How are you today? Are you having a good week? I am. It’s been a little hectic but there are definitely people who have it worse. Just remember to always take time for yourself. Take time to reflect on where you are right now, geographically and in life. Take action where you want and feel is needed, save time for things you care about. If you want to talk, find someone, open ears are easier to come by than you think (I have to on either side of me). Pause.

- Just a person thinking and writing.

Wise men said only fools rush in. That’s what hap-pened in Red Deer. Fools settled mid-afternoon. By dinner, over run with deer.

Established in 1882

UPCOMING EVENTS AND SCIENTOLOGIFICALLY CORRELATED AWESOMNESS

I always hear people complaining about January. They say it’s too cold, too dark, too long, too far away from summer, etc, etc. I’m a little bit concerned at this collective malaise. I don’t know if it’s because I was born in January or

because I have a soft spot for winter, but I’m a big fan of the first month of the year. I’ve decided to take it upon myself to prescribe and distribute a cure to the so-called “Winter Blues”. Don’t worry; there are no pills, no needles, and no procedures. This medicine comes in musical form. It’s a five-part prescription and you mustn’t skip any doses. It starts off smooth, soft, and slow, almost melancholy. Those who feel down in these winter months should identify with that. In the middle, there’s a wake up call. It’s fast and relentless and is guaranteed to perk up even the most morose souls. The last two parts are uplifting, a touch of happiness to get you through these cold days. There is no maximum dosage. Please apply as many times as necessary.

1) Young - AYERA hauntingly captivating magical synth ride to a better place. This song is a mellow and melodic musical ex-perience. Please enjoy responsibly, i.e. with extra large headphones and the bass turned way up.

2) Hold Me Down (feat. Revier) – MansionairI had never heard of Revier before, but his voice works perfectly with Mansionair’s delicately pulsing percus-sion and extra smooth guitar licks. The calming effect

of the vocals belies the sub-bass hiding just below the surface. This song is borderline trance-inducing, you have been warned.

3) Sing That Sh*t (20syl Juicy Remix) – Kend-rick LamarIt only took me till my second column to get K. Dot into KISSiNTEL. Arguably the best rapper in the biz right now, Kendrick Lamar spits fire that can sizzle away the January snow. 20syl’s beat is almost as frenetic as Lamar’s vocals and the result is a perfect pairing that will wake you up. Try to keep pace, Kendrick waits for no one. Be advised, there is NSFW language in this song. Consider yourself warned.

4) She Lit a Fire – Lord HuronNow that everyone is awake, let’s get to the uplifting stuff. This is a beautiful ballad that will make you want to get in a car and just drive. That’s a huge cliché, but give this song a listen and tell me it ain’t so. My hope is that the simple and beautiful lyrics will light a fire in your heart too. Seriously. It’s January and it’s cold. Please people, be warm.

5) Happy Banjo – Dark MeanThis is the most aptly named song in existence. It’s a song with the happiest darned banjo you’ve ever heard. I think the banjo is an underrated instrument. It’s been relegated to bluegrass and country folk, but more people need to give it a chance. Dark Mean use it in a way you may not have heard before. This song pulsates with energy and is a great pick-me-up. To use another cliché, it’ll put a smile on your face. If you’ve made it this far, you’ve completed your prescription. Go forth and be well, my friends.

Listening ease here:https://soundcloud.com/obiebryce/sets/kissintel-janu-ary-2014-1

On Monday, PM Harper delivered a hardline speech to the Israeli Knesset in which he declared all criticism of Israeli policies to be anti-Semitic. Harper’s

rhetoric and the extravagance of his first official visit to Israel indicates the intended outcome: the deepening of economic and political ties between Canada and Israel. Of particular relevance to the UW community, a reporter leaked Harper’s delegation roster, which names UW President and Vice Chancellor Feridun Hamdullahpur as a member of the delegation for the Prime Minister’s first official visit to Israel. While it is unclear whether President Hamdullahpur actually attended as part of the delegation, this issue raises greater concerns about our university’s relationship with Israel. Do UW students and faculty want their university to establish and strengthen relationships with Israel, a state that has been internationally recognized as responsible for violations of human rights? Israel has actively ignored UN resolutions and has acted with impunity in the face of violations of the Geneva Conventions. One of several examples of UW’s relationships with Israel is our collaboration with Israel’s Technion University. Peretz Lavie, president of Technion, spoke at the Accelerator Centre last November and was introduced by President Hamdullahpur. Technion has been the focus of an academic boycott resolution from the University of Sydney student council and Swedish activist organizations. Student groups at

Cornell, Concordia, and McGill have also become increasingly concerned with their universities’ links with Technion, an institution that plays a key role in developing the arms technology used by Israel’s military. Israel has been actively engaged in the ethnic cleansing, colonization, and denial of refugee rights to the Palestinian people, and this has been allowed to continue with the full complicity of Israeli academia. A recognition of these injustices led to the American Studies Association’s recent endorsement of the Palestinian call to boycott Israeli academic institutions. But does an academic boycott of Israel violate academic freedom?Palestinian academics and students have very little academic freedom as a direct result of the Israeli occupation. Checkpoints, permits, and other symbols of the apartheid system limit the mobility of Palestinian scholars and academics, which inhibit their ability to pursue conference, research, and higher education opportunities. When in 2008 Israel denied permission to Fulbright scholars from Gaza to leave the Gaza Strip, their scholarships were withdrawn. Academic freedom cannot exist under occupation and apartheid. The ASA boycott seeks to extend academic freedom to Palestinians, withdrawing support from a system that supports academic freedom as the exclusive right of a privileged group. Addressing staff and students at the Accelerator Centre, Lavie expressed his excitement at being in Waterloo because he sees “a university that shares the same vision, and the same educational philosophy as Technion.” UW students and faculty need to start asking critical questions about the kinds of relationships we want to build around the world. We are all a part of the University of Waterloo community and we must do everything we can to ensure our hard work does not end up supporting unjust policies and systems on the global stage.

by Majd Al-shihabi and Zainab Ramahi

Life

in t

he K

I Stu

dio

Across2. You’re welcome senor7. The ship that sails in your coin purse11. World’s smallest country12. Age of the Queen (QEII)

Down1. The top selling Beatles song3. Top song of 20134. Number of Survivors (TV)5. Most common natural disaster6. Number of University Colleges on campus8. Location of David Living-stones grave9. Winter Olympics 2013 city10. Location of leaning tower

Cruss-werdz

(Everyone is worse than u) (Wut so unexpected of her!)