Volume 12, Issue 5 November 9, 2005 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Maggie Gilbert (eit-ote@unbc.ca) MANAGING EDITOR Stephanie Wilson (biz-ote@unbc.ca) PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Belinda Li (prod-ote@unbc.ca) NEWS EDITOR Andrew Kurjata (news-ote@unbc.ca) ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Vacant SPORTS AND CLUBS EDITOR Tyler Clarke (sports-ote@unbc.ca) FEATURES AND OPINIONS EDITOR Vacant PHOTO EDITOR Vincent Chan AD MANAGER Ashley-Paige Smith DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Elizabeth Fyles TECHNICAL ADVISOR Eric Chlebek STAFF WRITERS Melissa Bodo Anna Gradowska Jeremy Johnson . CARTOONISTS Josh Hammerstedt George Haslam CONTRIBUTORS Allen Lai CANADIAN UNIVERSITY PRESS James Bouthillier Kevin Gillich Shaun Lyons lain Reeve Colleen Tang Carie Wilson Over the Edge is the official independent publishing media of students at the University of Northern British Columbia. As such, it is our mandate to report on issues of interest to students in the Northern Region. We encourage all students, both on the main and regional campuses to submit to Over the Edge. Over the Edge is part of the Canadian University Press network of papers, otherwise known as CUP. CUP is an organization that is entirely owned by member papers, and provides such services as a news wire and adver- tising to Over the Edge. OFFICE LOCATION 7-219 MAILING ADDRESS 3333 University Way Prince George, BCV2N 429 PHONE (250) 960-5633 FAX (250) 960-5407 E-mail over-the-edge@unbc.ca Nomeber 9, 2005 + Over the ae The Earth i is ie Last Week IAIN REEVE THE OTHER PRESS (DOUGLAS COLLEGE) NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. (CUP) — In a recent issue of Discover magazine, it was revealed that the Eu- ropean Space Program is making major strides in their aims to land on Mats. Recent updates suggest they may even beat NASA to the punch. I must say that, should we choose to go back to the old “stick a flag in it” method of claiming territory, I'm happy Europe will be getting there first. Why? A recent study conducted by multi-disciplinary professors at Simon Fraser University has revealed Europe JAMES BOUTHILLIER / cuP to be tops among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Develop- ment (OECD) states in environmental sustainability and progress. So who better to look after a new planet than those who have at least been making some effort to look after this one? There is, however, some bad news. Guess who ranked number 28 out of 30? Why, little old us—Oh, Canada! Let's admit it kids: the days where we can recklessly wander about plundering the earth and dumping all our crap ev- erywhere are over. We can no longer get by insisting God put the earth here for us to ransack as we On The Digital Front Digital Laws Still Vague JEREMY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER With all the news flying about me about different bits of news on digi- tal issues, there does seem to be a bit of confusion between Canadian and American digital laws. This week On the Digital Front, I decided to write about what the laws generally stand in Canada to alleviate some confusion on where things stand today. ‘There is one thing that needs to be made clear, digital laws in Canada are quite vague; however, one can take comfort in the fact that there does seem to be some clear, yet outdated, laws which, to this day, are still written in Canadian law. One of the many mistakes some peo- ple make is that there are some things in American Law that simply does not apply in Canada. The biggest one has to be the MGM vs. Grokster Case. After quite a few news sources confused the issue by acquiring most of their “infor- mation” from record company execu- tives and attorneys alike. Legally speak- ing, the one thing that was made most clear in the case so far by the Supreme court is that if you encourage piracy with your software, you can be held li- able for copyright infringement the us- ers of the program commit. However, even. if you receive a cease and desist order from the other side of the border citing this case, one needs to remember that this is an American case, not a Ca- nadian case. American law doe not ap- ply in Canada (nor should it ever). Yes, there have actually been a number of cases where Canadians received cease and desist orders by American copy- right firms who use American laws to confuse people into unnecessary fear. So what do laws look like in Canada anyway? Perhaps the most important one is if you are allowed to upload or download. Canadian law, as it stands today, basically says that (with several court rulings of course) it is illegal to upload copyrighted works in Canada. However, it is not against Canadian law to actually download copyrighted songs for free. There is a lot of information on Canadian digital copyright laws on http://www.cippic.ca. If you are at all concerned with these laws, that site has to be one of the best sources I know of that offers actual concrete informa- tion as opposed to what the Canadian recording industry would want you to believe. I kept this article short and con- densed so I could squeeze in this tid- bit. If you have a question youd like to ask me on digital and technological issues, feel free to send me an e-mail at johnso9@unbc.ca. I definitely prefer in the subject bar“On the Digital Front Question.’ Please include your name/ anonymity request. I also am trying to upload the news onto the internet and include some bo- nus info that I would not otherwise be able to stuff in this space. It's a gradual process, but I'll eventually have it all up to date. The web link is http://web. unbe.ca/~johnso9/news/ digitalfron- tonline/index.html. Forgive the cur- rent bare bones feel, I'm updating it as fast as I can. see fit; nor can we go about deny- ing the existence of issues like global warming just because one or two scien- tists out of a million say it might not be true. The ostrich syndrome is getting us nowhere. If you're still having trouble with this I suggest you consider it this way: if they're right—nothing happens; if we're right—WE'RE ALL DEAD. In situations like that I tend to err on the side of caution. One would think a country with such an entrenched attachment to nature would be a little more respon- sible with the natural wonders we have around us. Sadly, our fair nation is painfully substandard in the realm of environ- mental sustainability. It is a simple matter of priorities. As with so many National Défense Defence nationale ivi Options * Engineers * Physiotherapists * Social Workers * Pilots * Doctors * Nurses * Pharmacists + Naval Officers To learn more, contact us today. other, things, environmental issues take a backseat to economic growth. It’s tough too, because that backseat is very cramped, the environment is a re- ally big kid, and the journey’s long and getting hotter. The solution is simple here. The earth is quite simply the most impor- * tant resource we have. We should treat it as such. All issues: the economy, security, hu- man rights, the price of crackers, old- ‘age pensions, and tuition fees mean sweet fuck all if our planet cannot sus- tain our sad-sap species, I suppose the other option would be hitting up Mars for a place to stay. But you know the Europeans; they would never let us in. It’s like renting a base- ment suite to a smoker. It's just a bad investment. Les options make alithe font toute difference la différence No matter what Peu importe your university la nature de education, you can vos études enjoy a career with universitaires, a difference in the vous pouvez Canadian Forces. benéficier d’une carriére différente dans les Forces canadiennes. * ingénieurs * Physiothérapeutes ¢ Travailleurs sociaux/ travailleuses sociales * Pilotes * Médecins * Infirmiers/ infirmiéres * Pharmaciens/ pharmaciennes * Officiers de marine Pour obtenir de plus ampies renseignements, veuillez communiquer avec nous dés aujourd’hul. Strong. Proud, Today's Canadian Forces. Découvrez vos forces dans les Forces canadiennes. cpt aac Samecve* ng 1 800 856-8488 www.forces.g¢.ca Canada