Over tHe Eoce Volume 14, Issue 5 November 7-21, 2007 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cody Willett MANAGING EDITOR Alazar Shaam Semere PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Tyler Garke NEWS EDITOR Michelle Martins ARTS EDITOR Tabatha Lundholm PHOTO EDITOR: Mitchell Grant COPY EDITOR — Cover photo by Mitchell Grant, Photo Editor Editor’s Message Welcome to the intellectual jungle at UNBC: a tangled web of ideas, egos and words. Vistas of glass, concrete and wood set the scene of action that is at once ruthlessly quarrelsome and compassionately sophisticated. As a public non-profit organization with a mandate to be the platform from which students launch information and ideas into the wider student audience, Over the Edge is both a bastion of free expression and target of the malevolent. My previous Editor’s Message alluded to a haemorrhaging of money from Over the Edge’s operating fund. A breach of trust has taken place, and the {cause of this breach is currently being investigated internally and by the Jrelevant external authorities. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing nature of this investigation, we have been advised to refrain from printing the details - fof our troubles here for fear of bringing undue risk to the safety of the wider UNBC student community. Although this may sound evasive and cryptic, rest assured that it was with great internal consternation that Over the Edge : first real snow fall of the season as captured by Photo Editor Mitc rant of Over the Edge on Friday November 2nd while he was working o ewspaper production. A Call To Arms The war in Afghanistan is now into its sixth year, with no clear end in sight. Canada’s current commitment is set to expire in 2009. Nationwide, people are arguing about why we are there, what we are doing, and whether we should stay and, if so, in what capacity. Public opinion is as divided as the House of Commons. Yet through all the debate, there have been very few words coming from those who can best evaluate what is going on: the people on the ground level. Over the Edge invites anyone who has been to Afghanistan in any capacity at any time to share your views on this highly contested issue. Whether you wish to write a few lines or a full page, we want your voice to be heard. over-the-edge@ unbce.ca. Corrections: Issue 4, October 24 The Green Front: Sustainability focus groups 1, Annie Booth’s email address for taking student ideas is annie@unbc.ca, not booth@ unbc.ca as reported. 2. Annie Booth is not the Chair of the Green Committee, UNBC President Don Cozzetto Issue 3, October 10 Rally Against Shell For Sacred Headwaters The rally was organized by Skyla Olivia Lattie, whose last name was mistakenly omit- ted from the original article. chooses to withhold such an interesting story for the time being. If you just ¥ have to know what’s going on, we welcome your interest and invite you to accost one of us in the halls or drop by our office to chat about the situa- tion. 3 Last issue I printed an inflammatory cartoon. Luckily there have been no threats to bomb this embassy of conscience. I’ll admit my decision was rash, and I sincerely apologize to those offended by such content. I assure you that the intent was not to offend, but rather to expose. I invite you to read onward to find out why we would push the envelope in this way. Along the way you’ ll discover other stories and opinions that are sure to leave you with more food for thought than you thought us capable of dishing out. Finally, Over the Edge introduces a couple new faces to our editorial staff. Shaam Semere has come onboard as our new Managing Editor, while Michelle Martins will be your go-to source for top-secret exclusive intel- ligence as our News Editor. I would also like to thank all those students and administrative personnel at UNBC who have offered their assistance to Over the Edge in the past few weeks. We greatly appreciate the goodwill shown to this newspaper and will continue to meet adversity with determination so that we may fulfill our role as the students’ voice on this fair campus. Cody Willett, Editor in Chief Wow, has it been a busy couple months. From miss- ing the first paper’s biography deadline due to technical issues in September as a mild-man- nered student and now I am the new Managing Editor for Over The Edge. My name is Shaam, by the way. Hi. Actually, my full name is Alazar Shaam Semere (and apparently Microsoft Office 2007 refuses to acknowledge any part of my name as an ac- tual word), and seeing as how a lot of people have trouble remembering that (such as my extended family), just re- member A.S.S. and we’ll be good. As the Managing Edi- tor, my responsibilities will cover the management o I really hope I have the history to say that. I am currently a second year Mathematics major at UNBC who has written for this paper last year. Yes, that’s right I’m a math guy working for a news- paper. In between my finding of tangent planes and proving that one plus one is two, I write articles and throw around news- papers. I don’t know about you, but it seems strange to me... Anyway, I am currently the Distribution Manager of Over the Edge and that means that I’m the guy who is in charge of making sure that you obtain and read the paper. If you are read- ing this right now, then I have probably succeeded in encour- aging you to pick up the paper. I’m also the guy who hands out the paper to you personally, de- livers the paper to you in the residence building, and refills the paper racks when they’re empty. If you know of a location where placing the papers would be most beneficial or you want to converse about the geeky side of life just stop by the of- fice and drop some lines. If I’m not there you can also easily converse with the other editors, who are not only helpful but also very interesting to talk to. Also, if you do those “Words in Subterfuge” let me know. I need to know how difficult or how easy those suckers are. - Haakon Sullivan Distribution Manager i Over The Edge to our suppli- ers and advertising partners. In addition to this, I plan on nificance to the student body (tuition, the NUSC centre, etc). On top of this, I plan on writing short fictional stories to both indulge in a pastime I happen to enjoy and reach my article quota as a member o the Over The Edge staff. Like all editors here, I am open to suggestions and encourage all readers to tell us what they think or to send in any ma- terial you want. I will soon be in the office periodically and I will be more than happy fo answer any questions that I can or take in any submis- sions and ensure that they}, are added to the newspaper. I'll be the A.S.S. behind the Managing Editor