J litestytes Unique gifts for under $25 Christmas shopping on a student’s budget doesn’t have to be a difficult task By GILLIAN HAMES get can be difficult this time of year, but Vancouver has lots of unique, local items for under $25. Rather than purchase mass-pro- duced gifts, look for a local alternative that won’t empty your pockets. This week, the United Way Craft and Gift Fair is here at Langara until Fri- day in the foyer of A building. Zvi Ackerman of Millefiori Jewelry is on campus with handcrafted jewelry, some of which he makes himself. Ex- pect to pay around $20 per piece. Ashton Sanders has a booth set up with GotWood Apparel. They have a variety of baseball caps for $15, toques for $20, or wooden jewelry for around $15. If you are interested in custom or- ders, check out the company on Face- book. If you plan on venturing off campus, check out Bird on a Wire Creations at 2535 Main Street. The store boasts a huge selection of creative gifts suitable for anyone. “Everything is locally made by art- ists,” said Jade, an employee who de- clined to provide her last name. The store provides shoppers with creative options including journaling kits. “[They’re] pretty new,” Jade said, and are selling well. At $20 each, the kits come with a hardcover journal and scrapbooking supplies to decorate each page. For the ethically conscious, the store also offers a line of vegan soaps and natural bath products, as well as hand- made organic chocolates. Jade isn’t re- ally a chocolate fiend, but said she loves their balanced flavours. Jade plans to do her Christmas shop- ping at the store, and not just because it’s convenient. “I want to support local artists,” she said. Pulpfiction Books is another option for the cash-strapped shopper. Their Main Street location offers a huge se- lection of new and used books. The staff are happy to take special orders if you can’t find what you’re looking for. Pes those perfect gifts on a bud- GILLIAN HAMES photo An assortment of creative and inexpensive gifts are available on campus and at local craft stores. LAURENCE LABAT photo In the act Manipulation, performer Lara Jacobs assembles a set of palm sticks into a giant animal mobile. Cirque Du Soleil opened Nov. 23 under the Grand Chapiteau at Concord Pacific Place. The show is in town until Dec. 30th. Cirque Du Soleil wows fans Show’s standout is a Swiss star performing a delicate balancing act 66 I loved it, it’s very moving. Especially the aspects of the abilities of mankind: the agility, the flexibility and, oh my God, the courage. KATHY LEA MOYOU, attendee By KATJA DE BOCK ousands of people held their breath Sunday when Cirque du Soleil performer Lara Jacobs transformed 13 palm leaf ribs into a giant balancing structure with her arms and feet. Cirque du Soleil is in Vancouver for the first time since 2009. This year’s show, Amaluna, which was inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest, invites the audience to a mysterious island inhab- ited mainly by female goddesses. In the wake of a storm, a group of young men lands on the shore. A love story enfolds between a brave prince, Romeo, and the island’s princess, Mi- randa. “T loved it, it’s very moving,” said at- tendee Kathy Lea Moyou. “Especially the aspects of the abilities of mankind: the agility, the flexibility and, oh my God, the courage,” she said. Her favourite act was Jacobs’ balanc- ing act. “I heard myself breathing with her,” said Moyou. Jacobs entered the stage with a small “branch” then proceeded to pick up more and more sticks with her hands and feet, assembling them into a deli- cately-balanced horizontal mobile. Gus Fosarolli said he was also mes- merized by Jacobs’ act. “Everyone was so quiet you could hear her breathing,” he said. “It looked like a skeleton of a huge whale. That was phenomenal.” Cirque Du Soleil spokesperson Amy Ofranakos said Jacobs’ act is very unique. “TThe] act was created by her father,” she said. “They are the only two people who can perform the act.” Ofranakos said 70 per cent of the 52 artists are female, which is new for Cirque Du Soleil. Fosarolli said his $130 ticket was defi- nitely worth it, but found it hard to fol- low along with the story line. Moyou agreed, stating that “the story wasn’t extremely clear, but you were able to pick it up.” The show is predominantly without dialogue, apart form a few words that sounded like Italian, French or Spanish, she added. Amaluna runs until December 30 at the Concord Pacific Place. Student tick- ets start at $40 and are available at www. cirquedusoleil.com. McCartney takes his fans back in time Beatles’ front-man returns to play in Vancouver for the first time since 1964 By ANNIE ELLISON Sir Paul McCartney’s sold-out per- formance Sunday night at BC Place. Forty-eight years after his first show in Vancouver, McCartney fi- nally returned to play a mix of songs from his days with Wings, the Bea- tles and new tracks from his album, Kisses on the Bottom. Needing no introduction, Sir Paul took the stage without any opening act. “He played for three hours straight and I didn’t even see him take a sip of water,” said life-long fan Barbara Desmarais, who was still in a daze. Desmarais’ daughter surprised her with tickets the day before the concert. “Tt was absolutely everything and beyond what I expected,” said the 59-year-old. “It was like going back in time.” Megan Forsyth had a different in- terpretation. “T have never seen so many old drunk people in one place taking vid- eos on their iPhones, “ she said. Those “old people” were capturing a F:" young and old went crazy for magical, historical moment, according to Desmarais. She says McCartney’s voice is weaker than it used to be, but still strikes a chord in her heart. During the encore, law enforcement came on stage — not to shut McCart- ney down, but to accompany him. The Delta Police Pipe Band joined in to fin- ish the show and the kilted cops rel- ished every minute on stage. “It was the thrill of a lifetime,” said Paul McCartney plays in aE came to Vancouyer Nov. 25. |= Major John Ralston. “The guys played magnificently.” Music critic Andrew Ryce paid $200 apiece for floor seats and was disap- pointed that the “sea of grey” wasn’t more energetic. “People were giving us dirty looks for singing along and dancing,” he said. But up in the nosebleed section, 14-year-old Zach Genereaux felt wel- comed by the older crowd. “It was so happy and upbeat. The hippi vibe is all about peace and happi- ness,” he said. The Twitterverse was abuzz before, during and af- ter the show. Tweets ranged from ecstatic to nostalgic to downright cheeky. “You can hear them warming up at BC place!” tweeted Jim Meier yester- day evening. “Able to hear paul #McCartney from my house and so jealous of the people at the concert,” tweeted Jess Nielson during the show. This morning, Michael Sangalang tweeted: “About 15-20 thousand middle aged-men got so laid last night.” MCCART- NEY 1942 Born June 18 in Liverpool, England 1956 McCart- ney's mom dies of breast cancer 1960 Formation of the Beatles 1964 | Want to Hold Your Hand is the first single to hit number one in U.S. charts 1969 Marries photographer Linda Eastman, first child, Mary, born 1970 Publicly announces Beatles’ break up 1980 Busted for pot in Japan 1997 Knighted by Queen Elizabeth ll 2002 Marries model and activist Heather Mills Source: http://bit.ly/hez9b