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Realistic resolutions

Achievable goals
for the New Year

By Elliot Chan, Contributor

Hx we are again—
another year—and yes,
I know what your plans
are. I know you want to get
back in shape, get out of
debt, become involved in
a steady relationship, and
move forward in the world.
Hey, maybe 2013 is your
lucky year, but let’s be hon-
est: 365 days might not be
enough time to accomplish
all of that. So let’s take a
moment and have a look at
some fulfilling and achiev-
able goals. It might not be
the overall objective, but it
will be better than nothing.
Use technology as
a bridge for human
connection, not as the

means. You're a busy
person and it’s obvious
you love the new phone
you got on Boxing Day.
But don’t waste your life
staring at the screen. Set
a limit to how much you
text someone throughout
the course of the day. If
you exceed the limit, force
yourself to call the person
or hell, pay them a visit.
Quit complaining,
or at least complain less.
Develop a positive attitude
for less than positive
situations. Don’t huff and
puff because there is a long
line for coffee, or whine
about the late bus or the
idiots taking their sweet
time making a left turn in
traffic. The world is not
out to get you, though
sometimes it might feel that
way. Complaining does
not help. In fact, it makes
every bad situation worse

The sounds of silence

Harpers lack of
response in the Idle
No More movement

By Natalie Serafini,
Opinions Editor

‘ve had my issues with

Stephen Harper. Quite
apart from the fact that
his face appears to be
permanently smug, I
don’t think he’s passed
muster as prime minister. I
disagree with his funding
decisions; I’m disdainful
of his passing agreements
and downplaying them in
the media, presumably to
avoid criticism (the quiet
development of an agree-
ment with CNOOC being
a recent example); and I
doubt that anyone—least
of all the Conservatives—
was happy about the
allegations of manipulative
and downright dirty
strategies employed by

18

the Conservative party in
the last federal election.

I’m not just holding
grudges, either. Harper is
now effectively demonstrat-
ing his failure to negotiate
with or acknowledge those
who challenge him. Those
who challenge him being
members of the Idle
No More movement.

The movement
was started by four
Saskatchewan women,
frustrated by the
Conservative’s latest and
not-so-great omnibus, Bill
C-45. They assert that the
bill makes it easier to sell
off Indian reserves, while
Tom Flanagan, political
scientist and supporter of
the Conservative party,
argues that the bill makes
it easier for First Nations
to lease their land.

Theresa Spence, chief
of the Attawapiskat First
Nation, has been on a hun-
ger strike since December
11, vowing not to eat until
she has secured a meeting

because you only focus on
the negative. It’s time to
change your perspective.
Try new food and
music. Forget eating health-
ier, I have no intention of
preaching about diets. I
only want you to be aware
that Vancouver has one
of the biggest culinary
communities in the world.
You can walk down the
promenade and order
dishes from anywhere.
It’s a shame to waste an
appetite on McDonald’s or
a granola bar. And don’t
just listen to the radio
where they force-feed you
the mainstream rubbish.
With websites like groove-
shark.com and songza.
com, there is no reason
not to venture out of your
genre and experiment. The
discovery of good music is
overwhelmingly satisfying.
Keep a sketchbook ora

with Prime Minister
Harper. For his part, the
right and honourable
PM has yet to agree toa
meeting, while Spence
has received endorse-
ments from members of
other political parties.
Although protests in
the name of Idle No More
have been spreading, the
support being sought from
Harper is notably absent.
Harper’s response has been
nonexistent apart from
mentioning a gathering
between the Crown and the
First Nations last January.
As Jenny Uechi of the
Vancouver Observer notes,
there’s been plenty of time
for his team to tweet about
“Charlie the Chinchilla
[getting] into the Christmas
spirit at 24 Sussex.” I’m
aware that it’s most likely
some poor forlorn intern
who’s having to tweet about
a Christmas chinchilla, and
I know that Harper’s not
about to address Idle No
More in a tweet. But utter

journal and stay creatively
active. We worry so much
about our physical health
that we forget about our
mental health. Keep your
thoughts in shape by
allowing them to be active
during periods where your
body is waiting to transport
your brain somewhere else.
Relax and occasionally
spoil yourself. The world
wont fall apart without

silence rather than address-
ing what are some legiti-
mate concerns from a long
marginalized community?
For a moment, let’s
forget about the question
of whether or not he cares
about the Ghandi-esque
protests of a First Nation
chief, or her health, or her
reasons for protesting. His
responsibility as prime
minister is to listen and
respond to the beliefs,
concerns, and votes of the
Canadian people. So far, I’d
say he’s done a less than
mediocre job of doing so.
The Conservative’s
alleged robo-calls manip-
ulated the vote, and—if
the allegations are true—
directly went against what
a politician is meant to
be. True, some politicians
aim to remain in power
irrespective of fact and
fiction, yet the ideal poli-
ticians are still those who
endeavor to represent the
people. A party that would
intentionally dissuade

   

you, despite what people
make you believe. Take a
siesta and wake up to work
even harder. Instead of pro-
crastinating, actually relax.
No matter what you
end up doing, a good
outlook and an open mind
will help you achieve
those high expectations. I
wish you the best of luck,
and I’ll check up on you
again this time next year.

groups from voting because
those people aren’t voting
the “right” way is intent on
not listening to the people.
Harper burying
potentially unpopular
decisions shows a lack of
commitment to serving the
people and to honesty. He
has been accused of burying
the CNOOC agreement by
announcing it on a Friday
evening—a time notorious
for harbouring the fugitives
of agreements; those sickly
bills and decisions that
would die off if exposed
to the harsh light of day
and the public’s ire.
Harper’s handling
of Idle No More seems
very much in line with his
ever-sullying track record.
No person is perfect, and
politicians are not exempt
from that generalization.
Is it too much to ask,
though, that our prime
minister strive to be good?