6 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012 EDITOR MORNA CASSIDY Urban farms, seeing past the slaughter t’s no secret: the world is becoming pero: urbanized. As of 2006, 68 per cent of Canadians lived in metropoli- tan areas, according to Statistics Cana- da. Urbanization is a growing human desire and rather than fight it, why not maximize the experience? Enter Urban Farming. As a little girl I never imagined that anyone lived differently than me ~ that is, eating vegetables from my moms garden, picking apples and raspberries for sweet summer treats —it was not weird or gruesome to see my dad kill and hang, skin and gut, a sheep, pig or cow, in the back yard of our small family farm. However, as I grew up I realized most people lived very differently than me ~ that is their steak started as, well a steak. Generally people don’t think about their filet mignon as a once living cow that was shot OPINION Jacquie and skinned and Richardson then skillfully and artistically butchered before arriving on their plate. (Vegetarians please excuse me) I really understood the difference of my childhood when a chef I met while at a cooking school in south- ern Italy, returned from a fieldtrip beaming because he’d dug potatoes for the first time. I teased him because honestly, I thought he was joking. Looking mildly offended he said he was not. This is one of the many reasons why urban farming is needed by people, all people. If you haven’t sunk your hands into the dirt to plant a flower or a shrub or a little row of carrots, I assure you, you’re missing out. While money doesn’t grow on trees, fruit does and ...it’s easy! Potatoes are literally the gift that keeps giving. Cut a potato in half, put some dirt on top, and soon enough you'll have two more potato plants. That being said, I realize it’s not the whole answer. Most city plots probably aren’t big enough for a whole year’s worth of produce and yes it might be unset- tling if we all started butchering animals in our backyards. Let’s face it we’re not all farmers who have the desire to reap and sow our own food, North America is the homeland of the convenience store afterall. However what urban farming allows is for those who are feeling a little disconnected from the food chain is to reconnect to their food. It’s healthier, it’s relaxing, and don’t we all like to get a little dirty? We want to hear from you Did we get a fact wrong? Tell us. Got 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 Food hampers for hunger pains eing lazy isn’t an option for stu- dents who are living in a city that is ranked the world’s sec- ond most expensive place to live. I know of many people who are juggling schoolwork and shifts at the local coffee shop just so they can make ends meet. But sometimes it isn’t enough and students need programs to fall back on to help get them through the rough patches. The Langara Students’ Union is starting a food hamper program for students in financial difficulty. A food hamper would provide those in need with a week’s supply of food. All that a troubled student needs to do is sign up anonymously, eT | submit a list of desired foods; then they will receive a weekly hamper once the LSU approves the request. Thisisa great idea that will help many struggling students to stay afloat. But why do students have to resort to these measures? In other words, why are students so poor? If students are financially respon- sible, and work while in school, the problem must stem from another source -- the government. wey OPINION Omar Shariff For the 2012 provincial budget, B.C. finance minister Kevin Falcon challenged post-secondary institu- tions to cut their spending by 1 per cent. On top of that, Falcon pro- posed around $100 million worth of cuts to B.C. colleges and universi- ties. All these austerity measures are being put in place to reduce the $2.5 billion deficit stemming from the failed Olympic Village, the new over-budget B.C. Place roof and the fees from the revoked HST tax. With all of these high priced items that the government is trying to pay off, education has taken a back seat. As a result, students are strug- gling and are getting the short end of the breadstick. I i LETTERS to the editor In response to: Queer Liaison seeks unisex bathrooms, March 1. “Ungendered bathrooms are a key factor in keeping some students safe: Andy Sandberg” Great, but in this case “some” is maybe five out of 10,000? In a perfect world, the needs of every minority would be met. As it is, and given strained budgets, is Andy Sand- berg serious that she needs perhaps .01% of the student population (I’m talk- ing specificially of transexuals, trans- vestites, and sex-change patients) re- quire expensive renovations to avoid “uncomfortable” feelings? In terms of a safety risk, she will have to provide more compelling evi- dence than a statement from the Queer Action Coalition. There are single-cubicle, private washrooms on campus for those who are public-bathroom phobic, for what- ever reason. There is one in the SUB and a couple opposite from the main office in the B building. “Anyone who doesn’t comply with gender norms is at risk in gender-seg- rated environments” So is anyone who doesn’t conform to conservative dress codes. I have seen radical punks verbally and physically abused because they stood out. Do we need separate bathrooms for the outrageous, too? Frankly, I don’t want a penny of the college’s funding going towards a proj- ect which impacts only a tiny percent- age of the student population. Adrian Langara alumnus In the March 8 edition of the Voice I was quoted in an article, that did get my statements correct - however the story is filled with typos and errors. I am speaking of the page five article enititled “Smart eating can benefit grades” by Cara McKenna. Canada’s Nutrition Month is “put forth” by Dietitians of Canada - not the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This is the American association - not the Canadian one. In my interview I did give the stu- dent the links to Dietitians of Canada and Nutrition Month information. Also - throughout the article the word Dietitian is spelled the American way - “Dietician”. I have written before with these con- cerns, and will soon consider no longer being available for Voice reporters if these issues are not dealt with. The Voice is a Canadian post-sec- ondary institution newspaper. Surely we can spell using the Canadian spell- ing, and give appropriate credit to the organizations involved. Monica Molag, RD Nutrition and Food Service Management Program I would like to thank Carissa Thorpe for the wonderful photo of my necklace display, featured in Jumbo jewellery not a joke for local artist, in the March lissue. A great job with the caption as well; informative and to the point. Dave Sajedi Artist Ijust wanted to point out that the de- cision to resign Muneori Otaka from the LSU Board of Directors was not a unanimous vote. While the motion was carried, the reporter was present and would know that not everyone on the board was in agreement with this decision. Anh Lu Student Elect College Board of Governors 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. HOW TO REACH US PHONE 604-323-5396 FAX 604-323-5398 E-MAIL thevoice@langara.be.ca DROP-IN Room A226 Langara College There is a mailbox at the entrance to the journalism rooms. SNAIL MAIL The Voice 100 West 49th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. VSY 226 WEBSITE wwwlangara.bc.ca/voice EDITORIAL STAFF THIS ISSUE: MANAGING EDITOR PAGE 6 Moma Cassidy PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Patrick Johnston PAGE 2 Ruman Kang PAGE 3 Devon MacKenzie PAGE 4 Carly Wignes PAGE 5 Daniel Palmer PAGE 7 Jennifer Fong PAGE 8 Martin Wissmath WEB EDITORS Shawn Gill Alexandra Grant Alanna Harding-Rooney Jennifer St. Denis REPORTERS Ross Armour Dana Bowen Agustina Coccaro Hayley Doctor Michelle Gamage Lev Jackson Cara McKenna Audrey McKinnon Quinn Mell-Cobb Dennis Page Sascha Porteous Clayton Paterson Brandon Reid Jacqueline Richardson Jeremy Sally Omar Shariff Alexander Skerdzhev Carly Smith Stacy Lynne Thomas Carissa Thorpe Ashely Viens Contact us: Our blog: langaravoice.com Twitter: @LangaraVoice Youtube: VoiceLangara flicker: Langara Voice