SFU deals with online private data breach

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July 4, 2016

databreach_cmyk — Some emails that were compromised could have contained personal information, but it is impossible to know for sure.

In May, a flaw in a supposedly private SFU database was discovered. The database, which held the contents of IT help tickets from 2013 to 2016, reportedly did not have the appropriate security measures activated.

According to director of university communications, Kurt Heinrich, “The privacy breach occurred on January 27, 2016, when IT Services inadvertently copied incidents, inquiries, and requests onto a server with an unprotected database during the transition to a new trouble ticketing system. The exposed database was discovered on May 16, 2016, and was taken offline on May 17, 2016.”

Though the information on the database is not the type typically sought after by hackers, chief information officer Mark Roman insisted that no breach in privacy is acceptable.

“We have a standard protocol that we follow for a security breach, so we make sure we follow all the government-defined protocols, we make sure the appropriate people are notified. Even if there was only one name and one piece of private information there, we have to follow the full protocol, and I think that’s appropriate.”

After the breach in security came to light, the university notified the affected individuals. An estimated total of 20,000 emails were accessible on the server through the Internet: roughly 12,000 SFU-based accounts and 8,000 non-SFU accounts, which were tied to over 100,000 IT requests.

Almost all of these requests pertained to tech inquiries and computer aid, but there’s no way to tell whether some contained private information that users did not want to be available to the public.

“[S]ometimes people do communicate more information in these things, like, they’re conveying a sense of urgency about the ticket, and it might explain the reason why, and sometimes the reason why might contain private information,” Roman told The Peak.

With the recent ransomware attack at the University of Calgary, the need for online privacy security seems more pertinent than ever. U of C had to pay a $20,000-ransom to get the university’s IT systems back from hackers due to improper server patching and mishandled management, as Roman suggested.

Luckily, the gravity of SFU’s situation is not comparable to that of U of C’s.

“There’s all kinds of horrible problems that happen when you manage these issues like the University of Calgary did. So we’re not there,” said Roman. “I don’t like these things happening, and we do our best to prevent them. But it’s not what happened to the University of Calgary, it’s a very different problem.”

As for whether this breach will impact SFU’s phishing email problem, both Roman and Heinrich seem doubtful. “I don’t think so, I don’t think they’re related,” said Roman on the matter. Each day of the 1.2 million messages sent to SFU emails, 1 million are spam and the university must work hard to block them.

Heinrich stated that “we have no evidence that there has been any misuse of the information contained in the database. That said, we are asking that any impacted students/staff/faculty monitor personal accounts and be vigilant for attempts at social engineering, spear phishing, and fraud.”

Moving forward, SFU will administer several preventative online security measures, including conducting an external audit, increasing security staff, forming a change advisory board, and hopefully implementing an artificial intelligence tool that is able to monitor suspicious online behaviour.

“These systems are so complex,” said Roman. “There’s 160 people in our central IT organization here, and we’re managing massive systems, and hugely complex systems. So we try really hard to do our best in terms of security.”

As for how SFU students and staff can help avoid liabilities to their personal online accounts, Heinrich advises them to “be vigilant for attempts at social engineering, spear phishing, and fraud; never share your passwords with anyone; and use anti-malware software and keep your computer and mobile device patches up-to-date.”

SFU lecturer wins praise for science-inspired fiction

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July 4, 2016

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SFU molecular biology and biochemistry senior lecturer Irina Kovalyova is receiving critical praise for her most recent publication, a collection of short stories titled Specimen.

Published in June 2015 by House of Anansi Press, Specimen recently earned Kovalyova the Emerging Writer prize in Literary Fiction from Kobo. Kovalyova’s stories are influenced by both her background in science and love of literature.

In the story “Mamochka,” set in Kovalyova’s hometown of Minsk, an archivist at the Institute of Physics grapples with her daughter’s new marriage to a Chinese man living in Vancouver. In “Peptide P,” Kovalyova uses a clinical lab report to tell an emotional story about sick children.

While science and art are often regarded as separate worlds, Kovalyova sees things differently.

As a child growing up in the former Soviet Union, Kovalyova was an avid reader. She fell in love with short stories through the works of Anton Chekhov, Mikhail Bulgakov, and other Russian writers.

Even when she became interested in science in high school, Kovalyova said, “I never left literature behind.”

Kovalyova jokingly calls herself a “triple threat” as she went on to get graduate degrees in chemistry, microbiology, and immunology, and most recently an MFA in creative writing from UBC.

“I always find it strange that people are surprised by the fact that I’m a scientist and yet I’m also a writer. I don’t think the two things are necessarily separate,” she said.

Kovalyova learned to approach science with a complex, narrative point of view, and to apply a critical, investigative lens to her writing. Specimen’s unique combination of science, technology, and human emotion came naturally to the author. After all, it reflects her own life.

“Even if I set out to write a short story that doesn’t have any science in it at all, inevitably there would be something,” Kovalyova said. “That’s what I do and I can’t get away from it.”

She noted that she gets a lot of inspiration from her classes at SFU, adding, “I blame my students for a lot of the short stories.”

Kovalyova published several fiction and non-fiction pieces in literary magazines before compiling Specimen. Along the way, she realized that a lot of her work was linked by common themes of looking beyond oneself and fostering empathy.

Her stories take place across the world, from North Korea to Poland to Vancouver, and bridge cultures, beliefs, and expectations. She writes about the fall of the Berlin Wall in one story, and unexpected side effects of Botox injections in another.

Kovalyova plans to continue writing and experimenting with different forms of fiction. She hopes to remind readers of the power of collaboration, not segregation, in the workplace and their lives.

“Ultimately [. . .] my goal is to explore humanity and [. . .] urge people to integrate, not separate, but integrate in whatever way we can,” Kovalyova said.

EU nations scramble to make catchy exit slogans

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July 4, 2016

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Top EU officials hosted an emergency meeting in Brussels last week to make and rank catchy exit slogans for every country following the UK’s Brexit vote. Officials said they were “very pleased” with the outcome of the summit.

“Czech-please” was crowned the winner of the summit, with “Poland-out” in second and “Departugal” in third.

“We hope all EU nations will be satisfied with the naming of their countries’ referenda slogans,” said EU president Donald Tusk.

“Slovakthis,” “Belgdone,” and “Finito” did not make top three, but were close behind in the running.

Cyprus’ top EU official expressed his dissatisfaction with the discussions: “Many nations like ours are unable to make catchy slogans.” Members from Malta and Liechtenstein echoed these remarks.

“This is completely unfair,” said Spain’s EU representative, Juan Aristegui. “We don’t even have a chance against ‘NetherLeave’ or ‘Grexit.’”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chimed in, adding that he hopes “there’s no talks of a Quebexit” following the UK’s referendum. He continued by noting that the 1980 and 1995 referendums on Quebec sovereignty may have been “a different ball game” if they had been nicknamed “Quebexit,” rather than the significantly less catchy “Quebec Sovereignty Referendum.”

Meanwhile, Texans dissatisfied with the Supreme Court ruling on abortion bans last week seem to have taken inspiration from the UK, and are now calling for a “Texit” referendum.

However, according to hip-hop icon and geopolitical scholar Kanye West, most of these nicknames don’t hold a candle to the original. “Brexit had the best slogan of all time,” he yelled indiscriminately at a reporter from The Peak. “This is just played out now.”

UK Prime Minister David Cameron said he hopes his pivotal role in helping to coin the term ‘Brexit’ will be his legacy once he resigns, rather than introducing the vote itself.

An interview with SFU’s Marina Elliott, the new Jane of the jungle

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July 4, 2016

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[dropcap]M[/dropcap]arina Elliott has been named one of National Geographic’s Emerging Explorers of 2016. An SFU alumna who studied biological anthropology, Elliott has spent the past few years in South Africa, uncovering the history of humanity.

Elliott’s journey began in Calgary, but she found a place to call home here at SFU. One of her favourite experiences during her time in school was joining the Human Evolutionary Studies program research team headed by professor Mark Collard. That research team has since opened up some great opportunities for the budding palaeoanthropologist, Elliott explained.

Her background in climbing and cave exploration, or ‘spelunking’ as it’s referred to in the field, made her a perfect candidate for the Rising Star Expedition under the leadership of Lee Berger.

Rising Star is an excavation site in the Cradle of Humankind, where the remains of Homo naledi were discovered in 2013. The Cradle is a 47,000-hectare World Heritage Site about 50 km northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa. It’s composed of complicated limestone caves where many hominin discoveries have been made.

“I spent quite a bit of time as a kid in the Rockies and the Badlands, running in and out of dark places,” Elliot said. Now the five to seven hours per day that Elliott spends in the small cave-home of the of Homo naledi is child’s play, she added. As soon as she’s out of the caves, though, “the next priority is a shower and snack!” The explorers generally move around the cave in bare feet, so that they “are more sensitive to the ground and where the fossils might be,” but that can lead to a dirty work day.

Elliott has also gained experience at other locations. She has worked in Siberia and Alaska, but noted that “both projects were very different from Rising Star — and also each other. Siberia was a Holocene burial area on the shores of Lake Baikal. The burials can vary quite a bit in size and complexity, but are generally [. . .] straightforward to excavate.

“Exploration is still an essential part of the scientific process.” – Marina Elliott

“Alaska was more of a ‘salvage’ operation, as the burials were in danger of washing into the sea as a result of erosion caused by climate change. The burials there were harder to identify, and so we dug a lot of ‘test pits’ to find the material.”

The pressure was on in Alaska in more ways than one. The crew at that site excavated under armed guard, which is not a typical experience. Elliott explained that the protection was there “not for people, but for the polar bears.”

Elliott’s had plenty of adventures already in her career, and she can’t wait to embark on new ones. “I’d love to go to some of the other hominin sites [. . .] around the world. This is a really exciting time to be in anthropology and exploration science.”

Of the Rising Star find, Elliott remarked that “Homo naledi’s discovery is challenging a lot of ideas about how palaeoanthropology does ‘business’ and about how we think about human evolution.

“In particular, I think it is reminding us that we still have a lot to learn about the human family tree [. . .] It demonstrates that there were a lot more species out there than we realized and some we couldn’t have predicted in advance. I think it’s also reinforcing the idea that exploration is still an essential part of the scientific process — we need people to get out there and be looking for new discoveries [. . .] in all disciplines,” Elliott explained.

The young explorer recalled that her initial reaction “to seeing the chamber and the fossils for the first time was surprise.

“We had been told that we would likely be excavating a single individual, probably of a known species, [. . .] but when I saw the amount of material in the chamber, I realized it was going to be a much bigger project than we anticipated. [. . .] We brought up fossil after fossil and realized that we were dealing not only with multiple individuals, but with a species unlike anything anyone had seen before. It was pretty mind-blowing,” Elliott said.

In addition to excavating Rising Star, Elliott has spent her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Witwatersrand. There, she’s been doing “an awful lot of outreach and public speaking on the discovery, [which] has been really interesting and rewarding.” She has also conducted research on the Homo naledi skeletal material, and been in charge of other field operations. Currently, Elliott is heading a six-person exploration crew that explores and surveys other caves in the Cradle to try and find new sites.

She misses her family, which makes Skype an important tool in her arsenal. What she misses most about Vancouver is the ocean. “I love the sea, and sometimes wish I could go for a run or walk along the Seawall like I used to do in Vancouver.” Luckily, Elliott gets to return to Canada a couple of times a year, which has helped her stay grounded.

If you ever do meet her, just keep in mind that Elliott is not a paleontologist: “I don’t dig up dinosaurs! I get that a lot when I say I am a palaeoanthropolgist. [. . .] It’s not that I don’t think dinosaurs are cool too, but it’s not what I do.”

Through her careful excavations, Elliott is helping SFU build its name as a home for world explorers.

Game of Loans

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July 4, 2016

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The success myth

Many of us grow up with the assumption that education is the road to success. I certainly did.

“Go to school, get a good education, and you’ll get a good job” is what I heard quite often. Now, in my last year of university, I’m wondering: was it all worth it?

Studies have shown that unemployment among university graduates has been on the rise for years, and the average Canadian student is leaving university over $28,000 in debt. Some are now calling us Generation Boomerang, as it is becoming harder for young people to find success and launch themselves into adulthood. Some of us are even moving back home because living independently is so expensive. The idea that a degree can buy you a perfect life is now a myth — it just doesn’t mean what it used to.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not dismissing the importance of education. I understand that there are many fields that require you to have at the very least an undergraduate degree. I am also a strong supporter of lifelong learning and continuous development, no matter what profession one chooses to pursue. What bothers me is the fact that universities nowadays behave more and more like businesses, rather than academic institutions. It’s this shift that has led to the devaluing of our degrees despite rising price tags.

SFU, like other institutions, is no longer about bettering yourself, growing your understandings, and getting on a good career path. It’s about signing big cheques to make someone else’s bottom line. This has a major impact on the new generation of students who struggle to pay for their education, not knowing what the results of their four-, five-, or six-year investment will be.

Til debt do us part

Tuition and student fees are two things undergraduate students try to avoid thinking about. Since I started school four years ago, I’ve noticed that my tuition fees have increased drastically. I’m paying roughly the same amount now for part-time studies, as I did in first year for full-time studies. Ever since the Campbell government lifted the tuition freezes in 2002, the price tag on our degrees has risen.

Unfortunately, I am also an international student. In Canada, this means higher costs per course unit and ineligibility for student loans. At SFU, like many universities in Canada, international students are paying up to four times more money — and the numbers keep rising much faster than for domestic students. Two years ago, SFU shocked students by announcing that international students would face a 10 percent tuition increase a year for three years in a row. The increase in fees is not exclusive to SFU: the average tuition increase for international students this year was 6.5 percent — two times higher than it was for Canadian students, according to Statistics Canada.

As the Canadian Federation of Students reports, Canada started implementing differential tuition fees in the late 1970s to give institutions additional funding. Today this practice is not only common — it’s standard. Both international and domestic students became the victims of major tuition increases because of a funding drought.

What this means for students is simple: our degrees are being commodified so that we can help meet the university’s bottom line. While on-campus groups like the SFSS have advocated for more affordable education, we have seen little success.

This is one shortfall in modern academia. Universities are acting less like higher places of learning and more like businesses. It’s been more than a decade since the tuition freeze was lifted, and one thing is clear: we need a new protection against rising costs. An entire generation has gone through post-secondary education on loans that will take years, if not decades, to pay back.

This game of loans leads me to believe that we need change.

Did I have alternatives?

Despite universities’ reputations for being money suckers, young adults are still choosing to attend.

Thinking back, I sometimes wonder if I would have made a wiser investment of my time and money by entering the workforce prior to pursuing higher education. My story is not as bad as it could be: I got through my education with financial support from my parents and with blood, sweat, and tears to maintain a high enough GPA for scholarships.

But I went to university while I was still exploring my career options, and did not think too much about my financial position. Taking some time off before pursuing university would definitely have helped me be more intentional about my career and my future before spending a fortune on it. While I’m happy I have this education, I’ll always have ‘what ifs’ about the alternatives I never explored.

Between the growing costs, the turbulent job market, and the uncertainty so many young new grads are feeling, it’s time to reevaluate the system. Generation Boomerang has been thrown back and forth too much. Something has to change if we want to see Canadians continue to choose advanced education in the future, and if we want to see students from around the world come here to do the same.

Hair today, gone tomorrow

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July 4, 2016

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[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or years I’ve struggled to accept being a hairy woman. I like to joke about it, but the truth is I’ve long loathed the dark, coarse hair on my pale arms and legs. I don’t want to encourage this view at all, but for years it’s made me feel unfeminine.

In my youth, shitty friends have commented on my body hair. They’d note when I didn’t do a good job of shaving — “Your legs are so prickly!” They’d point out my arms’ thatches of hair, or the wisps above my lips.

My insecurity over being a hairier lady developed long before these comments, though. I remember begging my mom to let me start shaving my legs when I was 11. I made her take me to a consultation for laser hair removal. Over some 10 years, I’ve tried bleaching, shaving, tweezing, waxing, epilating, and depilatory creams. My body is Panama, and I’ve been bent on deforestation.

Even those methods for hair removal that are marketed as ‘convenient’ have been neither easy nor pleasant. Creams and bleaches are obviously chemical-based, and it seems there is no way to make them smell good. After about 10 minutes spent wearing a thick film of goop, it will be hours before the fragrance wears off, no matter how much you wash.

Tweezing is fine, but only for small areas. Waxing is painful, not to mention expensive. Shaving is expensive, not to mention environmentally unfriendly. Epilation’s only saving grace is it did a great job preparing me for the comparatively mild pain of getting a tattoo.

Over some 10 years, I’ve tried bleaching, shaving, tweezing, waxing, epilation, and depilatory creams.

Basically, I hate most if not all methods of hair removal. I have never tamed my body hair because the act of doing so actually pleased me.

When I was in high school and middle school, I shaved my legs in an effort to fit in and to avoid being judged. As I got older, I only shaved when I’d be seeing my boyfriend: to feel feminine and ‘traditionally’ attractive. I’d joke that you could tell how long it had been since I last saw my partner based on the length of my leg hair.

Unfortunately, I know there’s also judgement on the other side, for those who don’t have ‘enough’ hair — as if there’s some theoretical, ideal amount of body hair to possess.

I’d like to pin these ideals of hair on media: how many advertisements have I seen for hair removal? How many movies, TV shows, and music videos featured women with groomed, perfectly plucked bodies? The media isn’t the cause of our cultural obsession with hairless (or hairy) bodies, though; it simply helps to perpetuate it.

I’m now more confident in myself, and I no longer associate with people prone to picking on prickly legs. Still, my comfort with going au naturel fluctuates from day-to-day, and I think it always will.

I’ve come to recognize though that femininity is highly constructed and very personal. The fashion trend of dying armpit hair is one example of merging both the traditionally ‘unfeminine’ and feminine. You can forgo shaving your legs entirely and still rock a dainty pink dress.

While it can be difficult to always do as you please — those social influences always seem to wriggle their way in — a person’s construction of femininity, masculinity, androgyny, or whatever else tickles their fancy is ultimately their own.

New line of Dyson products announced

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July 4, 2016

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By: Vincent Justin Mitra, Peak Associate

Dyson, makers of the iconic ball-based upright vacuums and blade-less electric fans, have recently announced their upcoming products at a private shareholder-only event. We have managed to get a copy of just one page of their internal release document, and have included it below.

Dyson Toilets

Following their success in the vacuum and hand dryer industries, Dyson is setting their sights on the bathroom! Using suction and centrifugal force, both from the world-renowned Dyson digital motor, the Dyson Toilet will be the most effective toilet available, all without water! Plus it incorporates the trademark Dyson BallTM technology, which allows it to be angled as either a toilet or a urinal with no loss in suction. With the Dyson Toilet, you won’t have to go to the bathroom for weeks!

Dyson Pet Sphere

Don’t worry, Fluffer McKitty won’t be left out of the Dyson fun. The Dyson Pet Sphere is a newly designed pet carrier and terrarium. It’s durable and contains a pet-friendly environment designed for comfort. The Dyson Pet Sphere also allows for easy transport, due to its sleek and compact design, and its durability makes it handy for people with even the most energetic pets.

Dyson FaceBlade*

Dyson is taking their bladeless fan technology and rubbing it right up against your face with the upcoming Dyson FaceBlade bladeless face razor. Gone are the days of accidentally nicking your face with little metal razors — the Dyson FaceBlade has no blades at all! Following recent breakthroughs in Dyson technology, the FaceBlade is able to remove unwanted facial hair with nothing but extremely concentrated bursts of air. Say goodbye to disposable dollar store razors, and say hello to the new Dyson FaceBlade!

*Warning: Do not aim product at eyes.

Dyson People Mover

Did you know there is a whole network of pneumatic tubes beneath the streets of New York City? It’s true! Dyson has already begun alterations to the system, expanding them for human use and incorporating both their vacuum and bladeless fan technologies. Soon New Yorkers can expect to move faster than a yellow cab ever could. Travel from Sugar Hill to Soho in less than two minutes during rush hour with the Dyson People Mover. Hold onto your hats!

Dyson EndoSkeleton

Dyson cares about the elderly, and understands that some former customers may be too frail and infirm to use even the most compact Dyson product, commonly due to weakness in their bones or joints. The Dyson EndoSkeleton seeks to change that. Working with hospitals and machinists across the globe, the Dyson EndoSkeleton is a piece of advanced medical equipment that will give grandma and grandpa the strength they need to walk to the park, toss little Suzie into the air, and far more. Replace grandma’s bones today!

Laugh Track: An interview with comedian Kevin Banner

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July 4, 2016

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Get to know the folks behind the laughter, as The Peak explores the burgeoning Vancouver comedy scene with our recurring column, Laugh Track. From podcast hosts and improv royalty to monthly showrunners and people just being funny weirdos, there’s never a shortage in this comedic goldmine called Vancouver.

Interviewing comic Kevin Banner provides a sense of closure that I didn’t even know I needed.

Back in 2014, I saw Banner perform an opening set at the Comedy Mix in Vancouver, and while I remember the headliner getting a few good laughs from the crowd, Banner undoubtedly stole the show. Fast-forward a year and a half, and I’m messaging that same stand-up comedian to apologize about being late to our arranged interview at Starbucks.

Thankfully, Banner is as easy-going to talk to as he is a joy to watch perform, as we dig into conversations about his comedic stylings, along with the main reason behind the interview: Banner’s upcoming debut comedy album Dreamboat.

The Peak: “Self-deprecating” and “dark” are a few ways I’ve read you describe your humour. What makes this a useful angle from which to tell jokes?

Kevin Banner: Because it’s real, it’s genuine. That’s me. I’m a little bit dark, and I’m definitely self-deprecating. I always feel stupid when I get into these conversations, where I’m picking apart comedy, because I’ll say stuff that sounds great in the moment, but when I read it back later, I think, “Is that true?”

A lot of my favourite comedians are pretty close to themselves onstage, but they’re very genuine for what they’re doing. That’s my favourite kind of comedy, so that’s what I want to do. You’ll see young comics starting out, and they’ll be really self-deprecating when they’re onstage, but when they get off stage they’re living the life; they have abs and they’re having fun.

But it gets to be too much onstage, with the self-deprecating, because they’re really trying to push that they’re this dark character. But if you’re not, it shows, and it’s harder to connect with that as an audience member.

P: You’re about to record your first comedy album. At what point does a comic see doing a live album as the next step?

KB: When you feel like you’ve got a set that you want to commit to permanency. I know there are plenty of comics who don’t think you should ever record a special or an album, and you should just keep your act, but there are definitely some jokes that I’ve told for a long time. Some of them I don’t really want to get rid of yet, but they fit with where I’m at right now, so they’ll fit on the album.

That’s the thing about stand-up that really appeals to me: there are no real rules to it. There are etiquette things, but it’s not like, “OK, you’ve done this, this, and this, now you record an album.” I did the two shows with Bill Burr in January and I was approached by 604 Records and asked if I’d be interested in doing an album, and it was something that I’d thought of before.

P: What makes the Comedy Mix, where the recorded shows will be, a good venue to record a comedy album at?

KB: It’s the best club in, if not Western Canada, the entire country. I know a lot of other comics who’ve recorded their albums there. It’s a great room, and you know it’s going to have people in it. You don’t have to worry about drawing people in. I don’t have a fanbase that comes out to see me, and definitely not enough to record an album in front of. The Comedy Mix also tends to bring out good crowds, for the most part.

P: What are some behind-the-scenes things most people wouldn’t even think of that are really important in organizing something like recording a comedy album?

KB: I feel like there are people out there that think every time they see a comedian, they’re seeing them come up with those thoughts on the spot, until the people see them again and think, “Oh, I’ve heard these jokes.” The answer to that question is probably a lot, because I don’t think the average person knows or cares to know about the inner workings of stand-up comedy. It’s just the diehard fans and the comics themselves. I’m sure there’s a lot of stuff that the average person doesn’t know about, but to me it doesn’t stand out as something because it’s just natural to the people who do it. There’s a lot of logistical stuff that’s just falling to the record label, though; I just have to show up and tell the jokes.

P: Was the album’s name always going to be Dreamboat or were there any other titles you considered?

KB: Ultimately, the name Dreamboat doesn’t mean a lot to me. I just like the flow of it, and it’s not a name that I’m going to regret. There are people who put out an album and they give it a wacky title, and I feel like they’ll hate it eventually. Dreamboat is baby food. It’s nothing, it doesn’t matter, so it’s not going to bother me years down the road. It just sounds nice.

P: I’ve just purchased a vinyl copy of Kevin Banner’s Dreamboat; I place the album onto the record player, and I slip on my headphones. What’s one thought you want me to have while listening to your comedy album?

KB: “This is fun.” I just want an album that I’m proud of, and I want people who buy it to not feel ripped off. So if somebody buys my album, I just want them to enjoy it. I’m pretty meat-and-potatoes, so I just want you to dig it.

Be a part of the magic when Banner records his first comedy album, Dreamboat, at the Comedy Mix over three evenings: one show on July 7, and two shows on both July 8 and 9.

Compliment my brain, not my body

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July 4, 2016

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[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n her article entitled, “Why I’m not ‘pretty for a black girl,’” Edna Batengas urged others to avoid mentioning one’s race when giving a compliment. She briefly mentioned that she would much rather receive a compliment on something that isn’t based on her appearance at all. I agree with her entirely. I would rather be complimented for who I am rather than what I am.

In fact, I hate to be cliché, but it really is the inside that counts. In our day and age though, it seems that this has been forgotten. Simply take a look at the comments posted underneath selfies on Instagram and Facebook. We live in an extremely superficial society.

It’s rare to see someone appreciating another’s character or life successes. When such comments are given, they are almost always disregarded or lost in a sea of shallow remarks. Take, for example, an Instagram post of the attractive Mikhail Varshavski, who is better known as Dr. Mike. The post is meant to celebrate his achievement upon finishing his internship, and while a couple of comments actually celebrate his accomplishment, essentially every other is as meaningless as “Ugh his hair looks great here.”

Why do we praise others’ looks so much? I’ll skip the whole philosophical discussion on mind versus body, but I ultimately think that what makes you or me is so much more than our bodies. We should celebrate us, not just our figures.

I feel that in the height of social media, people are constantly fishing for compliments by posting selfies or photos of meaningless things. How can people really get to know you when your social media posts are all of your face and body? Showcase your thoughts, your art, your talents — give people the chance to get to know your inner beauty, your inner being.

It’s so much nicer to be complimented on some characteristic, such as one’s kind nature, rather than on one’s physique. One feeds the soul while the other fuels your ego.

The compliments that I’ve received that had nothing to do with my appearance are the compliments that truly stick with me. Some of the most flattering remarks that I’ve received had to do with my skills, work ethic, and my sense of humour. While being complimented on something physical can be nice, it can be easily forgotten.

All that said, perhaps people stray away from commenting on something other than one’s looks because it’s not that common. Think about it: aren’t you a bit thrown off when someone gives you an insightful compliment? I think that our culture has become so accustomed to giving and receiving superficial compliments that it’s viewed as weird to comment on anything other than one’s outer beauty.

I’d love to challenge people to really think before they speak. Think about the individuals in your lives and what makes them great. Yes, the “inner them.” Dig deep and ask yourself, “What do I really like about this person?”

To quote one of my favourite television characters of all time: “Oh, screw beautiful. I’m brilliant. If you want to appease me, compliment my brain.”

Preach, Cristina Yang.

The SFU gondola is now Petter’s publicity gimmick

By

EIC

-

July 4, 2016

2

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]FU President Andrew Petter recently reignited the idea that a Burnaby Mountain gondola should be constructed between Production Way–University Station and SFU.

This weathered saga has been ongoing for nearly a decade now. The Peak has been reporting on the prospects of such a project since 2009. For a while, yes, TransLink was dead serious on building an environmentally conscious transit-lift that would relieve their slogging, carbon-fuelled bus system, and cut the time for commute up the mountain by half.

However, need we be reminded for the bazillionth time, TransLink has made it clear that the project has been shelved. While a healthy environment is something to strive for, the money is ultimately what matters, and the financials simply did not calculate the project to save costs when balanced with the current bus system. Additionally, two years ago TransLink released a solidified 10-year outlook plan that makes no mention of a gondola, while Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson explicitly stated that all efforts were being put to accomplish the goals set out in the plan first and foremost. In other words, the project likely won’t be considered for another eight years.

And given that both our provincial and federal governments have never been interested in providing enough funds to maintain our institution — leaving SFU starved of the hundreds of millions needed to fix the cracks in the eroded concrete, for example — why should we expect TransLink to receive any funding to further meet the interests of our university? Especially those that aren’t immediately necessary.

The mayor and our government care about prioritizing the ‘larger society,’ and I see this as a reasonable decision. After all, it makes sense to shell out the valuable millions toward road maintenance and bridge-building opportunities that will be used by the bulk of the city. To me, a gondola simply isn’t a priority, but a niche indulgence; a tourist trap; a joyride in the eyes of the SFU community.

The mayor and our government care about prioritizing the ‘larger society,’ not a gondola for SFU.

The government may see in TransLink a bus system that, while less efficient, still does the job while costing less. Good enough! If anything, they should be providing funds to improve road conditions up the mountain, as these would most likely be used by more people.

So, what grinds my gears is when educated individuals, such as Petter, pull the publicity card by once again voicing vigorous support for a project that was scrapped long ago because it was neither financially feasible nor immediately necessary.

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he found this an opportune moment to distract attention from the fact that the administration has no idea how to handle sexual assault cases on campus. Remember the environmentally friendly and economical gondola everyone was once raving about? We still support that! So let’s talk about that instead.

Granted, a gondola over Burnaby Mountain would provide nice views and convenience for the rushed student. But creating an ongoing, needless discussion on a project that won’t be considered for almost another decade is not a wise move, it’s just a waste of time and public attention. This goes for any further statements from all other public figures or groups, such as the SFSS. SFU administrators no doubt understand this, so what reason would there be for Petter to flog this dead horse?

The answer is clear: to boost notions that he has responsible environmental and social morals, that the university administration adopts these morals by extension, and that in the grand scheme of things, SFU is practically the best place on earth.