lewpoints EDITOR ANNE WATSON THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2011 6 Top city drops to third or the last decade, Vancouver Fes published as the best place on earth. Not anymore. Melbourne, Australia and Vienna, Austria claim the first and second places, respec- tively. Citing road closures on the Malahat highway, The Economist dropped Vancouver two spots, from first to third, in its rankings of the world’s most liveable cities. Where the heck is the Malahat highway anyway? You might have to Google it to find out (hint: you have to take a ferry to get there). According to an unknown Vancou- ver source The Economist will not name, the highway closures apparently cost the city demerits on infrastructure. It all seems rather contrived. Who is this suspicious source? It could be some bloke from Melbourne. Maybe he lives here part of the year. Maybe he had to cancel a snowboarding trip to Mount Washington because the Malahat was closed? Well, that bites the big one, mate. Someone should have told The Economist that Vancouver Island isn’t Vancouver. In fact, it’s practically in the United States. Look at the border, it goes right down there below the 49" parallel. It even has that mountain called Washington. Either this intelligence unit isn’t very intelligent, or they were tired of seeing our fair city dominate for so long. Ten years, that’s a solid dynasty. We owned that list. We win. They should just retire our number one spot. Next year, if the Economist Intelligence Unit still wants to find some arbitrary reason to knock Vancouver, with its majestic mountain vistas, ocean breeze, eclectic culture, renowned urban planning and architecture and copious liquid sunshine, they can at least find something in the Metro area. How about TransLink? OPINION MARTIN WISSMATH We want to hear from you Did we get a fact wrong? Tell us. Cot a different point of view? Write to us. Problems with something we've said? Let us know. Journalism instructor Nicholas Read oversees The Voice. Email him at nread@langara.be.ca OK, BEANS line move® Should be alse toaer a coffee 1 mer class. B CARLY WIGNEs BC Place renovations raise the roof on expectations fter much anticipation, BC At stadium re-opened Sept. 30 revealing its $563 million face-lift to the most fantastic crowd Vancouver has seen since the 2010 Olympics. The opening was tied to the BC Lions home game that followed Premier Christy Clark cutting the ribbon and opening the doors to over 50,000 fans. Outside the stadium, the profile of the new roof is majestic, elegant and provides a stunning addition to the Vancouver skyline. Inside, the changes aren’t so readily noticeable. Visitors must still walk the long, winding concrete ramps up or down to their gate. The mezzanines themselves do nothing to impress, they are dotted with a few food kiosks of mini- donuts and beer vendors. I was eager to see the roof from the inside for the first time. I wanted to be awed. Yet, there was a part of me that wanted to see something inadequate. Anything that could confirm our government had squandered our money but instead the new BC Place has my thumbs up for its visual impact. It is big, bright and beautiful; the new roof is all we have been told it would be. OPINION LYNDA CHAPPLE The space inside is nothing like it used to be. Vancouver now has a stadium that could challenge the biggest Ameri- can stadiums. Is Vancouver ready for this, better yet, do we need this? This stadium may be a gift to sports enthusiasts and concert- goers but to the homeless on the streets, the families who need new schools and to those who were forced into a bed in Tim Hortons because an emergency room was full, it is a slap in the face. Until our city, our government and our premier fix the existing open sores that are eroding the under- belly of this city, it will be hard for many British Columbians to enjoy the benefits it provides to only a handful of people. New cafeteria might leave some waistlines sagging hat does $1.2 million buy \ \ you? Greasy j pizza, crowded tables, outdated microwaves and quite likely poor health and muffin-tops. While the long awaited cafeteria opening has sparked sighs of relief from many students, the ever so slightly expanded choices in food have left many others disappointed. Quiznos, Tim Hortons, and White Spot? Students will have to brown bag it if they want real nutrition this year. But wait, there are vending machines too, chalk full of high- sugar confections and ideally located in classroom corridors to AS h.\ ‘ OPINION MORNA CASSIDY satisfy our growling stomachs during 10 minute breaks. Bottom line, despite the extrava- gant spending, there are no healthy food options at Langara. For a city that is commonly known across the country for its healthy active lifestyle, let’s hope tourists don’t have to resort to the Langara campus for a quick bite while sightseeing. Tam still caught in long line-ups that consume the majority of my lunch hour. I eat high-fat foods in a hurry and after inhaling them I sit in class experiencing extreme indigestion and lethargy. I’m not fooled by the homegrown mystique of Tim Hortons, or think, ‘gee that sub tastes just like my Italian grandmother’s homemade veal sandwich.’ The money spent on the Langara cafeteria, while it may pay off for the school in the long run, really doesn’t pay off for students now. Langara has an incremental payback scheme, as told to The Voice by Mark Adams, Langara’s ancillary director. On the days when we’re too busy to pack a lunch, we’ll be forced to down a lamp-heated slice that looks like a slowly drying oil painting. Our energy will be zapped and our waistlines, sadly, will widen. Here’s hoping the mad-dash to class will burn the fat off as we trip through hallways hoping to make it there before the instructor closes the door. Perhaps all that money would have been better spent on a campus grocer and a selection of wholesome prepared foods; or how about a more extensive soup selection for the residents of the soggiest city in Canada? Just a thought. the \aias The Voice is published by Langara College's journalism department. Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student government and administration. We welcome letters to the editor. All letters must be signed. They may be edited for brevity. Names may be withheld in special cases, but your letter must include your name and phone number. 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