"CONTENTdm"@en . "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1211252"@en . "University Publications"@en . "2015-08-28"@en . "2006-12-08"@en . "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/Ubysseynews/items/1.0127694/source.json"@en . "application/pdf"@en . " FRIDAY\nA GLIMPSE INTO\nEyewitness accounts of the effect of greenhouse gases (7)\n^^^^^ffi ALL AROUND\nSFU students do what the Democrats won't (5)\nDIAMOND\nLeo's humanitarian vehicle sputters (3,\nwww.ubyssey.bc.ca\nFriday, 8 December 2006\nMy love is like whoa! since 1918\nTHE UBYSSEY Culture\nFriday, 8 December, 2006 THE UBYSSEY\nJanet's album is 20 years past its prime\nJANET JACKSON\n20 Y.O.\nVirgin Records\nby Anita Law\nCULTURE WRITER\nJanet Jackson's newest CD opens\nwith the singer giving a short\nretrospective about the heavy\nthemes her music has touched on\nin the last 20 years. Of her current\nalbum she says, \"I wanna keep it\nlight, I don't wanna be serious, I\nwanna have fun.\" I hope she had\nmore fun in the making than I had\nin the listening, because 20 Y.O.\nlargely fails to deliver.\nMost of the tracks sound messy\nand experimental without being\ninnovative, the lyrics deal with\ngeneric subject matter\u00E2\u0080\u0094love, sex,\nrelationships\u00E2\u0080\u0094which would be fine,\nif they were sung in new or catchy\nways. The issue of originality is a big\nproblem with 20 Y.O. Barring the\nweirdness of a 40-year old woman\nsinging, \"You know it makes the you\nknow what come out,\" I can't get\npast the weirdness of Janet Jackson\nopting, in her 'come back album' to\nsound like half of the hiphop divas\nout there already. \"Show Me\" and\n\"So Excited\" has Janet coo-ing\nsexily in Cassie and Ciara fashion,\nwhile the mellow girlishness of\n\"Daybreak\" becomes grating after\nthe first minute or two. Straddling\nthe line between hip hop and R&B,\n20 Y.O. blends the two genres in an\nuninspiring fashion. As to the structure of the album, I found the intro\nand the interludes self-indulgent\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nin fact, \"asides\" in general annoy\nme, because:\n1) I believe the music should\nspeak for itself, and\n2) if listen to a CD over and over\nagain I don't want to be pressing\nfast forward every four tracks.\nIf I'm making 20 Y.O. sound\nnightmarish, it's not altogether bad\n\"Get It Out Me\" is a great dance\ntrack\u00E2\u0080\u0094 fun but intense, with a lot of\nmomentum. Nelly drops by in \"Call\nOn Me,\" and the two voices sustain\na great chemistry throughout.\nPerhaps my criticism stems from a\npersonal bias against the genre. For\nan up-and-comer, 20 Y.O. might\nactually be a solid album, but from\nan artist that has been so definitive\nto pop music, I expected something\nfar more fresh and thoughtful. @\nQJ\n\u00C2\u00A9\nQJ\nGWFN STEFAN,^\nTHE_SWEET ESCAPE\niNTFRsroPfr (listen #)\nZd/Lo\nor\n\t\nT& O.\nwvw EAftLY\n. SWEET-JE*CAPg1,\nWlNTE\nm ^ in\nfe\n, rHe MOfcrVrN&\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0& YtfMMY-\t\nT GEr\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094^\nru\nI\ni\ni\n3\n\\nZ\nz\nH\n3\n2\nZ\n5\"\nI\nft\n3.\n2\n3\n(5CWN&S- LIKE-)\ngULlEcHfcisTi^e/ of I13 M-)\nHoLLAj3AcK^]^L(Lr\nT 3\nA PROVED\n@ ETC.\nP\n11\nSIMON UNDERWOOD ILLUSTRATION\nTALK TALK\nTOTAL CP.AP\n_ E/HAvicTloN\nSCOttS'- Mfef>rwNE^=2/2*/^\nT\u00C2\u00B0^X KANAL= 2./5T\n'u^eeM/\nBorealis String Quartet\nbright mind of Jed Buchwald.\nwith David Harding &\nEric Wilson\nGilbert &Sullivan:The\nUBC Recital Hall\nGondoliers\nDecembers, 8-20pm\nUnwind between exams with\nan ensemble praised for its\ndynamic performance, passionate style,and refine musi\nChan Centre\nDecember 14-15,8-11pm\nPresented by the UBC Opera\nEnsemble and directed by\nNancy Hermiston. $22 Adults,\ncal interpretation. $20 Adults\n$16 Seniors, $12 Students.\nor $10 Seniors & Students.\nBamfield Christmas Bird\nHow the Ether Spawned\nCount\nthe Microworld\nBamfield Marine Sciences Centre\nHennings Building, Rrn 201\nDecember 16,8:15am-5pm\nDecember 13, 7:30-9pm\nHone your birding skills and\nWhy did the world of the\nbe part of the 107th Annual\natom displace the world of\nChristmas Bird Count! All vol\nthe ether during the 1890s?\nunteers are encouraged join\nWas it propelled to promi\nin this citizen science project\nnence by a series of stunning\nto collect data about the\nexperimental discoveries,\ndiversity, distribution, and\nsuch as the electron and\nabundance of winter birds.\nradioactivity? Or did it first\nVisit www.bms.bc.ca for\nemerge on paper? Explore\nmore information and to\nthese questions through the\nregister. $5.\nCLASSIFIEDS\n.nnouncemems\nANXIETY? Depression? FREE Menu!\nWellness Self-Help Support Group\nheld biweekly on Saturdays (10:30\nam - 12:30). Social support network.\nInteractive learning experience in a safe,\nnun-judgmental environment. For mure\ninhumation call 604-630-6865.\n^mnrsraiinTTTmiTmi\nCorrection:\nThe Ubyssey (Nov 28),\n\"The University that didn't need permission\"\nUBC originally planned to have four Marine Drive Student\nresidence towers at 60 metres in 2004. UBC was forced to\nredesign after the buildings exceeded the 53 metre GVRD\nheight limit. The plans were changed before the first tower\nwas built and not after.\nThe Ubyssey regrets the error.\nBE A PART OF SOMETHING BIG! Ik\na Big Brother. Spend a few hours a week\nbiking, hiking, and being a buddy to a\ncool kid. CalT604-87G-2447 ext. 246 or\nwww.bigbrothcrsvancouvcr,cum\nWOMEN 19-35 YR OLD NEEDED\nFOR BONE DENSITY STUDY.\nHealthy? Non-obese? Nor using birth\ncontrol pills? Warn to learn abuui\nyour bone density and diet? If so you\nare invited to patticipate! Procedures\ncompleted at study entry, and 6 months\n& 2 yrs later. You will receive a $30 gilt\ncertificate Tor each phase completed.\nContact Jennifer at jbedford^interchange*\nubc.ca or at 604 616 4676 tor more info.\nHONEY FOR SALE. 10.003 bears\ncan't be wrong. Ask Winnie the Pooh.\nGrand Forks light and Dark Honey,\nhoneycombs, pollen, candles, wax,\ngihpacks, for sale on University Blvd.\nacross from University Golf Club.\nTuesday, Friday, Ilamopm.\n.canemic services\nEXPERIENCED TUTOR, Native\nEnglish speaker! ESL, English (speaking\nwriting, grammar), Sciences, Liberal\nArts, Editing (Masters and PhD theses,\npapers, books). Elizabeth 77832221 51\n(SMS onlv). tchcrinayy^hormail.corn,\n604-876-09*55.\nSTART NOW\nDowntown swimwear store seeks\npermanent part-time sales person. Some\nweekend and evening shifts. Resumes\nto 190-840 Howe St. VGZ 2L2 or bc@\nju5tswimwear.com\nervices\nCAPAZOO IS A CANADIAN WEB\nCOMMUNITY that thrives on user\ngenerated content. Its easy to get started,\neasy io use, and easy to share. Users can\ncreate a place for themselves, or a place\nto meet friends. What's more, Capazoo\ndelivers 7% of our profits directly back\nto all our members. We also support the\ngreater community by donating 1% of\nour profits to charity - a charity thai the\ncommunity chooses. Also, U s tree to\nregister and we will offer over 120 services.\nmmmsm\nCLASSIFIEDS FOR STUDENTS!\nlooking for a roommateP\nGot something to sell?\nOr just have an announcement to\nmake?\nIf you are a student, you can place\nROOMS TO LET NEAR UBC\nCAMPUS. Can SS00 pLT room per\nmonth. Tel: 604-224-4812.\nLOOKING FOR COMPUTER\nLESSONS. Wage negotiable. Living in\nKits. Call Bindy 604-329-8542.\nFor more information, visit Room 23 in\nthe SUB (basement] or call 822-1654.\nTH\nlu\nBYSSEY\nFriday, 8 December, 2006\nVol.LXXXVIII N\u00C2\u00B027\nEditorial Board\ncoordinating editor Erie Szeto\ncoordina ting@ubyssey.be.ca\nnews editors Colleen Tang &c\nCarolynne Burkholder\nnews@ubyssey.be. ca\nculture editor Jesse Ferreras\nculture@ubyssey.be. ca\nsports editor Boris Korby\nsports@ubyssey.be. ca\nFEATURES/NATIONAL EDITOR\nMomoko Price\nfeatures@ubyssey.be.ca\nphoto editor Oker Chen\nphotos@ubyssey.be.ca\nPRODUCTION MANAGER\nChampagne Choquer\nproduction@ubyssey.be. ca\ncopy editor Jesse Marchand\ncopy@ubysseybc.ca\nCoordinators\nvolunteers Mary Leighton\nvolunteers@ubyssey.bc.ca\nresearch/letters Andrew MacRae\nfeedback@ubyssey.be. ca\nwebmaster Matthew Jewkes\nwebmaster@ ubyssey. bc.ca\nThe Ubyssey is the official student newspaper of the University\nof British Columbia. It is published every Tuesday and Friday\nby The Ubyssey Publications Society. We are an autonomous,\ndemocratically run student organisation, and all students are\nencouraged to participate.\nEditorials are chosen and written by the Ubyssey staff. They\nare the expressed opinion of the staff, and do not necessarily\nreflect the views of The Ubyssey Publications Society or the\nUniversity of British Columbia. All editorial content appearing in\nThe Ubyssey is the property of The Ubyssey Publications Society.\nStories, opinions, photographs and artwork contained herein\ncannot be reproduced without the expressed, written permission\nof The Ubyssey Publications Society.\nThe Ubyssey is a founding member of Canadian University Press\n(CUP) and adheres to CUP's guiding principles.\nLetters to the editor must be under 300 words. Please include\nyour phone number, student number and signature (not for\npublication) as well as your year and faculty with all submissions.\nID will be checked when submissions are dropped off at the\neditorial office of The Ubyssey; otherwise verification will be done\nby phone. \"Perspectives\" are opinion pieces over 300 words but\nunder 750 words and are run according to space.\"Freestyles\" are\nopinion pieces written by t/\u00C2\u00A3\u00C2\u00BByssey staff members. Priority will be\ngiven to letters and perspectives over freestyles unless the latter is\ntime sensitive. Opinion pieces will not be run until the identity of\nthe writer has been verified. The Ubyssey reserves the right to edit\nsubmissions for length and clarity. All letters must be received by\n12 noon the day before intended publication. Letters received after\nthis point will be published in the following issue unlessthere is an\nurgent time restriciton or other matter deemed relevant by the\nUbyssey staff.\nIt is agreed by all persons placing display or classified advertising\nthat if the Ubyssey Publications Society fails to publish an\nadvertisement or if an error in the ad occurs the liability of the\nUPS will not be greater than the price paid for the ad.The UPS\nshall not be responsible for slight changes or typographical errors\nthat do not lessen the value or the impact of the ad.\nEDITORIAL OFFICE\nRoom 24, Student Union Building\n6138 Student Union Boulevard\nVancouver, BCV6T1Z1\ntel: 604-822-2301\nfax: 604-822-9279\nweb: www.ubyssey.bc.ca\ne-mail: feedback@ubyssey.bc.ca\nBUSINESS OFFICE\nRoom 23, Student Union Building\nadvertising: 604-822-1654\nbusiness office: 604-822-6681\nfax: 604-822-1658\ne-mail: advertising@ubyssey.be.ca\nbusiness manager Fernie Pereira\nad sales Bernadette Delaquis\nad design Shalene Takara\nad traffic Shalene Takara\nOnce upon a Matthew Jewkes in the land of Simon\nUnderwood,there was a ginger bread house making\nparty where Brandon Adams, Victor Liang, Levi\nBarnett and Peter Holmes drank a little bit too much\nMatt Parisien punch and few too many Reuben\nHeredia cocktails so they started giggling like Eric\nSzeto.They tripped over Colleen Tang, Jennifer\nChrumka,and Carolynne Burkholder who were making a gingerbread Ubyssey office on top of Jesse\nFerreras'head.The walls cracked in half,so Boris\nKorby and Momoko Prince tried gluing them together with Oker Chen's saliva. Champagne Choquer\nChristine McLaren and Jesse Marchand did not like\nthe gingerbread office so they jumped on Mary\nLeighton and Alia Dharssi's backs and charged\ntowards it. Everything fell apart, burying Andrew\nMacrae and Anita Law.\ncover photo Simon Bujold\neditorial graphic Michael Bround\nV\nCanadian\nUniversity Canada Post Sales Agreement\nPre*\nNumber 0040878022 THE UBYSSEY Friday, 8 December, 2006\nCulture\nDiamond's message rings false\nBLOOD DIAMOND\nnow playing\nby Jesse Ferreras\nCULTURE EDITOR\nIn 1994, I took a day trip with my\nfamily to catch the track competition at the Commonwealth Games\nin Victoria. The crowd went wild\nover a victory by a sprinter from\nSierra Leone, a country about\nwhich I knew nothing at the time. I\ndoubt strongly that Blood Diamond,\na film about the civil war that ravaged the country for a decade,\nwould have made me care. The film\npays lip service to its venerable\nintentions on screen, but ultimately\nsubjects them to the demands of\nunrealistic action formulae.\nSolomon Vandy (Amistad's\nDjimon Hounsou) supports his\nfamily as a fisherman and refuses\nto allow his son Dia (Caruso\nKuypers) to follow the same path.\nDespite their surroundings, living\nin a straw hut along the coastline in\nthe midst of a civil war between the\ngovernment and the Revolutionary\nUnited Front (RUF), Solomon\nbelieves firmly that his son will\ngrow up to be a doctor. Their fortunes change completely when RUF\nforces invade his village, killing\npeople at random, setting fire to\nhomes and mutilating civilians.\nThose who are spared, like\nSolomon, are taken to the country's\ndiamond mines so that they can\nstrain water and discover the precious stones in order to fund the\nRUF militia's activities. It is to\nSolomon's eventual salvation that\nhe discovers a rare pink diamond\nand conceals it from the RUF. That\nstone sparks the interest of Danny\nArcher (Leonardo DiCaprio), a\nsmuggler who has been moving the\nrK\nminerals across the border from\nSierra Leone to Liberia. Formerly a\nSouth African soldier, Archer sees\nthe diamond as his way out of\nAfrica and enlists Solomon's help,\npromising him that he can help\nhim find his family. That, however,\nmust be achieved against the rising\npower of the RUF, who easily take\ncontrol of Freetown, Sierra Leone's\ncapital city, and puts Solomon and\nArcher on the run to discover the\ndiamond before the guerrillas get\ntheir hands on it.\nI absolutely recognise what\nBlood Diamond was trying to say,\nand in a number of scenes it does\nso effectively. The film's violence is\njust as brutal as it needs to be, particularly in the sequence in which\nArcher and Solomon are escaping\nfrom Freetown. Shots ring out\nloudly and blood spatters across\nwalls, leaving very little to the\nimagination. The film would have\nbenefitted, however, from more\nattention to realism\u00E2\u0080\u0094 Edward\nZwick is not committed to that as\nBlood Diamond's advance press\nwould have you believe. Too often\nthe violence is staged in a way that\nwould find itself at home in a Jerry\nBruckheimer film, with a handsome, white hero dodging bullets\nwith relative ease as he gets himself and his noble savage partner\nout of danger relatively unscathed.\nOnce it comes time for an action\nsequence, the film seems less concerned with stopping the diamond\nconflict than exciting its audience.\nIt is not helped by its constant need\nto incorporate totally inappropriate and unnecessary humour, such\nas when Jennifer Connelly's idealistic, action-junkie journalist wards\noff the threat of a guerrilla force by\nhuddling them into a photo-op.\nThis is not to take away from\nthe filmmaker's skill. As he\ndemonstrated in The Last Samurai\nZwick has a real knack for action\nsequences and has attempted to\nuse that talent in tandem with\nsocial consciousness. Here, it doesn't work because he detracts too\nmuch attention from his humanitarian message and doesn't make\nhis audience care about it.\nAdditionally, the character of\nSolomon had the potential to be\nthe film's real emotional anchor,\njust as Ken Watanabe was in\nSamurai. Through no fault of\nHounsou's, it does not happen\nhere, and that has everything to do\nwith the pathetic dialogue fed to\nhim by screenwriter Charles\nLeavitt (K-PAX).\nA socially-conscious action film\nworks when powered by a strong\nscript\u00E2\u0080\u0094 Blood Diamond falls miserably flat on this count. Edward\nZwick's insistence on turning the film\ninto an action blockbuster takes away\ntoo much from its important message and effectively blunts it midway\nthrough. Film like this should be\nfound in the drama section at your\nlocal video store\u00E2\u0080\u0094not on the action\nshelf next to The Big Hit. @\nUBC author reflects on an age of secrets\nby Jennifer Chrumka\nCULTURE WRITER\nBrett Josef Grubisic puts forward\nsome big questions to readers of his\nnovel The Age of Cities. For instance,\nwhen fiction dresses up as fact, how\ndo readers' expectations of fiction\nadjust? And does a work of fiction\nundermine its own credibility?\nThe Age of Cities is a self-\ndescribed bildungsroman\u00E2\u0080\u0094meaning 'a novel of formation' in\nGerman. The book traces the moral\nand social development of its central character, Winston Wilson, a\nreclusive high school librarian who\nlives in a fictitious town outside of\nVancouver.\nSet in the 1950s, the plot\nunfolds when Winston's ballooning\nfoot forces him out of his closeted\nrural life into the city to see a specialist. Once there, he stumbles into\nan underground gay subculture\nand over the course of the novel\nbecomes irrevocably intertwined\nwith its cast of characters.\nGrubisic is a professor with the\nEnglish department at UBC. He\nedited Contra/Diction: New Queer\nMale Fiction and co-edited Carnal\nNation: Brave New Sex Fictions.\nThis novel is his first.\n\"I like writing that's simple and\nthat makes you aware of itself as\nbeing a literary artifact, not just a\nstory that's being told,\" Grubisic\nsaid. The phony manuscript angle\nhe uses makes the novel more intellectually stimulating, he added.\n\"Not for the reader, but actually\nfor myself so I would keep [being]\ninterested in the writing process.\"\nThe idea of hidden artifacts was\ninspired from Grubisic's own\nchildhood.\n\"I was on the cusp of puberty\nwhen I decided that I needed somewhere to hide things from the prying eyes of my parents, my father in\nparticular.\"\nSo he hollowed out the pages of\nhis father's hardcover and dense\njourneyman's electrician textbook.\nHe was drawn to the idea of\nbeing able to hide potential things.\n\"I really had nothing to hide; no\ncigarettes, no damning letters, no\ndrugs,\" he said. \"Seeing it in plain\nsight though, on a bookshelf and\nknowing that it might contain\nsomething that only I knew about,\nwas quite a thrill.\"\nThat was until his father finally\nencountered an electrical problem.\nBesides raising questions in The\nAge of Cities, Grubisic was also hoping to explore a subculture of coded\nbehaviour and secret networks.\n\"I love the whole idea of this\ntwilight world of queerness,\" he\nsaid. The awkward awakening of\nWinston is symbolic of the repression and denial that haunts many\ncoming of age stories.\n\"The gay world I live in, I never\neven think twice about being gay as\na thing,\" said Grubisic. \"To me, it's\nno different than being Canadian, or\nbeing male, or being from BC. It's\njust one part of my personality. But\ntxM ioidwdi*\nt ) \\A?y IXflUV oL \ \\\\n- \u00C2\u00BB J\u00C2\u00AB \u00E2\u0080\u00A2\n' f -_\u00C2\u00BB .'-.?'\nthere are those areas in Canada and\nthe United States where that 50s\nparadigm is necessary for survival.\"\nThe Age of Cities challenges the\nformat of conventional Canadian fiction. It also forces readers to face the\nlifestyles kept secret by the social\nconditions of any age.\n\"You have these secret places you\ncan go to meet your kind, but for the\nrest of the world they don't exist\nbecause they're little safety zones or\nthey're oases,\" Grubisic said.\nThey don't exist until, as in The\nAge of Cities, what's hidden beneath\nis eventually uncovered. @\nUrine for a\npleasant\nsurprise!\nURINETOWNJHE MUSICAL\nat the FirehallArts Centre\nuntil December 10\nby Christine McLaren\nCULTURE WRITER\nThough the average theatregoer\nwould likely cringe in fear at the\ntitle Urinetown, the Musical, this\nFirehall production tops the charts\non every level, despite its unfortunate name. A brilliant mix of parody, romance, tragedy, and delightfully dark humor, Urinetown tells\nthe tale of a city devastated by\npoverty, drought and Corporate\nAmerica, where natural resources\ncontrol money, and money controls human rights.\nDue to over consumption of\nwater, the city's public washrooms\nhave been taken over by the Urine\nGood Company (UGC), a power-\nhungry corporation that raises\nthe fees of public toilets to heights\nat which, according to Ms.\nPennywise (Barbara Barsky), fee\ncollector for the filthiest urinal in\ntown, \"it's a privilege to pee.\"\nStrict laws limit urination anywhere else in the city, and if the\nlaws are broken, the perpetrator is\nhauled away by police to the phantom Urinetown, the whereabouts\nof which are unknown to the people of the city.\nNarrated by Police Captain\nLockstock (David Adams), the\nstory moves between the Rich UGC\nworkers and the Poor\u00E2\u0080\u0094homeless\nstreet dwellers occupying the slum\naround Public Facility Number 9.\nWhen the homeless Bobby Strong\n(Matt Palmer) and Hope Cladwell\n(Tracy Neff), daughter of the\nowner of UGC, fall deeply in love,\nStrong is inspired, by the moving\nsong \"Follow your Heart,\" to start a\nrevolution against the injustice he\nand his fellow street-dwellers\nexperience from day to day, begging a \"penny for a pee.\" As the\nrevolution carries on and the good\nguys finally take over, one is led to\nbelieve that, as in every musical, it\nwill all turn out well in the\nend...but will it? After all, as\nOfficer Lockstock continuously\ninsists to the ever-adorable Little\nSally (Tracy Power), \"this isn't a\n'happy musical.'\"\nThis delectably hilarious spoof\nis a gem of the stage that leaves the\naudience with more to consider\nthan the average fluffy, cheesy production. It provides frighteningly\nrealistic solutions to problems that\naffect us all, even in Vancouver,\nperhaps a Urinetown in itself.\nMaking its comeback once again in\nVancouver's Firehall Arts Center,\nthe show has earned the theatre\ncompany two Jessie Richardson\nawards (outstanding production\nand direction), as well as nominations for four others. The music is a\nphenomenally eclectic mix of multiple genres, and the astounding\ndance numbers, choreographed by\nthe award-winning choreographer\nTara Cheyenne Friedenberg, make\nthis a show that is not to be missed.\nOh, and by the way, the bathrooms are located on the upper\nfloor of the FirehallArts Centre. Be\nsure that you go before the show\nbegins. @ Friday, 8 December, 2006 THE UBYSSEY\nNews\nTHE UBYSSEY Friday, 8 December, 2006\nSNOWBUS DAILY EXPRESS BUS SERVICI\nVANCOUVER 4-f WHISTLER <\u00E2\u0080\u0094\u00E2\u0096\u00BA RICHMOND\nbecoming a snowdub member. \"Members never pay tull price!\". The SNOWBUS Is open to the general public, operating\ndaily scheduled during the ski season between Richmond/Vancouver and Whistler. Our on-Doard host will be servin\nup snacks, non -alcoholic beverages (sorry, you gotta be good) and tonnes of prizes. Snowbus and Snowdub were founde\n\"Ibcrt, President and CEO. After a lengthy bailie with BC's famous govcrnmcr\n\"klotor Carrier Commission to begin scheduled bus service i\n.average bus. LOW COST \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 GREAT SERVICE! Ou\nirndor. Founded an the idea thai the bit\nK\nburcj\nNov\ngoa\n'!... I|\nI-...1\nite witn\nbeen del\nwho hav?\nschedu.\nnon-akH\nentrepreneur^\nfrom the BC MutorH\nVancouver-Whistler. SndJ\nand real value to passeiT\ncompanies were not prov]\nbuses and have plans!\ndedicated la brinj\nmembers-*\nThe Snowb]\nVyUS was born. We current!\noffering uniqu\nTub hav\n0 I\ncompanic!\npublic, ii\nserving\nin ZO01\nbureai\nNl,\nidea'\nWe curre\"\nSnowdub.\nvIhe Snowd|\nlocal dubs\npeople (thej\nopen U\nboar/'\nfound\nburcai\nNovel\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\ni daily schei\n,,. y\n: \u00E2\u0096\u00A0 .\nweling the;\nhe right servk\nird as the si\new cxperT\nliquet, I\nBeen dcJ\np) who I\nJringtT\n: GKEH 5Ek1\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 the rightmafl\ni season evolves. The ShSv?\nbe tothc skiers and boarders heading to T\n\"^ pecial events and priority treatment at locaJ\nlaunched by a select team of very clcvl\n' s service a reality for our Olympic^JtyJ\n' ?r. Wr I\nhu\nBardT\nbetween Vancouver and Whistler.'\n1 tonnes of prizes-Snowbus and Snowdub were founde\ntAfter a lengthy battle with BC's famous govcrnmcr\nHyirrter Commission to begin scheduled bus service i\nlu* i.H NOT your average bus. LOW COST - Grca\ningers traveling the Sea-to-Sky Corridor. Founded on th\nbe riahl service for the right market - Snowbus was bort\nJ as the snow season evolves. The Snowbus is part of th\nBcw experience to the skiers and boarders heading to Whistle\nle discounts, access to special events and priority treatment i\ne been developed and launched by a select team of very deve\nwho have made this service a reality for our Olympic City i\nlg the ski season between Vancouver and Whistler. Our on-\nttges and ions of prizes. Snowbus Love The Ridel wa\nd CEO. After a lengthy halite with BC's famous governmer\nr Carrier Commission to begin scheduled bus service i\nwbus is NOT your average bus.Movies excitement an\nRound Trip\nfor as low as Hosts, Food, Movies, Fun \u00E2\u0080\u0094Love The Ride!\n604.685.SNOW 11.866.SNOWBUS | SNOWBUS.CA\n'Membef price. Some restrictions apply. Please vH www srwwbus.ca tor details. Prices sutjfect io cfianoe GST not included\nI 1\n: New Year, new time for newsies! :\n\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nI News meetings will be at a new time next term. They |\nwill remain on Tuesdays though. Stay tuned!\nnews@ubyssey.bc.ca \u00E2\u0096\u00A0\nI . ._ I\nTHE UBYSSEY\nBe one of the first to\nstop by SUB 23, to\npick up a free movie\npass to a preview\nscreening of:\nPerfume\non Tuesday,\nDecember 12\n7:00pm at\nGranville 7 Theatre.\nIN THEATRES\nJANUARY 5\nWhile quantities last.\nKesTrel\nj Books\nUsed/Rare/Fine Books\nBought & Sold\n* I.ITKRATURK \u00C2\u00BB PsYCHOIOGI\n;\u00C2\u00BB\u00E2\u0096\u00A0 I'llll.OSOI'llV *ART\ni\u00C2\u00BB I llSIORl\nOpen 7 Days a Week uam-8:30PM\n'5642 Wcsl 4lh Ave (ntiir Alma)\n(604) 872-2959\nmw. kestrelbooks.ca\nHugging\nepidemic\nhits UBC\nStudents join Free Hugs\nCampaign to cheer things up\nby Christine McLaren\nNEWS WRITER\nWhat started with one man, a black\nmarker, a gigantic heart, and a piece\nof cardboard in Sydney, Australia has\nbecome a worldwide phenomenon,\nsending a message of love and peace\naround the globe, including UBC.\nUnder the pen name, \"Juan\nMann,\" he started a Free Hugs\nCampaign over two years ago, after\ncoming back home to Australia and\nfinding the place \"miserable.\" He\ntook a sign with the words \"Free\nHugs\" drawn on in black marker, and\nwalked around the busiest pedestrian intersection in Sydney, with the\nsimple goal of brightening someone's day.\nAccording to Mann's official\nFree Hugs Campaign homepage,\n\"Sometimes a hug is all what we\nneed...to see someone who was\nonce frowning, smile even for a\nmoment, is worth it every time.\"\nThe movement started gaining\nrecognition and fame when up and\ncoming band, Sickpuppies, used video\nfootage from Juan Mann's campaign\nfor a music video to their song \"All the\nSame,\" and posted it on Internet site\nYouTube. Since its posting in\nSeptember 2006, the video has been\nviewed by over seven million people,\nand has inspired thousands around\nthe globe to start their own campaigns, including students at UBC.\nLast Sunday afternoon, a small\ngroup of students from Place Vanier\nresidence made their way downtown\nto take part in their own Free Hugs\noperation in front of the Vancouver\nArt Gallery. They gave away hugs to\nany passersby who wanted them. For\nthe duration of their three hour cam-\nEMBRACE ME: Morgane Cabot gave out a free hug as UBC students\nembraced the Free Hug Campaign. Christine mclaren photo\npaign, the students were overwhelmed by the positive reaction\nthey received, including drivers of\ncars and busses stopping traffic to get\nout and receive their free hugs, as\nwell as an appearance on CTV news\nthe same evening.\nWhen asked about their inspiration and reasons for taking part, the\nstudents' answers were simple.\n\"The feeling you get when you see\nsomeone smiling as they walk away\nafter hugging you is amazing. It's\nsomething so easy, yet so effective,\"\nsaid Matthew Corker, international\nbusiness student, and residence advisor in Korea House and Place Vanier.\nHe organised the event with resident\nLaura Mehes.\n\"At UBC they're always teaching\nus skills to go out into the world\nand make it a better place. This is\nfinally putting some context into\nthe buzz words that are thrown\naround,\" he added.\nCorker got the inspiration for the\ncampaign after seeing the video on\nYouTube. Peter Herring, first-year\nArts student, was also inspired by\nMann's video and made his way\naround UBC sporting his Free Hugs\nsign a few weeks before hearing\nabout any organised movement on\ncampus. There he began offering\nhugs to willing receivers. After hear\ning about Vanier's plans for downtown he quickly jumped on board,\nthrilled by the reception they immediately received.\n\"It was amazing how receptive and\nopen people were,\" he said.\nAccording to Herring, not everybody was willing to open their arms\nand embrace a stranger, the mere\nidea of it brought a smile to almost\nevery passerby's face.\n\"Even if we just made people\nsmile, that's a mission accomplished.\nIt's as simple as that.\"\nHowever, Sociology Emeritus\nProfessor Brian Elliott points out that\nit is not always fun and games when it\ncomes to hugging.\n\"I think one has to be a tad careful\nabout that. You are making assumptions that are going to be universally\nworld received,\" he said.\nHe added that while westernised\ncultures embrace this type of behaviour, not all cultures do. \"It's culturally\nrather specific.\"\n\"You have a very diverse campus\nhere. I can imagine some of the students I know that might be a little discomforted if some unknown character\n[gave] them a hug,\" Elliott said.\n\"On the other hand there are lots of\nother people would say, 'that kind of\ndisplay is quite delightful and it made\nmy day'\" @\nBig heart earns big props\nUBC student applauded for volunteer work\nby Brandon Adams\nNEWS STAFF\nOn December 5, UBC student\nNoah Alexander was recognised\nby the Big Brothers of Greater\nVancouver and Alma Mater Society\n(AMS) Volunteer Connections on\nInternational Volunteer Day for his\nexceptional volunteer efforts.\nFourth-year biology student\nAlexander has volunteered for hospitals, care centres, recreation centres, children's organisations and\neven a Masai village.\n\"I've been doing [in-school mentoring] for two years now,\" said\nAlexander. \"It's really rewarding. You\nsee a big difference in a kid's life.\"\n\"The first little buddy [I worked\nwith] had some very serious problems...but that was really rewarding because [once I started] hanging out with him his teachers were\nsaying he was behaving a lot better,\" said Alexander about his experience with Big Brothers of Greater\nVancouver's In-School Mentoring\nProgram.\nAlexander, who started volunteering with the program last\nSeptember, said the experience\nhelped him decide what he wanted\nto do in the future.\n\"It's made me realise that I definitely want a job not in academia\nbut with people and probably kids,\"\nhe said. \"It's made me realise I\nwant a job that you go home and\nyou can feel good about what you\ndid.\"\nRebecca Saban, marketing and\ncommunications coordinator at Big\nBrothers of Greater Vancouver,\nsaid that Big Brothers' In-School\nMentoring Program is a great fit for\nstudents.\n\"It's school-based but it's non-\nacademic, meaning you're not\ntutoring the child,\" she said.\nInstead of volunteers tutoring kids,\nexplained Saban, volunteers provide a child with a positive role\nmodel.\nSaban said the programs used\nin approximately 50 schools across\nthe Lower Mainland and requires a\ntime commitment by volunteers of\none hour per week.\nRuth Situma, AMS Volunteer\nConnections coordinator, explained\nthat Volunteer Connections wanted\nto give an award not only to a UBC\nstudent but also an exceptional vol-\nBIG BROTHER: Noah Alexander\nwants to pursue a career\ninvolving interaction with kids.\nOKER CHEN PHOTO\nunteer on International Volunteer\nDay December 5.\nThe call for submissions, Situma\nsaid, produced more people than\nwere expected.\n\"We got so many and they were\nall quite exceptional students.\" @\nBC Supreme Court rules to impeach\nSeven SFU student society executive members forced to leave office\nby Eric Szeto\nCUP WESTERN BUREAU CHIEF\nVANCOUVER (CUP)-The BC\nSupreme Court has ruled against\nan appeal launched by seven executive members of the student society at Simon Fraser University,\nputting an end to a stormy and\ntumultuous six months.\nThe ruling on December 4\nupheld the electoral results of a\ngeneral student referendum held\nin October, in which students\nvoted to impeach the executives.\nAs a result, the 'Group of Seven,' or\nG7 as they have been called, will\nhave to leave office immediately.\nEach one of the executives will\nalso have to cover the legal costs of\nplaintiffs Jan Gunn, Titus Gregory\nand Bryan Jones. It is believed that\nthe group will have to dole out\n$4,000 to $8,000 collectively.\nThe court stated that the\ngrounds of the appeal\u00E2\u0080\u0094the circumstances of the meeting prior to the\nreferendum\u00E2\u0080\u0094was not problematic.\nThe judge went on to say that even\nif there were problems with the initial meeting, the results of the subsequent meeting and referendum,\nwhose attendance exceeded over\n700 SFU students, would still\nstand.\n\"We were all very, very excited,\"\nsaid Bryan Jones, a spokesperson\nfor Students for a Democratic\nSociety. \"When the judges walked\nout it was pretty explosive, people\nwere shouting and yelling. It was\nquite a celebration.\"\n\"The reign of terror is over,\"\nsaid Jan Gunn, a SFSS member,\nadding that the executives are\n\"completely done, they're out. The\nsociety is moving on.\"\nJoel Blok, a SFSS director, said\nthere were major concerns about\nthe lack of transparency and dishonesty within the old executive\nand added that he is glad the society can now move forward.\nThe SFSS will have to hold\nimmediate by-elections for the\nseven executive positions, which\nneed to be filled by December 19.\nThe SFSS executive controversy\nPROTEST: Students taking action against their student society, photo courtesy of paulman chan\nbegan at the end of July, when to move to impeach the executives last summer,\nactions taken by the executive stemmed largely from the investi- The impeached members of the\nwere brought into question. The gation and subsequent firing of student executive could not be\nmotion to call for referendum and SFSS staff member Hattie Aitken reached for comment. @\nSFU rushing through executive by-elections\nby Eric Szeto\nCUP WESTERN BUREAU CHIEF\nVANCOUVER (CUP)-The decision\nto hold immediate by-elections at\nSFU to fill the seats of seven\nimpeached members of SFU's\nStudent Society (SFSS) has some\nstudents concerned about whether\nthose elected will be accurately\nrepresentative of the school's\n24,000 students.\nThe December 4 decision by\nthe Supreme Court to uphold\nthe results of October's impeachment referendum prompted the\nSFSS election commission to hold\nby-elections during end-of-term\nexams.\nWith previous SFSS elections\nroughly averaging a voter turnout of six per cent, there's the\nexpectation that the impromptu\nby-election will yield an even\nlower voter turnout.\n\"If your constituency is a student body, and you're having this\nover exams, then you can imagine\nthe people's attentions would be\nelsewhere and that will reflect on\nthe legitimacy of the outcome,\"\nsaid Mark Warren, a UBC political\nscience professor who specialises\nin democratic theory.\n\"Personally, because\nit's exams, it's kind of\nat the bottom of my\nto-do-list...i haven't\npaid any attention\n[to the election]\nwhatsoever.\"\n-Jennifer Clune\nfourth-year SFU student\n\"The more people that turn\nout, the more you can say\nthe results reflect the will of the\nconstituency.\"\nSo far interest for the election has\nbeen average as there is roughly\nthree people running for each position. Campaign times will be truncated\u00E2\u0080\u0094December 4 to December\n15\u00E2\u0080\u0094while voting will take place on\nDecember 18 and 19.\nJoel Blok, a SFSS director, said\nthat despite the short time-frame\nthere is hope the events of the past\nsix months have sparked interest\nin the upcoming elections.\n\"The student body knows\nwhat's going on,\" he said. \"They've\ncertainly heard about the issue\nover the last couple of months and\nthe possibility of people being\nimpeached.\n\"I don't think it should be a\nproblem in terms of representation and at the end of the day, the\ndirectors are still responsible to\nthe membership in one way or\nanother.\"\nPresidential candidate J.J\n.McCullough admitted that the timing of the election was questionable, but contended that positions\nin student elections rarely get\nelected with the majority of the\npopular vote.\nOthers at SFU, like fourth-year\nstudent Jennifer Clune, are indifferent to the process.\n\"Personally, because it's\nexams, it's kind of at the bottom\nof my to-do list,\" said Clune. \"I\nhaven't paid any attention [to the\nelection] whatsoever.\"\nJillian McCavour, another\nfourth-year student, echoed those\nsentiments.\n\"Personally I think it's hard\n\"IF YOUR CONSTITUENCY\nIS A STUDENT BODY AND\nYOU'RE HAVING THIS\nOVER EXAMS, THE YOU\nCAN IMAGINE THE PEOPLE'S ATTENTIONS\nOWULD BE ELSEWHERE\nAND THAT WILL REFLECT\nTHE LEGITMACY OF THE\nOUTCOME.\"\n-Mark Warren\nUBC Political Science Professor\nenough to get people voting in by-\nelections, but to have it this late in\nthe semester\u00E2\u0080\u0094I don't know how\ngreat the turnout is going to be.\"\nDespite the campus-wide e-\nmail sent out by the university,\nMacCavour said that she only\nfound out about the election via\nthe popular weblog Facebook. @\nNew age\nsocialising\nby Victor Liang\nNEWS STAFF\nA UBC researcher, Jennifer Shapka, education and counselling psychology and\nspecial education assistant professor is\nembarking on a study that will investigate\nthe relationship between how teenagers\nare using the Internet and how this\nimpacts different aspects of their developmental well-being.\nThe study is mainly examining the social\noutcomes of online activity and interfacing,\nsaid Shapka.\n\"We know adolescents are spending\nmost of their time instant messaging. That is\nthe most popular online activity. That really\nsuggests that they are socialising in a unique\nway, different than when I was a teenager.\nSo we want to see the impact of that\"\nShapka added that the study found a\nsignificant number of adolescents that\nwere not instant messaging were more\nlikely to go on social networking sites like\nMySpace and Facebook.\n\"There were also 25 per cent of our\nsample that didn't instant message, so\ndoes that mean these kids don't have\nfriends? We don't know,\" she said adding\nthat there will be further investigation on\nwhether there is \"a percentage of kids out\nthere that aren't engaging in this now normal way of socialising.\"\nCurrently, Shapka has completed a pilot\nstudy as part of the four-year research project, where she has set up an Internet service\nprovider that allows her to monitor what\nparticipating adolescents of the study are\ndoing online.\n\"There have been some interesting findings,\" she continued. \"Mainly, we're very\nsurprised in the range of the amountof time\nkids are spending online, ranging from very\nlittle...up to eight hours a day.\n\"We only have data about the Internet\nuse right now...The larger study with a larger sample will allow us to see if that Internet\nuse is associated with different social, cognitive, or even physical outcomes.\"\nOne of the indirect consequences of the\nstudy maybe to debunk public anxiety about\nhaving adolescents communicating online.\n\"There is a poorly articulated concern\nthat somehow communicating online is\nnot real communication. That it is somehow fake or less meaningful than, say,\na phone conversation,\" said Leah\nMacfadyen, research associate in the faculty of science, who has been studying the\nculture of online learning.\n\"My feeling is that it's a new form of\ncommunication. It is communication\nregardless; it has a different culture,\nnorms, its own language. Kids learn different techniques, dialects, spelling, but language evolves like that all the time too.\nTeenagers speak to each other in different\nways than adults speak to each other.\"\nIt is almost a given that students at all levels of the school system now have computer\nand Internet familiarity, though some are\nstill skeptical that it is all for the better.\n\"I spend a lot of time on the computer,\nbut I'm more inclined to actually go out and\nsee people in person if I can,\" said Alfred\nHo, a first-year engineering student \"I feel\nit's possibly hurting my social skills and just\nmore socially isolating to be sitting there\nstaring at a monitor all the time.\"\nBut Shapka is not convinced that online\ncommunication is detracting from face-to-\nface communication\u00E2\u0080\u0094yet another aspect she\nwill be investigating in her project.\n\"Kids are still going to the mall, or getting together in groups, instant messaging\nis just adding to this need to be in constant\ncontact,\" said Shapka.\n\"Watching my little brother growing up\nwith the Internet and just thinking how his\nlife might be different at that age, it came to\nme as I was very interested in this very contemporary problem of what it means to\ngrow up in an information age.\" @ Opinion & Editorial\nFriday, 8 December, 2006 THE UBYSSEY\nFeliz Navidad, happy holidays\nStreeters\nWhat would you like for Christmas but probably won't get?\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094Fiona McDowell\nArts, 2\n\"A new pink\nsnowboard for\nWhistler'.'\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094Abdulah Luqman\nSociology, exchange\n\"An iPod. I've\nbeen wanting\none for a while,\nbut I'm saving\nto go skiing.\"\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094Adam Spears\nMech Engineering, 4\n\"A trip to Europe.\"\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094Eli Hutchinson\nArts, 2\n\"Nothing.\nI'm content.\nI guess I'd like\ngood grades..\"\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094Coree Tull\nGeography, 4\n\"I want a pair\nBirk[enstock]s.\nI asked for a\npair so we'll see.\"\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094Coordinated by Mary Leighton and Oker Chen\nLetter/Perspective\nWe did have permission\nThank you for pointing out that it is time\nagain to look at the question of municipal governance at UBC, in \"The University who didn't\nneed permission [Nov 28].\" As you correctly\nindicated, the Greater Vancouver Regional\nDistrict (GVRD) Board of Directors and\nUBC Board of Governors through the GVRD-\nUBC Joint Committee decided to request that\nthe province initiate a dialogue with the\nGVRD, UBC, the University Neighborhoods\nAssociation (UNA), University Endowment\nLands (UEL) and the City of Vancouver on an\nalternate governance system.\nThis point, however, is the limit of correctness in what is an otherwise poorly researched\neditorial. Regarding the Marine Drive Student\nResidences, UBC in no way ever violated GVRD\nbylaws in relation to the Marine Drive Student\nResidences. The Marine Drive Student\nResidences is being developed in strict accordance with the UBC Official Community Plan\n(OCP); the UBC/GVRD Memorandum of\nUnderstanding (2000); and the GVRD Park\nManagement Plan.\nRegarding the demolition of the old wings\nof the Main Library, the library was in dire\nneed of seismic upgrade and did not have\nsufficient capacity to accommodate UBC's\ngrowing collection of materials now valued at\nover $1 billion. The fate of the Chancellor\nbuilding was decided nearly ten years ago\n(during the OCP consultation process) when\nthe Vancouver School of Theology decided it\nneeded to develop its land for an endowment\nthat would support its academic mission.\nRegarding UBC's OCP, it is a bylaw of the\nGVRD that was prepared pursuant to the provisions of the Municipal Act and the\nUniversities Act.\nUBC is the first university to adopt and disclose information according to the province's\naccountability guidelines for governing\nboards of BC's public sector organisations.\nFurther, the actions of the UBC administration are accountable to the UBC Board of\nGovernors (which has strong student representation); the GVRD Board of Directors\nthrough the OCP and Joint Committee; the\nSenate and the Council of Senates; and the\nUniversities Act.\nYou seem to easily forget that UBC was\nestablished as a separate institutional entity\nto avoid becoming subject to inappropriate\nsectional interests. I would argue that our\ncompany of scholarship does have effective\nprocesses and a growing track record of consultative decision-making with respect to our\nshared fabric of teaching, learning, research\nand community. Perhaps it is time for the\nUbyssey to remember that the core purpose of\nUBC's development policy must remain the\nacademic mission, which the citizens of this\nprovince have entrusted us.\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094Brad Foster is the Manager of\nCommunications for UBC External and\nLegal Affairs\nGay-MS not gay enough\nI was rather saddened when I picked up my\ncopy of the Ubyssey satire issue last week\n(The Jubyssey). While greatly amused by the\nspoof article \"GAY-MS deemed homosexist\"\n[Dec. 5] on the frontpage and inside cover of\nthe edition, I was disappointed to note that I\nwas the only current AMS Executive not\nmade fun of in the writeup. I cracked a grin\nat \"Spanker Keys,\" chuckled at \"Heff\nFriedrock,\" snickered at \"Keevin Gallstone,\"\nchortled at \"Sophie Hack,\" and laughed outright at \"Iain Bitpillow.\" However, there was\nno mention of anything that could be construed as a mockery of my name. Hell,\nSpanker a.k.a. Spencer Keys was an executive LAST year. Yeesh. It's not as if it's difficult to come up with a spoof of \"David\nYuen\"\u00E2\u0080\u0094\"Gayvid Yuren\" took me all of five\nseconds to come up with\u00E2\u0080\u0094or as if I'm not sufficiently gay to be included in the article. In\nfact, I contend that I am just as gay as the rest\nof the AMS Executive this year. I sincerely\nhope that, in future, when the Ubysseyrefers\nto the AMS Executive (satirically or otherwise) that they will do so in entirety.\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094David Yuen is the AMS VP administration THE UBYSSEY Friday, 8 December, 2006\nFeature\n7\nCanaries in the Arctic\nstory by Andrew Lodge,\nThe Manitoban\n(University of Manitoba)\nGetting up close and personal with climate change in the Far North\nWINNIPEG (CUP)-A few\nweeks back, University of\nManitoba researcher Dan Leitch\ndebarked from the Canadian Coast\nGuard's icebreaker, the CCGS\nAmundsen, after spending six\nweeks at sea as part of an ongoing\nmission to study climate change in\nthe Canadian Arctic.\nA lot happened in the debate on\nglobal warming while he was away.\nMost notable was the release of\nBritish economist Sir Nicholas\nStern's dire report on the economics of climate change last October.\nIn addition to the disastrous ecological consequences of an artificially\nheated biosphere, the report predicted that global warming would\nset off a 20 per cent drop in the\nglobal economy. According to the\nreport, the result would be an economic disaster exceeding that of\nthe Great Depression and both\nworld wars put together.\nThe Stern Review sparked controversy and concern worldwide\nand was yet another voice in a growing chorus of scientists, academics\nand activists calling for serious steps\nto be taken to curb climate change.\nIn London, more than 22,000 people marched in response to the\nreport and in anticipation of the UN\nconference on environmental issues\nin Nairobi, Kenya.\nWhile all this was going on,\nLeitch was up North working\nwith ArcticNet, a multi-university\nresearch group that gathers data on\nthe Arctic's fluctuating environment to better understand if and\nhow it's changing.\nLeich says the planet's polar\nregions are of great importance to\nresearchers who study a vast array\nof ecological trends. What occurs at\nthe poles can be a looking-glass of\nsorts, through which they can predict what will happen to the rest of\nthe planet in the near future.\n\"We often refer to the Arctic as\nthe bellwether, or the canary in the\ncoal mine,\" said UVic Arctic\nresearcher Terry Prowse in a recent\nCBC Radio interview. \"That canary is\ncoughing. We've got to keep our eye\non it, because ten years in the Arctic\nis what we're going to get 30 years\ndown the road [here].\"\nIn the past several years Inuit\nresidents of Nunavut have been\npointing to rapid and increasing\nchanges to the world in which they\nlive, an environment they are closely connected to.\nEven for Leitch, a relative newcomer to the Arctic, the signs of\nchange are visible everywhere.\n\"I have seen areas of incredible\npermafrost-melt and coastal erosion, both of which have been\nincreasing lately. [Passing through]\nthe Northwest Passage, we barely\nsaw any ice at all, which I understand is quite rare for the end of\nOctober.\"\nLeitch and the ArcticNet crew\nwere aboard the last ship to pass\nthrough the Fury and Hecla Strait,\n\"and we didn't even see any ice,\"\nLeitch said.\n\"Normally the Strait is impassable even in the middle of the summer, according to our captain who's\nbeen working up there for 20-odd\nyears. We also passed through the\nnarrow Bellot Strait [the northernmost part of continental North\nAmerica] which is also normally\npacked with ice.\"\nUpon visiting several communities along their voyage the crew of\nthe Amundsen heard many similar\nstories.\n\"In Labrador, we saw 11 polar\nbears in one fjord. Locals tell us that\neven 20 years ago, polar bears were\nalmost never seen there. They\nblame the lack of sea ice for pushing\nthem on land.\n\"If you talk to any local in the\nNorth, there is no doubt that climate\nchange is happening. They tell stories of hunters falling through the\nice because it is thinner, there is less\nof it, and it is much more unpredictable. They also talk of animals\nthat have shown up in recent years\nthat local languages have no word\nfor, because they are usually only\nfound in warmer climates.\"\nThe consensus on drastic climate change has now reached an\nunprecedented near-unanimity\nwithin the scientific community.\nAlthough it's been an ongoing\nissue for some time, climate\nchange has gone mainstream.\nPolls, both nationally and on the\nglobal stage, repeatedly indicate\npeople share a growing concern\nfor environmental issues.\nAnd in recent years, the alarming concept of a \"tipping point,\" or\na point of no return, has become\naccepted parlance. Where that tipping point lies (or whether it has\nalready been passed) is still very\nmuch up for debate, but its existence is becoming increasingly\nrecognised.\nEarlier this year, James Hansen,\nNASA's chief climatologist, suggested in an interview with Time magazine that we are getting close to that\ntipping point, despite the fact that\nmost people have barely noticed the\nwarming so far.\n\"We have witnessed one degree\nFahrenheit warming in the past 30\nyears,\" he said. \"There is one more\nin the pipeline due to gases already\nin the air. Still another degree is certain because of energy infrastructure already in place, such as power\nplants and vehicles on the road.\nThree degrees will take us to a level\nat or just above the warmest in the\npast million years.\"\nHansen noted that this level of\nwarming is inevitable, and that cuts\nin emissions today would only limit\nfurther increases in temperature\nabove and beyond what is already\ncertain to occur. He argued that not\ndoing so could be catastrophic.\nThe Polar Regions are especially\nvulnerable to changing environmental conditions.\n\"The Arctic ecosystem is fragile\nand heavily dependent on patterns\nof temperature, snow and ice that\nare now rapidly changing,\" said\nLeitch. \"It is especially obvious to\nthe Inuit people who still live off\nthe land and rely on ice for transportation.\"\nIf the so-called tipping point is\nreached, it then unleashes what's\nknown in biological systems as a\n\"positive feedback cycle.\"\n\"Many effects of climate change\nare in fact positive feedback\nloops, whereby a system responds\nin the same direction as a disturbance which results in an amplifying effect,\" Leitch explained. \"For\nexample, ice-melt leads to increased\nice-melt, because the open water\ncreated will absorb solar energy\nwhich is normally reflected by the\nice and snow.\"\nUnder normal circumstances,\nice reflects 90 per cent of the sunlight that strikes it, removing energy and heat along with it. Ocean\nwater acts in the opposite manner,\nabsorbing 90 per cent of the energy\nit receives. The more energy the\nopen Arctic Ocean retains, the\nwarmer it gets\u00E2\u0080\u0094meaning that each\nkilometre of ice melts faster than\nthe one preceding it.\nAccording to the US National\nSnow and Ice Data Center in\nBoulder, Colorado, the sea ice cover\nin 2005 was 20 per cent less than\nthe average sea ice cover in the\nArctic between 1978 and 2000.\nThe current rate of shrinkage is\nroughly eight per cent, meaning\nthere will be no ice by 2060. The\nIce Data Center also notes that the\nrate is increasing, so it is entirely\npossible that we will be ice-free\nbefore that date.\nPositive feedback loops work in\na similar way with Arctic permafrost, which is defined as land\nfrozen continuously for two or more\nyears. In the Arctic much of the permafrost has been frozen since the\nlast Ice Age, 8,000 to 10,000 years\nago. This is changing.\nHidden in this permanently\nfrozen land are very high concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane,\nwhich are constantly being produced\nby natural processes yet trapped in\nthe ice. As permafrost melts, the land\nreleases methane gas back into the\natmosphere at rates that dwarf current rates of human emissions.\nMelting permafrost has the potential\nto let loose colossal amounts of carbon dioxide, contributing to even\nmore warming.\nIn the past, ominous warnings\nabout a changing climate and a\nchanging planet have been pegged\nas alarmist. Some politicians still\nattempt to paint scientifically produced scenarios in a similar light.\nBut the outcry from the scientific\ncommunity is mounting as never\nbefore. From the point of view of the\nNorth, Leitch said the situation is a\nserious one.\n\"I think there should be genuine\nconcern. Models predict that the\nentire Arctic could be ice-free in\nsummer in the next few decades.\nThis will have huge impacts on animals and the ecosystem, not to mention Northern people.\"\nIf these predictions are correct,\nthat would mean the canary is in fact\ndying in the coal mine as we speak.\nBy the time the rest of the world\ntakes note, will it be too late? @\nFrom top to bottom, photos courtesy of: Dan Leitch; Martin Fortier; Laurel McFadden; Martin Fortier 8\nSports\nFriday, 8 December, 2006 THE UBYSSEY\nNOMADIC ICE BIRDS PUMPED\nFOR SECOND HALF OF SEASON\nby Brent Mutis\nSPORTS WRITER\nAt the midway point of the season,\nUBC men's hockey coach Milan\nDragicevic is encouraged but not\ncontent.\nHis club leads the Canada West\nin penalty killing, has allowed the\nsecond fewest goals, and has been\nthe least penalised team this side\nof Ontario. Even with the spotty\noffence the team sits at 7-8-1, good\nenough for fourth in the Canada\nWest.\nAll of this has been accomplished without a true home\narena. With the Thunderbird\nWinter Sports Complex currently\nundergoing renovations for the\nOlympics, the team has played\nhome games everywhere from\nSurrey to Whistler.\nIn comparison with past\nteams, Dragicevic feels this squad\nis an improvement but knows they\ncannot afford to get complacent.\n\"We are better but we are not\nsatisfied,\" says the fifth-year bench\nboss. \"Brad Zanon and Kevin\nSeibel, both defencemen, are two\nof our highest scorers. We're usually a better second half team but\nwe'll need secondary scoring from\nour forward group.\"\nAnd how has the lack of a home\nrink affected the T-Birds this season? Not particularly well, according to Dragicevic.\n\"The guys spend a lot of time\ntraveling to and from different rinks\nnot only for games but for practices\ntoo. There is no home ice advantage\nbecause we are just as unfamiliar\nwith each rink as the teams from out\nof town,\" says Dragicevic.\nConsistently lighting the lamp\nfor the T-Birds has been Darrell\nMay, averaging a point per contest\nin league play. Marc Desloges\nleads a group often rookies and is\nthird on the team with 12 points.\nFormer Vancouver Giants standout Mitch Bartley has chipped in\nas well and Dragicevic anticipates\nhe will heat up after the break.\n\"Mitch is making the adjustment from the WHL. He's been\ngetting lots of chances and I think\nhe'll be big for us in the second\nhalf.\"\nOne of the highlights so far was\na victory over perennial favourite\nthe University of Alberta. The T-\nBirds skated away with a 4-3 win\nover the Golden Bears on October\n20 at Whistler Arena.\nFifth-year defenceman Chad\nGrisdale said that win was just part\nof the natural progression he has\nseen during the past half decade.\n\"Winning has become more of\nan expectation for us now. We see\nAlberta as being like any other\nteam and we go in expecting to\nbeat them,\" said Grisdale.\nThe veteran blueliner is optimistic about the latter half of the\nschedule as well.\n\"We go into the break on a high\nnote with a win and we have always\nbeen a better second half team,\"\nGrisdale said.\nUBC starts up again at Calgary on\nJanuary 5. Their first home series\nafter Christmas is a Friday-Saturday\ni \\naffair against Regina at GM Place on Canucks/Toronto Maple Leafs game\nJanuary 12-13, with the Saturday to be shown on the new multi-mil-\ngame preceded by the Vancouver lion dollar jumbotron at 3:30pm. @\nNew netminder turning heads\nFirst-year goalie competing for starting role despite still adjusting to CIS game\nby Jessica JiYoung Kim\nSPORTS WRITER\nAt the start of the 2006-07 season,\nthe women's hockey team welcomed\na handful of promising young players to the line up. Among them was\nMelinda Choy, a rookie goalie joining UBC from Victoria.\nOnly few months into her varsity hockey career, Choy has already\nestablished herself as a star\nbetween the pipes. After posting\nback-to-back shutouts against the\nvisiting Manitoba Bisons earlier in\nthe season\u00E2\u0080\u0094a first ever in the history of Thunderbird's women's\nhockey and a distinction that\nearned her CIS women's athlete of\nthe week honours\u00E2\u0080\u0094high expectations have befallen the first-year\nstandout.\n\"I felt really good about those\ngames. The team really backed\nme up. The defence and forwards\nwere fantastic. Just from that\nI gained a lot of confidence,\"\nsaid Choy, reminiscing about her\nperformance.\nDespite just starting her university career, Choy seems to already\nhave thought about her future\nafter her time as a Thunderbird.\nShe identified the difficulties\nCanadian athletes face upon\nretirement from competition, and\nemphasised the importance of\nCHILL IN OUT: Melinda Choy has been on fire between the pipes in\nher first-year wearing aT-Birds jersey, oker chen photo\neducation.\n\"I thought about hockey beyond\nUBC but I think it's unlikely I will\ncontinue after school. I'm really\nenjoying playing hockey here and\nputting a lot of focus into it, but\nwith something like Team Canada,\nit only takes you so far. After that's\nall done, you have to rely on your\neducation to find a job.\"\nPerhaps Melinda's skeptical\noutlook has to do with the fact that\nthe UBC hockey teams have been\norphaned with the construction of\nthe Thunderbird Arena, forcing\nthem to drift from one rink to\nanother in the interim.\n\"Not having that arena is bit\nstressful because even our home\ngames are away games...and that\nforces us to spend a lot of time\ntravelling.\"\nDespite the stress and challenges that rookies face during\ntheir transition period, Choy has\nshowcased superb athleticism and\ncompetitiveness, enough to put\nher head-to-head with third-year\nnetminder Lisa Lafreniere for\nstarting duties.\n\"Her being there...it makes us\npush each other to play harder. We\nknow we both want that number\none spot,\" said Choy. \"But I know\nhave a lot of adjustments to make.\nUniversity hockey is a lot harder\n[than minor hockey]. The shooting\nand skating is faster...it's a faster\ngame. It's not dump and chase\nanymore.\"\nThe T-Birds marked the halfway\npoint of their season with a\npair of losses against Alberta,\nand will resume league play in\nJanuary. With a record of 5-9, UBC\nwill have to start playing better\ndefensively if they hope to make a\nplayoff push.\nMelinda Choy will have more\nopportunities to prove herself as\nthe number one goalie in the second half of the season. And with\nher sister Alisha Choy\u00E2\u0080\u0094also a first-\nyear with the team\u00E2\u0080\u0094watching her\nback, the rookie looks forward to\ncompleting her transition to the\nvarsity game. @\nUBYSSEY FILE PHOTO/\nYINAN MAX WANG\nWomen's\nHockey faces\nuphill battle\nupon return\nby Jessica JiYoung Kim\nSPORTS WRITER\nThe UBC women's hockey team\nconcluded the first half of their season with a pair of losses against\ndefending CIS champion the\nAlberta Pandas. The Thunderbirds\ncurrently share fourth place in\nCanada West with Saskatchewan,\nplacing them just ahead of the last\nplace Lethbridge Pronghorns.\nBut with ten games still remaining the regular season, head coach\nDave Newson said the team has\nbeen positive throughout season,\nand will continue to hold its spirits\nhigh.\n\"The girls are pretty positive\nabout the situation but it is taxing\non them. November is a tough\nmonth as it is on top of school. It\njust becomes bit of a grind,\"\nexplained Newson.\n\"It has been up and down so far.\nI think overall, we need to make\nsome changes, like add more wings\nand play with positions. We had a\npretty demanding schedule in the\nfirst half. Even the home games\nwere away games.\"\nThe T-Birds have been hit hard\nwith the construction of their new\nhome; since the beginning of the\nseason, the T-Birds took shelter at\nthe Minoru Arena in Richmond,\ntravelling there almost daily from\nthe UBC campus for practices and\ngames.\nDespite a rocky start to the and\nstruggling right up to the season's\nhalf way mark, there remains a\nsense of optimism about the team.\nWith the success of preseason\nrecruitment efforts and a strong\ncrop of NCAA transfers, there is no\ndoubt that the T-Birds have the\npotential to regroup and emerge as\na stronger team. If not in the second half of the 2006-07 season,\nthan in the near future\n\"We want to establish our identity as a real hard-working team,\"\nsaid Newson. \"We went into the\nseason hoping to be offensive with\nthe new rules. It hasn't been so, so\nfar, but things take time.\"\nThe T-Birds are not yet ruling\nout the possibility of a post-season\nappearance, and remain hopeful\nthat the team will be able to turn\ntheir game around for the second\nhalf. With Melinda Choy back in\nnet after suffering an injury in\ntraining camp and the return of\nfifth-year forward Kelly James,\nthere is still plenty of optimism\namong the players. @"@en . "Newspapers"@en . "Vancouver (B.C.)"@en . "LH3.B7 U4"@en . "LH3_B7_U4_2006_12_08"@en . "10.14288/1.0127694"@en . "English"@en . "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en . "Vancouver : The Ubyssey Publications Society"@en . "Images provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from The Ubyssey: http://ubyssey.ca/"@en . "Original Format: University of British Columbia. Archives"@en . "University of British Columbia"@en . "The Ubyssey"@en . "Text"@en . ""@en .