By Kyle Lees at Ski Ninjas
Don’t let classes get in the way of your sexy summer
By Ms. X
“To me, summer is usually full of parties, beaches and, most importantly, hook-ups, but as a summer student, I spend so much time up on the freaking mountain. How am I supposed to meet a hottie while I’m stuck in classes all day?”
Summer and fling are two words that seem to fit naturally together. With the sun out, bare skin is finally back in style. It can be hard to keep our focus in class, and being stuck in labs all day can definitely interfere with our potential to meet our July and August lover. As summer students, there are definitely ways to work around our credit hours and even use them to our advantage to ensure we don’t miss out on any sexy summer adventures.
First off, we are all in the same boat. Though campus may look a tad sparse compared to other times, it is still thriving with students looking for some kind of distraction. We’ve all zoned out while our prof explains the difference between covalent and ionic bonds, instead focusing on the eye candy ahead of us and wondering whether they’re already bonded to someone for the summer. Take the first step: find a seat nearby them in the next lecture and strike up a conversation. The good news is that being in the same class you already have something in common and an easy first line. Not only will sitting next to them give you a reason to go to class on sunny days, it may also lead to some free lessons in anatomy.
Who said the library is strictly for studying? Being stranded on top of Burnaby Mountain can have its advantages, you just have to think creatively. The library and AQ are full of empty corners perfect for a steamy study break. After all, they say taking breaks are key to getting As.
Another plus of SFU in summer is that the AQ pond is in its prime, always filled with students taking advantage of the sun. This area seems to be our campus’s equivalent to the beach, with under-clothed hotties and groups of tanned beauties throwing around Frisbees. I say, there is no better place to finish up those readings before class.
If you have lucked out and found a fling to spend time with on campus, take advantage of the beautiful surroundings SFU places you in. Take a walk over to Burnaby Mountain Park for a cute date. The view is instant romance and if you two are up for it look for a patch of isolated woods and really get in touch with nature.
Though it seems that being stuck in classes over summer would limit your hookup and fling potential, in reality, it can work in your favour. Don’t be afraid to strike up conversation with a cutie in class, or explore areas of campus deemed “off limits.” The sun and surroundings at the Burnaby campus make the perfect combination for great distractions while studying. So enjoy your summer and don’t worry about missing out on flings; with some creativity, SFU can be just where you need to be.
Dim Sum the Magnificent
SFU’s magician emeritus. A profile piece on a unique character who loves to spread joy through magic and putting a smile on people’s faces.
Created by: Julian Giordano, Jeremy Mamisao, San Aung
Starring: Dim Sum the Magnificent (Eric Chan)
Trading helmets for fedoras
By Daryn Wright
Photos by Mark Burnham/a>
Vancouver Cycle Chic is a new initiative aimed at growing the appeal of bikes with fashionable cyclists
The bicycle is a clean, efficient alternative to motorized transportation. Yet it is either ignored by the city, or when it is acknowledged, it is deemed too utilitarian for use in our daily lives.
There is something worrisome about a city that caters to cars and buses alone. Vancouver Cycle Chic aims to remedy Vancouver’s detachment from cycling as a daily activity. David Phu founded the Vancouver-based blog after discovering the original Copenhagen Cycle Chic brand online.
“What started as self-comforting Google searches of ‘biking in jeans’ ended with discovering the Copenhagen Cycle Chic website, meeting [its founder], and being invited to start my own chapter in Vancouver,” says Phu, who defines “cycle chic” as a label used for the everyday citizens seen in the photos on the blog: people who go about their daily lives on bicycles and in regular clothing. The Cycle Chic blogs tend to focus on personal and ordinary style, but routinely showcase exceptional fashion on bikes as well.
A large part in the promotion of “normal” urban cycling as advocated by Phu is a movement towards changing people’s attitudes towards urban cycling.
“I believe cars, bikes, and pedestrians have an equally confusing time sharing roads. It’s fair to say that there is a lack of informative materials to help road users understand their rights and responsibilities,” says Phu.
Part of this reconciliation involves merging stylish, or everyday cycling with safety issues. Vancouver’s infrastructure is less accommodating to cyclists than, say, Copenhagen, and this leads to issues with helmet laws. However, Phu explains that helmets may not be the solution to Vancouver’s cycle safety issues.
“There is enough research that suggests helmets are not what they seem. There are many people out there putting themselves in hairy situations on sketchy roads all the while thinking this $30 plastic bucket, will save their life,” says Phu, explaining that the helmet is rated to withstand less than 30 km/h of impact in one particular angle.
Vancouver’s involvement in an urban cycling culture is only in its beginning stages, a large part being Vancouver Cycle Chic conception. Velo-City, an annual conference held by the European Cyclists Foundation, and Velopalooza, a two-week biking festival, are also happening in Vancouver this summer.
“Cycle Chic is just a modern name for something that has been normal for 125 years: people riding bicycles in cities,” says Phu. “In some regions, the bicycle has been marketed as only a tool for sport or recreation and not much else for more than a generatiwon. So people, unfortunately, have this perception that riding a bicycle is an extreme activity that requires all manner of gear.”
This is perhaps one of the reasons that Copenhagen is one of the most bicycle friendly cities in the world: they have a mainstream biking culture that is accommodated by the city’s infrastructure.
“Reversing 75 years of outdated traffic engineering that prioritizes cars — the greatest flop in the 7,000 years that cities have existed — and focusing instead on intelligent, cost-efficient transport forms is the key,” Mikael Colville-Andersen, the founder of the original Copenhagen Cycle Chic explains. “Helmets are fantastic tools for lazy politicians hoping to win cheap brownie points. Very little science was involved in the implementation of B.C.’s helmet laws.”
The difference is that Vancouver, a comparatively young city, does not have the infrastructure to support the movement of “normal” cyclists: those individuals riding to work wearing heels or a suit, a normal sight in Copenhagen. Instead, these individuals face glares from drivers, displeased with having to share a lane with a cyclist.
One of Colville-Andersen’s main tenets of urban cycling promotion is the consideration of design. This applies to both the people who are moving in and around a city on bicycles, as well as the design of a city itself. “It’s anthropology. If people who resemble you and me are moving about a city on bicycles, it makes the city a nicer place to be. It adds a human level to our transport.”
This simple human truth — that seeing people and being in contact with people on the ground level is a good thing — seems obvious. Yet there still remains a very tangible resentment towards urban cyclists in Vancouver. Cycle Chic is another piece in the puzzle in changing perspectives, which will hopefully lead to more policy changes in the future.
SFU researchers study “elite controllers” of HIV
By Graham Cook
One in 300 HIV patients are naturally equipped to control the disease
SFU scientists Mark Brockman and Zabrina Brumme have recently teamed up with doctors at the Ragon Institute on a study of how people progress from HIV to AIDS. The Ragon Institute, established in February 2009 at Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard, exists with the aim to successfully develop an HIV/AIDS vaccine.
Human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, attacks a person’s immune system in the vital cells, including helper T cells, causing the body to become susceptible to infection. In the vast majority of cases, infection with this virus eventually leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Once the patient has progressed this far, their immune system begins to fail to a greater extent, allowing for progressively more detrimental infections.
However, Dr Brockman and Dr Brumme — associate professors in molecular biology and biochemistry, and molecular epidemiology of infectious diseases respectively — came to the understanding that one in 300 patients is an “elite controller.” An elite controller is able to naturally control their HIV infection without the use of drugs. Basically, this type of patient’s immune system manages the virus to such an extent that they never develop AIDS. However, this number has also been reported to be as rare as one in 500. The pair worked with colleagues from the United States, Germany, and Japan to contribute to a study of this patient type.
This research helped to discover why these extremely rare elite controllers can resist the virus so effectively. This is determined by whether or not their immune system attacks the virus with killer-T cells, formally known as Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Cells. If this cell could be generated, it would open up the possibility for scientists to design a functional vaccine. This medication would be intended to prevent the virus and help patients deal with it, instead of curing HIV, due to the fact that once one is infected, there is no known way to remove the virus.
Both Brockman and Brumme spoke with The Peak about their recent research. They explained that the human body has a variety of reactions to HIV, ranging from minimal resistance to an elite controller. One notable example of someone whose body has dealt with HIV well is former NBA superstar and Olympic gold medalist Magic Johnson. Johnson is not actually a reported elite controller, yet he has survived for more than two decades with the virus.
Dr Brockman shared concern that the study had been labelled a breakthrough. He stated that, “scientific advancements come in two flavours. . . . There are studies that really tell you something that was completely unknown and you’re learning something new for the first time, and then there are studies used to confirm what you think you know.” He continued, “I think this paper is a little more of the second and tells us that we’re on the right track . . . that what we think we know about these elite controllers is probably true.” However, Brockman added that the study is still important.
HIV and AIDS continue to be major problems worldwide. Recent estimates from the World Health Organization state that there are over 30 million people currently living with HIV or AIDS.
Board shorts
USB devices to replace handbooks
In light of the decision earlier this year to discontinue providing yearly student handbooks, the SFSS board decided to order 10,000 USB flash drives to hand out to students at the beginning of the fall semester.
“Essentially, it would serve the same purpose as the old SFSS handbook. Not only would it be a gift for students to use during their year at SFU, but it could provide information about our services,” said External Relations Officer Meaghan Wilson.
Although no prices were given, the estimate was around three dollars per device. The handbooks had cost the society approximately four dollars per book.
Some of the possible content that could be loaded onto the drives is a link to the SFSS website, which is currently being revamped, and a Clan schedule. These would be permanently embedded into the drive.
Arts and Social Sciences faculty representative Alia Ali voiced concerns that adding content to the drives would take up too much space, which wouldn’t allow students to effectively use it for storage. Wilson responded that the drives she was currently looking at were one gigabyte, which would be ample space for word documents and smaller files.
Wilson was tasked to follow up with a quote at a future meeting.
Atrium food vendor talks continue
The Greek Opa! restaurant was approved to occupy the northeast portion of the Atrium in MBC. The Atrium is currently undergoing renovations to accommodate more food vendors.
Treasurer Kevin Zhang is meeting with Chartwells this week to discuss that option as well. “The food court will be delayed. It’s unlikely it will open in September,” said Zhang, though he added that it would be clearer after this week.
URO Jeff McCann voiced his support for the Chartwells option. “The university really hammered it to them from my perspective in terms of what they were able to do,” said McCann, referring to the recent contract renewal.
– David Dyck
Mobile, Mo’ problems: What your phone says about you
By Ljudmila Petrovic
They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Not in this day and age: seriously, when was the last time you made eye contact with someone? People think it’s creepy. This being said, there are other ways to get to know everything you need to know about your fellow human beings. Okay, yes, looking at their Facebook or following them on Twitter will probably tell you more than you need to know. But I was talking about their choice of phone. Wannabe professional? Insecure and shallow? Find out here.
LG Handset
A recent study has shown that the predominant demographic of LG users are females between the ages of 14 and 24. That’s actually a study. I didn’t make that statistic up to be funny because it’s called an LG. They also have a phone model called the Gossip. That says it all: this is the girl whose phone conversation on the bus reveals to the public all of her insecurities, not to mention exactly what her ex texted her (with a close reading of every single punctuation mark he used). If you stay on the bus for an extra few stops, you probably also know what all the possible outfit combinations are for Friday night clubbing, plus the pros and cons of each pair of heels. Call her maybe. No, don’t.
Blackberry
Oh, you must be really professional, like a CEO or something. You’re just clicking and clacking away on your keyboard to all the other CEO’s. That’s probably why you get waffle thigh when you sit with your phone in your pocket for a long time (like in those boring CEO meetings). Get it? Because the keyboard leaves an imprint . . . in the shape of a waffle. Yeah, didn’t expect you to get it.
Every once in a while, I come across an iPhone user and a Blackberry user arguing over which one’s better. The crowning moment of that debate is the Blackberry user’s inevitable final cry: “Whatever. I have BBM!”
That guy with the iPhone’s looking really smug right now.
iPhone
You have an iPhone? Well, I’m impressed. You’re probably rich, and really smart because you’re always looking things up on your phone. And I mean always. Is it necessary to look up a topic of conversation as we’re discussing it? Oh, Ok, now you have facts that I don’t have. That’s pretty much cheating at conversation.
It’s also true that you have a bigger variety of cases and accessories for your phone. Blackberry users, for example, cannot encase their phones in Hello Kitty. You win that one, too. And, yes, you have an app for every imaginable purpose, whether it’s relevant or not. You think you’re pretty swell, huh?
You also thought the iPhone 4s was so much better than the iPhone 4. Joke’s on you.
Android
The Android is certainly a superior piece of technology: the newest operating system with a sci-fi name. Nerd. Okay, so, the way I understand it, you’re like an iPhone user, but much more evolved, right? I also hear it’s harder to get apps with an Android than with an iPhone. The same probably goes for getting laid.
I’m not a complete hater, though. The fact that the Android 4.0 is called the Ice Cream Sandwich is pretty sweet (oh yeah, pun most definitely intended). I mean, who doesn’t like ice cream sandwiches? Ice cream sandwiches almost make up for the whole not-getting-laid thing. Almost.
Nokia 3210
I’m not going to say anything bad about your phone lest you hit me in the nose with it—even if you are being ironic. That thing can pack a punch. I don’t even know where you got one of those.
No phone
These new mobile phones are just a fad, right? You don’t need one to communicate with your friends and family, right? Wrong. News flash: your loved ones have probably given up trying to reach you at this point, and with the ridiculously short concentration spans we have nowadays, it’s not unlikely that they’ve forgotten about you. I suppose you still handwrite your papers by the candlelight and send letters by pigeon? If you still believe this, you’re either 78 years old or delusional. Or being ironic. Stop it. That makes no sense. That isn’t even what irony is.
Flip phone
The mid-2000s called you on your shitty phone. They said to stop living in the past. To be fair, you’ve got an excellent choice of default games on your phone. Sure, that guy beside you on the bus can’t stop chuckling at whatever movie he’s streaming on his iPhone, but you’re really kicking ass at Snake. It’s not like you have anything else to do on your phone, so might as well become a pro at moving that pixelated snake around the screen. There are only three possible reasons that you still have a flip phone in 2012: 1) you really, really don’t care about technology, or what people think (unlike iPhone and Android users), 2) You’re really, really poor (also unlike iPhone and Android users), or 3) You’re being ironic. Stop it.
Three dead in University of Alberta armoured car robbery
Suspect apprehended when he attempted to cross the border into the U.S. from a crossing near Abbotsford, British Columbia
EDMONTON (CUP) — An armed robbery attempt occurred earlier this month at the University of Alberta, leaving three G4S Cash Solutions Canada employees dead and one in critical condition at the hospital.
The crew arrived at HUB Mall, a building that includes shops and student residences, just after midnight to make a delivery to ATM machines.
Edmonton Police Service (EPS) confirmed that at approximately 12:10 a.m., multiple gunshots were fired, killing two of the males and one female member of the crew.
University of Alberta Protective Services responded to the first alarm within minutes, and Residence Services staff ushered students to the opposite end of the mall. Only after EPS arrived and checked rooms throughout HUB to make sure there was no remaining threat was the HUB Mall alert system sounded.
The armoured van used in the delivery was found abandoned with the engine still running approximately 10 kilometres from where the incident occurred.
“Our understanding is that the university campus is safe, and that this wasn’t random,” said Students’ Union VP-academic Dustin Chelen.
“Certainly [there was] some alarm, confusion and panic, but I think that this is just a time where we have to sit back and let Edmonton Police Services continue with their investigation.”
At a press conference last week, vice-president and provost Carl Amrhein offered his condolences to the families of the deceased. Amrhein emphasized that the safety and support for faculty and students is the current priority for the university at this time.
One concern of the university community was that the U of A Emergency Notification System was slow to respond, with the first notification not posted on the U of A website until 3:28 a.m., hours after the incident occurred.
Social media such as Twitter played a larger role in notifying students. One tweet came from a U of A Safewalk volunteer, reading, “Tonight, a friend and I discovered 3 shot security guards. Two were dead, one was screaming for us to help him. Worst night ever.”
Trish Patron, a second-year master’s student in communication and technology, noted a lapse in communication between the university and student.
“There was no text to me until 9 a.m., no emails at all, [and] I know I’m on the emergency list. I understand the wish not to panic, but I think reassurance and direction are vital, and were obviously needed by students in HUB at the time,” she said.
EPS has identified 21-year-old Travis Brandon Baumgartner as a person of interest in the investigation. Baumgartner was an employee of G4S Cash Solutions Canada and believed to be one of several armoured company employees that attended the U of A around midnight.
Baumgartner was apprehended when he attempted to cross the border into the U.S. from a crossing near Abbotsford, B.C. He was found with a backpack with $330,000 in cash. He has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and robbery with a firearm.
Students are able to defer exams scheduled for that day through the usual system, and counselling services are being extended to both students and faculty members.
