6 Arts and Culture Oktoberfest at CN Center SAMANTHA FARROW ARTS EDITOR Saturday, October 18 was Oktoberfest celebration day for the people of Prince George, sponsored by Molson Canadian. Oktoberfest originated in Munich, Ger- many as a marriage celebration of Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese in 1810, This celebration is an 18 day event in Germany, lasting from late September to early Octo- ber. It involves dancing, drinking, games, booths and the tapping of the first keg by the mayor of Munich. If only it would last that long here, Iam sure many of us would enjoy 18 days of partying. However, in Prince George, it’s a similar celebration on a much smaller scale. While waiting to get in, the scent of bratwurst cooking was enough to make me drool, As soon as we were allowed through the doors, I headed to the nearest booth to take part in some German cuisine; brat- wurst, cabbage, and German potato salad. For $5.50, this was a really good sized plate. ath Annual pe Friday, Pumpkin Judging 2:00pm Brought to you by: The First Nations Centre International Exchange & Student Program English Language Studies NUGSS First Come First Serve PHOTO SUBMITTED BY ASHLYNN HURLEY There were also soft pretzels for sale, how- ever, by that point I was full. While sitting at the table, munching down, I watched the wide assortment of people walk by, some dressed in traditional German wear; there were a lot of lederhosen, not to mention the lovely Bavarian Dirndls worn by some of the ladies. People mingled and drank. I ab- stained; the beer was nearly $6 a glass, too much for my cheap self. But even without drinking, the atmosphere of CN Center was one of merriment and cheer, For the first hour, everyone ate, drank and mingled. Then at 8:30, the mayor took to the stage to tap the first keg to a traditional German cheer, which received tremendous applause from the audience, This commenced the band, The Continentals from Vancouver, with much dancing and celebration. The band was also in costume, and provided lively music for the evening. During the three intermissions, there were games to be played and prizes to be won, including some for best costume. The crowd, which was a mix of 19+, was ina fine mood to celebrate. All in all, it was a night that would have made even Munich proud, especially the food (I am having a craving for bratwurst as I write this). In the spirit of Oktoberfest, may das bier flow freely. kin Pateh Party October 30":11am-3pm Wintergarden ePumpkin Carving Contest eNUGSS Costume Contest eHaunted House Prizes will be awarded! Donations to UNICEF Appreciated RURIK MUENTER UNBC RFC PRESIDENT For the 14th consecutive year, the UNBC Rugby Clubs are proud to be offering the stu- dents of UNBC a blood chill- ing, thrilling Halloween social. ‘This event is one of the oldest traditions at the university, and a dont-miss on highlight on the calenders students and PG locals alike. This event features DJed tunes, refresh- ments, and best of all 900 coustumed revelers packing the massive dance floor. It is the biggest baddest student party your ever likely to experience. If my memory serves me correctly, when UNBC was ranked 4th best small school in Canada by MacLean’s in 2005, the Rugby Halloween dance was a feature of the school’s profile. Back by popular demand, it will once again be held at the Roller- dome. Yes, at the Rollerdome, even though for the past two yeats it has been advertised as The Last Halloween Dance at The Rollerdome. This year it is not the last year at the Roller- dome (?), and we hope to bring the back indefinatly. Sorry, but believe me, we don't event make up these stories to sell more tickets, we just had bad information, This event is the UNBC Mens Rugby Club, and the October 28, 2009 + Over the Edge UNBC Rugby Tackles Halloween on the field, be they a massive, hulking behmoth prop, or a lighting fast wing, or a greasy sly standoff. The UNBC clubs host a home tournement each year in early Septemeber at Masich stadium, and travel to several out-of-town tourne- ments, including Gobbler, a “However, Rugby has endured at UNBC as a student club, largly due to the commitement of a few key leaders who have carried these two clubs through its challenges.’ UNBC Women's Rugby Club main fundraising event, in part- nership with 2 local rugby clubs, the Prince George Gnats, and the Prince George Vixens. The clubs are the oldest at UNBC, and have a long and colourful history. For those who don't know the sport, it is a varia- tion of American football, with the objective being to score by touching the ball down at the oppenents end of the field. However, unlike football, there are no pads, and less rules. This is a full contact sport, which brings out courage and the best in players character of who step Thankgiving weekend event in Abbotsford at Exhibition Park. Believe it or not, Rugby was once a varsity sport at UNBC. Long story short, (and I won't relate it because I don't believe the half of it, especially the part about the club starting a fight with Chad Kroeger and Nickleback) we now have a varsity soccer team. However, Rugby has endured at UNBC as a student club, largly due to the commitement of a few key leaders who have carried these two clubs through its challen- ges. Of particular note was the leadership of Shaun Henry, for the men’s club, and Erica Clark, for the Women's club, These clubs are both striv- ing to provide athletic oppur- tunities and a great social net- work to all intrested students, Among the many principles of sprotmanship exibited by rugby, the two that make rugby stand out are inclusivity anda internationally recognized re- spect for those brave enought to step on the pitch. Rugby players have the unique ability of sharing a friendly beer mo- ments after displays of ferocity of competition on the field that would have you kicked out of most other sports, If you need a further reason to support rugby at UNBC and in PG, the lo- cal rugby community has been giving back to kids, Through the efforts of local and student club memebers, high school and mini-rugby have flourished over the last years in the com- munity, So join up, we are look- ing for more players, Or not... but you definatly dont’t want to miss our Dance. —v ee ___ al The Cadillac Converj: a true American hero Oops... | just had an teaser STEPHANIE MCCULLOUGH MANAGING EDITOR I’m going to talk about the Cadillac Converj, google that shit if you arent with me. (debuting 2012) Now, let me get this straight, I don't normally support GM. For mid-range and luxury vehicles, (ie: not a Maserati or Maybach) I’ve always been on Ford's side, Lexus, VW, Audi, and Hyundai recently; these companies, in my opinion have set themselves up well in the market, practiced proper business tactics, encouraged innovative production and new techniques. In short, I believe (from what I hear) that they have managed themselves relatively well and either created or adapted to the market well. GM, or Government Motors as I like to call them, were the worst hit on their own accord, Simply clinging to the Volt to ride the “electric” wave is not going to keep a juggernaut afloat. When SUV’s are your biggest sellers and then your customer base changes, gas prices go up, or people have less expendable income IT IS TIME TO ADAPT. Publicized poor management, a lack of innovation and not supporting their production-line employees has irked me from when I first was develop- ing my opinions. And then, of course, there is their marketing, I’m one of those people that wants to get a tattoo of Coca-Cola be- cause I respect their branding, I don't even drink, nor like, Coca-Cola, but that is how staggering my love for them has grown. General Motors has “streamlined” to 4 product lines; Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac. Saturn and Pontiac are looking for buyers by the end of 2010 (they both failed because of poor planning and management). I, for one, am so glad they kept around the Cadillac, so in 3-4 years when I'm rich and powerful and hitting my mid-life crisis (24) I can spend 60 G's on a toy. The toy is the Cadillac Converj. If the picture didn’t floor you already, imagine yourself in it. Yes, grip that steering wheel, feel the power. Look at your cameras, peer into the back seat and notice that everybody has room. The words on everyone's mind are Luxury, Spiffy, Hot. You love this car, You looooove it. This 2 door Coupe is battery powered with a max distance of 64 kms on a 3-hour charge. And it is optimized for less drag in dozens of ways. Don't let me bore you with details. Max speed is 160, but seriously people, when do we get the chance to go faster than 120? The population is growing, there will be more people on the road. Though PG people don't see the benefit of an electric car, Vancouver does. PG will eventually get traffic, unless everyone moves (haha yeah right). I originally wanted a CTS, and may still PHOTO COUTESY OF WWW.A AUTOINCAR. COM want the CTS because I like the 4 door as- pect and the fact that it would have more power. Yet the HUGE grille and super hot wheels/styling makes me believe that they will redesign the CTS for a happy median. Just so we are all aware, buying a GM vehicle is supporting the American Govern- ment because the US Department of Treas- ury has 61% ownership. They need this sup- port so I’m almost converting to supporting this company. Who doesn't want to help Obama flourish into a second term? Obama declared that the restructuring “will mark the end of an old GM, and the beginning of anew GM; anew GM that can produce the high-quality, safe, and fuel-efficient cars of tomorrow; that can lead America towards an energy independent future; and that is once more a symbol of America’s success.” If you are dead-set against bailouts, that's your choice. If you refuse to trade in your Japanese or German vehicle stating that they “will never screw up this bad’, that's also your choice. Hopefully most people that care about this issue, or once did, want to FIX the problem; Government Motors took a page out of that book when they announced elimination of lifetime health benefits for about 100,000 of its white-col- lar retirees at the end of 2008. Way to go, screw over the rich people, that’s what the people want.