Home Blog Page 1353

SFSS candidates announced

By
EIC
-
0

By David Dyck

This year’s general elections see new slate and President McCann running for URO

The candidates for this year’s Simon Fraser Student Society were announced this week. Three current board members will be running in the upcoming general election, as well as several first-time nominees, and a new slate of seven hopefuls calling themselves Renew SFU.

The presidential race will be one of the most hotly contested of the six executive positions, with three nominees in the running. Lorenz Yeung, current member services officer, Kayode Fatoba, and Renew SFU candidate Ashleigh Kolla will all be vying for the top position. Arry Dhillon, current at-large representative, also threw his hat into the ring initially, but later withdrew.

The position of treasurer only has two candidates: Michael McDonell from Renew SFU and current external relations officer Kevin Zhang.

Current president Jeff McCann will be running again, this time for university relations officer against Aleks Besan from Renew SFU. “A large part of my portfolio as president is already university relations. I personally believe the best way to do things is to create relationships and especially with the administrators, because they have the power to make change in a lot of the things that I want to do to change student life, student experience, food options, those types of things,” McCann told The Peak, explaining his decision to run for a position other than president. He said that during his administration, he’s focused on a lot of projects that require assistance from the administration, and he would like the opportunity to focus more directly on those projects in the upcoming term. “As president, you have a very diverse portfolio. At this point, I’d like to be able to focus on the specific projects that I’ve invested in.”

The Renew SFU slate includes candidates for the positions of president, treasurer, university relations officer, external relations officer, and internal relations officer on the executive, as well as one member at-large and a forum representative for the sociology and anthropology student union.

In a Renew SFU platform released last Thursday, the group stated that their goals are to “recognize that our university gains its vitality through the diversity of student voices, and use this to shape our dialogue with the university,” actively seeking out student participation and creating trust in SFSS processes. It further stated that “it is important to elect everyone on the Renew SFU slate because we have a diversity of experience but will all work together to accomplish these common goals. Once elected, we will make sure these values of engagement, diversity, transparency, and fiscal responsibility are reflected in the way we run our society.”

The positions of member services officer and internal relations officer will both be votes of acclamation, with only one candidate running for each, Humza Khan and Renew SFU candidate Craig Pavelich, respectively.

There are few contested positions in faculty representative races, but there are five contestants for the two member at-large positions. The most candidates for a faculty representative is for science, where voters will have three choices.

The election will be held online from March 20 to 22.

Peak pick: tacos

By
EIC
-
0

By Kelly Thoreson

There’s more to life than Taco Bell — follow this Peak guide and your stomach to greener pastures

You live on the Wet Coast. It is cold, and it is wet — all the time. Summer is coming, but not soon enough. Instead of getting your heat from the sun, why not grab some Mexican cuisine to turn the temperature up? Tacos are cheap, quick to prepare, and appeal to most taste buds . They are also small enough to allow you to eat multiple in one sitting — meaning you can try a variety of flavours.

In sum, they are the perfect food. Don’t be confused into thinking that I am talking about the stuff they serve at Taco Bell though; the restaurants listed here provide true quality. So, if you’re interested in adding some Latin flavour to your life, here are some of the best places in the east side to grab these golden wonders.

La Taqueria
322 W. Hastings St.

Instead of subjecting yourself to the overpriced slop served at Taco Del Mar in the Harbour Centre food court, stretch your legs and head over to La Taqueria. This quaint shop is the perfect place for a quick taste of Mexican flavour while you’re at the downtown campus.

The service is quick and very friendly, and the bar seating is casual so you don’t have to feel like a loser for eating there by yourself between classes. They also have a wide variety of traditional flavours, each of them unique.

A popular menu item is the De Lengua taco, which has a beef tongue filling, and the Pescado, which is a lemon-tinged fish filling. There are also plenty of vegetarian and vegan options to satisfy herbivores. An added bonus: all products are locally, sustainably, and organically sourced whenever possible.

When to go: Between classes or as your first stop of a night out.

What to try: De Lengua, beef tongue, or the vegan Tinga de Hongo.

Bandidas Taqueria 
2781 Commercial Drive

Bandidas Taqueria is exactly what you would expect from a taco restaurant on the Drive: vegan-friendly, busy, and equal parts welcoming and ‘too-cool’.

Bandidas is more of a Mexican-style restaurant than an authentic one. They serve tacos, along wth burritos and enchiladas, but not in the traditional flavours. Instead, they opt to serve only  vegetarian tacos, with produce that is locally-sourced — they recently eliminated pineapples from their ingredient selection — and all of which can be easily veganized.

This means that instead of toppings like shredded pork and cilantro, you might have yam and pumpkin seeds or walnuts and apple salsa lining your taco shell. These comfort food, tummy-friendly tacos go a long way to avoid giving you ‘Montezuma’s Revenge’, if you know what I mean.

When to go: On a date, especially when you need to prove your pro-veganism.

What to order: Ronny Russell, which comes with roasted yams and onions, fresh guacamole, black beans, purple cabbage, and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Doña Cata
5079 Victoria Drive

You won’t regret the extra time it took you to transit to Dona Cata. Once you are greeted with the dozens of awards and praising reviews framed on their walls, you will understand why they rank third on Urbanspoon’s directory for the Kensington neighbourhood.

Run by a family who emigrated from Mexico, Dona Cata is doing its best to bring authentic Mexican food to Vancouver. Not only are they one of the most traditional Mexican restaurants in the city, they are also one of the most affordable at $2 per taco.

They have an impressive selection of tacos on their menu, and an equally impressive salsa bar to match. However, your vegetarian friends might have a difficult time finding a meal of more than beans and cheese here, as vegetarian dishes seem included on the menu almost as an afterthought.

When to go: With a group of friends to enjoy the two for $8 margarita special.

What to order: Carnitas, which has a pulled pork filling.

El Comal
7650 Winston St.

Nestled between wholesalers in an industrial zone near Burnaby Lake, El Comal is unfortunately most easily accessed by vehicle, but don’t let it deter you from coercing your friend with a car to take you on a field trip.

Working overtime as a small eatery, specialty grocer, and one of the most important manufacturers of Mexican food products in Vancouver, El Comal has a lot going on, though the multitasking doesn’t stop them from making tasty food. Peruse their shelves while you wait for your food, you might find a new brand of hot sauce worth taking home.

Priding themselves on providing authentic Mexican food, El Comal has a wide variety of traditional dishes to choose from at affordable prices. The next time you order take out, you should reconsider the Chinese food and grab some hearty Mexican here instead.

When to go: Grabbing take out for you and your friends. You’ll be a hero.

What to order: The traditional pork taco, with a shredded meat filling.

Hey baby, what’s your sign?

By
EIC
-
0

You’re in a club. You spot someone smiling at you from across the bar. You sidle up to her, and your mind goes blank. Totally blank. The blankest blank. So you resort the oldest line in the book:

Hey baby, what’s your sign?

Word on the Street: March 12th

By
EIC
-
0

By Gary Lim

 

Petter Watch: March 12th

By
EIC
-
0

By Colin Sharp

Iranian cinema finding success under tyranny

By
EIC
-
0

By Gustavo Destro

Strict censorship laws have not quashed the fighting spirit of Iranian cinema and filmmakers

Iran has been making headlines every day for the wrong reasons as far as recent memory goes. Nuclear ambitions and a potential war are painting the Persian nation in a bad light, but two weeks ago, Iran had some good international attention for a change.

A Separation won an Oscar for best foreign film, breaking new ground for Iranian cinema as it was the first to win such an award. Director and screenwriter Asghar Farhadi’s acceptance speech was not politically charged, but did refer to Iran as a “rich an ancient culture that has been hidden under the heavy dust of politics.” The statement doubled as commentary on the present situation of cinema and arts in Iran.

Iranian cinema is considered among the best in the world, its filmmakers often praised at international film festivals from Venice to Berlin. This is possibly the only upside to the screening ban of international films in the country following the 1979 revolution. It reached its golden age in the ‘80s and ‘90s, with war, women’s rights, social issues, and more recently, drug abuse, forming important themes with Iranian cinema.

Movie genres central to Western pop culture, such as the romantic comedy, family comedy, and drama, are popular in Iran as well, though Iranian filmmakers are pressed to find new techniques to create excitement and convey feeling — the religious government mandated a ban of overtly sexual themes and gratuitous violence, which makes the mood and pace of Iranian cinema strikingly different from Western movies.

But life is hard for the creative class in a country whose media laws are curled up in the iron fist of the theocratic regime. Those involved in film must tread a fine line between making a political statement and jail. Even as Iranian cinema blossomed in the 1980s, any films with controversial or critical messages drew immediate attention from religious leaders. As the Iran–Iraq war raged, several cinematographers created harrowing depictions of the conflict that would take the lives of over one million Iranians. Movies that were supportive of the war effort were embraced, but the many which portrayed the gritty reality of war did not receive the support they may have deserved.

Barzakhiha (“The Imperiled”), a film following the story of three escaped prisoners who get caught up into the frontline of the war, was not banned like other anti-war pictures, but it created such controversy that it led to the dismissal of the minister of culture and Islamic guidance, and effectively ended the careers of its three main actors. This was 1982.

More recently in 2001, renowned feminist filmmaker Tahmineh Milani came under fire for Nimeh-ye Panhan (“The Hidden Half”), which had scenes detailing the early days of the 1979 revolution, for which Milani was arrested on charges of being an anti-revolutionary, though backlash from the international community led to her release. This arguably ended her publicly political streak — Milani’s latest picture, Yeki Az Ma Do Nafar (“One of We Two”), is a romantic comedy similar to the ones found in Western theaters.

The issue of censorship was brought to the forefront of the public mind late last year, when six documentary filmmakers working for the BBC Persian Service were arrested on accusations of conspiracy in relation to a critical documentary on the life of the current supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Unfortunately, the arrests are nothing out of the ordinary. Iran is the largest jailer of journalists, documentary filmmakers, and cinematographers. Two world famous Iranian directors, Abbas Kiarostami and Jafar Panahi, are currently living abroad and in jail respectively. Kiarostami has forcefully come out against the arrests of Panahi, his former protegé who was arrested in late 2010 on charges of intent to jeopardize national security and creating propaganda against the Islamic Republic.

Even in triumph, there’s no escaping censorship. A line in Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar acceptance speech was changed in a report by the Iranian state TV, from referring to the Iranian people as one that “respects all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment,” to that “the Iranian people respect all cultures despite the Western hostility towards the Iranian nuclear program.” Farhadi originally made no mention of the Iranian nuclear program.

It is unfortunate that those in power seemingly do not wish it to happen, but as long as Iran has people like Asghar Fahradi and Abbas Kiarostami, its cinematic library will continue to grow and impact the world, one film at a time.

$50,000 memorial fund made in Batalia’s honour

By
EIC
-
0

By Sahira Memon

The fund, in memory of Maple Batalia, an SFU student who was murdered last year, will go towards health science students

The Maple Batalia memorial fund, created by the family of the slain SFU health sciences student, has reached its fund raising goal of $50,000 in time for what would have been her 20th birthday.

“It’s been really nice to see people come together for our cause,” said Batalia’s older sister Roseleen Batalia to The Province.

The fund was originally created in mid-December of last year with an initial contribution of $10,000 made by Batalia’s family. Over the past few months, through a tribute from Central City Model Search, support from the Surrey city councillor Barinder Rasode, a $13,000 gift from Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Limited, and the ongoing effort from her family, their goal of $50,000 has become a reality.

“It has been amazing to watch the community work together to create this memorial in Maple’s honour,” said Joanne Curry, executive director of SFU’s Surrey campus.

The memorial fund will be used to support women in the Faculty of Health Sciences, and is one of the first bursaries aimed specifically at that faculty.

Batalia was shot and killed in the parkade of the Surrey campus on September 28, 2011. Her unfortunate death has become a spark, setting off a wave of support for the family from the communities surrounding the news. Of the extensive community response, some examples are multiple candlelight vigils, countless Facebook groups, and a tribute to Batalia at the Central City Model Search, in which Maple had been a contestant.

As of yet, there have been no arrests made in the case. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) is still attempting to find the person responsible for killing the aspiring model. So far, investigators have been successful in seizing a white Dodge Charger believed to have been belonged to the suspect, and have made appeals to possible witnesses seen on security footage around the time of the accident to step forward. The family and all those surrounding them, including the SFU community, are eager for justice to be served in this tragic incident.

The Daily Snooze: Hipster Caveman

By
EIC
-
0

By Jacob Samuel at The Daily Snooze

Campus Update: March 12th

By
EIC
-
0

SFU Lipdub to start filming, UBC on moon

Excitement is high amongst all three campuses as the long-awaited SFU Lipdub is slated to finally begin filming, 11 months after the release of the UBC Lidub.

UBC president Stephen Toope wished the SFU students luck in the production of their lipdub and regrets not being able to watch in person, as UBC prepares to launch an expedition to the moon.

“We look forward to watching the SFU student population singing  and dancing their hearts out, from the array of screens in the UBC lunar exploration dome.”

In response to this, the newly instated SF-Moon club, has vowed to start construction of a space faring vessel, 17 months from now.

—Gary Lim

 

Chartwells to begin selling food

Citing  a growing demand for a centralized on-campus food provider, the Chartwells corporation, will begin offering food services, as another facet of their multinational presence.

Although the company is best known for their production of poly-propophenylalabutamethylene products and industrial pesticides, Chartwells CEO Josef Buchow told The Peak, “It’s the next logical step for us. You’d be surprised how much of our equipment can be repurposed for food preparation.  This rivet stripper,  for instance, can debone a chicken in 0.21 seconds.”

“If we can build the tanks that won the Korean War, we can serve a couple of students lunch.”

—Johnny Rockets

 

First-year challenges presidency 

Shock and awe was the general reaction among the gathered crowds last week as first-year  Percy Keyes publicly challenged President Andrew Petter to prove his presidency in a contest of wills.

Citing an age-old by-law from the original charter inacted in 1965 when the university was first established, the bylaw itself (14A) states:

“The dominion of the master may be challenged, and by the spilling of blood shall his ownership be rendered null.”

The duel between the two parties lasted approximately three minutes, until Petter bisected the undergrad with a single swing of his great sword. Keyes’ head will remain on display on a pike in the AQ, as a warning to all future challengers

-—Polina Yuvchenko

 

Movie review: John Carter

By
EIC
-
0

By Katie Mulligan

Even after five years and $250 million of development, the story of John Carter falls short of expectations

John Carter may be rated PG-13, but there is no lack of action and bloodshed, amplified by special effects and 3D glasses. Adapted by Disney from the 1912 novel A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the movie takes place just after the American Civil War.

Taylor Kitsch plays war-weary former Confederate captain John Carter who is first seen in Arizona, searching for gold in the land of the Apache Indians. Hiding in a cave from Apaches, he stumbles on a medallion that teleports him to the planet Mars — or Barsoom — where he’s reluctantly thrown into the planet’s conflict.

As the hero of the epic, all John Carter needs is a beautiful princess in distress for the plot to move forward. Enter Princess Dejah of Helium, love interest, who fully fulfills the on-screen romance. Cheesy love scenes are plentiful, with one that ends with her asking “Will you stay and fight for me; will you fight for Barsoom?”

If the scenes focused more on unfolding the story rather than on Princess Dejah’s barely-there outfits, perhaps the audience would be left less bewildered by random rivers and flying machines.

Director Andrew Stanton, who deviates from his usual repetoire of Pixar animations in taking on this film, allegedly went over budget for the production that Wall Street analysts predict will cost Disney a loss of at least $100 million.

You’d think that having worked on the project with passion for years and spent so much money, it would be a well developed success but it was so overloaded by special effects and action sequences that it couldn’t go deep into the story.

The first trailer was released almost a year before the movie was released, with an extended commercial trailer promoting its release during the Super Bowl.

John Carter has been met with mixed reviews, and it has not lived up to the critical expectations of a film that took so much planning, but the blend of history, science fiction, action, and romance makes it easy to enjoy.

 

 

1...1,3521,3531,354...1,376Page 1,353 of 1,376

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

SFU LATEST

ABOUT US

Simon Fraser University's independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: promotions@the-peak.ca

FOLLOW US

Webability.io Accessibility certified badge

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

رومابت ماه بت پین باهیس bettingmagazine.org بت کارت یاس بت یک بت مگاپاری اونجابت آلوین بت betboro بت فا 1win giriş بت وینر 4shart.com 1xbet giriş وان کیک بت وین بت ریتزو بت وان ایکس بت بت فوروارد