THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA’S INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER • OCTObER 10, 2013 • VOLUME 66 • ISSUE 10 • MARTLET.CA

UNIVERSITY MAKES PEOPLE JADEDPAGE 9

EMPATHY GAMES STRIVE FOR DEPTHPAGE 18

UVIC BEING SUEDPAGE 4

FIVE TIPS TO APPEASE THE MIDTERM GODSPAGE 19

SAVEOUR

SHORESOne piece of trash at a time

Page 3

THURSDAY OCTOBER 24TH

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The Martlet Publishing society is looking for a few good people to serve on our board of directors.We are looking to fi ll the following positions: Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Director-at-Large.

The Martlet Publishing Society board is made up of volunteers who are elected by staff at the AGM. If you are interested in any of these positions, attend our AGM and nominate yourself or a friend.

Thursday, Oct. 24, 6 p.m.

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First you were like "Woah," and then we were all like "Woah!" and then you were like, "Woooah."

October 10, 2013 NEWS 3

NEWS

ADAM HAYMAN

Just over a dozen people gathered in front of the Ogden Breakwater on the morning of Sept. 28 for the 20th annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, hosted by Victoria MP Murray Rankin. Coffee and dough-nuts were provided to help everyone shake the chill from the rain. Two local experts were on hand to help out. Richard Kool, an associate pro-fessor in Royal Roads University’s Environment and Sustainability pro-gram, and Dr. Gerald Graham, marine oil spill expert. The volunteers moved their way around the beaches beside the breakwater, litter-picking claws and garbage bags in hand, ridding the shoreline of the many cigarette butts, bottle caps, pieces of plastic,

and other debris, for a little over two hours.

The first Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup launched in Vancouver, in 1994, on a stretch of beach in Stanley Park. In 2002, it became a national program, and in 2012 the number of volunteers reached over 57 000. There were 1815 shore sites reg-istered in the cleanup in 2012 and over 3000 kilometres of shoreline was cleaned.

Graham comes to shoreline cleanup with some unique expertise. After the Exxon Valdez oil spill, nations around the world tightened up their oil-spill response. Areas that saw oil tanker traffic hired and trained people to lead oil spill cleanups at that time. Graham was one of those people.

On the morning of the shoreline

cleanup, participants observed a tanker cutting its way through the bay near the breakwater. Graham told the crowd it was called the “Champion Trader,” and was on its way to Vancouver. “There are about 50 of these a year that come out of Vancouver,” said Graham,“ and if Kinder Morgan gets its way, there will be about seven times that in about five years time.” Logically, with more traffic of tankers there is greater risk of a tanker oil spill. Graham could not stress enough the immediate impor-tance of scaling up oil spill prevention and emergency response. Thankfully, the only thing the volunteers were cleaning on the shorelines that day was garbage.

This year’s cleanup gathered a large amount of debris. The biggest item

found was a legless office chair. Other noteworthy items included a pair of sunglasses, trim from a car door, and an unopened can of hard cider. Plenty of recyclables were found, but the single most prevalent item of gar-bage was the cigarette butt.

Most people know that six-pack rings can tangle up certain species of fish, as well as coastal species of birds; however, shoreline waste has a greater impact than that. Turtles often eat plastic bags because they look like a jellyfish (a turtle’s favour-ite meal). Other aquatic animals will eat plastic pellets, or broken plastic debris. Inability to digest the plastic causes the animal to feel full, which ultimately leads to death. Broken glass and other sharp debris can lay hidden in sand and cut a beach-goer’s

foot. The bottom line is that shoreline garbage is unsanitary and unsightly.

Jensen Edwards, a philosophy stu-dent at UVic, was one of this year’s local cleanup participants. “If every time you go to the beach, you just pick up something, then you don’t have to have a save-our-shores day,” he said. “It’s still a great idea,” he added, “a good way to spend a Saturday morning.” The other partici-pants included people who live near the beach and self-proclaimed recy-cling freaks. Murray Rankin and his staff took all the garbage gathered to the reFUSE recycling centre located on Government Street, where it was properly disposed of. Any money col-lected from recycling was donated to unnamed environmental charities.

Murray Rankin hosts 20th annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup

PHOTOS BY ANDREW JOHNSON

Left: Volunteers collect trash at Ogden Breakwater Sept. 28 to clean up the shores.

Above: Carole James, MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill, takes part in the Sept. 28 shoreline cleanup at Ogden Breakwater.

4 NEWS October 10, 2013

ADAM HAYMAN

The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) and Cameron Côté, a UVic grad and former president of UVic student group Youth Protecting Youth (YPY), are pursuing a constitutional law-suit against UVic. The BCCLA and Côté have filed the petition with notice to the UVic Students’ Society (UVSS). They reference the UVSS’s decision, made on Feb. 2, 2012, to revoke YPY’s book-ing rights and use of public university spaces for one year. The petition is also on notice to Jim Dunsdon, UVic’s associ-ate vice-president of Student Affairs, and mentions his decision to cancel an event planned for Feb. 1, 2013.

The UVSS decided to revoke YPY’s club rights after receiving complaints that the group’s “Choice Chain” event on Nov. 16 and 17, 2011, may constitute harassment. YPY’s booking rights were suspended until the spring semester of 2013, and in the motion passed, YPY was ordered not to repeat the actions and, “in particular, not to organize or conduct Choice Chain or similar events.”

The Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CCBR), a pro-life organiza-tion, defines the Choice Chain on their website as, “people standing on pub-lic sidewalks primarily holding 3x4-foot signs of first-trimester aborted babies. Post-abortive women and men who participate are encouraged to hold ‘I Regret My Abortion’ and ‘I Regret Lost Fatherhood’ signs.” These signs are graphic in nature and according to the CCBR are used to “change minds,” and “stimulate debate.”

Côté said the 2011 Choice Chain garnered mixed reactions. “We had a lot of very supportive people. We had a lot of people deeply engaged in con-versation, respectful conversation,” said Côté. “There was a lot of people that felt uncomfortable seeing the graphic images of abortion. There was a lot peo-ple that didn’t want to see the images on

campus.” Côté estimates 23 or 24 com-plaints were filed to the UVSS, quoting the society’s harassment policy.

After the group’s booking rights were reinstated, YPY planned another Choice Chain event for Feb. 1 2013, which was initially approved on Jan. 29 by Jim Dunsdon. “We were very happy,” said Côté, “but it was what we expected. We expected our university to support our freedom of speech.” However, Dunsdon revoked the approval on Jan. 31, stat-ing that, because of the motion passed by the UVSS in February of the previous year, the Choice Chain event was against the policy for booking an outdoor space. YPY held the 2013 Choice Chain event as planned, against the order of the university. Dunsdon then sent a letter informing YPY that their space booking privileges were, once again, revoked for a year’s time. He also stated that, should they hold such an event against the order of the university again, allega-tions of non-academic misconduct could be filed against the group’s participants. This would allege that YPY’s behaviour was disruptive or dangerous. The non-academic misconduct policy outlines ways to informally resolve an allega-tion, including an apology, mediation, education, consultation, or concilia-tion. Disruptive or dangerous behaviour includes harassment as defined under the university’s discrimination and harass-ment policy (separate from the UVSS’s harassment policy).

The UVSS’s definition of harassment is in Section 2, Part F of its club policy. The UVSS currently defines harassment as “an action that creates a hostile environment, abusive, unfair, or demeaning treatment, or an attempt to convert members of other religious clubs through member-ship lists, during club meetings or other organized events.”

The BCCLA has filed the lawsuit with Côté and offered its support. The BCCLA says it has “a long history of pro-choice advocacy and action,” but that they

“regard all attempts to silence dissent through programs of systematic harass-ment as obnoxious to democracy.”

This isn’t the first time YPY has worked with the BCCLA. Côté said, “In the law-suit we had started against the student society back in 2010-11, BCCLA was very helpful in getting that going and con-necting us with legal aid.” That lawsuit pertained to posters YPY had put up around campus, from a pro-life organi-zation called Feminists for Life, which received complaints and were removed. Following the poster removal, the UVSS denied YPY club status and funding.

The BCCLA is also offering its assis-tance to the UVic Catholic Students’ Association (CSA) in its dealings with the UVSS and UVic. That group’s pamphlets titled Pure Manhood, Pure Womanhood, and Pure Love, which were made avail-able at UVSS clubs days in September 2012, have sparked reactions similar to those that surrounded YPY’s Choice Chain events. Some of the pamphlets’ statements with which the UVSS board takes issue include: “The homosexual act is disordered, much like contraceptive sex between heterosexuals,” “bodies of the same gender are not made to receive each other,” “Safe sex is degrad-ing,” and, “guys will stare at a girl who wears a short skirt that could be mistaken for a wide belt. But none of them will respect her.” These pamphlets, like YPY’s Choice Chain, garnered complaints cit-ing the UVSS’s harassment policy, and on July 11, 2013 the UVSS passed a motion saying the CSA cannot display those pamphlets at future events, and that the CSA must refrain from committing simi-lar actions again. The BCCLA takes issue with this censorship of a student club. Further business related to this issue is on the agenda for the UVSS Annual General Meeting, which takes place Oct. 17 in the Michèle Pujol room of the Student Union Building at 3 p.m.

B.C. Civil Liberties Association sides with student groups against UVic

Former YPY president sues University of Victoria

BRANDON EVERELLThe University of Victoria faces a lawsuit petitioned by a student group that feels its freedoms have been violated.

October 10, 2013 NEWS 5

Antimatter [Media Art]16th Annual

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AMANDA DICASTRI

Tim Iles is a professor of Japanese lit-erature, cinema, culture, and language and one of the main figures behind the Language and Cultural Proficiency Certificate. The certificate is available in all the languages offered for study at UVic; Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish, etc. It requires 10.5 units of language and cul-ture courses from a single discipline and is designed to increase students’ under-standing of the language and culture of a particular area.

“The idea was to create greater ties between other departments or facul-ties and the Humanities,” Iles said. “For example, in a Business degree, it is strongly recommended that you spend time abroad. So, to complement that, we thought those students should have a basic knowledge of the language and cul-ture before they leave.” Knowing more than one language can be a great boon in today’s working world. The ability to co-operate and share ideas across cultures and language barriers is called for every day, and such skills are especially useful.

“Theresa Dawson from the Learning and Teaching Centre was instrumen-tal in bringing us together to start our discussions,” said Iles. Dawson gath-ered representatives from the school of business as well as each section of the Humanities Faculty. The first meet-ing about the Language Proficiency Certificate was in late 2012. After that, the process to get the program accepted took only four months—a very short time for such a process.

“Final approval came in May. Even though we did little advertising between May and September, we’ve already seen a boost in many of our courses. For exam-ple, anecdotally, in one of my own classes, 10 to 15 per cent of the students came to it because of the certificate,” said Iles.

Although UVic alumni didn’t have the chance to obtain the certificate within

their study period previous years, Iles said that they can still return just to get the certificate, without having to undergo another degree program.

“Education is constantly evolving,” Iles said. “There are more choices now than there ever were when I was in school, so I would hope alumni who didn’t have this chance won’t be bitter, but recognize the opportunity this certificate presents, and encourage students to pursue it.”

The difference between the certifi-cate and a minor is one of flexibility. In the two upper years of a degree, there is usually a more rigid schedule, and working a language minor into that can be difficult. This certificate allows for a bit more plasticity. It is 10.5 credits and can be completed easily in two years, or stretched out over four depending on the student’s schedule.

“The main focus is on language,” said Iles, “but we wanted a range of culture courses to apply too.” The cer-tificate requires about four core language courses and three complementing cul-ture courses.

When asked how the certificate will help students when they leave school, Iles replied, “It will show they have been crea-tive with their educational experience. I think it will give future employers the idea that the applicant is ready to approach challenges with a global perspective. Basically, they will be multi-millionaires in no time!”

In all seriousness though, this certifi-cate may be considered years overdue. “I think it underlines the necessity of the Humanities,” said Iles. “The four chairs from the Humanities decided that the goals of the certificate would not be to make students fluent in the language, but to expose them to different ways of speaking, thinking and seeing the world.”

The certificate will help prepare stu-dents for an increasingly globalized world and encourage relationships, between themselves and other cultures, to grow.

Certificate in Language and Cultural Proficiency now available to students

BRENNA WAUGHDr. Timothy Iles is an undergraduate advisor and the interim chair of the Pacific and Asian Studies Department.

6 NEWS October 10, 2013

NICHOLAS BURTON-VULOVIC

The inside of St. Ann’s Academy, once crumbling from rot and disuse, now paints a warmer picture of growth and renewed importance. Although the 1920s-themed interior is the product of a $16.7-million renovation project started in 1993, and not an actual leg-acy of the academy’s past, history is an important thing there. Designated a heritage building and owned by the Provincial Capital Commission, St. Ann’s Academy is a stern reminder of a time of faith and community.

Once, the overwhelming majority of Victorians belonged to religious communities of some kind. Although a trend towards societal secularity has made that connection increasingly rare for Victorians today, the legacy is a poignant one, and of special inter-est to the group called Friends of St. Ann’s Academy, which helps nurture the history of their institution. The Friends of St. Ann’s is a non-profi t body founded in 1997 and composed of community advocates and alumni who seek to honour and celebrate the social and spiritual heritage of St. Ann’s Academy.

In mid-September this year, with funds from the Sisters of St. Ann and members of the Victoria community, the Friends of St. Ann launched Roots to Wings. The project, compiled by volunteers with the help of local his-torians John Adams and Stuart Stark, is based around four self-guided walk-ing tours. The fi rst tour explores the Humboldt Valley; the second the City Centre; the third Chinatown; and the fourth North Park. Each walking tour

includes a handful of stops at various historical locations and the brochure gives a brief history of the spirituality involved.

“We’re looking at the spiritual foun-dation of downtown Victoria,” said Julie Cormier, executive director of the Society of Friends of St. Ann’s Academy. But the tour is not entirely limited to the past. “People can actu-ally go see, ‘who are the Songhees nation, and what are they doing right now.’ As much as we wanted to bring out the spiritual history, culture, and stories of the mid 1800s, we’re also seeing the value in identifying the present spiritual groups and what they’re doing today, especially in rela-tion to their history.”

The tours, heavy on Catholic and Anglican history and somewhat sparse on other groups, each take 20 to 30 minutes. The fi rst, and longest by a considerable margin, is about 1.5 kilo-metres. The third, and shortest, is not even a quarter of a kilometre. Touring enthusiasts need simply walk the route described in the pamphlet, and read the description of each historical site along the way. Pamphlets are avail-able in print at St. Ann’s Academy, but there are also downloadable versions on the Roots to Wings website, as well as a mobile version for smartphones.

The apparent goal of the walking tours is to help educate the public on the nature of spiritual institutions in Victoria. “The Friends of St. Ann’s recognized that a tour of spiritual locations was missing from the avail-able resources,” said Ashley Forseille, secretary of the board of the Society of Friends of St. Ann’s Academy. “The

Roots to Wings project grew from the desire to fi ll that gap.”

The society is certainly not alone in creating walking tours of the city—options for historically curious residents and visitors range from the history of Saanich to ghost tours. But, Cormier said, what sets her tour apart is its inclusive nature. “It’s really about including all the denominations and spiritual groups.” Although the tour discusses only Christian and Jewish history, Cormier noted that efforts to ensure a concise and contained tour limited the possible extent of her bro-chure. The Friends of St. Ann’s hope that the Roots to Wings project will form the beginning of a three-part project that will expand geographi-cally to discuss a number of other spiritual groups in the region. They also hope that further funding will enable them to create podcasts to further increase accessibility.

In researching the walking tours, Cormier and other board members consulted with local historians, as well as members from specifi c spir-itual groups, like Chief Andy Thomas of the Esquimalt Nation and Frances Gooday from St. Andrews Cathedral. The Friends of St. Ann’s also offer bilingual walking tours of the academy and schoolhouse during the summer, and aspire to help young women fi nd inspiration in female role models from the academy’s past.

Additional information about the Roots to Wings walking tours can be found on the Friends of St. Ann’s web-site at friendsofstannsacademy.com.

St. Ann’s spiritual walking tours bring new twist to history

St. Ann's Acadamy is a heritage building at 835 Humboldt St. in Victoria. NICHOLAS BURTON-VULOVIC

October 10, 2013 NEWS 7

Seasonal flu shots available at Health Services, located in the Petersen Health Centre for those who qualify for

public-funded vaccine.

Find out if you are eligible http://www.viha.ca/flu/public/#eligibility

Phone 250-721-8492 to book nurse appointment

CAMPUS FLU SHOT CLINICS:

More information: www.health.uvic.ca

FLU SHOT INFORMATION

Tuesday, Oct. 29HSD Building, 3rd floor

10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 6Henderson Room, Cadboo Commons

10 a.m.–1 p.m.

DOUGLAS LAIRD

With the cost of living index rising com-pared to incomes, the homelessness situation continues to have a critical impact on residents, according to a new report titled “Facing Homelessness.” The research is based in the Victoria area through a collaboration between the Centre for Addictions Research of B.C. (CARBC) and The Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness. It finds that housing will continue to be a major concern while adjustments to supple-ments for housing costs have remained steady. The report also found that there is a gap of understanding around the assessments of the needs for youth and families. Also, the report publishes anecdotal observations by those most affected to reflect a degree of the impact of these stressors on the study's severely impoverished participants.

Facing Homelessness outlines struc-tural fractures (such as flat income increases compared to inflation) and systemic failures in our systems of care as areas of concern. When combined with personal circumstances, all of these elements contribute to problems for the “unique individuals” at risk. In a search of some fresh analysis, an upcom-ing symposium, Affordable Housing for Low Income People: Solutions and Challenges, has been planned to provide a forum for response to the report’s find-ings. The event takes place on Thursday, Oct. 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in UVic’s Cadboro Commons.

UVic’s Dr. Bernie Pauly will pre-sent “The Beginning and the End of Homelessness,” with discussion likely to centre on her research to do with rising numbers of working poor, and Dr. Penny Gurstein from UBC will pre-sent “The Future of Public Housing: Challenges and Opportunities.” A mod-erated panel discussion responding to the issues raised will precede a viewing of recent research posters. Participants may chat to the researchers through lunch, which is provided free for web-registered participants. Since most local housing agencies don’t use their limited resources to do academic research, they have been invited to demonstrate the projects they are working on. This adds a unique aspect to the event by providing some insight into action on the ground.

“These are such pressing issues for so many of the communities we live in here,” said Carolyn Fast, co-ordinator for

the Pacific Housing Research Network (PHRN). “The passion comes from peo-ple’s interest areas, in finding answers to the problems, and how they go about discovering those answers.”

Social enterprise of this nature may be seen to challenge the idea of today’s age of austerity, with an increasing number of economic successes to measure its value. While poorly understood by the public, social enterprise requires a collabora-tive approach to obtain the consensus needed to move ahead. Public interest in social issues appears to be regrouping after the Occupy movement, with movies like Inequity for All raising concerns over a potential economic meltdown due to socio-economic disparities. Musician David Byrne is among voices objecting to the perceived rule of the one per cent of Canadians who control the greatest wealth, having published an essay in the Guardian on being a struggling artist in New York.

According to research in the book The Resilience Imperative by Michael Lewis and Pat Conaty, proposed benefits from improving the affordability of housing include greater distribution of income groups across the region. Speaking at Congress 2013 earlier this year, Lewis described an affordable housing project in Vancouver where the costs of devel-opment were reduced by 30 per cent through cutting out developer profit. This was possible because the City of Vancouver got on side to support con-struction of over 600 housing units by donating land into a trust. Savings on homeowners’ purchase costs have a direct feedback into the local economy, Lewis says, since interest payments make up over 30 per cent of current economic activity. In Victoria, a recent proposal for an affordable housing development, to be built in the Janion building on Store Street downtown, is based on land reportedly sold to developers by the fed-eral government.

The PHRN plans to continue annual symposiums on the matter of housing in collaboration with UBC. “The idea of this new network is to look at a whole range of things from green sustainability, environmental sustainability and hous-ing, different kinds of construction, and engineering, right through to the social policy issues dealing with all the things around that, like addiction and mental health issues,” said PHRN’s Fast. “Any number of topics could be covered in this theme.”

New report suggests critical impact of homelessness on Victoria residents

KLARA WOLDENGA

CorrectionIn its Oct. 3 story “10-year moratorium on campus deforestation to expire,” the Martlet published a misspelling of the name of the WSÁNEĆ nation. In our efforts to ensure correct accents appeared in our typeface, we overlooked the deletion of a letter. The correct spelling is WSÁNEĆ. We apologize for our error.

EDITORIAL

Editorial topics are decided on by staff at our editorial meetings, held weekly in the Martlet office (SUB B011). Editorials are written by one or more staff members and are not necessarily the opinion of all staff members.

Happy? Sad? Enraged? Tell us: letters@martlet.ca

The Martlet has an open letter policy and will endeavour to publish letters received from the university and local community. Letters must be submitted by email, include your real name and affiliation to UVic and have “Letter to the editor” in the subject line. Letters must be under 200 words and may be edited.

University campuses should exemplify critical thought and free speech.

8 Opinions October 10, 2013

Opinions

Every student knows grading can be an uncomfortable process. It is, however, an instructive one. The Times Higher Education (THE) supplement recently released their annual World University Rankings. The THE is the preeminent standard for many; it uses a rigorous five-index scoring system paired with sophisticated methodology using extensive data collection. Canada, as a whole, performs well, with several uni-versities in the top hundred, such as the University of British Columbia (30th) and McGill University (34th). UVic, however, has been in steady decline for the last four years of rankings. Both its score and its position have been in free-fall. Perhaps the most notable among the different criteria in the THE ranking is the sharp decline in the teaching score for UVic—from 32.9 out of 100 in the 2010-11 rankings to 18.1 out of 100 in 2013-14. This 45 per cent drop in only three years should be a wake-up call for our UVic President Jamie Cassels. Normally, such a change would indicate a shift in priority away from teaching and toward research. Not so here. UVic’s research score went from 48.3 out of 100 in 2010-11 to 28.5 in 2013-14.

How the Times Higher Education arrives at these scores is described in detail on their website. It uses 13 separate indicators with data supplied and certified by the institu-tions themselves. These indicators are spread across five categories: teaching (30 per cent) which is based on many separate performance indicators such as results from the world’s largest invitation-only academic reputation survey, ratio of doctoral degrees to bachelor’s degrees awarded, and student to teacher ratio; industry income (2.5 per cent) which looks at the university’s ability to aid the industry with innovations and inventions, as well as to what degree businesses are willing to pay the university for research; research and citations (60 per cent) which is based on the number of times a university’s published work is cited by scholars globally; and international outlook (7.5 per cent) which ranks to what degree the university’s academics collaborate with international academics on research projects.

Top-scoring universities are known for their forward-thinking and progressive teaching styles. Harvard University (2nd), for example, established a program this September that offers free tuition to students from low-income families. Harvard’s new program allows high school honours students coming from families that make less than $60 000 (USD) to be considered for financial aid. This step allows accepted students to graduate with minimal student debt. Additionally, Harvard, amongst other high-ranking universities, also allows many of their lectures to be used for free online by anyone seeking to educate themselves. Currently, UVic offers neither of these services. Arguably, Harvard offers these services due to greater funding. This may be true in the aspect of free tuition; there’s no arguing with the fact we are a smaller university, but being a small university doesn’t keep us from offering online services such as courses or podcasts, as the cost would be minimal.

The steep drop in UVic’s THE rank, specifically in our teaching category, gives UVic stu-dents a reason to look critically at our university and advocate for change. Changing an institution may seem complicated, but it’s easier than voting with our wallet and just leaving. Many of us go to UVic for different reasons, and to just pick up and leave is complicated. If UVic wants to continue to draw in old and new students, it’s in the administration’s best interest, as well as the interest of students and staff, to take a closer look at how to improve. UVic should act sooner rather than later if the institution doesn’t want to risk students considering the pros and cons of voting with their tuition.

UVic downvoted in world ranking

KLARA WOLDENGA

DOCTOR REBUTS CHIROPRACTIC SKEPTICISM

I am writing in response to a piece pub-lished in your magazine on Sept. 26, 2013 by Guthrie Prentice, entitled “Alternative medicine on campus: Do the benefits outweigh the risks?”

It is always tremendously unfortunate when someone publishes an article with-out taking the time to see the deeper truth beyond personal beliefs and/or a cursory Internet search.  The concerns regarding chiropractic care and its safety presented by Mr. Prentice in his article are too far-reaching and complex upon which to publish an opinion piece without significant time and research. I reviewed the source list used by Mr. Prentice for his article, and I find it interesting that he used only one paper for the chiro-practic portion of this opinion article. It is certainly not particularly responsible to

use only one source when making such broad statements, since some might assume that he is an expert if he is in fact writing about this subject.

I am a chiropractor. I been in practice since 1998. Two of the most well-known chiropractic academics in the world took the time to send along pages of scien-tific literature on the topic of chiropractic and its safety record so that I could draft a response to this article and refute Mr. Prentice’s uninformed statements.  I have taken a great deal of time wading through the material, but have come to the conclusion that it is not likely to sway Mr. Prentice.

Instead, I give you my record of safety in nearly 16 years of practice and 21 years as a patient. I give you the safety records of my colleagues. The chiroprac-tic profession has an incredible history of healing and changing lives since 1895.

Chiropractors receive a minimum of three years of undergraduate university training in what is essentially a pre-med program before commencing their chiro-practic education. They receive a further four years of training and education to receive their Doctor of Chiropractic designation. They are required to pass national and provincial board certi-fication exams. They are required to complete 40 continuing education hours every two years to stay current in their clinical skills and knowledge. And some, including myself, complete many more hours than this. 

Chiropractic care is safe. Chiropractic care is effective. Ask our patients; they’ll tell you.

Dr. Misty WatsonChiropractor, Saanichton, B.C.

Letters

CARYS PINCHES

It’s hard to imagine anyone feeling a sense of pride as they walk away from a skinned grizzly bear: missing its noble head and all four of its powerful paws, lifeless, rotting in the middle of one of B.C.’s pristine protected areas. Yet the grizzly bear hunt is still permitted in B.C., including many of its parks and protected areas. According to a study by the David Suzuki Foundation, as a result of current and future anthropogenic stressors, it is likely that within the next 50 years B.C.’s grizzly bear populations will become critically endangered with very little hope of recovery. Trophy hunting is a brutal, immoral act that contributes directly to their disappearance. There is no rea-son, economic or otherwise, that could possibly favour the continuance of this activity in B.C.

Prior to European contact, it is esti-mated that approximately 35000 grizzly bears roamed our province. By 2008, however, their population was estimated at less than half of this figure, or just over 16000. Between 1977 and 2009, approx-imately 11000 grizzly bears were killed by humans, despite being classified as a “species of special concern” by both the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife and the Conservation Data Centre. Eighty-seven per cent of these mortalities were trophy killings.  

To begin with, the legal foundation of trophy hunting in B.C. fails to ensure the viability of future grizzly bear popu-lations. Trophy hunting is “regulated” in B.C. by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, which draws over 3500 Limited Entry Hunting licences per year for hunters via a lottery system. The government justifies this method of hunting control by stating that it is able to manage wildlife populations, keeping them at a sustainable level, if it can control how many people hunt in a given year.

B.C. is divided into 57 different popu-lation units of grizzly bears. Hunting is permitted in 48 of these. The remaining 9 are threatened by extinction, which is likely to soon be the fate of many oth-ers should no action be taken on this issue. The Ministry’s management plan is grounded on the estimated popula-tion of these different grizzly bear units. Given the mobility, the slow reproductive rate and the vulnerability of the species to human-induced stressors, it is virtu-ally impossible to ensure that grizzly

bear population estimates are in any way accurate. According to the David Suzuki Foundation, some biologists have found that the number of grizzly bears in an area is up to 100 per cent fewer than govern-ment estimates. Should hunting licences be granted in areas where populations of grizzly bears are significantly lower than estimates suggest? After all, the provin-cial government cannot demonstrate that the number hunted is in any way sus-tainable if its estimates display this level of inaccuracy. Nonetheless, every year hunters with powerful long-range rifles enter B.C.’s forests and shoot 300–400 bears in their natural habitats. This con-tributes significantly to the decline of this species, and with it an associated decline of the ecosystem in which grizzly bears live.

Grizzly bears play an extremely impor-tant ecological role, and their removal is detrimental to the environment. One example would be their dispersal of dead spawned salmon from rivers and streams to the surrounding terrestrial ecosystem. Leftover salmon carcasses feed scaveng-ing birds and insects, amongst other species, and fertilize the soil beneath trees. Additionally, grizzly bears disperse seeds in their fur and excrement. Thus, as grizzly bears are eliminated from their habitats as a result of trophy hunting, the ecosystem slowly declines with them.

Some may argue that this risk could be offset by the huge revenue that hunting outfitters bring into the province every year; however, this is misleading given that more sustainable options of grizzly bear tourism generate almost twice as much. The grizzly hunt is becoming a growing source of anger for ecotourism businesses as it threatens the long-term sustainability of their sector. Watching these humble giants wander across peb-bly beaches as they stop to feed here and there is awe-inspiring. Furthermore, it is a considerably more sustainable option for revenue than the grizzly hunt.

While ecotourism educates the public about grizzly bears and the importance of their protection, guide outfitters take wealthy tourists armed with long-range rifles out to kill the best grizzly they can find. When grizzly hunts are combined with other anthropogenic stressors such as habitat degradation and overfishing, it is entirely likely that populations of the species will hit a precipitous decline. This is bad news for the ecotourism and guide outfitting sectors alike. What is more, it would mean a huge loss in revenue for

the province as a whole. Conversely, if grizzly bear hunting is banned, it gives room for the growth of the sustainable ecotourism sector in the future while simultaneously eliminating one of the many factors that negatively affect grizzly bear populations today.

This argument should not be grounded only in statistics and figures. however. Ethics arguably plays the more impor-tant role in deciding to criminalize trophy hunting. Unlike those who hunt game for food, trophy hunters often waste every part of the animal, except for what they deem “valuable.” This careless, immoral act takes away the life of a creature important both to the ecosystem and to the culture of people who reside in this province. Utilitarianism is an appropri-ate ethical theory that encompasses the idea of aiming to maximize overall good or utility. Given that the body of a grizzly bear is left behind without any trace of fur, head, or paws after trophies are col-lected, utility is not maximized. In theory, the act is proven to be unethical.

In July of this year, a poll by the B.C. government found that 87 per cent of residents support a full ban on trophy hunting of grizzly bears in this province. This is a significant step forward as it shows the provincial government how overwhelmingly important this species is to the people of this province. Current management strategies are not doing enough to ensure a safe future for grizzly bears. Failure to manage them properly affects not only their populations but also the entire ecosystem in which they live. By removing one anthropogenic stressor of grizzly bear populations, the government would take a step forward in protecting one of the province’s most iconic species. In any case, most peo-ple who come here to see them do so because this is one of the last safe havens left for grizzly bears in the world.

Nonetheless, the main reason why people voted in favour of the ban is likely because they feel it is immoral to remove such a great animal from our remaining wild areas. Surely this indicates that most people have an intrinsic connection with nature and with certain keystone species in particular. It is hard and emotionally affecting to picture what would remain of a slain bear, whose life was given to a wealthy hunter for only its most prized assets. Hopefully soon this will just become an image of the distant past.

Just how grizzly is the trophy hunt?

October 10, 2013 Opinions 9

RYAN ZIEGLER

It’s a bit hard to believe that Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” was released in March. Yet, one infamous video and uncomfortable MTV Video Music Awards performance later, the 2013 song of the summer continues to attract global controversy. The song has been banned from campus bars at five British universities. A dance coach in Wisconsin was dismissed for choreographing a routine to an edited version of the song. Scathing parodies and video critiques of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” continue to find their way from blogs to Facebook pages, although at a considerably lower rate than during the peak of the song’s popularity. Upon first lis-ten, the song sounded like the 21st century answer to “Mambo No. 5” by Lou Vega: a breezy and sexy summer tune by an ultimately forgettable act. And the videos for these songs are overall fairly similar. So, why the ire?

It’s pretty clear that the music video objectifies women (although some-thing about these criticisms strikes me as incredibly prudish and presump-tuous). Additionally, Robin Thicke himself seems more than happy to provoke audiences and critics by making outrageous tongue-in-cheek statements to extend his 15 minutes of fame. But criticisms that the song promulgates rape culture and misog-yny, and makes light of consent just don’t stand up to significant scrutiny.

As Slate blogger Jennifer Lai puts it, “Someone who says ‘I know you want it’ is probably overly cocky and pre-sumptuous as hell by assuming you/she wants ‘it,’ but nothing about ‘I know you want it’ is saying ‘I know you want it, and I’m going to force you to have it’ or ‘I had sex with you and you didn’t consent, but I know you wanted it.’“

This quote more or less summa-rizes my feelings on the humourless and hysterical overreaction to the song. When I first heard the lyrics, it sounded like some slightly arrogant dude depicting the thrill of pursuit in a bar or a nightclub. I think it goes without saying that flirtation and mod-ern courtship (for lack of a less dated term) are not mechanical procedures governed by formal agreements; pur-suit is ad hoc and goes both ways. It involves risk, which by definition is acting in the face of uncertainty. Elements of ambiguity (or, blurred lines, if you will) do exist when you pursue or are being pursued by some-one you share a mutual attraction with. And guess what? Uncertainty is exciting. As Grace Rasmus at xoJane, an online magazine, wrote, “Not that a woman needs another man to ‘liber-ate’ her, of course, but to me these lyrics seem more like temptation after a lame relationship as opposed to impending sexual assault.” Risqué banter and stepping over the line are parts of testing the waters and get-ting someone’s attention. I’ve been

on both sides of that. A problem arises when someone

goes too far over the line and stops listening; the problem becomes a tragedy when the same person stops listening, commits rape, and then blames the victim. But that’s not what I hear in these lyrics. These lyrics clearly indicate more than a modicum of reciprocation: “The way you grab me, must wanna get nasty, go ahead get at me,” and “I feel so lucky, you wanna hug me.” I’m not exactly read-ing “No means yes,” here. Nor am I reading that she’s “asking for it.” Nor am I reading about rape being condoned, trivialized, rationalized, downplayed, apologized for, roman-ticized, or joked about. What I have read are feminist critiques of “Blurred Lines” that are attempting to com-municate urgently important ideas on rape culture. These ideas might otherwise be ignored, which is a concern. However, they are being superimposed on a song that’s sim-ply racier than the average. I get it: “I know you want it” is ambiguous and is considered a part of rapist rhetoric. However, the intentions of the lyrics, in this case, can easily be inferred from context of the song. More dialogue about rape culture and empowerment is necessary and good, but mislabelling something and distorting its meaning—uninten-tionally or not—is a shame, no matter how high the stakes.

Drawing lines in the sandRobin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” is over-criticized

JULES HOGAN

During my time pursuing a liberal arts degree at the University of Victoria, I have met a great many honest, inspi-rational people. They will go on to change the way people think, speak, and behave in ways that I believe will truly make the world a better place. However, I have also met a lot of peo-ple who became intensely jaded by courses in the arts and humanities. There is wisdom in criticism; how-ever, the hyper-critical nature of liberal arts academia can be downright devas-tating. Even habits that many people consider innocent and healthy—for example, listening to music  that doesn’t demand close listening and interpretation—have been criticized by one scholar or another. This ruthless dissection of daily life can lead to an overwhelming sense of guilt: anything you do or say or think has been criti-cized by someone, and—even more dispiriting—usually someone brilliant.

In my experience, liberal arts courses tend to produce three types of jaded people: sad-jaded, angry-jaded, or elitist-jaded. Sad-jaded people may become depressed and woefully dis-illusioned by the subject matter of their courses if it is not presented in a well-constructed framework of inspira-tion and hopefulness. Existential crises and general gloom about the state of the world are the marks of sad-jaded individuals.

And then, of course, there are those who are heart-wrenchingly angry at the world. After learning all of the horrible things human beings have done to each other, and their perceived inability to make significant changes, they grow spiteful of the world.

But some people become jaded in a sneaky way. Elitist-jaded students are usually political anti-elitists who are so elitist in their language, communica-tion, and rhetoric that the people they proclaim to defend would not be able to understand the better part of their theories—not for lack of intelligence, but for lack of privileged education. Elitist-jaded people often talk about how unjustly privileged they are, but

only in the most privileged of lan-guage. They become exceedingly judgmental and are quick to undermine every societal habit and process that does not fit into their politically correct book of rules. This book of rules would be about a hundred times the size of the King James Bible, and if followed diligently it would quite literally make functioning in this society near impos-sible. Ironically, elitist-jaded people pass their judgments using a linguistic register that is, above all else, exclu-sive. More disturbing are those who pretend to be elitist-jaded because it’s cool. After all, anything that exclu-sive must be cool (and so the hipster movement was born—in a cruel twist of fate, jadedness became its very own commodity)!

Even the practicalities of obtaining a liberal arts degree can be disempower-ing. The degree itself saddles people with debt and oftentimes leaves them without many marketable skills. This absence of market-ready skills can lead to the feeling that society is inherently evil. After all, it will allow only people whose passions are marketable to live and work doing what they love.

That said, the way a teacher presents information can leave students inspired and empowered to create change. In these cases, I say the more difficult lessons, the better. Change  wouldn’t occur without truth. I’m certainly not suggesting that living sheltered, igno-rant lives is the only way to be happy.

I believe that there is incredible value in liberal arts education. But I believe that the presentation of critical aca-demia must be executed in a way that doesn’t alienate people by constantly instilling feelings of guilt, depression, and anger. These emotions are impor-tant, and they can be the best possible form of motivation for change—if they do not become overwhelming. Because when they do become overwhelming, people grow jaded. I yearn to see mod-els for change that don’t necessitate so much sad, angry, and elitist rejection of the world and the society that we live in.

But don’t listen to me; I’m just jaded.

University makes people jadedA critique on criticism

BRANDON EVERELL

10 Feature October 10, 2013

Imagine a solitary person walking out onto a soft, padded, stage in front of thousands of people. The crowd is oddly silent, even tense. He turns his back on the audience and looks up at the back wall, covered in pieces of plastic—some small, some large and oddly shaped—up its entire 60-foot height. None of the handholds look like they would be secure. Like his competitors, he has only briefly seen the wall before—six minutes is the usual standard. Binoculars to see the highest holds are common, and so are climbers moving their arms and legs in what looks like a bizarre modern dance, as they make the moves they anticipate they will need high on the wall. After this observation period, climbers are moved into isolation; they are not permitted to watch their opponents climb. The next time

they see the wall, it will be as they step onto the stage to ascend as high as they can.

The higher the climber climbs, the closer the wall slopes to horizontal. The climber, pausing occasionally to clip the rope into carabiners, moves onto the horizontal, becoming completely inverted. As the climber moves across the wall, his fingers give out. There is a loud bang and a rattle as he plummets towards the ground, and the rope jerks him upwards. Saved by the rope, carabiners, and his belayer (the person in charge of feeding him

rope as he climbs and stopping the rope if he falls) he is now sitting in his harness in midair, one hand on the rope extending towards the ceiling to steady himself. He yells down to the belayer, “Lower!” and the belayer responds with, “Lowering.” The climber descends to the floor as the belayer feeds rope out.

This is the sport of lead climbing, and appropriately, this is called the “difficulty” event, at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Championships. Climbing has many categories, including lead climbing, bouldering, and speed climbing. Both lead and bouldering are about working out, then executing a successful sequence of climbing moves. In speed climbing, there is only one objective—be the fastest to the top of the wall. For training, or recreation, it is possible to “top rope” as well. In top roping, the rope runs from the climber, up the wall, over chains or carabiners, and down to the belayer. Unlike a lead climber, who clips in as they go along, a top-roped climber will never fall farther than a couple of feet.

Bouldering and speed climbingIf you take the harness and the rope off the climber, and shrink the wall to only the most challenging moves, what do you have? Bouldering—a sport consisting of short routes, called problems, that involve gymnastics fit for a contortionist and moves that require lots of strength.

Outdoors, bouldering can be done on anything that will afford purchase, from the outdoor boulders the sport was named after,

to buildings like UVic's Common Block, an activity that is banned on campus. Part of the challenge of bouldering is deciding which route to climb and for how long—the boulders vary in difficulty, but all amount to the same score. Standard strategy is to do the simplest problems quickly and not spend too long on a difficult problem where you can’t reach the top. Bouldering has been a formal competitive activity since 1998, making it a newcomer on the sport-climbing scene. However, bouldering's combination of strength, gymnastic movement, and the lack of required gear (all you need is a pair of climbing shoes and maybe some chalk) has made it very popular, especially for those learning to climb. Both lead climbing and bouldering are about strategy, but the last form of sport climbing is completely different.

On a 15-metre-high climbing wall, two identical courses of large neon-coloured holds have been set side-by-side: the set-up for a head-to-head race. On the flash of a light and the tone of a buzzer, two climbers will sprint up the speed-climbing course as if someone were dragging them up the wall. Competitors don’t need to worry about clipping in; they are climbing top-rope for maximum speed. The course is standard between all competitions, and is set by the IFSC, the primary federation for competitive climbing. Before each event, the IFSC certifies a competition's rock-climbing walls,so that they qualify for world-record purposes. The current world record for men’s speed climbing is 5.88 seconds, held by Stanislav Kokorin from Russia. The women's record is 8.33 seconds, held by Alina Gaidamakina, also from Russia.

Climbing facilitiesIndoors, many recreational climbing facilities lack the space for lead climbing and only offer bouldering and top-roping. Competitive climbers, though, in lead and speed, require well-designed facilities that have space for lead falls, and sufficient height to put up a speed route. Bouldering is more forgiving; you can build a safe bouldering structure in someone's back yard from plywood. Height is not a necessity for this sport, and crash pads (thick foam pads) can be placed beneath the climbers to protect them if they should fall.The most facilities are in Europe, where the sport started in the 1980s. European audiences love watching sport climbing; international competitions are held almost exclusively in Europe.

But here on the Saanich Peninsula, one climbing gym is trying to bring the sport to North America. The Boulders Climbing Gym (usually called just “the Boulders”) located at Stelly's Secondary School, is a world-class facility in our back yard, big enough to train for lead and speed.

A Boulders historyThe Boulders began in 1995 with a single teacher, Peter Mason, who loved to climb. He believed in climbing as a tool to teach students self-confidence and determination, so he spearheaded the construction of a small climbing wall (now called the “old gym”), to teach students throughout the ’90s. The old wall became more and more important to the secondary school—for gym classes and for a climbing club. It was eventually renovated and became an indoor wall, so use was no longer weather-dependent.

In 2005, with funding from the Government of B.C., an expansion to the climbing facility was completed, including the addition of much more wall space and dedicated bouldering areas. The Boulders programs that taught students to climb ,and the partnerships with community groups using climbing for confidence and team building, also expanded.

By 2009, the Boulders felt the space crunch again. Drawn by the quality of their facility and programs, many diverse climbing groups were using the gym. Most nights it was packed solid. The climbing teams were feeling a space crunch, too; travelling around the world to compete in sport climbing, they needed a

Sport climbing at the Boulders Climbing Gym and beyond

Reaching new

A student at the Stelly's Climbing Academy and a member of Canada's 2013 Youth Climbing Team, Tristen Gosselin has benefitted greatly from his frequent training sessions at the Boulders Climbing Gym.

October 10, 2013 Feature 11

higher facility to train for lead and speed. Expansion was the only answer.

In December of 2011, the Boulders opened the new gym, a world-class building with lead-climbing walls 18 metres, or almost 60 feet, high and an IFSC standard speed climbing wall with IFSC standard rock-wall holds. It is one of just a handful of facilities of this type in North America. “We have had athletes travel from across B.C. to train at our facility on a permanent basis. Also, teams from other gyms, as well as individual competitors, have travelled to do some extra training at our facility,” said Sebastian Powell, manager of the Boulders. Cementing its place as a world-class facility, the Boulders hosted the World Youth Climbing Championships this past August, which was the first one to be held in North America. These championships were judged by speed and difficulty. Over 470 athletes attended, an estimated 2000 people watched, and the official IFSC website called it “an unparalleled success.” Spectators watched from outside; the new gym has a garage door that opens up most of one entire wall, allowing people outside to watch climbing events happening inside. On a warm summer's day, it also provides welcome sunshine and fresh air to the climbers.

Programs and trainingThe Boulders offers climbing programs for all ages; their team, Slate, meets once a week on Sundays, for children aged six to nine. Team Bedrock practices after Slate, for ages nine to 12. For climbers over 12 years of age, there are two teams: Sandstone, that meets once a week, and Limestone, that meets twice a week. The Sandstone and Limestone teams are for those of all skill levels. More competitive is the Granite team, which is specifically for those who have “decided they would like to pursue competition climbing as far as they can,” according to the Boulders website. Both the Limestone and Granite teams offer cross training: additional physical activity that increases fitness and stamina on the wall.

Or, if you’re in high school, you can simply take climbing as a high school credit. Stelly's Secondary School, besides using the climbing gym for physical education courses, offers a Climbing Academy Program. “Like all other courses kids take in school, they are in the academy for one block a day,” said Powell in an email interview. “They climb three times a week and then do cross-training twice a week.”

The academy has proven it can produce successful, talented athletes, placing members on the Canada Youth Team since 2007, according to Powell.

If you’re of university age, though, these programs won’t get you out climbing. If you know how to climb, the facility is open

weeknights and on weekends for public drop in. The facility isn't open during the day on weekdays, because the high school uses it.

If you don’t have a friend to help you belay, the Boulders has a space dedicated to bouldering. If you want a belayer, UVic's Outdoor Club runs a weekly carpool to the Boulders on Thursday nights—check their Facebook page for details.

And if you don't climb, or have never tried? “Take an introductory course, where [you] will learn the safety systems for top-rope climbing in our facility. This includes how to put the harness on, how to tie a follow-through figure eight, and how to belay,” says Powell. According to the Boulders website, “lessons [are offered] most evenings and weekends—fill out the general lesson form or call us.” Lessons can also be arranged by talking to someone at the front desk.

Climb on If the Boulders is too hard to get to, UVic's Centre for Athletics,

Recreation and Special Abilities (CARSA) will offer a climbing wall after its opening, projected for 2015. While the contract to build the wall is currently out to bid, the Vikes manager of operations and infrastructure, Michelle Peterson, was able to provide some details by email. The plan allows for a 70-foot climbing tower, said Peterson, but they typically are not that high. “This space will be used for a combination of lead and top-roping,” Peterson wrote. She said CARSA will not include a speed wall, but rather, “We will be building it with the beginner-to-intermediate climber in mind.” In addition, there will be dedicated bouldering space.

Access and fee structures have not yet been established, though UVic students will have the first right to use the space. “Priority will be given to UVic students,” wrote Peterson, “but there will be opportunity for community use as well.”

UVic's decision to build a climbing facility is a sign of North America's growing interest in climbing and acceptance of climbing as a sport. In conjunction with the Boulders’ world-class facility, UVic's climbing wall will reinforce Victoria's reputation as an epicentre of sport climbing on Vancouver Island.

Team USA climber Claire Buhrfeind nears the top of her climb at the 2013 IFSC World Youth Championships that were held at the Boulders Climbing Gym in August.

A trio of climbers scale the wall at the Boulders Climbing Gym during the 2013 Canadian Nationals held there last May.

STORY: GARRETT E.S. THERRIEN PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRISTIAN J. STEWART

heights

Culture Vegetarian? Use Yves veggie ground round and vegetable broth instead.

12 Culture October 10, 2013

an interactive survival guide to the

near post-apocalyptic future

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Spotlight on UVic Theatre Alumni By Kathleen Green�eld (BFA’05), Ingrid Hansen (BFA’09) & Rod Peter Jr. Produced by SNAFU Dance Theatre

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JENN TAKAOKA

It’s that time of year again. When every-body goes home for the long weekend, stuffs themselves with home-cooked turkey goodness, and comes back with lots of leftover freezer packs. And the rest of us get to stick around and work, “read,” and not eat turkey.

If there’s one thing I’m always choked about missing on Thanksgiving, it’s the stuffi ng. I mean, turkey is meh, and I was never really got into cranberry sauce, but stuffi ng. Kudos to whoever

thought to stuff bread into a bird to soak up all the fl avours. The problem is, who has time to roast a turkey? Or even a chicken. Then when stuffi ng it, you get raw meat all over your arms and all over your kitchen; it’s pretty gross.

Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to the next best thing: stuffi ng muffi ns. My mom and I discovered this recipe in Ontario’s Food and Drink magazine as a fi x to making our Christmas turkey gluten-free. It’s fan-tastic. Perfect little portions so that you don’t overstuff yourself. These

muffi ns allow you to keep the bird free of gluten for all your celiac and wheat-sensitive friends, and you don’t need a bird to cook them! Just in case you get those late-July hankerings for stuffi ng, but maybe that’s just me.

In the spirit of expending no effort to whip up a legit turkey dinner, pair your stuffi ng muffi ns with a chicken roasted for you by your local grocery store, some stovetop gravy, good company, and the rest of the white wine left over from cooking.

Bacon Mushroom Stuffi ng Muffi ns(Inspired by a recipe from the Food and Drink Holiday 2012 issue)

(Makes eight muffi ns)4 slices of thick cut bacon2 stalks of celery, chopped1 onion, choppedSalt and pepper1 cup of sliced mushrooms1 tsp dried sage½ tsp dried rosemary, crumbled¼ cup of dry white wine5 cups of cubed, preferably stale, bread¼ cup fresh parsley, choppedApprox. ½ cup of chicken broth

Put eight muffi n wrappers into a muffi n tray. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C), if you plan to bake them right away.

Fry up the bacon on medium heat until crisp, then set it aside on a paper towel to soak up some of the extra grease.

In the bacon pan add celery, onion, and some salt and pep-per. Sauté until they start to soften. Add mushrooms, sage, and rosemary until the mushrooms start to brown, then pour in the wine and scrape up the brown bits.

Transfer the veggies into a large bowl and mix with the bread and fresh parsley. Crumble the bacon and add it to the mix. Add enough chicken broth to moisten the stuffi ng (when you squeeze it, a handful should just hold together). Season with some more salt and pepper.

Divvy the mixture up among the muffi n wrappers, packing lightly. Bake immediately, or cover and set aside in the fridge for up to eight hours.

When you are getting ready to eat, bake them for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and crisp and the stuff-ing is hot in the centre. Let them cool for about fi ve minutes, then remove from the pan and have at ’em.

Fuel for school

Thanksgiving in a muffi nBRANDON EVERELL

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25 , 2013Presented by Eaton Educational Group At the Westin Bayshore Hotel, Vancouver, BC

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October 10, 2013 Culture 13

Apocalyptic comedy Kitt & Jane comes to the Phoenix

JANINE CROCKETT

UVic alumnae Ingrid Hansen and Kathleen Greenfield partnered with Rod Peter Jr. for their play Kitt & Jane: An Interactive Survival Guide to the Near-Post-Apocalyptic Future, which comes to UVic’s Phoenix Theatre this month as this year’s spotlight on UVic alumni production.

Kitt & Jane first premiered at the Belfry Theatre during the SPARK Festival in 2012 and is a stand-alone sequel to the popular Little Orange Man. Those who have not seen the previous play will not be missing out, according to Greenfield. “Little Orange Man fans will get a couple little inside jokes, but anybody can see it and totally follow along,” she says. Hansen will play her popular character, Kitt, who is now 14, two years older than she was in Little Orange Man.

Kitt has turned from her internal struggle of dealing with her grandfa-ther’s death to focusing on her external relationship with the world. Hansen draws on her own experiences for this

role, saying, “I remember being 12 and reading National Geographic and looking at all the different looming catastrophes that my generation would be facing and adding them all up in my brain, and coming to the realization at the age of 12 that I might not live to be 70, and that the earth might not be liveable by that time.”

Greenfield and Hansen were invited to be a part of the Belfry Incubator program, where Kitt & Jane came to fruition. The program is described on the Belfry’s website as “a two-year pro-cess through which the Belfry provides support and mentorship for local inde-pendent theatre companies wishing to explore new work, new practices, or new artistic territory.” Those projects chosen for the program are then given a spot at the Belfry’s SPARK Festival. Hansen describes the process she and Greenfield used to create Kitt & Jane in the Incubation project. “She and I had started talking about what would it be like if we saw the same character two years later, and then we invited Rod onto the project and then we started

jamming. And Rod is really fantastic to work with because he has a very differ-ent sense of humour than Kathleen and I. So he brings a totally new angle.”

Greenfield says that the focus of the play, which was originally supposed to be about body image, changed to the apocalypse theme because, “You know, global warming when I was 14 years old was a myth, and we were just talking about how crazy it must be to be a youth in this day and in this time, and experience all of these things for real instead. It’s really happening now, and so we really wanted to tell the youth that they had a voice.”

The play begins with Kitt and Jane (played by Peter), performing as part of a school assembly; however, they soon want to have their own voice, and take over the entire assembly, barring the doors and holding the audience captive to train them to survive the upcoming apocalypse. Greenfield says, “At the very beginning of the play, they talk about how this isn’t a zombie apocalypse and this isn’t a supernatu-ral apocalypse in any way. It’s a very

real apocalypse and they already kind of establish that it’s going to happen and it’s happening right now.” Hansen says they have changed the meaning of apocalypse. In this case, rather than the end of the world, it means a great change: the end of this world and the beginning of a new world.

Ideas for Kitt & Jane came from extensive research in the form of count-less interviews with teens. Hansen says their interactions with teens, “reaf-firmed what we already were feeling: that young people today are very intel-ligent and very well informed.“ The interviews with teens will be made into podcasts and accompany the play as a way to continue its message and encourage and inspire young people to action. “I think that young people are really aware of the shitty deal they’re being handed by the people who are currently running the planet, and I think there’s a lot of promise in the upcoming generation,” says Hansen.

“I think there’s obviously a reason that there’s so much in our media right now about the different apocalypse

scenarios. I think one of the reasons is that people are living, in some ways, such boring lives and we wish there was an apocalypse that would come, that would force us to go on this adven-ture and actually have to engage with our tangible reality,“ says Hansen. “I hope that it will light a fire under some of their asses and that people will feel energized to tackle these things that seem so enormous.” Greenfield fur-thers Hansen’s sentiments, saying, “I hope they walk away with a desire to inform themselves about what’s going on in our world right now. To stop talk-ing about Miley Cyrus and start talking about the major problems that we’re facing and the major hurdles that our young people are going to have to deal with.”

Kitt & Jane at the Phoenix TheatreUVic Pheonix Theatre main stage (3800

Finnerty Rd.)Oct. 15–19, and 22–25 @ 8 p.m.

Oct. 26 @ 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.$14–24

Shadow puppetry in Kitt & Jane: An Interactive Survival Guide to the Near-Post-Apocalyptic Future JAM HAMIDI

Join the flock

14 Culture October 10, 2013

LISTEN: 101.9FM in Victoria | cfuv.streamon.fm | Telus Optik 7033ONLINE: Twitter @CFUV | facebook.com/CFUV101.9 | cfuv.uvic.ca

*Canadian artist +Local artist

1. JANELLE MONAE The Electric Lady (Wondaland/Bad Boy)

2. KING KHAN & THE SHRINES * Idle No More (Merge)

3. CROSSS * Obsidian Spectre (Telephone Explosion)

4. THE SADIES * Internal Sounds (Outside)

5. THE POETS OF RHYTHM Anthology 1992-2003 (Daptone)

6. LIZZO Lizzobangers (Totally Gross National Product)

7. NIGHTMARES ON WAX Feelin' Good (Warp)

8. RY COODER Live At The Great American Music Hall (Nonesuch)

9. VARIOUS ARTISTS * Craft Singles, Vol. 3&4 (Craft Singles)

10. DELTRON 3030 Event 2 (Bulk)

CFUV TOP TEN — Week Of October 8, 2013

CFUV is an award-winning campus/community radio station based at the University of Victoria. For more information about CFUV, including volunteer info, our program schedule, complete charts and much more, visit us at cfuv.uvic.ca

BRONTË RENWICK-SHIELDS

Pretty Little Dirty by Amanda Boyden is one of those books that I can pick up time and time again. One of those stories for which, although I know the plotline from beginning to end, I still find myself laughing and crying along with the characters. It’s one of those books on my shelf that has been a lit-tle too well-loved: it’s dog-eared, a little torn, coffee-stained, and a bit faded. It’s definitely seen better days, but to me that’s how a good book should look, as

if you’ve read it so many times that the words have almost worn off the pages.

Pretty Little Dirty is a raw, heart-rending story of the disillusionment and chaos of growing up. It illustrates the lives of two girls, Lisa and Celeste, as they evolve from children into young adults in ’70s and ’80s California. The story depicts how their lives unravel and how their beautifully loyal, yet danger-ous friendship will come to dramatically affect both of their futures.

The story begins as the two charac-ters are beginning middle school. Lisa,

Boyden’s main character, is captivated by the beauty and sophistication of her new best friend, Celeste Diamond.Even more, Lisa is enraptured by the simplicity and wealth of Celeste’s family in comparison to her own dysfunctional and fragmented home life.

Lisa seeks solace and comfort in the white-picket-fence lifestyle of the Diamonds, leaning on Celeste and her two older sisters for the motherly sup-port and guidance that her mentally ill mother cannot give her. However, the serenity of their sheltered childhood

comes to an abrupt end as Celeste, bored by the normalcy of her home life, strives to rebel, dragging Lisa along for the ride through a series of increasingly frequent risky events.

The girls’ descent into the under-ground realms of the L.A. punk scene is vividly portrayed through Boyden’s unique writing style and voice; with blunt meaningful sentences, she narrates the fragmented thoughts and actions of their tumultuous adolescence.

This is not a story for the faint of heart or for those in search of a light

read. Boyden’s poetic prose reveals a harrowing and graphic version of ado-lescent rebellion, as the girls’ defiant exploration into the punk era of their youth paints a powerful and intense pic-ture. Their experimentation with drugs and sex at times leaves you shocked and anxious; however, this is the nitty-gritty darkness that, in contrast with the almost idyllic feeling of their suburban childhood, draws you into the novel and leaves you wondering how it all could have gone so wrong.

A diamond in the rough: Pretty Little Dirty

MIA STEINBERG

Twitter is a funny, marvelous thing. I work with it in my job as a social media con-sultant, and I use it extensively in my personal life to keep up with friends, connect with favourite celebrities, and find out what’s happening in the world. In my role as a regular host at UVic’s CFUV 101.9 radio station, I also have used Twitter to connect with musicians, both local and international, and find new tracks to play. I’ve been around the block when it comes to the little blue bird, but even I couldn’t have anticipated the events of Oct. 4, 2013, on the Twitter feed of our very own CFUV station.

So Justin Bieber has recently released a new track, entitled “Heartbreak.” It’s no surprise that the online Bieber fans—or Beliebers—have been abuzz about it. There are millions of dedicated Justin adorers on Twitter spreading the good word; Bieber has over 45 million follow-ers, many of them teenage girls who spend a great deal of their time plead-ing for a follow from their beloved teen idol. I think on some level we can all relate to the giddy, overwhelming feel-ing of teenage musician worship; it’s a trend stretching all the way back to the screaming, swooning fans of Elvis and the Beatles, if not earlier. On the even-ing of the Oct. 4, one of Bieber’s fans on Twitter requested that @CFUV play Bieber’s new single, to which Program Director Johnnie Regalado replied with five words: “definitely won’t be playing

that.” Regalado believed the account to be

an automated bot designed to appear like a teenage girl (they exist), and didn’t think much about it. “At first I thought I was responding to a tweet by a spam bot. We often get very weird tweets requesting we play music,” Regalado says. “I decided to respond to this one because I thought it was hilarious some-one would ask our station to play a Justin Bieber track. Then the responses came pouring in.”

The user was very real, and very unhappy at the response: she (it can be assumed, though not confirmed) retweeted CFUV with a frustrated “How Come?” added on. That was the spark that ignited a flame, as other Bieber fans took notice and began to talk about it. Faced with a public institution that had denied Bieber the attention they felt he deserved, the Beliebers took it very, very personally, responding to our humble lit-tle radio station in a variety of dramatic ways. Some were dumbfounded: “Is that a JOKE or for real?” one of the first responders asked; “Why not? U don’t like playing GOOD music?” inquired another. “WTF WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU BETTER PLAY IT,” was another outraged response. The tweets quickly turned angry; the Beliebers assured us that we’d just lost half of our listeners; they accused us of only playing bad music. “Did someone train [you] on how to lose viewers? BC you just did,” said one; “They never had any, but they

would of [sic] got some,” replied another. And, of course, some just threatened violence.

By late that evening, CFUV had become, among Bieber fans, the “worst radio station ever”—there was even a hashtag. Some admitted to knowing nothing about CFUV, but jumped on the hate bandwagon anyway; others pulled the time-honoured CanCon argu-ment (CRTC guidelines for minimum Canadian content quotient; Bieber is, as we’ve all tried to forget, from Ontario) in an effort to change our minds. By Monday, complete strangers had risen to CFUV’s defense, pointing out that we are a university radio station and do not play Top 40 music at all. By the time the debacle had been chronicled on Storify on Monday afternoon, the fervour had mostly died down, with a few Beliebers even linking to the Storify post with a chuckle (or an LMFAO, as it were), show-ing what happens when you mess with such dedicated fans.

The entire debacle has been a fascinat-ing and funny peek into the groupthink mentality of lovestruck teenagers, and how the anonymity of Twitter lends a certain bravado that wasn’t present in the pre-Internet days. When I was 12, I would have been devastated if someone insulted my beloved Backstreet Boys, but never to the point of a death threat. The social web has created a new outlet for fans to connect with one another and Bieber’s fans are at the age when hor-mones and adolescence collide, making

for a particularly obsessive form of mania. As these young teens mature, they must explore their burgeoning sexual desires, and they do so by identifying with and adoring popular musicians, actors, and other famous faces; these teen idols are attractive, but not threatening. More than just an appreciation for the music, the fans feel that they are personally con-nected; they feel the need to spread the word and protect Justin’s good name, and a slight to him feels like a personal slap to the face. Most of us can prob-ably relate; we all go through this stage as a part of growing into adulthood. My mother was a Beatlemaniac; I was des-perately in love with Christian Bale from the movie Newsies and Nick Carter from BSB; today’s tweens are Beliebers. The difference for this latest crowd is that they can connect with one another online, creating an instantaneous network that affirms their own sense of identity and strengthens their conviction that they are Legion, for they are many.

In the end, the attack of the Beliebers has been taken in good humour from both sides. “My reaction so far, and shared by the rest of the CFUV staff, has been pure amusement,” Regalado says. “It’s been making us laugh all week-end ...  I feel like this is one of the best things to happen to CFUV’s social media presence ever. We’ve received close to a hundred tweets and retweets. Both haters and solidarity from our friends in cam-pus, community radio, and the greater Victoria community.” Curious, I reached

out to the original Bieber fan who con-tacted CFUV to get her perspective; in the end, she felt a little embarrassed that her request had sparked such rage and death threats, especially when she never sent any of them herself. But she has linked to the Storify post several times with humour and a little bit of incredu-lity; I don’t think she ever expected her request to cause such a stir.

For me, CFUV’s tangle with the Beliebers is particularly pertinent as I prepare for the debut of my own regular show on the station. In the decade since my own teenage fanaticism phase, I’ve grown into a fairly sophisticated music fan: I have a healthy number of signed vinyl albums, I’ve taken time to know my queer rappers and my post-rock collec-tives, and can proudly name a dozen Canadian bands that aren’t Bieber, Avril, or Nickelback. But I grew up in the era of BSB, N’Sync, and 98 Degrees; those bands were just as silly, and we annoyed just as many members of the older gener-ations with our love for them. I eventually came to love more sophisticated sounds; many of these Beliebers will mature and find themselves on similar paths. CFUV is a station manned by people who love the music they play, and take time to seek out non-commercial options. And while we won’t be playing Justin Bieber anytime soon (sorry, fans, no deal), these events are a good reminder that music is a vitally important part of how we grow up and who we eventually become.

Popped culture

Don’t mess with BeliebersHow CFUV withstood an onslaught of teenagers and lived to tell the tale

October 10, 2013 Culture 15

Check events onlinevisit martlet.ca/events

ADRIENNE COOLEY

Let me just say off the bat that I am not usually a fan of heavy metal; I prefer indie and acoustic singer-songwriters that are more often seen at an open-mic night than at a rock music venue. None of that stopped me from enjoying the music of This Day Burns, a Victoria-based band that has been playing in the area for years. Their emotionally driven lyrics and music clearly display the passion and vulnerability of the people behind the instruments—which makes it easy for the audience to relate.

Jon Sinclair, the guitar, bass, and drums player of This Day Burns, explains that, as a band, they try to keep things diverse and interesting for their listeners.

“We just like to write whatever we feel that day. It’s fun not to be stuck in a box,” says Sinclair.

All of the band members play a wide range of instruments, which helps to keep their sound fresh, adding a special

dynamic to their live shows as well.“We’re always switching [instruments]

live . . . it makes for a unique experience for the crowd, although it does make it tricky to plan a set list,” Sinclair says.

This Day Burns was not always the dynamic band that it now is. Formed in 2010, the group went through two dif-ferent lineup changes before reaching where they are now, with UVic stu-dent Jasmine Wietzke as lead vocalist, and Skye McLean, Chris Heretic, and Sinclair fi lling the roles of drummer, bassist, and guitarist interchangeably.

Though their music demonstrates technical profi ciency and wide-ranging talent throughout, it is really the voice of Wietzke that makes This Day Burns shine. Reminiscent of an angrier Evanescence, her feminine vocals add a sense of bal-ance to the generally dark and heavy music. Wietzke’s range and the emotion she puts into her singing is what had caught my attention in the fi rst place—and I’m not the only one.

“I remember Chris and I were both

blown away when she fi rst sang for us. She left the room at one point and we looked at each other [and said], ‘I hope she doesn’t realize she’s better than us.’ And so far she hasn’t,” says Sinclair.

When I spoke to Sinclair on Sept. 25, the band had just returned from a weekend in Vancouver, where they shot a music video for their song “Still Bleeding,” which Sinclair says was the best experience he’s had with the band thus far. The band plans to work on pro-motion and on making new recordings when the video is done.

Though there are perks to spend-ing your time playing in a band, Sinclair admits that there are also some downsides.

“The lack of respect that you get from some clubs and bars for what we do gets to me sometimes,” Sinclair explained. “I don’t think people realize how much work this actually is and how much we sacrifi ce to do what we love.”

Victoria band This Day Burns presents a unique take on metal music

PROVIDED

Staying informed is a great complement to your healthy lifetsyle.

16 Sports | Lifestyle October 10, 2013

Sports | Lifestyle

NATHAN H. BIRD

Stretching has been a part of my workout routine for years. It seems like a natural, common-sense activity. I had always assumed it was playing an important role in my health and fi tness. Recently, however, I was irri-tated to discover that many of the reasons I spend time stretching have been invalidated by science.

For example, I’ve always been told to stretch before exercising in order to reduce risk of injury. But a num-ber of studies—including one that involved over 2 700 Vancouver jog-gers—have found no evidence that

this works. In fact, some studies have found that stretching for more than 60 seconds can negatively impact your performance by temporarily reducing muscle strength. Stretching doesn’t even appear to reduce mus-cle soreness, whether it’s done before or after a workout.

But old habits die hard. As long-time stretching enthusiasts like me will be quick to point out, there is another reason to stretch: increased fl exibility. Flexibility increases your range of motion by allowing you to extend your muscles farther than you would normally. This helps you to do things that less fl exible people

can’t. Besides, I’ve always assumed that fl exibility is the result of having healthier, more resilient, and more supple muscles.

Annoyingly, scientists disagree.It is true that chronic stretching can

increase fl exibility—at least in some cases. But evidence is mounting that increased fl exibility may not refl ect a physical change in your muscles. Instead, the science suggests that fl exible people are simply able to tolerate longer stretches than infl ex-ible people. In other words, when you stretch you are modifying your sensory apparatus, not changing your muscles.

That’s not to equate fl exibility with pain tolerance. The limit of your fl exibility is very real and you can’t just push past it with machismo. Nonetheless, it’s a limit that appears to be neurological, as opposed to mechanical in nature.

If that’s true many of us may have to re-evaluate the benefi ts of fl exibil-ity. Indeed, for all I can tell, a greater range of motion is the only benefi t fl exibility confers. And while this may be desirable in certain situations, it’s not clear to me that having a greater than normal range of motion is an overly important aspect of fi tness.

So does all this mean that stretching

is a complete waste of time? Maybe. But, somehow I doubt that I will ever abandon it altogether. Besides, I have one reason to stretch that has yet to be exploded by science: I enjoy it. It just feels good. And, until the day it’s discovered that stretching is down-right unhealthy, that’s the only reason I really need.

Eventually, I might even forgive the nosy scientists who have robbed me of my comforting illusions about stretching. After all, it’s probably for the best. Those of us who enjoy stretching can keep on stretching, and those of us who don’t can opt out in good conscience.

NIKOLE KROSSNER

In 2010, the Vikes men’s rowing team won gold at the Canadian University Rowing Championships. Coming in second last season by a mere one point behind Brock University, they are raring to go for the 2013 season. Assistant cap-tain and 2012-13 rookie of the year Alex Walker, 21, says the team’s main goal is to bring back the gold to Victoria.

The team is exploding with raw talent and high-level experience. Walker and 22-year-old captain Will O’Connell both represented Canada at the U-23 World Championships in Linz, Austria, this past summer. Having rowers that are used to working at an elite level can raise the expectations during training and com-petition. Last season, O’Connell won UVic’s Rower and Athlete of the Year, and he’s back for more this year.

Andrew Butler, 22, assistant captain, says, “The experience, and technique that they brought back has already pop-ulated through the program.”

Not only is the team brimming with experienced rowers, but O’Connell says that a very strong novice team is among the ranks. Rowers to watch out for include fi rst-years Adam Donaldson, and David Nicmans. Both rookies

represented Canada at the World Junior Rowing Championships in Trakai, Lithuania, this past August.

During the 2012-13 season, the Vikes outshined competitors at the Canadian University Western Championships in Burnaby, B.C. The men won fi ve out of six events, placing them eight points ahead of runners-up the UBC Thunderbirds. Podiums shifted at the Brown Cup, however. The Brown Cup, a race inspired by the historic Oxford-Cambridge boat race, wherein two eight-person boats are pitted against each other in the meandering River Thames, saw the Vikes lose out against rivals UBC.

In the 30-year tradition of cross-border racing in early spring, another close race featured the Vikes losing out by a single stroke to the Oregon State University Beavers.

Vikes Head Coach Howard Campbell is making sure that this season his squad is the one a stroke—or several strokes—ahead on the water. Technical profi ciency is Campbell’s main focus during training, which sometimes reaches up to 14 times a week.

“Rowing as a sport in the rest of the world really requires guys who are a cer-tain size,” Butler says. “We have a good

number of guys who are that size. [But] some of us are lighter, smaller. We can still really perform on the water because we are strong compared to how much we weigh. What we [also] need is to be exact in our technique.”

The Vikes are preparing for their fi rst regatta, the Western Canadian University Championships in Burnaby, on Oct. 20. The team is ready to dominate, as this race is the qualifi er towards the Canadian University Rowing Championships.

Winning the Western Championships would check off one step toward reach-ing their goal of winning Canadian University Championships. If they qual-ify, the Vikes have less than one month to prepare for the Canadian champi-onships taking place on Nov. 2–3 in Montreal.

The National Rowing Championship follows closely on Nov. 8–10, featuring club teams, as well as university teams. To capture the swiftness of this team on the water, Vikes enthusiasts can attend the Head of the Gorge Regatta on Oct.  26, at the Gorge Waterway, and Head of the Elk on Oct. 27, at Elk Lake—the training waters of the Olympic Men’s National team.

The science of stretching

UVic men’s rowing team has one mighty goal in mindThe Vikes look to follow up last year’s close second with a resounding gold at the Canadian University Rowing Championships

The science of stretching

WILLIAM WORKMAN

BRANDON EVERELL

October 10, 2013 Sports | Lifestyle 17

TYLER BENNETT

The Vikes golf team return from a successful tournament in Portland, Oregon and both the women’s and men’s teams are happy with their results. The women finished first, shooting a +85 combined, while the men tied for third, shooting a +5 collectively.

While they are happy with the tour-nament, they are looking to improve and work on their game. There was tension when long-time head coach Bryan Carbery stepped down, but new head coach Justin Clews assures the Vikes faithful that the golf team is in good hands.

The Vikes men’s team dominated this tournament last year, posting a 7-under-par tournament, winning the team race and also finishing first, second and third individually. The women’s team captured second as a team at last year’s event, while Megan Woodland won first place individually. This is the first tournament of the year; the Vikes were expected to come out of Portland with a good tournament, and they delivered.

Sibling duo Bruce and Brynn Tomie entered the event and both fin-ished well: Brynn shot a +17 in total and Bruce shot a −5, finishing tied for second in individual play.

“It went well,” Brynn commented

about their play this weekend. “It sets a good standard for the rest of the season. It’s exciting.”

This is Bruce Tomie’s first year at UVic, and he’s just getting used to the atmosphere, but his older sister Brynn is helping him both on and off the course. “Bruce played really well and he’s happy with his score,” Brynn said.

Bruce posted a −5, capturing second this weekend in his first tour-nament, while Brynn shot a +17, rewarding her with a third-place fin-ish. Both the men’s and women’s teams finished in the top three, a great accomplishment to start the season.

“We do have a lot of room to work with, but I think it was a good tourna-ment for all of us and a step in the right direction to kick things off for us,” Brynn said. “It was a really good place to start, and we’re going to keep moving up this year.”

The Vikes will need the veteran presence to help the younger play-ers. The tournament in Portland was a definite eye-opener to the rook-ies, and they now know what it’s like to play in a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA) event.

“It’s exciting to be one of the older ones on the team,” coach Clews said.

The Vikes golf team has some work to do, but they should still be

proud of their terrific performance in Portland this past weekend. All of the players represented UVic with class and sportsmanship, and coach Clews will be looking for improvement as

they head into future tournaments. This past weekend was a good

measuring stick for all of the players as it assessed where they're at and where they need to be. Clews and the

rest of the team returned to Victoria and will be looking forward to improv-ing their game and getting another shot at a tournament win.

Setting the barVikes golf team gives impressive showing in tournament debut

KATE MASTERSMatthew Broughton

18 Business | Tech October 10, 2013

Business | Tech

RYAN ZIEGLER

On Sept. 23, with very little fanfare, a consortium led by Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. (FFH), a Canadian finan-cial holding group, announced its intention to acquire BlackBerry Ltd. (BBRY), a Canadian multinational tel-ecommunications corporation. Fairfax is set to acquire BlackBerry by early November, following due diligence and authorization by regulators. The sale will effectively take BlackBerry private. Prior to the announcement, the flagging company was valued at $4.7 billion USD by its board of direc-tors. Analysts estimate that the value of BlackBerry’s patents, cash, certifica-tions, and contracts with governments and major corporations comprises most of the transaction’s value. BlackBerry’s patent portfolio alone is valued at approximately $3 billion USD, and the company possesses $3.1 billion USD cash on hand—a consider-able amount. BlackBerry’s non-current assets ($3.4 billion USD) are of little value given its liabilities amounting to an equal $3.4 billion USD.

Among those who find touch-screen keyboards cumbersome, particularly when cranking out email after email, BlackBerry’s character-istic physical keyboards still hold favour. Moreover, despite the “user-unfriendliness” (read: blandness) of

the phones, BlackBerry’s designs are renowned for their high level of secu-rity. BlackBerry hoped to capitalize on these qualities by transitioning into catering solely to the professional market. “[Professionals] helped build BlackBerry into the leading brand today for enterprise security, manage-ability, and reliability,” said BlackBerry’s new chief executive, Thorstein Heins, on Sept. 20. However, executives tasked with managing and monitoring smartphone use in the workplace have reported Blackberry products’ steady displacement by iPhones, Android-supported devices, and Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows phone. One com-pany’s chief operating officer reported less than five per cent of employees using BlackBerry devices. In bank-ing and government, where security is paramount, BlackBerry will likely maintain a presence among high-rank-ing figures. Elsewhere, its use seems unlikely to recover.

BlackBerry’s failure to recognize its decline in the telecommunications market has been commented on exten-sively by business journalists and the general media. Its sale is considered a cultural milestone, with many columns paying their respects to the formerly eminent company. Critics in the New Yorker, Financial Times, and Financial Post have portrayed BlackBerry’s dramatic fall as emblematic of the

company’s failure to seriously engage with consumers’ capricious prefer-ences, the competition, and recent technological innovations.

For the past four years, BlackBerry has existed within the public’s con-sciousness mainly as a point of comparison when measuring Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) Android’s business savvy and success. The impact of BlackBerry’s sale on UVic students is likely to go largely unno-ticed. Cellphone retailers barely

carried BlackBerry models, if they car-ried them at all. The approximately 72 million remaining BlackBerry users will still have service, but with no new models and relatively plain fea-tures, user numbers are expected to dwindle. BlackBerry is a vaguely sen-timental afterthought amongst those fond of the company’s products or Canadian business in general; I would posit many of these people don’t own a BlackBerry. Unless BlackBerry can corner the office environment—a very

long shot by all accounts—the com-pany will most likely be sold for parts in the near future. At the time of this writing, BlackBerry’s stock is hovering around $7.70 USD, and negotiations have begun with Google (GOOG), Intel (INTC), Cisco (CSCO), LG (KRX: 003550), and Samsung Electronics (KRX: 005930, 005935), who could divide up the faltering company as an alternative to a total acquisition by Fairfax.

WILLIAM WORKMAN

Empathy games are a relatively new classification that has emerged from the expanding world of indie games. With a strong emphasis on mundane settings, these games are driven by strong core concepts and deal with serious moral, social, or political issues. They pack a powerful emotional punch, leaving the player to meditate on the experience long after the screen goes dark.

Perhaps one of the earliest examples is Cart Life, a simulation that puts the player into the shoes of a single mother trying to get her coffee business up and running. What at first sounds like a slightly more serious version of operat-ing a virtual lemonade stand ends up being a harrowing attempt at providing a stable environment for yourself and your young daughter. You must ensure she gets to school, purchase supplies for your business, and make sure the bills are paid. Every minute action takes a balance of time and money, even the choice of walking or taking a taxi to your daughter’s custody hearing becomes a complication that could see your fam-ily torn apart. Cart Life forces the player to live as the character they are playing and dive deep into the day-to-day of a person struggling to free herself from working poverty and make a better life for her child. This is a game that plays hard with players’ emotions and calls into question how we view others.

Papers Please offers another perspec-tive on human hardship. It’s a look into the life of a border official in a fictional eastern-European country. This bleak simulation of nondescript soviet-style life is a balancing act between the responsi-bility of checking and rechecking official documents, dates, and standards, while trying to get as many people processed in a given day to make enough money to feed a family and keep a roof over their heads. With a variety of foreign coun-tries, standards, and requirements to cross-check, the days can seem tedious, but this touch of reality forces the player more deeply into the role assigned to them. The player feels a constant fear of incurring wage penalties for improp-erly processing a traveller, and of how that may affect the well-being of their dependents. Despite its tedium, Papers Please is a fantastic exercise in player discipline and an enlightening experi-ment in social perspective.

Inequality and government control have become strong themes in empathy games, as the emotions involved pro-duce strong connections between the player and the characters they inhabit. These pressure-filled environments can aim to induce empathy, fear, or frustra-tion; Black Bar is the latter. A lesson in censorship and oppressive government bureaucracy, Black Bar is a narrative told through correspondence between the player character and her friend who has recently gone away to work at the

Department of Communication. In her first letter, the player’s friend Kenty informs her that some of her writing “may be ,” and it is up to the player to fill in the redacted words and phrases. Through this simple mechanic, Black Bar becomes both emotionally and visually striking. A functional narra-tive keeps players fixated on uncovering the Department’s intentionally complex regulations as well as knowledge of its enemies, the resistance.

With such emphasis on simulating the monotonous reality of everyday life, the style of gameplay in many of these titles could be considered dull. However, with the massive potential for emotional hooks, players feel com-pelled to continue in an effort to make their character’s digital world just a little bit better. Unfortunately these attempts are often made futile by the games’ own mechanics. When interactive narratives introduce this kind of hopelessness and anxiety, they become tragedies that the player is able to experience in full. This is a refreshing alternative to the routine of inevitably solving every major prob-lem, as with the majority of story-driven games.

Although empathy games are a rela-tively new phenomenon, they are an immense step in the right direction for games in the search for greater cultural recognition—something that everyone should be checking out.

Not with a bang but a whimperOnce-mighty BlackBerry Ltd. will likely be broken up and sold in separate pieces

The will to game

Epiphany in empathy‘Empathy games’ bring greater emotional realism to interactive media

PROVIDED

BRANDON EVERELL

Did you know the Martlet bird leads a double life? It totally has an alter-eagle.

October 10, 2013 Humour 19

Humour

HUGO WONG

HUMOUR — On Aug. 17, Oracle founder and CEO Larry Ellison failed to attend his own office birthday party in order to sit in on a casting session for his upcoming biopic, The Oracle of Oracle, which he also wrote and pledged to finance. The birthday party, organized by the company’s board of directors and Pam Duncan, Ellison’s personal sec-retary, was designed to bolster investor confidence in the 69-year old’s ability to lead the company, particularly his responsibility to attend high-level inter-office celebrations.

This summer’s no-show came to light after he was conspicuously absent dur-ing a first-quarter earnings call earlier this year and failed to deliver his own keynote address at Oracle’s OpenWorld Conference so he could watch his yacht-ing team race in the America’s Cup.

“Look, I know it looks bad. Pam and the board worked really hard on that party. I mean, as far as I know, it’s the lightest and most aerodynamic rac-ing-yacht-inspired birthday cake ever baked! Wait, need more altitude, just a sec,” exclaimed Ellison in a phone interview while piloting his Gulfstream jet.

“Anyway, after watching that Steve Jobs flick, I can’t have some schmuck like Ashton Kutcher make a mockery of my life!” Ellison’s leaked screenplay, to be directed by Michael Bay, is a semi-fictional account of the founding of Oracle. It also features him moonlight-ing as a Navy pilot who single-handedly repels a Soviet-led invasion of the United States while on sabbatical from the company. As of press time, Ellison refused to confirm Robert Downey Jr.’s involvement in the project, but said, “[Tony] Stark wishes he could be me.”

Duncan, 46, tearfully explained that her confidence in Ellison’s ability to show up at his own damn party was severely shaken. “I mean, if he can’t even do that, what makes me think he can successfully roll out Oracle’s next-generation enterprise-level database management system?”

Shareholders of Oracle Corp. (NYSE: ORCL) were furious at Ellison’s snub of Duncan, who in a joint letter to the board declared that she “totally didn’t deserve to get bummed out like that.” According to representatives of BlackRock Inc. (NYSE: BLK), one of Oracle’s largest corporate sharehold-ers, his “totally un-chill” treatment of Duncan and his failure to adequately

thank BlackRock for their present (a $100 Best Buy gift card) should compel the board to reconsider Ellison’s gener-ous compensation package, which was valued at nearly $77 million USD in the last fiscal year.

Ellison’s treatment of Duncan is slated to be on the agenda for Oracle’s upcoming annual meeting on Oct. 31, which was already predicted to be tense due to the company’s declining share price and flat sales for two consecutive quarters. Unexplained acquisitions on the company’s books are also eroding profits, which, according to insiders, is a smokescreen for Ellison’s rumoured effort to find the Ark of the Covenant.

When asked about his relationship with Duncan, Ellison said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. I handed her a couple of million, told her to get herself some shoes or something, and all she does is tell me that she’s disappointed in me. I mean, I’m paying top dollar for that movie about me, and I deserve to know who plays me! I’ve only got one shot at this. She can plan my birthday any year, but Hollywood never makes two biopics of the same person. They’re not that dumb.”

Oracle investors cry foul after CEO upsets secretaryFailure to attend own birthday party latest in string of snubs

KLARA WOLDENGA

1. SACRIFICE GOAT CHEESEI know they say in order to please the gods you need to sacrifice a whole, live goat, but who can come by that nowadays? Goat cheese is much cheaper, and I’m sure by the time it gets to the gods they won’t be able to tell the difference anyway.

2. GO AND PAY YOUR RESPECTS AT THE MIDTERM CHURCHAny local Starbucks or Blenz will do.

3. DONATE YOUR TIME TO HELP THE LESS FORTUNATE Your virtual Facebook farm suffers without you; be the bigger person and give your time by harvesting your grain.

4. MAKE SURE TO WEAR THE PROPER RELIGIOUS GARMENTS COME MIDTERM TIMESweatpants and unwashed shirts are clear staples of this ritualistic time.

5. STOCK UP ON HOLY WATERRed Bull comes in 10-packs now.

KLARA WOLDENGA

Five ways to appease the midterm gods in this stressful time

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VOLUME 66 ISSUE 9

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