www.capermedia.ca/times ISSN 1929-1140 the voice of the students at CBUVOL. XL, ISS. 3 • 1 Oct. 2012

Frederick R. BoutilierSenior Correspondent

ll The mayoral campaign has heated up so-mewhat over the past two weeks, with candi-dates branching out more, going door-to-door and giving interviews with media outlets, inclu-ding Caper Media. We have interviewed both Rankin MacSween and Cecil Clarke; the highli-ghts will be given here, while the full interviews will be available in both audio and text formats on our website. The election is termed in primarily econo-mic terms, which comes as no surprise after a steady decline in the region. Both Rankin Ma-cSween and Cecil Clarke support heavy econo-mic development through business-based initi-atives. Of the broad economic plan for Cape Bre-ton, Rankin said, “What we're going to do, is we're going to take the CBRM and turn it into the most pro-development municipality in all of eastern Canada. So when someone has an aspi-ration to do something, whether it's a small busi-ness, or to build something, whether it's to crea-te a social program. Whatever it is, our respon-se, our responsibility as a municipality will be to ask the question, 'How do we get under them? How do we support them? How do we enable it

Cecil and RankinNEWS an in-depth analysis of the two mayoral candidate’s policy.

ll CD focusing on Aborigi-nal music released by CBU professor. PAGE 4

nEwsstory of welta'q

ll Have you ever found yo-urself listening to another one of these diet fads and thought to yourself “is this for real?” PAGE 9

thE lAst wordobesity

to happen?'” “First, if we're going to try to encourage new growth and new development we also have to have a municipality that works in concert with the province. And that's why I'm proposing that we have a 'one-stop shop' for development per-mits and applications, that working with the pro-vince, so that business organizations that come in to do work or projects and just want to go abo-ut their normal day-to-day affairs have a place that is open to business and welcomes it, rather than puts up roadblocks, and helps you naviga-te through the applications and the permits and the remittances you require,” Cecil said. Cecil mentioned that this would help brand the CBRM to seem more business-friendly, whi-ch would attract more investors both inside and outside the community, and highlighted some of his plan for port development; citing further infrastructure development (noting the possi-bility of a key rail hub in Truro), the importan-ce of the employees, and the critical nature of gathering strong operators and investors. Addi-tionally, he noted the strengths of the location of our harbour, and its being close to air, rail, and road service. Rankin agreed that the port was critical for Cape Breton to move forward, and noted res-pect for some of the Morgan administration's actions in that regard. A key issue in the election has been gai-

ning investor support from interested parti-es worldwide, and the degree to which deve-lopment projects (notably the port area) will be owned by private companies. With respect to the critical issue of public/private ownership of port assets, Rankin com-pared the community's control over these assets to a family owning a house.

CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO

CAPE BRETON REGION

VOTES’12 NS MUNICIPAL

ELECTIONS 2012

Find coverage in Caper Times & on Caper Radio until

election day on 20 October 2012

✗

2 NEWS

“I love business. I love doing deals. I love making money. At the same time, no community moves forward unless it has control over certain critical assets. It's sort of li-ke a family. One of the really important ingredients abo-ut building a family and what most families aspire to be able to do is to own their own home. It's a critical piece. Families that aren't able to do that, it's a real disadvanta-ge [to them]. So for me, a community is the same thing. A community needs to be in control of certain assets to ma-ke sure that how those assets end up being used is done in a way that benefits everybody in the community and not just a few.” Cecil Clarke contends there needs to be more dis-cussion before we can decide on a port plan, due to a va-riety of plans that have worked for other areas.

Another hot topic in the past few weeks has been the steady out-migration, with thousands of Cape Bre-ton residents leaving yearly to find work or live elsewhe-re. Both candidates agree that stabilizing Cape Breton's struggling economy will stem the tide of people leaving the island. Cecil noted that the out-migration pattern was a re-sult “of economic opportunities and people following those opportunities,” while Rankin spoke of the hit Cape Breton took upon losing its industries, and people going elsewhere to escape the economic downturn. As another facet of economic development, both candidates stressed the need for a strong relationship between municipal government and other levels of go-vernment. Rankin said that “we need to be in a relation-ship with the province of Nova Scotia, we need to be in a relationship with the government of Canada,” but of the world he wants Cape Breton to be a part of, he said that “it's a world where we as a community come to under-stand that deciding where we want to go is our responsi-bility.” Municipal-provincial equalization payments were a hotly debated topic during the administration of John Morgan, with the goal of closing the fiscal gap on Cape Breton island, with funds needed far exceeding available funds. Cecil said of municipal-provincial equalization: “It's a very complicated process,” and noted that we should tap into existing government programs to try and bring in more revenue, and that the CBRM is the largest bene-factor of equalization in the province, yet some of those funds have not been tapped into. “Right now, the gas tax revenues that flow from the fe-deral government through that program, and there's a new program that came in by virtue of providing other fi-nancial resources. There was to be a plan, and it's the In-tegrated Community Sustainability Plan; there is one for the CBRM. The money is flowing, [yet] the plan's not be-ing implemented. So we've gone through this massive planning process to talk how these federal dollars will be

part of sustainability for our community, and right now they're not going to sustainability projects.” Both candidates agreed that seeing beyond party lines is important, which is an important aspect for both candidates amid concerns that Cecil Clarke's PC background may suggest an inability to co-operate with other political bodies, and that Rankin MacSween's politi-cal non-affiliation may suggest a political reluctance. Rankin said of his ability to work with governments, “I think I would work with any government. It's democracy. The people are always right. If that's who they elected, that's who they elected and you've got to respect that. I've spent all my life working with any and every government that was in power.” Cecil thought upon his experiences as Speaker of the House, noting a similarity between that position and mayor. “Well, what was interesting in my time in the provin-cial government while I was elected under a Progres-sive Conservative banner, when I was elected as spea-ker of the house, when you sit in that chair, you're one of 52 members, and when you sit in that chair, all [...] beco-me equal. Regardless of what party they are, what region of the province they're from. And so as the speaker of the house, no different than mayor, you have to sit there when you take that on and deal with what's in the best interest of the community,” he said. Another key issue is raised after a number of waves of teacher layoffs and various school consolidations. Both candidates have chimed in on how to address youth is-sues, both those resulting from teacher layoffs (a dimi-nished educational capacity chief among them) and tho-se that have existed previously. Rankin framed his thoughts in this respect into his ideal of Cape Breton being the master of its own destiny. “Yes, there's all kinds of changes going on in the pu-blic school system, and those are important, and we want as a community to actually support what we have. [...] As a community, how can we come together, to ensure every child gets a chance, a good chance, [...] to be whatever it is that they were meant to be, so that they can disco-ver their gift. I think there is no better investment to make than in a child, because that pays off in so many ways,” he said. “The municipal government has to assume more and more responsibility, [...] it's a challenge that it doesn't ha-ve the authority in some direct instances, but nonethe-less the responsibility's in front of it, and I think the muni-cipality is best positioned to work with this community on a whole variety of issues that have to do with determining its future.” “One of the things that I've brought forward is that I that I believe there should be a minimum of four - and po-tentially more [based] on the need and merit for it - but a minimum of four full-council sessions that deal with youth and youth-related matters,” Cecil said.

Candidates Continued FRoM PAGe one

About Us

Mitch MäderEditor-in-Chief & Chair of the Editorial Board

Andrew SkinnerCreative Director

Holly KennedyBusiness Director

Frederick BoutilierSenior Correspondent

The Caper Times is a division of Caper Media and is printed on a fortnightly basis with distri-bution points across Sydney Metro and Cape Breton County. Caper Media is the autonomous news agency of the Cape Breton University Students’ Union. The Times is proudly printed in the unionised print shop of the Cape Breton Post in Sydney, Nova Scotia. We welcome your questions, comments, enquiries, or submissions from students or members of the greater Cape Breton community via our email: su_cteditor@cbu.ca

Our offices are located in the Students’ Union Buil-ding at Cape Breton University.

Mail can be sent to: Caper MediaPO Box 5300Sydney, NS B1P 6L2

Dial: 902.563.1890

3NEWS

Speaking of further enfranchising youth with the po-litical process, Cecil noted that many problems stu-dents have with government come from outside the edu-cational process itself, with problems such as the tran-sit system and its seemingly arbitrary schedules causing problems for students. Both candidates agreed that the administration should be more accountable and open to youth if it wants to engage them. When asked for any advice they might give to stu-dents, both candidates asked for students and youth to understand that they are an important part of moving forward, and to take the responsibility to inform govern-ment officials of youth issues.

Cecil Clarke looked upon the administration of John Morgan – and more so John Morgan himself – with res-pect and admiration, which comes as a surprise to many after years of what some see as bickering between Cecil and the soon-to-be-former mayor. “As I said in my speech launching my mayoral candi-dacy, is that he's had a very enviable position of success. The mayor and I always didn't agree on things, in fact we could very much disagree, but the issue that is most im-portant with me is, did I respect him?” Cecil asked. “As someone running for mayor, I'm not interested in going back and starting to fault what people did. I ac-cept the decisions that were made. There's no need to re-debate those things. And I don't think there's any need to do anything but recognize they made the decisions that they were empowered to make. [...] I don't think there's any value in going and being overly critical of someone who served to the best of their abilities and did it with the support of the community.” Rankin spoke similarly of Mayor Morgan, especially his devotion to the CBRM. “Well first of all, I think that no one could argue that John Morgan did not stand up for this community. There was a great clarity about that. That he really believed in this community, and there was certainly no sense that he in any way was catering to an elite group. He really stood for everyone. He functioned as everyone's mayor,” he said, noting also the courage of the Morgan administra-tion with respect to harbour development in putting up money and supporting public infrastructure.

While similar in many respects, each candidate ma-intains their own unique identity. While both Cecil and Rankin (and the other three candidates, for that matter) are certainly committed to being the harbinger of posi-tive change in Cape Breton, each has their own unique background, with Cecil having considerable experien-ce in public life and in the political system, and with Ran-kin having considerable experience in business and community development. Most of the candidates, including Rankin and Cecil, have done radio interviews and otherwise made the pu-

blic rounds, and there will be a debate on Tuesday, Oc-tober 2nd at Centre 200 for those interested in a more di-rect confrontation between candidates. An additional de-bate will also be held here at the university on Wednes-day, 17th October beginning at 11:00 o’clock in the mor-ning.

Senior Correspondant Frederick Boutilier speaks with candidates Rankin MacSween (above)and Cecil Clarke (below)

4 NEWSA conversation with CBU Professor Jesse Ferguson on his work with poetry and Celtic musicMitch MäderEditor-in-Chief

ll Originally hailing from Cornwall, Ontario, Jesse Ferguson arrived in Ca-pe Breton after finishing his schooling in Fredericton. He now teaches classes in the Languages and Letters depart-ment here at the university. When asked why he chose to settle in Cape Breton, Ferguson offered that he “ne-eded a job and saw one advertised here” and thinking Cape Breton wo-uld be an excellent place to work whi-le continuing to write poetry, as well as find a receptive audience for his Cel-tic style of music. Having grown up in Cornwall, which is located next to Glengarry County, which is the centre of Celtic culture in Ontario, Ferguson says that as he “was coming of age in the bars, and things like that, all the yo-ung guys were playing a Celtic-Rock fusion” which piqued his interest in the style. He says it was after he was hook-ed on the genre that his interest turned towards the more traditional Celtic mu-sic which he focuses on today. He later became interested in poetry, however he says that he believes “it all stems from the same source” and his choice between writing poetry or music de-pends on his mood.In 2009 Ferguson released his first book, Harmonics, and completed a Ca-nada-wide book tour. Jesse was no-minated and was shortlisted twice for the CAA-Bookland Emerging Writer Award, an award for authors under 30 in Canada. He has also released a se-cond book, which focuses more on vi-sual poetry. He says that Harmonics is his more serious work, in compari-son with his second book. The book consists of various poems on vario-us subjects and is 93 pages in length. The book does, however, have a gene-ral flow to it; poems which relate to ea-ch other are placed in such a way so that the poems before and after a cer-tain poem generally relate. The book was partly funded through assistance from the Canada Council for the Arts. Ferguson relates that funding such as

this, which has been greatly reduced in recent years, is extremely important to allow for a healthy art community in Canada. “I shouldn’t say anything poli-tical […] but it seems that, exactly, you put it right; the war on the Arts.” says Ferguson when asked about federal funding cuts to the arts.Ferguson has been described by the editor of poetic.ca as an “irreverent formalist and a reverent experimen-talist”. “[…] unlike a lot of my peers of my age, I do self-consciously try to engage with the tradition of poetry. I know there are a lot of people my age who write poetry; they wouldn’t waste any time reading Henderson, or Keats, or Wordsworth. […] I do like to experi-ment sometimes in my poetry […] but I always try to be aware of the tradition and homage to it,” says Ferguson about this description of him, noting that so-me of his poetry rhymes which is rare in modern poetry.Ferguson says that he is still actively writing poetry and will continue to do so until he no longer has anything to say, should that ever happen, and gre-at things can be expected from him in the future. The book, which comes wi-th excellent reviews, is available throu-gh Freehand Books and is $16.95 Ca-nadian.

Holly KennedyBusiness Director

ll Mi'kmaq History Month in No-va Scotia kicks off with Treaty Day on 1st October. The month is to pro-mote public awareness about the Mi'kmaw culture and heritage for all citizens of Nova Scotia. To celebrate this fantastic period of the year, CBU will be holding a Mi'kmaw Lecture Series presented by the Mi'kmaq Re-source Center. Janice Esther Tulk, an ethnomusicologist, will present the marking of the fourth archival CD in the “Back on Track” series. It will be titled Welta'q “It Sounds Good”. This will take place on October 4th at 12 noon in the Sydney Credit Union Boardroom, CE 265. Dr. Tulk is the Senior Research Associate with the Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Stu-dies. Currently, she is focused on the Membertou model of economic de-velopment, the Unama'ki economic partnership model. Welta'q “It Sounds Good” show-cases the vibrant musical life of the Mi'kmaq through a collaboration of traditional songs including powwow drums, hymns, and anthems. Accor-ding to Dr. Tulk, “the diversity of mu-sical genres included on this CD challenges any narrowly conceived notion of what Mi'kmaw music is”. We encourage everyone to attend this presentation to lend support to this historical compilation as well as to learn more about Mi'kmaw culture.

The Story of Welta'q

NOTICE OF RETRACTIONThe Caper Times would at this time like to acknowledge a typogra-phical error in issue 2, volume XL of this newspaper published on 17th September 2012. Elizabeth Barrie, a candidate for the mayoral position in Cape Breton, was referred to in the front-page article of the paper as “Elizabeth Barrier.” The Editorial Board apologizes for this error.

Contact Us

Dial: 902.563.1890 ¥¥¥ ¥¥¥ ¥¥¥

su_cteditor@cbu.ca ¥¥¥ ¥¥¥ ¥¥¥

PO Box 5300 Sydney, NS B1P 6L2

Photo courtesy of Jesse Ferguson

5NEWSInterview with ex-student leader turned political candidate, Léo Bureau-Blouin

erin HudsonCUP Quebec Bureau Chief Photo courtesy of Léo Bureau-Blouin

ll MONTREAL (CUP) – At twenty years and seven months-old, Léo Bureau-Blou-in is the youngest candidate running in this campaign to become a member of Quebec’s National Assembly.Bureau-Blouin became a well-known face in Quebec over the course of his term as president of one of the province’s largest student organizations, the Fédération étu-dianté collégiale du Québec (FECQ). Af-ter completing two presidential terms on June 1, he joined the ranks of sovereigntist provincial party, the Parti Québécois.The FECQ is one of four student unions of-ficially representing students throughout the now seven-month long general strike against the Liberal government’s schedu-led increase of tuition fees. During his two year run as president, Bureau-Blouin re-presented the interests of cégep students in negotiations with government officials.Bureau-Blouin says he was approached by the party in late June and decided to ta-ke the party up on their proposition to as-sist and support him in running as a PQ candidate in the riding Laval-des-Rapi-des, just north off the Island of Montreal.He was reached by phone days before Quebec’s September 4 election. The in-terview was conducted primarily in Fren-ch.*CUP: There's a stereotype that executives from the student federations, FECQ and FEUQ, often use their roles as student re-presentatives as a launch pad for their po-litical careers. How do you respond to this considering that you are a former FECQ

executive who has now joined a major po-litical party?Bureau-Blouin: First of all, if all I had wan-ted from the start were to create a place in politics for myself, I would have achie-ved something completely different be-cause it’s a lot of work and a lot of energy. That is to say it is extremely difficult to in-terpret someone’s intent for creating a ca-reer — we don’t know if it’s because they are passionate. Another thing, I don’t think that nothing but bad things come from po-litics, in fact I think the contrary. We need to encourage youth to be involved in poli-tics. People who talk of these stereotypes present it as if politics are a bad thing but in many ways [political processes] are very positive.Concerning the number of youth in poli-tics, ten percent of the electorate is youth but zero percent are present in the Natio-nal Assembly. So it’s time to take part and, as for me, I wish that more young people would run in the next elections because if we want to youth to get involved in poli-tics, it takes young candidates.CUP: So you have not attended university — do you feel you would make a stateme-nt of sorts if you were to become a mem-ber of the National Assembly without a university degree?BB: Regardless I wish to finish my stu-dies — it’s absolutely necessary to obta-in my degree however already in the Na-tional Assembly there are several elec-ted members who do not have degrees. It’s not a novelty because in this society it’s only twenty percent of the population who obtained university degrees — so it’s nor-mal in governments to have representati-ves without degrees. But, me, I see myself getting a degree in the long-term, just not right away.CUP: As the former president of FECQ, you were a representative for cégep stu-dents. Do you feel students support you now as an electoral candidate?BB: Yes, but students, like society, are not one unit — there are people who feel di-fferently, there are all kinds of people who are students — but, I think, yes. I think that the majority of students are happy wi-th what I’m doing [and] are also happy to continue to defend their ideas even if stu-

dent [movement] disruptions are over. The objective is to demonstrate that we can continue to build in different ways.CUP: The PQ stance on tuition in the media has been to increase fees on par with in-flation — do you think student will be con-tent with this?BB: What we said was that we will abolish the increase of tuition fees, we will abo-lish the Charest government’s special law [Law 12], and we spoke of holding financi-al and business consultations with univer-sities. One of the propositions that were put on the table was to have tuition fees in-crease at the same rate as the cost of living.For me, I defend the students’ cause, that is to say that tuition fees should not incre-ase. But I am pragmatic and the objective is to engage with aim to finding a consen-sus in this discussion and I think what the students really want is not to have a dras-tic [tuition] increase like what we saw with the Liberals. I think that’s how we can rea-ch the largest demographic also [in terms of] the questions of accessibility, student housing, bursaries and all related issu-es that come along with education more broadly.CUP: You and PQ leader Pauline Marois called for students to halt any strike acti-ons because, according to your stateme-nts at the time, the student conflict plays into the Liberal party’s strategy. Why did you feel this way and, considering the ac-tions that occurred earlier this week at the Université de Montréal, do you feel the sa-me now?BB: First of all, the call we made was to end the strike for the duration of the elec-tion campaign because the Charest go-vernment profited from the student con-flict to mask its track record for the last ni-ne years. And the call worked as cégep students decided to go back to class to-gether with universities, with the excep-tion of two faculties at the Université du Québec à Montréal and several modu-les at UdeM — so we’re talking less than 2,000 students.So why did we do it? Because the Cha-rest government’s strategy is so simple: talk about the student conflict and avo-id talking about corruption and collusion, avoid bad reports and shale gas, and the least successful events during their gover-nance. And I think it’s important to not let those issues drop.CUP: And finally concerning statements by Marois that some characterize as racist and xenophobic —notably the institution of French test for candidates running for

public office — what is your view on these statements?BB: There is already a test for immigrants to Quebec so there’s nothing revolutio-nary there. It’s already there; it’s just not a standardized test. We are just asking peo-ple to have command of French because for Canadian immigrants, you must have a good knowledge of French or English. In Great Britain, you cannot work in the coun-try if you do not have a good knowledge of English — that’s how it works in most countries all over the world. How can you integrate someone into society if you can-not communicate with that person?CUP: Do you see an irony between the two positions you are seen to represent; being against tuition hikes but for a French test that targets certain communities?BB: I think it’s two separate things; tuiti-on fee hikes because we think educati-on should be affordable for everyone but, on the other side — [and] it’s two separa-te things — we think that we need to ha-ve a common language to be able to talk together. In Ontario and the rest of Cana-da, people speak English and understand themselves in one language. You can’t call a country a society if people can’t exchan-ge together and can’t understand ea-ch other. If the government can’t say so-mething to the people, we have a big pro-blem.Right now, there’s a problem that is that more and more people don’t speak Fren-ch at home in Quebec and for us it’s a hu-ge concern ... For the moment there is al-ready a French test to become a citizen of Quebec, but there is no real verificati-on, there’s no real standardized test. What we want is to make sure people have a real understanding of French when they arrive here in Quebec, because for the moment we have a huge problem with integration.I think it’s a matter of giving the immi-grants all the chances they need to be in-tegrated into the society and to emancipa-te themselves, because I think many peo-ple are arriving here in Quebec and they are really frustrated because they have di-fficulty integrating themselves. But maybe if we were giving people more tools to le-arn French and if we were saying to them at first, you need to speak French to come here, I think it would be easier for them to become part of the society.

6 campus life

Holly KennedyBusiness Director

llHave you ever wondered how many people touched that railing before you? How about that doorknob? If it never crossed your mind, then this article may come at a good time! With the change in weather and the new school year alre-ady well on its way, respiratory illness is on the rise, and flu season is just around the corner. What exactly does this have to do with that doorknob? Picture this. If the person ahead of you has an illness, and coughs on their hand, they may open that door with that hand. Those organisms don't judge by host, they will take what they can get, so when they transfer to your hands and then to your lips with the application of your lip balm or to the rim of your energy drink when you pop it open, they are more than happy to make a home inside you. Do we need unwelcome sickness at any point during this busy school year? Of course not! Who wants to study when they are feeling down and out? Therefore, there are steps you can take to prevent coming down with an illness, as well as helping to prevent

Beware of the Impending Flu Season!

the spread of germs to others. Hand washing is the number one way to prevent sickness. The germs cannot enter your body without a vehicle to get them there. If they are on your hands and you lather up and rinse well before touching the sandwich that your stomach growls for, those germs can't make a meal out of you. Frequent hand washing will keep you healthy, but be thorough – a quick rinse will not rid you of germs. Get enough sleep. If you get at least eight hours of sleep a night, your immune system will be strong and able to fight off illness. Pair this with plenty of good foods - especially fruit that's packed with vitamin C to create a great defence system. Drink plenty of water; it keeps you from getting dehydrated, flushes your system and helps to fight fati-gue. Schedule a flu shot as well, it can help to prevent the flu this season, especially if you are in a healthcare profession, care for small children or the elderly, or have respiratory illness yourself. And most importantly, relax! Lose your stress and you'll keep your health!

Frederick R. BoutilierSenior Correspondent

I often hear people around campus complaining that their social circle is too small, that they're not getting anything out of their courses, or that they're other-wise unsatisfied with campus life. And they don't realize how easily fixed this is. Last year, I was in exactly the same boat, a cynical (well, I'm still cynical) man floating through a sea of people whose slightest optimism annoyed me. It's the boat I'd been in for a very long time, and to be honest it was really fun and there's nothing inherently terrible about it, but if you're looking for the above then you're probably not so keen on the experience. It's often said that the best way to get something out of anything is to throw yourself wholeheartedly into it. And nothing follows that statement more fully than university life. Getting a job at the university, or volunteering at the university, is a guaranteed way to expand your social circle at such a rapid pace you won't know what to do with it. Over the past few issues of the Caper Times I've met a lot of people, and it's arguably the best part of the job. I've always had a penchant for talking with people, and that job really fulfils that desire, be it through talking to those who have read the paper, my colleagues in producing it, or doing two mayoral candidate intervi-ews totalling about 14,000 words. I certainly don't think that's an anomaly; pretty much all of those I know who work at the university have a fairly considerable social circle in which the university has a quite obvious impact. It's not just jobs that contribute to that; as I mentioned earlier, volunteering can help too. And if you're not a person who feels up to or has time for either of those, I say, get yourself out there. And if you're like me, you're shaking your head. Because when you hear “get yourself out there,” you think exactly the kind of stuff I thought. I'm not a person for the club lifestyle. It's not exactly to do with shyness – though that's certainly a problem for some – but rather I don't like to dance, and am generally fairly unim-pressed by what constitutes dance music

around here (put on 101.9 The Giant, pump bass 10 dB, maybe compress, sit back). I'm not trying to discredit on our burgeoning club scene or The Giant, either, and for those who enjoy it, I'm very glad they're options now. But it's not for everyone; for those feeling excluded, I hope they realize there are plenty of other events that might appeal to them, both at the university and outside of it. The events that appeal to the cynic are admittedly somewhat few; however, there are frequently enough course-related events that should be more than enough to have the aforementioned stimulating pro-social effect that jobs or volunteering have, because you meet people who are interested in the same things you are. The final piece of advice I will impart is one to do somewhat with academics. If you don't feel you're getting anything from your courses, one helpful course of action might be to talk to your professor. Most professors are very passionate about their work, and if you feel the class is going too slowly for your liking or your interests lie beyond the introduc-tory level, talk to them. Most are willing to give additional materials to keen students, and this also reflects well later on should they be looking for research assistants or people to mark papers for them. If all else fails, don't let a temporary slump in your enjoyment of social life or your field of study discourage you permanently. If you're keen on your field, read more into it from good sources and learn about more advanced topics within it. This will help you later on, in addition to giving you some stimulation right now. Much of the best parts of university aren't what you get at face value. Univer-sity isn't just about what you get in the classroom (though that's certainly a very important part you shouldn't shy from). It's about expanding your social circle, it's about getting educated in ways courses can't teach you, and it's about potentially getting work experience. Whenever life is getting you down, look beyond the horizon. It's there and you will always find what you're looking for.

L`Accent

Photo courtesty of Fl. Envir. Health Assoc.

7campus life

Photo courtesy of Cashbox Magazine.

CBUSU Events!(1) Treaty Day Cele-brations. Where: The Pit. When: Monday, October 1st , 12:00pm. Starting with aboriginal dancers and a free lunch (consisting of a hotdog and pop).

(2) Pub Quiz Tuesdays. Where: The Pit. When: 5-7 p.m. on Tuesdays. Prizes will be awarded to the top two teams, with no limit to team size. All ages, free.

(3) Tupper-Ware Re-mix Party. Where: The Pit. When: Saturday, Sept. 29th. 19+ (wet event), $5 cover.

(4) Open Mic Night. Where: The Pit. When: Star-ting at 8:00 p.m. every Thur-sday (Wing Night). Taylor Burton is the host, sign-up is not required but encoura-ged. Free.

(5) Alexander Keith’s Birthday Celebration with

Ashley MacIsaac Concert. Where: The Pit. When: October 5th. Tickets avai-lable at Caper Conveni-ence - $15 for students, $25 for general public.

(6) Lumière Art Festival. Where: Downtown Sydney. When: Saturday, Sept. 29th, 6:58 p.m.- 11:58 p.m. There will be a shuttle leaving from Mac Rez.

(7) Farmers Marketa. Shuttle leaves CBU at 10 a.m. from Mac Rez to take students out each Satur-day. Ends at 1 p.m.b. Pocket Market starts on Wednesday, October 3rd in the Pit 11-2, vendors with fresh produce and such will be in the Pit, it is free and students and faculty are encouraged to check it out

(8) Cabot Trail Bus Trip.a. Time 9:00 am, Date: October 14th, Cost: $25- minimum of 25 students need to sign up. Sign-up at the Students’ Union.

*Free Travel Offer. Free travel offer excludes applicable taxes and applies to group leaders who represent 10 or more paying adults traveling on the same package for the same travel dates and duration. Some terms and conditions may apply, please inquire for details. Offer cannot be combined with any other discount, voucher or coupons and can be withdrawn at any time without notice. Prices are subject to availability at time of booking and can be changed at any time without notice. While all reasonable efforts are taken to ensure the accuracy of the information in the ad, SellOffVacations.com accepts no respon-sibilitysibility for actions, errors and omissions arising from the reader’s use of this information howsoever caused. SellOffVacations.com, a division of Sunwing Travel Group, 31 Fasken Drive, Toronto, Ontario Canada M9W 1K6 | 20932

VISIT OUR SELLOFFVACATIONS.COM SHOP TODAY:

RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY! 1-866-433-1859

BAYERS LAKE, NS: 210 Chain Lake DriveBEDFORD, NS: #102 - 1550 Bedford HighwayBRIDGEWATER, NS: 450 Lahave Street

DARTMOUTH, NS: 27 Logiealmond Close Dartmouth Crossing

TRURO, NS: #0165 - 68 Robie StreetMONCTON, NB: #10 - 149 Trinity DriveST. JOHN’S, NF: #115 - 30 Ropewalk Lane

MEXICO ALL INCLUSIVE

Direct flight, Airport transfers, All meals, Alcoholicdrinks, Nightly entertainment, Non-motorizedwatersports, 9 bars including a Swim up bar, Disco,Close to local bars and nightlife.

Other Spring Break resorts and destinations available. Please inquire.

★BONUS: Receive 1 VIP Club Night Pass &Invitation to exclusive Beach BBQ Party.

Oasis Cancun Resort DetailsREADING WEEK 2013

A member of the Canadian University

Press cup.ca

8 campus life

Sport Doesn't Discriminate

terrence Rochon

llSport has a common language; physicality, drive, and will to play. The Capers rugby team is sporting players that are as diverse as the team is powerful. With players from all across Canada - from here in Cape Breton, Quebec and British Columbia to as far away as Papua New Guinea - not only is the width of the country represented but there is strong influ-ence from CBU’s prominent internatio-nal student presence. The Cape Breton Men’s Rugby team picked up a win in their home opener versus St. FX by a score of 19 to 3. The game was extremely tight, with the potential to swing in anyone's favour. Wet field conditions and strong winds made it hard for either team to truly pull away from the other. However, the Capers sport a wealth of experience from radically different styles of play and that allowed the team to adjust as a whole and overcome their obsta-cles late in the game. Fundamentals were the key to the Capers keeping ST. FX. nearly scoreless; solid tackling by everyone and retaining the ball in contact meant CBU could safely clear their ball when in trouble and press ST.FX with prolonged phases of attack. This eventually lead to the deteriora-tion of the X-men’s defensive wall and saw the Capers push 2 tries over late in the game. The Papua New Guinea players had a great opportunity to showcase their skills for the first time here in Cape Breton. You may have seen

them playing in front of MacDonald residence now and then, wondering what they were doing. In Papua New Guinea, two varieties of rugby are played; rugby League and rugby Union, and they are very good at both. Ranked 51st globally in rugby Union out of nearly a hundred teams they stand at half way. However, in rugby League the small nation of only six million holds an incredible ranking of 4th in the world. Papua New Guinea is the only country in the world to hold rugby League as its national sport and that influence was felt by X during the game. The fundamentals of League clearly translated well into the Union game as solid tackling, powerful runs and smart tactical plays highlighted nearly every moment of CBU’s inter-national student actions.So remember, no matter where you are from, what language you speak, or what colour your skin is, sport doesn’t care. Chances are you have as much to teach to those around you as they can teach you. Don’t let international status prevent you for playing for club or inter-mural teams and showing off your skills. Get involved! Be active in your university, and leave your mark in it. Jumping into a group with people you don’t know can be intimidating but Cape Breton is known for being welcoming. So go for it and you’ll make new friends quickly. Everyone has something to offer, so share your knowledge and everyone will have better memories to talk about in the future.

9the last word

FINE ART

MUSIC

FILM

PHOTOGRAPHY

FANTASY

GIANT-SIZED POSTERS

FRAMES & HANGERS

1000S OF POSTERS

WILDLIFE

date

place

THE

SALEPOSTER

9-5

hours

last day

OCT. 15 & 16

GREAT HALL

9 - 7

Holly KennedyBusiness Director

llHave you ever found yourself listening to another one of these diet fads and thou-ght to yourself “is this for real?” If doubt has crossed your mind at the diet's validity, it is for a good reason. They just don't work! The weight loss industry is making billions off their lies, with a striking $46.3 billion in weight loss products purc-hased in 2004 alone (Dray, 2011). These numbers have grown significantly over the years, showing that dieting industry is booming. Yet obesity in Canada is at an all time high, with approximately 1 in 4 Canadian adults suffering from this condition (Health Canada, 2012). These numbers just don't add up! This information should tell you two things (at least): First, fad diets and magic plans do not work. They are ineffective and even if you do end up losing some weight, the chances of keeping it off are slim because the diet is temporary and without a change in lifestyle, one will fall back into the habits of old and regain their weight. Secondly, with the issue of obesity being so common the economic costs of healthcare are staggering. With the number of chronic illnesses linked to obesity growing, the strain is substantial. Approximately $4.6 billion was spent in healthcare costs in association to obesity related illness in 2008. So how do we lose weight without the help of fad diets, you ask? By making lifes-tyle changes that can not only allow us to shed those pounds but stay healthy as well. The following lifestyle changes will help in monumental ways that those fad diets could never hope to achieve. Eat slower! The slower you eat, the more time you have to truly enjoy the flavors your food is offering to you. If you eat slowly and break for conversation it gives your brain time to register that you are full, which can affect how much you eat in one sitting. Value quality over quantity! I know it's easier to think of food value as buffets and endless supplies of bread sticks. The more food you have, the more you have are getting for your dollar, right?

Wrong! This all means nothing if the food you are eating is made cheaply and poorly with processed foods. Enjoy meals and quick recipes that contain high quality ingredients. There is nothing quicker than a blended smoothie of fresh fruit with less sugar and less unpronounceable chemi-cals in comparison with the Orange Julius you may have recently bought. Fill your diet with produce! Vegetables and fruit reign supreme in the diet world. You can eat nearly endless supplies of produce and still lose weight. So always choose quality over quantity, produce over processed! Choose your food seasonally! Various fruits and veggies are seasonal. If a meal can go from the vine to the plate in a shorter amount of time, it has a better chance of retaining its nutrients. Choose foods that are in season to get the most out of your meals while supporting your local farmers markets. The Students’ Union van runs on Saturdays between 10am-12pm to take you to the local farmers market each weekend. Pick up is in front of Mac Rez!And finally, let go of your distractions! A well placed conversation during dinner is all that you need. Put away your smartpho-nes and televisions. The unwelcome competition that your TV brings to your meal potentially has the ability to make you eat as much as 71% more than you would have without it. So sit back, relax and enjoy your food rather than ignore it.

Cranberry Quinoa Peanut Butter (or nut butter) Power bars

2 cups cooked quinoa2 cups raw oats½ cups dried cranberries½ cups smooth peanut butter (or nut butter of choice)½ cups skim milk (or milk substitute)1/3 cups brown rice syrup (or maple syrup in a pinch)¼ cups ground flaxseed1 tsp cinnamon

Two cups of cooked quinoa is equal to roughly ½ cups of uncooked quinoa. Preheat your toaster oven to 350, toss all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Scoop into a small baking pan and bake for 12-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Obesity and Diets Fads Don't Mix

10 campus life

Mitch MäderEditor-in-Chief

ll Last time I discussed Route 327 and the attractions along it; today, I will conti-nue on from that route and tell you about some interesting roads to take in rural southern Cape Breton County. So we have arrived in Framboise from Route 327, where next? The Stirling Road. This road connects Framboise on the Atlantic coast to Loch Lomand in the interior part of the county. It is a one lane, rough road. There are three places where two cars can pass each other, but other than that it is a very narrow and rocky road, but it is passable with a high four-wheel drive vehicle, or a street and trail motorcycle. You take the first road on the right hand side after crossing the Framboise Bridge (which is the second of two single lane bridges between Forchu and the Stirling Road. When you’ve turned onto this dirt road, the Stirling Road, continue on until you reach a four-way intersection, proceed straight through this intersection, you are now in Stirling proper (the loca-tion of the Mindamar Silver Min which operated from the early 1930’s to the late 1950’s) and en route to Lock Lomand. The road will narrow after you leave Stirling proper. You are now about 30 minutes from the end of the road in Loch Lomand. The road gets progressively worse as you travel towards Loch Lomand, howe-ver, the provincial Department of Trans-portation is working to get the road into an acceptable state, and has temporarily advised traffic not to use the road unless in a four-wheel drive vehicle. This work is being done at a very slow pace, however, and isn’t anywhere close to completion. When you’ve reached the end of the road, you will see a directional road sign. From this point you can travel to St. Peter’s, Grand River, Loch Lomand, Big Pond, or Salmon River. For our trip today, we are going to turn right and head towards Loch Lomand / Big Pond. This is a very scenic road, in fair condition, which winds along the Loch itself. You will see the protestant church, which is a grand structure situated to your right

as you travel along this road. You will also pass the historic cairn which was erected in 1928 to commemorate the Scottish settlers who settled the Loch Lomand district. You will then cross the county line back in Cape Breton County (we have been in Richmond County since we entered Forchu back on Route 327). The next major intersection you will come to will be a three-way yield. Turn right here. You are now on the way back to Big Pond; however, we still have about 20 minutes of dirt road ahead. Enjoy it and its traffic-free awesomeness! Personally, I love dirt roads (I even live on one), they are so much more enjoya-ble to travel on compared to pavement. I digress, however. When you reach the end of the dirt road, you’re now on Trunk 4. This is where I leave you for this issue. Next issue we will be travelling to some interesting places which can be reached through Trunk 4. Enjoy the photos of the places we travelled through today.

Editor’s Note: Travel at your own risk. Neither this paper, its owner, nor the author take any responsibility for any who may travel this route. Always obey traffic signs and take caution when travelling in rural areas where cell phone service and fuel and other basic ameni-ties may not be readily available.

Exploring Cape Breton: A Note on Rural Roads

Loch Lomand - Stirling Road Sign

Loch Lomand end of Stirling Road

The County LineThe Stirling Road

11the last word

notiCe:On Wednesday, October 17th at 7:00 p.m. at the Cape Breton Regional Library,

50 Falmouth Street, Sydney, we are celebrating the 45th Anniversary of the

Canadian Federation of University Women-Cape Breton Branch.

Guest Speaker: Kim Deveaux

Topic: Women in Politics

The CFUW seeks to improve the lives of women and youth in the world. We

do that locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. We all can make a

difference.

Frederick R. BoutilierSenior Correspondent

llStudies by a first-year philosophy major Josh Plum suggest that this time is probably the worst time you could ever hope to live in. Citing comparisons between 60's soft rock and modern “gangsta” rap, Plum noted that the obscene notions of gang-related violence and sexual debauchery found in modern rap lyrics are terrible compared to that of the trite love songs of yesteryear. Also mentioned were mood compa-risons between Beatles songs and metal. “You listen to the Beatles and it's just so darn catchy and happy,” Plum explained. “And then I turn on some Godflesh and I just want to cry. They're so sad and so angry. It's quite evident this is reflective of a societal tendency toward self-destruction brought on by a society that provides very little for its citizens.” When a member of the press raised the issue that Godflesh were active in the 80's, which weren't too far removed from the 60's, Plum replied that defi-ning an era of comparison was useless and that we should rather simply look at general life from “at least a few years back.” Plum further addressed this issue of the 80's being a turning point by noting that much rap music of the era is extremely confrontational, with citi-zens protesting and inciting violence against police and government officials in the lyrics. “What we can infer from this is that something happened in the 80's that influenced, for the worst, our living conditions today,” Plum explained. “Public Enemy weren't very happy with government in that era, so it's quite clear to me they were giving an early warning of the degradation to come.” Plum also noted the ever-increasing cost of living as a key factor in why this era is so terrible. “My grandfather always tells me tales of how a bag of chips and a pop used to cost five cents. And now a bag of chips alone is at least ninety-nine cents. Those are undenia-ble figures,” he said. “He also maintains that everything was more beautiful and

smelled nicer.” Inspired by a YouTube video, Plum noted that video games are worse nowadays as well, citing comparisons between “Wasteland” and “Fallout: New Vegas”. ““Wasteland” was this game with amazing storytelling, “New Vegas” just goes with the graphics. I think it's clear that graphics don't make the game, and I'm certainly not alone when I say that,” he explained, citing numerous friends as sources. In the essay, Plum also explained that film these days is not as good used it used to be, explaining the intellectual sentiment found in “Blade Runner” is much smarter than anything found in a modern romantic comedy or action movie. “As part of my research, I went to see the “Expendables 2” movie with friends after some drinks, and the movie clearly didn't have any intellec-tual merit; “Blade Runner” manages to have a few intense action scenes while not betraying its intellectual roots.” Not all reception to the essay has been positive. Professor Craig White noted that Plum used the wrong cherrypicked data to draw his conclu-sion. “A few of the sources in the essay are very right-wing and so the bias is clear. If he were in my class, I would instruct him to use predominantly left-wing sources,” he explained. “I find the pro-religion bent of right-wing sources much more intolerable than the militantly atheistic sources of the far-left,” White added. “In gover-nance, I find Democrat sources far more reliable and pleasing to my personal tastes.” When asked about the accuracy of his tabulations, Plum pointed to a stack of papers on his desk and simply said “That's my bibliography.” To date, no-one has raised the key issues of the ever-increasing minimum wage, the concept of inflation, econo-mics generally, the ever-changing nature of the arts, or the fact that only taking into account data that fits your hypothesis is inherently flawed. The 10,000 word essay was origi-nally posted on Plum's Facebook wall.

Cherrypicked Data Suggests This Era Is Awful

EXCITING NEWS Cape Breton University Student Union is pleased to announce the opportunity for students to participate in a PREFERRED PHARMACY PROVIDER PROGRAM offered by MHCSI - Managed Health Care Services Inc. This program enables students (and eligible dependents) to receive additional coverage of up to $2.00 on each prescription filled at MHCSI participating preferred pharmacy provider network locations (Lawtons Drugs, Sobeys Pharmacy). The student will also receive a Lawtons Client Group Discount Card which offers a wide range of discounts on their front store purchases at any Lawtons Drugs in Atlantic Canada. These benefits come at absolutely no cost to you!

Students can enroll for the program on-line by visiting www.mhcsi.ca/enroll/ and entering the Group Name: CBUSU and the Group Password: CBUSU69085. The on-line enrolment feature is currently available.

MHCSI will mail your personalized ID cards and program information directly to you so that you can access the program benefits.

EXCITING NEWS Cape Breton University Student Union is pleased to announce the opportunity for students to participate in a PREFERRED PHARMACY PROVIDER PROGRAM offered by MHCSI - Managed Health Care Services Inc. This program enables students (and eligible dependents) to receive additional coverage of up to $2.00 on each prescription filled at MHCSI participating preferred pharmacy provider network locations (Lawtons Drugs, Sobeys Pharmacy). The student will also receive a Lawtons Client Group Discount Card which offers a wide range of discounts on their front store purchases at any Lawtons Drugs in Atlantic Canada. These benefits come at absolutely no cost to you!

Students can enroll for the program on-line by visiting www.mhcsi.ca/enroll/ and entering the Group Name: CBUSU and the Group Password: CBUSU69085. The on-line enrolment feature is currently available.

MHCSI will mail your personalized ID cards and program information directly to you so that you can access the program benefits.

12 the last word

-NOTICE TO THE COMMON PUBLIC-

Publication Information & Policies

The Caper Times is a division of Caper Media and is printed on a fortnightly basis with distribution points across Sydney Metro and Cape Breton County. Caper

Media is the autonomous news agency of the Cape Breton University Students’ Union. The Times is proudly printed in the unionised print shop of the Cape Breton Post in Sydney, Nova Scotia. We welcome your questions, comments, enquiries, or submissions from students or members of the greater Cape Breton community via

our email: su_cteditor@cbu.ca.

Caper Media and the Caper Times relies primarily on volunteers to function as a local news aggregation and dissemination service. We encourage you to get

involved and have fun while gaining valuable experience working for a community organisation. For more information, please contact su_cteditor@cbu.ca or Dial:

902.563.1890.

We reserve the right to refuse any submission which is deemed by the editorial board to be sexist, racist, libelous, discriminatory, or in bad taste. The

publishing board shall be used as a final authority on such matters.

The opinions and views expressed in this paper are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the Editorial Board, Publishing Board, Caper Media,

the Caper Times, or the Cape Breton University Students’ Union.

Letters To The Editor - Policy

Letters to the Editor are encouraged, but must be submitted by email (to su_cteditor@cbu.ca) including your full name (no pseudonyms or unsigned

letters) and a telephone number. They must be no more than 400 words. Deadline for letters is Wednesday at 11.59 pm (23.59 hrs) before each issue.

The Caper Times reserves the right to edit for length and clarity or to reject any letter.

devon Patterson The Weal (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology)

Photo courtesy of Shylo Thompson Photos

llCALGARY (CUP) — Smartphone apps are often an addictive way to kill time and, with the near-constant release of new apps, indulging in these games can become a time wasting hobby. Everyone seems to have their favorite app, but here are five of the best that will compete to drain your phone’s battery the fastest.Best to play with friends: Draw Something Price: 99 cents for full versionThe best app gluing groups to their smartphones isDraw Something, which is an interactive game created by OMGPOP that allows players to call upon their Pictio-nary skills with friends.Players choose between three different subjects to draw while their opponent has to guess what it is.Each correct guess earns both players points, and the game connects to Face-book and Twitter so friends who already own the app can be invited to compete.According to Apple’s website, Draw Something is the number one free app, paid app and word game in over 80 countries.Best comeback: Angry Birds Space Price: 99 centsRovio, creator of the ever-popular Angry Birds game franchise, has just released a new version that involves the irritable birds travelling to space, adding an inter-galactic flavour that updates the all-time favourite addictive app.According to the Android store’s website, the Angry Birds chase an egg-kidnapping claw into a wormhole and find themselves floating in a strange new galaxy surroun-ded by space pigs.Among the new features of Angry Birds Space are 60 levels both on planets and in zero gravity, and the result is addictive gameplay of continuously challenging puzzles.Best time-Sucker: Cut the Rope Price: 99 centsCut the Rope, created by Chillingo, is another time-wasting app that makes the top of the list. The objective of the game is

to feed the green monster character Om Nom, and to avoid food falling past his mouth.Candy hangs by ropes, which the player can cut with a swipe of the finger, and can also be manipulated through other objects including bellows and floating bubbles. With each level, players are introduced to new objects and increasing opportunities for further time wasting.More than 60 million people worldwide have played this game and gave it an average rating of 4.81 out of 5.Best Creative App: Instagram Price: FreeA great app available on smartphones is Instagram. Created by Burbn, Inc. Insta-gram is a photo-altering app, which allows you to give a personal and artsy touch to photos you take with your smartphone camera. The app features filtered effects and tilt-shift blur which has a resulting effect that blurs the setting around the chosen subject, making the subject look smaller and almost toy-like.Instagram also lets users share photos in a simple photo stream with friends as well as connecting with social networking sites to maximize sharing potential. With this app, you can experiment with photos and let your inner-photographer shine through.According to Apple’s website, 15 million people own the app — and, best of all, it’s free.overall Best App: Temple Run Price: FreeThis app, created by Imangi Studios, is as addicting as they come and is quite possi-bly the ultimate treasure hunting game. The objective of the game is to evade evil monkeys while running through a never-ending maze. Players have to adopt quick reflexes and will need to jump, slide and collect coins while building their scores.The longer a player is actively running, the faster the adventurer goes and the harder the game gets. However, watch out for sharp corners and tree stumps, or you may just end up having to start from the beginning.Android’s own website reports that there are over 50 million Temple Run players worldwide.

Boredom busters: the top 5 time-wasting apps