Tech-Comics

iPad aids in the battle to keeP comics alive P 08

ksa council members walk out over Personal attacks P 03

vol. 3 issue 03 | september 28 2010

News aNd Culture for the studeNts of KwaNtleN polyteChNiC uNiversity

NEWS & POLITICS The Runner | www.runnerrag.ca page two | September 28 2010 | vol. 3 issue 03

Peer-to-peer sharing comes to textbooks

Canada has second-highest rate of post-secondary education spending in world

TEXTBOOK SAVINGS

THE EVER RISING COSTS OF TUITION

AROUND KWANTLEN

WHAT’S HAPPENING

AT KWANTLEN

Music @ Midweek

WHERE: Langley Campus - Auditorium

WHEN: : 12:15pm-1:00pm

WHAT: Swing by the Langley Campus Auditorium and hear your fix from Kwantlen’s musically inclined. This week will feature Francois Houle on the clarinet and Jane Hayes playing piano. Best part: it’s free!

SEPT

292010

KSA Surrey Council meeting

WHERE: KSA Offices - Surrey Campus 1240

WHEN: 12:00pm

WHAT: Find out what the KSA has been up to and have your thoughts and opinions heard on important student issues.

SEPT

292010

Senate Meeting

WHERE: Surrey Campus - Cedar 2110

WHEN: : 4:00pm-6:50pm

WHAT: Come out and hear what the Senate has been up to and the changes in policy that will be affect you.

SEPT

272010

Oktoberfest

WHERE: The grassroots cafe

WHEN: 11:00am-7:30pm

WHAT: Want to win a free trip to Germany? Swing by Grassroots cafe to celebrate Oktoberfest with beer, and possibly sauerkraut.

SEPT

302010

Thanksgiving! - School is closed!

WHERE: All campuses

WHEN: All day

WHAT: Get your fill of turkey, gravy, and stuffin’, have that mid-day nap on the couch, maybe flip through your text books because campuses are closed!

OCT

112010

After registering on Peertexts, students can search for books by title, author’s name, ISBN or even keywords like “psychology.” The idea came to them during their first year of classes. The original idea was to create a micro-loans service for small businesses. They pitched a business plan at the RBC Innovators Challenge, but the legal and logistical problems were too great for three first-year students to pursue the idea further. It wasn’t until the fall of 2008, when Labinjo contacted Di Giulio and Yee-Ching with a new idea, that their focus shifted to textbooks. Other sites, like Textbooks.

IJEFF LAGERQUISTTHE EYEOPENER

TORONTO (CUP) — Peer-to-peer could change the way many students get their textbooks, even if no downloading or piracy is involved. Three ambitious students from Toronto’s Ryerson University are hoping their new site, Peertexts.com, might have what it takes to make that happen, by putting sellers and lenders in touch with buyers and borrowers. The website is not entirely dissimilar to other sites like Craigslist, but this one comes with a twist. “We’re hoping to revolutionize the way people get textbooks,” explains 20-year-old business management student Ade Labinjo. “Instead of buying a book for $100, borrow it for $30, and [the lender] makes money at the same time.” The website is peer-to-peer in that it allows students willing to part with their books the opportunity to meet up with students needing a copy of it. The price is worked out between the two of them on their own terms. Labinjo launched the initial site last year with friends Mike Di Giulio and Justin Yee-Ching, both in Ryerson’s information technology management program.

com and Chegg, rely on costly warehouses and inventory systems to sell their books. Peertexts, however, aimed to cut out the middle-man and rely on direct peer-to-peer exchange instead. The site is also a profit-maker for its owners. Peertexts pockets a $3.99 transaction fee from each successful sale. The system has worked well for Zakaria Kibria, a fourth-year Ryerson student who heard about the site through friends. He’s since used the site to lend two textbooks and borrow at least three so far — saving over $100 in the process. “It’s very easy to use. The transactions are smooth,” said Kibria. With a growing number of campuses across Southern Ontario already available through the site, Labinjo and his team are hopeful that the site will go viral now that classes are back in session. They’re not the only ones taking the rising costs of textbooks seriously, though. Larger universities, like the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia, are starting to launch their own textbook rental programs. The cost of renting a text brings significant savings for students. Rentals at U of T are 60 per cent of the book’s retail price and 45 per cent of the price at UBC.

that richer countries spend more on education and because of that, they also have higher rates of attendance in schooling and attainment of higher levels,” he said.

Canadian statistics released on Sept. 17 indicated that tuition is rising in almost every province, and post-secondary administrators are continuing to push for dramatic increases. Kachur explained that a gradual rise in tuition represents a rise in the percentage of the total cost of education that students become responsible for, under the assumption that students are the ones who benefit the most from their education.

Joseph Marchand, an economics professor at the U of A, explained the relationship between enrolment and the cost of education.

He pointed to a study published in Higher Education in Canada, stating that the relationship favours increasing tuition. On the demand side of education, if tuition goes up by 10 per cent, then enrolment will only go down by 1.5 per cent, explained Marchand. On the supply side of education, with the government being

IMOLY MILOSOVICTHE GATEWAY

EDMONTON (CUP) — Canada is second only to the U.S. in how much of its GDP is spent on post-secondary education.

In a study released on Sept. 7, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found that Canadians spend 2.6 per cent of their GDP on post-secondary education, while Americans contribute 3.1 per cent.

Canada, along with Denmark and Finland, contributes the most public funds to universities and colleges compared to other countries studied.

Jerrold Kachur isn’t surprised by the statistics. As an educational policy professor at the University of Alberta, Kachur studies the international sociology of education. He stated that Canadians have always paid more for education in general.

“It is generally the pattern

the primary funding source, if provincial spending goes down by 10 per cent, then enrolment will drop by 3.3 per cent.

But Marchand added that this isn’t an absolute reason to keep increasing tuition.

“These demand-side statistics that I quoted, these low responses to tuition rate increases, doesn’t mean that we should punish students with increasing tuition over time,” said Marchand. “Just because they don’t react to it, doesn’t mean that it’s a good thing to keep increasing tuition.”

Kachur also questioned the composition of a student body paying higher tuition fees.

“Education is something that can be measured by a credential and has a payoff in the market at a certain price, and that’s a very narrow reading of what people do in schools,” said Kachur. “You know there are issues of enlightenment, cultural transmission, liberation and empowerment, that in a sense are also part of teaching and becoming democratic citizens. I think that’s important and that may not show up in economic return.”

Ryerson-developed website catches on throughout Southern Ontario

Raising tuition has little effect on enrolment, says economist

COURTESY OF THE EYEOPENER

NEWS & POLITICS vol. 3 issue 03 | September 28 2010 | page threewww.runnerrag.ca | The Runner

Emotions ran high at a KSA special council meeting as four members vowed to not return to council meetings until they get what they want.

Opinion: HST and the invalidity of the “everybody hates it” argument

Council members boycott meetings

I DEREK ROBERTSONABBY WISEMAN

Decisions on the U-Pass and student union building may be delayed, as four members of the KSA student council walked out of last Thursday’s special council meeting, vowing to boycott all future council meetings until the newly appointed chair of the executive board resigns.

The meeting was called to discuss the sudden dethroning as chair of Reena Bali, director of events and student life, who was replaced by Matt Todd, director of external affairs, at an executive board meeting on Sept., 17.

Tensions ran high as several members of the executive explained that now that Cram Jam was finished the KSA’s priorities had shifted to working on the U-Pass, as well as on to negotiations with Kwantlen over a KSA student union building–something that Todd is working directly on.

An emotional Bali said that she felt it was personal.

“I was sitting in the executive meeting and felt like I was being attacked by three people on not doing my job properly,” said Bali. “I feel that the argument for teamwork only works for certain people, but when it comes to someone like me, I feel members of the executive do not use team work towards me. I’m put on like an outcast.”

In an interview last week,

Todd said, “it was in the KSA’s best interest with her [Bali] being the interface between the KSA and Kwantlen for Cram Jam, but now that Cram Jam is over, the KSA’s priorities have shifted.”

“There were times where we nearly missed deadlines because the chairperson didn’t have the depth of knowledge for understanding opportunities presented by Kwantlen,” said Todd.

Todd presented the change of leadership as an expediency tool, and admitted that the previous chairperson may see the change as an attack on her duties.

Other members of the KSA council, Surrey campus director Sean Bassi, Surrey representative Pavanpreet Sodhan and Richmond director Harj Dhesi sided with Bali. Dhesi, who is also Bali’s boyfriend, advised the council that Todd should resign.

“I personally do not accept the decision that the exec. made. Therefore, I do not accept it. So out of protest I will be boycotting this meeting and any other council meetings until the consideration I recommended is accepted,” said Dhesi.

Dhesi was the first to walk out followed by Bassi, Sodhan and then Bali herself.

Richmond representative Nicole Joe and Langley representative Amy Singh also quietly slipped out, leaving only seven votes in the room.

Since a minimum of eight members need to be present to make any decisions, no further decision on the chair could be made and the meeting was adjourned.

Bali is not without reason for suspicion.

Earlier last week, Matt Todd announced to KSA council that he would likely be resigning as director of external affairs in mid-October.

When asked by a member of the board at that council meeting why he planned to exit his position, only half way through his term, Todd stated a concern over the lack of leadership in the KSA.

“I’m not here for petty politics, and would rather focus on other projects and school if this continued,” said Todd.

Bali stated in an email interview last week that she had done her best to help with other executive projects, but when it came to Cram Jam “[she] got no support from any executive. They seemed to care less.”

Bali also stated that if “an executive member wants to have the role of Chairperson, they should also actually be able to commit the time into the society, having the capability of keeping majority of the KSA functioning as a team and being able to represent the society in the best interest of all and not just doing it for their self interest because if that’s the case.”

I THOMAS FALCONE

The HST may be one of the most unpopular initiatives to emanate from a BC provincial government since the infamous Fast Ferries.

The BC Liberals have now decided to hold a referendum next year to determine the fate of the hated consumption tax. But this brings up an interesting question: how important is a law’s popularity in determining its validity?

There are many things about the HST to dislike. First of all, it’s a consumption tax that ev-erybody pays regardless of their socio-economic status. Consider this situation: two people are purchasing an essential house-hold appliance (a washing machine, or a refrigerator). One of them makes $10,000 a year, and the other makes $100,000 a year – the appliance costs $500. They will both have to pay 12% tax on their purchase, which is $60. To the appliance buyer that earns $100,000 a year $60 is a fairly insignifi cant amount of money, but $60 probably means a lot to somebody who only makes $10,000 annually.

Something about this seems morally amiss to me and I think suggesting that “the HST is fun-damentally unfair” is a far more powerful argument than saying “everybody hates the HST.”

Sometimes governments make just laws that are unpopu-lar, and sometimes governments rescind popular laws that are unjust. In the era of Barack

Obama, most Americans like to think that they have made incredible progress in the realm of racial equality since the bad old days of segregation. But there was a time when most Americans harboured a deep racism. The 1954 Supreme Court ruling that ended public segregation – Brown V. Board of Education – would probably not have passed a referendum. The ruling was very unpopular and caused widespread unrest, but I think it’s safe to say that few people would consider the ruling unjust because it was unpopular.

One of the most important but unappreciated things about life in a liberal democracy like ours is that we don’t put everything to a vote, and we shouldn’t.

The only thing that is scarier than the prospect of an absence of democracy is the tyranny of the majority. Just because most people are against something, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it – and just because most people support something, doesn’t mean we should do it. The scale of validity our society uses to judge the merit of laws should weigh how just they are and not how popular they are.

So yes, the HST may be a very bad idea. But I don’t think we should argue it’s a bad idea just because most of us don’t like it.

Thomas Falcone is pursuing a double minor B.A. in political sci-ence and philosophy. He has been a student at Kwantlen since 2006.

Meet the Kwantlen Political Science Society (KPSS). They have hijacked our political column. Every week they will talk about a different political issue and explain how it relates to you. Every week will feature a guest columnist. Check it out.

Every Thursday at 2:00 pm

Runner Offi ce: #205 - 12877 76 Ave. Surrey, B.C.

Discuss the upcoming issue & other important decisions

FREE FOOD FREE DRINKS

FREE MEETING

KSA BOYCOTTPOLITICAL COLUMN

>>

NEWS & BUSINESS The Runner | www.runnerrag.ca page four | September 28 2010 | vol. 3 issue 03

IABBY WISEMANCOORDINATING EDITOR

On a damp and cool Monday, fall casts its grey shadow over Kwantlen’s stark courtyard. Students shuffle from building to building, and a few take notice of the humble tent standing in front of Surrey Main.

“Free food” is scribbled on the canopy with a felt marker, and a homemade sign saying “Friends 4 Food” flaps in the wind.

This is home base for one of Kwantlen’s first independent student-initiated food vendors.

It’s also the source of

Kwantlen’s latest controversy.On Sept. 15, Eva Botten and

Stefanie Leonard received $615 in fines from the Fraser Health authority for operating without license. The not-for-profit vegan vendor was created to give students another option than Sodexo, Grassroots and Tim Hortons.

F4F accepts that they were operating out of bounds, but are frustrated with the school and believe it was the university that called Fraser Health. Jody Gordon, vice-president of student affairs, denies that anyone on her end made the call. She says it

was an article in The Province that caught Fraser Health’s attention.

Sitting under the tent handing out bowls of vegan soup to students and faculty alike, Leonard, Botten and Kari Michaels express their frustration with what they consider to be the school’s stifling red tape.

“It really squashes any organic initiatives that students have,” says Michaels. “Even if they weren’t serving food, they just wanted to set up a tent and talk to students about their issue. They have to go through this room booking procedure,

Friends 4 Food fraught with obstacles and then the process drags on and it just sort of takes the wind out of their sails.”

The campus isn’t really public, and everyone–external or internal–must get approval from the Dean or student services to set up an event.

The rule comes from a 1988, revised in 2004, policy called Student Events Held on University Premises. An event can be classified as setting up a table on the lawn, says Leonard.

F4F feels that this lack of flexibility is a way of policing students while protecting private interests.

“It seems to be arbitrary,”

Criminology students Stefanie Leonard (left) and Eva Botten (right) faced high fines from Fraser Health institute for operating a not-for-profit food

vendor at Surrey campus on Sept. 15. The two continue to operate without permission. ABBY WISEMAN // THE RUNNER

IRYAN KEIGHERCONTRIBUTOR

For most students, back to school means working less or not working at all. However, there are those who continue to work while in school, and even some students still struggling to find a job. There are some people, not just students, that do not know how to approach their search for a job. It’s simple: you have to show that you want the job.

Getting the job does not start with the interview, nor does it solely require a resume–that is unless you are applying online, and in that case it is how you create your resume that makes the difference.

When submitting your resume online to places like

banks, for example, you want to be careful how you word your resume.

Banks use a system that scans through resumes, selects resumes according to words that capture the job descriptions and selects from there. Not all banks follow this system, but quite a few do, and even in that case, you want to try to match your resume to the job positions available. Try using words like “customer service”, “sales”, or “product knowledge”.

On your resume, list where you go to school, the courses you have taken and relevant work history–and keep it organized. Your resume should not exceed more than 2 pages and should be to the point, but not so much that you miss some important key points regarding

your work history. If your resume lacks some experience, you should not lie on it to fill up space. When employers ask for your references, they may request one for every job, and when you cannot meet that demand, then you may have lost your chance at getting that job.

For hitting the pavement, you need to remember that your image counts. Try to go alone, or if you do go with someone, do not go in together. Employers see that as though they feel it is a package deal and that you are looking for jobs to work together. Companies typically hire individuals, not teams or couples. With that in mind, don’t forget that how you dress can say a lot too. That is not to

say it is suggested you suit up, but rather you leave your worst jeans and dirty shirts at home. However, do keep in mind that where you hand in your resume or application can vary on your approach. Treating a skate shop like you would with a law firm does not necessarily work.

Have objectives when job searching, but when asked why you want to work for their company, simply telling them you need to pay your bills does not always reflect well. It might be the truth, but not the best objective.

Just like the first contact, your interview will also sell you. Some companies will request for you to dress business casual and I suggest you follow their advice because that can be your first step in

following their instructions. Sometimes you are not given instructions for how to dress and in that case dress one notch above the person interviewing you. Dress like you want their job.

Job hunting can be time consuming and involve quite a bit of effort. Sometimes it may feel like a job all on its own, but being prepared can make it easier. It is all about communication, and if others understand your resume and application, you will move one step further than those who are not prepared.

In a new series called Business 101, we talk about ideas that affect you–like whether a bull market is better than a bear market, hot investing tips for students, or how the global economy affects your future. In the first edition, we start off simple: the search for a job.

says Michaels. “It’s like ‘oh this isn’t in our interest, it’s private. This isn’t affecting us, it’s public.’”

Gordon says that the procedures are in place to aid students in event planning and ensuring that space does not get double booked.

She also says that if a student group hasn’t booked space, they usually have no problem filling out the forms. If F4F stays without permission and another group reserves the space, they will get priority, but are not likely to be asked to leave.

“If you’re asking me if we’re going to send in police and the security, no, because I feel like then that defeats the purpose of trying to work with people, to get them to work with our procedures and our policies,” says Gordon.

To comply with Fraser Health, Botten–who has her FOODSAFE certification–says they found a restaurant in Richmond where they can prepare food. In the meantime they are continuing to operate on campus without the school’s permission.

After last month’s controversy involving student Emery Warner, who was kicked off campus for not identifying himself when approached by security while handing out anti-Sodexo flyers, F4F feels that Kwantlen has a communication problem.

“It seems to me like there is an absolute disconnect between administration and all the way up to the top to where students are,” says Botten. “They haven’t come by, they haven’t talk to us. They’ve emailed.”

Gordon says that they have communicated with F4F, and had contacted them in August, but can’t comment on an overall student-administrator communication problem.

BUSINESS 101 TOPIC THIS WEEK: JOB HUNTING

STUDENT FOOD VENDORS

>> Write for the business section? E-mail news@runnerrag.ca

1

SPORTS vol. 3 issue 03 | September 28 2010 | page fi vewww.runnerrag.ca | The Runner

Kwantlen women’s soccer: two for two

The Women’s Eagles soccer team were able to maintain their 2-0 lead in the league as they shut out UNBC at an

away game in Prince George. COURTESY OF CHELSEA JEWELL.

I CHELSEA JEWELL

The Kwantlen Eagles Women’s Soccer team was ready for a long journey to UNBC to play game two in the current short season.

Following last week’s game, every player was ready to bring a different level of intensity, all being well aware of what was at stake.

Every game counts, and for that number one spot to shadow last year’s success, a win was necessary for the game. Prince George offered a fanstastic scenic background to the well-played game.

The Eagles kicked off with a diligent start and extreme focus. Dominique Lang, starting at left forward, pressured the ball, quickly breaking down the defence of the Timberwolves. A sudden slip in the 18-yard box offered Lang the first goal on a well placed penalty shot in the 3rd minute.

Captain Brittany McNeil kept the team focused and lead a fantastic finish to a first half.

With another half to go, a second wind of energy was needed and subs were placed on the field to fill the roles of the exhausted players. Eagles bench members and field players were brought to a uproar when Marissa Dionne hit the top corner, missing the clear net by a fraction of an

inch. Pressure from the

Timberwolves lead to a corner to the left of freshman Goalkeeper Melina Gomez, with six offensive players aligned amongst the 6-yard box. A perfect in curve corner

by UNBC, but an even more perfect save by Gomez, redirecting the ball over all six players to the other side of the goal mouth.

With quick passing and placement of the ball, Gomez made an enormous save

again, keeping Kwantlen’s 1-0 lead. The save lead to a much needed wakeup call, and the Eagles quickly pushed the ball down the field to a through-ball by Tiffany O’Krane to Shanay Sangha in the 16th minute of the second half.

Kwantlen varsity men’s soccer: Eagles lose tough oneI DOMINIC SRAMATY

SPORTS BUREAU CHIEF

On Sept. 17, the Kwantlen Eagles headed to Prince George for their second game of the season.

The men came into the game 0-0-1, losing their first game of the season to the same University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves.

The atmosphere amongst the team was exceptional as they were hungry for their first win, and revenge. Coach Ajit Braich was confident in the players’ abilities.

However, the game did not begin well for the Eagles. UNBC struck quickly, winning a corner kick in the first

few minutes of the game. Afterwards, the Timberwolves continued to lay on large amounts of offensive pressure.

Number 9 Rakan Alquwa came in strong down the right wing and shot on net. The ball took an unfortunate bounce off lunging defender Cody Dunn and sent the ball opposite of the Eagles’ keeper Tom Johnston.

The unlucky goal woke up the disheartened Eagles as they immediately began to lay on the offensive pressure.

Jacob “Big Cat” Staiheine, 18, began the offensive onslaught with a hard shot from outside the 18-yard box.

Connor Sheepwash delivered a dangerous cross

from the right flank soon thereafter, that was collected by the keeper.

The confidence began to rise and the Eagles kept pressing on with numerous scoring chances.

The Eagles best chance to score in the first half came off Ryan Sidhu’s free kick to Kevin Coles, whose wide open shot bounced off the keeper to Sheepwash, who shot wide.

The second half started in favour of the Timberwolves. Rakan Alquwa blasted a shot past the defence only to be saved by a sprawling Amraj Lally, who substituted on for Johnston at half time.

Soon after, the Timberwolves gained a free kick in the Eagles

defensive zone. Kellen Strobl, 5, caught the Eagles off-guard, taking a shot while the Eagles were still being told to back the defensive wall 10 yards. The Timberwolves scored on the play.

Outraged at the official’s mistake, the Eagles protested strongly.

An emotionally enraged Ryan Sidhu, 11, drew the yellow card soon afterwards on a careless defensive play.

The rattled Eagles could not gain composure.

Mid-half number 10, Daniel Dell, crossed the ball to a streaking Travis Hicks who scored off a laser of a shot.

From then on, the Eagles were a team possessed laying

on large amounts of offensive pressure. The Eagles outshot the Timberwolves four to six.

Late in the second half, Kyle Parkash got a step on the UNBC defender and was able to deliver the perfect lead pass to open Jethro Kambere who scored with ease past the Timberwolves keeper.

UNBC put the last nail in the coffin after Lally misplayed the ball off a Timberwolves through-ball. It played right to Rakan Alquwa who placed the ball in the empty net.

The Eagles rebounded with more offensive pressure, however, it was not enough. The Timberwolves took this one 4-1.

Post-game, Coach Braich was proud of the effort telling the boys that, “if [they] keep this up, the results will come.”

As is expected with a rookie-dominated team, a lot of growing room is possible. The undisciplined Eagles showed a lot of potential Saturday, and should be confident going into the official stadium opener next Saturday at Newton Athletic Park versus the Thompson Rivers University Wolf Pack.

EAGLES SOCCER-WOMEN

www.runnerrag.cawww.twitter.com/runnerragwww.twitter.com/groatinthesackwww.facebook.com/runnerpaper

As provincial champions the Eagles had to bring their A-game against UNBC. With pressure mounting, the women’s soccer team was able to pull out another win in sunny Prince George.

A fast paced second half, a full 100 per cent commitment to take the lead of 2-0 with just under half an hour on the clock.

The Kwantlen Eagles now played a strong defensive game to prevent goals against them, and gave Gomez a second straight shut-out in her Freshman showcase in the BCCAA League.

With the clock running short, the UNBC team picked up its intensity along the Kwantlen sidelines.

The game slowly coming to a close, Kwantlen played their defence in the offensive zone, toying with the UNBC’s goalie and defensive line. Meghan Nillson got the last word of the game with a fantastic free kick to the corner, sending Dionne on one last scramble into the 18-yard box for a last shot, wide of goal to close the deal.

With the sun in the sky, the Kwantlen women’s soccer team had won its second consecutive 2-0 win over the UNBC Timberwolves. With unbelivable saves in goal and with distribution of talent all over the field, the quality of play between the two games had drastically improved.The Eagles are well on their way to defend their Provincial title, and each game is only going to get more intriguing.

EAGLES SOCCER-MEN

EDITORIALpage six | September 28 2010 | vol. 3 issue 03 The Runner | www.runnerrag.ca

The Runner is student owned and operated by Kwantlen Polytechnic University students, published under Polytechnic Ink Publishing Society.

Vol. 3, Issue no. 03September, 28 2010ISSN# 1916-8241

#205-12877 76 Ave.Surrey, B.C. V3W 1E6www.runnerrag.ca

EDITORIAL DIVISION:

Co-ordinating Editor // Abby Wisemaneditor@runnerrag.ca

Culture Editor // Kristi Alexandraculture@runnerrag.ca

News Editor // Kassandra Linklaternews@runnerrag.ca

Production Editor // Cat Yelizarovproduction@runnerrag.ca

Media Editor // Matt Lawmedia@runnerrag.ca

BUREAU CHIEFS:

Arts & Design // Mae Velasco

Creative Writing // Jared Vaillancourt

Current Events // (Vacant)

Entertainment // (Vacant)

Environmental // (Vacant)

Health // (Vacant)

Lifestyle // Jeff Groat

Politics // (Vacant)

Sports // Dominic Sramaty

Student Affairs // Chris Yee

Travel // (Vacant)

CONTRIBUTORS:

Matthew Bossons, Jeffrey Yip, Carlie Auclair, Matthew DiMera, Derek Robertston, Thomas Falcone, Chelsea Jewell, Ryan Keigher

Cover Art // Cat Yelizarov

BUSINESS DIVISION:

Operations Manager // DJ Lamops@runnerrag.ca

Offi ce Co-ordinator // Victoria Almondoffi ce@runnerrag.ca

Operations Assistant // Brittany Tiplady

Distribution // The Now Newspaper

THE RUNNER

IMATTHEW DIMERACONTRIBUTOR

Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been all over the news in recent months.

The KSA’s Beat the Bus race, wherein both cycling and running proved to be faster than taking transit between the Surrey and Langley campuses, prompted a spate of media coverage about TransLink’s shoddy bus service south of the Fraser.

Criminology student Emery Warner also gathered his fair share of digital ink and newsprint after security removed him from campus for distributing fl yers protesting Kwantlen’s new food service provider, Sodexo.

Whether these were good-natured publicity stunts or not, these stories sparked important discussions, both at Kwantlen and in the larger community: about public transportation, free speech and academic freedom.

Not every story has ended with such positive outcomes. Kwantlen also made headlines this summer after a Freedom of Information search revealed that Kwantlen had received $50,000 to research the same development of agricultural land that it had spoken in favour of before a Delta land committee in December of

2009.Not only did Kwantlen fail

to disclose that the Century Group question had paid for the research, but the school also was set to receive a reported $100,000 endowment fund and use of a research centre if the development went ahead. Kwantlen’s executive director for research, Jason Dyer told The Province in July that the researchers weren’t lobbying and that research costs have to be paid by somebody.

Dr. David Atkinson has commissioned a review of the situation and has promised to report the results to the Kwantlen Board of Governors and to the public, but the whole thing smacks of damage control, too little and too late.

Kwantlen has only been a fully-fl edged university for a very short period of time and its reputation and credibility as an academic institution is still being formed. Undisclosed confl icts of interest and ethics violations are not things we want associated with the Kwantlen name.

When the fi nal report is in, we need to know how this could have been allowed to happen and how we as students and members of the community can be assured that it will never happen again. Students should have confi dence that when they graduate, their Kwantlen degree will be something of which they can be proud.

While popular wisdom may claim that there is no such thing as bad publicity, this is defi nitely publicity which Kwantlen cannot afford.

ART

OPINION: KWANTLEN

Kwantlen’s recent media attention could be making us look bad

Bad press is bad press

ANTONIO SU// THE RUNNER

Criminology student Emery Warner sparked media attention after being

kicked off Surrey campus for refusing to identify himself. Warner was

handing out flyers protesting Kwantlen’s new cafeteria, Sodexo.

THE RUNNER

TAKING THE SCENIC ROAD DOWN SOUTH

TRAVEL vol. 3 issue 03 | September 28 2010 | page sevenwww.runnerrag.ca | The Runner

ROAD TRIP

TOFINO

I MATTHEW BOSSONS

We had been hiking for 45 minutes and still there was no sign of our

end goal. The trail had been long and treacherous, at times our advancement was slowed to only a half dozen feet per minute.

This was largely in part to the bog like conditions along most of the trail and large open spaces where the trail itself became lost and navigating became difficult. We had been warned of this by a travel information employee at the travellers centre just south of Tofino, but we disregarded her warnings as ‘overblown’ because of her old age. For a minute I thought she might have been right.

The trail my companions and I were hiking was about a kilometre south of the Radar Hill parking lot along the highway; near a telephone pole bearing the number 300 on it. I

had been to Tofino many times before but had never heard of this trail and the unique treasure that lay at its end for anyone who dared hike it. When the story was relayed to me of a crashed WWII bomber just outside Tofino along said trail, I knew I had to check it out. The bomber had apparently crashed in 1944 during one of the terrible winter storms that regularly occur along the west coast of Vancouver Island. All crew had survived and hiked out to the highway but the plane itself was never removed because of its location on a hillside a good distance from the highway.

I was in Tofino for a weekend of surfing and exploring with my girlfriend and another couple I knew from Victoria. Everyone seemed interested enough that we decided to undertake this hike with the limited information we had. We loaded up my girlfriend’s jeep with my camera, bug-

repellent, a case of beer and off we went. The closest to the trail you can get in your car is to park at the Radar Hill parking lot and walk south along the highway. Parking alongside the highway is illegal and having your vehicle towed is quite obviously undesirable. Once we got to telephone pole #300 we hiked up into the woods along a rustic and overgrown trail. The trail almost immediately began going up hill alongside a forested ravine, at the crest of the hill stood an old abandoned building of some sort. We wandered through it, it was empty and overgrown with vines and brush. The four of us continued on down the trail which, shortly after the abandoned building, became increasingly more muddy. The bog like conditions continued almost all the way to the plane.

I was told when we were close we would notice a large pond to the right of the trail, in a field of knee high grass.

This pond is a crater that had been filled in over the years by rain water and run-off from the nearby slopes. How was this crater created you ask? Well, when the plane was coming in for an emergency landing the pilots deployed their explosive cargo to avoid landing with it still attached to the plane. The pond was large and murky, with a diameter of roughly twelve feet. The four of us passed along the left side of the pond and up a steady slope towards the plane. At this point the tail end was visible through the trees and we trudged onward to our long awaited goal.

The plane was almost more amazing then I had imagined. It was large, roughly 40 – 50 feet in length, although I admit this is an educated guess. The plane was decorated in colourful graffiti, patches of rust and 70 year old dents and scratches. The front cabin of the aircraft was almost unrecognizable,

smashed into the rock hillside, while the body of the plane was stunningly still intact. The four of us climbed to the front of the plane then up onto its wingspan where we enjoyed a cold drink and gazed out upon the marshy flatland we had just traversed. I took many photos, as did my other companions.

We climbed all through the plane, right to the tail end where we could poke our heads out a hatch heading onto the top of the plane. The rusted old engines had fallen off the wings long ago, possibly during its landing, and the group of us examined them in awe. It truly was amazing that the men on- board this plane survived such a horrific crash in such a remote area, especially before creation of the trail that now leads to the planes final resting place. The four of us took one final look around and after spending a half hour at the crash site, we began the long walk back to the highway.

I CHARNA ERLICHMAN

Whether there’s just one, or there are five of you, it’s easy to go on an outdoorsy two week vacation for under $500. All you need

is a car and a tent. Between most cities, there are stretches of national parks where camping is available without even reserving in advance, although it is recommended to reserve wherever possible so your campground isn’t booked up.

As long as you plan carefully based on what kind of camping site you aim for, you can make your road trip adventure as comfy or as rugged as you like.

Be wary of family campsites where the sites are very close together and

generally packed with RV’s; these tend to quash any sort of feelings of having escaped the city.

Always overestimate how long it will take you to get to the next campground. Driving at dangerously high speeds to cover hundreds of kilometres before the sun goes down, or the temperature drops can be avoided. Also, you don’t want to arrive and have a gate barring you from entering the campground.

Although, it might seem easy to sleep in your car, or to camp on the side of the road, laws prohibit it. Sleeping in your car overnight is surprisingly cold and uncomfortable, so don’t feel like you’re missing out.

Our southern friends have a lot to offer if you’re looking for a truly other-worldly experience.

Check out Zion National Park in Utah. It has a Mars-esque landscape with fire-coloured rock formations.

On your way down, you can also see the world renowned Yellowstone National Park in Montana, and visit the famous Old Faithful geyser.

However, much more impressive than a giant orgasmic geyser is the hauntingly strange idea that you’re standing on a volcano.

Once that idea messes with your head long enough, get out of there and head to a fun city.

Las Vegas is only a few hours away, and you can wash your clothes at a local Laundromat once you get there.

You can take in the free shows at the hotels and catch a bite of something to eat before you get back in your car and follow the highway to San Francisco.

There’s still time to get your Halloween gear, so when you’re in San Francisco, check out the Haights at Ashbury and Japantown.

If you want to go to Japan, but lack the funds, consider Japantown a step in the right direction. There is a mall that spans a few city blocks devoted to all things Japanese.

Finally, drive over to take a peek at the Oregon Coast which is a must-go-to place for photographers.

The waves crashing against rugged rocks, endless beaches and ever-blue skies make this a rather romantic section of your journey. With many camp grounds along this area, there’s no need to pay for a hotel.

The Coast can be done in two days and you can hit Portland, an artsy city, on your way home. Have fun!

MATT LAW // THE RUNNER

Tofi no’s hidden historical gem

FEATURE The Runner | www.runnerrag.ca page eight | September 28 2010 | vol. 3 issue 03

DIGITAL COMICS

COMICWARS

Changing the way readers consume comics has sparked a new battle for relevance

and readership in these digital times.

In January 2010, an unimposing, unshaven, slight man stepped onto a stage and

greeted his audience with a pleasant smile.

He moved about the stage with grace and confidence in worn, gray sneakers, his audience captivated by his every word.

Although he doesn’t look like a superhero, in his black, long-sleeved t-shirt, tucked into faded blue jeans, Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc., holds the iPad, a device that many expect is the game changer for the comic book industry.

According to Jason Thibault, the iPad will finally give readers a device on which they can read a comic book or webcomic without being disrupted simply because the page doesn’t fit on the screen. Apple’s tablet will do for books what iTunes and iPods did for CDs: Make them obsolete.

“Apple … has to put a sexy, practical device in your hands … and the device has to work just like how the iPod works for music,” Thibault said.

Thibault is the founder and co-owner of Optimum Wound Comics, a Vancouver-based boutique publisher, specializing in horror and “grim-and-gritty crime stuff.”

“We published REX in May 2008 and Optimum Volume One in September 2009. So I guess you could say we’ve only been in the publishing game for a few years now,” Thibault said.

Since then, Optimum Wound Comics has become an e-zine and online resource for comic creators, with how-to guides and interviews with comic book artists. Thibault hopes to get back into publishing and plans to launch a new comic in the coming year.

Over the past three decades, increased costs and competition have lead to steadily declining sales and readership of comic books.

In 1968, the average monthly

comic book cost 12 cents and today, the top-selling comic book costs $3.99. The increasing cost has left casual readers hard-pressed to take chances on new titles, and with comic bookshops being among the few remaining places to find comic books, it has made it harder for the industry to find new readers.

Add to that the competition from a multitude of entertainment options available, and it’s no wonder the industry is suffering.

Thibault sees the evolution of the publishing industry as a war between netbooks, laptops and the iPad “or whatever slate-type device.”

“When they finally nail down one or two portable media devices that the universe is happy with and that you can read everything on it, then you’ll probably be comfortable with the idea of buying a PDF [portable document format] for $5.99 or whatever,” Thibault said.

Initial feelings about the iPad by some in the comic book industry were cautiously positive.

“I don’t think it’s the be-all, end-all for comic books. I think it’s a good start,” Ira Rubenstein, executive vice-president of Marvel’s Global Digital Media Group, said in late January. “It’s definitely something we’re exploring, but it’s not something we’re going to rush right out and do.”

But, two months later, Marvel sang a different tune.

In April, Marvel announced the launch of the Marvel Comics App for the iPad. The app is free and currently boasts a library of 500 comics. Each individual comic will cost $1.99.

“We’re excited to introduce an unparalleled digital comic experience to our fans with the Marvel Comics App for iPad,” Dan Buckley, publisher and CEO of Marvel Publishing, wrote in a press release. “The iPad is the first device that offers us a chance to present digital comics that are even close to

replicating the experience of reading a print comic.”

DC’s comics were absent from the iPad release. According to Thibault, DC usually waits to see what Marvel does before making its move.

But, within a few months, DC not only announced its own app for the iPad, but also announced it’s partnership with comiXology and PlayStation Network “for two separate digital comics distribution deals,” according to a DC press release.

“At DC Comics, it has been a top priority that DC forges a meaningful, forward-looking digital strategy,” Jim Lee, legendary comic book artist and Co-Publisher, DC Comics, said.

ComiXology will be responsible for bringing the DC Universe to the iPad, as well as DC’s digital comics online.

According to the press release, “DC’s partnership with comiXology also includes a first-of-its-kind Retailer Affiliate Program, which will collect a portion of digital revenues to be invested back to and on behalf of comic book retailers in a variety of initiatives.”

“We look forward to working with our partners in the industry—the creators, the retailers and the fans—as we experiment with our digital strategy, in a manner that remains additive to our traditional business models,” John Rood, Executive Vice President, DC Entertainment, said.

Each distributor will have different libraries with some titles available from both distributors. Of course, some titles will be exclusive to each distributor. For example, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman will only be available through comiXology. Not surprisingly, the PlayStation Network will exclusively carry comic book titles based on videogames.

One hundred comics will be available for the iPad app and at the comiXology storefront at launch time, and 80 available on the PlayStation Network.

I JEFFREY YIP

FEATURE vol. 3 issue 03 | September 28 2010 | page ninewww.runnerrag.ca | The Runner

DIGITAL COMICS

Unlike Marvel’s uniform pricing, DC’s digital comics will have what Lee refers to as “day and date” pricing. New monthly comics will be available for $2.99. After the comic has sat on the digital shelf for four weeks the price will fall to $1.99. Older titles will cost $0.99 to $1.99.

This announcement gives DC its first meaningful online presence.

“This innovative offering breaks new ground, and makes some truly great works available in digital form for the first time,” Thomas Gewecke, President of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, said.

Days after its release, reviews of the iPad and the Marvel Comics App were mixed, as iPad owners who already subscribed to Marvel’s digital comics online were disappointed they couldn’t use the app to access their existing library.

Initial reaction to the DC Comics app is similarly mixed, with some fans questioning DC’s pricing structure and the small library, considering that the digital comics available are not simply from the DC Universe, but include titles from DC’s other publishing houses, Vertigo and Wildstorm.

“It’s going to be fun in the next year just watching all of this unfold,” Thibault said.

“They’ll be the e-book wars that people will be talking about 10 years from now when people are absorbing media with something that is way cooler than everything is now,” Thibault said.

“I’ve read comics online, but it’s going to take some getting use to reading comic books on a digital reader. This is what the future is going to be. You’re going to consume what you want in the format you want to consume it in or [comic book publishers] going to go out of business. You are going to demand to see it how you want to see it.”

And just as January 2010 gave the industry a superhero, it may have also ushered in the end of the era of the paper comic.

“One hundred per cent. And that’s coming from a guy who loves print and loves paper. It’s just too convenient. PDFs and digital documents all the way,” Thibault said. “I love the hardcover. The over-sized. I love paper. I love how it looks. But I read 90 per cent online now.

“You don’t necessarily want the hassle of ownership. You don’t necessarily want to build a new bookshelf. You just get tired of having to move and store like 3,000 pounds of books. All the content creators are starting to get that now.”

That doesn’t mean the paper comic is going to go away. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Big Two see digital comics not as replacement for paper comics but as a way to expand the market for print.

But, Thibault believes the reality is that as electronic portable reading devices, such as the iPad, become cheaper and more popular, the value of

paper comics as direct market revenue will surrender itself to its digital brethren.

As a creator himself, Thibault is realistic about comic books in the digital age.

“It doesn’t matter how it’s done, as long as it gets read.

“In the future, when you’re reading digitally but someone puts out a limited edition over-sized, hardcover glossy version of it, it’s not going to be convenient at all, but the people who want it are going to buy it,” Thibault said.

“The people who buy in print are going to be like the vinyl collectors, I’m talking like10 years from now. Every time you put out a new product, the guys who want the vinyl are the same kind of guys who are going to want your signed hardcover. The people who want print are going to get it.”

The Big Two toyed with digital comics before the launch of the iPad.

Vertigo Comics is DC’s label for any titles that don’t fit nicely into their superhero universe. Vertigo’s titles range from crime and espionage to horror and the esoteric. It allows readers to download the first issue of selected titles for free.

Right now, previews are available for titles such as Hellblazer, which inspired the

movie; Constantine; Human Target, a new TV-series on FOX; and The Losers, a movie released in April 2010.

The free preview has the benefit of attracting casual readers who may be reluctant to drop nearly four dollars on an unknown title. Publishers hope the reader will buy the rest of the issues or the collected edition, commonly referred to in the industry as a trade paperback.

It also has the benefit of giving people who are only familiar with the movie or TV version of comic a chance to see where it came from. The free preview may be the gateway drug that turns someone who wouldn’t read comic books into a reader.

More recently, DC has found another avenue into digital comics through an online publishing arm called Zuda Comics. Zuda showcases webcomics by creators outside of the superhero mainstream. Anyone can upload a comic, if it meets DC’s submission guidelines.

Each month, DC selects 10 of the best webcomics to compete for an online publishing deal with Zuda. Fans and readers vote to select the winner and all of the comics that participate in the competition can be read on the Zuda website for free.

Like Vertigo, because Zuda is outside of the mainstream, the genres of the comics are

diverse.And that’s really the point.

If you want spandex wearing, super-powered superheroes go to DC. But, if you’re looking for something different, there are the digital options at Vertigo and Zuda.

The current incarnation of Marvel’s digital comics has been around since late 2007. Readers can preview a limited selection of titles, but for the most part Marvel’s digital comics can only be read by buying a monthly subscription through the company’s website. Marvel’s online library of titles is extensive, spanning multiple titles from Marvel’s golden age up to the present. According to the website, the online library boasts over 5,000 comics.

Marvel has also gone one step further, creating exclusive content available for download at Apple’s iTunes store for $1.99.

The Marvel Motion Comic website debuted at the 2009 New York Comic Con, with two titles: Astonishing X-Men, by writer Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly) and art by John Cassiday (Planetary and Hellboy: Weird Tales) and a brand new story about Spider-Women, written as a motion comic by Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man and co-

creator of Powers) and drawn by Alex Maleev (Daredevil).

Motion comics changes the storytelling format of the traditional comic. No more speech bubbles. Instead, actors speak the dialogue. And, of course, some of the panels are animated.

Joe Quesada, Marvel’s editor-in-chief, believes that the motion comic is evolution of comics, taking “existing comic art, the flat static art” and animating it.

Still, the industry’s move towards digital goes beyond simply becoming cutting edge. Much like the movie and music industries, the comic book industry’s bottom line is being eroded by piracy.

“In a digital format, the second we’ve got a consumer society buying things in a digital format, the second it’s out there, it’s on the torrents. I’m not against it. I know some people are. I know that some people are very angry about it. I get that,” Thibault said.

A group of dedicated scanners, known online line as DCP, post new scans of print comic books every week.

“DCP stands for Digital Comics Preservation. Unlike mother nature and father time, we want comics to be around for a long, long time. Therefore, we work towards digitally preserving ALL comics we can find. This includes new comics, old comics, popular comics,

small-press comics, and even a few fan-made comics that only a handful of people ever saw. If it’s a comic, we’ll scan it,” DCP’s mission statement reads.

A week’s worth of DCP scans can usually be found on most of the popular torrent websites. (A torrent is a peer-to-peer file sharing technique that has made digital piracy increasingly easier.)

DCP scanners make high-quality digital scans of each page of a comic book, sometimes including or excluding advertisements. The images are then archived, or “zipped,” together as a .zip or .rar file, which in the comic book piracy world are renamed .cbz or .cbr.

The industry’s argument against the DCP is that publishers’ intellectual property is being illegally reproduced and distributed.

However, the industry believes it can actually stem the tide of piracy by moving to a digital format.

In an interview at the New York Comic Con, John Cunningham, vice-president of advertising at DC Comics, talked about stopping piracy:

“I think the key is not to figure out how to ferret out the pirates, it’s to come up with a digital delivery system … where you can convince people

it’s worthwhile to pay for [comics], because people don’t believe that digital stuff should be paid for,” Cunningham said.

iTunes has proven that even with access to pirated media, people are willing to pay for music, movies or TV. With iTunes, there’s no hassle finding the media you want or having files transferred to your computer, iPod or even phone.

Amazon.com has also proved that people are willing to buy digital media.

During the 2009 Christmas season, Amazon.com’s Kindle was its best-selling product and sales of ebooks surpassed sales of regular print books.

Given the success of iTunes and the Kindle, it’s not surprising that the comic book industry would begin to embrace digital comics and portable electronic reading devices.

But, can the iPad and digital comics really save comic books or will it simply be another crutch for an industry suffering from declining readership and rising costs and locked in a never-ending battle for attention.

With the success of comic book movies, it might appear to those outside of the comic book industry that the popularity of comic books has never been higher. But, the success of superhero movies has only translated into a slight increase in comic book sales for the title.

Apple … has to put a sexy, practical device in your hands … and the device has to work just like how the iPod works for music

FEATURE The Runner | www.runnerrag.ca page ten | September 28 2010 | vol. 3 issue 03

DIGITAL COMICS

less,’” Thibault said.Gimmicks to entice readers

such as “Who will live?” and “Who will die?” this month storylines are clichéd. And complex crossover of titles have made it near impossible for casual readers, and readers returning to comics after a long hiatus, to understand what is happening without reading several years worth of back stories.

“I think they should try a little harder. They’ve done a lot of good things in the past decade and the argument is being made that there’s more relevant work being pushed out now than ever before, both in print and online, but now ... there’s no excuse not to be trying to make statements and stay relevant.”

That’s what Stan Lee did when he introduced his X-Men in 1963, representing racial minorities and youth culture of the 1960s. The fictional “Mutant Registration Act” of the X-Men comic was social commentary on the U.S. Jim Crow Laws, which discriminated against non-whites.

Stories appealed to the youth of the ‘60s because they explored issues relevant to the times.

Lee pushed the envelope again in 1971 when he published three issues of the Amazing Spider-Man (#96-98), without the approval of the Comics Code Authority. The CCA regulated comic books in the U.S. to ensure that what was then deemed as inappropriate material wasn’t published.

Lee was approached by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare to do a story about drug abuse.

The story was written and portrayed drug use as, what the CCA code would later describe, “a vicious habit.” The CCA refused to approve the story because the story it was about drugs and drug use, calling the story irrelevant.

Lee published the story. It was well-received and forced the CCA’s to revise the code to allow creators room to depict crimes, drug use and violence as storytelling devices as long as those acts were not glamourized.

In October 2001, cartoonist

“I think movies are more the way the genre is going. Like Iron Man, that was the coolest thing ever,” Thibault said. “But, why would I buy an Iron Man graphic novel? There’s no point in reading superhero comic books anymore.”

And, according to Thibault, movies aren’t anymore sustainable than print comics.

“It’s a craps shoot. I mean you can’t bank on any of that. You don’t measure success by getting your comic book made into a movie. Then you should just be making movies if that’s what you want to do. You shouldn’t be making comics.”

One hope for the comic book industry is in the rash of lesser-known – or unknown – superheroes and non-superhero themed comic books that have inspired upcoming movies: Dead of Night, a supernatural thriller, was based on an Italian comic book series by Tiziano Sclavi; Priest, about a warrior priest who goes on a quest to find his niece who was captured by vampires, was based on a popular manga series by Hyung Min-woo.

The Losers, based on a Vertigo comic by Andy Diggle and Jock, about a team of elite soldiers who are betrayed by their leader, may prove to be better in converting comic book movie fans into comic book readers.

Despite the movies and video games, Thibault believes that the comic book industry is first and foremost a publisher.

“Video games and movies are awesome, but it means you’re just beholden to so many other powers that you’re no longer in control,” Thibault said. “If you’ve built an audience for your comic, you shouldn’t have to rely on movies or TV or video games. That’s all cherry-on-top-of-the-sundae-type stuff.”

Thibault’s lament is that the medium has almost entirely become the playground of superheroes.

“These characters are just icons. I don’t read a lot of that stuff. But, while I’m there, I’m caught up in the world they’ve created,” he said.

“If you’re writing a superhero comic book, you don’t need to bend all the rules, you just need to have fun. I mean these characters can seemingly do anything so have fun with it.

“Batman is stupid, if you think about it. It’s a guy running around in a cape. But what a fun movie,” Thibault said.

“A lot of people forget that a lot of it started off as black-and-white on newsprint. It was disposable. It wasn’t revered and bagged and boxed. It was for reading. You read it and you couldn’t wait to read the next volume,” Thibault said.

The acceptance and acknowledgement that its audience is becoming increasingly digitally-oriented means that the comic book industry is trying to be more in touch with their fans.

“What’s the old saying: ‘If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even

David Rees began publishing a webcomic called Get Your War On.

“Yeah, Get Your War On, that was amazing. That was one of the most caustic, offensive [comics], but it made a point about the second Gulf War,” Thibault said.

“He told it using these … generic-looking ‘70s pieces of office clip art ... but they’re saying the most insane, poignant things about the Bush administration … cussing their heads off. The first time you read that it’s like you’ve found something new,” Thibault said. “I don’t think that could have been done in any other medium … it’s a political cartoon but could never be in a newspaper.

“There should be a few works [such as these] that are put out every year that are important in the same way that people talk about other media: ‘Did you see this movie?’ or ‘Did you read that book?’ Comics have no excuse for not becoming and staying relevant like that.”

In January 2009, Marvel Comics published a comic to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama, in what Marvel called a “Spidey/Obama Team-Up.” The story takes place in Washington, D.C. on Inauguration Day and finds one of Spider-Man’s oldest foes attempting to thwart the swearing-in ceremony of the 44th president of the United States.

“That’s not being relevant,” Thibault said. “That’s more like forcing yourself on people saying ‘Hey! Look at us! We can talk about issues and whatever, too.’” Thibault said. “That’s not why people read comics.

“With Get Your War On, someone found a way to express their immense dissatisfaction in a way that we could laugh and cry all at the same time.”

In Thibault’s opinion, this type of pandering that the comic book industry has resorted to to sell comic books is obnoxious.

“They forget that with comic books you can get away with a lot more and experiment. ‘Cause if it didn’t really work, you’ll be back next month with something else.”

If comic books are to thrive they need to be relevant Thibault says.

“Why should a nine-year-old kid care about aging superheroes when the next big thing coming out of Asia is going to be way cooler and speaks to them? The only reason we like Batman, it’s not because we discovered him when we were 22, it’s because there was something about him that spoke to us when we were kids,” he said.

“But, when a kid can turn on the TV and can watch the next new anime and everything is all speed lines and lasers and everything is just epic … why should they care?”

According to Vertigo Comics writer Chris Roberson, “in the attempt to do the kinds of comics that will appeal to the mythical ‘mainstream’ audience while not offending the traditional fanbase … the risk that publishers run in chasing that strategy is to end up pleasing neither … The problem is that in the majority of cases, those two audiences are looking for different things.”

“It’s a war for attention,” Thibault said.

Even with all of the challenges that the industry is facing, Thibault believes that the industry can adapt and change.

“Comics will never go away,” Thibault said. “They explore sides of the self that you don’t get to do. It’s mythology. It’s power fantasy. It’s a slick storytelling device. The amount of information that you could convey in one page of a comic book, it would take half of a novel or movie to do.”

And the Big Two are hoping that portable electronic reading devices will help them continue to tell stories. The key is to find out how best to use technology to recreate the experience of reading a print comic book.

“I think the one advantage we have going for us is that people do put a premium on actually holding a comic book,” Jim Lee said.

Lee understands that many of the faithful, have taken to torrents and reading comic books in a digital form simply because they can’t afford to buy multiple titles.

“But if you ask them: ‘How do you prefer reading it?’ they always prefer to read it on paper,” Lee said.

So, for now at least, the industry has taken a cautious, wait-and-see approach and continues to test the digital comics market. Until Apple or Amazon.com or whoever builds a device that the Big Two can say gives readers the full experience of reading a paper comic book, the industry will continue to limp along clinging to it’s paper past.

“I just think in 2010, we’re in this weird time, and I just want to keep marrying the old with the new. I don’t care how people read them, I don’t care if they hold them in their hands in paper,” Thibault said. “It doesn’t matter how it’s done, as long as it gets read.”

“Good comics is just good comics.”

FASHION vol. 3 issue 03 | September 28 2010 | page elevenwww.runnerrag.ca | The Runner

Kwantlen’s studying in styleThough many university students mourn the summer months, fall promises the warmth of pumpkin spice lattes, the return of many of our favourite primetime shows and a new season of clothing and couture. Our arts and design bureau chief, Mae Velasco, caught up with a few Kwantlen students who are coming back to fall semester with flair.

lMAE VELASCOARTS AND DESIGN BUREAU CHIEF

Shirt: Garage Clothing Co., Shoes: Aldo ballet fl ats, Purse: vintage, from Scotland

The Dirt. Scar Tissue. The Heroin Diaries. None of these rock’n roll

memoirs would exist without the true-to-life events preceed-ing them. And none of those true-to-life events would exist

without the drink. Even in the wake of heavy alcoholism, drug use and illicit sex, music legends Motley Crue and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were–and continue to be–two of the most successful musical acts known to American popular culture. So they drank a little, smoked a little–hell, even shot-up a little(not that I’m advocat-ing anything here)–but rather than those things getting in the way of huge success, the vices of many recording artists are often their muses. With the advent of gossip blogs, trashy magazines and shows like Entertainment Tonight, current popular culture is villifying the consumption of

This is Kristi Alexandra. She loves music. She’s also a ginger. And she does have a soul. And she likes music with soul, too.

drugs and alcohol. For a society so hell-bent on proving that it’s not married to a neo-Christian mode of thinking, it’s surpris-ingly conservative and judge-mental when it comes to the lives of celebrities. I’m looking at you, Perez Hilton. While making a mockery of the consistently drunk Amy Winehouse (at least that’s what these rags would have you be-lieve), Hilton and bloggers alike are throwing signifi cant blows to the girl’s career–but can we look at the facts, here? Winehouse is a brilliant, soul-ful singer and the people taking stabs at her partying ways are comprised of never-been-laid “journalists” who live in their parents’ basements.

IKRISTI ALEXANDRACULTURE EDITOR

What’s a musician without substance abuse?

The upside to passing out in your makeup is that you’re already ready

for that 9 a.m. photoshoot you forgot about. COURTESY OF OFFICIAL AMY WINEHOUSE WEBPAGE.

ON CAMPUS

JAMMIN WITH GINGER

Kwantlen student Justine Villadiego

mixes simple pieces with black

tights–a seasonal wardrobe staple.

*PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAE VELASCO // THE RUNNER

Joseph Shen hangs out in the Surrey campus courtyard, rocking a

smart get up inspired by urban style.

Hat: Gastown, Jacket: Value Village, Shoes: Alite in Gastown

Zhisha Cui pulls off a “downtown” looks with eclectic

pieces that come from thrift stores, to the affluent

Gastown.

Shirt: Zara, Pants: G-Star, Shoes: Timberland

The inclusion of alcohol hasn’t hindered the careers of Ozzy or Lemmy, so why should it to Wino? If the evidence is

stacking up correctly, I think they’re onto something. Abuse away, artists! Just don’t stop making records.

CULTURE The Runner | www.runnerrag.ca page twelve | September 28 2010 | vol. 3 issue 03

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS

GAMES

Halo’s Reach a game to remember

IJARED VAILLANCOURTCREATIVE WRITING BUREAU CHIEF

The latest installment of the Halo video game series, Halo: Reach is a stunning

epic that follows the much-alluded-to fall of one of the most heavily fortifi ed planets in the game’s universe: the Earth-like colony known as Reach. Not only is the story a compelling saga following the tragic death of Noble Team, a group of cybernetic super-soldiers called “Spartans”, but the visual detail, game play and online fun all add up to a game that is interesting, enjoyable and, most importantly, memorable.

The game opens with a fi rst for the Halo series: you get to customize your character, Noble 6.

In addition to choosing your preferred armor colors and emblem, you can choose your

gender and purchase upgrades and customized pieces for your armor, creating a character that is totally unique both in the single player campaign and online. That’s right, your customization is applied in the campaign! The Halo franchise is famous for attempting to place the player in the main character’s shoes – Reach takes it to a new level, allowing you to really feel like you are Noble 6.

The campaign starts off a little differently from a traditional Halo game; instead of rushing headstrong into certain death at the hands of vile aliens, you are sent to a small farming village to investigate an unauthorized jamming signal. From your seat on a helicopter-like “Falcon”, you are asked to perform the traditional look-around to calibrate your targeting pitch. Once on the

ground, you’ll notice that the weapons have a feature uncommon in the other games; the reticules widen or tighten depending on your movement. This adds a quality of realism to the otherwise extremely sci-fi universe of Reach.

Another interesting feature are the armour abilities that the Spartans can acquire. Abilities like the traditional Active Camoufl age, Bubble Shield and Invincibility and new ones like Sprint, Evade and the eternally fun Jetpack add a new dimension to the surreal battlefi eld, sometimes allowing the cocky player to have his or her moment of hilarity but more often than not giving Noble 6 a fi ghting chance in the face of a full-scale alien invasion. Which, with the lethal return of the Elites, is what Reach feels like.

Online play is much more fl uid as well. Players can

Bungee’s latest Halo addition fills in backstory of series hero, Master Chief, in prequel-style epic.

either go head-to-head in traditional death matches or team up to take on waves of alien invaders on Firefi ght levels. The more you play, the more points you get, opening up new promotions and credits to purchase new armor modifi cations that add a fl are of personality, give you a sharper edge or just showcase your rank in the gaming world. No matter why you’re fi ghting, in Halo: Reach you’ll always be fi ghting under the scorching sun of a good time.

For those of you out there interested more in plot than in gaming, keep in mind that everything that Noble 6 does on Reach is a prequel to the Halo universe’s famous games. The opening cut scene gives you a brief glimpse of Noble 6’s inevitable fate, with your newly customized helmet lying abandoned on the battlefi eld, its visor a shattered remnant

stained in blood. For those who have played

the original games, it has been said time and time again; no one but the heroic Master Chief survived the Covenant invasion of the planet Reach. For a game that makes you feel like you really are it’s protagonist, that sad end leaves you with an empty, surreal feeling; the experience of death, with the last mission (played after the end credits roll) ending only once you can’t keep the ever-increasing hordes of bloodthirsty Elites at bay.

As an homage to heroes fallen, this game is truly worthy of any collection; the best ever made. Remember Reach.

Caught between the pages in a love affair with books

ICARLIE AUCLAIRCONTRIBUTOR

Have you ever walked into a Chapters or Indigo and as soon as you find

yourself entering the doorway, your hands immediately get clammy with anticipation? Do you ever get a dizzying head rush just thinking about the sweet sound that a freshly cracked book spine makes? And do your toes curl when you see an overflowing bookshelf just waiting for your nimble fingers to glide over their eager pages in search of a next great find?

If so then perhaps literary rehab is the place for you. I know it is probably the most appropriate place for someone like me, because I have to admit, at the risk of sounding like I spend my Saturday nights alone, I am a shameless full blown book addict.

I only started realizing this back in the gym strip, grade school days when those fabulously flimsy “Scholastic Book Order” newsletters would be passed out every month. I would instantly swirl with euphoric glee as I flipped through the crinkly sheets of book heaven.

What would I choose this time? On the off chance would my mother allow me to order two books this time instead of one? The very notion made me giddy, and that is where the dependency spawned. Soon the book order turned into school book fairs and the book fairs

turned into weekend trips to Black Bond books and before I knew it the Romanesque marvel that was the Vancouver Public Library opened up and so did my love affair for literature–like a can of book worms.

Eventually, enough that my bedroom started to look

like that bookstore in the Neverending Story. Where does one get the time to read all these books, you wonder? The funny thing is this is where the addiction takes an interesting turn. I mean, of course actually reading these books are my primary intention but after awhile my book to time ratio

becomes so completely skewed to one side that the problem of, which one to read first arises. This became evident when my hot little fingers found amazon.com. It was only a matter of time before I was mere clicks away from endless volumes, paperbacks, novels and essays. I could see myself lying on an

imaginary ceiling covered with nothing but book pages that would smoothly drift from my ethereal body, a less rose petal and more, pages from books themed Mena Suvari from American Beauty.

I believe that what attracts me to purchase large quantities of books, very frequently, is that to me they aren’t just books, they are opportunities. They are adventures and possibilities.

In a way I have been guilty of accumulating opportunities that have yet to be taken advantage of. When I say opportunities, I do mean exactly that. Over the years I have tried to dissect my fascination with reading a good piece of writing and I have to say that I have finally narrowed it down.

The fascination is with what it does to my mind. It is the quiet thought process and reflection synonymous with reading that enabled me to get better acquainted with myself. After breaking down the evidence it seems that self discovery is the long awaited method behind my madness: a trait of human behavior that every person seems to go through at some point in their lives–some travel to far off lands in search of their souls, others choose meditation or yoga, or extreme sports. In my experience I have come to the conclusion that I just have to let my mind escape into a good story; for me that’s the best hit an addict could get.

CARLIE AUCLAIR // THE RUNNER

>> What did you think of this article? Email us editor@runnerrag.ca

CREATIVE vol. 3 issue 03 | September 28 2010 | page thirteenwww.runnerrag.ca | The Runner

COMEDY SCI-FI

GROAT IN THE SAC PHOTOGRAPHY

IJARED VAILLANCOURTCREATIVE WRITING BUREAU CHIEF

“Good morning, Mr. Lindsay!” the large, imposing form of the

creature Derek Lindsay had come to call Sam – simply be-cause the damn thing’s gender was still an open question – greeted merrily in it’s heavy ac-cent. Derek sighed and fi nished pouring his coffee, doing his best to ignore the alien.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Sam,” Derek grunted. The crea-ture’s scales changed color and fl ashed as Sam pronounced its real name. “Whatever. The point is I’m not talking to you.” Sam turned a sad shade of gray as it retrieved a cup and fi lled it with water, frantically spooning sugar into it at the same time. Sam’s single, bulging eye focused squarely on him.

“Why not, Mr. Lindsay?” Sam asked, doing its best to sound hurt. “We always have such stimulating conversations. I can see no reason why today should be different.” Sam poured the sugary concoction into the orifi ce above its breast. Derek sighed as it sat opposite him.

“We have arguments,” Derek muttered, his spoon absently stirring his coffee. “Arguments I always loose, if I do say so myself.” Sam fl ashed an amused color or two.

“Arguments?” it asked, its scales fl uorescing with laugh-ter. “I would not consider our discussions to be arguments, Mr.

Lindsay! You are my fi rst human friend. I would never argue with you.”

“Remember when your sister came to visit?” Derek countered, his hand running through his graying hair. “We got into that huge argument about her nanomachines.”

“Your govern-ment does not trust nanotech-nology…”

“No, I don’t trust nanotech-nology! You missed the whole point of the conversa-tion!”

“And yet, it was indeed a conver-sation,” Sam tapped a fi nger against the table. “We do not argue, Mr. Lindsay. There is no competition when we speak; our encounters are simpl exchanges of informa-tion.” Derek sighed as he took a sip of his coffee. It was still too hot.

“No, they’re not,” Derek, grunted as he placed his cup back down and continued to stir. “We had opposing opinions on the lunar mining treaty. We had an argument about the ethics of manned missions through the untested hyperspace gate!” He

leaned back as Sam shook its head.

“The gate was tested,” it replied. “The probes emerged intact.”

“That’s not what I’m talking

about,” Derek half-shouted. “We shouted at each other for almost an hour before you fi nally convinced me – me! – that the gate was safe,” Derek ventured another sip, cringing at the heat. “All we do is argue, Sam. We ar-gue, and I lose.” Sam placed all four of its hands onto the table,

its ear folds collapsing to hang below its neck. It shook its head.

“My dear Mr. Lindsay,” Sam started softly, “we have never argued. You and I have extremely involved and interest-ing conversations, like friends would have!” It paused as he scoffed and took another sip.

“I understand your point of view, Mr. Lindsay. You feel

that, because I have always strived to offer alterna-

tive points of view, or that I provide more

accurate information to supplement the

data you possess and al-leviate some of your

igno-rance, that

I am arguing with you.” Sam’s

ears perked up.“Aren’t you?”

Derek asked. Sam shook its head, one

of its hands reaching for his.

“Of course not, Mr. Lindsay! Were I to argue

with you, it would not be on friendly terms. Furthermore, my people only argue with their most dire enemies. In case you were unaware – of which I am most certain you are not – we do not consider humans to be our enemies. Your people are sociologically similar to ours, Mr. Lindsay. Many are naturally

suspicious and confrontational, as I think you tend towards, but most are good-natured and open-minded. In all of our discussions, I have merely played what you would call the ‘devil’s advocate’ in order to provide contrast and create an environment of interest and depth for both of us to enjoy. You are still suspicious of me, I think; therefore, you assume that our encounters are thinly veiled displays of hostility and our conversations, arguments.” Sam turned a bright shade of red and clapped its two larger hands together. “But this is not true, Mr. Lindsay! We do not argue. You have never surrendered to my point of view and ceded the confrontation to me.” Derek looked up at the large alien and sighed.

“You really think so?” Derek asked. Sam nodded and lowered its arms.

“I do not understand the concept of lying,” Sam said with a hint of amicability, “so yes, I really do think so, Mr. Lindsay.” Sam patted Derek’s hand and stood up.

“I guess you’re right,” Derek smiled coyly. Sam fl ashed a friendly color.

“I will see you in the offi ce, Mr. Lindsay.” Sam said as it turned towards the door. Derek waved at the alien and took a sip of his coffee. It was the perfect temperature. He fi nished the cup.

“Wait,” Derek realized a mo-ment later, “mother fucker!”

Futility

What a glorious day it is when your birthday comes around each year.

You get gifts, you get money, you get 67 facebook messages.

But the thing that I look forward to the very, very most is birthday sex.

I’m another year older and another year wiser and another year poorer at university – but I don’t give a shit, I’m getting birthday sex.

You see, once a year, on a

given day, you have the right – the responsibility – of having it your way.

You’re entitled to anything you damn well please (we’re talking sex here) and it’s up to your partner to satisfy.

Like dressing up like big furry animals? Of course you do.

Want to involve some hot fudge and marshmallows? Eat that shit.

Want to do it soccer-style (no hands)? Me too.

Have a thing for Shakespearean dirty-talk? Read A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Seriously, look: “My cherry lips have often kissed thy stones, Thy stones with lime and hair knit up in thee…”

Birthday sex is a time to let

air. “We got intoargument about herines.”

govern-not

tech-

don’ttech-

oue

ed a fi ngere table. “We do Mr. Lindsay.

o competitionspeak; ours are simpl of informa-k i h d h t k

ing conversations, like frwould have!” It paused ascoffed and took anothe

“I understand your poview, Mr. Lindsay. Yo

that, because I havestrived to offer alt

tive points of viethat I provide m

accurate inforto supplem

datp

iran

I am arwith you.”

ears perked“Aren’t

Derek askedshook its hea

of its hands rfor his.

“Of course noLi d ! W I t

Come on, baby. It’s my birthdayThis is Jeff Groat. He’s the Runner’s sex columnist. He has only one qualification for the job: his last name sounds like a dirty word. That’s good enough for us.

KRISTI ALEXANDRA//THE RUNNER

KRISTI ALEXANDRA//THE RUNNER

JARED VAILLANCOURT //THE RUNNER

IJEFF GROATLIFESTYLE BUREAU CHIEF

loose. Think of it like going out with your friends on your birthday. You get one night a year where people not only expect you to drink way too much and get a little sloppy, they help you get to that point.

So, on your special day, make the effort to push the boundaries, try something different, something that on any normal day might make things a little awkward or might be taken as completely selfi sh.

t> Follow @groatinthesack on Twitter.www.twitter.com/groatinthesack

WRITE TO US.editor@runnerrag.ca

HOW TO The Runner | www.runnerrag.ca page fourteen | September 28 2010 | vol. 3 issue 03

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

Taking a nice portrait photo doesn’t mean spending big bucks or having fancy equipment. Here are a few examples of how to take a nice portrait on a low budget.

DIY portrait lighting

SIMPLE ONE LIGHT SETUP.

This setup is great for taking head shots or portraits of a single per-son in a tight space. All you need is a lamp or some source of light, a white scarf or tissue paper for diffusion, a sheet or blank wall and a camera.

Setup is simple. Hang the sheet about two feet behind the subject for a blank background. Position the light to the left of the camera and about a 45 degree angle to your subject’s face. Keep the light source at the same height as your subject.

Hang the white scarf or tissue paper in front of your light source to soften the light. Don’t hang it too close as it may get hot and burn.

Don’t forget to set the colour balance of your camera to what ever type of light you use. Try and eliminate any other light sources.

You may have to move the light back and forth a little to get the right amount of light on your subject but that is part of the fun and experimentation.

TWO LIGHT SETUP.

This set up is a little more difficult than the first but can give you some great results for a brighter picture.

You will need two lights for this setup and a blank wall.

Position one light to the left of the camera so it is pointed directly at the wall behind the subject. do not diffuse this light

Position the second light with diffusion (scarf or tissue paper) to the right so that it lights you subject well.

Try and use the same kind of lights for this photo otherwise you may have some odd colour balance going on.

Again, depending on your light source you may have to move them back and forth to get the desired look.

Lighting the background can make your model really stand out from the wall behind.

BACKLIT ONE LIGHT SETUP.

This photo was taken in the underground parking at the Richmond Kwantlen campus.

It took about three minutes to set up. I used a remote flash set on the ground about one meter behind the subjects.

If you don’t have a flash and want to stick to the true DIY philoso-phy, use car headlights.

I exposed for the ambient light in the parking garage, daylight com-ing from the doors and florescent lights overhead.

With the flash set on the ground behind the subject I took a couple of test shots before getting one that looked nice.

If you plan to use headlights for the lighting move the be prepared to move the car around a lot to get it right.

IMATT LAWMEDIA EDITOR

TIP # 1

TIP # 1

TIP # 1

TIP #

1

TIP #

2

TIP #

3

PROCRASTINATION

HOROSCOPE

Where’s the mayo

Well, well, well, Sodexo. You seem to be getting a lot of press around Kwantlen lately. I only have one question for you. Where the hell is my mayo? When you think of an egg sandwich, do you envision a couple of eggs chopped up on dry pieces of bread. We sure don’t. Here is how you make a good sandwich: Fresh bread, eggs, MAYO, some spices, maybe a little chopped up onion. That sure doesn’t sound like what you get in the cafeteria, does it?

You will be the one controlling who gets kool aid, making you popular. O YEAH.

You have some great pants that, when completed, will change the way you live your life.

Did you get that whole burning pee thing checked out yet? You really should.

There will be plenty of temptations for cocoapuffs. Fight them. Those thing make you crazy.

A new career is ahead of you. Embrace the “that’s what she said” jokes, they will take you far.

You have more going for you than you realize, so utilize your under-pants and experience.

It’s time to get serious about what you have to offer - between the sheets.

Stop eating the month old hot-dogs in the back of your fridge.

Watch out for people with red hats. Blue ones are ok.

Stop quoting Monty Python, it isn’t cool... unless you have a British accent

LIBRASept. 23 - Oct. 22

SCORPIOOct. 23 - Nov. 21

VIRGOAug. 23 - Sept. 22

ARIESMar. 21 - Apr.19

TAURUSApr. 20 - May 20

PISCESFeb. 20 - Mar. 20

CAPRICORNDec. 22 - Jan.19

AQUARIUSJan. 21 - Feb. 19

SAGITTARIUSNov. 22 - Dec. 21

CANCERJune 21 - July 22

LEOJuly 23 - Aug. 22

GEMINIMay 21 - June 20

Jello wrestling will be the big draw this year and will lead to the changes you want for your professional and personal life

It will be important to ensure you aren’t pushed into traffic. Cuz that would really suck.

RIP OFF KWANTLEN THE SMART ZONE

THE RUNNER

vol. 3 issue 03 | September 28 2010 | page fi fteenwww.runnerrag.ca | The Runner

TYLER WUDRICK - THE GATEWAY

WEIRD STUFF: STUFF IS WEIRD

Rice paper does not have any rice in it!

Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails.

Apples are more efficient than caffeine in keeping people awake in the mornings!

Source: strangefacts.com

ADVERTISEMENT The Runner | www.runnerrag.ca page sixteen | September 28 2010 | vol. 3 issue 03

GRASSROOTSCAFÉ AND LOUNGE

PROUDLY STUDENT OWNED AND OPERATEDwww.kusa.ca/cafe

12666 72nd avenue, surrey, G building (across from the gym)uildenuenunu