6 THE DAILY VOICE, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012 EDITOR JEN ST. DENIS Fight for trans rights goes beyond pageant Ihe world’s attention has been Tet by a blonde bombshell named Jenna Talackova who was kicked out of the Miss Universe Canada beauty pageant in March because she is transgendered. After intense media scrutiny, Miss Universe Canada has said they will allow Talackova to compete if she meets Canadian “legal gender requirements.” Talackova has hired a high-profile American lawyer, Gloria Allred, who has threatened legal action if pageant organizers do not allow Talackova to compete. Talackova’s plight has shone a spotlight on society’s continuing discomfort with people who don’t conform to gender norms. The support she’s received, including over 41,000 signatures on an online petition, shows how the public can be galvanized - and fascinated by — a beautiful person going up against unfair rules. Hopefully, Talackova’s supporters will look beyond her rather unusual case to other forms of discrimi- nation transgen- dered people face in Canada. Most Canadi- 7 ans don’t think KS q me twice about hopping on a OPI N ION plane. But plane JEN ST. DENIS travel is the number one issue today for many trans people, says Marie Little, chair of Vancouver’s Trans Alliance Society. That’s because in July 2011, the federal government quietly put new rules into place that state that if “a passenger does not appear to be of the gender indicated on the identification he or she presents,” the passenger shouldn’t be allowed to board the plane. Although no one has been stopped yet, says Little, the rule has created enough anxiety amongst transgendered people that many have postponed travel plans. Little notes that while airlines are obviously not yet enforcing the rule, airlines and individual security screeners can face hefty fines for not following the guideline. So if you signed the online petition urging Miss Universe Canada to let Jenna Talackova compete, consider taking a look at the online petition to change the Aeronautics Act. Just Google it. 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 =>" Please make we = one with everything] The Dalai Loma dines” Ov oF one of Vancouvels ood carts add to the city sterday, the City of Vancou- ver announced the addition of 12 new food carts to the downtown core. Bring it on, I say. Food carts are delicious and add to the city’s food culture. Some restaurant owners are worried that the carts are eating into their revenues. Ian Tostenson, president of the British Columbia Restaurant and Foodservice Association, told CTV news he was concerned that the market would be saturated by too many options and no one would end up making money. But these complaints are need- less: food carts cater to a different clientele than restaurants do. These carts are for people on the go, who may want something fast but different from the usual fast-food fare like a hotdog or hamburger. “What we found is that most people really enjoy being able to eat quickly on the street, and it is a very different consumer from those who are eating at the restaurants and cafés,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson on Monday. And if food carts are taking away from established businesses, then why has Japadog established a storefront along Robson Street and in New York, while maintaining its local carts? What makes the recent proposal particularly tantalizing is the prospect of buying this delicious food in the heart of Stanley Park. OPINION JEREMY SALLY The possibility of savouring some mild Indian curry while watching the sunset along the seawall sounds quite delightful. Also, food carts promote entrepre- neurship. Vancouver’s prohibitive lease rates can discourage small business owners from attempting to set up a business of their own. In the city core, rates range from $180 - $220 per square foot on a monthly basis. By contrast, food carts pay a $1000 dollar license, plus applicable parking fees. This lowered cost lets owners pay attention to their creative culinary niche. Now, consider Portland, Oregon. The city has nearly 700 food carts - that’s 12 carts per 10,000 people. Vancouver prides itself for its diverse, cosmopolitan personality. Isn’t it fitting that our selection of food be equally diverse? E-thievery new method of credit and debit Ae theft is worrying consum- ers worldwide - and keeping your hands in your pockets is all police can suggest. E-pickpocketing is achieved with the help of a wireless reader as opposed to a conventional bare hand, and by simply hovering the phone-accessible device over an unsuspecting victim’s wallet, a laundry list of personal information can be gained by the culprit. The e-pickpocket can scan cards through wallets and clothing (pockets and coats, for example), but apparently cannot scan through human flesh. Police are recommend- ing people keep their hand over their wallet to prevent the theft. With each new advancement in the world of hacking, it seems as though it becomes less and less likely that a theft-free world will ever come to pass, a frustrating reality for consum- ers. The fact that it is actually even being suggested that people must walk with their hands in their pockets at all times OPINION QUINN to avoid theft is MELL-COBB comedic, and a true testament to just how society has failed to protecting us from theft. Thomas Cannon, of ViaForensics precautions laughable digital security, recently demon- strated the shocking new technol- ogy in a television feature for Britain’s Channel 4 News, and stunned many with his admission of just how easy it is for a hacker to access information most would think is undetectable. “All I did was I tap my phone over your wallet, and using the wireless reader on the phone I was able to lift out the details from your card,” said Cannon. The e-pickpocketing software is also able to bypass the security chips recently enabled on cards such as Visa and American Express. Criminal behaviour does indeed evolve with the times, and there is definite cause for concern. 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. 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VSY 226 WEBSITE wwwlangara.bc.ca/voice EDITORIAL STAFF THIS ISSUE: MANAGING EDITOR/ PAGE 6 Jen St. Denis PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Matt Hyndman PAGE 2 Moma Cassidy PAGE 3 Carly Wignes PAGE 4 Ruman Kang PAGE 5 Emma Crawford PAGE 7 Alexandra Grant PAGE 8 Jennifer Fong 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 Ashley Viens Contact us: Our blog at www.langara- voice. posterous. com Twitter at @langaraVoice Youtube at VoiceLangara flicker at Lanaara Voice