6 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2014 EDITOR BILL EVERITT lewpoints Cat film fest: One small paw for cat-kind ats have finally succeeded in world C ieontssson After storming the web with their cute videos, you would think cats would be satisfied with just establish- ing complete con- trol over the Inter- net. But now, they are coming to a theatre near you. The Just for Cats: Internet Cat Video Festival is heading to selected Canadian cities - OPINION including Vancou- LESLIE KAM ver - starting in April, and it plans to screen popular 66 online cat videos to live audiences. IT hold Yes, it does mixed sound totally ab- . surd. Just the idea feelings of a festival where cat lovers can come f or cats, together to watch because videos easily ac- ’ cessible online they re would make our probably ancestors roll over evil in their graves, but it’s all for charity. The festival teamed up with The Ca- nadian Federation of Humane Societies and proceeds will go to improving cat welfare in Canada. While I hold mixed feelings for cats because they are probably evil, I can’t oppose a good cause. It is crazy to think charging people to watch homemade videos on a larger screen could actual- ly help real cats. I can’t really imagine it myself, but this group has found a way to harness the power of the Internet for a good cause. I grew up as part of the genera- tion that has fully embraced the Inter- net and can’t imagine life without it. I can’t speak for everyone, but many of us have found an online community that we belong to and support both on- line and in real life. Heed this warning: cat videos may seem like harmless fun, but before you know it, it’s three in the morning, your eyes are bloodshot, and the word docu- ment you opened four hours ago re- mains blank. Just be careful. 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 Ethan Baron oversees The Voice. Email him at ebaron@langara.be.ca Keep your eyes peeled for the ‘laptop bandit’ son Lamar Berrow, Langara’s “laptop bandit” according to Lan- gara security posters, is a comi- cally terrible crook. I don’t mean to say that crooks are bad and that he is a bad person. Although I’m not denying that, what I’m getting at is that he is really bad at being a crook. He must not have gone to crook school, or, if he did, failed out. In reality, his Facebook profile said he worked at “being a baller” and was educated to “i think grade 10.” Whatever that means. Berrows, who turned 28 on March 24, has a long criminal record that started in 2006 and continues today. Through this career of thievery, he has been charged more than 30 times with offences including impersonation, being in possession of break-in tools, multiple counts of possession of stolen property, theft under $5,000, mischief under $5,000 and possession and use of stolen credit cards. 2011 seems to have been a particu- larly unsuccessful year for Berrow, with more than 10 charges and four convictions in that year alone. He has appeared in court all over the Lower Mainland, with offences logged in Surrey, New Westminster, in Van- couver and at UBC. It’s unclear how much time he has spent in jail, if any. As I read through his court docu- ments, I kept wondering to myself, “How has this guy not learned? How, after eight years and 30 charges, has he never gotten better at stealing other people’s stuff?” One would think that after getting caught the first 10 times with stolen property, he would at least dream up a new hiding spot for all this loot. When something goes missing, is there a trail of expensive bread crumbs leading from the poor student who lost all their work - not to mention possibly the most expensive item they own - to the foolish guy who doesn’t seem to un- derstand that if you’re going to steal something, you need to get rid of it, quick. His next court appearance is sched- uwled for April 15 and you can guess what the charge is - possession of sto- len property under $5,000, at UBC, late last year. In response to this, Langara secu- rity has banned Berrow from the campus, sent out warning posters and is trying to catch him hanging around. But after 30-plus charges in crimi- nal court, ’'m not sure that a stern lecture from a se- curity guard, or a judge, is going to carry much weight with Berrow. A further complication: it’s com- pletely possible that if he were sent to jail, it would be the crook school he al- ways needed, and he might come out better at his chosen craft, and perhaps having learned new ones. So, pack up your gear and bring ev- erything with you. It’s unclear what will stop this guy; obviously the justice system hasn’t. OPINION BILL EVERITT $99 dress: high style, low grade retailer, is known for its designer collaborations, but don’t expect great quality because you get what you pay for. Not everything in the store is horri- ble, though. Last fall, H&M and French designer Isabel Marant released an affordable clothing line, but H&M’s website shut down before the release because of shoppers’ excitement. Recently, H&M released an inexpen- sive wedding dress. It’s called the ‘$99 wedding dress,’ but in Canada, it’s actu- ally the ‘$129 wedding dress.’ Although the gowns on ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ are enviable, a dress from a high-end brand such as Kleinfeld is un- necessary. So, if you’re on a budget or you’d rather put the money toward a down payment, then this could be the dress for you; but there are better op- H::: the affordable high-fashion tions. In pictures, it looks like a delicate and flowy Grecian-style dress, but up close the detailing is poorly done and the material is cheap. It’s too busy, with the beading along the neckline, the sheer top and the gathering of fabric on the upper half of the dress. H&M managed to get the media’s at- tention, despite the dress not being on their website. In the Pacific Centre store, the dress is hidden from view and covered in wrinkles. It’s hard to say if people will go out of their way to look for the dress, and it’s even harder to tell if they will buy it if it’s badly presented. The store’s first attempt with wed- ding dresses was back in 2006 when Viktor & Rolf designed a US$349 gown for H&M. Not quite as cheap as H&M’s newest venture, but it’s still significant- ly cheaper than most wedding gowns out there. It’s no secret wedding costs are rising. Last year, Weddingbells Magazine said the average wedding cost about $30,000. If you want to save money, there are plenty of other places to look, such as BCBG or the Bay. They may not be as afford- able, but they do sell better-quality dresses for under $500. And one day if you do end up spend- ing more than you bargained for, you can always just shorten it and wear it again. OPINION LAUREN COLLINS pNbice 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 wwwilangaravoice.com EDITORIAL STAFF THIS ISSUE: MANAGING EDITOR/ PAGE 6 Bill Everitt PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Vanessa Szpurko PAGE 2 Jesse Lam PAGE 3 Tyler Hooper PAGE 4 Tricia Lo PAGE 5 Nadim Roberts PAGE 7 Gavin Fisher PAGE 8 Amy Jones WEB EDITORS Nick Eagland Kendra Wong Andrea Anthony Jenny Peng REPORTERS Karly Blats Megan Bobetsis Erin Boe Lauren Collins Alissa Crane Edrick Dudang Madelyn Forsyth Lukasz Jonca Mike Hodder Leslie Kam Ash Kelly David LaRiviere Ashley Legassic Hannah Myrberg Christoher Slater Renee Sutton Ben Zutter Contact us: Online at langaravoice.com Twitter at @langaraVoice