Piracy: labels hate it, artists love it
Local students and music consumers also have something to say about the availability of free product. “I love music,” states Matt Thiessen, a 21-year-old UFV student who keeps The Pirate Bay at the top of his bookmarked websites. “I am a guitarist in a newly formed band,” he continues, “and can really think of no reason why I wouldn’t want our songs available for free download on a website like The Pirate Bay. The one thing any music artist yearns for is exposure – for people to ultimately know about, and want to listen to the music we produce.”
The problem with the Quebec protests
The point of the protest is to draw attention—the right kind of attention—and create change. The Quebec government is the one who will change, but to force their hand the students must get the public on their side. Violence and damage to public property is not the way to go.
Ikeatown: utopia or autocracy?
Is this another dangerous step toward a brand-controlled world? There certainly seems to be a frightening element of autocracy. Or, is this model of central control a good method for bringing intelligent, holistic design practices to new neighbourhoods?
Spring and the relationship status
Apparently, if I don’t declare it on the internet, my relationship isn’t real. When did “Facebook-official” become “official-official”?
Well, it has to be someone’s problem
As I frantically attempt to register for any classes taking place over the summer 2012 semester, I can’t help but feel punished – as if I’ve done something wrong by wanting to attend classes over the summer. Punished!
Dan Savage lashes out, but is the best defence really a good offence?
As creator of the “It Gets Better” campaign against bullying, sex educator and activist Dan Savage is not someone who fits the description of “bully” very well. Much of Savage’s career has been spent advocating for LGBT rights and spreading awareness of sexual issues, yet in the last week Savage has been heavily criticized – not for defending the oppressed, but instead for being one of their oppressors.
Conscription haunts throughout generations
I was sad a few weeks ago to learn that a close friend of mine would be leaving to return to his native South Korea after he received a letter in the mail from the government. I won’t state my friend’s name here given the subject matter, but the long and short of it is that my friend is going to be a soldier, due to his nation’s law that all men aged 18-35 must complete two years of mandatory military service for his country.
Allowing animals a dignified existence
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) met in Vancouver this February, attracting scientists and journalists from over 50 nations. A wide variety of topics were addressed, but gaining the most publicity was the introduction of a bill entitled “Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans.” Since the conference, the issue has sparked controversy and made headlines around the world.
The lost humanity of modern slavery
Modern-day slavery, also known as human trafficking, occurs everywhere. According to Aaron Cohen in Slave Hunters, slavery didn’t disappear when it was abolished by law. “It more like fell off our radar,” he says, “went underground and changed its face.”
Fungi might eat plastic, but cannot save the world
According to a Digital Journal article by Anne Sewell, a group of students from Yale University found a fungus that digests and breaks down plastic. In other words, a fungus that can eat the plastic that lives under our landfills. A simple solution to the problem of our overflowing garbage? It could be. I think it’s a terrible idea.
The doctor will not see you now
The Hippocratic Oath taken by physicians states they will do their best to help all life and “renounce self-interest.” We could assume that means when we’re sick we can have someone who’s looking out for that bad case of the sniffles or post-exam headache. However, when it comes to finding a family doctor, you’ll need to prepare yourself. In order to find a family doctor you must apply, and then book an appointment where the doctor reviews your application to decide if they will take you on. Take you on?
Cuts to Katimavik are cuts to Canadian youth
If you‘ve been living under a rock (or, as a student facing exams, a pile of books) this past week, and haven‘t heard the news of the new federal budget, I’m here to regretfully inform you that the Conservative government has decided to cut all funding to Katimavik, a nation-wide youth volunteer program.
Where is the compassion?
The issue of abortion brings out the fiercest rhetoric in people. Whenever the issue surfaces, people on both sides of the issue become obstinate. As the modern debate has now raged for decades, both sides have lost sight of the humanity of this issue. Both sides cite science, morality and human-rights, and both sides decry the other as morally corrupt and horribly out of touch with reality. If we are to make any ground on this issue, we must take a step back and realize that this is ultimately a human issue.
The lab science requirement is good for you!
The scientific process is an important skill that is applicable to almost any aspect of life. It is the knowledge of how to deduce a solution through a breakdown of what works and what doesn’t. The concept sounds simple, and I’m sure that it’s possible to figure it out alone, but the practice and knowledge behind each required-lab-science-experiment are valuable lessons in both problem-solving and data acquisition.
The science requirement is a waste of time
There is a huge difference in the thought-process behind learning science and learning humanities. Science is far more black and white: you’re either right, or you’re wrong. There is only one atomic weight for chlorine, and it’s going to stay that way forever.
The post-Fukushima plan
A year has now passed since a massive tsunami hit Japan and caused the nuclear meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant; more than 50 square miles of the Japanese coastline area is now uninhabitable due to radiation, and will remain so for several decades. In the wake of the disaster, a massive anti-nuclear energy movement emerged from the concerned public, to the point where a poll taken in the summer of 2011 stated that 74 per cent of people surveyed wanted Japan’s other 54 nuclear power plants shut down as a safety precaution.
Prostitutes branded with barcodes in Spain
A gang which has been recognized as “The Bar Code Pimps” have been forcefully tattooing barcodes and price tags to the prostitutes who work for them as a sign of “ownership.”
No bottles, no brainer: moving to a greener campus
Although many universities in BC aim towards becoming a green campus, UFV included, Vancouver Community College (VCC) is taking a large step in the right direction, deciding to completely stop selling plastic water bottles on campus.
Yes! Take the pennies!
What good are pennies? Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said in his 2012 federal budget release that the penny is “currency without currency.” As a result, the penny will soon be extinct, and rightfully so.
No! Leave the pennies!
People have been talking about it all week, some even celebrating. All I know is that I’m not particularly happy. I mean, the penny may have been more of an annoyance than anything, but it is the single digit, a necessary piece in any calculation. I can’t have two cents without the penny.
Quebec students fight tuition hikes
Could you afford school with a 75 per cent increase in tuition? Dish out an extra $325 per year for the next five years? Quebec students are having the same reaction you would, with tuition increasing $325 each year until an overall increase of $1625 is reached in the 2016-2017 academic year.
Sirhan Sirhan: the real Manchurian candidate?
Sirhan Sirhan is soon up for parole once again. He was arrested shortly after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, tried and sentenced to death by gas chamber – a sentence which was overturned and replaced with life imprisonment. He is now in his 60s, and judges have been denying his appeals for parole for years. He has, as of 2011, been denied parole a total of 14 times.
North Korea tries to be sneaky, pulls nothing
North Korea is slated to launch a new Kwangmyongsong satellite into space following a March 16 announcement by the Korean Central News Agency. The launch will be held on April 15, 2012, to commemorate the 100th birthday of the nation’s founder and eternal President Kim Il-Sung, father of the late Kim Jong-Il and grandfather of the current President, “beloved leader” Kim Jung-Eun.
