Phone Min Thant
VPL bans free expression
February 11, 2025By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer In a meeting last July, former CEO and chief librarian of the Vancouver Public Library Christina de Castell prohibited the library’s staff from wearing watermelon pins representing solidarity with Palestine. The decision came after the VPL received a number of complaints from the public regarding said pins. In response to concerns from staff, de Castell said, “Pins that have a political symbol and represent personal beliefs are not appropriate to wear in the workplace.” When asked about other forms of political expression the VPL has engaged in such as pride flags and orange shirts,…
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Club Profile: SFU kendo and iaido Club
February 3, 2025By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer Editor’s note: The writer of this piece is a member of the SFU kendo club. Were you born too late to be a samurai and too early to experience lightsabers? Well, what if I…
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Reflections from the 2025 Pacific Northwest Intercollegiate Kendo Tournament
February 3, 2025By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer Editor’s note: The writer of this piece is a member of the SFU kendo club. Scraping ice from the windshield of our cars was not how I thought the tournament morning would start. I…
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SFU confirms discontinuation of its football program
February 3, 2025By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer On January 15, SFU officially confirmed the discontinuation of its football program in the 2025 Athletics and Recreation Strategy. This decision followed the discontinuation of the program in 2023. When SFU initially announced the…
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Book Nook: Xiran Jay Zhao’s Iron Widow series
January 30, 2025By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer Content warning: brief mentions of murder and war. Those familiar with Chinese history are probably no stranger to Empress Wu Zetian, the only legitimate empress of The Middle Kingdom. But, did you know there…
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Quiz: Which broken SFU facility are you?
January 20, 2025By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer Welcome to Simon Fraser University. You are yet another facility students pay dearly for, only to find out that you are still recovering from the damages of your first year. Take this quiz to…
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A practical guide to combating internet echo chambers
January 20, 2025By: 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…
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Controlling the military is key to consolidating democracy in South Korea
January 15, 2025By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer Content warning: brief mention of sexual harrassment and suicide. When I found myself waking up to the news of martial law in South Korea last month, my first thoughts were, “Not the military again.”…
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Horoscopes January 13–19
January 13, 2025By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer Aries March 21–April 19 This week, you will wake up all motivated to go to the one required lower division course you have ignored for two whole years. Then, as you wash your face,…
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Community Days at SFU
January 13, 2025By: Phone Min Thant, Staff Writer, Izzy Cheung, Arts & Culture Editor Editor’s note: The Peak acknowledges that Chloë Arneson, who was interviewed, was a News Writer for The Peak in 2023. However, the writer and editor of this piece…
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