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The PuSH for international arts

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Peak Web
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Four individuals pose with their backs to the camera, their figures illuminated by a light that shines from in front of them.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Christoffer Brekne - Csongor Szabo

By: Hailey Miller, Staff Writer

The 2025 PuSh International Performing Arts Festival will be held from January 23 to February 9 across the Lower Mainland. This year is the 20th anniversary of the festival, and to celebrate, the program will feature dozens of performances from music, dance, film, theatre, culinary, visual arts, and more. With various artists to see and shows to experience over the two-week long event, there’s something in store for every arts appreciator whether this is your first time attending the festival, or you’re a seasoned PuSher. Without further ado, here’s a list of some must-see events that will be rolling across town.

Four individuals pose with their backs to the camera, their figures illuminated by a light that shines from in front of them.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Christoffer Brekne – Csongor Szabo

All That Remains
Location: SFU Vancouver – Goldcorp Centre for the Arts 
Dates: Thurs., Jan. 23 and Fri., Jan. 24
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $39, $20 for ages 16–24

Choreographed and directed by Mirko Guido, this dance piece explores physical movement and emotional feelings across planes of living soundscapes. The performance combines dance and experimental sound art, alongside visual graphics, while focusing on one’s environment. Step into the world of movement and fluidity, sense various elements among the environment, and sway to the rhythm of the music.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Emily Cooper

Lasa Ng Imperyo (A Taste of Empire)
Location: The Nest, Granville Island
Dates and times: Various dates from January 30 to February 8.
Cost: $39, $20 for ages 16–24

This culinary experience and live cooking demonstration will awaken your cultural tastebuds with some armchair travel to the Philippines. With Jovanni Sy having created the play, Carmela Sison is the chef of the show who will bring dishes to life while telling the stories of cultural traditions with mouthwatering ingredients. This event will be presented in Tagalog; English subtitles will be available.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Christophe Raynaud-Delage

L’addition
Location: Alliance Française Vancouver
Dates: Sat., Jan. 25 and Sun., Jan. 26
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $39, $20 for ages 16–24

This French-themed comedy will have you rolling in laughter as the duo Bert & Nasi — from France and the UK, respectively — contrast personalities in a restaurant scene. The comics focus on the “interplay of synergy and discord” as they shift seamlessly between the narrative of conflict and resolution. So, take a seat and order a side of restaurant comedy on a plate á la customer enlightenment.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Leontien Allemeersch

The History of Korean Western Theatre
Location: Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre
Dates: Thurs., Jan. 23 and Fri., Jan. 24
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $39, $20 for ages 16–24

Performed by Jaha Koo, this theatre performance incorporates elements of visuals alongside a documentary style, with a focus on the elements that have shaped Korean Theatre. Koo notes that Western assimilation is to blame, and he explores both past and present happenings that have led to Korean Theatre today. His performances include vibrant visuals of lights and graphics, materials from archives, and personal narratives alongside historical analyses. Be immersed in history, culture, and art all in this informative event. 

Be sure to also catch the free opening party on January 23 at the Fox Cabaret to kickoff the festivities! It will be hosted by DJ Dovecake, who’s known for combining Afro beats with Turkish funk and Bollywood disco. The night will surely get you in the groove and awaken your musical tastebuds for all that the festival has to offer.

A practical guide to combating internet echo chambers

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Peak Web
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Illustration of a person sitting inside a box holding a phone. Speech bubbles surround the person representing an echo chamber.
ILLUSTRATION: Angela Shen / The Peak

By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer

Social media is a wonderful place. It’s a convenient location where views that reflect your own converge; a little bubble of like-minded users, if you will. But, have you ever wondered why everyone seems so like-minded? Why do cat lovers keep getting memes of cats and American conservatives keep seeing TikToks that have already envisioned an annexed Canada? 

The answer lies in social media algorithms, which create the illusion of a like-minded world through “filter bubbles” — mechanisms that personalize online content based on users’ personal information and actions, such as commenting, sharing, or liking. The resulting phenomenon is commonly referred to as “social media echo chambers,” a secluded space of ever-reflecting and reinforcing views defined by the users. 

How exactly are echo chambers problematic? For one, social media users are often unaware they are caught in them. Echo chambers are both caused by and reinforce confirmation bias — a psychological fallacy that tends to interpret information that favours your views in a more positive light. Horoscopes are great examples of this. Despite often being written in vague, open-ended terms, people still go, “Oh, that’s so me.” Such cherry picking of data falls under the broad category of confirmation bias. In the case of social media, this means users interact more with information that resonates with their views, compounding their trust in those views and creating a feedback loop that ultimately creates an echo chamber around them.

It only gets worse when politics gets involved. While political polarization is not a novel issue, it’s intensified by social media. Studies have found that echo chambers have contributed to increased affective polarization in countries such as the US and the UK — democracies majorly-dominated by bipartisan (two party) politics. In this case, affective polarization means supporters of one party tend to view the opposition with skepticism and hostility, driven by psychological factors and political knowledge drawn from limited sources within their echo chamber. This corrodes democratic norms as it becomes difficult to establish a middle ground on important areas such as public policy and legislation. While popular examples mostly point to bipartisan politics, this phenomenon also takes place in multi-party systems. 

However, in some cases where there is no middle ground, echo chambers work to perpetuate divisions between facts and opinions. It also intensifies the spread of social media disinformation — the deliberate attempt by some users at swaying facts and objective data majorly through fake news. The Palestinian genocide is a good example of this. Western media continues to propagate the false “equivalence between the oppressor and the oppressed, between the executioner and the victim.” This is against the backdrop of over 47,000 Palestinian casualties against around 1,000 Israeli casualties. The propaganda and disinformation surrounding the genocide leads to the formation of echo chambers among western social media users, with one pro-Palestinian cartoonist finding it more effective to put pro-Israeli hashtags to their cartoons and engage with such users on their own playing field. This is alarming because it shows that there are echo chambers in western media being tailored to propagate certain ideologies, which, by the way, is not new; the US has created similar propaganda echo chambers in both wars it fought in Iraq. 

The case of the Palestinian genocide also shows a misleading belief that just because you engage in an echo chamber of pro-Palestinian voices, you are already taking action against those committing the genocide. In reality, this kind of an echo chamber takes away well-intentioned social media users from relevant and practical advocacy such as protests.

But we aren’t all software engineers who understand how algorithms work nor are we psychologists who can actively comprehend confirmation bias. So, how do we fight social media echo chambers as regular social media users?

In today’s world of increasing interconnectedness, we need to realize the transformative effects of social media and work towards using it for the good of society.

First, start seeking sources of information outside your usual channels. You can begin this process simply by visiting pages outside of your political spectrum. While controversies related to political bias that surround CNN and Fox News are probably no stranger to you, there are also many other outlets that represent a wide spectrum of views on the same issues. Your job is to actively look for alternatives from the ones usually seen on your Facebook feed or YouTube home. 

Of course, this doesn’t mean you should start believing everything you see on social media. Credibility plays a large part in determining which “opposing” information source you will expose yourself to and there are several ways of determining this factor. Start by analyzing the source’s overall reputation, followed by researching how it is financed and operated, and whether these sources admit to, and address past errors in reporting. You can also always use an online fact-checking website like PolitiFact (just make sure to do a quick search on their credibility too).

This stage also involves an outlook at who you interact with on social media — sort of a background check on your echo chamber’s residents. An instant alarm bell should sound when some of these contacts seem to repeatedly post the same views on different issues without a decent follower base. I am sure you have seen some accounts on TikTok or Facebook with very few followers that post similar issues over and over again. This is the perfect real-life exemplification of an echo chamber — they are surrounding themselves on social media with a tiny segment of yes-man for their views. Be mindful of such accounts because it’s not only a clear indication of your comfort with a particular view but also for the sake of disrupting algorithms playing favourites.

Perhaps all this might be new and unnerving for you — after all, actively searching for views you don’t agree with can be straining. The good news is that you don’t have to believe these views yet. Even if you still don’t like dogs or if you have negative views towards electric cars, just start liking or reacting to such posts (maybe even leave a snarky comment). Since algorithms look at your engagement with posts and other users, this random engagement with every possible view disturbs those algorithms and is a good first step to dismantling echo chambers.

The second stage is to better understand your own perspectives and biases. 

Comprehending your confirmation bias is critical, as it lies at the heart of echo chambers. Educating yourself on the causes of confirmation bias and real-life examples of it can be the first step. Practically, you need to start observing your reactions to information that go against your views (the disconfirming evidence). Running up your views against objective data and analyzing their validity is also helpful, so is identifying repetitions in such views. Additionally, challenge yourself to debates with your friends or family and allow them to represent “opposing views.”

Countering confirmation bias and echo chambers is not an easy task. However, the steps above are meant to provide an accessible run-down of the steps you can take to achieve that goal in an everyday setting, to not only disrupt social media algorithms that are at the core of echo chambers but also to understand psychological fallacies that prompt us to rely on them. 

In today’s world of increasing interconnectedness, we need to realize the transformative effects of social media and work towards using it for the good of society. We can start by getting out of our internet comfort zones.

The Conservative Party’s policy declaration is comprised of carefully constructed lies

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Peak Web
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this is an illustration of Pierre Poilievre as a silly bobblehead
ILLUSTRATION: Abigail Steifel / The Peak

By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer

Content warning: mention of abortion legislation and violence against pregnant people.

It’s been over two years since Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre announced his candidacy for prime minister and stated his plans to make Canada “the freest nation on earth.” Leading up to this overly-ambitious and vague statement, Poilievre brushes over a few unconvincing ways in which Canadian freedom is attacked, such as public health measures like vaccine requirements. Poilievre’s definition of freedom lacks any kind of depth or significance once one sits down and examines his party’s policy declaration. It is instead a direct contradiction to what he says in his dramatically uplifting, yet hilariously insincere campaign announcement.

Section 86 of the declaration states, “A Conservative Government will not support any legislation to regulate abortion,” suggesting they don’t plan to make abortion illegal. However, under section 10 (free votes), it says issues that concern “moral conscience” are “diverse,” and that members of parliament should vote based on their own beliefs about abortion, euthanasia, and the definition of marriage, regardless of what the party has declared. The free votes section would allow legislation to pass if there were enough votes in favour, despite what Poilievre says.

A report published by The Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC) pointed out that all Conservative MPs are anti-choice. This conclusion is specifically drawn from the Conservative party unanimously voting in favour of Bill C-311 in 2023. The bill proposes that any attacks on a pregnant person would be considered more severe than if they were not pregnant, as it tries to establish fetuses as “pre-born,” legal persons. The coalition described the bill as redundant, as there are already many other clauses within the charter that protect pregnant people, and also because there needs to be more government action aside from just a bill to protect them. 

Similar bills have been built upon in the US, even considering whether courts should persecute people for murder or assault should they choose to have an abortion. Passing this bill would allow room for anti-choice movements to double down on its messaging around abortion amorality and possibly use it to limit freedom of choice for pregnant people.

“Poilievre’s definition of freedom lacks any kind of depth or significance once one sits down and examines his party’s policy declaration.”

Under section 142 (diversity principles) and 143 (multiculturalism), the party emphasizes the value of a multicultural society and how each group within society should be given an equal opportunity “to enhance and contribute to Canada without discrimination and barriers.” 

The prior is contradicted by section 20 (unfair hiring practices), as it states that the party does not support the hiring of people based on “ideology.” This statement is purposely vague and doesn’t explain what the party means by ideological hiring. Conservatives are averse to hiring practices that are aligned with Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DEI) principles, which involves initiatives promoting the equitable access, opportunity, employment, and sense of belonging of underrepresented people in the workplace. 

DEI clearly protects the values outlined in section 142 and 143 of the policy declaration as they ensure people who would otherwise face barriers have access to opportunities. It’s telling that the party does not support the very practice that validates their sections involving multiculturalism and diversity principles. In recent years many right-wing thinkers have spun a harmful narrative about DEI, claiming it’s an ideological practice that doesn’t hire people based on their skillset, but for their cultural and racial identity. This narrative makes DEI obsolete and reinforces a move towards traditional hiring practices which do not account for principles of equity. It also assumes whiteness as the norm, and promotes the idea that disproportionate hiring and income inequality for minorities are somehow deserved rather than unfairly institutionalized over years of this country’s development.

These examples are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the plethora of contradictions within the Conservative party’s policy declaration, including their claims about environmental “responsibility” while collaborating with climate change skeptics. The document itself is vague with its language, but after even the slightest examination it’s clear that the party does not have the best interest of most Canadians in mind, especially those belonging to marginalized groups. In order to spot these contradictions, we must see how clearly the party defines their stance on important issues and analyze what their policies will actually do. These contradictions are not just lies, but also serve as a window into the sinister, backwards thinking which informs many of the policies the party values.

WGOG: Unpeelable oranges

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Peak Web
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a pair of hands struggle to peel a mini orange
PHOTO: Toyakisfoto.photos / Adobe Stock

By: Hailey Miller, Staff Writer

Nothing irks me more than sitting down for a nice juicy snack of mini oranges and attempting to peel the unpeelable. Have you ever had those oranges that seem like the peel and the flesh are surgically attached? If I really wanted to eat the peel, I would’ve just thrown the entire orange into a blender and blended the living hell out of the pulp like adding some extra zing to a wellness shot. But no, the bitter peel flavour that can only be described as fragrant citrus meant solely as a potpourri isn’t exactly the mouthwatering taste I want in my mouth. 

I have to jab my thumb into the centre of it just to break the tough orange skin from the edge without avail. Just when I think I’ve hit the sweet spot and try to divide the sticky segments into the perfect bite-sized snack, the peel refuses to break up with the flesh. All I wanted was a treat that’d say “orange-you-glad-you-didn’t-eat-a-banana?” I really wish I would have at this point. 

Alas, I persist. My hands gnaw into the juicy goodness; fingers covered in pulp like a fruity crime scene. I’m embarrassingly caught red-handed with a mouthful of orange, unsuccessfully trying to dissect between pungent peel and fruity deliciousness. Yum! I become more bitter with every bitter taste. So, raise a segment to the mess of mini orange season — so sticky, sour, and savoury!

Concerns arise surrounding UN cybercrime treaty “tying Canada’s hands”

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Peak Web
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This is a photo of a tall UN building in the city.
PHOTO: jordi2r / Adobe Stock

By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer

Content warning: brief mention of sexual abuse of children/minors.

Canadian human rights organizations are urging the country to reject the UN convention against cybercrime treaty regarding access to online information. Despite its proposed capability as a “new tool to protect people,” organizations like Amnesty International Canada, the Centre for Free Expression, and OpenMedia expressed concerns that it will leave a “lasting detrimental impact on human rights at a global scale.”

The UN says the treaty will protect against cybercrime by allowing more collaboration on an international scale to exchange evidence and protect victims. The treaty, which would allow for greater dissemination of sensitive information across national borders “is a crucial step forward in our efforts to address crimes like online child sexual abuse, sophisticated online scams, and money laundering,” according to UN Office on Drugs and Crime executive director Ghada Waly.

According to a letter from several Canadian organizations and experts addressed to the Canadian government, the treaty would allow repressive governments “to expand their targeting, intimidation, and silencing of political opposition, activists, and human rights defenders.” The Peak spoke with Matt Hatfield, executive director at OpenMedia, a “non-profit, grassroots digital activist community” focusing on increasing “online privacy, access, and free expression.”

Hatfield said the treaty “would allow foreign governments [ . . . ] to essentially trump up charges against people in Canada and use the mechanisms created by the cybercrime treaty to attempt to extradite or at least harass them.” The letter notes that signing the treaty would “constrain Canada’s ability to act in its own interest and the interest of its citizens and people in Canada when faced with information sharing requests from other states.” It points out that the treaty would cause more data to be exchanged with foreign governments automatically. It also adds that the treaty gives “license to a problematic trend where states use cybercrime regimes to label any online conduct a cybercrime, resulting in repression of online dissent.”

“It would allow foreign governments [ . . . ] to essentially trump up charges against people in Canada, and use the mechanisms created by the cybercrime treaty to attempt to extradite or at least harass them.” — Matt Hatfield, executive director, OpenMedia

In a recent press release, Hatfield said “Canada is already failing to protect our most vulnerable communities against transnational threats.” He told The Peak that “the targeting of people with ties to India and people with ties to China and Canada are both huge ongoing problems.” He said the proposed treaty “would enable further harassment, officially sanctioned harassment of people in those communities.”

For example, as reported by Global News, Indian diplomats have been linked to “dozens of violent crimes across Canada that targeted opponents of the Modi government.” Narenda Modi, the Prime Minister of India, has faced criticism for his authoritarian approach. Hatfield also referenced allegations of assassinations in Canada tied to the Indian government, as well as evidence suggesting the government of China has attempted to influence Canadian elections in 2019 and 2021. 

Oppressive governments could use a treaty like this to “try to criminalize critics of theirs” by framing their actions as “threats to public morals,” he added. “Under the current language of the cybercrime treaty, some of those folk could easily be wrapped into a supposed cybercrime threat.” Should Canada sign this treaty, Hatfield said the country would be forced “to cooperate with law enforcement in states that are much less respectful of both their own citizens and anyone who enters from around the globe.”

He also said the treaty would need to list “a much tighter, more specific list of relevant crimes” for its adoption to be considered. “Even then though,” he clarified, “I would worry quite a bit about tying Canada’s hands.” He said a state could “fabricate evidence against someone” and “Canada should be able to assess the credibility of that evidence.

“Canada is one of the most multicultural countries in the world [ . . . ] we’re a highly targeted country for that reason by some of these autocratic countries, more so than the US or the EU,” he continued. “We really worry about the unique vulnerabilities of people in Canada to these data requests, that may not apply in the same way to residents of other democracies.” 

CWJ hosts rally to continue pushing for in-house food and cleaning contracts

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Peak Web
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This is a photo of many custodial and food workers as well as Contract Worker Justice advocates rallying outside at SFU.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Contract Worker Justice @SFU

By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer

Content warning: mentions of racism and worker abuse. 

SFU has contracts with Best Service Pros and Chartwells Canada for cleaning and dining services respectively. Some groups, however, are hoping to change this. The Peak spoke with Cristina Figueroa, Contract Worker Justice @SFU (CWJ) campaign research assistant, about the growing movement to leave these companies and transition to in-house contracts. In-house contracting refers to direct employment as opposed to contracting through third-party companies.

CWJ is “a coalition of SFU workers, faculty, students, and community members fighting to end the outsourcing of food and cleaning services at SFU.” On November 25, 2024, they hosted a rally on the Burnaby campus to continue pushing for this change. “It was fantastic, we had a great turnout. We met in Saywell Hall and had some pizza, and we had speeches and poster making,” said Figueroa. 

One speaker at the event was Bridget Barker, the vice president at CUPE 3338, a union that represents “nearly 1,200 members” at SFU. Barker spoke about how “cleaning services are the lowest paid on campus.” Cora Mojica from the Hospital Employees Union was also present, explaining the union’s successful push to end outsourcing. The final speaker was Rohini Arora, member of the Legislative Assembly for Burnaby East, who explained her intention to endorse CWJ and provide support on an “institutional level.” 

“The university preaches diversity, inclusion, and being equitable and being helpful, and they don’t treat these people with respect.” — Cristina Figueroa, research assistant, Contract Workers Justice @SFU

The rally then moved to Strand Hall to try to speak with administration. “They weren’t willing to speak with us at that moment, but they promised to meet with [Rohini] at a later date,” Figueroa explained. This is not CWJ’s first interaction with administration. Figueroa said they have “met with the Board of Governors multiple times, written reports,” and are “constantly putting pressure” on administration to listen to them. She said they “brush off” CWJ’s demands. On April 10, 2024, CWJ hosted a similar rally to protest the layoffs of cleaning workers who were mostly “racialized, women, elderly, and immigrants.” 

Figueroa said SFU cites their specialization “in intellectual pursuits and academia” as the reason they “don’t have the expertise” to employ food and cleaning staff as in-house workers. “It’s basically an excuse because we know that other universities do provide those services.” UBC and UVic rely on in-house contracts for their food and cleaning services. 

In July 2022, SFU announced their decision to become a living wage employer. “A living wage takes into account employees’ total wages and benefits and is a calculation of what a family of four needs to earn to meet its current basic expenses,” reads the SFU press release. The reality of the situation, according to some, is different.

The Peak corresponded with Nate Holers, a campaigner with food service union UNITE HERE Local 40, which represents and advocates for food workers on campus. “SFU’s continued outsourcing of service work perpetuates inequalities for our members that we find completely unacceptable,” he said. “LivingWage BC lists $27.05 as the minimum living wage for Metro Vancouver, while our members at SFU make only $22.60.” 

“We are bargaining a new contract this year, and intend to raise the standard for all service workers on campus, regardless of SFU’s decision.” — Nate Holers, campaigner, UNITE HERE Local 40

While food and cleaning workers receive tips, management receives a cut of these tips and the workers still do not make a living wage. “That’s a way that they are sneaky about it,” said Figueroa. “We are bargaining a new contract this year, and intend to raise the standard for all service workers on campus, regardless of SFU’s decision,” said Holers.

Additionally, food and cleaning employees don’t “benefit from the same services as other staff, such as childcare, parking, they don’t even get Wi-Fi on campus,” according to Figueroa. “They don’t get paid breaks, parking discounts, none of that.” According to CBC, anonymous employees also recounted instances of blatant racism, as well as “being told to lay on the floor to scrub toilets, being given inadequate cleaning supplies to combat the coronavirus, and being denied breaks despite an increased workload.”

In a statement to The Peak, SFU said they continue “to implement a living wage for employees who regularly work on our three campuses, whether they are employed directly by the university or by third-party contractors.” They stated that “the living wage program also includes a number of other on-site benefits for contract workers including access to recreation and fitness facilities, library borrowing privileges, and priority access to on-site childcare.”

“The university preaches diversity, inclusion, and being equitable, and being helpful, and they don’t treat these people with respect,” Figueroa added. “It’s rife with racism and sexism and all sorts of worker abuses, and our community couldn’t function without the food and cleaning staff.”

This is an ongoing story that The Peak will continue to cover.

F1 2024: Drama, downfalls, and disqualifications

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Peak Web
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A man in an orange tracksuit lifts an arm in victory while staring at the sky.
PHOTO: Courtesy of @f1 / Instagram

By: Kaja Antic, Sports Writer

No Formula One fan could have predicted what would happen after the first “lights out and away we go!” announcement at the Bahrain Grand Prix this past March. The 2024 season was one for the history books.

The season, starting in Bahrain on March 2 and ending with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 8, was the longest in Formula One history, spanning 24 races across the world. There were seven multi-race winners — the most in the sport’s history for a single season.

2024 started off with complete domination by the Red Bulls’ Sergio Perez and defending World Driver’s Champion, Max Verstappen. Verstappen won four of the first five races, usually with Perez following in second or third place. The only race he didn’t win was Australia, where a brake malfunction caused him to retire the car, paving the way for Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz to take first place just two weeks after being sidelined by an emergency appendix surgery at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. 

The 2024 Miami Grand Prix was where the tides started to shift away from Verstappen and Red Bull’s favour. Despite still being dominant, the Dutch driver was unable to get past McLaren’s Lando Norris after an ill-timed safety car, leading to the Brit’s first win in Formula One after 110 races in the sport. Norris would later become a thorn in the side of Red Bull, as he emerged as a contender in the World Driver’s Championship, challenging Verstappen’s three-year-long reign at the top.

Verstappen took three more wins before Red Bull’s luck seemingly ran out as the summer approached. He claimed the top step in Emilia-Romanga, Canada, and Spain, with Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finally getting the win in his home race in Monaco. After the Spanish Grand Prix concluded on June 23, Verstappen did not get another win until the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 3 — a stark difference from winning 19 of 22 races in the 2023 season.

Mercedes began to show their strength as the tracks heated up in the summertime. George Russell inherited the win in Austria after leaders Verstappen and Norris collided, and Lewis Hamilton won his ninth British Grand Prix — his final with the German team before he heads to Ferrari in 2025. Hamilton won in Belgium, and Norris won in the Netherlands.

Leclerc won in Monza, something Ferrari’s tifosi celebrated proudly on Italian soil. Oscar Piastri won in Azerbaijan after overtaking Leclerc on Lap 20 of 51. With his win, McLaren jumped to the lead of the World Constructors Championship. Rookie Oliver Bearman also made history that weekend, being the first driver in Formula One history to get points for two teams in the same season. Bearman earned six points after placing seventh for Ferrari in replacement for Sainz in Saudi Arabia, and earned one point placing tenth while he replaced the banned Kevin Magnussen for Haas. 

“After the Spanish Grand Prix concluded on June 23, Verstappen would not get another win until the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 3 — a stark difference from winning 19 of 22 races in the 2023 season.”

Norris won in Singapore before Ferrari traded wins in Austin and Mexico City, with Leclerc and Sainz each taking a victory in the back-to-back North American races. The Brazilian Grand Prix in São Paulo was a different monster altogether. Five red flags in a Sunday qualifying, a complete (and somewhat unsafe) downpour, the first black flag incident since 2007 — this race had it all. Verstappen went from 17th to first over the 69 laps, with the race shortened by two laps after an aborted start thanks to Canadian Lance Stroll of Aston Martin getting beached in the gravel on the formation lap. Verstappen’s win in a paceless Red Bull wasn’t the only surprise of the weekend, with both Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon reaching the podium. 

With the win in Brazil, Norris’ chances of winning the Driver’s Championship over Verstappen were largely dashed. Russell won under the lights of Las Vegas, though the main story was Verstappen, as the Dutch driver earned his fourth consecutive world title after finishing one place ahead of Norris. 

Qatar, the penultimate race of the season, was not one without drama, with numerous penalties and tension between Verstappen and Russell over the pole position for the Grand Prix. Russell argued to race officials that Verstappen had impeded him during qualifying, resulting in Verstappen earning a one-place grid penalty and being relegated to second place on the starting grid. Verstappen would go on to win the race, while Russell could only manage fourth after inheriting pole position. 

The World Constructors Championship went down to the wire, being decided at the season-concluding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. McLaren had the edge over Ferrari, though the historic Italian team could pull off the upset and win their 17th title. Though Sainz and Leclerc managed second and third respectively, Norris pulling off the win was enough to give McLaren the victory, their first constructors title since 1998 — before either of their current drivers were born. 

Now that the 2024 season is over, that must be the end of the drama, right? Nope! Red Bull dropped Perez on December 18, after he underperformed in the 2024 season. Liam Lawson moves up from the junior team to join Verstappen in 2025, over his more experienced teammate, Yuki Tsunoda. Tsunoda will be paired with the 2024 Formula Two runner-up in Isack Hadjar for the 2025 Racing Bulls team.

Hadjar is joining for his first full season in 2025. The aforementioned Bearman will be racing for Haas, Formula Two champion Gabriel Bortoleto will be racing for Sauber, Jack Doohan will race a full season for Alpine after replacing Ocon in Abu Dhabi, Andrea Kimi Antonelli will pair Russell at a Hamilton-less Mercedes, and Lawson will be racing full-time in Formula One for the first time in his career, having done eleven races over two stints. 

With new regulations coming into effect in 2026, it will be interesting to see how the 2025 season pans out. If it’s at least 20% of what 2024 was like, it’ll surely be an entertaining watch.

The mind and body are friends, so love them both

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Peak Web
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This is an illustration of a person doing a yoga pose standing on one leg with their arms above their head. Their heart and brain are drawn with happy faces.
ILLUSTRATION: Cliff Ebora / The Peak

By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer

Content warning: brief mentions of mental health issues.

Psychotherapy and physical therapy work great on their own. But wouldn’t it be better if they were used in conjunction, and that was the norm? Many people experience anger, anxiety, depression, and other difficult conditions while rehabilitating or treating physical ailments — psychological support could be a form of preventative care for this. Contrarily, those who struggle with poor mental health should receive the proper psychotherapy and treatment for improving their physical health, like physical therapy, nutrition, and fitness.

There are varying views among health practitioners on the mind-body problem. I’m a firm believer that the mind and body are connected and should work in harmony. Caring for one should inherently involve caring for the other. If the body is in pain, the mind suffers too, often in the form of stress, anxiety, or depression. Conversely, poor mental health can manifest physically through tension, fatigue, or chronic pain. A holistic approach to wellness recognizes this interplay rather than viewing these aspects as separate entities. This is why therapies like massage, physiotherapy, and even practices like yoga or tai chi can play a crucial role in improving mental well-being.

“I’m a firm believer that the health of the mind and body are connected and should work in harmony with each other. Caring for one should inherently involve caring for the other.”

The main concerns here are the stress hormones and neurochemicals in your brain, which affects cognitive processes like your mood, behaviour, and thoughts. Those with mental health issues are more likely to have physical health conditions that affect their ability to function and recover. Conditions like depression, for example, can often cause physical symptoms like fatigue, muscle aches, headaches, or digestive issues. Individuals might experience changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, or a persistent sense of physical heaviness or lethargy. This is often due to the neuro-chemical pathway that depression and physical pain share, both influenced by serotonin and norepinephrine. When there is a chemical imbalance in the brain in the form of depression or anxiety, it often presents itself as emotional and physical pain. This imbalance creates a vicious cycle of suffering where they may be discouraged from seeking help (physical therapy, medication, or doctors visits) or participating in physical activities. By the same token, folks with chronic pain, for example, are more at risk for mental health conditions. 

Psychosomatic disorders occur when mental distress creates or permeates physical symptoms of pain, which is exactly why integrated therapy needs to be considered. Like the holistic approach, psychosomatic therapy aims to address illness in various aspects. Therapy may consist of psycho-education, body-focused therapy with relaxation therapy and mindfulness, cognitive–behavioural approaches and activating therapy to name a few. 

This issue also highlights another area of systemic inequality for those with a disability or chronic illness who need integrated care; it’s an issue of equity when physical and mental therapies are not offered in tandem with each other. We all should aim to improve our healthcare system by making it more accessible, affordable, impactful, and heavily focused on realistic preventative care. This means prioritizing interventions that address health issues before they become severe, such as promoting routine screenings, encouraging treatments like physiotherapy or massage therapy in collaboration with counselling or psychotherapy. By shifting the focus from reactive treatments to proactive, ongoing care, we help lift the burden on our fragile healthcare system and enhance quality of life.

Student Updates: The tuition deadline is approaching!

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Peak Web
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Graphic that reads “Student updates.”
ILLUSTRATION: Courtesy of The Peak

By: Thievius Raccoonus

Changes to our unique grading scale?

While the most desirable grading scale goes up to 4.0, our innovative institution uses the 4.33-point scale. Why exactly did we decide to do this? Because we fucking hate you. However, we have realized over the years that students are frustrated with this grading scale. We are excited to announce that there will be no changes to the grading system, so good luck trying to be an academic weapon (you will be a water gun at most unless you decide to sacrifice your mental health). 

Keeping tradition alive 

We are excited to announce that tuition will be increasing!!! Domestic students will see an increase of only 2%, whereas international students will see an increase of 4–6%. We understand it is a tough time economically, especially for students (I’m sure the cost of pencils, flash drives, and floppy discs has gone way up with inflation), so we have kept the increase relatively low. Did we need to increase tuition? Absolutely. Increasing tuition has been a long tradition at SFU, and not continuing it could actually constitute a sin.

A message from our president

Hi, I was wondering if anyone wanted to take pictures together? This year has been quite the PR disaster for me and I really want to make it seem like I have the support of the student body. I don’t exactly plan on listening to your concerns, but I really do need to take some pictures with some students. Maybe we could pretend to play a game of table tennis, or you can pretend to laugh at a joke I just told. We can even do what the hip folks are calling a fit check? I also wanted to take some time to acknowledge that these are tough times. The cost of housing is high, tuition isn’t getting any cheaper, and a lot of students are facing job insecurities. Thankfully, none of that is happening to me. To support students through these tough times my PR team has drafted the following mantra: “keep calm, push through, and please don’t sue.”

Joy (not exactly bringing it Johnson)

President, Vice-Chancellor, background extra casting director 

Pretending to act surprised when another man is accused of sexual harassment is hard work!

By
Peak Web
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Woman with curly hair and red lipstick sitting in front of a white brick wall. She has her mouth open in shock.
PHOTO: Polina Zimmerman / Pexels

By: Hailey Miller, Staff Writer

Nothing sparks my attention like seeing the latest “fill-in-the-blank celebrity accused of sexual harassment” headline every morning when I wake up and immediately reach for my phone before I have the chance to open my eyes and put my damn glasses on. What a SHOCKER. Can you believe some creepy old man in Hollywood would do such a thing?! Pff, please. As Clark Griswold says, “If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am now.” Cue my acting debut!

Acting class scene — Act One

Enter, latest news of celebrity sexual harassment.

My jaw drops and I pick it up from the floor after hearing about another one of my ex-favourite celebrities being accused.

“Looking at you, Johnny Depp!” I spout. “You’re nearly all on my shit list now.”

I gawk in disbelief (kidding!). This acting teacher chick clearly isn’t impressed by me. The girly is literally being so dramatic and pissed off that even I can’t tell if she’s kidding or not.

“You need to change your tone,” she says. “This is a No surprise reactions from celebrity bullshit acting class. Act a little less surprised.”

“OK, I get it, I need to be a little more dramatic, and a little less obvious.” Piece of cake, I think.

“Yes!” Miss acting coach exclaims with pomp and circumstance. “Channel one of those 2000s TV chicks, or something. You know, you could give a dramatic reaction like that Sharpay girl. OR, better yet, connect with your inner Regina George. Start by serving ‘walking into class on a Wednesday wearing pink’ dramatic and gag your audience by getting hit by a bus in the grand finale! ” 

Really? I think.

I rearrange my facial expression into a puzzle of dismay and disgust. I cross my arms over my chest like I’ve never been more pissed off, I furrow my brow, and I slap my heels on the ground like the woman of power that I am, about to strut in to sort this shit out. 

“Much better, darling!” Miss acting coach applauds, with her hands giving one feverish clap in the air. 

Ick. 

“Now give it more energy!” she exclaims, enthusiastically, with some random accent that she just pulled out of the hat.

I scrunch up my nose, snarl my mouth, roll my eyes, and exhale with the most dramatic sigh I can cough up. 

“Better?” I ask, agitated, as if her opinion matters anyway. 

I know I want to be even more dramatic, but this chick really isn’t doing it for me. Honestly, I think I’ll have her beat by the time this class is over.

“Think about the latest celebrity being accused of sexual harassment,” suggests the acting coach chick.

Easy, I think.

I channel  a newfound angst of “pissed off with a side of anguish that sparks my fire” to tarnish my mood. 

“Ugh, not AGAIN!” I spout, literally spitting out of my mouth like a grape gone sour. 

Mr. Celebrity’s time was up long ago. Good riddance!

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024