Student Life November Zist 2012 - Over the Edge HOROSCOPES CLEO STARSKY ASTROLOGER Pisces: Beware of those who seem to have good intentions... In reality, all they have is good looks. Focus your energies on making a name for yourself or maybe just try changing your name. Avoid getting too caught up in the small, medium or large things. Call your mother. Aquarius: Introspection has never been a bad thing... until now. Avoid relying on others for their help. Things are likely to fall through if you don’t have a backup plan (and then a backup plan for your backup plan). At the end of the day, a good pair of socks will be all that matters. Capricorn: Cover all the mirrors in your house. Vanity isn’t necessary once the snow reaches eye level anyways. Do something that scares you... or maybe just the people around you. Compliment the first person (or thing) you see when you leave the house. Remember: never underestimate the power of a good serenade. Sagittarius: Brush up on your memory skills... Flashcards are recommended but not required. Avoid leaving things to the last minute: try leaving them to the last second. Keep verbal conversations to a minimum and try communicating with your eyelashes only. Kiss someone (or something) like you Mean it. Scorpio: Stop staring so hard at strangers, they might report you. Try winking instead. Believe in yourself and every other person you come across. Work on building bridges, not tunnels. Understand that while the universe might revolve around you, not everybody has heard the news yet. Libra: Invest in some good quality slacks. Or just incorporate the word “slacks” into your day-to-day vocabulary. Listen to your heart... when he’s calling for you (2005 trance club song reference). Stay true to yourself, but not to your significant other. People like mystery. Make sure to include a “bless your heart” in every conversation you have. Virgo: Stop thinking about it and just do it... I promise nobody will make fun of you for trying out that new hairstyle. You’re obviously just waaaay ahead of the times. If you’ve got something to get off of your chest now is the time to do it and I’m not talking about plastic surgery. Reach for the stars or maybe just the ceiling (for now). Leo: Keep your fingers crossed that no one will notice all the chaos you’ve been causing (so that way you can continue to do so). Experiment with not wearing any colours of the rainbow... Black can be just as exciting! Avoid showing off too much or else you might run the risk of flashing someone you don’t know. It’s best to keep your clothes on during this time, especially if you don’t feel like getting frostbite. Cancer: Try to finish that project you started. Or re-start a project you finished. Maybe just do something with your hands. Keep in mind that people can’t read your mind and that is entirely their fault. Be patient and forgiving. Also be a tad unreasonable. Live every day like it’s your last, right? Gemini: Remember to walk with your left foot forward. It also helps if you do the same for your right. Don’t pay attention to the critics. They’ve been drinking too much Haterade™ and that is their problem. The best thing to do is offer them water. If you’ve been having the sneaky suspicion that the world is coming to an end, you might be right. You also might be wrong. Check back later. Taurus: Throw a party for no apparent reason. People love an excuse to drink! You might find yourself with more romantic prospects than you bargained for. Relish in your _ studliness... Christmas came early for you this year. Now is the time to take up a new hobby: try napping or eating. You might just find that you’ve got exceptional hidden talents! Aries: If you’ve been feeling competitive lately, try to take your pent up energy out with some good ol’ fashion bar brawling. Everyone loves an aggressive drunk. Try to be more upfront with your intentions. Letting others know what you want might just get you what you want. Subtly is your friend... or your enemy. I’ll let you figure that one out. more interesting) Age: 29 (Honestly 29, not “29”) Geoffrey Charles de Ruiter Who is Geoff de Ruiter? Geoff de Ruiter is a human male who was bom on the planet Earth (presumably; he cannot actually remember it happening). Variety is his spice of life with regards to what he likes to do and learn. In general, he likes to browse the internet learning new ideas and flex his imagination. He loves to rock climb, bicycle, surf, and swim. His greatest fear is death, but that drives his greatest motivation to live a humble and fulfilled life, care for others, and attempt to leave the world in better condition for future generations. What are you studying/researching? I am studying carbon stuff, but specifically how to best use biochar (wood charcoal) economically. Should we use it to just bury in the ground to store carbon, should we offset coal in power plants, or perhaps another option? I also like studying various life topics, politics, co-operatives, urban planning, etc, but that occurs in my spare time. Why did you choose this topic? Climate change (if you believe in that sort of thing!) is at the crux of many of today’s issues, including: energy, plant and animal plant extinction, and planetary homeostasis. GRAD STUDENT SPOTUGHT Name: Geoffrey Charles de Ruiter III (I added the Ill to make myself seem Program: PhD in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies If we can prevent or limit its progression, we will solve many unsustainable problems. My biology background kept me within this field and it is the best I can do to continue pursuing my educational development. How was the research conducted? Mainly sitting down. I tend to notresearch things while swimming or surfing or whatever; it’s hard on the computer, getting wet or bumped around. Overall, my research is limited to the physical science and it has some hypothetical analyses too. It is truly an interdisciplinary study, but that fits my skillset. There are still some questions and possible changes that might need to happen, but that will figure itself out in time. Where would your research be implemented? What are some applications for this research? My study region is British Columbia. At this time BC is developing some great policies for addressing climate change and biochar is a new resource/opportunity to include in this action. Some of the applications would be the offset of coal, or as a very stable carbon sequestration method. Biochar could also show to be beneficial for some agricultural applications, but that is a complicated question. When will you be graduating? Talk to my professors! I would like to say tomorrow, but realistically, 3-4 years from now. If you could give one piece of advice to the new grad students this year, what would it be? Care for all life, including your own, it is far too short and we are far too isolated as a planet to not strive for a better future together. I hope your research reflects this sentiment, and I am sure, in someway, it does. A BEER WITH BEN: THE HARDEST WORKING BANDS AROUND BEN FILIPKOWSKI COPY EDITOR There’s a fun video making the rounds on YouTube called Al “Why Doesn’t MTV 2) Make Music Videos anymore?” made by bfirenzi that presents a “network head” answering that very question. The answer is scathing, patronizing, hilarious - and totally true. The gist of it is that our complacency and nature as consumers has put us twenty years now. Soundgarden just reunited, and Smashing Pumpkins have...well, let’s just not talk about Smashing Pumpkins. The funny thing is, most people around my age and from my generation will complain about a vanished era that they were too young to experience in the first place. Most people who got to grow up with Nirvana are in their thirties or forties now; I wasn’t even four when Kurt Cobain died. So many of us seem nostalgic for a time we never really experienced in the first place; how many of you are ¢@he funny thing is, most people around my age and from my generation will complain about a vanished era that they were too young to experience? ? outside the target demographic; we complain about the popstars and the reality TV, but we still download our favourite artist’s music for free and sigh wistfully for the heyday of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, etc etc. “What happened to music,” we wail, “when did things get this bad?” The thing is, though, it’s not all bad. Though we’re loath to admit it, half those bands we wish were still around kind of are still around. Granted, Nirvana can never reunite, but it’s not like Dave Grohl stopped working. Pearl Jam have been around for proud to be a “nineties kid” when you were born in 1990? An “eighties kid” when you were born in 1989? Of course you can experience some of these ages and some of that zeitgeist, but must we really let ourselves be bogged down with such nostalgia when today is so close at hand? Those bands and musicians you loved never left. They simply found new places, new outlets, new names and audiences. They’re the hardest working bands around.