FAREWELL TO THE CHIEF On Greg Lee, Doctor

Dr. Greg Lee is the current president of Capilano University, and has devoted his life to the success of this school. Now, he is retiring and will be succeeded by another worthy president (who will hopefully take abuse from the Courier as well as old Dr. Lee). 

He began teaching here in 1971 and has seen this campus through every significant evolution, from its humble beginnings in cheap portables, to the beautiful treasure we all enjoy today. He has won numerous accolades and has held many prestigious positions over the years. In 2003, he was awarded the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to honour his stunning contribution to the world of academics and education.

We applaud you, Dr. Lee, for your unswerving commitment to the students of this school. However, because you gave us a boring interview when we asked you for some fond memories, we must still abuse you. Please accept our sincerest thanks and rest well in your retirement coffin. We will bring you the virgin blood you have asked of us.

 

As a young boy scout, little Greg Lee delighted in nature. One enchanted evening, while sitting on his favourite log, he heard a radio broadcast that changed his life. It was Sputnik being launched into space. In that moment, he was hooked – on science.

 

Timid and terrified, Ski Patrol Lee still tried to lead his team by example even during the harshest weather on Mount Seymour. This moral lesson would become an inspiring cliché that he would use to guide Capilano U through its rocky beginnings as a clutch of portables. He still admits that he likes a smooth run, which is more often accomplished by prune juice parties nowadays.

 

Lee’s strong suits in high school were mathematics and physics. He graduated from Delbrook Highschool before going on to obtain his PhD in physics. He began teaching at Cap College shortly thereafter, moving into the derelict classrooms of the original campus at West Van High.

 

  

The young beefcake Lee, now a doctor, made good use of his physics superpowers during the early years at the rundown West Van High campus. He recalls a leak in the ceiling that poured water right on the over-head projector. Using his superior calculating abilities, he transmogrified the obtusitude of an umbrella with a slide rule, thereby creating a shelter to for the projector, which allowed him to continue teaching the class. Excelsior!

 As a professor of math and physics, coordinator of the electronics program, chair of the natural sciences, Dr. Lee had his diligent little paws in every area of the school. He went on to become the registrar analyst, and eventually became acting Dean, then Associate Dean and then Dean again. Some might believe his accomplishments were won through hard work and exceptional intelligence, but in fact, this is not true. His success was actually due to his status as an elder vampire, which he obtained from preying on his students who were then buried in the graveyard behind Cap. See the Courier archives for details – www.capilanocourier.com.

Dr. Lee began his term as Associate Dean in a windowless office. He recalls it fondly, as a newly appointed vampire elder might, due to its lack of flesh-searing sunlight. At this point, Capilano College had been officially relocated from West Van High to its current home, which was a concession for Dr. Lee, who was really pushing for a cave-based campus.

 


An aging Dr. Lee kept his brow furrowed for the future possibilities of Cap. In yester-year, he tried to avoid taking sides on issues until all opinions had been expressed. He was constantly thinking ahead and avoiding 'the moment,' as its importance was just a stoned fantasy of his dirty hippy peers. 

Now, he is attempting to bring the Squamish campus to the prominence that the North Van campus enjoys.

His progressive policy of corporatizing the school (screw you, hippies) would place Lee in the position of president of Capilano U – then Capilano College.

Finally, after many years in a windowless office, the powerful vampire Dr. Lee has learned to tolerate moderate amounts of sunlight, though he must draw on the collective life-force energy of the student body. “Being surrounded by all the young people at this school is very invigorating,” says Lee. He creeps the campus from his office and stalks our cafeteria; a silent servant to us scholars, he sops up our youthful vibes, constantly wondering what more he can do to get blood from the students. Nay, for us!

// Words Kevin Murray
// Illustrations Reza Naghibi

FROM THE EDITOR: I'M NOT GOOD AT GOODBYES

In my first editorial, I purposefully kept it short because I wanted new students (almost half of our readers) to judge us on our ongoing body of work rather than a first impression. Now that all of our issues are out there, and that this is our last issue, I have too much to say.

Perhaps I can summarize the year with an ancient Persian fable. It's about a farmer who was kicked off his land by the government and walked his goat and a cow to town to find a job. As he was walking, he looked back and realized that his cow has been stolen. He asked a stranger to watch his goat as he searched for his cow. He didn't find it, and when he returned, he realized the stranger had made off with his goat as well. Immediately, he broke down and cried until a kind woman asked him what the problem was. After he explained, she told him that he was in luck because she saw a man try to hide his goat past a river in a cave. The man removed his clothes to swim into the river, but halfway through, he realized he'd been had, as he saw the woman take off with his clothing. From that day on the man, could be found swinging sticks violently in random directions, and when passerbys would ask why, he'd respond: “I lost my livelihood, my food, my clothes and everything I own to the dishonesty of others... If I'm not too careful, someone may soon steal me.”

If that analogy was too loose for you, let me explain: Almost every day after I wake up, I attempt to read around 200 news stories. It's not as hard as it sounds, as you soon realize that many stories repeat each other and you can skim for the important bits. Other times, the story is right in the headline (“Car crashes into mall”) and I don't need to read the rest of the story. My next task is to consider what needs to be focused on more. That is, I find out the topic of the day and then have to not write about it. We're an alternative media outlet that has the luxury to cover issues that may not “sell” but rather “inform.” Such is the case with our special feature on Rwanda – while the Vancouver media wasn't looking, a massive debate broke out in front of thousands of Vancouverites on the current state of Rwanda. I'll let Samantha's article explain further.

But just as the man who loses his possessions to the dishonesty of others, a lot of the stories we write are bound to get stolen by the mainstream narrative of the rest of the media. If we try to introduce a new narrative, we fight against a hive mentality pushing the traditional narrative. Just as the Persian man gets distracted by one stolen narrative, someone takes advantage of the distraction by pushing a new one. We're left not as revolutionaries but as revisionists of a public sentiment.

Sometimes I find myself stuck in the media hype as well – without seeing the bigger picture. Sometimes I find myself caught in a heated argument that I don't want to be engaged in because it's missing the bigger picture.

That's why it's time to wave my sticks around in case anyone tries to 'steal me.' I'm going off to finish a Masters degree in journalism and arm myself with more theoretical analysis on the state of journalism.

Luckily, I've had the pleasure of being part of a staff who shared, understood and challenged some of these issues. I'd like to thank my co-editor Kevin Murray for having my back and supporting me when most needed. And I'd also like to thank Natalie Corbo, Mike Kennedy, Sam MacDonald, Mac Fairbarn, Taylor Omelak, Giles Roy, Tianyi Bao, Samantha Thompson, Sarah Vitet, and Shannon Elliott – some of them will stay and others will move on, but their contributions were all valuable to the quality of this paper. Lastly, I'd like to thank you, the reader, for seeking stories that no one else covers.

//Alamir Novin

VOICEBOX

Well, that about does it for another year of poorly articulated opinion. Don't bother looking for our Voicebox team next Tuesday afternoon, because they won't be there. We'll see you next year. In the meantime, you can watch episodes of our hit video-series Scoop Scoopers online, at www.capilanocourier.com.

There was me and one other table, and she came up to me and said, 'What would you like?' And I said 'A chocolate milkshake' and then she walked away, then came right back and said, 'What kind of milkshake was that? Strawberry?' No. It was chocolate. What the hell.

[This girl was ranting about a waitress at Denny's. -Rachelle]

When people ask me what I'm eating and then I tell them what I'm eating and they give me a look like 'Ew, why are you eating that...' Like, agh. Don't judge me because of what I'm eating. Let me eat.

[First voice] Okay, what's with all the fucking couches, like, disappearing from the birch building? Um, a lot of the theater kids, like, basically live here and those couches are a source of somewhere to sleep and eat... and where are they going?

[Second voice] Fact: last week i was walking in the caf, and I saw many musical theater students sitting on a couch. One too many musical theater kids. And it broke. So maybe thats where the couches are going.

[First voice] Holy shit!

Hello there, and uh, good afternoon. Welcome to the Capilano Courier! My name is Blake and uh, yes please, and to everyone their own work.

[I realize this makes no sense, but if you’ve ever met Blake you’d understand. Blake is awesome. -Rachelle]

I don't like it when people come up to you and talk about how you're doing bad in the world, when it wasn't even your fault that Tim Hortons gave you two bags.

So my comment for this day, or week? Week. Is, why is it people say they don't have any comments when they always do. They always have comments on something. I walk down and I say 'Hey look at that cow over there' and I say, 'I don't like that color blue.' If you disagree, thats a comment. And why is it people asking for comments don't comment? You clearly have a comment, why don't you comment, if you love comments so much? Thats... thats my comment.

[Good comment. -Giles]

NEWS BRIEFS

University underwhelmed by number of voters

The Senate and Board of Governor elections of 2010 occurred while remaining relatively unnoticed by the student population, according to a recent Courier survey. This was one of the first online elections to be held at Capilano. The Courier was recently given access to the number of ballots that were actually cast during the voting period. 72 people voted in the Board of Governor elections and 71 in the Senate. These numbers are less than in previous years, as in the Board of Governors' Spring election in 2009, 104 people voted, and in the Senate’s election in Fall 2008, 304 people voted. In both cases, the numbers are lower than the turnout for the CSU’s elections in respective years.

Tabled no more

After waiting half an hour for quorum, the CSU’s Semi-Annual General Meeting (SAGM) was finally able to get underway last Tuesday, March 23rd. There were five Special Resolutions in the agenda, and all passed. The motions that caused the most controversy were the proposal to ban slates from CSU elections, and a motion detailing the number of representatives the CSU had to send to the Canadian Federation of Students’ annual meetings. The motion regarding the CFS now reads, “The Association may send a minimum of two delegates...”, which means that the CSU is not required to send any number of delegates at any meeting. This motion has been under debate for several CSU general meetings, but has previously ended up being tabled until the next AGM or SAGM.

CFS-BC Power changes hands

Following the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Federation of Students – British Columbia (CFS-BC) earlier this year, a new person will be taking over the reins from the man who has been running the organization for the past four years. Shamus Reid, who did not run again for chairperson this year, will be stepping down. “Being elected four times has been a huge honour and a privilege,” he says. He plans to spend more time with his partner, and to turn his focus onto completing his degree. CFS-BC’s new chairperson will be Nimmi Takkar, starting on May 1st. The CFS-BC will be on campus on March 30th, as Capilano is having a day for their Education Shouldn’t be a Debt Sentence campaign.

School ends, student fundraisers continue

Capilano students are holding a plethora of fundraisers over the next two months to benefit a wide variety of organizations. One such fundraiser is called OneNight for 1 Day, and it will take the form of a benefit concert organized by Ella Batten of the Global Stewardship program. The concert will be comprised of a variety of performance art. Proceeds go to imagine1day, an organization that aims to provide an education to every Ethiopian child by 2020. Tickets are $20, and the event is on May 4th at the Kay Meek Centre.

//Samantha Thompson

assistant news editor

PRESIDENT RECOMMENDATION

The Capilano Students' Union Executive Committee has issued a recommendation that Kris Bulcroft be selected as the new University president. Two other candidates are being interviewed, currently. CSU representatives have attended several public meetings and forums with all the candidates, and determined that the Caslano, Switzerland resident would best represent student interests. Bulcroft has a Doctorate degree in Philosophy from the University of Minnesota, and she is currently working as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Franklin College in Switzerland. 

The other two candidates are Patrick Donahoe, current Vice President of Student and Insititutional Support at Capilano, and Jim Madder, who is the Executive Vice President Academic at Red Deer College in Alberta.

//Natalie Corbo

News Editor

VIDEO SURVEILLANCE TO BE REGULATED Capilano devises a privacy policy for all those cameras

After years of having surveillance cameras on campus, Capilano University is in the process of approving a video surveillance policy to meet Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation requirements regarding privacy protection.

The drafted policy, dated March 11th, 2010, states that the policy has been developed because “the University recognizes the need to strike a balance between the individual’s right to be free from invasion of privacy, the institution’s duty to promote a safe environment for community members, and to protect University property.”

There are approximately ten cameras set up around the University at present – they record video but not audio. VP of Finance and Administration Cindy Turner, who has taken responsibility for the project, stated that “we don't expect there to be a whole lot more cameras [installed].”

According to the policy, cameras could be installed on any University owned or occupied area, and signage must indicate that cameras are present. Precise locations need not be released. A privacy review must also be conducted before cameras can be installed.

Turner added that the policy will ensure stringent regulations are followed. For each camera, an outline of all the details will be provided, including where it will be, how long it will remain there, and what will be done with the footage. “We [need to] make sure to absolutely erase and protect the privacy of people as much as we can.”

The tapes may only be viewed by campus security, University employees with direct involvement with the footage, and individuals responsible for authorizing camera installation and technical operations.

The policy is aimed at deterring acts of harassment, assault, vandalism, and theft. In the past two years, the Capilano Students Union (CSU) lounge has been broken into several times. However, Ian Robertson, Director of Building and Grounds told the Courier last year that any incidents of concern on campus “have been domestic disputes.”

Turner echoed that statement, noting that the cameras are largely directed at theft prevention.

There may be “a few more” cameras installed in the parking lots, as recommended by the Risk Management company working with the University, due to the incidence of bike thefts and car-keying.

The policy is currently undergoing an approval process, and has been sent to the various University related unions: the Faculty Association, the Coalition of Private Electors, and the CSU.

The CSU has, for their part, expressed a certain degree of concern with some of the details of the policy.

At the CSU Executive Committee meeting on March 26th, several points were raised regarding holes or inconsistencies in the policy. It was pointed out that the idea of “covert” cameras do not seem to be in conjunction with the policy's stated purpose of prevention. It was also deemed problematic that the authorization processes for cameras are to be approved by only “the Vice-President, Finance and Administration or designate,” with no committee involved, and no indication as to who that designate might be.

The executive committee also agreed to send a list of recommendations to the University, largely centered around keeping the CSU “in the loop” and emphasizing that the Maple building is under CSU control, and that any potential cameras in that space should be approved by the CSU.

Turner noted that “the students need to see it ... so that everybody feels comfortable that when we do put up cameras for security purposes or for [creating a time-lapse of the] film building that there's still good policy and we're not going to invade somebody's privacy and we're not going to use it ... to embarrass somebody ... that's not the intention and we are not permitted under law.”

If students have any questions or concerns about the policy, they should be directed to Val Newman in Human Resources, Patrick Donahoe, VP of Student and Institutional Support or the CSU. His email is pdonahoe@capilanou.ca

//Natalie Corbo

News Editor

LOCAL PRODUCE FOR CAPILANO Plans for a community garden are well underway

Capilano University could be growing its own organic vegetables come next fall semester.

According to Matt Bakker, Environmental Issues Coordinator, they have a “deal on a handshake” with facilities to be able to use some space on campus, ideally in a location with high visibility and an available water source.

Aramark has championed the project, offering to cover startup costs for the garden. They also proposed the idea of purchasing vegetables from the garden at a standard cost to use in the cafeteria.

Bakker stresses that there must be a dual focus. He wants to make Capilano more sustainable by supplying vegetables to Aramark, but also wants to produce local produce for students and faculty. He adds that it is “really important to be inclusive of all the community stakeholders, and Aramark is a big part of that.”

It is not 100 percent certain that the vegetables will be organic, but he notes that everyone wants that to be the case; it’s just a matter of figuring out how it will work.”

The idea for a community garden was born when a couple students approached Capilano’s Energy Manager Susan Doig last year. When the students failed to follow through with the project, Doig contacted Bakker, who has since been working hard to make it a reality.

So far, Bakker has held one meeting to gather student input, and reported a lot of “amazing energy from really motivated people.” Apart from working out the legality issues about selling food, Bakker has encountered few obstacles so far. “Maybe I’m naïve,” he says, “but I can’t understand an opposition to it.”

//Natalie Corbo

news editor

EXCLUSIVE COKE CONTRACT ENDS: NEW PROPOSALS PENDING Committee dictates requirements, but no word yet on possible companies

Students will have to wait until September to find out what the new cold beverage contract for Capilano University will be.

A sub-committee of the Food and Beverage Committee, unofficially referred to as the Cold Beverage Tender Committee, has undertaken the yearlong endeavor of finding a new contract to provide beverages for the University’s vending machines.

The process is still in its early stages, and discussion has centered around how to weight various criteria in the approval process. The committee has spent time creating a Request For Proposals (RFP) that dictates some of the requirements and priorities for a contract. The committee has also devised an evaluation grid in which different factors are weighted differently, such as sustainability, money savings, and energy efficiency of equipment.

Paul Gruber, chairperson of the committee, stressed that sustainability is very important, and they are hoping to find someone who will supply biodegradable bottles. He noted that in the past five years, companies such as Coca-Cola have been working hard to develop sustainability programs.

Gruber adds that bottled water will still be included in the initial contract, since it is currently the best selling vending machine product. However, he notes that Capilano’s Energy Manager, Susan Doig, has been working on establishing a treated water-bottle refill station. Gruber says that “we will not eliminate that idea at all, we’ll work in conjunction with [it].”

So far, former CSU finance manager Richard Honkanen has represented student interests. Gruber notes that he has been a link to the CSU executive committee, who stressed that they hope an eco-friendly and socially responsible company will be selected.

Honkanen added that “we shouldn’t be on the hook for quotas,” as Capilano has been in the past. This system of having a quota of beverages to sell in the previous ten year Coca-Cola contract led to a two-year mandatory extension of the contract.

According to Honkanen, the committee only expects to receive two or three responses to the RFP, which was slated to be sent out on Friday, March 26th. The tender process will close on April 15th or 16th, and the bids will be evaluated by mid-May. At this point, several bids may be asked to make a presentation to the committee. While Gruber stressed that the meeting is not entirely open as they “don’t want it to get out of hand,” he noted that student feedback is welcome, and that students should pass on questions to the committee, and specific requests to attend may be granted.

Questions and comments can be directed to Paul Gruber at pgruber@capilanou.ca.

//Natalie Corbo

news editor

CLEAR AS MUD University defers transparency with its students

Capilano University has been accused of not acting in complete transparency with their students by members of the CSU executive. An ongoing Presidential Search for Capilano’s newest figurehead, which previously was deemed a confidential process, has now reached the stage where it can be opened to the public – however, the students’ ability to partake in the process was not announced.

Greg Lee, who has been the President of Capilano University (formerly College) since 1995, decided to retire this year. His retirement meant a Presidential Search Committee (PSC) had to be created, comprised of various interest groups who were entrusted to choose the most-suited candidate.

The fourth week in March signified the beginning of a series of public presidential forums, which were an opportunity for the public to go and pose questions to the presidential candidates. Although they were held at various times on different days, many of these times were during classes and most of those in attendance were Senate members or Faculty, not students.

Noah Fine attended the forums as the Capilano Students’ Union’s representative, and said that when he spoke with University representatives about the low advertising for the forums, they said that the CSU or the student representatives on the Senate should taken the responsibility to pass on the information to the students.

Fine, however, points out that the Board of Governors runs the presidential search, and as such it is their job to create awareness about their own event. The University gave the search a blurb on their website, but information about the public forums specifically were placed on Frontlines, a website only available to faculty and staff.

The Board of Governors has no policy about notifying students about these types of forums. The CSU Executive also pointed out that they do not have the capacity to contact students in the same way that the University does, as the University has the capability to mass-email its students.

Fine took it upon himself to inform the student population of the public forums, and put posters up around campus on March 24th.

The lack of advertising around the public forums could be accredited to a series of mis-communications. The Presidential Search Committee did not explicitly ask its student representatives to ensure that the public forums were advertised around campus, nor did they ask the CSU. Although there was some communication, much of it was informal, which is perhaps what led to the series of misunderstandings.

Staff representatives from the Board of Governors failed to respond to the Courier’s requests for comment before press time.

Two of the three final candidates were from out of town, so it is unlikely that more public forums with better advertising will occur before the Presidential Search Committee selects the new president of Capilano University, the final decision of which will be made on April 14th. The CSU has agreed to send a letter to the Presidential Search Committee and the Board of Governors detailing their concerns with the way the public forum process was handled.

//Samantha Thompson

assistant news editor

TOM CONEHEADS Donald and Lenore satirize the human condition

“I told you I don’t like elevators,” Lenore reminds Donald, as she drags him by his rope-bound hands back onto the stage. Lenore refuses to close the chapter on her many years as a lounge act entertaining in a subterranean airport bar. The world at the Earth’s surface may be coming to an end or some twisted beginning but Lenore holds tight to her artificial palm trees, her bongo drums and the paralyzing prison of her own mind.

The play is Tom Cone’s, Donald and Lenore, which ran from March 7th-20th as part of the 2010 Chutzpah Festival. Following the performance there was a Q & A session, where Cone was asked what his play is about by a woman who has seen it twice and still doesn’t get it. Cone replied in a circular fashion. The play doesn’t follow a standard plot but Cone feels it has a certain logic. Logic is not one of the concepts that sprang to mind when I saw the play with a bunch of Capilano Theatre and Creative Writing students.

I thought about the Stockholm syndrome, nuclear holocaust, prison justice and systemic corruption, the cycle of abuse, sadomasochistic sexuality, crippling fear of change, life in a bubble of ignorance and denial, emotional dependence and the politics of trust. Do you want to run screaming yet?

Most of us spent a lot of time laughing and the play’s director, David Bloom, found that refreshing. He lamented that some audiences hadn’t felt as free to laugh as the students attending that night. Much of the play seemed farcical and in spite of the painfully serious collage of subject matter woven throughout the piece, Cone satirized the human condition. We were definitely laughing with him, not at him.

There is nothing like live theatre. The audience plays a part, as in the laughter during Donald and Lenore. The actors, the audience and the theatre space combine to form one living entity.

Tom Cone is the writer in residence for The 12 Secrets Festival at Capilano University. Once a year the Theatre Department and the Creative Writing Department collaborate to produce a series of five-minute plays. Tom Cone sets the constraints: five minutes, one secret, three characters, no props and no costumes. He guides the student playwrights through the grueling slog of drafts and rewrites until the plays are ready for the Theatre students to act and direct.

This year’s festival had its closing performance just before the Olympic reading break, but if you missed it you can VISIT WWW.CAPILANOCOURIER.COM and watch the videos filmed on closing night.

//Norvena Vitet

writer

UNIVERSAL PEACE Music therapy strikes a certain chord

I arrived at a workshop on a sunny Saturday at Capilano with no knowledge of music therapy other than the age-old adage “music soothes the savage beast.” Enrollment in the The music therapy program can lead to many different potential careers, and the presenter was a multi-tasking machine of determination and ambition: masters degree from NYU for music therapy, presently a doctoral student in a PhD program in leadership and change, co-editor of a magazine, and president of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy.

Guylaine Vaillancourt’s PhD dissertation is titled, “Mentoring Apprentice Music Therapists for Peace and Social Justice through Community Music Therapy: An Arts-Based Study.” Reading the title alone, I was expecting to learn a lot, and also expecting most of what would be said to go way over my head. Stephen Williams, music therapy coordinator here at Cap U, tells me Vaillancourt’s study is “a supervision exercise with six music therapy students involved. Vaillancourt wanted to understand what the experience of a music therapist who practiced community music therapy would be like.”

In Vaillancourt’s study, data being sampled ranged from drawing, to journaling, to painting, to playing music. Assessing the non-verbal experiences as data was closely considered, and from there the process of scientific research was trusted to make the study a success. The outline of her research, the findings, and what was learned along the way were shared during the workshop. A music therapist with a goal of working out such issues as peace and social justice,  Guylaine Vaillancourt is certainly someone to watch and learn from.

Stephen Williams is a practicing music therapist who shared with me his account of music therapy in one-on-one counseling situations. “I work with children and adults in my private practice. They walk through the door and a verbal therapist would say ‘How are you doing?’ and I say ‘Let’s do a [musical] improvisation to find out how things are going,’” he explains. He demonstrates by playing a few notes on a xylophone in the corner of the office. “This would be what a client might play”, he says to me, “it’s in the key of C”. Quite a charismatic guy, he  would interpret the few notes he played as very light, lyrical, and melodic. Then he would support the xylaphone with some light strumming on a guitar – “I would round out the musical sound so that it is very successful, I would support it.” Often a verbal expression can be self-edited, in traditional therapy sessions key issues are not identified immediately, but with a musical improvisation, from the aspect of assessment, there is an opportunity for valuable information.

Indeed, interpreting something like music as expressive of some particular issue a person may be subject to would require an apt ear and a lot of experience. “After the improvisation, there’s a conversation; that’s when I use the counseling skills to get a sense of what was going on for them [during the improvisation],” says Williams, “my information is in some way assumption – I don’t analyze their music but I have a dialogue with [the patient]...  I’ll say ‘What’d you hear in the music?’

For more information on the Capilano Music Therapoy program, go to 
http://www.capilanou.ca/programs/music-therapy.html and to learn more about the Candian Association for Music Therapy, go to http://www.musictherapy.ca.

Reza Naghibi

writer

FAKE JAZZ RETURNS And some noise bands have offensive names

Experimental noise musicians once again have a regular place to perform in Vancouver. Fake Jazz Wednesdays, a weekly noise night, had a three-year run at the Cobalt, until that venue closed in 2009. After a brief hiatus, the event is back in full strength, though they are now hosting the event at Lick, launching right into a five day Fake Jazz Festival in March.

But why do people enjoy listening to noise? The audience for Fake Jazz (not strictly a noise event, though predominantly so) has been growing. “The regular crowd at the Cobalt helped,” explains organizer Jeremy Van Wyck. “I think the scene has changed. There is definitely a lot more dissonant music on the airways than there used to be.”

Perhaps the success of the genre lies in the offensive band names. One Wednesday night hosted two bands called Gross Placentas and Rape Fantasy, respectively. Rape Fantasy, in particular, was a point of contention for the organizers, who decided to censor the band name on that week’s poster. In retaliation, Rape Fantasy (comprised of the lone Tristan Harling) created shirts with the band name on them. Several Rape Fantasy supporters were wearing the shirts, which upset certain audience members. One woman actually left before their set began, stating that the shirts were “completely insensitive.” 

Harling explains, “When I first decided to call myself Rape Fantasy, I knew it was offensive. My best friend was raped at gunpoint last year, so I’m not pro-rape or pro-violence against women, I just try to stir up some stuff.”

The idea of “stirring up some stuff” with their art, rather than create conventional music, is the exact attitude that the musicians at Fake Jazz appear to uphold, though in some cases it works better than others. Patrick Robley, an audience member and avid noise fan admits, “Some of this music is obviously more fun to play than it is to listen to.” 

To perform at Fake Jazz isn’t difficult, as the organizers are very open to give emerging artists a platform on which to experiment. “We try to be really open to new bands and performers,” says Van Wyck, “so that people can take their ideas and put them on stage.” In this way, Fake Jazz is facilitating the growth of the noise community, rather than setting an arbitrary standard for performers to reach before they can participate.

The music at Fake Jazz is completely free and without rules, unlike other genres that typically have to follow some kind of structure. Much like free verse poetry versus sonnets, experimental noise musicians push the boundaries of what is classified as music.

Van Wyck began experimenting with noise music as a teenager, creating feedback tapes with his friends. “We didn’t know that it was music, we just knew it sounded really fucking cool.” Thus could be said for all the acts at Fake Jazz. Nobody is positive if it’s music, but everyone sure is digging it.

Ranging from the extremely soft-spoken, to the extremely abrasive, noise musicians are as diverse as the music they play. Tristan Harling fits more into the latter category. He explains why he himself enjoys playing noise: “Its offensive and it annoys people. Sometimes I’ve cleared a room just by playing a set, and it’s the sweetest compliment I could ever have.”

For more information about Fake Jazz go to www.myspace.com/fakejazzwednesdays

//Sarah Vitet

writer

FESTIVAL FUN Go small or stay home

Vancouver has never been recognized as a festival mecca in the same way that, say, Texas, or even eastern counterparts Montreal or Toronto have. Despite the fact that the last huge festival held just outside of Vancouver had problems that would evoke at least passing sympathy from Woodstock ’99 organizers, that doesn’t mean the festival scene is non-existent... it’s just a little more hidden. In this city, it’s all about going local and affordable. 

Some of these festivals have stepped into unstable territory in the past couple years, impeding our ability to rave about a thriving local festival scene. Combined with the state of arts funding in the province, it’s miraculous that any of these festivals are able to survive – for this reason they should be applauded (and attended!). So if you can’t afford a $300 Coachella ticket, don’t be too bummed (am I the only one out here that doesn’t care about Muse, anyway?). Instead, come to a much more intimate party where bottled water probably won't cost $6.

Music Waste June 2-5

More than just a music festival, this showcase of independent talent covers comedy and art as well. Music Waste is affordable, with $15 festival passes, and spans an impressive number of venues. Last year, the festival hosted 100 local bands. Anyone who struggles to grasp what Vancouver’s music scene is all about, and where the great bands are hiding can get an easy rundown just by reading the program for this festival. The fest is also surprisingly well-established, with 15 years of experience to its name.

Olio Sept 23-26

Olio caters to a similar scene as Music Waste, but it’s a vibrant newcomer to Vancouver. This festival, which encompasses music, art, film, and comedy made its debut just last August, with enough success to continue for a second year. The festival emphasizes mixed media, and also tries to balance local and international independent artists. Last year, Vancouver bands such as No Gold, White Lung and Twin Crystals played alongside Chicago group Flosstradamus and Old Money from NYC. 2010’s incarnation of the festival will feature an independent music-video competition.

Under the Volcano Aug 8

A North Vancouver institution, this festival is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary this summer. Held on the gorgeous waterfront of Cates Park, it is a day-long “festival of art and social change,” initiated by North Vancouver native and W2 creator Irwin Oostindie. Vendors adorn the edges of the park, and a stage with diverse musical acts is the attention-grabbing centerpiece. Previous acts have included popular Canadian bands such as Tegan and Sara, Black Mountain, and The Pack A.D., as well as international punk and hip-hop groups. Free shuttles to and from the event are offered all day to discourage driving, though the bus lines can get long by the end of the day.

Vancouver International Jazz Festival June 25 - July 4

Arguably Vancouver’s biggest festival, this incredible celebration of music offers a surprisingly musically diverse selection of free and ticketed shows. The big names are there – George Benson, Chick Corea, and Martha Wainwright, among others, but so are smaller acts, often doing free outdoor shows. It can also be a great place to spot up-and-comers. Pre-MuchMusic success, local act Mother Mother played a free Gastown show that was full, but modestly sized. A repeat of this would probably include gate-rushing at this point in their career. 

Victory Square Block Party (Unconfirmed) Labour Day

This much-beloved Labour Day weekend festival took a tumble last year, as a $750 field rental increase and lack of organizing support put progress to a screeching halt. The festival has always been free, and truly looks and feels like a community block party. 2007’s attendees suffered through a torrential downpour, but committed fans stuck it out in the wet dark to watch Victoria’s Frog Eyes perform an exciting and cacophonic set, as is their nature. Fortunately, organizer Cameron Reed expressed his intention to revive the festival this year, offering a softer blow to the summer’s end. Just bring an umbrella.

//Natalie Corbo

news editor

GET A JOB Mucci's map to summer success

Summertime in Vancouver approaches, and students are already looking for the perfect summer job. Unfortunately, good work often comes at the expense of good fun. Josh Holmes, a Cap graduate, summed this up for me during a recent car ride.

“It's generally a beautiful day, and all you want to do is hang out with your friends. Maybe go to the beach, but all you get to do is go toil away, at ... a menial, minimum wage paying job. That doesn’t sound appealing.”

This warning about how my summer could “potentially seriously suck” made me realize that a lot of people out there are having some difficulties with trying to figure out the best way to spend their summer, and balance making money with a great experience.

To make things a little easier, I have compiled a hit-list list of some of the best summer jobs for students. They aren't perfect, but they are aimed at finding the best balance between strategic resume building, rate of pay, and good wholesome fun.

Be ready to hit the pavement hard, and hit it early. If you want to start working on May 1st, start looking for the job on April 1. It gives you enough time to schedule interviews and deal with callback interviews. It also makes you look prepared and efficient. Send a hundred emails and visit the places you actually want to work and drop of your resume personally.

“Suit Up”. Yes, this is a quote from How I Met Your Mother, but it is still true. Your first impression really will be the strongest. Adapt your outfits to fit an employers expectations. If you are trying to get a job planting trees this summer, don’t show up for the interview wearing a tie. The right attire will show that you understand how to fit smoothly into a team.

Always show up ten minutes early for the interview. Fifteen minutes can be a little too eager, while five minutes doesn’t give you enough time to calm your nerves -- you don't want to appear rushed.

Write a kick-ass cover letter. This is legitimately one of the few times in your life where you can talk about every awesome aspect of who you are without coming off like a total ass. State your intention clearly in the beginning, then move on to your experience. Describe what this has taught you about life, then relate those insights or skils to the job you are applying for.

One page resume. After selling yourself through the cover letter, your resume should highlight some of your literal experience in the work force, your volunteer work, and your education level. It should also include your intent. List your experience prominently and don't go into tiny details. That is what your interview is for. It also pays to consult the job bank for tips. They have paid staff to assist you in perfecting your resume.

Call back. Sometimes employers just want to know who wants the job the most. Call and ask if they received your resume. Sometimes it's hard for an employer to make a decision when they have a full inbox of applicant names, so distinguish yourself early by making a personal contact. You can usually get the interview scheduled this way.

Prepare yourself. Athletes train before marathons, singers warm up their voices, and comics try jokes out on each other, so what are you going to do? Get someone to pretend to interview you until you can kill the answers. Just remember, sometimes you will be asked questions that you aren’t ready for. Be honest, but don’t be stupid. 

1. Tree Planting

Many planters report that you can make $300 a day if you are experienced, but the work is hard and it usually takes a few seasons to get you up to speed. The pros include living in a tent for the summer, having great campfire parties, and becoming immersed in nature. The cons are bugs, bears, and backbreaking labour, on top of the fact that you have to poop in the woods. See www.tree-planter.com for details.

2. Interning

Ted Sloan, an actor attending the University of Alberta, once spent a summer working at a local radio station in his hometown. While the pay wasn’t great, his experience was. “In one summer I had my arm-pits waxed, rode a blimp, [and] threw up in a 1947 fighter plane. I got into everything for free, too. I just said I was in the media, and I got to meet some of the coolest people ever.”

Unless you are in a co-op program, finding an internship in the summer requires a some digging on your own. Ask anyone that you want to work for if they take interns. After all, who doesn't want free labour? Check www.talentegg.com -- it deals specifically with students and graduates looking to break into their chosen area of work.

The pros to interning are the experience and the ability to network. The cons include the possibility of being a coffee runner for an entire summer or working insane hours, all without guaranteed pay. In fact, many internships pay close to nothing.

3. Lifeguarding

David Clarkson, a Cap student, has worked as a lifeguard for several summers now, and describes the pro side of the job: “Hot girls or guys, very good pay, awesome coworkers, [and] the job title acts as a pick up line.”

“The pay can be upwards of $20 per hour depending on where you work, and if you get a job working on the waterfront, you’re basically set.”

The downside, according to David, is that you cannot show up hung over, because if someone gets hurt on your watch you will be held criminally negligent, and there is the possibility of being stuck teaching swimming lessons for four hours out of a day.

You need certification, though, so start looking at requirements early. These can take a half year to complete if you're starting from scratch, but the money is worth it. Check out www.lifesavingbc.ca.

4. Serving/Bartending

Jamie Ward, an accounting student, worked as a server for several summers during her stint in university. Via e-mail, she sums up the experience quite neatly: “The pros: Tons of money, and it’s seasonal. This is a job where it’s fairly easy to find work, even in the interior of BC. The cons are the terrible hours ... and how stressful the job can be at times.”

Breaking into the service industry isn’t as easy as it looks -- most restaurants require servers to have certificates from the Serving It Right program, and very few will start a new server working any of the busy shifts where the most money is made. $100 a day in tips plus wages is a good point to aim for. Just be willing to work any shift they give you, because otherwise they’ll move onto the next person.

5. Office Work:

According to Siobhan Brenton, student at Grande Prairie Regional College, acting as “an office junkie ... pays great, however it is extremely boring.”

The pros to this sort of job are that if a person applies early enough, it’s very easy to find work and the hours are pretty standard. The downside to working in an office is the fact that it doesn’t always promise great pay, and weekends are the only real opportunity to catch a few rays.

Each office will offer its own wages, and you can expect anywhere from 10-17 dollars an hour. An added bonus with office jobs is that, depending on your fall schedule at school, you could potentially continue your employment, part time.

6. Landscaping/College Paint Pro Work:

Capilano alumnus and Opinions Editor Sam MacDonald explains how this job can be so rewarding for a student in the summer: “I was paid extremely well  for it, [I] got to work outside, and it was physically demanding enough that I didn’t need to go to the gym. It was usually forgiving hours, from 9-4.” 

However, Severin France, a Film Program alumnus from Cap U, had a different experience with College Pro Painters. He complained about bad organization and trouble getting paid. An average pay rate is between $10-13 dollars per hour to start for painters, and over $15 for landscapers, but a good worker can get a raise quickly in both jobs.

To get a hold of a College Pro Painters, call (604) 556-0015, or go online to www.collegepro.com.

//Nicole Mucci

writer

HOLLYWOOD RWANDA The real-life hotel manager

Ten years after a genocide that killed hundreds of thousands of people, the consumer world's eyes shifted to the small Central African nation called Rwanda with the release of Hotel Rwanda, the thrice Oscar-nominated historical film. The story follows the true-life story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the ruling Hutu militia.

Today, Rusesabagina travels around the world, speaking about his experiences during the genocide and his real-life version of the Hotel Rwanda story. Recently, he paid a visit to Vancouver, speaking to an almost full house at UBC’s Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Although Rusesabagina is globally renowned, he is not a public figure without controversy. Those who are skeptical of his story appeared at his lecture at UBC, and stayed for hours afterwards speaking to those who would listen to their side of the story. They accused Rusesabagina of being a thief who exploited people when they were vulnerable, and as a man who did not “deserve to be the face of Africa.” We, the Courier, have decided to expose both sides of this extremely controversial and sensitive topic and open it up for debate.

More than genocide

The Rwandan genocide ‘officially’ began on April 6, 1994, when President Habyarimana, Rwanda’s democratically elected leader, and Burundian President Cyprian Ntaryamira were killed when their plane was attacked and shot down just as it was about to land in the Kigali Airport. Prior to the plane attack, Rwanda had been experiencing a long history of conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis. The Tutsis governed Rwanda prior to 1959, although the Hutu population overthrew the monarchy in November of 1959. “You could see the tensions … between Hutus and Tutusis,” says Rusesabagina, whose mother was Tutsi and his father was Hutu. “These people had been frustrated for years … the genocide was just the climax.”

The sanctuary

April 6th, 1994 “was the beginning of an endless massacre,” says Rusesabagina. That day, the day the genocide began, Rusesabagina was at a dinner party with some friends.  His friend’s wife had recently graduated and Rusesabagina had helped the family get a good job. His wife wasn’t with them at the time, but when the missile struck the airplane she contacted her husband and warned him not to come back. “We stopped eating and drinking, we stopped enjoying,” reminisces Rusesabagina, who told his friends, “’I will see you tomorrow’ ...but tomorrow never came.”

At the end of the first day, twenty-six people had sought out refuge in his house, alongside his wife, and now four children (he adopted his friends’ children upon their death.) “I do not know why people decide to come to my house,” says Rusesabagina. 

He transported everyone, at the time fitting 34 people into his small car, to the hotel Mille Collines – the hotel that became is now popularly referred to as Hotel Rwanda after the movie. The hotel residents survived on corn and dried beans, without water or electricity. The hotel was also frequently under attack. Rusesabagina told of a time when he had looked outside to see soldiers climbing the walls that surrounded the hotel, and he dealt with the threat in the same way that he always did: Diplmotically. “I’ve come to learn through experiences…” he says, “the best weapons are not guns ... they are words.”

Remaining motivated

“When you go through such experiences,” says Rusesabagina of his ability to keep fighting, “you never realize what you’re doing.” He pointed out that the genocide doesn’t just find itself out of nowhere and then disappear in one day. “I have come face to face with evil, and we have come up with a compromise,” he declared. “The worst compromise is always better than any judgement.” At the time, he had never held a gun, and he discussed how important and sad it is that history keeps repeating itself. “Both sides were killing,” he stated, “…the whole country was smelling death.”

Truth and reconciliation

During the question and answer period for Rusesabagina, a row of Rwandan students stood in line to challenge his version of the Rwandan genocide. Right after the first question, he was criticized for supporting General Biziungu who caused extensive damage during the genocide. “A good guy?” asked one Tutsi survivor of the genocide, Gentille U, “If he didn’t kill people, then who killed my family?”

“I am not defending General Mungo, because I am not his attorney,” says Rusesabagina, adding that Mungo acted diplomatically with him when his hotel was threatened outside of that situation he did not want to comment.

In order for Rwanda to have a positive future, according to Rusesabagina, truth and reconciliation is the method that needs to be used. He cited the model of South Africa, a country that, though dialogue, brought the whole truth to the table.

He is very critical of Rwanda’s present government, calling it “a gray of elite.” Yet, as one professor mentioned to Rusesabagina, statistically, Rwanda appears to be doing briliiantly: it has a low rate of HIV/AIDS, life expectancy has increased in the past ten years, and the country’s GDP has improved. When compared to South Africa, in this respect, Rwanda is much better off. Rusesabagina, however, does not think these statistics are an accurate representation of Rwanda itself. “You will see that many Rwandans … in rural areas … don’t eat two meals a day.”

After an hour, Rusesabagina walked off the stage, leaving his audience with a powerful message: Rwanda’s genocide was over, but Africa’s war with the world was still ongoing and needed a revolutionary change if things were going to be different.

Against the grain

Two rows of Rwandan students waited patiently for their turn to ask Rusesabina questions but were cut off due to a time limit to the talk. Still, the Rwandan students attempted to speak into the forum's microphone but it had been already turned off. The audience, who had been preparing to exit the Chan Centre, froze in their place and began to listen.

The Rwandans disputed most of what Rusesabagina had included in his lecture, and even accused him of taking money from the people who sought refuge in the hotel. Dan Kashagama, a Rwandan himself, questioned why Rusesabagina would have to do this, taking money from people when they are at their most vulnerable. He pointed out that the economy was suffering anyway, so there was even less of a reason to take from people the little money they had left.

Africa’s Problem

What Rusesabagina and the Hotel Rwanda phenomenon is really about, says Kashagama, is to criticize the current government of Rwanda, which is run by Tutsis, and thereby “keeping score.” Both Hutus and Tutsis were killed during the genocide, and in the aftermath it has become a contest, for lack of a better word, to see who killed more than whom. “Somebody has to decide, ‘you know, the cycle breaks here',” says Kashagama.

Kashagama’s vision goes beyond what happened after the Rwandan genocide. He has a strong vision for all of Africa, and says that “none of these guys [neither Hollywood nor Rusesabagina] should be speaking for us.” He questioned whose interest it was to “perpetuate this kind of violence.” The people who are supplying the weapons, he says, is the answer. He referenced the commonality of machetes during the genocide, but pointed out that there isn’t a machete factory in Rwanda. The machetes came from an outside country, in this instance, that country was Belgium who held colonial rule until 1962.

The answer

“The problem with Africa,” he says, “is that generally it is very oppressive.” As well, as a result of colonialism, Africa was divided on the basis of land, in a division of Anglo versus France. He accused the nature of the international system of being short-sighted, of only focusing on the present, on a quick solution, instead of how to fix the problems in the long term.

“Let’s demand due process,” says Kashagama. He wants to see tariffs put on international payments, a unified currency for Africa, and a Pan-African Parliament. He hopes that the combination of these factors will help Africa move away from its colonial past and gain independence from the rest of the world.

“Aid” for Africa does not come through money, he explained. When you send money or products overseas, you end up crashing the local economy and it makes it more difficult for the countries to remain independent.

By the end, most of the audience and Rusesabagina had left the Chan centre. However, even hours after everyone left, Kashagama was still speaking to a group of seven students listening attentively. It was clear that the dialogue on Rwanda needs to be ongoing.

//Samantha Thompson

assistant news editor

BOOK REVIEW Warren Ellis' Black Summer dismembers the status quo

Black Summer is a graphic novel about a superhero killing the President of the United States. This isn’t some spoiler. In fact, it’s quite evident by the book’s cover - John Horus, a man in white, stands in the middle of the Oval Office, hands covered in the blood of the president and his advisors.

Originally released as eight single issue comics back in 2007, Black Summer, penned by Warren Ellis and penciled by Juan Jose RYP, is a superhero story in the same tar-filled vein as Alan Moore’s Watchmen, in that it's a stand alone story that challenges the modern notion of a superhero. However, this alone really isn’t too revolutionary – most modern comics flirt with the deconstruction of superheroes. What really serves as the book’s hook is that it manages to retain a sick sense of fun - rare among most “dark” hero books - thanks to the story’s world and the ideas at play.

Accordingly, the world of Black Summer is just like that of Watchmen on steroids: it’s a world much like our own, aside from a lone collective of heroes ready to defend the innocent. This time, however, they have superpowers produced through drugs and surgical implants (no, seriously). Just like Watchmen, Black Summer’s story is self-contained, and credit has to be given to Ellis’ writing for the use of flashbacks and strategically placed conversations for making the backstory artfully accessible. However, it’s not as immersive as Watchmen, whose onslaught of fictional documents and newspaper passages was a five-foot thick layer of immersive whale blubber, with some elements of the story falling by the wayside to make way for the sexy violence.


In the mist of pulverized bone a story is developed around a superhuman vigilantly group, The Seven Guns: a group of once idealistic individuals who constructed their own superpowers through various methods and applications of bio-mechanical implants and nanotechnology. Despite their superhuman abilities, mechanical modifications, and flashy suits, the core of the ethical weight of the story is supported by the fact that these superhumans are too human.


As the world’s only superhuman team, and originally comprised of young politically-minded inventors, The Seven Guns started off as a vigilantly force against police and government corruption. Years of pissing off the CIA and other groups of greater governmental authority have taken their toll on the current group, and they are nothing short of strained. After losing the public’s favour by failing to stop the 9/11 attacks and a CIA planned car bomb that both injured their leader, Tom Noir, and killed member Laura Torch (Tom’s love interest), we are introduced to The Seven Guns when they are at their physically and emotionally weakest. It’s at this point where Horus decides to damn himself in the eyes of the American people. 


What follows John’s actions is a nation in hysterics, even his (now ex) teammates wax chaotic about what to do to him, because he's changed things. Reunited out of fear of the government’s retaliation, The Seven Guns plan their course of action, whether that be to support John Horus or hunt him down and kill him. Characters’ emotional struggles are further exacerbated by the introduction of a new Government-run supergroup sent in to destroy the broken remains of The Seven Guns. Sadly enough, it’s at this point where the more radical aspects of the story’s point are streamlined for the sexy action. Having said that, the action scenes themselves are rendered in such cartoonish detail by Jose RYP that this could almost be forgiven. Pure actions scenes are also a rarely accredited skill of Warren Ellis’, whose writing ability in the set-up and execution of such grand scale violence is truly impressive. Yet, as impressive as most of the action and fight scenes are, they tend to distract from the story’s main theme and message in an attempt to merely push the plot along.


As weak as the plot can be at times, the strength shines through as it becomes more clear that this is a story focused on humans under superhuman conditions changing their worldview. It is specifically mentioned that these people were, at least when they started The Seven Guns, liberals. This is due in part to Ellis’ own political leanings, but the fact that this is mentioned so many times cements Black Summer even further into the core of the book’s purpose: the superhero political debate. Comics, specifically superhero comics, have traditionally been fundamentally conservative because superheroes represent one grand message - respect the status quo. Since the Golden Age, superhero comics have flirted with propaganda much like any other form of artistic medium. Unsurprisingly enough, any form of subtlety found in those other mediums gets kicked in the face with a star-spangled leather boot and force-fed a fist. Ever since Captain America beat up Richard Nixon (thinly veiled as a fictional character), mainstream comics have served as soapboxes to their creators, but the subtext of superheroes have always been the same. Their protection of the status quo is what makes them so popular. They fight to help keep everything as it is, as the firm hand of authority that has the power to state which shades of gray are black or white.


Despite what trends in some modern and indie comics display in the way of political message (the average working comic writer and/or artist tends to swing to the left), the actual message and symbol of authority’s rule is still the norm for modern superheroes.

Some characters have even been created to both satirize and expand the concept to levels of extreme fascism as a common trait in superheroes. Judge Dredd comes to mind – his word is Law and his fist/gun/boot heel is your judgement, and so forth. Even within this Watchmen-influenced deconstructionist-dark age of comics, few superheroes directly challenge the status quo. At least, not in the way that Ellis like to.


Black Summer water boards the status quo in blood for several hours before it even asks the first question. Within the opening prologue we are introduced to a blood drenched John Horus, active leader of The Seven Guns, as he explains to the White House press room why he just killed the President of the United States. “We’re supposed to fight evil,” Horus calmly states, displaying either utter conviction in his actions or the symptoms of a crazy person. Things start to hit close to home as he furthers his reason by stating his belief that the Iraq war “is illegal and predicated on lies”, based on corporate gain, and accuses them of torturing civilians and stealing elections. It is made abundantly clear that John is character who feels forced into his position. Although tyrannical and violent in his methods, John ultimately is a human who cares too much about saving the day.

//Sam Macdonald

opinions editor