Society

The 2013 BC Provincial Election: What Just Happened??

Steve Ferguson — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:00:15 +0000

- Vancouver, British Columbia - I wish I could just recap this whole past election in song to spice it up a little, but that’s not really feasible. But here’s the gist, for those of you British Columbians who just emerged from their stasis pods. This whole election race, the NDP were touted to win, by a large margin. The BC Conservatives, led by Sith Lord John Cummins, had scooped up 20% popular support. The Greens were making many friends. And everyone was getting downright sick of the BC Liberal party. There were talks of them changing their name. They came out with strategies to garner votes, which unfortunately got leaked to the public. Scandal after scandal, horrible comments, belligerent MLAs abounded…and from within the Liberal Party’s own ranks, a small resistance group coined “The 801 Club” existed in anonymity, allegedly ready to pounce the minute after polls closed at 8:00 pm and oust Clark as leader.

The Dove Backlash

Steve Ferguson — Fri, 10 May 2013 07:00:54 +0000

- Vancouver, British Columbia - Social media has been bombarding me with various points of view for as long as I’ve been a member of Facebook (2006). There’s a reason I try to avoid Twitter, Google+, Reddit, or whatever – it’s because I’m transfixed by social media. I find the collage of opinions and views, not to mention the interactions between people, deeply fascinating.

The Most Horrifying Argument I Ever Heard

Steve Ferguson — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 07:00:22 +0000

- Vancouver, British Columbia - Sometime ago, I was perusing Facebook, as I am prone to do, when I saw plans being made by an acquaintance to protest a protest at an abortion clinic. Well, okay, sure, why not? I realize on some level this fellow was organizing it to be glib and make a point of some kind, but I’ll be honest: I didn’t actually care either way. But something he did say stood out to me: he had a definitive argument against the pro-life movement. One so astoundingly amazing that no one could possibly counter it. He had sat down with professionals and intellectuals who helped him form this argument. And was now the ultimate authority on the subject.

Self-Discipline: Why Doing Nothing Isn't a Victimless Crime

Joel Bain — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 08:00:51 +0000

- Vancouver, British Columbia - When I was a young whippersnapper, my first dream was to be what I called a "digger." What that meant to my four year-old mind was someone who operated excavators. From there, my dream transitioned to becoming a professional hockey player, largely the result of the Vancouver Canucks reaching the Stanley Cup Championship in 1994. That lasted for a few years, resulting in me taking up competitive ice hockey, naively hoping that it would lead to a future in the NHL. That didn't happen.

Bus Etiquette 101: Ten Tips for a Better Transit Experience

Doug Ferguson — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 08:00:00 +0000

- Vancouver, British Columbia - Okay, so many of us at one point or another have used the bus to commute. We all need to get from point A to point B and sometimes public transportation is your best or only option. Many of us even use the bus on a daily basis. I am one such person; I have been using Vancouver's transit system regularly since 2004. And over this course of time, there are number of things that people do on the bus often that really rub me the wrong way. People can be really inconsiderate or at the very least naive about how their actions affect everyone around them. Public transit is just that: public. It is a shared system and if you follow a few simple rules, then everyone can get where they need to go happily and quickly... quicklyish anyway.

Valentine's Day: Corporate Whoredom, or A Case of Bitter Barts/Bettys

Joel Bain — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:01:00 +0000

- Vancouver, British Columbia - Each year around this time, I always prepare myself for two things to occur that are about as guaranteed as death and taxation befalling all of us: retailers making a heavy push for Valentine's Day sales in gifts like chocolates, cards, jewelry, etc., and secondly, a pushback from a mostly single population, who bemoans the reminder of their lack of a romantic partner. While it has never really surprised me that businesses would seek to take advantage of a day like Valentine's Day, the backlash against it has always disturbed me from a very much humanistic perspective, revealing something discouraging and disheartening about society.

Eight Lessons I Learned While Running A Cinema

Steve Ferguson — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:00:00 +0000

- Vancouver, British Columbia - This past week, it was with a heavy heart that my theatre played it’s last show, Midnight In Paris. I had known it was coming, but was expecting a later closing date. I won’t bore you with the details, but what I will tell you is that running a theatre is a life-changing experience. I won’t diminish any other management position, because I can safely say they’re all unique, whether it be running a record shop, a book store, a clothing store, or an online editorial. But there are some things I believe are pretty specific to the cinema management experience. And there are hard lessons that can apply to any position of authority that unfortunately have to be learned.

Constructing Value: In Search of Objectivity

Joel Bain — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:00:16 +0000

- Vancouver, British Columbia - It is probably fairly safe to say that at one point in time or another, every one of us has bemoaned the price of gasoline, unless of course you're an oil worker or oil executive, since you're probably laughing your way to the bank. We've often been told that as a result of political uncertainty or instability in oil-producing regions of the world, the price of oil will increase as a result of threats to the oil supply, or at least the ability of oil-producers to extract the oil from said regions. Meanwhile, demand appears to see no let up in the future as China and India continue to demand more oil as they continue to grow and overcome many of the leaders of the Western world in terms of economic output. And as oil is so key to transportation whether it be the movement of goods or the movement of people, we as a society are invariably susceptible to price changes in the oil market. Over the years, this has led to many questioning the value of oil; some even calling it inflated or manipulated. But how do we determine the value of oil? Is there an objective value to a commodity such as oil? It would seem in the minds of many that there is, but I would argue that there isn't really. Value is a subjective assignment of what one person is willing to trade or give up for the good, service, or product.

How to Not Rape Women: A Guide for Men

Joel Bain — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 07:05:18 +0000

- Vancouver, British Columbia - If you've ever read any rape prevention literature, one of the first things that you'll notice is that it is almost entirely directed towards women and what they can do to prevent being raped. Females are encouraged to take steps such as watching their drinks like a hawk when they go out; stay alert; only go out with friends; trust your instincts; or, carry pepper spray. All of these suggestions essentially put the responsibility on women, spurring them to be vigilant, since as a society, we charge women with the duty of protecting their purity and honour... Meanwhile, as far as what is said to men about preventing rape, it is quite limited. No one wants to believe that their dear sweet son, John Doe, could ever be capable of raping a woman, but they certainly believe that their innocent and pure daughter, Jane Doe, could become a victim of rape.

A Critique of Women

Joel Bain — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 07:01:03 +0000

- Vancouver, British Columbia - I remember in my early, not-so-enlightened years as a teenager, when I still worked as a barista in a small indepdendent coffee shop, there would often be older women who would come in. One of their common requests for their lattes was to be made with non-fat milk, also known as skim milk, and depending on the day and how they made their request, I remember a few times thinking why are they bothering? They are already so far gone and overweight. Why do they even bother trying with non-fat milk? Just give up. You're old.... Yes, the truth is that I haven't always been inclined towards views with feminist leanings; that would come later in life, nor was I always the most gracious person. Plus, I clearly didn't even consider as a stupid teenager that some of these women might simply have dietary health restrictions that demanded such a choice. Nevertheless, I haven't ever been able to forget about how I used to look upon these older women judgmentally for having "let themselves go" as they had, totally ignoring the fact that aging is a natural process and it isn't even normal for women or men to remain slender. Metabolisms change and skin shows more signs of age with each passing year.