much of a demand in the labour market; on the other hand, we still have this longer term demographic transition, which actually works to create jobs,” says Denchev.

Considering the current eco-nomic situation, Denchev says it’s crucial for students to make the most of their education.

“I had one student who said, ‘I was studying part-time before; now I choose to come full-time because there aren’t that many good oppor-tunities in the job market anymore. Now, it’s much better for me to focus on my studies so that when things get better, I will be ready with a degree in hand to go and get a job as a professional.’“

guy alaiMoStAFF WrItEr

As the search for a new Camosun president continues, new details have emerged regarding the status and cost of the search.

An executive search fi rm based in Vancouver, Ray & Berndston, has been hired by Camosun to help

the school fi nd a new president in time for Liz Ashton’s retirement in May.

According to Robin Adair, chair of the Camosun Board of Govern-ors, the college is paying Ray & Berndston $50,000 for their efforts, which includes finding the right candidates for the job based on certain criteria that the school is looking for. There will also be some additional costs to be determined, says Adair.

“We want someone to maintain the things that are working well with the college and who can look at the ongoing challenges that the college will face,” says Adair.

Challenges like program fund-ing, a common problem for many schools, is one of the things Adair hopes prospective presidents will be willing to take on.

“We want someone who is dy-

namic, somebody who has a strong interest in the education system and a strong understanding of the college system,” says Adair.

Adair says Camosun’s expan-sion plans will likely envelop a big chunk of the future president’s time. Interurban campus, in particular, has many building projects in the works.

“We would like to see a residence on Interurban Campus,” says Adair, also citing the health and human services building and a student union building as upcoming de-

velopments at Interurban.CUPE union representative

on the board of governors, Max Sternberg, says the search is going well, but would not elaborate.

“The work that’s being done is being done in an extremely pro-fessional manner,” says Stern-berg who, along with the rest of the board, was advised by Roy & Berndston to assign a spokes-person (Adair) to speak to the media about the search.

Christopher Gillespie, CCSS external affairs executive and student board rep, also wasn’t able to comment on the task force and confirms board members were told by the company not to talk to the media or anyone else about the search.

Most Camosun students have little knowledge of the current search, but one student voiced his concern over the money Camosun is spending.

“It’s pretty silly,” says fi rst-year general arts student Roy Heltay.

“They should just take an ad out in the paper. [Roy & Berndston] are just like middlemen. You give them the money and they do the job for you.”

According to Adair, a decision will be made on a new president sometime in the spring.

“The hope is that the task force will have at least two choices [for president] to present to the board of governors by April, but no later than May,” says Adair.

NEWS

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Global Village

People

Jan. 22

NEWS BRIEFSBy Kait cavERs

PHoto: NAtHAN StAM

How hard will Camosun students be hit by the global economic crisis?

and the Camosun College Foundation came together in December, they celebrated a fundraising accomplish-ment that supports the CgA program’s success. Jennifer Smith, vice-chair to Southern Vancouver Island CgA, offi cially cut the ribbon to the Centre for business and Access’s class-room 286 and titled it the CgA Classroom. College Foundation Development offi cer Sandra bitz notes the money will support Camosun Accounting students with scholarships and bursaries.

Calling all ex-gamblers

Are you an ex-gambler who has won the fi ght against the life-ruining addiction that affl icts thousands of people annually? or do you consider yourself to be dynamic, outgoing, friendly, approachable, not shy about connecting with other students, or have strong communication skills? the bC government, along with the responsible gambling Council, needs your help! they are looking for people to work the inter-active display on preventing problem gambling located in the Lansdowne Campus Fisher building Foyer, Feb. 2–5. At 14 bucks an hour, you’ll be making a shit-load more than you would at slots. For info, or anonymous help, you can check out www.knowthescore.ca/bc/jobs.cfm

Visual satisfactionthe university of Victoria

Visual Arts is hosting a campus community art show and silent auction that will showcase the talent of budding local artists. this exciting event is not only a way for local artists to receive recognition and critique for their work, but also for members of the community to check out some of the insane amounts of talent that exists within Victoria. the show will display something for everyone, with a focus on the mediums of photography, sculp-ture, painting, recycled art, and more. the art show is currently seeking artists to submit pieces, and is calling on all enthusiasts to pass the word along! For more info, or to submit a piece to the event, e-mail [email protected]

Generousi-Teeback in December,

Camosun’s golf Management students took to the olympic View golf Course to raise money for student fi nancial assist-ance. With the help of a few generous donors, and a couple of sultry swings, the students were able to raise more than $1,000 in proceeds for the Camosun College Foundation of Professional golf Management (PgM) bursary. the PgM bursary golf tournament is an annual event in which 25 sponsors and prize donors participate to continually help make it win-win. olympic View hosted the tournament for the third year in a row. Camosun’s two-year golf Management program puts its focus on management and marketing skills, and is the only program in bC fully recognized by the Canadian PgA.

President search to cost college at least $�0,000

“they should just take an ad out in the paper.”

Roy HEltayCAMoSuN StuDENt

Riding the rails of global economic crisis

“We will be affected with demand in the uS

going down; our exports will suffer.”

yolina DEncHEvCAMoSuN CoLLEgE

[email protected]

MLA Victoria-Beacon Hill

Supporting more affordable and accessible post-secondary education

[email protected] www.opposition.bc.ca

CAMPuS

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FIRST AID & CPR Training Standard First Aid with CPR “C" & AED,

CPR”C” Renewal, WCB OFA Level 1, 2, 3

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Jason MotZStAFF WrItEr

There has been much ado about the cafeteria recently. Some might say too much. Camosun’s food services contract with the previous provider lapsed in the summer.

What followed was a bidding process between an array of po-tential providers, both local and international. When the decision was made, Aramark Corporation was the lucky winner of a brand new, eight-year deal with the college.

Hooray, right?Not so fast. Not everyone is

pleased to see Aramark on campus. Matteus Clement is one Camosun student at Lansdowne who makes no bones about his issues with Aramark and has even started an anti-Aramark Facebook group for Camosun.

“I feel that the place is being macro-managed. We need to micro-manage a facility of this size,” as-serts the 26-year-old who looks and sounds a lot like Vin Diesel.

It becomes abundantly clear when you meet Clement that he’s a passionate advocate for an al-ternative to cafeteria cuisine. Food has significance for Clement that extends beyond mere health and wellness.

“Food creates a sense of com-munity,” says the former personal trainer. In conversation, he’s a verit-able question machine. A Texas Instrument with muscles.

Clement has grim recollec-tions about Aramark’s first days at Camosun. A coffee junkie, Clement was appalled by the inconsistency of the black blood he required to fuel his mornings. The coffee area was

“a disaster,” he says. Cream-slopped counters, spilt sugar glistening in puddles, and an undersupply of lids had Clement questioning the efficiency of Aramark.

“If you can’t keep the basics down, your straws and your sticks, then I don’t understand what you’re doing,” says Clement.

Donna Burger, food service director for Aramark, admits the company’s arrival on campus was not without some turbulence. “The issue was staffing,” she admits.

“We had a lot of things to do.”Informal chats with other stu-

dents about cafeteria food and service stoked Clement’s inquisi-tive nature. So, he began to ask questions.

He communicated with Kath-ryn LeGros, director of ancillary services at Camosun. He also spoke with Burger and addressed his concerns to both of them. These included pricing that was unfair to students, the lack of greens, and the dominance of wheat on the menu. This last point was key to the wheat-intolerant Clement.

“And that’s when I started to see that my options were very limited. If it wasn’t pizza, it was baguettes,” says Clement with frustration.

That frustration is easy to find in the cafeteria. For the average student, the Caf is just the Caf, not a monolithic corporate entity. In fact, the Caf is a Mecca of indifference.

And that makes it a holy place for students like Valerie Lesage, who are lulled into eating there every day. The convenience is seductive.

“I’m too lazy and disorganized,” says Lesage, offering no enthusi-asm for either the Caf or its prod-ucts. “The salads are quite big, but they are not particularly affordable,” she says with disappointment.

Clement initiated contact with LeGros via e-mail, but he says the replies he received did not satisfy his concerns. Clement was politely brushed off.

A planned interview with Bur-ger was scuttled abruptly not long afterwards, says Clement, whose queries were passed on to the Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) and the CAMFOODCOM (Camosun Food Committee.)

Clement has ambivalent feel-ings about the commitment the CCSS is willing to make, but is opti-mistic he will have their support.

“I think the CCSS is doing the best that they can,” he says cautiously.

Still, Clement admits he’s no martyr and is not leading an armed charge against Corporate America.

“I don’t expect that everyone will have the same level of passion as I do.”

Clement’s concerns about Ara-mark magnified when he began to research the corporate structure behind the grill. Fraud cases in Florida Prisons, a nasty contract termination with MIT, accusations of union-busting in NYC, and all manner of accusations of violations against workers’ rights and health code infractions were all under Aramark’s watch.

Facebook groups boycotting Aramark are easy to find. Clement’s own group can be found by search-ing Facebook for “Camosun stu-dents against Aramark.”

Le Gros, who negotiated the contract with Aramark, says a se-lection committee researched the company before deciding on them and was aware of its track record.

“Camosun did its due diligence with the company management and qualifications,” says LeGros.

The college’s director of ancil-lary services isn’t an employee of Aramark, but she chooses to accentuate the positives about the multinational company, stressing

“what should be acknowledged and pointed out are the national and international achievements that have been awarded to Aramark.”

Meanwhile, CCSS External Affairs Executive Christopher Gil-lespie says the student society is only peripherally interested in Aramark’s dirty laundry.

“We have not investigated this directly,” admits Gillespie, “but we are always concerned with worker’s rights and the quality of products and services offered to our members.”

The last CAMFOODCOM meeting came and went without Clement’s concerns about the qual-ity in the Caf being addressed.

“What do I need to do to be heard?” he asks.

Clement sees the next CAM-FOODCOM meeting, scheduled for sometime late in January, as the battleground in what is becoming for him a personal fight.

“I just want to fight this,” says Clement, “to the bitter end.”

Student crusades for good food on campus

the student’s concerns about Aramark

magnified when he began to research the

corporate structure behind the grill.

Jason MotZStAFF WrItEr

there are a few things you need to know about the corporation Camosun College saw as the best fit to provide its students and faculty with food services.

A multinational corporation, Aramarks’ duty is to provide food services to post-secondary institutions, hospitals, retirement homes, prisons, military installa-tions, and offshore oilrigs throughout the world.

Aramark operates globally in 20 countries, employing a force of 245,000 people. In Canada, 15,000 people have their cheques signed by Aramark.

Aramark is a stud in the business sector, whose roots go back to 1959 and the formation of the Automatic retailers Association.

but Aramark is not only responsible for fried eggs, pizza, and coffee. Aramark’s other endeavors include catering, housekeeping, and laundry, as well as the manufacturing of a line of products specifically for all of your law enforcement, surveillance, and hazardous material needs. A personal favourite—the chemical and flame-resistant coveralls . . . with hood!

A perennial Fortune 500 company, Aramark, whose Canadian head office is situated in toronto, has amassed a fortune for its shareholders.

In 2008, Aramark was ranked number 1 by Fortune magazine in a survey of “America’s Most Admired Companies.” Businessweek Magazine called Aramark one of the “top 100 Places to Launch a Career” in 2007. Mighty impressive stuff!

but with success comes controversy. oodles of it! Aramark has seen its corpor-ate image challenged on various Facebook groups, including one started by a Camosun student.

tales of Aramark’s workers’ rights violations frequent messageboards all across North America.

Shouts of union-busting, health code infractions, and fines levied against vari-ous Aramark businesses blot the landscape of the information superhighway.

“boycott Aramark” is a call heard across the 49th parallel.

Aramark’s mission statement is carried out with a militaristic view of capitalism. the company website is a corporate cum-shot of suit-and-tie warriors, a multi-ethnic utopia of smiling faces, the phony, “people-helping-people” vision of America where little girls give daffodils to police officers.

Some would say it’s the kind of hogwash synonymous with corporate juggernauts such as West, the uS Army, and, well, Scientology.

Getting to know Aramark

PHoto: CourtNEy brougHtoNLansdowne student Matteus Clement has started an anti-Aramark Facebook group for Camosun students.

January 21, 2009�

JEnna sEDMaKCoNtrIbutINg WrItEr

Clad in her bathing suit, Renate Herberger, known as the Costa Rica Mermaid, intends to swim the trop-ical country’s coastline within three months at a rate of eight hours per day. Environmental activists have developed many positive ways to showcase their cause and create more awareness among the general population. This Victoria resident is a notable example of this.

“Swimming the length of the coast of Costa Rica is akin to the mi-grations that we usually associate with marine life, such as humpback whales. By placing myself in this environment I will become one with their world and will be able to experience the interconnectedness of ocean life,” writes Herberger at costaricamermaid.net

While she is increasing her own awareness, Herberger is also trying to appeal governments and speak with environmental organizations about the preservation of the mar-ine ecosystem.

“The need to promote marine sanctuaries is more urgent than ever. Only one hundredth of one

percent of oceans worldwide is under protection currently,” says Herberger.

This journey is a passion and for a great cause. But it’s not an easy course.

Herberger fell 70 kilometers short of her goal to swim Costa Rica’s full shoreline in April of last year, so she’s attempting the swim again and will continue with her busy agenda.

“To this end, I will once again be teaching workshops in coastal communities in order to increase awareness of and compassion for

the plight of the sea and its crea-tures,” she says.

One board member of the Camosun College Student So-ciety (CCSS) found out about Herberger’s journey through the Camosun Students for Environ-mental Awareness committee and decided to let other students know about it.

“I am promoting her cause because I think that protecting our oceans is something that is not taken seriously enough. Most people don’t know how important oceans are to human life,” says Roxanne Smillie, CCSS Lans-downe Director.

By completing this swim, Her-berger hopes to create an aware-ness that the oceans and marine life are extremely important and need to be taken care of and protected.

“I hope that Renate’s swim will cause even more awareness to the issues revolving around our oceans and why it’s so important to take care of them,” says Smillie.

Herberger is currently in Costa Rica beginning her journey. For more information, go to costari-camermaid.net

BREanna caREyCoNtrIbutINg WrItEr

It’s true what they say when it comes to memory—use it or lose it.

Students are getting back into the swing of things this semester, which is why they need some men-tal support. People can improve their memory and retain capacity in a number of ways. Memory is very similar to exercise; if the brain is nurtured and properly utilized, it will remain strong and healthy.

According to Darryl Ainsley of Camosun’s Learning Skills department, success with mem-ory has three different stages—understanding, organization, and repetition.

“First, you must understand information,” says Ainsley. “We’re poor at learning disconnected in-formation, so it is key that we know when we understand something.”

This is why teachers demand students pay attention in class and take notes, so they actually acquire the learning material. Concentra-tion for extended periods of time allows the mind to store informa-tion in the long term so it can be recalled during an exam.

Before the exam, it’s very im-portant to keep track of the material in an organized way.

“Information is much easier to recall if it’s organized,” says Ainsley.

“Flow charts, concept maps, and course outlines are all examples of organized information.”

Finally, repetition and rehearsal is the only way to successfully recall information. But Ainsley suggests

avoiding memory tricks. “Students should only sparingly utilize asso-ciative devices such as mnemonics, songs, and creative sentences,” he says.

Ainsley also suggests when people prepare for exams they should mimic what they actually have to do on the test.

Camosun Nursing Chair Ste-phen Bishop says knowing material well enough to teach it to other stu-dents is an excellent way to learn.

And Ainsley agrees. “Recogni-tion is not enough; to look at the material and think that you know something doesn’t mean you do,” he says. “One of my recommenda-tions to students is that they study in small groups and take responsibility for teaching sections of a course to their partners.”

Students can pick up informa-tion more easily if it’s related to something they already know, says Bishop.

“The benefit to the ‘teacher’ is that they have to really learn the material and think about how to present it creatively,” says Bishop.

“The benefit to the ‘students’ is that they have the material pre-sented differently than was done in class.”

Bishop also admits a large por-tion of successful studying depends on whether or not fellow students will do their work well and pres-ent the material accurately and effectively.

In order for the brain to remem-ber, it has to travel a pattern that has been created. The more often that path is utilized, the stronger it is.

Naturally, regular exercise and a proper diet help feed your mind so your brain performs regular func-tions at ease. And since students have many different styles of learn-ing, there’s no perfect universal technique.

Finding a learning style that suits you, whether it’s flash cards, goofy acronyms, or studying with a friend, will make recollection that much easier.

If you’re still a kid at heart…

Why not spend time with one?

A few hours each week can make a difference.

KidStart provides positive adult mentors to children age 6+ who

are at risk.

Call 250-386-3428 or www.kidstart.ca

If you’re still a kid at heart…

Why not spend time with one?

A few hours each week can make a difference.

KidStart provides positive adult mentors to children age 6+ who

are at risk.

Call 250-386-3428 or www.kidstart.ca

If you’re still a kid at heart…

Why not spend time with one?

A few hours each week can make a difference.

KidStart provides positive adult mentors to children age 6+ who

are at risk.

Call 250-386-3428 or www.kidstart.ca

If you’re still a kid at heart…

Why not spend time with one?

A few hours each week can make a difference.

KidStart provides positive adult mentors to children age 6+ who

are at risk.

Call 250-386-3428 or www.kidstart.ca

If you’re still a kid at heart…

Why not spend time with one?

A few hours each week can make a difference.

KidStart provides positive adult mentors to children age 6+ who

are at risk.

Call 250-386-3428 or www.kidstart.ca

If you’re still a kid at heart…

Why not spend time with one?

A few hours each week can make a difference.

KidStart provides positive adult mentors to children age 6+ who

are at risk.

Call 250-386-3428 or www.kidstart.ca

If you’re still a kid at heart…

Why not spend time with one?

A few hours each week can make a difference.

KidStart provides positive adult mentors to children age 6+ who

are at risk.

Call 250-386-3428 or www.kidstart.ca

If you’re still a kid at heart…

Why not spend time with one?

A few hours each week can make a difference.

KidStart provides positive adult mentors to children age 6+ who

are at risk.

Call 250-386-3428 or www.kidstart.ca

LIFETrain your brain to reduce exam strain

“one of the best ways to learn something is to teach it to others.”

stEpHEn BisHopCAMoSuN CoLLEgE

Costa Rica Mermaid makes environmental splash

“I am promoting her cause because I think

that protecting our oceans is something

that is not taken seriously enough.”

RoxannE sMilliECAMoSuN CoLLEgE StuDENt

SoCIEty

PHoto: CourtNEy brougHtoN

[email protected] �SPortS

guy alaiMoStAFF WrItEr

After defeating rivals Vancouver Island University (VIU) 61–55 on Jan. 10, the Camosun Chargers women’s basketball team is the number one ranked squad in the country.

They slipped past Fredericton’s St. Thomas University, who has a 9–0 record but a weaker point dif-ferential than the Chargers. So far the Chargers women have scored 522, only allowing 302.

The undefeated Chargers had a 7–0 record going into their next game against the number two ranked in the province (and eighth in the country) Capilano College Blues on Jan. 16.

Meanwhile, the men’s basket-ball team is searching for answers after being destroyed by the number one ranked VIU Mariners, 81–48, on Jan. 10, their record falling to 1–6. Making matters worse, new recruit Maceio Justice, out of De-troit, Michigan, won’t be playing in a Chargers uniform this semester, despite what was reported in Nexus last issue.

According to Bonita Joe, Camosun’s recreation and athlet-ics assistant, a “glitch” in Justice’s registration process is the cause.

Head coach Craig Price says

a few factors caused Justice to be ineligible.

“A number of things had to come through in order for Maceio to come play for us,” says Price. “He needed a student VISA, funding from his government, and funding from us. All three of those things never came through, and as much as I’d like to see him here, it just didn’t work out.”

One bright spot for the men is the play of forward Jeff Krawetz, who continued his stellar season with 19 points against VIU.

But the men’s squad needed to work hard in practice before their game on Jan. 16, when they hosted the Capilano Blues at PISE.

The Blues were ranked third in the province with a 4–3 record, while the Chargers were ranked second last, and were already six

points out of a playoff spot, mean-ing they would have to win every game and hope for the best if they had any hope of playing in the postseason.

The men and women’s basket-ball teams both played against Capi-lano at PISE on Jan. 16. Results were not available by press time.

In volleyball land, it’s the same story for the women’s team, who can’t seem to get anything going, getting absolutely obliterated by VIU on Jan. 9, 25–15, 25–7, 25–17, while watching their record fall to 2–6.

Laura Ouillete continues to be the only player on the team show-ing any signs of promise, scoring seven kills and seven digs in last week’s loss.

“We’ll find and take the positives from tonight and get back to work to prepare for another pair of im-portant matches against Capilano University and Douglas College,” says Ouillete.

Meanwhile, winning close games is not the mantra for this year’s edition of the Chargers men’s volleyball team, as they dropped another nail-biter to VIU, 20–25, 25–23, 25–22, 23–25, and 15–13.

“We just lost by two points to the number one team in the country and we believe we still have room to

improve, so we’re not at all unhappy with where we’re at and where we can go from here,” says assistant coach Dan Casey.

With the loss, the team drops to 4–4 on the season, but still retains their fifth place standing, after sixth place Capilano lost their recent games.

Both the men and women’s

teams played their next games in Vancouver vs. Capilano College on Jan. 16. Results were not available by press time.

The last time the Chargers played against Capilano was in week one of the season. The men lost in a close, five-set match, while the women lost quite easily in three sets.

Tinga Cochinita Pibil Beef Barbacoa Rajas Con Crema Al Pastor

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Chargers to watch forBy saMantHa DonEy

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visit t h e nexus online

Chargers to watch for is written by Samantha Doney, a second-year Sport Management student and Sport Information and Promotions Intern for Camosun Chargers Athletics. Check out the new Chargers blog at camosunchargers.blogspot.com

Camosun’s sports teams all over the spectrum

“We’re not at all unhappy with where

we’re at and where we can go from here.”

Dan casEyCAMoSuN CHArgErS

Kendall Allen—#14Team: Women’s basketballYear: 3Position: Wing/PointHeight: 5’ 8”Hometown: VictoriaHigh school: Lambrick ParkCamosun program: Associate Arts

What are your personal goals this year?

to contribute to the team’s goals of winning the provincials and making it to the national cham-pionships!

Highlights so far in a Chargers uniform?

being a part of the Camosun women’s basketball team’s turnaround has been a big highlight for

me. Making the playoffs in my first year and winning the league in the second year was really exciting, as well as traveling to Prince george for the provincials last year. Even though we were dis-appointed about the second place finish, it gives us something to work towards this year.

How are you feeling this year with some new players, some injured players, and a new gym?

the thing that makes us different from the other teams in the league is the depth we have on this team, and the new players have definitely helped. they add to the talent we have and they are also fun to be around. We have had a bunch of injuries in the first half of this season, but hopefully we can get everyone healthy and back for the second half. It is nice to finally get our own home gym! PISE is an excellent facility.

What is your role on the team?

because it’s my third year, I feel like I can bring some experience to the team by knowing what to expect.

How is it looking for the playoffs?

We have a challenging second half of the season coming up, with a lot of tough teams to play, but we have been working really hard over the winter break, so that should help us while we work to-wards the playoffs.

Brent Hall—#5Team: Men’s basketballYear: 4Position: Right sideHeight: 6’ 1”Hometown: Red Deer, ABCamosun program: Exercise/Wellness

What are your personal goals this year?

I strive to continually better every aspect of my game. I want to become a better leader and help my teammates reach their potential. I want to be a big part of determining the level of success that we have this season. Another big goal of mine is to excel in my classes.

What are your team goals?

ultimately, my goal for this season is to win na-tionals. but there are some steps to be taken to get there—we need to beat the top teams during league play this semester and work hard to keep improving.

Highlights so far in a Chargers uniform?

I am enjoying being a leader. I am attacking bet-ter than I ever have and I am really enjoying that. I think better highlights are yet to come . . . at nationals, knock on wood.

How are you feeling this year with some new players and a new gym?

Most of the younger players are not reaching their potential yet. Some of them were lacking work ethic early in the season, but they are coming along as they adjust to the level of play. the new gym is fantastic. It took a while for us to get in there, but it was worth the wait.

What is your role on the team?

My role on the team is to provide a lot of leadership and energy, and to put the ball on the floor when we need a point.

How is it looking for the playoffs?

We need to work hard to beat the teams in league play in order to be seeded well going into prov-incials. I believe we can win nationals, but in bC we contend with many of the best teams in the country. there’s only room for one or two of us to go to nationals, so we need to play well. We’re good enough to win it all and we’re climbing the leader board.

PHoto: SAMANtHA DoNEy

Camosun’s Aleks Saddlemeyer and Chris Abra block an opponent’s spike.

FEAturEJanuary 21, 20098 FEAturE

TORONTO (CUP)—It’s a city of ghosts. Empty streets. Stores boarded shut. Vacant apartment buildings.

This is Hebron, a city in Israel’s occupied territories. Home to about 166,000 Palestinians and 800 Jewish settlers, what was once a bustling downtown shopping district is now a lifeless reminder of the violence and desperation that grips the second largest Palestinian city in the West Bank.

“Hebron is the utter failure of the concept of co-exist-ence,” said Mich’ael Zupraner, 27, an Israeli who par-ticipated in Voices Forward, a Toronto festival about life in Palestine and Israel. This year’s theme was Hebron: In the Eye of the Storm.

The festival included screenings of over a dozen fi lms, musical performances, book launches, readings, multimedia presentations, and discussions.

The festival’s focus surrounded the reality of life in Hebron, the only city in the West Bank that has a Jewish settlement in its midst, and the only city where Jews and Palestinians share adjacent house walls.

“If you want the worst possible scenario for what could happen in the rest of the country, eventually, God forbid, Hebron is that,” says Zupraner at the festival.

Unfortunately, Zupraner isn’t exaggerating.A single horizontal line divides the city of Hebron,

known as El-Khalil in Arabic, into two sections—H1 is home to most of the Palestinian population and under Palestinian jurisdiction; and H2 is home to Jewish settlers and is controlled by the Israeli government.

For Palestinians who live in H2, this means being forbidden from walking or driving on main roads, forced to climb ladders to enter their homes from the rooftops because Israeli soldiers have welded their front doors shut, and being prohibited from leaving home except for a few short hours a week to buy groceries and other necessities when Israeli soldiers impose a curfew. One such curfew lasted 500 days between 2002 and 2003.

Zupraner gathered with Palestinian Issa Amro at XEXE Gallery to present their project—the creation of an experimental documentary channel that broadcasts out of Hebron.

This is no typical television channel. Zupraner and Amro distribute video cameras to Palestinian families living in hot spots—near Jewish settlements or Israeli military checkpoints—so they can document their lives and highlight the human rights violations that occur in their surroundings.

The footage from these cameras is then collected by the two of them, edited, and broadcast over the Internet at www.heb2.tv

The project, run in collaboration with an Israeli hu-man rights organization, B’Tselem, has been in effect for a year and a half. It offers a perspective on life in Hebron that’s rarely, if ever, shown elsewhere.

“The project started from giving out cameras to ordin-ary people,” explains Zupraner in the small, brightly lit gallery, before the audience of 19 people arrived. “Most of them have never had a video camera, never used one, and the kind of footage you get back is very strange sorts of home movies because people will use the camera, and we encourage them to use the camera, not only to fi lm hu-man rights violations, but to also fi lm their daily lives.”

“That means that we get back video tapes that have, say, a wedding, a family celebration, and then the tape jumps to, let’s say, soldiers searching the house or some kind of confrontation with settlers, and then the tape will jump back to baby pictures,” he says. “And so this kind of reality where this is daily life, where these things can happen, right after the other, almost, is what kind of launched the idea for the project.”

The project has the potential to cross over political borders, according to Amro and Zupraner.

“We can use the cameras not only to document hu-man rights violations, but also to try to show what life is like in a place like Hebron, which has a very specifi c and extreme situation, but that’s never really shown elsewhere, and that’s impossible to access from the outside,” says Zupraner.

Amro further explains the reasons why life in Hebron is so different from life everywhere else.

“The settlers who are living inside Hebron are the most radical, the most fanatic settlers in the whole strip,” he says. “And they have this ideology where they want to transfer all the Arabs out of Hebron. They look at it as their land, and believe that the Arabs don’t have any rights to stay there.”

This is a recipe for disaster.“It’s come to the point where Jews and Arabs are

separated to such a degree that the downtown area has become a ghost town,” says Zupraner, who visited Hebron two years ago for the fi rst time and was struck right away by what he saw.

“The logic of what’s happening in Hebron, the logic that the Israeli army is imposing and the way it’s dividing the city, the way it’s preventing Palestinians from using the main roads where Jews are . . . that logic is basically saying that Jews and Arabs can’t live together, and if they do, the result is this kind of ghost town, which is what the downtown area of Hebron has become,” says Zupraner.

For him, it was that feeling that prompted the idea for the project.

“It’s like walking on the moon,” he says slowly.Footage from www.heb2.tv made headlines all over

the world in the summer of 2006, when a particularly troubling incident took place with the Palestinian Abu Ayesha family, whose house has a fence around it to pro-tect them from bottles and stones that were sometimes hurled at them by neighbouring settlers.

They had frequently been attacked by settlers, but were always unable to prove this to police, who were sympathetic to the Israelis. That is, until they were pro-vided with a video camera.

“One major incident involved a neighbouring settler woman by the name of Yif’at Alkobi,” recalls Zupraner.

“One early summer day, there was an argument with her outside their house, and she forced the family back into the house yelling at them, ‘Go back into your cage!’”

“The settler woman continued to curse at the camera calling them—these two daughters and their mother—

whores,” continues Zupraner.Being that both women involved in the altercation

were religious women, this kind of exchange was very disturbing to watch once it made its way to Israeli television.

“People were horrifi ed. Israelis were horrifi ed, I think because for the fi rst time they saw these things from the eye of the Palestinian. Not a journalist, not an Israeli, but you’re seeing it as a Palestinian, having someone curse at you and at the camera, directly into the lens, with such conviction . . . It shook people,” he says. “It was shown internationally, all over the world . . .”

The tape had an effect.“It started a committee in the Israeli parliament, the

Israeli prime minister said he was ashamed of what he saw, Condoleeza Rice mentioned this video clip. This coming out of a 14 year-old Palestinian girl with a cheap video camera. So that kind of shook things up and helped the project along,” says Zupraner.

Currently, there are 150 cameras in the West Bank and 25 in Hebron City, and Zupraner and Amro move the cameras around based on the levels of violence in certain areas and families’ willingness to take part in the project.

Its effects, says Amro, are priceless.“The families, before the cameras, they were acting in

a violent way, you know, to throw back stones,” he says. “They had nothing to react with. But with the cameras, they started believing in the effect of the camera.”

“We consider it is a non-violent tool to react to the violence of the settlers,” says Amro. “The people now, anytime there’s any violence, even to their neighbours, they take the camera, they pull it out and they just start fi lming. And they don’t give in to their emotions, they just keep fi lming, not fi ghting. It’s a very good method of empowering the society.”

Zupraner agrees. “Kids throwing back stones do so out of frustration, because you’re not gonna change anything,” he says. “When you can’t do anything else, you throw stones. But the moment you have a camera and you have a sense that that can be helpful, that that could provide evidence. And cameras deter people, most people, from doing anything too stupid.”

The project is also causing changes in the Israeli side of town.

“Settler violence has gone down, because now they realize a Palestinian 10 year-old who’s fi lming you with their video camera, that’s something that can be shown

Cameras offer powerful tool for Palestinian struggleIsraeli and Palestinian fi lmmakers have combined forces to produce an experimental documentary channel and empower Hebron citizens

BREnDan KERginStAFF WrItEr

It’s in the news again. Palestine and Israel are not getting along. they have a dispute over who should live on a tiny piece of land, the gaza Strip, and a larger chunk called the West bank.

An important note here is that the two Palestinian zones are not connected. though the entire area is small by Canadian standards, Israel has effectively blocked off both sections.

this has created a little mini-nation inside Israel, though both the West bank and gaza Strip border other countries.

the current confl ict is based around the gaza Strip, a slice of land on the Mediterranean Sea

surrounded by Israel, except for a small border with Egypt on the southern tip. Even that border is monitored by the Israeli army.

this has effectively cut the Palestinian people off from the rest of the world unless they have the right documentation and rock-solid nerves.

this violence is nothing new. the area has been one of the most blood-soaked regions throughout human development.

Israel is the current country in control of land which three major religions—Christianity, Islam, and Judaism—consider extremely important. While this region was the target location of the Crusades almost a millennia ago, Christians have pulled out of the region, military-wise.

After World War II the region was unstable with some borders unclear. Jewish people were look-ing for a land of their own after the Holocaust in germany. European countries held most of the power in the Middle East as conquerors or allies, helping to determine the arbitrary borders.

Except the area was already being lived in with traditional boundaries. An agreement was struck with the Palestinians already living on the land to split it with the refugees founding Israel.

In the end, after much confl ict and debate, Israel was created on the eastern coast of the Mediter-ranean Sea, included Jerusalem, the red Sea port of Eilat, and bordered Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt.

In other words, it’s right in the middle of the Middle East with important trade routes and religious centres.

Since the middle of the 20th century, it’s been a contentious issue as to who gets to live where. the uN has tried declaring peace and safe zones, but the neighbours aren’t quite seeing eye to eye.

Egypt has backed off after fi ghting a lot in the ’50s and ’60s and has a relatively peaceful relationship. Syria, who is quiet right now, had taken issue with the Jewish state, but Lebanon, with Hezbollah as a major infl uence, often sends rockets into Israel.

but the organizations causing the most diffi culties are the militant groups like Hamas. Many Muslim extremists can be found in the region and Pales-

tine is a hotbed for so-called “freedom fi ghters.”

Since Israel came into power they have had a varied relationship with these groups, from an unstable peace, especially when Palestinian leader yasser Arafat was around, to military occupation and open ground battles, such as now.

the unrest shows no signs of stopping. Part-time peace accords are often discussed and sometimes signed, but so far no long-term deal has been agreed to, leaving battle as an option every few years.

With global pressure, the Israeli/Palestinian con-fl ict fl ares up every so often, instead of constantly burning. but, since time immemorial, this region has always been a battleground.

An endless struggle A simple guide to the Israeli/Palestinian confl ict

on their own national television,” says Zupraner.“The moment that you’re aware that you’re being

watched, forget by the Palestinians, but by your own home front, you’re aware that you’re responsible, you’re accountable for your actions, to your own society and that serves as a check and a balance to people,” he says.

“Because you’re not in the West Bank, you’re not in the middle of nowhere outside of your society where no one can really see you. No. Your parents will see what you’re doing. Your family. Your friends. And that has a great effect,” says Zupraner.

For Zupraner and Amro, it’s no big deal that they are working side-by-side, as Israeli and Palestinian.

“I’m using his privileges as an Israeli,” laughs Amro. “He has an army protecting him. But we’re close friends. We don’t feel any difference between Palestinian and Israeli.”

Amro then pulls up his sleeve, nodding at Zupraner and smiling, pointing to his wrist.

“And I think his blood is red, like mine.”

“We can use the cameras not only

to document human rights

violations, but also to try to show

what life is like in a place like

Hebron, which has a very specifi c

and extreme situation, but that’s

never really shown elsewhere,

and that’s impossible to access

from the outside.”

MICH’AEL ZUPRANER

Israeli fi lmmaker

pacintHE MattaRryErSoN FrEE PrESS (ryErSoN uNIVErSIty)

FEAturEFEAturE [email protected] 9

TORONTO (CUP)—It’s a city of ghosts. Empty streets. Stores boarded shut. Vacant apartment buildings.

This is Hebron, a city in Israel’s occupied territories. Home to about 166,000 Palestinians and 800 Jewish settlers, what was once a bustling downtown shopping district is now a lifeless reminder of the violence and desperation that grips the second largest Palestinian city in the West Bank.

“Hebron is the utter failure of the concept of co-exist-ence,” said Mich’ael Zupraner, 27, an Israeli who par-ticipated in Voices Forward, a Toronto festival about life in Palestine and Israel. This year’s theme was Hebron: In the Eye of the Storm.

The festival included screenings of over a dozen fi lms, musical performances, book launches, readings, multimedia presentations, and discussions.

The festival’s focus surrounded the reality of life in Hebron, the only city in the West Bank that has a Jewish settlement in its midst, and the only city where Jews and Palestinians share adjacent house walls.

“If you want the worst possible scenario for what could happen in the rest of the country, eventually, God forbid, Hebron is that,” says Zupraner at the festival.

Unfortunately, Zupraner isn’t exaggerating.A single horizontal line divides the city of Hebron,

known as El-Khalil in Arabic, into two sections—H1 is home to most of the Palestinian population and under Palestinian jurisdiction; and H2 is home to Jewish settlers and is controlled by the Israeli government.

For Palestinians who live in H2, this means being forbidden from walking or driving on main roads, forced to climb ladders to enter their homes from the rooftops because Israeli soldiers have welded their front doors shut, and being prohibited from leaving home except for a few short hours a week to buy groceries and other necessities when Israeli soldiers impose a curfew. One such curfew lasted 500 days between 2002 and 2003.

Zupraner gathered with Palestinian Issa Amro at XEXE Gallery to present their project—the creation of an experimental documentary channel that broadcasts out of Hebron.

This is no typical television channel. Zupraner and Amro distribute video cameras to Palestinian families living in hot spots—near Jewish settlements or Israeli military checkpoints—so they can document their lives and highlight the human rights violations that occur in their surroundings.

The footage from these cameras is then collected by the two of them, edited, and broadcast over the Internet at www.heb2.tv

The project, run in collaboration with an Israeli hu-man rights organization, B’Tselem, has been in effect for a year and a half. It offers a perspective on life in Hebron that’s rarely, if ever, shown elsewhere.

“The project started from giving out cameras to ordin-ary people,” explains Zupraner in the small, brightly lit gallery, before the audience of 19 people arrived. “Most of them have never had a video camera, never used one, and the kind of footage you get back is very strange sorts of home movies because people will use the camera, and we encourage them to use the camera, not only to fi lm hu-man rights violations, but to also fi lm their daily lives.”

“That means that we get back video tapes that have, say, a wedding, a family celebration, and then the tape jumps to, let’s say, soldiers searching the house or some kind of confrontation with settlers, and then the tape will jump back to baby pictures,” he says. “And so this kind of reality where this is daily life, where these things can happen, right after the other, almost, is what kind of launched the idea for the project.”

The project has the potential to cross over political borders, according to Amro and Zupraner.

“We can use the cameras not only to document hu-man rights violations, but also to try to show what life is like in a place like Hebron, which has a very specifi c and extreme situation, but that’s never really shown elsewhere, and that’s impossible to access from the outside,” says Zupraner.

Amro further explains the reasons why life in Hebron is so different from life everywhere else.

“The settlers who are living inside Hebron are the most radical, the most fanatic settlers in the whole strip,” he says. “And they have this ideology where they want to transfer all the Arabs out of Hebron. They look at it as their land, and believe that the Arabs don’t have any rights to stay there.”

This is a recipe for disaster.“It’s come to the point where Jews and Arabs are

separated to such a degree that the downtown area has become a ghost town,” says Zupraner, who visited Hebron two years ago for the fi rst time and was struck right away by what he saw.

“The logic of what’s happening in Hebron, the logic that the Israeli army is imposing and the way it’s dividing the city, the way it’s preventing Palestinians from using the main roads where Jews are . . . that logic is basically saying that Jews and Arabs can’t live together, and if they do, the result is this kind of ghost town, which is what the downtown area of Hebron has become,” says Zupraner.

For him, it was that feeling that prompted the idea for the project.

“It’s like walking on the moon,” he says slowly.Footage from www.heb2.tv made headlines all over

the world in the summer of 2006, when a particularly troubling incident took place with the Palestinian Abu Ayesha family, whose house has a fence around it to pro-tect them from bottles and stones that were sometimes hurled at them by neighbouring settlers.

They had frequently been attacked by settlers, but were always unable to prove this to police, who were sympathetic to the Israelis. That is, until they were pro-vided with a video camera.

“One major incident involved a neighbouring settler woman by the name of Yif’at Alkobi,” recalls Zupraner.

“One early summer day, there was an argument with her outside their house, and she forced the family back into the house yelling at them, ‘Go back into your cage!’”

“The settler woman continued to curse at the camera calling them—these two daughters and their mother—

whores,” continues Zupraner.Being that both women involved in the altercation

were religious women, this kind of exchange was very disturbing to watch once it made its way to Israeli television.

“People were horrifi ed. Israelis were horrifi ed, I think because for the fi rst time they saw these things from the eye of the Palestinian. Not a journalist, not an Israeli, but you’re seeing it as a Palestinian, having someone curse at you and at the camera, directly into the lens, with such conviction . . . It shook people,” he says. “It was shown internationally, all over the world . . .”

The tape had an effect.“It started a committee in the Israeli parliament, the

Israeli prime minister said he was ashamed of what he saw, Condoleeza Rice mentioned this video clip. This coming out of a 14 year-old Palestinian girl with a cheap video camera. So that kind of shook things up and helped the project along,” says Zupraner.

Currently, there are 150 cameras in the West Bank and 25 in Hebron City, and Zupraner and Amro move the cameras around based on the levels of violence in certain areas and families’ willingness to take part in the project.

Its effects, says Amro, are priceless.“The families, before the cameras, they were acting in

a violent way, you know, to throw back stones,” he says. “They had nothing to react with. But with the cameras, they started believing in the effect of the camera.”

“We consider it is a non-violent tool to react to the violence of the settlers,” says Amro. “The people now, anytime there’s any violence, even to their neighbours, they take the camera, they pull it out and they just start fi lming. And they don’t give in to their emotions, they just keep fi lming, not fi ghting. It’s a very good method of empowering the society.”

Zupraner agrees. “Kids throwing back stones do so out of frustration, because you’re not gonna change anything,” he says. “When you can’t do anything else, you throw stones. But the moment you have a camera and you have a sense that that can be helpful, that that could provide evidence. And cameras deter people, most people, from doing anything too stupid.”

The project is also causing changes in the Israeli side of town.

“Settler violence has gone down, because now they realize a Palestinian 10 year-old who’s fi lming you with their video camera, that’s something that can be shown

Cameras offer powerful tool for Palestinian struggleIsraeli and Palestinian fi lmmakers have combined forces to produce an experimental documentary channel and empower Hebron citizens

BREnDan KERginStAFF WrItEr

It’s in the news again. Palestine and Israel are not getting along. they have a dispute over who should live on a tiny piece of land, the gaza Strip, and a larger chunk called the West bank.

An important note here is that the two Palestinian zones are not connected. though the entire area is small by Canadian standards, Israel has effectively blocked off both sections.

this has created a little mini-nation inside Israel, though both the West bank and gaza Strip border other countries.

the current confl ict is based around the gaza Strip, a slice of land on the Mediterranean Sea

surrounded by Israel, except for a small border with Egypt on the southern tip. Even that border is monitored by the Israeli army.

this has effectively cut the Palestinian people off from the rest of the world unless they have the right documentation and rock-solid nerves.

this violence is nothing new. the area has been one of the most blood-soaked regions throughout human development.

Israel is the current country in control of land which three major religions—Christianity, Islam, and Judaism—consider extremely important. While this region was the target location of the Crusades almost a millennia ago, Christians have pulled out of the region, military-wise.

After World War II the region was unstable with some borders unclear. Jewish people were look-ing for a land of their own after the Holocaust in germany. European countries held most of the power in the Middle East as conquerors or allies, helping to determine the arbitrary borders.

Except the area was already being lived in with traditional boundaries. An agreement was struck with the Palestinians already living on the land to split it with the refugees founding Israel.

In the end, after much confl ict and debate, Israel was created on the eastern coast of the Mediter-ranean Sea, included Jerusalem, the red Sea port of Eilat, and bordered Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt.

In other words, it’s right in the middle of the Middle East with important trade routes and religious centres.

Since the middle of the 20th century, it’s been a contentious issue as to who gets to live where. the uN has tried declaring peace and safe zones, but the neighbours aren’t quite seeing eye to eye.

Egypt has backed off after fi ghting a lot in the ’50s and ’60s and has a relatively peaceful relationship. Syria, who is quiet right now, had taken issue with the Jewish state, but Lebanon, with Hezbollah as a major infl uence, often sends rockets into Israel.

but the organizations causing the most diffi culties are the militant groups like Hamas. Many Muslim extremists can be found in the region and Pales-

tine is a hotbed for so-called “freedom fi ghters.”

Since Israel came into power they have had a varied relationship with these groups, from an unstable peace, especially when Palestinian leader yasser Arafat was around, to military occupation and open ground battles, such as now.

the unrest shows no signs of stopping. Part-time peace accords are often discussed and sometimes signed, but so far no long-term deal has been agreed to, leaving battle as an option every few years.

With global pressure, the Israeli/Palestinian con-fl ict fl ares up every so often, instead of constantly burning. but, since time immemorial, this region has always been a battleground.

An endless struggle A simple guide to the Israeli/Palestinian confl ict

on their own national television,” says Zupraner.“The moment that you’re aware that you’re being

watched, forget by the Palestinians, but by your own home front, you’re aware that you’re responsible, you’re accountable for your actions, to your own society and that serves as a check and a balance to people,” he says.

“Because you’re not in the West Bank, you’re not in the middle of nowhere outside of your society where no one can really see you. No. Your parents will see what you’re doing. Your family. Your friends. And that has a great effect,” says Zupraner.

For Zupraner and Amro, it’s no big deal that they are working side-by-side, as Israeli and Palestinian.

“I’m using his privileges as an Israeli,” laughs Amro. “He has an army protecting him. But we’re close friends. We don’t feel any difference between Palestinian and Israeli.”

Amro then pulls up his sleeve, nodding at Zupraner and smiling, pointing to his wrist.

“And I think his blood is red, like mine.”

PHoto: JoE HoWELL/tHE StrAND

pacintHE MattaRryErSoN FrEE PrESS (ryErSoN uNIVErSIty)

PHoto:MutHANA AL-QADI

January 21, 200910

KEltiE laRtERCoNtrIbutINg WrItEr

After a very successful fi rst year, Victoria will once again be host to the second annual Aboriginal Art Crawl in March. The crawl will be showing at different galleries from March 5–18, with a gala opening night and gallery walk on March 13.

“The crawl is a celebration of the diversity and aesthetics of ab-original contemporary art,” says facilitator Marlaina Buch.

The gala will mark the opening of the displays with the artists pres-ent, as well as some live presenta-tions and performance-based shows. Also, the Community Arts Council of Greater Victoria (CACGV) will also be hosting an accompanying fi lm series, presented by Media-Net, at 7 pm. Submissions for the screen-ing will be accepted until Jan. 31.

This year’s crawl will feature many returning artists, as well as some new talent from both Victoria and the mainland.

Buch and co-facilitator Juli Steemson were inspired to create the crawl last year when some friends from the local Aboriginal community expressed they had been having a hard time convincing galleries to show their work.

Buch and Steemson felt they could help bridge the professional gap between the galleries and their friends, as well as create an event where Victoria residents would have the opportunity to connect with Aboriginal artists in their communities and celebrate their art and culture.

“[The crawl] fosters profes-sional and personal dialogue among artists, curators, galleries, and the public with the intention of sustaining genuine understand-ing and relationship over time,” says Buch.

This year, the crawl has come up against a few obstacles, one of which has been fi nding space for the artists to show their work.

“[There are] concerns from curators that they are being asked to host a specifi cally identity-based project,” says Buch.

Although some local galleries like the Fifty-Fifty Arts Collective, the Eagle Feather Gallery, Alcher-inga Gallery, and the CACGV have happily agreed to be part of the event, organizers are still waiting to hear back from some other venues and are expecting to be working with some unconventional spaces.

“Full exhibition schedules and strained resources at small, art-ist-run centres have contributed to difficulties in securing show spaces,” says Buch.

Although the roster is quickly being filled, those wishing to be included in the show, either as visual or performing artists, can contact [email protected] before the submissions deadline of Feb. 10.

Media-Net is also accepting submissions for the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s show Assume Nothing: New Social Practice.

Short fi lm and video works of up to 10 minutes about interesting people from the community will be accepted.

Inspiration for the project comes from Harrell Fletcher’s website, Some People (www.somepeople.com). Deadline for submissions is March 15 with the screening taking place April 30.

ArtS

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Is your busy schedule making it difficult to balance schoolwork and a job?

Thompson Rivers University can help by bringing education directly to you through Open Learning. With over 400 online and distance courses available for registration throughout the year, you can get the credits you need and transfer them back to your home institution.

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For a complete list of Open Learning courses and programs please visit our website.

Add online courses to your regular studies

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www.truopen.ca1.877.663.4091

*One $1,500 scholarship awarded during the 2009 winter semester. Entry forms must be accuratelycompleted. Eligibility limited to post-secondary students currently enrolled at participating campuses.

Date: February 2 - 5

Time: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Place: Fisher Building Foyer

Art crawl celebrates Aboriginals

Cara-Lyn Morgan’s Elevator, in acrylic and beeswax on canvas.

Aboriginal Art CrawlMarch 5–18 (gala on March 13

at 6:30 pm)At various galleries, freewww.media-net.bc.ca

[email protected] 11

Doubt

sHanE scott-tRavisCoNtrIbutINg WrItEr

At the crux of Doubt, the brilliant new fi lm by John Patrick Shanley, are accusations of child molestation at a Catholic elementary school.

It’s 1964 and Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep in top form) suspects Father Flynn (the brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman) of having done the unthinkable to a young African American student.

Holding her own against these acting juggernauts is the very im-pressive Amy Adams (Junebug) as Sister James, a well-meaning but naive teacher caught in the middle.

At first, the film’s characters seem more like caricatures and clichés than real people, but as the plot develops, so do they. Shanley advances the story with a deft hand

worthy of Hitchcock as Doubt shifts into a subtle thriller.

Adapted from Shanley’s Pulitzer and Tony-winning play, this film graciously sidesteps theatrical trap-pings to become a truly cinematic experience. With the brilliant cine-matographer Roger Deakins (No Country for Old Men) at his side, Shanley deeply embeds the camera and totally affects our responses to what we see.

And what do we see? There’s uncertainty at every turn. But there must be uncertainty in a fi lm that looks at the relativity of truth, and the subjectivity that goes with it.

The camera follows the charac-ters, but also goes beyond them—suggesting the real-time sympathy of an observer and a supernatural foresight of when and where.

And the ambiguity of what ul-timately transpires will have you guessing and debating for quite some time. Doubt is a small master-piece and a stunning success.

Slumdog Millionaire

MicHaEl BRaRCoNtrIbutINg WrItEr

India boasts one of the world’s largest populations, at over one bil-lion people. Naturally, this means India also has one of the world’s largest populations of movie fans and, as such, leads the world in films produced on a yearly basis.

To be frank though, Bollywood seems to adhere to the “quantity over quality” credo, resulting in thousands of bad movies being circulated, and me becoming excep-tionally gun-shy around them.

Slumdog Millionaire didn’t necessarily change my opinion of Bollywood cinema, but it did prove that foreigners are capable of mak-ing Indian films as well as anyone else, as long as they are willing to fully commit themselves to captur-ing the essence of the country and its people.

The narrative focuses on young Jamal, a former slumdog, as he manages to become a contestant on India’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? The story of how he actually gets to the hotseat, however, is a complex and emo-tional rollercoaster ride through time and memory.

Slumdog Millionaire is an Os-car-calibre triumph truly deserving of all the hype and acclaim it’s receiving.

ArtS

★★★★★

MicHaEl DuncanCoNtrIbutINg WrItEr

From Wolf Parade to Superwolf, and to the now-seemingly extinct Wolfmother, the packs of bands with the world wolf in their names were everywhere. But recently, the colour black has seen resurgence in many band names. So with black back behind so many bands, here are three distinguished bands with the darkest shade in their names.

The Black Keys (myspace.com/theblackkeys) are the blues-rock duo of Patrick Carney (drums) and Dan Auerbach (guitar) who came out of Akron, Ohio in 2002 with their fi rst album, The Big Come Up. Since then they have released six albums, their most recent album be-ing Attack and Release. This latest recording has them expanding from their previous basics of self-produced, fuzz-riffi ng blues tracks and it features full-time production and added organ, banjo, and piano instrumentals. From the opening track, “All You Ever Wanted,” with its whirling organ climax, to the eerie guitar lines of “Lies,” and the fi nal track, “Things Ain’t Like They Used to Be,” the Black Keys stay true to their blues roots while fl eshing out an original sound.

Black Mountain (myspace.com/blackmountain) has the es-sential sounds for a ’70s psychedelic riff-rock band, i.e. layered organs,

fuzz-tone guitars, extended jam-ming, etc. With their latest album, In the Future, the Vancouver band, fronted by lead singer/guitarist Stephen McBean, maintains a rambling fervor throughout the recording in place of the strung-out monotony of many psychedelic jam bands. The album’s beginning track is the appropriately titled

“Stormy High,” led by a heavy guitar and drum combination. Among other notable tracks, there’s the acoustic and falsetto sung “Stay Free,” as well as the album’s closer,

“Bright Lights,” a 16-minute odys-sey, which, like the album itself, strikes at quiet and chaotic at all the right times.

The Black Lips (myspace.com/theblacklips) are often referred to as one of the hardest working bands. Many styles are encompassed in their music, including blues, punk, country, and surf, all of which is combined with their high-energy garage vibe. The sounds have been slightly refi ned on the newest album, Good Bad Not Evil, but only for the better. “Bad Kids” is a song featured midway though the album with an instant hook and, alongside the re-recorded “Cold Hands” and the boisterous “Veni Vidi Vici,” sounds as relentless as is it refreshing. Look out for the next Black Lips album, 200 Million Thousand, dropping in mid-February.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox StoryStarring: John C . Rei l ly, Tim Meadows, Kristen WiigRuntime: 96 minutes What can be said about Dewey Cox? Quite a lot, apparently, but the real question is, is it all worth listening to? Well, not really.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story is a frenzied display of the life of Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly), as remembered by the old and retired Cox himself.

After years of drug abuse, Cox suffers some serious damage to a brain that was likely off-kilter to begin with, and so his story un-folds with an extreme exaggeration that loses interest about halfway through.

The fi lm starts off in a bizarre way. Cox has a life-changing con-versation with the top half of his brother, whom he has just sliced in half with a machete.

Dewey then vows to be every-thing his very talented brother could have been, had he not been put on the chopping block. But with his father constantly reminding him “the wrong kid died,” he decides he can never make it big with his parents holding him back.

So Dewey flees the clutches of his unsupportive parents only to find himself in the clutches of

an unsupportive wife, who kindly reminds him every day he’ll never make it.

But somehow he does make it. From here, the movie just gets stranger and the characters madder, until every possible clichéd downfall of a rock star is not only reached, but pushed beyond the extreme to come crashing down somewhere between pathetic and absurd.

About an hour in, when Cox becomes an unemployed hippie running around town in his tighty-whiteys, this Columbia Pictures fl ick offi cially declares itself a bust.

But the failure can’t be blamed on the actors, who do a surprisingly believable job at being the world’s thickest individuals.

Admittedly, there’s some really funny content hidden amongst all the crap, but Walk Hard goes in directions only someone incredibly stoned could take it.

It’s an unfortunate disappoint-ment, because what could have been a strange yet successful musical comedy is taken too far.

Oh, and the extended edition—just 25 more minutes of stupid.

JoEl WitHERingtonCoNtrIbutINg WrItEr

“Exclusive rights isn’t love—it’s colonization,” is a quote from the Belfry Theatre’s new play The Real Thing. The play is a deep explora-tion into honesty, love, loyalty, and artistic creation. The Real Thing is the fi rst play to be produced at the Belfry Theatre from the Czecho-slovakia-born playwright, Tom Stoppard.

Stoppard has written many successful plays; including Ros-encrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Shakespeare in Love, and Every Good Boy Deserves Favour. His plays try to look at the different point of view on various situations. Stoppard has always been an advo-cate of freedom of speech and the themes of his plays have often been controversial in different parts of the world.

This play isn’t just a love story, it also examines the role of a play-wright, and what makes a good artist.

The Real Thing is rumoured to

be Stoppard’s reply to criticisms that his plays lack an emotional context. This play defi nitely plucks your heartstrings.

The Real Thing follows the rela-tionship of Henry and Annie as they leave their former lovers, and work on building a lasting relationship together. Male and female perspec-tives on fi delity and commitment are explored through the ups and downs of Annie and Henry’s rela-tionship. This is not your traditional romantic play but Henry says it best,

“I love love. I love being a lover and I love being one.”

The Real Thing has a beauti-ful changing set design including scenes from the character’s homes and even a train car. The music is diverse and wonderful, from clas-sical symphony to oldies rock, lots of songs about love—surprise, surprise. The play runs until the day after Valentines Day. It is an ideal occasion for more mature couples who want to look at the truth of devotion and commitment, not star-struck lovers caught up in the excitement of a new relationship; an entertaining play to celebrate an anniversary, not a fi rst date.

★★★★★

Noise Addict

RatingsComplete disaster . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Unfortunate malfunction. . . . . . . .

A solid stand. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Freakin’ fabulous . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Black” is the new “Wolf”Curtain Call

The Black Keys

Aboriginal Art CrawlMarch 5–18 (gala on March 13

at 6:30 pm)At various galleries, freewww.media-net.bc.ca

Love. . . what is it good for?

anniversary, not a fi rst date.

� e Real � ingUntil Feb.15, 8pm

Belfry Th eatrewww.belfry.bc.ca

Sex, drugs, and a machete

January 21, 200912 ArtS

toya gRiEvECoNtrIbutINg WrItEr

Got ’til It’s GoneBy Larry Duplechan(Arsenal Pulp Press)

Got ’til It’s Gone is a supposed romantic comedy, but this novel certainly isn’t comedic.

Romantic? Maybe, but it’s def-initely rated R. If graphic, homosex-ual lovemaking isn’t your bag, this novel isn’t recommended.

The book takes place in LA before, during, and after the South Asian tsunami and Hurricane Ka-trina in 2005. Both of these events are used as metaphors for the life-al-tering trials that affect author Larry Duplechan’s alter-ego, Johnnie Ray Rousseau.

Got ’til It’s Gone is Duplechan’s fourth book following the life of Rousseau, a promiscuous, black, 48-year-old homosexual who is deacon at the First Assembly of Love Church.

In the tsunami of Rousseau’s life his mother is hit with the un-fortunate diagnosis of a growing brain tumor, defi nitely a somber start to the novel.

Continuing along, Rousseau watches his loved ones around him, most of them HIV-positive, become either sick or die. He re-fl ects on people he’s lost and tells their stories, including those of his late husband and father.

See, it’s clear this novel falls short of comedic.

Despite his promiscuous nature and refusal to fall in love again, Rousseau does fi nd romance amongst all the pain. His lover turns out to be a former meth addict/call boy/ porno star named Joe Callahan, who is also HIV-positive.

Rousseau’s life is stable until his “hurricane” arrives, introdu-cing knowledge of an unknown biological father, domestic troubles, a surprising love affair, death, and eventually an engagement.

Got ’til It’s Gone provides an in-sight in to experiences most people won’t encounter, and gives the read-er a realistic depiction of the homo-sexual lifestyle of the last 30 years. Duplechan has created a piece that provides a broader cultural perspec-tive and understanding.

sHannon gRaHaMCoNtrIbutINg WrItEr

Scrapbook of My Years as a ZealotBy Nicole Markotic(Arsenal Pulp Press)

This semi-autobiographical novel covers the usual trials of child-hood (weird parents, not fi tting in, boys, woe), with the added twist of the female star being a devout Mormon in a family that doesn’t do religion.

The young heroine, feeling stifl ed by her godless family, reb-els by opting for the even more rigid lifestyle of a Latter Day Saint. This “phase,” as her parents con-sider it, lasts all the way to her late teens, when she meets a boy, and it becomes time to throw it by the wayside.

The boy isn’t worth much, but he seems to be a vehicle for a change that was coming anyway. She be-comes as hardcore an atheist as she was a Mormon.

The viewpoint shifts smoothly throughout the book between the religious youth and the self-de-scribed “heathen” adult.

Aimed at a thoughtful, and probably female, reader, this story gives us a look at the life of a Canad-ian youth prison guard, the inside of a frigid relationship, and the dif-ference between wonky childhood friends and real adult friends.

If you’re looking for a plot, it won’t be found here, but there are many stories, each showing a differ-ent facet of a fascinating life.

The appeal lies in the glimpse at someone else’s “normal.” Situa-tions the characters dismiss as everyday occurrences seem pro-foundly odd to someone who hasn’t grown up that way—for instance, amid an indoor jungle of potted plants.

Toward the end, there’s a story hinted at throughout the book—a full account of what happened to the hero’s aunt in Nazi Germany. It’s both disturbing and enlighten-ing to read, but one has to wonder why it was tacked on at the end like a bunch of racing stripes on a Honda Civic.

With a few laughs, some good adventures, and a friendly cast, My Years as a Zealot is by no means a waste of time.

ArenaRockSam RobertsMcPherson Playhouse, Jan. 8

MicHaEl DuncanCoNtrIbutINg WrItEr

Are the golden years under attack? In Sam roberts’s eyes they are, and judg-ing by his recent performance in Victoria he’s out to hunt them down.

the hour-and-a-half set was no half-baked exercise, but the culmination of a now-older roberts fighting for the integrity of a rock ‘n’ roll that nears extinction.

the set opened with the title track of his latest album, Love at the End of the World, and rumbled on to include music from all of his major recordings.

there were the obvious crowd-pleasers throughout with hits like “Hard road,” “bridge to Nowhere,” and “brother Down.” the latter song featured saxo-phone, an instrument that was also played later in the set.

A few missteps did occur during the concert, like mistiming and gear glitches, but that’s no surprise considering this is the band’s fi rst gig on a cross-Canada tour. there was even an Eric Clapton moment via “the Last Waltz” where roberts’ guitar strap failed him.

the crowd may have also been slow at fi rst in taking to the new material, such as “up Sister” and “Lions of the kalahari,” but the songs kept on and the crowd seemed to get in tune with robert’s feverish energy that accompan-ied every track.

Finishing the show was an extensive, fi ve-song encore that included the piano blues-inspired “Detroit ’67” and was rounded out by the hallucinatory jam, “Mind Flood.”

the golden years may well be under attack, but roberts has hedged all his bets on taking them back.

[email protected] 1�

JoEl WitHERingtonCSEA MEMbEr

Choosing your mode of travel has a great impact on the environment. Most of us have probably heard of the air pollution caused by motor vehicles. Car exhaust from North Americans account for a good por-tion of the greenhouse gases that are warming our planet, and it causes acid rain, ice cap melting, flooding, and a lot of other environ-mental disasters.

We should be very concerned with rising sea levels in Victoria; I can see the ocean from my house and I don’t own a sailboat.

We don’t have to be a part of the problem. There are a lot of ways to get around Victoria without jump-ing in a car and driving everywhere. Why would you want to pay all those astronomical parking fees anyways?

If you don’t like walking, try something with wheels but no motor. Riding a bike or skateboard

can be a very fun way of getting around; you don’t need a license or insurance, just a helmet. You’ll be surprised at the amount of adven-tures you can get into while heading from one place to another.

If exercise isn’t your thing, then take advantage of our wonderful public transportation system. I come from a small town that had about three buses running on five routes; Victoria’s system is far superior.

It normally doesn’t take more than 30 minutes to get to any des-tination within the city. The best part is that you’ve already paid for a bus pass with your student fees.

If you have a bike that isn’t in good shape or are looking to buy a cheap one, don’t worry, Camosun Students for Environmental Aware-ness (CSEA) is working to host a bike workshop on campus to get everyone riding.

For more info about CSEA, visit www.camosunstudent.org/csea or e-mail [email protected]

My Right Hand

The challengeI’ve spent 22 years using my right hand for almost

everything I do. I write, eat, throw, and scratch my butt with my right hand, and now, for the first time in my life, I’m attempting to rely solely on my left hand—living life the “wrong” way, if you will.The research

The small percentage (roughly 10 percent) of left-handed humans are, according to some studies, more likely to be schizophrenic, delinquent, or have mental disabilities. On the contrary, they’re also said to hold higher creative and sporting prowess. Both Leonardo da Vinci and Babe Ruth were lefties. These assets may be because lefties are forced to use other regions of the brain in order to function properly, as well as become adaptable to things like right-handed scissors, stick shifts, and sports equipment; after all, it’s not often you find a left-handed hockey stick at your local gym.The rationale

Being a minority sucks; everybody knows that. While you should be thought of as something rare and unique, you’re simply labeled an oddball, facing a plethora of limitations and obstacles to overcome. Having been ignorant to this fact, and having the novelty of right-handed tools at my disposal my entire life, I decided to live life alternatively and stop using my right hand completely.The trial

Day 1: It’s a strange feeling; like I have to think in a foreign language just to convince myself I don’t have a right hand. I’ve pretty much decided in order for this to work, I have to imagine I’ve been in a devastating ac-cident (let’s pretend my hand was eaten by a crocodile) and am now an amputee. That’s basically how I got through the day, by playing a silly game with myself.

Day 3: Today I tied my hand behind my back to avoid failing this challenge. After instinctually using my right hand for everything, it’s hard to simply tell myself “left, left” instead of using my right. Everyone at school thought I was a weirdo once again, but by now everyone in my program expects me to behave this way, having been here through all of my Giving It Up experiences.

Day 6: It took me an extra 25 minutes to get ready for work this morning; two extra minutes brushing my teeth, seven eating my cereal, 11 making my lunch, two buttoning my blouse, and three tying my bloody shoes.

I’ll be damned if I’m late because of an article that isn’t even helping my GPA.

Day 7: Serving isn’t an easy task as it is, but throw in restricted use of your dominant hand and you’re calling for a recipe for disaster. This was ever so apparent last night at work. I broke three plates trying to balance a tray on my left hand, got caught muttering to myself over my stupid left hand, and missed a customer’s glass completely while attempting to fill it with water. I’m just glad I don’t work in the kitchen. After a few not-so-pleasant remarks on my service, it’s no wonder my boss confronted me at the end of my shift. I had to explain to her that I’ve been out of sorts lately and even shed a little tear just to save my butt from getting fired. Unfortunately she now thinks I’ve lost my mind, switching my shifts to less busier nights until I’ve had time to “work things out.”

Day 9: As I typed my paper today, I felt like I was 10 again and was still typing with one finger, the dif-ference being I was even slower because it was my left index finger and not my right.

Day 11: You know that drinking game where you can only drink with your weak hand and if someone catches you using your other hand, you have to drink? Well that’s how I feel right now; except it’s 24 hours a day . . . and I don’t have a drink, which sort of takes the fun out of the whole game and makes it more of a pain in my ass.

Day 12: I failed. I quit; I just can’t hack it. If you thought hot water would be hard to give up, imagine trying to give up something attached to your own body! After slapping my wrist an endless amount of times because I kept trying to use my right hand and begging people to watch my every move, I’m calling this challenge off.The result

Had I completed this challenge, I would still have chosen to continue being right-handed. To me left-handedness is just plain silly, and those lefties should just convert to right-hand-ism and make retailers’ lives simple—right-handed products only. Screw the fact that three of the last four US presidents have been lefties; if George Bush Jr. can beat the odds and break the pattern then I certainly stand a chance at making it big.Next issue

I’m giving up negative thoughts and feelings and living like a hippie, following the mantra of peace, love, and harmony.

CoLuMNS

A AnythingBy Breanna Carey

GIVING IT UP: old habits di hard By KElly MaRion

CSEA

Sex Toysthe other day, a girlfriend asked me if I would go with her to a sex shop and help her pick out her first toy. that might seem like a strange thing to ask a friend (“Excuse me, but could you please help me choose a prosthetic penis so I can masturbate with it later?”), but having previously worked at sex shops, it wasn’t my first time helping out a first-timer. I was surprised at how nervous she was and how little she knew about the toys. It got me thinking a lot of people out there might be yearning for a good sex aid, but just need a little help.

Ladies have the widest range of sex toys to choose from. Dildos are penis prosthet-ics with no vibration, good for those lucky ladies who can reach orgasm through simple penetration. then there are vibrating dildos, good for clitoral stimulation or penetration, but not at the same time.

bullets are small, spherical vibrators that are great for clitoral stimulation and perfect to use on your own or with a partner. there are also g-spot vibrators, usually a bit slimmer than regular vibrators, but curved upwards and pointier at the head for precise stimulation.

And there’s my favorite toy, the dual-action vibrator dildos with clit stimulators. they simultaneously provide penetration, clitoral stimulation, and g-spot action, all while rotating. Seriously girls, this one’s sure to put a smile on your face.

the selection for guys is a little more limited, but worth checking out. there are three main categories of toys for boys. Prosthetic vaginas, called pocket pussies, are soft plastic or silicone tubes shaped like different parts of the female anatomy. the funniest one is titty blow, a seductive pair of lips set on top of a big pair of breasts with a hole in the middle.

Similar to pocket pussies are toys called slabs. yep, that’s right, slabs. Just like a piece of meat. bigger than a pocket pussy, they allow the user to mount the toy instead of just using hand motions to masturbate. Picture that scene from American Pie where Jason biggs tries to hump a pie on his kitchen counter. And, of course, there are also a wide variety of love dolls ranging in quality and price.

For those of you who are part of a couple (or a threesome), a trip to the toy store could be just what the doctor ordered to spice up an evening! the most popular toy for couples is called the Erection Master, a silicone cock ring with a strategic-ally placed vibrating nodule to allow for hands-free clitoral stimulation during penetration sex. And, because a cock ring restricts blood flow to the penis, it gives men more control over their orgasms.

but, remember, the most intimate sexual relationship you’ll ever have in your life is the one you enjoy with yourself.

So, next time you’re in the mood, consider taking a trip to your local pleasure provider and let the good times roll, or pulsate, or vibrate. go forth, fellow stu-dents, and masturbate!

Walk, bike, save your ass

By Keltie Larter

Q: When I go out on dates I pretend I’m someone I’m not, either out of lack of self-esteem or confidence. I’ve often attracted the wrong type of person. Now I know what I want

in a partner, but how do I make this happen?

A: I can understand why you put up a front while on the dating scene. It’s your protective seal to prevent you from getting hurt. but if you aren’t being true to yourself, then how

can you expect to develop something with a person who likes you for who you are? People aren’t mind-readers; during the first impression, especially, they take things for face value. take this as an opportunity to be you for all the right reasons. In the future, be blunt if you must, so that you don’t look back and say, “oh, I wish I hadn’t said that.” you’re only going to get what you want if you avoid what you know doesn’t work. by now you should have an idea of what personality types mix well with yours. keep in mind that everyone has faults they don’t feel like sharing initially, but those faults make people who they are.

cHloE MaRKgRafCoNtrIbutINg WrItEr

This isn’t a typo, it’s an alteration of the word—one that enhances it, setting the stage for a new perspective of womyn in society.

Womyn . . . isn’t it beautiful? I find it quite visually pleasing,–yn, like in gynecologists or synchon-drosis. But, besides the asthet-ics of it, this spelling of the word comes loaded with socio-political connotations.

As we are all aware, women have been subjugated for centuries by patriarchy. Part of the simple

alteration of this word relates to reclaiming this title. It’s acknow-ledging the uniqueness and indi-vidual aspect of the female gender, allowing it to stand alone, as it is, as womyn.

Womyn is a statement. It says to any reader, here I am, I am a femin-ist, and I am disassociating myself from the traditional concept of the dominant man.

Y, however, can be considered a tribute to men as it displays the Y chromosome necessary in deter-mining the male sex, bringing the spelling of womyn from a far-rad-ical feminist standpoint to a more

neutral supportive and egalitarian one.

Although changing the spelling of a gender may seem radical, the process can be empowering. My point is, let’s take charge of this word, for it’s part of a long history of social consciousness, one that rallies men and womyn in specific ways.

So if you want to discuss the spelling of this word, or simply hang out, come to the womyn’s centres, located on both campuses, in the Richmond House at Lans-downe and in Campus Centre at Interurban.

Putting the Y back in womyn

PHoto: CourtNEy brougHtoN

January 21, 200914 CoLuMNS

Talking threads By toya gRiEvE

Name: Joel DampierProgram: Welding ApprenticeWhat are you wearing?

I’m wearing a red onesie with feeties!Where did you get it from?

I got it for Christmas from my mom. She had to order it from Vegas because apparently it’s hard to come by a 6’ 7’’ onesie.

What’s your favorite thing about it?I really like the feeties and the butt fl ap!

Have you ever used it?What, the butt fl ap? Of course!

That’s pretty gross . . .Yeah, but super versatile.

Name: Tyler GibbonsProgram: Mechanical EngineeringWhat’s keeping you warm this winter?

My Browning jacket with a white Hurley sweater and a sweet red hat with optional earfl aps.

Where did you get your hat from?I stole it from a friend of mine and I’m never giving it back!

What’s the favorite thing about your outfi t?I really like my Hurley sweater. It’s super warm with down padding on the inside.

What about your footwear?These are Circa skate shoes. They totally suck in the snow, but they look pretty sweet.

Can you tell us anything else about your outfi t?I think the hat says it all.PHotoS: toyA grIEVE

Worth the Trip?The battle of on and off-campus eats

By Donald Kennedy and guy alaimo

Aramark Campus CafLansdowne CampusGenoa Baguette$6.59 plus tax

The Little Piggy1019 Fort St.Club Sandwich$6.75 plus tax

Presentation and serviceDonald: My god, the possibilities here are endless! Ever been to Subway and thought to yourself, “god, how I crave a more European sandwich!!!” Well, the Campus Caf is the place for you! get your sandwich cut into three little pieces, go sit by the fountain, and pretend you and your friends are having a delightful French Mediterranean picnic!

guy: Imagine how many authentic Italian families have screamed at each other over dinner about the caf’s “genoa” sandwich. “It is a not real Italiano sand-weechaaa! gaetano! I can make dis one better for you, eh?” the salami had little bite to it, but at least the provolone cheese was good. Aramark does offer pesto as a topping option, so I guess that’s a bonus over other sandwich huts.

TasteD: Every day in high school I’d eat a salami and cheese sandwich for lunch. Sometimes I’d change it up with some primo Parmesan-fringed stuff, or really blow my mind on some black forest ham—but for the most part I was in a sandwich rut. this baguette tastes exactly the same as every sandwich I ate in high school. the only difference is now I have the foresight to get my sandwich toasted. I don’t want those asshole cucumbers turning my bread soggy later.

g: the whole-wheat bun was narrower than george Harrison’s coronary artery. And the whole-wheat bun was as tasteless as that terrible joke. Maybe if Aramark stopped trying to cut corners with lame buns then I wouldn’t make terrible jokes.

Presentation and serviceD: Despite the constant staff rollover, the quality of service here is always excel-lent. I swear I’ve had a crush on at least half of the female staff at this place.

g: there was an array of fresh desserts being showcased behind the glass that I just couldn’t help but try, especially considering they were fairly priced under two dollars. So after starting with dessert, I was pleased to fi nd a freshly made sandwich on freshly made bread presented to me, after quickly fi nishing my excellent dessert.

Tasteg: I liked how they used real cooked turkey cut into fairly uneven and thick slices, placed under sweet bacon with some sort of tasty orange mayonnaise smothered on the bread. there was no denying how fresh everything was, and the fact I didn’t have to break my bank account to get good, quality food made me even happier. this was my fi rst visit to the Little Piggy, and it won’t be my last.

D: I wish girls were honey-cured. If I ever met a girl who was honey-cured; I’d know exactly what to do. First I’d let her soft aroma waft into my nostrils. As her subtle smell enveloped my nasal cavity, my desire would eventually get the better of me. Suddenly, she’d catch me daydreaming about shoving her between two pieces of fresh bakery sourdough, teaming her up with some nice, thick turkey, and then slathering her sweet, supple frame in savoury red pepper aioli. Her eyes would gaze at me knowingly, and she’d tacitly say, “It’s okay, baby, take a bite.”

And the winner is . . .Honey-cured bacon and a revolving door of apron-ed beauties.

VerdictNo other sandwich perfectly exposes the holes in Aramark’s pricing rhetoric than the Little Piggy Club.

cHRistopHER gillEspiEEXtErNAL AFFAIrS EXECutIVE

Happy new year and welcome back to Camosun College for 2009. I hope you’re well rested and ready to continue your educational journey.

For those of you just joining us on campus, welcome! I know these will be some of the best years of your life.

2009 has the potential to be

a year of change. In May, British Columbians will head to the polls and clearly inform our government what they think of their perform-ance over the past four years. As students, we need to ensure our voices are heard.

Back in March, the provincial government announced a 2.6 per-cent base funding cut for every post-secondary institution in BC and the money was to be redistributed into

“priority areas.”

This has left Camosun College, as well as every college and univer-sity in BC, in dire fi nancial straits for this entire academic year.

We need your help in May to tell this government what we think of these cuts. Education must become the primary issue of this next elec-tion and we’ll need your help. I hope we can count on your support.

Stay tuned for our student cam-paign plans. Can students make a difference in 2009? Yes, we can!

Time for change in the new year

Camosun Colleg Students for Environmental Awareness

Camosun College is looking for yourINNOVATIVE ideas to help the collegebecome a leader in sustainability.You could win a $1,000 cashprize and a $1,500 operational budget tohelp make your idea a reality.Your idea could be anything *, as long as it has a positive impact on sustainabilty atCamosun College.Project submissions are due by 4 pm,March 2, 2009.Applicants must be registered Camosun students in March, 2009.

www.camosun.ca/green*for a complete list of contest rules see:

[email protected] 1�

Wednesday Jan.21

Nexus Pizza Daytwo bucks a slice, unless you have the answer key to any of my midterms, or you buy me a case of beer. In which case, it’s free, pending the beer is not Pilsner, Pipers, any brand that starts with or tastes like P, and you didn’t whip up an answer key to the exams that will somehow make my multiple choice answers spell out racial slurs. 12 pm until it’s totally devoured, outside the Fisher building at Lansdowne

Thursday, Jan. 29

Pride MeetingCamosun Pride is hosting a gay pride meeting to host pride events in the Pride Lounge. So if you’ve got pride, know somebody who’s got pride, or just like saying the word pride, then come check it out! Everyone is welcome. Check out the Camosun Pride Collective on facebook, and then rSVP or request more info at [email protected]

Thursday, Jan.22

Employer Info SessionAlso known as “places I go to get free snacks.” but a lot of the time there aren’t free snacks provided, so you should probably only go check this out if you’re interested in anything to do with employment opportunities at the Ministry of transportation and Infra-structure. And if there are free snacks, you better get there a solid three minutes before I do. 12:30–1:20 pm, CbA 209, Interurban. Email [email protected] for more info.

Mondays–Thursdays

Drop-in hockey and soccerIf you’re anything like me and you’ve broken your leg hopping parking meters, received several stitches after petting a swamp rat, or been recommended for several months of therapy caused from being stalked by a bear on the Juan de Fuca trail, then you know that things that take place indoors are just better. So be like me, and avoid the outdoors at all costs. Start with inside sports, and work your way up to indoor camping, canoeing, and, fi nally, biking through an orange pylon obstacle course (not suitable for carpeted rooms). Hockey on Mondays and Wednesdays, 7–9pm; Indoor soccer on tuesdays and thurs-days, 7–9pm in young 112, Lansdowne. Info: 250–370–3602.

EVENtS

Since most of the Nexus staff was away at the Canadian university Press (CuP) national conference in Saskatoon, it was decided to do an overheard there. With four nights of seminars and drunken debauchery, we overheard unusual things and have never seen so many drunk journalists in one room before. the following is some of what’s been overheard at the CuP conference:

Overheard at CUP

“Doesn’t Jesus turn you on? that beard is

fantastic.”

“Well, I knew you had

tentacles.”

“guy, I have to sleep with you

again.”“you and the Little

Mermaid can go fuck yourselves.”

“My name is Craig Silliphant or, as

some ladies know me, that creepy guy

in the bushes.”

“If you drank the urine of anyone here, it would

still be 7 percent alcohol.”

tEssa cogManStAFF EAVESDroPPEr

eye oncampus

By Kait Caversby kait Cavers

Dr. Heinz By Adrian Binakaj

Sticky Vicky By Rhea Smilowski

Phlegm By Shane Scott-Travis

This is a comic that I did when I was ap-proximately 9-10 years old. —Donald Kennedy

classifi edsENgLISH tutor for help with ESL, essay writing. bente, 250–592–8340, [email protected]

RulesEach registered student at Camosun is eligible for up to 40 words FREE per semester. this can be in the form of a 40-word ad, or two 20-word ads. Drop off your ad at the Nexus, richmond House 201, Lansdowne, e-mail it to [email protected], or call the ad in at 370-3591. Please include your student number and contact information. Small print: Nexus reserves the right to refuse ads for any reason. No sexist, racist, homophobic, or otherwise derogatory or slanderous ads. business-related ads are $15 for 20 words or less. 50 cents per extra word

Thursday, Jan. 22

The Clipse featuring Ishkan, Scale BreakersSUGAR, DOORS AT 9 PM, $32

It’s time again for Victoria’s bi-annual hip-hop/rap show. Shine up your Chevy and check the hydraulics, bitches, these guys have been around since you were knee-high to a hip-hopper.

Saturday, Jan. 24

Jon and Roy, Acres of LionsUVIC SUB, SHOW AT 10 PM, $15

Come check out the island’s best-known talent, Jon and roy, with the island’s best-kept secret, Acres of Lions! this mix of pop rock and country will satisfy you like a corndog at a county fair.

Tuesday, Jan. 27

Covers for a CauseLUCKY, DOORS AT 9 PM, $5

Acres of Lions, the gruff, bear’s Lair, Les Monstres terribles, and oscar collide on stage for a night of epic covers to provide support for cancer research. get drunk

and rock out . . . for charity!

Friday, Jan. 30

Jeff Andrews with Crows at MidnightSOLSTICE CAFÉ, SHOW AT 8 PM, $10

Jeff Andrews presents the re-lease of his album, Vagabonds & Wastrels. Come check out this inventive spin on the folk genre, while simultaneously getting high off quadruple shot Americanos.

Friday, Jan. 30

The Switchblade Valen-tines, with guestsSOPRANOS, DOORS AT 9 PM, $10

Hank Pine and Lily Fawn, as well as the Dirty and the Derelicts, join Switchblade for a fi ery explo-sion of rock, punk, and rock. Dee-hee-cent.

ministrationWhat are your personal goals this season?

I want to work on my shot and my perimeter game.Highlights so far in a Chargers uniform?

O u r l a s t w i n o v e r Douglas College was big for us; we all played hard.

What is your job on the team?Be a force on both sides of the fl oor.

Nick Adair—#13team: Men’s basketball

year: 2Position: PostHeight: 6’8”Hometown: Den-man Island, bC

High school: gP VanierCamosun program: business Ad-

†On select 3-year plans. Offers subject to change without notice. *Available with any BlackBerry device with subscription to select plans and activation with BlackBerry Internet Service. Includes unlimited personal e-mail (up to 10 accounts) while using BlackBerry on the Rogers Wireless network. See rogers.com/unlimited for plans and details. Usage subject to Rogers Terms of Service & Acceptable Use Policy available at rogers.com/terms.TMRogers & Mobius Design are trademarks of Rogers Communications Inc. used under license. All other brand names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners. © 2008 Rogers Wireless.

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VICTORIA

153-2401C Millstream Rd.(250) 391-0885

Tillicum Mall(250) 386-2282

Westshore Mall(250) 478-3912

3388 Douglas St.(250) 385-8000

766 Hillside Ave.(250) 380-1011

1306 Douglas St.(250) 389-0818

Shelbourne Plaza(250) 477-5999

DUNCAN

Fort Centre(250) 748-6388

NANAIMO

Port Place Mall(250) 741-8288

Woodgrove Centre(250) 390-1820

Nanaimo North Town Centre(250) 729-0108

2540 Bowen Rd.(250) 756-0517

Woodgrove CentreG7-6631 North Island Hwy.

(250) 390-3834

CAMPBELL RIVER

Ironwood Mall(250) 850-1535

Discovery Harbour Centre(250) 286-1008

COURTENAY

Driftwood Mall(250) 703-2008

ABBOTSFORD

Abbotsford Village Shopping Centre(604) 852-5863

101-3240 Mt. Lehman Rd.(604) 856-0151

320-32500 South Fraser Way(604) 854-1440

BURNABY

6512 East Hastings St.(604) 291-9068

9869 Austin Ave.(604) 421-7500

7645 Royal Oak Ave.(604) 451-0233

Old Orchard Shopping Centre(604) 433-6125

Brentwood Mall(604) 320-0789

CHILLIWACK

#40 Salish Plaza(604) 792-7609

COQUITLAM

Coquitlam Plaza(604) 464-4222

Austin Avenue Mall(604) 931-5332

Westwood Plateau Village(604) 464-5862

Como Lake Village(604) 931-8104

COURTENAY

Courtney Crossing Mall(250) 334-3070

DELTA

Sunshine Hills Shopping Centre(604) 591-7767

LANGLEY

Fraser Park Shopping(604) 530-3422

Willowbrook Park Shopping Centre(604) 533-8555

MAPLE RIDGE

Pacific Colonnade22430 Dewdney Trunk Rd.

(604) 463-2231

100-20398 Dewdney Trunk Rd.(604) 460-6527

MISSION

Lougheed Mission Plaza(604) 820-4869

NEW WESTMINSTER

Columbia Square(604) 524-1100

Royal Square Mall(604) 515-8213

NORTH VANCOUVER

972 Marine Dr.(604) 986-7500

1661 Lonsdale Ave.(604) 980-7291

Capilano Mall(604) 983-9744

PORT COQUITLAM

Prairie Mall(604) 552-3316

Shaughnessy Station(604) 941-2423

RICHMOND

8900 No. 1 Rd.(604) 241-0711

192-8180 No. 2 Rd.(604) 275-4848

8360 Granville Ave.(604) 244-8446

Garden City Shopping Centre(604) 244-7800

Ironwood Plaza(604) 241-8441

SURREY

8112-120 St.(604) 599-0099

10340-152 St.(604) 588-8900

101-7175 138 St.(604) 599-8880

8934 152 St.(604) 581-2287

Cedar Plaza(604) 581-7884

Peninsula Village Shopping Centre(604) 535-8828

Surrey Place(604) 584-7274

Clover Square Village(604) 574-6341

TSAWWASSEN

Bayside Shopping Centre(604) 943-9940

VANCOUVER

2097 Broadway W(604) 676-7015

1674 Davie St.(604) 687-8000

2696 East Hastings St.(604) 254-9555

5503 West Blvd.(604) 266-6097

8377 Granville St.(604) 266-1500

1295 Davie St.(604) 669-7377

2200 York Ave.(604) 732-5007

1027 15th Ave. W(604) 731-1699

5603 Victoria Dr.(604) 301-1836

Pacific Centre(604) 801-5292

VICTORIA

2631 Quadra St.(250) 361-4949

Canwest Centre – Eastgate(250) 478-8556

1099 McKenzie Ave.(250) 479-4510

102-1567 Cedar Hill Cross Rd.(250) 472-7522

2973 Tillicum Rd.(250) 360-0388

Mayfair Shopping Centre(250) 382-4196

Victoria Eaton Centre(250) 385-6151

Hillside Mall(250) 370-4339

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