V 47 i08 lores by Capilano Courier

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north vancouver

× October 28th 2013

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CAPILANO

N o . 08

COURIER

EXORCISE YOUR DEMON S

THE

HALLOWEEN EDITION

INVESTIGATING INTERNSHIPS

#DARWINNING

OPT-IN TO PORN

DIKES, BIKES, + SMILES

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47 issue N o . 08

CAPILANO Courier

@capilanocourier

@capcourier

Capilanocourier.com

TABLE OF FEAR

News

Columns

features

calendar

A+C

opinions

caboose

Natural Gas Ghouls

Bloody Baby Boom

We Play Cosplay

Retro Rewind

Howling Haunts

Halloween Hype

Spook Guns

Deceased Grub Creatures Editor

Candy Mice Parts + Multure Editor

The Staff

White Spot Moraes Damaging Editor

Krusty Alexandra Floppy Creditor

Koffin Gizzard Ooze Dreditor

the capilano courier

Ă&#x2014;

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Gonorrhea Leah Fairy-in-Chief

of this simply scary university paper

Scaremy Handgone Tumour + Affliction Editor

Old Mandrew Reproduction Mangler

Feral Swamp Dark Director

Fade Away Minions Predator

Sticky BOO Biznasty Get-in-theVanager

Carloween Staff Biter

The Capilano Courier is an autonomous, democratically run student newspaper. Literary and visual submissions are welcomed. All submissions are subject to editing for brevity, taste, and legality. The Capilano Courier will not publish material deemed by the collective to exhibit sexism, racism or homophobia. The views expressed by the contributing writers are not necessarily those of the Capilano Courier Publishing Society.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

SHHH... i like secrets " The man who can keep a secret may be wise, but he is not half as wise as the man with no secrets to keep." – E. W. Howe

× Editor-in-Chief

Welcome to the spooky edition. We have concocted a paper full of scary insights and ghostly puns. Instead of watching The Exorcist this year, read Therese Guieb’s feature story about reallife exorcisms. They do exist. Halloween has become an autumn staple, with people planning costume ideas months in advance. This last week, my Facebook and Instagram feeds have been blown up with photos of people trying out their makeup and hairstyles, all prepping for the 31st. It seems like Halloween has be extended into a month-long affair, just like similar celebrations: the two-month Christmas season, the week-long birthday celebrations, and wedding events that span a year. Halloween hasn’t really meant much to me personally. The last time I dressed up was when I was 15. I went as ‘Smarty-Pants’ to a high school dance, and my mom and I spent an afternoon hot gluing Smarties to an old pair of checkered pants. Unfortunately my mom glued a bright yellow Smartie right over my crotch, and it became the highlight of the night, with horny teenage boys grabbing at my snatch. One even tried to bite it off. It was horrifying. I have spent the week pondering why Halloween is so popular, and yet why I can never get excited about it. It seems that I just don’t get why it’s so cool. And I’m not alone, as North America is really the only place where the holiday is popular. This week, Kelly McKay, a regular Courier contributor, explains in an opinions piece what Halloween looks like to foreigners, as she is from the UK. Maybe I’m with her on this one – I just don’t get what all the hype is about for dressing up like something else for one day. Naturally, I started asking friends what they liked about Halloween. Some said it was the abundance of candy and chocolate, and others said it was the childhood nostalgia attached to the holiday. But the most common reason among my friends is simply the allure of getting to be something or someone else. My friend Kevin summed it up the best - “You get to hide in something else. For one night, you get to be secretive, or crazy, or colourful, or Michael Jackson. It’s the pretending that my life isn’t really mine that gets me excited. It’s the one night where I can really hide my secrets.” It’s the hiding the secrets part that stopped me. Is Halloween just one giant escapade so everyone can step farther away from the things that they are trying to keep hidden, even if only for a limited time? It’s not like our secrets disappear and melt away by putting on a Frankenstein

mask. But I guess a little reprieve from them is a good thing. Most people have some things that they keep hidden, and bury away. My ex-boyfriend admitted that his mom smudged his birthday. She was a very religious person, and didn’t like the fact that he popped out on Halloween – the day that the dark spirits came to play. She was disappointed that he couldn’t wait one more day, and be born on All Saints Day, November 1. So she faked it on his birth certificate, and kept it a secret from him for 30 years. Just over a decade ago, my dad found out that he had an estranged older brother that was given up for adoption. My grandmother kept this secret from the entire family for nearly 75 years, and caused a family fight of epic proportions when it surfaced. I don’t think that my grandfather ever knew about the adoption at all. Right now, I have people in my life that are actively committing adultery, and trying to hide it at all costs. There are others that have recently caught boyfriends cheating on them, and sending explicit sexy photos to other lovers. Last week, a distant friend found out that her boyfriend of seven years has an active account on Grindr, and actually likes men more than George Michael does. And I kept it secret from my dentists that I have been surviving my last oral operation by popping Percocet instead of the milder Advil they gave me. If they found that one out, they’d try to take them away, and that’s not cool. Maybe our love for Halloween is growing because of the opportunity to hide our secrets and ourselves. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to keep things private, with the surge of technology, and apps that basically allow you to know where certain people are at any time. David Petraeus was the director of the CIA, one of the most secret organizations in North America, when he got busted having an affair in 2012. If even the director of the CIA can’t keep his private life guarded, are all of our secrets someday doomed? The appeal of pretending to be someone else isn’t new. It has been in civilization for centuries, with masquerades, Mardi Gras, and acting careers being popular for this reason. And we have built Halloween into this giant event where we are expected to don a costume and act a part. What I struggle with is that we are told to be unique and special, and just to “be yourself,” but then we find excuses to do the exact opposite. We find ways to hide from our own secrets and problems. That’s what I don’t understand about Halloween. But just like football, just because I don’t understand its appeal doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the odd game, especially with the right amount of beer and candy. So Happy Halloween suckers, I’ll be the one at the party wearing normal clothes, and double fisting my grubby hands into the candy bowl.

What’s new in the CSU?

Leah Scheitel

THE VOICE BOX

WITH : SCOTT MORAES

The Voicebox is back, ready to humbly respond to your questions, concerns, and comments about anything Courier. To inquire, just send a text to 778 - 689 - 4642 to anonymously "express" and "voice" your "opinion" and "thoughts" on any "subject" or "issue". And, as long as it's not offensive, we will publish it here, right in the Voicebox. It's a win - win, or whine - whine - whatever way you look at it.

Katherine Gillard//News Editor

“Have you ever been so drunk you had to call your dad?” No. Why does everyone think we're specialists on drunkenness? We're serious writers and journalists. Ever heard of a writer with a drinking problem? Neither have I. Sorry to hear you had to call your dad. You should have at least a few friends so you never have to call your dad in those cases. I hope you didn't throw up in his car. That ruins a father-son relationship like nothing else.

Strange question. You may be psychologically unstable, but I wouldn't know. Whenever I was done an exam early, I would just fuck right off. But that's because I hated school. There's something really soothing about leaving an exam room when the rest of your classmates are sweating over their answers. What's wrong with you? Go see a counsellor.

And I’m going to be Dracula, because he’s a boss. Happy Halloween, friendly Courier readers.

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“This year for Halloween, I’m going to be a LAAAADDDDY”

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Well, bud, you're a sore fan and that's understandable. You don't know that the dude is not actually in love and really does want to spend the rest of his life (yeah, right!) with this mind-blowing, unique, intelligent woman. Didn't she win a Nobel Prize? Most famous couples break up, and we all have our

“The other day I was done my English exam way before the rest of my class but couldn't hand it in until someone else did. I was terrified somehow that people would look at me and judge me. Am I psychologically unstable?”

“So Kanye rescheduled to Halloween because he had to propose to Kardashian. What the fuck's up with that? Who does he think he is? They're gonna get divorced eventually, like every famous couple. If you're gonna be a celebrity, at least put your fans before your woman. It's only fair.”

theories. I think they break up because one can't stand being less famous than the other. First world problems, y'know. Enjoy your Kanye Halloween show. Better than getting drunk on shitty beer in a Donald Duck costume, right? the capilano courier

At last week’s board of directors meeting, the CSU covered multiple upcoming events. The CapU Farmer’s Market was proposed to take place on Nov. 7 and it would bring local and fair trade vendors who would offer food and crafts for sale as well as educate students on local options. The CSU also plans on making visits in the near future to the Squamish and Sechelt campuses to generate awareness of CSU’s services. The Queer Students Representative, Jon Kinsley, has proposed new amendments to the bylaws for the Canadian Federation of Students to be rewritten, to include a queer voice and change some wording which will be proposed in the visit to Ottawa in November. Bold initiatives for social media include updating their website, Facebook, and getting Twitter, which is now @capilano_csu. Instagram is in their marketing plans for the future as well.

NEWS

NEWS EDITOR × KATHERINE GILLARD

NEWS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

tips + tricks KEEPING HALLOWEEN SAFE Carlo Javier × Staff Writer

Every year, the Vancouver Police Department prepares for a raucous Halloween. The night, filled with elements seemingly designed for trouble, calls for extra care from the police in order to maintain everyone’s safety – particularly the vulnerable candy-hunting children. Amongst the factors to an eclectic Halloween are high-energy parties that will surely involve alcohol, costumes that can be taken advantage of for illegal shenanigans, and prominent use of fireworks. In order to assist civilians in ensuring their safety on Halloween, the police department has put together several releases showing tips and guidelines to follow on the night of the dead. The police deal with many costume-related issues. Problems that can arise on Halloween range from visibility in the dark, to the safety of children on the streets at night, and even some issues with concealed objects. One that was singled out by the police is costume weaponry. It’s inevitable that many Halloween costumes are accessorized with weapons that can prove to be hazardous when handled without care. Costumes of pirates, superheroes and other characters based on pop culture are often made more realistic with the addition of a weapon. Even though the accessories are mere toys, the police ask for people to be more responsible with their handling. “We are asking people to use good common sense and ensure their costume weaponof-choice is readily identifiable as an imitation and

isn’t used to injure someone,” Constable Jana McGuinness said in an official press release. Halloween costumes also have the tendency to be hardly visible in the dark. Costumes that involve black capes and robes are common during the festive night because of their popularity. However, these attires can also be hazardous at nighttime, particularly because of the amount of children that will be roaming the streets. Come Halloween, improving visibility becomes a must for one’s costume. “We want kids to be seen. Wear bright costumes or include reflective tape, glow sticks, or other articles that improve visibility. Costumes should be fire-resistant if possible,” said the police. Bringing a flashlight and staying in well-lit neighbourhoods are other strategies for safety. If possible, trick-or-treaters can also start early and thus get home earlier. The police also ask for drivers to be extra patient on the roads, as there will inevitably be children dashing through the streets. To help ensure children’s safety on Halloween, Shaw has once again assigned their Shaw Pumpkin Patrol to monitor communities. The Pumpkin Patrol is comprised of over 200 volunteer employees who will give out loot-bags as well as safety tips to maintain a safe Halloween. Apart from candies, face paints and spooky getups, Halloween is also defined by the sound and sight of fireworks. Some municipalities completely

× Danielle Mainman deem fireworks illegal, while others have implemented several requirements needed in order to buy and sell fireworks. The use of fireworks requires an official permit that can be acquired from the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services. Some of the other prerequisites are two pieces of identification and being 19 years of age. Captain Gabe Roder of the VFRS also reminded citizens that fireworks are only to be lit on private property. Another important note is that fireworks can only be purchased between Oct. 25 and 31 – the fireworks can then only be lit on Halloween. Proper handling of fireworks is imperative, particularly during Halloween – when there could be plenty of unsuspecting people around. The VFRS and the City of Vancouver have collaborated in putting together a guideline that provides tips in ensuring safety when using fireworks. As they are fragile materials, transporting fireworks requires more intensive care.

Among the recommendations listed when transporting fireworks are storing them in a nonsparking container and in places where they are not prone to spilling. Fireworks should be kept away from wet places as well as children. Lighting up fireworks requires varying processes that depend on their type. Aerial fireworks are required to be buried up to their mid point in order to maintain their structure and balance, while ground-based fireworks are required to be placed on sturdy, flat surfaces. Halloween in Vancouver is poised to be fun considering the number of annual events that run during the season, but there is also the inevitability of some trouble, and each person can help in reducing it. “If you’re concerned about something, don’t assume it's a Halloween-related activity. Give us a call because we'd rather look into it ourselves and rule it out than respond to a bigger problem later," said McGuinness.

giving the right goods LOCAL FOOD BANK ENCOURAGES NUTRITIOUS DONATIONS Lindsay Howe

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× Marketing Manager + Web Editor

With the holiday season fast approaching, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society (GVFBS) is getting prepared for its busiest donation period of the year. This year, however, they are requesting that the public take a closer look at the nutrition information on the product they’re donating to ensure those using the food bank’s services will be receiving some healthy items. The number of donations typically received by the GVFBS fluctuates on a month to month basis, with 75 to 80 per cent of yearly donations being received in November and December. “Beyond the critical holiday period, summer months and into early fall are always tough as by that time we have typically exhausted the donations we have received throughout the previous holiday months,” says Kay Thody, communications director for the GVFBS. To help during this time of depleted donations, the GVFBS is now working with local farmers to help make fresh fruits and vegetables available to users of the food bank. “Our vision

is healthy, accessible, sustainable food for all and working with our farming friends and neighbors is just one step, albeit an important one, we are taking towards achieving it,” says Thody. Currently, the GVFBS is assisting 28,000 people each week, and creates meal plans based on the number of people in need and the number of donations they have on hand. While it is important to be able to provide food to those in need, the nutrition content in some typically donated foods can be quite low. “The most common items are candy and processed snack items that are often extremely high in salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats,” says Thody. “We are grateful for every donation we receive and the intention isn’t to isolate [or] alienate any food,” says Thody. “What we have been asking if you are considering making a donation, [is] to maybe have a peek at the label, as it is often less expensive items that are in fact lower in salt, sugar, etc.,” she adds. While there are many healthy, non-

perishable items on the shelves of the grocery store for donors to choose from, some examples of inexpensive foods that are beneficial to one’s health include brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and canned proteins, including beans, fish, and meat. For those wanting to donate without knowledge of nutrition, the GVFBS is also in need of financial contributions, which, in turn, can actually translate into more food for less money. “Due to our size and buying power, if people would like to make a financial contribution we can really stretch those dollars and, on average, convert every $1 we receive into a minimum of $3 worth of food, which we then use to purchase fresh produce locally, so that is a big help as well,” says Thody. While reading the labels and picking out more healthful foods for donation may be more time consuming, Thody believes the long term benefits of encouraging healthy eating in our society are well worth investing a bit more time in product selection. “I think everyone generally understands

× VivianLiu

the importance of good food [and] the role that adequate nutrition plays in terms of the impact it has on your life. That is no less meaningful to those who may be in need of help. We are all in this together and the more we can work to improve the overall health of our community, the better it is for everyone,” says Thody. For more information on donations and involvment with the GVFBS please visit Foodbank.bc.ca

an unpaid experience INTERNSHIPS RECEIVE BACKLASH Faye Alexander × Opinions Editor

Internships can provide positive outcomes for businesses looking to infuse some new energy into their work environments. Employers can benefit from rejuvenated knowledge, and the enthusiasm of individuals seeking experience and exposure to the industry they’re hoping to immerse themselves in. The interns get to reap the benefits by gaining skills, contacts, and real life know-how. It’s an avenue many students will explore towards the end of their degrees. Recently, Vancouver’s Fairmont Waterfront Hotel has received an array of backlash following their posting of an ad seeking unpaid interns to bus tables. “As a busperson, you will take pride in the integral role you play in supporting your food and beverage colleagues and ‘setting the stage’ for a truly memorable meal,” read the posting. The ad quickly went viral via social networking sites, Twitter especially, and would coincidentally be removed from the Fairmont’s career section online shortly thereafter. “As a leading hotel in the city, we actively support local schools and work in partnership with them to provide opportunity and access to a practical workplace experience,” replied a spokesperson for the Fairmont Waterfront. By definition, an internship is on-the-job training offered by an employer to provide a person with practical experience. B.C. law states that unpaid interns cannot do actual work without receiving pay. The B.C. Employment Standards Act (ESA) has distinguished a fine line in the

sand between an “internship” and a “practicum”. Practicums offer hands-on training and are part of course curriculums, where as an internship is considered “work” under the ESA. Legally, B.C. companies offering internships should be paying the minimum wage ($10.25 per hour). Vancouver-based social media giant, HootSuite, has also been garnering attention after taking a slew of unpaid interns. Although HootSuite boasts that 50 per cent of their internships result in fulltime employment, the legalities have led the company to review the program. “When we created the internship program, I believed we were doing the right thing by offering the opportunity for young people to add experience to their résumé and join a Vancouver success story. If we learn these internships are not compliant [with B.C. law], we will fix it,” said HootSuite CEO Ryan Holmes. Following the controversy, HootSuite revised their internship guidelines, which asked applicants for a three-month commitment with full work schedule – Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If the internship opportunity had been paid, those pursuing a future with HootSuite legally were entitled to approximately $4,612. Students do face the reality that gaining work experience is integral to their futures, and internships provide invaluable exposure to work environments not easily accessed through the straight submission of a résumé. TalentEgg.ca is one of Canada’s leading websites that connect recent

× Anonymous Intern (unpaid) graduates and students with internships and work experience. Founder, Lauren Friese, created the website after experiencing first hand the difficulties students and recent graduates face when trying to gain experience in their desired field. “Without internships – whether they’re paid or unpaid – [or] training, work and experience that is open to people that have absolutely no experience, there is absolutely no way for those young people to get the experience they need to find that first meaningful paid career,” says Friese. Many interns feel they have gained much from their experiences in the work place. “I learned so much more through my internship. I was able to take what I was learning and put it in to every day context,” explains Leonarda Schotness, a now fulltime employee following an extensive internship with Toni & Guy. “I was being taught how to do things that I wasn’t able to learn at school.” The experiences ultimately lead to a fulfilling career, and Schotness does not fret nor feel she should have been paid. “It’s like driving, right? School teaches you the correct way to do it, but the moment you start driving you start learning the things that are more practical for you to do. You better understand the full spectrum of it.” The laws surrounding unpaid internships differ from province to province. While B.C. and On-

tario do require any interns performing job duties to be paid, that is not the case in other provinces. Nova Scotia Liberal MP, Scott Brison, has recently flagged unpaid internships as a problem. Brison’s main concern is that there is no current national method for tracking unpaid internships. A group of university students hailing from the University of Toronto has called upon Ontario’s Minister of Labour to end unpaid internships altogether. The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) contends that more than 300,000 Canadians are “illegally misclassified” each year as interns, trainees, and non-employees. The result of the unpaid workers is driving the average wage lower while increasing student debt. The current youth unemployment rate is twice the national average at 14.2 per cent, and unpaid internships are contributing to this rising number. Internship hopefuls in B.C. have a plethora of resources available to them. Many companies ethically provide the opportunity to gain experience, and explore fields, ranging from political to administrative. With the removal of both the Waterfront Fairmont’s ad for a busperson, and HootSuite’s revisal of their internship guidelines, B.C. companies will maintain accountability to their future hopefuls.

the clean dream CHRISTY CLARK + THE LIBERAL PLAN TO PROSPER Dini Stamatopulos × Writer

× Becky Joy

*Name has been changed

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fuel that’s cleaner burning than many other types of fuel.” “There are challenges in meeting targets, but with an abundance of clean energy and our worldleading climate action policies, we will continue to move towards our 2020 and 2050 targets," Smith adds. The B.C. government appears to have a set direction regarding the energy industry. Time will tell how the people of B.C. will react to this course of action.

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"Since 2012, more than $6 billion in investments have been made towards developing LNG for export. That is in addition to about $1 billion already spent in preparation for construction of LNG facilities and transportation networks. In July 2013 a seventh company, Woodfibre Natural Gas Limited, applied to the National Energy Board for an LNG export license. Three such licenses have already been granted as momentum builds for this industry,” Smith continues. “As the momentum for the industry builds, so will the prosperity of B.C. The Liquefied Natural Gas industry in B.C. represents an opportunity to create prosperity for future generations with a transition

these plans go further into production. "As the requirement for power from the LNG industry materializes, B.C. Hydro will have sufficient supply to serve them and will again need to plan additional resources in the late 2020s,” says Smith. B.C. Hydro did not confirm if liquefied natural gas could really be “clean”. “We supply hydroelectricity. It’s best to direct this question to the Province of B.C.,” says Mora Scott, spokesperson of B.C. Hydro. While B.C. Hydro does not have a stance on LNG, Scott confirms that they “are working with LNG proponents to help them decide how to best power their facilities." She says, "You’ll see in the draft IRP [integrated resource plan], we are ready to supply power to LNG proponents, as required." Christy Clark and the B.C. government’s plans are up and running and will be followed through throughout the next few years as more energy sources and pipelines are brought to life in B.C. “The B.C. Jobs Plan commits to bring at least one LNG pipeline and terminal online by 2015 and have three in operation by 2020, assuming all environmental and permitting applications are granted. With a new Ministry of Natural Gas Development established in June 2013, some of the world’s largest energy companies are investing in our natural gas sector and the B.C. government is taking great strides in making the vision set out in the Jobs Plan a reality,” says Smith.

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Premier Christy Clark and the B.C. Liberal government recently announced their goal to have the cleanest liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the world, not only to stimulate B.C.’s LNG industry but also to provide more environmentally friendly possibilities. "B.C. is a clean energy leader and climate change is a global issue. By exporting LNG, B.C. will help to avoid the use of higher greenhouse gas producing fuels such as coal," explains Danny Smith*, B.C. environment ministry spokesperson. The process of creating liquid natural gas and energy often includes burning huge volumes of natural gas. "In developing this industry, our efforts to reduce emissions are reflected in our commitment to having the world’s first clean energy powered LNG facility, our work on electrification of Northeast natural gas production, and our work with industry on the potential to use carbon capture and storage," explains Smith. Energy extraction and production methods open the doors to multiple risks for the environment but the B.C. Ministry of Environment feels that these plans will bring beneficial changes to all. “B.C. is a climate action leader for a reason – we are the first government in North America to become carbon neutral and our revenue-neutral carbon tax will also motivate the natural gas industry to innovate and find ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions," explains Smith. B.C. Hydro will be the source of power to help

Columns

COLUMNS EDITOR

× LEAH SCHEITEL

EDITOR@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

deadbeat grad WHY GENERATION "Y" YUPPIES ARE MISUNDERSTOOD

Carly Vandergriendt × Columnist

× Arin Ringwald

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School and ketchup are two of Carly Vandergriendt’s true loves. After taking a small break, she is continuing her education in a UBC Master’s program, while living and “working” in Montreal. Being a full-time student, she knows the intricacies of student life and the woes that accompany it. Check out some of her work at Carlyrosalie.com

Lately, it seems as though everyone and their dog is weighing in on our doomed generation. The most recent addition to the web literature is a Huffington Post blog entry titled "Why Generation Y Yuppies are Unhappy". This post got over one million likes on Facebook, and hundreds of thousands of shares. The piece chronicles a mopey-faced stick figure named Lucy, who might be any one of us. Lucy is no different from her cohorts, in that she is delusional, jobless, miserable, and entitled – although she has it easy compared to the generations that came before her. Not long before that, there was a cover feature in Time magazine titled "Me, Me, Me", where Gen-Y-ers, also known as “Millenials”, were accused of being self-involved, lazy, and shallow. And in Canada, Maclean's magazine has been all over the issue, calling us everything from "Generation Screwed" to "Generation Why?" I think that these nasty labels are taking the easy way out. When I look at the Gen-Y-ers in my life, I don't see people that fit into these unilateral descriptions. Instead, I see those who are willing to travel across the world – like my exroommate – to get the work experience they need, since there isn't room for inexperience in today's job market. Others, such as my best friend, have spent years beefing up their applications to try to get into overly competitive professional schools

in order to move forward with their careers. Still, more of my friends and classmates from university are underemployed, working jobs in retail or as servers after finishing their degrees. Most of them are optimistic that they will find the “right” job, even if it takes time. Others – such as my cousin – have quit office jobs that look good on paper when they've felt that their skill set isn't being fully taken advantage of. There are always exceptions, but the common thread among many of the people I know is that they are willing to hold out for what they want. Does that make them delusional? Findings from a global study conducted by multi-national firm Pricewaterhouse Cooper (PwC) suggest that Millennials are not portrayed fairly by the media. One of the broad results from the study, which was comprised of 44,000 webbased surveys, was that many of the stereotypes about our generation are untrue, including the idea that we are not as hard working or committed to our work as the generations before us. But there's no doubt that we do have some different ideas compared to our parents. Comparing myself to my own parents, I know that I don't have the same work priorities as they did when they were my age. My mother, who has been working as a lab technician at a university for 30-odd years, always mused that she might have been an interior deco-

rator. When I asked her why she didn't pursue this dream, she told me that she ended up taking a science degree in university after finding out that she was missing a necessary credit to get into the college program she had set her sights on. It occurred to her that she could have turned back and made a career change, but she never did. Although she sometimes wishes that she had a job in a more creative field, she chose stability. But in my own life, stability isn't quite as high on my list of priorities. I would rather have a career that is flexible and allows me to exercise my creativity than have a standard nine to five job with good pay. Results from the study seem to show that this desire is widely held among Millenials; many admitted that they would take a flexible work schedule over higher pay or a promotion. Then there's my father. He was employed by a multi-national corporation for three decades and slowly worked his way up the corporate ladder to a managerial position. He was committed to his work, often going in as early as seven in the morning and spending a good part of his evenings on his computer catching up. Last year, the higher-ups changed and they fired him out of the blue, citing that he wasn't performing. He spent months looking for a new job and in the end, he found a lower-paying, less-stressful one. I find myself extremely wary of large corpora-

tions and how they treat their employees. I would rather work for myself and scrape by than give half a lifetime to work, just to be dumped without warning. I'm not alone in my thinking here, either. Millennial job satisfaction, according to the results of the PwC survey, is dependent on feeling appreciated and supported for our contributions in the workplace. I am not saying that we are smarter than our parents, but rather that our generation has a different perspective. We came of age in a different environment, characterized by soaring unemployment, corporate layoffs, baby-boomers unwilling to retire, and a flat-lining economy. Not wanting the same thing as those who came before us does not make us lazy, entitled, or destined to be jobless forever. It makes us brave and determined people, a generation of risk-takers unwilling to accept the status quo. And we are figuring out what we want, not just settling for what we are supposed to want. And as yuppies, I think we should all hug and keep telling each other we're special.

from the arm chair GROWING UP BALL-LESS Mike Schwiender × Columnist Mike Schwieder once compared his infant cousin to the size of a football and mocked throwing it across the kitchen to his brother. His grandmother was not impressed. He has volunteered at three different Olympic games, and coaches football for the UofC Dinos. He knows sports better than Don Cherry knows women, and that’s saying something.

Stupidly, I started a wrestling team at the junior high school I teach at. I didn’t mean to. I wanted three students, who were big and athletic, to play a sport. They don’t like volleyball, which I understand. When I was in grade nine, I didn’t like the sport either. There is no contact and I didn’t like balls flying at my face or arms. I was pretty skinny and didn’t like standing there as something flew at my arms while I waited to take it. They do not like basketball, nor did I. It's because the players foul-out easily, and quick little douche-clowns just shoot and won’t come into the point to play for real (I’m not bitter, anymore). The school down the street has a wrestling team and I contacted them to see if these three gentlemen could join. The school was open to it, but the kids didn’t know anybody on the team so I told them to ask a few to join them whom they thought were in the same situation – athletic with no sport to channel it. Next thing I knew, there were 20 kids over two grades that want to wrestle, or at least try to wrestle. Three students, I wouldn’t mind sending to another school, but I really mind sending 20 students to another school – especially because the kids that want to join can be slightly unruly. The reason I say "stupidly started" is because

I have already committed to a football team that requires 40 hours of my time every week, plus travel, and extra film study. Because I don’t want to do something poorly, especially when others who have worked hard are relying on me, I put in a lot of hours to do the best that I can. I don’t wrestle and have never wrestled. The students that want to wrestle are the kids that are a hodge-podge of characters that would often be cut from other teams because of their attitudes, which can be disruptive, lackadaisical, or overbearing. These kids are my favourite kids to teach because they take a little work. This work takes time and that time can – stupidly – only come from sleep, as my day starts at 6:30 a.m. and goes steady until 10 p.m., five days a week, and requires 16-plus hours on the weekend. But as busy as it makes me, I don’t really mind because it will be good for the kids, and will be interesting for me to learn a new sport. There are a lot of things I love about sports. The thing I love more and more as I grow up is that sport allows people to learn about themselves – good and bad – in a way that is structured. And the kids, hopefully, have somebody to walk them through the process. It allows people to find a different side of themselves; a side where they can be overly competitive in a situation, and find out that

× Desiree Wallace

it’s not a bad thing. In the classroom, overt competitiveness is not always the best as the end result of competition usually ends up with a winner and a loser. There is a time for that in the classroom, but continuous losing does not foster nor encourage continuous learning, which is a main goal of education. Somehow, sports have taken a turn down a path where all players are supposed to win and feel good about themselves at all times. This has no place in sports. It has a place in jogging, but not in sports. When there is neither a winner nor a loser, because they have taken away the soccer ball like they have in an Ontario league, it becomes recreation. Recreation is great, it keeps people active and healthy but it is not sport, and it fails to teach participants about the nature of sport. In university, I took a sociology class on sports. The class proved through charts and essays and studies that sport did not teach anything that wasn’t learned anywhere else. It showed data that athletes don’t have a higher level of discipline or work ethic or anything that ex-athletes claim they walk away from the game with. What it does provide is another place where they get to be a part of the good and bad parts of life, in a protected setting. Athletes are also lucky enough to have an

additional person in their life who models good behaviour in an area where things can get heated and stressful. Usually athletes can relate to that better because that’s what sticks later on – not when a teacher calmly explains to a student that there’s no swearing in class. It irks me when I read articles and theories that suggest kids and athletes should play for the love of the game, and not to win or lose. Some of the love of the game is developed through winning and losing. Losing sucks, but we will all lose at some point and have to move on from that. I’m aware that sports aren’t the only place to learn about how to lose – video games taught me about losing over and over while growing up. However, when you remove losing from sports and make it recreational, where nobody wins, you remove a chance to grow and learn. Wrestling will hopefully give these kids a chance to learn, and if I am as clueless as I think I am about wrestling, they will at least learn lessons from losing. We need to keep competitiveness in sports, and coaches and parents need to teach kids how to not be a dick when they win, and how to not suck when they lose. I believe they call it class.

dirty pop RIHANNA'S CULTURAL DELINQUENCY JJ Brewis Columnist ×

JJ Brewis is a lover and analyst of all things pop culture. In this column, he examines the inner workings of pop culture and its cause and effect on the rest of us, who just live and love as celebrities at heart. Because that’s what JJ is all about. JJ once spent a week staking out various L.A. hotspots in hopes of spotting Lindsay Lohan at her regular joints, like the Ivy and Pink’s Hot Dogs. No dice, sadly. × Sydney Parent

47 issue N o . 08

all out of her pu$$y.” Come on, Rihanna, where’s your sense of empathy for your fellow human who just so happens to be in slightly different shoes than yourself? Rihanna has a lot of opportunities in her life that many of us will never have. She gets paid to travel the world, and in her journey lampoons and makes a farce of everything she comes across. She’s coming off as a complete asshole and exploiting everyone in her path. She needs to show a bit of tact and humility given her position. Lip-synching and dialing it in through a live show is one thing, but she should at least do herself a favour and be a decent human being, even if she’s going to hack her way through being an entertainer. While I do admire Rihanna for her unabashed nature of saying what’s on her mind (as well as appreciate a good listen to “Diamonds” now and then, let’s be honest), it’s time she wakes up to what she’s been doing. Even though celebrities have shown us all that they can kill and get out of jail free (what’s up, OJ?), it’s about time they start to consider that other people are affected by their decisions. Let’s be real Rihanna, you’re not the only girl in the world.

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visit to Phuket, Thailand, Rihanna Instagrammed a photo of her self alongside a protected primate native to the area known as the slow loris. During a telephone interview conducted by Entertainment Weekly with Phuket district police chief Weera Kerdsirimongkon, Kerdsirimongkon said “Phuket authorities were alerted to the picture, and last night police arrested the two individuals who brought out the loris as a photo opportunity for tourists.” The police ended up confiscating two slow lorises from the two men, who now face potential charges of up to four years in prison and a $1,300 U.S. fine on account of possession of protected animals. While some could argue that civilians shouldn’t be touting around protected species based on laws or morals, Rihanna is hardly the agent that needs her hands involved in the case, even if she didn’t intend it. She doesn’t need to be a role model, but as a person in power, she should be informed about relevant cultural ethics and nuances. Every action she takes has consequences, whether for herself or others. But she has no qualms whatsoever. In fact, after visiting a Phuket red light district show, Rihanna tweeted “Either I was phuck [sic] wasted lastnight, [sic] or I saw a Thai woman pull a live bird,2 turtles,razors,shoot darts and ping pong,

smug, impromptu fashion shoot is disrespectful. So much so that she was asked to leave. An official statement released from the mosque states, “[Rihanna] was asked to leave before entering the actual mosque, after taking some photos [in the courtyard] that did not fit within the rules and regulations set out to preserve the sacredness of the centre." Surely Rihanna is bright enough to know that a stunt like this would stir up a controversy. I mean, did we learn nothing from the second Sex and The City movie? Rihanna went on to Instagram a series of the photos, despite the fact that she wasn’t supposed to be taking them in the first place. Dubbing the shots “Fashion Killaz”, Rihanna is shown in fashion-ready poses, ironically dubbing the noskin-baring shots “#NoTanLines”. It’s a slap in the face to an entire culture — even if Rihanna doesn’t approve of the culture’s policies, she should keep it respectful when she’s on their turf. Perhaps she’s just trying to make a joke, but either way, commentary of others’ religions and cultures are not taken lightly. I don’t personally approve of women having to cover their bodies or faces in any country, but I wouldn’t visit those places and make a farce of their beliefs — it’s rude, dangerous, and just plain futile. Just weeks before the mosque incident, on a

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She dates dudes known for violent streaks, rolls her eyes at her colleagues during their award show performances, and talks about illicit drug use on social media more than Snoop Dogg. Ladies and gentlemen, we can only be talking about one person: Rihanna. The self-described “bad gal” who seems to attract as much attention for troublemaking as she does for her sexy videos and explicit lyrics is in a slew of controversy for a couple of international boo-boos. A few recent incidents show that Rihanna is really no more than a self-serving brat who doesn’t care who she steps on in the process of having a little indulgent fun. I don’t agree with the antiquated idea that celebrities need to be role models for impressionable youth, but Rihanna is one star who just seems blatantly ignorant. Recently, Rihanna visited the Sheikz Zaved Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi on a tour stop through the United Arab Emirates. She posed for a series of photos in the mosque’s courtyard donning long red nails and lipstick alongside the traditional Islamic body-covering black garment and headscarf. Her visit wasn’t about cultural appreciation but more so a selfish opportunity to exploit a spiritual location for her own amusement. Taking a few quick snaps to say, “I was here,” would seem appropriate, but turning another culture’s house of worship into the backdrop of a

Columns

COLUMNS EDITOR

× LEAH SCHEITEL

EDITOR@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

exotic intoxication LET'S GET HIGH + WATCH LIVE EROTICA Mirey Faema Columnist ×

When someone asks you if you want to go window-shopping in Amsterdam, you should probably find out what they are hoping to buy before you fully commit. Otherwise, you may end up spending your day checking out chicks with dicks in an area filled with shady men and giggling tourists. That said, if you are down for this kind of “shopping”, then Amsterdam is the place for you. Prostitution has been legal in the Netherlands since 1830 and thanks to the Red Light District, you will see more than your fair share of unbelievable sexual sights. During one night out in Amsterdam with some of friendly Americans, I wound up stumbling through the streets of the Red Light District after far too many of Holland’s own Amstel beers and hash brownies. Thanks to that little adventure, no amount of alcohol will ever erase a memory I obtained of an extremely muscular African lady/man smiling at me through a window while stroking a giant erection with one hand and massive boobs with the other. Traumatic moments aside, if you are in Amsterdam for a few days then you really do need to embrace all things sexual as the city definitely provides some once-in-a-lifetime experiences for those not willing to enter the seedy sections of Asia. One of my favourite days was spent touring the sex museum, which is walking distance from Am-

Mirey Faema likes to drink and travel, or travel while drinking. Her taste for booze and awkward situations have created the worst hangovers and some amazing stories. In this column, she will divulge her travel tales, and probably write while still plagued with a hangover. Check out her writings at Whereismymuse.com, and follow her on Twitter @ Mirey_Wimm.

sterdam's Central Station. For as little as €4, you can have your photo taken with an oversized penis chair, watch electronic mannequins masturbate, and check out original photos of Betty Paige. Although they are known for legal weed and an expansive Red Light District, the Netherlands is more than just an expensive trip to a local brothel. Take the bike culture for example. I had no idea that I was entering a Narnia for bike enthusiasts when I arrived in Amsterdam. Everyone is always so busy going on and on about the nightlife that they forget to mention that the Dutch appear to be born with a bicycle between their legs. With multi-level parking lots just for bikes, designated bike sections on the trains, and dedicated lanes all over the entire country, I felt completely inadequate when using my legs to simply walk around the city. In an effort to fit in with the locals, I decided to purchase a €50 bike, which turned out to be a mistake. Unlike the locals, I was completely terrible at maneuvering around the country’s bike lanes and crashed a total of five times within a month. Because I had some time and curiosity, I ventured outside of Amsterdam to see what the countryside was like. Although the city was fun and had a lot to offer, I actually had a better time partying in the smaller university cities such as Leiden and Utrecht. In these cities, the drinks are a third of

× Emily McGratten the price, you no longer have to pay to use the toilet at every bar, and your chances of meeting an actual Dutch person increases 10 fold. During my first night in Leiden, my friend and I went on a mission to get as drunk and as stoned as possible (okay, so it wasn't that different from Amsterdam). After having a couple of joints, we headed to a local bar called Odessa that was packed to the brim with students. After some shameless flirting, far too many tequila shots, and some inappropriate group photos that involved a lot of buttock skin, we were able to bond with some locals who then took us to a little Kebab shop to buy off-sale beer before leading us up to Leiden's prized tourist spot, De Burcht – the Castle of Leiden – which was under construction at the time. After scaling a fence and utilizing the scaffolding conveniently set up by the restoration workers, in the pouring rain we were able to get an exclusive tour of De Burcht along with a thorough history lesson. If my drunk memory serves me correctly, legend has it that during the a war of indepen-

dence against the Spaniards in the 15th century, the mayor of Leiden Pieter Adriaanszoon van der Werff offered to cut off his own arm to feed his starving townspeople. As luck would have it, the townspeople politely declined, eventually the war was won and Pieter became an historical hero. This experience allowed us to render our night a success, as well as give my friend and me some serious insight into Dutch culture. During my time in the Netherlands, I discovered that the Dutch are very passionate about politics, love telling you about the history of their area, are extremely social beings and, contrary to popular belief, are actually quite generous. Whether you visit for a few days or a few months, I highly recommend taking some time out to explore the Netherlands beyond the Red Light District and coffee shops. You will be surprised by what you discover. Learning more about Dutch life is guaranteed to change your view of this country.

staff editorial

Biking into friendships

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OUT RIDING AROUND

× Cheryl Swan the bike path and zig-zag through the construction. Then there’s the “Well, it's a sunny afternoon, where should I go?" pace. This is the one I much prefer. This is the pace that has brought me to see much more of the city. With a breeze upon your brow, and tires turning, who knows where you’ll end up. "Meet you at the creek in 15?" "Sounds great! By the birds? I'll grab the beer." This is a conversation I love to be a part of. My friends are scattered throughout the city. It is safe to say a mutual meeting spot is False Creek. From there you can pedal west or east, and within minutes you've reached a different part of the city. And in no time, you are guaranteed to be enroute to smiles. Someone once told me friendships are the best ships. Bikes are vessels of friendships. It's neat how having things in common with people creates an

immediate bond. Do you remember when you met your friends? Maybe you met at work, maybe it was at a party, but along the way, the reason you became friends was having something in common. One of my first recollections of this was as a child with my friend Corbin. It was not a bike that brought us together, but with a stuffed creature. Our parents had scheduled us a play date. When I arrived at Corbin's, he showed me his toys. To my amazement he had a Goonk – one of the finest stuffed-animal toys to ever grace the IKEA shelves. And I had one too! Our next play date, Corbin came over to mine and I told my mom to tell his mom he should bring over his Goonk. Nowadays, when I meet someone and we get to chatting, I'll bring up the "Do you have a bicycle?" Lo and behold, if they do, it’s like we’ve been pals for ages. Soon enough, my newfound friend and I will be

out smiling on our bikes. It's that simple. Having something in common can create a new friendship. This is a fact that I greatly appreciate about bikes. My friends and I have a few rules we pass. We call it the Pedal Pact, which involves the Smile Tax and Compliment Clause when riding around. They work by seeing how many “smile backs” you can get from passersby from point A to B. If you get a wave, that counts also. The Compliment Clause works by yelling out compliments to anyone and everyone you pass by. A common one used by my dear friend Leah Scheitel is "Nice cock!" Try this next time you’re out on your bike. I'm sure you'll get some smiles.

FEATURES

FEATURES EDITOR ×

THERESE GUIEB

S P E C I A L F E AT U R E S . C A P C O U R I E R @ G M A I L . C O M

DRESS UP FACES NEW FRONTIERS AN INSIGHT TO THE COSPLAY CULTURE

Paisley Conrad × Writer

× Vivian Liu

At the 1983 World Science Fiction Convention in Los Angeles, Japanese film director Nobuyuki Takahashi was impressed by a vast multitude of attendees dressing up in elaborate costumes based on science fiction characters. He wrote his reflections in several Japanese magazines, describing the spectacle as “cosplay” – a portmanteau of the words costume and play. With that, a subculture was formed.

COS-ART?

SHAPING A NEW REALITY

Though the term cosplay brings to mind the bright and colorful characters of an anime, it can take the form of any fictional work that is interesting and

CON-ING TOGETHER

Conventions are typically multi-day events with a special focus on the world’s creation of video games, anime, and comic books. They typically feature panels and booths hosted by key players in mainstream geek culture, including artists, directors, and actors. Less than half of all participants are serious cosplayers while the majority are attendees who are there to observe the culture. Fan Expo, a convention held on the SFU campus each spring, brought in Stan Lee, the creator of the Marvel comic book universe, Tom Savini, make-up artist known for his work on Dawn of the Dead, and Sean Astin, who has been immortalized through his role of the hobbit Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings franchise. According to LaDrew-Bonvarlez, it’s easy to make connections with perfect strangers while cosplaying because “you're in costume dressed up as something that you like, and other people can see that you like that thing, and it's an instant connection.”

THE FRINGE WITHIN THE FRINGE Though "geek" culture has gradually become more accepted in North American society, those with eccentric interests still remain on the fringe of society. Conventions such as the San Diego Comic Con bring together an estimated 100,000 participants. Those who identify themselves as social outcasts or geeks find themselves within an empathetic community, and get the common ground they can't get anywhere else. "It's hard to get that in the real world, because you aren't being as open about who you are,” says LaDrew-Bonvarlez. While attending hight school,s CapU student Sarah Robinson recalls that, “a group of kids would dress up every Thursday in their favourite costumes. They would wear full make-up and wigs and answer questions in class as their character. No one made fun of them for it either. We all regarded it as a normal thing for people to do.”

TO SEW OR NOT TO SEW

When it comes to actually putting together the costume, LaDrew-Bonvarlez describes it as “definitely a labour of love. For about the first ten minutes you're so excited about what you're making and your idea, and then about 10 hours in, you're wondering why on earth you thought this would be a good idea in the first place! It's always worth it in the end.” Mark R. Isfeld Secondary School student Sidney Merrick has managed to integrate her cosplay into her education. “I applied for a block in school to do it, as an independent directed study, so an hour a day. I work on costumes at home, too, so that works out to be about 10 hours a week. I'm constantly drawing and designing when I'm at home. I prefer to sew them myself, but if I'm feeling lazy I'll definitely go comb thrift shops.” On the flip side, commissions are available for those who lack in sewing and scavenging skills. Bairstow orders the majority of her costumes online, which tends to be more expensive, but far less time consuming.

THE DARK SIDE

Many female characters depicted in comic books and anime frequently wear risqué and skimpy costumes. When cosplayers choose to represent these hyper-sexualized characters, they often get attention they don't necessarily want. While they may be dressing up as this character for personal empowerment, this is often lost in translation. As a result, the display of unwanted and negative attention is shown towards the cosplayers. In many cases, lewd figures have sexually harassed innocent female cosplayers. “At New York Comic Con, there were these guys working for Sirius Radio pretending to interview cosplayers, and they were being really sleazy and sexual, and making inappropriate jokes towards a female cosplayer, and then the girl tweeted about what happened using the NYCC hashtag,” explains LaDrew-Bonvarlez . The men reportedly “interviewed” several young women on the first day of the convention. “Don't take things lying down. These guys kept going up to other girls and they were all going to social media with their experiences, and the convention people actually ended up kicking the guys out. It's so easy to say ‘Oh, that happened, and I just have to get over it,’ but what people don't often understand is that what happened to them will just keep happening to other people. You need to stand up to stop things like that,” she advises. For every individual that adversely affects the convention experience for someone, there are more who want to make it the best experience possible for anyone. In the words of Merrick, “That's how it is with cosplay. Whenever I'm playing a Batman character, I totally connect to my bat-family. Once a guy was hitting on me, and I was getting uncomfortable, and guy dressed as Batman came up and told him to screw off. We all have each other’s backs, and it's an amazing community.”

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As early as 1939, fans were dressing up and attending conventions as characters in their favourite radio series and science fiction novels. In the late ‘70s and ‘80s, cosplay began to pick up steam in countries like Japan, but it wasn't until the year 2000 that the culture exploded in North America. Cosplay is the ultimate expression of fandom. It is often described as performance art, as it extends beyond simply dressing up. Most of the time, the players adopt catchphrases and personality traits of their chosen characters, and interact as such. “Once I saw these two strangers who were dressed up as two characters from the same series that absolutely hated each other on screen, and were known for chasing each other around in anger. Throughout the rest of the convention, I kept seeing them chasing each other and yelling things at each other in character. They were totally having the times of their lives,” says voice actress and cosplay enthusiast Caitlyn Bairstow. Angelina LaDrew-Bonvarlez a famous vlogger and cosplayer known in the online community as “ALBinWonderland” participated in the cosplay culture early in life. “I was always dressing up when I was a kid. My mother is an incredible sewer, so I never had store bought costumes. We'd start planning in September for my Halloween costume. I remember my mother made me a Hermione Granger costume once, the vest, the tie, everything. I would wear it constantly. It wasn't even for Halloween. I just wanted to be Hermione Granger so badly.”

inspiring. Oftentimes, members of a particular television fandom will cosplay as their favourite onscreen characters. Video game cosplay can range from Lara Croft, to the Mario Brothers, and Pikachu. Comic book characters are also immensely popular, especially with the resurgence of superhero movies and television series. While most people choose to copy pre-existing characters, there are no boundaries when it comes to what one wears. Costuming veteran Diana Vick has been dressing up since 1982, long before the term cosplay came into use. She co-founded SteamCon, a convention in Bellevue celebrating the culture surrounding a subgenre called steampunk, which combines elements of Victorian society with science fiction. Since steampunk is a subgenre, and the defining features of it are scarcely agreed upon, cosplayers have a lot of freedom with designing their costumes. “Steampunk is generally a lot more creative. When we go to other cons, people are generally dressed as someone else’s character. When they ask us what we are from, we say we are from our own imaginations.”

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47 issue N o . 08

FEATURES

FEATURES EDITOR ×

THERESE GUIEB

S P E C I A L F E AT U R E S . C A P C O U R I E R @ G M A I L . C O M

Battling Demons

× Aaron Campbell

SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH IN DEMONIC POSSESSIONS Therese Guieb

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47 issue N o . 08

× Features Editor

“I cast you out! Unclean spirit! In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is He who commands you! It is He who flung you from the gates of Heaven to the depths of Hell!” the priest says in a powerful voice. “Fuck him,” she replies, while her head spins all the way around. This and many more famous scenes from the horror classic The Exorcist brought many people their first glimpse of demonic possessions. The belief that evil spirits can take over a human being’s spiritual and physical state has been around for thousands of years. It is often said that “man has been fighting demons,” and the method of casting out these evil spirits is still being practiced. Many people still fear that demons can haunt them and destroy their lives. In many cultures, the presence of evil spirits has been blamed for unfortunate events that occur in people's lives. These events may include bad crops, death, sickness, and plain bad luck. These evil spirits have been perceived to be in the form of devils, ghouls, and demons. Evil spirits have not only brought bad luck but they have also had the ability to fully control human beings and carry on their malevolent plans. Witnessing this phenomenon made many people fear for their safety, making them turn to religion for advice. In order to satisfy the security of their societies, many cultures have constructed some sort of “guide” on how to battle evil spirits. According to the documentary Demonic Posses-

sions and Exorcisms by Georgia Manukas, “Babylonian tablets which date back to 3000 B.C.E contain prayers and chants used to combat demons.” Also, in the sixth century, Persians used holy water, prayers, and special rituals. King Solomon, leader of Israel in the 10th century B.C.E, used prayer and “a magic ring to exorcise demons.” However, today, only one method of casting out demons is recognized by mass society. This method is known as exorcism.

GET OUT OF HERE, DEVIL According to the newspaper the B.C . Catholic, exorcism is the ritual of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place believed to be possessed. It is said that Jesus gave power to his apostles or followers to be able to cast out demons in His name. “He [the exorcist] will be doing it in the name of Christ. It’s God’s doing and it’s His way of prayer,” explains father Frank D’Agostino, a Catholic priest at Our Lady of Sorrows Church. The Bible was said to be an “actual spiritual sword” in defeating the devil. “[Exorcisms] go back to scripture. It was always Jesus who performed exorcisms. There are many stories [in the Bible]. One, for example, is called ‘Legion’, where there are many [demons] within a person and Jesus sends them out into the swine, and the swine go out and drown themselves.” Exorcism was not only a method of driving

away evil spirits but it also provided the sense of security for many in the early years. One of the most significant events in history was the occurrence of the Black Death in the 14th century. The bubonic plague epidemic brought millions of people suffering and death. During this time, people turned to Catholicism in the hopes that God would pull them out of their misery because they believed that the Devil reigned upon them. There were many symptoms present that they couldn’t explain or cure. One of these symptoms was a person becoming psychologically imbalanced. Europeans during the bubonic plague claimed that individuals possessed by the Devil sought to turn everyone else into followers of Satan. As a result, religious leaders like bishops and priests were sent out to perform exorcisms on these people. Cases of possession in the 15th and 16th centuries were common. People feared anyone who was believed to be possessed and immediately sought the help of Roman Catholic exorcists. However, during the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation revolutionized the ideologies and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Donald Kagan, author of the Western Heritage, said that the leaders of the Protestant Reformation were political rulers who wanted to “extend their power and control at the expense of the Church.” Due to this movement, many began to doubt the practices of the Church, which included their ability to provide protection against demons. Protestants, however,

still claimed to be able to perform exorcisms using different methods. This led to both religions competing against one another through sometimes exorcising the same possessed individual. Exorcisms, then, also became a political tool.

IN THE MINDS OF THE POSSESSED Possessions are mostly interpreted as a paranormal phenomenon. However, scientists have tried to explain these experiences. “When I was four years old, I fell down a long flight of stairs and sustained a very serious brain injury and so throughout my childhood, I had all kinds of very strange experiences and phenomena happening to me because of the brain injury. Seizures and black-out spells and paralysis, seeing things, and apparently it was all due to the hit on the head,” says Dr. Leonard George, a psychology professor at CapU. Head traumas can cause serious neurological disorders which can affect the normal functions of the brain. However, there are other people whose symptoms fall into the section of “abnormal psychology”. “There is a third group of people who are reporting strange things as well but there’s no evidence that they have brain injury and there’s no evidence that they have mental illnesses either. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with them and yet they are saying that they saw ghosts or they had a mystical experience,” explains Dr. George.

Cases of possessions can vary amongst individuals. They can be possessed not only by evil spirits, but other entities as well. Dr. George’s encyclopedia, Alternative Realities, defines possession as “a form of trance behavior understood by the possessed person and by others.” Possession is due to the “displacement of the individual’s soul” by another entity. After an episode of possession, the possessed person often does not recall what happened during the attack. Symptoms of possession can be identified as different psychological disorders such as schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder (DID). “Some people suffering from psychotic disorders like schizophrenia sometimes develop the belief that they are something or someone, some other thing different from than we think they are, and that might not even be a human being,” Dr. George continues. “I’ve met people who believed they were wolves or bears. I met someone who thought they were a mouse. Sometimes in cases of schizophrenia, [it can] usually feature delusions like false beliefs. People develop that kind of thing or they present themselves as a different person than most of us might think they are.” Individuals who are diagnosed with schizophrenia tend to lose contact with reality. It is commonly mistaken as DID or Multiple Personality Disorder. “I was working in a hospital in Ontario in the psychiatric unit in the 1980s when there was a big wave of this multiple personality stuff happening,” says Dr. George. DID is understood as a “split personality” when a person reveals a sudden presence of “two or more distinct personalities” within them. These various personalities are shown through particular patterns of speech and behavior.

“You have someone who presents [themself ] as one person and then they switch into a different person or, again, maybe not even as a human being. I’ve met the Cookie Monster, you know, as one of these alternative personalities that manifested in a case of DID,” says Dr. George. If a person presents themselves as someone or something else, it does not necessarily mean that they should be perceived as possessed. “In certain frames of understanding, someone could see that I’m talking to you now and then suddenly I twitch a bit and I start saying I’m Janet, or something like that. This is actually how it could be for folks with that disorder….These syndromes are certainly recognized within mainstream clinical psychology and psychiatry.” Though psychologists classify most syndromes of a possessed individual as schizophrenia or DID, some cases that have been reported do not meet the diagnosis of these psychological disorders. “There has been some discussion that maybe there is a syndrome, a set of behavioral features, that is a little different than those things [schizophrenia and DID] that maybe should be recognized itself as a kind of possession syndrome….It has actually been discussed, the possibility that there could be some distinctive sort of configuration there that’s a little bit different,” says Dr. George.

UNEXPLAINED ABILITIES Many possession victims reveal strange and unique abilities. Some of these abilities include abnormal physical strengths and “speaking in tongues”. “There are two levels of speaking in tongues. One is from a demonic perspective where someone

speaks in a ‘demonic language’ and then there’s an angelic speaking in tongues,” explains Father D’Agostino. The belief of speaking in tongues is derived from Catholicism. The Bible states that speaking in tongues is an ability given by God. “Psychologists have studied speaking in tongues to try to figure out what’s going on with recordings and analyzing as it turns out. It’s not language, it actually doesn’t mean anything. It’s actually a species of rhythmic gibberish,” says Dr. George. Speaking in tongues is said to sound pleasant to the ear and can be very convincing. “Nicholas Spanos, a psychologist from the University of Ottawa, did some interesting studies where he got recordings of real speaking in tongues from these [evangelical] congregations and found that your average undergraduate with no backgrounds in this stuff whatsoever can actually fairly quickly pick up the knack of generating what sounds like some fluent foreign language but in fact is meaningless. But it’s got a structure in it that it does actually sound like it must mean something. So there’s a skill to it,” says Dr. George. He clarifies that “there’s nothing wrong with people who are speaking in tongues, nothing wrong with them at all. It might be an expression of religious conviction.”

OTHER CULTURES Possessions are usually seen as a negative occurrence but there are other cultures and religions that encourage possession. “Some possessions are not always regarded as a bad thing depending on the cultural context. Probably, possession by demons is always a bad thing. But people report being pos-

sessed by other entities as well and some cultures not only recognize the validity of those sorts of reports but they actually set things up so society benefits from that sort of activity,” notes Dr. George. Religions and cultures which use possession during spiritual gatherings are Vodoun or Voodoo, Candomblé, and Santeria. Voodoo is a religion originated from Haiti. According to Dr. George, “Voodoo is religion where a lot of people stick pins in dolls as the black magic aspect of it, but in fact, it’s a spiritual way of making sense of the world.” Candomblé is a religion based on African beliefs that is widely practiced in Brazil. BBC reports that during spiritual ceremonies, choreographed dances are performed by worshipers to “enable them to become possessed by the orixas [ancestors of Candomblé who were deemed holy].” Santeria derived from an Afro-Caribbean religion with slightly similar practices and beliefs as Candomblé. Both Candomblé and Santeria have Roman Catholicism beliefs added to them. During rituals in these religions, it is concluded that a possessed individual is being possessed by a holy figure. Though science tries to make sense of every claimed paranormal phenomenon, there are still many cases which cannot be explained. “Do I believe that people have these experiences? There’s no doubt. Do I believe that spiritual entities can take over a human body? After decades of research, I can conclusively confirm that I don’t know because I, myself, feel humble of the research that I’ve done,” says Dr. George. “I am certain that this type of experience is fascinating, dangerous, and has a potentially beneficial aspect that keeps getting missed.” 666

ON the Cover

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47 issue N o . 08

Aaron Campbell is a student in the IDEA Program and will be graduating in 2014. His art is a mix of exceptional graphic talent and grand conceptualization. He seldom sports uncool footwear and often goes above and beyond the call of artistic duty. Do yourself a favor and have a peek at some of his work at: Aaroncampbell.ca

Aaron Campbell

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Tuesday 29

Wednesday 30

Thursday 31

Friday 01

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Monster Pizza Making

Sin Peaks

Inherent Vices/Malcolm Jack/Black Owl

Friday The 13th Marathon

Your House/Rocky Mountain Flatbread co. All day $ - cost of pizza making supplies

The Cellar 7:30 pm $15

The Railway Club 8 pm $5

American Movie Channel 8 pm to midnight $ - cost of cable

Get imaginative and stitch together your own pizza monster a la Frankenstein, then take a picture of it and tweet @flatbreadCo or post to Facebook: RMFMainStreet or RockyMountainFlatbread. Most creative cook wins a dinner for four. Submission deadline is 9 p.m. on Oct. 31.

Original live, improvised soap opera blends melodrama with improv comedy. On this season of Sin Peaks (now in its fourth cycle), improv actors are playing out License to Sin, a tale of espionage, intrigue and unholy alliances. It’s like Days of our Lives, but actually funny.

I’m not going to say which of these musical acts asked me on a date and never followed up, then later told me he’d put me on his guest list for one of his shows, and when I had showed up, the door guys said “Yeah, he had you on guest list and then took you off for his girlfriend.” But I will tell you this: never date musicians.

You haven’t had enough of Halloween yet. Trust me, you haven’t. AMC will agree, as the channel that will never again host a better show than Breaking Bad, as they try to force you to watch at least two Friday the 13th flicks while you sew your costume on the living room floor.

Diwali Fest Opens

Rap Guide To Evolution

Cheap Movie Tuesday

Backside Love

Scotiabank Dance Centre 8 pm $25

The Cultch 8 pm $17 - $38

A Theatre Near You Check Showtimes $ - half price

The Art of Loving 7:30 pm $10

The 2013 Diwali festival kicks off in style with the IndiGlam fashion social. This event will host an exciting and dazzling array of contemporary Indian fashions featuring innovative and dynamic local designers. After party featuring DJs and dancing, and nice times.

Combining the wit, poetry, and charisma of a great rapper with the accuracy and rigor of a scientist, Baba Brinkman takes us on a hip-hop tour of modern biology. The Rap Guide is at once provocative, hilarious, intelligent, and scientifically accurate..ish.

It’s Tuesday, which means movies are half-price today! Take yourself and your cheap date to the usually-not-so-cheap seats and make out in the back row like you did in high school. Oh, you just sat there awkwardly hoping your date would touch your arm? Well, hopefully things have changed for you.

Don’t make me explain what this workshop is all about. If you can’t figure it out, then this event probably isn’t for you. Also, more things need to happen on Tuesdays so I don’t have to put anal pleasure workshops in the calendar. Hey CSU, why don’t you update your online calendar of events?

Dungeons and Dragons

DOXA : Rewind This

Canucks vs. Red Wings

Frankenstein

The Rio Theatre 8 pm $9 at the door, and $6 in advance

Capilano University, BOSA 7 pm $12

Rogers Arena 7:30 pm $91-300

Waterfront Theatre 8 pm $26

To satisfy your nerdy needs, this Wednesday boasts a forage into adventure with a 20-sided di in a live comedic match of Dungeons and Dragons. This improvised geek game is sure to elicit a few laughs. And if you're still not satisfied, roll the 20-sided di at Storm Crow and receive one of 20 dork themed shots.

Hallelujah, something is happening on campus! Event kicks off with two screenings of Josh Johnson's Rewind This, which, according to the DOXA website “is for all those folks who came of age in the era of the almighty VHS tape, a reminder of those halcyon days of sleepovers, video parties, ‘80s schlock, and Dolph Lundgren.”

The Vancouver Canucks take on the Detroit Red Wings at Rogers Arena. If you can’t afford the extortionate price of this ticket – or the extortionate price of the beer served there – you should just call up a friend who has cable and buy a six-pack. That’s what a financially responsible person would do.

Ninja Pirates Theatre presents director Anthony Shim's version of Victor Gialanella's play about a scientist who creates a method of animating dead bodies by harnessing the power of lightning. Adapted from the novel by Mary Shelley - duh.

Pirate House

BC/DC + Ham Wailin

One Night Stab

The Walkling Debt

5790 Portland St., Burnaby 5 to 8 pm $ - By Donation

Rickshaw Theatre 9 pm $12

The Rio Theatre 7 pm $10

CSU Library Lounge 11:30 am to 6 pm $ - free

Pirate-themed Halloween yard display features a sea, a pirate ship, a marina, a shipyard, a beach, a lighthouse, an inn, a cannibal island, a cemetery, a treasure hunt, and a shrine. Proceeds go to St. Stephen's Children's Centre in Uganda. They’re getting all the pirate treasures.

Nothing screams Halloween like classic rock cover bands. And since the closure of the Waldorf, home of Vancouver’s most epic Halloween parties, where else do have to go? This is the perfect place to rock your Wayne and Garth couples costume.

Gerald Geraldson the horror comedian & Suzy Rawsome present the world premiere of One Night Stab, plus an evening of live and interactive dark comedy! Be forewarned – this show is not for the faint of heart! The darkest and dirtiest acts in Vancouver entertain and offend you all night long.

The Walking Debt is an event aimed to draw attention to chronic underfunding of post-secondary schools. Make-up artists will zombify people in preparation of a zombie walk that will end at a graveyard of lost programs. Tombstones will be marked with the name of these programs. Well played, CapU. Well played.

Movember Begins

Sustainable Beauty Day

Buy A Poppy....Or Don't

Candy Comedown

All Over Campus All Day $ - cost of mustache wax

The Dye Lot 10 am to 6 pm $15 minimum

Everywhere All Day $ - donation (usually $1)

Your Body Roughly 18 hours $ - cost of just a bit more candy

I don’t see how growing a mustache helps raise awareness about prostate cancer, but you can bet more than 90 per cent of your male classmates are going to be donning a little upper-lip hair all month. Bring on the free rides. And the jokes about free rides.

Come to this North Vancouver salon for an ethical treat. Stylists will be offering blow dries and haircuts by donation ($15 minimum) and all proceeds will be donated directly to The Fruit Planting Foundation. Embrace your green side and call to book your cut today!

Commence the 11 days before Remembrance Day in which plastic red poppies are worn as brooches to commemorate soldiers who gave their lives to war. For those who don’t agree with perpetuating sympathies to militaristic efforts, but want to commemorate victims of war, a white poppy can be worn.

'Cae we all know the best way to come down from that candy high is with just a bit more of the sweet stuff. Just a bit.

Nerd Fest III

People Like Us

A Scottish Fantasy

AFI

The Rickshaw Theatre 6 pm $15

Firehall Arts Centre 8 pm $15-30

The Orpheum Theatre 8 pm $21 - $88

The Commodore Ballroom 8 pm $28.50

A night of epic fantasy that includes a medievalthemed costume contest, short films, and live sword fighting. Oh, and admission also includes a burlesque show with precious metal and miss dame booty dench. The kinds of trolls here won’t be digital.

Come see the premiere of People Like Us, a play by Salt Spring Island writer, Sandi Johnson. A military policeman returns to Canada following the Gulf War a changed man. His fiercely determined wife fights to restore her husband’s health in the wake of war. Maybe this will restore your faith in local theatre.

Jun Märkl conducts violinist Nicola Benedetti and the VSO in performances of Debussy's “Marche ecossaise sur un theme populaire”, Bruch's Scottish Fantasy, and Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 in A Minor.

Throwback to when you used to listen to “punk” in high school and you thought that AFI haircut was a really good idea. News flash, it wasn’t. But that’s what makes looking at your old yearbooks that much more hilarious.

Karaoke Night

Iron + Wine

Lunch At The Temple

Rookie Night

Simply Delicious 8 pm $ - free

The Commodore Ballroom 8 pm $38.50

Shree Mahalakshmi Temple 2 pm $ - by donation

Vancouver Theatre Sports League 7:30 pm $8

My personal favourite sushi restaurant and bar hosts karaoke on Sunday evenings. Even if you’re too lily-livered to get up and sing, the food here is great and cheap, and there’s always a good $3 drink special. That should be good for some liquid courage.

American folk-rock singer-songwriter touring in support of latest release Ghost on Ghost, with guest Laura Mvula, comes to the Commodore Ballroom. This brand of hushed indie-folk is the perfect sound to drink warm milk to on a Sunday night.

Every Sunday, the good people of Shree Mahalakshmi Temple offer free (or by donation), delicious Indian food. Keep up the good karma by following a few simple rules: wash your hands at the door, smile and say thank you to everyone, say yes please or no thank you when offered more, and don't be a jerk and donate in the little wooden box stuck to the wall by the door you came in.

Vancouver TheatreSports League’s Rookie Night puts up and coming improvisers to the test in front of a hungry crowd. Many rookies have moved on to be the next big thing in the North American entertainment scene. Bring a couple of friends and cheer on the stars of tomorrow!

the capilano courier

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47 issue N o . 08

Saturday 02

with kristi

Sunday 27

arts + Culture

A + C EDITOR ×

ANDY RICE

ARTS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

Booming brewery scene CRAFT BEER MARKET OVERFLOWS WITH LOCAL OPTIONS

Kristi Alexandra × Copy Editor

47 issue N o . 08

ing common lexicon as more and more breweries open. “A growler is almost a two litre glass bottle, which is refillable for fresh beer around town. What this allows people to do is purchase this bottle, it’s usually around five dollars, you can bring it to any brewery that sells growlers or offers fills for growlers, and you can fill this jug with fresh beer for roughly $10 to $12,” Mackey explains. “There’s also another refillable container, it goes by different names. People refer to it as a Boston Round, and it’s about half the size.... And then the other two most common denominations for beer are typically a six-pack, and you can get what we call bombers. They’re 650 ml, and it’s about the size of two cans of beer. And that is probably the most popular or recognizable symbol for craft beer — the bomber size bottle.” On the Vancouver Brewery Tours, you might end up refilling your growler or Boston round at any three of nine breweries partnered with the brewery tours, which currently includes 33 Acres, Storm Brewing, Bridge, R&B, Deep Cove, Parallel 49, Dockside, Steamworks, and Granville Island. Mackey aims to partner with more breweries as they open up. The Vancouver Brewery Tours run twice per week, on Saturdays and Sundays, at a cost of $69 per person. Private tours can be requested at a cost of $550 per tour, for a maximum of 15 people. Visit Vancouverbrewerytours.com for information on reserving a spot on the tour.

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And indeed there are. Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers took home first place in the Wheat Beer category for their Quick Wit Wheat Ale at the 2013 B.C. Beer Awards, held Oct. 19. Jolliffe and Mackey can agree that Vancouver, often dubbed “no fun city”, is stepping up to join the likes of other cities in terms of a craft beer scene. “They [microbreweries] are starting to blow up in Vancouver a lot in the last year or two…. We’ve got this big booming craft beer market, which is nice to see ‘cause usually you’d have to go south of the border to find anything like that — especially Portland,” Jolliffe says. Mackey, who is seasoned in the field, can attest to that. “I think Vancouver’s reputation is still growing and we’ve had some breweries here for 20 years and have been producing amazing beers, but we didn’t have a lot of breweries. But now there’s a lot of breweries in town and the word is getting out,” Mackey says. “I think the quality of the beer is extremely high, there is increased competition in town with all the breweries opening up, and they’re all pushing each other to make great beers. So, I would venture to say Vancouver is absolutely competing, or at least quickly catching up to the established market of Seattle and Portland for the quality of our beer.” And since the city is stepping it up with beer crafting, consumers are learning a whole new drinking vernacular as well. Sipping vocabulary is extending beyond a pint and a six-pack, with the words growler, Boston round, and bomber becom-

changed that by allowing on-site consumption areas under the conditions that the lounges close by 11 p.m., are no larger than 860 square feet, and host no more than two special events per month. Since the changing of the by-laws, Vancouver has been experiencing a veritable craft beer renaissance. Before Mackey launched the brewery tours in June, a number of breweries had popped up, including Parallel 49, Coal Harbour Brewing, and Powell Street Brewery. “At least three or four more will open in the next four to six months, just in the Vancouver area. So the market is just absolutely exploding right now,” he says. Local craft beer connoisseur, Matt Jolliffe, agrees that the city is teeming with tasty new draughts and breweries, but warns it’s not all for the better. Newcomers like Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers, he says, might have been a little overzealous to open up and start producing. “I have some friends who went to Vancouver Craft Beer Week, and they all told me it [Deep Cove] was crap. I wanted to try it for myself and went to a liquor store, picked up a bottle and it’s not that good. It had a brutal after taste,” Jolliffe says. But he digresses. “It’s cool that they’re doing it, though. Apparently they’re quite young – just out of university, in their late 20s. I guess they just don’t have that much experience doing it, that they’re just trying to pump out a product… but I’m sure there’s other people who really like their drink,” he says.

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When a Vancouverite gets a craving for a designer doughnut or a swill of craft beer, their first instinct is usually to grab their passport, scrounge together a few bucks, and head south of the border. But a wellspring of microbreweries have cropped up in juxtaposition with a recent relaxation of liquor laws in Vancouver, and terminal city residents no longer have to travel so far to get a pint of something unique. That Miami Vice Berry doughnut might still have to wait, though. Last year, Vancouver resident and beer enthusiast Ryan Mackey noticed the rising trend in microbrews and decided to visit four microbreweries in the city, talk to a few brew masters and, of course, buy up a ton of beer to take home. That experience sparked his idea to start a microbrewery tour – a concept familiar to other notable West Coast cities, but unheard of north of the border. “I got home and I realized, ‘You know, that was a lot of fun. Basically, I just did a mini-tour today.’ I didn’t even know this industry existed, but I said to myself, ‘If I like this, chances are that other people might like it, too,’” he says. The rising number of breweries in the city facilitates Mackey’s ability to put together the tours – and it’s no coincidence that the numbers keep increasing. Just one year ago, local breweries weren’t legally able to have on-site tasting lounges or sell their beers to be enjoyed on location. Instead, they could share samples of their brews at a small cost, or sell beers to be taken offsite and enjoyed at home. In February, Vancouver city council

A+C

the darwin mc RENOWNED RAPPER RETURNS TO HIS ROOTS Carlo Javier × Staff Writer

One wouldn’t expect to hear the lessons of literature and science skillfully integrated in the rhymes of rap music. But that’s exactly what Vancouver rapper Baba Brinkman has done. Brinkman, who received a Drama Desk Award nomination in 2012 for Outstanding Solo Performance, is bringing his world-renowned production, the Rap Guide to Evolution, to his hometown in November. For Brinkman, what began as an amalgamation of his passions for rap and literature soon became his career. “I got started with rap just as a teenager listening to rap,” he begins. “It’s definitely my favourite music, my music of choice. I never really thought that I was able to be a participant for a lot of my teenage years. It looked like white rappers were pretty corny, not really contenders or authentic participants – did not really wanna be the next Vanilla Ice.” Eventually, Brinkman decided to give it a try anyway. “Around the age of 19, I started writing my own rhymes, thought I’d just take a stab at it.” Brinkman faced the same challenges that many white rappers do as they start their endeavors, and not until he met other rappers of many other ethnicities did he pick up a microphone. “I met some rappers around Vancouver,” he says. “Not just white rappers, but also Asian rappers, some

Hispanic ones, and it started to become something that’s more about skill than about race.” Upon attaining his master’s in comparative literature, Brinkman tackled Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in the most unorthodox way imaginable – through rap. “I started out doing the Canterbury Tales, I sort of wanted to show that rap could be a literary art form that could tell stories and capture the subtleties and nuances of great poetry,” he explains. Brinkman’s modern retelling of Chaucer’s stories premiered in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2004. After a series of performances in the U.K. in 2008, including one for a group of biologists and English literature scholars at the University of Birmingham, Brinkman was challenged to take on Darwin. “It was like a mission, a challenge,” he says. And the Rap Guide to Evolution was born. “They had funding,” Brinkman adds. “They’re like ‘we’re organizing a gig next February, if you can write a bunch of Darwin raps for us, you can be the entertainment of our Darwin symposium.’” Brinkman performed his ode to Darwin in front of scholars, ranging from psychology, to criminology, and anthropology. “There wasn’t a lot of money in it, but there were some [perks],” he says. “They bought me a plane ticket and paid me £1,000, so I wrote a bunch of Darwin raps.”

× Cheryl Swan Though it didn’t immediately gain a considerable commercial following, the Rap Guide to Evolution did receive a warm critical response right from the beginning, particularly from Darwin supporters. “The responses were really positive,” says Brinkman. “There was a hunger for this thing. I think Darwin fans sort of feel like it’s not politically correct to be vocal about why you think evolution is correct and creationism is not true. I guess I just put my finger on a nerve somehow and a lot of people got enthusiastic with it and wanted everyone to hear it.” As gigs came along, so did an online presence. Brinkman soon started selling digital downloads at a massive enough quantity that he eventually found himself performing in New York. “Next thing I know, I was performing Off-Broadway six shows a week in a 200-seat theatre,” he says. As the title suggests, the Rap Guide to Evolution is not limited just to please Darwin and hiphop fans alike. It has also been used as a teaching tool in classrooms. “I get emails from many teachers saying they use my videos in their class, college professors as well for introductory evolution

courses,” says Brinkman. Now used in hundreds of classrooms, Brinkman’s modern re-telling of Darwin’s studies have essentially completed the mission that the scholars of the University of Birmingham initially challenged him with. “That’s what I made them for,” he says. “My goal with this has always been for it have two lives. I want it to be a public entertainment thing -- Darwin for the masses. You don’t have to be in a classroom to appreciate it. Sometimes I’ll go perform at a high school or a university, or they’ll play the videos and that’s where it’s being used as a utilitarian tool to make the concepts more accessible to students.” Brinkman will be performing his critically acclaimed production, the Rap Guide to Evolution, from Oct. 29 to Nov. 10 at the Historic Theatre at The Cultch, 1895 Venables St. Tickets are $18. For more information on Brinkman and his other projects, interested readers may visit Bababrinkman.com.

leave the face paint at home TIPS ON WHAT'S DRESS-UP WORTHY THIS HALLOWEEN Romila Barryman

the capilano courier

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47 issue N o . 08

× Writer

Makeup artist Shaily Kleinsorge, with her Marilyn Monroe-esque retro red lips and powerful black eyelashes, is a self-described Halloween fanatic. Wolf spiders trapped in cups around her house add to its dark ambiance, their legs wiggling through the small cracks of space where the floor is uneven. And although they’re purely a coincidence -- the result of a hatched spider nest -- it’s a sight that further emphasizes the fast-approaching celebration of the ghoulish, the ghostly, and the downright creepy. A special effects nut and recent graduate of John Casablancas International, Kleinsorge is quick to name the top two costume choices to be expected this Halloween season. “Zombies are the number one thing with Walking Dead coming out,” she reveals, “and sugar skulls.” Calaveras de azúcar, or sugar skulls, are intricately designed ornaments used to welcome back the spirits of the dead on Oct. 31 in Southern Mexico. The celebration is known as Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. “They’re so beautiful and really elaborate,” Kleinsorge describes. Instead of painting the artwork onto edible pieces of sweets shaped into a skull, one would paint Nightmare Before Christmas-like stitches and spider webs mixed with Kat Von D-styled flowers onto the face. Men could then drape their shoulders with a traditional Mexican cloth called serape, strut their winklepickers or pointed tip boots, and top the look off with a sombrero. Women could deck out in some incredible embroidery, wearing dresses

like Escaramuza, Tabasco, or Cempeche that range from Mayan civilizations to areas like Jalisco. “I think females are always prone to stick more to the beautiful side of things, but don’t be surprised to see a lot of female zombies,” says Kleinsorge. But for those wanting to go hardcore into gore this Halloween, she warns that there’s a lot of work in store before a night out. “We would start doing wax building to build bullet holes and lacerations and then airbrushing which would help show bruising. Then there’s mold making,” she laughs. Mold making is the process of creating a face model out of plaster powder and alginate, the same ingredient dentists use to cast teeth. “We’d put alginate all over the face and then plaster bandage. Take that off and pour cement into it and then you can sculpt on that with clay,” Kleinsorge explains, before listing off the step-by-step procedure. “Then you pour over it and get your prosthetic!” And that’s only the beginning. “Then you could scratch-build wounds with wax or a product called Third Degree which is a silicone product,” she adds. “You can make wounds all over your face with that as well.” Although the face is a sure way to create the zombie aura, there are a few other things one could do to complete their look. “A really cool [thing] for your fingers is to make them look like they’re chopped off,” Kleinsorge explains, excitedly. “You bend them and build a ring of wax around it, sticking tissue and latex inside of it before painting it

with fake blood. It’ll look like your finger has fallen off – it’s my favourite thing I’ve done all year.” For those less likely to spend hundreds for a creepy evening around town, Kleinsorge has some cheap alternatives. “If you’re going to do the low budget thing, even just tissue and latex, or tissue and Elmer’s glue is enough,” she smiles. “Build it up in whatever shape you want, like bite marks.” Her two other must-haves are black eyeliner and fake blood. “If you’re going to go gory, fake blood is the bare necessity. Everybody has their own secret and recipe. You could use hair gel and food colouring, or corn syrup and food colouring with chocolate syrup – or you could buy it.” Then comes the eyeliner to emphasize the solid zombie stares and shadows of wounds. “You can create so much depth with it,” she says. The likes of The Walking Dead, World War Z and other zombie-filled flicks seem to have set the precedent for the zombie look. However, Kleinsorge says there’s tons of room to play around with it. “You could still wear beauty makeup and be a zombie. Not all zombies are ugly when you kill them,” she laughs. “I think they can still be beautiful while they’re decomposing.” For those who are new to the realm of special effects makeup and are not willing to make Halloween an experimentation process, there are a variety of other options. “Retro is really in now,” Kleinsorge reveals, “like rockabilly from the ‘50s or Marilyn Monroe.” The rockabilly look is most prominently recognized as the time of Elvis Pres-

× Jana Vanduin

ley, an era when country and rock music merged. A puffed up pompadour, cuffed bottom jeans, and creepers would complete the male look for any Halloween-er looking to pull off the style, while a polka-dot and stripes combination -- usually in a bright red -- with full-arm tattoo sleeve and a bandana could tie the look into the 21st century. Being a professional makeup artist is certainly an advantage, but Kleinsorge maintains that anyone can unleash their inner creativity on Halloween, regardless of style or occupation. She also has a special option for those wanting to keep their makeup efforts to a bare bones minimum. “You could even go pick up face paints,” she laughs. “You know, like the ones kids use at parties. And all you really need is a red and a black.” Kleinsorge, however, will be going all out this year. “I’m not going pretty this Halloween,” she reveals. “It’s really creepy. I have a friend’s old age prosthetic and I’m going to put staples in it and tatter up some clothing.”

A+C

Hunting the Haunted Houses THE MOST TERRIFYING PLACES THIS HALLOWEEN

× Arin Ringwald

Carlo Javier

MORE SPOOKTACULAR OPTIONS

× Staff Writer

Judge Dee’s Chinatown Haunted House local foundations came one year after a patron inquired where their donation box was located. “So we did a little research and we decided we wanted to pick charities that were local, and had something to do with kids,” says Leith. “The first year we collected money, we raised [funds] for the B.C. Firefighters’ Burn Fund.” Currently, Dunbar Haunted House accepts donations for three different charities -- the Burn Fund, the Vancouver Police Union Charity Foundation, and the Lower Mainland Christian Bureau. As their final year dawns, Leith extends his gratitude to the many patrons who have continually supported the haunt over past decade, and admits that its success has exceeded anything he could have imagined. “We didn’t plan it out, we didn’t think that people must really want a haunted house,” he says. “We just started to build a small display around Halloween and it was mainly intended for the benefits of the kids that were trick or treating.” Dunbar Haunted House is located at 8934 Shaughnessy St. Running from Oct. 15 to Oct. 31, hours can be found on its website, Dunbarhauntedhouse.com. Evening admission is $10 with a daytime rate of $5 on weekends only.

The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden will be turned into a unique, interactive haunted house where visitors will be invited to solve mysteries inspired by the horror stories of Judge Dee, the Chinese Sherlock Holmes. This haunt will involve dozens of actors from the Seven Tyrant Theatre Company and promises to deliver a heart-stopping, scream-inducing scare. Judge Dee’s Chinatown Haunted House runs Oct. 24 to Oct. 31 at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden, 578 Carrall St. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students. Hours and information can be found at Seventyrants.com/haunted-garden.

Potter’s House of Horrors A labyrinth constructed on 9,000 square feet of space, Potter’s House of Horrors is considered Surrey’s best bet for a Halloween scare – aside from Surrey itself. Potter’s House of Horrors is located at 12530 72nd Avenue, Surrey. Out to scare visitors from Oct. 11 to Oct. 31, ticket prices range between $10 and $17. Hours and information can be found at Pottershouseofhorrors.com.

Delta Haunted House

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Relatively new compared to the other haunters, Delta Haunted House is only in the second year of its scaring career. Open for all ages, the attraction is inspired by the frightening designs that the neighbouring houses had set. Entry is free, though donations for Children’s Miracle Network are appreciated and collected. Delta Haunted House runs from Oct. 29 to Oct. 31 and is located at 8661 Byron Road, Delta. Hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

the haunt, and it went from weeks to months, and this year took a full year.” For their final haunt, Leith and his fellow organizers are planning to go out with a bang. This year’s theme is titled The Terror of History and the setup will chronologically incorporate haunted renditions of several eras throughout civilization. “It’s a walk through time starting with ancient Egypt,” he begins, “moving through ancient Greece and Rome, to medieval plagues and crusades, 16th and 17th century piracy, 18th century monster ball, and a 19th century insane asylum.” To top off the timeline, Dunbar Haunted House will depict a post-apocalyptic, end-of-the-world battle scene. Creating a good scare is obviously high on Leith’s priority list, but so is maintaining the safety of both visitors and actors. “Over the years I’ve gone to trade shows that offer safety seminars,” he shares. In order to meet the necessary safety standards, Dunbar Haunted House annually goes through an extensive inspection process, which includes yearly application for building permits and inspections. Leith says that Dunbar has been fortunate over the years, remaining relatively free of any building-related incidents. “The only problem we generally have is every year we get one or two actors punched by patrons.” Apart from its 10 years of operation and consistently strong public reception, Dunbar Haunted House has also been an advocate of many local charities dedicated to children. This support for

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Eating mouthfuls of candy may be the easiest and most popular way to celebrate Halloween, but it isn’t the only way. In fact, there are many activities to be found around Vancouver on the night of the dead. Some are grisly and suspenseful, others are thrilling and terrifying -- all are in the name of good fun. Arguably, the city’s best known Halloween attraction is the PNE’s annual Fright Nights, when Playland is redecorated every October to become one of the scariest venues around. Another favourite haunt of scare-seekers is Stanley Park’s Ghost Train, one of the go-to spots for couples and families. The Lower Mainland also offers an abundance of the most classic image associated with Halloween – the haunted house. Dunbar Haunted House, in Vancouver’s Shaughnessy neighbourhood, is one of the city’s longest running and most notable. This year is poised to be special as it is the last year the Dunbar Haunted House will be operating. The haunt, which drew nearly 14,000 people over the course of its 20-day operation last year, is closing mainly due to an aging crew. “The principal people involved in setting up have gotten old and injured,” says Brad Leith. “We’re old farts, basically. We’re all pushing 50 or past 50, and the years are catching up with us.” According to Leith, one of the orgaizers, the time it takes to set up the haunted house has been getting progressively longer as well. “When we started this out, it took us a few weeks to set up

arts Shorts

ART SHORTS EDITOR ×

KRISTI ALEXANDRA

Kim wempe

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Andy Rice × Arts + Culture Editor Smoky, rich, and powerful, Kim Wempe’s voice rings out loud and clear on her third album, “Coalition”. In many moments it’s exposed and on its own, and even when accompanied by a rich cast of able instrumentalists it remains at the forefront of each and every track. “All of your burdens, all of your fears, where are you hurtin’ child, where are your tears?” she growls on the a cappella opener, “Intro”. Reminiscent of Leonard Cohen’s longtime collaborator Sharon Robinson, her delivery is improvised, haunting, and beautiful. The third track, “Never Promised You Nothing”, sounds like it could have come straight off of an Adele record, right down to the phrasing and doubled vocals. Later on, the Saskatchewan-born songstress evokes

classic Bonnie Raitt with “The River” and “Come Home”. Wempe is clearly a versatile singer and songwriter, certainly not afraid to channel and honour her influences. Thanks largely in part to the production and arranging talents of Newfoundland singer-songwriter Chris Kirby, the record maintains a cohesive feel while covering a lot of ground. “The Only One”, featuring Tim Chaisson, is the closest thing it has to a radio pop song. Perhaps a little cheesy and out of place, it’s arguably the album’s weakest track. The penultimate tune, “Gaspereaux Lake”, is a major redeemer in the other direction with its reflective lyrics and instrumental simplicity. And those pipes, do they ever shine. Wempe will be in Vancouver on Nov. 13 for a performance at Cafe Deux Soleils, and regardless of whether or not her capable band is in tow, that voice alone is worth leaving the house for.

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Kristi Alexandra × Copy Editor Some call Vancouver the sleepy city, but its residents were awoken as Paris-via-New York freakfolk sisters Bianca and Sierra Casady – better known to their fans as CocoRosie – hit the stage at the Granville district’s Venue on Thursday night. And it was nothing short of ethereal. The pair, along with their supporting band mates, didn’t arrive onstage until 10:30 p.m., making their fans wait with bated breath as they stared quizzically at the band’s Halloween-themed, theatrical stage – including cobwebbed vanity table and mirror and a clothesline that held the girls’ various costume changes. With an hour and half to midnight, all attendees screamed as though they woke up from the dead while CocoRosie kicked off their set with “Grass Widow” off their latest release, Tales of a GrassWidow. The sisters pumped through much material from their latest release, which came out earlier this year, with songs like “Harmless Monster”, “After the Afterlife”, and crowd-pleaser “Gravedigress”. The audience, now fully energized by CocoRosie’s stage presence, seemed as though it had been given a caffeine kick. That was the adrenaline surging through the band’s fans as they witnessed an evening full of talent and passion. And you’d

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have to be a cynical asshole to deny that the band was teeming with talent — Sierra Casady deftly switched between playing the harp, the keyboard and a beat mixer, all while never missing a note with her ethereal, operatic voice. Bianca Casady, best known for her eerie, child-like vocals, commanded the crowd’s attention as she effortlessly picked up her flute between singing and rapping. And supporting band member, Takuya Nakamura went through instruments interchangeably, while all of the percussion was executed entirely by beat boxer, TEZ, who didn’t once stop for a breath during the entire show. In fact, he claimed the stage as CocoRosie took a brief break from the stage, beat boxing to the packed crowd, including an entirely vocal rendition of Ginuwine’s “Pony”. The girls and band came back kicking, with “God Has a Voice, She Speaks Through Me” and “Smoky Taboo”. Winding down, they played “K-hole”, in which opening act, L.A.-based rapper Busdriver, came back on stage to join them. After the lights went down nearing the wee hours of the morning, the crowd was wide awake and hungry for more. CocoRosie didn’t make us wait too long, encoring with “Werewolf ”. With the sisters’ knack for the eerie and theatrical, it would be hard to believe that not a soul left feeling they got their much-needed dose of passion.

naked and famous VOGUE THEATRE OCT. 20 Katherine Gillard × News Editor

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New Zealand’s electronic alternative band, the Naked and Famous, took over the Vogue on Oct. 20, playing songs from their latest album In Rolling Waves and a few old additions. Despite lead vocalists, Alisa Xayalith and Thom Powers being under the weather, the band managed to put on a passionate synth-pop concert. Opening with “A Stillness” and “Hearts Like Ours” from their new album, the band proved that illness would not stop them from using their strong vocals. The show featured an array of lighting that set the mood

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for both their upbeat songs, and their more eerie sounds like “The Sun”, showing off their ability to make both dance and intimate yet jarring slow songs. The band asked the crowd to sing along for a couple songs because they were sick and the entire theatre responded by chanting out the lyrics to every song they had. Between their darker slow songs featuring intense lighting and upbeat synth songs, the band swung the mood of the theatre through their entire set. Closing with their hit “Young Blood”, a song the entire crowd was very familiar with, the Naked and Famous had every single person singing along and ready for the night.

× Editor - in - Cheif It was a parade of hipsters and hillbillies at the Rickshaw Theatre on Monday night, as Deer Tick was set to take the stage. It has been over three years since Deer Tick’s last visit to Vancouver, and it was an occasion that excited old and new fans, having recorded two albums since the band’s last show here. And the crowd was even more excited for them to start as the opener, country and folk artist Robert Ellis, was a slight snore. It wasn’t the best match for a band with as lively a reputation as Deer Tick. Regardless of that, all the disappointment melted when they took the stage for their 90-minute set. The band bounced from upbeat hits, such as “These Old Shoes” to heart-wrenching melters like “Dirty Dishes”. This pleased the rowdy mosh pit members up front, as they haphazardly attempted to crowd surf, as well as the

romantic (disgusting?) couples that just wanted to sway and make out. Deer Tick has aged a bit, with their lead singer John McCauley looking like he’s had a few too many whiskey hangovers. But the good thing about the band is that they didn’t build their reputation on their looks. They built it with raspy and sexy voices, guitar riffs, and an ability to make a classic folk sound modern again. It’s because of their talent that they are loved in Vancouver, and all over B.C. One lady who was nice enough to pass me a square of toilet paper came from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to see this show. Overall, the performance made people dance, smile, and want to make out with each other - especially during the encore, where the roadie and guitarist sprayed beer onto the crowd for “Easy”. Let’s hope that we don’t have to wait another three years for Deer Tick’s return.

OPINIONS

OPINIONS EDITOR ×

FAYE ALEXANDER

OPINIONS@CAPILANOCOURIER.COM

anti - porn CANADIAN WOMAN CALLS FOR AUTOMATIC ONLINE PORN BLOCK Paisley Conrad × Writer The Internet was shocked and astounded when David Cameron, prime minister of the United Kingdom, presented a series of new censorship laws. The bulk of the Internet service providers (ISP's) in the United Kingdom have agreed to place a block on any and all online pornographic material. To get around the restriction, an Internet user would have to contact the ISP themselves to opt-out, causing unnecessary grief to the average consumer. Inspired by this old-fashioned move, Nova Scotia resident Christine Podeszwa took to her keyboard and started a similar online petition on the popular activism website Change.org. She urged the public to support this censorship, saying that, “we are requesting this action be taken as soon as possible, as to protect children from these damaging images. The horribly addictive effect of pornography on children and our society is becoming increasingly evident and we demand that the Canadian government take immediate action against it.” This proposed mandatory restriction clashes with the basic foundation of Canadian society. As a Canadian citizen, you are guaranteed fundamental freedoms, including freedom of the press and freedom of other media of communication, in Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. If it's promised in a legal bill of rights, it needs to be accessible. A person shouldn't have to

fight for something that the constitution outlines as being a basic right of living in this country. “Porn destroys marriages, wrecks views of sex, and ruins our views of women, degrading them to nothing more than objects of desire,” writes Ryan Martin of Saskatchewan in response to the petition. “How can we allow something so destructive, demoralizing, disrespectful and degrading to have free reign on the Internet?” This statement reads like the rantings of a religious zealot, which is a similar theme in the other signatures. This isn't the first time that something of this nature has been presented in Canada, receiving a negative response from the public. Joy Smith, Conservative MP in Manitoba, released a statement in July that called for all online pornography to be banned in Canada, unless one opts-out of the restriction. The idea was quickly forgotten because of its ludicrousness. To say that pornography is one of the largest destructive forces in North American society is a gross overstatement. The fact of the matter is that the number of Internet users who actively seek out porn is in the majority, and the main tenet of living in a democratic society is that majority rules. The amount of paying customers who would be forced to opt-in to use the computer for what they've always used it for vastly outnumbers those who currently opt-out. In addition, the existence of a list of those who actively watch porn has the potential to be leaked, which is a major invasion of privacy. It would be moderately humiliating to be in a position where one would have to call into

× Jackson Butchart their Internet service provider to opt-out of the restrictions. Personal viewing habits of pornography are relatively taboo in today's society and putting further restrictions on how and when a person gets off is bound to build up more tension. With so much pornography on the Internet, and much of it very creatively named, how could an Internet service provider possibly block all of it? Approximately 12 per cent of all websites on the Internet internationally contain pornographic content. There is no feasible way to completely block that amount of content. If as small as 0.1 per cent of that content managed to evade the blocks, then the entire system would be futile. The Internet is constantly changing and adapting, and the spread of information through it is impossible to stop, even with well-designed barriers. It is entirely understandable that a parent would want to protect their children from potentially

harmful images on the Internet. However, a parent should not expect government policy to protect their child. A mother or father should be more than willing to go the extra mile and call their ISP to block illicit content. It's not the government or the service provider’s job to protect someone’s child. This proposed action would basically remove parents from the equation of sheltering their own offspring. If you feel anxious in an area of the city you live in, you don't go there. If you are allergic to a certain type of food, you don't eat it. If the subject matter of a movie makes you uncomfortable, you don't watch it. When it comes down to it, the Internet is a product, and if it offends you, don't use it. In the words of Pierre Trudeau: “The government has no place in the bedrooms of the nation.”

Breaking Bad HAbits SOCIETY'S OBESESSION WITH FICTITIOUS Steve Tornes × Writer

× Mustaali Raj

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obsessed, but that our society itself is obsessed. We shouldn’t harbour rage against anyone who is passionate about fictitious characters or celebrities, media outlets such as Netflix and celebrity magazines were created for the sole purpose of cashing in on our craze for fame and need for fantasy. The only answer to this issue is constant self-reflection in order learn why we love what we love to watch. As we live in this golden age of popular entertainment, let’s not forget that friendships with real people can be pleasant. Good art is good art, and as long as we reflect upon and moderate our habits, we will be sure to expand our imaginations in a beneficial way.

Hitchcock once described drama as “life with the dull bits cut out.” Perhaps we grow to love these characters because every scene has a purpose. We do not see them waste time, or bore us. Every scene has a point, even if it was just to convey atmosphere. Life, with moments piled on moments, can’t compete. Our obsession with television’s fictional characters also feels a lot like celebrity worship. Celebrities are distant from us. Every image we see of them is full of drama. We see their images everywhere, but they are never close enough to touch. When Justin Bieber turned 18, Twitter was aflood with well wishes from crying teens, but Bieber is far too distant to care. This could explain why so many people are fanatical in their devotion to celebrities. Another possible reason we become obsessed is because we can see the whole story. As characters never notice that Walter White and Heisenberg are never in the same room, we, as the audience, see everything. There is a voyeuristic joy one gets when we realize something that someone else has not. This can also be translated to celebrity gossip, such as when we feel entitled to know that a particular celebrity is cheating on some person with some other person. Regardless, the issue is not that someone is

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We are living in a golden age of television, with such popular shows as Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. When faced with such amazing art and culture, it only becomes natural for people to become obsessed with their favourite shows and characters. In the last couple years, thousands have become so close to Breaking Bad’s Heisenberg and The Walking Dead’s zombies that some fanatics might almost consider their favourite characters family. Society has become obsessed with these characters, often caring more about them than the real people around them. The fact that some people have become obsessed with fictional characters is indisputable. But surely everyone was able to feel the effects caused by the excitement of the finale of Breaking Bad, or the “Red Wedding” scene from Game of Thrones. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and every other notable social network was waiting with bated breath. The mania was inescapable. But why has our fascination bordered, and sometimes crossed into, obsession? Perhaps, it is our inability to interact with well-developed fic-

tional characters that makes our love for them grow. For example, Walter White has been developed as a dark, complex character. We know him, and his dark secrets, in a way that only an intimate confidante could know. Although we know him from the comfort of our collective couches, we do not have to deal with the fallout normally associated with the friendship of such a truly troubled person. When real-life friends are in pain, or are causing pain, we have the ability to be impacted directly – individuals experience the consequences. In a way, every good fictional character is an idealized person. We love them because we can gaze upon them without getting close enough to touch. Even the dark characters can fascinate us. The medium of television is conducive to the creation of obsession with fictional characters. Television tells a story, but not in the same way as a book. In a book, we create the world in our mind using words as guides and markers. Television conveys to us the image directly. We, the audience, are receptacles to receive the story of the series’ creators. This distances the audience from the characters, as they are brought into our imaginations ready made, not born and slowly grown. This further limits our ability to interact with the characters.

Hallmark halloween

THE ECCENTRICITY OF ALL HALLOW'S EVE Kelly Mackay × Writer

Halloween is that annual holiday that inspires enthusiasts to go all out. Simply put, Halloween is one of the occasions that is unacceptable for party-goers to miss. The fear of missing out (aka FOMO) has globalized, so now in order to be a part of something on All Hallows Eve, you’re going to have to shell out a ridiculous amount of money. Oct. 31 allows the stuffed olives, the sexualised nurses, and the 2013 Miley Cyrus’ to walk the streets – silently accompanied by a price tag. North Americans find this time an important annual event, with some fanatics literally making their houses into haunted experiences for the public to enjoy. This particular concept, or rather, exceptionally foreign concept, seems to be a bit of a stretch with regard to the whole stranger-danger situation. Considering the entire concept of Halloween is celebrating the dead, surely there must be some sort of alarm bell going off at the idea of a random stranger walking through your house, potentially carrying a weapon. From a first-hand experience as a foreigner to this country, Halloween consisted of the possibility of ordering a red food-coloured pint, and maybe investing in some plastic vampire fangs. The whole situation going on over here is fairly overwhelming to say the least. In England, it’s fair to say that yes, people are aware that Halloween occurs, and yes, they will take the opportunity to drink copious amounts of alcohol, maybe don a mask for the night – however, the celebrations are

similar to those that occur on a weekly basis and don’t burn a scarring hole in the already wanting wallet. Not to be a hater of Halloween, but a $50 costume isn’t particularly appealing when splurging on coffees on a daily basis is already a painful enough experience. There’s nothing quite like spending $100 on a night out, only for it to fall short of the previous night spent at your local pub, all in the comfort of jeans and a hoodie (as opposed to the discomfort of a sequined head piece). Events such as the Halloween Student Club Crawl, where you purchase a $25 to $40 ticket, depending on which nightclub you choose to start the night in, and are transported around in a pre-arranged party bus, to the Hotel Takeover at the Burrard Hotel with 77 themed rooms, tickets priced at $89. The concept of these pre-arranged nights out kind of assumes that you need a helping hand to plan out your party. Not only that, but it highlights how easily people buy into events purely and simply because of an annual night that is compulsory to celebrate. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating with your mates and having the opportunity to look either sexy or ridiculous, but having to wait until one particular weekend to do that seems a little bit pointless. How about spontaneously throwing an outrageously themed house party in order to cameo that special red riding hood costume you’ve always wanted your breasts

× Crystal Lee to fall out of on, say, a Saturday after a mid-term you’re pretty sure you flopped? We shouldn’t buy in to these hallmark events just because Halloween tells us to. For kids, it makes more sense, as Halloween is something North American children grow up with. Canadians and Americans alike have experienced walking around collecting candy from neighbors, but shouldn’t the excitement and preparation time for the holiday level out after say, the age of 16? The young adults are, of course, entitled to get completely reckless sometimes. Perhaps a $40 club crawl is the way to celebrate Halloween, but it could also be a time to drink far too much with your mates and spend the money on a party bus or some alcoholic beverages, instead of a costume that has dented your budget to the point of compromising on your monthly meals. Company marketers have an absolute field day

when it comes to costumes and events; it provides them with yet another hallmark holiday for everyone to spend money on things that they do not, by any means, actually need. Honestly, what is the difference between going out on any Friday or Saturday night before or after Halloween? Barely anyone even ventures out on the holiday itself. Granted, it’s fun to dress up. There’s no doubt about that. But why does that need to be a once a year thing? If so much enthusiasm is still instilled in young adults today, what is keeping people from creating new events and excuses for ghoulish garb? Really, the whole concept is a money-making scheme. It’s fun to participate in when you’re a kid, but if you’re in your 20s and own a costume that ensures some tricks or treats, don’t wait until the last day of October, wear it every day.

psychic feelings THE TAINTED REPUTATION OF MODERN SPIRITUALITY Faye Alexander

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× Opinions Editor

When I was 16, my mother took my sister and me down to Granville Island for a day of typical tourism. After perusing the aisles of the marketplace, we came across a doorway. “The Psychic is in,” the sign on the door read, and for some strange reason, given we had never done something like that before, my mom quickly ushered my little sister and me inside. The readings were over $50 a head, but my mother shelled it out for the sake of a laugh, and one by one we slipped behind the hanging tapestry to find the psychic awaiting us with a deck of tarot cards. We had a choice: you could ask one question and one card, you could have your palm read, or she would predict the next year of your life in a tarot reading. I felt it was most savvy to predict the year ahead, and get as much bang for my mother’s hard earned buck. My sister chose the palm. My mother chose one question, one card. The three of us wouldn’t be described as superstitious types – we were virgins to the supernatural. In Greek mythology, the maiden Psyche was the defecation of the human soul, and that seems to be suiting of the modern day reputation of psychics. There was once a time, in early civilizations, when gifted individuals, those who possessed clairvoyance and the ability to predict, played integral roles. Some of the earliest accounts can be found in

the Christian Holy Bible, or back to the prophets of ancient Egypt. With psychics being woven into the tapestry of many mythologies from all across the globe, why are we so quick to dismiss the possibility? Modern spiritualism is all around us, and the legitimacy of psychics is only out of reach if you choose for it to be. Psychics are often considered money-grubbing frauds, but cashing-in on the misfortune and vulnerability of those seeking guidance has always been an easy way to make a buck. Tele-mediums and the once-popular phone psychics (Miss Cleo, anyone?) are only a phone call away for those fretting over an impeding life decision or seeking the resolution to a relationship problem. Psychics became a commodity readily available and advertised heavily during morning talk show slots; however, the readings came at a rate per minute. Undoubtedly, the psychic hotlines were purely motivated by quick money coming in from the sadness or gullibility of those who felt compelled to call in. Thousands of people dialed up for their readings, willingly handing over their credit card information. These “psychics” were taking advantage. Some psychics have foretold their way to fame. TLC network’s Long Island Medium follows psychic Theresa Caputo, but her gift for speaking to

the dead is overshadowed by the gaudy acrylic nails and Jersey accent. Critics are quick to argue that the show is highly edited to show only when Caputo gets it right. Like many psychic frauds, Caputo is likely using the cold reaching technique. The clever technique uses generalized statements and common sense to follow the direction the client is emotionally pointing to. It’s the art of reading people, not minds. Celebrity psychic medium John Edward now offers private readings and live events with tickets going for well over $100. People will pay surprising amounts of cash in the pursuit of closure. If Caputo or Edward can offer peace of mind to someone who has suffered a loss, they are offering emotional closure but under the guise of psychic powers. The psychics of phone lines, websites, and television programs are stripping away the spirituality of the art form. Something which has been recorded and tied into mythologies globally, dating back thousands of years, couldn’t possibly all be a crock. People are quick to judge based only by the greed of some and the fame of others. Even historically, psychics have left their audiences divided oftentimes being either esteemed or scorned, their powers subject to belief and criticism. Although our society is skeptical, psychics continue to be a

controversial part of our culture. Even the FBI has funded programs, such as Stargate, that examine individual powers of those who predicted or visualized murders. There are even programs today where budding psychics can nurture their unusual talents. Both the Berkeley Psychic Institute of California and the Psychic Readers Association recruit psychic candidates to train. On Granville Island, the psychic laid the cards in fanciful piles about the table. I tapped and flipped the cards she would point to and soon the year ahead was lying before me, all whimsical illustrations of swords, hearts, and skulls. She told me all major events that would happen in the year ahead with specific months attached to each circumstance. She was never vague. She painted the pictures with her words and heeded warnings on how to overcome the obstacles that were to unfold before me. I left thinking it was fun, my mother left deathly pale, and my sister had found out she would bare one son. It would be a year later when I could firmly say that everything she predicted had happened. And it had all happened within the month she said it would. The experience left such an eerie impact, I have never been able to fully write off the legitimacy of psychics.

the caboose

CABOOSE EDITOR ×

JEREMY HANLON

CABOOSE.CAPCOURIER@GMAIL.COM

where the lone II

Steve Tornes × Writer

× Ksenia Kozhevnikova

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I stepped into the fireplace and placed my arms against the inside of the flue. With effort, I pulled and propelled myself upwards. It was difficult in the dark, grasping at unseen cracks in the walls and praying for no missteps. The walls seemed to narrow and close in on me. The dark enclosure was full of claustrophobic tension and had the touch of something rotten and decomposing. The stench spurned me forward, as quickly as possible. I was almost at the light. I felt the grip of a hand around my ankle.

I looked down but saw nothing except a dark abyss. I knew that it was a corpse, cold and repellent to the touch. I tried to shake it but it had a death hold. It didn’t pull; it simply hung on my ankle, like a ball and chain, trying to drown me. I kept going forward, reaching the peak. As I lifted myself above the edge, I looked down to see what had grabbed me, but there was nothing there. It had disappeared, receded to its obscurity. I studied my new location. The chimney top was just a hole in a room, the darkness of which stole the surrounding candlelight. The room looked to be a study, with a couch and billiard table at opposite ends of the study. There was also a desk, with bookcases on either side. Strangely though, the study had no doors, nor windows. The only way in and out was the black hole. I wanted to avoid it. I should have been discouraged, not finding my escape, but at least I was safe here. The Windigo could not reach me. Clutching my head, I fell to my knees in pain. “Why are you doing this?” “Damned by that demon of despair long ago, you were the one that damned me. Why didn’t you try and help? Try and save? DIE.” “But I didn’t do anything. You’ve twisted your own memories. You always wanted to be alone. You pushed your friends and family away. You told me, on that cold morning, ‘I never want to see any of you again. I’ve hated you ever since …’” The pain in my head came back. “NO. NO. STOP. Get away, leave me in PEACE.” The pain vanished. So tired, I needed sleep. I went to the couch and I closed my eyes, and denied the existence of the manor. Final installment in issue 10.

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After an eternity passed in the space of hours, I found myself in a library, surrounded by towering stacks of books. In normal circumstances, they would have been a soothing sight, but instead, the collection was desecrated, composed of grimoires and heretical literature. The familiar scent of old books was polluted by a sulphuric burn. The voice of my brother, though distant, resided in the back of my skull, ever present. The overwhelming hopelessness was that, for all my running, I couldn’t place myself in the manor. I never found a window to the outside, nor recognized any of the fixtures of my entry. I was utterly lost, with laboured breath. The manifestation of my growing madness was that I deluded myself of the safety of this library. I wanted to believe I was safe, anything was better than this reality. But, for now, I was still focused on escaping. I

suddenly had a frightening idea. There was a fireplace in the library. What if I was able to climb up the chimney and reach the roof? From there, I should be able, somehow, to reach the car. If I somehow succeeded, everything would turn out alright. It was that hope that kept me moving. Somehow, it will all work out alright. I looked up the chimney and saw a faint ray of light. It was surrounded by an immense darkness that loomed and threatened to stain hope itself. It was disturbing to consider, but at least the flue was big enough for a body to fit through. I could feel my brother behind my mind. “Why are you doing this?” “Sister. You didn’t join me. On my trip, up North, you didn’t join.” “But you told me to get away, you needed space. You wanted to be alone and find isolation.” “No. You abandoned me. You left me. You left me to die ALONE.” I felt sharp pains in my mind, like piercing knife wounds, and all I could hear was my brother screaming in hysteria.

As my brother convulsed with laughter, I crawled backwards until I hit the wall behind me. I struggled, pushing against my back, as my brother walked towards me with extended arms. His hands went around my throat, and I could feel him crushing my trachea. I screamed and flailed, watching with horror, as my life left my body to the darkest corners in my eyes. Only the painful awareness that I was not yet dead made me realize that my brother was not corporeal. He released his spectral hands from my throat, laughing. It felt as though my mind tried to faint, as if eliminating such a vicious and

violent world was better than remaining alive or sane. Something in my psyche must have broken because the world, before my eyes, became mystical and supernatural. Everywhere I looked, I saw the violent miscreations of my mind, as if my sanity was trying to kill itself in some masochistic struggle. I jumped like a crazed animal and fled. Behind me, I could still hear my brother. I couldn’t think. I moved instinctually as I rushed through the manor, opening any door I found. My heartbeat never slowed but rhythmically thumped painfully against my chest. Everything warped before my eyes, and I would always hear my brother’s laughter directly behind me.

the capilano courier

When I awoke, I was carrying myself behind my brother. I had no idea where I was. He suddenly turned around and pressed his face close to mine. His eyes bulged as his mouth split open, revealing a morbid grin, and he gave a mad, piercing laugh. I fell backwards and tried to crawl away, my arm raised to protect myself. I screamed and he laughed. The disfigured sound formed a twisted harmony that seemed to waken the house. He suddenly stopped and looked at me with dead eyes. “Sister, why did I die as you live? Why alone? You should be dead, too. You deserve death. It is your destiny. Inevitable. You came to this house. I will bring you death. Sister. When you are dead, we can eat your corpse together. Together. Sister. Never lonely.” He broke into laughter again. “You can try to escape, but I will always follow you. Wherever you go, I will call the Windigo. I will call every spirit. You will die. Ripped apart as you claw your own throat. Together, you die.”

the caboose

CABOOSE EDITOR ×

JEREMY HANLON

CABOOSE.CAPCOURIER@GMAIL.COM

the capilano courier

volume

47 issue N o . 08

SHOTGUN REVIEWS : ALL HALLOWS EVE EDITION

PUMPKINS AND ME

AFRAID OF MY OWN SHADOW

A COVEN

VEGETABLE NEGLECT

Leah Scheitel // Tooth Enabler

Katherine Gillard // Resident Ghostbuster

Paisley Conrad // Cultist

Kelly Mackay // Afficiocado

While being toothless sucks, there are some good things that come along with a hillbilly mouth. I can fit the really wide straws in the gaping hole where my teeth used to be and drink anything really quickly now. The series of blowjob jokes are never ending, and I do drunkenly enjoy asking guys if they’d like to experience my “circumcision machine”. It only costs two jack and cokes, and a shitty compliment, or if you’re lucky enough, it’s free. But the best thing about this is how little effort I have to put into my Halloween costume. It’s as easy as wearing something orange and smiling as big as I can: look ma, I’m a Jack O’ Lantern. The cutest one in the pumpkin patch. This is perfect because I’m very lazy when it comes to Halloween costumes, and opt to wear my ratty John Mayer t-shirt and go as a cynical girl who thinks John Mayer is the fountain of love. That is scary. This year, I’m going to be the happiest Jack O’ Lantern out there. My dentists think it’s a good idea.

As a child, I was scared of everything. Stories of Bloody Mary coming out of my mirror at midnight and Molly the Dolly crawling up the stairs with a knife plagued me with sleepless nights. Honestly though, anything would have freaked me out, even if it was Larry the Cable Guy coming out of my mirror, or the Tickle Monster. I would lay my stuffed animals facedown so that they couldn’t look at me, just in case they were possessed. I may sound irrational but, as a child, it made the most sense. My cousin and I would walk through the house at night with our backs pressed against the wall and we would sleep back to back to ensure nothing could sneak up on us. Disregard the fact that ghosts can walk through walls and don’t put up with that shit. The fear of ghosts coming to attack me in the night ruined every opportunity I ever had for a sleep over, and my overuse of night-lights has made sleeping in the dark impossible for me.

I awake at dusk. The moon is full. I get out of bed, put on my long, black cloak, and make to leave my house. On my way out the door, I nod respectfully to the ghost who has been chained to my front porch seemingly for eternity. He's especially visible today, what with the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead being so thin. Before I leave, I make sure to leave a small bundle of cookies on my doorstep. The poltergeists seem to like them well enough; they haven't bothered me in ages. As I walk, I notice a line of spiders all crawling into the forest, barely detectable in the moonlight. I follow them earnestly, not wanting to lose the trail they've so carefully set out for me. I reach my destination which is a large bonfire surrounded by dark figures. My clan has already arrived. I join hands with the two nearest to me, and we form a circle. I turn and gaze into the flames, seeing the face of the all-knowing Crone, the mother goddess who guides us in our witchy duties. I smile to my sisters.

Pumpkin carving on Halloween is a pretty global concept, but North America appears to feel very strongly about making sure that orange is the centerpiece for once in its robust life. As soon as October hits, there’s pumpkin pies, pumpkin lattés, pumpkin patches, and carving parties. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of orange lovin’, but what happens to the rest of the vegetable community for the month? Gone is the need for ranch with the celery. Nope, sorry, too busy carving out a demon into another veggie – you’re going to have to wait till November, mate. As a broccoli and celery advocate, I say stop and look at what you’re doing to the community. Not only is this shit racist, it’s a downright outrage. While you’re all carvin’ your pumpkins, I’ll be chillin’ with the snap peas. Someone’s gotta love ‘em for the month.

I LOST IN A COSTUME CONTEST

BLAH, ITS HALLOWEEN

HEY DOLLY!

SLUTTY COSTUMES

Carlo Javier // Sabre-toothed Man Hunk

Scott Moraes // Cynic

Therese Guieb // Secretly a Matryoshka Doll

Kristi Alexandra // Queen Bee

Many moons ago, I participated in a Halloween costume contest that would end up becoming one of the most disappointing moments in my life. It involved my favourite superhero, Wolverine, and a lot of courage on my part. Now a story of urban legend in small circles, my Wolverine costume was not necessarily the coolest, but it was certainly the cutest. In fact, it’s a child’s costume. Yes, 17-yearold me (easily) wore a Wolverine costume meant for ages eight to 12, and I’m not sure if that’s impressive or sad. At first, the contest went exactly the way I envisioned it. People cheered for this kid who wore a Wolverine suit with enlarged pectoral muscles and plastic claws. Minus Logan’s signature sideburns and gruff voice, I think I pulled it off pretty well, only to lose to some guy dressed as Heath Ledger’s Joker. Also impressive is that this costume is a onesie, which only opened from the back. Meaning no urination happened that day. At least, not in the bathroom.

Growing up in South America, Halloween was a mind-numbing mid-Spring opportunity for us to suck up to American culture. Of course, we couldn't go trick-or-treating door to door because in South American cities all houses are gated, walled, armed with electric fences, and guarded by rabid pit bulls. We couldn't put cool decorations on the yard or they'd just be stolen. We couldn't wear costumes to school because we had to wear our uniforms instead (so strangers couldn't get past the school's guards). We couldn't carve pumpkins because of an unspoken rule that says that wasting food like that is just plain stupid. We watched American horror flicks but they weren't scary because we'd grown up watching people being stabbed in the face, and all our houses were somewhat haunted. So really, we had no choice but to repel this peculiarly foreign festivity. Some resented it, but it really helped us open our eyes to the meaninglessness of holidays. Sometimes we envied the Americans, with their fancy snow. They envied us, with our Christmases on the beach. I sat in my room, envisioning some sort of pagan holiday. I called it “the Day Off”, and celebrated it often.

1988 was the year of paranoia over doll murderers, and Chucky of the film Child’s Play was the character who brought the most fear over his viewers. Quick fill-in: a serial killer who is nearing death casts a spell in order to be reincarnated in the real world as a doll, and is picked up by a six-year-old boy who experiences the horror that the doll brings. A three-foot-tall redhead wearing a blue denim jumper and a striped sweater, made completely out of plastic and rubber, has got the whole world running for their lives just because a director decides to give the doll a knife and cover it with ketchup. But Chucky does not just kill people. He also attempts to have sex with women using his little plastic penis, and it doesn’t even end there. Chucky has a girlfriend who, by some stroke of genius, decides to reincarnate herself as a doll and call herself the Bride of Chucky. These two three-foot-doll murderers then look for someone to reincarnate them as humans. I don’t know why the Bride of Chucky didn’t just cast the spell herself so that her freaky doll hubby could be human, but my guess is that it’s because she’s an idiot. She even gets knocked up by Chucky and somehow gives birth to another doll! Look out world, a dysfunctional family of sentient plastic dolls wants to play!

Teenage girls all over North America nodded in unison in movie theatres when Mean Girls’ protagonist Cady Heron – err, pre-meth Lindsay Lohan – opined that “in girl world, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” Writer Tina Fey hit the nail on the head in many respects when she wrote the female-fronted comedy about high school juniors in America, but her wry comment about sexy Halloween costumes for young females was the refreshing voice of candor that was much needed in 2004. Nearly 10 years later, it still rings true – but it’s no longer as shocking – as none of the females I know are actually trying to conceal the fact that whatever costume choice they’ve made is preceded by the word “sexy”. What’s most frightening to me, as a woman in favour of equal rights, is the lack of support from other women for our slutty choices, under the guise of feminism. Many people might call that “first wave feminism versus second or third-wave feminism.” My personal mantra for that is: “If you degrade other women for their choices under the guise of feminism, you’re a jerk – not a feminist.” A woman being proud of her body – slutty Halloween costume or not – is nothing to gasp at. My exposed cellulite, on the other hand, is worth a scream.