Artist Spotlight: The Jins
Columns / October 27, 2015
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Three-piece guitar-driven rockers bring reinvigoration to Vancouver’s music scene If The Strokes and Nirvana had a one night stand and produced a musical superbaby, you’d get The Jins. Though their recently released, self-titled EP is only six songs long, listening to it guarantees enough raw shouts and body-shaking riffs to satisfy a garage, alternative or... Continue Reading
Pifanida / The Runner
Going Global: Viva la Catalonia Libra
Columns / October 20, 2015
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Viva la Catalonia Libra Late last month, two pro-separation parties in Catalonia’s regional legislature won a majority of seats, 72 out of 135, but not an outright majority of the popular vote, which was around 48 per cent of the Catalan population. Catalonia, like the rest of Spain, votes with a representative system, meaning popular... Continue Reading
Going Global: Yemen’s Civil War
Columns / September 28, 2015
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Yemen’s Civil War Yemen, at this moment, finds itself in a quagmire. In the southern part of the country you have Al-Qaeda, in the west you have Iran-backed Houthis, in the east and the south you have the former government and their loyalists. On top of all of this, you have bombing runs courtesy of... Continue Reading
Rosaura Ojeda / The Runner
The “F” Word: Beyonce and Feminism
Columns / September 28, 2015
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Beyonce’s Brand of Feminism The dark stage is suddenly lit. Light pours down towards the massive, capitalized white letters that together spell out “FEMINIST.” A silhouette of a woman stands proudly in front of the sign, locks blowing in the wind. She fiercely, heroically claims a taboo title. It is 2014, and Beyonce Knowles has... Continue Reading
Tristan Johnston / The Runner
Science Explained: Aspartame
Columns / September 28, 2015
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Parsing the evidence against aspartame Aspartame, the low-calorie sweetener known on food labels as E951, was first approved for Canadian consumption in 1981. Aspartame is found in many products, including diet beverages, processed foods, yogurt and chewing gum. It’s also the main ingredient of the coffee and tea sweeteners Nutrasweet and Equal. In the late-‘90s... Continue Reading
Video Game Logic: The Unfinished Swan
Columns / September 28, 2015
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The Unfinished Swan shows, doesn’t tell Genre: First Person Adventure Release: (PS3) October 2012 (PS4 & Vita) October 2014 Platforms: PS4, PS3 and PlayStation Vita Remember when you were a kid, you could become so engrossed in a story you’d begin to imagine yourself as a character inside it? This is exactly what The Unfinished... Continue Reading
Science Explained: Why HIV is difficult to treat
Columns / September 16, 2015
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Why HIV is difficult to treat The Human Immunodeficiency Virus HIV fits under a branch of viruses called lentiviruses, and many animals such as cats, cows, horses, and sheep have strains of lentiviruses that typically don’t cause disease. In primates, the lentivirus is called SIV (Simian immunodeficiency virus), and multiple strains exist that are specific... Continue Reading
The "F" Word: Free The Nipple
Columns / September 16, 2015
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Free The Nipple All nipples are equal. That’s the message that Lina Esco, activist and producer of the 2013 documentary Free the Nipple, is hoping to communicate through her work. Ever since her best friend’s mother was kicked out of a church for the crime of breastfeeding, Enesco has been dedicated to the Free The... Continue Reading
Going Global: India’s Neighbourhood
Columns / September 4, 2015
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India’s Neighbourhood Early this month, India and Bangladesh have put to rest what was possibly the strangest border dispute in the world. Along their shared border were more than 160 enclaves—small plots of land that belong to one country but are surrounded by another country, and in some cases, surrounded again by another country,... Continue Reading
Video Game Logic: Hydraulic Empire
Columns / September 4, 2015
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Hydraulic Empire could have been a simple flash game After two solid hours of slogging through Hydraulic Empire, I’m eight levels in and feeling like I’ve accomplished nothing. The story revolves around you defending(?) your town or country against your own people by attacking(?) areas further and further from the starting point. I use question... Continue Reading
Going Global: Balancing Power in the South China Sea
Columns / August 28, 2015
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Balancing Power in the South China Sea Disputes over naval territory have been a consistent struggle in the South China Sea since the end of the Second World War. For several years, Japan and China have both claimed ownership over a set of islands between the north of Taiwan and the south of Okinawa. The... Continue Reading
Video Game Logic: Shadow of the Colossus
Columns / April 20, 2015
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Every industry has its influential outliers that set the course for future endeavors, and for the medium of video games Shadow of the Colossus is definitely one of those. Nearly 10 years old now, the game doesn’t stand on the shoulders of giants—in this case, it is the giant.... Continue Reading
The "F" Word: pro-choice or anti-choice, it's still a woman's issue
Columns / April 20, 2015
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Let’s talk about one of the most controversial topics in society—abortion. This matter seems never-ending because it’s one of those topics that splits society right down the middle. According to Debate.org, abortion is one of their biggest and most divisive issues, as the poll usually stands at more or less 50 per cent while most... Continue Reading
Going Global: Iran and the bomb, a history
Columns / April 20, 2015
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After 12 years of negotiations, the United States mediated a deal with Iran. In exchange for reducing their nuclear capability, numerous sanctions hindering the economy of Iran will be lifted. Shortly after the deal was announced, President Obama said that the guidelines, if fully implemented, would prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. “Iran will... Continue Reading
Video Game Logic: First impressions of Darkest Dungeon
Columns / March 29, 2015
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Genre: Turn based dungeon crawler Release: February 2015 (Early Access) Platforms: Windows, PS4 (on completion) Writer’s note: Darkest Dungeon is an early access title and as such its content is continually being tweaked, fixed and expanded upon. What follows are my thoughts on the game in its current state as of March 4, 2015 and... Continue Reading